President’s Letter for December 2024

by

Hello to All, As 2024 winds down, it is customary to review where we have been this year. Last year was the first year without the Tri-It-Now mini triathlons. They would have started up last March (2024), but Ina Nenninger, owner & organizer of Tri It Now retired and moved away.  I, for one, miss the activities, and our “new ham” members have lost a great way to wade in to our hobby. I really believe the OVH needs to replace this activity. If any of you have any ideas, please contact me or any of the other officers. In March we had the VA QSO Party. We performed quite well, yet again. A big nod to Gil, KM4OZH. In April, our OVH Trailer got rehomed. We had stored the … Read more >>

2024 Manassas Christmas Parade

by
Santa and Mrs. Claus at the end of the parade

It was cold, very cold at 7 AM on December 7, 2024. Just in time for the 78th annual Manassas Christmas Parade. We met for a Chick-fil-A breakfast.   George, K4GVT, was the liaison and photographer. Sam, KQ4SL, pulled the trailer with his son, Oliver. Theresa, KG4TVM, got our trailer entered as a parade float and she also took the lead in decorating the trailer. Dianne, KI4FVV, was net control. George visited all of the OVH members at their locations. When he reached City Hall, George located Noah, KQ4IDI, and John, KG4NXT. George asked them if they needed anything and John replied “Beer”. About 45 minutes later, George showed up with a foam cup of beer. OVH members supporting the parade included David, KG4GIY; Byron, AK4XR; Theresa, KG4TVM; John, KG4NXT;  … Read more >>

2024 Turkey Trot

by

On a wet and cool Thanksgiving morning, the Ole Virginia Hams once again provided communications support for the 5k portion of the Prince William Turkey Trot (5k) & Mashed Potato Mile.  Their motto:  Trot, Eat, Sleep. It had rained all night but stopped by morning, leaving us cool, damp and cloudy in time for the foot races.  The race itself went off without incident. It started @ 8:30 AM & was over for us by 9:15 AM. Much like Halloween, many participants were in costume. We had a few cowboys. We had several parents pushing a baby carriage in the race.  We had both children & adults in tutus. And what Turkey Trot would be complete without so many people in turkey costumes – a full furry brown pajama suit, … Read more >>

Sunshine Corner

by

SUNSHINE CORNER – NOVEMBER 2024   Happy Birthday wishes to these club members  –  Wayne, N7QLK; Kevin, KX4KU; Baofang, KK4JFK; Theresa, KG4TVM; Butch, W4HJL; Greg, KM4CCG; Zackary, KQ4RIS; Jeff, WB4TT; Charlie, WA4YGI; James, N5TE; James, KA4BOL; Paul, KO4GZR; Allan, no call and Ken, K3KBF – Enjoy your day! Condolences to Wayne, N7QLK, his mother passed away in October. Condolences to Gene, N4HFW, his brother-in-law passed away this month. Sending healing thoughts for quick and complete recoveries to the following: Butch, W4HJL Paula, YL of Ken, KN4DD Ken, KE2N Happy Veterans Day to all our military, thank you for your service. The Manassas Christmas Parade is Saturday, December 7th.   The OVH will be providing radio support for this event. If you can help, please reach out to George, K4GVT – email … Read more >>

President’s Letter for November 2024

by

Hello again everyone, Last month’s opening statement in the President’s Letter had to do with OVH Vice President Gil, KM4OZH’s remarkable performance in September’s VHF contest, Limited Rover Class. Today, I am happy to report that Gil’s performance can be found on pg. 75 of the December issue of QST magazine. I am also pleased to announce that Mark, WA4KFZ, is working on scheduling our next VE Session. He has also told me he is planning on retiring this upcoming January after a long career. Well done, sir. November 11th is Veterans Day. As you probably know, originally it was designated as Armistice Day in remembrance of World War I veterans. It has since evolved in the US to honor ALL veterans of our military services.  So, I’d like to … Read more >>

Sunshine Corner

by

SUNSHINE CORNER – OCTOBER 2024   Happy Birthday wishes to these club members:  Ray, KM4EKR; Rob, KC4VDN; Phil, AC4PL; Chris, KN4IJF; Richard, no call; Bruce, WD4PAC; Eric, KO4MBI and David, KY4MM – Enjoy your day! Happy to hear Wayne, N7QLK, made it thru both hurricanes in Florida. Hope that any club members or family members living in the areas that were hit made it thru OK. Unfortunately, Page County cancelled their Tailgate on September 28th due to impending weather from Hurricane Helene. We haven’t heard of any additional dates but will let you know if we hear anything on this event being rescheduled. Way to go Gil, KM4OZH, for your successful September VFH contest, 2nd in the Limited Rover class. Congrats to everyone else that participated. Please let us know … Read more >>

President’s Letter for October 2024

by

Hello All, I’d like to start with “reflected glory”. Once again, our Vice President, Gil, KM4OZH, has brought home the glory of Second Place Nationally in September’s UHF/VHF contest. Gil competes in the “Limited Rover” category, and achieved his highest raw score ever – 14,960. Gil has been licensed a relatively short time, compared to some of our more “seasoned” members, and he took to serious contesting early in his ham career. His tenacity and resilience and yes, his creativity (have you even seen his car?) have served him well in his contesting, which shines a positive light on the OVH, as well. Way to go, Gil! Be sure to read John’s, KG4NXT’s more detailed article on Gil’s most resent accomplishment on our website, immediately below this one. Next up, … Read more >>

Our Gil, KM4OZH, places second nationwide in VHF / UHF !

by

Gil, KM4OZH, always competes seriously in the ARRL VHF/UHF contests. This September, he achieved a personal best and placed 2nd in raw scores in the Limited Rover category. In this category, he had to be mobile and was limited to the 6M, 2M, 220 MHz and 440 MHz bands. On the road he mostly operated FT8 and mostly FM on his return to Manassas. At one point, Gil was about to quit. He was in a new grid and needed to change his grid in the WSJT-X program for FT8. He kept typing in the new grid number, but nothing changed. He put out a call for help on the Warrenton repeater and got no help. He then got in touch with Ron, K3FR, and Ron was able to reach … Read more >>