WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASE #48

LAKE WALES RADIO AMATEURS (LWRA) BECOMES AN ARRL SPECIAL SERVICE CLUB

LWRA-Logo

On Friday August 7th, the Lake Wales Radio Amateurs, or LWRA as their club is often called, was approved to be an ARRL Special Service Club.

The Lake Wales Radio Amateurs, formerly and still sometimes known as the Lake Wales Repeater Association, was founded in 1974 and put on the air one of the first 2 Meter repeaters in Central Florida.  Originally it was on 146.790 MHz, but in 1976 was changed to 147.330 MHz where it has operated since that time.  The vanity call of K4LKW was obtained by the club in 2006.

The Lake Wales Radio Amateurs became an ARRL Affiliated Club in 2011 and are involved in doing the following regularly:  VE test sessions, radio expeditions, Field Day, and SPAR Winter Field Day.  The club has a weekly ragchew and traders net and has a monthly membership meeting on the 2nd Thursday of every month in downtown Lake Wales.  For more information about the club you may go to http://www.lwra.us/

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WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASE #47

THE WCF EXPERIMENTER – SUMMER 2015 – ISSUE HAS JUST BEEN PUBLISHED

The Summer 2015 edition of THE WCF EXPERIMENTER, the Official Technical Newsletter of the ARRL West Central Florida Section has just been published. You may download the Summer 2015 edition at http://arrlwcf.org/download/wcfexperimenter/WCFExperimenter_3Q2015.pdf.

For the current and all available past issues you may go to http://arrlwcf.org/home/the-wcf-experimenter-technical-newsletter/.

Geoff Haines N1GY, our Technical Coordinator for the West Central Florida Section is the editor of THE WCF EXPERIMENTER. He has made a plea for those with projects or ideas to write an article for future editions of THE WCF EXPERIMENTER. The next issue will be the Fall 2015 edition, so get busy writing an article for the next issue if you have a project or idea you would like to write about. Send any submissions for THE WCF EXPERIMENTER to Geoff Haines N1GY at n1gy@arrl.net.

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THE WCF SECTION PRESSER #8 – AUGUST 2015 IS NOW PUBLISHED

The WCF SECTION PRESSER Issue #8 for August 2015 has just been published here on the Section website, the ARRL website, and to the ARRL Section Email List for those who are ARRL members and are signed up for Section/Division news.

For the PDF version of this newsletter and past issues go to http://arrlwcf.org/home/the-wcf-section-presser-arrl-west-central-florida-section-news/  Starting with this issue, the PDF version will contain any associated media (pictures, sound, video, etc.)

The following are headlines from Issue #8 of THE WCF EXPERIMENTER:

  • GET SOME RELIEF FROM THE HEAT OR EXCESSIVE RAIN – WORK ON A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT ON YOUR WORKBENCH
  • STATION APPOINTEE MONTHLY REPORTS ARE DUE FOR JULY:
  • UPCOMING HAMFESTS IN THE SECTION:
  • 2016 ARRL NATIONAL CONVENTION COMING TO ORLANDO HAMCATION THIS HAMFEST SEASON:
  • THE WCF SECTION INFORMATION AND SECTION ARES NET HAVE MERGED. HF SECTION ARES AND INFORMATION NET CONTINUES OPERATION
  • BILL BODE N4WEB IS THE RECIPIENT OF THE AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE TO SCOUTING AWARD
  • JONATHAN “JON” RUBIN KJ4NYD APPOINTED AS THE NEW EMERGENCY COORDINATOR FOR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY ARES.
  • HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE MONTH OF JULY:
  • AMATEUR RADIO PARITY ACT OF 2015 COMPANION BILL (S 1685) INTRODUCED IN THE SENATE, 94 COSPONSORS OF THE HOUSE BILL (HR-1301):
  • SECTION TRAFFIC MANAGERS REPORT FOR JULY 2015 By Doug Williams N2DW:
  • CHECK OUT THE SECTION WEBSITE IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO LATELY
  • SECTION MANAGERS CONTACT INFORMATION AND CONCLUSION:

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WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASE #46

SEVERAL NEW HAMFEST TO BE HELD IN THE ARRL WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA SECTION IN 2015 AND 2016

Two new hamfests are starting this coming hamfest season in the ARRL West Central Florida Section.

On Saturday November 7th the first LARC Annual Hamfest 2015 will be held at the First Baptist Church At The Mall on Memorial Boulevard in Lakeland. On Saturday March 26th 2016, the first NPARC (Northport Amateur Radio Club) Hamfest On The Green will be on the green lawn of the North Port Florida City Hall located on City Hall Boulevard in Northport, near the Sarasota and Charlotte County line.

These hamfests are now posted on the Section website special event calendar. The LARC Annual Hamfest 2015 calendar entry is located at http://arrlwcf.org/event/larc-annual-hamfest-2015/. The 1st Annual NPARC Hamfest On The Green calendar entry is located at http://arrlwcf.org/event/1st-annual-nparc-hamfest-on-the-green/. For a look at all the upcoming hamfests that are currently planned you may go to http://arrlwcf.org/events/.

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WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASE #45

JONATHAN “JON” RUBIN KJ4NYD APPOINTED AS THE NEW EMERGENCY COORDINATOR FOR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY ARES.

07-15-2015- 004On Saturday July 11, Jonathan “Jon” Rubin KJ4NYD was appointed as the new Emergency Coordinator for Hillsborough County ARES. Rubin was presented with his appointment at the quarterly ARRL West Central Florida Section ARES Meeting which was held at the Hillsborough County Emergency Operations Center in Tampa, by Darrell Davis KT4WX, Section Manager.

Keating Floyd KC4HSI, decided to step down as Emergency Coordinator for Hillsborough County ARES, after serving as EC since December 11, 2009. Floyd was presented with an ARRL Certificate of Merit by Davis and was accepted on Floyd’s behalf by Bill Williams AG4QX, one of the Assistant Emergency Coordinators for Hillsborough County ARES.

The ARRL West Central Florida Section wishes to thank Floyd for his five and a half years of service as EC for Hillsborough County and wishes him well in his future endeavors.

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WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASE #44

ARRL WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA SECTION INFORMATION NET ON THE NI4CE REPEATER SYSTEM TO MERGE WITH THE ARRL WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA SECTION ARES NET.

Effective Monday July 27th, the ARRL West Central Florida Section (WCF) Information Net on Tuesday evening will merge with the ARRL West Central Florida Section ARES Net on Monday evening at 1930 (7:30 P.M.). The last session of the ARRL West Central Florida Section Information on Tuesday will take place on Tuesday July 21st. This move will streamline net operations for the Section and most importantly help avoid scheduling conflicts as many participants had commitments on Tuesday evenings to local radio club nets, ARES nets, local radio club meetings, and local radio club or ARES meetings.

The newly combined WCF Section ARES and Information Net will continue to meet on Monday evening at 1930 (7:30 P.M.) on the NI4CE Repeater System with J.C. Rivero K4RTC serving as Net Manager for the combined net. J.C. is looking for volunteers to serve as Net Control, so a Net Control schedule can be established.  If you wish to volunteer, please contact Darrell Davis KT4WX via email at kt4wx@arrl.net.

The WCF Section ARES and Information HF Net will continue to meet on Saturday morning at 0830 (8:30 A.M.) on 3911 KHz, which meets mostly on 3913 KHz, with Neil Lauritsen W4NHL, Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator continuing in his position as Net Manager.

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WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASE #43

ELLEN WHITE W1YL SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER AT THE LAKELAND AMATEUR RADIO CLUB MEETING

""On Monday July 6th, the Lakeland Amateur Radio Club hosted Ellen White W1YL, former ARRL Headquarters staffer and a Section Communications Manager, the predecessor to the Section Manager, as their special guest speaker. Darrell Davis KT4WX, Section Manager, and Christine Duez KK4KJN, Section Youth Coordinator, attended as representatives of the ARRL West Central Florida Section.

DarrellKT4WXandEllenW1YLEllenW1YLatLARCMeeting

White gave a very interesting presentation of her amateur radio experiences. These experiences included how she got started in amateur radio during World War II, meeting her future husband, and fellow ARRL Headquarters staffer, Bob White W1CW (SK). White also talked about her experience at ARRL Headquarters of almost thirty years and how amateur radio has changed since she was first licensed. She even showed an ARRL promotional cigarette lighter with QST branded onto it, as a promotional item given to advertisers at the time when smoking was fashionable. This particular cigarette lighter that was given to her by Ed Handy W1BDI, who was the ARRL Communications Manager in the 1940’s and 1950’s, and also did not smoke.

The meeting was standing room only by the time White gave her presentation. White received a rousing ovation from the audience upon the conclusion of her presentation.

Pictures courtesy of George Wagner K5KG:  Assistant DIrector, Southeastern Division, and Lakeland Amateur Radio Club.

The Power Duo: How Radio Marketing and YouTube Can Boost Your Brand

In the age of digital media, many marketers are quick to overlook traditional forms of advertising, such as radio. However, combining the reach of radio with the visual power of YouTube can create a dynamic marketing duo that can help increase brand awareness and sales.

First, let’s talk about radio marketing. Radio is a powerful tool that reaches millions of listeners every day. It’s a medium that people use to stay informed, entertained, and connected with their local communities. By partnering with a radio station, you can reach a broad audience with targeted ads that speak directly to your ideal customer.

But how can you take your radio marketing to the next level? Enter YouTube. By creating video content that complements your radio ads, you can engage with your audience on a deeper level. For example, you can create behind-the-scenes videos, showcase your products, or feature testimonials from satisfied customers. The possibilities are endless!

Another benefit of choose to buy views on YouTube is the platform’s ability to reach a global audience. While radio is primarily limited to a local or regional audience, YouTube can connect you with people all over the world. By creating compelling content that resonates with your target market, you can build a loyal following that will help spread the word about your brand.

So, how do you get started? Begin by identifying the radio stations that align with your brand’s values and target market. Then, brainstorm ideas for YouTube videos that complement your radio ads. Consider hiring a professional videographer or investing in high-quality equipment to ensure your videos look and sound professional.

In conclusion, radio marketing and YouTube can be a powerful combination for any brand looking to increase its reach and connect with its audience on a deeper level. By partnering with a radio station and creating engaging video content, you can boost your brand’s visibility, build a loyal following, and ultimately increase sales.

WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASE #42

BILL BODE N4WEB RECEIVES THE AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE TO SCOUTING AWARD

IMG_062715_170100Bill Bode N4WEB, an ARRL Official Emergency Station and President of the Tampa Amateur Radio Club, is the first recipient of the new ARRL Amateur Radio Service To Scouting Award, in the ARRL West Central Florida Section. Bill was nominated in May for this award in recognition of his service in working with the Boy Scouts promoting amateur radio.

 

IMG20150627_170000The award was presented to Bode at the Tampa Amateur Radio Club (TARC) clubhouse, when the ARRL Field Day Caravan stopped to visit the TARC Field Day site at their clubhouse, on Saturday June 27th. The ARRL West Central Florida Section wishes to recognize and congratulate Bill for receiving this award from ARRL Headquarters.

 

Photos here are courtesy of the Tampa Amateur Radio Club Facebook Page.

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WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASE #41

ARRL WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA SECTION FIELD DAY CARAVAN TOURS FIELD DAY SITES ON 6/27/15

Ben Henley KI4IGX, Section Emergency Coordinator, and Darrell Davis KT4WX, Section Manager, conducted the annual ARRL West Central Florida Section Field Day Caravan, for the first time. The WCF Section Field Day Caravan is an annual tradition of the Section Manger and the Section Emergency Coordinator touring as many Field Day sites as possible during the Field Day period as possible that dates back to the beginning of the Section in 2000.

The caravan began at the Highlands County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Sebring at 0900 on Saturday June 27 lasted for eighteen hours, and ended back up at the Highlands County EOC at 0300 on Sunday June 28. The tour started in Highlands County, going through Desoto County, and traveled to Charlotte County. Once reaching Charlotte County turned and went north through Sarasota, Manatee, and Hillsborough County. Then the caravan crossed over Tampa Bay into Pinellas County by early evening, and traveled onto Pasco County right after sunset. After leaving Pasco County traveled on to Polk County in the early hours on Sunday morning, and ended back up in Highlands County.

Eighteen Field Day sites in total were visited with the caravan being able to see 15 of them operating. One site in New Port Richey was inaccessible due to a downtown celebration at the site in New Port Richey. One site could not be located and one other site, inside a state part, was locked and could not be accessed.

All the Field Day sites visited were very gracious to the caravan and were having good fellowship and a good time on the radio.

(For the full photo montage, check out the Section Facebook page.)

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THE WCF SECTION PRESSER #7 – JULY 2015

HAPPY BELATED 4TH OF JULY TO ALL AND RECOVERING FROM ARRL FIELD DAY

I would like to take the opportunity to wish all of you a belated happy 4th of July. Due to part time work, and other commitments, I am late putting out this issue of THE WCF PRESSER. I am sure that many of you spend the early part of last week recovering from Field Day and I hope you enjoyed ARRL Field Day. I got see many of you at various Field Day locations throughout the West Central Florida Section. I got to take Radiograms from some of your Field Day sites on a special session of the Eagle Net. You only have 11 months to get ready for the next Field Day.

 

THE WCF EXPERIMENTER – SUMMER 2015 – HAS BEEN PUBLISHED

Right after we went to press with the last issue of THE WCF PRESSER, the next issue of THE WCF EXPERIMENTER went to publication. Geoff Haines N1GY, our Technical Coordinator, is the editor of THE WCF EXPERIMENTER. He makes a plea for authors to contribute articles for future issues of THE WCF EXPERIMENTER. If you have built a project or have an idea that you have been working on, what a better way to let you fellow ham know what you are working upon. Any submissions for THE WCF EXPERIMENTER should go to Geoff Haines N1GY at n1gy@arrl.net.

 

STATION APPOINTEE MONTHLY REPORTS ARE DUE FOR JUNE:

If you are serving as an ARRL Station Appointee, please be sure to file a monthly report by the 5th day of the month following the month being reported. If you still have not sent in your monthly report, please go ahead and do so anyway. For example for the month of January, your report would be due by February 5th. To those who have been filing their monthly reports, a sincere thank you for your effort. You can fill out te and fill out your monthly report there. Go to the section in the menu called Section Forms which is at http://arrlwcf.org/section-forms/ or select the appropriate report form in the Section Forms menu. Upon successful submission you will receive an on screen confirmation and almost immediately you will receive an email confirmation for your records that also goes to the Cabinet member that oversees your program. Your report is then filed and you are all done for the month. Regular reporting is an ARRL requirement to hold an ARRL Station Appointment.

 

UPCOMING HAMFESTS IN THE SECTION:

We are out of hamfest season until November. However, we have two hamfests coming up in the Section between now and November.

  • Saturday August 22: TARCFest #34 – TARC Clubhouse – Tampa, FL
  • Saturday September 12: 8th Annual LambieFest – Tropical Gulf Acres Clubhouse – Punta Gorda, FL

For more information on hamfests and events in the Section , please visit our website Section Calendar at http://www.arrlwcf.org/events for more information.

 

AMATEUR RADIO PARITY ACT OF 2015 COMPANION BILL (S 1685) INTRODUCED IN THE SENATE, 84 COSPONSORS OF THE HOUSE BILL (HR-1301):

US House Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) introduced the bill on March 4 with 12 original co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle: seven Republicans and five Democrats. Since the last issue of THE WCF PRESSER was published, US Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced S 1685 on June 26, with Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) as the original cosponsor, into the United States Senate. HR1301, the original House bill is now up to 84 co-sponsors as of June 29. As of June 25, two Representatives with districts that are in the West Central Florida Section: Representative Daniel Webster, 10th District, that covers the north central part of Polk County and Representative Tom Rooney, 17th District, that covers Charlotte, Desoto, Hardee, Highlands, southeastern Hillsborough, eastern Manatee, and southern Polk Counties.

The ARRL has moved and expanded the webpage devoted to the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015. The direct link is http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-parity-act. Look at this page for information on how to send a letter to your Representative or Senator, the current list of co-sponsors, etc. Check out the latest news article on the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 from Monday June 29 at http://www.arrl.org/news/senate-sponsor-of-amateur-radio-parity-act-of-2015-said-bill-promotes-regulatory-transparency-equali.

The following is a summary quote from the ARRL website, “The Amateur Radio Parity Act would require the FCC to amend its Part 97 Amateur Service rules to apply the three-part test of the PRB-1 federal pre-emption policy to include homeowners association regulations and deed restrictions, often referred to as ‘covenants, conditions, and restrictions’ (CC&Rs). At present, PRB-1 only applies to state and local zoning laws and ordinances. The FCC has been reluctant to extend the same legal protections to include private land-use agreements without direction from Congress.”

Writing a letter to your Representative or Senator is the best method to ask him to support the Amateur Radio Parity Act. The ARRL is recommending that you send your letter to the ARRL for two reasons: (1) Because of security concerns, it can take from six to eight weeks for a letter sent directly to a Congressional office to be delivered and (2) It can be combined with other letters to your Congressperson and hand-delivered to their office on Capitol Hill.

 

EDITORIAL: WHY HAMS GET TRAINING BY KEATING FLOYD KC4HSI – HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY EC:

The following is an email written by Keating Floyd KC4HSI, EC for Hillsborough County ARES, to his ARES members. It states well the reason why we as ARES members take training:

“Ham Radio operators have access to a wide range of ways to enjoy this wonderful and fascinating hobby, from VHF repeater communications, to microwave long-haul contesting, to surface mount soldering, and many other fun activities, as well as emergency communications.

Our hobby is governed by Title 47 CFR Part 97, and it states, in part, that the basis and purpose of the Amateur Radio Service is “providing emergency communications.”

“Old-time” hams, and most new hams, are keenly aware of the emergency communications aspect of this hobby, and many have plans to step up and help out in the aftermath of a disaster.

There are some 74,000 amateur radio operators in the state of Florida, with about 5000 licensed amateurs within the 335xx and 336xx zip code coverage areas.

The Hillsborough County ARES/RACES team consists of about 200 operators interested enough in disaster communications to receive occasional emails on various topics, and be informed about activations and other related activities.

That’s wonderful, and congratulations are in order for all of those 5000 people who have taken the time to earn their license, and to the 200 people on “the list.”

But being on the list is not enough.

Emergency communications began to be a large part of what we thought about as radio operators rather formally in 1935, when the ARRL requested that hams interested in emergency communications write to the League HQ. These were the early steps that led to the foundation of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES). Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES) started in 1952, in an effort to provide a faster and smoother transition in the event that the President invoked the War Powers Act.

Between then and now, and particularly since the tragic events of 2001 and the hurricane season of 2004/2005, emergency managers have changed the way they do business.

Gone are the days when a volunteer can just show up and be given a post as a communicator, passing and handling sensitive information. Gone are the days of strapping on a bandolier of handi-talkies, and heading for the disaster. Gone are the days, those heady days, of just “being a ham” and providing communications.

The Amateur Radio Operator in an emergency today must have earned the trust of those responsible in a disaster. Training is critical, as we must understand how those emergencies are managed. Operators must able to communicate messages for emergency management effectively and efficiently, in tune with emergency operations. It’s not that they are un-interested in our knowledge – far from it. It’s that they now have processes, policies, and procedures to follow in order to ensure the safety and security of everyone in their area of responsibility.

If you do not have the training to understand how they operate, and why theses things are important, when you volunteer (because most of you will – that’s part and parcel of who you are and why you are a ham) you are likely to be relegated to some staging area, wondering why your skills are being wasted, and frankly grumping with each other that those professionals are wasting your time and very highly sought-after skills.

But they are not wasting YOUR time – you are wasting theirs.

The modern operator is highly trained, highly skilled, knows the lingo, and, in many cases, has already participated in exercises with those emergency managers, and is thus a known quantity, fully trusted and vetted to handle situations in a sensitive environment.

Please become one of those assets. I know you want to help; it’s in the second paragraph of our governing document.

You can’t participate and be effective if you don’t get trained.”

 

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE MONTH OF JUNE:

On Saturday June 27, Ben Henley KI4IGX, our Section Emergency Coordinator and I embarked on the 15th annual West Central Florida Field Day Caravan, and the first one for Ben and I. We stated the caravan at 0900 hours and finished up at 0300 on Sunday June 28th. Out of 18 Field Day sites on the itinerary, we were able to visit 15 Field Day sites. One site we could get to due road closures for a public celebration of some kind, in downtown New Port Richey, one we could not locate on roads that were unfamiliar, one the gate was locked and we could not get in, and one had terminated operations by the time we got there. All the Field Day sites we visited were very gracious and accommodating.

When we visited the Tampa Amateur Radio Club site on Field Day, we presented Bill Bode N4WEB, the new Amateur Radio Service To Scouting award. Bill is heavy involved in the Boy Scouts in addition to being President of the Tampa Amateur Radio Club. Bill is the first amateur to receive the award since in inception just this year.

 

SECTION TRAFFIC MANAGERS REPORT FOR MAY 2015
By Doug Williams N2DW:

Station Activity Reports (SAR):

N2DW: Originated 0, Received 8, Sent 7, Delivered 0, and Total 15
W8IM: Originated 0, Received 7, Sent 12, Delivered 3, and Total 22
W4PXE: Originated 4, Received 31, Sent 11, Delivered 4, and Total 49
K4EEI Originated 1, Received 58, Sent 58, Delivered 1, and Total 117

Public Service Honor Roll:

N2DW 85

W8IM 72

West Central Florida Section Net Activity Reports:

AIN: Sessions 2, Stations 15, Traffic 0, Minutes 25
Net Manager – WA4ATF

EAGLE NET: Sessions 38, Stations 1167, Traffic 38, Minutes 1008
Net Manager – W4PXE

SPARC NET: Sessions 39, Stations 616, Traffic 39, Minutes 1158
Net Manager – W4TS

 

SECTION MANAGERS CONTACT INFORMATION AND CONCLUSION:

Here is my contact information. Much of this is listed now on Page 16 of QST.

 

The Section also has a website, Facebook and Twitter pages. The URL for those are:

That is all for this issue of THE WCF PRESSER. 73 de Darrell KT4WX

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