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:
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..
*********
eof
73, for now..
Scott, N8SY..
*********
eof
