[ADXA] Legacy, Volunteering, and failure is NOT an option!

[The Romagni's]

WTG!!! it reminds me when I got my ticket, I was around your
Grandkid age... Now blick... One of the things I did during covid lockdown
was I became a VE, and was part of the original team that started to set up
online testing, trust me! it is managed in such a way, that it will be easy
to go into Fort Knox rather than cheat on the online session... Everytime I
go into a hamfest, I stop by and see if they are short on VE's and usually
have no issues sitting down and helping out... Last year in Dayton, I went
into the session, and had the chance to test an 80 year old Blind man, he
went from tech to Extra in one seating!

Now it tooks us almost 2 hours to test him, as we had to read each question
to him, and then write his answer out... but seeing his smile when he
passed the Extra was just priceless...

yeah, this is why I am also a big proponent of show and tell, and get STEM
Teachers in the loop... look around any club meeting these days, and gray
is a primary color... It is up to us to teach the next generation!
kudos again to your GrandSon, hope to work him on the pileups...

73

Steve
W4DTA

On Mon, Jan 12, 2026 at 3:59 PM Jay Bromley <jayw5jay at outlook.com> wrote:

> Hi Folks,
> This is not DX related, but might be in the future?  Today, I have to brag
> just a little bit on my grandson!
>
> My number 1 grandson's name is Jack.  He became a licensed ham last month,
> all on his own.  He is only 12 years old!  So, I was on full scale push to
> get him upgraded too General, ASAP!  I would do anything to get him there,
> as we have another government shutdown looming!  UGH!  Last Friday Kathy
> and I drove to Tulsa and picked up Jack after school and bought him home to
> take one of the two BVRC classes left for General Class license.  His mom
> told me that he didn't need to do that, but my reply was we just wanted to
> have some time with young Jack and the class was an excuse for him to come
> over to hang out.  BTW, the Grands never need an excuse to hang out with
> their Poppy!  I don't get to see them enough!
>
> About a month ago, Jack got his FRN number on his own and took his
> Technician class license remotely a few hours later.  Jack did his homework
> on how to take the test thanks to web sites like the ARRL, etc.  He was
> trying hard during the government shut down to do all the above.  Every day
> he would check the FCC to see if they were back up and running.  So, I
> guess he was motivated to get the first license class behind him.  We knew
> about the FRN work around, but he didn't want the "work around".  He wanted
> to be a ham radio operator!  Both his mom and I tried to help, but typical
> pre teenager, Jack wanted to do this on his own!
>
> I knew about the remote testing, but I had thought that was for the
> pandemic.  No, they are remote testing more now than ever.  If you are one
> of those worried about cheating, Don't!  You have to meet several
> requirements.  The first one for Jack was to get a parental consent form
> signed and the other there has to be a camera aimed on the one taking the
> test!  His mom signed the consent form and Jack was on full tilt go for
> launch.  I think there were 12 VE's watching young Jack and when he passed,
> they all cheered.  Wow, how cool technology is these days!
>
> His mom later told me; you would have thought this was a big deal.  My
> response was, IT IS A BIG DEAL!  Ham radio matters, it is a "Big Deal" to
> pass the test.  I guess these days most folks are sadly just not aware?
>
> My whole family is loaded with smart college educated folks and I am not
> one of them, sadly!  We have everything from Teachers, Mechanical
> Engineers, to Ear/Nose and Throat doctors!  They all can take tests and
> pass quite easily.  I do compare myself to them all the time.  None of this
> is ever easy for me and I didn't learn I had a learning disability until I
> saw all them going to college.  My brain is just slow compared to all of
> them, including my Kathy!
>
> Last Friday night Jack and I took a practice test together.  Before I
> could read the question and ask myself, now what is the question asking us,
> Jack would click on the answer!  The next day, his instructor N5ZE Stephen,
> told me the same thing.  He took a practice test with Jack, same deal,
> instant answer recognition!  While he didn't ace the test, he was the first
> one to finish the test in the least amount of time.  He passed his General;
> that is all that matters to me.  No one ever remembers who aced the test,
> but they always remember who passed the test!
>
> BTW, I can't thank the BVRC VE team and Stephen enough for providing a
> very nice memory.  I am sure the memories are more for me than for Jack,
> hi.  We had 10 folks take the test and one failed.  We had 13 VE's, grin!
>
> Now Jack is already moved on to Extra class studying!  I am hoping he can
> do it before and if the government shuts down again!  I already showed him
> how to learn CW fast the right way, but I don't want a distraction until he
> makes Extra.  Hey I know the kid is smart, but I am pushing him to learn
> new things that are not easy for him!  He loves to build things and
> solder.  He and I built a small AM radio when he was 8 years old.  He was a
> little concerned about being burned with the soldering iron, but his kit
> worked the first time out and he still has it.
>
> Now for the DX part, I am sure in time Jack will become a DXer.  It is
> going to be tough to set up a station at his parents' home if at all?
> However, I have some plans, even if sitting out on the patio with a
> borrowed rig and a simple wire in the trees that we take down.  Failure is
> NOT an option!  A phrase I stole from Joel, W5ZN.
>
> After the class, the new Generals were asked if they wanted to make a HF
> contact on the new club station.  Thanks to Dennis Tune W5DM and Cuck KM5G
> the station was on the air fully operational for the first time that day!
> Only Jack took up the offer!  Attached is his picture.  I will include one
> of the proud grandparents, WQ5T and W5JAY.
>
> Now if you made it this far, you will hear Rick K5UR talk a lot about
> Volunteering and Legacy!  Even though I had a lot on my plate, after
> listening to Rick talk at our ADXA meeting about stepping up, that pretty
> much why I am your ADXA president!  Plus, Joel and Roger were not taking
> "NO" for an answer!  Remember, "Failure is not an Option"!  For better or
> worse, this is how we are going to roll forward.  Not to fear, we still
> have all the same great leaders within the ADXA organization!
>
> Legacy and Volunteering is some of ARRL President Rick's mission.  I have
> my own, starting first with BVRC this year, that hopefully in time will
> trickle down to ADXA.  I am trying my best to encourage all new hams to get
> just one new person into the hobby this year!  Then Elmer or Mentor them!
> Starting with the local club, get them excited to chase DX.  Show them
> about LOTW and the ARRL, QST, NCJ, etc.  Then ask them to join the ARRL and
> finally join the ADXA.  I only know a few DXers that don't chase awards,
> why?  I don't get those guys.  You must be an ARRL member to get those
> super nice DXCC awards.  You must be an ARRL member to join the ADXA.  This
> is a hobby and in the long run, the cost is minimal for most folks to join
> the local clubs, then the ARRL, and finally the ADXA.  I can see some young
> folks needing help, but for the rest of us, should be fairly easy.  We have
> several nice clubs within the state, I hope they encourage their members to
> go out and find their one new ham and Mentor them!
>
> Now the ADXA is not for everyone and that is OK.  I am moving forward and
> looking for new hams that have the right stuff.  This past week I did an
> Elmer 101 class last week at BVRC and at the end I asked all the new folks
> to get someone into the hobby and then Elmer them.  Now I knew some would
> say I don't know enough or I have not been in the hobby long enough.  Well,
> how does one learn the art of ham radio fast, by teaching others!  Mainly
> because you have to bone up on things to explain them to others.  This
> causes a chain reaction of learning!  BTW, I told them I am building up an
> Army of hams that can do and Elmer.  My hope is they take up the
> challenge!
>
> That is my plan for the coming year.  The ADXA has the best Elmers going,
> bar none!  We are lucky to have them!  In the end, it is the new ham's
> advantage to follow the above plan.  If they don't, well they are going to
> miss out.  How do I know, well I had my chance back in the late 70s!  Rick
> was in the "promote the hobby mode" even back then!  Funny how little
> things have really changed over the years!
>
> Sorry for the rant, it started out bragging about Jack and then I drifted
> into getting more folks into the hobby and later into a high end DXER.
>
> Don't forget to look at the new phone operator attached.  BTW, his
> callsign is KJ5NKF/AG
>
> Have a great week coming up!  73 de w5jay/jay..
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