DELARANEWS
DELARA NEWS is the monthly publication of the Delaware Amateur Radio Association, Delaware OH. October 2021 VOL 40 Number 10

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

2021, The Year of the New Ham?

Has anyone noticed the number of new members in the club this year? So far we've added 19 members in 2021. We have 94 active members, so that is a 25% increase. And that's in a year where we had a limited schedule of license testing sessions. That has to be a record! I've only been a member myself since 2019, so I can't say for sure. Maybe our senior members can recall a bigger growth spurt in the past? There has been a lot of talk recently about the average age of Hams rising, and that many new hams are not entering the hobby until their 40's or 50's. Is that a problem? I'm not sure it is. I've always been interested in radio, but just didn't have the time to get active until later in life. And then there was that darn CW code requirement in my way in those early years. I'm so glad that was dropped, and I really respect anyone who had to pass a code exam to get licensed. Sure, it would be great to have more young people join. We were all excited to welcome Xander KE8SFN this year. If anyone has an idea for attracting more youth into the hobby, let me know. That doesn't have to be a large group or event. It could be someone in your own family, or maybe a next door neighbor. Bring them to a club meeting. I'm sure we would roll out the red carpet. To those who joined the club this year, let me know if you found what you were looking for - or not. We are starting to think about activities for next year, so let me know where you would like to see the club go from here. As a reminder, for our monthly meeting on October 20th we have a special treat at the Red Cross. Ed K8MEJ will bringing his solar powered RV / mobile station for a quick tour and presentation. I hope to see you there. That just leaves one more meeting this year - our Boat Anchor / Business Meeting on November 17th. That's your chance to raise new officer nominations for 2022. With all these new members... Hey, I'm just sayin'. 73 - Mike W8MDC DELARA President President@K8es.org

DELARA

Opportunities! DELARA is thriving! We have a large group of people with a ‘small family’ attitude! Kudos to Ambassador Grant, and the many othes who have kept our nightly nets alive! It’s great to hear the repeaters in use after what began as a “Covid- are you OK?” net blossomed into a nightly gathering that’s continued through to today. Repeaters all around the country are very quiet these days, so it’s great to hear ours up and running with conversation. As Prez Mike reports, we do have officers coming up in November at our regular business meeting. Are you willing to put in just a little time to make the club better? Got a creative thing? Want to take over the newsletter? The biggest draw is to come to the meetings! There you’ll find advice, answers to your questions, and above all, friendship!
DELARANews
DELARA NEWS is the monthly publication of the Delaware Amateur Radio Association, Delaware OH. October 2021 VOL 40 Number 10

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

2021, The Year of the New Ham?

Has anyone noticed the number of new members in the club this year? So far we've added 19 members in 2021. We have 94 active members, so that is a 25% increase. And that's in a year where we had a limited schedule of license testing sessions. That has to be a record! I've only been a member myself since 2019, so I can't say for sure. Maybe our senior members can recall a bigger growth spurt in the past? There has been a lot of talk recently about the average age of Hams rising, and that many new hams are not entering the hobby until their 40's or 50's. Is that a problem? I'm not sure it is. I've always been interested in radio, but just didn't have the time to get active until later in life. And then there was that darn CW code requirement in my way in those early years. I'm so glad that was dropped, and I really respect anyone who had to pass a code exam to get licensed. Sure, it would be great to have more young people join. We were all excited to welcome Xander KE8SFN this year. If anyone has an idea for attracting more youth into the hobby, let me know. That doesn't have to be a large group or event. It could be someone in your own family, or maybe a next door neighbor. Bring them to a club meeting. I'm sure we would roll out the red carpet. To those who joined the club this year, let me know if you found what you were looking for - or not. We are starting to think about activities for next year, so let me know where you would like to see the club go from here. As a reminder, for our monthly meeting on October 20th we have a special treat at the Red Cross. Ed K8MEJ will bringing his solar powered RV / mobile station for a quick tour and presentation. I hope to see you there. That just leaves one more meeting this year - our Boat Anchor / Business Meeting on November 17th. That's your chance to raise new officer nominations for 2022. With all these new members... Hey, I'm just sayin'. 73 - Mike W8MDC DELARA President President@K8es.org

DELARAActive

Lots of things to do!

DELARA members are bacck in the swing! Over the past couple of months, there have been a number of activities in which many of our members have participated! Over the summer in addition to Field Day (always a big draw) the Boot Camp brought a large number out for a fun day. Ironman fielded 29 ham operators from three counties to help keep that event running. The latest adventures have included a large turnout for the Ohio QSO Party, putting the ARC stations back on the air. And in mid- September came the All Horse Parade, complete with Clydesdales. And of course the nightly radio nets, the digital group, and ARES training are there to keep us interacting. We send big thanks out to all who take their time and effort to have fun and serve our community! DELARA is an active club- and if you’re a newer member to the hobby, these activities are a great way to make some serious friendships! That has always been the best part of DELARA - friendships built around a common interest!