Hello Everyone,
I’d like to start with another apology for the short President’s Letter. My wife’s and my medical issues persist, but I am told by the doctors that there is indeed a light at the end of the tunnel. We are close to the end of our adventures.
Our 2025 Tailgate Party (in lieu of Hamfest) was back on June 7th : this year we had a confluence of poor weather. It was humid and we had a persistent light rain and wind, the combination of which kept attendance down significantly. As such, the club’s take was down compared to recent years, however we still managed to turn a profit.
Our 2 club photographers, George, K4GVT and Rosalie, KN4ZLY, have once again provided us with many memories.
Our Tailgate Party once again hosted the Virginia QSO Party Awards.
Most importantly to me, a Big Thank You to all of our volunteers for doing a tough job under less than optimal conditions.
On Saturday, June 14th is our OVH Monthly Breakfast Get Together
Yorkshire Restaurant
7537 Centreville Rd
Manassas, VA 20111
(703) 368-4905
We usually have 6 to 10 people that show up. We hope to see you there.
The next monthly meeting of the OVH will be held on Tuesday, June 17th @ 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM EDT.
Buckhall VFD Hall
7190 Yates Ford Road
Manassas, VA 20111
And lastly for June, the ARRL 2025 Field Day, which is always the 4th full weekend in June. This year it begins at 1800 UTC Saturday, June 28th running through 2059 UTC Sunday, June 29th . https://www.arrl.org/field-day
We will be under the big pavilion at:
Nokesville Park
12560 Aden Rd
Nokesville ,VA 20181
Using GPS? Punch in: 38° 41′ 07″ N -77° 34′ 43″ W
We are Gridsquare: FM18fq
This will be a rain or shine event, as we will be under the big pavilion. Come on out and tune in the world. We will once again be launching a hydrogen filled weather balloon. Additionally, we will again be led by Bruce, KN4GDX.
If you are new to the hobby, I recommend that you come out Friday & Saturday morning to help with the setting up. It is truly a learning experience. Time will pass very quickly, and before you know it, we will be ready.
Again, for those new to the hobby, once Field Day officially begins, we try to make as many contacts as we can in that 24-hour period, using phone, Morse code and the new digital modes. We do this either singularly dedicated to one mode only or by using any combination of those 3 modes. It’s all up to you.
Saturday Night will be our Pot Luck Dinner. Bring a favorite dish to share; dinner will be around 5 PM. After all, this is a family event.
Lastly, on July 26th, the Ole Virginia Hams will be hosting another VE session, led by Mark, WA4KFZ, at:
Saint Andrew Lutheran Church, Centreville – 7 30 AM to 12 PM
14640 Soucy Place
Centreville, VA 20120
If you didn’t already know, the ARRL VE Teams have a stated goal of going completely digital sometime in 2025. This means the teams will be able to administer exams online or do remote video-supervised sessions. For more current information about ARRL’s efforts, please see page 75 of July 2025’s QST digital edition.
OVH’s VE Coordinator, Mark, WA4KFZ, has been hard at work for several months now, learning the ins and outs of ARRL’s new system so that he can make sure the OVH can confidently offer this option, too. He will let us know when he is ready for our Volunteer Examiners to begin their training.
Thanks, Mark.
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 . This is a great way to stay in touch.
Questions, comments or war stories can be directed to my e-mail: KN4DD@arrl.net
73,
Ken
KN4DD