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January 2025 - Maple Grove Radio Club
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If you are having trouble reading this newsletter in your email client try turning off "Dark Mode." Also, you can always read it online from the newsletter archives.
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MGRC Mission Statement
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Maple Grove Radio Club provides education to current and future amateur radio operators, with the goal of serving the public. We are a reliable communications resource for events and emergencies in Maple Grove and surrounding communities.
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(From left to right; Jeff, Kevin, Aaron and Ray. Photo by Chris)
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We had a fun time at the ARRL 160 meter CW Contest. We had a total of 47 QSOs on the gentleman's band.
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President's Message
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As we roll into 2025 we have many things that I’m excited about. I will be tasking those of you who coordinate and run events to put together a brief description, tools you use, contacts for setting up the events, etc. I want to make a database on our website of all of our events and the main points of contact, things that both existing members and new members can look at, ask questions, and get involved. We have many things we do each year and providing a place of coordination I think would be extremely beneficial.
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For January events we have the Beargrease Sled Dog Race on January 26th to the 29th. Volunteer for one day or multiple! We have many club members that make the journey so reach out at our next club meeting if you’re interested.
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Winter Field day is the same weekend as the sled dog race, January 25th and 26th. While we don’t have anyone officially coordinating an effort at this time if you are interested in doing so, we can make sure to set up some stations or operate in the shack at the Legion again.
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We have a great presentation coming up about Getting on Repeaters by Aaron Lewis, W0ADL. If you know someone interested in ham radio please bring them to the club meeting. Getting on repeaters is usually everyone’s fist step after getting their ticket.
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Speaking of getting you ticket, the technician class starts February 5th. It runs for 9-10 weeks and is from 18:45 to 21:15 on zoom. This is a great class and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to get their ham radio license.
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Connect with Elmers/Mentors
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All club members are invited to join our groups.io forum. Please go to https://groups.io/g/MGRC/join to join. It should take less than a day for a moderator to approve. This form is a great way to get any technical questions answered.
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Similarly, all club members are welcome to join our Slack chat:
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Held at the Chester Bird American Legion Post 523 located at 200 Lilac Drive N Golden Valley, MN 55422. Here is a link for directions.
Club meeting starts at 1915 hours (7:15pm CDT). Please come early for social time/ dinner before the meeting.
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Aaron Lewis W0ADL will present "Getting On Repeaters"
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You can also attend by zoom if you are unable to meet in person:
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Next Board Meeting
Members are welcome to attend MGRC Board Meetings (only board members can vote), which are typically the 3rd Thursday of each month.
Board meetings are always by zoom. Please contact president@k0ltc.org or any board member or officer if you would like the Zoom meeting link to attend.
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MGRC Weekly Net
Our weekly Net is on Wednesdays at 20:00 UTC (8pm), on 147.000, positive offset, tone 114.8. We use directed Net protocol and will have a new question for discussion every week. Please call in if you can reach the K0LTC repeater. We need additional NET Operators! If you'd like to receive Net operator training please contact net@k0ltc.org.
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TALARC The American Legion Amateur Radio Club
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Chair: Tim Arimond - N0BYH.
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Shack is operational with both HF and VHF/UHF stations.
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Contact Stephen Cullen if interested in shack access: KF0AED9@gmail.com.
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Just need to be an MGRC member in good standing to be eligible for honorary membership.
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Zoom meetings 4th Thursday of each month at 7pm.
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Interesting Media & Links
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I really enjoy looking at Space Weather Website daily. The "Space Weather Woman" is even more interesting as she gives a bi-monthly live stream of past and possible future Sun activity and propagation. Understanding these prorogation terms will help with the General and Amateur Extra Class material.
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I really like the Solder Smoke Podcast which comes out twice per month. I prefer the YouTube version because they will show on camera what they are working on. This podcast is all about home brew ham radio which I think is really cool. They have a 40 meter direct conversion receiver project. Here is one of the podcast co-hosts website with pictures of his build.
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I really like the banter on the Coffee and Ham Radios podcast. It is like you are at the bar with your ham friends and they talk about what they are up to. They have live streams on Thursday nights and Saturday morning.
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Aaron W0ADL shared this podcast on the clubs slack channel a while back. It goes into more depth in 60 minutes than the ARRL Audio News. It gives you a full picture as to what is going on in the hobby. I have really enjoyed the ham radio history segment over the past couple of months.
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I learned at the first lab of the amateur extra preparation class that making a dipole is not so scary. Since then I've been on the hunt for antenna articles and found this treasure trove by Rudy N6LF.
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ARRL NEWS
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ARRL Awards Recognize Excellence in Ham Radio
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It probably isn’t hard to think of someone you know in the hobby who goes above and beyond in service to amateur radio, their club, their fellow hams, or their community. Volunteers are the very core of the Amateur Radio Service, and that dedication is what carries the ARRL Field Organization. Excellence in on-air operating inspires the rest of us to be better, build better, and do better.
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ARRL seeks your help in honoring the outstanding work done by hams, through the ARRL Service Awards. There are a host of different awards which are divided into four categories: Education Awards, Media/Public Relations Awards, Technical Awards, and Distinguished Service Awards.
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Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award
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Named for the Founding President of ARRL, this award goes to a licensed radio amateur under age 21 who has made exemplary contributions to amateur radio and the local community. Nominees must be current ARRL members. Nomination deadline: March 31, 2025.
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ARRL Herb S. Brier Award for Instructors and Teachers
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Honoring Herb S. Brier, W9AD (SK), ARRL sponsors this award in conjunction with the Lake County (Indiana) Amateur Radio Club to recognize the very best in amateur radio instruction and recruitment. The award goes to a licensed radio amateur and ARRL member who is an ARRL-registered volunteer instructor or ARRL-registered professional classroom teacher. Nomination deadline: March 15, 2025.
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ARRL Microwave Development Award
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This award recognizes a radio amateur or group of radio amateurs who contribute to the development of the amateur radio microwave bands. Nomination deadline: March 31, 2025.
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ARRL Technical Service Award
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This award recognizes a radio amateur or group of radio amateurs who provide amateur radio technical assistance or training to others. Nomination deadline: March 31, 2025.
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ARRL Technical Innovation Award
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This award recognizes a radio amateur or group of radio amateurs who develop and apply new technical ideas or techniques in amateur radio. Nomination deadline: March 31, 2025.
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(Public Relations Awards)
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ARRL Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award
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Honoring Phil McGan, WA2MBQ (SK), this award recognizes a radio amateur and ARRL member who has demonstrated leadership in successfully promoting amateur radio to the public. Nomination deadline: March 31, 2025.
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Honoring Bill Leonard, W2SKE (SK), three annual awards are given to professional journalists or journalistic teams whose outstanding coverage highlights the enjoyment, importance, and public service contribution of the Amateur Radio Service. The award is given in three media categories: audio, visual, and print. Nomination deadline: March 31, 2025.
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(Distinguished Service Awards)
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Knight Distinguished Service Award
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Honoring Joe T. Knight, W5PDY (SK), the award recognizes exceptional contributions by a Section Manager to the health and vitality of ARRL. Nomination deadline: March 31, 2025 (for consideration during the July ARRL Board meeting).
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George Hart Distinguished Service Award
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Honoring George Hart, W1NJM (SK), the award recognizes an ARRL member’s lifetime of activities within the ARRL Field Organization, including the National Traffic System and the Amateur Radio Emergency Service®. Nomination deadline: November 1, 2025.
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2025 ARRL Foundation Scholarships – Final Weeks to Apply
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The ARRL Foundation Scholarship Program continues to accept applications for the 2025 scholarship cycle. The application period is open until 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on January 6, 2025. The scholarships are available to eligible amateur radio operators pursuing higher education. There are more than 100 scholarships ranging from $500 to $25,000.
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The scholarships have been established by generous donors and can help fund a portion of a ham’s education. Descriptions of the scholarships may be found at www.arrl.org/scholarship-descriptions.
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ARRL Director of Development Kevin Beal, K8EAL, is encouraged by the program. “Hams are always learning, and being able to honor that dedication to education through generously funded scholarship programs helps relieve some of the financial burden that students can experience,” he said.
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All applicants must submit a completed online application. Transcripts and any additional required documents must be submitted with the application and not emailed separately. A number of scholarships require additional documents, such as a letter of recommendation from a sitting officer of an ARRL-affiliated club. Applications without accompanying transcripts and additional required documents (if applicable) will not be considered. Scholarship recipients will be notified by early June 2025. Awards are mailed directly to recipients' schools and will be awarded in July 2025.
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ARRL Kids Day is Only a Couple of Weeks Away on January 4, 2025
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Kids Day runs from 1800 UTC - 2359 UTC. Operate as much or as little as you like.
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The event is designed to give on-the-air experience to young people, to foster interest in getting a license of their own, and give older hams a chance to share their stations and love for amateur radio with their children. You can share the excitement with your own kids, grandkids, a Scout troop, a church, or the general public!
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All participants are encouraged to post their story and thumbnail photos to the Kids Day Soapbox page. Tell the world about your operations, the fun you had, and the contacts you made! Remember, ARRL must have a completed release form in order to include youth photos (younger than 18 years of age) in ARRL publications.
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There will be a second ARRL Kids Day on June 21, 2025.
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More information, including frequencies, suggested exchanges, and how to download a certificate, can be found at Kids Day.
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Upcoming State, Section, and Division Conventions
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- January 4 - Ham Radio University, sponsoring the ARRL New York City-Long Island Section Convention, Brookville, New York
- January 10 - 11 | 2025 Southwest Florida Regional Hamfest, sponsoring the ARRL Southern Florida Section Convention, Fort Myers, Florida
- January 17 - 18 | Cowtown Hamfest 25, sponsoring the ARRL North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill, Texas
- January 31 - February 1 | Jackson MS Capital City Hamfest 2025, sponsoring the ARRL Mississippi Section Convention, Jackson, Mississippi
- February 7 - 9 | Orlando HamCation, sponsoring the ARRL Southeastern Division Convention, Orlando, Florida
- February 8 | Hendricks County Hamfest, sponsoring the ARRL Indiana Section Convention, Danville, Indiana
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Board Members
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- President: Zack Whitney – K0ZTW (2021)
- Vice President: Stephen Cullen – KF0AED (2023)
- Secretary: William Oliver – KF0ADU (2022)
- Treasurer: Barb Hanson – KD0HUV (2024)
- Trustee K0LTC: Jerry Dorf – N0FWG
- Member: Clay Bartholow – W0LED (2021)
- Member: Gordon Patenaude – WA0WSR (2023)
- Member: Aaron Lewis – W0ADL (2024)
- Member: Scott Henley – KF0FFE (2024)
- Member: Paul Brandt - K0PJB (2025)
- Member: Chris Silva - KF0MHO (2025)
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Love it, or hate it?
See anything interesting that I missed?
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