Battle of Kings Mountain Special Event - K4M - 10/1-10/7

GREETINGS COMPATRIOTS:
You are invited to participate in the 2023 K4M Special Event honoring the Patriot Militia who defeated the British Army of Loyalists at the Battle of Kings Mountain on October 7th, 1780.

Activations will occur on 75m/40m/20m between October 1st - 7th, 2023.
Complete details are available on the K4M QRZ page to include operating frequency with activated "ON-AIR" icon.

Check-ins will be worked both on-air and via Netlogger (Netlogger preferred to minimize pile-ups).

Each activation will begin with a 5-min hourly overview detailing "The Men Who Won America" - a story certain to ignite the American Spirit ember within you into a flame of Patriotic Pride.

NOTABLE QUOTATIONS & FACTS
Thomas Jefferson proclaimed the Patriot Victory at Kings Mountain was “the joyful annunciation of that turn of the tide of success which terminated the Revolutionary War”

George Washington stated "The Victory at Kings Mountain was an important object gained and a proof of the spirit and resources of this Country"

George Washington in a letter to his brother describing his ragtag, smallpox infected, frost-bitten, dysentery suffering Continental Army "I think the end is pretty near up."

Sir Henry Clinton Commander of the British forces in the Colonies, conceded the defeat at Kings Mountain: "proved the first Link of a Chain of Evils that followed each other, in regular succession, until they at last ended in the total loss of America"

Kings Mountain Commander Patrick Ferguson threatened the Overmountain Men before the Battle: “If you do not desist your opposition to the British Arms, I shall march this army over the mountains, hang your leaders, and lay waste your land with fire and sword”

Twelve months and twelve days after the Battle of Kings Mountain, British General Cornwallis surrendered the British Army to General Washington at Yorktown, Virginia

SUGGESTED READING
To learn more about "The Story" visit https://ovta.org/page-1466419 for an excellent summary by author John Anthony Caruso in Chapter 12 of his book “The Appalachian Frontier - Americas First Surge Westward

CHECK-IN CHATTER

• Have an ancestor who fought at Kings Mountain or other battles?
• Have you visited Kings Mountain Military Park and/or other Southern Campaign of the American Revolution sites?
• Activated POTA at any of the historic parks?
• Feel free to share during your Check-in

Thank YOU for "Keeping the Battle of Kings Mountain Story Alive"

Hip-Hip-HUZZA!!!
Marc - K4M - W4OVT

 

Great job with the page. I will be listening and talking to you on the air sir. K4BFR

 

I'm confused about this "Check-In" / Netlogger business. Do folks who want to work the SES have to check-in beforehand? I've been to the park and would like to work the SES but that sounds a bit cumbersome and unnecessary.

 

Scott - thank you for your comment.

You have the option to Check-in either Over-the-Air -or- via Netogger.

The advantage to Netlogger is the elimination of unnecessary over-the-air pile-ups along with callsign/name errors that occupy time which speaks directly to the comment you list on your QRZ page with respect to your reason for avoiding SSB, citing "horrendous pileups." We agree!

This event is not to see how many Check-ins we can accumulate, it is as much about a transfer of knowledge about the significance of the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution focusing on the Battle of Kings Mountain.

We use this hybrid Check-in method for weekly TEN-TEC Legacy Nets and other Special Events, e.g. W1W World Amateur Radio Day where this approach has worked quite well.

Thanks again for the opportunity to clarify with hopes of hearing you on-air during the event!
-mb

 

Marc -

If you have tried it and it works all I can say is: What the hell? Let's give it a try!

My concern stems from the same type of operation being used for DX many years ago. Once station would maintain a list and pass it to the DX station who would then call the stations on the list sequentially. In theory it sounds good but in operation there were a couple of problems. First, and this happened to a friend, he had good copy on the DX station at S9+10 but very marginal copy on the station taking the list. He never got the opportunity to try to contact the DX station because he could never get through to the list taker to get on the list. Your use of the Netlogger software would alleviate that yet require someone to download, install, and configure the software, probably for a one-time use.

Second was the issue of those people who either did not know there was a list or pretended to not know there was a list. They sat there throwing their call sign in at every opportunity so that between them and the people yelling "He's working from a list!" there was a pileup just from that. I would advise that every few minutes your operator announce that he is working from a list or you are likely to have the same problem. Times may change but human nature seldom does.

We'll see how it goes. I hope to catch you folks on the air next week.

73 - Scott - WA4TTK

 

Scott:
You raise valid points I will effort to address begging the pardon from some since we are getting into the weeds a bit but the issues you raise are both valid and important...and rarely discussed.

On the issue of the list maker (logger) and caller (NCS), we solve that by both Logger and NCS providing interchangable roles, whichever can best "work" the listed/calling station otherwise the problem you cite becomes very real.

And yes! We will routinely announce the to and fro between calling stations and listed stations. For this to work, over-the-air stations are asked to wait for the QRZ call providing their full callsign with a "grouping" of calling stations identified and then worked. If the calling stations become too great, a "call by numbers" will be leveraged.

While it is certainly possible some may download the free Netlogger software from https://netlogger.org/ for K4M purposes only, I believe many more will benefit from exposure to Netlogger since most times of the morning, noon, night there is a guest-friendly Net running which is enjoyed by Hams who wish to get on-the-air other than, for their reasons, calling CQ.

Netlogger also offers a Chat function which allows for Check-ins to communicate with the NCS/Logger as well as Check-ins.

The main problem with Netlogger are stations who sign in but have not copy on Net Control -or- they have a copy but are operating QRP and/or a compromised antenna.

A good technique for Check-ins who know their signal may be unheard is to go to a nearby clear frequency and see if they can hear their signal on a SDR receiver near the NCS (assuming the band is short).

K3FEF.com in PA and NA5B.com in DC and the Dahlonega, GA SDR are suggested sites - if the band is long, one of the Utah SDR sites are recommended especially the Server #4 "magenta" site which has a fixed, eastern facing beam antenna.

Most of our Volunteer K4M NCS's are east of the Mississippi. I am in North Carolina usually well served by the three SDR's listed unless 20m is long, then Utah #4 for the win.

Netlogger's other main problem is the software requires a Windows, Mac, or a Linux computer - no iOS, Android (or ChromeOS) will run the software which means no tablets or smartphones.

The is a quasi-alternative provided by Chris K3CLR who developed Netscraper.

And for those familiar with Netscraper there is Breaking News - Netscraper is now available from the Android Play Store or Apple iOS App Store - the browser based Netscraper has been discontinued as of this month (Sept 2023).

Netscraper is a VIEW-ONLY tool - you cannot interact with the NCS/Logger nor use the Chat function - in short, you are invisible to the running Net - all you can do is view Net activity.

Prior years of K4M have not encountered large pileups as compared to our annual World Amateur Radio Day SES which last April recorded nearly 3,200 Check-ins compared to last year's K4M which recorded just shy of 500.

If this year we encounter massive K4M pileups then we will do our best to log everyone as quickly as possible but it is my hope that there will be enough spacing to allow for brief comments, e.g. given your visit to the Kings Mountain, what do you remember most? Or maybe you or others are in the bloodline of a Patriot who fought at the Battle who would like to share their name.

I am in possession of Dr. Bobby Moss's meticulously researched roster roll of the men who fought at Kings Mountain with somewhere around 50% of the surnames committed to memory - it is fun to greet a Check-in who was told from parents/grandparents, aunts/uncles et al that their ancestor(s) fought at Kings Mountain only to read a sentence or two about that Patriot and details such as where they were born, where they lived, whether they were one of the 28 killed in the battle, or whether they were granted a pension the latter being a big issue since these men were Volunteers and therefore not part of Washington's Continental Army, though no less deserving of earning their pension.

I find most Hams interested in History have within them an ember of the American Spirit - we hope awareness of the Patriot Militia victory atop Kings Mountain will ignite that ember into a bright flame of Patriotism - I think we call agree a good dose of that is richly needed in these times.

Look forward to your Check-in Scott and thanks again for expressing your obviously experience-based comments/concerns - this isn't either of our first rodeo, hi.
And I look forward to hopefully having time to learn from others either on-air or by email post-event.

You have my promise that we will do our best to serve the Ham Community with this truly special event, with everyone's support, We Shall Not Fail."

Mighty and many are the shoulders of giants I stand upon to tell the Battle of Kings Mountain story... so the truth. best known. can be told.

HUZZA!!!
Marc - W4OVT

 

Great page as always Marc. I look forward to getting in with all of the Patriots of our hobby. 73's WA4RDZ

 

I love this!!! Might have to see if the XYL and myself could make the trip and activate a POTA at this. We visited the park last year and found it to be a great experience. The XYL recommends reading "Born Fighting" by Jim Webb. HUZZA!

 

HELLO OVT!! I CAN HELP WITH NCO DUTIES

 

How would you like our friends in G-land to participate?

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"Past sins are not present virtues"...Pikesworth Greeley

 

Can't wait for the activation and to get in your log. Thank you so much for the special event. We live in Elizabethton, TN with Sycamore Shoals Historic Park in town which is know for the march of the "Over Mountain Men" to this historic battle. I love the history of America.
Thanks, KZ4TN

 

Looking forward to this event.

 

Looking forward to this. I had a grandfather who was killed in the battle.

 

WA4RDZ Stan and Michael K4BFR- thank you fellers for you kind comments.

WD8TA Tate - thank you for your comment and awesome you and your XYL visited the Park - I hope to add POTA activations in 2024 all along the 330-mile route to Kings Mountain and add a "Clean Sweep" event awarding Participants who work all K4M activatations. Great book by Jim Webb although some of my Civil War brethren dispute his slavery claims. I once did a talk on African Americans in the Colonies basing much of my comments on the excellent book "The African American Odyssey of John Kizell" published by the University of SC Press here: https://uscpress.com/The-African-American-Odyssey-of-John-Kizell - Kizell fought beside British Commander Patrick Ferguson atop Kings Mountain and survived the Battle eventually returning to his home in Sierra Leone...but not with the numbers of slaves he intended which is an interesting story I won't spoil.

W4APZ Richard - Awesome! The more Volunteers the better - it is in keeping with the Patriot Militia spirit that won the day at Kings Mountain, hi. Try to arrive in the Pre-Net tomorrow so we can discuss your F-U-N role as NCS with me serving as your Logger...confident you will find the experience rewarding on several levels.

W1YW Chip - Thanks for the question which I assume you mean our friends in Great Britain? Easy, just Check-in! They will find the event welcoming especially since without them we could not have celebrated victory lol. A sizeable number of my Patriot kool-aid Storytellers accuse me of being a Loyalist given my "sympathetic" views which, of course, I deny...telling them "if I agreed with you we would both be wrong." Seriously, in the final analysis, I believe the main reason the British lost the war came down to one over-riding fact from King George III all the way down to his Generals and most of his Lieutenants and Infantry (Banastre Tarleton excluded) - they did not have the fire in their belly to kill what they viewed as fellow Countrymen. This almost affectionate view led to King George's utterance when he learned of Cornwallis's surrender repeatedly stating over and over in his state of depression "My Colonies...I have lost my beloved Colonies."

KZ4TN Steve - Greetings to where it all started with the Muster at Sycamore Shoals in Elizabethton, TN! Last time I was there was on a bicycle where I *think* I'm the only cyclist to pedal the entire OVNHT Commemerative Motor Route from Abingdon, Va to Morganton, then Elkin, NC to Morganton onwards to Kings Mountain and then back to Cowpens for the "Night Before Kings Mountain" program - 400 miles in 4 days with near perfect weather. I spoke to a Ham during last year's K4M event from Elizabethton who talked about an activation they were doing at Sycamore Shoals - I asked him to follow up so we could include that effort into K4M and never heard back - maybe you could be the catalyst to make that happen? Great QRZ page - have been to "Beauty Spot" on the AT. Used to hike the approach trail from Hampton Creek Cove up to the Overmountain Shelter when it was open. But my favorite site is Grayson Highlands State Park next to Mt. Rogers - a magical place...look forward to your Check-in and if you want to take the K4M NCS reigns for a spell, happy to make that happen as the week progresses - my voice thanks you!

KA0SOH Donn - Thank you for your comment and look forward to your Check-in(s) - btw, congrats on your A-1 Operator Award - not many Hams seem to know about that program that once was the talk of the airwaves. I nominated a local Ham a couple years ago and found the process unnecessarily difficult with long gaps in response from the program administrator...but got 'er done eventually!

KN4LGK Glen - Thanks for your comment and email me your Grandfather's name - I'll respond with what I have in my archives which mostly is the work done by Dr. Bobby Moss who I had the pleasure of visiting in his home...oh how he is missed but his legacy, and lifelong research, lives on as I will have his Moore's Creek Bridge, Kings Mountain, and Cowpens rosters by my side during the K4M event.

73 de Marc - K4M / W4OVT

 

Added to the K4M QRZ Page:
Reverend Samuel Doak Sermon & Prayer offered on September 26, 1780, at the Sycamore Shoals muster, Rev. Samuel Doak led the Patriots in a religious service which has become legendary in American history.