Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for July,
2020.
ARRL's effort in the process for choosing our new Chief Executive Officer is nearing the final steps. The Search Committee is in the stage of reducing the selection to a final few and these individuals will all be interviewed by the entire ARRL Board of Directors. The
Covid-19 pandemic has confounded the process somewhat and
travel restrictions have caused some unplanned delays, but with the narrowing
of the field of candidates, the Selection Committee is completing its task.
As one of the Selection Committee members, I am pleased
to report to you that we have interviewed an amazing number of individuals who
truly exceed the Board's requirements, and of the final qualifiers, I believe
any one of those individuals is capable of doing an outstanding job for the
League. It will soon be up to the full
Board to make the ultimate decision for the right person to lead ARRL into the
future.
Also, as a special note, an independent team is also
completing its work on the selection of our new Emergency Communications
Director to guide our involvement in the field of EMCOMM and manage our
continuing relationships with our served-partner agencies.
Our ability as the ARRL's Board of Directors to meet by teleconference has been a valuable asset in fulfilling our obligations to our League members, and like the ARRL Board, most clubs have taken advantage of these video conferencing tools to continue their ability to hold regular meetings. The downside of course, is the difficulty in furthering key discussions on meeting topics and current needs, garnering support for proposed motions and taking the needed time to provide background and the needed details of ideas and proposals. With video conferencing, these important side-bars, just can't happen, just like all of the social side conversations which are part of a normal club meeting, don't happen in a Zoom Club meeting. These are certainly different times for all of us and finding work-arounds to these challenges are challenging in themselves.
Bringing new members into the club during the pandemic has now become an interesting process. Getting them introduced to everyone and allowing them to speak a little about themselves certainly could take a little advanced planning especially if they are new to a video meeting platform. I would be interested in hearing from you about unique ideas your club has used to welcome new members over the past few months.
I'll be glad to share them with all in the next edition
of Dale's Tales.
TOM'S TOME, Comments from your ARRL Vice Director Tom
W8WTD.
It’s the week after Field Day. Looking back, some things were just the same,
while many things were not. There were a
lot more stations running “1D,” but still quite a few in the usual Field Day
categories. Circumstances varied, and I’m
sure those who operated as a group took precautions to stay safe in this
pandemic.
I’ve heard people say that radio is a great way to
“distance” and still be involved in a group.
That’s true, but the group aspect of ham radio is more than just talking
and listening. It involves teaching and
doing, and that’s why Field Day became so important over the years. Some of the picnic and party aspects may have
been toned down this year, but the group activity of setting up stations and
working together on making contacts went on, at least for some.
Over the past couple of years, I was on a committee
studying the entry-level license. We
collected a lot of facts through surveys and other means. One of the key facts we came across is how
important mentors are in the life of new hams.
Someone who studied on his or her own for the license is actually
unlikely to get on the air, or to stay involved for very long even if they do
get on. Ham radio is a practical art,
and the more people are exposed to it, the more they learn, and the more they
want to take part.
Back to Field Day.
There’s no better way to demonstrate what a dipole is than to have to
hold one end of it as it’s being readied for installation. Working with coax or watching somebody solder
a broken part is another way for people to absorb all the little things us
older hams take for granted.
Whether you’re doing your monthly meetings on a repeater,
or by videoconference, try to reach out to new people. But ask questions yourself. Reach out and ask for advice with a new
concept, or give advice on something you know well. If there are events coming up that you can do
safely as a group, encourage others, especially newcomers, to join in and
learn. That’s the spirit of Field Day
that we need to keep alive throughout the year, and particularly in these
trying times.
--73, Tom W8WTD Vice Director, Great Lakes Division
HAMFESTING: If your swap is cancelled or the date is
going to change, please notify ARRL HQ.
We work together with the HQ staff to verify all new date selections in
the hope of mitigating date conflicts.
Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL
Sanctioned hamfests. 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.
7/11/20 NW Ohio Blackswamp RS Hamfest, Temperance, MI
7/19/20 Van Wert Hamfest, Van Wert, OH
7/25/20 Gladwin Hamfest, Gladwin, MI
8/1/20 UP Hamfest, Escanaba, MI
8/8/20 Central Kentucky, Lexington, KY
8/15/20 Clinton County Hamfest, Wilmington, OH
8/29/20 Milford Hamfest, Owensville, OH
9/12/20 Grand Rapids GRAHamfest, Wyoming, MI
9/12/20 Greater Louisville Hamfest, Sheperdsville, KY
9/19/20 Richmond Hamfest, Richmond, KY
9/20/20 Adrian Hamfest, Adrian, MI
9/27/20 Cleveland Hamfest, Berea, OH
10/3/20 Vette City -- KY State Conv., Bowling Green, KY
10/10/20 Northwest Ohio ARC Hamfest, Lima, OH
10/17/20 Muskegon Color Tour, Muskegon, MI
10/24/20 Hazard, Hazard, KY
10/25/20 USECA, Madison Hts, MI
12/5/20 Fulton County Winterfest, Delta, OH
12/6/20 L'anse Creuse, Madison
Heights, MI
For the latest detail on cancelled hamfests, check the ARRL web page at:
http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/search/page:5/keywords:Canceled/model:Event
It should be noted that there has been a change in the
way ARRL contributes to your ARRL sanctioned hamfest efforts. Please carefully read the e-mail from ARRL
Headquarters confirming your sanctioning as IT CONTAINS IMPORTANT DETAILS
REGARDING PRIZES. Be sure to invite your
ARRL Officials as soon as your date is set.
With 52 weeks and 70+ hamfests in the Great Lakes Division, things do
requires some advanced planning, even under the current travel restrictions.
If you plan to request ARRL Hamfest Sanctioning, please do so well in advance of your Hamfest date, as this allows adequate time for QST Listings. QST requires a 3 month lead time.
73, All the best to you and your family. Stay Safe over
July 4th and always.
Ham it up!
Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director - Great Lakes Division
