“This & That” — April 22, 2025

 Harve Hnatiuk  Posted on April 15, 2025   Posted in This & That   No Comments

The Weekly Newsletter of the Sun City Hilton Head Amateur Radio Club (SCHH ARC)

Editor – Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW

Hidden Transmitter Hunt Is This Saturday!

The SCHH ARC’s first hidden transmitter hunt of 2025 will happen a week from Saturday on April 26th.

Bob Officer, WA6WAY, is asking all participants to gather at 9:00 AM in front of Pinckney Hall. The hunt itself will begin at 9:15 AM. Instructions will be given to everyone that morning including the frequency on which the hidden transmitter will be broadcasting on 2m FM.

Bob Kennedy, N0DQD will be hiding the transmitter for this hunt. Bob found both transmitters in the last hunt that we had. So, you can imagine that he has something special in store for us on Saturday!

ARC members who are not licensed should note that they can fully participate in the hunt with a 2m hand held as long as they do not transmit. Hidden transmitter hunts are 99.9999% about listening! No radio transmissions are needed to take part in this activity!

Following the hunt, members and guests are invited to a “Dutch Treat” lunch at the Okatie Creek Clubhouse. Note that you can come to the lunch even if you did not participate in the morning’s activities. It is anticipated that the transmitter hunt participants will get to the lunch location around Noon that day.

Please let Bob Officer know by Thursday April 24th (text him at 1-864-884-3244) if you are coming to the lunch and if you are bringing a guest.

Note: Let Bob Officer know that you are coming to the lunch whether or not you are in the hunt.

The restaurant needs us to provide a good “count” to make sure that we are properly accommodated.

In Case You Missed the Beaufort Air Show

Harry Johansen, W4HLJ, who has been on our nets in the past and joined us on Hunting Island a couple of years ago, did a fine job in capturing the Air Show in a video that he produced. You can also see the Beaufort Radio Amateur Group’s set up at the air show and its emergency communications trailer.

Harry’s video can be found here. You should also check out Harry’s impressive QRZ page.

There Aren’t Too Many of These Around

It is hard to fathom how anyone could Work All States at 432 MHz…but, Frank Pollino, K2OS did it as have only a handful of others!

You Never Know When Knowing Morse Code Could Come Into Play

The Stooges had 2 or 3 episodes/movies with this type of scene in it. Always a good laugh!

Who Will Be the First in the SCHH ARC to Have One of These?

Check this out. Probably best to look at the version that has and handle and wheels…looks a bit on the heavy side.

What’s Coming Up

Saturday, April 26, 2025 — SCHH ARC Hidden Transmitter Hunt! 9:00 AM. We’ll kick things off at Pinckney Hall go from there! More details above.

Thursday, May 1, 2025 — May Membership Meeting in the Bayside Room at the Lakehouse. Presentation by Jim Boehner, N2ZZ and Bill Morine, N2COP (ARRL Roanoke Division Director and Vice Director) who plan to join us that evening via Zoom. The ARC plans to invite Matthew Crook, W4MRC, our SC Section Manager to join the Zoom! More details on our May 1st meeting will be in next week’s issue of This & That.

Thursday, June 5, 2025 — June Membership Meeting and ARRL Field Day Planning Meeting at the Lakehouse.

Saturday, June 28, 2025 — ARRL Field Day at Lake Somerset. More info to follow in upcoming issues of This & That.

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 months.

SCHH ARC Nets

Net News

Wednesday nets are on the 147.135 Okatie Repeater until further notice.

Our nets continue to have a lot of support, which is much appreciated. All SCHH ARC members and licensed friends are invited to join the fun! The more the merrier!

One week from today (April 29th), we will conduct our 10m SSB net on 28.450 MHz at 8 PM local time.

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, April 29 at 8 PM on 28.450 Upper Sideband.

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 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, April 23, 2025 @ 8 PM: Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW (KE4HAM Okatie Repeater).

— Sunday, April 27, 2025 @ 8 PM: Frank Pollino, K2OS (SIMPLEX).

— Tuesday, April 29, 2025 @ 8 PM: Frank Pollino, K2OS (10m SSB, 28.50 MHz).

— Wednesday, April 30, 2025 @ 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:

— Wednesday, April 16th 2m Repeater Net: KE4HAM/K2OS, K2ITZ, KB3FW, WA8NLX, KQ4JKI. QNI=5, QTC=0.

— Sunday, April 20th 2m Simplex Net: KE4HAM/WA6WAY, AI4HH, AA4KK, KJ4BSM, WB1DXN, K2ITZ, W8NCA, KB3FW, KO4AQI. QNI=9, 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”!