Volunteers On The Air (VOTA) #ARRL #hamradio

2023 will be celebrated by ARRL as "The Year of the Volunteer." More information will be available throughout the year as the details are confirmed. However, the first adventure has been announced as a project called "Volunteers On The Air (VOTA)." Here we get 'points' for each contact made with another ARRL volunteer. So, if two ARRL members contact each other, they will each receive a point for that QSO. No special codes, sequence numbers, or section information needs to be passed. Make contact with a fellow ARRL member, and you each receive a point. Each of you must upload the contact to the Logbook of The World (LoTW), and your points are calculated when the QSO is matched. This could be an FT8 contact, a CW contact, a simplex 2M FM contact, an RTTY contact, or an SSB rag-chew.

To add more interest to the year-long operating event and help demonstrate the ARRL volunteers' value, each level of volunteer activity has been assigned a point level, shown in the table at https://ok.arrl.org/vota/. For example, if you make a contact with Mark Kleine N5HZR, the Oklahoma Section Manager, you'll get 175 points for that one contact. So, I'll need to up my HF game to handle all the pile-ups coming my way in 2023. Maybe I need that 160M sky loop and an amplifier.

My mother has told me that whenever I did something 'extra' or for someone else, I would "get points for that." I've heard those words for over 60 years, and I've not yet figured out what those points are worth. In this case, I'm hoping you will be able to get some certificates, or wallpaper, for your efforts. More details on this as they are fleshed out.

So, get your HF gear running, make sure your LoTW connection is working, and see you on the air!!!

VOTA Program Rules

I'm sure these rules will be extended or revised, so please return here to check for updates.

• This starts January 1, 2023, at 0000Z.
• This ends December 31, 2023, at 2359Z.
• You must be an ARRL member. You can join or renew at https://arrl.org/join/.
• All QSOs must be uploaded to the ARRL QSO matching system, Logbook of The World (LoTW).
• No repeater contacts are allowed.
• Contacts can be made on any band (except 12 M, 17 M, and 30 M).
• Contacts can be made on any legal mode of operation.
• You receive 'points' based on the volunteer level of the ARRL member you contact. Points range from 1 point for an ARRL member to 300 points for Rick Roderick K5UR. The point levels are listed at https://ok.arrl.org/vota/. (Your favorite Section Managers are worth 175 points.)
• Each QSO will get only one point value. For example, someone who is a member, a life member, and an Assistant Section Manager will be worth the value of the highest role, 35 points for the ASM role.

Logbook of The World (LoTW)

All of the reporting for this VOTA effort will be handled automatically by the ARRL Logbook of The World (LoTD) QSO matching system. If you already log your QSOs from your favorite logging software and it uploads them to LoTW, you will automatically be enrolled in the project. Your QSOs will be verified normally, and the callsigns of the people you work will be searched to find the appropriate points (table shown at https://ok.arrl.org/vota/) that you receive for each QSO.

But, if you aren't set up to use LoTW, now is the time to set it up. The LoTW quick-start page is a great place to start, and the "What is LoTW Document" explains the whole process. You must authenticate yourself with the system by receiving a postcard mailed to your FCC-registered address. You'll run a program called TSQL that is used by your logging program, N3FJP, N1MM, DX Lab Suite, or something else to authenticate and upload to LoTW. You can start the setup process now, and you'll be ready on January 1st! Or, hold your logs until you get LoTW set up, and you can upload them when you get it all sorted.

If you need help setting up your LoTW account, watch some YouTube videos, contact your Elmer, or local club. If that fails, email me at n5hzr@arrl.org, and I'll find someone to help you.

W1AW Remote Operations

As a part of the Year of the Volunteer celebration, the mystical callsign W1AW will be traveling to the corners of ARRL-land. ARRL members in each state/territory will be asked to operate their stations for two different weeks using the callsign W1AW/x where x is one of the local regions: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, KL, KH0, KH2, KH6, KH7, KH8, KP2, KP3, or KP4. For example, Oklahoma's first week starts January 25, 2023, at 0000z and will run through January 31, 2023, at 2359z, using the callsign W1AW/5. Each state will coordinate the time/band/mode slots throughout the week and hams will be able to operate their stations.

Traveling W1AW rules include:

• Remember that each operator must follow the rules for their own license class. Stay in the sub-bands that you're legally allowed to operate in.
• Operators do not need to be at the same site.
• Members that contact the Traveling W1AW stations will receive 5 points.
• Each band/mode combination can be activated simultaneously. For example, N5OP could be working 20 M SSB, N5OK could be working on 20 M CW, N5AZQ could be working on 20 M FT8, and N5HZR could be on 40 M SSB, all at the same time.
• The state weekly assignments are shown at https://ok.arrl.org/vota/ in the W1AW/ Schedule area at https://ok.arrl.org/vota/.
• State operations start at 0000z each Wednesday.
• State operations stop at 2359z the following Tuesday.
• Operations should not happen on the 12 M, 17 M, or 30 M bands.
• All logs for the week should be consolidated into one ADIF file so the folks at ARRL HQ can load them into LoTW.

Each state W1AW coordinator will make a schedule to optimize the on-air time for those interested in running the callsign.

CQ Santa net starting #hamradio #teamJesus

Annually, the crew on 3916 kHz connect Santa Claus to children across the Nation and World through the power of amateur radio.

Using a radio in the basement, in the car, on the SDR or remote base, hams huddle around their gear to connect to the Net Control so their children and grandchildren can experience the connection to the North Pole.

 

It is a magic time.  The requests are typical, ex. toys and other items of pleasure.

 

Some are not so typical.  Some ask for their families to be reunited.  Some ask for more basic comfort items such as clothes and food.  

 

The net really brings the meaning of Christmas to life to people of all faiths.  Protestant and Catholic join with Hebrew, Islam, and others to recognize that Peace is possible.

 

Such is the message in the move Silent Night.  Based on a true story set in the World War II Battle of the Bulge, the story line shows a woman of faith naming a truce between combatants who share the comfort of her home while sharing in a Christmas meal.

 

The Santa Net starts the Friday after Thanksgiving and concludes on Christmas Eve.  Join in.  Look for the magic.  You will find it.

 

 

 

 

Hams, tune your FRS radio to channel one no tone #NatlPrep #hamradio @ARNewsline

You saw the announcement ...

“HAM RADIO PAIRS WITH FRS FOR MARYLAND EMCOMM” 

The idea, as noted above, is not new.  Originally fostered by the "National SOS Radio Network", the idea is that, like Neighborhood Watch, hams are involved in their community.

The toy walkie talkies that come alive at Christmas when parents give them as gifts to their children can be a handy tool for a ham ... really any ham ... in any neighborhood.

It's a good idea.  Scanning neighborhoods will have mixed results.

The other good idea is for ham clubs to sponsor a simplex channel to use locally as a chat channel to attract new potential hams.  Some hams are even sponsoring General Mobile Radio System repeaters.

The license for GMRS is $35 for ten years.  Do you have one?  Place your comments in chat.

73

Kudos to Broadnet GMRS group #GMRS #hamradio

The General Mobile Radio System requires a license, just like ham radio.  Just like ham radio, you can get in trouble for using the system without a license.

Realizing the severity of the storm, BroadNet announced to their users that, for the Hurricane Ian landfall, their linked system would unlock Zello, connected to that repeater system, to all users.  Users heard updates from the National Weather Service and those in the affected area could call for help.

While it's not ham radio, a number of GMRS users are also ham radio operators.  For example, the Slidell radio club lists a GMRS repeater on their web site, along with instructions on how to get a license. 

Kudos to both.  Public service IS public service when the public is served.  No, I'm not encouraging ham radio systems to open up their networks to non-licensed individuals BUT surely we must be listening for the Mayday call.  For example, a 17-year-old used an officer's radio to call for help, after he had been shot and after she had applied first aid.

Digital Voice, #hamradio, and hurricanes

During Hurricane Ian, the Voip Skywarn Net took reports for the National Hurricane Center.

During that event, the net relayed a number of reports.  Along with those reports, the net received about a dozen calls for rescue.  Those were also relayed to rescuers.

Some came from radio.  Most came from social media, i.e. Twitter and Facebook.

Just like Katrina, the net received calls for rescue that were truly heart breaking.  For example, during Katrina, a quadriplegic was abandoned by her caregiver.  In Ian, one individual and family was unable to find care for the loved one on hospice.  

While you might be inclined to blame the Citizen, those two issues are clearly local government, and specifically public health, items to address.  While the planning clearly is the individual to consider, the local government, when they call for a mandatory evacuation, must have plans in place to address special needs populations.

It's not even close to right to have amateur radio operators deal with failures, regardless of cause, when the issues could easily be addressed by local government.

As for the net, BUSY was the right word.  The Sunflower system in addition to the dozen calls for rescue, reported 157 items matching Skywarn criteria to WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center.  

About 20 of the stations were on Allstar, with an additional six on Hamshack Hotline, four on Dstar, P25, and Fusion each.  There were even one or two on M17.  Of course, those numbers don't include the Echolink and IRLP connections on Weather Talk.

Just remember, your disaster communications plan should include amateur radio.  It may be the only way you can call for help.  

The Decision to evacuate #hamradio #ARRL

 When the hurricane, hazmat spill, tornado, ice storm etc. comes, you have two choices.

Evacuate!

Shelter in Place!  

There are NO others.

Mandatory evacuations are so ill timed.  They are inconvenient for you.  They come, sometimes, when you don't get the notice.  They are unnecessary as well.

Why are they unnecessary? 

You have a brain.  You can watch the news.  You can watch the weather.  You can listen of official government sources.

If they are talking "It's gonna be BAD", do you really need someone zipping up and down your street telling you to get out of Dodge?

Did you learn how bad it was in New Orleans during Katrina?  Folks there were told how bad it was AND there was an official evacuation notice.  How well did that go?

You have two choices.  Pick one.  I can't help you if you make the wrong one.  Just be sure you have your ham radio turned on and checking into a net so you can call for help.

Safe and Well ended #hamradio #ARRL @redcross #LastingLegacy #NatlPrep

As noted below, Safe and Well has been discontinued by the American Red Cross.  This certainly can have disaster implications to amateur radio operations.

Within hours of an emergency or disaster, ex. hurricane, ice storm, etc. the cellular telephone networks are overworked by folks who have not learned that texting will get through before a voice call will.

Within hours, calls for "health and welfare" messages come from hams seeking information on the channels to use to get word to loved ones in an impacted zone.

Please be aware of these suggestions:

1.  Learn how to set up personal networks in order to communicate with "lifelines" and loved ones.  GroupMe,  WhatsApp, Messenger, Twitter, etc. offer direct messaging to lists of people.  Get your smart grandson to set up a family list.  

2.  Read the "Tips for Contacting Loved Ones" at the link above to Safe and Well.  

3.  Find your local amateur radio operator and ask them to send a "radiogram".  The caveat here is that not every amateur radio operator knows how to send a message AND there is no guarantee that a sent message may reach the destination.  These volunteers can only try.  There is no cost for the trying.

4.  Better yet, become licensed as an amateur radio operator and learn how to help your neighbors with contacts into a disaster zone.  The training is free.  The license is not.  Morse Code is not required (but it is fun to learn).

For years, emergency managers have encouraged people to Plan, Prepare, Practice in order to overcome the first 72 hours of any disaster.  It's time to do that, especially since it's National Preparedness Month.

 

 

 

 

Safe and Well Platform Ending FAQs 

Disaster Cycle Services Job Tools 

Respond / Reunification 

Message for Partners 

Unfortunately, the platform which currently hosts the American Red Cross Safe and Well website,  redcross.org/safeandwell, has become obsolete due to technology changes, and will be deactivated at  midnight on December 29, 2020. While this means that we won’t have a self-service website for people  to register or search for loved ones after disasters, we want to reassure you that the Red Cross remains  committed to this work. Our less public, behind the scenes efforts to reunite loved ones are not going  away.  

The Safe and Well website has served as the public-facing part of the Red Cross Reunification Program and has been used by a variety of partners over the past 14 years. Now, with more and more people  depending on mobile apps to communicate and connect, we will adapt our messaging and encourage  the public to use our free Red Cross Emergency app. The app features an “I’m Safe” button that allows  users to post a message to their social accounts or send an email to a pre-determined list, letting people  know they are safe and out of harm’s way. 

In the coming days, the Reunification team at headquarters will connect with our national partners to  share this important update. We have also created a template message for field teams to share with local  partners who use Safe and Well. As part of this notification, we will encourage local partners to remove Safe and Well from their continuity of operations plan and contact their local Red Cross to talk about  ways the Red Cross may be able to support them moving forward.  

It’s important to note, the Red Cross will continue to support requests for reunification that come in  through our national call center, chapter network, or through emergency welfare inquiries (EWI), family  reunification requests (FRR) and military welfare inquiries (MWI). Our team will also explore options to  support similar safe and well services in the future as needs change.  

Frequently Asked Questions 

Q. What is the timeline for discontinuation of the Safe and Well website? 

A. Between December 22 and 29, users will still be able to access safeandwell.org, however they will  receive a message that the site will no longer be available after December 29.  

Beginning on December 30, users will receive a message when attempting to access safeandwell.org explaining that the site has been discontinued and sharing additional relevant information. 

Q. What do we tell people who are looking for someone after a disaster?  

A. We encourage people to talk with their families before disaster strikes and set up a communication  plan. In addition, the free Red Cross Emergency app features an “I’m Safe” button that allows users to  post a message to their social accounts or send an email to a pre-determined list, letting people know 

RES Safe and Well Platform Ending FAQs V.1.0 2020.12.17 1 

they are safe and out of harm’s way. If you believe your family member to be missing after a disaster,  please follow local emergency guidance on missing persons.  

Q. What do we tell our partners who contact us about their continuity of operations plan? A. We recommend sharing this information:  

1. Encourage the partner to connect with emergency management to determine what alert systems  are in place in their community. 

2. Educate partners on the free Red Cross Emergency app and how they can help their employees  create a communication plan as part of their personal preparedness. 

3. Advise partners about the aspects of the Red Cross reunification program that will remain  available to them.  

Q. Is there another public facing platform that we can transition the Safe and Well program to?  A. There are other platforms available, but none that we are recommending or partnering with at this  time. It’s important to note, the Red Cross will continue to support requests for reunification that come in  through our national call center including emergency welfare inquiries (EWI), family reunification requests  (FRR) and military welfare inquiries (MWI). Our team will also explore options to support similar safe and  well services in the future as needs change.  

Q. How many people have been helped over the life of the Safe and Well program?  A. The Safe and Well website was created in 2006 as a result of Hurricane Katrina with funding from  FEMA. We upgraded the site to its current version in July 2010 and it has facilitated more than 20,000  matches in the past 10 years. In 2019, Hurricanes Michael and Florence as well as the tragic Camp Fire  response in California were some of the most significant disasters supported by this program with that  year alone having more than 3,400 matched search inquiries.  

Q. How do we help our staff and workforce prepare now that the safe and well product and  registration options are no longer available?  

A. The Safe and Well website was a significant tool for the Red Cross, but it isn’t all encompassing of our  work. While this means that we won’t have a self-service website for people to register or search for  loved ones after disasters, we want to reassure you that the Red Cross remains committed to post disaster reunification efforts. Our less public, behind the scenes efforts to reunite loved ones are not  going away. For example: 

• We will still be able to search registration lists for congregate and non-congregate shelters. • We will still be able to take names of missing people to match against said lists as well as to add  to the Emergency Welfare Inquiry/Family Reunification Request Log (RRL) system used to track  and located EWI, FRR and MWI cases. 

• The public will still be able to call us during a disaster for help. 

• Through our messaging we can still encourage people affected by disasters to reach out to their  loved ones and to use the free Red Cross Emergency app which features an “I’m Safe” button  that allows users to post a message to their social accounts or send an email to a pre-determined  list, letting people know they are safe and out of harm’s way. 

• We will modify the existing Helper Tool (formerly used in concert with the website) for regions and  relief operations to use as an internal tool to “register” shelter residents if needed.

RES Safe and Well Platform Ending FAQs V.1.0 2020.12.17 2 

 

You have 18 hours! What will you do? #hamradio #NatlPrep #LastingLegacy

Our friends at the Space Weather Prediction Center do a great job with Space Weather, including those pesky solar flares that fry the electrons of a Prius on the Florida highway during an evacuation for a hurricane.

Have you lost count how often the Carrington Event has been mentioned by this author?

Asking our friends at SWPC, what the lead time for an event might be, the answer below might give comfort, compared to the 13 minute average warning time for a tornado.  

 

If it were a Carrington-like event, and it had an associated CME that was directed at Earth, we would likely have on the order of several hours to possibly a day to provide the public with a warning. If I'm not mistaken, one of the fastest transit times that has been recorded was approximately 18 hours from the time the CME departed the Sun to when it impacted Earth. 

 

So, in 18 hours, what are your plans for protecting your cell phone, HF radio, walkie talkie, Roku device, weather radio, Fusion or Dstar hotspot, electronics in your automobile,  television set, or portable AM/FM radio?  How sure are you that the stuff you listen to will be transmitting anything?

Reality is the Amish may be your Uber or Lyft ride.  Bicycles and walking will be the norm.  Anything with electronic ignition has lost its mind.  

Transmitters with ALL tubes, i.e. tube finals, exciters, modulators, and power supplies will all function. Solid state devices will not, unless they were stored in a Faraday cage.  Now you know why Soviet Mig-15 fighters had tube type radios.

There was a scene in the show Jericho where the survivors were using their cellphones for batting practice.  Without some preparedness now, that scene is likely to be reality. 

 

The museum piece cars and farm tractors were transportation.  Gasoline and diesel, however, were on short supply.  Pipelines may be able to move oil but refineries may be a bit challenged to convert it.

OK.  What will you do?  After a drought, I had an emergency management director ask "Now that your drought is over, what will you complain about now?" after which the reply was "a solar flare".

Don't have an answer?

Here's two ideas:

Cellphone, solar charger, other small electronic items, go in a Faraday cage.  Christmas popcorn tins come in handy after Christmas.  One article has a number of suggestions.

The first suggestion is to wrap your cellphone in plastic wrap and wrap that again in aluminum foil.  Test the microwave as a Faraday cage.  Put your phone in it.  Close the door.  Call the phone.  If it works, it is not in a Faraday shield.  If it does, wrap your phone, radio, solar charger, AM/FM radio, walkie-talkie and put them in the microwave.  

After the Event, carefully unpack them and test them.  Maybe a good thought would be to do that at night.  Don't expect them to work (remember the transmitters have to be 100% tube-type) but, if they do, tune the AM broadcast channels for clear channel stations.  Your first goal is to determine "How big is BIG; how bad is bad".

The second suggestion from the link is the aluminum trash can (here's the Christmas popcorn tin idea).

Clubs?  How about a cache of radio gear for club members to use?

 

OH, our friends at the Department of Homeland Security have a handy little document also.

 

It's your turn now.  In comments, give suggestions.  Tactfully worded comments will be approved.

Ready?  Set?  Plan, prepare, practice.

When is too much, too much? #hamradio #ARRL

Turn on the TV!  Switch the channels.  Find anything to watch?

I surprised my first exchange student with the statement "There's nothing to watch" when we had Cable and about 30 channels.  It's worse with satellite TV and over 200 channels.

Another blogger commented that there are too many ham radio Youtube stars.

We have YouTube, Roku, and one can even stream video thought and mayhem on Facebook and Twitter.

Want to start your own blog?  Blogspot and Wordpress started the trend.  There's even more now.

Can  you remember when there was ONE community repeater?  When it went down, you talked on the simplex output with a two-channel crystal-controlled radio.  

Now we have three hotspots ... and four repeaters in a county.  One net on one repeater.  Another is host to an Allstar hotspot, nets, and programming. Yet another is host to five repeaters, three hotspots, and simplex operation on a non-standard channel.  None are all busy all the time.

As one writer wrote, "Echolink ... bringing life to dead repeaters worldwide" ... except on some repeaters on Echolink the life seems to be endless Kerchunks.

The pot calling the kettle black brought Sunflower to Kansas.  The thought was to have a watering hole on digital voice so one does not have to buy multiple radios and multiple hotspots.  Rather tune your one radio and hotspot to a bridge that has multiple outputs for your radio activity.

So far, the activity has been Kerchunks ... but it's new.  Give it a try.

Some people miss the old crystal control Motrac in the trunk with 146.16-76 and 146.76 simplex crystals.  At least there was someone listening to it.  

 

QRZ?  This is KC5FM listening.

 

 

Merry Christmas

Good move #ARRL #hamradio

Thanks, ARRL, for leading the charge to offer electronic voting to League members. 

I hope the effort expands to section elections.

I had a conversation with an election clerk about offering this in government elections. There's a lot of dots to connect, as you know and the QST article revealed, to make it real. 

NOW, if we could do something to approve voter apathy!!

It's disappointing to defend and support the Constitution when less than half of the registered voters  care enough to vote. 

Maybe, electronic elections will help that, too. 

 

 

#Carrington Event impact to #hamradio

 From the Amateur Radio Newsline on MeWE:

**A “Perfect Coronal Mass Ejection” Could Be a Nightmare**

A new study in the research journal Space Weather considers what might happen if a worst-case coronal mass ejection (CME) hit Earth — a “perfect solar storm,” if you will.

In 2014, Bruce Tsurutani of Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Gurbax Lakhina of the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism introduced the “perfect CME.” It could create a magnetic storm with intensity up to the saturation limit, a value greater than the Carrington Event of 1859, the researchers said. Many other spaceweather effects would not be limited by saturation effects, however. The interplanetary shock would arrive at Earth within about 12 hours, the shock impingement onto the magnetosphere would create a sudden impulse of around 234 nanoteslas (nT), and the magnetic pulse duration in the magnetosphere would be about 22 seconds. Orbiting satellites would be exposed to “extreme levels of flare and interplanetary CME (ICME) shock-accelerated particle radiation,” they said. The event would follow an initial CME that would “clear the path in front of it, allowing the storm cloud to hit Earth with maximum force.”

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) has observed CMEs leaving the sun at speeds of up to 3,000 kilometers per second, and many instances of one CME clearing the way for another have been recorded.

The CME’s 12-hour travel time would allow little margin for preparation. The CME would hit Earth’s magnetosphere at 45 times the local speed of sound, and the resulting geomagnetic storm could be as much as twice as strong as the Carrington Event. Power grids, GPS, and other services could experience significant outages.

More recent research led by physicist Dan Welling of the University of Texas at Arlington took a fresh look at Tsurutani and Lakhina’s “perfect CME,” and given improvements in spaceweather modeling, he was able to reach new conclusions.

Welling’s team found that geomagnetic disturbances in response to a perfect CME could be 10 times stronger than Tsurutani and Lakhina had calculated, especially at latitudes above 45 to 50 °. “[Our results] exceed values observed during many past extreme events, including the March 1989 storm that brought down the Hydro-Québec power grid in eastern Canada, the May 1921 railroad storm, and the Carrington Event itself,” Welling summarized.

A key result of the new study is how the CME would distort and compress Earth’s magnetosphere. The strike would push the magnetopause down until it’s only 2 Earth-radii above Earth’s surface. Satellites in Earth orbit would suddenly find themselves exposed to a hail of energetic, and potentially damaging, charged particles.

Other research has indicated that phenomena such as the Carrington Event may not be as rare as once thought. A much weaker magnetic storm brought down the Canadian Hydro‐Québec system in 1989.

Scientists believe a perfect CME will happen someday. As Welling et al conclude, “Further exploring and preparing for such extreme activity is important to mitigate spaceweather-related catastrophes.”

In July 2012, NASA and European spacecraft watched an extreme solar storm erupt from the sun and narrowly miss Earth. “If it had hit, we would still be picking up the pieces,” said Daniel Baker of the University of Colorado at a NOAA Space Weather Workshop 2 years later. “It might have been stronger than the Carrington Event itself.”

Count this as worse than an ice storm and hurricane combined. Your car won’t start. Your radio won’t work. The electricity is out. That’s ok. Your microwave and refrigerator are fried and you can’t get In Amazon to order another. 

Primitive. Your life just became primitive. 

Peggy's Chat #hamradio #Caribbean

One of the best nets on Ham Radio is Peggy's Chat.

Each Saturday morning at 7 a.m. Central Time (1200 Z), listeners can hear Peggy, VP2MP accept checkins from ALL over the world on the CDARIN ... the Caribbean Digital Amateur Radio International Network.  

Occasionally, the Sunflower Net will connect but otherwise users should log on to Echolink 532301 and Allstar 431421, as well as DMR, Fusion, Dstar, and Hamshack Hotline.

Come meet new friends and enjoy old ones on Peggy's Chat.

Everyone! Talk about #hamradio #ARRL

 Everyone talks about the weather but no one does anything about it.

You saw the Tweet:

#ARRL Public Information Officers, Coordinators, and many other member-volunteers help keep amateur radio and ARRL in the news. #hamradio https://buff.ly/3zoAFHS 

You have friends, neighbors, countrymen willing to lend you their ears.  

Get your "elevator speech" ready.  You have 30 seconds to tell them about your relationship with the Best Hobby on the Planet.

Sometimes folks on 7.200 mHz need to experience Wouff Hong #hamradio #ARRL

 

... because if they did, perhaps they might come away with an understanding of what ham radio is all about.

 

It seems that folks all over the planet are all about antinominanism ...  there's NO law that applies to them (in the strongest sense).

The Author is keenly aware of the Constitution from the Declaration of Independence through to the amendments, especially the first and 14th.

 

Yet, without the Law telling us what we can and can not do, we are no better than anarchy.  

 

 As a recent inductee to the Royal Order of the Wouff Hong, it was an apparent effort to restore understanding  of what the founders of the amateur radio hobby sought to have understood about the civility of the BEST hobby on the Planet.  

The folks at HamHoliday must be commended, along with the American Radio Relay League, for supplying this clear understanding what the tradition of amateur radio includes as understanding this hobby of ours.

Our Hobby, like our Constitution, will continue to last for more decades when  Citizens and Hams understand the promises of both.

Rules of Radio Communication #ARRL #hamradio

Golden Rules of Radio Communication  

1.               Clarity: Your voice should be clear. Speak a little slower than normal. Speak in a normal tone, do not shout.  

2.               Simplicity: Keep your message simple enough for intended listeners to understand.  

3.                Brevity: Be precise and to the point.  

4.               Security: Do not transmit confidential information on a radio unless you know the proper security technology is in place. Remember, frequencies are shared, you do not have exclusive use of the frequency 

 

 

 

 

Verbose Verbiage Impedes Divulgation #ARRL #hamradio

The original Twitter was probably best.  In 140 characters per Tweet, folks had an opportunity to offend the world. Early users of the Wireless Emergency Alerts  had to warn the world in 90 characters.

One Twitter user described it as writing the Great American Novel one Tweet at a time.

In the Military Auxiliary Radio System, folks are taught to THINK about what you will say.  SAY it.  Unkey.

In life and death situations, it would be a shame to have someone die because one went one syllable too long.

 

This is KC5FM out.

"Wouff Hong Induction Ceremony" #ARRL #hamradio #hamholiday

Ham Holiday 2022 will host a "Wouff Hong Induction Ceremony" on Friday evening,
22 July, following the Friday night banquet.  If you wish to join this
noteworthy body of amateur radio operators, you may register on the "Ham Holiday
Registration" page (https://hamholiday.com/), scroll down to 'Wouff Hong' and
sign in.  You must be not only a licensed amateur radio operator, but also a
member in good standing of the American Radio Relay League. 'Walk-in' candidates
for "Wouff Hong" membership are also welcome and may register at the 'greeter's
table'.

The ceremony will begin around 9:30 PM and takes about one hour.

Current members of the "Wouff Hong" are also encouraged to attend.  For current
members, if you wish to get the new style "Wouff Hong" certificate, you may
register at the 'greeter's table'; a new certificate will be created for you and
available for pick-up at the CORA/Ham Holiday prize table on Saturday.

Now, what is a "Woff Hong"?????

A Wouff Hong is a fictional tool used to "punish" Amateur Radio operators, who
demonstrate poor operating practices, unfriendly attitude toward fellow
amateurs, and who dare to put our hobby in an unfavorable light.

Legend has it that the Wouff Hong was invented by Hiram Percy Maxim (founder of
ARRL), W1AW, under the pseudonym, "The Old Man," just as amateurs were getting
back on the air after World War One.

Early in 1919, "The Old Man" wrote in QST "I am sending you a specimen of a real
live Wouff Hong . . . Keep it in the editorial sanctum where you can lay hands
on it quickly in an emergency." The "specimen of a real live Wouff Hong" was
presented to a meeting of the ARRL Board and the Board voted that the Wouff Hong
be framed and hung in the office of the Secretary of the League.

On display at ARRL HQ today, the Wouff Hong is a constant reminder to Amateur
Radio operators to be mindful of their operating etiquette and good relations
with members of our hobby.

 

 

Friday is the start of Ham Holiday 2022 #hamradio #ARRL #hamholiday

 

Ham Holiday OKC Hamfest is July 22/23 - https://hamholiday.com

Here it is: Ham Holiday 2022 OKC Hamfest July 22/23 Ham Holiday 2022 will be held on Friday/Saturday, July 22 and 23, 2022. Tickets are available online at https://hamholiday.com. Bring your amateur radio friends, or make new ones here. On Friday, July 22, the doors are open from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm, with the Ham Holiday Friday Banquet starting at 7:00 pm. Saturday, July 23, the doors are open from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. All of this happens at the Oklahoma City Community College, 7777 S May, Oklahoma City. Just south of I-240, at May Ave. Buy, sell, trade, and learn all about amateur radio at Ham Holiday 2022. https://hamholiday.com Ham Holiday 2022 is a two-day HamFest, that has been continuously held since 1974. This year Ham Holiday will again be at the Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC), in Southwest Oklahoma City. We will be in the Student Union, follow the arrows when you get to OCCC and enter Parking Lot D. Our Friday night banquet speaker and our special guest will be our ARRL West Gulf Division Director John Stratton N5AUS. There will be forums, or classes, that will let you gain some knowledge and learn something new. The amateur radio license examination session will be at 12:30 pm on Saturday. You can get your amateur radio license, or upgrade your ticket right on site, for no testing fee. In addition to the great door prizes, this year we have added a special limited raffle that will let you have a chance to win an Icom 705 package costing over $2,100. Only 200 twenty-dollar tickets will be sold for this raffle. Get your tickets today, before they run out. Get your tickets online today, or at the door, and we'll see you there. 73 Find Out More