SM054 – Hamfest Wrapup, POTA meet up, and HOA legislation

Hamfest Wrapup

Last weekend was the Ardmore hamfest. The prize winners are all listed on https://hamarama.org/. And, thanks to ALL who showed up, bought raffle tickets, volunteered, and publicized at the six hamfests we had in Oklahoma throughout 2025.
For 2026, we have seven hamfests on the books. We start in January in Checotah, Elk City and Altus in March, Green Country (Claremore) in April, Ham Holiday (OKC) in July, Texoma Hamarama (Ardmore) in October, and we’ll finish the year in Enid in November. Keep up to date with all seven hamfests at https://ok.arrl.org/hamfests/.

POTA Meetup in Norman 10/18/2025

Support the HOA Legislation

Support the ARRL’s HOA legislation by entering your callsign to send letters to your legislators. There are two options for amateur radio operators: English and Spanish. There is also a link for our friends holding GMRS licenses. Those communities requested the Spanish and GMRS links. So,

https://send-a-letter.org/hoa/ — Amateur Radio Operators in English

https://send-a-letter.org/espanol/ — Amateur Radio Operators translated to Spanish

https://send-a-letter.org/gmrs/ — For our friends who are GMRS licensees

SM053 – HOA Legislation, We Need Your Help

YOU CAN HELP US CHANGE THE LEGAL RIGHTS OF AMERICAN HAMS

Go to — https://send-a-letter.org/hoa/ — enter your call sign and click on “Send My Letters” and your letters will be delivered to our Washington legislative team for hand delivery to your Representative and Senators.

The ARRL is focused on reducing legal restraints on the ability of American Amateur Radio Operators to engage in the active practice and enjoyment of Amateur Radio.  One of the most insidious and increasing threats to the survival of Amateur Radio and our ability to serve our communities and Nation, as we are required to do by Federal regulation, is the proliferation of private land use restrictions that prohibit the installation of outdoor antennas and that sometimes actually deny Federally licensed Amateurs from operating any amateur radios, regardless of where their antennas are located — in their attics, hidden in trees, or mounted on their vehicles.

Federal law — since 1996 — has guaranteed to every American — except Amateur Radio Operators — the right to erect antennas outside or on their residences for the purpose of TV reception, satellite TV and internet access, wireless internet access and even wireless internet redistribution. But Amateur Radio operators are denied the equal right to erect comparable antennas.

Since 2005 Federal law has also guaranteed to every American the right to proudly display the American Flag by installing flagpoles in their yards. But, despite that right to install vertical poles in their yards — American Radio Amateurs are denied the right to use those vertical flagpoles as vertical antennas.

We believe the denial — to licensed Amateur Radio Operators — of the rights guaranteed to all non-Amateur Radio licensed American homeowners — the right to install antennas on the land they own — is without justification and should not be permitted to continue.

To eliminate these private land use restrictions, the ARRL has worked over the past several years with our elected officials to draft Congressional legislation — H.R. 1094 in the U.S. House of Representatives and S. 459 in the U.S. Senate — that when passed will extend to all Hams the right to operate from their homes and the right to install antennas on the land they own. We have bipartisan support for this legislation.

BUT, WE NEED YOUR HELP TO PASS THIS LEGISLATION!

How can you help? By sending a letter to your Representative and Senators asking that they co-sponsor and support H.R. 1094 and S. 459.

How can you send these letters? It is easy.

Go to — https://send-a-letter.org/hoa/ — enter your call sign and click on “Send My Letters” and your letters will be delivered to our Washington legislative team for hand delivery to your Representative and Senators.

SM052 – Oklahoma Upcoming Hamfests

Two Oklahoma Hamfests are still on the calendar for 2025. Amateur radio operators attend hamfests to buy things, sell things, learn things, take license tests, and meet old and new friends.

Enid Hamfest
The Enid Hamfest is on Saturday, September 20, 2025; tickets are available online at https://enidarc.org/store. Save $2 and order early, online!

Ardmore Hamfest Texoma Hamarama
The Ardmore Hamfest, Texoma Hamarama, is on October 11, 2025; tickets are available online at https://hamarama.org/tix. Save $2 and order early, online!

Ardmore Texoma Hamarama – Super Raffle

The Texoma Hamarama Hamfest has another super raffle for a Yaesu FT-DX101D HF-50 MHz 100-watt super radio. Get your tickets before we run out at  https://hamarama.org/super/. This 100-watt HF radio is an awesome flagship model. This radio is valued at well over $4,000. Raffle tickets are only $20, with only 300 tickets sold.

The winner of this prize does not have to be present to win, and the winner will be announced at the 2025 Texoma Hamarama Hamfest. So, even if you can’t come, you can participate in the action!

Hamfest Survey

To learn more about what you want at future hamfests, I have built a quick survey to let you help the Oklahoma hamfests build better events in 2026. Please take about 2 minutes to respond to this survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JP2C8VP. All results are anonymous, and I’ll share the results with all of the Oklahoma hamfests. Thanks in advance!!!!

Oklahoma Hamfest Schedule
Elk City – Early March
Altus – Late March
Green Country – Mid April
Oklahoma City – Late July
Enid – Mid September
Ardmore – Late October

All the details about OK hamfests are available online at: https://ok.arrl.org/hamfests/

Plan now, and see you there!!!

Clubs

Amateur radio clubs are the backbone of the hobby. 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, and on the ARRL club newsletter. Most clubs are seeing an increase in new member activity recently. Our Oklahoma Affiliated Club Coordinator, Jim Shideler W5JCS, can help you find a club or help your club become affiliated. We currently have 39 clubs listed at https://ok.arrl.org/clubs/. 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.

ARRL Oklahoma is On The Web

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

73, de N5HZR — Stand by, more follows…

SM051 – Ham Holiday 2025

Ham Holiday 2025 OKC Hamfest July 25/26 – Super Raffle

Ham Holiday 2025 is Friday and Saturday, July 25 and 26, 2025. Tickets are available online at https://hamholiday.com/tix/. Bring your amateur radio friends or make new ones here. This year, we are having a super raffle for a Yaesu FT-DX101D HF-50 MHz 100 watt radio. Get your tickets before we run out at https://hamholiday.com/raffle/ .This 100-watt HF radio is an awesome flagship model. This radio is valued at well over $3,200. Raffle tickets are only $20, with only 300 tickets sold.

The winner of this prize does not have to be present to win, and the winner will be announced at the 2025 Ham Holiday Hamfest.

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On Friday, July 25, the doors will be open from 3:00 pm to 6:30 pm, with the Ham Holiday Friday Banquet starting at 6:30 pm. Banquet tickets are still available. This year our banquet speaker is Tim Duffy K3LR, CEO of DX Engineering. Tim was an Edmond club member before transplanting to Pennsylvania. Tim will talk about where he sees the amateur radio hobby. This year, through the generosity of ICOM and DX Engineering, the main raffle prize for the banquet is an ICOM 7300 radio. This fan-favorite transceiver covers the HF through 50MHz bands with 100 W of output power, has sold over 100,000 units worldwide. You must have a 2025 banquet ticket and must be present to win!!

Friday Banquet
Banquet ticketing information is available on the tickets page.
Saturday, July 26, the doors are open from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.

Location
All of this happens at Oklahoma City Community College, 7777 S May, Oklahoma City, just south of I-240, on May Ave. There is some construction on 74th Ave, so take a look at the construction update on https://hamholiday.com.

Flea Market
Buy, sell, trade, and learn all about amateur radio at Ham Holiday 2025.

Ham Holiday 2025 is a two-day HamFest held continuously since 1974. Ham Holiday will again be at the Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) in Southwest Oklahoma City this year. We will be in the OCCC Student Union. Follow the arrows when you get to campus and head to Parking Lot D.
There will also be forums or classes to help you gain knowledge and learn something new about various topics.

The amateur radio license examination session will be at 12:30 pm on Saturday. You can get your amateur radio license, or upgrade your ticket right on-site, for no testing fee.

Super Raffle
In addition to the great door prizes, this year, we have a special limited raffle for a chance to win that Yeasu FT-DX101D radio worth over $3,200. Only 300 twenty-dollar tickets will be sold for this raffle and they are going fast. Please get your tickets today before they run out.

You can get your tickets online today or at the door, and we’ll see you there.

73

SM050 – Field Day 2025 and OK NTS Additional Contest

What is Field Day?

ARRL Field Day is the most popular on-the-air event held annually in the US and Canada. On the fourth full weekend of June each year, thousands of radio amateurs gather with their clubs, groups, or friends to operate remotely.

Field Day is a picnic, a campout, practice for emergencies, an informal contest, and, most of all, FUN! For more information and to find the nearest field day site, visit ARRL’s Field Day site at https://www.arrl.org/field-day

We use these same skills when we help with events such as marathons and bike-a-thons, fund-raisers such as walk-a-thons, celebrations such as parades, and exhibits at fairs, malls, and museums, which are all large, preplanned, non-emergency activities.

OK NTS Contest for Field Day 2025

THIS YEAR, we have added an extension to let you send radiograms and transfer messages through Amateur Radio. The object is to exchange as many NTS messages as possible on the 40m, 80m, and 2m bands.

For more information…

All of the details and information are available at the OK NTS Contest 2025 flyer at https://ok.arrl.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/OKNTS-2025.pdf

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 me something that your club is doing well at 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.

SM049 – Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act Re-Introduced

Legislation Will Increase Communication Options During Natural Disasters

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Richard Blumenthal, D- Conn., and Representatives August Pfluger, R-Tex., and Joe Courtney, D-Conn. announced their joint re-introduction of legislation in the Senate and House to restore the right to Amateur Radio operators to install the antennas necessary to serve their communities.

Here in Oklahoma, we ask all amateur radio clubs and individuals to visit https://ok.arrl.org/hoa/. This page has all of our contact information and template letters. Please note that all letters should be sent to the email and address listed. Letters emailed to legislators tend to get lost in the cleansing process. ARRL will aggregate these letters and deliver them directly to our senators and representatives. If you don’t live in an HOA, please complete a letter to make sure those in the HOAs will be there to contact you.

Please fill out the letters as soon as possible.

SM048 – Winter Field Days

Winter Field Day is among us. Field days are a great way to learn how to operate your radios or other peoples’ radios. Typically, a field day operation starts mid-day on Saturday and operates for 24 hours straight. I’ve listed all the Winter Field Day sites I’m familiar with, so you can join the fun no matter where you live. Also, you can operate from your house to contact as many folks as possible. More information (and the new rules for this year) are available at https://winterfieldday.com/. Visit one of these sites, or fire up your radio to make some noise on HF!

 

OKLAHOMA CITY

Oklahoma City Emergency Management will be standing up an Outdoor “2O” Winter Field Day operation on Saturday, January 25th, from 10 a.m. to Sunday, the 26th, at 3:30 p.m. You are invited to drop by and visit or sign up to operate.

Location: 4600 N M L King –  The OKC Regional Multi-Agency Coordination Center RMAC/EOC. The operation will be in a tent above the underground facility with a generator-providing 120 VAC source. ( …and some heat) Come to the second gate east of M L King on Meyers Place and press the intercom button. You can’t miss the huge, heavily loaded radio tower site.

Lt David Storer and Officer Kevin Long are providing this as an opportunity for those who volunteered and attended the AUXCOMM training course to begin completing activities required in their Position Task Books.  But you do not have to be one of their volunteers to come by and visit or operate. If you wish to sign up to operate one of the stations, you can do so. The link to sign up is

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A45AEAE2AA6FEC16-54149977-winter#/

Times are set up in 6-hour blocks to help them with scheduling operators.

No food will be provided.  Operators should bring sufficient food to be self-sustaining, as per the training for deployments.

 

MID-DEL

Event by Mid-Del Amateur Radio Club
Joe B. Barnes Regional Park
8700 E Reno Ave, Midwest City, OK 73130
Duration: 2 days
Public  · Anyone on or off Facebook

The Winter Field Day event runs on Saturday and Sunday. We are still making plans, so times are subject to change. We will finalize our schedule at our Monday, 1/13 club meeting.

The Mid-Del Amateur Radio Club will host a public Winter Field Day event on Saturday, 1/25, and Sunday, 1/26.

We will be open to the public on Saturday from Noon to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm.

All are welcome to visit, chat, observe, or get on the air.

On Saturday, we will also hold a VE Test session from 3 to 5 p.m. for those wishing to obtain or upgrade their Amateur Radio license.

Where: Joe B Barnes Regional Park in Midwest City. South of the Fred Quinn Happy Trails Dog Park. 8517 E Reno Ave, Midwest City, OK 73110. Look for the Mid-Del Club banner.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/547QSNBZdrdMWpt9A

The day will help enhance the essential skills of those who generously volunteer their time and equipment to these organizations. Preparedness is the key to a professional and timely response during any event, and local and state authorities expect this when they reach out to emergency service groups that offer their services.

Members: Setup will be on Saturday at 10  a.m. All help will be appreciated. Tear down will begin at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Please come by and help with the event if you are available. Also, please bring your own chair, as the club chairs will be dedicated to operator use, testing, and guests.

 

TULSA

The Tulsa Amateur Radio Club (TARC) will operate Winter Field Day at Haikey Creek Park,

11327 S Garnett Rd, Broken Arrow, OK 74011-9600, starting at noon on Saturday.

 

TECUMSEH

Name: Tecumseh Amateur Radio Club

Callsign: KD5WAV

Category: O

Visitors are welcome!

We will be operating on the oval of Oklahoma Baptist University and would love for people to come by and observe and ask questions.

 

LAKE EUFAULA STATE PARK

Crossroads Amateur Radio Club

Callsign: AD5MC

Category: O

Visitors are welcome! See info below for more details.

Winter Field Day January 25-26th

Lake Eufaula State Park at Yurt on Longhorn Loop

Talk in on 146.52 or KB5QAI repeater 443.9750 +5 PL 100.0

carcradio.org

facebook.com/ad5mc

 

BARTLESVILLE

Name: Bartlesville Amateur Radio Club

Callsign: W5NS

Category: I

Visitors are welcome!

https://bartlesvilleamateurradioclub.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/barcbartlesville

The public is welcome to visit on Saturday, although the best time to see the action is from Noon to about 5 pm.

We are planning on being at Cabin 3. Look for vehicles with antennas on them.

Hams: Talk-in frequency will be the 146.655 repeater (88.5hz PL).

Note: All vehicles are required to pay to park at the park. There are signs to pay for parking or visit the office as you enter. Seniors and Veterans, please let them know as there are discounts. For more information, call the park office at Osage Hills State Park | TravelOK.com – Oklahoma’s Official Travel & Tourism Site

 

ELK CITY

Name: West Central Ok Amateur Radio Club

Callsign: K5WCO

Category: I

Visitors are welcome!

sites.google.com/view/wcoarc

Visitors welcome!

105 Alee Dr, Elk City, OK

The building is open Friday afternoon/Saturday morning for setup.

VE Testing 1:00 PM Saturday, pre-register on the website.. no fee to test

SM047 – Ardmore Hamarama Hamfest 10/26/2024

Here comes the Ardmore Hamarama https://hamarama.org hamfest, which will be held on October 26, 2024, at the Ardmore, OK Convention Center. Entry tickets are only $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Flea market tables are going fast for $15. Plan to visit Ardmore to see your old friends, make new friends, attend great training forums, and buy/sell tons of radio equipment.

CORA will offer another chance to win a Yaesu FTDX10 Special Package Super Raffle this year. For only a $20 super raffle entry ticket, you can win a chance to win a $3,000+ deluxe radio package. Only 300 raffle tickets will be sold. This raffle includes the Yaesu FTDX10 Compact HF/50 MHz 100W SDR Transceiver, TekPower TP30SWI 30 Amp DC 13.8V Power Supply, Yaesu SP-30 Matching Speaker, DXCommander Antenna, Coax (50’), CAT Cable, and a Vibroplex SRacer DLX Morse Code Key.

Hotel rooms are available on-site if you’d like to stay the night, and amateur radio license testing will be available Saturday at 11:00 a.m. Tickets can be bought online; all the details are available at https://hamarama.org/tix/.

See you there!

SM046 – Amateur Radio Homeowner Association (HOA) Legislation

We have discussed relief for amateur radio operators living in Homeowner Associations (HOAs) and other land use restriction areas. The ARRL has worked to create and have filed a pair of bills, one in the United States House of Representatives and one in the United States Senate. As you remember from middle school civics class, the bill must pass both houses of Congress and then be signed by the President.

We need Congress to approve these bills, and we need your help to encourage our Oklahoma legislators to take action to pass them. Please print out a letter for each Senator quickly and for your specific Representative.

SM045 – Field Day is Coming!!!

Here comes the Amateur Radio Superbowl! This year, the weekend will be June 22-23, 2024. Field Day is where tens of thousands of amateur radio operators get on the air to test their emergency operation abilities. It’s also a great place to teach or learn about amateur radio modes that you may not have tried. “Bring someone to Field Day” this year and share your passion. More information about ARRL’s Field Day is available online at https://www.arrl.org/field_day. You can also find a local Field Day on the ARRL site by logging in and visiting https://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator. Publicize your local Field Day site by adding a station at  https://www.arrl.org/field_days/add, and you’ll be on your way!

ARRL Digital Systems

In case you’re concerned about the digital outage at ARRL-land, there’s some background at

https://ok.arrl.org/sm044-arrl-digital-infrastructure-issues/. Systems are starting to come back online. The phone system was restored last week, W1AW started automated operations, ARRL store orders started shipping last week, ARRL FCC tests were uploaded last week, and the https://contests.arrl.org/ site came back online for the upcoming VHF contest and the ARRL International Digital Contest (others to be backfilled.) Logbook of The World (LoTW) and the learning site are still offline.

Ham Holiday – Oklahoma City – July 26-27

The 2024 Hamfest season is in full swing. The Oklahoma City Hamfest, Ham Holiday, will be July 26-27, 2024. Tickets are available online at https://hamholiday.com/tix/. Don’t forget this year’s special Yaesu FTDX10 Operating Package. Everything you need to operate on phone, CW, and digital (except a computer<G>.) Tickets are only $20, and only 300 will be sold. Buy yours today at https://hamholiday.com/raffle/.

ARES Oklahoma

Oklahoma’s Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) is rolling through another storm season. More information is available online at https://aresok.org/. Log in and verify your contact information and training profile by clicking on your name in the upper right. ECs, you now have a way to download your county data in a CSV file from the reports menu.

de N5HZR — 73, Mark