2025 Convention will be held August 3 during the Berryville Hamfest
Clarke County Fairgrounds, Berryville, VA
_____________________
9:00 AM – 11:30 in the Horticulture Building
- 9:15 AM – Presentation of the 2024 ARRL Roanoke Division Service Award to Mike Aimone, WA8AHZ
- 9:20 AM – Bill Morine, N2COP, ARRL Roanoke Division Vice Director, “Overview Of ARRL And Amateur Radio In Our Region” followed by Q&A
- 10:00 AM – Jack Smith, KE4LWT, ARRL Virginia Section Manager, “Amateur Radio In Virginia”
- 10:30 AM – Mike Aimone, WA8AHZ, ARRL Virginia Affiliated Club Coordinator, “The State Of Our Hobby”
About the presenters
William C. Morine, N2COP
William C. “Bill” Morine, N2COP, became the Vice Director of the ARRL Roanoke Division in January of 2015 by appointment of ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, to fill out the term of Roanoke Division Vice Director Jim Boehner, N2ZZ, who succeeded Dennis Bodson, W4PWF (SK), as Division Director. He won election to the position and began a full term of office on January 1st of 2019. He was re-elected to a new term starting January 1st of 2022 and again in 2025.
Bill had been ARRL North Carolina Section Manager since 2010 and was ARRL North Carolina Section Public Information Coordinator for many years, having been the 2001 recipient of the ARRL’s Philip J. McGan award for public relations. He served as Chairman of the ARRL Public Relations Committee and is still very active in sharing the ham radio message to the wider audience.
First licensed in 1970, he is a Life Member of the ARRL, QCWA and OOTC. Bill holds an Amateur Extra ticket. He holds certificates for DXCC, VUCC, Triple Play, WAS, WAC, and has served twice on the staff of K2BSA, the Boy Scout National Jamboree station. He has helped over two thousand scouts learn the Radio Merit Badge and over two hundred of them become licensed.
Originally from Massachusetts, Bill resides in Wilmington, North Carolina and is Vice President of Morine Financial Services, Inc. His two sons are also licensed: Grant, W4GHM, and Reid, W4RSM. Little known facts: Bill has crossed North America at least five times by train (please answer if you ever hear him sign “railroad mobile”), and he takes great pride in his ability to correctly answer questions on “Final Jeopardy.
Jack Smith, KE4LWT – Virginia Section Manager
Ive been very fortunate to have been able to be an amateur radio operator all over the US, and in parts of South and Central America. I’ve been a hard to get DX station in El Salvador (YS1/KE4LWT and YS9/KE4LWT) operating with both a Yaesu FT-840 and Datron AN/PRC-1099A, operated VHF in Panama and Guatemala, and been able to meet with amateurs from around the world while traveling. Being in Puerto Rico immediately after Hurricane Maria hit it was very rewarding to be able to talk to folks after work, and even occasionally go up to La Pandura and rag-chew with folks in the USVI!
I like to build as much of my own stuff as I can, and in my shack is the predecessor to the W2FS TNC-X, the PIC-TNC, a couple of the TNC-Xs, a couple of the TNC-Pi units, some digital CW keyers to work with my Bencher iambic keyer, and a whole bunch of little shack accessories. I have a couple of the Nino-TNCs that I need to get put together as well as a couple of Pi-Gates and other Raspberry Pi base projects that I’m tinkering with. They’re all a lot of fun, even though it seems like the parts are getting smaller faster than my eyesight can adjust!
I’ve participated in some contests, and have lately begun getting into QRP, and purchased a Xiegu G-90 and DigiRig interface. This has been a lot of fun, and has enabled me to carry a HF rig with me when I have to work out of town. I’m also dabbling in ARDEN mesh radio some, and have some 900mHz and 2.4gHz units that I’m currently working with.
There is no part of amateur radio that I don’t enjoy trying, I’m just not very good at some of it. But hey, you don’t get better if you don’t try.
I retired from the Army in 2017, having served as an All-Source Intelligence Analyst for just two-weeks shy of 38 years, and was fortunate enough to get hired by an agency of the federal government that does emergency management, and I get to work pretty much as much or as little as I want. The camaraderie of amateur radio operators, disaster responders, and volunteer organizations are great to see everywhere I go in the USA and around the world, and I’m glad that I get to continue to be a part of that.
In 2021 I ran for and was elected to serve as the ARRL Virginia Section Manager, with the term beginning 1 April 2022. I also serve on the Governor’s Statewide Interoperable Executive Committee, representing the interests of amateur radio.
My current shack(s) consist of an ICOM-IC-7200 with an MFJ antenna tuner, an AV-6160 vertical for 40m-160m, and a SteppIR DB18E for 6m-30m, up on a US Tower HDX-572MDPL (currently down waiting on a thrust bearing). I also have a Yaesu FT-840 w/ FM board, TCXO, and FC-800 remote tuner, an Alinco DX-70 w/ EDX-2 remote tuner, Yaesu FTM-400DR and FTM-400XDR, Icom IC-T7Hs, and a Yaesu FT3DR. My mobile/portable/QRP setup is a Xiegu G-90 and DigiRig mobile interface and a fishing-pole antenna.
I can be contacted at my callsign at winlink.org, arrl.net and gmail.com. I can also be contacted by Hamshack Hotline at 550-000-0074.
Some highlights of my background are:
Bachelor of Science in Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness
All-Source Intelligence Analyst (Army 35X (formerly 96B))
Dept. of the Army Certified :
- Operations Security (OPSEC) Program Developer
- Training Manager
- Security Manager
- Physical Security Manager
- Small Group Leader/Instructor
FEMA:
- Certified Professional Continuity Practitioner
- Emergency Manager
- Operations Division Supervisor (Response and Recovery)
- Public Assistance Group Supervisor (Infrastructure)
- Operations Task Force Leader
- Professional Develpment Series
- Operations Division Supervisor
- Operations Branch Director
- Public Assistance Group Supervisor
- Deputy Infrastructure Branch Director
- Mission Assignment Manager
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA): Auxiliary Communications Course
Virginia Emergency Management Association Certified Professional Emergency Manager (VaPEM)
Member:
- International Association of Emergency Managers
- Virginia Emergency Management Association
- Military Intelligence Corps Association
- Military Intelligence Regimental Association
Major Disaster Experience
- 1983: Bessemer, AL flood (Red Cross DR-330/FEMA DR-695-AL)
- 1998-1999: Hurricane Mitch relief effort, El Salvador (DoD response)
- 2001: Pontotoc Mississippi Tornado (FEMA DR-1360-MS) (Red Cross/ARES response)
- 2002: Veteran’s Day Tornados, Columbus MS area (FEMA DR-1398-MS) (Red Cross/ARES response)
- 2005: Hurricane Katrina evacuation center support, Tupelo MS (FEMA DR-1604-MS) (DoD response)
- 2008: Mississippi Severe Storms and Flooding (FEMA DR-1753-MS) Lee County and surrounding areas. (Red Cross response)
- 2010: Millington TN flood relief (FEMA DR-1909-TN). HQ NSA Mid-South, Millington, TN. (DoD response)
- 2011: Tōhoku, Japan relief (From HQ US Pacific Command, Joint Intelligence Operations Center) (International response, DoD support)
- 2017: Hurricane Harvey, SE TX (FEMA DR-4332-TX), Division F, Beaumont TX
- 2017-2018: Hurricanes Irma and Maria, SE PR, (FEMA DR-4339-PR). Division Supervisor for FEMA Division H/PR EMA Zona XI
- 2018-2019: Hurricane Florence, NC (FEMA DR-4393-NC). Public Assistance Group Supervisor (PAGS) for Sheltering and Temporary Essential Power (STEP) program.
- 2019: Missouri Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding (FEMA DR-4451-MO) Division Supervisor for Central Missouri
- 2020-2021: California Wildfires (FEMA DR-4558-CA and FEMA-4569-CA). Division Supervisor for Yolo, Butte, Plumas, Siskiyou and Del Norte Counties, and the Karuk Nation (Siskiyou County)
- 2021: North Carolina COVID-19 Response (FEMA DR-4487-NC). Division Supervisor for Eastern, Central and Western Divisions.
- 2022: Louisiana Hurricane Ida (FEMA DR-4611-LA). Division Supervisor for LaFourche, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. James, and Assumption Parishes.
- 2023: Oklahoma Tornadoes and Straight-line Winds (FEMA DR-4706-OK). Division Supervisor for three counties (April thru May).
- 2023: Oklahoma Tornadoes and Straight-line Winds (FEMA DR-4706-OK). Operations Section Chief (Effective June 1 through July 19).
- 2023: Oklahoma Tornadoes and Straight-line Winds (FEMA DR-4706-OK and DR-4721-OK). Operations Section Chief (July 19 thru November)
- 2024: Ohio Tornadoes and Severe Storms (FEMA DR-4777-OH). Division Supervisor for Western and Central Ohio. (May-June)
- 2024: Texas Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding (FEMA DR-4781-TX) and Texas Hurricane Beryl (FEMA DR-4798-TX). Division Supervisor for SE Texas (Br-III, Div-B) (August-September)
- 2024: Virginia Hurricane Helene (FEMA DR-4831-VA). Division Supervisor for Division A(lpha), which was the area covering Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) regions 2 and 3. (September-Decemeber).
Mike Aimone, WA8AZ – ARRL Virginia Affiliated Club Coordinator
Mike was first licensed at the age of 13, and was very active in High School and College. My best grade school buddy, WA8AMH and I learned the Hobby together, those many years ago.
After college, I joined the military, and bounced around too much to consistentely manage a station. Since retiring in March, 2016, I’ve re-entered by Hobby of my youth and realize how much of the Hobby I missed and now enjoy.
I’m active with the Vienna Wireless Society, Potomac Valley Radio Club, and the Quarter Century Wireless Assocation, Chapter 91, the Vic Clark Chapter.
Operate “100 watts and a wire” using a FLEX 6500, and you’ll find me mostly on FT-8.