Author: Darrell Davis KT4WX

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA SECTION!!

Thursday January 15, the ARRL West Central Florida Section will turn 15 years old.  The West Central Florida Section began operation on January 15, 2000.  The Section was created by the ARRL Board of Directors in October 1999, following a grass roots movement of ARRL members in nine counties in and near the Tampa Bay Area to create the Section in the spring of 1999.   The ARRL Board of Directors authorized a ballot of these nine counties and the result of the ballot was in favor to create the Section by 92 percent.  The original section did not include Pasco County.  ARRL members in Pasco County, following a similar procedure as was used in the creation of the Section, voted in favor of joining the new West Central Florida Section and became part of the Section in March 2000.

The first quarterly ARRL West Central Florida ARES meeting for 2015 was held at the Highlands County EOC in Sebring. Ben Henley KI4IGX presented a plaque to Neil Lauritsen W4NHL, our former Section Emergency Coordinator who just retired after 10 years of service as SEC. Also Ben presented ARRL Assistant Section Emergency Coordinators appointment certificates to the following: Neil Lauritsen W4NHL, Paul Womble K4FB, and Randy Payne K4EZM, and Larry Ruegger KO4QS (who could not make the meeting today).

Ben Henley KI4IGX, our Section Emergency Coordinator, presented ARRL Emergency Coordinator certificates to those EC who were present: Roger Weatherly W3IGM (Charlotte EC), Ed Skalecki NI4MX (Manatee EC), Robin Retzloff (Polk EC), Randy Payne K4EZM (Highlands EC), and Darrell Davis (Hardee EC). Ben recognized the ARRL Emergency Coordinator appointments of the other EC’s who could not attend the Section ARES meeting today.

Over 25 attended the WCF Section ARES Luncheon at the Sebring Diner and 41 attended the WCF Section ARES Meeting. The next WCF Section ARES meeting is scheduled for Saturday April 11, 2015 at the Hillsborough County EOC in Tampa.

END OF WCF NEWS PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE #2 – 1/05/15: Attention all amateur radio clubs, radio groups, and radio net managers in the ARRL West Central Florida Section:

We are compiling information for a new Section Radio Club/Group Meeting page for the Section website. If you have a club/group meeting, whether you are ARRL Affiliated or not, please fill out a Contact Form on our new Section website and give us that information so your club/group meeting will be on the list.

We also are compiling a Radio Net Page for the Section website. If you are the net manager for a radio net that you would like to see on these list please fill out the Contact Form on our new Section website and let us know that information.

The Contact Form on our new website is located at http://arrlwcf.org/contact-info/. You will receive a confirmation on the website when you submit the information as well as an email confirmation of what you submitted. Thank you very much to all for your assistance to help better serve your needs.

We will be releasing brief biographies of our new Section Manager and our Section Cabinet members as they become available

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY – Darrell Davis KT4WX, Section Manager

Darrell had been fascinated with amateur radio since seeing old issues of QST at a used bookstore in Winter Haven, FL in 1983, when he was 14 years old.  Darrell was first licensed in May 1989, as Novice class (no longer issued) with a callsign of KC4KGN.  Darrell upgraded to Technician class in July 1989, upgrading next to Advanced class in April 1990, skipping General class.  Darrell changed callsigns to KT4WX, which was sequentially issued and is not a vanity.  Then on April 15, 2000 upgraded to Extra when the next to last license restructuring took place.

Darrell started out as an Assistant Emergency Coordinator in 1990, followed by being appointed as Emergency Coordinator from 1993 – 1998 for Polk County.  Darrell became the first Section Technical Coordinator in 2000 when the ARRL WCF Section was created, and served until 2004.  Darrell was appointed as an Assistant Section Manager January 2004.  After moving out of the Section for two years and coming back was appointed as Emergency Coordinator for Hardee County and a Technical Specialist.  Darrell was appointed an Assistant Section Manager again in February 2014.  Darrell then submitted an Application for Nomination to be the next Section Manager in June 2014.  Darrell was declared elected on September 8, 2014, being no other candidates ran for election.

Darrell’s full biography is on his website at http://www.kt4wx.org

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PRESS RELEASE (1/01/15): We have introduced THE PRESSER.  It is the monthly newsletter of the ARRL West Central Florida Section.  You may read it at http://www.arrl.org/Groups/view/west-central-florida.

It also will be disseminated via the ARRL Division and Section e-mail list.  You must be an ARRL member and have chosen that option to receive e-mails from ARRL HQ with Section and or Division News.

END OF PRESS RELEASE

The ARRL West Central Florida Section would like to also thank Kevin Poorman KV4CT for his service as Public Information Coordinator, and Bill Johnson WJ4G for his service as Affiliated Clubs Coordinator.  Poorman and Johnson decided to step down and not to continue in their former positions due to commitments with their employment.   We wish them well in their future endeavors

PRESS RELEASE (12/31):  Neil Lauritsen W4NHL is retiring today as Section Emergency Coordinator and Assistant Section Manager.  Lauritsen is originally from Illinois and spent his working career in Fire Rescue services in the state of Maryland.  Lauritsen is staying on as an Net Manager for the WCF Section ARES HF net held each Saturday at 0830 hours on 3.911 (actually on 3.913) MHz.

Lauritsen is being succeeded by Ben Henley KI4IGX of Sebring, FL.  Ben is currently employed by Highlands County Emergency Management and has been in Emergency Management since 1998 and full time since 2003.

The ARRL WCF Section would like to thank Neil for his 10 years of service as Section Emergency Coordinator and Assistant Section Manager.

END OF PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE (12/31):  Dee Turner N4GD, of Pinellas Park, FL, retires at the end of today as the 2nd Section Manager of the ARRL West Central Florida Section.  Turner, originally from Indiana spent his working career in and retired from the United States Air Force.  Turner won his first term for Section Manager in 2004 and has served continuously since January 1, 2005.  Turner decided not to seek re-election in 2014.  Turner will be succeeded by Darrell Davis KT4WX of Fort Meade, FL, who won election as Section Manager in September of 2014. Davis term of office will begin on January 1, 2015.  Turner has been appointed as an Assistant Section Manager by Davis to serve on his Section Cabinet as an advisor.

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The ARRL WCF Section wishes to thank Dee for his 10 years of service as Section Manager.   He will be missed by many who used to seeing him over the last 10 years.

END OF PRESS RELEASE

NEW SECTION WEBSITE DEBUTS TODAY

PRESS RELEASE (12/31):  The new ARRL West Central Florida Section has debuted the newly redesigned ARRL WCF Section Website on Wednesday December 31, 2014.  The site is running on the WordPress engine which will make maintenance and getting information updated much easier than with other platforms, so is great for your business of course you also need to answer, have you filled out the 1099 MISC form? as this is essential for taxing too.

The ARRL WCF Section wishes to thank Dennis Griffin W4DG, for his 10 years of service as Section Webmaster and to congratulate him for continuing in his capacity as Official Observer Coordinator.  Griffin decided to retire from serving as Assistant Section Manager – Webmaster, but is staying on for another term as Official Observer Coordinator.  Griffin is being succeeded by Judson Bracewell KJ4IDH as Assistant Section Manager – Webmaster.

Bracewell has been working for the past 10 years as an I.T. professional, having worked for Brighthouse Networks.  Bracewell now owns his own computer repair business in Lake Wales serving enterprise and residental customers.

END OF PRESS RELEASE