Happy New Year to All,
I heard what I thought was a great story this week. It is the kind of story that you hope is true.
It seems that back in the late 1800s or early 1900s there was a telegrapher’s job opening, and a man went down to the office to apply. When the man got there however, there were about seven applicants ahead of him. Unconcerned, he took his seat to wait his turn. It was a busy office with a lot of office noise, and this being the past, lots of heavy clicking and clacking from the telegraph equipment.
After a few moments, this man got up from his seat, and strode purposefully into the back office whereupon the door closed. This, of course, upset the seven applicants that were ahead of him. “How dare he?” they all seethed. “We were all here ahead of him, who does he think he is, cutting ahead of the line like that?”
A few moments later the door opened and the office manager came out of the back room with the applicant. “You can all go home now. The position was just filled by this gentleman here.”
“Why is that?” they all demanded. “How come we don’t get a chance to apply?”
“Because” the office manager said “the waiting room was part of our test. We were using telegraphy to send a message in code that said ‘if you understand this message being sent, please come directly into the interview room.’ This candidate was the only man to do so.”
As part of my New Year’s Resolutions, I have set a goal for myself to learn CW this year. If you don’t yet know CW, I hope you will consider learning it, also.
And if you took part in the annual ARRL Straight Key Night (SKN) on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, congratulations.
I think we had a pretty good year in 2022 as we continue to recover post COVID.
In 2022, the OVH supported:
• 7 Tri-It-Now mini triathlons
• 2 young STEM students received the Steve Frick Scholarship awards. And for the first time, both recipients were female.
• A return to Hamfest that left us in the black.
• A successful Field Day – a fitting capstone for Byron, AK4XR as he retired from the Chairman’s position after many years.
• The OVH fielded 26 spotters for the 2022 Warrior Bike Ride which raised over $90,000
• A VE session in the Centreville library, where every applicant passed the exam.
• A Turkey Trot 5K
• The annual Manassas Christmas parade
• and our World Famous OVH Christmas Party
Thank you again to everyone to donated gifts to Toys 4 Tots during this difficult year, and thanks to everyone who came out to the party. Thanks too, to the Yorkshire Restaurant for again hosting us and providing us with the turkey and ham.
A good year, indeed.
As I mentioned earlier, dues are, um, ….due. The new amount is $25.00 and you will need to be paid in order to vote in elections next month. You can bring your payment to a meeting, mail it in, or pay online. Renewal form and instructions are attached in the newsletter and the PayPal link can be found in the members section on the OVH web site at W4OVH.net
OVH officer nominations are now being received; there will a vote for a new slate of officers for 2023 at the February, 2023 OVH meeting. So please be thinking of the best candidates for our club; if you are personally interested, please volunteer. I myself will be running for a second term as OVH President, and am asking for your support.
Our first Tailgate planning meeting was on the 10th of January at Sam and Joe’s Pizza. Please remember we are doing another Tailgate Party for June 2023 in lieu of a Hamfest.
Another reminder – There will be no Frostfest in Richmond in 2023. They are hopeful for 2024, however.
Our monthly breakfast returns this Saturday, January 14th 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/
Our next monthly meeting Tuesday, January 17th
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 VarAC which is a conversational text digital mode for our January presentation.
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