North Carolina
ARRL
Section Information

Check out our Facebook Page for field day photos contributed by Section Manager Bill Morine, N2COP. While you are not required to have an account to view this page, joining will allow you to get automatic notifications of any updates.

North Carolina ARES completed the switch-over to our new membership database. Members with appointments of EC or higher were required to submit their NIMS compliance certificates by July 1. Those individuals who have not completed the registration are no longer listed as having an ARES appointment. Individuals who have not completed the required training and registered with the new membership database will risk losing their appointments once the grace period expires on August 1^st, 2010.

For more information on the ARES Training Policy, training requirements and database membership requests, please see the ARES Training Policy.

The North Carolina Governor's Office has proclaimed June 21-June 28 as "Amateur Radio Recognition and Appreciation Week."

Copy of Proclamation

Bernie Nobles, WA4MOK, has resigned as Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) and Tom Brown, N4TAB, has agreed to serve as his replacement.

Bernie served as SEC since 2003 and indicated he wanted to spend more time with family. During his term ARES made great strides in improving the ICS credentialing of county ECs, streamlining relations with state agencies and upgrading digital EmCOMM applications through Winlink. He provided steady leadership during a time of tremendous technological and organizational change, and we wish him and his wife, Phyllis, well.

Tom has served as Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator (ASEC) for the Central Branch, and has been instrumental in improving Amateur Radio response capability at the state Emergency Operations Center (EOC). A strong proponent of interoperability, Tom will expand integration of Amateur Radio in the state’s emergency communications plans.

We appreciate Bernie’s accomplishments and we welcome Tom as North Carolina ARES moves towards 21^st century EmCOMM solutions.

ARRL Section Manager, Bill Morine, N2COP and ARRL Roanoke Division Vice Director Dr. Jim and both plan separately to visit many North Carolina ARRL club Field Day locations this year. Because North Carolina is such a large section, visits to club Field Day locations by the Section Manager are divided into North Carolina's three major sections - Mountains, Piedmont and Coastal Plains - with one area visited each year. This year it's the Coastal Plains turn for Bill who plans to visit clubs east of I-95, and Dr. Jim will be visiting Piedmont clubs. Mountain clubs - be patient! Your turn is in 2011.

I would appreciate if a representative from all clubs east of I-95 would please send email to n2cop@arrl.org giving your Field Day location and operating hours.

Dr. Jim's planned route is Aiken to Columbia via I-20 East, proceed East on I-26 to Charleston. After that, North along the coast on US-17 to Wilmington, NC, then head West on I-40 through Raleigh to Greensboro. From Greensboro, I-85 to Charlotte. Then South on I-77 to Columbia. After Columbia, West on I-20 to Aiken. Any group that would like a visit from us along this route to send an e-mail to n2zz@arrl.org and ae4ux@arrl.net with your intended hours of operation (including setup), detailed driving directions, and a contact phone number.

Take advantage of the many Field Day resources available at www.arrl.org/field-day.

A new Photo Section has been added to NCARRL. The photos are accessible through the main page menus. The home page menu includes the date of the latest additions to the section.

With the help of several ARRL members, we have started creating a new section, NCARRL History. It is accessible from the site menus. It is currently very sparse, but we hope to expand it through your submissions.

On May 4 and 5, the State of North Carolina and FEMA are conducting a Hurricane Drill. North Carolina ARES is included as part of this drill, and the Tar Heel Emergency Net will be activated. For more information, visit the THEN page or contact your local EC.

As discussed at the state ARES meeting in Raleigh on Saturday, April 24th, everyone is encouraged to send a letter to members of the U.S. House of Representative's Energy & Commerce Committee to hear HR2160 and S1755, the "Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Act of 2009". This legislation is crucial to the future of Amateur Radio emergency communications because it will examine and hopefully protect frequencies used for EmCOMM. The Senate version of the bill, S1755, passed the Senate unanimously in 2009 but its House equivalent, HR2160, needs both more co-sponsors and hearings so it can be voted upon. Please take time to send a letter (sample attached) to John Chwat & Associates, which will deliver the letter on your behalf to key legislators. Details at: http://www.arrl.org/hr2160. Two of North Carolina's Congressmen, Rep. Butterfield of the Outer Banks and Rep. Sue Myrick of Charlotte.

The statewide ARES meeting starts at 10:30, location State EOC, 116 West Jones Street, Raleigh, NC. The meeting is open to anyone interested in ARES, but most who attend are DECs and ECs.
Meeting agenda:

ARRL made the transition April 13 to its new website, which has been in development for three years and is the largest change in communications outreach for the League since its first website was introduced twenty years ago. The new web site is far more interactive than the model it just replaced and will contain much more information and resources. Like any large transition, however, there are glitches which need to be addressed. Many Section Manager functions are not presently available. ARRL staff is very aware of this and is working to restore these functions as soon as possible. I hope to have a section newsletter shortly once that capability is restored. Everyone's patience is appreciated while these issues are addressed and resolved.