In this issue:
-> SKYWARN TRAINING
-> SEVERE WEATHER
SYMPOSIUM
-> THE TECHNICAL
COORDINATOR
-> AFFILIATED CLUB
COORDINATOR REPORT
-> NATIONAL PARKS ON THE
AIR
-> THE SECTION EMERGENCY
COORDINATOR
-> THE PUBLIC INFORMATION
COORDINATOR
-> THE SECTION TRAFFIC
MANAGER
-> OUT AND ABOUT
-> FROM THE EDUCATIONAL
OUTREACH ASM
-> ARES TRAINING UPDATE
-> LET'S TALK
-> THE OFFICIAL OBSERVER
COORDINATOR
-> FIELD DAY
-> SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS
IN OHIO
-> OHIO HAMFEST CALENDAR
****************************************************
SKYWARN TRAINING – WHERE CAN I GET IT..
Hey Gang, it’s time to start
thinking of either renewing, or obtaining your Skywarn training for 2017. Do
you know where the training is being made available?
Here’s are links to all 5 weather
offices that cover Ohio. Depending on where you live will depend on which
weather office you’ll want to look at. It’s your choice as to which area you
want to go to, but just be sure to get that training in!
You can also find these links
on the Ohio Section ARES webpage under Skywarn too
****************************************************
SEVERE WEATHER SYMPOSIUM
(from Michael Schulsinger,
N8QHV)
The Ohio State University MetClub
is hosting the 21st Severe Weather Symposium. The symposium is free,
though there is a charge for parking at the Ohio Union on OSU's main
campus.
The 2017 symposium is
scheduled for Friday, March 24th. Lunch is available in the Union, or at
restaurants across High Street.
I have attended most of these
and only regretted one year - the year a tornado outbreak plowed across
northern Kentucky, southern Indiana and southern Ohio during the
conference! The link to RSVP is http://u.osu.edu/metclub .
Hope to see everyone there!
****************************************************
THE TECHNICAL COORDINATOR
Jeff Kopcak – TC
Hey gang,
On Sunday, February 12, I
connected up with the Central Ohio Radio Club located in, you guessed it,
central Ohio! They have a Tech Net most
Sunday evenings at 7:30pm. They asked me
to be the featured guest on one of their nets.
Some of you might realize this causes a problem since I live in the
Cleveland area. Enter the technical side
of the hobby and IRLP. IRLP (Internet
Radio Linking Project) is a service that connects amateur stations together
using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
Different from other ham radio VoIP services, IRLP requires the Internet
link be connected to an RF link, usually a repeater or simplex node. Using the LEARA 146.880 repeater in Cleveland
(a club which I’m Vice President and a bunch of other stuff) and Internet
linking technology, I was able to join their net as if I were local to
Columbus.
The CORC Tech Net contacted
me looking for information on technical resources available in the
section. I got the chance to do an
introduction about myself – we’ll quickly move past that ;) Then I talked about how the technical
resources fit into the ARRL organizational structure. If you’re new or haven’t looked at it before,
at the top are the ARRL Officers: president, first & second vice
presidents, COO, etc. The ARRL Board
Committees include the Executive Committee, Administration & Finance,
Programs & Services, Public Relations, DX, LoTW, etc. Then Divisions, of which there are 15 total,
with Director and Vice Director positions.
In Ohio, we’re included in the Great Lakes Division. Finally, our section is the Ohio Section
where Scott - N8SY is our fearless leader and Section Manager (SM).
Below the SM are their
appointees who may or may not include (depending on the section): Section
Traffic Manager (STM), Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC), Assistant Section
Manager (ASM), Official Observer Coordinator (OOC), Technical Coordinator (TC),
Affiliated Club Coordinator (ACC), Public Information Coordinator (PIC), State
Government Liaison (SGL), Section Youth Coordinator (SYC). If you’re reading this, the people above and below
me in this Journal make up this list. I
won’t spend too much time here as details can be found on the “About ARRL” page
at http://www.arrl.org/about-arrl.
As the Technical Coordinator,
I’m responsible for the Technical Specialists.
The Specialists and I are here to promote technical advances and
experimentation in the hobby. We
encourage amateurs in the section to share their technical achievements with
others in QST, at club meetings, in club newsletters, hamfests, and
conventions. We’re available to assist
program committees in finding or providing suitable programs for local club
meetings, ARRL hamfests, and conventions in the section. When called upon, serve as advisors in RFI
issues and work with ARRL officials and appointees for technical advice.
The Technical Specialists
really make all this happen. In the Ohio
Section, there are about 20 qualified and competent Specialists willing to
help. They meet the obligation of advancing
the radio art bestowed to us by the FCC.
The TS’s support the Section in two main areas of responsibility: Radio
Frequency Interference and technical information. RFI can include harmful interference
(interference that seriously degrades, obstructs, or repeatedly interrupts a radio
communication service) from bad insulators on telephone poles to grow lights
and poorly made transformers, RFI direction finding, or assist in locating bozo
stations. Technical information is
everything else from building antennas, repeaters and controllers, digital,
computers, networking, and embedded devices.
How can we help? The knowledge and abilities of your Technical
Specialists are quite impressive. Here
are some examples of the knowledge the Technical Specialists provide:
* Documentation and training.
* VHF/UHF portable operation.
* Antennas (fixed, portable, and mobile).
* Batteries and emergency power.
* Experts in RFI from powerline and consumer
devices.
* VHF/UHF/SHF contesting.
* Experts in test equipment.
* Automotive electronic compatibility (EMC)
and interference (EMI).
* Repeaters.
* Digital modes (D-STAR, DMR, Fusion, P25,
APRS & IGates. HF: MT63, JT65,
Olivia, PSK).
* Computers and networking (VoIP – AllStar
link, software engineering, embedded systems – Raspberry Pi, Arduino).
* Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE)
members knowledgeable in interference problems.
This impressive list of
qualifications is available to all in the Ohio Section. Looking for help in one of these areas? Feel free to contact myself. My contact info is near my picture and on the
arrl-ohio.org website. I’ll
try to assist or get some more information from you and put you in touch with
an appropriate Technical Specialist. One
of the Specialists might hear a plea for help and reach out to you as
well. If you would like to add your
talents, check out the description at the ARRL site: http://www.arrl.org/technical-specialist and talk to Scott or myself.
Thanks again to CORC (http://corc.us/) for inviting me as the featured guest on their Tech
Net and LEARA (http://www.leara.org/) for
the use of the IRLP node to make this connection possible.
That’s about it for this
month. Stay tuned for next month’s
article, got something good planned.
Thanks for reading and 73… de Jeff – K8JTK
****************************************************
THE AFFILIATED CLUBS COORDINATOR
John Myers, KD8MQ - ACC
Hello everyone, here we are;
another month closer to springtime. I’m itching to get started on outdoor
projects. The winter wasn’t a friend to my tri-bander, so that is job one.
I saw last week that the
Entry Level License Committee at the league is looking at recommending either
changes to the existing technician license, or a new, simpler license. I know
this is a subject that raises strong opinions on either side of the discussion,
so please, surf over to the league website and let your voice be heard, by
filling out a short survey. You can find it at http://www.arrl.org/license-1.
Next, as I was reading the
January issue of CQ Magazine, one article in particular caught my eye. The
article, “Growing Ham Radio: Are We
Placing Emphasis On the Wrong Objective?” by K8HSY is on pg. 42.
Space prevents me from
reprinting the article here, but the writer makes some excellent points. One is
the importance of elmering to assist our new Hams in getting on the air, and
enjoying Amateur Radio. He also points out that while we have lots of new
licensees, not enough is being done to get them active, and on the air. If you
have access the January issue of CQ, I recommend giving this article a look.
On the same subject, here’s
something that crossed my desk the other day. It’s from the January issue of
the Monday Morning Memo.
The editor, John, WA8KIW
reported on several clubs who had held licensing classes recently. This
resulted in many new Hams in the South Central Ohio area. Following up on that
is John’s “sermon”. I’ll reprint it here.
THE SERMON--Now the challenge
is for us “old timers” to help them get on the air and active. Be an
Elmer. Give them advice and assistance
finding equipment that meets their needs. Even lend extra items for them to
experience. Don’t ignore them when you
hear them on the air. Give them a call
and welcome them to the airwaves. And if
they make mistakes or use CB or public service terms, don’t go off on
them. Remember, you were once new
yourself! And for you “newbies”, even if
you got the license and a radio only for emergency purposes, get on the air and
learn how to use the radio and the proper procedures. It serves no purpose for you to have gone
through the effort to become licensed and then not use it. You will have nothing more than an expensive
paperweight if during an emergency you try to use an improperly programed radio
or the batteries are dead. Sermons Over!
The Monday Morning Memo is a
weekly newsletter, based out of Highland, Ohio. Its focus is not on any one
club, but rather on Ham Radio in that region. The idea of a regional newsletter
was so interesting that I copied the idea, and started something similar in NE
Ohio. If you’d like to be added to the mailing list, you can contact John at highlandara@yahoo.com.
As Scott, N8SY says, let’s
switch gears. Tom Gallagher’s column in the March issue of QST (pg. 11) really
caught my attention. It is entitled is “Get On The air With History”. He leads
off with a story about stopping at the Minute Man National historic Park, and
continues onto the story of the 95th anniversary of the first
shortwave reception across the Atlantic.
Obviously it isn’t real tough
to figure out what these two events have to do with one another. His article
reminded me of a cool club activity idea. That’s right, Special Event Stations.
They are good for not only the groups who put them on, but they also help to
raise awareness of the event. There’s a wealth of Special Event possibilities
all around us. Just pick one and begin planning. You can register your
operation on the league website at www.arrl.org/special-events-application.
So what events do we
commemorate? Well, Here in Alliance, we do a special event each year
commemorating the birthplace of the state flower; the Scarlet Carnation. We’ve
also done events commemorating the birthplace of Taylorcraft Aviation. When I think of Special Event Stations, The
Cambridge ARA comes to mind. During their 100th Anniversary, they
conducted a special event operation each month for a year.
I know there’s a lot more of
you out there conducting events, and to you I say good job!
And that wraps it up for
another month. See you next time.
73 DE KD8MQ
***************************************************
NATIONAL PARKS ON THE AIR
John Myers, KD8MQ - ACC
This
is my final NPOTA column in the Section journal. It’s been a fun year finding
new NPOTA stuff to write about. I hope you have enjoyed reading it. But, with
NPOTA is finished, and there’s a lot more stuff out there to enjoy.
The
NPOTA website will be online for a few months yet, and you can order your
chaser, activator Honor roll certificates for a while yet. The NPOTA Swag
available via the ARRL Store is definitely on a “While supplies last” basis, so
get your orders in today.
NPOTA wrap-up article – The NPOTA wrap-up is online as a free
article at www.arrl.org/this-month-in-qst. It is also available
in the March issue of QST.
Also,
it has been announced that the league has no plans to dismantle the NPOTA
Facebook group. So, in the words of Norm, W3IZ, “Party On”!
I’d
like to congratulate Dennis, AI8P, and Eric, WD8RIF, for being the number 1
& 2 activators in Ohio. I know that they were running neck & neck right
up to the end.
In
the chaser column, we have Doug, KD8F, and Doug (Sorry if I butchered your
name) WB8TLI for winding up as number 1 & 2 in Ohio.
And
that is all I have this month.
73,
John,
KD8MQ
****************************************************
THE SECTION EMERGENCY COORDINATOR
Stan Broadway, N8BHL
The 2017 ARES VHF Contest
Results
The 2017 ARES VHF Simplex
contest had a runaway winner! N8WAC,
Tony Everhardt from Walbridge in Wood County, just south of Toledo, racked up
an impressive score of 5,258 having worked 22 counties! This may not be a surprise to Tony, since he
is a dedicated VHF DX-er (with a nice antenna system to boot.) As you might expect, ‘iron in the sky’ makes
a big difference.
But Tony wasn’t the only one
with an impressive score. The next three top scorers- in Shelby, Hardin, and
Medina- all placed over a thousand points on the board and two were also in
double-digit county contacts. Eight
stations operated in the digital mode. Four were portable, five operated from
an EOC.
Call
|
County
|
Score
|
Counties
|
Total
|
N8WAC
|
Wood
|
239
|
22
|
5258
|
N8KZL
|
Shelby
|
174
|
10
|
1740
|
W8VMV
|
Hardin
|
142
|
8
|
1136
|
W8EOC
|
Medina
|
85
|
13
|
1105
|
K8GDT
|
Medina
|
145
|
5
|
725
|
KD8FHY
|
Medina
|
161
|
3
|
483
|
N8MPF
|
Cuyahoga
|
55
|
7
|
385
|
N8DCA
|
Delaware
|
74
|
5
|
370
|
WO3X
|
Summit
|
58
|
5
|
290
|
AC8UJ
|
Hamilton
|
95
|
3
|
285
|
KC8PUW
|
Coshocton
|
67
|
4
|
268
|
AA8BN
|
Coshocton
|
81
|
3
|
243
|
W8VVL
|
Hamilton
|
106
|
2
|
212
|
AD8Y
|
Cuyahoga
|
19
|
5
|
95
|
N8BHL
|
Delaware
|
13
|
5
|
65
|
AB8SV
|
Coshocton
|
31
|
2
|
62
|
KC8ZQT
|
Coshocton
|
19
|
1
|
19
|
KD8ZLD
|
Hamilton
|
18
|
1
|
18
|
There were other stations
operating, some making fairly good DX for 2 meters. If I did not receive your score, I apologize…
I had some email headaches during the period.
Band conditions were
interesting. From Delaware I listened to two Medina stations who would be solid
for five minutes, then fade, then come right back. As the county numbers
showed, those conditions applied across the state. I hope you had fun with this event, and I
hope it helped you map your coverage area and potential for application in a
true emergency!
And Now What?
ARES in Ohio is not a one-man
show. It’s not a ten-person show either. It belongs to you! We are no better
than what each individual member contributes- and your contributions were
immense last year! On Sunday January 29th, all DEC’s, our ASEC’s,
OHDEN and W8SGT team members sat down to plan and discuss where we stand. I
can’t thank them enough- a couple drove through ice and as much as 10” of snow,
several had two plus hours of driving. Their dedication shows how much they
value ARES. You have some great leadership there!
A brief outline:
Issue 1: Complacency. Our members are busy people, and since we
don’t have wildfires, hurricanes and the like, we aren’t exactly busy with
fulfilling emergency activity. On the other hand, we may be too busy- bicycle
rides, marathons and other activities can bring burnout and schedule conflict.
Whatever the reasons, our task is to figure out how to battle
complacency—because that is a major enemy to success when a major event
actually rears its head. The answer is simple, “Do something!” Another great idea, for DEC’s and EC’s
especially: real personal contact (imagine that!) The telephone can be used to keep people
involved. So we’re working on “do something” and “do something different”.
Issue 2: ARESMAT. This has
not brought in ‘waves’ of volunteers, so Matt KD8TTE has re-structured the
concept to provide positive results! We
intend to offer training and operator certification to assure that our state’s
top operators can carry the “ARESMAT” credentials. It will be something worth
working toward- and the results will produce a cadre of talented people we
need.
Issue 3: OHDEN. We discussed at length some of the band
conditions, mode bottlenecks and other aspects of this very important service. The bigger concern is how to reduce the
lengthy check-in times for the net and still be a viable statewide service. One
concept Gary and Eldon are going to work on is that of a county station
login. Just so happens it’s in keeping
with OSERP, but the thinking is that ONE station per county would log into the
net, after taking logins from any other stations within their own county. We
also discussed a rollcall type login rather than blanket calls. Another
suggestion is that each district create a digital team, able to handle and
distribute local traffic, and interact with OHDEN as the state level. Gary and Eldon will soon have an operations
manual ready for distribution.
Issue 4: When the bands are
no more. Let’s face it- our HF bands
stink. And they’ll get worse as the sunspot cycle continues toward bottoming
out. Our state nets don’t even need to try 40, and 80 goes long before net
time. Out of state stations can hear everyone,
and have helped relay, but that doesn’t give me a warm and fuzzy in case we
need solid statewide comms. So what to do?
The answer- I don’t know yet. We
talked about 6 meters, but that presents a major question: SSB (horizontal
antennas) or FM (vertical antennas but some infrastructure and repeaters
exist.) And is that even workable? We
would have to relay and regionalize. The same could be said of two meters. Another notion is that while higher HF bands
are gone, 160 is becoming absolutely stunning- with solid copy throughout the
state. So do we need to recommend you go out and buy 530’ of wire and an acre
or two to hang it? The jury is still
out- and I welcome your suggestions! In
the meantime, we’re also considering digital voice modes and other
possibilities including WinLink. We need some answers soon!
ARES will be facing some
challenges! While all this goes on, we
each must stay prepared, stay trained (those FEMA courses are important!), and
keep in touch with each other and our agencies- because our services can be
requested at any minute.
Stay ready, stay warm, stay
equipped for the weather, and have some fun!
For the latest Section
Emergency Coordinator’s monthly report go to:
http://arrl-ohio.org/SEC/notes.html
73, Stan, N8BHL
****************************************************
THE PUBLIC INFORMATION COORDINATOR
John Ross, KD8IDJ
College Amateur Radio
Clubs “All Hams on Deck”
Over the past couple of weeks
I’ve talked to representatives of several college Amateur Radio clubs only find
out that radio, at the university level, is not quite as popular as football,
basketball, hockey and sometimes volleyball!!
I guess it’s no surprise but
it does make the latest effort by the ARRL to strengthen university radio clubs
all that more important.
There are two significant
problems facing university Amateur Radio clubs…the first is graduation! It’s a
pretty “good” problem to have though when students are actually going to
college and graduating with a degree! While it takes a toll on membership
turnover it speaks volumes to the dedication of the students and their
determination to complete their degrees.
The second problem that
college radio clubs have is visibility…real and virtual. Most campus radio
clubs “shacks” are located in remote areas out of the mainstream of campus
life. After all, ham radio is not quite as attractive as a multi-million dollar
sports complex. The virtual reality of the campus radio clubs lies with college
of discipline that is supporting the club. Colleges of Engineering are usually
the biggest sponsors but often the clubs fall under a college that is light
years removed from anything remotely connected to Amateur Radio.
As amateurs I think we can
help on all levels by offering our expertise, our time and our knowledge to
help bridge the gaps and keep the clubs running and visible. If you’re an
alumni of a university that has, or had, a ham radio club…reach out…find other
alumni or friends who can make a contribution. Offer to loan, find or work on
equipment so the clubs are “air worthy” and their members can engage in
hands-on experiences…not just talk. Invite club members to your club’s meetings
so they can make new friends, share their interests and maybe latch on to some
renewed inspiration. Write about the college radio clubs in your newsletters or
let them write a column for your newsletter then make sure the campus student
newspaper gets a copy!
We need an “all hams on deck”
approach to help Amateur Radio survive and grow at the college level. We also
might need to make sure area high schools are not left out of the loop.
Colleges can “recruit” high school hams so they don’t get lost in the
transition to higher education.
You’ll see my stories in a
few weeks about the campus radio clubs. Share yours as well. Together we can
use our collective power to amplify the status of Amateur Radio everywhere!!!!
The 2017 Ohio Section
Newsletter Contest
Not counting what’s left of
February…there are only 4 months left to submit your entry for the 2017 Ohio
Section Newsletter Contest!!
I know it sounds unbelievable
but time goes fast! If you send me your newsletter every month you’re in and
don’t have to worry. But it takes two newsletters to qualify so make sure you
get them to me by June 30th.
It takes the judges sometimes
a couple of days to make their decisions and then the results are sealed in a
locked repeater cavity until our meeting in early August!!!
I’ve a got a ton of
newsletters already so we’re off to a great start. Keep them coming.
One More Digital Format
To Try
Just about the time I’m
getting used to programming my new DMR radio…I get an email from a friend
telling me yet another digital mode…JT65-HF.
Apparently I’m in the dark
about this mode so I had to do some research…and maybe our Technical
Coordinator can shoot me some info.
JT65-HF is a low power
digital mode invented by Joe Taylor K1JT. From what I’ve learned so far it’s
usually done with 5 watts…although some hams has used as much as 40
wants…but even when the signal is bad the message can be decoded.
It never ceases to amaze me
all of the different options Amateur Radio has to offer.
That’s it for now….
73,
John, KD8IDJ
****************************************************
THE SECTION TRAFFIC MANAGER
David Maynard, WA3EZN - STM
February news 2017
When it comes to traffic
handling there is the right way and the wrong way to do almost everything. When it comes to news for the Ohio Section
Journal almost everything has been published in the Journal about traffic
handling or is currently on the Ohio Section website www.arrl-ohio.org. So I will
list the Ohio HF traffic nets and a few tips then move on to other things.
Buckeye Net Early – CW –
WB8YLO NET MANAGER – 3580 at 6:45 PM
Buckeye Net Late – CW –
WB9LBI NET MANAGER – 3590 at 10:00 PM
Ohio Slow Net – CW – W8OLO NET MANAGER – 3.53535 at 6 PM
Ohio Single Sideband Net –
Phone – KC8WH NET MANAGER –
OSSBN Frequency and times - 3972.5 at
10:30 AM, 4:15 PM and 6:45 PM
But first a few traffic
handling tips:
If using push-to-talk
operation when transmitting a message, un-key the microphone often so the
receiving station may break in if necessary.
Remember to send your message
slow enough for the receiving station to copy your message on paper. The number
ZERO (0) is not the letter "O". It is pronounced as ZERO and not as
OH or OWE. The letter "O" phonetically is OSCAR.
Use pro-words to identify
what is coming next in a message being transmitted:
FIGURE or FIGURES identifies
the next piece of information as a number or group of numbers. INITIAL (s) or
LETTERS-GROUP identifies the next item as a single letter group or group of
letters (e.g. an acronym such as ARES) spelled out using the Phonetic Alphabet.
I SPELL identifies the next
word as having a unique spelling or is a proper name, Kristine I SPELL, Kelo
Romeo India Sierra Tango India November Echo, Kristine.
Breaks in the text identified
by the letter "X" are always sent as INITIAL X-RAY. The net control
station's operating frequency is always the correct frequency for all members
of the net, regardless if it is not the normal net frequency. You should alway zero beat to the NCS
frequency.
The net control station will
always direct the station receiving traffic to call the station sending the
traffic.
Enough said for now let’s
move on to other things. If you are
going to participate during an emergency you need to be prepared and also have
your family protected. Here is where to
get some help.
There is so much useful
information on this website about safety and preparedness that it is impossible
to list it all here. I suggest you use
the link and see for yourself. Also on
the website is this announcement:
Notice of Funding Opportunity
Ohio Emergency Management
Agency (Ohio EMA)
Security Grants for
Nonprofits (H.B. No. 384)
Period of Performance: April
19, 2017 -- June 30, 2018
The Ohio EMA Security Grants
for Nonprofits program provides funding to nonprofit organizations for eligible
security improvements that assist the organization in preventing, preparing
for, and responding to acts of terrorism. Deadline for submission: March 15,
2017. Additional details can be
found at :
This is another interesting
website for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA. NASA is the only federal agency responsible
for its people’s safety and well-being here on Earth and in space and has a
longtime commitment to safety and emergency preparedness. In 2011 NASA
Administrator Charles F. Bolden, sent an email to all NASA employees
encouraging them to prepare themselves for potential emergencies such as fires,
floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, terrorist attacks and other unforeseen
catastrophes.
This website is worth
checking out. There are many photos
available plus information about some of the tests done in space.
This is one of our served
agencies where 90% of the Red Cross workforce are volunteers. In February 2017 the American Red Cross responded to
disasters across the entire country including the tornado damage in southern
Louisiana and flooding out west. More than 360 Red Cross disaster staff and
volunteers are deployed to multiple response scenes, helping people impacted by
these emergency situations.
Meanwhile many areas in the
Northeast were hit with heavy snowfall, and were experiencing potential
blizzard conditions and power outages. Winter storm warnings have been posted
by the National Weather Service for all of southern New England, eastern
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and parts of Delaware and Maryland. Boston,
Providence, Hartford, New York City and Philadelphia are also included.
The Red Cross provides safety
and survival information on its website.
Check it out.
The Department of Homeland
Security offers a free 2017 National Seasonal Preparedness Messaging Calendar
and the key messages provides you with content to promote preparedness all
year. Stay safe by learning how to be prepared for floods, fires, tornadoes and
other extreme emergencies.
The Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) has made files for the Ready Campaign's publications
available to the public to download at no cost. As a result, organizations can
reproduce these materials to help expand the reach with this critical
information. You can find these
publications at https://www.fema.gov/.
The Emergency Management
Institute (EMI) offers self-paced courses designed for people who have emergency
management responsibilities and the general public. All are offered
free-of-charge to those who qualify for enrollment. To get a complete listing
of courses, click on Course List link above.
Independent Study Exams now
require a FEMA Student Identification (SID) Number. If you do not yet have a
SID, register for one today: https://cdp.dhs.gov/femasid.
FEMA courses is100.b,
is200.b, is700.a and is800.b are required for involvement in any emergency
event. If you have not yet completed
these free online course I urge you to do so soon. Use this link to find the courses under
Independent Study at this website: https://training.fema.gov/is/crslist.aspx
As Scott N8SY says every Ohio
ARES member needs to have at least these 4 basic courses completed. Why are
these courses so important? The simple answer is this - we need these courses
as part of our requirement for our state credentialing system. As you know, the
State of Ohio has a credentialing system that we are a big part of, and to
obtain your credential when the time is needed, means that you need to have
these courses completed and turned in to the database. So, without these
courses being completed, you won’t be able to get credentialed!
Along the same lines is the
upcoming Skywarn Weather Spotter Training sessions. If you are not yet certified as a trained
weather spotter or you need a renewal course you can find information and
registration information at http://skywarn.org/local-skywarn-groups/ohio/.
That's it for now.
73
David WA3EZN
Ohio Section Traffic Manager
****************************************************
OUT AND ABOUT
Lyn Alfman, N8IMW - Assistant
Section Manager
I attended the Sunday Creek Amateur Radio Federation Hamfest in
Nelsonville on January 15.
Sonny and I went on a cruise, so we were out of state between January 21
and January 28. Therefore, we were too
tired to go to the TUSCO Hamfest the next morning.
While we were gone, the Cambridge Amateur Radio Association (CARA) held
nominations for 2017 officers at its January 28 meeting. The election of officers will take place at
the February meeting.
Don’t forget Mansfield’s Mid-Winter Hamfest in February 19.
Remember to be “Radio Active”!
’73 Lyn, N8IMW
****************************************************
FROM THE EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH ASM
Anthony Luscre, K8ZT
The ARRL has announced its
2017 Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology schedule. This summer's sessions
will be held July 17-21 in Dayton, Ohio, and July 24-28 at ARRL Headquarters in
Connecticut.
The deadline to apply is May 1.
These expenses-paid, intensive professional development opportunities offer educators training and resources to explore wireless technology in the classroom using Amateur Radio.
Topics covered in the TI-1 Introduction to Wireless Technology include basic electronics, radio science, microcontroller programming, and basic robotics.
Educators in the TI-1 class will also learn about Amateur Radio, take part in a hidden transmitter hunt, and see demonstrations of Amateur Radio satellite communication. Students will build and program their own simple robots. An Amateur Radio license is not required to take the TI-1 class.
The deadline to apply is May 1.
These expenses-paid, intensive professional development opportunities offer educators training and resources to explore wireless technology in the classroom using Amateur Radio.
Topics covered in the TI-1 Introduction to Wireless Technology include basic electronics, radio science, microcontroller programming, and basic robotics.
Educators in the TI-1 class will also learn about Amateur Radio, take part in a hidden transmitter hunt, and see demonstrations of Amateur Radio satellite communication. Students will build and program their own simple robots. An Amateur Radio license is not required to take the TI-1 class.
73, Anthony, K8ZT
****************************************************
ARES TRAINING UPDATE
Jim Yoder, W8ERW/5
ARES Training Update
Ohio ARES members and
participants are off to a fast start this year with FEMA training courses. For the last three months, the training
submissions have been rolling in at a surprising pace and for 2017, the numbers
continue to impress. It’s is still early
in February, however, here they are as of February 14, 2017: ARES Members Reporting Training – 628, ARES
Members Completing the four FEMA Core Courses – 413 and Ohio Amateurs
supporting ARES have taken 4,107 total courses.
Yes, quite impressive. Thank you
all.
You might very well be
thinking that all of this push towards the FEMA training is beginning to sound
like a broken record. We certainly do
speak of it often with reminders etc.
However, it is important. More
and more, our served agencies are and will be insisting that when we work
alongside them as Amateurs, this FEMA training will be essential and
required. Of course, our service to the
communities and agencies that desire our help as communicators is
voluntary. However, one of our strengths
as Amateurs and certainly one of the important elements of our ability to justify
the amount of bandwidth that we have for our use is indeed focused our
capability to communicate in a disaster situation. We can get it done “When All Else
Fails”. I do not suppose that any of us
especially likes change, even when it might be for the better. As we evolve however, change is forever a
part of most everything that we do including our Amateur Radio Hobby. The emphasis being placed on FEMA training is
one of those changes.
The best part of the FEMA
training is that it is free and very relevant to what we do as ARES
volunteers. It is significant to our
mission as it clearly defines the way our response will be structured and what
individual responsibilities will be. I
think we all would agree that knowing the game plan before the game starts is a
good thing if not absolutely essential to success. FEMA training clearly defines how it will all
be done and the organizational structure that we will be working within. ICS or Incident Command System is a well-defined
process with flexibility to meet the needs of all of us who will be an integral
part of emergency response and preparedness.
By now, many of you have
taken and reported your FEMA training. I
suspect there are many more that have taken the training and have not yet reported
it. I encourage you to do both. When you do so, you add strength to our
position when we ask that our frequencies and bandwidth be preserved. Now we have real numbers to backup our public
service commitment. When ARRL advocates
on our behalf, they will have a positive and verifiable position to speak
from. We won’t need to defend our
capabilities as Amateurs when we have clear numbers that demonstrate our
commitment by the training we have undertaken to support our ARES
activities.
I would like also to
encourage you to ask those questions if you have them. Your Emergency Coordinator is an excellent
resource as are the Ohio ARRL Section Staff.
These folks are in regular contact with the organizations that we
support and with ARRL in Newington. More
importantly, they are here to serve you and be available for your questions and
concerns. This is true of questions concerning FEMA training or any other
Amateur related activity.
SM Scott Yonally N8SY is also
posting regularly on the ARRLOHIO.org website, a list of those who have
completed the four FEMA core courses that are required. You can access the website and determine
right away if we have your courses recorded for completion of this
training. You may also contact me if you
have questions regarding the training documentation process. Especially for EC’s, I can provide a list of
your ARES members who have submitted training including a list of the training
I have on record for them.
Training Certificates should
be sent to your local EC and then to SM Scott Yonally N8SY. The ideal format is a copy of the certificate
in .pdf as these take up less space to store and are easier to manipulate when
they are upside down or sideways. Here
is what the file should look like:
W8ERW-IS-00100.b.pdf. This
identifies you and the specific course number which makes looking you up at a
later date much more simple.
Alternatively, a transcript from FEMA is acceptable especially if you have
a lot of training to report. You can
obtain a transcript from the FEMA website and it will list all of your training
with the necessary dates etc. to document the courses that you have taken. Some of you may not have the ability to
present a .pdf. Alternatively, a .jpg image can be used. Some of you have taken the ARRL EC series
courses as well as others related to your work as emergency responders
etc. These courses can also be
reported.
Please let me know if you
have any questions. Most importantly, I
want to thank all of you who have taken the FEMA training and taken the time to
report it so that we will have a record of it.
In doing so, you insure that we will be available to serve as
communicators when we are called to do so.
You are also adding strength to our position when the league defends our
use of vital spectrum. Thanks for your efforts.
Thanks and 73,
Jim W8ERW
****************************************************
LET'S TALK
Scott Yonally, N8SY - Section
Manager
Hey Gang,
Have you seen that the NEWEST
“Handbook Giveaway” drawing on the website? It’s there..!! To enter the drawing
all you need to do is fill in a couple of boxes on the form.. (your name and
email). That’s you need to do to be entered into a drawing to win a 2016 ARRL
softcover Handbook. There’s nothing else required (Oh.. You do need to be a
resident of Ohio to win..) The winner
will be mailed the Handbook at my cost. This is being offered just to see how
many folks are really checking in on the website. Got the idea? Best of luck to
you!! 
Are you getting those emails
from me? If not, all you have to do is to “Opt-In” to receive them. Heck, just
send me an email n8sy@n8sy.com I’ll
get you added to the mailing list. 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, gets 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.
Let’s talk about the Ohio
Section website. You can find the Ohio Section Website at: http://arrl-ohio.org If you don’t
have this website set as your home page, I urge you to do so. It changes a lot
and it’s so important for you to be kept up to date with the very latest
information.
On that same subject, there’s
another NEW – one question – questionnaire on the Ohio Section Website! This
question is really important for me to know. It will only take 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@n8sy.com I’ll be happy to call or write to you. We can
even meet and have coffee if you’d like, and I’ll buy!!
I’m sure all of you have
heard me say that I’m always available for you, whether you’re an ARRL member
or not. It’s true, and you can feel free to write or call me anytime. If you
have any questions, concerns, or would just like to sit and chat awhile over a
cup of coffee or something cold to drink, feel free to call or write me
That’s going to do it for
this month. I hope to see you all at your hamfests, club meetings or on the
air!
73, Scott, N8SY
****************************************************
THE OFFICIAL OBSERVER COORDINATOR
John Perone, W8RXX
The Official Observer (OO)
program has been sponsored by the ARRL for more than 85 years to help
Amateur Radio operators assist each other to operate their stations in
compliance with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) 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 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 January 2017 the Ohio OO's
monitored a total of 867 hours, sent out 3 Good operator cards, and 2 OO
cards for issues they observed.
73, John, W8RXX
****************************************************
Field Day – It’s Not To Early To Start Planning
Yes, I know it seems very
early to talk about Field Day since it’s still 4 months away, but a lot of
clubs are already starting to talk about, and getting their ideas down on paper
as to just how they are going to attack this event this year. I know of one club that has been in the
planning stages since early October!
As you know Field Day is
always held on the 4th weekend of June. This year it will be on June 24 – 25.
The ARRL has already gotten
the Field Day packets prepared.. You can find them at: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Field-Day/2017/2017%20Field%20Day%20Packet(1)(1).pdf
For many years now the ARRL
has provided a Field Day Locator for those sites submitting their location to
the ARRL.. You can find the Locator at: http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator and YES, there
are already several locations listed on the map for Ohio already!
Bob Winston, W2THU and I will
be moving forward to get a State of Ohio Proclamation signed by the governor for
this very special weekend in just a short time from now. I will post it on the
website when I do get it for re-printing, so that you can proudly display it at
your Field Day site.
Good Luck to everyone.. I am
planning on doing my traditional trips around the Field Day sites, taking in as
many of them as I can in that 24 hour period. I hope to visit with you on that
weekend!!
****************************************************
SPECIAL EVENTS STATIONS IN OHIO
02/18/2017 | WRARC 7th Anniversary
Feb 18, 1500Z-2300Z,
W8WRC, New Springfield, OH.
Western Reserve Amateur Radio
Club.
21.300 14.305 7.200.
QSL. Western Reserve Amateur
Radio Club,
2050 East South Range Road,
New Springfield, OH 44443.
****************************************************
OHIO HAMFEST CALENDAR
02/19/2017 | Mansfield Mid Winter Hamfest
Location: Mansfield, OH
Sponsor: Intercity Amateur
Radio Club
03/05/2017 | WinterHamFest
Location: Elyria, OH
Sponsor: Northern Ohio Amateur Radio Society
Location: Elyria, OH
Sponsor: Northern Ohio Amateur Radio Society
*Free pancake
breakfast with paid admission
*Free Vibroplex
Clinic
Website: http://noars.net
03/18/2017 | MOVARC HAMFEST
Location: Gallipolis, OH
Sponsor: MOVARC Club
Website:
Website: http://noars.net
03/18/2017 | MOVARC HAMFEST
Location: Gallipolis, OH
Sponsor: MOVARC Club
Website:
Hamfest and Computer
Fair
Location: Perrysburg, OH
Sponsor: Toledo Mobile Radio Association
Website: http://www.tmrahamradio.org
Location: Perrysburg, OH
Sponsor: Toledo Mobile Radio Association
Website: http://www.tmrahamradio.org
****************************************************
A final – final.. Hey Everyone, Amateur Radio is a lot of FUN.. and it’s
a learning experience for everyone! Share your enjoyment and learning
experiences with those just coming into Amateur Radio!!
eof..