.
February 2009
Hudson Division Beacon - e-mail edition - #
93
FROM THE HUDSON DIVISION ARRL TEAM
Frank Fallon, N2FF, Director, Hudson Division, ARRL
30 East Williston Avenue, East Williston, NY 11596
(516) 746-7652
n2ff@arrl.org
Joyce Birmingham, KA2ANF, Vice Director, Hudson Division, ARRL
235 Van Emburgh Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450-2918
(201) 445-5924 ka2anf@arrl.org
and http://www.ka2anf.com
Hudson Division Home Page - http://www.hudson.arrl.org
ARRL Members
Please continue to spread the word to others that may wish to receive
this information that they will need to access the ARRL member's only
web site. After becoming a member they must edit their profile and
elect to receive bulletins from the Section Manager and Director. If
you are already a member on the ARRL site (http://www.arrl.org)
from
the "Members Only" box click on "members data page" and then
under
email notification options set "Division/Section notices" to YES.
You
will receive the next bulletin sent.
Past Bulletins are available at http://www.hudson.arrl.org
The Hudson Division Cabinet/Club Presidents meeting took place on
Saturday, February 7, 2009. We had a great meeting, viewed a few power
points and heard from many of our concerned club leaders.
Information on the meeting is available as a Podcast of the Hudson
Division Cabinet Meeting in MP3 Format, suitable for playing on any MP3
capable device. The Podcast and more information is available on the
Hudson Division Website: http://www.hudson.arrl.org/pages/podcast.htm
I sincerely hope that you will take advantage of this new technology
and listen to the Podcast. (I play them from my Palm and also from my
computer during work!)
Please let us know how you enjoy the Podcast!
73,
Joyce Birmingham, KA2ANF
ARRL Vice Director - Hudson Division
http://www.hudson.arrl.org
www.ka2anf.com
ka2anf@arrl.org
*** The new ARRL Triple Play WAS Award started January 1. See
http://www.arrl.org/awards/#tripleplay
for details. There are now more than 186 who have received the Award.
NJDXA has five members who have received the award. See
http://njdxa.org/njdxa-members/njdxa-member-news.php
===> ARRL Executive Committee Issues Mobile Amateur Radio Operation
Policy Statement (Feb 3, 2009) -- On January 30, at the instruction of
the Board of Directors at the January 2009 meeting, the ARRL Executive
Committee adopted a policy statement on mobile Amateur Radio
operations. The statement addresses the growing number of proposed
state and local laws and ordinances regulating the use of cellular
telephone and text messaging, inadvertently affecting Amateur Radio
mobile communications. See
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/02/03/10609/?nc=1
for the full story and a copy of the statement.
===> Save the Date: ARRL National Convention to be Held at 2009 Dayton
Hamvention(r) (Feb 6, 2009) -- The ARRL National Convention will be
held at the Dayton Hamvention(r) May 15-17 at Hara Arena. According to
ARRL Sales and Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, the ARRL
National Convention will be filled with activities and exhibits. "Our
host organization, the Dayton Amateur Radio Association, has three big
days planned, chock-full of every bit of Amateur Radio you can think
of," Inderbitzen said. "ARRL volunteers from across its 15 National
Divisions will be present, alongside thousands of out-of-towners who
will make Dayton their home-away-from-home during the event. The
centerpiece of ARRL's convention planning is ARRL EXPO -- a huge
showcase of ARRL program representatives and activities. Many new
exhibits are being planned, with special focus on operating and
project-building." A preview of what is planned for ARRL EXPO can be
found at the ARRL EXPO Web site.
For full story see
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/02/06/10618/?nc=1
===> Train the Trainers Course Debuts at Orlando HamCation (Feb 26,
2009) -- The inaugural Train the Trainers course -- supported by a
grant from the ARRL Foundation -- made its first appearance on February
13-14 at HamCation in Orlando, Florida. Led by ARRL Education and
Technology Program Coordinator Mark Spencer, WA8SME, 12 participants --
primarily from the ARRL Southeastern Division -- completed the course.
HamCation is the ARRL Southeastern Division's convention. See
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/02/26/10675/?nc=1
===> ARRL Sweepstakes and RTTY Roundup Set New Records (Feb 26, 2009)
-- The lack of good HF propagation didn't seem to affect participation
in the 2008 Sweepstakes or the 2009 RTTY Roundup contests. According to
ARRL Contest Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, both contests were
record-breaking events. "We have received 3298 logs for the November
SSB and CW Sweeps combined in 2008," Kutzko said. "That is -- at bare
minimum -- a 5 year high. The 2009 RTTY Roundup in January saw 1564
entries, also a 5 year high." Kutzko said he attributes some of the
increase to the hoopla surrounding the 75th running of Sweepstakes:
"The excitement over the new Triple Play Award was likely a large
factor in the RTTY Roundup increase. Interest in contesting in general
is on the rise."
===> FCC LICENSE ACTIVITY ON THE RISE - Ham RADIO alive and well in
2009
According to ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, there continues to be
a heightened interest in Amateur Radio following the FCC's elimination
of the Morse code exam requirement in February 2007: "The number of new
license applicants remains strong under the new Amateur Radio Service
rules. The following table chronicles all 14
FCC authorized VEC organizations' new license activity over the last
few years." In 2008, the total number of US amateurs rose 1.2 percent,
from 655,800 in 2007, to 663,500 in 2008:
-----------------------------------
New Amateur Totals 2006 through November 2008
-----------------------------------
Month 2006 2007 2008
-----------------------------------
Jan 1274 1647 1755
Feb 1605 2435 2998
Mar 2531 3478 2816
Apr 1728 2673 3090
May 2283 2607 2562
Jun 1967 2281 2402
Jul 1401 1786 2077
Aug 1623 2183 2084
Sep 1357 1462 1763
Oct 1781 2109 2303
Nov 1993 2132 2197
Dec 1569 1935 2019
-----------------------------------
Totals: 21,112 26,728 28,066
-----------------------------------
Somma said that the number of General and Extra class upgrades is also
on the rise. "When looking at 2006 totals," she said, "we see
that
upgrade applications for 2007 were up 286 percent; in 2008, they were
up 146 percent over 2006. Requests for new club licenses also January
2009 remain strong. In 2008, we had 671 applications for club licenses
come in, while in 2007, there were 506 applications. That's an number
of amateurs who want to be volunteer examiners and who want to teach
Amateur Radio classes is also going up. "Here at the ARRL VEC, we've
seen a spike in the number of applications from General and Extra class
radio amateurs who want to give back to their community by serving as
examiners and instructors," she said. Somma further broke down the
numbers to show the approximate number of licensees per FCC license
class:
Novice: 18,500
Technician: 322,500
General: 145,000
Advanced: 62,000
Extra: 115,500
Total US Amateurs: 663,500
"I can think back to the mid 1980s when there were approximately
450,000 US Amateurs," Somma recalled. "These are the highest numbers
of
General and Extra class licensees I have ever seen." As of April 15,
2000, the FCC no longer issues Novice or Advanced class licenses. "As
expected, the number of Novice and Advanced class licensees has
decreased," she said. "As I look toward 2009, I see Amateur Radio
growing in a positive direction." -- Some information provided by Joe
Speroni, AH0A
===> ENOUGH!!! I wrote to everyone about how WRONG this is last
August:
Mel, KS2G, was reacting to a message sent by Jim Talens in early
February called, "You Better Watch Out; You Better Not Cry . . .Hams
see #16 ......."
24 THINGS ABOUT TO BECOME EXTINCT IN AMERICA
# 16. Ham Radio Amateur radio operators enjoy
personal (and often
worldwide) wireless communications with each other and are able to
support their communities with emergency and disaster communications if
necessary, while increasing their personal knowledge of electronics and
radio theory. However, proliferation of the Internet and its popularity
among youth has caused the decline of amateur radio. In the past five
years alone, the number of people
holding active ham radio licenses has dropped by 50,000, even though
Morse Code is no longer a requirement.
This list, has been floating around for several months, with Item #16
generating lots of chatter on various ham radio sites.
It is neither accurate nor true.
If you take a look at licensing stats for the past ten years
(http://www.dxzone.com/cgi-bin/dir/jump2.cgi?ID=13872)
through July,
2008 you'll see that:
1) The number of licensees peaked at 687,860 in April, 2003 and the
current number of licensees is 659,966 -- a drop in the past five years
of 27,000 (not 50,000), or just 4 percent.
2) The lowest point of licensees in the past ten years was 654,695 in
June, 2007 and since then, in the past year, the number has increased
by 5,271 -- a "recovery" of nearly one-fifth of those
"lost" since
2003.
Meanwhile, according to stats posted at:
http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php?t=157889,
the number of licensees
in what many regard as the "Golden Age" of hamming, the number of
licensees in 1960 was only around 230,000.
So if even only HALF of the number of current license holders are
active, that's 30% MORE than the TOTAL number of license holders
(including those who weren't active) 40 years ago.
Doesn't sound like we're Going Extinct to me!
(And BTW, HF contest log submissions are at an all time high -- at the
BOTTOM of a sunspot cycle!)
73, Mel - KS2G ks2g@arrl.net
===> For those of you who are looking for something different on Sunday
evenings, there is a Kids Net on the W2LI 2 Meter Repeater -14.255, in
Murray Hill, New Jersey. This net is run by KC2ONP - Nick Esposito of
the New Providence Amateur Radio Club. Kids are encouraged to check in
each Sunday evening. It's a great opportunity for kids to talk with
other kids and share what they have done during the week, school
activities that they are involved in, and Amateur Radio activities that
they do. Tonight's net (2/22/09), there were 6 kids checking in.
At the conclusion of the net, Nick asked for check-ins and there were 3
or 4 adults checking in to show their support of the net. Thanks Nick,
for helping get more youth on the air! - de Joyce KA2ANF
===> Technician Class in Fanwood, New Jersey
A One Day Technician License Class will be offered on March 15, 2009
from 8:00am to 4:00pm in Fanwood, New Jersey. There will be a VE
Session immediately after the class. To register or to receive more
information about this class, please email: Kymm KY2MMM at
ky2mmm@arrl.net or call:
908-241-5758.
===> New Jersey Traffic Handlers Make Awards (reprinted
from the
Winter 2009 issue of "New Jersey Traffic Bulletin"
N2XJ Memorial "Captain's Award" for Lifetime Achievement - to AG2R
This year a new award was introduced honoring the memory and service of
Carl A Felt Jr, N2XJ Carl's influence and style was the prototype for
many of the great traffic handlers that have followed in his footsteps
in New Jersey. This award, also known as the "Captain's Award,"
recognizes a lifetime achievement in the New Jersey traffic handling
community.
Our first lifetime achiever is Gene Filipponi, AG2R. In nominating
Gene, Wayne KC2ANN cites Gene's many years of service to the NJ NTS
community, his leadership in motivating newcomers plus his sense of
duty and style of humor. "To me AG2R is the "engine" that runs
NTS." We
heart fully concur and especially note Gene's relentless pursuit of
perfection in the traffic handling art via CW and his many years as
Manager for multiple sessions of NJN. Well done and well deserved,
Gene.
W2SWE Memorial Award for Outstanding Service to NJ Traffic Handling -
to N2GS
The W2SWE memorial award has been shared amongst many of the veteran
traffic handlers in the state since its inception in 1979. This year's
winner was clear, and it is acknowledgeable that although he has only
been active in NTS for two years, that participation in NTS as well as
MARS has been exuberant. Last year he was awarded the K2SE VHF traffic
handlers award.
For 2008, the W2SWE award goes to Greg Szpunar, N2GS. As Arnold, N1JX
commented, "Greg has been very active on the NJVN/E and UCTN nets,
checks into NJPN, and was appointed as one of the Digital Relay
Stations for New Jersey. He is also an NCS for NJVN/E and does not
hesitate to take traffic for delivery outside his area. He and Dave,
WB2FTX prepared a Power Point presentation on Traffic handling which
has been given to clubs and is now available on the ARRL web page for
downloading and use by others. I feel very strongly that Greg deserves
this recognition." Greg, your fellow traffic handlers strongly agree.
K2SE Memorial Award for Outstanding Service on VHF Nets - to NJ5R
This award honors Ed Solov, a very active traffic handler both on HF
and VHF, as well as a strong supporter of public service activity as
the founder of RAVEN, the Ramapo Valley Emergency Network. We are very
fortunate that New Jersey has a very active group of excellent VHF
traffic nets and traffic handlers who form the entry level into this
facet of the hobby. This year's recipient is Jeff Regan NJ5R. His
activity in UCTN, NJVN, and NJPN has been noted, especially in the
multi-linked repeater system that comprises UCTN. Well done Jeff!
W2UEZ Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Newcomer - to
KB2BAA
The W2UEZ newcomer or "rookie" award is given to that new traffic
handler who through their persistence and efforts has really stood out
in attention amongst the community during the year. This year it goes
to John Kafka, KB2BAA. Quoting Arnold N1JX again "John has been very
active on the NJVN/E net via the Echolink during 2008 and does not
hesitate to take traffic for South Jersey. He has also passed traffic
to this station for 2RN via the Echolink. I also understand that he is
very active on JSARS. The introduction of the Echolink has greatly
facilitated the passing of traffic destined to South Jersey and those
responsible should be commended." K2UL adds that John has also been an
outstanding new addition to the South Jersey Traffic Nets.
Thanks to Gerry Jurrens N2GJ mailto: n2gj@amsat.org
ARRL Life Member, NJM Net Manager, Assistant SEC SNJ
===> JOIN THE NYPON NET
There is a opportunity now to take a new challenge as NYPON net
manager. NYPON is an ARRL state wide traffic net. It operates on 75
meters at 3.925 MHz at about 5 PM daily. The net manager collects
reports from NCS', and
sends the STM's a monthly net activity report. For more information
email me at kc2pni@arrl.net
73, Phil-KC2PNI - ENY STM
=====> DIVISION NEWSLETTER OF THE MONTH
Please take a look at
http://www.hudson.arrl.org/pages/newsletterawards.htm
The February 2009 award goes to Radio Central ARC for the February 2009
edition of "RANDOM Oscillations." Congratulations to editor and
president, Neil M. Heft, KC2KY for on a job well done.
Clubs please make sure that you continue to send a copy of your pdf
file to n2ff@arrl.org . I have been
missing some issues in the last few
months. Not every division club is submitting each month. It's like
Lotto, if you don't buy a ticket or send a PDF you can't win!
HAMFEST: Get READY for the 2009 Hamfest Season......
1 Mar 2009+Annual Auction
Bergen Amateur Radio Association
http://www.bara.org
Talk-In: 146.19/79 (PL 141.3)
Contact: Jim Joyce, K2ZO
286 Ridgewood Blvd. North
Township of Washington, NJ 07676
Phone: 201-664-6725
Fax: 201-265-1366
Email: k2zo@arrl.net Township of Washington,
NJ
Westwood Regional Jr/Sr High School
701 Ridgewood Road
Div: Hudson
Sect: Northern New Jersey
========================================
8 Mar 2009+ LIMARC Indoor Hamfest
Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club
http://www.limarc.org
Talk-In: 146.850- (PL 136.5)
Contact: Richard Cetron, K2KNB
198 Haypath Road
Old Bethpage, NY 11804
Phone: 516-694-4937
Fax: 631-574-4851
Email: hamfest@limarc.org Hicksville, NY
Levittown Hall
201 Levittown Parkway
Div: Hudson
Sect: New York City-Long Island
=========================================
28 Mar 2009+ Spring Hamfest
Orange County Amateur Radio Club
http://www.ocarc-ny.org
Talk-In: 146.76 (PL 100)
Contact: Donald Sayre, AA2DS
38 Karen Drive
Middletown, NY 10940-6605
Phone: 845-342-2056
Email: AA2DS@hvc.rr.com Middletown, NY
Town of Wallkill Community Center
2 Wes Warren Drive
Div: Hudson
Sect: Eastern New York
==================================
4 Apr 2009+ North Jersey Hamfest
Splitrock ARA
http://www.splitrockara.org
Talk-In: 146.385/146.985 (PL 131.8)
Contact: Dan Gruber, N2AB
c/o Splitrock ARA
PO Box 610
Rockaway, NJ 07866
Phone: 866-457-6687
Fax: 866-457-6687
Email: hamfest@splitrockara.org
Succasunna, NJ
Roxbury Senior Center (Horseshoe Lake Park)
72 Eyland Avenue
Div: Hudson
Sect: Northern New Jersey
==============================================
18 Apr 2009+ Ocean Monmouth Amateur Radio Club
http://www.omarc.org
Talk-In: 145.110 -600 (PL 127.3)
Contact: Jeff Harshman, N2LXM
5 The Arborway
Ocean, NJ 07712
Phone: 732-996-0637
Email: n2lxm@juno.com Wall Township, NJ
Infoage Learning Center, Project Dina Site
Marconi Road
Div: Hudson
Sect: Northern New Jersey
==============================================
26 Apr 2009+ Mount Beacon ARC
http://www.wr2abb.org
Talk-In: 146.970 (PL 100)
Contact:James Capicotto, K2JIM
813 Heard Avenue
Maybrook, NY 12543
Phone: 845-427-2702
Fax: 845-999-9999
Email: k2jim@frontiernet.net
Lagrangeville, NY
Tymor Park
249 Duncan Road
Div: Hudson
Sect: Eastern New York