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 . . .

Had a good turnout for hamfest. The combined ACARA/SCARF VE team test session produced one new Tech, one upgrade to General and two upgrades to Extra.
New Tech – Kira Staats of Belleville, WV
New General – John Rider, KE8EVB of The Plains, OH
New Extras – Stephen Norris, KE8ICQ of Athens, OH and Stephen Cox, KE8IZA of Columbus.

73

Jeff Slattery, N8SUZ

VE Session Coordinator

This Wednesday, right about lunchtime, the astronaut-hams aboard the International Space Station will be making an extended QSO (contact) with students at a school in New York State. If you have a 2-meter or dual-band HT or a scanner, you’ll be able to listen to the ISS’s downlink in the 2-meter ham band. My friend and colleague, Tom Witherspoon, K4SWL, has written up a set of easy instructions: https://swling.com/blog/2018/04/listen-to-an-upcoming-ariss-contact-with-your-scanner-or-ht/ I’ve listened numerous times to the ISS doing these school QSOs . . .

Update — the Astron power supply and the R. L. Drake TVI filter were sold at the Athens Hamfest but the other items remain and are available for purchase by ACARA members. In the listings below, I’ve reduced the asking prices.   Thanks to the foresight and generosity of John “Andy” Andracki, KB8ER (SK), the ACARA has available for sale the following pieces of equipment. The proceeds from the sale of this equipment will be applied to the Repeater Relocation . . .

The pages for the Iron Furnace Trail Run on April 7, 2018, the Athens Marathon on April 15, 2018 and the Lake Hope Bicycle Race on May 6, 2018 have been updated with assignment lists, maps and associated documents. A few will need more updating with bib colors and numbers for the Marathon. Jeff, N8SUZ

Following the ACARA’s March 12 VE testing session, Jeff Slattery, N8SUZ, reports the following: We had a very successful VE test session this evening to complete the recent ACARA Technician license classes. The combined ACARA and SCARF VE team tested four candidates for two new Techs and two new Generals (all started with no license). Three were class participants and one came for the open test session. A total of ten elements were tested. The two new Technicians are: Nathan . . .

The ACARA’s annual February Potluck will be held on Saturday, February 17 at the Red Cross of Southeastern Ohio, 100 South May Avenue, Athens. Because of a 3:30pm OU basketball home game, we’ll begin to gather at 6pm and will eat at 6:30pm. (Please note: these times are later than our traditional time for the Potluck.) All ACARA members, their families, and their guests are cordially invited! Members and their family and guests are asked to bring a dish to . . .

The ACARA participated in the Winter Field Day Association’s “Winter Field Day” (inf0) on Saturday, January 27, 2018, in a small cottage on the Riordan farm near Coolville, Ohio. While the Winter Field Day ran for a full 24 hours, this being the first time the ACARA participated in the event, it was decided to operate only during daylight hours on the Saturday of the event. The following ACARA members participated: Josh Cash, KE8EAS Tyler Hooker, AK5HT, and his young . . .

The ACARA Club Construction to build 20m/40m trap dipoles, long in the planning and twice delayed, finally happened on Sunday, January 21, 2018. Under the excellent guidance of Drew McDaniel, W8MHV, ten hams learned how trap dipoles work and then constructed their own 20m/40m trap dipoles. For the club construction project, Drew provide SOTABeams trap kits (https://www.sotabeams.co.uk/hf-antenna-traps-kit-pair/) in 20-watt or 100-watt versions; “Invisible” Toughcoat “Silky” 26 AWG, 19 strand 40% copper-clad steel antenna wire (https://www.thewireman.com/antennap.html); and ceramic dog-bone insulators for . . .