[MCARC] The ARRL Letter for December 6, 2018

[ARRL Web site]

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

Published by the American Radio Relay League
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December 6, 2018

Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME <ww1me 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

- Fox-1Cliff Launched Successfully, Now Designated AO-95
- 2018 QST Antenna Design Competition Winners Announced
- The Doctor Will See You Now!
- ARRL CEO Howard Michel, WB2ITX, to Keynote 20th Annual Ham Radio
University
- JOTA Reports 36% Growth in Scout Participation for 2018
- North American Collegiate Championship Adds NAQP RTTY for 2019
- FCC Tells LED Sign Marketers to Abide by Statutes and Rules
- New Two-Ham ISS Crew Launched to ISS is the First Since Aborted
October Flight
- 2018 ARRL Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award Presented in Festive Style
- In Brief...
- The K7RA Solar Update
- Just Ahead in Radiosport
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions

==> FOX-1CLIFF LAUNCHED SUCCESSFULLY, NOW DESIGNATED AO-95

Satellite enthusiasts soon will have another "bird" to use. AMSAT's
Fox-1Cliff CubeSat was successfully launched
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq8kS6UoOrQ> and placed into orbit this
week. A SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle carried Fox-1Cliff and several other
satellites -- including other Amateur Radio payloads -- into space on
December 3 at approximately 1334 UTC from Vandenberg Air Force Base in
California, following a 1-day launch delay. AMSAT said early on
December 4 (UTC), several stations in Brazil reported hearing the voice
beacon "Fox-1Cliff Safe Mode," confirming that the satellite was alive.
Fox-1Cliff has been officially designated as AO-95.

"Just before 0040 UTC, AMSAT Fox-1 Team Member Burns Fisher, WB1FJ, was
the first to submit and upload telemetry to the AMSAT servers," AMSAT
reported
<https://www.amsat.org/fox-1cliff-launched-initial-telemetry-received/>
on its website. "Initial telemetry values show the satellite to be in
good health. Thanks to the 29 stations that contributed telemetry
during Fox-1Cliff's initial orbits."

The Fox-1Cliff downlink for FM voice and data-under-voice (DUV) is
145.920 MHz. Uplinks are 435.300 and 1267.300 MHz.

In addition to Fox-1Cliff, the SpaceX SSO-A: SmallSat Express mission
carried FUNcube on ESEO, JY1-SAT, K2SAT, and ExseedSat. The reusable
Falcon 9 vehicle launched 64 payloads in all.

Fox-1Cliff carries the Fox-1 U/v FM repeater, AMSAT's L-Band
Downshifter, the flight spare of the AO-85 Vanderbilt University Low
Energy Proton (LEP) radiation experiment, and the standard Fox-1 Penn
State University-Erie MEMS gyroscope experiment. Virginia Tech provided
a video graphics array camera that's similar to the one on AO-92, but
which will provide images at a higher 640 × 480 resolution.

Fox-1Cliff is named in honor of longtime AMSAT member, contributor, and
benefactor Cliff Buttschardt, K7RR (SK), who died in 2006. His
contributions to AMSAT and other Amateur Satellite programs --
including his service as an adviser during the initial development of
the CubeSat specification at California Polytechnic State University --
earned him the Lifetime Achievement Award from Project OSCAR in 2006.

AMSAT is asking Amateur Radio satellite enthusiasts to listen for
Fox-1Cliff's telemetry for the initial 72 - 96 hours as on-orbit
checkout gets under way.

"If you are capturing telemetry with FoxTelem, please be sure that
'Upload to Server' is checked in your settings and your Ground Station
Params are filled in as well," AMSAT said in advance of the launch. The
on-orbit checkout procedure will be similar to Fox-1D and could be
completed in as few as 7 days.

"It is very important, not to mention just plain good amateur operating
practice, to refrain from using the transponder uplink, so we can do
the on orbit tests, including when we turn on transponder mode for
testing," AMSAT said. -- Thanks to SpaceX and AMSAT Vice
President-Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY

==> 2018 QST ANTENNA DESIGN COMPETITION WINNERS ANNOUNCED

ARRL has announced the winners of the 2018 QST Antenna Design
Competition.

"Dozens of entries were received, but only three could win," said QST
Editor Steve Ford, WB8IMY.

The first-prize winner of the 2018 QST Antenna Design Competition was a
160/80-meter loop antenna design by Steve Adler, VK5SFA.

   Requirements for the 2018 QST Antenna Design Competition included an
antenna for one or more bands between 2200 meters and 10 meters that
could fit within a 30 × 50 foot area and be no taller than 30 feet
above ground at any point.

"In other words, we were seeking designs for LF, MF, or HF antennas for
limited-space applications," Ford explained. "We wanted to see
innovative antennas that would allow amateurs to get on the air without
the need for towering supports and acres of property. Our winners not
only met this challenge, they exceeded it." The winners:

- First Prize ($600): "A High-Power 160/80-Meter Transmitting Magnetic
Loop Antenna," by Steve Adler, VK5SFA

- Second Prize ($250): "LF/MF Reversible EWE Antennas for Small-Lot,
Weak-Signal Applications," by Michael Sapp, WA3TTS

- Third Prize ($150): "The 3/8-Wavelength Vertical for 20 Meters, a
Hidden Gem," by Joe Reisert, W1JR

Details of all three winning designs will appear in a future issue of
QST.

Several entries earned Honorable Mention, and those designs will be
published in QST later in 2019. Honorable Mention recipients were:

- "A Magnetic Loop for 80, 40, and 20 Meters," by John Chappell, W3HX

- "Superior Performance from a Unique HF Vertical Loop," by John
Portune, W6NBC

- "A 630-Meter Mini Antenna that also Works on 160 Meters," by David
Day, N1DAY; Ernie Hollingsworth, KC4SIT, and Sid Hendricks, W4IOE

- "A Multiband Flagpole with Dual Top Hat Wires," by Donald P. Crosby,
W1EJM

- "A Compact, Removable 20-Meter Loaded Vertical Dipole," by Stephen
Appleyard, G3PND

Ford expressed his appreciation to all participants and to Joel Hallas,
W1ZR, who headed up the judging process. "It took weeks to evaluate the
entries, with a lot of that time spent running antenna-modeling
applications and studying the results," Ford said.

Next: The 2019 QST Key Design Competition

Hams have been building their own Morse keys since the dawn of Amateur
Radio, and some creations have become legend. In 2019, QST is inviting
participants to submit their best Morse key/paddle designs in the QST
Key Competition. Design styles can include straight key, semiautomatic
key (bug), paddle, or sideswiper. The winner in each category will
receive $250. Only one entry may be accepted per person or team, and
the deadline to submit is June 1, 2019.

A straight key originally designed and built by Hiram Percy Maxim,
W1AW, ARRL's first president and cofounder. The key was provided
courtesy of the Antique Wireless Association.

   Entries must include the actual key (it will be returned following
judging), as well as detailed drawings, photos, and a written
narrative. Winners will be chosen based on ingenuity of design,
ergonomics of operation, and overall craftsmanship. The judges'
decisions are final.

The key must be an independent mechanical device, not an integral part
of another device, such as an electronic keyer. Keys must be the sole
creations of the entrants and not available for sale.

Complete details and entry requirements will appear in the January 2019
edition of QST <http://www.arrl.org/qst>. The digital edition will go
live on Friday, December 7, 2018.

==> THE DOCTOR WILL SEE YOU NOW!

"RF Safety" is the topic of the new (December 6) episode of the "ARRL
The Doctor is In <http://www.arrl.org/doctor>" podcast. Listen...and
learn!

Sponsored by DX Engineering <http://www.dxengineering.com/>, "ARRL The
Doctor is In" is an informative discussion of all things technical.
Listen on your computer, tablet, or smartphone -- whenever and wherever
you like!

Every 2 weeks, your host, QST Editor-in-Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and
the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of
technical topics. You can also email your questions to doctor at arrl.org,
and the Doctor may answer them in a future podcast.

Enjoy "ARRL The Doctor is In" on Apple iTunes
<https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/arrl-the-doctor-is-in/id1096749595?mt=2>,
or by using your iPhone or iPad podcast app (just search for "ARRL The
Doctor is In"). You can also listen online at Blubrry
<https://www.blubrry.com/arrl_the_doctor_is_in/>, or at Stitcher
<https://www.stitcher.com/> (free registration required, or browse the
site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or
Android devices. If you've never listened to a podcast before, download
our beginner's guide <http://www.arrl.org/doctor>.

==> ARRL CEO HOWARD MICHEL, WB2ITX, TO KEYNOTE 20TH ANNUAL HAM RADIO
UNIVERSITY

ARRL's new CEO, Howard Michel, WB2ITX, will keynote the annual Ham
Radio University (HRU <http://www.hamradiouniversity.org/>), which will
mark its 20th anniversary on Saturday, January 5, 2019, 7:30 AM until
3:30 PM. The event, which also serves as the ARRL New York City/Long
Island Section Convention, takes place in the Hillwood Commons Student
Center on the campus of Long Island University/Post campus in
Brookville, New York. Michel will speak at noon.

HRU will include nearly 30 informational forums moderated by local
experts in a broad range of Amateur Radio activities. Topics include
Assembling an Amateur Radio Station; Communicating through Amateur
Radio Earth Satellites; Remote Station Operating over the Internet, and
Emergency Communications, plus three hands-on workshops on Cable Theory
and RF Connectors; Ethernet Connectors, and Test Equipment.

Presented in cooperation with LIU/Post public radio station WCWP
<http://www.wcwp.org/> (88.1 FM), HRU 2019 anticipates some 300
attendees. Amateur Radio examinations will be offered. Parking is free,
and a cafeteria will be open for breakfast and lunch. The suggested
donation for attendees is $5.

==> JOTA REPORTS 36% GROWTH IN SCOUT PARTICIPATION FOR 2018

Scouting's Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) 2018 reports
<https://k2bsa.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/USA-JOTA-Report-2018-FINAL-1.pdf>
that total Scout participation in the annual fall event jumped by 36%
from 2017. Each year, more than 1 million Scouts and Guides get
together over the airwaves for JOTA, which takes place on the third
weekend of October. Since the first JOTA in 1958, millions of Scouts
have become acquainted via Amateur Radio, and contacts sometimes result
in relationships that extend for many years.

This year, 10,703 Scouts took part in the event, compared with 7,872
last year. Participating Amateur Radio operators topped 1,000 for the
first time since 2016. At 610, the number of registered JOTA locations
was way up, as was the number of JOTA stations registered, with 314.
Participating JOTA stations reported contacts with stations in 99
countries, also up over 2017.

JOTA Coordinator Jim Wilson, K5ND, said he was pleased with this year's
numbers and hopes that 2019's event will show a continued increase,
despite a lack of sunspots.

"Looking over the numbers, a big part of the increase in JOTA Scout
participation came from the World JOTA-JOTI (Jamboree on the Internet)
Team's registration and reporting system," Wilson told ARRL. "We had
233 stations report results on the US system, which is comparable to
last year's 226. In addition to that, 90 stations reported their
results on the World system. After eliminating duplicates, this added
33 to our total of 266 station reports. That, chiefly, accounts for the
increase in total Scout participation. In summary, perhaps this nice
increase is due primarily to more accurate reporting."

Special Event station K4S in Jasper, Tennessee, where members of Scout
Troop 5 and Cub Scout Pack 3005 participated in JOTA. [Photo courtesy
of Radio Scouting]

   Wilson said he's also looking forward to the final tally on US
participation in JOTI. "Location registration in the US jumped from 274
last year to 610 this year," he said. "Several Amateur Radio operations
reported using JOTI chat and Skype to greatly improve their ability to
generate Scout-to-Scout conversations between the US and the rest of
the world. Of course, VoIP modes like D-STAR, DMR, and EchoLink also
helped in our solar minimum."

World JOTA-JOTI numbers are not expected until early 2019, as each
country reports its results by mid-December followed by number
crunching and compiling of the report, Wilson explained.

"Thanks to everyone who set up a JOTA station and helped Scouts
experience the technology, fun, and magic of Amateur Radio. Let's do it
again next year," he concluded.

==> NORTH AMERICAN COLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIP ADDS NAQP RTTY FOR 2019

In something new for 2019, the Society of Midwest Contesters (SMC
<http://www.w9smc.com/>) has announced an expansion of the North
American Collegiate Championship (NACC <https://www.w9smc.com/nacc/>),
which takes place in conjunction with the North American QSO Party
(NAQP <http://ncjweb.com/NAQP-Rules.pdf>). The inaugural event this
past January only covered the NAQP SSB event. In 2019, the NACC will
also cover the NAQP RTTY event. NCJ <http://ncjweb.com/> (National
Contest Journal) sponsors the NAQP. The NAQP SSB runs from 1800 UTC on
January 19 to 0600 UTC on January 20, 2019. The NAQP RTTY runs 1800 UTC
on February 23 to 0600 UTC on February 24. The NACC format is generally
the same as those for the NAQP, but there are some differences.

Bradley University Amateur Radio Club, W9JWC
<https://lydia.bradley.edu/campusorg/w9jwc/> plans to compete in the
2019 NACC. Alumnus Calvin Walden, KE0DIT, is seen here at the helm of
W9JWC. [Photo courtesy of Society of Midwest Contesters]

   "This is an opportunity for your college club station to compete
with any college and university in North America," the SMC said in
announcing the 2019 running of the NACC. "You can take on your state or
conference rivals. With planning and practice, it is possible to win a
national championship." NACC stations can follow the action on a
real-time online scoreboard. Participants must register
<https://www.pl259.org/naqp-na-school-championship/> college/university
and call sign. Once registered, stations will receive instructions on
how to set up, which includes inserting and activating a link in the
participating stations contest logging software.

Collegiate stations will use their college club call signs, and the
station must be located on the school's physical campus. The NAQPs
impose a 100 W power limit. All operators must be enrolled students and
club members. As of November 14, 15 collegiate station were registered.

The exchange for the NAQPs is your name and ARRL/RAC section, and
participants may use any name associated with the school, which must
remain the same for the entire event.

The College Contest Class will be multioperator, single radio, M/1.
Stations may use assistance similar to the M2 class and will submit
logs in the M2 class via the NAQP log submission page
<http://ncjweb.com/naqplogsubmit/>. NCJ will publish college stations
in their own class. Awards will be based on the adjudicated logs and
not the online finish. Participants may operate the entire 12 hours of
the contest.

Awards will be given out for National Champion, Runner-up, and State
Champions. Awards will be sponsored by SMC, NCJ, and Icom.

For more information, contact Craig Thompson, K9CT <craig at k9ct.us>.

==> FCC TELLS LED SIGN MARKETERS TO ABIDE BY STATUTES AND RULES

The FCC Enforcement Bureau has called on
<https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-355270A1.pdf> marketers of
light-emitting diode (LED) signs to ensure that these lights comply
with FCC rules. Since March of this year, the agency has entered into
21 settlement agreements with companies that marketed noncompliant LED
signs in violation of the Communications Act and FCC rules. The
settlements yielded approximately $850,000 in penalties, and
commitments to ensure compliance with the law going forward. Adherence
to the FCC's equipment authorization and marketing rules is critical
because radio frequency emissions from the signs may cause harmful
interference to licensed communications, such as wireless services, the
FCC said.

"In light of these recent settlements, we remind LED sign marketers of
their obligations under the law," said Enforcement Bureau Chief
Rosemary Harold. "The FCC takes seriously its responsibility in
ensuring that energy-emitting devices like LED lights do not interfere
with authorized transmissions."

LED lights are often used in digital billboards and other commercial
and industrial applications, including billboards and large video
displays in sports arenas. Given the electrical design of these lights,
they may emit RF energy. Prior to being marketed in the US, LED sign
models must be tested and comply with FCC technical standards and must
include the proper labeling, identification, and user information
disclosures. The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology (OET)
oversees the equipment authorization process
<https://www.fcc.gov/engineering-technology/laboratory-division/general/equipment-authorization>
for RF devices, including LED signs.

The Enforcement Bureau investigated hundreds of indoor and outdoor LED
sign models and discovered repeated FCC rule violations concerning the
failure to market the models with the required equipment
authorizations, labeling, and user information disclosures. Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-tells-led-sign-marketers-to-abide-by-statutes-and-rules>.

==> NEW TWO-HAM ISS CREW LAUNCHED TO ISS IS THE FIRST SINCE ABORTED
OCTOBER FLIGHT

Three astronauts -- including two radio amateurs -- have docked at the
International Space Station (ISS) on the first crewed Soyuz vehicle
launch since a dramatic failure in October. The astronauts, from the
US, Canada, and Russia, left Kazakhstan at 1130 UTC on December 3, and
the Russian space agency Roscomos confirmed their successful docking at
the station. On board were David Saint-Jacques, KG5FYI, a Canadian
engineer, astrophysicist, and medical doctor; space veteran Oleg
Kononenko, RN3DX, of Russia, and Anne McClain, of the US. Investigators
have blamed a faulty sensor, said to have been damaged during assembly
in Kazakhstan. Crew commander Kononenko said his crew recognized the
risks of spaceflight as part of their profession and expressed
confidence in the flight preparation.

(L - R) Expedition 58 crew members Anne McClain, Oleg Kononenko, RN3DX,
and David Saint-Jacques, KG5FYI. [NASA photo by Victor Zelentsov]

   The three-person crew's mission was originally set for later this
month, but officials moved up the date to avoid leaving the space
station unstaffed, when the current ISS crew of cosmonaut Sergey
Prokopyev and astronauts Serena Auñón-Chancellor, KG5TMT, and Alexander
Gerst, KF5ONO, return to Earth on December 20.

Meanwhile, NASA astronaut Nick Hague, KG5TMV, who was on the aborted
October 11 Soyuz launch, is getting ready for another try. Hague, NASA
astronaut Christina Hammock Koch, and cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin are
scheduled to launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome on February 28 aboard the
Russian Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft.

The trio will join the ISS Expedition 58 crew that just went up, and
they will return to Earth in October 2019 as members of Expedition 60.
Hague and Koch will serve as flight engineers for Expeditions 59 and
60. Ovchinin will serve as a flight engineer on Expedition 59 and as
the commander of Expedition 60.

This will be Koch's first spaceflight. Hague and Ovchinin were on their
way to join the station's Expedition 57 crew on October 11, when their
Soyuz's rocket booster experienced a malfunction shortly after launch,
aborting the mission. Both returned safely to Earth. The MS-10 flight
abort marked the first Russian human spaceflight booster accident in 35
years.

Investigators looking into the October 11 incident said afterward that
other Soyuz vehicles may have been similarly defective, but pointed out
that additional pre-flight checks had been introduced. NASA offered its
own reassurances about continued cooperation with and confidence in the
Russian space program.

==> 2018 ARRL HIRAM PERCY MAXIM MEMORIAL AWARD PRESENTED IN FESTIVE
STYLE

The winner of the 2018 ARRL Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award
<http://www.arrl.org/hiram-percy-maxim-award>, Ruth Willet, KM4LAO,
received the award plaque and allotted $1,500 on November 3 in a
festive award ceremony during the Stone Mountain Hamfest in
Lawrenceville, Georgia. Hosted by Alford Memorial Radio Club, the Stone
Mountain Hamfest was also the 2018 ARRL Georgia Section Convention.
ARRL Southeastern Division Director Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, congratulated
Willet and presented the award before an enthusiastic crowd.

ARRL Southeastern Division Director Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, presents the
Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award to Ruth Willet, KM4LAO.

   "The Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award is one of the top awards that
ARRL awards annually," Sarratt said. "When I saw Ruth's nomination
package come in, it was a no-brainer for me to support Ruth to win the
award this year. I am very proud of this award and honored to be here
to present it to Ruth."

Georgia Section leadership team members were in attendance, including
Section Manager David Benoist, AG4ZR.

Willet, an Amateur Extra-class licensee, is a junior at Kettering
University, where she is dual-majoring in engineering physics and
mechanical engineering. She is an active member of ARRL, the Gwinnett
Amateur Radio Society, the North Fulton Amateur Radio League, and the
Amateur Radio Club of Columbia County in Georgia, the Genesee Country
Amateur Radio Club in Michigan, the Young Ladies Radio League, the
Straight Key Century Club, CWOps, and AMSAT. She is also president of
the Kettering University Amateur Radio Club (K8HPS).

"This award means so much because of the people that have made my
Amateur Radio adventures so meaningful, many of whom nominated me for
this honor," Willet said. "I hope that this award will give me a
platform to continue encouraging more people to get licensed and
involved in this amazing hobby."

Her mother, Sharon Willet, KM4TVU, baked and decorated cakes for the
award reception.

The Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award is given annually by the ARRL
Board of Directors to a radio amateur under the age of 21 whose
accomplishments and contributions to both Amateur Radio and the local
community are of an exemplary nature.

==> IN BRIEF...

The 2018 ARRL International Grid Chase (IGC) certificates page
<https://igc.arrl.org/certificates.php> is now live. As IGC
competitions are monthly, people can start generating monthly
certificates to display. At year's end, IGC will have the option to
generate a certificate based on year-end tallies. For now, participants
can select a month, then select up to 16 band/mode certificates they'd
like to create. Participants with more than 16 band/mode activities can
choose to generate two certificates to encompass the excess (i.e., more
than 16 lines), or can just generate certain band certificates, or just
certain mode certificates -- even just one band/mode if desired. This
is a work in progress. Give it a try! Feedback <igc at arrl.org> is
welcome. -- Thanks to ARRL Contest Branch Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ

The familiar call sign of Paul Bittner, W0AIH (SK), is back on the air.
The FCC granted the Fall Creek Contest Club's (FCCC) application for
the W0AIH call sign on December 1, and it was in use during the ARRL
160-Meter Contest over the December 1 - 2 weekend. Top Band was
Bittner's favorite. Contesters can expect to hear W0AIH on the air in
future operating events. Scott Neader, KA9FOX, is spearheading a
GoFundMe <https://www.gofundme.com/w0aih-memorial-scholarship-fund>
effort to establish a scholarship to honor the memory of Bittner, who
died as the result of a tower climbing mishap on October 31. He was 84.
The memorial scholarship would be administered by the ARRL Foundation
<http://www.arrl.org/the-arrl-foundation>. -- Thanks to Paul Husby,
W0UC, and Scott Neader, KA9FOX

The Canadian National Parks on the Air event (CNPOTA
<https://cnpota.ca/>) will begin on January 1, 2019, and continue until
year's end. A volunteer group of a half-dozen hams in Nova Scotia,
working with a zero budget, came up with the notion of attempting to
replicate the success of ARRL's National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) event
in 2016, first created to mark the centennial of the National Park
Service. Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC <https://wp.rac.ca/>) has
announced its support for CNPOTA, in cooperation with Parks Canada. All
radio amateurs are invited to activate any of Park Canada's 48 national
parks and 171 national historic sites, while "chasers" attempt to land
a contact. Activity for activators and chasers will be tracked on a
dedicated website and a real-time leader board, and operators may
compete for online awards and certificates. For updates on the
program's progress, visit <https://cnpota.ca/> the CNPOTA website.

==> THE K7RA SOLAR UPDATE

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: After 9 days with no sunspots,
Sunspot Group 2729 emerged on December 5. The sunspot number on that
date was 16. The average daily solar flux was 68.9, unchanged from last
week. The average daily planetary A index rose from 3.3 to 7, while the
average mid-latitude A index jumped from 2.1 to 4.9.

Predicted solar flux for the next 45 days is 71 on December 6-8; 70 on
December 9, and 68 on December 10 - January 19.

The predicted planetary A index is 8 on December 6 - 9; 5 on December
10 - 16; 8 on December 17 - 18; 5 on December 19 - 27; 8 on December
28; 12 on December 29 - 30; 10 on December 31; 12 on January 1; 8 on
January 2 - 5; 5 on January 6 - 12; 8 on January 13 - 14, and 5 on
January 15 - 19.

This weekend is the ARRL 10 Meter Contest
<http://www.arrl.org/10-meter>. While solar activity is so low that it
doesn't really support 10-meter propagation very well, there is always
the winter sporadic-E activity.

Sunspot numbers for November 29 - December 5 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and
16, with a mean of 2.3. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 67.8, 67.9, 69.4,
69, 68.4, 68.7, and 70.9, with a mean of 68.9. Estimated planetary A
indices were 3, 3, 8, 12, 10, 8, and 5, with a mean of 7. Estimated
mid-latitude A indices were 2, 2, 4, 9, 9, 5, and 3, with a mean of
4.9.

==> JUST AHEAD IN RADIOSPORT

- December 8 - 9 -- ARRL 10-Meter Contest
<http://www.arrl.org/10-meter> (CW, phone)

- December 8 - 10 -- PODXS 070 Club Triple Play Low Band Sprint
(digital)

- December 8 - 9 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)

- December 8 - 9 -- International Naval Contest (CW, phone)

- December 9 -- QRP ARCI Holiday Spirits Homebrew Sprint (CW)

- December 9 -- CQC Great Colorado Snowshoe Run (CW)

- December 10 -- 4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint (CW, phone)

- December 12 -- NAQCC CW Sprint

See the ARRL Contest Calendar <http://www.arrl.org/contest-calendar>
for more information. For in-depth reporting on Amateur Radio
contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest Update
<http://www.arrl.org/contest-update-issues> via your ARRL member
profile email preferences.

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

- December 7 - 8 -- West Central Florida Section Convention
<http://fgcarc.org/>, Plant City, Florida

- January 5 -- New York City-Long Island Section Convention
<http://hamradiouniversity.org/>, Brookville, New York

- January 12 -- Georgia ARES Convention <https://gaares.org/>, Forsyth,
Georgia

- January 18 - 19 -- Southern Florida Section Convention
<http://swflhamfest.info/>, Fort Myers, Florida

- January 18 - 19 -- North Texas Section Convention
<http://cowtownhamfest.com/>, Forest Hill, Texas

- January 20 - 26 -- Quartzfest Convention
<http://www.quartzfest.org/>, Quartzsite, Arizona

- January 25 - 26 -- Mississippi State Convention <http://msham.org/>,
Jackson, Mississippi

Find conventions and hamfests in your area
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests>.

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