Ohio VHF+ Simplex Contest

January 8, 2022 - 10am to 4pm EST

A six hour contest to inspire amateurs around Ohio to operate FM simplex to simulate repeater-less emergency communications.
For more information and rules please visit https://ohsimplex.org/

This was an article in the Oct 20 ARES Letter http://www.arrl.org/ares-el?issue=2021-10-20 
This is something to keep in mind as we make improvements to our stations and participate in our Monday night nets.  This link has information about the 2024 eclipse for Ohio and other states. https://nationaleclipse.com/overview.html

Ohio Amateur Radio Involved in State Planning for 2024 Solar Eclipse

At first, it seemed to be a bit of a reach - launching planning for an event 2 years in the future. But as Ohio Homeland Security/Emergency Management planners explain, the predicted solar eclipse promises to bring hundreds of thousands of people into many Ohio counties - and Ohio agencies such as responders, hospital and medical providers, highway crews, and tourist organizations will need to be prepared for the onslaught. Mass care, communication, possible shelters, and many other aspects have to be carefully provisioned. Complicating this, the date for the eclipse is April 8, and Ohio weather being what it is at that time of year, spectators could be in conditions ranging from 2 feet of snow to 80-degree temperatures.

Included in the planning was "Ohio Amateur Radio," bringing the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) in on the ground floor, led by Ohio EMA Planner Colin Campbell. Several hundred agency representatives are divided into service areas, including communication and emergency medical care. Those two sub-groups include amateur radio, with ARES Ohio Section Emergency Coordinator Stan Broadway, N8BHL, to provide input on the capabilities and services available through ham radio operators.

Planning is underway and will continue right up until the actual event takes place. The eclipse will place nine Ohio counties exactly on the "line of totality," with complete darkness. Thirty-five more counties will watch it as a full eclipse. Many more of Ohio's 88 counties will see a partial eclipse.

There are over 1,000 ARES members in Ohio, and this event will probably involve many of them in this "all hands" effort to provide communication and messaging to served agencies. - Thanks, ARRL Ohio Section Emergency Coordinator Stan Broadway, N8BHL

Mark, N8VJF will be net control for the DMR net on the Marysville talk group 313966 at 9pm. The net will provide the opportunity to test out DMR equipment and also DMR repeater coverage areas. The net will meet monthly on the 2nd Tuesday of the month. We look forward to hearing you on the net! 

Poles going up for a 160m loop antenna.

The covid infection rate has been increasing a lot. This effects when we will be able to do face to face activities.
Please let me know if you are interested in helping out with some upcoming projects at EMA Station 720 when we are able to do so.
The projects at Station 720 are as follows:

• Communications Vehicle work - The EMA has an old ambulance that we can setup and use as a communications vehicle. It will need to have radios mounted inside it, along with figuring out what we want to put in it and how we want to organize things. It will include both EMA radio equipment and amateur radio equipment
• 160m Loop antenna - Two out of 3 poles have been put up to support a 160m loop antenna. After the third pole is in place, work on the loop antenna can start. This will be a group effort between the Union County Amateur Radio Club and our ARES group.  
• Internet - Station 720 is getting a fiber internet connection. Details are being worked out to see about using it for the DMR repeater and also to add an allstar link/echolink node directly to the 145.350 repeater controller. After the internet connection is setup we will need to re-organize the radio room at Station 720. This will also be a group effort between the Union County Amateur Radio Club, EMA, and our ARES group.
• HF Beam antenna on tower - the HF beam antenna on top of the tower will need to be looked at and adjusted or repaired. This will take some coordination with the EMA, and possibly a tower climber/crew and lift.

If you are interested in helping with any of these projects, let Ed, KE8ANU know via e-mail

I have created a news letter for our ARES group using mail chimp. It will read the RSS feed from the website. Mailchimp will then generate an e-mail with new content that is put on the front page of the website and email it out to everyone for the news letter. This will make it easier to keep everyone updated about ARES related events on the website as well as e-mail.  I have added everyone I have been e-mailing about ARES related information to mailchimp. If you are not getting the news letter from Mailchimp, check your spam folder. 
I have added a signup form for the news letter on the website for anyone that would like to subscribe to the Union County ARES news letter. 

73,

Ed, KE8ANU