tmra amateur radio beacon - tmrahamradio.org · setting up starting at 4:00 pm that day and tom,...
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News from the President From Rob, KV8P
I don’t know about you all, but northern Ohio sure is great this time of the year, and we don’t have to deal with
hurricanes or major earthquakes up here (huge bonus)! We also get a little more UHF range back when the
leaves all fall. Yay!
If you thought it was going to be a quiet amateur radio month, think again! We sure had a fun and busy ham
radio month in October! Some highlights:
• LCARES completed the Simulated Emergency Test for Lucas County on October 6th. Lucas County
represented District 1 ARES well, and we were coordinated with the state for the event. Thanks to all
that supported LCARES and the event that day.
• Alan, W8ALM, has agreed to take on our long time vacant Public Information Officer role for
TMRA. Thank you, Alan! We look forward to working with Alan in this new role.
• Those that made it to our October General Meeting surely all really enjoyed the presentation by Bob
Heil. Talking to Bob since then, he is definitely looking forward to coming back for another
presentation for us in the spring. I’m sure we are all looking forward to that!
• Lots of repeater work as of late. Big thanks to our talented crew that installed the new roof mount base
and 224.140 repeater antenna (the last of our new repeater antennas to get installed!) Ryan Carson,
Tom, KD8WCD; Mike, W8MAL; Ron, N8APZ; Jim, KE8IJU; Bruce, AA8HS; Mike, WA8SYD; and
myself Rob, KV8P; all took part. Please thank these folks when you talk to them.
• The new 442.850 Motorola repeater is installed and the repeater is now back at 100 watts. Thanks to
Rich, KQ6EF, for all his hard work bringing it together!
• Thanks to all of those that took part and helped the boy scouts at the Jamboree On-the-Air at Camp
Miakonda! Big thanks to Steve, KC8TVW, and Ed, KE8EF, for your continued dedication for this
event with the scouts as well as all that helped out.
• New Ham Technician Classes are now in full swing as of this posting. We definitely look forward to
hearing from all of the new hams coming out of this class. For the rest of us, be sure to spend a little
extra time on 147.27 to welcome them on the air when they complete the class and hit the
airwaves. They’ll remember the time you spent with them and could use the helpful guidance getting
started. Steve, KC8TVW, and Mike, WA8SYD, always do a fantastic job with this class (and it is no
small job, especially with changing question pools).
Also, remember, we are getting closer again to now having to worry about winter weather once again. (sorry to
be the bearer of that great news…haha) Please remember that, for any TMRA sponsored event (no matter the
event), it will be cancelled if there is any active snow emergency as of 2 hours prior to the event. For 7pm
meetings, this means a 5pm cut-off time. If a snow emergency (any level) is announced at 5:01pm, the meeting
will go on, but please be safe and don’t feel obligated. (We’ll likely cut the meeting short anyway if that occurs
this winter to ensure that everyone gets home safely.) On those particularly snowy nights, we’ll also do our
best to live stream any presentations on Facebook for those interested in catching them there.
TMRA Amateur Radio Beacon November 2018
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Lastly, don’t forget to join us at 6:00 pm for the TMRA Christmas Party on the regular meeting night on
December (12th). Bring a dish to pass and don’t forget the early start time (it is dinner, after all). We’ll start
setting up starting at 4:00 pm that day and Tom, KD8WCD, is the chairman for the event. If you can assist, your
help is welcome. It’s a great time and be sure to bring family, as it is our chance for some of us to continue
getting to know them!
Until next month!
73,
Editor’s Note: You can reach Rob at [email protected].
ARES News From Skeet, KD8KXD, Lucas County EC
The next Lucas County ARES monthly meeting will be held Saturday
November 24. The meeting location is at St Luke's Hospital in the basement
Private Dining Room near the cafeteria. The meeting starts at 9:00am.
Please tune into the Lucas County ARES in Brief Net, Sunday nights on the
147.270 repeater at 7:30pm for the latest information.
Technician License Classes, VE Testing, and CW Classes TMRA will hold the second day of its two-day tech license class on November 10, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Then technician license exam will be held in the afternoon after the training session is completed. The class
will be held at the Lucas County EMS Training Center, 2127 Jefferson Ave., Toledo, Ohio 43624.
For information about the Technician License Class, VE testing or CW practice contact Steve, KC8TVW.
Phone: 419-467-3734 or email: [email protected].
October ARES Meeting - photo by AA8HS
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Mobile Fox Hunts From Ron, N8RLH
The mobile fox hunt for October was cancelled. For more information, contact Ron, N8RLH at [email protected].
Six Meter Nets From Dan, KE8UE
Editor’s Note: There have been questions about the Monday night six-meter net, so I asked Dan, KE8UE what’s
happening. Also, see the Tech Committee News, below.
Here is the deal on the six-meter repeater net on Mondays. If there is no noise being generated by the
Promedica Billboard, the net will start at 9:00 p.m. If the repeater has been turned off, I will turn it on and check
it for noise. This is kind of a fluid situation, but I would really like to get the net going.
There is a SSB net on Thursday night at 9:00 pm on 50.255, which a round table and rag chew. Both nets go
until question mark, but we generally close at 11:00 pm.
Jamboree On The Air (JOTA)
TMRA was present at Camp Miakonda for the Scout Jamboree on the Air. Thanks again to Steve, KC8TVW,
and Ed, KE8EF, for setting up the station, conducting the fox hunts, and for sharing ham radio with the scouts
of all ages. Here are some photos thanks to Bruce, AA8HS, and Glenn, W8MUK.
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Tech Committee News From Rob, KV8P, President
The technical committee did meet in October. A few updates:
1. 147.27 issues: Tom, KD8WCD; Rich, KQ6EF; and Chrissy, KC8UFV, replaced the receiver on
repeater due to continued cycling/feedback which we are still in the process of tracking down. We have
temporarily disabled the PL on the output until this is fully remedied.
2. 224.14 repeater antenna was "raised" (WE ARE DONE RAISING THEM ALL NOW!!!!), and is
working well. We’ll be looking to add PL to this repeater receiver and loosen the squelch settings in the
near future.
3. The purchase of the needed items for battery backup for 147.27 has begun. Stay tuned for updates.
4. Duplexer training class was given prior to the October Tech Meeting, which taught calculation
related to duplexer sizing and discussed tuning.
5. Rich, KQ6EF, got the new 442.850 Motorola repeater working quite well, and we installed it. It is
running 95 watts once again with the update (up from 20). Rich is currently checking out the Icom
repeater that we pulled out in hopes to restore full power to that backup unit.
6. Chrissy, KC8UFV, is well under way implementing the echolink/allstar option. (just waiting on a
few remaining items before implementation on 442.850).
As a reminder, all TMRA general members are welcome to attend committee meetings (where much of the club
technical business is done/decided). We’ll see you there!
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And More Tech Committee News From Dan, KE8UE, Chairman
Hi Everyone,
It has been awhile since I have written an article for the newsletter, but I would like to thank Rob,
KV8P, for the previous letters. It has been a very busy year and a big thank you to all who have put in the time
to help the Tech Committee.
The 6-meter repeater has been up and running this past week. There is a FM net on Monday nights at
9:00 p.m. If you try to reach the repeater and there is no response, we may be experiencing noise from the
Promedica Billboard. I will bring it up, but if there is noise there will be no net. There is a 6-meter SSB net on
Thursday night at 9:00 p.m. on 50.255.
The 220 antenna has been installed and seems to be working quite nicely. I have not tried working the
repeater from an HT from my QTH. I have tested the repeater with another ham who lives in my area. The
antenna is only about 12 feet from the ground with full quieting.
The 442.850 repeater is being setup with echo link and all-star modes as well analog. The repeater will
still be linked on Sunday’s Elmers and Newcomers net. There will be more info on those modes once we get
them up and running. Chrissy is working out some of the programming issues.
The 147.270 repeater is doing better but we are using the Kendecom for receiving and the Motorola
transmitting at 100 watts. We have added a couple cans or duplexers to help notch out any disease. If you live
North and East or have trouble get in to the repeater use the downtown remote receiver; it has a PL of 250.3.
The Tech Committee has decided what battery backup system and if everything goes right it should be
in service by the end of the year. We have all of our outside work done and will working on the inside
maintenance and any upgrades that might be necessary.
220 Antenna Raising From Bruce, AA8HS, Assistant Editor
The following pictures from the 220 installation are
courtesy of Mike, W8MAL and James, KE8IJU. The
crew included Mike, WA8SYD; Ron, N8APZ; Bruce,
AA8HS; Rob, KV8P; KE8IJU; W8MAL, and Dan,
KD8WDC.
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Ohio State Parks on the Air
Toby, KE8CZO, reports there were 132 contacts including 13 Ohio State parks for a unofficial score of 1716
points. Congratulations to Toby and all who participated.
The End of Cheap, Non-FCC Certified Radios By Bruce, AA8HS/WQUL444, Assistant Editor
This article is part of a series which deal with topics that may be of
interest to hams although not directly involving our frequency
allocations. FCC Part 97 regulates the amateur service; Part 90,
business and public safety; and Part 80, maritime. I mention each of
these because the FCC has expressed its concern about the huge
number of radios sold which could operate on parts 80, 90, 95, and 97
but are FCC certified for only one of two of these services. Some
Baofengs are Part 90 certified and TYT MD380's are Part 90 and Part
97 certified, but not Part 95. Part 90 is defined as “public land mobile
radio service” and most Chinese radios are certified for Part 90 while
some are not certified at all. The FCC general counsel has found that
Part 90 certification is “adequate” for amateur use as long as they are
operated within amateur frequencies, mostly 2 meters and 440 MHz.
Any radio that scans must also be Part 15 certified. Most of the
concern about these Chinese radios involves cheap handhelds, which
are sold to the general public.
The overall concern with FCC certification and granting licenses is to
prevent interference to frequencies used by police, fire, EMS, and
hospitals. In addition, a child can still pick up a five-watt output
Baeofeng radio and cause interference on a frequency used by a
business or the output frequency of a repeater. Radios that many of us
own can inadvertently or intentionally be programmed to interfere
with either business or public safety communications in the 150-170
or 450-470 MHz regions. Since their antennas are removable (unlike
most GMRS, FRS, and MURS units), amplifiers such as the BTech
AMP-U25 could be used to cause even more interference. When
Chinese manufacturers design some of these products, their interest is
in bringing a product to market at a low cost and to sell a large
number of them. FCC compliance seems to be a lesser concern and
sites like EBAY and Amazon have not discontinued any products
based on compliance issues. A very large number of these two-way
radios have already been sold in the US.
The FCC received a number of comments about these radios from
different sources and did make some changes in their rules, but has
also taken actions against those who import and sell non-compliant
radios. Certain manufacturers are also modifying their radios
(Wuoxon KG-UV3D, Connect Systems CS800) or software so that
they are only useable in the amateur bands.
THE TOLEDO MOBILE RADIO ASSOCIATION P.O. BOX 9673,
TOLEDO, OH 43697-9673
President, Rob, KV8P;
Vice-President, Tom, KD8WCD; Secretary, Zack, N8ZAK;
Treasurer, Rich, KD8WCB.
Board Members: Skeet, KD8KXD; Dan, KE8UE; Rich, KQ6EF, Brian,
WD8MXR; Dave, KD8EVN.
TMRA Home Page
www.tmrahamradio.org Webmaster: Zack, N8ZAK
TMRA W8HHF Repeaters;
147.270+, 224.140-, 442.850+ (TMRA 2 meter, 220, and 440 repeaters operate with a 103.5
"PL", or a touch-tone access code of 1-2-3)
D-Star Repeater: 442.750 APRS: 144.390
The TMRA meets at 7:30 PM on the second Wednesday of every
month in The Electrical Industry Building, Lime City Rd. Rossford, Ohio.
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FCC enforcement advisory number 2018-03 states:
“TWO-WAY VHF/UHF RADIOS MAY NOT BE IMPORTED, ADVERTISED, OR SOLD IN THE
UNITED STATES UNLESS THEY COMPLY WITH THE COMMISSION’S RULES.
OPERATORS MUST ALSO COMPLY WITH FCC RULES.”
The last part could produce a lot of grief for the amateur community! But the regulations also say that
equipment which is designed only for the amateur frequencies do not require certification (Part 97) if operated
by a licensed amateur. This confuses the issue further by suggesting that US hams can only operate Part 90
certified radios if they are limited to ham frequencies like the two mentioned above. If taken literally, the FCC
advisory means that many brands such as Baofeng (PoFeng) , BTech , Retrevis,, Radioddity, Tytera, and
Anytone cannot be used. If this is truly the FCC position, it is unworkable and certainly unenforceable. Some
hams have suggested that such an FCC policy may be a form of revenge for Chinese tariffs and the trade wars.
Whether the FCC will actually take action against importers of Chinese radios and levy fines against them is yet
to be seen, but would be certainly change the market for these units.
If you listen to the conversation between Lucky 225 and Laura Smith from the FCC (see below, medium.com),
you get the definite impression that any radio that is not Part 97 certified is illegal. That would include all of the
business band radios that we modify, and many of our repeaters. Many of our Motorola repeaters will operate
outside of the ham and business bands and may have been designed for international use; what about them? Are
kits and homebrew equipment still legal—it would seem to be the case? How are we to obtain equipment on
bands such 630 meters or 900 MHz when none is even available from commercial manufacturers? Fortunately,
the ARRL represents the amateur community and immediately began talking to the FCC about this advisory. It
is their position that “Such equipment is being marketed principally to the general public via mass e-marketers
and not to Amateur Radio licensees.” Prohibiting the use of these radios would limit the flexibility of amateurs
and the most important concern is that these radios should never be used outside of the ham bands. Hams with
GMRS licenses might disagree and what about people who own a Baofeng and use one watt of power on the
FRS frequencies?
The FCC also issued new policies for GMRS and FRS users this year. My impression is that is very unclear
what you are buying and what power levels are used when you examine offerings for GMRS or FRS radios.
Garmin, Cobra, Midland, and Motorola are large suppliers of these devices and Motorola often just markets
“Two-Way Radios “without any description. When BuyTwoWayRadios has a line “ This model no longer
requires an FCC license to operate! , “you might get the impression that the GMRS rules have changed. In
fact, this is just an FRS radio with the new 2-watt power limit and extended channels that do not include GMRS
repeater channels. These new radios have a 12.5 KHz bandwidth on all channels which reduces range. The only
repeater capable, FCC certified radio is the Btech GMRS-V1. In addition, the number of combination GMRS/
FRS radios already sold has exceeded 500,000, but there are only about 45,000 GMRS licenses in effect.
Although Family Radio Service (FRS) radios require no license, GMRS is still a licensed service; it may
involve mobile units and repeaters, and users should identify with FCC assigned call signs. One of the reasons
that I mention these services is because “prepper” YouTube videos and other emergency communication
information sources suggest using equipment and frequencies without much concern for licensing,
identification, and frequencies. Many people cannot distinguish between amateurs and these radio users.
In part, this issue for hams is that we are responsible, licensed individuals. One of the early motivations for
amateur radio was that we could learn about technology through this hobby. Thus, our knowledge and abilities
would be useful to our country and perhaps the war efforts. Although our band allocations were, in part, based
upon the idea that we could not control harmonics (80 meters, 40 meters, 20 meters, etc.), we have proven
ourselves capable of controlling harmonics, spurious radiation, and interference. We respond to those who
interfere with our frequencies and police other amateurs. Therefore, if a Chinese radio is shown to be non-
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compliant with FCC and amateur standards, as the ARRL has sometimes demonstrated in the lab, we would
take appropriate action. The ARRL would also inform the manufacturer of these defects. The ARRL is not,
however, responsible for determining that a radio does not meet standards other than those of the FCC Part 97,
amateur community.
One of the difficulties facing amateurs is whether to purchase the more expensive radios sold by familiar names
such as Kenwood, Yaesu, Alinco, and Icom versus the cheaper Chinese brands. The common ham
manufacturers may also use Chinese factories with a substantial price difference. It is true that the more
expensive radios generally are of a higher quality with more conversion stages in receivers. They are also
limited to the ham bands, although a software modification, key sequence, or minor hardware modification may
“open them up” to use on GMRS or other services. The Chinese radios are often so inexpensive that they are
considered disposable or more suited for outdoor uses where they may be damaged. They may also be useful for
those contemplating an amateur license and lowers the cost of starting out as a Technician ham operator. They
also put DMR radios in an affordable price range.
These non-compliant radio issues are far from being settled and the FCC needs to become realistic in their
expectations. If the trend continues with certain manufacturers, Chinese handhelds will be limited to amateur,
GMRS, FRS, or MURS frequencies with appropriate frequencies and power limits. The ARRL has a crucial
role in representing our interests to the FCC and may play a part in developing standards for the Chinese
manufacturers. Enforcement of the FCC advisory seems impossible although they could act against companies
that import and sell these radios. So stay tuned…
References:
• https://www.fcc.gov/general/enforcement-advisories
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG8PU1eG6Cc
• https://medium.com/@lucky225/fcc-back-peddles-all-transceivers-capable-of-transmitting-on-frequencies-that-
require-40377a3722c5
• http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-fcc-discussing-issue-of-uncertified-imported-vhf-uhf-transceivers
• Amateur conversion of Motorola equipment.
Editor’s Note: You can reach Bruce at [email protected]
Dales Tales Dale Williams, WA8EFK, Director, Great Lakes Division
Greetings, welcome to "Dale's Tales" for October 2018.
Congratulations to the Dayton Amateur Radio Association® for their selection as the host club for the 2019
ARRL National Convention!! The ARRL National will be held in conjunction with Hamvention® at Xenia
next year. Here is the official announcement:
NEWINGTON, CONNECTICUT – ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio®, has announced that
Hamvention® will host the 2019 ARRL National Convention in Xenia, Ohio, May 17-19, 2019. Hamvention is
the largest annual Amateur Radio gathering in the US. Hamvention and the ARRL National Convention will
share a joint theme, “Mentoring the Next Generation” of Amateur Radio operators.
As host of the 2019 ARRL National Convention, Hamvention will feature dozens of forums covering a variety
of topics in Amateur Radio, such as technology, public service, on-air operating, training, and learning. A
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track of presentations will be organized to build on the convention theme, encouraging more individuals and
radio clubs to serve in mentoring roles, leading new and inexperienced radio amateurs to become more active,
involved, and engaged.
A special event Amateur Radio station, call sign W8BI, will be set up and operating from the fairgrounds—
inviting attendees to join in for some on-air fun.
The National Convention will also feature ARRL EXPO—a large assembly of ARRL-sponsored exhibits,
activities, and representatives for ARRL programs and services. Several ARRL-sponsored presentations and
forums will be given. Information will be posted to www.arrl.org/expo as it becomes available.
2019 will be the third Hamvention to be held at the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center in Xenia, Ohio
since the event relocated from Dayton. At 28,417 visitors, Hamvention recorded its third-largest attendance ever
in 2018. It attracts many international attendees.
Since 1952, Hamvention has been sponsored by the Dayton Amateur Radio Association® (DARA), an ARRL-
affiliated radio club, and is supported by volunteers from radio clubs throughout the country. In past years,
Hamvention has received regular sanctioning as the ARRL Great Lakes Division Convention. Hamvention®
hosted the ARRL National Convention most recently in 2005 and 2009.
Hamvention features multiple buildings of indoor vendor exhibits, an outdoor flea market, and many food
trucks and concession stands. There is free parking onsite and at nearby remote parking lots served by free
shuttles.
The Hamvention website www.hamvention.org will include details for convention tickets and information about
forums, exhibits (including information for vendors and flea market), travel, and preferred hotels with special
rates. Convention tickets are $22 in advance; or $27 at the gate. Each ticket includes convention admission for
all three days. Electric scooter rental information can be found at the Hamvention website. Onsite RV camping
is managed by the Greene County Fairgrounds.
Ham radio operators are encouraged to bring family and friends, and extend their convention trip by visiting
nearby popular attractions. The National Museum of the US Air Force, the oldest and largest military aviation
museum in the world, is located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. The Dayton region also
boasts many parks, museums, shopping, entertainment, and dining options.
All major airlines serve the minutes-away Dayton International Airport (DAY), and some travelers use the
airports in Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio, driving the final 60 to 90 minutes to Dayton/Xenia. Plan your trip to
Hamvention at www.greenecountyohio.org and www.daytoncvb.com.
Interested parties will find complete details for the 2019 ARRL National Convention at
www.arrl.org/expo (coming soon). For information about ARRL and Amateur Radio, visit www.arrl.org and
www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio.
IN OTHER NEWS: "Well how did that work out for you Dale?" Oh yeah, that was for my commitment to
make contact with several of the local hams in my community that seem to be inactive. That is my personal
effort to get involved in mentoring inactive hams and help in any way to get them active and on the air. This
did turn out to be a bit tougher than I had expected, so it is still a work in process. First, one has moved from
the area according to his dad. And then it seems most have no listed phone so that puts a limit on accessibility
right from the start. Now, it my effort is to try to locate an e-mail address and go on from there. That has met
with limited success and a couple of contacts are in the works. One chap even found me! He is new to the area
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and was not yet on the local list, but has already participated in the local Saturday lunch. So, I'll keep at this
and report again next month. Hopefully November will be a little less busy and more time can be devoted to the
effort. How about you? Did you give this effort a shot?
SPECIAL NOTE from AC8W: Fellow Great Lakes Division DXers
Given the evident popularity of the new FT8 mode of communication demonstrated by the data collected in
LoTW showing a seven-figure increase in the number of monthly QSOs year over year resulting from the
explosive adoption of the mode by hams worldwide, and the extremely high percentage (approximating 40%) of
all QSOs being made with this mode at the current sunspot minimum
The DXAC is investigating the advisability, feasibility and desirability of creating or modifying one or more
digital mode awards in the DXCC program to accommodate encourage and reward new modes of amateur radio
activity on the bands.
How do you feel? Should we:
a.) Create endorsement stickers for the existing Digital DXCC (i.e. RTTY-100; PSK31-100, JT65-100, FT8-
100, etc with incremental stickers 125, 150, 200 and so on)
b.) Create a separate DXCC award for each mode
c.) Do nothing at all and leave new digital modes under the existing Digital DXCC.
Are there other options? Your opinion is important so let me know at [email protected] Deadline for responses is
Wednesday, November 14. Thanks.
Stan Arnett II, AC8W, DXAC Representative, Great Lakes Division
TOM'S COMMENTS: Comments from our Vice Director Tom Delaney, W8WTD
Excitement was in the air as the students at Tallmadge Elementary School in Lancaster (Ohio) filed into the
auditorium for their much-anticipated contact with the International Space Station. There are many ways to
introduce people to amateur radio, but this has to be the best. Only problem is that there are so few
opportunities for contacting the ISS.
Congratulations to the Lancaster & Fairfield County Amateur Radio Club. They worked more than a year on
the project, and that hard work paid off with a great contact! Another activity that seems to have a lot of
promise for interesting young people is a balloon launch with tracking. Kids get interested in weather and other
science experiments that they can observe and/or participate in.
Dale and I have talked a lot about recruiting new hams and getting people of all ages interested in ham
radio. We all have opportunities to show off ham radio, ranging from the dramatic (the ARISS contact) to the
everyday. What works for your community, and your club? It’s important for all of us to remember that what
got us interested in ham radio is not necessarily of interest to new people. Maybe they will eventually get
interested in whatever you like, whether it is DX, weak-signal, traffic handling, public service, or any of the
numerous other things we do. But reaching out to them requires finding out where their current interests in
science and technology are, and showing them how ham radio can be a part of that. Let’s all follow the
example of the club in Lancaster by planning an activity and carrying it out with great results!
--73, Tom, W8WTD, Vice Director, Great Lakes Division
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HAMFESTING: Here is the current Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest Schedule covering the
next few months. These swaps have received their sanctioning approval from ARRL HQ at the time of this
publication. If you plan to request ARRL Sanctioning, please be sure to do it well in advance of your Hamfest
date, as this allows adequate time for QST Listings. Be sure to invite your ARRL Officials as soon as your
date is set. With 52 weeks and 65+ hamfests, things do double up a little. Plan ahead for requesting your
ARRL Officials to attend.
11/3/18 Grant ARC Hamfest Georgetown, OH
12/1/18 Fulton Co. Winterfest Delta, Oh
12/2/18 Lanse Creuse Hamfest Madison Hts, MI
1/20/19 S.C.A.R.F. Hamfest Nelsonville, OH
1/27/19 Hazel Park Hamfest Hazel Park, MI
1/27/19 Tusco ARS Hamfest Strasburg, OH
2/17/19 Livonia Hamfest Livonia, MI
2/17/19 Mansfield Hamfest Mansfield, OH
Be sure to check your Section's news pages for the latest local
happenings, club and net information.
73, Let's go light up the bands,
Editor’s Note: You can reach Dale at [email protected]
From the Editor
This month’s newsletter was delayed because of computer problems. It seems that my word processor has
decided that I may open my documents only in “Read Only” mode. This makes preparing the newsletter
impossible. Fortunately, my brother, who knows more about computers than I will ever know, showed me
several options to work around my stubborn computer. Unfortunately, it took a couple of weeks for me to
understand and to make the changes.
Hopefully, next month will be better. Thanks for your patience.
Glenn, W8MUK, Editor
P.S.: My brother also knows more about electronics that I ever will, too. ☺
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Did You Know?
• The Lucas County ARES Informational Net is every Sunday at 7:30 pm on 147.270.
• The TMRA Newcomers and Elmers Net is every Sunday at 8:00 pm on 147.270.
• The Tech Committee meets the second Monday of each month at Maumee Fire Station #2 on Dussel
Drive (in front of the water tower).
• The Fldigi Net meets every Tuesday night at 7:30 PM at 147.27 MHz
• The TMRA general meeting is the second Wednesday of each month at the Electrical Industry
Building, Lime City Rd., Rossford, Ohio. New meeting time is 7:00 PM.
• The Six Meter Net meets every Wednesday and Thursday at 9:00 PM (EST). The Thursday night Net is
on 50.255 USB. For more information contact Dan, KE8UE, at [email protected].
• The Lucas County Siren Net is the first Friday of each month from 10:30 to 11:30 AM on 147.270 +
W/103.5 PL and 442.850 + W/103.5 PL.
• The Lucas County Hospital Net is the first Saturday of the even numbered months at 10:00 AM.
• The NORC Net is the first Saturday of each month. This net typically meets at 11:00 AM on
or around +/- 7.200 MHz LSB.
• ARES meets the fourth Saturday of each month.
• TMRA Technician License Class days are October 27 and November 10.
• The TMRA Christmas Party is December 12.
• VE testing is each month. Contact Steve, KC8TVW at 419-467-3734 or [email protected].
• Register for CW classes by contacting Steve, KC8TVW at 419-467-3734 or [email protected].
• Ron, N8RLH, has ham gear from the estates of silent keys. Contact: 419-345-6382 or
• The calendar at the TMRA website, www.tmrahamradio.org, lists numerous ham radio activities each
month.
• Contact Brad, WB8RG, TMRA Information Officer at [email protected] to receive
weekly emails about club news and activities.
• TMRA has a Facebook page and an Instagram page, which can be accessed from an icon on the
TMRA website or at https://www.instagram.com/tmrahamradio/.
• Don't forget to select TMRA as your Organization of choice for Kroger Cares and Amazon Smile. This
• results in a donation to the club as a portion of your purchase.
The TMRA Amateur Radio Beacon is published monthly by the Toledo Mobile
Radio Association. #318
Editor: Glenn, W8MUK Email: [email protected]
Assistant Editors: Bruce, AA8HS and
Mike, WB8TNF