Information added 4-6-2016 from the Ohio Section ARES Section Emergency Coordinator, Stan Boradway, N8BHL Please visit this page for additional information, and updates or changes that may occur after 4-6-2016 http://www.arrl-ohio.org/SEC/
Ohio ARES NVIS Antenna Day - April 23 final arrangements
The Ohio ARES NVIS antenna day is a non-contest operating activity open to all amateurs. In the case of an emergency, we will need to communicate over short distances to stations within the state of Ohio and our neighboring states. NVIS antennas are the technology to do this, but which are best? And, how does YOUR antenna work?
Experimenting with antennas is still one of the most fun aspects of our hobby! Tie the two purposes together, add a group of friends, plenty of coffee and a BBQ grill and you have a formula for a really good time!
Our goal is to concentrate on 40 meters, our usual daytime emergency band. We’ll hold onto 80 meters as a backup in case 40 just falls apart, but our operation is intended for 40 meters. This year, we will have 6 “Anchor Stations” in operation for NVIS Day. They will be in various parts of Ohio to give you consistent reports as you compare your different antennas. The overall goal is still to figure out your best NVIS antenna, and contact as many other NVIS stations as possible to plot your coverage area. Take pictures! Submit your antenna evaluations: which designs you used, how they performed, etc. and submit a log report with overall number of contacts, your location and operators. Most of all- have a great time!
NVIS ANTENNA DAY GUIDELINES:
Stations:
Stations may be operated from anywhere by any licensed amateur, or any group. These may be home stations, EOC stations, or portable. Any power source may be used. The only stipulation is that all stations transmit with 100 watts power. That will help keep comparisons consistent. We would like to get ALL Ohio counties active in this event, as many stations as possible!
There is no restriction on food or beverage consumption- enjoying each other’s company is a must!
Operation:
Operation will be on 40 meter phone (with 80 as a last-ditch fallback) from 10 AM EDT to 4 PM EDT on Saturday, April 23. Make contact with as many Anchor Stations as possible, and make as many contacts with other counties as possible. You can contact any station in the event, but remember we’re looking for NVIS contacts, so stay close to Ohio.
Log:
Keep records of each antenna you’ve tried- take pictures! We’re interested in compiling which designs are the most successful. Keep a log of contacts with callsign, county, and if possible antenna description of your contacted station. We’ll want to know your final count of station contacts. We do have a form you can print and use, but there is no formal requirement for your log: Cabrillo, spreadsheet, or written summary will work.
Email your contest report to: nvis@k8es.org
Anchor Stations:
Although you are encouraged to contact as many stations as possible, these Anchor Stations will be on the air for the duration of the event to provide comparative signal reports. Their locations will be plus/minus QRM or existing nets. Best practice is to move up a bit if the desired frequency is in use.
7240 W8SGT Ohio EOC
7250 W8EOC Medina County EOC
7260 W8MRN Marion County ARES
7270 KB8DNA Huron County ARES
7280 W8ERD Delaware County ARES
7290 W8BI Montgomery County (DARA)
Evaluation:
The Marion County ARES group will compile a listing of the different types of antennas used, and their relative performance. We’ll also look at which stations were able to have the greatest number of counties contacted, and which stations have the highest number of contacts.
Click to download a copy of the NVIS Day Report Form
NVIS Information
Website Links
Documents
NVIS website
Portable 75_40 meter NVIS Antenna
Basic Antennas
Modified AS-2259 NVIS Antenna
NVIS DX Engineering
NVIS for Roadside
NVIS Article GOTJD
USMC-Antenna-hb - (large file: 5mb)
Ohio NVIS Antenna Day will be April 23, 2016
The following information is from the Ohio Section ARES Section Emergency Coordinator, Stan Boradway, N8BHL Please visit this page for updates or changes that may occur after 2-17-2016 http://www.arrl-ohio.org/SEC/
Working with antennas has been an integral part of the Amateur Radio hobby since the first hams went to the airwaves. Having the ‘right’ antenna becomes even more important when we’re acting in the interest of public safety! The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) organization in Ohio will put these two concepts together in another “NVIS Antenna Day” activity April 23, 2016.
Last year, numerous operators, teams, and EOC’s participated to find the best NVIS antenna to use across the Ohio Section. The differences weren’t as dramatic as one might expect; those fashioned after the military AS-2259 cross-dipole configuration appeared to be the best but other designs worked nearly as well.
This is not really a contest- there is no score. The purpose is to have teams (counties, groups within counties, friends, even individuals) research and determine the NVIS antenna designs they think will work the best- then actually get together to build and try them!
Starting at 10AM Saturday, April 23 teams begin making contacts to compare their antennas. They do not have to be at portable locations, but there should be room for several antennas. This year, we’re offering the concept of “anchor” stations around the state which will be in place to provide consistent signal reports to all who contact them. For example, Team A puts together a low-altitude G5RV. They contact Anchor A in Toledo, Anchor B in Dayton, and the Ohio EOC station (“The Sarge”) for signal reports. They then either adjust their design, or try antenna number 2 contacting the same anchors. From their signal reports, they can determine right away which antenna is better and by how much! We don’t have an “end time” set- because some stations had so much fun (and so many pile-ups) that they went on for quite a while past dark.
Our anchor stations’ frequencies will be published, but stations can contact as many other stations as they can find for more fun. Like our VHF contest, this will allow stations to plot their coverage “footprint” to get a good idea of their capabilities for a real emergency.
After the contest, all teams file reports with their call and location, operators, number of contacts and most important, all antenna details- antenna design, height, specific comments, and pictures. Each station then can rank its top (3) antenna performers with comments and ideas. Pictures are very much encouraged! Our Marion County ARES team is sponsoring the event this year. They will compile the documentation, and narrow down the best performing antennas across the region – antennas we might all want to put in our ‘go bags’ as proven performers.
In something like a grid-down situation, our emergency communicating would not be limited within the boundaries of Ohio, so I’m asking our neighboring states to get involved with us! We would really like to make this a regional event with stations in their state EOC’s and around the Ohio border to test their own capabilities.
We’re hoping to make this a regional event in 2016!
