Greetings to the Hams of Michigan                                April, 2014  

The hamfest season is beginning to ramp up here in Michigan. The “Cabin Fever” hamfests have already been held and we are now getting to the spring events. Dayton is just around the corner and before long the National Convention in Hartford, CT will be upon us. Be sure to attend as many of these great events as you can, especially the Michigan Swaps. The opportunity to see old friends and look for that treasure that you have been seeking make these excursions worthwhile and fun. And the number one reason for attending hamfests is to support the clubs that put forth the effort to host the events. Without hams attending their hamfests, they will die. Plain and simple. Please do your part (and have fun doing it!)  

PRB-1 Update  

On Tuesday, April 8, three members of our PRB-1 team (WA8QJE, KD8NKJ and WB8R) met in Senator Jones’ office in Lansing with representatives of the Michigan Municipal League and the Michigan Township Association to discuss our common goals. Thus far the results have been determined to be positive. Stay tuned for more information as it happens.  

Digital Presentation Team  

Our Digital Presentation Team has already been out on the road with more presentations scheduled for the coming weeks.   On April 3, WA8LMF and AC8JW presented a program in Big Rapids. AC8JW is scheduled for a program at the Branch County ARC in Coldwater on April 15. On May 3, KJ8O will be in Trenton for a workshop and on May 7, W8TFI will present a program for the L’Anse Creuse ARC in Harrison Twp.   The workshop in Trenton will be an excellent opportunity to learn about the digital sound card modes with an emphasis on the Fldigi suite of programs.

This will be an excellent opportunity for Emergency Coordinators and other interested hams in SE Michigan to learn about this important communication method. The workshop will be held at 9:00 AM on May 3 at the Trenton Faith United Methodist Church, 2530 Charlton Rd, Trenton, MI 48183. Attendees are encouraged to bring their computer and interface. WiFi will be available for downloading applications.  

Club meeting information is available on the ARRL website by doing a search for the club.   Feel free to contact one of the team members closest to you to discuss setting up a presentation for your group.  

The team members are:  

John Clements, KC9ON Gaylord, MI kc9on@arrl.net  

Stephen Smith, WA8LMF, Haslett, MI wa8lmf@aol.com  

Joe Miller, KJ8O, Troy, MI kj8o@arrl.net  

Brian Johnston, W8TFI, Warren, MI w8tfi@arrl.net  

John Mathieson, AC8JW, Kalamazoo, MI ac8jw@arrl.net  

Please understand that these gentlemen are volunteers who operate on their personal funds for travel. There is a chance that their availability may not mesh with your needs. Our team will do their best to provide your group with quality information on a reasonable schedule.  

ARRL Centennial QSO Party  

The ARRL Centennial QSO Party continues to be the highlight of 2014. Each week two new states are in the limelight and occasionally one of the US Territories is on the air as a bonus. A couple of weeks ago W1AW/KH2 Guam was on the air and readily accessible. This week it is W1AW/KP4 in Puerto Rico. Beginning April 16z, North Dakota will be on. There will be big pileups for sure, but what an opportunity to have a QSO with the hard to find states. You can even use a DX spotter network to find out exactly where they are without the endless knob turning that we had to do in the “olden days”!

There are tens of thousands of hams that are working toward an all W1AW Worked all States award and what great fun it is. See you on the bands!   Complete information concerning the ARRL Centennial Celebration is available on the ARRL website at www.arrl.org.  

Special Event Station  

Bangor, MI will host Special Event Station W8T celebrating Bangor Train Day on May 10, 2014 with a certificate available for a SASE.   Here are the details:  

Date: Saturday, May 10, 2014  

Time: 0900 to 1800 EDT  

Special Event Call: W8T  

Frequencies: 7230, 14240, 21330, 28330  

Mode: SSB only  

SASE for 8.5 x 11 Certificate to KI8Z (56500 48TH Ave, Lawrence, MI 49064)  

Special event stations are a hoot to work and the certificates make for great memories and war stories. Please take a few minutes to make a contact with the good folks in Bangor in May. 

Michigan Section Family Outing  

The 16th annual Michigan Section Family Outing will be held at the Woodlands Campground near Hale, MI on July 10 – 13. This annual event is an opportunity for us to get together in a very relaxed atmosphere for a day or two or three or four, depending on your interests and time available.  

If you are a camper or an RV’er or just like to get out into the woods, the Section Outing is for you! What could possibly be better than being up north in the summer at a beautiful campground with ham radio friends? Of course, the answer is that nothing is better than that. For those that like the comfort of a hotel room, those are available in West Branch just a short drive from the campground.  

There will plenty of fun events along with learning experiences for the whole family. More information can be found at www.sectionouting.info. Check that website often as more activities and details are added as we get closer to the event date.  

ARRL National Centennial Convention  

The 2014 ARRL National Convention will be held in Hartford, CT, the home of the ARRL on July 17 – 19, 2014. Tell your boss that you need that week off work and make your plans now! Hotels are taking reservations now and they will be going fast.   Complete information is available on the ARRL website.  

Michigan QSO Party  

The annual Michigan QSO Party is scheduled for April 19, 2014 and runs from noon to midnight local time. Clubs and individual hams alike, make your plans now to get on the air and enjoy this great event. Work as much or as little as you like, but get on the air! This is a great activity to use as a stepping stone to some of the bigger contests and will certainly whet your contest appetite. For more information, here is a link to the rules for the 2014 event: http://www.miqp.org/Rules.htm  

Hospitality Acknowledgements  

Crossroads Hamfest, Marshall, MI  

Milford Hamfest, Milford, MI  

It was a pleasure to attend your event.    

Section Staff Travel Plans  

May 3, 2014 Cadillac Hamfest, Cadillac, MI – WB8R  

Jun 1, 2014 Chelsea Swap, Chelsea, MI – WB8R  

Jun 7, 2014 IRA Swap, Hudsonville, MI – WB8TKL  

Jun 7, 2014 LARS Swap, Newberry, MI – WB8R  

Jun 15, 2014 Monroe Hamfest, Monroe, MI – WB8R  

Jun 21, 2014 W. MI Youth Club, Lowell, MI – WB8R  

Jul 10–13, 2014 MI Section Family Outing, Hale, MI – Section Staff  

Jul 17–19, 2014   ARRL National Convention, Hartford, CT – WB8R  

Jul 26, 2014 CMARC Outdoor Swap, Lansing, MI – WB8R  

Michigan Section Traffic/ARPSC Nets (All times Local)  

MACS - MI Amateur Communications System 3.952 1000 Daily  

UPN – Upper Peninsula Net 3.921 1700 Daily; Noon Sunday  

MIARPSC – MI Amateur Radio Public Service Corps 3.932 1700 Sunday

QMN – The Michigan Net 3.563 1830 and 2200 Daily  

MITN – MI Traffic Net 3.952 1900 Daily  

MIDTN – MI Digital Traffic Net 3.583 (Olivia 8/500) in waterfall 2000 Tues, Thurs, Sat  

GLETN – Great Lakes Emergency and Traffic Net 3.932 2000 Daily  

MVTN – MI VHF Traffic Net IRA Link System 2100 Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun

NLEUP - Northern Lower Eastern UP Net 146.64- 18:30 Daily  

SEMTN – SE MI Traffic Net 146.76- 2215 Daily  

TMMTN – Thumb Mid Michigan Traffic Net 147.30+ 2130 Mon – Sat  

More information is available at http://nts-mi.org/. Come join us on our traffic and public service nets.  

Amateur Radio Public Service Corps (ARPSC) Activities  

Station Activity Reports (SAR) for March, 2014: K8RDN 391, K8ED 378, K8LJG 280, WB8WKQ 258, KD8AAD 223, WB8TQZ 205, WB9JSR 193, KB8RCR 124, N8FVM 112, WB8RCR 70, KD8ULU 68, KC8BW 57, WD8USA 54, WB8H 18, N8OSL 17, WB8R 13, W8MSK 12, KD8LSM 10, KD8EBY 2.  

Total SAR reported: 2485  

Brass Pounder’s League (BPL) for March, 2014: K8LJG 280.  

Public Service Honor Roll (PSHR) for March, 2014: K8RDN 320, WB8RCR 275, N8OSL 232, WB8R 188, N8FVM 160, KD8EBY 145, WD8USA 130, WB9JSR 100, WB8WKQ 100, W8TBC 100, WB8TQZ 100, KB8RCR 100, KC8BW 90, K8ED 80, KD8AAD 58, WB8H 54, KD8ULU 50, KD8LSM 32.  

Net traffic for March, 2014:   Michigan Amateur Communications System 189, Michigan Traffic Net 176, The Michigan Net 169, Michigan Digital Traffic Net 88, Upper Peninsula Net 47, Great Lakes Emergency and Traffic Net 25, Southeastern Michigan Traffic Net 9, Michigan Amateur Radio Public Service Corps 6, District 3 ARPSC Net 4, Saginaw County ARES Net 3, District 3 Digital Training net 1, Red Cross Net of Greater Grand Rapids 1, Bay Area Regional Traffic System 1, District 5 Hospital Net 0, Branch County Emergency Net 0, Branch County Digital Net 0, Chelsea ARC Net 0.  

Total net traffic reported: 719  

Total value of ARES activity for March, 2014: $45,992  

Total value of NTS activity for March, 2014: $42,819  

Total value of MI Public Service for March, 2014: $88,811  

Parting Comments  

If you are reporting monthly to our SEC/STM WB8RCR, you can see your PSHR eligibility status at http://www.nts-mi.org/. The full details are at: http://www.arrl.org/public-service-honor-roll. This award recognizes the efforts of hams that are active in public service. Those reporting accumulate points for checking into nets, volunteering, holding Section appointment(s) and handling message traffic.  

EC’s can see their reports of Form FSD-212 here: http://ares-mi.org/ec_his.php If you send your report to WB8RCR and don’t see it noted there, send a note to John to tell him your report has gone missing.   

EC’s: Be sure to share your FSD 212 with your District EC, your ARES/RACES members and with your county’s Emergency Manager and others in your jurisdiction who need to know what you and your ARES/RACES group are contributing to your community each month.  

Thank you for all of your efforts on behalf of the people of the State of Michigan and for filing your monthly reports. It really shows how active Michigan is in holding a leadership position for ham radio public service activities.  

73 until next month,  

Larry, WB8R