Calgary Amateur Radio Association

ARRL News
ARRL Amateur Radio News
The National Association of Amateur Radio

Youth@HamRadio.Fun: A Small Island, a Young Ham and a Whole Lot of Spirit! Mercer Island is a small island in Washington, located a few miles outside of Seattle; it has a population of approximately 22,000 people. The local radio club on the island is the Mercer Island Radio Operators (MIRO), W7MIR. MIRO is always prepared to aide with communications in the event of a natural or man-made disaster. Alex Banbury, KE7WUD, is proud to call himself the youngest member of MIRO, and possibly the youngest ham on the island! Gary L. Robinson, WB8ROL, Wins December QST Cover Plaque Award The winner of the QST Cover Plaque Award for December is Gary L. Robinson, WB8ROL, for his article "Ghost QSOs -- Olivia Returns from the Noise." Congratulations, Gary! The winner of the QST Cover Plaque award -- given to the author or authors of the best article in each issue -- is determined by a vote of ARRL members on the QST Cover Plaque Poll Web page. Cast a ballot for your favorite article in the January issue by Saturday, January 31. FCC Commissioners: Now There Are Four The term of FCC Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate, a Republican from Tennessee, came to an end on January 3 as the 111th Congress convened for the first time. Originally selected by President Bush to fill the unexpired term of then-Chairman Michael Powell, Tate joined the Commission in 2005. In June 2007, Bush announced his intention to nominate Tate to a full five year term, but when the Senate failed to confirm her nomination by the close of the 110th Congress, Tate's tenure as a Commissioner came to a close. Foundation for Amateur Radio Invites Scholarship Applications The non-profit Foundation for Amateur Radio (FAR) is now accepting applications for 48 scholarships for the academic year 2009-2010 to assist radio amateurs pursuing higher education. FAR fully funds two of scholarships and administers 46 others without cost on behalf of various club and individual donors. Amateur Radio licensees pursuing a full-time course of study beyond high school and accepted by or enrolled in an accredited university, college or technical school are eligible to apply. Scholarship grants range from $500 to $5000, and preference in some cases goes to applicants living in particular geographical areas or pursuing certain studies. Non-US residents are eligible to apply for some of the scholarships. FAR encourages clubs -- especially those in California, Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin -- to announce these scholarship opportunities at meetings, in newsletters, during training classes, on nets and on their Web sites. More information and an application form may be requested by letter via e-mail or by sending a QSL card postmarked prior to March 30, 2009, to FAR Scholarships, PO Box 831, Riverdale, MD 20738. The application deadline is May 1, 2009. Headquartered in Washington, DC, FAR consists of more than 75 area Amateur Radio Clubs. FAR is devoted to promoting the interests of Amateur Radio and those scientific, literary and educational pursuits that advance the purposes of the Amateur Radio Service. Son Charged with Murder of Florida Ham Robert Farley, of Lakeland Florida, has been charged with first degree murder in the death of his father Walter Farley, K4QE, also of Lakeland. The Ledger, a newspaper in Farley's hometown, reported that authorities allege Robert killed his father New Year's Eve during an argument over family matters. Walter Farley was 93. Authorities said that on Saturday, January 3, Robert Farley confessed to the killing and led detectives to a lake where he had discarded the murder weapon; the weapon was recovered by dive team members later that afternoon. Walter Farley served in the US Army during World War II as a telephone and radio repairman. He fixed tape recorders for the blind and was involved with the local historical society. A member of the Lakeland Amateur Radio Club, Walter was active on local Nets.