New England Division Town Hall Meeting, November 8, 2023

ARRL logoNew England Division Director Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, writes:

Phil Temples K9HI, our Assistant Directors, and I will hold our next New England Division Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, November 8th at 7 pm ET.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 plan to spend a good deal of our time together answering 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 a personal link to join the Town Hall Meeting via the following link (paste the link in your browser to register) –https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8kLEzMthRxmxlljwEQsaqQAfter registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.We hope to see you on November 8th!——————————————————————–ARRL New England DivisionDirector: Fred Kemmerer, AB1OCab1oc@arrl.org——————————————————————–

Support for the ARRL Club Liability Insurance Program

ARRL logoARRL Chief Financial Officer Diane Middleton, W2DLM writes:

Dear ARRL Affiliated Club,

ARRL is aware that some amateur radio clubs who had been insured by Marsh/AIG, a previous provider of the ARRL Club Liability Insurance Program, are receiving notices that their club liability insurance is not being renewed. ARRL discontinued its relationship with Marsh/AIG in 2011, but some clubs who had previously enrolled in the policies were still renewing with the old provider — and not in the current ARRL program.

The current program administrator (since 2015) for the ARRL-sponsored Club Liability Insurance Program is Risk Strategies. ARRL has a strong relationship with the current administrator who understands the importance of local amateur radio clubs and will help clubs seek new policies. Risk Strategies also administers the ARRL Equipment Insurance Plan for members.

Clubs that are affected by the loss of coverage from the previous provider are encouraged to contact Risk Strategies. Please visit Risk Strategies online at arrlinsurance.com or by phone at 1-866-819-0209 (please leave a message and your call will be returned).

Diane Middleton, W2DLM
Chief Financial Officer
ARRL, The National Association for Amateur Radio®
225 Main Street
Newington, CT  06111
(860) 594-0225

ARRL Foundation Accepting Applications for Grants in October

From ARRL News:

10/04/2023—The ARRL Foundation is now accepting grant applications from amateur radio organizations for eligible amateur radio-related projects and initiatives, particularly those focused on educating, licensing, and supporting amateur radio activities. To grow amateur radio’s future, youth-based projects and initiatives are especially encouraged. The ARRL Foundation grants program accepts proposals on a cyclical model three times a year: in February, June, and October. Proposals for the June grant period are accepted through October 31. Awardees will be notified approximately 1 month after the closing of each cycle.

The ARRL Foundation is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The Foundation carefully manages a portfolio of endowments where donors have provided specific goals for their gifts, and that portfolio is invested and managed in a way that it can continue to support those goals for many years to come.

Additional information and a link to the grant application can be found at http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-grants

Maine Section Update, September 2023

Maine ARRL Section Manager Phil Duggan, N1EP, writes:

Legislation. LD-697, an anti-5G bill to study non-ionizing RF radiation of ALL sources, including amateur radio, was defeated in the Maine Senate. However, I spoke to my representative, who is for the bill, and she said it needs to be studied and will likely be reintroduced in the Legislature in the coming session this winter.

Tropical Storm Lee. Some counties activated their ARES/RACES teams last weekend, including here in Washington County where the storm left most coastal communities with widespread outages. Washington County ARES staffed the Emergency Operations Center in Machias in shifts, while other members operated from home. Statewide teams and individuals supported their counties, Maine Emergency Management Agency, and the Maine Emergency Communications Net on 40 and 75 meters. SEC Keith Anoe, KE4UCW, had been conducting exercises and drills the past 18 months, and his and other EC’s efforts paid off. The storm response by ARES/RACES was excellent.

The Maine State Convention has a new venue and date. It will be June 15 at the Civic Center in Augusta.

NTS nets and operators continue to perform outstandingly on a daily basis primarily on 75/80m and some VHF.

Maine VOTA Coordinator John Huffman, K1ESE, submitted Maine’s first week as W1AW/1. It was a great effort by Maine’s VOTA ops. We totaled 6,661 contacts, and of the 68 W1AW portable activations so far this year, Maine’s rating is the 12th highest!