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ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter
March 2015
ARRL Nebraska State Convention
By Art Zygielbaum, K0AIZ
Once again, the Lincoln Amateur Radio Club (LARC) is hosting the ARRL Nebraska State Convention:
“End of Winter Hamfest #8”. The event will be held on Saturday, March 21st, from 8:30 am to 2 pm, at
the Lancaster County Event Center. Located at 84th St. and Havelock Ave., the Center features a new,
renovated venue for the convention.
Programs and events include:
Nebraska ARRL Officials meeting led by Matt Anderson, KA0BOJ,
“What’s new in Kit World” featuring Joe Eisenberg, K0NEB,
“Using Logbook of the World” presented by ARRL Manager of Membership and Volunteer Programs, Dave Patten, NN1N,
“Skyhooks” led by Greg Brown, KT0K and John Murdock, KR0P,
And, an ARRL members meeting.
VE Exams will be given at 10 am and technical demos on PSK31, JT65, WSPR, Digital Voice and other
topics will be available during the event. Of course there is a flea market and exhibitors include D&L
Antennas, Flatwater Trading Post, Creative Edge Embroidery, Quality Electronic Supplies, and others.
Great door and raffle prizes will be given away. You must be present to win, however.
Admission is $8 ($5 for LARC members). Flea Market tables (8 foot) are $10 each. Flea market tables
can be set up between 2 and 5 pm on Friday, March 20, or starting at 7:30 am on convention day.
Event General Manager Reynolds Davis, K0GND, Treasurer Greg Brown, KT0K, and Secretary Connie
Zehr, N0GMA look forward to welcoming you to the convention. For more information, please visit
http://www.lincolnhamfest.org
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter— Mar. 2015 p. 2
Amateur Radio in the Classroom - A Perfect Fit for STEM Activities
by Mike Miller, AC0BD
Many states are sponsoring STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) initiatives in K-12 education to increase the skills needed in tomorrow’s workforce. In Iowa, part of this effort takes the form
of STEM Festivals which feature presentations to teachers and students from organizations with an interest in STEM activities. What a great opportunity to showcase Amateur Radio! Iowa’s ARRL Section
Youth Coordinator Mike Miller (AC0BD) has presented Amateur radio demonstrations at two such festivals. Des Moines Area Community College hosted a STEM Festival this past fall with over 500 in attendance! Kids, parents, and classroom teachers browsed booths including 3-dimensional printer technology, robots, wind turbines, and of course Amateur radio. William Penn University in Oskaloosa hosted a STEM Festival this winter geared towards teachers and other adults working with youth.
A motivated audience attends these events: kids with an interest in science and technology, parents
with kids with an interest in science and technology, and teachers who teach science and technology!
You can help spread the news about Amateur radio by presenting or assisting. You’ll want to be well
organized and prepared with handouts for both teachers and kids. The location which hosts the festival
will likely help you find a convenient location for your table if you need to run a length of coax outside to
a parked car for a mobile antenna - that's how AC0BD did it. Kids love learning the “secret code” of
Morse code so be sure to have a key and oscillator there, too.
Contact your ARRL Section Youth Coordinator or the ARRL’s Education and Technology Program for
more information on how to develop an effective presentation and for ideas about helping more kids enjoy the fun of learning STEM concepts through Amateur radio!
Editor’s Note: Michael Miller, AC0BD, is a teacher at Ankeny Centennial High School, 2220 NW
State Street, Ankeny, Iowa, 50023 and sponsor of the Amateur Radio Club of Ankeny Centennial High School - AC0HS.
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter— Mar. 2015 p. 3
Amateur Radio in the Classroom (continued)
Morse Code Station
Desktop
The Teachers
Desk
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter— Mar. 2015 p. 4
RAGBRAI XLII - An Iowa Ride to Remember
By Chris Charron, K0PE
This past July I had the privilege of riding my bicycle across the state of Iowa promoting a project called
"The Freedom Rock Tour". I towed a bicycle trailer that carried an American flag that had been to
Ground Zero, Flight 93 crash site, and the Pentagon. I also honored veterans by dedicating each mile of
my ride to individual veterans. It started as a solo quest, and ended as an amazing adventure involving
15 ham radio operators and 428 miles of memories.
Day 1- Rock Valley to Okoboji (Sunday, July 20, 2014)
The mileage posted for day 1 was 69 miles, but with extra miles added for navigating between host
homes, I logged 84. By the time I reached camp, I was exhausted and running on fumes. That evening I
wasn’t hungry or thirsty. I collapsed into my tent and slept until the next morning.
Day 2 - Okoboji to Emmetsburg (Monday, July 21, 2014)
This should have been an easy ride and a good time to recover from the tough first day. Around the 30mile mark, I stopped sweating and things started to get a little fuzzy. I arrived at our chase vehicle 2
hours later than expected, and was dehydrated and confused. It was decided that I should finish the
ride in our sag vehicle. I was sad that I had failed in my quest to pull the flag across Iowa. This is when
team Megacycles rallied to the flag and my cause. They would each take a turn carrying the flag and I
could finish the ride and not have the pressure of having to ride every mile. They made me proud!
Day 3 - Emmetsburg to Forest City (Tuesday, July 22, 2014)
Team member KC9QPJ, Raymond Knapp III from Rockton, IL volunteered for the job and by the time he
arrived in camp, had ridden 112 miles. Ray carried the tri-folded flag strapped to his rear rack and had
several people ask about it. I started to feel more like myself by late afternoon and decided that I could
ride again the next day.
Day 4 - Forest City to Mason City (Wednesday, July 23, 2014)
This day will go down as my favorite day in my 25-year association with RAGBRAI. After taking the previous day off, I was fresh and ready to go. I had the pleasure of riding most of the day with my good
friend N0KRQ, Clive Hornback from Bevington, IA. Brett Bowie, 17, from Columbia, MD carried the Flag
today. This was Brett’s third RAGBRAI riding with team Megacycles.
Day 5 - Mason City to Waverly (Thursday, July 24, 2014)
NF0N, Mike Nickolaus from South Sioux City, NE carried the flag today. I met Steve Smartt from Nashville, TN who asked about the Freedom Rock and the flag that I was towing. I told Steve that I had been
struggling with finding a way to honor the 15 veterans on my list of veterans that had been killed in action and together we concocted a plan. We proceeded to roll into a large group of riders waiting for
breakfast and Steve played the National Anthem on his trumpet while standing next to my trailer. The
result was a once in a lifetime RAGBRAI moment. It was an awesome moment and gave me goose
bumps.
Day 6 - Waverly to Independence (Friday, July 26, 2014)
Today KC0ODK, Lawrence Robinson from Cedar Rapids, carried the Flag. I drove our team sag vehicle
today.
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter— Mar. 2015 p. 5
RAGBRAI XLII - An Iowa Ride to Remember (continued)
Day 7 - Independence to Guttenberg (Saturday, July 27, 2014)
NQ0V, Gary Bishop from Marion, IA carried the flag during the first half and KB4SBY, Brice AntonJenson from Hiawatha, IA on the final half. The final 35 miles I rode with Brett, Raymond, Lawrence and
Gary. This really made the final decent and wheel dipping in the Mississippi very memorable.
Two extremely powerful moments occurred and will always stay with me. The first was when our Forest City host saw me reading the list of daily veteran’s names and asked what I was doing. After I explained, he asked to read the list. His eyes welled up and he then asked me to wait a minute while he
went into his house. He returned with an army shirt and asked if I would carry it to the Mississippi river. He said his brothers were not treated well when they returned home from Vietnam and thanked
me for what we were doing. I still tear up thinking about this moment. I cried again when I dipped my
front wheel in the Mississippi river with his shirt strapped to my trailer.
The second powerful moment occurred while I was waiting to load my bicycle for our return trip home.
The driver from another team parked near us asked about our flag and what we were doing. She
started to cry and thanked us for what we had done. It turned out that she was a disabled veteran and
before leaving active duty had been assigned to the honor guard detail at Arlington cemetery. Her
duty had been to help arrange funerals and assist families during their difficult time. I asked how she
was able to deal with this emotional duty and she said she got her strength from the families. She
said that it was her honor and privilege to remember her brothers and sisters.
I guess, to a degree, this is what I set out to do. I wanted to honor and remember those that have sacrificed so much so that I can live in freedom. This began as a solo quest, and ended as a total team
effort. I am extremely proud of the members of Team Megacycles and this quest couldn’t have been
completed without their help and dedication.
It was truly a privilege to ride RAGBRAI XLII and honor our active duty Military, Veterans, Police, Fire
and EMS personnel. The hams that assisted with my ride include: AA4HS, KB4SBY, KB9HLX,
KD0ODK, KC9QPJ, KE0AND, KX9Y, N0KRQ, N0EYA, NF0N, NQ0V, W0ODS, W7II & WA2GTM
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter— Mar. 2015 p. 6
Chris Charron, K0PE, Maxwell, IA pictured in front of the Story County Freedom Rock. The Freedom
Flag had been to Ground Zero, Flight 93 crash site, and the Pentagon.
Mike Nickolaus, NF0N from South Sioux City, NE.
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter— Mar. 2015 p. 7
Brice AntonJenson, KB4SBY from Hiawatha, IA & NQ0V, Gary Bishop from Marion, IA.
Team Megacycles - 2014
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter— Mar. 2015 p. 8
Brett Bowie and Raymond Knapp III, KC9QPJ at the 9/11 Memorial in Clear Lake, IA.
NQ0V - Gary Bishop, KC9QPJ - Raymond Knapp, K0PE - Chris Charron, KD0ODK - Lawrence Robinson & Brett Bowie dip their wheels in the Mississippi to complete the ride.
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter– Mar. 2015 p. 9
Around the Midwest Division
Rod Blocksome, K0DAS
Iowa Section Manager—Congratulations to Bob McCaffrey, K0CY of Boone, Iowa who recently won re-election to a new term as Iowa SM. Bob has a long history of service to Amateur Radio and Iowa hams. I was pleased to see a relatively large voter turn-out among Iowa
ARRL members. There are many other sections around the country that don’t reach a very
high percentage.
Perry, Iowa Hamfest—I just returned from a very nice hamfest in Central Iowa. The hamfest
was held in new larger quarters this year—at the National Guard facilities. Attendance
seemed to be up compared to last year as well as more flea market venders and sellers.
There were a few unused tables in the flea market, so there is room for continued expansion
next year. The hosts had things well organized. In addition to the traditional flea market,
there were conveniently located forums, VE testing, coffee and donuts, and plenty of room for
“eyeball” QSOs and to renew acquaintances.
Midwest Division News and Photos Wanted!
If you have news and photos about events or activities from the Midwest Division, email them to
Director Rod Blocksome K0DAS at [email protected]. We will try to include as many as
possible in upcoming editions of the Midwest Division News. Thanks and 73, Rod, K0DAS
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter– Mar. 2015 p. 10
Midwest Division Special Events
04/01/2015 | Lunar Eclipse
Apr 1-Apr 4, 0001Z-1200Z, K0L, Emporia, KS. Emporia State University Amateur
Radio Club. 14.270 21.310 7.230. QSL. Dwight Moore, Campus Box 4050, 1 Kellog
Circle, Emporia, KS 66801.
05/02/2015 | Hawkeye Get On The Air
May 2, 1500Z-2200Z, W0IO, Iowa City, IA. University of Iowa Amateur Radio Club
and Iowa City Amateur Radio Club. 146.850; General portion of the 10 - 80 meter
bands, and 6 and 2 meters . QSL. University of Iowa Amateur Radio Club, 203 Van
Allen Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242. [email protected]
07/18/2015 | Registers Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa
Jul 18-Jul 25, 0800Z-1600Z, W0R, Sioux City, IA. Team Megacycles. 21.240
21.040 14.240 14.040. QSL. Michael Nickolaus, 316 E 32nd St, South Sioux City, NE
68776. To commemorate the annual RABGRAI and Team Megacycles 26th of riding
across Iowa, we will be on the air as time permits.
For updated Special Event listings, see: www.arrl.org/special-event-stations
ARRL State Conventions in the Midwest Division
March 21, 2015—Nebraska State Convention
Location: Lincoln, NE
Type: ARRL Convention
Sponsor: Lincoln Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://lincolnhamfest.org/
August 16, 2015—Kansas State Convention
Location: Salina, KS
Type: ARRL Convention
Sponsor: Central Kansas Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://www.centralksarc.com
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter– Mar. 2015 p 11
Midwest Division ARRL Hamfests, Conventions & Events
03/07/2015 | SWIARC Hamfest
Location: McClelland, IA
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: SouthWest Iowa Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://SWIradio.org
03/21/2015 | Mahaska ARC Swapmeet
Location: Oskaloosa, IA
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Mahaska Amateur Radio Club
04/11/2015 | Hamboree 2015
Location: Boone, IA
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: 3900 Club
Website: http://www.3900club.com
04/11/2015 | OARS Springtime Hamfest
Location: Aurora, MO
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Ozark Amateur Radio Society
Website: http://www.w0oar.com
04/18/2015 | Ararat Shrine Hambash
Location: Kansas City, MO
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Ararat Shrine Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://hambash.com
04/18/2015 | Bellevue Amateur Radio Club Hamfest
Location: Papillion, NE
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Bellevue Amateur Radio Club
04/18/2015 | DMRAA Hamfest
Location: Des Moines, IA
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Des Moines Radio Amateurs' Association
Website: http://www.dmraa.com/hamfest
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter– Mar. 2015 p 12
Midwest Division ARRL Hamfests, Conventions & Events
07/18/2015 | Warrensburg Area Hamfest
Location: Warrensburg, MO
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Warrensburg Area Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://www.waarci.org/hamfest/hamfestflyer_2015.pdf
08/02/2015 | Cedar Valley ARC Hamfest
Location: Cedar Rapids, IA
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Cedar Valley Amateur Radio club
Website: http://cvarc.rf.org
08/09/2015 | SCARC Hamfest
Location: O'Fallon, MO
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: St. Charles Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://WB0HSI.org
09/12/2015 | Ak-Sar-Ben ARC Flea-Esta
Location: Springfield, NE
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Ak-Sar-Ben Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://www.aksarbenarc.org
10/31/2015 | 24th Halloween Hamfest
Location: Kirkwood, MO
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Saint Louis ARC
Website: http://www.halloweenhamfest.org
11/14/2015 | NARCfest 2015
Location: Nixa, MO
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Nixa Amateur Radio Cub
Website: http://smlrs.info/hamfest-flyer/
For updated Hamfests and Conventions Calendar, go to: http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-andconventions-calendar
Midwest Division Leadership
Director: Rod Blocksome K0DAS
Vice Director: Art Zygielbaum K0AIZ
[email protected] 319-393-8022
[email protected] 402-421-0839
Iowa Section Manager: Bob McCaffrey K 0CY
Kansas Section Manager: Ron Cowan KB 0DTI
Missouri Section Manager: Dale Bagley K 0KY
Nebraska Section Manager: Matt Anderson KA 0BOJ
DX Advisory Committee: Bill Morgan K 0DEQ (MO)
Emergency Communications Advisory Committee: Reynolds Davis K 0GND (NE)
Contest Advisory Committee: Jim Cochran K 0RH (KS)
Division Legislative Action Chair: Mike Edwards WB9M (MO)
Legislative Action Coordinators: Nick Critelli K 0PCG (IA); Bruce Frahm K0BJ (KS & NE); Mike
Edwards WB9M (MO).
Assistant Directors (Missouri): Paul Haefner K 0JPL, Fred Miller KB0WIL, Dave Propper K2DP,
Barbara Rich KG0UT, John Rogers W 0WC, Kent Trimble K9ZTV, Roger Volk K0GOB, and Eric Zust
W0TT.
Assistant Directors (Kansas): Mike Albers K 0FJ, Jim Andera K0NK, Andy Anderson W 0AFQ, Bill
Henderson K0VBU, Charlie Hett K0THN, Jon Jones N0JK, Brian Short KC0BS, and Rick Tucker
W0RT.
Assistant Directors (Iowa): Don Boyvey AK 0BG, Dennis O’Brien KA0DOS, C.W. Pantel K0IIR,
Jim Spencer W 0SR, and Jim Lasley N0JL.
Assistant Directors (Nebraska): Frank Cahoy K 0BLT, Stan Coleman N0YXV, Reynolds Davis
K0GND, Bill Duffy KA0VXK, Joe Eisenberg K0NEB, Allen Harpham KB0ASQ, Todd LeMense
KK0DX, and Mike Nickolaus NF0N.
Midwest Division Webmaster: Steve Schmitz W0SJS email: [email protected]
Midwest Division’s website at http://www.arrlmidwest.org/