ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter November 2017 The ... · The Differences Between ARRL Hamfests and Conventions by Rod Blocksome, K0DAS Over my 57-years of ham radio I've enjoyed

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

[email protected]

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/