I was first exposed to the use of military surplus masts during Field Day in 2017. I have never seen a kit that included everything needed to erect a 40-foot mast, even the hammer. I started looking for one of these kits, the fellow members of the club kept talking about how they got theirs and how inexpensive they were… Those days were long past, the 40 Ft mast kits are now $400 – $500 if you can find one. I would still love to have one.
Your membership dues help support the repeaters in Clinton County and right now if you join the Clinton County Amateur Radio Association, you will receive complimentary membership for 2021! Joining has never been easier, just visit Membership to get started!
September 12, 2020 10a-6p CCARA plans to activate Cowan Lake State Park this year for the Ohio State Parks on the Air. We will be setting up in the parking lot between the beach and the shelter on top of the hill. Pop-up canopies, tables and chairs are permitted and social distancing requirements will be enforced by ODNR.
See the note below from Stan Broadway Hey gang! This year’s SET will be October 3 and 4, and it’s going to be a big one!! As you know, we have been working on Matt’s curriculum of traffic management to take ARES in Ohio up to the next level- by making us much more proficient in sending messages….the one main thing we’re tasked with doing! Matt’s plans this year will make this a LOCAL exercise for your county, and counties around you. Yes, there’s a broader umbrella program involved, that actually involves FEMA, Washington DC, but the focus is on YOUR county, and the effort has been to put together a realistic exercise that you might easily face in real life. So let’s get warmed up! Take a look at this video: https://youtu.be/gPYvqfGARm4 and see if that helps get you excited. We are creating a “message handling” curriculum for ALL ARES members, we think you’ll like it! So far, viewer testing has been really positive! So take a look and get ready for the SET October 3 and 4th! It’s getting closer. -Stan
Amateur radio licensees would pay a $50 fee for each amateur radio license application if the FCC adopts rules it proposed this week. Included in the FCC’s fee proposal are applications for new licenses, renewal and upgrades to existing licenses, and vanity call sign requests.
I’m finally getting around to posting about my experience with the Wolf River Coils TIA on a recent trip to South Carolina. I wanted to take my rig with me on vacation, but the only “travel” antenna I had was my EFHW. Being at a beach house I figured there wasn’t going to be a very good place to string a 66 foot wire antenna. Well K8DEG came to the rescue and let me borrow his TIA antenna. The antenna was a breeze to setup. Screw all the pieces together, screw the legs on with the three radials, run the coax to the radio and it’s assembled! As far as tuning, I connected the antenna to a NanoVNA and moved the collar around till I got it “dialed in” on the band I wanted. I ran FT8 at around 20w and was amazed at what it was able to do. I made a number of contacts that I didn’t think I would be able to make given the height of the antenna and the power level. Overall I was beyond impressed by the performance and ease of assembly of this antenna. 73, W9AMA
Unfortunately due to recent developments and mandates related to COVID-19, we have decided to cancel the hamfest for this year. Look for us next year!
Wow! What a fun and different Field Day for 2020. Myself and K8DSC operated out of my garage in Blanchester to at least get some fresh air and stay out of the rain. The bands were alive and people all over the world were operating from their homes instead of at their usual FD hangout. It provided a different atmosphere on the radio, there were a lot of 1D and 1E stations doing exactly what K8DSC and I were doing. Everyone on the air sounded genuinely happy to be there! How could you not enjoy yourself? With CCARA not doing its usual joint Field Day due to COVID-19, we setup a Live Contest Results page to help us stay connected from our QTHs. What I found myself doing was engaging in was a little spirited competition with the others by refreshing that page as I racked up more QSOs. What place was I in (even though there were no places to be had)? It was neat, it was fun. I look forward to getting together as a group for next year’s Field Day, but will certainly remember this one fondly and know that we can still meet the objective of Field Day, and that is resourcefulness and creativity. 73,-Andrew W9AMA
