Monday, November 18, 2013

Ohio Section News for October - 2013


In this issue:

- ALL OHIO ARES CONFERENCE TO BE HELD NOVEMBER 9th – STEVE EWALD, WV1X KEYNOTE SPEAKER FROM ARRL

- FROM THE SECTION EMERGENCY COORDINATOR

- AROUND THE WEB

- AFFILIATED CLUB COORDINATOR NEWS

- NOTES FROM THE SECTION TECHNICAL COORDINATOR

- SOUTHWEST OHIO HAPPENINGS

- OUT AND ABOUT IN SOUTHEAST OHIO

- SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS IN OHIO

- OHIO HAMFEST CALENDAR

- FINAL THOUGHTS

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ALL OHIO ARES CONFERENCE..

ALL OHIO ARES CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD NOVEMBER 9th – ARRL KEYNOTE SPEAKER IS STEVE EWALD, WV1X

The All Ohio ARES Conference will be held on Saturday, November 9th, 2013. It will be held at the Ohio Fire Academy, 8895 E. Main St. in Reynoldsburg. The conference begins at 8:00am with an ARRL VE test session, and will then proceed into speakers, forums, a Go-Box display, and an EmComm vehicle show.

They Keynote Speaker for the Conference is Steve Ewald, WV1X, ARRL Field Service Organization Supervisor. Steve oversees and manages the many programs under the Field Service Organization. We welcome Steve to Central Ohio, and look forward to having Steve spend his Saturday with us.

This conference is open to those who are interested in public service communications, emergency/disaster communications, and digital communications.

The conference agenda is filling up.  But there's still room for more.

This year will feature the ever-popular Go Box Display and Emcomm Vehicle/trailer display.  There were 20 some go boxes and portable antennas on display last year.  It was a smash hit amongst the participants.  This is a wonderful opportunity to share ideas and show-off all your hard work.

Here's the Emcomm Vehicle / Trailer line up so far...

Dayton Amateur Radio Association

Delaware County ARES (N8BHL)

Marion County ARES

Medina County M2M (K8FH)

Shelby County ARES

Stay tuned for further updates.

In addition to the training presentations, we'll also be presenting the

2013 ARES Membership Drive winners and 2013 winner of the Ross Stillisano KB8JTZ Memorial Award.  We'll hear an update from the Digital Communications Committee.  Statewide Simulated Emergency Test results will be announced.

Time to upgrade or take your Technician License Exam?  No problem!

There will be a volunteer exam session at the All Ohio ARES Conference this year.  Check out

All participants are asked to register online at http://www.arrl-ohio.org/SEC/default.html.  Scroll down the page to the registration link.  The online registration is important for accountability and proper food procurement.

For those who are traveling from afar, there are several hotels and motels in the area to choose from.  More than likely, I'll be staying at a hotel Friday night near the Fire Academy. 

Participants at the 2012 All Ohio ARES Conference set quite a few benchmarks.  With your help, we can exceed those bench marks to make

2013 AOAC the best one yet. 

73,

Matt Welch, W8DEC

ARRL Section Emergency Coordinator - Ohio w8dec@arrl.net

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FROM THE SECTION EMERGENCY COORDINATOR..

The ARRL Ohio Section Statewide Simulated Emergency Test took place on Saturday, October 12th.  Although reports are still coming in, preliminary results reveal excellent participation.  I cannot thank the volunteers enough for their support and participation in the 2013 Statewide Simulated Emergency Test.  All participants are asked to send an After-Action Report (AAR) to your ARES Team Leader (Emergency Coordinator or Assistant Emergency Coordinator).  The proper format for an AAR is simple...

What was expected to happen?

What actually happened?

What went well and why?

What needs improvement?

Following this format will help you organize your thoughts and help you put them down on paper.  Please complete your AAR at your earliest convenience while the event is fresh in your mind.

The All Ohio ARES Conference will be held on Saturday, November 9th at the Ohio Fire Academy in Reynoldsburg, Ohio.  The address is 8895 East Main Street, Reynoldsburg, OH 46068.  There are several hot topics this year.  First and foremost, the ARRL Board of Directors approved the All Ohio ARES Conference as a specialty convention.  Many thanks to Ohio SM Frank KI8GW and Great Lakes Division Director Jim K8JE for their support in this effort.  So the conference became eligible for a guest speaker from ARRL HQ.  With the hard work and determination of our illustrious Ohio Section Manager Frank KI8GW, our keynote speaker is Steve Ewald WV1X who is the Field Organization Supervisor at ARRL HQ in Newington, CT.  I have seen Steve's presentation at other conferences and I think you will enjoy it.

There will be one of the largest go box displays this section has ever seen!  There will be emcomm vehicles / trailers on display including the new Dayton Amateur Radio Association Communications Truck!  Didn't see it or tour it at Hamvention 2013?  No worries, it will be at the All Ohio ARES Conference!  There is a full agenda of programs and presentations.  What are they, you ask?  The schedule is in the midst of being finalized and will be posted on the ARES page on the Ohio Section website.  An announcement will be made when that happens.  All participants are asked to register online at www.arrl-ohio.org. There is a link on the right hand side of the page.  Click on it to register.

Online registration is important so the proper amount of food can be purchased.  It also tells me if you're bringing a go box and/or communications vehicle/trailer.

Volunteer Exam Session at 0800 (8AM) at the All Ohio ARES Conference.

Interested in upgrading or taking your technician license exam?  Many thanks to Muskingum EC Kathy KB3RDR and her team for making this happen again this year!

Last but not least, I have four ARRL gift certificates to give away at the All Ohio ARES Conference.  Register online, come to the conference, have a great time, and you might just be the winner of one of the gift certificates.  You can't possibly win if you do not attend!

Training.  The State of Ohio Emergency Management Agency has a great list of training available throughout the State.  There is a course catalog and a course calendar.  Check out their website at http://ema.ohio.gov/training.aspx.

That's all for this month.  Thank you for everything you do for amateur radio.

73 de Matt W8DEC

ARRL Section Emergency Coordinator - Ohio w8dec@arrl.net

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AROUND THE WEB..

Hi Gang,

This time around I’m reporting from home. I’ve been traveling around a bit these past several months and it is definitely good to be able to stay at home for a change. Winter is fast approaching and I have to tell ya’ that we put the boat up for the winter just last weekend. In about a month the motorcycle will be next. If this isn’t the first signs of winter approaching, I don’t know what is.

Have you been watching my RSS feeds for all the updates to the website..??  No? Shame on you..  That can only mean that you really don’t know what’s been updated on the website. As I stated a few months ago, when I make changes to the website I’ll be sure to have what changed listed on my RSS feed. A link to it is on the right side of the main page of the website. Click on this link to get the latest changes throughout the website. I think you’ll find this much more informative than just a flashing “Update” indicator next to a link..

Now some of you are probably saying to yourselves, “just what the heck is a RSS feed and why should I be interested..” I can relate, so with that in mind here’s what a RSS feed is. As Wikipedia describes it, it stands for Really Simple Syndication (RSS). RSS feeds enable publishers to syndicate data automatically. RSS feeds also benefit users who want to receive timely updates from their favorite websites.

Now what does this all mean to you? Simple, by having the really important stuff on a RSS feed it allows the person writing the news to publish it to a website without having to have all the special software for a website. It also (now this is where you get involved..) allows those readers who want to be updated without having to do it themselves the latest updates.

Yes, our website has several of these RSS feeds. One of them is right on the front page. It comes directly from the League. They actually update their news and our website gets it as soon as it’s published.

Our SEC also has such a feed, as well as me. My feed is to let you all know of what and when I have updated something on the website. Now if you have Microsoft Outlook for example, you can set it to seek out these feeds and monitor them on a regular basis. This way you can receive the latest news as soon as it hits the website. Neat..  You no longer have to keep reminding yourself to go look for updates. It’s presented to you right in your email program. Outlook is one of many software packages available out there that will do this. Most browsers will do this as well. 

Now shifting to a different topic..  Did you know that there was a very short 3 question survey posted on the website? Please take just a couple of minutes to take the survey. It’s fun and I think the 3 questions being asked are important to know just what you are thinking. I promise, it won’t take over 3 minutes of your time.

Shifting once again to another topic.. Have you considered a back-up program for your computer? With Christmas coming up in a couple of months from now, you might want to consider asking for a subscription to one then. How important is this? Let’s look at this this way, do you really want to spend hours and hours trying to recover from a virus and maybe never fully recover? If you aren’t successful, are you willing to shell out the hundreds of bucks for a new computer? That’s how important this really is. Now having some actual experience with a “cloud based” backup program I can tell you I’m totally sold.

Yes, I got a virus several months ago. I didn’t panic, but I have to tell you, my gut was churning a bit until everything was fully recovered. This particular backup worked just as it was advertised. I was up and running again in a matter of a few short hours. Nothing lost.

That’s going to do it for this month..

73, Scott, N8SY

Assistant Section Manager / Webmaster  n8sy@arrl.net

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AFFILIATED CLUB COORDINATOR NEWS..

Autumn is a wonderful time of year. A lot of contesting, festivals, foxhunts, cook-offs, swap meets, clean-ups and hamfests. Clubs are gearing of for elections and transitions and planning for a new year as they wrap up this year with celebrations and good eats. Hmmm, I just described every month in Ohio. Regardless remember to update your ARRL listings after your transitions. Special Service Clubs, check on your status to see if it is time to renew (every two years). If you aren't a Special Service Club consider applying.

Mount Vernon ARC held a walking fox hunt September 15 at the farm of Frank, KC8EVS. According to Frank they used "...4 micro-foxes. These are 60 milliwatt, carrier only, transmitters small enough to hide in the osage orange, multiflora rose and poison ivy that cover the back of my farm."

OH-KY-IN ARS had Ohio SM Frank Piper KI8GW as their speaker during their ARRL night October 1. Frank shared his experiences of The League in action at a more local level.

The InterCity Amateur Radio Clun of Mansfield sponsored yours truly, in a dual speaking role. I was invited to speak as the ACC as well as give a presentation on Cubesats, specifically Fox-1. I took along a CubeSat Simulator for demonstration. Attendance was good and I appreciated the fine reception while meeting with people I have worked with before.

The Dayton ARC will be holding their Annual Harvest Party & Chili Cook Off October 25.The school systems of America, under the assistance of Mark Spencer, WA8SME, ARRL's Director of Education and Technical Program sponsored the TI-1 (Teachers' Institute) Conference geared to assisting teachers with developing STEM education tools and resources for classroom use. They plan to sponsor a TI-2a Conference in the future. I work closely with Mark in my role as AMSAT’s V.P. for Educational Relations. Mark is dynamic individual. I can't thank Dayton enough for their continued support of both the ARRL and AMSAT.

Lake Erie ARA sponsored Dennis Conklin, AI8P, and his presentation, "The Dark Side of a DXpedition." His talk recounted his experiences as part of the team at the Virgin Islands ARC, KP2D.

Massillon ARC would like to remind everyone that their Hamfest 2013 will be on November 3rd, 2013 at the Boys & Girls Club located at 730 Duncan St SW, Massillon, Ohio. I am unable to attend this one for the first time in several years. It is a nice Hamfest and growing. I encourage your attendance. At their last meeting they heard a "short" presentation by Wade WD8MIU and Brooker KD8JNX on the Kelly Island expedition. The month before was their Heathkit Show and Tell program.

The Western Reserve ARC held their last scheduled event of this year, the Diabetes Walk on October 20th at the Fairgrounds. They have also adopted a piece of Route 446 and held their clean-up event October 19.

Alliance ARC will sponsor Homebrew Night during their November meeting on the 13th. They will also have a fund raiser for the Fire Department Toy Drive that night. This club does a lot to stay out of meeting mode and I have always enjoyed the creativity of their activities.

At the Delaware ARA, October is BOATANCHOR SWAP MONTH. At the October 16 meeting they also had an award presentation by Jim Weaver K8JE – the ARRL Great Lakes Division director.

Portage County ARS heard Jim WB8AZP talk on Official Observers at their October meeting. They will hear Rod, WN8R speak on Vertical Antennas at their November 11 meeting. This is also election night. Kudos to Jim, KC8PD, for never missing a Thursday Night PCARS net. He has checked in over 400 times, consecutively, and still going.

As announced earlier this month, I am leaving my post as Ohio Section's Affiliated Club Coordinator to accept the position of Vice President for Educational Relations for AMSTA-NA. Whereas my duties for AMSAT have already started I am easing out of my role as ACC more slowly. I will be around in that capacity until the end of the year. I cannot over exaggerate what a wonderful experience serving as ACC has been. For the past three years I have visited more Hamfests and Club meetings than I can count. I have always been buoyed up by everyone’s enthusiasm and after every encounter I have ridden adrenalin high into the next event.

The people and clubs in Ohio are wonderful. I have learned more than I expected and have been personally challenged to become more than I even thought possible. I have honed many skills in this position and have planted many seeds of thought and watched as they germinated, sprouted and grew.

Around the state I have listened and clarified many great ideas suggested by numerous people. Encouraged by this I allowed myself to become involved with more and more while enjoying every minute of the journey. With great respect for all I have met and worked with, thank you all for help making me the man I am today.

You have encouraged me, allowed me to grow in confidence and depth. I owe you all. I hope to continue to monitor all that is going on in Ohio so continue to send me your newsletters and ideas. I will continue to be available for speaking engagements. I intend to keep close ties with Anthony and Scott and with the Ohio Sections Educational Initiative and youth outreach, I think we can be mutual advocates. Frank Piper KI8GW and his Ohio Section Cabinet have been good to me and continue to support my efforts. It’s good to name them among my friends.

The Section Cabinet truly have the best interests for amateur radio in Ohio as their priority. I ask that you engage them, challenge them, they want to listen and be of service to you. 

Lastly I appreciate the kind words of encouragement and well wishes from everyone as I start this new adventure. Let's keep in touch. And remember always... Get Out of Meeting Mode!!!

EMike

E. Michael McCardel, KC8YLD

V.P. Educational Relations, AMSAT-NA  kc8yld@arrl.net

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NOTES FROM THE SECTION TECHNICAL COORDINATOR

Ground Loops – Some time ago Charlie KS8L called to relate an experience that he had encountered with connecting some of his equipment to a surge suppression outlet.  He had attempted to connect two identical pieces of equipment in his shack with some strange results including the complete disabling of one unit and the refusal of a remote to work on the other.  This appeared at random between the two units.  A classic problem of ground loops interfering with electronics was at work.   Charlie inadvertently discovered that connecting his two units to separate power outlets, resolved the problem.  This begs the question why?

A couple of years ago, I too experienced the same problem after connecting my Kenwood TS-830 and the VFO-230 to the same surge suppressor.  The VFO acted like it was totally out of sorts and would not do much other than light up momentarily.  The Rig would not respond to the VFO-230 dial and would display random frequencies on the display with its own VFO.  I remembered Charlie’s situation and unplugged the VFO from the surge suppressor.  Problem solved, but why did this happen?

I hadn’t seen the surge suppressor that caused the problem for Charlie, and I had initially suspected some issue with an inexpensive unit.  When it came to my own situation, I had just taken a new ISOBAR surge suppressor out of the box and installed it.  These are supposedly top of the line units sold with a lifetime guarantee covering any equipment protected by them.  How could this be? 

After doing some reading, I discovered there was an issue with ground loops.  So whatever is that and why does it affect something as simple as a surge suppressor.   Surge suppressors often provide isolation to defeat transient currents and noise that may enter through the power line. This isolation unfortunately can also mess with the current return path when more than one device is connected to them.  This causes the devices to grab any return path available and they begin to work through each other rather than the desired path.  This explains the random results Charlie and I observed.  Something similar often happens with the lights on trailers towed from a vehicle.  A substandard ground will cause the lights to seek ground through one of the other lights.  The light will glow dimly and others will glow without normal activation.  Illogical on the surface and until you see it happening, often it can be hard to accept or understand.  A good solid ground will correct it.

Charlie’s units had no ground connection and the solution required using separate outlets to cure.  My own situation was ultimately resolved once I connected both the TS-830 and it’s VFO-230 to station ground effectively bonding together and providing a good ground.

I am sure many of you have experienced some sort of anomaly in your own radio room.  I’d like to hear your experiences.  Perhaps we can shed some additional light and save someone the frustration that we’ve all felt in dealing with various strange issues.

73,

Jim Yoder W8ERW

ARRL Section Technical Coordinator - Ohio w8erw@arrl.net

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SOUTHWEST OHIO HAPPENINGS

SPECIAL MILESTONES:

At the last HARA meeting, Dave (KD8TUR) was recognized for making his first qso with an ARRL first contact award. The award was presented by the person with whom he had that special contact, WA8KIW. Cathy, K8IYO was presented an ARRL 2013 Field Day Pin by John and CCARA Vice President Paul, WB8ZZR for her first Field Day participation. Cathy operated the six meter Field Day station almost the entire weekend and promised to be back for more next year.

Congrats to Ozzie (KA8UGI) and his wife Betty on the observation of their 70th wedding anniversary. A celebration marking the event was held October 13 at the Hillsboro Methodist Church.

UNIQUE ELMER AND NEWCOMERS NET:

As part of a mentoring program being developed, Robert, AK3Q, recently launched an elmers and newcomers net. The purpose of this net is to pair new hams with folks that really are interested in helping them learn the ropes. The net meets every Sunday at 7:00 PM local time on the 146.67- OHKYIN repeater. Information on the topics covered can be found at      http://www.ohkyin.org/elmer_net.php)

SILENT KEYS:

Lyle Lambert (KC8DDY) and his wife Jayne (KC8LUH) recently became silent keys as a result of a housefire. We extend our thoughts and prayers to their children, Karen (KC8LIA) and Marty (KC8ULW) during this difficult time. 

PUBLIC SERVICE:

Our communication skills were in high demand this month. Hams provided communication for the cystic fibrosis bike ride, US air force marathon, Little Miami Triathlon, River Corridor Classic 1/2 Marathon and annual Dayton district cross country meet, to name just a few. 

Showcasing ham radio:  On October 12, hams showcased amateur radio at Beavercreek and Fairborn Fire Departments.  

 

73, Kitty, W8TDA

Assistant Section Manager SW / w8tda@arrl.net

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OUT AND ABOUT IN SOUTHEAST OHIO

Thank you for all the prayers and cards for Jerry and me. A special Thank you to the Athens Amateur Radio Club for the lovely planter. He will have his surgery on Monday Oct 21 if his strength has improved. He does look better and is having tests daily to check on the internal bleeding.
They have determined it is NOT from the Aorta.

I fell a week ago Sunday in his room and have a sprained wrist on my right hand.

 

73/88, Connie, N8IO

Assistant Section Manager SE / n8io@arrl.net

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SPECIAL EVENTS IN OHIO..

10/26/2013  Moonville Tunnel Special Event Oct 26-Oct 27 1600Z-1600Z, K8LGN, Zaleski, OH.

Hocking Valley Amateur Radio Club.

28.405 14.225 7.275 3.810.

QSL. Richard Martin

1255 New York Ave

Logan, OH 43138

Celebrate Halloween at the haunted Moonville Tunnel in Zaleski Ohio.


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11/03/2013  Extra Hour Special Event Station
     

Nov 3, 0000Z-0600Z, W8BAP, Chillicothe, OH.

Scioto Valley Amateur Radio Club.

28.445 14.280 7.250 3.860. Certificate.

JIm Boyce, KD8BWV, 604 W 5th St

Chillicothe, OH 45601.

This is the second annual special event station to celebrate the return to Standard Time.


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11/09/2013  203rd Anniversary of Formation of Guernsey County, OH

 
Nov 9, 1300Z-2100Z, W8VP, Cambridge, OH.

Cambridge Amateur Radio Association.

14.260 7.235.

Certificate & QSL.

 

Cambridge Amateur Radio Association,

PO Box 1804,

Cambridge, OH 43725.

203rd Anniversary of the Formation of Guernsey County, OH.

11th Special Event in CARA's year-long 100th Birthday Celebration.

QSL. Certificate available for anyone who works ALL 12 of CARA's monthly Special Events of 2013


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OHIO HAMFESTS..

11/02/2013  Grant ARC Hamfest

Georgetown, OH

Grant Amateur Radio Club


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11/03/2013 | Massillon Hamfest and Auction

Massillon Boy's & Girl's Club

Massillon, OH

ARRL Hamfest

Massillon Amateur Radio Club


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FINAL THOUGHTS..

This edition of the Ohio Section News was edited by Scott Yonally, N8SY.

Although I did the assembly, I cannot take credit for the actual news contained within. This credit has to be given to all of those on the Section Cabinet that work very hard each and every day not only to represent you, but also there to help you as well. Please, if we can be of assistance, don't hesitate to give anyone of us a call. The Cabinet is listed on our website at: http://arrl-ohio.org/sm/sec-info.html

Would you like to have a guest speaker at your next club meeting? How's about one of the Cabinet. The Ohio Cabinet is always available to come and speak at your meetings.

 

TIME CHANGE.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) ends Sunday - November 03, 2013 at 2am

 

Food for thought..

As fall is getting colder out we start thinking of turning the furnace back on. And those of us with fireplaces start building fires in them.

We need to think of safety first. Birds, squirrels and all sorts of odd little animals have been busy during our down time build nests. And where better to build them, than in a chimney. This can cause a major problem for those of us that don't see the need to share with these little critters. Home fires increase greatly in the waning days of autumn and the beginning of winter. Please, before you start the furnace or build that great fire in the fire box, take a moment to check out your chimney/flu, or better yet, have it checked by a professional. This will keep you safe and could very possibly save your house and you from a fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. 

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ARRL Ohio Section

Section Manager: Frank Piper, KI8GW


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