 January 16, 2024 Editor: Michael Walters, W8ZY | |
Wreaths Across America via Ham Radio As Christmas wreaths were placed upon thousands of veterans' graves at Arlington National Cemetery and other veteran cemeteries across the nation by Wreaths Across America (WAA) on December 16, Maine Ham Radio Society (MHRS) members were living up to the WAA motto -- Remember, Honor, and Teach -- during their special event on the HF bands. MHRS is an ARRL Special Service Club and honors the staff and volunteers who provide this moving tribute to America's fallen soldiers each December. The club was issued the call sign W1A for the special event and made 348 contacts. MHRS Vice President Bob Ustruck, KF5CFU, took part in the event and said that the response on the air was overwhelming. "I had a pileup pretty much the whole time that I operated as W1A, and everyone was grateful that we were supporting Wreaths Across America," said Ustruck. Several hams who contacted W1A, including Don Kocsis, WA8TWM, in Painesville, Ohio, noted that they were also participating in wreath ceremonies at their local veterans' cemeteries. MHRS President Phil Duggan, N1EP, said one ham on the HF bands was looking forward to receiving the QSL card so he could give it to a Gold Star mother. Maurry Mills, W1FWS, operated the event for the second year in a row. "Many of the operators I contacted were already aware of Wreaths Across America, and all were thankful for our special event operation," he said. Brenda Duggan, N1ZPV, was thrilled to participate. Her late father, Harold West, served under General George S. Patton in WWII and was wounded during combat. The majority of the contacts were made on 20-, 40-, and 80-meter bands, although club members called CQ on most of the non-WARC bands. The Maine Ham Radio Society plans to continue this annual tribute every December for the near future. Winter Field Day Each January, many clubs get together to challenge the elements during Winter Field Day (WFD). This year's event is on January 27 and 28. Winter Field Day is sponsored by the Winter Field Day Association, who passionately believes that ham radio operators Texas Club Uses ARRL Grant to Work with Scouts The Top of the Panhandle Amateur Radio Club received grants from the ARRL Foundation Club Grant Program in 2022, and they've caused a lot of excitement in the upper Texas Panhandle and Guymon, Oklahoma. The grants are being used for a program that focuses on partnering with the Boy Scouts of America troops in the area to help them fulfill several merit badge requirements and to help them pass their amateur radio license exams. There are activities planned for hidden transmitter hunts, communicating on the air, and learning skills for emergency management response. Five Scouts and Scout Leaders have already gotten licensed and received their call signs: Justin Jett, KJ5DFY; Queston Crum, KJ5DWN; Gannon Crum, KJ5DPT; Eli Carthel, KJ5DTD, and Lisa Carthel, KJ5DRR. There are four families in the program. Six out of 12 candidates passed their amateur radio license exams in Spearman Texas on December 29, 2023. Five are newly licensed Technicians, and one upgraded to their General-class license. The five Technicians are James Shockley, Queston Crum, Joseph Macias, Jaysen Macias, and Audrey House. They've been studying the exam information for months and will receive their call signs soon. The mentors were: Jay Bradley, AG5OG; Bobette Doerrie, N5IS; Jerome Doerrie, K5IS; Brian Holloway, KC5TPU, and Tom House. New ARRL Award Certificates One of the special things about going to club meetings is witnessing awards being presented. Sometimes the awards are for many years of service, whlie others are for recent accomplishments. ARRL has added three new awards for clubs to give out to make sure that new members, as well as the established veterans, can be recognized. Visit www.arrl.org/awards for more information on each of these club-level awards. Mentor Award - For the ham that goes the extra mile to help others enjoy the hobby. First Contact Award - For the new ham to celebrate their first on-air contact. Rag Chewers' Club - To recognize those that can chew the rag for at least 30 minutes Each of these certificates is provided as a fillable PDF and can be printed out. We all know someone that fills the requirements for these, and the clubs can now recognize them as well. Write for Club Station Clubs are the backbone of the amateur radio community. Whether you're part of a special interest or general club, its members are the community that you serve. In the same way that every ham is different, each club is also different -- not every club will offer the same programs and projects to their member community. QST's newest column, "Club Station," is a space for clubs to share their practical ideas about what has helped lead them to their success. If your club has developed a creative way to get around common challenges, we want to hear from you! If you're interested in writing for "Club Station," please follow the author guidelines that are tailored to this column. Additionally, you'll find a Club Profile Form at the end of the author guidelines, which must be filled out and included with your submission. If this form is missing, your submission will not be considered complete. Club Station Author Guidelines and Profile Form 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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should practice portable emergency communications in winter environments, as the potential for freezing temperatures, snow, ice, and other hazards present unique operating concerns. WFD is formatted to help increase your level of preparedness for disasters and to improve your operating skills in subpar conditions. Maybe your club wants to brave the elements and operate outdoors, or maybe you want to gather inside someone's shack. However you decide to operate, the real fun is getting on the air with your club. For details about Winter Field Day, go to their website at
