January section report
Greetings to all the Palmetto State Amateur Radio operators and ARRL members. I hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas and a great New Year so far. We have received snow in parts of SC twice already in January while also having some days warm enough to wear shorts already. However, Punxsutawney Phil says we have six more weeks of winter ahead! Hopefully he is wrong this year as I am looking forward to Spring/Summer and getting radio active outdoors.
The Greenwood Amateur Radio Socity’s GARSfest was cancelled due to the winter weather. While this was unfortunate, the safety of everyone who would be traveling to attend had to be considered. I know in the midlands we had a large increase of motor vehicle collisions in the aftermath of both winter weather events due to the black ice on the roadways. I am excited for the return of the GARSfest in 2026.
We held the Roanoke Division Town Hall on December 30th, and it is available at YouTube if you missed it live.
Winter Field Day 2025 was January 25th & 26th. I enjoyed the day with The Ridge ARC of Batesburg-Leesville at a spot on Lake Murray. It was a great time hanging out with club members. There was a non-ham who came to visit, joined the club, and is set on getting his Amateur Radio license.
I so often find myself working Amateur Radio solo whether it is joining a net from home, working a contest at home, or a solo POTA activation that I always find Winter Field Day, ARRL Field Day, and hamfest/tailgate’s so much more enjoyable due to the added comapny of hams. I encourage you to do more activities/outings with your club besides WFD & ARRL FD this year.
I recently joined the Swamp Fox Contest Group and I am learning so much about contesting. I’ve enjoyed HF (espcially POTA), but I never did any contesting other than the SC QSO Party and a couple ARRL contests. The amount of contests every year is really amazing, while my goal isn’t to be a competitive contestor, I already participated in more contests this weekend than all of last year. There are several contest groups in South Carolina and surrounding states. I recommend you join one if you have any interest in contesting, they will provide you with a wealth of knowledge. You can find most listed on the ARRL - Find a Club website.
In reference to contesting, The Carolinas Weekend is quickly approaching! The South Carolina QP is Saturday, February 22nd and the North Carolina QP is Sunday, February 23rd. In 2024 we had 59 In-State operators, I am hopeful we can reach 100 In-State Operators this year. Reminder, you can operate mobile, expidition (POTA), or at home. SC has 46 counties and we try every year to activate as many as possible, at least 43 were activated last year. I have activated McCormick County the past two years due to the lack of operators in previous years. The following counties had over 1,000 QSO’s last year: Greenville (1,739), Oconee (1,637), Spartanburg (1,512), Aiken (1,200), Beaufort (1,069), & Georgetown (1,054). I hope you will consider operating even a few hours for the SCQP. The Georgia QP will be April 12 & 13.
World Amateur Radio Day is April 18th this year and the ARRL is promoting this as a Ham Radio Open House day. Please check the link for more information and see if your local club could host an event.
The ARRL is hosting a Sweepstakes to win an Icom Dream Station. This includes an Icom IC-7760, IC-PW2, SM-50, & a 60th Annivesary Icom Seiko Watch. As part of the ARRL Field Volunteer service I of course can’t win this station, but I am hopeful someone in South Carolina does! You can entries by joining or renewing your ARRL membership, Set Up Auto Renewal, and/or donate to the ARRL Diamond Club. Please check ARRL Sweepstakes website for details.
Please see the lists below of upcoming hamfests and attend if you can. I will be at all those listed in SC and Hamcation. There is also a list of new & renewing members to the ARRL, thank you for your support. Please see the list at the very bottom for the ARRL SC cabinet and reach out to any of us if we can be of any assitance. There is also a list of newly licensed hams in South Carolina which is a large list for just December, reach out and invite them to your club or other outings if you know them or live nearby. In area 4 we are finished with all the KQ4 callsigns and new hams are now getting KR4 callsigns, so listen out and welcome them to the hobby if you hear them.
Thank you everyone who took time to reach this report and thank you for your participating in this amazing hobby!
73
W1MRC
Upcoming Hamfests
| Event Name | Date | Location | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| HamCation | February 7-9 Fri & Sat: 9AM-5PM Sun: 9AM-1PM |
Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park 4603 West Colonial Drive Orlando, Florida 32808 |
www.hamcation.com |
| Amateur Radio Club of Augusta Winter Tailgate | February 15 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM |
Christ Church Presbyterian of Augusta 4201 Southern Pines Dr Evans, GA 30809 |
www.arcaugusta.org |
| 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 28025 |
www.charlottehamfest.org |
| The Ridge Amateur Radio Club 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 |
| Columbia Amateur Radio Club Swapfest | April 26 08:00 AM - 12:00 PM |
North Trenholm Baptist Church 6515 N. Trenholm Road Columbia, SC 29201C |
www.w4cae.com |
New & Renewing ARRL Members in SC Section
| Name | Callsign | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Jenkins | KQ4TEL | Lugoff, SC |
| Gina M Wilber | KM4HYA | Wagener, SC |
| Kenneth R Lane | KQ4WQG | Cowpens, SC |
| Sam Cooper | - | Woodruff, SC |
| Jason Boehm | KQ4TJC | Mount Pleasant, SC |
| Richard I Buckner | KK4B | Summerville, SC |
| Jerry M Merritt | KQ4ZTA | Summerville, SC |
| Paul E Morris | KQ4ZTB | Summerville, SC |
| Thomas R Freeman | KN4NIJ | Greenville, SC |
| Daniel T Jones | KQ4WRV | Greenville, SC |
| Jeffery King | KQ4WOF | Easley, SC |
| Robert Mullinax | - | Fountain Inn, SC |
| Phillip W Dewitt | KQ4YSZ | Lancaster, SC |
| Kevin D Cochrane | W4RHT | Rock Hill, SC |
| Chase C Williams | KQ4WRW | Port Royal, SC |
| Clarence S Rhoden | KM4MMU | Ward, SC |
| Robert A Greene | W2EOH | Johns Island, SC |
| Robert B Ward | WA3MUR | Murrells Inlet, SC |
| Blaine S Hudson | KF4TDL | Gray Court, SC |
| James A Horne | KD4ZPW | Chesterfield, SC |
| William H Tholborn | KC4SRA | Aiken, SC |
| William D Lanham | KF4MQI | Edgefield, SC |
| Preston McNair | - | Bluffton, SC |
New South Carolina Hams
| Name | Callsign | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Doug E Roberts | KQ4ZKW | Chapin, SC |
| Joseph B Pace | KQ4ZNG | Chapin, SC |
| Jedidiah S Carlton | WB4ZIH | Elgin, SC |
| Michael R Connelly | KQ4ZKQ | Irmo, SC |
| Glenn P Neblett | KQ4ZTI | Lexington, SC |
| William K Nowak | KR4ACC | Ridgeway, SC |
| Chris Wallace | KQ4ZLW | Wagener, SC |
| Paul A Froehlich | KQ4ZWF | Wagener, SC |
| John L Womble | KQ4ZKO | West Columbia, SC |
| Edward L Rathbun | KQ4ZXH | West Columbia, SC |
| Keith E Davis | KQ4ZSO | Columbia, SC |
| David L Parker | KQ4ZUA | Boiling Springs, SC |
| David S Sanders | KQ4ZQT | Clinton, SC |
| Carol S McCoy | KQ4ZXL | Lyman, SC |
| Terry L Phillips | KR4ACR | Moore, SC |
| Aaron K Horton | KQ4ZVF | Pauline, SC |
| Teresa Gingerella | KR4ABA | Reidville, SC |
| Andrew T Robinson | KQ4ZKH | Woodruff, SC |
| Samuel T Cooper | KQ4ZUQ | Woodruff, SC |
| Seth B Spigner | KQ4ZVT | Charleston, SC |
| Christopher Elizondo | KQ4ZRI | Bonneau, SC |
| Ronald W Murray | KQ4ZVE | Georgetown, SC |
| Michael Sowa | KQ4ZSQ | Ladson, SC |
| Caleb L Crawford | KQ4ZLZ | Moncks Corner, SC |
| Nicholas J Turoski | KQ4ZIM | Summerville, SC |
| Jerry M Merritt | KQ4ZTA | Summerville, SC |
| Krista Carter | KQ4ZWD | Summerville, SC |
| Paul E Morris | KQ4ZTB | Summerville, SC |
| Robert E Kircher | KQ4ZVH | Conway, SC |
| Cameron Wilder | KQ4ZIS | Conway, SC |
| Edmond F Litoborski | W4EFL | Anderson, SC |
| Charles D Hughey | KQ4ZFV | Belton, SC |
| Daniel E Edens | KQ4ZQD | Easley, SC |
| John W Moll | KQ4ZLC | Easley, SC |
| David P St Leger | KQ4ZNP | Easley, SC |
| Nathan T Larnard | KQ4ZSA | Greenwood, SC |
| Andrew B Crowley | KR4AAZ | Greer, SC |
| Linda F Muhammad | KQ4ZVG | Greer, SC |
| Nathan A Peterson | N0GZR | Piedmont, SC |
| David D Williams | KV4DDW | Salem, SC |
| David P Philpott | KQ4ZMW | Seneca, SC |
| Zachary A Philpott | KQ4ZNO | Seneca, SC |
| Robert W Schmitt | KQ4ZLD | Seneca, SC |
| Joshua E Vickers | KR4ACM | Simpsonville, SC |
| David Nichols | KQ4ZJN | Taylors, SC |
| Roger W Carper | KQ4ZYK | Taylors, SC |
| Stephen J Chow | KR4AAE | Taylors, SC |
| Anthony W Sharp | KQ4ZLE | Townville, SC |
| Christine Grewcock | KQ4ZWS | Travelers Rest, SC |
| William C George | W4WCG | Travelers Rest, SC |
| Michael D Buckaloo | KQ4ZYP | Chester, SC |
| John R Yelvington | K0JWY | Chester, SC |
| Scott W Anderson | KR4ABO | Fort Mill, SC |
| Justin T Ghorley | KZ4PD | Clover, SC |
| Sheldon A Reeves | KQ4ZYU | Richburg, SC |
| Richard W Evans | KQ4ZTS | Rock Hill, SC |
| Taylor C Demeter | KQ4ZUG | Aiken, SC |
| Lucas E Reason | KQ4ZJG | Aiken, SC |
| Reuben P Carver | KQ4ZQW | Edgefield, SC |
| Joshua M Crapps | KQ4ZJA | Mc Cormick, SC |
| Karissa M Blocker | KQ4ZWG | North Augusta, SC |
| John E Poovey | KQ4ZPN | Beaufort, SC |
December 2024 Net Reports
| Net | Check Ins (winlink) | Traffic | Sessions | Reported By |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Radio Club | 570 | 33 | 31 | K4NWX |
| Big Ears Aynor Repeater | 58 | 0 | 4 | KD2OJQ |
| Blue Ridge 2 Meter Net | 1306 | 41 | 31 | W4DJW |
| Cherokee Amateur Radio Emergency Services | 54 | 0 | 4 | N6WWG |
| Carolinas Net | 389 | 150 | 62 | AA4MP |
| CARC Sunday Net | 107 | 37 | 5 | N4PRF |
| Central SC CARC VHF Simplex Net | 17 | 0 | 1 | KN4KRZ |
| Dec Nets 2M | 88 | 5 | 5 | KE4NOE |
| Dec Nets HF | 131 | 6 | 6 | KE4NOE |
| Florence Amateur Radio Club | 58 | 8 | 5 | WB6GUC |
| Florence Skywarn Net | 27 | 10 | 2 | WB6GUC |
| Grand Strand ARC 2m Net | 207 | 17 | 17 | N4AJK |
| Grand Strand ARC 1.25m Net | 72 | 9 | 9 | N4AJK |
| Grand Strand ARC 70 cm Net | 67 | 9 | 9 | N4AJK |
| Greater Pee Dee 2m Net | 1033 | 67 | 31 | KK4KSZ |
| Hartsville 5 K Run | 14 | 2 | 2 | WB6GUC |
| Horry Co. ARES simplex net | 7 | 1 | 1 | WB4FTU |
| Kershaw ARC 2m Net | 110 | 13 | 10 | KK4RUI |
| Lancaster County ARC 2m Net | 27 | 0 | 5 | N4WMB |
| Lori's Ham Radio Club | 33 | 7 | 5 | N4SLC |
| PALS Net | 878 | 38 | 31 | KK4MQN |
| SC Heart Training Net | 166 (2) | 0 | 4 | KQ4KK |
| SC Statewide ARES HF Net | 84 (41) | 8 | 5 | KN4KRZ |
| SC Midlands ARES Training Net | 32 (9) | 8 | 2 | KO4WAA |
| SCSSB Net | 1193 | 123 | 31 | KG4RUE |
| SC ARES VHF/UHF Net | 350 | 3 | 5 | KI4RAX |
| SC Winlink Tuesday Net | 221 (221) | 221 | 5 | KN4KRZ |
| Sumter County EmComm Net | 34 | 2 | 4 | KK4HFG |
| Trident Amateur Radio Club | 24 (0) | 1 | 2 | K4TCP |
WS4P December 2024 Station Activity Report
| Station | Sent | Received | Delivered | Originated | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WS4P | 59 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 101 |
WS4P Digital Relay Station
| Received | Sent | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | 3 | 14 |
Public Service Honor Roll
| Station | Cat1 | Cat2 | Cat3 | Cat4 | Cat5 | Cat6 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WS4P | 40 | 40 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 110 |
K4NWX Station Reports
| Report Type | Details |
|---|---|
| PSHR | 40/40/20/0/20/10 - Total: 130 |
| Station Report | 28 in, 29 out, 7 delivered, 4 originated |
| Digital Station Report | 22 in, 21 out |
| Winlink Net Check-ins | 14 |
South Carolina 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 |
