PCARS (K8BF)

I think we all can agree that the weather for 2023 has been literally
unbelievable. All three Sections of the Great Lakes Division, Kentucky,
Michigan and Ohio have faced flooding, tornadoes, ice storms, severe
heat, drought almost without precedent. Reports of Amateur Radio
support for local Emergency Management, the National Weather Service,
Red Cross, Salvation Army and a host of other Non-government agencies
have been very favorable. We have faced disaster after disaster in the
past year and are meeting these challenges.

A lot of thanks goes out to ARES and NTS teams for providing needed
communications during these events and in the interim, taking the
necessary time to train and learn about how our served agency partners
operate and what their communications needs really are.

Jumping into the fray with a radio on your hip just does not cut it
anymore, (if it ever did). More and more we find ourselves using the
standardized forms the agencies are using, and insuring consistent and
reliable message delivery.

Speaking of message delivery, the recent surveys conducted by the NTS
Review Sub-committee from the ARRL, reveal that the most significant
problem in the entire National Traffic System (NTS) still remain the
final delivery of the message. Often the recipient’s phone number is
invalid, but somehow it seems that the delivering station just drops the
ball and there it lies. Could it be because the message seems too
innocuous or unimportant? That is not our call, it could be the first
time the parties have communicated in years and we are part of it.
While the message delivery failure does not happen often, we should
strive for 100% delivery. Those goals have been set, let’s meet them.
We can and should be the folks that set the example of how messaging
should be done. My sincere thanks go out to all the hard working folks
who dedicate so much of their time to traffic handling.

But let’s not have the kudos stop here. There are many more people who
deserve thanks for their often unsung efforts. The operators, the
technologists, the DXers, the Contesters and the rag chewers immediately
come to mind. The Contesters and DXers put our equipment to the real
test, pushing the envelope, working through QRM and QRN and showing us
all how to improve on these skills. And the people on the technical and
development side are likewise giving us new modes and equipment based
upon the experience of those operating under critical conditions. Let’s
not forget the goodwill efforts of many DXpeditioners who demonstrate
ham radio to many areas of the globe, help them form new amateur radio
clubs and even provide them with their first equipment from the
DXpedition. Even the casual operators, the rag chewers, play an
important part in keeping ham radio viable as an important community
resource.

One has to feel proud and honored just to be even a small part of this
wonderful adventure called Amateur Radio.

On a very personal note, Judy and I were very surprised and pleased at
all the well wishes that arrived following her July 7 shoulder injury.
It all has been truly appreciated. She is progressing, never as fast as
one would like, but the PT program is really helping. Thanks everyone
for your kind words.

SCOTT’S STUFF: Comments from your ARRL Vice-Director Scott, N8SY. –
September Edition

Have we had a wild August or what!!!… All the rain, tornadoes and
humidity have made this August one for the books for sure.

Hey, are you ready for some football??? September brings a plethora of
football games back. High School (my favorite), college and of course
pro. The match ups this year in all 3 categories look like it will be a
very good year for “real” football. Hang on to your hats and let’s
get rolling. Oh, now is probably a good time to remind everyone to be
extra careful when driving and to heed those flashing red lights on
those big yellow school buses. Give them plenty of room to get the kids
on and off, as well as crossing the streets.

Shifting Gears… I want to give a big shout-out to Roy Hook, W8REH.
He was declared elected without opposition and is your Great Lakes
Division Vice Director Elect!! Congratulations Roy!! I know that
you’ll do a great job for the Division.

Shifting gears again… August and September are always really busy
months for me. I’ve been having a blast attending hamfests, club
meetings and even one Amateur Radio Mobile Cruise-In Night! I even got
an authentic A&W Root Beer Float there!! Wow, I haven’t had one of
those in years. It’s been really great getting back out after all the
hubbub of COVID to shake hands, meet up with old friends and make new
ones, but most of all just being able to sit and listen to you! My
notebook has pages and pages of your thoughts and ideas and they will be
shared with the various committees as they meet. Thank you for sharing
and for being an ARRL member!

Shifting gears again… There’s a new ARRL video that helps members
navigate our digital magazines. This video is helping our members get
more out of their digital magazine experience. ARRL members all have
digital access to four high quality magazines: QST, On The Air, QEX, and
NCJ. If you have questions or concerns about how to get the most out of
the digital editions, this new video on the ARRLHQ YouTube channel will
help walk you through it.

The video, hosted by Jherica Goodgame, KI5HTA, explores many features
including switching between magazines, saving to PDF, searching for
content, bookmarks, and zooming in to content. It covers the web browser
version, as well as the Android and iOS applications.

If you download the ARRL Magazines app for Android or iOS, ARRL will
send a notification to your device when a new edition is available for
reading. The video may be viewed at the following link:
https://youtu.be/vmZflC2IUIs

Shifting gears again… Is your ARES group getting ready for S.E.T.?
The Simulated Emergency Test (S.E.T.) is October 7-8 and next to Field
Day, one of the busiest times for ham radio! Is your ARES group or club
already in the planning stage yet? If not, it should be, like Field
Day, S.E.T. demonstrates to our served agencies what amateur radio is
really all about, communications.

Shifting gears to come into the pits… Whelp, that’s going to do it
from here this month. Stay safe and “Catch Me On The Air” at a hamfest
or your next club meeting.

Hey, don’t forget to participate in your local club’s activities!!!!
It’s important to be a part of your club and ham radio, and not just
a reporter.
73,

Scott, N8SY@ARRL.ORG
Vice Director
Great Lakes Division

HAMFEST AND EVENT LISTING:

Here is the current listing of Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned
hamfests and Special Events through October of 2023.

9/9/23 – Letcher Co KY ARC Hamfest, Whitesburg, KY
9/9/23 – Greater Louisville Hamfest, Shepherdsville, KY
9/9/23 – GRAHamfest, Wyoming, MI
9/10/23 – Findlay Hamfest, Findlay, OH
9/16/23 – Hiawatha ARA Swap, Negaunee, MI
9/16/23 – Richmond Hamfest, Richmond, KY
9/16/23 – GMARC Trunk Swap, Shelby Twp, MI – NS
9/17/23 – Adrian Hamfest, Adrian, MI
9/23/23 – CMARC Hamfest, Okemos, MI
9/23/23 – Gaylord Hamfest, Gaylord, MI
9/23/23 – BARA Trunk Sales, Berrien Center, MI
9/24/23 – Cleveland Hamfest, Berea, OH
9/30/23 – KY4ARC Hamfest, Paintsville, KY
10/7/23 – Central Kentucky, Lexington, KY
10/7/12 – Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo, MI
10/14/23 – Muskegon Color Tour, Muskegon, MI
10/28/23 – Hazard, Hazard, KY
10/29/23 – Massillon, North Canton, OH

Please join us on the 5th Tuesday of August for a double-barrelled hands-on session:

Tube Testing

Joe W8KNO has kindly made available to the SIG his B&K 747 Dyna-Jet dynamic mutual conductance tube tester. This tester far exceeds the capabilities of your old drug-store tube checkers we may have used years ago.

So, if you have a project underway or awaiting the famed Round TUIT to get started, bring tubes and we will check their condition and performance. Please remember there is always the slim possibility that the testing process might kill your (thought it was good but it really wasn’t) Device Under Test so the risk is yours. Joe may be present or on Zoom to answer questions.

Toroid Identification

Based on Jim AC8NT’s February 2023 Radiogram article, we will go through the process of measuring known and unknown toroids. Jim will loan us his LCR meter for the session, as well as a drill jig for removing the coating on a toroid to get a reliable measurement.

So: bring that pile or bag of mystery toroid cores from your bench and junk box, and bring your LCR meter if you have one. We’ll step through the process that Jim outlines in his article. You may want to look at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q95Vwk3kZok this YouTube video too, in advance of the session.

I look forward to seeing you there! 73 de Rick KD8WCK