THE ARRL AS OUR REPRESENTATIVE TO THE NATION

THE ARRL PROTECTS AND PROMOTES OUR ACTIVITIES AND INTERESTS:

ADDRESSES: LOCAL, REGIONAL, STATEWIDE, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUES DEFENDS: FREQUENCY ALLOCATIONS, PROPERTY RIGHTS, OPERATING RESTRICTIONS INTERCEDES ON: USAGE RESTRICTIONS (DISTRACTED DRIVING LAWS) PROMOTES: LOCAL, REGIONAL, NATIONAL, AND WORLDWIDE ACTIVITIES OUR IMAGE TO THE MEDIA, AND POLITICAL ARENAS PROVIDES: EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SERVICES AND SUPPORT ACTIVITIES INFORMS: KEEP US UP TO DATE ON ISSUES AND ACTIVITIES

THEN: FORBES MAGAZINE 2007

“25 Things About To Go Extinct In America”

16. Ham Radio;

Amateur radio operators enjoy personal (and often worldwide) wireless

communications with each other and are able to support their

communities with emergency and disaster communications if necessary,

while increasing their personal knowledge of electronics and radio

theory.

However, proliferation of the Internet and its popularity among

youth has caused the decline of amateur radio. In the past five years

alone, the number of people holding active ham radio licenses has

dropped by 50,000, even though Morse Code is no longer a requirement.

ONLY 159 NEW HAMS PER MONTH IN 2007

NOW: CNN: Spotlight on Amateur Radio:

“2011 NEW AMATEUR RADIO LICENSEE RECORD”

In 2011, the FCC announced that the total of licensed Amateur Radio

Operators had exceeded 700,000. The number and rate of increase of new

licensees continues to rise showing robust growth throughout the past four years.

Radio Days Are Back: Ham Radio Licenses at an All-Time High By Michelle Macaluso Published November 22, 2011 | FoxNews.com

The newest trend in American communication isn't another smartphone from Apple or Google but one of the elder statesmen of communication: Ham radio licenses are at an all time high, with over 700,000 licenses in

the United States, according to the Federal Communications Commission.

Ham radio first took the nation by storm nearly a hundred years ago. Last month the FCC logged 700,314 licenses, with nearly 40,000 new ones in the last five years. Compare that with 2005 when only 662,600 people

hammed it up and you'll see why the ARRL-- the authority on all things ham -- is calling it a "golden age."

"Over the last five years we've had 20-25,000 new hams a year," Allen Pitts, a spokesman for the group, told FoxNews.com.

The unusual slang term -- a "ham" is more properly known as an amateur radio operator -- described a poor operator when the first wireless operators started out in the early 1900s. At that time, government and coastal

ships would have to compete with amateurs for signal time, because stations all battled for the same radio wavelength. Frustrated commercial operators called the amateurs “hams” and complained that they jammed up

the signal. People like John Pritchett have used the slang term ever since.

“It takes an inquisitive mind that wants the challenge to speak with the rest of the world,” Pritchett told FoxNews.com. “I meet a lot of people as a result amateur radio. It’s a fascinating experience to meet somebody

who you’ve talked to for years -- when you finally meet them and go, wow, that’s you.” Pritchett has been a ham for over 35 years. He sits in his ham shack slowly turning the dial on his amateur radio and listening

attentively for a voice through the high radio frequency. But he’s not looking for aliens: Pritchett is dialing in to make contact with someone around the world.“W6JWK, This is John in Fresno, California,” he says.

Pritchett can communicate with people around the globe or even astronauts in space by talking through his microphone or using Morse code.

With more people joining the hobby, local ham radio businesses are growing as well Amateur Electronics Supply in Las Vegas sells everything to do with ham radios, from transceivers, amplifiers and antennas to

handhelds. “We have clientele from all walks of life," manager Luke Rohn told FoxNews.com. "We have church groups who are interested in ham radio for a viable source of communication in times of natural

disaster. We have young kids that find ham radio interesting. Maybe they’ve heard about it through their father and grandfather and it’s a lot of fun for them.”

According to the American Radio Relay League, retirees and emergency groups are among the main reasons for the nearly 30,000 new hams that pick up the hobby each year. Ham radio is a boon for safety as well as a

fun pastime: When normal communications methods fail and cellphone towers are jammed, ham radios will still work and can help out in disaster situations, because they don’t require towers to relay the signal.

“Amateur radio came into play very much during the major earthquake in the Bay Area in 1989. The only thing I had was a little handheld radio. Nothing else worked, telephones didn’t work, cellphones didn’t work,

amateur radio just kept right on working,” Pritchett said. Looking to ham it up a bit with some friends? Try a fox hunt -- the radio equivalent of ham-to-ham combat. In a fox hunt, local amateur radio clubs search for

a transmitter (called the fox) using their homemade antennas.

808,381 as of March 2017 !!

11 % In The Past Two Years

United States Hams 2017

Total Hams 808,381

WHAT HAS CHANGED ? THE WORLD HAS CHANGED

Radio Frequencies are PRICELESS ! Worldwide demand for spectrum is growing !

The Social Media is perceived as replacing Amateur Radio. BIG TIME !

Radio is not just a form of communication anymore, It runs things

Young People don’t communicate less – They communicate MORE !

Hams now realize that we MUST GROW to save Ham Radio !

There are MANY new activities for Hams to pursue:

APRS, Packet Radio, Contesting, Public Service Events, ARES,

Search and Rescue, Geo-Caching, Remote Operations, Training,

VEC Activities, AMSAT, SkyWarn activities, Traffic Handling,

Near-space Balloon launches, Robotics , Maker-Events

There are many more Hamfests and Conventions,

There are many more Clubs and Organizations,

Many companies have helped develop and grow the fun:

Gordon West Amateur Radio School, HAM TEST Online, QRZ

WHAT HAS CHANGED ?

WE HAVE CHANGED

A new Generation of Ham Operators are emerging:

They don’t just sit at a desk and Rag Chew anymore

Many are new youths with a wide variety of interests.

A great number are Active Women and Young Adults

Many are becoming Hams to help their Community

and to enjoy the EXCITEMENT

New Hams want to use their talents to help others

All Astronauts (Worldwide) are HAM Radio Operators

Emergency Support Organizations now strongly encourage

or require Amateur training. ICE, Police Cadets, Rescue Assn’s

Schools and Educational Support Agencies recognize the benefits of Ham Radio:

STEM Activities, Tribal Interaction Groups (Code Talkers), Scouting.

Communities and State Agencies are recognizing the benefits of utilizing Ham Radio

HAM RADIO HAS BECOME

AN IMPORTANT ACTIVITY

TO A LOT MORE PEOPLE

The Amateur Radio Parity Act

SB 1534 Introduced in the US Senate July 12, 2017 Impact of Hurricane Relief Efforts Having Effect Stay Tuned for action, Contact your Senator !

Amateur Radio Parity Act URL: http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-parity-act URL for Easy Email to Your Congress Person: https://arrl.rallycongress.net/ctas/urge-us-senate-to-support-amateur-radio-parity-act

The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2017

HR 555

This bill was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives.

The bill’s language is identical to that of the 2015 measure, H.R. 1301,

which passed in the House late last summer but failed in the waning

days of the US Senate to gain the necessary support.

LATEST NEWS: On Monday January 23, 2017 the

US House of Representatives suspended their rules and

passed the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2017 by unanimous

consent. This action now sends the bill to the US Senate for

its consideration.

The new FCC Chairman – “Strongly in favor”

Who is the Most

Important Person in

the Room?

First Contact Certificate http://www.arrl.org/first-contact

What Does ARRL Membership Do for

ME?

ARRL Membership Cost Valuation

using LOTW DXCC Confirmations

• Assumptions – US Postal International

Mail

• $.98 first ounce

• $.21 each ounce

after

• Return SAE

– GreenStamps

• $3.00 average

• Calculation for every LOTW

DXCC Confirmation you

potentially save:

• 3 oz letter $1.40

• $5.00 GreenStamps

• Total Cost for a single

confirmation = $6.40

You only need to have 7.6 LOTW DXCC Confirmations

to justify membership cost

Confirmations have been received same day!

LOTW

W5 Incoming QSL Bureau

Rules change • SASE's are no longer accepted from users. Users must send money via mail (W5 incoming Bureau, P.O.

Box 1060, Mounds, OK 74047) or via PayPal (w5buro@gmail.com). If you use PayPal, there is a link on the

W5 bureau website. All SASE's will now be made up by the W5 incoming bureau, and please make sure

your call sign is evident by either method used.

•http://www.okdxa.net/buro/

• Rates are increasing to $1 per envelope to keep up with rising costs of postage, supplies, and printing.

Maximum amount accepted is $20, for which the W5 incoming bureau will make up 20 SASE's.

• Anything above that amount will be considered as a donation toward general bureau expenses.

If you want 2 or 3 ounces per mailing, make sure to provide your sorter with a batch of "additional

ounce" (penguin) stamps to keep on file for you.

• If you are a high-volume user, such as a DX-Expeditioner or Contester and you want many ounces

per mailing, make sure you have this arrangement in place with your sorter.

• For clarification, 1 envelope with a single forever stamp= 6 to 7 cards maximum, 1 envelope with 1

forever and 1 additional ounce stamp= 12 to 14 cards maximum.

• Everyone is reminded to contact the sorter for their call sign directly with questions or comments. If unable

to get a matter resolved through this method, then you are welcome to contact the W5 incoming bureau

manager, Gene Lewis, W5LE, by way of w5buro@gmail.com .

73,

Ron

W5RAE

W-Letter Sorter

Arkansas Section Organization

• Section is currently divided into 5 districts

– Following the ADEM district division

• To reduce the overall size of the districts we will be looking to

sub-divide each into and “A” and “B” sub-district

• Currently we have 100 Individuals who hold one or more

Appointments

• The largest appointment group is Emergency

Coordinators

• Combined we have over 800 years of Amateur Radio

Knowledge in Section Appointments

ADEM Districts

The Section Organization is a

completely volunteer group

Arkansas Section Organization Roadmap

Leadership

Section Manager

Affiliated Club Coordinator

Assistant Section Manager

Official Observer Coordinator

Official Observer

Public Information Coordinator

Public Information Officer

Section Emergency Coordinator

Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator

District Emergency Coordinator

Assistant District Emergency Coordinator

Emergency Coordinator

Section Government

Liaison

Local Government Liaison

Section Traffic Manager

Official Bulletin Station

Official Emergency

Station

Official Relay Station

Technical Coordinator

Technical Specialist

Arkansas Section Organization Roadmap

District

Assistant Section Manager

District Emergency Coordinator

Assistant District Emergency Coordinator

Emergency Coordinator

Official Observer Public

Information Officer

Local government

Liaison

Official Bulletin Station

Official Emergency

Station

Official Relay Station