In this issue:
-> AFFILIATED CLUB
COORDINATOR REPORT
-> THE SECTION EMERGENCY
COORDINATOR
-> THE PUBIC INFORMATION
COORDINATOR
-> THE SECTION TRAFFIC
MANAGER
-> OUT AND ABOUT IN
SOUTHEAST OHIO
-> SOUTHWEST OHIO
HAPPENINGS
-> HAPPENINGS FROM CENTRAL
OHIO
-> THE TECHNICAL
COORDINATOR
-> THE STATE GOVERNMENT
LIAISON
-> AMATEUR RADIO SUPPORTS
GOBA
-> LET'S TALK
-> THE OFFICIAL OBSERVER
COORDINATOR
-> OHIO QSO PARTY RULE
CHANGES
-> SUMMITS-ON-THE-AIR
-> SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS
IN OHIO
-> OHIO HAMFEST CALENDAR
****************************************************
THE AFFILIATED CLUBS
COORDINATOR
John Myers, KD8MQ - ACC
Well, Field Day is over. What
a weekend, huh? This was the rainiest field Day I can remember in quite a
while. While a couple of the clubs I visited changed their locations, most
toughed it out, and were rewarded. The rain was not constant. I even saw
periods of blue skies up in Mahoning County on Saturday Afternoon. Thanks to
all the clubs who extended a warm greeting to a soggy Affiliated Club
Coordinator.
My travels were limited to NE
& East Central Ohio this year. I managed around 300 miles on the road that
day. Road surfaces varied from grass covered cemetery paths to several miles on
the Ohio Turnpike.
What I saw that day impressed
me. Hams coming together to put up and operate antenna farms that were awesome!
I only wish I’d been able to visit more of you.
Let’s give a congratulations
and thank you to the latest Special service Club appointments, and renewals
from the section. Join me in recognizing the following clubs for taking that
next step:
Alliance ARC
Mahoning Valley ARA
Cambridge ARA
Tusco ARC Inc
Ashland ARC
Lake County ARA Inc
Canton ARC
There are a lot more Ohio
clubs that qualify for Special Service Club Status. You just need to get your
paperwork sent in. If you have any questions, please contact me. What I don’t
know, I will find out for you. I will be in Columbus on the first for the Great
Lakes Division Convention. If you see me, please introduce yourself. I’m
looking forward to meeting lots of you in Columbus!
And now for some notes from
around the state:
The Westpark Radio ops are
making plans for this month’s club picnic. No word as yet on how their Field
Day went.
The Massillon ARC recently
held their annual Ice Cream Social. They are still looking for volunteers for a
couple of Pro Football HOF Enshrinement Festival events.
Alliance ARC recently held
their W8T special event operation at the KD8MQ QTH. Unfortunately, conditions
were horrible, so not a lot of QSOs were made, but instead we experimented a
bit with 6 Meters, and socialized.
In other words, when the
bands hand you lemons, order pizza!
The Mount Vernon ARC
newsletter mentions that they are preparing for the Pan-Ohio Bi Race coming
through Knox County. They are also planning for activating Mohican State Park
in Septembers Ohio State Parks On-The-Air contest.
Speaking of the State Parks
Contest, the sponsor, Portage County ARS will be setting up a table at the
convention on August 1st. You can get your OSPOTA questions answered there.
And that wraps up this
mid-summer ACC column. See you in Columbus!
73 DE KD8MQ
****************************************************
THE SECTION EMERGENCY
COORDINATOR
Stan Broadway, N8BHL
Field Day… 4 glub Ohio.
DELARA’s
Craig Miller, W8CR was stranded after heavy rains blocked his exit.
We
are going to see whether the ARRL’s Maritime Mobile category will apply to the
majority of our Field Day operations this year. I hope yours was great! Kudo’s
to Scott for once again making the trek around Ohio visiting sites. Field Day
is a fun event, but one with a very important cause. I was pleased that XYL
Sandi with a month-old license was able to run a little 40 phone with me in
Canned Ham. From the Monday Morning Memo comes this report: “Some members of
the Clinton County ARA and Highland ARA were at their joint Field Day site
Friday afternoon when "all hell broke loose" causing them to take
shelter in a barn. Past HARA president Lee Bishop, N8YHU, said he had never
seen any weather like what hit. The crew witnessed 60-80 mile winds, 1 3/4
inches of rain and a drop in temperatures that resulted in nickel size
hail--all resulting in minor flooding. Less than 1/2 mile from the site the
entire front of a two story house was ripped from the house resulting in what
looks like a giant doll house. The village of New Vienna was hit hard with at
least two homes having sides or roofs torn off. It remains to be seen if the
area had a mini-tornado or straight line winds.
However
the clubs still held to their plans with some minor changes.” Many clubs made
changes to accommodate the flooded conditions. I’m glad there were no reports
of injuries. Several clubs canned the event this year, and I completely
understand that. Yes it is an emergency exercise and that usually does involve
bad conditions, but it is not the real thing, so do we risk injury or worse just
to play? Each club made its own decision after great thought, I’m sure.
We
almost switched over to “real life” mode for another reason. About an hour
before the end of the contest Sunday, we got word that at least one county was
without MARCS radio service, and that Highway Patrol services were being
limited because they had no communication. Had it grown out of a strictly local
event (we checked with the Ohio EMA/DPS) we would have been hard-pressed to
abandon Field Day and head for the nearest EOC’s.
We
need to keep the engine spinning!
ARES
is recognized as an important emergency communications and volunteer resource-
but in order to keep ready at all times, we need to keep the organizational
engine running! I’ve noticed a slowdown in some routine duties that are
mundane, but absolutely necessary. These include monthly reports from EC’s and
DEC’s, regular training sessions and timely After Action Reports. They say no
job is complete until the paperwork’s done, and that applies to our organization!
The days of, “Just call me if you need me” are long over! We need to meet
regularly. We need to train. We need to exercise that training and learn from
it! (See the way I wove the purposes into that?) Here are some ideas for
monthly training:
1. MARCS
We are MORE than ham radio operators. We are communicators. It is to be
expected that we can grab a MARCS radio, find a talk group and communicate over
it. EC’s- grab your county communications manager or technician and do a
meeting to ‘certify’ our folks on MARCS. What is trunking? What’s a talk group?
Why doesn’t the frequency selection matter? How do you find a talk group? Why
don’t we push the orange button?
2.
Hospitals - One of the responsibilities
we often have in a real emergency is to communicate for the local hospital.
Where do you go? What equipment do you need? Do they have a radio/antenna? They
should have a safety/emergency person who would be happy to answer those
questions and more- and they probably have a meeting room big enough in which
to do that!
3.
Here’s one of the most hated words in the medical/EMS industry: HIPAA. It
stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It stands
~in the way~ of transmitting or even talking about private medical conditions of
patients. The problem is that everyone considers him/her-self an expert, yet
almost no one really is. Why do you care? Here’s the reason: consider a multi-county
disaster drill for “X” hospital system. Typically there’s a “terrorist” segment
{that gets them federal grant money to stage the exercise} but more to the
point there’s some type of mass casualty segment. That’s where we come
in…especially with our great capability to send lists and texts using FLDIGI or
even MESH. So we have a group of patients being transported from the scene to a
hospital- and ham radio is the best place to send the information so they know
what to expect. But what ~can~ we send?? We are not allowed to encrypt
information, so technically it’s out there in the public. Many hospital/health
people will tell you that NO information can be sent. In my opinion, that’s
completely wrong. Several meetings have been held with the Central Ohio Trauma
System, and their guidance seems to me to be an excellent example: basically,
we can send pretty much ALL patient information so long as it’s NOT associated
with a name. “Patient 1, 24 year old female, awake and alert, fractured tibia,
dislocated shoulder, head lacerations. Allergic to penicillin, vitals within
normal limits,” Is all legal according to our interpretation. That makes ham
radio, especially digital messaging, a critical resource for directing a larger
number of victims. So EC’s may want to meet with your hospital/health care
officials BEFORE a disaster to iron that out. And then, once you have
guidelines, train on that!
4.
The above kind of concerns also apply to Red Cross shelter populations! Do the
same. In fact, one of the best sessions we had was with the Red Cross as they
did a full shelter exercise. When they announced phones and power were out,
shelter workers were helpless…until they heard our ham guy in the corner still
chatting away. He got the lifesaver award for the hour.
5.
Find out what your EMA director’s top list of dangers for your county include.
I call this the EMA Nightmare list- what are the worst things that could
happen? There’s an instant list of training and tabletops for you!
Now-
“Just Do It!”
After
Action
When
you do an exercise, we need to learn from it! We do that through a hotwash
(meeting immediately afterward) a post-mortem (meeting within days, more
organized) and an After Action Report. This document is the “What did we want?
What did we do? What should we have done? What will we do next?” Paperwork that
will help you remember and apply important changes! For example, there were
several counties who participated in the Ohio SET last year, but their reports
never made it to the ARRL. We lost credit for that, even though we were in
third across the country. Your AAR’s are important to me- because I want to
learn as well!
Do
the paperwork!
Monthly
Reports
I
guess that’s all that needs to be said. The ARRL produces impressive numbers in
support of legislation that helps us- and one of the more important is how much
time we volunteer to communicate for our communities. Your county reports are
critical to make that number accurate! Do them, please?
I
thank you for all the work you do! I am
eager to visit your group (I can even do some training if you like) so don’t
hesitate to drop me an email! I thoroughly enjoy meeting all of you!
73, Stan, N8BHL
****************************************************
THE PUBLIC INFORMATION
COORDINATOR
John Ross, KD8IDJ
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The judging is over for this
year's Newsletter Contest and by the time you read this we'll be just a couple
of weeks away from announcing the winners!
As I began reading the
newsletters this past January I knew something was up. Last year we had a great
field to choose from so I thought this year would be a litter easier. WRONG!
The newsletters just kept getting better. It's remarkable...the dedication, the
passion and the expertise that goes into EVERY newsletter.
The judges began looking
though the entries and, almost at the same time, they all used the word EVOLVE!
In a just a year the newsletters have improved by leaps and bounds and truly
have evolved. It really reflects what we do as amateur radio operators...we
keep moving forward, try new things, take new approaches and chances. It's what
makes this hobby great and it's reflected in everything we do...including how
we communicate to our clubs and to each other.
The judges are seasoned
journalists and public relations specialists. They have been in the trenches
where you are...tasked each month with writing, designing and publishing a
newsletter that will actually be read by club members. They know what it takes
to do your job and they know how hard you've worked...and I told Section
Manager Scott Yonally I have not witnessed a more lively discussion of
journalists since Watergate!!!
There will be certificates
passed out at the August meeting but please know that everyone is a winner.
Many of the newsletters are better than some of the commercial daily newspapers
we get...and actually contain...NEWS.
So, congratulations for
another great year of newsletters. There is a reason we are the best ARRL
Section in the country...and it's all of you...the editors, the writers and the
readers!
Still on the Agenda...
I still have a couple of
projects on the agenda...hopefully for this year. First an all PIO net is still
in the works. The logistics are complicated and we may have to do it
regionally. I'm open to suggestions and help! The PIO net would be a good way
to talk about what we do and use amateur radio to do it. I'll have more on this
in a few weeks.
I'm still looking for
pictures of your shack. Send them when you can and include a brief description
of your gear.
I'm in the process of trying
to rearrange mine and hope have that finished in a few weeks so you'll be able
to see what I've got and my four working teletype machines!
After a about a year's worth
of work, my article about amateur radio and the telephone company is only about
half finished. It's a big job researching all of the common ties we've had with
Ma Bell over the years. I've a talked to a few of you but I'm always interested
in hearing from anyone who has story to tell. In case you didn't know, ham
radio and the growth of telecommunications pretty much parallel each other. Our
early experiments often mirrored those of the phone company...primarily because
the engineers at the phone company were hams! I think you can really show that
many of the technical strides the phone company has made are due to ham radio!
Anyway, I'm still researching and still writing. Drop me an email or call if
you would like to add to the story.
Finally, still on a phone
company note, dial tone as we know it may soon be a thing of the past. Land-lines
are on the way out and with them goes a tone that has been important to us for
over 100 years.
The perfect pitch
"A" has been sign that we have a working line and someone can soon be
on the other end. It means we are connected. Some old musicians still use the
dial tone to tune their instruments! All of this is just another signal that
technology is evolving right before our eyes...and ears. All of the nostalgia
aside, it's pretty exciting to see where will be in five years...2020.
That's it for this month. See
you all at the August meeting.
73, John, KD8IDJ
****************************************************
THE SECTION TRAFFIC MANAGER
David Maynard, WA3EZN - STM
Fun on Ham Radio
Field Day has come and gone
which probably is a good thing this year with the rain, rain and more rain. I
got out into the rain and visited several field day sites. I came away
impressed by several mistakes I found. One site which will be unnamed worked at
least a half a day with a transceiver that had no or very low RF output. No
wonder they had only made one contact after hours of calling and no responses.
Another site lost their prime
location inside a warm and dry building because they were beat out of the
location by a birthday party which had booked the space before the hams asked
to use it.
Another site I visited was
using a small trailer with a mobile screwdriver antenna attached to the trailer
and they also had made only one contact. I am assuming their station setup was
inadequate and would have worked better if they had prepared themselves with a
more suitable antenna.
Going back to what I said
last month you should make arrangement for your favorite site by reserving it
early. You should also use a transceiver that works and have it checked out
before going to you fields day location.
Moving on I have noticed a
number of new technicians on the air lately. It is good to see new life for the
ham bands. But if you are a new technician what are you going to do after you
get the license. I have a few suggestions for the new ham.
Join the ARRL and get the QST
magazine and links to articles on many ham radio topics.
Even if you don’t have a
radio yet you can attend ham radio club meetings. These clubs are a treasure
trove of valuable friend and assistance. Many of the clubs have guest speakers
or radio related activities that you can attend to learn for about the
available activities. Many areas of the state also have Amateur Radio Emergency
Service (ARES) organizations that you can join.
If you buy a radio it
probably will be a 2 meter or 70 cm (440) radio. Many areas of the state have
club and/or traffic nets that you can check into and make new friends.
Find your local ARES group
and start having fun with them. Many locations have ARES nets where you can
find out what activities they have coming up and if you join them you have an
opportunity to assist with communications for public service events such as
bike tours, marathon and similar special events. Also consider taking the IS
courses that will teach you how to participate in ARES and emergency incidents.
Besides the two bands I just
mentioned Technicians have the use of the 6 meter (50 MHz) band and a portion
the 10 meter band. This information should have also been included in your
study material and you needed to know what frequencies you were permitted to
use on 10 meters.
You can join AMSAT and learn
about using a satellite almost like using the local repeater. Although you do
not have to join AMSAT to use a satellite it is something that hams are using
low power handheld to work. More information on this is available on the AMSAT
and ARRL websites.
APRS is another activity you
might want to investigate. This is a positioning activity that uses satellite
positioning technology to send you location so others will know where you are.
Get a used HF rig. I
recommend this because you can use them to make contacts when you get your
general license. And short of buying a transceiver, if you talk real nice to a
ham whose has been having all this fun for 10 or 20 years, you’ll find they
probably have a rig they will loan you, some permanently! With this rig (which
you probably could sell for what you have in it if you decide this FUN isn’t
for you), you can begin to listen to the bands and get a “feel” for how to
operate. You’ll also be able to begin to copy code, even W1AW code practice.
Learn the Morse code.
Although this is no longer a requirement for licensing you need to do this to
have more fun in ham radio but you’ll miss out on a lot of fun if you don’t
learn the Morse code. There are many programs on the internet that you can use
to learn the code. And remember, you can use your tech license on the CW bands
down there on 80, 40 and 15 meters with that used rig you got.
Get your QSL cards printed.
You can also find free programs on the internet to design and print you own
cards or you can check out the huge number of QSL printers out there.
Get your call sign license
plates.
Build a QRP rig or complete
an electronic kit or accessory for your ham shack.
Build and install an antenna
for that rig you bought. All it takes is some wire, insulators, connectors and
coax.
Make some contacts and start
having fun.
Check out these internet
links:
73 for now, David, WA3EZN
****************************************************
OUT AND ABOUT IN SOUTHEAST
OHIO
Lyn Alfman, N8IMW - Assistant
Section Manager (SE)
I attended three club
meetings and one ARES meeting this month and, of course, participated in Field
Day in Guernsey County with my local club as well as visited another Field Day
site in Muskingum County.
I like Field Day! It can be a
lot of work; however, I look forward to it each and every year. As the Public
Information Officer, I start in February to ask where we plan to have Field
Day. I tell them I need to know in order to publicize it—in the newspaper, on
the radio, on bulletin boards, on the ARRL Field Day locator, and in the
invitations I will send out to elected officials and served agencies. Unlike
preparing for a disaster, I need to know in advance where we will be set up.
This year the Cambridge
Amateur Radio Association, W8VP, set up in a new location which would give us
more visibility as well as foot traffic. In the past, people would have go
about 500 yards out of their way from the church parking lot to visit our Field
Day location. This year we were in a neighborhood at a county park in which
people fished and feed the ducks. We had
foot traffic almost as soon as our banner went up. (We even had visitors
overnight.) As the PIO for the Cambridge Amateur Radio Association, W8VP, it
was my job to answer questions and give visitors the tour of our set up and
invite them to get on the air.
When there was a lull in my
PIO duties in the early evening around meal time, I put on my ASM badge, got in
the car, and went to Zanesville to visit the Ohio Amateur Radio Association,
W8ORA, Field Day set up. With darkness coming on and a storm threatening, I did
not make it to the Coshocton County Amateur Radio Association, W8CCA, Field Day
site like I had planned. Instead, I headed back to our site with two members of
the Newark Amateur Radio Association, N8ARA, who wanted to check out our set
up. They joined us for coffee and soup.
I guess I should say that I
made a roaster full of homemade vegetable beef soup which went over very well
given the cool and rainy conditions. I also supplied the crackers, hot dogs,
buns, and condiments. . Other members provided tortilla chips, salsa, chips,
candy, doughnuts, coffee, water, watermelon, ham salad, and soft drinks.
As if Field Day isn’t
exhausting enough, many of our members on the weekend before Field Day helped
to park cars in the rain on Friday evening at Deerassic Park for the Guernsey
County Relay for Life event and on Saturday at the Guernsey County Fairgrounds
for an oil industry public family fun event called Shale-abration.
We have also been fundraising
most of the month to help offset costs of moving the Waller-McMunn broadcast
station (WEBE). Besides being paid for parking the cars at Shale-abration, we
raffled off a $100 grocery gift card. The monies from the raffle and parking
cars at Shale-abration put us about halfway to our goal. We have another
opportunity to earn money by parking cars will be for the Deerassic Classic. We
also plan to have another raffle. Our goal is to have it moved and renovated by
late summer or early fall, so we can have a Special Event Station from there
this year before it gets cold.
I plan on attending the Great
Lakes Division Conference on August 1 in conjunction with the Columbus Hamfest.
Don’t forget the Ohio QSO Party on August 22.
Finally, I encourage all
clubs in my section to put me on your e-mail list as well as your newsletter
distribution list. My e-mail is lynalfman@aol.com
73, Lyn, N8IMW
****************************************************
SOUTHWEST OHIO HAPPENINGS
Kitty Hevener, W8TDA -
Assistant Section Manager (SW)
Congratulations to Bruce
Vanselo, (N8BV) for taking first place in the 2014 Ohio QSO party SSB single
operator category. In recognition of his accomplishment, Bruce was awarded a
large plaque.
Despite the deluge of rain
attendance at the June 20 Milford hamfest was good. I was fortunate enough to
chat with many hams that stopped by the ARRL table. And, the refreshment
committee saw to it that I had sufficient nourishment for the occasion.
For the past eleven years, I
have been active in QCEN’s field day. This year was different. The cooler than
normal temperatures lured me outside to Mitchell forest, the site of the
OH-KY-IN field day. Club members operated CW, SSB and digital modes. Their
field day operation included a GOTA station, direction finding demonstration,
an explanation of satellite operation, a satellite contact, NTS traffic, use of
solar power, and numerous culinary delights. Club members were especially
honored to have Hamilton County Administrator, Christian Sigman, and Hamilton
County EMA director, Nick Crossley, stop by.
With all that was going on,
the thing that resonated with me the most, was the pride a Father showed in his
son for having just past the general exam! I could “hear” his smile! And, had
you been with me, you would have heard it too! The pair could hardly wait to
spend father son quality time racking up those field day points! So, who is
this family?
Meet OH-KY-IN members, Nathan
Ciufo, (KA3MTT) and his son, Nathan Anthony, (KA3MTU). KA3MTT credits his uncle
for getting him and his father interested in amateur radio. They were licensed
at the same time. Nathan was 11 years old when that happened. He had fun and
was eager for his son to have a similar experience. He realized that goal when
his son earned his technician license at age 9. At age 12, he upgraded to
general. Nathan and Nathan Anthony enjoy contesting. From what I heard, KA3MTU
has picked up some good operating strategies from KA3MTT. During Field Day,
KA3MTU was teaching a new fellow club member who was two years younger than
him, how to make contacts. Nathan Anthony has the call sign that his
grandfather held until he became a silent key.
Aside from ham radio, Nathan
Anthony is quite active in the Lego League. He would like to connect with other
young hams. Please email him at ka3mtu1@yahoo.com
The Dial Radio club is
getting a head start on back to school! That’s right. Beginning Wednesday
evening, August 19, 2015 they will offer a six-week Technician license class. Meeting
on the Middletown Campus of Miami University, this class will meet in Verity
Lodge on Wednesday evenings, 6-9 PM.
Class will conclude September
23 and be followed by an examination session on Wednesday, September 30.
For registration and/or additional
information, please contact Beverley Taylor, N8GGE, n8gge@arrl.net or 513-423-3165 or Carl
Morgan, K8CM, (k8cm@arrl.net or 513-422-9384
This club is also offering
Technician, General, and Amateur Extra class exams on Wednesday, August 12. They
will be held in the Verity Lodge, Miami University-Middletown. Doors will open
for registration at 6 P.M. and exams will commence shortly thereafter. Please
plan to arrive early as all registration activities are to be completed by 7
P.M.
License exams are free,
walk-ins welcome and preregistration is not required. Special examination
accommodations must be requested at least two weeks prior to the test date.
Additional information may be
obtained from Dave Williamson, KD8W 513-424-5819 or Carl Morgan, K8CM
(513-422-9384). Talk-in on W8BLV/R 146.61 (-600) 77 Hz PL
Southwest Ohio hams again
answered the call for communication support for the following public service
events: Madiera’s Fourth of July parade; annual Miamisburg Tri-Athlon; and the
Youngs Dairy Charity Bike Tour.
I look forward to seeing you
at the Great Lakes Division Convention on August 1. Until then…
73, Kitty, W8TDA
****************************************************
HAPPENINGS FROM CENTRAL OHIO
Fritz Tender, WD8E -
Assistant Section Manager (Central)
Remember when we were kids
reciting the rain, rain go away rime? Yeah so do I! However, since the spell
did not work, field day (FD) went forward as planned. With optimism I got in
the car and headed to the joint Columbus Radio Enthusiast Society (CRES) and
the Central Ohio Operators Klub Extra - Novice (COOKEN) radio clubs efforts
taking place at Infirmary Park Granville. I was greeted by several friends I
have not seen for some time and of course a long discussion followed.
Despite the constant drizzle
and some standing water work continued erecting antennas and running radials,
all the while trying to keep sensitive equipment dry. Yes this was indeed a
test of emergency communications in less than ideal conditions. It was time to
move on, so I headed toward Horns Hill Park Newark where the Newark Amateur
Radio Association (NARA) was operating.
For those who have not had
the pleasure of going to Horns Hill Park the entrance road is long, steep, and
winding, ending at the summit of one the highest hills in the area. Once there
I noticed NARA was not in the stone picnic shelter, their usual operating
location. Murphy made an appearance at the Newark Parks and Recreation
Department who inadvertently double booked the shelter.
In defense of the Parks
personnel they did provide a large well anchored tent that provided some
protection. I mentioned it being well anchored because while I was catching up
with friends we experienced several strong cold gusts that tested both the
frame and ropes! I was told NARA would move to the stone shelter once the group
occupying it left for the evening.
Operating from a temporary
shelter then picking up and moving the entire operation to a different location
in less than ideal conditions is in the intended spirit of FD. I hope went well
during the move but it was again time to go.
Next I headed to Fairfield
County to join The Lancaster and Fairfield County Amateur Radio Club at their
club house / field day site on SR 37 north of Lancaster.
As usual they had everything
from tents to EMA vehicles. This club always has a great FD operation. They had
a station dedicated to digital signals but it was not producing the results
they had hoped for. I was told the bands
were not up to standard with twenty meters doing the heavy lifting. Perhaps
things picked up later in the evening.
I always enjoy visiting the
Lancaster club; they are a cordial group. But, I had one more site to visit and
it was getting later than I realized. So I bid farewell and headed north.
I stopped by the home of Brad
AK8H. The group’s original plans got washed out but not to be denied they setup
at Brad’s QTH and let the RF fly. They were having fun despite the weather. I
enjoyed the visit and rag chew but it was time for me to hit the road.
Last year Bob NR8U and I
dodged lighting and downpours as we visited FD site. While there wasn’t any
lighting this year it sure was soggy. I am looking forward to FD 2016 and
perhaps dryer conditions.
73, Fritz, WD8E
****************************************************
THE TECHNICAL COORDINATOR
Jim Yoder W8ERW - TC
The rain here this summer has
been great for the grass and the garden. Normally mowing by this time of the
Summer has slowed and the lawn is starting to show some brown rather than the
lush green state it is in now. It is difficult to keep up with the mowing when
the lawn is soggy from all this rain. It's lovely to look at for certain and
the garden is growing very well too, however I may be bailing as soon as it
dries enough. We are in Ohio, aren't we? Station grounding ought to be in fine
shape as well.
We nearly found ourselves
rained out during Field Day this year too. The wind that came along with the
rain late Saturday was determined to take the tent down and expose us and the
equipment to the rain. Vigilance and some back yard engineering saved us here
in Seneca County. Our three stations operating 3A managed to add up some
respectable scores and we drew in a few visitors including a couple of
perspective new Hams. The local paper also arrived to interview our team
resulting in a very nice article in the Sunday morning edition. Several
youngsters also were able to see and experience the excitement of Amateur Radio
and enjoyed some operating time with us. Overall, this year's Field Day
exercise was a huge success including some very fine edibles from the culinary
expertise of Dan AC8NP, Joe KD8UGI and Shannon KD8IWM who stirred up lunch and
dinner for us on Saturday.
One of our Technical
Associates Jeffrey Kopcak, K8JTK has put together an excellent presentation on
the Raspberry Pi and will be delivering soon to a couple of the local clubs in
the Cleveland area. Jeffrey has also been exploring several of the digital
modes and is becoming a great resource in that area. I have written earlier on
the many possible uses of the Raspberry Pi in Amateur Radio applications. Jeffrey's
presentation will no doubt include some of those along with his personal
experience utilizing this great little single board computer running Linux. If
you have the opportunity to attend one of these meetings where Jeffrey is
presenting, don't miss the opportunity to see how the Raspberry Pi can be
integrated into our hobby and put to work in some unique applications. Look for
the dates at the LEARA website http://www.leara.org/ and the Cleveland chapter
of QCWA, http://qcwa-cleveland-1.org/QCWA%20Summer%202015%20.pdf - Thanks Jeffrey.
Just around the corner is the
Columbus Hamfest on Saturday August 1st. featuring the Great Lakes Division
Conference this year. Don't miss this one although I will have to again this
year as a result of being out of the state on vacation. The Hamfest also
includes the Great Lakes Division Convention this year and will feature some
excellent speakers. Also on the agenda is the Wouff Hong Ceremony for the
induction of new members. You will want to read up on the particulars as this
is a special honor for those who are inducted. You will enjoy it I am sure. Additional
information is posted on the Great Lakes Division web pages,
http://arrl-greatlakes.org/convention_files/convention.htm
and on the official http://arrl-ohio.org/ website,
http://n8sy3.blogspot.com/ . Web
Master and Section Manager Scott Yonally, N8SY updates the pages often, so
don't forget to check regularly for the latest news and happenings around Ohio.
You will find lots of pictures there too and all the information on Ohio
Hamfests, and news from your Ohio Section Cabinet and much more.
Many of you likely did as I
did again this year and had a lot of fun working the 13 Colonies special event
contest. I managed to log all 13 colonies and the Pennsylvania bonus station
this year. I tried my best, but was not able to hear or work the second bonus
station in England. This is a great effort by all those who work very hard to
put on a great event. This I believe was the 6th year for them. Here are some
of the details on the 13 Colonies web site, http://www.13colonies.info/ - Mark,
WD8KQX tells me he also enjoyed it again this year and like me, managed to work
them all except the station in England. The group provides a very attractive
certificate for those who work all 13 stations, one for each of the original 13
colonies. It's great wallpaper to show off and a real incentive to get them in
your log. Thanks especially to the fine Hams who put together this exciting
event each year.
That about wraps it up from
here this month. Your Ohio Section officials are here to serve you. Your
thoughts and questions are always welcome.
73, Jim, W8ERW
****************************************************
THE STATE GOVERNMENT LIAISON
Nick Pittner, K8NAP - SGL
Using the New Antenna Law
Tired of reading about
antenna law? Well, hang in there, we’re almost finished. In earlier articles we
talked about the FCC regulation requiring that local zoning authorities provide
“reasonable accommodation” for amateur antennas. Then we talked about the new
Ohio law that addresses the same issues, though in a slightly different
fashion. This month we will address some of the practical implications of all
of this – including the ultimate question -- how do we use the information to
help get more hams on the air? Unlike the earlier articles, what follows here
is offered by way of suggestion, and not as a matter of law. Ohio’s law is new
and essentially untested in court, so we have no precedent to rely on.
The first goal is to do
everything possible to make sure that as many Ohio amateurs aware of the new
antenna law. To that end the Section has prepared and maintains an informational
brochure, “Ohio’s New Amateur Radio Antenna Law” which is available for
download on the Section website. It is a brief summary of the law applicable to
amateur antenna zoning in Ohio, and is intended not only for use by hams, but
also by zoning authorities and others as well. Radio clubs are encouraged to
publicize this information to their membership as well as to local zoning
authorities. Providing help with the legal side of antenna raising can be as
valuable a club project at the actual antenna raising.
Beyond information, however,
there are a few other suggestions that I’d like to offer for consideration by
both individual amateurs and clubs as well. Again, this is not offered as legal
advice and what follows is offered by way of suggestion only. When viewed in
the context of PRB-1, Ohio’s antenna law and the federal case law that has
considered the rights of radio amateurs to erect antennas, the law appears to
afford a presumption of entitlement to any application that: (1) complies with
the filing requirements of the local zoning code, (2) complies as much a
reasonably possible with the provisions of the local zoning code, such as
setback requirements and safety and engineering requirements and, (3)
establishes that the desired antenna structure is reasonably necessary to
enable the applicant to effectively operate on the desired frequencies.
All of the above presumes
that the ham actually needs zoning approval for the antenna in question, and
determining whether that is actually the case is a necessary first step. But
assuming that it is, it is far better to spend the time and effort to build the
case at the very earliest stages than to try to add parts to it later. Recall
that Ohio law, unlike PRB-1, requires that the local zoning authority bears the
burden of defending its actions if the application is rejected and the amateur
appeals. Your goal should be to make it as difficult as possible for the zoning
authority to find a valid reason to reject your application.
Our hobby is fortunate to
have a lot of electrical engineers in our ranks. Though I’ve not seen it done
yet, if possible, consider including in your zoning application an affidavit
from an engineer who is also a ham, attesting to the fact that the antenna
structure and height is “reasonably necessary” for broadcasting on the desired
frequencies. This information is can be particularly helpful in support of your
antenna height request as most zoning folks have no comprehension of the
difference between a 20 meter antenna at 15 feet above ground and one at 20
meters above ground. Making sure that all procedural issues have been met as
well as support for the reasonableness of your application leaves the zoning
authority little room to justify denial of your request and strengthens your
case should an appeal become necessary.
The last suggestion is that
both local radio clubs and the Ohio Section become clearing houses for
information regarding both local zoning requirements as well as successful
zoning requests. Precedent is important, both in litigation as well as at the
local zoning level. Being able to demonstrate that similar requests have been
granted elsewhere can play a vital role in the ultimate success of any antenna
application. To that end, we need to compile as much information as possible
for use in future zoning requests.
But, precedent can also work
against us especially where, as here, we have a new law that has yet to be
tested in court. Be aware that zoning appeals are complex and usually have very
short filing deadlines. The best advice is that you engage legal counsel
familiar with the local zoning authorities and the zoning appeal process at the
very beginning. Other resources with extensive knowledge regarding federal case
law are available to assist if necessary, but your first goal should be to
avoid costly and time-consuming appeals if possible. Remember that ultimately,
we all share in the success or failure of each antenna zoning variance request.
I hope that the League’s
efforts to secure federal legislation providing relief from all antenna
restrictions will prevail and encourage each of you to support that effort. In
the meantime, we in Ohio have powerful tools to use in securing relief from
local zoning restrictions. Use them wisely.
73, Nick, K8NAP
****************************************************
AMATEUR RADIO SUPPORTS GOBA
Jeff Slattery, N8SUZ, DEC
District 8
GOBA Communications Director
The Great Ohio Bicycle
Adventure is the largest bicycle tour in the country supported entirely by
amateur radio communications. This year, GOBA was held in northwest Ohio June
20-27 after the previous week of heavy rains and flooding. The 2015 tour had
the distinction of being the first time in 27 tours that the route had to be
closed and riders bused into the ending town. Fresh rains on top of the still
swollen streams and saturated ground on Thursday, Friday and Saturday created
the need for several detours as the route became flooded. As streams continued
to rise, detours for the detours became necessary. Due to the rapidly changing
conditions, in consultation with law enforcement and emergency management, it
was decided to close the course and bus the riders back to Van Wert. With the
assistance of amateur radio, we were able to keep everyone updated about the
changing detours and finally the closing of the route. Amateur radio was used
to coordinate the dispatch of the school buses, three from Van Wert and two
from Fort Jennings Schools to pick up riders from Middle Point, Fort Jennings
and Kalida. Thanks also to the many locals who loaded up pickup trucks and vans
and transported riders to Van Wert to pick up their cars and gear and return to
those towns to retrieve their bicycles. There was tremendous support from the
local ham radio operators and individuals from our host communities that helped
to keep our riders safe during the entire week-long tour.
Local clubs/ARES groups that
provided communications support for the week were:
Northwest Ohio Amateur Radio
Club – Allen County (Lima) - N8IJ, Dick Knowles, N8WBD, Greg Schwark, WA8UET,
Joe Schulte, W8MDG, Mark Gierhart, KD9ANR, Jeff Sneary, KB8LHH, Jon Umphress,
KB8LLL, Dave Humphreys, N8NWC, Jerry Lones, K8YH, John Click, WB8PJZ, Dave
Morris, KB8OAB, Alva Keifer, W8TY, Jon Solomon
Wood County ARES Group, Inc.
- Bob Schumann, W8NYY, Emergency Coordinator, Colleen Roth, N8TNV Net Control,
Loren Phillips, W8PSK, Bob Boughton, N1RB, Linda Boughton, N1LB, Steve McEwen,
K8BBK, Larry Hasselman, N8VNT, Ruth Hasseman, KC8EKT, Jim Barnhouse, KD8NJW,
Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn, KD8BOI
Sandusky County – Dave
Gierhart, W8DAG, Gene Schumacher, W8VMW
Henry County Amateur Radio
Club – Keith Hosman, KC8TCQ, Jeff Rahmel, KA8ZAW
Van Wert Amateur Radio Club –
EC Ralph Shields, WB8YIH, Matthew A. Holtsberry, KD8KWR , Steve Kouts, WA8WKF,
David Freels, KA8ZGZ, Cork Poling, W8DHG, EMA Director Rick McCoy, KB8LFJ
Defiance Amateur Radio Club –
KC2RCU Grant Nicholls - EC Williams County, K8ZKP Ellis Ivey, KC8YQL Bill
Drummer, K8MQ Lee Conkey , KD8SUF Don Law, KB8HNU Ron Law, KB8GOM Brian Beck 2
W8UY Terry Habegger -EC
Defiance County, KB8IUO Neil Byers - Asst EC Defiance County
Putnam County Amateur Radio
Club –
Ottawa County Amateur Radio
Club –
Fulton County Amateur Radio
Club -
73, Jeff, N8SUZ
****************************************************
LET'S TALK
Scott Yonally, N8SY - Section
Manager
Hi Gang,
Wow!! I think this has to be
the wettest summer on record! “Rain, rain go away, come again some other day.”
I do have to tell ya’, even
though we had the rainiest Field Day that I can ever remember, I do believe we
had one of the best ones for sure!! Yes, it was miserable out, but like I’ve been
reminding everyone, Field Day is really an exercise for when something bad is
going to happen, and I can tell you all from personal experience, when it does
happen, this is the kind of weather you can expect. So, for the tactical side
of this exercise, it was a huge success!! Yes, that’s right, a huge success!! I
can’t think of a better way to demonstrate just how well we can function even
in the most miserable weather conditions than we this that weekend. It was
great!! Everywhere I went I saw nothing but smiling faces, a friendly handshake
and absolutely the greatest food in the world.. Boy, do the hams in Ohio like
to eat! There was every kind of food being prepared that you could imagine. At
one of the Field Day site they even had a professional chef on board! Can you
imagine the food at that location? And now, for the record, I visited 14 Field
Day sites, driving 565 miles in that 24 hour period. A number of my Cabinet
members also took on the challenge and visited a lot of sites as well. So, if
you didn’t see one of us out and about, we’ll be sure to give it our best to be
there next year.
Field Day pictures.. Yes, we
have a lot of them posted on the website. Go take a look at them
http://www.arrl-ohio.org/fd-pix/index.php Now, if you
don’t see anything from your Field Day there, send me your pictures and I’ll
make sure that they get posted as well..
As many of you are noticing, I’m
making a very conscience effort to get to as many club functions and meetings
as I can all around the state. As you know, the Ohio Section is the largest
Section in the country. It’s even bigger than a Division or two. So, with that
in mind, it’s only fair to say that Ohio also deserves to have a full time Section
Manager. So, don’t be surprised when I just “pop-in” at your meeting or
function.
I did get to two Boy Scout
meetings this past month and had a great time. If you’ve never visited a Boy
Scout Troupe meeting, I would encourage you to do so. It’s a lot of fun and
wow.. are these kids ever bright! I am working on scheduling more visits with
the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, and YES, even the Girl Scouts this next coming
fall/winter. There’s a lot of potential there that needs tapped for sure.
CLUB LEADERSHIP.. You need to
make sure that your club is involved with youth groups. Make sure that you have
a contact with the local Boy Scouts / Girl Scouts as well as a teacher or
teachers from the middle schools involved with your club.. Don’t forget, the
youth of today will be taking over this great “hobby” of ours, but not without
your support and willingness to bring them along. These kids are out there, YOU
just need to take the first step forward and approach them on it.
**Club Presidents.. Are you
passing along that vital information that needs to go to your successor?? I’m
finding that the reason for a lot of clubs being behind on their club record
updates to not only the League, but also to the State of Ohio and the Internal
Revenue Service (for those who are 501 (c) (3) organizations) is primarily
because the newly elected club president wasn’t informed that this was
something needed to be done. Let me make a suggestion here.. Put a paragraph or
two into your by-laws that state ALL club records are to be reviewed at least
once each year, and definitely when a new president takes over. This will help
not only the president, but the club members as well. Everyone looking out to
see that the club records have been updated is a good thing. You might also want
to make sure that it states somewhere who’s supposed to be responsible for
making sure that the records are completed as well. This way everyone knows who
is responsible for what.
Are you getting those emails
from the Great Lakes Director or Section Manager? Now, for those of you who may
not want to go to all the bother of checking your account with the League, or
you are just not League members, you still have a chance to get these important
emails. All you have to do is to “Opt-In” to receive them. 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. 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?
The Ohio Section Website..
You can find the Ohio Section Website 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 stagnating, and I would highly recommend that you check into
the website at least 3 times per week or more if you can. Yes, it does change
that much! Now, how do I know so much about the website?? I’m the webmaster for
it!
Ohio's Speaker Bureau.. Need
a speaker for your club meeting? I’m available. Please, feel free to
There’s another NEW – one
question – questionnaire on the Ohio Section Website. I change the question at
hand about once every couple of weeks or so. It only asks one question and it
will take all of about 2 seconds for you to answer it, and you can see how your
answer stacks up with others instantly.
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@arrl.org I’ll be happy to call or write to you or even call
you if you’ve given me your phone number. We can even have coffee if you’d
like.. and I’ll buy!!
Ok.. I know that I push the
website and website edition of the Ohio Section Journal a lot.. I’m even sure
some of you think it’s way tooooo much. But, the main reason for pushing this
so hard is that it’s where all the news is.. Yes, I know that there are some
who don’t even own a computer and won’t own one either, and that makes me very sad.
Not that they won’t own a computer, but they are missing out on so much that’s
going on because of it. These a lot of very good and exciting news and
happenings on the Ohio Section website.. If it isn’t your home page on your
browser, it should be!!
Do you follow us on Facebook
or Twitter? Many folks have started picking us up on Facebook and Twitter now.
Yes, we definitely have a presence on both of these social media areas! Why,
well that’s an easy one to answer, it’s because that’s where the younger folks
are hanging out these days.. It’s also a very quick way to post a short blast
to everyone following us when something is happening. So, with that in mind,
there’s a lot going on up on Facebook and Twitter for the Ohio Section. Right
now, we have over 800 + followers from all over the world, with that number
growing every day. So, do you follow us? On Facebook just type in:
https://www.facebook.com/ohio.section On Twitter type in: @arrlohio
Last item..
Division Convention.. The
Great Lakes Division will be holding a Division Convention this year in
Oh, by the way, here are the
forums.
NTS/OSSBN, ARES, NVISX, DX, Digital
Voice, HF Sound Card Modes, and of course there will be the ARRL Forum where a
number of awards will be given out as well. And even a special event will
happen this year.. YES, there IS a Wouff Hong scheduled this year as well!!
Now if that isn’t enough to
get you to come, then let me tell ya’ this.. we will have a special guest from
the League there as well!! Debra Johnson, K1DMJ, who is the Educational Service
Manager will be there to answer your questions and let you in on what’s
happening at the League. WOW.. Lots of things to do and see at the Convention!!
Look for the specific details
of this event and the forums on the http://arrlgreatlakes.org website.
Now you ALL definitely have a
stake in the Division Convention!! Your attendance will definitely be even more
demanding and exciting. Make sure to mark your calendars for Saturday, August
01 at the Aladdin Shrine Hall (just across the street from Easton Mall) on Stelzer
Road in Columbus. Be there, or be square.
73, Scott, N8SY
****************************************************
THE OFFICIAL OBSERVER COORDINATOR
John Perone, W8RXX
Q. What is the Amateur
Auxiliary?
A. The Amateur Auxiliary is
composed of approximately 700 ARRL volunteer-appointees, known as Official
Observers (OO) and the Local Interference Committee (LIC) who monitor the bands
and notify Amateur Radio Operators of technical and operating discrepancies.
OOs are helpers and advisors,
not "band cops." In cases involving serious rule violations, such as
malicious interference, they are trained and certified to gather and forward
evidence that can be used by the FCC in enforcement actions. The program is
based on a formal agreement between the FCC and the ARRL.
Q. I got an OO card in the
mail! What do I do now?
A. First, don't worry: This
is not a citation! The OO postcard is simply a friendly note to alert you to
possible equipment factors or operating practices. Remember, OOs are friendly
helper-advisors, not the "radio police"!
Q. Hey, I received a Good
Operator Report. What's that for?
A. Congratulations! To
emphasize the positive nature of the program, "Good Operator Reports"
are sent to operators whose radio signals and/or operating practices are
consistent with the highest standards and are a model for others to follow. Every
amateur should strive to pattern their operating and signals after your
example!
Ohio June total hours
monitored by OO’s = 816
OO cards sent = 5
Good cards sent = 2
73, John, W8RXX
****************************************************
OHIO QSO PARTY RULE CHANGES..
Jim Stahl, K8MR
The Mad River Radio Club and
Ohio QSO Party Committee are pleased to announce significant changes in the
Ohio QSO Party, effective for the 2015 event which will be held on Saturday,
August 22.
We have decided to replace
the serial number in the contest exchange with a signal report. While it was
fun to watch the competition in real time, we believe the confusion caused with
an exchange format different from that used in other concurrent events caused
people to avoid participating in the OhQP if they were also involved in one of
the other contests. So now, one can just treat the multiple contests as one big
one covering several states and work everybody with the same exchange.
Secondarily, keeping track of
serial numbers made things difficult for mobiles while in motion, and often
caused confusion for multi-operator efforts using several operating positions.
We will be contacting
software developers to update their software to the new OhQP exchange. While we
hope all will be able to get updated logging software in time for the 2015
OhQP, for now we will still be able to process logs showing a sent serial
number; just log the received RS(T) in the received number field.
In a second, relatively minor
change, the use of CW Skimmer and similar automated spotting tools will be
allowed for single operator stations. (Note - the use of the regular spotting
networks by single operators has been allowed for many years). We do hope that
stations using Skimmers will share their bounties of cool OhQP stations found
with the rest of the world via the regular DX Clusters.
We're looking forward to
seeing lots of you in the 2015 Ohio QSO Party, Saturday, August 22, 1600Z to
0400Z August 23!
****************************************************
SUMMITS-ON-THE-AIR
Elliott Pisor, K6EL
North America SOTA Activity
Weekend 2015 (September 12th & 13th) is a casual event involving
tiny battery-powered radios on mountain summits. It is not a contest but is
intended to introduce "Summits on the Air" to newcomers with home
stations who try to work summit operators during one or two days. There are no
rules regarding power levels, modes or number of bands worked, but please be
courteous when more than one station is trying to talk to a SOTA operator on a
summit. The SOTA operators have just climbed mountains as high as 14,000 feet;
they use low power; and they don't receive on split frequencies.
Check SOTAWATCH.org to spot
who is on which mountain. Summits are numbered, and you can hover your cursor
over the number to see the name and point value for each summit. Expect the
website to show activity near 7.032, 7.185, 10.110, 14.342, 18.095, 18.155,
21.350, 24.905, 24.955, 28.420, 146.52, 446.00, and 61 Khz up from the bottom
of 20, 15 and 10 meters CW. Participants are invited to collect points toward
certificates and trophies offered by the thirteen-year-old international SOTA
group (SOTA.org.UK). As we learned in past years, this is a barrel of fun for
both hill climbers and home operators. See you then.
****************************************************
SPECIAL EVENTS STATIONS IN
OHIO
---------------------------------------------------
08/02/2015 | 37th Annual
Mahoning Valley Olde Car Club Show
Aug 2, 1300Z-2100Z, W8C,
Youngstown, OH.
Mahoning Valley Amateur Radio
Association. 7.225.
Certificate. David Salmen,
113 Fairview Ave #7, Canfield, OH 44406.
W8C is a special event
station celebrating the 37th annual Mahoning
Valley Olde Car Club Annual
Car Show.
The MVOCC was founded in 1978
by a small group of Mahoning
Valley residents with a
common interest in old cars. The first
outdoor car show was held in
August of 1979 and since then is slated
for the first Sunday in
August, every year. We offer a printable
certificate for QSO’s with
the W8C station by email from the address below.
Optionally we will mail a printed
certificate to requests mailed to the address below.
If requesting a printed
certificate please include $2.00 to cover postage and handling.
DO NOT send a “SASE” (self
addressed stamped envelope), we will provide the envelope.
If emailing please put “Rally
Certificate” in the subject line.
In either case include your
name and call .
Email: wb8iba@yahoo.com;
Address: Dave Salmen 113
Fairview Ave #7 Canfield, Ohio 44406
****
08/15/2015 | Commemorating
Alliance, OH as the home of Ohio's State flower;
the Scarlet Carnation.
Aug 15, 1400Z-2100Z, W8LKY,
Alliance, OH.
Alliance Amateur Radio Club.
14.250 14.035 7.240 7.035.
Certificate & QSL.
John Myers, 910 W Mill St,
Alliance, OH 44601.
****************************************************
OHIO HAMFEST CALENDAR
07/18/2015 | 2015 NOARSfest -
Hamfest and Computer Show
Location: Elyria, OH
Sponsor: Northern Ohio
Amateur Radio Society
Website: http://www.noars.net
****
07/19/2015 | Van Wert Amateur
Radio Hamfest
Location: Van Wert, OH
Sponsor: Van Wert Amateur
Radio Club
Website: http://W8FY.org
****
07/26/2015 | Portage Hamfair
'15
Location: Randolph, OH
Sponsor: Portage Amateur
Radio Club
Website: http://hamfair.com
****
HAMFEST/CONVENTION
08/01/2015 | Great Lakes
Division Convention (Columbus Hamfest)
Location: Columbus, OH
Sponsor: Voice of Aladdin ARC
Website: http://www.columbushamfest.com
****
08/16/2015 | Tailgate
Swapmeet
Location: Cortland, OH
Sponsor: Warren Amateur Radio
Association
Website: http://www.w8vtd.org
****
08/23/2015 | Cuyahoga Falls
ARC's 7th Annual Tailgate Hamfest
Location: Stow, OH
Sponsor: Cuyahoga Falls
Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://cfarc.org/tailgate2015.php
****************************************************
eof..