Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for October, 2020.
OCTOBER is the month for the annual Simulated Emergency Test (SET).
Nationally it is held on the first weekend in October and this year KY and OH will participate on Oct 3, while MI will hold their SET on Oct 10. So charge your batteries, gas up the generator, check out your jump kit and get active with your local group. Most of our local Emergency
Coordinators (EC) have plans in place to test preparedness, nets, deployment, traffic handling skills and problem solving. We all use this event to see where our shortcomings may be and develop plans for improvement. If you are not registered with your local Emergency Coordinator, please do so and offer your assistance.
NEW CEO: The New Guy is on board. David Minster NA2AA became our new CEO on September 28 and has been meeting our staff in Newington as much as Covid-19 restrictions permit. As most are aware, our ARRL Support staff has largely been working remotely while limited staffing has been in the HQ building. That continues while arrangements are ongoing to insure we are able to offer all of our regular services. What a truly different introduction this will be for our new CEO as he joins the organization.
FCC PROPOSED CHANGE:
ARRL filed in response to the recent NPRM from the FCC regarding changes
to the amateur allocation in the 3.0 the 3.5 GHz band. We have secondary status in the band and ARRL
asked that the allocation be continued.
You can visit:
http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-seeks-changes-in-fcc-proposal-to-delete-3-4-ghz-amateur-band
for additional
details.
In another FCC related issue, the League is preparing a strong, specific and detailed response to oppose any of the recently proposed fees related to Amateur Radio Amateur licensing. This has been a concern expressed by many hams not only in the Great Lakes Division but across the country. ARRL has received many useful comments and suggestions to incorporate in our response opposing this issue, thank you all.
TOM'S TOME: Comments from your ARRL Vice Director Tom W8WTD.
Most of us read QST as soon as it comes in. So, have you read the cover article for October? That’s the one entitled “Ham Boot Camp,” and it’s on page 58, if you haven’t gotten to it yet. There’s a lot of great advice in this worthwhile article.
Over the last six years, as I met with so many hams at
various meetings and other gatherings, one issue that came up again and again
was the future of ham radio. Some of the
concern is over keeping our frequencies.
Much of it was about the future generation, and whether we will have
enough hams to keep this service/hobby strong in the future.
I worked on several education projects, as well as the “Entry Level License” committee, trying to help with these issues. I know the Board and the staff of ARRL have been working on not just getting new hams, but retaining them once they get licensed.
So this article from the Nashua, New Hampshire club points out a number of things hams can do, both as clubs, and as individuals, to help in this process. I’m encouraged to hear about efforts that clubs are making throughout the Division to educate new hams.
I’d like to point out some ways that individual hams can help. It’s not all just up to clubs or the national organization. Let’s start with the local repeater. The article points out that even getting an HT programmed for local use can be a challenge. But let’s say a new ham gets over that challenge. Then what? He or she puts out a call on the repeater. Who answers? Who’s listening? If you hear a “KE8__”or a “KO4__” you might guess that the person is a new ham, based on the call sign. Can you be friendly and welcome them to ham radio?
We hope they know about local clubs. Yes, because of the pandemic, many are not meeting in person. But they do meet somehow, and they do have resources. Does the new person have questions? Maybe you can answer, or at least begin the process of answering. Tell them about the club you belong to, when it meets, and how to get involved.
What are your interests in ham radio? Why not share them? Perhaps that person will become interested. Or, if they express interest in an area you’re not familiar with, do you know who in the area likes that and is somewhat of an expert? Can you put them in touch?
Bottom line—make sure new hams have a positive experience of ham radio. There’s a lot to discover, and it will take them some time and it will take good mentoring. To start, they have to like using their radios, or they won’t upgrade, or even stay with it.
Which repeater do you monitor? How often? Will you answer a call from someone you don’t know? It could lead to some interesting conversations for you, and a lifelong interest in ham radio for the other person. Turn on that radio!
--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.
Still on the calendar:
10/18/20 St Joseph County Centreville,
MI
10/24/20 Hazard Hazard,
KY
11/1/20 Massillon Massillon,
OH
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
