Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for February 2022.
SOME RECENT UPDATES. When I took up the role as Great Lakes Division Director, I renewed all of the Division appointments that had been made by my predecessors. Everyone is truly dedicated and working well as a team. There were a large number of Assistant Directors (AD) in the pool of volunteers, and it was the policy to appoint as Assistant Directors, people who had served in various leadership positions. This was becoming difficult to manage. A couple of individuals had even moved from the division. I attempted to create special duties for each AD and yet looking at regular appointees to various ARRL committees like DXAC, CAC, EMCOMM and the like, much of the duties were duplicated.
Scott, N8SY and I discussed it and we also spoke about these challenges with some of the appointees. Everyone we spoke with was of the opinion that these AD appointments, while perhaps rewarding to the office holders, were redundant and difficult to manage while truly offering little to benefit our fellow Radio Amateurs. Effective in early January, with thanks to all participants, we closed the position. I received notes from several former ADs suggesting it was the right decision. (Whew!) My personal thanks to all who served and further thanks to all who agreed to be readily available if their talents are ever needed in the future. I really appreciate how well everyone in the Great Lakes Division works together; it is something of which to be proud.
THE ARRL BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING has been completed, so over the next couple of weeks, you will see reports of what took place during this session. In brief, we have elected some new officers, Rick Roderick, K5UR continues as President while Mike Raisebeck, K1TWF remains as 1st VP and Bob Vallio, W6RGG continues as 2nd VP and Rod Stafford, W6ROD remains as International VP and Dave Minster as CEO and Secretary. We elected Rick Niswander, K7GM to continue as Treasurer until May 1 to work with positioning our new Financial Management firm and then our newly elected treasurer John Sager, WJ7S will take the helm.
NEW 2022 ARRL BOARD COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS are as follows:
Executive Committee
Director Abernethy
Director McIntyre
Director Lippert
Director Stratton
Director Williams
President Roderick
First Vice President Raisbeck
CEO Minster
Administration and Finance
Director Ryan (Chair)
Director Baker
Director Jairam
Director Kemmerer
Director Norton
Vice Director Marcin
Vice Director Nelson
First Vice President Raisbeck
Treasurer Niswander
CFO Middleton (Staff Liaison)
Programs and Services
Director Ritz (Chair)
Director Lippert
Director Luetzelschwab
Director McIntyre
Director Zygielbaum
Vice Director Grady
Vice Director Propper
Second Vice President Vallio
Mr. Bob Naumann (Staff Liaison)
Emergency Communications& Field Services Committee
Director Williams (Chair)
Director Abernethy
Director Boehner
Director Norris
Director Stratton
Vice Director Cooper
Vice Director Schilling
Vice Director Tharp
Vice Director Yonally
Josh Johnston (Staff Liaison)
Mike Walters (Staff Liaison)
ARDF
Jerry Boyd WB8WFK (Co-coordinator)
Charles Scharlau NZ0I (Co-coordinator)
Richard Arnett, WB4SUV
Ruth Bromer, WB4QZG
Joseph Burkhead, KE8MKR
Thomas Chen
Brian DeYoung K4BRI
Robert Frey, WA6EZV
Ken Harker, WM5R
Lori Huberman
Joseph Huberman, K5JGH
Donald Pitchford, W9EBK
Nadia Scharlau, KO4ADV
ARISS Committee
Vice Director Tharp (Chair)
Vice Director Schilling
Vice Director Nelson
Vice Director Temples
Vice Director Walls
Bob Inderbitzen (Staff Liaison)
Other consultants as needed (i.e. Rosalie White, K1STO)
CAC
Mr. Craig Thompson K9CT (Chair)
Director Lippert (Board Liaison)
All Division Field Appointees remain
DXAC
Mr. Chris Shalvoy K2CS (Chair)
Director Luetzelschwab (Board Liaison)
All Division Field Appointees remain
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)
Director Luetzelschwab (Chair)
Director McIntyre
Vice Director Hudgens
Vice Director Stearns
Ed Hare (Staff Liaison)
Paul Cianciolo W1VLF (Lab Staff)
Mike Gruber (ARRL Volunteer)
Kermit Carlson, W9XA
Brian Cramer, W9RFI
Richard Dubroff, W9XW
Ron Hranac, N0IVN
Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH
Greg Lapin, N9GL
Ghery Pettit, N6TPT
Jerry Ramie, KI6LGY
James Roop, K9SE
Ethics and Elections
Director Zygielbaum (Chair)
Director Norris
Director Lippert
HF Band Planning
First Vice President Raisbeck (Chair)
Director Jairam
Director Ritz
Vice Director Hudgens
Vice Director Sterns
Vice Director Temples
Others as tasking requires
Historical
Vice Director Propper (Chair)
Director Luetzelschwab
Director Norton
Vice Director Nelson
Ed Hare (Staff Liaison)
Bob Naumann (Staff Liaison)
Rod Blocksome, K0DAS
Bill Hudzik, W2UDT
Peter Turbide, W1PT
Ray Thornton, W1YFF
Legal Defense and Assistance
International Affairs Vice President Stafford (Chair)
ARDF
Jerry Boyd WB8WFK (Co-coordinator)
Charles Scharlau NZ0I (Co-coordinator)
Richard Arnett, WB4SUV
Ruth Bromer, WB4QZG
Joseph Burkhead, KE8MKR
Thomas Chen
Brian DeYoung K4BRI
Robert Frey, WA6EZV
Ken Harker, WM5R
Lori Huberman
Joseph Huberman, K5JGH
Donald Pitchford, W9EBK
Nadia Scharlau, KO4ADV
ARISS Committee
Vice Director Tharp (Chair)
Vice Director Schilling
Vice Director Nelson
Vice Director Temples
Vice Director Walls
Bob Inderbitzen (Staff Liaison)
Other consultants as needed (i.e. Rosalie White, K1STO)
CAC
Mr. Craig Thompson K9CT (Chair)
Director Lippert (Board Liaison)
All Division Field Appointees remain
DXAC
Mr. Chris Shalvoy K2CS (Chair)
Director Luetzelschwab (Board Liaison)
All Division Field Appointees remain
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)
Director Luetzelschwab (Chair)
Director McIntyre
Vice Director Hudgens
Vice Director Stearns
Ed Hare (Staff Liaison)
Paul Cianciolo W1VLF (Lab Staff)
Mike Gruber (ARRL Volunteer)
Kermit Carlson, W9XA
Brian Cramer, W9RFI
Richard Dubroff, W9XW
Ron Hranac, N0IVN
Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH
Greg Lapin, N9GL
Ghery Pettit, N6TPT
Jerry Ramie, KI6LGY
James Roop, K9SE
Ethics and Elections
Director Zygielbaum (Chair)
Director Norris
Director Lippert
HF Band Planning
First Vice President Raisbeck (Chair)
Director Jairam
Director Ritz
Vice Director Hudgens
Vice Director Sterns
Vice Director Temples
Others as tasking requires
Historical
Vice Director Propper (Chair)
Director Luetzelschwab
Director Norton
Vice Director Nelson
Ed Hare (Staff Liaison)
Bob Naumann (Staff Liaison)
Rod Blocksome, K0DAS
Bill Hudzik, W2UDT
Peter Turbide, W1PT
Ray Thornton, W1YFF
Legal Defense and Assistance
International Affairs Vice President Stafford (Chair)
First Vice President Raisbeck
Vice Director Famiglio
Counsel Siddall
Fred Hopengarten, K1VR
Michael Lazaroff, K3AIR
Legal Counsel as needed
Legal Structure Review Committee
Director Stratton (Chair)
President Roderick
CEO Minster
International Affairs Vice President Stafford Vice Director Famiglio
Legislative Advocacy Committee
Director Stratton (Chair)
Director Abernethy
Vice Director Cooper
President Roderick
Fred Hopengarten, K1VR
Legal Counsel as needed
Others as tasking requires
Logbook of The World Committee
Greg Widin K0GW (Chair)
Director Baker (Board Liaison)
Director McIntyre
Vice Director Marcin
Treasurer Niswander
Bob Naumann (Staff Liaison)
Rick Murphy, K1MU
Permanent Investment Management Committee (effective May 1, 2022)
Legal Structure Review Committee
Director Stratton (Chair)
President Roderick
CEO Minster
International Affairs Vice President Stafford Vice Director Famiglio
Legislative Advocacy Committee
Director Stratton (Chair)
Director Abernethy
Vice Director Cooper
President Roderick
Fred Hopengarten, K1VR
Legal Counsel as needed
Others as tasking requires
Logbook of The World Committee
Greg Widin K0GW (Chair)
Director Baker (Board Liaison)
Director McIntyre
Vice Director Marcin
Treasurer Niswander
Bob Naumann (Staff Liaison)
Rick Murphy, K1MU
Permanent Investment Management Committee (effective May 1, 2022)
Vice Director Morine
Others to be determined
Public Relations
Mr. Bob Inderbitzen (Chair)
Vice Director Scott Yonally (Board Liaison)
Public Relations
Mr. Bob Inderbitzen (Chair)
Vice Director Scott Yonally (Board Liaison)
John Bloodgood, KD0SFY
Ed Efchak, WX2R
Andy Milluzzi, KK4LWR
Gordon Mooneyhan, W4EGM
Kevin O’Dell, N0IRW
Scott Roberts, KK4ECR
Angel Santana, WP3GW
Alan Griffith (RAC Representative)
RF Safety
Dr. Gregory Lapin N9GL (Chair)
Vice Director Propper K2DP (Board Liaison)
RF Safety
Dr. Gregory Lapin N9GL (Chair)
Vice Director Propper K2DP (Board Liaison)
Ed Hare (Staff Liaison)
Jerry Bushberg, KJ6HDL
Matt Butcher, KC3WD
Brian Daly, WB7OML
Robert Gold, MD, W0KIZ
William Kaune, W7IEQ
James Ross, MD, W4GHL
Kai Siwiak, KE4PT
Bruce Small, MD, KM2L
Richard Tell, K5UJU
Guy "Bud" Tribble, MD N6SN
Gerald Griffin, MD, K6MD (Emeritus)
William Raskoff, MD, K6SQL (Emeritus
HAMVENTION: Hamvention Covid Statement
Hams and vendors hoping to attend Hamvention 2022 are asking questions about plans to deal with COVID. Hamvention management is monitoring the situation closely. General Chairman Rick Allnutt, WS8G, has issued the following statement:
"We strongly anticipate that the Hamvention 2022 is a go. We cannot guarantee what government may decide about unknown changes in the pandemic. It has become obvious that the State of Ohio is very unlikely to call a halt to large gatherings anytime soon. Despite a recent large spike in Omicron COVID cases and hospitalizations, there is no move to restrict large indoor or outdoor events such as sports events."
Allnutt added that he anticipates the official state guidance may be to recommend (but not require) wearing a mask and social distancing.
Hamvention will support state guidance. We do not anticipate checking immunization status on site.
Some have asked whether COVID testing will be available at Hamvention.
At this time there are no plans to have testing on site. Watch hamvention.org for any updates dealing with the COVID situation.
Hamvention, an official ARRL Sanctioned Event, will be held Friday-Sunday, May 20-22 at the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center.
Hams and vendors hoping to attend Hamvention 2022 are asking questions about plans to deal with COVID. Hamvention management is monitoring the situation closely. General Chairman Rick Allnutt, WS8G, has issued the following statement:
"We strongly anticipate that the Hamvention 2022 is a go. We cannot guarantee what government may decide about unknown changes in the pandemic. It has become obvious that the State of Ohio is very unlikely to call a halt to large gatherings anytime soon. Despite a recent large spike in Omicron COVID cases and hospitalizations, there is no move to restrict large indoor or outdoor events such as sports events."
Allnutt added that he anticipates the official state guidance may be to recommend (but not require) wearing a mask and social distancing.
Hamvention will support state guidance. We do not anticipate checking immunization status on site.
Some have asked whether COVID testing will be available at Hamvention.
At this time there are no plans to have testing on site. Watch hamvention.org for any updates dealing with the COVID situation.
Hamvention, an official ARRL Sanctioned Event, will be held Friday-Sunday, May 20-22 at the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center.
SCOTT'S STUFF: Comments from your ARRL Vice Director Scott, N8SY.
What a wild week that Dale and I had in Newington at the annual Board of Directors meeting recently! We both were on the go attending the various committee meetings as well as the Board meeting itself. Things started bright and early on Wednesday morning and finally coming to an end late Saturday afternoon. It was a very long week, but it was worth it for sure. You’ll be hearing more about the outcomes of those meetings very soon.
I’m assuming that you are reading this column on Tuesday, February 1st, and as such, I just want to say that tomorrow is Groundhog Day!
Yes, the day we all get up before the crack of dawn and grab a little varmint that does nothing but make a mess out of our garbage cans and we celebrate whether he can see his shadow when the sun rises. Here in Ohio, we have Buckeye Chuck doing the forecasting. He’s been right only slightly more than wrong, but hey, it’s fun just to see if that little critter really does predict it accurately or not. Personally, I think he’s no better than a coin toss, but what the heck, it’s something fun to do. February is also known as the month for lovers, as that it’s Valentine’s Day on Monday, February 14th. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve found the best way to keep my YL happy is to take her out for that special dinner, if not on Valentine’s Day, somewhere close to it, especially if you want to drop the bomb that you’ve just purchased a new very expensive transceiver. So, do yourself a favor, make dinner plans now for that special day!
Switching gears for a bit… We have a couple of great ARRL contests coming up this month, School Roundup on February 14th - 18th, and International DX – CW contest on February 19th - 20th. Hey if you’re not a contester I get it, but you still can have some fun and make a kids’ eyes light up if you do decide to participate in the School Roundup.
Switching gears again… If you haven’t gotten your NIMS training completed yet, this will be a great time to get that training in before the weather starts turning nice again. With winter now deeply embedded here, you’ll want to stay indoors. Trust me on this, there’s really nothing good on TV to watch anyway so why not take advantage of the spare time and get that all important training in now. All the classes that are suggested in the ARES Plan – including ICS-300 and 400 are available on-line. You may have to look around a bit to find an open on-line class for ICS-300 and 400, but they are out there and just ready for you to get started on!
Oh, and don’t forget your first aid, CPR and AED as well as those all-important “Stop the Bleed” classes too. They are sometimes the ones that we forget about the easiest and become the most important classes we could ever do. Don’t be one of those folks that say, “I don’t need this training because nothing ever happens here!” It does - and will! The better that we are prepared, the better we will be at assisting our served agencies and even possibly our own families when that time comes, and like I said, it will!
Clubs, are you still meeting via Zoom or similar methods, or maybe you’re one of the lucky clubs that have been meeting hybrid so that everyone gets to partake? Have you been searching for a good program to present to your club? You might consider one of the great recorded webinars that are listed in the ARRL Learning Center or even a live presentation from one of the ARRL staff. I’ve sat in on several live presentations from the staff and they are the best. It’s really fantastic to be a part of a live presentation from ARRL Headquarters while being able to sit in your comfy easy chair at home! What better way to see just what some of your dues go to! They have many great recorded webinars that are really good and informative. Most of these are around 40 minutes or so long. Just the right amount of time to be informative, yet not so long that they get overly boring.
That is going to do it from here this month. Stay safe and “Catch Me On The Air”!!!
--73, Scott Yonally N8SY, Vice Director, Great Lakes Division
HAMFESTING:
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 June 2022:
What a wild week that Dale and I had in Newington at the annual Board of Directors meeting recently! We both were on the go attending the various committee meetings as well as the Board meeting itself. Things started bright and early on Wednesday morning and finally coming to an end late Saturday afternoon. It was a very long week, but it was worth it for sure. You’ll be hearing more about the outcomes of those meetings very soon.
I’m assuming that you are reading this column on Tuesday, February 1st, and as such, I just want to say that tomorrow is Groundhog Day!
Yes, the day we all get up before the crack of dawn and grab a little varmint that does nothing but make a mess out of our garbage cans and we celebrate whether he can see his shadow when the sun rises. Here in Ohio, we have Buckeye Chuck doing the forecasting. He’s been right only slightly more than wrong, but hey, it’s fun just to see if that little critter really does predict it accurately or not. Personally, I think he’s no better than a coin toss, but what the heck, it’s something fun to do. February is also known as the month for lovers, as that it’s Valentine’s Day on Monday, February 14th. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve found the best way to keep my YL happy is to take her out for that special dinner, if not on Valentine’s Day, somewhere close to it, especially if you want to drop the bomb that you’ve just purchased a new very expensive transceiver. So, do yourself a favor, make dinner plans now for that special day!
Switching gears for a bit… We have a couple of great ARRL contests coming up this month, School Roundup on February 14th - 18th, and International DX – CW contest on February 19th - 20th. Hey if you’re not a contester I get it, but you still can have some fun and make a kids’ eyes light up if you do decide to participate in the School Roundup.
Switching gears again… If you haven’t gotten your NIMS training completed yet, this will be a great time to get that training in before the weather starts turning nice again. With winter now deeply embedded here, you’ll want to stay indoors. Trust me on this, there’s really nothing good on TV to watch anyway so why not take advantage of the spare time and get that all important training in now. All the classes that are suggested in the ARES Plan – including ICS-300 and 400 are available on-line. You may have to look around a bit to find an open on-line class for ICS-300 and 400, but they are out there and just ready for you to get started on!
Oh, and don’t forget your first aid, CPR and AED as well as those all-important “Stop the Bleed” classes too. They are sometimes the ones that we forget about the easiest and become the most important classes we could ever do. Don’t be one of those folks that say, “I don’t need this training because nothing ever happens here!” It does - and will! The better that we are prepared, the better we will be at assisting our served agencies and even possibly our own families when that time comes, and like I said, it will!
Clubs, are you still meeting via Zoom or similar methods, or maybe you’re one of the lucky clubs that have been meeting hybrid so that everyone gets to partake? Have you been searching for a good program to present to your club? You might consider one of the great recorded webinars that are listed in the ARRL Learning Center or even a live presentation from one of the ARRL staff. I’ve sat in on several live presentations from the staff and they are the best. It’s really fantastic to be a part of a live presentation from ARRL Headquarters while being able to sit in your comfy easy chair at home! What better way to see just what some of your dues go to! They have many great recorded webinars that are really good and informative. Most of these are around 40 minutes or so long. Just the right amount of time to be informative, yet not so long that they get overly boring.
That is going to do it from here this month. Stay safe and “Catch Me On The Air”!!!
--73, Scott Yonally N8SY, Vice Director, Great Lakes Division
HAMFESTING:
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 June 2022:
02/05/2022 - POSTPONED, HARA, POSTPONED TO Oct. 22, Negaunee, MI
02/12/2022 - Cherryland, Traverse City, MI
02/26/2022 - Livonia Swap, Redford, MI
03/5/2022 - Cave City, Cave City, KY
03/12/2022 - MOVARC Hamfest, Bidewll, OH
03/13/2022 - NOARS Winter Hamfest, Elyria, OH
03/19/2022 - Crossroads, Kalamazoo, MI
03/20/2022 - CANCELED, Toledo Mobile Radio Assn Swap, CANCELED, Perrysburg, OH
04/09/2022 - Cuyahoga Falls, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
04/24/2022 - Athens Hamfest, Athens, OH
04/24-29/2022 - RV Radio Network Spring Rally, Millersburg, OH
05/07/2022 - Cadillac Hamfest, Cadillac, MI
05/20 to 05/22/2022 - Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH
05/21/2022 - GMARC Trunk Swap, Shelby Twp., MI
06/04/2022 - IRA, Hudsonville, MI
06/05/2022 - Flying Beers, Ferndale, MI
06/18/2022 - GM ARC Trunk Swap. Shelby Twp., MI
06/19/2022 - Monroe Hamfest, Monroe, MI
If you club plans to request ARRL Hamfest Sanctioning, they 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 a 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
03/12/2022 - MOVARC Hamfest, Bidewll, OH
03/13/2022 - NOARS Winter Hamfest, Elyria, OH
03/19/2022 - Crossroads, Kalamazoo, MI
03/20/2022 - CANCELED, Toledo Mobile Radio Assn Swap, CANCELED, Perrysburg, OH
04/09/2022 - Cuyahoga Falls, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
04/24/2022 - Athens Hamfest, Athens, OH
04/24-29/2022 - RV Radio Network Spring Rally, Millersburg, OH
05/07/2022 - Cadillac Hamfest, Cadillac, MI
05/20 to 05/22/2022 - Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH
05/21/2022 - GMARC Trunk Swap, Shelby Twp., MI
06/04/2022 - IRA, Hudsonville, MI
06/05/2022 - Flying Beers, Ferndale, MI
06/18/2022 - GM ARC Trunk Swap. Shelby Twp., MI
06/19/2022 - Monroe Hamfest, Monroe, MI
If you club plans to request ARRL Hamfest Sanctioning, they 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 a 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, I look forward to seeing you at the next swap.
Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director
Great Lakes Division
wa8efk@arrl.org
Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director
Great Lakes Division
wa8efk@arrl.org
