First weekend of 2024

For the first weekend of 2024 - here are the goings on that might interest fellow aficionados of QRP and CW. And even if they don't interest you - there's always that perennial question you hear on weekends - "Which contest is this?"

Contests:

Marconi Club ARI Loano QSO Party Day - http://www.ariloano.it/marconiclub/mcd_reg/regolamentomcday_ENG.pdf

WW PMC Contest - http://www.s59dcd.si/index.php/sl/ww-pmc/ww-pmc-contest-rules

EUCW 160m Contest - https://www.eucw.org/eu160.html

Special Events:

01/06/2024 | MRAC 107th Anniversary

Jan 6, 1600Z-2200Z, W9RH, Milwaukee, WI. Milwaukee Radio Amateurs' Club. ~7.250 ~14.250 ~21.350 145.390. Certificate. Email specialevent@w9rh.org, to receive, certificate. Celebrating 107 years of continuous service to the Milwaukee amateur radio community. Also celebrating 105 years of affiliation with the ARRL. Work us on HF, our VHF repeater, or WiRES-X (#43588). Certificate available upon email request. See web page for details. https://www.w9rh.org/special-event-station

01/06/2024 | Second Seminole Indian War Reenactment

Jan 6-Jan 7, 1300Z-2200Z, K2S, Bushnell, FL. Hog County Amateur Radio Association - K4HOG. 14.045 - CW 14.250-260 - PH 21.325 - PH 28.450 - PH. Certificate. Gene King, KI4LEH, 4655 NW 68th Blvd., Lake Panasoffkee, FL 33538. Times are daily. This event/reenactment commemorates Dade's Battle of 1835 during the Second Seminole War. Taking place at the current location known as the Historic Dade Battlefield State Park in Bushnell, Florida. This will be the first time our association or any amateur club has set up a Special Event Station. K4HOGFL@gmail.com or https://k4hog.org

Tomorrow is also "ARRL Kids Day" - Kids Day is designed to give on-the-air experience to young people and hopefully foster interest in getting a license of their own. It is also intended to give older hams a chance to share their station and love for Amateur Radio with their children - https://www.arrl.org/Kids-Day

On another note, I received a nice e-mail from the Quarter Century Wireless Association congratulating me on 45 years of being a licensed Amateur Radio operator.  It also directed me to a site where I am able to generate a certificate, suitable for framing or display on my shack wall.

This was a very welcomed surprise; and I don't mean to be petty, but this is more than anything I ever receive from the ARRL.  The only correspondence that I get from them are invitations to purchase the latest version of the ARRL Handbook, or invitations to donate to their various fund raising efforts like the Diamond Club. Heck, they seem to have even done away with sending the 10% discount birthday coupon.

Seriously, I know money is tight for the ARRL - just like it is for everyone else. But how much would it cost them to keep track of how long an ARRL Member has been an ARRL Member and generate a pdf certificate to celebrate that? As a Life Member, I an not entitled to anniversary milestone pins that other regular members receive. I have friends who have received pins for 40 and 50 years of membership. I'm not asking for that, as that is an added expense - but an e-mail of congratulations and a pdf anniversary certificate that you can print yourself is hardly going to break their bank.

Maybe little touches like this would make it easier to accept dues increases or when they do away with other things - like that 10% off birthday coupon. The ARRL needs to get it into their collective heads that their members are human beings who appreciate the little things and are not just cash cows to be milked for whatever funds you can get out of them.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!