ARRL NC Section Newsletter
Posted Apr 10, 2014
Greetings to all Hams across North Carolina from Karl W4CHX, your ARRL NC Section Manager!
ARRL ROANOKE DIVISION CONVENTION/RARSFEST, APRIL 19TH – The ARRL Roanoke Division Convention/RARSfest, sponsored by the Raleigh Amateur Radio Society, will be held on Saturday, April 19th, in the Jim Graham Building, NC State Fairgrounds, 1025 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh, NC 27607.
Kay Craigie, N3KN, ARRL President will be attending and making a presentation in the ARRL Open Forum along with Roanoke Division Director, Dennis Bodson, W4PWF and Roanoke Division Vice Director, Jim Boehner, N2ZZ. In addition, there will be a NC Section Forum with presentations by your NC Section Officials; topics to be discussed will include ARES and NTS. Other forum sessions include: ARRL and ham radio: the first 100 years, presented by Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, ARRL Affiliated Club and Mentor Program Manager; activities and opportunities for new hams, presented by Virginia Enzor, NC4VA, Emergency Coordinator and Official Relay Station; the 2014 NC QSO Party awards presented by Marty Young, W4MY and committee members; and, NWS basic spotter training, presented by meteorologist Nick Petro, WX3H.
The activities will include Royal Order of the Wouff Hong ceremony
(Friday night), VE test sessions, ARRL/CQ awards QSL card checking,
youth lounge, fox hunt, hands-on activities, amateur radio dealer and
exhibitor booths, and the flea market. For further information, please
see
ARRL CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION ACTIVITIES – The 100th anniversary of the
ARRL is being celebrated during 2014 and there will be many
opportunities to commemorate this milestone. Two activities -- the
W1AW Centennial QSO Party and the ARRL National Centennial Convention
2014 -- deserve further comment.
The W1AW Centennial QSO Party, which began on January 1st, consists of
two main activities: 1) portable operation of W1AW in each state and
most territories; and, 2) The Centennial Points Challenge which is the
accumulation of points from qualifying contacts made throughout 2014.
For further information on the Centennial QSO Party, ie, W1AW portable
operations, times, frequencies, rules, etc, go to the Centennial QSO
Party website at
The ARRL National Centennial Convention 2014, will be held from
Thursday, July 17th to Saturday, July 19th, in Hartford, CT.
Activities planned for Thursday, July 17th include: all-day training
sessions in public service, technology, and radiosport; a luncheon with
guest speaker; and, an international guest reception. It is worth
noting that Contest University, DX University, and Public Service
Communications Academy seminars will be held on Thursday, July 17th.
Activities planned for Friday, July 18th and Saturday, July 19th
include: an exhibit hall featuring ARRL program representatives,
amateur radio manufacturers, equipment sellers, and indoor flea market;
many forums and presentations; ARRL Centennial Banquet with special
keynote speaker (Friday night); ARRL Wouff Hong Ceremony (Friday, 11:30
PM); Presidents Breakfast (Saturday morning); and, closing ceremony
(Saturday evening). See
2014 NORTH CAROLINA QSO PARTY RESULTS – The results are in! As reported previously, the 2014 North Carolina QSO Party (NCQP), sponsored by the Raleigh Amateur Radio Society, was held on Sunday, February 23, 2014. The total QSOs were 32,371, which was an increase of more than 7,300 (29%) compared to 2013. CW and Phone contacts accounted for 44% and 55%, respectively, of the total QSOs for this year’s contest. In addition, all 100 counties in North Carolina were activated. The first place winners are:
Top Score – DX: Andreas DL3GA (Germany) Top Score – Canada: Jack VA3ATT (Ontario) Top Score – Digital In State: Jim W4SDJ (Cherokee County) Top Score – Digital Out of State: Joe KA1PPV (CT) EMCOMM Challenge Award: ARES Area 10 Most NC Counties – In State: Louis K4BYN (Wake County) Most NC Counties – Out of State: Jeff N8II (WV) Single Op/In State/Mixed: Jim K4QPL (operating from Pender County) Single Op/in State/Phone: Nate N4YDU (Franklin County) Single Op/In State/ CW: Jack W0UCE (operating as N4C) Single Op/ In State/QRP: Jim W4UX (Forsyth County) Mobile/In State/ Mixed: Kyle WA4PGM and XYL Pam (from VA, operated as N4E) Mobile/In State/Lone Ranger: John AD8J Expedition/ In State/Mixed: Mike N4GU (Wilson County) Expedition/In State/QRP: Patrick KI4SVM (operated from mountain tops in 3 counties) Club/ In State/Mixed: K4MN, Cape Fear ARS (Cumberland County) Club/ In State/Phone: NC4AR, Tri-County ARC (Alleghany County) Single Op/Out of State/Mixed: Jeff N8II (WV) Single Op/Out of State/CW: Paul N3KR (PA) Single Op/Out of State/Phone: Ken WB2P (NJ) Single Op/Out of State/QRP: Curt WB8YYY (MD)
The winners will be recognized at the upcoming ARRL Roanoke Division
Convention/RARSfest (Raleigh) on Saturday, April 19, 2014. For a more
results from the 2014 NCQP, see
LICENSING CLASSES –
Murphy (NC), Technician licensing class, March 11 - May 20, 2014,
sponsored by Cherokee County NC ARES.
Raleigh (NC), Technician licensing class, March 29 – April 12, 2014,
sponsored by Raleigh Amateur Radio Society. To find upcoming classes,
go to
MEDIA HITS – No media hits were found nor forwarded for inclusion in
this month’s edition of the NC Section newsletter. If you find a
media hit associated with amateur radio in the NC Section, please
forward that information to your Section Manager via email
NC GOVERNOR PROCLAIMS JULY AMATEUR RADIO RECOGNITION AND APPRECIATION MONTH – North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory has proclaimed the month of July 2014 as, "Amateur Radio Recognition and Appreciation Month" in honor of, among other things, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the American Radio Relay League. Thanks to Raymond (“Woody”) Woodward, K3VSA, ARRL Public Information Coordinator for North Carolina (an ARRL-trained Public Information Officer), for providing this great news! NTS SECTION TRAFFIC REPORT FOR FEBRUARY, 2014 – QNI (total check-ins): 3195; Total messages passed: 542. Station Activity Reports (SARs), total number: K4IWW 331, W2EAG 171, W4DNA 159, AK4RJ 104, WK4WC 102, WB4ZIQ 94, KJ4JPE 54, WB4Y 53, KC4PGN 44, W4TTO 40, K4JUU 35, KK4BVR 32, KE4AHC 31, W3HL 24, N2RTF 16. Public Service Honor Roll (PSHR), total number: KK4BVR 187, N2RTF 176, KJ4JPE 175, WK4WC 170, W4DNA 160, WB4ZIQ 145, K4IWW 130, AK4RJ 115, K4JUU 113, W2EAG 110, W4TTO 100, WB4Y 100. Thanks to Dave Roy, W4DNA, Section Traffic Manager, for providing this information!
SILENT KEYS – We regret to report the passing of Ricky V. Ezzell, KI4ZBU of Goldsboro; Michael Falzone, K4PSP of Raleigh; Edward (“Ed”) George Myers, K4PEF of Newport; and, Michael D. Tuttle, NC4DT of Zebulon. Please note: it is not possible to post information about amateur radio operators that have become Silent Keys without confirmation via printed obituary or similar.
SKYWARN AND PUBLIC SERVICE
April 12: Basic and Advanced SKYWARN Spotter Courses, sponsored by
Charlotte Regional SKYWARN. Location: Salvation Army Charlotte, 501
Archdale Drive, Charlotte, NC 28217. Classes start at 10:00 AM and end
by 2:30 PM, with 30-minute break between classes. Teacher: Tony Sturey,
NWS, Greer, SC. Cost: Free to attend. Class size limited to 75 people.
Please contact Chris Gay at
Public service season has arrived! Please consider participating in
the Ham Public Service Net, which meets every Wednesday evening at 7:30
PM EST on the Carolina 440 Link System. For further information,
including the location of a 440 MHz repeater close to you, go to
SPECIAL EVENT STATION
April 12: General Hardee's Retreat, 1330Z-1730Z, NC4AR, Trinity, NC,
sponsored by Tri-County ARC. 145.29 7.210. Certificate. NC4AR, PO BOX
747, Trinity, NC 27370. Follow instructions to receive certificate.
TEACHER’S INSTITUTE ON WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY – The ARRL has just
announced the schedule for two sessions of its Introductory Teachers
Institute on Wireless Technology (TI-1), which will be offered during
Summer, 2014. Please consider recruiting teachers from your local
schools who have an interest in exploring radio science, amateur radio,
and wireless technologies as part of the Science, Engineering,
Technology and Mathematics (STEM) focus in education. Now in its 11th
year, the ARRL Teachers Institute is a four-day, expenses paid,
intensive professional development opportunity for educators who want
to receive training and resources to explore wireless technology in the
classroom. Topics include basic electronics, radio science,
microcontroller programming, and basic robotics. ARRL will also offer
an advanced Teachers Institute (TI-2) on Remote Sensing and Data
Gathering. The linked article from the March issue of QST, includes
the schedule and description of offerings this summer. Please see
QUA* – I had a lot of fun representing our Section at the Charlotte
Hamfest/ARRL NC Section Convention earlier this month. I met many
individuals, including some regular participants on the Tar Heel
Emergency Net. It was great meeting the hams “attached” to the
call signs on that net! The Tar Heel Emergency Net is one of the
longest running nightly nets and has been meeting on the air since
1947! The Net meets nightly at 7:30 PM EST on 3923 kHz. I am the net
control station on Thursday evenings. Please consider participating in
this net. For further information, please see:
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or want
to provide input on our Section. I can be reached via email at
*QUA is an international Q signal (prosign) meaning, “Have you news of _____?” In the absence of a question mark, QUA means, “I have news of ____.”
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ARRL North Carolina Section
Section Manager: Karl F Bowman DVM, W4CHX