In this issue:
-> FIELD DAY MESSAGES – AN
EASY 300 POINTS FOR SURE – PLUS MORE
-> 2016 OHIO FIELD DAY
PROCLAMATION NOW ON-LINE
-> KIDS DAY AT THE WHITE
HOUSE – JUNE 18TH
-> THE TECHNICAL
COORDINATOR
-> AFFILIATED CLUB
COORDINATOR REPORT
-> NATIONAL PARKS ON THE
AIR
-> THE SECTION EMERGENCY
COORDINATOR
-> THE PUBIC INFORMATION
COORDINATOR
-> THE SECTION TRAFFIC
MANAGER
-> OUT AND ABOUT
-> CENTRAL OHIO HAPPENINGS
-> WHATS HAPPENING IN SOUTHWEST OHIO
-> LET'S TALK
-> THE OFFICIAL OBSERVER
COORDINATOR
-> WEBSITE STATS
-> SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS
IN OHIO
-> OHIO HAMFEST CALENDAR
****************************************************
FIELD DAY MESSAGES – AN EASY
300 POINTS FOR SURE – PLUS MORE
Each year, hundreds of Field Day operations try and find every
advantage to earn as many points as
possible. But many overlook bonus point
categories that can add a reliable 300 points to your group score: the group
participation NTS message to the ARRL Section Manager, the W1AW Field Day
bulletin, and the NTS traffic handling bonus.
Each Field Day group should generate a
formal NTS-style piece to their ARRL Section Manager and Section Emergency
Coordinator. This message should include the group’s name,
their location for Field Day, and the number of ARES members participating in
the event.
NOTE:.. Since I will be on the road visiting a number of sites for
Field Day, please send these pieces of traffic to me via OSSBN – www.ossbn.org for details about the net, or you can find
them on (3.972.5MHz.)
This may mean that your group may have to take one of your
stations away from operating normal Field Day contacts, your group is awarded
the 100-point bonus for taking the time to pass this piece of traffic. To claim
this bonus, you must submit a copy of the formal message with your Field Day
entry. Note: The Section Manager
message does not count as one of the 10 NTS messages for bonus points.
For more details about how to
handle these messages, please go to: www.arrl-ohio.org/FD_Message.html or www.ossbn.org/FD_Message.html
NEW FIELD DAY BONUS POINTS
OPPORTUNITIES
The
2016 Field Day has two new ways to earn extra points for your group's efforts.
One is a new "Safety Officer" position and the other is related to
promoting your Field Day via "Social Media."
Safety
Officer.. is a critical concern during Field Day. Every year the Field
Day packet contains a Safety Check List that all stations should follow. Beginning
2016, all Class A entries can earn an additional 100 points by designating a
member of their group as "Safety Officer." This person must
verify that all safety concerns on the Safety Check List have been adequately
met.
The
Safety Officer position is to be taken seriously. Real oversight is required;
appointing a Safety Officer, affirming that all items on the Safety Check List
have been completed properly, must be included with a groups Field Day entry
with all other supporting documentation.
Social
Media.. There have been many PR and publicity bonus points available in
Field Day for a very long time. The addition of a social media bonus makes
promoting your Field Day event even easier than before.
Social
Media refers to any online platform that promotes being connected with friends
and family.. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn are five
examples of allowed Social Media platforms.
The
Social Media bonus points will only apply on recognized social media platforms
and NOT your clubs website.
For
more details on these two additional ways of earning bonus points please read
the full details in the June 2016 edition of QST (page 72).
****************************************************
2016 OHIO FIELD DAY
PROCLAMATION NOW ON-LINE
Hey Gang,
Just wanted to let you know,
if you haven’t already found it, that you can view and print the governor’s
Proclamation for the 2016 Field Day on-line. Go to: www.arrl-ohio.org/SGL/sgl.html to get your copy for your Field Day site. You can
also find a sample Press Release for your Field Day activities as well.
Thanks to Nick, K8NAP our
State Government Liaison (SGL) for getting the governor to take time out of his
busy schedule and getting this Proclamation for us.
****************************************************
KIDS DAY AT THE WHITE HOUSE –
JUNE 18TH
Scott,
I received an email today from the HacDC amateur radio club http://www.w3hac.org in Washington DC inviting me to their kids day activity at the White House. They are going to be at the White House Visitors Center according to their email.
I contacted the club earlier this year when I was going to DC for a few days asking about repeaters I could use with a HT at the hotel I was going to be at. They emailed me repeater information and also invited me to check into their Monday night net, which I did, and also invited me to their club meeting, which I want able to make. I was surprised by the email they sent me tonight.
I thought their Kids Day event would be worth mentioning if you were going to send out an email about arrl kids day June 18th, to see if it was something you wanted to include with it. I think it would be a neat contact to make with kids and one that could be made from Ohio.
Below is the information from the email I received about it.
-------------------------
Ed,
DC’s ham radio club is transmitting from the White House on June 18th 2016 starting at 2 p.m. in honor of ARRL’s Kids Day. The frequencies will be 14270, 7270, 14042, and 7042. But we would much prefer if you were there on site. We are meeting at the White House Visitor’s Center located south of the White House at 2 p.m.
We would really like to see you there! Let me know if you can make it.
Christine
KC3CIF
-—---------------------------
-Ed, KE8ANU
****************************************************
THE TECHNICAL COORDINATOR
Jeff Kopcak - TC
Hey Gang,
You're reading this so you
survived another Dayton. My dad N8ETP
and I went down on Thursday. We stopped
at MCM Electronics. It was actually on
the way because we stayed south of Dayton this year. My dad was looking for some parts. I ended up buying another Raspberry Pi 3 on a
Dayton weekend special and an Arduino Uno board. The Arduino was cheap and a lot smaller than
I expected. Don't have much lined up for
it but I did want to try a project I saw on AmateurLogic.TV some time ago.
Thanks to everyone who
stopped by the Field Services table at the ARRL Expo. I had a great time chatting with hams from
England and exchanging ideas. It was fun
meeting those in Newington who administer the programs we know and love. A lot goes into these programs and there’s a
lot of technical research happening. The
table was staffed by representatives from the Ohio Section including moi. Scott and his wife Jane spent most of the
show at the table making sure everything went smoothly. Huge thanks to them for getting everything
organized. It was nice to meet all of
you. I picked up a couple books in the
store on the way out. More stuff to do!
Technical Specialist report:
With summer and projects
gearing up, requests have been coming in.
Bob K8MD and a good friend of his Dave NF8O traveled to the Ohio
Veterans Home station, W8OVH, in Sandusky.
They have a sideband station and wanted an upgrade to run digital
modes. Bob and Dave spent a few hours
working with them to get the station up and running. They trained the club members how to use
Fldigi and helped them make their first PSK31 contact! The guys reported it was a humbling
experience talking to Vets who served in major conflicts from WWII to Grenada.
Dave KD8TWG has been busy
with presentations for ARES groups.
First was a presentation on APRS for Cuyahoga ARES. The presentation touched on history, uses,
settings and what they mean, and systems built on the APRS network. There is a lot to APRS and I learned a
lot. Soon after he did a “program your
radio without a computer” for Geauga ARES.
Interesting concept. Most groups
bring computer programming in to help newbies program their radio. Knowing how to program a radio without a
computer is useful during an event or public service activity where
improvisation is likely needed. Could
you change PL tone on your radio and save it in memory though the front of your
radio? Programming a temporary repeater
that has a 1 MHz split? DCS,
anyone? It's good to know and practice
changing transmit, receive, PL frequencies, and power settings on-the-fly
through the front of your radio.
PCARS (Portage County) club
members contacted me about a moon bounce (EME) presentation. This is an area I wasn’t familiar with or
knew anyone who operated. I reached out
to the assembled mass of Technical Specialists.
Tracey - W8TWL came through with a couple contacts. Got PCARS in touch with one of them and they
are working out the details for the July 11th meeting. I’m hoping to make this meeting and see a
great presentation on Earth-Moon-Earth.
Thanks for reading and 73… de
Jeff – K8JTK
****************************************************
THE AFFILIATED CLUBS
COORDINATOR
John Myers, KD8MQ - ACC
Hi everyone..
Well, we made it through the
week of Dayton. What a ride! According to the Monday Morning Memo, preliminary
reports from the Dayton ARA indicate that numbers may have been up slightly
this year. While I wasn’t there for much
of the big show, my perception was that the crowds were as big as ever.
My Dayton experience revolved
around the National Parks On The Air (NPOTA) event at the Dayton Aviation
Heritage site (That’s HP11 for us NPOTA Junkies). You can read more about this
in this month’s NPOTA Column.
Let’s talk about ARRL Field
Day. Unless you’ve been off-world for a while, you know that Field Day is
coming up fast. Its part Emergency Preparedness exercise, part contest, and
part social gathering. These proportions can vary from club to club. While
folks can, and do participate in Field Day on their own, or with a small group
of friends, it’s so much better as a club activity.
Moving on, several years ago,
I heard of one club in eastern Ohio that had a band come in for Field Day. They
had so much fun with the social aspect of the weekend that they didn’t get
around to actually getting on the air until Sunday morning.
One of my first Field Days,
back in the 80s featured a Hog roast. Let me tell you, it was no trouble
getting the local mayor out to the Field Day site for that one.
So, how are your plans coming
for Field Day 2016? Did you notice the most recent bonus point categories for
2016? That’s right; the league has added two new ones; Social Media, and Safety
Officer. Social Media isn’t hard. Safety officer is a position each Field Day
should have anyway. The Safety Officer checklist is included in the ARRL Field
Day Packet.
Be warned, if you just go to
arrl.org, and download the rules, you are missing out! There’s a lot of extra
info in the complete Field Day packet. It’s not just sample press releases any
more. You can download it from the ARRL Field Day Page at www.arrl.org/field-day.
Also, and this is important,
Get your Field Day location submitted to the ARRL Field Day Station Locator.
The locator can actually drive “customers” to your Field Day site (For
customers, read Prospective Hams, and club members). It’s also the best way for
your section ARRL officials to find you as we visit Field Day sites.
And the most important thing
is don’t get so wrapped up in the planning for your Field Day effort that you
forget to have fun!
That’s why we join clubs in
the first place, right? To have fun! Some of my best Ham Radio Memories, and I
hope yours too, include Field Day.
With that, I’ll tie the
ribbons on it. Have fun! .
73, DE KD8MQ
****************************************************
NATIONAL PARKS ON THE AIR
John Myers, KD8MQ - ACC
Dayton On The Air - Have you worked HP11, the
Dayton Aviation Heritage Site? After the weekend of the Dayton Hamvention, more
folks will be able to say yes to that question.
But, the high point of the whole weekend was
Scott, N8SY & I crashed the NPOTA forum at the Hamvention to present
plaques to Sean, KX9X, and Norm, W3IZ on behalf of the Ohio section. Lemme tell
you, these guys were surprised, and very appreciative.
I’m sending along some pictures from Dayton.
These will be visible only if you are viewing the Section Journal via the
website.
Pushing the envelope – You know what I like
best about NPOTA? The number of folks, myself included, who are trying something
new. Be it portable operating, building antennas, or just getting involved with
logbook Of The World for the first time, folks are out there expanding their
horizons. I find this awesome!
Also in the last month, the number of NPOTA
contacts which have been uploaded to LOTW surpassed the 400,000 mark. Will we
break a million this year? I bet we will!
This just in – There will be a NPOTA Forum at
this year’s ARRL Ohio Section Convention. The moderator will be Eric, WD8RIF.
Further information will be available in next month’s Section Journal.
And that’s it for this month. Have fun out
there!
73,
John,
KD8MQ
****************************************************
THE SECTION EMERGENCY
COORDINATOR
Stan Broadway, N8BHL
It Gets Real – Real Fast!
We practice, hopefully we
train and exercise. But “When’s the last time we were needed?”
In one week, actually just a
couple days, amateur radio was activated for two short-fuse incidents in areas
close by. These were quick-response incidents and presented the opportunity for
amateur radio to be right in the middle of things. It also reinforced our attention to working
together.
My friend Cecil Dennis, K4TCD
is SEC for Kentucky. Because we have a
very close working relationship especially around Cincinnati, he included us in
an alert:
“I have be called and advised by Glenn Allen WA4YPQ
ASEC Region 2 that communicators are need for a Search and Rescue of a down
plane btw Falls of Rough in Grayson County
and Owensboro Regional Airport. Anyone that can assist in this please contact
Glenn Allen. Search will begin at 8AM
CST”
A police statement says pilot
Dr. Robert C. Dalzell Jr. left the Owensboro Regional Airport on Monday morning
and landed at Falls of Rough in Grayson County about 35 minutes later. The
statement says he departed later from the Falls of Rough, but never returned to
the Owensboro airport.
Kentucky State Police say his
last cellphone activity showed him within 5 miles of the Falls of Rough
airport. Police are asking those near Falls of Rough to keep an eye out.
Police say the 70-year-old
Dalzell of Owensboro was flying a 2012 Green Aero Criquit Bogota fixed wing
plane with a tail number of N429BB.
Just a day later, Ohio ARES
volunteers in Warren County were heated up for a missing person search:
Warren County EMA looking for
civilian volunteers for critical missing person search in Franklin. Command
post is at 230 Industrial Rd. Search will run till dark then reassess. Please
poll your groups and email: allenra@mcohio.org with headcount.
This search fortunately was a
quick success, the missing person was found later that day at the University of
Dayton campus. I don’t have more details on the nature of the case.
Here are my take-away points
from these:
- Amateur Radio emergency Service should be an integral part of
responding to real emergencies. If
you are focused on “spandex” events, you’re missing the whole purpose.
- ARES members must be READY at all times! When ARES is activated for real emergencies,
we will most likely be needed immediately!
We can’t plan ahead, we can’t make several rounds of phone calls
trying to convince lethargic members to actually get involved. We all need
to be ready – and yes – WILLING to get involved.
- For large-scale emergencies, this area of the country is
b-o-r-i-n-g. As a resident, that’s
a good thing. But as ARES, it’s a problem because we too easily fall into
the “It’ll never happen here” syndrome.
Yes, it’s a shock but MARCS and other public service systems,
telephone and internet WILL fail. When ARES is activated, that lethargy
leaves us unprepared, untrained, and embarrassed.
- Emergencies that require amateur radio CAN happen here, in any of our counties at any time. Missing people, storms and related damage, flooding, wind events, power and communications outages - these can all be opportunities to show that amateur radio is a viable communication and volunteer backup for our communities. But this will only work out well if you are ready!
It’s getting “really real” in
Ohio! We brace for July, which included the NAACP National Conference in
Cincinnati (with the Prez, Hillary, and a cast of others invited). At the same
time Pan Ohio Hope Ride gets underway from downtown Cincy moving through the
state to Cleveland. EC Bryan Hoffman and
all the district folks will have their hands full!! (And they’ll need help!)
That weekend, Toledo and
Northwest Ohio hams get a workout with the Toledo Air Show – and 100,000 of
their closest fans – at the same time as the Lucas County Fair.
Later that week, the “Big
One”…the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Planning at the highest
Federal security levels has been going on for months. And amateur radio
(because operators there are solid with the required FEMA courses including a
couple extras) is going to be there. The station at the Cuyahoga County EOC,
and several other county EOC’s will be active for the duration. Red Cross
activity in the area also portends to use several ham operators and stations.
Through these activities, the
Sarge will be manned with the Ohio EOC in full swing.
….and who was it said this
part of the country was boring??
There is time for you to get
involved in most of these- contact your EC or the various county EC’s involved
and let them know you’re 1) trained 2) available and 3) willing!
We’re way past “Let someone
else do it!” It’s time for YOU to get involved, or re-involved with amateur
radio’s service to our state and our community.
73, Stan, N8BHL
****************************************************
THE PUBLIC INFORMATION
COORDINATOR
John Ross, KD8IDJ
Time is just about up to
enter the 2016 Ohio Section Newsletter Contest. The deadline is June
30th...midnight...and I have my alarm clock set to check and log in all entries
that arrive that day.
I have all of the current
entries cataloged, organized and ready to go. I know I've said this
before but each year you folks surprise me and the newsletters keep getting
better!
The judges will meet just
after the July 4th holiday and "burn the midnight oil" to pick a
winner. It's not an easy task with all of the talent we have...and that's a
good problem to have.
Good luck to everyone. We'll
present the awards in August at the annual meeting and hamfest.
DAYTON HAMVENTION
This years' Dayton hamfest
was, as always, great! I worked our booth in the ARRL section on Friday and met
a lot hams. I'm always impressed at the sheer number of hams that attend. We
must be doing something right to have thousands of folks enjoying this hobby.
I was fortunate enough to
meet the ham that is the head of the Greece Amateur Radio system. He was
quite an interesting guy who traveled thousands of miles just to stop and say
hello. It says a lot when hams like that take the time to travel the
world and get "face time" with the people they usually talk to on the
radio.
I'm checking now to see if I
can visit their version of the Dayton Hamfest next year!
Thanks to all that stopped by
the booth and actually said they read this PIC column!! One very nice lady
(I'll leave off the call sign) said she like my column but sometimes I was a
little long winded!!!
Well, Pat, next month I'll
try to do better and hold it to 20 paragraphs!!
2016 FIELD DAY
Field Day will be here and
gone sooner than you think! Most every club is Ohio has an event planned and I
believe the Governor has proclaimed the week of June 19th to June 26 as Amateur
Radio week.
Field Day is a great time for
hams to show their resourcefulness and their readiness for any kind of
situation.
So charge up the batteries,
string up the longwires and have a great field day!
2016 Ohio State Fair
You'll be hearing more soon
about the Ohio Section's booth at the Ohio State Fair. I know Scott is busy
working out the details but having a presence at the Ohio State Fair is
monumental. I've been involved over the years with several state agencies and
the opportunity to talk to many different kinds of people is tremendous. The
fair will be a great forum to talk about amateur radio and maybe recruit a few
new hams! How about that!!!
Left Off The Vets List
One final thanks to all of
the Veterans that responded a couple of months ago. It was good hear from all
of you and, again, thanks for your service.
I left off one Veteran off
the list...our own Stan Broadway N8BHL...Ohio National Guard. Thanks, Stan for
your service.
That's all for now...73 until
next month.
John, KD8IDJ
****************************************************
THE SECTION TRAFFIC MANAGER
David Maynard, WA3EZN - STM
Field Day
is always the fourth full weekend in June., beginning at 1800 UTC Saturday and
ending at 2100 UTC Sunday. Field Day 2016 will be held June 25 – 25, 2016
Field Day
is officially an operating event not a contest. The purpose remains today as it
did in the beginning: to demonstrate the communications ability of the amateur
radio community in simulated emergency situations.
What is
ARRL Field Day?
Many “old
timers” are familiar with Field Day. But new hams may not have the same
familiarity. ARRL Field Day is the single most popular on-the-air event held
annually in the US and Canada. On the fourth weekend of June each year, more
than 35,000 radio amateurs gather with their clubs, groups or simply with
friends to operate from remote locations.
It is a
time where many aspects of Amateur Radio come together to highlight our many
roles. While some will treat it as a contest, other groups use the opportunity
to practice their emergency response capabilities. It is an excellent
opportunity to demonstrate Amateur Radio to the organizations that Amateur Radio
might serve in an emergency, as well as the general public. For many clubs,
ARRL Field Day is one of the highlights of their annual calendar.
The
contest part is simply to contact as many other stations as possible and to
learn to operate our radio gear in abnormal situations and less than optimal
conditions.
We use
these same skills when we help with events such as marathons and bike-a-thons;
fund-raisers such as walk- a-thons; celebrations such as parades; and exhibits
at fairs, malls and museums — these are all large, preplanned, non-emergency
activities.
But
despite the development of very complex, modern communications systems — or
maybe because they ARE so complex — ham radio has been called into action again
and again to provide communications in crises when it really matters. Amateur
Radio is well known for communications support in real disaster and
post-disaster situations.
Part of
any real emergency will be handling formal traffic for the agencies we serve.
Field Day incorporates this into the exercise in two ways. First, 100 points
are earned by sending a formal message from the club to your ARRL Section
Manager N8SY or Section Emergency Coordinator N8BHL. The message must be
originated during the Field Day period. Why not have one of your club’s
experienced traffic-handlers work with someone just learning how to handle
traffic involved in this part of Field Day. You should also be ready to garner
points for originating, relaying, or receiving and delivering formal messages
during the Field Day operation. You can gain up to 100 points (10 points each
for 10 messages) as well as incorporating another segment of your club into the
operation. You can’t double dip – so don’t include the ARRL
As you
plan Field Day, don’t overlook the wide range of bonus points that are
available. Since 2005, all entry classes are eligible for some type of bonus
points. Check the rules at www.arrl.org .to see which bonus points you can
earn. Some of these bonus point you can earn are listed here:
Bonus
points for using emergency power
Bonus
point for operating in a public place
Bonus
points for preparing a media press release
Bonus
points if elected or appointed local or state governmental official visits your
site by invitation
Bonus
points for use a GOTA station to help teach newly licensed amateurs
Bonus
point for sing a digital station or satellite station
There are
many other bonus points you can earn. Check the ARRL website for complete
rules, log sheets and additional information on Field Day.
New this
year
Something
new this year is that OSSBN traffic handlers may be monitoring the frequency
3972.5 during Field Day to take your Field Day radiograms. The reason for this
is to make it easier for you to get your radiograms passed. If you don't find
one of them on the air check into the OSSBN on that frequency for their normal
net at 10:30 AM, 4:15 PM and 6:45 PM to pass your radiograms.
With the
proper planning the only thing that should stop your Field Day is the clock.
However, the fun and adventure of Amateur Radio does not have to stop there.
Here’s hoping that this year’s Field Day event is just the next springboard for
Amateur Radio in your own lives, as well as in your club and in your community.
Perhaps you can use it to discover that Amateur Radio really can be a perpetual
motion machine. Enjoy your Field Day 2016 adventures.
For More
Information on Field Day visit: www.arrl.org
Most
important is to HAVE FUN and enjoy the friendship and fellowship of Field Day.
73, David, WA3EZN
****************************************************
OUT AND ABOUT
Lyn Alfman, N8IMW - Assistant
Section Manager
On May 5, I participated in
the Guernsey County Emergency Management Agency’s exercise of communications
during their disaster and Hazmat drill. I kept a record of all incoming
messages from Form 213s to telephone calls before passing them on to the
appropriate department.
On May 14, I was at Scout
Fest in Mt. Vernon helping Boy Scouts build measuring-tape Yagi antennas for
use in “fox hunting, “ which Sonny Alfman, W8FHF, and Billie Dickson, WB8TRK,
conducted that afternoon in the rain.
On May 17, I had the
privilege of attending an awards ceremony for the Dresden Elementary Amateur
Radio Station (DEARS) members. These
students have had a great contest history.
They once again placed first in the February School Club Roundup. This was their fourth first place
finish. They also have one second place
finish—all since February 2014 under the club call sign KD8NOM. The student in
attendance got to talk to retired ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, on HF and
ask questions with their families and the local TV station in attendance. Mentor Jim Mayercak, WX8J, his two licensed
students: Tyler Hammonds, KD8UAY (Extra Class) and Mason McDaniel, KE8BQL
(Technician Class) were interviewed and featured on the 6 and 11 pm news
segments of WHIZ TV.
On May 25, I helped direct
traffic while parking cars during the Guernsey County Senior Citizens Center’s
picnic at the large pavilion in the Cambridge City Park. There were 325+ in attendance.
I also attended a Zanesville
Amateur Radio Club meeting on May 3, and a Cambridge Amateur Radio Association
(CARA) officers’ meeting on May 23 as well as all four CARA Thursday luncheons.
Just remember Field Day is
just around the corner, so many organizations are into Field Day planning, just
like we are. As a member of the
Cambridge Amateur Radio Association’s Field Day committee, I found and reserved
our Field Day site, printed the Field Day package off the ARRL web site and
studied the rule and bonus points for changes/additions. Two new opportunities for bonus points this
year are having a Safety Officer and using digital media to promote and update
events at your Field Day site.
Then as PIO for the CARA
club, I have been busy composing and mailing our invitations to local served
agencies and elected officials (from the governor down to the local township
trustees), preparing a press release for the local media, putting together
information press packets, gathering flyers to post in local community bulletin
boards, labeling handouts with the club’s web site address, and asking local
mayors and county commissioners for proclamations declaring June 20-26 as
Amateur Radio Week. I said mayors and county commissioners because the club is
based in Guernsey County, but our Field Day site it just over the county line
in Muskingum County. And, of course, I placed our Field Day site on the ARRL
Field Day locator using GPS coordinates because the park does not have an
actual address.
So don’t forget to place your
group on the Field Day locator on the ARRL web site: www.arrl.org.
’73 Lyn, N8IMW
Remember to be Radio Active!
****************************************************
CENTRAL OHIO HAPPENINGS
From: Fritz Tender, WD8E -
Assistant Section Manager
A few personal
observations. I did not see the improvements promised last year.
And it appeared to me that the crowd was down a bit. Perhaps that was
because I was not standing in line at vendor booths price shopping.
Since this is last journal
article prior to Field Day (FD) I encourage you to register your operation in
the ARRL FD site locator. I use the tool to find sites to visit.
Last, listen for WE8DX
Special Event (SE) station July 2nd & 3rd on 20 & 40 meters.
Current day Columbus has a unique connection to the Revolutionary War
through The Refugee Land Tract. A strip of land running from the
Scioto river down town Columbus through current day Franklin, Fairfield,
Licking, and Perry counties. You can get more information at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugee_Tract If you would like to operate the event send an
email to wd8e@arrl.net.
That is it for now, have a
safe and fun 4th.
73, Fritz, WD8E
****************************************************
WHATS HAPPENING IN SOUTHWEST
OHIO
From: Kitty Hevener, W8TDA -
Assistant Section Manager
Happy birthday QCEN!!
One of my home clubs, QCEN
(Queen City Emergency Net) is celebrating its 75th anniversary this month.
This club has provided
communications support for the American Red Cross, Cincinnati region since
1941.
That’s it from me..
73, Kitty, W8TDA
****************************************************
LET'S TALK
Scott Yonally, N8SY - Section
Manager
Hey Gang,
Phew.. Dayton was a blast!!
For me it started on that Wednesday getting things all packed up and out the
door.. As usual, I made it about 20 miles down I-71 when I remembered that I
had packed everything except my suitcase. So, back to home we went. After a
thorough, did I get everything this time look around, back on the road we went.
Luckily, that was the only glitch we had the entire weekend. Thursday was spent
doing setup at Hamvention and then back to the hotel for the Annual Section
Managers Conference. I’m on the organizing committee. It was a great time and I
did get some “one on one” time with Rick, K5UR and Tom, NY2RF afterward. I will
say that I had the most fun at the Ohio Section booth however. We had a great
time meeting with all of you, and that’s what I really enjoy the most, talking
and being with YOU.
Now, switching bands to
another subject..
Speaking of this training, I
was at a drill yesterday where I was asked to be the PIO for Social Media. During
the drill the evaluator came over several times to watch as I posted messages
to the public. After several rounds of her looking over my shoulder she asked
me how I was qualified to do this. That’s when I pulled out my certificates and
showed her that I had the ICS training. Not only the 4 basics, but I’ve also
had the training for PIO’s as well, including the one for Social Media. She
quietly jotted it down and then moved on to other things that were going on in
the EOC.
I wanted you to know about this
just so you understand that you’ll never know when you might be asked to help
out in a situation, just like me yesterday. I was supposed to be an observer. Having
this training before you need it benefits YOU and your EMA Director.
For those of you who really
aren’t seeing the reason for this I want you to take just 10 minutes of your
time and read an article that was published in the March edition of QST. It’s
by Rick Palm, K1CE. Now for those of you who don’t get QST, I have this article
reprinted on our website http://arrl-ohio.org/QST.pdf I know that
once you read Rick’s views it will greatly help you better understand the in’s
and outs to all of this, and why this is so very important to YOU.
I do want to assure you that
if after reading all about why these ICS certifications are so very important you
still decide not to go through with completing them, it’s ok. There will still
be some things that you can do, just not as many of them.
Now let’s switch bands..
Have you seen the NEWEST
“Handbook Giveaway” drawing on the website yet? It’s there..!! To enter the
drawing all you need to do is fill in a couple of boxes on the form.. (your
name and email). That’s you need to do to be entered into a drawing to win a 2016
ARRL softcover Handbook. There’s nothing else required (Oh.. You do need to be
a resident of Ohio to win..) The winner will be mailed the Handbook at my
cost. This is being offered just to see how many folks are really checking in
on the website. Got the idea? Best of luck to you!!
Are you getting those emails
from me? If not, all you have to do is to “Opt-In” to receive them. Heck, just
send me an email n8sy@n8sy.com, I’ll get you
added to the mailing list. There’s a link to do this on the Ohio Section
website, it’s on the bottom left corner.. For your convenience, here’s a direct
link to it:
http://arrl-ohio.org/forwarder/forwarding.html I urge all of
you to make sure that everyone, regardless of whether they are a League member
or not, get signed up for one of these options. You can always “Opt-Out” at any
time if you feel this is not what you were expecting.
Let’s shift bands once
again..
Let’s talk about the Ohio
Section Website.. You can find the Ohio Section Website at: http://arrl-ohio.org If you don’t
have this website set as your home page, I urge you to do so. It changes a lot
and it’s so important for you to be kept up to date with the very latest
information.
Switching bands once again.. HEY,
there’s another NEW – one question – questionnaire on the Ohio Section Website!
This question is really important for me to know.. It will only take about 2
seconds for you to answer it, and you can see how your answer stacks up with
others instantly. If you haven’t done it yet, please do.. I really want to hear
from you.
Are you a member of the
ARRL?? If you aren’t a League member, this is a great opportunity to become
one. Want more information on how to join? Here’s the link: http://www.arrl.org/membership-levels. There’s even a 90 day FREE trial that you can apply
for if you’ve never been a member.. Got questions about being a member or what
the League is all about? Send me an email..n8sy@n8sy.com
I’ll be happy to call or write to you.
We can even have coffee if you’d like.. and I’ll buy!!
One last spin of the dial..
Don’t forget Field Day is
just around the corner, June 25 – 26. Have
fun, but please remember to be safe.
Oh, did you see that our very
own ACC is mentioned in the July issue of QST? The article is on page 73. It’s
about the picture of the rangers at Hopewell when John, KD8MQ was there to
setup for the National Parks on the Air event. John has really become a star
lately. My hat is off to you sir!!
Did you also see the S.E.T.
results posted in that issue QST? It’s on page 70. The Ohio Section ranked 3rd
in ARES activity and 5th in Section/Local Nets. That’s fantastic
news!! Keep up the great efforts!!
That’s going to do it for
now… Got questions about Amateur Radio
or the League? I’ll be at your hamfests and club meetings to answer them, or
just give me a call. I’m always happy to talk with you.
73, Scott, N8SY
****************************************************
THE OFFICIAL OBSERVER
COORDINATOR
John Perone, W8RXX
For the month of May there
were:
OO cards sent 1
Good op cards sent 1
Total Hours Ohio OO's
monitored 824
73, John, W8RXX
****************************************************
WEBSITE STATS – ** arrl-ohio.org
**
May 2016
Pages
|
Hits
|
Bandwidth
|
71,729
|
470,298
|
1.86
GB
|
****************************************************
SPECIAL EVENTS STATIONS IN
OHIO
07/02/2016 | Open House on
40th birthday of Bellbrook Amateur Radio Club
1500Z-2100Z, W8DGN, Bellbrook,
OH.
Bellbrook Amateur Radio Club
(BARC).
28.400 21.400 7.240; 14.070
PSK-31.
Certificate. Bellbrook
Amateur Radio Club,
PO Box 73,
Bellbrook, OH 45305.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
07/02/2016 | The Refugee
Tract
1400Z-1900Z, WE8DX, Hebron,
OH.
Central Ohio Contest
Association.
14.240 7.240. QSL.
Central Ohio Contest
Association,
1010 Blacks Rd SE,
Hebron, OH 43025.
****************************************************
OHIO HAMFEST CALENDAR
06/18/2016 | MILFORD HAMFEST
Location: Milford, OH
Sponsor: Milford Amateur
Radio Club
07/10/2016 | 20/9 Radio Club
Hamfest 2016
Location: Austintown, OH
Sponsor: 20/9 Radio Club,
Inc.
07/16/2016 | NOARSfest 2016
Location: Elyria, OH
Sponsor: Northern Ohio
Amateur Radio Society
07/17/2016 | Van Wert Hamfest
Location: Van Wert, OH
Sponsor: Van Wert Amateur
Radio Club
****************************************************
eof..