Sunday, March 1, 2020

Dale's Tales for March


Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for March, 2020.

ARRL CEO.  You may have seen the formal announcement that ARRL is seeking applicants for the position of Chief Executive Officer.  A detailed summary of the position is listed at http://www.arrl.org/employment-opportunities.  The web page also lists the requirements for the position and summarizes the essential job functions.  Knowing the diverse nature of the radio amateurs in the Great Lakes Division, I really feel that we do have several well qualified individuals who can easily fit into the position.  I urge everyone to look at the opportunity and if you feel you might be interested, take the next step and apply!

All applications must be sent to: ARRL Attn: Monique Levesque, 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111, Fax: 860-594-0298, mlevesque@arrl.org.

GREAT LAKES DIV. CONVENTION.  The 2020 Great Lakes Division ARRL Convention will be held in conjunction with the Toledo Mobile Radio Association’s annual hamfest in Perrysburg, OH on March 14 and 15.

ARRL President Rick Roderick K5UR will be there to meet members and serve as the keynote.  Another special attendee is Bob Heil K9EID of Heil Sound who will be a guest speaker. 

Check our web pages at: http://www.toledoglc.org/  for the full details.

Advanced registration and ticket purchase are available now on-line.  Be sure to register for the Convention Banquet.  Forums and the ARRL Banquet are planned for Saturday, while the Hamfest is on the Sunday agenda.

Rick K5UR will present the latest information about key events happening in ham radio and our ARRL.

Here is a sample of the current planned forum schedule:

Time   Track 1                                   Track 2                       Track 3

0800   Registration
0830   Event Kickoff
0900   ARRL Forum - Rick K5UR
1000   TAPR                                  Raspberry PI               ARES Tabletop
1100   CompacTenna                     NBEMS                      ARES Tabletop
1200   Lunch Break
1300   Yaesu                                  Foxhunting                  Soldering
1400   YLRL                                 FT8 & FT4                  Clock Kit
1500   ARISS                                Contesting                   Clock Kit
1600   Bob Heil
1700   Bob Heil
1830   ARRL Banquet
2030   Wouff Hong


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.

TOM'S TOME, Comments from your ARRL Vice Director Tom W8WTD.

The event of the month for me was the ARISS event in mid-February, where we put some elementary school students in contact with the International Space Station via ham radio.  This one took place in the Cincinnati area, so I was able to help in a number of ways.  It takes a lot of time and effort to set up one of these contacts.

The students get so excited about it.  For months, their teachers work with them on science projects designed to help them understand more about space, experiments, and other things related to the program.  They are just thrilled when they hear the astronaut respond to their classmates’ questions.

We try to make sure they understand how they are talking to the ISS.
That this isn’t just a phone call, but a ham radio contact.  And they get it, in some limited way.  At the end of the contact, I was asked to stand up and acknowledge the efforts of the hams, and there was good applause as I read off the names.  I was told I could say a few things about ham radio, and one thing I said stood out for them.  I told them that anyone can get a license, and that some kids as young as five or six have actually gotten their licenses.  I wish you all could have seen the reaction.  Many of them smiled and looked at each other as they realized that this was something they could do, too.  Afterward, their teachers told us that some of them want to start a ham club.  We hope they do, and we’ll help however we can.

As I thought more about it, I wondered how we could generate some of that same enthusiasm for ham radio in young people.  ARISS is a great program, but there is only one space station, and the crew is busy with lots of things.  We’re glad they take time for ham radio, but they can’t talk to every school.  What other things could we as hams do that would point out the “magic” of ham radio for students?

I’ve seen some of that same spirit in things like Jamboree on the Air, Kids’ Day on the Radio, and of course, for those who participate, Field Day (the GOTA station is so important!)  But getting them out to those events is the hard part.  We haven’t figured out if there is anything like an ARISS contact for the whole school, or even a classroom, that would generate the interest in ham radio as science and technology like ARISS does.

A lot of you throughout the Division are working with schools and students in various programs.  Keep up the good work.  If you have any suggestions for how to get teachers and students interested through some exciting program, I’d love to hear from you.

--73, Tom W8WTD Vice Director, Great Lakes Division


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. 

3/7/20             Cave City                              Cave City, KY
3/14-15           GL Conv/TMRA Hamfest    Perrysburg, OH
3/21/20           Gallipolis                               Gallipolis, OH
4/4/20             Lincoln Trail                          Elizabethtown, KY
4/11/20           Crossroads                             Kalamazoo, MI
4/11/20           Cuyahoga Falls                      Cuyahoga Falls, OH
4/11/20           Letcher County                     Whitesburg, KY
4/18/20           Chassell Hamfest                  Chassell, MI
4/18/20           Portsmouth Hamfest             Portsmouth, OH
4/19/20           GMARC Tech EXPO           Madison Hgts, MI
4/26/20           Athens Hamfest                   Athens, OH
5/2/20             Cadillac Hamfest                  Cadillac, MI
5/17/20           Dayton Hamvention             Xenia, OH


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.



73, Ham it up!

Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director
Great Lakes Division