K5RAV writes

West Gulf Division January, 2014, Issue 1 Newsletter





--- From the Directors Chair

--- Congratulations 3V/KF5EYY Ashraf Chaabane

--- ARRL Foundation Scholarships

--- WGD Annual Award Nominations

--- WG Leadership to Operate Special Event Station

--- Austin Amateur Radio Supply Owner, WA5BGO, SK

--- Centennial Celebrations

--- ARRL Centennial QSO Party Off and Running

--- Planned ARRL Events for K5RAV and N5AUS

--- Upcoming Hamfests/Conventions





News from David Woolweaver, K5RAV, West Gulf Division Director



--- From the Directors Chair



Welcome to 2014, the year of the Centennial Celebration for the ARRL! Years in planning, the ARRL has

created a wealth of member participation events beginning with the Centennial QSO Party that kicked off on

January 1st. This year long event is the first ARRL-sponsored operating event for which every member is

worth a point. Be sure to visit the Centennial QSO Party website for more information.



As mentioned in the December newsletter, Vice Director Stratton and I will be hosting the first weekend

opportunity for folks to work the special event station W100AW on January 19th calling “CQ West Gulf

Division!” More than 160 West Gulf Division members have pre-registered for the opportunity to make

contact on that day. Details on this occasion can be found on page 2.



While we hope that many WGD members will be able to travel to Hartford for the ARRL Centennial

Celebration/National Convention in July, it is not too early to start planning to attend the West Gulf/Delta

Division Regional Centennial Celebration in June; hosted by HamCom in Plano. As announced in December,

you will be able to work W100AW/5 at this event, enjoy our featured presenters Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH

and Ward Silver, N0AX. Pre-registration for the ARRL Centennial and HamCom can be found on their

respective websites.





73, K5RAV









--- Congratulations 3V/KF5EYY Ashraf Chaabane



The Yasme Foundation Board of Directors has announced the nine recipients of its Excellence Award for

2013. The Foundation says the award “honors individuals who, through their own service, creativity, effort

and dedication, have made a significant contribution to Amateur Radio” — technical, operating, or

organizational. The Yasme Excellence Award is in the form of a cash grant and an engraved crystal globe.

Recipients for 2013 included West Gulf Division Member, Ashraf Chaabane, 3V/KF5EYY, who has become an

energetic representative on all fronts of Amateur Radio in Northern Africa and globally, presenting a positive

role model for Amateur Radio throughout the Arab world with his enthusiasm and competitive spirit. His

mission is to see the day when Tunisia issues him that country’s first individual Amateur Radio license.

Chaabane will represent Africa as the team leader for the African team in WRTC-2014.



Other winners included Tom Roscoe, K8CX, Lee Sawkins, VE7CC, John Devoldere, ON4UN, Ken Claerbout,

K4ZW and the team of Michael Carroll, N4MC; Eldon Lewis, K7LS; Dean Gibson, AE7Q, and Joseph Speroni,

AH0A for their accomplishments. You may read the full story on the ARRL website.



The Yasme Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation, organized to conduct scientific and educational

projects related to Amateur Radio, including DXing, and to the introduction and promotion of Amateur Radio

in developing countries.



(from the ARRL website with thanks to Ward Silver, N0AX, Yasme Foundation President)





--- ARRL Foundation Scholarships



The ARRL Foundation is now receiving scholarship applications for the 2013/14 scholarship season. Each

year the ARRL Foundation awards more than 70 scholarships that have been funded entirely by the

generosity of radio amateurs and friends, to young hams that are pursuing higher education. The awards

range from $500 to $5000.



All applicants must submit a full application and transcript to be considered (other rules may apply to specific

scholarships). The application period for all ARRL Foundation Scholarship opened October 1 each year and

closes promptly on February 1, 2014. Awards are usually announced to the winners by letter in mid-May.

Applicants should review the scholarship descriptions as some awards have specific geographic criteria or

requirements as to course of study.



Governed by a nine member volunteer Board of Directors, the ARRL Foundation is devoted to providing

valuable programs to serve the Amateur Radio community. To learn more about the ARRL Foundation or its

scholarship program please visit their website at http://www.arrl.org/the-arrl-foundation.



--- WGD Annual Award Nominations



It is time to start working on your submissions for the WG 2014 Divisional Awards which will be presented at

the ARRL Regional Centennial Convention at HamCom in June. Nominations for 2014 Award Winners will be

accepted until April 15, 2014. Nomination forms for each nominee (by category) must be supported by at

least three ARRL members on the award nomination form, a minimum 150-word statement and any available

supporting documentation. Other rules do apply and can be found on the nomination forms.



The Division Awards judging panel consists of four (4) ARRL members, selected by each of the Section

Managers in North Texas, Oklahoma, South Texas and West Texas Sections. The Section Manager may opt to

appoint his/herself to the committee. The fifth judge is selected by the Division Director and may reside

anywhere within the West Gulf Division. Neither the Division Director nor the Vice Director will participate

in the vote.







--- WG Leadership to Operate Special Event Station



On Sunday, January 19, 2014, Director Woolweaver and Vice Director Stratton will be operating from W1AW

in Newington, CT with the Special Event Station call sign, W100AW, beginning at 9:00 AM until 2:00PM CST.

Look for the WG “Boys” on plus or minus 14.285 (+/-) Mhz USB. They will be calling, “CQ West Gulf Division.”

If you ever wanted to make a contact with W1AW, now is your chance! QSL 100%.



If you have pre-registered on the Call List, Director Woolweaver and Vice Director Stratton will be calling

those call signs alphabetically by last name, beginning at 9:00 AM for a minimum of 10 minutes and a

maximum of 15 minutes at the top and called a minimum of two (2) times. Please be patient as heavy traffic

is expected, and QSO’s will be made very quickly “contest style” in order to accommodate as many amateurs

as possible and remember contacts are always dependent on propagation.





NOTE: Contacts made with ARRL Officials through W100AW are not eligible for extra points in the Centennial

QSO Party. Those contacts will receive W1AW points only.



Real time posting of frequency and the operating schedule will be made on the West Gulf Facebook Page at

“ARRL – West Gulf Division” and on the WGD Twitter Page “ARRL_WGD.”





--- Austin Amateur Radio Supply Owner, WA5BGO, SK

The owner of Austin Amateur Radio Supply, John E. “Johnny” Paul, WA5BGO, of Austin, Texas, died December

10. He was 74. Paul was the proprietor of Austin Amateur Radio for 45 years. First licensed in 1960, Paul

was a past president of the Austin Amateur Radio Club and was an avid photographer of nature and

landscapes. Services were December 16. Survivors include his wife Grace and a son and daughter.



(from the ARRL website)





--- ARRL Centennial Celebrations



Registrations for the ARRL National Centennial in Hartford and the West Gulf/Delta Division Regional

Centennial Celebrations in Plano become available in January. Start your planning now by bookmarking

these two great events for regular updates!





--- ARRL Centennial QSO Party Off and Running



As part of the mix of events marking the League's 100th anniversary, the ARRL Centennial QSO Party got

underway at 0001 UTC on January 1. This is a year-long operating event, in which participants can

accumulate points and win awards, as well as work new stations and make new friends. During 2014 W1AW

will be on the air at least twice from every US state and from most US territories, and it will be easy to work

all states solely by contacting W1AW portable operations. This will be the first ARRL-sponsored operating

event for which every member is worth at least one point. The event is open to all, although only ARRL

members and appointees, elected officials, HQ staff, and W1AW are worth points. Working the ARRL's

president, for example, earns 300 points!



K5CM, Connie Marshall of Muskogee, OK will be operating W1AW/5 the week of January 22nd and

Christopher Terkla, N1XS will be operating W1AW/5 the week of January 29th. Be sure to reach out to these

stations when they are on the air.



To qualify for points, all contacts must be two-way (no cross-band or cross-mode contacts), using CW, phone

(FM, SSB, AM, digital voice), digital (any digital mode, such as PSK31, RTTY) on 160, 80, 40, 30, 17, 15, 12, 10,

6, 2 and 1.25 meters, plus 70 centimeters and satellite. Stations exchange signal report and ARRL

abbreviation. Contacts do not have to be contest-style, and providing ARRL organizational information is not

required. A centennial database will assign point values to all logs submitted electronically. Those not

submitting electronically, however, will need to obtain the QSO information during the contact. Since this is

not a contest, participants may make contacts in any fashion they prefer.



The Centennial QSO Party is scored by totaling the values of all eligible contacts. There are no multipliers or

bonus points. Logs submitted via Logbook of the World (LoTW) will be scored automatically.



For full information, visit the ARRL Centennial QSO Party webpage.







 --- Planned ARRL Events for K5RAV and N5AUS



Director Woolweaver, K5RAV and Vice Director Stratton, N5AUS plan to attend the following upcoming

events:



K5RAV

-- ARRL Annual Board Meeting, January 17-18, Windsor, CT



N5AUS

-- ARRL Annual Board Meeting, January 17-18, Windsor, CT



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.



-- Upcoming Hamfests and Conventions



01/17/2014 | North Texas Section Convention (Cowtown Hamfest)

Location: Fort Worth, TX

Type: ARRL Convention pending Executive Committee approval

Sponsor: Lockheed Martin Amateur Radio Club

Website: http://www.cowtownhamfest.org



02/22/2014 | Orange Hamfest 2014

Location: Orange, TX

Type: ARRL Hamfest

Sponsor: Orange ARC & Jefferson County ARC

Website: http://www.qsl.net/w5nd/



03/01/2014 | 25th Elk City Hamfest

Location: Elk City, OK

Type: ARRL Hamfest

Sponsor: West Central Oklahoma Amateur Radio Club



03/01/2014 | Irving ARC Hamfest 2014

Location: Irving, TX

Type: ARRL Hamfest

Sponsor: Irving Amateur Radio Club

Website: http://www.irvingarc.org/iarchamfest.html



03/07/2014 | West Gulf Division Convention (Green Country Hamfest)

Location: Claremore, OK

Type: ARRL Convention

Sponsor: Green Country Hamfest Committee

Website: http://greencountryhamfest.org



03/08/2014 | Williamson County ARC Hamfest

Location: Georgetown, TX

Type: ARRL Hamfest

Sponsor: Williamson County Amateur Radio Club

Website: http://wcarc.com



03/15/2014 | West Texas Section Convention (59th Annual St. Patrick's Day Hamfest)

Location: Midland, TX

Type: ARRL Convention

Sponsor: Midland Amateur Radio Club

Website: http://hamfest.w5qgg.org



03/22/2014 | South Texas Section Convention (Greater Houston Hamfest)

Location: Rosenberg, TX

Type: ARRL Convention

Sponsor: Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club (BVARC)

Website: http://houstonhamfest.org



03/29/2014 | HamEXPO

Location: Belton, TX

Type: ARRL Hamfest

Sponsor: Temple Amateur Radio Club

Website: http://tarc.org