April/MAY Section REport
Greetings to all the Palmetto State Amateur Radio operators and ARRL members. This section report is coming to you a couple weeks later than I intended. It has been a very busy April & May so far, so lets dig in.
We have a town hall zoom meeting tomorrow, May 29th at 8PM at this link: Roanoke Town Hall . Gordon Mooneyhan, W4EGM our ARRL SC PIC will be joining us to tallk about the upcoming ARRL Field Day. Please join us live and submit any questions you have in the chat. If you can’t watch live, you can watch the recording later.
We will talk in depth about ARRL Field Day and I will be going over the FD sites in South Carolina and talking about which sites we will be visiting, so make sure to update the ARRL Field Day Locator with your FD site. ARRL Field Day is June 28th and 29th 2025!
We have two very active youth clubs in SC. The Schofield Technology and Radio Club (N4SMS) just finished the 24-25 school year. They had 10 students through the year, they met weekly and learned to solder, desolder, build kits, radio theory, fox hunt, and so many other great activities. They participated in two weeklong School Roundup contests. They came in 1st place in October of 2024 in the middle school category. In February they placed 1st in the middle school category again and 3rd place overall, beating 88 other schools, including 22 college clubs. They had a great year and they are looking forward to next school year already. A great thank you to Dave Kjellquist, WB5NHL, Jim Matson, KN4OQD, Jim Harris, KG4ZNN, John Cox, K4JCC , Kent Hufford, KQ4KK, & Winston Matson, KO4YKK for being mentors and to the North Augusta Belvedere Radio Club for sponsoring the school club since 2009.
Another great youth club is the STEM Amateur Radio Club, N4TVV, led by Ms. Vicki, AD3I and just recently became an ARRL affiliated club. They have weekly nets every Thursday at 1830 on the Fleetalk W4FTK repeaters run by students. Ms. Vicki will be attending the ARRL Teacher’s Institute and at least one student has been accepted to the 2025 Youth on the Air camp in Denver, Colorado. Check out the STEM ARC website for updates and to help out.
My last section report was right after I attended The Ridge ARC tailgate party in Batesburg-Leesville. The following weekend there was the Santee Swapmeet (April 12th) which I missed due to work and the ALP 26 Swapmeet in Aiken (April19th) which I missed because I was sick. While I hated missing these two swapmeets I was thankfully able to attend the Columbia ARC swapfest (April 26th). It was a very overcast day and rain storms threatened to shut us down at the start, however, it finally cleared up and we had a great time and good attendance considering the weather. I have included a few photo’s below compliments of The Columbia ARC.
On May 10th I attended the SC QRP Club’s 1st Annual QRPFEST in Calhoun County. The was weather good and it was a great event. There were QRP stations setup for anyone to get on the air and there were several kit building sessions. They served QRP Chili Dogs, chips, & drinks. I am looking forward to next years event! Pictures below credit Don Taylor (K4KGT).
The following weekend was HAMVENTION 2025! My first trip to Hamvention was 2022 and this was my 2nd. It is an 8 hour drive from Lexington, SC to Dayton, OH taking I-77 through SC, NC, VA, & WV. While it took exactly 8 hours to get home it took closer to 9 on the way up due to some heavy rains in the mountians. I had a great time hanging out with ARRL HQ staff, Directors, Vice Directors, Section Managers, and several other South Carolina Hams I ran into while up there. It is always a great time seeing all the vendors with new gear (FLEX Aurora & Yaesu FTX-1) and of course the boneyard/fleamarket is huge. APRS was extremely active and I was able to get on D-Star, Fusion, & 220mhz repeaters in the area. I even used VHF Packet to send my Winlink E-Mail to check into the Winlink Wednedsay net. I know everyone says it, but it is true, you owe yourself at least one trip to Hamvention as a ham. There are so many pictures and video’s already on social media and YT from Hamvention, so I’ll just share a few photo’s I took below which I call “The calm before the storm”.
ARRL Club Resources
While I was at Hamvention I learned more about the MARCONI Program. This program was designed by a club to help other clubs become more active or remain active. You can learn more at the following link: https://www.arrl.org/marconi-program.
ARRL has also released a new Active Club Primer, this is an in depth Primer with tons of club ideas and links. You can download it at this link: https://www.arrl.org/active-club-primer.
I have been working on making sure all the ARRL Affiliated Clubs are updated on the ARRL website. This is an annual requirement, however, we have several clubs that have not been updated in several years. You can check out how to update your club at this link: https://www.arrl.org/club-update. You can also reach out to Carl Bosard, W4IXI the affiliated club coordiator or myself, W1MRC directly for assistance.
April 2025 Net Reports
| Net | Check Ins (winlink) | Traffic | Sessions | Reported By |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Radio Club | 659 | 30 | 30 | KN4TUI |
| Big Ears Aynor Repeater | 49 | 0 | 4 | KD2OJQ |
| Blue Ridge 2 Meter Net | 1426 | 39 | 30 | W4DJW |
| Cherokee Amateur Radio Emergency Services | 49 | 0 | 4 | N6WWG |
| Carolinas Net | 359 | 148 | 60 | AA4MP |
| Carolinas Slow Net | 168 | 25 | 30 | KI4KZS |
| CARC Sunday Net | 77 | 24 | 4 | N4PRF |
| Central SC CARC VHF Simplex Net | 14 | 0 | 1 | KN4KRZ |
| Florence Amateur Radio Club | 46 | 5 | 4 | WB6GUC |
| Grand Strand ARC 2m Net | 227 | 19 | 19 | N4AJK |
| Grand Strand ARC 1.25m Net | 39 | 4 | 4 | N4AJK |
| Grand Strand ARC 70 cm Net | 71 | 8 | 8 | N4AJK |
| Greater Pee Dee 2m Net | 927 | 52 | 30 | KK4KSZ |
| Horry Co. ARES simplex net | 11 | 1 | 1 | W3SSB |
| Hoodlum group 2M | 54 | 4 | 4 | KE4NOE |
| Hoodlum group HF | 73 | 5 | 5 | KE4NOE |
| Lancaster County ARC 2m Net | 22 | 0 | 4 | N4WMB |
| Lori's Ham Radio Club | 26 | 6 | 4 | N4SLC |
| PALS Net | 780 | 37 | 30 | KK4MQN |
| Ridge ARC VHF Net | 72 | 15 | 9 | KD4HDR |
| Ridge ARC HF Net | 6 | 0 | 2 | KD4HDR |
| SC Heart Training Net | 193 (0) | 0 | 4 | KQ4KK |
| SC Statewide ARES HF Net | 109 (56) | 11 | 5 | KN4KRZ |
| SC Midlands ARES Training Net | 36 (11) | 7 | 2 | KO4WAA |
| SCSSB Net | 1027 | 131 | 30 | KG4RUE |
| SC ARES VHF/UHF Net | 259 | 0 | 4 | KI4RAX |
| SC Winlink Tuesday Net | 253 (253) | 253 | 5 | KN4KRZ |
| Sumter County EmComm Net | 32 | 4 | 5 | N4RSM |
| Trident Amateur Radio Club | 44 (13) | 8 | 3 | K4TCP |
| YCARS | 1077 | 0 | 52 | W4VST |
WS4P Station Activity
| Station | Sent | Received | Delivered | Originated | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WS4P | 65 | 52 | 0 | 0 | 117 |
WS4P Digital Relay Station
| Received | Sent | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | 2 | 26 |
Public Service Honor Roll
| Station | Cat1 | Cat2 | Cat3 | Cat4 | Cat5 | Cat6 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WS4P | 40 | 40 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 110 |
New SC Hams in March & April
| Name | Call Sign | City |
|---|---|---|
| Ronald W Johnson | KR4BJY | Cayce |
| Elliott Gleaton | KR4BQQ | Irmo |
| Warren E Fowler | KR4BCJ | Spartanburg |
| Jerry L Fogg | KR4BCF | Spartanburg |
| Kristoffer K Cox | KR4BIF | Campobello |
| Earl W Fowler | AE4PJ | Clinton |
| Allison H Lail | KR4BJJ | Landrum |
| Milam J Nelson | KR4BMM | Pauline |
| Joseph B Stewart | KR4BPI | Wellford |
| Isaac Schilter | KR4BLL | Hanahan |
| Randi Schilter | KR4BLM | Hanahan |
| Caleb Schilter | KR4BLK | Hanahan |
| John B Palles | KR4BQO | Charleston |
| Dennis Pool | KR4BLI | North Charleston |
| Marc W Thompson | KR4BHI | Moncks Corner |
| Justin Newman | KR4BNB | Summerville |
| Raymond S Rogers | KR4BLJ | Summerville |
| Jameson G Sweat | KR4BLE | Summerville |
| David A Wiggins | KR4BKB | Effingham |
| Sandra D Lambros | KR4BPU | Little River |
| Willard E Painter | KR4BNM | Myrtle Beach |
| Braeden S Montroy | KR4AZK | Myrtle Beach |
| Brian E Seley | KR4BPX | Pawleys Island |
| James P Phalen | KR4BPT | Myrtle Beach |
| Thomas B Pace | KR4BLX | Greenville |
| Wayne R Franzen | KR4BOP | Belton |
| Roger D Smith | KR4BLU | Piedmont |
| Christopher M Sanderlin | KR4BKZ | Piedmont |
| John C Calhoun | KE4OFV | Sandy Springs |
| Rodney Young | KR4BUI | Simpsonville |
| Terry K Boyce | N4TKB | Williamston |
| Noah A Phillips | KR4BOO | Williamston |
| Matthew J Cook | KR4BBJ | Blacksburg |
| Gregory A Bratton | KR4BNZ | Catawba |
| Chris R Crawford | KR4BMP | Chester |
| Jeremy R Scott | KR4BMS | Indian Land |
| Joseph M Beckert | KR4BMJ | Fort Mill |
| Jeffrey D Harper | KR4BMK | Rock Hill |
| Jon M Watkins | KR4AZG | Bluffton |
| Krichelle C Anderson | KR4CDG | Camden |
| Joseph G Anderson | KR4CEA | Camden |
| Joshua B Hechesky | KR4CFT | Chapin |
| Alexander D Becknell | KR4CDH | Eastover |
| Matthew R Spitzer | KR4CPE | Elgin |
| Jeff M Grauer | KR4COJ | Eutawville |
| Kevin M Wingard | KR4CJG | Heath Springs |
| Carroll L Williams | KR4BYO | Irmo |
| George Z Siokos | KR4BXW | Irmo |
| Richard C Clawson | KR4BZM | Lexington |
| Callie L Watkins | KR4CBB | Orangeburg |
| Stephen J Ingram | KR4COP | Columbia |
| Gary A Blizzard | KR4CCA | Columbia |
| Darrell L Roberson | KR4CNT | Cottageville |
| Reid Robinson | KR4CPL | Johns Island |
| Steven D Schenk | KR4BWI | Surfside Beach |
| Caleb J Rhoades | KR4CQI | Greenville |
| Justin M Romaine | KR4CCB | Greenville |
| Jayelin Chesser | KR4CLC | Anderson |
| Jael Phillips | KR4CLB | Anderson |
| Daniel F Winborn | KR4CJD | Greer |
| Christian C Mercado | KR4BVG | North Augusta |
| Odin C Smith | KR4CLY | North Augusta |
| Charles M Cherry | KR4CKK | Beaufort |
New ARRL Members March & April
| Name | Call Sign | City |
|---|---|---|
| Tanner D Cooper | KR4AQP | Camden |
| Joseph Pace | - | Chapin |
| Thomas N Fortson | KK4KJA | Eastover |
| William H Coggins | KN4NYG | Lexington |
| Greg Phillips | - | Saluda |
| Charles C Coleman | KR4ADI | Sumter |
| Jacqueline V Kennick | KQ4YPK | Columbia |
| Carl Spangler | - | Gaffney |
| Jessica Spangler | - | Gaffney |
| Vincent L Bell | WD4BAT | Inman |
| Christopher Sotak | KR4APH | Charleston |
| Nevol L Ffrench | KM4FRA | North Charleston |
| Brian Osterheim | K4BJO | Cottageville |
| Lewis M Balthis | KQ4NMY | Georgetown |
| Rick Scholz | - | Edgefield |
| James S Rosen | KR4AMY | Beaufort |
| Michael S Phipps | KD4YGR | - |
| Craig Hulings | - | Irmo |
| Jeffrey S Campbell | K4JSC | Roebuck |
| Clay Martin | - | Mt Pleasant |
| Stormy Shealy | - | Pendleton |
| Edward J Majewski | KB1DCJ | Pickens |
| Arthur W Heroux | K4OUX | Jefferson |
| David N Wright | KM4KGH | Rock Hill |
ARRL 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 |
