HamCom at Plano Centre opens its doors Friday, June 7th at 8:00 AM and begins its 35th Anniversary celebration.  The festivities continue until 6:00 PM on Saturday.  As usual many great forums have been scheduled, but please be certain to attend the ARRL Forum at 11:00 AM Saturday in the Sonny Slope rooms.

Director Woolweaver will be presenting the 1st Annual West Gulf Division Awards to the winners of this year’s Ham of the Year, Young Ham of the Year and Excellence Awards.   Also, back by popular demand, the ARRL First Vice President Rick Roderick, K5UR will be speaking at the ARRL Forum on Saturday.   Rick has been licensed for 45 years, is an avid DX’er, and has been involved on the ARRL Board of Directors for 20+ years.    He has also served on CQ Magazine’s DX Advisory Committee for 40 years.  A dynamic speaker, Rick is always a crowd pleaser and speaking about Amateur Radio – The Greatest Hobby in the World, Part 2.”  Be sure to plan on attending the ARRL Forum.

New to HamCom 2013 is the DFW Contest Forum to be held on Friday.  The DFW Contest Forum kicks off at 12:00 noon with a light luncheon ($20) and special guest speaker Doug Grant, K1DG, followed by four hours of presentations on contesting.  Presentations during the Contest Forum will cover topics from the beginner to advanced contest topics.  To learn more about Doug, visit the DFW Contest website.  Seating is limited so check at registration to see if tickets are still available for this event.  Even if you can’t make the lunch, the other four hours are expected to offer a wealth of information and education.

Check at registration for the availability of W5DXCC Dinner tickets ($40) Friday, June 7th.  Lone Star DX is proud to present its keynote presenter, Gene Spinelli, K5GS who was part of the 2012 ZL9HR DXpedition to Campbell Island.   Come sit, relax, eat, ragchew, and listen to a great presentation. Every year the Lone Star DX Association dinner is one of the best events of Ham-Com and this year’s dinner looks to be extra special.  LSDX is featuring a generously donated Yaesu FT2000 transceiver as its door prize!!

HamCom has arranged for some awesome Grand Prizes to be given away each day.  Friday’s Door Prize is a Flex 3000 and Saturday’s is an ICOM IC-7600!

The West Gulf Division hopes that you will join us in celebrating HamCom’s 35th Anniversary!

]]> http://arrlwgd.org/2013/06/06/hamcom-2013-2/feed/ 0 http://arrlwgd.org/2013/06/06/arrl-field-day-june-22-23-2013/ http://arrlwgd.org/2013/06/06/arrl-field-day-june-22-23-2013/#comments Thu, 06 Jun 2013 15:46:19 +0000 kk5sar http://arrlwgd.org/?p=1143 Continue reading →]]> ARRL Field Day is the single most popular on-the-air event held annually in the US and Canada. On the fourth weekend of June of each year, more than 35,000 radio amateurs gather with their clubs, groups or simply with friends to operate from remote locations.  Field Day is a picnic, a campout, and practice for emergencies, an informal contest, and most of all, FUN!

It is a time where many aspects of Amateur Radio come together to highlight our many roles. While some will treat it as a contest, other groups use the opportunity to practice their emergency response capabilities. It is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate Amateur Radio to the organizations that Amateur Radio might serve in an emergency, as well as, the general public. For many clubs, ARRL Field Day is one of the highlights of their annual calendar.

The Field Day objective is to work as many stations as possible on any and all amateur bands (excluding the 60, 30, 17, and 12-meter bands). Field Day is open to all amateurs in the areas covered by the ARRL/RAC Field Organizations and countries within IARU Region 2. DX stations residing in other regions may be contacted for credit, but are not eligible to submit entries.

The contest part is simply to contact as many other stations as possible and to learn to operate our radio gear in abnormal situations and less than optimal conditions.   We use these same skills when we help with events such as marathons and bike-a-thons; fund-raisers, such as walk-a-thons; celebrations, such as parades; and exhibits at fairs, malls and museums – these are all large, preplanned, non-emergency activities.

For more information visit http://www.arrl.org/field-day.

Director Woolweaver will be visiting multiple Field Day sites in North Texas.  Vice Director Stratton will be visiting multiple sites in Central Texas and in the Houston area. The rest of the West Gulf Leadership will be scattered around the Division at various Sections and visiting as many locations as they possibly can. We will look forward to seeing everyone at your local Field Day event!

Chris has been an amateur radio operator for 30 years.  He has been a net control for Tarrant County RACES since March 2011.  He also held the position of President of the Tri-County Amateur Radio Club from August 2004 through August 2007.  Additionally, Chris is on the Board of Directors for the Kilocycle Club of Fort Worth and is an active member of the Texas Interconnect Team.  Chris has operated in just about every mode that is available to us.  But his specific interests are digital modes: specifically APRS and D-Star on VHF/UHF and PSK and RTTY on HF. However, he also likes to jump into a good rag chew QSO on HF at times as well.   Chris was asked to be the Official Observer Coordinator in January 2013, having served as an Official Observer since 2009.  Chris will complete the current term of office as North Texas Section Manager that continues through March 31, 2015.

Walt continues his service to the ARRL as an Assistant Director for the WGD, and he wishes to congratulate Chris on his appointment.

Kutzko explained that getting on the VHF bands can be quite simple, since many HF transceivers come equipped with at least 6 meters, and possibly other VHF/UHF bands. This year, the June VHF Contest has two new entry classes: Single Operator/FM Only and Single Operator/3-Band. “SOFM” allows 100 W on 6 meters through 70 centimeters using only FM, while “SO3B” allows 100 W on 6 and 2 meters, and 50 W on 70 centimeters on any mode. Operations for both the new categories must be conducted from a single fixed location.

You can find plans for simple VHF antennas at the Technical Information Service area of the ARRL website, as well as in the “Antennas” chapter of the ARRL Handbook or in the “VHF and UHF Antenna Systems” chapter of the ARRL Antenna Book. Because VHF antennas are generally smaller than their HF counterparts, Kutzko said that portable operation is simple: “You can operate from your favorite hilltop, campsite or any location with high terrain and make many QSOs. All you need to know is the Maidenhead grid square of your operating location, which is the contest exchange. Some grids can be quite rare; if they’re not too far from you, you might want to consider a portable operation to a rare square for a chance to be sought-after DX.”

“The weekend promises to be a tremendous amount of fun on the VHF and UHF bands. Don’t miss out! All amateurs — from Technicians to Extras, experienced VHF operators to the first-time VHF dabblers — can join in the excitement,” Kutzko said. The ARRL June VHF Contest runs from 1800 UTC Saturday, June 8 through 0259 UTC Monday, June 10 (Saturday afternoon to Sunday evening for most of the US and Canada). Complete rules and entry forms may be found here. All logs must be e-mailed or postmarked no later than 0300 UTC Wednesday, July 10. Questions can be sent via e-mail to the Contest Branch.

Not only is equipment protection coverage through Hays Affinity Group slightly less expensive than it was with Marsh, it’s easier to enroll in the plans. You can sign up online and even schedule your equipment online, too. With Hays Affinity Group, you can have all your radio equipment covered, even the computers, hard drives and printers in your shack. You can also elect to have coverage for your towers and antennas, up to $15,000 of replacement cost. All losses are settled on the replacement cost value you have stated for your equipment. In addition, any newly acquired equipment during the policy term, up to a value of $2000, will be covered, and once scheduled, until your next policy renewal without any additional premium. All this and more – with only a $50 deductible ($25 for repair claims).

Hays will also provide club liability insurance to ARRL Affiliated Clubs for those clubs that wish to take advantage of that program.  This comprehensive general liability policy provides coverage for lawsuits resulting from bodily injury and property damage at ARRL Affiliated Club-sponsored activities. This includes concession stands, dances, banquets, parties, auctions, raffles, picnics and meetings, to name just a few. Coverage would also apply for official Club participation, for instance, participating in a community-sponsored event. In addition to the policy limits described below, this plan also pays the court and legal costs of defense for covered claims.  The club plan reimburses expenses for first aid to others at the time of an accident and an owner of a premises used or rented by the Club can also be named as an additional insured.  To learn more about Affiliated Club benefits visit http://www.arrl.org/affiliated-club-benefits.

In May 1914, Hiram Percy Maxim, W1AW — a leading inventor and industrialist in Hartford, Connecticut — founded the American Radio Relay League, together with Clarence Tuska, 1WD, the secretary of The Radio Club of Hartford. Today, the ARRL serves more than 158,000 members, mostly licensed radio amateurs, in the US and around the world.

The decision to hold the ARRL Centennial Convention in Hartford was made by the ARRL Board of Directors at its July 2012 meeting. The organization’s headquarters has been maintained in the Hartford area since its founding. ARRL’s present headquarters is located on Main Street in Newington, Connecticut, a suburb of Hartford, and is visited by nearly 2000 groups and individuals each year. The site has been home to The Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station, W1AW, since 1938.

As a member of the Centennial Planning Committee, Director Woolweaver notes that many activities are being planned for this once in a lifetime event which will have all of the trademark elements of a proper convention including presentations, forums, exhibits, vendors, demonstrations, flea market, activities for youth and a banquet.  In addition, there will be some very special centennial-themed activities, including tours of ARRL Headquarters and W1AW, guest presenters, some surprises and lots of celebrating.

The area boasts dozens of attractions and activities making Connecticut a great destination for members who plan to attend the convention with their family and friends. Nearby attractions include the Connecticut Science Center, the Mark Twain House, the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center the Wadsworth Atheneum and Six Flags New England. Hartford is served by an international airport (Hartford/Springfield BDL), and is conveniently located between Boston and New York City. Hartford’s centrally located Union Station is serviced by Amtrak and major bus companies.

Look for more details to come in future Division newsletters!

We attempt to publish the West Gulf newsletter is every month and also use its content to supplement the Division website and we would be happy to consider your contributions.  Please email Director Woolweaver at K5RAV@arrl.org with your submissions.

A certificate suitable for framing is available to confirm that you have worked all the parks, natural areas, and historic sites on the list. To qualify for the certificate, send QSL cards to verify your contacts with all 99 parks since January 1, 2013.

For more information on both the contest and the certificate, see the Texas State Parks On The Air website.  http://www.tspota.com

(Contributed by the Northwest ARC/STX Ares)

HB2524 is the third piece of WGD legislation to get play at the Texas legislature.  Last session, the Solar Panel bill and the Flag Pole bill were passed and signed into law.

The Oklahoma SGL, Eddie Manley K5EMS, and Oklahoma SM, Kevin O’Dell N0IRW, have supervised the successful advancement of Oklahoma HB1921 from the House to the Oklahoma Senate.  Oklahoma HB1921, an “Enhanced” PRB-1 bill, is sponsored by Dale Dewitt-R and Ben Sherrer-D.  Passage looks good according to Eddie.  Kevin states, “…our legislation changing the wording in our state PRB-1 law has passed the House floor vote unanimously”.  When passed, HB1921, will greatly benefit the amateurs in the Sooner State.

KF5RRH has been involved with amateur radio since his sophomore year at Lawton High School, Lawton, OK, working with school club amateur radio station W5LHS.  Trevor became committed to amateur radio while a guest operator aboard the USS Batfish WW2SUB, Muskogee, OK, during the 2012 Museum Ships Weekend.   With a challenge from the WW2SUB trustee Wade Harris KF5IF, Trevor started studying and passed his Technician license in August, 2012.

Trevor has participated in several amateur radio outreach events in the Lawton area.  Trevor is forever introducing amateur radio to other students and is proving to be an excellent on the air coach.  In addition to amateur radio, Trevor is a member of the Academic Decathlon Team, Key Club (community service organization) and plays the violin in the school orchestra.

(Contributed by Paul Goulet, KC5CYY)