Dale's Tales - April 2022
Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for April, 2022.
ARRL WEB PAGES. We endured a little outage on the ARRL web pages over this past weekend as some updates were loaded into the system. Well, it was a little more than a little. but I hope you all have had the opportunity to look over the new design. It has been a long time in planning and admittedly the pages were getting a bit long in the tooth. The new look does have a familiar appearance, just enough to be recognizable as our pages. As you log onto the new pares, you will be asked to update some of your information. Follow the prompts and make it happen.
HAMFESTING: Attendance has been looking good at the recent hamfests we all have been fortunate enough to attend. These past two years have meant some changes and restructuring of swap venues as clubs accommodate the requirements of how communities and organizations are coping with the Covid19 pandemic. Indications are that work-arounds have been effective.
We take note that date changes often result in multiple swaps on the same date. Working with ARRL HQ and local Section Managers, we attempt to keep everyone advised of these date conflicts. It simply is not possible to avoid them all but we are thankful that our Great Lakes Division clubs are truly interested in co-operating to everyone's benefits. Recently, several groups have taken significant steps to adjust their swap schedules.
Rest assured that your Section Managers, Vice Director and I are doing everything we can to insure ARRL is represented at swaps across the Great Lakes Division. Renewing friendships after some absence has been heartwarming for us and I hope for each of you as well. We do face some time conflicts, more swaps than available weekends for example, but the five of us are spreading the load to be at as many as we can. Please stop at the ARRL table and say hello and let us know how we are doing. We always encourage input from our members and hamfests offer one of the best ways for you to makes us aware of your concerns.
ARRL FILED SERVICES AND ARES: The Emergency Communications/Field Services Committee, recently created by the ARRL Board of Directors is engrossed with more than 50 tasks in its program to bring the ARRL Field Services organization up to date and more in touch with members. Four sub-committees have been created to examine the highest priority needs. Currently those are ARES/Auxcomm, National Traffic System, SM/Directors/Field Organization Guidance, and improving support for Amateur Radio Clubs.
HAMVENTION 2022: News directly from the Dayton Amateur Radio Assn.:
Ten Reasons I’ll Be Coming To Hamvention
I’ve been missing my ham radio friends! It is fun to see them in a Zoom meeting, and it is fun to make a radio contact with them, but walking around the Fairgrounds with them and talking over what has happened since we last saw each other is much, much better. I’ll be able to catch up with news about family, new hobby interests, the latest improvement in our radio shacks, and remember those of us who are not able to be here this year.
I love to go to the Forums and see what new ideas are being discussed. Hearing about the new radios, advanced techniques for contesting, simple ways to solve the problems with POTA set-up, and dealing with the new Solar Cycle to the best advantage will be the main aims of the forums I go to. I even get to moderate a forum devoted to the amateur radio operators who made contributions to the Covid-19 Pandemic response and operation Warp Speed.
I’ll be keeping an eye out for new homebuilt kits, especially those developed in the last 3 years. I enjoy the challenge of soldering up the components (including the tiny surface mount chips) and testing to see if my homebuilt results can match the factory robots at a lower cost.
I’ll be watching the presentations of our youngest hams. I’ll be listening to what Carol Perry’s students present in the Saturday morning Youth Forum, and will try to get some of my grandchildren there to be inspired by these “rock stars” of where the hobby will be going in the next generation. I’ll enjoy seeing what robots they develop, what techniques they are interested in, and wonder if the fastest CW copy at the CWOPS booth will still belong to a young ham.
I’ll be looking for international hams who successfully navigated all of the regulations various governments put up and worked hard to get to Hamvention. I’ll be stopping by the booths of companies from other countries and thank them for all the hard work they accomplished to get to Xenia, OH instead of just offering their products on the internet.
I’ll be stopping by Contest University on Thursday to encourage folks trying to improve their radio practices, antennas, rigs, and recording DX contacts; thereby improving their contest scores. I will also be stopping by the Four Days in May get together to see what bright (and inexpensive) ways these creative hams have found to improve the weight/power ratio of homebuilt radios.
Lunch each day of Hamvention, I look forward to the great food trucks, with reasonably priced eats, arranged by the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center. I love how the food always seems a cut above typical “fair food”. My favorite is the butterfly pork chop grilled fresh by a member of the Greene County pork producer’s group. I hope they are there again!
I’ll be looking carefully among the assembled throng of amateurs for the Hamvention award winners. I want to be one of the first to congratulate the Technical Award, Special Achievement Award, and Amateur Radio of the Year Award winners. I bet the Club of the Year members will make their presence known far and wide!
I hope to have a few hours to walk thoughtfully through the Flea Market and decide if I have room for in my radio shack for something. I already have several (working) antique radios on my shelves. I’m sure something will strike my interest as an appropriate boat anchor that I need to take home.
As I walk through the inside exhibits, I’ll take a moment to share the excitement of hams that have been away from Hamvention for too long. I’ll ask the commercial vendors if their business at Hamvention is going well. I’ll help someone carry an antenna outside where they are less likely to run into their fellow hams. I’ll stop to take a picture of people with Hamvention antenna hats (and antenna hair!); of pedestrian and bike mobile setups, and of a whole bunch of folks doing nothing more than having fun.
That’s ten great reasons worth being at Hamvention!!
Vy 73 de WS8GRick Allnutt
General Chair Hamvention 2022
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.
ARRL News | New FCC Application Fee Will Not Apply To Amateur Radio License Upgrades
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) staff has clarified in response to an ARRL request that the new $35 application fee will not apply to most license modifications, including those to upgrade an Amateur Radio Licensee’s operator class and changes to club station trustees. The FCC staff explained that the new fees will apply only to applications for a new license, renewal, rule waiver, or a new vanity call sign. As previously announced, the new fees take effect on April 19, 2022.
“We are pleased that the FCC will not charge licensees the FCC application fee for license upgrade applications,” said ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM. “While applicants for a new license will need to pay the $35 FCC application fee, there will be no FCC charge for future upgrades and administrative updates such as a change of mailing or email address. Most current licensees therefore will not be charged the new FCC application fee until they renew their license or apply for a new vanity call sign.”
ARRL previously reported that the new $35 application fee for Amateur Radio licenses will become effective on April 19, 2022. Further information and instructions about the FCC Application Fee are available from the ARRL VEC.
One other item to NOTE: The FCC stated that applications processed and dismissed will not be entitled to a refund. This includes vanity requests where the applicant does not receive the requested call sign. However, returned applications that are missing information will not require an additional fee, if the missing information is given to the FCC within the proper amount of time.
Shifting Gears... “April showers bring May flowers and May flowers bring Dayton Hamvention!!!” Yes, Dayton is back. It promises to be bigger and better than ever this year. Not having it for a couple of years will definitely bring out the desire for everyone in the country to want to come to Dayton and see it for themselves! We also have a very big list of other great Hamfests scheduled in the Great Lakes Division as well. Dale has the complete list compiled and listed below.
While we’re on the topic of Dayton Hamvention, did you see that Hamvention gave out two awards in the Great Lakes Division this year? The Amateur of the Year Award went to none other than Jim Simpson, KF8J, of Xenia, Ohio and Club of the Year Award went to The Highland Amateur Radio Association of Hillsboro, Ohio. What an honor it is to have both winners from the Great Lakes Division. Congratulations to both!!!
OK, shifting gears again… April 18th is World Amateur Radio Day (WARD). On World Amateur Radio Day, all radio amateurs are invited to take to the airwaves to enjoy our global friendship with other amateurs, and to show our skills and capabilities to the public.
This is not a contest but rather an opportunity to “talk” about the value of amateur radio to the public and our fellow hams. It is also a great opportunity to talk about your radio club and amateur radio to your local media as a lead-up to ARRL Field Day and other ham radio related activities in your community. Want more information about World Amateur Radio Day? Here’s a link... http://www.arrl.org/world-amateur-radio-day
Now, for all the contesters out there, April has a bunch of them for sure. In fact, too many to post them all here. But, if you are interested in just having some fun, here is a link to a schedule of all the contests for the month of April... https://www.contestcalendar.com/fivewkcal.html
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
MORE 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 July 2022:
04/09/22 - Cuyahoga Falls, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
04/24/22 - Athens Hamfest, Athens, OH
04/24 to 4/29/22 - RV Radio Network Spring Rally, Millersburg, OH
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
06/10/22 - DATE CHANGE, Flying Beers, Ferndale, MI
06/11/22 - Luce County Yooper Hamfest, Newberry, 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
07/16/22 - GM AC Trunkswap, Shelby Twp, MI
07/17/22 - Van Wert Hamfest, Van Wert, OH
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 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
