SCHH ARC “This & That” — January 21, 2025

Winter Field Day Planned for This Saturday!!!

The SCHH ARC plans to operate KE4HAM on Saturday (January 25th) to participate in Winter Field Day(WFD).

The weather forecast for Saturday has temperatures not getting out of the 40s.

There is a Planning Zoom this morning (Tuesday, January 21st) at 11 AM during which the assembled group will decide whether WFD is Go or No Go. All club members will be informed as to the status of WFD after the Zoom meeting concludes. We are keeping fingers crossed that the forecast improves.

Bob Officer (WA6WAY) and Harve Hnatiuk (KB3FW) are coordinating the club’s participation.

Plans are to operate on 10, 15, 20, and 40 meters as well as using a portable set-up to make contacts via satellite! All setups will use the famous WA6WAY Power System for off-the-grid power. We plan to erect the SCHH ARC’s two portable 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.

Emergency Preparedness Task Force Update

The SCHH ARC Emergency Preparedness Task Force met last week to discuss the results of the recent survey about this topic and to begin planning what we as hams in Sun City can do to help our community during storm-related outages to normal power and communications.

A presentation of the results of the 2024 Emergency Preparedness Survey had 23 respondents, nearly 40 per cent of our club’s members. Twelve of the respondents are part of the Task Force. Eleven of the twelve Task Force members participated in the Zoom.

Other takeaways from the survey:

  • The respondents unanimously agreed that SCHH ARC hams should be available to help during emergency situations.
  • A majority of the respondents said they would help with emergency communications during an emergency assuming that they were here in SCHH.
  • Most who replied to the survey can key both local repeaters (KK4ONF and KE4HAM) from their home stations.
  • A few respondents indicated that they have no radios.
  • HT to HT and HT to home-based stations coverage needs to be established through operational testing.
  • Five respondents indicated that they plan to stay in SCHH even during a Cat 5 hurricane. Five other respondents said that they would stay during a Cat 1 or 2 storm but otherwise evacuate the area.

The Task Force will meet again at Noon on February 4th on Zoom.

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).

Next week’s This & That will include some ideas that have come out of the survey and the Task Force meeting.

Upcoming Meetings and Events

Tuesday, January 21, 2025 — Winter Field Day Coordination Zoom, 11 AM.

Saturday, January 25, 2025 – Winter Field Day (WFD) at Lake Somerset.

Tuesday, February 4, 2025 — Emergency Preparedness Task Force Zoom, 12 Noon.

Tuesday, February 4, 2025 – Next 10m SSB Net, 28.450 MHz, 8 PM.

Thursday, February 6, 2025 — Tour of SCTV and General Membership Meeting, Pinckney Hall. More info will be included in upcoming This & That editions.

SCHH ARC Nets

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 22, 2025 @ 8 PM: Frank Pollino, K2OS (KK4ONF Jasper County Repeater)

— Sunday, January 26, 2025 @ 8 PM ET: Frank Pollino, K2OS (Simplex)

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 15: KE4HAM/KB3FW, AI4HH, WA6WAY, K2OS, WA8NLX, KQ4JKI, W1ZZ, WB4KSG, WB1DXN. QNI=9, QTC=0.

— Sunday, January 19: KE4HAM/K2OS, AI4HH, WA6WAY, KD8IH, K3WPA, KJ4BSM, KB3FW, KQ4KOO, WB4KSG, W1ZZ. 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.Edit