Dale's Tales - October 2021

Dale's Tales - October 2021

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for October, 2021.

GREAT LAKES CONVENTION UPDATE.  A disappointing decision, but as you are now aware the Great Lakes Division ARRL Convention was canceled. Certainly, the Kentucky Colonels Amateur Radio Club faced a very difficult decision.  Attendees, vendors, guests, advertisers, convention 

sponsors, forum speakers, luncheon staff, convention center venue, tickets sellers, ticket refunds and more had to be notified and take action.  To the club's credit, everything went smoothly and from the

decision on Wednesday evening, things were pretty well spun down by the weekend.  

What happens next?  Only time will tell.  The Covid pandemic has forced this cancellation and may well cause other course corrections over the next few months.  At best, we will plan and execute as conditions permit.  From the whole Vette City Hamfest team and the convention team, our sincere thanks to everyone for their cooperation and understanding.   Be safe and stay safe.

SIMULATED EMERGENCY TEST (SET).  October brings the SET to the forefront.  Nationally, it is held the first weekend of October, but local communities may select other dates to accommodate participation.  In any event, check in and offer your local ARES group a hand.  Interest in Emergency Communications has grown considerably in recent years, and SET offers us all an opportunity for a little practice and a shot at improving our skill set.  (Pun intended).  Even a few minutes will be

valuable for all involved.

"CLUB LEADERS NOTE:"  That was the way I began a commentary about how well the responses were from my last month's emailing to club leaders and contacts in the Great Lakes Division.  I reported how nice it was to see only about 10% defective e-mail addresses.  That comment was perhaps

a little premature as 24 hours later the stats changed considerably for the worse.  The final number reached more than 25%.  I feel confident this is due to personnel changes in clubs and e-mail addresses that have just gone obsolete.  It does call for those who lead our radio clubs to annually do a review of the club's status with ARRL and insure that we do have the correct contact information on file.  Without that, we cannot do the simple task of referring new hams to local clubs and sometimes we may question whether certain clubs are still in service. Please make an effort to file your club's Annual Report - do it today. If you can't do it, phone me!  This really needs to happen.

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

Are you ready for fall?  Wow, the weather has really changed here in the metropolis of Lexington.  Even the trees are starting to show some of their rich, beautiful colors. Is winter far behind?  Shame on me for saying that, but I will remind you that Christmas is less than 3 months away!!

I'm sure by now you have heard the bad news about the VetteCity /Great Lakes Division Convention being canceled.  It's unfortunate, but I have to say that it was the right decision.  Hopefully, if this COVID stuff ever calms down a bit, we can try it again next year!

Work on the new standing committee, Emergency Communications Field Services Committee (ECFSC) has already begun.  We've had several good meetings and there is a lot on the plate to do.  I'll keep you updated as much as I can on the progress of the committee.  One of the very first items on the list was to get the old Form 4 updated and on-line. Form 4 is the monthly Section Emergency Coordinator's Report form that goes to Headquarters.  The updates have been completed and a new Form 4a has been rolled out.  All the Section Emergency Coordinators around the country have been notified of the changes made and work is being done on getting them onto the new reporting system.  There's a lot more in the works that I'll be reporting on as time goes on. So, stay tuned!

As I reported last month, the Joseph Phillips, K8QOE, Newsletter Award selection had concluded.  Since our plans got changed due to the cancellation of the convention, Dale and I have decided to announce the winner here.  So, here goes:  

The winner of the 2021 Joseph Phillips, K8QOE Newsletter award is none other than....   Wait

a minute...I think I'd better announce just which newsletters were in the running first.

For Michigan,  'The Scope" from the Central Michigan Amateur Radio Club and Lansing Civil Defense Repeater Association.  Editor: Chris Ranes, NS8Q.

For Ohio, "RADIOGRAM" from Portage County Amateur Radio Service. Editor: Thomas (Parky) Parkinson, KB8UUZ.

For Kentucky, "QUA/HAM news" from Bluegrass Amateur Radio Society. Editor: Bart Breeding, KB4FEE. 

The judges felt that the 3 newsletters submitted were really very good and showed a lot of professionalism in their reporting of stories and such.  They were super impressed with grammar and punctuation being exceptionally good for non-professional writers.  They also felt that the graphics and general layout of the newsletters were exceptional as well.  They all commented that the newsletters were easy for laypersons to read and understand and not so technical that it went over their heads on what the authors were writing about.

And now (Drum roll please..)  The winner is...  "RADIOGRAM" from Portage County Amateur Radio Service. Editor: Thomas (Parky) Parkinson, KB8UUZ.

Dale and I want to thank everyone that writes a newsletter.  You are all to be congratulated as that you are the ones to tell the story, not only about your club but about amateur radio as well.  Newsletters are the vehicle that gets our message out to those who aren't amateurs already.  Your stories are what get the folks interested and wanting more information and eventually becoming a "HAM" themselves.  So, even though there will only be one newsletter award winner, every newsletter is a winner to us! 

That is going to do it from here this month.  So, G.O.T.A. and have FUN!!!

--73, Scott Yonally N8SY, Vice Director, Great Lakes Division

HAMFESTING:  

Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests for the remainder of 2021.  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.  

If you club plans to request ARRL Hamfest Sanctioning, they should do so well in advance of the planned Hamfest date, as this allows adequate time for QST Listings.  QST announcements require a 3 month lead time. If a swap is cancelled or the date is going to change, please notify ARRL HQ.  

2021 Great Lakes Div. ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest calendar. Please feel free to reproduce and publish in your local Club Newsletter, with credit to the source.

10/09/2021 - Midland Pop-up Trunk Sale, Midland, MI

10/09/2021 - CANCELLED - Northwest Ohio ARC Hamfest, Westminster, OH

10/16/2021 - Muskegon Color Tour Swap, Muskegon, MI

10/17/2021 - Kalamazoo Hamfest, Kalamazoo, MI

10/31/2021 - Massillon Hamfest, Massillon, OH

11/06/2021 - Grant ARC Hamfest, Georgetown, OH

12/04/2021 - Fulton Co Winterfest, Delta, OH

12/05/2021 - L'Anse Creuse Swap, Troy, MI

For the latest detail on regional hamfests, check the ARRL web page at: 

http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar 

73, Be safe, Stay safe.

Dale Williams WA8EFK

Director

Great Lakes Division

wa8efk@arrl.org

Dale's Tales for September

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for September, 2021.

GREAT LAKES CONVENTION UPDATES: The Kentucky Colonels Amateur Radio Club will be hosting the Great Lakes Division ARRL Convention on October 2, at Western Kentucky University's Knicely Center in Bowling Green, KY.

Forum activities will parallel the flea market and include DX, Contesting, Club Building, Winlink, Mesonet, Digital Voice, Mesh Networking and a special Ladies forum. David Minster NA2AA, ARRL CEO will be the guest speaker at our formal luncheon at 1:30 PM. We will also be presenting our Division Newsletter Awards and the ARRL's Phillip McGan award.

Following the luncheon, we will hold an initiation for the Royal Order of the Wouff Hong, especially noting that our ARRL CEO David, NA2AA will be among those initiated into the Order. <GRIN>

Time will be allocated Friday evening for those wishing to set up flea market tables in the Knicely Center building while the club will be hosting a "HamJam" live Kentucky Bluegrass musical event from 4 to 8 PM CDT at the center. Food service will be available for the HamJam. Bring a lawn chair and enjoy. Details and event updates can be found at: https://ky4bg.com/ which also provides links for the luncheon registration and a wealth of other information.

https://www.wku.edu/conference/accommodations.php provides a link to hotel/motel accommodations in the area.

ARRL IS CURRENTLY OFFRING GRANTS to fund amateur radio projects. This program, sponsored by the ARRL Foundation, is specifically for organizations and aimed primarily for education, licensing and support of ham activities. A special focus is on youth-related plans. We are now entering the last phase of this year's grant cycle, so the opportunity exists for your club or organization to submit a grant request. You can find the full details on the grant page of the ARRL web pages, check: http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-grants


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

Hi Gang,

The heat is really showing us what summer is all about but that’s not stopping anyone from going to a swap. I’ve been having some real fun going from one hamfest to another and meeting with everyone once again.

As most of you know, a new standing committee was formed at the last Board of Directors meeting in July. It’s called EmComm-Field Services Committee, (ECFSC) for short, and I’ve been asked to be on a study group for this committee that will start working on tackling a number of issues and suggestions to improve ARES and Field Services.

Work on the Great Lakes Division Convention is nearing completion. Do you have this on your calendar to attend yet? We want everyone in the Great Lakes Division to come out and have a blast with us. Where is all of this going to happen? It’s being held at the Western Kentucky University Knicely Center on October 2nd in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Yes, home of the Chevrolet Corvette!

Now, we have a very special guest that will also be there, David Minster, NA2AA. He will be giving us some insights to where ARRL is heading at a presentation/luncheon. Advance reservations for the luncheon are required. Here’s the link. https://www.wku.edu/lp/hamfest/index.php

The newsletter contest has concluded, and a winner has been picked for the Joseph Phillips, K8QOE, Newsletter Award. The winner will be announced at the Convention Luncheon along with the Philip McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award. Want to see the newsletters that represented each of the Sections? Here’s a link. http://arrl-greatlakes.org/convention_files/convention.htm

I want to thank everyone that submitted newsletters. You are all to be congratulated as that you are the ones to tell the story not only about your club, but about amateur radio as well. Newsletters are the vehicle that gets our message out to those who aren’t amateurs already. Your stories are what get the folks interested and wanting more information and eventually becoming a “HAM” themselves. So, even though there will only be one newsletter recognized, every newsletter is a winner!

Oh, one last item.. I don’t want to forget to tell you that we are also convening the Royal Order of the Wouff Hong right after the luncheon. What’s a Wouff Hong you ask? It’s a really fun time for everyone that attends. Since it’s a “secret order” I really can’t divulge any details, but if you haven’t been indoctrinated into the order, there’s no better time that now to do it. Heck, even if you have been indoctrinated before, come and do it again! There is no charge to attend, but you do need to be an ARRL member. We do want you to register for a really cool and personalized certificate nd neat pin for those attending. Here’s the link.. http://arrl-greatlakes.org/wh_form1.html

That is going to do it from here this month. So, “GOTA” and have FUN!!!

--73, Scott Yonally N8SY, Vice Director, Great Lakes Division

HAMFESTING:

Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests for 2021. 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. If you club plans to request ARRL Hamfest Sanctioning, they should do so well in advance of the planned Hamfest date, as this allows adequate time for QST Listings. QST announcements require a 3 month lead time. If a swap is cancelled or the date is going to change, please notify ARRL HQ.

2021 Great Lakes Div. ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest calendar. Please feel free to reproduce and publish in your local Club Newsletter, with credit to the source.

9/11/2021 - Greater Louisville, Shepherdsville, KY

9/11/2021 - GRAHamfest, Grand Rapids, MI

9/12/2021 - Findlay Hamfest, Findlay, OH

9/18/2021 - Cadillac Hamfest, Cadillac, MI

9/18/2021 - Richmond Hamfest, Richmond, KY

9/18/2021 - GMARC Trunkfest, Shelby Twp, MI

9/18/2021 - CMARC Hamfest, Okemos, MI

9/18/2021 - Mound ARA Swapmeet, Miamisburg, OH

9/18/2021 - Miami Co Swap Meet, Troy, OH

9/19/2021 - Adrian Hamfest, Adrian, MI

9/25/2021 - Paintsville Hamfest, Paintsville, KY

9/26/2021 - Cleveland Hamfest, Berea, OH

10/2/2021 - VetteCity/Great Lakes Convention, Bowling Green, KY

10/9/2021 - Midland Pop-up Trunk Sale, Midland, MI

10/9/2021 - Northwest Ohio ARC Hamfest, Westminster, OH

10/16/2021 - Muskegon Color Tour Swap, Muskegon, MI

10/17/2021 - Kalamazoo Hamfest, Kalamazoo, MI

10/31/2021 - Massillon Swap, Massillon, OH

11/6/2021 - Grant ARC Hamfest, Georgetown, OH

12/4/2021 - Fulton Co Winterfest, Delta, OH

12/5/2021 - L'anse Creuse Swap, Troy, MI

For the latest detail on regional hamfests, check the ARRL web page at:

http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar. The recent sale of a venue in Madison Heights that has served a number of major Metro Detroit hamfests for several years has created a bit of a quandary for those events. Watch for new dates and locations for several swaps as the search is ongoing for new locations.

CLUB LEADERS NOTE: On Monday, I sent e-mails to the contacts of record for the 245 ARRL Affiliated clubs in the Great Lakes Division. I did this to provide the clubs with some information about the forthcoming Great Lakes Convention. To my pleasant surprise, of the 245 messages sent, only 25 were returned with bad addresses or incorrect contact information. My personal thanks to all for keeping your club records up to date.


73, Stay safe. Get out there and test Cycle 25!

Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director
Great Lakes Division
wa8efk@arrl.org

Dale's Tales for August

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for August, 2021.

Our ARRL Board of Directors met in July. With the forthcoming retirement of Treasurer, Rick Niswander K7GM, who has managed the League's investment portfolio for the past nine years, the Investment Management Committee has been examining the options for the future management of these funds. The Board elected to create a permanent committee and proceed with a program to evaluate investment management firms to handle these funds, and the board will also start a search for
a replacement Treasurer. It is expected to have these plans largely in place in early 2022.

As I had mentioned in last month's Dales Tales, the Board was also expected to consider a proposal for adding of a new Standing Committee, specifically to assist and grow our Field Organization. That motion was passed, creating the new "Emergency Management-Field Services Committee". The purpose is to focus on the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, The National Traffic System, Government Liaisons, Public Relations, Technical Advisors, and working with ARRL Affiliated Radio
Clubs. This is clearly going to provided needed support for the ARRL Field Organization teams led by our Section managers.

The Programs and Services Committee, will now concentrate on the DXCC program, LoTW and contesting. We now have four Standing Committees; Administrations and Finance, Programs and Services, Emergency Management-Field Services Committee and the Executive Committee. There
are several other committees that serve as sub-committees to these four.


The ARRL Board also made several awards, one of which honors a member of our Great Lakes Division:

Moved by Director Williams, Second by Director Norris:

The 2021 Phil McGann Silver Antenna Award

WHEREAS, Amateur radio has many facets which are of interest to the public in the areas of radiosport, emergency communications, and experimentation/do-it-yourself (DIY), and

WHEREAS, ARRL particularly appreciates a Public Information Officer who successfully promotes all aspects of amateur radio so officials as well as the public at large can better understand the many contributions amateur radio makes to education, public safety, and recreation, and

WHEREAS, John Levo, W8KIW, of Hillsboro, Ohio, exemplifies the skills and depth of understanding to convey to media outlets the fascinating world of amateur radio through his encouragement for media to cover stories about the exciting world of amateur radio and how you can “talk around the world” from any location; demonstrating how emergency communications during times of adversity can be set up quickly and effectively; demonstrating the importance of ARRL Field Day as an annual event to help operators enhance their skills in emergency operations; and teaching those newly interested, getting them licensed, and then mentoring them to become the next generation of amateurs, and

WHEREAS, John Levo, W8KIW, has demonstrated a body of work over time that captures the many avenues of opportunities of amateur radio as a hobby, an education tool, and a service for public safety,

THEREFORE, the ARRL Board of Directors, with the recommendation of the Public Relations Committee and the concurrence of the Programs and Services Committee, does hereby bestow the 2021 ARRL Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award to John Levo, W8KIW.

CONGRATULATIONS JOHN!


GREAT LAKES CONVENTION UPDATE: Mark the Date, October 2, 2021, at Knicely Center in Bowling Green, KY. We'll soon publish Special Editions of Dale's Tales with the forum schedules. David Minster NA2AA, ARRL CEO will be the guest speaker at our formal luncheon at 1:00PM. 

We will also be presenting our Division Newsletter Awards and the ARRL's Phil McGan award. Following the luncheon, we will hold an initiation for the Royal Order of the Wouff Hong, noting that our ARRL CEO David, NA2AA will at that time be among those initiated into the Order. You do not want to miss this!

SCOTT'S STUFF: Comments from your ARRL Vice Director Scott, N8SY.
Wow, have the hamfests really picked up! It seems that everyone is in the mood to get out to a swap and just see everyone else again. The Field Service Working Group that I’m on has been working hard at

getting those items that the Section Managers have said is of concern to them fixed, improved or started. Regular meetings with the Section Managers are on the top of the list and have been happening on a regular basis now with more changes and improvements on the horizon.

Work on the Great Lakes Division Convention coming up on October 2nd is continuing. Will you be there? As that it is only a couple of months away, you’ll want to make sure that this event gets on your calendars now. We want everyone in the Great Lakes Division to come out and have a blast with us.

For those newsletter editors in Kentucky and Michigan, we will be presenting the Joseph Phillips, K8QOE, Newsletter Award at the Convention, and if you want your newsletter to be in the running you
need to get copies of your newsletter to your Section Manager now. The Ohio Section has its newsletter winners already selected and they will be announced at the Columbus Hamfest on August 7th.

The best newsletter from each of the 3 Sections (Michigan, Kentucky and Ohio) will be chosen by their respective Section Leaderships to compete for this very prestigious award.

We want every club in the Great Lakes Division to be able to participate for this award. So, if you are producing a newsletter, be sure to send a copy of it to your Section Manager. He’ll take it from there.

That is going to do it from here this month. So, “GOTA” and have FUN!! 

--73, Scott Yonally N8SY, Vice Director, Great Lakes Division


HAMFESTING:

Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests for 2021. 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. If you club plans to request ARRL Hamfest Sanctioning, they should do so well in advance of the planned Hamfest date, as this allows adequate time for QST Listings. QST announcements require a 3 month lead time. If a swap is cancelled or the date is going to change, please notify ARRL HQ.

2021 Great Lakes Div. ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest calendar. Please feel free to reproduce and publish in your local Club Newsletter, with credit to the source.

08/07/2021 - Columbus Hamfest, Columbus, OH
08/07/2021 - MOVARC Hamfest, Bidwell, OH
08/15/2021 - WARA Tailgate Swap. Warren, OH
08/21/2021 - GMARC Trunkfest, Shelby Twp, MI
08/22/2021 - Athens Trunkfest, Athens, OH
08/28/2021 - Cincinnati Hamfest/Ohio Conference, Cincinnati, OH
08/29/2021 - Seaway Trunk Swap, Port Huron, MI
09/11/2021 - Greater Louisville, Shepherdsville, KY
09/11/2021 - GRAHamfest, Grand Rapids, MI
09/12/2021 - Findlay Hamfest, Findlay, OH
09/18/2021 - Cadillac Hamfest, Cadillac, MI
09/18/2021 - Richmond Hamfest, Richmond, KY
09/18/2021 - GMARC Trunkfest, Shelby Twp, MI
09/18/2021 - CMARC Hamfest, Okemos, MI
09/18/2021 - Mound ARA Swapmeet, Miamisburg, OH
09/18/2021 - Miami Co Swap Meet, Troy, OH
09/19/2021 - Adrian Hamfest, Adrian, MI
09/25/2021 - Paintsville Hamfest, Paintsville, KY
09/26/2021 - Cleveland Hamfest, Berea, OH
10/02/2021 - VetteCity/Great Lakes Convention, Bowling Green, KY
10/16/2021 - Muskegon Color Tour Swap, Muskegon, MI
10/24/2021 - USECA Hamfest, Madison Hgts, MI
10/31/2021 - Massillon Swap, Massillon, OH
11/06/2021 - Grant ARC Hamfest, Georgetown, OH
12/04/2021 - Fulton Co Winterfest, Delta, OH
12/05/2021 - L'anse Creuse Swap, Madison Hgts, MI

For the latest detail on regional hamfests, check the ARRL web page at:
http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar.


73, Stay safe. Light up those bands!

Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director
Great Lakes Division
wa8efk@arrl.org

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ARRL Great Lakes Division
Director: Dale R Williams, WA8EFK
wa8efk@arrl.org

Dale's Tales for July

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for July, 2021.

For the most part we seem to be getting past the serious Covid-19 issues and some state close to normal is returning to the Great Lakes Division.

The personal losses have been severe and our thoughts go out to all who suffered so dearly over these past 18 months. As I briefly mentioned last month, our hamfest/swap scene has returned and now I can add: "with a vengeance." Swap attendance at a few recent events appeared to be noticeably higher than pre-Covid levels. We know some of our major vendors have been impacted by the recent shut-downs, and we all hope that we'll see them back on the hamfest circuit vary soon.

Field Day offered the opportunity to again team up either at a single site, or collaborate scores from different locations. In either case, on-the-air activity seemed enthusiastic and close to normal from what this operator could hear. And we are all can be thankful for that. In a few weeks we'll see how our FD scores compared with previous years, but regardless of scores, it seemed like attitudes were great and everyone was genuinely up-beat and having a great time. Some locations were faced with significant rainfall, some with winds and others endured the heat. My local club faced a windstorm which destroyed a tent (but not the CW operator), but returned to the air shortly, loosing little time in getting back into the fray. We did get reports of significant rainfall at other FD sites, further adding to the adventures of being prepared for operating in the field.

Our ARRL Board of Directors meets in Mid-July with a rather full agenda.

Under consideration is the addition of a new Standing Committee, specifically to assist and grow our Field Organization and the strong interest in the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, The National Traffic System, Government Liaisons, Public Relations, Technical Advisors, and working with ARRL Affiliated Radio Clubs. This will allow specific focus on these areas, with needed support. It will lessen the load on the Programs and Services Committee, allowing them to concentrate on several specific areas which include the DXCC program, LoTW and contesting.

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

Happy 4th of July and Happy Birthday to America!

I don’t know about you, but I’m still recovering from last weekend’s Field Day. I took to the road and visited with as many Field Day sites as I could get to. This year I headed south and got to 9 sites. I do apologize if I missed your Field Day operations, maybe next year I can get there. According to the ARRL Field Day Locator we had 88 sites operational within the Division this year, and I’m sure that there were many more but just didn’t list themselves.

Things continue to be really busy here with attending club meetings and work on the committees that I’m on. Our Field Service Working Group is meeting regularly with the new Field Services Manager and the CEO to implement improvements within the field organization. We have already started to see changes happening. One of those changes was the CEO holding a townhall forum with all of the Section Managers. We have a lot of work ahead, with more changes and improvements yet to come on the horizon.

The PR Committee has chosen what we feel is a really great nominee for the Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award and sent our recommendation on to the Programs and Services Committee for their approval. Once approved by them, then it’s off to the full Board of Directors for final approval at the July meeting. Our PR Committee also put together a lot of information to help all of you promote this year’s Field Day. I hope your PIO’s took advantage of that material.

Work on the Great Lakes Division Convention has really taken off. We’ve already had several Zoom planning meetings and are now working to get a really great lineup of forum speakers. We already have several locked in and I know that you definitely won’t want to miss hearing from them! The great folks of Bowling Green Kentucky are going to host the 10th Annual Vette City Hamfest / ARRL Great Lakes Division Convention on October 2nd! As that it is only 3 months away, you’ll want to make sure that this event gets on your calendars now. We want everyone in the Great Lakes Division to come out and have a blast with us.

Yes, the Joseph Phillips, K8QOE, Newsletter Award is still on. For those of you in Kentucky and Michigan please get your newsletters turned in to your Section Manager and Public Information Coordinator quickly.

The best newsletter from each of the 3 Sections (Michigan, Kentucky and Ohio) will be chosen by their respective Section Leaderships to compete for this very prestigious award.

We want every club in the Great Lakes Division to be able to participate for this award. So, if you are producing a newsletter, be sure to send a copy of it to your Section Manager. He’ll take it from there.

That is going to do it from here this month. So, “GOTA” and have FUN!!!

--73, Scott Yonally N8SY, Vice Director, Great Lakes Division

HAMFESTING: You will note that hamfests have begun to "scrunch" together and several are sharing the same date. These date conflicts are inevitable for many reasons. The most obvious is that there are 52 weekends a year and we have over 80 swaps annually in the Great Lakes Division. Take time out for holidays and the limitations become obvious. This year, of course has several hamfests that have been shifted to dates later in the year.

As each ARRL Affiliated radio club is independent, they each have the right to choose their hamfest date. I am sure they all do their part to insure date conflicts are minimized. Each club likewise deserves to have its hamfest sanctioned by ARRL to insure mutual support for these important activities. Your ARRL staff and I do our best to discuss these conflicts with the sponsors in an effort to avoid them, but activities often fall on dates that can't be altered because of long term commitments. The best we can do is encourage careful scheduling on the part of sponsors to insure dates are clear, thus offering the best opportunities for successful hamfests.

Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests for 2021. 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. If you club plans to request ARRL Hamfest Sanctioning, they should do so well in advance of the planned Hamfest date, as this allows adequate time for QST Listings. QST announcements require a 3 month lead time. If a swap is cancelled or the date is going to change, please notify ARRL HQ.

2021 Great Lakes Div. ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest calendar:

07/10/2021 - Mansfield Mid Summer Trunkfest, Mansfield, OH

07/10/2021 - Cave City Hamfest - Cave City, KY

07/17/2021 - GMARC Trunkfest, Shelby Twp, MI

07/17/2021 - NOARS Fest, Elyria, OH

07/18/2021 - Van Wert Hamfest, Van Wert, OH

07/25/2021 - St. Joseph Co ARC Swap, Centreville, MI

08/07/2021 - Columbus Hamfest, Columbus, OH

08/07/2021 - MOVARC Hamfest, Bidwell, OH

08/21/2021 - GMARC Trunkfest, Shelby Twp, MI

08/28/2021 - Cincinnati Hamfest/Ohio Conference, Cincinnati, OH

08/29/2021 - Seaway Trunk Swap, Port Huron, MI

09/11/2021 - Greater Louisville, Shepherdsville, KY

09/11/2021 - GRAHamfest, Grand Rapids, MI

09/12/2021 - Findlay Hamfest, Findlay, OH

09/18/2021 - Cadillac Hamfest, Cadillac, MI

09/18/2021 - Richmond Hamfest, Richmond, KY

09/18/2021 - GMARC Trunkfest, Shelby Twp, MI

09/18/2021 - CMARC Hamfest, Okemos, MI

09/18/2021 - Mound ARA Swapmeet, Miamisburg, OH

09/18/2021 - Miami Co Swap Meet, Troy, OH

09/19/2021 - Adrian Hamfest, Adrian, MI

09/26/2021 - Cleveland Hamfest, Berea, OH

10/02/2021 - VetteCity/Great Lakes Convention, Bowling Green, KY

10/16/2021 - Muskegon Color Tour Swap, Muskegon, MI

10/24/2021 - USECA Hamfest, Madison Hgts, MI

10/31/2021 - Massillon Swap, Massillon, OH

11/06/2021 - Grant ARC Hamfest, Georgetown, OH

12/04/2021 - Fulton Co Winterfest, Delta, OH

12/05/2021 - L'anse Creuse Swap, Madison Hgts, MI

For the latest detail on regional hamfests, check the ARRL web page at:
http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar.


73, Stay safe, go buy new ham radio stuff.

Light up those bands!

Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director - Great Lakes Division
wa8efk@arrl.org

Dale's Tales for June

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for June, 2021.

It surely is nice to see our hamfest schedule growing and some actual swaps happening. We all are well aware that many of our clubs have faced very difficult decisions in determining if their plans for a hamfest needed to be scrubbed. The rapidly changing health environment, changing rules and guidelines both from the federal and state level, combined with rules from various venues all forced postponements and cancellations.

At this writing, guidelines have reached a reasonable level in most areas and now with careful planning and cooperation, the doors and gates are opening. We have juggled a few plans and rearranged our ARRL Convention Schedule to make accommodations as best we can. I took the liberty to put everything on the table. We normally plan conventions in alternate years, with individual State Conventions (3) in one year, and our Division Convention the next. A lot of planning and commitment goes into these events, each is unique and each puts a heavy load on the sponsoring group so alternating the convention types has really worked well. We all are eager to get back in the swing of meeting our fellow hams in person, so we'll hold Division Conventions both this year and 2022. We'll put a couple of State Conferences (like mini-conventions) on the calendar this year and next then return to our regular alternating schedule in 2023.

Truly, the Division Conventions always get the largest attendance as they cover all three Sections in our Division, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan, and because of that, we also are fortunate to receive extra support from ARRL HQ, typically in the form of guest attendees and speakers from the HQ staff. Make your plans to attend these as special forums, net meetings and training sessions are always of interest. We are all going to do our best to bring the latest in up-to-date presentations to the ARRL Great Lakes Division. A banquet, guest speakers and Special Awards are always an integral part of these affairs, times when we can honor our fellow hams for their outstanding efforts in assisting their communities and ham radio itself.

Announcements containing the details of each convention will follow over the next few weeks as each forum gets confirmed. See "Scott's Stuff" below for the first announcement.

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

This past month has been really crazy around here as a lot of hard work is continuing on the committees that I’m on. The Field Organization group is one of them and in the past couple of months we put out a questionnaire to all of the Section Managers in the country. We asked them to tell us what was the most important issue that they would like to see improved (or problem resolved) that would be most beneficial to them as Section Managers to perform their jobs? We received a lot of really valuable and great comments and we are now working on getting those concerns resolved.

The PR Committee that I’m also on is going through the list of candidates to nominate the next Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award recipient. Because of the pandemic last year, no one was chosen, but that’s not true this year. We have several really good candidates to choose from. Once we choose our candidate, that person’s name will then be submitted to the full Board of Directors when we meet in July for their consideration and approval. Our PR Committee has also been busy putting together a lot of information that all of the PIOs and PICs have already received to help them promote this year's Field Day. Don’t forget, Field Day is June 26 -27.

If you haven’t heard, we are going to have a Great Lakes Division Convention after all! Yes, the great folks of Bowling Green Kentucky are going to host the 10th Annual Vette City Hamfest / ARRL Great Lakes Division Convention on October 2nd! As that it is only 4 months away, planning is spinning up fast, so get this on your calendars now. We want everyone in the Great Lakes Division to come out and have a blast with us.

Yes, the Joseph Phillips, K8QOE, Newsletter Award is still on. For those of you in Kentucky and Michigan please get your newsletters turned in to your Section Manager and Public Information Coordinator quickly. The best newsletter from each of the 3 Sections (Michigan, Kentucky and Ohio) will be chosen by their respective Section Leaderships to compete for this very prestigious award.

We want every club in the Great Lakes Division to be able to participate for this award. So, if you are producing a newsletter, be sure to send a copy of it to your Section Manager. He’ll take it from there.

That is going to do it from here this month. So, “GOTA” and have FUN!!!


--73, Scott Yonally N8SY, Vice Director, Great Lakes Division


HAMFESTING: Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests for 2021. 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. If you club plans to request ARRL Hamfest Sanctioning, they should do so well in advance of the planned Hamfest date, as this allows adequate time for QST Listings.

QST announcements require a 3 month lead time. If a swap is cancelled or the date is going to change, please notify ARRL HQ.

2021 Great Lakes Div. ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest calendar:

06/05/2021 - Fulton County, Wauseon, OH

06/05/2021 - IRA Hamfest, Hudsonville, MI

06/06/2021 - Chelsea Hamfest, Chelsea, MI

06/12/2021 - Luce Co Yooper Hamfest, Newberry, MI

06/19/2021 - GMARC Trunkfest, Shelby Twp, MI

06/20/2021 - Monroe Hamfest, Monroe, MI

07/10/2021 - Mansfield Mid Summer Trunkfest, Mansfield, OH

07/10/2021 - Cave City Hamfest - Cave City, KY

07/17/2021 - GMARC Trunkfest, Shelby Twp, MI

07/17/2021 - NOARS Fest, Elyria, OH

07/18/2021 - Van Wert Hamfest, Van Wert, OH

08/07/2021 - Columbus Hamfest, Columbus, OH

08/21/2021 - GMARC Trunkfest, Shelby Twp, MI

08/28/2021 - Cincinnati Hamfest/Ohio Conference, Cincinnati, OH

09/11/2021 - Greater Louisville, Shepherdsville, KY

09/11/2021 - GRAHamfest, Grand Rapids, MI

09/18/2021 - Cadillac Hamfest, Cadillac, MI

09/18/2021 - Richmond Hamfest, Richmond, KY

09/18/2021 - GMARC Trunkfest, Shelby Twp, MI

09/18/2021 - CMARC Hamfest, Okemos, MI

09/18/2021 - Mound ARA Swapmeet, Miamisburg, OH

09/19/2021 - Adrian Hamfest, Adrian, MI

09/26/2021 - Cleveland Hamfest, Berea, OH

10/02/2021 - VetteCity/Great Lakes Convention, Bowling Green, KY

10/16/2021 - Muskegon Color Tour Swap, Muskegon, MI

10/24/2021 - USECA Hamfest, Madison Hgts, MI

10/31/2021 - Massillon Swap, Massillon, OH

12/04/2021 - Fulton Co Winterfest, Delta, OH

12/05/2021 - L'anse Creuse Swap, Madison Hgts, MI

We work together with the HQ staff to verify all new date selections in the hope of mitigating date conflicts. Many swap dates have changed from the regular hamfest calendar and as hard as we all work to avoid it, there are now several hamfests which fall on the same weekends.

For the latest detail on regional hamfests, check the ARRL web page at:
http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar.


73, Stay safe.

Light up those bands!


Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director
Great Lakes Division
wa8efk@arrl.org

Dale's Tales for May 2021

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for May, 2021.

RF EXPOSURE. There have been a lot of questions regarding the FCC decision to eliminate the exemption Amateur Radio has enjoyed for many years related to RF exposure. ARRL has drafted a series of Questions and answers to address our mutual concerns. You will find information
posted on our Great Lakes Division web page along with a simple calculator that can be used to determine if your station is in compliance with the long standing regulations.

http://www.arrl-greatlakes.org/rf_exposure.html Updates will appear on the Web Page as we anticipate further clarifications from the FCC.

A REMINDER ABOUT THIS YEAR'S DAYTON HAMVENTION: From Michael Kalter, W8CI AND the Dayton Amateur Radio Assn. "With no in-person Hamvention this year, due to continuing Corona virus restrictions, we have been developing several activities to keep Hams busy and engaged in the hobby. We have a two day prize total of $15,000." Hamvention will be "Virtual" this year.

On Thursday May 20, 2021 the Virtual Contest University will be held starting at 9 AM EDT 1300Z. This will be a free event! Friday May 21 Starting at 11 AM EDT 1500Z the 2021 Virtual Hamvention Forums begin.

Saturday May 22 you may participate in the Hamvention QSO Party 8 AM to 8 PM EDST (1200 May 22 to 0000 May 23 UTC) W8BI, the club call of the Dayton Amateur Radio Association, will be a bonus station scored at 10 points per band and mode. To stay up with details, check https://hamvention.org/

ARRL GREAT LAKES CONVENTION: With sincere regrets, it was announced that due to the complications of Covid-19 and the resulting unknowns related to venue planning, the decision has been made to cancel the scheduled DX Engineering Hamfest and the associated Great Lakes Division Convention planned for the weekend of August 7.

ARRL HQ JOB OPENINGS: I might be remiss if I did not mention this, but there are several job postings for ARRL Headquarters staff and these are real opportunities for those who might be interested in serving the ham radio community. http://www.arrl.org/employment-opportunities

SCOTT'S STUFF: Comments from your ARRL Vice Director Scott, N8SY.
Normally by this time in the season I’m usually scrambling around getting things ready for another great Dayton Hamvention, but unfortunately, it’s not to be this year.

I’ve been working really hard on a couple of projects that are showing some great results. The Field Organization Working Group that I’m on has put out a questionnaire that we sent to all 71 of the Section Managers asking what they feel is needed to do their job better. We’ve had some very interesting responses and are reviewing and working on finding solutions to those responses.

The PR Committee that I’m also on is conducting some Zoom presentations for PIC’s and PIO’s all over the country to help teach them “best practices” for contacting and communicating with the media about Amateur Radio with a special emphasis being placed on Field Day.

I have a special announcement for all the clubs in the Great Lakes Division. We will be recognizing the “Best” newsletter in the Division. Just to remind all of you about how the newsletters are judged, here are the rules. You can also find these and all the awards possible to be presented posted on the Great Lakes Division website < http://arrl-greatlakes.org/awards_criteria.html >

JOSEPH J. PHILLIPS, K8QOE, NEWSLETTER AWARD
This award will be given to the highest scoring newsletter submitted in Great Lakes Division competition to the newsletter review committee.

Each newsletter for the contest will have been declared newsletter-of-the-year for the Section it represents during the present year; however, when the timing of the Division Convention occurs too early in the year to permit selection of a newsletter for the year, winners for the previous year may be submitted.

An eligible newsletter must be regularly published at least four (4) times per year and be a recognized Amateur Radio organization within their state.

Electronic (or Web based) produced newsletters may also enter. However, they must represent their printed newsletter in all formats. This is to ensure uniformity.

Non-amateurs, in the Public Relations industry will do the judging.

They will judge on following criteria:

Style (15%): This means newsletter design of all pages.

Content (35%): This is the amount of useful information contained within the newsletter.

Service to members (35%): This is the amount of information using individual member’s names.

Clarity of presentation (15%): This is the readability of the newsletter including accuracy of spelling and grammar.

*********************************

The best newsletter from each of the 3 Sections (Michigan, Kentucky and Ohio) have been chosen by their respective Section Leaderships to compete for this very prestigious award.

We want every club in the Great Lakes Division to be able to participate. So, if you are producing a newsletter, be sure to send a copy of it to your Section Manager. He’ll take it from there.

That is going to do it from here this month. So, “GOTA” and have FUN!!!

--73, Scott Yonally N8SY, Vice Director, Great Lakes Division

HAMFESTING: Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests for 2021. 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.

We work together with the HQ staff to verify all new date selections in the hope of mitigating date conflicts. Many swap dates have changed from the regular hamfest calendar and as hard as we all work to avoid it, there are now several hamfests which fall on the same weekends.

The numbers are growing, as more clubs are making their best efforts to return their hamfests to the calendar. It should also be noted that there may be some hamfests that have not applied to be ARRL Sanctioned.

As we have no way to accurately track that activity, we only list those that have been approved as ARRL Hamfests.

For the latest detail on regional hamfests, check the ARRL web page at:
http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar.

2021 Great Lakes Div. ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest calendar:

05/15/2021 - GMARC Trunkfest, Shelby Twp, MI
05/20-22/2021 - Dayton Hamvention Virtual Sessions on-line
06/5/2021 - Fulton County, Wauseon, OH
06/5/2021 - IRA Hamfest, Hudsonville, MI
06/6/2021 - Chelsea Hamfest, Chelsea, MI
06/12/2021 - Luce Co Yooper Hamfest, Newberry, MI
06/19/2021 - GMARC Trunkfest, Shelby Twp, MI
06/20/2021 - Monroe Hamfest, Monroe, MI
07/10/2021 - Mansfield Mid Summer Trunkfest, Mansfield, OH
07/10/2021 - Cave City Hamfest - Cave City, KY
07/17/2021 - GMARC Trunkfest, Shelby Twp, MI
07/17/2021 - NOARS Fest, Elyria, OH
07/18/2021 - Van Wert Hamfest, Van Wert, OH
08/7/2021 - Columbus Hamfest, Columbus, OH
08/14/2021 - Central Kentucky Hamfest, Lexington, KY
08/21/2021 - GMARC Trunkfest, Shelby Twp, MI
08/28/2021 - Cincinnati Hamfest, Cincinnati, OH
09/11/2021 - Greater Louisville, Shepherdsville, KY
09/11/2021 - GRAHamfest, Grand Rapids, MI
09/18/2021 - Cadillac Hamfest, Cadillac, MI
09/18/2021 - Richmond Hamfest, Richmond, KY
09/18/2021 - GMARC Trunkfest, Shelby Twp, MI
09/18/2021 - CMARC Hamfest, Okemos, MI
09/19/2021 - Adrian Hamfest, Adrian, MI
09/26/2021 - Cleveland Hamfest, Berea, OH
10/25/2021 - USECA Hamfest, Madison Hgts, MI
12/4/2021 - Fulton Co Winterfest, Delta, OH
12/5/2021 - L'anse Creuse Swap, Madison Hgts, MI

Be sure to invite your ARRL Officials as soon as your date is set. If you club plans to request ARRL Hamfest Sanctioning, they should do so well in advance of the planned Hamfest date, as this allows adequate time for QST Listings. QST announcements require a 3 month lead time.

If a swap is cancelled or the date is going to change, please notify ARRL HQ.

73, Stay safe.

Light up those bands!

Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director - Great Lakes Division
wa8efk@arrl.org

Dale's Tales for April 2021

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for April, 2021.

DAYTON HAMVENION: Michael Kalter, W8CI from the Dayton Amateur Radio Assn. reports on the forthcoming special Hamvention Weekend Activities reported via the Portage County Amateur Radio Service's RADIOGRAM.

"That magical weekend in May approaching.

"With no Hamvention this year, due to continuing Corona virus restrictions, we have been developing several activities to keep Hams busy and engaged in the hobby. We have a two day prize total of $15,000.

"On Thursday May 20, 2021 the Virtual Contest University will be held starting at 9 AM EDT 1300Z. The course outline will be available soon.

This will be a free event! Even if you are not a contester you will learn so much about Amateur Radio and hear the techniques and critiques of many of the world’s foremost Hams. Hamvention is a proud sponsor along with Icom and DX Engineering. Plan on attending this amazing free event! Several Icom radios will be given away during the all-day event.

You must be registered on Zoom and present online at the time of the drawing to win the radios. Please check http://contestuniversity.com for updates.

"On Friday May 21Starting at 11 AM EDT 1500Z we will have the 2021 Virtual Hamvention Forums. The Hamvention Virtual Forums celebrates the

2021 Hamvention Award winners. Each awardee will give a 45 minute presentation followed by Q&A. The Hamvention Forums will be presented via Zoom Webinar. Registration for the Zoom Webinar will start 30 days before the event –look for the registration information on the Hamvention Website. Several Icom radios will be given away during the

2021 Hamvention Forums. The winners will be selected at random. The winner must have registered on Zoom for Hamvention Forums and be present during the drawing to win. Drawing times are random throughout the Virtual Forums event. Thanks to Hamvention, Icom and DX Engineering for their support of the 2021 Hamvention Virtual Forums.

"Our presenters are: Technical Achievement: WX6SWW –Tamitha Mulligan Skov is well known as the “Space Weather Woman”. Folks that have seen her space weather forecasting show will freely admit that she is full of energy and excited about her work. She is a real space pioneer.

"Special Achievement: W3WL –Wesley Lamboley was nominated by his peers for his lifetime, high energy support for the science and art of amateur radio. Not only has Wesley supported youth coaching, membership recruiting and technical problem assistance, he always does it with a smile and great humor.

"Amateur of the Year: WP3R –Angel M. Vazquez is known for being one of the principal support engineers for what was one of the greatest antennas in the world –the National Science Foundation’s Arecibo parabolic dish antenna. Angel’s award stems from his unswerving and diligent support of amateur radio throughout the entire territory of Puerto Rico and extends worldwide.

"Club of the Year: K4HTA --The Vienna Wireless society was chosen this year for its 58 years of service to the amateur radio community. K4HTA, with its 280 members, focus on youth education, public service and promoting the overall growth of radio through the DC area and around the world.

"On Saturday May 22, Participate in the Hamvention QSO Party 8 AM to 8 PM EDST(1200 May 22 to 0000 May 23 UTC). W8BI, the club call of the Dayton Amateur Radio Association, will be a bonus station scored at 10 points per band and mode. Bands: 10M, 15M, 20M, 40M, 80M. Typical call will be: CQ CQ HVQP (Hamvention QSO Party) W8XX (Your call). Typical exchange will be signal report and first year you attended Hamvention; eg on CW: KB8XXX 599 1998 W4XX. If you have never attended Hamvention, please send 2021 in place of the year. Send your score (number of QSOs including bonus points) to 3830scores.com within 5 days of the event.

You will be able to print a certificate after the contest."
- Michael Kalter W8CI, Hamvention Executive Committee, Dayton Amateur Radio Association.

Thanks Michael, we are glad that we can report that the Hamvention is continuing to innovate and develop new methods of keeping our interests high.

LOGBOOK OF THE WORLD: ARRL Plans an extensive upgrade to LoTW. As one of ARRL's most used benefits, LoTW has grown well beyond early expectations and HQ has now implemented a project to move it to a new level. This project is taking a good look at how LoTW is hosted, what innovations are needed, what additional awards can be supported and a host of other needs. As there is an expanding list of desired features, the project committee anticipates several months of effort to whittle the list to size and firm up the project scope.

KEEP THE DATE: The plans are approved for a GREAT LAKES DIVISION ARRL CONVENTION this year. DX Engineering will be hosting the event at their facility in Tallmadge, OH on August 7 in conjunction with their DXE Hamfest. Plans for special meetings and forums will be announced as soon as those events are confirmed.

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

Wow, another month has gone by so fast I can hardly believe it is April already, welcome to spring! I am still locked into Zoom meetings for the committees that I am on and it has been fascinating for sure. One item that our Public Relations Committee has been working hard on is the 2021 World Amateur Radio day. Here is the link where you can get all of the information about this wonderful event http://www.arrl.org/world-amateur-radio-day.

By now I hope that everyone has heard that the $35 fee that the F.C.C. will eventually start charging will NOT happen on April 19th as was reported on a number of social media sites recently. It is expected to happen sometime later in the summer.

Are you seeing that Hamfests are starting back up again? Yes, the list of hamfests is growing very rapidly, so please take note of the new listings at the bottom of this newsletter. Dale does an excellent job of keeping this list updated.

I am very glad to see that in-person meetings are also starting to come back. I have already been to several club meetings this past month and I will be at my first Trunk-fest of the year over in Massillon Ohio come April 17th. Hopefully, we will get back to some sort of normal very soon.

Speaking of hamfests, are you ready for the DX Engineering / Great Lakes Division Convention coming August 7th? I know that the convention is 4 months away yet, but that will go by quickly. So, with that said I want you to be sure to get this event marked on your calendars now! That way you will have plenty of time to get the lawn mowed, bushes trimmed, the garage cleaned up and all of those “honey do’s” taken care of long before August 7th gets here.

Field Day is fast approaching (June 26/27). Is your club making plans to have Field Day this year? If they are, do not let them forget to get signed up on the Field Day locator http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator . I have heard from several of the bigger clubs around, and it sounds like they are going to try to get back out into the field. 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 do not forget to invite the news media to be there as well. Great PR for everyone, and you get extra points for your efforts too!

That is going to do it from here. I do want to mention that am doing a lot of bicycle mobile lately. I would love to have a QSO with you. I am on DMR Talk Group 3139 most of the time. So, “GOTA” and have FUN!!!

--73, Scott Yonally N8SY, Vice Director, Great Lakes Division

HAMFESTING: Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests for 2021. 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.

The numbers are growing, as more clubs are making their best efforts to return their hamfests to the calendar. It should also be noted that there may be some hamfests that have not applied to be ARRL Sanctioned.

As we have no way to accurately track that activity, we only list those that have been approved as ARRL Hamfests.

For the latest detail on regional hamfests, check the ARRL web page at:
http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar.

2021 Great Lakes Div. ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest calendar:

5/15/2021 - GMARC Trunkfest, Shelby Twp, MI

5/20-22/2021 - Dayton Hamvention Virtual Sessions on-line

6/5/2021 - Fulton County, Wauseon, OH

6/5/2021 - IRA Hamfest, Hudsonville, MI

6/6/2021 - Chelsea Hamfest, Chelsea, MI

6/12/2021 - Luce Co Yooper Hamfest, Newberry, MI

6/19/2021 - GMARC Trunkfest, Shelby Twp, MI

6/20/2021 - Monroe Hamfest, Monroe, MI

7/10/2021 - Mansfield Mid Summer Trunkfest, Mansfield, OH

7/10/2021 - Cave City Hamfest - Cave City, KY

7/17/2021 - GMARC Trunkfest, Shelby Twp, MI

7/17/2021 - NOARS Fest, Elyria, OH

7/18/2021 - Van Wert Hamfest, Van Wert, OH

8/7/2021 - DX Engineering Hamfest & Great Lakes Div Convention, Tallmadge, OH

8/21/2021 - GMARC Trunkfest, Shelby Twp, MI

8/28/2021 - Cincinnati Hamfest, Cincinnati, OH

9/11/2021 - Greater Louisville, Shepherdsville, KY

9/18/2021 - Cadillac Hamfest, Cadillac, MI

9/18/2021 - Richmond Hamfest, Richmond, KY

9/18/2021 - GMARC Trunkfest, Shelby Twp, MI

9/19/2021 - Adrian Hamfest, Adrian, MI

9/26/2021 - Cleveland Hamfest, Berea, OH

10/25/2021 - USECA Hamfest, Madison Hgts, MI

12/4/2021 - Fulton Co Winterfest, Delta, OH

12/5/2021 - L'anse Creuse Swap, Madison Hgts, MI

If you club plans to request ARRL Hamfest Sanctioning, they should do so well in advance of the planned Hamfest date, as this allows adequate time for QST Listings. QST announcements require a 3 month lead time.

If a 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.

Be sure to invite your ARRL Officials as soon as your date is set. Things do require some advanced planning, especially under the current travel restrictions.

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.


73, Stay safe.

Light up those bands!

Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director
Great Lakes Division
wa8efk@arrl.org

Dale's Tales for March 2021

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for March, 2021.

SPECIAL ADVANCE ANNOUNCEMENT: The plans are approved for a GREAT LAKES DIVISION ARRL CONVENTION this year. DX Engineering will be hosting the event at their facility in Tallmadge, OH on August 7 in conjunction with their DXE Hamfest. Plans for special meetings and forums will be announced as soon as those events are confirmed. Save the date!

SCHOOL ROUNDUP: The recent School Club Roundup looked like a real roundup for school clubs in the Great Lakes Division.

In the Middle/Intermediate/JR High contest category, the winner was K8LPS, the Columbiana Clippers Amateur Radio Club in Ohio. In the Sr. High category, the Dixie Heights HS in Kentucky, K4YDH brought home third place and the College/University category, and W8EDU from Case Western Reserve in Ohio, brought home the third-place position in that category. Our most sincere congratulations go out to all. It is really neat to see a renewal of activity in school and college clubs and so many heavy hitters in the Great Lakes Division.

CONTEST COMMITTEE: I am pleased to report to you that the Great Lakes Division's vacancy on the Contest Advisory Committee was recently filled by President Rick Roderick K5UR who appointed John Comella N8AA of Fairfield, OH to serve as our representative in handling contest-related matters.

APPOINTMENTS: Vice Director Scott Yonally N8SY and I received Board appointments on ARRL Standing Committees for the coming year. The Board re-elected me to the Executive Committee and I was appointed to serve on the HF Band Planning Committee. I will also be assisting with the newly created Investment Management Committee. Scott highlights his appointments in "Scott's Stuff" below. At times it does not seem like much but some of these committees meet weekly. Combining that with the many radio club Zoom meetings that each of us currently attend, the weeks do get rather busy. We all hope to be back very soon with regular in-person sessions.

SCOTT'S STUFF: Comments from your ARRL Vice Director Scott, N8SY.
Wow, February has been cold and miserable out, but I have been so busy with meetings that I have hardly had time to notice it much. As many of you have read in the Board Meeting Minutes, I was assigned as the Board Liaison to the Public Relations Committee. We have been busy with several new projects that you will be hearing more about in the coming months. I was also asked to be a part of a special working group that the CEO, David Minster has put together, it is the Field Organization Working Group. Our primary objective is to document “best practices” for the Field Organization, helping create new tools and ideas for Section Managers and their staff. We have already had several meetings and we have got some great ideas in the works. More on that as time goes on.

Ok, let’s switch gears... I had a dilly of a computer problem recently and if it were not for the fact that I have backups of all my files, I would be starting over, literally from scratch trying to recreate everything that is stored on my computer. This mess all started when I got a message from Microsoft that my Windows 10 had an update ready to install and it wanted me to reboot the computer to start the process. I discovered a while back ago that you never let Windows just update your computer automatically. You can lose everything without even knowing what happened that way. I got everything ready and I went ahead and rebooted the computer and that is when all the fun started. It stalled and rebooted a half dozen times and then finally the dreaded “BLUE” screen appeared. I tried several times to get the computer to reboot thinking it would clear itself, but to no avail.

Luckily most newer computers have a recovery system built into the hard drive just for these types of situations. Unfortunately to get this feature to work you usually need to wipe a large part of the “C”
drive clean. The “C” drive is also where your personal files are usually stored. This means that all your personal files are gone, permanently, unless you have backed them up somewhere else. Since I have all my files stored on a portable drive as well as in the clouds, I did not lose a thing. Oh, I did have to go back and re-install all my programs which is a pain, but that is just a minor pain compared to what life would be like without all my files.

Please, if you have a computer and what you have stored on it is important to you, make sure that you do backups on a regular basis.

Portable hard drives are very dependable and cheap now days. You can buy a 4-terabyte portable drive for less than $90. That is more storage space than most folks can use in a lifetime. Think of just how many pictures, music, or special emails that you may never get back if you did not have a backup of them.

That is going to do it from here. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that we all get together at the DX Engineering / Great Lakes Convention in August!

--73, Scott Yonally N8SY, Vice Director, Great Lakes Division

HAMFESTING: As you can see from the growth on the Hamfest Schedule, clubs are making their best efforts to return their hamfests to the calendar. Several early-in-the-year swaps have been postponed, but some clubs are adjusting their timetables and setting their hamfests up with different configurations and planning them for dates later in the season.

For the latest detail on regional hamfests, check the ARRL web page at:
http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar. PLEASE NOTE THAT WE STILL HAVE SEVERAL CANCELLATIONS ON THE SCHEDULE.

Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests for 2021. 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.

On the 2021 Great Lakes Div. ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest calendar:

03/06/2021 - Cave City Hamfest, Cave City, KY -- CANCELED

03/07/2021 - WINTERHAMFEST, Elyria, OH -- CANCELED

04/25/2021 - Athens Hamfest, Athens, OH -- POSTPONED

05/21/2021 - Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH -- CANCELED

06/05/2021 - Fulton County, Wauseon, OH

06/12/2021 - Luce Co Yooper Hamfest, Newberry, MI

06/20/2021 - Monroe Hamfest, Monroe, MI

07/10/2021 - Mansfield Mid Summer Trunkfest, Mansfield, OH

07/18/2021 - Van Wert Hamfest, Van Wert, OH

08/07/2021 - DX Engineering Hamfest & Great Lakes Div Convention, Tallmadge, OH

08/28/2021 - Cincinnati Hamfest, Cincinnati, OH

09/11/2021 - Greater Louisville, Shepherdsville, KY

09/18/2021 - Cadillac Hamfest, Cadillac, MI

09/18/2021 - Richmond Hamfest, Richmond, KY

09/19/2021 - Adrian Hamfest, Adrian, MI

09/26/2021 - Cleveland Hamfest, Berea, OH

12/04/2021 - Fulton Co Winterfest, Delta, OH

12/05/2021 - L'anse Creuse Swap, Madison Hgts, MI

If you club plans to request ARRL Hamfest Sanctioning, they should do so well in advance of the planned Hamfest date, as this allows adequate time for QST Listings. QST announcements require a 3-month lead time.

If a 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.

Be sure to invite your ARRL Officials as soon as your date is set. Things do require some advanced planning, especially under the current travel restrictions.

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.

73, Stay safe.

Light up those bands!

Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director
Great Lakes Division
wa8efk@arrl.org

Dale's Tales for February

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for February, 2021

We are saddened by the loss of Dave Pruett K8CC (SK) who has been the Great Lakes Division's representative on the Contest Advisory Committee.

Dave served for many years to contentiously represent the interests of all contesters.  Currently, we are interviewing prospective members to represent our Division on the CAC.

Our Annual ARRL Board of Directors meeting was held by video conference on January 15 & 16.  Several Motions were presented that may be of interest. 

One was to consider changing several of our active committee configurations.  As proposed, it would eliminate the DX Advisory and Contest Advisory Committees and instead, create a pool of subject matter experts - of course this pool would include DX and Contesting experts plus potentially several others.  I think that it is quite fortunate that most Directors felt that the existing committee structure was working well and with a few considerations could be made even more effective without a major change.  This proposal did not gather enough Board support and the motion failed.

A motion was tendered to reactivate the HQ staff position of Chief Development Officer.  This position has been vacant for several years, and the Board considers it to be important to have a selected individual ready to work closely with those who would like to contribute to one of the ARRL's several development funds.  This motion passed.

The Legislative Action Committee presented their annual report and advised the Board that the draft bill for HOA-Resident Antenna Assistance has been completed and is expected to be entered in Congress early in the new session now beginning. This is the revised bill to clear the path so residents living in Homeowners' Association controlled areas can install effective Amateur Radio antennas.  It is a revised and updated plan, differing from the previous bill, The Amateur Radio Parity Act.

By vote, the Board will also be looking into various types of optional electronic balloting for ARRL Elected positions.  Electronic voting was tested several years ago and resulted in a low turnout.  The Administration and Finance Committee may offer a hybrid voting plan, making electronic voting an option for our members.

Other Board actions will be reported in the meeting minutes to be published as soon as they are approved.  Scott and I received some committee appointments and we'll cover these assignments next month.

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

Wow, January has just flown by.  It has been a busy month and I’ve already been assigned to a couple of very active committees. Let me tell you, they are rolling!  This is going to be a very exciting time for the ARRL.  If you’re not a member, you will definitely want to rethink that idea and soon!

Ok, let’s switch gears...  With the weather getting downright nasty, you’ll want to be thinking about how to keep the necessities going if the power would go out.  One way is with a whole-house generator.  It will do the job, including one on your pocketbook.  A portable gasoline generator will also work well, if you keep a fresh can of gas around and are willing to go out in the miserable weather to set it all up.  Now there is a new option for you to consider, Lithium battery portable power stations.

I sat in on a Zoom meeting the other week where these portable power stations were the topic. These stations are just coming into their own, but what makes them so interesting is that they are much easier and safer to handle and last for hours, even under the heaviest of loads.

The presenter did an excellent job of explaining how the power station works and how easy it is to setup and operate, right inside the house!

His power station is setup so he can quickly and easily power up most of the necessities in his home.  And, what makes this so great is that the batteries he is using are the same ones that he uses in his weed-whacker and lawn mower!  Yes, his power station was designed to use the same battery packs as his power tools.  So, all that he needs to do when the power starts to decrease on the power station is to pop in another pack!

Talk about a good return on investment!  These power stations have enough amperage to easily power your ham shack, a refrigerator or even freezer for quite a long time!  And Lithium batteries are not like the old lead acid deep cycle marine batteries that we’re all familiar with.  Lithium batteries give you years of maintenance free power, plenty of current to power those larger appliances and none of the mess, and best of all, you don’t have to go out into the miserable weather to hook anything up.  There is a wide variety of power stations and options to choose from.

That’s going to do it from here.  Let’s keep our fingers crossed that we all get to meet at a Hamfest somewhere soon, I’ve got a bunch of stuff to buy!

--73, Scott Yonally N8SY, Vice Director, Great Lakes Division

HAMFESTING: This continues to challenge all of us as many clubs are making their best efforts to return their hamfests to the calendar.

Several early-in-the-year swaps have now been postponed, but some clubs are adjusting their timetables and setting their hamfests up with different configurations and planning them for dates later in the season.

For the latest detail on regional hamfests, check the ARRL web page at:

http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar.  PLEASE NOTE THAT WE ALREADY HAVE SEVERAL CANCELLATIONS ON THE SCHEDULE.

Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned hamfests for early 2021.  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.

On the 2021 ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest calendar:

        03/06/2021 - Cave City Hamfest, Cave City, KY -- CANCELED

        03/07/2021 - WINTERHAMFEST, Elyria, OH -- CANCELED

        04/25/2021 - Athens Hamfest, Athens, OH

        05/21/2021 - Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH -- CANCELED

        06/05/2021 - Fulton County, Wauseon, OH

        07/10/2021 - Mansfield Mid Summer Trunkfest, Mansfield, OH

        07/18/2021 - Van Wert Hamfest, Van Wert, OH

        08/28/2021 - Cincinnati Hamfest, Cincinnati, OH

        09/11/2021 - Greater Louisville, Shepherdsville, KY

        09/18/2021 - Cadillac Hamfest, Cadillac, MI

        09/18/2021 - Richmond Hamfest, Richmond, KY

        09/26/2021 - Cleveland Hamfest, Berea, OH

        12/04/2021 - Fulton Co Winterfest, Delta, OH

If you club plans to request ARRL Hamfest Sanctioning, they should do so well in advance of the planned Hamfest date, as this allows adequate time for QST Listings.  QST announcements require a 3 month lead time.

If a 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.

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

Things do require some advanced planning, especially under the current travel restrictions.

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.

73, Stay safe.

Ham it up!

Dale Williams WA8EFK

Director
Great Lakes Division
wa8efk@arrl.org

Dale's Tales for January

Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for January, 2021.

HAPPY NEW YEAR and let's all hope it brings us back to a more normal lifestyle.

SOME CHANGES FOR 2021: With the New Year, we report some changes within the Great Lakes Division. As you know, Tom Delaney W8WTD chose not to run for re-election as our Division Vice Director. Former Ohio Section Manager Scott Yonally, N8SY was elected to the post and officially took office January first. We also bid farewell to "Tom's Tome", W8WTD's monthly news section of this column and introduce "Scott's Stuff", to keep you apprised of Division news from the Vice Director's perspective.

We also welcome the new Section Manager for the Ohio Section as Tom Sly WB8LCD takes the helm to manage the nation's largest Section in terms of ham population. Tom had been recently serving as Ohio's Affiliated Club Coordinator and brings a wealth of experience in team management to his new post.

My special thanks to Tom Delaney W8WTD who has been such a team player and wonderful associate while serving as our Vice Director. Thanks Tom for all of your efforts and successes and best wishes as you continue to enjoy ham radio.

A special note to Scott N8SY as he changes roles: "Scott, you voluntarily retired from the Section Manager slot - remember that - it is now WB8LCD's job - remember that. Tom will do it differently, make changes, bring in new ideas, and toss old ones. Sit back and enjoy, it's Tom's turn." <GRIN>.

UPDATES: The ARRL Board of Directors meets the third weekend of January, again by remote due to COVID restrictions. This seems to work pretty well for the actual meeting process, but is rather limiting when we attempt to discuss new ideas and try to build a coalition in support of a potential motion.

I suspect that it is not too much different from what most of are experiencing when conducting a remote radio club meeting. Still, it is important that we make a full effort to keep close contact with our membership and likewise take the extra action to keep those members involved. We are seeing a lot of live remote presentations and pre-recorded videos put to use. These have offered new technical training materials, reported on some historical and very interesting DXpeditions, provided some new contesting ideas and ham radio product reviews. Actually it is really taking some of the edge off for those of us in lock-down. Club programs are a revitalized initiative for radio clubs - let's keep it on a roll.

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

Wow, what a year this has been for all of us. This being my first article as the Great Lakes Division Vice Director I want to say that I have some really big shoes to fill as Tom, W8WTD did a really exceptional job over these many years and I have a great example to follow and grow on. I will do my level best to carry on in his footsteps in serving Dale as a team partner in taking the Great Lakes Division to the “Next Level.”

A lot of you are most likely wondering just who the heck is this guy anyway. Well, here’s a little background information about me. I became licensed in January 1979 as a Novice. I was issued one of those unusual newfangled "KA8" calls that really stuck out “KA8DWI.”

Don’t worry, I’ve heard it all. But I was proud of becoming an Amateur Radio operator no matter what the call sign. Oh, I do have that call sign on a license plate! I soon upgraded to General and then again to the now almost extinct Advanced Class license and became KC8SS. Yes, I was kidded about now becoming “Suddenly Sober,” but I will say this, I really loved that call! I was sought after during Sweepstakes every year. My boss convinced me to upgrade one more time and I got my amateur extra along with a new call sign N8SY. YES, I am a CW nut as well as a life member of the ARRL.

I’ve always had a place in my heart for emergency communications and traffic handling. Over the years I have been a part of numerous emergency situations and have been very active in a number of traffic nets around the country. I’m currently the resident troubleshooter for ARES Connect assisting Headquarters as well as volunteers from around the country getting them up and running. In the late 1990’s I got interested in the world wide web and created a number of websites, including the one for the Great Lakes Division.

In 2019 I received the Joe Knight, Distinguished Service Award for my work as Section Manager of Ohio, and for my leadership contributions to the ARRL and its Field Organization. I am one of only 9 Section Managers in the country to receive this award and I am so very honored to be able to serve all of you.

That’s going to do it from here. I want to say to everyone…. Have a Fantastic New Year!! Let’s keep our fingers crossed that we all get to meet at a Hamfest somewhere soon.

--73, Scott Yonally N8SY, Vice Director, Great Lakes Division


HAMFESTING: For the latest detail on regional hamfests, check the ARRL web page at: http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar.

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 announcements require a 3 month lead time.

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

Things do require some advanced planning, especially under the current travel restrictions.

This is a continuing struggle for most hamfest sponsors, both in terms of meeting community safety requirements and those imposed by the host venue. 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 for early 2021. 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.

On the 2021 ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest calendar:

03/06/2021 - Cave City Hamfest, Cave City, KY

03/07/2021 - WINTERHAMFEST, Elyria, OH

04/25/2021 - Athens Hamfest, Athens, OH

5/21/21021 - Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH

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.

73, Stay safe.
Ham it up!

Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director
Great Lakes Division
wa8efk@arrl.org