Sunshine Corner

SUNSHINE CORNER – JUNE 2026   Sending Happy Birthday wishes to the following club members:  Jan KE4TMW, Edward KQ4DPP, Jim KM4SXM, Sean KQ4FRQ, Robert W4PHX, Seth WA4FZY, Wayne AG4ZZ, Gene N4HFW, Bob K4HJF, Nick (no call), Daniela KQ4IKQ, Noah KQ4IDI, David KQ4BDS, Dana KM4TTP, Ron K3FR and William KO4QDL. Well, I can now say KG4NXT and I have been to Hamvention in May!   What a crazy, but very organized event, it was massive.  Even though we were in Ohio, we still ran into several OVH club members, we had a great time! Congratulations to all the graduates over the last month.  I know several club members including myself have graduates this year.   Best wishes to all of them! Safe travels to Ron K3FR, he has moved to Johnson City, Tennessee.  … Read more >>

President’s letter – June 2026

President’s Letter June 2026 Welcome to June.  This is the most important month of the year for the Ole Virginia Hams. We start with our Hamfest on June 20th.   This is a bigger lift than the tailgates we have had in previous years. We host the Virginia QSO party and have free tables for ARRL and Skywarn and a room for VE testing.  This is our only fundraiser and we need to fund our repeater internet and equipment insurance,  liability insurance as well as provide for any needed equipment repairs or replacement.  This is an all hands on deck event.   If you have not already volunteered, contact Chair Theresa at kg4tvm@hotmail.com The week after that we have our field day at Nokesville park.   George K4GVT has his satellite set up … Read more >>

OVH POTA activation

Rob KR4EEV, John KG4NXT and Bruce KN4GDX operating digital

On the last day of May, Theresa/KG4TVM called for a OVH club POTA activation at Manassas National Battlefield Park. There is only one area for POTA at the park, the Groveton Road picnic area. It has a shelter and bathrooms but the trees are puny. We used a hot spot provided by Byron/AK4XR for spotting ourselves, using the POTA app on the web and for uploading the digital log. We had excellent weather and band conditions. We put up a vertical and George’s big ears antenna. OVH members attending were Theresa/KG4TVM, George/K4GVT, Bruce/KG4GDX,  Rob/KR4EEV, Ken/KD4VA and John/KG4NXT. George set up a sideband station and John set up a digital station. John and Rob made 16 contacts and George made 15. A good time was had by all.       … Read more >>

Our First Hamvention

Hat with Yagi on top

Hamvention to hams is like Mecca to Muslims and you should make the trip at least once. Back in 2003, I asked Theresa/KG4TVM if she wanted to honeymoon at Hamvention and she said no, but this year it was a birthday present from Theresa to me. We stayed at a state park cabin about 30 miles away from Hamvention at a place called Cowan Lake State Park. We arrived a day early and activated the park and nearby wildlife area for POTA. We did not park at Hamvention and instead parked at the high school and rode a school bus to the site. Interestingly, the town cancels school for Hamvention, so there was an abundance of parking and numerous perky high school students. Hamvention is a huge event and there … Read more >>

Sunshine Corner

SUNSHINE CORNER – MAY 2026   Sending Happy Birthday wishes to the following club members: John/KM4VCJ, David/KG4GIY, Bill/WA4FIC, Rob/KR4EEV, Dick/ KM4UXE, Susan/K3SSP, Bruce/KN4GDX, Don/WA2SWX/HC4DA, Bob/KQ4PSE, Jim/WI4EE, John/KG4NXT, Kenneth/KI4EOH and Lynn/ KX4HR. John/KG4NXT and I are looking forward to going to Hamvention in Ohio in the next few days. There are several OVH members also going, so I hope we can all meet up at the event. This will be our first time going so I’m sure we will have some stories when we get back! Virginia QSO Party has preliminary results out and Gil/KM4OZH is looking pretty good for a plaque and we will see if anyone else comes away with an award! Hamfest 2026 – June 20th is just over a month away!!! We could use about 5 more … Read more >>

President’s letter – May 2026

President’s Letter – May 2026 I was not at the last OVH meeting because it was election day and I am an assistant chief election officer at Buckhall UMC. I am very pleased that Jason/K4APR was able to present on his Radio Packet Network with audio/visual assistance from Byron/AK4XR. This coming May OVH meeting, we will have Scott/KE4WMF presenting. Scott is a competitor in the same class as our own Gil/KM4OZH.   Scott has a car with an impressive Antenna Farm on it. Scott will be presenting on what is in his car and how it evolved. The picture below is Scott’s contest car. The Virginia QSO party has posted (not quite final) scores and Gil has 74,420 points. This puts him at the top of the Rover category and in … Read more >>

Throwback Shack

Gene/N4HFW shares a picture of his shack from the early 2000s. Gene introduced the OVH to the horizontal loop for field day and had one in his back yard fed with balanced line. In the picture, you can see both a balanced line tuner and a coax tuner. Gene has fond memories of code keys, a paddle and a straight  key. They are shown above the transceiver. You also see a trusty Alpha amp on the right. For a larger picture, click on the image. If you would like your old shack picture featured, contact John/KG4NXT.

OVH VE Session April 18, 2026

On April 18, 2026, W4OVH conducted our second exam session this year using the new ExamTools online system. Everything went smoothly and we added two new ham radio operators to our hobby! We also had our first opportunity to offer an exam to a 12-year-old and submit an “ARRL Youth Licensing Grant Program” application. This ARRL program reimburses the $35 FCC application fee, encouraging those under 18 years of age to become newly licensed hams. The 12-year-old earned his Technician class license. Four applicants were present at the exam session. Two new Technician Class licenses were earned and two hams qualified for an upgrade to General Class. Holding VE sessions in-person provides valuable face-to-face engagement with prospective members, allowing them to learn more about the club and its activities. All the applicants … Read more >>