 April 18, 2023 Editor: Michael Walters, W8ZY | ||
World Amateur Radio Day Today, 2023 World Amateur Radio Day (WARD) is celebrated, literally, around the world! WARD is held on April 18 every year and is celebrated by radio amateurs and their national associations, which are organized as member-societies of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). It was on this day in 1925 that the IARU was formed in Paris. American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Co-Founder Hiram Percy Maxim was its first president. The IARU announced that Human Security for All (HS4A) will be this year's WARD theme. The day is being celebrated with a 2-week operating event occurring April 11 - 25. Special event stations will be operating from around the world, making two-way radio contacts to call attention to the HS4A campaign. The United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security describes human security as "a more powerful, lasting approach to the most difficult deficits in peace and development," such as poverty, war, and natural disasters. ARRL encourages all radio amateurs to take to the airwaves for WARD, to enjoy our global friendship with other amateurs, and to show our skills and capabilities to the public. More information about 2023 World Amateur Radio Day is available at www.arrl.org/world-amateur-radio-day and www.iaru.org/on-the-air/world-amateur-radio-day. Plano Amateur Radio Klub Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary The Plano Amateur Radio Klub (PARK) is pleased to announce that they will be celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2023 with a year full of events and a Golden Jubilee dinner in July. Founders, Charter Members, and past Presidents will be honored as well as five decades of community service, education, emergency preparedness, and disaster response. PARK was founded in 1973 by local hams Dick Sander, K5QNY, and Bill Newland, WB5ETZ. Charter Members include Harry Johnson, WA5YCM; Bill Swan, K5MWC; Jack Freeman, WA5EDK; Gerald Williamson, W5SID; Ed Lawrence, WA5SWD; Bill Niles, K5MVB; Carole Allen, W5NQQ, and Bill Allen, W5NQR. The club was established to bring together local hams to serve the community and its organizations with communications services - something it still does to this day. Affiliating later in 1973, PARK continues to be proudly affiliated with ARRL. PARK volunteers have used their special skills to help local community organizations manage large events. In recent years, some of these events included the Plano Turkey Trot, Meals on Wheels, the Plano Balloon Festival, and even the sprawling Dallas Marathon, where members from many clubs work together to provide a safe environment for the public. Additionally, the club provides communication services for Civil Defense; Red Cross; state, county, and city law enforcement agencies, and other charitable organizations during times of emergency, distress, national disaster, or public interest. One notable event was assisting in canvassing remote East Texas for debris after the 2003 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Many of the 1973 founding members were also the first members of Collin County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (CC-ARES), which started its development in 1975. Even today many club members are members of CC-ARES that use club repeaters to relay vital storm spotter information on the CC-ARES Weather Net, which is monitored by the National Weather Service in Fort Worth. So, when weather announcers on TV say that "storm spotters" are reporting quarter-sized hail, that information very likely came from local hams volunteering their time and equipment to the public interest. All this year, the club will be celebrating 50 years of continuous service with numerous amateur radio-related events and operations, culminating with a Golden Jubilee Dinner in July to honor the club's founders and past Presidents who shepherded the club through the past five decades. The club has rolled out a 50th anniversary logo, adding a golden 50 to the center of the club's traditional logo that features Texas at its heart. Throughout the year, club members will be activating the club's K5PRK call sign with a /50 suffix commemorating the club's 50th anniversary. QSOs with K5PRK/50 will be acknowledged with a special K5PRK/50 QSL card. Club Secretary Johnnie Young, KG5CQO, noted, "We are lucky to have both of the original founders still with us and have received excited responses to the Jubilee Dinner." QSL cards and other 50th anniversary merchandise will be available. Club President Tim Johnson, K5TCJ, said, "Amateur radio is more than just a hobby, as popularly assumed. It is a public service organized and dedicated to bringing people, training, and resources together to provide a pool of trained and skilled communicators, technicians, and electronics experts in times of need. Indeed, during adverse weather conditions, amateur radio operators routinely provide vital real-time weather observations, and in times of emergency when normal communication is disrupted, amateur radio operators routinely step up with their time and equipment to re-establish vital communications to effected areas. We are honored and proud to serve our community and look forward to continued service to our friends and neighbors." Club Vice President Anthony Burokas, KB3DVS, noted, "The interesting thing about amateur radio is that people get interested in it for many different reasons. Maybe they saw a demonstration at school, or someone using it in a park to talk to someone else in another country. Or maybe they are interested in the computer-based digital modes. Or public service communications. It could well be the emphasis on experimentation and building that is also popular in the 'Maker' community these days." Anthony continued, "For many it's just having a conversation with someone else in a far-off land who, as a starting point, also shares an interest in ham radio. Ham radio is so diverse that it allows each individual to pursue the aspect of it that interests them." PARK is a public service organization with a special interest in ham radio, communications, and technology. Club membership is open to everyone. The club has an open general membership meeting every month. Anyone interested can come and find out more about the hobby, how to get their own amateur radio license, and club membership. More information about PARK, its history, its service, and Golden Jubilee activities can be found at www.k5prk.net. By Dan Daniels, W5KKQ - Public Relations Director East Bay Section Club Supports STEM Fairs The ARRL Affiliated Mount Diablo Amateur Radio Club (MDARC) continued its support of local STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fairs. On March 10, 2023, five club members converged on the Los Medanos College gymnasium in Pittsburg, California, to serve as judges for the annual Contra Costa County Science & Engineering Fair. There were 127 students showing off 110 projects (some were team projects) in the categories of Behavioral, Biological, Engineering, Environmental, Math/Computer Science, and Physical Science. Eighth grader Jonas Desyatnik won the $200 prize, funded by MDARC, for his project that analyzed the power generation of sun-tracking solar panels. His project also won first place in the Eighth Grade Engineering category and thus qualified him to present his project at the statewide California Science & Engineering Fair. He also won a US Air Force award for excellence in engineering. Jonas does not have an amateur radio license yet, but his father is Yuri Desyatnik, KI6DUA.
The MDARC judges were Larry Loomer, KI6LNB; Marilyn Warren; Mike Warren, W6MEW; Larry Bradley, KK6QPE, and Terry Buxton, KK6KGX. On Saturday, March 25, 2023, MDARC joined forces with the San Joaquin Valley Section's ARRL Affiliated Stockton-Delta Amateur Radio Club, W6SF, to showcase amateur radio and amateur television at the Lincoln Unified School District's "World of S.T.E.A.M." Expo at Lincoln High School in Stockton, California. Jim Tittle, K6SOE, staffed the digital amateur television display that featured MDARC's repeater signal. K6SOE also demonstrated this club's MDARC-1 Ford communications in the parking lot. He was assisted by Fred Coe, WB6ASU, and past MDARC President Larry Bradley, KK6QPE. By Matthew G. Vurek, N4DLA, ACC East Bay Section Ham Bootcamp May 13th The Nashua Area Radio Society will be holding an online Ham Bootcamp on Saturday May 13th from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm Eastern Time. Ham Bootcamp is a program to help new, inactive, and prospective hams gain the skills and information that they need to Get on The Air. It is open to any interested Ham or Prospective Ham in the US and Canada and there is no charge to attendees. The morning session is geared toward operating on the VHF/UHF bands: · Putting together a Station for Repeaters - How to pick an HT or Mobile Radio and an Antenna · Radio Programming Tutorial · Making Contacts and Joining a Repeater Net · Getting Started with Amateur Radio Satellites · Getting started with Fox Hunting The afternoon session is geared toward operating on the HF Bands: · Putting together an HF Station for SSB, CW, and Digital · Picking and putting up an HF Antenna, Feedlines, and Grounds · Operating on the HF bands using SSB Voice · Getting started with WSJT-X and FT8 Digital There will also be breakout sessions where attendee can choose one of the following topics: · Learning CW · Intro to EmComm · Finding DX, Logging and QSLing · Portable Operating ... and more! Registration is now open for the May 13th session. You can get more information about Ham Bootcamp, including a link to register at n1fd.org/bootcamp If you have any questions, you can contact us at bootcamp@n1fd.org. Registration is required to receive the link to the web conference. Club Commission Program Update Clubs are using the Club Commission Program to generate income for the club and promote ARRL membership across the country. From January 1 through March 31 of this year, various clubs generated 217 separate memberships, with 21 of them returning members, 59 new members, and 135 renewals. That translates to a total of $1,875 paid in commissions to those clubs. Development is under way to improve the process. As of now, the steps are the same: ·Distribute the application forms to prospective and existing members. ·Collect the applications and fill out a Club Reconciliation Form. ·Send all the forms with the dues to ARRL. Once the above steps are completed, the club will receive a commission check from ARRL. The necessary forms are located at Affiliated Club Benefits (arrl.org) under the Club Commission Program link. Consider having a quarterly event at a club meeting to discuss ARRL membership, and offer this to members. Members can renew at any time without losing time. If your renewal is normally in July and you renew in May, the time is added to your July date. In the spirit of ARRL's Year of the Volunteers, in 2023 we are offering the following promotion to clubs using the Club Commission Program: ·For every five new members signed through the Club Commission Program through the end of 2023, ARRL will give the club a copy of The ARRL Handbook, which can be used as a promotion, a door prize, an auction item at hamfests, or however you choose. Keep reading ARRL Club News for additional information on how clubs are using this program. SKYWARN Program Trains Texas Storm Spotters A few dozen people came out to the Fletcher Warren Civic Center in Greenville, Texas, to learn how to become certified storm spotters. As part of the annual SKYWARN program, Bianca Garcia of the National Weather Service (NWS) presented a seminar designed to provide details on various threats posed by severe thunderstorms. She also presented information that highlights severe weather safety and how area residents can report severe weather information to the NWS. Garcia said that even with technology such as radar and satellite imaging, storm spotters are vital and serve as the first line of defense. "You guys are presenting that special set of human eyes for us on the ground," Garcia said. The event was hosted by the Hunt County Office of Homeland Security/Emergency Management and the Greenville Fire-Rescue Department. Due to the pandemic, it was the first live presentation conducted in Hunt County in 3 years. David Alexander, with the County Office of Homeland Security/Emergency Management, said it was encouraging to see about 45 people turn out, especially given the wild weather conditions so far this year. "We feel like it is a very needed program," Alexander said. "You always find out something new." Since late January, portions of Hunt and Rockwall counties and the surrounding area of North Texas have experienced freezing cold temperatures, followed by deadly flooding, which claimed the life of a man recently in Hunt County. Garcia urged those in the audience to always play it safe in regard to flood waters and never take chances by trying to drive through. "Don't underestimate the power of water," she said. "Flooding is the number one weather killer in the United States." Garcia voiced similar concerns regarding other severe weather people might encounter, such as hail, high winds, and tornadoes. "You are storm spotters; you are not storm chasers," she said. "We want you to be safe." Many of those in attendance were members of the Sabine Valley Amateur Radio Association, which is activated by the NWS and emergency management agencies to serve as trained storm spotters. With that in mind, the agency handed out three emergency scanner radios to those in the audience and is presenting a 3-night course on how to become an amateur radio operator. By Brad Keller, Herald Banner, Greenville, Texas Club Development Webinar Series The ARRL Learning Center kicked off the Club Development Webinar Series with the first webinar on March 30. This event focused on the role of the club secretary. More than 130 participants attended the session presented by Mike Aimone, WA8AHZ. Mike is the Affiliated Club Coordinator in Virginia and was joined by Kathy Lamont, KM4TAY. Both have experience as the secretary of their club. If you were unable to join the live webinar, the recording is available on the ARRL Learning Center at learn.arrl.org. Future webinars will also be recorded and available in the Learning Center for members to view. The next webinar will take place on April 27 at 7 PM Eastern Time. The subject of the next event is the role of the club treasurer. If you are interested in watching live, register at Club Development Series. Please join us, and feel free to pass this to others who may be interested. Submitting Info for this Newsletter ARRL Club News is for radio clubs to show how they are working in the community and the hobby to advance amateur radio. If your club completes a project, supports an event, does an EmComm activation, or activates a park, we want to hear about it. You can submit your newsletter article to us at clubs@arrl.org. We like to get them as text or Word files instead of PDFs. If you have pictures, please submit them with caption information, as well as the name and call sign of the photographer. We want to highlight the good work being done by the clubs and show others in the community. Think of this as a chance to show off your club and your programs. How to Plan and Apply for an ARRL Hamfest or Convention If your amateur radio club is planning to host a convention, hamfest, tailgate, or swapfest, please consider applying for it to be an ARRL-sanctioned event. To learn what it means to be an ARRL-sanctioned event, and to get some ideas on how to prepare for and conduct a hamfest or convention, visit www.arrl.org/arrl-sanctioned-events. To have your event sanctioned, complete the online application at www.arrl.org/hamfest-convention-application. The ARRL Hamfests and Conventions Calendar can be found online at www.arrl.org/hamfests. In addition, the Convention and Hamfest Calendar that runs in QST each month also presents information about upcoming events. Important Links ARRL Home: www.arrl.org Find an ARRL Affiliated Club: www.arrl.org/clubs Find your ARRL Section: www.arrl.org/sections Find a license class in your area: www.arrl.org/class Find a license exam in your area: www.arrl.org/exam Find a hamfest or convention: www.arrl.org/hamfests Email ARRL Clubs: clubs@arrl.org | ||
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