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NORTH CAROLINA SECTION NEWS – JUNE 2010

NOTE: Downeast Hamfest near Kinston Saturday.  Details below

FIELD DAY – It’s T-minus a week before the start of Field Day!
There are still plenty of resources available to make you or your club’s Field Day a success.  Check out what’s available at www.arrl.org/field-day , and be sure to list where your FD station(s)are located and how the public can find you or make contact with you by completing your Field Day information at ARRL’s Field Day locator at  http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator. This handy tool graphically display your location on a Google map and will help inactive Hams, new Hams, media, elected officials and the curious find you.   Meanwhile, it’s not too late to download promotional tools such as audio Public Service Announcements (PSAs) for local broadcast radio stations to air, or to get supplies for your Public Information table (100 points).  Print out a copy of NC Governor Perdue’s Proclamation honoring “Amateur Radio Appreciation Week” from the section’s website at www.ncarrl.org   Just check out the Field Day webpage at www.arrl.org/field-day for all the goodies.  To encourage young people to come out to Field Day, you can generate interest on social networks like Twitter at http://twitter.com/ARRL_FD  I hope to visit around 12 locations in eastern NC, and Assistant Section Manager (ASM) Tim Slay, N4IB, will be going to several western NC Field Day locations. REMEMBER: Field Day is the greatest opportunity to showcase Amateur Radio to the public outside of a disaster.  This is a chance for politicians and community leaders to see Amateur Radio in action and develop positive impressions about our hobby.   Please make sure every location has a designated person to greet visitors and make them feel welcomed.  Good luck and hope to work you on the air.

ARES – Our appreciation goes to Bernie Nobles, WA4MOK, for seven years of dedicated leadership as Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) during a time of enormous change in Emergency Communications due to events like 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.  Bernie was instrumental in modernizing NC ARES and we deeply appreciate his many achievements.  Succeeding Bernie is Tom Brown, N4TAB.  Tom brings many years of experience as the former EC for Wake county and as Central Branch Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator (ASEC).  Tom has spearheaded the implementation of new digital technologies like Winlink into ARES operations, and he has worked closely with North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM) in ensuring our field ARES volunteers are professionally trained.  We thank Bernie for his past service and welcome Tom.

As adopted at the state ARES meeting in April, all ARES field appointments at the level of county Emergency Coordinator (EC) and higher will need to complete the NIMS/ICS courses 100, 200, 700 and 800b by July 1st.  This requirement not only brings NC ARES into compliance with North Carolina Emergency Management rules, but makes our ARES volunteers properly credentialed to be deployed to support government authorities in disasters.  With an active hurricane season predicted ahead, having credentialed volunteers will ensure ARES has flexibility in responding effectively.

ARES MEMBERS – 1,798

NTS – Ironically there’s been an increase in CW activity since the Morse code licensing requirement was dropped, and it’s refreshing to hear more signals in the CW portion of the bands.  With a resurgence in CW, why not try handling some traffic?  Your CW skills will improve dramatically.  Download the famous “Pink Sheet” of traffic handling at http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public%2520Service/fsd218.pdf to become familiar with those “Q” signals unique to CW traffic handling, then check into one of NC’s three CW daily traffic nets: the Carolinas Slow Net (CSN) 8 PM 3571 KHz, Carolinas Net Early 7 PM 3573 KHz, and Carolinas Net Late 10 PM 3573 KHz.  If they’re going too fast for you, send “QRS” (slow down) and the net control operator will slow to your speed.      Our thanks to Mark Rappaport, W2EAG, for serving as Net Manager for the Carolinas Nets, and welcome returning Net Manager Will Harper, K4IWW.

MAY TRAFFIC
QNI (Net station check-ins) - 2,799; Messages passed – 551

STATION ACTIVITY REPORTS (SARs) K4IWW 374, W2EAG 161, W4TTO 114, W4DNA 113, KI4YV 107, WK4P 82, W3HL 50, KE4AHC 49, W4FAL 47, W4EHF, 43, NC4VA 31, KC4PGN 28, K8SKX 22, WX4MMM 18, N3PYD 6 MAY PUBLIC SERVICE HONOR ROLL (PSHR) NC4VA 218, K4IWW 130, W4FAL 130, W4DNA 125, W2EAG 110, KI4YV 100, W4TTO 100

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY – June marks the 80th year of continual licensing for Weldon Fields, W4AJT, of Greensboro.  96 year old Weldon’s booming voice and S+9 signal can still be heard often on many NC nets, and he even served as a net control station during the May ARES HurrEx drill.  When Weldon was licensed in June, 1930, Herbert Hoover was president and the Federal Radio Commission regulated Amateur Radio since the FCC was still four years away from being created.  Lest you think Weldon is an old geezer, Weldon and I have talked on Echolink.

May we all be as vibrant and progressive when we get that age.  Happy Anniversary, Weldon!

SCHOLARSHIPS – Congratulations to Josh Fisher, W4WJF, of Raleigh for being the recipient of an ARRL scholarship.  He has an Extra Class license and attends NC State. He’s even been on a DXpedition.  Josh and I served together on the staff of K2BSA at the 2005 Boy Scout National Jamboree and he represents the best of the future of Amateur Radio.  If you know a young Ham, encourage them to apply for an ARRL Foundation Scholarship.

HAMFESTS
June 19 Downeast Hamfest, Lenoir Community College, intersection of US 70 & NC 58, Talk-In 146.685 PL 88.5;  
July 10 Rowan Amateur Radio Society, Salisbury Civic Center, Talk-In 145.41 PL 136.5;
July 17 Mid-Summer Swapfest, Ritter Park, Cary, Talk-In 146.88
July 24 West Carolina Hamfest, Haywood Co. fairgrounds, Waynesville, Talk-In 147.39 PL 94.8

FINAL WORD – Field Day is my favorite Ham Radio day of the year.

It’s a day for fun, fellowship, and gathering resources to make simulated emergency conditions in the field work.  ARES turns 75 yearsold this September, and ARRL will be launching a campaign which celebrates the three “R”s of ARES – “Ready, Resilient and Responsive”.   Many people under the age of 30 may have been raised without a landline and could be under the impression that all phone networks are infallible.  We know better, and Field Day is the day each year we remind politicians, government officials, media and the public at large that “When All Else Fails” we’re there. Have a fun Field Day!

73,
Bill Morine N2COP
ARRL North Carolina Section Manager

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ARRL North Carolina Section
Section Manager: Mr William C Morine, N2COP
n2cop@arrl.org
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