 March 19, 2024 Editor: Michael Walters, W8ZY | |
Field Day Countdown Field Day is just about 3 months
1. Plan your location with a few questions in mind. a. Will you have public traffic around your site, and are the antennas you will be using mindful of safety? b. Is your site on property that requires supplying an insurance certificate to the owners? Many public sites require this. c. Are you planning to create signs telling the public what you are doing and inviting them to learn more? d. Does the site have adequate parking and access? Remember, Field Day is a 24-hour operation. You don't want to get locked in or out of your location, especially once it's dark. e. Have you reviewed the safety requirements for fueling and grounding your generator? Noise may be an issue if you are on a public site. f. How do you plan to keep the site clean and uncluttered for pictures? 2. Contact the local media to invite them to your site. a. Local newspapers b. Local television networks c. Plan to have someone that can serve as a guide, answer questions, and direct pictures. 3. Operator planning is essential. Create a schedule of operators. a. Think about whether you will operate for the full 24 hours or not. b. Invite new hams to learn by logging and operating. c. Don't forget to think about having relief operators. 4. Consider contacting your local served agencies to demonstrate the capabilities of hams in an emergency. a. Local emergency management b. American Red Cross c. Local police, fire, and ambulance companies d. Other local agencies that may be involved with shelter management Field Day is what you want to make of it. Treat it like a contest and see how many contacts you can make, make it an emergency drill, use it for outreach to the public, or make it a social event for your club and include having fun on the radio. Field Day is all about having fun and showcasing the different aspects of amateur radio. Make your Field Day an event that the club will learn from, and, most importantly, have fun! Find the complete list of Field Day resources at field-day.arrl.org. Celebrating Radio Women on International Women's Day
Great Progress Made during Brief Period in Daleville, Alabama 2024 is looking to be an outstanding year for the Daleville Area Amateur Radio Service (DAARS)! The organization is fairly young, having been founded in 2022, but there has been much progress during that time. DAARS already offers textbooks and mentoring for those preparing to take the amateur radio license exam, VE sessions, ARES training, and more. The organization is active within the community and is constantly looking for ways to improve. DAARS is excited about several upcoming events. The organization will be set up for ARRL Field Day on June 22 from 8 AM to 12 PM Central at Culpepper Park during the Second Annual AMVETS (American veterans) SummerFest, operating as K4D. The club will also be operating a special event station on December 22, in celebration of the Dale County Alabama USA Bicentennial. They'll operate as K4D on 10, 20, 40, and 80 meters via phone and FT8. QSL cards for the event will be sent to all successful contacts. DAARS is proud to partner with other organizations within the community to foster a bright future for amateur radio and the community itself, through service, education, and enrichment. More information can be found at www.Daleville.US. 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. To have your event sanctioned, complete the online application at www.arrl.org/hamfest-convention-application. The ARRL Hamfests and Conventions Calendar can be found online at 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 Find an ARRL Affiliated Club: www.arrl.org/clubs Find your ARRL Section: www.arrl.org/sections Find a license class in your area: www.arrl.org/class Find a license exam in your area: www.arrl.org/exam Find a hamfest or convention: www.arrl.org/hamfests Email ARRL Clubs: clubs@arrl.org | |
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away, and now is the time for your club to plan for the event. Many of the details of this event should not be left to the last minute. With hopes of pointing clubs in the right direction, here are a few tips that may help.
On Friday, March 8, three women from the Ellsworth Amateur Wireless Association -- Joan Hildreth, W1DLC; Barbara MacPike, KC1SSY, and Marion Mason, N3OA -- operated from the Fabbri Picnic Area at Acadia National Park in Maine as part of the Young Ladies Radio League's International Women's Day YL POTA Party. The team made 70 contacts, reaching as far as Poland, Italy, and Germany operating DX, and in the states, reaching Wisconsin, Colorado, Texas, and Florida. They operated with a Yaesu FT-891, 25 W, and a 40-, 20-, and 15-meter end-fed half-wave antenna. The weather, although chilly, was sunny and inspiring for early March. It was a memorable way to honor the achievements of women in amateur radio. #YL_POTA_PARTY
