[NLRS] Aurora'21 announcement !

[Jon Platt]

Aurora, the annual conference of the Northern Lights Radio Society, is the largest gathering of weak-signal VHFers in the Upper Midwest. The conference, first hosted by Jon Lieberg, KØFQA (SK), in 1984, was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. However, with the recent relaxation of restrictions regarding large group gatherings, we have decided to hold Aurora'21, but as a half-day, outside-only event.  

Aurora'21 will be held Saturday, July 31 from 9 am to 1 pm at the usual location, the Community of Grace Lutheran Church, 4000 Linden Street, White Bear Lake, MN.  The church is located on the east side of Highway 61, about 2 miles north of I-694. We will be utilizing the far eastern end of their back parking lot.  We will have access to their upstairs bathroom facilities.  If you enter the church please follow church guidelines regarding wearing a mask.  Please remember that we are guests here.  If it rains, the event will be cancelled.
The event will feature the usual Aurora outdoor activities, including an antenna range for 144, 222, and 432 MHz.  If you have any other bands besides these three that you would like to test, please  contact Donn Baker, WA2VOI, the antenna range manager, via email at wa2voi(at)mninter.net.  Mike Cizek, W0VTT, will be at the conference for card checking too.  Finally, if you would like to present an outside demo on something, please drop me a note at w0zq(at)aol.com.  Perhaps you have a new rover set up, a new rig or interface box, or are doing some Sun noise experiments, etc.  Please note that since this is an outdoor, half-day event, we will not be holding a formal technical program nor a business meeting.  
As previously announced, there are no NLRS membership dues for 2021.  Any member in good standing remains in good standing through 2021.  Should you want to join the NLRS as a new member, please fill out a membership form found on our www.nlrs.club website and follow the simple instructions found there.
There will not be any registration or registration fee for Aurora'21.  However, since the NLRS does provide a donation to the church for the use of their facility and has yearly website expenses of about $80, we will have a donation jar.  The first $100 that is collected will go to the church, the next $80 will go to the club to defray website costs, and anything over that will be split 50/50 as a donation to QTH.net and to the ARRL's Spectrum Defense Fund.   
I am looking forward to seeing everyone for an eyeball QSO at Aurora'21.  Please let Donn know of any antenna testing outside of 2, 222, or 432, and let me know if you would like to "bring a demo" for our outside gathering.
73, JonW0ZQ

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