After a winter with hardly any snow and very little cold weather, we had quite a bit of snow and cold over the past week, reminding me that the Handiham headquarters are still located in Minnesota. I am hoping that soon we can return to the warmer spring weather that we had been enjoying. Even though the snow looks pretty when it first storms, it is not fun to commute on icy, treacherous roads!
Many thanks to all the Handiham members who reached out to let us know that our toll free number was ringing to Abbott Northwestern hospital and not to the Handiham Program as it is supposed to. The problem is being worked on, and hopefully it will be fixed soon. In the meantime, the regular number still reaches us.
The Handiham Program office is so busy! We had several more new members join us this week, which is actually great for Melissa as she learns how to set up new members. Melissa has enjoyed getting to know members as they call in. You can reach her at 612-775-2291 or handiham@allina.com. The best times to reach her by phone are Mondays through Thursdays between 9am and 12pm Central time in the US. Melissa is also looking forward to meeting everyone in person at Radio Camp in September!
We have some more sad news to report. Long-time Handiham equipment volunteer Dave Smith, KC8PCL, is a silent key. I got to know Dave when I first became a ham because he ran a popular net in my area. Later, because of my involvement with the Handiham Program, Dave decided he wanted to volunteer to help out other Handiham members with their equipment. He will be greatly missed.
We had a lot of fun at the Midwinter Madness Hamfest last Saturday. Melissa even came to check out her first hamfest and got to have her first in-person meeting with a Handiham Program member, Nick, KE0WKX. It was nice to visit with Hamfest attendees and get the word out that we are looking for more volunteers for Radio Camp in September. We also got to catch up with some of our volunteers from the 2023 Radio Camp.
May will be here before we know it! If you are planning to attend Dayton Hamvention, we will have a booth there as usual. We always set up several extra chairs at our booth, and we would love to visit with you for an eyeball QSO!
The 2024 Radio Camp is coming up fast. September will be here before we know it! If you have not received stage one of the application (the scholarship offer) and you want to attend camp this year, please contact us so we can get that sent to you. The second stage will be going out soon to everyone who has returned their first stage of the application. Melissa is working on getting that second stage application into an accessible PDF format to make it easier for members to fill out on their own if they would prefer. We have some great classes and activities planned for Radio Camp including a lot more hands-on radio time. The instructors are planning for interesting and challenging classes, and Jerry, W0UH, keeps sharing new music he is preparing that we will get to enjoy live during camp.
Jerry, W0UH, our net manager, would like to invite you to check into the Handiham Radio Club net. We have great net control stations who faithfully keep the net running smoothly and provide interesting topics each day. The Handiham Radio Club sponsors daily nets at 11:00 am Central time and on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm Central time on the Handiham Conference Server. Please join us as often as you can! It’s a fun time to get together with other hams throughout the world and enjoy some good conversation.
We are in the second semester of the Advanced Morse Code Class, and our students are preparing for their final on air test to earn their class certificate. This week, they were able to keep a QSO going between them for over 30 minutes. That’s a huge accomplishment! The advanced code class is two semesters with a long break between semesters, and we only offer it every couple years. For this class, you should have regular access to an HF station with Morse code capability. To become fluent in any language, including Morse code, students will need to get on the air to practice as part of the class.
If Morse code sounds like something you want to learn, we will have a virtual beginner class starting in September of 2024. This class is designed for Handiham Program members who are new to Morse code and will teach all the characters along with prosigns. At the end of the one semester class, students should be able to copy Morse code at five words per minute. If you want to join this class, send an email to Handiham@allina.com so we can add you to the list for an application.
The two-semester virtual General Class License Class just finished week 23, our first of two weeks of practice tests. This class is in the same format as the two-semester Technician Class we finished last April with interactive Zoom classes along with class recordings and handouts sent via email to students each week.
Next September, we will start a virtual two-semester Extra Class License Class using the new question pool that will take effect on July 1, 2024. If you want to be a part of this class, please send an email to Handiham@allina.com to be added to the list for an application. This class will run for 30 weeks due to the large amount of material we have to cover. The class includes interactive Zoom classes along with class recordings and handouts sent via email to students each week.
The Handiham Radio Club is getting radio active! Jerry, W0UH, our Handiham Radio Club president will hold the next monthly meeting on Sunday, April 7th at 3:00pm Central Time. The Zoom link will go out to the radio club Groups.io list. If you have not yet joined the Handiham Radio Club, all current members of the Handiham Program are eligible to join at no additional cost. Just send an email to handiham@allina.com to let us know you want to be put on the email list for the club. Staying on that list allows you to keep up with everything that is happening in the club.
73,
Melissa and Lucinda AB8WF