Hello Northwestern Division and welcome to the end of 2024. This will be the final newsletter of the year and will also serve as our yearly report.
What a year. It started out well with most things related to covid finally over and getting back to “the new normal,” or so we thought. Hamfest attendance was increasing although not to the pre-2020 years. A small number of events were either sunset or the organizers changed the structure of the event. The Washington State convention, for example, normally held in conjunction with the Spokane Hamfest, was canceled last year due to another conflict with the school they had been operating it from. The group looked for another venue but unfortunately were not able to find one that was affordable. (**spoiler alert** I received an email that the Hamfest will be back in 2025 on April 26th.) Smaller “tailgate” swaps seem to be on the uptick as a mowed field or an empty parking lot gets the job done for the 4-6 hours these events are active. Mike and Key and the Salem Hamfair and Swaptoberfest continue to be the three largest swap events and SEA-PAC is our largest event, hosting the Division convention. Many other events are still going strong and have made plans for 2025. Remember to visit n7cfo.com for the most up to date listing of ham events. And I think enough has been said about the May Cyber-attack so I’m not going to add anything aside from some systems at HQ are still being worked on.
Division Staff: This is the first year I have served as your Division Director. As most know, former Director Ritz was elected to the position of second vice-president at the January meeting and I acceded to the position at the end of the meeting. As a result of that, the Vice-Director seat was deemed vacant. After a short search (and a bit of arm wrestling) I managed to convince Michael Sterba, KG7HQ to take the position. No regrets with that. Michael has been very active and has attended every event and meeting he can. He has been engaged with other members of the board and is looking forward to his full three-year term starting in January and with luck, he will be able to make his first board meeting. (small rub about our disrupted travel in July) I am very thankful to have him on the team.
Section Managers: These hard-working folks continue to lead the Field Services operations in our six sections. Section reports, if submitted, are included below. David Stevens, KL7EB (Alaska) Kevin Kerr, W1KGK (Montana) Dan Marler, K7REX (Idaho) Jo Whitney, KA7LJQ (Eastern WA) Bob Purdom, AD7LJ (Western WA) Scott Rosenfeld, N7JI (Oregon)
Assistant Directors: Daniel Stevens, KL7WM Delvin Bunton, NS7U Lynn Burlingame, N7CFO Dave Cole, NK7Z Steve Aberle, WA7PTM Steve McKeen, W7QLO Bill Balzarini, KL7BB
Advisory Committee Members: Jim Cassidy, KI7Y CAC, Contest advisory committee Dick Swanson, K7BTW DXAC, DXCC advisory committee
Member Input: For the most part, member input has been positive this year. I did receive a handful of notes and phone calls pertaining to the election that were not quite as supportive.
I have seen only two or three about the motion to revise By-Laws and they were supportive. A small number have also asked about our progress with HOA rules. Member input is always welcome.
One of the biggest challenges this year has been getting information out to our Division. Section email is still offline as of this writing, and anything going to the Division must be reworked and formatted, then sent from HQ. Early in the year, after the cyber-attack, I did use several email reflectors I am on, WWDXC, WVDXC SDXA and the PNWVHF were used the most. I assumed members of those four groups are more likely than not also members of other clubs and could share the information. It all seemed to work out and now at least we have Division mail back. I thank the clubs and members for allowing me to do that.
I continue to hear comments from the DX community about reviewing the current DXCC list with respect to entities no longer being available to land on and or operate from. Most of these comments lean towards making some of these entities “inactive” until a point in time landing and operating may be allowed.
Division Statistics: The interface from ARRLs member data and our monthly membership report tool has been restored and as of November the Northwestern Division had 10,904 members. That is down from 11,891 in November of 2023, a slightly over 8% decrease which is consistent with the rest of the country. The full Division report is below. The number of licensees in the US is also on the decline. December 1st 2023 showed 756,012 licensed amateurs and December 20, 2024 shows 745,571. Approximately a 2% decrease over the year. Compare that to December 2022 where the FCC reported 770,217. Alaska currently has 3195 amateurs, Idaho-10959, Oregon-20212, Montana-4447, and Washington-33373 from the data as of December 18th. ARRL members make up about 15% of the total number of amateurs, slightly less than the national average. Encouraging new hams to join the hobby and the league should be every member’s goal.
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Club Updates: (A reminder) It is getting closer to the end of the year, and most clubs are starting or have finished the election process for officers. Remember to update your information on the ARRL web for your group. The listed contact person should have access to edit this information. If you run into trouble, you can contact your Affiliated Club Coordinator, Section Manager, or myself and we would be glad to help.
Upcoming Board meeting: January will bring a few changes to the board room. Director Kemmerer, AB1OC, lost his re-election bid in the New England Division and Tom Frenaye, K1KI will be back on the front row. Tom has served in this position in the past and he and I have known each other going on seven years now. The Central Division will see Brent Walls, N9BA in the Director chair. Brent has served as the Vice Director and as Carl, K9LA (current Director) decided not to run and no other nominations were submitted Brent will now have a front row seat. Josh Long, W9HT will be the new Central Vice Director. I have served with Josh on the ARRL Foundation board and am glad to see him on the ARRL board. Andy Milluzzi, KK4LWR, will also be a new face serving as Vice-Director from the Southeast Division.
We will have a number of motions related to by-laws to discuss this time, including the proposed changes to By-Law 42 and 46. That information went out in a member bulletin on November 19th. Another bulletin went out on December 18th with information about proposed changes to By-Laws 18 and 20 related to elections.
Attention Montana, ARRL needs you! As no nomination petitions were received at HQ for the Section Manager position, it will be posted again in QST. Kevin, W1KGK decided not to run for another term. A formal notice will be coming out from ARRL HQ about this. If you are interested, or if you know someone that might be interested, let me know and I can help you through the process. The Section Manager terms are two years in length and more information can be found here: Section Manager I would like to thank Kevin for the years he served and wish him the best.
Oregon section gains two new Volunteer Counsel program members. Althea Ender, KE7OOJ, from Portland and Russ Garrett, KD7MPK, also from Portland, were accepted into the ARRL VC program. Congratulations and thanks to both for volunteering your time. (NOTE: Mr. Garrett is also licensed to practice in Washington)
New Affiliated Clubs in: Our Division welcomed three new ARRL affiliated clubs: The Madison High School Radio Club, NR7RX, from Rexburg Idaho, the All-Idaho Contest Club, AI7ID from Nampa Idaho, and the Shoreline ACS, W7AUX from Shoreline, Washington were accepted as the newest affiliated clubs in the division. Congratulations!
HAMFESTS and Meetings This year I attended the Salem Hamfair, Mike and Key swap, N7YRC tailgate, Kamiah Hamfest, Spout Springs swap, Seapac, Wenatchee Hamfest, StepIR users gathering in Moses Lake, Idaho St. convention in Post Falls, PNW DX Convention, MARA Hamfest and Swaptoberfest I look forward to seeing fellow amateurs at most of these events again in 2025.
On a side note, it was great catching up with former Director Fenstermaker, K9JF and former Idaho Section Manager Ed Stuckey, AI7H at the Idaho State convention.
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Vice-Director Sterba made it to Mike and Key, SCARC Flea market, SEAPAC, Wenatchee Hamfest, Idaho State convention and the PNW DX Convention.
We also attended many club meetings both in person and virtually.
Are you wide? Western Washington ARA (Repeater coordinating body for WW) voted to not accept any new requests that are wide band on the 2 meter and 70 cm bands starting January 2025. They also voted to not accept any wide band renewal applications starting in 2030. I am sure more information will be forthcoming from them. You can visit the WWARA website at www.wwara.org.
That’s a wrap This will be the last newsletter until after the January Board meeting. Michael and I are always available for questions, comments, or concerns. I hope this finds you well, and I wish you the best for this holiday season and a great upcoming 2025. It is a privilege to serve as your Director.
73..
Mark J. Tharp - KB7HDX ARRL Director Northwestern Division 509-952-5764
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****************************** SECTION REPORTS:
2024 Oregon (OR) Section Report Scott Rosenfeld, Section Manager (SM) December 7, 2024
Overview
In November, 2024, the Oregon section had a total of 3,098 ARRL members (2,922 Full and 176 Associate members).
This number was ~9% below the November, 2023 membership tally. This is a continual and worrying trend.
Oregon has over 20,000 ham radio operators, representing nearly 0.5% of the total state population, which ranks in the top 3 in the nation. However, only 16% of Oregon’s hams are ARRL members. Oregon’s licensing tallies show that the number of hams is relatively stable, with about 50 new hams and 50 licenses expiring every month. The fact that Oregon ARRL membership numbers are in decline means that we are not doing a good enough job recruiting new members.
Our field organization has been working hard to maximize and expand the benefits provided to the Oregon section. We have worked to expand the reach of Oregon’s ARES programs, helped clubs rebuild and become newly incorporated, held three ARRL-affiliated hamfests and a Division Convention, named five new technical specialists, two Public Information Officers, and two Volunteer Counsels, and worked to implement youth development programs.
Oregon section members are engaged and enthusiastic, and eager to volunteer given opportunities to do so.
I ran unopposed for the position of Oregon section manager in the spring, and my term runs until June, 2026. In September, I was privileged to attend Section Manager training at ARRL HQ in Newington, CT, my first visit to ARRL HQ since 1994. I learned a great deal about the duties and responsibilities of my position and the resources I can call upon for assistance, and met many people I have worked with for the past year, hopefully allowing me to become a more effective SM.
In May, we asked for and received a proclamation from Oregon’s Governor, Tina Kotek, that the week of June 17-23 (culminating with Field Day) would be Amateur Radio Week in Oregon. We plan to do this again in 2025.
It was a very busy year in our section, and I hope to keep the momentum going into the future.
Item #1 - Building ARES / EmComm Our primary goal for 2024 was to begin rebuilding the presence of Oregon ARES. Oregon’s 36 counties are divided into 6 ARES districts, and range from urban to suburban to rural to very sparsely populated. County populations vary from 1,400 to over 800,000, and the number of licensed amateurs in each varies just as widely.
Many individuals and served agencies had grown weary of working within ARES over the past few years but were still interested in EmComm, leading to a patchwork of grassroots organizations providing EmComm services to local agencies, including ARES, AUXCOMM, ACES and other groups. Bonnie Altus, AB7ZQ, Oregon’s SEC, has done an excellent job in serving as a liaison between Oregon’s ham radio-based EmComm groups and Oregon’s Department of Emergency Management. Many ARES and AUCOMM units have a SHARES license and participate in the SHARES nets with FEMA and Oregon Department of Emergency Management (ODEM). ODEM had an open house recently for the amateur radio community to view their radio room and to meet with the Communications Officer.
ARES® has been reintroduced in several counties where it had largely ceased to exist. The most notable of these is Lane County, with a population of over 380,000. West Lane ARES has been active for many years, serving the coastal areas of Lane county, but the coastal communities are over 60 miles west of I-5 and separated from the remainder of the county by mountains and thick forests. Lane County ARES will serve Lane County east of the Coast Range, including the Eugene metropolitan area, which is the home of the University of Oregon. The organization is being led by Kathryn Catherwood, KI7RNU, with support from local clubs, EmComm groups, and municipalities.
Bonnie has worked and met regularly with our five ASECs on training, creation of emergency tests, planning, interoperability, Winlink, and other topics. Five of our six DECs positions are staffed, we are actively coordinating efforts with OEM, and we have a robust mailing list for hams who are in charge of their EmComm-related units, including both ARES and non-ARES units. Regular communications with and between the ARES® and non-ARES EMCOMM leadership has been key in revitalizing the program in Oregon.
It has been many years since there have been any statewide simulated emergency tests (SETs). We had a statewide SET in May, a county-to-county drill in November, and in October, many county ARES and AUXCOMM units participated in the IronOR functional exercise organized by the Oregon Department of Emergency Management (ODEM), which brought together state, local and tribal, and public, private and non-profit partners throughout Oregon to practice a response to a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake scenario.
Since the Beaver State Net (BSN), which has been operational for decades in Oregon, and connecting to the NTS system, did not fully fit into the NTS hierarchy, a decision was made that they would be ARES traffic net and would be prepared to provide an outlet for health and welfare traffic in the event of a major ARES activation, so ARES can focus on emergency traffic for their served agencies.
We had EmComm meetings at both Rickreall hamfests (February and October) as well as the SeaPac convention. All of these meetings were very well attended. We continue to update our database of county ECs, and to cancel and make appointments as necessary.
The following is our list of Oregon district and section level EmComm appointees as of November, 2024: • SEC – Bonnie Altus, AB7ZQ • ASEC - Mitch Bayersdorfer, W7MDB • ASEC - Thomas Noel, KF7RSF • ASEC - Larry Clark, N7LJC • ASEC - Ed Bodenlos, W7EWB • ASEC - Pat Roberson, W7PAT • D1 EC - Kurt Roth, W9ERT • D2 EC - vacant (Bend / Redmond / Prineville) • D3 EC - Stuart Bottom, K7FG • D4 EC - Steve Duck, KW7S • D5 EC - Joe Stodola, AA7JS • D6 EC - Cyndi Albro, KK7AZD
Item #2 - Affiliated Clubs Max Sabo, K7MAX, VP of the Portland Amateur Radio Club, was appointed as our ACC in December, 2023. We have held quarterly Zoom meetings for officers of affiliated (and yet to be affiliated) clubs from all over the state. These meetings have typically been attended by 20-30 people, and have been an excellent venue for discussion of best practices.
The Oregon section welcomed The Umpqua Valley Amateur Radio Club back to an active state, bringing Oregon’s tally up to 48 active ARRL-affiliated clubs. We have also been assisting in the creation of a new club in Lakeview.
Max and I have been working together to ensure that the club information database is up to date. With the lack of ability to send emails to all members within the Oregon section since the IT catastrophe in May, our club officer mailing list has been helpful in getting information out to ARRL Oregon members.
We encourage all clubs to update their information on the ARRL and their own websites. We encourage clubs that have significant community outreach and wide-ranging programs and activities to apply for the distinction of becoming a Special Service Club. Our four Special Service Clubs are:
• Radio Amateurs of the Gorge (RAGS) • Valley Radio Club (Eugene) • Oregon-Tualatin Valley Amateur Radio Club (OTVARC) • Hoodview Amateur Radio Club
In December, 2023, we began developing an initiative to engage Oregon’s affiliated clubs in the development of young hams within the section. Clubs would look for members interested in working with schools and Scout troops, along with those interested in engaging young hams in club-sponsored programs within their geographic areas. This program was rolled out during the September all-hands clubs meeting, and has been met with moderate success, with roughly 30 hams identified as interested in participating in youth development to date.
Item #3 - Youth and Educational Activities Ham radio is a powerful teaching tool for STEM. This is a key to developing young hams in Oregon.
Oregon has two Section Youth Coordinators (SYCs), Frank Gruber, KB7NJV, and Russ Mickiewicz, N7QR. Frank is focused on introducing ham radio in schools, while Russ is focused on Scouting. Last December, they noted that they actually didn’t coordinate very much, instead working directly with youngsters. They proposed that clubs should have youth coordinators.
This program was rolled out in September, 2024, and had nearly immediate results.
In October, I was contacted by a 6th grade science teacher in Ione, Oregon, stating that she was very interested in incorporating amateur radio into her classroom curriculum. She already had a budget for her project, as well as buy-in from the administration. After emails, phone calls, and Zoom meetings, we found several willing volunteers, both of whom are affiliated with the Hermiston Amateur Radio Club. As of November, equipment has been purchased, volunteers have met and talked with the students, licensing has been discussed, antenna installation is being planned, and everyone is very excited.
In October, Russ, N7QR, coordinated a Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) station at Camp Meriwether on the Oregon coast. The event was attended by about 500 scouts, with about a dozen getting on the air and making contact with a half-dozen stations and other scout camps on the west coast.
In November, the Valley Radio Club (Eugene), Salem Amateur Radio Club, and Ducks on the Air Radio Club (University of Oregon) cooperated to present ham radio to a crowd of 1,700, including nearly a thousand Girl Scouts, at a STEM fair at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon. I asked if the ARRL could provide printed copies of the Girl Scout Amateur Radio Patch flyer for this event, and was informed that the marketing department was going to update the Scouting flyer, and send us 200 copies. Most of these flyers were distributed at the event. Over 200 Scouts were given the opportunity to make QSOs with local hams, with each receiving a “first contact” award. Hundreds more Girl Scouts learned (some) Morse code and made a LOT of noise. Others got to learn and practice spelling with the ITU phonetic alphabet. A large number of various ARRL publicity flyers were handed out at this event. Its coordinator, Laura, KA7LMC, is creating a write-up summarizing the event with the intention of sending it to ARRL HQ.
Item #4 - Technical Services We started the year with a small technical group. Over the year, we added five additional technical specialists. In order to increase visibility, we started including the technical group in our section email updates. We also created a technical group mailing list using groups.io, called ARRL OREGON TECHNICAL GROUP. We now have nearly 100 subscribers, and topics covered range widely.
In July, Technical Specialist Ken Check, W6SKI, did a live two-hour Zoom presentation about Astron RS-series linear power supplies. This presentation was attended by nearly 50 people.
We look forward to increasing our TS ranks and continuing growth of the technical mailing list in the coming year.
Item #5 - Volunteer Counsels and Engineers In late 2023, Mike Ritz noted that both Oregon VCs were no longer functioning as VCs. I put out a request for attorneys who are certified to practice in Oregon, licensed amateurs, and ARRL members.
Oregon now has two VCs, Althea Ender, KE7OOJ, and Russ Garrett, KD7MPK, who also serves as Oregon ASM. Russ has answered questions for at least two ARES groups regarding their bylaws.
We are still looking for Oregon Volunteer Engineers.
Item #6 - Traffic Management Oregon STM David Bogner, W7EES, and NM Carl Clawson, WS7L, are very involved in Oregon’s traffic handling programs. We continually try to grow the ranks of traffic handlers, and there have been small gains here and there. In general, Oregon’s CW nets are shrinking in number, participation, and volume of traffic other than “congrats on passing your exam.” Oregon’s phone- and CW-based traffic nets still have issues with the willingness of operators to actually handle traffic, resulting in most traffic being handled by a very small group.
The Digital Traffic Network handles the majority of Radiogram traffic in the Oregon Section. We are concentrating on last mile operations by encouraging the development of local area nets for distribution, delivery and reply Radiogram services for the civil population.
The impasse regarding inter-sectional traffic at the OR/WWA border was never completely resolved. Rather, each section would handle traffic as each saw fit.
We have also discussed the fact that traffic handling and EmComm functions may sometimes overlap, although there are significant issues using Winlink forms to inject messages into the traffic handling system, leading to friction, confusion, and lost traffic.
We strive to recruit new traffic handling operators and teach new hams of the uses and functionality of traffic handling. We hope to see reinvigorated publicity from ARRL increase the number of Net Managers (NMs) within the section, and see that many issues with NTS are addressed by NTS 2.0.
Item #7 - Public Outreach In 2024, we pushed to develop our Public Information Outreach as well. We now have two PIOs.
• Nelson Farrier, NF7Z, PIO • Matt Laubach, K7EPW, PIO
We are looking for more PIOs and a PIC to run the show, and a PIO who is interested in running our social media department.
We are in the process of retooling our section website, changing from the www.arrloregon.org domain to www.oregonarrl.org. We are moving to a web hosting service provided by one of our PIOs at greatly reduced cost to the section. This new service allows us to have many large-capacity mailing lists, eliminating the 100-user limit imposed by the free groups.io mailing lists we are presently using.
In the lead-up for Field Day, after receiving our governor’s “Amateur Radio Week” proclamation, we contacted newspapers, radio stations, TV stations, and any other media outlets we could think of.
• June 10 - Nelson, NF7Z, did a live 15 minute radio interview on KPNW during their morning program. • June 17 - Charlie Boening, K7AKT, and Cyndi Albro, KK7AZD, did a 20 minute interview on JPR. • October 14 - Doug Jimenez, W7DMJ (State Communications Officer for Oregon Dept. of Emergency Management), Bonnie Altus, AB7ZQ, and several others from Oregon OEM, did a 20 minute interview on KLCC about the Great Shake-Out, and the role amateur radio plays in disaster communications.
In October, 13 year old Portland area ham Zeke Wheeler, KJ7NLL, led a group of students in a perfectly- orchestrated contact with astronaut Sunita Williams onboard the ISS. I am not sure why I only heard about this the day before it happened. I am a very involved ham radio operator, and if I didn’t find out until the day before it happened (via an ARISS press briefing), we need to do better at communicating.
Section Manager Event Participation • February - ARRL SM presence at Salem Hamfair in Rickreall, OR. • May - ARRL SM presence at Emerald Amateur Radio Society meeting in Springfield, OR. • June - ARRL SM presence at SeaPac NW Division Convention. • June - Arranged representation for ARRL’s Collegiate Amateur Radio Project (CARP) at SeaPac. • July - ARRL SM presence at Coos Bay hamfest. • September – Attended SM training in Newington, CT. • October – ARRL SM presence at Swaptoberfest in Rickreall, OR.
I continually offer to be able to attend club meetings and events.
Other items I send out “welcome to ham radio” letters to all new hams in the Oregon section, introducing myself and welcoming them to join ARRL, and urging them to find and join their local radio clubs.
I have mentioned to members receiving my section news emails that every ham in Oregon knows at least one other ham who is not a member of ARRL. I have minimal ability to make anyone join ARRL through my SM emails, as everyone on the list is already an ARRL member. However, a recommendation from an ARRL member who is a personal friend has added weight.
Outreach by ARRL members is the most significant activity needed for our section to increase its membership. There are many reasons to join ARRL, and our members need to convey that to non-members.
I estimate that nearly 1,300 ARRL Oregon members are not receiving SM emails. I encourage those who do receive SM emails to ask their friends if they receive these emails, and encourage them to opt-in.
I plan to continue attending conventions and hamfests, and continue to contact Oregon’s ARRL-affiliated clubs (as far as email permits) to offer visits to club meetings and events, either in-person (when practical) or remotely. I always provide SWAG in the form of pens, stickers, books, and the like, when visiting clubs, including mailing books to those who may win raffles when visits are done remotely.
I will encourage other appointees within the section to, when appropriate, make in-person visits, which can be reimbursed from my SM budget.
I believe that every appointee needs to work to identify his or her replacement in the interest of seamless transitions and continuity within the section’s field organization.
Oregon also has a rapidly growing AREDN presence, linking areas of the state together with a high-speed, alternate data network. The growth of this network should continue to be supported, as it can be utilized as a high-speed information backbone in times of emergency.
I greatly appreciate your support and faith in my abilities to carry out the duties of this position. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or complaints.
Scott N7JI, ARRL Oregon SM 541-221-2475
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****************************** Western Washington report (submitted by Monte Simpson, W7FF) ARRL/ARES Membership Recruitment In my final annual report to Director Ritz, W7VO, I addressed President Roderick, K5UR’s challenge to increase membership within our sections. In preparing that report, I found that our affiliated clubs were/are making an effort to support ARRL membership. After giving the issue considerable thought, I decided that reaching out to new hams when they pass their FCC examination was/is the most effective/efficient way to have public outreach. My proposal was to provide VE team liaisons within the section with a packet of ARRL and ARES membership fliers in an 8.5” x 5.5” mini sheet protectors. In April 2024, I started on my project and sent approximately 700 packets to VE Liaisons at the following clubs:
1. Kitsap Amateur Radio Club 2. Radio Club of Tacoma 3. Olympia Amateur Radio Society 4. Mason County Amateur Radio Club 5. Cascade Radio Club, Everett, Snohomish County 6. Chehalis Valley Amateur Radio Society, Chehalis, Lewis County
I am working on providing packets to:
1. Lower Columbia Amateur Radio Association, Longview, Cowlitz County 2. Island County Amateur Radio Club, Whidbey Island 3. Clallam County Amateur Radio Club, Port Angeles
Here are pictures of what the packets look like:
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Favorable feedback has been received from two clubs who have received these packets.
Since each of the clubs may test every two months and have less than a dozen candidates, it is difficult to determine the effectiveness of this effort. As with any advertising campaign. this should be considered a long-term effort. I have looked at the membership statistics and will continue to do so to see if we have an increase in membership in the section. Minor fluctuations are hard to sort out with the data available. With that said, the data available is sufficient for our needs.
Amateur Radio Service Emergency Communications WWA ASM Monte Simpson, W7FF has been working with EWA SEC, Frank Hutchison, AG7QP, to share information with the EMCOMM team leaders statewide to encourage cross section, county, and team boundaries for best addressing the convenience, necessity, and interest of our stakeholders, be they governmental, Non-Governmental Organizations or private groups needing help with organizational communications. Future planning may be around the inclusion of GMRS in the EMCOMM arena as in some locations there appears to be a shortage of amateur radio volunteers to provide vital EMCOMM services in the community.
Other significant events WWA Section volunteers have contributed to include:
1. Washington State Science & Engineering Fair, Bremerton, WA in March 2024 ASEC Mike Montfort, KB0SVF, leads this effort annually and represents the section and ARRL well. 2. April through September 2024 ASEC Mike Montfort, KB0SVF and ASM Monte Simpson, W7FF worked with the Suquamish Tribe Office of Emergency Management to organize an EMCOMM team and to prepare for their annual Preparedness and Emergency Fair in September, that was unfortunately canceled. 3. The West Sound ARC in September through October 2024 worked closely with The United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps (USNSCC or NSCC), Scorpion Squadron, to conduct a HAMCRAM course for 33 cadets and staff. After many hours of planning and expense investment in preparing for the course, the squadron had to cancel it. 4. WWA ASM Monte Simpson had the privilege of making a presentation at the Auxiliary Communications Emergency Solutions (ACES) course in Kitsap County on October 12, 2024. This course, led by Scott Honaker, N7SS, is an exceptional training opportunity for new and old hams alike. The course curriculum recognizes the value and contributions of the ARRL. WWA Section also helped disseminate information about two other courses being held in Bellingham and Federal Way. 5. The section was engaged in keeping section members informed about situations that may affect their amateur radio activities. A. The Washington Department of Natural Resources in November experienced a power outage at one of their sites and the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) didn’t engage. This caused an outage of power to lessees’ equipment at the site. From this experience, it was learned that DNR does not supply emergency power to lessees. This affects amateur radio repeaters and commercial businesses leasing space at their sites. B. The Western Washington Amateur Relay Association (WWARA) at their December 2024 meeting voted to start the transition to NBFM Analog Repeater Coordinations. Effective January 1, 2025, all new two meter and 70-centimeter coordinations will be NBFM (12.5kHz) bandwidth. Previously coordinated two meter and 70-centimeter repeaters will have until January 1, 2030, to transition to Analog NBFM. It’s interesting to note that the WWA counties of Clark, Cowlitz, Pacific, Skamania, and Wahkiakum repeaters are coordinated by the Oregon Region Relay Council (ORRC) who has no plans currently to transition to narrow band coordination. I’m awaiting an answer from The EWA coordinator, Inland Amateur Coordination Council to see what their plans are for transitioning to 12.5kHz band width repeater coordinations.
Submitted by Monte Simpson, W7FF for the WWA section.
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Idaho Report (submitted by Dan Marler, K7REX Section Manager) 2024 IDAHO ARRL SECTION ANNUAL SUMMARY REPORT
1. Section ASM Meeting (Monday before All-Hands Ham Meeting) • Format: Detailed agenda and discussion points from SM meeting for use in All-Hands • Content: o Discuss information that we wish to convey during this opening session of the All-Hands meeting that can be slotted into these general areas
2. All-Hands Ham Section Meeting (First Friday of the Month) • Format: PowerPoint presentation with Q&A session; Presented via Zoom meeting • Content: o Legislative Update: Slide with key legislative updates and call for action o Club Grant Program and Status: Slide detailing grant statuses and new grants o News Clubs Can Use: Slide with relevant news and ACC tie-ins o Special Events: Slide with upcoming events, participation deta |
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