Club News

Pinkie’s Corner

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Pinkie Pig here! Reporting in after a glorious day at the Christmas parade. I was just tickled pink at the turnout!! Congratulations and thanks to all of the team that made it happen! I heard that HGTV was going to offer Theresa and Terry a decorating job after seeing the fantastic job they did on the trailer! We all “pigged out” at the catered breakfast at the theatre. That was yummy! I had a “swine” time riding in the parade with Terry. Let me tell you, it’s no easy task getting up into a truck when you are a pig! They make it seem so effortless moving about when they run around and roll in the mud puddles! I loved looking at all the people, but I think they all … Read more >>

OVH Members Participate in Emergency Exercise

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On November 18,  the city of Manassas and the city of Manassas Park held a joint emergency exercise for their combined Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT).   The exercise was held at Osborne High School and involved finding victims in blacked-out rooms and the triaging and transporting the victims. The purpose of the exercise was to use the skills learned in the class room and apply them in a simulated exercise.   The teams checked for bleeding , airway obstruction and shock.   One of the victims was under a table and had a knife protruding from her legs.  Victims were sorted by severity and transported to the medical treatment area. The OVH members who had just received the training and were part of the teams were Ray , KM4EKR,  Sandy, KM4JUS and … Read more >>

A Visit by the PIG

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The OVH Pig graced us with her presence at the November OVH Meeting.   She will be part of the OVH float at the Dec 2, 2017 Manassas Christmas Parade.  To volunteer for the parade,  email N4OGR@arrl.net or K4GVT@comcast.net   The OVH Pig in real life is Rosalie Fuller who purchased the outfit at her personal expense.  Thanks Rosalie.

Presidents Letter

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Presidents Letter:   Greetings All, I hope that everyone had a happy and safe Halloween. Oh, all of the left over candy. Are your batteries charged??  Is your radio configured properly??  If not, then this may be the time to ensure they are.  With the weather getting colder, and the recent hurricane season, this is the perfect time to check the functionally of them.  For the newer members, don’t hesitate to ask someone for assistance if you need it. Also, December 2nd is For those that are D-Star folks, stay tuned for updates. I want to pass this along. It is from the ARRL Virginia Section Manager, Dr. Joseph G Palsa, K3WRY. “ SKYWARN™ Recognition Day (SRD) will take place this year on Saturday, December 2 from 0000 until 2400 … Read more >>

The Making of a full size 160 Horizontal Loop

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Jeff Fischer, WB4TT, recently decided to add a 520 foot horizontal loop to his antenna farm. Jeff wanted this to be a homebrew antenna and not an off the shelf antenna. He made his own 1:1 balun rated at a kilowatt out of 12 gauge magnet wire over which he applied a 3M coating for extra insulation. With the help of neighbor, Gil Thompson , KM4OZH, he created  antenna mount points for the trees from hardware store hardware. These mount points are designed to flex with the trees to avoid snapping the antenna wire through metal fatigue. The mounts consists of an 8 inch eye bolt in the tree connected to two pulleys. The pulley connected to the eye bolt is connected to Dacron rope that is a loop to … Read more >>

New Club Member Peaches Attending Club Meetings

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So it appears as though I have been remiss in introducing a new recent member to our club that has been attending our Ole Virginia Hams club meeting recently and I thought I would correct my oversight tonight via a post. Almost two and a half months ago, a new Ole Virginia Hams member was introduced at our monthly club meeting by Rosalie Fuller, call sign WIFE to our Vice President, Jeff Fuller, WB6UIE. Rosalie brought Peaches to the club meeting and it appears Peaches had an uncanny familiarity with the club and of course fit right in with our members. Since that club meeting in August, Peaches has been religiously attending every club meeting with Rosalie and cheering on the club in all of its endeavors. Please welcome Peaches … Read more >>

Annual 42nd Marine Corps Marathon

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The Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment, with their local ARES leadership, for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes.  For many of our W4OVH members, we register with the Prince William County ARES (PWCARES) organization and as all Ham radio Operators know, “When All Else Fails… Amateur Radio” is there! You need to be equipped with sustaining skills. What if when you get to a location, there is no food and the sleeping conditions are undesirable? Before you leave on your assignment, you need to make sure you have coping skills that enable you to be able to do your job operating under the conditions you are assigned to—from hardship conditions to making sure you’re able … Read more >>