Information on this page has been provided to AJARC from our Tennessee ARRL Affiliate Club Coordinator as of 1/16/24. They ask that it be distributed to our members. They are also looking for feed back for topics of interest by our club members that could be covered in future issues. ARRL
ARRL TN News 2024
Section Traffic Manager Harrell Davidson (WD4LAR) has an assistant. Will
Adams (KN4ZPF) of Nashville is our new Assistant Traffic Manager. In
addition to his new duties, Will also serves as one of our Region 5 NTS
net representatives and also an NCO for the daily 3980 KC Tennessee
Phone Net. His appointment comes at a time there are many positive
changes happening with the NTS and (more specifically) traffic handling
here in the Volunteer State. One of the priorities in Tennessee is
working with our various ARES groups to encourage education and training
in traffic handling procedures so they can provide their services to
individuals in their local community in the event of a loss of other
methods of communications. Look for more information to come as we move
through 2024.
Tennessee CW Net manager George Scott Yates (N4BBB) of Columbia, TN
passed away on January 11. In addition to his service as our CW Net
Manager, Scott was also active in ARES and MARS. Our Section Traffic
Manager has brought in Bruce Smith (AC4G) of Taft, TN as the new CW Net
Manager. Congratulations, Bruce!
One of the special things about going to your local ham radio club
meetings is witnessing special awards being presented. Did you know that
your club has online access to print out ARRL awards? Go to
www.arrl.org/awards and you will find links to print out the following
awards: Mentor Award (for the ham that goes the extra mile to help
others enjoy the hobby), the First Contact Award (for the new ham to
celebrate their first on-air contact) and the Rag Chewer’s Club (to
recognize those that can chew the rag for at least 30 minutes). These
are available as a fillable PDF file that can be printed out for
affiliated club use.
Our sympathies are extended to the family of Ann Miller, who passed away
on January 14. Ann was the widow of former Tennessee Section Manager
Keith Miller N9DGK who died in 2021. Other 2024 Silent Keys include
Scott Yates (N4BBB) and Omar Painter (WB4HWR). A list of Silent Keys for
the TN Section can be found on the section website: tnarrl.org
There are some great hamfests coming up throughout the Tennessee
Section. The Middle Tennessee Amateur Radio Society (MTARS) annual
hamfest is on March 9 at the First United Methodist Church of Tullahoma.
Admission is $10, which includes tailgating and entry for prize
drawings. For more information, go to www.qsl.net/mtars/
The Sevier County Amateur Radio Society’s annual hamfest is on March
16 at the Sevier County Fairgrounds in Sevierville, TN. General
admission is $5 and tailgating is $10; both include entry for prize
drawings that include a Yaesu FT891 all-mode mobile HF transceiver. For
more information, go to www.seviercountyars.com
The 2nd annual West Tennessee Hamfest and Swapmeet, sponsored by the
Area Wide Amateur Radio Club will be held on March 16 at the National
Guard Armory in Trenton, TN. This is a new and improved venue for this
hamfest with plenty of room for tailgating. For more information,
contact Tom Bridgewater NA8X at hcarc.na8x@gmail.com
The First Annual Short Mountain Repeater Club “Spring Hamfest” will
be on April 27th at the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church in
Murfreesboro. Admission is $5 and vendor tables are $10. For more
information, please go to www.smrclub.com
The 57th Annual Knoxville Hamfest and Electronics Exposition will be
held on June 15 and host the 2024 ARRL Delta Division Convention. This
event will be in a new and larger venue this year at the Wallace
Memorial Baptist Church in Knoxville. The new venue offers plenty of
indoor vendor space, meeting rooms for the Division Convention and VE
Testing, and plenty of flat outdoor space for tailgating. For more
information, please go to www.w4bbb.org for more information.