February Section Report
Greetings to all the Palmetto State Amateur Radio operators and ARRL members. 2025 is already moving quickly. I’ve set a few radio goals for 2025, one goal is a do over from 2024. Last year I wanted to do at least 12 POTA activiations through the year, ideally one a month. I started great with 5 activations in the first 5 months of the year. However, I did not have another activation June through December so I ended the year with 5 activations. This year I activated the first week of the New Year for the New Year activator/hunter award and late February I operated the South Carolina QSO Party from a POTA entity. My plan this year is to try and invite other hams to join me on POTA outings as it is always more fun with a group. Another goal, which I shared in the November Section Report was for everyone to get on a local repeater at least once a week, my personal goal was to try almost daily. I have been seccesful so far, and if no one responds to my callsign on one repeater I will try 3 or 4 more repeaters to get someone to reply. I also want to get more active in contesting and so far this year I have participated in 5 State QSO Parties and the ARRL International DX contest. Check out the State QSO Party Challenge webpage for more information on the State QSO Parties and the challege.
The South Carolina QSO Party was Saturday, February 22nd. I activated Belfast Plantation with fellow club member Rodger, N4NRW. We operated from 1100 to 1400 and cleared 109 contacts. At 1400 the clouds hid the sun and the wind started to pick up quickly dropping the temperature, so we found it to be a great time to pack up. However, it was fun participating in the SCQP again, this is the 4th year in a row for me after not participing for a number of years. I finished the evening running the W4CAE Bonus Station on 40 Meters. I am looking forward to the results. A special thanks to the SCQP team Dave Edmonds, WN4AFP, Bill Chartier, N4IQ, Frank Baranek, KG4IGC, Jim Lathan, W4JLP, & Pete Emmel, K4LLE.
Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act Re-Introduced The Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act of 2025 (H.R. 1094 and S. 459) would require homeowner associations to accommodate the needs of FCC-licensed Amateur Radio operators by prohibiting the enforcement of private land use restrictions that ban, prevent, or require the approval of the installation or use of Amateur Radio station antennas. Homeowner associations have often prevented installation and use of such antennas through private land use restrictions. This has hindered voluntary training for emergency situations and blocked access to necessary communications when disaster strikes. Please contact your representatives to co-sponser this bill.
HL Hunley Special Event Station Saturday morning Feb 15th 2025 the Trident Amateur radio club headed out to Fort Moultrie US-9196 to set up and activate as N4HLH. The H L Hunley special event station. This special event is the commemoration of the first successful attack by a submarine during war. February 17th 1864 the CSS HL Hunley set out on its first and only mission and successfully sank the USS Housatonic in the Charleston harbor. Every year the Trident amateur radio club sets out to activate as the HL Hunley to keep the history alive. This year we had 9 activators and multiple helpers to get 182 contacts split between 20 and 40m. The activators were as follows AE4ZR David Merrits, WA4NMW Glenn Stephens, K4OPZ Steve Behr, VK6AAS Zach Aislabie, WB4ZBR Chip Mack, K4AGF Greg Fowler, KF5BLK Owen Trott, KO4MNB Jim Wasson, and KO4AFL Steve Anderjack, We also had three new licensed amateurs stop by the activation KR4BLM Randi Schilter, KR4BLL Isaac Schilter, and KR4BLK Caleb Schilter. Their calls were issued Saturday morning and the boys got on the radio and made a call to their grandfather in florida. He was able to hear them on an SDR but didn't have a 40m antenna available to make the QSO.
Hamfests, Swapmeets, & Tailgate Parties! The season is upon us, and I am looking forward to getting out and visiting with many new, old, and faimliar hams. Please consider coming out to support your local hamfest so we can continue to have them. I have the upcoming ones listed below and will continue to add new ones to the list.
Upcoming Hamfests
| Event Name | Date | Location | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte Hamfest | March 7 & 8 Fri: 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM Sat: 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM |
Cabarrus Arena & Events Center – Gold Hall 4551 Old Airport Road Concord, NC |
www.charlottehamfest.org |
| The Ridge ARC Tailgate Party | April 5 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM |
Shealy's Bar-B-Que Parking Lot 340 E Columbia Ave Batesburg-Leesville, SC |
www.w4rrc.org |
| American Legion Post 26 Swapfest | April 19 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM |
American Legion Post 26 636 Old Airport Road Aiken, SC |
www.qrz.com/db/W4RTO |
| Columbia ARC Swapfest | April 26 08:00 AM - 12:00 PM |
North Trenholm Baptist Church 6515 N. Trenholm Road Columbia, SC |
www.w4cae.com |
January 2025 NTS Report
Compiled by SC STM Dean French, N4AJK
| Net | Check Ins (Winlink) | Traffic | Sessions | Reported By |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Radio Club | 626 (6) | 34 | 30 | KN4TUI |
| Big Ears Aynor Repeater | 56 | 0 | 4 | KD2OJQ |
| Blue Ridge 2 Meter Net | 1622 | 41 | 31 | W4DJW |
| Cherokee Amateur Radio Emergency Services | 76 | 2 | 5 | N6WWG |
| Carolinas Net | 394 | 160 | 62 | AA4MP |
| Carolinas Slow Net | 188 | 28 | 31 | KI4KZS |
| CARC Sunday Net | 102 | 21 | 4 | N4PRF |
| Central SC CARC VHF Simplex Net | 14 | 0 | 1 | KN4KRZ |
| Florence Amateur Radio Club | 52 | 4 | 4 | WB6GUC |
| Grand Strand ARC 2m Net | 239 | 19 | 19 | N4AJK |
| Grand Strand ARC 1.25m Net | 33 | 3 | 3 | N4AJK |
| Grand Strand ARC 70 cm Net | 78 | 8 | 8 | N4AJK |
| Greater Pee Dee 2m Net | 1001 | 58 | 31 | KK4KSZ |
| Horry Co. ARES simplex net | 15 | 1 | 1 | W3SSB |
| Hoodlum group/ 2M | 60 | 4 | 4 | KE4NOE |
| Hoodlum group/ HF | 88 | 4 | 4 | KE4NOE |
| Kershaw ARC 2m Net | 101 | 15 | 8 | W4JAV |
| Lancaster County ARC 2m Net | 23 | 2 | 4 | N4WMB |
| Lori's Ham Radio Club | 16 | 3 | 3 | N4SLC |
| PALS Net | 894 | 31 | 31 | KK4MQN |
| Ridge ARC VHF Net | 132 | 15 | 12 | KD4HDR |
| Ridge ARC HF Net | 14 | 2 | 2 | KD4HDR |
| SC Heart Training Net | 245 (2) | 0 | 5 | KQ4KK |
| SC Statewide ARES HF Net | 94 (36) | 9 | 4 | KN4KRZ |
| SC Midlands ARES Training Net | 38 (17) | 8 | 2 | KO4WAA |
| SCSSB Net | 1222 | 99 | 31 | KG4RUE |
| SC ARES VHF/UHF Net | 290 | 2 | 4 | KI4RAX |
| SC Winlink Tuesday Net | 221 (226) | 226 | 4 | KN4KRZ |
| Sumter County EmComm Net | 19 | 1 | 4 | KK4HFG |
| Trident Amateur Radio Club | 30 (0) | 5 | 2 | K4TCP |
| YCARS | 99 | 5 | 2 | W4VST |
WS4P January 2025 Station Activity and PSHR Reports
| Station | Sent | Received | Delivered | Originated | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WS4P | 43 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 76 |
WS4P Digital Relay Station
| Received | Sent | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 3 |
Public Service Honor Roll
| Station | Cat1 | Cat2 | Cat3 | Cat4 | Cat5 | Cat6 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WS4P | 40 | 40 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 110 |
Winlink Net Check-ins: 10
Station Report for K4NWX
| PSHR Categories | Total |
|---|---|
| 40/40/20/0/20/10 | 130 |
K4NWX Station Report
| Incoming | Outgoing | Delivered | Originated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | 29 | 7 | 4 |
K4NWX Digital Station Report
| Incoming | Outgoing |
|---|---|
| 22 | 21 |
New ARRL Members in South Carolina
| Name | Call Sign | City, State, Zip |
|---|---|---|
| Wesley I Lane | KQ4WUY | Chapin, SC 29036-7130 |
| Doug E Roberts | KQ4DER | Chapin, SC 29036-8225 |
| Brandon Truesdale | - | Chapin, SC 29036-9807 |
| Thomas E Du Bose | W4TDE | Dalzell, SC 29040-9678 |
| Donald Underwood | - | Lexington, SC 29072-7700 |
| Melissa D Ripley | KR4AGT | Campobello, SC 29322-0309 |
| Jesse L Smith | K4MSS | Chesnee, SC 29323-9027 |
| E Wayne Fowler | AE4PJ | Clinton, SC 29325-4546 |
| Christian A Misiak | KQ4WQM | Inman, SC 29349-6318 |
| Lowell Batton | - | Woodruff, SC 29388-8052 |
| Melissa Purcell | - | Charleston, SC 29412-9395 |
| Robert James | - | Charleston, SC 29414-7577 |
| Meade Dillon | - | Mount Pleasant, SC 29466-7970 |
| Frances Thomas | - | Ruffin, SC 29475-4306 |
| Mark E Mcmakin | KO4LMN | Saint Stephen, SC 29479-3897 |
| Joseph Luker | - | Summerville, SC 29485-5019 |
| Steven T Faith | N6SUB | Summerville, SC 29485-5242 |
| Benjamin H Conklin | KB2KCO | Hartsville, SC 29550-0138 |
| Eli Saleeby | - | Hartsville, SC 29550-8325 |
| Sandra Lambros | - | Little River, SC 29566-7119 |
| Edward Aldridge | - | Murrells Inlet, SC 29576-5076 |
| Paul D Yates | KM4HGG | Greenville, SC 29615-4153 |
| Edmond F Litoborski | W4EFL | Anderson, SC 29625-6427 |
| Dave P Stleger | KQ4ZNP | Easley, SC 29642-8969 |
| Daniel D Nguyen | KR4ANG | Liberty, SC 29657-9616 |
| Kevin Crittendon | N9NV | Ninety Six, SC 29666-9715 |
| Joey Geiger | - | Simpsonville, SC 29681-4690 |
| Richard Evans | - | Rock Hill, SC 29732-1313 |
| WILLIAM QUINBY | - | Edgefield, SC 29824-3311 |
| Ronald C Simon | WB3X | Beaufort, SC 29902-6025 |
| Otto Miller | - | Bluffton, SC 29910-6192 |
New Hams in South Carolina
| Name | Call Sign | City, State, Zip |
|---|---|---|
| Christopher P Harris | KR4APX | Bethune, SC 29009-9566 |
| Tanner D Cooper | KR4AQP | Camden, SC 29020-3721 |
| Brandon D Truesdale | KR4AVY | Chapin, SC 29036-9807 |
| Donald E Underwood | KR4ATP | Lexington, SC 29072 |
| Mark L Duncan | KR4AQQ | Lexington, SC 29072-7293 |
| Nicholas I Kelly | KR4AQV | Lexington, SC 29072-9649 |
| Gabriel A Barahona Smith | KR4AYU | Lexington, SC 29073-8740 |
| Charles C Coleman | KR4ADI | Sumter, SC 29154-9234 |
| Sean Richardson | KR4ARE | West Columbia, SC 29170-1065 |
| Jason M Puckett | KR4ARD | Columbia, SC 29205-4704 |
| Laura J Kelley | KR4ARC | Columbia, SC 29205-4704 |
| Kermit R White | KR4AVJ | Spartanburg, SC 29303-3921 |
| Max T Bridges | KR4AVL | Spartanburg, SC 29306-3901 |
| William M Parris | KR4AWE | Boiling Springs, SC 29316-5465 |
| Robert T Forrest | KR4AVN | Boiling Springs, SC 29316-5766 |
| Melissa D Ripley | KR4AGT | Campobello, SC 29322-0309 |
| Robert B Howard | KR4AWO | Campobello, SC 29322-9208 |
| Richard B Cash | W4UGM | Cowpens, SC 29330-0126 |
| Vincent L Bell | KR4AVM | Inman, SC 29349-8216 |
| Mackenzie R Rollins | KR4AHV | Landrum, SC 29356-9438 |
| Gregory D Garrison | KR4AWN | Wellford, SC 29385-9387 |
| Christopher Sotak | KR4APH | Charleston, SC 29407-9623 |
| Mason E Taylor | KR4AQW | Summerville, SC 29483-5278 |
| Brennan S Wallace | KR4AVD | Summerville, SC 29486-2231 |
| Barbara A Smith | K8BAS | Galivants Ferry, SC 29544-7812 |
| Alfred J Degennaro | KR4AUN | Hartsville, SC 29550-6822 |
| Sanjith Sunil | KR4ATM | Marion, SC 29571 |
| Robert A Cunningham | KR4AEJ | Myrtle Beach, SC 29579-3356 |
| William F Seely | KR4ASG | Greenville, SC 29607-1415 |
| Rosemary Jones | KR4AXL | Greenville, SC 29609-1305 |
| Jeff M Davis | KZ4PU | Belton, SC 29627-2108 |
| James Norman | KR4AUG | Greer, SC 29651-7301 |
| Daniel D Nguyen | KR4ANG | Liberty, SC 29657-9616 |
| Bennett E Carpenter | KR4ARX | Seneca, SC 29672-0650 |
| Eva N Magee | KR4ADU | Piedmont, SC 29673 |
| Joseph M Geiger | KR4AST | Simpsonville, SC 29681-4690 |
| Michael W Chappell | KR4ASF | Simpsonville, SC 29681-5662 |
| Douglas Leverette | KR4AGQ | Simpsonville, SC 29681-5779 |
| Daniel Hembree | KR4AIA | Travelers Rest, SC 29690-9749 |
| Richard W Evans | W4RWE | Rock Hill, SC 29732-1313 |
| William C Quinby | KR4AKZ | Edgefield, SC 29824-3311 |
| Daniel T Dabbs | KR4AUH | Beech Island, SC 29842-8688 |
| James S Rosen | KR4AMY | Beaufort, SC 29907-1107 |
| Otto Miller | KR4AKG | Bluffton, SC 29910-6192 |
| Peter S Bell | KR4ALY | Hardeeville, SC 29927-2969 |
SC ARRL Section Leadership
| Position | Name | Call Sign | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section Manager | Matthew Crook | W1MRC | W1MRC@arrl.org |
| Section Emergency Coordinator | Robert Webster | WR8RW | WR8RW@arrl.net |
| Assistant Section Manager | John Gendron | NJ4Z | NJ4Z@arrl.org |
| Assistant Section Manager - Skywarn | Billy Irwin | K9OH | K9OH@arrl.net |
| Assistant Section Manager | Stephen Anderjack | KO4AFL | KO4AFL@Gmail.com |
| Assistant Section Manager | Scott Putnam | KG9V | KG9V@Ycars.org |
| Public Info Coordinator | Gordon Mooneyhan | W4EGM | W4EGM@Outlook.com |
| Affiliated Club Coordinator | Carl Bosard | W4IXI | W4IXI@arrl.net |
| Section Traffic Manager | Dean French | N4AJK | N4AJK@arrl.net |
| Section Youth Coordinator | Michael Grimsley | KF4W | KF4W@arrl.net |
| Technical Coordinator | Brad Humphries | AE4VJ | AE4VJ@arrl.net |
