Hi Gang,
Just wanted to pop in to your email box today on this very
cold and snowy day to let you know of a couple of very important dates coming
up this next week..
** This next week (March 1 – 7) is the National Weather
Services “Severe Weather Week. Wednesday, March 4th at 09:50 local time will be the annual Tornado
drill. Are you ready?? Is your local ARES ready?
** Sunday, March 8 is when we all will lose an hour sleep as
that the time changes and we move our clocks AHEAD one hour for daylight saving
time. I know, I hate having to lose sleep so that I can gain an hour of
sunshine at night, but that’s the way it is I guess.
** I would now like to take a moment and announce (if you
haven’t seen the announcement already) we have a new Kentucky Section Manager, Alan
Morgan, KY1O. He will take over for Jim Brooks, KY4Z who decided not to run for
another term. Alan will take over on April 1st... Help me in saying
thanks to Jim, KY4Z and all that he has done for the Kentucky Section.. And,
now let’s all give a big round of applause for Alan, KY1O who will be taking
over.
** I received an email today from the folks at PCARS about the
10th annual Freeze Your Acorns Off (FYAO) ham radio QRP (Low Power) event that
was held on February 14, 2015 at the Fred Fuller Park in Kent Ohio. It seems
that the cold and snow didn’t affect their operation one bit, even though they
had outside temps from 22 degrees to minus 7 degrees and they got about 8"
of snow to go along with all of that. But, as they have reported, everyone had
FUN and that’s what’s important.. They even have a video from John, KB8UHN
posted on YOU-TUBE!! http://youtu.be/CwxfNBzBNNc
Since you're viewing this from our website, I can present the video right here!!
** There’s a NEW – one question – questionnaire on the Ohio
Section Website. It only asks one question and it will take all of about 5
seconds for you to answer it, and you can see how your answer stacks up with
others instantly. Why is this there? I want to know how you feel. This is YOUR
way of letting me know how the Ohio Section is thinking. Yes, this is very
important to me. I represent YOU and I’m asking how you feel about something.
** Have you made the choice to “Opt-In” to receive important
emails from the Ohio Section or Great Lakes Division? There’s a link on the
Ohio Section website to get these emails.. Now if you are already receiving
these emails from the League, great..!! This would just be a repeat of that.
But.. What if you’re not already receiving these emails, or you’re not a League
member, this option is DEFINITELY FOR YOU. You’ll find the link to sign up for
these emails at the bottom left corner of the main website..
For your
convenience, here’s a direct link to it: http://arrl-ohio.org/forwarder/forwarding.html.
You can always “Opt-Out” at any time if you feel this is not what you were
expecting. But, who in their right mind would want to miss out on anything
coming out of the Great Lakes Director or the Ohio Section Manager?
** Finally, I want to say that I’m sorry that some of you may
not have gotten the complete version of the Ohio Section Journal, even though
it was sent twice.. It seems that the League has a maximum size that my
communications can be to all of you and I exceeded it.. Twice.. Let that be a lesson to me I guess.
The OSJ has become a very large monthly Journal of what all
is going on around the State, and believe you me, we are a very busy bunch!!
It’s hard to confine it to just a limited size. I will say however, we have a
way around all of this. It’s the web version of the Section Journal.. “I”
control the maximum size it will be.. The web version is much more
comprehensive, as that it includes pictures and graphics and all sorts of links
to items of interest that you just can’t do with at “text only” version. I want
to strongly encourage all of you to visit the web version each month when it
comes out.. You can view it at: http://arrl-ohio.org/sm/Section_News.html
Now, since we were cut short on the latest edition, I think
I can squeak what was missing from the last try it in here.. Let’s see if this
will come though complete..
FROM THE “SARGE” (W8SGT) STATE OF OHIO EOC
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
By Gayle Adams, W8KWG
w8kwg4@gmail.com
THIS IS A TEST FROM …. W8SGT!
You are familiar with the occasional interruption of on-air
programming with an alarm tone and this announcement: “This is a test from the
Emergency Alert System,” followed by instructions on what to do. Now let’s take
this same scenario and apply it to our Amateur Radio Service.
We all know the reasons for the occasional interruptions—to
test equipment to make sure it is ready in case of an emergency. The same goes
for our service—we must test our equipment so we can be ready in case of an
emergency. A perfect example, as all of you know, happened last month. Remember
the 9-1-1 service interruption in Medina and several other counties? W8SGT was
requested by Medina County to help out during this time.
We never know when disaster may strike, or whether or not we
will be needed in a public service event. How many of you participated in
public service events? The purpose is twofold: (1) to test your equipment and
skills and put them through their paces and 2) to provide safety for all
participants involved.
The next time your county is activated, will you be ready or
will you be a sitting duck? Hopefully, you will be ready.
Henceforth, this behooves me to mention our Tuesday night
net. Yes, our Tuesday night net is a means by which we can test our radios to
make sure they are functioning properly and our skills as operators, for that
matter. I encourage any and all of our 88 counties to check into our net.
Our net has been changed to 7:15 (1915 hours or 0015 UTC).
Tune up and check in! Follow us on Twitter (hashtag W8SGT) for frequency
information. You can also see our Twitter feed directly from the Ohio Section
Website. There’s a window on the left side of the main page that allows you to
view the Twitter posts from W8SGT directly. So, if you don’t have a Twitter
account, you are still good to go. Just logon to the Ohio Section website..
http://arrlohio.org and look on the left side bar.
This topic also segues into propagation. The 40 meter band can
be so long (stretching like a pair of old pantyhose from here to Timbuktu.) The
problem is that we don’t want to talk to Timbuktu. We often hear foreign
broadcasters, so it makes things challenging for us.
Have you tested your equipment lately? Maybe you have an old
radio in your attic or closet that’s begging for some TLC in order to be
airworthy. Think about this the next time you hear the familiar alarm tone
followed by “This is a test…….”
73, Gayle, W8KWG
****************************************************
102nd ANNIVERSARY OF AMATEUR RADIO IN DISASTER SERVICE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reprinted from QRZ.com
“SOS Hilltop Business Men’s Association wants city to send
boats……….Supplies will last until about tomorrow……… Men are hanging on
trees…….Send supplies…... Water is receding…...Try and get us water and gas……
People are suffering…….. Send this to Mayor Karb at once…… SOS.”
It was with these words sent by a 15 year old teenager over
100 years ago that Amateur Radio entered into Disaster Service.
 |
| Photo courtesy Bill Neill-NE1LL |
Herbert V. Akerberg was a student at West High School in the
Hilltop neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio when he anxiously tapped out that Morse
code message on the afternoon of March 26, 1913.
A slow moving storm had dumped 11 inches of rain over much
of Ohio’s already saturated soil. In Zanesville the Muskingum River was
cresting at 27 feet and 20 feet of water stood in her intersections. Five of
the town’s seven bridges were washed away. Only the tips of the lampposts of
the famous “Y” bridge could be seen.
In Defiance, Ohio the Maumee River rushed in 10 feet above
flood stage and covered 268 homes. Rowboats plucked people from trees and
rooftops everywhere. In Tiffin help came too late for several. Nineteen people
waiting on their roofs for help, perished when their homes collapsed and they
were swept away by the Sandusky River
On the west side of Columbus, where young Herb Akerberg was
manning his station, the Scioto River crashed through the downtown dumping
flood waters 17 feet deep into his neighborhood. Thirteen people were rescued.
“For about three days and nights, practically continuously
for seventy-two hours, young Akerberg remained on duty at his radio set, in
communication with the radio station on top of the Huntington Bank Building,
sending messages to the mayor and keeping the public advised as to the
conditions on the devastated West Side.
 |
| Photo courtesy Bill Neill-NE1LL |
Many messages were sent to the friends and relatives of
those in the devastated district.” C. B. Galbreath-Author “The History of Ohio”
The greatest destruction was in the areas around Dayton,
where the rushing waters of the Great Miami River washed away homes and bridges
claiming hundreds of lives. In Dayton 360 souls were lost, 3,400 domesticated
animals and horses perished, 65,000 people were displaced and 20,000 homes were
destroyed. Damage, in today’s dollars, exceeded $2 Billion.
The flow of the Great Miami River through Dayton during that
Easter week storm in 1913 was equivalent to the same amount of water that
spills over Niagara Falls in a month! In nearby Hamilton four-fifths of the
town was covered and 400 people lost their lives.
“People talked about how fast the waters rose, sometimes one
or two feet per hour, and there wasn’t any way of sending warnings downstream
because of the downed wires,” she said. “There was no radio then except for a
few ham radio operators, and the 1913 Flood is what triggered the legislation
to create an emergency broadcast system.”…Trudy E. Bell-Author “The Great
Dayton Flood of 1913”
Back in Columbus, Herbert Akerman, pounding brass from his
home shack is joined by the station from Ohio State University. Unlike Akerman,
the OSU students are not proficient in Morse Code. To the North of Ohio, B.N.
Burglund at the University of Michigan station was unaware of the flooding in
Ohio until he intercepted a call from a operator in Freemont, Ohio who reported
that the town was under water and that the Captain of the Port Townsend Life
Saving Station had drowned while attempting a rescue. The operator reported
that all telegraph and telephone lines were down.
Burglund put out a General Call to any station located in
the flooded areas. This call was responded to by operators in Mansfield,
Springfield, and Mt. Vernon, as well as the OSU station in Columbus.
Burglund, assisted by engineering students George Norris,
Worth Chatfield, and Mr. Watts (who had once been a commercial operator) began
handling Health and Welfare traffic from the devastated area.
The Ohio State University station was now being manned by a
capable operator, J. A. Mercer who pounded the key for more than 70 hours
before he collapsed from exhaustion and was temporarily relieved by operators
from the U.S. Army Signal Corps.
Young Mr. Akerberg, the first Ham ever to use Amateur Radio
in a disaster would go on to honorably serve with the men of the Army Signal
Corp during World War I.
In 1923 he directed the building of Radio Station WPAL in
Columbus. Six years later he joined the start-up network CBS, where he built
much of their network of radio and television stations. Herbert Akerberg passed
away in Scottsdale, Arizona on November 6, 1964.
“Wireless in the hands of the amateur, while it is used by
some as a plaything, is capable of doing excellent service in time of need; and
we hope the work done by these men who did all they could to maintain
communication between the flood stricken cities and the rest of the world, will
long be remembered.”
B.N. Burglund –Modern Electrics, April 1913
Written by
John Bigley-N7UR
President-Frontier Amateur Radio Society
Las Vegas, NV
****************************************************
SPECIAL EVENTS STATIONS IN OHIO
---------------------------------------------------
02/25-26/2015 | The Northeast Ohio 2-Meter FM Simplex
Squares Contest
Full details, including rules, grid square information, HT
enhancements,
Antenna construction links, operating tips can be found at:
http://cfarc.org/contest15.php
./././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././
05/23/2015 | WBCCI Region 4 39th Annual Rally
W4B, Mansfield, OH.
Wally Byam Caravan Club International Region 4.
7.225 +/- QRM.
Certificate.
David Brett, 40 Edgewater Dr, Youngstown, OH 44514.
Celebrating the 39th annual rally of Airstream Owners
in Ohio, Michigan, and West
****************************************************
OHIO HAMFEST CALENDAR
--------------------------------------
03/15/2015 | TMRA's Hamfest and Computer Fair
Location: Perrysburg, OH
Sponsor: Toledo Mobile Radio Association
Website: http://www.tmrahamradio.org
./././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././
03/28/2015 | MOVARC HamFest
Location: Gallipolis, OH
Sponsor: Mid-Ohio Valley ARC
Website: https://sites.google.com/site/midohiovalleyarc/
****************************************************
FINAL.. FINAL..
For those of you who have been recipients of prestigious
Ohio Section Mug I want you to know that you are in very good company. I now
have proof positive that our “Mug” is used every day at the ARRL Headquarters
and proudly displayed to all who visit Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY, the managing
editor of QST.
I presented Becky with a “mug” last year at Dayton and she
was thrilled with it. She told me then that she was an avid coffee drinker and
would proudly use our mug every for her coffee. I now have a picture of Becky
showing off her mug, thanks to our Vice Director, Tom Delaney, W8WTD. When Tom
was up at Connecticut for the Board of Directors meeting last month, he
happened to stop in to Headquarters and ran across Becky during his visit. He
took a picture of Becky holding the mug. You’ll have to go online to see the
picture, but believe you me.. I’m proud that she shows it off for everyone that
visits Headquarters.
Thanks Tom for taking the picture and showing that our “mug”
is getting its due all over the country.
****************************************************
Let’s hope that all of that came through this time around..
It should have.. I still want to encourage you to visit our web version when
you can.. It’s much more inviting and brings the articles alive with links that
work and pictures and such to help you better visualize what the author had in
mind..
73, and Stay Warm and Comfy my friends..
Scott, N8SY..
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eof..