Boy Scout Klondike Derby

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The Blackswamp Council of the Boy Scouts is hosting the 2024 Klondike Derby this year at Camp Lakota.  It will be held on Saturday, January 20th.  This is an outdoor event that runs from 8:00am till 2:00pm.

They are asking for Amateur Radio support for this event.  The Van Wert club will be coordinating the event and supplying the base radio equipment.  What will be needed is for Hams to be at each of the 8 locations on the event route to provide any communications back to the base.  No one knows what the weather will be like that day so plan for cold and blustery.  We should get a time to be there soon. Also any frequencies that you might have to program into your handheld.

Please let me know if you can help out all or part of the day. I have to get a head count back to the planners pretty quick. Thanks.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
73 John

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Winter Field Day 2024

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Hello All,

Winter Field Day is coming up once again.

January 27th, 2024 starting at 2:00pm local time.

Our location is once again the Ney Church of God, 03413 OH-15, Ney, OH 43549

Plan to show up early enough to set up anything you bring.

It will be a potluck for the food. Please let me know what you are planning to bring so I can coordinate that.  We also could use some extra heat in the barn.

It would also be nice if there are some club members that can spend some time demonstrating to anyone interested, especially newer Hams, things like antenna setup, finding a clear spot on the band, working CW, etc. Let me know so we can make a list and schedule to post.

Lastly (for now) I’m starting a list of DCARC translations for Winter Field Day terms…

1. Winter Field Day

      translation: Winter Food Fest

2. Going to make a lot of contacts

      translation: Really going to pile that plate up

3. Multibander

      translation: Can carry two or more plates

4. QRM

      translation: Quit blocking the crock pot

5. Working a pile up

      translation: See #2

6. Dup Check

      translation: Two crockpots, same stuff

7. QSY

      translation: Going back for dessert

8′ QRT

      translation: I’m full

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

73 John

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Repeater Building Update

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This morning, the work day went very well. The 147.090 is operating from a temporary enclosure. The existing building is unhooked all items removed, ready to leave the repeater site. Paul reported to me early this afternoon that the existing repeater building will be removed tomorrow morning. There is another work day scheduled for tomorrow morning. The new building will be installed tomorrow providing everything goes well. Helping today was:


Paul N8RLB
John KD8JSP
Bob KB8UPA
Stan W8SRD
Ed WD8JVV

Ed Ballard WD8JVV

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Work Day Update!

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On Wednesday there were lots of people present for the work day. A list of names will be at the end of the update. The roof of the existing building is clear (I am purposely skipping lots of details) a TV tower on the back of the building was taken down (to be used later). A lot of stuff was cleaned out of the building, not everything but a lot. The solar panel is at my house to undergo a modification.

Next work day is scheduled for Monday Oct. 9th at 9AM.
We will be switching over to the temporary repeater enclosure.
Removing everything from the old building, in preparation of installing the new building.

Present at the Wednesday work day (not in any order)

John KD8JSP
Terry W8UY
Kevin W8NI
Stan W8SRD
Paul & Kathy N8RLB
Dan N8KPQ
Ed WD8JVV

Thank all of you for the support.

Ed Ballard WD8JVV

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