In this issue:

- Governor Signs Proclamation for Field Day in Ohio

- New ARECC Instructors Appointed

- Section Emergency Coordinator

- Section Traffic Manager

- Technical Coordinator Report

- Public Information Coordinator Report

- In's and Out's from the Southeast Corner

- From the ACC

- Special Event Stations in Ohio

- Ohio Hamfest Calendar

SECTION MANAGER NOTES

Greetings!

I’m sitting here in the office/shack, wondering if there ever will be a greater week than this for Amateur Radio in the Ohio Section. Besides being the week of the Dayton Hamvention, we had another goal achieved today…..

As of approx. 1:20pm today, several of us who worked on House Bill 158, and the versions prior, stood in the office of Ohio Governor John R. Kasich, as he signed Ohio House Bill 158 (aka "PRB-1 for Ohio") into law, along with Bill Sponsors Rep. Gerald Stebelton (R- 5th District) and Rep. Mark Okey (D- 61st District), and State Senator Tim Shaffer (R- 31st District). Representing the ARRL and Ohio Radio Amateurs with me was Rick Swain-KK8O, Bill Carpenter-AA8EY, Steve Katz, N8WL, and Constance Barsky-WD8ODC. ARRL Great Lakes Division Director James Weaver, K8JE joined as as well for the signing. Regretfully, State Government Liaison Nick Pittner, K8NAP could attend the signing, as he is en route home from a great vacation out west. When asked if we should hold the signing upon his return, Nick said "No way, let’s get this signed before Hamvention!"

The law will go into effect ninety days from today. During this time you will from SGL Pittner and me on how to use this law to its fullest effect. Stay tuned.

This day could not have come without the work of many individuals who put in time away from work and other personal responsibilities. SGL Pittner and I spent many hours in the hallways of the Ohio Statehouse working with legislators to keep the Bills moving. We hit a few snags, and had to start all over in 2011, wondering if we would ever get any further than the years prior. I would like to recognize all those who I worked with since 2009 to see this project through to today:

State Government Liaison Nick Pittner, K8NAP Past Section Traffic Manager John Tipka, W8UL Official Observer Coordinator Rick Swain, KK8O Past Assistant Section Manager Bill Carpenter, AA8EY Emergency Coordinator Teri Kovalchik, N8TLK Technical Specialist Don Kovalchik, W8DPK Professor Jeffery Ferriell, K8ZDA Dr. Robert Lewis, N8GU Local Government Liaison Steve Katz, N8WL Constance Barsky, WD8ODC

This was a dream that our Past Section Manager, Joe Phillips, K8QOE(SK) had for many years. I remember the conversation he and I had, around this same time of the year in 2009, when I agreed to help him in getting support from the Ohio Citizens Corps Council members to support

PRB-1 for Ohio.

This win is for you, Joe….

Photos of the signing were taken today by Statehouse photographers. Once we are sent copies, we will publish the photos on the ARRL Ohio Section website and Facebook page.

I’m sure this will be the talk at a few forums at Hamvention, make sure you stop into the Field Service Organization booth in the ARRL Expo and say Hi!

ARRL Ohio Section Manager

ki8gw@arrl.org

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GOVERNOR SIGNS FIELD DAY PROCLAMATION FOR OHIO

Governor Kasich has been very kind to the Amateur Radio Operators of Ohio this past week. Besides signing House Bill 158 in Law, the Governor also signed a Proclamation declaring June 23rd as "Amateur Radio Operator’s Appreciation Day In Ohio".

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NEW ARECC INSTRUCTORS APPOINTED IN THE OHIO SECTION

I would like to announce the recent appointments of three new ARECC (Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course) Field Instructors for EC-001, Introduction to Emergency Communications, for the Ohio

Section:

In the order of appointment:

I look forward to having these Instructors conducting EC-001 classes in the future.

ARRL Ohio Section Manager

ki8gw@arrl.org

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SECTION EMERGENCY COORDINATOR

So the week of Dayton Hamvention has finally arrived. Weather forecast is predicting sunny and ~~hot~~ temperatures. Don't forget your sun screen. Drink plenty of water. Don't forget your camera and extra batteries so you can take lots of pictures. Post your pictures online especially if you're into social media like Twitter and Facebook. Tell the world what fun you're having at the largest amateur radio convention on the planet!

Be sure to check out the Dayton Hamvention® Emergency Communications Unit Display! The display is located outside the fenced area of the flea market on the north west side of the property where the buses pick up and drop off, giving everyone ample opportunity to view the units as they arrive and depart the facility.

The ARRL Members Forum is at 1:15PM in Room 3 and the ARES Forum is at 2:30PM in the same room. I will see if I cannot break away from work and come over to the ARES forum for some or the entire forum. I will be at Hamvention all weekend in the main arena at booths HA0026 HA0027

HA0028 HA0029. Feel free to stop by to meet & greet your Section Emergency Coordinator.

W8SGT is facilitating an HF net every Tuesday at 1800 (6PM) local time.

The net is run from the State of Ohio EOC on the Ohio ARES Admin frequency 3875 KHz LSB. All are welcome to check in.

For those who are not attending Hamvention, help is needed with the Cleveland Marathon on Sunday, May 20. Even if you can't stay for the entire event, any help is better than no help. Contact Jim KC8PD via email at aylwardjim@aol.com 

73,

Ohio Section Emergency Coordinator

w8dec@arrl.net

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SECTION TRAFFIC MANAGER

Problems Plaguing HF Operators and the Ohio Single Sideband Net

By the time you read this it will be time for the Dayton Hamvention on May 18, 19, and 20th. I hope you can make it to Dayton and that you have fun finding the items you are looking for. Stop by the ARRL EXPO area, look for the Field Service Organization booth and say hello to you some of your Ohio cabinet members and visiting ARRL Section Managers. Bring along your question to get answers.

Now to the Problems Plaguing HF Operators and the Ohio Single Sideband Net

Many times I have heard a station say they have a high noise level on their receiver. I know that I am one of those stations and it seems like my noise level is always an S-7 to an S-9. I live in the city and have houses a stone’s throw away in all directions. I also have power lines on all four sides of the house and I am sure that they contribute to my noise level.

If you have been checking into the OSSBN or any HF net and handling traffic or rag chewing you have to be quite aware of the problems hearing the other stations. Sometimes this is caused by a weak station and sometimes it is caused by static and lightening crashes from a nearby thunderstorm. Other times it is propagation where a station is received strongly and then suddenly falls beneath your noise level and you are not able to copy them. Sometime this even happens with the net control stations, strong one minute and weak the next. In these times patience is a virtue and I have heard many stations on the OSSBN with a lot of patience while they try to send or receive their radiogram.

There is little that you can do about these conditions but to have loads of patience and ask for repeats to fill in the blanks in the radiogram you are trying to receive. We must all remember that it is not speed in passing the traffic that is important but it is accuracy that really counts. Sometimes the only way to get the missing word to the receiving station is to do it phonetically, and I can tell you from my experience phonetics really work. If you don’t have a copy of the standard phonetics right handy while sending or receiving traffic you should print one out and keep it handy. Check out the ARRL table at a hamfest and see if they have the FSD-220 pink card with the phonetics on one side. Using the wrong words for phonetics is asking for confusion on the receiving end of the transmission. Here is the standard Phonetics Alphabet as listed on ARRL Form FSD-220:

A Alfa

B Bravo

C Charlie

D Delta

E Echo

F Foxtrot

G Golf

H Hotel

I India

J Juliet

K Kilo

L Lima

M Mike

N November

O Oscar

P Papa

Q Quebec

R Romeo

S Sierra

T Tango

U Uniform

V Victor

W Whiskey

X X-ray

Y Yankee

Z Zulu

Note: Quebec is pronounced Key-beck to make it more distinctive.

As to weak stations on HF there is little the receiving station can do to get a stronger signal into the receiver without going to some effort or expense. One of the things I do is use headphones or earphones to copy the weaker stations. I have a cheap set of stereo headphone that is worth their weight in gold. They somehow reduce the noise and make the weak stations pop right up and I am able to copy them. This is something that you may want to try. I am not suggesting that you go out a buy a pair of $100 stereo headphones but if you have a set around the house give them a try. You may be surprised at how well they work.

If that particular set does not help tray another set and see if they help you hear the weak station. The headphones I use cost me a couple bucks at a garage sale some years ago.

If you are fortunate to have a newer transceiver with Notch and Shift controls these can be used to help cut out some of the noise especially that from an adjacent signal like the one that seems to move closer and closer to the net frequency as the net is being conducted. If you have IF Crystal SSB Filters in you transceiver that you can switch in to narrow the bandwidth of the received signal this will also help get the message through. If you are buying a new radio you should ask about optional filters and be sure to get them while they are available for your radio. Also, for pulse noises many transceivers have a noise blanker which could be used to lessen the effects of static crashes from electrical storms and interference like we had years ago with the "Woodpecker."

However, in the real world where band conditions are constantly changing the setting of these controls can become somewhat of an art.

You may be required to change your settings as the band changes or as a different station transmit during the net. If you practice with these controls and become familiar with them and with your type of interference the subtle effects of these controls can be recognized.

There is an old saying that if you can hear them you can work them but if you have a high noise level you will not be able to hear the weak ones. Noise on you HF radio is just one of the facts of ham radio life. The best you can do is try to minimize it or learn to live with it. This will be your next big challenge in Ham Radio as an HF operator. There are four different categorize of noise and they are:

External Man Made Noise

Interfering Transmitters

External Natural Noise

Internal Receiver Noise

I would like to touch on each of these noise types over the next couple of months and will attempt to give you the benefits of my research as I try to solve my own high noise level problems. As you might expect, this cannot be done in this forum in a single month.

Have fun at Dayton and keep sending me your traffic reports.

73,

David, WA3EZN

Ohio Section Traffic Manager

wa3ezn@arrl.net

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NOTES FROM YOUR TECHNICAL COORDINATOR

Here we are and it’s time for Dayton again. Your Ohio Section will have a booth at the Dayton Hamvention staffed by your Section Cabinet Members. While you’re there, please stop by and say hello. We’d love to meet you and hear your thoughts and concerns.

ARRL will also have a large presence including forums, excellent speakers, many display areas and an opportunity to purchase many of the ARRL official publications and other items of interest to League members and interested amateurs.

Going to Dayton is a great experience. If you have never made the trip to see the Hamvention, I’d encourage you to do so. You will likely run into several friends and possibly a few of the contacts you have made. Amateurs from all over the world can be seen as well as the movers and shakers in the DX world.

The latest and greatest in equipment will be on display at the manufacturers booths and all manner of hardware, software, parts and accessories will be on display and for sale. Many international clubs will be there with displays and literature. Special interest groups from CW enthusiasts to the newest digital modes will be there to advise

and lend a hard with your most recent project or interest. Anything

Amateur Radio related will be there for you to see and get your hands on.

The flea market rounds out the Dayton experience, a colossal nirvana for Hams it is. You can find most anything outside in the flea market spaces. If you’re looking for that piece of older gear or a part for it, it may well be found in the flea market.

It’s really a super 3 day event and its right here in Ohio. Be sure to look us up at the Ohio Section Booth in the ARRL exhibit area.

Thanks and 73,

Jim Yoder, W8ERW

Ohio Section Technical Coordinator

w8erw@arrl.net

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PIC REPORT..

As PIOs we will be kept pretty busy this summer.

First, If you are planning on attending Hamvention in Dayton 5/18-20 at Hara Arena there are a lot of forums on many subjects. Please check your program and the various screens around the arena and look for forums on subjects you are interested in. I recommend going to as many as you can attend. I have never attended a bad one, and I almost always can bring back some useful information. I am going out on a limb here and recommending you try to make these three.

1. Fri. 5/18 2:30-3:30, Room 5, Allen Pitts W1AGP, PR Manager/ARRL, DIY Radio Magic

2. Sat. 5/19 1:15-2:15 , Room 3 , Jim Weaver K8JE, Director, Great Lakes Division, ARRL Members Forum.

3. Sat. 5/19 2:30-3:30 Room 3, Mike Corey KI1U, Emergency Preparedness manager/ARRL, Jim Cross WI3N Section Manager Maryland DC on the Future of ARES. I am honored to be moderating this forum.

The ARRL Ohio State Convention is coming up on 8/4 at the Aladdin Center in Columbus. Part of that conference is the awarding of the Newsletter Award. Please get in touch with the club newsletter committees in your area and ask them to send me copies of their newsletters for judging. They can be sent to me via email at kb8wpz@arrl.net, or mailed to Jack Sovik KB8WPZ 1925 Countryside Dr. Youngstown, OHIO 44515. If you have any questions please contact me.

Also, more information on this will be made available soon.

Finally, PIOs, get in touch with your local club Field Day Committees on getting information to your media contacts on Field Day, which is on 6/23 and 6/24. It is never too early to start.

73,

Jack Sovik, KB8WPZ

Ohio Section Public Information Coordinator

kb8wpz@arrl.net

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In's and Out's from the Southeast Corner..

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n8yld@arrl.net

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SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS IN OHIO..

05/17/2012

Feld Hell Club at Dayton Hamvention

May 17-May 20, 1200Z-2000Z, W8H, Dayton, OH.

Feld Hell Club

50.286 28.074 14.063 7.077.

QSL. Scott Pettigrew, N8VSI

6015 Driftwood Ct

Maineville, OH 45039.

06/15/2012

Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure/Field Day

Jun 15-Jun 24, 0800Z-1800Z, W8O, New Vienna, OH

Highland and Clinton Counties Amateur Radio Associations

7.255

QSL. John Levo, 21 Highland Drive, Hillsboro, OH 45133

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UPCOMING HAMFESTS/CONVENTIONS

5/18/2012 thru 5/20/2012

Dayton Hamvention

Location: HARA Arena

1001 Shiloh Springs Road

Trotwood, OH

Sponsor: Dayton Amateur Radio Association

Talk-In: 146.940-

Public Contact: Michael Kalter , W8CI

Box 964 Dayton, OH 45401

Phone: 937-276-6930

Email: info@hamvention.org

06/02/2012

FULTON COUNTY ARC HAMFEST

Location: Roth Family Park

101 Hill Avenue

Tedrow, OH

Sponsor: Fulton County Amateur Radio Club

Talk-In: 147.195/147.795

Public Contact: Lindsay Infante , K8LI

7649 County Road L Delta, OH 43515

Phone: 419-346-8261

Email: lindsayinf@yahoo.com

06/16/2012

MILFORD HAMFEST

Location: Eastside Christian Church

5874 Montclair Blvd.

Milford, OH 45150

Sponsor: Milford Amateur Radio Club

Talk-In: 147.345+ (no PL tone)

Public Contact: Jim Linn , WB8RRR

5110 Romohr Road Cincinnati, OH 45244

Phone: 513-831-6255

Email: wb8rrr@arrl.net