Inside..
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Ohio DMR Growing
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One Question Survey
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Ohio Responds
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NIMS / ICS Training
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Nets
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Getting This Newsletter
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My Final
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Ohio DMR Outpaces
48 Other States
(from:
Gregory Drezdzon, WD9FTZ)
The
Buckeye State may not be perfect or an ideal paradise, but licensed amateur
radio operators have something to be thankful for -- the saturation of Digital
Mobile Radio repeaters in Ohio.
Relatively
inexpensive DMR Type II equipment has led to the explosion in DMR popularity.
Another factor is the ability to communicate with other amateurs throughout the
state, call area, region and even worldwide with only a handheld radio.
Ohio
has about 1,465 registered DMR IDs, as of June 13, out of 28,357 in the United
States or about 5.2 percent. Only California, Florida, and New York better
Ohio’s numbers.
As
of early June 2017, DRM repeaters in Ohio numbered about 65 according to
Repeaterbook.com . Ohio was tied with Texas for the second largest number of
registered DMR repeaters in the U.S. with California coming in first.
[Example
of the number of registered DMR repeaters in Ohio.]
In
the eight-area call district, there are 109 registered DMR repeaters including
Michigan with 39 and West Virginia’s five. New DMR repeaters are being put into
operation nearly monthly and Ohio’s numbers will continue to grow.
In
a 200 mile (the search actually extends out to 264.7 miles) radius of Akron,
Ohio, an amateur has their choice of 129 DMR repeaters including some in
Ontario, Canada, to use as of June 13 reported by Repeaterbook.com .
Some
areas in Ohio are still lacking in DMR coverage including the eastern third of
the state. This should only be a matter of time. Very soon, most of the
Interstate highway system in Ohio will have at least some DMR coverage.
On
a recent trip to Marysville, the Akron portion of I-76 to I-71, and I-71south
to Delaware had complete DMR coverage with four repeaters.
[Akron
DMR Repeater -- Green is estimate coverage at 1.5 microvolts,
yellow is
estimated coverage at 0.5 microvolts.]
By
setting up an Interstate highway zone such as I-71, and scanning the DMR
repeaters along the route of travel, one could listen and talk on “Ohio
Statewide,” talkgroup 3139, seamlessly for one’s intended route.
[
Example of Interstate 70 Ohio Zone showing repeaters along route from Akron to
Kentucky.]
Since
about May 15, approximately five new DMR repeaters have become operational.
With the new dual-band handhelds and mobiles due to be released soon, there
appears to be no immediate end to DMR’s growth in Ohio.
Some
may ask why DMR and not analog? The answer is simple. Analog repeaters are
usually local only and not linked to other systems. DMR repeaters, for a vast
majority of them, are linked to each other so a person in Cincinnati can
communicate with someone in Toledo on VHF or UHF, depending on that area’s
repeater.
One
downside to DMR is that the signal is either being received or it is not. This
is similar to digital TV reception. There is no error correction. With analog,
a weak signal could still be intelligible (noisy), but this is not the case
with DMR.
On
a plus side, DMR sound quality has more fidelity, and to many users, it sounds
better than analog.
Ohio
is a DMR leader in the Great Lakes and Midwest, and with more amateur radio
operators embracing digital radio technology, this mode and facet of
communications will become more and more exciting.
************
One Question
Survey
Hey
Gang,
Have
you checked out the NEW
Survey question on the website yet?. There is a new question up there for you
to answer! You’ll find it on the left side of the main page.. http://arrlohio.org !!
************
Ohio Responds Update
Ok..
Here’s the latest update on Ohio Responds. We now have 122 persons approved!! Let’s
keep this going. We have over 500 with all their certificates on file. Let’s
get everyone to get moving and sign up for Ohio Responds.
Signing
up with Ohio Responds will give you liability protection under the State of
Ohio. This is a real big things folks.. Where else can you get liability
insurance for FREE.
Now,
admittedly their system was designed for another purpose, so in some places it
doesn’t match up well with Amateur Radio Operators and what we do. I have
created a webpage where you’ll find all the pertinent information for getting
registered on Ohio Responds website with as little issues as possible. You really
do need to read this information BEFORE you attempt to register, and you will
need to have all 4 of your NIMS courses completed and in our statewide database
first! There’s some very specific information up there that you’ll need to know
to correctly complete the registration process since it doesn’t match up well
in some places with what we do. Here’s a
link to that webpage… http://arrl-ohio.org/ohio-responds-page.html You can also find this link on the main page
of the Ohio Section website as well.
How
do I know if I’m on the list or not? Here’s the link to the list.
http://arrl-ohio.org/SEC/special/nims_roster.html Don’t see your name on the list, and you’ve
submitted your certificates? Contact me immediately!
************
NIMS / ICS
Training Update
The
numbers are continuing to grow! Here’s
what we have on file as of today : Members
in database: 760; Active Members: 747; Members NIMS complete: 550 and for the
biggie.. Total Courses Taken: 5,018.
These numbers just keep growing, and that’s really the best news of all to tell
you!
We
need to be prepared to help in a professional and TRAINED manor now days, and
the only way of getting that training is to start taking these courses. We have
a lot to be proud of, and a lot more work to do. Every ARES member in Ohio now
MUST have these courses to be a part of the Ohio ARES program and to be registered
in the Ohio Responds database!
How
do I know if I’m on the list or not? Here’s the link to the list.
http://arrl-ohio.org/SEC/special/nims_roster.html If you don’t see your name on the list, and
you’ve submitted your certificates? Contact me immediately!
For
those of you just starting out now that you have a real incentive, we have a
webpage with all the information about how to get started.. http://arrl-ohio.org/SEC/training.html. This page
contains a lot of information about what is needed. Each course takes about an
hour or so to take, that’s really not much to ask now is it? You spent way more
than that to get your Amateur Radio operators license!
************
Nets
Hey
gang, don’t forget to check-in on the weekly Wednesday night DMR net tonight,
there are averaging over 60 check-ins each week, and it’s growing!! Come join
in on the fun, Wednesday nights at 8:30p local on the 3139 Ohio statewide
Talkgroup.
The
North American Tech Net that meets Wednesday 9pm EST TG: 3 and of course
there’s the After HamNation Net following the HamNation program on Wednesday’s
on TG: 311
Here’s
another DMR net that you may not have known about. I got this information from
Dave, KD8BQN. Dave runs the TAC310 net every Sunday on DMR at 0000Z. So be
looking to check into that net as well, if you can.
>> LOCAL 6 METER NETS <<
(from
Steve, W8TER)
Wednesdays
at 9:00 pm
1st
Wednesday of the month is on 50.400 AM mode.
2nd
Wednesday of the month is on 52.525 FM mode.
3rd
Wednesday of the month is on 50.125 USB mode.
4th
Wednesday of the month is on 52.525 FM mode.
5th
Wednesday of the month is on 52.525 FM mode.
PLEASE
JOIN US…on the air
There
is also a 6-meter net on Thursday at 9pm on 50.255 USB
I
also got notified of a Sunday night net on 6-meters, from Fred, KD8GYS in
Sterling, Ohio.
The
Net is on every Sunday Evening at 19:00 Hrs. on 53.170 with a input of 52.170
and Pl’s of 107.2 Akron, 110.9 Loudonville, 123.0 Stone Creek and 136.5
Richfield as well as Echo link, All Star and 440 W8WKY Doylestown, Oh.
It’s
also linked with N2KEJ in New Jersey. As of now we cover 27 counties in Ohio, 3
counties in Pa. My goal when I was asked to run the net, was to get 50 check
ins 4 years ago.
We
have a Trivia question each week as well, to keep the mind sharpened (lol).
The
repeater also has the NWS weather alert system connected to advise all
listeners of Alerts from Ashland, Wayne, Holmes, Medina, Stark and Summit
counties.
Keep
6 Meters going strong check in join the net when possible.
Here
is another net that you may want to add to your list of nets. It’s the South
Eastern Ohio Ragchew Net 28.485 MHz, 2100 every Sunday - we thank Lyn, N8IMW for that information…
************
Are you getting
those emails from me?
If
not, all you need to do is to “Opt-In” to receive them. Heck, just send me an
email: n8sy@n8sy.com and let me know
that you want to be added. It’s just that easy. Please, if you know of anyone
that would be interested in this information, feel free to pass it on to them.
You don’t have to be an ARRL member or even a ham to receive these emails. I
want every ham and interested person in Ohio and beyond, to get these emails!!
You
are always free to “Opt-Out” at any time if you feel this is not what you were
expecting. Just send me an email with the email address that you used to opt-in
on, and you will be removed. It’s that simple.
Also,
are you viewing the Ohio Section Website on a regular basis? You should, it
changes all the time. Here’s a link to it.
http://arrlohio.org
************
My Final..
Today
is Wednesday, June 14th, it’s Flag Day!
Flag
Day is celebrated on June 14, marking the adoption of the American flag by the
Continental Congress in the First Flag Act on June 14, 1777. The Act declared
that the new flag would have "13 stripes alternate red and white: that the
union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."
Amateur
Radio has a serious side, but it can also have a FUN side too. I hope that this
News Update has been informative and fun for you to read. So, as we go through our training and
exercises, learning from the past and from those who are willing to take the
time to teach us, let’s remember to have FUN too! It’s what keeps us alive and
vibrant!
Got
questions, concerns or would just like to sit and chat awhile, give me a call
at (419) 512-4445 or email me at: n8sy@n8sy.com Want to
sit and just chat awhile? I’m available, Heck, I’ll even buy!!
73,
Scott,
N8SY..
eof..
