This pandemic is a different kind of emergency than we’ve been training for. It’s a slow burn, and there’s going to be no need for backup communications. But just because we’re in one kind of emergency, doesn’t mean that other emergencies won’t happen. Hurricane Laura didn’t wait her turn, and Amateur Radio operators along the…
It is hard to stay enthusiastic about public service amateur radio in a time when everything we do is cancelled. We all must find ways to overcome this. One thing we can do is training. If you haven’t taken the basic FEMA classes, ICS-100, 700, 800, and 200, get that out of the way, so…
It is time to start thinking about our elections for Board of Directors in September. If you love Maple Grove Radio Club and want to help us continue to grow and improve, this is your chance to take a bigger part. We have term limits, so 2 board members are not eligible for re-election. We…
Maple Grove Radio Club (K0LTC.org), and Minnesota Youth Amateur Radio Council (MNYARC.org) have received permission of the ARRL VEC and the FCC to conduct completely online video-supervised testing with strict rules and protocols for maintaining the integrity of the testing environment. Candidates may sign up to be on the waiting list, but you may not…
President’s Message June 2020 It has been a tough month. We’re still keeping our distance to stay safe from the Coronavirus, and now we have civil unrest. I hope everybody is keeping safe from that as much as possible. Our first remote VE sessions went off without a hitch. We tested 11 candidates. 8 passed…
President’s Message May 2020 I thought these President’s messages were going to be easy to write- I’d thank people for the past month’s volunteer activities and talk about upcoming opportunities. Well, the world has been turned upside down, and most of our public service activities are on hold. I’d like to start out with a…
The Maple Grove Radio Club board has decided that it is unlikely for gathering restrictions to be eased in time for our potential date of Aug 8th. Since we would have to start spending money now to prepare, we unfortunately have to cancel for 2020. Watch this space for an announcement of when we’ll hold…
President’s Message April 2020 This is a very difficult President’s message. The world has stopped turning due to the SARS CoV 2 pandemic. All in-person activities have been cancelled. The Technician Licensing Class is continuing online using Google Meet. Administering the VE exam safely, honestly, and legally will be a challenge. The AERO 100 class…
I regret to inform you that Midwinter Madness has been postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. We are not doing this out of fear. I expect most of us will get this virus at some point, it will be miserable, and most of us will recover just fine. But some will need to be hospitalized,…
President’s Message March 2020 Our first meeting at Life Assembly Church went well. I appreciate how everybody pitches in to set up the tables and chairs. I pointed to where they were stored, started setting up my laptop, then looked up and everything was set up! This will be a good place for us to…