December 19, 2023 Weekly This & That Newsletter
de KB3FW
Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday season!
It was great to see many of you at our Holiday Celebration Dinner on December 7th at Jameson’s.
We hope that all who celebrate Hanukkah had a wonderful 8 days of lights and festivities.
We wish others who celebrate Christmas as we do here at KB3FW a Merry Christmas.
For others, maybe it is “Festivus”. So if that is your holiday, enjoy it as well as the rest of us have been enjoying ours!
All the best to you and yours from Cyndee and Harve @ KB3FW.
Winter Field Day 2024
There are preliminary plans for our club to participate in Winter Field Day on Saturday, January 27th.
If you would like to be a part of the Winter Field Day Team, please reach out to Harve, KB3FW (hnat463@gmail.com).
Information on Winter Field Day can be found here: https://winterfieldday.org/downloads/2024-WFDA-Rules-Packet-V.-10.04.23.pdf
Club Logo Contest Update
We have four entries for the Logo Contest! A fifth entry is anticipated.
Is one of these entries yours?
If not, please get creative and send an entry in!
The competition is heating up! Get in the game!
Please send YOUR ENTRY soon!
Enter by sending a .jpeg of your design to Harve at hnat463@gmail.com.
ARRL Roanoke Division Town Hall – December 28th
Maybe your holiday calendar isn’t quite full.
Mark your calendars to join your elected divisional ARRL officials on
Thursday, December 28, at 8:00 PM as we review 2023, and look ahead to
the New Year and what will be happening in the world of Amateur Radio.
Division Director Jim Boehner, N2ZZ, and Vice Director Bill Morine,
N2COP, will be joined by the Section Managers for North Carolina – Marv
Hoffman, WA4NC, South Carolina – John Gendron, NJ4Z, Virginia – Jack
Smith, KE4LWT, and West Virginia – Dan Ringer, K8WV.
ARRL members, keep an eye out for an email with the Zoom log-in information.
2023 was a transitional year for ARRL and Amateur Radio. The FCC began
to take action on long awaited matters, and 2023 was the year ARRL began
to lay out ambitious multiyear plans to attract a new generation of
Hams. Find out the details on the next ARRL Roanoke Division Town Hall on December 28th.
Humor
QSL Card of the Week
Yes, this really happened! Confirmation of KE4HAM’s Moon Bounce QSO with an Italian station on Thanksgiving Weekend.
Franco’s antenna is a bit more sophisticated than ours was!
Next Membership Meeting – January 4, 2024 at the Lakehouse
Our January 4th meeting will start at 7 PM with a presentation on the ARRL’s “Logbook of The World” by Ken Finke, KN8F. The regular membership meeting will follow Ken’s presentation. Hope to see you in early 2024 at the membership meeting!
Club Website
Click here to get to the Club’s website: https://www.ke4ham.org. If you notice any errors or have site-related questions, email: webmaster@ke4ham.org.
SCHH ARC Nets:
NOTE THAT THE SUNDAY NIGHT SIMPLEX NET WILL NOT BE HELD ON DECEMBER 24TH AND DECEMBER 31ST.
Sunday NET (8 PM) operates on 147.550 MHz simplex and EchoLink node: KE4HAM – L
Wednesday Nets (8 PM) operates from KK4ONF/Jasper repeater, 147.060+ and EchoLink node: KE4HAM-R
Thanks to our regular Net Controls: Bob Officer, WA6WAY; Russ Treadwell, N1ZK; and Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW.
Thanks to Ron Frick, AI4HH, for keeping the nets on EchoLink.
Net Control Schedule:
— Wednesday, December 20 & 27; 8 PM ET: Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW
— NO NETS ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24TH AND SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31ST.
If you are interested in being a Net Control, please let Ron or Harve know.
SCHH ARC Net Reports:
Thanks to ALL who checked in to our SCHH ARC nets last week.
If you have the time, please check into our club’s nets on a regular basis.
Even if you don’t think you have much to say when you check in, “Hello, and hope everyone is doing well” is a good start, right?
Beyond that, as you “read the mail”, hearing what others are contributing to our collective knowledge-base and providing personal updates, you may find that you DO have a few things to say!
Last week’s check-ins and traffic:
— Wednesday, December 13: KE4HAM/KB3FW (Net Control), AI4HH, WA6WAY. QNI=3, QTC=0.
— Sunday, December 17: KE4HAM/WA6WAY (Net Control) — NO REPORT
Note – QNI = Number of Check-ins to the net, including Net Control; QTC = Traffic handled (Radiograms).
Other Operating:
Daily — DX spotting and open chat 24/7 on 147.550 MHz simplex and the Jasper Repeater, 147.060+ (no Echolink).
KB3FW – SCHH ARC President