President’s Letter for March 2023

Greetings to all.

Well, we had our annual club officer elections at our meeting last month. I’d like to thank everyone who participated. I am reminded of a line from a song by The Who from years ago. “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss”.

John, KG4NXT; Don, WA2SWX and I (Ken, KN4DD) are returning to our positions as Secretary, Treasurer and President, respectively,

I want to give a big thank you to Tony, KM4KLB for his service as Vice President.

The new addition to our cadre of officers is Gil, KM4OZH. Gil has been active with the OVH since 2015 and has been behind the scenes in many activities. Most recently and perhaps most importantly, Gil has joined our Technical Committee. So please give a big welcome to Gil, KM4OZH to the front table as the club’s new VP.

Next, your annual dues, which are now $25, are due by March 31st. Many of you responded after John’s, KG4NXT’s reflector message prodded you. However, a significant number of you have yet to catch up. As you are all aware from your home life, every cost is going up. The two major ways our club makes money is our Tailgate Party and our dues. Our club expenses for repeater maintenance are particularly noteworthy at this time. If you have not yet paid, please get caught up before the end of March membership suspension dates occur.

Our new Field Day Chairwoman Cat, KM4PBD, held our second 2023 Field Day planning meeting @ Sam and Joe’s Pizza & Subs in Manassas on March 7th. It was very well attended. We had 9 club members in attendance to help plan the upcoming Field Day. We actually had to pull over another table to accommodate all of us. This is a good problem to have, if you ask me. If you are interested in helping us, there is still more room (and tables to pull) for everyone.

Our monthly breakfast returns this Saturday, March 18th at 8:00 AM. Pioneered by Byron, AK4XR, we get together every Saturday before our meetings at a table or two in the back of Yorkshire Restaurant for some good food and good conversation.

Yorkshire Restaurant
7537 Centreville Rd.
Manassas, VA 20111
(703) 368-4905
Menu: https://www.yorkshirerestaurantmanassas.com/menu/

After Gordon, NQ4K’s presentation about the Virginia QSO Party last month at our meeting, I would be remiss if I didn’t remind you about the actual event this month.

The 2023 Virginia QSO Party will be held during the weekend of March 18th and 19th.
Saturday, 18 March, 1400 UTC – Sunday, 19 March, 0400 UTC and
Sunday, 19 March, 1200 UTC – 2400 UTC.
Editor’s Note:
If you get a chance to make any contacts, make sure you denote OVH as your club when you submit your log.

The Vienna Wireless Society’s 47th Annual WINTERFEST hamfest is on March 19th.
It has a NEW LOCATION

Oakton High School
2900 Sutton Road
Vienna, Virginia 22181

And will run from 7 AM until 2 PM.
Tickets are $15 at the door and $10 if bought at
https://ticketstripe.com/VWS-WinterFest-2023

Winterfest is sponsored by the Vienna Wireless Society.

As always, these events and more are easily found on our newly improved website: https://w4ovh.net/

Our next monthly meeting Tuesday, March 21st –
W4OVH Monthly Meeting
7:30 PM – 9:00 PM EDT
Buckhall VFD Hall
7190 Yates Ford Road
Manassas, VA 20111

Bruce, KN4GDX, will give a presentation on the timely topics of Balloons and Fox Hunts for our March presentation.

Our involvement with local Community Service begins again this month. OVH will once again provide spotters for the Tri-It-Now mini triathlons. This year, as in the past, the Tri-It-Now events will be supported by our club, who will help ensure the safety of all racers on the road course. The club’s volunteers will be stationed along the course to provide support, communicate any necessary information, and help keep the race running smoothly.

The first race of the season is the Tune-UpTri, which will take place on March 26, 2023 in Manassas, VA.

With a lineup of events that offer a challenge for everyone, Tri-It-Now is the place to be for triathlon enthusiasts. For Ham Radio enthusiasts, it is the perfect start to become “radio active” and support the event in radio safety communications. If you are interested in radio safety communications support, contact Andy Gamponia at
andy@gamponia.com
and volunteer for a few hours on a Sunday morning. You are guaranteed a fun and exciting day at Tri-It-Now.

Also, a reminder to check in to the OVH’s Thursday night VHF/UHF repeater net at 8 PM. The details for that are on the OVH’s web site: https://w4ovh.net

Questions, comments or war stories can be directed to my e-mail: KN4DD@arrl.net
73,
Ken, KN4DD

 

Leave a Comment