Website Updates

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

The Ohio Section News Update – March 8th Edition

Inside..

- St. Patrick’s Day Activities

- NIMS / ICS

- DMR Net

- Daylight Saving Time Starts

- Backup Your Files

- Survey Question

- Getting this Newsletter

- My Final

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St. Patrick’s Day Activity Hopes to “Turn the Bands Green”

(from the ARRL Bulletin)

Radio amateurs around the world will celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day on the air through the St Patrick Award.

“We hope to turn the bands green,” the event’s sponsors said. The St Patrick Award activity will get under way at 1200 UTC on March 16 and continue until 1200 UTC on March 18. Radio amateurs or SWLs are invited to take part.

Awards will be in four categories: SPD Station Award (for registered stations); Fixed Station Award; Mobile Station Award, and Short Wave Listener Award.

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NIMS / ICS Training

Hey Gang, I’ve got new numbers to show off to all of you.. Here’s the latest count we have on everyone.. Members in the database 654. Members completing all 4 required NIMS courses 439. Total Number of the Courses taken by everyone in the database 4,304 Here’s the link so that you can find out if your name is on the list.. http://arrl-ohio.org/SEC/special/nims_roster.html

Why are these courses so important? The simple answer is this - without these courses, you are not trained! Without the training, you can’t be used!

Now, get those oh – so important ICS certificates in to me and to your Emergency Coordinator, and don’t forget to include your call sign!!

Here’s where you can get all of this information 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!

I also highly recommend that you get used to looking at the Ohio Section Website.. http://arrl-ohio.org as it changes all the time. You’ll also want to visit the Ohio Section Emergency Coordinators page frequently too http://arrl-ohio.org/SEC/default.html

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Weekly DMR Nets

Hey gang, don’t forget to check-in on the weekly Wednesday night DMR net tonight, there are averaging around 50 check-ins each week, and it’s really growing in popularity for sure. Come join in on the fun, Wednesday nights at 8:30p local on the 3139 Ohio statewide Talkgroup.

The North American Tech Net is also on Wednesday night at 9pm EST on Talkgroup 3, as well as The After HamNation Net, following the HamNation program on Talkgroup 311 as well.. Lot’s of good nets to check in to on Wednesday’s for sure..

Want to know more about DMR? Here’s a link. http://arrl-ohio.org/digital/digital.html

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Mar 12, 2017 - Daylight Saving Time Starts

When local standard time is about to reach Sunday, March 12, 2017, 2:00:00 am clocks are turned forward 1 hour to Sunday, March 12, 2017, 3:00:00 am local daylight time instead.

Sunrise and sunset will be about 1 hour later on Mar 12, 2017 than the day before. There will be more light in the evening.

Also called Spring Forward, Summer Time, and Daylight Savings Time.

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Backup Your Files

Hey Gang,

Here’s something that you might want to take a good hard look at doing, backing up of all the files on your computer. Portable hard-drives are really cheap and easy to hookup. With most of them, all you do is just plug it in to your computer’s USB port and away you go, instant extra storage. The best thing is you can transport this little gadget from one computer to another. If you are like me, you have several computers in the house, and by using a single portable hard-drive I can keep all those important backups all in one place. Now that makes sense!

You can get these small, lightweight portable hard-drives practically everywhere, and they are well worth the few dollars you’ll spend on them. In most cases a 2 Terabyte hard-drive will cost less than $80, and that will give you enough memory to easily backup most everything on your computer(s) several times this year.

Have you got pictures that you want to keep? I have pictures that date back into the 60’s and 70’s that are priceless to me, and since they are of family members that are now no longer with us, those memories could be gone forever if they weren’t backed up! By the way, I would highly recommend that you download all those pictures from your cell phone to your computer and then back it up onto the portable hard-drive. This way you won’t lose any of your pictures from your cell phone in case it gets damaged or lost. How about that all those important emails or documents that you have been saving (your IS 100, 200, 700 & 800 certificates come to mind). it can all be gone in a flash if it’s not backed up somewhere.

Now most of you know that I’m a real advocate of backing up my files. I have backups that date back to the middle 1990’s, and over those years I’ve had computer crashes, many of them in fact. Getting those oh so valuable files back now becomes a real panic if you are counting on the internal disk drive for them alone.

Well, let me tell you that even though I subscribe to a very reputable “cloud based” computer backup company, I have found that sometimes things just don’t get backed up when you think they do, and that’s when you find out that you don’t have them anymore. That’s happened to me a number of times. So, I no longer count on just that alone. I do my own backup of those very valuable files.

That’s why I’m recommending that you purchase one of those inexpensive portable hard-drives for just this situation. It’s really easy to backup most everything. I don’t recommend trying to back-up your programs however. That’s because most programs are tied to your computer’s registry, and if you’re starting fresh with a new computer, or you’ve had to reformat your current computer’s hard-drive, it won’t understand where those very important registry logs are kept. Save those disks that the programs came on. Don’t just throw them away. If you’ve purchased programs on-line, keep the original download, usually it’s a zipped file that you can burn to a disk or keep on a flash drive. If you don’t, you could easily loose them forever.

Backing things up today is so easy and affordable, I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t invest a few bucks into a portable hard-drive.

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Survey Question

Hey Gang,

There’s a NEW survey question on the website. I think you’ll find this question really interesting. You’ll find it on the left side of the main page.. http://arrlohio.org Don’t forget, once you’ve voted to go back and take a look at how your answer stacks up with everyone elses..!!

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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 and let me know that you want to be added. It’s really 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.

You can always “Opt-Out” at any time if you feel this is not what you were expecting.

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..

A little history for you today.. In 1936 the first stock car race is held in Daytona Beach, Florida. No, I won’t make any more jokes about the winner drinking milk.. You NASCAR folks are really quick to pick up on that!

In 1983 IBM releases PC DOS version 2.0, and my computer has never been right since.

In 1995 it got down to a -26°F (-32.2°C) in Bismarck, North Dakota. And you thought it was cold here last week! Wow..

Now.. there’s some trivial history for you to use at work today.. Go have FUN..!!

73,

Scott, N8SY..

eof..

Monday, March 6, 2017

The Ohio Section News Update – March 6th Edition

Inside..

- 5MHz Bands

- NIMS / ICS

- See Something - Say Something

- Ohio ARES Important Dates

- Spring Severe Weather Awareness Week

- Survey Question

- Getting this Newsletter

- My Final

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More Countries Authorize 5 MHz Bands; Comments Due on ARRL 5 MHz Petition by March 20

(from the ARRL Bulletin)

Uruguay and Hong Kong are among the latest countries to establish new bands in the vicinity of 5 MHz. The Final Acts of World Radiocommunication Conference 2015 (WRC-15) provided for a secondary international allocation of 5,351.5 to 5,366.5 kHz to the Amateur Service.

In Uruguay, new Amateur Radio regulations that came into force on February 24 provide for a 5,351.5-5,366.5 kHz 60-meter band as well as for allocations on 472-479 kHz, 47-47.2 GHz, and 77.5-78 GHz. In addition, radio amateurs in Uruguay now have extended allocations on 80 meters, 3,500-4,000 kHz, and on 160 meters, 1,800-2,000 kHz. The new bands and sub-bands were adopted according to the recently updated International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 (IARU-R2) band plan.

Holders of the General license in Uruguay may operate with 15 W EIRP, while Superior licensees may operate with 25 W EIRP.

Uruguay also has established a Beginner (Inicial) class license and a training program for new radio amateurs with mandatory operating practice on 80, 40, 10, and 2 meters. Uruguay has established procedures for non-citizens to apply for and renew Amateur Radio licenses, and reciprocal permits for non-residents will be available.

In Hong Kong, the local telecommunication authority OFCA has allocated 5,351.5-5,366.5 kHz to the Amateur Radio Service on a secondary basis. The maximum power permitted is 15 W EIRP. All 60 meter allocations are on a secondary basis.

While US radio amateurs have access to five discrete 60-meter channels, they do not yet have access to a contiguous band in that part of the spectrum. Comments are due on March 20 on the ARRL’s January 12 Petition for Rule Making to allocate a new, secondary amateur band at 5 MHz, while keeping four of the current five 60-meter channels — one would be within the new band — as well as the current operating rules, including the 100 W PEP effective radiated power (ERP) limit. The federal government is the primary user of the 5 MHz spectrum in the US.

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NIMS / ICS Training

Hey Gang, I’ve got new numbers to show off to all of you.. Here’s the latest count we have on everyone.. Members in the database 650. Members completing all 4 required NIMS courses 440. Total Number of the Courses taken by everyone in the database 4,258 Here’s the link so that you can find out if your name is on the list.. http://arrl-ohio.org/SEC/special/nims_roster.html

Why are these courses so important? The simple answer is this - without these courses, you are not trained! Without the training, you can’t be used! I couldn’t have said it better myself! Thanks Jerry, KC5WLA for that great way of phrasing it!!

Now, get those oh – so important ICS certificates in to me and to your Emergency Coordinator!!

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See Something - Say Something

The nationwide "If You See Something, Say Something" public awareness campaign was created to raise public awareness of indicators of terrorism and terrorism-related crime, and to emphasize the importance of reporting suspicious activity to the proper local law enforcement authorities.

Report suspicious activities to your local law enforcement agency.

The recent airport shooting in Florida that injured six people and killed five highlights the importance of this campaign and how imperative it is to maintain heightened awareness of suspicious activities, people or packages. If you see something suspicious taking place, report the behavior or activity to local law enforcement or, in the case of emergency, call 9-1-1. Never try to handle or intervene in the situation on your own - let trained authorities take the proper steps.

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Ohio ARES Important Dates

Ohio ARES Conference

April 01 – Nope, this isn’t an April fool-- mark your calendars for Saturday, April 01 at Marion Tech/OSU for this year's All Ohio ARES Conference! More to come but we have a really solid lineup on tap for this year!

EC's, AEC's, and general members are all welcomed! Hope to see YOU there! We would ask that you register for the Conference so that we have a clear idea as to just how many folks will be attending.. Here’s a link.. http://arrl-ohio.org/SEC/form.html

Ohio NVIS Day

April 22 – There will be more discussion about NVIS Day at the ARES Conference and on the website soon.

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Spring Severe Weather Awareness Week March 19-25

(from Ohio EMA All-Hazards Herald)

In a coordinated effort with the Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness (OCSWA), Governor John R. Kasich is proclaiming March 19-25 as Severe Weather Awareness Week and encourages all Ohioans to learn what to do to protect themselves from spring and summer weather hazards and home emergencies.

As part of Severe Weather Awareness Week, as coordinated by OCSWA, the state of Ohio will participate in a statewide tornado drill and test its Emergency Alert System (EAS) on Wednesday, March 22 at 9:50 a.m.

During this time, Ohio counties will sound and test their outdoor warning sirens. Schools, businesses and households are encouraged to practice their tornado drills and emergency plans.

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Survey Question

Hey Gang,

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Are you getting those emails from me? If not, all you have to do is to “Opt-In” to receive them.

You can always “Opt-Out” at any time if you feel this is not what you were expecting.

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..

In 1950 Silly Putty goes on sale in the US. Kids now have fun transferring printed comics from the newspaper to other objects.

Now.. go have FUN..!!

73,

Scott, N8SY..

eof..

Friday, March 3, 2017

The Ohio Section News Update – March 3rd Edition

Inside..

- NIMS / ICS

- Ohio ARES Important Dates

- FEMA Needs an Experienced New Administrator

- Spring Severe Weather Awareness Week

- Getting this Newsletter

- Upcoming Hamfests

- My Final For Friday

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NIMS / ICS Training

Hey Gang, by now I’m sure that you’re sick of seeing this article.. and asking why in the world are these courses so dog gone important. The simple answer is this - without these courses, you are not trained! Without the training, you can’t be used! I couldn’t have said it better myself! Thanks Jerry, KC5WLA for that great way of phrasing it!!

Now, get those oh – so important ICS certificates in to me and to your Emergency Coordinator!!

Here’s the latest count we have on everyone.. Members in the database 641. Members completing all 4 required NIMS courses 429. Total Number of the Courses taken by everyone in the database 4,222 Want to know if you are one of the 429? Here’s the link.. http://arrl-ohio.org/SEC/special/nims_roster.html

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Ohio ARES Important Dates

Ohio ARES Conference

Ohio NVIS Day

April 22 – There will be more discussion about NVIS Day at the ARES Conference and on the website soon.

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FEMA Needs an Experienced New Administrator, Former FEMA Head Says

(from ARRL Bulletins)

Now-former Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate, KK4INZ, told a US House subcommittee this week that the agency needs to have a new and experienced administrator soon, or it could lose its forward momentum. That sentiment was echoed by House members during a February 28 hearing on FEMA’s future held by the House Homeland Security Committee’s Emergency Preparedness, Response and Communications Subcommittee.

“It’s not a good job to do on-the-job-training,” Fugate told lawmakers. “It’s too brutal, and the citizens deserve better.” He said that whoever ends up heading the agency should understand that FEMA’s role in disaster response “is not about putting FEMA in charge.”

“My parting advice for the FEMA team was to continue going big, going early, going fast, and being smart about it,” Fugate said in his written testimony. The new FEMA head should build upon “the strides the agency has made since [Hurricane] Katrina.” During his time at FEMA, from 2009 until this January, Fugate was a strong supporter of Amateur Radio as a communication resource in disasters.

The hearing was the second in a series that will provide recommendations to the next FEMA Administrator. Former FEMA Administrator R. David Paulison also testified. The officially vacant position is being filled for now by Robert Fenton Jr., FEMA’s Region IX administrator.

Fugate focused on Amateur Radio's role in disasters during a recent interview on HamRadioNow, explaining to host Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, how he became familiar with emergency management from the ground up, first as volunteer firefighter and paramedic in Florida, and then as head of Alachua County’s emergency management program for 10 years. That experience, he said, “was my first intersection with Amateur Radio.” He eventually self-studied for his license and passed the test after arriving in Washington.

He told Pearce that FEMA supports state, local, and tribal governments in emergencies and disasters, and will work with whatever resources are available. While it has taken advantage of radio amateurs and signed a Memorandum of Agreement with ARRL in 2014, the agency looks at Amateur Radio “a bit differently.”

“We’ll work with whoever’s up and operating,” said Fugate, who has not quite taken off his FEMA hat. He said that could be an ARES group, a RACES group, or an individual radio amateur who may have key information coming out of an area hit by an emergency.

“Training is great,” he told Pearce. “We shouldn’t think it’s exclusionary.” He said FEMA needs to remain open to any Amateur Radio resource available, “because that person may be the only one up and running.”

Fugate told Pearce that FEMA under his watch tried to be inclusionary, taking advantage of the entire spectrum of radio amateurs, not just the institutionalized emergency communication organizations. “If you have the luxury of being exclusionary,” he said, “it’s probably not a bad disaster.” Fugate said that while he favors formal emergency communications training, those completing the courses may not always be available when a disaster strikes.

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Spring Severe Weather Awareness Week March 19-25

(from Ohio EMA All-Hazards Herald)

During this time, Ohio counties will sound and test their outdoor warning sirens. Schools, businesses and households are encouraged to practice their tornado drills and emergency plans.

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Are you getting those emails from me? If not, all you have to do is to “Opt-In” to receive them.

You can always “Opt-Out” at any time if you feel this is not what you were expecting.

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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Upcoming Hamfests

03/05/2017 | WinterHamFest

Location: Elyria, OH
Sponsor: Northern Ohio Amateur Radio Society

*Free pancake breakfast with paid admission

*Free Vibroplex Clinic
Website: http://noars.net

03/18/2017 | MOVARC HAMFEST
Location: Gallipolis, OH
Sponsor: MOVARC Club
Website:

https://sites.google.com/site/midohiovalleyarc/

03/19/2017 | Toledo Mobile Radio Association

Hamfest and Computer Fair
Location: Perrysburg, OH
Sponsor: Toledo Mobile Radio Association
Website: http://www.tmrahamradio.org

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My Final..

On this day..

In 1634 the 1st tavern in Boston (Mass) opens (Samuel Cole).. Wha Hoo

In 1791 Congress establishes US Mint – that’s so they can pay their bar tab!!

In 1838 there was a rebellion at Pelee Island, Ontario, Canada

In 1931 "Star Spangled Banner" officially becomes US national anthem by congressional resolution

TGIF - Acronym for Thank Goodness it's Friday. Used to express the joy one feels in knowing that the work week has officially ended and that they have two days off with which to enjoy!!

Now.. go have FUN..!!

73,

Scott, N8SY..

eof..

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

March Edition of Dale's Tales has been posted..

Hi Gang,

I've just posted the latest edition of Dale's Tales on the website..

You'll definitely want to check this out.. >> Click Here <<

73,

Scott, N8SY..

The Ohio Section News Update – March 01, 2017 Edition

Inside..

- And the Winner Is..

- NIMS / ICS

- Ohio ARES Important Dates

- Dressing for Success

- Getting this Newsletter

- DMR Net Information

- Xenia High School Closing on May 19

- My Final

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And The Winner Is..

We had another fantastic response this month with again well over 2,000 entries, but I’m sure you’re more interested in knowing just who won the Handbook this month.. Well, it’s Dave Kersten, N8AUH !

I do want to thank everyone that participated this month. There will be another drawing coming soon so keep a sharp eye out for it on the Ohio Section Website. Look for the big RED arrow on the left side of the page.

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NIMS / ICS Training

Now, get those oh – so important ICS certificates in to me and to your Emergency Coordinator!!

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Ohio ARES Important Dates

Ohio ARES Conference

Ohio NVIS Day

April 22 – There will be more discussion about NVIS Day at the ARES Conference and on the website soon.

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Dressing For Success

(Portions edited from the ARRL ARES E-Newsletter October 19, 2016 edition)

“Visiting this year's ARRL New England Convention in Boxboro, Massachusetts, I was delightfully surprised at the level of care most attendees, and in particular exhibitors, speakers and volunteers, exercised in their choice of attire. Snazzy uniform shirts worn by vendors were in abundance. Business attire infused the exhibit hall. It was as if I were attending a professional conference.

As a leader of public service teams, and an advocate for better leadership, innovation and national unity in our public service communications role, I make sure every volunteer has the opportunity and support that encourages their personal success. Not only are my teams well trained and fully integrated into the organization or agency we serve, they also look (and smell) good. That's because expectations for attire are part of the pre-event preparations. I urge volunteers to be "smartly dressed with a clean shirt and pants" I also caution that we must not be confused with public safety or law enforcement personnel. "Professional" does not mean that we have license to impersonate, however innocent our first intention!”

From ME – My comments on this..

I’m sure that most everyone will agree with this article, being neat and clean is just something that your mother taught you.. (“Make sure that you have clean underwear on in case you get hit by a bus..”) The important item to take away from this article is that you do need to be neat and clean when presenting yourself to the general public during any event. This simply means that you dress appropriately - clean shirt and pants, and don’t overdo it. Coming on like you’re a paramilitary group will NOT show well with most government officials here in Ohio. Having a clean appearance without all the hub-bub is all that is needed.

Now, I know that there are some folks out there that have acquired a badge that appears similar to a law enforcement or fire-fighter badge. I’ve seen it worn by several persons recently at hamfests.. PLEASE, leave this at home.. It is NOT needed at ANY of Ohio’s events, and it can really be misinterpreted, and could lead to serious trouble for you. When credentials are needed, the Ohio Section has them, and will issue them.

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Weekly DMR Nets

Want to know more about DMR? Here’s a link. http://arrl-ohio.org/digital/digital.html

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Are you getting those emails from me? If not, all you have to do is to “Opt-In” to receive them.

You can always “Opt-Out” at any time if you feel this is not what you were expecting.

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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Xenia High School Closing on May 19 to Let Students Attend Hamvention

(from ARRL Bulletin)

Xenia High School has announced that it will cancel classes on Friday, May 19, so students there can attend the opening day of Hamvention. The largest Amateur Radio gathering in the US will take place in Xenia for the first time this spring after being forced to relocate when long-time venue, Hara Arena, closed.

A message on the high school’s website says, “Xenia will welcome Hamvention to our community for the first time ever this year. Hamvention will be taking place May 19-21. Since this is the first year of Xenia hosting it, we want our students to have the opportunity to take advantage of all of the sessions associated with this program.

"We also anticipate a large number of people from outside the city coming to Xenia for the convention. Thus, the Board of Education has decided to cancel school on Friday, May 19th. Teachers will be involved in professional development programs on this day. We are excited about what Hamvention can mean to our city. Additional information will come regarding student tickets to the convention and any other opportunities that may be available.”

Looks like we’re gonna’ have company!!

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My Final..

Remember, life is short, go have FUN..!!

73,

Scott, N8SY..

eof..