PAMLICO AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY (PARS) APR 30, 2022 MEETING NOTES
* Twenty PARS members, visitors and guests attended the 9 am breakfast
meeting chaired by President Mike Marsh, K4NLC, at Brantley’s Village
Restaurant.
* No awards or upgrades were reported.
* Mike presented Wally’s treasurer’s report. The club is solvent.
There was no financial activity this month.
* Paul, K4MMB, reported there were 137 visitors so far this month to
our website, www.n4prs.org, with 271 pages visited. The repeater page
continues to be the most visited. A new page, the “Pamlico
Communications Team” has been added. The PCT leader was surprised. On it
you can find Lor’s, W3QA, report on the recent Dual Mode repeater test.
* Propagation Report: Active conditions with M & X Class flares,
blackouts, solar storms this past week, 2 M-Class flares this morn.
Storm magnetic field disruptions noticed here several times in the past
week. Conditions on the bands 40M and above are good and activity on 10
meters is up. Dick, K4JJW reported 6M TEP contacts. Expect 6M activity
to improve. [Watch DXmaps.com for openings-ed.]
* Bruce, K4ONC, our county AUXcomm lead, announced the next PCT Meeting
will be on Saturday, May 7th, at the Florence Station 25 Fire Dept. On
tap will be a discussion of PACE plans with a focus on the plan for
Pamlico County AUXcomm and ARES.
* Field Day. Bill Michne, WM3X, did a detailed study of PARS’ past
field days and presented his report at the January 2022 meeting. In a
re-look at how PARS might participate in this year’s ARRL Field Day,
Mike summarized Bill Michne’s, WM3X, findings and his conclusions
reported in the January 31 PARSgram
[https://www.n4prs.org/parsgram-2022-01-31/]. As Field Day nears, the
recommendations remain the same:
– On Field Day, operate from our homes and combine our scores for the
club total,
– Continue to search for other opportunities to gain public visibility
and to involve youth or other groups.
– And, added to those, have a PARS meeting in June. It would not
conflict with the contest.
In the discussion that followed, Mike provided the example of how an
announcement of a Technician prep course and some talk about ham radio
at his church resulted more than a handful of new hams. Other new
suggestions included participation in “Radio Wednesdays” with TV Channel
12 programming weather radios, circulating a brochure on how we can
deliver health and welfare messages after hurricanes. Danny Lupton has
offered space and logistical support for a roadside station at his
Stonewall corner store, Lupton Electronics. Pamlico Heritage Days and
Croakerfest remain as good ways to go to the public.
* Lor, W3QA, advised there is nothing new regarding the Dual Mode
repeater since his report [see PARSgram 2022-04-19]. The repeater is
being tested to see if the receiver is up to specification.
* From the floor–
– Bruce has again met with PCC staff on the remodeling of the Johnson
Building that houses the Pamlico Evacuation Center. Progress has been
slow. The VHF antenna pole has been moved but not to a place intended.
For this year, evacuees will be bused to facilities elsewhere.
– John Keating, KB1KW, talked about the singular support provided to
ARES by Carteret County.
– And Bruce Arnold, KS8L, announced that he and his wife Bonnie, KA4BBA,
after many years residing in New Bern, are moving to Ohio. Bruce was
recognized for his over 25 years of dedicated support to the annual
charity “Bike MS” race. The group bid them best wishes and farewell.
* There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 10:00 am.
Following the meeting Bruce Perkins and Lor replaced the air conditioner
at the N4ONC repeater site with one donated by Charlie Overcash, WA4GSI.
SOLAR NUMBERS TODAY
NOAA reported that solar activity was low during the 24 hour period
ending yesterday at 5 p.m. local. There are 3 numbered sunspot regions
on the Sun facing Earth this morning, up from 7 last Monday. The sunspot
number is 118.
The Prediction Center expects solar activity to be low today, Tuesday
and Wednesday with a slight chance for M-class flares. At noon
yesterday, the observed Solar Flux Index (SFI) at Penticton was 109.
Last Sunday it was 159. The index is predicted to measure 105 at noon
today and also at noon Tuesday and Wednesday. The SFI 90 day trailing
average is 119.
The Earth’s geomagnetic field was quiet to unsettled yesterday. NOAA
expects conditions be quiet to active today and then quiet to unsettled
on Tuesday and then quiet on Wednesday. The estimated Kp-index of 1
reported at 5 a.m. local this morning indicates current quiet
geomagnetic conditions.
We can expect fair day and good operating conditions today on 80 to 40
meters, good day and good nighttime on 30 to 20. Conditions should be
fair on 17 and 15, and poor on 12 and 10.
For an explanation of the numbers used in our PARSgram, see the
excellent article written by Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA at
http://arrl.org/the-sun-the-earth-the-ionosphere.
HAM EQUIPMENT FOR SALE, TRADE, OR WANTED
For listing in the PARSgram send me your amateur radio related items
that are for sale, trade, or wanted. PLEASE let me know when you have
have sold your item or your listing is no longer needed. Listings will
EXPIRE AFTER 90 DAYS unless I hear otherwise.–Jim.
For sale: Hy-gain AV-18HT vertical antenna. Covers 80, 40, 20, 15, and
10 meters. See full specs at dxengineering.com. Antenna is
disassembled and can be delivered within 100 miles or so. $500. A
portion of the proceeds will go to PARS. Bill Michne, WM3X,
drmichne73@gmail.com, 253-249-1175 or 252-671-6703.(20220404)
PARS CALENDAR:
* May 7, PAMLICO COMMUNICATIONS TEAM MEETING, Saturday, 9am,
Florence-Whortonsville VFD. AUXCOMM & ARES–All are welcome. For more
info, contact Bruce Perkins, K4ONC, 252-626-2730 or K4ONC@aol.com
* May 28, PARS MONTHLY MEETING, Saturday, 9am, Brantley’s Village
Restaurant, Oriental. For more info, contact Mike Marsh, K4NLC,
252-636-1257 or mike@MarshConsulting.org
* Jun 25, SPECIAL PARS MONTHLY MEETING, Saturday, 9am, Brantley’s
Village Restaurant, Oriental. For more info, contact Mike Marsh, K4NLC,
252-636-1257 or mike@MarshConsulting.org
* Jun 25-26, ARRL Field Day, home operation. To add your score to that
of other PARS members for a combined club score, list your club
affiliation as “Pamlico Amateur Radio Society, LTD”. For more info,
contact Bill Michne, WM3X, 252-249-1175 or drmichne73@gmail.com.
LOCAL NETS OF INTEREST TO PARS MEMBERS:
* Wednesdays,”Pamlico Communications Net”, 7:30 pm local, N4ONC
(Oriental) Repeater, 147.210 + (CTSCC Tone Squelch 88.5).
* Thursdays, “DownEast/Pamlico Six Meter Net”, 8 pm local, 50.200 MHz,
USB. A non-directed open net to promote operation on the ‘Magic Band’.
(For more nets see www.arrl.org/arrl-net-directory-search )
PARS WEB SITE: https://www.n4prs.org/
Our Web Master is Paul Jodoin, K4MMB, 561-308-3456, PARSwebman@gmail.com
73, Jim AI4WL
——–
This email is sent to members and friends of the Pamlico Amateur Radio
Society. We are pleased that you asked to receive our weekly newsletter
and hope that you enjoy reading it. If you no longer wish to receive the
PARSgram please let us know by reply email or by email to
jth350@embarqmail.com.