Posted Sep 3, 2024
GREETINGS FROM THE HIGH COUNTRY
Recently there have been some beautiful days up here. Temps are starting to cool off and the high temperature near Tweetsie Railroad has been at least ten degrees cooler than the rather warm weather we had during the Shelby Hamfest.
This past Saturday, while I was at Shelby, large crowds came to Boone. There was a home football game in which AppState defeated East Tennessee State and there was a big crowd at Tweetsie. The special ambiance of Blowing Rock was there for visitors to marvel over. There were lots of visitors who came to the mountains for the last weekend of the summer.
On the topic of the changing weather, which is not far off in time, you might want to look at the annual leaf color prediction made by Dr. Howard Neufeld of the Appstate Biology Department. His predictions for the timing of the peak fall colors can be found at https://wataugaonline.com/fall-color-report/ .
A lot has been happening recently and the pace of events continues to pick up. Here are some activities that you might want to consider:
· NC Parks on the Air is this weekend (September 7-8). This is a great time to visit a state park or historic site and enjoy ham radio at the same time. Information on sites, rules and how to get on the air can be found at https://ncpota.org/ .
· September 14 is the date for the East Tennessee Hamfest in Dandridge TN which is not too far away for operators in the western half of North Carolina. This event picks up where the older Morristown TN hamfest left off. Information is at http://www.lakewayarc.org/hamfest/.
· September 21 is the date for the Clingman Hamfest in Wilkes County. Come up to Apple Country and see the first of leaf changes as you visit in the High Country. A flyer about the Clingman Hamfest can be found at https://www.clingmanhamfest.com/ .
· September 28 is the date of the W4PAR Healing Springs Hamfest held near Lexington NC. If a ham radio flea market is not enough to make the trip worthwhile you can also visit one of North Carolina’s barbecue centers in Lexington. Information about the hamfest can be found at https://www.w4par.org/2024-lexington-hamfest .
· October 12 is the date for the Rock Hill Hamfest in South Carolina. Information can be found at https://www.ycars.org/hamfest .
· The NC State Fair in Raleigh is not far off in time (October 17-27). A group of operators from the Raleigh area will have a tent at the fair to highlight ham radio. Please contact Travis Russell (KN4WJL) at kn4wjl@proton.me if you want to be one of the operators at the State Fair who are demonstrating ham radio and talking to young and old about the fun involved in ham radio.
· Scouts across the country and around the world will be on the air October 20-22 for the Jamboree on the Air. During JOTA I plan to talk by ham radio to both my scout grandsons who are in Ohio and Pennsylvania and are active in scouting. Check with one of the eleven Scout Councils in North Carolina for ways in which you or your club can get involved with Scouting radio. Information about JOTA can be found at https://www.jotajoti.info/ and information about the various Scout Councils in North Carolina can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scouting_in_North_Carolina.
OTHER TOPICS
· If the heat gets to be too much for you, or you just want to reminisce, a complete collection of Radio Shack catalogs can be found at https://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/ .
· For a review of the early history of Land Mobile Radio, particularly police mobile radio, go to https://fasma.org/wp-content/uploads/1962-Proceedings-of-the-IRE-The-History-of-Land-Mobile-Radio-Communications-Daniel-E.-Noble.pdf . Much of the operation of amateur radio FM stations was based upon the development of public safety radio systems described in this article.
· The Voice of America plans to decommission its high frequency shortwave stations located in the Marianas Islands. A decreasing audience base as well as costs associated with needed repairs following a typhoon in 2018 led to decision to shut down the station. Information can be found at https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/headlines/voa-shuttering-marianas-shortwave-site?utm_term=8EDE87A3-B195-4AF4-8CE8-D55DF38A1FA1&lrh=0f1f841e4aa6b92b8d3b24a6966887273a317335f3261a41997702e0add1459e&utm_campaign=0028F35E-226C-4B60-AC88-AB2831C8A639&utm_medium=email&utm_content=7493B67C-F716-4C10-A4EE-DBB82BFF5C35&utm_source=SmartBrief .
· Brace yourself for a mind-numbing onslaught of political ads which will become more numerous each week until Election Day. Media experts indicate that campaigns have already spent $800 million. See the report that can be found at https://www.insideradio.com/free/presidential-ad-race-nears-800m-spent-but-october-will-bring-the-real-ad-surge/article_36a5cfd0-6442-11ef-8ac2-6ff1526a947c.html .
· ARRL IT systems are slowly being restored, particularly those involved with contesting and awards. Restoration of the bulk mailing system normally used by Directors, Vice Directors and Section Managers will likely not occur until the end of 2024.
WEATHER/EMERGENCY INFORMATION SITES
· NC Wildfire Information -- https://ncfspublic.firesponse.com/
· NC Flooding Information -- https://fiman.nc.gov/
· NC Road Closures -- https://drivenc.gov/
· US Air Traffic -- https://www.flightradar24.com/
· US Weather Information -- https://weather.com/
· Hurricane Information -- https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
· Severe Storm Center -- https://www.spc.noaa.gov/
· Space Weather -- https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/
· NC Drought Conditions -- https://www.ncdrought.org/
· Internet Failures -- https://downdetector.com/
· NC Power Outages -- https://www.ncdps.gov/power-outages
· US Power Grid -- https://www.eia.gov/electricity/gridmonitor/dashboard/electric_overview/US48/US48
LEGACY PLANNING
The ARRL Channel on YouTube recently carried a program that urges hams to do something which many of us put off because we don’t want to think about which is the fact that sooner or later we will die.
We have spent a lifetime and some considerable amount of money building our collection of transmitters, receivers, test equipment and associated ham equipment. Who will dispose of this equipment when you are gone, particularly if your death is sudden?
Some of us will hope that the equipment is sold in order to augment funds already set aside for our family. Others will want to give the equipment to a local school so that the next generation of hams can have hands-on experiences with technology which will likely shape their future lives and careers. Other hams will leave no instruction and our survivors may cast aside valuable equipment which they have no idea of its value or its usefulness.
An interesting streaming video about ham radio estate planning can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQF31INyo-w. The streaming video may help you think about what you want to happen to your equipment after you have died.
QUICK QUIZ
Brush up on your electronic history. What were the contributions to electronics and the modern world that were made by these individuals?
Nikola Tesla
Alessandro Volta
Michael Faraday
William B. Schockley
Robert Sarnoff
Edwin Armstrong
Reginald Fressenden
Art Collins
CLOSING COMMENT
There is a lot to do this time of year. Hurricane Season continues until November 1 so don’t think that the slow pace of hurricanes so far this year means that we no longer face danger from Atlantic and Gulf storms. Fall is the time to ready your antennas for the coming of winter weather. Propagation will likely continue to be good for long-haul contacts. Best wishes for good health and fun operating your radios.
Marv, WA4NC
NC Section Manager
Boone
mkhoffman2006@gmail.com