Thursday, July 16, 2015

July 2015 Edition of the Ohio Section Journal..






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

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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

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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

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THE PUBLIC INFORMATION COORDINATOR
John Ross, KD8IDJ

Add caption
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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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
give me a call. I’ll do my very best to be at your function.

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
conjunction with the Columbus Hamfest on August 1st. There’s going to be lots of great forums that will be of particular interest to ARES / NTS folks, as well as those who are not as involved. These forums are a combined effort of all 3 of the Section Emergency Coordinators and Section Managers in the Division, as well as other experts in their fields from all around the Great Lakes Division. This is the only place that you can get that type of ARRL sanctioned training with that level of expertise. Don’t miss out on this opportunity. And, since we know that your time is very valuable to you, we have combined all of this with a hamfest. FUN, training and a hamfest all rolled up into one day, and one very exciting event.

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

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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

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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!

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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.

The folks at http://NA-SOTA.org

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SPECIAL EVENTS STATIONS IN OHIO
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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 .
Address: Dave Salmen 113 Fairview Ave #7 Canfield, Ohio 44406

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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.


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OHIO HAMFEST CALENDAR

07/18/2015 | 2015 NOARSfest - Hamfest and Computer Show

Location: Elyria, OH
Sponsor: Northern Ohio Amateur Radio Society

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07/19/2015 | Van Wert Amateur Radio Hamfest
Location: Van Wert, OH
Sponsor: Van Wert Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://W8FY.org

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07/26/2015 | Portage Hamfair '15
Location: Randolph, OH
Sponsor: Portage Amateur Radio Club

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HAMFEST/CONVENTION
08/01/2015 | Great Lakes Division Convention (Columbus Hamfest)
Location: Columbus, OH
Sponsor: Voice of Aladdin ARC

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08/16/2015 | Tailgate Swapmeet
Location: Cortland, OH
Sponsor: Warren Amateur Radio Association

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08/23/2015 | Cuyahoga Falls ARC's 7th Annual Tailgate Hamfest
Location: Stow, OH
Sponsor: Cuyahoga Falls Amateur Radio Club

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