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ARRL Club News

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

March 22, 2022

Editor: Michael Walters, W8ZY <[email protected]>

IN THIS ISSUE

- Spring is in the Air
- Fire Excellence Award in Virginia
- York County ARS Supports Sandblast Rally
- Meeting Resources
- Are You Willing to Help Clubs?
- Submitting Info for this Newsletter
- How to Plan and Apply for an ARRL Hamfest or Convention
- Important Links

SPRING IS IN THE AIR

Spring is in the air and on the air for all of us with the ham radio
bug. That means that hamfests are happening and for the first time in a
couple of years, hams are starting to come out and meet others. Like
Rip Van Winkle, many feel like they are waking from a long nap. The
idea that we can meet people in person seems so foreign. It's important
to follow health guidelines and you must do only what is safe for you.
If you can, get out and participate in a hamfest. I know that I love to
browse a good flea market. Public service events are happening, and
there is always the opportunity to activate a park or a mountain top.

The fun of amateur radio, at least to me, is the idea that I can get
with a few of my friends and go out on a Saturday morning and work from
a spot that we have not worked from before. Before Covid-19 there were
a couple of Dunkin Donuts-fueled excursions that allowed me to use my
FT-817 and a portable antenna. I want to do that again and I might
soon. I consider myself lucky because I work in a job that revolves
around ham radio. Of course, it is still a job, but I tend to talk and
think about the many aspects of the hobby most of the day. Right now, I
am working on a small, portable digital rig to go with my QRP radio.
The smaller the better, as long as it's still be functional for a guy
that wears bifocals. It is never too soon to start planning for Field
Day. Is your club doing Field Day in the field this year? This has
always been my favorite weekend of the year. I want to work many of you
on the air and help you get Connecticut in your log. Get out and have
some fun!

FIRE EXCELLENCE AWARD IN VIRGINIA

On February 23rd, 2022, at the Virginia Fire and Rescue Conference, the Chesapeake Amateur Radio Service (CARS) club received the Civilian
Excellence in Virginia Fire Service Support award. The club was
nominated for the award by Fire Chief Ed Elliott. In his nomination
letter, the Chief said, "I cannot nominate a more deserving group of
people than our Chesapeake Amateur Radio Service team for this award.
While their members are not affiliated with the fire service, the
critical service they provide greatly enhances the capability of both
the fire and police departments should normal communication systems be
disabled due to a severe weather event." Virginia Governor Glenn
Youngkin also recognized the CARS radio amateurs in his by stating in
his press release, "They are a group of highly skilled,
community-minded volunteers working diligently to help protect the
citizens of Virginia from the devastating effects of environmental
disasters." The amateur radio operators of CARS have been associated
with the City of Chesapeake for over 25 years. They started with only a
small table in a firehouse and grew to a small office about the size of
a closet. Today, the club occupies a separate room in the EOC and
trains new EmComm operators by participating in communications drills.

The amateur radio station operates from a 200-foot tower at the rear of
the facility. A communication building at the base of the tower
contains two software-defined radios, an HF amplifier, and VHF/UHF transverters. An Ethernet link to the radio room in the EOC gives the
operators a facility close to the activity of the EOC, while operating
the station remotely. This station also gives the City of Chesapeake
the ability to support communications with local evacuation shelters
and the Richmond Department of Emergency Management. All amateur radio
modes are provided on all the bands, with an emphasis on digital
Winlink communications. Every Wednesday and Thursday, the amateur radio operators participate in Winlink electronic email communications over
the HF and UHF bands. The station also provides relay services for
local Winlink email messages, when not being used for other functions.
In addition to supporting the City of Chesapeake EOC, the CARS club
owns and maintains VHF repeaters in the Greenbrier section of the city
(146.820 MHz and 444.000 MHz) and a city owned amateur repeater system
in the Bower's section of Chesapeake (146.610 MHz). The club supports
local youth interested in Amateur Radio by operating the K4AMG VHF
repeater (145.150 MHz) at Great Bridge High School in the Great Bridge
section of Chesapeake.

YORK COUNTY ARS SUPPORTS SANDBLAST RALLY

The 2022 Sandblast Rally wrapped up with a lot of ham radio support for
the March 5 event, held outside of Cheraw, South Carolina, with the
central rally point of Patrick. Many Ham operators were there to help
provide coverage of the large area of off-road rally courses in the
Sand Hills of South Carolina. The nine stages of the rally are spread
out across 50 square miles, sharing three linked repeaters on the
PALSNet (Palmetto Amateur Linked System Network) to help cover the area
of the Sandhills State Forest. This forested rally used ham operators
from around the state, with other ham operators traveling from outside
the state, to be able to connect the rally courses to the central Net
Control in Patrick. Mary Hunt, N4MH, and her husband Tom, KA3VVJ, were
our net control operators for the day; and kept order among the 55
amateur radio operators from around the southeast who volunteered
12-hours of their day for this event. We were all there to provide the necessary safety functions like blocking roads and limiting access to
the rally course, monitoring any safety concerns with the track,
keeping up with rally cars and motorcycles as they passed should we
lose one, and ensuring spectators were safely out of the way and
enjoying the event. Communicating any safety concerns is key in any
event and is critical for ones that are as spread out as Sandblast
Rally.

It all started with our two pre-race online meetings earlier in the
week. The first one just for radio operators and the second one was for
all volunteers including radio operators. Then on Friday, March 4, we
had a registration where volunteers signed in and confirmed their
involvement. Saturday morning starts early (6:20 AM) for report time
out to the course. Once there, you get ready by setting up your
roadblock to ensure no one passes by you to get on the course. You hold
your spot until you are released from your position from net control,
or the Rally Officials, and the course is back to public use again. We
came as a group from the York County Amateur Radio Society (YCARS) and providing eight hams to support Sandblast. It allowed us an opportunity
to meet the night before and eat and laugh and discuss the plans for
those who were new to the rally. I can say we were all excited and
ready Saturday morning.

This year was full of exciting moments during the day. We had one of
our course cars called the "Zero" Car (a car that makes a pre-run of
the track before racers) have a wreck, and roll over. All were ok, and
the Heavy Sweep truck was able to come to get it off the course before
that stage started. Then we had another competitor's car catch fire on
a different stage, causing some excitement for the team, for the rally sponsors, and the other competitors who were trying to get past it. The
car was a total loss, but the driver and navigator got out safely and
were okay. Of course, we are there for spectators too, should anyone
need assistance and make sure they are watching are safe and out of
harm's way.

Without those hams communicating in this remote area with limited (or
no) cell service at given points, it would have made this event
impossible to operate. With the knowledge and understanding of ham
radio operators, we can assist the rally sponsors in pulling off an
event that was safe and fun for all in attendance. The experience we
get from being part of this event leaves us with an understanding of
the complexity of a rally. Better yet we gain of memories of old
friends reunited and new friends made, plus the fun of watching a live
race. And maybe some dust eating is in the mix as the racers pass us
by, traveling up to 80 mph. Any way you look at it, it was a beautiful
day hanging out in nature, as racers came flying by while we played
radio.

MEETING RESOURCES

Anyone that has been involved with a club knows that it is a challenge
coming up with meeting materials and presentations. Club meetings
should be more than just listening to the repeater and treasurer
reports. Here at ARRL Headquarters, we get requests all the time to
speak at meetings. Unfortunately, there are only so many of us and
resources are thin. However, we can offer clubs the ARRL Learning
Center as a resource. There you will find a list of presentations on a
variety of topics. The recordings can be used at a club meeting, even a
virtual meeting. Most have a contact for additional information, and
they are all. The only requirement is that whoever logs into the
Learning Center must be an ARRL member. Their ARRL website credentials
will get them in. Check it out and try it for a meeting. The address is https://learn.arrl.org. Most of the content in the webinars section is
the perfect length for a club meeting. You will also find training
programs and educational materials for the member and the club.

ARE YOU WILLING TO HELP CLUBS?

You may have heard of the ARRL Foundation Club Grants Program. More
information is coming on that, but one part of the program that you may
not have heard about, is a new project to provide help to clubs who are
seeking grants. This is is being launched along with the grants
program. It entails two distinct types of club mentors.

The first is the Club Grants Coach.

This is a person that can collaborate with a club to help them create
or refine a grant application. As grant applications come in there will
be some that need assistance with the process. This person should be
able to work with a club to help visualize and present their ideas for
a grant. They will not be responsible for writing the applications, but
they will be helping the clubs get organized and through the
application process. Grants Coaches will start work after the first
round of applications.

The second is a Club Mentor.

This person will work with a club that may be struggling to survive,
helping them reorganize or structure programs to help the club grow.
Some clubs are on virtual life support and can benefit from a Mentor to
help them develop new outlooks and ideas and execute a rebuilding
program for their club.

Both positions will receive training in the processes that they will
need to do the jobs and will be supported by the Field Services Team at
ARRL. The expected formation of these positions is planned for over the
course of the next several months as the grants program develop. If you
are interested in either of these volunteer roles, please let me know
at [email protected]. I am starting a list for future teams.

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 does 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 [email protected]. We like to get them as text or Word files,
instead of "PDFs." If you have pictures, please submit them with any
caption information, as well as the name and call sign of the
photographer. We want to highlight the good work by the clubs and show
others in the community of clubs. 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 an ARRL sanctioned
status for your 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 apply for ARRL-sanctioned status for your event, log on to 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: [email protected]

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 as described at http://www.arrl.org/club-news.

Copyright (c) 2022 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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