From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Sep 5 15:51:58 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2014 15:51:58 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Letter for September 4, 2014 References: <20140904205359.96D3A26633@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: > > If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: > http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2014-09-04 > > > > September 4, 2014Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME > ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive Audio News > > > > New Amateur Radio Vanity Call Sign Fee Set at $21.40 > Next "Red Badge Day" on September 21 is a Chance to Rack Up Serious Centennial QSO Party Points > Amateur Radio Transponder Will Accompany Japanese Asteroid Mission into Deep Space > FCC Ups the Ante in Proposing Huge Fine on CB Operator > W1AW Centennial Operations Heading to Colorado and Texas on September 10 (UTC) > MARS Mulls Adopting New Training Approach, Upping Its Recruitment Game > The ARRL September VHF Contest Has Room for Everyone! > Moonbounce Enthusiasts Enjoy Conference, Brittany Coast > Top Band Webinar Set > UKube-1 Satellite Using FUNcube-2 For Downlink Workaround > W4DXCC DX and Contest Convention Marks its 10th Year > "Archie's Ham Radio Adventure" Comic Artist Stan Goldberg, SK > A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL > The K7RA Solar Update > Just Ahead in Radiosport > Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events > New Amateur Radio Vanity Call Sign Fee Set at $21.40 > The FCC has adjusted very slightly downward -- to $21.40 -- its proposed Amateur Service vanity call sign regulatory fee for Fiscal Year 2014. In a June Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM), the Commission said it intended to hike the current $16.10 vanity fee to $21.60 for the 10-year license term. The FCC released a Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (R&O) in the proceeding on August 29, in which it recalculated the fee to $21.40 for the 10-year license term. The $5.30 increase still represents the largest vanity fee hike in many years. The new $21.40 fee does not go into effect until 30 days after the R&O is published in The Federal Register. > > In the R&O, the FCC said it considered eliminating the regulatory fee for Amateur Radio vanity call sign applications and for other services but decided not to do so "at this time," because it lacks "adequate support to determine whether the cost of recovery and burden on small entities outweighs the collected revenue; or whether eliminating the fee would adversely affect the licensing process." The Commission said it would reevaluate this issue in the future to determine if it should eliminate other fee categories. > > The FCC's Office of Managing Director sets the actual fee vanity call sign fee, based on Wireless Telecommunications Bureau projections of new applications and renewals, taking into consideration existing Commission licensee databases, such as the Universal Licensing System (ULS) database. > > The FCC reported there were 11,500 "payment units" in FY 2014. The Commission said the vanity program generated an estimated $230,230 in FY 2013 revenue, and it estimated that it would collect nearly $246,100 in FY 2014. > > The vanity call sign regulatory fee is payable when applying for a new vanity call sign or when renewing any vanity call sign designated as "HV" in the FCC's ULS database. > > Next "Red Badge Day" on September 21 is a Chance to Rack Up Serious Centennial QSO Party Points > ARRL's "Red Badgers" will be out in force on Sunday, September 21 UTC (starting the evening of Saturday, September 20, in US time zones), offering another opportunity to snag some high-value contacts to boost your ARRL Centennial QSO Party total. During the second "Red Badges on the Air" activity, ARRL officers, elected officials -- such as Director or Section Manager -- Headquarters staffers and volunteers, and other members of the ARRL family who merit red ARRL name/call sign badges will take to the air. Contacts with red badge wearers are worth a lot of points -- as much as 300 points per contact for working ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN -- so participants can increase their Centennial QSO Party tallies very quickly. ARRL Membership and Volunteer Programs Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, said that ARRL red badge holders number about 200 -- including officers, Directors, Section Managers, and Headquarters staff, many of whom will be on the air on September 21. > > > Working this Red Badge wearer -- ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN -- is worth 300 Centennial QSO Party points. > > "Not just Red Badgers will be active, but many ARRL appointees, VEs, and members will be as well," said Patton. "The first Red Badge Day on June 1 was a huge success but left many operators wanting more. Nine months into ARRL's Centennial year, the Centennial QSO Party and W1AW activations already have proven to be the largest and most active special events in the history of Amateur Radio, with more than 20,000 participants on the air from all continents." > > The event is considered an activity day, not a contest, and operation is permitted on all bands. Participants can call "CQ ARRL Centennial QSO Party" on phone or "CQ CENT" on CW or digital modes. While the event will focus on encouraging ARRL Red Badgers to hand out Centennial QSO Party points, all activity is welcome, regardless of point value. > > ARRL members are worth at least one point in the Centennial QSO Party. Participants get credit for each band/mode contact, regardless of point value. ARRL Centennial QSO Party participants can use the leader board to determine how many points they have accumulated. > > Other high-value contacts include: President Emeritus (PE) or Past President (PP), 275 points; Honorary Vice President (HVP) or ARRL Vice President (VP), 250 points; Director (DIR), Director Emeritus (DE), or Past Vice President (PVP), 225 points; Vice Director (VD), 200 points; Section Manager (SM), 175 points; ARRL officer (OFF) or Past Director (PD), 150 points, and Past Vice Director (PV), 125 points. W100AW, Charter Life Member (CLM), or Past Section Manager (PSM) contacts are worth 100 points. > > ARRL Headquarters department managers (DM), 75 points; ARRL Headquarters staffers/volunteers, (HQ), 50 points; Assistant Director (AD), 40 points, and NCJ Editor and QST columnists, 30 points. > > Amateur Radio Transponder Will Accompany Japanese Asteroid Mission into Deep Space > According to a news report, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Hayabusa 2 asteroid mission, now scheduled to launch in December, will carry the Shin'en 2 (Abyss 2) Amateur Radio satellite. A 17 kg, 50 cm diameter polyhedron, Shin'en 2, built by students at Kyushu Inistitute of Technology, makes extensive use of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic materials that can be bonded by heat to reduce its weight and the number of hardware fasteners. In addition to a Mode J linear transponder for Amateur Radio communication, Shin'en 2 will include CW and WSJT beacons. The inclusion of the transponder will offer an opportunity for earthbound radio amateurs to test the limits of their communication capabilities. > > > The Abyss 2/Shin'en 2 satellite is prepared for its journey into deep space. > > "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 project is expected to help pave the way for future lunar rover missions. > > 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 and travel into a deep space 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 "deep space sculpture" will travel into space. > > The IARU-coordinated frequencies for Shin'en 2 are: CW beacon, 437.505 MHz; WSJT telemetry, 437.385 MHz; Inverting SSB/CW transponder, 145.940-145.960 MHz uplink (LSB)/435.280-435.260 MHz downlink (USB). The project also is hoping to gather listener reports. > > The ARTSAT2:DESPATCH satellite is on the same launch. The satellite, a joint project by students at Tama Art University and Tokyo University, will carry a 30 kg "deep space sculpture" developed using a 3D printer, as well as an Amateur Radio payload, a CW beacon in the 435 MHz band. 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 > > FCC Ups the Ante in Proposing Huge Fine on CB Operator > Right on the heels of a whopping $14,000 proposed forfeiture for a Florida CBer for failing to allow a station inspection, the FCC Enforcement Bureau is recommending a $22,000 fine for a New York CBer. The FCC issued a Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL) in the case of James Engle of Lewiston, New York, on August 28, alleging that he interfered with the communications of other CBers, operated with an external linear amplifier, operated without authorization, and disregarded earlier FCC warnings. > > "Mr Engle was warned repeatedly in writing by the Enforcement Bureau that his actions violated the law, and his apparent disregard for the Commission's authority warrants an increased penalty," the FCC said in the NAL. > > The FCC said that last October 23, agents from the Commission's Philadelphia office, responding to a complaint from a CB operator on 27.325 MHz, CB channel 32, tracked the interfering transmissions to Engle's station and "heard him repeatedly interrupt ongoing transmissions of another CB operator." The following day, the agents inspected Engle's CB station and discovered two linear RF amplifiers. The FCC said Engle "admitted that he used one of the power amplifiers" the previous night. Testing showed the unit was capable of putting out nearly 150 W. > > The FCC pointed out that while its Part 95 rules do not require individual CB operators to obtain licenses, CBers who operate "in a manner that is inconsistent with the CB rules" are required to have an FCC authorization. "The Commission will presume an individual has used a linear or other external RF power amplifier, if the amplifier is located on the individual's premises," the NAL said, "and if there is other evidence showing that a CB station was operated with more power than allowed by the Rules." FCC rules also prohibit using an external RF amplifier with a FCC-certificated CB transmitter. > > Transmitting without FCC authorization merits a base forfeiture of $10,000, the FCC noted, while the base forfeiture for interfering with other communications is $7,000. > > "The fact that Mr. Engle operated with a linear amplifier to cause intentional interference to other CB operators despite being warned twice in writing demonstrates a deliberate disregard for the Commission's requirements and authority," the FCC, in making an "upward adjustment" of $5,000 in the proposed forfeiture. > > Engle has 30 days to pay the fine or file in writing seeking reduction or cancellation of the proposed fine. > > > W1AW Centennial Operations Heading to Colorado and Texas on September 10 (UTC) > The ARRL Centennial W1AW portable operations taking place throughout 2014 from each of the 50 states are now in Tennessee and Oregon. They will relocate at 0000 UTC on Wednesday, September 10 (the evening of September 9 in US time zones), to Colorado (W1AW/0), and Texas (W1AW/5). During 2014 W1AW will be on the air from every state (at least twice) and most US territories, and it will be easy to work all states solely by contacting W1AW portable operations. > > 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. > > MARS Mulls Adopting New Training Approach, Upping Its Recruitment Game > A new take on training and a growing role in global disaster relief were primary discussion topics at the Army Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) leaders' workshop August 24-26 in Arizona. Behind the official agenda, however, loomed an understated theme: MARS is seeking younger tech-oriented hams -- or potential hams -- and recently retired members of the military to join its corps of seasoned volunteer communicators. Army MARS Headquarters introduced a new national staff officer from the business world to head up that effort -- Kurt Edelman, KF7PDV, of Willcox, Arizona, who holds the title of planning officer. > > "We discussed difficult issues, explored new ideas, and shared our successes and shortcomings," Army MARS Program Officer Paul English, WD8DBY, said in summarizing the meeting. "At the end of the day we are stronger and more cohesive than ever." > > An official auxiliary within the US Department of Defense, MARS is formed of Amateur Radio operators who volunteer their time and equipment to support emergency communication in the event the Internet and telephone services are disrupted by natural or manmade disaster. The Army, Navy, and Air Force each have branches. > > During the August gathering at Army MARS Headquarters station in Fort Huachuca, Arizona, 11 region directors plus national staff officers discussed an innovative instructional methodology, debated eliminating membership qualifications based solely on hours on the air, and pondered marking the auxiliary's 90th anniversary next year with a vigorous recruiting drive. > > > Kurt Edelman, KF7PDV, the new Planning Officer at Army MARS Headquarters, introduced himself and a new training system at the August MARS leadership workshop. > > It wasn't all policy and planning, though. Juanita Portz, the senior contract operator, guided attendees through the battery of military-standard transceivers that continuously monitor MARS and regular Army frequencies for contingency traffic. The leaders checked into an Arizona net and got familiar with military radio models that may turn up on MARS nets down the road. > > Edelman briefed leaders on an advanced instructional system that MARS now is eyeing as a possible replacement for current training and participation requirements. Known in the active Army as METL (for Mission-based Essential Task Lists), it replaces traditional generalized basic training with instruction in the specific tasks associated with an individual's duty assignment, and only those. METL could require annual qualification in tasks rather than simply requiring personnel to accumulate a minimum number of hours served. A former vice president in charge of new technology at a Fortune 500 financial firm, Edelman leads a workgroup of region directors and trainers drafting a preliminary METL program, which he expects to deliver as early as 2015. > > Wrapping up the meeting was preliminary discussion on commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Army's invitation to the ARRL to partner in disaster communication. Although hams had collaborated with the Army and Navy during World War I, the Army-Amateur Radio System, launched in August 1925, was the first permanent amateur-government accord in the US. It became Army MARS after World War II, and independent Air Force and Navy-Marine Corps branches soon followed. Read more. > > The ARRL September VHF Contest Has Room for Everyone! > The ARRL September VHF Contest provides a chance for radio amateurs at all levels to experience contesting on the most popular VHF and UHF bands as well as those less-frequented frequencies above 450 MHz. The higher you go, the greater the point value of your contacts! The contest gets underway on September 13 at 1800 UTC and wraps up on September 15 at 0259 UTC. Newcomers and veteran amateurs will be attempting to work as many 2 ? 1 grid squares as possible on frequencies above 50 MHz from home stations, from the field, or from "rovers" that travel from grid square to grid square. With a heightened potential for tropospheric conditions, the September VHF Contest offers something that VHF contests at other times of the year often cannot. > > > K2QOR was among the rovers on the air in New England for the September 2013 VHF Contest. > > New categories -- Single Operator, 3 Band, and Single Operator, FM Only -- have been added to allow stations with limited equipment to get in on the fun. With just a hand-held transceiver and Yagi, a single operator can take to the air and compete against other stations with similar equipment. Utilizing frequencies that require smaller, lightweight antennas provides an excellent opportunity for homebrewing and finding a favorite hilltop operating location. > > Six meters is probably the most popular band for this event, since many newer HF transceivers include 6 meters. Most SSB activity on 6 meters will take place between 50.125 MHz and 50.250MHz, and CW between 50.080 MHz and 50.100 MHz. The frequencies between 50.100 MHz and 50.125 MHz are considered a "DX window" for contacts between US/Canada and DX stations, so avoid US-to-US contacts in that part of the band. > > Activity centers for SSB activity are 50.125, 144.200, 222.100, and 432.100 MHz. These are calling frequencies, however, and contest participants should avoid monopolizing them. Those operating FM on 2 meters are reminded that the ARRL General VHF Contest Rules prohibit contest operators from using the national simplex frequency of 146.52 MHz to make or solicit contacts. Check the band plans for details on all bands. > > Rules and entry forms are on the ARRL website. All logs must be e-mailed or postmarked no later than 0300 UTC on October 16, 2014. Electronic logs are preferred. Send paper logs to September VHF Contest, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. > > For more information about the ARRL September VHF Contest, e-mail the Contest Branch. > > Moonbounce Enthusiasts Enjoy Conference, Brittany Coast > The site of the gigantic antenna in France that received the first live TV broadcast from the US via the Telstar satellite served as the backdrop August 25-26, as more than 100 moonbounce (EME) enthusiasts from 18 countries gathered to compare notes and to socialize. The 16th International EME Conference was held at the Parc du Rad?me in Northern Brittany. In July 1962, the 64 meter Rad?me was on the receiving end of the first TV satellite link between the US and Europe. Those attending EME 2014 engage in similar activity, bouncing their Amateur Radio signals from Earth to the Moon and back, operating on frequencies as high as 77 GHz. The conference featured some 2 dozen presentations on moonbounce-related topics. > > "Speakers from all over the world contributed their experience, technical achievements, and research," said Rick Rosen, K1DS, one of the attendees. "Workshops and demonstrations were interlaced with the program and included operation of the on-site 144 MHz digital > > > The 13 meter EME dish and 2 meter Yagi antennas. [Rick Rosen, K1DS, photo] > > EME and 5.6 GHz CW/SSB EME stations, and reception of the 10 GHz EME beacon with a small 50 cm dish, preamp and down-converter." Rosen said attendees also exchanged technical small talk throughout the 2-day event. Rosen said a presentation by Al Katz, K2UYH, addressed the important issue of Doppler shift in EME work. > > "Although Doppler shift for EME signals is almost negligible on 6 and 2 meters, it becomes a bigger challenge as the frequencies used are increased. As there are many stations using 432 MHz and bands through 24 GHz to communicate by the moon, Doppler shift becomes trickier to calculate," Rosen said in recounting Katz's talk. "Doppler shift at 10 GHz can be several kilohertz. The Earth is continually spinning and the apparent position of the moon is changing at rates that may differ for both the transmitting and receiving stations. The ability to listen to one's own echoes or to place a signal where it will likely to be heard by a DX station is critical to the success of an EME QSO." > > "Al walked us through the various situations, use of Doppler prediction software and helped clarify to many of us the use of these tools," Rosen said. > > A presentation by Jan van Muijlwijk, PA3FXB, outlined the history and restoration of the 25-meter diameter Dwingeloo dish, which has been operational as a radio astronomy site since 1956 but sat dormant since the 1990s. As van Muijlwijk's presentation explained, volunteers restored the facility during a 2-year publicly funded project that involved disassembling and refurbishing the dish. Restoring the reassembled dish to its mount involved the largest crane in The Netherlands. > > > PA0EHG (center) describes and demonstrates a small-dish EME 10 GHz beacon receiver. [Rick Rosen, K1DS, photo] > > The PI9CAM station at Dwingeloo is now active on the air on 432 MHz and 1296 MHz moonbounce. "The station also was used to help an ailing nanosatellite last fall," Rosen explained. "[T]he satellite became unresponsive to commands due to a spurious 2 meter output that was blocking the 432 MHz command receiver. Once software was loaded at Dwingeloo, a set of commands were sent to shut off the 2 meter transmitter, and the satellite was successfully restored to operation." Rosen said the PI9CAM station is one of the easiest to work, by even modest EME stations. The Dwingeloo dish has even served as a wedding venue. > > Hans van Alphen, PA0EHG, described and demonstrated a small-dish EME 10 GHz beacon receiver. The DL0SHF 10 GHz beacon was placed on the air using a 7.6-meter dish and 50 W output in December 2013. Using a compact motorized auto-tracking system and a 48 cm dish, van Alphen was able to copy the beacon in both its high (600 W) and low (50 W) power outputs, Rosen said. > > The ARRL EME Contest takes place over several weekends this fall -- October 11-12, November 8-9 and December 6-7. EME 2016 will take place in Venice, Italy. -- Thanks to Rick Rosen, K1DS > > > > Top Band Webinar Set > The World Wide Radio Operators Foundation (WWROF) will sponsor a Top Band webinar, "A Long Overdue Review of Gray Line Propagation on the Low Bands," for Thursday, September 11, at 9 PM EDT (Friday, September 12 at 0100 UTC). > > Presenter Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, will trace the history of gray line propagation and theorize on a problem with the current explanation that propagation along the terminator is efficient. He will offer an alternative explanation. Advance registration is required. -- Thanks to Ken Claerbout, K4ZW, via The Daily DX > > UKube-1 Satellite Using FUNcube-2 For Downlink Workaround > The online industry publication SatelliteToday has reported that the UKube-1 CubeSat is "experiencing an anomaly with its primary communications link." To work around the problem, the United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA) commanded the small spacecraft to use an alternate configuration of what it called "the FUNcube-2 transceiver," using it as the satellite's temporary downlink. The Amateur Radio transponder on FUNcube-2 is not yet active -- just the BPSK telemetry beacon on 145.915 MHz. UKube-1 is hosting FUNcube-2, which is actually a set of FUNcube boards flying as a sub-system of the 3U CubeSat. The FUNcube project is aimed at supporting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) initiatives now underway in the US, the UK, and elsewhere. The target audience is primary and secondary school students. > > According to SatelliteToday, the satellite, which launched on July 8, is otherwise healthy and its attitude is stable, but the communication "anomaly" is not allowing ground controllers to proceed with normal payload commissioning. UKube-1 is the space agency's first CubeSat. The USKA said the FUNcube-2 payload is running at high power to make it easier for schools to copy its telemetry. > > SatelliteToday said the space agency hopes to stabilize UKube-1 over the coming weeks to permit payload commissioning. The FUNcube-2 payload includes a 400 mW inverting SSB/CW Amateur Radio transponder, with an uplink passband of 435.080 to 435.060 MHz (LSB) and a downlink passband of 145.930-145.950 MHz (USB). The telemetry beacon is on 145.915 MHz. > > The UKube-1 satellite was built by Clyde Space in Glasgow, Scotland. The FUNcube Project is a joint initiative of AMSAT-UK and AMSAT-NL (Netherlands). > > The existing FUNcube-1 Dashboard App does not correctly display FUNcube-2 telemetry, but it does correctly forward data to the Warehouse. The FUNcube team has not yet released a FUNcube-2 specific Dashboard software. It is working to provide a fully functional FUNcube-2 page on the Data Warehouse as soon as possible. -- Thanks to Trevor, M5AKA, for some information > > > W4DXCC DX and Contest Convention Marks its 10th Year > The 10th annual W4DXCC DX and Contest Convention takes place September 26-27 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. This year's event features extended hours and a full schedule of forum presenters. Among presentations on the program is "FT5ZM, to the End of the World and Back" with Bob Allphin, K4UEE. Also, Krish Kanakasapapathi, W4VKU, will discuss the VU7AG DXpedition. > > Two new manufacturers will be at this year's show -- Heil Sound and SteppIR Antennas. Heil Sound will conduct workshop sessions on "The Science of Audio." Amateur Radio examinations will be offered. More information is on the W4DXCC website. -- Thanks to Dave Anderson, K4SV > > "Archie's Ham Radio Adventure" Comic Artist Stan Goldberg, SK > Stan Goldberg, the artist who, with Mike Esposito, drew the "Archie's Ham Radio Adventure" comic for ARRL in the 1990s, died August 31. He was 82. A New York City native, Goldberg was Marvel Comics' chief colorist during the 1960s, when most of the characters now associated with Marvel were created. > > > Cartoonist Stan Goldberg. > > "He's the reason Spider Man's costume is red and dark blue, the reason the Incredible Hulk's skin is green," said Jim Massara, N2EST, who penned QST cartoons in the 1980s and also once worked for Marvel. "Goldberg was a giant in our industry." > > Massara said Goldberg was best known for drawing teen-related comics, first for Timely, a Marvel Comics predecessor, where Goldberg started as a staff colorist in 1949, when he was just 16. He went on to work for DC Comics and, finally, for Archie Comics starting in the early 1970s. "He was Archie Comics' prolific lead artist for a number of years, and along with Dan DeCarlo was one of two artists who defined the look of Archie and the gang for several decades," Massara told ARRL. > > Massara said Goldberg was well liked and respected by his colleagues. In 1994, he was honored with an Inkpot Award at Comic-Con International in San Diego, and in 2012 he was inducted into the National Cartoonist Society's Hall of Fame. > > > The ARRL and members of the Amateur Radio business community cooperated to develop the "Archie's Ham Radio Adventure" comic. > > Among his regrets, Massara said, is that he never got to meet Goldberg, who was working as a freelancer while he worked for Marvel as an assistant editor. > > "Goldberg was on my extremely short list of old pros I eventually wanted to meet and thank for their influence," Massara said. "Even though he and his wife had been in a severe car accident recently, I had heard they were both on the mend, and I had no reason to believe his passing was imminent. I'd never heard anything about Goldberg other than what a gentleman and professional he was. I'm sorry I never got to meet him." > > Goldberg had suffered a debilitating stroke in mid-August. His Facebook page includes more information on his work. > > > A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL > The September 1976 issue of QST announced that Al, K2UYH, had succeeded at Worked All Continents (WAC) on 432 MHz -- via moonbounce! > > Amateur Radio was well represented at the 1976 grand opening of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. A backup OSCAR 1 satellite -- the world's first non-government satellite -- was on display, and a battery-powered station was set up to make contacts via OSCARs 6 and 7. > > After 12 years in pursuit of 2 meter Worked All States (WAS) using meteor scatter, auroral, tropospheric, and moonbounce propagation, K0MQS finally turned the trick in early 1976! Showing that there are always new adventures in ham radio, W9JA in 1976 earned a 5-band WAS for working only hams with 1 ? 2 call signs! > > By 1977, plans had begun for the Phase III Amateur Radio satellite, which would be far more sophisticated and capable than any AMSAT "birds" to date. > > Articles began appearing in QST in the late 1970s that reported on hams building alternative power systems using solar and wind power. > > During the late 1970s, more and more 2 meter repeaters were put on the air, mostly by ham clubs. Sorting out new rules and regulations for them turned into a major undertaking for the FCC, including dealing with phone patches and autopatches via repeaters. QST responded with articles and notes to report the rules changes. > > On March 20, 1978, the FCC banned 10 meter amplifiers, because of the large-scale misuse of them on Citizens Band. This happened, despite the efforts of ARRL and many individual hams and ham clubs to leave the hams alone and to go after errant CBers instead. A guest editorial by Dave Bell, W6AQ, in the May 1978 QST is a splendid fable mirroring the FCC decision. > > > > By the late 1970s, attention began to be focused on the potential dangers to hams of RF radiation. > > A QST article in September 1978 described the experiences of Naomi Uemura, JG1QFW, as the first solo explorer to reach the North Pole. Hams set up an emergency circuit for his support, and tracked his dog sledge via reports relayed through the Nimbus 6 satellite. > > During the late 1970s, considerable attention was given to the new concept of narrowband voice modulation (NBVM). The new technique of frequency-compressed SSB was reported in the December 1977 QST, and the editorial in the September 1978 issue announced that W1AW would soon begin test transmissions, together with instructions as to how the signal can be tuned in (with reduced intelligibility) using normal SSB receivers. NBVM never caught on, however. > > Two new annual contests began in 1978 -- the ARRL EME Competition and the ARRL UHF Contest. An article in October 1978 QST reported on a newly discovered mode of VHF propagation -- Equatorial FAI (transequatorial propagation enhanced by magnetic-field-aligned irregularities). -- Al Brogdon, W1AB > > The K7RA Solar Update > Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: Sunspot activity continued to weaken over the past 7 days (August 28 through September 3). Average daily sunspot numbers declined from 113.4 to 85.1, and average daily solar flux dropped from 130.5 to 126.7. Geomagnetic activity was up recently, with the average planetary A index increasing from 7.4 to 14.7 -- nearly double the values recorded a week earlier. > > The latest predicted solar flux values are 140 on September 4, 135 on September 5-6, 130 on September 7-8, 120 on September 9-10, 115 on September 11-13, and 110 on September 14-15. Values rise again, reaching a very modest peak of 135 on September 20-21, just before the fall equinox on September 23. > > The predicted planetary A index is 8, 10, 20, and 15 on September 4-7, 8 on September 8-9, 5 on September 10-12, 8 on September 13, and 5 on September 14-24. > > One encouraging sign: The GOES-15 X-Ray background flux has risen over the past few days. It was C1.2 and C1.0 on September 2-3, and it hasn't had a C reading in quite some time. This is actually more significant than solar flux with respect to its effect on the ionosphere. You can check the background flux daily on NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center website. If you take a look at the quarterly record, you can see that X-Ray background flux has not been this high since early July. > > 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 reports from readers, plus the monthly update to our 3-month moving average of daily sunspot numbers. > > Send me your reports and observations. > > Just Ahead in Radiosport > September 5 -- NS Weekly Sprint > > September 6 -- CWops CW Open > > September 6 -- Russian Radio RTTY WW > > September 6 -- DARC 10 Meter Digital "Corona" > > September 6 -- Straight Key Party > > September 6 -- Indiana Parks on the Air > > September 6 -- Ohio State Parks On the Air > > September 6-7 -- All-Asian DX Contest (SSB) > > September 6-7 -- 070 Club KA3X Memorial Sprint (Digital) > > September 6-7 -- IARU Region I Field Day (SSB) > > September 7 -- North American Sprint (CW) > > September 7 -- QRP ARCI Two Sidebands Sprint > > September 7-8 -- Tennessee QSO Party > > September 13 -- FOC QSO Party (CW) > > September 13-14 -- Worked All Europe DX Contest (SSB) > > September 13-14 -- Straight Key Weekend Sprintathon > > September 13-14 -- Arkansas QSO Party > > September 13-15 -- ARRL September VHF Contest > > September 14 -- North American Sprint (SSB) > > September 14-15 -- Classic Exchange (phone) > > September 15 -- Run For the Bacon (CW) > > See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. > > Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events > September 5-7 -- ARRL-TAPR Digital Communications Conference, Austin, Texas > > September 6 -- Kentucky State Convention, Shepherdsville, Kentucky > > September 6 -- Virginia Section Convention, Virginia Beach, Virginia > > September 12-14 -- Southwestern Division Convention, San Diego, California > > September 19-20 -- W9DXCC Convention, Schaumburg, Illinois > > September 26-27 -- W4DXCC/SEDCO, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee > > September 26-28 -- Mid-Atlantic States VHF Conference, Bensalem, Pennsylvania > > September 27 -- North Dakota State Convention, West Fargo, North Dakota > > September 27 -- Washington State Convention, Spokane Valley, Washington > > October 4 -- Delaware State Convention, Georgetown, Delaware > > October 5 -- Iowa Section Convention, West Liberty, Iowa > > October 10-11 -- Florida State Convention, Melbourne, Florida > > October 10-12 -- Pacific Division Convention (Pacificon), Santa Clara, California > > October 11 -- Pacific Northwest VHF Conference, Seaside, Oregon > > October 12 -- Connecticut State Convention, Meriden, Connecticut > > October 18 -- Arkansas State Convention, Batesville, Arkansas > > October 18 -- Wisconsin ARES/RACES Conference, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin > > October 24-25 -- Oklahoma Section Convention, Ardmore, Oklahoma > > November 1 -- TechFest 2014, Lakewood, Colorado > > November 1-2 -- Georgia State Convention, Lawrenceville, Georgia > > November 8 -- Alabama State Convention, Montgomery, Alabama > > November 15-16 -- Indiana State Convention, Fort Wayne, Indiana > > December 12-13 -- West Central Florida Section, Plant City, Florida > > 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 us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. > > > > > > > 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 > From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Sep 9 15:06:54 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 15:06:54 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Long-duration Solar Flare In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <540F4FCE.9040200@bellsouth.net> Space Weather News for Sept. 9, 2014 http://spaceweather.com This morning (Sept. 9th at 00:30 UT) the magnetic canopy of sunspot AR2158 erupted, producing a long-duration solar flare and a bright CME. The CME, which billowed away from the sun at nearly 1,000 km/s, has an Earth-directed component. A glancing blow is possible during the late hours of Sept. 11/early hours of Sept. 12. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras when the storm cloud arrives. Check http://spaceweather.com for more information and updates. From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Sep 9 15:53:55 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 15:53:55 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] A Message from Jeff In-Reply-To: <20140909120858.1E41420223@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20140909120858.1E41420223@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <540F5AD3.9080208@bellsouth.net> Greetings to all, Myra and I attended the ARRL Southeastern Division Convention in Huntsville, AL last month. They hosted one of the regional ARRL Centennial events; the last one in the east. Highlighted by the traveling ARRL Expo, a number of excellent forums and good attendance, the Huntsville Hamfest is becoming one of the larger shows on the hamfest/convention circuit. I know that I?m beginning to sound like a broken record, however, we cannot lose our momentum with going forward with our support of HR 4969. If you have not already done so, please contact your Congressperson. Write a letter of support, forward it to ARRL by Sept. 12th for distribution and make an appointment to visit with them. Ask them to support HR 4969 and to co-sponsor the bill. I cannot over emphasize how important it is for everyone to sign on with this effort. For more info, please visit http://www.arrl.org/news/crunch-time-letters-urging-house-members-to-support-h-r-4969-due-at-headquarters-by-september-12 Congratulations to the members of the Boca Raton ARA upon earning the ARRL Special Service Club designation. Affiliated clubs can become an SSC by meeting certain requirements. For more info, contact our Affiliated Club Coordinator, Steve, N4SGL at n4sgl at arrl.net We are looking for an individual to head up our Section Youth program. This is a SFL Section staff appointment who will work closely with the Section Manager and Affiliated Club Coordinator. For more info on the Section Youth Coordinator position, please visit http://www.arrl.org/section-youth-coordinator If you are interested, just drop me an email or give me a call. Mark your calendars for October 10-11th for the Florida State Convention at Melbourne. Held in conjunction with the 49th Melbourne Hamfest at the Melbourne Auditorium, this show has become a major event in the SFL Section. Meet with your Division Director/Vice Director and the SFL Section staff at the ARRL booth. Our special guest from ARRL HQ will be Bob Allison, WB1GCM from the ARRL Lab. For more info, please visit http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/florida-state-convention-melbourne-hamfest-3 The annual Simulated Emergency Test will be held in the SFL Section on October 18th. For most ARES groups, the SET is a part of their ongoing training program. Details on the SET can be found on page 75 in the September QST. For more info on how you can participate in the SET, contact your local EC or the DEC in your District. Please remember that we are now in the peak of the storm season. Fortunately, it has been quiet so far, however, it just takes one, so don?t become complacent. Be prepared for what might come our way. Silent Keys- It is with deep regret that we report the passing of the following SFL members: Wade J. ( Jim ) Bayless, W4BAL of Cocoa. Jim was active with Brevard County ARES and BEARS. Jim was also an ARRL Official Emergency Station. Frank J. London, W1IVB of Delray Beach. Frank was an active member of the Boca Raton ARA and the Florida Atlantic University ARC and an ARRL Life Menber. 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. Vy 73, Jeff, WA4AW -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL Southern Florida Section Section Manager: Jeff Beals, WA4AW wa4aw at arrl.org From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Sep 9 17:26:56 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 17:26:56 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] A Comparison of ARRL Lab Data For Selected Transceivers - Jim Brown K9YC Message-ID: <540F70A0.50408@bellsouth.net> From the CWops List: Bill W2CQ Things were sort of slow during IOTA, so during my many breaks, I did some work on a project I've been thinking about for quite a while. You may recall extensive analysis of receiver performance that has been around for a while, but the mess of clicks, splatter, and noise, especially during contests, has convinced me that TX noise performance needs serious attention. This time around, I haven't measured a thing -- all I've done is take ARRL's data off the graphs that are part of their testing of various rigs and plot them on the same graph. This makes it easy for us to compare one rig against another. The data may, or may not, surprise you. The fruit of my labor is at k9yc.com/TXNoise.pdf This is a work in progress, and comments are appreciated. 73, Jim K9YC http://k9yc.com/TXNoise.pdf From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Sep 10 14:17:35 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 14:17:35 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] DXCC Rule Proposal Survey References: <20140910174740.0551427D207@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <5859A2CB-124C-4AC5-8D3D-0F6FE4E3E3B5@bellsouth.net> > A motion was passed at the July 2014 Board of Directors Meeting to task > the Programs and Services Committee (P&SC) with looking at the use of > remote stations in the DXCC awards program. Here is the actual motion: > > "WHEREAS the DX Century Club (DXCC) is the premier ARRL award program, > and has amateur operator participants worldwide; and > > WHEREAS remote controlled stations are becoming more popular and > represent new advancements in computer and radio technologies; and > > WHEREAS remote controlled stations both commercial ?for hire/rent? > and private pose both opportunities and challenges within the DXCC > program; > > NOW BE IT RESOLVED that the ARRL Board of Directors hereby tasks the > Programs and Services Committee to closely examine this issue and > consider the possible advantages, disadvantages and any potential > ethical issues as it relates strictly to the DXCC program. The PSC > should report its findings and any recommendations back to the ARRL > Board no later than the January 2015 Annual Meeting of the ARRL Board > of Directors." > > As I am a member of the P&SC, I'll be directly participating in the > examination. I'll try to summarize the basics and to impartially > summarize the arguments on both sides. > > Currently the DXCC rules require that all contacts for a DXCC award > must occur from the same entity. In other words, If you move around the > continental United States, contacts made in any of the 48 states count > towards that DXCC award. Other than requiring the operator to be in the > same entity as the receiver and transmitter, the rules are currently > silent on the use of remote stations that are located in the same DXCC > entity. > > Years ago there was a rule that said all contacts for an DXCC award had > to be within 150 miles, but that language was removed quite some time > ago. > > With the advent of the Internet, it has become commonplace for amateurs > to be able to remote control their stations while they travel or > otherwise are away from their home station. There are now clubs that > offer remote access to a well constructed station as a membership > benefit. There are also now commercial operations that charge for the > use of their remote stations which may include stations located > throughout the continental United States (and elsewhere). > > Below are the arguments from both sides that I have heard most > frequently. There are other arguments on both sides of the issue. > > The arguments in favor of restricting the use of remote stations > generally center around what is perceived as an unfair advantage > available to amateurs using premium stations located in other parts of > the country. It is often easier for a station in the Northeast to work > stations in Europe and stations in the Northwest to work stations in > Asia. The argument is that, for example, a station in Florida using a > well equipped remote station on the West Coast to work a rare country > in the Pacific is not fair. > > The arguments in favor of continuing to allow remote operations for > DXCC award credit include: DXCC is an individual achievement, not a > contest; someone who has physically moved around or visited within the > 48 continental States gets credit for all DXCC entities contacted from > any of those states?technological advances now allow that "movement" > to be electronic; and some amateurs have two homes located in different > areas of the country and use an Internet connection to operate the main > station when they are at the other home. > > If you support the idea of limiting the use of remote stations for DXCC > award credit, send an email before 9/15/2014 to yes at arrlse.org that > includes your callsign in the body of the email. > > If you oppose the idea of adding any new restrictions to the use of > remote stations for DXCC award credit, send an email before 9/15/2014 > to no at arrlse.org that includes your callsign in the body of the email. > > Please only send one email and add any comments you would like to. > Comments that explain specific restrictions or conditions you would be > in favor of are particularly helpful. I won't have time to respond > individually, but I will read all emails received. > > Thanks & 73, > de K4AC > > ARRL Southeastern Division > Director: Doug Rehman, K4AC > k4ac at arrl.org From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Sep 10 15:27:04 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 15:27:04 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Contest Update for September 10, 2014 In-Reply-To: <20140910043952.E98252317D@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20140910043952.E98252317D@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <5410A608.7080303@bellsouth.net> Preview If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/?issue=2014-09-10 The ARRL Contest Update September 10, 2014 Editor: Ward Silver, N?AX /Contest Update/ Archive Contest Calendar ARRL Home Page Ad IN THIS ISSUE * Honey, I Shrunk the Waves! - ARRL Sep VHF and 10 GHz Contests <#Contests> * Contests Cross the Continent - SC, AR, WA QSO Parties <#Contests> * New Cabrillo Tag for CQ WW <#News> * Nine Makers Making <#Newsweek> * Low Band Grey Line Webinar with K9LA <#Sights> * New Stuff on the ARRL Contest Pages <#Results> * Transmitter Noises - Who's Naughty and Nice <#Tech> * Antenna Interactions by K3NA Now Online <#Techweek> * Auntie Coreen Explains Contesting - by VE9AA <#Conversation> NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO Here's a brand-new contest that isn't afraid to have a little fun at the same time - the Pirate QSO Party ! The idea is to work the other "pirates" while keeping your own stack of doubloons as high as the crow's nest. And if you want a frequency - just put on a menacing scowl and tell the station to "walk the plank!" Who will prevail - pirates of blood-red or ocean-blue? You can acknowledge the exchange with "Arrrrgh!" of course. Thanks to San W6RRR for thinking this one up and let the QRM run in the scuppers! BULLETINS There are no bulletins in this issue BUSTED QSOS No reports of bad data in the previous issue. CONTEST SUMMARY Complete information <#Contests> for all contests follows the Conversation <#Conversation> section *September 13-14* * */ARRL September VHF Contest/* * */North American Sprint--Phone/* * FOC QSO Party--CW * Straight Key Weekend Sprintathon--CW * Arkansas QSO Party * Classic Exchange--Phone * Run For the Bacon--CW (Sep 15) * NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint--CW (Sep 18) *September 20-21* * */ARRL 10 GHz Cumulative Contest/* * Pirate QSO Party--Phone * Scandinavian Activity Contest--CW * South Carolina QSO Party * Feld-Hell Hell on Wheels Sprint * Washington State Salmon Run * Classic Exchange--CW * BARTG Sprint 75--Digital * 144 MHz Fall VHF Sprint (Sep 22) NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST How do you make a small fortune? Start with a big one and get into ham radio contesting! So goes the saying - obviously we don't do this for the big winner's purses. Instead, certificates are a great way to enjoy our successes and look good up there on the wall. Not everybody wants them, though, so why should contest sponsors go to the considerable effort and expense of providing undesired wallpaper? Well, for the CQ World Wide Contests, they won't have to with addition of the new Cabrillo CERTIFICATE: tag . A simple YES or NO value (the default is, of course, YES - GIMME THAT WALLPAPER!) lets the sponsors know whether or not to generate and mail your paper certificate (you'll still be able to download an electronic certificate). If the new tag is not used, the assumption will be that the certificate should be sent. (Thanks, Randy K5ZD) Dave WV9E tried portable operation in the recent August UHF Contest - and had a great time! Listen for Dave in this weekend's September VHF Contest. (Photo by WV9E) The 2015 edition of the ARRL's January VHF Contest will fall on the fourth weekend of January (24-26 January 2015), not the customary third weekend. The fourth weekend was chosen to avoid conflict with NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl. In 2016, things will probably return to normal. (Thanks, ARRL Contest Branch Manager, Matt W1MSW) December will feature a month-long Youngsters On The Air activity - YOTA Month. Listen for European stations with YOTA suffixes, operated by hams 26 years of age or less. Even though North American hams won't be able to change their call signs, this is a great opportunity for our student and young operators to connect with their peers around the world. (Thanks, IARU Region I Youth Coordinator, Lisa PA2LS) RTTY fans - don't forget about the weekly 30-minute NS RTTY Sprint that begins 45 minutes before the NS CW Sprint every Thursday evening. (0145 UTC on Friday) There is plenty of time to reconfigure your station for CW and make an appearance in both sprints. (Thanks, Ken K6MR) It's never too early to upgrade your logging software, especially since there are new categories for the ARRL 10 Meter and 160 Meter contests - Single-Operator Unlimited. Previously, the use of spotting information placed a station in the Multioperator category. The new categories took effect beginning with the ARRL RTTY Roundup in January and their implementation will be complete with these two December contests. Several mobile-device-friendly call sign server applications were recently discussed on the QRP-L email list. These include the Android OS app /QRZDroid / along with the website of WM7D and the database query tools developed by AE7Q . (Thanks, Joe N1KHB, Rick KD4PYR, Fred NC4FB, and others) /Space Weather News / for Aug. 31, 2014 notes that aurora season is now fully underway around the Arctic circle. Unlike lower latitudes, the Arctic does not require a full-fledged geomagnetic storm for aurora sightings. Here's a picture of what it's like to fly /through/ an aurora! RW4LR has developed an interesting online visualization tool for DXCC entities, CQ zones, ITU zones, time zones, IOTA groups, and more. Each can be turned on and off as n overlay to a world map - a very interesting exercise. (Thanks, Zoli HA1AG) Here's Craig K9CT explaining the ways and means of station-buildings at this past weekend's SMCFest gathering in Maryville, IL. Don't miss Craig's informative and entertaining talk at W9DXCC ! (Photo by N?AX) While rumors abound, it's good to know that the long-time W4MPY QSL printing business is still /in/ business. Although Wayne has had health problems, his daughter and grand-daughter have taken over the business and are filling orders with about a 2-week turnaround. The phone number is still inactive so please use the website if you want to get in touch with them. And our best wishes to W4MPY, as well. (Thanks, Fred W2AAB) From the 1958 CQ World Wide results writeup, we find the genesis of the multi-multi category: "K2GL had as many as four transmitters going at the same time and with the score on each band equal to the leading single band stations, it's small wonder that they broke the 2 million mark. "Is it true, Buzz, next year you are installing an electronic computer to keep score?" It has been suggested that we re-classify the multi-operator Section. Perhaps divide it into two divisions, single transmitter and multi-transmitter." (Thanks, John N2NC) *Web Site of the Week* - There are some really interesting efforts going on out there in the DIY (do-it-yourself) community and some might find their way to ham radio. The latest edition of the /EDN/ blog "The Workbench " tips us off to nine World Maker Faire New York makers we should watch in the future. Who are our innovative ham radio makers? WORD TO THE WISE From Tim K3LR, a ham who should know about putting up towers and antennas, comes this piece of advice for everyone who puts up a tower. "It doesn't matter how high the tower is - PLEASE USE THE RIGHT STUFF! If anyone uses the wrong tower hardware and does not have problems or does not get killed, I call that "luck". Do you want to bet your life on luck? Use the EXACT product that is specifically designed for tower applications. Do not take short cuts! Pay attention to the tower, guy wire, and antenna manufacturer's instructions. What is your life or one of your friend's lives worth? PLEASE BE SAFE." Ad SIGHTS AND SOUNDS The World Wide Radio Operators Foundation (WWROF) is hosting a new webinar on September 11^th at 9 PM EDT titled, "A Long Overdue Review of Gray Line Propagation on the Low Bands" with Carl Luetzelschwab K9LA. Carl will trace the origin of gray line propagation and show that there is a problem with the current explanation that propagation along the terminator is efficient. He will then provide an alternative explanation for gray line that satisfies both observations and ionospheric physics." (Thanks, Ken K4ZW) And another webinar follows a week later at 9 PM EDT on September 17^th , - "What is Radio Scouting and What Does it Mean to Me?" The webinar is presented by Jim Wilson K5ND, chairman of the Boy Scouts of America's Radio Scouting Committee, President of the K2BSA Amateur Radio Association, and member of the World Scouting JOTA-JOTI Team. Tune in to this webinar to learn more about Jamboree On the Air, catch up with all the amazing activities within Radio Scouting, and learn what it means to you and to Amateur Radio. (Thanks, Keith WA?TJT) The 10 GHz Cumulative Contest's first weekend was a lot of fun for these 'wavers making QSOs across Lake Erie at sunset. (Photo by WA3TTS) Slides from the talks given at the 2014 Dayton Hamvention Antenna Forum are now posted under "DAYTON ANTENNA SUMMARY" at the K3LR website . Material all the way back to 2004 is available thanks to K5TR, K8MNJ, and K8CX. (Thanks, Tim K3LR) This synchronous pendulum video is striking and will bowl you over as you're pinned to the screen - if you can spare a minute to watch. (Thanks, Tom K1KI) Key lectures from Europe's big Friedrichshafen hamvention are now available. Dokumentationsarchiv Funk , a "Documentary Archive Radio Communications" in Vienna, Austria has both audio and video files from this year's convention, including one in German by DK7ZB on Yagis and Quads, "The Enigma and Other Famous Cipher Machines" by W1TP, and K?IR's presentation on FT5ZM, Amsterdam Island.(Thanks, /Daily DX/ ) What was the Internet like 21 years ago? It's hard to recall a time when "online" usually referred to laundry and fish but this Tour Of the Internet will refresh your not-so-dynamic RAM. (Thanks, Bill Saltzstein) RESULTS AND RECORDS ARRL Contest Branch Manager, Matt W1MSW, has been a busy boy lately, sending out awards and posting long-awaited scores and reports. Here are his latest accomplishments: * August UHF Contest Logs Received are posted - please be sure that you are happy with the category to which your log was assigned. * The Contest Results have been updated with Line Scores for RTTY Roundup, ARRL DX CW, and ARRL DX Phone. * PDF versions of the /QST/ results articles are now caught up through both modes of ARRL DX. * Log Checking Reports (LCRs) are now available for RTTY Roundup and both modes of ARRL DX. * Searchable databases are now available for RTTY Roundup and ARRL DX Phone. * Certificates have been mailed for the 2013 ARRL September VHF Contest - watch your mailbox! These are the VHF+ beacon antennas (Lowe's Loops) at WA3TTS making a nice sculpture on 50 through 432 MHz. (Photo by WA3TTS) Section-level records for the ARRL September VHF Contest have been updated through 2013 and are now up on the ARRL Contest Records web page. (Thanks, Curt K9AKS) The line scores and tables of top scores from the 2014 CQWW WPX SSB contest are now available online as a downloadable PDF document. (Thanks, Terry N4TZ) The Alabama Contest Group announces the results for the 2014 Alabama QSO Party are online. Information about plaques and certifications will be forthcoming. (Thanks, Jim KC4HW) CQ WW Director, Randy K5ZD, reports, "N2NC and his team of typists have added two more years, 1969 and 1970, to the CQ WW Online Score database . Hard to believe now, but the CQWW in 1969 only had 1,376 logs on SSB and 1,628 on CW. The world high winner in that year (both modes!) was Jim Neiger (now N6TJ) operating as 9Y4AA." Jim N6TJ responds, "My "killer station" was comprised of a Collins S-Line and a 30L-1 amplifier - never pushing the four 811A's past 600 watts out. Antennas were a Hygain TH6 tribander, Hygain 14AVQ vertical for 40, andinverted V for 80. No 160. Of course, no computer. No memory keyer. Paper and pencil, with eraser. As I seem to recall, I did 48 hours straight, both modes, having just moved from ZD8Z three months earlier, where 48-straight was a must. Oh to be young(er) again." Steve N8BJQ will be doing the writeup for the 2014 CQ VHF contest in the next few weeks. If you would like to contribute a short piece on your operation (fixed/portable/rover) and/or some pictures they would be most welcome. Microsoft /Word/ or a text file are fine - pictures should be high-res JPEG or TIFF. OPERATING TIP In a RTTY contest, to help get your call and exchange through noise and QRM, including a space at the end of your exchange or call helps keep the FSK decoder from appending an extraneous letter at the end due to interference. Also make sure that your audio levels for AFSK are properly adjusted. (Thanks, Mark N2QT) Ad TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION Jim K9YC has generated another interesting publication , this time on the noise emissions from transmitters, both close to the carrier (such as during CW operation) and over a wide bandwidth. The analysis and graphs are based on data measured by the ARRL Lab as part of their product review evaluations and published in /QST/. A companion presentation by Bob K6XX is also available, showing how to configure and operate so as to produce a cleaner signal. With receivers so good they can hear a pin drop at the antipodes, it's now time to start working on cleaning up our transmitted signals so they don't cover up those weak signals or clobber the station on the next channel (or band!). What the heck is that? It's a radial plow attachment for a tractor brought to SMCFest by Sam K9SD! Don't mess with the business end of that - but it will help you cut through those low-band pileups. (Photo by N?AX) VE7BQH has just released an updated spreadsheet comparing the gain, bandwidth and showing proper stacking distances for various popular VHF+ antennas. (Thanks, Lance W7GJ) Pulleys or blocks used to support wire antennas must be chosen to support the halyard holding the antenna without abrading it. Rick N6RK recommends the Harken blocks that are available from many sources, including marine supply stores, McMaster-Carr, and so forth. Whatever you do use, Frank W3LPL notes that using large diameter pulleys is important to keep from bending the rope around a small radius, which creates wear. More from K9YC as Jim discusses avoiding hum and buzz without transformers and setting computer audio playback levels . His advice applies to both SSB and digital modes, with the additional observation that inexpensive USB sound cards work better than internal computer sound card ICs. An new product appeared in a recent Linear Technology article - a mixer designed for good strong-signal performance at VHF+. This might be particularly useful in receivers intended for use in multi-band fixed and mobile stations. Joe W4TV adds more explanation to the discussion of F-keys configured for multi-media or system control. "The user can generally configure the start-up behavior of function keys using vendor-specific applications or disable the "alternate" functions altogether using the software. In some cases, disabling the automatic loading of the drivers will restore normal operating system use of the F-keys... Generally, the on-line documentation and/or the OEM 'management software' will provide the necessary information if one is willing to take the time and look for it." One more note from the prolific K9YC as Jim observes that most vehicle power systems are not set up to minimize the area formed by a radio's power supply wiring. If the current return (negative) lead is not kept with the supply (positive) lead all the way to and from the battery, those paths form large-area loops that are ideal for common-mode coupling! This is a recipe for noise pickup and RFI! When possible use heavy twisted-pair or zip cord to connect your radio directly to the battery (or a power tap with both positive and negative terminals), fusing both leads. That copper-colored stuff is SS-30 conductive grease on the teeth of a TIC ring rotator at K3LR. Combined with a grounding cable, this did away with static generated during antenna rotation. Both the grease and sealed position-sensing pots for the TICs are available at DX Engineering. (Thanks, Tim K3LR) With the summer sporadic E season behind us, paying attention to beacons takes on even more importance to capitalize on tropo and other fall and winter VHF+ modes. WA8RJF's "The Magic Band(s)" column in the July issue of /CQ/ alerts us to W2DSN's /Beacon Spot US/ website for beacon data at VHF, UHF, and microwaves. *Technical Web Site of the Week* - The six-part "Antenna Interactions" series of /National Contest Journal /articles by K3NA are now available in the Bonus Content area of the NCJ website. Search for the phrase "Antenna Interactions" and you will find all six parts of the article. (Thanks, Kirk K4RO) CONVERSATION Auntie Coreen Explains Contesting How does ham radio contesting look from just outside the shack door? Let's listen in as a couple of VE9AA's family members, Auntie Coreen and her nephew, discuss our favorite hobby. Maybe this will help you explain a little of what you do, as well. Thanks to Mike for sharing this extended dialogue with the /Contest Update/! 73, Ward N?AX /NEPHEW: (Two little puppydog eyes look waaaay up) Auntie Coreen, Can I ask you a question?/ AUNT COREEN: Yes little nephew, what is it hon? /Does Uncle Mike not like me anymore? (a tear in the little boy's eye)/ That's silly, he loves you dear. (she smiles) /How come Auntie, when I come over on weekends, he's always in his shop?/ That's because he's contesting. (she says in a low voice) Another youngster getting his questions about ham radio answered - that's WRTC2014 co-champ, Dan N6MJ, holding his son, Oliver. Start 'em out early, Pop! (Photo from N6MJ) /Contesting? What's that?/ It's a radio contest nephew. /You mean like when you are the 10th caller and you win a burger and fries from that DJ on 105.3 The Fox/ /FM radio?/ No, not that kind of contest. /What kind then?/ Well, it's a HAM radio contest. /Ham? Like what we have at Easter with pineapples?/ No, Amateur Radio Ham, that kind. /Amateur radio. Hmmm. Is that why Uncle Mike has all those antennas on his red car and all those wires in the fir trees?/ Yes hon, he's a ham radio guy, but mostly just on weekends. /He seems so normal during the week Auntie. Is he OK? Like why does he do these contests Auntie? Can he win prizes or sumfin'? (bewildered look on the little boy's face)/ Sometimes dear, sometimes. (kinda tips head; not knowing what to say) /What has he won?/ Oh, a bunch of wallpaper and a few plaques I guess. He got rice from one contest in the Midwest and we enjoyed maple syrup from Nova Scotia this year. If we open the door and are very quiet we can peek in on him doing his work and have a look at his wall. (creeeeeeak...shack door opens slowwwwly...(yelling) CQ CONTEST Victor Echo Nine Alpha Alpha, contest...) /Who is he talking to Auntie and where is this wallpaper?/ Probably someone far away dear. His wallpaper is those certificates that come in the mail now and then. See them on the wall there next to our pictures? ((yelling) You're 5-9 November Bravo...) /Who's November Bravo Auntie Coreen?/ It's us. /Us?/ Yes, November Bravo means New Brunswick. /Huh?/ It's phonetics. Each letter has its own word and hams use it to express what they are spelling like you do in grade one. Spelling is always important. /I don't hear anyone talking to him./ That's because he has his headphones on. /Oh. Does he use them to hear far away people better?/ Yes, and so the noise doesn't bother us also. /Noise?/ (Uncle Mike takes off his headphones and a roar ensues...Delta Lima Italy Kilo One Papa Alpha Zulu Zulu Tango Mike Four crackle/squeal...) /WOW Auntie, that IS loud. Please ask him to put his headphones back on./ We won't have to dear, he was just seeing if we wanted anything. (She motions to Mike that everything's ok and to go back to his contest work. Mike looks over the top of his spectacles and goes back to work, huffing and puffing, cheeks rosy as ever.) /I heard a lot of loud voices Auntie./ Yes dear. A lot of people want New Brunswick. /Is that November Bravo?/ Yes dear. /Why do they want it?/ I guess it's rare. /Rare like those red steaks he puts on the BBQ in the summer?/ No dear. There aren't many contesting hams way up here in the snowy Arctic regions of NB. /Oh....??. (little nephew looks down, looking scared) Do they want to take November Bravo away?/ No dear, they want to work your Uncle Mike. /Work him? Doesn't he already have a job making toys all year long?/ Yes, but they want to make contact with him and put him in their log for points. /Auntie, I really don't know what you are talking about now. There are so many words that have other meanings. (head spinning)/ They exchange numbers and letters and each person makes a note in their computer program that they talked to the other and at the end, a board adds up the points. /Board? Is that how they make the log?/ No silly. I mean a group of trusted organizers add up everyone's points and determines who wins. /Who DOES win Auntie?/ Many people, dear. People do it mostly for fun and there are many classes. /I have classes at my school, Jingle Bell Elementary! I have Math and Reading and even Spelling. I could write some notes and give them to Uncle Mike and help him out!!!/ Well, he has to talk to you on the radio to make it count, but if you smile at Uncle Mike, I am sure he'll see you, even if he's yelling at someone. /Why is he yelling? Is he mad?/ No, he's not mad. It's just that there are lots of people from all over the world on the radio all talking at once.....like when I took you Christmas shopping during that big sale at the mall last week. Remember that big crowd? /Do I ever! You lost me and I cried. I yelled and you yelled and we found each other./ Well, its kinda like that nephew, but with points for getting back together. /Will Uncle Mike always do this? I never see him anymore on the weekends./ No dear, he's promised to retire at midnight on New Year's Eve. /Retire? Like Grampy did?/ Yes, put up his microphone and keyer up for most of the year and take it easy. /Easy - Uncle Mike? But he's always tinkering with something....and what's a keyer?/ Well, a keyer is what makes those beeping noises you hear other times when he unplugs his headphones. I think this weekend it's a multimode contest. /Mode...Grampy has his pie a la mode, I know that. Is that the mode?/ No, mode is like either talking or Morse Code rat-tat-tat (beeping) that kinda mode. /Oh I heard that last weekend. Sounded like angry bees. Kinda scared me./ Yes, Uncle Mike deciphers those beeps and makes sense out of it in the same way he does of all that yelling. (Mike unplugs headphones _ ./..../.._ _ _ /_/ ...../_ ./_./ _ ./_. . .) /Are those beeps what causes the Christmas lights to flash out by his antenna above the shed?/ When he's on 10 meters, yes. /10 meters? You means those dials on his radio and other boxes. I counted ten of them./ Well, sort of, it's when he puts on his amplifier, those lights really twinkle! He works very hard to get his signal to all the boys and girls, all over the globe. Sometimes in just one night! /Wow Auntie, I am glad he's going to retire. He seems so stressed./ He is dear, but I guess it's fun for him in his own way. After the contests he reads all the letters and reports and nods his head and laughs until his belly shakes and really looks forward to reading all the stories everyone writes. The guy who made a million points or even 100 points, they are all special to him. /(eyes get wide) A MILLION POINTS!/ Yes and also, he's been pushing it real hard all year for ANS points dear, but after Jan 1st, he's only going to do it for WRTC points. /What are ANS points?/ Hand me your smart phone nephew. (Nephew hands phone to Auntie gently. Auntie brings up *www.maritimecontestclub.com* and then looks up the links for *maritimecontestclub.com/themccansaward.html* ) See these pages? /Oh, I see. (looks around not really getting it.)/ He gets a certain amount of points for every contest and then another guy adds them all up for all the Maritimers, so they can have a friendly competition between one another and increase activity for our area here in the North. (deer walk across the yard, just outside the window) /Wow Auntie, that seems like a lot of work for just one plaque./ It is dear. /Why does he do it?/ No one knows for sure. /Can't he just cut a board on his table saw? I saw him make you a bird house one time. He made me a toy soldier. And those feeders for the deer out back. His workshop is full of wood./ Yes, but it's a challenge nephew. I guess maybe that's why he does it. /So, after this ANS thing, there is a WRTC thing?/ Yes. /What's that?/ It's kinda like the Radio Olympics. /Olympics! I know what they are Auntie. I watched them on TV. I like the runners. They're fast./ Well, it's like that, but only for radio hams. They are all in a race. /And he has to be on again every weekend for another year?/ No, only 5 or 10 contests a year for about 2? years. /And he'll win a torch or a gold medal or a million points?/ Probably not dear. He just wants to see if he can get his call sign VE9AA to climb up the standings a few more notches , only just for fun. /How many contests has he done this year?/ Around 125. /125!!! WOW - Are there that many weekends in a year Auntie Coreen?/ No hon, but often he does more than one a weekend. Sometimes he uses packet to assist him, like having many little helpers to get the work done. /WOW, Uncle Mike is crazy./ Uh-huh (she nods her head). /Is that why he drinks six cups of coffee even before coffee break in the mornings?/ Yes, well, he needs the caffeine to keep up with the other runners. He's not as young as he used to be you know. With a big belly and a greying beard and that red shirt, he's showing his age during this festive season. /And does he know any of these other runner guys?/ Some of them. He talks to people on the radio and gets letters and emails from all over the world dear. Many are his friends, but some are naughty and he's not friendly with them much because they have nasty signals and they're rude. Today on his lunch break I made him some cookies and milk and he told me that special friends from India and Guam called him and the excitement on his face was like you are on Christmas morning little one. /Where else has he talked to?/ Well, all over the world really. USA, Canada, many places in Europe like the Netherlands we visited a couple years ago, remember that place? /Oh yes, I loved Holland! So many tulips, windmills, chocolate , wooden shoes, and cheese....You're from there right? Is that why Sinter Klaas brought us chocolate for our shoes the other night?/ Yes dear. The Dutch people were very nice to us. Maybe if Uncle Mike gets off the radio a bit we can save up and go back someday and see them again. /What other places has he talked to?/ All kinds of places hon. I am sure Uncle Mike will tell us tomorrow where else his signal has landed last night. I hear him saying "Arigato" now, so I think he just talked to Japan. He likes to be friendly with everyone. /And they understood him Auntie!! He can speak Japanese. Cool./ We better shut the shop door, Uncle Mike can't hear the weak signals now as it's getting dark. He knows a few words and is just being friendly to all the boys and girls on the radio. /How many more contests does he have left this year?/ Only a few. One of the last this year is the RAC Winter contest, which is his time to say Hello, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays and thank all his radio friends for all the points they exchanged all year long. He enjoys the BIG contests and the QSO Parties too. After that is the big Stew. /Parties with Stew? Like Uncle Mike makes with the leftover turkey bones on Boxing Day?/ No dear, the Stew Perry. It's a Top Band contest. /Top...uhh..band? Is that a holiday music contest Auntie?/ No, it's a special band very low on the dial and in this one where they award points based on distance talked. /Like when I throw a snowball farther than little Elfy next door and I win?/ Sort of. /Uncle Mike really loves all this contesting stuff eh?/ Yes dear, but it's been a hard year on him. So much to do at work and he misses spending weekend time with his family at home. He's spent all year building up these points in his workshop only to have them all go away on New Year's Eve. That's why he's said he's going to do less contests from now on and take some time off over the holidays to be with all of us like most other families are doing around this time of year. /He really loves us Auntie, huh? (sniffles)/ Yes dear. I bet all hams love their families. (she gleams) 73 de Mike Coreen, VE9AA Ad CONTESTS *September 10-23* 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* /*North American Sprint*/--Phone, from Sep 14, 0000Z to Sep 14, 0359Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. Exchange: Call signs, serial, name, and state. Logs due: 7 days. Rules ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Worked All Europe DX Contest--Phone, from Sep 13, 0000Z to Sep 14, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RS and serial. Logs due: 2 weeks. Rules FOC QSO Party--CW, from Sep 13, 0000Z to Sep 13, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST, name, FOC nr if member. Logs due: 7 days. Rules Straight Key Weekend Sprintathon--CW, from Sep 13, 1200Z to Sep 14, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: RST, QTH, name, member nr if member. Logs due: 5 days. Rules Arkansas QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 13, 1400Z to Sep 14, 0200Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28, 144, CW--40 kHz above band edge; Phone--3.85, 7.18, 14.28, 21.38, 28.38, 146.55; PSK31--3.58, 7.08, 14.07015, 21.08, 28.08 MHz. Exchange: RS(T), county or S/P or "DX". Logs due: Oct 10. Rules Classic Exchange--Phone, from Sep 14, 1300Z to Sep 15, 0700Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, SSB--1.885, 3.87, 7.28, 14.27, 21.37, 28.39; AM--1.89, 3.88, 7.16, 7.29, 14.286, 21.42, 29.0 MHz. Exchange: Name, RS, S/P/C, type of equipment. Logs due: 60 days. Rules Run For the Bacon--CW, from Sep 15, 0100Z to Sep 15, 0300Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Monthly on 3rd Sunday night (local); CW--1.812, 3.562, 7.044, 7.104. 14.062, 21.062, 27.185, 28.062 MHz. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, Flying Pig nr or power. Rules NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint--CW, from Sep 18, 0030Z to Sep 18, 0230Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. Monthly on 2nd Tuesday or 3rd Wednesday local time (alternating). Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and NAQCC mbr nr or power. Logs due: 4 days. Rules Scandinavian Activity Contest--CW, from Sep 20, 1200Z to Sep 21, 1159Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST and serial. Logs due: 7 days. Rules South Carolina QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 20, 1400Z to Sep 21, 0300Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28, 50+, CW--1.815, 3.545, 7.045, 14.045, 21.045, 28.045, 50.095; Phone--1.865, 3,810, 7.190, 14.250, 21.300, 28.450, 50.135 MHz. Exchange: RS(T) and county or S/P/C. Logs due: 30 days. Rules Feld-Hell Hell on Wheels Sprint--Digital, from Sep 20, 1600Z to Sep 20, 1800Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Monthly on 3rd Saturday. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, Feld-Hell member nr. Logs due: 7 days. Rules Washington State Salmon Run--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 20, 1600Z to Sep 21, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, See website. Exchange: RS(T) and county or S/P/C. Logs due: 2 weeks. Rules Classic Exchange--CW, from Sep 21, 1300Z to Sep 23, 0700Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, 1.820, 3.545, 7.045, 14.045, 21.135, 28.05, 50.1, 144.1 MHz. Exchange: Name, RS, S/P/C, type of equipment. Logs due: 60 days. Rules BARTG Sprint 75--Digital, from Sep 21, 1700Z to Sep 21, 2100Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: Serial. Logs due: Nov 1. Rules *VHF+ CONTESTS* /*ARRL September VHF Contest*/--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 13, 1800Z to Sep 15, 0259Z. Bands (MHz): 50+. Exchange: 4-char grid square. Logs due: Oct 15. Rules /*ARRL 10 GHz Cumulative Contest*/--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 20, 6 AM to Sep 21, 12 mid. Bands (MHz): 10G+. Exchange: 6-char grid locator. Logs due: Oct 21. Rules ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Straight Key Weekend Sprintathon--CW, from Sep 13, 1200Z to Sep 14, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: RST, QTH, name, member nr if member. Logs due: 5 days. Rules Arkansas QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 13, 1400Z to Sep 14, 0200Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28, 144, CW--40 kHz above band edge; Phone--3.85, 7.18, 14.28, 21.38, 28.38, 146.55; PSK31--3.58, 7.08, 14.07015, 21.08, 28.08 MHz. Exchange: RS(T), county or S/P or "DX". Logs due: Oct 10. Rules Classic Exchange--Phone, from Sep 14, 1300Z to Sep 15, 0700Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, SSB--1.885, 3.87, 7.28, 14.27, 21.37, 28.39; AM--1.89, 3.88, 7.16, 7.29, 14.286, 21.42, 29.0 MHz. Exchange: Name, RS, S/P/C, type of equipment. Logs due: 60 days. Rules South Carolina QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 20, 1400Z to Sep 21, 0300Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28, 50+, CW--1.815, 3.545, 7.045, 14.045, 21.045, 28.045, 50.095; Phone--1.865, 3,810, 7.190, 14.250, 21.300, 28.450, 50.135 MHz. Exchange: RS(T) and county or S/P/C. Logs due: 30 days. Rules Washington State Salmon Run--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 20, 1600Z to Sep 21, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, See website. Exchange: RS(T) and county or S/P/C. Logs due: 2 weeks. Rules Classic Exchange--CW, from Sep 21, 1300Z to Sep 23, 0700Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, 1.820, 3.545, 7.045, 14.045, 21.135, 28.05, 50.1, 144.1 MHz. Exchange: Name, RS, S/P/C, type of equipment. Logs due: 60 days. Rules 144 MHz Fall VHF Sprint--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 22, 7 PM to Sep 22, 11 PM. Bands (MHz): 144. Exchange: 4-char grid square. Logs due: 2 weeks. Rules LOG DUE DATES *September 10-23* * September 12 - SARTG WW RTTY Contest * September 13 - Wake-Up! QRP Sprint * September 13 - North American Sprint, CW * September 13 - QRP Fox Hunt * September 13 - CWops Mini-CWT Test * September 14 - NCCC RTTY Sprint Ladder * September 15 - MI QRP Labor Day CW Sprint * September 15 - MMMonVHF/DUBUS 144 MHz Meteorscatter Sprint Contest * September 15 - CVA DX Contest * September 17 - Keyman's Club of Japan Contest * September 17 - RSGB 80m Club Sprint, SSB * September 18 - NRAU 10m Activity Contest * September 20 - CWOps CW Open * September 20 - North American Sprint, SSB * September 20 - Ohio State Parks on the Air * September 20 - PODXS 070 Club Jay Hudak Memorial 80m Sprint * September 21 - Russian RTTY WW Contest * September 21 - SKCC Weekend Sprintathon * September 22 - DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest * September 22 - SARL VHF/UHF Analogue/Digital Contest * September 22 - Ohio QSO Party * September 23 - RSGB SSB Field Day 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. 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All Rights Reserved www.arrl.org From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Sep 11 16:32:00 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 16:32:00 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Letter for September 11, 2014 In-Reply-To: <20140911202756.7287A24BC7@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20140911202756.7287A24BC7@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <541206C0.5080403@bellsouth.net> Preview If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2014-09-11 The ARRL Letter September 11, 2014 Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME ARRL Home Page /ARRL Letter/ Archive Audio News Ad * "Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014" Co-Sponsor List Swells to 32 <#toc01> * ARES/RACES Volunteers Mobilize in Wake of Nevada Flash Flooding <#toc02> * FCC Enforcement Bureau Warns Two Hams for Failure to Identify Properly <#toc03> * Canadian Regulator Accepts Radio Amateurs of Canada's International 60 Meter Allocation Proposal <#toc04> * /W1AW Centennial Trifecta/: Colorado, New Hampshire, and Texas. North Carolina, Connecticut Starting September 17 (UTC) <#toc05> * Keynote Convention Speech of FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, KK4INZ, Available on YouTube <#toc06> * Morse Learning Machine Challenge Catching on with Hams <#toc07> * Selected "Ham Radio" 2014 Presentations Now Available Online <#toc08> * Round Two of 2014 ARRL 10GHz and Up Contest Just Ahead! <#toc09> * Radio Scouting Webinar Set <#toc10> * Tuskegee Airman and Congressional Gold Medal Recipient George Mitchell, K6ZE, SK <#toc11> * Red Cross Volunteer Stu Press, KC8HQT, SK <#toc12> * A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL <#toc13> * The K7RA Solar Update <#toc14> * Just Ahead in Radiosport <#toc15> * Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events <#toc16> "Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014" Co-Sponsor List Swells to 32 The number of co-sponsors for H.R. 4969 , the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014, has reached 32 members of the US House of Representatives. The list includes 21 Republicans and 11 Democrats representing 17 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The push to persuade additional House members to sign on as H.R. 4969 co-sponsors continues. ARRL Regulatory Information Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, has pointed out that the House may adjourn as early as Friday, September 19, and not reconvene until after the mid-term elections on November 4. Members of the ARRL team have been in Washington, DC, to contact House members while Congress is still in session. "The bump in co-sponsors is a direct result of two things: ARRL's letter-writing campaign /and/ the efforts by many ARRL members to meet with their members of Congress and their staffs in person," said Henderson, who has spent the past few weeks collecting additional letters of support from League members to forward to US House members by next week. Letters directed for forwarding to US House of Representatives members via ARRL Headquarters will be printed beforehand. Henderson explained that this approach speeds delivery, since individual pieces of mail to members of Congress are scanned for threats. "We have received more than 3000 letters since the bill was introduced," Henderson said, adding that he was not sure how many more might arrive by week's end. "The more noise we make, the better our chances for the bill's passage," he said. Henderson emphasized that a successful outcome requires as many co-sponsors as possible, and letting House members hear from ARRL members in their role as voters and constituents can contribute to making that happen. The current campaign in support of H.R. 4969 only targets members of the US House, since the bill has not yet reached the Senate. While Congress was on break in August, the League encouraged members to meet with their representatives while they were home on break in their districts, and urge their support for H.R. 4969, Henderson said. In addition to a list of current co-sponsors, the League's H.R. 4969 page contains information and guidance for clubs and individuals promoting efforts to gain co-sponsors for the measure by contacting their members of Congress. The web page includes a sample letter to a member of Congress and a list of "talking points." Direct letters to H.R. 4969 Letter Campaign, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. If e-mailing your letter as an attachment, include the bill's number, H.R. 4969, in your subject line. Letters may also be faxed to 860-594-0259. The bill, which was introduced in the US House of Representatives with bipartisan support in late June, would call on the FCC to apply the "reasonable accommodation" three-part test of the PRB-1 federal pre-emption policy to private land-use restrictions regarding antennas. The bill's primary sponsor is Rep Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), and it received initial co-sponsorship from Rep Joe Courtney (D-CT). The limited PRB-1 pre-emption currently applies only to state and municipal land-use ordinances. The FCC has indicated its reluctance to provide the same legal protections from private land-use agreements -- often called covenants, conditions, and restrictions or CC&Rs -- without direction from Congress. H.R. 4969 has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI (R-OR), chairs that panel's Communications and Technology Subcommittee, which will consider the measure. ARES/RACES Volunteers Mobilize in Wake of Nevada Flash Flooding ARES/RACES members in Clark County, Nevada, activated Monday, September 8, after heavy rains sparked flash flooding. The Amateur Radio volunteers deployed after being called up by local emergency managers to support communication during recovery efforts in the Moapa Valley northeast of Las Vegas. At least two people died as a result of the flooding. A slow-moving storm that spun off from Hurricane Norbert dumped nearly 4 inches of rain within the space of 90 minutes onto the town of Moapa. Heavy flooding and mud closed nearly 50 miles of Interstate 15, stranding motorist and truckers, buckling or washing away pavement in many areas. Nevada Department of Transportation officials said they expected that it would take several days before the highway would be reopened. Some alternate routes also were impassible. The flooding has been called the worst in more than 30 years. Emergency sheltering was needed for nearly 200 tribal members of the Moapa River Reservation, as well as nearly 90 elementary and high school students. Stranded motorists were being cared for at a middle school in Mesquite, on the Arizona border. ARES personnel staffed the Emergency Operations Center in Las Vegas, and the Clark County Mobile Communications Vehicle was on the scene. /-- Thanks to ARRL Nevada PIC John Bigley, N7UR/ FCC Enforcement Bureau Warns Two Hams for Failure to Identify Properly The FCC Enforcement Bureau has released /Warning Notice/ letters it sent in July to two radio amateurs, advising them that it had monitored transmissions during which the licensees had failed to identify properly. The Bureau posted the correspondence earlier this month on its Amateur Radio Service Enforcement Actions web page. The two notices from FCC Enforcement Bureau Special Counsel Laura L. Smith, both dated July 21, contain essentially the same wording. In a /Warning Notice/ to Gary E. Davis, W1IT, of Inman, South Carolina, Smith told Davis that he was monitored on July 15 and 16 at the FCC's High Frequency Direction Finding Center (HFDFC) in Maryland, failing to properly identify while operating on 7.185 MHz. "[Y]ou were heard by a Commission employee operating your Amateur Radio station for 20 minutes without identifying in a timely manner," Smith wrote. "The Commission employee used direction-finding equipment and confirmed the transmissions were coming from your location." Smith pointed out that Section 97.119(a) of the Amateur Service Rules requires each amateur station to "transmit its assigned call sign on its transmitting channel at the end of each communication, and at least every 10 minutes during a communication." In a nearly identically worded /Warning Notice/ to John J. Krajewski, KB3MZQ, of Newark, Delaware, Smith said the HFDFC also had monitored transmissions by him on July 15 and 16, also on 7.185 MHz, during which he failed to identify properly. Smith said the FCC had "recorded the offending transmissions" in both instances and offered to make copies available to Davis and Krajewski. She further advised Davis and Krajewski that recurring "operation of this type" after receipt of the warning letters, could subject them to "severe penalties, including license revocation, monetary forfeiture (fines), or a modification proceeding to restrict the frequencies upon which you may operate." In 2006, in response to a /Petition for Rule Making/, the FCC declined to modify its Amateur Service station identification rules. The petition received some 100 comments. In dismissing the petition the following year, the FCC concluded that the changes requested were "neither necessary nor supported by the Amateur Radio community," and that the failure-to-identify problem "would be better addressed by enforcement of the present rule, rather than a rule change." Canadian Regulator Accepts Radio Amateurs of Canada's International 60 Meter Allocation Proposal Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC ) has announced that its proposal to establish an international 60 meter Amateur Service allocation has been accepted by the Industry Canada consultative committee for World Radiocommunication Conference 2015 (WRC-15 ). The regulator uses that panel's conclusions to determine its position on WRC-15 issues. The RAC proposal specifically addresses WRC-15 Agenda Item 1.4 -- to establish a 60 meter allocation for Amateur Radio on a secondary basis. The Canadian proposal will be considered by other International Telecommunication Region (ITU ) Region 2 countries in October. "This proposal will be [submitted] at the CITEL meetings in Merida, Mexico, next month to be considered as the CITEL position going into WRC-15," said RAC International Affairs Officer George Gorsline, VE3YV. CITEL, the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission, is the telecommunications and telecommunications technology advisory body of the Organization of American States. Its members include all ITU Region 2 countries except Cuba. The RAC proposal recommends two 25-kHz band segments for Amateur Radio -- 5330 to 5355 kHz and 5405 to 5430 kHz. Amateur access would be on a secondary, non-interference, listen-before-transmit basis. Gorsline credited the efforts of Bryan Rawlings, VE3QN, the RAC representative on domestic committees and a Canadian and International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) delegate at ITU meetings. "His role and the hours of work -- essentially an unpaid job -- attending many, many formal and informal meetings with our regulator and with interested parties in Canada and internationally are a key factor in gaining formal Canadian government support," he said. "We are very fortunate to have his talents and willingness to sacrifice his on-the-air time for all of us." RAC also acknowledged "the strong support of Industry Canada at Working Party meetings and on other committees and at ITU WRC-15 preparatory meetings. Gorsline said that a "firm proposal" from his country citing specific frequencies for support by Region 2 countries at the CITEL meeting "is a giant step toward a favorable outcome at WRC-15." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ad /W1AW Centennial Trifecta/: Colorado, New Hampshire, and Texas. North Carolina, Connecticut Starting September 17 (UTC) The ARRL Centennial W1AW portable operations taking place throughout 2014 from each of the 50 states are now in Colorado (W1AW/5), New Hampshire (W1AW/1), and Texas (W1AW/5). W1AW operations will transition starting at 0000 UTC on Wednesday, September 17 (*the evening of September 16 in US time zones*) to North Carolina (W1AW/4) and Connecticut (W1AW/1). W1AW has visited each of the 50 states for at least 1 week so far during 2014. By year's, end W1AW will have been on the air from every state at least twice, as well as from most US territories. 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. Keynote Convention Speech of FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, KK4INZ, Available on YouTube The July 18 keynote speech of FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, KK4INZ, at the ARRL National Centennial Convention in Hartford, Connecticut, has been posted on YouTube. Fugate spoke before some 800 guests at the Friday evening convention banquet. Earlier that day, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, KK4INZ. [LJB Special Photography photo] he and ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, signed a /Memorandum of Agreement/ (/MOA /) aimed at enhancing cooperation between the League and FEMA in the area of disaster communication. In his remarks at the banquet, Fugate said that before he even became FEMA administrator, it became clear to him that Amateur Radio could support ad hoc and innovative communication without relying on conventional telecommunication systems. "The more sophisticated our systems become, the more fragile they become," he told the gathering. He emphasized the need for resiliency in communication systems. "The relevancy of ham radio only grows," asserted Fugate, who recently upgraded to General class. "Amateur Radio is taking that hobby and turning it into saving lives." After Fugate's talk, President Craigie presented him with the ARRL Medal of Honor. Morse Learning Machine Challenge Catching on with Hams Experimenter Mauri Niininen , AG1LE, of Lexington, Massachusetts, reports that his Morse Learning Machine Challenge has been catching on among members of the Amateur Radio community. The goal of the competition is to build a machine that can learn how to decode audio files containing Morse code. Niininen said his project has been approved by Kaggle , which bills itself as "the world's largest community of data scientists." Niininen said that it takes humans many months of effort to learn Morse code, and, after years of practice, the most proficient operators can decode Morse code up to 60 or more words per minute "Humans have extraordinary ability to quickly adapt to varying conditions, speed, and rhythm. We want to find out if it is possible to create a machine learning algorithm that exceeds human performance and adaptability in Morse decoding." The computer-generated Morse data for the competition includes various levels of added noise. The signal-to-noise ratio, speed, and message content of the files vary randomly to simulate real-life ham radio HF Morse communication. "I hope to attract people from the Kaggle community, who are interested in solving new, difficult challenges using their predictive data modeling, computer science, and machine learning expertise," Niininen added. During the competition, participants will build a learning system capable of decoding Morse code, using development data consisting of 200 WAV audio files containing short sequences of randomized Morse. Data labels are provided for a training set, so participants can self-evaluate their systems. "To evaluate their progress and compare themselves with others, they can submit their prediction results online to get immediate feedback," he explained. "A real-time Kaggle leader board shows participants their current standing based on their validation set predictions." Niininen has provided a sample /Python/ Morse decoder to make it easier to get started. Niininen said that within the first 24 hours of the competition, he had 33 downloads. "We have already 53 downloads of the materials for this competition," he said on September 5, "and it is growing by the hour, as the word about this challenge is spreading." Selected "Ham Radio" 2014 Presentations Now Available Online Key presentations from the 2014 "Ham Radio " international exhibition in Friedrichshafen, Germany, have been posted online. The Vienna-based DokuFunk archive offers both audio and video presentations from the 2014 Ham Radio, which is Europe's largest Amateur Radio gathering. /PowerP//oint /presentations in English include "The Enigma and Other famous Cipher Machines"//by Tom Perera, W1TP; "FT5ZM -- Amsterdam Island DXpedition" by Ralph Fedor, K0IR; "K9W -- Wake Atoll 2013 Commemorative Expedition" by Lou Dietrich, N2TU, and "VK9MT -- Mellish Reef DXpedition" by Leslie P. Kalmus, W2LK. The German-language presentation "Yagi und Quad Antennen f?r den Kurzwellenamateur" ("Yagi and Quad Antennas for HF") by Martin Steyer, DK7ZB, also is available. The DokuFunk site offers selected Ham Radio presentations dating to 2008. Ad Round Two of 2014 ARRL 10GHz and Up Contest Just Ahead! Round two of the 2014 ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest arrives the weekend of September 20-21. Experimentation, building, and contesting all come together when radio amateurs competitively explore the microwave portion of the radio spectrum. The contest runs from 6 AM /local time/ on Saturday until midnight /local time/ on Sunday. KB8VAO enjoys himself during the 2012 ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest. [Photo courtesy of KB8VAO] The exchange is your /six/-character Maidenhead Locator or "grid square," (eg, FN64co). Participants earn points based on the distance of each contact. Operating from several locations during the event is not only allowed, it's encouraged. Many stations will run just a few hundred milliwatts, using parabolic dishes to maximize gain. Along with line-of-sight contacts -- often made from mountaintops -- stations may make use of tropospheric and rainfall scatter or bounce signals off large objects, such as buildings or mountains. A list of resources with more information is available. Complete rules and entry forms are on the ARRL website. All logs must be _e-mailed _ or postmarked no later than 2359 UTC on Tuesday, October 21, 2014. Send paper logs to ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. Radio Scouting Webinar Set A webinar, "What is Radio Scouting and What Does it Mean to Me?" is set for September 18 at 0100 UTC (*Wednesday, September 17, in US time zones*). The presenter will be Jim Wilson, K5ND, chairman of the Boy Scouts of America's Radio Scouting Committee, president of the K2BSA Amateur Radio Association, and member of the World Scouting JOTA-JOTI Team. "Radio Scouting" includes all things Amateur Radio and Scouting. Topics will include the upcoming Jamboree on the Air (JOTA), the world's largest Scouting event, with 700,000 Scouts, 13,500 stations, and more than 22,000 Amateur Radio operators in 140 countries taking part. Advance registration is required. /-- Thanks to /The ARRL Contest Update /via Keith Kaiser, WA0TJT/ Tuskegee Airman and Congressional Gold Medal Recipient George Mitchell, K6ZE, SK ARRL Life Member, longtime Amateur Radio operator and Tuskegee Airman George T. Mitchell, K6ZE, of San Diego, California, died September 4. He was 94. During World War II Mitchell taught Morse code to the pioneering black aviators known as the Tuskegee Airmen . In 2007, Mitchell was among the group of Tuskegee Airmen veterans to belatedly receive the Congressional Gold Medal, the United States' highest civilian award, for his wartime service. African-American servicemen had been barred from training as military pilots until the Roosevelt Administration, faced with a federal lawsuit and mounting protests, opened an aviation school at Tuskegee Institute, a traditionally black college in Alabama. George Mitchell, K6ZE, SK. "The world looked at us as second-class citizens," Mitchell said in a 2003 /San Diego Union-Times / interview about his time with the Tuskegee Airmen. "We knew we were in a fishbowl. We knew we couldn't fail." Some 450 Tuskegee fighter pilots flew more than 15,000 sorties over North Africa and Europe during the war. The story of the Tuskegee Airmen was the subject of a 1995 film . A Philadelphia native, Mitchell, who got into ham radio at the age of 12, belonged to several Amateur Radio organizations, including the OMIK Amateur Radio Association, the Air Force Flyers Club, the Old Old Timers Club, and the Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA ), from which he received a 75-year certificate in 2012. Following the war, Mitchell went to work as a civilian engineer for the US Navy. He retired to San Diego, but subsequently returned to work on the sea, this time for the Scripps Institute of Oceanography . He frequently spoke to school and civic groups about the role the Tuskegee Airmen played in the nation's history. Survivors include his widow, D'Andrea Mitchell, and children, actor Brian Stokes Mitchell, George Mitchell, Richard Mitchell, Lorna Mitchell, and stepsons Deon and Robert Coons. /-- Thanks to John Bigley, N7UR//Nevada Amateur Radio Newswire /and media accounts/ // Red Cross Volunteer Stu Press, KC8HQT, SK American Red Cross Disaster Service Technology Group (DST) volunteer Stuart "Stu" Press, KC8HQT, of Cincinnati, Ohio, died September 5. He was 61. Press, an ARRL member, is reported to have become ill during a DST deployment to the State of Washington to assist with communication in a fire-stricken area, and he returned to Cincinnati, where he died. "Stu was a very active national volunteer, who called the Cincinnati Chapter of the American Red Cross his home base," said ARRL Public Information Officer Cindy Ebner, K8CJE, an ARC volunteer. "He volunteered numerous hours helping maintain their Amateur Radio station (W8VVL), [and] worked closely with the IT team to grow and maintain the network." The DST team oversees the technical component of a response. It also can serve as a liaison between local Amateur Radio groups and the ARC to facilitate initial emergency communication. Ebner called Press "an instrumental cog in the machine of emergency response to both the American Red Cross organization and the Amateur Radio community," and said his loss would be felt by both. Survivors include his wife, Susan, and two daughters. Services were September 9. In-memoriam donations may be made to the American Red Cross. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ad A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL When the 1979 World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC-79) concluded, Amateur Radio had gained new bands at 10, 18, and 24 MHz. Those bands would become available to US hams later, after the FCC had done its work to put them in place. The term "WARC bands" for 30, 17, and 12 meters persists to this day. Also in 1979, the FCC issued a /Notice of Inquiry/ on the subject of radio frequency interference (RFI). The great expansion of consumer electronic gear that was susceptible to RFI had led an increase in complaints of interference from hams, largely through no fault of the hams or their equipment. The 1979 World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC-79) in Geneva remains one of the most significant conferences in International Telecommunication Union (ITU) history. The ground-breaking decisions at WARC-79 remain important to this day. [Photo courtesy of the ITU] In the March 1980 issue of /QST/, VE2AEJ's article, "Observance of Long-Delayed Echoes on 28 MHz" concluded that long-delayed echoes are a result of transmitted signals getting into a natural duct, probably between the E and F layers of the ionosphere, and circling the globe many times before re-emerging. After the explanation of LDEs was set forth, scientists asked for hams to help with reports of their LDE experiences, to better understand the details of the propagation. As /QST/ articles//in the 1980s reflected, the main topics of interest to the amateur community were new antenna ideas -- from simple and inexpensive to large, complex, and /very/ expensive -- the use of new solid state technology in the ham shack, VHF/UHF/microwave equipment and activities, 2 meter FM and repeaters, DXing, contesting, and moonbounce communication. When microprocessors and microcomputers emerged in the early 1980s, hams began putting them to work. Later, stand alone computers began to be integrated into the stations of hams who were pushing the state of the art. Another area where digital technology helped amateurs was the construction of frequency synthesizers. In the late 1970s, the Soviet Union's "woodpecker" over-the-horizon (ionospheric) radar had started its strong and annoying /peck-peck-peck/ that slowly swept through the HF amateur bands as well as the allocations of other radio services. In 1980 the ARRL Board of Directors established a Long-Range Planning Committee, to look far into the future and plan for Amateur Radio to remain strong enough to weather the efforts of other radio services to chip away at our frequency allocations. The LRPC was also tasked to find ways to strengthen the cooperation between Amateur Radio and governmental agencies at all levels. The Amateur Radio space effort suffered a huge disappointment in May 1980, when the first attempt to launch a Phase 3 (OSCAR 9) satellite was unsuccessful. The /Ariane/ launch vehicle failed right after liftoff, and Phase 3 landed in the Atlantic Ocean. The AMSAT-OSCAR community regrouped and went to work building another Phase 3 unit. The ARRL Foundation launched a fund-raising drive for building the new Phase 3 satellite that was highly successful. /-- Al Brogdon, W1AB/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The K7RA Solar Update We saw a nice increase in the level of solar activity this week, and the outlook for the near term is good -- or at least interesting. Average daily sunspot numbers for the period September 4-10 jumped from 85.1 to 152.1, and average daily solar flux rose from 126.7 to 155.8. Geomagnetic indicators were quiet, with the average planetary A index declining from 14.7 to 7.9, and the average mid-latitude A index dropped from 13.4 to 8.3. These latest numbers are compared with those of the previous 7 days, August 28 through September 3. Spacenews.com has reported that a couple of coronal mass ejection (CME) blasts, launched September 9 and 10 from sunspot 2158, are headed toward Earth. The sunspot was in a most favorable position for launching CMEs in our direction; it was right in the center of the visible solar disc from Earth's perspective. Don't worry, though. This is not a doomsday event, although it is strong. At 0520 UTC on September 11, the Australian Space Forecast Centre issued a geomagnetic warning. The Centre has predicted increased geomagnetic activity for September 11-13, due to CMEs. The Centre's forecast calls for unsettled conditions, with minor storm periods possible on September 11, active-to-major storm levels on September 12, and active geomagnetic conditions on September 13. From NOAA/USAF the predicted planetary A index is 5, 32, and 18 for September 11-13, 5 for September 14-24, then 18 on September 25, 15 for September 26-27, 12 for September 28-29, and 10 on September 30. Predicted solar flux is 160 on September 11, 165 for September 12-14, then 170, 165 and 155 for September 15-17, 145 for September 18-20, then 150, 145 and 135 for September 21-23, 130 for September 24-25, 125 for September 26-27, 130 for September 28-29, and 145 for September 29-30. Expect aurora borealis displays in northern latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere and rough HF conditions on Friday, September 12. The predicted planetary A index of 32 for Friday is typical during a geomagnetic storm. You can watch the fun on NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center geomagnetic data page, updated every 3 hours. A K index above 3 indicates active geomagnetic conditions. Each single point higher represents a large increase in activity. 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 some interesting reports from readers. Send me /your/ reports and observations. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just Ahead in Radiosport * September 13-14 -- Worked All Europe DX Contest (SSB) * September 13-14 -- Straight Key Weekend Sprintathon * September 13-14 -- Arkansas QSO Party * *September 13-15 -- ARRL September VHF Contest* * *September 14 -- North American Sprint (SSB)* * September 14-15 -- Classic Exchange (phone) * September 15 -- Run For the Bacon (CW) * September 18 -- NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint (CW) * September 20 -- Feld-Hell Hell on Wheels Sprint * September 20 -- Pirate QSO Party * September 20-21 -- ARRL 10 GHz Cumulative Contest * September 20-21 -- Scandinavian Activity Contest (CW) * September 20-21 -- South Carolina QSO Party * September 20-21 -- Washington State Salmon Run * September 21 -- BARTG Sprint 75 * September 21-23 -- Classic Exchange (CW) * September 22 -- 144 MHz Fall VHF Sprint See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events * September 12-14 -- Southwestern Division Convention , San Diego, California * September 19-20 -- W9DXCC Convention , Schaumburg, Illinois * September 26-27 -- W4DXCC/SEDCO , Pigeon Forge, Tennessee * September 26-28 -- Mid-Atlantic States VHF Conference , Bensalem, Pennsylvania * September 27 -- North Dakota State Convention , West Fargo, North Dakota * September 27 -- Washington State Convention , Spokane Valley, Washington * October 4 -- Delaware State Convention , Georgetown, Delaware * October 5 -- Iowa Section Convention , West Liberty, Iowa * October 10-11 -- Florida State Convention , Melbourne, Florida * *October 10-12 -- **Pacific Division Convention* *(Pacificon), Regional ARRL Centennial Event, Santa Clara, California* * October 11 -- Iowa State Convention (Sioux City Ham Convention), Sergeant Bluff, Iowa * October 11 -- Pacific Northwest VHF Conference , Seaside, Oregon * October 12 -- Connecticut State Convention , Meriden, Connecticut * October 18 -- Arkansas State Convention , Batesville, Arkansas * October 18 -- Wisconsin ARES/RACES Conference , Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin * October 24-25 -- Oklahoma Section Convention , Ardmore, Oklahoma * November 1 -- TechFest 2014 , Lakewood, Colorado * November 1-2 -- Georgia State Convention , Lawrenceville, Georgia * 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 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 us 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 Sep 12 11:43:13 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 11:43:13 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Icom IC-746 Pro For Sale Message-ID: <54131491.9010801@bellsouth.net> Excellent condition Icom IC-746 Pro For Sale: HF/50MHz/144MHz All Mode Transceiver http://www.icomamerica.com/en/products/amateur/hf/746pro/specifications.aspx Radio has seen little use, as it has been my backup radio. $875 with Microphone and Manual. Bill Marx W2CQ From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Sep 16 16:29:54 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 16:29:54 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Fall 2014 Classic Exchange In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <54189DC2.7090007@bellsouth.net> The CW CX will run from 1300 UTC September 21 to 0700 UTC September 22, 2014 (9 AM Eastern Time on Sunday to 3 AM Eastern Time Monday) Send: "CQ CX" Suggested frequencies: CW 1.810 mc. 3.545 mc. 7.045 mc. 14.045 mc. 21.045 mc. 28.045 mc. 50.100 mc. 144.100 mc. For full details, visit www.classicexchange.org/sep14ann.html Questions? Contact me! See you Sunday! Howie WB2AWQ/7 From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Sep 17 14:48:16 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 14:48:16 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] InnovAntennas to launch a new 'reflector-less' Yagi at the RSGB Hamfest Message-ID: <5419D770.4060405@bellsouth.net> *From QRZ: http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php?450619-InnovAntennas-to-launch-a-new-reflector-less-Yagi-at-the-RSGB-Hamfest InnovAntennas* will launch a new reflector-less Yagi at this year?s Newark hamfest. The LFA-R is a gain-focused Yagi presented in a light-weight package for VHF and available in two band versions for certain HF bands (through Force 12). More information on this antenna and its capabilities can be found at the InnovAntennas website and also a full article presentation has been published in the current issue of DUBUS magazine. http://www.innovantennas.com/latest-news.html "The LFA-R started form as an HF antenna, one of the many new antennas in the force 12 range. With a single flat, driven loop and one director, I was surprised just how much F/B was achieved along with excellent levels of gain too. Many element versions where not practical for HF so the experiments shifted to VHF and this is where the LFA-R really came into it's own. The LFA-R uses a compact LFA loop at the back of the boom and has no reflector element at all. The arrangement of phase presents itself in much the same way as it does within an HB9CV. However, this loop is completely joined (or course) all the way around. Only director element follow the driven so on a 5 element version (such as the above shown example) you have 4 directors rather than the traditional 3 directors a typical Yagi would have. This, along with the driven element being moved further back on the boom that the traditional Yagi means more gain can be achieved." From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Sep 18 17:23:41 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 17:23:41 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Letter for September 18, 2014 In-Reply-To: <20140918195037.8E33C253C0@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20140918195037.8E33C253C0@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <541B4D5D.4060906@bellsouth.net> Preview If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2014-09-18 The ARRL Letter September 18, 2014 Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME ARRL Home Page /ARRL Letter/ Archive Audio News Ad * ARRL Simulated Emergency Test Scheduled for October 4-5 Weekend <#toc01> * High-Value ARRL "Red Badgers" Will Be Out in Force on September 21 <#toc02> * W1AW Centennial Operations Now in North Carolina, Connecticut. New Mexico, Idaho in the Bullpen <#toc03> * New $21.40 Vanity Call Sign Fee Now in Effect <#toc04> * IARU Region 1 General Conference, IARU Administrative Council to Meet in Bulgaria <#toc05> * Amateur Radio Society of India Wants Less-Burdensome Amateur Radio Licensing Rules <#toc06> * Rare Eritrea (E3) on the Air for Short Time <#toc07> * Moon-Bound Ham Radio Payload Will Transmit Earthly Messages from Space <#toc08> * Qatari /Es'hail 2/ Satellite will Include AMSAT-DL Phase 4 Amateur Radio Transponders <#toc09> * AMSAT-NA Announces Board of Directors Election Results <#toc10> * Colorado ARES Team Wins an Honorable Mention in Citizen Corps Awards <#toc11> * "Last Man Standing" Special Event Set for September 28 <#toc12> * No Easy Answers for RadioShack's Slow, Downward Slide <#toc13> * A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL <#toc14> * The K7RA Solar Update <#toc15> * Just Ahead in Radiosport <#toc16> * Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events <#toc17> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ARRL Website Unavailable on September 19 Starting at 2000 UTC The ARRL website is scheduled to be offline on Friday, September 19, starting at 2000 UTC. The length of the outage could run for several hours and possibly into Saturday, September 20. The ARRL IT Department will be performing maintenance in the process of testing and, if feasible, 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 Simulated Emergency Test Scheduled for October 4-5 Weekend The national ARRL Simulated Emergency Test (SET ) is slated for the October 4-5 weekend, although the window for local and regional exercises is September 1 through November 30 each year. All groups conduct their events over the course of 48 hours. The SET is a nationwide exercise in disaster response and emergency Coweta County, Georgia, Emergency Coordinator Randy Mercer, WN4TLP, operates as net control station from his home in Newnan during the Metro Atlanta District ARES 2013 SET. [Randy Mercer, WN4TLP, photo] communication, administered by ARRL emergency coordinators and net managers, in which volunteers respond to a mock emergency or disaster, such as an earthquake or hurricane. Members of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES ), the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES ), the National Traffic System (NTS ), SKYWARN , the ARRL Field Organization, and other groups work together to plan and develop simulated emergency and disaster scenarios, in consultation with the various served agencies that rely on radio amateurs during emergencies. The SET offers volunteer public service communicators the opportunity to focus on their capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses while interacting with NTS nets. It also provides a public demonstration -- to served agencies such as the Red Cross, state and local emergency managers, and the news media -- of the value that Amateur Radio provides. The SET helps radio amateurs gain communication experience using standard procedures and a variety of modes, under simulated disaster-response conditions. Participating groups earn points toward an overall SET score, adding a competitive component to the activity. Results are listed in /QST/ (see pages 71-73 of the July issue of /QST/ for the 2013 SET results). Visit the ARRL Public Service/Field Services page and click on "SET Score Card" for an explanation of how points are earned. Many ARES groups across the country will be participating, and all ARES members are invited to support the national SET and their local ARES group's activity. // During this year's SET, participating ARES/NTS members can earn SET bonus points by participating in the ARRL Centennial QSO Party . During the October 4-5 SET weekend, ARES and NTS field members and appointees are encouraged to get on the air and call "CQ Centennial." The exchange is signal report, name, location, and your designator. There will be a special bonus for groups that include Centennial QSO Party participation. Each station making at least 5 contacts is worth an additional 3 points toward your group's SET score. Those taking part in a SET on another weekend may participate on the national SET weekend and count it later (or submit an amended SET report form). See page 78 in the July issue of /QST/, and page 75 in the September issue of /QST/ for more information on the SET. /-- Thanks to the ARES E-Letter/ High-Value ARRL "Red Badgers" Will Be Out in Force on September 21 The next ARRL "Red Badges on the Air" activity is just days away. On Sunday, September 21 UTC (starting the evening of Saturday, September 20, in US time zones), holders of red ARRL name/call sign badges will be on the air /en masse/, offering a chance to boost your ARRL Centennial QSO Party total. 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 take to the Working the holder of this red badge, ARRL Midwest Division Director Cliff Ahrens, is worth 225 points per mode contact. [Rick Lindquist, WW1ME, photo] air in numbers. Contacts with red badge wearers are worth as much as 300 points per contact for working ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN. ARRL Membership and Volunteer Programs Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, said he expects many of the 200 or so Red Badgers will be on the air on September 21, along with other ARRL appointees, VEs, and members. "The first Red Badge Day was a huge success but left many operators wanting more. Nine months into ARRL's Centennial year, the Centennial QSO Party and W1AW activations already have proven to be the largest and most active special events in the history of Amateur Radio, with more than 20,000 participants on the air from all continents." The event is considered an activity day, /not/ a contest, and operation is permitted on /all/ bands. Participants can call "CQ ARRL Centennial QSO Party" on phone or "CQ CENT" on CW or digital modes. While the focus is to encourage ARRL red badge holders to hand out Centennial QSO Party points, all activity is welcome, regardless of point value. ARRL members are worth at least one point in the Centennial QSO Party. Participants get credit for each band/mode contact, regardless of point value. ARRL Centennial QSO Party participants can use the leader board to determine how many points they have accumulated. Read more . W1AW Centennial Operations Now in North Carolina, Connecticut. New Mexico, Idaho in the Bullpen The ARRL Centennial W1AW portable operations taking place throughout 2014 from each of the 50 states are now in North Carolina (W1AW/4) and Connecticut (W1AW/1). W1AW operations will transition starting at 0000 UTC on Wednesday, September 24 (the evening of September 23 in US time zones), to New Mexico (W1AW/5) and Idaho (W1AW/7). W1AW has visited each of the 50 states for at least 1 week so far during 2014. By year's end W1AW will have been on the air from every state at least twice, as well as from most US territories. 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 New $21.40 Vanity Call Sign Fee Now in Effect The new Amateur Service vanity call sign regulatory fee of $21.40 became effective on September 11. The FCC released a /Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking/ (/R&O/ ) on August 29, in which it recalculated the fee to $21.40 for the 10-year license term. The $5.30 increase represents the largest vanity fee hike in many years. In the past, new vanity fees did not become effective until 30 days after their publication in /The Federal Register/ , which occurred on September 11. The FCC reported there were 11,500 "payment units" in FY 2014, and that the vanity program generated an estimated $230,230 in FY 2013 revenue. The Commission estimated that it would collect nearly $246,100 in FY 2014 vanity call sign fees. The vanity call sign regulatory fee is payable when applying for a new vanity call sign or when renewing any vanity call sign designated as "HV" in the FCC's ULS database. As of October 1, 2013, the Commission no longer accepts checks -- including cashier's checks -- for the payment of regulatory fees. All payments must now be made by online ACH payment, online credit card, or via wire transfer. Any other form of payment will be rejected and returned to the applicant. IARU Region 1 General Conference, IARU Administrative Council to Meet in Bulgaria Representatives of the countries comprising IARU Region 1 (Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Northern Asia) will gather this month for the Region 1 General Conference . The Bulgarian Federation of Radio Amateurs, (BFRA ) will host the meeting September 21-26 in Albena on the Black Sea Coast. Regional general conferences are held every 3 years. "At General Conferences IARU Region 1 makes major decisions on the future of Amateur Radio and determines the way ahead with administrative, operational, technical, and financial matters," Region 1 Chairman Hans Blondeel Timmerman, PB2T, explained. Conference delegates will elect the Executive Committee as well as working group chairmen, and coordinators. General Conference participants will tackle a plethora of papers on a wide variety of Amateur Radio topics -- from administrative to operational and technical. The Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB ) will raise the issue of malicious QRM, especially in the wake of intentional interference to well-publicized DXpeditions that have attracted huge pileups. "It is now time for all Region 1 Member Societies to treat malicious QRM as a major and urgent priority and to take positive action against this form of anarchy that threatens the future of Amateur Radio," the RSGB said in IARU Region 1 Chairman Hans Blondeel Timmerman, PB2T. its paper, "Malicious QRM -- Time for Action." Among other approaches, the RSGB will recommend that member societies use their media outlets to "highlight the self-regulatory ethos of Amateur Radio, to condemn the actions of the malicious QRMers, and to publicize where direct action has been taken." The RSGB also will recommend that Region 1 appoint an Amateur Radio Observation Service (AROS) network. The topic of transnational Amateur Radio remote-controlled operation also will come up for discussion. A recommendation from the Irish Radio Transmitters Society (IRTS ) would mandate the incoming Executive Committee to set up a working group of individuals experienced in radio regulatory affairs "to examine the question of transnational remote-controlled operation and to establish under what conditions such operation might be regulated." IARU Region 1 Youth Coordinator Lisa Leenders, PA2LS. IARU Region 1 Youth Coordinator Lisa Leenders, PA2LS, has submitted a proposal to form a Region 1 Youth Working Group, which would be responsible for Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) activities in addition to promoting Amateur Radio youth activities within the region. Leenders will recommend that IARU Region 1 become the "main funder" of a week-long YOTA summer camp, where youngsters take part in Amateur Radio activities. Other presentations that delegates to the IARU Region 1 General Conference will hear include a presentation on CW operating procedure by the Icelandic Radio Amateurs (IRA ) -- Iceland's IARU member-society. The IARU Administrative Council will meet September 27-28, following the Region 1 General Conference. Amateur Radio Society of India Wants Less-Burdensome Amateur Radio Licensing Rules The Amateur Radio Society of India (ARSI ) -- India's International Amateur Radio Union (IARU ) member-society -- is continuing an effort to make it easier to obtain an Amateur Radio license in that country, where excessive red tape is an accepted reality when dealing with government agencies. The latest attempt came in an August 19 letter from ARSI President Gopal Madhavan, VU2GMN, to Ravi Shankar Prasad, who heads the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. "In India we are hampered by some very archaic rules, which were possibly formulated during the British [colonial] times, when everything was done to restrict radio licenses being given to Indians," Madhavan wrote. "The most restrictive and time-consuming aspect is the 'security clearance' that is being done before a license is granted," he continued. "In most cases, this takes months or even years, and often the paperwork is totally lost in transit between the various agencies." Such "inordinate delays" in receiving a license after passing the examination can cause applicants to simply lose interest, said Madhavan, who is also IARU Region 3 chairman. "[G]enuine aspirants to Amateur Radio are denied licenses for months, year, and sometimes forever, as the papers are lost," he said. In his letter, Madhavan took pains to spell out Amateur Radio's public service role in past disasters and emergencies, such as the Indian Ocean tsunami, the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and the Latur and Gujarat earthquakes. Amateur Radio also contributes in terms of technical training, experimentation, and communication, he said. ARSI President Gopal Madhavan, VU2GMN, during a 2011 visit to ARRL Headquarters. The Department of Telecommunications within Prasad's ministry issues Amateur Radio licenses. The Indian government has suggested that ham radio technology may fall into hands of terrorists and has begun requiring a security clearance. Madhavan pointed out that the security clearance requirement is not listed in India's Amateur Radio regulations, and he called it "totally irrelevant" at a time when many other means of communication are available. "Every country has serious concerns about security, but they have not found it necessary to vet aspirants to Amateur Radio as is done /only/ in India," he wrote. In most countries, he noted, applicants can obtain a license within a week of passing the required exam and paying any necessary fees. Madhavan requested Prasad's "intervention and coordination" with the Ministry of Home Affairs to help ease the process of issuing a new amateur license and to grow India's Amateur Radio population, which currently stands at some 17,000 in a country of more than 1.2 billion people. Read more . Rare Eritrea (E3) on the Air for Short Time Zorro Miyazawa, JH1AJT, is on the air until September 22 from Eritrea as E30FB, at present running 100 W to a vertical antenna on 20 and 15 meters, SSB. Eritrea now stands at number 17 (mixed) on ClubLog's DXCC Most Wanted List (number 10 on CW, number 22 on SSB). Eritrea has not been activated since 2001. This is not a DXpedition. Miyazawa is in Eritrea as part of an official Japanese delegation. He plans to operate as his schedule permits. Additional gear has arrived, but he is still missing the shipment containing an amplifier. He does not have Internet access, and logs will be uploaded when he returns to Japan. Once a part of Ethiopia, Eritrea is a small country on the Horn of Africa that is home to some 6.2 million people. /-- Thanks to Jay Oka, JA1TRC/ Ad Moon-Bound Ham Radio Payload Will Transmit Earthly Messages from Space The Amateur Radio payload on the lunar-orbiting 4M-LXS spacecraft is set to carry up to 2500 brief digital messages into space for retransmission via JT65B mode on 145.990 MHz. China recently announced plans to launch the orbiter carrying the 14 kg battery-powered payload, developed by LUXspace in Luxembourg. The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU ) is a partner in the experiment. Getting a message into space required registering and uploading one via the 4M website. A "73 de W1AW" message was among those uploaded before the message collection site closed on September 17. While the window was open, the site gathered messages of up to 13 characters -- the maximum for JT65 transmissions -- to transmit "from the moon," the 4M Manfred Memorial Moon Mission website said. A model of the LUXspace 4M spacecraft superimposed above the lunar surface. [LUXspace image] Signals from the Amateur Radio payload can be decoded using the free /WSJT/ software by Joe Taylor, K1JT. The Manfred Memorial Moon Mission memorializes Manfred Fuchs, the late founder and chairman of LUXspace parent company OHB of Bremen. He died in April. The 4M mission is expected to launch sometime after 1800 UTC on October 23. According to LUXspace, the 4M spacecraft will transmit continuously on 145.980 MHz (? 2.9 kHz) at 1.5 W into a simple quarter-wave monopole antenna. "This will give S/N comparable to EME signals at Earth's surface," LUXspace said. "The transmission is based on a 1-minute sequence and a 5-minute cycle. The transmission will start 4670 seconds (77.8 minutes) after launch." The 4M mission was detailed during a presentation the EME 2014 conference held recently in France. A paper , "4M Mission: A Lunar Flyby Experiment" also is available. During the lunar flyby, the spacecraft will be about nearly 248,000 miles from Earth and between 7440 and 14,480 miles from the Moon. The spacecraft will be part of the last stage of the lunar mission. The planned trajectory calls for a lunar flyby and return to Earth, with a 90 percent chance that the spacecraft will re-enter Earth's atmosphere. LUXspace has provided a tracking tool on its website. Read more . /-- Thanks to LUXspace, AMSAT-UK/ Qatari /Es'hail 2/ Satellite will Include AMSAT-DL Phase 4 Amateur Radio Transponders Gunter's Space Page has reported that the /Es'hail 2/ communications satellite will carry analog and digital Amateur Radio transponders. The new satellite, which will be operated by Es'hailSat, the Qatar Satellite Company, will be in a geostationary orbit, positioned at the 26? East "hotspot" position for TV broadcasting to the Middle East and North Africa. Launch is planned for late 2016. /Es'hail 2/ will provide the first Amateur Radio geostationary communication capability linking Brazil and India. It will carry two AMSAT-DL-designed Phase 4 Amateur Radio transponders, consisting of a 250 kHz linear analog transponder and an experimental digital modulation transponder with an 8 MHz bandwidth. Uplinks will be in the 2.400-2.450 GHz range, with downlinks in the 10.450-10.500 GHz Amateur-Satellite Service allocation. Both transponders will be equipped with antennas capable of providing full coverage over about one-third of Earth's surface. The Qatar Amateur Radio Society and Qatar Satellite Company are cooperating on the Amateur Radio project. AMSAT-DL is providing technical support. /-- Thanks to Gunter's Space Page via AMSAT News Service/ AMSAT-NA Announces Board of Directors Election Results AMSAT-NA has announced the results of its recent Board of Directors election. Tom Clark, K3IO; JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM; and Lou McFadin, W5DID, were elected to serve 2-year terms. Jerry Buxton, N0JY, will serve the remaining year on the term of the late Tony Monteiro, AA2TX. The First Alternate is Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, and the Second Alternate is Frank Griffin, K4FEG. Read more . Colorado ARES Team Wins an Honorable Mention in Citizen Corps Awards The Boulder County (Colorado) ARES team (BCARES ) received an honorable mention in the Citizen Corps 2014 Individual and Community Preparedness Awards. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA ) announced its list of nationwide award recipients on September 3. Ueli Hauser, KB9TTI/HB9TTI, on the roof of the Boulder Amateur Radio Club's station, located at the airport. ATV cameras and transmitters provided emergency managers with flood images. [Ueli Hauser, KB9TTI, photo] BCARES was cited under the Technical Innovation category for its use of Amateur TV and APRS and for its Mountain Emergency Radio Network **(MERN) project during its response to the 2013 flooding in the Boulder area. MERN was created in conjunction with BCARES, the Inter-Mountain Alliance (IMA), and the Boulder County Office of Emergency Management. The goal of the system is to facilitate community emergency preparedness and insure uninterrupted communication between and within six mountain communities in Western Boulder County, county emergency services, and their resources prior to and during an emergency via an Amateur Radio network. FEMA is planning an award presentation. /-- Thanks to ARRL Colorado Section Manager Jack Ciaccia, WM0G/ Ad "Last Man Standing" Special Event Set for September 28 A Hollywood-style Amateur Radio special event is set for later this month from the so-called "Seinfeld Stage" on the CBS Studio Center lot in Studio City, California. The K6H "Hollywood Hamnado" special event station will be on HF and D-STAR on September 28, from 1400 until 2200 UTC. Hosts for the event will be Amateur Radio crew members of the ABC television series "Last Man Standing." On the show, actor Tim Allen plays Mike Baxter, KA0XTT. The show's producer is John Amodeo, NN6JA The Southern California-based PAPA Repeater System, in association with the Broadcast Employees Amateur Radio Society (BEARS) and Disney Emergency Amateur Radio Service (DEARS) are sponsoring the special event. Operation will take place on 10, 20, and 40 meters on HF and D-STAR reflector 12A. Rob Antonacci, AA6RA, said K6H is planning to run three SSB stations, operating on or around 28.420, 14.250, and 7.260 MHz. The PAPA website, the W5KUB chat room, and the Mike Baxter KA0XTT Facebook page will provide up-to-the-minute updates. K6H also will use the Disney Amateur Radio Interconnect to link the WB6AJE repeater in Los Angeles to Disney/ABC-sponsored repeaters in Manhattan-Bristol, Connecticut; Washington, DC, and Orlando, Florida. Various IRLP and EchoLink nodes will be available. Those contacting K6H will receive a limited-edition QSL card. Tom Medlin, W5KUB , will be on Stage 9 to interview the participants and report on the special event activity. The PAPA website will stream video directly from the operating stations. So far, 26 members of the "Last Man Standing" crew have been inspired by the show's Amateur Radio component to get licensed. /-- Thanks to //Rob Antonacci/ /, AA6RA/ No Easy Answers for RadioShack's Slow, Downward Slide Back in the day, RadioShack employees would answer the phone by saying, "You've got questions, we've got answers." But RadioShack now seems stumped, and the "B" word is looming ever larger as the retailer -- once the go-to place for electronic components and, at one point, even some Amateur Radio gear and shortwave receivers -- casts about for a white knight. Last March, in the wake of a substantial drop in holiday sales and a big fourth-quarter loss, the Fort Worth, Texas-based RadioShack announced plans to close 1100 of its outlets, leaving the chain with 4000 stores, including more than 900 dealer franchises. The company's second-quarter 2014 report has been deemed "dismal" by investment advisors. According to CNNMoney , though, the retailer has been able to shutter only 200 of those shops -- because it costs a lot of money even to close locations, and RadioShack has none to spare. It's already bleeding cash -- some $149 million just this year --in its struggle to board up unprofitable locations and keep its head above the rising waters, and, as CNNMoney reported, credit rating agency Moody's expects the company's bank account to run dry within another 12 months. One Wall Street analyst already has warned of impending bankruptcy, and Forbes.com reported last week that the retailer itself has confirmed the likelihood of a Chapter 7 or Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, if it cannot find a buyer or restructure its debt. RadioShack CEO Joseph Magnacca said in a statement on September 11 that while the company was making progress in its turn-around efforts, "we are actively exploring options for overhauling our balance sheet and are in advanced discussions with a number of parties." A filing the retailer submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) this week was far more blunt. In short, it said that if RadioShack cannot sell the firm, partner with another company, or restructure its debt, "we may not have enough cash and working capital to fund our operations beyond the very near term, which raises substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern." And if Plan A does not work out, the retailer told the SEC, "we would likely be required to liquidate under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code." Read more . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL In March 1980, Mount St Helens spectacularly exploded. Before the explosion, radio amateurs had been assisting with communication among a number of sites where ongoing measurements were being taken, because scientists had concluded that the mountain was nearing the point of eruption. The hams continued to work after the volcano's several eruptions, with both emergency communications and a continuation of their previous support work. Sadly, two of those hams lost their lives during the disaster -- W6TQF and KA7AMF. By the 1980s, some towns and neighborhoods had begun to impose very restrictive rules about antennas and towers -- rules that would prohibit effective amateur antennas. Many of these cases were fought through the legal system successfully by the affected hams. As with so many issues that involve many hams all over the country, ARRL joined the fight, providing legal assistance through the League's general counsel and volunteer counselors who were also hams. Mount St Helens erupted in March 1980. [Robert Krimmel/USGS photo] The ARRL introduced a new periodical in December 1981 -- /QEX/. Its purposes were (1) to publish articles that documented advanced technical work in areas that were not of wide general interest, and (2) to act as a catalyst for technical development in the Amateur Radio and Amateur-Satellite Services. On May 21, 1981, at the request of the ARRL, the FCC restored 160 meters to exclusive Amateur Radio use. Before this, the FCC rules included an array of restrictions on 160 meter operation, to protect the LORAN (Long-Range Aid to Navigation) system. Now, hams could run a full kilowatt on 160, day and night, anywhere in the country! In the 1980s, packet radio and packet repeaters -- digipeaters -- came into being. Numerous /QST/ articles detailed this mode of operation, helping interested hams to get up and running on packet. In 1982, cable TV systems expanded across the US, bringing with them the potential for CATVI -- cable TVI. Some cable channels were on 2 meter amateur frequencies, and because many poorly installed and maintained cable systems "leaked" TV signals, causing interference on the 2 meter band. Of course, if signals could leak out, other signals could leak in, and hams sometimes caused interference when their signals got into the cable TV system. Cable companies often blamed the problem on hams, rather than take the blame for their poor equipment and maintenance. In the meantime, the FCC was in a fiscal crisis, because of budget cutbacks. Although it was willing to enforce the regulations and bring the cable companies in line, it was unable to fund that enforcement effort. This problem continued for some time before it was corrected. During the 1980s, the SKYWARN system was established and became affiliated with the National Weather Service, so hams could report dangerous weather events that they saw. To this day, SKYWARN members have proven extremely valuable for monitoring weather conditions and providing "ground truth" reports to the NWS. Much SKYWARN communication occurs via 2 meter repeaters. Harry Dannals, W2HD, had been ARRL President for 10 years when he decided to step down in 1982. At the same time, ARRL Secretary and General Manager Richard Baldwin, W1RU, retired. At their first 1982 meeting, the ARRL Board of Directors elected Vic Clark, W4KFC, as the League's new president, and David Sumner, K1ZZ, as the new Secretary and General Manager. On the afternoon of January 13, 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 took off from Washington National Airport. But the Boeing 737 slowly settled toward Earth, clipping the 14th Street Bridge (I-395) and destroying seven cars that were on it, before crash landing in the ice-covered Potomac River. The area's ARES operators and nets sprang into immediate action and provided much-needed communication support among the various governmental agencies that had responded./-- Al Brogdon, W1AB/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The K7RA Solar Update Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, On September 11 and 12 two powerful coronal mass ejections (CMEs) hit Earth, producing a G3-class geomagnetic storm. The result was a planetary A index of 44 on September 12, and during the final 3 hours of the day (UTC), the planetary K index reached a very lofty 7! Overall solar activity is down, with the average daily sunspot number declining from 152 to 124.9 in the September 11-17 period. Average daily solar flux dropped from 155.8 to 139.8. Predicted flux values have declined as well. As an example, the daily 45-day forecast for solar flux on September 21 was 120 on August 6-10, 125 on August 11-17, 135 on August 18 through September 7, 150 on September 8-12, 130 on September 13, 120 on September 14-15, and 115 on every day since. Predicted solar flux is 125 on September 18-19, 120 on September 20, 115 on September 21-22, 110 on September 23-25, 115 on September 26, 120 on September 27-28, 130 on September 29, 135 on September 30 and October 1, 140 on October 2, 145 on October 3-5, and 150 on October 6-7. Predicted planetary A index is 5 on September 18-25, 15 on September 26-27, 12 on September 28-29, 10 on September 30, 5 on October 1-2, 8 on October 3-4, 5 on October 5, and 10 on October 6-7. The autumnal equinox occurs on September 23 at 0229 UTC, Monday evening in North America. The equinox portends improved worldwide communication on the HF bands. As an example, modeling propagation using /W6ELprop/ and a modest solar flux of 120, 20 meter signals between California and Japan on the equinox run about 6 dB hotter in the early evening on the West Coast than they would have a month earlier. 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 reports from readers, including a report of aurora seen in Arizona. Send me /your/ reports and observations. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just Ahead in Radiosport * September 18 -- NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint (CW) * September 20 -- Feld-Hell Hell on Wheels Sprint * September 20 -- Pirate QSO Party * *September 20-21 -- ARRL 10 GHz Cumulative Contest* * September 20-21 -- Red Badges on the Air * September 20-21 -- Scandinavian Activity Contest (CW) * September 20-21 -- South Carolina QSO Party * September 20-21 -- Washington State Salmon Run * September 21 -- BARTG Sprint 75 * September 21-23 -- Classic Exchange (CW) * September 22 -- 144 MHz Fall VHF Sprint * September 24 -- SKCC Straight Key Sprint * September 27 -- Texas QSO Party * September 27-28 -- CQ WW RTTY Contest * September 27-28 -- Maine QSO Party * September 28 -- Peanut Power Sprint * September 30 -- 222 MHz Fall VHF Sprint See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events * September 19-20 -- W9DXCC Convention , Schaumburg, Illinois * September 26-27 -- W4DXCC/SEDCO Convention , Pigeon Forge, Tennessee * September 26-28 -- Mid-Atlantic States VHF Conference , Bensalem, Pennsylvania * September 27 -- North Dakota State Convention , West Fargo, North Dakota * September 27 -- Washington State Convention , Spokane Valley, Washington * October 4 -- Delaware State Convention , Georgetown, Delaware * October 5 -- Iowa Section Convention , West Liberty, Iowa * October 10-11 -- Florida State Convention , Melbourne, Florida * *October 10-12 -- **Pacific Division Convention* *(Pacificon), Regional ARRL Centennial Event, Santa Clara, California* * October 11 -- Iowa State Convention (Sioux City Ham Convention), Sergeant Bluff, Iowa * October 11 -- Pacific Northwest VHF Conference , Seaside, Oregon * October 12 -- Connecticut State Convention , Meriden, Connecticut * October 18 -- Arkansas State Convention , Batesville, Arkansas * October 18 -- Wisconsin ARES/RACES Conference , Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin * October 24-25 -- Oklahoma Section Convention , Ardmore, Oklahoma * November 1 -- TechFest 2014 , Lakewood, Colorado * November 1-2 -- Georgia State Convention , Lawrenceville, Georgia * 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 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 us 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 Sep 19 13:04:27 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 13:04:27 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ARLB017 FCC Turns Down Petition to Create a 4 Meter Band in the US In-Reply-To: <20140919151056.8DCC429E3E9@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20140919151056.8DCC429E3E9@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <541C621B.1000108@bellsouth.net> SB QST @ ARL $ARLB017 ARLB017 FCC Turns Down Petition to Create a 4 Meter Band in the US ZCZC AG17 QST de W1AW ARRL Bulletin 17 ARLB017 >From ARRL Headquarters Newington CT September 19, 2014 To all radio amateurs SB QST ARL ARLB017 ARLB017 FCC Turns Down Petition to Create a 4 Meter Band in the US It does not appear that US radio amateurs will gain a new band at 70 MHz anytime soon. The FCC has denied a Petition for Rule Making filed earlier this year by Glen E. Zook, K9STH, of Richardson, Texas, seeking to add a 4 meter band to Amateur Radio's inventory of VHF allocations. Zook had floated the proposal in 2010, and his petition was dated January 27, 2010, but the FCC said it did not receive it until last May. Zook asked the Commission to allocate 70.0 to 70.5 MHz to Amateur Radio because, Zook's Petition asserted, "the recent migration of broadcast television stations to primarily UHF frequencies basically eliminates any probable interference to television channels 4 or 5." VHF TV channel 4 occupies 66 to 72 MHz. "Because the Zook Petition is based on a faulty premise - that broadcasting use within the 70.0-70.5 MHz band will diminish or cease - its argument that amateur band users could operate without causing harmful interference to any existing service lacks sufficient support to warrant our further consideration, The FCC said in a September 17 Order denying the Petition. The Order may be found on the web in PDF format at, http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2014/db0917/DA-14-1347A1.pdf . The FCC pointed out that three full-power TV stations, 110 low-power TV stations and translators, and six Class A TV station now occupy channel 4 in the US. In addition, the Commission, through an "ongoing incentive auction proceeding," is attempting to "repurpose" a portion of television broadcast spectrum for broadband operations and "repack the remaining TV stations into a smaller frequency range." Under certain scenarios, the FCC said, channel 4 could become even more heavily populated by broadcast users in the future. "Given the complexity of the incentive auction proceeding, we also conclude that it would not serve the public interest to further complicate that unique undertaking by proposing to introduce a new service into the broadcasting frequencies at this time," the FCC said. The Order noted that fixed and mobile services will continue to operate in the frequencies between channels 4 and 5 (76 to 82 MHz). As Zook noted in his petition, a 4 meter band has been authorized for Amateur Radio use in the UK and in a number of other European and African countries. The FCC said that since it wasn't planning to grant Zook's petition, it declined to evaluate his claims "regarding the benefits that amateurs would derive from use of the band." Zook's original proposal asked to have the FCC open up the allocation to all classes of Amateur Radio licensees. Brian Justin, WA1ZMS, operated an Experimental Service beacon transmitter from Virginia on 70.005 MHz under the call sign WE9XFT. At the time his Experimental license was granted in 2010, Justin told the ARRL that he was not seeking to have the FCC create a 4 meter band. "This beacon is purely for radio science for use as an E-skip detection device," he explained. NNNN /EX From n8pr1 at bellsouth.net Tue Sep 23 11:36:52 2014 From: n8pr1 at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 11:36:52 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] W1AW/* and LoTW Update Message-ID: <95D05F408F2B46F1871656DB4C000468@PeteRGateway> Good Morning All, There are currently some 3,768 logs waiting to be processed in LoTW.....including several of the W1AW/* operations. Until they upload, nothing is updated in either your LoTW account nor the Centennial Points board. I too have many I'm waiting on....there was a new server system installed over the weekend for everything other than LoTW, and a few weeks back, a new server system for LoTW was installed too....once settled, the intent was they would expedite the processing......however.... There have also been several changes in personnel at Newington, including a new contest manager (I spoke to him last week - he's doing double-time to catch up on a year of backlogs) ; Bill Moore the DXCC manager is still out in rehab from his serious car accident; and at least three longtime employees have retired. Couple that with the herculean efforts for the Centennial Convention....well, you get where I'm going. Timing is everything! I would ask everyone's patience whilst they "catch-up".... if you need something answered, zip me a line and I will find out the information and get back to you quickly. I am in QRX mode too. All good things in time. 73, and Thank You for your understanding. Steve Szabo WB4OMM NFL Section Manager (and FCG contester!!) From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Sep 23 17:19:42 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 17:19:42 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ARRL Deploying Ham Aid Kits to Hawaii to Assist in Possible Lava Flow Response In-Reply-To: <6376AA29-3663-4294-B0E7-53B8EBB57985@aol.com> References: <6376AA29-3663-4294-B0E7-53B8EBB57985@aol.com> Message-ID: <5421E3EE.2050604@bellsouth.net> ARRL Deploying Ham Aid Kits to Hawaii to Assist in Possible Lava Flow Response > * > * > 09/23/2014 > ARRL Headquarters is deploying *Ham Aid* > kits to Hawaii as ARES volunteers stand ready to activate in the wake > of the massive Puna volcanic lava flow that has been threatening some > communities on the Big Island of Hawaii. The lava originated from new > ?vents? in the Earth as a result of the Mt Kilauea volcano, which > began erupting more than 30 years ago. ARRL Pacific Section Manager > Bob Schneider, AH6J, said Tuesday that while he doesn?t believe an > ARES activation is imminent, lava flows can be unpredictable, and > things can change rapidly. > ?Lava is a slow-motion disaster,? he said. ?It?s not like a volcano, > where the thing just blows up. It?s like a pot of soup.? > ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U, said the Ham Aid > kits going out to Hawaii include HF gear as well as VHF and UHF > equipment. ?We?re deploying an HF kit ? an IC-718 transceiver, a > tuner, and a dipole ? and a VHF/UHF kit.? The latter includes a mobile > transceiver and power supply as well as several handheld transceivers > that have been programmed with local frequencies that may be needed > before they?re shipped. Corey said the Ham Aid kits are a resource > available to ARRL section leadership to add capacity during a disaster > or emergency response. > Schneider said that while there is no immediate need for the kits, ?if > they have it out there, and this thing changes, we?ll be prepared. > It?s better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.? > Hawaii Civil Defense said Kilauea continued to erupt at its summit as > of Monday, although the more than 10-mile lava flow ? or ?tube? ? > under the greatest scrutiny halted its progress toward the sea on > Tuesday ? at least for the time being. Authorities also are monitoring > so-called ?breakout? flows. No homes have been affected so far, > although the molten rock is causing vegetation to burn in its path. > The front of the Puna lava flow is estimated to be some 150 yards > across at its widest point. > Hawaii Gov Neil Abercrombie has issued a disaster declaration for the > areas that are or may be affected by the lava flow. Schneider and ARES > members and officials have been keeping an eye on the situation. > ?We anticipate lava may cross the main Highway 130 near Pahoa on the > Island of Hawaii in 1 to 3 weeks,? Schneider announced on the Pacific > Section website over the weekend. He said a ?best guess? would be > within 10 days. Schneider said Highway 130 is the primary commuter > route for residents in several residential subdivisions that might be > affected, including one that is home to some 20,000 people ? what he > called, ?a pretty good chunk of population? overall. The governor?s > proclamation has permitted authorities to open two alternative routes, > in case Highway 130 has to be closed. > Hawaii Civil Defense authorities have deployed their remote emergency > operations center in the affected region, and Schneider visited there > a few days ago. > ?The town of Pahoa is in kind of a slow panic,? he reported. ?If the > lava comes down and goes right to the ocean, probably the only thing > that /won?t/ be affected will be cell phones. Power and conventional > telephone service will be out.? In that case, should ARES be > activated, Schneider said the volunteers? likely role would be to > relay health-and-welfare traffic from affected communities. > From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Sep 24 09:07:48 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 09:07:48 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Contest Update for September 24, 2014 In-Reply-To: <20140924042240.E8B0023CB1@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20140924042240.E8B0023CB1@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <5422C224.8090405@bellsouth.net> Preview If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/?issue=2014-09-24 The ARRL Contest Update September 24, 2014 Editor: Ward Silver, N?AX /Contest Update/ Archive Contest Calendar ARRL Home Page Ad IN THIS ISSUE * Hit the Road with Baudot - CQ WW RTTY <#Contests> * The Large and Small - CA and TX, ME and NJ QSO Parties <#Contests> * Calling All California Counties <#News> * Radio Does the Twist <#Newsweek> * Master WRTC2014 Photo Albums <#Sights> * ARRL Contest Results - Up to Date <#Results> * Two-Band Tuning Tip <#Tech> * Feynman Online? Surely You Jest! <#Techweek> * Watching A Submarine Race <#Conversation> NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO State your preference! Two of the "bigs" in the State QSO Party lineup - California and Texas - are coming up. And so are Maine and New Jersey, for that matter. State contests are especially good for starting contesters and those with modest stations and antenna farms. Digital mode fans will want to join the excitement in the CQ WW RTTY contest, too! BULLETINS There are no bulletins in this issue. BUSTED QSOS CQ WW RTTY Director, Ed W?YK clarifies a report in the previous issue about certificates: "The new Cabrillo tag is only about /mailed paper certificates/. Anybody can download their certificate at any time from the CQ WW websites (both CW/SSB and RTTY)." Ed also notes that certificates for past contests are readily available at all times for them to access. CONTEST SUMMARY Complete information <#Contests> for all contests follows the Conversation <#Conversation> section *September 27-28* * SKCC Straight Key Sprint (Sep 24) * CQ WW RTTY Contest * Maine QSO Party--Phone,CW * Texas QSO Party * Peanut Power Sprint * 222 MHz Fall VHF Sprint (Sep 30) *October 4-5* * CWOps Weekly Mini-CWT Tests (Oct 1) * NS Weekly Sprint--CW (Oct 3) * DX/NA YLRL Anniversary Party (Oct 3) * TARA PSK Rumble * Oceania DX Phone Contest--Phone * Russian WW Digital Contest * Worked All Britain HF Contest--Phone * New Jersey QSO Party * California QSO Party * RSGB 21/28 MHz Contest * EU Autumn Phone Sprint (Oct 6) * OK1WC Memorial Contest (Oct 6) * ARS Spartan Sprint--CW (Oct 7) NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST From counties with millions in population to the deserted desert desserts, the California QSO Party has managed to wrangle activations of all 58 counties again this year! No mean feat, there will be mobiles and portable stations galore to track down in search of that elusive bottle of wine or other awards . The complete list is available under the "County Operating Plan ". (Thanks, CQP Manager, Chris N6WM) This would be a great medal to have in your shack, wouldn't it? This gold medal is from the recent ARDF World Championships in Burabay, Kazahkstan. The U.S. team placed second and took the silver. The U.S. team brought home a silver medal at the recent Amateur Radio Direction Finding World Championships - all the way from first-time host country, Kazakhstan! The competition attracted 277 competitors from 25 countries around the world. The events included sprints (with actual sprinting!) and a hybrid event called foxoring that combines traditional orienteering and foxhunting. The CQ World Wide Committee announced that translations for the CQ WW DX Contest rules are now available in 14 languages. (Thanks, CQ WW Director, Randy K5ZD) There is a very nice survey of available SDR equipment in the September issue of the Dutch Kingdom Amateur Radio Society's DKARS Magazine . This architecture is spreading quite rapidly across ham radio - you'll have to watch carefully so as not to miss something! That big radio you have your eye on, is it too big for the shack? Or at least too big to sneak into the shack? How about this ant-sized radio designed for the IoT (Internet of Things - not IOTA)? You'll have no problem finding a spot for it. Finding it in the first place, though, might be a problem. (Thanks, Dennis N6KI) A recent online discussion about Sweepstakes wondered about the history of power categories in this oldest of the domestic contests. Mike K1MK did a great job to put together this concise timeline: 1930 - In the beginning there were no power classes. 1934 - For the fifth running of Sweepstakes, power multipliers for scoring are introduced with three classes: <= 25 watts input x 3; > 20 watts input; <= 75 watts input x 2; and 75 watts input x1. 1935 - Power mults simplified to <= 100w input x 1.5. 1938 - The "power factor" (multiplier) is reduced to x 1.25 and the dividing line remains 100 watts input. 1952 - The multiplier is increased to x 1.5 for Phone, CW is still x 1.25, and 100 watts is the limit for both modes. 1956 - The low power limit is increased to 150 watts input for both modes. 1968 - Precedence of A or B is introduced based upon the 150 watt input limit for the low power class (A). 1969 - The power multiplier for scoring is eliminated. 1972 - The low power class is increased to 200 watts input. 1974 - Separate awards issued to the highest scoring category "A" and "B" entrants in each section. Prior to this, it was one award per section to the highest score regardless of class. 1983 - Definition of low power category changed to 150 watts output. Well, your editor finally made the cover of the September/October /NCJ /and, yes, I bought five copies for my mother, Mary Ellen. Hi Mom! (Photo by N?AX) On Sept. 12th, student scientists in California launched a weather balloon to the stratosphere during the most intense solar storm of the year. They expected to measure an increase in energetic radiation. Instead they measured a sharp drop. Their counterintuitive data and the interesting explanation for it are featured on the Spaceweather website. JK Antennas' high performance antennas are now available exclusively from DX Engineering . JK Antennas' flagship product is the JK404 Grande, a 40 meter Yagi antenna that offers up to 6.16 dBd (8.31 dBi) gain with a 1.5:1 SWR (or better) across the entire 40 meter band. The antenna uses four full-size elements (73 foot maximum element length), mounted on a 45.5 foot boom. It weighs 325 pounds with a maximum turning radius of 43 feet. Despite the JK404 Grande's large size, it only has an 18.7 square foot wind area. The JK65 is a similarly high-achieving antenna for the 6 meter band with only 1.37 square feet of wind load and a weight of 14 pounds. How did that Pirate QSO Party turn out? Captain San W6RRR reports, "The Pirate QSO Party went very well! It was great to see how creative people got with their exchanges, although I think the "Walk the Plank" command was under-utilized. More than 120 participants were logged, representing 9 DXCC entities (United States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Brazil, Trinidad, and the Dominican Republic). The Java-based logging program was pretty experimental but generally well-received, and 15 logs have been submitted so far. Also, two hours was just long enough for all of us to find our sea legs -- prepare for a somewhat longer contest in 2015!" Part 7 and Part 8 of the NCJ antenna interaction articles by K3NA are now available at the NCJ web site in the Bonus Content area. (Thanks, NCJ Editor Emeritus, Kirk K4RO) Here is Contest Cllub Ontario (CCO) President, John VE3EJ (L) presenting Bob VE3KZ with an endorsement for his sCCOre Award at the recent CCO picnic. (Photo by VE3GFN) *Web Site of the Week* - Some news stories have reported on a new technique of "twisting " radio beams to increase wireless data rates. 32 gigabits per second is pretty fast! The Slashdot website's discussion sheds some light on the subject, with various comments explaining why this is different than the circular polarization familiar to many hams using VHF+ bands. By creating beams with different and varying angular phases, several beams with the same frequency can share the same path, yet still be distinguished at the receiver as if they came from different directions. We should give that a try during Phone Sweepstakes! WORD TO THE WISE A fall is a common reason for a trip to the Emergency Room for older adults, usually male, when they look up, feel faint, then pass out when working on a ladder or on a tower. The usual cause is restricting blood flow in the arteries at the base of the brain when tipping one's head back. It seems to be a condition that becomes more pronounced with age. You can test this fairly easily: stand straight and tall - then tip your head back as far as it will go without bending your back. A few seconds of readjustment before you get your equilibrium back is more or less normal. If dizziness persists or gets worse, you have a problem to have checked out by your doctor. It is better to find this out at ground level than aloft, don't you think? Ad SIGHTS AND SOUNDS A master photo gallery has been created on the WRTC2014 website . There is an album for each of the 59 operating sites/teams. More photos are always welcome, particularly of the W1I team (W2RE and WW2DX). Contact Randy K5ZD for information. Thanks to N6TV and EY8MM for providing many of the photos. Albums of the opening and closing ceremonies will soon be available as well. What did we miss at the Maker Faire? This EDN blog talks about the creative and imaginative engineering fostered by the Faires. RESULTS AND RECORDS ARRL Contest Branch Manager, Matt W1MSW continues to post new and updated content to the ARRL's Contest Results web page. Downloadable CSV files are now all up to date and all Log Checking Reports (LCRs) are now posted, as well. There are a few nits yet to fix in past writeups and the log handling machinery needs constant attention but the backlog in the results is now a thing of the past. If you participated in the ARRL's September VHF+ Contest, be sure to check the Logs Received page and verify your entry is noted with the right category, location, and call sign. OPERATING TIP Speaking of LCRs, also known as UBN (Unique-Busted-NIL) reports, now is a great time to start looking over your errors from last year. Think of it as watching game video from the previous game - it will alert you to your weaknesses and help you focus on improving what needs to be improved! Ad TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION Tuning an impedance matching network like an L network to match a feed point impedance is fairly straightforward. But what about for an antenna that you use on /two/ bands? You could switch between different component values, such as by using a different tap on an inductor or adding a capacitor. Switching in coaxial stubs also works, but Doug W7KF found an alternative solution that he put to work on his Inverted L for 160 and 80 meters. The original idea came from an 1970s /QST/ article by Wes Hayward W7ZOI ("Hints and Kinks" in the June 1977 issue) that lets the network switch itself in and out by using resonance. As Wes observes, while having the antenna be resonant on the lower band simplifies adjustment considerably, in the general case, the antenna doesn't need to be resonant on either band. Here's an animated, excited crowd watching the 2013 KCDXC's CW Pileup Contest take place in a nearby room via NO5W's /PileUpNet/ software. Radiosport is a lot of fun to watch as it turns out! (Photo by N?AX) Pasternak has a new online package of RF calculator and conversion tools developed by its engineering staff. Here are a few of the many interesting tools of interest to hams: balanced attenuator calculator, cascaded noise figure calculator, coaxial cable impedance calculator, RF power conversion calculator, RF power ratio conversion calculator, VSWR/return loss calculator and more. Broadcast engineers will find some just for them, as well! Each calculator includes diagrams and illustrations along with the formula in use. (Thanks, Eric W3DQ) We have the CW Skimmer keeping an ear on the bands for us, do you think you can do better? If so, the Morse Learning Machine Challenge is for you! No word has been received as to whether the final evaluation will be done during CW Sweepstakes. There are quite a few low-cost online PC board fabricators that will deliver several boards in a batch but this can be expensive if you only need a couple of boards made. There's another approach called a PC-board aggregator. These services combine your small order with the small orders of others and makes a composite board that is then sliced up and sent to the customers. You must submit a board design prepared with a layout package that generates Gerber files and pay a certain amount per square inch of board area. One such aggregator is OSH Park which charges $5.00 per square inch for double-sided boards with a silkscreen. (Thanks, Brad AA1IP) There is a good collection of downloadable white papers on grounding and lightning protection from the Polyphaser company at the Smiths Power website. The list includes a paper specifically on grounding amateur stations. (Thanks, Bill KC4PE) If you use rope running through a pulley to hold up a wire antennas, it's important to move or shift the rope from time-to-time. Leaving the pull rope "setting" in one spot for extended periods of time causes excess wear, as the outer fibers are elongated/stretched more than the inner ones. Just a little movement 2-3 times per year will go a long way toward keeping that rope flexible and doing its job. (Thanks, Don K4ZA) While we may consider stainless steel to be the best of the best materials, it can corrode when deprived of oxygen and needs to be inspected like everything else. Sailors know corrosion as well as anyone and this /Cruising World article / describes the problem and how to check for corrosion. (Thanks, Kirby AF6OP) Several useful gadgets and projects showed up recently on the Instructables website. The creator of this Instructable on straightening and stripping wire mentions the possible uses as "Antenna Construction". Too bad he didn't build a pipe and tower stretcher says Frank KR1ZAN! This razor blade cutter functions as a nifty mini-shear for wire and plastic - watch your fingers! And another builder made use of a switchmode dc-to-dc converter module to create a bench-style power supply . It runs with 7-35 volts input power and outputs 1.25-30 volts at up to 3 amps depending on the heat sink. The project also demonstrates how to create an etched front panel. As the fall semester kicks into gear, you may have a STEM-oriented student in the family or know of one. This /EE Times/ slide show features 10 technological elements , one of which is sure to hold the interest of your student. Some are intended for the school environment and some for individuals at home learning on their own. *Technical Web Site of the Week* - Physics fans will be thrilled to learn that the famed Feynman Lectures have all been released free online. Covering a wide variety of topics, you can learn from a master physicist whose work garnered a Nobel Prize and inspired generations of students. CONVERSATION Watching a Submarine Race I've written at times about visualization being an important component that is currently missing from much of radiosport. We like numbers - particularly final scores - and don't seem too concerned about the process by which those numbers were obtained. And why should we be? No one watches us as we sit in front of the radios and computers in our basement or bedroom redoubts. The door is shut and the household tiptoes around for the weekend whispering, "There's a contest on!" Finally, we emerge: a little bleary, somewhat the worse for wear and tear, with our far-away eyes still somewhere out there in the ionosphere. After we get a little sleep and shape-shift back into human form, friends and family will inquire, "How was it? Did you win?" And so we recount the battles won and lost, the highs and lows, and whether we beat the cross-town rivals or came up short. Don't you think those folks might want to watch a /little bit?/ Maybe just to check the scores from time to time even if the exact operating technique is a bit opaque? Certainly other hams would be interested, but except for contests that include QSO serial number as part of the exchange, it's all invisible. Watching a typical radiosport contest is like watching a submarine race. You know they're out there...somewhere...and you know they're focused and intense and working hard...somehow...but you can't see a thing. Nor will you learn anything about the race until the "fish" surface, one by one, to tell their tales. You can see the details of the WRTC score collection system on the WRTC2014 website. Is this the look of the future? I hope so! (Graphic courtesy of WRTC2014) That might be about to change, at least for radiosport. We've had a real-time scoreboard or two for a while now. More stations are uploading scores and even breakdowns, so it is starting to happen. During the WRTC2014 a new gadget came into play - a network "sniffer" that watched for QSOs being "broadcast" in a digital stream, grabbed the information, and submitted it to the central scoreboard server. Inexpensive and based on a Raspberry Pi computer, the sniffer (aka - the Score Collection Computer ) required no modification to the host software, just access to the stream of contact data as each QSO was logged by the competitors. This is not very far from live QSO validation and scoring, although that would require considerably more computing resources, such as are available in the "cloud". In the meantime, couldn't we be seeing a lot more information and visuals of the competition? For an idea of what is possible even at this early stage, Bob N6TV has created some "after the fact" horse-race-style graphics in the style of Chuck NO5W's /PileUpNet / software so popular at the Dayton CW Pileup Contest sponsored by the Kansas City DX Club. You can watch the whole of WRTC2014 play back via these GIF-based animations created by Bob N6TV. The animation is available on the WRTC2014 website . Until we finally get real-time radiosport, I am hoping that some of the creative programmers out there are thinking about what they could do with access to a stream of QSO data from hundreds or thousands of competitors all logging contacts as fast as they can. What sort of combinations of views makes sense? Will it be something like ESPN's /GameCast / system - a collection of maps and charts and statistics that capture the competitive state of the game? In the meantime this fall, as 0000 UTC approaches, be sure to dog your hatches, lower the periscope, sound the klaxon and Dive! Dive! The submarine race is about to begin! 73, Ward N?AX Ad CONTESTS *24 September through 7 October* 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* SKCC Straight Key Sprint--CW, from Sep 24, 0000Z to Sep 24, 0200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, Monthly on the 4th Wednesday UTC. Exchange: RST, QTH, name, SKCC nr or power. Logs due: 5 days. Rules CQ WW RTTY Contest--Digital, from Sep 27, 0000Z to Sep 28, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST, CQ zone and State/VE area (US/VE). Logs due: 5 days. Rules Maine QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Sep 27, 1200Z to Sep 28, 1200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS(T), county or "DX". Logs due: Oct 15. Rules Texas QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 27, 1400Z - See website. Multiple time periods. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, CW--20 to 50 kHz above band edge; Phone--25 kHz above edge of General segment. Exchange: RS(T), county or S/P/C. Logs due: Oct 31. Rules Peanut Power Sprint--Phone,CW, from Sep 28, 2000Z to Sep 28, 2200Z. Bands (MHz): 7-21. CW--7.061, 14.061, 21.061; SSB--7.285, 14.285, 21.285. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and Peanut nr or power. Logs due: Oct 15. Rules 222 MHz Fall VHF Sprint--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 30, 7 PM to Sep 30, 11 PM. Bands (MHz): 222. Exchange: 4-char grid square. Logs due: 2 weeks. Rules CWOps Weekly Mini-CWT Tests--CW, from Oct 1, 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 Sprint--CW, from Oct 3, 0230Z to Oct 3, 0300Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-14. Weekly on Thursday evenings local time. Exchange: Serial, name, and S/P/C. Logs due: 2 days. Rules DX/NA YLRL Anniversary Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Oct 3, 1400Z to Oct 5, 0200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: Serial, RS(T), and S/P/C. Logs due: 30 days. Rules TARA PSK Rumble--Digital, from Oct 4, 0000Z to Oct 4, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: Name and call area (see website). Logs due: Oct 31. Rules Oceania DX Phone Contest--Phone, from Oct 4, 0800Z to Oct 5, 0800Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS and serial. Logs due: Oct 31. Rules Russian WW Digital Contest--Digital, from Oct 4, 1200Z to Oct 5, 1159Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST and 2-char oblast code or serial. Logs due: 5 days. Rules Worked All Britain HF Contest--Phone, from Oct 4, 1200Z to Oct 5, 1200Z. Bands (MHz): 14-28. Exchange: RS, serial, DXCC entity or WAB area. Logs due: Oct 28. Rules New Jersey QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Oct 4, 1600Z - See website. Multiple time periods. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28, 144. Exchange: RS(T) and NJ county or S/P or "DX". Logs due: Oct 25. Rules California QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Oct 4, 1600Z to Oct 5, 2200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144. Exchange: Serial and state/prov/"DX" or CA county. Logs due: Oct 31. Rules RSGB 21/28 MHz Contest--Phone,CW, from Oct 5, 0700Z to Oct 5, 1900Z. Bands (MHz): 21,28. Exchange: Serial and UK district. Logs due: 16 days. Rules EU Autumn Phone Sprint--Phone, from Oct 6, 1600Z to Oct 6, 1959Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. Exchange: Both call signs, serial, name. Logs due: 15 days. Rules OK1WC Memorial Contest--Phone,CW, from Oct 6, 1630Z to Oct 6, 1730Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5, 7. Weekly on Monday, see website for bands. Exchange: RS(T) and serial. Logs due: 5 days. Rules ARS Spartan Sprint--CW, from Oct 7, 0200Z to Oct 7, 0400Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Monthly on the first Monday evening local time. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and power. Logs due: 2 days. Rules *VHF+ CONTESTS* SKCC Straight Key Sprint--CW, from Sep 24, 0000Z to Sep 24, 0200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50, Monthly on the 4th Wednesday UTC. Exchange: RST, QTH, name, SKCC nr or power. Logs due: 5 days. Rules Texas QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 27, 1400Z - See website. Multiple time periods. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, CW--20 to 50 kHz above band edge; Phone--25 kHz above edge of General segment. Exchange: RS(T), county or S/P/C. Logs due: Oct 31. Rules 222 MHz Fall VHF Sprint--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 30, 7 PM to Sep 30, 11 PM. Bands (MHz): 222. Exchange: 4-char grid square. Logs due: 2 weeks. Rules TARA PSK Rumble--Digital, from Oct 4, 0000Z to Oct 4, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: Name and call area (see website). Logs due: Oct 31. Rules New Jersey QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Oct 4, 1600Z - See website. Multiple time periods. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28, 144. Exchange: RS(T) and NJ county or S/P or "DX". Logs due: Oct 25. Rules California QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Oct 4, 1600Z to Oct 5, 2200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144. Exchange: Serial and state/prov/"DX" or CA county. Logs due: Oct 31. Rules LOG DUE DATES *24 September through 7 October* * September 26 - SKCC Sprint * September 27 - FOC QSO Party * September 27 - Arkansas QSO Party * September 27 - Colorado QSO Party * September 27 - Feld Hell Sprint * September 27 - CWops Mini-CWT Test * September 28 - NCCC RTTY Sprint Ladder * September 28 - Run for the Bacon QRP Contest * September 28 - Kulikovo Polye Contest * September 28 - Scandinavian Activity Contest, CW * September 28 - NCCC Sprint * September 29 - WAE DX Contest, SSB * September 30 - Hawaii QSO Party * September 30 - AGCW Straight Key Party * September 30 - YO DX HF Contest * September 30 - IARU Region 1 Field Day, SSB * September 30 - ALARA Contest * September 30 - Pirate QSO Party * October 1 - Kansas QSO Party * October 2 - RSGB 80m Club Sprint, CW * October 3 - CQ Worldwide DX Contest, RTTY * October 5 - WAB 144 MHz QRO Phone * October 5 - Washington State Salmon Run * October 6 - 144 MHz Fall Sprint * October 7 - G3ZQS Memorial Straight Key Contest 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 Sep 24 17:34:02 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 17:34:02 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Numbers for Ham Radio In-Reply-To: <5421E798.5090707@bellsouth.net> References: <5421E798.5090707@bellsouth.net> Message-ID: <542338CA.6030205@bellsouth.net> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCnh50ivZRs From n8pr1 at bellsouth.net Thu Sep 25 13:43:27 2014 From: n8pr1 at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 13:43:27 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Fellowship Lunch In-Reply-To: <001501cfd8cc$10677f60$31367e20$@com> References: <001501cfd8cc$10677f60$31367e20$@com> Message-ID: <00C063E6583042969B6B57349D13A130@PeteRGateway> And if you are still hungry afterwards, or cannot make it, or just want a good dinner -- There is an Octoberfest dinner & music at St. David Church just a bit farther south at 3900 S. University in Davie In the gazebo on the west side of the church. (you can see it from University) Brats, sauerkraut, beer and all the fixin?s 4-8 PM. I?ll be there selling beer and wine. Funds go to the Men?s club which funds boy & girl scouts, and school activities (such as part of the guitar lab I built for the school) 73, PeteR From: Tom Subject: Fellowship Lunch 1. Just a reminder, there will be a fellowship lunch at Ye Olde Falcon Pub Address: 2867 S University Dr, Davie, FL 33328 Phone:(954) 424-0300 this Saturday beginning at noon. The pub is just south of I595 on the west side of University Dr. This is a fellowship lunch, not a meeting. Any and all are welcome, you do not have to be a member of any club to attend. Perhaps you will be able to put a face with a call sign or have a chance to chew the rag with an old friend or make some new friends. Please plan to attend, we will be looking for you. 73, Tom N4MEO From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Sep 25 15:52:37 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 15:52:37 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Letter for September 25, 2014 In-Reply-To: <20140925194442.BE60426464@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20140925194442.BE60426464@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <54247285.3090506@bellsouth.net> Preview If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2014-09-25 The ARRL Letter September 25, 2014 Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME ARRL Home Page /ARRL Letter/ Archive Audio News Ad * List of "Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014" Co-Sponsors Swells Before Congressional Recess <#toc01> * ARRL Presents Barry Goldwater, K7UGA, Achievement Award to Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI <#toc02> * ARRL Deploying Ham Aid Kits to Hawaii to Assist in Possible Lava Flow Response <#toc03> * FCC Turns Down Petition to Create a 4 Meter Band in the US <#toc04> * Wisconsin Ham Dies in Fall from Tower <#toc05> * W1AW Centennial Operations Going North to Alaska, West to California, and East to DC <#toc06> * ARRL Invites Nominations for 2014 International Humanitarian Award <#toc07> * Amateur Radio is "Communications Superpower," IARU Region 1 Delegates are Told <#toc08> * Dayton Hamvention Seeks 2015 Award Nominations <#toc09> * Space Symposium October 10-12 to Mark AMSAT's 45th Anniversary <#toc10> * Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio Payload Launched to International Space Station <#toc11> * ARDF Team USA Takes Home a Silver Medal from World Championships <#toc12> * A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL <#toc13> * The K7RA Solar Update <#toc14> * Just Ahead in Radiosport <#toc15> * Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events <#toc16> List of "Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014" Co-Sponsors Swells Before Congressional Recess An intense effort during the few days in September that Congress was in session has resulted in 47 co-sponsors for the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014 (H.R. 4969 ). Another half-dozen or so US House Members have indicated that they will sign on when Congress returns, something they can do only while Congress is in session. Congress went into recess on September 19. ARRL President Kay Craigie, On Capitol Hill: Wind-tousled ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB. [Courtesy of Kay Craigie, N3KN] N3KN, ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, Central Division Director Dick Isely, W9GIG, and ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, visited dozens of congressional offices this month. Elsewhere, other ARRL elected and appointed officials and members from across the US met with members of Congress and with their staffers, wrote letters, and made phone calls to urge co-sponsorship. "This all-member effort is how we went from 17 co-sponsors on August 1 to 47 co-sponsors on September 18," President Craigie said this week. When Congress reconvenes in November, League representatives plan to follow up with US House members who did not have time to make their co-sponsorship official before Congress left town. The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014, introduced in the US House of Representatives with bipartisan support in late June, calls on the FCC to apply the "reasonable accommodation" three-part test of the PRB-1 federal pre-emption policy to private land-use restrictions regarding antennas. The limited PRB-1 pre-emption currently applies only to state and municipal land-use ordinances. The FCC has indicated its reluctance to provide the same legal protections from private land-use agreements -- often called covenants, conditions, and restrictions or CC&Rs -- without direction from Congress. ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, with Rep Ed Perlmutter (CO-7), an H.R. 4969 co-sponsor. [Courtesy of Kay Craigie, N3KN] President Craigie stressed this week that H.R. 4969 is still very much alive, and she urged League members to keep working to convince their representatives to co-sponsor the bill. "These efforts will not be in vain, whether or not the legislator eventually decides to sign onto the bill," she said. "Realistically, we won't get support for H.R. 4969 from every member of Congress who is contacted by amateurs," she said. At the same time, members of Congress who were contacted now know that Amateur Radio exists in their districts and that hams have interests that deserve notice. ARRL Central Division Director Dick Isely, W9GIG (right), with US Rep Danny Davis (IL-7), an H.R. 4969 co-sponsor. "A lot of politics is based on relationships. Contacts made with members of Congress about H.R. 4969 contribute to establishing relationships that can be maintained and enhanced in the future," President Craigie said. "Does your Congressman know how Amateur Radio makes your district a safer place to live if disasters occur? Does your Congressman know how radio amateurs in your district introduce young people to hands-on wireless communication, laying the foundation for careers? What we certainly can do is to build relationships that will serve our interests -- and the public interest -- if not right now, then in the future." President Craigie encouraged League members whose representatives have become co-sponsors to thank their lawmakers, on the phone or in writing. "It's good manners and a good relationship-building strategy," she pointed out. "Members can also seek out opportunities during the current congressional recess to make a case for the bill at their representatives' district offices and at events. In short: Keep on!" ARRL Presents Barry Goldwater, K7UGA, Achievement Award to Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI The ARRL Board of Directors created the Barry Goldwater, K7UGA, Achievement Award last spring to recognize outstanding support of Amateur Radio by an elected federal official. The recipient must be an official who has, in a significant way, supported the well-being and continuity of the Amateur Service in the US. Earlier this month, the Board voted to confer the first such award upon US Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI, (OR-2), "in recognition of many years of exceptional contributions to the strength and vitality of the Amateur Radio Service in the United States." ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN; Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, and General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, presented the award to Walden in Washington on September 18. In a letter accompanying the award plaque, President Craigie wrote, "Your understanding of the importance of Amateur Radio to the public interest and to the pursuit of scientific and technical knowledge has led you to act in the spirit of Sen Goldwater, whose exemplary support for Amateur Radio in Washington caused the ARRL Board to name this award in his honor." ARRL President Craigie presents the Barry Goldwater, K7UGA, Achievement Award to US Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI (OR-2). [Courtesy of Kay Craigie, N3KN] President Craigie called Walden "a great friend to Amateur Radio over the last 12 years with regard to key issues including spectrum protection." Walden chairs the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, the panel to which "The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014" (H.R. 4969) was referred for consideration. In 2002 Walden was an original co-sponsor of H.R. 4720, the Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Consistency Act, and sent a "Dear Colleague" letter seeking additional cosponsors. In 2003 he was a co-sponsor of H.R. 713, the Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act. During a hearing on the bill at which then-ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, testified, Walden called for a halt to the "astonishing" erosion of Amateur Radio spectrum. In 2004, Walden wrote the FCC chairman seeking to have the Commission defer action on the BPL rulemaking until the release of an NTIA study and an opportunity for public comment. That same year, during a hearing on telecom convergence, Walden grilled a BPL industry representative about interference. In 2010 Walden co-sponsored H.R. 2160, the Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Enhancement Act. In May 2011, the ARRL was invited to testify before Walden's subcommittee on "Creating an Interoperable Public Safety Network," offering an opportunity to defend 420-440 MHz against reallocation. As President Craigie handed the award plaque to Rep Walden, she added, "Senator Goldwater was a statesman for Amateur Radio, and so are you." ARRL Deploying Ham Aid Kits to Hawaii to Assist in Possible Lava Flow Response ARRL Headquarters is deploying Ham Aid kits to Hawaii as ARES volunteers stand ready to activate in the wake of the massive Puna volcanic lava flow that has been threatening some communities on the Big Island of Hawaii. The lava originated from new "vents" in the Earth as a result of the Mt Kilauea volcano, which began erupting more than 30 years ago. ARRL Pacific Section Manager Bob Schneider, AH6J, said Tuesday that while he didn't believe an ARES activation was imminent, lava flows can be unpredictable, and things can change rapidly. "Lava is a slow-motion disaster," he said. "It's not like a volcano, where the thing just blows up. It's like a pot of soup." ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U, said the Ham Aid kits going out to Hawaii include HF gear as well as VHF and UHF equipment. "We're deploying an HF kit -- an IC-718 transceiver, a tuner, and a dipole -- and a VHF/UHF kit." The latter includes a mobile transceiver and power supply as well as several handheld transceivers that have been preprogrammed with local frequencies that may be needed. Corey said the Ham Aid kits are a resource available to ARRL section leadership to add capacity during a disaster or emergency response. Schneider said that while there is no immediate need for the kits, "if they have it out there, and this thing changes, we'll be prepared. It's better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it." The Puna lava flow -- an aerial view. [Hawaii Volcano Observatory photo] Hawaii Civil Defense said Kilauea continued to erupt at its summit as of Monday, although the more than 10-mile lava flow -- or "tube" -- under the greatest scrutiny halted its progress toward the sea on Tuesday -- at least for the time being. Authorities also are monitoring so-called "breakout" flows. No homes have been affected so far, although the molten rock is causing vegetation to burn in its path. The front of the Puna lava flow is estimated to be some 150 yards across at its widest point. Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie has issued a disaster declaration for the areas that are or may be affected by the lava flow. Schneider and ARES members and officials have been keeping an eye on the situation. The Puna lava flow after dark. [Hawaii Volcano Observatory photo] "We anticipate lava may cross the main Highway 130 near Pahoa on the Island of Hawaii in 1 to 3 weeks," Schneider announced on the Pacific Section website over the weekend. He said a "best guess" would be within 10 days. Schneider said Highway 130 is the primary commuter route for residents in several residential subdivisions that might be affected, including one that is home to some 20,000 people -- what he called, "a pretty good chunk of population" overall. The governor's proclamation has permitted authorities to open two alternative routes, in case Highway 130 has to be closed. Hawaii Civil Defense authorities have deployed their remote emergency operations center in the affected region, and Schneider visited there a few days ago. "The town of Pahoa is in kind of a slow panic," he reported. "If the lava comes down and goes right to the ocean, probably the only thing that /won't/ be affected will be cell phones. Power and conventional telephone service will be out." In that case, should ARES be activated, Schneider said the volunteers' likely role would be to relay health-and-welfare traffic from affected communities. FCC Turns Down Petition to Create a 4 Meter Band in the US It doesn't look like US radio amateurs will be gaining a new band at 70 MHz anytime soon. The FCC has denied a /Petition for Rule Making/ filed earlier this year by Glen E. Zook, K9STH, of Richardson, Texas, seeking to add a 4 meter band to Amateur Radio's inventory of VHF allocations. Zook had floated the proposal in 2010, and his petition was dated January 27, 2010, but the FCC said it did not receive it until last May. Zook asked the Commission to allocate 70.0 to 70.5 MHz to Amateur Radio because, Zook's /Petition/ asserted, "the recent migration of broadcast television stations to primarily UHF frequencies basically eliminates any probable interference to television channels 4 or 5." VHF TV channel 4 occupies 66 to 72 MHz. "Because the Zook /Petition/ is based on a faulty premise -- that broadcasting use within the 70.0-70.5 MHz band will diminish or cease -- its argument that amateur band users could operate without causing harmful interference to any existing service lacks sufficient support to warrant our further consideration, The FCC said in a September 17 /Order/ denying the /Petition/. The FCC pointed out that three full-power TV stations, 110 low-power TV stations and translators, and six Class A TV stations now occupy channel 4 in the US. In addition, the Commission, through an "ongoing incentive auction proceeding," is attempting to "repurpose" a portion of television broadcast spectrum for broadband operations and "repack the remaining TV stations into a smaller frequency range." Under certain scenarios, the FCC said, channel 4 could become even more heavily populated by broadcast users in the future. "Given the complexity of the of the incentive auction proceeding, we also conclude that it would not serve the public interest to further complicate that unique undertaking by proposing to introduce a new service into the broadcasting frequencies at this time," the FCC said. The /Order/ noted that fixed and mobile services will continue to operate in the frequencies between channels 4 and 5 (76 to 82 MHz). As Zook noted in his petition, a 4 meter band has been authorized for Amateur Radio use in the UK and in a number of other European and African countries. The FCC said that since it wasn't planning to grant Zook's petition, it declined to evaluate his claims "regarding the benefits that amateurs would derive from use of the band." Read more . Ad Wisconsin Ham Dies in Fall from Tower A Wisconsin radio amateur lost his life on September 16 as he was performing maintenance on the 100 foot tower of a fellow ham. Killed in the fall was 59-year-old James G. Linstedt, W9ZUC, of Eau Claire, who succumbed to injuries sustained after he fell 95 feet from a tower owned by Ronald Anderson, W9RMA, in Eagle Point, just outside of Chippewa Falls, on the shores of Lake Wissota. Linstedt was said to have been an experienced climber. Although he had been wearing an over-the-shoulder safety harness, he apparently had failed to secure himself to the tower before the mishap occurred. Anderson, a former Chippewa County Sheriff, called authorities promptly. James Linstedt, W9ZUC. Chippewa County Sheriff James Kowalczyk told the /Leader-Telegram/ newspaper that Linstedt was wearing safety equipment, but did not use it. "When we use it for years, we get a little lax...," the newspaper quoted Kowalczyk as saying. "If he had used it, we wouldn't be investigating an accidental death." Kowalczyk said Linstedt had been strapped in before moving 10 feet up the tower, apparently without securing himself. An active radio amateur, Linstedt was a member of the Chippewa Valley Amateur Radio Club and once served as the club's president./-- Thanks to John Bigley, N7UR//Nevada Amateur Radio Newswire ; media accounts ------------------------------------------------------------------------ W1AW Centennial Operations Going North to Alaska, West to California, and East to DC The ARRL Centennial W1AW portable operations taking place throughout 2014 from each of the 50 states are now in New Mexico and Idaho. They will transition starting at 0000 UTC on Wednesday, October 1 (the evening of September 30 in US time zones), to Alaska (W1AW/KL7), California (W1AW/6), and the District of Columbia (W1AW/3). W1AW has visited each of the 50 states for at least 1 week so far during 2014, 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. ARRL Invites Nominations for 2014 International Humanitarian Award The ARRL is inviting nominations for its 2014 ARRL International Humanitarian Award , conferred upon an amateur or amateurs who demonstrate devotion to human welfare, peace, and international understanding through Amateur Radio. The League established the annual prize to recognize Amateur Radio operators who have used ham radio to provide extraordinary service to others in times of crisis or disaster. A committee appointed by the League's President recommends the award recipient(s) to the ARRL Board, which makes the final decision. The committee is now accepting nominations from Amateur Radio, governmental, or other organizations that have benefited from extraordinary service rendered by an Amateur Radio operator or group. The ARRL International Humanitarian Award recognizes Amateur Radio's unique role in international communication and goodwill, and the assistance radio amateurs regularly provide to people in need. Nominations should include a summary of the nominee's qualifying actions and statements from at least two people having first-hand knowledge of the events warranting the nomination. These verifying statements may be from an official of a group (for example, the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, or emergency management agency) that benefited from the nominee's particular Amateur Radio contribution. Nominations should include the names and addresses of all references. All nominations and supporting materials for the 2014 ARRL International Humanitarian Award must be submitted in writing in English to ARRL International Humanitarian Award, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111 USA. Nomination submissions are due by December 31, 2014. In the event that no nominations are received, the committee itself may determine a recipient or decide to make no award. The winner of the ARRL International Humanitarian Award receives an engraved plaque and a profile in /QST/ and other ARRL venues. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Amateur Radio is "Communications Superpower," IARU Region 1 Delegates are Told European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Kristalina Georgieva told delegates to the International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 (IARU Region 1 ) General Conference on September 22 that Amateur Radio is a reliable information tool that can save lives in disasters. In a statement read to Kristalina Georgieva. [Courtesy of the European Commission] the conference attendees on her behalf by the EC's Encho Gospidinov, Georgieva laid out a scenario in which all modern telecommunications and electrical power are knocked out, and no one can help the victims, because no one knows what has happened. "Luckily, there is a last resort: The radio amateurs, the people who are the eyes and the ears of the world in time when all other information channels are silent," she said. "In short, you are the last technical miracle, which is an independent, reliable information channel, which can transmit an important piece of news from any place in the world, anytime, by anyone who knows how to operate this wonderful creature, called radio." Georgieva said Amateur Radio's advantage is that it is independent of the conventional communications infrastructure. "A well-trained radioman with good equipment and ever-charged batteries can be a fantastic link between two villages, two countries or two continents," she said. "When organized in a Union, you are a communication superpower in times of total electronic darkness." The 24th IARU Region 1 General Conference, being held in Albena, Bulgaria, officially concludes September 26. Delegates have elected Don Beattie, G3BJ, as the next IARU Region 1 President, succeeding Hans Blondeel Timmerman, PB2T. Elected as Vice President was Faisal Al-Ajmi, 9K2RR. Read more . Ad Dayton Hamvention Seeks 2015 Award Nominations Dayton Hamvention ? is seeking nominations for its 2015 awards for Amateur of the Year, Special Achievement, Technical Excellence, and Club of the Year. Completed nomination forms and supporting documentation are due by January 16, 2015. All Amateur Radio operators (and clubs) are eligible. Winners will be recognized at the 2015 Hamvention^? , which takes place May 15-17. The Amateur of the Year Award goes to an individual who has made a long-term, outstanding commitment to the advancement of Amateur Radio. The Technical Excellence Award is given to an individual who has made an outstanding technical advancement in the field of Amateur Radio. The Special Achievement Award honors someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of Amateur Radio, typically by spearheading a significant project. The Club of the Year award is presented to a club that has made a significant contribution to the advancement of Amateur Radio. The Hamvention^? Awards Committee makes its decisions on all awards based upon the information it receives and not on the number of nominations submitted. Documentation that informs the Awards Committee of a nominee's accomplishments may include magazine articles, newsletters, newspaper clippings, and even videos. These materials become the property of Hamvention^? and will not be returned. This year, two radio amateurs with close ARRL ties were among the Hamvention award winners. Named Amateur of the Year was Larry E. Price, W4RA, a President Emeritus of the ARRL and of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU ). ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, received the Special Achievement Award. Nearly 25,000 people attended the 2014 Dayton Hamvention. Additional detail and a nomination form are available on the Dayton Hamvention^? website. Submit nominations via e-mail or mail them to Dayton Hamvention Awards, PO Box 1446, Dayton, OH 45401-1446. /-- Thanks to Dayton Hamvention/ Space Symposium October 10-12 to Mark AMSAT's 45th Anniversary AMSAT reports that preparations for its Space Symposium in Baltimore October 10-12 are moving into high gear. The deadline to submit AMSAT Symposium papers has been extended until September 30. Papers and presentations on any subject of interest to the amateur satellite community are welcome. This year's Space Symposium will, in part, celebrate AMSAT's 45th anniversary. Registration remains open. The AMSAT Space Symposium's keynote speaker with be Jan King, W3GEY, a founding member of AMSAT and a former member of the Board of Directors and vice president of engineering. He'll deliver his talk, "Never, Never, Never Give Up!" during the Symposium banquet on Saturday, October 11. One of the original Tuskegee Airmen, Col Charles E. McGee, will attend on Friday, October 10. He will talk about his experiences as a Tuskegee Airman and as an Army Air Corps and Air Force Pilot. McGee holds a US Air Force record of 409 fighter combat missions flown in World War II, Korea and Vietnam and has received numerous awards for his service, including the Congressional Gold Medal. Jan King, W3GEY, will be the keynote speaker at the 2014 AMSAT Space Symposium. [Courtesy of AMSAT] An evening reception Friday, October 10, will include a "space auction. "All proceeds will support AMSAT's two major initiatives -- the development and launch of the Fox satellite series and the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS ) program. AMSAT is seeking donations of "specialty items" with a minimum value of $100. Contact Frank Bauer, KA3HDO. The ARISS Operations Team will meet Sunday, October 12, from 9-noon. A number of ARISS team leaders and mentors will be on hand to discuss the program. The team also plans to talk about improvements, changes, and strategies to enhance ARISS operations. Informal tours will be available for Symposium participants on Sunday, October 12, of Baltimore Inner Harbor, including the Aquarium, the B&O Railroad Museum, the Edgar Allan Poe House, or the National Electronics Museum, which is opening exclusively for AMSAT on Sunday, 1-3 PM. Contact Dan Schultz, N8FGV. A tour of the Udvar Hazy National Air and Space Museum is planned for Monday, October 13. /-- Thanks to the AMSAT Symposium Committee via AMSAT News Service/ Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio Payload Launched to International Space Station When the commercial SpaceX Falcon 9 resupply vehicle lifted off from Cape Canaveral to the International Space Station on September 21, it also carried the SpinSat satellite, which includes an Amateur Radio payload. The satellite will be stowed aboard the ISS until deployment later this fall from the airlock of the Japanese Experiment Module. The SpaceX Falcon 9 resupply vehicle goes aloft September 21 from Cape Canaveral [Courtesy of SpaceX] Developed by the Naval Research Laboratory, the 125-pound SpinSat is a 22- inch diameter sphere that carries a 2 W 9600 bps AX.25 packet radio store-and-forward system on 437.230 MHz. The satellite's primary mission is to demonstrate a new micro-thruster technology, from which SpinSat derives its name; its 12 electronically controlled solid-propellant thrusters will be fired in pairs to spin the spacecraft. While in space, SpinSat will be used in a test to calibrate the Space Surveillance Network . Lasers will be aimed at the spacecraft from Earth, and the reflected light measured to determine the where the satellite is passing overhead. SpinSat also will model the density of the atmosphere. Equipped only with primary batteries and just 4.8 grams of fuel, the satellite's working phase is expected to last up to 6 months./-- Thanks to AMSAT News Service via Trevor, M5AKA; NASA, and SpaceX/ ARDF Team USA Takes Home a Silver Medal from World Championships A member of Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF ) Team USA medaled in the 17th ARDF World Championships earlier this month in Kazakhstan. Vadim Afonkin, KB1RLI, of Boston, Massachusetts, took home a silver medal in the men's age 40-49 category in the 2 meter competition on September 8, the first day of competition. The Kazakhstan Federation of Radiosport and Radioamateur (KFRR) hosted the championships, which included formal competitions on 2 meters and 80 meters, plus sprints and foxoring . Afonkin placed fourth in the 80 meter sprint competition on September 11, with a time just 4 seconds greater than the bronze medalist from Lithuania. He also finished among the top seven in the sprint and foxoring competitions. This year's World Championships attracted 277 competitors from 25 nations, and it was the first time the competition was held in Kazakhstan. "Every 2 years, hams from around the world gather to see who is best at on-foot hidden-transmitter hunting," said ARRL ARDF Coordinator Joe Moell, K0OV. "USA has been represented at every one of these ARDF World Championships since 1988." Moell said Team USA has taken home at least one medal since 2006. Moell said there were separate events on separate days for each competitor on 80 meters and 2 meters, each involving up to five hidden transmitters scattered in a forest of 1000 acres or more. Team USA silver medalist Vadim Afonkin, KB1RLI (left), shakes hands with gold medal winner Mikhail Kirgetov. [Ken Harker, WM5R, photo] In addition to Afonkin, Team USA 2014 included Ruth Bromer, WB4QZG, of Raleigh, North Carolina; Jennifer Harker, W5JEN, of Austin, Texas; Ken Harker, WM5R, of Austin, Texas; Joseph Huberman, K5JGH, of Raleigh, North Carolina, and Leszek Lechowicz, NI1L, of Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Veteran ADRFer Marvin Johnston, KE6HTS, served as a member of the international jury overseeing the competition. About 150 onlookers enjoyed the competition. Each country may have up to three people per age/gender category on its team. Team USA positions were filled based on performance in the 2013 and 2014 USA ARDF Championships. Preparations now are underway for the 2015 national championships in Colorado. Winners at that competition may be eligible for a place on Team USA 2016 for the next World Championships in Bulgaria. Results of all competitions are available on the German ARDF site. More information about Amateur Radio Direction Finding is on the Homing In website. /-- Thanks to ARDF Coordinator Joe Moell, K0OV/ Ad A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL In February 1973, the FCC proposed a new Amateur Radio license class that would not require Morse code testing, and invited comments. At the time, the ARRL opposed the proposal. From 1965 to 1985, the FCC, ARRL, and US hams took note of what was called the "JA Phenomenon." The number of Japanese hams grew from 70,000 in 1965 to 499,000 in 1975, and then to more than 1/million/ by 1985! A new Japanese codeless license class helped spur that growth. On June 16, 1983, the second attempt to launch a Phase III Amateur Radio satellite (AMSAT-OSCAR 10) was successful. Articles in /QST/ kept hams up to date on its progress. OSCAR 10 was, by far, the most capable amateur satellite to date. Then-future ARRL President Vic Clark, W4KFC, at the 1950 PVRC Field Day site in Fort Meade, Maryland. [Photo courtesy of PVRC] Also in 1983, Amateur Radio in the US reached a new level of formal governmental recognition of Amateur Radio's emergency communication capabilities, when ARRL President Vic Clark, W4KFC, signed a /Memorandum of Understanding/ with National Communication System Deputy Manager John Grimes. Articles began appearing in /QST/ during 1983 explaining what personal computers could do and how they might be put to use in the ham shack. In October 1983, the US military invaded Grenada. Mark Barettella, KA2ORK (now N2MD), then a medical student at St George's University School of Medicine on Grenada, became the only non-military source of information from the island, as he relayed messages between other Americans on Grenada and their families in the US. This resulted in excellent media coverage for Amateur Radio. Astronaut Owen Garriott, W5LFL, was the first to use Amateur Radio from the space shuttle. [NASA photo] Amateurs throughout the world were saddened to learn of the unexpected death of ARRL President Vic Clark, W4KFC, in November 1983. A well-known ham as early as his teenage years, Clark won the first Hiram Percy Maxim Award in 1936. He also served the ARRL in various roles and offices and was considered a first-rate operator. He was truly one of the giants of Amateur Radio. In November 1983, Owen Garriott, W5LFL, became the first ham to make contacts from aboard the Shuttle /Columbia/. His first contact was with WA1JXN. W5LFL operated his 2 meter FM transceiver during his non-duty hours during the mission's 10 days in orbit. In September 1984, phone privileges on 75, 15, and 10 meters were expanded. In addition, US stations in Alaska and in the Pacific had their 40 meter phone privileges expanded, so they could avoid the high-power international broadcast stations. /-- Al Brogdon, W1AB/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The K7RA Solar Update Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: Solar activity was down this week (September 18-24), as compared to the week previous, but solar flux is on a rising trend. Average daily sunspot numbers dropped from 124.9 (for September 11-17) to 80.9, and average daily solar flux slipped from 139.8 to 128.3. The latest predicted solar flux and planetary A index has flux values at 150, 155, 160, and 165 on September 25-28, 170 on September 29 through October 2, 155 on October 3-4, 150 on October 5-7, 145 on October 8-9, 140 on October 10-11, then 135 and 130 on October 12-13, 125 on October 14-15, and 120 on October 16-18. Flux values are then expected to rise to 155 for October 30-31. The predicted planetary A index is 18 on September 25, 12 on September 26-27, 15 on September 28-29, 10 on September 30, 8 on October 1-2, 5 on October 3-14, then 8, 15, and 8 on October 15-17, 5 on October 18-19, 8 on October 20-21, 12 on October 22, and 15 on October 23-24. Earth's geomagnetic field has been unsettled over the past couple of days, with the planetary A index at 25 on September 24 and College A index (high latitude) at 57. Spaceweather.com reported that this was not due to a CME or solar flare but to a crack in Earth's magnetosphere, opening a spot for the solar wind to pour in. 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 reports from readers. Send me /your/ reports and observations. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just Ahead in Radiosport * September 27 -- Texas QSO Party * September 27-28 -- CQ WW RTTY Contest * September 27-28 -- Maine QSO Party * September 28 -- Peanut Power Sprint * September 30 -- 222 MHz Fall VHF Sprint * October 1 -- CWOps Weekly Mini-CWT Tests * October 3 -- NS Weekly Sprint * October 3-5 -- DX/NA YLRL Anniversary Party * October 4 -- TARA PSK Rumble * October 4-5 -- Oceania DX Phone Contest * October 4-5 -- Russian World Wide Digital Contest * October 4-5 -- Worked All Britain HF Contest * October 4 -- New Jersey QSO Party * October 4-5 -- California QSO Party * October 5 -- RSGB 21/28 MHz Contest * October 6 -- EU Autumn Phone Sprint * October 6 -- OK1WC Memorial Contest * October 7 -- ARS Spartan Sprint * October 8 -- 432 MHz Fall VHF Sprint See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events * September 26-27 -- W4DXCC/SEDCO Convention , Pigeon Forge, Tennessee * September 26-28 -- Mid-Atlantic States VHF Conference , Bensalem, Pennsylvania * September 27 -- North Dakota State Convention , West Fargo, North Dakota * September 27 -- Washington State Convention , Spokane Valley, Washington * October 4 -- Delaware State Convention , Georgetown, Delaware * October 5 -- Iowa Section Convention , West Liberty, Iowa * October 10-11 -- Florida State Convention , Melbourne, Florida * *October 10-12 -- **Pacific Division Convention* *(Pacificon), Regional ARRL Centennial Event, Santa Clara, California* * October 11 -- Iowa State Convention (Sioux City Ham Convention), Sergeant Bluff, Iowa * October 11 -- Pacific Northwest VHF Conference , Seaside, Oregon * October 12 -- Connecticut State Convention , Meriden, Connecticut * October 18 -- Arkansas State Convention , Batesville, Arkansas * October 18 -- Wisconsin ARES/RACES Conference , Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin * October 24-25 -- Oklahoma Section Convention , Ardmore, Oklahoma * November 1 -- TechFest 2014 , Lakewood, Colorado * November 1-2 -- Georgia State Convention , Lawrenceville, Georgia * 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 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 us 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 Sep 26 15:45:11 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 15:45:11 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ARLP039 Propagation de K7RA In-Reply-To: <20140926193413.94F8526D749@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20140926193413.94F8526D749@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <5425C247.6030608@bellsouth.net> SB PROP @ ARL $ARLP039 ARLP039 Propagation de K7RA ZCZC AP39 QST de W1AW Propagation Forecast Bulletin 39 ARLP039 >From Tad Cook, K7RA Seattle, WA September 26, 2014 To all radio amateurs SB PROP ARL ARLP039 ARLP039 Propagation de K7RA Solar activity was down this week (September 18-24) when compared with a week earlier, but solar flux is on a rising trend. Average daily sunspot numbers dropped from 124.9 (for September 11-17) to 80.9, and average daily solar flux slipped from 139.8 to 128.3. The latest predicted solar flux and planetary A index has flux values at 165 on September 26-28, 170 on September 29-30, 165 and 160 on October 1-2, 155 on October 3-4, 150 on October 5-7, 145 on October 8-9, 140 on October 10-11, then 135 and 130 on October 12-13, 125 on October 14-15, and 120 on October 16-18. Flux values are then expected to rise to 155 on October 30-31. Predicted planetary A index is 15 on September 26, 12 on September 27, 15 on September 28-29, 10 on September 30, 8 on October 1-2, 5 on October 3-14, then 8, 15 and 8 on October 15-17, 5 on October 18-19, 8 on October 20-21, 12 on October 22, and 15 on October 23-24. Petr Kolman, OK1MGW makes geomagnetic predictions, and believes the geomagnetic field will be quiet to active September 26-27, quiet to active September 28 through October 3, mostly quiet October 4-7, quiet to unsettled October 8-9, quiet October 10-12, mostly quiet October 13, quiet to active October 14-15, mostly quiet October 16-17, quiet to unsettled October 18-20, and quiet to active on October 21-22. Earth's geomagnetic field has been unsettled recently, with planetary A index at 25 on September 24 and College A index (high latitude) at 57. Spaceweather.com reports this is not due to a CME or solar flare, but a crack in the Earth's magnetosphere, opening a spot for the solar wind to pour in. John Campbell, K4NFE of Huntsville, Alabama sent in an article and video explaining the difference between solar flares and Coronal Mass Ejections. Read it at, http://www.universetoday.com/114729/nasa-explains-the-difference-between-cmes-and-solar-flares/ . If you would like to make a comment or have a tip for our readers, email the author at, k7ra at arrl.net. For more information concerning radio propagation, see the ARRL Technical Information Service web page at http://arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals. For an explanation of the numbers used in this bulletin, see http://arrl.org/the-sun-the-earth-the-ionosphere. An archive of past propagation bulletins is at http://arrl.org/w1aw-bulletins-archive-propagation. More good information and tutorials on propagation are at http://k9la.us/. Monthly propagation charts between four USA regions and twelve overseas locations are at http://arrl.org/propagation. Instructions for starting or ending email distribution of ARRL bulletins are at http://arrl.org/bulletins. Sunspot numbers for September 18 through 24 were 75, 91, 75, 72, 87, 90, and 76, with a mean of 80.9. 10.7 cm flux was 120, 122, 119, 124, 130, 138, and 145, with a mean of 128.3. Estimated planetary A indices were 8, 22, 6, 7, 9, 11, and 25, with a mean of 12.6. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 7, 23, 4, 7, 9, 9, and 19, with a mean of 11.1. NNNN /EX From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Sep 26 16:36:05 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 16:36:05 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] KB6NU's column for September 2014 In-Reply-To: <9AC9E4B51FFC42C990008398F461C99D@danromanchik.com> References: <9AC9E4B51FFC42C990008398F461C99D@danromanchik.com> Message-ID: <5425CE35.6020103@bellsouth.net> Hi, folks-- Here's my September column. 73, Dan ======= start column ======= Twitter: another tool in the ham radio toolbox By Dan Romanchik, KB6NU It all starts innocently enough. You get a computer to do your logging, and before you know it, you're working digital modes. Then, you snake an Ethernet cable down to the shack or connect to your wireless router. Pretty soon, you can't do without having a browser window open to one of the DX clusters or ReverseBeacon.Net or QRZ.Com or all three simultaneously. Well, now's there another Internet service that I can't do without down in the shack: Twitter! I get on Twitter all the time now when I'm in the shack, and I love it. It's truly enhanced my amateur radio experience. One of the ways it's done this is by bringing me all kinds of interesting technical information. I not only follow @hackaday and @DIYEngineering, and @EDN.Com, but a bunch of hams who are doing fun things. I hate to list some, for fear of leaving some out, but I will give a shout out to @NT7S, @AA7EE, @mightyohm, @caulktel, @LA3ZA. There's even @HiramPMaxim (the P stands for "parody"). If you go to my blog at KB6NU.Com and search for "From my Twitter feed," you'll find links to some of the most interesting Tweets that have found their way to me. I'm also following a couple of amateur radio retailers. Today, for example, @DXEngineering is offering $55 off the RigExpert AA-54 Antenna Analyzer. I also use it to get information about weather conditions and band conditions. For example, I follow @edvielmetti, who is KD8OQG. He's always tweeting about local severe weather. A Tweet from him gets me to turn on my 2m radio to monitor the local SkyWarn net. As far as band conditions go, I throw out a Tweet, asking about band conditions, and in seconds, I'll get reports from my followers here in the U.S. and around the world. I try to do my part as well. When I fire up the rig, I'll Tweet out a report of how the bands seem to me. While all of this is great, it's really all about the people. I currently have more 2,200 followers and I follow more than 900. I would never have met some of these hams if it wasn't for Twitter, and I have since worked several of them on the air after first meeting them on Twitter. Last May, we had a "Tweetup" at the Dayton Hamvention. There were at least 20 of us there. How cool is that? Twitter isn't for everyone, but I'd encourage you to give it a try. I'm having a lot of fun on Twitter, and I think you will, too. If you do set up a Twitter account, please follow me, @kb6nu. If you mention that you read this column, I'll be sure to follow you back. ============================================================== When not Tweeting about his latest amateur radio exploits, you'll find KB6NU working 30m CW or teaching ham radio classes. If Twitter isn't your thing, you can still follow him by reading his blog at www.kb6nu.com. ======= end column ======= From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Sep 26 16:43:15 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 16:43:15 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] From K9YA Telegraph Message-ID: <5425CFE3.2010503@bellsouth.net> K9YA Telegraph Robert F. Heytow Memorial Radio Club www.k9ya.org ?I think it?s Morse code.? Baby Boomer DXers They Can?t Do That on a Cell Phone John Swartz, WA9AQN M any of us who started our amateur radio ca - reers in the 1950?s and 1960?s began as children listening to ordinary broadcast trans - missions. With our families gathered around for the week - ly episodes of our favorites, we were thrilled to listen to Dragnet , The Shadow or The FBI in Peace and War . We laughed with our parents or grandparents and siblings when we heard Jack Benny, Burns and Allen, or any of the other greats, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, and the others. It didn?t take too long to figure out which of those knobs set that warm, amber glow; nor did it take long to figure out which knob got us to the programs and voices that absorbed us for hours on end. Sometimes, we could sneak away and turn the set on by ourselves, and lie on the rug, listening to the lowered volume while our parents and siblings may have been absorbed in another part of the house or apartment. We found out there were crystal sets, which magically pulled those signals out of the air without a battery or being plugged into a wall outlet. With the help of a skilled parent, we wound the coil, set the pins of the headphones in the Fahnestock clips and listened to those amplitude- modulated stations across the country. We quickly discovered that those and, if we were really lucky, the new ?transistor? radios, could be secreted under the bed sheets and our parents would be oblivious to our midnight radio pursuits. Some of us had parents with the foresight to buy a radio that included a knob labeled ?SW1, SW2 and SW3.? In the crackling and static heard when we set that knob were strange accents. There was London, right where the dot was on the dial, and Paris, and even Moscow. If our parents? set didn?t include that Magic, the neighbor may have had one, or our grandparents did, but that was a feature that certainly caught our attention when we spotted a set not quite the same as the one in our own living room. So we graduated to short-wave receiving sets, both re - generative and superheterodyne, and were introduced to the news from different parts of the globe. We could actually hear people in the countries we read about in National Geographic , and there were photos of the places named on that dial. Then, one day, Sputnik went up and we read in the newspaper that you could hear its signal on a short- wave radio. We went out to the park to check if we could see it. If our radio dial didn?t go that high, one of our buddies probably had a set with the right frequency on it. So we tuned, and we sat there listen - ing, and if we waited long enough, we could hear the ?beep... beep... beep...? not too far from one of those spots on the dial marked ?Amateur.? And, of course, we had to listen to what Radio Moscow had to say about it. We were learning things about other places and people not being taught in our classrooms. We could tune across those parts of the radio spectrum designated ?Amateur? on those dials, and sometimes we heard with much crackling and thumping, faint voices in different countries and they were actually talking with each other. Or, if you could hear only one of them, you knew he thought he was talking to someone else. Who were those guys? ?What?s that thumping?? ?I think it?s Morse code.? And we knew what that meant. We had our secret decoder rings. What kid wasn?t intrigued by codes? We decided very quickly we could do that stuff we heard on the radio. So we found surplus stores and radio stores with books about license exams; 78 rpm records that taught Morse code; shelves of really, really fancy, neat receivers, transmitters, VFOs and microphones; boxes of crystals; Vibroplex? bugs; speakers; headphones; and matchboxes (whatever those were). Volume 11, Issue 10 Robert F. Heytow Memorial Radio Club www.k9ya .org t elegraph at k9ya.org Copyright ? 2014 Robert F. Heytow Memorial Radio Club. All rights reserved. 3 Place Art work Here Novice Amateur Radio Station So we started building some of those kits. The trans - mitters looked pretty easy, some of the receivers didn?t look quite so easy. We plunged in. On weekends when our parents would let our pals sleep over, we got up in the middle of the night in our pajamas, plugged in the soldering iron and worked some more on that transmitter. The smell of the solder... ?Boys, go back to bed...? We got our tickets. We found some kindly old guy who had a basement full of all that neat stuff we saw in the stores and in the photos in QST . But his stuff was plugged in, cabled together, and really worked. He had walls covered with cards from all those weird places, the Belgian Congo, Sikkim, Japan, Turkey, Russia, and Bolivia, even Tibet. We learned more geography from the radio guy than we did from any teacher in the classroom. Actually, he wasn?t just a kindly old guy. He had a look in his eye like he was possessed by some magic. You could see it when he told you how he had tweaked the wires on his big cubical quad antenna and that had straightened out the lobe and brought it down four degrees, and that meant he was going to be stronger on the DX end and, well, that?s getting ahead of the story. But the glint in his eye told you something... ?OK, let?s practice first. Are you ready? I?ll start with some V?s. Here goes.? ?V V V BT PACK MY BOX WITH FIVE DOZEN LIQUOR JUGS....? ?Did you get that?? ?Yeah, what does it mean?? ?It means you passed... here?s the written test....? ?We rushed home from school every day for weeks, it seemed, and finally an envelope arrived from the Federal Com - munications Commission. Our own real callsign... we hurriedly signed the paper to really make it ours (we couldn?t turn on that transmitter with a real antenna on it if we didn?t do that first, could we?). We were genuine Novices. CQ CQ CQ went into the log, and it seemed like page after page of nothing but CQs. In those days, you had to keep a written log that included notations when you had called CQ, even if no one answered. Of course, being crystal controlled, some other Novice might have answered 75 kc away and you might never have heard him or known. We were so excited when we encountered our first DX station. ?Why won?t he answer me?? It was frustrat - ing. God forbid we should tune that transmitter for an ounce more than 75 watts DC input to the final amplifier tube! We had visions of the crystal exploding, or that black car would park in front of the house and a man in a black hat, black suit with a skinny black tie and a badge would knock on the door, ?Ma?am, is little Johnny on that radio of his? We measured his signal and he is running 75.23 watts... I?m afraid he?s going to have to come downtown with me....? ?We had to shed those Novice restrictions. The really good stuff wasn?t listening for our crystal- controlled signals up in the Novice bands. So, we studied, and we practiced the code some more, and we rode the train into the city and found that dark office tucked up on the highest floor of the old federal building. And there he was, the government guy who never smiled, wearing a green eyeshade and a white shirt with that skinny old Govern - ment Issue black tie. ?OK, you passed, who?s next?? ?Mom, I?m home. I passed. I?m a General, I?m a General. Can I get that VFO kit and the microphone so I can be ready when the license comes from the FCC?? ?Oh, dear, shouldn?t you wait until it gets here to be sure?? ?But, Mom, the man said I passed.? ?You had better ask your father when he gets home....? We learned that sometimes it wasn?t so easy to actually hold a conversation with someone half way around the world, but we tried. Even clipping along at 13 words per minute, it took a long time to tell someone he was 569 in Chicago, Illinois and that your name was John, especially since it was drilled into us to repeat all that drivel, and for good measure some of us sent it three times. No wonder the guy wanted to make contact with someone else! He was probably falling asleep listening to our repetitious patterns of information. Some of us took French, or German, or Spanish in high school and actually tried to use them on the air, in Morse code. But, we were hooked. There, having all that cool, high tech gear was our goal. If only our parents had allowed us to put up real cubical quads instead of just stringing a dipole to the tree at the back of the yard! We took up the challenge. We were going to do it, even if we didn?t have one of those big antennas. We learned which bands were open to which parts of the Volume 11, Issue 10 Robert F. Heytow Memorial Radio Club www.k9ya .org t elegraph at k9ya.org Copyright ? 2014 Robert F. Heytow Memorial Radio Club. All rights reserved. 7 Place Art work Here ?...Playboy magazine was generally taboo.? world at which times. We studied propagation. We did not have the Internet. The DX Summit was not even a dream. We learned these things on our own, from ARRL publications, from conversations on the air with more experienced DXers and at our local club meetings. We did not have ?Reflectors? or ?Bulletin Boards.? We had telephone trees to alert our buddies when a ?new one? came on the air. We read monthly DX bulletins. We studied the propagation charts in QST on a monthly basis, and learned what the WWV sunspot numbers meant. But, in large measure, we had to listen on the bands to find out what conditions were; there was no Skimmer to report that our ?CQ? could be copied on three continents and 27 states. ?Why aren?t they answering me?? And here we are, half a century later and we?re still act - ing like the teenagers who just discovered radio. What was it that actually hooked us into this madness? Was there some subconscious drive at work? Through the development and use of technical abilities and skills, we learned we could find real friends beyond our own street, our own neighborhood, beyond the playground and schoolyard. We discovered an avenue into a world beyond the geographic confines of our other experi - ences. And that is what remains unchanged. Amateur radio, and DXing in particu - lar, has brought us a world beyond our school chums and teammates, college friends and fraternity brothers, our grad - uate school networks, our professional colleagues, friends, clients and even our families and lovers. The Internet, chat rooms, cell phones and email weren?t there to distract us. In the amateur radio world, we didn?t have the proliferation of repeaters and VHF/UHF gear to focus our attention locally. Our focus was well beyond the horizon. Yes, we wanted to be a little bit different than the kid down the block. We sure succeeded in that! I recently sent a test radiogram over the NTS traf - fic system to a friend on the West Coast. She was thoroughly surprised. She must have told her friends. One reportedly remarked, ?You mean they still do that stuff? Haven?t they heard about cell phones and the Internet?? I am still trying to figure out how to get the guy on the DX side to tell me what it looks like out his shack window. What does he really see? There?s that magic again when he tells me and I realize that all that way away, with a different language, different food, differ - ent clothes, styles and cars, he?s really not much dif - ferent from me. No, you can?t do that on the Internet or a cell phone... 1. Years later we may have realized that we had not outsmarted our parents at all; it was they who had outsmarted us. Maybe they were taking advantage of the audio distraction in which we were absorbed in order to have a very pri - vate conversation between them! 2. The National Geographic phenomenon is curious. We had access to a wealth of information about peo - ple and places all around the world. We could have stacks of them openly avail - able, in spite of the fact that there were occasional photos of bare-breasted, brown-skinned women and girls, while Playboy maga - zine was generally taboo. We never had to explain that we actually read the articles. It is doubtful that feature had anything to do with our becoming DXers, however. 3. This character must have been the model for the guy who later appeared in much less sinister form as ?The Man With No Eyes? in the Paul Newman classic, Cool Hand Luke . 4. Latin was a lost cause. In more ways than one. 5. Parental consent was a complex issue: Mom: ?Won?t that ruin the look of my garden?? Dad: ?It?ll cost what? And a tower? Oh, yeah, I don?t think you want to spend that kind of money when you?re only going to be here another two years before going away to college. What will we do with that thing then?? Ham: ?But Mom, Dad, I have already saved about half the money by cutting lawns and shoveling snow. Please?? Dad (with final - ity and hope that Ham can?t do it): ?Let?s talk about it when you have saved up enough to pay for the whole thing...? Mom, knowing that Ham can do it, shudders, ?Dear, I really think we need to talk about this a bit more, don?t you agree?? Ham, interjecting: ?But Mom, please?? Mom: ?Really, don?t you think it would be wise to save all that money so you can pay for your college, instead?? Ham, exasperated at the lack of progress: ?What?s for dinner?? From wa4aw at juno.com Sat Sep 27 17:51:21 2014 From: wa4aw at juno.com (wa4aw) Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2014 21:51:21 GMT Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] QCWA Chapter 111 MEETING INVITATION Message-ID: <20140927.175121.24769.0@webmail06.vgs.untd.com> QCWA Palm Beach Chapter # 111 Hello, This is friendly reminder that our Palm Beach Chapter meeting is the last Tuesday of each month. We will be meeting at the Golden Corral Buffet, 10100 Fox Trail Rd., on the service road behind the SW corner of Okeechobee Blvd. and State Road 7 in Royal Palm Beach at 11:30 AM. This month our meeting date is Sept. 30th. Hope you can join us for fellowship, rag chews & information. President Tom, W2TMT & I will be presenting QCWA longevity awards to Bob Klein, WB2JKS and I will update the latest QCWA news. Don't forget the Florida State Convention in Melbourne on Oct. 10-11th. We will have a QCWA booth and forum on Saturday afternoon. More info at http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/florida-state-convention-melbourne-hamfest-3 I encourage everyone who has not been to the Golden Corral to call for info on either the Palms West repeater 147.045 or the AREC repeater on 146.670. Both repeaters have a 110.9 PL. Everyone is welcome to join us. We meet in the private dining room in the back of the restaurant. QCWA Chapter 111 webpage link: www.qcwa.org/chapter111.htm Chapter YahooGroup website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/qcwa111 We have created a Yahoo Groups mailing list for our Chapter members. Meeting announcements, QCWA activities& QCWA HQ info can be quickly disseminated to the Chapter membership. Let me know if you want to beadded to the Chapter mailing list. 73, Jeff WA4AW, Secretary QCWAQuarter Century Wireless AssociationJeff Beals, WA4AWNational Director &QCWA Historian QCWA Palm Beach Chapter 111Secretary-TreasurerPO Box 1584Loxahatchee, FL 33470-1584561-252-6707 wa4aw at qcwa.org www.qcwa.org ____________________________________________________________ The End of the "Made-In-China" Era The impossible (but real) technology that could make you impossibly rich. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/542731ae2d46031ad681ast03vuc From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Sep 30 12:34:39 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 12:34:39 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] EcoFlex coax In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <542ADB9F.1060705@bellsouth.net> From Tony N2MFT: *Just back from SEDCO. Vibroplex is the US Distributor for EchoFlex cable. Impressive coax. * * * *http://www.vibroplex.com/contents/en-us/d38.html* From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Sep 30 12:41:18 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 12:41:18 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Stamps - October 2014 DX Specials and News In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <542ADD2E.8050700@bellsouth.net> From Tony N2MFT: Dear Customer, Below are specials for October 2014 Discount postage prices have been revamped. Domestic and International units still available. If you need a current stamp list or supply list, I can email it to you. A list of the countries we stock that have issued their own international forever stamps is yours for the asking. *NEW RATES:*BAHRAIN now at 600 fils, up from 250 fils. Yikes! SERBIA increased from 53d to 70d *NEW PRICES:*BAHRAIN now priced at $2.50 up from $1.50, CHILE now priced at $1.50 up from $1.20 ** IN STOCK AGAIN: Argentina, Bosnia, Hungary STAMPS ON BACK ORDER: Morocco. BACK ORDERS will now be sent with your next stamp order, unless I have several to send you. Am losing money by sending out one at a time. Sorry. *U.S. DISCOUNT POSTAGE DEALS!!* ** */Save Big on your domestic mailings/**/when you plaster/* */your envelope/**/with colorful stamps./*** * 49c Units * * 2 stamps * * in 3 stamps * * in 4 stamps * * in 5 stamps * * x 100 * * $42.00 * * $41.00 * * $40.00 * * $39.00 * * x 200 * * $81.00 * * $80.00 * * $78.00 * * $76.00 * * x 400 * * $157.00 * * $154.00 * * $150.00 * * $145.00 * * (3 stamps mean 49c unit is made with 3 stamps: 22c, 22c and 5c for example) * */International Rate!!/* * $1.15 Units * * 3 stamps * * x 100 * * $95.00 * * x 200 * * $180.00 * ** */MORE U.S. POSTAGE for SALE!/* *100 x 32c -$27 300 x 32c -$73* *100 x 33c -$28 300 x 33c -$75 * *For US postage deals, payment by * *_CREDIT CARD IS OK!!_ * ** * No charge for shipping US postage deals to US addresses.* *ORDER NOW!* ** */OCTOBER 2014 DX STAMP SPECIALS/* 3 Canada-$3.90 3 Japan-$3.90 2 Spain-$3.20 3 UK-$5.10 */OCTOBER 2014 DX SUPPLY SPECIALS/* 200/200 European Air Mailers and Air Returns -$40.00 200/200 Stateside Mailers and Returns - $19.00 2 Standard QSL Albums - $40.00 *Priority Mail Shipping Rates:*Orders up to $16.00 add $6.50, orders from $16.01 to $40.00 add $9.00, orders from $41.00 to $100.00 add $15.00. orders from $101.00 to $150.00 add $20.00, orders over $150.00 add 15%. When ordering supplies and stamps, the stamps ride free, just use supply total to figure shipping costs. Shipments to Canada and overseas ship at a greater cost. (01/2014) *Stamps Only Orders:*Just add $1.00 P&H for posting to USA, add $2.00 for posting to Canada. 73, bill William Plum 12 Glenn Road Flemington, NJ 08822 908 788 1020 908 782-2612 FAX Email:plumdx at msn.com From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Sep 30 17:39:22 2014 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 17:39:22 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Actor Tim Allen Gets His Ham Ticket For Real In-Reply-To: <1412111574.99497.YahooMailNeo@web181605.mail.ne1.yahoo.com> References: <1412111574.99497.YahooMailNeo@web181605.mail.ne1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <542B230A.5080704@bellsouth.net> From Elliot KB2TZ: Actor Tim Allen Gets His Ham Ticket For Real * * 09/30/2014 Actor and comedian Tim Allen now not only plays an Amateur Radio operator on television, he /is/ one! Allen, whose real name is Timothy Alan Dick, got his new call sign, KK6OTD, on September 4, but did not release the news until this week. In his weekly ABC comedy TV show ?Last Man Standing,? Allen?s character Mike Baxter, is supposed to be KA0XTT, and the show has *featured* ham radio in some episodes. ?Last Man Standing? producer John Amodeo, NN6JA, told ARRL that the agreement with Allen was that ?we would not publicize his license until he approved it.? Allen revealed to Tom Medlin, W5KUB, for one of Medlin?s webcasts that he had passed his Technician license test but did not mention his call sign, Amodeo said. ?Obviously, most hams are capable of finding Tim?s callsign, if they feel the need,? he conceded. ?We arranged for Tom Medlin to do a ?surprise" interview? with the [ARRL VEC] VE team that administered Tim's test,? Amodeo said. ?They are Rob, AA6RA; Tim, N6QJ, and Julian, N3JF. ARRL VEC Staffer, Amanda Grimaldi, KB1VUV, helped us arrange the test.? More than 2 dozen members of the ?Last Man Standing? crew ? and now Allen, its star ? have been inspired by the show?s Amateur Radio component to get licensed. On September 28, the K6H ?Hollywood Hamnado? special event station was on the air, with ?Last Man Standing? crew members at the helm. The Southern California-based PAPA Repeater System, in association with the Broadcast Employees Amateur Radio Society (BEARS) and Disney Emergency Amateur Radio Service (DEARS) sponsored the special event. Amodeo said K6H went very well. ?We had about 35 operators and guests on Stage 9 here at CBS Studio Center? he told ARRL. ?All enjoyed being on the set of ?Last Man Standing.? Naturally, we brought in breakfast (bagels and donuts), lunch (sandwiches), and, at wrap, pizza. The feeling was like a Field Day and a mini Hamvention.? Amodeo said that all six K6H stations had ?continuous contacts from start to finish.? Most of the K6H event and several interview segments have been posted on *Medlin?s website* .