As the club knows, for personal reasons I opted to not seek a second term as President of the San Luis Valley Amateur Radio Association. There’s absolutely nothing wrong and everything is going extremely well with the group. As those of you who have led active non-profits know, it can be a lot more work behind the scenes than one might typically expect. And given the current state of our lives at this juncture, KF0GDV and I feel like this is the best decision for us. We will absolutely continue to remain active and supportive of SARA and all of its endeavors. I’ve also agreed to remain in a support role for all things internet related, to the group. But the reality of it is, it’s time for me to take a step or two back and focus more on other local projects we’re involved with. Too, this gives others in the club the opportunity to take the reins and continue our ever increasing momentum. And given the oncoming officers and board for 2023, I am confident the group is in very good hands and will continue to flourish.
Reflecting back on this year with the group, I’m very pleased with how far we have come and what people have been able to learn. We licensed several new hams and had many upgrade their licenses as well. It is my belief that Amateur Radio in the San Luis Valley continues to gain traction as more and more people come forward expressing an interest in the hobby. Our monthly meetings continue to be well attended and new faces pop in periodically, only to become familiar faces over time.
Throughout the year, it has been a distinct pleasure to both help and watch as people learned to solder coax connectors, build antennas from scratch, make their first over the air contacts, troubleshoot equipment issues, learn about foxhunting, activate POTA locations, build go bags, and so much more. We participated for the 3rd year in a row in Field Day and despite all of the rain, had a good time and were able to introduce to hobby to several people. In addition to this, the City of Monte Vista recognized and designated June 20-26, 2022 as Amateur Radio Week.
We added a new 70cm & a GMRS repeater to the group in Alamosa, with possible plans for even more in the future. The new ham repeater now expands handheld coverage to the two largest towns in the San Luis Valley. Several folks are working towards ARES related goals and a basic structure for EMCOMM has been re-established and is moving forward. More focus is being given to HF related items too, something that has been of concern to some of the longer licensed hams in the group. To me, that is one of the beauties of what we do, there are so many varied aspects of ham radio that everyone seems to find something special that interests them. I encourage our new officers and board to continue this trend of inclusiveness in what is available to do and learn.
I believe the group as a whole is even better represented across the various age groups as younger hams continue to join our ranks as well. This is very encouraging and I hope to see this trend continue as we grow into the future. We have a variety of opportunities to reach younger people, connecting with them is an absolute must.
By unanimous vote in each and every case, the SARA Officers & Directors for 2023 are:
- President: Jim McCloskey, AD0LV
- Vice President: Rick Syring, WY0R
- Secretary: Justin Spencer, KF0JNX
- Treasurer, Loren Howard, AB8ZZ
- Trustee, Dave Newmyer, N0KM
- Net/QSL Director, Zane Stephenson, KF0GBL
- ARES/Emcomm Director, Donald McDonald, N0HQD
- Program Director: Justin Spencer, KF0JNX
- Testing/Training Director: Matthew Bowker, KD0THF
I close my last club blog by thanking all of you for allowing me to serve as your President this year. When first licensed back in the mid-70’s, I never would have dreamed that I would one day have an opportunity to lead an amateur radio group. You are all such a wonderful and knowledgeable group of people; I remain humbled by the experience. It has truly been a pleasure and honor to serve and help guide the group forward this year. And I’m very proud of our officers and directors for 2022. They’ve not only learned new skills, but stepped up as well to help when & where it was needed. I know for certain that I have added significantly to my list of solid acquaintances and good friends. Blessings one and all…
Adam Lock, WA2JAL
Past-President, SARA