DELARA NEWS is the monthly publication of the Delaware Amateur Radio Association, Delaware OH.
January 2021 VOL 40 Number 1
Welcome
This is the official newsletter of a great ham radio club! Our DELARA family appreciates what
you’re doing with the hobby! Why not take a few minutes and write out what interests you in
our hobby! We have room for your article always! Send it to Stan [at] standi.com by the end of
the month.
The Prez’s Shack
First, let me say Happy New Year 2021 to all. I'm hopeful that we will see some return-to-normal
this year, especially the resumption of in-person meetings and activities. We don't know how
soon that will happen, but it is something positive to look forward to.
So here I am, the incoming DELARA President for 2021. How the heck did that happen you may
ask. I'm still scratching my head on that one. I remember the nomination came from Bob
W8ERD. Everything after that was a blur. Two things are sure. Firstly, I can think of no higher
praise than to be nominated by Bob. Secondly, you all have a chance to fix this next year!
I joined DELARA in Nov 2018. I remember it wasn't easy at first to make connections with
people, or find the right person to ask for advice. Everyone seemed to know everyone else.
Nobody knew me. Being terrible with names sure didn't help. Joining the weekly nets and
getting active on the e-mail reflector did help. Over time I have made some great friends, and
have learned so much (not just about radio by the way).
I thought my first step as President should be to get feedback from the members. So I sent out
a short survey directly to each club member. If you didn't receive an e-mail titled "2021 DELARA
Club Survey" on 6-Jan, check the spam folder or let me know. What I'm finding is that many new
members are in a similar position as I was. And I'm getting a lot of great suggestions on how we
can better welcome, engage, and support new members.
There are many other great ideas coming in, and they fall within some common themes. I plan
to work with the club leadership and committee chairs to see what changes would benefit the
club and its members. Look for some updates on that in the next newsletter.
73
- Mike W8MDC
DELARA President
Have you paid yet?
DELARA is a pretty remarkable
organization! In addition to being a
close-knit and supporting family of
radio amateurs, DELARA is an ARRL
affiliated “Special Service Club.”
We do charge dues for
membership, they are used to fund
several projects, the web activity
and newsletter, food for Field Day,
and improvements to the club
station at the Delaware Red Cross
Chapter.
Dues have stayed the same for a
couple years, after they were
actually ~reduced~.
Dues for licensed hams are $20 for
full voting membership. Non-voting
spouse or family membership is an
additional $2 for each family
member. Non-voting associate
membership is $5.00.
It’s easy to do- go to the “Pay My
Dues” page on this website. Don’t
forget to enter your callsign!
And IF YOU HAVE PAID 4th
QUARTER OF THIS YEAR- you’re
covered for 2021!
And thank you for making the club
great!