Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Important STUFF..

Hey Gang..

Just wanted to pop in on your email boxes to let you all know that you only have today and tomorrow left to get registered for this months “Handbook Give-Away..”  The drawing will be April 1st (No.. it’s NOT an April Fool’s Day joke..) and the lucky person chosen and announced then..  I wish everyone Good Luck, but remember, you won’t be chosen if you didn’t get registered.. Go to:  http://arrl-ohio.org/handbook.html  right now to get registered. 

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, 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. 

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.

HEY, there’s another NEW – one question – questionnaire on the Ohio Section Website? This question is really important for me to know..  It only asks one question, and it will take all of about 2 seconds for you to answer it. You can see how your answer stacks up with others instantly too. If you haven’t done it yet, please do.. I really want to hear from you.

Something new is happening on this subject..  Tom Sly, WB8LCD is collecting information on club meetings. If you've had an interesting presentation at a club meeting in the last 12 months, please send an email to Tom.  He would like to know:  1) The topic or the name of the presentation, 2) the name and call sign of the presenter, 3) the name and location of the club, 4) do clubs usually have interesting presentations (Y/N), 5) has your club ever had a presentation done over Skype or some other internet service?

Tom stresses that he would like this information from all club members - not just club officers!  You can email Tom at:   wb8lcd@portcars.org.   All responses will be confidential.  This will greatly help Tom with a project he's working on for the benefit of clubs in the Ohio Section.

I’ve been really busy visiting with a lot of you and I have heard a lot of PROs and CONs about Ohio’s goal of seeing that all of its ARES members have been trained and certified in ICS-100, 200, 700 & 800 by the end of June, 2016. For those of you who really aren’t seeing the reason for this I want you to take just 10 minutes of your time and read an article that was published in the March edition of QST. It’s by Rick Palm, K1CE. Now for those of you who don’t get QST, I have this article reprinted on our website  http://arrl-ohio.org/QST.pdf   it is with permission of the ARRL so there’s no copyright problems. I am also producing a handout for all who is interested that I will be giving out at hamfests and club meetings. I think Rick’s views will help you better understand the in’s and outs to all of this, and why this is so very important to YOU. I do want to assure you that even if you still decide not to go through with completing these courses,  there will still be things that you can do, just not as many of them, and probably the most import item to remember, you most likely will not be asked to participate in any activity within the FEMA organization. But,  there are other things, like bike races, parades and the like that won’t require this extra training.

Ohio ARES NVIS Antenna Day -  April 23 final arrangements

The Ohio ARES NVIS antenna day is a non-contest operating activity open to all amateurs. In the case of an emergency, we will need to communicate over short distances to stations within the state of Ohio and our neighboring states.  NVIS antennas are the technology to do this, but which are best?  And, how does YOUR antenna work?

Experimenting with antennas is still one of the most fun aspects of our hobby! Tie the two purposes together, add a group of friends, plenty of coffee and a BBQ grill and you have a formula for a really good time!
Our goal is to concentrate on 40 meters, our usual daytime emergency band. We’ll hold onto 80 meters as a backup in case 40 just falls apart, but our operation is intended for 40 meters. This year, we will have 6 “Anchor Stations” in operation for NVIS Day. They will be in various parts of Ohio to give you consistent reports as you compare your different antennas.  The overall goal is still to figure out your best NVIS antenna, and contact as many other NVIS stations as possible to plot your coverage area.  Take pictures!  Submit your antenna evaluations: which designs you used, how they performed, etc. and submit a log report with overall number of contacts, your location and operators. Most of all- have a great time!

NVIS ANTENNA DAY GUIDELINES:

Stations:
Stations may be operated from anywhere by any licensed amateur, or any group.  These may be home stations, EOC stations, or portable. Any power source may be used. The only stipulation is that all stations transmit with 100 watts power. That will help keep comparisons consistent.  We would like to get ALL Ohio counties active in this event, as many stations as possible!
There is no restriction on food or beverage consumption- enjoying each other’s company is a must!

Operation:
Operation will be on 40 meter phone (with 80 as a last-ditch fallback) from 10 AM EDT to 4 PM EDT on Saturday, April 23.     Make contact with as many Anchor Stations as possible, and make as many contacts with other counties as possible. You can contact any station in the event, but remember we’re looking for NVIS contacts, so stay close to Ohio.

Log:
Keep records of each antenna you’ve tried- take pictures!  We’re interested in compiling which designs are the most successful.  Keep a log of contacts with callsign, county, and if possible antenna description of your contacted station.  We’ll want to know your final count of station contacts.  We do have a form you can print and use, but there is no formal requirement for your log: Cabrillo, spreadsheet, or written summary will work.
Email your contest report to:  nvis@k8es.org 

Anchor Stations:
Although you are encouraged to contact as many stations as possible, these Anchor Stations will be on the air for the duration of the event to provide comparative signal reports.   Their locations will be plus/minus QRM or existing nets. Best practice is to move up a bit if the desired frequency is in use.

7240      W8SGT                 Ohio EOC
7250      W8EOC                Medina County EOC
7260      W8MRN               Marion County ARES
7270      KB8DNA               Huron County ARES
7280      W8ERD                Delaware County ARES
7290      W8BI                    Montgomery County (DARA)

Evaluation:
The Marion County ARES group will compile a listing of the different types of antennas used, and their relative performance. We’ll also look at which stations were able to have the greatest number of counties contacted, and which stations have the highest number of contacts.

I have lots of meetings and hamfests to attend these next few months, as well as representing YOU at the Ohio Public Private Partnership (OP3) meetings, the Emergency Management Association of Ohio (EMAO) and let’s not forget the Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) here in Ohio. The Ohio Section has a presence like never before with our state agencies, and we are working very hard at making that presence grow and prosper for all of YOU. As you may know, the Ohio Section of the ARRL 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. One that can freely travel all over the state visiting with, and representing YOU. So, don’t be surprised when I just “pop-in” at your meeting or function. I really do like traveling and visiting with all of you at your hamfests, club meetings, picnics and especially breakfasts. It’s fantastic! 

Oh, and don’t be too surprised when I show up at a meeting you’re at!!

73, for now..


Scott, N8SY..

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