February 2014

Greetings to all Amateur Radio Operators.  This is Marc, N4UFP with the February 2014 South Carolina Section Manager’s Report.  Please remember that the SC Section website can be found at: www.arrl-sc.org/  where my full SM report will be listed as well as up-to-the-date information on Amateur Radio in South Carolina.

I recently got an e-mail from Brian, N8WRL, whose child is also a ham and a student at the  South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics in Hartsville SC. He explained that each January between the fall and winter semesters, the school has 'Interim' sessions, 2-3 week long classes on a variety of subjects. He was wondering if it would be possible to organize a Technician's License class during this time that ends with a VE session and hopefully a new batch of amateurs. Is there a club or group of interested amateurs in the Hartsville, SC that would be interested in taking this on? If so, please contact me at n4ufp@arrl.org.
 
Spring is here and we have a couple of Hamfests coming up in our Section over the next few weeks:

19 April 2014
8th Annual TARC Tailgate Party
Goose Creek Masonic Lodge #401 
145 Saint James Ave.
Goose Creek SC 29445 

http://www.tridenthams.org/tailgate2014.htm

03 May 2014
Upstate Hamfest
Spartanburg Fairgrounds
Spartanburg, SC

http://www.blueridgears.org/brars/upstate-hamfest/

I encourage all of you to support these hamfests; I hope to be able to attend both.

 
Guglielmo Marconi, the “Father of Radio”, was born in April 1874, and every April, on a Saturday close to Marconi’s birthday, special event stations get on the air to commemorate his birth. This event, known as International Marconi Day (IMD) takes place this year on 26 April between 0000Z and 2359Z. A number  of special event stations will be on the air that day, including GB4IMD, in Cornwall, England, OE14M, in Vienna, Austria, IY0IMD in Italy, VO1AA, on Signal Hill in St Johns, Newfoundland, VK2IMD in Australia, and WA1WCC on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. All stations planning to participate are urged to register. A list of registered participants is on the IMD 2014 website.

The event is not a contest, but rather an opportunity for amateurs to make contact with historic Marconi sites using HF communications techniques similar to those used by Marconi, and to earn an award certificate for working or hearing a requisite number of Marconi stations.

Members in our Section involved in microwave activity may wish to comment on FCC Petition for Rule Making RM-11715. The FCC has invited public comment this petition, whicht would make a significant portion of the 10.0 to 10.5 GHz band available for wireless broadband services. The petition hinges on FCC adoption of rule changes that would put the 10 GHz band under Subpart Z of the Commission’s Part 90 rules. Subpart Z currently sets out regulations governing wireless licensing, technical standards, and operational standards in the 3650 to 3700 MHz band.

The said that while the ARRL has not yet adopted a position with respect to the petition, but ARRL CEO Dave Sumner, K1ZZ, believes that “some aspects of the petition require careful study.” Interested parties may comment on RM-11715 using the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS).

We are still a couple of months away from the start of hurricane season, but it is never too early to begin preparing. This year’s National Hurricane Conference April 14-17 in Orlando, Florida. Has as its theme “Improving hurricane preparedness.” And includes three Amateur Radio-oriented sessions that will take place Tuesday, April 15.

NHC Session #1 — 10:30 AM to 12 Noon: Presentations from Dr Richard Knabb, Director of the National Hurricane Center; Bob Robichaud, VE1MBR, of the Canadian Hurricane Center, and members of WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio Station at the National Hurricane Center

NHC Session #2 — 1:30 PM to 3 PM: Emergency communication operations in the Orlando area; the 2013 Boston Marathon disaster, and two different views on Hurricane Sandy.

NHC Session #3 — 3:30 PM to 5 PM: The operations of the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) and the VoIP Hurricane Net, together with an ARRL update and an introduction of ARRL’s new Southeastern Division Director, followed by an Amateur Radio “rap” session — the Emergency Manager’s “Hidden Resource.”

Much more information can be found at:

http://hurricanemeeting.com/

That’s all for this month. Now let’s do the numbers….
 

February  2014 National Traffic System Report for South Carolina
By Rusty Kirkpatrick, WU2T, SC STM

Net Reports
Net / Check Ins / Traffic / Sessions / Reported By
Anderson Radio Club 2M Net  / 715 / 12 / 28 / K4NK
Blue Ridge Amateur Radio Net  / 1857 / 38 / 28 / K4SUG
Carolina’s Net  / 215 / 69 / 56 / N0SU
Columbia ARC 2M Net / 183 / 0 / 11 / KI4VRO
CSN / 138 / 20 / 28 / WS4P
Grand Strand ARC 2M Net  / 112 / 11 / 11 / KI4HEE
Greater Pee Dee 2 Meter Net / 874 / 35 / 28 / KE4GV
Greenwood ARC 2 Meter Net  / 113 / 7 / 4 / AI4WN
Florence ARC 2 Meter Net  / 55 / 7 / 4 / AK4BH
Kershaw ARC 2 Meter Net  / 70 / 13 / 4 / KF4UKC
PALS Net  / 817 / 39 / 28 / WD4HEM
SC SSB Net / 1711 / 100 / 28 / WU2T
Upstate Carolina ARS 2M / 440 Net / 157 / 27 / 8 / ND2Z
York Co. ARS 2 Meter FM Net / 814 / 59 / 48 / N3TKC

AJ4TH Digital Relay Station                 Rec – 32          For – 23           Tot – 55
4RN Cycle 2 Report    Check-in  541  Traffic-in  308      Traffic-out 299         Relays -  48

Station Activity Reports
Station / Sent / Received / Delivered / Originated / Total
WU2T / 8 / 36 / 5 / 0 / 49
AJ4TH / 43 / 52 / 12 / 0 / 107
WS4P / 23 / 25 / 0 / 0 / 48
 
Public Service Honor Roll
Station / Cat1 / Cat2 / Cat3 / Cat4 / Cat5 / Cat6 / Total
AJ4TH / 40 / 40 / 20 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 100
WS4P / 40 / 40 / 20 / 0 / 0 / 10 / 110

Until next month…..

73 de Marc Tarplee N4UFP
ARRL Section Manager, South Carolina Section
www.arrl-sc.org