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Issue #18 - April, 2008 Fellow ARRL Members... I hope these electronic newsletters will be the first in long series of newsletters from your Central Division Director - long after I have departed from the scene. I plan to do about four of these a year, but this could vary depending on the amount of Central Division ham radio news that develops. The news items that appear on the ARRL website will not be mentioned here unless they are of particular interests to hams in this division. As a general rule, items reported here will be in areas of interest to all hams such as: proposed legislation that could or will affect Amateur Radio, area-wide interference and intruder problems, FCC enforcement activity within our division, large-scale public service or emergency communications activities in this region. Keeping this criteria in mind, if you have news items that you think qualify for publication here, please mail them to me at my address listed on the Director’s Page on this website or email me direct at: dick@pobox.com Photographs (digital- JPG format or paper) are a welcome addition to any submitted item and will enhance the probability of its publication.
Issue #18 - April, 2008 It’s Been Too Long Since My Last Newsletter Over the last three months, I have received a few inquiries about when my next Central Division newsletter would be published. My last newsletter was published on the Central Division website in December, 2006. I started a newsletter three times in the first quarter of 2007, only to have events over-take my reports. There has been excellent coverage of these events on the ARRL website and I therefore got into the habit of putting off my next newsletter. Yes, I have posted a few single topic division-wide email messages the last 15 months, but I have not taken the time to produce a real newsletter since then. I apologize for this lack of division-wide communication on my part and this issue is my first effort to get back on track in this regard. As for any rumors about my health, there are no problems other than the routines that develop in response to increasing age - I hit 69 years this past March. More simply put, my personal schedule is a bit more crowded and I have not yet completely accomplished any item on my lifetime to-do list. Or perhaps my years are getting too short. Do you remember how long it took for a year to pass when you were in grade school? It seemed like my birthday, summer vacation, and Christmas took almost forever. Now, planned events and activities arrive much too quickly. Amateur Radio Service Long-Term Growth? About 14 months have elapsed since the FCC abolished the remaining Morse code licensing requirement. Contrary to the opinions of some CW enthusiasts, it does not appear we have been overrun by no-code dummies. There has been considerable upgrading of licenses and a small overall increase in the total number of licensees in 2007. The following approximate numbers are from Dave Sumner’s editorial in the February 2008 QST.
My long-term concern (3 years after the removal of the Morse code requirement), is will we be gaining even more licensees? ARRL membership increased by about 4000 during 2007 to more than 152,000. This is a welcome reversal of our membership trend in recent years, but will we also see ARRL membership continue to increase 2 years from now? I believe the answers to both of these questions will be determined by all of us. ARRL has and will continue to provide the recruitment tools. But it’s up to local radio clubs and super-active individuals to mentor new licensees and to introduce them to all that the ARRL does to support amateur radio. 2008 AES Superfest Report The AES Superfest held at
the end of March is an unusual hamfest, if you can call it by that name. The weather in Milwaukee this time of the year is quite variable. I’ve driven up there in snow, ice, driving rain, and in calm sunny 70s. However, I find the reward to be well worth the risk. Hamfests & Meetings As of the publication of
this newsletter issue, here is my ARRL travel schedule for May, June, and
July 2008. It is subject to change if required ARRL meeting dates
are changed or there are last minute transportation problems.
I hope to see many of you at these hamfests. In addition to shopping for new and used equipment, they are a great way to renew and develop friendships and to meet some of the voices you have heard on your radios. 73 - George R. (Dick) Isely,
W9GIG
(Remember to bookmark the
ARRL Central Division Web URL)
·IRC - Indiana Repeater Council ·WAR - Wisconsin Association of Repeaters
Contact Your State Representatives ·ILLINOIS General Assembly ·INDIANA General Assembly ·WISCONSIN.gov - Government Contact
Your U.S. Representatives
·FCC - Amateur Radio Service Web page ·FCC - How to Renew Your Amateur License ·FCC - Universal Licensing System (ULS) ·FCC - Electronic Comment Filing 
·IARU - International Amateur Radio Union ·ITU - International Telecommunications Union ©2002-2008 ARRL Central Division Web Best View 1024 x 768 www.central.arrl.org |
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There
is no admission fee, no flea market, no commercial dealer sales, and it’s
held inside the Milwaukee Amateur Electronics Supply store.
Several amateur radio equipment manufacturers demonstrate their products,
there is a small, but interesting selection of forums, most of the Milwaukee
area amateur radio groups are there, there are volunteer exams, and the
ARRL sends a staff member to run the ARRL display. This two day event
has grown over the years to the point where it will need more floor space,
if it’s to grow any larger. It’s not the largest event I attend within
the Central Division each year. However, far more ARRL memberships
are sold there than at any other hamfest within the division.
