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

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

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

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

06/01/2025
The ARRL Foundation is accepting grant applications from amateur radio
organizations for eligible amateur radio-related projects and
initiatives, particularly those focused on educating, licensing, and
supporting amateur radio activities. To grow amateur radio’s future,
youth-based projects and initiatives are especially encouraged.

The ARRL Foundation grants program accepts proposals on a cyclical model
three times a year: in February, June, and October. Proposals for the
June grant period are accepted through June 30. Awardees will be
notified approximately 1 month after the closing of each cycle.

The ARRL Foundation carefully manages a portfolio of endowments where
donors have provided specific goals for their gifts, and that portfolio
is invested and managed in a way that it can continue to support those
goals for many years to come. Additional information and a link to the
grant application can be foun d at
http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-grants

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

Main event page: https://pnwdxconvention.com/
Schedule of events: https://pnwdxconvention.com/complete-schedule/
Registration link: https://pnwdxconvention.com/2025-registration-page/

The event will be at the Monarch Hotel in Clackamas Oregon on August 15,
16 and 17.

For hotel reservations call the Monarch direct at 800-492-8700 or
503-652-1515

Hope to see you there!

73..
Mark, KB7HDX

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

Main event page: https://seapac.org/

Registration page: https://seapac.org/register/register.php

Suggested lodging: https://seapac.org/lodging.html?v=005

Hope to see you there!

73..
Mark, KB7HDX

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

Hello Northwestern Division.

Hamfest season is well underway here in the NW. VD Sterba made the trip to Rickreall for the February swap meet. (see his report below) and Jo and I made the trip over to Puyallup for the Mike and Key swap meet. Both events were well attended. Pictured below is the booth at Mike and Key just before the doors opened. SM Purdom and VD Sterba along with SM Whitney and myself visited with hams from across the division.

L-R, EWA SM Whitney, WWA SM Purdom, Al N7OMS, and VD Sterba. Just before the doors open at Mike and Key Swap meet March 8th (KB7HDX photo)

Local legend receives due praise

Saturday afternoon, after the Mike and Key swap meet, Jo and I met up with WWDXC President Rob Fanfant, N7QT and WWDXC Board member Robin Amundson, WA7CPA, at the home of Tad Cook, K7RA. Tad, as many of you know recently retired after Thirty-Six continuous years of writing the weekly solar report for ARRL. As a result of his efforts all these years it was an honor to present him, on behalf of the ARRL Board of Directors, the ARRL Presidents Award. This was a complete surprise for Tad. Watch for the full story in an upcoming issue of QST. Congratulations, and thank you Tad.

L-R back, Rob-N7QT, Robin-WA7CPA, Mark-KB7HDX, with Tad, K7RA (WA7CPA photo)

Voice of Idaho Club meeting

Via ZOOM, I was able to present to the VOI group again on Marth 12th. This is a great group of active amateurs in and around the Boise area. This was the second-year meeting with them and I appreciate the opportunity. If you live in the area and have not stumbled onto this club, visit the website at voiceofidaho.org

Edmunds-Woodway ARC meeting

On the 13th I visited with the Edmunds-Woodway club via ZOOM. Ed, N7PHY and I have been working since October of last year to find a date that worked for the club and I. Thanks to the club for letting me join the meeting. edwaynet.com

FCC Initiates broad inquiry on rules to delete or amend (from ARRL News)

In a Public Notice titled “In Re: Delete, Delete, Delete,” issued on March 12, 2025, the FCC is soliciting public input on any FCC rules in any service that members of the public believe should be deleted or modified “for the purpose of alleviating unnecessary regulatory burdens.” This is the latest in a series of similar proceedings going back to 1996, when the Communications Act was amended to require the FCC to periodically review its rules.

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio®, through its Executive Committee and FCC Counsel, is conducting a review of the provisions in Part 97 and other related rules that apply to radio amateurs. ARRL is also soliciting feedback from its members. Rules identified as outmoded, obsolete, or that for other reasons should be repealed or modified, will be included in ARRL’s filing to be submitted no later than the FCC deadline of April 11, 2025. The deadline for filing reply comments is April 28, 2025.

It is expected that the Commission will incorporate suggestions that it decides worthy of its consideration in a future Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that could be issued later this year. There will then be an opportunity for public comment on the specific rules that the Commission proposes for deletion or modification.

A PDF of the FCC Public Notice is available here: docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-25-219A1.pdf.

Anchorage youth communicate via satellite (Craig Bledsoe, KL7H)

On Monday, February 10th, I addressed two classes of 5th and 6th graders on the topic of extraterrestrial satellite communications using handheld Amateur (“Ham”) Radio equipment. I met with the two teachers, Joeann Bradley and Sachiko Vandermartin, at lunchtime prior to setting up on the playground with my Yaesu VX-5R walkie talkie and an amplified handheld Arrow antenna. Shortly thereafter I was surrounded by approximately sixty attentive students who were amazed at just the idea of talking to astronauts onboard the International Space Station using only a handheld radio station.

Fairview Elementary School is a Title One institution located in the heart of a historically underserved region of Anchorage, Alaska. Many of these young people have never had the basic opportunities that many of us take for granted. When I was able to communicate with hams in outlying locations and let the kids speak back to them via a satellite in outer space in return, it was a transformative moment for most of the participants, in my opinion.

I offered two opportunities for these young people to communicate via satellite with a classroom slideshow briefing and Q&A session in between running outside into the cold and snow for the actual extraterrestrial conversations. I mentioned the possibility of an engineering career in their futures, and how scholarships were regularly available to hard-working and deserving students. Overall, it was a highly successful day, and I thanked all of my ham radio friends who helped me deliver on this opportunity to mentor an upcoming generation of potential Professional Engineers.

Craig Bledsoe, P.E., CSP
FCC Callsign: KL7H

Division email ability returns

The IT staff at HQ has restored our ability to email direct to members. This newsletter; however, is coming out of the marketing software at HQ as it contains photos which we cannot send via the legacy system. This format also goes to all Division members signed up to receive email from the Section or Division. The legacy system can be tailored to go out to only a section, or even down to legislative districts. If your club or group has information you would like shared, please call me about it and I can get it sent. Mind you this system is text only, no photos, and no graphics. If your information is specific to your section, you can also contact your Section Manager and they can forward the information out as well.

Upcoming ARRL sanctioned Hamfests and Swap Meets

April 12th N7YRC Tailgate Party, Union Gap (Yakima) WA
April 19th Kamiah Hamfest, Kamiah ID
April 26th Spokane Hamfest and WA State Convention, Spokane Valley WA
May 10th Stanwood-Camano ARC Flea Market, Stanwood WA
May 30, 31, and June 1st Northwestern Division Convention, SEA-PAC, Seaside OR
June 6, 7, and 8 Wenatchee Hamfest, Dryden WA
July 18-19, 20 Glacier-Waterton Hamfest, East Glacier MT
July 26th Chehalis Valley Swapmeet, Centralia WA
August 9th Idaho State Convention, Post Falls ID
August 15, 16 and 17th Pacific NW DX Convention, Clackamas (Portland) OR

For more information on these and other events, please visit n7cfo.com or the ARRL website.

73.. Mark, KB7HDX

And just what has VD Sterba been up to you might ask?

Hello Northwestern Division!

This last couple of months have been quieter when compared to January with a change to my tasking. Newly assigned to Administration and Finance Committee (A&F), I’m spending time refreshing myself on the roles, responsibilities, and authorities (RAA’s) of this committee. This will be a fun challenge as I step further into the meat and gravy of our ARRL Board functions.

I had the privileged of attending the Salem Hamfair in Rickreall, OR, and really had a great time. This was my first opportunity to meet many of the local team and was impressed with the great group of people supporting this event. This also was my first time working close with the Oregon Section Manager (SM) Scott, N7JI, who had proactivity engaged with the attendees on various League related concerns and questions. This is one of the crucial responsibilities of a SM – serving as the in-person representative for the attending population. My personal thanks goes to Scott on his proactive “Can-do” approach.

The inclement weather leading up to the event did appear to have impact attendance, yet there still was a steady stream of people for the duration. Some notables who stopped by the ARRL table were ARRL 2nd Vice President Mike Ritz W7VO, from the Oregon Section SEC Bonnie Altus AB7ZQ, Section Youth Coordinators Frank Gruber KB7NJV & Russ Mickiewicz N7QR, Emergency Coordinator Kathryn Catherwood KI7RNU. Attending from the Western Washington Section was District Emergency Coordinator Stan Nelson K7DKK

Left to Right: Oregon SM Scott N7JI, Northwestern Div V Dir. Michael KG7HQ & Oregon Youth Coord Russ N7QR

Speaking of events. I also had the privileged of attending the 43rd Annual Mike and Key Electronics Show and Swap meet in Puyallup, WA. and really had a fantastic time. The attendance was appearing like 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 building.

My visit to the Radio Amateurs of Skagit County (RASC) allowed for an informal exchange surrounding current amateur radio events. Keeping up with these changes has been a bit daunting with different opportunities presenting themselves. The Leagues leadership team has been fully engaged in the current governmental affairs with our amateur radio community sharply in focus. Recent ARRL bulletins have shared additional details as understanding solidifies toward action.

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

Northwestern Division Membership:

• 10,729 (Decrease from 10,799)
• 188 (New)
• 273 (Lapsed that re-joined)

National Membership:

• 136,107 (Decrease from 136,820)

License Counts:

• 73,011 (Division total)
• 933 (New)
• 0 (Upgrades) (Reporting under maintenance)
• 743,236 (National total)

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,
ARRL Vice Director
Northwestern Division
kg7hq@arrl.org

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

For more information, see the SEA-PAC website, www.seapac.org. See you
at SEA-PAC!

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

Thanks..

Pacific Northwest DX Convention https://pnwdxconvention.com/

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

Hello Northwestern Division and welcome to the last week of February.

Hamfest season kicked off with the Salem Hamfair in Rickreall OR last weekend. VD Sterba made the trip down and along with Oregon SM Rosenfeld representing ARRL and both reported a good time was had by all.

Next up on the event list is Mike and Key Swap in Puyallup WA March 8th. Flyer here This is always a great event. Michael and I will both be there along with WWA SM Purdum, EWA SM Whitney and who knows who else upstairs at the ARRL booth. DXCC card checking will also be available at the booth.

Other events from the FB N7CFO website are listed below. (thanks, Lynn, for keeping this up to date!)

Michael and I look forward to seeing you at one or more of these this year.

April 12. N7YRC Tailgate Party, Union Gap, WA. Yakima Valley Emergency Management, 2403 S. 18th St., Union Gap, WA. This is an ARRL Sanctioned Event. www.arrl.org/hamfests/n7yrc-tailgate-party-3 Map in PDF.

April 19. Kamiah Hamfest. [NOTE THE DATE CHANGE!] American Legion Hall 618 Main St. Kamiah, ID. www.3riversarc.club This is an ARRL Sanctioned Event.

April 26. Spokane Hamfest, ARRL Washington State Convention. Horizon Middle School, 3915 S. Pines Rd, Spokane Valley, WA 99206. This is an ARRL Sanctioned Event. Flyer in PDF. spokanehamfest.org

April 27. Comox Ham Swap Market. (Vancouver Island). Vendor Set up 8:30 (approx.), Public 9 am – 1 pm. Merville Hall (yellow building), 1245 Fenwick Rd at Hwy 19A. (just 15 min. North of Courtenay on the old highway), Merville BC. LOTS OF FREE PARKING. Seller tables $20 (6’ table), HELPER $5. CONTACT BRIAN, VE7RD, sells795@telus.net DOOR PRIZES! COFFEE & DONUTS ADMISSION JUST $5. Presented by the Comox Valley Amateur Radio Club

May 10. Stanwood Camano ARC 32nd Annual Electronic Flea Market and Hamfest. Stanwood, WA. This is an ARRL Sanctioned Event. scarcwa.org/ham_fest.shtm

May 30, 31 and June 1. SEA-PAC Hamfest and ARRL Northwestern Division Convention. Seaside Convention Center, Seaside, Oregon. This is an ARRL Sanctioned Event. info@seapac.org www.seapac.org November edition of SeaPac Waves.

June 6, 7, & 8. Wenatchee Apple City ARC Hamfest, Dryden, WA. This is an ARRL Sanctioned Event. www.applecityarc.com

June. Port Ludlow ARC Tail Gate Swapmeet. www.n7pl.org

July 18-20. Glacier Waterton Hamfest. East Glacier, Montana. www.gwhamfest.org

July 26. Chehalis Valley ARC Swapmeet. This is an ARRL Sanctioned Event. Flyer in PDF.

August 9. 2025, 0800 – 1300 hrs. ARRL Idaho State Convention sponsored by the Kootenai Amateur Radio Society. Location to be determined in Post Falls, ID.

August 15-18. Pacific Northwest DX Convention, Clackamas, OR. This is an ARRL Sanctioned Event. pacificnwdxconvention.com

August 17. Puget Sound Antique Radio Association Annual Swapmeet. psararadio.com

September. High Desert Amateur Radio Group 3rd Annual High Desert Ham Fest, Redmond, Oregon. www.hidarg.org . contact kf7max@arrl.net

October. Pacific Northwest VHF Society Conference. www.pnwvhfs.org

October Kitsap County ARC Hamfest. Bremerton, WA. kcarc.org/hamfest

October 18. Swaptoberfest. Rickreall, OR. www.swaptoberfest.com

If you don’t see your event and would like to have it listed, please contact N7CFO directly.

N7cfo@n7cfo.com

73..

Mark J. Tharp, KB7HDX

Northwestern Division Director

kb7hdx@gmail.com

Hello Northwestern Division and welcome to 2025.

Annual ARRL Board of Directors meeting:

Michael and I traveled to Connecticut and participated in committee meetings on Thursday along with the board meeting Friday and Saturday. It was a full three days and neither of us had travel issues for a change.

A notice to members went out summarizing actions taken. The Board will have a draft version of the minutes any day for review and approval and then will be available to members.

The A&F committee added an additional 200K to this year’s budget to continue our work in Washington DC for our efforts to bring relief to those amateur operators affected by CC&R where they live. The board feels confident this is the year it will pass through congress. A few changes were made to this process as we sunset the “Governmental Affairs Committee” and authorized the CEO to take a more active role working directly with West Gulf Director John Robert Stratton, N5AUS. Director Stratton has been the lead on this effort for several years. Watch for updates during the year as this progresses.

By-Law 18 was revised and incorporated several rules and procedures that were previously spread out between by-laws, general election rules, and items out of the Director Workbook into a single by-law. I did support this motion, although I also had reservations about a few parts of it. Overall, I believe it is a better by-law. I did receive input from a few members, mostly in support. We did have a, shall I say, healthy, discussion about it in CT.

2nd VP Ritz and myself introduced a motion to create a new board committee to continue the work done by the CSI working group. It is called “TSC” for Technical Standards Committee. VP Ritz will continue to serve on this new committee.

The PSC, (Programs and Services Committee) along with the folks in the Radiosport department at HQ are moving forward with a new DXCC award, the DXCC Trident. I originally proposed this award over a year ago and am glad to see it becoming a reality. It is an award like Worked all states Triple Play only specific to DXCC. If you currently hold DXCC on Phone, CW and Digital, you qualify! If you have a mode or two to go, get on the air. The intent of this new award is to encourage operation on all three modes. Many amateurs will earn DXCC mixed, or a single mode award and call it good. It will be a simple application and will not be tracked on LoTW. The DXCC awards desk will validate the applications and process the award. Details, (plaque or certificate design) and cost are yet to be determined.

BY-Law 46 and 42 revisions were put on hold until the July meeting. As with By-Law 18, I did receive comments from members, and again, they were more supportive than against. I supported the proposed change, and will have to wait and see what the new revisions look like in the upcoming months.

I encourage members to read the “white paper” on the ARRL website pertaining to these by-laws. www.arrl.org/by-laws-update

I am honored to have been nominated and again elected to the ARRL Foundation Board. We held our annual meeting this past week and are already working on new scholarships to go along with the many we already process. This year we will add 19 (yes nineteen) $3,000 awards from the Quarter Century Wireless Association, QCWA. The QCWA board has asked the foundation to take over administrating these. The TOR (terms of requirement) are not restrictive and open to any licensed amateur pursuing post-secondary education. More information will be available on the Foundation website as the details are finalized. www.arrl.org/scholarship-program

Club Updates:

The update page at ARRL.org was a bit off the last two months or so. It was accepting updates from club officers however after the nightly process the database goes through, it was reverting to a point in time when we had to chisel stone, or so it seemed. That is now corrected and working properly. I encourage all ARRL affiliated clubs to check even if it seems like you just updated your data. Why is this important you may ask, that data is available to new amateurs that look for a club in your area. It is disappointing to receive email or phone call from a prospective new club member that could not make contact due to outdated information. Club officers can review data at www.arrl.org/clubs/search and update your club info. Anyone can view the data, but only designated club officers can make changes. If your listed officer is no longer a member of your club, or not available to update, please let your Section Affiliated Club Coordinator or Section Manager know and they can help get your club updated.

Upcoming Hamfests and Conventions through April:

Check the always updated webpage of Assistant Director Burlingame at n7cfo.com

February 15 – Salem Hamfair www.w7sra.com
March 8th Mike and Key Swapmeet
April 12th N7YRC tailgate in Union Gap, WA
April 19th Kamiah Hamfest ID. www.3riversarc.club
April 26th Spokane Hamfest and Wa. St. Convention spokanehamfest.org
April 27th Comox Ham Swap Vancouver Island BC.

Mark J. Tharp, KB7HDX

And now some words of wisdom from Vice Director Sterba:

Hello Northwestern Division and Welcome to the New Year!

OK….. What Now?

We have a fresh year with new members joining the Board of Directors. Thee transitions play an important role in how the board remains a living entity as change can foster chaos and new beginnings at the same time. This also means that it is not the same board each time we meet. I know I am stating the obvious and yet it seems to disappear in dialog.

This was my first in person board meeting with a high investment of personal hours reviewing the inputs from the various directors and committees. I started by being present at the Emergency Communications and Field Services Committee (ECFSC) as a guest. While this is not a requirement, it does allow me to grow in understanding on the working efforts that our elected board leaders are focusing on. During the 2nd half of the day, I attended the Programs & Services Committee (PSC) where there was a lot of activity surrounding awards and grants. My biggest take away is reflecting on the dedication this team gave while going through all the applications. This is no small task and takes a substantial investment of personal sacrifice and time to accomplish. While attending the 2-day board meeting, I witnessed the interactions of our representatives dedicated to the continuous health and growth of the League and amateur radio. I do not think this gets shared often enough as we focus on the static of the moment.

The Directors openly shared their representational perspectives during interaction seeking out the best path forward across many difficult topics. Working forward to garner a majority consensus in this democratic process takes a large personal investment and is not for the faint-hearted. One of the qualities I saw exercised was emotional intelligence. This unmeasurable trait, normally overlooked, is necessary to democracy. As an enabler, this empowers your representatives to make thoughtful and informed decisions for the common good, not for personal or partisan interests. Witnessing this in action invigorates my personal investment as your Vice Director.

I had opened this writing with the question of “Now What?” I have mentioned back in early March that I am a servient leader with high level concern surrounding the health of the League and its members. My preference is to learn from the past and not linger there as life experience has taught me that I have no ability to change it. I see public attacks against people as weakness and would rather influence change to the policies as a sustaining solution regardless of who transitions into or out of leadership or office.

As Vice Director, I have a fiduciary responsibility to the ARRL. I serve as a conduit for your voices and take these forwards up the chain of command. The role is largely a position of influence and potential succession. I have accepted appointment to the Administration and Finance Committee and with board members transitioning, there may be opportunity for additional assignments and tasking. As a Vice Director I do not have a direct vote on the Board of Directors, but if the sitting Northwestern Division Director is detained, serve as backup.

Now to focus back to my opening question. Understanding your perspectives surrounding the current organizational health, I have solidified my focus on the following:

Member alignment around common values
Encouraging a sense of belonging and community
Discouraging information silos
Encouraging creative brainstorming and problem-solving
Improving on communication efficiency

I am leaving this purposely high level as not to exclude potential opportunities. All too often I have witnessed outstanding inputs not actioned due to incompleteness. Yet, when combined with other concepts, present a sustainable solution. My hope is that this helps set a foundation for all of us to build on. One community, one unified voice, your ARRL.

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

Northwestern Division Membership:

• 10,868 (Decrease from 10,904)
• 58 (New)
• 43 (Lapsed that re-joined)

National Membership:

• 137,114 (Decrease from 137,352)

License Counts:

• 72,129 (Division total)
• 312 (New)
• 0 (Upgrades) (HDX edit well, we had upgrades, but the system is not currently reporting them)
• 745,103 (National total)

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
kg7hq@arrl.org

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