DELARA NEWS is the monthly publication of the Delaware Amateur Radio Association, Delaware OH.
November 2022 VOL 41 Number 11
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!
The Prez’s Shack
Passing of the gavel...
As I write this, we are just a couple of days away from our last meeting of 2022 - Election Night
for DELARA. My second year as President is drawing to an end, and we will soon have a new
President and VP. As I look back at the past two years, it is hard to believe everything we did
together.
We got past the days of restrictions and resumed in-person meetings in May of 2021. We got
back to offering VE Test Sessions, held some great training events, participated in several ARES
events, and saw our Informal Nightly Net extend into its third year. The club had outstanding
results in Field Day of 2021 and 2022. DELARA earned a 1st place award in the Ohio QSO Party,
and we held the first annual MUD (Madison, Union, Delaware) QSO Party. The club purchased a
Flex radio for easy remote operation from home. We put up a new 160m antenna (a couple of
times), and our work parties did maintenance on the tower and performed other general
improvements. Lastly, the 145.17 repeater was relocated to a new receive-site. Along the way,
our membership grew each year and we made many new friends. It has been a busy couple of
years!
There have been heartbreaking losses as well. Several of our members became Silent Keys over
the past couple of years, including: Ken W8SMK, Walt KC8CNT, Dave WB2CWJ and just recently
Roger KE8RTF.
We face some big challenges going into 2023. With the renovation of the Red Cross building,
our radio room has been put into storage and we lost our familiar meeting room and VE Testing
space. Next year we will have to build out the new radio room and adjust to a different meeting
location. We also need someone to take over the club website and newsletter. The new club
officers will need a lot of help and support. I'm sure they will get it.
So as I prepare to bang the gavel for the last time, I want to thank everyone who helped me
these past two years. And I especially want to thank everyone who stepped forward to
volunteer, participate, Elmer or in some way pitch in. Whether you climbed a tower, buried
coax, wrote an article, ran a net, made name badges, sent out membership material, sat at a
booth, operated in a contest, served as a VE, supported the community in an ARES event or just
stayed late to put the chairs back after the meeting - you contributed. You made a difference,
and I thank you!
73
- Mike W8MDC
DELARA President
President@K8es.org
DELARA
<--- What he said. :-)
This will be the last newsletter I get
to assemble as my term and office
as “Web-dude” is expiring. Life
changes that we all go through
(smaller house, one floor, with
more attention required within the
family) have resulted in watching 30
years of stored “stuff” fill a dump
truck. But you know we can still
look back with satisfaction,and
more important we get to look
forward eagerly to what’s yet to
come!
DELARA is a wonderful organization
and more so the friendships we
form within and outside of the
hobby. Those will continue.
As for me, I will readily deflect any
compliments to our band of
crazies- the writers who have made
the newsletter what it is: Joe
Papworth and his singing poetry,
Bob Dixon and his endless stream
of experiments and devices, Craig
Miller’s super-creative writing which
included sending Section and
Division leadership into a panic
when an April Fool’s article claimed
his callsign was recalled. We’ve had
an interesting history series from
Will N8HDM and a series of flight
foibles from Wally W8WLK. Many
more have contributed, and we all
owe them our thanks! I certainly
offer my thanks to all for making
this an easy labor!
-Stan, N8BHL