NC ARRL NEWSLETTER

MARCH 14 2026

There sure has been a time of significant variations in the weather.  In the past three weeks we have had a low of -2 (chill factor -15), and over the past weekend the high temperature got up as high up to 65.  Thursday morning when I looked out on the deck, it was covered with snow supplemented by freezing rain..  The temp this morning was 28 and then it warmed up enough to melt the snow.

On this past Friday and Saturday, I was at the Charlotte Hamfest (which is held at the Cabarrus Arena and Event Center).  Attendance was good and a significant number of persons stopped by at the ARRL table to say hello. Roanoke Director Jim Boehner, Vice Director Bill Morine and I held an ARRL forum, took questions and distributed ARRL literature.  It was good to make new acquaintances and to see old friends.

At the end of March, I will have served as the NC Section Manager for six years.  North Carolina ARRL members cast their ballots and have given me another two-year term as Section Manager.  Due to a recent ARRL bylaw change, the ending date for Section Manager Terms is June 30. 2028.

I appreciate the opportunities you have given me to help on problems, to distribute information to hams about upcoming activities and events and, when it if feasible, to visit your clubs, hamfests and Field Day sites.

Thank you for the confidence you have shown in my ability to keep amateur radio interesting, exciting and supportive of emergency agencies.

ARRL continues to urge the amateur radio community to follow through and do their part in urging Congress to pass legislation to overrule property-owner and home-owner association rules that prohibit installation of ham radio antennas within subdivisions.

If you haven’t already participated in the PASS THE BILL campaign, you can go to the ARRL webpage for instructions on how to send a letter to your Member of the House and your US Senator.  Go to https://www.arrl.org/current-legislation.

Because this is a federal election year (all US House members and 1/3 of the Senators are up for election), Congress members will be going home to campaign for re-election causing a decreased likelihood of Congress getting everything done which requires their action. 

So, do not wait on indicating your support for the House and Senate bills backed by the ARRL.  Follow the instruction is the link posted above and add your name to the letters going to your particular Representative and both your Senators. PASS THE BILL!

Each month, Dave Price (W4DNA) prepares a report that documents the traffic handled by the various nets that are part of the National Traffic System and operate within North Carolina.  Thanks go out to Dave for his work in keeping the NTS functioning in North Carolina and thanks are also in order for the work of the various Net Managers and individual traffic handled but  the archived reports contain more detailed information because the ARRL email system does not easily handle .txt files or tables.

W4DNA - NC Section Net Report - FEBRUARY 2026
NET	NMGR	QNI	LISTED	PASSED	TIME	SESSIONS	TFC %
SECTION NETS
CN	AA4MP	345	95	95	561	56	100.00%
CSN	KI4KZS						#DIV/0!
NCEN	WK4WC	379	57	57	311	28	100.00%
NCMN	W3OJO	275	148	145	506	28	97.97%
THEN	N3TLV	422	0	0	489	28	N/A
LOCAL TRAFFIC NETS
CWTN	KJ4JWC	326	67	67	406	28	100.00%
ENCTN	W4DNA	230	7	7	229	24	100.00%
PCTN	W4TT0	138	47	47	216	28	100.00%
C-MNN	KI4FAQ	419	0	0	374	28	N/A
TOTAL		2534	421	418	3092	248	99.29%
NOTE: C-MNN = Metrolina (Charlotte-Mecklenburg) Nightly Net

 

As part of ARRL’s celebration of the 250^th Anniversary of our country and to generate increased activity on the bands, ARRL has created a special Worked All States-250 Award which will be awarded to operators who make contact with stations in all 50 states during 2026. 

Each state has been assigned two one week periods when stations in a particular state may be given permission to operate with the special callsign W1AW portable 4. North Carolina has been assigned operation beginning at 0000 UTC on a Wednesday, and ending at 2359 UTC on the following Tuesday.  The two weeks assigned to North Carolina begin on April 1 as well as September 2.  

Paul Raiche (N1XI) who lives in Ashe County has volunteered to be the NC Coordinator for the WAS-250 operation and he can approve use of W1AW/4 callsign.  He has created a special email address for contacting him concerning operating during North Carolina’s two weeks.  He requests that you contact him at was250nc@gmail.com  concerning available times, modes, and bands for operation.

Please remember that ARRL has established particular rules for this year-long activity.  You may request times, modes and bands by contacting Paul Raiche but the approval of assignment are his responsibility and will be tracked in spreadsheet as to who has been assigned times to operate as W1AW/P4. 

Rules for this operation have been set by ARRL and were not written by me or other NC operators.

·         For example, a posting from ARRL stated “How many stations can be on at one time?  Answer: Three (3) mode stations can be on every band (except 60 meters) at the same time.  Example: For activations on say the 160, 80, 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12, 10 and 6 meter bands – that is 10 bands X 3 modes = 30 stations can be on using the same W1AW/# call from your state at the same time.  Adding 2m, plus 1.25m, 70cm, 33cm and 23cm, that’s 5 more bands x 3 modes = 15 bands stations – then add that to your first 30 band mode stations to get a total of 45 active stations on the air at the same time.”

·         Only ARRL HQ staff at W1AW staff may add data to your log and ADI file for uploads to LOTW for WAS-250 contacts..

·         Operators who have previously earned WAS are eligible to earn WAS-250.

·         There will be an on-the-air station operating from the Cleveland County Fairgrounds during both days of the Shelby Hamfest

During the Charlotte Hamfest, I was asked what benefits come to hams and clubs by being a member for a club being affiliated with the ARRL.  It did not take but a few seconds to answer these questions since this is part and parcel of what a Section Manager deals with as part of the job.  The benefits are many and include:

·         ARRL lobbying in Washington to protect amateur radio spectrum from efforts by other communications groups to have spectrum reallocated away from amateur use.

·         ARRL works with international regulatory groups so that other countries do not allocate spectrum in ways that would cause harmful interference to amateur use.

·         ARRL educational activities through publications, including books as well as technical magazines, as well as in-person educational activities about emerging technologies.

·         ARRL services to amateur radio operators which include equipment and liability insurance.

·         ARRL lab that provides unbiased evaluation of ham equipment to assure their proper technical operation.

·         Support to local and state emergency management agencies by participating in ARES and Auxcomm activities through partnerships with FEMA, Red Cross and other groups.

·         Engaging in activities to increase interest levels by young people in electronics, robotics, telecommunications, satellites and other technologies through programs that involve Scouts, school clubs and urging clubs to mentor young people about ham radio.

·         Sharing revenues from ARRL dues when clubs partner with ARRL by signing up new members and h helping existing members to renew their ARRL membership.

·         ARRL’s recent actions to provide financial support when increasing costs lead clubs seriously consider ending their support to local hamfests.

·         ARRL offers hams technical support with its expertise by way of the Volunteer Monitor program to identify malicious interference, non-ham intruders on ham bands and by working with the FCC to seek  enforcement actions against illegal operations.

 

ARRL’s Field Organization involves volunteers in each of the 71 Section in the United States.  The volunteers assist the Section Manager with a variety of tasks.  These volunteer positions are enumerated at https://www.arrl.org/field-organization . I am looking for a couple of people to become involved in the operation of the North Carolina Section.

Read the job description for Technical Coordinator and for the Affiliated Club Coordinator.  If the job description matches your skills and interests, please contact me so we can discuss an appointment.

·               RARSFES, 4/4/26, sponsored by the Raleigh Amateur Radio Society and held at the Jim Graham Building on the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh.  Indoor flea market, forums, license exams, dealers selling new equipment and parts.  Information at https://www.rarsfest.org/

 

·               FORSYTH CLUB  SWAPFEST, 04/25/2026, held at the Robinhood Road Baptist Church, 5422 Robinhood Road, Winston-Salem.    Information at https://w4nc.com/hamfest/.

 

·               WAYNE COUNTY UNFEST, 05/02/2026, sponsored by the Wayne County Amateur Radio Association, Goldsboro, NC.  Information at https://k4cyp.com/news/2026-chris-keen-memorial-unfest/.  

 

·               CARY SWAPFEST  07/18/2026 - 53rd Annual Cary Mid-Summer Swapfest, sponsored by the Cary Amateur Radio Club and held at Ritter Park, 301 W. Lochmere Drive, Cary. 

 

·               WSCARS HAMFES, 07/25/2026. Sponsored by the Western Carolina Amateur Radio Society held at the Smokey Mountain Event Center, 758 Crabtree Road, Waynesville.  Information at https://wcars-club.org/hamfest-annual/docs/hfnotice.pdf .

 

·                  CAPE FEAR HAMFEST, August 8, sponsored by the Cape Fear Amateur Radio Society, held at the Cumberland County Shrine Club,  7040 Ramsey Street, Fayetteville.  Information available soon. 

 

·                  SHELBY HAMFEST   09/04/2026 - 09/05/2026, sponsored by the Shelby Amateur Radio Club, held at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds.  Large outdoor flea market, indoor and outdoor space for dealers, forums, license exams, food.  Information at https://shelbyhamfest.org/.

 

·                  DAYTON HAMVENTION

 

Organized by the Dayton Amateur Radio Association and held on May 15, 16 and 17 at the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center near Xenia, Ohio.  It is the largest hamfest in North America and it fills several buildings plus a large outdoor flea market.  You will see the newest equipment from ICOM, Yaesu, Kenwood, Flex and peripherals such as power supplies, modems, antennas, towers and weather stations plus you can talk to reps from international ham organizations and software producers.  You can choose from simultaneous forums on various topics, upgrade your license and take the opportunity to meet ARRL officials, Board members and much of the HQ staff.  In the flea market area, you will walk past several hundred tents and look at the stuff being sold by tailgaters that will include used commercial equipment, military surplus items and lots of antennas, rotors, cables, connectors and similar items. 

 

The old saying is that if you can’t find at Dayton what you are looking for, then you probably will not find it at any other hamfest.   Plus there will be a variety of food choices!

 

Info can be found at https://hamvention.org/.  Every ham needs to go to Dayton at least once in their life and while there you should go over to the nearby Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and look at the Presidential Aircraft, the evolution of rocketry and the history of flight at Wright-Patterson.

 

It is not too early to begin planning for Field Day which is held annually on the last full weekend in June.  Information can be found at https://www.arrl.org/field-day .  This year the dates will be June 27-28.

 

Field Day gives hams an opportunity to get out in a park, using temporary antennas and solar, wind or generator power.  Some groups use this as an opportunity to refresh their skills in emergency operations, others are avid contesters and still others just operate for a few hours and enjoy the comradery with fellow hams.

 

Information about rules, scoring points, and registering your Field Day site can be found at https://www.arrl.org/field-day .

 

Once the Field Day locator site is posted, visitors who want to learn about ham radio can find your club’s Field Day operation.  To the extent possible (because North Carolina is a very large state) your Roanoke Director and Vice Director, as well as the NC Section Manager and other Section personnel will be stopping at manyField Day sites. 

 

Each year I choose an area of the state and try to visit as many clubs as possible.  In years past, I have made it to the far southwestern part of North Carolina, another year I focused my travels to the High Country and Foothills.  Still another year I made it to clubs in the Piedmont and I have gotten down to SE North Carolina, even visiting Wilmington and Calabash. 

 

Part of your ARRL dues makes it possible to cover the cost of gas and lodging for Field Day visits.  While serving as Section Manager I traveled over 4000 miles during several previous Field Day weekends.

 

When I learn of Silent Keys through a club newsletters or when someone sends a note that a friend, club member or family member has died I notify ARRL and request that the name and callsign of the ham be listed on the Silent Key page in QST. Feel free to let me know about Silent Keys so that I can make sure he or she is listed in QST.

 

 

The Section Manager job involves tasks that cumulatively take about two days each week, including producing newsletters, responding to emails and phone calls, participating in ARRL zoom meetings, sending in Silent Key reports, visiting (by virtual or in-person) clubs and, occasionally, getting on the air to enjoy ham radio and keeping up to date with emerging issues. It is a privilege to be part of the ham radio community and to be doing my part to keep ham radio interesting and alive.  There are approximately 23,000 licensed hams in North Carolina and approximately 4,000 ARRL members who live in North Carolina.

 

Best wishes to each of you.

 

Marv Hoffman, WA4NC

NC Section Manager

Boone

828 964 6626