Organization

Maine Section eNews February, 2022

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Maine iconMother Nature has made it known that winter is definitely here in Maine the past few weeks. When not clearing walks and driveways of snow and ice, this has been an opportune time to stay in the comfort of our shacks and play radio! I have been busy playing cw QRP now that some sunspots are reappearing, and this week I intend to get some rig-control working on my Kenwood HF rig.

The Maine ARRL section has lots going on in the coming weeks. Here is a digest of items you may be interested in:

HAMFESTS

Augusta Boat Anchor Hamfest at Le Club Calumet in Augusta, Saturday, February 12. Address 334 West River Road in Augusta from 8am to noon.  Admission $5.  VE Exam sessions at 0930. Find more info at http://www.w1tlc.org/ Androscoggin ARC Hamfest and Convention at the Ramada Inn Conference Center in Lewiston. , Apr 1 – 2, 2022. Some presentations Friday evening. Hamfest Saturday morning. Get more info at http://www.w1npp.org/pages/MEConvention2022.html

I will have a Maine ARRL Section table setup at both events. Stop by and chat!

HELP WANTED!

The CanAm Crown International Sled Dog Races need more ham radio volunteers for the March 5 – 6 event in Aroostook County. Contact Derrick Ouellette, KW1A email KW1A@arrl.net if you can assist.  The Boston Marathon is in need of many more ham radio volunteers for this year’s event and Maine hams can participate. If you can help, sign up at http://register.hamradioboston.org by Feb 18.

OTHER NEWS

– Maine’s YL Champion Joan Hildreth, W1DLC,  reports that soon there will be a Maine YL Facebook Page where YLs can share news and ideas, etc. Joan can be reached at joanhild0808@gmail.com.

– Young Ladies Radio League (YLRL) YL OM CONTEST…. Feb 12 – 14. More details at ylrl.net

– Those hams involved with public service, and especially with emergency communications, are highly encouraged to complete the free FEMA courses IS-100.c and IS-700.b which are introductory courses pertaining the the Incident Command System, and more. If we are to serve government and other agencies, it helps to know their hierarchy, policies, etc.  You can take these short courses by visiting training.fema.gov 

– All amateur radio clubs would benefit with an active PIO – Public Information Officer. The ARRL web site notes  “ARRL Public Information Officers (PIOs) are appointed by their Section Manager and report to their ARRL section Public Information Coordinator (PIC). The Section Manager may, at his/her discretion, delegate this appointment power to the section PIC. PIOs are generally recommended by an affiliated club for appointment consideration and must be full ARRL members. Training for PIOs should be provided regularly on a sectional or regional basis by the PIC and/or other qualified people.” More information is available at http://arrl.org/public-information-officer.

– Challenge YOUR club to give a ham radio presentation this spring and summer to a scout troop, 4H group, or school!  Let’s inspire kids with Science, Technology, Engineering, Math through amateur radio! Start planning now!

– The New England Division Director, Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, is conducting a Town Hall via Zoom on FEB 16 at 7:00PM. If you would like to attend, let me know and I will forward your request or you can contact Fred for the Zoom link, ab1oc@arrl.org

AFFILIATED CLUB HIGHLIGHT

The Pine State Amateur Radio Club is based out of Bangor and boasts about a 100 members. They sponsor and organize the annual Hermon Hamfest, conduct regular fox hunts, maintain club repeaters, and much more. Steve Jordan, KD1OM, is the club president. They usually meet on the first Monday at the Challenger Learning Center in Bangor at 7:00pm and via Zoom. The PSARC conducts a weekly VHF net on the N1ME repeater 146.940- repeater. PL tones 88.5, 100, 103.5, and 136.5 at 8:00pm, followed by a DMR net. The club also sponsors the Worked All Maine Award. More information is available at n1me.com.

Other Club News

The Ellsworth Amateur Wireless Association is meeting Thursday, Feb 10 at the Assembly of God Church on Beachland RD in Ellsworth, and via Zoom at 7:00PM. Rob Collins, W8HAP, will be giving presentations titled, “The Other Side Of The Pile-Up” and “A Guide For Your First Expedition.”

The Maine Ham Radio Society is meeting via Zoom on Thursday, Feb 17 at 7:00PM. Guest speaker will be the ARRL New England Division Assistant Director, Anita Kemmerer, AB1QB, on her new role as Assistant Director, Mentoring and Ham Development.

If you have any questions regarding the Maine ARRL section or this eNew, send me an email n1ep@arrl.org

73

Phil Duggan, N1EP

Maine Section Manager

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ARRL Maine Section
Section Manager: Philip W Duggan, N1EP
n1ep@arrl.org
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ARRL New England Division Town Hall Meeting, February 16, 2022

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Director Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, writes on the New England Division ARRL Members list:

Phil Temples K9HI and I are planning to hold a New England Division Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, February 16th at 7 pm EST. The purpose of the meeting will be to provide you with an ARRL update, get your thoughts on what we should be focusing on, and answer any questions that you might have about the ARRL and what we are doing on behalf of ARRL members here in New England. We will also be introducing our recently appointed Assistant Directors.

We are planning to spend a good deal of our time together to answer your questions. If you’d like to send us a question in advance, you can do so via an email to ab1oc@arrl.org or you can just plan to ask your questions during the Town Hall Meeting.

We will hold our Town Hall Meeting via a Zoom Webinar. You can get your personal link to join the Town Hall Meeting via the following link –

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1oTJrGG5Tx-0BCAFiLrTJA

We hope to see you on February 16th !

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ARRL New England Division
Director: Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC
ab1oc@arrl.org
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New Assistant Director Appointments

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ARRL logoNew England Division Director Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, has appointed three Assistant Directors. They are:

Cory Golob is very active in the emergency communications community in the Maine section, and he serves as a Net Control Station for the Maine Public Service Net. His professional experience includes being an Emergency Telecommunicator for 18 years and he has served in University, Municipal, County and State level dispatch centers.

Rob Leiden has extensive experience as a Section Manager, an Assistant Section Manager, and as a club president of multiple Amateur Radio clubs. He also has professional engineering and program management experience. Rob has been an active ham for over 60 years and he brings a passion for protecting our spectrum.

Anita Kemmerer has led licensing training activities and license exam testing for over six years. She’s been involved in training over 400 people to earn Amateur Radio licenses and upgrades. Her professional experience includes technical project management at a large telecom company. She has also played a lead role in the creation and operation of the Ham Bootcamp program which has helped over 750 people develop skills to build stations and get on the air.

“New England Division Assistant Directors will be working to bring hams in the Division together to promote and share successful programs and ideas in their areas of focus. They are forming teams including section field volunteers, club presidents, ARRL Headquarters leaders, and interested ARRL members who want to work together to advance Amateur Radio activities in their focus area here in New England. Cory, Rob, and Anita bring considerable experience and a passion for their focus areas. I am very pleased to have them join our team,” said Kemmerer.

The three Assistant Directors have established groups.io lists to promote discussion in their respective areas of focus. To join, visit the websites indicated below:

Cory, Rob, and Anita will speak about their plans and the work that they have begun at the upcoming ARRL New England Division Town Meeting, which is scheduled on Wednesday, February 16, 2022 at 7:30 pm. The Town Hall Meeting will be held on Zoom. The Zoom information to follow shortly.

New England Division 2022-1Q Cabinet Meeting, January 8, 2022

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ARRL New England Division Director Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, and Vice Director Phil Temples, K9HI, held the first quarterly division cabinet meeting of the new year on January 8, 2022 via Zoom. Approximately 50 amateurs representing ARRL-affiliated clubs and field organization leaders from all seven sections attended the morning meeting, along with two ARRL Headquarters staffers.  

[Full story]

ARRL Welcomes New Director of Emergency Management

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From ARRL:

01/04/2022 – ARRL  The National Association for Amateur Radio® is pleased to announce the hiring of Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, into the role of Director of Emergency Management. Johnston is from Ozone, Arkansas, and comes to ARRL with 16 years of experience as the Director of Johnson County (Arkansas) Department of Emergency Management. He holds an Extra class Amateur Radio license as well as being an ARES® Emergency Coordinator, Volunteer Examiner, and ARRL-registered Instructor. Johnston is also certified in FEMA NIMS as well as CISA AUXCOMM Communications Unit Leader (COML). He holds a Bachelor of Science in Emergency Administration and Management from Arkansas Tech University.

“I am happy to welcome Josh to the ARRL staff and to add his talent and knowledge to our team,” said ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA. “His contribution will help ARRL continue to support our dedicated volunteers of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, improve opportunities for training, and advance our relationships throughout the EmComm community.” With extensive experience in inter-agency cooperation and planning, Johnston is well versed in the different aspects of emergency management and leading both professional and volunteer operators. He has experience in communications planning and execution in the field and at the local and state level. As an Arkansas Master Certified Emergency Manager and past Board Member of Arkansas Emergency Management Association, where he served as president for 2 years, Johnston has experience working with government and agency representatives as well as being boots-on-the-ground in the field.

Johnston will be based at ARRL’s headquarters in Newington, Connecticut and will be working with staff and member-volunteers, and coordinating with the ARRL Board’s new Emergency Communications and Field Services Committee (EC-FSC).

WMA Section Manager’s Report, January 2022

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WMA Section logoHello Western Mass and Happy New Year The latest report is now online at <https://wma.arrl.org/blog/2022/01/01/section-managers-report-jan-2022/>. Take a moment to have a look. Any club needing content for their newsletters are welcome to copy it.  I do ask for for continued efforts to get the word out about the reports and especially the website. Also consider 2022 a year to try something new, or volunteer in a club or section function. Much to choose from.

Have a great New Year!
73
Ray- AA1SE

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ARRL Western Massachusetts Section
Section Manager: Raymond P Lajoie, AA1SE
aa1se@arrl.org
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