Weaver's Words

- Look Whose Coming to Dayton
- Great Lakes Division Reception Area
- Amateur of the Year and Special Achievement Winner at EXPO
- Code Proficiency Field Testing Begins
- Legislative Action Volunteers Attention
- Repeater Directory Oops
- Tentative Travel Schedule
- Wireless vs. BPL
++ Look Whose Coming to Dayton
With the Hamvention(r) just around the corner, you may want to know which ARRL HQ folks are scheduled to be there. This will be a golden opportunity to meet and speak with the managers who head the day-to-day operation at HQ. In addition to me and other ARRL officials from Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan, you can expect to see over 22 additional directors, vice directors, officers and key staff members at Dayton.
Among these are President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, COO Harold Kramer, WG1B, PR Director Allen Pitts, W1AGP, CDO Mary Hobart, K1MMH, Membership & Volunteer Program Manager David Patton, NN1N and Contest & DXCC Director Bill Moore, NC1L.
There will plenty of people around who can answer any question you may have or discuss any issue you may wish to have clarified.
The ARRL EXPO area is just past the 400 series of booths, immediately inside the Ballarena entrance to the hall.
In case you've been occupied with other things lately, the Hamvention is May 18-20 -- in Dayton, Ohio.
++ Great Lakes Division Reception Area
Don't forget to stop by the Great Lakes Division reception area. Plan to stand around or sit and eyeball with your old friends or new friends you've not yet met. You can expect to see any number of Section and Division officials from the Great Lakes Division. Bring your questions and discussion topics to chew over with these reps.
The GLD reception area will be in the ARRL EXPO area just inside the Ballarena entrance and just past the 400 series of vendor booths.
++ Amateur of the Year and Special Achievement Winner at EXPO
How often is it that one can meet and talk with the Hamvention(r) Amateur of the Year and the winner of a Special Achievement Award at ARRL Expo? You can do it this year. ARRL Past President Jim Haynie, W5JBP is the Amateur of the Year designate. ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI has been named winner of the Special Achievement Award.
Stop by the ARRL EXPO and congratulate Jim and Ed on their well-deserved honors.
++ Code Proficiency Field Testing Begins
The ARRL Code Proficiency Program field test that I've discussed in recent e-letters is set to begin in June. This field test is being run only in the Great Lakes Division and only in four pilot-test areas.
Now that demonstrating proficiency in Morse code is no longer required by the FCC, a number of amateurs and aspiring amateurs have indicated they would like to get in on the fun of Morse code. Now is their chance.
The field test will be run in the following areas. For information on dates and times of these Code Proficiency Runs, contact the persons indicated.
Lexington, KY -- Contact Fernie Williams, KE4MAI, ke4mai@arrl.net.
Brighton, MI -- Contact Jim Kvochick, WB8AZP, wb8azp@arrl.net.
Akron-Canton-Massillon, OH -- Contact Gary Kline, WC8W, wc8w@arrl.net.
Toledo, OH -- Contact Steve Stalker, KC8TVW, kc8tvw@arrl.net.
A few final tidbits of information:
- There is no charge for this testing.
- Successful candidates will receive a receipt to demonstrate they passed and the code speed passed.
- The receipt may be submitted to HQ to obtain a nice certificate or an upgrade sticker for any certificate you already have. There is a fee for processing certificates and stickers.
- Code speeds will be from 5 through 40 wpm in 5 wpm increments.
- Passing is based upon 1 minute of solid copy. The question and answer method will not be used.
- The code proficiency runs will be managed by teams of ARRL VEs; however, these runs are in no way related to FCC examinations and do not provide FCC accreditation for code proficiency. The runs are simply for our personal pleasure to demonstrate accomplishment.
- Non-hams (Scouts, friends) as well as hams are invited to join the fun.
++ Legislative Action Volunteers Attention
Legislative Action Assistants and Coordinators are requested to stop by the Great Lakes Division booth in the ARRL EXPO. We hope to have your certificates and business cards available. In addition, a special folder, an Amateur Radio information leaflet and a copy of the Amateur Radio Today CD will be available for one member of each LAA team to pick up. Your help by obtaining these supplies at the Hamvention will be appreciated.
++ Repeater Directory Oops
It has been discovered that the printer of the pocket edition of the new Repeater Directory let a few bad copies slip into the distribution chain. Some groups of pages were assembled out of order. The printer discovered the error and has destroyed most of the bad copies. If you happen to buy one of these mis-assembled copies, you may keep it and consider it a collectors' item, or you may have ARRL replace it.
++ Wireless vs. BPL
News forwarded by CEO Dave Sumner, K1ZZ shows a very clear superiority of wireless broadband over BPL in public acceptance. New wireless broadband company, Clearwire, added a net of 52,000 subscribers in the first quarter 2007, giving it about 258,000 subscribers. This is up from 99,000 a year earlier.
In three months this single company -- operating only in about 45 cities -- added ten times as many new customers as the total customer base of all BPL providers, nationwide. In terms of customers served, Clearwire alone is now 50 times the size of the entire BPL industry.
Clearwire uses licensed spectrum around 2.5 GHz.
This information is from the Warren Telecom News Ticker for May 11.
++ Tentative Travel Schedule for KI4LA and K8JE.
2007
May 18-20: Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH. - Gary & Jim Jun 17: Monroe Hamfest, Monroe, MI - Jim Jul 12: Mahoning Valley ARA, Youngstown, OH - Gary Jul 19: Programs & Services Committee Meeting, Newington, CT - Jim Jul 20-21: Board of Directors Meeting, Newington, CT - Gary & Jim Jul 28: UP Hamfest, Escanaba, MI - Jim Aug 18-19: ARRL National Convention, Huntsville, AL - Jim
Sep 8: GRAHamfest, Grand Rapids, MI - Jim
Sep 9: Findlay Hamfest, Findlay, OH - Jim
Sep 16: Cincinnati Hamfest, Cincinnati, OH - Jim Sep 22: Great Lakes Division Convention, Cleveland, OH - Gary & Jim Sep 23: Cleveland Hamfest, Cleveland, OH - Jim
Oct 2: OH-KY-IN ARRL Night, Cincinnati, OH - Jim
Oct 8: Portage County ARS, Kent, OH - Jim
Nov 19: Southern Ohio ARA Christmas Dinner, Russell, KY - Jim
Dec 1: Motor City RC 75th Ann., Wyandotte, MI - Jim
2008
Jan 17: Programs & Services Committee Meeting, Newington, CT - Jim Jan 18-20: Board of Directors Meeting, Newington, CT - Gary & Jim
Tnx, 73,
Jim, K8JE
Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director
ARRL Great Lakes Division
5065 Bethany Rd.
Mason, OH 45040
E-mail: k8je@arrl.org; Tel.: 513-459-0142
--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Great Lakes Division
Director: James Weaver, K8JE
k8je@arrl.org