From memberlist at www.arrl.org  Thu Dec  1 16:42:21 2011
From: memberlist at www.arrl.org (ARRL Web site)
Date: Thu,  1 Dec 2011 16:42:21 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [CVRC] The ARRL Letter for December 1, 2011
Message-ID: <20111201224845.D3FBD26C82F@bmail.arrl.org>

********************************************
            The  ARRL Letter

Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************

December 1, 2011

Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA <k1sfa at arrl.org>

ARRL Home Page <http://www.arrl.org/>ARRL Letter Archive
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/>Audio News
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> IN THIS ISSUE

- + FCC News: FCC Grants Secondary Service Allocation to Wireless
Broadband Medical Micropower Networks
- + Amateur Radio in Space: AMSAT Announces End of OSCAR 51 Mission
- + On the Air: The ARRL 10 Meter Contest -- Get On While the Bands Are
Hot!
- + On the Air: 2012 Malpelo DXpedition to Be Extended
- ARRL In Action: What Have We Been Up To?
- + Logbook of The World: LoTW Processing Update
- Lauren Clarke Joins ARRL Staff as Individual Giving Manager
- Dayton Hamvention: Charles Kaiser, KD8JZR, Named Dayton Hamvention?
Assistant General Chairman
- Solar Update
- + ARRL Congratulates: Allen Baker, KG4JJH , Wins November QST Cover
Plaque Award
- Hams Listen to Mars Science Laboratory Signal
- + Amateur Radio Fun: The Night Before Christmas -- From a Ham's
Perspective
- This Week on the Radio
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events

+ Available on ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news>.

==> + FCC NEWS: FCC GRANTS SECONDARY SERVICE ALLOCATION TO WIRELESS
BROADBAND MEDICAL MICROPOWER NETWORKS

   In their regular meeting on Wednesday, November 30, the four FCC
Commissioners unanimously agreed to allocate spectrum and adopt service
and technical rules for the utilization of new implanted medical
devices that operate on 413-457 MHz (70 cm). These devices will be used
on a secondary basis as part of the Medical Data Radiocommunication
Service in Part 95 of the FCC rules. The Amateur Radio Service also has
a secondary allocation on the 70 cm band. These new rules are the
result of a Notice of Proposed Rule Making that the FCC released in
March 2009. A Report & Order that will define these new rules is
expected soon.

According to the FCC, these devices would greatly expand the use of
functional electric stimulation to restore sensation, mobility and
function to those persons with paralyzed limbs and organs; they would
be implanted in a patient and function as wireless broadband medical
micropower networks (MMNs).

   Calling the new rules an "advance[ment of] its mobile broadband
agenda," the FCC said this will create "a new generation of wireless
medical devices that could be used to restore functions to paralyzed
limbs. Medical Micropower Networks (MMNs) are ultra-low power wideband
networks consisting of multiple transmitters implanted in the body that
use electric currents to activate and monitor nerves and muscles." The
Commission also noted that its National Broadband Plan -- released in
2010 -- observed "that the use of spectrum-agile radios and other
techniques can significantly increase the efficient use of radio
spectrum to meet growing demand for this valuable resource. MMNs
illustrate how advanced technology can enable the more efficient use of
spectrum to deliver innovative new services." Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-grants-secondary-service-allocation-to-wireless-broadband-medical-micropower-networks>.

==> + AMATEUR RADIO IN SPACE: AMSAT ANNOUNCES END OF OSCAR 51 MISSION

   AMSAT-OSCAR 51
<http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/satInfo.php?satID=1> -- the
popular FM repeater satellite -- has likely reached the end of its
operational lifespan. AMSAT-NA Vice President of Operations Drew
Glasbrenner, KO4MA, issued the following statement on November 29: "It
is with a heavy heart I report that AO-51 has ceased transmission and
is not responding to commands. The last telemetry data indicated that
the third of six batteries was approaching failure to short, and
observations indicate the voltage from three cells is insufficient to
power the UHF transmitters. The IHU [internal housekeeping unit] may
continue to be operative. Initial tests with the S band transmitter
were also not positive, although more attempts are in order. We have
tried leaving the satellite in an expected state where if voltages
climb high enough, the 435.150 transmitter may possibly be heard. The
command team will regularly attempt communications with the satellite
over the coming months (and years). There is always the possibility
that a cell will open and we could once again talk to our friend while
illuminated. Thanks to all who helped fund, design, build, launch,
command, and operate AO-51. Its 7 year mission has been extraordinary."

==> + ON THE AIR: THE ARRL 10 METER CONTEST -- GET ON WHILE THE BANDS
ARE HOT!

   Ten meters -- in case you haven't heard, is alive in a big way! That
means that the ARRL 10 Meter Contest -- coming up the weekend of
December 10-11 -- is going to be the one of the best we've seen in
years! During this event, many propagation modes will be available:
Sporadic-E will help you work stateside stations, a touch of meteor
scatter in the morning will give you split-second chances to work
stations -- you'd better be quick, though! -- and DX stations will be
plentiful, thanks to the return of F2 propagation. ARRL Contest Branch
Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, said that he keeps hearing from numerous
hams who have been licensed only three or four years, telling him that
they've never experienced a 10 meter opening because they weren't
licensed during the last solar cycle peak: "A common phrase I'm hearing
is, 'Now I understand what all the Old-Timers in my club were talking
about -- 10 meters is great!' With a concentration of activity for the
contest, there will be an opportunity for the first time in several
years to experience the beauty of a wide-open 10 meter band. With so
much excitement worldwide over the great conditions, the 2011 ARRL 10
Meter Contest could see the highest level of participation in a very
long time!" Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/the-arrl-10-meter-contest-get-on-while-the-bands-are-hot>.

==> + ON THE AIR: 2012 MALPELO DXPEDITION TO BE EXTENDED

   The HK0NA DXpedition to Malpelo -- an island located approximately
235 miles from Colombia's Pacific coast -- is scheduled for early 2012.
Organized by the DX Radio Amateur Club out of Colombia, the DXpedition
boasts an international team of 16 operators from eight countries.
According to DXpedition leader Jorge Prieto, HK1R it is highly unlikely
that the various Colombian authorities will permit another DXpedition
to Malpelo anytime soon. With this in mind, he said that the dates of
the DXpedition will be extended by two to three days from the previous
12-14 day plan. The approximate dates of operations will be January
21-February 5/6, 2012. Operations are planned on 160-6 meters on CW,
SSB and Digital modes, including EME. Malpelo is currently #12 on DX
Magazine's 100 Most Needed Countries Survey. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/2012-malpelo-dxpedition-to-be-extended>.

==> ARRL IN ACTION: WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO?

   Compiled by ARRL News Editor S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA

This feature is a concise monthly update of some of the things that the
ARRL is doing on behalf of its members. This installment -- which
covers the month of November -- takes a look the 2011 Division
elections, the latest happenings at W1AW, microwave bandplanning,
freshman engineering students getting their Technician tickets, reports
from the Official Observer Desk and more. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-in-action-what-have-we-been-up-to-lately-40>.

==> + LOGBOOK OF THE WORLD: LOTW PROCESSING UPDATE

   Logbook of The World (LoTW
<http://www.arrl.org/logbook-of-the-world>) is continuing to accept and
process logs, including logs from this past weekend's CQ World Wide CW
Contest. Before the contest, LoTW had just about caught up with the
backlog, but due to the high number of logs submitted after the
contest, is once again seeing delays. As of December 1, the processing
delay is at 22 hours -- down from 45 hours last week -- with
approximately 830,000 QSOs in 2500 logs still waiting to be processed.
If it has been more than 48 hours since you uploaded a log to LoTW and
your log has not yet been processed, please upload it again. Remember:
Do not send entire logs that contain previously uploaded QSOs -- use
the date range option when signing logs, selecting only those QSOs in a
specific date range to upload to LoTW. Thanks again for your patience.

==> LAUREN CLARKE JOINS ARRL STAFF AS INDIVIDUAL GIVING MANAGER

The ARRL is pleased to welcome Individual Giving Manager Lauren Clarke
to the Headquarters staff in Newington. Lauren -- who will be working
in the ARRL Development Office -- will be taking over the many funds in
the Development Office, such as the Diamond Club
<http://www.arrl.org/the-arrl-diamond-club>, the Education & Technology
Fund <http://www.arrl.org/education-and-technology-fund>, the Spectrum
Defense Fund <http://www.arrl.org/spectrum-defense-fund> and the W1AW
Endowment Fund <http://www.arrl.org/w1aw-endowment-fund>. This will
allow ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, to shift her
focus to the ARRL Second Century Campaign
<http://www.arrl.org/files/media/News/ARRL_Second_Century_Campaign_Vision_Statement.pdf>.

   Though Lauren comes to the ARRL with more than 20 years of
experience in non-profit fundraising, this is her first experience with
a technology organization. "My background has been primarily focused on
the social services and arts side of the coin," she said. "I've worked
with the United Way, the Greater Hartford Arts Council and the
Wadsworth Athenaeum. I am very excited to be here at the ARRL. The
League does wonderful work and it is wonderful to see how our members
embrace it and Amateur Radio."

Lauren expressed her appreciation to the ARRL volunteers, members and
staff who have welcomed her here at ARRL Headquarters: "Everyone has
all been very welcoming and helpful as I learn about Amateur Radio and
work toward getting my Amateur Radio license. We are definitely a team
in the Development Office, and I hope to build on the hard work of Mary
and Development Associates Margie Bourgoin, KB1DCO, and Maryann
Macdonald to continue raising funds to support the ARRL's initiatives."

As she learns more about the ARRL and Amateur Radio, Lauren said she
finds that her primary interest is Emergency Communications and the
ARES? program. "With so many terrible storms and natural disasters that
have hit the US and other countries recently, I am proud to be
associated with an organization that supports the volunteers who
quickly step in to help people and their communities during these
disasters," she explained. "I am looking forward to the Dayton
Hamvention? in May and meeting many of our members and donors in
person."

"When Lauren joined the Development staff, she dove right in, working
on the departmental budget details and 2012 plan," Hobart said. "She
has taken a fresh look at some key fund raising programs and she is
adding value to whatever she does. The ARRL is very fortunate to have
in Lauren an experienced Development professional who shares our fund
raising philosophy and is building solid relationships with staff and
donors. I am confident that Lauren has a bright future at ARRL."

Lauren and her husband live in the Greater Hartford area. They have two
children: a daughter who is attending Tufts University and a son in
high school. Lauren and her family are active in the local Labrador
Retriever rescue organization and serve as foster parents for dogs
awaiting adoption. She also enjoys recreational rowing and gardening.
If you would like to discuss giving opportunities with the ARRL -- or
would just like to welcome Lauren to the ARRL family -- you can reach
her via e-mail <lclarke at arrl.org> or by phone at 860-594-0348.

==> DAYTON HAMVENTION: CHARLES KAISER, KD8JZR, NAMED DAYTON HAMVENTION?
ASSISTANT GENERAL CHAIRMAN

   On November 21, 2012 Dayton Hamvention? General Chairman Mike Kalter
W8CI, announced that Charles Kaiser, KD8JZR, would take over as
Assistant General Chairman of the largest hamfest in the US. Kaiser is
replacing Josh Long, KD8BVD, who stepped down due to work commitments.
"I am lucky to find someone who is as committed as Charles," Kalter
said. "He has served on a number of committees and knows Hamvention
well. I know he will be an excellent assistant." Kaiser, who is
retired, said that he considered the time requirements carefully before
accepting the position and is ready to devote as much time as needed to
ensure that the 2012 Hamvention is a success. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/charles-kaiser-kd8jzr-named-dayton-hamvention-assistant-general-chairman>.

==> SOLAR UPDATE

   Tad "Like the Moon and the stars and the Sun
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqP3wT5lpa4>" Cook, K7RA, reports:
November conveniently ended on the last day of the data reporting
period for the upcoming bulletin, so we can now look at recent
averages. Solar Cycle 24 continues to turn up. We have a new high for
the trailing three month daily sunspot number average. Starting with
the three month period ending in December 2010 and going through
November 2011, they were: 30.1, 35.3, 55.7, 72.3, 74.4, 65.9, 61.5, 63,
79.6, 98.6 and 118.8. There hasn't been a three month period with
average daily sunspot numbers above 118.8 since way back in June, July
and August 2003, when the average was 121.9. The latest forecast from
NOAA/USAF has the solar flux on December 1-11 at 145, 140, 135, 135,
140, 135, 135, 145, 150, 150 and 155, and then at 160 on December
12-18. The planetary A index on December 1-10 at 8, 8, 7, 7, 5, 7, 5,
5, 8 and 8, and then 5 on December 11-22. In case you missed it, we had
an extra bulletin on Monday morning
<http://www.arrl.org/news/the-k7ra-solar-update-193>, and last week's
bulletin was a day early
<http://www.arrl.org/news/the-k7ra-solar-update-192>. Look for more
information on the ARRL website on Friday, December 2. For more
information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical
Information Service Propagation page
<http://www.arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals>. This week's "Tad
Cookism" is brought to you by John Lennon's Instant Karma! (And We All
Shine On) <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_Karma%21>.

==> + ARRL CONGRATULATES: ALLEN BAKER, KG4JJH , WINS NOVEMBER QST COVER
PLAQUE AWARD

   The winner of the QST  Cover Plaque Award for November is Allen
Baker, KG4JJH , for his article "Build Your Own DSP Speaker. "
Congratulations Allen! The QST	Cover Plaque award -- given to the
author or authors of the best article in each issue -- is determined by
a vote of ARRL members on the QST Cover Plaque Poll Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/cover-plaque-poll> . Cast a ballot for your
favorite article in the December issue today.

==> HAMS LISTEN TO MARS SCIENCE LABORATORY SIGNAL

   As NASA's Mars Science Laboratory was streaking away from Earth just
seven hours after its November 26 launch, amateurs using the AMSAT-DL
<http://www.amsat.org/amsat-dl/adl-engl.html> facility in Bochum,
Germany eavesdropped on its 10 GHz telemetry signals. At 21:45 UTC, the
spacecraft was about 70,000 miles from Earth, heading for a rendezvous
on the red planet in August 2012. James Miller, G3RUH, remotely
reconfigured the Bochum tracking and receiving system, aiming the 20
meter parabolic dish antenna toward the Mars Science Laboratory.
According to Miller, the signal had a spin-modulation of +/-3.5 Hz at
two revolutions per minute. The dish at Bochum is also used by AMSAT-DL
to automatically receive real-time solar data from the NASA STEREO A/B
satellites. The data is transmitted to a NOAA server in the US via the
Internet.

==> + AMATEUR RADIO FUN: THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS -- FROM A HAM'S
PERSPECTIVE

   Just in time for the Holidays, Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, has created a
video version of Clement Clark Moore's poem A Visit from St Nicholas --
more commonly known as The Night Before Christmas -- but Pearce's
version has a decidedly Amateur Radio twist. With a guitar
accompaniment by Don Mercz, WA3AYR, A Ham's Night Before Christmas
features QST magazine covers, Gil cartoons and Christmas-themed QST
advertisements from days gone by. Click here
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_9REVC4dtc> to watch the video on the
ARRL YouTube channel.

==> THIS WEEK ON THE RADIO

This week:

- December 2 -- NCCC Sprint
- December 2-4 -- ARRL 160 Meter Contest
<http://www.arrl.org/160-meter>
- December 3 -- TARA RTTY Melee; Wake-Up! QRP Sprint
- December 3-4 -- TOPS Activity Contest
- December 4 -- 10 Meter RTTY Contest
- December 6 -- ARS Spartan Sprint

Next week:

- December 9 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
- December 10-11 -- ARRL 10 Meter Contest
<http://www.arrl.org/10-meter>; CWops Mini-CWT Test; International
Naval Contest
- December 11 -- SKCC Weekend Sprint; CQC Great Colorado Snowshoe Run
- December 11-18 -- NA High Speed Meteor Scatter Winter Rally
- December 14 -- NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint; NAQCC-EU Monthly Sprint
- December 14-15 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test
- December 16 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder; Russian 160 Meter Contest;
AGB-Party Contest
- December 17 -- OK DX RTTY Contest; RAC Winter Contest; Feld Hell
Sprint
- December 17, 2011 -- January 1, 2012 -- Lighthouse Christmas Lights
QSO Party
- December 17-18 -- Stew Perry Topband Challenge; Croatian CW Contest

All dates, unless otherwise stated, are UTC. See the ARRL Contest
Branch page <http://www.arrl.org/contests>, the ARRL Contest Update
<http://www.arrl.org/The-ARRL-Contest-Update> and the WA7BNM Contest
Calendar <http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more
information. Looking for a Special Event station? Be sure to check out
the ARRL Special Event Stations Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/special-event-stations>.

==> UPCOMING ARRL SECTION, STATE AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS AND EVENTS

- December 3-4, 2011 -- ARRL West Central Florida Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/west-central-florida-section-convention-tampa-bay-hamfest-1>,
Palmetto, Florida
- January 8, 2012 -- ARRL New York/Long Island Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/new-york-long-island-section-convention-ham-radio-university-2012>,
Bethpage, New York
- January 27-28, 2012 -- ARRL Mississippi State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/mississippi-state-convention-capitol-city-hamfest-1>,
Jackson, Mississippi
- February 4, 2012 -- ARRL Virginia State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/virginia-state-convention-frostfest-2012>,
Richmond, Virginia; ARRL South Carolina State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/south-carolina-state-convention-1>,
Ladson, South Carolina
- February 10-12, 2012 -- ARRL Northern Florida Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/northern-florida-section-convention-orlando-hamcation-1>,
Orlando, Florida
- February 17-18, 2012 -- ARRL Southwestern Division Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/southwestern-division-convention-1>,
Yuma, Arizona
- February 18, 2012 -- ARRL Arkansas Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/arkansas-section-convention-1>, Hoxie,
Arkansas
- February 25, 2012 -- ARRL Vermont State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/vermont-state-convention-ham-con-2>,
South Burlington, Vermont

To find a convention or hamfest near you, click here
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests>.

ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information

Join or Renew Today! <http://www.arrl.org/join> ARRL membership
includes QST <http://www.arrl.org/qst>, Amateur Radio's most popular
and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month.

Subscribe to NCJ -- the National Contest Journal
<http://www.arrl.org/ncj>. Published bi-monthly, features articles by
top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO
Parties.

Subscribe to QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters
<http://www.arrl.org/qex>. Published bi-monthly, features technical
articles, construction projects, columns and other items of interest to
radio amateurs and communications professionals.

Free of charge to ARRL members: Subscribe
<http://www.arrl.org/myarrl-account-management#%21/edit-info-email_subscriptions>
to the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and emergency
communications news), the ARRL Contest Update (bi-weekly contest
newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much more!

Find us on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/ARRL.org>. Follow us on
Twitter <http://twitter.com/arrl>.

ARRL offers a wide array of products <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-store>
to enhance your enjoyment of Amateur Radio

Donate <https://www.arrl.org/arrl-donation-form> to the fund of your
choice -- support programs not funded by member dues!

Click here <ads at arrl.org> to advertise in this newsletter.

The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 50 times each year. ARRL
members and registered guests may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe
by editing their profile
<http://www.arrl.org/Users/edit#!/edit-info-email_subscriptions>.

 Copyright (c) 2011 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All
Rights Reserved

 <http://www.arrl.org/>


From memberlist at www.arrl.org  Thu Dec  1 20:31:21 2011
From: memberlist at www.arrl.org (ARRL Web site)
Date: Thu,  1 Dec 2011 20:31:21 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [CVRC] ARLD049 DX news
Message-ID: <20111202015935.2FFAA27D1C1@bmail.arrl.org>

SB DX @ ARL $ARLD049
ARLD049 DX news

ZCZC AE49
QST de W1AW  
DX Bulletin 49  ARLD049
>From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  December 1, 2011
To all radio amateurs   

SB DX ARL ARLD049
ARLD049 DX news

This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by
N7UN, NC1L, QRZ DX, the OPDX Bulletin, 425 DX News, The Daily DX,
DXNL, The Weekly DX, Contest Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest
Calendar and WA7BNM web sites.  Thanks to all.

SENEGAL, 6W.  Mark, AA1AC will be QRV as 6W/AA1AC from La Sonome
from December 4 to 11.  QSL to home call.

BHUTAN, A5.  Shinya, JA2PSV is QRV as A52SV from Thimphu until
September 2013.  Activity is in his spare time mainly on 15, 12 and
10 meters using CW, SSB.  RTTY and PSK.  QSL to home call.

TAIWAN, BV.  Special event station BV100 will be QRV in the ARRL 160
Meter CW contest.  QSL via BV2KI.  In addition, Yuri, N3QQ plans to
be QRV as BW/N3QQ from Kinmen Island, IOTA AS-102, from December 3
to 6.  Activity will be on 40 to 10 meters using CW and SSB.  QSL
via N7RO.

FRANCE, F.  Members of the Council of Europe Radio Amateur Club are
QRV as TP50CW until December 4 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of
the European Social Charter.  QSL via F5LGF.

JERSEY, GJ.  A group of operators are QRV as GJ6UW until December 7.
Activity is on all bands and modes.  QSL via M0BLF.

ANTARCTICA.  Massimo, IW0HEU is QRV as II0ZM from the Mario
Zucchelli Station at Terra Nova Bay until mid February 2012.
Activity is in his spare time on 40 and 20 meters using only SSB,
generally around 0700 to 1000z and then after 1800z.  QSL to home
call.

ST. LUCIA, J6.  Operators W3FF, N7UN, WD9CMD, N7BF, WF2S, K9CJM,
AA4OC and WU1B will be QRV as J68FF, J68UN, J6/WD9CMD, J6/N7BF,
J6/WF2S, J6/K9CJM, J6/AA4OC and J6/WU1B, respectively, from December
4 to 12.  Activity will be on 160 to 10 meters using CW, SSB, RTTY
and PSK with three stations.  They will also be QRV as J68UN in the
upcoming ARRL 10 Meter contest.  QSL to home calls.

GUAM, KH2.  Yoshiaki, JD1BNX is QRV as W3JH/KH2 until December 5.
This includes a possible entry in the TARA RTTY Melee Contest as
well.  QSL direct via JR3QFB.

LITHUANIA, LY.  Vilmantas, LY3BY will be QRV using special call sign
LY100SP from December 5 to 25.  Activity will be on the HF bands
using mainly CW.  QSL to home call.

BULGARIA, LZ.  Members of the Balkan Sports Club are QRV using
special call sign LZ1363PTT during the month of December.  QSL via
LZ1KZA.

NETHERLANDS, PA.  Fred, PA0FAW is QRV as PG65ISWL in celebration of
the 65th anniversary of the International Short Wave League until
December 28.  Activity is on the HF bands using mainly CW and PSK
with some SSB.  QSL via bureau.

CURACAO, PJ2.  Marty, K2PLF is QRV as PJ2/K2PLF until December 13.
Activity is mainly on 30, 17 and 12 meters using RTTY.  He and other
operators will be QRV as PJ2T in the ARRL 160 Meter CW contest and
the upcoming ARRL 10 Meter contest.  QSL PJ2T via W3HNK and others
to home calls.

TUVALU, T2.  Members of the Pacific DXers are QRV as T2T until
December 8.  Activity is on 160 to 6 meters using CW, SSB, RTTY and
PSK31.  QSL via VK4FW.

NAMIBIA, V5.  Ewald, DJ2BQ is QRV as V5/DJ2BQ until January 16,
2012.  Activity is on 160 to 10 meters using mainly RTTY on the low
bands.  QSL to home call.
     
TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, VP5.  Dave, W5CW is QRV as VP5/W5CW from
Providenciales, IOTA NA-002, until December 14.  Activity is on 160
to 6 meters using CW and SSB.  He also plans to be QRV in the ARRL
160 Meter CW contest and the upcoming ARRL 10 Meter contest.  QSL to
home call.

VIET NAM, XV.  Mal, VK6LC is QRV as XV2LC until December 8.
Activity is on 20, 17 and 12 meters using CW and SSB.  QSL direct to
home call.

OPERATION APPROVED FOR DXCC CREDIT.  The following operation is
approved for DXCC credit:  Uganda, 5X1VJ, 2011 operation.

THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO.  The ARRL 160-Meter CW Contest, 10-Meter
RTTY Contest, QRP ARCI Topband Sprint, QRP CW Fox Hunt, NCCC Sprint,
TARA RTTY Melee, Wake-Up. QRP CW Sprint, TOPS Activity CW Contest
and the AWA Bruce Kelley Memorial CW Contest will certainly keep
contesters busy this weekend.  The ARS Spartan CW Sprint is
scheduled for December 6.  The QRP CW Fox Hunt is scheduled for
December 7.  Please see December QST, page 71 and the ARRL and
WA7BNM Contest Web Sites for details.
NNNN
/EX





From memberlist at www.arrl.org  Fri Dec  2 12:15:18 2011
From: memberlist at www.arrl.org (ARRL Web site)
Date: Fri,  2 Dec 2011 12:15:18 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [CVRC] ARLP049 Propagation de K7RA
Message-ID: <20111202171518.234832511B@bmail.arrl.org>

SB PROP @ ARL $ARLP049
ARLP049 Propagation de K7RA

ZCZC AP49
QST de W1AW  
Propagation Forecast Bulletin 49  ARLP049
>From Tad Cook, K7RA
Seattle, WA  December 2, 2011
To all radio amateurs 

SB PROP ARL ARLP049
ARLP049 Propagation de K7RA

November conveniently ended on the last day of this reporting
period, so now let's examine recent averages.  But first, if you
didn't see them, we had an extra bulletin on Monday morning, and
last week's bulletin was a day early.  You can find them archived at
http://arrl.org/w1aw-bulletins-archive-propagation.  Monday's
Propagation Forecast bulletin ARLP048 is especially important if you
keep a record of solar data, because it corrects 18 bad sunspot
numbers in bulletins 42, 43, 44 and 45.  This was due to errors
generated as they shift to a new system at NOAA. The corrected
numbers have also been uploaded to
http://www.craigcentral.com/sol.asp in the Updated Data File.

The current Cycle 24 continues its upturn. We have a new high for
the trailing three month daily sunspot number average.  Starting
with the three month period ending in December 2010, through
November 2011, they were 30.1, 35.3, 55.7, 72.3, 74.4, 65.9, 61.5,
63, 79.6, 98.6 and 118.8. There hasn't been a three month period
with average daily sunspot numbers above 118.8 since way back in
June, July and August 2003, when the average was 121.9. This was as
Cycle 23 was declining.

The monthly averages of daily sunspot numbers for August through
November 2011 were 66, 106.4, 123.6 and 133.1.

The latest forecast from NOAA/USAF has solar flux on December 2 at
145, 140 on December 3-5, 135 on December 6-7, 140, 150, 150 and
155, on December 8-11, and 160 on December 12-18, then 155 on
December 19-22.  Planetary A index on December 2-10 at 8, 8, 7, 8,
8, 5, 5, 8 and 8, then 5 on December 11-22. Look to
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpmenu/forecasts/45DF.html for a daily
update of this forecast.

Geophysical Institute Prague sees unsettled conditions on December
2, quiet to unsettled December 3-5, and quiet conditions December
6-8.

Conditions may not be as quiet as we would like (in terms of
geomagnetic disturbances) for the ARRL 160 Meter CW Contest this
weekend, but no major disruptions are anticipated either. Instead of
the predicted planetary A index of 8 or 7, we would prefer a
forecast with an A index of 5, or lower.  With conditions so quiet
over the past few years, 160 meter operators had some great
conditions to work with. For months at a time the NOAA/USAF forecast
would show planetary A index of 5 (for some reason it is never
predicted lower than that), and mail from 160 meter operators
praised the absence of solar activity that most HF operators
dreaded.

Although conditions at lower and middle latitudes were fairly quiet,
on Wednesday, November 30, polar geomagnetic indices were quite
active. You can see it at
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/indices/DGD.txt in the high latitude
college A and K index at University of Alaska, Fairbanks. They have
a nice web page devoted to geomagnetic activity at
http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast. They have a nice Auroral
Activity by Solar Rotation display (click on it to make it bigger),
and each line represents a complete rotation of our Sun, with a
range of dates covering 27-28 days. The display shows some recurring
activity, and currently you can see a spike of geomagnetic activity
from September 26-29 coming around again on October 25.

To check the readings on those dates, look at the quarterly records
at
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/indices/old_indices/2011Q3_DGD.txt
and
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/indices/old_indices/2011Q4_DGD.txt.

Historical indices going back to 1994, including sunspot numbers and
solar flux, are at
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/indices/old_indices/.

Daily reports at
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpmenu/forecasts/RSGA.html give us some
insight into what caused a disturbance on November 30. The report
for that day says "The geomagnetic field reached quiet to active
conditions with minor and major storm periods observed at high
latitudes.  Activity was attributed to a solar sector boundary
crossing (SSBC) at approximately 30/0810Z followed by a prolonged
period of southward Bz in the interplanetary magnetic field."

For information on what they mean by "solar sector boundary
crossing," see
http://www.reeve.com/Documents/Magnetometry%20Reports/Using%20SWPC%20RSGA.pdf.

WA8IWK, Allen Olender of West Bloomfield, Michigan sent a nice note
relating his joy over recent HF conditions: "I've spent more CW time
on 10 meters working amazing DX in the past 2 months than I have
spent on that band in the past 48 years combined!!  All with a
mobile antenna in my attic!  A great time for our hobby!"  You can
see a nice photo of Allen with some Boy Scouts at
http://www.qrz.com/db/wa8iwk, but these days you must log in to that
site.

Jeff Hartley, N8II of Shepherdstown, West Virginia sent a detailed
report on his 10 meter single band effort for the CQ Worldwide CW
Contest last weekend.

But first, "On Tuesday (November 22), I logged T6MO (K9GY) in the
U.S. Army (Afghanistan) on 10 CW at sunrise. He was running 100
watts to a G5RV dipole, nice opening, but it was not to be as good
during the CQ WW."  Check http://www.qrz.com/db/t6mo for info on
T6MO.

And for the contest, "On Saturday, I turned on the radio at 1130Z
about 45 minutes before sunrise to find many 10 meter signals.
Africans were S9+ and quickly logged D4C and C5A. Europeans were
louder at about 100 degrees scatter path but by and large were loud
enough that they could hear me calling. Right around sunrise the
band opened direct path to EU and I started my best 5 hours of EU
running ever, averaging about 130-140 QSOs per hour. Signals from
eastern EU lasted until around 1500-1530Z. Activity was tremendous
from EU!  The Ukrainian turnout was tremendous as was the activity
from YO, OK. Conditions to the Moscow area were OK, but not nearly
as good as a month ago. During the weekend, 257 QSOs were made with
Germany.

"By about 1715Z darkness had pretty well closed the band except for
some loud EAs, Fs, and Is. Africa and stations very close to the
south (Cuba, Cayman Is., Turks & Caicos) to far away were loud.
During the contest ST2, C9, CN, CT3, C5, D4, EA8, EA9, EL, ZS, ZD8,
5X and 9L were logged from Africa. ZM4T was the first New Zealand
worked in the 17Z hour (5AM in ZL), KG6DX was booming in around
2040Z for first QSO of 4 with Guam, they were uniformly S9+ until
about 23Z, as was AH0BT. Unfortunately, a really good JA opening
never materialized with Saturday being the better day, only 55 JAs
were logged total. Surprisingly, three VKs in zone 29 were logged.
Other Pacific DX logged was TX8, ZK2, KH7, and E51MAN. JAs faded out
at 2315 and by 2330Z the band was nearly dead.

"Sunday, 10 meters was a bit slower to fully open to EU, but first
direct path signals arrived around 1210. UP0L in Kazakhstan was
logged scatter path. I worked my first zone 21s (A7 and HZ) and was
called by VU2KMS around 14Z. The EU opening lingered until around
19Z to very southern/western EU, but QSO volume was minimal past
about 1630Z. OH6AC was logged close to 19Z. Four total TFs were
worked including a mobile and OX3XR was worked around 21Z. Alaskans
were loud both days for hours, but not many casual ops from there
were active. Around sunset both days was the end of working much of
anything to the south. JAs were very poor Sunday with only about a
15 minute window when the big guns were moving the S meter.

"We still have room for improvement (higher solar flux), but 10 and
12 meters have been loads of fun since late September. The ARRL 10
meter contest should be a pretty major event on December 10-11."

Details on the upcoming ARRL 10 Meter Contest are at
http://www.arrl.org/10-meter.  This year there are some new
multipliers for working states in Mexico. A map showing states in
Mexico along with which are rare or easy is at
http://www.dxxe.org/concurso/xe-mults.pdf.

If you would like to make a comment or have a tip for our readers,
email the author at, k7ra at arrl.net.

For more information concerning radio propagation, see the ARRL
Technical Information Service web page at
http://arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals. For an explanation of the
numbers used in this bulletin, see
http://arrl.org/the-sun-the-earth-the-ionosphere. An archive of past
propagation bulletins is at
http://arrl.org/w1aw-bulletins-archive-propagation. Find more good
information and tutorials on propagation at
http://myplace.frontier.com/~k9la/.

Monthly propagation charts between four USA regions and twelve
overseas locations are at http://arrl.org/propagation.

Instructions for starting or ending email distribution of ARRL
bulletins are at http://arrl.org/bulletins.

Sunspot numbers for November 24 through 30 were 139, 171, 133, 123,
90, 106, and 111, with a mean of 124.7. 10.7 cm flux was 137.2,
135.2, 132.8, 135.2, 137.6, 140.6, and 144, with a mean of 137.5.
Estimated planetary A indices were 5, 4, 3, 6, 4, 9, and 10, with a
mean of 5.9. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 4, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9,
and 9 with a mean of 5.9.
NNNN
/EX





From memberlist at www.arrl.org  Thu Dec  8 19:21:05 2011
From: memberlist at www.arrl.org (ARRL Web site)
Date: Thu,  8 Dec 2011 19:21:05 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [CVRC] ARLD050 DX news
Message-ID: <20111209002225.5071426CFFD@bmail.arrl.org>

SB DX @ ARL $ARLD050
ARLD050 DX news

ZCZC AE50
QST de W1AW  
DX Bulletin 50  ARLD050
>From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  December 8, 2011
To all radio amateurs   

SB DX ARL ARLD050
ARLD050 DX news

This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by
CE3FZL, K1NIU, NC1L, the OPDX Bulletin, 425 DX News, The Daily DX,
DXNL, The Weekly DX, Contest Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest
Calendar and WA7BNM web sites.  Thanks to all.

ROTUMA, 3D2.  Antoine, 3D2AG is QRV as 3D2AG/p until January 9,
2012.  Activity is on 80 to 6 meters using SSB and CW.  This is a
green operation with him using batteries charged by solar cells.
QSL direct to home call.

TUNISIA, 3V.  Ash, KF5EYY plans to be QRV as 3V8SS in the ARRL 10
Meter contest as a Single Op/Low Power entry.  QSL via LX1NO.

SRI LANKA, 4S.  Peter, DC0KK will be QRV as 4S7KKG from December 12
to March 10, 2012.  Activity will be on the HF bands using mostly CW
with RTTY, PSK and WSJT.  QSL to home call.

CHINA, BY.  Rick, K1NIU will be QRV as BA1BJ from Beijing on
December 10 and 11.  The rare suffix is a classic Chinese style
reference to Beijing.  Activity will be on all HF bands using SSB.
QSL direct to home call.

CHILE, CE.  Hector, CE3FZL will be QRV from Santiago during the ARRL
10 Meter contest.  QSL to home call.

FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY, DA.  Special event station DP30OVW is
QRV until December 31 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the
German OV I45 noch.  QSL via bureau.

SOUTH COOK ISLANDS, E5.  Bill, N7OU will be QRV as E51NOU from
Rarotonga in the ARRL 10 Meter contest using CW only.  QSL to home
call.

IRAN, EP.  Pooyan, EP3PK has been QRV on 20 meters using SSB around
1300z.  QSL via IK2DUW.
               
ETHIOPIA, ET.  A group of operators plan to operate from club
station ET3AA and from ET3SID until December 13 while working at the
University of Addis Ababa.  QSL both calls for only this particular
operation in December, via N2OO.

THAILAND, HS.  Karl, K4YT will be QRV as HS0ZDG in the ARRL 10 Meter
contest.  QSL to home call.

JAPAN, JA.  Special event station 8J6HAM will be QRV from December
10 to March 5, 2012 for the 11th West Japan Ham Fair.  QSL all HF
contacts via bureau and all satellite contacts via JA6PL.
 
US VIRGIN ISLANDS, KP2.  Chuck, WA0ROI is QRV as WP2/WA0ROI until
December 13.  He will be active as NP2N in the ARRL 10 Meter
contest.  QSL to home call.
 
ARGENTINA, LU.  A group of operators will be QRV as LR2F in the ARRL
10 Meter contest as a Multi/Single entry.  QSL via LU2FA.

BRAZIL, PY.  Operators PY2ADR, PY2TIM and PY2WC will be QRV as ZY2C
in the ARRL 10 Meter contest as a Multi Op entry.  QSL via PY2ADR.

PALAU, T8.  Ark, UA4CC is QRV as T8CC until December 16.  Activity
is holiday style on the HF bands using all modes.  QSL to home call.

EUROPEAN RUSSIA, UA.  Special event station R1941RB is QRV until
December 11 in remembrance of the Battle of Moscow 70 years ago.
QSL via R2DX.

ANTIGUA, V2.  Dan, K6IF is QRV as V25R from Gunthorpes, Saint
George, IOTA NA-100, until December 11.  Activity is on 40 and 20
meters but mostly during the ARRL 10 Meter contest.  QSL to home
call.

MICRONESIA, V6.  Janet, KL7MF and Chip, K7JA are QRV as V63QQ and
V63RR, respectively, from Pohnpei, IOTA OC-010, until December 12.
Activity is holiday style on 20 to 6 meters.  QSL both calls via
K7JA.

NIUE, ZK2.  Chris is QRV as ZK2V until December 20 and has been
active using CW on 60 meters around 1200z.  QSL via N3SL.

THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO.  The ARRL 10-Meter Contest, AWA Bruce
Kelley Memorial CW Contest, QRP CW Fox Hunt, NCCC CW Sprint Ladder,
UBA Winter Low Band Contest, CWops Mini-CWT CW Test, International
Naval Contest, SKCC Weekend CW Sprint and the CQC Great Colorado
Snowshoe CW Run are all scheduled for this upcoming weekend.  The
NAQCC Straight Key/Bug CW Sprint, NAQCC-EU Monthly CW Sprint, CWops
Mini-CWT Test and QRP CW Fox Hunt are scheduled for December 14.
The North American High Speed Meteor Scatter Winter Rally runs from
December 11 to 18.  Please see December QST, page 71 and the ARRL
and WA7BNM Contest Web Sites for details.
NNNN
/EX





From memberlist at www.arrl.org  Thu Dec  8 15:59:14 2011
From: memberlist at www.arrl.org (ARRL Web site)
Date: Thu,  8 Dec 2011 15:59:14 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [CVRC] The ARRL Letter for December 8, 2011
Message-ID: <20111208205914.E922026F162@bmail.arrl.org>

********************************************
            The  ARRL Letter

Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************

December 8, 2011

Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA <k1sfa at arrl.org>

ARRL Home Page <http://www.arrl.org/>ARRL Letter Archive
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/>Audio News
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> IN THIS ISSUE

- + FCC News: FCC Commissioner Michael Copps Announces Resignation
- + On the Air: New Rules for 60 Meters Have Yet to Take Effect
- + On the Air: Round Up Those CW QSOs in the ARRL CW Rookie Roundup
- + Warm Up this Winter with the January 2012 Issue of QST
- Support ARRL: Renewed IRA Provision on Charitable Giving Makes It
Easy to Support ARRL through 2012
- + Nomination Deadline Approaching for ARRL International Humanitarian
Award
- Amateur Radio in Space: FASTRAC-1 Satellite Digipeater Active
- + On the Air: Special Prefixes on Tap for Canadian Stations this
Month
- Solar Update
- + Silent Key: Space Pioneer Jack Townsend, W3PRB (SK)
- QRP Group Offers Free Kit Building Services to Hams with Physical
Limitations
- This Week on the Radio
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events

+ Available on ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news>.

The last ARRL Letter and ARRL Audio News for 2011 will be published
Thursday, December 15. The ARRL Letter and ARRL Audio News will resume
Thursday, January 5, 2012.

==> + FCC NEWS: FCC COMMISSIONER MICHAEL COPPS ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION

   On Monday, December 5, FCC Commissioner Michael Copps notified
President Obama that he would resign as Commissioner effective January
1, 2012. If the Senate does not confirm a successor prior to Copps'
departure, the FCC would be down to three commissioners: two Democrats
and one Republican. Only three sitting Commissioners may be members of
the same political party. At present, Chairman Julius Genachowski,
Copps and Mignon Clyburn are Democrats. Robert McDowell is the lone
Republican since Meredith Attwell Baker left the Commission in June
2010.

"Yesterday, I submitted to the President notice of my intention to
resign my post as Commissioner effective January 1, 2012," Copps said
in a press release
<http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2011/db1206/DOC-311361A1.pdf>.
"Should the Senate confirm my successor prior to that date, or should
the Senate adjourn sine die
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjournment_sine_die> before January 1, I
would of course be leaving sooner."

Copps has served as a Commissioner since May 2001. In January 2009, he
took on the additional role of acting FCC Chairman, following the
resignation of then-FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin. Copps relinquished
the chairmanship to Julius Genachowski after Genachowski was confirmed
by the US Senate and sworn into office in June 2009. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-commissioner-michel-copps-announces-resignation>.

==> + ON THE AIR: NEW RULES FOR 60 METERS HAVE YET TO TAKE EFFECT

   Last month, the FCC released
<http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-releases-new-rules-for-60-meters> a
Report & Order (R&O) detailing new rules for the 5 MHz (60 meters)
Amateur Radio band. These rules have not been published in the Federal
Register. In order to be official, the rules must be published in the
Federal Register and will take effect 30 days after the publication
date. Any radio amateur who is operating under the new rules before
this time is in violation of the current rules. The official date for
these new rules will be announced on the ARRL website as soon as the
information is available.

==> + ON THE AIR: ROUND UP THOSE CW QSOS IN THE ARRL CW ROOKIE ROUNDUP

   The ARRL's Rookie Roundup comes around again on Sunday, December 18.
This time, the focus is on CW operation. The Rookie Roundup is an
on-the air event is designed to help newly licensed amateurs build
their HF and 6 meter operating skills. Similar to the ARRL Novice
Roundup that ran from 1952 until 1995, the Rookie Roundup combines a
competitive event with some on-the-air training, bringing fun and
Elmering into the 21st century. Three Rookie Roundups -- SSB, RTTY and
CW -- are held each calendar year: The CW running of the Rookie Roundup
will take place Sunday, December 18 from 1800-2359 UTC. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/round-up-those-cw-qsos-in-the-arrl-cw-rookie-roundup>.

==> + WARM UP THIS WINTER WITH THE JANUARY 2012 ISSUE OF QST

The January issue of QST is jam-packed with all sorts of things that
today's Amateur Radio operator needs. Our annual Do-It-Yourself (DIY)
issue has projects you can build this winter while you count down the
days to the warm summer months. You'll also find product reviews,
operating tips and upcoming on-the-air events that will start your new
year off right.

   If you're in the market for an easy-to-build -- and easy-to use --
VHF/UHF portable antenna, then look no further. In his article "A 2
Meter and 70 cm Portable Tape Measure Beam," John Portune, W6NBC,
presents an antenna that will "measure up" when you want to work
satellites or go transmitter hunting. When it comes to the family car,
sometimes you need to be a bit discreet when installing your mobile
rig, at least in the name of marital harmony. Thomas E. Nolan, W3EX,
presents "A Low-Impact Mobile Installation," which offers a unobtrusive
way to go mobile -- without looking like you've packed your complete
shack in the car.

As you sit in front of the roaring fire, do your thoughts turn to your
Novice days and the excitement and joy of working those first stations?
Kim Johnson, KC0JQH, relives the memories in his article "Building a
Dream Novice Station." Kim built his transmitter, receiver and
voltmeter from plans in the 1963 ARRL Handbook. As hams, we have known
for a long time how much fun it can be to build your own equipment --
and then use it to get on the air. ARRL Media and Public Relations
Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, along with a slew of talented hams, has
produced a video to be released December 27 that tells non-ham DIYers
how Amateur Radio is the perfect activity for them. In his article "The
DIY Magic of Amateur Radio," Pitts explains how Amateur Radio and DIY
hobbyists make a wonderful fit.

QST Editor Steve Ford, WB8IMY, takes a look at the WiNRADiO WR-G31DDC
Excalibur software defined receiver in this month's Product Review. He
says this receiver "offers excellent performance. Despite the wealth of
features found in the accompanying software, it's easy to set up and
enjoy." ARRL Contributing Editor Howard Robins, W1HSR, checked out the
AvMap G6 APRS navigation system, saying that it "builds on the success
of the G4 and G5 [versions]. The new version is smaller and more
capable than previous models, yet it is still easy to hook up and use."
QST Technical Editor Joel R. Hallas, W1ZR, test drove the TE Systems
1410G 2 meter linear amplifier. "This is a very nice amplifier in terms
of construction and operation," he writes, although "there is some room
for further optimization of its preamp configuration and transmit IMD
levels."

Of course, there are the usual columns you know and expect in the
January QST: Happenings, Hints & Kinks, The Doctor Is IN, Technical
Correspondence, How's DX, Vintage Radio and more. Look for your January
issue in your mailbox. QST is the official journal of ARRL, the
national association for Amateur Radio. QST is just one of the many
benefits of ARRL membership. To join or renew your ARRL membership,
please see the ARRL Web page
<https://www.arrl.org/join-arrl-renew-membership/>.

==> SUPPORT ARRL: RENEWED IRA PROVISION ON CHARITABLE GIVING MAKES IT
EASY TO SUPPORT ARRL THROUGH 2012

   In December 2010, President Obama signed the Tax Relief,
Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010
<http://taxes.about.com/b/2010/12/20/the-tax-relief-act-of-2010-income-tax-provisions.htm>
(HR 4853
<http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-111hr4853enr/pdf/BILLS-111hr4853enr.pdf>)
into law as Public Law 111-312. This law provided sweeping changes to
the rules that govern federal estate taxes, gift taxes and
generation-skipping transfer taxes. The law authorized those
individuals who are at least 70.5 years old to donate up to $100,000
from their Individual Retirement Account directly to a qualified
charity -- such as the ARRL -- in a Trustee-to-Trustee transfer; this
charitable gift would not have to be reported on a tax return (no IRA
income is reported and no charity deduction is reported). This keeps
the giver's adjusted gross income lower and avoids any adjustments in
Medicare premiums. The provisions in HR 4853 have been extended for two
years and will expire on December 31, 2012.

Individuals who are interested in supporting the ARRL using this
vehicle should consult their tax and/or financial advisors to determine
the impact of such a gift. "This is the perfect time of year for
members who qualify and are in a position to consider a direct
contribution to the ARRL," said ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary
Hobart, K1MMH. "Such gifts may support the Spectrum Defense Fund
<http://www.arrl.org/spectrum-defense-fund>, the Education & Technology
Fund <http://www.arrl.org/education-and-technology-fund>, the W1AW
Endowment Fund <http://www.arrl.org/w1aw-endowment-fund> or one of the
other ARRL permanent funds
<http://www.arrl.org/list-of-permanent-funds>."

==> + NOMINATION DEADLINE APPROACHING FOR ARRL INTERNATIONAL
HUMANITARIAN AWARD

   The deadline to nominate an amateur or group of amateurs for the
2011 ARRL International Humanitarian Award is coming up -- December 31,
2011. This award is conferred upon an amateur or amateurs who
demonstrate devotion to human welfare, peace and international
understanding through Amateur Radio. The League established the annual
prize to recognize Amateur Radio operators who have used ham radio to
provide extraordinary service to others in times of crisis or disaster.

As one of the few telecommunication services that allows people
throughout the world from all walks of life to meet and talk with each
other, Amateur Radio spreads goodwill across political boundaries. The
ARRL International Humanitarian Award recognizes the Amateur Radio
Service's unique role in international communication and the assistance
amateurs regularly provide to people in need. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/nomination-deadline-approaching-for-arrl-international-humanitarian-award>.

==> AMATEUR RADIO IN SPACE: FASTRAC-1 SATELLITE DIGIPEATER ACTIVE

As of 1600 UTC December 2, the FASTRAC-1 satellite (FO-69) is open for
use as a packet radio digipeater. Anyone with a 1200 baud packet TNC
and a VHF/UHF FM transceiver can try it. If you own satellite tracking
software <http://www.amsat-na.com/store/category.php?c=Software>,
you'll find the latest orbital elements on the FASTRAC Web site
<http://fastrac.ae.utexas.edu/for_radio_operators/users/phpBB3/predictedorbit.php>.
FASTRAC-1 receives at 145.825 MHz and transmits at 437.345 MHz. The
digipeater alias is FAST1. To connect to ARRL Headquarters station W1AW
through FASTRAC-1, for example, you would send the following packet:

C W1AW VIA FAST1

Reports of your results are welcome via e-mail <fastracsats at gmail.com>,
or at the FASTRAC Facebook page <http://www.facebook.com/fastracsats>.

==> + ON THE AIR: SPECIAL PREFIXES ON TAP FOR CANADIAN STATIONS THIS
MONTH

   If you are a prefix hunter, take note: Stations in Canada will be
sporting new prefixes
<http://www.rac.ca/en/amateur-radio/regulatory/callsigns/special-event.php>.
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the CBC and Radio Canada, radio
amateurs in Canada have been granted permission to use special prefixes
for the month of December. Hams with call signs beginning with VA may
use the prefix VG; those call signs beginning with VE may use VX; hams
whose call signs with a VO prefix may use XJ, while call signs
beginning with VY may use XK. -- Thanks to The Daily DX
<http://www.dailydx.com/> for the information

==> SOLAR UPDATE

   Tad "I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T35WXFOmwI>" Cook, K7RA, reports:
Eight new sunspot groups appeared over December 1-7, with the average
daily sunspot number for the week rising more than 9 points to 133.9.
The verage daily solar flux also rose exactly 19 points to 156.5. The
latest forecast from USAF/NOAA has solar flux at 150 on December 8, 155
on December 9-10, 150 on December 11-12, 145 on December 13-14, 150 on
December 15, 160 on December 16-18, and 155 on December 19-22. The
planetary A index for the same dates is expected to be 5 on December
8-10, 8 on December 11, and 5 on December 12-22. Geophysical Institute
Prague sees a quiet week ahead, with quiet conditions December 9-11,
quiet to unsettled December 12 and quiet again on December 13-15.
Conditions should be good for the ARRL 10 Meter Contest
<http://www.arrl.org/10-meter> this weekend. Look for more information
on the ARRL website on Friday, December 9. For more information
concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information
Service Propagation page
<http://www.arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals>. This week's "Tad
Cookism" is brought to you by James Taylor's Fire and Rain
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_and_rain>.

==> + SILENT KEY: SPACE PIONEER JACK TOWNSEND, W3PRB (SK)

   John W. "Jack" Townsend, Jr, W3PRB, of Cabin John, Maryland, passed
away October 29 due to complications from lung cancer. He was 87.
Townsend -- an ARRL member -- was a rocket and satellite pioneer who
was influential in creating the first meteorological, communications
and Earth viewing satellite systems. He joined NASA's Goddard Space
Flight Center <http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html> in
1959 and later served as its Director from 1987-1990.

In 1949, Townsend joined the US Naval Research Laboratory as a research
physicist, instrumenting V-2 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-2> rockets
(captured from Germany at the end of World War II), Viking
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_%28rocket%29> and Aerobee
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerobee> sounding rockets for upper air
research. When NASA was created in 1958, he transferred with his Branch
and the Vanguard Project
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguard_project> into the new agency,
becoming Chief of its Space Sciences Division. He helped form NASA's
Goddard Space Flight Center, and became the Assistant Director for
Space Science and Satellite Applications. Townsend was named Deputy
Director of Goddard Space Flight Center in 1965 and continued to serve
in that capacity until 1968. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/space-pioneer-jack-townsend-w3prb-sk>.

==> QRP GROUP OFFERS FREE KIT BUILDING SERVICES TO HAMS WITH PHYSICAL
LIMITATIONS

   Members of the Four States QRP Group (4SQRPG
<http://www.4sqrp.com/index.php>) -- a group of kit aficionados
centered in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas -- are offering kit
building services at no charge to hams who, due to physical
limitations, need assistance with building. Hams who wish to have kits
built for them need to visit the 4SQRP website and purchase one or more
of the six kits offered <http://www.wa0itp.com/4sqrpkitindex.html>.
"This is a free service," 4SQRP Member Terry Fletcher, W0ITP, told the
ARRL. "The builders donate their time, skill and knowledge. Their only
motivation is to help needful hams."

==> THIS WEEK ON THE RADIO

This week:

- December 9 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
- December 10-11 -- ARRL 10 Meter Contest
<http://www.arrl.org/10-meter>; CWops Mini-CWT Test; International
Naval Contest
- December 11 -- SKCC Weekend Sprint; CQC Great Colorado Snowshoe Run
- December 11-18 -- NA High Speed Meteor Scatter Winter Rally
- December 14 -- NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint; NAQCC-EU Monthly Sprint
- December 14-15 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test

Next week:

- December 16 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder; Russian 160 Meter Contest;
AGB-Party Contest
- December 17 -- OK DX RTTY Contest; RAC Winter Contest; Feld Hell
Sprint
- December 17, 2011-January 1, 2012 -- Lighthouse Christmas Lights QSO
Party
- December 17-18 -- Stew Perry Topband Challenge; Croatian CW Contest
- December 18 -- ARRL Rookie Roundup (CW)
<http://www.arrl.org/rookie-roundup>; QRP ARCI Holiday Spirits Homebrew
Sprint
- December 19 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest

All dates, unless otherwise stated, are UTC. See the ARRL Contest
Branch page <http://www.arrl.org/contests>, the ARRL Contest Update
<http://www.arrl.org/The-ARRL-Contest-Update> and the WA7BNM Contest
Calendar <http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more
information. Looking for a Special Event station? Be sure to check out
the ARRL Special Event Stations Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/special-event-stations>.

==> UPCOMING ARRL SECTION, STATE AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS AND EVENTS

- January 8, 2012 -- ARRL New York/Long Island Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/new-york-long-island-section-convention-ham-radio-university-2012>,
Bethpage, New York
- January 27-28, 2012 -- ARRL Mississippi State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/mississippi-state-convention-capitol-city-hamfest-1>,
Jackson, Mississippi
- February 4, 2012 -- ARRL Virginia State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/virginia-state-convention-frostfest-2012>,
Richmond, Virginia; ARRL South Carolina State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/south-carolina-state-convention-1>,
Ladson, South Carolina
- February 10-12, 2012 -- ARRL Northern Florida Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/northern-florida-section-convention-orlando-hamcation-1>,
Orlando, Florida
- February 17-18, 2012 -- ARRL Southwestern Division Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/southwestern-division-convention-1>,
Yuma, Arizona
- February 18, 2012 -- ARRL Arkansas Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/arkansas-section-convention-1>, Hoxie,
Arkansas
- February 25, 2012 -- ARRL Vermont State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/vermont-state-convention-ham-con-2>,
South Burlington, Vermont

To find a convention or hamfest near you, click here
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests>.

ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information

Join or Renew Today! <http://www.arrl.org/join> ARRL membership
includes QST <http://www.arrl.org/qst>, Amateur Radio's most popular
and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month.

Subscribe to NCJ -- the National Contest Journal
<http://www.arrl.org/ncj>. Published bi-monthly, features articles by
top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO
Parties.

Subscribe to QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters
<http://www.arrl.org/qex>. Published bi-monthly, features technical
articles, construction projects, columns and other items of interest to
radio amateurs and communications professionals.

Free of charge to ARRL members: Subscribe
<http://www.arrl.org/myarrl-account-management#%21/edit-info-email_subscriptions>
to the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and emergency
communications news), the ARRL Contest Update (bi-weekly contest
newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much more!

Find us on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/ARRL.org>. Follow us on
Twitter <http://twitter.com/arrl>.

ARRL offers a wide array of products <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-store>
to enhance your enjoyment of Amateur Radio

Donate <https://www.arrl.org/arrl-donation-form> to the fund of your
choice -- support programs not funded by member dues!

Click here <ads at arrl.org> to advertise in this newsletter.

The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 50 times each year. ARRL
members and registered guests may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe
by editing their profile
<http://www.arrl.org/Users/edit#!/edit-info-email_subscriptions>.

 Copyright (c) 2011 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All
Rights Reserved

 <http://www.arrl.org/>


From memberlist at www.arrl.org  Fri Dec  9 12:01:00 2011
From: memberlist at www.arrl.org (ARRL Web site)
Date: Fri,  9 Dec 2011 12:01:00 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [CVRC] ARLP050 Propagation de K7RA
Message-ID: <20111209170100.2760A2666A@bmail.arrl.org>

SB PROP @ ARL $ARLP050
ARLP050 Propagation de K7RA

ZCZC AP50
QST de W1AW  
Propagation Forecast Bulletin 50  ARLP050
>From Tad Cook, K7RA
Seattle, WA  December 9, 2011
To all radio amateurs 

SB PROP ARL ARLP050
ARLP050 Propagation de K7RA

What happened to that new "grand minima?"  Cycle 24 just keeps
rolling along, and for the first seven days in December, there were
eight new sunspot groups.  December 5 had the largest sunspot
coverage over the past week, with a daily sunspot number of 185.
Average daily sunspot number for the week rose over nine points to
133.9, and average daily solar flux values rose exactly 19 points to
156.5.

NW7US has a graph at
http://hfradio.org/images/cycle23vs24_progress-lg.jpg comparing
Cycle 24 progress with the upswing of Cycle 23.

It is based on the RI or monthly mean Brussels International Sunspot
number, which is lower than the SWPC Space Weather Operations
sunspot numbers we use in our bulletin.  The data source is
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/weekly/RecentIndices.txt. This
doesn't reflect the upswing since the start of each cycle, and does
not show the long quiet period at the start of the current cycle. It
just shows the monthly mean data over the 25 months ending in
September 2011, compared to the 25 months ending in June 1998. The
graph appears on http://www.sunspotwatch.com/.

The latest forecast from USAF/NOAA has solar flux at 145 on December
9-12, 140 on December 13-16, 160 on December 17-18, and 155 on
December 19-22.

Planetary A index for the same dates is expected to be 5 on December
9-10, 8 on December 11, and 5 on December 12-22.

The solar flux values in the above forecast changed quite a bit from
what was reported in the ARRL Letter on Thursday.  That was based on
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/forecasts/45DF/120745DF.txt and this
forecast is based on
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/forecasts/45DF/120845DF.txt.

Geophysical Institute Prague sees a quiet week ahead, with quiet
conditions December 9-11, quiet to unsettled December 12, and quiet
again on December 13-15.

Conditions should be good for the ARRL 10 Meter Contest this
weekend.

Every new month brings a slight upward revision in the smoothed
sunspot forecast. Note the differences between the table on page 19
in http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/weekly/pdf/prf1888.pdf and page 17 in
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/weekly/pdf/prf1892.pdf.

An article from the Royal Observatory of Belgium concerning rising
solar activity appears at,
http://www.solarnovus.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3940.

Brian Machesney reported some interesting multipath echoes on
December 5. He writes, "Strong 17m CW signals from A71EM to FN34 are
suffering from what sound like multipath echoes at 13:30Z on 5 Dec
11. There seem to be at least three, distinct paths of nearly equal
strength."

Jon Jones, N0JK sent comments about the winter sporadic-E season:
"The winter Es season is underway. On December 3, KB3RHR EN90 was
into Kansas on 50 MHz at 2315 UTC. This was E-skip. The Winter Es
season tends to peak around Christmas. This year with the higher
solar flux the Es can link to F2 and TEP openings."

If you would like to make a comment or have a tip for our readers,
email the author at, k7ra at arrl.net.

For more information concerning radio propagation, see the ARRL
Technical Information Service web page at
http://arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals. For an explanation of the
numbers used in this bulletin, see
http://arrl.org/the-sun-the-earth-the-ionosphere. An archive of past
propagation bulletins is at
http://arrl.org/w1aw-bulletins-archive-propagation. Find more good
information and tutorials on propagation at
http://myplace.frontier.com/~k9la/.

Monthly propagation charts between four USA regions and twelve
overseas locations are at http://arrl.org/propagation.

Instructions for starting or ending email distribution of ARRL
bulletins are at http://arrl.org/bulletins.

Sunspot numbers for December 1 through 7 were 89, 106, 138, 154,
185, 143, and 122, with a mean of 133.9. 10.7 cm flux was 152.2,
157.3, 164.1, 163.6, 158.1, 151.1, and 148.9, with a mean of 156.5.
Estimated planetary A indices were 7, 4, 9, 4, 2, 1, and 1, with a
mean of 4. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 7, 4, 7, 4, 4, 0,
and 1, with a mean of 3.9.
NNNN
/EX





From memberlist at www.arrl.org  Thu Dec 15 22:16:05 2011
From: memberlist at www.arrl.org (ARRL Web site)
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:16:05 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [CVRC] ARLD051 DX news
Message-ID: <20111216034645.5F2DD273BC4@bmail.arrl.org>

SB DX @ ARL $ARLD051
ARLD051 DX news

ZCZC AE51
QST de W1AW  
DX Bulletin 51  ARLD051
>From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  December 15, 2011
To all radio amateurs   

SB DX ARL ARLD051
ARLD051 DX news

This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by
AD1C, NC1L, the OPDX Bulletin, 425 DX News, The Daily DX, DXNL, The
Weekly DX, Contest Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest Calendar and
WA7BNM web sites.  Thanks to all.

AZERBAIJAN, 4J.  Special event stations 4J29RA and 4K29RA are QRV in
celebration of the 85 years since the very first amateur radio
call sign was issued in Azerbaijan.  QSL via 4J5T.

GEORGIA, 4L.  Anatoly, 4L1MA has been active using CW on 40 meters
around 0230 to 0430z.  QSL via ON4RU.

TOGO, 5V.  Arnauld, F4FOO will be QRV as 5V7MA from December 19 to
January 4.  Activity will be on 20 to 10 meters using only SSB in
his spare time.  QSL to home call.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, A6.  Gerry, VE6LB will be QRV as A6/VE6LB in
Dubai from December 20 to January 10.  Activity is holiday style on
40 to 10 meters using mainly CW.  QSL to home call.

CHILE, C.  Special event station XR45EI is QRV until December 25 in
celebration of the 45th anniversary of the newspaper La Estrella De
Iquique.  QSL via CE1SZZ.

PALESTINE, E4.  Peri, HB9IQB is QRV as E44PM for one week.  Activity
is on 40 to 10 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY.  QSL to home call.

SOUTH COOK ISLANDS, E5.  Andy, AB7FS will be QRV as E51AND from
Arorangi Island on Rarotonga, IOTA OC-013, from December 19 to 31.
Activity is holiday style using CW and SSB.  He will be looking for
other Straight Key Century Club members.  QSL to home call.

IRELAND, EI.  Don, W4ZYT will be QRV as EI2IM from Dublin from
December 20 to 28.  Activity will be on 80 to 10 meters using mostly
CW.  QSL to home call.

REUNION ISLAND, FR.  Jean, F6CAM is QRV as FR/F6CAM until January
10, 2012.  Activity is on all HF bands.  QSL to home call.

REPUBLIC OF KOREA, HL.  Kim, HL5IVL has been active on 160 meters
beginning around 1200z.  QSL to home call.

MINAMI TORISHIMA, JD1.  Take, JG8NQJ will soon be QRV as JG8NQJ/JD1
until mid March 2012 from the meteorological station.  Activity will
be on the HF bands using CW and SSB.  QSL direct via JA8CJY.

CURACAO, PJ2.  Jeff, K8ND is QRV as PJ2T from Signal Point Station
until December 20.  This includes being an entry in the Stew Perry
Topband contest.  QSL via W3HNK.

KAZAKHSTAN, UN.  Operators here are using the UP20 prefix in
celebration of Kazakhstan's 20th anniversary of its independence.
QSL via operators' instructions.

UKRAINE, UR.  Special event station EM1000USK is QRV until January
31, 2012 in celebration of the millennium of the St. Sophia
Cathedral in Kiev.  QSL via UT8UF.

BELIZE, V3.  Norman, 5B4AIF is QRV as V31NB from Placencia until
December 27.  Activity will be on all HF bands.  This includes an
entry in the OK DX RTTY contest.  QSL via EB7DX.

ANTARCTICA.  Mike, M0PRL is QRV as VP8DMH from the Halley Station V
base until February 2012 while assisting with its move to the new
Halley Station VI base.  Activity is on the HF bands from both
bases.  QSL direct to home call.
  
THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO.  ARRL Rookie CW Roundup, Stew Perry
Topband CW Challenge, North American High Speed Meteor Scatter
Winter Rally, QRP CW Fox Hunt, NCCC CW Sprint Ladder, AGB-Party
Contest, Russian 160-Meter Contest, RAC Winter Contest, Feld Hell
Sprint, OK DX RTTY Contest, Croatian CW Contest and the QRP ARCI
Holiday Spirits Homebrew CW Sprint will certainly keep contesters
busy this weekend.  The Run for the Bacon CW QRP Contest is
scheduled for December 19.  The QRP CW Fox Hunt is scheduled for
December 21.  The Lighthouse Christmas Lights QSO Party is scheduled
from December 17 to January 1.  Please see December QST, page 71 and
the ARRL and WA7BNM Contest Web Sites for details.
NNNN
/EX





From memberlist at www.arrl.org  Fri Dec 16 14:52:36 2011
From: memberlist at www.arrl.org (ARRL Web site)
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:52:36 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [CVRC] ARLP051 Propagation de K7RA
Message-ID: <20111216195857.2C6BE26E6BD@bmail.arrl.org>

SB PROP @ ARL $ARLP051
ARLP051 Propagation de K7RA

ZCZC AP51
QST de W1AW  
Propagation Forecast Bulletin 51  ARLP051
>From Tad Cook, K7RA
Seattle, WA  December 16, 2011
To all radio amateurs 

SB PROP ARL ARLP051
ARLP051 Propagation de K7RA

Solar activity dropped this week, with average daily sunspot numbers
declining over 39 points to 94.7.  It's been 13 weeks since the
average daily sunspot number for the week was that low or lower,
when Propagation Forecast Bulletin ARLP037 reported an average of
91.7.  The daily sunspot number has been lower than this week's
average starting December 12, when it was 70, and has since been 77,
65 and 44 through December 15.

No new sunspots emerged on December 9-12, then sunspot group 1376
appeared on December 13, and 1377 on December 14.

The latest USAF/NOAA forecast has solar flux for December 16-19 at
124, then 122 on December 20 and 120 on December 21-23. Then it
jumps to 150 on December 24-26, 140 on December 27-28, and 145 on
December 29 through January 4. It then rises to a maximum of 160 on
January 8-14, 2012.

Predicted planetary A index is 5 on December 16-25, 8 on December
26-29, 5 on December 30 through January 4, 2012, 8 on January 5-6,
then 5 on January 7-21.

Geophysical Institute Prague predicts quiet conditions December
16-18, quiet to unsettled December 19, unsettled December 20, and
quiet December 21-22.

Ed McKie, KB5GT of Yazoo City, Mississippi wrote in about a tool on
http://www.spaceweather.com for looking at past solar activity by
just entering a date.

It is at http://spaceweather.com/glossary/sunspotplotter.htm and Ed
notes that it hasn't been updated with new data as of a couple of
years back.  No word from the spaceweather.com web master, but
perhaps it wasn't meant to be updated, only providing looks at past
sunspot activity prior to the date it was created.

By the way, for a look at Ed's fine old radios, log in at QRZ.com
(free) and go to http://www.qrz.com/db/kb5gt. Click on the photo in
the upper right for a closer look.

Propagation reports for the ARRL 10 Meter contest last weekend were
positive.  Randy Crews, W7TJ of Spokane, Washington commented,
"Conditions during the ARRL 10 Meter Contest were great as expected
with the higher solar flux. Personally I feel 10 meter propagation
has not been this good for the contest since 2002."

He noted that for 2002 and 2003, solar flux in early December was
approximately 150 and 102.  For 2010 and 2011 it was 87 and 140.
Randy noted, "What a great change!  Listening to the QSOs, it was
like we all had a new horse to ride."

Rick Cincotta, KI4FW of Arlington, Virginia noted some curious short
skip propagation last weekend.  He writes, "During the 10m contest
on the East Coast in the morning and early afternoon (both days),
when the band was opened to Europe and the US West Coast (S9+), I
could hear stations, very weakly, calling from locations nearby,
closer than the usual E-S 'doughnut' that I'm familiar with from 6M
(these guys were from eastern OH, southern NY and northern NJ, RI,
CT, NC).  They never got louder than S1, but I could make out their
call signs if I cleaned the wax out of my ears and held my breath --
so to speak.  I'm QRP, so I was only able to work a couple of them
in NY."

If you would like to make a comment or have a tip for our readers,
email the author at, k7ra at arrl.net.

For more information concerning radio propagation, see the ARRL
Technical Information Service web page at
http://arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals. For an explanation of the
numbers used in this bulletin, see
http://arrl.org/the-sun-the-earth-the-ionosphere. An archive of past
propagation bulletins is at
http://arrl.org/w1aw-bulletins-archive-propagation. Find more good
information and tutorials on propagation at
http://myplace.frontier.com/~k9la/.

Monthly propagation charts between four USA regions and twelve
overseas locations are at http://arrl.org/propagation.

Instructions for starting or ending email distribution of ARRL
bulletins are at http://arrl.org/bulletins.

Sunspot numbers for December 8 through 14 were 142, 116, 90, 103,
70, 77, and 65, with a mean of 94.7. 10.7 cm flux was 144.8, 143.5,
140, 134.3, 131.5, 133.1, and 132, with a mean of 137. Estimated
planetary A indices were 1, 1, 6, 4, 3, 3, and 1, with a mean of
2.7. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 2, 3, 6, 5, 4, 5, and 2,
with a mean of 3.9.
NNNN
/EX





From memberlist at www.arrl.org  Thu Dec 22 17:22:50 2011
From: memberlist at www.arrl.org (ARRL Web site)
Date: Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:22:50 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [CVRC] ARLD052 DX news
Message-ID: <20111222222250.8D35A25044@bmail.arrl.org>

SB DX @ ARL $ARLD052
ARLD052 DX news

ZCZC AE52
QST de W1AW  
DX Bulletin 52  ARLD052
>From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  December 22, 2011
To all radio amateurs   

SB DX ARL ARLD052
ARLD052 DX news

This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by
NC1L, the OPDX Bulletin, 425 DX News, The Daily DX, DXNL, The Weekly
DX, Contest Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest Calendar and WA7BNM
web sites.  Thanks to all.

MALDIVES, 8Q.  Berti, HB9SLO will be QRV as 8Q7LO from December 27
to January 2.  Activity will be holiday style.  QSL to home call.

GHANA, 9G.  Sadao, JA1PBV is QRV as 9G5SI until December 26.
Activity is on 160 to 10 meters using CW, SSB and various digital
modes.  QSL to home call.

RWANDA, 9X.  Carl, SM6CPY will be QRV as 9X0PY from December 24 to
January 7.  Activity will be holiday style.  QSL to home call.

ANTARCTICA.  Felix, DL5XL is QRV as DP1POL from Neumayer Station III
on the Ekstroem Ice Shelf in Atka Bay until February.  He has
currently been active on 30 meters.  QSL via DL1ZBO.

SOUTH COOK ISLANDS, E5.  Andy, AB7FS is QRV as E51AND from Arorangi
Beach on Rarotonga, IOTA OC-013, until December 31.  Activity is
holiday style using CW and SSB.  He will be looking for other
Straight Key Century Club members.  QSL to home call.

ITALY, I.  Special event station II0UI is QRV until December 31 in
celebration of the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy.
QSL via IZ0TTE.

OGASAWARA, JD1.  Makoto, JI5RPT will be QRV as JD1BLY from
Chichijima Island, IOTA AS-031, from December 24 to January 2.
Activity will be on 80 to 6 meters using CW, SSB and various digital
modes.  This includes some satellite activity as well.  QSL to home
call.

ANTARCTICA.  Andy, WA2DKJ is QRV as KC4AAA from the South Pole
Station for about three weeks.  Activity is generally on 40 and 20
meters using CW and SSB and possibly with digital modes as well.
QSL via operator's instructions.
  
PALAU, T8.  Operators JH0IXE, JA0FKK and JL2TOG are QRV as T8CW,
T88XC and T88KI, respectively, until January 8, 7 and 6, 2012,
respectively.  Activity is on 160 to 6 meters using CW, SSB, RTTY,
PSK31 and JT65A.  Given power issues on the island, they do not
expect to be active from 1100 to 1500z each day.  QSL to home calls.

TURKEY, TA.  Operators TA1HZ, TA1GE, TA2AEM and TA1AES are QRV with
special event callsign TC9SAM until December 26 to remember the
casualties of the Sarikamis campaign of World War I.  Activity is
mainly on 80 and 40 meters.  QSL via TA1HZ.

GABON, TR.  Thorbjorn, SM7RME is QRV as TR0A/p from Port Gentil,
Mandji Island, IOTA AF-089.  Activity is generally on 17 meters
using CW.  His length of stay is unknown.  QSL via SM7EHU.

MACQUARIE ISLAND, VK0.  Trevor, VK0TH is generally QRV on 40 to 10
meters using SSB, RTTY and PSK31 between 1330 and 2300z.  QSL direct
to JE1LET.

SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS. Adrian, EA1CYK is QRV as EA1CYK/p from
Antarctic base Gabriel de Castilla on Deception Island, IOTA AN-010,
until March 2012.  During this time he may try to visit the Juan
Carlos I base on Livingston Island.  QSL via EA7LS.

INDIA, VU.  Manju, VU2SMS is QRV as AU50GOA until December 26 in
celebration of the 50th anniversary of the annexation of Goa.  QSL
to home call.

CAYMAN ISLANDS, ZF.  Bill, K9HZ is QRV as ZF2HZ from Rum Point,
Grand Cayman Island, IOTA NA-016, until December 29.  Activity is on
160 to 6 meters using CW and SSB.  QSL to home call

THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO.  The QRP CW Fox Hunt, NCCC Sprint and
RAEM CW Contest are all on tap this holiday weekend.  The DARC
Christmas Contest is scheduled for December 26.  The QRP CW Fox
Hunt, CWops Mini-CWT Test and SKCC CW Sprint are scheduled for
December 28.  The Lighthouse Christmas Lights QSO Party runs until
January 1.  Please see December QST, page 71 and the ARRL and WA7BNM
Contest Web Sites for details.
NNNN
/EX





From memberlist at www.arrl.org  Fri Dec 23 16:59:54 2011
From: memberlist at www.arrl.org (ARRL Web site)
Date: Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:59:54 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [CVRC] ARLP052 Propagation de K7RA
Message-ID: <20111223223150.52440269B5@bmail.arrl.org>

SB PROP @ ARL $ARLP052
ARLP052 Propagation de K7RA

ZCZC AP52
QST de W1AW  
Propagation Forecast Bulletin 52  ARLP052
>From Tad Cook, K7RA
Seattle, WA  December 23, 2011
To all radio amateurs 

SB PROP ARL ARLP052
ARLP052 Propagation de K7RA

Average daily sunspot numbers this week were about the same as last,
and average daily solar flux declined a little over eight points to
128.9.  Geomagnetic indicators were quiet. Average daily sunspot
numbers of 95.3 for the week is considerably below the average for
the previous 90 days, which was 120.8.

Solar flux has been climbing over the past week, after a low of
119.6 on December 17.  Predicted flux values for the near term are
145 on December 23, 140 on December 24-27, 145 on December 28-30,
dropping suddenly to 120 on December 31 through January 2, 125 on
January 3-4, 128 on January 5-8, and peaking at 130 on January 9-17.

Predicted planetary A index is 5 on December 23 through January 4, 8
on January 5-6, and 5 on January 7-21. This is from NOAA and the
U.S. Air Force Space Weather Operations.

There is another opinion, of course.  Geophysical Institute Prague
predicts quiet conditions December 23, quiet to unsettled December
24, active conditions December 25, unsettled to active December 26,
quiet to unsettled December 27, and quiet again on December 28-29.

Active conditions is quite different from an A index of 5, although
the NOAA/USAF outlook is at least 8 hours newer than the Prague
prediction. But looking back 24 hours earlier to the December 21
prediction, USAF/NOAA has nothing different on December 25, although
they do show an A index of 8 on December 29.

You can check http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpmenu/forecasts/45DF.html
for the latest prediction, which is updated daily after 2100z.

The predicted maximum for the current sunspot cycle keeps increasing
and being moved closer, as detailed at
http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/predict.shtml.  There is no
archive of these monthly (usually) announcements, but we've been
tracking the changes here.

Back on September 2 we reported the forecast for the peak had been
revised from June-July 2013 at 69 to May 2013 at 70. (This is a
smoothed, Geneva sunspot number, different than the higher scale
used in this bulletin.)  On October 7 our report noted a change to
77 in April 2013, then last month it changed to 89 in May 2013, and
the latest now predicts a maximum of 99 in February 2013.

We have more 10-meter reports. Al Kaiser, N1API of Meriden,
Connecticut says, "10 Meters continues to impress! This morning,
(12/16), here on the East Coast we had a long path opening into
Asia. I managed to work BD7LMD at 1333 UTC then followed by VR2XRT
at 1355 and BD7IS at 1402 on SSB Phone. There were also a number of
other Chinese and India stations spotted on both CW and phone. This
is the first time in my 33 year ham career that I can remember
hearing a long path opening into ASIA on 10 meters, though I have
heard some during the contests this year on 20 meters. I have had
some long path openings to VK and ZL on 10 meters this year though.

"VR2XRT was still calling and working NA Long path at 1515 UTC when
I had to shut down to go out for an appointment.  He was about 5X3
when I last hear him be probably still workable."

Referring to Propagation Forecast Bulletin ARLP050, Pat Dyer, WA5IYX
of San Antonio, Texas writes: "What KI4FW was hearing during the
10-m test was likely F2 backscatter. Lacking any short Es it's often
the only way to work the closer-in states.  With my 100-w and 3-el I
have to wait until no one else (on loud direct F2) is calling them
to even have a chance for any contact via that mode.  Residual
scatter from the Geminid meteor shower can give almost the same
effect at night during it on the QRO stations.

"Somehow the last two 10 meter tests I managed to win the low-power
single-op phone STX certificate.  With over twice as many Qs as last
year in it in 2011 I probably won't this time - conditions were
likely 'too good' with many high scores.  With all the QRM finding a
spot to sustain any run with 100-w is a challenge (even up at
28.7-28.8 MHz).  Also, some nasty RFI to me here for several hours
on Sunday cut into my operating time.  (My only past instances of
breaking 1k Qs in this occurred while I was still using paper logs -
the peak rates of 5 Qs/min are a bit exhausting doing it that way!)

"Anyway, a few rare (for me) things like 9M6YBG, DU1BP, and YB1AR
were caught."

Jon Jones, N0JK of Kansas made similar comments about backscatter.
"The stations Rick was hearing from 'locations nearby' on 10 meters
may have been propagated via F2 backscatter.

"They were probably KW stations with large antennas, though when
conditions are good, 100 watts and even less can work backscatter.
Using F2 backscatter is a great way to work those 'nearby' sections
inside your skip zone in the 10 meter 'test.'

"I heard K9CT in Illinois on 10 meter CW via F2 backscatter Sunday
afternoon here in Kansas. But my 100 watts and 'rain gutter' antenna
could not attract their attention. During the F2 opening on 6 meters
on September 26 I heard F2 backscatter stations in Florida, Texas,
Arizona and California."

Joe Schroeder, W9JUV of Glenview, Illinois wrote: "10 meter long
path has been phenomenal! On 10 CW this morning (12/16) I worked
four Chinese stations and VR2KF in Hong Kong between 1430Z and
1530Z. All had good signals, and BD7LMD hit S9 plus 10 dB on my
756Pro's meter.

"I suspect that KF4FW was hearing backscatter during the 10 meter
contest. During previous sunspot peaks on 6 meters we in Northern
Illinois would often hear 5s and 0s, weak but readable, working
Europeans we couldn't hear right over us; very frustrating! It was
backscatter for sure; turn the beam southwest and they'd be in the
noise."

Roland Anders, K3RA of Elkridge, Maryland wrote on December 16: "10
meters has been open on the east coast via long path to Southeast
Asia in the mornings from just after sunrise until 1530 or later.
E.g., this morning I started out with VR2KF on 10 CW at 1244, then
at 1319 worked BD7BMD on 10 SSB, followed by BD7IS and Charlie
VR2XMT in quick succession-all LP. Charlie has been on for several
mornings in a row on LP.  Then, also on SSB, I worked VU2DSI, Datta,
at 1329 and Sarla, VU2SWS at 1341-both LP.  At that point, I moved
to 20, and 9K2GS was booming in on the LP.  At 1422 I went back to
10 to work BA7LO on the LP.  Then to 17m meters for a while, then
back to 10 CW to work BD7NWF at 1522 and BA7IO at 1524 on the LP.

"Also, just about every evening I have been getting on 40 (CW
mainly) to work JAs and other Asian stations on the LP (beaming SSE)
and the JAs are usually coming through from about 2130Z until a
little after 2200Z. Opening is short, but I usually work anywhere
from 2-3 to a half dozen Asians-mostly JAs but some UA0, BV, BY, and
YB stations occasionally, and last night XU7SSB.

"At 0130, approximately, HZ0ZIN and HS0ZJU were quite good on 20 SSB
short path.  Around the same time, 4S7NE and several VUs including
VU2PAI have been very strong on the SP on 40m CW."

Tim Oppugner, K6GEP wrote, "Had a chance to guest-op the 10 meter
Contest at N6WIN (Force 12 C31XR Yagi with full legal limit amp),
and had a strange QSO. I was beaming Alaska at 340 deg at 2130z on
Sunday, and SM3PHM came back to me! That is 10:30 PM local time in
Sweden! Was this some kind of polar sneak-path?"

Tom Gallagher, N6RA of Santa Barbara, California wrote on December
18: "Yesterday I observed 10 meter long path for the first time in
my 56 years on the air. I noticed on the DX Summit that the East
Coast was reporting VR2XMT on the long path (28.495 SSB), so I
thought I would listen to see if I could hear him out here (I was
operating at the UTC Santa Barbara radio club station). Indeed I
could hear him (beaming short path with a Force 12 C4XR). I turned
the beam to South America and he got much louder (about S8 to S9)
and he came back with one call. He gave me a 55. (Running a barefoot
TS850 on this end). The time was 1605Z on 17 December. At 1614, I
worked VR2KF (559 both ways) on 10 CW-also long path. I've been
pondering what sort of propagation may have been involved. Perhaps
F2 to the south and then a link to TEP up to VR2?  It was well
before sunrise in VR2 (sunrise was 1500Z here in Santa Barbara. The
A and K indices were both zero, according to DX Summit.

"I'm also a 6 meter guy. I should have checked it, too. Oddly
enough, VR2XMT is my only VR2 on 6 - I worked him in November 2001,
the weekend of the incredible opening into Asia."

Oleh Kernytskyy, KD7WPJ had fun in the 10 meter contest, and
reports: "I would like to report good propagation at Salt Lake City,
Utah during ARRL 10 Meter Contest. I was able to make 81 QSOs on CW,
running 5 watts only and an indoor dipole. This includes ZM2V, ZM1A
and CE/K7CA."

Adrian Pollock, VK4OX in grid QG63kf worked VK3AMZ in grid QF22fe
via meteor scatter SSB on 432.36 MHz on December 14, 2011 between
1700-1830z, over a distance of 1457 km, or 905 miles. Both were
running 400 watts PEP output. VK4OX used 2 vertically stacked
horizontally polarized 26 element Yagis, and VK3AMZ used a single 13
element Yagi.

Adrian writes, "We were using pre-recorded voice messages similar in
format to FSK441, stored in a Meteor Scatter program called
'MultiKeyer.' We were using 15 second periods.

"The Geminids Meteor shower was predicted to be maximum this
morning. OH5IY and other programs predicted the best time for a QSO
between QG63kf and QF22fe as being 1730z to 1830z on 2011-12-14.
That was Thursday, 15th Dec between 0300 and 0430 my local time or
0400-0530 Melbourne time.

"We started at 1700z.  I got only a few pings in the first hour, but
no useful information."

He sent sound files recorded at both ends. He continues, "I had been
transmitting the same message, callsigns only, for over one hour. My
ripply transmit audio was caused by me having my monitor on and only
appears on the recording, not on my actual transmission. At 1808z I
receive a beautiful burst with both callsigns and a report. I change
my transmit message to mostly 'Roger 27' because I know that Arie
must have both callsigns, otherwise he would not be sending a
report.

"Nothing for about 20 minutes then the best 'QSL' I have ever
received. This then, I believe, satisfied my requirements for a
valid SSB QSO."

Congratulations!

Robert Miles, K9IL of Martin, Tennessee wrote: "Most of my effort
has been on 40 and 30 meters. They are the best I've heard in years.
Using a HyTower vertical and 500 watts I've worked a bunch of Asians
on 40m. My best has been 4S7. I use a homebrew 2 el Moxon Yagi on
30m. Recently worked VU, 9Y and DU. They all had 579 or better
signals. All of these were countries I've never heard before on 40m
or 30m."

Sometimes you will see items in the media about possible mass chaos
resulting from a large solar flare.  Check out another view at
http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/blog/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=626.

I nearly neglected writing this bulletin because of a major
distraction provided by the entire run of the old "73 Magazine"
appearing online.  You can see them yourself at
http://www.archive.org/details/73-magazine, complete with all the
wild and wacky editorials, although that is just a personal opinion.
Where else could you find musings about communications between UFOs,
the world according to Wayne, and all the other products of the
restless, peripatetic imagination of the publisher? Great stuff
(perhaps only in retrospect), or at the very least, provocative.
Some of the most enjoyable (to me) are the early advertisements for
2-meter FM gear, accompanying articles promoting VHF FM and
repeaters, and earlier ads for miracle antennas, such as the
Joystick. Or later in the seventies, when the publisher wrote of a
trip to California to check out an early microcomputer manufacturer,
knocked on the door of the suburban Los Altos home shown at
http://cicorp.com/Apple/garage/ where he was directed by the woman
of the house to the garage where he could find the two Steves at
work. If you go back more than 40 years and look hard enough, you
may even find a couple of articles of dubious technical quality,
springing from the fevered teenaged imagination of yours truly.
Thanks to WA5ZNU via QRZ.com for this.

If you would like to make a comment or have a tip for our readers,
email the author at, k7ra at arrl.net.

For more information concerning radio propagation, see the ARRL
Technical Information Service web page at
http://arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals. For an explanation of the
numbers used in this bulletin, see
http://arrl.org/the-sun-the-earth-the-ionosphere. An archive of past
propagation bulletins is at
http://arrl.org/w1aw-bulletins-archive-propagation. Find more good
information and tutorials on propagation at
http://myplace.frontier.com/~k9la/.

Monthly propagation charts between four USA regions and twelve
overseas locations are at http://arrl.org/propagation.

Instructions for starting or ending email distribution of ARRL
bulletins are at http://arrl.org/bulletins.

Sunspot numbers for December 15 through 21 were 44, 60, 95, 103,
133, 139, and 93, with a mean of 95.3. 10.7 cm flux was 124.2, 121,
119.6, 127.4, 128.2, 137.4, and 144.5, with a mean of 128.9.
Estimated planetary A indices were 0, 0, 0, 1, 4, 3, and 3, with a
mean of 1.6. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 2, 2, 2, 3, 6, 5,
and 5, with a mean of 3.6.
NNNN
/EX





From memberlist at www.arrl.org  Thu Dec 29 18:14:26 2011
From: memberlist at www.arrl.org (ARRL Web site)
Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:14:26 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [CVRC] ARLD053 DX news
Message-ID: <20111229231426.C778324BEF@bmail.arrl.org>

SB DX @ ARL $ARLD053
ARLD053 DX news

ZCZC AE53
QST de W1AW  
DX Bulletin 53  ARLD053
>From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  December 29, 2011
To all radio amateurs   

SB DX ARL ARLD053
ARLD053 DX news

This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by
NC1L, the OPDX Bulletin, 425 DX News, The Daily DX, DXNL, The Weekly
DX, Contest Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest Calendar and WA7BNM
web sites.  Thanks to all.

WEST MALAYSIA, 9M2.  Rich, PA0RRS will be QRV as 9M2MRS from Penang
Island, IOTA AS-015, from December 31 to February 13.  Activity will
be on the HF bands using CW, RTTY and PSK.  QSL to home call.

BURUNDI, 9U.  Francesco, IV3TMM is QRV as 9U3TMM from Bujumbura
until January 4.  Activity is on the HF bands using SSB and RTTY.
QSL to home call.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, A6.  Gerry, VE6LB is QRV as A6/VE6LB from
Dubai until January 10.  Activity is mainly on 12 to 10 meters using
CW.  QSL to home call.
  
ANTARCTICA.  Thomas is QRV as CE9VPM and has been active on 20
meters using CW around 0000 to 0100z.  QSL via operator's
instructions.
               
MADEIRA ISLANDS, CT3.  Mathieu, MJ0ASP is QRV as CT9/MJ0ASP until
January 7.  Activity is holiday style on 40 to 10 meters using CW.
QSL to home call.

SABLE ISLAND, CY0.  Ron, AA4VK and Murray, WA4DAN will soon be QRV
as home calls/CY0 until January 6.  Activity will be on 160 to 6
meters using CW and SSB.  QSL to home calls.

ANGOLA, D2.  Lyle, N4GTE is QRV as D2GT from the Province of Cabinda
until December 30.  Activity is on 40 to 10 meters using SSB and
PSK31 normally between 1800 and 2300z.  QSL direct.
  
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY, DA.  Members of the Duisburg-Huckingen
radio club are QRV as DL163OY for all of 2012 in celebration of its
30th anniversary.  QSL via bureau.

FRENCH GUYANA, FY.  A group of operators will be QRV as TO5G from
Ile Royale, IOTA SA-020, from January 2 to 7.  Activity will be on
160 to 6 meters using CW, SSB, RTTY and PSK.  QSL via F5KDR.

PERU, OA.  Members of the Radio Club Peruano are QRV as 4T100MP
until December 31 in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the
pre-Columbian Inca lost city of Machu Picchu.  QSL via OA4O.

DENMARK, OZ.  Special event call sign 5P12EU will be QRV from
January 1 to June 30 to mark Denmark taking over the presidency of
the European Union during this time.  QSL via OZ0J.

PALAU, T8.  Eugene, RA0FF is QRV as T88OW from Koror, IOTA OC-009,
until January 8.  Activity is on 160 to 6 meters.  QSL direct to
home call.

UKRAINE, UR.  Luc, F5RAV is QRV as UT/F5RAV from Kiev until January
3.  Activity is on all HF bands.  QSL to home call.

NAMIBIA, V5.  Wolfgang, DH3WO is QRV as V5/DH3WO until January 5.
Activity is on 160 to 10 meters.  QSL to home call.

BERMUDA, VP9.  Kei, JJ1RJR is QRV as VP9/KG2A until January 2.
Activity is on all HF bands using CW and SSB.  QSL via KG2A.

OPERATIONS APPROVED FOR DXCC.  The following operations are approved
for DXCC credit:  Palestine, E44PM, 2011 operation; Nigeria,
5N6/YL2SW.  If you had the Nigerian operation rejected in the past,
send a note via email to bmoore at arrl.org to have your record
updated.

THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO.  ARRL Straight Key Night, QRP CW Fox
Hunt, NCCC Sprint, AGB New Year Snowball Contest, SARTG New Year
RTTY Contest, AGCW Happy New Year Contest and the AGCW VHF/UHF
Contest are all on tap for this holiday weekend.  The ARS Spartan CW
Sprint is scheduled for January 3.  The QRP CW Fox Hunt is scheduled
for January 4.  Please see December QST, page 71, January QST, page
83 and the ARRL and WA7BNM Contest Web Sites for details.
NNNN
/EX





From memberlist at www.arrl.org  Fri Dec 30 15:15:24 2011
From: memberlist at www.arrl.org (ARRL Web site)
Date: Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:15:24 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [CVRC] ARLP053 Propagation de K7RA
Message-ID: <20111230201524.3393E26E3B@bmail.arrl.org>

SB PROP @ ARL $ARLP053
ARLP053 Propagation de K7RA

ZCZC AP53
QST de W1AW  
Propagation Forecast Bulletin 53  ARLP053
>From Tad Cook, K7RA
Seattle, WA  December 30, 2011
To all radio amateurs 

SB PROP ARL ARLP053
ARLP053 Propagation de K7RA

This is the last Propagation Forecast Bulletin of 2011.

Average daily sunspot numbers were up over the past week, 12.3
points or about 13 percent, to 107.6. Likewise, average daily solar
flux rose 14.2 points - or 11% - to 143.1.

Predicted solar flux for the near term is about the same, 145 on
December 30 through January 6. From January 7-8 predicted flux
values are 130, then 135 on January 9-12, and 140 on January 13-15.
Solar flux is expected to peak around 150 on January 24, then go to
a minimum of 130 on January 31 through February 4.

Predicted planetary A index is 8, 5, 10, 10 and 8 on December 30
through January 3, then 5 on January 4-27, and 8 on January 28-29.

Geophysical Institute Prague predicts unsettled conditions December
30, quiet to unsettled December 31 to January 1, and quiet
conditions January 2-5.

Conditions should be good for Straight Key Night, the 24 hours in
which we celebrate our communications heritage with CW and manual
keys. See details at http://www.arrl.org/straight-key-night.

Funny how these predictions sometimes turn out.  You can subscribe
to geomagnetic warnings from the Ionospheric Prediction Service,
part of the Australian Department of Industry, Science and
Resources.  They issued a geomagnetic disturbance warning at 0338z
on December 22, predicting quiet conditions prior to possible shock
arrival on December 24, active conditions possible December 25, and
unsettled to active conditions December 26.

A coronal mass ejection appeared to be in a geoeffective position,
meaning it was aimed at Earth. But apparently it missed us, and the
readings from magnetometers bear this out.  Check the A and K index
recordings at http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/indices/DGD.txt and
note all quiet around those dates. The high latitude college A index
(and the K index it is based on) from Fairbanks, Alaska was a flat
zero from December 23-28, and this is at a latitude that is most
affected by high solar activity.

You can subscribe to the IPS warnings via
http://www.ips.gov.au/mailman/listinfo/ips-info. Similar products
are available from NOAA SWPC at
https://pss.swpc.noaa.gov/LoginWebForm.aspx.

This article
(http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2079352) from Great
Britain's Daily Mail seems to warn of mayhem from a "massive solar
storm."

But in the body of the text, we see that NOAA's Space Weather
Prediction Center wrote: "Category G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storms are
expected 28 and 29 December due to multiple coronal mass ejection
arrivals. R1 (Minor) radio blackouts are expected until 31
December."

And here is a worse example, although I do not know if "Romania
Business Insider" is a real newspaper, but they do list a byline for
a reporter with an email address. The article at
http://www.romania-insider.com/high-intensity-solar-activity-in-2012-could-disrupt-cell-phone-use-experts-warn/44588/
seems to recycle six-year-old news releases.

Note that the quote about "30 to 50% stronger" seems to be from this
news release from 70 months back:
http://www.ucar.edu/news/releases/2006/sunspot.shtml.  Of course the
latest predictions say 2013 instead of 2012, weaker and not
stronger, but I have no idea where that prediction for activity as
big as Cycle 19 in the late fifties came from. The latest cycle
forecast was issued a couple of weeks back:
http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/predict.shtml.

According to Robert Steenburgh, KA8JBY of Longmont, Colorado you can
monitor solar flare impacts on the ionosphere at
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/drap/index.html. Since there hasn't been
much activity of late, you can check out past conditions in the
archive at http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/stp/drap/index.html. An
experimental auroral forecast is at
http://helios.swpc.noaa.gov/ovation/.

We don't know the precise daily average of sunspot numbers for the
calendar year, but with 99.5% of the data available, our figures are
pretty close.

Of course, a calendar year is an arbitrary period for averaging
sunspot numbers, but the yearly averages of daily sunspot numbers
for 2003-2011 are 109.2, 68.6, 48.9, 26.1, 12.8, 4.7, 5.1, 25.5 and
80.1. This is a good trend, and note that the average daily sunspot
numbers for the past 100 days (again, another arbitrary period) is
117.1, substantially higher than all of the past year, and higher
than all of 2003.

If you want to look at average sunspot numbers for every month since
January 1749 (that's 13,713 weeks) check
http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/greenwch/spot_num.txt.  Note these
are the lower International Sunspot Numbers, not the NOAA values we
give here.  Also note that the current Gregorian calendar was not
adopted in the United States until three years and eight months
after the beginning of this record.  Back then, it was all Julian
calendars.

Did you know that in 2011 we had only two days with zero sunspots?
In 2010 it was 51 days, and 2009 had 260 spotless days.

If you would like to make a comment or have a tip for our readers,
email the author at, k7ra at arrl.net.

For more information concerning radio propagation, see the ARRL
Technical Information Service web page at
http://arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals. For an explanation of the
numbers used in this bulletin, see
http://arrl.org/the-sun-the-earth-the-ionosphere. An archive of past
propagation bulletins is at
http://arrl.org/w1aw-bulletins-archive-propagation. Find more good
information and tutorials on propagation at
http://myplace.frontier.com/~k9la/.

Monthly propagation charts between four USA regions and twelve
overseas locations are at http://arrl.org/propagation.

Instructions for starting or ending email distribution of ARRL
bulletins are at http://arrl.org/bulletins.

Sunspot numbers for December 22 through 28 were 105, 123, 101, 66,
110, 126, and 122, with a mean of 107.6. 10.7 cm flux was 145.8,
138.2, 142.8, 144.3, 145.6, 140.3, and 144.8, with a mean of 143.1.
Estimated planetary A indices were 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, and 2, with a
mean of 1.1. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 4, 2, 2, 3, 2, 2,
and 4, with a mean of 2.7.
NNNN
/EX





