[NLRS] CQWW VHF and ARRL June Contest Plaques: Some NLRS history.

[Jon Platt]

Hello NLRS land...Since the topic of contest plaques has come up, and since we did not have a business meeting this year, I would like to respond to Matt's suggestion, but before doing so I want to give everyone some background (history) as to our current sponsorship of contest plaques.   Prior to 2012, I do believe that the NLRS was active in supporting the ARRL June SOLP Dakota Division plaque.  We may have supported one or two other plaques as well.  Financial support for these came more or less out of yearly dues and/or passing the hat at Aurora.   In 2012 John McDonald, KC9TLV, became a Silent Key and his estate gifted funds to the NLRS.  With John's gift, and given the general direction given to us from John as to how to use these funds, the club decided to save a portion of it (which we still have), to donate a portion of it to the ARRL Spectrum Defense and Education & Technology funds, to purchase some equipment for the Aurora (and other) antenna test range, and to support the CQWW VHF and ARRL June contests with plaques.  All of this has been previously reported on during our Aurora based NLRS business meetings through the years.  Regarding contest plaques we have funded the following four plaques from 2013 to 2022; CQWW VHF USA Rover, ARRL June Contest Dakota Division SOLP, ARRL June Contest National SO3B, and non-Dakota ARRL June Contest Division SOLP that is rotated each year at the discretion of the ARRL Contest Manager.  The ARRL plaques were prepaid (for ten years) in 2013 while we pay for the CQWW VHF Rover plaque yearly.  The total cost for this ten year plan was (is) $2250.   2022 will be the last year of this ten year plan...More to follow..73, JonW0ZQ