I just spent a pleasant day working in the garden, something I really enjoy doing in the spring. Seeing everything come alive after a long winter is inspiring. And it seems Maple Grove Radio Club, ham radio, and our whole community is coming alive after a very long winter of Covid. If people continue to get vaccinated at the current rate, and we keep being careful a little while longer, the case rate will come down and we’ll finally be able to start getting together again to play radio in person.
Last Saturday, a hamfest took place in Superior, put on by the Arrowhead Radio Amateur Club (ARAC). It was perhaps one of the first hamfests in our area to take place since Covid. I wish I could have been there. I expect a full report from those who were.
Our TALARC squadron is building a shack at the American Legion Chester Bird post in Golden Valley. Tim Arimond and many volunteers have put in long hours on this, they deserve a round of applause. It started as just a shed, but it’s going to be home for our radios.
Although the Twin Cities ride was cancelled, the BikeMS-150 is still in the works. They are short of ham radio operators to work as navigators. This is a great way to learn how we use net control protocol in a planned event, in the same way we do it in an emergency. It was a little scary the first time I volunteered for it, but I learned a lot and it made me a much better radio operator. And it felt good to help in a good cause. If you just took the AERO 101 and 102 classes, this is an opportunity to start putting what you learned in practice.
Finally, we’re going ahead with plans to get together for field day at the Legion! I really think we can pull this off, and it’s going to be a great way to introduce ourselves to the full Legion membership. Food, Fun, Friends, and Frequency, it doesn’t get any better than that. Roy and Carolyn will have more information at the next meeting. I’ll see you all there on Tuesday.
73
Benton Jackson, K0BHJ
