September 24 2025 NC SECTION NEWSLETTER

GREETINGS FROM THE HIGH COUNTRY!

The weather up here has been a little of this and a little of that.

 We had some cool weather ten days or so ago when the overnight low got down to 44.1 degrees.  On the other end of the temperature spectrum the recorded high so far this month was 82.2 degrees a few days ago.

It has been dry over much of North Carolina and you may want to look at a map that comes out each Thursday which highlights abnormally dry conditions across the State.  The most recent map was posted a few days ago (https://www.ncdrought.org/) and shows that the High Country located north and east of Mt Mitchell, as well along the Virginia border and then including most of eastern North Carolina all need rain. 

Some leaves (a few) have changed colors and when the wind picks up, I see some leaves falling to the ground.  Unless there is a lot of wind and rain, the leaf forecasters are predicting great colors across the mountains in terms of the Fall colors.  A forecast for Fall colors in the mountains can be found at https://highcountryhost.com/2025-Fall-Leaf-Color-NC-Mountains-Forecast-Report .

In less than a month, the High Country will be extremely crowded.  October 18 may have some of the largest Fall crowds ever in the High Country when the Wooly Worm Festival (Banner Elk), the Valley Country Fair (Valle Crucis), a sold out home football game at Appalachian, plus leaf lookers who                                                                                                        come up here to look at the colors and the crowds.

ARRL MATTERS

By now many readers will have gotten one or more emails about the ARRL campaign to persuade Congress (US House and the US Senate) to pass legislation to obtain for radio amateurs a law that, if passed, would over-rule home owner association regulations that prohibit amateur radio antennas within subdivisions.  At one time Home Owner Associations prohibited satellite, over the air tv, wifi and other antennas.  Amateur operation want the same legal rights as are provided other communications systems so they can communicate with other amateurs and to be able to summon help in disaster situations. 

Your attention is directed to a website put up by the ARRL that contains a description of the proposed legislation that ARRL is sponsoring. 

If you want to lend your voice and support to the campaign, go to http://send-a-letter.org/hoa/    All that you need to do is to enter your amateur call sign and the computer system will produce three letters (one for your House member and two for both US Senators.  ARRL representatives will hand-deliver the letters to each Congressional office in Washington.

You do not have to be a member of ARRL to participate the effort to overturn HOA regulations prohibiting amateur radio antennas within subdivisions.  However you must hold a valid amateur radio license.  ARRL will print out the letters and deliver them to your elected members of Congress.

ROANOKE DIVISION TOWN HALL

Roanoke Vice Director Bill Morine (N2COP) has announced that there will be a Roanoke Division Town Hall this coming Monday (September 29) at 9pm. 

The Town Hall will highlight progress being made by ARRL in producing letters from licensed amateur operators that indicate their support for a federal law that would require Home Owner Associations to change HOA rules to accommodate amateur radio antennas . 

ARRL Director John Robert Stratton (N5AUS)  is  leading the effort and will report during the Town Hall on the progress that continues to be made on securing a federal law that would basically treat amateur antennas as satellite dishes, wifi antennas and direct broadcast antennas which were once prohibited but which are now generally allowed.

Hams who choose to participate in the ARRL campaign can go to a website and enter their amateur radio callsign and wish to urge the House Members Senators to vote for legislation that has been introduced which will order Home Owner Associations to allow amateur radio antennas which are now prohibited in may subdivisions  across the United States.

Details on how to connect to the Town Hall will be released I a few days.

UPCOMING NC HAM EVENTS

9/27, LEXINGTON, HEALING SPRINGS HAMFEST,  Lexington Farmers Market Flea Market,366 Livestock Market Rd, Lexington, NC 27292   Info can be found at https://www.w4par.org/

10/12, MAYSVILLE,  Maysville Hamfest sponsored  by MAYSVILLE Hamfest Association, info at //www.maysvillehamfest.org               

10/16-10/26, RALEIGH, NC STATE FAIR HAM RADIO CONTACT TABLE.  IF YOU WISH TO SIGN UP FOR A 6 HOUR SHIFT AND GET FREE ADMISSION TO THE FAIR, CONTACT TRAVIS RUSSELL, KN4WJL@proton.me.

10/18/2025 - Winston-Salem. HAMFEST, FORSYTH AMATEUR RADIO CLUB, INFO AT http://w4nc.com             

 11/16/2025.JARSFEST,BENSON, American Legion Complex, 605 N. Wall St., Benson, NC 27504. SPONSORED BY Johnston Amateur Radio Society, CONTACT Richard Futrell , N4AED, 919-345-2839, Email: n4aed@hotmail.com

W4DNA TRAFFIC REPORT

Each month, Dave Roy (W4DNA, SECTION TRAFFIC MANAGER) reports on the activities of various nets and operators who participate in the National Traffic System. His complete report is posted at ncarrl.org.  Thanks go out toe Dave and the Traffic Handlers as well as to  Susan Langley Jones for her time and efforts in updating the ncarrl.org webpage.

W4DNA - NC Section Net Report - AUGUST 2025
NET	NMGR	QNI	LISTED	PASSED	TIME	SESSIONS	TFC %
SECTION NETS
CN	AA4MP	360	142	131	599	62	92.25%
CSN	KI4KZS	153	22	22	678	31	100.00%
NCEN	WK4WC	379	113	112	481	31	99.12%
NCMN	W3OJO	141	142	140	477	31	98.59%
THEN	N3TLV	467	1	1	553	30	100.00%
LOCAL TRAFFIC NETS
CWTN	KJ4JWC	356	104	104	537	31	100.00%
ENCTN	W4DNA	150	14	14	210	26	100.00%
PCTN	W4TTO	181	52	52	243	31	100.00%
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP NETS
C-MNN	KI4FAQ	484	0	0	377	31	N/A
TOTAL		2671	590	576	4155	304	97.63%

 

FCC MATTERS

On September 19, the FCC issued a public notice of unlicensed operation to amateur licensee C6AND for operating a transmitter on 20.8 MHz in Napier, Illinois.  The operatror claimed that a bi-lateral reciprocal agreement between the United States and the Commonwealth of the Bahamas authorized the operation.  The FCC apparently disagreed.  The FCC directed operations to cease immediately. 

Info can be found at https://www.fcc.gov/edocs/daily-digest/2025/09/22

DMR UPDATE and REFRESHER

DMR continues to grow in popularity around the world and inn the United States

·                  Earlier in September RADIOID.NET indicated that 290,552 radioid’s have been  issued WORLDWIDE

•             In the same 30 day period radioid.net reported 2,240 new radioid’s had been issued as well as            55 new radioid’s had been issued for new repeaters

•             125,520 radioid’s have been assigned within the UNITED  STATES

•             A total of 5,233 userid’s have been assigned to persons with addresses in NORTH CAROLINA.

It is important to note that each of the radioid’s is not necessarily tied to a unique radio.  For example, I have a couple of mobile units and all of them share the same mobile radio userid.

On the PRN system which includes 60 repeaters in NC, SC and southern Virginia, only the talkgroups listed at https://ncprn.net/?page_id=12  will work.  Talkgroups used on Brandmeister may not work on the PRN system if the talkgroup is paired with the the incorrect timeslot.

Efforts are underway to increase the number of PRN repeaters connected to the PRN system which will soon be tied to the NC Emergency Management Western Branch Regional  Coordinating Center which is being relocated from Newton to Lenoir, NC.

We hold the HIGH COUNTRY UHF DIGITAL NET each Tuesday night at 8p.m on  the local talk group on 18 linked PRN DMR repeaters (Roanoke, Wytheville, Fancy Gap, West Jefferson, Wilkesboro, Boone, Sugartop, Lenoir, Spruce Pine, Crowders, Charlotte, Wingate, Albemarle, Burnsville, Hendersonville, Sylva, Cullowhee and Franklin.  The CBridge connects the local talk groups for one hour and anyone within the range of any of the listed PRN repeaters in welcome to participate.  The repeaters can be linked together whenever needed by Auxcomm leaders for training or disaster operation.

DOWN EAST HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOON REPORT

Matt McMahon in Greenville NC reports:

Well, it’s time to mark the final resting place of our high-altitude radio balloon. Its last transmission came from 44,000 ft above Armori, India, and we haven’t heard a signal in 14 days. At this point, we believe it has either come down or experienced technical failure.

 

Here’s a summary of its record-setting flight:

 • Flight duration: 194 days, 17 hours

 • Distance traveled: 197,000+ miles

 • Average altitude: 45,000 ft

 

In that time, we circled the globe more than 12 times, crossed over the North Pole multiple times, and even made two trips into the Southern Hemisphere. The list of countries it traversed would be too long to count. Notably, the balloon also held a spot among the top five longest-duration flights for active payloads. 

 

A big congratulations to the team for making this possible. We’ll be gearing up for another launch this winter.

SPACE COMMAND MOVING FROM COLORADO TO HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA
HAM RADIO MAY BE IMPACTED

Earlier this month, the President and the Department of Defense announced that the on again—off again relocation of the Space Command from  Colorado Springs to Huntsville is back on again.  Announcement found at  https://www.huntsvilleal.gov/u-s-space-command-headquarters-is-moving-to-huntsville/

There may well be a political aspect to the decision since jobs are involved along with economic impacts associated with new construction which will house the Space Command at the Redstone Arsenal.

A potentially adverse impact may be involved if a fourth PAVE PAWS Space Radar system is constructed at Redstone Arsenal.  There are three existing PAVE PAWS sites:  Cape Cod, MA; Alaska; and California. 

PAVE PAWS is a complex radar system designed to detect the launch of missiles from submarines and in other locations has preempted the use of 420-450 MHz  (amateur is secondary to military use) within 100 miles of a PAVE PAWS site. Generally hams cannot exceed 50 watts of power on 420-450 MHz if located within 100 miles of a PAVE PAWS radar site.   Cities that could be affected that could be affected by a new PAVE PAWS radar site that are near Huntsville Alabama include:

100 miles:           Nashville, TN

85 miles:              Birmingham, AL

76 miles:              Chattanooga, TN

78 miles:              Murfreesboro, TN

92 miles:              Hoover, AL

24 miles:              Decatur, AL

84 miles:              Franklin, TN

89 miles:              Vestavia Hills, AL

  9 miles:              Madison, AL

59 miles:              Gadsden, AL

62 miles:              Florence, AL

87 miles:              Rome, GA

66 miles:              Columbia, TN

87 miles:              Smyrna, TN

91 miles:              Brentwood, TN

 

The three existing PAVE PAWS sites are in sparsely populated areas (national seashore, California desert, and Alaska) which have not had much amateur activity on 420-450 MHz. Repeater operations have generally been accommodated on 10 meter, 6 meter, 2 meter and 220 MHz bands but not on 420-450 MHz.

 

ARRL’s  Lab apparently has been working for several years on studies to determine whether and how amateur radio uhf repeaters and EME operations  can co-exist within the standard 100 mile radius of a PAVE PAWS radar site,    For info, go to https://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-lab-helps-radio-amateurs-avoid-interfering-with-us-space-force-radar

 

CLOSING COMMENT

Charter Spectrum has been slowing a lot of video  of the damages and partial recovery from Hurricane Helene which struck a year ago this week..  Some areas still have huge piles of tree limbs and other debris while others areas have pretty much returned to their pre-Helene status.

With only three months remaining before we get into real winter weather it would be prudent to check and repair as needed any of your antennas.  Mountaintop repeater sites in the High Country took a heck of a beating from high winds and bolts may have become loosened, connector on coax may have been damaged, emergency power systems likely need attention from their intense use during Helene and their use as lifelines during post-Helene recovery.

The time to check out everything is before the time that winter weather arrives.

Best wishes,

Marv, WA4NC

NC Section Manager