NC ARRL News
May 21, 2024

GREETINGS FROM THE HIGH COUNTRY

As may be expected during the Summer time, we have had some significant weather in the area but here, near Tweetsie Railroad, it has not been too bad compared to the Piedmont and Foothills.

Having noticed that the sky was clouding up, this past Saturday, I decided to take out the trash although a very fine mist was falling.  I doubted that it might turn into something more.  The recycling site is about four miles away and by the time I got there, the bottom fell out of the sky.  There was standing water on the road, cars were hydroplaning and hail was coming down with the downpour. 

My weather radio went off severely times for severe thunderstorms in Caldwell and Wilkes counties and then a flash flood warning for Wilkes.  The news later that evening showed crew members coping with knee-deep standing water at the infield at the North Wilkes Motor Speedway which caused the evening race to be postponed until Sunday.

EARLY INFO FROM DAYTON HAMVENTION

The 2024 Dayton Hamvention is now over and was successful. I was unable to attend but I have been watching some of the YouTube and Facebook video coverage.   

As should be expected, the annual downpour of rain occurred but fortunately it was on Friday morning and once the weather cleared, there was what appeared to be ideal weather for the remainder of Hamvention.

Several things seemed to me to be significant in the ARRL Member Forum led by ARRL President Rick Roderick (K5UR) and ARRL Great Lakes Division Director Scott Yonally (N8SY) both of whose comments can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZMRr8bcqdU .  The numbers in parentheses refer to the times for the cited comments on the streaming video.

·         Roderick:  Over half of all hams now holding licenses are Technicians  and 75% of newly licensed Technicians are no longer on the air one year after getting a license (6:00)

·         Yonally:  The Great Lakes Division ranks sixth (of 15 Divisions) in membership with 11,208 ARRL members but our Roanoke Division ranks second with 12,103 members (14:08).  Five states (CA, TX, FL, WA, and OH) are home to 34% of all hams in the US (21:30)

·         Yonally:  The All Things Amateur Radio Club was recognized for seeking and receiving a grant from ARRL that allowed them to acquire and equip a trailer which is taken to schools to allow students to have hands-on experience with amateur radio (24:30)

·         ARRL Atlantic Division Director Bob Famiglio, (K3RF) spoke at length about the ARRL efforts in Washington to have Congress pass a law that would override Home Owner Association rules and regulations  that prohibit or limit amateur radio antennas within a subdivision l  (33:30)

ARRL IT OUTAGE

Various ARRL IT systems, including Logbook of the World and some email features, have been down for nearly a week.  No word on when the problems will be resolved.  The latest status report will be posted at https://www.arrl.org.

FIELD DAY IS A MOTH AWAY!!

The website, https://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator , lists 23 locations in North Carolina where clubs have announced their plans to operate during Field Day on June 22-23.  If your group is planning to operate during FD, please review the rules and other information at http://www.arrl.org/field-day and then post information on where you will be operating.

 My plan is to visit Field Day sites east of Raleigh so help me set up my travel schedule.

NC SECTION TRAFFIC REPORT

 The following is a truncated report from Dave Roy, W4DNA, NC Section Traffic Manager.  Due to limitations in the ARRL email system it is not easy to post a table.  Dave’s complete Section Traffic Report can be found at https://www.ncarrl.org/ .

NCPRN DMR INFO

Work is nearly complete on relocating the Charlotte PRN from East Charlotte to downtown Charlotte. 

Burnsville PRN is on the air with frequency 443.200, using the standard NCPRN talkgroups

Sugartop is on the air but is experiencing a connectivity issue and needs a site visit.

People ask why Echotest does not show up on the Last Heard list. Doing so would take up a lot of space on the log that scrolls and would crowd out other traffic from being shown. The confirmation that your radio is working properly comes from hearing your own voice back over Echotest.  Limit tests to 15 seconds or less and do not try to hold a conversation on the Echotest talkgroup.

The only talkgroups used on the NCPRN system are shown at https://ncprn.net/?page_id=12.

A PERSONAL NOTE

Some readers have noticed my absence at the Raleigh Amateur Radio Society RARSFEST six weeks ago as well as my absence on the second Monday as Net Control Station on the Tarheel Emergency Net (7:30 pm each night on 3923 KHz).  I also had to miss several other meetings while I was undergoing various diagnostic tests and treatment for a medical condition. 

Anesthesia is a great medical advance but sometimes it can knock you for a loop for several days afterwards.  I now feel better than I have in the past three months. 

My plan is to make Field Day visits (June22-23), to be at the Waynesville Hamfest (July 20) and to co-teach (with NC4VA) the recently scheduled Auxcomm class which will be held in Statesville on July 24-26.  So, I will be seeing many of you in person soon.

CLOSING COMMENT

HONORING THOSE WHO DIED TO KEEP US FREE

Memorial Day is a Federal Holiday that is observed each year on the last Monday in May.  This year the holiday is observed on May 27. 

To some, Memorial Day marks the unofficial beginning of Summer and is the time to head to the beach for a long weekend.

When I was a kid, my Father always referred to Decoration Day.  Many families, including ours, went to the local cemetery to place flowers at the gravestones of relatives who died in wartime.

 In 1971 Congress and the President renamed the event as Memorial Day.  Even before that declaration, as kids, we were taught that it was a time to honor those who died in battle and that it was more than just a day off.

My uncle John was a Flying Farmer and was asked to fly over the local cemetery and drop flowers while   many families were present paying respect to their kin.   I was fourteen years old when he asked me to help him in the flower drop.  That was 65 years ago.

Back then on Memorial Day weekend every business flew the Flag, as did most homes. 

There was a parade led by an Honor Guard, members of the American Legion, Disabled Veterans, and Veterans of Foreign Wars, followed by the high school marching band, and local fire trucks and firemen while the respectful procession closed out with local community groups. 

Every kid on the parade sideline had a small flag and I remember many of the adults saluting or putting their hand over their heart when the Flag passed by.

The celebration closed when the Commander of the local American Legion Post briefly spoke about sacrifice and honor and what each of us owes to those who went before us and died to keep us free.

Back then, heading to beach never seemed as important as it seems today to  be for many people.

Marv, WA4NC

Boone