Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for December, 2023.

 

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for December, 2023.

60 Meter update. ARRL filed additional Comments to the FCC's ET Docket No. 23-120 relating primarily to the power levels proposed for the 60 meter band earlier this week. These supported our original position and the 3450 comments filed by you. (Thanks for doing that). Reply comments will be due on this item on Dec. 28 and will included responses to the previously filed comments. It is a long and perhaps arduous process, but it does provide input from all sides of the issue and an opportunity to respond and hear from both sides.

Thanks everyone who participated in the recent ARRL Director Election.  It was nice to see a fairly good turn-out. These elections typically result in about 30% of the members participating - never the desired number, but we should always work towards improving that participation.

Winding it down. After serving 9+ years as your ARRL Director and three as Vice Director, I am preparing to get back to playing radio. The technical side of this great hobby has always been my passion and I am really looking forward to resuming some projects that have been shelved for quite a while.  Actually, just to clear the workbench will be a major accomplishment.

My thanks go out to all of you for your support for these recent years in my serving the League. It has been a worthwhile experience for me and I hope that my contributions over these years prove beneficial to the League and amateur radio. The ARRL has faced some serious challenges and your Board has worked diligently to improve services to our members, reduce operating expenses and insure the longevity of the organization.

This last term for me ends at midnight December 31. On January 1, Director-elect Scott Yonally N8SY will take the helm of the Great Lakes Division. I'll be able squeeze out one more edition of Dale's Tales before things close. As time will have it, that will fall part way through this holiday season, so let me take this opportunity right now for Judy and me to wish you all the very best for this wonderful time of the year.

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

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! I also want to express my joy to all religions. May we have peace and goodwill to all. Have you been good little girls and boys? I sure hope so, and I hope that you get everything on your list as well!

Did you survive turkey day? You know... that one day above all others that you eat everything in sight, 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 in your recliner chair 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 Thanksgiving and that you remembered to give a very special thanks to those in uniform that keep us safe all year long.

Shifting up a gear... I want to thank everyone who took the time to vote in the Great Lakes Division election. Whether you voted electronically or with a paper ballot, your voice has been heard loud and clear and I promise to do my very best to represent YOUR voice at every Board meeting.

Shifting up another gear... It is really busy right now with the holidays and getting things ready for the upcoming Board of Directors meeting in January. Dale and I are working hard at completing a number of projects before the end of the year.

Coming down the back straightaway... Our good friend Jack Shirley, N8DX who is our QSL card sorter manager for the 8th call area is asking for some help. He needs an " I " card sorter. This is a really fun job to do, but it does take some dedication. You just need to be aware that you are sorting QSL cards for everyone that has the suffix of " I " in their call sign and they would like to have their cards sent to them in a timely fashion, just like you would want them to be sent to you. If you have an interest in doing something like this, send Jack an email at: w8buro@gmail.com    I'm sure he'd like to hear from you. It would be a help if you are in Southwest Ohio, but I'm sure he won't be picky if you aren't. Oh, and to have a club pick this up as a club project would be great as well. Give it some thought, this gives you a good project that everyone in your club can help do.

Coming into that final turn before the finish line... 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 2024. 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 10, 2024, at 12pm.  Go to: http://www.arrl.org/scholarship-program

The ARRL Foundation will be utilizing the same Scholarship Management Platform for the 2024 Scholarships that has been used for the past several years. 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 pits... This month we have the 160-meter, 10-meter and Rookie Roundup (CW) contests 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

Scott Yonally N8SY
Vice Director
Great Lakes Division
N8SY@ARRL.ORG


HAMFEST AND EVENT LISTING:

Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests and Special Events through January of 2024.

12/03/23 - Fulton County Winterfest, Archbold, OH

12/03/23 - L'Anse Creuse, Troy, MI

01/05/24 - SCARF Hamfest, Shade, OH

Please post this listing in your club's newsletter and announce the swaps on your local nets. Talk them up. Let's fully support all of our hamfests in every way possible. It means success for everyone.

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

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 November, 2023

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for November, 2023.

Wow!  Thanks to all of you in the Great Lakes Division for your prompt response to ARRL's request for comments on the FCC Proposed 60 Meter Rulemaking.  We announced the expectations to do that in last month's Dale's Tales with the urging to watch for announcements on the ARRL web page.  All was quiet when the announcement for everyone to reply went out from HQ, so a number of my fellow Director and I sent a brief note to our members.  I think the outstanding number of immediate responses flooded the network as a couple of members reported delays in getting their replies in to the FCC's system.  There were several individuals who sent copies me of their statements to the FCC and every single one was well thought out, based in fact and was clear of anything inflammatory.

We all can be proud.  Again, thank you for responding so promptly. 

Then, Monday of this week the FCC issued a statement that they had erred in setting the Comment and Reply Comment dates.  This was a surprise, especially after we all scrambled to meet the October 30 deadline.  The FCC has corrected the dates for comments and reply comments on the 5 MHz matter.  The FCC adopted a comment/reply comment period of 60/90 days from Federal Register publication.  When published in the Federal Register, however, the dates were erroneously based on the more standard 30/60 day period.

On Friday a correction was published in the Federal Register. The correct dates are:
Comments: Nov. 28, 2023, Reply Comments: Dec. 28, 2023.

The initial comments will be released by the FCC following the November 18 date.  This gives everyone the opportunity to review them and comment further if appropriate, the Reply comments are Due December 28.  Watch the ARRL web page for those announcements.  As with similar notices from the Commission, there is also a second opportunity to respond called "Reply Comment Period".  This opens after the initial "Comment" period has closed (As it supposedly did October 30) and offers everyone an opportunity to offer comments after they have read the initial public comments.

VOTA.  The "Volunteers on the Air" operating event continues, and the pace seems to be increasing as we approach these final weeks.  My personal challenge is to get on the air and make as many contacts as time will allow just to give away my 225 points as an ARRL Director.

I'll run it to the wire to help as many as I can before time runs out at the end of the year.  I am currently running 80 through 6 meters and try my best to be on at some time on some band every day.  (And most of the time, that actually works). I am not self-spotting, not setting skeds, just trying to keep it equal for all. 

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

Fall is definitely here.  The leaves have turned bright colors everywhere.  The squirrels and chipmunks are making nests in your attic and there is a cold bite in the morning air to cool your coffee down.

Are you ready for what is coming next?  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 egg nogg, 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 5th.  I will remind you that Christmas is just 55 days away!  Santa already has his naughty and nice list started so I hope you are on his nice list this year!

November is Sweeps month, both CW (November 4-6) and Phone (November 18-20).  I have always loved this contest, especially when I had the perfect call for it.  My old call was KC8SS.  That call sign got me into more pileups than I could count.

For 2023 we have 85 Sections: Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) updated a couple of their sections, replacing Maritime (MAR) by making New Brunswick (NB) and Nova Scotia (NS) individual sections; Greater Toronto Area (GTA) was renamed to be ‘Golden Horseshoe’ (GH); and Northern Territories has been renamed just ‘Territories’ (TER) - this impacts the Sections Lists for RAC events, as well as ARRL Field Day and ARRL Sweepstakes.

Limited Antenna Overlays: Any Single Operator or Single Operator Unlimited entrant can enter using the Limited Antennas Overlay.

Operation is limited to the use of single-element antennas such as a single vertical, end-fed wire, or a single dipole antenna no more than 50 feet above ground at its highest point.  The antenna(s) may cover multiple bands, as in the case of multiband verticals and dipoles with fan or trap constructions.

Ok, let us get serious 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 you get the idea.

Carbon Monoxide is colorless, odorless and it will kill you if you breathe very much of it in.  How does this gas kill?  It migrates into the blood stream and replaces the oxygen in your blood with Carbon Monoxide. Once it invades your blood stream it will be with you for an exceptionally long time.  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 devices 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!

Hey Affiliated Clubs, have you looked to make sure that someone has filed your annual report with ARRL?  This is one of the most common mistakes that I hear about from club officials, they either did not know, or just thought someone else had taken care of this. All Affiliated Clubs are to file an annual update on the ARRL website by December 31 of each year.  Yes, you can file early if you want.  Oh, and those clubs that have been - or are currently Special Service Clubs, on December 31st of each year you are to renew your SSC as well.  Yes, this is a change from years past.  Since it was so confusing for everyone to remember when to renew their SSC, we changed the rules to make it come due at the same time you are to file your annual Affiliated Clubs report.  Both your renewal and annual update are quick and easy to do online.

Have you visited the ARRLs YouTube channels lately?  ARRLHQ has launched a bunch of new videos on a variety of subjects.  Check them out, there’s a lot of great information contained in the videos, and they can be a great presentation at your next club meeting.   

Notable November dates – November 7th is election Tuesday throughout the country.  November 5th is the return of standard time.  Yes, you shift an hour of time, but you gain that hour of sleep you lost in the spring and finally November 17th at noon is the last day for voting in the Great Lakes Division.  I have already mentioned the dates of Sweepstakes and of course Thursday, November 23rd is Thanksgiving. 

That is going to do it from here this month. Stay safe and “Catch Me On The Air”!!!

73,

Scott

Scott Yonally N8SY
Vice Director
Great Lakes Division
N8SY@ARRL.ORG

HAMFEST AND EVENT LISTING: 

Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests and Special Events through January of 2024.  As usual, there are no Hamfests in November.

12/03/23 - Fulton County Winterfest, Archbold, OH

12/03/23 - L'Anse Creuse, Troy, MI

01/05/24 - SCCARF Hamfest, Shade, OH

Please post this listing in your club's newsletter and announce the swaps on your local nets.  Talk them up.  Let's fully support all of our hamfests in every way possible.  It means success for everyone. 

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

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 October, 2023.

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for October, 2023.

At two recent Hamfests, I had questions about the proposed changes to the 60 Meter Band. There was no update available at that time, but that has now changed.

On Friday September 29, the FCC published in the Federal Register Notice of the 60-meter Notice of Proposed Rulemaking adopted last April. This sets the comment deadline as October 30, and the reply comment deadline as Nov. 28. You may now submit comments to the FCC supporting ARRL’s request for a 100-watt limit and continued access to the 4 channels that otherwise will be deleted. The FCC’s Notice on the 60-meter matter is ET Docket No. 23-120 at paragraphs 37-53, link:
https://tinyurl.com/43dyjekf.

As this announcement was released late on Friday it is suggested that interested amateurs monitor the ARRL web pages for updates.

ARRL will continue to advocate to maintain the 100-watt limit for 60 meters, continued authorization for the four channels outside the WRC allocation that are being used today, and adoption of the new 15 kHz allocation with the same 100-watt power limit. Your support of this position in your comments to the FCC would be helpful.

Great Lakes Division Director Election. The electronic ballots have been sent out and the mail ballots should soon be in your mailbox. You may use either, your choice - only one will be counted, of course. I chose the electronic route and my vote was acknowledged by ARRL in just a few short minutes.

Please, your vote truly does matter. It is important that you make a carefully considered decision and cast your ballot.

License Renewal Help: ARRL produced a helpful video in September about license renewal. It had 4000 views in the first 4 days. Titled "How to RENEW your FCC Amateur Radio License", it takes you through a step-by-step process of renewing and covers all of the new requirements for filing. It is accessible at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI8nmjRJjg4

Club Services: https://www.arrl.org/library-resources contains the directory of available ARRL Videos for use as programs at your club meetings. These videos are great introducing new modes, services and tech topics. This library of topics will be expanding as more material becomes available. Check it out.

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

Wow... Where did September go? I’ve had a blast going from Kentucky, where we had a really great hamfest and ARES Summit. To just about all 4 corners of Ohio to even central Michigan, visiting with all of you at club meetings and hamfests. It’s been absolutely great getting to meet new friends and remembering those great times with old friends for sure. I even took a trip out to Connecticut to help with the latest Section Manager training as well !! 

Shifting Gears... I want to let you all know about a really great program that can help your club get money. It’s called the Club Commission Program that the ARRL has expanded. Want more details on this? There’s a great new video that was produced for ARRL by Anita Kemmerer, AB1QB in the ARRL Learning Center. This video is about 21 minutes long and goes step by step through the process of how to get this all setup for your club. If your club isn’t doing this program, why not? It’s FREE money.
Here's the URL... https://learn.arrl.org/webinars/?pathPage=%2Farrl%2Fcourses%2F52440

Shifting gears again... I’ve heard from some of you out there that you are having a terrible time finding, and then downloading the digital QST Magazine. So, I want to say that there’s a video that helps members navigate our digital magazines. This video is helping our members get more out of their digital magazine experience. ARRL members all have digital access to four high quality magazines: QST, On The Air, QEX, and NCJ. If you have questions or concerns about how to get the most out of the digital editions, this new video on the ARRLHQ YouTube channel will help walk you through it.

If you download the ARRL Magazines app for Android or iOS, ARRL will send a notification to your device when a new edition is available for reading. The video may be viewed at the following link:
https://youtu.be/vmZflC2IUIs

Special Recognition goes out to the following Great Lakes Division Clubs for reaching a milestone anniversary.

75 Years
CLARK COUNTY ARA - Ohio
Adrian Amateur Radio Club – Michigan

50 Years
Kentucky Mountains ARC - Kentucky
Crawford County ARC – Ohio

25 Years
Medina County Amateur Radio Club - Ohio
Central Ohio Operators Klub - Ohio
Capital City Repeater Assn – Ohio

Shifting gears again... Is your ARES group getting ready for S.E.T.?
The Simulated Emergency Test (S.E.T.) is October 7-8 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?

Shifting gears to come into the pits... Whelp, that’s going to do it from here this month. Stay safe and “Catch Me On The Air” at a hamfest or your next club meeting.

Hey, don’t forget to participate in your local club’s activities!!!!

It’s important to be a part of your club and ham radio, and not just a reporter.

73,

Scott Yonally N8SY
Vice Director
Great Lakes Division
N8SY@ARRL.ORG

HAMFEST AND EVENT LISTING:
Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests and Special Events through December of 2023. As usual, there are no Hamfests in November.

10/07/23 - Central Kentucky, Lexington, KY
10/07/23 - Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo, MI
10/14/23 - Muskegon Color Tour, Muskegon, MI
10/28/23 - Hazard, Hazard, KY
10/29/23 - Massillon, North Canton, OH
12/03/23 - Fulton County Winterfest, Archbold, OH
12/03/23 - L'Anse Creuse, Troy, MI

Please post this listing in your club's newsletter and announce the swaps on your local nets. Talk them up. Let's fully support all of our hamfests in every way possible. It means success for everyone. "NS"
indicates not ARRL Sanctioned, due the annual limit on Sanctions.

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

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 September, 2023.

I think we all can agree that the weather for 2023 has been literally unbelievable.  All three Sections of the Great Lakes Division, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio have faced flooding, tornadoes, ice storms, severe heat, drought almost without precedent.  Reports of Amateur Radio support for local Emergency Management, the National Weather Service, Red Cross, Salvation Army and a host of other Non-government agencies have been very favorable.  We have faced disaster after disaster in the past year and are meeting these challenges.

A lot of thanks goes out to ARES and NTS teams for providing needed communications during these events and in the interim, taking the necessary time to train and learn about how our served agency partners operate and what their communications needs really are.

Jumping into the fray with a radio on your hip just does not cut it anymore, (if it ever did).  More and more we find ourselves using the standardized forms the agencies are using, and insuring consistent and reliable message delivery.

Speaking of message delivery, the recent surveys conducted by the NTS Review Sub-committee from the ARRL, reveal that the most significant problem in the entire National Traffic System (NTS) still remain the final delivery of the message.  Often the recipient's phone number is invalid, but somehow it seems that the delivering station just drops the ball and there it lies.  Could it be because the message seems too innocuous or unimportant?  That is not our call, it could be the first time the parties have communicated in years and we are part of it.

While the message delivery failure does not happen often, we should strive for 100% delivery.  Those goals have been set, let's meet them.

We can and should be the folks that set the example of how messaging should be done.  My sincere thanks go out to all the hard working folks who dedicate so much of their time to traffic handling. 

But let's not have the kudos stop here.  There are many more people who deserve thanks for their often unsung efforts.  The operators, the technologists, the DXers, the Contesters and the rag chewers immediately come to mind.  The Contesters and DXers put our equipment to the real test, pushing the envelope, working through QRM and QRN and showing us all how to improve on these skills.  And the people on the technical and development side are likewise giving us new modes and equipment based upon the experience of those operating under critical conditions.  Let's not forget the goodwill efforts of many DXpeditioners who demonstrate ham radio to many areas of the globe, help them form new amateur radio clubs and even provide them with their first equipment from the DXpedition.  Even the casual operators, the rag chewers, play an important part in keeping ham radio viable as an important community resource.

One has to feel proud and honored just to be even a small part of this wonderful adventure called Amateur Radio.

On a very personal note, Judy and I were very surprised and pleased at all the well wishes that arrived following her July 7 shoulder injury.

It all has been truly appreciated.  She is progressing, never as fast as one would like, but the PT program is really helping.  Thanks everyone for your kind words.

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

Have we had a wild August or what!!!...  All the rain, tornadoes and humidity have made this August one for the books for sure. 

Hey, 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 look 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 those big yellow school buses.  Give them plenty of room to get the kids on and off, as well as crossing the streets.  

Shifting Gears...  I want to give a big shout-out to Roy Hook, W8REH.

He was declared elected without opposition and is your Great Lakes Division Vice Director Elect!!  Congratulations Roy!!  I know that you’ll do a great job for the Division.

Shifting gears again...  August and September are always really busy months for me.  I’ve been having a blast attending hamfests, club meetings and even one Amateur Radio Mobile Cruise-In Night!  I even got an authentic A&W Root Beer Float there!!  Wow, I haven’t had one of those in years.  It’s been really great getting back out after all the hubbub of COVID to shake hands, meet up with old friends and make new ones, but most of all just being able to sit and listen to you!  My notebook has pages and pages of your thoughts and ideas and they will be shared with the various committees as they meet. Thank you for sharing and for being an ARRL member!  

Shifting gears again...  There’s a new ARRL video that helps members navigate our digital magazines.  This video is helping our members get more out of their digital magazine experience.  ARRL members all have digital access to four high quality magazines: QST, On The Air, QEX, and NCJ.  If you have questions or concerns about how to get the most out of the digital editions, this new video on the ARRLHQ YouTube channel will help walk you through it.

The video, hosted by Jherica Goodgame, KI5HTA, explores many features including switching between magazines, saving to PDF, searching for content, bookmarks, and zooming in to content. It covers the web browser version, as well as the Android and iOS applications.

If you download the ARRL Magazines app for Android or iOS, ARRL will send a notification to your device when a new edition is available for reading. The video may be viewed at the following link:
https://youtu.be/vmZflC2IUIs

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

The Simulated Emergency Test (S.E.T.) is October 7-8 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. 

Shifting gears to come into the pits...  Whelp, that’s going to do it from here this month.  Stay safe and "Catch Me On The Air" at a hamfest or your next club meeting. 

Hey, don’t forget to participate in your local club’s activities!!!! 

It’s important to be a part of your club and ham radio, and not just a reporter.

73,

Scott, N8SY@ARRL.ORG
Vice Director
Great Lakes Division

HAMFEST AND EVENT LISTING: 

Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests and Special Events through October of 2023.

09/09/23 - Letcher Co KY ARC Hamfest, Whitesburg, KY

09/09/23 - Greater Louisville Hamfest, Shepherdsville, KY

09/09/23 - GRAHamfest, Wyoming, MI

09/10/23 - Findlay Hamfest, Findlay, OH

09/16/23 - Hiawatha ARA Swap, Negaunee, MI

09/16/23 - Richmond Hamfest, Richmond, KY

09/16/23 - GMARC Trunk Swap, Shelby Twp, MI - NS

09/17/23 - Adrian Hamfest, Adrian, MI

09/23/23 - CMARC Hamfest, Okemos, MI

09/23/23 - Gaylord Hamfest, Gaylord, MI

09/23/23 - BARA Trunk Sales, Berrien Center, MI

09/24/23 - Cleveland Hamfest, Berea, OH

09/30/23 - KY4ARC Hamfest, Paintsville, KY

10/07/23 - Central Kentucky, Lexington, KY

10/07/12 - Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo, MI

10/14/23 - Muskegon Color Tour, Muskegon, MI

10/28/23 - Hazard, Hazard, KY

10/29/23 - Massillon, North Canton, OH

Please post this listing in your club's newsletter and announce the swaps on your local nets. Talk them up. Let's fully support all of our hamfests in every way possible. It means success for everyone. "NS"
indicates not ARRL Sanctioned, due the annual limit on Sanctions.

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

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, 2023

 

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for August, 2023.

We in the ARRL Great Lakes Division have just entered a new election cycle for the offices of Director and Vice Director. It has been my honor and privilege to serve our Division as Vice Director for 4 years and Director for these past 9 ½ years. These years have been educational, very interesting and rewarding. It is however, time to pass the baton. I have chosen to make this my final term on the ARRL Board and in January, step back, relax and do some things for Judy and Dale.

Nominating petitions are now being accepted by ARRL HQ for the positions of Director and Vice Director in the Great Lakes Division.

This remaining year is slightly more than half over and we still have much to accomplish. The Emergency Communications and Field Services Committee, which I chair, is leading the charge for a complete upgrade to the National Traffic System®, radio club activities are getting additional Headquarters support with some new programs under consideration, ARES® improvements continue with new HQ Staff leadership and ARRL received the official invitation and has become a member of the national SAFECOM program.

Your input over these few years has done much to shape the changes in our programs, hopefully bringing them closer to you and your local needs and requirements.

The summer ARRL Board meeting was held July 21 and 22. As we were faced with a personal family emergency, Scott, N8SY filled in for me at the ARRL Board meeting, as called for the ARRL By-laws. We communicated regularly during this time and Scott was well versed on the various agenda items under consideration.

The Board faced the formidable task of the League's financials and how to best handle the increasing costs of doing business - without cutting services to our members. We have had only 2 increases in dues over the past 22 years and with inflation at or exceeding a compounded 3% per year, some difficult decisions had to be considered. We polled the membership, giving everyone the opportunity to consider the options and comment appropriately. The poll response was in excess of 20,000 members. ARRL Members can view the tabulated poll response at:  https://www.arrl.org/dues-survey.

President Rick Roderick K5UR has some words to say regarding the dues changes as voted by the Board:  http://www.arrl.org/member-bulletin?issue=2023-07-23 and as one member put it, "...I can’t understand those who are going to “walk” because of a $10 increase. That’s the price of two PL-259 connectors!..."


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

Whoa... That’s how I feel right now. Yes, I got to sit in the front row at this last ARRL Board of Directors meeting filling in for Dale.

It was an experience for sure. One that I have to say that I will never forget.

Shifting Gears... I know that the dues increase is on everyone’s mind right now. Did we really need to do it or could we have held off another year or two. Believe me when I say that every detail about the need for this increase was discussed, and then re-discussed, and then re-re-discussed.

I can tell you from my own observations it wasn’t an easy decision for any of the Board members to come to. But a decision was made and my heart and mind tells me that it was the right decision. From all the discussions that I was involved in, it was truly the only real option that we have to keep your ARRL strong and vibrant for years to come.

I was in a discussion with my daughter tonight over these rising costs and she told me that my grandson’s Boy Scout dues are $120 per year and they have an additional charge if they want to receive "Boys Life" which is their equivalent to QST. Wow, that made me stop and really think about how little this increase actually is compared to other non-essential activities that we all do... The increase brings us just a freckle under $5 per month. Yes, I hear you on having a "fixed" income, so are a lot of working folks. Many of which haven’t seen a raise in their paychecks since before COVID hit. Trust me, that was a topic that was discussed in great detail... how this would affect YOU.

I feel confident that our Great Lakes Division folks will understand the need and do what they can to support this increase.

Shifting gears again... QST is now offering a column for clubs called "Club Station." 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. The column has a lot of great information about how to run, organize and be a part of a local club. I challenge you to take a good look at this column every month and see if there isn’t something in it that you can take to your next club meeting to make it more interesting and inviting to new members.

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

The Simulated Emergency Test (S.E.T.) is October 7-8 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.

Shifting gears to come into the pits... Whelp, that’s going to do it from here this month. Stay safe and "Catch Me On The Air" at a hamfest or your next club meeting.

Hey, don’t forget to participate in your local club’s activities!!!!
It’s important to be a part of your club and ham radio, and not just a reporter.

73,

Scott, N8SY@ARRL.ORG
Vice Director
Great Lakes Division

HAMFEST AND EVENT LISTING:

Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests and Special Events through October of 2023.

08/05/23 - Columbus Hamfest, Grove City, OH

08/05/23 - UP Hamfest, Rapid River, MI

08/12/23 - Cincinnati Hamfest, Owensville, OH

08/12/23 - GMARC Trunk Swap, Shelby Twp, MI - NS

08/19/23 - Portsmouth Hamfest, New Boston, OH

08/20/23 - WARA Tailgate Swap, Cortland, OH

08/27/23 - Seaway Trunk Swap, Port Huron, MI

09/09/23 - Letcher Co KY ARC Hamfest, Whitesburg, KY

09/09/23 - Greater Louisville Hamfest, Shepherdsville, KY

09/09/23 - GRAHamfest, Wyoming, MI

09/10/23 - Findlay Hamfest, Findlay, OH

09/16/23 - Hiawatha ARA Swap, Negaunee, MI

09/16/23 - Richmond Hamfest, Richmond, KY

09/16/23 - GMARC Trunk Swap, Shelby Twp, MI - NS

09/17/23 - Adrian Hamfest, Adrian, MI

09/23/23 - CMARC Hamfest, Okemos, MI

09/23/23 - Gaylord Hamfest, Gaylord, MI

09/23/23 - BARA Trunk Sales, Berrien Center, MI

09/24/23 - Cleveland Hamfest, Berea, OH

09/30/23 - KY4ARC Hamfest, Paintsville, KY

10/07/23 - Central Kentucky, Lexington, KY

10/07/12 - Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo, MI

10/14/23 - Muskegon Color Tour, Muskegon, MI

10/28/23 - Hazard, Hazard, KY

10/29/23 - Massillon, Massillon, OH

Please post this listing in your club's newsletter and announce the swaps on your local nets. Talk them up. Let's fully support all of our hamfests in every way possible. It means success for everyone. "NS" 
indicates not ARRL Sanctioned, due the annual limit on Sanctions.

Be sure to invite your ARRL Officials as soon as your date is set.  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 July, 2023

 

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for July, 2023.

The ARRL Great Lakes Division VOTA Day.

As reported in the June edition of Dale's Tales, the ARRL officials of the Great Lakes Division are teaming up to hand out points for the ARRL Volunteers on the Air operating event.  We started on July 1 at 0000 GMT and will finish 24 hours later.  Operations include CW, phone and digital, focused on the 80, 40 and 20 meter bands.  No skeds, it is all random, no one will have any idea of the bands or time any given person will be on.

Your Director, Vice Director and our three Section Managers are all locked in to hand out points.  All of our ARRL volunteers serving in any capacity are most welcome to participate to give out points, and of course collect a few points as well. 

Keep in mind it is scheduled in GMT so it has possibly started by the time this goes to press.  8:00 PM EDT or 7:00 CDT Friday evening.

I trust that everyone had a safe and enjoyable Field Day.  This is traditionally the largest operating event in the US and Canada, and the premier opportunity to demonstrate amateur radio to the public and our public officials.  It is the perfect opportunity to improve our operating skills, I for one, always find that after FD, I can more easily copy stations in the noise and through QRM despite these ancient ears of mine.

At my home FD station we welcomed our State Representative and his wife as visitors.  Our local crew even managed to get his wife on the air at our GOTA station where she contacted a station in Puerto Rico.  She was impressed, and we were likewise.  She is a very good operator, now the next obvious step is to get her licensed! 

I am sure there are stories like this all across the country, and it shows that amateur radio is a strong and valuable resource in times when regular communications are stretched to their limits.  Our thanks to each and every one of you FD ops for your active participation.

Our ARRL Board of directors meets in July.  We do face some challenges as you well know, not the least of which is the examination of our current dues level.  Our survey of the membership is now complete and we have been reviewing that data.  Dues have not changed over the past few years and the Board and HQ staff have done much to reduce operating expenses.  Many in-person meetings have been eliminated and thanks to various means of video conferencing we have been able to continue these important tasks.  Non-critical hiring has been frozen and other austerity programs are in effect where we do not affect member services.

With a nominal inflation rate around 3% per year, it is still not possible to hold things at the present level. 

We will look at many options offered by members through the survey as well as those used by similar organizations.  Like any increase, not everyone will find it palatable.  But the Board has the legal, fiduciary responsibility to insure the longevity of the organization and under its charter, continued service to our members.

Please keep your thought with us as we carefully consider these many options.

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

Hi,

I’m assuming that all of you are reading this on July 1st.  If that is the case you need to stop reading this and "Get On The Air With The Great Lakes Division Cabinet"  Yes, all of the Great Lakes Division Cabinet is on the air today so that you can take advantage of being able to earn some extra points in the year-long Volunteers On The Air event.

Look for all of us somewhere on the HF Bands for sure.  Oh, and we are not leaving out the Technician Class folks either.  You too will be able to collect those points as well since some of us will also be in the Technician Class band on 10 meters. 

Shifting Gears...  Field Day has now come and gone.  I know some of you are curious as to just how many Field Day sites I got to.  Well, like so many years before, I didn’t get to as many as I wanted to.  I always think that I can get to more sites than is physically possible to do.

The distance between sites, traffic and just plain taking the time to visit with everyone wherever I go tends to make getting to more sites very difficult to do.  However, I did get to 14 sites this year.  I didn’t keep track of just how many miles I drove, but it was quite a few and well worth it to get to see and talk with all the fantastic hams throughout the Great Lakes Division! 

This year was a year of a couple of firsts for me.  I was escorted around one Field Day site in a "Gator."  This was my first ride in one of those really cool vehicles.  Wow, this was a blast for sure and it also saved a lot of walking between radio operations.  Another first for me was that I got to sit and wait for a parade that not only passed right in front of me, but they also turned right in front of my car making a left turn and going down past me, making me a part of the parade.  At least that’s the way it felt to me.  I also got to fly a drone for a few short minutes around a Field Day site.  This is something that I had been wanting to do for a very long time.

Everywhere I went I was greeted with smiles, handshakes / hugs, and an open invitation to as much food as anyone could ever want.  The Great Lakes Division folks are the "Greatest" for sure!!! 

Yes, I took pictures, lots of them!  But I want to get your pictures too.  If you stopped by the Great Lakes booth at Hamvention this year you saw the gallery of pictures on the screen.  Many of these pictures came from your Section Managers as well as what I had taken over the years.  I want to keep growing this gallery with as many pictures as I can get and Field Day is a great starting point.  I hope you had people taking pictures of your Field Day event this year.  Oh, and it doesn’t have to be just Field Day either, hams participate in a whole bunch of other activities throughout the year that would be great to have in the picture gallery as well.  Now, send them to me at:  n8sy@n8sy.com 

Shifting Gears once again...  In a couple of weeks Dale and I will be heading up to Newington for the summer board meeting.  These are 3 days of very intense meetings, but a lot of great things come from them.  I know that many of you have concerns so please don’t hesitate to let Dale and I know what’s on your mind.

Shifting gears to come into the pits...  Whelp, that’s going to do it from here this month.  Stay safe and "Catch Me On The Air", at a hamfest or your next club meeting.  Have a really great 4th of July and please stay safe! 

Hey, don’t forget to participate in your local club’s activities!!!!

It’s important to be a part of your club and ham radio, and not just a reporter.

 

73,

Scott, N8SY@ARRL.ORG
Vice Director
Great Lakes Division

HAMFEST AND EVENT LISTING: 

Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests and Special Events through September of 2023. 

07/08/23 - Mansfield Mid Summer Trunkfest, Mansfield, OH

07/15/23 - GM ARC Trunk Swap, Shelby Twp, MI

07/15/23 - NOARS Fest, Elyria, OH

07/16/23 - Van Wert, Van Wert, OH

07/22/23 - Ashtabula County Hamfest, Pierpont, OH

08/05/23 - Columbus Hamfest, Grove City, OH

08/05/23 - UP Hamfest, Rapid River, MI

08/12/23 - Cincinnati Hamfest, Owensville, OH

08/19/23 - Portsmouth Hamfest, New Boston, OH

08/20/23 - WARA Tailgate Swap, Cortland, OH

08/27/23 - Seaway Trunk Swap, Port Huron, MI

09/09/23 - Letcher Co KY ARC Hamfest, Whitesburg, KY

09/09/23 - Greater Louisville Hamfest, Shepherdsville, KY

09/10/23 - Findlay Hamfest, Findlay, OH

09/16/23 - Hiawatha ARA Swap, Negaunee, MI

09/16/23 - Richmond Hamfest, Richmond, KY

09/17/23 - Adrian Hamfest, Adrian, MI

09/23/23 - CMARC Hamfest, Okemos, MI

09/23/23 - Gaylord Hamfest, Gaylord, MI

09/24/23 - Cleveland Hamfest, Berea, OH

09/30/23 - KY4ARC Hamfest, Paintsville, KY

Please post this listing in your club's newsletter and announce the swaps on your local nets.  Talk them up.  Let's fully support all of our hamfests in every way possible.  It means success for everyone.

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

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 June, 2023.

 

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for June, 2023.

Hamvention® and the ARRL Great Lakes Convention.  The ARRL Member Forum was the wonderful opportunity to present the Great Lakes Division Young Radio Amateur of the Year award to a very deserving Katherine Campbell KE8LQR.  Katie has been a driving force in getting other youth licensed.

She was licensed in 2019 at age 10 and within 3 months had progressed to extra class.  She has been the president of her school club for 4 years.  During the pandemic she learned CW from the Long Island CW club kids classes.  Katie is now a youth instructor for their intermediate and advanced youth classes, volunteering a few hours a week since August of 2021.

She was a 2022 YLRL presenter at Hamvention, attended Youth On The Air (YOTA) Camp at the Voice of America Museum in June of 2022.  She attended Huntsville Hamfest in 2022, and was a Carole Perry youth forum presenter in February 2023 at Hamcation.  She was also a Carole Perry Youth forum presenter at Hamvention in 2023. 

Katie is an active member of LAARA, a local club where she attends meetings, participates in fox hunts and field day operations.  Being the president of our school club, K8LPS, she teaches and encourages other students to earn their license, and is directly responsible for four new student licensees.  She mentors students in school club roundups and has lead her school club to high scores in that over the 2019-2022 school years.  You can also find her active on 20 M, adding to logbook and QSL card collection.  Katie is looking forward to attending YOTA camp in Ottawa this summer and teaching a CW session to fellow campers!  Katie is also a 5 year member of Young Amateur Communication Ham Team (YACHT) youth net that meets nightly on Echolink.  Katie attends as many hamfests as she can trying to recruit other licensed youth to YOTA and YACHT, where they will find other kids who can mentor them in any area of amateur radio they may have an interest.

In addition to the Young Radio Amateur of the Year award presented to Katie, our Hamvention ARRL Member Forum included keynote talks from our CEO David Minster NA2AA, and President Rick Roderick K5UR.  ARRL Director of Operations Bob Naumann W5OV, covered recent updates to Radiosport and LoTW, and ARRL Treasurer John Sager WJ7S, spoke regarding ARRL's current financial position and why we must consider a change to the dues structure. 

Our Division Hamvention booth, located again at the ARRL Expo area, welcomed visitors, and we had many.  In addition to Director Williams WA8EFK and Vice Director Yonally N8SY, our Section Managers were in attendance to greet visitors, answer questions and collect member comments.  Our thanks go out to KY SM Charlie O'Neal KE4AIE, MI SM Larry Camp WB8R and OH SM Tom Sly WB8LCD.  Special thanks to Janie Yonally KB8YPW and Paul Trouten W8PI for covering the booth while the rest of us were at forums.

The booth poster board was well covered with visitor QSL cards and our sign-in sheet included many more call signs.  Here is the list (any errors are mine):  AE8FP, AE8JF, AK9TX, K3GP, K3RC, K4ZLE, K8BF, K8CLP, K8CWC, K8CX, K8DP, K8DV, K8JH, K8JTK, K8NU, K8PD, K8QKY, K8SRB, K8TB, K8TS, K8VQC, K8VSY, KA8AOB, KB8RW, KB8UUZ, KC3GFU, KC8RSA, KD8VFE, KE4AIE, KE8FMJ, KE8RJU, KE8XH, KG9Z, KI8AF, KM4FO, KU4UV, KV8P, KY4EOC, N2XW, N8BZN, N8LE, N8NAV, N8QHV, N8RNK, N8SY, N8XKZ, N9CWU, NC8V, NJ2R, NK8D, NX8G, PA0GJV, PA3DZF, VA3GD, W3SML, W4FR, W8A, W8CJA, W8CTF, W8EXV, W8IJN, W8IZC, W8IZC, W8KNO, W8KOU, W8LX, W8MHB, W8MSC, W8MW, W8PT, W8RPM, W8SHF, W9TOC, WA2DHG, WA4MOM, WA8EFK, WB4ZDU, WB8FSV, WB8LCD, WB8NUT, WB8VNH, WD4FJF, WD8NVN, WE8TOM, WM8G, WW8PT.

Last month I posed the question: "Shall we consider holding a 'Great Lakes VOTA Night' where we can all get on the air and share some of our VOTA points?"  I did get a favorable response, so we are targeting Saturday July, 1st.  VOTA Night has grown into "Great Lakes VOTA Day".

We intend to have your Director, Vice Director and all three of our Section Managers on the air that day, to hand out points.  Operations will include CW, phone and digital, focused on 80, 40 and 20 meter bands.  No skeds, it is all random, no one will have any idea of the bands or time any given person will be on.  By the way, we found out that the five of us all need to work one another to collect some points ourselves, so the plan for random operation seems most fair to all. 

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

Hamvention has come and gone and if you didn’t go this year, you really missed a spectacular event for sure.  I can’t EVER remember better weather for the biggest get together of hams in the world.  It was sunny, and the temperatures on all 3 days were on the mild side.  Most importantly of all was that there was no humidity!  It was perfect.  The crowds were 6-8 deep at the Great Lakes Division booth all day Friday and Saturday.  Sunday was much lighter, but we still had a lot of activity all the way to the end of the show.  Everyone seemed happy and excited to be there.

The ARRL Forum on Saturday was highlighted with talks from the President, the CEO and the Director of Operations for ARRL, speaking about the on-going survey and many of the concerns that have been the topics of discussion on the various Social Media outlets recently.  All of that seemed overshadowed however with the presentation of the Great Lakes Division Young Radio Amateur of the Year Award.  Dale bestowed this award to Katie Campbell, KE8LQR.  Now, don’t let her 2 x 3 call sign fool you, she’s got her Amateur Extra Class License.  As I’m sure you got the idea, she is a very talented and gifted young lady that will go far in the years to come.  We are so very proud to have been able to recognize her with this award.  Congrats Katie!!!!

 

Keeping with the Convention theme just a bit more...  Our Division’s Brag Board got quite a few QSL cards pinned on it.  Thank you to those who dropped by with their cards to post.  We enjoyed posting them and they got a lot of attention from everyone that walked past for sure.

For those of you who didn’t get a chance to drop by, we also had a rolling photo gallery with over 1,200 pictures of hams in action from the Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky Sections.  I can’t tell you how many folks just casually walking by and looking yelled out "hey, I know that guy, it’s me..!!"  It was a blast for sure.   

Shifting Gears again...  Field Day is fast approaching (June 24/25).  Is your club making plans to have Field Day this year?  If they are, don’t let them forget to get signed up on the Field Day locator http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator  Hey, if you can, meet with your local government officials and ask them for a Proclamation for Amateur Radio that weekend.  Most local governments will be happy to do this and don’t forget to invite the news media to be there as well.  Amateur radio groups are encouraged to share a copy of their proclamations with ARRL via pr@arrl.org so don’t be lazy, send it to them!  ARRL will often share these proclamations to advance legislative efforts, creating additional support of awareness for amateur radio among lawmakers...  This is great PR for everyone. 

Oh, and one more thing...  This isn’t mentioned much but is so very important to make sure you do.  Have someone assigned to take pictures!!  Lots of them.  Just about everyone nowadays has a phone with a camera built into it, so there’s really no excuse anymore for not taking pictures, and.... send them to me at:  n8sy@n8sy.com  I will add them to the gallery that we already have started.  And, like Alan Funt used to say...  "Smile, you’re on Candid Camera!"  

I will be out and about again this year visiting as many of the Field Day sites as I can get to on Saturday and Sunday.  There are a lot of great sites to visit and I’ll do my best to try to get to yours! 

Shifting gears to come into the pits...  Whelp, that’s going to do it from here this month.  Stay safe and "Catch Me On The Air" and don’t forget to participate in your local club’s Field Day!!!!

73,

Scott, N8SY@ARRL.ORG
Vice Director
Great Lakes Division

HAMFEST AND EVENT LISTING:

Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests and Special Events through August of 2023.

06/03/23 - Fulton County, Wauseon, OH

06/03/23 - IRA, Hudsonville, MI

06/04/23 - Chelsea, Chelsea, MI

06/10/23 - Luce County, Newberry, MI

06/17/23 - Midland Hamfest, Midland, MI

06/18/23 - Monroe Hamfest, Monroe, MI

070/8/23 - Mansfield Mid Summer Trunkfest, Mansfield, OH

07/15/23 - GM ARC Trunk Swap, Shelby Twp, MI

07/15/23 - NOARS Fest, Elyria, OH

07/16/23 - Van Wert, Van Wert, OH

07/22/23 - Ashtabula County Hamfest, Pierpont, OH

08/05/23 - Columbus Hamfest, Grove City, OH

08/12/23 - Cincinnati Hamfest, Owensville, OH

08/20/23 - WARA Tailgate Swap, Cortland, OH

Please post this listing in your club's newsletter and announce the swaps on your local nets. Talk them up. Let's fully support all of our hamfests in every way possible. It means success for everyone.  Be sure to invite your ARRL Officials as soon as your date is set.

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 May, 2023.

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for May, 2023.

May brings Hamvention® and this year the ARRL Great Lakes Convention.

Our Division Hamvention booth, located again at the ARRL Expo area, will offer the opportunity for everyone to meet and greet our Division Officials and our Section Managers of Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan. Like last year, we are encouraging everyone to bring along one of your QSL cards for posting in the booth. We are doubling the size of our QSL bulletin board for 2023. Last year's QSL posting event was so successful we ran out of room! It was really interesting to see the wide variety of cards and some were from DX visitors.

Our Hamvention ARRL Member Forum will be held at 1:15 PM on Saturday and will include keynote talks from our CEO David Minster NA2AA, and President Rick Roderick K5UR. In addition, Director of Operations Bob Naumann W5OV, will cover recent updates to Radiosport and LoTW, and ARRL Treasurer John Sager WJ7S, will detail ARRL's current financial position and why we must consider a change to the dues structure. And on the really good side of the fence, the Division leadership team, your Section Managers, Director and Vice Director, will present our Great Lakes Division Young Amateur of the Year award to a very deserving amateur.

ARRL Members take note, ARRL Headquarters will be conducting a membership survey the entire month of May to gather your input about how our membership can be bundled. There are about 13 questions, covering what member services you and like, the value received from your membership, your favorite parts of ham radio, what you feel to be a reasonable annual dues rate, and how our monthly publications should be distributed. The survey also includes opportunities for members to offer additional thoughts that may not adequately covered by the survey questions.

In preparation for the survey, during April, ARRL HQ asked everyone to verify their ability to access their Personal Member page on the ARRL web site to insure the survey would be accessible. Those individuals having problems are to contact HQ for assistance in getting the connectivity resolved. Following the announcement, it was found that many members had not accessed their page since the server upgrade and more stringent password requirements went into place. Over the following days, ARRL HQ received more than 1000 requests for password assistance. Be sure to check your member page access soon and call HQ if you have any questions. 860-594-0200.

By the way, the Volunteers on the AIR (VOTA) has been going really well and I am having a great time giving out my 225 points as a Director. My effort has been to call "CQ VOTA" and make as many contacts as time allows. I think I surprised a few folks with the level of points they received. So if you are playing VOTA, I'll be glad to make a contact.

Look for me on the HF bands plus 6 and 2, both SSB and Digital. For complete details, including the listings for the number of contact points provided by each ARRL Volunteer, check https://www.arrl.org/volunteers-on-the-air. There is a Dashboard accessible that will show your current score based upon your request.

Shall we consider holding a "Great Lakes VOTA Night" where we can all get on the air and share some of our VOTA points? Let me know your thoughts. WA8EFK@ARRL.ORG.

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

Spring has sprung and it is finally May. With it comes better weather and a whole plethora of hamfests springing up everywhere!! Hamvention is less than 3 weeks away, have you gotten your reservations locked in?

If you haven’t, you’re most likely too late to get anything closer than Columbus or Cincinnati to stay at.

Shifting gears... I’m sure by now you all have seen the ARRL membership notice about the questionnaire that has just come out.

What’s it all about? We want your thoughts on a number of questions that have come up over this past year that most likely will affect every ARRL member in one way or the other. Dues are always the most talked about subject, and we want your opinion on them. YES, this is your opportunity to tell us how you feel. So, take advantage of this opportunity and tell us what’s on your mind in responding to the questionnaire. Be honest answering these questions on how they already have or could affect you in the future.

Shifting Gears again... Field Day is fast approaching (June 24/25). Is your club making plans to have Field Day this year? If they are, don’t let them forget to get signed up on the Field Day locator http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator Hey, if you can, meet with your local government officials and ask them for a Proclamation for Amateur Radio that weekend. Most local governments will be happy to do this and don’t forget to invite the news media to be there as well. Amateur radio groups are encouraged to share a copy of their proclamations with ARRL via pr@arrl.org so don’t be lazy, send it to them! ARRL will often share these proclamations to advance legislative efforts, creating additional support of awareness for amateur radio among lawmakers... This is great PR for everyone.

Oh, and one more thing... This isn’t mentioned much but is so very important to make sure you do. Have someone assigned to take pictures!! Lots of them. Just about everyone nowadays has a phone with a camera built into it, so there’s really no excuse anymore for not taking pictures, and.... send them to me at: n8sy@n8sy.com

I will be out and about again this year visiting as many of the Field Day sites as I can get to on Saturday and Sunday. There are a lot of great sites to visit and I’ll do my best to try to get to yours!

Shifting gears to come into the pits... For those of you who have just gotten licensed or even those of you who have been licensed for some time now but never used your privileges, here’s a really great webinar for you to sit in on... It’s the 2023 Online Ham Bootcamp - https://www.n1fd.org/

The Nashua Area Radio Society's spring 2023 online Ham Bootcamp will be held on Saturday, May 13, from 10 AM to 6 PM Eastern Time. Access to the session will be provided via Zoom.

Ham Bootcamp includes a series of demonstrations and tutorials designed to help newly licensed Technician-, General-, and Extra-class license holders get on the air. Ham Bootcamp is also a great opportunity for hams who are interested in seeing what the hobby has to offer.

The online Ham Bootcamp program is available to all licensed and prospective amateur radio operators. You can register for the next Ham Bootcamp session at: https://www.n1fd.org/register-ham-bootcamp/ For additional information, contact Anita Kemmerer, AB1QB, of the Nashua Area Radio Society at ab1qb@arrl.net

Whelp, that’s going to do it from here this month. Stay safe and "Catch Me On The Air" and don’t forget to "Catch me at the Dayton Hamvention" as well!!!

73,

Scott, N8SY@ARRL.ORG
Vice Director
Great Lakes Division


HAMFEST AND EVENT LISTING:

Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests and Special Events through July of 2023.

05/06/23 - Wexaukee ARC Swap, Cadillac, MI

05/07/23 - Lucas County ARES Trunk Swap, Toledo, OH

05/13-17/23 - RV Radio Network Spring Rally (SP Event), Millersburg, OH

05/18-21/23 - ARCI Four Days in May, Fairborn, OH

05/19-21/23 - Dayton Hamvention & Great Lakes Convention, Xenia, OH

05/27/23 - Scioto Valley, Piketon, OH

06/03/23 - Fulton County, Wauseon, OH

06/03/23 - IRA, Hudsonville, MI

06/04/23 - Chelsea, Chelsea, MI

06/10/23 - Luce County, Newberry, MI

06/17/23 - Midland Hamfest, Midland, MI

06/18/23 - Monroe Hamfest, Monroe, MI

07/8/23 - Mansfield Mid Summer Trunkfest, Mansfield, OH

07/15/23 - GM ARC Trunk Swap, Shelby Twp, MI

07/15/23 - NOARS Fest, Elyria, OH

07/16/23 - Van Wert, Van Wert, OH

07/22/23 - Ashtabula County Hamfest, Pierpont, OH

Please post this listing in your club's newsletter and announce the swaps on your local nets. Talk them up. Let's fully support all of our hamfests in every way possible. It means success for everyone.  Be sure to invite your ARRL Officials as soon as your date is set.

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 April, 2023

 

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for April, 2023.

The sudden and tragic loss of Michigan Section Manager Les Butler W8MSP stunned us all and now our thoughts go out to Karen KB8AKC in this very trying time.  Les was a familiar visitor at Michigan hamfests and meetings, both as Section Manager and as a very active QSL Card Checker.

 His enthusiasm, smile and eagerness to assist and promote amateur radio and ARRL will leave a huge void in our lives.

                           W8MSP - SK

Stepping in and offering to serve as Section Manager is Larry Camp WB8R who held the Michigan SM post only a few years ago.  Larry has been officially appointed by ARRL Field Services Manager Mike Walters W8ZY to serve Les' unexpired term.

Upcoming ARISS Space Station contacts include a scheduled event in Grand Rapids, MI at the West Michigan Aviation Academy.  These dates are always tentative as they are dependent upon activities taking place upon the International Space Station, but we have been advised that the planned date currently falls between April 17 and 22.  A total of 9 of the submitted proposals during the recent proposal window have been accepted to move forward in the processes of planning to host a scheduled amateur radio contact with crew on the ISS and the West Michigan Aviation Academy was among those selected for this year's January to June time period.  The primary goal of the ARISS program is to engage young people in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) activities and raise their awareness of space communications, radio communications, space exploration, and related areas of study and career possibilities.

As your ARRL Director, I have been privileged to attend four of these events and I must report that watching the faces of the students and the other attendees when the contact with the Station is established is truly over-the-top exciting and amazing.  The room goes from dead silence and apprehension to hushed thrills and near bedlam when the ISS answers.  "Hushed" because everyone is asked to be a quiet as possible during the contact.  Ten to 14 students are selected to speak with the Astronaut and ask challenging questions about the ISS, space and the space program.

These ISS Contacts are made possible through outstanding efforts by local radio clubs. Cooperating clubs install antennas, tracking rotators, transceivers, back-up equipment and ties into auditorium PA equipment to make the contacts so effective.

ARRL Members take note, Headquarters will be conducting a membership survey the entire month of May to determine your input about how our membership can be bundled.  Rising costs in every category of our operation (and life) affect how we continue to support our members.

Interestingly, we have some options for how we can support membership with digital, vs printed publications as they are included as part of membership.  Your direct input regarding some of these options is needed and valued in this survey, look for the survey to appear on the arrl.org web page in early May.

SCOTT'S STUFF: 

Comments from your ARRL Vice-Director Scott, N8SY

First let me say that March 8th was a very sad day for all of us here in the Great Lakes Division with the loss of Les Butler, W8MSP the Michigan Section Manager. He was a friend to everyone that he met. His smile and great love for people and ham radio will always be in our hearts and minds. Rest in Peace my good friend.

Well, it’s April 1st so, let the jokes begin!!! Mother Nature looks like she’s the first in line with this strangely odd weather pattern that seems to keep repeating itself over and over this year. And of course, Spring has sprung for sure and so have a bunch of hamfests.

I’ve had the privilege of attending quite a few of them lately and there’s a full calendar of them looking ahead! It’s great getting back out and being able to talk to everyone once again. I’m so looking forward to May and better weather. And, speaking of May, that really signals the beginning of lots of warmer weather coming and of course, the Dayton Hamvention. Have you gotten your tickets and rooms reserved for Hamvention yet? You know it’s only 49 days away, so you’d better get on the stick quickly, as room reservations are going fast! Oh, if you haven’t noticed this yet, the Hamvention is also going to be the ARRL Great Lakes Division Convention this year as well!!! With our Division Convention comes the tradition of awarding some very special folks for their contributions over the years. Now, before anyone can receive these awards, we will need your nominations for them. Please, take a look at the details for all of these special awards and complete the nomination form to nominate a deserving person.  Go to: http://arrl-greatlakes.org/awards_criteria.html for all the award details and nominations form.

Keeping with the Convention theme just a bit more... The Great Lakes Division will once again have a booth at Hamvention inside the ARRL area, just like last year. We are asking everyone to bring a QSL Card with them to post on the Division’s Brag Board. We were overwhelmed last year with the amount of great QSL Cards that we got. This year we are making sure that you know well in advance so that we can have even more cards on display. And, we WILL have a much larger Brag Board to display all the great cards we get! Be sure to stop by... and don’t forget to bring your QSL card with you to post!

Shifting gears... I want to congratulate my old friend, Larry Camp, WB8R for being willing to step back into the arena by once again taking on the role of Section Manager for the Michigan Section. Yes, Larry has agreed to complete Les’ term that ends at the end of this year. Who knows, he may even be coerced into sticking around and run for a term or two of his own!

Shifting Gears again... World Amateur Radio Day is coming up on Tuesday, April 18th. Is your club doing any kind of special event or operating that day? If not, it’s not too late to put something together and have a blast doing it. Remember, World Amateur Radio Day is to celebrate all the contributions that amateurs have made to their communities and citizens around the world.

Field Day is fast approaching (June 24/25). Is your club making plans to have Field Day this year? If they are, don’t let them forget to get signed up on the Field Day locator

http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator

Hey, if you can, meet with your local government officials and ask them for a Proclamation for Amateur Radio that weekend. Most local governments will be happy to do this and don’t forget to invite the news media to be there as well. Great PR for everyone, and you get extra points for your efforts too! Amateur radio groups are encouraged to share a copy of their proclamations with ARRL via email at:  pr@arrl.org ARRL will often share these proclamations to advance legislative efforts, creating additional support of awareness for amateur radio among lawmakers.

Shifting gears... Have you found time to get on the air and work any of the stations for the Volunteers On The Air (VOTA) Contest? It’s been a blast the few times that I’ve had a chance to get on and just working a few here and there.

Shifting gears to come into the pits... Hey club leaders, are your meetings been hybrid (ie... Zoom, Teams, Go-To-Meeting) as well as in-person? Doing a hybrid meeting does take a little extra effort on the clubs’ part, but for those who don’t travel well at night, or just can’t make the meeting because of distance, this is really a great thing for them. Like I said, it’s a little more work for whomever sets the equipment up, but it means so much to those who just could not attend the meeting any other way. It also opens the door for acquiring new members too. Yes, I have been told by a few club leaders that they have seen an uptick in membership from people outside of their area/state since starting their hybrid meetings. Having hybrid meetings also opens doors for a whole new world of programs and guest speakers for your club as well! You might consider one of the great recorded webinars that are listed in the ARRL Learning Center or even a live presentation from a guest that’s hundreds or thousands of miles away.

Hybrid meetings doesn’t mean that you don’t show up in person when you can. It’s more for those who just can’t attend but would really like to. There are many great recorded webinars out there from folks all over the world that are informative and fun. Most of these webinars are around 30 minutes or so, which is just the right amount of time.

Remember the posterior rule... The brain can only absorb with what the butt can withstand!

Whelp, that’s 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

n8sy@arrl.org

HAMFEST LISTING: 

Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests and Special Events through June of 2023. 

04/15/23 - Cuyahoga Falls, Cuyahoga Falls, OH

4/22/23 - Tusco, Dover, OH

04/22/23 - St Joseph, Centreville, MI

04/30/23 - Athens, Athens, OH

05/6/23 - Wexaukee ARC Swap, Cadillac, MI

05/7/23 - Lucas County ARES Trunk Swap, Toledo, OH

05/13-17/23 - RV Radio Network Spring Rally (SP Event), Millersburg, OH

05/18-21/23 - ARCI Four Days in May, Fairborn, OH

05/19-21/23 - Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH

05/27/23 - Scioto Valley, Piketon, OH

06/3/23 - Fulton County, Wauseon, OH

06/3/23 - IRA, Hudsonville, MI

06/10/23 - Luce County, Newberry, MI

06/17/23 - Midland Hamfest, Midland, MI

06/18/23 - Monroe Hamfest, Monroe, MI

Please post this listing in your club's newsletter and announce the swaps on your local nets.  Talk them up.  Let's fully support all of our hamfests in every way possible.  It means success for everyone.

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

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