The Shenandoah Valley Amateur Radio Club is more than a collection of seasoned veteran amateur radio operators. The club maintains the long-standing affiliation and relationship with the American Radio Relay League (ARRL).
The purpose of this committee is to communicate the activities and actions at the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), as well as give our club members a voice in the ARRL. The ARRL is headquartered in Newington, Connecticut. SVARC is affiliated with the American Radio Relay League, and a majority percentage of SVARC members are also ARRL members. While ARRL membership is not required, our members are encouraged to join and support this excellent association.
The ARRL is an advocacy organization established in 1914 to represent the non-commercial interests in the advancement of science and art that we know to be radio communications. Amateur Radio probably would not exist except for the representation and intervention of the ARRL in the early days of governmental and policy development around the use of radio frequency spectrum and wireless communication.
Today, the ARRL remains a voice representing amateur radio interests with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Congress in the U.S. ARRL’s legal/regulatory facets might seem like a lot, but it also provides numerous technical, operational, and educational resources to the community of amateur radio operators – not just in the United States, but to amateur radio operators around the world.
Chairman John Kanode, N4MM
We think anybody would be hard-pressed to find a better-suited individual to chair such a committee than John Kanode, N4MM.
John’s impressive ham radio resume starts with him obtaining his Novice Class amateur radio license as a teenager in August of 1952. Truly bitten by the bug, John successfully upgraded to General Class just 9 months later, and to the Extra class in 1958. John also pursued a technical education, which led him to interesting jobs and work locations through the 1960s.
He became a life member of the ARRL in the 1970s, and began volunteering in numerous ARRL roles, starting with card checking for awards. As time progressed into the 1980s, John found himself in the role of Roanoke Division Vice-Director in 1981, and eventually a full ARRL director role in 1989. He served on many committees relating to DX through the years, and in 2003 was elected to Honorary Vice-President status.
To say that John is well-connected with the ARRL would be a gross understatement. He has insight and connections to information and resources that we are fortunate to enjoy at SVARC. If you don’t know John, come on out to a meeting and meet him!
