NOTE TO READERS–Due to a number of members reporting non-receipt of
yesterdays PARSgram, this is a retransmission of that email. It contains
an update to our CURRENT solar CONDITIONS and a minor change to the
ICS-214 log entry example (last sentence, paragraph 5 of the NET NEWS)
for clarity.
PARS BREAKFAST MEETING THIS COMING SATURDAY
Our next meeting will be at 0900 Saturday, August 29th in the back room
of Brantley’s Village Restaurant on Broad Street in Oriental. Please
park along the side or out back. We hope to see you all there. Come
early for breakfast with your fellow hams. For more information contact
Pamlico Amateur Radio Society President Bruce Perkins, K4ONC,
252-626-2730 or K4ONC@aol.com
On the agenda: The ORG’s Kershaw antenna plans, Hurricane Forum and GMRS
for Oriental, Wednesday WinLink exercises, dXpeditions in September and
a chance for a Brantleys’ Gift Certificate.
NET NEWS
At least five folks participated in the Monday night Pamlico C4FM
round-table on August 17th hosted by KO4OJC. Besides Wayne they included
KR4LO, KR4ABZ, AC2GR and KR4CYB. It was short. The net was competing
with the GMRS demo that ran late at the Oriental Town Hall. For local
users via RF, the repeater’s on 145.390MHz. Remote users can join via
the Wires-X room, for now it’s still “KO4OJC-Room 3” (ID 64163).
Buck AA4SN, our net controller for the month, recorded 19 WinLink and 23
voice check-ins for the Pamlico Communications Net last Wednesday,
August 19th. EchoLink check-ins included Paul KM4PA in Brevard and Bill
K2TNO from Greensboro. The WinLink task was to report or describe on a
ICS-213 message form what is to be found at a specified GPS location.
Bruce, K4ONC operating from Station 19, polled the voice check-ins
asking whether they had any difficulty. Apparently, the biggest
challenge was converting the asterisk in the tasker to the degree symbol
used by Google Maps or Google Earth. A good exercise…
FOR THE PAMLICO COMMUNICATIONS NET ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26TH, you are
asked to complete an ICS-214 Activity Log. The form is self explanatory.
SCENARIO: EXERCISE EXERCISE EXERCISE You have been activated to operate
at the PARS Communications Center at the Southeast Pamlico Volunteer
Fire Department (SPVFD) Station 19 in Oriental. “Hurricane Exercise” is
about to make landfall near Wilmington NC in twelve (12) hours. You have
been assigned to operate the VHF radio (147.210 Kershaw Repeater) at the
station in the position of an AuxComm operator. With you at the station
are John Smith, Pamlico County COML and Jason Jones, an AuxComm
operator. All members of the Pamlico Communications Team.
Your operational period is for six (6) hours beginning on 08/26/26
0900hrs to 08/26/26 1500hrs. You are to record all Hurricane traffic
related to you and from you and anything else like phone calls, etc.,
that is brought to your attention during those imaginary six hours.
Basically keep a log of all your notable activities. For this scenario,
be creative, make up things that might actually occur during your
deployment (shift), e.g., “0930/26AUG2026 Advised by K4ABC tree blocking
HWY55 at Trent Road.[On next line] 0931/26Aug2026 Notified Bayboro EOC
of tree down.” EXERCISE EXERCISE EXERCISE
This is NOT a test, just a method of introducing you to this form and
how it is used in any situation. Have fun! Bruce Perkins – K4ONC Pamlico
AuxComm Coordinator
Only KO4OJC, KR4CYB, and AI4WL, made the Thursday night 6M net on August
20th called by Charlie, WA4GSI. Charlie was unhappy–and had a very weak
signal–after mowing his antenna feedline. Louise was also unhappy after
being stung by a very big and angry bee. Another brief net.
SOLAR NUMBERS TODAY
NOAA reported 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 today through Wednesday with a chance
for M-class flares and a slight chance for an X-class flare.
There were 4 numbered sunspot regions on the Sun facing Earth yesterday
at noon. There were 5 last Sunday.
Sunday’s noon Solar Flux Index (SFI) observation at Penticton was 128,
last Sunday’s was 129. The index is predicted to measure 125 today, 120
Tuesday, 120 Wednesday. The SFI 90 day trailing average was 131
yesterday. It was 131 last Sunday.
The geomagnetic field was quiet yesterday. The SWPC expects the field to
be quiet today, Tuesday and Wednesday. The planetary K-index at 5 a.m.
this morning was 1.00 indicating quiet conditions.
Current conditions (1055Z/25Aug26): Fair day on 80 and 40 Meters, good
at night; good day and night on 30 & 20; good day and night 17 & 15;
fair day, poor at night on 12 and 10. 6M closed. Please go to
https://www.n4prs.org/looking-
DX THIS WEEK–
Extracted from ARRL’s ARLD033 DX NEWS and DXWorld.net:
–3B8, MAURITIUS. Alex, SQ9UM, is QRV as 3B8/SQ9UM from Mauritius
Island, IOTA AF-049, to August 27. Activity is on 40 to 10 meters using
CW, FT8, FT4, and SSB.
–TF, ICELAND. Icelandic Scouts are QRV as TF5SS during a Jamboree event
from August 20 to August 26. Activity is on various bands and modes.
–VK9W, WILLIS ISLAND. Sands, VK4WXW, is QRV as VK9WX through late
October. Activity is on 40 through 10 meters, SSB and FT8.
–AlSO look for FRANZ JOSEF LAND, REUNION ISL and PAPUA NEW GUINEA this
month. For the details, see www.DXWorld.net.
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 60 DAYS unless I hear otherwise. Thanks, Jim.
* For Sale: National Transceiver NCX-5 with matching power supply and a
microphone. Needs a new home, make offer. Kenwood SP-31 speaker, $100.
Wayne – KO4OJC – 252-241-1962 (20260803)
* For Sale: Solid copper ground and bonding bar, 4″ X 10″ X 1/4″, with 2
high voltage stand-off insulators. It has 3 rows of 7 holes each for
ground wires, $75. For comparison check out DX Engineering for a similar
but smaller item, part no. ERO-EGBA14210JF. Bill Michne, WM3X,
252-671-6703, call or text.(20260720)
PARS CALENDAR:
* Aug 29, PARS MONTHLY MEETING, Saturday, 9am, Brantley’s Village
Restaurant, Oriental. For more info, contact Bruce Perkins, K4ONC,
252-626-2730 or K4ONC@aol.com
* Sep 5, PAMLICO COMMUNICATIONS TEAM (PCT) MEETING, Saturday, 9-10:30am.
For more info, contact Bruce Perkins, K4ONC, 252-626-2730 or K4ONC@aol.com
SELECTED LOCAL REPEATER/NODE/BEACON STATUS
(See www.n4prs.org/frequencies/ for set-up)
N4ONC VHF FM Oriental (147.210MHz+ CTCSS 88.5Hz) — Operational
N4ONC VHF FM/C4FM-YSF/Wires-x Oriental (145.390MHz- FM CTCSS 100.0Hz) —
Operational.
N4ONC UHF FM Oriental (444.350MHz+ ENC 85.4Hz) — Standby
GMRS Repeater WSFL439 Oriental (Ch 21, Rptr 7 or 462.700MHz+) — Operational
NC4ES DMR Arapahoe (NC4ES Network)(147.285MHz+ CC1) — Operational
NC4ES FM Arapahoe (147.285MHz+ ENC 88.5Hz/DEC 100Hz) — Standby
NC4ES DMR Florence (NC4ES Network)(445.6625MHZ- CC1) — Operational
WM3X-ONC C4FM/WIRES-X NODE Oriental (145.530MHz smplx) — Operational
KE4TZN Aurora FM/C4FM-YSF/WIRES-X (145.270MHz- FM CTCSS 131.8) —
Operational
KE4TZN Aurora DMR (PRN Network) (440.550MHz+ CC1) — Operational
Cedar Isl Mark’s Beacons: K4FWS/b FM14ux 144.282 CW; K1MAP/b FM14ux
222.055 CW; K1MAP/b FM14ux 432.305 CW (Very low power for rcvr,
propagation tests)
LOCAL NETS OF INTEREST TO PARS MEMBERS:
* Mondays, “Wayne’s World C4FM Net”, 7:30 pm local, using the C4FM
digital mode on the KO4OJC Oriental FM/C4FM/WIRES-X repeater
(145.390MHz). Those outside RF range may join via Wires-X room
“KO4OJC-Room 3″ (ID 64163. This is a round-table open to all.
Discussions vary with member interest. 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 as the “Pamlico Emergency Net”
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-director
PARS WEBSITE: https://www.n4prs.org/
Our Web Master is Paul Jodoin, K4MMB, PARSwebman@gmail.com. You can find
archived PARSgrams, articles, meeting notes, propagation information,
and photos of PARS activities there. Paul welcomes articles and
especially photos of member activities.
73, Jim AI4WL Editor
——–
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