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ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter
November 2017
The Differences Between ARRL Hamfests and Conventions
by Rod Blocksome, K0DAS
Over my 57-years of ham radio I've enjoyed attending and hosting a large number of hamfests
and ARRL conventions. These events have ranged from hosting the ARRL National Convention
in 1982 to small local "junk in the trunk" affairs. We call the latter "The No Hamfest" - No
admission or table fees, no prizes, no forums, no VE tests, just 2 hours of fun then adjournment to
the local coffee & donuts house. The activities, programs, and events vary widely - depending
upon the type of the event. There are really four "classes" of these events:
Hamfests
ARRL State and Section Conventions
ARRL Division Conventions
ARRL National Convention
I'd like to take this opportunity to elaborate on each and offer my opinion on what constitutes the
differences between each. Perhaps this will help those in the division contemplating hosting one
of these events.
Hamfests: Any club or individual may organize and hold a hamfest which may or may not be
sanctioned by ARRL. If they choose to apply for an ARRL sanctioned hamfest, such an
application is processed by ARRL HQ and then forwarded to the ARRL division director for
approval. Once approved, the hamfest is obligated to include ARRL in its advertising and provide
an ARRL booth/table free of charge if requested. In return, ARRL HQ will list the hamfest in QST
and the web site, provide handout literature, and gift certificates for door prizes.
The typical hamfest in the Midwest centers around a flea market and commercial venders.
Activities sometimes include a VE test session and perhaps a few forums depending upon
facilities available. A door prize drawing occurs at the end of festivities usually around mid-day.
Hamfest attendees are typically from within a 2 to 3-hour drive of the hamfest.
ARRL State and Section Conventions: In the Midwest Division the states and sections are the
same entity but ARRL policy still provides for both in the same year. In other words, there can be
both an ARRL Kansas State Convention and an ARRL Kansas Section Convention. Now a state
or section convention implies something more than just a hamfest.
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter— Nov. 2017 p. 2
Besides the hamfest items mentioned above, the convention should strive to attract attendance
from the entire state/section. It should always have several forums and accommodate
meetings of state-wide groups such as repeater councils, ARES leadership, etc. There should
always be an ARRL forum hosted by the ARRL Section Manager. Forums and presentations
should cover a significant variety of topics and include a session for newly licensed hams and
those interested in becoming hams.
Since the convention tries to draw from the whole section, many attendees would be driving
longer distances thus arriving the day before. Therefore the host club should attempt to
negotiate discounted hotel rooms in return for advertising. Along this same line, an organized
evening meal (or banquet) the evening before is appropriate for this type of convention. An
after dinner speaker should be included. An approved ARRL convention may invite someone
from League HQ to speak at the hamfest free of charge.
ARRL Division Convention: This is the big one and requires significant work and dedication.
In the Midwest we have attempted to hold one every two years. As the name implies, this
convention should draw attendees from the whole division (Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and
Iowa). It therefore needs to be organized as a two-day affair with all the activities, forums, and
events the hosts and facility can muster. There should always be a banquet with after dinner
award recognitions and a keynote speaker. The ARRL forum is hosted by the division director
with the vice-director and the four section managers in attendance if possible.
An established, "named" hamfest who elects to step up to host a division or state/section
convention must name the event as the appropriate convention e.g. "The ARRL Midwest
Division Convention". If the group desires to include their hamfest name, then the event shall
be titled as "The ARRL Midwest Division Convention and Summerfest" - NOT "Summerfest and
the Midwest ARRL Convention". The event name, approved by ARRL, must be used in all
advertising of the event.
ARRL National Convention: The ARRL National Convention is typically held every two years.
Applications to host this convention must be well prepared and include detailed plans on every
aspect. The application must be approved by the ARRL board of directors and may require a
year of work between approval and the convention. Your division director would have to be
your "champion" in presenting a proposal to the ARRL board of directors. Significant amounts
of time, talent, and funds are required of the hosting organization.
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter— Nov. 2017 p. 3
Some notes & ideas for State/Section and Division Conventions:
The event must be "branded" first with "ARRL" for example "ARRL Missouri State
Convention and Kirkwood Hamfest". This conveys that the traditional "Kirkwood Hamfest"
is now something more - for this year/event.
ARRL approved events are entitled to reduced rates for QST advertising (listing in the
Hamfest/Conventions column is free).
Invite ARRL HQ person to attend and present at no cost to the event hosts.
A well crafted and current web site for the event is necessary for a successful event.
Discounted table/booth fee for clubs & organizations (no hardware sales).
Consignment table (sell items for a percent commission).
On-call golf cart transport of "boat anchor" purchases to vehicle (think Uber).
Specifically invite similar interest groups e.g. Maker groups, Scouts, school science clubs.
On-site quality food vendors.
Some activity ideas to consider:
o Kit Building class & presentation
o New Ham "Elmer" Session(s)
o Special Event Station (new or classic equipment?)
o Fox Hunt with prizes
o Balloon Launch
o Demonstrations of equipment & specialty modes
o Satellite Station/Demo
o Wouff Hong Initiation (conventions only)
o QSL Card Checking
o VE Testing
o One-Day Technician Class
o QSL Card display - judging with prizes
o Left-foot CW sending contest
o Antique/classic equipment display/demo
o HT and/or mobile VHF field strength measurement
o Homebrew project display with awards
As you can imagine, there is a wide range of work required for these events. But it's a rewarding
aspect of the hobby. The bigger events require tight organization and perhaps cooperation of two
or more clubs in order to reasonably spread the work and financial commitments. Let me hear
your comments, suggestions, and questions on this subject.
73's,
Rod Blocksome, K0DAS
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter— Nov. 2017 p. 4
WØTT Visits Hams in Okinawa and Vietnam
by Eric Zust, WØTT - Assistant Midwest Division Director
I recently completed a vacation trip to Japan, Okinawa, Vietnam and Cambodia. And as always
during my foreign travel, it is high on my list to contact and meet with local Hams.
In Okinawa, we stayed with my niece who lives on-base
at Kadena AB with her USAF pilot husband. And we
contacted Army MARS station ADB located at nearby
Camp Foster, which serves the many US military
personnel in Okinawa. This station is managed by Koji
Shimabukuro (JS6QFM/KJ6TCJ) who is a civilian USMC
employee, and the station is permanently manned
because of the pervasive threat of weather damage from
tropical Typhoons.
Koji speaks excellent English and he was nice enough to
give me a complete tour of their station.
They have a very nice set-up with a MARS style log-periodic on a tall tower, and a ham-band
tribander on a second tower. There are also various wire antennas, and a separate 15 meter
monobander on a push-up pole. This monobander has an “Armstrong” rotor (it is rotated by
hand), and Koji explains it is their “last ditch” antenna in case others are damaged by weather.
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter— Nov. 2017 p. 5
Inside the shack, there are two fully equipped Ham stations, along with various military
communication systems. And their MARS station (call sign ADB) routinely participates in military
communication exercises, including the annual Armed Forces Day cross band exercise with
designated Ham Stations. Reference: http://www.arrl.org/news/armed-forces-day-crossband-
military-amateur-radio-communications-test-is-may-13
During my visit, two enlisted Marines stopped at the station to deliver supplies. And I was
immediately envious of Koji’s ability to obtain equipment and materials, along with maintenance
help from the Marines stationed at Camp Foster. An excellent method of scheduling “antenna
parties” to keep their station in top shape!
While in Okinawa, I was also able to visit
Steve Fabricant - JS6TMW/AI6KX at his
QTH in Naha City. Like most Hams in
Okinawa, Steve has a nice location with
saltwater on three sides, but he explains
that many Hams in Okinawa are not
DX’ers because of the difficulty in using
large antenna arrays in this weather
environment. Instead, the local Hams
enjoy higher frequency operation, and
fellowship with other hams. Steve also
mentioned that the Ham population is
somewhat transient, with US servicemen
regularly being deployed in and out of the Okinawa military bases. Steve has a nice upper floor
ham shack with views overlooking ocean on the east and west sides of the island.
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter— Nov. 2017 p. 6
Steve also has a lower
floor workshop with test
equipment and
supplies for kit building
and equipment
maintenance. He has
a rooftop antenna farm,
consisting of a Hex
Beam, vertical and
delta loop, and he
experiments with other
antennas and homebrew projects. His rooftop includes two
large solar panels capable of powering his station and other
household electrical demands, in case of local outages.
Steve is an American expat married to a Japanese lady and has been living in Okinawa for the
past 10 years. He speaks Japanese, which was very helpful to me in hailing a cab for transport
back to Kadena AB. If left on my own, never would have found my way!
The next stop on our long journey was Ho Chi Minh City (previously Saigon) Vietnam. Before
traveling, I attempted to reach Ai - XV2A by E-mail to try to arrange a visit. Ai lives in Saigon
and he is the licensing authority for
foreign hams wishing to operate in
Vietnam. But I did not receive
responses to any of my E-mails, so I
wasn’t hopeful of being able to contact
him. (It turns out that I had bad E-mail
addresses for him).
So my last try to reach him was a
phone call from the front desk of the
Grand Saigon Hotel, and fortunately
he answered the phone. And I was
invited to visit his QTH the following
morning!
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter— Nov. 2017 p. 7
Ai lives in a three story home in a row of attached houses, with antennas barely visible from the
street. I had some trouble finding him, I showed his address to the cab driver, and the driver had
to show me which doorbell to ring. Ai answered, and we had a nice visit in his beautiful French
provincial style living room.
We soon retired to his third-floor shack. Ai
has a full capability shack with lots of
wallpaper for awards, previous DX-peditions
and honors from other operators joining him.
He is especially close to a number of
Australian hams who have provided him
various pieces of equipment.
His antennas are a tri-band beam and wires
on the roof of the row of buildings. His QTH
is located in the “District 1” central urban area
of Saigon, so I wondered if he might have
noise problems from nearby power lines or
electronic equipment sources.
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter— Nov. 2017 p. 8
After he showed me his station and equipment, Ai asked if I wanted to operate his station. It took
me just milliseconds to answer “Vâng” (Yes in Vietnamese), and we set-up on 20 meter phone to
work some QSOs in the All Asia
contest.
I first replied to a UA9 calling CQ,
and he thanked me for the new
multiplier in the contest. I then
tuned off and began calling CQ,
and quickly worked 7 additional
stations (2 Russia, 2 Japan,
2 Thailand and 1 China). His
received signals were clean and I
did not notice any noise issues.
This was really a blast, and I
would have enjoyed staying much
longer.
Ai was previously an Electrical Engineering professor and the Director of Communications in
Hanoi. Then after the war years, he moved to Saigon where he now lives with his XYL and
granddaughter, and he administratively handles foreign licensing.
After leaving Saigon we took a Mekong River cruise to Cambodia. Although we spend multiple
days in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap Cambodia, I was not able to contact any Ham radio
operators, or to see any obvious ham antennas. But after returning and discussing my trip with
Midwest Director Rod - KØDAS, he told me about a friend who had just established a radio club
in Phnom Penh. So if I’m ever lucky enough to return to that part of the world, I will have new
Hams to contact and hopefully visit in their home QTH’s.
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter— Nov. 2017 p. 9
Amateur Radio Growth
By Tim Busch, N0CKR - Assistant Midwest Division Director This month I’d like to share some data with you to show you where we stand, numbers-wise, and provide a baseline for our growth goals. Here are some recent data points and my observations on them:
Over the past year the Technician class has increased at an average rate of 19/day.
This is a good thing! Our future Generals and Extras will come from these Techs.
The Novice class has decreased at an average rate of 3/day. To be expected with no new Novices being generated.
The General class has increased at an average rate of 7/day.
This shows that the new Techs ARE upgrading!
The Advanced class has decreased at an average rate of 8/day. Like the Novices, this is no surprise, since there are no new Advanced licenses.
The Extra class has increased at an average rate of 7/day.
The Techs and Generals are definitely upgrading.
Club Stations have increased at an average rate of <1/day. This is a bit concerning, because clubs keep hams active. We need to think about how to increase the number of clubs and the activity level of our clubs.
Another item for consideration is that membership in ARRL is running about 25% vs. England’s 50% participation in RSGB. I’d like to hear your thoughts on why people join ARRL and how we can increase membership in ARRL. I compiled the attached table from the FCC database as published by ARRL as of October 28, 2017 with a few additional data points from other sources. The table shows the population of hams in each state along with the states’ populations and how each state ranks in Total Hams, each license class, Clubs, and New Hams. Here are few of my observations on the data: If you use the total state population as the base for comparison against the state’s ham population:
Comparing against the state’s population, you can tell if your state is “above or below” the state’s rank for any of the other numbers, for example for the Midwest Division Sections:
o Missouri is 18th in state population and pretty consistently about 18th in the other areas.
o Iowa is 30th in state population, but is lower in the other areas. In other words, my home state has work to do to pull our weight!
o Kansas is 35th in state population, but is better in the other areas. Congrats Kansas!
o Nebraska is 37th in state population, but like Iowa, is behind in the other areas.
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter— Nov. 2017 p. 10
We’ve gained 25, 689 new hams since January 1, 2017. That’s a 3.44% increase nationwide. Since we’re measuring three fourths of the year, let’s call it a 4.5% tentative annual growth rate.
Within the Midwest Division, we gained 969 new hams since January 1. That’s a 2.97% increase, about a 4% annual growth rate.
Knowing the data we have today we can start to set some goals for 2018. Of course, goals can be whatever we want them to be. I suggest setting aggressive goals, and then try to determine how best to meet those goals. Even if we don’t hit the targets, we’ll do a respectable job of growing the hobby. So let’s take a stab at some goals:
For 2018, the Midwest Divison will grow by 8%. Based on the numbers we know now (plus a little extrapolation), each section will have the following goals:
o Missouri should finish the year with 15,326 hams. Growing 8% should add 1,226 new hams.
o Iowa should finish the year with 6424 hams. Growing 8% should add 514 new hams.
o Kansas should finish the year with 7443 hams. Growing 8% should add 595 new hams.
o Nebraska should finish the year with 3782 hams. Growing 8% should add 303 new hams.
Another angle to consider is how our states compare with others outside the Midwest Division. For example:
o Missouri needs just 52 new hams to pass Indiana in total hams. o Iowa needs just 115 new hams to pass West Virginia in total hams. o Kansas needs 218 new hams to pass Connecticut in total hams. o Nebraska needs 118 new hams to pass Montana in total hams.
Of course, the others states won’t be standing still while we try to catch them, but you get the idea. You can do the same thing with Techs, Generals, Extras, and Clubs to challenge yourselves with growth targets. Please don’t take those as mandates, but suggestions among your Sections that you might think about in terms of what is possible, practical, and what you want to do. None of these numbers take attrition into account, which is always an issue, but difficult to predict. If you would like the Excel file I used so you can play with the numbers, feel free to send me an email request and I will be happy to email it to you. The purpose of today’s look at data was to get you thinking about goals. Next month, we’ll take a look at HOW to meet your goals. If you have ideas or programs you use to grow your ham population and want to share, please send me an email and I will be happy to pass them along. 73, Tim, NØCKR
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter— Nov. 2017 p. 11
State Nov. Tech Gen. Adv. Extra Total2017 State
Pop.
State
Rank
Tech
Rank
Gen
Rank
Extra
Rank
Total
Ham
Rank
New
Hams in
2017
New
Ham
Rank
New
Hams
%
ClubsClub
Rank
CA 1,194 63,613 20,041 4,699 15,606 105,153 39,849,872 1 1 1 1 1 4197 1 3.99% 1601 1
TX 436 26,796 11,869 2,983 10,243 52,327 28,449,186 2 2 2 2 2 1886 2 3.60% 766 2
FL 669 17,450 11,197 3,236 9,112 41,664 21,002,678 3 4 3 3 3 1218 4 2.92% 606 3
NY 623 12,551 6,696 1,741 5,885 27,496 19,889,657 4 6 6 5 6 843 6 3.07% 552 4
PA 403 10,682 5,858 1,627 5,256 23,826 12,819,975 5 8 7 7 7 787 10 3.30% 453 6
IL 352 8,841 5,185 1,312 4,295 19,985 12,815,607 6 16 8 11 11 571 17 2.86% 374 9
OH 473 12,912 7,007 1,675 5,900 27,967 11,646,273 7 5 5 4 5 742 11 2.65% 520 5
GA 173 8,991 4,561 1,116 3,719 18,560 10,450,316 8 13 12 14 14 644 14 3.47% 353 10
NC 216 9,398 5,136 1,301 4,544 20,595 10,247,632 9 12 9 8 9 679 12 3.30% 331 12
MI 270 9,909 5,020 1,251 4,409 20,859 9,935,116 10 11 10 10 8 641 15 3.07% 382 8
NJ 294 6,319 3,251 958 2,964 13,786 8,996,351 11 20 20 19 20 440 20 3.19% 292 15
VA 251 8,953 4,852 1,211 4,494 19,761 8,492,783 12 14 11 9 12 640 16 3.24% 306 14
WA 286 18,041 7,523 1,520 5,354 32,724 7,384,721 13 3 4 6 4 1469 3 4.49% 453 7
AZ 158 10,158 4,449 1,216 4,049 20,030 7,026,629 14 9 14 12 10 819 8 4.09% 247 19
MA 242 5,765 3,374 871 3,145 13,397 6,873,018 15 21 19 17 21 444 19 3.31% 272 16
TN 172 8,563 4,402 1,059 3,770 17,966 6,705,339 16 17 15 13 15 661 13 3.68% 252 18
IN 244 7,209 3,808 925 3,035 15,221 6,663,280 17 19 17 18 18 389 21 2.56% 308 13
MO 146 7,695 3,565 829 2,934 15,169 6,123,362 18 18 18 20 19 472 18 3.11% 269 17
MD 162 4,872 2,724 736 2,604 11,098 6,068,511 19 27 24 22 25 357 23 3.22% 189 24
WI 130 4,971 2,929 744 2,360 11,134 5,795,147 20 26 22 24 24 326 24 2.93% 206 21
CO 142 8,929 3,830 902 3,302 17,105 5,658,546 21 15 16 15 16 829 7 4.85% 192 23
MN 160 5,494 2,795 747 2,372 11,568 5,554,532 22 23 23 23 23 278 29 2.40% 181 25
SC 90 4,583 2,345 562 2,028 9,608 5,030,118 23 29 26 25 27 280 28 2.91% 151 29
AL 101 5,685 2,942 665 2,627 12,020 4,884,115 24 22 21 21 22 320 25 2.66% 237 20
LA 82 2,822 1,612 443 1,318 6,277 4,714,192 25 36 34 34 37 225 33 3.58% 168 27
KY 114 4,585 2,255 509 1,839 9,302 4,450,042 26 28 27 27 28 238 32 2.56% 146 30
OR 152 10,103 4,472 868 3,160 18,755 4,144,527 27 10 13 16 13 998 5 5.32% 347 11
OK 71 5,073 2,254 515 1,881 9,794 3,974,794 28 24 28 26 26 297 26 3.03% 169 26
CT 174 3,344 1,929 510 1,640 7,597 3,583,134 29 35 29 29 32 238 31 3.13% 197 22
IA 94 2,756 1,557 500 1,443 6,350 3,152,735 30 37 35 31 36 221 34 3.48% 123 35
UT 67 11,912 2,667 357 1,835 16,838 3,098,761 31 7 25 28 17 789 9 4.69% 116 36
AR 57 4,264 1,739 413 1,494 7,967 3,000,942 32 30 32 30 30 255 30 3.20% 128 34
NV 51 4,139 1,700 389 1,377 7,656 2,995,973 33 31 33 33 31 294 27 3.84% 114 37
MS 30 2,587 1,355 307 1,175 5,454 2,990,113 34 38 38 39 38 137 40 2.51% 131 33
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter— Nov. 2017 p. 12
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EZNEC Antenna Software Training Session
Presented by John Frederick, N8GOU - Assistant Director Midwest Division Long gone are the days when amateur radio operators built the equipment in their stations, well
there are few still left that do I am sure. The one area of amateur radio that remains a bastion of
home brewing; is antenna construction. Roy Lewallen, W7EL, has developed and distributes
EZNEC Antenna Software you can use to model antennas before you hang them in the trees.
On the 16th of December 2017 John Frederick, N8GOU, will conduct a 4-hour hands on training
session on the Basics of Using EZNEC Software. The session will be broken into these topic
areas; general navigation, modeling a simple dipole, modeling a loop, modifications of an existing
EZNEC file, creating SWR plots, and finally creating far field plots. After attending you should be
able to use the software and begin to explore the more complicated uses of it.
This session is not an antenna theory course, you will need to understand antenna basics to get
the most from this session. Understanding the antenna theory presented in the General Class
Amateur Radio License Study Guides would be adequate; you do not need a general class
license to attend.
State Nov. Tech Gen. Adv. Extra Total2017 State
Pop.
State
Rank
Tech
Rank
Gen
Rank
Extra
Rank
Total
Ham
Rank
New
Hams in
2017
New
Ham
Rank
New
Hams
%
ClubsClub
Rank
KS 97 3,594 1,895 402 1,391 7,379 2,929,909 35 32 30 32 33 192 35 2.60% 159 28
NM 43 3,589 1,391 348 1,257 6,628 2,084,193 36 33 36 36 34 185 36 2.79% 134 32
NE 50 1,755 946 293 710 3,754 1,922,610 37 44 42 42 43 84 44 2.24% 76 41
WV 67 3,568 1,351 276 1,203 6,465 1,834,882 38 34 39 38 35 165 38 2.55% 82 39
ID 41 5,018 1,851 282 1,241 8,433 1,695,178 39 25 31 37 29 379 22 4.49% 77 40
HI 44 2,169 816 182 707 3,918 1,454,295 40 40 44 43 41 180 37 4.59% 134 31
NH 64 2,372 1,358 307 1,312 5,413 1,335,832 41 39 37 35 39 120 43 2.22% 109 38
ME 52 1,953 1,213 279 1,021 4,518 1,327,472 42 41 40 40 40 121 42 2.68% 70 43
RI 34 849 461 127 432 1,903 1,059,080 43 47 48 46 47 66 47 3.47% 66 44
MT 40 1,944 972 205 711 3,872 1,052,343 44 42 41 41 42 135 41 3.49% 62 45
DE 23 775 450 101 356 1,705 965,866 45 49 49 49 49 37 50 2.17% 42 48
SD 23 766 514 135 431 1,869 868,799 46 50 47 47 48 71 46 3.80% 34 50
ND 19 788 395 88 268 1,558 790,701 47 48 50 50 50 46 49 2.95% 51 47
AK 25 1,837 909 195 608 3,574 741,204 48 43 43 44 44 146 39 4.09% 75 42
VT 19 942 528 128 462 2,079 624,592 49 45 46 45 45 56 48 2.69% 60 46
WY 18 920 535 124 393 1,990 589,713 50 46 45 48 46 82 45 4.12% 39 49
TOTAL 9,192 375,651 173,714 42,493 144,684 745,734 325,744,646 25,689 3.44% 12,402
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter— Nov. 2017 p. 13
Session Details:
Date: Saturday, 16 December 2017
Time: 9:00 a.m. till 1:00 p.m.
Where: Mercy Hospital Joplin, Conference Room #1, 4720 Indiana Avenue, Joplin,
Missouri
Attendance: Limited to the first 20 registrants, you must pre-register there will be no walk-ins
allowed
Registration: Send your name and callsign to [email protected]
Charge: None, Zero, NADA; this event has been graciously supported by the Joplin
Amateur Radio Club and Mercy Hospital Joplin. In addition, sponsored by the
American Radio Relay League Midwest Division.
You will need to bring a laptop computer, please ensure it has a large enough monitor for you to
use. The software has screens with some small print, and meets the requirements listed below.
You will be provided a copy of EZNEC 6.0 DEMO which can be upgraded to the full version by
purchasing a license from W7EL.
System Requirements, all program types: Windows XP(SP3)*, Windows Vista(SP2)*, Windows
7(SP1) or later Windows operating system, 32 or 64 bit. Mouse or other pointing device required.
* Intel CPU is required on XP and Vista systems but not on Windows 7 and later.
Instructor Bio:
I was licensed, N8GOU, in 1985 as a technician class amateur radio operator. Subsequently upgrading to advanced class in 1987 and extra class in 1992. I currently hold a Senior Control Engineer position at TAMKO Building Products located in Joplin Missouri. Prior to my current position I held engineering level positions at the St. Bernard Soap Co., Reliable Castings Corp, TSS Technologies Incorporated, Keystone General Incorporated, and the R.L. Drake Company all located in or near Cincinnati, Ohio. In addition to these positions I am a retired Sr. Master Sargent from the U.S. Air Force. My military career started in the U.S. Army working on radars and electronic warfare training equipment used in the HAWK Air Defense Missile System. Later joining the U.S. Air Force Reserve, I spent 23 years as an Air Base Emergency Manager or Civil Engineering Readiness Superintendent. During my tenure in the U.S. Air Force I received instructor certification; then developed and conducted hundreds of training classes for enlisted and command staff personnel pertaining to NBC defense and emergency management activities. I served as the Air Base Emergency Manager for Seeb North AB, Oman during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Disclaimer: Roy Lewallen, W7EL, has graciously given permission to use his name and the registered trademark EZNEC® in the description of this training. That permission in no way constitutes an endorsement of the training session. The material is presented as an information exchange between amateur radio operators.
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter—Nov. 2017 p. 14
Foxhunt - Chilly Success !
by Richard Johnson, K0RCJ - Assistant Director Midwest Division
The first South East Kansas ARC Foxhunt was a chilly success! The coldest morning of the fall
but we still had over 10 hams and XYL's out hunting that pesky fox. We started the morning with
breakfast and coffee at Hardee's while planning the hunt.
The location was Lincoln Park in Pittsburg KS. We had a great turnout for a chilly Saturday in
October. Hams there were Joe WØMQY, Matt KØVLL, John ADØKA, Loren KDØRTX, Jeff
KAØEGE, Tyler KBØPQP and his wife Meg, Steve N5SD, Jim ADØOD, Bill WBØLXZ and
Keanan (passed Tech/Gen waiting on call).
The previous post here had instructions for two antennas, the video was for a 2 meter beam and
the photo was for a 70cm version. Several members had built the 2m version and those seemed
to work really well! Steve N5SD had a vintage version of a foxhunt antenna which was interesting.
John ADØKA had a homebrew as well with attenuator and other pieces.
Bill WBØLXZ built a 70cm beacon operating from a solar panel that he planted the night before
and that one proved to be challenging to find but it did get found. One of the challenges with that
one was that the frequency was published at 433.92 but with some solar power limitations it
drifted down to about 433.6.
The 2m beacon supplied by John ADØKA was placed before arrival of the bunch in a small maple
tree in the park. While some were drifting a hundred feet or so off course it was found within about
30 minutes which took longer than I had expected.
SEKARC had talked about doing this for a few years now and we finally did. This was our first try
so kind of a trial run, but the spring hunt WILL include prizes and winners!! We learned some
things (I learned not to forget all of my coax) and we will for sure plan another in the spring when
warmer weather returns! Thanks to all that participated. I think the first Foxhunt by SEKARC was
a CHILLY success!
Check out the club's web site for photos of the fox hunt at:
http://www.sekarc.net/2017/10/foxhunt-chilly-success.html
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter— Nov. 2017 p.15
Around the Midwest Division - Here and There -
VHF in the Midwest Division
by Jon Jones, N0JK - Assistant Midwest Division Director
There was considerable sporadic-E for October on 6 meters. I noted Es on Oct. 13 - 17 and the
26th. I logged KM4SEG in EL88 on 6 meters Oct. 15 while running just my old ZMFJ-9406 10W
and a mag. mount 1/4 wave whip.
On the 16th there was Es - TEP link. I heard LU5FF and CE2AWW.
Some tropo occurred Oct 20 - 21. K5SW in Oklahoma worked Georgia on 2M. I logged N4OGW
EM53 MS and KE8FD EM64 AL on 2M tropo Oct. 20.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Southeast Iowa Hamfest
Lelia Garner, WA0UIG, Iowa Section Traffic Manager, is very active in ARES.
She stopped to chat with K0DAS and Iowa Section Manager Bob McCaffrey, K0CY
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter— Nov. 2017 p. 16
Midwest Division Special Event Stations
11/10/2017 | 50th Anniversary of America's First Vietnam Veteran Memorial
Nov 10-Nov 12, 0000Z-1800Z, W0W, Wentzville, MO. Wade Grimes & Larry Scantlan. 17.150
14.260 7.240 3.850. Certificate & QSL. Wade Grimes, 303 David St, Elsberry, MO 63343. All
certificate and QSLrequests via K0MHP and/or KE0KZ per addresses shown on respective
QRZ.com profiles. o cover postage, please include $3 for certificate, and $1 for QSL. Information
regarding this special event can be found on Facebook by entering 50th Anniversary of America's
First Vietnam War Memorial in the search area or by going to
https://www.facebook.com/W0Whamradio
11/11/2017 | Honoring Veterans for Veterans Day
Nov 11, 1500Z-2200Z, W0FSB, Waterloo, IA. Five Sullivan Brothers Amateur Radio Club. 21.240
14.240 7.240. Certificate & QSL. Five Sullivan Brothers ARC, 3186 Brandon Diagonal Blvd,
Brandon, IA 52210. For QSL card: Send card and #10 SASE; For Certificate & QSL: Send QSL,
address label and 3 Forever stamps; For eQSL & Certificate: Send eQSL, then an email to
[email protected], requesting a .jpg file of the certificate that you can print
yourself. www.qrz.com/db/w0fsb
11/11/2017 | Saluting Our Nations Veterans
Nov 11, 1500Z-2100Z, K0KBX, Vinton, IA. Benton County Amateur Radio Group. 7.280 14.250.
Certificate. Jerry, [email protected], Vinton, IA. Saluting Our Nations Veterans – On 11
November the Benton County Amateur Radio Group will conduct its second Special Event from
the American Legion in Vinton, Iowa. We will focusing on 20 & 40 Mtr, but look for us anywhere
based on conditions. Air time 10 AM – 4 PM, starting freqs 7.280 & 14.250. EMAIL your contact
info to [email protected] and when verified we send you certificate via return
email. [email protected]
11/19/2017 | 2017 Elk Falls, KS Outhouse Festival
Nov 19, 1500Z-2300Z, WX0EK, Elk Falls, KS. Elk County Radio Society. 14.240 +/-. QSL. Elk
County Radio Society, PO Box 70, Elk Falls, KS
67345. www.facebook.com/ElkCountyKsAmateurRadioSocietyWx0ek
02/17/2018 | 14th Annual "Freeze Your Keys" day
Feb 17, 1400Z-2200Z, W0EBB, Leavenworth, KS. Kickapoo QRP ARC. 14.058 14.325 7.035
7.240. QSL. Gary Auchard, 34058 167th Street, Leavenworth, KS 66048. Other bands possible if
open. [email protected]
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter– Nov. 2017 p. 17
Midwest Division ARRL Hamfests & Conventions
11/04/2017 | Northeast Nebraska Hamfest Location: Norfolk, NE Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: Elkhorn Valley Amateur Radio Club Website: http://www.qsl.net/evarc
11/04/2017 | Raytown ARC Hamfest Location: Kansas City, MO Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: Raytown Amateur Radio Club Website: http://K0GQ.com
11/05/2017 | WØBXR Hamfest Location: Davenport, IA Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: Davenport Radio Amateur Club Website: http://www.arcsupport.com/drac/hamfest.html
11/11/2017 | Nixa Amateur Radio Club Hamfest - NARCfest 2017 Location: Nixa, MO Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: Nixa Amateur Radio Club Website: https://smlrs.info/hamfest-information/
02/03/2018 | Mine Creek Winterfest Location: LaCygne, KS Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: Mine Creek Amateur Radio Club
08/04/2018 | Midwest Division Convention Location: Central City, IA Type: ARRL Convention Sponsor: Cedar Valley Amateur Radio Club Website: http://www.w0gq.org
10/07/2018 | Iowa Section Convention (Southeast Iowa Hamfest) Location: West Liberty, IA Type: ARRL Convention Sponsor: Muscatine ARC & Washington Area ARC Website: http://www.MuscatineARC.org/se-ia-hamfest
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter– Nov. 2017 p. 18
Midwest Division ARRL Hamfests & Conventions
Hamfests & Conventions Calendar: http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar
A partial view of the flea market at the 2016 Raytown ARC Hamfest - Always a great event.
This year it will be held Nov. 4th 8 am to 1 pm at the Ararat Shrine Temple,
5100 Ararat Dr. Kansas City, MO 64129
Midwest Division News and Photos Wanted!
If you have news and photos about events or activities from the Midwest Division, email them to Director Rod Blocksome K0DAS at [email protected]. I will try to include as many as possible in upcoming editions of the Midwest Division News. Thanks and 73, Rod, K0DAS
ARRL Midwest Division Leadership
Director: Rod Blocksome K0DAS [email protected] 319-393-8022
Vice Director: Art Zygielbaum K0AIZ [email protected] 402-421-0839
Iowa Section Manager: Bob McCaffrey, K 0CY
Kansas Section Manager: Ron Cowan, KB0DTI
Missouri Section Manager: Cecil Higgins, AC0HA
Nebraska Section Manager: Matt Anderson, KA0BOJ
DX Advisory Committee: John Yodis, K2VV (MO)
Emergency Communications Advisory Committee: Reynolds Davis, K 0GND (NE)
Contest Advisory Committee: Glenn Johnson, W0GJ (IA)
Midwest Division Volunteer Counsel: Craig Long, K0CSL (IA)
Division Legislative Action Chair: Mike Edwards, WB9M (MO)
Legislative Action Coordinators: Nick Critelli, K 0PCG (IA); Bruce Frahm, K0BJ (KS &
NE); Mike Edwards, WB9M (MO).
Assistant Directors (Missouri): Paul Haefner K 0JPL, Dave Propper K2DP, Kent Trimble
K9ZTV, Roger Volk K0GOB, Cecil Higgins AC0HA, John Frederick N8GOU, Eric Zust W0TT,and Randy Schulze KD0HKD.
Assistant Directors (Kansas): Mike Albers K 0FJ, Jim Andera K0NK, Bill Henderson
K0VBU, Charlie Hett K0THN, Brian Short KC0BS, Richard Johnson, K0RCJ, Rick Tucker W0RT, and Jon Jones N0JK.
Assistant Directors (Iowa): Tim Busch N0CKR, C.W. Pantel K0IIR, and Jim Spencer W0SR
Assistant Directors (Nebraska): Reynolds Davis K0GND, Joe Eisenberg K0NEB,
Allen Harpham WD0DXD, and Todd LeMense KK0DX.
Midwest Division Webmaster: Steve Schmitz W0SJS email: [email protected]
Midwest Division’s website: http://www.arrlmidwest.org/