Hamvention to hams is like Mecca to Muslims. You should make the trip at least once. I had asked Theresa KG4TVM if she wanted to honeymoon at Hamvention back in 2003 but she said no. This year, it was a birthday present from her 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; we parked at the high school and took a school bus to the site. The town cancels school for Hamvention so there was plenty of parking and a number of perky high school students. Hamvention is a huge event. There were 37,924 … Read more >>
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 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 >>
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.
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 >>
Regretfully, Art/W1CRO has passed. His widow Hajia is selling his equipment which had accumulated over his lifetime.
There is a lot of stuff. The link for the pictures:
https://www.k4gvt.com/w1cro/index.html
The sale is on Saturday April 25 at 8:30 AM to noon at 12212 Woodlark Ct, Manassas.
President’s Letter – April 2026 Welcome to spring ! As it gets warmer, we get closer to our two big events of the OVH year: Hamfest and Field day. As you all know, Hamfest is our only fund raiser and we got bills to pay. For the first time, we are having Hamfest at Colgan High School which has loads of parking. We are having a combined Hamfest and Field day planning meeting on Monday April 27 at Hog Shack 10470 Dumfries Road, Manassas, VA at 6 pm. Please come and help us with these events. We have been working on publicizing our hamfest by distributing flyers at the Middle Peninsula hamfest, the Vienna Hamfest and Thawfest Hamfest. Here is George K4GVT at our table at Junk in the Trunk: … Read more >>
SUNSHINE CORNER – April 2026 Sending Happy Birthday wishes to the following club members: Harry KC9TXL, Harry KN4IJY, Brian KK4CBS, Gene KN4JMB, Gil KM4OZH, Paul N4PD, Joe KI4OHR, Lillian KK4MXY, David KI4AZX, Paul W4ZB, David KD4DEE, Mark KN4OGC and Paul KO4UOO. Very sad news on April 1st, Art W1CRO passed away. Art was a club member for many decades and wore many hats in the club along the way. George K4GVT is working with Art’s wife, Hajia to find new homes for Art’s ham equipment. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers. I did pull some photos of Art and along with the email stories and condolences, framed everything in a shadow box and gave it to Hajia at the viewing. Sorry that I had to … Read more >>