Ken "The Other Ken" Brant

Hello All, As Hurricane Francine prepares to make landfall in Louisiana, if you will allow me, Hurricane Season (which ends December 1st) has been mild for the US this year. After predictions of a heavy 2024 hurricane season, this is only the second named storm hitting the mainland so far. And as always, I hope for a mild winter. A reminder that September is National Preparedness Month. So, while the weather is warm and mostly dry, now would be a good time to inspect any tree-supported antennas or get a new one up. Left on our 2024 To-Do List, we have the Manassas Christmas parade on December 7th at 10 AM and our annual OVH Christmas Party. Preparations have begun. Back on September 7th the Ole Virginia Hams supported the … Read more >>

Greetings All, With September only a few weeks away, I am reminded that while Hurricane Season officially started back on June 1st , here in the Mid-Atlantic region it unofficially begins for us in September. Now would be a good time to check your emergency communications equipment, supplies, including batteries. It would also be a good time to verify the integrity of both your antenna(s) and the guy wires. Over the years, the Ole Virginia Hams have had several members completely fry their equipment due to lightning strikes. So, I think it would also be good to review your safe grounding & isolation setups. While depriving you of a good story, it’ll save you a lot of money and (setup) aggravation later on. Monthly Breakfast You don’t have to wait … Read more >>

Hello Again Everyone, Once again, our busy season is winding down, and it’s been a whirlwind for some time now. On June 22nd & 23rd the OVH took part in ARRL Field Day 2024. Under the guidance of returning Field Day Chairwoman Cat, KM4PBD, we had another good Field Day weekend. We had 15 participants and a preliminary total score of: 3,336. I look forward to reading our official stats. Despite the heat & humidity, preparation started the day before, on Friday. Antenna lines were shot into the trees Friday afternoon. Gil, KM4OZH, handed off the OVH Trailer to James, KQ4CAX, who delivered it safely to Nokesville Park. Participants started showing up early Saturday, and we were ready to go long before the official start time. We also had our … Read more >>

Hello Everyone, I’d like to start with our 2024 Tailgate Party (in lieu of Hamfest) on June 1st. Most importantly to me, a Big Thank You to all of our volunteers. Along with the good weather, you are the reason this event was so successful. And what a great capstone to Don’s career as Hamfest Chairman. After 5 straight Saturdays of rain, we had a 75° day with no rain and no humidity. We beat last year’s vendors & spenders headcount. Don’s XYL, Edith, ran the bake sale & it did quite well. Best of all, we cleared ~$1,500.00, after expenses. Way to go, Don! Last year we officially opened at 8 AM and many showed up 7-ish. So, this year we moved it up an hour earlier, and of … Read more >>

Hello Everyone, Well, with regard to the beginning of May, it sure looked like we were going to go directly into summer. While I don’t mind the warm days, I do like it cooler in the evenings. I sleep better in the cooler evenings, and I tend to think of it as “free air conditioning”. Thankfully, we seem to have returned to seasonal weather.   Theresa, KG4TVM, is once again proving herself to be a force of nature. As if May and June aren’t already the busiest months of our club’s year, she has acquired a cache of very old OVH Newsletters, and has been scanning them into her computer and uploading them into our website’s Newsletter Archive. With John, KG4NXT, assisting with the scanning, our website now has issues … Read more >>

Greetings to all. We start this month’s letter off with last month’s VAQP back on March 16th and 17th.  I hope everyone remembered to put our club down on their logs when they submitted them. If you haven’t yet submitted your logs, you have until April 15th, 2024. A $1.00 donation to help defray the costs of printing and mailing is encouraged. Submit log entries by online portal or mail to: The VA QSO Party Call Box 599 Sterling, VA 20167 or e-mail them to:   vqp@verizon.net. If you have problems, please send an email to vqp@arrl.net. Speaking of April 15th, Tax Day this year is April 15th. No extra time this year. Make sure your rich Uncle Sam receives his proper documentation from you on time. Back on March 19th, … Read more >>

Hello again, everyone. Welcome to what is shaping up to be a very wet March. In February we held our annual club officer elections during our monthly meeting. I’d like to thank everyone who participated. In a clean sweep, your entire officer cadre was reelected. John, KG4NXT; Don, WA2SWX; Gil, KM4OZH and I (Ken, KN4DD) were returned to our positions as Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President and President, respectively, Also at our February meeting, Gordon, NQ4K, gave his presentation on the upcoming Virginia QSO party. His original presentation was over 133 slides long, but he graciously trimmed that down significantly to fit in his allotted time. And as usual, he was very well received. A big thank you to Gordon. Next, your annual dues, which are now $25, are due by … Read more >>

Hello, Everyone, After a wetter than normal January, we have been dealing with slightly above average temperatures during the first ten days of February. Those of you who know me, know that I am not a fan of the “s” word (snow). So, I look at the recent rain and think “at least it’s not snow”. Still thinking of winter, I am reminded of the great American philosopher, Yogi Berra, who once said “it ain’t over, till it’s over”.  He was talking about winter, wasn’t he? Speaking of spring like weather, now would be a good time while we still have “see through trees” to get out there and check those antennas. Better now (and easier) than when the foliage returns. Our monthly breakfast returns this Saturday, February 17th  at … Read more >>