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
-> FROM THE STATE GOVERNMENT LIAISON
-> FROM THE SCOUTING ASM
-> LET'S TALK
-> THE OFFICIAL OBSERVER
COORDINATOR
-> TURN YOUR CLOCKS BACK
ONE HOUR
-> WEBSITE STATS
-> SCHOOL CLUB ROUNDUP
-> SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS
IN OHIO
-> OHIO HAMFEST CALENDAR
****************************************************
THE TECHNICAL COORDINATOR
Jeff Kopcak - TC
Hey Gang,
Where to start? Lot has gone on the last month. First up was the Cleveland Hamfest on the
27th. The weather was great for a change
– which, I thought, brought more people.
Seemed to be more flea market and vendor spaces taken up which is always
good. I heard from HAC that it was a
successful hamfest this year. I got to
say howdy to a few in the Ohio Section cabinet.
I know I’ll forget someone but thanks to everyone that said hi and
congratulated me. Helped out with some
of the local clubs, organizations, and shot the breeze with them. Spent a couple of bucks too, mostly on
connectors and accessories I was looking for.
You can always use more connectors.
Had just as much fun at the after party.
You didn’t know there is an
after party? Oh, there is… just some of
my closest buddies getting together afterwards for some lunch.
The following day, I gave my
Raspberry Pi presentation for the Geauga Amateur Radio Club and had a
blast! If you’re on the east side of Cleveland,
be sure to check them out. Made for a
long day with work but was totally worth it!
There are two versions of this presentation available for viewing on my
website at http://K8JTK.org.
The Northern Ohio Amateur Radio
Society (NOARS, Lorain Co.) has asked me to put on the Pi presentation for
their group too. I’m scheduled to be the
presenter at the November 16 meeting. If
you haven’t seen this thing yet, don’t miss it!
More info: noars.net.
Welcome to Dave KD8TWG as the
newest Technical Specialist! I’ve known
Dave since about the time he became licensed because he’s been very
active. In addition to being AEC for
Geauga County, he is into embedded systems, computers, and networking. He plays around with APRS a lot too.
Aside from all that goodness,
QSL cards and certificates are coming in from the 13 Colonies and Katrina 10th
Anniversary special event stations. I
just dropped off certificate requests and QSL cards for the Route 66 and Pope
Francis special event stations. Groups
really put in a lot of work doing these special event stations and do a great
job getting the certificates and reply QSL cards out quickly. The certificates really make great wallpaper
for your shack too! I find special event
stations by watching Ham Nation or spots on DX clusters.
The Hurricane Watch Net is
celebrating 50 years of service. It was
started in Cleveland by Jerry Murphy - K8YUW as an informal net to provide
communication to affected areas. They
activate on the HF bands anytime a hurricane is expected to make landfall. They can be heard on 14.325 MHz and 7.268
MHz. Remember to stay clear of these
frequencies while the net is activated.
More info: http://hwn.org.
LEARA is in line for a Yaesu
Fusion repeater under their promotional deal.
We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the box and can’t wait to get it
on the air. The promotional deal is a
great opportunity for your club to replace aging repeater equipment or
experiment with digital modes. I can’t
tell you how excited members of the club are to get into System Fusion. From the other clubs that have contacted me
regarding Fusion, the excitement is contagious.
Give it a shot! The repeater can
be configured: full digital (digital in – digital out only), full analog
(analog in – analog out only), or auto detect (eg: analog or digital in –
analog out, digital in – digital out, analog in – analog out).
Yaesu has extended the
promotion once again until the end of the year, so you or your club has some
time to decide. Details and application
are available through yeasu.com -> select Products -> click Digital. Click DR-1X (model of the repeater). Click the Files tab -> click “DR-1X
Installation Program Application form.”
Thanks for reading
73... de Jeff - K8JTK
****************************************************
THE AFFILIATED CLUBS
COORDINATOR
John Myers, KD8MQ - ACC
And hello again.
The leaves are dropping, the
nights are getting colder, and won’t be long before we have to get out the
dreaded snow shovels. But, more time for Ham Radio, right?
Last month, I talked about
programs; specifically how to find them. So this month, I’ll finish up with
some dos and don’ts for speakers & program chairpersons.
Don’t assume that the speaker
will keep the program brief. A local club once lined up a speaker on a topic
that should have been quite interesting. However, the speaker droned on for
almost three hours. Questions from the floor were discouraged, and of course
the speaker was never invited back. The moral of the story? Always ask your
speaker how much time they require, and let them know if you have different
expectations.
Do give your speaker the
option of doing the program first. This is assuming that you also have a
business meeting scheduled. If a speaker has travelled some distance, and would
like to get on the road for home at a decent hour, they will appreciate the
gesture.
Do inform your speaker in
advance of any media equipment (Projectors, Computers, PA systems) that is
available at your meeting location.
Do contact your speaker about
a week in advance, and make sure they have the meeting location.
Do appoint one of your club
members to watch for your speaker on meeting night, in case they need help
bringing anything into the building.
It’s been a few months since
I’ve mentioned annual report forms. As a condition for affiliation, the league
requires that the online club report form be filled out at least yearly. This
can be done online, and ensures that those who trying to contact your club will
be successful. The link to edit your club information is in the upper right
hand corner of your club record (You must be logged in). You can find your club
record by clicking on clubs on the ARRL home page.
As long as we’re talking
about club reports, let’s talk about Special Service Clubs. If your club is
already a Special Service Club SSC), thank you. Your SSC status needs to be
renewed every other year. This can be done online at http://www.arrl.org/ssc-application.
If your club is not a Special
Service Club, then I’d like to invite you to become one. It is totally free,
and the application can be done online, using the link in the previous
paragraph. If you have any questions, feel free to call (330-936-5021), or
e-mail (kd8mq1@gmail.com) me.
And, with that, I’m going to
say 73 for another month. Here’s wishing everyone a Happy Halloween.
73 everyone, see you next
month. DE KD8MQ
****************************************************
THE SECTION EMERGENCY
COORDINATOR
Stan Broadway, N8BHL
2015
SET – a learning experience..
Note
to self: Next year, DON’T try a SET when there are numerous solar flares. We did find out how it worked when somebody
switched all the bands to “OFF,” didn’t we?
The
Hurricane Watch Net, in operation going into SET weekend for Hurricane Joaquin,
faced the same problems- and in this case, that could have been life or death!
The
Ohio SET was pretty ambitious – blanking out all power to the state for a
prolonged period. Our goal was basically twofold: one, to go through activation
and deployment and two, to use backup power and simplex/HF communications.
From
preliminary data, it looks like we had at least 40 counties checked into The
Sarge or 44% of Ohio counties. Because a county can declare a SET for any major
activity, it does not have to participate on our date - it can file anytime
between September and December. I know of several counties who are filing SET
scorecards for other activities: mass-casualty drills, aircraft SAR, and even
very large public service events. That’s fine, it adds to our scores and it
certainly puts volunteers to the test as well as our SET scenario.
Several
counties took us up on our offer and significantly expanded their exercises. We
heard of plane crashes, train derailments, haz-mats, even the failure of
electronic jail locks which let out the Zombies. I want to hear all your activities in your
After Action Reports! It’ll make for a
great final report!
I
spent most of my time in the VHF room at The Sarge- playing with the beams and
avoiding becoming a nuisance in the more crowded HF room. I was very pleased to
hear the constant tweedle of the OHDEN net, it continued all day! I am still
reviewing the digital recording of the net (Thanks, John W8NX) and I see many
messages flowing to The Sarge. I also
see a great deal of confusion, both on the digital and voice nets. A lot of
that had to do with a dead band- stations just couldn’t hear each other. And
the Sarge was no exception- we had a great deal of trouble hearing stations, as
you know.
There
are some new antennas at the Sarge, a dipole for 40, and a freshly-installed
triangular Delta-loop for 80 meters. That antenna in particular is not
complete, and it was not working well. We’ll continue to work on that. We might
have had some station de-sense between digital and voice stations (we were
running three HF stations on the desk). We’ll have to look into that, too. When 40 opened back up in the afternoon, it
was literally like somebody turned a switch and we could hear a bunch. So it’s
hard to attribute the disappointing performance. On the good side, we were able to make
simplex contacts with Delaware, Marion, some of District three including Darke
County, and all the way down to Butler county….on ~2 meter simplex~ no
less! And I was running only 50 watts,
didn’t turn on the amplifier.
The
SET, like any exercise, is supposed to be used to make ourselves better. Here
are some great suggestions and comments from the field.
Because
the conditions were poor, net discipline and proper operating is even more
important. There were many doubles because stations were chatty, loose, and
lacked one word, “OVER!” which would help let everyone else know when a
transmission had ended. We should get in the practice of saying, “Over” on our
HF nets as a routine. Another issue is
message handling. Because many stations (myself included) aren’t fluent at
passing real traffic, we can create problems. One observation was to remember
that the person receiving the message is ~writing it down~ so we must slow our
speaking speed to allow that to happen. It’s better and takes less time to pass
traffic at a slower pace so we only need to pass it once, not several times as
fills.
On
the other hand, it was a great test of stations’ abilities to relay and back up
other stations so the communications got through…very well done, all!!
The
Central Ohio Traffic Net, one of a few local nets participating with vigor (not
sure where other local nets were?) reported passing over 100 messages, probably
more. Most of the net’s check-ins were
‘new’ hams- it’s nice to see fresh
interest. NTS was more involved this year, which created greater realism.
Matt,
KD8TTE, tells us they were successful in reaching their goals:
Simplex,
check. Local traffic relay, check.
Section-wide traffic relay, check. Beyond-section traffic relay, check. Digital
relay, check. (Note- I even received an fldigi IS-213 message during a COTN
session on the Columbus repeater!) Delivery to non-hams, check. Origination
from non-ham, not checked. Operation from Franklin County EMA, check. This is a great example of melting it all
together, what SET is all about.
I
have a list of recommendations for our operation as a result of SET. I hope you
found some tweaks to be made at your home county as well!
TURN
IN YOUR SET SCORECARD!!!
Oh,
did I mention EC’s should turn in your SET scorecard??
One
thing I’m looking into for Ohio (I may be a day late here, I realize) may help
with the crowded digital stuff. My Net
Manager for the Hurricane Watch Net is evangelizing me for Winlink. Man, this
stuff is great! You should You-Tube some
of the demo’s and get involved. (I did get one Winlink message from Hamilton
Co. from the SET. Nice!)
We
had 20 EC’s and other managers in ARES signed up for our EC training day
October 10. We tried to make it worth their time with subjects ranging from
filling out the monthly report to putting together an emergency exercise.
Included was a tour of The Sarge following the class.
73, Stan, N8BHL
****************************************************
THE PUBLIC INFORMATION
COORDINATOR
John Ross, KD8IDJ
TECH NETS…Back to the Future
Back in the ‘70’s, before the
internet, VHS, CD’s DVD’s, study guides and social media, local repeaters were
the place to go to learn about amateur radio. Just by listening you could learn
a lot about antennas, equipment, links and operating procedures.
Today local Tech Nets are the
place to go ask questions and get answers about all things ham radio…all
firsthand!
Here in Ohio we have great
tech nets. Just about every amateur radio club hosts a tech net on their local
repeater. Like the days of old, you can actually ask questions and get answers
from real people…often MANY real people will chime in with their two cents
worth!
This “throwback” way of
communicating and learning is at the heart of what amateur radio is all about.
When we use our technology to learn about our technology we extend the
handshake of knowledge and move our hobby forward…to the future!
I dropped in on our tech net
here in central Ohio the other night. When I told them about by flagpole
antenna project the responses were fast and furious. Yes, I still need to read
more about it but hearing the suggestions from other hams adds creditability
and firsthand experience.
Let me know about your club’s
tech nets…time, frequency and schedule...I’ll pass long the information in this
column and maybe even turn the antenna and drop in!
ARES Emergency Coordinators
Training
A big event this past
Saturday October 10th for Ohio Emergency Coordinators. A great training session
lead by Ohio Section Emergency Coordinator Stan Broadway N8BHL.
Stan was gracious enough to
provide this wrap up of the activity for the PIC column.
-----
Twenty newer members of the
Ohio Section Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) spent a day learning from
experts about their responsibilities.
County Emergency Coordinators
and Assistant EC’s heard from Ohio Section Manager Scott Yonally, N8SY, Ohio
Section Emergency Coordinator Stan Broadway, N8BHL, Northeast Ohio District 10
EC Eric Jessen, N8AUC, and Dayton area District 3 EC Robert Rhoades, KC8WHK.
When a new county EC is
appointed, they receive a manual from the ARRL which helps detail their
position. But often, that’s where it stops. We wanted to create a learning and
conversational situation where we could put ‘real life’ into their
responsibilities. These instructors are
the best! Bob Rhoades has a lengthy background in the fire service and Fire
Marshall’s office, the Ohio Health Department and instructing at Emmitsburg,
Maryland. One just doesn’t tap into better learning that what Bob brings. Eric
Jessen can draw from a ‘big city’ history of events and real life interaction
with agencies. Scott and Stan share lengthy backgrounds in emergency services
and planning.
Stan launched the day with an
overview of ARES from its historical structure to its current organization in
Ohio. Most important was the concept that the EC is the lead representative of
ARES – knowing his own area and being able to set relationships with his
agencies. DEC and SEC positions are in place to support the EC, and reinforce
his or her ability to serve the agencies and the public. The session also
detailed job duties such as filling in the monthly reports.
Scott, fresh back from a week
of training at ARRL League, presented vital information on personnel policies
and procedures. His information included the latest concealed carry policies
within the ARRL and he was able to bring personal guidance and experience.
Stan and Eric took on what is
arguably the most important function of the EC: establish and maintain a
relationship with the EMA Director, and other served agencies. Eric’s advice, “Never write a check you can’t
cash” resonated with the group. Discussion ranged from not showing up in Camo
with 25 radios on your belt to what it takes to be accepted into the ‘inner
circle’ of dependable leaders at your EMA.
Bob brought his wealth of
experience in building exercises - describing the different types of exercises,
and what goes into creating a “proper” MESL (timetable and injects to guide the
exercise).
Stan then delved into
emergency planning, outlining the Ohio Section Emergency Response Plan and how
it can be adapted to the specific county level.
EC’s were advised to talk with their EMA Directors about what he calls
the “10 worst headache” list – the outline of their top ten threats and their
plans to mitigate them. That information can lead to creating ARES plans that
interface with them. It helps to integrate ARES into the county’s thinking as a
valid emergency resource.
One of the top concerns for
many counties is retention and keeping volunteers interested. Stan suggested that training meetings should
be just that: presenting significant training using instructors available from
their county agencies. Topics included SAR (search and rescue), CPR,
anti-terrorism, damage assessment, Red Cross shelter operations, CERT, health
department concerns, triage, net operations, MESH, fldigi, Winlink and other
topics all giving volunteers something to ‘take home.’
Assessments of the course
were enthusiastic, and comments affirmed that those present looked forward to
digesting the information and putting it into play in their own counties.
The class was conducted at
the Franklin County EMA office in Columbus.
Thanks, Stan. The Ohio
Section ARES program is in good hands.
The PIC's Ham Shack...sort of..
This past year we've featured
pictures of several ham shacks. Thanks to all who send me pictures and keep
them coming.
I thought I should practice
what I preach and share some info and a picture of my stuff.
I've come a long way from my
first ham shack in an old coal bin in the basement of my parents' house...all
most. For the past 30 years my gear has been mixed in with the recording
equipment in my basement studio which is now undergoing extreme renovation. The
Yaesu 897D and several ICOM base and mobile units are still there but three of
my four teletypes are temporarily located in my workshop on the other side of
the wall...and here they are:
All three are in good
shape...one is new! I found it at a military surplus store in the original
crate.
One of the other machines
actually came for a local radio station. They gave to me when UPI pulled out
My antenna farm is in the
attic right now...several 1/2 waves sticks, a Yagi directional and a 50 foot
center fed dipole. Hopefully, there will soon be a new flagpole in the front
side yard hiding an all band vertical!
More AFTER pictures later
this year.
That's it for this month. I
was reminded the newsletter contest is only two months away!!! Get ready!
73, John, KD8IDJ
****************************************************
THE SECTION TRAFFIC MANAGER
David Maynard, WA3EZN - STM
BLACKOUT..
If you missed out on the SET
training this month you short changed yourself and you family. Stan's plan was to see how things would work
if there was an electrical power grid failure.
If you say you were not interested and a power grid failure is a silly
thing to think about and plan for, you are either seriously wrong or you are
just so uninformed.
What I will attempt to do
here is to spur the thinking of all readers to think about, research and
prepare for a power failure grid down situation. Why would I want you to think
about, read on and find out.
If you live a comfortable
middle-class lifestyle in this country, this situation sounds preposterous,
doesn’t it? It is not. Families, just like yours, faced this exact plight on
December 20, 2013, when a massive ice storm hit parts of central Canada and the
U.S., crippling many cities and leaving tens of thousands without power for
days, sometimes weeks. Those who were prepared for such an event, having items
such as blankets and medications to bring with them, fared much better than
their ill-prepared counterparts.
Imagine yourself and your
family, forced from your home in the dead of winter, with nothing more than the
few supplies you were able to carry amongst yourselves. Then imagine being shuttered
into a community center with thousands of other families, displaced from their
homes as well, relying on what few supplies the government could provide. In today’s modern society, we’ve come to rely
almost implicitly on having a dependable source of power. When power grid
fails, it causes utter and complete chaos for those not fortunate enough to
have had the foresight to prepare. There
is no hope that the government will come to the rescue for many days in such a
major event. This statement has already been proven by our history.
What is the electrical power
grid?
The electrical power grid is
the network of wires and poles for delivering electricity from the suppliers to
you the consumer. It consists of
generating stations that produce electrical power, high-voltage transmission
lines that carry power from distant sources to demand centers, and distribution
lines that connect individual customers like you. The generating stations can be a state away
to several states away and the electricity can travel over hundreds of miles of
transmission lines before it gets to your area and that substation down the
road that feeds you home and everything around you.
Of all the threats your
disaster plan should consider, power grid failure is one of the more realistic
and among the most likely to occur. When a power grid fails, a substantial
geographic area can be without power for hours, days, or sometimes even
weeks. Here are examples to prove that
it is possible and will probably happen again.
1. In addition to the 2013 ice storm that
decimated power sources to many areas of central Canada and the U.S., there
have been several other power grid failures in the last decade that brought
panic and chaos to areas all over the world.
2. September 09, 2015 Thousands of residents in
and around Syracuse were without power due to an equipment failure at a
National Grid substation.
3. April 7, 2015 WASHINGTON - An equipment
failure is to blame for a region-wide power outage that impacted the White
House, the Capitol, the University of Maryland and other buildings throughout
D.C. and Maryland on Tuesday afternoon, according to an official.
4. In 2005, Louisiana and surrounding areas
dealt with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that left 2.6 million people without
power; some for extended periods of time due to the extensive flooding that
structurally damaged buildings and blocked access to power sources.
5. The chaos of unexpected power loss is all too
familiar for people who work in downtown Detroit. Its aging municipal system
was responsible for major power failures that caused blackouts in 2010, 2011
and 2013.
6. The Northeast blackout of 2003 was a
widespread power outage that occurred throughout parts of the Northeastern and
Midwestern United States and the Canadian province of Ontario on Thursday,
August 14, 2003, just after 4:10 p.m.
7. In 2003, the Northeast Blackout at Con Edison
left 55 million people in Canada and the U.S. without power; in some cases,
this lasted for more than 2 days
The power failure that
plunged Detroit's schools, fire stations, traffic signals and public buildings
into darkness in December 2014 reflects a larger problem of aging electrical
infrastructure around the country that has worried experts for years. Much of the electrical grid is at least 50
years old and the power companies are unable physically and financially to
replace the massive grid system
The two most common reasons
for power outages:
1.The Edison Electric
Institute states that 70% of power outages in the U.S. are weather related.
2. The Edison Electric
Institute study also indicates that animals coming into contact with power
lines, such as large birds, accounted for 11% of outages in the United States.
3. Power outages are also
caused by tree limbs, auto accidents and intentional destruction by humans.
According to Wall Street Daily,
in their article “The U.S. Electric Grid's Days May Be Numbered”, more than
3200 utilities come together to make up the grid. The electricity mainly comes
from fossil fuels which is distributed over 2.7 million miles of power lines.
But the whole model which has been in place for many decades, is in danger of
shorting out – threatening the very electrical grid we're all dependent upon.
So, you can stick you head
into the sand and still deny that you will be affected by a power outage or you
can heed warning and start to prepare now for the inevitable power outage you
and your family will face in the future.
It will not matter how good your ham radio station is if you have no
means to run it during a power outage. It will not matter how much food you
have in your refrigerator or freezer if you have no electricity to keep it
cold. It will not matter how new your
gas furnace is in sub zero winter temperatures if you have no electricity to
run the furnace.
You can be a part of the
solution and start to prepare now or you can be the problem and depend on
others to rescue you and your family and to carry the ball for you.
It's your family and it is
your responsibility to see that they will be taken care of when the grid goes
down and you are in total darkness.
Or you can rely on others and
go to a shelter during an emergency.
Take time to do some research
for yourself. To get you started here are some interesting links I encourage
you to look at: It's way too easy to
cause a massive blackout in the US: http://www.vox.com/2014/4/14/5604992/us-power-grid-vulnerability
The Many Causes of Power
Failures:http://www.dieselserviceandsupply.com/Causes_of_Power_Failures.aspx
EMP attack on U.S. power grid
could kill 90% of Americans:
That’s all for this month.
73 and 88 if appropriate,
David, WA3EZN
****************************************************
OUT AND ABOUT IN SOUTHEAST
OHIO
Lyn Alfman, N8IMW - Assistant
Section Manager (SE)
This month we had spring,
summer, and fall weather! What a roller
coaster. We are approaching my favorite
month of the year-October-with its warm days, cool nights, fairly dry weather,
and colorful leaves!
In September, I attended the
following meetings or took part in these activities:
Attended Cambridge Amateur
Radio Association (CARA) business meeting
Attended the CARA book
committee meeting
Attended the Cambridge
Christmas Parade Committee meeting
Attended an orientation
meeting for volunteers for Muskingum Co. Health Dept. Flu Clinic
Acted as CARA Net Control
Station for a Tuesday night net and checked into others
Submitted CARA Club Notes to
newspaper
Submitted meeting
announcements to newspaper, radio, and respective web sites
Helped with the exterior
restoration of CARA’s historic Waller-McMunn/WEBE building
Documented (by taking pictures) the exterior restoration of
building
Updated W8VP web site
calendar
Participated in Ohio State
Parks on the Air Contest from Blue Rock State Park for W8VP
Helped design, set up, and
tear down CARA’s booth at the Guernsey County Fair
Attended four amateur radio
lunches**
Attended Guernsey/Noble
County Long Term Recovery Committee (GNCLTRC) meeting (EMA)
Submitted September and
October Safety Tip articles to newspaper for GNCLTRC (EMA)
Phew.. as you can see, I’ve
been somewhat busy this past month!!
**Several amateur radio
operators in the area met for lunch each Thursday. We have normally anywhere
from six to sixteen people; not all are amateurs. Check the calendar on our web site http://w8vp.org for details, and come join us!
Next month is already shaping
up to be a much busier month than this one!
Remember to be Radio Active!
73, Lyn, N8IMW
****************************************************
FROM THE STATE GOVERNMENT
LIAISON
By: Nick Pittner, K8NAP - SGL
nickpittner9@gmail.com
Why Ohio Needs a Volunteer
Counsel Program..
Last month I mentioned the
possibility of creating an Ohio version to the ARRL Volunteer Counsel
program. This month I want to talk about
why such a program would be beneficial.
For many years the League has
maintained a “Volunteer Counsel” program “…to compile and maintain an
up-to-date list of attorneys capable of representing amateurs in antenna or RFI
disputes.” According to the League’s
statement, the only commitment that an attorney makes by signing up is to
“provide an initial consultation gratis...”
Presently only one Ohio attorney is listed as a member of the League’s
Volunteer Counsel Program. But, there
are two primary reasons why Ohio should offer an expanded, and more active
program.
First, any decisions
involving Ohio’s new antenna law, which become precedent for any future
litigation. An adverse decision will
create precedent for all future litigation.
Thus, this is a critical time for us.
Courts can only respond to the facts before them, and generally apply
only the law argued by the attorneys in the case. If critical arguments are not presented, bad
decisions can, and often do follow. We
all benefit from thorough representation and a Volunteer Counsel program could
help that cause by compiling the latest decisions available and making that
information available to counsel representing hams in antenna cases.
Second, if, as we hope, the
League’s efforts to pass the Amateur Radio Parity Act are successful and the
FCC requires an expanded “reasonable accommodation” standard to include
condominium regulations, neighborhood agreements and deed restrictions, the
potential battlefield will significantly expand. The League has limited
resources and will be hard-put to support the kind of litigation that could
occur on a national basis. Yet, the
stakes will be greater than ever, and Ohio hams would be well served by a group
of attorneys who are both knowledgeable and prepared. The time for that preparation is now.
A Volunteer Counsel program
could also serve as a valuable resource to attorneys who may not be familiar
with the workings of Ohio administrative (zoning) appeals – critical stages in
any antenna litigation. Getting the
right facts in the record and making sure that the procedural requirements are
met are critical to success, as the counsel for the Village of Swanton recently
discovered to their dismay. Not every
attorney is familiar with the unique aspects of antenna litigation and a
Volunteer Counsel program could help address those issues.
In the coming weeks I will
personally reach out to those whom I know to be both active attorneys and hams
to explore further the possibility of an Ohio Volunteer Counsel program. You can help.
If you work with or know of an attorney who might be interested, (ham
license not necessary) please encourage that individual to contact me.
Thanks..
73, Nick, K8NAP
****************************************************
FROM THE SCOUTING ASM
Scott Hixon, KC8ITN
kc8itn@arrl.net
From time to time I've had
people contact me asking what Boy Scout Council they live in. That got me
thinking. In my articles, I always put something in them about contacting your
local scout council if you would like to help out scouts in your area. But I
have never listed what or where the councils are in Ohio. Today I remedy that!
In Ohio, there are 15
different Boy Scout Councils encompassing all 88 counties. Within these 15
councils there are scouting districts which cover smaller area inside the
councils. Here is the list of each council and the Ohio counties within each
council:
SIMON KENTON COUNCIL: Union, Delaware, Licking, Madison, Franklin,
Fairfield, Pickaway, Fayette, Hocking, Highland, Ross, Vinton, Pike, Jackson,
Adams, Scioto, Lawrence.
GREATER CLEVELAND COUNCIL:
Cuyahoga County.
GREATER WESTERN RESERVE
COUNCIL: Lake, Ashtabula, Geauga, Trumbull, Mahoning.
GREAT TRAIL COUNCIL: Medina,
Summit, Portage.
BUCKEYE COUNCIL: Wayne,
Holmes, Stark, Carroll, Tuscarawas, Columbiana.
OHIO RIVER VALLEY COUNCIL:
Harrison, Jefferson, Belmont, Monroe.
BLACK SWAMP AREA COUNCIL:
Williams, Fulton, Defiance, Henry, Paulding, Putnam, Hancock, Seneca, Van Wert,
Allen, Hardin, Mercer, Auglaize.
MIAMI VALLEY COUNCIL: Shelby,
Darke, Miami, Montgomery, Preble.
DAN BEARD COUNCIL: Butler,
Warren, Hamilton, Clermont, Brown.
ERIE SHORES COUNCIL: Lucas,
Ottawa, Wood, Sandusky.
TECUMSEH COUNCIL: Logan,
Champaign, Clark, Greene, Clinton.
HEART OF OHIO COUNCIL: Erie,
Lorain, Huron, Ashland, Richland, Wyandot, Crawford, Marion, Morrow.
MUSKINGUM COUNCIL: Knox,
Coshocton, Muskingum, Guernsey, Perry, Morgan, Noble.
ALLOHAK COUNCIL: Athens, Washington.
TRI-STATE AREA COUNCIL:
Meigs, Gallia.
There it is, all 88 counties
and the BSA councils the area in. If you go to a specific council website,
there should be information or a link to the districts within the council.
So now if you want to put on
a ham radio demonstration for a scout group, you have the information to get
things started. And as always, you can
contact me if you have any questions or comments. My email address is: 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).
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!
Until next time: Take care,
stay safe, and make a difference is someone's life!!
73, Scott, KC8ITN
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LET'S TALK
Scott Yonally, N8SY - Section
Manager
n8sy@arrl.org
Hi Gang,
Wow, fall has definitely arrived!!! There’s even that dreaded four letter word in
the forecast for this weekend.. (SNOW)
I’ve kept myself somewhat
busy this year by traveling 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! 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 5 Boy Scout
troupes to visit this next month.. I hope to see some of them and their troupe
leaders this weekend at JOTA.. Yes, I will be participating from the metropolis
of Lexington. My home club is sponsoring a JOTA here in our community park this
weekend.
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?
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.
HEY, did you see that 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
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 1,600 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!!
Hey, and don’t forget to turn
your clocks back one hour on November 1st.. This is when we get to
gain that hour back that we lost early last spring.. and it’s a really neat
birthday present for me.. I get to sleep in an extra hour!!
73, Scott, N8SY
****************************************************
THE OFFICIAL OBSERVER
COORDINATOR
John Perone, W8RXX
w8rxx@arrl.net
I have received a total of
890 hours monitored by the Ohio OO's.
No cards were sent. (Everyone
must have been behaving?)
73, John, W8RXX
****************************************************
TURN YOUR CLOCKS BACK ONE
HOUR
Yes, it’s that time of year
once again.. On November 1st at 2am turn your clocks BACK one hour.
This will put us back on Eastern Standard Time until March 13th of
2016 when we get to do this all over again..
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WEBSITE STATS – ** arrl-ohio.org
**
Reported period: Sep 2015
First visit: 01 Sep 2015 - 00:01
Last visit: 30 Sep 2015 - 23:58
Unique visitors # of visits Pages Hits Bandwidth
1,595 3,217 225,303 858,441
2.48 GB
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SCHOOL CLUB ROUNDUP
Fall Term: October 19-23,
2015
Objective: To exchange QSO
information with club stations that are a part of an elementary, middle, high
school or college. Non-school clubs and individuals are encouraged to
participate.
Sponsored by the ARRL, its
Hudson Division Education Task Force and the Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio
Club (LIMARC) to foster contacts with and among school radio clubs.
Award certificates will be
issued for the following US and DX categories:
*Schools: Elementary,
Middle/Intermediate/Junior High School, High School and College/University
*Non-school Clubs
*Individuals
Web Submission of Scores and
Logs: Click here for the SCR score entry website. Scores and logs for any School Club Roundup
may be entered from the time the contest begins through the log submission
deadline published below. A
logs-received page is also maintained and provisional scores will be published
immediately following the log submission deadline. Thanks to WA7BNM for
creating this new score reporting and publishing web site.
Multipliers: Note that a
station can only count for a single multiplier as described in Rule 5 below.
i.e. a contact may count for a "School" or a "Club" but not
both. A "school club" counts
as a "school" only. Contacts
submitted claiming both multipliers will be scored according to the log
submitted by the station contacted.
Post Photos and Stories: One
of the best parts of School Club Roundup is showing off your team members and
station. Other participants will enjoy
hearing about how you did and reading the story of your contest. You can upload photos and text via the ARRL
Soapbox web page.
** NEW RULES FOR 2015-2016 **
Because of rules changes,
logging software updates are needed. Be sure your software is up to date before
October!
Contacts on digital modes
such as RTTY and PSK31 now count separately from CW. Modes must be abbreviated in the
Cabrillo-formatted log file as PH, CW, or RY.
The number of contacts
allowed per station has been changed to once per band per mode. One will now be
able to make up to three contacts with a station on each band using CW, voice,
and digital modes. Multipliers will
still only count once.
A minor change in the minimum
break time may give some school operations some additional operating time. The minimum break time is reduced from 30
minutes to 10 minutes. This may be
helpful in schools where operation is interrupted by the changing of classes.
ONLINE RESULTS
The full results write-up for
the October 2014 and February 2015 contests will be available in the October
2015 issue of QST. Click here for the online results of all SCR events
beginning with the October 2013 SCR.
Click on a call sign in the results to see more information about the
entry. Certificates have been emailed as
PDF files to all participants who provided an email address. If you did not receive a certificate or wish
to receive a paper certificate, contact scr@limarc.org.
****************************************************
SPECIAL EVENTS STATIONS IN
OHIO
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.
****
12/05/2015 | 1914
Waller-McMunn Hamshack
Dec 5, 1400Z-2200Z
W8VP, Cambridge, OH.
Cambridge Amateur Radio
Association.
7.240 7.230
Certificate. Cambridge
Amateur Radio Association,
PO Box 1804,
Cambridge, OH 43725.
Roy Waller, founder of the
club in 1913, and his brother-in-law
Homer McMunn used this
building as their radio shack 1914,
and later (briefly) as an AM
broadcast station (1924).
Please QSL with contact
information and $1 for postage
****************************************************
OHIO HAMFEST CALENDAR
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
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Happy Halloween to one and
ALL!!
********
eof..