June 2020 West

Texas Section Manager’s Report

Since January 2020 this year has become very convoluted.  The Coronavirus has literally turned ham radio as we know it upside down.  Hamfest after Hamfest has been cancelled and tremendous efforts have been put in place to keep our citizens safe.  Terms we have never heard, let alone used before, such as, Sheltering at Home and Social Distancing have become the norm.  Stay Safe has become a watchword when closing a conversation be it an eyeball QSO or via RF.  Unfortunately, we are not out of the woods yet.

In view of this crisis, I and others have worked hard to develop meaningful ways to hold club meetings and to maintain a sense of community within local clubs and within the Section.  One way that has proved very beneficial and effective is to hold meetings using Zoom.

Following the lead of many others, six weeks ago I decided to begin Section wide Zoom meetings once a week.  We have been fortunate to have many ham radio luminaries volunteered their time and efforts to make our and others Zoom meetings a success.  I want to especially thank Bob Heil, K9EID, Val Hotzfeld, NV9L, Tim Duffy, K3LR and Katie Allen WY7YL for participating in our Zoom meetings!  Several other ham radio giants have also agreed to speak to our Section wide members in the near future. We look forward to their programs.

We have also had our own members present excellent programs on System Fusion, D-Star, All Star and other digital modes of operation.  All their programs were well received.

In spite of the current national health crisis, my team has continued to work hard to serve our membership.  We are committed to continuing to work with all amateurs in the West Texas Section to help them advance their skills in ham radio operations.  We continue to seek individuals who desire to share their expertise for the benefit of the hobby and new hams.

It is with great pleasure that I introduce the newest member of my Section Management Team. As a positive result of our Zoom meetings we had the opportunity to meet a relatively new ham from El Paso, Kelly Briarton, KB2RN.  Although only licensed since October 2019, she has demonstrated that she has the determination and drive to help fellow hams move forward in the hobby. After hearing the story of her experiences when she first passed her Technician license test and the events that followed as she advanced to the Extra Class license she currently holds I knew that we needed her on our management team.  I have asked Kelly to be one of my Assistant Section Managers with responsibilities in the area of helping new hams become acquainted with the hobby and what resources are available to them.  I’ve also asked her to work with YL’s in the hopes of having more YL activity in ham radio.

From a professional perspective Kelly brings an excellent professional background.  Her Biography reads in part… Kelly Briarton, KB2RN, is based in El Paso, TX. Kelly is a Registered Nurse with over 20 years’ experience in Healthcare and is currently teaching nursing. She became interested in amateur radio during her overlanding travels and was first licensed in October 2019.  She has gone on to obtain her Extra class license and Volunteer Examiner accreditation. Kelly is a member of W5ES El Paso ARC & K5WPH Sun City ARC. She uses an ICOM 7100 base station and ICOM 5100 mobile station and is active on VHF, UHF & D-STAR as well as EchoLink. Her other hobbies include traveling, photography, sewing & her two German Shepherds. 

Please help us welcome Kelly to our Team!

73,

Dale

W5WI

WTX Section Manager