site header

ARRL Logo


©North Fulton
Amateur
Radio League
1990 - 2019


Contact our Webmaster

 

Neil N4FN

What NFARL Accomplished in 2014

By Neil N4FN and the Executive Committee
 

  1. Satellite SIG - 10 to 12 folks participated - built handheld satellite antennas.
  2. CW SIG - 17 folks participated - several learned CW - SIG met 3 times a week CW on repeater + CW tests.
  3. GA QSO Party - About 25 members participated and we won gavel for 5th time!
  4. Field Day - many hard working leaders - 256 participants, #1 nationally - highest NFARL score ever - every bonus point available was earned this year for the first time - 12,300 points! 5th place nationally out of 316 entries - 1st place in SE Division.
  5. Merit Badge class at Field Day - over 20 Boy Scouts earned Radio and Emergency Preparedness Merit Badges - classes organized by and taught by a large number of NFARL instructors.
  6. Boy Scout Jamboree on the Air - members supported JOTA with station and Radio and Electronic MB classes.
  7. ARES SET - Oct. 4 - 25 members participated - many newer members learned EmComm + attended monthly meetings.
  8. Teacher Workshop - 10 teachers attended all day session - half dozen club members designed and presented the workshop.
  9. GISA conference workshops on Ham Radio - prepared and presented by club members.
  10. EduComm team essentially ran spring semester of MSA class on ham radio - many others helped - 10 new hams passed test and were mentored.  Teacher W4MSA named NFARL Ham of the Year.
  11. Club meetings - had over 80 in attendance several times - helpful programs presented.  Informative mini-talks too.
  12. HamJam - "Outstanding speakers" was the general consensus - earned almost $4,000 for our YOUTH fund.
  13. Holiday dinner - 77 attended - Ham of the Year - distinguished service - hams helping hams.
  14. Maker Faire - hugely successful with over 30,000 visitors - 1st place award for the Amateur Radio booth.  NFARL was a strong supporter with volunteers, YOUTH funds and kit building activity.  Parts for 300 kits ordered; 190 prototype breadboards built, mostly by youth.
  15. Highest membership recorded pushing NFARL to 10th largest affiliated general purpose club in country - 315.
  16. YL net initiated with participation from YLRL members all over the WORLD!
  17. Tech Talk (net) with between 35 and 45 participating each week; unique Chat room feature; links captured and posted on yahoo reflector.  Participation from  entire US/Canada.  Some folks have joined club from TT net.
  18. Enhanced website - already had 600 pages but introduced HOT TOPICS which shows huge amount of activity.
  19. Weekly club member meals - Hungry Hams (25 or so each week) and ROOG (dozen participants).
  20. Repeater maintenance / features - outstanding record on antenna work and repairs in short order.
  21. Strong repeater use during drive times - utilized by a diverse group of members and non-members.
  22. 10 Meter contest - club members including YOUTH members participated and made contacts.
  23. FOX HUNT - about 10 members participated - Mid Month Madness event - loads of fun.
  24. Significant club support of HR 4969, The Amateur Radio Parity Act - at least 30 club members wrote their congressmen.  The actual number is likely more than 50 letters. 
  25. 13 Colony effort - club members operated, designed the QSL card, and sent out over 700 Georgia QSLs.  Late QSLs are still dribbling in.
  26. Girl Scout STEM Expo - another successful participation - activities included wimshurst machine, morse code sending, bracelet making, and promotion of the potential Girl Scout radio badge.  Many NFARL YLs participated.
  27. Roswell's Mimosa Elementary School "Family Science Night" - club members participated - students were exposed to and sent morse code messages, saw a demonstration of a space shuttle contact from the MSA video, and were given a basic overview of 2 way radio communications.
  28. TechFest table - enjoyed by over 20 youth attendees plus a few adults - subject was kit building via solder techniques.
  29. Antenna trailer - donated to club.
  30. EME transmission - moon bounce communication successfully completed.
  31. Club loaner program - this is a key component in our kit to help new club members get active on the air.  Our inventory of loaner equipment includes five HF radios, three 10 meter radios, power supplies and accessories.  This equipment was loaned throughout the year to help club members transition to establishing their own station setup.   
  32. Estate assistance - members assisted in the liquidation of half a dozen member and non-member estates in 2014.  The estates were a great source of equipment for our loaner program and funds for the club treasury.
  33. NFARL antenna team - club members volunteered throughout the year to assist other club members with antenna projects.  They provided help to new hams to get that first antenna up, and also to seasoned operators who wanted to try something new or needed assistance in repair of damaged antennas.  It seems this team was on call almost every week of the year and are probably the single most important component of getting club members on the bands. 
  34. North Fulton VE Test Team - another successful year - 123 candidates tested in 12 monthly test sessions plus one HamCram.  132 "elements" earned - 81 Technician, 36 General, and 15 Extra.  "Elements earned" exceeds "candidates tested" due to some candidates sitting for multiple elements in an exam session.
  35. Roswell Hospitality Bike Ride - NFARL members led by NF ARES provided a host of operators for the Roswell Hospitality Bike Ride in late June - several hundred cyclists road up to 100 miles and club members manned various rest stops and emergency vehicles.