Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for January, 2023.
I hope your New Year exceeds all your hopes and expectations.
Well, getting off to a new year isn't too bad. It's a time for me to clear the slate and build "The List" anew. Close anyway, I have a few items that dragged over, like paint the fence, which I failed to do last spring, and to rebuild a trellis, which got postponed by rain, or was it wind? The rest of the things on the 2022 list - which I lagged on - probably weren't too important anyway, so unless a certain someone spots them, I am good...at least until April.
ARRL's Year of the Volunteer kicks off now and the special operating event Volunteers on the AIR (VOTA) associated with it means a lot of us will be hitting the airwaves for this fun event. Check the VOTA web page at https://www.arrl.org/volunteers-on-the-air for the latest information. Everyone who holds an ARRL Volunteer position, including League membership, carries a point value in the VOTA event. A contact with the ARRL President gives you a whopping 300 points, for example.
Your local District Emergency Coordinator (DEC) gives you 30 Points and your EC will offer 12. ARRL Volunteers will be sending their contacts to log to Logbook of the World (LoTW) which then handles the scoring automatically. Regular participants are not required to use LoTW, but are encouraged to do so. Updates will be posted regularly. There is also a VOTA Points Table accessible on the web page so you can see the points given by each appointment holder.
The ARRL Kentucky Section welcomes a new Section Manager
on January first. Charles O'Neal KE4AIE
of Glasgow, KY takes office at that time to lead the KY Section into the
future. This is the right time for
pulling together to support Charlie's efforts.
He will need to both renew and make new appointments to fill
vacancies. With 2023 being ARRL's Year
of the Volunteer, I ask everyone to consider how they may step up to serve by
filling a needed slot. Offer your
services.
Charlie has already been working with current appointees
to update records and assure everyone to continue working with all appointees.
Charlie can be reached at kysectionmanager@gmail.com Charlie plans a forum at the upcoming Cave City Hamfest on March 4, and ARRL Vice Director Scott, N8SY and I will both be there to extend our support to everyone.
SCOTT'S STUFF: Comments from your ARRL Vice-Director Scott, N8SY.
Happy New Year to You and Yours!!!
Every year at this time we all go through that phase
where we reflect back on the year past and think about all the things that we
wanted to do but didn’t. It’s something
that keeps us on track and gives us the ability to look forward to the new year
with a positive attitude and willingness to improve and make things in your
life better. Have you thought about this
new year and what you’re going to change?
ARRL has set this new year as the "Year of the
Volunteer." Have you thought about
how you will "volunteer" this year?
As we decide on our New Year’s Resolutions, I want you to consider
adding "volunteering" to that resolution as well. Even if you are already volunteering now, can
you give just a little more? There are many different ways that you can
volunteer. Have you ever thought about
running for one of those positions that never seems to have a person available
to fill it in your local club? I know
many clubs that would just love to have that position filled by someone that
could give of themselves just a little.
How about volunteering to become a weather spotter, or a
member of your local ARES team? Yes,
these are commitments of time. The one
and only item in life that none of us knows exactly just how much we have of
it.
But can you imagine what life would be like if none of us volunteered? I’d really hate to think of that alternative for sure. So, how’s about it? Can you find a little bit of time to volunteer this year?
Shifting gears... Things have gotten super busy for Dale and me right now getting things ready for the upcoming Board of Directors meeting in January. I never thought I would be so involved in so many Zoom meetings, but as the Board meeting is coming up in mid-January, finalizing all those plans and making sure that everything is precisely worded as we want, takes a lot of meetings. 2023 will be amazing for ARRL. There are so many projects that everyone on the Board has been working on over 2022 and now will be coming to the forefront. We ARE moving things in a positive direction and are focused heavily on making things better for YOU!
Shifting up through the gears... Hey! I want to say that if your student hasn’t applied for a college scholarship by now, they’d better get busy, they only have until this coming Wednesday, January 4th at 12 noon to get their application in. There is a link on the ARRL homepage in addition to the link on the scholarship page. More than 100 scholarships ranging from $500 to $25,000 will be awarded in 2023. 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. Go to: http://www.arrl.org/scholarship-program
OK, shifting down to come into the pit... This month we start the month of January off with
Straight Key Night - January 1st, and it also starts the Volunteers on the Air
(VOTA) that will be going throughout the year.
Then on January 7th it’s Kids Day, along with the RTTY Roundup running on the 7th and 8th and following that is the January VHF Contest on the 21st - 23rd. This is just a few of the many contests that are scheduled for this month. Here’s the link to see them all... https://www.contestcalendar.com/
Okay, that is going to do it from me this month. Stay safe and "Catch Me On The Air, at a meeting or hamfest!!!" But most of all... Have FUN - and get on the AIR!!!!
73,
Scott, N8SYVice Director
Great Lakes Division
n8sy@arrl.org
HAMFEST LISTING:
Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests through March of 2023. 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 March 2023:
01/15/23 - SCARF Hamfest, Shade, OH
01/22/23 - Hazel Park Hamfest, Royal Oak, MI
02/11/23 - Cherryland, Traverse City, MI
02/18/23 - Livonia Swap, Livonia, MI
03/05/23 - Cave City Hamfest, Cave City, KY
03/11-23 - MOVARC Hamfest, Bidwell, OH
03/11/23 - Crossroads Hamfest, Kalamazoo, MI
03/19/23 - Toledo Mobile Radio Assn, Perrysburg, OH
03/26/23 - USECA Hamfest, Troy, MI
If your ARRL Affiliated club plans to request Hamfest Sanctioning, you should make that request well in advance of the scheduled Hamfest date, as this allows adequate time for QST Listings. QST announcements require a 3-month lead time. To be fair to our Division's clubs, the Great Lakes Division policy is to offer a club ARRL Sanctioning for a limit of two hamfests/swaps in any given calendar year, and they must be four months apart. If your swap is cancelled or the date is going to change, please notify ARRL HQ.
For the latest detail on regional hamfests, check the ARRL web page at:http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar
73,
Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director
Great Lakes Division
wa8efk@arrl.org
