Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for
August, 2020.
made aware that Norm Fleming W8PJ met those qualifications. The ARRL Board commemorated Norm with a plaque on Tuesday July 28. Our goal was to make an in-person presentation, but as we all know, many in-person visits are not possible. Courier delivery did make it possible to get the award to him and we are pleased that Norm can now display his plaque for all to see. Our heartiest congratulations go to Norm W8PJ on achieving this goal. Norm, by the way, just celebrated his 103rd birthday, all the more reason for another celebration.
The ARRL Board met for their July meeting via Zoom as was recently reported in the ARRL Letter. That meeting currently stands in recess and will resume soon to complete the remaining few agenda items including the new ARRL CEO selection. This has been a long journey involving many well qualified candidates all sincere in their desire to support ARRL and help it continue its leadership role in Amateur Radio.
In last month's Dale's Tales, I had also mentioned the search for a new Emergency Communications Director for ARRL. That effort is bearing down on the finish line and we should see the results soon. The position of Emergency Communications Director was created to provide a leadership position that would be allow us to increase the emphasis on the Amateur radio Emergency Service (ARES), EMCOMM in general and the important role Radio Amateurs offer in times of Disaster. The EMCOMM Director will be responsible for the relationships ARRL holds with served partner agencies nationally and the continuing goal of developing and maintaining an effective ARES organization.
TOM'S TOME, Comments from your ARRL Vice Director Tom W8WTD.
There are only a few hamfests left for 2020 on the
Division calendar.
Unfortunately, if they follow the current pattern, they may get cancelled as their dates get closer. We’re all hoping for a better year in 2021.
Like club meetings, some things have moved on-line. DX Engineering held a hamfest a week ago, with excellent presenters on a variety of topics. Not the same as being there, but worthwhile. And coming up in a few weeks is a “virtual” hamfest titled: QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo. This one promises to be more than just one long “zoom” session, so it may be worth checking into. You can find details on the ARRL website. If your club hasn’t tried meeting over video, I suggest that you do.
There are many platforms out there, and Zoom is just one
of them. The face-to-face contact can be
helpful for clubs as you try to maintain contact and make plans for whatever
activities that you can still safely do.
There has been some uptick in actual radio contacts these past several months. Some repeaters have gotten busier, and some not. In addition to increased interest from hams, there is still interest out there from non-hams for getting licensed. Many clubs have postponed their class sessions, saying “check with us in the Fall.” Well, the fall is getting close, and it may still be hard to hold in-person classes. How many clubs have experimented with on-line sessions? Again, with the variety of video platforms, it’s a matter of trying something.
Educators from grade school through college have had to adapt. If your club has a plan, please share it with others. How are we going to help new hams get into the hobby? Maybe you’ve got a good idea. Let’s hear about it.
And that’s just part of the challenge. The other is testing. Besides new hams, some people are taking
advantage of having more time to study for upgrades. They will want to be tested so they can
advance. In the warmer weather, it’s
possible to hold sessions outdoors, but soon it will be too cool or downright
cold to be outdoors. Some of the
traditional venues may still not allow us inside for our usual testing
sessions. I’d like to call your
attention to an article on the ARRL website about remote testing. Some hams are more technical than others.
Those who are up for the challenge might want to get in touch with the proper people and see what they can do about innovating in the “remote testing” area. You can read the full article here: http://www.arrl.org/news/remotely-administered-amateur-exam-systems-showing-promise
Finally, for those of us who are long-time hams, the Lifelong Learning program of the ARRL has announced the ARRL Learning Network, beginning with a series of webinars starting in July and through August, with more planned after that. Of note, two of the presenters are from the Great Lakes Division. By the time you read this, Anthony, K8ZT, will have presented a webinar on FT4 and FT8. And coming up later in August, Bob, WA6EZV, will talk about “The Sport of Finding Hidden Transmitters on Foot.” Of course, we’d like to support our fellow hams from the Division, but all of the topics could be of interest, so be sure to check the list on the ARRL website. http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-members-to-lead-new-30-minute-amateur-radio-webinar-series
Stay safe, and get on the air!
--73, Tom W8WTD Vice Director, Great Lakes Division
HAMFESTING: 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.
Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL
Sanctioned hamfests remaining through the end of 2020. Please note that all are subject to change,
so please stay current by checking the sponsoring club's web page before making
your travel arrangements. To date, we
have had 33 Great Lakes Division hamfests that have been canceled due to
Covid-19 and almost an equal number that did not even schedule their event because of venue restrictions and government requirements.
Still on the calendar:
9/12/20 Grand Rapids GRAHamfest, Wyoming, MI
10/10/20 Northwest Ohio ARC Hamfest, Lima, OH
10/24/20 Hazard, Hazard,
KY
10/25/20 USECA, Madison
Hts, MI
12/5/20 Fulton County Winterfest, Delta, OH
12/6/20 L'anse Creuse, Madison Heights, MI
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 normally about 70 hamfests in the Great Lakes Division, things do require some advanced planning, especially under the current travel restrictions.
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.
Ham it up!
Dale Williams WA8EFK - Director - Great Lakes Division wa8efk@arrl.org
