Creating a Strong Future for Amateur Radio
Articles and information about Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC
I very much appreciate everyone’s support during the past three years and this election cycle. I want to particularly thank those who have and continue to serve in volunteer roles here in New England. We all appreciate your service. It’s been a pleasure working with everyone and I look forward to continuing to do so as Anita and I continue our work to bring new people into Amateur Radio and help Hams to develop new skills and enjoy Amateur Radio.
Fred, AB1OC
Folks have been asking me why I want to serve as ARRL New England Division Director. For me, this is about giving back and helping people to enrich their lives through Amateur Radio and all that it can offer. You can watch the video above to learn more.
Fred, AB1OC
I have had the pleasure to work and collaborate with my club and others to create programs to get new people and young people started in Amateur Radio. I’ve been sharing information about these programs with clubs across New England and around the US to provide ideas and inspiration for Amateur Radio clubs to add similar mentoring and Ham Development programs to their activities.
Teaching License Classes is a passion of mine. Along with the Nashua Area Radio Society, we’ve provided 7-8 License Training Classes to help folks earn Technician, General, and Extra class licenses each year. Our classes include 1 or 2 classes each year devoted solely to school students who want to earn their Technician License. We do this so that we can teach the Technician Class material in a format suitable for middle school and high school students.
I have led the creation of programs such as Ham Bootcamp and Tech Night to provide training and skills development to enable Hams to get on the air and develop new skills.
I believe that work to support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) learning in schools through Amateur is an important way to help the next generation of young people to join the Amateur Radio Service and enhance their lives. Kits Builds, High-Altitude Balloons, and other Amateur Radio activities can provide practical applications and support for STEM learning programs that many schools are working to deliver.
Through my work as a mentor and ground station in the ARISS program, I’ve been able to help schools and other youth groups around the world to experience and learn about Amateur Radio and use it to communicate with astronauts on the International Space Station.
ARRL Rookie Roundup – Introducing contesting to young people and new Hams
I believe that it’s also very important to introduce new hams and young hams to the Amateur Radio activities that many of us enjoy. We routinely make our station here available to new Hams and young people so they can participate in on-air activities. A favorite activity is the ARRL Rookie Roundup – a contest experience that the ARRL sponsors for new Hams to try out and learn about Radiosport.
I’ve been sharing a presentation with clubs and other groups about these and other programs to encourage folks to provide mentoring and new Ham development opportunities.
I met with the K1USN Radio Club in Braintree, MA, a while ago to share this information. The folks there recorded my presentation and have permitted me to share it here so that others might benefit from the information that it contains. The K1USN Radio Club is a great example of a group of Hams that are working to provide mentoring and new Ham development programs. Here’s where you can find more about them:
Also, you can download a copy of the presentation in PDF form here.
I hope that our readers will consider creating programs to help bring new people into the Amateur Radio Service and mentor all Hams to help them to develop new skills and enjoy Amateur Radio.
Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC
Hello. I am Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, and I have been serving as your ARRL New England Division Director. I have a long history of helping people to become licensed, learn new skills, and become active in the Amateur Radio Service. I have also served in several roles in support of the Nashua Area Radio Society, a club that has provided many hams licensing and development programs over the past six years.
Like most Hams, I love Ham Radio and all that it enables. As your director, I have worked hard to protect and grow our hobby. I will continue to work hard to create and promote activities and programs that will maximize our ability to participate in and enjoy Amateur Radio.
Amateur Radio changes people’s lives for the better. It certainly has had a huge positive impact on my life, and I want to continue as your director so that I may work with clubs and individual Hams across New England to help them bring positive life experiences through Amateur Radio to more people in our division and across the ARRL.
There is much that needs to continue to be done to create a strong future for Amateur Radio and the ARRL. The following are some of the major goals that I plan to focus on as Director:
We need a director who is Collaborative, Innovative, and Action-Oriented to accomplish these and other important goals. I believe that I bring the right Amateur Radio professional experience and collaborative leadership skills to accomplish these goals and more. I hope that you will support me as your choice to fulfill this important mission.
It is not enough to talk with members to understand concerns and problems. While doing this is an essential part of serving as director, we also need a director who with work hard to ensure that effective action is taken to address the issues and solve problems. This requires a leader who can collaborate with people both inside and outside the ARRL to align around creative solutions to problems and create the will to act to realize solutions.
Through my work on numerous committees and workgroups within the ARRL, we have enabled the ARRL board and HQ team to:
We’ve also built teams here in New England to solve RFI problems and encourage using our bands above 1 GHz via AREDN. This work needs to continue as well.
I believe that Amateur Radio clubs play an essential role in bringing new hams into the Amateur Radio Service and in helping hams to develop new skills.
I serve as an ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) Mentor and Ground Station, helping schools around the world participate in STEM learning based on Amateur Radio. I will help groups and individuals in New England to create projects and programs to bring Amateur Radio to young people across the division. Amateur Radio provides a tremendous opportunity for young people to learn about technical topics and to develop valuable skills that they can use throughout their lives.
I continue to spend time in local schools teaching classes and providing activities that bring STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) learning opportunities to students through Amateur Radio. In addition to inspiring young people to pursue STEM careers by becoming Hams, this work also serves to improve the public’s understanding of the importance and value that Amateur Radio provides.
I am devoting considerable time and energy to licensing new hams and helping all hams to upgrade their licenses and get on the air. I’ve had the pleasure of leading a team of hams who have taught license classes, enabling over 400 people to earn a license or upgrade over the past seven years. I have worked with a team of folks to create some innovative approaches to new ham development and getting hams on the air. We created a very popular program called Ham Bootcamp. Ham Bootcamp is designed to help both new and experienced hams get on the air, build their stations, and participate in new operating activities. In total, Ham Bootcamp has helped over 1,000 participants across the United States to begin or expand their participation in Amateur Radio.
As New England Division director, I have continued to work with clubs and individuals in New England to help them expand their role as mentors and create a world-class environment for learning based on Amateur Radio.
I am asking you for your help and your vote to enable me to continue working on your behalf to benefit Amateur Radio folks across New England and the ARRL.
If you are not already an ARRL Member, please consider joining the ARRL and participating in the upcoming New England Director election. You can become an ARRL member here.
Your vote means a great deal to the future of Amateur Radio.
I have been widely endorsed by members of the Amateur Radio community for my work. You can see what others are saying about their support for me as ARRL New England Division Director at re-elect.ab1oc.org/endorsements.
I welcome everyone’s comments and questions. You can reach me at [email protected].
I am an active amateur with a broad range of Amateur Radio interests. I enjoy many aspects of the hobby, including DXing, contesting, EmCom activities and Field Day, satellites, station building, and weak signal operating on the VHF and higher bands. One of Amateur Radio’s most important strengths is its tremendous diversity and range of interests and activities.
I am an electrical engineer by training and I hold bachelor’s and master’s degrees in EE. I have served in many business leadership roles, including VP and General Manager of a large data networking and communication business, VP of Strategy and Business Development for a large telecommunication equipment company, Chief Technology Officer, and Project Leader at Bell Laboratories in the development of wireless and wired data communications technologies.
I have also served on the FCC’s Technological Advisory Council, where I assisted the FCC in developing public policy related to wireless and broadband communications. I hold an Amateur Extra license and have been quite active on the air, logging over 100,000 contacts on the HF and higher bands. You can read more about my professional background on LinkedIn here.
Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC
