October 2014
In this issue:
-> VILLAGE OF SWANTON SEEKS APPEAL TO THE OHIO SUPREME COURT
-> AFFILIATED CLUB COORDINATOR REPORT
-> FROM THE SECTION EMERGENCY COORDINATOR
-> FROM THE PIC
-> SOUTHWEST OHIO HAPPENINGS
-> FROM THE TECHNICAL COORDINATOR
-> FROM THE SECTION TRAFFIC MANAGER
-> LET'S TALK
-> SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS IN OHIO
-> OHIO HAMFEST CALENDAR
-> FORMER OOC RICK SWAIN, KK8O NOW SILENT KEY
-> MESSAGE TO U.S. EDUCATORS
-> SCHOOL CLUB ROUNDUP
-> TIME CHANGE
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VILLAGE OF SWANTON SEEKS APPEAL TO THE OHIO SUPREME COURT
By: Nick Pittner, K8NAP - SGL
nickpittner9@gmail.com
The Village of Swanton has requested review by the Ohio Supreme Court from the order of the Sixth Appellate District dismissing the Village’s appeal in the Gary Wodtke antenna case. In that case, Gary Wodtke, WW8N, appealed to the Fulton County Common Pleas Court from the Village’s denial of his request for permission to erect an antenna tower and associated antennas. The Court, relying on the recently enacted H.B. 158 reversed the Village’s order and permitted Wodtke to erect the antennas requested. The Village appealed to the Sixth District Court of Appeals. However, before the appellate briefs were filed, the Court of Appeals dismissed the appeal on the grounds that it had not been timely filed by the Village. The Village now seeks review of that order in the Ohio Supreme Court.Most cases, including this one, cannot be appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court as a matter of right. The rules provide for the filing of a Notice of Appeal together with a Memorandum in Support of Jurisdiction in the Supreme Court. The Court then reviews both the Appellant’s Memorandum as well as the responsive memorandum from the Appellee and determines whether or not to hear the appeal. The basis for review in cases such as this is whether the issue sought to be appealed is of “public or great general interest”. Only a small portion of cases presented for review to the Supreme Court are accepted for appeal. If accepted, additional briefs on the merits are filed with the Court and oral argument is conducted before the Court issues a final decision.
The Court of Appeals dismissed the Village’s appeal on procedural grounds and never reached the merits of the antenna zoning issue. Similarly, the Village’s appeal to the Supreme Court is based on procedural arguments rather than the merits of the underlying issues. Rather than analyze each of the issues presented, all of which are extremely technical, we will attempt to summarize them for you with a minimum of editorial comment.
The Village presented three basis arguments in support of its claim that this case meets the “great public or general interest” standard. The first is that the Common Pleas Court never properly acquired jurisdiction of the case in the first place because the Wodtke appeal was not timely filed. Thus, the Village argues, the Common Pleas Court had no jurisdiction to make any rulings in the case and the Court of Appeals should have recognized that. Interestingly, it is not clear that the Village ever raised that argument in the Common Pleas Court, nor, even were it valid, would it somehow address the lateness of the Villages’ appeal in the Court of Appeals.
The second argument raised by the Village if that the order used by the Sixth District as the basis for its dismissal of the appeal was not a final appealable order and the Village’s appeal clock actually didn’t start to run until much later. Ohio law requires that appeals to courts of appeal must be based on “final appealable orders” and that decisions that do not address all of the issues in a case are, generally, not appealable until all of the issues have been decided. Here, the Common Pleas Court ruled in Wodtke’s favor on all of the substantive issues in the case, but scheduled a subsequent hearing on the issues of attorney fees. The attorney fees issues, claims the Village, made the order not a final appealable order and thus didn’t start the clock running.
Interestingly, although earlier pleadings had requested an award of attorney fees, the amended complaint in the case at that time did not include are request for an award of attorney fees and later entries made it clear that that issue had been withdrawn. The Village also offers 3 curious subsets of its argument all of which attempt to convince the Supreme Court that what the Court of Appeals viewed as a final appealable order was really something else.
The third proposition advanced by the Village states, “Issuing a judgment in favor of the plaintiff’s claims and setting a hearing for attorney fees when attorney fees are not requested in the pleadings constitutes civil plain error”. Here the Village seems to be claiming that the Common Pleas Court’s entry granting Mr. Wodtke’s appeal and setting a later hearing on attorney fees was such an egregious act that the Supreme Court must step in and correct it. The argument is curious as the Village never paid anything for Mr. Wodtke’s attorney fees, nor had it been requested to do so at the time of the order. In fact, the hearing scheduled by the Common Pleas Court resulted in a clarification of the record by a formal withdrawal of the attorney fees request.
Mr. Wodtke’s attorneys will have 30 days to submit a reply to the Village’s Motion and the Court will, after review of those documents, decide whether or not to hear the appeal. As we noted before, only a small percentage of the cases advanced for appeal are actually accepted. If the Court accepts the appeal, the only issue will be whether the Villages’s appeal was properly dismissed by the court of appeals. If the Court finds that to be the case it will likely remand the case to the Court of Appeal for consideration of the merits of the Village’s appeal. The appeal raised the issue of whether the Home Rule provisions of the Ohio Constitution trump the zoning requirements imposed by H.B. 158.
The case is Gary Wodtke v. Village of Swanton, No. 14-1670 in the Ohio Supreme Court, You can read all of pleadings on the Court’s web site. In the meantime, stay tuned.
73, Nick, K8NAP
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AFFILIATED CLUBS COORDINATOR REPORT
By: John Myers, KD8MQ - ACC
kd8mq@arrl.net
Hi everyone, here at the home QTH, we are getting a handle on the fall chores, and preparing for the annual trip to PA for the QSO Party.A lot of our local clubs are preparing for their annual elections. I doubt that it’s much different in other parts of the state. It’s always important for Hams to get involved, and attend their club meetings, but there’s no meeting more important than that when they hold the elections of officers. The elected are the ones who will be running your club over the next year; perhaps two.
In some clubs, the folks who are elected have told me that they ran because no one else would, and just so that we’d have someone in office. Then they fulfill their duties like they are on auto-pilot. I’m sorry, but this is just wrong!
Following is a quote from the pre-amble of the AARC Presidents book which is handed down to each incoming President:
“Being president of any organization can be a challenge, but also can be extremely rewarding.“
“You can choose to just run the meetings, and do nothing else.”
“ You can actively look for programs, or not.“
“You can choose to do PR, or not.“
“The end results will be dependent on just how much work you are willing to put into your job as club president.“
Granted, if you step up and run for office, it may not be easy, but it will be rewarding. I know this from experience. By the way, I am not talking about monetary rewards here; some things are more important. So, off my soap box here, I’ll wrap up this subject by reminding everyone to get that club information updated each time there is a change of any sort in your club contact info. Also, whenever your leadership changes. If you have any questions, just contact me. I can be reached via E-mail at kd8mq@arrl.net.
A few weeks ago, I made my first trip to Berea in several years. I’m impressed at how much it’s grown since my last visit some 30 years ago. I sat in as an observer on the ARRL Forum, and
would recommend it to anyone in a club leadership role. Our section leadership did a great job on bringing us up to speed on HR-4969. The discussion on attracting youth to Amateur Radio was
similarly interesting. It was great talking to Wes, W8IZC, the president of the Mahoning Valley ARA.
Coming up on the 19th, I’m looking forward to attending the Conneaut Hamfest in the far NE corner of the state. This’ll be my first time to that hamfest, though I’ve camped in the area. Then, on the 25th, I’m looking forward to spending some time with the folks at the Cambridge ARA.
The Massillon Hamfest will be coming up on November 2nd. As usual, it’s on the same weekend as the SS-CW contest. I’ll be there in an unofficial capacity as I clean out the basement and make room for more junk er. . . good stuff in the year ahead.
Thanks to the wonders of the internet, John, WA8KIW has been keeping his Monday Morning Memo going even while on a trip out west. He warns us that even dipoles are not safe anymore as one
of the Hams in SW OH had his stolen. The thieves even tried to strip his coax!
Thanks to the Mahoning Valley ARA for adding me to their mailing list. I just received the most recent issue of the “Voice Coil”; their monthly newsletter. MVARA just held their annual corn
roast. Mark, K8MSH includes a lot of good information, including information on HR 4969.
According to “The Spark”, from the Cincinnati FM Club, DMR, or Digital Mobile Radio has come to Cincinnati. The club has put a new Motorola repeater on the air on 443.400.
The Massillon ARC is in full Hamfest planning mode, preparing for their November 2nd event. This hamfest is usually a “don’t miss” on my schedule. Another fund raiser that Massillon participates in is parking cars at the annual Swiss Festival in Sugar Creek. Speaking of Massillon, a team of Massillon ARC and Alliance ARC members are making plans to operate the 2015 SPAR Winter Field Day in January.
The Alliance ARC’s 440 repeater came back online after a tower raising last month. This was in conjunction with a fall cookout at the KD8MQ QTH. Lots of fun was had by several local Hams;
all friends & members of the Alliance ARC. The Alliance ARC is also holding a DX contest for members only, and has an upcoming Homebrew night to look forward to in a few weeks.
According to the DELARA News, edited by our own Section Emergency Coordinator, the Hams in the Delaware area are doing a lot with MESH. Not sure what MESH is? Neither was I until I heard
Stan speak at the ARRL Forum in Berea.
At the October DELARA meeting, they held a “Boat Anchor Swap”. Sounds like a great idea for a program at a club meeting.
I just read the Q-Fiver, newsletter of the OH-KY-IN ARS, edited by Susie Scott, N8CGM. It mentions that our own Scott Yonally, N8SY spoke at their club meeting a couple weeks ago, and
appeared at their Hamfest as well. The club has brought a second APRS Digi on line to serve the downtown, and I-75 corridor. Their November meeting will have a program on Logbook Of The
World.
The Cuyahoga Falls ARC is working on holding a Two Meter FM Squares Contest next year.
The Scioto Valley ARC will be running an “Extra Hour” Special event station on the weekend of November 1st, 2nd.
Portage County ARC (PCARS) has fielded teams for the NA SSB Sprint, and the CA QSO Party. Some required antenna repairs were finished just in time for the CA QSO Party. No word on how it
went, but I bet there was a full clubhouse both days. Their latest issue of the Radiogram includes an article on how to sell your surplus gear on EBay.
And that’s about it for this month. Keep those newsletters coming.
Till next time, 73 DE KD8MQ
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FROM THE SECTION EMERGENCY COORDINATOR
By Stan Broadway, N8BHL
broadways@standi.com
Ohio S.E.T. a Success..
The S.E.T. is complete and there is a lot to brag about! I was very pleased at how many counties participated this year. It’s impossible to speculate on our state score, since each county EC submits that county’s score directly to the ARRL. [County EC’s you ~have~ submitted, right?? Puh-leeeze!!]Things that make you smile - Our ability to activate the entire state worked flawlessly. We were able to reach all the DEC’s and they immediately went about rustling up the troops.
Our ability to contact The Sarge (W8SGT) at Ohio EOC on 40. Solid signals, lots of traffic handled. We wore their operators out!
The digital net transferred a few IS-213’s into the SEOC! This is exactly the kind of traffic we can expect in a real emergency, and it worked.
Ohio SSB traffic net and the COTN (Central Ohio Traffic Net) were up to the challenge of sending a boatload of messages to The Sarge. Wally and his folks at W8SGT were up to the challenge and ready to go…even if we did overextend on waffles prior to the kickoff. We had to brief somewhere~, right?
Many counties took the original premise of the drill (setting up a communications network) and launched their own activities. A couple counties rightly used their own local drills as SET events- the recent nuke plant drill up north, an excellent radio drill in Portsmouth. Other similar events can be counted so if your county didn’t do anything for the SET, consider scoring your own local drills (from September through December).
District nets were up and running, helping to provide a regional view. Many counties made contact with surrounding areas. Ashtabula even went to far as to rack up numerous state capitals. I hear they caused quite a commotion on MIDCARS. Several districts were able to connect into the Columbus 147.06 repeater, and work The Sarge direct.
Things that make you shrug your shoulders-VHF system at The Sarge didn’t work as expected. Possible feedline troubles kept our VHF contacts low. (Much better to discover this during a drill!) It did prove however, that SEOC can directly interact with counties effectively. SSB and digital nets were run on 80, signals faded and made it tough. 40 is a much better daytime band! CW frequency was being monitored, but there was no formal net activity during the morning hours so we didn’t get much CW action. Activity seemed to vary by region (or district). Those that were active were ~really~ active. Those that were not…crickets.
Things that you want to remember..
There was some significant innovation for the SET. Ashtabula parlayed its recent NVIS antenna weekend into good performance for SET. Delaware had a two meter repeater, then two meter simplex linked onto the 40 meter frequency through W8ERD’s “Tactical Communication Bridge” affording handheld two meter connections to The Sarge on 40 meters. Very cool. District nets showed to be very important- as this would have been a statewide issue, coordination and communications through the district level would be a key building block. I am going to press DEC’s to organize, and coordinate those nets. They could be an essential link.
Other activities..
Medina county ARES was involved in a “really big deal” haz-mat exercise… four stories underground! Seems there’s a bunker that houses an Internet backbone hub, and with all the fancy public safety radios, responders are not able to communicate when they’re down in the hole. Add a simply cross-band repeat, and problem solved! Great work, and good reviews for Medina, Lake,
Geauga, and Ashtabula counties were very active with their nuclear plant exercise. And here’s the best part: the evaluators could fine ~nothing~ wrong! That’s like getting the most rare “A+” from the really tough Feds. Well done!! Word is that the evaluators looking into the EOC asked about the ham radio operators, and the staff quickly showed all their complete FEMA training certificates. Score!
Scioto County held its own exercise October 9, the Thursday following SET weekend. I was happy to meet EMA Director Kim Carver and the ARES gang in their sumptuously appointed EOC radio room. They confirmed communication around their rather large county with 16 townships and 17 schools. Good operation, great way to spend the morning, and some really great coverage from the
Portsmouth paper! Well done!
Coming activities..
October 17 is JOTA – the Scouting program’s Jamboree on the Air. It’s a great thing to encourage young people’s interests, and it’s fun to work the stations. Get on the air and participate!
There is an event coming up 27-28 October, in which MARS is trying to work as many ARES stations as possible. http://www.arrl.org/news/late-october-exercise-to-test-mars-ares-interoperability This sounds easy for us in ARES, and a good operating event. Anybody else in? MARS operators will be using their ham callsigns on ham frequencies (no splits) and they will ask for our FIPS code (OK, must be a federal thing…) I think it’s the same code we use for weather radios. Here’s the link: http://www.census.gov/geo/reference/codes/cou.html.
Recognition and thanks..
Best wishes and a big thank you are in order for Jim Buck, WD8LWE, who is stepping down as EC in Crawford County. Thank you, Jim, for your service! We also send our thanks to Bruce Goll, KB8TRI, who is stepping down from Franklin County to meet job pressures. Thanks for giving it a go, Bruce! We recognize and welcome Kevin O’Harra, KD8IIB, as the new Franlin County (COARES) EC. Kevin is a great guy, and can rejuvenate the program! Welcome also to Donn Rooks, K8AOK, stepping into my old life as Delaware County EC. We welcome John Probst, KA8RVI, as Assistant DEC in District 3. You’re working with one of the best in Bob Rhoads! Also worth a mention is Art Richardson, W8ARR and Asst Mgr of the Central Ohio Traffic Net, who just received his “Official Relay Station” designation.
I am meeting more of our ARES people, and I am continually impressed! When I sit down for coffee with someone who has the emergency ‘chops’ as Jim Aylward from District 5, and I work beside
folks in Portsmouth and at the SEOC I am reassured that we take ARES seriously. And I am pleased to hear emergency management people on the county and state levels reaffirm that we are an important part of their planning. I can’t thank all of you enough for your participation- and I want to reassure you that what we do here really means something!
Buckle up, kids! We’re going for a ride.
How many of you go to church? OK- put your hands down, thanks. What church do you go to? Are you Bapticogicostal, or are you Angliluthermetholic? Thanks, put your hands down. So in your small town, is there more than one church? WHAT? They must be a real threat to you! Why, they meet for the same purpose, and they even meet at the same day and time as your church! Oh- why aren’t they a threat?
Let me ask another question. Your little town is protected by a fire department? Perhaps a volunteer fire department? “Why, yes…and I’m proud to say we have a lot of volunteer firefighters in our church!”
But wait- this volunteer fire department…doesn’t it have fund raisers? Fish fry? Pancake day? “Well, sure, but they need specialized equipment and trucks that cost a lot. Gotta get the money somewhere. Why, we even contribute a small amount from the church in good will.” Those funds- that’s money that people could be putting in the offering!! “But we need the fire department, and we urge people to participate and eat pancakes.”
So- your church is probably run by a board, with an outreach committee, a music committee, and a few others? “Sure- it’s the way we get things done.” When those trucks roll up to Mrs.
Smith’s barn with fire 40’ into the sky, do the firefighters jump off the truck, gather in a huddle and using parliamentary procedure vote on a plan to deal with this fire? Of course not. It’s the Chief’s job to start yelling, “Engine 1 pull a 2 ½ and attack the west side. Engine 2, lay into engine 1 from the road. Tanker 1, drop your tank at the road and supply engine 1. Dispatch, send me three more trucks from the next county to assist!!” The Chief is responsible for the action plans, recruiting, training, and general operation of his or her department. He delegates responsibility to Assistant Chiefs, of course. Ah- I see you’re catching on here. Firefighters are your church members but are performing a specific service. They’re not in competition with your church even though they might look like their own organization.
Do you get this?
ARES is something ham operators ~DO~, something they ~are~ but NOT a club. Members from all clubs, or hams who don’t belong to any club may all participate. Just like the fire department above, members of ARES should be welcomed into radio clubs and organizations! And the clubs who are smart encourage their members to join ARES and participate!
Like the fire department, ARES is structured so that one person (your county Emergency Coordinator) calls the shots. That EC should be smart enough to have Assistant EC’s to advise and
conduct some of the business. But the EC is in charge because the EC is accountable- to each of the agencies like EMA, Red Cross, and others whom we serve. It’s the EC who has to know Incident Command forward and backward. It’s the EC who has to structure the emergency plans for that county. It’s the EC who has to always be ready for that phone call. It’s not a power thing. It’s a ~function~ thing.
ARES people: encourage the clubs and start participating! If you’re not impressed with your local club- do something to improve it! Club people: Stop worrying about ARES “taking over” your
club. News flash….we don’t want it! We have enough to work on just doing our own jobs. So your members are joining ARES? Super! That’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.
This is a hobby. Step back, take a deep breath. Have fun. Make it fun. Make a friend.
Amen...go in peace.
73, Stan, N8BHL
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FROM THE PIC
By John Ross, KD8IDJ
john.ross3@worldnet.att.net
SELFIES...AND HAM RADIO!
If you have a cellphone with a camera, you know the popular craze these days is called SELFIE! You take a picture of yourself and, well, show it to someone else! I guess maybe the younger generations find this amusing or of some value. It all has to do with image...the better you look...or the better you think you look... gives you some self-esteem or just makes you feel good.
Well, with all due respect to the would-be photographers, the world of public information and public relations has been using "selfies" for decades...in a little different form.
We can write news releases perfectly, edit and layout newsletters with precision but in the end it's how we present them that often matters. Our image does more to sell and communicate our message than any publication. Seriously, as ham radio operators I don't think we have any problems. I have never met a ham who can't talk about the hobby with passion and dedication. Here's why that's important.
As a news director I had dozens of news releases delivered every day. On occasion, I would ask the messenger a few simple questions. They couldn't answer. Right away the value of the release and the information became suspect. I had to ask myself if the person who sent it...or brought it...really cared about what they were trying to communicate. On the other hand, if the person delivering the news release was the one who wrote it, who knew what they were talking about and could engage in conversation...suddenly everything changed. The image- SELFIE- of that person became just as important as the subject.
I learned over the years to deliver my own news releases and be prepared to talk.
Maybe we can't deliver every news release but we might want to try and make the face-to face (selfie-to-selfie) once in a while. EVERY ham radio operator has a story to tell and that will come across as creditable, meaningful and downright news worthy every time. To me there just isn't another hobby or organization like amateur radio. We know it, we love it and we live it.
There isn't enough ink in the world to write what our self-image conveys. So, take a SELFIE and look at it. Be proud you're a ham and share that image every chance you get!
2015 Newsletter Contest
As unbelievable as it sounds, the 2015 newsletter contest begins in about two months. I can't wait to begin receiving the newsletters.
Next month we'll review the rules and any changes. Get ready for another exciting year.
73, John, KD8IDJ
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SOUTHWEST OHIO HAPPENINGS
From: Kitty Hevener, W8TDA - Assistant Section Manager (SW)
w8tda@arrl.net
SIGHTINGS..
On September 26, Great Lakes Division Vice Director, Tom Delaney, (w8wtd), OH-KY-IN president, Gary Coffey, (KB8MYC), and I met with Ohio’s first district Congressman Steve Chabot to ask for his support of HR4969. he told us he is seriously considering co-sponsoring the bill, and that his Washington staff is still working on his position.
The Milford Amateur Radio Club invited me to speak at their September meeting. I felt priviledged to be with them and had a wonderful time. Perhaps the biggest takeaway for club members was easy things they could do to enhance their revenue.
I attended the OH-KY-IN hamfest and connected with several hams at the arrl table and arrl forum. OH-KY-IN president, KB8MYC commented that the club was quite pleased with the support and
looks forward to future growth.
PUBLIC SERVICE..
Cudos to those hams who responded to the call for communications help for various public service events. These include: the eighteenth USAF marathon held on September 20; Little Miami
Canoe, Run, and bike triathlon on October 5; Inaugural Queen Bee half marathon in Cincinnati on October 11; and the annual Dayton River Corridor Classic Half-Marathon and 5K Run/Walk on
October 12.
SPECIAL EVENTS..
On November 1-2 the Scioto Valley ARC will activate W8BAP for their annual "Extra Hour" special event station. It will operate around 28.445, 14.280, 7.250 and 3.860 from 0000z to 0600z. boycejr4@roadrunner.com for info. Always a fun station to contact.
UPCOMING HAMFEST..
The Grant ARC will hold its annual hamfest in Georgetown, OH on Nov 1.
In a time when many hamfests are trying to survive, the Georgetown 'fest just keeps growing. Rodney, WD8CTX, states 110 tables have been reserved to date and he knows more requests will
come in as the date gets closer. And tickets are going quickly too! The Highland ARA is assisting with ticket sales this year and has about 20 left. So if you want some through the HARA group, contact Kathy, N8ZNR or Lee, N8YHU. The main prize is an ICOM IC-7100 There are also loads of hourly door prizes. And all this for only $2 per ticket! Support ham radio in rural Southern Ohio and attend this hamfest. If you can't, consider buying a few tickets as a donation. Contact WA8KIW or WD8CTX and we will let you know how you can do this. Additionally, W8UJM reminds us there will be a Laurels test session that morning for those wanting to get their first license or to upgrade
73, Kitty, W8TDA
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NOTES FROM THE TECHNICAL COORDINATOR
By: Jim Yoder W8ERW - TC
w8erw@arrl.net
We are getting some much appreciated relief from the heat of Summer now and although the cooler Fall weather surely precedes the onset of Winter, I am enjoying it quite a bit this week. Now it's time to finish up some of those last minute projects outside including revisions to the antenna farm.Several years ago, I bought a 1974 Cushman Truckster. It's been parked in my garage while I added some modern updates including better lighting and of course a mobile rig. The brakes also required some attention as did the electrical system. These handy utility vehicles are known to have a long productive life and are loads of fun to drive. By Spring, I hope to have mine on the road and using her regularly at ARES events here in Seneca County. The Truckster is no speed demon and would have to work hard to ever see 40 MPH on the highway. But for trips in town and as a very useful means to get around parades and participate in ARES activities, this 40 year old will hopefully draw some attention to the work ARES does around the community.
We have a new Technical Associate on board this month. David Brett KD8NZF from the Youngstown area has joined the team and will offer his experience and expertise to the Ohio Section. David who is retired from teaching electronics is a welcome addition to our technical resource and is an active Amateur who is also interested in bringing more younger folks into our hobby.
Please join me in welcoming David to our team of Ohio Section Technical Associates.
SEC Stan Broadway N8BHL joined us late last month for our local SET planning meeting. Stan offered his view of ARES and how each of us doing even a small part provides the strength of ARES.
Stan emphasized as well, the need to have fun while performing our work as Amateurs. We enjoyed a really productive meeting and everyone was encouraged by Stan's very positive and supportive comments. Amateur Radio is indeed fun and I think more than anything else, this is what your Ohio Section endeavors most to provide to all Amateurs. Obviously we do have a serious side especially
involving our ARES activities. However, we can support our served agencies while enjoying our work and having some fun along with the hard work and dedication required of ARES. Your Ohio
Section Cabinet is a wealth of information available to assist you with whatever your interests might be. I encourage everyone to make use of the resources available through the Ohio
Section and ARRL headquarters. Each of us enjoys one or more of the many various aspects of our hobby and from time to time we may need some assistance with an issue that presents its self.
Your Ohio Section Cabinet is here to assist you along with ARRL Headquarters.
73, Jim, W8ERW
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FROM THE SECTION TRAFFIC MANAGER
By: David Maynard, WA3EZN - STM
wa3ezn@att.net
Did you know?
The FCC recently announced revisions to the Part 97 Amateur Radio rules governing exam credit to former licensees and test administration. These changes to Amateur Service Part 97 Rules went into effect on Monday, July 21. The new rules were published in The Federal Register on June 20.
In a wide-ranging Report and Order released June 9, the Commission announced that it would grant examination credit for written elements 3 (General) and 4 (Amateur Extra) to holders of “expired licenses that required passage of those elements.” The FCC will require former licensees falling outside the 2-year grace period to pass Element 2 (Technician) in order to be re-licensed. The Commission declined to give exam credit to holders of expired Certificates of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCEs) or to extend lifetime validity to CSCEs.
As we all should know if you license expires and needs renewed you can not transmit on amateur radio until you have renewed you amateur radio license. If you do not renew your license there is a two year grace period for you to renew in order to keep your amateur radio call. If you do not renew within this period of time you could lose your call and have to take a written test again to regain an amateur radio license.
What this means is the FCC is willing to assume there is little or no difference between the qualification of holders of an expired license and the qualifications of those licensees that renewed their license.
In an article titled Re-Entry in the November issue of QST magazine David Sumner is asking all amateurs to help get the word out to those who previously held a license that they did not renew.
David Sumner says “This, dear reader/member, is where you come in. If you know someone who would qualify, pass it on.” He also says to explain that ham radio has changed and there are many
new things that these licensees can enjoy.
Moving on, the 2014 Simulated Emergency Test (SET) has been completed. From the reports I have received it sounds like it was successful. The early report from the Ohio Single Sideband Net shows that there were fewer hams participating and yet the amount of traffic was equal or better than last year.
It was also good to see the ARES and the NTS working together. I hope to see this effort continued in the years to come. In the event of a real emergency we must all work together and will need all the help we can get. The better we are trained the smoother the operations will be.
Enjoy your privileges, have fun and spread the word about Amateur Radio.
73, David, WA3EZN
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LET'S TALK
From: Scott Yonally, N8SY - Section Manager
n8sy@arrl.org
Hi Everyone,
Wow.. Winter is just around the corner. I know this because I spent this past weekend polishing up the motorcycle and getting down to the bike shop for winter storage. This is always the hardest thing for me to do as that my ability just to get out and away from everything has also been put to bed for the season. Yes Virgina, Santa Claus will soon be coming, but unless you're a bike rider, you can't really know the sadness that comes when you have to put the bike up for the winter.Have you taken in the fall colors yet? I can't imagine a more prettier time of the year than when fall comes around. The trees are multicolored and just absolutely beautiful this time of the year. Ohio is really blessed to have as many forests and woods as it has. It's absolutely spectacular!!
I know that I harp on this a lot, but please make sure that you’ve signed up to receive emails from the Section Manager and Great Lakes Director with the ARRL. It seems that no matter how much I mention this in this newsletter, I go to a meeting and someone askes me how come they aren't seeing any of the messages that I'm putting out. If you want to keep apprised of what’s going on in the state or within the Division you need to be registered with the League to receive these special emails. You’ll need to log onto your account with the League and mark the box that states “receive email from the Section Manager / Director” and that’s all there is to it. You’ll now get those special emailings.
Now, for those of you who may not want to go to all that bother, or you are not League members, you still have a chance to get these important emails. All you have to do is to “Opt-In” on the Ohio Section website.. Here’s the link: http://arrl-ohio.org/forwarder/forwarding.html You can also find this link on the bottom left corner of the main page of the Ohio Section website. I urge you all to make sure that everyone, regardless of whether they are a League member or not, knows that they can always “Opt-In” at any time. Oh, didn’t know that the Ohio Section had a website?? We do.. You can find it at: http://arrlohio.org If you don’t have this website set as your home page, I urge you to do so. This website is one of the exceptions to the rules.. It changes all the time, it’s never stagnate and it’s forever changing. I would recommend that you check into the website at least 3 times per week.
U.S. House Bill - HR 4969 is still working its way around Congress. Have you written to your Congressman yet? Many have. Let’s keep this campaign going strong. If you haven’t written your
letter yet, there’s a lot of good ideas on how to compose it on the Leagues website. Just follow the HR-4969 link on their front page. It will take you to all the latest information and letter suggestions.
Ohio's Speaker Bureau.. I know that this has been said a million times before, but it’s always worth repeating, don’t forget to invite one of the Ohio Section Cabinet members to your next club meeting. The entire Cabinet is Ohio’s Speaker’s Bureau. If you’d like any of us to come and be a speaker at your function for FREE, please feel free to give any of us a call, we'll do our very best to be at your function.
I’ve been doing a lot of traveling to hamfests and club meetings lately. The Ohio Seciton is the greatest. Everywhere I go I'm greeted by fantastic folks. I want to thank all of you for your kind words and graciousness to not just provide a space for me, but in giving me a helping hand when needed, and being very pro-active in having things all ready to go and setup for me when I get to your hamfest or club meeting. It’s really great to know that you care that much. I really do appreciate it.
That’s going to do it this month from here.. I hope to see all of you at the various hamfests or meetings soon and who knows, maybe you’ll be one of the lucky ones to get a “mug” on me. Oh, by the way, the mugs are now filled with some extra surprises..
Have a question? Feel free to give me a call or write to me. My email and phone number are always listed on the Ohio Section Website http://arrlohio.org as well as on page 16 of QST..
73, Scott, N8SY
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SPECIAL EVENTS STATIONS IN OHIO
11/02/2014 | Extra Hour Special Event Station, 3rd Annual
Nov 2, 0000Z-0600Z, W8BAP, Chillicothe, OH.
Scioto Valley Amateur Radio Club.
28.445 14.280 7.250 3.860.
Certificate. Jim Boyce, 604 W 5th St,
Chillicothe, OH 45601.
www.qsl.net/w8bap/SVARC.html
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01/24/2015 | Winter Field Day
Jan 24-Jan 25, 1700Z-1700Z, N8W, Mineral City, OH.
SPAR Society for the Preservation of Amateur Radio.
14.210 7.050. QSL. Tom Phelps, 235 Leonard Ave NW,
Massillon, OH 44646.
We practice emergency communications during the summer
with the June Field Day. What about emergency communications
during the winter months? SPAR helps promote not only
emergency communications in the winter months,but also
interaction of Amateur Radio Operators worldwide. N8W
will be operating near the town of Mineral Wells, Ohio.
Our team is KD8ENV(MIke), KD8BBK(Tony), N3JJT(Scott)
and WD8MBE(Tom). We will be operating phone, CW and psk.
See URL for more info. www.spar-hams.org
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OHIO HAMFEST CALENDAR
11/01/2014 | Grant Amateur Radio Club Hamfest
Sponsor: Grant Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://www.garcohio.net
11/02/2014 | Massillon ARC Hamfest
Location: Massillon, OH
Sponsor: Massillon Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://www.w8np.org
12/06/2014 | Fulton County ARC Winterfest
Location: Delta, OH
Sponsor: Fulton County Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://k8bxq.org
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FORMER OOC RICK SWAIN, KK8O NOW SILENT KEY
Hi Gang,
It is with a very heavy heart that I announce the following Silent Key..
Richard Lee Swain - KK8O, 69, of Galion died Wednesday, October 15, 2014 at Galion Community Hospital. As most of you know Rick had been the Official Observer Coordinator for many, many
years and just recently stepping down. Rick was also the Treasurer for the InterCity Amateur Radio Club and was very active in all aspects of Amateur Radio.
The family will receive friends from 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, October 21,2014 at Snyder Funeral Home Richardson Davis Chapel in Galion where services will be held at 11 a.m. with Pastor Seth
Ellis officiating. Full military honors will be conducted by the United States Air Force and Galion Crestline Veterans Military Funeral Detail.
Burial will be at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Rittman.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Richard’s grandchildren’s college fund in care of the funeral home. Snyder Funeral Home Richardson Davis Chapel in Galion is honored
to serve the family of Richard Swain, and condolences may be made to them at www.SnyderFuneralHomes.com.
On a personal note.. I've known Rick for most of my ham life and I always regarded him as a very personal friend and I will miss him greatly, as will the Ohio Section.
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MESSAGE TO U.S. EDUCATORS
from: E. Michael McCardel, KC8YLD - V.P. for Educational Relations, AMSAT-NA
mccardelm@gmail.com
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact OpportunityCall for Proposals..
Proposal Window October 17 – December 15, 20
The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between May 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan.
The deadline to submit a proposal is December 15, 2014.
The Opportunity..
Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students and educators to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session.
An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford
education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in contact dates and times.
Amateur Radio organizations around the world, NASA, and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe sponsor this educational opportunity by providing the equipment and operational support to enable direct communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world via Amateur Radio. In the US, the program is managed by AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) and ARRL (American Radio Relay League) in partnership with NASA.
More Information..
Interested parties can find more information about the program at www.ariss.org and www.arrl.org/ARISS. More details on expectations, audience, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions are available at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact.
Please direct any questions to ariss@arrl.org.
73, E.Mike
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SCHOOL CLUB ROUNDUP
Now here is a fun event for everyone.. The School Club Roundup will begin at 1300 UTC on October 20 and it will run through October 24 at 2359 UTC. Stations may operate for a maximum of 24 hours through the entire contest, but are limited to just 6 hours of operation during any single 24-hour period.
Participation is really simple, there are five categories of club entries: Elementary/Primary, Middle/Intermediate/Junior High School, Senior High School, College/University Club, and Non-School Club and individual. Any mode — SSB, CW, or digital — is okay. All you need to do is exchange a signal report, category (School, Club, or Individual), and your state, province, or DXCC entity. After the contest is over, submit your log online (preferred) or by paper.
All groups are limited to one transmitter on the air.
The School Club Roundup is co-sponsored by the ARRL and the Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club (LIMARC), and results appear in QST as well as online. Bruce Horn, WA7BNM, has created a web entry service that accepts scores and logs. Paper logs and summary sheets are still available, but participants might want to try the logging program SCR-LOG, which is written especially for the School Club Roundup.
Once the contest is over, browse to the WA7BNM web service and upload your log. As soon as the log deadline passes on November 8, the web service automatically sorts and displays all claimed scores. Logs are reviewed by the LIMARC team, and final results are posted afterward. Certificates will be generated at the same time for downloading and printing.
For further information go to: http://www.b4h.net/arrlscr/index.php.
****************************************************TIME CHANGE
Don't forget that at 2AM, November 02 the time changes back to "normal" time.
We will once again be on Eastern STANDARD time. Now we "FALL" back one hour.
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eof..