August 15, 2023 Weekly This & That Newsletter
de KB3FW —
Be a Part of KE4HAM’s August 19th Operation on Hunting Island During ILLW!
Saturday, August 19th: The Sun City Hilton Head Amateur Radio Club will be operating KE4HAM from the pavilion near the Hunting Island Lighthouse in conjunction with International Lighthouses and Lightships Weekend (ILLW).
Club members Jack Frisch (K2ITZ) and Harve Hnatiuk (KB3FW) are coordinating this event. Bob Officer (WA6WAY), Ken Finke (KN8F), and Bob McCormick (KD8IF) also plan to join the fun. Chip Miller (KQ4JKI) is hoping to be there as well.
As you can see from the photo below, we had a few more folks at the event last year.
Every year is different for us all here in Sun City though. Members have travel plans and other obligations and thank goodness for that! None of our personal worlds should have ham radio at its center! It’s a great avocation but, as with other interests, ham radio needs to be kept in perspective.
The club’s outing on Hunting Island has a “critical mass”…we are confident that we can set up and operate three stations with the present “crew”.
The saying “The More the Merrier” rings truly here though! More hands are always needed!
Join us on Hunting Island on the 19th! Be a part of it and have some fun away from SCHH.
Note that there is a SC state imposed fee to get into the State Park…they would not do that unless it was a GREAT PLACE!
More details below!
Hope to see you on Saturday!!!
ARRL Comments to Commercial Use of Frequencies Near our Ham Bands
No suggestion here to organize a march down 278 or even Colonel T to support the ARRL response.
But here it is. We are fortunate that our national amateur radio organization has our backs.
If you are not a member of the ARRL, please join as soon as you can.
Look for another OP-ED coming to emphasize the “number of voices in the choir” in the weeks ahead!
Do You Know How Fast You Can Type?
For many hams, gone are the days when we used to “paper log”.
The “mode du jour” or even, yes, the “mode du monde” is to use “computer logging”.
We’ll have a presentation on computer logging later this year thanks to Ken Finke, KN8F.
When you log contacts on a computer, you obviously need to type!
Did you have typing class in high school or elsewhere?
If so, you may remember the drill: “A, semicolon, S, L, D, K, F, J, G, H”.
That was how students in a business typing class learned…DRILLS upon DRILLS.
Repetition is important in learning most skills…whether it is typing, copying Morse Code, swinging a golf club, putting consistently on the greens, or hitting that backhand up the line on the tennis court.
So, how fast can you type??
Humor
QSL Card of the Week
Here’s another one from Ron Kramer, W2RJK. Anyone work Antarctica recently?
ILLW – More Details for Saturday’s Event
Location: Hunting Island State Park (about an hour from Sun City Hilton Head). Our club has reserved the pavilion near the Lighthouse. Note that there is an admission fee to the park ($8 per adult/$5 for seniors) payable at the gate at the entrance.
Arrival Time: Please plan to get to the Park around 9:30 AM.
Parking: Follow signs to the Lighthouse and park in the back lot in order to be closer to the pavilion.
Operations Plan: Plan is to set up three stations and use the club call sign, KE4HAM. Two stations will be likely be be on SSB and the other on CW. SSB stations will most likely be on 15, 20 or 40 meters. CW station will have the flexibility to operate on 10m through 40m, including the WARC bands. Operations will begin as soon as possible after set up (most likely by 10:30 AM) and will conclude around 3 – 3:30 PM.
Lunch: The plan is to grill some hot dogs, chips and snacks. There may be a salad as well. We’ll have some bottled water there. Bring anything you want (no alcoholic beverages, please) and if you can, bring enough to share with a group of 6 to 10 people. Participants will be asked to chip in for the food and drink.
Bring: Sunscreen, Insect Repellent.
Be Prepared: To have a great time!
Future Events
Chartered Club Fair
Saturday, October 7th from 10 AM until 1 PM at or near Pinckney Hall. Our Club normally sets up in the outdoor, covered area of Pinckney on the Courtyard side near the main rear door to the building. Pending Board approval later this week, we’ll work to reserve that spot and discuss some plans for operating KE4HAM. Volunteers to represent are needed to represent the Club at our table. More details to follow!
ARRL EME Contest
From the Earth to the Moon and Back! Frank Pollino, K2OS, is leading this effort for the Club. More details the contest can be found here. More details on our Club’s participation will be coming.
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 about a week before the meeting.
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).