SEC's Notes.. Week 22

Ohio SEC Notes & Stuff - Week 22 - 2014
For public distribution.  Please forward as appropriate.

Ohio HF Emergency Preparedness Net.  Tues at 7PM on 3850 kHz (+/-)
Ohio Digital Emergency Net (OHDEN)  Tues at 8PM. 7072 kHz  USB.

Greetings and salutations from the Northeast corner of the Buckeye State where the temperature is currently 75 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny.

'Tis the Season to Volunteer and Participate!  Fa la la la la la la!  ;-)  Here's how!
Join your county ARES team!  ARES Teams across Ohio are seeking volunteers.  No experience necessary.  No emergency equipment required. Will train. You can find contact info for all the Emergency Coordinators on the ARES page on the Ohio Section website www.arrl-ohio.org.  If you do not have an ARES team in your county, don't fret.  Not all is lost.  Contact your District Emergency Coordinator for details on how to start an ARES team or be part of an adjacent county ARES team.

Let's have some fun by volunteering for public service events like marathons and bicycle rides.  Amateur radio volunteers assist event organizers by providing situational awareness.  We also assist participants and staff in a variety of other tasks like staffing the start, finish, water stops, dangerous or confusing intersections, railroad tracks.  While, to some, this may be meaningless, I can assure you volunteering in this capacity is extremely helpful thus saving charitable organizations thousands of manpower dollars. Contact your Emergency Coordinator for details on upcoming events.

Ohio HF Emergency Preparedness Net by Team W8SGT.  This net meets every Tuesday at 7PM starting on 3850 kHz.  All currently licensed amateur radio operators are welcome to participate.  The net is organized by ARES district.  Not sure what district you're in?  Check out the ARES page on the Ohio Section website www.arrl-ohio.org.

Ohio Digital Emergency Net (OHDEN).  This net meets every Tuesday at 8PM on 7072 kHz.  All are welcome to participate.  As a reminder, all digital sound card modes use Upper Side Band regardless of band.  Their website is www.ohden.org.

Ohio Single Side Band Net (OSSBN).  This net meets three times a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year on 3972.5 kHz.  Check out their website www.ossbn.org for details.

Highlights from ARRL Headquarters in Newington, CT

​Hundreds of clubs register their FD 2014 sites on the ARRL Field Day Locator!
http://www.arrl.org/news/view/hundreds-of-clubs-register-their-fd-2014-sites-on-the-arrl-field-day-locator

Ohio Antenna Law Challenge May be Over.
http://www.arrl.org/news/view/ohio-antenna-law-challenge-may-be-over

Red Badges on the Air Centennial QSO Party Activity set for June 1st!
http://www.arrl.org/news/red-badges-on-the-air-centennial-qso-party-activity-set-for-june-1

​

​Lastly, did you know Ohio Ham Operators have a Facebook page?
Check it out at https://www.facebook.com/groups/OhioHamOps/

That's all for this week.  Thank you for everything you do for amateur radio.

73 de Matt W8DEC​

Week 21 of the SEC's notes..

Ohio SEC Notes & Stuff - Week 21 - 2014

For public distribution.  Please forward as appropriate.Ohio HF Emergency Preparedness Net.  Tues at 7PM on 3850 kHz (+/-) Ohio Digital Emergency Net (OHDEN)  Tues at 8PM. 7072 kHz  USB.
Memorial Day 2014 is this coming Monday, May 26.  Please remember the men and women who have served and are serving in the Armed Forces defending this great Nation against all enemies foreign and domestic.  

Greetings and salutations from the Northeast corner of the Buckeye State where the temperature is 64 degrees Fahrenheit and mostly sunny.

​Wow!  All I can say is wow about the 2014 Dayton Hamvention!  It really was the best Hamvention I have ever attended. The ARRL Expo was great!  The emcomm vehicle display was impressive! The ARES Forum on Sunday was jam packed! After the ARES Forum on Sunday, I spent the day with Jackie N8JMW and her twin boys Zachary and Christopher at the Air Force Museum.  The new space shuttle exhibit was phenomenal.  Dayton Hamvention 2014 is in the history books but it's one I'll always remember.  By the way, if you look at the ARRL Facebook page, you might see two boys with SKYWARN hats on.  Becky W1BXY, Managing Editor for QST, took a couple photos of Zachary and Christopher for QST.  Check it out!

ASEC Mark Griggs and I attended the Ohio VOAD meeting earlier this week (May 21) at Ohio EMA. Ohio VOAD is a state chapter of National VOAD. VOAD stands for Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster.  ARRL is a member of National VOAD thus putting us at the table of Ohio VOAD.  Ohio VOAD consists of many organizations active in disaster response throughout the State of Ohio. Some examples are Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army, American Red Cross, Mennonite Disaster Service, Adventists Community Services, and Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.  I know many counties in Ohio have what's called a COAD.  County Organizations Active in Disaster.  I highly encourage county ARES teams to be a part of COAD if one exists.  Great opportunity to meet key players from other disaster relief organizations.

Next week, I am attending a Functional Needs Summit in Columbus sponsored by Ohio EMA. I am really looking forward to this.  I think it will be a great educational experience and the networking alone will be priceless.  Here's what Ohio EMA says about it.  At the 2014 State of Ohio Functional Needs Summit, participants from a variety of public and private-sector organizations will assess the current state of disaster-based response to functional needs.  The Functional Needs Framework is structured around five functional needs categories: Functional Independence, Communication, Supervision/Safety, Medical, and Transportation. In short, the functional needs population is made up of those who might need additional assistance to be able to effectively participate in disaster response operations such as evacuation and sheltering. The Summit’s goals are to examine gaps in the disaster-based functional needs service network, and to improve communication between responders, service providers, and local and state agencies.

June 13th, I am attending the NEOMMRS Conference at Auburn Career Center in Concord, Ohio. The agenda looks impressive.  I have attached it for your review. NEOMMRS stands for Northeast Ohio Metropolitan Medical Medical Response System.  The mission of NEOMMRS is to enhance existing local and regional emergency preparedness systems to respond efficiently and effectively to a public health or medical crisis, including weapons of mass destruction (WMD) event.

That's all for this week.  Thank you for everything you do for amateur radio.

73 de Matt W8DEC

April 2014 SEC Monthly Report

Your MonsterMail form has been completed, following are the results:

Field	Value
subject	ARES Form FSD-96
State	Ohio
Month	April
Year	2014
Number_of_ARES_Members	1385
Change_In_Numbers	0
Number_of_DECs_EC_reporting_this_month	8
Number_of_ARES_nets_active	0
Number_of_nets_with_NTS_Liaison	0
DEC_EC_callsigns	1-WD8PNZ, 2-W8UY, 3-KC8WHK, 5-KC8PD, 6-W8MLL, 8-N8SUZ, 9-W8FHF, 10-N8AUC
Number_of_drills_tests_and_training_this_month	437
Person_Hours_for_drill_tests_training	2224.5
Number_of_Public_Service_events	30
Person_Hours_for_public_service_events	1716.3
Number_of_emergency_operations_this_month	5
Person_Hours_for_emergency_operations	150.2
Number_of_ARES_RACES_Events_this_month	472
Total_Person_Hours	4091
Comment	No reports from Districts 4 and 7. See below  for comments.
Signature	Matthew Welch W8DEC / Ohio SEC
mailfrom	w8dec@arrl.net

 


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COMMENTS..

DISTRICT 1.. 
Seneca County-EC Scott Rosenburger KE8JC  Report submitted by AEC Steve Tarbert KC8ZKC

No Comment 

Huron County-EC Clay Benner KB8DNA  Hosted a very successful Skywarn Spotter Training session by NWS Cleveland. 114 attended with 64 new spotters trained. 1 Skywarn event this month for Severe Thunderstorm Warning. 

Sandusky County-EC David Gierhart W8DAG Provided communications for the Bubba Battle Memorial 5K run/walk fund raiser sponsored by the Clyde Lion's Club. Used our new com trailer for the first time at the event. 

Hancock County-EC Darl Deeds NA8W/Skywarn Training this month. Over 100 in attendance. 

Erie County-EC Bob Heim K8HLH  many nets 4/29/14 SkyWarn 12 check-in's for 1 hour. 

Wood County -EC Bob Schumann W8NYY  Met with Perrysburg PD Chief to finalize next steps for the installation of the emergency antenna at the Perrysburg PD HDQTRS. Also spoke with BGSU Emergency Coordinator to plan the meeting for May to explore opportunities for the coming year.

Lucas County-EC Brenda Krukowski KB8IUP No Comment 

Ottawa County-EC James Garber KB8TTR   Thank you for the appointment to EC of Ottawa County. I will be working hard to make a positive difference in Ottawa County. I have already reached out to the local club and the county EMA director. We have a meeting set up to meet and speak in person this week. Thank you for this opportunity!

DISTRICT 2..

Van Wert Co. passed 3 traffic messages. Defiance Co. Held a 3 week Amateur Radio Technician class. 

DISTRICT 3.. 
This report reflects the operations in District 3 with the exception of Champaign County. 

DISTRICT 5.. 
Summit County: Provided communications for the 2014 MS Akron Walk

DISTRICT 6.. 
Crawford: Report not filed 

Knox: Report filed – no comment 

Marion: Report filed – no comment 

Medina: Not included in this report are check-ins to the Ohio W8SGT emergency net and digi nets as all participants do not tell me they took part when I am not listening. 

Richland: Richland County ARES had five weekly nets and one SKYWARN event with 38 checkins. We had first tornado warning of season on with mobile home turned over with minor injuries to victims. 

Wayne: Had a very successful training exercise with the Wooster Hospital. Their personnel learned a lot about what ARES has to offer and we learned about their needs for both support communications via Ham Radio and providing assistance with internal hospital communications. 

Wyandot: The Wyandot County Hams met at Wyandot Memorial Hospital April 10. The club discussed field day and upcoming bike tours. Field Day will be at Wharton Community Park again this year. 

DISTRICT 8.. 

Counties reporting: Athens, Hocking, Lawrence, Scioto. EC comments: Athens: Supported the Athens MS Walk on April 12, Athens Marathon on April 13 and a new event - Lake Hope Iron Furnace Trail Run on April 26. DEC comments: Apologize for late submission of report. Having issues with online reports not making my inbox. Working with webmaster to resolve issues. 

DISTRICT 10..


No district comments.


Ashtabula County: Had a wonderful month of April here is Ashtabula County! Spring is here and it has ushered in all kinds of fun stuff... from license upgrades to increased attendance at meetings due to lack of snow on the roads! hi hi


Everyone is chomping at the bit for Dayton- which cannot come fast enough! On the 3rd of May we had an event at the Mohican Wilderness camping area near Wooster/Lodi with a combined group of Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts. There were about 30 kids involved and just over a dozen parents. After an exciting day of playing radio with 4 Yaesu 897's on the air we had the kids asking all kinds of great qustions, making Q's and yearning to hop on the mic again.


The parents were even more excited! We extended our program by almost 2 hours just so the parents could enjoy a bit more hands o! n time when it came to getting on the air and learning more about the radio s. It was a success to say the least! K8RSO ! was the call sign used for this event.


Cuyahoga County: Relatively light month. One monthly meeting exercising programming HT in the field for different modes and frequency splits in preparation for PSAs. Additional meeting with the Cleveland EMA and associated safety organizations for preparation for the Cleveland Marathon. Finally a new antenna system was installed on the roof of the Cleveland EOC for ARES radios. Two dual band 2M/70cm verticals and one 40M Di-pole antenna were mounted and coax runs were brought into the office used by ARES during EOC activation events.


Geauga County: NONE ***


Lake County: Lake and Geauga ARES Teams combined to provide communications for the first Lake Health 20 mile Drop Run. The event started at the Chardon Village Square. Runners were bussed in from the finish line at Headlands Beach ST. PK. to return under their own run power.


Geauga ARES assumed Command at the starting line with Lake ARES providing overall Net Control from their Comm. Trailer located at Headlands ST. PK. Some 20 Amateurs monitored the runners along the 20 and 10 mile distances. Two Bicycle Mobile units covered the bike trail part of the run along with 3 SAG vehicles on the roads. Other Amateurs were stationed at Aid stations and Water stops. This was a very successful team effort conducted by the Lake and Geauga ARES members.


Eleven members of the Lake County ARES Team provided support and communications for the Mentor M-S walk on Saturday the 26th of April. Approximately 400 walkers took part in the annual event.


Lorain County: No public service or emergency operations were held this month. The man hours reflected in box 10 are strictly for ARES nets.

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March 2014 SEC's Monthly Report

 

Your MonsterMail form has been completed, following are the results:

Field	Value
subject	ARES Form FSD-96
State	Ohio
Month	March
Year	2014
Number_of_ARES_Members	1524
Change_In_Numbers	0
Number_of_DECs_EC_reporting_this_month	9
Number_of_ARES_nets_active	0
Number_of_nets_with_NTS_Liaison	0
DEC_EC_callsigns	1-WD8PNZ, 2-W8UY, 3-KC8WHK, 5-KC8PD, 6-W8MLL, 7-KA8RLC, 8-N8SUZ, 9-W8FHF, 10-KD8FTS for N8AUC
Number_of_drills_tests_and_training_this_month	639
Person_Hours_for_drill_tests_training	3912.5
Number_of_Public_Service_events	18
Person_Hours_for_public_service_events	273.5
Number_of_emergency_operations_this_month	0
Person_Hours_for_emergency_operations	0
Number_of_ARES_RACES_Events_this_month	657
Total_Person_Hours	4185.55
Comment	No report from District 4. See below for comments.
Signature	Matthew Welch W8DEC / Ohio SEC
mailfrom	w8dec@arrl.net

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COMMENTS..

DISTRICT 1.. 

Seneca County-EC Scott Rosenburger KE8JC   Report submitted by AEC Steve Tarbert KC8ZKC
We have sponsored a few classes for Tech & General tickets. 

Huron County-EC Clay Benner KB8DNA   Huron Co. hosted a EMA Disaster Assessment Training sesion presented by the State EMA this month. 11 Amateur Radios and several other were trained in FEMA Damage Assessment. 

Sandusky County-EC David Gierhart W8DAG Reported on county weather siren alert test on March 1st. Three members attended the Ohio ARES Leadership meeting on March 15th. Skywarn training on March 25th. Four ARES nets. One new ARES member.

Hancock County-EC Darl Deeds NA8W   We gained a member this month but we lost long time member K8IVP. Our digital net continues to attract new checkins using the sound card project we put together as a group last month. 

Erie County-EC Bob Heim K8HLH   We had 65 people for Sky-Warn training 3/20/14 for 2 hours, put on by the Cleveland NWS. 

Wood County -EC Bob Schumann W8NYY   Met with the Perrysburg Police Chief to discuss the installation of an emergency back-up antenna. The new Mayor of Perrysburg, Mike Olmstead, is a strong supporter of Wood County ARES and has given his approval for our go-ahead. This will be discussed at our April meeting and a plan of action will be put into place to make this happen.



DISTRICT 3.. 

this report is late because of waiting on Preble & Champaign Co. The situation with both is tenuous at best with me at this point. These figures reflect all counties except Champaign and Preble. 

DISTRICT 5.. 
Columbiana County - operators standing by for siren activation for statewide tornado drill,operators at each siren monitoring for proper operation.

DISTRICT 6.. 

Crawford: Lost a valuable member recently, Mel. KA8LWR. 

Knox: Had a great SKYWARN class on March 31st with nearly 40 attendees. Getting ready to enter a busy season with several events this Spring and Summer. 

Marion: SKYWARN training on March 27th with 60 in attendance. 

Medina: Report filed – no comment 

Richland: Richland County ARES had four nets, SSKYWARN training, Malabar Bike Race and ARES Leadership Conference. 

Wayne: Worked with county EMA Director to host SKYWRN training for over 100 people. Session was hosted at local college facility and they are looking forward to having us back again next year. 

Wyandot: The Wyandot County Hams met at the Wyandot Memorial Hospital this month. The club discussed possible Field Day sites and reserved Wharton Park again for this year. We also discussed the up coming SKYWARN training and local Bike Tours planned for this summer. "73" 

DISTRICT 7.. 
DELAWARE: This month Delaware trained on WebEOC, the software program that coordinates EOC incidents. We have ARES logins and communications slots in the program. We took advantage of the 'off season' to pull several new runs of hardline and re-arrange antenna feedlines with county support. Work continues on Broadband MESH, after the conference we added several email names to our list. We had 5 at the conference including our EMA Director. (Great job, Matt and all!)

FAIRFIELD: I'm sorry I didn't get the forms in on time for January, Febuary, and March. i was sick including time in the hospital for over 2.5 months Our ARES members are Ed Campbell WD8PGO, George Lambert KB8USP, John Dolske K9ULO, John Fick KD8EEK, Charlie Snoke, N8KZN, Connie Snoke N8LPC,Steve Anderson KD8JLA, John Lawson W8AGS,Paul Freshour KD8DDD, Mike Stansbery WD8EBS, and Don Stephenson WD8PCF. Thank you for your patience with us.

George D. Lambert KB8USP Assistant EC FRANKLIN: No FDS-212 Submitted.

LICKING: Licking County again had a quiet month, which we are thankful for. We continue to develop our skills with our local digital nets and are becoming more comfortable with the FLDIGI system on various radios. We were pleased to learn of other groups involved with developing MESH networks, especially in Delaware County.

The applications certainly look promising. Work is also continuing on the trailer designated for Licking County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Licking County ARES. This 24-foot trailer will serve as a communications base for both CERT and ARES, as well as a staging area for CERT responses and for organizational activities in the field associated with both organizations.

We also are working with the Licking County Healthcare Disaster Planning Coalition, which now includes CERT as well. MADISON: We did our monthly radio test and discovered antenna problems. A new antenna is coming as is digital capabilities. PERRY: No FDS-212 Submitted.

PICKAWAY:No comments. UNION: Putting together a receive site to mount on the water tower in Marysville to improve the repeater's performance to the northern edge of the county. Continue to work on outreach to other local hams to join the team.

DISTRICT 8.. 
Counties reporting: Athens, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Scioto Athens comments: Three new hams from ACARA Tech license class plus 5 additional new licenses issued at that test session. Seven hams worked the Lake Hope Bicycle Race sponsored by Ohio University Cycling Club on March 30. Athens MS Walk on April 12. Athens Marathon on April 13. Possible Iron Furnace Trail Run on April 26. 

DISTRICT 9.. 
COSHOCTON CO: A busy month with a LEPC meeting, a GOBA meeting with town coordinator and GOBA, statewide tornado drill with over a dozen reporting, two AECs ,KL7RF and KB8HEA attended the ARES leadership conf, OHDEN check in continues by KL7RF, a month long library display of Coshocton County Amateur Radio Assoc and Coshocton Co SKYWARN and Coshocton Co ARES including a large banner in support of Code Red weather alerts was included.

A picture of the display was used on the Code Red national web site. A major development is the removable of all equipment from the communications vehicle. The County with EMA has purchased a new trailer for installation of amateur radio and county radios, etc. We will be working on this project in the near future. Another area of support is all Coshocton ARES have volunteered to support the Child Abduction Response Team, CART.

The Coshocton County Sheriff Dept approa! ched ARES for our help. Gearing up for GOBA in June. A great event for ARES. Steve, AA8BN, Coshocton County EC….…

GUERNSEY CO: February 22 Guernsey County ARES held a kick-off meeting. The mission of ARES was explained and the floor opened to questions. The DEC Sonny, W8FHF; AEC Bruce, N8JMK; and EC Dick, WD8SDH were present. All present ARES members are being re-registered and new members are being recruited. A training program for the year is being developed and input for the plan was requested from the ARES membership. During the March 4 ARES net an unannounced simulated repeater outage was conducted. All stations were requested to change frequency to 147.54MHZ. A roll was conducted on simplex. All stations were able to change frequency and checked in and make contact with the NCS on simplex. After roll call on simplex the net changed frequency back to the repeater. Richard Wayt, Guernsey Co EC …...

JEFFERSON CO: Our simplex training net is going well. All members will be fldigi ready by the end of the month. We are in the planning stages for a public service event in March. JCARES provided communications support for the Toronto St. Patrick's weekend activities on March 15th. The highlight of our service was the APRS tracking provided both in front of the events as well as in the EMS sag vehicle at the rear. The live APRS data was displayed on a projected map at race central for all to see. This was a great hit with those who saw the live map in action… Robert Carson, Jefferson EC…….

MONROE CO: Nothing much to report for February other than I added a new member to the group. Also began setting up a dual band radio in our new Emergency Communications Vehicle that the County purchased a few months back. Just a little update on our repeater project we have decided to go with a UHF repeater for our County. I have a location in mind for it but I half to go to a village council meeting this coming Monday to get permission to set it up. Once we get permission I will begin going through the coordination proces! s. Jeremey Taylor Monroe Co EC………

MUSKINGUM CO: Muskingum County ARES Members Elmered kids at Dresden school for the School club roundup. We are also playing around with EasyPal (Hybrid SSTV Program) to see how it can be used for Emergency Communications... Still working with Easypal Digital SSTV, as another way of sending information from a disaster site. Kathleen Frederico Muskingum Co EC……..

NOBLE CO: No comments, Larry Mason, EC Noble Co……..

NO reports from Belmont or Morgan Co. Also this report is comments from February and March…Sonny Alfman DEC-9

DISTRICT 10.. 

No district comments.

Ashtabula County: Spring is in the air! Mother Nature is letting us all know. The itch to get out and finally get antenna work done will soon be scratched. Had several members of the group upgrade the licenses this past month and many more who are ready to test. We look forward to gaining new members. The brief storm we had blow thru the other day provided us with initial blasts of 199mph winds in Ashtabula County- according to the anemometers located at two points in the area. Many trees down, power out in many places including parts of Geneva for over 24 hours, antennas tweaked, towers tested... most things seem to have held up well.

Cuyahoga County: March had several training opportunities, ARES District 10, ARES Cuy, County, NWS Skywarn. Planning meetings were attended for the Cleveland Rite-Aide Marathon.

Geauga County:! Digital/training net went very well. Looking forward to the public service season.

Lake County: WB8ZGH Attended and helped to facilitate the District 10 training session at Lake Co. Tri Point hospital. KC8BTN and N8JKO were also in attendance. WB8ZGH traveled to Dublin, Oh. to attend the Ohio Section Leadership conference. KB8BKE and WB8ZGH met with Ken Winter the newly appointed Emergency Planner for the Lake Hospital Systems. We briefed him on the amateur radio equipment at the hospitals and our role in the Lake County Emergency plans.

Lorain County: The Lorain County ARES nets are combined with a drill test, but are not double counted as an event for the purpose of this report. No Emergency Operations or Public Service events were conducted.

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February 2014 SEC Monthly Report

Your MonsterMail form has been completed, following are the results:

Field	Value
subject	ARES Form FSD-96
State	Ohio
Month	February
Year	2014
Number_of_ARES_Members	1610
Change_In_Numbers	0
Number_of_DECs_EC_reporting_this_month	9
Number_of_ARES_nets_active	0
Number_of_nets_with_NTS_Liaison	0
DEC_EC_callsigns	1-WD8PNZ, 2-W8UY, 3-KC8WHK, 4-N8TFD, 5-KC8PD, 6-W8MLL, 7-KA8RLC, 8-N8SUZ, 10-KD8FTS for N8AUC
Number_of_drills_tests_and_training_this_month	426
Person_Hours_for_drill_tests_training	2221.05
Number_of_Public_Service_events	9
Person_Hours_for_public_service_events	323
Number_of_emergency_operations_this_month	2
Person_Hours_for_emergency_operations	17
Number_of_ARES_RACES_Events_this_month	437
Total_Person_Hours	2561.05
Comment	No report from District 9. See below for comments.
Signature	Matthew Welch W8DEC / Ohio SEC
mailfrom	w8dec@arrl.net

 
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COMMENTS..


DISTRICT 1.. 

Huron County-EC Clay Benner KB8DNA   Reported Manhours includes net time for our 2 net liaison stations both on voice and digital. 

Sandusky County-EC David Gierhart W8DAG   We received our new communications trailer and radio equipment funded by a grant from the Sandusky County Communities Foundation, Inc. Thanks to our EMA Assistant Director for completing the grant. All three county hospitals will be installing amateur radios this month.

Hancock County-EC Darl Deeds NA8W   15 ARES members spent an evening constructing a sound card device for FM radios (March 2011 QST) with the intent to use them for ARES emergency events needing local coverage. We have started a local digital net also on Wednesday nights to practice using the digital modes and sound card devices. Everyone had a lot of fun building them and are anxious to use them on the air. 

Erie County-EC Bob Heim K8HLH   Siren test net, NWS nets, NORC nets, OSSBN Nets, BRTN nets, Digital nets 2 

Wood County -EC Bob Schumann W8NYY   Wood County ARES held it's first on the air net with 15 check-in's on the third Tuesday of the month. The net was held on the 146.790 repeater. The monthly Saturday meeting was canceled due to the health of the EC. 

DISTRICT 3.. 

Dist. 3 meeting was held this month in Dayton with the following counties attending: Montgomery, Miami, Darke, Preble, Shelby, Clark, Greene in attendance. We are moving forward with the D-3 portion of the statewide Database. I have appointed a person who is interested in the project and wil submit credentials under separate cover. 

DISTRICT 4 ..

E-ops hours were to support the National Weather Service office at Wilmington. Hamilton County is seeing a significant membership increase as the Hamilton County Health Department support group is merging into ARES for administrative purposes. Public Service hours will now start to pick up as District 4 shakes off the snow and ice and welcomes the spring season! 

DISTRICT 6.. 

Richland – Richland County ARES had four nets in February. 

Wyandot - The Wyandot County Hams met at Wyandot Memorial Hospital April 10. The club discussed field day and upcoming bike tours. Field Day will be at Wharton Community Park again this year. 

DISTRICT 8..

Counties reporting: Athens, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Scioto EC comments: Athens: Lake Hope Bicycle Race Sunday March 30, 9 AM to 5 PM, Athens MS Walk Saturday, April 12 9 AM to noon, Athens Marathon 8 AM to 3 PM, Athens Hamfest Sunday April 27 8 AM to 1 (VE session 10 AM) 

DISTRICT 10..


The District held a successful and well-attended training session on March 1st. ARES Leadership is looking forward to the leadership training on March 15th.


 Ashtabula County: We have a few within our club ranks that have passed their Tech test and obtained their tickets. Hopefully soon we will be gaining those club members as ARES members. They seem to be quite excited about the whole thing. Also we have a testing session coming up this month with several members looking to upgrade to Extra, myself included. February was quite the slow month, the weather kept things to minimum. Here's to Spring and all the warm weather to come!


Cuyahoga County: This months activities include 1-General County ARES meeting, 1-Staff Meeting, Skywarn training for net controllers, 1- Staff visit to Cleveland EOC.


Geauga County: Ohio Winter Rally - our first public service event -! went well. Started doing digital work on our nets and at our meeting.


Lake County: Lake Co. ARES has combined it's Weather and ARES Nets into one meeting once a week at 8pm on Monday. The repeaters 147.210 and 444.650 will be linked during this operation. 147.255 is the back up repeater. ARES and Weather training will be addressed on alternate weeks.


Lorain County: No emergency operations or public service events were conducted this month.


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Ohio SEC Notes & Stuff - Week 20 - 2014

Ohio SEC Notes & Stuff - Week 20 - 2014
For public distribution.  Please forward as appropriate.

Ohio HF Emergency Preparedness Net.  Tues at 7PM on 3850 kHz (+/-)
Ohio Digital Emergency Net (OHDEN)  Tues at 8PM. 7072 kHz  USB.

Greetings and salutations from the Northeast corner of the Buckeye State where it's 86 degrees Fahrenheit and mostly sunny.

I will be at Dayton Hamvention staffing the ARRL Field Organization booth in ARRL EXPO this weekend on Friday morning and Saturday afternoon.  Feel free to visit for an eyeball QSO.  I will also be moderating the ARES Forum on Sunday, May 18th at 10:30AM in Room 3.  Mike Corey W5MPC, Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager for ARRL, will be our guest speaker.  After our guest speaker, I will be making two important announcements.  One for a new plan of volunteer notification and another for a job opening in ARES at the Section level.  The forum is usually standing room only so please come early.

As I mentioned in last week's Ohio SEC Notes & Stuff, it's about time to brief everyone of the progress of planning for the first-ever ARES Training Camp in the Ohio Section.  So here we go.

The first ever ARES Training Camp is a weekend long outdoor communications training at a boy scout camp staffed by experienced amateur radio volunteers.  ARES Training Camp will begin on Friday, September 12th at Camp Falling Rock located at 12637 Houdeshell Rd, Newark, Ohio 43055 in Licking County.  Training Camp will conclude before Noon on Sunday, September 14th. This event is open to male and female licensed amateur radio operators. Online registration is highly recommended so we know exactly how much food is needed. Online registration is not open at this time but will be announced at a later date. The cost of the event has not been determined but we're targeting a low cost per person for the entire event. More on that as it develops.

Participants will arrive on Friday evening between 7PM and 8PM for check in.  Once they're checked in, participants will be shown to their cabins so they can get settled in. Those who wish to bring a tent and camp are more than welcome to do so.  After everyone gets settled in, we'll meet up in the dining hall for orientation and crackerbarrel (boy scout term for night time snack).  After which, we'll head to our cabins or tents and bed down for the night.

Saturday morning, participants will wake up, get ready for the day, and head to the dining hall for the raising of our Nations' colors.  We'll then enjoy a hot breakfast.  After breakfast, participants will be formed into groups and head out to their first training session.

Currently, the training sessions include (subject to change):

TRAINING	INSTRUCTOR(S)
Near Vertical Incidence Skywave (NVIS)	Preble County ARES
Digital Emcomm In the Field	Ohio Digital Emergency Net (OHDEN) Members
Generator Safety	Brian Dershem KG8UT
Tower Safety	Brad Swinehart AK8H Kevin Page AC8GI
Wire Antennas with No Trees	Robert Kenyon K8LJ
Broadband HSMM Mesh Network	Elijah Cochran KD8RBH
Team Building Exercise	C. Matthew Curtin KD8TTE
Emergency Power / Portable Repeaters	VACANT

 The groups will rotate stations every hour until lunch. Lunch will be cooked outdoors. Groups will then head to their next station and rotate stations every hour until about 5PM. Participants will be able to relax and enjoy some free time before heading to the dining hall for the lowering of our Nations' colors. After colors, we'll enjoy a nice hearty dinner together in the dining hall. There will be some fun activities following dinner and then we'll have another crackerbarrel before we call it an evening.

Sunday morning, participants will wake up, pack up their gear, and head to the dining hall for breakfast. There is no flag raising on Sunday. After breakfast and clean-up, we'll have some business to take care of and everyone will be dismissed.

Staffing needs...
Calling all ARRL Ohio Section Public Information Officers.  I am in need of someone to be the lead PIO for ARES Training Camp.  This person will setup the Joint Information Center (JIC), coordinate all incoming PIOs, and delegate where appropriate.  All incoming PIOs and news media will report to the JIC upon check in.  I am also looking for PIOs to document, photograph, and videotape the events and activities at ARES Training Camp.  Let's share what we're doing with social media so people can see what they're missing.  Also, there's a distinct possibility for news media coverage.  ARES Training Camp provides the PIO a great opportunity to do what you do best.

As you can see, there are lots of activities planned.  I really think this weekend will be one of the most educational, entertaining, and fun amateur radio events you've ever attended. The staff and I are excited to bring you this one of a kind amateur radio event right here in the Ohio Section.  Anyone with questions are encouraged to contact me at w8dec@arrl.net.

73 de Matt W8DEC

From the SEC - Week 19

Ohio SEC Notes & Stuff - Week 19 - 2014
For public distribution.  Please forward as appropriate.

Ohio HF Emergency Preparedness Net.  Tues at 7PM on 3850 kHz (+/-) Ohio Digital Emergency Net (OHDEN)  Tues at 8PM. 7072 kHz  USB.
Ross T. Stillisano KB8JTZ Memorial Award Winner:  David Rickon NF8O, of Medina, OH

Greetings and salutations from the Northeast corner of the Buckeye State where the temperature is currently 55 degrees and cloudy.

Gonna be driving a little...

May 10th, G557 - Rapid Needs Assessment Training in Mahoning County

May 16,17,18 - Dayton Hamvention

May 21st, Ohio EMA for State VOAD meeting.

May 29th, OH197a - State of Ohio Functional Needs Summit at Doubletree Hotel-Worthington

June 13th, NEOMMRS Conference at Auburn Career Center, Concord Twp, OH.

​​We're less than 9 days from the largest amateur radio convention on the planet.  Of course I am talking about Dayton Hamvention on May 16, 17, and 18 at the Hara Arena in Trotwood, Ohio. When you get to the Arena, I encourage everyone to check out Emcomm Alley where you get to see all the emcomm vehicles and trailers.  ​Also, please don't forget about the ARES Forum at Hamvention on Sunday, May 18th at 10:30AM in Room 3.​

Our guest speaker is Mike Corey, Emergency Preparedness Manager, at ARRL Headquarters in Newington, CT.  This forum is usually standing room only so please be early.

There will be an organizational meeting for ARES in Lorain County (District 10) on Saturday, May 31, 2014 at 3:30PM at the Avon Branch of the Lorain County Public Library.  This branch is located at 37485 Harvest Drive, Avon, OH 44011.  Contact DEC Eric Jessen at n8auc@arrl.net for details.

Please join me in welcoming Gary Hollenbaugh NJ8BB, of Eaton, Ohio to the appointment of Emergency Coordinator for Preble County (District 3).  Gary will be leading the team after long time Emergency Coordinator Mike Jeffery KC8NZT.  Mike has been the Emergency Coordinator for over 10 years and his service is certainly noted and greatly appreciated.
I thank Gary and Mike for taking charge and leading the way for ARES volunteers in Preble County.

Change of leadership in the Ohio Digital Emergency Net (OHDEN).  With Gary's new EC appointment, he has decided to step down as Net Manager.  Gary has recommended Marshall Beveridge KD8LAV, of Waldo, Ohio as his successor.  Please join me in welcoming Marshall to the appointment of Net Manager for OHDEN.  Welcome aboard.  OHDEN meets every Tuesday night at 8PM.  Please note the net has begun meeting on 7072 kHz USB and will remain there until further notice.  Remember, digital sound card modes are always upper sideband regardless of band.

Bryson (Bud) Carter KA8AUZ has been the Acting Emergency Coordinator for Gallia County (District 8) since October 2013.  He took over the position after Matt Gregg KD8OMT stepped down and later on became the WV SEC.  Well, in a recent email, Bud decided it was time to step down.  Bud has been proactive as the Acting EC and I thank him for his service. 

One volunteer told me there just aren't enough active hams in some of the rural parts of Ohio to maintain two separate ARES programs.  Well, I totally agree.  Therefore, Gallia and Meigs Counties (District 8) are being merged into one ARES team.  With that comes a new Emergency Coordinator.  Please join me in welcoming Jayson Tillis W8OSP, of Gallipolis, OH to the appointment of Emergency Coordinator for Gallia/Meigs County ARES.

Ottawa County (District 1) has been without an Emergency Coordinator since October 2012.  I am pleased to announce that Ottawa County is getting a new (returning) Emergency Coordinator.  Welcome back James Garber KB8TTR, of Graytown, OH to the position of Emergency Coordinator for Ottawa County.

Please note the online EC/DEC listing has been updated on the ARES page on the Ohio Section website www.arrl-ohio.org.  This is where you'll find contact information for your Emergency Coordinator or District Emergency Coordinator.

~~HOT~~  Assistant SEC Mark Griggs KB8YMN is seeking volunteers for Ohio's first ARES Mutual Assistance Team (ARESMAT). Volunteers interested in joining the team are asked to please send an email to Mark at kb8ymn@arrl.net.
 The individual filling the role of ARESMAT member must have high performance standards, qualifications, experience, and the ability to work with a diverse group of team members that will be required to provide relief to the affected areas. He or she must be able to work efficiently in a disaster relief operation under the most adverse conditions.

Stay tuned next week for an announcement regarding two new methods of notification for ARES volunteers and an ARES job opening at the Section level.  Other than that, next week's Ohio SEC Notes & Stuff will be devoted to ARES Training Camp.  It's time to brief everyone on where we're at with the event, what's planned up to this point, and needs/wants.  I am very grateful for those who have volunteered to be on staff for the first ever ARES Training Camp in Ohio.  ARES Training Camp will be held on September 12, 13, and 14 at Camp Falling Rock outside Newark, Ohio in Licking County (District 7).

That's all for this week.  Many thanks for everything you do for amateur radio. 

73 de Matt W8DEC