Good Evening Net from India

A group of Indian Amateur / Ham Radio Operators have started the 'Good Evening Net' on 14250 khz, operating between 1500 UTC (2030 IST) to 1530 UTC (2100 IST).

The net is controlled from four corners of India so as to cover the whole country.

The net controllers are using 200 watts of power and yagi antennas and hence good many DX stations are reporting to the net also.

New North Texas Section Manager

Nancy McCain, K5NLM, of Fort Worth, has taken over the position, succeeding incumbent SM Chris Brewer, N5GMJ, who resigned due to increased work and family commitments.

north_texas_section-Manager_Nancy_mccain_arrl

ARRL Field Services and Radiosport Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, made the appointment in consultation with Brewer, who recommended McCain for the post, and ARRL West Gulf Division Director Dr David Woolweaver, K5RAV. Brewer, of Saginaw, has served as the North Texas Section Manager since April 30, 2013.

McCain, who is presently a North Texas Assistant Section Manager, has been active in ARES, RACES, and in Army and Navy MARS. She is a retired emergency management specialist. 

Nancy will complete the current term of office as North Texas Section Manager, which runs until March 31, 2017.

New Award Scheme for Portable Operators

The Amateur Radio Portable Operators Club (ARPOC) have unveiled a new award scheme encouraging operators to get out and about.

We hope that the award scheme encourages operators to get out in the fresh air with their radio equipment and enjoy the benefits that portable operating can bring as well as help with promoting the hobby to the public.
— Matthew Payne, M0LMK, ARPOC

Any licensed operator can take part in the award scheme and individuals can apply for and claim their personalised award certificates online. Downloadable certificates cost £2.00 each or are free for full members of ARPOC which costs just £5 a year. Funds raised from the award scheme go towards ensuring the scheme can be continued for many years to come.

There are a number of different award certificates that can be gained each with their own challenges. These include awards such as:

  • Life’s A Beach
  • Portable Professional
  • Lighthouse Lurker
  • Operating Within Tent

While many licence holders have shacks at home and associated QRM issues, ARPOC want to encourage members to get out and about and experience the joys of operating a portable station away from the noise.

Amateur Radio Portable Operators Club ARPOC

The names of the awards themselves hint towards what situations and locations the members will experience when they work towards these certificates. For instance, a few trips to the seaside will be needed for the Life’s A Beach award, while members will have to travel to five other countries if they opt to work towards their European Sun Seeker award. This award tasks members with operating a station from two different beaches that are in no less than five different European countries. Operators will also need to complete a standard exchange with at least one station at each location.

Once members have successfully completed their tasks, they can apply for the awards they have worked towards. All of these new ARPOC awards are available to download. That means these prized certificates can be downloaded and printed off quickly and easily, ensuring members are able to enjoy them almost immediately.

ARPOC - http://www.arpoc.org