Welcome to "Dale's Tales" for December 2022

 

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for December 2022.

December is Youth on the Air Month. It is time to fire up the club station and introduce ham radio to all the kids in the neighborhood.

According to the recent YOTA News release, Amateur radio operators age 25 and younger will be on the air as special event stations around the world throughout December in celebration of youth in amateur radio. YOTA Month stations will be on all bands and modes at various times. QSL and award information is at events.www.ham-yota.com.

A couple of weeks ago I got a note from one of our members in Redford, MI. He commented that he had done a little research on some local clubs by looking at their web pages. What he found were many cases of seriously outdated pages and many links that just were not operating. I also checked, randomly sampling clubs throughout the Great Lakes Division. He is correct. Some were actually years out of date.

We all understand the people move, retire, and just plain change, meaning that these details are often overlooked. So, a reminder to all radio club webmasters and club officers: As this year ends, it would be really helpful to look at your club's web pages and make sure they contain the correct links, and the information is spot-on accurate. It is all helpful material, especially for new hams and those who would link info on your club, let's make a real effort to insure you are providing accurate and timely information.

As the year closes, it is time to recognize some unsung heroes of ham radio. These are the groups who tackle some heavy problems, sometimes controversial problems and always seemingly unending problems. They are our Amateur Radio Repeater Coordinators. Perhaps you are not familiar with their efforts, but they do their best to find an available frequency for a new repeater, ensure that those who have a coordination are truly on the air and they now struggle with the need for new channels for our influx of digital systems, and that it only the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

Properly coordinating repeaters means (among many other things) finding a clear frequency within a certain geographic range for repeaters thus minimizing co-channel and adjacent-channel user interference. A properly coordinated repeater according to FCC rules receives a degree of protection if it is suffering interference from a non-coordinated repeater. The rules put the responsibility to resolve the problem on the uncoordinated system.

A tip of the hat from the Great Lakes Division to these tireless groups:
For Kentucky, it is SERA, the Southeast Repeater Assn, https://sera.org/index.php/home/sera-districts/sera-districts-ky/, for Lower Michigan, the Michigan Area Repeater Council, http://www.miarc.com/index.html, for Northern Michigan, the Upper Peninsula Amateur Radio Repeater Assn., http://uparra.org/, and for Ohio, https://www.oarc.com/.

SCOTT'S STUFF: Comments from your ARRL Vice-Director Scott, N8SY.

First let me say... Merry Christmas; Mele Kalikimaka; Joyeux Noël; Frohe Weinachten; Feliz Navidad; Buon Natale; Feliz Natal; Vrolijk kerstfeest; Craciun fericit; Wesolych swiat Bozego Narodzenia; God Jul; Veselé Vánoce or however you may pronounce it, Christmas is just 24 days away! Have you been good little girls and boys? I sure hope so, and I hope that you get everything on your list as well!

I do hope that you all have survived turkey day. You know... that one day above all others that you eat everything in front of you, including the dishes, tablecloth and if you’re really hungry, you’ll even go after the dog’s food bowl and then sit back with your pants unbuttoned complaining that there’s no leftovers and you’ll have to make a run to the store for some snacks! Anyway, I hope that you and yours had a wonderful day and that you remembered those in uniform that keep us safe.

Shifting gears... Things are really busy for Dale and me right now getting things ready for the upcoming Board of Directors meeting in January. It seems like I no more than get off of one Zoom meeting when I find that I have another one to go to. I do hope that you can see that we ARE moving things in a positive direction and that we are always working to make things better for YOU!

Ok, let’s really shift gears for a minute. Where is your ham shack located? Is it in the basement, garage, or outbuilding? Most generally ham shacks are not in the living room and as such, heating devices for your shack are usually some sort of a supplemental heater/furnace and that is why this next paragraph is so important to talk about now that the weather is getting colder. I want to talk to you about Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning.

First, let me describe what Carbon Monoxide (CO) is. Carbon Monoxide (CO) is the poisonous gases emitted from carbon fueled heat sources (i.e... gas or fuel oil furnaces, wood burning fireplaces or stoves, kerosene, or propane heaters). I could go on, but I think you get the idea. Carbon Monoxide is colorless, odorless and it will kill you if you breathe very much of it into your lungs. How does this gas kill?

It migrates into the blood stream and replaces the oxygen in your blood with the Carbon Monoxide. Once it invades your blood stream it will be with you for many years to come. In fact, most of your life! Just ask any firefighter about that. That is where a Carbon Monoxide (CO) detector comes into play. These little devises are inexpensive (usually around $20) and can really save you and your family’s lives. Buy one or more of them now (if you don’t already have one) and use them! Oh, if you haven’t changed your batteries in your smoke detectors lately, you really need to do that too.

Shifting up through the gears... I am happy to inform you that the scholarship application process is now open. There is a link on the ARRL homepage in addition to the link on the scholarship page. More than 100 scholarships ranging from $500 to $25,000 will be awarded in 2023. Hey, this is FREE money for your kids to go to college on! How many kids do you know that couldn’t use a helping hand with their college tuition? All applicants must be active, FCC-licensed amateur radio operators and all applicants must submit a completed online application no later than January 4, 2023, at 12pm.
Go to: http://www.arrl.org/scholarship-program

The ARRL Foundation will be utilizing the same Scholarship Management Platform for the 2023 Scholarships that was used for the 2022 Scholarships. Transcripts and additional required documents must be submitted WITH the application and not emailed separately. A number of scholarships require additional documents, such as a letter of recommendation from a sitting Officer of an ARRL-affiliated club.

Applications without accompanying transcripts and additional required documents (if applicable) will not be considered. The ARRL Foundation Scholarship Committee will review all applicants for eligibility and award decisions. Awards are mailed directly to recipients' schools.

OK, shifting down to come into the pit... This month we have the 160-meter, 10-meter and Rookie Roundup (CW) coming up, not to mention that there are a few hundred more contests that you could get involved with as well. Here’s the link to see them all... https://www.contestcalendar.com/

Okay, that is going to do it from here this month. Stay safe and "Catch Me On The Air, at a meeting or hamfest!!!" But most of all... Have FUN!!!!

73,
Scott, N8SY
Vice Director
Great Lakes Division
n8sy@arrl.org


HAMFEST LISTING:

Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests through the end of 2022. 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.

Be sure to invite your ARRL Officials as soon as your date is set.

Please feel free to reproduce and publish in your local Club Newsletter with credit to the source.

ARRL Sanctioned Hamfests through February 2023:

12/03/22 - Fulton County Winterfest, Archbold, OH

12/04/22 - Lanse Creuse, Troy, MI

01/15/23 - SCARF Hamfest, Shade, OH

01/22/23 - Hazel Park Hamfest, Royal Oak, MI

02/11/23 - Cherryland, Traverse City, MI

02/18/23 - MOVARC Hamfest, Bidwell, OH

If your ARRL Affiliated club plans to request Hamfest Sanctioning, you should make that request well in advance of the scheduled Hamfest date, as this allows adequate time for QST Listings. QST announcements require a 3 month lead time. To be fair to our Division's clubs, the Great Lakes Division policy is to offer a club ARRL Sanctioning for a limit of two hamfests/swaps in any given calendar year, and they must be four months apart. If your swap is cancelled or the date is going to change, please notify ARRL HQ.For the latest detail on regional hamfests, check the ARRL web page at:
http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar

In closing, Judy and wish you all the very best this Holiday Season. May 2023 bring Peace, Health, Happiness, and Prosperity to us all.


73,

Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director
Great Lakes Division
wa8efk@arrl.org

 

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for November, 2022.

Another 61 days and this year draws to a close. Now, I take the time to look back on the recent past and think about the improvements that have been brought about at ARRL. Our new CEO David Minster NA2AA has been at the helm for a little over two years and has been recognized for his skills as leading up onto a bright future. Since becoming a ham, David has been very active in many aspects of amateur Radio. He operates; he works DX, he contests and he rag chews. He has an excellent understanding of what we need and how to bring it about. Under his leadership, our Headquarters staff is fully engrossed in the fact that our members are key to our success and everything we do has to focus on that area.

Those of us on the ARRL Board are concentrating on updating and revising how we can interact more with members, assist clubs in growing, and updating our ARRL Field Organization to match the current and future needs of ham radio. Simply put, "If you don't grow, you don't survive".

This puts a bit of a challenge upon all of us. I can carry on in this newsletter about how people should be ARRL members, but Dale's Tales is distributed to all of you who are already members. The membership message has to go to those hams who are not yet members of ARRL.

This means we all must become champions for the League and get onto the recruiting bandwagon. No one needs to grab the cymbals and a platform and stand on a street corner and shout "Join ARRL", but we all need to show our ham radio brethren the benefits of ARRL membership

Here are just a few:

Advocacy Programs

PRB-1 and Antenna Protection Legislation Lobbies for spectrum protection - Intruders and ventures wanting our frequencies Lobbies for additional bands. - WARC and VLF Represents the interests of US hams at IARU Rules Enforcement - Amateur Auxiliary and New FCC Monitoring Program

ARRL Laboratory

Technical Information Service

Tests new equipment and provides reports RFI Assistance Provides Social Media Programming

W1AW - Training and Bulletins

VEC – examinations

Free license renewal service

Publications - Technical and Operating Journals QST Monthly Journal On the Air new Bi-Monthly Magazine QEX and NCJ Bi-Monthly Journals QSL Service - incoming and outgoing

Training Courses

Technician Licensing

General Licensing

Teachers Institute

Volunteer Counsel Program

Volunteer Consulting Engineer Program

Technical Specialists

Volunteer Instructors

Electromagnetic Compatibility Committee

RF Safety Committee

ARRL Outreach Program

Youth

Schools

ARRL Foundation - Scholarships

Heritage Museum

NTS

ARES

Public Service Honor Roll

LoTW

On the Air Awards

DXCC

WAS

WAS

VUCC

A-1 Operator Club

Triple Play

Fred Fish Memorial Award

Morse Code Proficiency

Elmer Award

First Contact Award

Contests

Straight Key Night

Kids Day

RTTY Roundup

January VHF

School Club Roundups

International DX, CW and Phone

June VHF

Field Day

IARU HF World

222 MHz and Up

10 GHz and Up

Rookie Roundup RTTY

EME 23 GHz and Up

EME 50-1296

Nov Sweepstakes CW and Phone

160 Meter Contest

10 Meter Contest

Rookie Roundup - CW

Special: Board of Directors Awards

Doug DeMaw W1FB Technical Excellence Award, Herb S. Brier Instructor of the Year Award, Knight Distinguished Service Award, Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award, Technical Service Award, Phil McGan award for outstanding PR effort, QST Cover Plaque Award, monthly for best QST article

A look at just a couple of these "bennies" should convince many that League membership is truly worthwhile.

I suppose many of who have been around a while have heard some of the comments offered by non-members, like "...the cost may be too high". I answer that with "I can cut one cup of coffee a week from my regimen and cover the cost of membership". You have to want to do it.

Then there is the unfortunate bad experience with someone at ARRL that a person had 25 years ago and the resentment still exists as a result.

Rest assured that the person that caused that issue is most likely no longer at ARRL and we do deserve another opportunity to welcome that person's membership. You have to want to do it.

So, as I drop my cymbals an step off the soapbox, I close with the request that we all become loyal Ambassadors for ARRL and encourage others to join us and become members. And do it now!

SCOTT'S STUFF: Comments from your ARRL Vice Director Scott, N8SY.

Fall has definitely arrived! The leaves have turned into a very beautiful array of colors and yes, we’ve even had some snow falling.

Now that Halloween is out of the way let’s start the really festive holidays. Oh, but before we get to shove all that great food into our tummies and gulp down grandpa’s special spiced up eggnog, we do have the annual returning to "normal" time coming up this next Sunday! Yes, you will need to set the clocks back to Standard Time this coming Sunday, November 6th.

This past month has been a very busy month with S.E.T., club meetings, hamfests including the one in Lexington Kentucky, and I dropped in on a couple of Jamboree On The Air events as well. I had a blast getting on the air with a bunch of kids during School Roundup and rounded the month of October off going to a really special celebration for the Cambridge Amateur Radio Association, W8VP here in Ohio. They were honored by the ARRL Board of Directors for being an Affiliated Club for 75 years! What a great accomplishment and congratulations to all the members of CARA.

What about your club? Has it reached a milestone like this yet? Many clubs around the Great Lakes Division were started before World War II and became ARRL Affiliated not long after. So, your club might have already gotten to that milestone of 50, 75 or even 100 years of affiliation. Yes, we actually do have one club in the Great Lakes Division that has already reached that 100-year milestone!

Shifting gears... I am happy to inform you that the scholarship application process is now open. There is a link on the ARRL homepage in addition to the link on the scholarship page. More than 100 scholarships ranging from $500 to $25,000 will be awarded in 2023. Hey, this is FREE money! How many kids do you know that couldn’t use a helping hand with their college tuition? All applicants must be active, FCC-licensed amateur radio operators and all applicants must submit a completed online application no later than January 4, 2023, at 12pm.  Go to: http://www.arrl.org/scholarship-program

Shifting gears again... Did you notice in the November issue of QST in the Silent Key listings that they have now started identifying those SK’s that were also veterans. This is just one of the changes that our EC&FS Committee had initiated and has now been put into place. If you didn’t notice it, do yourself a favor and go back and take a look at all the veterans listed.

Speaking of QST, how many of you noticed in the October issue the listing of all of the "current" Special Service Clubs. Yes, the list looks long, in fact there are 97 clubs listed. The real truth of the matter is it’s actually very short compared to what it should look like, well over 300. Why do I say that? What you are not seeing is a list of literally hundreds of clubs that "used to be" a Special Service Club that, for whatever reason, just didn’t update their SSC record.

Now, we realize that some won’t meet all the requirements from year to year. But I’m afraid that this list is short simply because no one from the club bothered to update the record. In the past, the Special Service Club record needed to be renewed just once every 2 years. Thus, making this update very hard to remember. This is something that the EC&FS Committee also changed just recently. To make it easier for the Special Service Clubs to remember when they need to renew, the renewal date will now be on January 01 of each year beginning on January 01, 2024 and will need to be renewed every year on January 1st. Now, if things go as planned, (keep your fingers crossed) there will be new forms to use that will make renewing a breeze. Oh, here’s one other stat that you need to know about that SSC listing, 22 of those 97 are in the Great Lakes Division. Yes, the Great Lakes Division has over 22% of all the SSCs in the country! How’s about making that number grow simply by renewing your club’s SSC today!

Shifting gears again... QST’s newest column, "Club Station," is a space for clubs to share their practical ideas about what has helped lead them to their success. If your club has developed a creative way to get around common challenges, the ARRL wants to hear from you! They have published author guidelines that are geared toward "Club Station."

Want more information on how to submit an article? Go to:
https://www.arrl.org/qst-club-station-guidelines-and-profile-form    All clubs are welcome to participate. Also, have you noticed in the ARRL ARES E-Newsletter that they are now publishing news from many of the Section Emergency Coordinators from around the country? Got an interesting ARES news story? Send it to: Rick Palm, K1CE at k1ce@arrl.net

OK, shifting down to come into the pit... Don’t forget the ARRL Sweepstakes (CW and Phone) as well as the ARRL EME contest. All of these are really great fun to do. Oh, I should mention that there are a few more contests as well but there’s just too many to mention here, so here’s the link to see them all... https://www.contestcalendar.com/

I hope that you can see that we ARE moving in a positive direction!

Yes, sometimes it takes longer than any of us would like, but we are listening to you and are working very hard every day to try to make things better for YOU, the member!

Okay, that is going to do it from here this month. Stay safe and "Catch Me On The Air, at a meeting or hamfest!!!" But most of all... Have FUN!!!!

73,

Scott, N8SY
Vice Director
Great Lakes Division
n8sy@arrl.org 


HAMFEST LISTING:

Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests through the end of 2022. 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.

Be sure to invite your ARRL Officials as soon as your date is set.  Please feel free to reproduce and publish in your local Club Newsletter with credit to the source.

ARRL Sanctioned Hamfests through January 2023:

Please note there are no ARRL Sanctioned Hamfests in the Great Lakes Division scheduled for November.

12/03/22 - Fulton County Winterfest, Archbold, OH

12/04/22 - Lanse Creuse, Troy, MI

01/15/23 - SCARF Hamfest, Shade, OH

01/22/23 - Hazel Park Hamfest, Royal Oak, MI

If your ARRL Affiliated club plans to request Hamfest Sanctioning, you should make that request well in advance of the scheduled Hamfest date, as this allows adequate time for QST Listings. QST announcements require a 3 month lead time. To be fair to our Division's clubs, the Great Lakes Division policy is to offer a club ARRL Sanctioning for a limit of two hamfests/swaps in any given calendar year, and they must be four months apart. If your swap is cancelled or the date is going to change, please notify ARRL HQ.

For the latest detail on regional hamfests, check the ARRL web page at:
http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar

Just a brief final, 10 meters has been hopping the past few days, timing it right opens it up locally and also world-wide. Nice to see the band so active again. Hope to catch you there (while you are also recruiting for ARRL).

73,

Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director
Great Lakes Division
wa8efk@arrl.org

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for October, 2022

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for October, 2022

The position of ARRL Section Manager (SM) is truly the one I found to be the most interesting, exciting and rewarding.  I was able to select excellent people to serve in the various leadership positions in my Section, and give them the full opportunity to succeed in developing and growing their programs.  Each of could innovate, collect the best ideas from our fellow Section leaders and apply them locally.  It also gave me personally some great lessons-learned when something bombed out and didn't work as expected, but those experiences are the very best opportunities for learning. 

With the Section Manager job now about 10 years behind me, I still maintain it to be the most rewarding leadership position in ARRL.  That being said, the following five paragraphs are directed to our fellow hams in the Kentucky Section:

As our Kentucky Section is currently without a Section Manger and the normal election cycle for that position has started, the door is open for all qualified candidates to place their name into the ARRL election process.  This affords a fair and equitable position for every potential candidate as there is no advantage given to an incumbent office holder.

Here are some rules excerpts about the SM election cycle which is currently opening:

"The Rules and Regulations of the ARRL Field Organization require that any candidate for the office of Section Manager must be a resident of the Section, a licensed amateur of Technician class or higher, and a Full member of the League for a continuous term of at least two years immediately preceding receipt of a petition for nomination and throughout the subsequent term of office.  A Section Manager shall not simultaneously serve as an Officer, Director or Vice Director.  A person who is removed from the office of Section Manager by a recall election or by action of the Executive Committee shall not be eligible to be a candidate for Section Manager in the next election following removal from office.  Further, any person who is removed from the office of Section Manager by action of the Executive Committee must receive the consent of the current Executive Committee to be eligible to run for that office again.

"Each candidate for Section Manager may submit a 300-word statement for inclusion with the ballot.  With this statement, the candidate may submit his or her black-and-white photograph not larger than 3 inches high and 2 inches wide to likewise be included with the ballot.  The submission of this statement and photograph shall be filed as elsewhere required, and must be truthful, and not misleading, which matters will be conclusively determined by the Election Committee.  The standard of truth applies to all mailings by a candidate."

For Section Manager terms beginning April 1, as is Kentucky: 1st notice; October QST, (It is already out).   2nd notice; November QST.  Closing date for nominations; the Friday PRIOR or CORRESPONDING to December 10, at 4 PM.  Ballots are mailed January 2.  Deadline for returns; the 
Friday PRIOR or CORRESPONDING to February 20, at 4 PM, and are counted the following Tuesday.
Interested persons may visit https://www.arrl.org/section-terms-nomination-information for the complete details and application material.

SCOTT'S STUFF: Comments from your ARRL Vice Director Scott, N8SY.

Wow! Are you ready for fall???  It looks and feels like fall around here for sure.  I’ve seen the pumpkin spice latte coffees, pumpkin spice cookies and even some pumpkin spice liqueur on the shelves lately.  But I do have to say, I walked into a Lowe’s the other day, and they are all decked out for Christmas!!  Now that’s going a bit too far for me. We do need to get Halloween and Thanksgiving out of the way first!

Shifting gears...  I’ve got a new item to tell you about from our EC&FS Committee, this time it affects all ARRL Affiliated Clubs.  In the past your annual club update to the ARRL was always due no later than your anniversary date.  If you are a Special Service Club the same held true, but it only renewed once every 2 years, making it all that much harder for everyone to remember when to update their records.  So, in order to make things easier to do and to remember, all ARRL Affiliated Clubs will renew their Annual Report on January 01 of each year, starting in 2023, thus eliminating the need to remember the anniversary date.  It will just come due by the first of each year.  Now, to make it easier for the Special Service Clubs on their renewal we did the same thing. The renewal date will be on January 01 of each year.  Since SSCs were originally a 2-year renewal, we changed that as well.  It’s now going to be a 1-year renewal starting on January 01, 2024.  To make it even easier for clubs to update their records, the forms to update your club records are getting a makeover so that they will be much easier to complete as well.  If things go as planned, (keep your fingers crossed) they will also automatically email you once you’ve completed the forms to let you know that they have gotten submitted!

Shifting gears again...  This past month was a very busy month for me.  I not only went out and visited with some clubs, but I also got to a number of hamfests as well, including one in Kentucky!  I did get to spend some time in Newington this month as well.  I was one of the presenters at the latest Section Manager Workshop.  This is a mandatory class for all new Section Managers and there were 22 of them there this time around.  The reason for so many is that they really hadn’t done any in-person training since before 2020.  So, this was the largest class of Section Managers ever to go through this training.  My portion of this was to present them with "What does it take to be a successful Section Manager."  I had a blast going over all the various items that a Section Manager is responsible for.  YES, Les and Tom were both in my class!  It wasn’t all classroom material either, in the afternoon we did get to play a little at Headquarters, getting a brief tour of the main facility as well as visited (operated) W1AW.  It 
was a great weekend and I do believe that many of the new Section Managers had a notebook full of ideas that they might try in their Section. Watch out for things to come, I know that Les and Tom both took a lot of notes! Want to see some of the pictures from the Workshop?
Go to: http://arrl-ohio.org/sm_training_2022/

QST’s newest column, "Club Station," is a space for clubs to share their practical ideas about what has helped lead them to their success.  If your club has developed a creative way to get around common c
hallenges, the ARRL wants to hear from you! They have published author guidelines that are geared toward "Club Station." Want more information on how to submit an article?
Go to: https://www.arrl.org/qst-club-station-guidelines-and-profile-form.

All clubs are welcome to participate. Also, have you noticed in the ARRL ARES E-Newsletter that they are now publishing news from many of the Section Emergency Coordinators from around the country? Got an interesting ARES news story? Send it to: Rick Palm, K1CE at k1ce@arrl.net

OK, shifting down to come into the pit...  This weekend is S.E.T. weekend.  Are you ready to participate?  For all E.C.s, your reporting form is (Form A).  Net Managers your reporting form is (Form B)...  This year we have great news for you.  You have new on-line forms to complete.  They bring this reporting up to the 21st century in that these forms will auto-calculate your raw data.  Once submitted, the forms go directly into Headquarters and anyone that you have added with a proper email address.  Yes, you can even add as many people to the emailing as you wish.  Each email needs to be separated by a comma only.

There is even an additional Form for you to attach your supporting documentation, pictures, etc... which really brings things into today’s world.  Here’s the link to all the forms... https://ares.arrl.org/aresSET/

As I hope you can see, we ARE moving in a positive direction!  It sometimes takes longer than we’d like, but we are listening to you and are working very hard every day to try to make things better for not only the Field Appointees, but you, the member as well!   

Okay, that is going to do it from here this month. Stay safe and "Catch Me On The Air, at a meeting or hamfest!!!"  But most of all….  Have FUN!!!!

73,

Scott, N8SY
Vice Director
Great Lakes Division

n8sy@arrl.org 

HAMFEST LISTING: 

Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests through the end of 2022.  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. 

Be sure to invite your ARRL Officials as soon as your date is set.

Please feel free to reproduce and publish in your local Club Newsletter with credit to the source.

ARRL Sanctioned Hamfests through December 2022:

10/01/22 - Gaylord, Gaylord, MI

10/08/22 - Central Kentucky, Lexington, KY

10/15/22 - Portsmouth, New Boston, OH

10/15/22 - Muskegon Color Tour, Muskegon, MI

10/16/22 - Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo, MI

10/22/22 - HARA, Negaunee, MI

10/30/22 - Massillon, Massillon, OH

12/03/22 - Fulton County Winterfest, Archbold, OH

12/04/22 - USECA, Troy, MI

If your ARRL Affiliated club plans to request Hamfest Sanctioning, you should make that request well in advance of the scheduled Hamfest date, as this allows adequate time for QST Listings.  QST announcements require a 3 month lead time. To be fair to our Division's clubs, the Great Lakes Division policy is to offer a club ARRL Sanctioning for a limit of two hamfests/swaps in any given calendar year, and they must be four months apart.  If your swap is cancelled or the date is going to change, please notify ARRL HQ.

For the latest detail on regional hamfests, check the ARRL web page at:
http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar

Just a brief final, 10 meters has been hopping the past few days, timing it right opens it up locally and also world-wide.  Nice to see the band so active again.  Hope to catch you there.

73, 

Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director
Great Lakes Division

wa8efk@arrl.org

 

"Dale's Tales" for September

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for September, 2022.

CLUB COMMISSION UPDATE.  Last month in Dale's Tales I touched on the upcoming introduction of the new program for affiliated Radio Clubs.

Here are the key details and a link to the ARRL Club Benefits web page.

One of the important benefits of being an ARRL Affiliated Club is a commission for recruiting new ARRL members and securing timely ARRL member renewals. The commission structure has been updated and the process has changed to make it more lucrative and easier for the clubs.

The ARRL Affiliated Club Commission Program allows ARRL Affiliated Clubs to earn a commission on new and renewing regular memberships.  Each new ARRL member earns the club a $15.00 commission. New members are defined as never having been a member or a returning member that has not been a member for two years. Each renewal now earns the club a $5.00 commission. There is no limit to the amount a club can earn in this program.

All membership dues are sent to ARRL to be processed and the club receives a commission payment directly from ARRL. No more complicated adjusting funds around credit cards, checks and cash. ARRL does all the processing. As a result, your club could earn money while promoting the many benefits and programs of ARRL to ensure that amateur radio is protected and continues to be strong.  Visit https://www.arrl.org/affiliated-club-benefits  for details.

THE LEAGUE'S 2021 ANNUAL REPORT was released on August 24 and can be downloaded from   https://www.arrl.org/annual-reports   Here you canreview the activities of our organization including our Post-COVID reopening of Headquarters, our extensive Scholarship awards, emergency Communications involvement and our fiscal year-end financial statement.

A couple of items I call to your attention, on page 9, the introduction of the Emergency Communications and Field Services Committee, (EC-FSC) which I currently chair and Scott N8SY serves as secretary, and the profile of Josh Johnston KE5MHV our ARRL Director of Emergency Communications.  Further along on page 14, there is a review of the activities of our Volunteer Monitor program and on page 16 a profile of Steve Goodgame K5ATA who now heads our Education and Learning Department.

We do have the continuing need to increase our membership and recent visits to hamfests have resulted in a number of new members joining as well as several renewals.  With the new club incentive program in place, we do encourage everyone to consider joining and renewing through their local clubs.  Most importantly, your membership is needed to allow ARRL to continue to advocate for Amateur Radio at all levels.  The cost is comparable to an evening out, or a few cups of coffee.  The benefits to all are huge.  During recent "Death by PowerPoint" presentations about ARRL I did for some local radio clubs, I included a listing of WIIFM?

(What's in it for me?)  The list exceeded 73 items, service, programs, events, contests, awards and miscellany all to the benefit of our members.  And, I am sure I missed a few.

Amateur Radio and ARRL need you - get signed up.

SCOTT'S STUFF: Comments from your ARRL Vice Director Scott, N8SY.

Are you ready for some football???  September brings a plethora of football games back.  High School (my favorite), college and of course pro.  The match ups this year in all 3 categories is looking like it will be a very good year for "real" football.  Hang on to your hats and let’s get rolling. Oh, now is probably a good time to remind everyone to be extra careful when driving and to heed those flashing red lights on the school buses.  Give them plenty of room to get the kids on and off, as well as crossing the streets.

Shifting gears...  I’ve got several new items to tell you about from our EC&FS Committee.  First is the remake of the Club Commission program.  Many of you complained that a $2 commission for taking an ARRL membership renewal just wasn’t worth it.  How’s about $5.00 per renewal, will that get your attention?  The $15.00 reward for a new ARRL Membership will still remain as well.  So, now I hope you’ll see how our Committee has started to impact YOU and your CLUB. 

We’ve also heard from some of you that you would really like to see what other Sections and Divisions around the country are doing.  Well my friend, you now can.  Yes, another action from the EC&FS Committee was to get those emails opened to you, and you now have the access.  You can select any Section or Division and see their newsletters.  Here’s a link to that as well...          http://www.arrl.org/section-division-email-log

The EC&FS Committee also felt that it was time that we recognize our veterans when they have become a "Silent Key."  Many of our members have, in addition to service as Amateur Radio Operators, also rendered service to the Nation in their professional lives.  The ARRL will soon begin recognizing those deceased veteran members by the addition of an appropriate symbol following their published name as a Silent Key. 

One of the major functions of the EC&FS Committee is Emergency Communications, specifically ARES.  So, for the folks more involved with that field I want to let you know that we have also updated the ARES Plan that was originally introduced to all of us back in 2019.  Here’s a link to the updated plan...                                         http://www.arrl.org/files/file/ARES%20Plan%20Revision%207122b.pdf

Shifting gears again...  QST is now offering a column for radio clubs.

Clubs are the backbone of the amateur radio community. Whether you are a part of a special interest or general club, its members are the community that you serve.  In the same way that every ham is different, each club is also different.  Not every club will offer the same programs and projects to their member community.

QST’s newest column, "Club Station," is a space for clubs to share their practical ideas about what has helped lead them to their success.

If your club has developed a creative way to get around common challenges, the ARRL wants to hear from you!  They have published author guidelines that are geared toward "Club Station."  Want more information on how to submit an article?  Go to:                                                  https://www.arrl.org/qst-club-station-guidelines-and-profile-form   All clubs are welcome to participate.  Also, have you noticed in the ARRL ARES E-Newsletter that they are now publishing news from many of the Section Emergency Coordinators from around the country?  Got an interesting ARES news story?  Send it to:  Rick Palm, K1CE at k1ce@arrl.net

OK, shifting down to come into the pit...  Is your ARES group getting ready for S.E.T.?  The Simulated Emergency Test (S.E.T.) is October 1-2 and next to Field Day, one of the busiest times for ham radio!  Is your ARES group or club already in the planning stage yet?  If not, it should be, like Field Day, S.E.T. demonstrates to our served agencies what amateur radio is really all about, communications. 

That is going to do it from here this month. Stay safe and "Catch Me On The Air, at a meeting or hamfest!!!"

73,

Scott Yonally N8SY
Vice Director
Great Lakes Division

 

HAMFEST LISTING:  

Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests through October 2022.  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. 

Be sure to invite your ARRL Officials as soon as your date is set.

Please feel free to reproduce and publish in your local Club Newsletter with credit to the source.

ARRL Sanctioned Hamfests through October 2022:

09/10/22 - GRAHamfest, Grand Rapids, MI

09/10/22 - CMARC Hamfest, Okemos, MI

09/10/22 - Greater Louisville Hamfest, Shepherdsville, KY

09/10/22 - Ashtabula Hamfest, Pierpont, OH

09/11/22 - Findlay Hamfest, Findlay, OH

09/17/22 - Richmond Hamfest, Richmond, KY

09/17/22 - Mound ARA, Miamisburg, OH

09/17/22 - GMARC Trunk Swap, Shelby Twp, MI

09/18/22 - Adrian Hamfest, Adrian, MI

09/24/22 - KY4ARC Hamfest, Paintsville, KY

09/25/22 - Cleveland Hamfest, Berea, OH

10/01/22 - Gaylord, Gaylord, MI

10/08/22 - Central Kentucky, Lexington, KY

10/15/22 - Muskegon Color Tour, Muskegon, MI

10/16/22 - Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo, MI

10/22/22 - HARA, Negaunee, MI

10/30/22 - Massillon, Massillon, OH

If your ARRL Affiliated club plans to request Hamfest Sanctioning, you should make that request well in advance of the scheduled Hamfest date, as this allows adequate time for QST Listings.  QST announcements require a 3 month lead time. To be fair to our Division's clubs, the Great Lakes Division policy is to offer a club ARRL Sanctioning for a limit of two hamfests/swaps in any given calendar year, and they must be four months apart.  If your swap is cancelled or the date is going to change, please notify ARRL HQ.

For the latest detail on regional hamfests, check the ARRL web page at:

http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar

73, 

Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director
Great Lakes Division
wa8efk@arrl.org

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for August, 2022

 

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for August, 2022.

We begin this month's column with the news that our ARRL Section Manager

for Kentucky has retired from the position.   Steve Morgan W4NHO has served Kentucky well over several terms as SM.  We now wish him the very best as he sets off to other endeavors - also assuring us that we will continue to hear him on several regional traffic nets.  Steve, our sincere thanks for a job well done.

In the meantime we have the Kentucky Section Manager's position open and are searching for individuals who are interested in serving.  The Job Description is posted on the ARRL Web site at: http://www.arrl.org/section-manager.  It may seem like a lot of detail but having served for 9+ years in that capacity, I personally feel it was the very best job in the ARRL.  One has the opportunity to be creative, exercise new programs and watch them come to fruition.  As a team leader, the SM can mentor his staff and watch them innovate and generate new ideas to make the ARRL Field Organization grow, prosper and become more effective.

Any KY ARRL member who is over the age of 18 and has held uninterrupted ARRL membership over the last two years is eligible for the Section Manager position.  I will be pleased to discuss the details with any interested party and you may feel free to phone me at the number listed for me on page 15 of QST.

Your ARRL Board of Directors met in mid July.  Among the many formalities and reports, included was the interim report from the EC-FSC, the Emergency Communications - Field Services Committee which I chair.  We introduced a couple of new measures that were accepted and passed by the Board.  One was to formally continue the member service of hosting the "arrl.net" e-mail forwarding system.  This is a widely-used and well recognized member benefit and we want full assurance that it will continue as such.   Another motion allows for the acknowledgement in our Silent Keys QST Listing of the SK's service in the US Uniformed Military Service.  In the meantime, this committee is currently focusing at implementing creative ideas for improving the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), the National Traffic System (NTS), our Amateur Radio Clubs and improving communication and interaction between our geographic Divisions and the individual Sections within those Divisions.

Another early outcome from the EF-FSC is the promotion of new club services which are being introduced and phased into service in addition to the already in-service increase in rebates for ARRL Affiliated clubs for recruiting new ARRL members.

The ARRL Board also recognized two Great Lakes Division radio clubs for their work in their local communities.  The Motor City Radio Club was honored for their 90 years of service for the hams in Metro Detroit and the general public of that region.  The 75th anniversary of ARRL Affiliation for the Cambridge Amateur Radio Club called for them to be honored for their outstanding contributions to the public and ham radio in the Cambridge, Ohio area.   Both will receive plaques from the League and the commemorations were met with applause from the ARRL Board.

Other actions by the ARRL Board will be reported to you when the official minutes are approved.

SCOTT'S STUFF: Comments from your ARRL Vice Director Scott, N8SY.

Welcome to the "dog days of summer"!!!  Yes, it’s hot and muggy all over the Great Lakes Division, but that hasn't seemed to slow down anyone from attending a hamfest lately.  Attendance at hamfests seems to be as large or larger than the pre-pandemic days.  I can truly say that our division has a very healthy and hearty appetite for getting out and mingling with others in the amateur radio world for sure!

Let's shift gears...  As you know, Dale and I attended the Board meeting recently.  The Thursday before was spent in the EC&FSC meeting all day!

Yes, Dale and I had our hands full with a very large agenda for the committee that we both are on.  The meeting lasted all day, and I am happy to report that we got a lot accomplished, and you’ll be hearing about some of those items that came from that committee in QST and ARRL Letter soon.  That evening was spent in an informal meeting to discuss other ARRL items of interest for the Board.  Of course, Friday and Saturday are exclusively reserved for the actual Board meeting itself and yes, it took all day Friday and all morning Saturday before we got things wrapped up.  I will say this, there’s a lot more to these Board meetings than meets the eye.  I find these meetings a lot like watching C-Span and the activities of our Congress.  Yes, there’s lots of friendly discussions (politicking) going on in every corner of the room between opposing views.  But in the end, it all seems to come together for the betterment of the membership and amateur radio!

Shifting gears again...  QST is now offering a column for radio clubs.

Clubs are the backbone of the amateur radio community. Whether you are a part of a special interest or general club, its members are the community that you serve.  In the same way that every ham is different, each club is also different.  Not every club will offer the same programs and projects to their member community.

QST’s newest column, "Club Station," is a space for clubs to share their practical ideas about what has helped lead them to their success.

If your club has developed a creative way to get around common challenges, the ARRL wants to hear from you!  They have published author guidelines that are geared toward "Club Station."  Want more information on how to submit an article?  Go to: https://www.arrl.org/qst-club-station-guidelines-and-profile-form.  All clubs are welcome to participate. 

Shifting gears again...  Is your ARES group getting ready for S.E.T.?

The Simulated Emergency Test (S.E.T.) is October 1-2 and next to Field Day, one of the busiest times for ham radio!  Is your ARES group or club already in the planning stage yet?  If not, it should be, like Field Day, S.E.T. demonstrates to our served agencies what amateur radio is really all about, communications.  

OK, shifting down to come into the pit...  Now, for all the contesters out there. August has many contests just waiting for you to do. If you are interested in just having some fun, here is a link to a schedule of all the contests for the month of August... https://www.contestcalendar.com/fivewkcal.html 

That is going to do it from here this month. Stay safe and "Catch Me On The Air, at a meeting or hamfest!!!"

73,

Scott Yonally N8SY

Vice Director
Great Lakes Division

HAMFEST LISTING: 

Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests through October 2022.  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. 

Be sure to invite your ARRL Officials as soon as your date is set.

Please feel free to reproduce and publish in your local Club Newsletter with credit to the source.

ARRL Sanctioned Hamfests through October 2022:

08/06/22 - Columbus Hamfest, Columbus, OH

08/06/22 - UP Hamfest, Rapid River, MI

08/13/22 - Letcher Co, Hamfest, Whitesburg, KY

08/13/22 - Cincinnati Hamfest, Owensville, OH

08/20/22 - GM ARC Trunk Swap, Shelby Twp, MI

08/21/22 - Letcher County, Whitesburg, KY

08/28/22 - Seaway, Port Huron, MI

09/10/22 - GRAHamfest, Grand Rapids, MI

09/10/22 - CMARC Hamfest, Okemos, MI

09/10/22 - Greater Louisville Hamfest, Shepherdsville, KY

09/10/22 - Ashtabula Hamfest, Pierpont, OH

09/11/22 - Findlay Hamfest, Findlay, OH

09/17/22 - Richmond Hamfest, Richmond, KY

09/17/22 - Mound ARA, Miamisburg, OH

09/17/22 - GMARC Trunk Swap, Shelby Twp, MI

09/18/22 - Adrian Hamfest, Adrian, MI

09/24/22 - KY4ARC Hamfest, Paintsville, KY

09/25/22 - Cleveland Hamfest, Berea, OH

10/01/22 - Gaylord, Gaylord, MI

10/08/22 - Central Kentucky, Lexington, KY

10/15/22 - Muskegon Color Tour, Muskegon, MI

10/16/22 - Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo, MI

10/22/22 - HARA, Negaunee, MI

10/30/22 - Massillon, Massillon, OH

If you club plans to request ARRL Hamfest Sanctioning, you should do so well in advance of the planned Hamfest date, as this allows adequate time for QST Listings.  QST announcements require a 3 month lead time.

If your swap is cancelled or the date is going to change, please notify ARRL HQ.

For the latest detail on regional hamfests, check the ARRL web page at:
http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar

73, 

Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director
Great Lakes Division
wa8efk@arrl.org

Dale's Tales for July

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for July, 2022.

OH my gosh, six meters continues to live up to its name as the Magic Band with openings practically every day within the Continental US and some really outstanding DX as well. I hope you have been able to venture on 6 and snag some good contacts.

There was certainly plenty of activity on the bands last weekend as ham radio's biggest operating event took to the airwaves in the form of ARRL's annual Field Day. Some slight adjustments to the FD rules were in place, the most significant was setting the operating power limit at 100 watts. This was done to equalize the FD rules with other similar events and also improve the competitive levels among all entry classes.

Field Day for this amateur meant operating with my club and I had a great time.  The weather was playing favorites and we only had a couple of light overnight showers.  This year afforded some excellent training opportunities as we have seen some significant club growth with new hams and this past weekend was their first opportunity to participate in this operating event.   I think our old timers and newcomers all exchanged some ideas and brought home some innovations for next year.  Most importantly all of the participants left with improved skills and operating abilities.  We were fortunate to welcome several key visitors, the local media, our State Representative and his wife and our Section Manager Les W8MSP and his wife Karen KB8AKC.

Thanks to all who stopped by your Great Lakes Division's booth at Hamvention and posted their QSL cards or signed our guest register.

Sorry if we may have missed a few visitors signing our guest log, but here y'all are: 

AA8SU, AA8TA, AB4IQ, AB8OU, AC1JL, AC8GU, AC8HZ, AC8NP, AC8QB, AC9CK, AD8C, AD8DZ, AD8IT, AD8WA, AH0AA, AH0AA/JR2SCV/JE2YRB, AI4EY, AK8A, AK9TX, JH1NBN, JW/K8GU, K0EED, K3GP, K3JJB, K3KTB, K3RC, K3ZB/JH1NBN, K4ZLE, K5HTE, K7EK, K7SUF, K7WE, K8ALG, K8BF, K8BP, K8CLP, K8CX, K8DP, K8EEP, K8HCF, K8IYF, K8JH, K8JTK, K8MDA, K8MST, K8NU, K8RJH, K8TS, K8UPR, K8VCE, K8VQC, K8VSY, K8WDA, K8ZCT, K8ZT, KA0AZS, KA8KWO, KA8UGB, KB8FXJ, KB8GYB, KB8IUP, KB8NW, KB8QLR, KB8UNJ, KB8UUZ, KB8WPZ, KC4OHX, KC8CAD, KC8GE, KC8MNW, KC8TEF, KC8TVW, KC8UFV, KC9QFH, KD2REM, KD4NUH, KD4SS, KD8JIP, KD8OCS, KD8QGA, KD8RER, KD8RTP, KD8SKZ, KD8SMO, KD8VRX, KD8VWE, KD8YVJ, KD8ZDF, KD9PDY, KE8BGZ, KE8BKP, KE8CEO, KE8CKN, KE8CKO, KE8CVA, KE8EJF, KE8EKG, KE8EKH, KE8EOB, KE8LPL, KE8MYH, KE8QAT, KE8RJU, KE8RS, KE8TBS, KG6NFJ, KI4SPO, KI8AF, KJ4BYD, KJ8BB, KJ8F, KM4CH, KM4FO, KO4ZFC, KY4M, N4DLR, N4HAI, N4JMR, N4LSJ, N4SV, N6JRL, N6YPC, N7JTB, N7OEI, N8AMY, N8AUC, N8BAG, N8BAP, N8CUB, N8DAF, N8DPW, N8ETP, N8FE, N8FTD, N8GBA, N8HAR, N8HG, N8HO, N8JKO, N8JMW, N8LE, N8NAV, N8NU, N8QKE, N8QXC, N8SBE, N8SY, N8VOX, N8WD, N8YSB, N9WYD, NA8L, ND4X, NE5SD, NE8Z, NF8M, NK8D, NL7CF, NM8W, NX8G, NY8D, VE7BC, VE7HA, VU2TO, W2THU, W2WCM, W4DFR, W4JKL, W4NHO, W4WKU, W4ZIP, W8AAZ, W8AOR, W8CTF, W8DEC, W8GN, W8DLB, W8DNZ, W8ERW, W8FSA, W8HFZ, W8IZC, W8KNO, W8MSP, W8NDB, W8PAB, W8PHN, W8PI, W8PT, W8SHF, W8VRD, W8VTN, W8YSY, W8ZAG, WA1EIB, WA2DHG, WA6EZV, WA8AAZ, WA8EFK, WA8HEA, WA8HUB, WA8UWV, WB0NPN, WB1ARU, WB4SUV, WB8BSA, WB8LCD, WB8TRL, WD4FJF, WD8ITP, WD8JM, WD8NVN, WD8SCL, WD8USA, WE8Q, WE8TOM, WG8H, WG8X, WH7W, WM8G, WR8G, WX8V.

Again, our sincere thanks for visiting with us.

SCOTT'S STUFF: Comments from your ARRL Vice Director Scott, N8SY.

Let me be the first one to say...  Happy 4th of July to you and yours!!!

 Have fun, but please be very careful.  Here in Ohio, we are now legally, in some communities, allowed to shoot off fireworks.  Back in the day I used to shoot off hundreds of firecrackers at a time.  It sounded like a real gangster gun battle for sure until one day I shot off an M-80 and it blew a hole in our backyard about 3 foot wide and a couple of foot deep!  I decided that I like my fingers way too much to take that much of a chance in possibly losing them, so I just sit back and watch the professionals do it now.  I was told recently that in one of the professional fireworks displays it didn't go well.  As I understand it, a worker hit the wrong button and set off a 20-minute display all at once.  I understand it was the best grand finale ever in that town, but very short lived as that it only lasted around 35 seconds.

Let's shift gears...  Wow oh wowie...  I think that sums up Field Day weekend!  It felt so good getting out and being able to see and talk with all of you at your Field Day sites.  This year above all other years I'm really impressed with how many younger folks were involved with Field Day.  All the sites I visited I found at least one newbie that was not just young to amateur radio, but young in age, less than 40 and they were active!  I feel that speaks volumes for the growth and interest in amateur radio!  It was exciting to hear how and why they got involved.  Though the stories were varied, they all seemed genuine in not only expanding their thirst for knowledge, but in advancing in their licensing as well.  Now, for the record, I visited 12 sites and drove

467 miles!  I'm only sorry I couldn't get to more sites, but the day is only so long and the miles between sites really makes the difference on just how many of them I can actually get to.  I do apologize to the folks that invited me personally to come and visit their site and I just didn't get there.  I promise to try harder next year to do just that!

Shifting gears again...  Now that Field Day is over are you ready for some more fun?  The Simulated Emergency Test (S.E.T.) is October 1-2 and next to Field Day, one of the busiest times for ham radio!  Is your ARES group or club already in the planning stage yet?  If not, it should be, like Field Day, S.E.T. demonstrates to our served agencies what amateur radio is really all about, communications.  Did you happen to notice in this past months QST the results of the 2021 S.E.T.?  The Ohio Section represented the Great Lakes Division quite well by coming in 2nd in the nation!     

OK, shifting gears again...  Now, for all the contesters out there. July has many contests just waiting for you to do. If you are interested in just having some fun, here is a link to a schedule of all the contests for the month of July...   https://www.contestcalendar.com/fivewkcal.html  

That is going to do it from here this month. Stay safe and "Catch Me On The Air, at a meeting or hamfest!!!"

 

73,

Scott Yonally N8SY

Vice Director
Great Lakes Division

n8sy@arrl.org 
 

HAMFEST LISTING: 

Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests through September 2022.  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. 

Be sure to invite your ARRL Officials as soon as your date is set.

Please feel free to reproduce and publish in your local Club Newsletter with credit to the source.

ARRL Sanctioned Hamfests through September 2022:

07/09/22 - Mansfield Mid Summer Trunkfest, Mansfield, OH

07/10/22 - Flying Beers, Ferndale, MI

07/16/22 - NOARS Fest, Elyria, OH

07/16/22 - GM ARC Trunk Swap, Shelby Twp, MI

07/17/22 - Van Wert Hamfest, Van Wert, OH

08/06/22 - Columbus Hamfest, Columbus, OH

08/13/22 - Letcher Co, Hamfest, Whitesburg, KY

08/13/22 - Cincinnati Hamfest, Owensville, OH

08/20/22 - GM ARC Trunk Swap, Shelby Twp, MI

08/21/22 - Letcher County, Whitesburg, KY

08/28/22 - Seaway, Port Huron, MI

09/10/22 - GRAHamfest, Grand Rapids, MI

09/10/22 - CMARC Hamfest, Okemos, MI

09/10/22 - Greater Louisville Hamfest, Shepherdsville, KY

09/11/22 - Findlay Hamfest, Findlay, OH

09/17/22 - Richmond Hamfest, Richmond, KY

09/17/22 - Mound ARA, Miamisburg, OH

09/17/22 - GMARC Trunk Swap, Shelby Twp, MI

09/18/22 - Adrian Hamfest, Adrian, MI

09/25/22 - Cleveland Hamfest, Berea, OH

If you club plans to request ARRL Hamfest Sanctioning, you should do so well in advance of the planned Hamfest date, as this allows adequate time for QST Listings.  QST announcements require a 3 month lead time.

If your swap is cancelled or the date is going to change, please notify ARRL HQ.

For the latest detail on regional hamfests, check the ARRL web page at:

http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar

 

73, 

Dale Williams WA8EFK

Director
Great Lakes Division
wa8efk@arrl.org

Dale's Tales for June

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for June, 2022.

HAMVENTION has come and gone, but from this ham's perspective, it was so great to have it back.  Our Great Lakes Division booth inside ARRL's EXPO, drew many visitors.  Thanks to all who stopped by and posted their QSL cards and signed our guest register.  I'm sure there were many, many more that visited and did not have the opportunity to register.   It seems everyone was enjoying the Hamvention's return, visiting the dealers, vendors and flea market and taking the opportunity to enjoy the many forums that are always a part of this experience. 

Our thanks to the Dayton Amateur Radio Association for their outstanding efforts in pulling this excellent team of volunteers together to make Hamvention the greatest Amateur Radio event in the world.

JUNE brings Field Day, the biggest operating event of the year.  It is time to finalize your plans.  Operate with a club or on your own, but this is a great time to exercise your skills.  I know that when FD is over, I am a better op.  I clearly can discern calls and signal reports through QRM and QRN much better following my streak of Field Day operating.  And despite the fact that my club sets up much like previous times, there is always some innovation or idea that gets tested each year.  Often with success, sometimes not, but we learn from both the successes and the failures and that is just one of the fun parts of Field Day.

THIS WEEEKND, we honored our brave heroes who gave their lives in defense of freedom.  I hope you all took the time to think about them and their great sacrifices. Even a short moment of remembrance, a brief thought of their time served, or a pause of respect for their families, is the least we can offer.

LAST MONTH I wrote about some changes to hamfest listings and how we will approach ARRL Sanctioning these activities.  The policy revision is to offer ARRL Sanctioning to a maximum number of hamfests/swaps sponsored by a club and will be limited to two in any given year and they must be four months apart.  This is done in the interest of fairness to every ARRL Affiliated club hosting a hamfest, and will allow clubs to adjust to new schedules caused by prior COVID-related cancellations.

I have received some good suggestions relating to naming conventions as they relate to "Hamfest, "Swap", Swapmeet", "Trunkswap", "Trunkfest" etc. and have been talking with my fellow ARRL Directors about how best to name these events.  Listings will now be shown as either "Hamfest" or "Swap", using the sponsor's registration and a guide.  In most circumstances, "Hamfests" include at least one building for housing displays and vendor tables and may offer forums or meeting rooms, while "Swaps" are primarily smaller in scale and limited to outdoor events. 

Let's try to move our event listings in this direction, while allowing a little leeway as we make this migration.

SCOTT'S STUFF: Comments from your ARRL Vice Director Scott, N8SY.

Wow...  I think that sums up Dayton weekend!  It was so great getting out and being able to see and talk with all of you and boy, we did talk.  I've had the opportunity for many years to man that booth and I will say that this year was the best.  Yes, we had our booth neighbors on either side of us jealous as we had them stacked up 5 - 6 deep many times throughout the weekend.  If you didn’t make it to Dayton this year.  I am so sorry for you.  The theme this year was "Reunion" and it really fit.  It was a reunion for everyone there.  Now, I have to ask, how many of you purchased new radios while you were there.  It seemed like everyone that passed our booth had some sort of a new radio in a bag or under their arm.  So, with all those new radios just purchased I hope to start hearing some of you on the air soon!

Shifting Gears...  Now that Dayton is over are you ready for more fun?

June 25 - 26 is Field Day.  The biggest event that we all do every year that demonstrates to our served agencies what amateur radio is really all about, communications.  Are you participating with a local club this year or just having some ham friends over for a great weekend?  I will be out and about once again this year.  I will try to get to as many of the Field Day sites as I can.  I usually hit around 14 - 16 sites and I choose them from whatever direction I happen to pick from the dart that I throw at the dartboard.  Have you listed your Field Day site on the ARRL Field Day Station Locator yet?  Here’s a link to it...    https://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator 

Now, my territory is large so if I don’t get to visit your site this year, please forgive me.  I’ll try harder next year to get to you.

Oh, thank you in advance for all the warm welcomes and great food.  Hams love to eat and they have the best food for Field Day.  I even had fresh lobster one year! 

OK, shifting gears again...  Now, for all the contesters out there. June has contests even if you take Field Day out of that picture.  If you are interested in just having some fun, here is a link to a schedule of all the contests for the month of June...  https://www.contestcalendar.com/fivewkcal.html

A few folks asked me recently why my article sounds like I’m in a race car with the shifting of the gears.  Well, it’s simple, I live just in front of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and many times when I’m writing this column I’m outside where I can hear the cars on the track shifting up and down and I tend to type in tune with the shifting up and down that the cars are doing.  So, if sometimes my articles seem "geared" to motorsports, now you know why.  Oh, by the way, Mid-Ohio is the only track in Ohio that does a NASCAR race.  Just imagine how hard it is to run one of those cars on that track when it has both left and right turns!  It’s a blast for sure.

That is going to do it from here this month. Stay safe and "Catch Me On The Air, Field Day or at a hamfest!!!"

73,

Scott Yonally N8SY, Vice Director, Great Lakes Division

HAMFEST LISTING: 

Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests through August 2022.  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. 

Be sure to invite your ARRL Officials as soon as your date is set.

Please feel free to reproduce and publish in your local Club Newsletter with credit to the source.

ARRL Sanctioned Hamfests through August 2022:

06/04/22 - Fulton County Swap, Wauseon, OH

06/04/22 - IRA Hamfest, Hudsonville, MI

06/05/22 - Chelsea Hamfest, Chelsea, MI

06/11/22 - Luce County Yooper Hamfest, Newberry, MI

06/11-22 - St Joseph Hamfest, Centreville, MI

06/18/22 - GM ARC Trunk Swap, Shelby Twp., MI

06/18/22 - Midland Hamfest, Midland, MI

06/19/22 - Monroe Hamfest, Monroe, MI

07/09/22 - Mansfield Mid Summer Trunkfest, Mansfield, OH

07/10/22 - Flying Beers, Ferndale, MI

07/16/22 - NORAS Fest, Elyria, OH

07/16/22 - GM ARC Trunk Swap, Shelby Twp, MI

07/17/22 - Van Wert Hamfest, Van Wert, OH

08/06/22 - Columbus Hamfest, Columbus, OH

08/13/22 - Letcher Co, Hamfest, Whitesburg, KY

08/13/22 - Cincinnati Hamfest, Owensville, OH

08/20/22 - GM ARC Trunk Swap, Shelby Twp, MI

If you club plans to request ARRL Hamfest Sanctioning, you should do so well in advance of the planned Hamfest date, as this allows adequate time for QST Listings.  QST announcements require a 3 month lead time.

If your swap is cancelled or the date is going to change, please notify ARRL HQ.

For the latest detail on regional hamfests, check the ARRL web page at:

http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar

73, 

Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director
Great Lakes Division
wa8efk@arrl.org

 

Dale's Tales for May

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for May, 2022.

CONGRATULATONS to John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, of Columbus, Ohio, selected by ARRL to be our new national ARRL News Editor.

An Extra class licensee, for the past 10 years, John has served as the Public Information Coordinator for the ARRL Ohio Section. His background includes journalist and broadcast engineer. An OSU graduate, he had dual careers as Vice President/Associate for Wilson Group Communications, a Columbus-based public relations, media relations, and crisis management firm. He recently retired from AT&T after 28 years as a Network Analyst.

He is a US Army and US Army Reserve veteran, and is a six-time recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award for helping disabled and homeless veterans.

John has been training with Bob Inderbitzen NQ1R and ARRL Headquarters staff members of the editorial team for the last few weeks. He has already produced the last 2 editions of the ARRL Letter, and ARRL Audio News. John will also produce news content for ARRL’s website, and the “Happenings” and “Amateur Radio World” columns in QST.

Submissions for The ARRL Letter and ARRL News can be sent to John via news@arrl.org.

HAMFESTING: Continuing the discussion from last month, I have had discussions with our three Division Section Managers to cover some concerns that have been expressed regarding Great Lakes Division Hamfests. The first relates to what may constitute a "Swap" or "Hamfest", versus what are recently being called "Trunk" swaps. It seems most swaps, at least when the weather is warm, are in fact swaps involving a lot of sales from trunk, tailgate, and personal tables in the trunk sales areas. Furthermore, there is no real accepted definition that covers what differentiates a "trunk sale" from any other type of swap. Should it be a limited number of sellers? Attendance?

Available lot size? Admission charge? Sponsor's choice? At this point we are seriously considering no longer attempting to define hamfests by a definitions as "Trunk sales/swap" or not and will use a general listing as either a hamfest (or a ham swap meet), sponsor's choice for those two traditional naming conventions. Your input is solicited.

The second matter arises as to the number of ARRL Sanctioned hamfests that should be permitted each season for a specific sponsor. Further discussion with ARRL Headquarters and our Section Managers has resulted in a Great Lakes Division policy change that takes effect May 1, 2022 and applies to all future ARRL Sanctioning applications. The Great Lakes Division will grant ARRL Hamfest Sanctioning to a maximum of two hamfest per sponsoring organization each year. These two must be at least four months apart, putting each in a different season. The allowance of two is a consideration made because of many shifted hamfest dates caused by the Covid 19 Pandemic. As you are aware, ARRL contributes prizes to Sanctioned events, and this new policy exhibits fairness to all of our hamfest sponsors.

HAMVENTION 2022: News directly from the Dayton Amateur Radio Assn.:

Hamvention in Three Weeks!

It has been an amazing and eventful three years since we had an in-person Hamvention. We are now three weeks away from ending that

Covid-19 caused pause. In the spring of 2019 it never occurred to us that we might not be having Hamvention for a while. As world events played out, we learned that public health officials and other government officials would prohibit our meeting together to learn, visit, and have fun with our many friends. Way back in March of 2020, none of us knew much about the pandemic that was beginning to sweep across the world.

There was not a lot that we could do other than be law abiding citizens, trying to stay alive, and doing our part to not spread the virus further. Lots has gone under the bridge since then. Politics got involved. Friends died. Businesses suffered. Kids were made to have school by Zoom. And amateur radio emerged as a way to stay connected without spreading the pandemic.

We are finally to the stage that we can meet, see each other face-to-face, and continue our love of learning everything radio. We can present the accumulated awards sponsored by Hamvention for the last three years of winners. We can hear about many new ideas related to amateur radio in the Forums, including the hams that made a difference in developing immunizations against Covid-19.

So, here’s to Hamvention! See you at the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center in exactly 20 days! Buy your plane tickets, fill up the car with super-expensive gas, just get here!!

Rick Allnutt WS8G
Hamvention 2022 General Chair

Hamvention, an official ARRL Sanctioned Event, will be held Friday-Sunday, May 20-22 at the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center in Xenia, OH.

SCOTT'S STUFF: Comments from your ARRL Vice Director Scott, N8SY.

Scott’s Stuff - May Edition

I want to express my congratulations to John Ross, KD8IDJ for becoming the newest ARRL News Editor! John is taking over the reins for Rick Lindquist, WW1ME who recently retired from this post. As many of you know, John was my Public Information Coordinator for almost all of my time as Section Manager for Ohio. He's gonna' do the Great Lakes Division proud for sure!

Have you heard the latest? The FCC is once again processing license applications and exam session files, but the process has been slowed down some since the addition of the $35 fee started. Our ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) Maria Somma has reported that the FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) electronic batch filing (EBF) system was down for several days. So, this will mean that there will be some delays until they get caught back up in getting licenses processed.  Please be patient, they will get processed!

Shifting Gears... As I expressed last month "April showers bring May flowers and May flowers brings the Dayton Hamvention!!!" Yes, there's now only 19 days left before Dayton!! Are you ready for this? The biggest hamfest in the world is back, and you're not gonna’ want to miss out on the fun and excitement of everyone getting back together.

This year's theme is "Reunion." It's the 70th anniversary so let's make this the best hamfest weekend ever!

OK, shifting gears again... Now, for all the contesters out there. May has contests. If you are interested in just having some fun, here is a link to a schedule of all the contests for the month of May...
https://www.contestcalendar.com/fivewkcal.html

Now speaking of contests... Well... This isn't actually a contest, it's an ARES Exercise but it's fun no matter what you call it, Field Day is fast approaching. Yes, Field Day this year is June 25 - 26. Is your club planning on participating? I sure hope so. As I have done for many years, I'll be out and about visiting many of the Field Day sites once again this year! Where will I be? Who knows! My plans this year is just to get in the car and go. So, how will I know where the sites will be? Simple, I will go to those sites that have registered on the ARRL Field Day Locator! https://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator There are already a bunch of sites listed on the map that I can go to. So, hope to see you at Field Day!

That is going to do it from here this month. Stay safe and "Catch Me On The Air or at a hamfest!!!"

73,

Scott Yonally N8SY, Vice Director, Great Lakes Division

HAMFEST LISTING:

Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests through May 2022. 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.

Be sure to invite your ARRL Officials as soon as your date is set.

Please feel free to reproduce and publish in your local Club Newsletter with credit to the source.

ARRL Sanctioned Hamfests through July 2022:

05/01/22 - Lucas County Trunk Swap, Toledo, OH

05/07/22 - Cadillac Hamfest, Cadillac, MI

05/20 to 05/22/22 - Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH

05/21/22 - GM ARC Trunk Swap, Shelby Twp., MI

05/28/22 - Scioto Valley, Piketon, OH

06/04/22 - Fulton County Swap, Wauseon, OH

06/04/22 - IRA Hamfest, Hudsonville, MI

06/05/22 - Chelsea Hamfest, Chelsea, MI

06/11/22 - Luce County Yooper Hamfest, Newberry, MI

06/11-22 - St Joseph Hamfest, Centreville, MI

06/18/22 - GM ARC Trunk Swap, Shelby Twp., MI

06/18/22 - Midland Hamfest, Midland, MI

06/19/22 - Monroe Hamfest, Monroe, MI

07/09/22 - Mansfield Mid Summer Trunkfest, Mansfield, OH

07/10/22 - Flying Beers, Ferndale, MI

07/16/22 - NORAS Fest, Elyria, OH

07/16/22 - GM ARC Trunk Swap, Shelby Twp, MI

07/17/22 - Van Wert Hamfest, Van Wert, OH

If you club plans to request ARRL Hamfest Sanctioning, you should do so well in advance of the planned Hamfest date, as this allows adequate time for QST Listings. QST announcements require a 3 month lead time.

If your swap is cancelled or the date is going to change, please notify ARRL HQ.

For the latest detail on regional hamfests, check the ARRL web page at:
http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar

73,

Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director
Great Lakes Division
wa8efk@arrl.org