OPINION : ARRL 2018 Annual Report→

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OPINION : ARRL 2018 Annual Report

The ARRL’s 2018 annual report has recently been published, and, of course, I have a few comments on it:

In his message from the president, Rick Roderick, K5UR, describes what he calls a “new generation” of hams and contrasts them to “classic hams.” I don’t think in those terms, and I think it’s a mistake to do so. Plenty of “veteran hams” are using amateur radio to “aid their communities, and for enhancing the fun they’re already having while camping, hiking, or doing other outdoor activities.”

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OPERATING : My First Foray into APRS→

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OPERATING : My First Foray into APRS

One of the cool features of the DMR-6X2 is the built-in GPS receiver. When enabled, it gives you your latitude and longitude, height above sea level, date, and time of day. And, if you’re moving, it will even tell you how fast you’re walking or driving.

The user’s manual does a good job of showing you how to set it up to begin receiving GPS signals. It’s quite easy to do using the menu system or with the programming software. Once enabled, it takes a minute or two to find the GPS satellites and show you the information.

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OPINION : Rethinking Amateur Radio Clubs→

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OPINION : Rethinking Amateur Radio Clubs

The June 2019 issue of RadCom, the Radio Society of Great Britain’s equivalent to QST, contains the article, Building a strong local club structure, by Richard Thomas, G4JJP. In the article, G4JJP proposes changes to the way we organize amateur radio clubs.

Citing the dwindling membership of most local clubs, one of the proposals he makes is that instead of many small clubs, he proposes that we form more regional associations and that this regional association would exist primarily online, except for perhaps a club station. Organizing in this way would reduce the overhead costs of running a traditional club.

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