January 2016
Vol 14 # 1
In this issue:
National Parks on the Air Kickoff
Boston Marathon Seeks Ham Radio Volunteers
Emergency Communications via Ham Radio Satellite?
National Parks on the Air Kickoff
At 0000 UTC Friday, January 1, ARRL’s National Parks on the Air event, to help the National Park Service celebrate their Centennial, kicked off in fine fashion. This weekend saw nearly 100 qualified National Park units be activated for the first time; that’s just under 20 percent of all qualified NPOTA units in the first three days. Activity will only increase as the weather gets warmer.
The response from eligible parks in the National Park Service has been very positive. Hams have received an official welcome from Mark Weaver, superintendent of the North Country National Scenic Trail, and Bruce Matthews, Executive Director of the North Country Trail Association; they are thrilled we are helping put them on the map during the NPS Centennial:
“From the North Country National Scenic Trail to our ARRL friends, Welcome! We are happy to connect you with our local chapter members that can assist with identifying particularly scenic spots to transmit from or to help with any necessary logistics. We are here for you!”
The event has received some very good coverage right off the bat. Author and host of NBC-TV’s “PCMike” segment Mike Wendland, K8ZRH, wrote a great article covering his weekend activation of Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan for his RV website Roadtreking.com. Local coverage of the Keweenaw National Historical Park in Michigan got some local coverage in the Mining Gazette as well.
National Parks on the Air will provide an chance for clubs to raise visibility to visitors of National Park units. There were over 300 million visitors to NPS units in 2015; with the NPS Centennial going on this year, park attendance records will certainly be broken. Be sure to take advantage of NPOTA opportunities to promote Amateur Radio in your area, and to help promote the NPS Centennial.
Boston Marathon Seeks Ham Radio Volunteers
2016 will be the 120th running of the Boston Marathon, held April 18. The BAA’s Communications Committee is seeking Amateur Radio volunteers to assist with communications all along the marathon route. We are all keenly aware of the importance of having reliable communications, thanks to the 2013 bombing near the finish line. If you want to put your communications skills to work, contact Mark Richards, K1MGY, for more information.
Disaster Communications via Ham Radio Satellite?
Could Amateur Radio deployments during disasters involve communicating via a geosynchronous satellite? It just might happen in the near future, thanks to the efforts of Virginia Tech researcher Bob McGwier, N4HY.
Please join me in welcoming these new PIOs and PICs into the fold:
PIOs:
Indiana: David Menges, WB9TEN
North Carolina: John Griffith, N4JPG
West Central Florida: Kenneth J. Treffinger, K4RSQ
PICs:
Tennessee: Cathy Goodrich, KK4IWN
What are the credentials of a good PIO? Take a look at the Top 25 PIOs listed on LinkedIn and review their skill sets.
You never know when an interview opportunity will pop up.
After 18 months of work, the start of National Parks on the Air. Becky W1BXY and I made the most of January 1 by activating Weir Farm National Historic Site in Connecticut, the only NPS unit devoted to painting. We set up in the parking lot and made about 200 QSOs; it was a lot of fun.
I was standing outside the car holding my handheld Arrow dual-band potable VHF/UHF yagi, getting ready for an FM satellite pass. A couple approached from one of the hiking trails en route to their car, and inquired about the antenna. When I told them about ham radio and NPOTA, their eyes lit up. They were volunteers at Weir Farm, and one of them was a reporter for one of the local online news sites. She hastily grabbed her notebook from her car and asked about NPOTA and how hams were helping the National Park Service celebrate their Centennial. Being prepared for such an occurrence, I had an information packet in my car with various promotional pamphlets and my business card at the ready.
If you do a lot of portable operating, it’s a good idea to keep information packets at the ready. “Hey, what’s the antenna for?” can quickly turn into “tell me more!”
Happy New Year. Thanks for all you do.
Sean Kutzko, KX9X
ARRL Media & Public Relations Manager
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