A website supporting the PRB-1 effort here in Michigan is now online at www.prb1michigan.org. Committee Chair Bobby Corr, N8CY, notes:

• It is our goal to pass legislation during the 2009 session of the Legislature. This will be a significant effort -- requiring the full support of all Amateur Radio Operators in the State of Michigan.
• We still have a number of unfilled positions on the committee. Please go to the PRB-1 Committee Page at http://www.prb1michigan.org/id19.html and volunteer for a position if you are interesting in serving on the Committee.
• Please sign-up to receive e-mail from the Committee. We will keep you informed of our progress and let you know when it is time to write to your State Representatives and Senators.
• We need real-life examples of Amateur Radio Operators "in action" for Emergency Communications in times of disaster in Michigan. These will be edited and added to the Web Site. Please submit them [in Microsoft Word format] to n8cy@arrl.net.
• We invite your comments for improvement of the of the Michigan ARRL PRB-1 Committee Website. Please submit suggestions to webmaster@prb1michigan.org.

Here is the second issue of Youth Radio in Michigan.

This issue is filled with great articles. Please consider submitting an article of your own for the next one coming out in March!

Enjoy!

--
Simon, KC8ZYD
Mich. ARRL Youth ASM

Greetings Michigan Amateurs:

Most everyone has now heard about the request the FCC has made of the radio clubs across the country to assist in the Digital Television Implementation Plan. In an E-mail sent December 10, I announced the plans to Michigan hams. The results have been quite positive and we are building the list of clubs that have registered their interest. While we all harbor some concerns and must weigh the risks involved, the public relations opportunity is significant. This is an FCC-sponsored event; they are providing the guidelines and materials. We are here for our expertise and familiarity with our local communities. No ham is to install or provide a DTV converter. Several clubs are planning community meetings to offer recommendation from the FCC and answer questions and offer guidelines. The FCC is preparing presentation materials for use at gatherings such as this. Interested clubs must register with their Section Manager wa8efk@arrl.net before the deadline, December 27. Following the registration period, the listing of volunteer clubs will be forwarded to the FCC for their follow-up. The Commission will then contact each club and learn of the club's plans and work with them the implement the community contacts. The information requested from each club is as follows: club name, area served, contact person's name, address, phone number and e-mail address. This info should be sent to wa8efk@arrl.net. More of the program details are available at http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2008/12/10/10499/?nc=1.

Greetings Michigan Amateurs:

This month I am going to deviate a little from the usual general news format to a more directed piece of information. We have an ARRL Section level appointment called the Official Emergency Station (OES). It is defined at: http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/org/oes.html. Michigan currently has 13 hams appointed to this position. The appointment has been in the Field organization for many years. However, despite several attempts, it has not been successfully promoted.

To better promote the OES functions, the SEC, DECs and I met in 2005 and drafted some added guidelines for the holders of this position. Those were then attached to the referenced guidelines. They are: "For Michigan Section Appointees, the following provides additional detail and clarification to the appointment requirements and qualifications:

Greetings Michigan Amateurs:

Michigan held its ARRL 2008 State Convention. And it was a successful get-together. The combined efforts of the Kalamazoo Amateur Radio Club and the Southwest Amateur Radio Team hosted the Semi-annual convention. In addition to the annual Kalamazoo Hamfest, the convention included several forums including Contesting, Getting Started with CW, ARES/RACES and NTS, QMN and MiTN Nets, Packet Radio, and an ARRL Forum. These were followed by a luncheon banquet and an excellent talk by Dan Henderson N1ND from ARRL Headquarters. Dan's discussion included a few humorous pokes at ourselves while showing a serious need to look at how we prepare for the future of our amateur radio hobby. The Convention ended with an induction ceremony for the Royal Order of the Wouff Hong. Our next Michigan Convention will be planned for 2010. Clubs interested in hosting may contact the Section Manager for details.

If you ask me, this year's ARRL Section Convention was a real blast. I got to meet lots of people, and I even was inducted into the Royal Order of the Wouff Hong! Pictures of the convention are now online.

MI Assistant Section Manager Simon, KC8DYZ, has published the first Youth Radio in Michigan newsletter. Included in this issue are articles by out SM Dale, WA8EFK; Corey, KD8BOQ; and Simon himself.

Another interesting part of the newsletter is a proposal for creating a website just for kids in ham radio. I like this idea a lot. Not only would it be great for kids who are hams in Michigan, but perhaps for kids all over the country.

Greetings Michigan Amateurs:

Hurricane affects our state. Recent hurricanes in the gulf region are certainly stressing the resources of our fellow hams in that region of the country. Several Michigan hams have been deployed to the area through their affiliation with NGOs such as the Salvation Army, Red Cross and Southern Baptist Relief. Other interested hams are requested to register their availability with SEC WB8RCR in the event a deployment request is received from ARRL HQ for Michigan hams. To date, no out-of-section assistance has been needed and only local resources are currently being used in the Gulf Region. In the meantime, our own ARES/RACES organizations have been busy with the aftermath of Hurricane Ike as the storm remnants brought damaging winds, flooding and tornados to the Wolverine State.

The 26th annual Kalamazoo Hamfest and Michigan ARRL State Convention will be held Sunday, October 12th at the Kalamazoo County Fairgrounds (www.KalamazooHamFest.com ).

The Hamfest will open at 8:00 AM. Forums will be presented as part of the Hamfest from 8:00 AM to Noon. Sessions will include ARES/RACES, Packet, QMN/MITN, Dave Pruett from the Mad River Radio Club with Contesting 101 and an ARRL Forum. VE testing will be available at 10:00 AM. DXCC QSL card checking will also be available.

In addition, see the Dave Ingram K4TWL world-touring telegraphic display. This is a “timeless celebration of Morse code, CW and world class keys of distinction,” (k4twj.blogspot.com).

Michigan’s total area is something around 97,990 square-miles, which includes approximately 38,575 square-miles of the Great Lakes and 1,305 square-miles of inland lakes leaving about 58,110 square-miles of land.

Of the above, the Upper Peninsula contains about 16,452 square-miles of land leaving about 41,658 square-miles of land in the Lower Peninsula to install ham repeaters on. The approximate widest dimensions of the Lower Peninsula are 195 miles wide by 277 miles high. The Lower Peninsula also has hills 1,705 feet above sea level around Cadillac, ranging down to a level of 571 feet around Lake Erie. Such elevations can give a “radio tower view” of up to 75 miles, i.e., 2M radio signals will easily extend 60 to 75 mile distances in Michigan but frequently occurring band enhancements will extend this distance three or four times.