• ARRL Club News for March 19, 2024

    From ARRL Web site@21:1/5 to All on Tue Mar 19 05:37:47 2024
    XPost: rec.radio.info

    ********************************************
    ARRL Club News

    Published by the American Radio Relay League ********************************************

    March 19, 2024

    Editor: Michael Walters, W8ZY <clubs@arrl.org>

    IN THIS ISSUE

    - Field Day Countdown
    - Celebrating Radio Women on International Women's Day
    - Great Progress Made during Brief Period in Daleville, Alabama
    - Submitting Info for this Newsletter
    - How to Plan and Apply for an ARRL Hamfest or Convention
    - Important Links

    FIELD DAY COUNTDOWN

    Field Day is just about 3 months away, and now is the time for your
    club to plan for the event. Many of the details of this event should
    not be left to the last minute. With hopes of pointing clubs in the
    right direction, here are a few tips that may help.

    1. Plan your location with a few questions in mind.

    a. Will you have public traffic around your site, and are the antennas
    you will be using mindful of safety?

    b. Is your site on property that requires supplying an insurance
    certificate to the owners? Many public sites require this.

    c. Are you planning to create signs telling the public what you are
    doing and inviting them to learn more?

    d. Does the site have adequate parking and access? Remember, Field Day
    is a 24-hour operation. You don't want to get locked in or out of your location, especially once it's dark.

    e. Have you reviewed the safety requirements for fueling and grounding
    your generator? Noise may be an issue if you are on a public site.

    f. How do you plan to keep the site clean and uncluttered for pictures?

    2. Contact the local media to invite them to your site.

    a. Local newspapers

    b. Local television networks

    c. Plan to have someone that can serve as a guide, answer questions,
    and direct pictures.

    3. Operator planning is essential. Create a schedule of operators.

    a. Think about whether you will operate for the full 24 hours or not.

    b. Invite new hams to learn by logging and operating.

    c. Don't forget to think about having relief operators.

    4. Consider contacting your local served agencies to demonstrate the capabilities of hams in an emergency.

    a. Local emergency management

    b. American Red Cross

    c. Local police, fire, and ambulance companies

    d. Other local agencies that may be involved with shelter management

    Field Day is what you want to make of it. Treat it like a contest and
    see how many contacts you can make, make it an emergency drill, use it
    for outreach to the public, or make it a social event for your club and
    include having fun on the radio. Field Day is all about having fun and showcasing the different aspects of amateur radio. Make your Field Day
    an event that the club will learn from, and, most importantly, have
    fun!

    Find the complete list of Field Day resources at field-day.arrl.org <http://field-day.arrl.org>.

    CELEBRATING RADIO WOMEN ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

    On Friday, March 8, three women from the Ellsworth Amateur Wireless
    Association -- Joan Hildreth, W1DLC; Barbara MacPike, KC1SSY, and
    Marion Mason, N3OA -- operated from the Fabbri Picnic Area at Acadia
    National Park in Maine as part of the Young Ladies Radio League's
    International Women's Day YL POTA Party. The team made 70 contacts,
    reaching as far as Poland, Italy, and Germany operating DX, and in the
    states, reaching Wisconsin, Colorado, Texas, and Florida. They operated
    with a Yaesu FT-891, 25 W, and a 40-, 20-, and 15-meter end-fed
    half-wave antenna. The weather, although chilly, was sunny and
    inspiring for early March. It was a memorable way to honor the
    achievements of women in amateur radio. #YL_POTA_PARTY

    By Marion Mason, N3OA

    GREAT PROGRESS MADE DURING BRIEF PERIOD IN DALEVILLE, ALABAMA

    2024 is looking to be an outstanding year for the Daleville Area
    Amateur Radio Service (DAARS)! The organization is fairly young, having
    been founded in 2022, but there has been much progress during that
    time. DAARS already offers textbooks and mentoring for those preparing
    to take the amateur radio license exam, VE sessions, ARES training, and
    more. The organization is active within the community and is constantly
    looking for ways to improve.

    DAARS is excited about several upcoming events. The organization will
    be set up for ARRL Field Day on June 22 from 8 AM to 12 PM Central at
    Culpepper Park during the Second Annual AMVETS (American veterans)
    SummerFest, operating as K4D. The club will also be operating a special
    event station on December 22, in celebration of the Dale County Alabama
    USA Bicentennial. They'll operate as K4D on 10, 20, 40, and 80 meters
    via phone and FT8. QSL cards for the event will be sent to all
    successful contacts.

    DAARS is proud to partner with other organizations within the community
    to foster a bright future for amateur radio and the community itself,
    through service, education, and enrichment. More information can be
    found at www.Daleville.US <http://www.daleville.us/>.

    By Kevin Turley, K9ADE

    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 <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-sanctioned-events>.

    To have your event sanctioned, complete the online application at www.arrl.org/hamfest-convention-application <http://www.arrl.org/hamfest-convention-application>.

    The ARRL Hamfests and Conventions Calendar can be found online at www.arrl.org/hamfests <http://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 <http://www.arrl.org/>

    Find an ARRL Affiliated Club: www.arrl.org/clubs
    <http://www.arrl.org/clubs>

    Find your ARRL Section: www.arrl.org/sections
    <http://www.arrl.org/sections>

    Find a license class in your area: www.arrl.org/class <http://www.arrl.org/class>

    Find a license exam in your area: www.arrl.org/exam
    <http://www.arrl.org/exam>

    Find a hamfest or convention: www.arrl.org/hamfests <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests>

    Email ARRL Clubs: clubs@arrl.org

    ARRL Club News is published every month (12 times each year). ARRL
    members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member
    Data Page at www.arrl.org/opt-in-out <https://home.arrl.org/action/My-Account/Opt-In-Out>. Archived issues
    can be found at http://www.arrl.org/club-news

    Copyright (c) 2024 American Radio Relay League, Incorporated.
    Use and distribution of this publication, or any portion thereof, is
    permitted for non-commercial or educational purposes, with attribution.
    All other purposes require written permission.

    <http://www.arrl.org/>

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)