CCARA

CCARA Latest News

Mike WF8B Recognized by Clinton Co EMA

At our Jan 7 business meeting, Mike Boyle WF8B was recognized by Clinton County EMA director Thomas Breckel for his 23 years of service to the EMA and the county. His award reads as follow.

Care and Use of Surplus Military Mast Poles

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.

Support CCARA

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!

2020 Ohio State Parks on the Air

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.

2020 Ohio ARES SET

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

FCC Proposes to Reinstate Amateur Radio Service Fees

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.

Wolf River Coils TIA

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