SCHH ARC “This & That” — September 9, 2025

The Weekly E-Newsletter of the Sun City Hilton Head Amateur Radio Club

Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW – Editor

Presentation by K2OS Highlights September Membership Meeting

By Bob McCormick, KD8IH

The members of the Sun City Hilton Amateur Radio Club (SCHHARC) met on Thursday September 4^th after a summer hiatus. 

We began the evening with a program that was one of the best the club has enjoyed in quite some time. Club member Frank Pollino, W2OS, provided insights into his journey to Worked All States (WAS) on 432 MHz – the 21^st person to do so – and other VHF/UHF radio successes.

Frank shared how he became interested in the “World about 50 MHz” as a young ham.  Over time, he took on one challenge after another and explored 2 meters, moon bounce (EME), 432 MHz and more.  It was an awe-inspiring presentation, which also highlighted the knowledge and capabilities of one of our members. Frank continues to explore the wide world of ham radio. 

Following Frank’s presentation, the general membership meeting was held.  In attendance were club members: Ron Frick AI4HH, Chip Miller KQ4JKI, Bill Albro K3WPA, Chuck Nehonski W8NCA, Jack Frisch K2ITZ, Bob Officer WA6WAY, Lon Seward WB4KSG, Bob McCormick KD8IH, Rick Garan WA8NLX, Frank Pollino K2OS, Ed Stratton W1ZZ, Jim Armbruster W9AVN, Alan Bomberger AE7TU, Ken Finke KN8F, Luke McLaughlin KB3VOD, and Tom Grodt WA2PMY.  Also joining us was special guest John Thompson KD6KID from the Margaritaville community. Several hams at Margaritaville are seeking to start a club so we offered an open invitation.

After the attendees introduced themselves, Bob McCormick, President, opened the meeting by noting that the club has several open positions that offer members opportunities to get more involved.  Lon Seward, Treasurer, followed with his report on the state of club finances.

We then moved to committee reports.  The Public Service Coordinator position remains open. Chip Miller, Membership Coordinator, reported that club membership remains at 65 members with 55 of those being licensed. Bob Officer, Social Coordinator, reported that we will have a fall Transmitter Hunt (likely on 11 October) and the Savannah Swap-Meet will be held on 18 October.  Ken Finke, Volunteer Examiner Coordinator, noted that we may have a couple of testing candidates later in the month so Ken will run a training session in preparation for that.

We had several items under “Old Business:

• Bob McCormick shared Harve Hnatiuk’s emergency preparedness update.  Harve led the club’s effort to define potential roles during an emergency.  He led a group that met with the Securitas Chief and Deputy to discuss the plan options. They understood our capabilities and offered recommendations for the best next steps for our efforts.
• Jack Frisch, Parks on the Air (POTA) guru, gave an out brief on the club’s August POTA activation at Lake Warren State Park.  Band conditions and the weather were not co-operative but attendees noted that the park was a beautiful location that merits a return.
• Bob Officer reported that the club will have an Open House from 10-12 am on Saturday 13 September at the storage facility to view the equipment that we often use for outings as well as excess equipment that can be purchased by members.  See the most recent “This & That” for directions.

The meeting concluded with two New Business items:

• Bob McCormick reported that the Club Fair will be held on Saturday 4 October from 10 am to 1 pm.  We have requested the same site that we have used in recent years at the side door of Pinckney Hall. Please email Bob McCormick (kd8ih@earthlink.net) if you are interested in participating.  All are welcomed and encouraged to stop by.
• Elections will be held in November.  Please contact Bob Officer, WA6WAY (text or call 864-884-3244) if you are interested in running for office (President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary) or wish to be on the nominating committee.

Once again, our monthly meeting provided an ideal forum for members to catch up, learn from each other, and enjoy the fellowship.

Storage Area Open House Is This Coming Saturday! September 13th!!!

This coming Saturday, all members can come to our ARC’s storage room to see what we have accumulated over the past few years.

Over time, we have collected donated equipment from members and other local hams. Some equipment is useful to the club on Field Days or POTA outings, for example. Other equipment may not be in perfect working order or is not useful to the club.  In the past, we have turned over excess equipment that is operable to the Okatie Repeater Association so that it could be sold at the Savannah Swapmeet.  The club plans to post an inventory update at the club web site or email this info to all members prior to the Open House.

Certain equipment may be available for members to take home on Saturday with a donation to the Okatie Repeater Association.

As Monty Hall used to say on “Let’s Make a Deal”, “Come on Down!!!”.

Many members may not know where the storage room is. The GPS address is 26 Okatie Maintenance Yard RD, Bluffton SC 29909.

If you go out the SCHH gate near Lake Somerset, turn right onto Route 170 and then look for a sign that includes “Okatie Maintenance”. Turn right after you see that sign and then go straight. You’ll see a sign on your left for the SCHH RV and boat storage area…keep going straight. You’ll see a large water storage tank and a water tower ahead of you and then to your right you will see a small white building. Our storage room is in that building.

Thanks to Bob Officer, WA6WAY and Bob McCormick, KD8IH for organizing this event.

SCHH ARC Want Ad of the Week: Public Information Officer

Our club is more successful when more and more members contribute their time and talents. Ask anyone who has done that for our ARC and you’ll most likely hear that the member’s club experience became richer by doing so.

Anything that a member does for our club is a PLUS. Think about an empty glass that needs liquid. Someone can’t fill the glass but can add to it. A second person adds more even though that person can’t fill the glass either. The level in the glass rises.

So it goes until the glass is full…or even overflows!

Whatever you can do for our club adds to the level to which our club can rise! You do not need to fill the glass. The cumulative additions of multiple members make the glass fill or overflow for the benefit of all members and at times to our SCHH community.

Please consider volunteering to help. Contact Bob McCormick, KD8IH, kd8ih@earthlink, to volunteer or to get answers to your questions about this opportunity.

Help Wanted and Help Needed: SCHH ARC Public Information Officer

The ARC’s Public Information Officer (PIO) leads the club’s efforts to inform the Sun City community, the Bluffton Area (public) and the broader Ham radio community (such as the ARRL) about the activities and capabilities of the Sun City Hilton Head Amateur Radio Club.   The PIO could form a Public Relations Committee through which more club members could participate.

There is a low bar but a high ceiling on this opportunity and the club could certainly use your help if you are so inclined!

Will you add to the level of activity in your ARC?

Let’s fill the glass!!!

“Route 66 On The Air” Activity Has Revved Up

Look for 24 different stations, all affiliated with an amateur radio club, along Route 66 between now and September 14th. This is a great special event, held on all bands on all modes.

More info can be found here.

Get your kicks by working stations along Route 66!

Frank, K2OS reported on Sunday’s 2m net that he had already notched 11 of the 24 stations! Harve, KB3FW picked up 2 stations on CW yesterday afternoon. Harve is using DXSummit with various filters and searches to find the Route 66 stations.

The Route 66 stations are out there. Have fun!

CARS Swapmeet Is On the Radar Screen!

Don’t forget the CARS Swapmeet on October 18th near the Savannah-Hilton Head airport (SAV) More info here.

What’s Coming Up

Saturday, September 13, 2025 — Open House at the ARC’s Storage Unit. More details above!

Thursday, October 2, 2025 — October Membership Meeting, Lakehouse, 7 PM. Program will be provided by Ron Frick, AI4HH who will give us the “ins and outs” about WinLink, which is a very valuable communications platform, especially during emergencies.

Saturday, October 4th — Chartered Club Fair in Town Square. The ARC table will most likely be in our traditional spot near the courtyard entrance of Pinckney Hall. More details to follow.

Saturday, October 11 — TENTATIVE: Hidden Transmitter Hunt with Dutch Treat lunch to follow. More details as they become available.

Thursday, November 6, 2025 – November Membership Meeting, Lakehouse, 7 PM. Program coming to us via Zoom thanks to Phil, N1DQ who will tell us about PSK Reporter.

December – Holiday Dinner. Date, time, and location to be determined.

Can’t Fall Asleep?

SCHH ARC Nets

Net News

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 of your life.

The club is attempting to get the 147.06 repeater back into legal operation. We have reached out to Jasper County Emergency Management to see if we can help with this situation. We are still awaiting a response.

It is unclear how long it will take to resolve this situation. Our ARC will remain proactive as we try to restore this important piece of ham radio infrastructure in the Low Country.

If you look up KK4ONF on QRZ.com, you can confirm the current issue. For now, the .060 KK4ONF 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, September 30th @ 8 PM 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. Can we add you to this list? Please contact Harve, KB3FW if you want to give it a try!

Thanks to Frank, K2OS for also being the net control station of our monthly 10m SSB net. If anyone wants to be another Net Control for the 10m net, please let Harve, KB3FW know. You can give it a try to see how you like it!

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, September 10th @ 8 PM: Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW (KE4HAM Okatie Repeater).

— Sunday, September 14th @ 8 PM: Frank Pollino, K2OS (KE4HAM Okatie Repeater).

— Wednesday, September 17th @ 8 PM: Frank Pollino, K2OS (KE4HAM Okatie Repeater).

— Sunday, September 21st @ 8 PM: Frank Pollino, K2OS (Simplex).

— Wednesday, September 24th @ 8 PM: Rick Garan, WA8NLX (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:

— Tuesday, September 2nd 10m SSB Net: KE4HAM/K2OS, K2ITZ, KB3FW, WA8NLX, KQ4JKI, KN8F, W1ZZ. QNI=7, QTC=0.

— Wednesday, September 3rd 2m Repeater Net: KE4HAM/WA8NLX, AI4HH, AA4KK, WA6WAY, KQ4JKI, KR4EBK, KQ4KOO, KJ4BSM, WB1DXN, K2ITZ, KB3FW. QNI=11, QTC=0.

— Sunday, September 7th 2m Repeater Net: KE4HAM/K2OS, AI4HH, AA4KK, WA6WAY, WB1DXN, KQ4JKI, K2ITZ, KB3FW, W1ZZ, WB4KSG, K3WPA. 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”!