Hello to everyone,  

I hope everyone is feeling well or at least better. I have talked to many over the past couple of months that have had some sort of illness including the bad strain of flu. The latter also visited with me for about two weeks beginning just before New Year’s Day. Many who have had to deal with it have told me how horrible they felt and I could only agree. However, both they and I now feel much better and are greeting this Centennial Celebration year head on. I hope you are making plans in your local clubs to celebrate as well.   

The Tennessee Contest Group www.k4tcg.org is helping the section and the ARRL put on two operating periods this year. Please visit their website listed above or ARRL.org and click on ARRL Centennial for times and the year long contest rules for more detailed information. Tennessee’s first operating period will begin March 19, 2014.  

Currently we have 44 Clubs listed in the Section that are called affiliated clubs. However, many have not had their contact and officer information updated. Some have not been done in several years. We were recently contacted by ARRL to ask that your information be updated or unfortunately, your club may be moved to an inactive group. Please help us by updating your information. If you need help, you can contact me directly. My contact information is listed on our Section Web Page – www.tnarrl.org – on the ARRL TN section page and in QST. I am also enlisting the help or our regional assistant section managers to help as well.  

On that same subject of updating information, many of the section members may need to go to your ARRL member page to be sure your personal contact information is current as well, such as a new phone number, email address or even a new physical address because of a necessary move. We do want to be able to insure you receive information as soon as it becomes available.  

On another front, there is now a new DXCC Card Checker in Middle Tennessee. He is KJ4KVC Chuck Talley. Chuck is a very active DX operator and we are excited to have him in the Middle Tennessee region. Chuck also travels with me to Hamfests across the section. If the Hamfest committees would like to contact him to verify if he would be willing to check cards, I am sure Chuck will be happy to work with them. His contact information is good on the ARRL seb site.

New yesterday afternoon on the ARRL website front page is a notice that Guantanamo Bay Cuba will be on the air beginning February 26 through March 4, 2014. For those who have never heard that entity on before, here is your chance. It will be operating using the Centennial Contest Rules and modes listed on the ARRL Centennial QSO Party information page.  

I hope everyone has a great time this year with the Centennial Celebration.