Manassas Hamfest 2018 Is Here

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Hamfest is Sunday June 3 If you are helping set up the event on Saturday June 2,  please be at the Chic Fil A at 9506 Liberia Ave at 8 am for breakfast courtesy of the club, then on to the Fairgrounds. If you are going to the Hamfest,  it is at the Prince William Fairgrounds starting at 7 am on Sunday June 3. If you would like to know about the Hamfest prizes and presentations, click HamfestHighlights_2018 If you would like vendor , admission,  or directions,  click hamfest web page Talk-in will be on 146.970 – the OVH 2 meter repeater The Hamfest will be held regardless of weather.  

Presidents Letter

President Byron gives award to Theresa

Presidents Letter: What a month it has been since our last club meeting! The OVH’s participation at the Manassas Airshow May 5th went extremely well. The weather was almost perfect for an airshow – not too hot, light winds and a very high overcast; the forecast rains held off until after the Airshow was over. Overall attendance estimates for the Airshow were around 10,000. It was a great opportunity to get our club out into the public view and hopefully interest more folks people in becoming hams. A bunch of the club’s new “how to contact us” business cards were taken. Thanks to the OVH volunteers for putting it all together and for the long hours they put in to make it successful. Check out the article on the Manassas … Read more >>

VP’s Corner

VP’s Corner Jeff Fuller WB6UIE June is just around the corner, and with it one of amateur radio’s signature events – Field Day. For OVH members, it’s a tasty BBQ, family get together, and a chance to have some fun outdoor hamming.  And, of course, a chance to hone our emergency communication skills. Emergency power plays an important role in our preparedness. For multi operator fixed stations, that power usually comes from a gasoline generator. Mobiles can work as long as the engine can keep the battery charged. What about a scenario where you need to forward deploy with emergency services? Vehicles can get close, but fallen trees and other obstacles mean you’ll need to carry your gear on a pack frame a mile or more to reach a good comms location. You … Read more >>

W4OVH and Friends at 2018 Warrior Bike Ride

Wow… it has been a very busy weekend over the 5-6 May Saturday and Sunday! First the outstanding Manassas Air Show and W4OVH attending to promote our Amateur Radio activities on Saturday, coordinated by Kevin Utzy and then the 2018 Inaugural Warrior Bike Ride on Sunday. The 2018 Warrior Bike Ride was hosted by the Serve Our Willing Warriors (SOWW) organization which does such outstanding work in providing a much-needed break for our recovering service members at military hospitals in the National Capital Region.  The average hospital stay is 300 days!  The exhausting, daily routine of surgeries, procedures, therapies, and doctor appointments takes a heavy toll on everyone involved. SOWW provides their Retreat, where our “Willing Warriors” can get away from the hospital environment with family, caretakers, and friends to relax, … Read more >>

OVH At The Manassas Airshow

Members of the Old Virginia Hams participated in the Manassas Airshow on May 5th, 2018 at the Manassas airport by setting up a booth to show off some of the many activities in amateur radio to the attendees. There is much cross over between air enthusiasts and amateur radio. The club saw this as an opportunity to introduce the hobby to those who may not fully understand the various aspects and opportunities in the hobby. This public outreach was also provided a chance to not only educate but to make the community aware of our club and what we do. The club displayed five different items: A homemade crystal radio using soda cans as capacitors, made by Al, KB4BHB SDR CW radio built by John, KG4NXT 2 meter Fox and … Read more >>

Pinkie’s Corner

Pinkie Pig here!  We had a delightful April meeting after missing the one in March due to the weather.  I just don’t feel like leaving the pig pen when it’s cold and rainy!  Attendance was fairly light, but we managed to have a good time. Lots of topics and info about upcoming events were discussed.  It sounds like hamfest planning is in full swing!  It won’t be long! Our speaker was Larry, from West Virginia.  His presentation was about illegal transmissions and deliberate interference.  He also talked about “fox hunts”!  I was worried it was going to turn into “pig hunts”!  And on top of all that, all that talk about “raspberry pie” made me hungry!  (Do you ever wonder how they come up with some of those names?) We … Read more >>