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ARRL Club News

Published by the American Radio Relay League
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March 19, 2024

Editor: Michael Walters, W8ZY <clubs@arrl.org>

IN THIS ISSUE

- Field Day Countdown
- Celebrating Radio Women on International Women's Day
- Great Progress Made during Brief Period in Daleville, Alabama
- Submitting Info for this Newsletter
- How to Plan and Apply for an ARRL Hamfest or Convention
- Important Links

==> FIELD DAY COUNTDOWN

Field Day is just about 3 months away, and now is the time for your
club to plan for the event. Many of the details of this event should
not be left to the last minute. With hopes of pointing clubs in the
right direction, here are a few tips that may help.

1. Plan your location with a few questions in mind.

a. Will you have public traffic around your site, and are the antennas
you will be using mindful of safety?

b. Is your site on property that requires supplying an insurance
certificate to the owners? Many public sites require this.

c. Are you planning to create signs telling the public what you are
doing and inviting them to learn more?

d. Does the site have adequate parking and access? Remember, Field Day
is a 24-hour operation. You don't want to get locked in or out of your
location, especially once it's dark.

e. Have you reviewed the safety requirements for fueling and grounding
your generator? Noise may be an issue if you are on a public site.

f. How do you plan to keep the site clean and uncluttered for pictures?

2. Contact the local media to invite them to your site.

a. Local newspapers

b. Local television networks

c. Plan to have someone that can serve as a guide, answer questions,
and direct pictures.

3. Operator planning is essential. Create a schedule of operators.

a. Think about whether you will operate for the full 24 hours or not.

b. Invite new hams to learn by logging and operating.

c. Don't forget to think about having relief operators.

4. Consider contacting your local served agencies to demonstrate the
capabilities of hams in an emergency.

a. Local emergency management

b. American Red Cross

c. Local police, fire, and ambulance companies

d. Other local agencies that may be involved with shelter management

Field Day is what you want to make of it. Treat it like a contest and
see how many contacts you can make, make it an emergency drill, use it
for outreach to the public, or make it a social event for your club and
include having fun on the radio. Field Day is all about having fun and
showcasing the different aspects of amateur radio. Make your Field Day
an event that the club will learn from, and, most importantly, have
fun!

Find the complete list of Field Day resources at field-day.arrl.org
<http://field-day.arrl.org>.

==> CELEBRATING RADIO WOMEN ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

On Friday, March 8, three women from the Ellsworth Amateur Wireless
Association -- Joan Hildreth, W1DLC; Barbara MacPike, KC1SSY, and
Marion Mason, N3OA -- operated from the Fabbri Picnic Area at Acadia
National Park in Maine as part of the Young Ladies Radio League's
International Women's Day YL POTA Party. The team made 70 contacts,
reaching as far as Poland, Italy, and Germany operating DX, and in the
states, reaching Wisconsin, Colorado, Texas, and Florida. They operated
with a Yaesu FT-891, 25 W, and a 40-, 20-, and 15-meter end-fed
half-wave antenna. The weather, although chilly, was sunny and
inspiring for early March. It was a memorable way to honor the
achievements of women in amateur radio. #YL_POTA_PARTY

By Marion Mason, N3OA

==> GREAT PROGRESS MADE DURING BRIEF PERIOD IN DALEVILLE, ALABAMA

2024 is looking to be an outstanding year for the Daleville Area
Amateur Radio Service (DAARS)! The organization is fairly young, having
been founded in 2022, but there has been much progress during that
time. DAARS already offers textbooks and mentoring for those preparing
to take the amateur radio license exam, VE sessions, ARES training, and
more. The organization is active within the community and is constantly
looking for ways to improve.

DAARS is excited about several upcoming events. The organization will
be set up for ARRL Field Day on June 22 from 8 AM to 12 PM Central at
Culpepper Park during the Second Annual AMVETS (American veterans)
SummerFest, operating as K4D. The club will also be operating a special
event station on December 22, in celebration of the Dale County Alabama
USA Bicentennial. They'll operate as K4D on 10, 20, 40, and 80 meters
via phone and FT8. QSL cards for the event will be sent to all
successful contacts.

DAARS is proud to partner with other organizations within the community
to foster a bright future for amateur radio and the community itself,
through service, education, and enrichment. More information can be
found at www.Daleville.US <http://www.daleville.us/>.

By Kevin Turley, K9ADE

==> SUBMITTING INFO FOR THIS NEWSLETTER

ARRL Club News is for radio clubs to show how they are working in the
community and the hobby to advance amateur radio. If your club
completes a project, supports an event, does an EmComm activation, or
activates a park, we want to hear about it. You can submit your
newsletter article to us at clubs@arrl.org. We like to get them as text
or Word files instead of PDFs. If you have pictures, please submit them
with caption information, as well as the name and call sign of the
photographer. We want to highlight the good work being done by the
clubs and show others in the community. Think of this as a chance to
show off your club and your programs.

==> HOW TO PLAN AND APPLY FOR AN ARRL HAMFEST OR CONVENTION

If your amateur radio club is planning to host a convention, hamfest,
tailgate, or swapfest, please consider applying for it to be an
ARRL-sanctioned event. To learn what it means to be an ARRL-sanctioned
event, and to get some ideas on how to prepare for and conduct a
hamfest or convention, visit www.arrl.org/arrl-sanctioned-events
<http://www.arrl.org/arrl-sanctioned-events>.

To have your event sanctioned, complete the online application at
www.arrl.org/hamfest-convention-application
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfest-convention-application>.

The ARRL Hamfests and Conventions Calendar can be found online at
www.arrl.org/hamfests <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests>. In addition, the
Convention and Hamfest Calendar that runs in QST each month also
presents information about upcoming events.

==> IMPORTANT LINKS

ARRL Home: www.arrl.org <http://www.arrl.org/>

Find an ARRL Affiliated Club: www.arrl.org/clubs
<http://www.arrl.org/clubs>

Find your ARRL Section: www.arrl.org/sections
<http://www.arrl.org/sections>

Find a license class in your area: www.arrl.org/class
<http://www.arrl.org/class>

Find a license exam in your area: www.arrl.org/exam
<http://www.arrl.org/exam>

Find a hamfest or convention: www.arrl.org/hamfests
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests>

Email ARRL Clubs: clubs@arrl.org

ARRL Club News is published every month (12 times each year). ARRL
members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member
Data Page at www.arrl.org/opt-in-out
<https://home.arrl.org/action/My-Account/Opt-In-Out>. Archived issues
can be found at http://www.arrl.org/club-news

Copyright (c) 2024 American Radio Relay League, Incorporated.
Use and distribution of this publication, or any portion thereof, is
permitted for non-commercial or educational purposes, with attribution.
All other purposes require written permission.

<http://www.arrl.org/>