OH-KY-IN ARS. HISTORY CONTINUING FROM JAN. 1979
RESEARCHED FROM THE Q FIVER BY HOWARD WISSEL WB8QOH
Over the years, many people both hams and non hams , worked hard
to develop the organization in so many ways it is impossible not to
miss something or some one. With this in mind I'll reread all the Q
fivers available to report the growth of the club. January brought
forth the award winning Q fiver as we know it today with the able staff
under the leadership of Lois WD8JAJ , Ed WD8NNB and Bob WD8PFT . Not
to be forgotten is Dave WB8ZKD the designer of the cover which is still
used today. The new solid state repeater order has been placed and is
due any day to augment the most modern repeater site in the tri-state
area . This has been made possible through the generosity of our
members in the form of loans to be repaid as assets become available .
At this time we have three 2 mtr. repeater spotted at strategic
locations around the city to afford coverage to most any part of the 50
mile radius of Cincinnati . It must be noted at this time that our vice
president , Frank WB8RSC , is the most valued and instrumental asset in
acquiring these sites at Mt. St. Joe and the location at the old Girls
Town School located at the top of North Bend hill in the northern
quadrant of town . He has been influential in so many ways that our
progress is inevitable . N8FU is still doing code practice on the
repeater for the benefit of those wishing to upgrade their license
class or to just be a better op .Tech Talk is alive and well for members
and non members to discuss subjects pertaining to the interest of
amateur radio. Our meetings are now in place at the First National Bank
. We now solicit ads in the Q Fiver to defray the cost of first class
postage which guarantees prompt on time delivery . This year , OH-KY-IN
was represented by member volunteers to operate cameras for the WCET
Action Auction . Working the TV equipment was interesting and
different for hams that only had to operate a mike . Even so , we were
asked back the next year. What ever happened to the " LET'S GET
ACQUAINTED " in the Q FIVER ? It would be appropriate to bring it back
. It highlighted a different member each month complete with back round
and picture . Field day has come and gone for another year , but not
without it's sore muscles and sun burns . Some say that OH-KY-IN even
knocked V.O.A off the air for the weekend . For more information , ask
me about the 11 meter station . Oct. 1979 we held our first annual
family picnic at Miami Whitewater Park with a large turn out ,bringing
into the club the families for a day of fun . Witnessing the tired
aching bodies and happy smiling faces , I sure that this will become an
annual event and rightly so as it gives us the opportunity to pay back
the patience and support our families have tendered. As this year winds
down the long awaited installation of the completely solid state micro
processor controlled repeater is now operational and as president I was
given the honor to make the first transmission . Our heart felt thanks
to the technical staff for their labors and to the members for their
support .November 14th ,1979 marks the first time that such a repeater
has operated in the tri-state area . Code and theory classes are back
and have been expanded to all class levels under the leadership of
Carol K8DHK and Ed WD8NNB . It is important to realize that these
classes are responsible for the club growth in the last year . It shows
inso far as the monthly meeting are averaging 60 to 75 members in
attendance . This growth allows us to expand and develop into areas
never before possible . No other local club can compare with all the
activities available to OH-KY-IN members as well as the community . We
are now a viable asset to the civil defense , police depts., fire
depts. , parade sponsors , weather watch teams , traffic handling
ect.. when ever the call comes our members respond and perform and we
enjoy our own pleasures with ham fests , field day , set exercises , a
wide assortment of radio contests annually to mention a few . At last
all three repeaters are installed into their permanent locations and all
are operating 100% . This is the first time everything is as designed
, let's hope it last a long time . The 07/67 machine is on the WLW
tower at 642 feet , the 325/925 is at Mount St. Joseph College and the
025/625 repeater is at the old Girls Town property and all is well .
There is never a dull moment . April 30 , a call from Hamilton County
Police activated the club members in a lost child search and thankfully
our training programs paid off and the child was found unhurt and
returned to his parents . A new community activity developed when the
Convention Bureau asked for communicators for an official convention
tour of the Cincinnati area . The mayor of Mt. Healthy being impressed
with our service experience asked for a demonstration for his counsel
members and established a liaison through ARPSC . There were 51
participants for our emergency call up training program . The success
of this training demonstrates how valuable we can be in any emergency .
Public Service Awards were issued to the participants in the telephone
outage in Springdale . There was no phone service even to the police
and fire depts. and our mobile auto patch ability proved itself again .
This year The Westlink amateur news was included into our tech talk net
program . It updates all new and information from the FCC and other
sources of interest to Ham Radio. In 1981 Frank WB8RSC took the office
of president after serving two years as vice president and brings much
experience and leadership to the club. Also , some new faces are added
to the Q-FIVER staff in the names of Susie N8CGM and Bob WA6EZV . The
Board of Directors established , with member approval , an
Educational Committee with an operating budget of $200.00 to perform the
miracles of training new hams as well as upgrades .Ed WD8NNB was named
chairman . He accepted and immediately organized and outlined the
format for the future classes. The ARRL Ohio Convention is coming to
town putting Cincinnati on the map. The convention is scheduled at a
local vocational school and has all the features of a major hamfest
.Through the efforts of WA6EZV , the club made it's first serious
attempt at the Sweepstakes contest with outstanding results . 13
stations making 3.247 contacts and scoring 423,606 points . The
Northgate Christmas Message Program was a huge success in addition to
the Western Woods operations. February 1981 brings a new solid state
repeater for the 146.625 location and we expect to improve coverage
tremendously . Howard WB8QOH hosted a mini-DX pedition of county
hunters and DX hunters at his lake home in Indiana . There were two
Rigs going full time throughout the weekend and being situated on three
county lines , we established a real pile up . With all repeaters up
and running well OH-KY-IN now has something of interest to most hams
every night except Friday And Saturday . With all this activity we
continue to grow in numbers and talents , but that's to be expected in
an organization as ours. With the May meeting, the Cincinnati Police
will be reactivating the community radio watch program .They encourage
our support and will assign ID's and give priority attention to input
from registered members . This year for the first time we will be using
computers at Field Day for all the logistical workings . It's planned
that by the time the antenna are down and packed, the log and scores
will be ready to go to the ARRL . The next few months will find us
very busy with all kinds of events of interest . These include
satellite communications , antenna seminar , a field trip to Voice of
America radio center in Mason , Ohio .A trip to the new control tower
at the Greater Cincinnati Airport was enjoyed by all who could attend
. Joe WA8ZPS will once again head the Harvest Home Parade operation
that we provide communications every year .This is the largest local
event of the year .OH-KY-IN is a key link in the communications network
for the Riverfest this year . A real emergency in Anderson Township put
our equipment and members in demand to patrol and protect the public
by assisting police and safety engineers . It happened that a major
gas reservoir ruptured and leaked gas into the air endangering
approximately 150 homes . Once again our training paid off and received
high praise from the police as well as the public . After
a successful 1981 , we celebrate the Happy Holidays as well as Frank
WB8RSC being re-elected to lead the club into what we hope to be
another eventful year . Although I do not have access to the financial
reports , Phil K8THT accounting put us in a solvent condition and with
membership growing ,it looks to be another year of development and
expansion of club activities. Jack W8SMC reported that we need a
housing for the 925 machine as it is suffering from the cold. The
problem was solved with the addition of the small house under the tower
and including heat and insulation. Carol reports a 89% success in the
classes just concluded. Howard started a on air question and answer net
on the 67 repeater for newcomers and members joining our OH-KY-IN
family. This proved to be a worthwhile project and will continue in the
future. Frank laid out the plans for the St. Francis Hospital move from
their Queen city Ave. site to the present location .This was a massive
operation and the club performed flawlessly even in the terrible
weather. With the expansion into a wider rang of ham activities in the
club ,it was necessary to amend the constitution to change the name
from OH-KY-IN VHF SOCIETY to OH-KY-IN AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY INC. We
have been asked to be the information hub for the ARRL CONVENTION held
in Cincinnati this year. Brad WD9HDZ is taping the Q-FIVER for the
sightless hams who request it . Frank reports that we are applying for
tax-exempt statue which allow us to seek and accept contributions that
are tax deductible with the hopes of larger and maybe corporate
donations. A remote receiver is being located at the St.
Elizabeth-South Hospital to improve coverage for the 67 repeater. The
Anniversary Dinner is held at The Gay Nineties with Walt Mayer as guest
speaker and it was a very entertaining evening . August brings still
another hospital move ,this time it was Holmes Hospital . The U.S.
Medical Detachment out of Sharonville did the lifting while we did the
directing. It seems that when ever someone in the Tri-State needs help
,OH-KY-IN is there. Something a little different, We are sponsoring an
Explorer Post and Bill KA8LAY , Lynn WD8JAW and Julie KA8OQI are
advisors from OH-KY-IN . In. a more sober note , we lost a very good
friend and old time member who gave without question to the club , even
to donating the club meeting place for many years .We'll all miss "Doc"
Saunders K8GYH who became an SK in the past few days. Let's hope that
God is tuned to Doc's Frequency and leads him home. The Christmas
Message Handling at the two shopping centers went well as always ,
thanks to the support of all the members taking part. The Missionaries
from God's Bible School are leaving for field work in Belize. They and
others at the school were trained in OH-KY-IN classes or tested in
their school by Howard WB8QOH . * Once
again the grim reaper struck one of our most valued members . This man
has contributed more to OH-KY-IN in leadership and development than
anyone with his skills in engineering and design . He led the club into
solid state equipment and micro-processor controls .He was a leader in
the field of personal computing in our organization as well as serving
in many offices , including as president . By now you must be aware
that Mr. Jack Erhart W8SMC passed into the silent key ranks on Sunday ,
January 9 , 1983 . Brad WD9HDZ will author a series of articles on
fundamentals of electronics . They are designed to be a refresher for
people both licensed and novice alike who may not have totally
understood some of the theory and practical application of electronics
as applied to ham radio. Lee appointed Jack K8DYD as the station
licensee to replace W8SMC who held that position . The repeater call
will now be K8DYD/R . The anniversary dinner is fast approaching and
Carol has succeeded in getting Judge Deirdra Hair as guest speaker . In
April the club will cross the state line into Indiana to provide
communications for a road rally . Code and theory classes are still
going strong and producing new hams and needed funds to operate the
club so dues or fees would not need to be increased , which keeps annual
dues the same as the past years though expenses are on the rise. It
looks like the no code license will become a reality soon , the FCC
will make a decision very soon , this will probably brings more amateurs
to the ranks. A 450 MHz link will connect the south remote at St.
Elizabeth Hospital to the main receiver site at WLWT antenna location
using the two meter receiver that was on the low tower at the WLW
location . Phil K8THT our treasure reports that we have surpassed the
entire last years membership numbers in the first six months of this
year. OH-KY-IN once again participated in the ARRL Convention and
administered the VE test for new and upgrade hams. It was a great
surprise to us when Julie succeeded in petitioning the mayor of
Cincinnati to proclaim " Amateur Radio Week " in conjunction with
field day . The Harvest Home Parade will step off the evening of Sept.
8th and we will co-ordinate it as always . Tech Talk Net will return
from vacation on Sept. 7th . OH-KY-IN will again set up a booth at the
Cincinnati Hamfest at Strickers' Grove on Sept 18th . The Western Hills
Band Contest will be in the capable hands of our club once again . With
nominations for next years offices and a Christmas party to celebrate
the end of another highly successful year . Hello 1984 and welcome Lee
WD4OFJ to his second term as president . Leading the way to a very
successful Christmas message service at Western Woods and North Gate
shopping centers logging 400 messages sent around the country and some
out of the states. Brad WD9HDZ has accepted the responsibility for the
chairmanship of the technical committee and we have every confidence
that he'll do a fine job. The FCC has commenced issuing the new ten
year license terms for amateur radio operators . Also a two year grace
period for both expired ten year station and operator licenses , that is
an addition of one year . As of Jan. 1 , 1984 the no code ham class
was unanimously voted down by the commission and proceeding terminated
. Carol announced that starting in April all new members will receive a
packet of information pertaining to the history , constitution , and
other material of interest . Open house at the Gray Wireless Museum was
extended to OH-KY-IN members by Elmer W8ALW for March 21 and those that
went were impressed with the amount of gear housed in the museum located
in the WCET Building .The FCC issued the first Volunteer Examiners to
take responsibility for the testing of potential amateurs . The
Hamilton County Park Commissioner has accepted our application for
Mitchell Memorial Park to be used for our field day site this year .
This may the start of something big in the club this year . It is with
sadness that we received the resignation of Lois WD8JAJ as editor of the
now famous Q-FIVER . After four and a half years of service as the
charter editor of the new format , Lois will turn the task to Susie
N8CGM . Thanks Lois and welcome Susie . ********** FIRST YL TO BE
PRESIDENT ********** 1985 is truly a momentous year in ham history in
Cincinnati as OH-KY-IN has elected the first lady president of a major
amateur club in the area . The Columbus of OH-KY-IN in our own Carol
K8DHK and I for one am proud to be a supporter and follower . Good Luck
Carol . One of the first problems to face our new president is a motion
to comply with FCC regulations prohibiting reverse auto patch
capability on the repeaters . The regulation was brought to the floor
by K8YNU Bud and seconded by KA8MRG that the club get in compliance
with the FCC regulations . After discussions the motion was defeated .
Shirley , KJ8X chaired a committee consisting of KX8H , WD4OFJ , KI4QJ ,
KC8YJ , KJ8K and N8BTX to establish protocol and policies for the
OH-KY-IN repeaters . The generosity of some of the members have made it
possible to proceed with the purchase of a new repeater . Thanks to the
members who made pledges to the sum of $1600.00 to make it all happen .
Fred , KA4TTL has donated a club house for work projects and contest
operations . It is planned to house our low band rig there . The new
repeater is now on the air and working well . It is very impressive to
see the many new functions that are available to members . The old
hard-line has been removed from the old WLW tower and sold to help
reduce the expense of the new equipment . Farewell to 1985 and hello to
a new year with new staff and more adventures into the arena of ham
radio . Jan. . 1986 , Welcome Bob Frey the new president of Oh-Ky-In
. Bob noted in his remarks that the Christmas message handling went
very well indeed in surpassing a total of 135 pieces of traffic passed
from Northgate and Western Woods shopping centers . Gene Ligget W8ON our
resident tower climber had reason to be working on the WLW tower and
volunteered to check our antenna . In doing so he found severe wind
damage to the fiberglass surface of the antenna and quickly a trip was
made to St. Francis Hospital to exchange the newer duplicate antenna and
just like that future problems were averted . The technical committee
has been busy upgrading the south remote by increasing the antenna
height and there by improving the coverage to the south . Classes are
again in full swing with 50 students and 19 teachers who have
consistently been doing a fine job over the years making it possible to
improve our financial status allowing upgrades and new equipment and
services to the membership as well as all hams in the area . Bob stated
that as the end of March the paid membership in standing at 125 and
that's not bad for this first quarter and more growth can be expected .
The Westwood Kiwanis donated a new portable generator to the club in
appreciation of the many services the club has performed over the years
. Field Day was a big success this year as the final score for a 4A
class was the highest in club history . The Harvest Home Festival
Parade is still growing and we will use 35 operators and 2 net control
operators this year to form and maintain control the parade . It was
pointed out that the field day results are in and OH-KY-IN in a 4A
class scored first in the 8 th. call area and 6 th. in the country .
That is some kind of super . Brad WD9HDZ announced that he is retiring
as chair of the technical committee , but will continue to work on it .
Bernie KD8TE will take over immediately . Thanks Brad for a good job .
Bob thanked everyone for their support in the passed year invited the
attending members to enjoy the Christmas party and snacks provided .
Hope to see you all next year . Jan. . 1987 , Bob re-elected for second
term and thanked everyone for their support and for a job well done
last in the message handling operations at Christmas time . The
repeaters are operating well , but problems crop up from time to time
due to the around the clock operation they are subject to . Namely the
amp.may need replacement at 67 site and the repaired unit moved to the
925 site. A new class will start on or about Feb. . 5 Th. and exams
will be given following the classes . The club acquired the H F Rig of
the late Elmer Schubert . Bob reminded everyone that the first event of
the year will be the St. Patrick's Day Parade and volunteers will be
needed . The FCC announced that as of 3/21/87 more rule changes become
effective covering mostly the Novice and Tech license holders . They ore
too numerous to list here but can be found in PR Docket 86-161 . John
Thernes WM4T , the speaker for our last meeting reported that after
four years of battle with local government , a successful conclusion
was achieved and his antenna struggle is finally over and his tower can
go up . A PA system was purchased and is in use for the novice code
classes . K8DYD will head the United Clothing Drive and reminded the
members that he'll need about 35 - 40 volunteers . The next Bike - a -
thon will be on May 17 Th. call Susie N8CGM if you can help . This is a
worth while club function to support The Diabetes Research program . OH
- KY - IN is running a Novice Net on the new ten meter band and
encourages every to join and support the net as well as helping develop
novice skills . Bill KI4QJ was voted the OH - KY - IN Ham Of The Year .
Bob Pierson NK8T will speak at the next meeting to introduce Packet
Radio to the club , this may very well be the next trend in ham radio .
WM4T / John advised that an upcoming tour of Station X and the Police
Communications Center has been approved and hoped the club will be
well represented . OK - KY - IN was included in the second round of
questions in the May Teleconference Net featuring Roy Neal K6DUE and
Ron Pasternak WA6ITF two well known hams in the new world representing
Amateur Radio . The OH - KY - IN club has long been an active
participant in many civic events , to name a few Traffic Handling ,
Bike - A - Thon , Clothing Drives , several Parades a year Simulated
Emergency Tests as well as response to any and all emergency calls from
any civic agency in the area . We also have been active for many years
in training and upgrading hams through our code and theory classes . We
have always looked for way to support and entertain our member as well
as the public in general . Be it known that John N8FU scored # 1 in the
Ohio mixed mode ARRL 10 Meter Contest and He and Carol K8DHK took the
championship in th OH -KY - IN phone and CW contest respectively . The
Field Day results are in and OH - KY - IN scored 16 th in the nation
and that's something to be proud of as there are a very large number of
clubs that are larger and in larger cities that could not keep the pace
we set . Thus we conclude another year and look to 1988 . Sam (KJ8K)
is our new president for 1988 with no immediate problems confronting us
at this time , but a diverse organization as this will no doubt
encounter changes or concerns some time in the future so we welcome Sam
as the leader and will support him . The first problem to appear at this
early date is the temporary loss of our meeting place from July through
December ,this will send us scurrying for a meeting place again and
this is the first time since Doc Saunders died .OH - KY - IN has been
authorized to use the special Call ( K2OOSCH to commemorate the
Constitutional Bicentennial from Feb. 27 through Mar.4 ,1988 . In April
Brad (WD9HDZ) reports the receipt and installation of the Message
Master . Detail of the operations will be forth coming . At this
point it is noted that 800 + successful VE exams have been recorded
since the club has been authorized to administer them . The new meeting
dates will now be the fourth Tuesday on the month at the same location
, we will return to the first Tuesday in 1989 . The 925 Repeater took a
lightning strike and Jack K8DYD repaired the power supply , but the
other sites are up and well . It was with regret that Sam accepted the
resignation of Bill KI4QJ as vice president citing extensive traveling
in his business . The reverse auto patch has been terminated due to an
FCC ruling . After the nominations were completed the year is rapidly
coming to an end so Happy Holidays and get ready for 1989 . Welcome
1989 and welcome to Bruce N8FWA to the office of vice president
replacing Bill . Phil K8THT reported that the membership is down from a
one time high of 300 to the present 196 and several suggestions were
made offering ways to improve membership . The VE exams are still
producing good results thanks to the leadership of Bill KI4QJ . Sam
announced that he received a letter from WLW pertaining to insurance
and that our equipment will be covered in their policy . To new antenna
installations have taken place with the new 67 antenna being raised on
the new WLW tower at the 642 ft. level and the packet antenna installed
on the Mt. St. Joe tank . It was also decided to proceed with an auto
patch on the 925 repeater also at Mt. St. Joe . Well it was a good year
without any major problem or controversies as we prepare to enter a new
decade . It just might be because of the able leadership of Sam KJ8K
and Bruce N8FWA that 1989 went so well , thanks guys . OH-KY-IN starts
1990 with new blood with the election of Dana WA8M and Dan KF4AV in the
two top positions . Thing are looking good for the club in the coming
year . The FCC is proposing to amend its rules by introducing PR Docket
90-55 which establishes a codless license class to the amateur bands .
Note worthy events taking place this year are the selection of Jim N8INP
as Ham of the Year and the recognizing of Jack Foster K8DYD and Phil
Winters K8THT for their 30 years as members of OH-KY-IN . Needless to
say they were both president of the club and a very stabilizing force in
the progress of it . The 625 repeater is being moved to the east side
of town in hope to improve coverage in that area . Again things were
active and interesting but not earth shattering , I guess that's a good
sign and we should be happy for it . 73's to 1990 .
Dallas R. Vanselow KC8HQS