Well, it’s half past September. Cooler weather and less humidity is on the way. I’m a big fan of that. The sun will be going down sooner too. I’m not much of a fan of that, however. And, to borrow a phrase from “The Game of Thrones”, winter is coming.
Summer activities are winding down too. Off of the top of my head, we have 2 Tri-It-Now events, the Manassas Christmas parade and our annual OVH Christmas Party left on 2022’s To-Do List.
While I am on the subject of activities, let us not forget that this is National Preparedness Month. I am a huge fan of being self contained. I probably got that from my old man. As a kid, 5 of us, a dog and a parrot (with an unfortunate habit of doing wolf whistles), would load up into a 34 foot Airstream to live and go to school for months at a time wherever it was that my dad was assigned to. He was always saying how that Airstream was self contained and didn’t need any external electrical or plumbing infrastructure.
I know there are purists out there saying we can never be truly independent. And I agree. As a society we are all interdependent. However, I do believe in being as self sufficient as possible.
So as a reminder, now is a good time to inspect any tree-supported antennas or get a new one up.
I’d like to give thanks to everyone that went out for the SOWW bike ride on the 10th. We fielded 26 operators for the event. Too many to list here. But a big tip of the hat to Andy, KJ4MTP for organizing and running the whole ham show. Another big tip of the hat to Dianne, KI4VV as Net Control. This Bike Ride was a bit chaotic compared to other years (possibly due to the full moon going on that day), but Dianne was our rock. She was simply unflappable.
Additional thanks to Ken, KE2N and Jason, N3JLT for setting up the temporary links between the OVH and Bluemont repeaters and then standing by in case we needed maintenance.
If volunteerism is for you, there are local organizations that could use you such as CERT and ARES. These are just a couple of ways that you can make a difference in our community. While Mother Nature is not to be taken lightly, I am hoping the rest of Hurricane Season (which ends December 1st) and subsequent winter continue to be mild. The phrase “Hope for the best, but plan for the worst” has served me well for quite some time.
Our 2nd to last Tri It Now – THE 14.06 will be this Sunday, September 18th @ 7:30 AM, @ The Freedom Aquatic and Fitness Center, Manassas. This is the 14.06 triathlon which is one tenth of iron distance and consists of a triathlon, duathlon, and aquabike. We have 7 of the 8 volunteers needed, as I write this. As always, to volunteer contact Andy via e-mail andy@gamponia.com
Next up is our monthly breakfast on September 17th at 8:00 AM. I hear it’s the most important meal of the day. Originally developed 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, September 20th
W4OVH Monthly Meeting – masks optional
7:30 PM – 9:00 PM EDT
Buckhall VFD Hall
7190 Yates Ford Road
Manassas VA 20111
Starting that meeting off is Ron, K3FR, who will present “Contesting and How to Run a Log During a Contest.” He should know. He’s been contesting for about 50 years now.
Between the breakfast, the Tri-It-Now and our live and in-person meeting; I hope to see every one of you at one, or all of them.
A reminder that the 76th Greater Manassas Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 3rd @ 10 AM.
Planning is underway, but we will need volunteer spotters. If interested and available, please contact George, K4GVT via e-mail george@k4gvt.com
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
This is a great way to stay in touch.
I am happy to report that our team of dedicated technologists have outlasted and outsmarted our latest OVH repeater issues. As a former computer field engineer I can readily attest to the fact that intermittent problems are the most difficult to find and correct. A big thank you to the entire team for your dedication and hard work.
Questions, comments or war stories can be directed to my e-mail: KN4DD@arrl.net
73, Ken / KN4DD