SM003 – OK Hamfests/Tailgate Events 2021

OK Hamfests/Tailgate Events 2021

Hamfests are amateur radio’s in-person conferences or conventions. While we have missed these events for the past year or so, we have four of them scheduled for 2021. The first two of these are outdoor tailgate events, and the last two are full-blown hamfests. If you are new to the hobby, these events allow you to learn more about amateur radio, have fun, and buy and sell equipment from local hams. For us experienced hams, these are great ways to meet old friends, make some new friends, and buy/sell some gear.

Put these dates on your calendar and get your tickets now!

Field Day 2021

ARRL’s Field Day always happens on the fourth full weekend in June. Field Day is ham radio’s open house, and it is an excellent way for you to show amateur radio to your friends and family. If you are new to amateur radio, this is a great place to learn more about the hobby quickly. Typically, most operating modes are on display or are available for you to discussJoin more than 40,000 hams throughout North America set up temporary transmitting stations. It combines public service, emergency preparedness, education, fun, community outreach, and technical skills all in a single event. Field Day has been held annually since 1933 and remains the most popular event in ham radio. More information is available in the June issue of QST, and all of the details are online at http://www.arrl.org/field-day. Find a local field day site, or list your club on the field day locator site at http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator.

Clubs

Amateur radio clubs are the backbone of the hobby. All of the tremendous local hams have good information, and as Elmers or mentors, they love to share it. Send something that your club is doing well to me n5hzr@arrl.org, and I’ll feature your club in this newsletter. Most clubs have seen an increase in new member activity during the pandemic. Our Oklahoma Affiliated Club Coordinator, Jim Shideler W5JCS, can help you find a club or help your club become affiliated. We currently have 38 clubs listed on the ARRL Find-a-club directory at http://www.arrl.org/find-a-club. Look for a club near you, or verify that your club is on the list. Send Jim an email at W5JCS@arrl.net if you need club assistance.

You can find ARRL Oklahoma Section all over the web at:

JOIN/RENEW ARRL NOW — http://arrl.org/join/

73, de N5HZR — Stand by, more follows…

SM002 – Where to find ARRLOK?

The American Radio Relay League Oklahoma Section (ARRLOK) is the local field organization that links local hams with the ARRL. If you’re reading this, you have found at least one way to interact with us. However, there are a half dozen ways to get section information.

Thanks to Lloyd Colston KC5FM, we have a significant presence on the social media platforms of Blogspot, Facebook, and Twitter. In addition to these section updates, Lloyd posts great amateur radio content on the Blogspot, Facebook, and Twitter platforms. Take a look at the other media that you haven’t viewed recently.

You can find ARRL Oklahoma Section all over the web at:

To keep this information easily accessible, we’ll keep posting these directories at the bottom of each Section Newsletter.

And, you’re always welcome to email me if you still have questions or concerns at n5hzr@arrl.org.

Field Day

Field Day is always on the fourth full weekend in June. More information in a future newsletter, but all of the details are online at http://www.arrl.org/field-day. Find a local field day site, or make sure your club is listed on the field day locator site at http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator.

Clubs

Amateur radio clubs are the backbone of the hobby. All of the tremendous local hams have good information, and as Elmers or mentors, they love to share it. Most clubs have seen an increase in new member activity during the pandemic. Our Affiliated Club Coordinator, Jim Shideler W5JCS, can help you find a club or help your club become affiliated. We currently have 38 clubs listed on the ARRL Find-a-club directory at http://www.arrl.org/find-a-club. Look for a club near you, or verify that your club is on the list. Send Jim an email at W5JCS@arrl.net if you need club assistance.

ARESOK Update

On the new ARESOK website, we’ve updated the member listing page. It now includes contact information for your district, region, and section leaders. Take a look at https://aresok.org/ and make sure all of your contact information is correct.

On-The-Air Nets

Peter Laws N5UWY collects information on all of the local, section, and regional nets in Oklahoma. If you run a net and haven’t received an email from Peter, send him an email at n5uwy@arrl.net to get it on the ARESOK.org and ARRL.org net directories.

Hamfests

Hamfests are our in-person conferences. We’ve got two of them scheduled for 2021. If you are new to the hobby, these are great events to learn more about amateur radio and buy and sell equipment from the locals. Put these dates on your calendar and get your tickets now!

You can find ARRL Oklahoma Section all over the web at:

73, de N5HZR — Stand by, more follows…

SM001 – Hello Oklahoma!

Welcome to the ARRL Oklahoma Section News. I’m Mark Kleine N5HZR and over the past 35+ years, I’ve been able to meet a good number of you at hamfests, club meetings, and special events. As I started this Section Manager journey during the past couple of weeks, I’ve had the great pleasure of meeting hundreds more of you via email, DMR, and Zoom. I want to thank all of the kind messages you all have extended to me during this transition time. And, I’m so grateful that you all have been so gracious with your time and future commitments. If we haven’t had the chance to meet, please feel free to send me an email.

I want to thank past Section Manager Kevin O’Dell N0IRW for his efforts over the years to build a better Oklahoma Section and for all he has done to smooth my entry into this new role.

New ARES Website

As luck would have it, we have implemented a new ARESOK.org website over the past few weeks, as well. Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) Section Emergency Manager Mark Conklin N7XYO, Paul Teel WA5ANX, Ben Joplin WB5VST, and I have worked to bring the new site to life and get 800 ARES members’ contact information transferred. Each existing ARES member received an email that welcomed them to the new site and provided their login credentials. If you haven’t logged back in, please visit ARESOK.org and click the forgot password button. If you haven’t already registered, do it today. Once you get logged in, you can see the contact information for your fellow county members. Also, take a look at the counties page to see if your Emergency Coordinator (EC) is listed. If you notice any members that are no longer involved with your ARES program or any other changes, please send me a message, and I will update the records. I want to thank Roland Stolfa KC5UNL for his efforts in providing and managing the ARESOK.org website over the past 15 years.

And So Much More

It’s a great time to be involved in Oklahoma amateur radio. Standby more follows…

73 Mark