Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for June,
2020.
"Social Distancing", and Amateur Radio? I think not! The current common term should be called "Physical Distancing" especially when one considers how the term might be applied to the realm of ham radio.
Amateur Radio is and should be exactly the opposite of the so-called Social Distancing. If anything, we as hams epitomize socializing and using our hobby to become more "social" is exactly one of the universal results of being an active ham. At the same time we are being more social, we are by way of radio, exhibiting "Physical Distancing", and in a manner that is totally compliant with the needs of the current Covid-19 pandemic.
If anything is needed today at a time when we find ourselves separated from friends, family, and co-workers, is to be more socially connected. And we can be much more social via ham radio while at the same time continue the need for what is actually Physical Distancing. Social Distancing vs Physical Distancing.....Come on, people, let's get the terms right!
2020 Field Day:
As widely publicized in the past couple of days, certain rules accommodations have been made to the FD rules for 2020. The Programs and Services Committee (PSC) had decided, in their spring meeting (and early in the Covid-19 pandemic), to make no changes to this year's FD rules. As the pandemic situation continued to deteriorate and restrictions became more stringent, it was becoming obvious to the League's membership that the impact on Field Day was going to be very serious.
I received many, many suggestions for rules changes. There truly was a very wide variety of offerings, some similar, some considerably different. In reviewing all of your suggestions and then discussing with PSC members to entertain some revisions, I am pleased to report your voices were clearly heard and understood. The PSC met in a Zoom Conference last week and waived the two rules that were of primary concern. You may look at these revisions at http://www.arrl.org/news/temporary-rule-waivers-announced-for-2020-arrl-field-day.
My thanks go out to everyone who offered their ideas and suggestions. They were all thoughtful and in the true spirit of Amateur Radio.
TOM'S TOME, Comments from your ARRL Vice Director Tom W8WTD.
Is ham radio still the same? And will it be? With all our sheltering in place, we’ve seen ham radio be just the same as it was. We don’t have to “distance” ourselves to be in contact, whether just a few feet away or over thousands of miles. And I have noticed that a lot of people have made use of their time, either to try a new mode, work toward new awards or achievements, or even, for some, to get active again and get back on the air after a long time away.
But I predict that other aspects of ham radio will change as we look to the future. While making radio contacts will not change much, our other ways of interacting already have. Almost every hamfest that I know of has been cancelled for this year. And there’s no telling when we could get back to large gatherings, indoors or out. Even club meetings have been changed, by meeting on the air, or through some form of video conference. While none of us like change, we’ve adapted, and will continue to do so.
Something else that needs to change is how we approach helping new people get into the hobby. Just this week in the ARRL Letter we read about a “pent-up demand for testing,” and the efforts to provide those tests for new and upgraded licenses. There have been experiments with remote testing, and I think we will see more of that. There have also been successful ways to test observing the “distancing” needed for this time. I hope the clubs in our Division will experiment and continue to provide testing for those who want it.
What about teaching? The traditional “class” sessions may not be feasible, either. How do we adapt? If the schools and universities are changing to on-line learning, can we? What are the best methods for helping new people? Videos? On-line discussions? We need to experiment here too.
Thanks for reading. Stay safe, and keep making those contacts!
--73, Tom W8WTD Vice Director, Great Lakes Division
HAMFESTING: Fulton County, OH. will be holding their Hamfest on Sunday June 6. The Hamfest will require appropriate physical distancing, and face masks are absolutely required for everyone.
If your swap is cancelled or the date is going to change,
please notify ARRL HQ. We work together
with the HQ staff to verify all new date selections in the hope of mitigating
date conflicts.
With constant changes underway in all three Great Lakes Division states, and the lack of uniformity regarding the travel, I urge everyone to monitor the ARRL cancellation listing. For the latest detail on cancelled hamfests, check the ARRL web page at:
http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/search/page:5/keywords:Canceled/model:Event
It should be noted that there has been a change in the
way ARRL contributes to your ARRL sanctioned 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.
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.
73, All the best to you and your family. Stay Safe and Ham it up!
Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director - Great Lakes Division
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ARRL Great Lakes Division
Director: Dale R Williams, WA8EFK
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