The RMRL is pleased to announce two new nets on the 145.340- repeater.
Sunday evening is Young Ham night on the RMRL. Start the evening at 7:00p.m. by tuning in to the RMRL 145.340- repeater to hear the BARC jr. net and stay tuned to chat with your peers.
What happens when you combine ham enthusiasts with camping, hiking, outdoor photography, outdoor preparedness, outdoor equipment, and adventures? You get the Outdoor Adventure USA net! On Thursday evenings, tune into the 145.340- at 8:30p.m. to hear the Outdoor Adventure USA net.
Beginning Thursday, April 20th, join us on the 146.940- linked with the 449.825 for the new Denver Area Pet Net at 7:00 pm! For all pet lovers, whether you have a dog, cat, snake, horse, tarantula, goat, or one of everything. Share tips, experiences, help provide support, and swap stories. Have fun connecting with other pet parents. If you love your pet (and who doesn’t?) you belong on the Denver Area Pet Net!
Updated 5/1
YL Family Net Saturdays 10:30 a.m. 146.94 and 449.825
The YL Family net has moved from Saturday mornings to Friday evenings at 7:30 p.m.
Beginning Saturday, May 6th, join us on the 146.940- linked with the 449.825 for the new YL Family Net at 10:30a.m! Meaningful discussion with and for the entire family. “A lot of women are licensed, but you don’t hear many of them on the repeaters,” said Trish, K9FOG, “I would like a net that will encourage women of all ages to participate in the hobby.” Trish has many great topics planned for the YL Family Net, come and join us every Saturday morning.
Updated 5/24
Colorado 4×4 Rescue and Recovery Net Saturdays at 7:00 p.m. 145.340-
Beginning Saturday, May 27th, at 7:00 p.m. is the Colorado 4×4 Rescue and Recovery Net on the RMRL! If you enjoy off-roading in the high country, you will want to know about this group. “We recover the Rockies.” If your fun day turns into a very bad day, these are the people that can help. Listen in on the 145.340- repeater, this promises to be a very interesting net.
Updated 7/07
The Pet Net has changed it’s name from the Denver Area Pet Net to The Pet Net. Read all about it.
We are considering different ways to make our weekly nets more interactive – something more than just members checking in.
Update: On the last Monday of the month, share your ham radio related activities for the past month as you check in.
What are your ideas? What would make you say “I don’t want to miss the RMRL net!”
To get the ball rolling, here are some ideas we are kicking around:
Ask the expert: Members would e-mail us with a ham radio question. Each week a question would be thoroughly answered on the air.
On air meeting once a month or every couple of weeks— members who check in would be welcome to share their ham radio activities for the past month. If enough members check in, it could be split over a couple of weeks by call sign (one week could be A-M, the next week N-Z). The remaining weeks in the month could be nets as is.
Question of the week, or;
Trivia question.
Contest(s) with prizes. Could be not missing a check-in over a certain period of time; answering the most trivia questions correctly; or ??? Not missing a check-in is fairly easy to do; what might be something a bit more challenging?
Maybe a combination of ideas.
If you like the weekly nets as is, you can tell us that as well.
We know you are creative and we would love to hear your ideas! Rush an e-mail to: or talk to us at our next weekly net meeting. 8:30PM every Monday on the 146.94-, 449.450-, and 449.825-.
An Entry Level License Committee was established by the ARRL Board of Directors and appointed in September 2016. As part of its ongoing work, the committee is gathering member input and will make recommendations to the Board for possible rules changes to submit to the FCC.
The result could mean changes to the Technician license, but it could also be an additional, but simpler, license with privileges that would give a newcomer a taste of most facets of ham radio from HF to VHF and UHF.
According to the ARRL website, the basic summary for the realignment is as follows:
What are the problems we’re trying to solve?
The declining population of new hams under the age of 30.
A decline in the number of new licensees who actually get on the air.
Amateur Radio’s lack of appeal for those under the age of 30, compared to other technical hobbies.
The increasing challenge of engaging and retaining Technician licensees.
A reluctance in much of the amateur community to embrace newer technologies of interest to the younger segment of the population.
The working mission:
Encourage students and young adults to learn about ham radio.
Train licensees for concepts necessary to be effective and successful.
Provide sufficient privileges that will make Amateur Radio more attractive.
Build in a strong incentive to upgrade to next license level.
Keep up to date on the ARRL Committee Reports page.
There are a lot of pros and cons and opinions out there.
When you Google information and opinions about this new license, be sure to check the date: You might be finding opinions about the last restructure – or the one before that.
Okay, no one actually spoke those words, but when a friend left Stu Turner’s Technician License Course book on her coffee table in 2013, a recently retired Lynaire took it as a challenge. Originally setting out to impress her friend, she soon found herself intrigued and interested in amateur radio communications. In pursuit of her newly discovered fascination with the hobby, she breezed through obtaining her Technician, General, and Extra class operator licenses within three months. She was fired up! But she didn’t actually own any equipment … yet.
“Strange as it may seem, the furthest thing from my mind was to actually operate any type of radio communications equipment. I didn’t own any at the time and that aspect of the world of radio still seemed foreign to me, and a little intimidating.”
Her ‘mic fright’ didn’t last long, and Lynaire now owns two Yaesu FT-897Ds (one for each home), a Yaesu FT-2900, two Yaesu FT-60s, and a couple other HT’s. Antennas include a 10 – 40m fan dipole, a 10 – 80m OCFD (Off Center Fed Dipole), a Diamond X50, and a Diamond X300. Whether she is at her home in Colorado or Kansas, Lynaire is ready to make contact.
You never forget your first … HF contact
Lynaire meets Stu Turner, author of the Technician license course book that started it all.
After purchasing her first radio, a Yaesu FT-897D, Lynaire started attending in-person radio club meetings. Lynaire went on to join several radio clubs in the Front Range area, including the Rocky Mountain Radio League. “I truly believe that it is important to become a member of local clubs, as your membership will support continued maintenance and viability of existing systems and hardware structure, and will foster the influx of new technology. This is without a doubt, extremely important to all of us as we move forward in our hobby.”
She also found listening a great way to learn and add to her store of knowledge. “I checked in weekly to nets trying to grasp a better understanding of the many, many facets of the amateur radio realm. It is so true that you can obtain a large degree of understanding by listening,” she said, “not just to other operators bantering about their experiences and procedures, but to net traffic as well. I believe this is important for any new ham.”
“I was literally terrified to get on the air, though I listened a lot,” Lynaire said, “In my case it was difficult and intimidating to overcome my initial ‘mic fright,’ but the thought of what was out there on the other end was motivation enough. Now, a day rarely goes by that I have not learned at least one new thing about the hobby, simply by virtue of operating my radio station. I realize that one should never be discouraged or reluctant to admitting to being new to the hobby, and freely take advantage of the most gracious, helpful and encouraging community of people anywhere – ham radio operators.”
Lynaire meets Gordon West, author of the General and Extra license course study books that she used.
Lynaire really enjoys attending hamfests and swap meets. Stu Turner (author of the Technician licensing study book that she used) and Gordon West (author of the General and Extra licensing study books she used) rank high among the many interesting people she has met at HamCons.
It was while attending HamCon 2013 at Estes Park, CO, that marked the big milestone of her first HF contact – California.
In pursuit of … accomplishments
Not satisfied with a few casual HF contacts, Lynaire went on to pursue HF the same way she approached her licensing: comprehensively and with enthusiasm.
“Thanks to my friends far and wide, I have overcome my own personal radio fears, and have been able to achieve a Worked All States (WAS) Mixed award as well as a WAS Phone award. I’m currently working on my Worked 100 Countries (DXCC) award and WAS awards on various HF bands.”
“I also enjoy exchanging QSL cards. It’s gratifying; a tangible memento of working other states as well as foreign countries.”
Giving Back
Many Elmers stress the “giving back” part of the hobby; a lesson Lynaire has learned as well. “An important highlight in my life now is having the ability to share my experiences and to help guide new hams into the hobby — giving me the opportunity to give back to the community that so generously led me to this point.”
What’s next?
Attending a motorcycle rally in New Mexico.
Lynaire’s other interests and activities include lodging at Colorado’s historical hotels and B&B’s, bicycling in nearby Cherry Creek State Park, and riding one of her five motorcycles. As her interest in motorcycling diminishes, she finds herself with more time for ham radio.
“Now my interest seems to be gravitating towards achieving a good understanding of CW. My passion is stoked to learn more and meet others in this shared experience. We casually refer to this as a hobby but for some of us, like any challenge in life, it becomes much more significant.”
“This hobby is indeed a unique realm of communication, challenging at times but always rewarding for the effort. I am very grateful to all the Elmers and mentors who have helped me along the way. I have made many friends and will always have someone to talk to, whether in person or on the air. Mic fright? Not tonight!”
A long-time RMRL member and great contributor to the ham community has passed away. Services were held at the Mile Hi Church at 1030am on January 23, 2017, 9077 W. Alameda Ave., Lakewood, 80226. Reception followed at Red Rocks Country Club, 16235 W. Belleview, Morrison, 80465. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Bill’s name to your favorite charity.
Bill is survived by his wife Joanna, brother Tom, 7 children, 9 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by 3 grandchildren.
We asked Bill’s friend, Gary, NØERG, to share his remembrances of Bill. This is what he shared:
Bill DeWolfe, WØLVI, best known to the ham radio community as The Weather Guy. He was very active in the Colorado Amateur Radio Weather Net for decades, and eventually became the Net Manager.
Bill’s family moved to Colorado in 1945. Bill attended South High School in Denver and Bill and a group of South High classmates went to lunch every week—until his death. They called themselves the ROMEOs (Really Old Men Eating Out).
At the age of 20, Bill joined the Navy and was posted to the USS Antietam, an Aircraft Carrier, where Bill worked on all the radio equipment on the carrier and its planes.
Bill had many hobbies, taking up photography when he was in the service and going on to be the wedding photographer for his children’s weddings. Another lifelong hobby was golf, a passion shared by his wife, Joanna. Bill used to say that he had lost a golf ball in every state in the union, and several foreign countries.
Joanna, Bill, and their seven children moved to Evergreen, where Bill became active the volunteer fire department and city planning. He also started participating in the Burro Races at Fairplay, providing communications. At some point, (not sure of the date) when Bill retired from Lockheed Martin the family moved to the Morrison area, near the Red Rocks Country Club—I assume to be close to the golf course. He also became very active in the VFW and other Veterans associations.
WØLVI of “near Morrison” as he liked to check in, began his relationship with the Colorado Amateur Radio Weather Net in 1969 under unusual circumstances. Five Glenn L. Martin Company employees had disappeared in a private aircraft, and Bill was involved in the search. The search effort was ultimately successful, but the aircraft was found with no survivors. Bill gave his weather report at the crash area… his first.
He was, I understand, quite insistent with the family that the weather reports get turned in, whether or not he was home. When he was gone—on business, a hunting or fishing trip—the duty fell to his children to get the report in. They would collect all the readings, and phone them in to Bob Swanlund, WØWYX, up on Squaw Mountain so he could get the report into the net.
In 1989 WØLVI became weather net manager, taking over from Val Eldridge, KØESQ.
For any NTS traffic handlers out there, as of the end of 2016, Bill had originated 17,350 messages, just for the Weather Net.
Bill was also active for decades in ARES, and reported the statewide high and low temperatures, extreme snow depths, and so on, to the various ARES state-wide nets on Sundays, along with other ARES duties.
Needing some more time to complete a long-term golfing project, Bill stepped down from the Net Manager position in the autumn of 2012, and I took over. It’s been a tremendous pleasure and a real job trying to fill the shoes of my great friend, ham radio colleague, and fellow “weather-nut”. 73, Bill–I’ll keep listening for you. ___Gary, NØERG Colorado Amateur Radio Weather Net Manager
It’s tough to impress a bunch of experienced hams, some having 50 or more years of experience, but that’s exactly what happened when we first met Skyler, KD0WHB, at the 2013 RMRL Holiday dinner. In a room of grizzled veterans, his youth was what first attracted attention, but his level of knowledge and curiosity impressed all who met him. Licensed as a Technician in July of 2013, he breezed through General (September, 2013) and on to Extra (January, 2014).
Skyler’s portable tin can AllStar node
Skyler has always been attracted to the DIY spirit of ham radio, and has done everything from building a portable AllStar node that fits into a small tin can to constructing antennas and making satellite connections. His ham accomplishments including participating in a high altitude balloon launch project, operating as net control for the Satellite Net, putting together an EthoLink and AllStar repeater for fellow students, and assembling a mobile UHF/VHF radio for his mountain bike. He was recognized as the 2016 Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, Memorial Young Ham of the Year. (And oh yeah, he’s also an accomplished pianist.)
Mountain bike mobile radio. KD0WHB
So what is Skyler up to now? He is studying Electrical Engineering at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. He’s working on building some RF test equipment for his college radio club. (No surprise that he revived the club and has worked to build membership.) For details on just what Skyler is up to, and an opportunity to help contribute to this enthusiastic ham’s efforts, check out his GoFundMe page.
If you know a member we should spotlight, please submit an article and photos to .
The RMRL welcomes member involvement and would like to hear from you if you want to be involved in a technical or administrative position. We have openings.
We would also welcome an additional volunteer as a relief Net Control Operator when needed. Our crack Net Control operator, Bruce, KB0PHD, has occasional overtime and even gets sick now and then. He also has other commitments during the month of October. You must be free on Monday evenings and available on short notice.
If you enjoy the club and would like to actively participate, please contact Joe at or fill out one of the Contact Us forms on the site. You will be rewarded with the personal satisfaction of joining a friendly bunch of folks who are committed to the perpetuation of the hobby and the Rocky Mountain Radio League club. What a great cause!
The RMRL is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) non-profit amateur radio club that emphasizes VHF and UHF repeater operation.
Our president, Glenn, WNØEHE, will be stepping down when his term expires on December 31 of this year. After living in the Denver area for many years he decided to move to southern Arizona and bake his bones in the sun.
Taking time to mentor the next generation. ((L) Skylar, KD0WHB, and (R) Glenn, WN0EHE)
It’s hard to think of a person who has had a larger impact on the RMRL’s success. Glenn tells how he received a call from Warren, NØFVG in 1985 asking him to go to Squaw Mountain and help with the 146.94 MHz repeater – just once. That one-time trip turned into more than 30 years of service to the RMRL. In addition to filling the elected office of president, Glenn acted as head of the club’s technical committee and was a repeater trustee for many years. He was the designer and chief builder of our repeater systems and always willing to take time out of his personal schedule to make trips to the sites and fix problems so the repeaters were available for the rest of us. Wow!
RMRL Board at the 2008 Christmas party. (Standing, L-R) Joe WT0C, Glenn WN0EHE, Ron N0MQJ, Ed N0MHU, and Richard WB5YOE. (Sitting) Jim W0LGF (SK)
Glenn says one of the most difficult parts of his decision to relocate was leaving the RMRL and all of the people who have made it such a great organization. He indicates he’ll also miss working on the innovative projects undertaken by the club over the years, including repeater rebuilds, the amateur paging project, WWVB set-time project, autopatch call logger, and modifications to the S-COMM 7K repeater controllers to make new speech synthesizer words tailored just for RMRL use.
It’s no surprise that Glenn has had experiences over the years leading to amusing “war stories”. One of the better ones involved an emergency trip to repair repeaters in the middle of winter, which didn’t seem like much fun at the time. He and Ed, NØMHU, snowshoed up Squaw Mountain carrying test equipment and a new power supply. Glenn remembers remarking “It’s a good thing that this is our hobby because nobody could pay us enough to do this!”.
We will certainly miss Glenn and his leadership but wish him the best in the next phase of his life in Arizona!
Our 449.450 repeater has a new trustee. Richard, WB5YOE, has been the trustee of this repeater for many years. He is leaving the area to pursue employment opportunities elsewhere. Dunnigan, K1DUN, has agreed to assume the trusteeship.
We’re very sorry to see Richard go. He is a long-time RMRL member and has always been available to assist the club with whatever needs doing. In addition to his trusteeship, he has served on the technical committee, organized club picnics, assisted with hamfests, climbed towers, and many other things too numerous to list. Thanks Richard for all your help over the years – we wish you the best in your new endeavors!
Richard, WB5YOE, cooks at a 1991 RMRL picnic.
Dunnigan, thank you for stepping up and supporting the club in yet another way!
We are considering different ways to make our weekly nets more interactive – something more than just members checking in.
