2023-7-11 Weekly This & That Newsletter
Fox Hunt on Saturday, July 15th — Can You Find That Stealthy Foxes??
Last year’s Fox Hunt was a TON of FUN. We had three or four teams riding around in golf carts with all sorts of direction finding equipment and strategies.
Most participants converged on an area near the Okatie Creek Clubhouse soon after the hunt kicked off.
It took awhile though to find the hidden transmitter (aka, “the Fox’). Ron Frick, AI4HH, hid it very well. With about six sets of eyes focusing on a smaller and smaller area though, the Fox was discovered! It was definitely “off the beaten path”!
We’ll renew the Fox Hunt on Saturday, July 15th and hope that you’ll be there to join the fun. This year though there will be TWO Foxes to find!
Here are the details:
— We’ll meet up on the courtyard side (not the parking lot side) of Pinckney Hall at 9 AM on Saturday morning to go over the particulars of the Hunt with its organizers (Ed Stratton, W1ZZ, and Ron, AI4HH).
— Members can “team up” prior to the Hunt or at the “meet up” point on Saturday AM.
— Members can also participate SOLO.
— We’ll ascertain that the Foxes are indeed on the air (147.550 MHz, the club’s simplex frequency, for Fox One, and 146.565 for Fox Two) and broadcasting and then we will begin the actual Hunt.
— The Hunt is over when the Foxes have been located or at 12 Noon, which ever comes first!
An email will be sent to all club members this week with some additional info on the Fox Hunt. A 2 meter hand held is the bare minimum for participating yourself. If you don’t have any equipment, it is likely that you can ride with someone who does have equipment or follow someone who does. So, don’t let the lack of equipment or experience deter you from coming to the Hunt!
If the weather is bad or the forecast is foreboding, an email will be sent to the Club members by 8 AM Saturday, July 15th, to postpone the event. IF IN DOUBT, please be sure to check your email twice. If still in doubt, please call Harve, KB3FW.
We are in a LOT of trouble this year, folks. We have two foxes and two hidden transmitters! We not only have a clever fox named Ron (AI4HH) involved with hiding the transmitter. We also have a New England fox, Ed (W1ZZ), involved. This could present even the most experienced Fox Hunters with a huge challenge!
So, come on out on Saturday morning and GIVE IT A GO! We can’t let the Foxes win!!!
SCHH Amateur Radio Club Field Day Coverage on SCTV
For the first time in a few years, our Field Day was covered by Sun City TV. Chris Chase and her crew visited with us for about a half-hour and pieced together an interview with club president Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW, with shots of the site. Ken Finke, KN8F, was shown operating one of our SSB stations as well. Here is a link to the July 3rd Sun City TV news program. Field Day coverage is at about the 8 minute mark of the broadcast.
13 Colonies 2023: Special Event Celebrating America Concludes
This year’s 13 Colonies event concluded at 11:59 PM on July 7th. From informal reports and messages from club members, it appears that clean sweeps were achieved by Rick Garan, WA8NLX, and Jack Frisch, K2ITZ.
Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW, had a clean sweep of the 13 colonies but was unable to get a QSO with GB13COL for the overall sweep. Harve was one of the operators in SC’s 13 Colonies operation with call sign K2L. Among his more than 400 contacts during the week were the following club members: Dennis Hopkins, AC4DH; Ken Finke, KN8F; Rick, WA8NLX; Jack, K2ITZ; Russ Treadwell, N1ZK; Ron Frick, AI4HH; and Bob Officer, WA6WAY.
Overall, SC’s K2L team made nearly 30,000 contacts during the week in hope of being the most prolific 13 Colonies operation for the second consecutive year. This year’s K2L results showed an improvement of over 6 per cent from 2022.
Humor
Anagram You Can Relate To
SNOOZE ALARMS:
When you rearrange the letters:
ALAS! NO MORE Z ‘S
QSL Card of the Week
This one comes from Bob McCormick, KD8IH. Looks like a great vacation location…for a penguin, maybe.
Any QSLs that you would like to share?
Please email a .jpg of your favorite card to Harve at hnat463@gmail.com.
Upcoming Club Events
July 15th – SCHH ARC Fox Hunt
See details above!
August 19th – KE4HAM Operation on Hunting Island for International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend (ILLW).
Coordinated by Jack Frisch, K2ITZ. More details to follow!
Next Membership Meeting
The Club’s next Membership Meeting will be on Thursday, September 7th, at the Lake House. Plans are to have an Elmer Presentation by Frank Pollino, K2OS, at 6:45 PM followed by the evening’s main program, which will be presented by Ken Finke, KN8F, and cover how to get an antenna installation approved here in Sun City. The business meeting will follow Ken’s presentation. More info will be sent as the date gets closer on the calendar.
Club Website
The URL is https://www.ke4ham.org. If you notice any errors or have site-related questions, email: webmaster@ke4ham.org.
Nets:
Sunday NET (8 PM) operates on 147.550 MHz simplex and Echolink node: KE4HAM – L
Wednesday Nets (8 PM) operates from KK4ONF/Jasper repeater, 147.060+ and Echolink node: KE4HAM-R
Thanks to our regular Net Controls: Bob Officer, WA6WAY; Russ Treadwell, N1ZK; and Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW.
Thanks to Ron Frick, AI4HH, for keeping the nets on Echolink.
Please check into our nets when you can. The nets are informative and interesting and foster club camaraderie.
If you are interested in being a Net Control, please let Ron or Harve know.
Other Operating:
Daily — DX spotting and open chat 24/7 on 147.550 MHz simplex and the Jasper Repeater, 147.060+ (no Echolink).
KB3FW – SCHH ARC President