PAMLICO AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY (PARS) July 26, 2025 MEETING NOTES
* Twenty-five members, visitors and guests attended the 9 am Saturday
breakfast meeting at Brantley’s Village Restaurant chaired by President
Bruce Perkins, K4ONC.
* Bruce delivered the Treasurer’s report on behalf of Wally. The
Oriental Repeater Group received a generous gift.
* AI4WL’s Propagation Report: The numbers reflected significant
improvement in HF propagation during the month. The six-meter season
however remains a disappointment. Conditions should be good during the
day and night for the middle HF bands (30-40); good at night for the
low, poor for the high bands. DX opportunities include East Malaysia,
Singapore, Svalbard, and West Kiribati.
* ARES/PCN. Bruce has net control duty for July. He reported
interesting check-in totals for this month so far: 57 WinLink, 61 net
plus two EchoLink… Bruce requests the WinLink CHECK-IN THIS WEEK (Jul
30) be BY SITUATION REPORT…PARS is pushing GMRS. It will offer a
community forum on the service at 6:30pm, Thursday, August 21st.
* The next Pamlico Communications Team meeting will be next Saturday,
9am August 2nd at the Oriental VFD, Station 19 on Straight Road.
* Web report– Paul, K4MMB, reported there were 250 visitors who looked
at 415 pages in the past 30 days. For the year, he counted 7740 visitors
including bots. There were 1233 returns who were likely real people.
Again, he encouraged members to visit and send him your ham related
photos and musings.
* Old Business:
– The Fall Picnic planning is on track. Two dates selected and the
recreation area behind Station 19 reserved. More to come.
– Wayne, KO4OJC and Bill, KR4LO, have activated a new repeater at
Bill’s Baird Creek QTH. A Yaesu FM and C4FM machine, it has Wires-X
capability. Now under test, its 5 watt output will be increased. [See
operational details below.-ed]
– Bill’s (WM3X) C4FM/Wires-X node computer failed and is being
replaced. It should be back up soon.
– The Oriental VFD station now has a desk, 3 feedlines in place. The FD
Directors have approved the proposed VHF and HF antennas with the
proviso that the HF roof top wire be lowerable.
– Lor, W3QA, updated the group on the remaining pico balloon, NC4ES.
The first was lost on day one and the N4PRS balloon lost near the
Yucatan after 9 laps. NC4ES has taken its time including making side
trips over the north pole. At around 47K ft. it is approaching South
Africa on it’s 10th lap. AND there’s a NEW TRACKING SITE,
https://wsprtv.com/ with a Google Earth view “from the balloon”.
* New Business:
– On a Kershaw repeater check late Friday, Bruce discovered that the
tower site had been broken into. 12 At&T hardlines were cut at about the
40 ft level and stolen. AT&T was not using the Kershaw facility so no
service loss. Reportedly, theft of copper feedlines is becoming frequent.
– Bruce advised that although the tone on the GMRS repeater was being
turned off to reduce the set-up challenge for new users, keeping it on
our transceivers is recommended. The tone may be required later. There
will be GMRS forum for Oriental/Pamlico County residents on Aug 21st at
6:30pm at the Oriental Town Hall.
– Bill Michne provided backgound on the Corwin bequest to the Oriental
Repeater Group of which Tom was a big supporter. The money will be
husbanded. It will be used only for necessary non-recurring expenses and
repairs.
– Bruce reminded all that, by way of a transparent repeater at Wayne’s
QTH in Harlowe, EchoLink is available on the Oriental N4ONC repeater.
Users have reported it has been very successful and very easy to use.
Apps are available for computers, tablets, and cell phones.
* The next PARS meeting will be on Saturday, August 30th.
* As for door prizes, visitor Donovan Seagle-Foster–while promising to
get a ham license–headed toward VA Tech with a PARS license plate, Eric
KG4ISY put on his new PARS baseball cap and Bill WM3X had the winning
ticket for the Brantleys Gift Certificate.
* There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:32 am.
PAMLICO EMERGENCY/COMMUNICATIONS NET
Bruce, K4ONC, our controller for the month of July, counted 15 WinLink
check-ins and 17 net check-ins for the Pamlico Emergency/Communications
Net last Wednesday, July 23th. Those on the net with GMRS asked to QSY
to the GMRS repeater. Six did so; two others later. The new GMRS
repeater on the Kershaw/Oriental tower covers a 5-10 mile radius for HT
users. An Oriental community meeting on GMRS is scheduled for 1830 on
Thursday, Aug 21st.
SO WHERE IS SHE NOW? THE GREAT EASTERN BALLOON ‘ROUND-ABOUT CONTINUES
Last Monday the Greenville wanderer was off the coast of Brazil headed
east at about 35mph. On Wednesday she passed to the north of Ascension
Island arriving early Friday over the Gabon coastline. The winds then
took her north, then back on a southwesterly track Saturday to the
border with Equatorial Guinea and then out into the Atlantic again. By
her bedtime Sunday she was over Sao Tome and Principe. This morning she
was floating NNW along the coast of Nigeria headed toward Benin. We’re
getting another geography lesson.
The Traquito tracking site is back up, but wait, there’s another option.
From Lor, W3QA, try this: https://wsprtv.com [for “Ch” use “300”-ed].
It adds a Google Earth view from the balloon.
SOLAR NUMBERS TODAY
NOAA reports that solar activity was low during the 24 hour period
ending yesterday at 5 p.m. local. The Space Weather Prediction Center
expects solar activity to be low through Wednesday with a 30% chance for
M-class flares.
There are 10 numbered sunspot regions on the Sun facing Earth this
morning. There were 10 last Monday, 11 the Monday before.
Sunday’s noon Solar Flux Index (SFI) observation at Penticton was 145,
last Sunday’s was 150. The index is predicted to measure 145 today, 145
Tuesday and 140 on Wednesday. The more important SFI 90 day trailing
average was 135 yesterday. It was 136 last Sunday.
The geomagnetic field was quiet yesterday. The SWPC expects the field to
be quiet to unsettled today, Tuesday and Wednesday. The planetary
K-index at 5 a.m. this morning was 1.33 indicating quiet conditions.
Look for fair conditions during the day on 80 to 40, good at night; good
day and night on 30 to 15; and fair day, poor at night on 12 and 10M. Go
to https://www.n4prs.org/looking-up/ for the latest observations.
DX THIS WEEK–
Extracted from ARRL’s ARLD030 DX news and DXWorld.net:
–EAST MALAYSIA, 9M6. A large group of operators will be QRV as 9M8A
from Satang Besar Island, IOTA OC-165, from July 26 to August 10.
Activity will be on 80 to 6 meters using CW, SSB, FT8, and FT4. QSL via
LoTW.
–SINGAPORE, 9V. Hugh, 9V1SA is QRV as S60SA until August 9 to
commemorate the 60th anniversary of Singapore’s independence. QSL via LoTW.
–SVALBARD, JW. Jaroslaw, SP9HGN is QRV as JW/SP9HGN/p from Spitsbergen
Island, IOTA EU-026, until August 2. Activity is on 40, 20, 15, and 10
meters using SSB and possibly FT8, from Pyramiden, SOTA JW/VS-265,
Mumien, SOTA JW/VS-413, and Gronfjordfjellet, SOTA JW/MS-154. QSL via LoTW.
HAM EQUIPMENT FOR SALE, TRADE, OR WANTED
Send me your amateur radio related items that are for sale, trade, or
wanted and your contact information. PLEASE let me know when you have
have sold your item or if your listing is no longer needed. Listings
will EXPIRE AFTER 90 DAYS unless I hear otherwise. Thanks, Jim.
–SOLD: New never used TYT TH-9000, 220-260 MHz Mobile or base
–SOLD: TRAM 1480 VHF/UHF base station antenna
–FOR SALE: POTA/Field Day package, $550.00. Includes all the accessory
gear that you need for a high quality POTA/Field Day packaged station.
It’s a plug and play set-up. Just plug in your transceiver (IC-7300 or
similar) and you will be on the air in minutes with 100w, all day long.
Multi-band, 80-10m. New cost of components was $1200+, package price is
$550. Package includes:
1. Marine/RV deep cycle 27dc 180A battery in a portable battery box that
includes a digital amp meter and volt meter, and 4 Anderson Power Pole
outputs.
2. Battery Booster, MFJ-4416-C mounted on battery box. The booster is
electronically quiet and rated at 25 amps cont. It works great and will
keep the system output at a constant 13.8V even when the battery voltage
drops to 10.8v. Lots of capacity for full power, all day long.
3. Max Gain Systems, MK-4-HD heavy duty 25′ fiber glass push up mast,
4′ locking sections.
4. Drive on mount for the 25′ Max Gain mast.
5. ICOM AH-4 auto-tuner, 200w, 160-10m (on base of mast)
6. 50′ of pre-wired connecting power cable and RG-59 coax…all cables
needed to get on the air.
7. Inverted L antenna (on storage reel) reconfigurable, 54’/83′, #18
“silky” wire, 100′ 1/8″ Dacron rope.
Contact: Dick Goodwin, K4JJW, rdgjg1964@gmail.com 252-633-7873
Fairfield Harbour (20250519)
–FREE: ICOM IC 700. Marine SSB, old, free, probably good for parts
only. Does not tx on 8. Glenn Sikes, KG4RYZ, New Bern, 305-744-8000
(20250519)
PARS CALENDAR:
* Aug 2, PAMLICO COMMUNICATIONS TEAM (PCT) MEETING, Saturday, 9-10:30am,
Oriental VFD Station 19 on Straight Rd vic. NC-55. All are welcome. For
more info, contact Bruce Perkins, K4ONC, 252-626-2730 or K4ONC@aol.com
* Aug 30, PARS MONTHLY MEETING, Saturday, 9am, Brantley’s Village
Restaurant, Oriental. For more info, contact Bruce Perkins, K4ONC,
252-626-2730 or K4ONC@aol.com
REPEATER/NODE STATUS
(See www.n4prs.org/frequencies/ for set-up)
N4ONC FM Oriental (147.210MHz+ CTCSS 88.5Hz) — Operational
N4ONC (old KR4LO) UHF FM Oriental — Down for repair/replacement
GMRS Repeater (Ch 21, Rptr 7 or 462.700MHz+ PL 131.8Hz) — Operational
NC4ES DMR Arapahoe (NC4ES Network)(147.285MHz+ CC1) — Operational
NC4ES FM Arapahoe (147.285MHz+ CTCSS ENC 88.5Hz/DEC 100Hz)–Standby
NC4ES DMR Florence (NC4ES Network)(445.6625MHZ- CC1) — Operational
WM3X-ONC C4FM/WIRES-X NODE Oriental (145.530MHz splx) — Down for
computer replacement
KO4OJC FM/C4FM/YSF Baird Creek (146.31MHz- ENC 131.8) — Test. Reports
requested.
LOCAL NETS OF INTEREST TO PARS MEMBERS:
* Mondays, “Pamlico 10 Meter Net, 7:30 pm local, on or near 28.464 MHz,
USB. A non-directed net for technicians and above. Radio
topics/questions/issues welcomed.
* Wednesdays,”Pamlico Communications Net”, 7:30 pm local, N4ONC
(Oriental) VHF Repeater, 147.210+ (CTSCC Tone Squelch 88.5). A directed
net open to all. Net activates on call during emergencies.
* 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 WEBSITE: https://www.n4prs.org/
Our Web Master is Paul Jodoin, K4MMB, PARSwebman@gmail.com
73, Jim AI4WL Editor
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