News from K5RAV

West Gulf Division Newsletter May 2012

   ---    ARRL Invites Input for 2014 ARRL Centennial
   ---    HamCom Updates
   ---    Remember to Vote
   ---    KF5CRF, Viking ARC Scores Again
   ---    Social Media and the West Gulf Division
   ---    LETARC Celebrates Silver Anniversary
   ---    Something to Share?
   ---    Temple ARC Pays it Forward
   ---    Planned ARRL Events for K5RAV and N5AUS
   ---    Upcoming Hamfests/Conventions


News from David Woolweaver, K5RAV your West Gulf Division Director

--- ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, Invites Input for 2014 ARRL
Centennial

The ARRL will celebrate its centennial in 2014, and is already making
plans to commemorate the highlights of the League's first century --
and looking forward to what the second century may bring. This is your
League and your centennial and ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, is
inviting all ARRL members to provide suggestions to help make this
once-in-a-lifetime event truly special.

"Centennial theme publications and special sections of regular
publications are in the works," Craigie noted, "as is an operating
event that all members can participate in. We will have centennial
merchandise in the ARRL store and artwork you can use to design items
for yourself and your club. We'll be drawing on the ARRL's
historical collection and the memories of living amateurs."

Local radio clubs are encouraged to develop public relations events in
2014 that are both meaningful to amateurs in your area and that are
also tied in to the observance of the ARRL's 100th birthday. "These
events could celebrate the anniversary of your club's founding, mark
an Amateur Radio-related event in local history or honor outstanding
amateurs who have made a contribution to your community through the
years," Craigie said. "You could organize and publicize an event
for local youth who are amateurs or studying to become amateurs,
shining a spotlight on the future of Amateur Radio as we follow in the
footsteps of the forward-thinking pioneers of our first century. In all
your club public relations and outreach plans, the ARRL encourages you
to highlight the technologies and applications that make Amateur Radio
just as exciting for Americans today as it was for people 100 years
ago."

The ARRL Centennial Celebration Committee wants to hear your ideas and
suggestions about how the centennial should be celebrated -- both at
the national level and through local radio clubs. What should the
League do? What can local clubs do to capitalize on the public
relations opportunities of the national organization's centennial?

"Every idea you suggest will be considered, even though it likely
won't be possible to implement them all," Craigie explained.
"Publications, operating events, public relations opportunities,
displays, themes, merchandise, highlights of the past, the excitement
of the future -- you're invited to be part of designing the
centennial of our League!"

Click here to complete the questionnaire and you will be redirected to
an online survey hosted by Zoomerang. This survey will close on
Saturday, June 30. Or copy the following web address into your browser:


http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22FPSDNZVC5.

--- HamCom Updates

ARRL Forum Speaker

Director Woolweaver is pleased to announce that 1st Vice President Rick
Roderick, K5UR will be speaking at the 11:00 AM ARRL Forum on Saturday.
Rick has been licensed for 44 years, is an avid DX'er, and has been
involved on the ARRL Board of Directors for 20-years.   He has also
served on CQ Magazine's DX Advisory Committee for 40 years.  A dynamic
speaker, Rick is always a crowd pleaser.  He will be speaking about
"Amateur Radio - The Greatest Hobby in the World."  Be sure to plan
on attending the ARRL Forum.

W5DXCC Dinner

Be sure to order your W5DXCC banquet tickets for Friday, June 8th.
Lone Star DX is proud to present its keynote presenter, Bob Allphin,
K4UEE, who will feature a discussion on the DXpedition to Malpelo
Island on Friday, June 8th at 6:30 PM.  To read more about Bob's DX
adventures and accomplishments,  visit the Lone Star DX website at
www.dxer.org.   Come sit, relax, eat, ragchew, and listen to a great
presentation.  Every year the Lone Star DX Association dinner is one of
the most popular events of Ham-Com.  This years' dinner looks to be
extra special.  LSDX is featuring a generously donated Yaesu FT2000
transceiver as its door prize!  Tickets for the W5DXCC banquet are $40
each and can be purchased on-line at

http://hamcom.org/attending-dx-dinner.cfm.

K5P Special Event Station

The Plano Amateur Radio Klub is sponsoring a special event station, K5P
during HamCom.  They are currently seeking volunteers to help staff
their event.

Additionally, they are having a design contest for the QSO card - the
contest will close on May 25th - submissions should be sent to
K5GTX@arrl.net. A winner will be selected from the entries and
announced on June 1.

More information will be posted on the Plano Amateur Radio Klub site
(www.k5prk.net) in the near future. Any questions or suggestions should
be directed to K5GTX@arrl.net.

HamCom Volunteers

Volunteers are still needed to assist in a variety of ways.  If you are
interested in volunteering for a 2-hour block you may do so at
http://hamcom.org/attending-volunteer.cfm.  Volunteers receive FREE
admission and the traditional volunteer ball cap.

--- Remember to Vote

The clock is running on your opportunity to vote for your favorite in
the 2012 WGD QSL Card Contest.   As the true beauty of any QSL card is
in the eyes of the designer, we deliberately did not set any boundaries
for what kind of QSL card could be submitted into any category.  Who is
to say what is graphical or humorous?  Only the designer could identify
how they intended the QSL card to be viewed.

Congratulations to the three category winners who have truly earned the
bragging rights for being the best in your category within the West Gulf
Division:

Most Humorous – NU5DE Naturist ARC
Best Graphic –Steve Frerking, KE5CNS
Best Photo – Mike Olbrisch, KD9KC

The WGD wishes to thank Main Trading Company and Austin Amateur Radio
Supply for generously donating the HT units for the category winners.

You may review the category winner's cards and cast your vote from
the Contest tab on ARRL WGD website, www.ARRLWGD.org until Tuesday,
June 5th at 6PM.  WGD members may only cast one vote, until Tuesday
June 5th at 6PM, for the Grand Prize Winner.  Please take the time to
exercise your rights as a WGD member and vote.

All of the cards entered into the 2012 WGD QSL Contest will be
available to view at the ARRL Booth at HamCom.  The Grand Prize Winner
will be announced during the 11:00 AM, ARRL Forum at HamCom on Saturday
June 9th!


--- KF5CRF, Viking ARC Scores Again

Word just arrived that the Lawton, Oklahoma Viking ARC again took 1st
Place prize in the Middle/Intermediate/ Junior High category for the
February 2012 Spring Roundup Contest.  Fresh from their win in the
October 2011 School Roundup, KF5CRF came in with 196,132 points, they
bested their nearest competitor by almost 100,000 points.  Over the
contest period, the club made a total of 707 QSO's, covering 48
states and 6 Canadian Provinces.

This past February's contest saw more radio active schools than at
any time during previous years of competition.   The middle school
strategy, call CQ and keep calling CQ, someone will talk to you.  The
pace is quick, make the contact complete the exchange and move on,
slowing only for school clubs or to answer questions.  The long term
success of the program is to continually maintain and renew the
excitement of amateur radio.  "Get in there and grab that contact,
call for schools only, listen for kids on the radio, pay attention to
the conversation." shouts team leader, Clifton Harper, KE5YZB.

Always on the lookout for future operators, when a potential 6th grader
shows interest, the pace crawls!  An experienced student takes the new
student off to the side.  The new student is taught how to introduce
themselves by correctly exchanging their name phonetically, age and
grade.  After a couple of rehearsals with the student teacher,
they'll either do a "watch me" or with encouragement from their
student coach, "you're ready, let's go for it".   After three
or four attempts, a critique by the student coach and new student is
primed to give it a try each day during the contest week.  Of course
the other students offer positive reinforcement too, "THAT WAS GREAT!
 You sure you haven't done this before?"

Also, notable is that the Feeder Elementary School, mentored by the
W5KS Lawton Fort Sill ARC, placed 6th in the category of Elementary /
Primary schools.  When the demonstration was over, every teacher asked
where they could find information about the phonetic alphabet!  One
teacher remarked about how engaged every student was to learn about
amateur radio and further recognized the students' eagerness to
participate – even the shy ones that never raise their hands.

Looking towards the future; All Aboard!  KF5CRF will have many of their
15 licensed students participating from inside the USS Batfish during
the 2012 Museum Ships Weekend, June 2 and 3, 2012 (0000Z June 2,
through 2359Z June 3, 2012).   Coordination for this high tempo
activity began when Wade Harris KF5IF, meet with several students of
the Viking Radio Club at HamCom in Plano, TX June (2011).   Harris,
trustee for the USS Batfish WW2SUB and Memorial station, USS Oklahoma,
WW2OK invited the students to join his team for the 2012 Museum Ships
Weekend event in Muskogee, OK.   The group arrives on Saturday about
mid-morning and receives a tour of the facility, submarine and
memorial.  Once settled, students will take to the air waves.  Expect
to hear young voices, with ages of 12 -14 – except KF5LLG age 10.
Look for updates on WGD website or Facebook page during the event if
possible.

KF5CRF is mentored by Clifton Harper KE5YZB and Paul Goulet KC5CYY.
The program is complimented with support from W5KS members and
non-Amateur parents.

Congratulations to everyone involved in this amazing program!  Please
be sure to be on the lookout for Viking Club badges at HamCom and
congratulate this great group of kids on their accomplishments.

Listen to KF5CRF daily from about 0830 – 0920 CST at 14.290 MHz,
during their Viking Net.  School is out at on May 25, 2012 so get in
there quick and make that contact.

(Contributed by Paul Goulet, KC5CYY)


--- Social Media and the West Gulf Division

Keeping up with the times, the WGD Leadership invites you to follow us
on Twitter, ARRL_WGD and on Facebook at ARRL West Gulf Division.


--- LETARC Celebrates Silver Anniversary

The Longview East Texas Amateur Radio Club ("LETARC") celebrated
their 25th Anniversary May 19th, by opening to the public their newly
renovated radio room at the Red Cross building in Longview.  Founded in
1987, LETARC has served their communities in a variety of public service
ways and through the course of many disasters.  On top of renovating
their facility with new furnishings, they added additional radios
giving them a total of five (5) stations now available to operate
during a crisis.

To read all about LETARC's open house event, please visit
http://m.news-journal.com/mobile/news/local/amateur-radio-group-celebrates-
anniversary/article_65c39b8f-7f72-53b6-b27d-bd7bb49770ce.html

The WGD Leadership congratulates the members of LETARC on their
anniversary!

--- Something to Share?

Is your club or special interest group doing something that you would
like to brag about?  Celebrating a milestone?  Or do you have a
relevant idea that you would like to share on a specific topic with
your fellow Division members?   The WGD Leadership encourages you to
submit your information to Director Woolweaver for publishing
consideration in the monthly newsletters.

We attempt to publish the West Gulf newsletter is every month and also
use its content to supplement the Division website (www.ARRLWGD.org),
and we would be happy to consider your contributions.  Please email
Director Woolweaver at K5RAV@arrl.org with your submissions.


--- Temple ARC Pays it Forward

Since 2009 and the passing of Charles Schlieper (formerly N5TD, SK),
the Temple Amateur Radio Club (TARC) has been sponsoring the Charles R.
Schlieper Scholarship Fund to assist the students of a technical course
as selected by Temple College.  This year, TARC voted to sponsor 2
students, doubling their previous donations; with Club Treasurer Mike
Hankins, KI5M, presenting a check for $2,000 on behalf of TARC to
Temple College.

Charlie Schlieper developed the Electronic Technology department for
Temple College in 1979 and continued to serve as Department Chairman
and Instructor until he retired in 1996. He was a true believer in
education, and always felt it important to learn something new every
day.

Charlie was first licensed as an amateur radio operator in 1952. He
enjoyed working most all the ham bands and the various modes of
operation, including voice, Morse code, many digital modes using
computer interface, and making satellite contacts. He served as an
officer in the Temple Amateur Radio Club and as the technical director
for many years.  He was a mentor or "elmer" to many as he nurtured
their interest in expanding their technical skills while experimenting
with the different aspects of the hobby.

TARC is an ARRL Affiliated Club and currently consists of 75 members,
each person having their own preferences on how to communicate with
others.  They are also the sponsoring club for the Belton Expo's
hamfest.

(Contributed by John Hobson, WD5BFS)

--- Planned ARRL Events for K5RAV and N5AUS

Director Woolweaver, K5RAV and Vice Director Stratton, N5AUS are
planning to attend the following upcoming events:

K5RAV

– HamCom, West Gulf Division Convention, June 8-9, Plano, TX
– Field Day, Oklahoma Section Events, June 23rd, various locations
– ARRL Second Annual Board Meeting, July 20-21, Newington, CT
– Ham Holiday, OK Section Convention, July 27-28, Oklahoma City, OK
– Austin Summerfest, TX State Convention, August 3-4, Austin, TX
– ARRL Executive Committee Meeting, September 29, Denver, CO
– ARRL 2012 National Convention, October 12-14, Santa Clara, CA
– Texoma Hamarama, October 26-27, Ardmore, OK

N5AUS

– HamCom, West Gulf Division Convention, June 8-9, Plano,TX
– Field Day, Austin/San Antonio area, June 23rd, various locations
– ARRL Second Annual Board Meeting, July 20-21, Newington, CT
– Austin Summerfest, TX State Convention, August 3-4, Austin, Texas


ARRL Convention and Hamfest events are a great place to visit with the
Division and Section Leadership! Each event will also include an ARRL
forum where you can receive additional insight into Division and
Section matters.

At anytime that you have a concern or just want to say hello, contact
Director Woolweaver at K5RAV@arrl.org.  Visit our website at
www.arrlwgd.org; follow us on Twitter at ARRL_WGD or on Facebook at
ARRL West Gulf Division.

-- Upcoming Hamfests and Conventions

06/08/2012 | HamCom – West Gulf Division Convention
Location: Plano, TX
Type: ARRL Convention
Sponsor: Ham-Com, Inc. & surrounding clubs
Website: http://www.hamcom.org

07/14/2012 | 2012 TARS Hamfest
Location: Texas City, TX
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Tidelands Amateur Radio Society
Website: http://www.tidelands.org

07/27/2012 | Ham Holiday 2012 – Oklahoma Section Convention
Location: Oklahoma City, OK
Type: ARRL Convention
Sponsor: Central Oklahoma Radio Amateurs
Website: http://www.hamholiday.com

08/03/2012 | Austin Summerfest – Texas State Convention
Location: Austin, TX
Type: ARRL Convention
Sponsor: Austin Amateur Radio Club & Texas VHF-FM Society
Website: http://www.austinsummerfest.org

08/25/2012 | Gainesville Hamfest 2012
Location: Gainesville, TX
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Cooke County Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://www.gainesvillehamfest.org

10/26/2012 | Texoma Hamarama
Location: Ardmore, OK
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Texoma Hamarama Association Inc.
Website: http://texomahamarama.org

11/10/2012 | NCTECH 2012
Location: Azle, TX
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Tri-County Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://www.wc5c.org

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ARRL West Gulf Division
Director: David A Woolweaver, K5RAV
k5rav@arrl.org
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