Organization

ARRL Maine Section Manager Phil Duggan, N1EP, writes:

Boat Anchor Hamfest

First Maine Hamfest of the year is Saturday, February 15 from 8am until noon at the Club Calumet, 334 West River RD, Augusta, ME. Admission $5. VE Session time to be determined. No table fees, so bring plenty of gear to sell or swap. Sponsored by the Augusta Amateur Radio Association. P.O.C George Szadis K1GDI email grszadis@aol.com.

Hams Needed For Can Am Sled Dog Race

Northern Maine is looking for volunteers! Fort Kent, Maine is hosting the annual Can Am Crown of Maine sled dog races. The event runs March 1st, 2nd and 3rd. If you are interested in volunteering to work communications at Net Control, one of the checks points, or anywhere help may be needed, please reach out to the Can Am Comms Chief, James Jalbert, kc1ecv@gmail.com. This is a great opportunity to use your ham radio skills, make some new friends, expand your network, and see the great Northern Maine in the winter time. Reach out to James for more info.

The January, 2025 Western MA Section Newsletter is now available at https://wma.arrl.org/blog/2024/12/30/section-managers-report-january-2025/.

From ARRL News:

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® has introduced a sweepstakes, offering members the chance to win an Icom Dream Station including a limited-edition IC-7760 HF/50 MHz transceiver, IC-PW2 amplifier, and microphone, generously donated by Icom America. [Full story]

From ARRL News:

11/15/2024 — ARRL® The National Association for Amateur Radio® announces the results of the 2024 ARRL Division elections.

In the ARRL New England Division, Tom Frenaye, K1KI (1,593 votes), of West Suffeld, Connecticut, was declared the winner, defeating current Director Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC (1,452 votes).

Frenaye has previously served on the ARRL Board of Directors in several capacities, including as Director from 1985 – 1992 and from 1997 – 2018. He was named Director Emeritus in 2019. He served as ARRL Vice President from 1992 – 1996.

In the ARRL Hudson Division, incumbent Division Director Ed Wilson, N2XDD (949 votes), of Shirley, New York, was declared the winner, defeating John Crovelli, W2GD (719 votes). Wilson ascended to Director in July 2024, after the previous Director resigned. He had been Vice Director since 2023, a position to which he was appointed to fill a vacancy created when the previous Vice Director ascended to Director.

In August, the following incumbents and candidates were declared elected without opposition. In the Central Division, current Vice Director Brent Walls, N9BA, will be the next Director, and candidate Josh Long, W9HT, will be the next Vice Director. In the Hudson Division, Vice Director David Galletly, KM2O. In the New England Division, Vice Director Phil Temples, K9HI. In the Northwestern Division, Vice Director Michael Sterba, KG7HQ. In the Roanoke Division, Director Jim Boehner, N2ZZ, and Vice Director Bill Morine, N2COP.

In September, Northwestern Division Director Mark Tharp, KB7HDX, was declared elected.

Winners will assume their roles for terms beginning January 1, 2025.

Members voted online or could request paper ballots. The election was conducted by third party Election Services Co., of Melville, New York — the same company that has conducted ARRL elections in 2022 and 2023. The tabulation was observed by Ethics & Elections Committee Chair, ARRL Southeastern Division Director Mickey Baker, N4MB.

ARRL is governed by its Board of Directors. Elections are held for five of the 15 ARRL Divisions each year, for terms of 3 years.

The 19th annual ARRL Online Auction preview is now open. Bidding begins at 10 am ET on Friday, October 18 and runs through 10 pm on Thursday, October 24.

This year’s auction features an assortment of product review equipment, vintage books, the popular ARRL Lab “junk” boxes, and new donated ham radio gear.

If you are interested in great bargains, a good cause, and some fun – check out over 200 items up for bid. Plus, keep an eye on the ARRL Facebook and Instagram pages for featured products and highlights throughout the event.

Proceeds from the annual Online Auction benefit ARRL education, licensing, and training programs. For more information visit arrl.auctionanything.com.

Sponsored by RT Systems Inc.

Approximately sixty-five ARRL members from across the division attended the New England Division Town Hall Zoom meeting on September 5 to hear and ask questions about the recent legislative actions that could adversely impact our amateur 902 MHz band, and ARRL’s response. Other topics discussed included:

• the recent cyberattack on ARRL Headquarters
• assistance for amateurs in restricted areas
• our path forward
• help with RFI
• public service and EmComm
• hamfests and events

The September 2024 Western MA Section Newsletter is now available at https://wma.arrl.org/blog/2024/09/07/section-managers-report-september-2024/.

I would like to invite you to a Town Hall Meeting for ARRL New England Division Members on Thursday, September 5th at 7 pm where we will discuss the actions taken by the board, what we might expect next, hear your thoughts, and answer your questions.

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 (please paste the link into your browser and register in advance) –

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Nmj7dgSbRyGoi7xf3Z0l8A

After registering, you will receive a follow-up confirmation email within a day containing information about how to join the webinar.

We hope to see you on September 5th.

Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC

ARRL Director

New England Division

ab1oc@arrl.org

From ARRL News:

08/19/2024

ARRL® The National Association for Amateur Radio® has announced that the candidates for the 2024 ARRL Division elections are now official. ARRL members will choose between two candidates for Director in the Hudson, New England, and Northwestern Divisions. The sole candidates in the Central and Roanoke Divisions for both Director and Vice Director are unopposed. The Vice Director incumbents in the Hudson, New England, and Northwestern Divisions are also unopposed.

Declared Elected without Opposition

In the Central Division, candidate and current Vice Director Brent Walls, N9BA, will be the next Director having served as Vice Director since 2021, and candidate Josh Long, W9HT, will be the next Vice Director, both candidates running unopposed.

In the Hudson Division, Vice Director David Galletly, KM2O, who has held the seat since 2024.

In the New England Division, Vice Director Phil Temples, K9HI, who has served in the role since 2020.

In the Northwestern Division, Vice Director Michael Sterba, KG7HQ, who has served in the role since 2024.

In the Roanoke Division, Director Jim Boehner, N2ZZ, who was elected back to the board in 2022, and Vice Director Bill Morine, N2COP, who has held the seat since 2016.

Contested Seats

In the Hudson Division, Director Ed Wilson, N2XDD, will face challenger John Crovelli, W2GD for the seat.

In the New England Division, Director Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, will face challenger Tom Frenaye, K1KI, who has previously held the positions of Director and Vice President.

In the Northwestern Division, Director Mark Tharp, KB7HDX, will run against Dan Marler, K7REX, who is currently a Section Manager.

Balloting for contested seats will take place this fall. Votes will be counted, and successful candidates announced, in November. Candidates declared elected will assume their roles for terms beginning January 1, 2025.

ARRL is governed by its Board of Directors. Elections are held for five of the 15 ARRL Divisions each year, for terms of 3 years.

A number of individuals have expressed concerned over the recent IT issues that have prevented them from obtaining renewed ARRL VEC credentials.  ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, addresses those concerns:

Thank you for emailing the ARRL VEC.

ARRL previously reported that we are responding to a serious incident that occurred on May 12, 2024, involving access to our network and headquarters-based systems. Several services have been affected, including those administered by the ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (ARRL VEC).

A comprehensive update on the status of ARRL VEC services is available here.

Please continue to check our website for the most up-to-date information.

We’ve recently had our email access restored and are working our way through more than a thousand emails. 

We thank you in advance for your patience, as we work our way through this unprecedented event.

We will renew your VE status and ship renewal stickers as soon as we have access to our program systems.

Meanwhile, please know that your ARRL VE accreditation is valid, and you are qualified to participate in ARRL VEC exam sessions.

We appreciate your willingness to serve the community.

Sincerely,

Maria Somma, AB1FM
ARRL VEC Manager
ARRL  The National Association for Amateur Radio®
225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111-1494 USA
Phone: 1-888-277-5289 
FAX: 1-860-594-0339
Email:  msomma@arrl.org 
ARRL Web:  www.arrl.org