He was selected by the nomination committee for his activity in Polk County ARES, his role as a board member of the DMRAA, contributed hours for VE testing, and other activities. Most recently, he served as a co-chair for the Polk County ARES activation for the Polk County Marathon. As a DMRAA board member, he is a chair for the DMRAA Hamfest and W0AK Field Day committees.

The award was presented by Wynell Mager-Kisner, the daughter of the late Rev. Winthrop Mager, for whom the award was named after, at the annual DMRAA Christmas Party on December 6 in Des Moines. The purpose of the Winthrop Mager Award is to perpetuate the memory of the Rev. Winthrop Mager W0MJH, and to stimulate the activity in all fields of amateur radio in the central Iowa area. Any radio operator with any class license who is a member of the Des Moines Radio Amateurs’ Association is eligible. Nominations are due by the end of the November meeting each year. Nominees are those amateur operators that have shown outstanding support for amateur radio, promotion of the amateur radio service and have done so with the utmost respect for the community and fellow operators.

Look for more information on the award and the DMRAA holiday events in the upcoming issue of the Static Sheet.

While it’s not a formal contest, stations should try to contact as many other NWS offices and other non-NWS stations as possible. The Des Moines NWS office, using the station call sign K0DMX, will be operating on the 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meter bands as well as on the linked MISA repeater system on VHF and UHF, including D-STAR. Around 100 NWS stations are expected to participate this year.

Even if you’re not able to make it to the Des Moines NWS office to participate in the event, all amateur radio operators within the range of a repeater on the MISA linked system is encouraged to make a contact on the linked system. If you can make a contact on both a VHF repeater and UHF repeater, please do! That would count as two contacts since it was made on two different bands.

Skywarn Recognition Day was created in 1999 by the National Weather Service and the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) to recognize the importance that amateur radio provides during severe weather. Many NWS offices acquire real-time weather information from amateur radio operators in the field. These operators, for example, may report the position of a tornado, the height of flood waters, or damaging wind speeds during hurricanes. All of this information is critical to the mission of the NWS which is to preserve life and property. The special event celebrates this special contribution by amateur radio operators.

The 2011 Skywarn Recognition Day in Des Moines is organized jointly by the Des Moines National Weather Service staff and the Mid-Iowa Skywarn Association. Contact information, as well as details and updates will be available on the Mid-Iowa Skywarn Association website at http://www.midiowaskywarn.com.

For this first session, the focus will be on Chapter 2 of the ARRL Extra manual since there are no test questions for Chapter 1.

Hope to see you on the radio!
Dennis, KA0DOS

The Collins Amateur Radio Club now has D-STAR repeaters operating in the Cedar Rapids area: “N0CXX C” on 147.405 MHz with -990 kHz offset; and “N0CXX B” on 442.050 MHx with +5.0 MHz offset.

Note the odd split, and two spaces between “N0CXX and C”. These may be linked through through the local KD0IAN D-STAR repeater.

Users may register to the N0CXX gateway at https://n0cxx.dstargateway.org

You can now stay in contact with the home boys while you visit the ARRL Midwest Regional Convention in Cedar Rapids August 5-7!

The proclamation comes days before amateur radio operators will take to the airwaves around the United States in a 24-hour exhibition of amateur radio called Field Day. Field Day is a publicly-held training exercise that helps radio amateurs prepare for emergencies. Skilled work and planning is required to select radio equipment, frequencies, and antennas to facilitate operating under less-than-ideal conditions. During Field Day, operators set up in remote areas, at shopping malls, or even in their own backyards, and get on the air using generators or battery power. Radio operators then try to contact as many other Field Day stations as possible.

In the Des Moines metro, Field Day will be held at Camp Dodge in Johnston. At the event, the public will have a chance to meet and talk with area amateur radio operators and see for themselves what the amateur radio hobby is about. Showing the newest digital, satellite, high-frequency technologies and even historical Morse code, radio operators from across the nation will be holding public demonstrations of their emergency communications abilities. The public will even have opportunities to make contacts over the air. Setup and antenna-raising will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 25 with official activities beginning at 1 p.m. and continuing non-stop for 24 hours until 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 26.

Recent disasters punctuate the importance of amateur radio: amateur radio operators supported operations in the aftermath of the recent EF-5 tornado that tore through Joplin, Mo.; the recent tornado super-outbreaks in the southeast; and the earthquake and resulting tsunami in Japan. Closer to home, the first reports of the devastating tornado that hit Parkersburg in 2008 was delivered to the National Weather Service by amateur radio.

While most think of amateur radio as a hobby, FEMA Director Craig Fugate recently called amateur radio “the ultimate backup” and “our last line of defense” when public safety radio systems and cellular telephone systems fail during emergencies.

Visit the DMRAA Field Day website for maps and more information.

Proclamation text

WHEREAS, the State recognizes the services amateur radio operators provide to our many emergency response organizations, including FEMA, DHS, and Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management; and

WHEREAS, these same individuals have further demonstrated their value in public assistance by providing free radio communications for local parades, public fundraising events, fairs and other charitable public events; and

WHEREAS, the State of Iowa recognizes and appreciates the diligence of these “hams” who also serve as weather spotters in the Skywarn program of the National Weather Service; and

WHEREAS, amateur radio once again proved its undisputed relevance in the modern world in 2005 by providing emergency communications when other systems failed in the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and again in 2011 in severe weather outbreaks in Joplin, MO., and the southeast, and the earthquake and tsunami catastrophe in Japan; and

WHEREAS, these amateur radio services are provided wholly uncompensated; and

WHEREAS, the ARRL is the leading organization for amateur radio in the USA; and

WHEREAS, the ARRL Field Day exercise will take place on June 25-26 and is a 24-hour emergency encampment exercise and demonstration of the Radio Amateur’s skills and readiness to provide self-supporting communications even in the fields without further infrastructure.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Terry E. Branstad, Governor of the State of Iowa, do hereby proclaim that all Iowans join me in recognizing AMATEUR RADIO WEEK.

In short, DMRAA members can contribute points towards the contest on behalf of the club in the following categories:

• Number of persons taking license exams (25 points)
• Number of persons licensed for first time (50 points)
• Number of hams upgrading their license (25 points)
• Number of ARRL membership renewals by club members during contest period (50 points)
• Number of new ARRL memberships by club members (150 points)

So if you did any of these between March 15 and now, please send us an e-mail letting us know what you did and when you did it. If you haven’t done any of these yet, that’s alright — you have until July 31 to get it done.

If you’ve been waiting to upgrade your license, renew your ARRL membership, become an ARRL member, or recruit new hams, now is the time to do it and make it count!

To read about the other categories we can score points on or for more details on the contest, read the flyer at the ARRL Midwest’s website at http://www.arrlmidwest.org/.

I have been in contact with the managers of the convention center, as well as some hotels in the area, and have confirmed that we are still on track. The storm passed about a mile north of the main lodging areas, and the convention center was unaffected.

We are scheduled to have the hamfest as planned. In addition to the forums, we intend to host a discussion that will address the uses for amateur radio during disasters such as the one experienced here. It should be interesting!

We are looking forward to hosting hams from all over the Midwest, and are hoping that our 22nd Joplin Hamfest will be the biggest ever!

Please, if you can help me get the word out that the event is going ahead as scheduled, I would greatly appreciate it!

Kindest Regards, & ’73

Jim Scott
WB0IYC
Chairman – 2011 Joplin Hamfest
Joplin, MO

The Joplin HAMFEST is held the 4th weekend each August at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center located on the outer road at Exit 8-B & I-44, Joplin, Missouri. Ample free parking, air conditioned, with 20,000 sq-ft indoors and over 200 tables. Plan to attend August 26-27, 2011. Friday 4-9, Saturday 8-2. Club Cookout Friday at 5:30pm
http://www.joplin-arc.org for more information.

Joplin ARC Establishes Fund for Tornado Relief Donations

The Midwest is no stranger to bad weather. But the Spring of 2011 has been particularly devastating, with severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, flooding, and range fires throughout much of the Midwest, including all four states in our ARRL Midwest Division – Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska. Many have suffered loss of lives, injury, and damage to home and businesses. None has been harder hit than Joplin, Missouri, in which 141 people died, countless others were injured, and much of the town was totally destroyed by an EF5 tornado.

The Joplin Amateur Radio Club and Radio Amateurs from the Southwest Missouri area as well as throughout the Midwest answered the call for volunteers to help with emergency communications and relief operations.

Hams assisted ARES, SATERN, Red Cross, local, state, and Federal emergency management teams, doctors and emergency medical providers, and other relief agencies, and provided countless hours and days helping this stricken community. A long and difficult road to recovery lies ahead, but the brave citizens of the Joplin area have already begun the task of restoring and rebuilding lives and looking to the future.

The Joplin Amateur Radio Club says there are at least eleven local ham radio operators who have lost equipment or antennas, and some have lost their homes. The Joplin ARC is establishing an account to accept donations for the benefit of local hams who have suffered personal losses as a result of the Joplin tornado. Anyone interested in sending contributions or gifts of equipment to the club to aid the tornado victims should mark it “Tornado Relief.” Contributions will be used by the club as needed to help the storm victims and their families.

Monetary donations should be sent to Joplin ARC, PO BOX 2983, Joplin MO 64803-2983. Donations of equipment may be shipped to the club in care of Jim Scott WB0IYC’s office at the following address: Joplin ARC, c/o Scott Electronic Systems, 310 S. Wall Ave. Joplin, MO 64801.
Anyone having questions about donations may contact the club Treasurer, Jim Johannes N0ZSQ jimjohannes@sbcglobal.net. The Joplin Amateur Radio Club http://www.joplin-arc.org is a not for profit corporation, tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(4).

Contributions or gifts to the Joplin Amateur Radio Club are not deductible as charitable contributions for Federal income tax purposes.

Requirements

Nominees for the Iowa Ham of the Year must meet the following requirements to be considered for this award:

• A current Iowa resident
• A licensed Amateur Radio operator
• A member in good standing with the ARRL

Timeline

• Nominations (including the nomination form and any supporting documentation) for the Iowa Ham of the Year must be submitted on or before March 15, 2012.
• The nominee of the winner will be notified by April 5, 2012.
• The official presentation and announcement of the award will be at the DMRAA Hamfest in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 21, 2012.

Additional Information

Although all accomplishments and activities will be considered, the concentration should be on those activities that took place within the past calendar year, and it should be noted when each activity occurred.

The judges will select an award recipient based on their involvement in ham radio, especially community service, promotion, operating, technical knowledge, volunteerism and enthusiasm. All decisions of the judges are final. Nominations and all accompanying material must be mailed to Iowa Ham of the Year Committee, PO Box 81 Dunkerton, IA 50626 or e-mailed to ke0j@dunkerton.net on or before March 15, 2012.

Any questions about the award or nomination process should be directed to Joe Hoepfner, KE0J via e-mail to ke0j@dunkerton.net.

Nomination form

owa Ham of the Year Nomination Form
American Radio Relay League

Nominator Information

Name: ___________________________________ Callsign:
______________________

Street Address:
___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

City: _____________________________ State: _______ Zip code: _________

Phone Number: ___________________ E-mail Address:
___________________________

Nominee Information

Name: ___________________________________ Callsign:
______________________

Street Address:
___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

City: _____________________________ State: _______ Zip code: _________

Phone Number: ___________________ E-mail Address:
___________________________

Why should your nominee be named Iowa Ham of the Year? (Use a separate
sheet of paper if needed.)

Mail this form and answers to the question to Iowa Ham of the Year Committee, PO Box 81 Dunkerton, IA 50626 or e-mail required information to ke0j@dunkerton.net by March 15, 2012. (If the form is mailed, it must be postmarked by March 15, 2012.)