Welcome to the

PAMLICO COMMUNICATIONS TEAM

 

PCT is an independent organization of amateur radio operators devoted to the enhancement of countywide VHF/UHF emergency radio systems.

So many PARS members are involved with this group and with the good work accomplished, they deserved their own page.

Always check with the PARSgram for up to the minute reports on what this gang is up to. Always something different and interesting.

See what’s new with P C T here.

There is so much to say about PCT but not enough room to catch up on all their goings on.  It includes additional technical meetings held at Pamlico Fire Station 19.  Maintaining and constantly improving the repeaters at Oriental and Arrapaho.  Participating and involving themselves in countywide and statewide emergency communications training and exercises.  Keeping us local rag chewers involved with emergency and disaster related communications training.  All volunteering.  We will do our best to keep this page up to date with significant news concerning PCT and it’s members.  We highly recommend our PARS members and others to partake in the offerings of this group.  You will highly benefit from this collaboration.

 

01/03/26 PCT Meeting

The Pamlico Communications Team (PCT) met this morning,  at the SPVFD Station 19 in Oriental. The program was about radio direction finding in preparation for the PARS Spring Fox Hunt. PARS Vice President Wayne Beasley Jr (KO4OJC) was the main presenter with input from Billy Olah (KR4LO), Lor Kutchins (W3QA) and Wayne’s son Trip (KI4LO). Wayne had set up a low power transmitter (the Fox) in the back of the classroom and a direction finding antenna on a stand in the front. In addition he had placed a handheld radio (receiver connected to the antenna) on the front table, tuned to the Fox frequency. He had also set up a small camera on the radio showing the radio’s screen on a large tv screen. Wayne then explained in detail the operation of the antenna, with and without the use of an attenuator. While the antenna was turned in different directions, one could watch the signal strength decrease or increase on the receiving radio, via the tv screen, as the antenna turned towards or away from the Fox. The same was done by using the attenuator as the power to the Fox was decreased or increased.

This presentation was in preparation for the PARS Spring Fox Hunt and BBQ to be held on May 30th at the Oriental Recreation Park.

In addition, Lor had a “Show and Tell” with a Starlink Mini, discussing the advantages of using such internet device both in stationary and mobile applications in ham radio.

Bruce Perkins
K4ONC

 

PCT Opens Emergency Com Center

Recently a new addition to the local communications portal was opened at  Fire Station # 19 in Oriental.  Through the dogged dedication of K4ONC Bruce Perkins he and and his team finished the installation of radio equipment and antennas for the use of designated hams in emergency situations.  The entirely volunteer force placed the radios and ancillary equipment at Station 19 in it’s own com center within the station.  This station will be used by local hams during emergency events and gives world wide connections via FM, HF and internet.  When the needs arise, our area will be able to interact with the county, state, and federal authorities.  In addition the ability to utilize WinLink during these events.   This is all a welcome addition to our area and the local citizens as well.   We won’t need to travel to Bayboro or such when the need arises.  An inauguration of sorts was held at a recent PCT to introduce the members to the new station.  A meeting along with a seminar demonstrating repeater equipment and test equipment was held too.

Bruce  Perkins N4ONC writes: Bill Olah, KR4LO and Wayne, KO4OJC face a presentation to the PCT group this morning on Duplexers and how to tune them. Great information. Afterwards, several members toured our new N4PRS amateur station inside the radio room at Fire Station 19. The station includes HF, VHF, UHF, GMRS, DMR and a computer with Winlink email capabilities via VARA HF and a Pactor III modem.

Many thanks of course go out to the Chief and members of Fire Station 19 for there blessings.

Photos courtesy of Cub Reporter WA4GSI and K4ONC

PCT  accepts a gift from KI4NSP

To assist the Pamlico Communications Teams efforts to improve our local repeaters’ operations and coverage’s, Tom Corwin, KI4NSP, now SK, has gifted the group with a substantial donation.  Tom was one of our more active members over the years.  He wanted to make sure everyone has an undisturbed communications for safety, education and fun utilizing our repeaters.

Here follows a note from about the presentation

On Jul 3, 2025, at 3:37 PM, Bruce Perkins <K4ONC@aol.com> wrote:This afternoon, Bill Michne, WM3X, and Tom Corwin, KI4NSP, presented the Oriental Repeater Group (ORG) with a check in the amount of $25,000. The donation is to be used to upgrade and maintain the amateur radios and equipment currently located on both the Arapahoe and Kershaw radio towers.

Jim Hartmeyer Photo

 

12-07-2024:
Lor, WM3X, gave a presentation at the monthly Pamlico Comms Team (PCT) meeting on December 7, 2024. Lor, being the President of the Amateur Radio Safety Foundation, the governing body of Winlink, spoke about the history of Winlink from its early beginnings to present day. Twenty (20) members of the PARS group attended the presentation and it was well received. To watch the presentation, go to YouTube and type is N4PRS and click on “Winlink at the PARS AuxComm Meeting Dec 7, 2024”.

 

On January 4, 2025, Gary Mitchelson, NC3Z, gave a presentation to the Pamlico Comms Team (PCT) regarding the Pamlico County Swift Water Rescue Teams deployment to Western North Carolina in response to Hurricane Helene. Gary, the Fire Chief of the Florence-Whortonsville FD Station 25 and a Pamlico County COML, is a member of the swift water rescue team. Twenty one PARS members listened as Gary described and showed photos of the teams response to the devastated area at and around Lake Lure and Chimney Rock, NC. They were the first “outside” team to enter those locations to provide swift water rescue and other relief functions. Very interesting and informative presentation. Made us all feel very proud of the Pamlico County Team.

Thanks to Bruce K4ONC “Mr Repeater” for keeping us up to date with the PCS goings on and for all his great work for PCS.

There’s a new repeater in town Pardnah!

Take a look at NC4ES

 THE NEW ARAPAHOE REPEATER IS

“ON-THE- AIR”

The Oriental Repeater Group reports the new Arapahoe NC4ES VHF Repeater, located on the WNBB FM tower in Arlington Place, is on-the-air.  Being a new installation, we’ll be continuously testing and improving it.  The transmitter/receiver/controller is the same Motorola SLR 5700 that had been operating at the Oriental Kershaw tower since March.  The new antenna is a Decibel Products DB224 4-element exposed dipole array, omnidirectional at about 8.1 dB gain, and is side-mounted on the south side at 330 feet above ground level. With WNBB and WNBU broadcast FMs on the same tower, the RF environment is challenging.  Accordingly, the antenna system employs interesting filtering to avoid receiver de-sensing and transmit intermodulation from a 50,000-watt transmitter with a very close and big antenna.  As it did at the Kershaw site, this machine operates using two modes, analog FM and DMR.  The power driving the new system will come from nuclear fusion. (Solar power and lithium-iron-phosphate batteries – Ha!)  We will be avoiding our area’s occasional mains power-outages!

In time, the DMR side will participate in the NC4ES network.  That net which links to or from the worldwide EchoLink, Allstar networks,  Brandmeister, TGIF DMR networks, and 16 NC4ES machines across Eastern NC.  Those intended for emergency and contingency communications, serving hospitals and emergency management as well as for use by hams.  Some exciting linking capabilities will be coming with the Oriental repeater and the other NC4ES DMR repeater at the Florence-Whortonsville VFD.

Initial performance reports indicate audio and range is excellent, at least matching or improving upon the coverage we get with the Oriental repeater.  Your tests and on-air reports are welcome and encouraged!  The Arapahoe machine uses CTCSS, or PL tones, on the analog side to determine which mode a user intends.  If it hears a transmission using 88.5 PL, it repeats in analog FM mode, services the conversation, stays in the mode for twenty seconds, then drops the mode until reset by a new call.  If it hears a digital signal without a PL, it switches to DMR mode, etc.

Analog FM settings of your radios should be as follows for compatibility: Repeater output (your RX): 147.285 MHz Repeater offset (change in frequency to your TX): +600 Hz (set your TX to 147.885 MHz) Encode PL: 88.5 Hz (sensed by the repeater and allows you access Decode PL or “Tone Squelch”: 88.5 Hz (sensed by your radio to open your squelch so you can hear the repeater) IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOUR ANALOG FM RADIO BE SET UP WITH THE DECODE PL. WITHOUT IT, YOU WILL HEAR DMR USERS’ BUZZSAW-LIKE SIGNALS WHICH CAN BE ANNOYING!

DMR users’ channel setup should follow these settings:

RX: 147.285 MHz

TX: 147.885 MHz

CC: 1

Channel Type: D-digital DMR mode: repeater (not simplex) Set TS and TGs according to the lineup on the NC4ES dashboard at http://cluster.nc4es.org:8080/ –click on “Info”.

Note: The Oriental N4ONC 147.210 MHz Repeater is back to FM-only operation using the original equipment with no change in settings required for your radios. Yes, your favorite little talking man is back, at least for the time being.

-For the Oriental Repeater Group, Lor Kutchins, W3QA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A special thanks to Jim AI4WL for his great photos of the event.

N4ONC/R 147.210 MHz REPEATER CHANGES

As of November 2022, the Oriental repeater is back to its old familiar Analog self along with the nice man at Station ID time.  The P C T gang is working on a new alternate repeater site and the news is forthcoming.  Stay tuned.

As of noon on Saturday July 23rd, a new N4ONC/R VHF repeater is playing on frequency. All your current settings and programming should allow you to use it without difficulty. The machine supports both analog FM and DMR modes. Users of one mode will not hear conversations on the other.

The machine retransmits whichever mode it hears.  Users can tell if the repeater is in use in the other mode by observing their radio’s incoming signal activity (signal strength/RSSI) indicator, or perhaps a ‘receive’ LED on some radios. Please exercise courtesy not to transmit while the repeater is active on the other mode and wait until the other QSO is complete.

Preliminary observations are that it outperforms the old machine, especially in terms of audio quality and Digital coverage through trees.

Your help by commenting on-air your observations of any difficulties and if performance is better—or worse—for you in previously troublesome places will be much appreciated. If you will be transiting out of the area, range tests in either mode will be helpful. We will be listening!

 

PAMLICO COMMUNICATIONS TEAM LEARNS ABOUT DEPLOYMENT BAGS

Lor Kutchins, W3QA, made a presentation on “Deployment Bags” to members of the Pamlico Communications Team (PCT) during our monthly meeting on Saturday, March 4th at the Florence-Whortonsville Fire Department. The bags are comprised of such items as clothing, personal hygiene kit, survival gear, first aid kit, food and many other items for a multi day deployment. Lor also showed us a bag that he carries in his car for emergencies or other unexpected events. There was also an informative discussion as to what we should have prepared in the event of a natural or man made disaster and no services are available or we have to leave our home quickly. All in all it was a very interesting and informative morning.

If any amateur radio operator, regardless of license class, is interested in Emergency Communications and would like to join us, we meet the first Saturday of every month, unless otherwise noted in the PARSgram, at the Florence-Whortonsville FD on Florence Road at 0900 hrs.

Bruce Perkins -K4ONC