Hello All:

We are exactly one year away from the eclipse! You know, when I was a youngster, a year was a very long time. Especially at the beginning of
the school year, time was SLOOOOOOW. Now I'm not so young, and a year
is not a very long time anymore.

Failing to plan is the same thing as planning to fail. If you are going
to be a help to your community, do you have a plan? Have you begun
executing your plan? Do you need help getting started? Remember that
to be helpful hams must be integrated into Emergency Management in some fashion, otherwise we are just talking to ourselves.

I have not heard anyone talking about a Special Event centered around
the eclipse in Arkansas. Is someone planning something?

The first 2023 AUXCOMM class was held in Bentonville this past weekend,
and it went great! I highly recommend it if you are interested in
EMCOMM. The class is designed to be twenty hours long, and will usually
be offered on a weekend. Right now the plan is to deliver it in several
areas of the State. Since it is offered by the Arkansas Division of
Emergency Management (ADEM), students are eligible for travel
reimbursements under the usual requirements. I will be publicizing the
dates and locations as they become available. Get your IS 100, 200,
700, and 800 classes done now as they are a prerequisite.

Let us know how we can help.

73,

J.M. Rowe N5XFW
Arkansas SEC

--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Arkansas Section
Section Manager: James D Ferguson Jr, N5LKE
n5lke@arrl.org --------------------------------------------------------------------
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (954:895/7)

April 20, 2023

Making a Big Decision -- Together

Dear ARRL Member,

For only the second time in 22 years, we are considering a dues increase. Promoting and protecting amateur radio requires a strong and vibrant ARRL. Paying our dues (and some of you go above and beyond) is one way each of
us does our part.

In my column in the April issue of QST, I introduced the following question:

How does ARRL handle an increase in dues?

On May 1, we will launch an online survey, inviting all ARRL members to participate. The survey will include some short questions about raising
dues, and modifying the way some membership benefits are bundled. The
survey will also include an opportunity to share your feedback. The participation of every member is important.

Do this before May 1: Review your ARRL website account

Before you can take the survey in May, you'll need to make sure you have
a working ARRL website account that is associated with your membership.

Follow these steps:

Go to www.arrl.org/take-dues-survey. This is a member-only page.

If you are already logged in to your account, you'll see CONGRATULATIONS!
on the members-only page that will host the survey in May.

If you are NOT already logged in to your account, follow the instructions
on the page to log in. Or, select the Login button at the top of the web
page, and you will be prompted to enter your ARRL website username
(usually your call sign) and password. If you have not logged in since
April 2022, please use these Login Instructions.

The survey will open on May 1. Return to this web page to take the survey
on, or after, May 1: www.arrl.org/take-dues-survey.

If you need additional help with your login, call us Monday - Thursday
from 8 AM to 7 PM ET, and Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM ET at 860-594-0200 or
email us at membership@arrl.org.

We'll send an update on May 1 once the survey is live.

Thank you for being a member and collaborating on this big decision.

73

David A. Minster, NA2AA
Chief Executive Officer
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (954:895/7)

Greetings All,

I've been out of town and I'm a bit late getting to this item; however,
a two-day letter or overnight letter/packet will get you in the queue.

Scott, W5WZ sent this to me from Reeves Memorial Medical Center in
Bernice, LA. RMMC is auctioning off this item (and other things) for the benefit of the hospital. This is a tremendous opportunity for a club or
ham to get a great repeater tower and help a small town's MC.

With no reserve price, someone can get it really cheap!

We have a 190 ft Rohn SSV tower for auction via sealed bid. No reserve
price. Bids are due May 12 @ 10:00 AM, and bid opening May 12 @ 10:15
AM.

Details and pictures as well as other items can be seen at the link
below:

https://reevesmemorial.com/surplus_sale/

Buyer must take down and remove the tower from the site by June 30, 2023
[so serious offers only- Ed.].

A great potential repeater tower for a club or individual amateur with
the proceeds benefiting a local hospital in N. LA. What a great deal!

*********************************************************************

Don't forget, the Carter Strong Hamfest is Saturday, May 13 in Monroe,
LA- details to follow under separate email.

73

DE K5UZ

--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Delta Division
Director: David A Norris, K5UZ
k5uz@arrl.org --------------------------------------------------------------------
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (954:895/7)

Hello all:

What a great time in Xenia at the Greene County Fairgrounds! The vendor
area was full, and the flea market was jam-packed with everything you
can imagine. Bargains galore. There were several food trucks and
trailers, turning out several varieties of "fair food". I had one of
the best corn dogs I've ever eaten, and that is a large endorsement!
(Just FYI, they do not understand BBQ up there.) The forums were mostly standing room only! The Hamvention provides an opportunity to see
equipment you didn't even know existed, talk to experts about almost any
ham radio technology or topic, and touch that new radio. Make plans to
go if you are able, and bring your friends.

Speaking of the forums, I was able to attend the ARES forum to hear Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, speak. As you remember, Josh was the Emergency Manager
for Johnson County (Clarkesville) for, I think, 17 years. Now he is the Emergency Management Director for the ARRL. The crowd was interested to
hear what direction the ARRL would be taking and how they fit into the
overall scheme of EMCOMMM. Josh made several excellent points:

1. The ARRL has signed a new MOU with FEMA for the next 5 years.
2. The ARRL has been elected as an association member of SAFECOMM.
3. There is no conflict between ARES and AUXCOMM.

I'd like to expand on the last item, if you'll indulge me please. I
wrote the following four paragraphs a while back and Josh said really
close to the same thing.

I think some of you believe the ARRL is a Response Organization with a
duty to act. This is not correct. The ARRL is much better thought of
as a Resource. There are go-kits, there is some training, there is
advice, there are lists of potential volunteers at hand. There are no
Type 1, 2, or 3 ARESMATs available to Newington.

That in no way diminishes the League. They simply have a different
purpose than what most of you are thinking. Local EM's need control of volunteers to satisfy the Stafford Act, which effectively ends the
question about who works for who. Jeopardizing Relief Funds by not
being NIMS-compliant is not an option anymore.

AUXCOMM does not teach soldering, message handling, WinLink, radio
programming, or any other of the many skills thought to be included in
an Amateur Radio Operator. Rather it teaches the operators how to
integrate into an already existing management structure and not make
fools of themselves by trying to assume command.

As you can plainly see, there is no one stop shop when it comes to
EMCOMM, and it is not likely to change in the foreseeable future.
Instead of having a contest on who can holler loudest about the virtues
of one system over another, why don't we do training that satisfies
whatever entity where you want to volunteer? Then you can be the best
you can be.

Fellow hams, won't you join me in working toward our common goal of
helping our served agencies?

Let me know how I can help and 73,

J.M. Rowe N5XFW
Arkansas ARRL SEC

--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Arkansas Section
Section Manager: James D Ferguson Jr, N5LKE
n5lke@arrl.org --------------------------------------------------------------------
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (954:895/7)

Howdy friends,

Field Day is coming on fast! I will be moving around to different sites
again this year, primarily in the Southwest. It would be great if you
would send me the address where your site will be this year.

A few things to think about while talking about Field Day!!

! Field Day is different things to different people because they have different interests. All those different things come together to be Ham
Radio. There can be something for anyone. Plan accordingly.

! Please be Face-Forward to your served agencies. Invite them to the
site, walk around with them to help them understand that hams are a huge resource for them. Grill a hot dog, and have a friendly chat about the
April Eclipse. They need to start thinking about it, but do not press
for specific plans just yet. Most of them have not started making
plans.

! Practice doing EMCOMM. WinLink will be important during the Eclipse
for traffic to ADEM. Send an email to the Section Manager via WinLink.
Voice will be important for local situational awareness and possibly to
ADEM. Originate a message (with a number on it) to be sent via the
Razorback Net.

! Stay cool and hydrated, and above all have a good time!

There are AUXCOMM classes now scheduled and listed on the ADEM Training Schedule. It will look good to your served agencies if you have these
classes under your belt. They will know you are serious about being an
asset. Remember there are prerequisites before you can register. These
classes are an opportunity for Arkansas to lead the Nation in EMCOMM and
I hope to see you all there!

Please let me know how I might be of assistance.

73,

J.M. Rowe N5XFW
Arkansas SEC
N5XFW@Yahoo.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Arkansas Section
Section Manager: James D Ferguson Jr, N5LKE
n5lke@arrl.org --------------------------------------------------------------------
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (954:895/7)

Hello all:

The National Weather Service has been busy the last few days!

As everyone knows (including the general public and our served agencies),
one of the best things we do is SkyWarn (R). In an effort to improve our ability to cover the entire Little Rock County Warning Area (CWA) (https://www.weather.gov/lzk/cwatxt.htm), we have a proposal for
repeater owners and trustees.

We propose to link any interested repeater via Allstar in order to cover
a particular area.

Joshua Carroll, AA5JC, the Section ASEC for SkyWarn (R), has a number of small-form computers, which could be used for this purpose, that he is
donating to this cause. The computer would be connected to the internet,
and in a location where a radio can reach the local repeater (the radio
is of the local ham's choice - Baofengs work fine).

The interface between the radio and the computer (https://github.com/skuep/AIOC/tree/master) is extremely low cost and
might prove to be a club project. Perhaps a club or an individual would
be willing to assemble the interface for those folks that would choose
that route.

All computer setup will be done before the computer is delivered. Hooking
up the interface to the radio and the computer will be largely plug and
play and will be the responsibility of the local hams.

In this arrangement, not all repeaters need to be linked at any one time. Smaller areas, even a single repeater, can be interfaced as the situation demands.

If you are in an area that is not currently served by a SkyWarn (R) net,
have a reliable internet connection, and a spare radio - please consider becoming a part of this solution. If this proposal works, we will be
the leading SkyWarn (R) operation in the nation in terms of coverage. We
think that is a worthy goal. Please join this effort to build a Next
Level SkyWarn (R) service with us.

If you are interested in helping with this project, please contact AA5JC
by email at joshua.carroll@adem.arkansas.gov.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Arkansas Section
Section Manager: James D Ferguson Jr, N5LKE
n5lke@arrl.org --------------------------------------------------------------------
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (954:895/7)

Field Day (24/25 June) is here at the end of this week, are you, your
team and /or club ready?

Full rules and well as some FAQ's links are provided below.

Field Day Full Rules:
http://www.arrl.org/field-day-rules

Field Day Packet: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Field-Day/2023/2023%20Field%20Day %20Packet%20v2.pdf

(above URL all on one line)

Field Day Station Locator:
https://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator

Field Day FAQ's: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Field-Day/2023/1_62-%20FD%20FAQ.pdf

Speaking of getting ready for Field Day, give some thought to reaching
out to those you and your club helped get their ticket recently. Extend
them an invitation and help get them on the air, if you are comfortable
with being around others.For many this could be their first ever
contact, for others it may provide the spark to upgrade.

I hope that you will all have a wonderful Field Day event and look
forward to working you on the air during the event. Please stay safe
and practice social distancing.

The Arkansas Section was proud to accept this years Amateur Radio Week Proclamation (18th June thru the 25th June) from Governor Sarah
Huckabee Sanders on 12 June 2023.

Thanks to "The Mayor" KD5LBE for facilitating the Amateur Radio Week Proclamation!

Arkansas Governor's 20230 Amateur Radio Week Proclamation download
link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18XMZiYF9VO6hiYcLIhIRcw6fNlwNxIny/ view?usp=drive_link

(above URL all on one line)

--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Arkansas Section
Section Manager: James D Ferguson Jr, N5LKE
n5lke@arrl.org --------------------------------------------------------------------
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (954:895/7)

Hello all:

As a young ham, I was thoroughly intimidated by the mere thought of
Field Day. "It's fun!", my Elmers told me. I was afraid of not saying
the right thing, or doing something stupid on the air. Worse, I might
break somebody's radio!

None of that bad stuff happened, and I eventually learned that it's now
my turn to encourage new hams. I hope that's what you do, too. For me,
part of the fun of Ham Radio is seeing the light come on in someone's
eyes!

Field Day is more than fun. It happens to be the single largest
operating event in the Amateur world. It truly is an exercise and a
training. You should receive credit for your effort. Don't miss out on
sending the personnel/hours in. The more we report the better it looks.

Thanks!

I hope everyone had a good time at Field Day, and had an opportunity to
see a new ham fall in love with Ham Radio.

73,

J.M.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Arkansas Section
Section Manager: James D Ferguson Jr, N5LKE
n5lke@arrl.org --------------------------------------------------------------------
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (954:895/7)

Hello friends,

I hope everyone had a great Holiday and remembered why we have that day.
I know my family did. I think there were 90 people at the potluck!

I wanted to update folks on the AUXCOMM classes, and preparations for the
April Eclipse. We are scheduling classes in every ADEM Region. We have
already done the one in NW, and all but SE is on the website. The SE one
will be listed in the not-too-distant future. Please get registered and
make plans to attend whichever one works better for your calendar.

Remember these are State-Sponsored classes, so reimbursements for Lodging
and meals are available subject to the rules. Get with your County
Emergency Manager (or me) to help understand those rules, and the prerequisites.

We will accept individuals without ham radio licenses, but they must be affiliated with an Authority Having Jurisdiction or some response agency.
This is a link to the ADEM Training Schedule and Registration Page:

https://www.dps.arkansas.gov/emergency-management/adem/training-exercise/ training/emergency-management-training-schedule/

(above URL all on one line)

There is another opportunity for Training and an associated exercise
that I want to bring to your attention. The Red River Comms Boot Camp
will be teaching every course for every position listed in the FEMA
Incident Command Communications Unit. There will be a day devoted to
exercises, so students will have a great chance to get some of their
taskbook signed. John Minard and I will be teaching AUXCOMM at this
event.

This is not an Arkansas State Sponsored event, so no reimbursement.

I have been told these classes are filling fast, so if this one is
right for you, do not wait to register. This is the link to that website:

https://central-states-comms.org/2023-red-river-comms-boot-camp/

We have the right circumstances right now, to get the right training,
to be the right volunteers to assist our communities. I'm not convinced
this will ever happen again, especially considering the pressure from
the Eclipse. Let's do it!

Please share this message with anyone interested, and especially groups
and organizations that might be affected.

Thank you very much!

J.M. Rowe N5XFW

--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Arkansas Section
Section Manager: James D Ferguson Jr, N5LKE
n5lke@arrl.org --------------------------------------------------------------------
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (954:895/7)