Another summer is almost gone. It’s less than two weeks until Labor Day as I write. But I must say that this summer has had more Ham Radio in it than any summer I can recall.
First there was Field Day. By all accounts BARS Field Day was a success from a fun point of view. We had a good time at NK1A’s house. The screened porch kept most of the bugs away, and nobody took it too seriously. And yet we managed several hundred QSO’s, and everyone who wanted to operate got a chance. Only a few bits and pieces from that adventure are left to put away – I have a pile of antenna parts to wrap up and hide in the barn until next year.
Then there was the WRTC (World Radio Sport Team Championship), the Olympics of Amateur Radio. Many club members were involved in that. I spent a warm afternoon minding the team from mainland China. A nice bunch of guys.
And right after that was the 100th anniversary ARRL National Convention. That was an event not to miss. 3300 people, all the manufacturers, non-stop forums. The keynote speakers were outstanding. Joe Taylor, K1JT, did one. Craig Fugate, the director of FEMA, did an outstanding speech. It turns out that he’s a REAL ham, too. KK4INZ. Guess he shows up pretty frequently on the nets down near DC.
All this said, I must confess that I’m a bit tired out with all this radio, so I’ve been spending August doing other things. Been tending the garden, doing some house maintenance, studying German, and trying to take it easy. But that will change with September.
BARS meetings resume on Wednesday September 3rd. Our guest speaker will be Tom Walsh K1TW, who is also our Vice President. Tom will cover the very interesting history of one of the world’s most famous amateur radio stations, namely, 4U1ITU in Geneva Switzerland. 4U1ITU is located inside the Geneva Headquarters of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), yet it counts as a separate DXCC entity.
Help us kick off the coming year and join us on September 3. Details on getting to the meeting location are on the BARS Web page at www.w1hh.org
73,
Mike K1TWF
BARS President
