Many may already follow the transmission schedule from the HAARP station
near Fairbanks, others may not.

They have a detailed PDF file for this weeks schedule which will be done
in support of a series of Rocket launches from the nearby Poker Flat
Research Range also near Fairbanks.

Kent has created a page on the Anchorage ARC website at:

That page has all the relevant links including the notice, and a link to
file a reception report which they encourage.

HAARP Website: https://haarp.gi.alaska.edu/

ARRL Northwestern Division
Director: Mark J. Tharp, KB7HDX
kb7hdx@arrl.org

Many individuals, including Northwestern Division members, have written
to their members of Congress asking for their support of the Amateur
Radio Emergency Preparedness Act. In fact, over 161,000 letters have
been sent by not only U.S. Hams, but even by non-hams and GMRS licensees
who believe the elimination of restrictions on the right of Americans to
communicate as they chose is important.

At present, the Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act is still in
committee (the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation). In order to be
voted on and passed in this Congress, the bill would have to be approved
by these two committees. Current membership of these two Congressional
committees is available here:

https://www.commerce.senate.gov/about/members/
https://energycommerce.house.gov/representatives

In the House, the bill has 32 sponsors at present.

If you have already sent a letter to your Congressional representatives,
thank you! However, more can be done to advance this bill.

Call your Congressman and Senator and ask them to support passage of the
Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act (H.R. 1094 in the U.S. House
and S. 459 in the U.S. Senate). Your continued help with securing their
support on their respective committees is critical to advancing the bill
this year.

ARRL Northwestern Division
Director: Mark J. Tharp, KB7HDX
kb7hdx@arrl.org

Hello fellow Northwestern Division ARRL members.

It’s been a busy month and a half here. EWA SM KA7LJQ and I traveled
to the ARRL National Convention in Huntsville last month and it was a
great event. I have not seen actual numbers but the last time I checked,
it was just short of 6,000 people in attendance. Lots of room and lots
of vendors and swap tables. The Swap and Shop area alone is slightly
larger than Mike and Key for perspective. Granted this was the ARRL
National, so it drew a few more folks, but it’s always held in the
same venue. I would encourage you to add this to your bucket list of
Hamfests to attend. Another bonus of attending this event is that the
United States Rocket and Space center is right down the road. I think I
ran into all the Northwestern members that were there but might have
missed one or two so will not call them out. Fellow ARRL Board members
and Officers were there, and we had some good conversations about
upcoming and current ARRL matters. It’s always good to get together in
person.

Last weekend I traveled up to Fairbanks AK and joined in on the Hamfest.
It was great to see friends from that area again. They put on a nice
event and is always an enjoyable time. (personal note, if you want a
great dinner, check out the Turtle Club just north of Fairbanks a few
miles)

My appointment to the E&E (Ethics and Elections) committee started out
with minimal effort, but now that elections are in full swing, I’m
spending an hour or two a day with it. The ARRL has contested elections
this year in the Delta, Great Lakes, and Midwest Divisions for Director
and the Midwest will also have elections for Vice Director. In the
Dakota Division, Director Lippert and VD Stallkamp were declared
re-elected and in the Atlantic Division, Director Newingham and VD
Sokola were declared re-elected. Former ARRL Director of Education,
Steve Goodgame, moved back to the Delta Division, ran, and was declared
elected as the new VD. I am looking forward to working with Steve again
in his new role. There were no candidates for the Great Lakes VD
position so that will be an appointment after the election for Director
is over and will be effective January 1st. Current VD Roy Hook choose
not to run for another term and will hold the office until December
31st.

Preparations are underway for the A&F (Administration and Finance)
committee meeting in November that I chair and our VD Sterba also serves
on. This year it will fall on the same weekend as Phone
Sweepstakes……… I have not, not participated in this contest for
more than twenty years but will be in CT this year. (I hear, from a
reliable source,however, a club station will be operating from my QTH)
Topics of discussion at A&F will be next year’s operating budget among
other items.

For those getting ready for the Washington State QSO party, also known
as the Salmon Run, it’s coming up later in the month and your trusty
(by some accounts) Director will be operating as the “big fish”
running the W7DX callsign. I, along with fellow Yakima county resident
Mike Judy, W7CCY, will be on the air handing out the 500 bonus points.
This takes us out of the running for winning anything, but is an honor
to be asked to run the call and that is worth more than wallpaper. Mike
will be on CW and I’ll be running SSB. For more information on the
event see https://salmonrun.wwdxc.org/

Some may have noticed an issue in the past day or so with the ARRL Web,
LoTW and related things. Along with a few other companies across the
land, we had a network issue in the building that took a bit of time to
resolve but all is back to normal and all services are accessible.

America 250 QSO Party: The website is running for the WAS award
https://america250.arrl.org/ will take you to the page, log in with your
LoTW user name and password and check your status. It also includes
status on clubs you have works and the W1AW/* activation.

As Michael notes below, most of the last month or so has been behind the
scenes work for the ARRL with a few exceptions. I look forward to seeing
some of you in Rickreal next month, on the air for Salmon Run, and any
other place we cross paths.

Upcoming ARRL sanctioned events in Division:
MARA Hamfest in Wasilla AK on September 12th
Kitsap County ARC Hamfest on October 10th in Bremerton, WA
Swaptoberfest in Rickreal OR. October 17th

For other event information visit
http://www.n7cfo.com/amradio/hf/hf.htm

Michael and I are always available to talk Amateur Radio and welcome
those conversations. Email is one of the better ways to communicate with
us.

Mark J. Tharp KB7HDX
ARRL Director, Northwestern Division

And now a few words from VD Sterba

Hello Northwestern Division.

I hope this newsletter finds each of you doing well. Since Field Day,
things have been relatively quiet on my end. I have leveraged this
calmer stretch to focus on the less visible work: reviewing and
correcting meeting minutes, following up on reporting details, and
stepping in to support peers when things come up in their roles. This
behind-the-scenes effort also lets me help translate ideas (often drawn
from member input) into concrete submissions for committees, which
contributes to the organization’s overall health and future.

At the start of this term, I decided to start tracking the hours spent
fulfilling the role as Vice Director. This isn’t a requirement, just a
way to better understand the personal investment the role takes. I’ve
kept it simple by tracking time in three broad categories: Meetings,
Public Service, and Tasking. The results have been eye-opening: so far
this term (2025–2026 YTD), I’ve logged 785 hours. Now, imagine how
many hours Director Tharp spends in his representing role.

Populations at the time of this writing (Lagging Indicators):
Northwestern Division Membership:

• 9,915 (Decrease from 9,947)
• 45 (New)
• 46 (Lapsed that re-joined)
  National Membership:
• 125,473 (Decrease from 125,901)
  License Counts:
• 70,496 (Division total)
• 730,148 (National total)

(Canned Reminder) Director Tharp and I are always open to input, good
and bad, (we prefer good) from members. If you have anything you would
like to talk about, shoot us an email or call on the phone. In addition,
we are always looking for information to share with the Division. If you
have a news item you would like to offer, please send us a note and we
would be glad to include it here. It is always great to hear from
members.

From my radio shack to yours, enjoy Amateur Radio… Be Active, Be
Positive, Be Safe, as your voice carries

Respectfully your servant,
Michael A. Sterba, KG7HQ
ARRL Vice Director

ARRL Northwestern Division
Director: Mark J. Tharp, KB7HDX
kb7hdx@arrl.org

Hello fellow Northwestern Division ARRL members.

Vice Director Sterba and I attended the ARRL Board of Directors meeting
in Connecticut a few weeks back. This was another long week of travel,
committee meetings, the Thursday night study session, and of course the
actual Board meeting. Early work by fellow board members allowed the
meeting to roll along at a great pace, and we managed to finish up all
business Friday late afternoon. An occurrence that does not often
happen. As a result, we were able to have some one on one time with each
other discussing ARRL matters and a few of us “asked nice”, which
means we called Steve Ewald, WV1X, to see if he would open up W1AW for
us and went over to HQ to operate a few hours on Saturday. Conditions
were not the best, and it was a bit early for those out here on the West
coast, but I did manage to work a few NW members. Michael and I also
made a visit on Wednesday to HQ for different reasons and both of us had
productive conversation with a few staff members. More on the Board
meeting below.

I would like to re-visit the Email delivery problems that are ongoing
with a few members. Plans are in place to replace the bulk email
provider we are currently using and change it later this fall or the
first of the year. We are under contract with our existing provider
until that time. If you are receiving email news and updates from ARRL,
i.e. this newsletter, please check with your fellow Amateur friends and
bring it up at your local Club meeting. If folks are not receiving
email, and feel they should be, we (ARRL) need to know. Members can call
member services at 860-594-0200 and they will be glad to help. Possible
reasons and solutions I discussed before can be found in the last
newsletter (May) which you can find in the archive at:
http://www.arrl.org/section-division-email-log and select Northwestern
Division from the dropdown.

SEAPAC, the Northwestern Division Convention, was another success thanks
to all the volunteers that worked hard to make it such a great event.
President Rick Roderick, K5UR, 1st VP Kristen McIntyre, K6WX and I,
along with VD Sterba and most of our Division Section managers were on
hand to talk to members about anything Amateur Radio related and a few
things that were not. EWA SM Jo Whitney, KA7LJQ, and ARRL “First
Lady” Holly Roderick along with Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R from HQ staffed
the membership table and set a record for renewals and new members in
the League from this event.

This past weekend, I attended the Chehalis Valley ARS swap meet at the
fairgrounds in Chehalis, WA. This is a great swap meet if you have never
attended. The building was stuffed full of folks with a large selection
of equipment for sale. While I was in Western Wa, I ran up to the
Western Washington DX Club picnic later that afternoon and caught up
with that group. It was a perfect day, weather wise, although there was
a lot of driving.

Highlights from the ARRL Board meeting.

We welcomed new Board members, including Marty Newingham, AG3I, who took
over the Director position of the Atlantic Division in January; Ray
Sokola, K9RS, as the newly appointed Vice Director of the Atlantic
Division; Joshua Long, W9HT, who moved up from the Vice Director
position after past Director Walls stepped down, as Director of the
Central Division; Christian Stallkamp, KI0D as the newly appointed Vice
Director of the Dakota Division; John Mark Robertson, K5JMR, who was
appointed Vice Director of the Delta Division in December 2025, and Rick
Niswander, K7GM, who was elected Second Vice President at the January
2026 Annual Meeting.

The Programs & Services Committee, chaired by Director Bill Lippert,
AC0W, submitted motions to the Board recognizing members for established
ARRL awards, which were unanimously approved. These and other awards
bestowed during the Board meeting will be announced soon after awardees
are contacted.

The Emergency Communications and Field Services Committee (EC FSC),
chaired by Director Scott Yonally, N8SY, proposed motions, all approved
by the Board to:
Create a new ARES Award;
Publish new ARRL members in our online media outlets;
Update the Club Commission program;
Create an incentive program for those sections submitting timely and
consistent ARES reports.

The Administration and Finance committee (A&F) chaired by myself,
Director Mark Tharp, KB7HDX, approved a new program to allow the ARRL
VEC department to offer a reduced-price membership in the ARRL for those
non-members that contact the ARRL for assistance in renewing their FCC
license which would include the 35-dollar FCC fee.

The full board approved a By-Law modification submitted by Director
Tharp, to allow the CEO to offer a reduced-price membership for onetime,
special programs or services approved by the A&F committee.

The full board approved holding the next ARRL National Convention in
conjunction with Pacificon in 2028.

The full board approved a motion brought by Vice Director Milluzzi,
KK4LWR, who sat in for Director Baker who could not attend, to re-align
the Southeastern and Delta Divisions to move the Alabama section into
the Delta Division contingent on a positive outcome from a member survey
to be done in Alabama.

The board received updates and reports from our friends to the North,
Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC), the IARU, and the ARRL Foundation along
with reports from CFO Middleton, Treasurer Sager, CEO Minster, Counsel
Siddall and the other officers.

Full minutes of the meeting will be available on the ARRL webpage as
soon as they are approved by the Board.

Upcoming ARRL sanctioned events in Division:
Arctic Amateur Radio Club Hamfest September 9th Fairbanks, AK
Kitsap County ARC Hamfest on October 10th in Bremerton, WA

ARRL National Convention: https://hamfest.org/
Our League holds a National Convention every two years and this year it
will be held in conjunction with the Huntsville Hamfest on August 22nd
and 23rd at the Von Braun Center. I might note NASA has a huge presence
in Huntsville so you can check off two bucket list items by attending.
Go to a great Convention and spend an extra day or two and take in all
the NASA offerings. (Yes that was a shameful plug for NASA)
For other events visit http://www.n7cfo.com/amradio/hf/hf.htm

I hope your summer is going well.

Michael and I are always available to talk Amateur Radio and welcome
those conversations. Email is one of the better ways to communicate with
us.

Mark J. Tharp KB7HDX
ARRL Director, Northwestern Division

Populations at the time of this writing (Lagging Indicators):
Northwestern Division Membership: July 30

• 9,997 (Decrease from 10,101)
• 81 (New)
• 67 (Lapsed that re-joined)
  National Membership:
• 121,310

ARRL Northwestern Division
Director: Mark J. Tharp, KB7HDX
kb7hdx@arrl.org

Link to video:
https://ofmwagov.app.box.com/s/9a4yyhc9q6rr49zy34q4p2l03z18oqzh

73..
Mark

ARRL Northwestern Division
Director: Mark J. Tharp, KB7HDX
kb7hdx@arrl.org

Watch video now at youtu.be/4ZNeMXyCQ7Y

Stating that while future emergencies will come, Sen. Cruz pointed out
that so would Amateur Radio — ready to respond, ready to serve, and to
make a difference. He ended his statements, thanking ham radio for its
courage and commitment, noting that Amateur Radio’s work strengthens
our communities.

Senator Cruz is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation. His comments align with the ARRL’s ongoing efforts
to strengthen and protect Amateur Radio’s role in emergency
preparedness and public service communications.

His comments also reflect growing Congressional recognition of the value
Amateur Radio Operators bring to communities across the country. ARRL
The National Association for Amateur Radio® continues to advocate for
legislation that protects and strengthens Amateur Radio’s role in
emergency preparedness and public service communications.

ARRL’s nationwide grassroots campaign supporting the bipartisan
Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act has generated more than 155,000
letters to members of Congress in support of H.R. 1094 and S. 459. The
legislation seeks to ensure that Amateur Radio Operators can install and
maintain effective outdoor antennas at residences where private land-use
restrictions might otherwise prohibit them, helping communities maintain
resilient emergency communications capabilities during disasters.

ARRL Legislative Committee Chairman and West Gulf Division Director John
Robert Stratton, N5AUS, said the continued outreach effort has required
“long hours on the ground and an uncountable number of personal
meetings with Senators, Representatives, and their staffs” to raise
awareness of the importance of Amateur Radio to the nation.

“The most recent proof that those efforts have, and are, increasing
Congressional support for Amateur Radio is evidenced by the decision of
Chairman Cruz to publicly share his personal views on the value and
importance of Amateur Radio to the Nation,” Stratton said.

ARRL encourages Amateur Radio Operators to participate in our letter
writing campaign, located at Send-A-Letter.org/HOA, in support of the
Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act and to share information about
the public service role Amateur Radio plays in communities nationwide.

ARRL Northwestern Division
Director: Mark J. Tharp, KB7HDX
kb7hdx@arrl.org

Hello fellow Northwestern Division ARRL members.

Congratulations to our newest ARRL Affiliated Club:
Sagebrush ARC in Mountain Home, Idaho. Welcome to the ARRL family!

Michael and I attended the A&F meeting last month in CT. Membership
continues to be a major topic at all our meetings. We also discussed a
few new topics to generate members and items focused on promoting some
of our own products and programs. One item was a targeted ad, if you
will, to promote our WAS and DXCC awards. At the VOI meeting one comment
was about the Five Band WAS award and that the person did not know about
it. The ARRL awards program information can be found here:
https://www.arrl.org/awards We have over 100 various operating awards to
be earned. Some are available via LoTW and some are paper only
applications. I would encourage everyone to look at the list and see how
many of these you already have earned, and how many more you can work
on. All of them look good on the wall and are fun to earn, fun because
it’s Amateur Radio!

Email delivery problems continue although progress has been made to
identify the root cause of issues I discussed in the last newsletter. If
you are receiving email news and updates from ARRL, please check with
your fellow Amateur friends and see if they did. If not, the three main
things we have identified are, first, the members have never set an
email address in their member profile
( https://home.arrl.org/action/My-Account ). Second, the member has used
callsign@arrl.net as the primary address for their account on ARRL, and
third, the member has inadvertently hit the “unsubscribe” link at
the top of the GMAIL web interface or another email client rather than
the link contained inside the ARRL email. Every email from the league
has a link at the bottom to unsubscribe and should take you to your
member profile where you can select which emails you want to receive and
which you do not want. The “unsubscribe” link at the top of GMAIL
specifically, will kick you out of ALL emails from ARRL, including
membership renewals notices, FCC license renewal notices from ARRL, and
everything else. As I said, this is being worked on and is a major
concern for HQ and the Board. If you run across another member that is
not receiving these emails, please have them call member services at
860-594-0200 and advise them on the issue. It is just odd that nearly
half our members (consistent across the country) are not getting
communications from the communication organization they belong to. To
put it into context, we had 10,101 members in the Division last month
and the last Division Newsletter went to only 5799 addresses.

Speaking of email, all ARRL affiliated clubs should now be receiving the
ARRL Club News E-letter from HQ. This newsletter goes to the listed
contact person, the club president, and the club newsletter editor on
file in the club record. (along with any other member that has selected
to receive it) If you are one of those listed, and did not see the
letter, you might want to check your club record. Officers Listed at the
time of the last update can edit the settings for the club by going to
https://www.arrl.org/clubs/search , find your club, and you should see a
small edit button on the right hand side where you can view and change
your information. If your club is not showing up, it may have been
placed in an inactive status for not updating information over a few
years. If that is the case, you can contact your Section Manager, or
myself, and we can see about getting it back into active status. This
also applies if the officers have all changed and your current group no
longer has access. Please call or email me or your Section Manager.
(past issues of Club News can be found here:
https://www.arrl.org/club-news )

SEAPAC, the Northwestern Division Convention is right around the corner.
I’m hopeful the price of fuel can be overlooked for this great
opportunity to spend some time at the beach and join in with your fellow
Amateurs for a great time. President Rick Roderick,K5UR, 1st VP Kristen
McIntyre, K6WX and I, along with VD Sterba and most of our Division
Section managers will be in attendance. Rick, Kristen Michael and I will
be at the ARRL booth and others will be out wandering about the venue.
Look for our ARRL Red Badges and say hi.

KARS Hamfest: EWA SM Whitney and I attended the KARS Hamfest in Idaho at
the new facility, and it was great! Indoor and outdoor swap tables,
Hamburgers and Dogs, and regular prize drawings. It was a very well
attended event, and I wish them luck next year. The new facility was a
plus.

July will take Michael and I back to Newington for the Second meeting of
the ARRL Board of Directors. The time between SEAPAC and that meeting
will be busy for both of us preparing for not only the main meeting but
also the committee meetings taking place on Thursday prior.

As Michael mentions below, he and I are always available to talk to
members about anything. Feel free to reach out via email or phone.

Upcoming ARRL sanctioned events in Division:

SEA-PAC, the Northwestern Division Convention will be on June 5-6

IEVHF Swap Meet on June 6th in Spokane Valley, WA

Apple City ARC Swap Meet and Hamfest June 12th and 13th in Dryden, WA

Port Ludlow ARC Tailgater June 13th in Port Ludlow, WA

Glacier Waterton Hamfest and MT. Section convention July 17, 18 and 19
at the Glacier Meadow RV Park, Glacier, MT.

Moosehorn ARC Hamfest July 11th in Kenai, AK

Chehalis Valley ARS Tailgate on July 25th in Chehalis, WA

Kitsap County ARC Hamfest on October 10th in Bremerton, WA

ARRL National Convention: https://hamfest.org/
Our League holds a National Convention every two years and this year it
will be held in conjunction with the Huntsville Hamfest on August 22nd
and 23rd at the Von Braun Center. I might note NASA has a huge presence
in Huntsville so you can check off two bucket list items by attending.
Go to a great Convention and spend an extra day or two and take in all
the NASA offerings. (Yes that was a shameful plug for NASA)
For other events visit http://www.n7cfo.com/amradio/hf/hf.htm

That’s it for now.
Mark, KB7HDX

Mark J. Tharp KB7HDX
ARRL Director, Northwestern Division

And now let’s hear from Vice-Director Sterba.
****************************************************
****************************************************
Hello across the great Northwestern Division!

I hope you are all enjoying the warmth of spring. Over the past month,
I’ve been active locally, starting with an enjoyable visit to the San
Juan ARC monthly meeting. It is a fantastic group representing several
islands in the Salish Sea. During the Q&A session, a question was raised
that I believe will interest everyone reading this publication.
“I was recently asked, ‘What ARRL program would I recommend for a
donation?’ While this question caught me off guard, I replied with the
following:”
“Because every club and individual has unique interests, it would be
inappropriate for me to impose my own passions as a recommendation.
Instead, I suggest you identify your own priority area and contact ARRL
HQ to make a donation based on that focus.”
For more information on donating to the ARRL, please visit:
https://www.arrl.org/donate-to-arrl

Later the same day I attended the RASC general meeting and enjoyed a
presentation on tracking EMI/RFI. This makes for a great topic at any
club meeting and highly recommend having one of your Elmers give an
overview. The ARRL has a great starting reference at:
https://www.arrl.org/radio-frequency-interference-rfi

Oh no…. It’s Ground Hog Day! Well, not really, but close!
Despite a water main break at the venue two days prior—echoing a
similar recent incident in Rickreall, OR, the Stanwood/Camano Island
Electronics Swapmeet proceeded as planned after repairs were completed
late Friday afternoon. Western Washington Section Manager Bob Purdom,
AD7LJ enjoyed a very busy, four-hour session at the ARRL table, largely
driven by a unique display: a fully functional CubeSat Low Earth Orbit
(LEO) simulator. The device, featuring a 3D-printed frame, attracted
visitors of all ages, creating an excellent opportunity for engaging in
dialogue about amateur radio and promoting the ARRL. Thanks to Bob for
this innovative approach to outreach!

Populations at the time of this writing (Lagging Indicators):
Northwestern Division Membership:
* 10,101 (Decrease from 10,152)
* 59 (New)
* 44 (Lapsed that re-joined)
National Membership:
* 127,577 (Decrease from 128,371)
License Counts:
* 70,950 (Division total)
* 233 (Division New)
* 65 (Division Upgrades)
* 734,325 (National total)

While Director Tharp and I have been busy with tasking, it has been
relatively quiet from the Division membership. We both welcome all
feedback, questions, or suggestions from our members. Please feel free
to reach out via email or phone to discuss anything on your mind.
Additionally, we encourage you to share relevant news or updates with
us, and we would be happy to include them here. We look forward to
hearing from you.
Enjoy Amateur Radio… Be Active, Be Positive, Be Safe, as your voice
carries

Respectfully your servant,

Michael A. Sterba, KG7HQ
ARRL Vice Director
Northwestern Division
kg7hq@ARRL.org

——————————————————————–
ARRL Northwestern Division
Director: Mark J. Tharp, KB7HDX
kb7hdx@arrl.org

Hello fellow Northwestern Division ARRL members.
Spring has sprung, and as hard as it is to grasp I’ve had to mow my
crazy lawn five times already this season. Water is flowing in the
canals here in Eastern Washington and the trees are in bloom. The valley
is busy with all things agriculture and along with that comes the busy
season for Hamfests and Swap-meets. Upcoming ARRL sanctioned events in
the Division are listed below and I hope to see many of you at one or
more. Michael or I try to make all of these but sometimes timing is
everything and works against us.

Upcoming ARRL sanctioned events in Division: (see n7cfo.com for more
detail)

N7YRC Tailgate on April 11th in Union Gap, WA
Kootenai ARS Hamfest April 25th in Coeur d’Alene, ID
SCARC Electronic Flea Market and Hamfest on May 9th in Stanwood, WA
SEA-PAC, the Northwestern Division Convention will be on June 5-6
IEVHF Swap Meet on June 6th in Spokane Valley, WA
Apple City ARC Swap Meet and Hamfest June 12th and 13th in Dryden, WA
Glacier Waterton Hamfest and MT. Section convention July 17, 18 and 19
at the Glacier Meadow RV Park, Glacier, MT.
Chehalis Valley ARS Tailgate on July 25th in Chehalis, WA
Kitsap County ARC Hamfest on October 10th in Bremerton, WA

ARRL National Convention: https://hamfest.org/
Our League holds a National Convention every two years and this year it
will be held in conjunction with the Huntsville Hamfest on August 22nd
and 23rd at the Von Braun Center. I might note NASA has a huge presence
in Huntsville so you can check off two bucket list items by attending.
Go to a great Convention and spend an extra day or two and take in all
the NASA offerings. (Yes that was a shameful plug for NASA)

ARRL Foundation update:
The foundation has finished up with the first round of Scholarship
applications and has made award recommendations for the ARDC grants.
This year, thanks to ARDC, we were able to award right at 570,000 in
scholarships. Round two will start soon where we review and award the
ARRL scholarships. The goal is to have this all done and ready for
public announcements by the middle of May.

Field Day is right around the corner. This year it’s the 27th and 28th
of June (always the 4th full weekend) If your group is going out and
setting up a station remember to list it on the ARRL Field Day locator.
https://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator This is a no cost way to
advertise where you will be.
Similar to the Field Day locator, ARRL has developed a Club Finder page:
https://clubs.arrl.org/map/ just enter your zip-code and find clubs near
you, great for new hams.

Also relatively new is an ARES group finder:
http://www.arrl.org/find-an-ares-group

April 17th and 18th Michael and I will be back in Newington for the
Administration and Finance committee meeting. This committee meets in
person at the annual, and second meeting of the full board and two other
times in-between the BOD meetings. We have a large amount to discuss as
well as receiving updates from ARRL staff.

As we move into the summer months I hope you have the chance to get out
and visit with your fellow Amateurs at hamfests, club picnics or club
meetings. As I was told a long time ago, “ham radio should not be done
alone”. Take a new ham to a repeater site for yearly maintenance, Show
a new ham your shack aka professional Amateur Radio Station. Encourage a
new Ham to get on a contest or get involved with a local net. Ask your
fellow club members if they are receiving the weekly or monthly ARRL
bulletins. We have run across an issue about opting in and out of
various newsletters. Some members have reported that they
“unsubscribed” from a specific item, but now are not receiving
anything. You can check your subscriptions by going to your profile
after logging into the ARRL web by clicking your name at the top and
then selecting (E-Newsletters and notifications).

In March I was able to “drop in” via ZOOM and visit with the Voice
of Idaho Club. https://voiceofidaho.org/ They run a fun and informative
meeting on the Second Wednesday of the month and have a great website.
(I hope they have submitted it for the competition this year
https://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-year-of-the-club-website-contest-call-for-submissions
hint hint)

That’s it for now.
Mark, HDX

Mark J. Tharp KB7HDX
ARRL Director, Northwestern Division

And now let’s hear from Vice-Director Sterba.

Greetings Northwestern Division!

Spring greetings across the great Northwestern Division!

This first quarter has flown by quickly with several successful events
happening. Let me start with extending my personal thanks for the
invitation and warm reception at the Clark County ARC Awards Banquet.
This was a fantastic opportunity to witness a member driven service
club. This group emulates best in community engagement practices with a
highly diverse portfolio of engaging interests. If you are looking for
ideas to help engage your local club members or broader community, look
at this group. https://www.w7aia.org/

Speaking of events. I also had the privileged of attending the 43rd
Annual Mike and Key Electronics Show and Swapmeet in Puyallup, WA. and
really had a fantastic time. The attendance was appearing to approach
pre-2019 levels. While fielding questions, I enjoyed observing the
renewed interest in the ARRL. I’m seeing a change in demographic with
younger men and women enjoying the event and taking time to stop by the
ARRL table to join. With this shift in population, you can feel the
sense of community rebuilding.

I have had the privilege of receiving inputs and thoughts from many of
our membership across the division. With these, I have communicated them
openly with Director Tharp to better understand best approaches
collectively. In addition to these, I also have been able to fill open
time with being in-person at some local events and meetings.

As a reminder, the most current list of Hamfests, Conventions, and
other gatherings, can be found at the website maintained by Assistant
Director Lynn Burlingame, N7CFO at:
http://www.n7cfo.com/amradio/hf/hf.htm You may also find this link
available on our division website at: https://arrlnwdiv.org

Spring Safety. We all know better than to do something unsafe when
attending to our stations. Yet, safety incidents such as falls from
towers or electrical shocks happen. While there are no national
statistics measuring these instances, we do hear about them from time to
time. Amateur radio safety focuses on preventing electrical shock, RF
exposure, and physical injury during installation and maintenance. Key
considerations include proper station grounding, using insulated tools,
maintaining distance from transmitting antennas, and utilizing fall
protection (harnesses) when working on towers. Always disconnect power
before adjusting components and be aware of overhead power lines. For
additional information, visit https://www.arrl.org/safety

Populations at the time of this writing (Lagging Indicators):
Northwestern Division Membership:

• 10,152 (Decrease from 10,185)
• 64 (New)
• 66 (Lapsed that re-joined)
  National Membership:
• 128,371 (Decrease from 128,734)
  License Counts:
• 71,038 (Division total)
• 141 (Division New)
• 70 (Division Upgrades) (Reporting repaired)
• 735,630 (National total)

It has been relatively quiet within the Division that last couple of
months. Director Tharp and I welcome all feedback, questions, or
suggestions from our members. Please feel free to reach out via email or
phone to discuss anything on your mind. Additionally, we encourage you
to share relevant news or updates with us, and we would be happy to
include them here. We look forward to hearing from you.
Enjoy Amateur Radio… Be Active, Be Positive, Be Safe, as your voice
carries

Respectfully your servant,

Michael A. Sterba, KG7HQ
ARRL Vice Director
Northwestern Division
kg7hq@ARRL.org

ARRL Northwestern Division
Director: Mark J Tharp, KB7HDX
kb7hdx@arrl.org

During the week of April 8th and November 18th, Washington State will
operate as W1AW/7 during the ARRL WAS-250 event. The W1AW “weeks” are
from Wednesday through Tuesday

Please consider becoming one of the Washington State operators for this
event. To select a day and time, click here.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IQ8D4TBSZKKOYfa2iV8N3C-fe2QQCX4KLb_jG6ryT5s/edit?gid=1906144675#gid=1906144675

Or contact the WA State Coordinator for this event:
Mike Drorbaugh – W7MKE
bentneedle@comcast.net
253-973-3433

If questions, please contact Mike direct at the above contact listing.

ARRL Northwestern Division
Director: Mark J Tharp, KB7HDX
kb7hdx@arrl.org

Ed was a good friend and great Section Manager. He was also President of
KARS in 2021 and 2022.

His Memorial Service will be held:

Saturday, April 18th at 2pm
River of Life Friends’ Church
3263 E 12th Ave.
Post Falls, Idaho 83854
(208) 773-5014

Thanks to HVP Fenstermaker for the information.

RIP Ed.

ARRL Northwestern Division
Director: Mark J Tharp, KB7HDX
kb7hdx@arrl.org

Hello fellow Northwestern Division ARRL members.

Safely back home after the board meeting in Newington and I am glad to state that United is my new favorite airline as I have now made two successful trips to 225 Main Street and no time was spent on the floor of an airport sleeping! (Those that know, know)

Basic information on the Board meeting.

We received information and updates from Officers, the Secretary, and our FCC counsel. Overall for the year 2025, maintaining diligence on costs and general spending, the end of the year was better from a finance stand than expected. We still have what we call a revenue problem, not a spending problem. Not much more can be cut without affecting services. We have a new Revenue Sub-committee of the Administration and Finance Committee (A&F) that is looking into “out of the box ways” to increase the income side of the league.

Membership numbers continue to be a topic of discussion and are a concern to all board members. I touched on this last year and will not repeat what was said then. I will say however, gaining new members should be every member’s goal. You joined for a reason, I joined for a reason, and we should share that reason with new licensees.

VD Sterba will have our current numbers and a reflection of previous months below.

This Board meeting included election of ARRL officers. These elections happen every two years normally. President Roderick was re-elected without opposition for another two year term.

First VP McIntyre was elected without opposition.

Secretary Minster was elected without opposition.

International VP Stafford was elected without opposition.

CFO Middleton was elected without opposition.

And treasurer Sager was elected without opposition.

In a slight twist, after 2^nd VP Ritz resigned last December, his name was put forward to run again by now former Atlantic Division Director Famiglio. Former ARRL and current ARRL Foundation Treasure, Rick Niswander was also nominated. Mr. Niswander was declared elected after balloting and counting was completed.

I would like to thank Mr. Ritz for his years of service to not only the ARRL but also the ARRL foundation. It was a pleasure working with him and I hope to see him again this year on the foundation scholarship committee as a reviewer.

Executive Committee:
Elections were also held for the Executive Committee. This group meets in-between the two BOD meetings to address any matters that do not require the full involvement of the board. Such things include approving life member applications and reviewing FCC matters along with our FCC counsel, David Siddall. The Board elected Directors Boehner, Lippert, Wilson, Yonally and Zygielbaum with President Roderick as chair. The committee also includes 2^nd VP McIntyre and CEO Minster.

By-Law changes:
A few minor changes to By-Laws 18, 19, 20 and 42 were discussed and approved. These changes all revolved around election rules and time lines. The Election Review Committee also found a number of references in the Director work-book, and ARRL standing orders which were included and now part of the by-laws, where they belong.

I am hopeful this will be the last meeting for awhile dealing with “governing documents”. Although the league has been in existence for more than 110 years, the documents did need a few updates.

DXCC update:
The DXCC advisory committee worked up a few items that made it to the board room, one of which was to add new Honor Roll awards for individual bands. Watch for this to happen later this year.

Doug DeMaw, W1FB Technical Excellence award:
The editorial staff of QST recommended and the board unanimously approved awarding this prestigious award to our own Robert (Bob) Zavrel, W7SX from Spokane. I have spoken to Bob and have plans to make the presentation this spring. Congratulations Bob.

New Committee Assignments:
Each year President Roderick and the Officers get together and review and update the Board Committees. This year, I retained the Chair position for ARISS (Amateur Radio on the ISS) and have a new role as Chair of the A&F (Administration and Finance) committee. I am also serving a one year term as a member of E&E (Ethics and Elections) I appreciate the opportunity to serve on all.

Upcoming ARRL sanctioned events in Division:
Salem Hamfair This is always a great event. I will be on my way to Idaho for an overdue week of vacation however VD Sterba and others will be on hand at the ARRL table to visit with you.

Mike and Key Electronics swap Perhaps the largest (attendance wise) event in the Division will take place this year on March 7^th. VD Sterba, EWA SM Whitney, WWA SM Purdom, myself and others will be at the ARRL Table again this year. I will be available for DXCC card checking and was informed VUCC card checking will be available at the PNW VHF Society table.

N7YRC Tailgate on April 11^th in Union Gap, WA

SEA-PAC, the Northwestern Division Convention will be on June 5-6

New Affiliated EWA Club:
Lake Chelan Amateur Radio club has met all the requirements and been approved as the newest Affiliated club in the Northwest. Congratulations to the club members and thank you as well for joining the ARRL family of clubs.

ARRL Foundation update:
The foundation held its annual meeting Thursday the 29^th. Officers were elected and information shared on new scholarships. I am happy to have been re-appointed to both the club grant and scholarship committees. Last year the foundation handed out 171 scholarships worth over 800,000 dollars and 35 club grants worth just over 60,500 dollars. The application window is closed now for these years’ scholarships and we have 264 applications to work through this year.

And now let’s hear from Vice-Director Sterba.

Mark KB7HDX

****************************************************
****************************************************

Greetings Northwestern Division!

I hope this finding each doing well as we progress into 2026. I’m taking this opportunity to personally thank retired 2^nd Vice President Ritz for his years of service to the ARRL and broader amateur radio community. Most notably, guided by his inquisitive leadership, the Clean Signal Initiative (CSI) was initiated on his watch. Based on a vision opined in collaboration with Ward Silver, NØAX, he worked with the ARRL Programs and Services Committee to established subcommittee on transmitter cleanliness, identifying how ARRL could help address the sources and root causes of poor-quality signals. Today, this effort is driving meaningful change across the industry, as new standards raise signal quality and enrich the amateur radio experience.

Since the last newsletter it has been busy. Director Tharp and I traveled back to HQ for the 1^st 2026 ARRL Board Meeting which had a lot of actions being worked through.

I attended 2 Administration and Finance Committee meetings held on 12/13/25 and 1/15/26.

Some points of interest are:

Did you know that the ARRL represents 7 generations of hams? This has led towards challenges in how to communicate and interact with each other. This was one of the areas of heavy focus as membership numbers remain challenged. I am seeing a correlation between amateur radio license counts and our membership numbers across the divisions. While this is not a singular causation, it does heavily influence. Also noted is the large population of licenses residing at the Technician Class level. This is a large opportunity for our community engagement going forward.

LOTW is getting better every day. There are several enhancements underway that will positively influence the user interface and overall capability. Restorations from the 2024 data incident had been completed with continuing focus of modernization going forward. It’s no secret that this is the most popular offering for our amateur radio community.

Also reported in our January member bulletin: The Committee discussed and approved the 2026 plan, later approved unanimously by the Board, amending it to include additional funding for advocacy efforts in Washington, DC. These efforts include continuing work to advance the Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act (bills H.R.1094 and S.459) through committee and toward final passage. As a reminder, if you haven’t submitted a letter to your representative, please visit the following link to do so. All voices count as we continue our efforts. https://send-a-letter.org/hoa/

Inspire the Next Generation through Wireless Technology

The STEM Training Class on Wireless Technology, funded by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Teachers Institute, invites passionate educators to explore hands-on, real-world applications of wireless communications and STEM learning

(https://www.arrl.org/ti ).

Designed for K–12 classroom teachers, this immersive program provides engaging lesson plans, practical instructional materials, and support for collaboration with experienced volunteer instructors. Participants will gain the knowledge and confidence to bring innovative wireless technology concepts directly into their classrooms.

The class will be held June 22–25, 2026, during summer break, in Auburn, Washington, at: 17432 SE 392nd St, Auburn, WA 98092

Applications are due by April 30, 2026.

Apply here:

Learn more: https://www.arrl.org/teachers-institute-on-wireless-technology

Participants may also earn graduate credit through Fresno Pacific University upon completion of the TI-1 or TI Elective programs. These credits can be applied toward professional growth requirements for maintaining teaching credentials. The program is fully self-contained, allowing educators to complete all coursework during the institute week. Graduate credit details may be requested at the conclusion of the program.

Join a community of educators who are shaping the future of STEM—one signal, one classroom, and one inspired student at a time.

Information provided by: Bill Balzarini, ARRL NW-DIV Assistant Director (STEM-project), KL7BB@ARRL.net (Reply Text Only Please) 206-406-8388 C#

Populations at the time of this writing (Lagging Indicators):

Northwestern Division Membership:

* 10,237 (Decrease from 10,244)

* 98 (New)

* 134 (Lapsed that re-joined)

National Membership:

* 129,297 (Decrease from 129,455)

License Counts:

* 71,446 (Division total)

* 235 (Division New)

* 738,620 (National total)

Things have been relatively quiet within the Division that last couple of months. Director Tharp and I welcome all feedback, questions, or suggestions from our members. Please feel free to reach out via email or phone to discuss anything on your mind. Additionally, we encourage you to share relevant news or updates with us, and we would be happy to include them here. We look forward to hearing from you.

Enjoy Amateur Radio… Be Active, Be Positive, Be Safe, as your voice carries

Respectfully your servant,

Michael A. Sterba, KG7HQ

ARRL Vice Director

Northwestern Division

kg7hq@ARRL.org

Hello Northwestern Division and welcome to the end of 2025.
This will be the final newsletter of the year and will also serve as our
yearly report.

Division Staff:

Section Managers:
These hard-working folks continue to lead Field Services operations in
our six sections. Section reports, if submitted, are included below.

David Stevens, KL7EB (Alaska)
Kevin Kerr, W1KGK (Montana)
Don Lynn, ND7L (Idaho)
Jo Whitney, KA7LJQ (Eastern WA)
Bob Purdom, AD7LJ (Western WA)
Scott Rosenfeld, N7JI (Oregon)

Assistant Directors:
Daniel Stevens, KL7WM
Delvin Bunton, NS7U
Lynn Burlingame, N7CFO
Dave Cole, NK7Z
Steve Aberle, WA7PTM
Steve McKeen, W7QLO
Bill Balzarini, KL7BB

Advisory committee members:
Jim Cassidy, KI7Y CAC, Contest advisory committee
Dick Swanson, K7BTW DXAC, DX advisory committee

5-9 Hamfest and convention list keeper extraordinaire, Lynn Burlingame,
N7CFO http://www.n7cfo.com/amradio/hf/hf.htm

Member input and communications:
Member input has been, for the most part, positive this year. Member
input on the by-law changes made in July were few and far between. I
feel that was mainly due to the posting of the changes in 2024 and
everyone had already commented. Those changes were needed, and I am glad
that they are now behind us. I am aware of a few minor changes to be
discussed at the upcoming January Annual meeting of the board. One topic
in particular had to do with election material and where it can be
posted. The current wording can be interpreted as too restrictive and
that will be addressed.

With the division email system back in service, Michael and I have been
putting out “regular Division newsletters” albeit not every month. I
do miss the short period when we were able to include photos and other
formatting, however that was a time-consuming matter for HQ staff to do
all the processing. I can assure you Michael and I, along with others,
are pushing for a more robust mail system than what we currently have.

Much of the fall communication pertained to the current HOA bill. If you
have not yet made the 30 second effort to send your letters, please do
so. Visit https://www.arrl.org/current-legislation click the Send your
Letters link, plug in your callsign, hit send and you are done. Even
though we are at the tail end of the year, these letters are still
important and will be hand delivered to your legislators.

Division statistics and some thoughts:
Division statistics at the end of November show a total membership in
Division of 10,244, down from 2024 where we had 10,904. A 6% decrease.
This decline in membership is pretty much the same across all Divisions.
Nationally the decrease shows -5.7% I will not go into the weeds with
each statistic for each section in our Division, but this ongoing
decline in membership is very concerning. I can assure you the ARRL
board discusses this regularly. This trend is not just limited to ARRL.

Other organizations are seeing a similar decline. Information on all
hobbies is readily available via the internet, training classes are
online for free, (i.e. no need to join or even visit a local club) and
what was once a feeling of “belonging” by attending in person
meetings is slowly being replaced by online chat rooms and other social
media platforms. Encouraging new hams to join the hobby should
everyone’s goal, and what I mean by “join the hobby” is to get new
Hams to embrace the culture of Amateur Radio, join a club, and join the
league. When I was licensed as a novice, I joined my local club,
primarily as they put on the license class and ran the testing. No one
ever said, “hey you need to also join the ARRL”, but it was strongly
implied. I joined the league and a few years later I was president of
the club and we had close to 150 members. (not because of me) I seem to
remember we ran close to 75% or better ARRL membership. That trend
continued until just a few short years ago, again, not due to any one
person or action, just a steady decline in both numbers.

Encouraging newly licensed hams to join local clubs and the league
should be top priority for every member. If you are a member of your
local club, you should encourage others to join. If you are a member of
the league, you should do the same. Some of our clubs are doing an
outstanding job of this.

From a national perspective, the Northwestern Division has 71539 total
licensed Amateur Radio operators. Nationally that number is 738701 as of
December 6th , 14,432 of which, nearly 2% , are club callsigns. Our
Division represents 9.6% of the total Amateur population. Looking at
ARRL membership, The October total ARRL membership was 129455 and our
Division represents 7.9% of that total with 10244.

In comparison, the Southeast Division is the largest by population with
10.5% of ARRL membership and 10% of the total number of Amateurs. The SE
Division had 78125 total amateurs and 13020 ARRL members.

The Northwestern Division is currently the fourth largest in ARRL
membership behind Roanoke with 10927, Atlantic with 10455, and as
mentioned the Southeastern with 13020.

Club Updates: (A reminder):
It is getting close to the end of the year, and most clubs are starting
or have finished 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, your club officers can contact your Affiliated Club
Coordinator, Section Manager, or myself and we would be glad to help. A
new page has been created to help clubs at:
https://affiliatedclubs.arrl.org/

Club Milestones:
Congratulations to the following ARRL Affiliated Clubs for reaching the
milestones listed.
Central Washington ARC (Eastern Washington) 50 years
Hellgate Amateur Radio Club (Montana) 75 years

New Affiliated Clubs:
Congratulations to the following clubs for becoming ARRL Affiliated this
year
Salem Amateur Repeater Group, K7ATV – Salem Oregon
Oregon Youth Amateur Radio Club, K7OYA – Albany Oregon
Oregon Coast Emergency Repeater INC, W7FLO – Florence Oregon
Central Oregon Amateur Radio Emcomm Team, K7HWY – La Pine Oregon
Shoreline Auxiliary Communications Service, W7AUX – Shoreline
Washington

Upcoming Board meeting and Division election results:

As of this writing, I am not aware of any controversial motions for the
board to address.

At the January meeting we will elect Officers of the ARRL, the
President, 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents, Treasurer, Secretary, CFO, and
International Affairs VP. We will also elect a new slate for the
Executive committee.
The 2026 financial plan will be reviewed and approved.
Standing committee reports and motions will be addressed.

Elections this year were in the Southeast Division, where Director Baker
will be back after a 4-way race. Director Baker received 1596 of a total
of 3827 cast ballots. In the Southwestern Division, Director Norton
received 1392 of a total of 2780 cast ballots. (yes a difference of 4
votes). In the Pacific Division, Director Litz was held his position
with 1270 votes to his challenger, past Director Bob Vallio who earned
960 votes. We had no other contested elections for Directors this year.
In the Rocky Mountain Division, Director Ryan ran unopposed as well as
Director Stratton in the West Gulf division.

January will bring a few changes to the board room “back row”. In
the Southwestern Division, VD Ned Sterns decided not to run for office
and we will be joined by John Kitchens, NX6S. John is the current Santa
Barbara SM. In the Rocky Mountain Division, Mel Parkes, NM7P who ran
unopposed will be joining us. From the Pacific Division we will be
joined by Carol Milazzo, KP4MD who was appointed early this year and ran
unopposed in the election. The Atlantic Vice Director is now Marty
Newingham, AG3I, after being appointed this year as well.

Attention Montana members, your section, and the ARRL, needs you!
As no nomination petitions were received at HQ for the Section Manager
position, it will be posted again in QST. Kevin, W1KGK decided not to
run for another term. A formal notice will be coming out from ARRL HQ
about this. If you are interested, or if you know someone that might be
interested, let me know and I can help you, or them, through the
process. The Section Manager terms are two years in length and more
information can be found here: Section Manager I would like to thank
Kevin for the years he served and wish him the best.

HAMFESTS and Meetings:
This year I attended;
The Mike and Key swap
N7YRC tailgate
Kamiah Hamfest
Seapac (Division Convention)
Wenatchee Hamfest
Idaho St. Convention
Spokane Hamfest (Washington State Convention)
PNW DX Convention (hosted by the WVDX Club)
And I managed to get into the parking lot for Swaptoberfest only to find
it had been canceled early that morning due to a major water leak. Many
were disappointed about this but nothing could be done.
I look forward to seeing fellow amateurs at most of these events again
in 2026.

I also attended a number of club meetings both in person and virtually.

Presidents Award presented to Tad Cook, K7RA
In March it was my great privilege to present the ARRL Presidents Award
to Tad Cook, K7RA from Seattle. For those who recognize the call, Tad
wrote the ARRL solar reports for QST over the course of 36 continuous
years, never missing a single month. Tad retired from writing the report
due to health issues, and sadly passed away on April 13th. On behalf of
the entire Division, I would like to thank President Roderick, the ARRL
Executive Committee, CEO Minster, and HQ Staff for expediting the
process for this award. It showed on Tads face how much it meant to him.
(See more in December QST, page 63)

As I also serve as a Director of the ARRL Foundation, I am looking
forward to the upcoming Scholarship season. This is one of the most
rewarding aspects of Amateur Radio to me. It is a ton of work, but it is
truly a pleasure to do. If you are looking at additional funding for
college or trade schools, or have Harmonics that are (children) look at
(or have them look) at the scholarships offered by the ARRL and ARDC.
They still have a few days to be in the running for next year’s
awards. http://www.arrl.org/scholarship-program

That’s a wrap
This will be the last newsletter until after the January Board meeting.
Michael and I are always available for questions, comments, or concerns.
I hope this finds you well, and I wish you the best for this holiday
season and a great upcoming 2026. It is a privilege to serve as your
Director.

73..
Mark J. Tharp – KB7HDX
ARRL Director
Northwestern Division
kb7hdx@arrl.org
509-952-5764

A few yearend words from Vice Director Sterba.

Hello Northwestern Division!

Wow, this year has flown by! With the large input from across the
division provided from Director Tharp, I’ll keep this to the point.

There has been an impact to our division wide license counts due to the
shutdown of the FCC offices and website. Our Northwestern Division
membership numbers have had a strong correlation to these suggesting
that we may witness matching reductions. We hope this doesn’t result
in long term impact, but will be closely monitoring as we prepare for
the 2026 Annual Board Meeting. Thankfully, the FCC has announced the
restoration of services and is working through the reestablish full
operations soon. The FCC also has extended the filing deadline to March
5, 2026, for amateur radio licenses that otherwise were due to expire
from October 1, 2025, to March 5, 2026. For more information, please
visit:
https://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-vec-ready-to-file-2-500-ham-radio-license-applications-fcc-extends-renewal-filing-deadline

Annual Activities:
I attended the Administration & Finance Committee Meeting (12/13/25)
where we stepped through the upcoming challenges for the League and
amateur radio. Future decisions needing to be made will not be easy ones
as we balance member needs versus organizational health in reference to
a lowering ham license count. Updates will be provided in the coming
months.

Committee Attendance:
ARRL Annual Board Meeting
ARRL 2nd Board Meeting
Administrative & Finance Committee Meeting (Committee Member)
EC FSC Clubs Subcommittee Meeting (Sub-Committee Member)
Executive Committee Meeting (Visitor)
EC-FSC Clubs Subcommittee (Visitor)
Programs & Services Committee (Visitor)

Event Attendance:
Salem Hamfair
Mike and Key Swapmeet
Stanwood / Camano Island Swapmeet
SEAPAC
Wenatchee Hamfest
MARA Hamfest
Multiple club/organizational member meetings

Effort Summation YTD in hours:
Meeting Hours: 73
Tasking Hours: 178
Public Service Hours: 143

(Canned Reminder) Director Tharp and I are always open to input, good
and bad, (we prefer good) from members. If you have anything you would
like to talk about, shoot us an email or call on the phone. In addition,
we are always looking for information to share with the Division. If you
have a news item you would like to offer, please send us a note and we
would be glad to include it here. It is always great to hear from
members.

From my radio shack to yours, I hope you and yours have a wonderful
holiday upcoming. Enjoy Amateur Radio… Be Active, Be Positive, Be
Safe, as your voice carries

Respectfully your servant,

Michael A. Sterba, KG7HQ
ARRL Vice Director
Northwestern Division
kg7hq@ARRL.org

SECTION REPORTS:

Oregon Section, submitted by Scott Rosenfeld N7JI
2025 Oregon (OR) Section Report
Scott Rosenfeld, Section Manager (SM)
December 7, 2025
Overview

In September 2025, the Oregon section had a total of 2,969 ARRL members.
(2,757 Full and 212 Associate members)
This number was 4% below the November, 2024 membership tally. This
continues to be a worrying trend.

Oregon still has over 20,000 ham radio operators, representing nearly
0.5% of the total state population, which ranks in the top 3 in the
nation. However, only 15% of Oregon’s hams are ARRL members.
Oregon’s licensing tallies show that the number of hams is relatively
stable, with about 50 new hams and 50 licenses expiring every month.
Even though we have improved our recruitment efforts as a section, we
are apparently still not doing a good enough job recruiting new
members.

Our field organization continues to work to maximize and expand benefits
provided to the Oregon section. Lane County now has an ARES program. We
have helped clubs rebuild and become newly incorporated. Oregon hosted a
hamfest, a regional DX conference, and a Division convention. We now
have a third Public Information Officer, and continue working to
implement youth development programs by encouraging clubs to identify
club youth coordinators.

We are working to improve participation in Oregon section volunteer
activities by our ARRL members.

In April, we asked for and received a proclamation from Oregon’s
Governor, Tina Kotek, that June would be Amateur Radio MONTH in Oregon.
We plan to do this again in 2026.

It was a very busy year in our section, and I hope to keep the momentum
going into the future.

My term runs until June, 2026, and I am planning on running again this
spring for another term.

Item #1 – Building ARES / EmComm
Our primary goal for 2025 was to continue rebuilding the presence of
Oregon ARES. Oregon’s 36 counties are divided into 6 ARES districts,
and range from urban to suburban to rural to very sparsely populated.
County populations vary from 1,400 to over 800,000, and the number of
licensed amateurs in each varies just as widely.

Bonnie Altus, AB7ZQ, Oregon’s SEC, has done an excellent job in
serving as a liaison between Oregon’s ham radio-based EmComm groups
and Oregon’s Department of Emergency Management. Many ARES and
AUXCOMM units have a SHARES license and participate in the SHARES nets
with FEMA and Oregon Department of Emergency Management (ODEM).

ARES was reintroduced in Lane County in 2025 and is now a functioning
entity, with working agreements with the cities of Eugene and
Springfield as well as Lane County. Lane County ARES now participates
and cooperates with West Lane ARES, which serves the coastal areas of
Lane county. Lane County ARES now serves Lane County east of the Coast
Range, including the Eugene metropolitan area, which is the home of the
University of Oregon. Lane County ARES is led by Kathryn Catherwood,
KI7RNU, with support from local clubs, EmComm groups, and
municipalities. Training classes were held from April through August.
The organization has over 30 members, holds an on-air net every Monday
evening, and holds in-person meetings once a month. A new radio room is
being constructed for use by ARES.

Under the leadership of Joe, AA7JS, Josephine County ARES has
implemented a training program that incorporates a “clubhouse” as
well as training nights where prospective ARES members are invited to do
hands-on activities with more experienced members, resulting in
organizational growth to over 60 members.

Oregon now has four Assistant SECs, and four of our six DEC positions
are filled (districts 2 and 6 are vacant). Bonnie has worked and met
regularly with our ASECs, DECs, and ECs on training, emergency tests,
planning, interoperability, Winlink, and other topics. Our groups.io
mailing list serves to connect hams in charge of EmComm-related units,
including both ARES and non-ARES units. Regular communications with and
between the ARES and non-ARES EMCOMM leadership has been key in
revitalizing the program in Oregon.

Oregon’s traffic nets remain active, although the number of traffic
handlers has been continually declining over the years.

EmComm meetings were held at the Salem Hamfair in February and at the
SeaPac convention, and they were well-attended. HF ARES nets continue to
be very popular and with high levels of attendance. We continue to
update our database of county ECs, and to cancel and make appointments
as necessary.

The following is our list of Oregon district and section level EmComm
appointees as of November, 2024:
SEC – Bonnie Altus, AB7ZQ
ASEC – Mitch Bayersdorfer, W7MDB
ASEC – Thomas Noel, KF7RSF
ASEC – Larry Clark, N7LJC
ASEC – Ed Bodenlos, W7EWB
D1 EC – Pat Roberson, W7PAT
D2 EC – vacant (Bend / Redmond / Prineville)
D3 EC – Stuart Bottom, K7FG
D4 EC – Steve Duck, KW7S
D5 EC – Joe Stodola, AA7JS
D6 EC – vacant (Klamath Falls / Lakeview / Burns / Hines / Ontario)

Item #2 – Affiliated Clubs
Max Sabo, K7MAX, VP of the Portland Amateur Radio Club, continues as our
ACC. We hold quarterly Zoom meetings for officers of affiliated (and yet
to be affiliated) clubs from all over the state. These meetings continue
to be attended by 20-30 people, and have been an excellent venue for
discussion of best practices.

The Oregon section welcomed Salem Area Repeater Group and Oregon Youth
Amateur Radio Club as new affiliated clubs. New clubs are being formed
at Chemeketa Community College, Portland State University, and George
Fox University. We are very, very happy to see new college-level clubs
forming.

In the scouting arena, Michael, N7PEA, has worked to form a
radio-specific, regional, Venturing Crew. This group seeks to become an
ARRL-affiliated club.

We are still working to ensure that the club information database is up
to date. We encourage all clubs to update their information on the ARRL
and their own websites.
We also encourage clubs that have significant community outreach and
wide-ranging programs and activities to apply for the distinction of
becoming a Special Service Club.
Our four Special Service Clubs are:
Radio Amateurs of the Gorge (RAGS)
Valley Radio Club (Eugene)
Oregon-Tualatin Valley Amateur Radio Club (OTVARC)
Hoodview Amateur Radio Club

We continue to encourage Oregon’s affiliated clubs to develop young
hams within the section by working with scouts, schools, and students.

We also promote the idea of incentives for new hams to join our clubs.
As VP of the Willamette Valley DX Club, for example, we have inducted
several new members under the age of 25. We have also implemented a
policy of giving free membership to licensees 25 and under, thereby
removing financial barriers to membership. Similar membership policies
have been rolled out by other clubs, including a free handheld radio and
free membership for any new member 18 years of age and under.

Item #3 – Youth and Educational Activities
Ham radio is a powerful teaching tool for STEM, and is key to developing
young hams in Oregon.

Oregon has two Section Youth Coordinators (SYCs), Frank Gruber, KB7NJV,
and Russ Mickiewicz, N7QR. Frank is focused on introducing ham radio in
schools, while Russ is focused on Scouting. They have proposed that
clubs should have youth coordinators, and we have continually pestered
clubs to do this…but it has been a slow process.

The radio club project within the Ione school system has hit a bit of a
slowdown, but has a promising future.

Russ, N7QR, continues to work with Jamboree on the Air (JOTA)
operations.

New university clubs are being formed, as mentioned in the previous
section.

Existing university clubs within Oregon continue to be active.

Portland State University students presented their RF-focused
engineering projects at Sea-Pac.

Zeke, KJ7NLL, made a presentation at Sea-Pac about the ISS contact
project that he led for his school.

Ethan, KK7UXY, made a presentation at Sea-Pac about OYARC, the
youth-focused radio club he formed.

Several young Oregon hams participated in significant DXpeditions in
2025.

In November, Salem Amateur Radio Club, Chemeketa radio club, and other
groups cooperated to present ham radio to a crowd of 2,000, including
nearly a thousand Girl Scouts, at the STEM fair at Oregon State
Fairgrounds. We had obtained the W7G special event callsign and printed
1,000 W7G cards which could be given to scouts who participated by
making a contact with “the ham on the other end of the radio.” Over
200 Girl Scouts made QSOs with local hams, with each receiving a card.
Hundreds more Girl Scouts learned (some) Morse code and made a LOT of
noise. Others got to learn and practice spelling with the ITU phonetic
alphabet. A large number of various ARRL publicity flyers were handed
out at this event.

Item #4 – Technical Services
Our technical group is stable at eight people with KO7V as the technical
coordinator. We have a groups.io mailing list called the ARRL OREGON
TECHNICAL GROUP. We still have about 90 subscribers, with a wide array
of topics covered.

Amy Haptonstall, AG7GP, joined as an expert in portable and SOTA
operations.

Our technical experts continue to solve problems for hams in Oregon, the
most common of which is RFI.

We look forward to increasing our TS ranks and continuing growth of the
technical mailing list in the coming year.

Item #5 – Volunteer Counsels and Engineers
Oregon now has two VCs, Althea Ender, KE7OOJ, and Russ Garrett, KD7MPK,
who also serves as Oregon ASM.

We are still looking for Oregon Volunteer Engineers.

Item #6 – Traffic Management
Oregon STM David Bogner, W7EES, and NM Carl Clawson, WS7L, are very
involved in Oregon’s traffic handling programs. In general, Oregon’s
CW nets are shrinking in number, participation, and volume of traffic
other than “congrats on passing your exam.” Oregon’s phone- and
CW-based traffic nets still have issues with the willingness of
operators to actually handle traffic, resulting in most traffic being
handled by a very small group.

The Digital Traffic Network handles the majority of Radiogram traffic in
the Oregon Section. We are concentrating on last mile operations by
encouraging the development of local area nets for distribution,
delivery and reply Radiogram services for the civil population.

The impasse regarding routing of inter-sectional traffic at the local
level has not been completely resolved. Oregon Section traffic nets
continue to follow recommended procedures found in the Methods and
Practices Guidelines manual that adhere to Section, Region and Area
Boundaries.

We have also discussed the fact that traffic handling and EmComm
functions may sometimes overlap, although there are significant issues
using Winlink forms to inject messages into the traffic handling system,
leading to friction, confusion, and lost traffic.

We strive to recruit new traffic handling operators and teach new hams
of the uses and functionality of traffic handling. We hope to see
reinvigorated publicity from ARRL increase the number of Net Managers
(NMs) within the section, and see that many issues with NTS are
addressed by NTS 2.0.

Item #7 – Public Outreach
In 2025, we continued to develop our Public Information Outreach. We now
have three PIOs.
Hannah Rosenfeld, W7HER, PIO
Nelson Farrier, NF7Z, Section webmaster
Matt Laubach, K7EPW, PIO

We are looking for a PIC (Public Information Coordinator) to run the
show.

Hannah focuses on social media including our brand-new Instagram feed,
“OregonARRL”.

Our section website is now found at www.oregonarrl.org.
It is updated with section news as it happens.
We hope that it becomes a central location for section information.

In the lead-up for Field Day, after receiving our governor’s
“Amateur Radio MONTH” proclamation, we contacted newspapers, radio
stations, TV stations, and any other media outlets we could think of.
We did several interviews on the radio, including OPB and JPR.
PARC had a booth at the very well-attended Portland Rose Festival and
used the W7R special event call.

Field Day sites all over the state received many, many visitors.

We participated at the Oregon State Fair by presenting ham radio through
a number of exhibits to the public for FIVE days, 10 hours each day.
This was a very well-attended event with many thousands of visitors.
Volunteers came from all over western Oregon and Vancouver, WA to help,
and State Fair management was very happy with the results. We plan on
repeating this effort in 2026.

In conjunction with the State Fair, hams all over the state of Oregon
used the W7O special event callsign to make contacts all over the world
over a period of 10 days.

Section Manager Event Participation
February – ARRL SM presence at Salem Hamfair in Rickreall, OR.
May – ARRL SM presence at Hamvention in Xenia, OH..
June – ARRL SM presence at SeaPac NW Division Convention.
June – Arranged representation for ARRL’s Collegiate Amateur Radio
Project (CARP) at SeaPac.
June – ARRL SM visited Field Day sites in Florence, OR, and Lowell, OR.
August – ARRL SM presence at Pacific Northwest DX Convention in
Portland, OR.
September – ARRL SM presence at ROADS club meeting in Dallas, OR.
September – ARRL SM presence at Peak Radio Association (PRA) picnic &
POTA event in Monmouth, OR.
September – ARRL SM presence at ROADS club meeting in Dallas, OR.
October – ARRL SM participation in PARC club meeting via Zoom.
October – ARRL SM participation in FW5K DXpedition including joining
WVDXC meeting via Zoom..
I continually offer to be able to attend club meetings and events.

Other items
We continue to recommend that people go to www.send-a-letter.org/hoa and
do their legislative part. We also continue to recommend that clubs do
their part, and GMRS users do their part.

I send out “welcome to ham radio” letters to all new hams in the
Oregon section, introducing myself and welcoming them to join ARRL, and
urging them to find and join their local radio clubs.

Every ham in Oregon knows at least one other ham who is not a member of
ARRL. I have minimal ability to make anyone join ARRL through my SM
emails, as everyone on the list is already an ARRL member. However, a
recommendation from an ARRL member who is a personal friend has added
weight. Outreach by ARRL members is the most significant activity needed
for our section to increase its membership. There are many reasons to
join ARRL, and our members need to convey that to non-members.

Nearly 1,300 ARRL Oregon members are not receiving SM emails. I
encourage those who do receive SM emails to ask their friends if they
receive these emails, and encourage them to opt-in.

I plan to continue attending conventions and hamfests, and continue to
contact Oregon’s ARRL-affiliated clubs (as far as email permits) to
offer visits to club meetings and events, either in-person (when
practical) or remotely. I always provide SWAG in the form of pens,
stickers, books, and the like, when visiting clubs, including mailing
books to those who may win raffles when visits are done remotely.

I will encourage other appointees within the section to, when
appropriate, make in-person visits, which can be reimbursed from my SM
budget.

Oregon also has a rapidly growing AREDN presence, linking areas of the
state together with a high-speed, alternate data network. The growth of
this network should continue to be supported, as it can be utilized as a
high-speed information backbone in times of emergency.

Oregon, as a section, is always looking for motivated individuals who
would like to be a part of the field organization to serve the amateur
radio community. I also believe that every appointee needs to work to
identify his or her replacement in the interest of seamless transitions
and continuity within the section’s field organization.

I greatly appreciate your support and faith in my abilities to carry out
the duties of this position. Please let me know if you have any
questions, comments, or complaints.

Scott N7JI, ARRL Oregon SM
541-221-2475
ars.n7ji@gmail.com

2025 Eastern Washington SM report (Jo Whitney, KA7LJQ)

There are 19 affiliated clubs listed in the Big Club list for EWA.
Contact with the clubs was sporadic. When contacting each club to submit
a club letter in support of the HOA bill I found some contact
information was out of date. Approximately 25% of the clubs supplied an
annual report in 2025. I will be seeking invitations to attend club
meetings to spread the word about ARRL and the benefits of joining as an
individual and affiliate as a club. Membership numbers dropped 6.6%
between November 2024 (total; 905) and October 2025 (total; 848).

2026 is the YEAR OF THE CLUB for ARRL. It is the 100th anniversary of
the ARRL Field Organization. Join a club, get involved.

Conventions, Hamfests, and Tailgates. I enjoy the opportunity to meet
and talk with amateurs across the state at a function designed to bring
radio operators together for their hobby and encourage membership in the
ARRL. I was able to participate in the following events in 2025:

-March 8th – 43rd Annual Mike and Key Electronics Show and Swap Meet,
Puyallup
-April 12th – 7th N7YRC Tailgate Swapmeet, Yakima
-April 19th – Kamiah ID Hamfest
-April 26th – 2025 Spokane Hamfest, the Washington State Convention,
Spokane Valley.
-May 10th – Spout Springs Repeater Association Tailgate and Swapmeet,
Kennewick
-May 30-June 1st – SEA-PAC Northwestern Division Convention, Seaside
OR
-June 6-8th – 57th Annual Apple City Amateur Radio Club Hamfest,
Peshastin (Dryden)
-June 14th – Inland Empire VHF Radio Amateurs Tailgate Swap, Spokane
Valley
-August 9th – Idaho State Convention, Post Falls ID
-August 16th – PNWDX Convention, Portland OR

There were last-minute notices of gatherings I could not attend; please
let me know what you are planning and I will make every effort to attend
if asked.

Field Day June 27-28th. Traveling to club field day sites is a highlight
for me. I save the weekend for long hours of travel, 785 miles, to Field
Day set-ups posted on the ARRL locator. Posting your hours of operation
is helpful. I was able to make site visits to:

-Panoramaland Amateur Radio Club K7JAR sets up 4 stations plus a GOTA
station in and around a large field in Colville.

-Spokane County ARES/ACS W7GBU had the communications trailers set up in
a parking lot in Spokane Valley.

-Kamiak Butte Amateur Repeater Association (KBARA) set up 3 stations at
the Valleyford Community Park in Valleyford. They were very pleased to
have their group return to Field Day set-up.

-Central Washington ARC W7TT set-up again at the White Tail Grange in
Ephrata. They modify the building (replace a door) for the coax entry
from their crane suspended antenna.

-Lake Chelan Amateur Radio Club set up several stations on a flat top
high above Chelan. Arriving in the early morning, I was greeted with a
hot breakfast.

The journey was recorded in photos. I will make a point to get help to
upload them onto the EWA Section Facebook page in 2026.

Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC), Frank Hutchinson AG7QP, continues
to encourage local amateur groups and EMCOMM focus groups to support
emergency communications efforts with their local agencies in EWA.
Meeting with Emergency Managers across EWA he is keeping doors open for
amateurs to use their desire to support public service. The 20 counties
of EWA are divided into Districts 7 (Chelan, Douglas, Grant, Kittitas,
Okanogan), District 8 (Benton, Franklin, Klickitat, Walla Walla,
Yakima), and District 9 (Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Ferry, Garfield,
Lincoln, Pend Orielle, Spokane, Steven, Whitman). The SEC has recruited
Emergency Coordinators for all except Garfield and Whitman. The role of
an Emergency Coordinator in the county is to work with the local
jurisdiction for preparedness. The level of preparedness depends on the
county, the number of radio operators in the county and the number of
volunteers willing to serve. Please consider service in your community
bringing your interest, knowledge and experience to an EMCOMM group.

Jo Whitney KA7LJQ
ka7ljq@arrl.org
509-952-5764

Western Washington – Robert Purdom SM (No report submitted)

Idaho – Don Lynn SM (no report submitted)

Alaska – David Stevens SM (no report submitted)

Montana – Kevin Kerr SM (no report submitted)

ARRL Northwestern Division
Director: Mark J Tharp, KB7HDX

kb7hdx@arrl.org

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Greetings fellow Northwestern Division members.
“PASS THE BILL” this campaign is still full steam ahead, even with
the current (as of this writing) Government shutdown. If you have not
done so, please visit the webpage at https://send-a-letter.org/hoa and
take the five seconds to click in the box, enter your call, and hit
“send my letters”. For those with a GMRS license, or those you know
with a GMRS license that are not Amateurs, we have a page for them as
well. https://send-a-letter.org/gmrs . Support is support.
Your club can also help by sending a letter on behalf of it’s members.
That information can be found here:
https://www.arrl.org/current-legislation#clubs .
Please encourage your club to help in this process.

ARRL Foundation Scholarships
The ARRL Foundation Scholarship Program has opened the application
window for 2026 scholarships. Applications will be accepted through
December 30, 2025, at 12 PM EST. Students are encouraged to apply for
more than 170 scholarships ranging from $500 to $25,000. All applicants
must be active, FCC-licensed amateur radio operators.
The scholarships were established by generous donors and are managed by
the ARRL Foundation as a means to inspire youth to explore amateur radio
and to pursue higher education and related career paths — and
especially in wireless communications.
In 2025, the ARRL Foundation awarded 170 awards totaling $800,000. More
information and the online application are available
www.arrl.org/scholarship-program.

ARRL has made 2026 the Year of the Club, a year-long celebration of
ham radio clubs and everything they do for amateur radio. As just one
way of honoring various clubs, QST will feature club photos in every
2026 issue. If your club wants a shot at being highlighted in the pages
of QST, here’s what to do:
Get your club members together, looking their best — if you have a
club t-shirt or ARRL shirts, this is a perfect occasion for wearing
them.
Consider posing with your club’s sign/banner.
Take high-resolution images. If you’re taking photos with a phone
camera, please make sure it’s set for “highest quality.”
Take photos in horizontal and vertical orientations, and please do not
crop or otherwise edit the photos.
Type up the names and call signs of any hams pictured, the name (and
call sign, if applicable) of the person who took the photos, and the
full name and call sign of the club.
Send the information, along with one vertical and one horizontal photo,
to qst@arrl.org.
Read QST each month in 2026 to see if your club has been featured!

Another “Year of the Club” activity, will be a yearlong activation
of W1AW/* similar to the centennial, and VOTA (Volunteers on the Air).
Each state will have two opportunities to host the W1AW/* call and
gather operators. ARRL Section Managers, and section ACCs will be
working out the details for these operations.
http://www.arrl.org/year-of-the-club
We will also have a special WAS (Worked All States) award in 2026. Watch
the ARRL.org web for further information.

Swaptoberfest, that Swapmeet that was,,,,, almost
Unfortunately, at the last minute, Swoptoberfest in Rickreall OR had to
be cancelled due to a major water leak discovered by the night guard
around 2 in the morning, the night before the event. This left little to
no way of effectively notifying attendees. I rolled in the parking lot
to be met by the normal guard only to tell me it had been cancelled. A
number of folks made due by tossing some items out in the lot with a
make shift tailgate, but most folks simply went back home. This is
always a well attended event, and I hope everyone can understand it was
100% out of the group’s control.

FCC licensing and the current Government shutdown… Vice Director
Sterba has addressed this below.

Upcoming Division events: (If your group would like to promote your
upcoming event, please let me know)
Upcoming ARRL sanctioned Hamfests and Conventions can be found at the
always updated webpage of Assistant Director Burlingame at n7cfo.com

This list is only inclusive of those events that have applied for ARRL
sanctioning. If you are looking to sanction your event this year, or in
the future, please review the rules HERE.
https://www.arrl.org/files/file/Rules for Hamfests Trunkfests
Conventions.pdf

73..
Mark J. Tharp KB7HDX
ARRL Director
Northwestern Division
kb7hdx@arrl.org
509-952-5764

And now some words of wisdom from Vice Director Sterba:

Hello Northwestern Division!
It’s been quiet here in the division the last couple of months yet
busy behind the scenes.
It’s great to report a surge in community activity surrounding the
Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act. If you haven’t looked into
this please visit https://www.arrl.org/current-legislation and take
advantage of the automated form to send a letter to your
representatives. There is an extra opportunity for clubs to get involved
separately by placing additional weight to our voices. Directions for
club endorsements are available at
https://www.arrl.org/files/file/Clubs/Completing%20the%20Club%20Letters%20for%20Congress.pdf.

As of this writing, we are facing impacts surrounding both initial and
renewal of amateur radio licenses. The online FCC systems have been
suspended until further notice impacting everyone who is trying to
accomplish an update. For additional information, please refer to
https://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-licensing-update-during-us-government-shutdown

Answer the Call — Strengthen Our Clubs, Strengthen Our Community!
As we prepare for the upcoming “ARRL Year of the Club,” Director
Tharp and I invite every amateur radio operator to take part in a
movement that honors the true spirit of our service… connection,
mentorship, and community.

Our local clubs are the heartbeat of amateur radio, where newcomers find
guidance, friendships are fostered, and innovation thrives. Yet many of
these clubs are feeling the strain… stretched thin, struggling to
grow, and fighting to stay strong.

Here in the Northwestern Division, I’ve seen their challenges up
close. Now is the time to rally together. Step forward. Recommit your
time, energy, and passion to the clubs that have given so much to all of
us.
Together, we can restore their strength, renew their purpose, and ensure
that amateur radio continues to inspire and unite generations to come.

Read more about the ARRL Year of the Club at
https://www.arrl.org/year-of-the-club

As I wrap up this writing, I want to take a moment to thank the leaders
and membership for the warm welcome to the 2025 Matanuska Amateur Radio
Association (MARA) Hamfest at Wasilla, AK. This was a fun family style
event which included demonstrations, presentations , VE Testing, and
lunch barbeque.
Special thanks to Scott (KL7SLM), Shelia (KL3SRO) and Don (KL7JFT) for
introductions, history, and tours of the ARES communications trailer.

Populations at the time of this writing (Lagging Indicators):
Northwestern Division Membership:

• 10,285 (Decrease from 10,345)
• 40 (New)
• 161 (Lapsed that re-joined)
  National Membership:
• 130,357 (Decrease from 130,978)
  License Counts:
• 72,094 (Division total)
• 137(New)
• 743,112 (National total)

As I mentioned in my opening, it’s been quiet in the Division.
Director Tharp and I are always open to input, good and bad, (we prefer
good) from members. If you have anything you would like to talk about,
shoot us an email or call on the phone. In addition, we are always
looking for information to share with the Division. If you have a news
item you would like to offer, please send us a note and we would be glad
to include it here. It is always great to hear from members.
Enjoy Amateur Radio… Be Active, Be Positive, Be Safe, as your voice
carries
Respectfully your servant,

Michael A. Sterba, KG7HQ
ARRL Vice Director
Northwestern Division
kg7hq@ARRL.org

ARRL Northwestern Division
Director: Mark J Tharp, KB7HDX
kb7hdx@arrl.org

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 rules are the same as last year, it’s always
good to update your logging program and give it a test run. Whether you
use N1MM, N3FJP , or Skoo kumLogger, 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. Note
that for contacts to count towards awards, it’s necessary to

We’ve got some fantastic awards lined up again this year, including
Smoked Salmon (for participants outside of WA), Sweeps Glasses for
those
verified as earning the elusive clean sweep of all WA counties, and
plaques for top finishers. For those able to get out and activate in
the field, this year Single-County and Multi-County Expedition high
scoring stations will each earn a plaque of their own.

Get on the air and be Radio Active.
https://salmonrun.wwdxc.org for more information.

See you on the air this weekend.

Mark, KB7HDX

ARRL Northwestern Division
Director: Mark J Tharp, KB7HDX
kb7hdx@arrl.org

Enter your callsign. The rest of the form should auto populate with
your data. Please check for accuracy, and edit if needed. When finished,
click the “send my letters” button. That’s all there is to it! Your
letters will be forwarded to the lobbying firm who will hand deliver
them to the appropriate representative and senators.

This link can be shared with any licensed Amateur Radio operator. ARRL
member or not.
Please consider re sending this information to your club members, and
share as you see fit on social media pages where other Amate ur operators
may see it.

Your help is very much needed to ensure our voices are heard in
Congress.

Thank you for your help. We are in the final lap of this and with your
assistance we will hit the finish line.

ARRL Northwestern Division
Director: Mark J Tharp, KB7HDX
kb7hdx@arrl.org