Athens County ARA

The ARRL 10-Meter Contest is the weekend of December 8-9, 2018. Full rules for the ARRL 10-Meter Contest can be found at http://www.arrl.org/10-meter. The ARRL 10-Meter Contest is important to Athens County Amateur Radio Association (ACARA) members for two reasons: 1. The club participates in the ARRL 10-Meter Contest as a club, in the Affiliated Club Competition. When you prepare your 10-Meter Contest entry, simply list “Athens County ARA” in the “Club Name” field and your score will count toward . . .

On Saturday, September 8, 2018, members of the ACARA participated in the 11th annual PCARS “Ohio State Parks on the Air” (link), activating Strouds Run State Park at the Bulldog Shelter, operating under the club’s callsign, W8UKE. Participants: Josh Cash, KE8EAS Bob Curtis, KD8FRQ John McCutcheon, N8XWO Drew McDaniel, W8MHV Eric McFadden, WD8RIF Miles McFadden, KD8KNC Bob Moore, KC8KSM Steve Norris, AD8BD Andy Young, KD8WVX Taylor Young (not licensed) The weather forecast had called for rain and, boy, did it . . .

The eleventh running of the Ohio State Parks on the Air (OSPOTA) event is this Saturday, September 8. OSPOTA is a low-pressure, fun, field event, the goal of which is to work stations in as many Ohio State Parks as one can. This is a HF-only, SSB-only event and is a perfect opportunity for newer hams or those without much experience on HF to “get their feet wet”. Members of the ACARA will be activating three State Parks this year. . . .

The following items are available to ACARA members. The proceeds from the sale of these items will be applied to the Repeater Relocation Fun and prices are negotiable. There are many items in this list. Please scroll down to see all the items. This equipment is available to look at or test. Anyone interested in any of this equipment should contact Eric McFadden, WD8RIF, at president@ac-ara.org. ICOM HM-46L speaker-mic This microphone is a donation from John McCutcheon, N8XWO. This speaker-mic . . .

The ACARA participated in the 2018 ARRL Field Day with 100-watt stations at the Athens County Fairgrounds with the callsign W8PG. For the third year running, the group was able to set up the stations inside the large brick building on the Fairgrounds for protection from weather and insects. The club participated in class 1A, meaning one transmitter, club or non-club group, power output of 150 watts or less. A total of 561 QSOs and 1,150 bonus points resulted in . . .

In place of the June ACARA meeting, we will be having the annual June Picnic on Tuesday, June 19 at the Dairy Lane Park at Dairy Lane and South Park Drive in Athens. (This date is the usual 3rd Tuesday of the month and the park is adjacent to the Putt People First mini-golf course.) All members and their guests are invited to attend. We will gather at 5:30pm and will eat about 6pm. The ACARA will provide burgers, buns, . . .

Mark your calendars! ARRL Field Day, the biggest operating event in the Amateur Radio calendar, is Saturday and Sunday, June 23 and 24. The ACARA will be participating at the Athens County Fairgrounds with one HF CW/SSB station, one 6-meter SSB station, and one FM satellite station. Set-up will commence at 10am on Saturday the 23rd. Radio operations will run ’round-the-clock from 2pm Saturday through 2pm Sunday the 24th. Tear-down will commence at 2pm on Sunday. Miles McFadden, KD8KNC, will . . .

All items from the estate of John “Andy” Andracki, KB8ER (SK), have been sold.

The proceeds from the sale of these items were applied to the Repeater Relocation Fund.

While I didn’t have the freedom to fully document the 2018 Athens Hamfest in photos, I did manage to make a few snaps. (Click a picture to see a larger version.) Eric McFadden, WD8RIF President, Athens County Amateur Radio Association  

The 2018 Athens Hamfest has come and gone and even before I see preliminary numbers, I have to call our event a major success. I wish to thank everyone who volunteered their time to work the event–without our dedicated volunteers, the Athens Hamfest just wouldn’t happen. I also want to thank Drew McDaniel, W8MHV, for donating a Yaesu FT-70DR handheld transceiver as a major door prize and Carl Denbow, N8VZ, for donating a Baofeng UV-82X handheld transceiver as an hourly . . .