Dale's Tales for May..

Greetings everyone, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for May, 2016.

MAY is here and soon we'll be enjoying the Dayton HamVention®.  ARRL will host the ARRL

EXPO again this year and we will include about 20 exhibit booths.  We will also include booths from
our friends at the Radio Society of Great Britain, the Deutscher Amateur Radio Club, Japan Amateur Radio League, and the Quatar Amateur Radio Society.  The League is also presenting a number of forums this year.  On Friday, we will host "The ARRL Laboratory- Behind the Scenes", and "Amateur Radio and the Law".  Saturday will include "ARRL National Parks on the Air" and the "ARRL Member Forum".  Sunday's forums are "Maximizing your ARRL Field Day Effort" and the "Amateur Radio Disaster and Emergency Communications Panel". 

As the Great Lakes Division is the hosting division, I will have the opportunity to moderate the ARRL Member Forum and have booked the League's "Heavy Hitters" as guest speakers.  We will hear commentary from ARRL President Rick Roderick K5UR, ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher NY2RF, 1st VP Greg Widin KØGW, 2nd VP Brian Mileshosky N5ZGT and our International VP Jay Bellows KØQB.  These people are on top of the latest happenings in our hobby and this is the perfect setting for everyone's introduction to the League's new leadership team.  We will also include a member Question and Answer Session.  Last year's Forum was a full house, and with our new team in place this year, this is an ideal opportunity to introduce and discuss new ideas and plans.  Every one of our guest speakers will also be spending time at the ARRL EXPO. Do take to opportunity to stop at the EXPO's Meet-and-Greet area to say hello.

We plan to have many of our Headquarters staff on hand as well.  They will be present at the EXPO Booths to discuss your ideas and concerns and help you with your special interests.  Here is the EXPO booth line-up: ARRL Development/Foundation, Education and Technology, ARRL Lab, Radiosport/DXCC, National Parks on the Air, Public Service, ARRL VEC, ARRL Store, ARRL Logbook of the World, NTS, Advertising, RFinder, ARRL News, Amateur Radio Parity Act, Scouting, Discover the HF Experience, US Bank and Liberty Mutual Insurance, Field Organization / Ohio Section, Youth Rally, and IARU.   Remember the dates, May 20 - 22. 

KUDOS to the Dial Amateur Radio Club as they celebrate their 75th Anniversary.  Based in Middletown, OH, they recently hosted their Anniversary Party and displayed many interesting memorabilia from the club's history, including several hundred video slides collected and compiled for the occasion.  Ohio SM Scott N8SY, Vice Director Tom W8WTD and I were pleased to attend and help the club celebrate.

NVIS Test:  Ohio SM Scott Yonally N8SY reports that the planned NVIS event went very well last weekend.   There were many participants cross Ohio and a number of neighboring states.  The object was to simply have fun making contacts with an NVIS (near vertical incident skywave) antenna system and allow everyone to find out how well these low-to-the-ground antennas actually work.  Scott's question is now: "Is there any interest in making this a national event?"  Let him know at n8sy@arrl.net.

TOM'S COMMENTS:  Comments from our Vice Director Tom Delany W8WTD

April was the month for club meetings –for me, at least.  More than I usually go to in several months.  But a good opportunity to observe the health of amateur radio around here.  These were very different events, with a variety of topics and attendance.  All of the participants were engaged and interested in whatever aspect of ham radio was being presented.

Two events stand out.  One was a celebration –75 years for the DIAL radio club of Middletown, Ohio.  There was a proclamation and a visit from the Mayor of Middletown, and some of us representing the ARRL were there as well.  The club is aware of its history.  They have a long tradition of education and helping people once they get licenses.  They do Field Day and other events together.  Seems like a strong club.  All the best, ladies and gentlemen, and keep up the good work!

Maybe because it’s a little more rural, I was surprised by the turnout at the Highland Amateur Radio Association’s meeting.  People came from several surrounding counties.  But then when you look at the effort they put into education, it’s not so surprising.  In the month or so before the meeting, classes were held, and the week before the meeting 28 people took tests, some of them for upgrades, and 18 new people got licenses.  Given the level of involvement during the meeting and afterwards, I’d say that most of those people will be on the air and quite active in ham radio over the next year.

At two of the other meetings, there were technical presentations.  We can’t all be involved in all aspects of ham radio, but when people are willing to share new technologies, then we all find what interests us and what doesn’t.  That’s what keeps us coming to meetings, and gets us on the air in new modes, or variations of old ones.

If you’re reading this and you don’t belong to a club, think about joining one.  And if you belong already, pitch in, get active, and meet some of your fellow hams or help someone new in the hobby.  With the Dayton Hamvention® coming up, stop by your club’s table, or go to a forum and learn something new.  And while you’re at it, come and meet your Division and Section leadership teams, and meet some of the new ARRL leaders at the ARRL Expo.  See you there!

73, Tom W8WTD  Vice Director, Great Lakes Division

AMATEUR RADIO PARITY ACT:  Our Legislative Action Team is continuing its efforts to achievehttp://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-parity-act .  Thanks to so many of the Great lakes Division hams who have sent letters supporting the legislation.  If you have not done so, you can find a sample on the listed web page.  Please be sure to route your letters through ARRL Headquarters: ARRL, Attn: Amateur Radio Parity Act grassroots campaign, 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111.  Our Legislative Action Team will hand deliver the letters, thus avoiding delays caused by the postal inspection system in DC.
passage of these bills in the House and Senate. You can find the latest information at

ARRL SANCTIONED HAMFESTS:  Here is the current Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest Schedule covering the next few weeks.  These swaps have received their sanctioning approval from ARRL HQ at the time of this publication.  We have approximately 65 hamfests each year in the Great Lakes Division.  I do encourage each Hamfest Chair to register early for ARRL Sanctioning.  It is never too early to register your hamfest with Headquarters.  Be sure to invite your ARRL Officials as soon as your date is set.  Help avoid date conflicts, do it early!

May 7 - Cadillac - Cadillac, MI

May 14 - Chassell Hamfest - Chassel, MI

May 20-22 - Dayton HamVention - Dayton, OH

May 28 - Ashland - Ashland, KY

June 4 - Fulton County - Tedrow, OH

June 4 - Princeton Hamfest - Princeton, KY

June 5 - Portage Hamfair - Ravenna, OH

June 11 - Luce County - Newberry, MI

June 18 - Midland Hamfest - Midland, MI

June 18 - Milford Hamfest - Milford, OH

June 19 - Monroe Hamfest - Monroe, MI

73, See you on the bands.

Dale Williams WA8EFK

Director

Great Lakes Division

Dale's Tales for April..

Greetings everyone, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for April, 2016.

UPDATE for AMATEUR RADIO PARITY ACT:  This subject moves to the front of the column as

recent actions are getting us reasonably close to closure.  Our ARRL Legislative Action Committee members have been meeting in Washington to reconcile the bill verbiage with representatives of homeowners' associations.  I am optimistic that most of the concerns on both sides of the issue have been resolved and I look for us to have a bill that will not face opposition in either the House

or Senate.   I am not attempting to say the deal is done, it is not and

we remain steadfast that hams are to be treated fairly in installing an outside antenna.  Opposing that single issue can be a deal breaker as it is the basis for the entire bill.  You can find more information at http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-parity-act.  Thanks to so many of the Great lakes Division hams who have sent letters supporting the legislation.  If you have not done so, you can find a sample on the listed web page.  Please be sure to route your letters through ARRL Headquarters for personal delivery: ARRL, Attn: Amateur Radio Parity Act grassroots campaign, 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111.  We will hand deliver the letters, thus avoiding delays caused by the postal inspection system in DC.

SPRING:  It is now upon us and along with it, the frequent severe weather that hits the Midwest.  Many regions are well underway with their annual spotter training programs, certainly an important item on the calendar.  Recognition of what constitutes a funnel cloud vs virga can be a lifesaving measure.  While our ARES members train in storm spotting, these sessions also offer an opportunity to work on net procedures.  Knowing what to report and how best to convey the information on a busy net (with an overworked net control) insures efficiency and accuracy, again, potential lifesaving measures.  We need to ask ourselves "Who uses our reports?  What data do they need?  How it is best presented to them?  Can your local Emergency Management people use a spotter report in the same form as the National Weather Service?

What is the best method to get the report to your partner agency?"

Certainly, many more questions need answers, so meet with partner agencies now, well before severe weather sets in, to work out the details so our ARES programs are viable and incorporating the Best Practices to serve the public.

 

NPOTA:   I am receiving a lot of positive input about National Parks on the Air.  Here we are with spring is only a few days upon us and the bands are busy with NPOTA operations.   Warmer weather will bring even more operators into the field and more of the National Park System locations on the air.  Remember if you have the opportunity to set up and operate, check in at the park office and let them know your plans.

Many are willing to assist with PR and even help you put up a suitable sign to let the public know who you are.   Let's make the best of the show.

TOM'S COMMENTS:  Comments from our Vice Director Tom Delany W8WTD

As I’ve noted here before, I really enjoy being able to connect with people throughout the Division and find out what projects they are working on, and from time to time, sharing progress reports with everyone. So it’s been good to be able to get to some hamfests in Kentucky and Michigan. Next up is the granddaddy of them all, the Dayton Hamvention®. Hope to see many of you there.

I spent many years volunteering with Red Cross, especially in planning and preparing communications of all types for disaster. I’m still involved, as a matter of fact. So when I see possibilities for new things in ham radio, I’m really encouraged as well. There are all sorts of good activities going on in the Division with regard to emergency communications. We have groups working on digital data, from the MESH networks to the various digital nets; there is an upcoming NVIS antenna day, sponsored in Ohio, but open to participation from Michigan and Kentucky; and there are efforts in digital voice. I have to admit that I’m partial to the DMR technology, but I know D-Star has a lot of dedicated enthusiasts, and Fusion has some promise, particularly with all the new repeaters out there.

Lately, I’ve been chatting back and forth with the folks in Mansfield, Ohio, where they just put up a new DMR repeater. The statewide talkgroup offers promise for coverage in an emergency. Now I realize that some people will argue that the internet may be down in a big disaster, so why bother with something that is so internet based?

But my answer would be that as long as the system is out there, we may as well experiment with it, and use it. When it comes to communications in an emergency, you can never have too many systems. True, you don’t know which ones will work and which ones won’t, so that’s why it’s important to have options. The one you don’t expect to use may be the one to get you through the worst of the disaster.

Hams don’t often need encouragement for new technology. When we find something we like, we go for it. We get involved, and make new things happen. If there’s any advice to offer, it would simply be this –look for the possibility your favorite mode might have for emergency communications, and help develop that along with all the other god things it does.

As I mentioned, D-Star has been around and has well-established nets. DMR is rapidly advancing. What are the plans for interconnecting the Fusion repeaters? How soon can we count on them for digital coverage of a state or a region?

Disasters can happen at any time. But Spring is often the season for weather-related emergencies throughout our Division. So let’s do what we can to be prepared again this year.

73, Tom W8WTD  Vice Director, Great Lakes Division

 

HAMFESTING:  Here is the current Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest Schedule for the next few weeks.  These swaps have received their sanctioning approval from ARRL HQ at the time of this publication.  We have approximately 65 hamfests each year in the Great Lakes Division.  I do encourage each Hamfest Chair to register early for ARRL Sanctioning.  It is never too early to register your hamfest with Headquarters.  Be sure to invite your ARRL Officials as soon as your date is set.  Help avoid date conflicts, do it early!

Apr 2 - Portsmouth - Portsmouth, OH

Apr 9 - Cuyahoga Falls - Cuyahoga Falls, OH 

Apr 19 - Letcher County - Whitesburg, KY 

April 23 - Jackson County - Jackson, OH 

Apr 24 - Athens - Athens, OH 

May 7 - Cadillac - Cadillac, MI 

May 14 - Chassell Hamfest - Chassel, MI 

May 20-22 - Dayton HamVention - Dayton, OH 

May 28 - Ashland - Ashland, KY

73, See you on the bands.

Dale Williams WA8EFK

Director

Great Lakes Division

Dale's Tales for March 2016

Greetings everyone, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for March, 2016.

The Great Lakes Division was well represented in the current issue of Radio Waves, published by the League http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Radio%20Waves%20Newsletter /Winter%202016%20Radio%20Waves.pdf .   This ARRL periodical is aimed at instructors and

educators, keeping them informed about ham radio and STEM Programs.   Ohio's West Chester Amateur Radio Association teamed up with National Voice of America Broadcasting Museum to host "Pi Day + 6" in honor of May 14.   (This year it really stacks up as 3.14.16 and is also Albert Einstein's birthday).    In addition, the West Michigan Aviation Academy in Grand Rapids has started a ham club as the result of its prep work for their scheduled ARISS Contact.   This publication may offer your club an introduction to STEM instructors in your area and open an opportunity to begin a local school program for prospective hams.  Check it out.

As announced in this column last month, Chief Operating Officer, Harold Kramer W1JB is entering the world of retirees.  Knowing Harold, I suspect this is not the last we will hear from him.   I spoke with him on the phone Friday and we talked a little about some of his plans. These will include an opportunity to do a little writing and probably make some other interesting contributions to ham radio.   Please feel free to extend your well wishes to Harold at WJ1B@arrl.org.

A special thanks goes out to the Cherryland Amateur Radio Club for their warm hospitality when Michigan Section Manager Larry WB8R, Monroe County EC Dave AC8SI and your ARRL Director Dale WA8EFK "dropped in" for a visit at their February club meeting.  The three of us were attending the Michigan Statewide Interoperability Conference in Traverse City and could not pass the opportunity for an evening visit with the club. 

I am pleased to report that Amateur Radio is playing a continually more important part in Michigan's overall emergency communications plan.  This Interoperability Conference, which was hosted by the Homeland Security Division of the MI State Police, devoted several hours of time to Auxiliary Communications, which is based upon ARES®, NTS, CAP, MARS, SATERN how these groups are organized, operate and respond in emergencies.  Michigan Section manager John McDonough WB8RCR also detailed RACES, covering what it is and what it is not.  The several hundred conference attendees were from police, fire, EMT, Emergency Management and first responder teams from across the state. 

Great Lakes Division members can be proud of their respective Section leadership teams for their diligence in working with their individual state's Emergency Management organizations and promoting a very positive atmosphere relating to the services that we radio amateur operators can provide for our communities.  While each of our three Sections has its own unique operating relationship with state officials, amateur radio is highly regarded in every case.  This is not to say all is perfect, certainly not, as we have many opportunities to improve.  We all need to strive for accurate documentation, uniform registration and timely reporting.  ARRL Leadership is working to reduce the burden of complying with these needs, and over the next few months, we may begin testing these services in selected locations. Remember, our agency partner leadership managers see the reporting numbers and stats, lets insure that we continue to keep them up to date and accurate.  These figures show how much we do, and what cost benefits our services provide to each partner-agency.

TOM'S COMMENTS:  Comments from our Vice Director Tom Delany W8WTD

Last weekend, I listened in on a conversation on HF.  One by one, the voices of some young girls came on, talking with another girl.  First steps in radio.  Then I realized I had had a similar contact a year ago with the same station, but had no young person in my shack to speak to them.  The station was from New Brunswick, Canada, and the woman ham was introducing  Girl Guides (the equivalent of our Girl Scouts) to ham radio.  It was great to hear the enthusiasm for making contacts.

I still have the QSL cards that I got from each of the young ladies I talked to.  And am sure these girls were even happier to talk to someone young like themselves.  From what I could piece together, the girl on the other end was the six-year-old daughter of that ham operator, and I think they were in Great Britain.  Band conditions were not favoring their signal in my direction, but the Canadians were loud and clear.

The experience made me think about our outreach to youth in this country.  It’s not easy to go from that initial contact to a license, but we’re out there trying to make it happen.  We have programs in place, from JOTA (Jamboree on the Air) to Kid’s Day on the Radio, to school clubs and license classes.  We all have to do our part to make sure that the airwaves are a welcome and happy experience for young people, whether they are just learning how radio works, or whether they are applying science concepts and figuring out how interesting ham radio can be.  A salute to those who work with youth, and a reminder to us all to be welcoming on the air!

Friends in high places--  You all know that there are a few hams in Congress, such as Rep. Greg Walden, W7EQI, of Oregon, on the subcommittee for Communications and Technology, and some others, including a new ham, Rep. Steve Pearce of New Mexico.  Rep. Walden has been helpful in many ways, not least of which is calling FCC attention to the problem of interference.

Closer to home, in the fall elections, Kentucky got a new governor and lieutenant governor, and it just so happens that the lieutenant governor is a ham.  Her name is Jenean Hampton, and her call is K5EIB. The Northern Kentucky Amateur Radio Club invited her to speak at their February meeting, and she accepted their invitation.  She is particularly interested in spreading the word about the emergency communications capabilities that ham radio provides.  An engineer by background, she is now an extra class licensee.  She doesn’t have a lot of time to be on the air, but anything any of the Kentucky hams can do to help her will probably be much appreciated.  She will be a good advocate for ham radio, and will be counting on us during emergencies. I’m sure her trust will be well-placed.

A few of you have noticed that the Great Lakes Division now has a Facebook page.  If you haven’t noticed, please take a look.  Granted, Facebook is not for everyone, but for those who participate, it’s one more way of keeping in touch with activities of the Division.  Please let us know what you think.  Thanks go out to Greg, W0QI, Kentucky ASM, whose initiative got it going.

It’s Hamfest season again.   In March, I plan to be in Cave City, KY and Kalamazoo, MI.  I’m Looking forward to seeing many of you during those times.  Stop by and say hello.

73, Tom W8WTD  Vice Director, Great Lakes Division

UPDATE for AMATEUR RADIO PARITY ACT:  HR 1301 is the Bill number for the House of Representatives.  Progress continues, as last month the House version had 118 Co-Sponsors, today the number is up to 123.   The Senate version of the bill is number S 1685.   If you have not done so, please contact your Senators and Congressman in Washington and encourage their support for the Act.  You can find more information at http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-parity-act.  Please be sure to route your letters through ARRL Headquarters for personal delivery: ARRL, Attn: Amateur Radio Parity Act grassroots campaign, 225 Main St.,

Newington, CT 06111. 

HAMFESTING:  Here is the current Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest Schedule for the next few weeks.  These swaps have received their sanctioning approval from ARRL HQ at the time of this publication.  We have approximately 65 hamfests each year in the Great Lakes Division.  I do encourage each Hamfest Chair to register early for ARRL Sanctioning.  It is never too early to register your hamfest with Headquarters.  Be sure to invite your ARRL Officials as soon as your date is set.  Help avoid date conflicts, do it early!

Mar  5 - Cave City - Cave City, KY

Mar  6 - NOARS - Elyria, OH

Mar 19 - Crossroads - Kalamazoo, MI

Mar 20 - TMRA Hamfest - Perrysburg, OH

Mar 26 - MOVARC - Gallipolis, OH

Apr 2 - Portsmouth - Portsmouth, OH

Apr 9 - Cuyahoga Falls - Cuyahoga Falls, OH

Apr 19 - Letcher County - Whitesburg, KY

Apr 24 - Athens - Athens, OH

May 7 - Cadillac - Cadillac, MI

May 14 - Chassell Hamfest - Chassel, MI

May 20-22 - Dayton HamVention - Dayton, OH

73, See you on the bands.

Dale Williams WA8EFK

Director

Great Lakes Division

Dale's Tales for February..

Greetings everyone, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for February, 2016.

 

OUR NEW CEO: As you are no doubt seen the press release, our ARRL CEO Dave Sumner K1ZZ plans to retire this year.  Dave has announced that the date will be April 18, ending more than 44 years of service at ARRL HQ. For many of us, it will be hard to imagine headquarters without Dave at the helm.  None the less, on that date, our new CEO will step into office, Tom Gallagher NY2RF. There will be a few weeks of overlap as Tom and Dave will be working together to effect a smooth transition of leadership. Tom's selection comes after an extensive search and an offer was tendered following the decision at the January ARRL Board meeting. Tom accepted, and the Board held an electronic meeting Monday evening January 25, where he was elected to serve as CEO and Secretary following Dave Sumner's retirement. Tom's bio is available on the ARRL web site.  

The recent Board meeting also included another important change in Leadership, as President Kay Craigie N3KN completed her 6th year as League President and opted to return to private life. Our First Vice President Rick Roderick K5UR was unanimously elected to the office of President and began his term at the end of the meeting.  Rick has served on the Board as a Vice Director, Director and a VP for more than 24 years.

One other change is forthcoming, as our Chief Operating Officer, Harold Kramer W1JB is planning to retire in early 2016.   More details will follow as our new COO is selected.

In addition to the above, various Board actions included election of the 2016 Executive Committee, (your Director was re-elected to this body) plus reviewing and accepting standing Committee Reports. The ARRL Strategic Plan was accepted and the Board will be assigning priorities for implementation. There was considerable discussion about how US population shifts have affected the number of ARRL members in each Division since Division boundaries were last adjusted.  A

committee was established to examine these changes, collect member input  and report at the January 2017 meeting with their recommendations.

Actions by our newly elected President  included the appointments to several committees. Our Vice Director, Tom Delaney W8WTD was selected as Board Liaison to the ARRL RF Safety Committee, while your Director was re-appointed as chair of the Ethics and Elections Committee.

ON THE AIR SPECIAL EVENT:  The big operating event National Parks on the Air has begun. Be https://npota.arrl.org/. You can view your contact status on sure to check out the full details at

http://www.arrl.org/NPOTA and  selecting "The Leaderboard". Standings come from Logbook of the World uploads, so remember that some may be delayed until the operators return to their home QTHs where they have Internet connectivity.

MEA CULPA: Being human and subject to making an occasional (Okay, frequent) mistake, I did so last month when I inadvertently omitted from the Great Lakes Division Annual Report, the call sign of Bill Finnegan NR8I.  Bill was the winner of the ARRL's Herb S. Brier W9AD Instructor of the Year Award.

TOM'S COMMENTS:  Comments from our Vice Director Tom Delany W8WTD

ARES:  So who turned the map of the Division upside down?  It seemed like it for a few hours this past weekend.  Normally, cold temperatures and large snowfalls are more likely in Central Michigan than in Central Kentucky. But the storm that eventually became the Northeast Blizzard came roaring through the southern part of the Division before it charged up the East Coast. And it dropped enough snow to stop traffic on I-75 between London, KY and Lexington. While it was reminiscent of the I-65 snow last winter that stopped traffic over near Elizabethtown, this one probably wasn’t quite as bad.  But the Kentucky ARES folks responded, at least in the “ready” mode. KEN was activated on

3.9725 MHz, and several local nets were called up throughout the area. No one actually deployed, but all the procedures were in place to do so. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Who’s an expert?   Here’s a story for you.  Maybe it has to do with the fact that we are called amateur radio operators.  Or maybe it’s something else. I was asked recently to help find someone who could do a presentation on wire antennas for one of the clubs in our area.  So I started asking around for an expert.  People I thought were experts declined, saying that they weren’t experts. After a while, I

started thinking about the term, and decided that must be what was making the search difficult.  No one wants to self-identify as an expert.  We all have this mental picture of an expert as someone who knows so much about resonance, reactance, impedance, theory, and the ability to use complex antenna-modelling systems.  What about the practical?  How many antennas has an individual constructed and put up?

In my fifty-plus years of ham radio, I’ve put up temporary antennas for field day, permanent antennas on my house and the houses of friends, as well as antennas on public buildings, etc. Some worked well, others didn’t, but I learned from what went wrong.

With that in mind, I recruited one of the non-experts (who knows a lot about antennas) and together we led a discussion with the club.

Everyone took part, and we all found out more about antennas and what to expect. By sharing what we know and asking questions about what we didn’t know, we all came to a better understanding of antennas.  And it was one of the better club meetings I’ve attended anywhere.

Funny thing.  Even though to my “English-teacher” mind, expert and experience seem to have the same root, one term is more intimidating than the other.  Bottom line—those of us with experience should not be so hesitant to share what we know.

The winter and early spring Hamfest season is just about here. Weather permitting, I’ll be seeing some of you in the next month or so. 

73, Tom W8WTD  Vice Director, Great Lakes Division

UPDATE for AMATEUR RADIO PARITY ACT: We continue to be encouraged by the efforts of our Washington team as they continue to foster support of the passage of the Amateur Radio Parity Act.  The House version now has 118 Co-Sponsors. HR 1301 is the Bill number for the House of

Representatives.  The Senate version of the bill is number S 1685. If you have not done so, please contact your Senator and Congressman in Washington and encourage his/her support for the Act.  You can find more information at http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-parity-act.

Please be sure to route your letters through ARRL Headquarters for personal delivery: ARRL, Attn: Amateur Radio Parity Act grassroots campaign, 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111. 

HAMFESTING:  Here is the current Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest Schedule for the next few weeks. These swaps have received their sanctioning approval from ARRL HQ at the time of this publication. We have approximately 65 hamfests each year in the Great Lakes Division.  I do encourage each Hamfest Chair to register early for ARRL Sanctioning. It is never too early to register your hamfest with Headquarters. Be sure to invite your ARRL Officials as soon as your date is set.  Help avoid date conflicts, do it early!

Feb  6 - HARA Swap - Negaunee, MI

Feb 13 - Cherryland - Traverse City, MI

Feb 21 - Mansfield - Mansfield, OH

Feb 21 - Livonia - Livonia, MI

Mar  5 - Cave City - Cave City, KY

Mar  6 - NOARS - Elyria, OH

Mar 19 - Crossroads - Kalamazoo, MI

Mar 20 - TMRA Hamfest - Perrysburg, OH

Mar 26 - MOVARC - Gallipolis, OH

73, See you on the bands.

Dale Williams WA8EFK

Director

Great Lakes Division

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ARRL Great Lakes Division

Director: Dale R Williams, WA8EFK

wa8efk@arrl.org

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Amateur Radio Parity Act.. New Information!!

Hey Gang,

The Amateur Radio Parity Act--we've been talking about it for a while.  Now it's ACTION TIME for

at least some of you in the Division.  Next Tuesday, January 12th, the House Bill comes up before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.  Five House members from Ohio, Kentucky and Michigan sit on that committee.

The ARRL is asking each ham in those congressional districts to contact their representatives and ask for their support for the bill.  It's easy.  Just go to this website:

https://arrl.rallycongress.net/ctas/urge-congress-to-support-amateur-radio-parity-act.

All you have to do is fill in your zip code, and get a message to your congressman.  Do it today!

This specifically applies to those of you who live in Michigan in Fred Upton's district, which is generally the southwestern part of the state; those who live in Ohio Rep. Robert Latta's district, which is generally around the Toledo area; those who live in Ohio Rep. Bill Johnson's district, which is generally southeastern Ohio along the river; those who live in Kentucky Rep. Brett Guthrie's district, which is generally south of Louisville and Lexington; and those who live in Kentucky Rep. John Yarmouth's district, which is in the immediate Louisville area.

Even if you don't live in those districts, you can contact your representative.  If the bill passes out of committee, we'll need to have a full effort from everyone before the bill comes to a vote in the House.

We're getting close.  Thanks for your past efforts, and get ready to make your voice heard again soon!

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ARRL Great Lakes Division

Director: Dale R Williams, WA8EFK

wa8efk@arrl.org

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Dale's Tales for December..

Greetings everyone, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for December 2015.

KRAMER GOES ROGUE:  Not Seinfeld's Kramer, but our own: Harold Kramer WJ1B!  It seems

Harold and a team of operators have decided to strike out on their own to commemorate QST's founding 100 years ago this December as they will be operating a commemorative Special Event station W1Q.  The plan to be on the air from December 1-15. The first QST was published in December 1915.  ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer WJ1B and the volunteer operators will man W1Q. This is not an "official" ARRL operation, and Harold will handle all QSL cards and LoTW entries.  He will post additional information on his QRZ.com page under WJ1B.  Let's keep them all busy!  What a great way to celebrate the founding of our official journal.

SPECIAL EVENT:  National Parks on the Air will be a key event in 2016.

I hope you all will be able to take advantage of getting some On-the-Air-Time to operate and have some great fun contacting stations in our National Parks and actually doing some serious operating from the parks.  Be sure to check out the full details at https://npota.arrl.org/.  There are actually 20 qualified National Park Service Units within the Great Lakes Division, and plenty of opportunities to put them all on the air over the next 12 months.  Be sure to check out the current "On the Air" list of scheduled events on the web page.  Not surprisingly, many dates are already booked.

ON THE AIR: Are you?  Maybe it is time to check!  After the experience of operating last year's great Centennial Points Challenge, like many ops, I have experienced some serious withdrawal symptoms.  So for 2015, I've given myself another challenge and made it a point to try to get on for a while every day and get some QSOs in the log outside of nets and contests.  An all-too-often brief QSO with a foreign ham brings a new friendship and new interests.  Certainly, my knowledge of this Earth's geography is improving as I frequently squeeze in some research on the country I have contacted.  Of course, some time is spent searching for "rare ones", but I like the time spent for even a brief contact.  This is not to say I am neglecting contesting.  Operating contests is great for honing skills, and I note I seem to be able to copy everyone a little better after finishing a contest; with that little experience, copying DX through the noise and QRM truly becomes an easier task.  Of course operating on a few nets keeps up the traffic handling skills and builds camaraderie.  We have so many diverse aspects of this hobby, but one - actually getting on the air - is what it is all about.  Let's all really DO IT!

TOM'S COMMENTS:  Our Vice Director, Tom W8WTD is on a well-deserved hiatus this month.  He will return in January all refreshed for the upcoming year.

UPDATE for AMATEUR RADIO PARITY ACT: The Senate version of the measure passed through committee during November.  The package will now go to the full Senate for a vote.  NOW is the time to contact your Senator in Washington and encourage his/her support for the measure.  When you do this, please reference the Bill Number S 1685.  Please be sure to route your letters through ARRL Headquarters for personal delivery: ARRL, Attn: Amateur Radio Parity Act grassroots campaign, 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111.  You can find more information at http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-parity-act.

HAMFESTING:  Here is the current Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest Schedule for the next few weeks.  These swaps have received their sanctioning approval from ARRL HQ at the time of this publication. 

 

Dec  5 - Fulton County Winterfest - Delta, OH 

Dec  6 - L'Anse Creuse - Harrison Township, MI 

Jan 17 - SCARF - Nelsonville, OH 

Jan 24 - Tusco - Strausburg, OH 

Jan 24 - Hazel Park - Madison Hgts, MI 

Feb 13 - Cherryland - Traverse City, MI 

Feb 21 - Mansfield - Mansfield, OH 

Feb 21 - Livonia - Livonia, MI 

Mar  5 - Cave City - Cave City, KY 

Mar  6 - Crossroads - Kalamazoo, MI

HAMFEST OFFICIALS:  It is never too early to register your hamfest for ARRL Sanctioning.  Be sure to invite your ARRL Officials as soon as your date is set.  Help avoid date conflicts, do it early!

WISHES: It is still early in December, but as we enter this holiday season, Judy and I wish to extend the very best wishes for Peace and Prosperity in the coming year.

73, see you on the bands.

Dale Williams WA8EFK

Director

Great Lakes Division

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Dale's Tales for November

Greetings everyone, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for November 2015.

SPECIAL EVENT:  Recent activities at the Michigan State University Radio Club, W8SH, have been running in high gear.  First, was the club's hosting Katie Breen WY7YL and Sean Kutzko KX9X from ARRL HQ to meet with MSU's Scott Westerman W9WSW to investigate new ways to market ham radio to a new generation of potential hams.

Then there was "Sparticipation" a Field Day-like event to welcome 8000 new students to the campus, and this included an active demonstration from the MSU Radio Club.   Several potential hams registered their interest in getting licensed and the club welcomed a couple of hams with the incoming freshmen class.

Then...well, MSU alumnus Gregg WB8LZG says it like this:  "The 1st Spartan Radio Tailgate Party was a good one!  We had the chance to meet and play radio with several of the new incoming Hams! It looks like we're off to a great start this year!  Ed Oxer, Reece Cole es I went to the shack a bit early to make sure all was in readiness for the event.

There was a crock pot full of Ed's famous 'busted QSO chili', and lots of snacks and chips, including MSU Football cupcakes! Wow, this really is a tailgate party! At the starting bell the students took right over and started making QSO's ! They did quite well too. A rough tally shows 44 QSO's, in 19 states, the Galapagos Is, Martinique, El Salvador, and others. Just to keep things exciting they also had a few pileups!

Alumnus Mike, KB8ZGL helped out by connecting to the "Mike LINC" so that we could garner some more check in's via 'echo link'. This proved very worthwhile; also as we had many hams reach us on that link. ...  how nice it was to see the shack FULL of students all having fun, as well as learning from each other. To sum it up, our 1st installment to the 'Spartan Tailgate Special Event' went very well."  Gregg says we can look for W8SH and the Spartan Tailgate Special Event as part of every MSU home game.

CLUB OPPORTUNITIES:  So this begs the question:  "With all of the excellent colleges and universities in the Great Lakes Division, Ohio, Kentucky and Michigan, what are others doing to promote the growth of Amateur Radio?"  I am very interested in reporting the activities of all of our Division's college radio clubs and we can do this in "Dale's Tales" over the next few months. Let me know.  This is a wonderful opportunity to share some truly innovative ideas.  Following this, we can introduce our cadre of High School Clubs and their recruitment ideas and activities.

COMMENTS:  from our Vice Director, Tom W8WTD My word for the month is "persistence."  It's a good concept for just about any time, but I use it to refer to the efforts of so many people around the ARRL's legislative efforts for the Amateur Radio Parity Act.

Here's a quick story about persistence.  One member of Congress was approached by a delegation of hams over a year ago.  Follow-up efforts took place.  Then the letter-writing campaign from the League started.

And at least one individual with a personal link made contact.  Just last month, after more than a year of consideration, that member became one of our co-sponsors.  Meanwhile, across the U.S., more and more members of Congress continue to sign on as co-sponsors.  It didn't happen all at once.  Besides the letters, many people took the time to personally contact their representatives through visits or phone calls. Those efforts are still paying off.  The first contact is not always the one that convinces.

But the continuing contacts, and increasing number of constituents advocating the position seems to make the difference.  I think we can be successful in this effort.  But it's going to require some persistence on the part of all of us.  Thank your rep if he or she has signed on.  Keep writing emails if they haven't.  When the bill comes up for a vote, be sure to make a phone call or send an e-mail of continued encouragement.  Don't give up.  We can do this!

73, Tom W8WTD

UPDATE for AMATEUR RADIO PARITY ACT: 111 and climbing.  As of this date, we have 111 http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-parity-act contains the complete text of both the House and Senate bills.

House members that have agreed to Co-sponsor HB 1301 in the U.S. House of Representatives. FCC Rules currently allow residents in these associations to install TV receive antennas, both satellite dishes and multi-element arrays.  This bill has been introduced to allow Radio Amateurs parity within homeowners associations so hams may install an antenna. The ARRL Web Page

So, here is the League's recent statement on the Act, written to present some of the key facts:

"Clarity on Amateur Radio Parity"

Prepared by ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio

Some objections and concerns have recently been raised about the Amateur Radio Parity Act, H.R. 1301 and S. 1685, by representatives of community associations.  To address them, and to separate fact from fiction, let’s look at the bill itself and what it would and would not do.

Why is it needed?

Thirty years ago the Federal Communications Commission, recognizing that there was a strong federal interest in effective Amateur Radio communication from residences, adopted a policy of limited preemption of state and local regulations of Amateur Radio station antennas.

Those regulations:

1) Must not preclude Amateur Radio communications;

2) Must reasonably accommodate such communications; and

3) Must constitute the minimum practicable regulation to accomplish the state or local authority’s legitimate purpose.

Since that time, private land-use restrictions have become increasingly common. Restrictions on antennas are now so pervasive that they prevent effective communication from residences in large areas of the country.

What would the Amateur Radio Parity Act do?

As introduced in both the House and Senate, the bill recognizes the fact that whether a residence is subject only to state and local regulations or also to private land-use restrictions, the federal interest in effective Amateur Radio communications is the same. The bill simply instructs the FCC to extend its time-tested limited preemption policy to private land-use restrictions.

What would it not do?

The Amateur Radio Parity Act does not create new federal policy regarding outdoor antennas. Congress and the FCC already have acted to prohibit restrictions that prevent the installation of direct-to-home satellite dishes, TV antennas, and customer-end wireless broadband antennas.

The bill does not prohibit community association review of proposed Amateur Radio antenna installations. It simply limits restrictions to what may be necessary to accomplish the association’s legitimate purposes, such as safety and aesthetics. Prior approval still can be required, just as in the case of municipal land-use regulation.

The bill does not mandate that a particular size of antenna be permitted.  As long as a size and placement restriction does not constitute a prohibition, but reasonably accommodates Amateur Radio communication, and provided that the restriction is necessary to accomplish a legitimate purpose, it will be allowed.

Claims that the bill will do any of these things are simply wrong, and are either misunderstandings of the plain language of the bill or deliberate misrepresentations.

What is the current status of the bill?

As of August 28, 2015, H.R. 1301 had 94 cosponsors (Update Oct 30, 2015 to 111) in addition to its sponsor, Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois.  It has been referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.  S.1685 was introduced on June 25, 2015 by its sponsor, Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, and original cosponsor, Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.  It has been referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

HAMFESTING:  Here is the current Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest Schedule for the next few weeks.  These swaps have received their sanctioning approval from ARRL HQ at the time of this publication. 

Nov   7 - Grant County -  Georgetown, OH

Dec   5 - Fulton County Winterfest - Delta, OH

Dec   6 - L'Anse Creuse    - Harrison Twp., MI

Jan  17 - SCARF - Nelsonville, OH

Jan  24 - Tusco - Strausburg, OH

Jan  24 - Hazel Park - Madison Hgts, MI

HAMFEST OFFICIALS:  Your Division and Section officials want to be at your events and we strive for insuring that the ARRL is properly represented at every ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest.  It is always a good idea for your hamfest chair to contact the Section Manager, Vice-Director or Director early in the planning stages to invite them to attend the activity.  This will allow time to prepare for alternate representation in the event of time conflicts.  When you receive your "Hamfest Package"

from ARRL, please open it immediately.  Read it over and check out all of the material you received.  There is a form included to order additional material if you deem it appropriate.

73, see you on the bands.

Dale Williams WA8EFK

Director

Great Lakes Division

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Dales Tales for October 2015

Greetings everyone, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for October 2015.

SPECIAL EVENT:  Radio Amateur Satellite Corp. (AMSAT-NA) will hold their 33rd AMSAT

Space Symposium and Annual Meeting Friday through Sunday, October 16-18, 2015 in Dayton, Ohio at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 33 East 5th Street in downtown Dayton. There is free hotel parking to attend the Symposium. Registration includes receiving a copy of the “Proceedings of the 33rd AMSAT Space Symposium”.  Papers will be presented from 1300-1700 on Friday and 0800-1530 on Saturday (break for lunch).  There is a reception Friday evening and the banquet on Saturday starts at 1900. The banquet speaker will be AMSAT VP-Human Space Flight Frank Bauer, KA3DHO, retired NASA Engineer at Goddard Space Flight Center presenting “Making a Difference:  AMSAT’s Contribution to Navigation and Timing in HEO/GEO Space and Its Profound Impact on Earth and Space Science”.

 

The Symposium is a wonderful opportunity to learn about amateur radio’s newest satellites! Get helpful tips and techniques of working the “birds”. Hear about the future satellites. Banquet Prizes! Rub shoulders with some of your fellow hams and satellite enthusiasts.

Additional information about Symposium and options to register for the Symposium as well as the banquet can be found online:http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=3667.  Check directly with the Crowne Point Plaza Hotel for room availability as the deadline for the AMSAT block of rooms has expired.  Call 1-800-689-5586 for hotel reservations.

CLUB PROGRAM OPPORTUNITIES:  You would be surprised to discover all the things that your League is involved with these days.  Here is an opportunity to learn more about how your being an ARRL member truly helps Amateur Radio.  Your locally elected leadership, consisting of your ARRL Director, Vice Director and Section Managers are available to visit radio clubs and talk with you about ARRL and what is happening in your Section or your Division or nationwide.  Most of the talks are prepared in a video presentation format and can include a Q&A session as well.  Advance scheduling really helps and gives you an opportunity to publicize the event.  See pages 15 & 16 of a recent QST for contact information.

COMMENTS:  from our Vice Director, Tom W8WTD It was another busy month with travel to hamfests.  I always enjoy meeting and talking to fellow hams, and finding out what is on your mind.

This may sound like a broken record, but we can't stress enough how important it is to put some pressure on Congress to get our legislation passed.  You can check out the ARRL website for all the details on the two bills, one in the Senate, and one in the House.  It's hard to overestimate how important these bills may prove to be for the future of ham radio.  Each ham should do his or her part.

While we're generating letters at hamfests, it's also important to note where things stand with individual Congressmen.  We don't want to appear ignorant of who is supporting us already.  While we want to gain more support by way of co-sponsors, it's equally important to thank those who are already on board.  So I did a search on the current list of Congressmen, looking for those from the Great Lakes Division who are signed on as co-sponsors. 

Here's the list: 

Michigan:  Rep. Benishek, whose 1st district includes a lot of northern Michigan and all of the U.P. ;  Rep. Huizenga, whose 2nd district includes a portion of the western part of the state;  and Rep. Bishop, whose 8th district includes a smaller portion of the center of the state. Also from Michigan, Cong. Tim Walberg, whose 7th district includes much of south-central Michigan.

Kentucky:  Rep. Guthrie, whose 2nd district includes a lot of the center of Kentucky, from south of Louisville and Lexington down to Bowling Green.

Ohio:  Rep. Wenstrup, whose 2nd district includes much of southern Ohio, from just east of Cincinnati over to Chillicothe and south to the Ohio River; Rep. Johnson, whose 6th district takes in much of eastern Ohio, running along the Ohio River from Youngstown south and west near to, but not including Portsmouth; and Rep. Joyce, whose 14th district is generally east of Cleveland.

These are people we need to thank!  Please send an e-mail, or phone your local office with a message of thanks and encouragement.  If you're not sure of just who your representative is, you can find out by checking  the listing "Who is my representative in the US House?" under the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 on the ARRL website.  If your Congressman is a co-sponsor, please thank him.  If not, then ask for his or her support, either by signing a letter at one of the hamfests, or getting details on how you can write a letter from home, also on the ARRL website.  Please, do something this week.  It only takes a few minutes, and it is so important to you and to all your fellow hams!

Here's another way that a few of you can help.  Not everyone will be able to do this.  But in conversations at hamfests, I came across a few people who could say, "You know, I went to school with Rep. ___"  Or, "I know Rep. __ from business connections, back when he was doing ___."  If you have any connections like that, what would it take for you to call and make an appointment and discuss the issue with your friend?

Personal connections are so important.  And while most of us don't have those, all of our representatives went to school somewhere, and have friends in the community.  If you have that kind of connection, please make use of it!

Thanks for listening.  I hope to see many more of you at hamfests and meetings coming up next month and beyond, and also talking with you on the air.

73,  Tom W8WTD

FIELD CARD CHECKERS:  Well, the facts are simply this: we need more and we need more to visit our hamfests.  The ARRL Programs and Services Committee has established a sub-committee to examine the current Field Checker guidelines, the appointment requirements and many of the details of the program.  It has been a while since a thorough review has been conducted of the Field Checker rules so that is happening now.

Your Director has been asked to assist, and I have been actively discussing Field Card Checking with both active Checkers and aspiring ones plus the DX Community in general.   Feel free to let me know your thoughts and I will see to it they are considered by the committee. 

Today, Card Checkers can be nominated by the following methods:  One by each recognized "DX Club", one by the Section Manager in his Section and one by the Division Director in his Division.  These requirements impose some serious limits.   For example, a Section with 2 DX clubs can have 3

Field Checkers, (possibly 4, if the Director's appointment was made in that geographic area).  A change of Section Manager or Director has no bearing on appointing additional Field Checkers.  As you can see, geography and population density can affect where the Field Checkers are located and even how far they need to travel.  Further, the rules are silent on how to replace non-active Checkers.  Suffice it to say, we have a list of things to consider, but hopefully, some improvements can be implemented within the next few months.  In the meantime, our Division's diligent Field Card Checkers are taking every opportunity to be at swaps to check our cards.   They travel on their dime and truly deserve our sincere thanks for serving the DX Community.

UPDATE for AMATEUR RADIO PARITY ACT: We now have 100 Co-sponsors for HB 1301 in the U.S. House of Representatives.  The new ARRL Web Page http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-parity-act contains the complete text of both the House and Senate bills.

HAMFESTING:  Here is the current Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest Schedule for the next few weeks.  These swaps have received their sanctioning approval from ARRL HQ at the time of this publication. 

Your Division and Section officials want to be at your events and we strive for insuring that the ARRL is properly represented at every ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest.  It is always a good idea for your hamfest chair to contact the Section Manager, Vice-Director or Director early in the planning stages to invite them to attend the activity.  This will allow time to prepare for alternate representation in the event of time conflicts.

Oct   3 - ARRL Executive Committee Meeting

Oct   3 - GRAHamfest - Grand Rapids, MI

Oct   3 - Vette City - Bowling Green, KY

Oct  10 - TBARC Swap - Alpena, MI

Oct  17 - Muskegon Color Tour Hamfest - Muskegon, MI 

Oct  18 - Conneaut - Conneaut, OH 

Oct  18 - Kalamazoo Hamfest, Kalamazoo, MI 

Oct  25 - Massillon - Massillon, OH 

Oct  25 - USECA - Madison Hgts, MI 

Oct  31 - Hazard - Hazard, KY

Nov   7 - Grant County -  Georgetown, OH

Dec   5 - Fulton County Winterfest - Delta, OH

Dec   6 - L'Anse Creuse    - Harrison Twp., MI

HAMFEST OFFICIALS:  When you receive your "Hamfest Package" from ARRL, please open it immediately.  Read it over and check out all of the material you received.  There is a form included to order additional material if you deem it appropriate.

73, see you on the bands.

Dale Williams WA8EFK

Director

Great Lakes Division

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ARRL Great Lakes Division

Director: Dale R Williams, WA8EFK

wa8efk@arrl.org

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