SCHH ARC “This & That” — January 7, 2025
de WB1DXN
Thank you for the warm welcome you have given me as the 2025 club president. I hope I did not do half as bad as I thought I did at our January 2nd meeting. There is a quote that someone said, I think a coach, “you are not as good as you think you are and not as bad as the opponent thinks you are”; or something to that effect.
Looking forward to Winter Field Day, January 25th at Lake Somerset. See you there!
Cycle 25 Presentation Lights Up First 2025 Membership Meeting
All in attendance at January 2nd’s Membership Meeting learned about solar sunspot cycles and how our Sun, 93 million miles away, can enhance or wreak havoc on the HF portion of the radio spectrum.
Frank Donovan, W3LPL, zoomed into our meeting from Glenwood, MD with a super presentation that summarized the terminology of the sunspot cycles, discussed their peaks, valleys, and somewhat regular occurrences, addressed how the Sun impacts radio propagation, and explained how the amateur radio bands are fairing during the current cycle.
Cycle 25 is apparently at or near its peak. Communications on 10 and 12 meters has been “crazy good” over the past months with 15 meters and 20 meters many times being open well into the wee hours of the morning.
As the saying goes, it is all…well, mostly…good! The solar activity has also seen our Earth in the direct path of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs). CMEs can virtually black out radio communications for hours if they hit the Earth directly.
Following the excellent presentation, the club held a general membership meeting, which was capably orchestrated by new club president Daryl Borgman, WB1DXN.
During the meeting, the ARC’s 2025 budget was approved. Initial plans for Winter Field Day and the Emergency Preparedness Task Force were discussed.
Sixteen club members (listed by their call signs) participated in the meeting: K2OS, KB3FW, KN8F, N0DQD, WB4KSG, K2ITZ, K3WPA, KQ4JKI, AI4HH, WA6WAY, WB1DXN, KB3VOD, W8NCA, W1ZZ, KN4VWQ, and W6OX.
Interesting Bay Area Museum for Radio Enthusiasts
If or when your travel plans take you to the Bay Area near SF and Oakland, CA, here is a great museum to include for a visit.
Electronics Recycling
We are not sure that old radios can be recycled but computers, printers, keyboards, mice, etc. can be!
You can find information here.
Emergency Preparedness Task Force to Meet via Zoom
Our newly formed Emergency Preparedness Task Force will look to develop a Preparedness and Operations Plan so that willing and able club members can provide assistance to the SCHH community during times when normal power and/or communications are not available.
The Task Force’s goal is to have the plan ready for the coming (2025) hurricane season.
Members of the task force include Dan McLaughlin (K4DNY), Jack Frisch (K2ITZ), Bob Kehoe (WB3H), Harve Hnatiuk KB3FW), Bob Officer (WA6WAY), Tom Grodt (WA2PMY), Lonnie Trotta (AD2LT), Bob McCormick (KD8IH), Lon Seward (WB4KSG), Chip Miller (KQ4JKI), Chuck Nehonsky (W8NCA), and Bill Albro (K3WPA).
The Task Force will be meeting via Zoom on Tuesday, January 14th, at 12 Noon.
Volunteer Examiners Training Session Set for January 16th
The SCHH ARC’s Volunteer Examiners (VEs) Coordinator Ken Finke (KN8F) has organized a training session to be held at 10 AM on January 16th.
The training session has been scheduled for VE testing for all VE’s and anyone interested in becoming a VE. We need to review the ExamTools online testing software.
The meeting/session will be January 16 starting at 10am and concluding around 12 Noon.
Location is the Bayside Room at the Lakehouse, where we generally hold our membership meetings.
There are two websites that you will need to have access to.
The first is the actual testing environment, the second is the Development environment where you can practice testing.
If you are not already registered, you will need to be registered on both sites.
Please use the links provided in the email that was sent to all members this past week to register on each of the two sites.
If you have a laptop computer, use it to log in these sites as it will remember your password, and bring it to the meeting.
Otherwise, make sure you have your username and password for the meeting.
Please contact Ken via email (kefinke@hotmail.com) if you have any questions.
Club members who are currently VEs include Alan Bomberger (AE7TU), Marty Caprielian (K2EG), Ken Finke (KN8F), Phil Flaxman (AB2LT), Rick Garan (WA8NLX), Dennis Hopkins (AC4DH), Bob Kennedy (N0DQD), Bob McCormick (KD8IH), Chip Miller (KQ4JKI), Larry Ross (W4YR), and Lon Seward (WB4KSG). Thank you to all.
Winter Field Day – Saturday, January 25th at Lake Somerset
The SCHH ARC will operate KE4HAM from Lake Somerset on Saturday, January 25th to participate in Winter Field Day (WFD).
Bob Officer (WA6WAY) and Harve Hnatiuk (KB3FW) are coordinating the club’s participation.
Preliminary plans are to operate on 10, 15, 20, and 40 meters as well as using a portable set-up to make contacts via satellite! Plans are to use the famous WA6WAY Power System for off-the-grid power to our radios (and hopefully not for portable heaters, right?). We will look to erect the SCHH ARC’s version of the Twin Towers to elevate a couple antennas and use Mother Nature’s support system with pull lines and tie-offs for others.
This is a “keep it simple” event with everyone bringing their own lunch. The club will provide a case of water and some snacks. Everyone is encouraged to bring snacks and non-alcohol beverages to the event with enough to share if you so choose!
Set-up will begin around 11:30 AM on the 25th. We’ll take a lunch break around 1 PM. We plan to operate from 2 PM until 4:30 – 5 PM.
Any additional info will be included in upcoming issues of “This & That”.
If you are interested in participating in the event, please be sure to notify Harve, KB3FW (hnat463@gmail.com) by January 17th. So far, our WFD team includes KN8F, KQ4JKI, WA6WAY, K2OS, and KB3FW. Apologies if you volunteered but are not on this short list…please let Harve know if you are “in”!
A coordination Zoom Meeting for all who plan to participate will be conducted on Tuesday, January 21st to finalize plans (time to be determined but most likely 11 AM).
Upcoming Meetings and Events
Tuesday, January 14, 2025 — Emergency Preparedness Task Force Zoom at 12 Noon.
Thursday, January 16, 2025 — Volunteer Examiners Training Session, 10 AM, at the Lakehouse (Bayside Room).
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 — Winter Field Day Coordination Zoom (Time to be determined/announced).
Saturday, January 25, 2025 – Winter Field Day (WFD) at Lake Somerset.
Thursday, February 6, 2025 — Tour of SCTV and General Membership Meeting, Pinckney Hall. We are still sorting out the details so please STAY TUNED. More info will be included in upcoming This & That editions.
SCHH ARC Nets
These are our nets. Please enjoy them. They are very special and give us the opportunity to connect with each other on a regular basis while testing our equipment’s connectivity capabilities.
Please keep our nets alive and well by checking in when you can.
Can you help our nets by being a Net Control Station? How about giving it a try in early 2025?
We have two regular net control stations…a third and fourth net control station would really help lighten the load. Please consider giving it a shot!!!
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) operates through the KK4ONF/Jasper repeater, 147.060+. The net can be accessed via EchoLink using the link KE4HAM-R.
Next 10m SSB Net: Currently set for Tuesday, February 4th at 8 PM on 28.450 Upper Sideband. Net Control will be K2OS, Frank Pollino.
Net Control Stations and EchoLink Coordinator
Thanks to our regular 2m Net Controls: Frank Pollino, K2OS; and Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW.
Thanks to Bob, WA6WAY, for being an alternate Net Control Station and 10m Net Coordinator..
Thanks to Ron Frick, AI4HH, for working diligently to keep EchoLink up and running for our nets.
Net Control Schedule:
— Wednesday, January 8, 2025 @ 8 PM: Frank Pollino, K2OS (KK4ONF Jasper County Repeater)
— Sunday, January 12, 2025 @ 8 PM ET: Frank Pollino, K2OS (KE4HAM Okatie Repeater)
SCHH ARC Net Reports:
Thanks to ALL who checked in to our SCHH ARC nets last week.
If you have the time, please check into our club’s nets on a regular basis.
Last week’s check-ins and traffic:
— Tuesday, New Year’s Eve, 10m Net: KE4HAM/K2OS, K2ITZ, WD2LT, KQ4JKI, KB3FW, AI4HH. QNI=6, QTC=0.
— Wednesday, New Year’s Day 2m Net: KE4HAM/KB3FW, AI4HH, K2ITZ, WB1DXN, AD2LT, WA6WAY, K2OS, KQ4JKI. QNI=8, QTC=0.
— Sunday, January 5: KE4HAM/K2OS, AI4HH, K3WPA, KJ4BSM, WA2LWO, K2ITZ, KQ4JKI, WB4KSG, KB3FW, WB1DXN, WA6WAY. 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 new 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.