The last day of the 2020–2021 Isolation Net will be Friday, March 28th.

I’d like to thank each and every one of the participants of the Isolation Net for checking in during these last 14 plus months.

I thought the net would be a good idea for us to get together and chat with someone other than those at home while we isolate from the pandemic.

COVID-19 is an alarming disease that touched everyone around the globe in some form. I’m sure we all know someone who got it and some of us know someone who died from it.

Throughout our time on the net Amateur Radio kept us in touch with each other and, in my opinion, helped us get through these crazy times. I hope you enjoyed the net and found it worthwhile.

We might bring the net back when summer is over; we’ll take a look when that time comes to see if there is a need. Remember, the last day of the Isolation Net will be this Friday, May 28th.

These events have been affected by the ongoing COVID-19 situation:

• September Meetings will be held on W0ILO repeater system
• Jingle Bell Run 2020 is now a virtual event

September Meetings will be on W0ILO

RRRA will not meet in-person during September 2020 due to ongoing concerns about the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The September Business Meeting will be held on the W0ILO linked repeater system and no seperate ARES Meeting will be conducted:

• September ARES Meeting—CANCELED
• September Club Meeting—ON W0ILO

Club members are reminded to regularly check the Upcoming Events section of the RRRA homepage for schedule changes.

Jingle Bell Run 2020 is now a virtual event

The Arthritis Foundation has announced on their website that the Jingle Bell Run for 2020 will be a virtual event from December 11^th to December 13^th.

These events have been affected by the ongoing COVID-19 situation:

• August Meetings will be held on W0ILO repeater system
• Wyndmere Picnic on the Farm CANCELED
• SMARTSFEST CANCELED

August Meetings will be on W0ILO

RRRA will not meet in-person during August 2020 due to ongoing concerns about the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The August Business Meeting will be held on the W0ILO linked repeater system and no seperate ARES Meeting will be conducted:

• August ARES Meeting—CANCELED
• August Club Meeting—ON W0ILO

A public copy of the July Minutes has been published at https://rrra.org/post/2020/08/11/july-2020-business-meeting-minutes/ for the convenience of non-members and those with issues accessing the club’s Groupware system.

An archive of RRRA Business Meeting Minutes (since November 2015) is available at https://rrra.org/categories/minutes/. This link may be found listed as “Minutes” in the “Categories” list in the sidebar on the left-hand side of any page on our website (the sidebar is located at the bottom of the page on mobile devices.)

Club members are reminded to regularly check the Upcoming Events section of the RRRA homepage for schedule changes.

Wyndmere Picnic on the Farm CANCELED

The Wyndmere Picnic on the Farm—hosted by KB0SBW and KE0JHH—has been canceled due to concerns about COVID-19.

This cancellation was announced by in a message distributed through the Club Announcements and Club Discussions mailing lists on Sunday, August 16, 2020.

Archived copies of the pertinent mailing list traffic may be found at:

• Club Announcements mailing list August 2020 archive
• Club Discussions mailing list August 2020 archive

SMARTSFEST CANCELED

The SMARTS Radio Club has canceled SMARTSFEST 2020 and is looking forward to the next SMARTSFEST on Saturday, September 18, 2021.

Please visit the SMARTSFEST page for the official statement concerning this cancellation.

The July 2020 RRRA Business Meeting will be held on the W0ILO Repeater System at 7pm on Tuesday, July 21^st. Both the July ARES Meeting and July License Testing Session (AKA VE Session) have been canceled.

These schedule changes have been made to avoid jeopardizing our members' health during the on-going COVID-19 pandemic.

We look forward to resuming in-person meetings when conditions allow them.

On June 30, 2020, ARRL—the National Association for Amateur Radio—announced:

Well-known contester, DXer, and National Contest Journal (NCJ) Editor Scott Wright, K0MD, has been “substantially” stepping back from ham radio while offering his expertise to the US convalescent plasma COVID-19 Expanded Access Program. The study began in early April under the leadership of Dr. Michael Joyner, MD, of the Mayo Clinic; Dr. Peter Marks, MD, PhD and Dr. Nicole Verdun, MD, of the US Food and Drug Administration; Dr. Arturo Casavedall, MD, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University, and Wright, who is with the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Marks is AB3XC. ¹

“The US Convalescent Plasma Expanded Access Program is a collaborative project between the US government and the Mayo Clinic to provide access to convalescent plasma for patients in the US who are hospitalized with COVID 19,” Wright told ARRL. The work has been referenced during White House press briefings and in congressional testimony. The US government-supported study collects and provides blood plasma recovered from COVID-19 patients, which contains antibodies that may help fight the disease. The Mayo Clinic is the lead institution for the program.

“My role was to organize the infrastructure and the research approach, and to help lead the set-up of the data collection and of the website teams, while overseeing the study conduct and regulatory compliance,” Wright explained. [^1 ]

Read the rest of the ARRL article to learn more about the study, K0MD’s contributions, and his upcoming appearance as keynote speaker at the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo August 8–9, 2020.

These events have been affected by the ongoing COVID-19 situation:

• TCFMC Spring Tailgate POSTPONED
• Midwinter Madness CANCELED

TCFMC Spring Tailgate POSTPONED

The Twin Cities FM Club (TCFMC) Spring Tailgate scheduled for May 30, 2020, has been postponed until June 13, 2020.

TCFMC requests that all Spring Tailgate attendees wear a mask / face covering during this event.

Please visit the TCFMC homepage (http://tcfmc.org/) for more information.

Midwinter Madness CANCELED

The Maple Grove Radio Club Midwinter Madness Hobby Electronics Show has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Please visit the K0LTC.org Midwinter Madness page (https://k0ltc.org/midwinter-madness/) for the official statement concerning this cancellation.

These events have been affected by the ongoing COVID-19 situation:

• West Fargo SKYWARN Class POSTPONED

West Fargo SKYWARN Class POSTPONED

The SKYWARN® class scheduled for May 18, 2020, has been postponed because West Fargo City Hall is not open to the public.

The date of the rescheduled class is not yet known. Attendees should be prepared for a video conference (e.g. “Zoom”) event.

Current SKYWARN Weather Spotters, and those interested in joining the programme, should use the on-line training resources available through the National Weather Service (NWS) Forecast Office Grand Forks, ND SKYWARN page to prepare themselves for this upcoming class.

• Role of the SKYWARN Spotter
• SKYWARN Spotter Convective Basics
• NOAA Weather Spotter’s Field Guide (PDF)

These events have been affected by the ongoing COVID-19 situation:

• May Meetings Changed and Testing Session Canceled

May Meetings Changed and Testing Session Canceled

The RRRA May meetings can not be conducted in-person—and the May License Testing Session can not occur—because West Fargo City Hall is not open to the public.

RRRA President (Jarod W0JPJ) was quoted saying, “we will plan for an on-air or Zoom-type meeting [for May]”, in a message distributed through the Club Announcements and Club Discussions mailing lists on Monday, May 11, 2020.

• May ARES Meeting—CANCELED
• May Club Meeting—ON W0ILO
• May Testing Session—CANCELED

Club members are reminded to check the Upcoming Events section of the RRRA homepage before May 19th to verify the meeting location.

Archived copies of the pertinent mailing list traffic may be found at:

• Club Announcements mailing list May 2020 archive
• Club Discussions mailing list May 2020 archive

These events have been affected by the ongoing COVID-19 situation:

April ARES Meeting moved to W0ILO Repeaters

A decision was made by —during the Wednesday Afternoon ARES Net on April 15, 2020—to hold a 30 minute on-the-air ARES meeting on the W0ILO Repeaters at 6:30pm (local time) on April 21, 2020.

April RRRA Business Meeting moved to W0ILO Repeaters

As announced on April 7, 2020 the April RRRA Business Meeting will be held on the W0ILO Repeaters at 7PM (local time) on April 21, 2020.

These events have been affected by the ongoing COVID-19 situation:

• RRRMC SKYWARN Class—Postponed
• April ARES Meeting—Canceled
• April Club Meeting—On WOILO
• 🆕 Brainerd Area Hamfest—Postponed
• 🆕 Grand Forks Area Hamfest—Cancelled
• 🆕 Aurora ‘20 Convention—Cenceled

Please check the individual event listings for more information.

These events have been affected by the ongoing COVID-19 situation:

• International Marconi Day 2020 has been Canceled
• USA Amateur Radio Direction Finding Championships Canceled

International Marconi Day 2020 has been Canceled

The annual International Marconi Day (IMD) ham radio operating event that was set to take place on April 25 has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The 24-hour amateur radio event celebrates the birth of Marconi on April 25, 1874. Sponsored by the Cornish Radio Amateur Club, which operates as GB4IMD, International Marconi Day features participating stations operating at sites having a personal connection to Marconi, including places where he set up transmitting and receiving stations. ¹

USA Amateur Radio Direction Finding Championships Canceled

The ARRL ARDF Committee has made the difficult decision to cancel the 20th USA ARDF Championships, which were set to be held this summer. Contact the ARRL ARDF Committee for more information on ARDF and on attending, participating in, or hosting ARDF competitions. ARDF participants do not need an amateur radio license. For more information on Amateur Radio Direction Finding, visit the Homing In website of Joe Moell, K0OV. ²

Thank-you to everyone everyone who volunteered to provide communication support for Walk MS: Fargo 2020.

Communication support is no longer needed because the National MS Society has moved all Walk MS events—through June—to fully virtual experiences.

These virtual experiences will continue support of life-changing breakthroughs for people affected by MS while following current social-distancing guidelines.

While The National MS Society’s Walk MS experience may look different this year, their mission does not. And as they face this time of uncertainty, they are providing resources and working hard to develop new ways to support people with MS.

How You Can Help

• Celebrate Your Walk, Your Way … Whether it’s on a home treadmill or a walk around the block with your dog, on your site’s Walk MS date (or whenever it’s convenient for you) put on your orange or your favorite National MS Society volunteer t-shirt and show how you’re celebrating by using #virtualwalkMS on social media to share photos and more

• Fundraising and Donations … While we cannot gather in person, if you would still like to contribute to Walk MS, you may do so through fundraising or donating. We will continue to fundraise for Walk MS virtually to meet our goals and support people living with multiple sclerosis

• Call, text or FaceTime a person affected by MS in your life. Create a safe opportunity for connection. After all, we’re all in this together!

These events have been affected by the ongoing COVID-19 situation:

• March Meetings and Testing Session Canceled
• Spring 2020 Technician Class Canceled
• Hamvention 2020 Canceled

March Meetings and Testing Session Canceled

The RRRA President (Jarod W0JPJ) announced cancellation of the club’s March Meeting in a statement released through the Club Announcements and Club Discussions mailing lists on Saturday, March 14, 2020. Cancellation of the March License Testing Session was confirmed on the Club Discussions mailing list by the RRRA VE Coordinator (Pete WC0G).

• March ARES Meeting—CANCELED
• March Club Meeting—CANCELED
• March Testing Session—CANCELED

Archived copies of the pertinent mailing list traffic may be found at:

• Club Announcements mailing list March 2020 archive
• Club Discussions mailing list March 2020 archive

Spring 2020 Technician Class Canceled

The Spring 2020 Technician Amateur Radio license class has been cancelled by instructor Jay WD0EGC.

Students are encouraged to watch the RRRA Education and Testing page for Technician classes in the Fall of 2020.

Hamvention 2020 Canceled

ARRL reported on March 15, 2020:

For the first time in its 68-year history, Dayton Hamvention® will not take place this year, due to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak. The glum news was not entirely unexpected, given widespread cancelations of public gatherings and a national state of emergency.

“The Hamvention Executive Committee has been monitoring the COVID19 pandemic. We have worked very closely with our local and state health departments. It is with a very heavy heart the Hamvention Executive Committee has decided to cancel Hamvention for this year,” Hamvention General Chair Jack Gerbs, WB8SCT, said in announcing the cancelation on March 15. “This decision is extremely difficult for us, but with around 2 months until the Great Gathering we felt this action necessary. More specific details regarding the closure will soon be posted. Thank you for your understanding in this time of international crisis.” ¹

These events have been affected by the ongoing COVID-19 situation:

• Midwinter Madness—Postponed
• Sabin SKYWARN Class—Postponed

Cancelled and postponed hamfests are published at

• ARRL canceled events list
• RRRA Regional Hamfests index

Dakota Division Virtual Meeting

ARRL Dakota Division Director Matt Holden, K0BBC, is hosting a Dakota Division virtual meeting (webinar) starting at 9:30AM on Saturday March 21, 2020.

Please visit the RRRA calendar listing for this event for more information (including the sign up link)