Here are some select items from Larry, WB8R, our esteemed Section Manager:
Hamfest at Michigan International Speedway
We have assembled our management team and are beginning the process of putting the pieces together to form our parent organization, which will be known as the Great Lakes Amateur Radio Association, which will be a 501 (c) (3) corporation. We have settled on the dates of October 7 and 8, 2017 for our event at MIS.
In the past couple of months I have visited 8 club meetings to talk about the event and am very pleased to report all clubs were very positive and excited about the event. I have more club meetings to attend in the next 2-3 months to complete the process of getting the assistance that we need.
Flyers and other documentation are under development and will be available for distribution soon. Stay tuned for more information as this exciting event comes to life.
Michigan Distracted Driving Bill
The Michigan Distracted Driving bill that was known as HB 6857 will be reintroduced in the 2017 Legislative session under a new number. We will be monitoring the bill to ensure that our ability to operate our equipment from our vehicles is not affected.
Michigan State Parks on the Air (MSPOTA)
Beginning in the spring of 2017, MSPOTA will run through 2019 and incorporate Michigan’s 107 State Parks, Recreation Areas, Scenic and Memorial Sites. Our target date for startup is March 1. Starting prior to that is problematical in that Park Staff would be limited. MSPOTA goes beyond “pulling up and keying up” as it is a >cooperative program between Michigan amateur radio operators and DNR Parks & Recreation Division to mutually promote one another’s interests.
MSPOTA is designed to allow regional and statewide activation opportunities throughout the event and is coordinated with other MDNR Parks & Recreation Division programs. The event will feature about fifty parks available for activation in each of the three event years with some parks active throughout the entire event.
The schedule is being finalized and will be available after the first of the year. MSPOTA’s online logging, scheduling and award tracking system is currently being assembled. We will be seeking local clubs to sponsor parks, act as QSL bureaus and tend to parks local to them.
MSPOTA is sponsored by The Northern Michigan Amateur Radio Service Team (NM8RT).
For MSPOTA news and progress or to volunteer to help, please visit the “MSPOTA” group on Facebook or email Will at [email protected]. Many thanks to W8WDR for this informational update and many thanks to the MSPOTA development team for working so hard to bring this fun activity to the hams of Michigan.
Walter Underwood K6WRU says
To avoid the weird calendar with MSPOTA, you can do SOTA in the W8M association. There are 97 summits in Michigan. I expect several of them are in parks.
http://www.sota.org.uk/Association/W8M
You can get a map of the summits here:
http://sotamaps.org/