SCHH ARC “This & That” — January 14, 2025
Winter Field Day at Lake Somerset – Saturday, January 25th!
The SCHH ARC will operate KE4HAM from Lake Somerset on Saturday, January 25th to participate in Winter Field Day (WFD).
Bob Officer (WA6WAY) and Harve Hnatiuk (KB3FW) are coordinating the club’s participation.

Preliminary plans are to operate on 10, 15, 20, and 40 meters as well as using a portable set-up to make contacts via satellite! Plans are to use the famous WA6WAY Power System for off-the-grid power to our radios (and hopefully not for portable heaters, right?). We will look to erect the SCHH ARC’s version of the Twin Towers to elevate a couple antennas and use Mother Nature’s support system with pull lines and tie-offs for others.
This is a “keep it simple” event with everyone bringing their own lunch. The club will provide a case of water and some snacks. Everyone is encouraged to bring snacks and non-alcohol beverages to the event with enough to share if you so choose!
Set-up will begin around 11:30 AM on the 25th. We’ll take a lunch break around 1 PM. We plan to operate from 2 PM until 4:30 – 5 PM.
Any additional info will be included in upcoming issues of “This & That”.
If you are interested in participating in the event, please be sure to notify Harve, KB3FW (hnat463@gmail.com) by January 17th. So far, our WFD team includes KN8F, KQ4JKI, WA6WAY, K2OS, WB4KSG, Jon Watkins, WA8NLX, W8NCA, and KB3FW.
All members are encouraged to participate. Please let Harve know if you are “in”!
A coordination Zoom Meeting for all who plan to participate will be conducted on Tuesday, January 21st t 11 AM.
Emergency Preparedness Task Force Meets Today
The SCHH ARC is ramping up its efforts to establish plans for emergency preparedness and operations during emergencies here in our community.
The Task Force will meet today at Noon on Zoom.
A presentation of the results of the 2024 Emergency Preparedness Survey and a discussion of the results will be included in the meeting. Goals for the Task Force and the next steps to be taken will be established.
Members of the task force include Dan McLaughlin (K4DNY), Jack Frisch (K2ITZ), Bob Kehoe (WB3H), Harve Hnatiuk KB3FW), Bob Officer (WA6WAY), Tom Grodt (WA2PMY), Lonnie Trotta (AD2LT), Bob McCormick (KD8IH), Lon Seward (WB4KSG), Chip Miller (KQ4JKI), Chuck Nehonsky (W8NCA), and Bill Albro (K3WPA).
Volunteer Examiners Training Session Set for This Thursday, January 16th
The SCHH ARC’s Volunteer Examiners (VEs) Coordinator Ken Finke (KN8F) has organized a training session to be held at 10 AM on Thursday, January 16th in the Bayside Room at the Lakehouse.
The training session has been scheduled for VE testing for all VE’s and anyone interested in becoming a VE. We need to review the ExamTools online testing software.
There are two websites that you will need to have access to.
The first is the actual testing environment, the second is the Development environment where you can practice testing.
If you are not already registered, you will need to be registered on both sites.
Please use the links provided in the email that was sent to all members this past week to register on each of the two sites.
If you have a laptop computer, use it to log in these sites as it will remember your password, and bring it to the meeting.
Otherwise, make sure you have your username and password for the meeting.
Please contact Ken via email (kefinke@hotmail.com) if you have any questions.
Club members who are currently VEs include Alan Bomberger (AE7TU), Marty Caprielian (K2EG), Ken Finke (KN8F), Phil Flaxman (AB2LT), Rick Garan (WA8NLX), Dennis Hopkins (AC4DH), Bob Kennedy (N0DQD), Bob McCormick (KD8IH), Chip Miller (KQ4JKI), Larry Ross (W4YR), and Lon Seward (WB4KSG). Thank you to all.
CARS Swap Meet Set for Fall 2025
Good news: The CARS will have a Swap Meet on October 18 at the Airport Rec Center near the Savannah-Hilton Head Airport (SAV)!
More details to follow later this year.
Humor
Thanks to Frank Pollino, K2OS, for this one!

Upcoming Meetings and Events
Tuesday, January 14, 2025 — Emergency Preparedness Task Force Zoom at 12 Noon.
Thursday, January 16, 2025 — Volunteer Examiners Training Session, 10 AM, at the Lakehouse (Bayside Room).
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 — Winter Field Day Coordination Zoom, 11 AM.
Saturday, January 25, 2025 – Winter Field Day (WFD) at Lake Somerset.
Thursday, February 6, 2025 — Tour of SCTV and General Membership Meeting, Pinckney Hall. We are still sorting out the details so please STAY TUNED. More info will be included in upcoming This & That editions.
SCHH ARC Nets
Great participation in last week’s nets: Ten or more check-ins both on Wednesday and Sunday nights. Thanks to all who checked in and provided comments and dialogue.
These are our nets. Please enjoy them. They are very special and give us the opportunity to connect with each other on a regular basis while testing our equipment’s connectivity capabilities.
Please keep our nets alive and well by checking in when you can.
Can you help our nets by being a Net Control Station?
We have two regular net control stations…a third and fourth net control station would really help lighten the load. Please consider giving it a shot!!!
Weekly SCHH ARC Nets
Sunday’s Net (8 PM) operates on 147.550 MHz simplex on the last two Sundays of the calendar month. The Sunday net will be on the KE4HAM repeater (147.135 + with a tone of 91.5 on both the input and the output) on all other Sundays of the calendar month. Check-in can be done even if you don’t have a radio up and running via EchoLink by using the link KE4HAM-L when the net is on SIMPLEX and KE4HAM-R when the net is on the SCHH Okatie Repeater.
Wednesday‘s Net (8 PM) operates through the KK4ONF/Jasper repeater, 147.060+. The net can be accessed via EchoLink using the link KE4HAM-R.
Next 10m SSB Net: Currently set for Tuesday, February 4th at 8 PM on 28.450 Upper Sideband. Net Control will be K2OS, Frank Pollino.
Net Control Stations and EchoLink Coordinator
Thanks to our regular 2m Net Controls: Frank Pollino, K2OS; and Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW.
Thanks to Bob, WA6WAY, for being an alternate Net Control Station and 10m Net Coordinator..
Thanks to Ron Frick, AI4HH, for working diligently to keep EchoLink up and running for our nets.
Net Control Schedule:
— Wednesday, January 15, 2025 @ 8 PM: Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW (KK4ONF Jasper County Repeater)
— Sunday, January 19, 2025 @ 8 PM ET: Frank Pollino, K2OS (KE4HAM Okatie Repeater)
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.
Last week’s check-ins and traffic:.
— Wednesday, January 8: KE4HAM/K2OS, AI4HH, KJ4BSM, WA6WAY, K2ITZ, KQ4JKI, W1ZZ, WB4KSG, WB1DXN, KB3FW, KB2KLN. QNI=11, QTC=0.
— Sunday, January 12: KE4HAM/K2OS, AI4HH, WA6WAY, K3WPA, K2ITZ, AD5EN, KB3FW, WB1DXN, KJ4BSM, KQ4JKI. . QNI=10, QTC=0.
Note: QNI = Number of Check-ins to the net, including Net Control; QTC = Traffic handled (Radiograms).
Other Operating
Daily — Monitor the new KE4HAM Repeater: 147.135 MHz + with a tone of 91.5. You may get some good DX spots from time to time and other members may be there if you want to connect/chat.