The first major upgrade to the Two Wells Fargo stations are set for this Sunday.

This will be our third visit and we look to remove the old repeaters, cabinets, and power supplies.

We will install the existing duplexers into a new 4-post rack along with a 50amp power supply, network switch, and network controlled power distribution unit.

(Donated by KT4TAC) THANK YOU TOM!!!

The W4WBT D-Star repeater has arrived and it will also be installed with the intention of ruining it at 25w of Digital.

The ICOM repeater was purchased with funds from the membership drive and a large donation by our president KE6QEY. THANK YOU TED!

There will be room in the rack for the (on the way) WB4ETF Fusion repeater (Also donated by KT4TAC) as well as two future amplifiers. (Still to be funded)

Additionally, we will be removing an unused 12′, commercial antenna from our second mount and replacing it with a 8′, base antenna.

This will give each repeater its own base antenna and pave the way for an easy swap when the two new 12′, commercial antennas arrive.

The antennas will be ordered as soon as Ronnie’s Chicken Mini-Thon pledges are all collected.

If you still have a Pledge to make for the 28 chicken minis Ronnie ate, or any pledge at all, it can be made here. —> Donate

Mike Wentz (KE4EHC) is asking W4CQ to come out to the Charlie Craig Cruise In.

This is the 14th year of this event, and W4CQ has
been there for many years. We set up
some tables under a canopy usually with
an HF and vhf/uhf radio. About 200 to
250 cars show up during the day.

Saturday October 21st 2023 CARC will assist as many Scouts possible in fulfilling the radio operation requirements for their merit badge.

This is our primary goal.

CARC will also be running a few JOTA contest stations in parallel with the merit badge effort.

Ladies and Gentlemen let me start by saying that this will be a fun event.

This will be an event in which everyone can participate, as we need operators at home and on site.
This will be a rewarding event, because you will be planting the seeds of our hobby in rich soil.

KQ4IMT (Matt) Has secured the Belk Camp for JOTA weekend.

This is a National event in a huge location. The club needs many operators to do this right.

The camping area is at capacity, which means that there will be up to 1000 Scouts/parents in the 600 acre park.

If you are unfamiliar with JOTA information can be found here… JOTA

Information about Belk Camp can be found here… Belk Camp

The Radio merit badge is one of the hardest for a scout to earn.

Here is a link to the requirements…
https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/radio/

KQ4IMT has secured the Berry shelter indicated by the red arrow on the clickable map below.

It is our goal to run five radio station types for the scouts to use as third party traffic.

HT 147.450 Simplex Calling as Operator’s Call
HT 444.450 Repeater Calling as Operator’s Call
HT D-Star to JOTA repeater Calling as W4CQ
HF Portable 20m JOTA Calling as W4CQ
HF Base station 40m JOTA Calling as W4CQ

Station Type 1.

We need six (or more) of these operators to work in pairs, either walking around the camp, or set up about the camp, running a 2m simplex net.
The idea is to allow scouts to use our HT’s as third party traffic in a directed net, logging five contacts to fulfil their badge requirement.
Operators will be equipped with a clipboard full of BSA QSO log sheets that will be sent with the Scout upon completion.

I believe this system will give the scouts the best experience while serving a large number of them efficiently.

Station Type 2.

Scouts who take to the HT well will be encouraged to join the 444.450 for logging additional QSOs with the outside world.
We will need many operators at home (from sunup to sundown) to provide friendly contacts to Scouts calling as third party traffic.

Scouts who fare well on the 444.450 repeater should be encouraged to make a contest contact on D-Star or HF.

Station Type 3.

JOTA contest will be running on D-Star REF033A .
We will need three Operators (from sunup to sundown) in the camp to run D-Star radios calling into the JOTA contest.

Station Type 4.

We need three operators to run a HF Portable station on 20M from sunup to sundown.
If you can bring equipment, great; tell us what it is.
This will be a W4CQ contest station competing in JOTA.
Contest experience is wanted but not needed.
We will be calling as W4CQ so if you are a technician and you want to get HF operating experience, this is your chance.
This station will be set up somewhere in the treeline and away from the Berry shelter.

Station Type 5.

A HF Base station will be set up at the Berry Shelter, running 40m.
We need three operators to run this station from sunup to sundown.
If you can bring equipment, great; tell us what it is.
This will be a W4CQ contest station competing in JOTA.
Contest experience is wanted but not needed.
We will be calling as W4CQ so if you are a technician and you want to get HF operating experience, this is your chance.

A Youth Protection Training Course is required to enter the camp, but you can also help via radio from home with no training.

Clicking the link above will get you on your way to making a free, scouting.org account and taking a free, video training course. The process takes about an hour and a half.

Please reach out to KQ4IMT (Matt) if you are interested in helping at the camp. KQ4IMT
Please reach out to KK1LL (Brad) if you wish to help from home.  KK1LL

My son, Jaxon (K1FFF) and myself (KK1LL) are so lucky as to have Glen (W7GS) as an elmer.

I met Glen on 80m about 4 years ago while ragchewing with my 5am group and the rest is history.

Glen has been tied up in radio starting with his time serving in the US Navy. After the Navy, his career has placed him in IL, WY, IN, and NC spanning decades of work in the industrial electronic industry. Glen has worked for the railway systems, building massive DC substations, and had two different career paths at Harris Computer at the University of Chicago. “Building Superpower Medium Wave Transmitters” was how Glen described his work at Harris. I understand that to mean transmitters starting at the 600KW mark. Glen went on to be a contract broadcast engineer for many stations, eight at once at one point. WIBC in Indianapolis was one of these stations, and provided coverage of the Indianapolis 500.

The past 17 years has had Glen at the Voice Of America here in North Carolina.

Anyhow, here is a shorted version video tour of what we saw during our visit.

Cheers!

Tubes

750KW Amp

Power Supply

Transmitters Coax Balun

Circuit Breakers

Audio Amplifier

Amplifier Tuning Tank

Water Pump / Heat Exchanger

Control Room

Log Perodic

Curtain Antenna

440′ Tall Curtain

W4CQ is proud to welcome the Carolina Storm Spotters.

CSS will conduct a monthly net at 8pm on the first Friday of the month.

They will also take over the 444.450 repeater during severe weather.

Many of you know John WX4CSS (President) and David AK4FD (Vice-President) from rag-chew on the 450.

John and David have a huge network of spotters across many online platforms, and a great deal of knowledge and enthusiasm.

If you would like to know more about the Carolina Storm Spotters, you can learn more about them at…