ARRL Youth Activities

Fred Hopengarten, K1VR, writes on the ARRL Members Only mailing list:

While on tour visiting 11 Field Day sites in MA and CT, and last weekend in Maine at Lobstercon (this means you Dennis, K1LGQ – the last president of the Nashua Amateur Radio Club), I heard from several people that the ARRL should do things to encourage youth interest in ham radio.

The question tells me that ARRL has not done a good job at communicating some of the things ARRL does NOW. For example, ARRL’s Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology is being offered this week, the week of July 12, 2021. It is a combination of live and recorded sessions, providing instructions for schoolteachers on a variety of activities related to wireless technology and amateur radio. These activities provide practical lessons that teachers can use in their classrooms. There are 18 scheduled sessions. See http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Teachers%20Institute/TI_2021_Program_v2.pdf.

Cost: Teachers Institute opportunities are virtually free for the participants. The grant to attend a TI covers transportation, hotel, a modest per-diem to cover meals, instructional resources for the electronics, microcontroller, and robotics segments of the course, and a resource library of relevant ARRL publications. There is only a $100 enrollment fee to attend Teachers Institute.

For further information, see http://www.arrl.org/teachers-institute-on-wireless-technology.

If you know of a licensed teacher in New England who should attend next year’s session, please let me know. I’ll pay that teacher’s enrollment fee.

Furthermore, and reflecting a concern related to me earlier this year by Mitch Stern, W1SJ (VT), this Thursday, the ARRL Board Committee on Administration & Finance will consider a League program to pay first time license fees (when those $35 fees become effective later this year) for those under age 18. The CEO will report to the Board on the financial impact of such a decision. If you have thoughts on this program, please let me know.

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ARRL New England Division
Director: Fred Hopengarten, K1VR
k1vr@arrl.org
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Norfolk County Radio Association (W1AGR)

Fred Hopengarten, K1VR, writes on the ARRL Members Only list:

The Norfolk County Radio Association (Massachusetts, today W1AGR) was founded in 1921, and has been continuously active since then. It is an ARRL-affiliated club. At the suggestion of Phil Temples, K9HI, my Vice Director, at this week’s ARRL Board of Directors meeting I will present a motion, to be seconded by Ria Jairam, N2RJ, the Hudson Division Director. The motion will recognize NCRA’s 100th anniversary.

For further information on NCRA, see https://sites.google.com/site/norfolkcountyradioassociation/

Congratulations to NCRA!

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ARRL New England Division
Director: Fred Hopengarten, K1VR
k1vr@arrl.org
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Eastern Area Net Changes effective August 1, 2021

NTS logoMA Section Traffic Manager Marcia Forde, KW1U, writes on ema.arrl.org:

The Eastern Area Net or EAN has been part of the ARRL’s National Traffic System since its inception 70+ years ago. However in 2015 as many are aware there was a split with the creation of Radio Relay International or RRI. Much of what was considered NTS above the section level, including all of the Central and Pacific or Western areas affiliated with RRI while Eastern Area was split, operating two area level nets both meeting nightly. Effective August 1, 2021, NTS’s EAN will merge with RRI’s RRIE nets, consolidating resources. This net will be called EAN, will be reporting to both ARRL and RRI, and will continue to meet at 2030 Local time but will change frequency to 3552 kHz with backup at NCS discretion of 7052 kHz. Net manager will be Phil “Pip” Sager WB4FDT.

Email to ARRL Life Members

ARRL Life Member logoFrom ARRL News:

To keep member records up to date, ARRL emailed Life Members on June 16 and will be sending a follow-up email in the next few days, asking them to verify their mailing address. Be assured that it is a legitimate request sent from ARRL. Thank you to all those who responded.

If you need to update your address information, call (860) 594-0200, email membership@arrl.org, or respond to the email you received. If your email client does not recognize the text as a link, you will need to cut and paste it into a web browser to access the verification web page.

Communications Support for Aviation Festival, Skyhaven Airport, Rochester, NH, August 14, 2021

Mark Pride, K1RX, writes on the Port City ARC mailing list:
 
[I’m] tentatively looking to have an Aviation Festival at Skyhaven Airport, Rochester, NH, on Saturday, August 14 (10 AM to 4 PM) that requires some local communications support.  A few people inside the fence where various activities are planned including Discovery Flights sponsored by National Flight Simulator (from Manchester) and some parking lot maintenance as we have done in the past for other groups.  We are planning a police detail for the street side. Could I get some volunteers for this event?  Rain date is planned for Sunday, August 15.
 

New England Contest Advisory Committee Representative Appointed: Rudy Bakalov, N2WQ

ARRL logoFred Hopengarten, K1VR, writes:

New England Division members may recall that earlier this year I asked for expressions of interest in working on the ARRL’s Contest Advisory Committee (CAC). Several good people raised their hands.

I’ve now asked Rudy Bakalov, N2WQ, of Westport, CT to be the New England Representative to the CAC. I first met him during an operating break at K1LZ. As I recall it, we were #1 USA multi-single or multi-two that year. Before selecting him, I asked the CAC Chairman, K9CT, to have a chat with Rudy. As a result of that conversation, they both seem energized about Rudy joining the committee.

So I asked Rudy to introduce himself to the New England Division. He wrote:

“I began my journey in ham radio at LZ1KBD in my early teens, attracted to the hobby by the opportunity to make friends around the world. Soon thereafter I discovered contesting at LZ1V and was hooked for life. After getting my Extra ticket (AD4LC) circa 1993, my US contesting career began, first having a tiny station in a walk-in closet in our NJ townhouse, then joining the teams at K1TTT and K1LZ, and finally building my own stations VE3EID and HQ9X.

“As technology and ham radio in general innovate and evolve, it is inevitable that contesting must evolve as well to remain relevant. I also believe that contesting can be a powerful force in attracting new hams to the hobby.

“I graduated with a BS in Computer Engineering from Technical University of Sofia in 1991, and then pursued an MBA from Wake Forest University. In my professional life, I deal with Board-level and C-suite issues of cyber security strategy, governance, and operations for large global enterprises.

“I look forward to joining the CAC and working with the League to further grow contesting, balancing opportunities to change vs. the spirit and legacy of League sponsored contests.”

I think Rudy will serve New England well.

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ARRL New England Division
Director: Fred Hopengarten, K1VR
k1vr@arrl.org
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K6MM: “The K5P DXpedition” on RATPAC Online, July 7, 2021

RATPAC logoWednesday, July 7, RATPAC Zoom Presentation: The K5P DXpedition To The Cursed Paradise of Palmyra Atoll 

Starts 9:00 PM AST / 9:00 PM EDT / 8:00 PM CDT / 7:00 PM MDT / 6:00 PM PDT / 5:00 PM AKDT / 3:00 PM HST

Speaker/Presenter: John Miller, K6MM

Be sure to see future RATPAC scheduled presentations below

  • This meeting will be recorded. By participating you consent to being recorded. 
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N1DUC Featured Guest on Ham Talk Live!

Greater Bridgeport (CT) Amateur Radio Club assistant secretary Junie Cassone, N1DUC, was the featured guest on Episode 263 of Neil Rapp’s Ham Talk Live!:  “POTA, Lighthouses, and Ducks.” Junie talked about her Parks on the Air activations, Lighthouses, Field Day–and, of course, her ducks.

The episode can be heard at: <https://www.spreaker.com/user/hamtalklive/episode-263-pota-lighthouses-and-ducks-w>.