Many individuals have loved ones in Puerto Rico and they are
understandably hopeful that Amateur Radio operators can relay messages
to them. As a result, some are contacting amateurs with requests to
pass message traffic to the island.

At the same time, individual amateurs and clubs have reported that
local press representatives have contacted them to request information
about Amateur Radio involvement in Puerto Rico. This is likely to
increase as word spreads in the national media about our activities.

For inquiries from the public, ARRL advises that these individuals
should be informed that amateurs traveling to the island to support
the American Red Cross effort will be tasked with handling outbound
traffic only. With that in mind, members of the public should access
the American Red Cross Safe and Well System online at
https://safeandwell.communityos.org/cms/index.php. Status information
from friends and relatives in Puerto Rico will be entered into the
system as it arrives from amateurs stationed there.

For press inquiries, please ask reporters to contact ARRL directly at
newsmedia@arrl.org.  A system has been established at ARRL
Headquarters to respond to press inquiries in a timely and accurate
manner.

ARRL Lab Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, will be the guest speaker at the North Dakota State Convention and hamfest which will be held on Saturday September 30th, in West Fargo, ND.  Specifically, Ed will be discussing RFI problems and fixes.  Following that during the ARRL Fourm, you'll get a chance to visit with the Director and Vice Director candidates.  Hope to see you there!

ARRL HQ has announced 2 candidates for Director and 4 candidates for Vice Director have approved by the Ethics and Elections Committee:

NAME                      CALL       OFFICE
    
Matt Holden           K0BBC    Director          
Dean Summers      N0ND     Director
 
Tom Karnauskas    N0UW    Vice-Director      
Jay Maynard            K5ZC      Vice-Director     
Lynn Nelson            W0ND    Vice-Director    
Chris Stallkamp      KI0D       Vice-Director

Ballots will be sent, by post office mail, to all Dakota Division members (as of September 10th) no later than October 1st.
​The deadline to return ballots is Friday November 17th.

Greetings Dakota Division amateurs;

As some of you know, I recently retired after 36 years in the military.
Since then, I have taken a new job in Fargo with a company as a
corporate pilot.  With this change of careers, it means my schedule is
no longer in my control, and I have made the decision to not run for
another term as your ARRL Dakota Division Director.  This has been a
very difficult decision and one I wish I didn't need to make, but I feel
I cannot represent our division as I should.

If you have any interest in either the Director or Vice Director
position, I encourage you to check page 83 of the August edition of QST
(2017) for details.  There are a couple of deadlines to note:  August
11th, 2017 for requesting an official nominating package, and August
18th, 2017 for submission of that package.  Please consult QST for all
the specifics.

It has been an great honor and a privilege to represent the amateurs of
MN, ND, & SD since 2010 as both a Vice Director and most recently your
Director.  We might be the smallest ARRL division in population, but I
believe we're the largest in pride and support of our great hobby.

I thank each and every one of you for your support and friendship!  I
will continue as your director until Jan 2018 (when the current term
expires), and if you have any questions, please email me or call.

73!

Kent
KAØLDG

The Brainerd Area Amateur Radio Club's hamfest this year was another success.  The weather couldn't have been better to get out and scrounge for deals, sell some stuff, or just chat with other hams.  The chili was cooking and excellent as usual!  Attendance was up even if there were fewer sellers this year, but everyone was having a good time.  Hats off to another good time in Brainerd!

Bob, WØLAW & Matt, KØBBC  at the ARRL booth.

The Maple Grove Amateur Radio Club hosted another fun hamfest.  Midwinter Madness as it is known was held in Buffalo, MN at the usual location.  A lot of hams selling & buying which keep the venue hopping throughout the morning as well as visitors to the ARRL table made the time go fast.  Food was once again good with cinnamon rolls being sold to hungry hams out on the floor.  With the great weather we've been having, perhaps the hamfest name should be changed to the "Spring Solstice" since there wasn't a snowflake to be found again this year ;-)  Thanks again to the Maple Grove ARC for another great event.  I forgot to take pictures to post, so you'll have to take my word for it.

Thanks to the Central Dakota ARC for hosting another great hamfest!  The weather was great and there were some pretty good deals to be had by those who attended.  The ARRL Forum was well attended and could have gone longer - lots of good discussion.  The CDARC hams not only have a good lunch, but have breakfast as well.  Of course it's good to have a belly full of pancakes, eggs, and sausage to start off the day with!  Lynn Nelson WØND (ND SM), Kris Stalkamp, WØADZ (SD SM), Matt Holden, KØBBC (Dakota Div, Vice Director), and I had a great time, thanks all!

The St. Cloud ARC hosted their 100th Year Anniversary hamfest on February 18th in style.  Located at a different and beautiful venue, The College of St. Benedict, saw lots of things to do for attendees.  A well-stocked breakfast buffet keep hams fueled to roam the hamfest floor or to attend the many breakout sessions held throughout the morning.  The weather was unseasonably warm in the 50s which made travels easy for those who attended.  Thanks to the hard working folks in the St. Cloud ARC whose great hospitality made their event fun!