SCHH ARC “This & That” — July 29, 2025
The Weekly Newsletter of the Sun City Hilton Head Amateur Radio Club (SCHH ARC)
Editor – Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW
POTA Activation Details Emerge from Planning Meeting
Mark Your Calendars and Plan to Be at Lake Warren State Park on August 9th!
Plans for the August 9th outing to Lake Warren State Park are coalescing. Last week’s planning meeting established that KE4HAM will operate three stations up in Hampton County, one on CW and two on SSB. The three stations will look to operate on 20m and 40m/15m SSB as well as on 20m and perhaps other bands on CW.
The three KE4HAM will each need to get a minimum of 10 QSOs in order to get credit for a Parks on the Air (POTA) activation. With operations slated to begin by Noon and last until about 3 PM, that should not be a major challenge.
Jack Frisch, K2ITZ is leading the club’s POTA activation and has staked out 20m SSB for his station at the park. Jack will use the Icom 7300 that was donated to the club by Russ Treadwell, N1KZ. Jack will use an end-fed wire antenna.
Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW will set up his Icom 7300 and most likely use his portable vertical (aka “the pipsqueak”) to be able to range across any band from 10m to 40m, including the WARC bands. It is anticipated that Frank Pollino, K2OS will share in the CW operation.
The other SSB station will operate on either 15m or 40m. Ken Finke, KN8F is planning to bring his Kenwood transceiver and use a dipole that he put together for 40m or the 15m dipole that was recently donated to the ARC by Dennis Hopkins, AC4DH.
Logging can be done on paper or using HamRS with a computer.
There are at least four 120 VAC receptacles at our pavilion at the park…power should not be an issue unless Mother Nature or gremlins interfere.
As is our tradition for the summer outing, the assembled group will be dining on grilled hot dogs and snacks…maybe a side salad too.
The ARC will have a case of water (chilled hopefully) on hand. Lon Seward, WB4KSG will be coordinating food and beverage. Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW has agreed to help with that and will coordinate with Lon.
All members coming to the outing are encouraged to bring snacks for all to enjoy and any beverages (no alcohol!) that they wish to enjoy themselves or care to share. We usually have no shortages of food and drink!
We’ll be getting some items out of our storage area to bring up to Lake Warren a day or two before heading up there. Stay tuned for final info on that.
This outing is open to all club members. Members who come to the lake will be welcomed and encouraged to operate one of the three KE4HAM stations.
It is important though that you let Jack Frisch or Harve Hnatiuk know if you are planning to be there and if you are bringing a guest or guests.
As of now, the following club members have indicated that they will be there: Lon Seward (WB4KSG), Ken Finke (KN8F), Chip Miller (KQ4JKI), Frank Pollino (K2OS), Jack Frisch (K2ITZ), Harve Hnatiuk (KB3FW), Bob Officer (WA6WAY). Apologies if any members were missed in this listing. But, if you don’t see your name here and want to join the fun, please let Harve or Jack know you are going to be there.
More details and additional info will be in the upcoming issues of This & That.
Do You Do Parks on the Air? If So, How Are You Doing?
We did not get much feedback from the request in last week’s This & That…surprising for sure.
Many SCHH ARC members have gotten into Parks on the Air (POTA).
Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW has this to say about POTA: “POTA has created a higher level of activity on all modes of ham radio. I have worked stations in parks using CW, SSB, FT4, and FT8…they are out there and it is a lot of fun to ‘build’ the number of parks that you have hunted.”
Presently, KB3FW has 1,300 +/- unique parks worked and one activation credit. Harve has contacted parks on CW, FT4, FT8, and SSB.
Jack Frisch, K2ITZ is the King of POTA in our SCHH ARC. Jack has contacted (hunted) 4500+ unique parks, all of them of SSB. Jack is a huge proponent of POTA and has a lot of activations under his belt as well.
Doing a quick scan on the POTA app, we have other members who are active on POTA including (in no particular order) Dennis Hopkins, AC4DH (1,145 parks hunted), Ken Finke, KN8F (137 hunted with one activation), Frank Pollino, K2OS (243), and Chip Miller, KQ4JKI (58).
If we’ve missed anyone here, our apologies but please send your numbers in!
Also, if you care to comment on POTA, your POTA likes and dislikes, please send that feedback as well
All comments and input should be sent to Harve (hnat463@gmail.com).
Many thanks and 72…73!
New Distracted Driving Law Goes Into Effect on September 1st!
We may have had this in This & That before but as we get closer to this new law going into effect, it is best to put it out there again.
Governor McMaster signed H3276/R59/Act No. 40, also referred to as the “South Carolina Hands-Free & Distracted Driving Act” on May 12th, 2025. SC Code Section 56-5-3890 has ben ammended to read that while operating a motor vehicle you shall not use, hold, or read any mobile electronic device. However, Amateur Radio use is exempt per the act “Mobile electronic device does NOT include a citizens band radio, amateur radio, ham radio, commerical two-way radio or its functional equivalent, subscritpion-based emergency communication device, or prescribed medical device.” This is of course great news for us, but please continue to be extra vigilant while driving, watching your driving as well as those driving around you regardless of if you are on the radio or not.
Thanks to Lon Seward, WB4KSG for sending this in.
KE4HAM Tops 1,000 QSOs!
LoTW Tally Began in 2002
Since our club station KE4HAM got onto ARRL’s Logbook of the World, we have recorded 1,025 QSOs since the spring of 2022. 260 of those contacts have been confirmed, which is a surprisingly low rate.
Many of KE4HAM’s contacts have come during Field Day operations. June 28’s outing at Lake Somerset included over 160 contacts.
KE4HAM has 12 countries confirmed with most exotic one being Reunion Island (10m CW). Factoring in confirmations received via EQSL, our total is 14.
Our Worked All States total sits at 42 confirmed. We need ID, IN, NV, OR, TN, UT, WA, and WY to get to 50.
The ARC members heading to Lake Warren State Park on August 9th will look to add to the club’s states and countries totals!
What’s Coming Up
Saturday, August 9, 2025 — KE4HAM Parks on the Air Activation at Lake Warren State Park. See some news about this event in this issue of This & That. Additional info will be included in This & That in the coming weeks.
Thursday, September 4, 2025 — September Membership Meeting, Lakehouse, 7 PM. Our program will be provided by Frank Pollino, K2OS who will tell us how he was able to earn “Worked All States” on 432 MHz! Frank’s presentation is entitled “Quest For 432 MHz WAS”.
SCHH ARC Nets
Net News
Summertime in the Low Country of SC sometimes brings along a drop in participation in almost ANYTHING! All the more reason to stay engaged in our SCHH ARC nets.
Please check-in to our nets and let others know how you are doing and what you are doing in ham radio and in other areas.
The club is attempting to get the 147.06 machine back into legal operation. For now, the .060 machine should be considered “off limits” for anything other than monitoring.
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: Tuesday, August 5th @ 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:
— Wednesday, July 30th @ 8 PM: Frank Pollino, K2OS (KE4HAM Okatie Repeater).
— Sunday, August 3rd @ 8 PM: Frank Pollino, K2OS (KE4HAM Okatie Repeater).
— Tuesday, August 5th @ 8 PM: Frank Pollino, K2OS (10m SSB, 28.450 MHz).
— Wednesday, August 6th @ 8 PM: Rick Garan, WA8NLX (KE4HAM Okatie Repeater).
— Sunday, August 10th @ 8 PM: Frank Pollino, K2OS (KE4HAM Okatie Repeater).
— Wednesday, August 13th @ 8 PM: Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW (KE4HAM Okatie Repeater).
— Sunday, August 17th @ 8 PM: Frank Pollino, K2OS (KE4HAM Okatie Repeater).
If you would like to give it a shot and see how being a Net Control Station (NCS) can be a lot of fun (not to mention a GREAT service to our ARC), please contact Harve, KB3FW (hnat463@gmail.com.)
As the saying goes: “Try it, you might like it”!
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, July 23rd 2m Repeater Net: KE4HAM/WA8NLX, AI4HH, AA4KK, WA6WAY, K2ITZ, K2OS, KB3FW, WB1DXN. QNI=8, QTC=0.
— Sunday, July 27th 2m Repeater Net: KE4HAM/K2OS, AI4HH, WA6WAY, WB1DXN, K2ITZ, KQ4JKI, KD8IH, KB3FW, W1ZZ, KJ4BSM, KN4VWQ. QNI=11, 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”!