Gathering on a bright, sunny, mild day in November, the Athens County Amateur Radio Club (ACARA) foxhunters held a slightly postponed fox hunt. The fox, Carl Denbow, N8VZ, prepared more than fifteen clues to his location, which was just 300′ outside Athens County. This both narrowed and expanded the search in all directions except for across the Ohio River into West Virginia, which had been ruled out. The fox was found by veteran fox hunter Eric McFadden, WD8RIF, and his . . .
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Report: ARRL Field Day 2023
The Athens County Amateur Radio Association (ACARA) participated in the 2023 ARRL Field Day as W8MHV with 100-watt stations at the Athens County Fairgrounds. Under the direction of Field Day Chairman Paul Schulz, WD8SCV, the club participated as W8MHV in class 2A, meaning two transmitters, club or non-club group, power output of 100 watts or less. A total of 716 QSOs and 1,150 of bonus points resulted in a score of 3,518 points. A breakdown of QSOs per band can . . .
Report: Ohio State Parks on the Air 2023 (Updated 2023-10-31)
On Saturday, September 9, 2023, members of the ACARA participated in the 16th annual PCARS “Ohio State Parks on the Air” (link), activating Strouds Run State Park at the Bobcat Shelter and operating under the club’s callsign, W8UKE. Participants:Bob Curtis, KD8FRQKirk Groeneveld, KC8JRVJohn McCutcheon, N8XWOEric McFadden, WD8RIFKate McFadden, KD8KNB + ArcherVickie McFadden, KC8MAJRich Post, KB8TAD + EdieCade Saugier, KC3EKEPaul Schulz, WD8SCV The station consisted of the ACARA’s Elecraft K3 transceiver; an 80m end-fed half-wave (EFHW) antenna provided by Paul Schulz, . . .
Save the Date: Ohio State Parks on the Air, Saturday, September 9, 2023
On Saturday, September 9, the ACARA will be participating in the annual “Ohio State Parks on the Air” (http://ospota.org/) field event at Strouds Run State Park. Note the new location: we’ll be at the Bobcat Shelter on State Park Road near the swim-beach and boat-rental office. (Here’s a Google map: https://goo.gl/maps/aXDbUcdk5qRPETZ18.) Ohio State Parks on the Air (OSPOTA) runs from 1400 UTC to 2200 UTC, which is 10am to 6pm local time. The event takes place on HF and is . . .
Results: Athens Foxhunt, September 3, 2023
The Athens County Amateur Radio Association held a foxhunt on Sunday, Sept. 3rd. Despite it being Labor Day weekend, Eric McFadden, WD8RIF, hid carefully as the fox and provided transmissions and clues on the ACARA simplex frequency. Despite getting off on the wrong foot, both Carl Denbow, N8VZ, and Kirk Groeneveld, KC8JRV, eventually zeroed in on the fox location, and it became a race to see who would arrive at the Waterloo Wildlife Area first. Due to the distance of . . .
Folding Copper Cactus J-pole build 05/21/2023
We had five participants complete the folding copper cactus J-pole club build today. Everyone seemed to have a good time and were willing to help each other with soldering or other prep work. Due to some antenna analyzer issues, we will need to set SWR for most at a later time. Those completing were Bob Weber – KE8WWG, Gerald Carter – KE8WWF, Tony Peric -KE8VOG, Brian Taylor -KZ8U and Mark Summers -KD8SM. Missed a message that went to spam from . . .
Report: Athens Hamfest 2023
Athens Hamfest 2023 took place on Sunday, April 30, 2023, and it was a success! The early morning rain and cool temperatures helped fill the indoor-sales area but clearing skies after 8am kept the outdoor flea-market area busy. Twenty volunteers helped make this a successful event: Gary Carter, KD8MSRMike Cooper, KC8WMYBob Curtis, KD8FRQCarl Denbow, N8VZCurt Duncan, KC8QDPConstantine Faller, KC8JXAScott Green, KD8KZGKirk Groeneveld, KC8JRVLance Groeneveld, KD8KMZDrew McDaniel, W8MHVEric McFadden, WD8RIFMiles McFadden, KD8KNCRob Rose, KE8JDARobin Rose, KE8JDBPaul Schulz, WD8SCVBrian Shapiro, KC8ZUFJeff Slattery, . . .
Athens Marathon Committee Makes $30,000 Donation to ACARA
In an unexpected and extremely generous gesture, on April 15, 2023, the outgoing Athens Marathon Committee made a donation of $30,000 to the ACARA. This amount was chosen based, in part, on the ACARA’s two recent failed attempts to win an ARRL Foundation Club Grant for slightly less than $25,000 to make significant improvements to the Jim Crouse Memorial Radio Station at the Red Cross of Southeastern Ohio. At the ACARA’s April 18, 2023 meeting, the members present voted to . . .
New distracted driving law doesn’t affect amateur radio
Am. Sub. S. B. No. 288 134th G.A.392(e) Any device capable of displaying a video, movie, broadcast television image, or visualimage;(f) Any other substantially similar wireless device that is designed or used to communicatetext, initiate or receive communication, or exchange information or data.An “electronic wireless communications device” does not include a two-way radiotransmitter or receiver used by a person who is licensed by the federal communications commissionto participate in the amateur radio service.
End-Fed Halfwave Antenna Build: Sunday, March 26
The ACARA club-build of the 40m End-Fed Halfwave (EFHW) antenna has been scheduled for 2pm on March 26, 2023, at the Red Cross of Southeastern Ohio, 100 South May Ave., Athens. The build is being led by Paul Schulz, WD8SCV. Paul will be making available ten kits, of which seven are spoken for. The EFHW antenna will be approximately 67′ long and is coaxial fed at one end. The antenna should provide no-tuner-needed coverage of 40, 20, 15, and 10m, . . .