From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sun Nov 2 06:19:37 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 06:19:37 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Cy Harris Memorial Free Flea - November 8, Oakland Park In-Reply-To: <5444F334.2060400@bellsouth.net> References: <5444F334.2060400@bellsouth.net> Message-ID: <54561349.3030008@bellsouth.net> *Cy Harris Memorial* *FREE FLEA* November 8th 2014 7AM until noon Collins Community Center 3900 NE 3rd Avenue Oakland Park, FL 33334 * ARRL VEC Testing 10AM, $15, Bring ID! * Door Prizes at 11AM. * Free Buying/Selling as long as spaces last * Limited inside tables for BARC members * Talk-in: 146.91, -600, PL 110.9 * More info, email: info at w4ab.org or call 954 667-3553 Still South Florida's Largest Free Radio and Electronics Trading Event! From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sun Nov 2 09:27:27 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 09:27:27 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] SFDXA Meeting November 5th, This Wednesday In-Reply-To: <53B93E38.8080807@bellsouth.net> References: <53B93E38.8080807@bellsouth.net> Message-ID: <54563F4F.5030601@bellsouth.net> The Main Speakers will be Dan Thompson W4UH and Julio Henriquez AD4Z, who were one of the Teams Representing the U.S. in the recent WRTC 2014 event. Their callsign was W1T. They will be at the Meeting to tell us about their Experiences, and about Operating in a Competition among 59 two man teams, of the Best Operators from all over the World. http://www.wrtc2014.org/ Also, the South Florida DX Association will be presented with an Award from the ARRL celebrating 35 years affiliation with the ARRL. Norm W4QN the Founder and Charter Member will Accept the Award from Marty KI4IQZ the Assistant South Florida Section Manager for the ARRL. A 2015 Miami Hamboree update. Notice of a Major Club Donation: The unveiling of the 2015 Slate Of Officers. New Members... Come and Join Us, Members, Non Members and Guests are all Welcome! The SFDXA Meeting is held at the Florida Medical Center on Oakland Park Blvd and the Fl Turnpike. There is no exit on the Turnpike at Oakland Park, So come west from I-95 on Oakland Park Blvd. past St. Rd. 7/441 to the Hospital. It is about 4/5 traffic lights west after 441 on the left before the Turnpike Bridge. Come through the front door and tell the Guard you are there for the Radio Club Meeting. For those using a GPS the hospital address is Florida Medical Center, 5000 Oakland Park Blvd. Join us at 6:00 to 6:45, and have dinner from the cafeteria for a $7.00 Donation to the Club. One Dinner please. Walk across the hall with your tray to the auditorium and meet friends, and discuss and brag about your activities, New DX Contacts, Confirmations and W1AW totals. Meeting begins at 7:33. Come and being a Friend. Everyone is welcome. Bill Marx W2CQ From n8pr at bellsouth.net Mon Nov 3 16:56:52 2014 From: n8pr at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Mon, 3 Nov 2014 16:56:52 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] For Sale Message-ID: <21A030645FF24D6C97C4394DB7FA4024@PeteRGateway> Items for SALE Contact seller at bottom of list For SALE: FT-950 working now with FC-40 and GP - $950 FT-897D worked not much CW - $700 IC-706 MK IIG, kept for reserve-$650 IC-2720H for VHF+UHF, installed in the car - $200 KX-3 with all necessary accessories and options; not used - $1500 FT-1000MP MARKV with damaged 3 TX transistors to be changed; worked 9 years CW; RX with 4 options is good; TX is good but without final PA; FP-29 is good - $ 900 Tuners: SG-237 Smarttuner was used 4 years with a big 270' loop on all bands - $300 AH-4 used 1 year with IC-706 and LW - $200 Antennas: HF mini-Bugcatcher, MFJ-1624 with 3 magnet mount - Band OCF Dipole with 6:1 Balun(not used) - $200 Super Hi-Q Loop Antenna 10-30 mHz, MFJ-1786, now is installed in vertical polarization and shows much better results than GP - $350 RIGblaster pro, not used - $300; microHAM micro Keyer II - $200 microHAM CW KEYER - $100; DCU-1 for HAM-IV and T-2X - $200; Morse Code Reader/Keyer, MFJ-464 with Keyboard - $250 Coaxial Cable 50 Ohm DXE-213U 150'x2 - each $100 E-mail: n3gd@ outlook. com Address: 7500 Osceola Polk Line Rd., Lot 63, Davenport, FL 33896 (RV camp "Mouse Mountain"). RV Office phone: 863-424-2791(they are informed abt sale). Mr. Leo Turkadze From n8pr1 at bellsouth.net Mon Nov 3 20:15:10 2014 From: n8pr1 at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Mon, 3 Nov 2014 20:15:10 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] W1AW/4 Operating & Log Submission Guidelines Message-ID: ANYONE operating as W1AW/4 Florida please go to: http://www.floridacontestgroup.org/docs/w1aw_guidelines.pdf If you cannot download, copy and paste and then try it. We want to try to get over 60K QSOs, so if you are in doubt about operating, please give it a try... You do not have to be a contest whiz to operate in this event. I think you will find ti to be loads of fun, being on the ?DX? end of the pileup. 73, PeteR N8PR ============================================================================== Here is the test of above link if you prefer it here: W1AW/4 Log Submission & Operating Guidelines When operating as W1AW/4, the ARRL has requested we stay within the General class subbands wherever possible, particularly on phone. CW ops should consider QRS for newer/slower ops if rates allow. If you are operating split, please announce a frequency range periodically (?Up 3,?as opposed to simply ?Up?). Please keep splits reasonable (no dx-pedition style ?Up 5 to 25?). If you are taking a break or your shift is over, please let the pileup know what is going on; don?t leave them wondering where you disappeared. Self-spotting is allowed and encouraged. The bands are crowded with other users, particularly on 20m/40m/75m phone, who do not particularly care about the W1AW/* operations. We (and the League) understand that sometimes interference will happen or be perceived to happen between W1AW and these groups. However, your conduct should be above reproach. Don?t get drawn into an argument or conflict on-air if something crops up. Along that line, practice good pileup discipline. If you come back to a partial callsign, don?t work the loud tail-ender just to get them out of the way. Stick with the original partial call that you copied or call CQ or QRZ again. FAQ Exchange ? Your QTH (FL) need not be exchanged on all QSOs, but the league has said they like it. Many ops will expect it. ? All that we?re required to log is the call sign; don?t worry about asking for fills on states or names. ? Exchanges need not be contest-style. Some stations want to rag chew and that?s fine if you have time and don?t mind. ? Some stations may ask for your county or grid square. The LOTW upload will have that info, so you?re free to provide it. QSLs ? The logs will be uploaded 100% to LOTW. The ARRL is handling paper cards; Requests for paper cards should follow the standard procedure for requesting W1AW and W100AW QSLs. ? LOTW uploads will be done only once, shortly after our week of activity is over. Log Submission ? You should use logging software that can export an ADIF file. Virtually any software is acceptable. Typically you would use it in the DXPedition mode or general logging mode. ? Name your ADIF file with the following format: StationHostCallsign_FQPCountyAbbreviation_GridSquare. So, N4WW would use N4WW_ORA_EL98.adif, while N4BP would send me a file called N4BP_BRO_EL96.adif ? ONCE and ONCE ONLY after the last W1AW/4 operation from your station is complete, create an ADIF file and email a copy to cgp at alumni.wfu.edu. If there is any doubt in your mind whether you?ll operate more, please hold onto the ADIF file until you know one way or another. After our operation is through, I should have one ADIF file for each unique location from which W1AW was put on the air from within FL. ? Along that vein, if you host guest ops at your station or if you are a guest op at another station, please mark the log with the station host?s callsign and information, and please keep one log for all W1AW operations from that station. ? Finally, the ARRL has asked that all W1AW operations take place from ARRL members? stations. Affiliated club stations are OK. If you have specific questions, please contact me directly at cgp at alumni.wfu.edu. 73, and have fun out there. Chris WF3C From n8pr1 at bellsouth.net Mon Nov 3 20:18:52 2014 From: n8pr1 at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Mon, 3 Nov 2014 20:18:52 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] W1AW/4 Message-ID: <8196E244B1B141059B8D3469C40DCDDA@PeteRGateway> If you have not signed up to operate as W1AW/4 please do so with the following people... You only need to sign up one time to gain access to the spreadsheet for operating slots. For SSB, contact WB4OMM (wb4omm at arrl.net For CW, contact K0LUZ (k0luz at topsusa.com For RTTY, contact K9OM (rlvz at aol.com Once you have login credentials, you can reserve a two hour operating period on any mode and band. The mode captains will be in charge of maintaining order in the signup process. Among other things, they will be in charge of making sure no op monopolizes particular bands and modes that are in demand from others. If there are disputes, the mode captain will settle them. IF you want to operate, and feel that your station is "lacking" feel free to contact me and set up some time operating one of TWO stations here at my QTH. They will be available 24/7 for the Florida week. 73, PeteR N8PR From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Nov 4 06:04:51 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 04 Nov 2014 06:04:51 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] A Message from Jeff In-Reply-To: <20141104034628.D018C24107@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20141104034628.D018C24107@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <5458B2D3.60104@bellsouth.net> Greetings to all, As you read this, daylight savings time has ended and we lose an hour of nighttime outdoor activity. Not my favorite time of the year. However, we still have plenty of daytime events in the SFL Section during the month of November. Please support the clubs sponsoring these events by your attendance and participation. 11/8/2014 Cy Harris Memorial Free Flea Collins Center, Oakland Park, FL Broward ARC Info: www.browardarc.net 11/8/2014 Radiator Grille Picnic Boca Raton ARA Clubhouse at West Delray Park Info: www.brara.org 11/8/2014 Hillsboro Lighthouse Special Event Station Gold Coast ARA Lighthouse Point, FL Info: www.w4bug.org 11/15/2014 | Free Flea Location: Coral Gables, FL Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: Flamingo Net ARC / University of Miami ARC Website: http://www.flamingonet.8m.net 11/29/2014 | Hamfest In The Woods Location: Okeechobee, FL Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: Okeechobee Amateur Radio Club Website: http://K4OKE.com The ARRL Florida State Convention at Melbourne last month was well attended on both Friday and Saturday. Many Florida hamfests are going to this Friday-Saturday schedule. Enjoyed the many eyeball QSOs with you at the ARRL booth. The ARRL Forum featured Bob Allison, WB1GCM from the ARRL Lab who spoke about transceiver performance testing. Director Doug Rehman, K4AC and yours truly presented the ARRL Doug DeMaw Technical Excellence Award to Kai Siwiak, KE4PT. Congratulations, Kai During Halloween weekend, the Martin County ARA held a special event station at the annual Stuart Air Show at Witham Field. Right across the street from the fairgrounds where the club will hold their hamfest and ARRL SFL Section Convention in March 2015. I?m pleased to announce the formation of a new school club in Pompano Beach, the Pompano Beach Schools Amateur Radio Education Club. They have applied for ARRL affiliation and a club callsign. School clubs and the formation and support of same will be one of the projects of our new Section Youth Team. Please welcome to our SFL management staff Section Youth Coordinator Bruce Ratoff, KO4XL and Assistant Section Manager for Youth Activities Tom Loughney, AJ4XM. Bruce and Tom will work together to develop our youth program and support their activities thru out the Section. >From the reports I?ve received so far, it seems that a very successful Simulated Emergency Test (SET) was held in the SFL Section on October 18th. Section officials visited SET operations around SFL and you?ll find some photos on the SFL page at the ARRL website. Different scenarios and modes of communication were practiced in a coordinated effort simulating an actual activation. My thanks to all that participated in this essential training activity. On the same weekend, the annual Jamboree on the Air (JOTA), a nationwide campout and training activity of the Boy Scouts was held. Our Section Youth team was on hand participating with the JOTA group at the Tanah Keeta scout camp in southern Martin County. Other Section officials visited JOTA operations elsewhere in SFL during the weekend. September STM Report from Mike, KM2V SAR - SEPTEMBER 2014 CALL TOTAL WA4BAM 105 KE4CB 052 NC3F 056 K9GZT 006 KK4KAH 009 W4LWZ 010 KA3PYO 008 NT4TS 010 KM2V 087 W4ZE 015 PSHR - SEPTEMBER 2014 Callsign Total WA4BAM 100 KE4CB 160 NC3F 100 NETS - SEPTEMBER 2014 NET ABB. QNI QTC QND SESS MGR All Florida CW Traffic Net QFN 337 108 458 30 WA4BAM Florida Medium Speed Net FMSN 263 106 566 30 AG4RJ/AB4XK Southeast Florida Traffic Net SEFTN 710 121 1274 30 KM2V Southwest Florida Traffic Net SWFTN 485 105 1425 27 KE4CB/N9WS Broward County Emer Prep Net BCEPN 48 4 164 4 K2MOL Jupiter-Tequesta Repeater Group W4JUP 20 105 4 KV4MS Jupiter Farms CERT JFCERT 12 60 4 AG4BV Palm Beach District Ares North PBDAN 35 80 8 KB2BX September SEC Report from Larry, W4LWZ Total number of ARES members: 357 Change since last month (+, -, same): -10 Number of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 12 Number of ARES nets active: 11 Number of nets with NTS liaison: 6 Number of drills, tests and training sessions this month: 50 Person hours: 233 Number of public service events this month: 1 Person hours: 1 Number of emergency operations this month: 0 Person Hours: 0 Total number of ARES operations this month: 54 Total Person hours: 275 Silent Keys- It is with deep regret that we report the passing of the following SFL members: Robert Brooks, NQ2U of Weston. Robert was an active member of the Broward ARC for many years. Well, I guess that's about it for now. My thanks for all that you do for Amateur Radio. Get on the air, Elmer a new ham, support your local club and ARES group but most of all, have fun with ham radio. Myra and I wish you and your family a pleasant, safe Thanksgiving holiday. Vy 73, Jeff, WA4AW -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL Southern Florida Section Section Manager: Jeff Beals, WA4AW wa4aw at arrl.org - From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Nov 5 08:22:51 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 08:22:51 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] he ARRL Contest Update for November 5, 2014 In-Reply-To: <20141105042221.9E04025AE8@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20141105042221.9E04025AE8@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <545A24AB.30209@bellsouth.net> Preview If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/?issue=2014-11-05 The ARRL Contest Update November 5, 2014 Editor: Ward Silver, N?AX /Contest Update/ Archive Contest Calendar ARRL Home Page Ad IN THIS ISSUE * Sweepstakes the Second Time Around <#Contests> * Worked All Europe Finale - RTTY <#Contests> * Here Comes Another One! <#News> * Tiny Indian Ocean Islands <#Newsweek> * Sights But No Sounds <#Sights> * A Pileup Of Logs <#Results> * Techniques for Tuning <#Tech> * Changing Education and Reference Books <#Techweek> * What's Next? <#Conversation> NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO A humongous station is not required to have a lot of fun in the Sweepstakes - modest antennas and 100 watts will do just fine. Since only one contact per station is needed and not one per band, you can stay on your best band and work stations that tune by. Give the other bands a try, too, and you will probably be surprised at how well you do. Here's an Operating Guide for Sweepstakes - try for a Participation Pin and a Clean Sweep mug! BULLETINS The brand-new Russian World-Wide Multi-Mode Contest will be active at the same time as the Phone weekend of ARRL November Sweepstakes. Congestion ahead! BUSTED QSOS Log checking has cleared the previous issue. CONTEST SUMMARY Complete information <#Contests> for all contests follows the Conversation <#Conversation> section *November 8-9* * */ARRL EME Contest/* * CWOps Weekly Mini-CWT Tests (Nov 6) * NS Weekly RTTY Sprint (Nov 7) * NS Weekly CW Sprint (Nov 7) * Worked All Europe DX Contest--Digital * 10-10 Fall Digital QSO Party * Japan International DX Contest--Phone * OK-OM DX Contest--CW * Straight Key Weekend Sprintathon * Kentucky QSO Party * CQ WE (Western Electric) *November 15-16* * */ARRL November Sweepstakes--Phone/* * Russian WW Multi-Mode Contest * Feld-Hell Turkey Shoot Sprint * All Austria 160 Meter Contest--CW * Collegiate ARC Championship--Phone * RSGB Second 1.8 MHz Contest--CW * ARS HF Contest * Homebrew and Oldtime Contest--CW * Run For the Bacon--CW (Nov 17) NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST Spaceweather reports that an active region, AR2205, is emerging over the Sun's northeastern limb (photo below), producing multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in the past 48 hours. So far, Earth is outside the line of fire and the solar storm clouds are sailing wide of our planet. This could change, however, as the sunspot turns toward Earth in the days ahead, and any blast of charged particles would definitely affect the Phone Sweepstakes and other contest action. Congratulations to the HK1NA team - they are "first in the clubhouse" after the CQ World Wide SSB Contest with a nice score of nearly 46 Mpoints in the Multi-Multi category! Taking care of business, front to back, are Charlie K1XX, Esteban LW1DTZ, Mark LU8EOT, Bill K1MM, and Rich K1CC. (Photo by KM3T) Portable power is often a challenge for casual or contest operating but how about your own personal portable wind turbine? Omni3D is a Polish company that specializes in 3D printing and manufacturing - they have created the AirEnergy 3D turbine capable of generating up to 300 watts of power. Funded as a Kickstarter program, the turbine is designed as a kit and capable of being transported in a backpack. Lance VK6DU collected a set of propagation planning resources beginning with his favorite, the online version of VOACAP . "It gives you a good indication of events (usually an hour behind the event but you can predict forward to some degree). /W6ELPROP / is downloadable software and by doing a Google search for W6EL, you will find more information about configuring it. For 6 meters I use NASA's and the Jet Propulsion Lab's Real-Time Ionospheric Maps . When you are in the red, you are cookin'!" Dave K8CC relays word that the KB6KQ loops are again available from a company called Loops-N-More located in Kansas. The company offers a 6 meter model, a 2 meter/70 cm dual-bander, and a 125 cm (222 MHz) model, all of which have potential for simple, low-cost rover use. Another handy VHF+ rover antenna recommended by Marshall K5QE is the Efactor , a dual-band, single-feed line, 2 meter/70 cm loop created by David WT4E. "What I liked about these antennas is that you get "automatic band switching", since there is only one feed line. You just plug the coax into the 2M/432 coax outlet on your IC-706/IC-7000/FT-857/FT-897 radio and you are done. Very easy to hook up and very easy to use....especially for rookie rover ops." Ready for some serious VHF+ fun, Mark K2QO (left) and Dick K2ZR are ready to rumble in the K2QO Rover during the ARRL September VHF Contest. (Photo by K2QO) You think your Field Day was an adventure? Consider doing a three-month, one-man operation from the most remote location on Earth - Bouvet Island ! (Thanks, Phil K3UA) The popular DX Summit website is testing a major upgrade to its capabilities and display, including mobile device support. New functions include improved filters and call sign monitoring, advanced propagation tools, current and previous spot viewing, and a DX News section. Radio Arcala , sponsors of DX Summit, is looking for beta-testers to give the new functions thorough exercising before it goes live. Contact them by email if you would like to participate. (Thanks, Martti OH2BH) *Web Site of the Week* - With the FT4TA gang tearing it up, you might want to read a couple of stories about adventures on Tromelin and sister island, Juan de Nova . For National Geographic readers, the FT/J story was in the April 2014 issue with the hedgehog on the cover. (Thanks, John N7TK and Jim K9JF) WORD TO THE WISE */Off time/* - Contests like ARRL Sweepstakes and the North American QSO Party include a strategic element of /not /allowing full-time operation. You have to choose when to "go dark" and that makes a lot of difference in the final score. There is no frustration like that of running out of operating time and having to listen to the contest going on while you are unable to transmit! Know the rules and plan ahead. Ad SIGHTS AND SOUNDS Perhaps this should be in the "Sights and No Sounds" section? Doug K1DG found this animation of the October 19^th X-class flare's effect on propagation. He recommends the simulated global D-layer absorption starting about 8 seconds into the video. Kirk KD5FYD hosts the online program, "This Week in Radio Technology" covering broadcasting and recording topics. Your editor was featured in a recent program about digital transmission (also available on the GFQ website ) and you can also view the program's Facebook page for earlier and ongoing topics. The November 4th Sun (seen in thisSolar Dynamics Observatory 335-angstrom image) has more surprises with another active region rotating around to face Earth (seen at left). The interesting thing about this new spot is its location in the northern hemisphere - the previous Big Spot moving out of sight on the lower right was on the /other /side of the solar equator. Cycle 24 still has some tricks up its sleeve, it seems! (Image courtesy of NASA) The HamRadioNow program has begun posting talks from the recent TAPR Digital Communications Conference. The DCC is a frequent launching pad for new ham radio digital technology and you can also find updates on existing modes, SDR technology, and other topics of the digisphere. Bruce AA5B notes that this Astronomy Picture of the Day movie of the Sun taken in visible and ultraviolet light on 22 October really hits the spot! RESULTS AND RECORDS Only 24 hours after the contest, the CQ World Wide committee was reporting on their Facebook page that they had received 4,317 logs. By the log submission deadline, 7,445 logs had been received! If you ever wonder why it gets slow at the end, by 2359Z on Sunday of the contest, CQ WW Director, Randy K5ZD reports they already had 981 logs submitted. In the busy ARRL Contest Branch, 2014 RTTY Roundup Plaques are reportedly out the door and headed to mailboxes across the land! (Thanks, ARRL Contest Branch Manager, Matt W1MSW) N2NC and his talented typists have been at it again. The CQ WW DX Contest online score database now includes all entries from 1961 through 2013. There are 164,905 entries in the SSB database and 160,292 in the CW table. It is kind of hard to imagine that CQ WW 1961 had only 578 entries for SSB and 1130 for CW! How times have changed. Check out the log entries by year , too. The all-time records are generated from the database. See all category records by world, continent, and country, as well as zone records . (Thanks, Randy K5ZD) OPERATING TIP There is no problem with working and logging duplicates in Sweepstakes - they'll be removed from your log without penalty. Dupes only result in penalties if they are submitted in paper logs. (See the ARRL's General Rules For All ARRL Contests , Rule 7.8.) If a station calls in as a duplicate, it's far simpler to work and log them. Sometimes the first QSO is bad (for them or for you) and this is an easy opportunity to correct the error, saving the QSO (and maybe a multiplier!) It has also been noted that some stations are also trying to fill in band-modes for the Centennial QSO Party. Just work it! Ad TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION Getting ready for B category in Sweepstakes? Be a good neighbor and be brief when tuning up that amplifier - check your drive and output adjustments before the contest. Gary K4FMX contributes a couple of tips: "You should always tune your amp for maximum output power for whatever drive power you are using...slightly "over tuning" or (setting the) loading a little heavier than maximum output so that the output drops slightly from maximum is ideal as the amp will not flat-top (saturate) as easily if the speech level is driven a little harder." We all know that one's voice can get a little louder during a contest for some reason! Also, "When looking at your signal with a scope...remember power is E^2 /R. When the voltage doubles that is an increase of four times the power." With the blue saltwater of the Caribbean in the background, the HK1NA station was plenty loud in the CQ WW SSB as these fellows know. (L-R) Rich K1CC, Dave KM3T, and Jorge H K1NA. (Photo from KM3T) Han N2JFS reminds antenna builders that grounding a coax feed line shield anywhere between the feed point and a choke balun will give current a path to bypass the choke and defeat its purpose. If you are looking for flooded or adhesive-lined heat shrink, Don W7WLL suggests checking with ship and fishing fleet outfitters and marine stores. This is a good reminder that high-volume consumer outlets often sell the very same products at a significantly lower cost than in specialty electronics stores. He also notes, "If you live near a port, these outfitters also typically carry lots of other 'stuff' useful to hams such as stainless steel hardware, fixtures, tubing, cable, corrosion and washout blocking greases, etc. Many also may have qualified riggers who can proficiently create high quality replacement crankup tower cables." Delighted at finding a cool project, Dave KM3T relays a link to this portable shortwave SDR . No, wait, it's a vector network analyzer! Well, whatever this device considers itself, it is described as "highly hackable." Game on! While the math might be a little stiff for non-engineering students, the University of California - Berkeley course, Integrated Circuits for Communication , EECS 142/242A, covers a lot of familiar territory for hams, and in depth! (Thanks, Jim N9GTM) Remember when our computers started clocking faster than our transmitters? Well, the transistors are now switching up in the terahertz (a megamegahertz) region as described by this Gizmag story . I wonder how many points that will count for in the ARRL VHF+ contests? (Thanks, Dennis N6KI) This is a rare photo - long-time multi-op host, operator, and mentor, Rich KL7RA making his first CW Sweepstakes QSOs since 1958! The box of tissues comes in handy on the Kenai peninsula in November. (Photo by N6TR) /Popular Science/ for November 2014 published an article about converting an old broadcast radio to listen to meteor showers - with a data recorder! The technique of listening to distant FM stations as they pop in and out from reflection off of burns is time-honored. This new method records signal bursts using /Radio-Sky-Pipe II/ computer software. How many repair projects get tangled up in glue? If you're like me, it's pretty easy for strands of the sticky stuff to sneak off to where they aren't wanted. It always seems like they're in a visible location, doesn't it? At any rate, this Instructables project shows how to make disposable nozzles and put the glue just and only where you want it! Goodbye to the last vacuum tube consumer product! Solid-state technology takes over one more "hollow-state" niche but it's not what you might think they've got cooking. *Technical Web Site of the Week* - We have a pair of /EDN/ magazine online articles to share - the first is an interview with Prof. Mark Somerville of the Olin College of Engineering. He has some interesting observations and suggestions on the state of engineering education. Some of what he suggests - hands-on experimentation, accumulating practical experience, and developing a life-long love of learning - sounds an awful lot like ham radio! The second article lists some great reference books for electronics enthusiasts - it's never too early to start that holiday present list! CONVERSATION What's Next? As the ARRL's Centennial year comes to a close, so does the steady stream of "W1AW Portable" operations that have brought so many to the HF bands in 2014. Folks who probably didn't see themselves doing a lot of HF operating have found themselves watching propagation, building antennas, jumping into pileups and generally having a great time! This series of events, shining a spotlight around the continent and out into the Pacific and Caribbean, has been one of the most popular ARRL programs ever. So what happens on January 1^st when W1AW/something disappears from the airwaves and returns to its little brick building at 225 Main Street in Newington, Connecticut under the watchful portrait of The Old Man? We'll all have pileup withdrawal, that's what! I haven't heard of any follow-up program and I think the several million contacts will take some time to confirm, but still, mike-button thumbs, keyboard fingertips, and key-tapping digits will be eager for activity in 2015. More from the KL7RA CW Sweepstakes multi-op as Ryan AB8XX (left) gets some tutoring from Kris AL2F. This shows the KL7RA Rule in action: "Whatever you learn you pass on to the next group of hams coming into contesting." Words to live by! (Photo by KL7RA) This is your opportunity to guide new HF operators in building on their success through award programs and contests. These are always available and with a year's worth of experience chasing W1AW, our new operators will find easy success as they fill their logs with DX, rare counties, and hours of contacts. Now is the time to schedule a late-December or January club program about operating in contests or chasing awards like DXCC or CQ's WPX. Show them how to keep an envelope on file at the QSL bureau - and maybe even volunteer to sort a letter or two. If they're not on Logbook Of the World, why not explain how that works. Present a survey of some of the awards within their reach. The K1BV Awards Directory is free and lists more the 3,300 awards for accomplishments small, large, and...strange! Those of us who have been around for a while tend to forget how thrilling it was to complete Worked All Continents. Or maybe that first time you experienced a solid over-the-pole or long-path opening during a contest, filling the log with call signs you never expected to hear, much less log. Hey, pass it on! Be a radiosport Elmer and have a ready answer when asked, "What is there to do now?" 73, Ward N?AX Ad CONTESTS *5 November through 18 November* An expanded, downloadable version of QST's Contest Corral in PDF format is available. Check the sponsor's Web site for information on operating time restrictions and other instructions. *HF CONTESTS* */ARRL November Sweepstakes/*--Phone, from Nov 15, 2100Z to Nov 17, 0300Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: Serial, category, call, check, ARRL/RAC sec. Logs due: Dec 2. Rules CWOps Weekly Mini-CWT Tests--CW, from Nov 6, 1300Z - See website. Multiple time periods. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Weekly on Wednesday, 28 to 38 kHz above band edge. Exchange: Name and member number or S/P/C. Logs due: 2 days. Rules NS Weekly RTTY Sprint--Digital, from Nov 7, 0145Z to Nov 7, 0215Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. Weekly on Thursday evenings local time. Exchange: Serial, name, and S/P/C. Logs due: 2 days. Rules NS Weekly CW Sprint--CW, from Nov 7, 0230Z to Nov 7, 0300Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-14. Weekly on Thursday evenings local time. Exchange: Serial, name, and S/P/C. Logs due: 2 days. Rules Worked All Europe DX Contest--Digital, from Nov 8, 0000Z to Nov 9, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST and serial (see web for QTC rules). Logs due: 2 weeks. Rules 10-10 Fall Digital QSO Party--Digital, from Nov 8, 0001Z to Nov 9, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 28. Exchange: Call, name, 10-10 number, S/P/C. Logs due: Nov 25. Rules Japan International DX Contest--Phone, from Nov 8, 0700Z to Nov 9, 1300Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST and JA prefecture or CQ Zone. Logs due: 30 days. Rules OK-OM DX Contest--CW, from Nov 8, 1200Z to Nov 9, 1200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST and serial or OK/OM district. Logs due: Dec 1. Rules Straight Key Weekend Sprintathon--CW, from Nov 8, 1200Z to Nov 9, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Monthly beginning on the second Saturday local time. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, name, SKCC nr or "none". Logs due: 5 days. Rules Kentucky QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Nov 8, 1400Z to Nov 9, 0200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, CW--1.815, 3.550, 7.050, 14.050, 21.050, 28.050, 50.090; SSB--1.855, 3.820, 7.240, 14.280, 21.390, 28.390, 50.190 MHz. Exchange: RST and KY county or S/P/C. Logs due: Dec 31. Rules CQ WE (Western Electric)--Phone,CW,Digital, from Nov 8, 1900Z to Nov 10, 0500Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50-440, Send "ZZ" for Bell QTH if not a Bell System ham. Exchange: Call, name, Bell QTH, yrs of service pt . Logs due: Dec 1. Rules Russian WW Multi-Mode Contest--Phone,CW,Digital, from Nov 15, 1200Z to Nov 16, 1159Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST and serial or 2-char oblast code. Logs due: 14 days. Rules Feld-Hell Turkey Shoot Sprint--Digital, from Nov 15, 1600Z to Nov 15, 1800Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Monthly on 3rd Saturday. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, Feld-Hell member nr. Logs due: 7 days. Rules All Austria 160 Meter Contest--CW, from Nov 15, 1600Z to Nov 16, 0700Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8. Exchange: RST, serial, OE district. Logs due: Dec 31. Rules Collegiate ARC Championship--Phone, from Nov 15, 2100Z to Nov 17, 0300Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: See ARRL Sweepstakes. Rules RSGB Second 1.8 MHz Contest--CW, from Nov 15, 2100Z to Nov 16, 0100Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8. Exchange: RST, serial, UK district. Logs due: 16 days. Rules ARS HF Contest--Phone,CW,Digital, from Nov 16, 0000Z to Nov 16, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS(T). Logs due: 15 days. Rules Homebrew and Oldtime Contest--CW, from Nov 16, 1300Z to Nov 16, 1700Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-7. Exchange: RST, serial, and category. Logs due: Dec 18. Rules Run For the Bacon--CW, from Nov 17, 0200Z to Nov 17, 0400Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Monthly on 3rd Sunday night (local). Exchange: RST, S/P/C, Flying Pig nr or power. Rules *VHF+ CONTESTS* */ARRL EME Contest/*--Phone,CW,Digital, from Nov 8, 0000Z to Nov 9, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 50-1296. Exchange: Call signs, signal report, acknowledgement. Logs due: Jan 1. Rules Kentucky QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Nov 8, 1400Z to Nov 9, 0200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, CW--1.815, 3.550, 7.050, 14.050, 21.050, 28.050, 50.090; SSB--1.855, 3.820, 7.240, 14.280, 21.390, 28.390, 50.190 MHz. Exchange: RST and KY county or S/P/C. Logs due: Dec 31. Rules CQ WE (Western Electric)--Phone,CW,Digital, from Nov 8, 1900Z to Nov 10, 0500Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50-440, Send "ZZ" for Bell QTH if not a Bell System ham. Exchange: Call, name, Bell QTH, yrs of service pt . Logs due: Dec 1. Rules LOG DUE DATES *5 November through 18 November* * November 5 - MCG Autumn Sprint * November 6 - ARS Spartan Sprint * November 8 - ARRL School Club Roundup * November 8 - CWops Mini-CWT Test * November 9 - UBA ON Contest, 2m * November 9 - NCCC RTTY Sprint * November 10 - FISTS Fall Sprint * November 15 - South Dakota QSO Party * November 15 - Makrothen RTTY Contest * November 15 - Pennsylvania QSO Party * November 16 - DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest * November 16 - Iowa QSO Party * November 16 - SKCC Weekend Sprintathon * November 18 - ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, CW * November 18 - NA Collegiate ARC Championship, CW ARRL Information Click here to advertise in this newsletter, space subject to availability. Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information *Join or Renew Today!* ** ARRL membership includes /QST/ , Amateur Radio's most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month. Subscribe to /NCJ/ - the National Contest Journal . Published bimonthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties. Subscribe to /QEX/ - A Forum for Communications Experimenters . Published bimonthly, features technical articles, construction projects, columns and other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals. /Free of charge to ARRL members:/ Subscribe to The ARRL Letter (weekly digest of news and information), the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and emergency communications news), Division and Section news -- and much more! /ARRL offers a wide array of //products/ //to enhance your enjoyment of Amateur Radio. Visit the site often for new publications, specials and sales. Donate to the fund of your choice -- /support programs not funded by member dues!/ Reprint permission can be obtained by sending email to permission at arrl.org with a description of the material and the reprint publication. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ARRL Contest Update wishes to acknowledge information from WA7BNM's Contest Calendar and SM3CER's Contest Calendar . Ad Ad Ad Ad Ad ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The ARRL Contest Update is published every other Wednesday (26 times each year). ARRL members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member Data Page as described at http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/. Copyright ? 2014 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved www.arrl.org From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Nov 5 12:41:36 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 12:41:36 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] SFDXA Meeting Tonight! In-Reply-To: <54563F4F.5030601@bellsouth.net> References: <54563F4F.5030601@bellsouth.net> Message-ID: <545A6150.6090409@bellsouth.net> The Main Speakers will be Dan Thompson W4UH and Julio Henriquez AD4Z, who were one of the Teams Representing the U.S. in the recent WRTC 2014 event. Their callsign was W1T. They will be at the Meeting to tell us about their Experiences, and about Operating in a Competition among 59 two man teams, of the Best Operators from all over the World. http://www.wrtc2014.org/ Also, the South Florida DX Association will be presented with an Award from the ARRL celebrating 35 years affiliation with the ARRL. Norm W4QN the Founder and Charter Member will Accept the Award from Marty KI4IQZ the Assistant South Florida Section Manager for the ARRL. A 2015 Miami Hamboree update. Notice of a Major Club Donation: The unveiling of the 2015 Slate Of Officers. New Members... Come and Join Us, Members, Non Members and Guests are all Welcome! The SFDXA Meeting is held at the Florida Medical Center on Oakland Park Blvd and the Fl Turnpike. There is no exit on the Turnpike at Oakland Park, So come west from I-95 on Oakland Park Blvd. past St. Rd. 7/441 to the Hospital. It is about 4/5 traffic lights west after 441 on the left before the Turnpike Bridge. Come through the front door and tell the Guard you are there for the Radio Club Meeting. For those using a GPS the hospital address is Florida Medical Center, 5000 Oakland Park Blvd. Join us at 6:00 to 6:45, and have dinner from the cafeteria for a $7.00 Donation to the Club. One Dinner please. Walk across the hall with your tray to the auditorium and meet friends, and discuss and brag about your activities, New DX Contacts, Confirmations and W1AW totals. Meeting begins at 7:33. Come and being a Friend. Everyone is welcome. Bill Marx W2CQ From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Nov 6 02:34:33 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 02:34:33 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Application Nov 9 for NASA Internship In-Reply-To: <8063CA43-3D8C-4F11-AD10-0B53BBF41EDF@aol.com> References: <8063CA43-3D8C-4F11-AD10-0B53BBF41EDF@aol.com> Message-ID: <545B2489.4050502@bellsouth.net> > *Subject:* Application Deadline Nov 9 for College Internship at NASA > > DO YOU KNOW a college kid studying electrical engineering > and who might be interested in a paid internship this coming > spring at NASA? Then please share this link with him or her: > > http://www.arrl.org/news/nasa-gsfc-seeks-cubesat-simulator-intern > > Either way, please spread the news far and wide if you > can. Thank you! > Cheers, > Pat > N8PK > > Mr. Pat Kilroy > Integration and Test (I&T) Lead > NASA Goddard Space Flight Center > Building 5, Mail Code 568 > Greenbelt, Maryland 20771-5860 > W: 301-286-1984 > E:Patrick.L.Kilroy at nasa.gov > From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Nov 6 14:59:52 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 14:59:52 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] [The Daily DX] Announcing the Activation of a new Transceiver feature! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <545BD338.6090200@bellsouth.net> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE It is not well known but for many years the major manufacturers of HF transceivers, have quietly fitted them with a special circuit that would cause your transceiver to internally combust should you use it to exhibit poor operating practices. Like maintaining a nuclear deterrent, they have always lived in hope that they would never be forced to activate this circuit. However manufacturers have been concerned for some time with the poor behaviour of many operators when using their equipment and what they have heard during the current Tromelin Island DXpedition has forced them to act. Therefore on 0000z Saturday 15 November 2014 a coded message will be sent to all transceivers they have sold activating this circuit. Once activated your transceiver will internally combust if you undertake any of the following: a) Calling when the DX station is transmitting something other than your callsign ? it can sense the DX station?s signal and what is sent b) Calling when you can?t hear the DX station ? it can also sense when the DX station?s signal cannot be heard c) Tuning up on the DX station?s frequency ? if you send a tone for more than 50ms and the radio senses another signal on the frequency d) Sending or saying ?up? or ?down? on a frequency occupied by another signal e) Sending strings of dits or dahs, using profane language, going ?ah ah ah? or broadcasting music or anything else recorded f) Calling if the DX op is asking for a region other than yours ? the circuit can sense which region you reside in (Note only works if you are in NA/JA/EU) This list is not exhaustive and can be remotely adapted as poor operating practices change. It has also been acknowledged there is a risk that people will blow up their rigs simply because they inadvertently forget to put the split button in. Therefore the manufacturers are prepared at their cost to install a big flashing red light on top of your rig as a visual reminder but of course the risk of detonation remains with you. It should also go without saying but any attempt to remove the circuit will cause the rig to explode. On a more positive note it appears manufacturers are also jointly working on a new innovation for your transceiver to transmit a signal which blows up plasma TVs within a one mile radius of your house. This is expected to be a sure fire sales winner. RELEASE ENDS Bernie McClenny, W3UR Editor of: The Daily DX The Weekly DX How's DX? Two week trial - http://www.dailydx.com/trial.html https://twitter.com/dailydx 410-489-6518 ________________________________________ DailyDX mailing list DailyDX at kkn.net http://www.kkn.net/mailman/listinfo/dailydx From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Nov 7 05:52:32 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 07 Nov 2014 05:52:32 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Letter for November 6, 2014 In-Reply-To: <20141106212537.EEEA235B785@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20141106212537.EEEA235B785@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <545CA470.2090107@bellsouth.net> Preview If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2014-11-06 The ARRL Letter November 6, 2014 Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME ARRL Home Page /ARRL Letter/ Archive Audio News Ad * ARRL Asks FCC to Continue Issuing Hard Copy Licenses to Those Who Want Them <#toc01> * ARISS: Your Students Could Be Among the Next to Speak with the Space Station Crew via Ham Radio <#toc02> * Kansas Radio Amateur is ARRL McGan Silver Antenna Award Winner <#toc03> * ARRL Introduces Kindle Edition of /Ham Radio License Manual/ <#toc04> * W1AW Centennial Operations Shift to Rhode Island and Mississippi; American Samoa Operation Continues <#toc05> * Put On Your Radio Voice! The ARRL November Sweepstakes SSB is Just Ahead <#toc06> * IARU Region 1 Approves Youth Working Group, Budget <#toc07> * New DX Summit Website Now Beta Testing, Will Debut Formally by December 1 <#toc08> * American Legion Amateur Radio Club Plans On-Air Tribute to Veterans <#toc09> * Tromelin Island DXpedition, FT4TA, Drawing a Crowd <#toc10> * South African 5 MHz Research Project Sees Unexpected Results <#toc11> * Dominica Now Permits 60 Meter Operation <#toc12> * The ITU Elects a New Secretary-General <#toc13> * Kentucky Historical Society Honors Former ARRL Director <#toc14> * International Amateur Radio-Scouter Shelly Weil, K2BS, SK <#toc15> * A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL <#toc16> * The K7RA Solar Update <#toc17> * Just Ahead in Radiosport <#toc18> * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events <#toc19> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ARRL Website Will Be Unavailable on November 7 Starting at 2100 UTC The ARRL website is scheduled to be offline on Friday, November 7, starting at 2100 UTC. The length of the outage could run for several hours and possibly into Saturday, November 8. The ARRL IT Department will be performing maintenance and testing in the process of switching the site to a new server. A "Down for Maintenance" message will appear for the duration of the outage whenever someone attempts to access www.arrl.org . All e-mail functionality will remain online -- /only/ the website will be down for testing. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ARRL Asks FCC to Continue Issuing Hard Copy Licenses to Those Who Want Them In comments filed November 5, the ARRL has recommended that the FCC continue to provide paper license documents to Amateur Radio licensees who want them. The League's remarks were in response to an FCC /Public Notice/ (in WT Docket 14-161) that proposed to cease the routine issuance of hard-copy license documents to all Wireless Service licensees, including radio amateurs. While having a paper license document from the FCC to post on the wall of the ham shack has been a tradition, the Commission for several years has considered the "official" Amateur Radio license to be the virtual document residing in its Universal Licensing System (ULS) database. "The FCC is willing to continue to mail paper licenses to those who request them," ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, has explained. "However, they are making available to licensees -- starting right now -- the actual license to print via the FCC ULS, and it is allowing hams now to opt out of receiving paper licenses from the FCC directly." (See ULS menu below.) Under the FCC-proposed process, once a license application is granted, the ULS will generate an official electronic license but will no longer mail a hard copy license unless notified that the licensee wishes to receive an official paper license document. Until new procedures are final, however, the Commission will continue to print and mail official paper licenses, unless notified to stop. "Should the Commission proceed with the /Notice/ proposals," the League said in its comments, "it is ARRL's strong recommendation that the Commission give serious consideration to continuing a default provision for sending an initial paper license document to new licensees in the Amateur Radio Service, along with detailed, simple instructions for how to make the elections set forth in the notice relative to future modified or renewed licenses." The ARRL pointed out that not everyone has easy access to, or is comfortable using, the ULS and that Amateur Radio licensees may occasionally need an official license document -- for example, when applying for a license upgrade at a VEC exam session or for vehicle call sign license plates. "If there is not a license printed on distinctive license stock by the Commission, authentication issues arise and the possibility of electronic alteration of a license document is created," the League. The ARRL also suggested that requiring individuals to go online in order to obtain a license document may prove to be a roadblock to some applicants. "It is not acceptable to erect barriers to entry for anyone to obtain an Amateur Radio license or to modify a license," the League commented. "ARRL is concerned that there should be, especially for newcomers, an easy, intuitive path to make the election for license delivery method that does not involve ULS access at the outset." *A portion of the menu on the left-hand side of the ULS license record page. "Set Paper Authorization Preferences" lets the licensee opt to receive a paper license or not. "Download Electronic Authorizations" allows the licensee to download a PDF copy of the license.* The /Notice/ also has proposed, alternatively, that the FCC send the official electronic license via e-mail upon grant of an application, if the applicant has provided a valid e-mail address on the application form. Licensees not wanting to provide an e-mail address could obtain an official electronic license document directly from the ULS. The /Notice/ further proposes that licensees could notify the Commission that they wish to receive or continue receiving official authorizations on paper. The ULS License Manager online system now includes a setting that allows licensees to notify the FCC that they want to receive official licenses on paper. Licensees could change the default setting online, so that once an application has been granted, the FCC would mail an official paper license. The deadline to file comments is November 10. ARISS: Your Students Could Be Among the Next to Speak with the Space Station Crew via Ham Radio December 15 is the deadline for schools and educational institutions and organizations -- formal and informal -- to submit proposals to host an Amateur Radio contact with a member of the International Space Station crew. The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS ) program recently announced the opening of the application window. ARISS is especially interested in arranging contact events that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the radio contact into a well-developed educational plan. Schools and educational organizations may apply individually or with other institutions or organizations. ARISS anticipates that the ham radio contacts between students and the space station will take place between May 1 and December 31, 2015. "ARISS provides an exciting outreach opportunity for the ham radio community to connect with local schools," ARRL Educational Services Manager Debra Johnson, K1DMJ, said. "A scheduled ARISS contact is a voice-only communication via Amateur Radio between the ISS crew and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts allow education audiences to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to work and live in space." By and large, at least one member of an ISS crew complement is licensed, and NASA makes Amateur Radio licensing available to ISS-bound astronauts. Contacts have a question-and-answer format and typically run up to 10 minutes. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the contact schedule. Educational organizations are encouraged to partner with a local Amateur Radio club or group to handle the technical aspects of the contact. Given the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in contact dates and times. ISS crew members have taken part in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts with students on Earth since December 2000. Amateur Radio organizations around the world; NASA; and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan, and Europe sponsor these educational opportunities by providing the equipment and operational support to enable direct communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world via Amateur Radio. The ARRL website has more information about the program, including details on expectations, audience, proposal guidelines and application form, as well as the dates and times of informational sessions. Contact ARISS with any questions or for additional information. Kansas Radio Amateur is ARRL McGan Silver Antenna Award Winner Brian Short, KC0BS, of Olathe, Kansas, is the recipient of the 2014 Philip J. McGan Silver Antenna Award . The award recognizes outstanding public relations efforts in promoting Amateur Radio to the non-ham community. Short, an ARRL Life Member, appeared on Kansas City Public Media's "Up To Date" interview program on KCUR-FM in November 2013. The show, "Exploring Ham Radio in a Digital World ," highlighted Amateur Radio's value to the community and how individuals can get involved. An Amateur Radio instructor, he was the recipient of the 2009 Herb Brier Instructor of the Year Award. "Brian has done an outstanding job of using both traditional and social media to bring the message of Amateur Radio to the public," said ARRL Midwest Division Director Cliff Ahrens, K0CA. "He is very deserving of this recognition." *McGan Award Winner Brian Short, KC0BS.* The product of an Amateur Radio family, Short has been licensed since 1987, when he was 18. He is an ARRL Midwest Division Assistant Director, serves as Johnson County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) Emergency Coordinator, and is a SKYWARN weather spotter. He is also president and frequency coordinator of the Kansas Amateur Repeater Council and president of the NEKSUN/K0HAM group. He has been a Public Information Officer in the Kansas City area. The ARRL Public Relations Committee recommended Short for the award, and the ARRL Board of Directors affirmed the committee's choice. As this year's McGan Award winner, Short will receive a plaque. The award's namesake, journalist Philip J. McGan, WA2MBQ (SK), served as the first chairman of the ARRL's Public Relations Committee. ARRL Introduces Kindle Edition of /Ham Radio License Manual/ The ARRL has introduced a digital edition of /The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual/ (3rd edition), its most popular introduction to Amateur Radio. The e-book includes everything a newcomer needs in order to prepare for the Amateur Radio license exam. The digital edition **is available in the Kindle format from Amazon , which has long identified the print edition as a best seller. "As the leading publisher of Amateur Radio licensing and training materials, ARRL is expanding beyond traditionally printed books to meet the increasing demand from readers who prefer digital publications and online content," ARRL Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, said. "Finding the next generation of radio amateurs requires meeting prospective hams where they are reading and consuming content." ARRL offers Kindle editions of its question-and-answer study guides, ARRL's Tech Q&A , ARRL's General Q&A , and ARRL's Extra Q&A . ARRL license manuals are also available directly from ARRL and many other ARRL publication dealers . Ad W1AW Centennial Operations Shift to Rhode Island and Mississippi; American Samoa Operation Continues The ARRL Centennial W1AW portable operations taking place throughout 2014 from each of the 50 states are now in Kansas (W1AW/0) and Washington (W1AW/7). They will transition at 0000 UTC on Wednesday, November 12 (the evening of November 11 in US time zones), to Mississippi (W1AW/5) and Rhode Island (W1AW/1). W1AW/KH8 operations from American Samoa will continue until November 12. So far during 2014, W1AW has visited each of the 50 states for at least 1 week, and by year's end W1AW will have been on the air from every state at least twice. The ARRL Centennial QSO Party kicked off January 1 for a year-long operating event in which participants can accumulate points and win awards. The event is open to all, although only ARRL members and appointees, elected officials, HQ staff and W1AW are worth ARRL Centennial QSO Party points . Working W1AW/x from each state is worth 5 points per mode/contact, even when working the same state during its second week of activity. To earn the "Worked all States with W1AW Award," work W1AW operating portable from all 50 states. (Working W1AW or W100AW in Connecticut does /not/ count for Connecticut. Participants must work W1AW/1 in Connecticut.) A W1AW WAS certificate and plaque will be available. An ARRL Centennial QSO Party leader board shows participants how many points they have accumulated in the Centennial QSO Party and in the W1AW WAS operations. Log in using your Logbook of The World (LoTW ) user name and password, and your position will appear at the top of the leader boards. Results are updated daily, based on contacts entered into LoTW. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Find ARRL on Facebook . Follow us on Twitter ! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Put On Your Radio Voice! The ARRL November Sweepstakes SSB is Just Ahead Operators in the US and Canada will exercise their vocal cords (or their digital voice memories) November 15-17 to compete in the 2014 ARRL November Sweepstakes SSB event. The action gets underway at 2100 UTC Saturday and runs through 0259 UTC Monday (Sunday evening in continental US time zones). Many operators hope to get a "Clean Sweep" by working stations in all 83 ARRL and Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) sections . "A humongous station is not required to have a lot of fun in the Sweepstakes -- modest antennas and 100 W will do just fine," SS regular and ARRL Contributing Editor Ward Silver, N0AX, commented in the November 5 edition of /The ARRL Contest Update/ newsletter. "Since only one contact per station is needed and not one per band, you can stay on your best band and work stations that tune by. Give the other bands a try, too, and you will probably be surprised at how well you do." The exchange goes like this: Call sign of the station worked, consecutive serial number, starting with 001, a precedence -- a letter that indicates your operating category; see the rules), your call sign, a check -- the last two numerals of the year you were first licensed, and the two-letter abbreviation of your ARRL or RAC section (SEC). Many stations will use phonetics for clarity, since logging accuracy is paramount in any contest. For example, if W8EXK -- a Class A station in West Virginia -- works W1MSW as his 15th contact, it would sound something like this: "/W1MSW, number 15, alpha, from whiskey eight echo x-ray kilowatt, check six-three, West Virginia/." The log entry would look something like this: *W1MSW 015 A W8EXK 63 WV*. All popular logging programs include a template for ARRL November Sweepstakes. The 2014 ARRL November Sweepstakes Operating Guide contains a collection of Sweepstakes information and links to help both newbies and old timers to understand the rules, operating techniques, and log-submission guidelines. Be sure to read the rules for all ARRL contests too. Logs are due 15 days after the event is over. CW Sweepstakes submissions must be received by 0300 UTC Tuesday, November 18, 2014. SSB logs are due by 0300 UTC on Tuesday, December 2, 2014. ARRL still accepts paper logs, but electronic Cabrillo logs submitted via e-mail are preferable. Send paper logs to: ARRL November Sweepstakes, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. WA7BNM's online Cabrillo converter lets the operator manually enter hand-logged data to create a Cabrillo file. Submitting logs electronically enhances the quality of the log-checking process and permits more rapid publication of results. Icom is the Principal Awards Sponsor for ARRL November Sweepstakes events. For more information about ARRL November Sweepstakes, contact ARRL Contest Branch Manager Matt Wilhelm, W1MSW. IARU Region 1 Approves Youth Working Group, Budget International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 (IARU R1 ) has established a Youth Working Group and appointed Region 1 Youth Coordinator Lisa Leenders, PA2LS, as Youth Working Group Chair for the next 3 years. The action came as delegates from IARU Region 1 countries (Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Northern Asia) met September 21-26 in Bulgaria for the 23rd IARU Region 1 General Conference. The minutes of the Final Plenary are now available. *IARU Region 1 Youth Working Group Chair Lisa Leenders, PA2LS.* The Youth Working Group will organize and coordinate Youngsters On The Air (YOTA ) program activities, including an annual special event. IARU Region 1 delegates also allocated 3-year budgets of $26,000 for youth projects and $2080 for the Youth Working Group. Leenders, who's 24, has been licensed since the age of 13. During December, stations in several Region 1 countries will be active with YOTA-suffix call signs. In other actions, delegates appointed a Region 1 Amateur Radio Observation Service Coordinator to establish independent AROS operations in about a half-dozen member societies "to commence the monitoring of DXpeditions for malicious QRM" and to work to identify "any patterns and possible sources of jamming." Mark Jones, G0MGX, was appointed as the AROS Coordinator. Read more . New DX Summit Website Now Beta Testing, Will Debut Formally by December 1 The DX Summit website will soon have a fresh new face and a more modern user interface. The well-known and popular portal for getting DX spots via the Internet, operated by Radio Arcala OH8X in Finland, will become "My DX Summit" -- MDXS for short -- when it formally goes live for the Amateur Radio community by December 1. Right now, though, hundreds of volunteers are beta testing the new website and offering suggestions and changes in advance of the changeover from the current site to the new one. "We ended up having 700 testers and early check-ins," Radio Arcala's Martti Laine, OH2BH, told ARRL this week. "Their input was very valuable, and we will implement those urgent ones immediately and process those many new ideas for continuing development work." Laine said that since "no major challenges" have been encountered and the system is holding up well, Radio Arcala may make the site live sooner than anticipated. My DX Summit will display spots in HTML format as they are posted, so users will not have to wait for a new set of spots to reload every 60 *Martti Laine, OH2BH [Rick Lindquist, WW1ME, photo]* seconds. The page has a clean and modern look and feel, and users can select filters in a check-off type menu. For example, users who don't want to see any VHF spots can check a box, or they can check which VHF bands they do wish to receive spots for. Receiving only CW, SSB, or digital mode spots is just a matter of clicking the appropriate boxes in the filter menu. Selected filters are listed on the top of the display. In short, the new site will let users customize the cluster postings to their particular preferences. Laine said the current DX Summit site is serving some 143,000 unique users each month. "With all these new features, we plan to double the number," he told ARRL. "What is amazing on our portal is that each user is spending an average of 55 minutes on the system. We will soon compete with their TV-watching time!"//Read more . /-- Thanks to Martti Laine, OH2BH/ Ad American Legion Amateur Radio Club Plans On-Air Tribute to Veterans Amateur Radio operators who are members of the American Legion will honor the military services and their fellow veterans in a special on-the-air tribute on Veterans Day, Tuesday, November 11. Members of The American Legion Amateur Radio Club (TALARC ) will be on the air as W9L from 1400 until 2100 UTC, from American Legion national headquarters in Indianapolis. Radio amateurs who contact the station or shortwave listeners who monitor it are eligible to receive an attractive full-color commemorative certificate. "Veterans Day is more than just a holiday. It is a time for all Americans to recognize the honorable nature of military service and the men and women who have sacrificed so much in defending our nation through the years," said TALARC President Marty Justis, W9WMJ. "This special event operation serves to underscore the importance of Veterans Day via the Amateur Radio community, to salute the men and women who have served our country honorably in uniform, and to recognize the contributions of so many military personnel." Justis also cited the contributions of MARS (Military Auxiliary Radio System) members, who arranged phone-patches that allowed soldiers in war zones, at sea, and in other overseas locations to speak directly with their families back home, especially in the pre-Internet era of the Korean and Vietnam wars. While the Internet has changed things, Justis said, Amateur Radio still assists communities in many other ways, primarily in the event of emergencies and disasters. "Many of The American Legion Amateur Radio Club's 2000 members are committed to emergency preparedness as well as promoting the hobby, art and science of Amateur Radio to young and old alike," he said. Special event station W9L will be on 20 meters SSB, 14.275 MHz ?5 kHz, IRLP Node 4816, or in Central Indiana to 146.46 MHz simplex or the 145.17 MHz repeater in Hamilton County.To receive a certificate send a 9 ? 12 self-addressed, stamped-envelop to The American Legion Amateur Radio Club, 700 N Pennsylvania St, Indianapolis, IN 46204. Tromelin Island DXpedition, FT4TA, Drawing a Crowd Pileups on the HF band are "still big and wide," according to the FT4TA DXpedition team on Tromelin Island in the Indian Ocean. Operators say they're doing their best to find "the best balance between rate and bandwidth usage" and that the sprawling and, many would say, unruly pileups are a result of the "thousands still calling." Over the November 1-2 weekend, DXers and ARRL November Sweepstakes CW participants competed for elbow room on the bands. "We know many of you still need Tromelin for an all-time new one. So, narrowing pileups too much would not be good for you," a team update said this week. "Also, there is no band open where we can stay 'all day long.'" Operators have conceded that working the US or Oceania is not easy unless European stations stand by -- "and this is something quite difficult to achieve." The FT4TA DXpedition has said its operation is a chance to get Tromelin Island off the Top 10 most-wanted lists. Right now, it's number 8 (mixed) on the ClubLog DXCC Most Wanted List . Operators at FT4TA report a lot of "unique" call signs in their log. "Keep your fingers crossed -- you'll make it!" they added. The DXpedition reports excellent propagation with several bands open at the same time for Japan, Europe, and North America. "We are trying to give the same chances to everyone," the team said, urging those attempting to snag FT4TA to respect their on-air instructions regarding which areas of the world they're focusing on. "Operators at FT4TA won't get you if they are not calling your area," they said. "We have been able to enjoy some short openings with the West Coast on [long path]," they said. "We will keep our efforts on low bands and try again to be on 160, 80, and 40 at our sunset," although 75 meter SSB operation was not in the team's plan "and we are not sure to try again as conditions on this band are not the best for SSB." The six-station operation has "found a good rhythm, working radio until falling asleep on the keyboard; eat, sleep, radio, repeat. Everyone is tired but over-motivated to satisfy the entire community." The FT4TA DXpedition has been uploading its logs to Logbook of The World (LoTW ). FT4TA operation will continue until November 10 (UTC). The DXpedition is the recipient of an ARRL Colvin Award grant. South African 5 MHz Research Project Sees Unexpected Results A 5 MHz propagation research project in South Africa has encountered some unexpected results regarding near-vertical incidence skywave (NVIS) propagation on that band. The project is a joint venture between the South African Radio League (SARL ) and the Kempton Park Amateur Radio Technical Society, where one 5 MHz beacon has been installed. An interesting, but tentative, finding was inconsistent NVIS propagation test results. NVIS takes advantage of skywave propagation for short-distance communication, especially on the lower end of the HF spectrum. An /EE Publishers/ article described the preliminary test results. "Comparing a communications path between two amateur stations, ZS6KN and ZS6KTS (distance of 51 km), it is interesting to note that in June 2014 there was a good communications path from just after [0500] till approximately 1630, after which the signals disappeared," the article recounted, noting that the pattern for July was the same, but signals were considerably stronger than during August and September. The experimenters also observed that the band opens earlier and closes later heading into summer (winter in the Northern Hemisphere), "which indicates variations in the ionization of the D layer of the ionosphere as the sun rises earlier and sets later," the article said, noting, however, that not enough data have been collected to draw any meaningful conclusions. The project uses several automated beacons using /WSPR/ (Weak Signal Propagation Reporter), which was developed by Joe Taylor, K1JT. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has awarded two licenses to the SARL to carry out 5 MHz propagation research in advance of World Radiocommunication Conference 2015 (WRC-15 ). Conference agenda item 1.4 would grant radio amateurs a secondary allocation within the band 5250 to 5450 kHz. Several countries, including the US, have allocated discrete channels to the Amateur Service on a secondary basis. Dominica Now Permits 60 Meter Operation Dominica (J7) is among the latest countries to allocate spectrum in the vicinity of 5 MHz to Amateur Radio. The Dominica National Telecommunications Regulator, NTRC, has granted hams on the Caribbean island the ability to operate on five 3 kHz-wide channels on the 60 meter band. Dial frequencies are 5330.5, 5346.5, 5355.5, 5371.5, and 5403.5 kHz at 50 W PEP on SSB only. The channels are only available to General and Advanced licensees in the Commonwealth of Dominica. With the exception of 5355.5, the channels are the same as those available to hams in the US. -- /Thanks to Dominica NTRC/ The ITU Elects a New Secretary-General At the 19th International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference in Busan, South Korea, member states *ITU Secretary-General Designate Houlin Zhao.* confirmed candidates for the organization's five elected posts, as well as the 12 members of the Radio Regulations Board and the 48 Members of ITU Council, the administrative body that governs the ITU in between quadrennial plenipotentiary conferences. Houlin Zhao of China succeeded in his bid to become the next Secretary-General of the ITU, after serving for 8 years as Deputy Secretary-General. He will succeed Dr Hamadoun Tour?, HB9EHT, on January 1, 2015. Malcolm Johnson of the United Kingdom was elected as the ITU's new Deputy Secretary-General. Fran?ois Rancy of France was confirmed for a second term as the Director of ITU's Radiocommunication Bureau. /-- Thanks to IARU Region 1 News/ Ad Kentucky Historical Society Honors Former ARRL Director Former ARRL Great Lakes Division Director Gary Johnston, KI4LA, has been named as the recipient of the Kentucky Historical Society's 2014 Award of Distinction. Johnston chaired the ARRL Board of Directors Historical Committee during his tenure, which included stints as both a Vice Director and Director. Johnston is president of the Board of Trustees of the Behringer-Crawford Museum (BCM ) in Covington, Kentucky, which also received a History Award. According *Gary Johnston, KI4LA.* to an article in the /Cincinnati Enquirer/, the Award of Distinction goes to a volunteer, board member, or member of an organization who has made a significant contribution to state and local history during his or her career. "Since joining BCM's board of trustees in 2003, Johnston has had a significant impact on the museum and the communities it serves," the article said. "During thousands of volunteer hours, he redesigned and upgraded the museum's computer systems, chaired the committee that revamped its organizational structure, and helped secure more than $2.3 million in funding to complete the museum's major expansion which opened in 2007." Johnston also was credited with applying his technical and creative talents to enhance and promote the museum's exhibits and events. He currently chairs the museum's Capital Improvements Committee and has raised more than a quarter-million dollars for additional museum improvements. Read more . International Amateur Radio-Scouter Shelly Weil, K2BS, SK Sheldon "Shelly" Weil, K2BS (ex-W2GQN), of Delray Beach, Florida, died October 29, following complications resulting from serious injuries sustained in a fall. He was 81. Weil, an ARRL member, was legendary within Scouting's Amateur Radio community, and regularly attended National and World Jamborees, helping to staff the Amateur Radio station and sharing his affection for ham radio with the Scouts on hand. *Shelly Weil, K2BS.* "Shelly made an unforgettable impression on me at the 1973 Jamboree East," said ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. "I may have had the title of KJ3BSA station manager, but it was Shelly's experience and remarkable scavenging ability that was the essential ingredient to the success of the ham radio tent." ARRL staff member and Scout leader Larry Wolfgang, WR1B, recalled how Weil would arrive at K2BSA during Scout Jamborees with a transceiver and amplifier in tow. "He would get on the air and make many contacts with his friends and acquaintances around the world, giving many Scouts an opportunity to get on the air," Wolfgang said. A Brooklyn, New York, native, Weil graduated from Brooklyn College with a degree in psychology. He was an Eagle Scout who subsequently was recognized with other Scouting honors and awards. He once served as chairman of the National Jewish Committee on Scouting . Weil also served the Anti-Defamation League as a regional board member. During a World Scout Jamboree in Japan several years ago, Weil took part in the rescue effort after a typhoon that occurred during the event. In those pre-Internet days, Weil was able to use Amateur Radio to let parents back home know that their youngsters were okay. The family has invited memorial contributions to the Anti-Defamation League or to Friends of Israel Scouts . -- Read more . A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL VHF/UHF scanners had become very common by the 1990s, and many local and state governments enacted laws making their use illegal. At the same time, several manufacturers of amateur VHF/UHF equipment started including scanners in their amateur transceivers, which provided reception outside the ham bands. This put some hams between a rock and a hard place. In the late 1980s, the ARRL launched an effort to have the FCC clarify its rules regarding scanners. Finally, on August 20, 1993, FCC published a /Memorandum and Order/ to settle the issue. The /Order/ stated that hams have a federal right to own and operate their equipment, which preempts state and local radio laws. Furthermore, the FCC's decision supported, at length, the very essence of the purpose of the Amateur Service. Once again, the League represented our interests and preserved our place in radio. One of the Nobel Prizes awarded in 1993 went to Joe Taylor, K1JT, and Russell Hulse, ex-WB2LAV, for their discovery of binary pulsars and their investigation of the gravitational fields exerted by those ultra-dense stars. Joe credited his interest in Amateur Radio while still a teenager as leading to his chosen field of physics and to his Nobel Prize. By 1995, the FCC had implemented electronic filing of license applications, greatly reducing the time lapse between passing a license exam and getting the license. The new system often reduced the waiting period to as little as 2 weeks. By the 1990s, digital signal processing (DSP) was coming into use in the form of both homebrewed and factory-made devices. "DSP -- An Intuitive Approach," by W9GR, in the February 1996 issue of /QST/ explained how DSP works and urged hams to give it a try./-- Al Brogdon, W1AB/ The K7RA Solar Update Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: Solar activity softened a bit this week. From October 30 through November 5, the average daily sunspot number was 95.7 -- down 24.2 points from the previous 7 days. Average daily solar flux declined from 198 to 127.9. The latest forecast has solar flux at 135 on November 6-7, then 130, 135, and 140 on November 8-10, 145 on November 11-12, then 150, 160, and 170 on November 13-15. Solar flux will jump to 180 on November 16-17, 190 on November 18, and peak at 200 on November 19-20, before dropping below 100 after November 30 and reaching a low of 80 on December 5. Flux values then rise to 180 on December 16-17. The predicted Planetary A Index is 8, 10, 8, 12, and 10 on November 6-10, then 8 on November 11-13, jumping to 12 on November 14-15, then 22, 15, and 10 on November 16-18, then 8 on November 19-21, and 12 on November 22-24. This weekly "Solar Update" in /The ARRL Letter/ is a preview of the "Propagation Bulletin" issued each Friday. The latest bulletin and an archive of past propagation bulletins is on the ARRL website. In Friday's bulletin, look for an updated forecast and an update of our 3-month moving average of sunspot numbers. Send me /your/ reports and observations. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just Ahead in Radiosport * November 7 -- NS Weekly RTTY Sprint * November 7 -- NS Weekly CW Sprint * November 8-9 -- Worked All Europe DX Contest * *November 8-9 -- **ARRL EME Contest * * November 8-9 -- 10-10 Fall Digital QSO Party * November 8-9 -- Japan International DX Contest * November 8-9 -- OK-OM DX Contest * November 8-9 -- Straight Key Weekend Sprintathon * November 8-9 -- Kentucky QSO Party * November 8-10 -- CQ WE (Western Electric) See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events * November 8 -- Alabama State Convention , Montgomery, Alabama * November 15-16 -- Indiana State Convention , Fort Wayne, Indiana * December 12-13 -- West Central Florida Section Convention , Plant City, Florida * January 4 -- New York City/Long Island Section Convention , Bethpage, New York * January 10 -- TECHFEST , Lawrenceville, Georgia * January 23-24 -- Mississippi State Convention , Jackson, Mississippi * January 23-25 -- Puerto Rico State Convention , Hatillo, Puerto Rico * February 7 -- South Carolina State Convention , North Charleston, South Carolina * February 7 -- Virginia State Convention , Richmond, Virginia Find conventions and hamfests in your area . * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ * **** *ARRL *-- *Your One-Stop Resource for * *Amateur Radio News and Information * * Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes /QST/ , Amateur Radio's most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month. * Listen to /ARRL Audio News/ , available every Friday. Subscribe to... * /NCJ / /-- National Contest Journal/ . Published bi-monthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties. * /QEX/ *//*/-- A Forum for Communications Experimenters/ . 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 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 ARRL on Facebook ! Follow us on Twitter ! Ad Ad Ad Ad Ad ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 50 times each year. ARRL members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member Data Page as described at http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/. Copyright ? 2014 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved www.arrl.org From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Nov 7 10:43:45 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 07 Nov 2014 10:43:45 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Cy Harris Memorial Free Flea - November 8, Oakland Park In-Reply-To: <54561349.3030008@bellsouth.net> References: <54561349.3030008@bellsouth.net> Message-ID: <545CE8B1.4000502@bellsouth.net> *Cy Harris Memorial* *FREE FLEA* November 8th 2014 7AM until noon Collins Community Center 3900 NE 3rd Avenue Oakland Park, FL 33334 * ARRL VEC Testing 10AM, $15, Bring ID! * Door Prizes at 11AM. * Free Buying/Selling as long as spaces last * Limited inside tables for BARC members * Talk-in: 146.91, -600, PL 110.9 * More info, email: info at w4ab.org or call 954 667-3553 Still South Florida's Largest Free Radio and Electronics Trading Event! From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sat Nov 8 17:02:41 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sat, 08 Nov 2014 17:02:41 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] From ARRL - American Legion Amateur Radio Club Plans On-Air Tribute Message-ID: <545E9301.8010302@bellsouth.net> American Legion Amateur Radio Club Plans On-Air Tribute to Veterans11/07/2014 Amateur Radio operators who are members of the American Legion will honor the military services and their fellow veterans in a special on-the-air tribute on Veterans Day, Tuesday, November 11. Members of The American Legion Amateur Radio Club (*TALARC* ) will be on the air as W9L from 1400 until 2100 UTC, from American Legion national headquarters in Indianapolis. Radio amateurs who contact the station or shortwave listeners who monitor it are eligible to receive an attractive full-color commemorative certificate. "Veterans Day is more than just a holiday. It is a time for all Americans to recognize the honorable nature of military service and the men and women who have sacrificed so much in defending our nation through the years," said TALARC President Marty Justis, W9WMJ. "This special event operation serves to underscore the importance of Veterans Day via the Amateur Radio community, to salute the men and women who have served our country honorably in uniform, and to recognize the contributions of so many military personnel." Justis also cited the contributions of MARS (Military Auxiliary Radio System) members, who arranged phone-patches that allowed soldiers in war zones, at sea, and in other overseas locations to speak directly with their families back home, especially in the pre-Internet era of the Korean and Vietnam wars. While the Internet has changed things, Justis said, Amateur Radio still assists communities in many other ways, primarily in the event of emergencies and disasters. "Many of The American Legion Amateur Radio Club's 2000 members are committed to emergency preparedness as well as promoting the hobby, art and science of Amateur Radio to young and old alike," he said. Special event station W9L will be on 20 meters SSB, 14.275 MHz ?5 kHz, IRLP Node 4816, or in Central Indiana to 146.46 MHz simplex or the 145.17 MHz repeater in Hamilton County.To receive a certificate send a 9 ? 12 self-addressed, stamped-envelop to The American Legion Amateur Radio Club, 700 N Pennsylvania St, Indianapolis, IN 46204. http://www.arrl.org/news/american-legion-amateur-radio-club-plans-on-air-tribute-to-veterans From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sun Nov 9 11:35:40 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 11:35:40 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] How To Roll Your Own - Hand Making Of Vacuum Tubes Message-ID: <545F97DC.9070809@bellsouth.net> Just in case you were looking for another hobby or a new career... Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl-QMuUQhVM&feature=youtu.be Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S5OwqOXen8 From bmarx at bellsouth.net Mon Nov 10 08:22:45 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 08:22:45 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] =?windows-1252?q?My_Story=3A_July_1?= =?windows-1252?q?7th_1964=2C=28IT=92S_JUST_A_HOBBY!=29_-__from_eHam?= Message-ID: <5460BC25.7080803@bellsouth.net> From eHam... http://www.eham.net/articles/33055 My Story: July 17th 1964 from Steve Fetter, WA8UEG on November 4, 2014 View comments about this article! *My Story: July 17th 1964 (IT?S JUST A HOBBY!)*** *By: Steve Fetter, WA8UEG * 50 years ago this month, that was the day I received an envelope from the FCC containing my Novice licensee. It was also the day that eventually determined my path in life. Some say Amateur Radio is ?just a hobby? for me, it is, and always has been much more than a hobby. In 1961 I was sitting at our kitchen table finishing up my homework when my brother walked in carrying a strange looking box. ?What?s that.? I asked? A 2 way radio he explained followed up by ?you wanna help setting it up?? A friend of the family, Tim had sold the property and buildings his Dads plant sat on when his Dad passed away and became a multi-millionaire at a very young age then retired. My brother said that Tim had a bunch of 2 way radios left over and had given him 2, one for the home and one for his car. He also gave a couple of my brothers? friends one for their cars so they could all keep in touch. As it turned out he needed to install an antenna for the radio to work and my job was to dig the hole for the pipe that would hold it, I should have known! Once everything was set up we could hear other stations talking, I was fascinated and asked if I could talk to one of the stations. That?s when my brother informed me that you needed a CB licensee and to get one you had to be 18 years old. He then showed me a document that stated that any illegal operation of the radio would be subject to a fine, removal of all equipment and could result in being sent to prison. He said I could listen all I wanted but if I ever pushed the mic button Feds would be at our house within the hour, I believed it and think he did also. Well listen I did, in 1961 CB in a small Midwest town was very respectable. Everyone used call signs and all conversations were polite. Sometimes ?skip? would come in and I would hear stations in Texas, Florida and other states, I spent hours monitoring. One day while listening Tim came over and sat down, he explained that CB was for just talking local, what would be of much greater interest would be Short Wave listening and Amateur Radio. He proceeded to explain SWL?ing and the difference between Ham Radio and CB. He also left a number of Popular Electronics (at the time there was a section on short wave listening) along with some 73 & QST magazines for me to look over. After reading the magazines and with Christmas just around the corner I made it clear that the only thing on my list was a short wave receiver. My parents were at best on the low end of middle income and they made no promises that a short wave receiver was a realistic Christmas gift. I told them Tim could probably advise on a low cost receiver that would work and kept my fingers crossed. When Christmas morning arrived I bolted out of bed and ran to the tree, my heart sank as there was a headlight for my bike, a couple of model cars and the wrapped boxes appeared to be clothing boxes. I opened the first box, a turtle neck sweater. When I opened the 2nd box my heart skipped a beat, in it was a Knight Kit Span Master shortwave receiver kit. In another box marked ?from Santa? was a soldiering iron, soldier, wire strippers, diagonal cutters and a assortment of screw drivers. I later learned that these had come from Tim. When my parents got up I was reading and trying to understand the assembly instructions. My dad said before I started I was to give Tim a call, which I did, and he asked that I read and study the instructions and match everything in the kit to the parts list to make sure nothing was missing. He said he would be over the next day around 10AM and help me get started. When Tim arrived the next day he had a bag with him, we went upstairs to my desk where I planned to assemble the Span Master and set up the station like the stations I had seen in the magazines. In the bag was a plate with terminal strips mounted on it and some wire. He first showed me how then had me cut & strip all the wire pieces on both ends. Next he explained and showed me how to tin the wires and finally had me install the wires on the terminal strips he had brought after which he demonstrated the proper way to solider. I must have soldered more than 60 wires on the terminal strips. Before we started assembly Tim took each component and explained what it was and what purpose it served, resistors, disc capacitors, transformers, each tube, variable capacitors everything. It seemed like it took a lifetime as I wanted to start building but it was actually a just over an hour. Finally we began; he made sure I was careful to make sure everything was done proper and neat. All leads had to be as shot as possible; all wires had to be bent at right angles and neatly ran. After he was convinced I had everything down pat he left and told me to take a break every 45 minutes. He asked that I call him prior to plugging it in and giving it the ?smoke test?. A couple of days later the kit was complete, I had a 100 foot long wire antenna installed and ready to connect so I gave Tim a call, he was at my house in less than 30 minutes. He spent a while looking everything over and praised me for a job that looked better than most store bought receivers he had seen so we connected the antenna and plugged it in. After it warmed up and I set the regenerative control and with a small turn on the band spread I heard a station, it was the BBC in London. Tim said he had to run but had something in the car for me, it was a headset ?so I wouldn?t drive my parents crazy.? For the next couple of months I sent and received QSL cards from broadcast stations but started to listen more and more and more to the ham bands, I sent out several SWL cards to hams and received a return card for everyone I sent out, most had a note saying they hope to meet me on the air some day. One day I heard a very strong station and thought it had to be close to me but his call was not in my very old callbook that Tim had given me so I had no way of knowing where he was. I told Tim about it and he said not to worry he had a cure and dropped off a newer call book to me. I looked up the call and sure enough he was only a couple of miles from me, it was now spring so it would be an easy bike ride. On Saturday I went looking for the house and it was easy to spot, a huge antenna on a tower in the back yard, I introduced myself and gave him my SWL card filled out with the contact info I had heard. He said ?welcome, my name is Tony? and spent the next hour with me explaining his station, antenna, amplifier, etc. then he got on the air and let me talk , no more listening to the broadcast stations for me after that. He had a novice licensee manual and gave it to me on my way out. I told Tim I was going to start studying for my Novice and he suggested I learn the code first. The following Monday there was a code practice oscillator, a hand key on a heavy base and a ARRL book on learning morse code, I started immediately. Once I had learned the code he suggested I listen to the W1AW practice sessions. I tried but to say tuning W1AW in on my Span Master was tough was an understatement. Tim told me he had something that should help and a few days later brought over a BC454, a schematic and all the parts to build a power supply for it. He later admitted he had a power supply but wanted me to learn how to read a schematic plus the practice of building the supply from scratch. With his help we had the BC454 running in a few hours, W1AW code practice sessions were no longer a problem and before I knew it I was copying 10 WPM and studying for the Novice. Back then the licensee manual gave a question then a brief explanation of why the answer was the correct answer. It also referenced a section in the ARRL handbook to go for further information. You guessed it; Tim supplied me with a handbook and insisted I know the reference material in the handbook then quizzed me on it. In the spring of 1964 I was on my way to work at my summer job and there was an accident, which made me pedal an alternate route through the ritzy country club housing division. From a distance away I spotted a 5-element beam on top of a very tall tower and made a mental note to come back the same way and check it out. After work as I was approaching the house when I saw a man parking his car in the driveway, I pulled my bike next to him ?are you a ham?? I asked. ?yes, my name is Jim and I have been one for over 20 years.? He replied. I explained I was working on my Novice and he invited me in to see his station. By now I had been in several area ham shacks but this one was special, a custom console housed a Collins S line, rotor indicator, antenna switch and most impressive was the room itself. Thus far all the ?shacks? I had been in were in the basement with wires and cables running everywhere, this was a room on the main floor and no visible signs of wires anywhere! He explained that his wife?s mother was in Colorado and very sick and she was with her family in Colorado for the next several weeks so he had lots of time for the radio. We arranged to meet on Saturday after work; he said not to worry about dinner as he would have a pizza delivered while we hammed it up. I said I was not sure if my parents would approve but he said just to give them his name as he knew both my oldest brother and dad well. When I told my parents they said no problem, seems he owned the largest Oldsmobile dealership in central Ohio. During our visits he operated CW at slow speeds and had me write it down as he copied it in his head then he would put the dummy load on and send while I copied, Then he would have me send and fine tune my wrist. He also went over the theory with me asking questions and then explained what the answer would be used for in the real world, if was still unsure he would explain further. 3 weeks later I was over and he said lets practice at some higher speeds and so we did. When he was done and looked over my copy he said congratulations, you just passed your novice code test at 13 WPM, the same as the general requirement. He said he would send away for the written portion and should receive it in a week or so. I told him that he should hold off for a few months as I needed to save enough for a transmitter. He asked me to wait a second and disappeared. About 10 minutes later he returned with a transmitter (Globe Scout) and said ?this should do just fine? and told me it was not a gift but a loan that I could use at long as I wanted, it had been his novice transmitter. He went through the crystals he had in a box and removed all that were not in the novice bands, there were quite a few but only two for 80 meters the only band my BC454 would work on but that was just fine with me. Feeling pretty confident about passing the novice written exam I began thinking about a 80 meter dipole. Here I was very lucky, my brother worked at a company that made ballasts, when they would get toward the end of the large spools of wire they would discard the remaining wire on the spool which was usually 100 to 150? of #14 solid copper. Near me was a surplus store that sold 2?X2? sheets of 1/ 2 inch polycarbonate very cheap. I cut a rectangle piece from the sheet and rounded the corners then mounted a SO239 in it drilling 2 holes on both sides of the SO 239 for strain relief on the wires. I then cut 2 more rectangles for the end insulators. The very first ham I had met (Tony) often stopped by and happened to going by when he saw me in the yard working on the antenna and stopped to see what I was up to. He asked how I planned on tuning it, I said I cut it to the formula 468/FQ in MC I had learned. He said that may or may not be close but that he had a grid dip meter and we could check and tune it with that. He also was impressed with the homebrew dipole and asked what I was using for the feedline, I told him I still needed to buy some coax. He had a deal for me, I make him an 80-meter dipole and he would give me the coax I needed. That night I made another center connector and two more end insulators then cut and assembled a duplicate 80 meter dipole except cut for the center of the phone band per his request. After we checked both with his meter (neither needed any adjustment) Tony helped hang it in the trees and get the feedline through the upstairs window to where the shack was located. As he was leaving he said I should make up Novice band 80 & 40/15 meter dipoles and sell them at hamfests. While waiting for my ?ticket? I began making dipoles, Tim suggested I also make and sell just the center connector and end insulators so I made a lot of those also. At the first hamfest Tim and I attended I sold enough antennas to purchase a Heathkit Cheyenne receiver and power supply plus a DX40. I returned the Globe Scout and Tim said to keep the BC454. The new receiver made a huge difference and now I was also on 40 & 15. I decided to build a 2-element beam that I had seen in QST for 15, when that was in the air I began working DX on 15. The hole I had dug and the pipe I helped to install for my brother was well worth my time as it was now my tower for the beam as my brother had graduated and moved out, he had left the small rotor attached to the pipe. At the next hamfest I sold enough antennas to buy a brand new Heathkit DX 60 kit and a new HM102 SWR/watt meter kit, which I had assembled and on the air in about a week. Prior to Dayton Tim took me to Detroit where I passed my General followed by a trip to the Ford Museum, it was a great day, a day I will never forget! At Dayton I sold a ton of antennas, my DX60 & Cheyenne and bought a Heath TX1 Apache & RX1 Mohawk along with the SB10 sideband adapter. In the flea market I found the 6 and 2-meter converters for the Mohawk at a great price and bought those also. At the Cincinnati hamfest I picked up a TA33 & Warrior amp with the money I made from antenna sales! A year Later a friend told me about a ham near me who had a Marauder and was in poor health so was selling his station at a very low price; I went over and took a look. I couldn?t pass it up and the Apache and SB10 were on my tailgate at the next hamfest, I decided I had the station I wanted so did not make or sell any more antennas. The Apache and SB10 sold quickly and I was going to make an early day of it when I saw a Seneca for 6 & 2 meters for sale along with a Mosley 6 element wide spaced 6 meter beam, It was the missing piece to the station and both the antenna and beam went home with Tim & I. Fast-forwarding a couple of years I will complete the rest of the story. My brother got me an sfter school job in the engineering department where he worked; my job was cleaning up the labs and putting equipment and tools away. It was only my 3rd day on the job and a Friday, the lab Techs were trying to hook up a light fixture and measure volts, amps, and watts with separate meters at the output of a mercury vapor ballast operating a light fixture. They were frustrated and it was after 5, the manager of the department was there trying to help to no avail. I asked if I could give it a try, he looked at me like I was nuts but I assured him I was pretty sure I could get all the meters working where they needed to make the measurements. He said, ?go for it.? I drew out a schematic of the circuit and where to attach the leads from each meter, and it worked. That night when I got home I became nervous and double-checked what I had done. I was convinced everything was OK. When I went to work the following day the manager said that Jack wanted to see me in his office, Jack was the Senior VP of Engineering and in charge of all the labs. Ought oh, what went wrong, did I kill a meter, start a fire, mess up the test somehow? I went up to his office and told his secretary he asked to see me and she told me to go in that he was expecting me. I knocked on his door and he said ?come in? then he said ?close the door and have a seat,? beads of sweat were forming on my forehead. He pulled the schematic I had drawn from his draw and said ?this is very good? and asked how I knew so much about electronics. I explained that I was an Amateur Radio operator and had passed the General exam at the Federal Communications Commission office in Detroit Michigan and that I had also passed a 13 WPM Morse code test. I went on and told him that I had built transmitters, receivers, test instruments and antennas and that my interest started when I was 12. He said he never thought he would say this to a part time high school student but that I was over qualified for cleaning out labs and if I would be interested in working part time as a lab technician, my pay would be doubled. After working out the summer as a lab tech I was offered a full time position till the fall when I started college. Further, they let me work as many hours as I could while attending college. Five years later I was working as senior test engineer for their Photometric Lab when I was offered a position as Manager of Engineering for another lighting company based in Pennsylvania and accepted the job at the ripe old age of 26. Still I loved the time I spent wheeling and dealing and selling at the hamfests a few years earlier and found myself becoming more and more involved in the sales end of the business. After 5 years with the company I left and started my own independent rep agency for commercial light fixtures back in Ohio. In Ohio I met several new hams and we all became good friends. The 6 of us went to up state Michigan every year for more than 35 years, set up a station and fished for 3 or 4 days. We still arrange to meet for a long weekend a couple of times a year with our XYL?S and set up schedules during the year to chat. The 6 of us have now been good friends since 1977. Today I?m still in the business, although winding it down, and working as an Independent Sales Representative in the lighting industry. To me Amateur Radio is a passion. It has been responsible for my career, along with lifelong friends and introduced me to new friends almost every year since obtaining my licensee. None of this would have happened or even been possible were it not for Ham Radio. Amateur Radio has been much much more than ?just a hobby? for me. Although he never smoked or drank and only ate healthy food my dear friend Tim passed away at the age of 59 from cancer, we remained close friends up to his last day. A few months ago I read in the silent keys section of QST that Tony had passed away, after I moved from Ohio we talked on the air for a few years then lost contact. Jim, sold the car dealership and moved to Arizona 30 years ago and we never were in contact after he moved, his car dealership is still going strong and still bears his name in my home town. Me, well after 50 years you can find me on the air most everyday somewhere between 160 & 6 meters rag chewing on CW or SSB, chasing a DXpedtion or new country, operating a contest, checking into a 60 meter net or chasing a new grid or country on 6. http://www.eham.net/articles/33055 From bmarx at bellsouth.net Mon Nov 10 13:04:11 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 13:04:11 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] For Sale - SteppIR DB 18 In-Reply-To: <8D1CA5342DA79D9-1760-12D99@webmail-vm011.sysops.aol.com> References: <8D1CA5342DA79D9-1760-12D99@webmail-vm011.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <5460FE1B.8000009@bellsouth.net> For Sale - SteppIR DB 18 The antenna has an almost new controller which includes the optional computer interface. Also I bought two replacement EHU'S in order to be sure I had the updated design. The boom is 20' and the elements are broken down in half, approximately 18' long and very light. It should be easy transport using roof racks.It would need to be picked up here in Lighthouse Point Florida. I think $1200 is a more than a fair price. They sell for over $ 3200 new.http://www.steppir.com/db18e-yagi Details available via email. W1FC/4 FRED COLLINS Please Contact Fred Directly and not me. Bill W2CQ From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Nov 11 18:18:44 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 18:18:44 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ARLS007 AMSAT Celebrates 40 Years in Space for AO-7 In-Reply-To: <54628D5D.1070902@bellsouth.net> References: <54628D5D.1070902@bellsouth.net> Message-ID: <54629954.4090202@bellsouth.net> SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS007 ARLS007 AMSAT Celebrates 40 Years in Space for AO-7 ZCZC AS07 QST de W1AW Space Bulletin 007 ARLS007 >From ARRL Headquarters Newington, CT November 11, 2014 To all radio amateurs SB SPACE ARL ARLS007 ARLS007 AMSAT Celebrates 40 Years in Space for AO-7 Saturday, November 15, will mark 40 years since the AMSAT-OSCAR 7 (AO-7) ham radio satellite went into space from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Special Event W7O will be on the air November 15-24 to commemorate the launch of AO-7, the oldest working Amateur Radio satellite. Satellite aficionado Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK/VA7EWK, who secured W7O for the occasion, plans to work satellite passes during the special event from Arizona, including AO-7 passes. He also hopes to recruit other operators to participate in the celebration from other locations and on other bands, including HF. "I am thinking of incorporating the original QSL card design AMSAT used to confirm AO-7 reception reports from the 1970s in the W7O card," Stoddard said. He's still seeking a good scan of both sides of the 1970s card. "The QSL cards will be printed after the W7O activity wraps up," he added, noting that he plans to upload W7O contacts to ARRL's Logbook of The World (LoTW). AO-7 was the second so-called "Phase 2" Amateur Radio satellite that AMSAT-NA constructed and launched into low-Earth orbit. It remained in operation until a short circuit occurred in a battery in 1981. More than 20 years later, however, AO-7 unexpectedly returned to life, its 2 meter beacon showing up on 145.9775 MHz. AMSAT describes the Mode A/B bird as "semi-operational" and dependent upon its solar panels for a reliable power source; AO-7 works only as long as its solar panels are illuminated by sunlight. Satellite experts speculate that AO-7's resurrection occurred when the short circuit in the battery opened up for some reason, allowing the solar cells to power the spacecraft. When the satellite goes into eclipse, it powers down. Since the satellite became undead, terrestrial users have enjoyed numerous contacts via AO-7. The eclipse period, during which AO-7 falls silent, lasts from mid-spring to mid-summer. According to its operating plan, AO-7 switches to Mode B (70 centimeters up/2 meters down) at 0000 UTC. AO-7 has beacons on 29.502 MHz (used in conjunction with Mode A) and, nominally, on 145.972 MHz (used in conjunction with Mode B and Mode C - low power Mode B). The 435.100 MHz beacon has an intermittent problem, switching between 400 mW and 10 mW Stoddard said he has had heard from a lot of hams interested in taking part in the W7O operation, but he pointed out that W7O can only be used in areas where Amateur Radio is regulated by the FCC. He said that he's seeking satellite operators in different parts of the US, especially in the Eastern US capable of working Europe, North Africa, and South America, as well as other North American station. In addition to satellite bands, Stoddard said, he'll take signups for 1-hour increments on HF (excluding 60 meters) plus 6 meters, for CW, SSB, and digital modes, but he'd like to avoid having two stations operating at W7O on the same band/mode combination at the same time. Contact Stoddard for more information at,patrick at wd9ewk.net . "Once I get some operating commitments from operators, I will publish the schedule through a link on my WD9EWK QRZ.com entry and my web page," Stoddard said. "This way, others will know where and when to look for W7O during this 10-day period." AMSAT has posted a series of photos documenting the early OSCAR years, including AO-7, on the AMSAT web at, http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/images/fck_images/AMSAT-OSCAR_Space_Day_5-7-11(1).pdf . NNNN /EX From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Nov 14 07:36:20 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 07:36:20 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Law Of Fuses: Message-ID: <5465F744.5080100@bellsouth.net> Law Of Fuses: if you need one, buy five. If it's because you were tinkering, buy ten - KD0REQ From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Nov 14 16:22:40 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 16:22:40 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Icom 7000 For Sale References: Message-ID: <43959772-C0D9-41D2-BCB7-05411FEFFF81@bellsouth.net> Icom 7000 For Sale > > I have a very clean Icom 7000 for sale complete with separation kit and mounting plate. Also included is a matching LDG IT100 automatic antenna tuner. Never mobile. Asking $1150.00 Contact: John Sharp, K2SHA at arrl.net From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sat Nov 15 11:34:44 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sat, 15 Nov 2014 11:34:44 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Antenna Planning for Small HF, Stations (and even larger ones) - K9YC Message-ID: <546780A4.8040103@bellsouth.net> Antenna Planning for Small HF Stations (and even larger ones) by Jim Brown K9YC k9yc at arrl.net What This Is About? This is the third in a series of studies focused on antenna systems for limited space, and/or with limited availability of supports. http://k9yc.com/VertOrHorizontal-Slides.pdf http://k9yc.com/publish.htm From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sun Nov 16 07:16:22 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 07:16:22 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Lightning Maps In-Reply-To: <54689565.4000208@bellsouth.net> References: <54689565.4000208@bellsouth.net> Message-ID: <54689596.1090506@bellsouth.net> Real Time Lightning Map http://www.lightningmaps.org/realtime From k.siwiak at ieee.org Mon Nov 17 12:08:05 2014 From: k.siwiak at ieee.org (Kai) Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 12:08:05 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Comet lander does several "touch and go" landings Message-ID: <546A2B75.2080206@ieee.org> Talk about a hairy landing! http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30083969 You can even see the three depressions in the 15:43 photo. Cheers! Kai From k.siwiak at ieee.org Wed Nov 19 09:31:49 2014 From: k.siwiak at ieee.org (Kai) Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 09:31:49 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] QRP operation from New Zealand Message-ID: <546CA9D5.60805@ieee.org> ZL/KE4PT will operate portable QRP from hilltop locations in New Zealand between 2014 Nov 30 and 2014 Dec 16. Holiday style operation, mainly JT65 and CW. QSL via LOTW and Home Call. 73 Kai, KE4PT From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Nov 19 09:47:40 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 09:47:40 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] [SFDXA] QRP operation from New Zealand In-Reply-To: <546CA9D5.60805@ieee.org> References: <546CA9D5.60805@ieee.org> Message-ID: <546CAD8C.6060008@bellsouth.net> No EME? Bill On 11/19/2014 9:31 AM, Kai wrote: > ZL/KE4PT will operate portable QRP from hilltop locations in New > Zealand between 2014 Nov 30 and 2014 Dec 16. > Holiday style operation, mainly JT65 and CW. QSL via LOTW and Home Call. > > 73 > Kai, KE4PT > ______________________________________________________________ > South Florida DX Assoc. "SINCE 1974" > "OUR 40th ANNIVERSARY!" > SFDXA WebSite: http://www.SFDXA.com > SFDXA Repeater 147.33+ 103.5 Tone > To Post: mailto:SFDXA at mailman.qth.net > To UNSUBSCRIBE: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/sfdxa > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > From k.siwiak at ieee.org Wed Nov 19 10:05:04 2014 From: k.siwiak at ieee.org (Kai) Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 10:05:04 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] [SFDXA] QRP operation from New Zealand In-Reply-To: <546CAD8C.6060008@bellsouth.net> References: <546CA9D5.60805@ieee.org> <546CAD8C.6060008@bellsouth.net> Message-ID: <546CB1A0.7070406@ieee.org> Hee hee hee!! No EME, the antennas and PA would not fit in my pockets - even the cargo pants. -Kai On 11/19/2014 9:47 AM, Bill wrote: > No EME? > Bill > > > On 11/19/2014 9:31 AM, Kai wrote: >> ZL/KE4PT will operate portable QRP from hilltop locations in New Zealand >> between 2014 Nov 30 and 2014 Dec 16. >> Holiday style operation, mainly JT65 and CW. QSL via LOTW and Home Call. >> >> 73 >> Kai, KE4PT >> ______________________________________________________________ >> South Florida DX Assoc. "SINCE 1974" >> "OUR 40th ANNIVERSARY!" >> SFDXA WebSite: http://www.SFDXA.com >> SFDXA Repeater 147.33+ 103.5 Tone >> To Post: mailto:SFDXA at mailman.qth.net >> To UNSUBSCRIBE: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/sfdxa >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >> > > From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Nov 20 15:10:10 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 15:10:10 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] =?windows-1252?q?Riley_Hollingswort?= =?windows-1252?q?h_to_North_Carolina_Club=3A_Amateur_Enforcement_=93Very_?= =?windows-1252?q?Much_Alive=94?= In-Reply-To: <20141120194619.423B426FC29@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20141120194619.423B426FC29@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <546E4AA2.2080204@bellsouth.net> Riley Hollingsworth to North Carolina Club: Amateur Enforcement ?Very Much Alive? ** 11/19/2014 Former FCC Special Counsel for Enforcement Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, *told* the *Forsyth Amateur Radio Club* that the FCC is still active in the Amateur Radio enforcement arena, even though it?s not always apparent. He spoke to the Winston-Salem, North Carolina, club on November 10. ?You may not think so, but enforcement is very much alive,? said Hollingsworth, who ? although retired ? still keeps up with goings on at the FCC and with the enforcement activities of his successor, FCC Special Counsel Laura Smith. ?You just don?t hear a lot about it, as you used to,? he said, because ham radio news media report only the ?big announcements? these days. During his tenure, Hollingsworth routinely released preliminary letters of inquiry and warning notices to radio amateurs suspected of breaking the rules. Now, he said, the FCC is using ?the IRS model? of releasing information, partly in response to privacy considerations. ?You only see final actions [now],? he said. ?So, you don?t think a lot?s being done, but it?s all behind the scenes, and you don?t know about it.? What is /not/ helpful, he told the club members, is e-mailing or writing Laura Smith or the FCC proper to demand Commission attention to particular enforcement issues. Hollingsworth said the FCC has received ?nasty e-mails to FCC personnel? concerning suspected ham radio rule breaking. ?I?m talking about horrible e-mails, threatening e-mails, threatening to the degree that the security office sometimes gets involved,? he said. ?We?ve got to stop this.? Hiding behind the anonymity of the Internet, he stressed, gives some people within the FCC a bad impression of ham radio and could prove counterproductive. Hollingsworth suggested that hams interested in keeping up with enforcement subscribe to the /*FCC Daily Digest* / or view it on the FCC website. ?You read these and you get an idea of how busy the FCC is across the board,? he said. The FCC also *documents* Amateur Radio Service enforcement actions on its website. The page is not frequently updated, however. Hollingsworth pointed out that the FCC is still running two parallel websites, since many were unhappy with the new site when it was unveiled a few years ago. The old ? or ?transition? ? site remains fully functional. Hollingsworth praised FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler for his role in helping to get the agency on a more active footing, and Enforcement Bureau Chief Travis LeBlanc, who was appointed last March. ?I?m very impressed with him,? Hollingsworth said of LeBlanc. The Enforcement Bureau is the FCC?s largest bureau. In remarks now familiar to many who have heard him speak at Dayton Hamvention and elsewhere, Hollingsworth also warned his audience members against getting into on-the-air spats with rude or careless operators. ?Don?t engage people, and don?t humor the idiots,? he said. ?Stupidity can?t be regulated, no matter how good the rules are. Just turn the big knob. Every rig has one.? Hollingsworth speculated that a lot of interference that is considered deliberate actually is accidental, but that hams encountering it automatically assume offense. He said the number of rule breakers represent only a small fraction of a percent of the Amateur Radio population, however, and ?they?re getting whittled down.? ?Our responsibility is to get Amateur Radio through the next 100 years,? Hollingsworth concluded. ?You must recruit. You?ve got to keep these newcomers interested? and show them everything ham radio has to offer. Today?s hams, he said, ought to be presenting a good example for those who follow. ?It?s time for us to leave a legacy for this avocation,? he said. http://www.arrl.org/news/riley-hollingsworth-to-north-carolina-club-amateur-enforcement-very-much-alive Hollingsworth?s complete talk appears as *Episode 174* of the online Amateur Radio television series */HamRadioNow /*, produced by Gary Pearce, KN4AQ./? Thanks to /HamRadioNow/and Gary Pearce, KN4AQ/ From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Nov 20 15:15:07 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 15:15:07 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] =?windows-1252?q?Riley_Hollingswort?= =?windows-1252?q?h_to_North_Carolina_Club=3A_Amateur_Enforcement_=93Very_?= =?windows-1252?q?Much_Alive=94?= In-Reply-To: <546E4AA2.2080204@bellsouth.net> References: <546E4AA2.2080204@bellsouth.net> Message-ID: <546E4BCB.6020905@bellsouth.net> Riley Hollingsworth to North Carolina Club: Amateur Enforcement ?Very Much Alive? ** 11/19/2014 Former FCC Special Counsel for Enforcement Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, *told* the *Forsyth Amateur Radio Club* that the FCC is still active in the Amateur Radio enforcement arena, even though it?s not always apparent. He spoke to the Winston-Salem, North Carolina, club on November 10. ?You may not think so, but enforcement is very much alive,? said Hollingsworth, who ? although retired ? still keeps up with goings on at the FCC and with the enforcement activities of his successor, FCC Special Counsel Laura Smith. ?You just don?t hear a lot about it, as you used to,? he said, because ham radio news media report only the ?big announcements? these days. During his tenure, Hollingsworth routinely released preliminary letters of inquiry and warning notices to radio amateurs suspected of breaking the rules. Now, he said, the FCC is using ?the IRS model? of releasing information, partly in response to privacy considerations. ?You only see final actions [now],? he said. ?So, you don?t think a lot?s being done, but it?s all behind the scenes, and you don?t know about it.? What is /not/ helpful, he told the club members, is e-mailing or writing Laura Smith or the FCC proper to demand Commission attention to particular enforcement issues. Hollingsworth said the FCC has received ?nasty e-mails to FCC personnel? concerning suspected ham radio rule breaking. ?I?m talking about horrible e-mails, threatening e-mails, threatening to the degree that the security office sometimes gets involved,? he said. ?We?ve got to stop this.? Hiding behind the anonymity of the Internet, he stressed, gives some people within the FCC a bad impression of ham radio and could prove counterproductive. Hollingsworth suggested that hams interested in keeping up with enforcement subscribe to the /*FCC Daily Digest* / or view it on the FCC website. ?You read these and you get an idea of how busy the FCC is across the board,? he said. The FCC also *documents* Amateur Radio Service enforcement actions on its website. The page is not frequently updated, however. Hollingsworth pointed out that the FCC is still running two parallel websites, since many were unhappy with the new site when it was unveiled a few years ago. The old ? or ?transition? ? site remains fully functional. Hollingsworth praised FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler for his role in helping to get the agency on a more active footing, and Enforcement Bureau Chief Travis LeBlanc, who was appointed last March. ?I?m very impressed with him,? Hollingsworth said of LeBlanc. The Enforcement Bureau is the FCC?s largest bureau. In remarks now familiar to many who have heard him speak at Dayton Hamvention and elsewhere, Hollingsworth also warned his audience members against getting into on-the-air spats with rude or careless operators. ?Don?t engage people, and don?t humor the idiots,? he said. ?Stupidity can?t be regulated, no matter how good the rules are. Just turn the big knob. Every rig has one.? Hollingsworth speculated that a lot of interference that is considered deliberate actually is accidental, but that hams encountering it automatically assume offense. He said the number of rule breakers represent only a small fraction of a percent of the Amateur Radio population, however, and ?they?re getting whittled down.? ?Our responsibility is to get Amateur Radio through the next 100 years,? Hollingsworth concluded. ?You must recruit. You?ve got to keep these newcomers interested? and show them everything ham radio has to offer. Today?s hams, he said, ought to be presenting a good example for those who follow. ?It?s time for us to leave a legacy for this avocation,? he said. http://www.arrl.org/news/riley-hollingsworth-to-north-carolina-club-amateur-enforcement-very-much-alive Hollingsworth?s complete talk appears as *Episode 174* of the online Amateur Radio television series */HamRadioNow /*, produced by Gary Pearce, KN4AQ./? Thanks to /HamRadioNow/and Gary Pearce, KN4AQ/ From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Nov 20 16:27:24 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 16:27:24 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Fwd: The ARRL Letter for November 20, 2014 In-Reply-To: <20141120203719.EF6A135B246@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20141120203719.EF6A135B246@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <546E5CBC.8020806@bellsouth.net> Preview If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2014-11-20 The ARRL Letter November 20, 2014 Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME ARRL Home Page /ARRL Letter/ Archive Audio News Ad * Four New Section Managers to Start in the New Year <#toc01> * MARS Volunteers Reach Out to Amateur Community to Test Interoperability <#toc02> * Amateur Radio Volunteers Turn Out /En Masse/ to Support Chicago Marathon <#toc03> * W1AW Centennial Operations Moving to Delaware, Louisiana, and Puerto Rico <#toc04> * Working Red Badge Holders Could Be Key to Boosting Your Centennial QSO Party Totals <#toc05> * Riley Hollingsworth to North Carolina Club: Amateur Enforcement "Very Much Alive" <#toc06> * "Frequency" TV Series Would Reprise Amateur Radio-Themed Movie <#toc07> * New Jersey Radio Amateurs Enter Emergency Antenna-Raising Project in Innovation Competition <#toc08> * Two Japanese Satellites Will Carry Ham Radio Payloads into Deep Space this Month <#toc09> * A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL <#toc10> * The K7RA Solar Update <#toc11> * ** Just Ahead in Radiosport <#toc12> * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events <#toc13> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ARRL Headquarters Closed November 27-28 ARRL Headquarters will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday and Friday, November 27-28. /The ARRL Letter /will not publish on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 27, and there will be no edition of /ARRL Audio News /on Friday, November 28. We wish all our members a safe and enjoyable holiday! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Four New Section Managers to Start in the New Year ARRL members in the Western Pennsylvania Section have elected elite contester Tim Duffy, K3LR, as their new Section Manager. In a three-way race, Duffy polled 545 votes, Cynthia L. Rushton, WB3CNJ, received 83 votes, and Paul Plants,W3PLP, 62 votes. Ballots were counted Tuesday, November 18, at ARRL Headquarters. Western Pennsylvania Section Manager John Rodgers, N3MSE, of Butler decided to not run for another term after serving since October 2007. He also was Section Manager from 2000 to 2003. Duffy, who lives in West Middlesex, Pennsylvania, has been an ARRL member and radio amateur for 42 years. He has served for 4 years as the Atlantic Division representative to the ARRL Contest Advisory Committee. Duffy also has been an active member of ARES and RACES and has extensive net and traffic-handling experience. Three other ARRL Sections also will begin the New Year with new Section Managers. In Eastern Massachusetts, Tom Walsh, K1TW, of Bedford, will take the helm of that ARRL Section on January 1. Walsh has been an Assistant Section Manager and was the only candidate for the Section Manager's job. Current SM Phil Temples, K9HI, who has served as Eastern Massachusetts SM since 2011, decided not to run for a new term of office. Temples also served as Section Manager from 1994 to 1996 and from 2001 to 2004. Taking over the top leadership role in the Southern New Jersey Section on January 1 will be Thomas J. "Skip" Arey, N2EI, of Beverly. He was the only nominee for the position. Arey has been the Affiliated Club Coordinator in Southern New Jersey. Incumbent SM George Strayline, W2GSS, opted not to run for another term after serving since 2009. In the West Central Florida Section, Darrell Davis, KT4WX, of Fort Meade, will be the new SM starting in the New Year. He was the only candidate for the position. Davis brings to the office his experience as an Assistant Section Manager, ARESEmergency Coordinator, and Technical Specialist. He will succeed Dee Turner, N4GD, of Pinellas Park, who chose not to run for another term after serving since 2005. The following incumbent Section Managers faced no opposition in the fall election cycle, and they will continue with new terms of office starting January 1, 2015: Dale Bagley, K0KY (Missouri); Matt Anderson, KA0BOJ (Nebraska); Jim Mezey, W2KFV (New York City-Long Island); Tom Dick, KF2GC (Northern New York), and Marc Tarplee, N4UFP (South Carolina). Two-year terms for all successful candidates will begin on January 1, 2015. MARS Volunteers Reach Out to Amateur Community to Test Interoperability The Army and Air Force branches of the Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) merged their long-distance radio networks in late October for a 48-hour Department of Defense-sponsored contingency communications exercise. The MARS volunteers provided communication support in the wake of a simulated disruption to the nation's telecommunications infrastructure. In addition to passing message traffic for the Defense Department (DoD), the scenario for the October 27-28 exercise also required MARS stations to interface with the Department of Homeland Security Shared Resources -- or SHARES -- HF network. The plan also called for MARS members -- using their Amateur Radio call signs and operating on amateur frequencies -- to establish two-way communication with Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) leadership or members in as many US counties as possible. "During the exercise, MARS Headquarters tasked MARS members to reach out to ARES and Amateur Radio operators in as many counties across the US as possible, using amateur HF as well as VHF and UHF frequencies," explained Army MARS Program Manager, Paul English, WD8DBY. According to English, preliminary results showed that MARS-to-Amateur Radio contacts were made with approximately one-half of the more than 3000 US counties. Direct radio contacts with Amateur Radio operators or contacts made via an Amateur Radio net during the 48-hour exercise were counted as county contacts, he said. Planning for this particular portion of the MARS exercise began in late September between English and ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U. English said the Defense Department and MARS intend to continue developing this relationship with the Amateur Radio community for future MARS exercises. "This communications exercise [was] sponsored by the DoD to provide MARS operators the opportunity to develop and train interoperability procedures with their state/local ARES Emergency Coordinators and their Amateur Radio colleagues," English explained. Read more . Homeland Security's 2014 /National Emergency Communications Plan/ Incorporates Amateur Radio The US Department of Homeland Security's 2014 /National Emergency Communications Plan/ (/NECP/ ) has incorporated Amateur Radio in its mix of media that could support and sustain communications in a disaster or emergency. The 2014 /NECP/ is the first update since the original plan was released in 2008. The /NECP/ is "the nation's over-arching strategic plan for enhancing emergency communications capabilities and interoperability nationwide," DHS said in announcing the updated plan on November 12. "[A]mateur radio operators...can be important conduits for relaying information to response agencies and personnel when other forms of communications have failed or have been disrupted," the /NECP/ states. The /NECP/ also describes changes that lie ahead for emergency communication systems, such as 9-1-1 systems. "In the future, Next Generation 9-1-1 will enhance the capabilities of current 9-1-1 networks, allowing the public to transmit pictures, videos, and text messages that will provide additional situational awareness to dispatchers and emergency responders," the /NECP/ says. The updated /NECP/ stresses the importance of interoperability. It recommends that state, regional, and local administrations "assess their existing governance structures to ensure they are positioned to address current and emerging policy, technology, and planning developments." This effort, the /NECP/ continues, could include the addition of representatives from the Amateur Radio community to statewide interoperability governing bodies and executive committees. The NECP also recommends that federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial jurisdictions "identify domestic and international entities with potential roles in information sharing and the delivery of emergency communications during emergencies," such as Amateur Radio operators. "As appropriate, these entities should be incorporated into training and exercise activities on a more regular basis," the NECP suggests. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) -- a part of the Department of Homeland Security -- is headed by ARRL member, W. Craig Fugate, KK4INZ. Ad Amateur Radio Volunteers Turn Out /En Masse/ to Support Chicago Marathon A huge turnout of Amateur Radio volunteers supported communications October 12 for the 2014 Bank of America Chicago Marathon and its 2000 volunteer medical teams. For the first time this year, the Amateur Radio volunteers also shadowed the nine triage units that attended to runners within Grant Park, the marathon's finish line. The hams communicated with the ambulance service, if further medical support was needed. Some of the 120 radio amateurs taking *The Bank of America Chicago Marathon attracted some 45,000 runners. [Courtesy of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon]* part in the event ended up walking as many as 9 miles just within the park during their volunteer stints. Some 45,000 runners from every US state and more than 100 countries took part in the Chicago Marathon. Approximately 2.5 million onlookers also enjoyed the ideal weather. This marked the sixth year that the ham radio community has supported this event. Operators came from four states and from cities as far away as Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Indianapolis, Indiana; Peoria, Illinois, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Twelve local ham radio clubs were represented. The ham radio volunteers made use of six local repeaters and several simplex channels, starting off at 6:30 AM on race day -- to let organizers know when the medical teams were on site and to assure that medical services and supplies were in place and ready. Eight operators worked at the forward command tent, side by side with event officials, Chicago city services, and other agencies, to provide health-and-welfare traffic to the physician in charge. The ham radio volunteers also interfaced with the medical logistics teams and the ambulance service. The 120 radio amateurs were among some 12,000 volunteers at the race event. Rob Orr , K9RST, who serves as the volunteer lead, has already put out the call for volunteers at next year's marathon./-- Thanks to ARRL Illinois Section News via /The ARES E-Letter ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Find ARRL on Facebook . Follow us on Twitter ! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ W1AW Centennial Operations Moving to Delaware, Louisiana, and Puerto Rico The ARRL Centennial W1AW portable operations taking place throughout 2014 from each of the 50 states are now in Florida and Arkansas. They will transition at 0000 UTC on Wednesday, November 26 (the evening of November 25 in US time zones), to Delaware (W1AW/3), Louisiana (W1AW/5), and Puerto Rico (W1AW/KP4). So far during 2014, W1AW has visited each of the 50 states for at least 1 week, and by year's end W1AW will have been on the air from every state at least twice. The ARRL Centennial QSO Party kicked off January 1 for a year-long operating event in which participants can accumulate points and win awards. The event is open to all, although only ARRL members and appointees, elected officials, HQ staff and W1AW are worth ARRL Centennial QSO Party points . Working W1AW/x from each state is worth 5 points per mode/contact, even when working the same state during its second week of activity. To earn the "Worked all States with W1AW Award," work W1AW operating portable from all 50 states. (Working W1AW or W100AW in Connecticut does /not/ count for Connecticut. Participants must work W1AW/1 in Connecticut.) A W1AW WAS certificate and plaque will be available. An ARRL Centennial QSO Party leader board shows participants how many points they have accumulated in the Centennial QSO Party and in the W1AW WAS operations. Log in using your Logbook of The World (LoTW ) user name and password, and your position will appear at the top of the leader boards. Results are updated daily, based on contacts entered into LoTW. Ad Working Red Badge Holders Could Be Key to Boosting Your Centennial QSO Party Totals It's getting down to crunch time: The ARRL Centennial QSO Party ends in just about 6 weeks! If you've been procrastinating about building your point totals to the certificate level, two more major opportunities to put some serious points into your log lie just ahead. "Red Badges on the Air" activities will take place on Saturday, November 22, and on Wednesday, December 31. *Working ARRL Midwest Division Director Cliff Ahrens, K0CA, is worth 225 points.* Point levels for Centennial QSO Party awards have already been established. Participants will need 1000 points to qualify for a first-level certificate, 3000 points for a second-level certificate, 7500 points for a third-level certificate, and 15,000 points for a top-level award certificate. As of November 13, 13,000 participants had attained 1000 points in the QSO points Challenge, and 7000 ops had reached the 3000-point level. The next ARRL Red Badges event gets underway at 0000 UTC on Saturday, November 22 (starting on the evening of Friday, November 21, in US time zones). ARRL officers, elected officials such as Director or Section Manager, as well as Headquarters staffers and volunteers, and other members of the ARRL family will be out in force on both occasions. Contacts with red badge wearers are worth as much as 300 points per contact for working ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN. Many stations will try to keep their contacts short; the minimum exchange is a signal report, and any ARRL office, appointment, or member abbreviation is optional. Read more . Riley Hollingsworth to North Carolina Club: Amateur Enforcement "Very Much Alive" Former FCC Special Counsel for Enforcement Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, told the Forsyth Amateur Radio Club that the FCC is still active in the Amateur Radio enforcement arena, even though it's not always apparent. He spoke to the Winston-Salem, North Carolina, club on November 10. "You may not think so, but enforcement is very much alive," said Hollingsworth, who -- although retired -- still keeps up with goings on at the FCC and with the enforcement activities of his successor, FCC Special Counsel Laura Smith. "You just don't hear a lot about it, as you used to," he said, because ham radio news media report only the "big announcements" these days. During his tenure, Hollingsworth routinely released preliminary letters of inquiry and warning notices to radio amateurs suspected of breaking the rules. Now, he said, the FCC is using "the IRS model" of releasing information, partly in response to privacy considerations. "You only see final actions [now]," he said. "So, you don't think a lot's being done, but it's all behind the scenes, and you don't know about it." What is /not/ helpful, he told the club members, is e-mailing or writing Laura Smith or the FCC proper to demand Commission attention to particular enforcement issues. Hollingsworth said the FCC has received "nasty e-mails to FCC personnel" concerning suspected ham radio rule breaking. *Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, addresses members of the Forsyth Amateur Radio Club in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. [Courtesy of HamRadioNow]* "I'm talking about horrible e-mails, threatening e-mails, threatening to the degree that the security office sometimes gets involved," he said. "We've got to stop this." Hiding behind the anonymity of the Internet, he stressed, gives some within the FCC a bad impression of ham radio and could prove counterproductive. In remarks now familiar to many who have heard him speak at Dayton Hamvention and elsewhere, Hollingsworth also warned his audience members against getting into on-the-air spats with rude or careless operators. "Don't engage people, and don't humor the idiots," he said. "Stupidity can't be regulated, no matter how good the rules are. Just turn the big knob. Every rig has one." Hollingsworth's complete talk appears as Episode 174 of the online Amateur Radio television series /HamRadioNow /, produced by Gary Pearce, KN4AQ.//Read more ./-- Thanks to /HamRadioNow/and Gary Pearce, KN4AQ/ "Frequency" TV Series Would Reprise Amateur Radio-Themed Movie Mike Baxter, KA0XTT -- Tim Allen's character in the "Last Man Standing" TV show on ABC -- may be getting some competition on the ham bands, as NBC appears poised to launch a television series based on the 2000 movie /Frequency/ , in which ham radio -- aided by some spectacular solar phenomena -- plays a central role in the sci-fi thriller. According to a November 13 article in /The Hollywood Reporter/, NBC has already committed to the series. Jeremy Carver is writing the script for Warner Brothers Television and will be the series' executive producer. Toby Emmerich, who wrote the movie, will be a co-producer. Jim Caviezel played NYPD detective John Sullivan in the 2000 /Frequency/ movie. [New Line Cinema] While Amateur Radio has made only fleeting appearances in "Last Man Standing," it is an essential plot device in /Frequency/. In the movie, a New York City fireman, Frank Sullivan, played by Dennis Quaid, re-connects via a bizarre ham radio link with his son, John, 30 years in the future. Jim Caviezel, now a star in the CBS drama, "Person of Interest," portrayed John Sullivan, an NYPD detective. John Sullivan comes across his late father's 1960's-era Heathkit transceiver, through which -- with the help of a quirk of nature and some Hollywood magic -- he is able to communicate with his father through time and space. Read more . -- /Thanks to John Bigley, N7UR, /Nevada Amateur Radio Newswire Ad New Jersey Radio Amateurs Enter Emergency Antenna-Raising Project in Innovation Competition A group of young Amateur Radio operators from Warren County in Northern New Jersey, has entered its 2013 Dayton Hamvention? Youth Forum project -- the Emergency Antenna Platform System (EAPS) -- in the Boca Bearings Innovation Competition . The group, which calls itself the 721st Mechanized Contest Battalion , developed the device for quickly raising antennas on vertical structures such as lamp posts and flagpoles. In an emergency, a ham radio operator could use the EAPS to put up an antenna and establish a communication link. Devlin Murray, KC2PIX, and Chris Blackwood, KD2CXC, first presented the project at Dayton. Murray and Blackwood delivered a Youth Forum presentation on robotics at the ARRL Centennial National Convention last July in Hartford, Connecticut. *In a scene from their entry video, Gavin DeAngelis, KD2DPN (left) and Chris Blackwood, KD2CXC, demonstrate how to use the Emergency Antenna Platform System (EAPS). * "This project was inspired by Hurricane Sandy," the developers told Boca Bearing in their entry narrative. "Warren County, New Jersey, was hit fairly hard; at one point, even the county's public service communications system was knocked out. Hams pitched in to maintain communications between the various hospitals, shelters, and water distribution sites." The group's entry relates that while setting up a communication post in a mall parking lot in Sandy's aftermath, the operators encountered reception problems. "We wanted to develop a simple system that was easily transported and deployed to raise antennas," they said. The EAPS can be powered from a vehicle battery. While initially intended for emergency use, the EAPS conceivably could be used to erect antennas for public Amateur Radio demonstrations, such as ARRL Field Day. Read more . --/Thanks to Rob Roschewsk, KA2PBT/ Two Japanese Satellites Will Carry Ham Radio Payloads into Deep Space this Month Two Amateur Radio satellites, Shin'en 2 (Abyss 2) and ARTSAT2: DESPATCH , will be heading into deep space this month. The satellites will hitch a ride with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA ) Hayabusa 2 asteroid mission, which is scheduled to launch on November 29. *The Shin'en 2 satellite during assembly and testing. [Courtesy of Kyushu Institute of Technology/**Kagoshima University]* A 17 kg, 50 cm diameter polyhedron, Shin'en 2, developed by Kyushu Institute of Technology and Kagoshima University, will be the first satellite to carry an Amateur Radio Mode J linear transponder into deep space. The inverting SSB/CW transponder uplink will be 145.940 to 145.960MHz (LSB), and the downlink will be 435.280 to 435.260 MHz (USB). It also will include a CW beacon on 437.505 MHz and /WSJT/ telemetry on 437.385 MHz. "For confirming the operational status of the spacecraft in deep space, the know-how of the Moon-reflecting communication technology can be applied. By using an Amateur Radio service transponder, amateur stations can communicate with each other when the spacecraft is in near-Moon orbit," a project outline on the Shin'en 2 website explains. "Beyond this distance, signal detection by Morse code and telemetry data transmitted from the spacecraft will be performed." The Hayabasa 2 project is expected to help pave the way for future lunar rover missions. *ARTSAT2:DESPATCH will carry this 3D printer-generated sculpture into deep space. * Hayabusa 2 will make a round trip to the C-type asteroid 1999 JU3, arriving at the asteroid in mid-2018. It then would survey and take samples of the asteroid before departing in December 2019, and return to Earth in December 2020. Shin'en 2 will be placed into an elliptical orbit around the Sun between Venus and Mars. Its inclination will be almost zero, which means Shin-En2 will stay in the Earth's equatorial plane. The distance from the Sun will be between 0.7 and 1.3 AU (an astronomical unit is 149,597,871 km). The ARTSAT2:DESPATCH "art project" satellite -- a 1U CubeSat -- is a joint project by students at Tama Art University and Tokyo University. It will carry a 30 kg "deep space sculpture" developed using a 3D printer, plus an Amateur Radio payload -- a CW beacon at 437.325 MHz. At its maximum operational distance, it will be some 3 million km (1.86 million miles) from Earth about a week after launch. -- /Thanks to AMSAT-UK/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL In January 1997 a high-tech, massive, expensive, and very successful DXpedition was mounted to operate as VK0IR from Heard Island in the Antarctic. The 20-man crew, led by KK6EK and ON6TT, made a remarkable 80,673 contacts! The VK0IR story was told in detail in the September 1997 issue of /QST/. The ARRL Board of Directors designated 1997 as Amateur Radio's Year of Public Service, with two aims. One was to publicize ham radio's major role in public service over its many decades of existence. The other was a large public relations effort to tell non-hams about ham radio. The Phase 3D amateur satellite had been in the works for some time and was nearing its launch date. A five-part series of /QST/ articles in 1996 and 1997 described the bird and how hams could use it. As told in the June 1997 issue of /QST/, for his Eagle Scout public service project, Brian, KC4LLD, volunteered to build the Phase 3D shipping container. The project eventually required the help of 21 other Scouts to complete. *The Phase 3D satellite during construction.* On August 6, 1997, Gate 3 of the vanity call sign program was opened, with about 1500 immediate applicants. During 1997, Congress considered the wording of a bill to make it illegal to listen in on cellular telephone signals and to market equipment that covered cellular service frequencies. The ARRL put forth a successful effort to be sure that radio amateurs would not be affected by the bill. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The K7RA Solar Update Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: The average daily sunspot numbers were up this past week by nearly 14 points to 98.9, while average daily solar flux jumped 25 points to 164.4. The predicted solar flux is 175, 180, 185, and 180 on November 20-23; 170, 150, 140, and 130 on November 24-27; 120 on November 28-29; 115 on November 30-December 6; 135 and 155 on December 7-8; 165 on December 9-10, and 160 on December 11-15. Solar flux peaks at 170 on December 17-19. The predicted planetary A index is 12 on November 20-21; 10 on November 22; 12 on November 23-24; 8 on November 25; 5 on November 26-December 3; 12, 10, and 8 on December 4-6; 5 on December 7-10, and 10, 15, 20, 15, 12, 10, 8, 10 and 12 on December 11-19. This weekly "Solar Update" in /The ARRL Letter/ is a preview of the "Propagation Bulletin" issued each Friday. The latest bulletin and an archive of past propagation bulletins is on the ARRL website. In tomorrow's bulletin look for an updated forecast and reports from readers. Send me /your/ reports and observations. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just Ahead in Radiosport * November 22-23 -- LZ DX Contest (CW, SSB) * November 26 -- SKCC Straight Key Sprint * November 27 -- Top Band Sprint (CW, SSB) * November 29 -- Full Day of Hell * November 29-30 -- CQ World Wide DX Contest (CW) * December 3 -- CWOps Weekly Mini-CWT Tests * *December 5-7 -- ARRL 160 Meter Contest (CW) * * December 6 -- TARA RTTY M?l?e * December 6 -- AWA Bruce Kelly QSO Party (CW) * December 6-7 -- 50-1296 ARRL EME Contest * December 6-7 -- VU International DX Contest (SSB, CW) * December 6-7 -- Top Operators Activity Contest (CW) * December 7 -- Ten Meter RTTY Contest * December 7 -- Straight Key Weekend Sprintathon * December 7 -- SARL Digital Contest * December 7 -- Great Colorado Snowshoe Run (CW) * December 8 -- OK1WC Memorial Contest (SSB, CW) * December 9 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW) * December 10 -- NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint (CW) See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events * December 12-13 -- West Central Florida Section Convention , Plant City, Florida * January 4 -- New York City/Long Island Section Convention , Bethpage, New York * January 10 -- TECHFEST , Lawrenceville, Georgia * January 16-17, 2015 -- North Texas Section Convention , Forest Hill, Texas * January 18-24 -- Quartzfest , Quartzsite, Arizona * January 23-24 -- Mississippi State Convention , Jackson, Mississippi * January 23-25 -- Puerto Rico State Convention , Hatillo, Puerto Rico * February 7 -- South Carolina State Convention , North Charleston, South Carolina * February 7 -- Virginia State Convention , Richmond, Virginia Find conventions and hamfests in your area .* * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ** *ARRL *-- *Your One-Stop Resource for * *Amateur Radio News and Information * * Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes /QST/ , Amateur Radio's most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month. * Listen to /ARRL Audio News/ , available every Friday. Subscribe to... * /NCJ / /-- National Contest Journal/ . Published bi-monthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties. * /QEX/ *//*/-- A Forum for Communications Experimenters/ . 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 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 ARRL on Facebook ! Follow us on Twitter ! Ad Ad Ad Ad Ad ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 48 times each year. ARRL members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member Data Page as described at http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/. Copyright ? 2014 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved www.arrl.org From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Nov 21 08:02:33 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 08:02:33 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Stories of Hams helping during emergencies in the 1930's. Message-ID: <546F37E9.9080409@bellsouth.net> Hams helping out then and they're still at it today... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBGIdf0VjQ4 From fishflorida at gmail.com Fri Nov 21 08:14:34 2014 From: fishflorida at gmail.com (Mickey Baker) Date: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 08:14:34 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] [SFDXA] Stories of Hams helping during emergencies in the 1930's. In-Reply-To: <546F37E9.9080409@bellsouth.net> References: <546F37E9.9080409@bellsouth.net> Message-ID: You know that Jimmy is actually Pete, N8PR...? On Friday, November 21, 2014, Bill wrote: > Hams helping out then and they're still at it today... > > "Radio Hams" Film (Pete Smith Specialty) > > ______________________________________________________________ > South Florida DX Assoc. "SINCE 1974" > "OUR 40th ANNIVERSARY!" > SFDXA WebSite: http://www.SFDXA.com > SFDXA Repeater 147.33+ 103.5 Tone > To Post: mailto:SFDXA at mailman.qth.net > To UNSUBSCRIBE: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/sfdxa > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > -- Mickey Baker, N4MB Fort Lauderdale, FL *?Tell me, and I will listen. Show me, and I will understand. Involve me, and I will learn.? *Teton Lakota, American Indian Saying. From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Nov 21 09:38:08 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 09:38:08 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The Amateur Amateur Message-ID: <546F4E50.8050305@bellsouth.net> Welcome to the new home of /The Amateur Amateur/ The American Radio Relay League has indicated that it no longer wishes to publish the column, so I have set up this site as its new home. My thanks to all of you who have sent me messages of support. They are greatly appreciated. http://www.the-amateur-amateur.com/ From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sat Nov 22 13:51:32 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 13:51:32 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Gifts For Hams... Message-ID: <5470DB34.8000607@bellsouth.net> HamCrazy.com offers custom gifts and accessories for Amateur Radio Operators. Whether you are a newly licensed HAM or a seasoned ELMER you'll find something fun for all Amateur Radio Operators. http://www.hamcrazy.com/ Bill W2CQ From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Nov 26 08:01:20 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 08:01:20 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Ham Radio to the rescue at Chevy... In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <5475CF20.6020104@bellsouth.net> Interesting job! Note the tower and yagi! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miTDQbRCwV4 From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Nov 26 18:54:37 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 18:54:37 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] For Sale: Yaesu FT-1000MP MKV In-Reply-To: <54765AD5.8090607@ckradio.net> References: <54765AD5.8090607@ckradio.net> Message-ID: <5476683D.7010902@bellsouth.net> For Sale: Yaesu FT-1000MP MKV This is my personal rig and last year I sent it to the Yaesu MKV Guru for every conceivable update you can do including a new display. It cost me $525. The rig is unbeatable and great for contesting. It has 200W output and the receiver has had all the IF quieting mods done to it. Great Rig but it's my bedroom radio so I never use it. $1750.00 Chris VE3NGW ck at ckradio.net 954 298-2666 From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Nov 26 20:03:37 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 20:03:37 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] For Sale: Yaesu FT-1000MP MKV In-Reply-To: <5476683D.7010902@bellsouth.net> References: <5476683D.7010902@bellsouth.net> Message-ID: <54767869.2040702@bellsouth.net> I forgot to add that Chris takes all Major Credit Cards. For Sale: Yaesu FT-1000MP MKV This is my personal rig and last year I sent it to the Yaesu MKV Guru for every conceivable update you can do including a new display. It cost me $525. The rig is unbeatable and great for contesting. It has 200W output and the receiver has had all the IF quieting mods done to it. Great Rig but it's my bedroom radio so I never use it. $1750.00 Chris VE3NGW ck at ckradio.net 954 298-2666 Here is a description from the internet: The *Yaesu FT-1000MP Mark-V* represents the crowning achievement in Yaesu's HF transceiver design history. A unique blend of analog and digital technology, the Mark-V is based on the concept of rigorous filtering in all stages of the receiver and transceiver. A high speed antenna tuner is built in. A temperature comopensated reference oscillator is built into every FT-1000MP MarkV providing 0.5 ppm. For even greater frequency accuracy add the optional TCXO-6. This radio includes a hand mic. (Note: Some items shown in the above image are optional). Yaesu also offers an optional 6 meter transverter for the Mark V called the *FTV-1000* The *Mark-V* ADDS *five all-new features * to the FT-1000 Series: ****IDBT (Interlocked Digital Bandwidth Tracking)*, which matches the receiver passbands of the 8.2 MHz IF, 455 kHz IF and DSP systems. ****VRF (Variable RF Front-end Filter)*, providing a high-Q "Preselector" system protecting the receiver's front end. ****Class A PA Operation,* providing extraordinary SSB signal purity. ****200-Watt MOS FET Final Amplifier,* giving you the extra drive for your linear. ****Integrated Shuttle Jog Control,* combining the access buttons for IDBT and VRF with the convenient frequency control of Yaesu's exclusive Shuttle Jog.