Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for
November, 2019.
We are about mid point in the time period for
applications relating to ARRL Foundation Scholarships. The foundation accept applications from
September 1 through midnight of December 31. I mention this as a past member of
the Foundation Board and as a reminder to students about to graduate who would
appreciate a grant to assist them in their education.
I suspect most would.
There are many opportunities waiting in the program. Please examine the Scholarship web pages and
review the qualification requirements.
We currently have 89 scholarships available and some make multiple
awards each year. True, not everyone
will qualify for every award, as some are limited to specific courses of study,
some to specific geographic regions, but the vast majority present significant
opportunities for students.
http://www.arrl.org/scholarship-application
will take you directly to the application form and the details for completing
the application. There are also links to the Scholarships themselves along
with the qualification details.
Last year, while serving on that board, I took note that
there were not many applicants from our Great Lakes Division. I suspect that
these scholarships don't get a lot of media attention and tend to remain in the
background compared to many local scholarships.
So here I am shouting for all to hear:
"We have the funds, contributed by individuals, foundations,
trusts, clubs and others who love ham radio and want to continue to support
those striving for a higher education.
Please take advantage of these offers!"
TOM'S TOME
Comments from your ARRL Vice Director Tom W8WTD.
Youth in ham radio--October was a good month for
that. JOTA (Jamboree on the Air)
happened at mid-month. I have always
enjoyed that event, all the way back to the time when my own sons were in
Scouts.
Unfortunately, my schedule did not let me participate
this year.
The School Club round-up happened this month, too. I only made a few contacts, but it’s great to
hear the young people on. Totally by
chance, I happened to hear the Kettering University club on the air, and talked
to Ruth, KM4LAO, a young lady whom I had worked with on a video about
ARISS. And then, in the same afternoon,
I heard the Dixie Heights High School (Kentucky) club on the air. Besides talking to the young lady operator, I
was surprised to hear former Vice Director Gary Johnson, KI4LA, who is advising
the club.
It's all part of keeping ham radio alive. You know, we get new people from
anywhere. If young people have someone
to guide them, some will get interested and become life-long hams. Thank you to all those of you who work with
young people. Keep up your efforts. It’s especially difficult these days to
figure out just what attracts youth. So
keep in touch with the youth coordinators in each of your Sections, and share
what you know. Meanwhile, encourage
those young people by helping them learn more and more about all the aspects of
ham radio.
Others join us at various stages in life. We have to acknowledge all the hard work that
so many clubs do in putting on license classes, in the evenings, on weekends,
throughout the year. That work recruits
new people, too, and every new ham has a story, and an interest which we hope
will keep going. Besides just enjoying
what we do in radio, we all need to help each other keep this great
service/hobby alive and strong.
--73, Tom W8WTD Vice Director, Great Lakes Division
OUR GREAT LAKES DIVISION web page does carry news from
some of the recent events in the Division, useful links and information as well
as some neat photos supplied from around the Division. Check it out: http://arrl-greatlakes.org/
Be sure to check your ARRL Section's news pages for the
latest local happenings, club and net information.
ARRL Hamfest Sanctioning offers hamfest sponsors the
opportunity to take advantage of some offerings from ARRL. Your Division Director is pleased to make
this Sanctioning available to ARRL Affiliated clubs who have a history of
holding regular swaps. One successful
swap normally qualifies! ARRL will provide
prize certificates, QST will publish the announcement for the swap, post it
on-line at the ARRL web site and supply requested hamfest handout
material. The club, in exchange, shall
provide ARRL a table for "meet and greet" at the hamfest. Consult the hamfest pages on the ARRL web
site for the application form.
If you plan to request ARRL Hamfest Sanctioning, please
do so well in advance of your Hamfest date, as this allows adequate time for
QST Listings. QST requires a 3 month
lead time. It should be noted that there
has been a change in the way ARRL contributes to your hamfest efforts. Please carefully read the e-mail from ARRL
Headquarters confirming your sanctioning as IT CONTAINS IMPORTANT DETAILS REGARDING
PRIZES. Be sure to invite your ARRL
Officials as soon as your date is set.
With 52 weeks and 70+ hamfests in the Great Lakes Division, things do
requires some advanced planning.
HAMFESTING: Here
is the current Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest Schedule covering
the next few months. These swaps have
received their sanctioning approval from ARRL HQ at the time of this
publication.
11/2/19 Grant
ARC Hamfest Georgetown, OH
11/3/19 Massillon Massillon, OH
12/1/19 Lanse
Creuse Madison Hgts,
MI
12/7/19 Fulton
County Delta, OH
1/19/20 SCARF
Hamfest Nelsonville, OH
1/19-20 Hazel
Park Madison Hgts, MI
1/26/20 Tusco Strasburg, OH
73, Were you on the air today??? Ham it up!
Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director
Great Lakes Division
