I often do POTA activations with two friends: Paul, KW1L and Rick, K8BMA. We almost always operate CW. On a recent activiation, Paul asked if there was a way to do a joint activation like many phone operators do. If you hunt phone POTA activators, they often say something like, “Stand by for a second operator,” then the second operator gets on and makes their contact.

This afternoon, I was talking with a fellow who approached me about providing leadership training for ham radio club officers. Back in 2012, when I was the Michigan Section Affiliated Club Coordinator, I developed just such a course, based on my work as a facilitator for the Rotary Leadership Institute.

The topics I covered included

• Leadership Characteristics

• The World of Amateur Radio

• The Amateur Radio Club and its Activities

• Membership: Recruiting and Retention

• Leadership: Team Building

• Leadership: Setting Goals

• Evaluating Your Club

• Moving Forward

In case you haven’t heard by now, SteppIR, the manufacturer of very expensive HF antennas is getting out of the amateur radio business. Their announcement has caused a minor uproar in the amateur radio world, but personally, it’s not a big surprise to me. If MFJ couldn’t seem to find enough customers for their $300 – $500 Hy-Gain antennas, how many $5,000 antennas could SteppIR really sell?