Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Section Emergency Coordinators July Report..

ARRL Ohio Section - FSD-96
Month: July
Year: 2016
Total Number of ARES Members: 1678
Change since last month: 14
Number of DEC's / EC's reporting this month: 10
Number of ARES Nets active: 614
Number of Nets active with NTS Liaisons: various
Call-signs of DEC's / EC's reporting: WD8PNZ W8UY KC8WHK WF8B AI8P KB8STK N8KKW N8SUZ W8FHF N8AUC
Number of drills, tests and training sessions this month: 116
Person Hours: 946
Number of Public Service Events this month: 78
Person Hours: 2859.5
Number of Emergency Operations this month: 19
Person Hours: 929
Total number of ARES/RACES Events this month: 827
Total Person Hours: 6495.25
Comments: July: RNC/NAACP/ARC Akron-Cleveland/Toledo Air Show and more!
Submitted by and call-sign: Stan Broadway N8BHL
Email: broadways@standi.com
Files to upload?:


OES report for July.. 

Name
Call
County
District
PS Hours
EM Hours
Hours Net Participation
Scott
N8SY
Richland
6
80
0
20
Mark
KB8YMN
Franklin
7
16
0
4
Bob
W8RWR
Franklin
7
0
0
1.5
David
NF8O
Medina
10
73.5
0
0
Tony
KC8UR
Knox
7
0
0
8
Matt
KD8TTE
Franklin
7
22
0
8
Jeff
KB8ZUN
Lorain
10
0
0
6



Wednesday, July 13, 2016

June Section Emergency Coordinator's Report

ARRL Ohio Section - FSD-96
Month: June
Year: 2016
Total Number of ARES Members: 1769
Change since last month: 42
Number of DEC's / EC's reporting this month: 10
Number of ARES Nets active: 563
Number of Nets active with NTS Liaisons: varies
Call-signs of DEC's / EC's reporting: WD8PNZ W8UY KC8WHK WF8B AI8P KB8STK N8KKW N8SUZ W8FHF N8AUC
Number of drills, tests and training sessions this month: 183
Person Hours: 4799.5
Number of Public Service Events this month: 78
Person Hours: 2121
Number of Emergency Operations this month: 28
Person Hours: 232
Total number of ARES/RACES Events this month: 852
Total Person Hours: 9076
Comments: Activations include (Montgomery/Williams) search for missing man, (Several counties) Wind and severe weather damage, FEMA Nuclear plant drills, Rickenbacker airport drill, (Athens) major water problem brought ARES members in to help move water supplies. I believe this may be a record high manpower month in Ohio.
Submitted by and call-sign: Stan Broadway N8BHL
Email: broadways@standi.com

Ohio’s OES Report:
Name
Call
County
District
PS Hours
EM Hours
Hours Net Participation
Scott
N8SY
Richland
6
75
5
25
Bob
W8RWR
Franklin
7
0
0
2
David
NF8O
Medina
10
86.5
0
0
Tony
KC8UR
Knox
7
0
0
12
Jeff
KB8ZUN
Lorain
10
48
0
12

Hi all! Very busy month as you would expect!  Overall, Ohio ARES reported the following activity:

Tests/Drills:  183   for 4799/5 manhours
Public Service: 78 events for 2121 manhours
Emergencies: 28 for 232 manhours

Total ARES activities: 852 with 9076 manhours.

And here’s the county comments. There are some ~really~ interesting events here, including another example of ARES members helping to move water supplies!
Well done to all, and my heartfelt thanks for service your communities in this fashion!


District 1
Totals include figures from the District 1 Skywarn Net. Increase in membership is due to re-evaluation of the Wood County membership role and several new members picked up from Field Day. I want to than Darl Deeds NA8W for his work as EC for Hancock County. It has been my personal pleasure working with Darl and I wish him the best in his retirement. In that regard I would like to welcome Evan Hartman W8KJR as the new EC for Hancock County. Evan has been an AEC for Hancock County and I look forward to working with Evan.
District 2
Defiance Co. experienced strong down-burst winds destroying trees and two cars in localized neighborhoods. A storm spotter net was active during this event and damage reports were sent to the NWS.
Williams Co. ran a VEC session yielding 3 new licensees
Van Wert Co. provided communications for their annual Peony Parade.
District 3
Champaign: Field Day at the Champaign County fairgrounds!
Clark, Darke, Logan, Shelby: No comments
Greene: NETS: GCARES Voice, GCARES Mesh, GCARES Digital, Bellbrook ARC, Upper Valley ARC (Fairborn) - - - PUBLIC SERVICE: Bike MS Dayton (06/05/2016) - - - EMERGENCY: Greene County Skywarn Watch/Warning
Miami: MCES ARES/RACES Net 145.23-: 6/2, 6/9, 6/16, 6/23, 6/30, MCES ARES/RACES Net 147.21+: 6/5, 6/12, 6/19, 6/24. The Miami County Amateur Radio Club held a Field Day event with 16 in attendance with several hours spent going thru the steps of making a 40 and 20 meter dipole along with training newly lic operators in tuning dipole antennas. These same two antennas where then used during the Field Day event. Photos can be found on the W8FW website at www.w8fw.com. The ARES/RACES members support two several weather events this month, with no damage from ether event.
Montgomery: MoCo ARES held 3 voice nets, 3 digital nets, and had our General Membership Meeting. On June 2nd, we had an all be it brief activation. The Montgomery County EMA received a request from Warren County EMA for Personnel to assist with a missing person search. The target was a 78 y/o man with Alzheimer last seen about 9:10am at a McDonalds on SR 123 in Franklin, Warren County, Ohio. While arriving at the Command Post and checking in the man was located by the University of Dayton Police in the parking lot some 25 miles away where he had last been seen just before 2pm. We also participated with The Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure that had 1600 cyclist which passed through Montgomery County for 4 days of their week long trip, including early Thursday, June 28th when a strong storm system came through our area. We had a total of 20 volunteer who worked 151 man hours for the event. We would like to thank all of our volunteers as well as Dayton Amateur Radio Association and Germantown Amateur Radio Society for assisting to find those volunteers and we also give thanks to the Miami Valley RF Group and Mound Amateur Radio Association for the use of their repeater during the event.

Preble: This was a very buys month for Preble county. We participated in two SKYWARN activations, GOBA assistance in the county and ARRL Fielday. All a great success. Special thanks to KD8QFM Brian for his support on GOBA and Dave KD8TAF (Preble EMA dir.). Fielday is more than a contest. We use it as a legitimate test of ARES capabilities. As always most things went well and some things did not. Special thanks goes out to the Gasper TWP fire dept and Fire Chief Mike Jefferies (KC8NZT-AEC) who hosted Preble county fielday. A delicious meal was prepaired and the on station fire/emt personal joined in with us.

District 4
The DEC was able to visit 8 Field Day sites in 5 of the 8 counties. I could write an article on the positive things I saw at so many locations. Hamilton County was pleased to host the SEC at their recent EC/AEC meeting. A little \"outside\" perspective is never a bad thing. E-ops hours were to support the NWS office in Wilmington.
Butler County: Members helped provide communication for the 2016 GOBA which had its Base Camp for the first time in the City of Hamilton. Members maned the ARECC at Butler Tech throughout the week providing Net Control and coordinating with the other Counties involved. All and all a big success with a Big THANK YOU by Jeff N8SUZ for all the help.
District 5
Summit County - KA8OAD - A couple of us went to the Summit County chapter of the Red Cross to test what repeaters we could hit from the Red Cross in preparation for the upcoming RNC.
Stark County - N8ATZ - Stark County ARES completed 4 public service nets for the month of June that totaled 126 check-ins. There were no public service events during the month except many ARES members participated in Field Day weekend activities with several Stark Co clubs practicing their emergency preparedness skills. Efforts are still underway to prepare for our annual Profootball HOF Festival. The Community Parade will be on Sunday, July 24th.
Columbiana County - KB8HTU - Completed FEMA evaluated drills with Beaver Valley Power Station, Columbiana County EMA, and various Fire Depts. Provided comm from care and reception centers interfacing with The Red Cross. Provided both voice and digital communications from the field sites to EMA.
District 6
WAYNE Annual 100 mile run event presented new challenges and opportunities. Challenge was to log runners at net control so that location of runners can be determined. Planned on separate repeater for data until found out the night before that the power was very low. Backup was antenna on fire tower and operating simplex from the bottom. One station used FLDIGI very successfully. Others photographed log sheets and text messaged them to net control. Again, no major medical issues. RICHLAND COUNTY ARES GROUP HELD FIELD DAY IN SOUTH PARK IN MANSFIELD OHIO OT TO MIX 1800 TO RECENT TECHNOLOGY WE OPERATED OUT OF A WAR OF 1812 BLOCKHOUSE AND IN THE ERA FROM JOHNNY APPLESEED WAS A GREAT TIME HAVE INCLUDED WITH FILE
District 7
Marion County-- June was a busy month for the Marion ARES crew. It started the first Saturday with the ARES providing route security for the Hot Tamale Bike Tour. For those who don’t know what that is, the HOT stands for Heart of Ohio Tailwinds, the Marion Bike Club. TAMALE is Tour Around Marion At Low Elevation, because most of the route is very flat. The tour has four loops, an eight mile, 16 mile, 32 mile and 64 mile and attracts several hundred bicycle riders every year. It is a great training exercise for our group and the bike club along with the riders appreciate the fact we are there along the route. June brought a couple of weather events where standby nets were established, however, we dodged the bullet on both, and the most severe weather went to our South. June means Field Day and AEC Don Freeman, KD8BKT did a great job of planning the event this year. He took charge of everything from planning for the pulled pork dinner along with pot luck from the group, which we all know is the most important part of Field Day, to bringing the ARES EMCOMM trailer and planning the antenna locations for all the stations operating on site. Another big thanks goes to Clint Canterbury, KD8UUF, who besides being an ARES member, is also Chief of the First Consolidated Fire Department, for allowing us to use the facilities at their Station Three for our Field Day site. He also volunteered the use of one of their large mobile generators which was put to good use.
Madison Co. no report
DELAWARE CO-- The Delaware ARES continues a summer of activities and is closely involved with our city and county first responders planning for a very large regional triathlon. Known as the Ironman 70.2 the August 21st event will see more than 2,000 competitors swim, bike and run for a total of 70.2 miles. Covering three counties we are working closely with the Marion and Morrow County ARES groups to provide extensive coverage with Mesh video from several critical locations.
FAIRFIELD CO-- FD AS 5A 4 RADIO NIGHT MTGS FRO ARES TRAINING 4 WX TRAINING NETS FOR ARES 4 CHECKIN, RADIO CHECK NETS
FRANKLIN CO-- Franklin County ARES enlisted the Franklin County Mesh Team as part of the Rickenbacker FAA mandated Airport Drill to provide live video back to the Port Columbus EOC. Those in the EOC shared positive comments in the ability to watch the Coroner's Team on-site.
KNOX CO-- The group helped with the Tour de Cure bike event. We continue to grow our leadership team and work with our county EMA on several projects.
LICKING CO-- Licking County had a busy June! We had 14 members help with the Tour de Cure event and 3 members help with the 5k Jail Break event, both were the same day and were successful events, there were no serious injuries that were reported in Licking Co. for the Tour de Cure, several riders stopped mid course on the 60 & 100 mile due to the heat. EMA director Sean Grady thanked us for our participation and support for the Jail Break 5k run. Field Day was a success as well for the Licking Co. clubs. Thanks for everybody’s participation and support and thanks to all who visited Field Day.
District 8
Counties reporting: Athens, Hocking, Lawrence, Pike, Ross EC comments:
Athens: Jeff Slattery, N8SUZ and Jan Slattery, KD8PUJ provided communications support for Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure in southwest Ohio. Athens County ARA participated in Field Day from Athens County Fairgrounds. Sunday Creek Amateur Radio Federation did Field Day from Burr Oak Lake State Park. Hocking: Hocking county had a very well attended Field Day that was again held in our EMA club room and adjacent parking lot with our new ECOM trailer. We did not have the best of luck with contacts due to poor band conditions after dark but we had a lot of fun, a wonderful potluck dinner and great fellowship. Some of our man power was pulled away to assist with a city wide emergency caused by a major water leak the day before. It left Logan, Enterprise and Rockbridge with no water for two days and a boil alert for several more days. A couple of operators volunteered to assist with passing out bottled water at the fairgrounds on both Saturday and Sunday. Although the ham club nor AREAS were ever requested we did utilize our ham radios for a few logistic communications. So those hours are included in this report. 73 to all!
Lawrence: good testing,county wide drill DEC comments: Several area hams have been participating in National Parks on the Air along the National Trail at Burr Oak Lake State Park, Hopewell Culture in Chillicothe and Put-In-Bay Perry National Monument.
District 9
COSHOCTON CO: Main event of the month was field day of course. A dozen ARES participated with the Coshocton County Amateur Assoc. W8CCĂ€. We had a great time. It was a good exercise for all. The EMA Director attended as well. Over the last several months ARES has had meetings each month before club meetings. Thanks to AB8RR for arranging for several laptops for ARES to use. We Applied FLDIGI to each and other programs of importance. Lastly, AB8SV conducted an ARES net from the station at the Sheriff Dept. We made use of the calling tree for a practice too. 9 events, 166 hours. EC Steve Wheatcraft, AA8BN
GUERNSEY CO: Conducted a full 24 hour 3A field day operation with 18 ARES members involved. 7 ARES members supported the local Relay for Life event. Also, 7 ARES members conducted a Roadside clean up. 7 events, 265 hours. EC Richard W. Wayt, WD8SDH
MONROE CO: Report for June 2016. The Monroe County EOC was active all night on June 22 and the early morning hours of June 23 due to severe weather in our area. The Monroe County EMA and Belmont County EMA maintained contact via 2meters during the severe weather as a means to keep each other updated on watches and warnings as they approached our area. Operations began at 7:00pm on June 22 and ended at around 3:00am on June 23. Communications were conducted on the Belmont County 145.210 repeater. Also on June 18th the Monroe County EMA and the Belmont County EMA conducted a test to see if we were able to communicate on simplex which we were able to do so. 2 events, 9 hours. EC Jeremey C Taylor, KD8MTK
MUSKINGUM CO: Field day was an all solar, battery training for members. Though field day went well it was followed by the loss of WD8BXU, one of our members. Our condolences are with his daughter, KD8WUN. 5 events, 10 hours. EC Elizabeth Nichols, KC8SIQ
A group of new amateur radio operators are becoming active in Morgan County. Also have received an application to take over EC function for the county. This is the first radio hams within Morgan county to become active.in many years. DEC G. Sonny Alfman.
District 10
June was busy with Field Day, and preparations for the RNC. July will be crazy busy with the RNC and POHR. Preparations are also underway for the Burke Airport Mass Casualty Drill on Aug 6. ***
Ashtabula County: Jun has been a fun month! With the weather being warm and dry we have had plenty of time to work on our antennas, our mobile setups and the works. Field Day 2016 went well! We scaled some aspects of our operation down in an effort to streamline things. This proved to work out well. We were also blessed to have close to a dozen visitors show up and even a young man who attended and took his tech test and passed on his first try! KD8OSZ has stepped up and taken WD8PVB\'s place as net control for our weekly net and is doing a great job. Here\'s to hoping for a great July!! 
Cuyahoga County: Many ARES members participated in local field day events. Preparations are tentatively finalized for the RNC. All EOC staffing is full. Red Cross has openings only for backup operators. Comms plan has been finalized and we are ready to go!
Geauga County: The 194th Great Geauga County Fair is coming up, September 1-5 all day. Geauga County ARES has two major responsibilities: Driving golf carts to help people get to and from their vehicles in the parking lot and to get around the fairgrounds, and walking the fairgrounds to provide extra eyes and ears for the Sheriff's Office. Last year, we responded to a call on the Sheriff channel for a lost child, and one of our volunteers found the child and brought him safely to the deputies. This is the second time we have found a lost child before the deputies. We need a lot of volunteers for this operation, so please get the word out and check out http://www.geaugacountyares.org to get on our mailing list.
Lake County: ARES started the month with the Lake Health 1/2 Marathon. Then the Sunday in June Bike ride out of Burton Ohio covering courses of 25, 40 , 62 and 100 miles, then Lake History Center Civil War Encampment, Oh yeah then there was this ARES thing called Field Day, operating 6 Alpha. We ended the month providing communications for assembling the Fairport Harbor Mardi Gras parade. July looks to be much slower.
Lorain County: No Comments.
Medina County: Field Day moved and changes made in many areas. New people helped in many areas such as setup and operating. 


Thursday, June 16, 2016

May's Section Emergency Coordinators Report..

ARRL Ohio Section - FSD-96
Month: May
Year: 2016
Total Number of ARES Members: 1760
Change since last month: 10
Number of DEC's / EC's reporting this month: 10
Number of ARES Nets active: 487
Number of Nets active with NTS Liaisons: varies
Call-signs of DEC's / EC's reporting: WD8PNZ W8UY KC8WHK WF8B AI8P KB8STK N8KKW N8SUZ W8FHF N8AUC
Number of drills, tests and training sessions this month: 142
Person Hours: 1392.75
Number of Public Service Events this month: 108
Person Hours: 2186.75
Number of Emergency Operations this month: 9
Person Hours: 49.5
Total number of ARES/RACES Events this month: 799
Total Person Hours: 5631
Comments: Lots of significant public service this month. ARES activated briefly for a missing person in D3 area. LOTS of stuff coming this summer! ARESMAT final structure and tabletops completed. The Sarge (W8SGT at OHEOC) is being remodelled, grant approved for new rigs/amps.
Submitted by and call-sign: Stan Broadway N8BHL
Email: broadways@standi.com

OES Reports for May:

Name Call County District PS Hours EM Hours Hours Net Participation
Scott N8SY Richland 6 15 0 50
Mark KB8YMN Franklin 7 31 0 8
Bob W8RWR Franklin 7 0 0 2
David NF8O Medina 10 44 0 2
Tony KC8UR Knox 7 0 0 12
Matt KD8TTE Franklin 7 31 0 17
Jeff KB8ZUN Lorain 10 6 0 15

Hi everyone!  Thanks so much to DEC’s and EC’s who’ve completed reports for May!  It may the accounting easy.  We’re getting warmed up for a very busy summer- so these numbers show that you are putting time and energy into serving your communities! Well done, all!!

I urge you to get involved with a nearby Field Day effort! This is the ‘large scale’ emergency preparedness exercise for the entire nation- and while it’s fun for fellowship and contesting, it assures that if needed we actually ~can~ set up in a field!  So have a great time, and be safe!! I’ll be operating 40 in “Canned Ham” for the DELARA FD effort at Delaware (when I’m not partaking in our pig roast!) so if you hear K8ES, say hello!

Big changes are still underway at The Sarge!  Rooms in the remodeling process are starting to take shape—and as you might expect with a state project, change is a daily thing. Good news is that our grant was approved, so we’ll be able to add a couple Yaesu FTDX-1200’s and a couple full-power amps to the arsenal.  At the moment we’re limping along with very limited facilities- and that may present extra challenges for July (NAACP, Toledo, RNC, Red Cross).

One thing of note:  Cherish your friendships that develop in ham radio!! Take time to help others, and take time to really enjoy the many different people, with all the skills and talents they bring, as we work our way through this radio sport.

Here are the monthly numbers and they look great!
Total Drills/training: 142
Drill hours: 1392.75
Public Service events: 108
Public Service hours: 2186.75
Emergency events: 9
Emergency hours: 50

Not bad for May, just getting warmed up for the ‘active’ months!  Well done, everyone!!

Ohio ARES Monthly Activity Report for May, 2016

District 1
Lucas County is in need of quite a few volunteers for the Toledo Air Show. Contact Brenda Krukowski or myself for further information. Totals include figures for the Northwest Ohio Traffic and Training Net.
Seneca County-EC Scott Rosenburger KE8JC Report submitted by AEC Steve Tarbert KC8ZKC  We had several training sessions this month (Skywarn, Railroad Tanker safety Training, and an EOC Drill. We did assist with an EOC activation when the county\'s west side paging system went down.
Huron County-EC Clay Benner KB8DNA 2 Skywarn nets. No Damage reported.

Sandusky County-EC David Gierhart W8DAG   Provided parade communications and traffic control for the Hayes Presidential Center Centennial Celebration on May 28, including 90 members of The Ohio State University Marching Band. President Hayes was the founder of OSU. His home and the first presidential library in the country is located at Spiegel Grove in Fremont, Ohio. Held Skywarn training in Toledo on May 26.
Hancock County-EC Darl Deeds NA8W  Quiet weather month in Hancock County. We were invited to attend the Hancock County Firefighters Association monthly meeting at Blanchard Township Fire Department. They asked ARES/HEARS to be their program for the meeting. Almost 50 fire fighters were in attendance from all over Hancock County. More usually attend but a house fire nearby had four fire departments fighting it. The Hancock County EC and 9 other ARES members attended and presented the reasons to consider ARES for a communication role in emergencies. Also a video of ARES with Walter Cronkite was viewed. Great opportunity to publicize ham radio and ARES.
Erie County-EC Bob Heim K8HLH We had NWS training in Norwalk Memorial Day Parade at the Ohio Veterans Home in Perkins Township 12 members helped set up the parade FSD-157 was sent to the ARRL
Wood County-EC Eric Willman WD8LEI  No Report
Lucas County-EC Brenda Krukowski KB8IUP  We presented the Skywarn Training for the Lucas County Integrated Health Care Team on May 26. Our May ARES meeting was canceled due to the amateurs working the Memorial Day Parade on May 28 meeting date. Our next meeting will be June 25 at theTMRA Field Day Site at the Wolcott House in Maumee, OH
Ottawa County-EC James Garber KB8TTR  No Report
Wyandot County-EC Ron Wilch KE8PX  The Wyandot County Hams will be participating during Field Day later this month at Wharton Community Park. We will be having a pot luck dinner on Saturday evening and operating for the entire 24 hours as 3A OHIO. \"73\"

District 2
No comments

District 3
DISTRICT 3 SUMMARY:
Eight of nine counties reporting:  334 Members (includes all 9 counties), 91 Total Events (59 Voice Net Sessions, 7 Digital Net Sessions, 20 Meetings/ Drills/Tests/Training, 3 Public Service Events, 2 Emergency Operations), 1001 Total Man-Hours.
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY:  No Report.
CLARK COUNTY:  Four weekly net sessions and one other ARES event for a total of 5 events and 49 man-hours. 
DARKE COUNTY:  Five weekly voice net sessions, one Public Service Event and one other ARES event for a total of 7 events and 81 man-hours.
GREENE COUNTY:  Five GCARES weekly voice nets, four GCARES weekly digital nets, five GCARES weekly Mesh HSMM discussion nets, four Bellbrook support group voice nets and five Fairborn support group voice nets.  Greene County ARES/Miami Valley Mesh Alliance set up an ARES Mesh Networks across Hamvention and manned an ARES Mesh Demonstration Booth all three days of Hamvention [considered one event] for a total of 24 events and 275 man-hours.
LOGAN COUNTY:  Four weekly voice net sessions for a total of 4 events and 2 man-hours.
MIAMI COUNTY:  Nine weekly voice net sessions, one public service event and nine other ARES/RACES events include General Class License Course sessions and  Miami County ARC Open House for a total of 19 events and 114 man-hours.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY:  Five weekly voice nets, three digital nets and three other ARES events including a Hospital Exercise, a LEPC Hazmat Exercise and ARES support for Dayton Hamvention for a total of 11 events and 58 man-hours.
PREBLE COUNTY:  Four weekly net sessions, one Skywarn emergency operation and two other ARES event including a repeater upgrade project to increase coverage for upcoming GOBA event and coordination of the Emcomm Vehicles Display at Hamvention for a total of 7 events and 23 man-hours.
SHELBY COUNTY:  Five weekly net sessions, one public service event, one Skywarn emergency operation and three other ARES events including FLDIGI training and manning Shelby County ARES Comm Trailer three days of Hamvention.
DISTRICT 3 ACTIVITIES:  Four District 3 ARES Weekly Net sessions for a total of 4 events and 97 man-hours.

District4
The biggest public service event of the month was the Flying Pig Marathon. There were two EMA-requested weather-related activations in Hamilton County. The large-scale MCI drill in Hamilton County was postponed by the organizers.
District 5
From Stark County EC Terry Russ, N8ATZ: Stark Co ARES completed 5 public service nets for the month of May that totaled 150 check-ins. There were no public service events this month. During July and August we will be organizing for our participation in the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival which will involve nearly 50 radio operators assisting with both the Community Parade and the Grand Parade.
From Summit EC Ken Dorsey, KA8OAD: We were asked by one of our local hospitals to check on the amateur radio equipment they had on site. Two of us spent a couple of hours testing their antenna and radio including re-programming the radio (FT-8800) for the local ARES frequencies and the frequencies of the repeaters that we have MOU\\\'s with for backup. They were grateful that we were willing to spend the time to make sure they had a backup comms plan in case of another major communications breakdown and even asked about getting several of their own people licensed so that they could operate the radio.
District 6
Wayne County had 4 nets Holmes County had 4 nets Ashland County had 0 nets Richland County had 4 nets and a drill Details on drill in Richland County report

District 7
group is developing video and data capabilities, has built major nodes on 5 county owned towers, with more to come, and perfecting the three portable nodes they currently have. Excitement is running high within ARES and the area fire and law enforcement leadership as we all anticipate Mesh being a very important element to our ARES emergency response package. 
FAIRFIELD:: repeater antenna testing and repair OHDEN NCS KE8AMC OHDEN ALT STATION W8OF, KD8SSJ FD TRAINING DURING RADIO NIGHTS X 4 
FRANKLIN:: We are cooperating with the Franklin County EM&HS office, groups, agencies and clubs to assemble a communications plan for the county that will include numerous repeater systems and simplex frequencies.
KNOX: New MOU with EMA in place. Working on getting the radio room at the EMA office fully operational and incorporating digital.
LICKING: Licking County had a busy May! We had several meetings for an upcoming June event, Tour de Cure, which is a tri-county bike ride fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association that includes Delaware, Knox and Licking Counties. Licking Co. serves as the NCS for the event and is stationed in Johnstown. The event includes 30, 60 & 100 mile courses that run through all 3 counties. We are also gearing up for field day. The NARA club will be at Hornshill Park in north Newark and the COOKEN/Cres Clubs will be at Infirmary Park south of Granville. Hope everyone had a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend.
District 8
Counties reporting: Athens, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Pike, Scioto, Vinton EC
Athens: Both ACARA and SCARF clubs have been activating part of the National Trail at Burr Oak Lake for National Parks on the Air using temporary stations.
Jackson: We had our annual Jackson county LEPC and ARES exercise on 5-22-16. We had a good turnout for ARES members. We will be having another county wide exercise again next year.
Lawrence: Great parade 26 amateurs it was a big parade this year.
Pike: Made presentation to PCFFA (Pike County Firefighters Association) about ARES and what we can do for them. Positive response from those attending.
Scioto: EMA Drill tested back up communications between Chemical Plant, EOC, and Hospitals. The neighboring county held a large Memorial Day Parade for which some members assisted in comms. Looking forward to Field Day next month and the end to a successful fundraiser for the group.
DEC comments: DEC participated in Red Cross Disaster Services Technology hands-on training in Akron this month, learning how to set up Red Cross radios, computers, networking, cell phones and satellite Internet access. DEC will be volunteering in Red Cross DST/amateur radio for the Republican National Convention in Cleveland during July.
District 9
COSHOCTON CO: LEPC meeting attended. KB8HEA, N8VV,KC8WX, and myself took a remote ARES tower down. Thanks . Tower may be used on Club repeater, ARES repeater. KL7RF and KC8WX continue to check into W8SGT. KL7RF checks into OSSBN and OHDEN. KC8YXY updating ARES roster and calling tree. Thanks Jamie. May 12 the county held a LEPC functional exercise in which ARES was a part . EOC and a Red Cross shelter were manned on a week day in the afternoon. Due to this plus having several members unavailable led the acting EC KL7RF to request help from DEC ,W8FHF. We thank Guernsey County ARES AECs N8JMK and KD8QYV for coming to Coshocton and helping. Sonny came too as an observer. Thanks also to Muskingum Co EC KC8SIQ and ASM ,N8IMW. For this exercise KL7RF was acting EC. I participated in a country SIM cell. MARCS and Amateur communications were involved. Unfortunately only a handful of messages were handled by ARES. A good experience none the less. Steve, AA8BN, EC..Total events 14, Total hours 67...............
GUERNSEY CO: ARES assisted with the county emergency drill on May 5th. Our duties were administrative within the EOC. We did bring up a two meter net in case the drill evolved into a communication failure. The monthly training occurred during the scheduled ARES / Skywarn net on the 31st of May. All stations were requested to change freq to a simplex freq. A roll call was conducted on the simplex freq. Then a training message was passed for all stations to copy. All stations then change freq back to the repeater. Once all stations were back on the repeater a transmit and receive station was identified. The messaged was then transmitted again and checked for accuracy. Two members were deployed to Coshocton County to assist with their EMA drill. Also provide a parking cars service for the Guernsey County Senior Citizens picnic. Richard, WD8SDH, EC..Total events 7, Total hours 144.............
MUSKINGUM CO: LEPC tabletop was held and attended. Worked directly with Red Cross and the EMA. Elizabeth, KC8SIQ, EC..Total events 5, Total hours 9...........
DEC, DIST 9: Only three counties reporting this month. Sonny, W8FHF.
District 10
District 10: After the snow, sleet, and water spouts at the Cleveland Marathon, warmer weather is finally here. Since Hamvention is over, that means Field Day is coming! Make sure to participate in Field Day with your local club! ***
Ashtabula County: May is now behind us- and hopefully most of the severe storms we have been witness to. Everyone as been milling about and getting ready for Field Day 2016. We have put together a new board of Field Day coordinators. Things should run like clockwork. Here\\\'s to a great beginning of summer!!! ***
Cuyahoga County: ARES Members participated in numerous events this month including the Cleveland Marathon which experienced rain, snow, sun, and water spouts. Plans continue for the RNC. ARES Involvement still consists of only staffing county EOC and Red Cross office. ICS-205 will be completed and distributed to adjacent counties within the next few weeks. ***
Geauga County: No comments. ***
Lake County: Public Service for Lake County History Center at their Civil War Encampment. ***
Lorain County: No Comments. ***Medina County: Medina Half Marathon was our big P.S. event



Sunday, May 15, 2016

April Section Emergency Coordinator's Report..

ARRL Ohio Section - FSD-96
Month: April
Year: 2016
Total Number of ARES Members: 1561
Change since last month: 28
Number of DEC's / EC's reporting this month: 10
Number of ARES Nets active: 498
Number of Nets active with NTS Liaisons: varies
Call-signs of DEC's / EC's reporting: WD8PNZ W8UY KC8WHK WF8B AI8P KB8STK N8KKW N8SUZ W8FHF N8AUC
Number of drills, tests and training sessions this month: 130
Person Hours: 1782.5
Number of Public Service Events this month: 77
Person Hours: 1168.5
Number of Emergency Operations this month: 7
Person Hours: 100
Total number of ARES/RACES Events this month: 712
Total Person Hours: 4756.5
Comments: A lot of exercises and drills are underway, and public service season is beginning. Planning for RNC and NAACP conventions in July is in full swing. ARESMAT leadership met to continue its finalization. ARES Seminar in Dayton was turned over to the ARRL league.
Submitted by and call-sign: Stan Broadway N8BHL
Email: broadways@standi.com

District 1
District 1 sponsored a severe weather seminar at the Seneca County EMA Training Center. Even with 7-12 inch snowfall the night before, there were about 25 hearty souls that attended. Lucas County is in the planning stages of manning stations at the upcoming Toledo Air Show in mid July and will need added operators from throughout the district. If not enough people volunteer we will seek help State wide.

District 2
No DEC Report,  Only Van Wert reported with no activity.
District 3
No DEC Report.
Clark: On behalf of EMA director, we checked some antenna problems on weather alert radios at Job & Family services. Greene: 8 Voice Nets, 4 Digital Nets / 9 License Course Sessions (concurrent Technician, General, Extra x 3 weeks), GCARES/MVMA Mesh Meeting, District 3 ED Meeting (EC + 3 AEC\'s), NVIS Antenna Day, Greene County ARES Meeting / one public service event.
Logan: On 4-28-2016 the Logan County EMA Communications team assisted with an LEPC exercise. We were not being evaluated in this exercise. There were 8 amateur radio operators supporting this exercise. A report:
Even though we were not being evaluated, I noticed several things that need further investigation. One of the issues noticed was that when the MARCS radios were in use, the near-field radiation caused a static like interference on some of the radios. Additionally, some of the LED controllers on the fire trucks and ambulances caused interference on some of the radios. It is unknown the total number of radios effected, but I think some in depth investigation needs to be done to identify and eliminate this interference. 
Miami: MCES ARES/RACES Net 145.23-: 4/3, 4/10, 4/17, 4/24, MCES ARES/RACES Net 147.21+: 4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28. Supported the NVIS event with 4 contacts with other stations in Ohio due to 10 visits from the Miami Valley Preparedness Network spend the morning at the W8FW clubhouse asking questions regarding HF use in emergency.  Montgomery: MoCo ARES held 3 voice nets, 2 digital nets and our bi-monthly membership meeting. We had a guest speaker, Capt Greg Stevens from the Montgomery County Sheriff\'s Dept. who gave a presentation on the MARCS system. We participated in 3 PSE\'s this month. 1) Support for Suicide Awareness 5K at the Dayton VA Medical Center, 2) Providing escort/security for the Dayton Great TV16 Auction, and 3) Support for the Dayton Autism Society 5K in Moraine. We had 4 Officers of MoCo ARES attend the District 3 Meeting and received DEC/EC Training from Stan Broadway, Ohio SEC, who also gave a briefing on ICS Training and EPCS.

District 4
E-ops hours were in support of the NWS office in Wilmington. It was a very busy month in Hamilton County. Meeting with local radio station about possible ARES shack location. ARES outreach at TMRC (Tri-State Medical Reserve Corps) Summit. AEC Meeting. NVIS Exercise. Flying Pig Marathon: Day 1 & 2 of 3 days. Participated in PA Digi Exercise. Planning for MCI Exercise on May 20.

District 5
Stark County - N8ATZ Stark County ARES completed 4 public service nets for the month of April that totaled 123 check-ins. There were no public service events during the month. In partnership with the County EMA office we did sponsor Skywarn Spotter Training at a local High School on Wednesday, April 6th with over 130 attending. The training was conducted by Michelle Sowers, Emergency Management Specialist and Meteorologist from the Ohio EMA Office. In attendance at this years training were Amateur Radio Operators, area public safety forces, hospital staff, school employees and the general public. We also provided an introduction to ARES during Technician Class training held by the Massillon Amateur Radio Club. Training and planning continues for the annual Pro football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival to be held this August.
Summit County - KA8OAD This month we had our first public service event, the MS Walk Akron walk. The weather was perfect and the temperature ended up being close to 80 degrees, not bad for the middle of April. This is probably why they were expecting 200 walkers and ended up with 1200 walkers.
Columbia County - KB8HTU Received Radiologica ltraining for upcoming nuclear drill with Beaver Valley power station just across the state line in Pa. Mahoning County - W8IZC Webinar on April 7th for NEC antenna modeling-emergency antenna design. 23 attended 6:30pm to 6:50 short local ARES meeting, then webinar and after event discussions ending about 9:15pm
District 6
Richland County ARES participated in Mansfield Mid winter Hamfest had a great turn out and weather this year

District 7
DELAWARE-- A busy month for Delaware ARES with 72 hours of training from the Weather Spotter to District 7 training led by the SEC. Good preparation for coming events as we have a busy summer ahead.
FAIRFIELD-- TRAINING ARES ANTENA TEST AT TWP FIRE DEPARTMENTS NVIS ANTENNA STATE WIDE EXERSISE FIELD DAY LOGING SOFTWARE TRAINING 
LICKING-- Licking County had a busy April! A few of our members helped with a CERT Communications class part #2. The class was to teach the CERT members net operations and message handling with simulated disasters among 3 teams. NVIS day was operated out of the CERT/ARES trailer at KD8DZ’s QTH north of Granville with an elevation of 1130’. The morning was not good due to the propagation, but the afternoon proved to be better for us. May is looking to be another busy month for us with tabletop exercises and full scale exercises and planning for upcoming events. 
MARION-- April 2016 April was a busy month for the Marion County ARES gang. Starting things off was the National Robotics Challenge held at the Marion County Fairgrounds. The Challenge, whose main sponsor is Honda, last three days, attracts hundreds of high school and college aged student teams from Ohio, all the states surrounding Ohio and beyond, with teams as far away as Wisconsin and New York, to name only a couple. The ARES was in charge of ticket sales and providing security for the event. Next was the statewide NVIS exercise where we fielded two teams on the East and West side of the county and manned the W8MRN anchor station at the Fairgrounds Clubhouse/EOC location. Finally, the EMA Countywide SET was conducted April 30th with the ARES directing cars and EMS vehicles at the starting site, acting as safety officers at the SET incident locations, establishing communications with the Marion General Emergency Room and tracking EMS Squads with victims being transported to the hospital. The ARES group passed with flying colors and received positive remarks from official observers including the EMA Director and staff. 
UNION-- NVIS day was a great recruiting tool

District 8
Counties reporting: Athens, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Pike, Scioto, Vinton EC comments:
Athens: Provided comm support for the Iron Furnace Trail Run at Lake Hope and the Athens Marathon. Athens Hamfest was Sunday, April 24 with a good turnout. VE session resulted in three new Technicians, one General upgrade and one Extra upgrade.
Hocking: We are having some minor issues with our 2 meter repeater on 147.345 and suspect a loose or bad connection on the county tower. We are waiting on better weather to climb the tower to check it out and make repairs.
Jackson: Jackson and Vinton Counties will be doing the County annual exercise on May 22, 2016 at 1:00pm
Lawrence: good testing Scioto: Good turn out for Antenna Day the 23rd. Automatic relay from ARES Nets for Severe Weather direct to EMA who is on chat with NWS Wilmington. Works out nice.
Vinton: I just took over Vinton County as the EC along with keeping Jackson County. So far from what I can tell Vinton doesnt have a ARES group. I will be trying to put together a new group.
DEC comments: Jackson County EC Doug Tilley, KD8GSP has been appointed to also assume the duties of Vinton EC. Thanks, Doug! Tour of the Scioto Valley (TOSRV) to be held May 7-8.

District 9
COSHOCTON CO: NWS Pittsburgh presented in person an advanced SKYWARN training which was well attended. We also participated with Coshocton County Amateur Radio Association during NVIS. It was another cold year with 8 participants and three antennas. We now have echo-link on the ARES 145.23 repeater. Thanks to AB8RR-R for setting this up at his station. The club repeater 147.045 also has had echo- link through KB8HEA-r. KL7RF, KC8PUW, KC8WX have been checking into W8SGT, and some check-ins into OHDEN. 8 events for 62 hrs. Steve, AA8BN, EC.
GUERNSEY CO: The EC, AECs, and several members attended an EOC orientation training for the upcoming May county emergency exercise. The monthly ARES training was on messages forms, logs, radiograms, and briefing in preparation for the upcoming county drill. Also, three stations participated in the NVIS operations. 6 events for 44 hrs. EC Richard, WD8SDH.
MUSKINUM CO: One station worked the NVIS station on the air for the NVIS event. EC Liz Nichols, KC8SIQ.
NOBLE CO: No comments. 0 events for 0 hrs. EC Gary Oliver.
DEC-9: I had my station on the air for the NVIS operations. I worked 24 counties, mostly on 75 meters. I had three antennas for 40 meters, but saw limited use due to poor band conditions. I also gave a presentation on NVIS theory, antennas, and operations at the Cambridge Amateur Radio Assn. April club meeting. DEC Sonny W8FHF.

District 10
District 10: NVIS day was a blast. Big fun! Hope to see lots of you at Dayton!
Ashtabula County: his month has been a roller coaster to say the least. One of our most beloved and valued members of our club and AshCo ARES passed away unexpectedly. Bob, WD8PVB, my AEC and right hand man went silent key. But as a nice nod to him Mother Nature cooperated and gave us decent weather to honor him with great weather for our NVIS drill- which he started. Bands weren't great but it just made us work harder!

Cuyahoga County: Appointed Bob K8MD as AEC to lead the newly formed HF team. ARES is preparing for the Cleveland Marathon on May 15.Preparations continue for the RNC as well. NVIS day went very well including a fire command vehicle that was provided by the local FD.
Geauga County: No report submitted.

Lake County: Can you believe 7.5 inches of snow the night before the 20 mile drop run from Chardin to Fairport Harbor. Sixteen operators braved the 19 degrees and snow to monitor the progress of the 570 runners on the 20 and 10 mile course. We had 2 bicycle mobiles on the bike path. Brrr !!! Net Control was happy to be in the heated Comm Trailer for the event. No major issues were encountered. The following weekend, April 16th, was sunny and mild for the Lake County M-S Walk. This was an other smooth event with no issues. We again activated the Jame A. Garfield Home for NPOTA ( NS-39) making 189 contacts in 4 hours of operations using the LCARA call N8BC.

Lorain County: No Comments.


Medina County: No Comments.

*************************************


Official Emergency Station Reports for April..



Name Call County District PS Hours EM Hours Hours Net Participation
Scott N8SY Richland 6 10 0 10
Bob W8RWR Franklin 7 0 0 1.5
Clair W8KF Huron 1 0 0 0
David NF8O Medina 10 19 0 3.25
Tony KC8UR Knox 7 2 0 12
Matt KD8TTE Franklin 7 15 0 16



Thursday, April 14, 2016

Section Emergency Coordinator's report for March..


ARRL Ohio Section - FSD-96
Month: March
Year: 2016
Total Number of ARES Members: 1683
Change since last month: 76
Number of DEC's / EC's reporting this month: 10
Number of ARES Nets active: 537
Number of Nets active with NTS Liaisons: varies
Call-signs of DEC's / EC's reporting: WD8PNZ W8UY KC8WHK WF8B AI8P KB8STK N8KKW N8SUZ W8FHF N8AUC
Number of drills, tests and training sessions this month: 180
Person Hours: 1887
Number of Public Service Events this month: 36
Person Hours: 520
Number of Emergency Operations this month: 18
Person Hours: 154.5
Total number of ARES/RACES Events this month: 825
Total Person Hours: 4864.8
Comments: We had several activations for wind/tornadic activity. Many stations participated in severe weather readiness activities, including siren testing and skywarn training. Counties are readying their equipment for the spring and summer public service season.
Submitted by and call-sign: Stan Broadway N8BHL
Email: broadways@standi.com
Files to upload?: 

OES reports for March..

Name Call County District PS Hours EM Hours Hours Net Participation
Marshall N8PIB Marion 7 2 0 6
Scott N8SY Richland 6 15 0 60
Mark KB8YMN Franklin 7 10 0 7
Bob W8RWR Franklin 7 1.5 0 6
Clair W8KF Huron 1 3 0 1.9
David NF8O Medina 10 26 24 2
Tony KC8UR Knox 7 2 0 14
Matt KD8TTE Franklin 7 16 0 21
Jack KB8WPZ Mahoning 5 5 0 5
Randy KA0AZS Montgomery 3 1 0 4
Andrew N8VES Montgomery 3 0 0 5
Jeff KB8ZUN Lorain 10 0 0 0
Alan N7CEU Pickaway 7 0 3 11.5
John K8PJ Pickaway 7 0 0 5


Hi all!  Hope you’re gearing up for NVIS antenna day on the 23rd!!  This promises to be a lot of fun, we’re looking forward to it. Details are on the SEC/ARES page of arrl-ohio.org.  WE NEED TO SEE YOUR COUNTY ON THE AIR!!!  This will give us numbers to show the state and others our capabilities for emergencies! 

Here are the monthly comments for March- I always enjoy reading what’s going on in your counties. There is a correlation in these reports:  there is a large number of counties who are NOT holding any training at all. Their memberships show to be very small.  The more you train, the more active you are will result in increasing interest and activity for your members…your numbers will grow.   EC’s need to be proactive in your relationships with served agencies. Check in with your EMA, your health department, Red Cross and others regularly!  Get active, re-ignite the spark. It’s important.

Excellent work to all who made the Skywarn training!  This is something we should do every season. We can directly contribute to the safety of our families and our neighbors!


Ohio ARES Reports, March 2016
District 1
Totals include Northwest Ohio Traffic and Training Net and District 1 Skywarn operations. Northwest Ohio Traffic and Training Net had 234 check-ins, passed 122 pieces of traffic in 485 minutes. Man hours include meetings attended for public service events, Skywarn spotter training set up and stuffing folders.
District 2
ARES Storm Spotter Teams participated in refresher weather spotter classes.
District 3
Clark: Spotter Class & Statewide Tornado Drill, both on 23 March
Green: (3/1, 3/8, 3/15, 3/22, 3/29) Weekly Nets; (3/6, 3/13, 3/20) Greene County License Courses (T+G+E); (3/7) Skywarn Training Class; (3/9) Beavercreek ARES Group Planning Meeting; (3/14) EC ARES Presentation for XWARN Meeting; (3/23) Ohio Statewide Tornado Drill; (3/28) Beavercreek ARES Group Planning Meeting
Miami: Received 1 additional ARES forms turned in, bring the number of members in Miami County to 19. . MCES ARES/RACES Net 145.23-: 3/6, 3/13, 3/20, 3/20, MCES ARES/RACES Net 147.21+: 3/3, 3/10, 3/17, 3/31. On 3/24, held Weather Spotter Training in Piqua between Shelby and Miami County with 79 people in attendance (8 of these were ARES or RACES members). On 3/13, held a Weather Net due to server weather resulting in wind damage around the county and possible tornado touchdown in Southwest corner of the county.
Montgomery: We had a drop in membership as we are in the process of updating our roster, we dropped serval due to inactivity or no longer interested due to ICS. The EC participated in the ARRL Webinar on Mar 1, MoCo ARES had 26 members participate in annual Skywarn training provided by the NWS and Dayton Skywarn on Mar 12. We have several PSE\'s coming up in April, the first event will be Apr. 2 for a 5K walk/run.
Shelby: : 3-14-16 SkyWarn net Severe TS Warning 3-17-16 Skywarn spotter training 3-23-16 Ohio tornado Drill 3-27-16 Training and monthly meeting 3-27-16 Skywarn net Tornado warning

District 4
Hamilton County: Signed an operational MOU with local club to provide radio assets to ARES for exercises and activations. Participated in pa NBEMS DIGI testing on HF Attended MCI Exercise planning meeting Ohio Statewide Tornado Drill SkyWarn activation Meeting with EMA liaison
Clinton County: E-ops time was in support of the National Weather Service office in Wilmington.
Butler County: System Fusion buildout continues hoping to get tower work done sometime in April.
District 5
Stark Co ARES completed 5 public service nets for the month of March that totaled 153 check-ins. There were no public service events during the month but we will give a short presentation on the ARES during the Technician Class training being conducted by the Massillon Amateur Radio Club. This will include an introduction to ARES and our net activity. We are also attending monthly meetings for the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival that will be held this August. Over 40 radio operators will be needed for this annual event.
District 6
District Six Richland/Wayne County had a Public Service Event this March. Both Counties held a net for the Yearly Tornado Siren Test and got a lot of response to it. Richland County ARES is holding FEMA Course Classes have 6 Members in Class and Some are doing it from home and Turning in Certificates Richland County ARES and Intercity Amateur Radio Club are testing out a New DMR Repeater and it has takin off like a wildfire Thanks to Vasu Communication and Arlin Bradford(KD8EVR) for doing a Presentation on DMR that night 12 radios were ordered and now we are getting close to 40 in Richland County with Mostly Handhelds . I have Learned this can be a great tool for Emergency Communication. We also Started a Richland County Ohio DMR Group Page on Facebook. We are using the N8DPW 444.700 Repeater as the Test Site.

District 7
Delaware: April is here and the Delaware ARES will be involved in several events from the annual Weather Spotter Course to a Health Department exercise. We are gearing up for a season of events and activities .
Franklin: No report
Knox: With the help of my new AEC, we are training up an ARES leadership team within the county and working closer with EMA to facilitate their communications needs. Excited to see what is happening!
Licking: Licking County had a busy March! Planning for upcoming events and 2 severe weather nets. Thankfully there were no injuries or any significant damage to report, some small limbs and wires were downed throughout western Licking Co. according to reports from FD’s and PD’s. We are gearing up for NVIS Day and will operating out of the CERT/ARES trailer.
Madison: no report
Marion: Marion County Ohio FSD-212 Comments March – 2016 March was a quiet month for the Marion ARES crew with no emergency or weather incidents, but busy with other activities. EC Lynn Lovell, W8MLL and AEC Don Freeman, KD8BKT, attended the Marion County LEPC meeting, presenting a report of ARES activities to the group. March 15th was the SKYWARN program with 91 in attendance at the Marion Technical College Health and Technology Auditorium. EMA Director, Sarah McNamee, KD8UUC, updated the group at the March Training Session on the ARES participation at the countywide SET planned for April and plans for the NVIS antenna exercise were also discussed. The Marion group will be one of the anchor stations at the Fairgrounds EOC, along with having two teams in the field at different locations on each side of the county experimenting with different NVIS antennas.
Morrow: No report
Pickaway: no comment
Union: no comments

District 8
Athens: Upcoming events: Iron Furnace Trail Run at Lake Hope State Park, Saturday, April 2, 9 AM, Athens Marathon, 8 AM, ACARA Athens Hamfest, Sunday, April 24, 8 AM to noon.
Hocking: We have purchased a 12ft box trailer and have just started working on getting it ready to be our new emergency communications vehicle.
Lawrence: another great testing
Pike: Completed communications and repeater testing for Dogwood Cycle Tour event. Tested 8 J-pole antennas for remote location deployment.
Scioto: Scioto ARES had big attendance for refresher training at NWS Wilmington Spotter Class in Scioto County; Severe Weather Nets were operated for Scioto EMA and NWS; A Laptop Raffle is underway for funds to maintain repeater for Scioto ARES purchased by Scioto EMA; Red Cross and EMA will do damage assessment training at next quarterly meeting for Scioto ARES.
DEC Comments: SKYWARN spotter training is scheduled for Monday, May 2, 6-8 PM at the Athens County Red Cross office, 100 South May Avenue, Athens, OH 45701
District 9
COSHOCTON CO: No Comments.
GUERNSEY CO: During the March 1st ARES/Skywarn net all stations were requested to change to the assigned ARES county simplex frequency. This gave us the opportunity to evaluate simplex coverage and practice in using simplex communications. During the tornado siren test on March 23 a net was conducted with NCS at the EMA office to observe and support the test. A written report of the net was submitted to the EMA director. On March 22 the EC and three AECs meet with the EMA director to discussion the May county exercise and ARES's role in the exercise. The monthly ARES training was how to repair a cut coax………….
MUSKINGUM CO: No Comments
DEC: Only three counties reporting this month. Sonny W8FHF

District 10
*** District 10: Don\'t miss NVIS day on April 23! ***
Ashtabula County: Though it's back to being cold outside there is at least warmer weather in sight. Here is to hoping that we can all cure the colds, flu, and other bugs that have been plaguing us so we can get out and do something productive!! Dayton is around the corner, NVIS drill, Field Day will be here before ya know it. The best season for hams is beginning for 2016. Here's to a great one!
Cuyahoga County: Many ARES members participated in Skywarn Spotter Training this month as well as the Skywarn net run for the statewide tornado drill helping Cuyahoga County Skywarn obtain 50 checkins, the most in the entire Cleveland County Warning Area and the most for any tornado drill in recent memory. We are slowly receiving direction for the RNC from the county and have currently been formally requested to staff the county EOC for the entire week.
Geauga County: Many attended the District 10 Workshop. Majority of ARES members in Geauga County has a participation rate of at least 14%.
Lake County: Activated the Garfield Home again this month for NPOTA. We use our NVIS Antenna on 40m with excellent results. We more than doubled our QSO's. It sure is fun to work the pile up. The James A Garfield Home is a rare site.
Lorain County: No Comments.
Medina County: No Report Submitted