Friday, June 9, 2017

The Ohio Section News Update – June 9th Edition



Inside..

- VHF Contest
- One Question Survey
- New Possibility
- Ohio Responds
- NIMS / ICS Training
- Upcoming Hamfests
- Getting This Newsletter
- My Final

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Hear Ye, Hear Ye! The ARRL June VHF Contest is Almost Here!
(from ARRL Bulletins)

One of the premier VHF/UHF events on the contest calendar — 
the ARRL June VHF Contest — (http://www.arrl.org/june-vhf)  gets under way at 1800 UTC on Saturday, June 10, and continues until 0259 UTC on Monday, June 12. Whether you are new to VHF or new to contesting altogether, the ARRL June VHF Contest offers all licensees a chance to explore what they can do on VHF and UHF — the bands above 50 MHz.

The object for participants in the US and Canada (and possessions) is to work stations in as many different 2° × 1° Maidenhead grid squares as possible, using authorized frequencies above 50 MHz. Stations outside the US and Canada (and their possessions) may only work stations in the US (and its possessions) and Canada. Stations in KH0-9, KL7, KP1-KP5, CY9, and CY0 count as W/VE stations and may be worked by DX stations for contest credit.

June is a favorable month for 6-meter band openings, and the contest occurs at the start of the summer sporadic E season, offering intense openings on 6 and even 2 meters. Propagation opportunities also can include tropospheric ducting, aurora, and moonbounce or meteor scatter. K1JT’s WSJT software suite now includes a new mode for scatter communications — MSK144. It offers 15-second sequencing and improvement in signal decoding for meteor scatter work, and many VHF operators are talking about using it on 6 and 2 meters during this event.
Newcomers to VHF contesting may want to try one of these categories:

 *Single-Operator, Portable: For those who enjoy operating low power from a portable power source and using portable antennas.

 * Rover: For mobile operators who enjoy traveling from one grid square to another to hand out contacts.

 * Single-Operator, FM-only: A category for the 50, 144, 222, and 440- MHz bands running 100 W or less.

 * Single-Operator, 3-Band: Restricted to 50, 144, and 432 MHz (power limits apply).
Pick a band or mode, and have fun in the June VHF Contest!

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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 !!

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New Possibility for to the Ohio Section

Hey Gang,

We need your help..  Anthony, K8ZT has been working on getting us a booth at the Ohio State Fair!! We would love to have a display there, and having the booth manned on Friday, July 28; Saturday, July 29 and Sunday, July 30th.

Would you be interested in helping out? It’s a lot of fun, and it really doesn’t take that much of your time. The best thing is that you’ll get to answer questions about what Amateur Radio is all about..!!  

Please, if we are going to do this we will need a sufficient amount of Amateurs to help out. The more the merrier for sure!  Contact Anthony at:  k8zt@arrl.net  right away.. If we are going to do this, we need to get moving on it now!

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Ohio Responds Update

Ok.. Here’s the latest update on Ohio Responds. We now have 113 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!

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NIMS / ICS Training Update

The numbers are continuing to grow!  Here’s what we have on file as of today :   Members in database: 757; Active Members: 745; Members NIMS complete: 548 and for the biggie..  Total Courses Taken: 5,006. 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!

Here’s a quick breakout of who we have registered by license class

NIMS Complete by License Class:

Technician:  68
General:  171
Advanced:  15
Extra:  294

And here’s a breakout of the number of ICS classes taken and passed:

ICS-100:  689
ICS-200:  597
ICS-700:  630
ICS-800:  584

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Upcoming Hamfests
 
06/10/2017 | Union County ARC TailGate & TrunkFest
Location: Marysville, OH
Sponsor: Union County Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://ohiohams.net

06/17/2017 | Milford Hamfest 27th Annual
Location: Milford, OH
Sponsor: Milford Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://www.w8mrc.com

July
07/08/2017 | GARS Germantown Hamfest
Location: Germantown, OH
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Germantown Amateur Radio Society (GARS)
Website: http://GARSohio.org 


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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

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My Final..   

Today is Friday, June 9th, it’s Donald Duck Day!!  It’s also National Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Day as well as Writers' Rights Day!

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..



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