I want to wish all ARRL members in the Eastern Massachusetts Section a
very happy and prosperous New Year. It’s an honor and a great
pleasure to serve once again as Section Manager in one of the most
active sections in the country!
I’d like to thank outgoing SM Mike Neilsen, W1MPN for his capable
stewardship of the field organization during the past term. Mike will
continue to play an active role in Amateur Radio locally, representing
ARRL on the Massachusetts State Interoperable Executive Committee.
Eastern MA has an ARES program that is second to none, thanks to the
superb leadership of Section Emergency Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY.
Rob will continue to serve in the role of SEC, and also, SKYWARN
Coordinator for National Weather Service Taunton and Southern New
England.
Some familiar faces and call signs are stepping down from section-level
positions while continuing in their ARES roles. I’d like to publicly
thank the following people for their contributions as Assistant Section
Managers under Mike’s administration: KD1CY, N1FY, KA8SCP, and N1BDA.
They will continue in their leadership roles in ARES under Rob.
Also stepping down after years of service are Bob DiMattia, K1IW,
Technical Coordinator, and Mike, K1LJN, Official Observer Coordinator.
Incoming OOC Ed Parish, K1EP will succeed K1LJN. Ed is an accomplished
engineer and an active contester on HF and VHF who brings years of
technical and on-air experience to the position.
Bob Salow, WA1IDA will assume the vacant Public Information Coordinator
position. Bob has held various leadership and organizational roles, and
he was the founding president of the Boston Amateur Radio Club.
I’m very pleased to announce the appointment of Jason Sample, KB1PQB
as Assistant Section Manager/Youth Activities. Jason is an active
member of Venture Crew 47 ARC (KB1PAL), which is sponsored by the North
Shore Radio Association. We’re indeed fortunate to have someone with
his youth and energy on the staff.
There’s a quote on the ARRL Web site that I like very much. It says,
“Real ham radio happens ‘in the field’ where amateurs practice
their avocation.” Members of the ARRL have a unique opportunity to
see their avocations recognized through section field organization
appointments. For those of you who are unfamiliar with them, these
appointments are: Emergency Coordinator (EC); Local Government Liaison
(LGL); Official Emergency Station (OES); Official Observer (OO);
Official Relay Station (ORS), Public Information Officer (PIO); and
Technical Specialist (TS). You can find additional descriptions of each
appointment at <http://www.arrl.org/field-organization>. You can soon
expect a major recruitment drive to begin to increase the number of
these active field appointments. I stress “active” because we want
to bolster our ranks with persons who are genuinely active and
interested in benefiting our community.
What other changes might you expect to see over the coming months?
Effective immediately, I’m bringing back the traditional Section News
column that once graced the back section of our monthly QST magazine. On
January 1, 2011, look for Section News on the ARRL World Wide Web site
at <http://www.arrl.org/sections/view/eastern-massachusetts>. I’ll
include short, chatty updates on your activities, as well as field
appointments and news from local radio clubs. (More in-depth articles
and stories will continue to be posted to the section’s web site at
<http://ema.arrl.org>.)
Recently, a well-known and respected amateur remarked over the air,
“I used to check into the traffic nets, but it’s just no fun
anymore.” He went on to name a number of reasons why he no longer
participates. One of the pressing needs for Eastern MA (and all
sections, for that matter) is to create a resurgence of activity in the
National Traffic System. For the sake of ARES and emergency
communications preparedness alone, it’s urgent that we strengthen our
traffic networks at the local and section levels. That means the
following: (1) training more new hams in how to prepare, relay, and
deliver formal, written message traffic; (2) more net check-ins; (3)
more message origination; and (4) sending more liaisons to region nets,
among other activities. I have some ideas on how we might accomplish
these things and welcome your input as we brainstorm how to achieve
these goals. I’ll be developing approaches for implementation with my
staff in the coming weeks and months.
It will be challenging to increase NTS activity, but it’s absolutely
essential if we are to fulfill one of the missions of our service, as
laid out in the Basis and Purpose of the Amateur Radio Service:
“Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service
to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service,
particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.”
As many of you know, I’m on the club speaking circuit. I visit clubs
and present about the ARRL field organization, and other topics.
Generally, I can tell at a glance if a club is thriving by how many
younger faces I see in the audience.
It’s imperative that we not only recruit, but also, engage and retain
younger amateurs in our hobby. Often, younger amateurs might feel
disconnected from their peers or isolated among their older, fellow
amateurs. That’s why I’m appointing an Assistant Section Manager
for Youth Activities to identify where the younger hams are in the
section, what they’re up to, and to coordinate activities that
interest them.
These are just a few of my goals and objectives for the coming two
years. I look forward to hearing from you all on how we together might
strengthen the ARRL—and Amateur Radio—in Eastern Massachusetts.
Very 73,
Phil Temples, K9HI
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ARRL Eastern Massachusetts Section
Section Manager: Phillip Temples, K9HI
k9hi@arrl.org
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a field organization of the National Association for Amateur Radio®
