SCHH ARC “This & That” — July 1, 2025
The Weekly Newsletter of the Sun City Hilton Head Amateur Radio Club (SCHH ARC)
Editor – Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW
SCHH ARC Enjoys Successful ARRL Field Day
After weeks of planning and keeping fingers crossed for favorable weather, ARRL Field Day was a huge success for the SCHH ARC.
Seventeen club members — about one-third of our ARC’s licensed hams — participated at Lake Somerset last Saturday.
Set-up at the site began around 10 AM. Rick Garan, WA8NLX and Ed Stratton, W1ZZ along with a couple other members worked on the 15 meter and 20 meter dipole installation in the picnic area.
The club had a great turnout for set-up with many members pitching in to get things right. It was hot and humid out there but few, if any, complaints were heard. The show went on!
Others worked to get the club’s multiband dipole set up for the CW station and to erect a canopy for the brass pounders.
We operated four stations using the club’s call sign KE4HAM.
Two stations were dedicated to Single Sideband (SSB) operation, one on 15 meters and the other on 20 meters. End-to-end dipoles strung in the trees in the picnic bench area were oriented to get our signals out toward the west a bit more. Ed Stratton, W1ZZ and Sherwin Tames, W4QNW used the club’s Icom 7300 to make 60 contacts on 20 meters SSB. Rick Garan, WA8NLX and Bob McCormick, KD8IH used Rick’s Kenwood transceiver to get 18 contacts on 15 meters SSB.
The CW station was operated by Frank Pollino, K2OS and Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW. The station was set up in the grass area west of the picnic area and had a canopy to provide some well-needed shade. The Morse code was flying out at about 24 words per minute using Harve’s Icom 7300 and Vibroplex paddle. The club’s multiband dipole was strung from one of our portable towers to a nearby tree. Frank and Harve operated on 15, 20, and 40 meters and notched 85 QSOs.
A fourth station was set up to operate on 2 meters, 6 meters, and 10 meters FM with hopes to make contacts with local ham friends and club members who were unable to get to the Lake for Field Day. That station made a couple of contacts on 2 meters using the club’s other portable tower and equipment and an antenna provided by Bob Officer, WA6WAY.
Club members were able to take a break and catch up with others throughout the afternoon.
Thanks to all members who participated or visited the site on Saturday: Bill Albro (K3WPA), Charile Bess (AD5EN), Phil Flaxman (AB2LT), Rick Garan (WA8NLX), Harve Hnatiuk (KB3FW), Dennis Hopkins (AC4DH), Ron Kramer (W2RJK), Dan Kreshak (KO4AQI), Bob McCormick (KD8IH), Chip Miller (KQ4JKI), Chuck Nehonsky (W8NCA), Bob Officer (WA6WAY), Frank Pollino (K2OS), Ed Stratton (W1ZZ), Sherwin Tames (W4QNW), and Terry Ward (W8TPW).
Thanks also to Ken Finke, KN8F for loaning the club his 20 meter dipole and bandpass filters for 15 and 20 meters and to Lon Seward, WB4KSG for loaning the ARC his canopy, which was greatly appreciated at the CW station location.
Many thanks to Dennis Hopkins, AC4DH, who generously donated his 15 meter dipole to the club for use this year and in future Field Days and POTA events.
And special thanks to Sharon Officer for picking up and bringing the pizzas to the site that the set-up squad enjoyed for lunch.
It was helpful to our ARC’s activity that two members of our club who did not come to the Field Day site had QSOs with the Field Day Team. Bob Kennedy, N0DQD had two contacts with KE4HAM, one on 20 meters SSB and the other on 2 meters FM. Ron Frick, AI4HH contacted KE4HAM on 2 meters FM.
Look for more detailed results of our ARRL Field Day operation and some additional photos in next week’s “This & That”.
Thirteen Colonies Special Event Begins Today!
The annual Thirteen Colonies special event begins at 9 AM this morning and will be up and running on all modes and all bands until Midnight on July 7th.
Keep an eye out for K2A through K2M, thirteen callsigns in states that made up the original thirteen colonies. There are also three bonus stations located in Philadelphia, Great Britain, and France.
Last year’s “tough ones to get” were K2E (Delaware) and K2C (Rhode Island). GB3COL was also a tough catch last year.
South Carolina’s K2L team should be easy to find and includes SCHH ARC members Ed Stratton, W1ZZ and Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW.
10 Meter SSB Net Tonight!
The club’s monthly 10 meter single sideband net will be conducted tonight at 8 PM on 28.450 MHz.
Frank Pollino, K2OS will be KE4HAM’s net control.
Last month, we had fourteen members check into the net!
Hope to hear you on the net this evening.
Emergency Preparedness Task Force Report Sent to SCHH CA
A report that summarizes the work of the club’s Emergency Preparedness Task Force was sent to the Sun City Hilton Head Community Association yesterday for its review. The cover sheet of the report is shown below.
The report discusses how ham radio operators have provided assistance to their communities during past emergencies and provides a framework for how our club’s members can work together to be a part of ham radio’s emergency communications network. The report also addresses how we might be able to help residents in SCHH when normal power and communications are unavailable by getting health and welfare information into and out of our community.
Stay tuned…when we hear back from the SCHH CA, we’ll report back to you.
What’s Coming Up
Tuesday, July 1 through July 7, 2025 — Annual 13 Colonies Special Event with K2L representing South Carolina.
Tuesday, July 22, 2025 –– Zoom Meeting to discuss plans for August 9th’s Parks on the Air Activation at Lake Warren State Park. Zoom info will be sent to all members.
Saturday, August 9, 2025 — KE4HAM Parks on the Air Activation at Lake Warren State Park. More info will be in This & That in the coming weeks.
SCHH ARC Nets
Net News
Summer is here and net activity continues to be very good!
All licensed SCHH ARC members and friends are invited to join the fun!
Can you help our nets be even greater? Volunteering to be a Net Control Station would be a big HELP. Please let Harve, KB3FW know if you want to give it a try (hnat463@gmail.com).
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) will operate until further notice on the KE4HAM Okatie Repeater (147.135 + with a tone of 91.5 on both input and output). The net can be accessed via EchoLink using the link KE4HAM-R.
Next 10m SSB Net: TONIGHT! Tuesday, July 1st @ 8 PM Local Time on 28.450 MHz SSB.
Net Control Stations and EchoLink Coordinator
Thanks to our regular 2m Net Controls: Frank Pollino, K2OS; Rick Garan, WA8NLX; and Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW.
Thanks to Frank, K2OS for also being the net control station of our monthly 10m SSB net.
Thanks to Bob Officer, WA6WAY, for being an alternate Net Control Station and overseer of our KE4HAM repeater.
Thanks to Ron Frick, AI4HH, for working diligently to keep EchoLink up and running for our nets.
Net Control Schedule:
— Tuesday, July 1st @ 8 PM: Frank Pollino, K2OS (10m SSB, 28.450 MHz).
— Wednesday, July 2nd @ 8 PM: Rick Garan, WA8NLX (KE4HAM Okatie Repeater).
— Sunday, July 6th @ 8 PM: Frank Pollino, K2OS (KE4HAM Okatie Repeater).
— Wednesday, July 9th @ 8 PM: Frank Pollino, K2OS (KE4HAM Okatie Repeater).
— Sunday, July 13th @ 8 PM: Frank Pollino, K2OS (KE4HAM Okatie Repeater).
— Wednesday, July 16th @ 8 PM: Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW (KE4HAM Okatie Repeater).
SCHH ARC Net Reports:
Thanks to ALL who checked in to our SCHH ARC nets last week.
Last week’s check-ins and traffic:
— Wednesday, June 25th 2m Repeater Net: KE4HAM/KB3FW, AI4HH, AA4KK, WB1DXN, KJ4BSM, K2ITZ, WA6WAY, K2OS, KR4EBK, AD5EN, WA8NLX. QNI=11, QTC=0.
— Sunday, June 29th 2m Simplex Net: KE4HAM/K2OS, AI4HH, AA4KK, WA6WAY, WB1DXN, KJ4BSM, K2ITZ, KB3FW, W1ZZ, WA8NLX, KR4EBK, K3WPA. QNI=12, QTC=0.
Note: QNI = Number of Check-ins to the net, including Net Control; QTC = Traffic handled (Radiograms).
Other Operating
Daily — Monitor the 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. If you are listening to the repeater, feel free to announce your call and that you are “monitoring”!