NORTH CAROLINA SECTION NEWS - June 2011
Posted Jun 22, 2011
GOVERNOR ISSUES AMATEUR RADIO APPRECIATION WEEK PROCLAMATION -
Governor Purdue's office issued the annual Amateur Radio Appreciation
Week Proclamation on Monday. ARRL and the North Carolina section
request that this proclamation coincide every year with Field Day. You
can see it in its original form with the governor's seal as a PDF file
at
FIELD DAY - OK, the Big Day is almost here. Here are some last
minute tips to make your Field Day successful. Many of these actions
might qualify for bonus points. Look at the rules at
- List your FD location on the web at
http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator As of Wednesday, June 20th, there are 49 Field Day club locations in NC listed on ARRL's website. - Put this locator hyperlink on your club website and on your news releases.
- Put out signs at intersections and corners directing people to you FD location.
- Have lots of "Hello My Name Is" sticky labels and felt tip pens for guest & ops.
- Consider having an opening ceremony for media and dignitaries.
- Have an elected official make the first QSO. Invite media to record it.
- Put out a clipboard for visitors to sign for more information.
- Display copies of the state and local proclamations honoring Amateur Radio. A copy of
Governor Perdue's North Carolina Amateur Radio Appreciation Week proclamation can be found at
http://tinyurl.com/3n727ym - For those having trouble copying the W1AW Field Day Bulletin, budget time to retrieve it by CW or digital if propagation for phone transmission is poor.
- Think about listing dates for upcoming licensing classes, exams, club meetings.
- Invite served agency officials to your Saturday night cook-out.
- Designate an official greeter. Always greet guests - never ignore them.
- Take pictures and post them to the section page on Facebook at NC ARRL.
- Twitter your Field Day activities. Include this string at the end of your message, just like this, except fill in the brackets with your locality: #hamradio #hamr #arrl #voad #smem #[your city] #[your county] #[your state] NOTE: There will be a national Twitter campaign Saturday June 25 between 2 PM and 3 PM Eastern (1800-1900 UTC) to bring national recognition to Field Day.
- Insert on your club listings, signage and the PIO table at your location this year's ARRL Quick
Response (QR) symbol which allows smartphones to bring up information about Field Day quickly. You
can find a copy at:
http://www.arrl.org/current-contact-issue
NTS REPORTS - May, 2011. QNI (Net Stations Check-in) 2788 (down 607 or 18%). Messages passed 605 (up 91 or 18%). STATION ACTIVITY REPORTS (SARs) K4IWW 414, WK4P 293, KI4YV 196, W4DNA 184, W2EAG 139, W4TTO 60, W3HL 58, K8SKX 45, KE4AHC 42, KA4IZN 35, W4AJT 30, NC4VA 29, KC4PGN 24, WB4Y 24, KD4SM 15. PUBLIC SERVICE HONOR ROLL (PSHR) NCVA 249, WK4P 150, W4DNA 140, K4IWW 130, W2EAG 110, W4TTO 100, KA4IZN 95, K4JUU 90, KI4YV 90.
VE TEST SESSIONS - We need to congratulate those dedicated operators who have become certified Volunteer Examiners, and the clubs which sponsor exams. All the VE organizations which administer these tests, whether they be ARRL, W4VEC, W5YI or any of the others, provide a tremendous service. Congrats to the Orange County Radio Assn. (OCRA) which had 21 candidates at a recent test session. Most VE sessions aren't this large, but a big pat on the back to all those VEs who show up month after month to help candidates get their first ticket or upgrade. Thanks guys!
MEDIA HITS - Congratulations to UNC-Charlotte 49er Brett Thompson, KJ4VLK, who had a story in the South Charlotte Weekly about being nominated as a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. According to the Southern Pines Pilot, ARRL PIO Jim Johnson, KI4TAT, told Moore County commissioners that local Sandhills operators turned out to help Lee County (Sanford) during the tornado outbreaks in April. That helped the Moore County commissioners to issue an "Amateur Radio Appreciation Week" proclamation.
HAMFESTS - July 9th - Firecracker Hamfest, Salisbury Civic Center
315 Martin Luther King Avenue South, Salisbury, NC 28144. Talk-In:
145.410 (PL 136.5) Details:
PUBLIC SERVICE - July 4th, Firecracker 100/50K ride, Cary; July 23rd,
Operation Red Sleigh Charity Bike Ride, Seagrove. Details at:
SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS - Jul 16, 1400Z-1800Z, NC4MC, Candor Peach Festival, Candor, NC. Montgomery Amateur Radio Society. 14.250. Certificate. Don Grady, 120 Woodline Dr, Troy, NC 27371.
SKs - I regret to report the passing of Manson Long, WA4TIL, of Gastonia.
CORRECTIONS - In our haste to report the great work of Meteorology
students at NC State for reporting tornadoes to Central Carolina
SKYWARN and for making the great video on You Tube of a tornado passing
through Wilson, we mistakenly identified Kevin Smith as KF4FMD. He is
instead K4BGM. Fellow student Jeremy Gilbert was listed as a Ham when
he is not. Their great video is still posted on the website of the
Raleigh News & Observer at
LAST WORD - FIELD DAY & WAYNE GRETZKY. I realize ice hockey remains an enigma to many Southerners, but we can all learn from the quote from hockey's greatest player, Wayne Gretzky. When asked what made him great, Gretzky replied, "I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been." And that explains why six ARRL representatives staffed the Maker Faire exposition this past Saturday in Raleigh. Maker Faire is a loose confederation of Do-It-Yourselfers (DIYs) who make items ranging from the manual arts such as woodworking and blacksmithing to sophisticated electronics such as robotics. The second annual North Carolina Maker Faire drew several thousand attendees. At the ARRL booth we spoke to about 200 people. About two thirds were already licensed Amateurs who were either inactive or independent and unaffiliated. The remaining third were unlicensed attendees, most of whom had some knowledge of Ham Radio. All who stopped by were very receptive. Many were surprised to see us, then commented that having Amateur Radio at Maker Faire made sense. These folks asked about QRP kits, satellite operations, digital modes and portable operations. Many of the inactive Hams told us they wanted to get back into the hobby, and almost all expressed an interest in seeing a Field Day location near them. So what excited them? Voice communications such as SSB and FM didn't seem to ignite their juices, but the things I mentioned above sure did. Many played with the 20 meter solar QRP CW rig we had on display, and others appeared fascinated with point-to-point digital communications. At your Field Day locations this year, consider having some alternative forms of communications, such as solar QRP or PSK-31. The Maker Faire attendees want to see this type of stuff, and you'll be going to where the puck is, not to where it has been. Have a great Field Day, and I look forward to seeing many of you.
73
de Bill Morine, N2COP
ARRL North Carolina Section Manager