Northwestern News Volume one, October 2024

KB7HDX-Mark J. Tharp

Hello Northwestern Division and welcome to October, almost.

MARA Hamfest: (Matanuska Amateur Radio Association, KL7JFU)

It was a great day in Alaska for the MARA hamfest on September 7th in Wasilla. This was my second time to this event and what a great group of hams they have. I got the full tour of the club’s ARES trailer this time. They have two trailers, a well modified car trailer and a tower trailer. It was good to see some old friends and meet new ones.

ARRL system update:

Work continues restoring systems at ARRL. DXCC, which has many “moving parts” if you will, is one of those. I talked with the DXCC desk this morning and was told the light is now on at the end of the tunnel and that is encouraging. Like with LoTW, the data is secure, but it is the complicated interface between DXCC, LoTW and membership records (so the award system knows who you are) and having all that talk correctly and function under the new protection software. Watch the ARRL web for updates as they are posted.

ARRL Club Grants:

Applications for the 2024 ARRL Club Grants program are now being reviewed (the application period closed July 26, 2024). The application window is normally open from June to July.

ARRL Field Services Manager Mike Walters, W8ZY, said 110 grant applications have been received and the awards will be announced in late November. “Grants are available up to $25,000 and emphasis is given to projects that are transformative in nature,” said Walters.
Examples of projects include but are not limited to getting on the air projects, ham training and skills development through mentoring, STEM and STEAM learning through amateur radio, station resources for use by the ham community, and emergency communications and public service projects that emphasize training.
“Since 2022, $500,000 has been distributed to amateur radio clubs,” said Walters. “With this year’s awards, that total will increase to $1,000,000 awarded. If your club is interested in applying for these grants, check the information page at https://www.arrl.org/club-grant-program. (these grants are administered by the ARRL Foundation.)

ARRL Foundation Scholarships:

Three new scholarships are being added this year. The ARRL Foundation board is finalizing the details and they will be available for the 2025 applicants. The application process will open in October and close in January 2025. You can read more about the program on the ARRL web at http://www.arrl.org/scholarship-descriptions (note, the website will be updated soon to show specific dates)

900 MHz: ARRL files comments

ARRL® The National Association for Amateur Radio® has filed comments [PDF] with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging that the 902 – 928 MHz amateur radio band be protected. ARRL joins hundreds of licensed radio amateurs who utilize the band in opposing a proposal from NextNav Inc., a licensee in the 900-MHz Location and Monitoring Service (LMS), to completely reconfigure the 902 – 928 MHz band and replace the LMS with high-powered 5G cellular and related location services.

Hamfest sanctioning:

Good news! The Hamfest sanctioning page on the ARRL web is back and functioning normally. Staff is once again getting these out of the system, and, they can post the events on the ARRL web again. We are down to only a few left this year here in the Northwestern Division, but if your group has an event next year, do not forget to fill out the paperwork!

Club Updates:

It is getting closer to the end of the year, and most clubs are starting 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.

Washington State QSO Party, AKA “The Salmon Run”: September 21-22

Get ready to hit the airwaves on September 21-22 as participants from across Washington State, the country, and around the world join in the excitement in the Washington State QSO Party – the Salmon Run. From Washington work as many WA stations, US States, Canadian Provinces, and DX entities as possible to peak your score and earn awards. Travel to far off counties and experience the fun of being the big one no one wants to miss! Combine your activities with SOTA and POTA to maximize the fun.
Now’s the perfect time to fill out the County Activation Form. Even if you’re a fixed station operating part-time, letting us know your plans helps mobiles and expeditions target those hard-to-reach counties.
Although this year’s rule changes are minimal—mainly aligning Canadian multipliers with other QSO parties—it’s always smart to update your logging program and give it a test run. Whether you use N1MM, N3FJP, or SkookumLogger, Writelog, or another application, take a few minutes to create a mock Salmon Run log and run through a few QSOs. Familiarize yourself with your exchange and class, especially if you’ll be operating mobile or portable on a less familiar setup.
We’ve got some fantastic awards lined up again this year, including Smoked Salmon (for participants outside of WA), Sweeps Glasses for those earning the elusive clean sweep of all WA counties, and plaques for top finishers.
If you’re planning to operate from multiple counties, drop us a line at salmonrun@wwdxc.org. We can help you streamline the process instead of filling out the form multiple times.
Thanks to Justin, K5EM for this info.

Oregon Section News: Scott Rosenfeld, N7JI

Hi everyone –

I went through Section Manager training at ARRL HQ this weekend. This visit reinforced my understanding of the Section Manager’s role, and my role.

Section Managers, and prior to that term, Section Communication Managers, have existed since 1926. I am here to help ARRL members in Oregon. I am here to build ARRL membership in Oregon. I am here to involve Oregon’s youth in Amateur Radio. I believe that we do this by making ARRL membership more useful and relevant to Oregon’s ham radio community.
We presently have about 21,000 hams in Oregon.
We have only 3,500 ARRL members in Oregon.
That’s only one in six.
I am positive that ARRL membership can be valuable to more than 17% of Oregon’s hams. We as members must explain to non-members why ARRL membership would be beneficial to them.
We are all ARRL’s ambassadors.
I am honored to be able to serve this role, and to do the best job I can to serve all of you and the organization.
I hope to see you all at Rickreall on October 19. I hope to get to visit your club meetings, in person or via electronic means. I hope you will consider participating in the growth of ARRL by volunteering.

The ARRL Oregon section is actively looking for

A Public Information Coordinator.
Multiple Public Information Officers.
Club Youth Development Officers.

PLEASE get in contact with me if you like the idea of working with the media or in teaching ham radio to Oregon’s youth. If you have comments, questions, complaints, or concerns, please let me know. Please let me know how I can help to enhance your experience as an Oregon ham and/or ARRL member.

Scott N7JI
ARRL Oregon SM
n7ji@arrl.org
541-221-2475

Confirmed ARRL sanctioned Hamfests and Conventions: (that we know about, see below)
September 21st Kenai Peninsula Moosehorn ARC Hamfest Kenai AK https://al7le.org/hamfest-2024/
October 12th Arctic ARC Hamfest at the Bentley Mall Event Facility, Fairbanks AK. http://www.kl7kc.com
October 19th Swaptoberfest 2024 at Polk Co. Fairgrounds, Rickreall OR. https://swaptoberfest.com (NOTE This is an updated web address)
October 19th Kitsap County ARC Hamfest, Bremerton, WA. https://kcarc.org/hamfest
March 8th 2025 Mike and Key ARC Swapmeet, Pulallup WA http://www.mikeandkey.org/flea.php
April 12th 2025 N7YRC Tailgate, Yakima Office of Emergency Management Union Gap WA

Check the N7CFO Pacific Northwest Hamfairs & Events webpage often for the most up to date information. http://www.n7cfo.com/amradio/hf/hf.htm or https://arrlnwdiv.org/ and click “PNW Events”

73..

Mark Tharp, KB7HDX
Northwestern Division Director
kb7hdx@gmail.com