In this issue:
-> THE TECHNICAL
COORDINATOR
-> 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
-> FROM THE STATE GOVERNMENT LIAISON
-> FROM THE EDUCATIONAL
OUTREACH ASM
-> FROM THE SCOUTING ASM
-> LET'S TALK
-> THE OFFICIAL OBSERVER
COORDINATOR
-> SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS
IN OHIO
-> OHIO HAMFEST CALENDAR
****************************************************
THE TECHNICAL COORDINATOR
Jeff Kopcak - TC
Hey Gang.
Normally in this space you
would find a well put together article written by Jim W8ERW. If you didn’t catch last month’s Ohio Section
Journal, Jim is moving on to bigger and better things. That would be Texas. Jim is one of Fort Worth’s newest residents! The fine folks in the North Texas Section
have a great guy coming their way. He’s
probably enjoying the warm weather down there right now. Congratulations Jim! So ‘why are we seeing
this other guy writing in Jim’s place’ you’re probably asking yourself? I don’t know either.
Seriously though, I have to
give a lot of credit to my predecessor, Jim – W8ERW and to our Section Manager,
Scott – N8SY. These guys are excellent
at answering all my questions from my time as a Technical Specialist and
transitioning me into the Technical Coordinator position. Thank you.
I look forward to serving the
Ohio Section and seeing what you guys have in store. I’ve already received a number of questions
on computers, digital modes, and D-STAR.
Happy to answer them. My bio is
posted on the Ohio Section website if you missed it.
Last month, I gave a
presentation on the Raspberry Pi computer at the LEARA meeting in
Cleveland. This presentation was an
introductory look at the device. It
included history, hardware specs, setting up the Pi, and ham radio
projects. There was a larger than usual
turnout for the meeting and even a few non-hams in attendance. The presentation is available on my website
if you would like to take a look. I gave
a shortened version at the QCWA Chapter 1 meeting in July. If you missed either meeting, fear not! I am scheduled to be at the GARA (Geauga Co.)
club meeting on September 28th as they celebrate 38 years! See you there.
Couple events to note… the
Cleveland Hamfest is coming up on September 27th. This is in my backyard so I will be in
attendance and hope to meet all of you.
You can join the Hamfest Association of Cleveland and help out next year
via their website hac.org.
The TAPR Digital
Communication Conference is coming up October 9th – 11th near Chicago. Want to go to one of these at some point
because it looks like another excellent lineup of forums. Topics include: Digital Voice and Network systems,
DATV, Arduino CAT controller for the HPSDR, an Amateur Radio Digital Open
Protocol, remote operation of your radio, 3D modeling in Ham Radio, and
introductory sessions on a number of topics.
ARRL’s own Ward Silver – N0AX is the banquet speaker. Head over to www.tapr.org/dcc.html for the
complete schedule and to register.
Thanks to everyone who wrote
and congratulated me on my appointment.
It really means a lot!
Thank you for reading..
73, K8JTK
****************************************************
THE AFFILIATED CLUBS
COORDINATOR
John Myers, KD8MQ - ACC
Hi everyone, well, fall is
coming fast, and will be here before you know it. I’m going to fit in one more
weekend of tent camping before the nights get too cold. Then it’s back to the
list of To-Do’s that I’ve been putting off this summer.
We always seem to get better
attendance for our club meetings when we have a program. No surprise there,
right? I’ve spent a few years as program chairman for my local club, so, this
month, I’d like to share some thoughts on club programs.
It goes without saying that
the task of scheduling programs for club meetings falls on someone’s shoulders.
That’s usually the VP, or the secretary, or maybe even a Program Chairman.
Regardless of how you handle it, this is a really important job. But, being
responsible for lining up programs for a club meeting isn’t has terrifying as
it may seem. I’ll go out on a limb here, and say that it’s easier now than it’s
ever been. A lot of the work involves keeping your eyes open for new
opportunities. They are literally all around us. Here are some suggestions for
gathering ideas for your upcoming club programs.
Ask Your Members – I’m not
sure why it is, but I hate surveys. I would rather endure a root canal than to
fill out a survey form. I suspect
I’m not the only one. I’ve tried posting surveys in our club newsletter with
dismal results. But, last winter, at a club meeting, I passed around a
clipboard for people to write down suggestions for programs they’d like to see.
I didn’t ask them to volunteer to host a program. Just give ideas. Boy, did we
get responses. Our members had a lot of great suggestions.
Ask other Hams – Sadly, one
of my best resources for finding people to present club programs became SK
almost two years ago. It seemed that Gay, WB8VNO knew everyone. All I’d need to
do was call her, and say hey, do you know someone who could do a program on
this or that. She always had an answer. Perhaps you have someone like that in
your circle of friends. If so, count yourself blessed!
Newsletters / websites – If
you aren’t already making an effort to keep up with what other clubs are doing,
then perhaps you should. Notice I didn’t say Amateur Radio clubs? Suppose you
see something interesting that the local Lions (or Rotary, or Band Boosters, or
whatever) club are doing. Ask yourself
how that would play to an audience of Amateur Radio operators.
These days, with so many
clubs & organizations posting newsletters online, or to blogs, the ideas
are out there on the web. With a little online research you can generate a list
of possible club programs pretty easily. There’s nothing wrong with
calling Joe Ham, mentioning the program he just did for another club, and
requesting that they do the same for you. More often than not, they will say
yes.
ARRL PR List – If you or your
clubs PIO (Public Information Officer) are not subscribed to the ARRL PR List,
it may be a good idea to join. I can’t begin to count the number of great ideas
I’ve gleaned from this list. You can sign up at https://reflector.arrl.org/mailman/listinfo/pr.
You Tube - My goal is a
program for each month’s meeting. Some months are easier to fill than others.
If you are up against the wall for a program once in a while (or if someone
cancels on you), don’t be afraid to choose a video from the “You Tube
Library”. YouTube is a Godsend for
program chairpersons. I’m not suggesting that you dive into the YouTube pool
each month, but once in a while we all need have to come up with a club program
on the fly.
If you have no internet access
at your meeting location, just download a YouTube video using a program such as
YouTube downloader.
ARRL Online Library - I would
be remiss if I didn’t mention the ARRL Library as a resource for club programs.
The library is a “repository of educational presentations & oral
histories”, to quote the league. It’s chock full of PowerPoints, PDFs, and Oral
Histories. You can also upload your presentations to share with others. You can
find it at www.arrl.org/library.
Tune in next month for some
dos & don’t for speakers, and program chairpersons.
Moving on to the next
subject, a special mailing will be sent out in the near future to all Special
Service Clubs. So, please take a moment to check your club address in the ARRL Database.
If corrections need to be made, you can do them online as usual. Thanks to the
efforts of Dale, WA8EFK, and Scott, N8SY, the club update page has been
modified. Changes that you submit to your club record take effect instantly.
Make sure to Thank Dale & Scott when you see them.
Dave Sumner, CEO, and
Secretary of the ARRL visited Ohio this month. On Sunday, the 13th, he worked
the ARRL table at the Findlay Hamfest, then the next day visited with NE Ohio
Hams at the Portage County ARS (PCARS) meeting. We’d like to send a big thank
you to Dave for taking time out of his busy schedule to visit us in Ohio. Video
of his presentation to PCARS can be found on their YouTube channel. You can
view the video at http://tinyurl.com/pnjapml.
And with that, I’ll tie the
ribbons on it for another month.
73 everyone, see you next
month. DE KD8MQ
****************************************************
THE SECTION EMERGENCY
COORDINATOR
Stan Broadway, N8BHL
What
do we face if the lights go out?
The
most stunning topic on the list of “What if’s” is the loss of the relatively
fragile and defenseless North American power grids. Back in 2013, a federal GridEx II exercise
envisioned terrorists staging a combination of cyberattacks aimed at the grid. US
utilities were even then under constant cyber attack. And it can happen - in
2010 a piece of malware called Stuxnet destroyed as many as 1,000 centrifuges
in an Iranian nuclear plant. In California, attackers disabled a major power
transformer merely by shooting into it. Was that a practice run?? That prompted
a study by FERC in 2013 about the physical risks of electric plants. The
results, published in 2014, were astonishing: disabling 9 of an estimated 55
thousand high voltage transformers could plunge the continent into darkness
lasting for as long as 18 months. This is not “Prepper” rhetoric, this is a
confirmed possibility.
One
of the justifications we like to use at antenna hearings is “This ham in your
neighborhood would keep you in touch with the rest of the world.” Well, this might just be the scenario under
such conditions. The complete loss of
power would bring us into a crisis like no other. The nature of ham radio
operators and the resources of ARES would be put to the ultimate test! So we’re jumping into that realm with both
feet! Let’s practice!
The
Ohio Simulated Emergency Test (SET) will be held October 3. We have set several goals.
First,
like last year, we want to practice alerting and activating our volunteers,
checking into the county net and deploying to critical spots around the
county.
Second,
we want to deal with a “grid – down” power outage. Because a loss of power
affects ALL walks of life, you can easily see how this would become an “All
Hands” operation! EC’s – be encouraged
to continue or expand our scenario as it might directly affect your
county! We will be preparing a more
detailed document with exercise injects and traffic/message requirements. As much as possible we must test and develop
our digital capabilities- so get trained up in fldigi!
Think
about all the different requests you may receive in such an incident and what
it could grow into. We want to generate
traffic and messages (inter-agency and those directed at “The Sarge”.) The exercise will be directed by our DEC’s,
who will have prepared injects to be fed into your activities. At the hub of
our “distributed Sim Cell” is “The Sarge” where the SEC will also be supplying
injects. We want lots of message traffic,
and lots of people to be involved! If we do this right, it will become a real
challenge- hopefully, one that stretches our ability to cope and handle a large
situation.
EC
Training announced
With
1700 members in Ohio, any organization can be expected to grow and change. Since January, we have had a number of EC’s
retire. Most have already recommended replacements, and they have been
announced. While there is a well-written
“EC Manual” the responsibilities and daily duties of an EC can be demanding. Ohio ARES has reserved OCTOBER 10 at the Franklin County EMA (5300 Strawberry
Farms Blvd, Columbus, 43230 – it’s near to the S.R. 161 / I-270 intersection on
the northeast side of Columbus) for a
day long training session that should be of great interest to new EC’s, DEC’s
and AEC’s.
We’re
still working on the course sequence, but we’ll begin with “What have I done?”
to look at the paperwork and
duties associated with this important position. Then, we’ll go into emergency
planning and preparation- developing a communications plan, developing your
people, and developing exercises. We’ll have some of the top people in Ohio
ARES sharing their years of knowledge!
This
is NOT another fall conference; it’s aimed specifically at training new members
of the management team. If you assumed
your position from January forward, you NEED to mark this date and attend. To
accommodate travel, the class will be held from 10AM – 4PM on that Saturday. I
am truly excited about the value of this class. If you want to attend, please
email me at broadways@standi.com.
Activations
Congratulations
to Hamilton County ARES, for flawlessly carrying out their activation to screen
for toxic plumes along feeders to the Ohio River. Their work helped protect
Cincinnati’s “Riverfest” activities. This, too, was an example of cooperation
with Kentucky’s ARES section continually in the loop. Well done!
73, Stan, N8BHL
****************************************************
THE PUBLIC INFORMATION
COORDINATOR
John Ross, KD8IDJ
Sign Your Hobby!
Sometimes the simplest things
can gain the most attention.
On my personal email and even
my work email...right after my name...I've added my call sign.
Almost every day it generates
questions and comments. Usually, it's "Are you a ham?" Now, the door
is open to talk about our hobby and all of the great things we do.
Often I get, "I used to
be a ham" or "My dad was ham." Again, a great opportunity to
explain the new license requirements, on-line study help, and testing
procedures. I think I've helped about a dozen former hams re-up and get back on
the air!
Give it a try and see if you
can open some doors.
Taken To The Woodshed!
A month ago my computer screen
almost melted when I opened an email from an, apparently, avid reader of my PIC
column!
He took me to task about
seeming to favor older hams!! He said the youth, the younger generation are
more important now...and said I must not be reading the paper or watching the
TV.
Well, as I read on I realized
it was all in jest. He was happy I was talking about opportunities for older
hams and then highly suggested I keep doing what I'm doing! The next day he
even sent an apology in case I didn't see the humor.
When I quit laughing...I
realized he was right! I really do need to get with the program and find equal
opportunities to talk to young folks about amateur radio.
So, to that end, I made a few
phone calls to my school system, church and some considerably younger
people...asking for a chance to visit a science class, youth meeting or
whatever kind of activity the kids today do to tell them about amateur radio.
I've made a couple of contacts already...hopefully a couple of recruits...and
the schools are trying to work me in.
Maybe we all should be doing
that...maybe we are and I've missed it...but I now have another reason to
appreciate amateur radio. You are never too old to learn...even if it takes a
Senior Elmer to read you the riot act!!!
Seriously, my thanks to Evan
K9SQG for the great suggestions. And, Evan...you had better have a bunch of
kids hanging around you when we meet!!!!!
WEATHER WATCHES
My local weather watch net
here in central Ohio is about to end its weekly drills for the year and I'm sure
other weather nets are about to do the same.
Weather watching seems to be
a hallmark of amateur radio and the folks to run the nets do a great job. The
net operators are to be congratulated for being ready when the watches and
warnings are issued and for giving their time to make sure we all are informed
and are in a position to help if necessary.
The information on the net is
invaluable and better than a horde, or is it a gaggle, of TV meteorologists!!
Thanks folks from all us who depend on your training and expertise.
KUDOS TO CANTON
The Canton Amateur Radio Club
received a nice letter from the Department of the Army thanking them for
participating in their family day this summer.
The club set up table with
literature and information about amateur radio. Club members were there to
answer questions and demonstrate first-hand the operation of ham radio.
Great work!
Just for the record, I, too,
received a nice letter from the Department of the Army back 1970. It was an
"invitation" to join them for an all-expense paid trip overseas! The
gig last six years and, yes it was all FREE!!!
That's all for this month...
73, John, KD8IDJ
****************************************************
THE SECTION TRAFFIC MANAGER
David Maynard, WA3EZN - STM
Ohio QSO Party
I intended to work some
stations in the Ohio QSO Party but found the bands in deplorable shape when I
had time to work some stations. I heard from other stations that they found the
bands in bad shape also and they were only able to work a few stations.
Band conditions have been bad
all month and the traffic nets on HF are having problems passing traffic. I try
to check into the Eighth Regions Net when I can and was trying to do so when slightly
off the expected frequency was a very loud net. Thinking this was the Eighth
Region net I tuned in and listened for an opportunity to check in. I was
surprised when the net was identified as the Fourth Region Traffic Net. Most of
the stations on the net were louder than any other signal on the 40 meter band
at that time. Go figure!!
SIMULATED EMERGENCY TEST
Some of this information is
from www.arrl.org. It and more information is available on the www.arrl.org
website. It is duplicated here because there is no need to rewrite perfection.
Search SET for more information and forms to report your SET activity.
The ARRL Simulated Emergency
Test is a nationwide exercise in emergency communications, administered by ARRL
Field Organization Leaders including Emergency Coordinators, District Emergency
Coordinators, Section Emergency Coordinators and Net Managers. Many other
Section Leaders like the Section Manager and the Section Traffic Manager may
have a hand in planning the exercises and/or reviewing the results.
Amateur Radio Emergency
Service ® (ARES®), National Traffic System (NTS), Radio Amateur Civil Emergency
Service (RACES) CERTS and other public-service oriented groups can be involved.
The SET weekend gives communicators the opportunity to focus on the
emergency-communications capability within the community while interacting with
NTS nets. In Ohio the Simulated Emergency Test is held the first week in
October, that being October 3 and 4 this year. It is important that all
amateurs participate and show just how great the hams are in Ohio.
The purpose of SET is to find
out the strengths and weaknesses of ARES, NTS, RACES and other groups in
providing emergency communications. It also should provide a public
demonstration to served agencies such as the American Red Cross, the emergency
management agency and through the news media of the value to the public that
Amateur Radio provides, particularly in time of need. To help radio amateurs
gain experience in communications using standard procedures and a variety of
modes under simulated-emergency conditions.
How to Join the SET
To participate in this year’s
emergency test, contact your local ARRL emergency coordinator or net manager to
find out the details. If you don’t know who to call, please touch base with
your ARRL Section Manager (N8SY), Your Section Emergency Coordinator (N8BHL) or
this year’s SET coordinator KD8TTE in Bexley for assistance. Here are some net
managers you might also contact for more information.
Ohio HF Traffic Nets
BN(E) Buckeye Net Early – CW
– N9AUG NET MANAGER
BN(L) Buckeye Net Late – CW –
WB9LBI NET MANAGER
OSN Ohio Slow Net – CW –
W8OLO NET MANAGER
OSSBN Ohio Single Sideband
Net – Phone – KC8WH NET MANAGER
Ohio VHF Traffic Nets
BRTN Burning River Traffic
Net serving Cleveland and North Central Ohio
W8DJG NET MANAGER
COTN Central Ohio Traffic Net
serving Columbus and Central Ohio
W8ARR NET MANAGER
MVTN Miami Valley Traffic Net
serving the Dayton area
KC8HTP NET MANAGER
NWOH ARES Northwest Ohio ARES
Net
N8TNV NET MANAGER
TATN Tri-State Amateur
Traffic Net
WG8Z NET MANAGER
TCTTN Tri-County Traffic and
Training Net serving Lake, Geauga, Ashtabula and Surrounding Counties KI8U NET MANAGER
See page 16 of QST for
contact information or check the ARRL Web page. The URL to start with is
http://www.arrl.org/sections/ . From there, you’ll find links to ARRL section
home pages with names and contact information for your Section Leaders
including the Section Emergency Coordinator and Section Traffic Manager along
with contact information for other ARRL sections that you may want to exchange
radiogram with. Whether you’re a new licensee or an experienced radio amateur,
the SET is a golden opportunity to learn or practice useful skills in traffic
handling, net operation and emergency communications protocols and management.
You will never know when something is going to happen and your family,
neighbors and community will look to you and your amateur radio skills for
assistance.
Each net and section is to
report their activity to the ARRL using forms on the ARRL website. The activity
reports will be analyzed and a report will be issued later as sort of a grade
for each section. You are encouraged to consider participating in this year’s
Simulated Emergency Test and to prepare for it as a demonstration of Amateur
Radio’s readiness and as an active participant in national preparedness. If you
are at all cognoscente of what is in the news you will already know how
possible it is to have a wide spread disaster.
To give you a head start here
is some sample radiogram text to show you what type of radiogram you can send
during SET if not directly involved in an ARES sinero. First some fun ones you
can send.
NR 73 ROUTINE (YOUR CALL) 9
ANYTOWN OH OCT 2
ANY HAM OPERATOR
ANYWHERE USA
BT
SENDING MESSAGES TO OTHERS BY
RADIOGRAMS IS A FUN ACTIVITY
73
BT
(YOUR NAME AND CALL)
NR 1 ROUTINE (YOUR CALL) 10
(YOUR CITY AND STATE) (DATE ei: OCT 2)
ANOTHER HAM
ADDRESS
CITY STATE ZIP
PHONE
BT
PLEASE SEND ME A RADIOGRAM
DURING SIMULATED EMERGENCY
TEST 73
BT
(YOUR NAME AND CALL)
NR 2 ROUTINE (YOUR CALL) 13
(YOUR CITY AND STATE) (DATE ei: OCT 2)
ANOTHER HAM
ADDRESS
CITY STATE ZIP
PHONE
BT
AM PARTICIPATING IN A
SIMULATER
EMERGENCY TEST BY SENDING YOU
THIS RADIOGRAM 73
BT
(YOUR NAME AND CALL)
If you make them sound like a
real emergency during SET the text must start with the words TEST MESSAGE so we
don’t cause unnecessary alarm by individuals who may intercept your practice
radiograms.
NR 2 ROUTINE (YOUR CALL) 16
(YOUR LOCATION) OCT 2
ANOTHER HAM
ADDRESS
CITY STATE ZIP
PHONE
BT
TEST MESSAGE CAN YOU SEND
RELIEF OPERATOR TO STAGING
AREA
QUERY IF SO PLEASE ADVISE
ETA
BT
(YOUR CALL)
AMATEUR RADIO VOLUNTEER
STAGING AREA
NR 88 ROUTINE (YOUR CALL) 14
(YOUR LOCATION) OCT 3
ANOTHER HAM
ADDRESS
CITY STATE ZIP
PHONE
BT
TEST MESSAGE SEND GENERATOR
TO
SHELTER ADAM X POWER FAILURE
AND ICE CREAM MELTING
BT
(YOUR NAME AND CALL)
NR 73 TEST PRIORTY (YOUR
CALL) 11 (YOUR LOCATION) OCT 2
ANOTHER HAM
ADDRESS
CITY STATE ZIP
PHONE
BT
TEST MESSAGE NEED MORE COTS
AND SANITATION KITS AT
SHELTER
BROVO
BT
(YOUR NAME AND CALL)
Chip in and help Ohio Section
have a successful SET. Send some radiograms, have some fun and above all learn
how to help if there ever is an emergency.
Thats all for now,
73 and 88 if appropriate,
David, WA3EZN
****************************************************
OUT AND ABOUT IN SOUTHEAST
OHIO
Lyn Alfman, N8IMW - Assistant
Section Manager (SE)
I had carpal tunnel surgery
on my left wrist on August 5, which is healing nicely. Now I have some feeling in my thumb and the
two adjacent fingers that had not been there for four months! Even so, this has
been a busy month for me.
I attended the following
meetings or took part in these activities:
Cambridge Amateur Radio
Association (CARA) business meeting
Cambridge Amateur Radio
Association’s officers’ meeting
Zanesville Amateur Radio Club
(ZARC) business meeting
Muskingum County A.R.E.S.
meeting and training session
Guernsey County A.R.E.S.
meeting and training session
Guernsey County Long Term
Recovery Committee (GCLTRC) business meeting
Various CARA committee
meetings & CARA Net Control Station
ZOVETS VE amateur radio exam
session
Adopt-A-Highway cleanup #3 of
the year
Ohio QSO Party—Muskingum
County
CARA covered-dish picnic and
fox hunt
Submitted August Safety Tip
article to newspaper
Submitted Special Service
Club article to newspaper
Submitted CARA Club Notes to
newspaper
Submitted meeting announcements
to newspaper, radio, and respective web sites
Published, sent out, and
posted to web site (Members-no password) fall issue of the CARA Communicator
Took pictures, wrote article
on moving historic building, and submitted it to newspaper
On August 31, after raising
money to move the Waller-McMunn radio station that we inherited, it finally
happened. The building is at its new
home and awaiting some TLC—exterior paint job, a set of steps and/or ramp, a
thorough cleaning of the interior, and a new plaque or two. We hope to have a
Special Event Station from the historic Waller-McMunn radio station building
later this fall.
Currently we, CARA members,
are entering the home stretch on the publication of our centennial book
celebrating our 100 years in 2013. We
hope to have the final copy available for purchase by mid November. Several of us are presently proofreading and
editing what we hope will be the final proof.
September finds CARA members
preparing for the Ohio State Parks on the Air Contest. We will be operating from Blue Rock State
Park this year. Also, the day after the
contest, we will be setting up our booth at the Guernsey County Fair, which
runs from September 14 -19.
On October 10, we will be
operating a Special Event Station, W8Y, from Putnam Hill Park overlooking the
historic Y-Bridge in Zanesville. See the ARRL website and/or the October QST
for details. On October 24, CARA members will take a Field Trip to the Museum
of Radio and Technology in Huntington, WV.
Of course, I should mention
that several amateur radio operators in the area meet for lunch each
Thursday. Check the calendar on our web
site www.w8vp.org for details, and come join us!
Remember to be Radio Active!
That’s going to do it for
this month..
73, Lyn, N8IMW
****************************************************
SOUTHWEST OHIO HAPPENINGS
From: Kitty Hevener, W8TDA -
Assistant Section Manager (SW)
w8tda@arrl.net
Congratulations to OH-KY-IN
member and direction finding guru, Dick Arnett, WB4SUV. In recognition of his enthusiasm and skill in
Elmering those interested in direction finding, I had the honor of presenting
Dick with the ARRL Elmer award at the August OH-KY-IN meeting. From firsthand experience, I can tell you
that he goes the extra mile by loaning equipment to those interested and
adapting the techniques and hunt itself to the unique needs of
participants.
Does your club have equipment
for your members to use for its activities?
How about your served agencies?
At least one of my clubs does and some of the served agencies in this
area do as well. Whether you are
purchasing new or upgrading existing equipment, I encourage you to use the
principle of universal design in deciding what to buy. The following article, taken from “Handi-Ham
World” (March 8 2015), explains the concept and discusses how implementing it
benefits your club and served agencies, especially during emergencies.
Ask ten Amateur Radio
operators what their preference is in radio equipment, and you will probably
get ten different opinions. There will be
discussions about what type of operating the equipment will support,
about whether mobile or portable operations will be involved, what kinds of
antennas will be used, and on and on. Amateur Radio is, after all, a BIG tent!
There really can be no one
right answer until we narrow our search.
A radio that can be used by a blind operator, one that includes all-mode
operation on the VHF bands, something that can fit into an automobile, affordability... You get the idea. The question "Which radio is best?"
doesn't make any sense without that kind of context.
At the Handi-ham Program we
have always been about accessibility of equipment for use by operators with
disabilities. Over the years many
volunteers in the program have creatively modified radio gear to make it easier
to use. Whether it was placing tactile
markers on a mechanical frequency dial or adding extensions to knobs to provide
more leverage to click through the band-switch positions, these mods were
unique and designed to help each operator based on special needs.
Today's radios are different;
way different. They are smaller, more
efficient, more stable, and operate more modes.
They are user-configurable, too.
Most can be operated by that ubiquitous ham shack accessory, the
personal computer or whatever similar device we can interface to a radio. There is no longer a need to attach a wooden
clothespin to a band switching knob. The
band switch doesn't even exist anymore in the world of direct frequency entry and
multifunction keypads. Memories hold
band and mode information anyway, and today's equipment usually offers several
different ways to get to where you want to be.
Modern transceivers sometimes
elicit comments from old-timers about excessive complexity and how simple the
radios of yesterday were to learn and operate.
And it's true - sort of. The old
gear didn't have multifunction controls with layers of menus lying in wait
beneath them. On the other hand, the old
radios didn't do as much as the new ones and what they did do wasn't always
done well. I remember final amplifier
tubes that melted from too much key down time during tune up. Some radios of the era drifted. One triband HF rig was said - and not without
reason - to drift "like a rowboat in a hurricane". Reliability was problematic by today's
standards. But what made those old rigs easy to use was their straightforward,
simple front panel controls. You can't
go wrong with intuitive, simple, easy to understand front panel layout. Is it possible to duplicate that kind of
simplicity and ergonomic efficiency in a modern transceiver with all of its
extra functions and capabilities?
Well, maybe. And if it's possible, that is certainly a
good thing for people with disabilities.
It turns out that what is good for them is good for everyone else too,
since having equipment with intuitive controls that are easy to use is good
universal design. Anyone appreciates
buttons that are big enough to select without pressing the neighboring
buttons. Who wouldn't want controls that
are familiar enough to be easy to learn, especially in an emergency? All of us like easy to read frequency
displays. With that in mind, here is our
top 10 list of things to look for in transceiver accessibility:
1. Simple front panel with
large tactile buttons and easy to grasp rotary controls for commonly-used
functions. These include VFO, passband
tuning, audio gain, and memory channels, among others.
2. A direct-entry frequency
keypad laid out in the same pattern as a standard telephone keypad. We all know how to make a phone call with a
keypad. The familiar 3 by 3 number pad with the 0 in the fourth row between a
star and a pound key allows us to make calls without having to study the keypad
or fumbling around to find the correct digits.
3. Menus that push common
functions to the front and lesser-accessed ones to the back. This allows the front panel to be simple and
uncluttered, but it is only going to be easy to use if the things you actually
want on a daily basis are the ones on the top - the first button push, not
buried in a menu system. To understand
why this is important, think about the fridge, pantry, and cabinets in your
kitchen. In a sense, kitchen storage is
like a layered menu system in a radio.
You need some common food items every day or at least several times a
week. These might include salt and
pepper, cooking oil, bread, milk, coffee, tea, and fresh fruit. It makes sense to have these things at the
front where they are easily reached because you use them often. The pasta can be on a back shelf with the
flour, but not as far back as other foodstuffs or ingredients that will only be
used on a monthly basis. You want your
radio's menu to be the same way; it
needs to have the functions you need often near the front. Thus, you will want the mode switch to be
easy to find while the CW speed control and microphone gain controls can be in
the menu system "on the back shelf" so to speak.
4. A large easy to read
frequency display with speech frequency readout. The radio needs to give the operator this
information efficiently. If you buy a
radio with a tiny hard to see display, it will never cease to remind you of
this mistake whenever conditions are not absolutely ideal. Some radios include speech frequency readout
built in while others have this feature available as an option.
5. A front panel headphone
jack. This feature will be used often
because conditions will change and you will want to switch between the built-in
speaker and headphones. You might as
well have the headphone jack handy.
6. A USB interface. This allows you to make an easy connection to
a rig control computer with only one cable and a USB driver from the radio's
manufacturer. It bypasses complicated
wiring for microphone connectors and audio interfaces if you want to control
the radio remotely via the internet.
7. A good receiver
section. You might think this goes
without saying, but having a good receiver makes a big difference in overall
usability of a transceiver. Some are
better than others, so check the reviews and shop accordingly. As the old saying goes, "You can't work
them if you can't hear them." Make
sure that the received signal controls you will use most often are easily
accessed. Shaping the IF response is
often beneficial, so it should be readily accomplished without jumping through
a bunch of menus. Similarly, filter bandwidths should be easy to change.
8. 100 watt transmitter
capability. You can argue with me about
this one, but there will be times when QRP power levels are just not
enough. You can always set the power
level below 100!
9. A quiet but effective
cooling system. This is sometimes
overlooked altogether, but do you really want to have to listen to a noisy
cooling fan while you are trying to pick out weak signals? The system should be whisper-quiet and the
radio should not run hot.
10. And the final
feature? This is the one that only you
can answer. It may be
affordability. It could be portability.
Over the years I've heard laments from people who have bought big, heavy radios
only to find themselves on the go and wishing for something lighter and
smaller. Others paid too much and got
features they never used.
Yes, a new transceiver can be
really pretty darned accessible to people with disabilities right out of the
box. Just pay attention to the basics of good design and ergonomics when you go
shopping! If you don't have a
disability, you will still benefit by an easy to operate radio.
73, Kitty, W8TDA
****************************************************
FROM THE STATE GOVERNMENT
LIAISON
By: Nick Pittner, K8NAP - SGL
nickpittner9@gmail.com
Federal Legislation.
Many of you have heard about
the efforts by ARRL to obtain passage of federal legislation to get relief from
the antenna restrictions imposed by private land use restrictions, such as
condominium restrictions, homeowner’s associations, neighborhood agreements and
deed restrictions. While the current FCC
regulation, PRB-1 requires “reasonable accommodation” for amateur radio
antennas with respect to zoning regulations, no similar requirement currently
exists with respect to other kinds of limitations. The FCC has, thus far, declined to extend
PRB-1 to include land use restrictions that arise from sources other than
zoning. Likewise, Ohio’s amateur antenna
legislation, H.B. 158 also addresses only zoning restrictions.
The distinction between
zoning and other kinds of land use limitations has been based on the view that
the land use limitations arise by contract as opposed to those limitations
imposed by either state law or local zoning regulation. The “contract” rationale is based on the
premise that the buyer of real estate encumbered by antenna restrictions agrees
to the restrictions when the property is purchased. In practice, however, the expanding use of
such restrictions leaves little choice for many Hams but to agree with the
limitations and try “stealth” or flagpole antennas.
At the urging of the ARRL,
legislation is now pending in both houses of Congress seeking to address this
problem: with the House version designated as HR 1301 and the Senate version S
1685. Both are titled the “Amateur Radio
Parity Act” and the working language of both bills states:
“Not later than 120 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Federal Communication
Commission shall amend section 97.15(b) of title 47, Code of Federal
Regulations so that such section prohibits the application to amateur service
communication of any private land use restriction, including a restrictive
covenant, that –
(1) Precludes such communications;
(2) Fails to reasonably accommodate such communications; or
(3) Does not constitute the minimum practicable restriction on
such communications to accomplish the legitimate purpose of the private entity
seeking to enforce such restriction.”
While the notion of federal
legislation limiting contractual restrictions on the use of land may seem
extreme to some, history has seen the elimination of a vast array of deed
restrictions some of which, for example, prohibited the sale of land to African-Americans. More recently and as the result of federal
legislation, the right to use direct satellite tv dishes and customer-end broad
band wireless antennas have trumped land use restrictions to the contrary. So it’s not unheard of to require accommodation
for amateur radio antennas as well.
Now, just a little bit of
opinion. First, I think the League’s got
it right. Antenna restrictions are a
national problem and Congress is the right place to fix the problem. Second,
the League’s effort deserves the support of all amateurs. It’s not an overstatement to say that land
use restrictions are, for many, vastly limiting the ability to use and enjoy
our hobby. In addition, land use
limitations are costing the general public a great deal of the emergency communication
capability that amateur radio could otherwise promise. Whether directly or indirectly, we are all
adversely affected by these regulations and the League’s effort calls for the
full-fledged support of all US amateurs.
If the Parity Act passes, as
I sincerely hope it will, we may well need to be ready for what could be a very
expansive battle with those who would test it in court. Freedom of contract is another side of the
issue and those who would seek to challenge the Act would likely want to raise
that issue by way of court challenge.
The claim would be that the new law impermissibly changes the terms of
the contract between the radio amateur land-owner and the Homeowners
Association, or Condominium Association.
Again, we could well be called upon to support the fight because a loss
would be unthinkable.
With that in mind, if any of
you are, or know of Hams who are also attorneys who might be interested in
joining an Ohio-based legal support group similar to the ARRL volunteer counsel
program, please let me know. Thanks..
73, Nick, K8NAP
****************************************************
FROM THE EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH
ASM
Anthony Luscre, K8ZT
k8zt@arrl.net
Show, Tell, Hear & Do!
This month, I want to talk a
little about demonstrating Amateur Radio to students, with tips and hints
thrown in that also apply to the general public.
Here are a few tips from past
experiences
> Find a cooperative host
and a location for demonstration
> Walk by traffic and
visibility are keys
> A club banner or
attractive sign explaining the operation
> Dress appropriately
(leave the crazy hats, like mine, T-shirt, etc. at home)
> Wear a Callsign Name tag
> Make sure all of your
setup is safe- both physically and electrically
> Be patient and pleasant.
Be ready to answer questions in terms a non-ham would understand.
> If you will be outside
make appropriate plans for sun shade or rain shelter
> Don’t put all of your
eggs in one basket!
> Have a variety of
“things” to show & do. Nothing is worse than having a setup to demonstrate
radio and the bands do not cooperate!
> Here is a site you might
find interesting on band conditions- http://bandconditions.com/index.htm.
> It never hurts to have a
“plant”, a fellow ham at their home station that you can resort to if band
conditions do not collaborate. They also know what you want to demonstrate and
can be counted on versus the unpredictability of a random QSO.
> “Centers”
> It is always great to
have a partner or few, so you can set up “centers” for visitors to rotate
through
> An Operating Radio
Station
> Show & Tell
> CW Keys and code
practice oscillators (plus paper handout with visual code decoders, both “code
trees” for receivers and letter lists for senders. See https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Morse-code-tree.svg
and https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/International_Morse_Code.svg/450px-International_Morse_Code.svg.png. I know these are not the best ways to actually learn
the code but that is not the goal here.) Adding lights (LEDs) to the CPOs adds
an additional visual stimulus. Kids love this hands on activity!
> Simple radio directional
finders and a hidden transmitter on the grounds
> Demonstrating Radio QSOs
> Plan and test setup
before the event!
> Be able to demonstrate a
variety of operating modes.
> Hearing voice and CW is
good but actually seeing translated CW, RTTY, PSK, etc. on a computer screen
provide a variety of interesting visuals.
> Be patient and answer
questions
> Engage viewers by asking
them questions
> If possible give them a
chance to be third-party-operators
> Find a patient operator
on the other end
> Make sure you have a
strong, sure path for communication
> Ask them if they are
willing to cooperate
> Explain who the group is
and what you are doing
> On your end
> Explain ahead of time
what they should expect to hear
> Phonetic Alphabet
> Signal Reports
> Abbreviations/Slang (ham
speak)
> Explain speaking
clearly, timing, etc.
> Practice what they will
say off air ahead of time
> Show & Tell is
always popular, if the items are interesting. I suggest
> A collection with a
variety of QSL Cards and a map or globe to point out source of each
> Examples of radios
(small QRP radios or Go-Kits are always popular)
> Videos including the
ARRL series “Promotional Videos for Ham Radio”- http://www.arrl.org/video-psas
> Gadgets
> Robotics
> Variable tone oscillator
> Breadboarded circuits
> A Make It Center
(visitors “build or assemble something”, either to take home or to remain part
of display)
> Take home “souvenirs”
> ARRL Brochures on
Amateur Radio-
https://www.arrl.org/shop/Brochures-Handouts-and-Exhibit-Supplies/?sort=price&sort_direction=0
> Zak & Max Comic
Books from Icom (a big thank you to Icom!)-
> Printed Copies to view
(or if feasible copies to take home)
> Links to the entire
series of Zak & Max Comic Books online- http://www.icomamerica.com/en/amateur/comic_book (this would be a good item to include in a one or two
page take home brochure, see below)
> A personal or club QSL
card
> A customized one or two
page take-home brochure highlighting your club, local licensing classes &
tests, club meetings, website links (consider building a web page on your club
or individual site filled with information for beginners.
73, Anthony, K8ZT
****************************************************
FROM THE SCOUTING ASM
Scott Hixon, KC8ITN
kc8itn@arrl.net
When Scouts want to meet
young people from another country, they usually think of attending a World
Jamboree. But few people realize that each year more than a million Scouts and
Guides "get together" over the airwaves for the annual
Jamboree-on-the-Air (JOTA). During the 2014 event, worldwide Scouting
participation included 1.1 million Boy Scouts and 200,000 Girl Guides/Girl
Scouts, for a total participation of over 1.3 million--the largest Scouting
event in the world.
Modern technology offers
Scouts the exciting opportunity to make friends in other countries without
leaving home. JOTA is an annual event in which Boy and Girl Scouts and Guides
from all over the world speak to each other by means of Amateur (ham) Radio.
Scouting experiences are exchanged and ideas are shared via radio waves. Since
1958 when the first Jamboree-on-the-Air was held, millions of Scouts have met
each other through this event. Many contacts made during JOTA have resulted in
pen pals and links between Scout troops that have lasted many years. With no
restrictions on age or on the number of participants, and at little or no
expense, JOTA allows Scouts to contact each other by ham radio. The radio
stations are operated by licensed amateur radio operators. Many Scouts and
leaders hold licenses and have their own stations, but the majority participate
in JOTA through stations operated by local radio clubs and individual radio
amateurs. Some operators use television or computer-linked communications.
This year’s event (the 58th
annual!!) will be held October 16-18, 2015. There are no specific times so you
have anytime during the whole weekend to participate! And if are unable to get
together with some scouts for JOTA, get on the air anyhow. You can still
participate by being the person on the other end that the scouts can talk to!
(Some of this article was
taken from the ARRL website)
Remember: Be safe, take care,
and make a difference in someone’s life!!
73, Scott, KC8ITN
****************************************************
LET'S TALK
Scott Yonally, N8SY - Section
Manager
n8sy@arrl.org
Hi Gang,
Wow, fall has arrived!!! Friday nights under the lights, pumpkins,
apples and the like are now in season. This has been one of the busiest summers
that I can ever remember. I’ve traveled all over the state visiting with all of
you at your hamfests, club meetings, picnics and breakfast’s. It’s been
fantastic! I’ve enjoyed every minute of it! And, YES, this newsletter is late
this month simply because I ran out of time to get it to press before I came to
Newington for training. Yup.. I spent 5 grueling days in classes. I did get to
operate W1AW several times however, but heard no one from Ohio on.. Oh well..
Better luck next time!
As many of you have noted in
your newsletters, 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 have another 3 Boy Scout
troupes to visit this next month.. Oh, be the way, we now have several new hams
from the Boy Scouts I was telling you about last month. I am now waiting for
them to get their call letters so that I can be their “First Contact”.
Now, 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?
Switching gears a bit.. I
want to talk to all of you about the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 --
H.R.1301 in the US House of Representative and S 1685 in the US Senate -- It would direct the FCC to extend its rules
relating to reasonable accommodation of Amateur Service communications to
private land use restrictions. Now I do
want to stress this, even if this passes, it doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be
able to construct an antenna farm on top of your 20 story apartment building.
What it will do however, is at least give you a voice to the HOA’s for
something everyone could live with!
The Amateur Radio Parity Act
would require the FCC to amend its Part 97 Amateur Service rules to apply the
three-part test of the PRB-1 federal pre-emption policy to include homeowners
association regulations and deed restrictions, often referred to as
"covenants, conditions, and restrictions" (CC&Rs). At present,
PRB-1 only applies to state and local zoning laws and ordinances. The FCC has
been reluctant to extend the same legal protections to include private land-use
agreements without direction from Congress.
I want to urge you to write
to your members of both the House and the Senate, asking them to sign on to the
bill as a co-sponsor. Please, route your letters for your member of Congress
to:
ARRL
Attn HR 1301 grassroots campaign
225 Main St
Newington CT 06111
Remember - a big bag of
letters from the constituents is always more impressive than ones trickling in
day after day.
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.
Yes, there’s another NEW –
one question – questionnaire on the Ohio Section Website. I’ve been changing
the questions 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. If you haven’t done it yet,
please do.. I really want to hear from you.
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 1,300 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
There’s a new link on the
left side of the main page of the Ohio Section Website “Follow The Section
Manager” Come on, follow me as I go around the state visiting with all of you
folks. I post pictures of where I am and have a lot of great folks commenting
and liking my posts. Hey, I even have Kay Cragie, the President of the ARRL
following along with me. It’s a lot of fun and you’ll get to see all the places
I go and the folks I meet along the way. Not on Facebook? It’s easy to join in
and the best part of it is, it’s FREE!!
73, Scott, N8SY
****************************************************
THE OFFICIAL OBSERVER
COORDINATOR
John Perone, W8RXX
jper@insight.rr.com
Official Observer appointees
have assisted thousands of Amateur Radio operators to maintain their
transmitting equipment and comply with operating procedures and regulations.
The object of the OO program is to notify amateurs of operating and technical
irregularities before they come to the attention of the FCC and to recognize
good operating practices.
The OO program serves as the
first line of "eyes and ears" for the FCC. OOs are certified by
passing a mandatory written examination.
The OO performs his/her
function by observing rather than transmitting.
They keep watch for such things as frequency instability, harmonics,
hum, key clicks, broad signals, distorted audio, over deviation, out-of-band
operation and other potential problems. The OO completes his/her task once the
notification card is sent.
In substantive rule
violations cases, OOs refer problems to ARRL HQ. After review by HQ staff, the OO may be
requested to provide additional information that may be forwarded to the FCC
for possible enforcement action.
Ohio OO’s monitored a total
of 1097 hours in August
Also in August they sent:
3 - Good Operator
Reports
0 - OO problem cards
73, John, W8RXX
****************************************************
SPECIAL EVENTS STATIONS IN
OHIO
10/10/2015 | Zanesville World
Famous Y-Bridge
Oct 10, 1300Z-2200Z, W8Y,
Zanesville, OH.
Cambridge Amateur Radio
Association.
7.240 7.230. Certificate.
Cambridge Amateur Radio
Association
PO Box 1804, Cambridge, OH
43725.
Please QSL with contact
information and $1 for postage when
requesting a certificate,
which will have a picture and historical
facts about this unique
bridge.
****
11/01/2015 | EXTRA Hour
Special Event Station 4th Annual
Nov 1, 0000Z-0600Z, W8BAP,
Chillicothe, OH.
Scioto Valley Amateur Radio
Club.
28.445 14.280 7.250 3.860.
Certificate.
Jim Boyce, 604 W 5th St.
Chillicothe, OH 45601.
This is the 4th Annual
special event station to celebrate the
end to Daylight Savings Time.
Certificate with SASE.
****
11/07/2015 | Millfield Ohio
Mine Disaster 85th Anniversary Remembrance
Nov 14-Nov 15, 1600Z-0300Z
KC8AAV, Millfield, OH. Sunday
Creek Amateur Radio Federation.
28.415 14.270 7.230 3.830. QSL.
Russ Ellis, 8051 Kochis Rd
Glouster, OH 45732.
This is to honor and remember
the 82 coal miners that lost their
lives in Ohio's worst ever
mining disaster on November 5th 1930
in Millfield, Ohio.
****************************************************
OHIO HAMFEST CALENDAR
09/27/2015 | Cleveland
Hamfest and Computer Show
Location: Berea, OH
Sponsor: Hamfest Association
of Cleveland
****
10/18/2015 | Conneaut ARC's
Hamfest
Location: Conneaut, OH
Sponsor: Conneaut Amateur
Radio Club (W8BHZ)
****
10/25/2015 | Massillon ARC
Hamfest
Location: Massillon, OH
Sponsor: Massillon Amateur
Radio Club
****
11/07/2015 | Georgetown Ohio
Hamfest
Location: Georgetown, OH
Sponsor: Grant Amateur Radio
Club
****
12/05/2015 | Fulton County
ARC Winterfest
Location: Delta, OH
Sponsor: Fulton County
Amateur Radio Club
****************************************************
eof..