Inside..
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Handbook Give-Away
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Field Day Pictures – plus more
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Nets
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NIMS / ICS Training / Ohio Responds
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Nets
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Getting This Newsletter
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My Final
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Handbook Give Away
Have
you seen that the NEWEST “Handbook Giveaway” drawing on the website yet? 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 the drawing to get
a chance to win a 2017 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 checking in on the website. Got the idea? Best of luck to you!!
************
FIELD DAY PICTURES
This
is a great time for taking pictures of your Field Day participation for sure. I
will be out and about with my camera, but I need your help too. I need you to
take pictures and send them to me. I will have a gallery setup on the website
to display everyone’s Field Day pictures as I get them. Please, take a lot of
pictures of not only the equipment and food, but also of everyone having fun at
Field Day too. Send those pictures to: n8sy@n8sy.com
I
will be taking some of those pictures and placing them on the next Ohio Section
Banner... Showing all of us having fun
and participating is what makes this banner so great!
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FIELD
DAY MESSAGES – AN EASY 300 POINTS FOR SURE – PLUS MORE
Each
year, hundreds of Field Day operations try and find every advantage to earn as
many points as possible. But many overlook bonus point categories that can add
a reliable 300 points to your group score: the group participation NTS message
to the ARRL Section Manager, the W1AW Field Day bulletin, and the NTS traffic
handling bonus.
Each Field Day group should generate a formal
NTS-style piece to their ARRL Section Manager and Section Emergency
Coordinator. This
message should include the group’s name, their location for Field Day, and the
number of ARES members participating in the event.
NOTE:..
Since I will be on the road visiting a number of sites for Field Day, please
send these pieces of traffic to me via OSSBN – www.ossbn.org for details about the net, or you can find
them on (3.972.5MHz.)
SPECIAL NOTES: Mike, KC8WH the Net Manager for the OSSBN has
informed me that members of the OSSBN will be listening throughout Field Day, so
if you just can’t get it passed during their normal net times, you’ll be able
to do it during off times instead. This will help you and them in being able to
get your message through in a timely manner.
NOTE, NOTE: Make sure that your Radiogram has the date
and time filled in when you generate the message. This way no matter how late
it may be in getting to the end destination, you’ll still be able to count it
since it was originally generated and passed DURING Field Day.
Now,
by generating and passing a few radiograms may mean that your group might have
to take one of your stations away from operating normal Field Day contacts,
your group is awarded the 100-point bonus for taking the time to pass this
piece of traffic. To claim this bonus, you must submit a copy of the formal
message with your Field Day entry. Note:
The Section Manager message does not count as one of the 10 NTS messages for
bonus points.
For
more details about how to handle these messages, please go to: www.arrl-ohio.org/FD_Message.html or www.ossbn.org/FD_Message.html
FIELD DAY BONUS
POINTS OPPORTUNITIES
Don’t
forget that there are two additional ways to earn extra points for your group's
efforts. One is the "Safety Officer" position and the other is
related to promoting your Field Day via "Social Media."
Safety
Officer.. is a critical concern during Field Day. Every year the Field
Day packet contains a Safety Check List that all stations should follow. All Class
A entries can earn an additional 100 points by designating a member of their
group as "Safety Officer." This person must verify that all
safety concerns on the Safety Check List have been adequately met.
The
Safety Officer position is to be taken seriously. Real oversight is required;
appointing a Safety Officer, affirming that all items on the Safety Check List
have been completed properly, must be included with a groups Field Day entry
with all other supporting documentation.
Social
Media.. There have been many PR and publicity bonus points available in
Field Day for a very long time. The addition of a social media bonus makes
promoting your Field Day event even easier than before.
Social
Media refers to any online platform that promotes being connected with friends
and family.. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn are five
examples of allowed Social Media platforms.
The
Social Media bonus points will only apply on recognized social media platforms
and NOT your clubs website.
2017 OHIO FIELD
DAY PROCLAMATION ON-LINE
Just
wanted to let you know, if you haven’t already found it, that you can view and
print the governor’s Proclamation for the 2017 Field Day. Go to: www.arrl-ohio.org/SGL/sgl.html to get your copy
for your Field Day site. You can also find a sample Press Release for your
Field Day activities as well.
Thanks
to Bob Winston, W2THU our State Government Liaison (SGL) for getting the
governor to take time out of his busy schedule and getting this Proclamation
for us.
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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…
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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: 763; Active Members: 750; Members NIMS complete: 553 and for the
biggie.. Total Courses Taken: 5,030.
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!
Hey..
Don’t forget, once you’ve got all 4 of your required NIMS courses completed and
we have copies of your certificates, get registered on the Ohio Responds 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 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.
************
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..
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..
