Author: Mike Corey

First, I want to thank Nancy Austin, KC1NEK, for her leadership as Rhode Island Section Manager over the last couple of years. There is a lot going on in the Rhode Island Section – great clubs, top notch contest stations, new ARES leadership, active SKYWARN participation, just to name a few. The Section Manager role can be challenging and demanding. Thank you, Nancy, for all your work on behalf of Rhode Island radio amateurs.

 

I’m not going to go into great detail with a bio, you are welcome to look me up on QRZ or on my webpage to learn more about me. I’d rather focus on what I bring to the Rhode Island Section as the newly appointed Section Manager.

 

To start, I have a good understanding of the ARRL Field Organization. Over the course of my Amateur Radio career, I’ve served as an Emergency Coordinator, Volunteer Examiner, award checker for DXCC and WAS, Public Information Coordinator, and Assistant Section Manager. I spent about nine years working at ARRL HQ as the Emergency Preparedness Manager and contributed to the Section Manager workshops. I’ve also written for QST, the ARES E-Letter, was lead author on Storm Spotting and Amateur Radio, editor for The Public Service Communications Handbook, and contributor to the ARRL Operators Manual.

 

My approach to Amateur Radio focuses on three areas:

• Get on the air
• Be a mentor
• Try something new, experiment

 

We enjoy a hobby that provides us a tremendous amount of spectrum. If we don’t use it, we lose it; we sink or swim together regardless of our individual pursuits in Amateur Radio. “What are we doing to bring new blood into the hobby”, well this starts with you. Share your knowledge, experience and passion for radio with others. Amateur Radio constantly challenges us to learn and grow, which is good! Make the most of it.

 

Finally, I firmly believe if we have folks in the Rhode Island Section who are doing good work – in clubs, with ARES, with contests, POTA, or any other pursuit – we need to encourage them to keep going! It’s easy to be an arm chair quarterback, it’s also pointless. Go for the extra effort and support the many ways we do Amateur Radio in the Ocean State.

 

So, what’s next? What are my first steps as Rhode Island Section Manager? Well, here’s what I have in mind:

• New email distro list for ARRL Rhode Island Section. A Google Group has been set up to send out Section news. You can sign up for this email list by completing an online form, here’s the link. The first Section Newsletter will go out in mid-January.
• Rhode Island Section meeting. Sometime in the first quarter of 2026 we will have a Rhode Island Section meeting – likely via Zoom or combination of Zoom/in-person. It is an opportunity to hear from Section leadership and for leadership to hear from you.
• Website update. It has been a while since the RI Section page has been updated, so we will begin work on that.

 

It is an honor to be appointed to this position, and I look forward to working with you all in support of Amateur Radio in Rhode Island.

 

73,

Mike Corey, KI1U

ARRL Rhode Island Section Manager

[email protected]