Ohio State Parks On The Air

Mark your calendars, OSPOTA and the MARC picnic are September 11, 2010 at Stonelick State Park. We will be setting up radio operations and the picnic at a site along the road to the Beach. Look for two trailers and lots of antenna’s.

Current plan is to have 3 HF stations and one 2m/6m station. The HF stations will be using networked logging PC’s and primarily running SSB, however if someone wants to operate CW speak up, we will have keyers available. Rick N8MFN, will be at the campground running CW, if we want to log him as a multiplier someone needs to work him.

I plan on being on site around 8:00 AM on Saturday to claim our area. After setting up the NVIS antenna I’ll look for Route 66 Special Event stations.

OSPOTA starts at noon local time and runs until 8:00 PM local time. We plan on operating the entire time this year. Last year we shut down early so we wouldn’t have to break down the equipment in the dark. We placed 2nd by less than 30 QSO’s. So put on your contest hats and bring a flashlight if you plan on being there in the evening.

Stonelick State Park is located about 10 miles east of Milford, between State Routes 28 and 131 at the intersection of State Routes 727, 133 and Woodville Pike. The address is 2895 Lake Dr, Pleasant Plain, OH 45162.

Talk in will be on the MARC repeater, 147.345+.

73

Bill WS6K

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Steve Friebele, K8JI will do a presentation on the club’s website. Bring your questions, comments and what you would like to see to this presentation!

Our next club meeting is Thursday, September 9th.

Program: Steve Friebele, K8JI will do a presentation on the Milford Club website.

The VE testing session starts at 6:00 PM and our meeting follows at 7:30 PM. You do not have to be a member to attend a meeting.

MARC 2010 Officers

President: Mike Ernst, AE8U
Vice President: Jeff Clemmons, KD8LZK
Treasurer: Jim Linn, WB8RRR
Secretary: Barb Steward, KA8AXY

Subject: SPECIAL REQUEST – HELP PREVENT BAN ON MOBILE OPERATING

(Reply to nb4k@arrl.org)

Dear Ohio Amateur Radio Operator,

US Senate Bill S. 1536, the Alert Drivers Act, is intended to improve
highway safety by reducing driving distractions caused primarily by
cell phones. Unfortunately, current wording of this Bill does not
specifically exempt Amateur Radio from is provisions. The Bill is in
the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. As a result, ARRL
asks members who live in states that have a representative on this
committee to direct letters to senators who are on this Committee.
Senator George Voinovich of Ohio is one of the members of the Senate
Environment and Public Works Committee.

We ask each ARRL member in Ohio to write a letter to Senator Voinovich
asking that Senate Bill S. 1536 be amended to exempt Amateur Radio.
You may use the letter that is attached or compose one of your own.
Either way it needs to be done as soon as possible.

As has been done in the past, please send your signed letter to our
Washington representative, John Chwat. Mr. Chwat will deliver the
letters directly to Mr. Voinovich’s office to increase their impact.
Please send your letter via one of the following methods:

As a signed attachment to an email to: arrl@chwatco.com.

As a signed fax to: 703-684-7594

As a signed letter to:
John Chwat
Chwat & Co.
625 Slaters Lane, Suite 103
Alexandria, VA 22314

If you choose to email your letter, please send it as a
personally-signed attachment to the email instead of as unsigned e-mail
text. This allows the letter to be easily printed and delivered to Mr.
Voinovich. If you decide to draft your own letter instead of editing
the sample, please remember to include the following key points:

- Identify the bill by number and title: S 1536 “The ALERT Drivers
Act”.

- Ask that S 1536 be amended to exempt “two way mobile radio
transmitters or receivers used by licensees of the Federal
Communications Commission in the Amateur Radio service.”

- Keep the letter brief and on the single topic – one page at the
most.

- Ask the Senator to consider becoming a co-sponsor and support this
amendment.

- Thank the Senator for considering your request.

If you prefer to send your letter directly to Senator Voinovich, please
also send a copy of it to Chwat & Co. This allows our team to discuss
accurately with the Senator and his staff the amount of support the
bill has in Ohio.

Thanks for your help on this Bill. I look forward to corresponding
further with you in the future.

The draft letter is below.

73,

John D. Meyers, NB4K
Great Lake Division
Legislative Action Chairman
Nb4k@arrl.org

——————————————————-

(Date)

Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH)
524 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Attn: Chip Abernathy
Fax: 202-228-1382

Dear Senator Voinovich,

I understand that S. 1536, “The ALERT Drivers Act,” will be voted
upon in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. As an
amateur radio licensee and member of the American Radio Relay League,
representing over 680,000 amateur radio licensees nationwide, including
28,377 in the state of Ohio, I urge you to support an amendment to S.
1536 that exempts amateur radio licensees from this type of ban. The
amendment would seek to exempt “two way mobile radio transmitters or
receivers used by licensees of the Federal Communications Commission in
the Amateur Radio service.”

The form of communication used by amateur radio licensees is
fundamentally different from that of cell phone users. Amateur radio
utilizes simplex, two-way radio communication in which relatively
little time is spent transmitting-unlike cell phones. Additionally,
the mobile radio sets used by amateur radio operators are typically
permanently mounted on the floor of the motor vehicle and do not
interfere with operation of the vehicle. In fact, after more than 50
years of amateur radio in the U.S., we are unaware of any evidence that
mobile radio operation has contributed to driver inattention. Amateur
radio licensees are public-service minded citizens who use their
radio-equipped motor vehicles to aid others, and they focus on driving
in order to perform these services.

Please contact our Washington representative, John Chwat, if you can
help us by sponsoring this amendment. Please contact him at
john.chwat@chwatco.com or (703) 684-7703.

Thank you,

(Your signature)

(Your printed name)
(Your address)
(Your city, state, ZIP)
(Your telephone number, e-mail address)

—————————————————————–

Tnx vy much for your important help,

Jim

Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director
ARRL Great Lakes Division
5065 Bethany Rd.
Mason, OH 45040; Tel. 513-459-1661
ARRL, The national organization for Amateur Radio

——————————————————————–
ARRL Great Lakes Division
Director: James E Weaver, K8JE
k8je@arrl.org

The August issue of Wireline is available here

73, Steve

Almost 300 lighthouses in more than 40 countries and territories — from Argentina to Wales — will be on the air for 2010 International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend (ILLW), organized by Scotland’s Ayr Amateur Radio Group (AARG). The event, held for the 12th year in a row, takes place Saturday, August 21 0001 UTC through Sunday, August 22 2359 UTC. While not a contest, the ILLW is more of a QSO Party and Amateur Radio demonstration. The ILLW aims to raise public awareness of lighthouses and lightships and the need for their preservation and restoration, promote Amateur Radio and foster international goodwill. Stations at more than 40 US lights are expected to be on the air for the event, and several stations will identify with special event call signs. Participating lighthouse/lightship stations do not have to be inside the structure or on the vessel itself; a Field Day-type setup at or adjacent to the light is sufficient. More information about the event, including a registration form and list of all lights scheduled to be on the air, is available on the ILLW Web site. The ILLW also has a Facebook page.

With the rip-roaring success of the first-ever ARRL Rookie Roundup this past April — modeled on the popular Novice Roundups from a decade or two ago — the ARRL is pleased to announce that a second Rookie Roundup is coming this Sunday, August 15 from 1800-2359 UTC. You don’t have to be a rookie to participate. For the purpose of the Rookie Roundup, a “rookie” is defined as someone who has been licensed for three years or less, regardless of license class. If you received your license in 2008, 2009 or 2010, you are eligible to compete as a rookie. Non-rookies are encouraged to work the rookies and be an Elmer to those just starting out. It is an immediate, hands-on way to teach good operating practices to those just getting started. Read more here.

This month is an outstanding presentation on Software Defined Radio by one of our newest members, Mr. Al Peter (AC8GY).

Then in September, we will have our webmaster Steve Friebele (K8JI) give us a through presentation and demonstration of all of the features in our website. This is a great tool for us to promote our club and it is important for our own members to understand it and know how to use it.

Then in October, we will have a presentation of Ham Radio Deluxe, and using it for remote control of your station.

Our next club meeting is Thursday, August 12th.

The VE testing session starts at 6:00 PM and our meeting follows at 7:30 PM. You do not have to be a member to attend a meeting.

MARC 2010 Officers

President: Mike Ernst, AE8U
Vice President: Jeff Clemmons, KD8LZK
Treasurer: Jim Linn, WB8RRR
Secretary: Barb Steward, KA8AXY

3rd Annual Tailgators Hamfest

Location: MAP Here

Ripley County 4-H Fairgrounds
524 Beech Street
Osgood, IN 47037
Website: http://www.rcarc.ripleycounty.net
Sponsor: Ripley County Amateur Radio Club

Prize: Yaesu FT 1900 2m , 55 watt , 200 channel mobile radio for a raffle at $2 per ticket

Talk-In: 441.775+ & 147.52 simplex

Public Contact: Delbert Felix , WY9L

Email: wy9l.thebigdog@gmail.com