Ohio SEC Notes & Stuff - Week 34 - 2013
For public distribution.
Please forward as appropriate.
These notes will also be available on the ARES page at www.arrl-ohio.org Ohio Digital Emergency
Net (OHDEN) <http://ohden.org> Tues at 8PM. 3585 kHz and 7072 kHz Upper Side Band.
Ohio HF Net by W8SGT.
Tues at 7PM on 3875 kHz and 7240 kHz Lower Side Band.
Preparedness Leads to Readiness
I had a blast at the Warren Hamfest last weekend. One of the many highlights at the Warren
Hamfest this year was Boy Scout Troop 8 from Leavittsburg. OH. They were the food vendor and they have a
top-notch menu. Danish, donuts, and
coffee for breakfast. Loaded baked
potatoes, hot dogs, cheese dogs, and chili-cheese dogs for lunch. Add chips and drink to make it a combo. Oh my goodness, their loaded baked potatoes
were heavenly. I had a loaded baked potato
with sauerkraut and I cannot stand sauerkraut. But this loaded baked potato was
so darn good, I couldn't even tell there was sauerkraut on the potato. They had a fresh squeezed lemonade
stand! The food was fantastic and the
prices were right. Oh by the way, I
heard Boy Scout Troop 8 has already been asked to come back next year.
Let me throw in a little testimony. Roughly 5 years ago, I attended the Warren
Hamfest for my very first time. It was
held at the Trumbull County Fairgrounds.
After walking the whole hamfest in about 10 minutes, I told myself at
that time I would never come back. I
didn't think it was worth the drive. But
since that time, I have seen this quaint little hamfest grow into a great place
to buy, sell, and trade. It's a
wonderful place to meet up with hams, make new friends, enjoy the friendship
and fellowship, and share the camaraderie. Not to mention, they have cool prizes. I can honestly tell you if you didn't attend
this year, you missed out on a great time.
Warren Hamfest is already marked on my calendar for August 17th,
2014. Always the third Sunday in
August. It might not be the largest
hamfest in Ohio, but in my eyes, it's the fastest growing. Many thanks to everyone who came out and
supported the Warren Hamfest and Boy Scout Troop 8.
The Portage County Amateur Radio Service (PCARS) annual
amateur radio mobile cruise-in is tomorrow, Wednesday, August 21st, starting at
6PM, at the A&W restaurant in Ravenna.
See the attached flyer for details.
Let me add this is one my all-time favorite events. It really is a great time and plenty of
fun. Come on down for some great
service, excellent food, and cold beer ;-).
A&W root beer that is. Need
some ideas on how to install a transceiver in your vehicle? What about antennas? Want to see some unique ideas? Want to learn some neat tips and tricks, do's
and don'ts in a mobile radio install?
Come ask the participants the infamous question, "How do I get my
DC cord through the firewall"? The
amateur radio mobile cruise-in is the place to be. There is a fun contest too with prizes. Did I forget to mention I took first place
the very first year PCARS had this event?
This event will always be my favorite.
Come on down and you might just say the same.
Any amateur radio operator planning to volunteer at the
190th Great Geauga County Fair is asked to participate in an important meeting
at the Fire Station at the Geauga County Fairgrounds this coming Thursday,
August 22nd at 6PM. It will be at this
meeting where communications plans and general information will be
disseminated. Those attending need to
let Geauga County EC Pat N8ONI know as soon as possible for proper food
procurement.
The Ohio QSO Party is this coming Saturday, August 24th
from 12 Noon to Midnight local time.
Don't forget about the new EOC category this year!!
I will be with the Geauga Amateur Radio Association
operating the W8DES station at the Geauga County Emergency Operations
Center. Did I mention we're aiming for
First Place in the EOC category? Are you
activating a county? Is your callsign
listed here? --> http://www.ohqp.org/operatingPlannedOhQP2013.php
Ohio State Parks on the Air is coming up Saturday,
September 7th from 12 Noon to 8PM. Not
only is this a fun event, it's also a great training opportunity for ARES
volunteers. "Visit a beautiful Ohio
state park and have some amateur radio fun at the same time." Help put all 74 state parks on the air!
The Statewide Simulated Emergency Test will be on
Saturday, October 12th.
The SET Planning Team is working hard on great objectives
for this awesome training event. Stay
tuned for details.
~~HOT~~ GREAT NEWS!!
The All Ohio ARES Conference has been approved by the ARRL Board of
Directors and is now an ARRL Convention!
It's now listed amongst all the other hamfests and conventions on the www.arrl.orgwebsite! Many thanks to those who helped make this
happen.
Online registration is *OPEN* for the All Ohio ARES
Conference on Saturday, November 9th at the Ohio Fire Academy in Reynoldsburg,
OH. We have a great lineup of presenters
so far but there's room for more. This
conference is the perfect venue to teach us something you know about public
service communications, digital communications, emergency/disaster
communications, or even show us something you made, constructed, built, or
bought!
Calling all Emcomm vehicles/trailers!
The All Ohio ARES Conference is a great place to show-off communications
vehicles/trailers! Don't forget about
the Go-Boxes! 2012 marked the largest go
box display this Section has ever seen!
There were 105
people in attendance! Help make 2013 better than ever! We can't do it
without you! Go to http://www.arrl-ohio.org/SEC/default.html
to register.
ASEC Scott N8SX has done a marvelous job maintaining the
Ohio Section Training Database not only for the ARES Leadership but also ARES
volunteers.
He's still collecting training documents so feel free to
submit yours to n8sx@arrl.net. Visit the training page at http://www.arrl-ohio.org/SEC/training.html
for guidance or if you have any questions.
Did you know...
If you are a current ARRL Member, you can get a Centennial
Membership Certificate and ID Card by going
tohttp://www.arrl.org/membership-certificate.
You must be logged-in on www.arrl.org
to access the page to print your Certificate/Card. Thank you, Bob K8BL, of the Lake County ARA
for the tip.
SEC's Soap Box...
A little over 25%
of the counties in Ohio do not have an Emergency Coordinator and/or ARES
program. Check out http://www.arrl-ohio.org/SEC/ec-open-list.html
to find out which counties are vacant.
The Emergency Coordinator is one of the most important
positions in the ARES program. Much like
any ARRL appointee, there is no doubt being an Emergency Coordinator requires
time and effort. But it's not difficult.
Being an EC doesn't mean you have to do everything. In my article for the Ohio Section News, I
talk about delegation. The EC should
delegate duties and responsibilities so he or she can focus on the tasks at
hand.
Volunteers often get "burned out" by taking on
too much. Delegation is a powerful tool
in effective and efficient leadership.
I am looking for volunteers with a "can do"
attitude to step up and lead from the front.
Maybe you'd like to be the next Emergency Coordinator but have questions
first. Not a problem, call me or email
me and I will answer all your questions.
If I do not know the answer, I am not afraid to say I don't know. I'll find out and get back to you in a
reasonable amount of time. If you're not
the leader type, that's ok. Maybe you
know someone who is. Point them in my
direction. Give them my phone number and
my email address. If you'd rather me
talk to them, give me their contact info.
The bottom line is we know there are great volunteers in the Ohio
Section. You just might know them a
helluva lot better than I do. Help me
find the next Emergency Coordinator.
That's all for this week.
Thank you very much for all you do for amateur radio! My name is Matt Welch and I approve this
message. ;-)
73 de Matt W8DEC
Matthew Welch W8DEC
Ohio Section Emergency Coordinator
ARRL - The national association for AMATEUR RADIO™ w8dec@arrl.net
440-585-7388