PAMLICO AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY
2021 OFFICERS
President–Bill Michne, WM3X (January-October)
Mike Marsh, K4NLC (November-December) Vice President–Bruce Perkins, K4ONC
Treasurer–Gail (Wally) Wallace, KK4ASP Secretary/Newsletter Editor–Jim Hartmeyer, AI4WL
ARES Emergency Coordinator—Mike Marsh, K4NLC Web Master, Paul Jodoin, K4MMB
MEETING NOTES
These notes taken at monthly meetings are extracted from the Pamlico Amateur Radio Society weekly newsletter, the PARSgram. Although they are not formal minutes, they constitute a record of those
meetings.
(PARS) JAN 30, 2021 VIRTUAL MEETING NOTES *
PAMLICO AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY Twenty PARS members and guests attended the 9 am meeting chaired by President Bill Michne via Zoom. Steve Silveira, KO4EDA, was our technical host.
* Rewards or upgrades. Charlie, WA4GSI has been appointed a Lieutenant in the Continental Army. Bruce, K4ONC received a QSL card in braille from a blind Spanish ham. Paul Manganaro passed his tech exam on Friday. Paul, Joe Lupton, and Steve Silveira will begin their 8 week General course on Tuesday.
* Bill presented the treasurer’s report on behalf of Wally. The club’s liability insurance policy premium was paid, dues are still coming in. Bill had held off obtaining the new projector and ended up with a better deal. With classes starting again the new one has been ordered from Epson.
* Propagation Report by Jim, AI4WL: Solar activity was very low last week compared with early January. More days without sunspots. Solar Flux 90 day trailing average has dropped. Still we’re finding good conditions on 80 & 40M, fair on 20 & 15 and even some DX on 10M. Six meters has been quiet.
* Mike, K4NLC, reported the Pamlico Emergency Net generated 12.6 man-hours from 4 sessions in Jan.
* Paul, K4MMB reported there were 145 visitors (most from the US) during the month looking at 301 pages. The repeater list page and the “What’s Happening” page continue to be the most popular.
* Bruce reported that the donated Icom 746Pro has been checked out and will go into the new security office in the (PCC) evacuation center when renovation of the building is finished, probably in the Fall. The existing feedline will need to be replaced and rerouted to the new station location. There was considerable discussion about obtaining a new telephone pole for mounting the antenna closer to the equipment and getting a second pole for a HF dipole. Bill suggested the new HF capability would offer an opportunity to start a Radio Club at the college. An advisor would be necessary but perhaps an adjunct professorship might be the answer.
* Bruce also advised that a DMR repeater has been installed at the Florence Whortonsville VFD. Perhaps members would be interested in this new operating mode/technology.
* Bill reminded the group that our business meeting will be followed by a presentation by Bob Heil, K9EID, of Heil Sound. Next month, Marv Hoffman, WA4NC, our ARRL North Carolina Section Manager will be with us.
* There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 0942. The next meeting will be on Saturday, February 27, via Zoom.
[Note: Bob Heil’s fascinating presentation and the Q&A that followed was to be recorded and posted to the N4PRS.org web page.] (PARSgram 2021-02-01)
PARS VIRTUAL MEETING FEBRUARY 27, 2021 ILO MEETING NOTES
PRESIDENT’S SOAPBOX We had another great monthly PARS meeting on Saturday. We were joined by two new newly licensed members, Robbie Pegram, KO4KQC, and Richard Houyoux, who is awaiting his call assignment. I’ve already worked Robbie on the Oriental repeater, and I’m looking forward to working Richard soon. We also had a great discussion about expanding our meetings and the website as well with the addition of video content. Many of our members have cell phones that can take videos, and send them to either Steve, KO4EDA, our ZOOM host, and/or Paul, K4MMB, our website guy. More details to follow as we get up and running. _…_ I love state QSO parties. They are a great opportunity to get into contesting casually without the raging storms of QRM and staccato style QSO’s so common in the larger national and international events. The operators are in general friendly and polite, especially when the newbie on the other end isn’t quite sure of what the exchange is. We’ve just finished Carolina QSO weekend, South on Saturday and North on Sunday. Note that state QSO parties are not limited to in-state operators. Among my contacts in yesterday’s event were with West Virginia and Delaware, two of the more difficult states to work for WAS. I got my WAS years ago when I lived up north, but I may start over from my Carolina QTH . …_._ de WM3X, Bill Michne, 252-249-1175,
drmichne73@gmail.com. (PARSgram 2021-03-01)
(PARS) MAR 27, 2021 VIRTUAL MEETING NOTES *
PAMLICO AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY Thirteen PARS members and guests attended the 9 am meeting chaired by Vice President Bruce Perkins, K4ONC, via Zoom. Steve Silveira, KO4EDA, was our technical host. Bob Heil of Heil Sound returned as our special guest.
* Rewards or upgrades. Bruce recognized Paul Manganaro, KO4MHM; Joe Lupton N4IBX; and Steve Silveira KO4EDA. The three passed their General exams after completing Bill Michne’s course and are looking forward to getting on the HF bands.
* Bruce presented the treasurer’s report on behalf of Wally. Our society is solvent.
* AI4WL’s Propagation Report: Solar activity has continued to be low. Yesterday’s reported solar flux of 80 is the same as it was on the day of our last meeting a month ago. It should be around 100 for longer (and daily) openings on the higher HF bands. Good news though, we’re seeing fewer days without sunspots. Spring’s here and soon will come serious openings on six meters.
* Mike, K4NLC, reported the Pamlico Emergency Net will generate about 14.5 man-hours from 5 sessions this month.
* Paul, K4MMB reported there were 145 visitors (most from the US) during the month, seven yesterday. The repeater list page continues to be the most popular. The PARSgram club newsletter archive is the 4th most visited section on the site. [If you missed an issue, this is where you can go to catch up–Jim]
* In discussion Gerald, KN4CKL, advised that the Chocowinity Repeater antenna is pointed toward Washington, hence the difficulty of being reached from most of Pamlico County. The Bath repeater now hosts the new Yeasu equipment with analog and digital modes and should be reachable. Bill, KR4LO, in response to a question on increasing the already fairly long range of the Oriental repeater, advised that its output is limited (20W) to insure its reliability. It does not use commercial power so it is important to avoid depleting the station batteries charged solely by solar panels.
* Bruce reminded the group that our April business meeting will be followed by a presentation by Marv Hoffman, WA4NC, our ARRL North Carolina Section Manager. In line with our discussion last month, if conditions permit, the May meeting will return to Brantley’s Restaurant. How to best do Field Day this June will be a most important topic at both meetings.
* Given the benefits virtual meetings provide such as availability of guest speakers and participation by away and distant members, Bill wondered if our in person meetings should be also be “Zoomed”. Access to broadband at Brantley’s was questioned.
* There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 0945. The next meeting will be on Saturday, April 24, via Zoom.
[Note: Bob Heil’s presentation on proper receiver audio adjustments, views on the use of “compression”, homebrew and kit building and the Q&A that followed was recorded and will posted on the “N4PRS Radio YouTube Channel.” You can view it and Bob’s January presentation at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpEMfxc7PQixT0rr5xEKtyQ (PARSgram 2021-03-29)
[PARS MEETING OF APR 24, 2021 ILO MEETING NOTES]
PRESIDENT’S SOAPBOX We had our first in person monthly PARS meeting since the start of the pandemic, about a year ago. We met at Brantley’s, as usual, with 15 members in attendance, 1 member on a zoom call, and 2 guests. Since Jim, AI4WL, wasn’t present, this edition of the Soapbox will attempt to highlight the meeting. I’m doing this from memory, so some information may be missing, for which I apologize. After the introductions we got a brief update on Lor’s (W3QA) high altitude balloon project. On the first attempt the balloon was lost somewhere over the Atlantic. The second attempt is still flying and is on track to make the circumnavigation. Our Treasurer Wally (KK4ASP) also was not present, but she provided me with the financial update. We had no expenses during April, and income from dues ($20) and sale of club equipment ($50). The club continues to be solvent. Mike (K4NLC) gave the ARES report. Net check-ins on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 PM local time have been decreasing. Mike and I encourage all ARES folks to check in, even if you are only a casual listener. You can also check in via WinLiink, a system that is growing in importance to emergency communication. If you are not on WinLink Lor (W3QA) has a self-paced course course to get you going. Propagation: Jim (AI4WL) provided me with a propagation report, which I embellished with some information from the ARRL website. Propagation Is improving on the higher bands as Cycle 25 is born. Solar flux indices and the appearance of real sunspots is encouraging, and Dick (K4JJW) reported some activity on 6 meters. Field Day (June 26,27): With pandemic restrictions easing we are looking forward to holding a traditional style Field Day at a temporary site. We have been offered two sites. One is the vacant lot adjacent to the Village Hardware Store, and the other is the Grantsboro Shrine Club. Both sites offer advantages. However, when we held Field Day a couple of years ago at the Oriental Town Hall, the ambient RF noise level along Route 55 in the village was so high that we struggled to make just a few contacts. We have used the Shrine Club successfully for two years, and the consensus view was that low noise was more important than the public exposure advantage of the hardware store. So we will hold Field Day at the Shrine Club. I’ll have more to say next week about how we will operate to take advantage of the rule changes. 73 for now. de WM3X, Bill Michne, 252-249-1175,
drmichne73@gmail.com. (PARSgram 2021-04-26)
(PARS) May 29, 2021 MEETING NOTES
PAMLICO AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY * Twenty-eight PARS members, visitors and guests attended the 9 am breakfast meeting chaired by President Bill Michne, WM3X, at Brantley’s Village Restaurant.
* Dick, K4JJW, reported he has worked over 500 grids on 6 meters. Lor, W3QA, was happy to report his and Matt’s balloon, NC4ES-2, had made it around the Earth 1 1/3 times. [The “Eastern Express had traveled for 20 days and many miles until its signal was lost over Central Iran-ed.] Gary, NC3Z, was able to complete a single band (was it 10M?) FT8 DXCC in 4 weeks time. Bill, WM3X, talked about working a ham on 30M who was using his new homebrew two tube two watt CW transmitter.
* Bill presented Wally’s treasurer’s report. The club is solvent.
* Propagation Report: Solar activity currently low BUT has shown considerable activity since our last meeting. The solar flux jumped to 88 on May 26th and then popped to 94 the next day before working back to our current 77. The 90 day average is 76. 6M has been active with openings into Europe and double hop ES to the US west coast. Expect slowly improving conditions, especially on higher HF bands.
* Gary, NC3Z, briefly answered questions about his dxpedition to the BVI next week [See below for more-ed].
* Mike Marsh, K4NLC, our ARES coordinator, reported 4 net training sessions in May for 13.5 mh. Check-ins are down to nine, not good with our impending hurricane season. To maintain proficiency, Mike asked members to check-in via WinLink and reported on improved WinLink connectivity with the Vara mode. [Vara is a high performance HF software modem-ed].
* Paul, K4MMB, reported the club web site (www.n4prs.org) this month had 260 visitors who looked at 487 pages. This is a 60-70% visitor increase.
* Field Day. Bill updated the group and led a discussion on Field Day plans. Bill will submit one order for Field Day items on June 1; club will pay postage. Call/email Bill with items desired. No planned effort for public exposure this year. Rules allow for pooling of home and on-site logs. Tentative Schedule:
– Friday, 25 June, 0900 Antenna set up at the Shrine Building on NC-306 south, Grantsboro. – Saturday, 26 June, 0900 VE Session.
– 1000- Set up and test equipment. Two SSB and one CW station. OPERATORS/LOGGERS NEEDED-KEEP CHAIRS FILLED!
– 1400- Begin Operation – 1730- Dinner
– Sunday, 1000-1400 Operating
– NLT, 1400 Shutdown and clean up. * The meeting was adjourned at 0951
PRESIDENT’S SOAPBOX [There was no PARS meeting in June due to PARS’ participation in the ARRL Field Day]
Well, another Field Day is in the history books. Last year there were very few classical club based Field Day events with tents, generators, heat, humidity, thunderstorms, bugs, etc. But the number of home based operations was at a record high. This year saw a return of several club operations, but nowhere near as many as the traditional event. There were plenty of 1D and 1E stations to make up the difference. I operated my home station using the club call N4PRS, along with Jim, AI4WL, and Paul, KO4MHM. I tried to operate all bands 80-10, but didn’t make any contacts on 80. At the times I tried it there was just too much QRN to make any contacts. There was plenty of activity on all the other bands, though, and we were able to work phone, cw, and digital on all of them. We kicked off our event by holding an exam session for two students from my just completed Technician license class. Tim deMey of Grantsboro, and Jack Brooks of New Bern, both earned their Technician class licenses, and then stayed to see ham radio in action. Jim and Paul then put on an educational session for the new licensees with an introduction to FT8 digital operations. If any PARS members operated from their homes don’t forget to request your score be combined with that of the Pamlico Amateur Radio Society for our aggregate score. …_._ de WM3X, Bill Michne, 252-249-1175, drmichne73@gmail.com. (PARSgram 2021-06-28)
(PARS) July 31, 2021 MEETING NOTES
PAMLICO AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY
* Twenty-one PARS members, visitors and guests attended the 9 am breakfast meeting chaired by President Bill Michne, WM3X, at Brantley’s Village Restaurant.
* No one reported a new DXCC or WAS or a license upgrade. * Bill presented Wally’s treasurer’s report. The club is solvent.
* Propagation Report: Solar activity currently low. With no sunspots for the third day in a row, the solar flux dropped to 76. The 90-day average is 79. The geomagnetic field was reported to be quiet by NOAA but members thought the HF bands were noisy lately, particularly 40 meters… Cuban jamming? 6M has continued to be active, although with fewer openings into Europe.
* Mike Marsh, K4NLC, our ARES coordinator, reported 4 net training sessions in July for 16.1 mh. The simplex and 10 meters connectivity test on the 14th went well although 10 meters proved to be a unreliable band for cross county comms. Six meters will be tried next. Mike and Bruce described the differing focus of ARES and AUXCOMM. AUXCOMM, with DHS support is the recognized alternative for EOC’S statewide while ARES remains the means for local condition reporting. AUXCOMM has significant training and certification requirements while ARES does not. Bruce, K4ONC, has picked up the county AUXCOMM lead, while Mike will continue to coordinate the ARES net and training. Mike asked members to check-in to the ARES net via WinLink. He again reported improved WinLink connectivity with the new Vara mode. [Vara is a high performance HF software modem. The free evaluation version although slower, is probably adequate for most users-ed].
* Paul, K4MMB, reported the club web site (www.n4prs.org) this month had 208 visitors who looked at 604 pages; for the year, 1772 visitors. The repeater page remains the most visited.
* Field Day. Bill reported 5 members spent Saturday afternoon in his shack, 2 of them passed their tech exams and spent some time learning about contesting and the FT8 mode. Several other members operated from their home stations. Member scores will be aggregated by ARRL yielding a PARS club score that will be reported in the Dec 2021 issue of QST.
* License courses continue. Bill is now tutoring one student. Fall courses are being considered, possibly at the General and if requested, the Extra level. PCC and the Oriental Town Hall are possible locations.
* Sam/Dave KD2T proposed naming a suitable event after our long time PARS member, Glenn Everest, N4LV, mentor to many and good friend to us all. All present agreed.
* Lor, W3QA, updated the group on the short flight of NC4ES-4. Launched on July 10th, it quickly reached 44 thousand feet and then disappeared, cause unknown. Lor and Matt, W2UV, are looking at larger stronger balloons, different pay loads. Next launch likely in Winter season– better weather for balloons.
* Gerald, KN4CKL, mentioned being a VE where eager 12 and 15 year olds earned their licenses and that brought about a discussion using a balloon launch to get young people into ham radio.
* Bruce, K4ONC, then moved that PARS sponsor a launch and that the launch be an educational activity that includes amateur radio. The motion passed.
* There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 10:07 am. (PARSgram 2021-08-02)
(PARS) August 28, 2021 MEETING NOTES
PAMLICO AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY
* Twenty-two PARS members, visitors and guests attended the 9 am breakfast meeting chaired by President Bill Michne, WM3X, at Brantley’s Village Restaurant. One member participated via Zoom. * Recent license preparation course graduate Kathryn Hitchcock received her call sign, KO4SVO. * Bill presented Wally’s treasurer’s report. The club is solvent. No transactions this month.
* Propagation Report: Solar activity is reported to be low although improved. We have 4 sunspot regions today, two very active, and had a M4 class flare this morning. The solar flux yesterday was 90; at last month’s meeting it was 76. The 90 day average is 79. The geomagnetic field was reported to be quiet to active with a minor storm expected. The VHF bands are quiet with occasional openings. * Reminder-weekly PARSgrams are normally available on www.n4prs.org within a day of being emailed.
* Mike Marsh, K4NLC, our ARES coordinator, reported 4 net training sessions in July for 13.29 mh. On Wednesday, Sep 1st, the 10 Meter SSB connectivity test will be repeated after check-in. Members were requested to revisit their set-up and use or fabricate a vertical antenna if possible for the test on 28.450 MHz.
* Bruce, K4ONC, our new county AUXCOMM lead, is working toward formalizing a “Pamlico Communications Team” consisting of AUXCOMM, ARES, members and IT experts. ARES and AUXCOMM differ primarily in the level of training. The latter can deploy or support the EOC other emergency centers. ARES folks are the “eyes and ears” for ground-truth reports during emergencies. Lor, W3QA, talked about developing an “Integrated Preparedness Plan” to satisfy county communications needs. Bruce reiterated the need for volunteers, whether they be they be the eyes to provide situational awareness or deployable formally trained communicators. Expect the Wed night ARES net to add a greater emphasis on practice with different operating modes and on developing reporting skills and more.
* Paul, K4MMB, reported the club web site (www.n4prs.org) had 137 visitors this month who looked at 328 pages; for the year, 1779 visitors. Forms for joining PARS and ARES are on the web site. Bill noted that the 2021 membership will be free for those joining PARS through the end of the year.
* The FCC is putting a much greater emphasis on evaluating RF exposure. The “limits” have not changed but amateurs are no longer exempt from conducting a formal eval. To that end ARRL has developed and published a tool on the ARRL website to make it very easy, a “RF Exposure Calculator.” Bill demonstrated the use of the calculator using examples from his station. He recommends calculating the exposure of our worst case configurations, be they 1500 watts on 6 meter RTTY using a 17 element yagi or a handheld running 5 watts, then printing and saving the results… just in case…
* There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 10:16 am. (PARSgram 2021-08-30)
Sept 25, 2021 MEETING NOTES
PAMLICO AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY (PARS)
* Twelve PARS members and guests attended the 9 am meeting chaired by President Bill Michne, WM3X, via Zoom. Steve Silveira, KO4EDA, was our technical host.
* Guest speaker, Dr. Jim Boehner, N2ZZ, candidate for ARRL Roanoke Division Director provided a short outline of his background, interests, and his concerns with the direction of the league and the opportunity for positive redirection with the coming election. He highlighted his considerable experience as an ARRL elected official and, as outlined in his recent postcard and QRZ page
(www.qrz.com/db/nz22), his positions on what he considered to be the major issues. He urged ARRL members to evaluate the candidates’ experience and positions on those issues and to vote and return their ballot when they receive it from the ARRL.
* At the conclusion of Dr. Boehner’s remarks, Bill turned to regular business. He noted that he had begun a technician level course organized by Mike Marsh, K4NLC.
* Bill presented Wally’s treasurer’s report. The club is solvent.
* Propagation Report: NOAA reports solar activity to be low although we are up to 5 sunspot regions, an SFI of 88, and chances for C-class flares daily. The geomagnetic field was reported to be quiet to active with a minor storm expected Monday. The VHF bands are quiet. Congratulations to those who worked dxpeditions to Conway Reef and Comoros last week.
* Jim reported on behalf of Webmaster Paul, K4MMB, that the PARS web site continues to be active with 154 visitors making 307 visits in the past 30 days; for the year 3654 visitors, 7039 visits. The statistics confirm that US visitors tend to return, non-US visitors do not, e.g., US had 2541 visitors with 7039 visits, China had 520 visitors making 538 visits, Russia 52 and 55, France 36 for 52. Jim noted that members should not pass up the “Editor’s Page”.
* Mike Marsh, K4NLC, our ARES coordinator, reported 5 net training sessions in September. Moving toward an emphasis on preparedness and communications training, the net format has changed. There is also a movement toward plain-language reports. The Coast Guard Radiotelephone Handbook is a helpful guide. Comms connectivity tests on 10 meters and 2 meter simplex were performed this month. Mike mentioned that maintenance and repairs were made on the PARS repeater antennas and feedlines last week.
* Bill concluded the meeting by reminding all that October brings the annual election of club officers. He will be acting as a one man nominating committee and encouraged members actively support their club. After 5 years as President, he does not wish to stand for re-election. “Time to pass the baton.” Will continue teaching classes and actively participate. Bill Cresswell, K2ONN, led the group in thanking Bill for doing a wonderful job.
* There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 09:50 am. (PARSgram 2021-09-27)
(PARS) October 30, 2021 meeting Notes
* Twenty-eight PARS members, visitors and guests attended the 9 am breakfast meeting chaired by President Bill Michne, WM3X, at Brantley’s Village Restaurant and three members participated via Zoom.
* After 60 years thinking about it, new member Dale Tilson, KO4UGA, finally got his amateur radio license. Welcome Dale.
* Bill presented Wally’s treasurer’s report. The club is solvent. Wally will begin sending out renewal notices in November.
* Propagation Report: Solar activity is reported to be moderate. Those following YouTube reports by Dr. Tamitha Skov know of the X1 class flare on Thursday. With the erupting region directly facing earth, a CME generating S3 level storms and R2 level radio blackouts is expected Saturday into Sunday. We have 4 sunspot regions today, one very active. The solar flux yesterday was 106 bringing good propagation on 12 and 10 meters; at last month’s meeting it was 90. The geomagnetic field was reported to be quiet but with a major storm expected.[ed note., the CME produced only a glancing blow generating a S1 level ripple–it was a bust!]
* On PARSgrams, we are having intermittent problems with msn, hotmail, yahoo and outlook ISPs. Looking at alternatives for the newsletter. They are normally available on www.n4prs.org within a day of being emailed.
* Mike Marsh, K4NLC, our PCN coordinator, is looking at auxcomm applications to our PCN/ARES and generally improving emergency preparedness for those not deploying. Eyes on the ground are always needed.
* Paul, K4MMB, reported the club web site (www.n4prs.org) has been averaging around 140 visitors per month looking at about 350 pages with occasional spikes.
* Bill yielded the floor to Lor Kutchins for a two part presentation on Digital Repeaters: “DMR (Digital Mobile Radio) for Emergency Communications”, a YouTube video on DMR and its application to Emergency Communications, and “The Future of Repeaters” focusing on the digital revolution and its impact on Eastern North Carolina. The bottom line: due to spectrum limitations, lower costs and many other reasons, the future is digital. In NC alone, there are 19 P25 repeaters, 17 DStar (Icom), 43 C4FM (Yaesu), 80 DMR, and 1 NXDI. Due to being non-proprietary and of an open systems technology and low cost, DMR is growing exponentially. LOR described the NC4ES DMR network, one of several in the state proving emergency backup communications to hospitals statewide, the connections between them and the flexible bridging possibilities to connect with other digital systems and networks worldwide.
* Bruce, K4ONC, our county AUXCOMM lead, reported on the change of ownership of the “Oriental Repeater” to a group of five with Bruce as the license “trustee”. This type of “ownership” should insure continuity, maintenance and control, and sharing of the cost burden. The group has already employed a licensed climber and replaced or repaired all or part of the three antennas and feedlines (2M, 220 and 70 cm) on the Kershaw tower with an eye on upgrading the now over 20 year old 2M repeater to provide for both analog and digital modes. The NC4ES Network DMR 70 cm repeater has been
temporarily relocated from the FW VFD to the Kershaw tower for test and coverage evaluation.
* Following the description by Bruce, K4ONC, of the newly formed Oriental Repeater Group and their plans to establish a digital repeater at the current repeater site, Bill, WM3X, made a proposal. The improvements of the repeater functions, including both current maintenance and future expansion to digital voice capability, would not only benefit PARS, but also the area residents during an emergency. He stressed, such improvements are not without costs, probably beyond what the repeater group could come up with on their own. He then pointed out that over the past several years PARS has accepted donations of used radio equipment to be sold for the benefit of the club. Since January, 2015, sales of such equipment have netted just over $6,000, but the club has used only a few hundred dollars. He proposed that the club use some of this money to provide a grant of $2,500 to the repeater group to help cover the costs of the planned upgrades. The money would be dispersed as follows: an initial payment of $1,000 to cover expenses already incurred followed by the balance paid as the improvements progress. Additional grants could be considered in the future. The proposal was put in the form of a motion offered by Wayne Mulligan, K1CBI. It was passed unanimously.
* Bill, as the nominating committee of one, reported the officer slate for 2022: Mike Marsh, President; incumbent Bruce Perkins, VP; incumbent “Wally” Wallace, treasurer; and incumbent Jim Hartmeyer, Secretary/Newsletter Editor. There were no nominations from the floor. The slate was elected by acclamation.
* There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 10:43 am. (PARSgram 2021-11-01)
November 27, 2021 MEETING NOTES
PAMLICO AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY (PARS) * Twenty-two PARS members, visitors and guests attended the 9 am breakfast meeting chaired by President Mike Marsh, K4NLC, at Brantley’s Village Restaurant.
* Mike presented Wally’s treasurer’s report. The club is solvent.
* Propagation Report: Solar activity is reported to be very low. We have 3 sunspot regions today showing little activity, however the solar flux yesterday was 92 and the chance for C-class flares remains. The geomagnetic field was reported to be quiet but with a minor storm possible today, Saturday. About half of members present reported operating on HF during the past month, many making DX contacts. Gary, NC3Z/4, reported almost round the clock connectivity with a station in Israel while alpha testing a new Vara keyboard to keyboard chat mode.
* Jim, AI4WL, shared a tip from Pete, AG7C, for WSJT-X users to check the “all.txt” file in WSJT log directory. Fun to look at but, this file can grow very large if not purged occasionally. It collects all the stations that the client decodes.
* Lor, W3QA, described the QDX transceiver, a new four band QRP transceiver kit for the digital modes from QRP Labs. Inexpensive, fully featured with embedded SDR receiver, USB sound card, cat control and in extremely high demand. [ed note. There have been 42,282 hits on the QDX web page as of last night- Jim].
* Mike Marsh, K4NLC, our PCN coordinator, reported 4 sessions for 23 man-hours. The revised directed net has been well received. One goal is to provide/practice new operator skills particularly those for use in emergencies.
* Bruce, K4ONC, our county AUXCOMM lead, reminded all of next Pamlico Communications Team meeting at the Florence-Whortonsville VFD on Saturday, 5 Dec. and the Communications Exercise on Thursday, 9 Dec. The exercise scenario will involve a number of reporting tasks for a team at the VFD location and for participants at home stations. All interested are welcome to come to the meeting and participate in the exercise.
* As discussed at the October meeting, Bruce reported the N4ONC Repeater Group is working toward upgrading the now over 20 year old 2M repeater to provide for both analog and digital (DMR) modes. Lor briefly outlined his progress–components are being assembled.
* Mike reminded all that the next PARS meeting, due to the Christmas holiday, will be on Saturday, December 18. It will include the now annual gift exchange. The gifts should be amateur radio related and of a suggested cost of no more than $10.
* There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:55 am. (PARSgram 2021-11-29)
(PARS) December 18, 2021 MEETING NOTES
PAMLICO AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY * Sixteen PARS members, visitors and guests attended the 9 am breakfast meeting chaired by President Mike Marsh, K4NLC, at Brantley’s Village Restaurant.
* Mike presented Wally’s treasurer’s report. The club is solvent. PARS/ARRL membership renewal forms for CY2022 were mailed to current members last week.
* Propagation Report: Solar activity was reported to be moderate with 6 sunspot regions and a chance for M class flares. The solar flux was up to 121 Friday, a big jump from 92 last month. The geomagnetic field was reported to be quiet.
* Bruce, K4ONC, our county AUXcomm lead reported that the Regional Communications Exercise on December 9th involving Public Service and Hospital/Medical agencies and also AUXcomm personnel went well. Lor, W3QA, helped conduct the exercise at RCC-East in Kinston. A Pamlico County AUXcomm support team operated at the Florence-Whortonsville VFD as did a one-man (Gary Mitchelson, NC3Z) Controller/Simulation support cell. Four others from the Pamlico Communications team operated from their home stations. All were challenged to accomplish 25 communications tasks on the events list in response to Exercise “Hurricane Frank”.
* As announced at the November meeting, the N4ONC Repeater Group is working toward upgrading the now over 20 year old 2M repeater to provide for both analog and digital (DMR) modes. Lor,
W3QA, explained that the “new” repeater, re-purposed from available components, will operate in both modes on the same frequency as the current repeater. Additional CTCSS/DCS codes will be implemented to prevent conflict. The new repeater’s output will be 100W. The current repeater is at 25W so range should improve. Antenna repairs have already been done.
* Mike reminded all that the next PARS meeting will be on Saturday, January 29th. Bill, WM3X, will present some interesting findings from his analysis of participation and scores from the 2021 ARRL Field Day.
* Chief Elf Bruce, K4ONC, with a little help from his friends, orchestrated the Christmas gift exchange. There were lot’s of happy smiles and thank-yous.
* There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:35 am. It was followed by a review/critique (“Hotwash”) by those involved in the Regional COMMEX.
(PARSgram 2021-12-20)