NC ARRL Section News
April 13, 2025

GREETINGS FROM THE HIGH COUNTRY

The weather up here in the High Country has been quite variable, particularly when compared to the temperature and pollen I experienced in Raleigh while I was down there for RARSFest last Saturday.

Over the past several days, the low temperatures for the day up here have gotten as low as 28 with very light sleet on my deck a couple of mornings.  I saw a Facebook photo of rime ice in the trees up on Beech Mountain a couple of days ago.  At the moment, Sunday at 12:30 pm the sun has come out and the temperature has climbed to 53 degrees from a low of 33 degrees at 4:54 am this morning.  Winds have died down (which had made the chill factor early this morning around 24 degrees) and yesterday there were winds near 18 mph with temps ranging from 29 to 39 degrees.

Down in Boone, at an elevation 500 feet lower than here, blossoms are out and people have mowed their laws.  Up here, there are some flowers in bloom but most of the trees are just starting to show a rust-orange color as the leave are forming but not yet very plentiful.

NC HAM RADIO NEWS DISTRIUBTION

Apparently some of the ARRL bulk email capabilities are back so you may be receiving this newsletter as an email from ARRL.  As was the case since last May when the ARRL IT system was hacked I am also distributing NC Section Newsletters to Club leaders (with a request they forward it club members). 

1.     If you are an ARRL member but are not receiving ARRL mailings from your Roanoke Director, Vice Director not receive this newsletter from the ARRL,  log in at arrl.org and create an account with ARRL.  Once you have an account at arrl.org, click on your name at the top of the ARRL home page, slightly right of center of the page, and then go to Communications and choose which of several mailings (concerning contests, space weather, legislative matters, and other mailings from ARRL) you wish to receive.

2.     If you are not an ARRL member, consider joining.  ARRL provides a lot of information to members and represents ham radio before the FCC and Congress.

3.     Copies of the current NC Section Newsletter and all previous newsletters going back to April 1, 2021 are archived at ncarrl.org.

STATE LEGISLATIVE MATTERS

The NC Section leadership is closely watching activity in the NC General Assembly in Raleigh for movement on matters of interest to amateur operators in North Carolina. 

On March 26, several State Senate co-sponsors introduced S526 which would regulate used of communications devices while driving.  A companion bill will be introduced in the NC State House of Representatives.  Chuck deCourt (W3WZN) and Max Hopper (K4BMN), both of whom are Section State Government Liaisons, as well as your Section Manager are closely monitoring the proposed legislation in hopes of securing an exemption for amateur radio operators communicating while driving during emergencies.

At present, there does not appear to be movement on proposals that would limit the ability of Home Owner Associations to prohibit or severely limit amateur radio antennas within subdivisions.  Your team will continue to monitor the topic of HOA/POA regulation of amateur radio antennas.

Please contact me if you frequently interact with your state House or Senate member so that we can reach out to the legislators before these matters come up for votes in the State Legislature.

PLAN FOR THE UNEXPECTED

Greg Hauser, W3FIE, NC Statewide Interoperability Coordinator, recently gave a very interesting presentation about how the various communications systems fared during Helene and the role played by amateur radio operators before and following the storm.  You are encouraged to watch his presentation which was made before the RATPAC group (Radio Amateur Training Planning and Activities Committee). 

Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LjSa3my6NY for Greg’s presentation. 

RATPAC has produced well over 500 presentations on a variety ham radio related topics.  You may wish to look over the list as it is likely that several of RATPAC presentations found at https://www.ratpac.us/ will be useful and of interest to you.

ARE YOU GOING TO DAYTON?

We are a month away in time from the largest hamfest in North America which is known around the world as the Dayton Hamvention

If you go to Hamvention you will see and get to touch new radio models that are being shown for the first time by manufacturers.  There will be lots of accessories and software and you will get to meet with representatives from various groups like AMSAT, MARS, ARDC, NWS, and national ham radio groups from other countries.  

Outside the four air-conditioned buildings, there is an amazing flea market (“bone yard”)with over 500 booths and tables at which individuals, clubs and groups of friends set up tents and sell all kinds of radio equipment. 

The old saying is that if you can’t find it at Dayton, it probably no longer exists.

The Hamvention webpage (hamvention.org) has information on numerous forums which cover the latest information about dxpeditions, best practices, and give you the opportunity to meet with and discuss issues with ARRL HQ staff.

The National Voice of America Museum is located nearby and there will be extended hours for tours of the facility.  The museum is normally open only on weekends but according to the website https://voamuseum.org/ the museum will open at noon on Wednesday – Sunday (May 15-18.  The site was a 250 kilowatt shortwave  station operated by the Voice of America.

Nearby to the hamfest is the National Museum of the Air Force which has numerous aircraft.  A visit will help you see how aeronautical engineering has changed from the time the Wright brothers flew at Kitty Hawk NC.  There are several of the aircraft at the museum which served as Air Force One and were used by various US Presidents.

MLB Baseball season has started and not too far away from Xenia there is a three game series in which the Cleveland Guardians will travel to Cincinnati to play the Cincinnati Reds.

If you plan to go to Dayton, get on the stick and make a reservation for lodging.  Traffic on social media suggests that lodging will be tight and unless you are lucky getting a room you may have to stay 30-40 miles away from the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia Ohio where the hamfest is held.

HAVE YOU BEGUN YOUR FIELD DAY PLANNING?

Your opportunity to prepare for emergency operations (setting up stations away from home with temporary antennas and emergency power) and to show off your skills to the public and to young people is not far off. 

Some groups treat Field Day as a contest and some operate from the comforts of their home but the hard core EmComm groups still use Field Day as an opportunity for fellowship and learning while practicing critical skills.

Go to the Field Day webpage and get ideas for your operation.  Be sure to post your location on the Field Day locator page so that the public and visiting hams can stop by and meet up with your group. Go to https://www.arrl.org/field-day for rules and the locator map.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

·        May 3. UnFest, Goldsboro, sponsored by the Wayne County Amateur Radio Association, info at  http://www.k4cyp.com

·        May 16-18, Hamvention, Greene County Fairgrounds, Xenia OH, sponsored by the Dayton Amateur Radio Association.  Info can be found at https://hamvention.org/

·        June 28-29, ARRL Field Day, info at  https://www.arrl.org/field-day

·        07/12/2025 - Firecracker Hamfest, Salisbury, operated by the Rowan Amateur Radio Society.  Info available from Ralph Mowery , KU4PT, Email: rmowery42@charter.net

·        07/19/2025 - 52nd Annual Cary Mid-Summer Swapfest, Cary Ritter Park, info at http://caryarc.org

·        July 26, Western Carolina Amateur Radio Society Hamfest, held at the Smokey Mountain Event Center. Waynesville.  Info at  http://wcars-club.org    

 

UP, UP AND AWAY

Several North Carolina groups are active in High Altitude Balloon launches which have occurred since our last newsletter.

 

Congratulations go out to Matt McMahon and his friends down in Greenville NC whose recent efforts are part launches over several years which have been tracked by stations around the world.  The recent billon circumnavigated around the world several times.

 

Jimmy Levan N4ZSF in Statesville is active with a coalition of NC Community Colleges which formed the Community College High Altitude Ballooning Team Challenge which has several teams involved in High Altitude Balloon launches.  The students equip and launch the balloons and then track them as they reach altitudes as high as 100,000 ft.

 

I applaud anything that raises the interest level in STEM activities on the part of young people. 

 

Congratulations to my friends in Greenville and with the Community Colleges in their willingness to take on new challenges and to raise our awareness about the awesome impact of the winds aloft that move these balloons across their pathways.

NC SECTION TRAFFIC REPORT

The ARRL bulk mail system does not at present handle photos or Excel files.  In order to share the Section Traffic information with you through the ARRL bulk email system, it is necessary to convert the data into a “ .txt” format.  The entre report with additional information prepared by Dave Roy can be viewed at ncarrl.org.

 

Thanks go out to Dave and his team of traffic handlers and various Net Managers.

W4DNA – NC Section Net Report – MARCH 2025
NET	NMGR	QNI	LISTED	PASSED	TIME	SESSIONS	TFC %
SECTION NETS
CN	AA4MP	372	160	153	627	62	95.63%
CSN	KI4KZS	161	27	25	784	31	92.59%
NCEN	WK4WC	401	157	153	532	31	97.45%
NCMN	W3OJO	350	229	219	548	31	95.63%
THEN	N3TLV	511	0	0	575	31	N/A
LOCAL TRAFFIC NETS
CWTN	N4CNX	396	160	160	626	31	100.00%
ENCTN	W4DNA	127	37	37	297	26	100.00%
PCTN	W4TTO	174	88	88	319	31	100.00%
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP NETS
C-MNN	KI4FAQ						N/A
TOTAL		2492	858	835	4308	274	97.32%

 

CLOSING COMMENT

Clean up after Hurricane Helene continues.  I see lots of contractors with trucks filled with debris placed along side of the road by responders who cut up trees that had blown over and were blocking roadways.  Some people are still housed in temporary housing because they lost their homes. 

Numerous volunteers from around the country are still working in the High Country to build simple housing units for families that lost their home.

Western North Carolina recently experienced several extremely large wildfires that once again tested emergency responders from across the state.   May North Carolinians were on short time notice and had to be ready to evacuate their homes depending upon whether the wind suddenly changed.

We are entering into Springtime which is a time of renewal for the spirit and for the environment.  We are beginning to see once again the natural beauty that seemingly went into hiatus during a very difficult Fall and Winter. 

When your area experiences the beauty of Springtime, take a few minutes and look at the majesty of the sights and smells of nature and reflect on good things that we all share.

Marv, WA4NC

NC Section Manager

Boone