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ARRL Club News

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

July 18, 2023

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

IN THIS ISSUE

- Field Day Log Submission Deadline
- Florida Ham Joins Field Day in Rhode Island
- Perseverance Pays Off for Two Visually Impaired Hams
- Kansas Hams to Operate Net for National Sunflower Day
- VOTA Update
- Submitting Info for this Newsletter
- How to Plan and Apply for an ARRL Hamfest or Convention
- Important Links

FIELD DAY LOG SUBMISSION DEADLINE

2023 Field Day is in the logs, and now it's time to make sure that all
the logs are submitted and to start planning for next year. To me,
Field Day is one of the best weekends of the year for ham radio. You
have the chance to get out with friends, get on the air, show new hams
what HF is like, and have some great food. It's the celebration of ham
radio that can be enjoyed by everyone. If you have not submitted your
log, entries must be postmarked or submitted via the ARRL web app at field-day.arrl.org/fdentry.php <http://field-day.arrl.org/fdentry.php>
by Tuesday, July 25, 2023.

FLORIDA HAM JOINS FIELD DAY IN RHODE ISLAND

There's not enough time to do all the things we like during our summer vacation. In only 3 weeks, we traveled from Florida to Illinois,
Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. We visited
family and friends, celebrated life events, and

made doctor visits. I also got to see the gang at the Providence
Radio Association (PRA) and operate Field Day with them.

The PRA got permission to use the Masonic Youth Center in Warwick,
Rhode Island, which overlooks Narragansett Bay. The setup was done by
the time I arrived at noon, and it included four trailers, each with
their own quiet generator, radios, and antennas, and computers were
ready to hit the airwaves at 2 PM with call sign W1OP.

After greeting all my buddies and meeting some new members, we had
lunch and chatted about everything under the sun. W1GS and I got going
on 20-meter CW, with him at the key and me on the logging computer.
There was plenty of activity and the QSO rates were adequate, but the
band noise was S-9. We swapped positions after an hour or so, and
things started to slow a bit. Then, we switched to 40-meter CW, where
we had a whole new group of stations to work. It was fun to slowly fill
in the Section map, especially with the new Ontario, Canada,
designations. After a few hours, we finally found a Vermont station.
After that, we made contacts with Colorado, Texas, and Utah.

N1BAQ had the satellite gear ready, but we heard nothing during the
first pass we tried (we found out later that the bird was turned off!).
We did have a 6m station that was active, using 4 elements of a
5-element beam. It seems that the donor of that set-up left the
reflector home! And of course, satellite QSOs on 144/432. It was great
to reunite with my ham buds at the PRA, share our family adventures and successes of our harmonics. The club has grown, attracted young new
hams getting licensed, and after 105 years since establishment and 102
years of continuous ARRL affiliation, The Providence Radio Association
is a proud, active and vibrant club.

By Rick Rosen, K1DS

PERSEVERANCE PAYS OFF FOR TWO VISUALLY IMPAIRED HAMS

"We all acknowledge that it is stressful and taxing on one's brain
cells to complete the test for any level of the ham license. There's a
lot of studying and some memorization in preparation to sit for an hour
in front of the Volunteer Examiners (VEs). You must read each question,
select the correct answer, then fill in the corresponding circle on the
test form.

"But what if you are blind, or partially blind? Do you give up your
dream of becoming a ham? Certainly not! That was the attitude taken by
Jacob Johnson, KN6ZQV, and Ben Weiss, AK6CC, who now have their Amateur Extra-class licenses, when they tested with the Western Placer ARC, in California.

"Jacob completed each element within 3 months; Ben tested to renew his
lapsed Extra credentials.

"With only receiving help from the VEs to fill out their registration
forms, they each successfully completed their exams.

"Yes, it requires a strong desire, an inordinate amount of patience,
and incredible focus. But it can be done. And Jacob and Ben are a
testament to a triumphant outcome."

By Frank Boardman, K1FMB

KANSAS HAMS TO OPERATE NET FOR NATIONAL SUNFLOWER DAY

The Sunflower Linked System, a multimode linked system in Kansas, is
hosting a special event for National Sunflower Day on August 15, with
the call sign W0S, Whiskey Zero Sierra.

Stations are encouraged to check into the Sunflower Net using one of
the connectors listed at www.sunflowernet.us
<http://www.sunflowernet.us>. The connections are available on Allstar, Hamshack Hotline, EchoLink, DMR, D-STAR, Fusion, P25, or M17.

Operators wishing to answer callers as W0S should contact Lloyd
Colston, KC5FM, to reserve a slot for this 1-day event. Operators
wishing to contact W0S should log onto the Sunflower Net during the day (typically from 8 AM to 8 PM) for the event.

The sunflower is the state flower of Kansas, according to Colston, one
of the managers of the Sunflower Linked System. According to https://whatnationaldayisit.com/day/sunflower <https://whatnationaldayisit.com/day/sunflower/>, National Sunflower
Day is August 15.

All are welcome to operate in observance of National Sunflower Day!

By Lloyd Colston, KC5FM

VOTA UPDATE

The ARRL yearlong operating event recognizing volunteers continues to
attract attention online and on the bands. With favorable conditions
and near-record turnouts for operating events, many hams are getting
the chance to contact more and more ARRL volunteers. We encourage you
to take a look at the ARRL Volunteers On the Air (VOTA) website <https://vota.arrl.org/> for the latest schedule and list of volunteer
points. More information is being added as we go. W1AW/ stations are
being activated each month, and this is your chance to contact as many
as possible.

Operators around the country are working the volunteer lists and the
W1AW/ stations each week. This is the Year of The Volunteer, and we
thank each and every ARRL volunteer for their dedication to amateur
radio.

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) 2023 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/>

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