April 12 ,2025

Greetings!
I hope this finds you well... and RADIO ACTIVE. :-)

CONTENTS
- Getting New Hams Started “Right”
- CT Section Manager Cabinet Openings
- Volunteering at Public Service Events
- Upcoming Hamfests
- ARRL Field Day 2025
- National Weather Service: SKYWARN Spotter Training

Getting New Hams Started “Right”
With more people getting their License, why do so many New Hams drop the
hobby after 1 year? Is it because of fear, ignorance, sheer frustration,
or being overwhelmed?
Every NEW HAM Needs Support.
Amateur Radio is all about building friendships and helping others. In
ham radio we call that person an “Elmer”. So, if you see a New Ham,
make a friend and offer to help him get started right. Help them Get On
The Air and bring them to ham events. Your kindness will go a long way
and will be greatly appreciated by the New Ham.
Clubs: Here’s an idea!
Consi der creating a roster of Ham Buddies pair to New Hams –
especially when they pass their first license test at your VE Testing
Site.

Section Manager (SM) Cabinet Openings
Each SM appoints a cabinet of leaders who are in charge of ARRL programs
within the Section. You will always find a list of these leaders on the
Section page of the ARRL web site. Our leaders train and recommend
operators to the Section Manager for an ARRL appointment once the
operator has the requisite skill set.
** Appointees to the Field Organization must be ARRL members. **

Due to Covid and the normal course of retirements and relocations, your
new Section Manager is looking for a few sharp individuals to assist on
the SM Cabinet
We are currently looking to fill the following 4 positions:

State Government Liaison (SGL)
The SGL reports to the SM and keeps up with legislation that affects
Amateur radio in Connecticut at the State level. He recommends others
for appointment as Local Government Liaisons (LGLs) and coordinates
their activi ties. Together, this team informs the Amateur Radio
community about legislation, and recruits support for bills that will
enhance our service.

Affiliated Club Coordinator (ACC)
The ACC reports to the SM and keeps track of club listings, club
officers, club activities, and encourages Special Service certification.
The ACC is the key point of contact for affiliated clubs, and clubs
seeking designation as an ARRL Affiliated Club.

Public Information Coordinator (PIC)
Reporting to the SM, the PIC promotes publicity about Amateur Radio in
the Section and appoints Public Information Officers (PIOs). If you are
interested in communicating with the Media in your area, you can become
a PIO with some additional training.

Section Youth Coordinator (SYC)
The role of the SYC is to: assess youth activity within ARRL affiliated
clubs, promote youth related on-air activities, encourage youth related
programs and activities within clubs and, provide youth related ideas
and resources to Amateur Radio Clubs within the Section. The SYC will
need to build a small team of Assistants to make it happen across the
state.
Good news: The previous SYC established relationships with the 4 CT
based Councils of Scouting America (previously known as: Boy Scouts of
America) over the past 7 years.


Volunteering at Public Service Events
These events (Bike-Athons, Run-Athons, Walk-Athons, Swim-Athons, etc)
are great opportunities to help out a worthy cause and practice your
hobby in a real world situation requiring communications support.
Right now, I have the following events listed:

April
Sunday – 4/13 (7 am)
Cheshire Half Marathon & 5K
Cheshire High School
Contact: Eric - KB1JL kb1jl@...

Saturday – 4/19 (8:45 am)
Niantic Boardwalk 5K
Niantic, CT
Contact: Harrison - W1HAF w1haf@...

May
Sunday. 5/18
Bloomin' Metric Bike Ride
Sherwood Island State Park,
Westport, CT
Contact: TBA

Sunday, May 18 (9 am)
Baystate Trail Riders Horse Event
Thompson, CT
Contact: Brian - N1BAM

June
Sunday, 6/8/25 – Litchfield Hills Road Race (11 am)
Litchfield, CT
Contact: Paul - KB1TOR paulgibb@...


CT Hamfests
We have 3 Hamfest coming soon. You really don’t want to miss them!
- Grab a few Ham buddies and carpool up together and have a great time.

Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
What: SECARS Amateur Radio Fleamarket/Hamfest
Sponsor: SouthEastern Connecticut Amateur Radio Society
(https://secars.org)
Place: Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Hall,
1650 CT Route 12, Gales Ferry
Time: 8:30 am – 2 pm


Date: Fri./Sat./Sun., May 9 - 11
What: 48th Eastern VHF/UHF/Microwave Conference
S ponsor: The North East Weak Signal Group
Place: Hilton Garden Inn
Corporate Drive, Windsor
(I-91 Exit 38 to Day Hill Rd.)
Time: See Flyer
Flyer: https://www.newsvhf.com/conference/


Date: Saturday, May 17
What: Goshen Hamfest
Sponsor: Southern Berkshire Amateur Radio Club (SBARC)
Place: Goshen Fairgrounds, 116 Old Middle Street, Goshen CT
(Just south of the Traffic Circle on Route 4)
Time: 8 am – 1 pm


ARRL FIELD DAY 2025 is COMING!
June 28 – 29
Time is starting to get short on planning your ARRL Field Day (FD) 2025.
If you are a member in a Club, I encourage you to take an active role
and participate – The More, The Merrier!
However, if you operate solo or in a small team, now is the time to
start organizing and planning where you will be, getting site
permission, etc.
Info about ARRL FD 2025 can be found at:
https://www.arrl.org/field-day

PROMOTING FIELD DAY and AMATEUR RADIO

A) You can now order ARRL FD Shirts, Patches, Pins, Caps, Etc at the
ARRL STORE
https://tinyurl.com/426zfnp2

B) Look for a PUBLIC location where you can get a good amount of
visitors walking by.
- Easy access, parking, and lots of Signage is key.

C) Don’t keep your FD site a secret!
Put your site on the ARRL FD Locator Map…TODAY!
Please be sure to post your operating site on the FD Locator Map, and
let us see where you are operating.
Map Link:
https://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator

The FD Locator Map is a powerful tool in promoting Amateur Radio and
encouraging Hams and Non-Hams (including Municipal and State officials)
to visit.


National Weather Service: SKYWARN Spotter Training
Radio amateurs participating as SKYWARN volunteers assist the NWS with
real-time observations of adverse weather conditions that pose an
imm inent threat to life and property. Those alerts may include
tornadoes, waterspouts, damaging hail, blizzard conditions, sleet,
strong winds, heavy rainfalls and flooding, dust storms, damage
assessment, and other significant anomalies. NWS personnel can utilize
information from ham radio operators to issue alerts or assess threat
levels to areas that may be affected by abnormal conditions.

Thursday May 8th, 2025
600-800 PM EDT:
Mashantucket Police Department
100 Pequot Trail, Mashantucket, CT 06338
Taught by: NWS Forecaster
Registration Required:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfBOyyaQLmM5fupa2_pkoXvhaWOhvtE6d3NK8Wg6uIeBLyLCQ/viewform

Tuesday June 17th, 2025
600-800 PM EDT:
Vernon Public Safety Building
280 West St, Vernon, CT 06066
Taught by: NWS Forecaster
Registration Required:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd_SKwP0NjpObpoYB3cpkICYejZgxWdzkuAk-wktJqqFlcmfQ/viewform


SEE YOU ON TH E AIR!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
73, Douglas Sharafanowich – WA1SFH
ARRL Section Manager, Connecticut
Cell: 203-494-3885
wa1sfh@...

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ARRL Connecticut Section
Section Manager: Douglas E Sharafanowich, WA1SFH
wa1sfh@...
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