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Are you considering becoming a Ham Operator?

Becoming a Ham Operator has several advantages, such as:

  • Emergency Communications: During natural disasters or emergencies, amateur radio operators can provide communication when traditional communication methods are down.

  • Technology: It is a great way to get hands-on experience with radio and communication technology.

  • Ham radio operators can join clubs or groups where they can meet like-minded people and participate in events and contests.

  • Personal Development: It also builds skills such as communication, problem-solving, and technical expertise.

 

Amateur Radio is an exciting hobby that continues to grow in popularity. It provides opportunities for personal growth, education, and building relationships with people all over the world.

Join the Massillon Amateur Radio Club on the first Friday of each month for our monthly get together! And for more information about our club visit our Facebook page or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..



NVIS Day is April 26th!

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Category: Current Events
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Ohio NVIS Antenna Day is April 26!

 

Ohio NVIS refers to the Ohio Near Vertical Incidence Skywave Antenna Day, an event organized by the Ohio Section of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). NVIS is a type of antenna configuration that allows for local communication over short to medium distances, typically within 300 miles.

The Ohio NVIS Antenna Day is an opportunity for amateur radio enthusiasts to gather, test, and evaluate their NVIS antenna configurations. The event aims to facilitate communication among multiple counties in Ohio, promoting camaraderie, experimentation, and testing within the amateur radio community.

During the event, participants will simultaneously operate their NVIS antennas, attempting to establish communication with other stations in different counties. This allows enthusiasts to assess the performance of their antennas, learn from others, and refine their techniques.

 

Key Objectives

1. *Testing and Evaluation*: Participants assess their antenna systems' performance, making adjustments and improvements as needed.

2. *Communication and Camaraderie*: NVIS Day fosters a sense of community among amateur radio operators, promoting collaboration, sharing of knowledge, and socializing.

3. *Experimentation and Innovation*: The event encourages experimentation with different antenna designs, configurations, and techniques, driving innovation within the amateur radio community.

By achieving these objectives, NVIS Day contributes to the advancement of amateur radio technology and strengthens the bonds within the amateur radio community.

 

To participate in the Ohio NVIS Antenna Day on April 26, 2025, here are some steps:

 

1. *Prepare Your Station*: Set up your amateur radio station with an NVIS (Near Vertical Incidence Skywave) antenna configuration.

2. *Familiarize with NVIS*: Understand how NVIS antennas work and their advantages for local communication.

3. *Join the Event*: On April 26, tune into the specified frequencies or join the designated nets to participate in the NVIS Day activities.

4. *Test Your Antenna*: Use this opportunity to test your NVIS antenna configuration, making adjustments as needed.

5. *Share Your Experience*: After the event, consider sharing your experiences, successes, and challenges with the community.

 

Remember to follow all amateur radio regulations and best practices during the event.

 

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Category: Current Events
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Amateur Radio Newsline beginning 4/11/2025 is here with all the latest news from the world of amateur radio. In today's episode you'll hear-

 

- MOUNT ATHOS CONTACTS DEEMED VALID TOWARD DXCC
- HAMS INVITED TO MONITOR METEOR SCATTER EVENTS
- HAMS WEIGH IN ON FCC INVITATION FOR REGULATION COMMENTS
- 'MUD MOSEY' IS A RAIN OR SHINE EVENT
- HAM RADIO NEWS PRESENTER RETIRES AT 101
- NOMINATE OUR NEXT YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR
- THE WORLD IS MARKING WORLD AMATEUR RADIO DAY
- MONTANA CLUB GIVES HAM RADIO BOOKS TO REGIONAL LIBRARIES
- THIS BATTERY LOOKS GOOD ON PAPER BECAUSE IT'S PAPER
- WORLD OF DX
- KICKER: HAMS' STEADY CLIMB TO SUCCESS FOR FM RADIO STATION

 

All the latest news is HERE. 

 

ARNewsline™ and Amateur Radio Newsline™ Copyright © 1998-2021 All Rights Reserved.
AR Newsline™ is a Trademark of Amateur Radio Newsline, Inc.  

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Category: Special Events
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Upcoming - MARC Morse Code Training

Have you always wanted to dip your toes into the world of Morse Code? Maybe you struggled to learn it decades ago because it was a requirement for amateur radio licensing, or you've heard it's still the best mode on the planet for scoring those hard-to-reach DX, QRP, and HF contacts.

Here’s your opportunity to learn from one of the GREATS! Mike Bryce, WB8VGE, is offering MARC members the opportunity to get starting on your CW Journey, or just brush-up on your current skills. Mike is willing to help you get started if we find there is enough interest.

Classes would take place at MARC Headquarters (St. Paul's Church - Education Building).

As a personal challenge to himself, Mike has managed to make at least one CW contact a day for many years with the end-goal of improving his CW skills with each station worked. Mike learned CW the "old-fashioned" way as a NOVICE Class Operator and thoroughly enjoys operating CW to this day. The operators who "do" CW will also testify to the fact that there is an enormous amount of personal satisfaction and FUN to be had in learning and communicating in code.

Time and dates TBD. There will be a sign-up sheet available at May’s MARC meeting (5/2/25). If you cannot attend, or you are from a different club (or no club at all!) please drop us an email and let us know you are interested. The email address is: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Category: Gear
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New POTA Antenna for 2025- POTA PERformer

 

As we approach the month of April there are many ham operators who are getting ready for the POTA season. Fellow ham operator KJ6ER, of Campbell, California has designed a new antenna for POTA use that has become a source of interest for several industry leaders, including Michael Martens, KB9VBR, who is an antenna expert and operates a J-Pole manufacturing business.

Martens says of the POTA PERformer, "The POTA PERformer or Portable Elevated Resonant antenna is a vertical antenna for 40 through 6 meters sitting on an elevated tripod or support with feed point about five feet off the ground and two elevated tuned radials. It’s billed as a fantastic portable antenna, easy to pack, fast to deploy, very effective and highly efficient. And after using this antenna extensively for the last week, I can attest to these claims.”

POTA PERformer is the antenna's name, and the PER part of its name is referring to these characteristics- portable, elevated, and resonant. This new portable antenna is an elevated vertical antenna for 40M-6M sitting on a tripod (or an extended ground spike) with the feed point about 5-6’ off the ground and two elevated tuned radials. 

Its creator, Greg Mihran, told us, "This is a fantastic portable antenna – easy to pack, fast to deploy, very effective and highly efficient. And it is simple for you to build and deploy yourself!” Mihran goes on to say, "I have computer modeled the antenna extensively in 4NEC2 (including the tripod) and calculated optimal whip and elevated tuned radial lengths. You will have to experiment in your own surroundings to finetune these, but I typically get better than 1.1:1 SWR on all bands. Its creator, I have found through my modeling and real experience in the field, this elevated vertical is more efficient than any ground-mounted version I have ever used! You can certainly deploy this type of portable antenna for 40M with a coil (like the WRC Sport Forty) and get similar results but elevating two 33’ radials is a bit cumbersome in the field. Alternatively, you can combine the two 20M 16.5’ radials end-to-end with two fiberglass rods to have one elevated 33’ 40M radial (that is what I do on POTA activations).”


The two elevated tuned radials are 90 degrees apart to provide some directionality within the 90-degree span (about 6-12dB or up to 2 S-units). If you prefer an omnidirectional radiation pattern, you can simply place the two elevated radials 180 degrees apart.  


Milan added, “Having your tuned radials elevated dramatically reduces near-field ground losses and increases gain versus a purely ground-mounted vertical with ground-coupled radials. I regularly get comments like ‘you're the loudest signal on the band’ from hunters. It is also a great DX antenna when conditions are right with a very low angle of radiation component around 12-15 degrees.”

I am attaching a file that includes the build instructions here. And I am attaching the link to a video Martens did about an activation using this antenna here. 

If you're looking for a good quality portable antenna that is a proven performer this may be the one. If you choose to build the POTA PERformer please let us know how it "PERformed" for you!

 

Best 73,

-Gerry Sorensen, KG8RRY

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