From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sun Aug 2 16:16:56 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2015 16:16:56 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Cy Harris W4MAQ Memorial Free Flea Nov 14 2015 References: <6F836828-70E9-4E5C-A6E2-8883BF451E3A@mcrsys.com> Message-ID: Collins Center. Same place and times. More info to come. From bmarx at bellsouth.net Mon Aug 3 15:59:13 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2015 15:59:13 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The Cy Harris Memorial Free Flea Coming in November References: <010601d0ce13$a31d20c0$e9576240$@comcast.net> Message-ID: <74ED61B2-B3D4-44B8-AE90-B6E96705930B@bellsouth.net> > > The history of the Cy Harris W4MAQ Memorial Free Flea > > Cy Harris W4MAQ is remembered by the Broward amateur radio Club and ham community as the organizer of the Free Flea. He was one of the ?movers-and-shakers? of the Broward Amateur Radio Club BARC. Cy held office with the BARC and was an enthusiastic worker helping present their hamfest each November. > > When the BARC hamfest were discontinued, his enthusiasm persisted by holding tail-gate parties, sometimes monthly, sometimes when he just felt like it. Motorola, and employee members of the Motorola Amateur Radio Club (MARC), generously supported the events on their East parking lot on Sunrise Blvd. > > The cloudless, sunny Florida mornings brought out the enthusiastic crowd which was estimated as 60 plus tailgaters and 200 buyers/gawkers. The spirit of Cy Harris, W4MAQ prevailed as participants negotiated their sales and purchases while renewing acquaintances and making new friends among the South Florida amateur community. > > We mourned Cy?s passing in 1988, but his enthusiasm continued for several years and the Broward Amateur Radio Club honored his memory by naming this Free Flea the ?Cy Harris W4MAQ Memorial Free Flea?. > From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Aug 6 18:58:29 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 6 Aug 2015 18:58:29 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Letter for August 6, 2015 References: <20150806220529.D24CA200A5BA@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <6C284B5B-BAEF-41DD-92A2-4EBAC84D2F05@bellsouth.net> > > If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: > http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2015-08-06 > > > > August 6, 2015Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME > ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive Audio News > > > > Amateur Radio Parity Act Would Not Void "Private Contracts," ARRL General Counsel Says > Hiram Percy Maxim Award Recipient Anna Veal, W0ANT, Sets Sights on Biomedical Career > California ARES Volunteers Support Wildfire Response > Fox-1A Satellite Mated to Launcher, Fox-1B Gets a Ride > Chinese Amateur Radio Satellites Set to Launch in Early September > Additional ARRL Books Now Available as E-Books > JH5GHM Donates Foot Switches to W1AW > Researchers Decode CASSIOPE Satellite Field Day Fly-Over Experiment Results > In Brief... > The K7RA Solar Update > Just Ahead in Radiosport > Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events > Amateur Radio Parity Act Would Not Void "Private Contracts," ARRL General Counsel Says > ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, has rebutted assertions, expressed by some, that the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 would represent an unlawful intrusion into "private contracts" and would invalidate architectural limitations and rules regarding the installation of ham radio antennas in residential neighborhoods. Imlay said the argument raised is that no federal legislation should alter private land-use restrictions, since these are contractual obligations. "The contractual characteristic of private land-use regulation has not existed in the United States for a great many years," he pointed out. Imlay recently expanded on the topic during a lengthy interview with HamRadioNow webcast host Gary Pearce, KN4AQ. > > "A contract requires a meeting of the minds between the two parties," Imlay said in his interview with Pearce, which also included ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, a prime mover of the legislation. With no opportunity to negotiate, "you don't have a contractual relationship at all. Instead, what you have is a preclusion." > > Rather than contracts, Imlay explained, private land-use restrictions are limitations placed on the use of land long before the buyer ever shows up, and they have become increasingly difficult to avoid. With more and more neighborhoods imposing CC&Rs, the only choice a radio amateur has, Imlay told Pearce, is to buy or not to buy a dwelling in a community that may prohibit antennas completely. > > The legislation -- H.R. 1301 and S. 1685 -- calls on the FCC to apply the three-point test of the federal PRB-1 preemption policy to private land-use restrictions. Imlay said its passage would not mean that hams living in neighborhoods governed by CC&Rs could erect any antenna they wished. The obligation a homeowners association would have under the bill is not to prohibit but to make reasonable accommodation for some sort of effective outdoor Amateur Radio antenna, imposing the least practicable restriction to accomplish the association's aesthetic purposes, he explained. > > > ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB (left), and ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, appeared recently on Ham Radio Now. > > The legal underpinning of the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 is well established, Imlay pointed out, and private land-use regulations must give way when they conflict with federal telecommunications policy. "It was held a long time ago by the US Supreme Court that federal communications policy trumps even private land-use regulations," Imlay told Pearce. "That's not a taking of land under the Constitution. It's simply a supervening authority." Imlay said that private land-use regulations that conflict with expressed federal telecommunications policy are subject to pre-emption, which would restore private property rights to the landowner. The FCC, he explained, is not hostile to the bill, but it has indicated that it would prefer to have some guidance from Congress -- which does have the power to act -- before amending the Amateur Radio Service Part 97 rules. > > Several years ago, the FCC established the OTARD rule that lets residents living in deed-restricted communities install over-the-air television or radio reception devices, such as a satellite dish, but it does not apply to Amateur Radio antennas. Imlay said this precedent applies to the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015, and that the FCC was comfortable with the guidance it got from Congress at the time with respect to OTARD. > > "There is no difference in the effect on the strong interest in Amateur Radio communications, whether or not an amateur station is precluded by a zoning regulation...or by a deed restriction," Imlay said in the interview. "The effect is the same: The ham can't build a station." > > "We have until the end of 2016 to get this bill passed, and we have every intention of doing that," he assured Pearce. > > Full information on The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 is on the ARRL website. > > Hiram Percy Maxim Award Recipient Anna Veal, W0ANT, Sets Sights on Biomedical Career > Licensed since 2008 when she was just 8 years old, the young winner of the 2014 ARRL Hiram Percy Maxim Award, Anna Veal, W0ANT, of Littleton, Colorado, already has an enviable list of accomplishments to her credit. The HPM Award, the League's top youth recognition, is awarded annually to a radio amateur and ARRL member under the age of 21, whose accomplishments and contributions to the Amateur Radio and local communities "should be of the most exemplary nature." The winner receives $1,500 and an engraved plaque. A rising sophomore at STEM School and Academy in Highlands Ranch, she is co-founder of the school's Spartan Amateur Radio Club (AB0BX), which nominated her, and she has served as its president. She envisions a career in the biomedical sciences. > > > ARRL Hiram Percy Maxim Award Winner Anna Veal, W0ANT. [Peggy Veal, KD0ISN, photo] > > "I would like to attend Colorado State University and study biomedical engineering," she told ARRL. "Since I'm a diabetic and have been on an insulin pump for a couple of years now, I've seen how biomedical engineers help peoples' lives, and I want to be able to be a part of that." > > Anna will serve as ham radio team captain at the 2015 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Denver "OneWalk" on September 13. Later the same month, she'll participate in her second Tour de Cure cycling event, sponsored by the American Diabetes Association, for which she serves as a youth ambassador. > > In addition to these community activities and her involvement with her school's Amateur Radio club, she's looking forward to technology competitions with the Technology Student Association (TSA) "and continuing to learn the guitar and piano." > > Anna's is a ham radio family. Her mother and father, Paul, N0AH, and Peggy, KD0ISN, are both educators and ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology alumni. > > Anna, who turns 15 this month, has begun to rack up an admirable contesting and DXpeditioning resume. "When I was younger I really enjoyed participating in the ARRL Rookie Roundup," she said, "and this year, we worked the ARRL Sweepstakes phone competition under the school category, and at home the ARRL 10 Meter Contest as part of a multiop team." She's already attended two Contest University (CTU) sessions and is a regular presence at Dayton Hamvention, where she was presented with the 2011 Radio Club of America Young Achiever's Award. She was named the 2015 Amateur Radio Newsline "Young Ham of the Year," and will travel to Huntsville, Alabama, this month to accept the award. She also was a team member on the 2011 Youth DX Adventure at TI5N. > > ARRL Colorado Section Manager Jack Ciaccia, WM0G, sang Anna's praises in an attachment to her HPM Award application, calling her "one of the most qualified candidates I believe we may ever see for this award" and "one of our best ambassadors of young people in ham radio." > > In naming Anna as the 2014 HPM Award recipient, the ARRL Board of Directors cited her "enormous degree of involvement, service, and leadership throughout the Amateur Radio community" as well as her contest and DXpedition participation and her presentations at ham radio gatherings. The Board said she has "provided leadership and a positive example within her Amateur Radio community and among her peers." > > Her dad was more succinct. "We are very proud of her!" he told ARRL. > > California ARES Volunteers Support Wildfire Response > Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers in Butte County, California, responded on July 29 to a Red Cross request to support communication at an evacuation shelter in Oroville during the Swedes Fire. Butte County Emergency Coordinator Scott Petersen, KE6VUS, said several ARES operators were called via a newly developed telephone tree. Volunteers used the W6SCR repeater, initially for a logistics net and later for point-to-point contacts. > > Assistant EC Dale Anderson, KK6EVX, was on site in Oroville within an hour of callout at 1600 local, Peterson said, adding, "he had to travel a bit to get there." Peterson arrived on the scene at 1845 local, and the facility was staffed until 2130 local, at which time the communications section was released from service and the gear broken down and packed. Peterson said the Butte County ARES communications van was not utilized for this event. In all, seven ARES members participated in the activation. > > According to Cal Fire, the Swedes Fire -- one of many in California in recent days -- burned over 400 acres, destroying two residences and 14 other structures. That fire was contained as of August 3, although fire crews remain in the area. > > The Swedes Fire was among the smaller blazes that have popped up this summer on the West Coast -- most of them in California, where some 13,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate as firefighters work to contain about 20 wildfires. The largest -- the Rocky Fire north of San Francisco -- already covers more than 100,000 square miles. -- Thanks to ARRL Sacramento Valley Section news; Cal Fire > > > Fox-1A Satellite Mated to Launcher, Fox-1B Gets a Ride > AMSAT has reported that its Fox-1A CubeSat has been "mated" to the Centaur rocket in preparation for launch late next month from Vandenburg Air Force Base in California. NASA also alerted AMSAT on August 3 that the Fox-1B (RadFxSat -- Radiation Effects Satellite) CubeSat has a ride on a Delta II launcher with a NOAA spacecraft, due to go into space in late 2016. The availability arose because other CubeSats had dropped off the flight manifest. > > Both satellites will go aloft as part of the NASA Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) program, which offers free launches to educational entities and encourages science missions. AMSAT has been developing a family of CubeSats with Amateur Radio payloads that can support advanced science experiments, and it has been working with universities on scientific and educational missions that fit the ELaNa mold. > > "This provides us with a way to put ham radio transponders into orbit and provides our university partners with a reliable platform for space-based research projects," AMSAT said on its "Meet the Fox Project" web page. > > The Fox-1A mission hosts a Penn State student experiment involving micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) gyros. Fox-1B/RadFxSat is a joint mission by AMSAT and the Institute for Space and Defense Electronics at Vanderbilt University. > > The Fox-1A satellite will include a Mode B (U/V) FM transponder with an uplink frequency of 435.180 MHz, and a downlink frequency of 145.980 MHz and capabilities similar to those of the AO-51 satellite, which went dark in late 2011. Fox-1B also will offer a Mode B FM transponder (435.250 MHz up/145.960 MHz down, pending coordination). > > The first phase of the Fox series 1-Unit CubeSats will allow simple ground stations using handheld transceiver and simple dual-band antennas to make contacts. Read more. -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service via AMSAT Vice President-Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY and NASA > > Chinese Amateur Radio Satellites Set to Launch in Early September > China's Amateur Satellite Group CAMSAT said this week that nine satellites carrying Amateur Radio payloads have been delivered to the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Central China. CAMSAT CEO Alan Kung, BA1DU, said they're expected to launch between September 7 and 9. All are part of the CAS-3 series of satellites. Four of the microsatellites and two of the CubeSats included in the launch have been designated as the XW-2 (Hope-2) amateur satellite system (XW-2A through XW-2F), although Kung also refers to them using their initial CAS-3A through CAS-3F nomenclature. The other three satellites -- a CubeSat, a nanosatellite, and a picosatellite -- carry the designations CAS-3G through CAS-3I, respectively. CAMSAT announced earlier this year that the launch date would be postponed from mid-July until early September. > > > A depiction of the XW-2A (CAS-3A) satellite. [Image courtesy of CAMSAT] > > "Each satellite of the CAS-3 series will work independently, and they are made by different organizations," Kung told ARRL. > > The XW-2 series satellites are equipped with substantially identical Amateur Radio payloads -- a U/V mode linear transponder, a CW telemetry beacon and an AX.25 19.2k/9.6k baud GMSK telemetry downlink, CAMSAT said in May. Each Amateur Radio complement has the same technical characteristics, but will operate on different 70 centimeter uplink and 2 meter downlink frequencies. XW-2A through XW-2F have identical quarter-wavelength deployable monopole antennas made of steel tape. > > CAMSAT worked with three entities to complete the other three satellites: CAS-3G (DCBB), a 2U CubeSat being built by Shenzhen HIT Satellite Ltd of China for educational purposes; CAS-3H (LilacSat-2), a Harbin Institute of Technology of China microsatellite for science experiments and Amateur Radio, and CAS-3I (NDT-Phone Sat), a National University of Defense Technology of China picosatellite for carrying out technical experiments. CAS-3G and CAS-3I will downlink digital telemetry on amateur frequencies, while CAS-3H will carry a U/V FM transponder and APRS. > > Kung said a Long March-6 rocket will carry the XW-2 and CAS-3 satellites into orbit along with 11 other satellites. Read more. -- Thanks to CAMSAT CEO Alan Kung, BA1DU, and IARU > > Additional ARRL Books Now Available as E-Books > ARRL has announced plans to significantly increase the availability of its publications as e-books. At the same time, the League introduced six more ARRL titles in the popular Amazon Kindle format. > > "I'm very pleased that members and readers will find more and more ARRL books available in the reading format they prefer," ARRL Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, said. "This effort underscores our strategy of delivering quality content on the media platforms preferred by members -- including print and digital publishing." > > Inderbitzen said Kindle devices frequently rank highest in preference among e-book readers, and Kindle apps make it possible to use the format on most mobile devices and tablets, including Android and Apple iOS devices. > > "ARRL isn't new to digital publishing," ARRL Publication Manager Steve Ford, WB8IMY, pointed out. Ford oversees staff and contributors responsible for content creation, editing, and publishing. "In 2012, QST was introduced to all members in a digital format. Other books, such as technical proceedings assembled by ARRL for annual conferences, are published digitally and made available to readers on a print-on-demand basis. > > The newest titles available in Kindle format include Understanding Basic Electronics, ARRL's Small Antennas for Small Spaces, Get on the Air with HF Digital, Your First Amateur Radio HF Station, Radios to Go!, and the ARES Field Resource Manual. Earlier this year, ARRL released two titles in Kindle format: Propagation and Radio Science by Eric P. Nichols, KL7AJ, and Oscilloscopes for Radio Amateurs by Paul Danzer, N1II. > > All of these publications are also available in a print format, directly from ARRL and ARRL publication dealers. > > All ARRL license manuals are available in Kindle format. The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual has been identified by Amazon as a #1 Best Seller. > > "ARRL's place in digital publishing also means introducing Amateur Radio to more of the world," Inderbitzen said. "When someone searches for or buys an e-book about radio electronics, microcontrollers, or some other related interest, we want their search to lead them to Amateur Radio and ARRL." > > Ford added, "As the largest publisher of Amateur Radio books, we've made great strides in developing a digital publishing competency that will ensure ARRL is an enduring source of content on the art and science of radio -- and in the format you prefer; quickly, easily, and no matter where you are." > > > JH5GHM Donates Foot Switches to W1AW > Katsuhiro "Don" Kondou, JH5GHM, has donated eight of his custom-made foot switches to Maxim Memorial Station W1AW. ARRL Field Services and Radiosport Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, said Kondou visited ARRL Headquarters and operated from W1AW during the ARRL Centennial National Convention in 2014 and felt that W1AW needed better foot switches. Now, he's made that happen. > > > Don Kondou, JH5GHM, at W1AW in 2014. > > "We really appreciate Don's generosity!" said Patton. "The foot switches are really a nice addition to the station, as they are solid, comfortable, and don't slide around on the floor." Patton said that in a multi-station environment, such as W1AW's, using a foot switch instead of VOX while operating phone allows each operator to talk more normally and quietly, not bothering adjacent operators. VOX, he said, often tends to make ops shout. > > In his article, "A Prototype Foot Switch for the Future," in the July/August issue of NCJ, Kondou said many radio amateurs do not appreciate the importance of a foot switch in a contest environment. While many types of foot switches are available, he said only a few are specific to Amateur Radio use. > > > One of the JH5GHM foot switches at W1AW. [Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, photo] > > "I became frustrated with their flexibility," Kondou said of the commercially available units. "Finally I decided to design a more comfortable foot switch." His eventual design represented the culmination of considerable experimentation. Kondou has said operators won't appreciate the comfort of his foot switch design until they try out his low-fatigue design. > > An enthusiastic contester, Kondou participated in World Radiosport Team Championship 2014 in New England and is a member of the CQ World Wide DX Contest Committee. Licensed in 1978, he is a graduate of the Tokyo Institute of Technology. > > > > Researchers Decode CASSIOPE Satellite Field Day Fly-Over Experiment Results > The University of Calgary's "Enhanced Polar Outflow Probe (ePOP) Radio Receiver Instrument (RRI)" on the CASSIOPE satellite was able to detect several ARRL Field Day stations on June 28. CASSIOPE (CAScade Smallsat and IOnospheric Polar Explorer) is a Canadian-designed and built satellite. The RRI listened on 80 and 40 meter segments. Virginia Tech graduate researcher Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, said that during the first 25 seconds of 7 MHz reception, he and his team aurally decoded and identified 23 stations, most in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana, before the signals "abruptly disappeared." He said very few signals were detected on 80 meters. > > "This experiment was designed to simply test the feasibility of conducting HF Amateur Radio-satellite ionosphere and propagation studies," Frissell told ARRL. "These results show that this is feasible, and that it is possible to detect interesting geophysical features." The others involved in the analyzing the results were Gareth Perry of the University of Calgary; Ethan Miller, K8GU, of Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Lab; Magdalina Moses, KM4EGE, of Virginia Tech, and CW Skimmer developer Alex Shovkoplyas, VE3NEA. > > The sudden disappearance of signals on 40 meters, Frissell said, suggests that CASSIOPE was passing over regions of differing ionospheric electron densities. "The plasma frequency of the ionosphere is directly proportional to the square root of the electron density," he explained. "Signals transmitted from Earth and vertically incident on the ionosphere will be reflected back to Earth at the altitude where the plasma frequency matches the transmitted frequency. A satellite flying above this layer will be shielded from the signals below." The ePOP experiment on CASSIOPE is a suite of eight instruments that study the outflow of plasma from the ionosphere into near-Earth geospace. > > Frissell has documented the group's results in a presentation, "ePOP RRI Observations of Amateur Radio Transmissions." > > Frissell said that at the time of the satellite's pass, the peak plasma frequency was 6.950 MHz at roughly 290 km altitude, as measured by the Millstone Hill ionosonde in Westford, Massachusetts. "If the conditions were similar to what CASSIOPE was experiencing at its location, it would be able to hear the 7 MHz signal but not the 3.5 MHz signals," he said. "This is, in fact, what we observe." > > He said the 7 MHz signals abruptly disappeared once CASSIOPE reached 42? N latitude. "We believe it is likely the satellite was above an ionospheric layer that had a plasma frequency greater than 7 MHz, thereby shielding the satellite from the ground transmissions," he said. He and his fellow researchers plan to follow up with more thorough modeling and analysis. > > > The orbit of CASSIOPE (dotted line) during the ARRL Field Day pass. > > The researchers were able to record signals appearing within a 30 kHz band segment on 40 meters (7010-7040 kHz) in a special .wav file that requires CW Skimmer multi-channel CW decoding and analysis software to decipher and identify individual stations. Frissell said CW Skimmer detected more than 23 signals, but after the results were checked manually, it was determined that the software was unable to accurately identify some individual stations. "CW Skimmer automated detection had difficulty in this case because of the flutter present in the signals observed by the satellite." Frissell said. (An audio file of Field Day participant WR9Y, extracted via CW Skimmer, provides an idea of what the RRI actually was hearing.) > > "In conclusion," Frissell said, "we believe this was a successful experiment that provides an interesting view of a possible plasma density transition region, as well as a basis for designing future HF Amateur Radio-satellite ionospheric experiments." Read more. > > In Brief... > Nevada ARES Volunteers Activate During 911 Outage: Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) members in Nye County, Nevada, were pressed into service on July 27 when the county lost 911 capabilities on the AT&T system. Southern Nye County Emergency Coordinator Gerald Fuge, KC6ILH, reported that nine ARES members deployed to four locations to act as 911 relay points for the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). ARES personnel staffed locations in Pahrump, Amargosa, and Beatty, Nevada. Another radio amateur not affiliated with ARES provided communication with two local FM broadcast stations and delivered EOC information releases from the ARES network to those stations. Nye County encompasses more than 18,100 square miles and is the third largest county in the US. ARES personnel were deployed for about 3 hours. Southern Nye County ARES members have responded to similar 911 outages in the past. -- Thanks to John Bigley, N7UR > > Updated Canadian Band Plan Released: The Radio Amateurs of Canada Band Planning Committee has released an updated band plan for all LF and HF (0-30 MHz) Amateur Radio allocations. This includes the new LF bands at 2200 and 600 meters, the 60 meter channels, and changes to reflect current best practice on other bands. The updated band plan represents the RAC Band Planning Committee's year-long review of all LF and HF allocations. RAC said the updated band plan is intended as a quick reference guide, summarizing all bands on a single page. -- Thanks to George Gorsline, VE3YV, RAC International Affairs Officer > > AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium 2015 Video Available: High-definition videos of presentations at the 2015 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium now are available on YouTube. The colloquium, July 25-26, attracted attendees from Europe, the US, the Middle East, and Japan. Thanks to the cooperation between the British Amateur Television Club (BATC) and AMSAT-UK, more than 5 hours of presentations were recorded. Videos from the 2014 and 2013 Colloquia are also available. -- Thanks to AMSAT-UK > > HRO Corporate Offices Relocate: Effective August 3, Ham Radio Outlet (HRO) has moved its corporate offices and has new telephone numbers. The new address is HRO Inc, 110 Tampico, Suite 110, Walnut Creek, CA 94598. Telephone (925) 933-1771; Fax (925) 933-1774. > > > The K7RA Solar Update > Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Compared with the 7 previous days, solar activity increased somewhat over the July 30-August 5 reporting period. > > Average daily sunspot numbers rose from 47.9 to 70.3, while average daily solar flux was up from 96.4 to 104.5. The average daily mid-latitude and planetary A index remained about the same; both were around 10. > > At 2348 UTC on August 5, Australia's Space Weather Services issued a geomagnetic disturbance warning. A high-speed stream of solar wind from a coronal hole is expected to cause unsettled to active conditions with possibility of magnetic storms over high-latitudes on August 7, before settling down to stable conditions by late on August 8. > > Earth is entering the debris field from comet Swift-Tuttle, and the resulting Perseid meteor shower should peak August 12-13. This offers the possibility of VHF meteor-scatter communication on 6 and 2 meters, and possible enhancement of the ionosphere for the upper HF bands as well. > > In Friday's bulletin we will update the 3-month moving average of daily sunspot numbers. Send me your reports and observations. > > Just Ahead in Radiosport > August 7 -- NCCC RTTY Sprint > > August 7 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder (CW) > > August 8-9 -- WAE DX Contest (CW) > > August 8-9 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW) > > August 8-9 -- Maryland-DC QSO Party (CW, SSB, digital) > > August 8-9 -- 50 MHz Fall Sprint > > August 12 -- NAQCC CW Sprint > > August 12 -- RSGB 80 Meter Club Sprint (CW) > > August 12-13 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test > > August 12-14 -- MMMonVHF Meteorscatter Sprint > > See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. > > Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events > August 7-8 -- South Texas Section Convention, Austin, Texas > > August 7-9 -- New Mexico State Convention, Albuquerque, New Mexico > > August 7-9 -- Pacific Northwest DX Convention, Everett, Washington > > August 15-16 -- Alabama State Convention, Huntsville, Alabama > > August 16 -- Kansas State Convention, Salina, Kansas > > August 21-23 -- New England Division Convention, Boxborough, Massachusetts > > August 22 -- West Virginia State Convention, Weston, West Virginia > > August 30 -- Western Pennsylvania Section Convention, New Kensington, Pennsylvania > > September 5-6 -- Roanoke Division Convention, Shelby, North Carolina > > September 11-12 -- W9DXCC Convention, Schaumburg, Illinois > > September 11-13 -- Southwestern Division Convention, Torrance, California > > September 12 -- Virginia Section Convention, Virginia Beach, Virginia > > September 19 -- San Joaquin Valley Section Convention, Fresno, California > > September 25-26 -- W4DXCC/SEDCO Convention, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee > > September 26 -- Iowa State Convention, Sergeant Bluff, Iowa > > September 26 -- North Dakota State Convention, West Fargo, North Dakota > > September 26 -- Washington State Convention, Spokane Valley, Washington > > October 2-4 -- Mid-Atlantic States VHF Conference, Bensalem, Pennsylvania > > October 3 -- Delaware State Convention, Georgetown, Delaware > > October 9-10 -- Florida State Convention, Melbourne, Florida > > October 10-11 -- Pacific Northwest VHF Conference, Issaquah, Washington > > Find conventions and hamfests in your area. > > ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for > Amateur Radio News and Information > > . > > . > > . > > Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes QST, Amateur Radio's most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month. > Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday. > Subscribe to... > > NCJ -- National Contest Journal. Published bi-monthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties. > QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters. Published bi-monthly, features technical articles, construction projects, columns, and other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals. > Free of charge to ARRL members... > > Subscribe to the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and emergency communications news), the ARRL Contest Update (bi-weekly contest newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much more! > Find ARRL on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! > > > > > > > The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 48 times each year. ARRL members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member Data Page as described at http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/. > > Copyright ? 2015 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved > From n8pr at bellsouth.net Sun Aug 9 16:51:33 2015 From: n8pr at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Sun, 9 Aug 2015 16:51:33 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Win 10 In-Reply-To: References: <000301d0d2b9$dc45f7a0$94d1e6e0$@comcast.net> Message-ID: <3CDF1476E45F4215B20ED62CDA52F1BC@PeteRGateway> Thanks, John... From: W6BXQ, John After yesterday?s discussion of Win 10 nat the QCWA lunch, I thought you might like to see this. It was posted by someone on a forum I participate in. Windows 10 Sucks and is Basically Spyware by wilorg ? Sun Aug 09, 2015 9:56 am Well, did the install on my Acer desktop to test it out - first impression - it really tries to spy on you in every way possible - it hides any settings that could prevent spying under tons of slight of hand (you have to go through around 13 screens to undo all their spying on you, and even then you can bet you haven't got it all, since there is even more that can only be turned off by expert users in command line mode), it deliberately uninstalls any paid security software you have (Norton, whatever) to force you to use their own Windows Defender and Windows Firewall - even when you then reinstall your paid security software, Win10 will refuse to shut theirs off, forcing several conflicts. All this just so we can say "yay! the Start Button is back!" - rubbish, IMHO. This is the most perfidious software yet to offered from M$ and one that has a lot to answer for. Yes, it is a bit faster, but you trade off by letting M$ and anyone they want to sell the info to to see everything you have on your system, pretty much, and worse, to allow M$ to piggy back on your bandwidth, forcing you (unless you know how to disable it, and even then there is no guarantee) to share your bandwidth when doing any updates or downloads across a multiplicity of networks. Insecure? It is unbelievable! It wants any camera you have and any microphone you have to be permanently open, which is downright creepy. It wants you to share your WIFI network and settings. It wants your passwords, it wants everything! Even George Orwell would be amazed at how much people are willingly allowing Big Brother to invade their lives with this latest (and last) version of Windows OS. I expect it will take me at least three days of hacking to get my system secure again. Keyloggers! It has sanctioned keyloggers and no way to turn them off (unless you know a bit of command line hacking)! The average Jo is doomed on this! Take my advice, unless you NEED M$ (unfortunately, I do), get Linux and tell the world to bugger off!* *smug-faced Mac worshippers take note - you are just as insecure and spied upon on your systems - in some ways, even worse, as are all Android users. Turn off Siri, my friends. From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Aug 12 16:57:26 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2015 16:57:26 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Fwd: {Collins} Rockwell Collins shows off future of fighter jet helmets References: <011901d0d506$4338a450$c9a9ecf0$@q.com> Message-ID: <097CAAE6-1D74-4454-981A-516173FD4A7E@bellsouth.net> For those who like Collins Radios, this may be if interest. From the Collins List > > CEDAR RAPIDS, Ia. - A fighter jet helmet so advanced it can allow pilots to > see "through" their plane is on its way to being standard issue for the > nation's new F-35 fighter jets. > > On Tuesday, Cedar Rapids-based Rockwell Collins unveiled the third version > of its Helmet Mounted Display System, with executives touting the technology > as the next generation for the nation's fighter pilots. > > While past fighter pilot helmets were mainly for protection, Rockwell > Collins' version is all about tactical advantage, they said. > > "It's going to change the game in how fighter jets are flown in the future," > Rockwell Collins CEO Kelly Ortberg told a crowd that came to check out the > helmet and test an F-35 flight simulator. > > Information on air speed, altitude, threat detection and more is displayed > directly on a pilot's visor, instead of on a dashboard that requires pilot's > to take their eyes off the sky. > > The cost for each helmet? About $400,000, according to a > fascinating-part-of-the-f-35-the-400000-helmet/> Washington Post report in > April. > > Rockwell Collins executives announced Tuesday the defense contractor has > started delivering the new HDML helmets to Lockheed Martin, which is > manufacturing the F-35 jet. > > In development for the better part of 15 years, the F-35 has been touted by > its supporters as the future of warfare and air supremacy - even as the > program has faced criticism for high costs, delays and software glitches. > > While Maryland-based Lockheed is building the jet, Rockwell Collins is > contracted to manufacture the helmet display systems and provide simulators > for training pilots. > > "This jet does not fly without Rockwell Collins being involved in it, and > the pilot does not fly without Rockwell Collins involved in it," said Phil > Jasper, executive vice president of government systems for Rockwell Collins. > > "I think that's pretty cool, being from Iowa, that we're so involved and > integrated with such leading-edge technology." > > Visor as video screen > > The helmet's core feature on display Tuesday is its ability to display > information directly onto the helmet's visor. > > It allows pilots to track that information no matter where they turn their > heads, Jasper said. > > That technology requires custom helmets be built for each pilot and two days > of fitting. > > Steve Callaghan, director of F-35 Washington Operations for Lockheed Martin, > said the helmet was a significant upgrade from traditional gear. > > "Back in the day when I was flying planes, a helmet did two things: kept > your head from banging against the canopy, kept the sun out of your eyes," > said Callaghan, who formerly flew F-14s, F-16s and FA-18s. "This one does a > whole lot more." > > Pilots can also use the visors to virtually see through their plans to the > sky around them and the land below, thanks to sensors and cameras around the > F-35's exterior. > > "The pilot can really see anywhere what is outside the aircraft just by > turning his head . that's really revolutionary," Jasper said. > > Rockwell Collins has already shipped 200 second-generation versions of the > helmet display system, but Tuesday marked the first delivery of the third > generation. > > Ready for war > > Executives also celebrated a recent decision by the U.S. Marine Corps to > declare an initial operational capability with 10 F-35Bs. > > The declaration deems the jets ready for war, Callaghan said. > > It means "they're manned, trained and equipped and ready to deploy the F-35 > when their country determines to do so. That was a big, big moment for > Lockheed Martin," he said. > > Callaghan said Lockheed has delivered 36 jets this year and is on track to > deliver 45 next year. In a few years, he said Lockheed plans to deliver 150 > jets annually. > > Challenges remain > > While executives touted Tuesday's developments, the F-35 program has faced > its share of criticism, particularly surrounding the jet's huge pricetag. > > Costs to the U.S. alone will require $12.4 billion in funding a year through > 2038, according to an April report from the U.S. Government Accountability > Office. That cost is for developing and buying about 2,450 aircraft. > > The Department of Defense, the report reads, has estimated it will cost $1 > trillion to operate and support the F-35 fleet over its lifetime. > > In its report, the GAO said it is concerned the F-35 program won't be able > to receive and maintain "such a high and unprecedented level of annual > funding." The program also has to compete with other U.S. defense priorities > for funding. > > Other concerns have arisen due to engine failures, late delivery of parts to > manufacture the planes and the need for extensive software testing, > according to the GAO. > > Jasper, from Rockwell Collins, said every new piece of technology faces > problems while undergoing tests. > > "What I would say though is, anytime you introduce a brand new weapons > system and you go through the development and low-rate production, there are > always growing pains," he said. "It's just that this program is so large and > visible, people take notice." > > Senator Joni Ernst steps aboard an F-35 Lightning II cockpit simulator while > visiting Rockwell Collins during a presentation of the company's F-35 helmet > and heads up display in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2015. Rachel > Mummey/The Register > > Looking to the future > > U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who joined company officials for her visit to > Rockwell Collins, said she recognized the importance of the F-35 program. > > "As a ground-hugger and a transportation officer, a logistician, it was so > important for me and my soldiers to understand that when we were cruising > down the roads in Iraq . we knew we had cover from the air," said Ernst, who > served as a company commander in Iraq and is now a member of the Senate > Armed Services Committee. > > "Whether that was from a rotary wing aircraft or from a fixed wing aircraft, > it made all the difference in the world to know that if we ever needed it, > there was always assistance out there for us." > > Lockheed's Callaghan said the company readily admits the program's past > challenges and increased costs. > > "But, . judge us now (on) how it's been going for the last several years and > how it's going to go in the future," Callaghan said. "We can't fix the > challenges of the past, but we did get past them." > > Planned F-35 deliveries > > * 1,763 to the U.S. Air Force > * 680 to the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps > * 138 to the U.K. Royal Air Force/Royal Navy > * 589 combined to 10 other countries including Italy, Turkey, the > Netherlands and Israel. > > Source: Lockheed Martin From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Aug 12 17:49:49 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2015 17:49:49 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Contest Update for August 12, 2015 References: <20150812100033.8681420BCA36@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: > > If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: > http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/?issue=2015-08-12 > > > > August 12, 2015Editor: Brian Moran, N9ADG > Contest Update Archive > Contest Calendar > ARRL Home Page > > IN THIS ISSUE > ? Baudy Weekend Plans > > ? Zero can be a score > > ? Sweepstakes Correction > > ? Eyeball QSOs > > ? DX Phone Results > > ? Penguins > > ? Crows > > ? Contesting on the fly-by > > NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO > > "Do we have to do RTTY again?" - RTTY is one of the fastest growing contest modes, and between the SARTG RTTY contest, and the ARRL Rookie Roundup, RTTY, there will be plenty of stations to work. The North American QSO Party (NAQP) is another great option, as all contest entrants are limited to 100w, it's only 12 hours long, and you can team up with one to four others to combine your scores against other teams. Heck, why not do NAQP on one day, and Rookie Roundup on the next? > > The weekend of August 22 is relatively calm - only THREE contests from which to choose. QSO parties are always good fun. > > BULLETINS > > "It was discovered not long after the release of the 2014 November Sweepstakes Phone results that there was a problem involving the W1AW portable stations celebrating the ARRL Centennial. The log checking software treated the different stations as a single call sign, so if both were worked during the contest, only one was counted and the other considered a dupe. This caused anyone working both stations to lose a QSO and for some, a multiplier was also lost. It was decided that we would allow both portable stations to count and then rescore the contest after updating the log checking software. > > During this process, it was also discovered that a step had been omitted during the original log checking process. Performing this additional step improved checking of miscopied call signs, which for some entries changed what had been considered contacts with unique calls into busted QSOs. Because accuracy is exceptionally important in this contest, we are releasing corrected results. The changes did not affect any of the overall winners, but did change the order of finish for some of the Top Ten spots. One Division winner changed. > > The new data has been uploaded to the online database and new LCRs and line scores are available, although we will not be rewriting the results article. We have added a note to the beginning of the article and appended updated tables. > > We apologize, but as most will agree, it is important that we publish accurate results with the correct order of finish. Thank you to the participants who brought this to our attention and all the folks behind the scenes who helped to discover and fix the additional error and produce the updated results." (Matt W1MSW) > > BUSTED QSOS > > There's always next time. > > CONTEST SUMMARY > > Complete information for all contests follows the Conversation section > > August 13 > > CWops Mini-CWT Test > August 14 > > QRP Fox Hunt > NCCC RTTY Sprint > NCCC Sprint Ladder > August 15 > > SARTG WW RTTY Contest > ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest > Russian District Award Contest > Keyman's Club of Japan Contest > North American QSO Party, SSB > Feld Hell Sprint > CVA DX Contest, CW > August 16 > > SARTG WW RTTY Contest > SARL HF Digital Contest > ARRL Rookie Roundup, RTTY > August 17 > > Run for the Bacon QRP Contest > August 19 > > Phone Fray > CWops Mini-CWT Test > August 20 > > CWops Mini-CWT Test > August 21 > > QRP Fox Hunt > NCCC RTTY Sprint > NCCC Sprint Ladder > August 22 > > Hawaii QSO Party > Ohio QSO Party > CVA DX Contest, SSB > August 26 > > SKCC Sprint > Phone Fray > CWops Mini-CWT Test > NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST > Contest University USA 2016 will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dayton, Ohio, on Thursday May 19, 2016. When host hotel reservations opened early on August 3rd, remaining rooms at the host hotel booked quickly. If you still need a room at the host hotel, start looking on the CQ-Contest, Topband, etc., reflectors in March, as people become more definite about their Dayton plans. There are, of course, rooms available in other hotels in the area. > > For ham radio in general, and contesting in particular, Dayton, Ohio is the place to be May 18-22, 2016: > > Wednesday May 18, 2016 - CTU registration and pizza party > Thursday May 19, 2016 - CTU and RTTY Contest Dinner > Friday May 20, 2016 - Hamvention, Top Band Dinner plus the Spurious Emissions Band > Saturday May 21, 2016 - Hamvention and Contest Dinner > Sunday May 22, 2016 - Hamvention > (Thanks Tim K3LR) > > N6ZE notes that it's possible to post a score of zero to 3830scores.com, and why one may want to do that: "I'm glad to see that the '3830 Rumor Page' permits submission of an contest entry even if no QSOs result from attempting to make QSOs (submitting a score of '1' without any QSOs is the way to do it!). VA7VX/QRP just did this for the Fall 2015 six meter SPRINT. A couple of years ago I was permitted to do this when I was QSO-less from CN88 with just a 33cm handheld during a microwave SPRINT. This is a great way to demonstrate station ACTIVITY & INTEREST even when no QSOs have resulted." > > The CW NAQP Results Database is back on-line and updated through the January 2015 NAQP. (Steve N2IC) > > The YASME Foundation announced three new recipients of the YASME Excellence Award. Honored were Mike Mertel, K7IR, for his invention of the tunable Yagi antenna; Koos Fockens, PA0KDF, for his comprehensive analysis and reporting of ham band noise which aided in countering BPL (Broadband over Power Line); and James Ying, N2IW, for the creation of the online scheduling app used during the 2014 ARRL Centennial. > > The FCC is urging telecom carriers to upgrade to fiber optics throughout their networks. Some hams have noted that in a power outage, land-line phones still worked because copper also provided circuit power. What happens when there is fiber-to-the-home? Many residential telecom providers supply a backup power source, which after a period of time must be maintained by the homeowner. The land-line issue may be moot, as at the end of 2013, according to the CDC (as reported by the Pew Research Center), two of five households have only wireless phones. If you'd like to have power during an emergency, there's always a Tesla Powerwall.(Thanks N6KI) > > If you are using Firefox as a web browser, it's advised that you upgrade immediately to the latest version, due to a recently discovered zero-day attack. > > Additional pieces of the quantum-computing-machinery puzzle may be falling into place as researchers have demonstrated a way to separate particles on the basis of their spin. Think of this as a quantum diode. The referenced article also cites a new method of providing a 'delay line' at the quantum level. > > Electronics at a larger scale continues to enjoy innovation; a high-performance single-molecule diode has been developed by researchers. (Thanks N6KI) > > > Web Site of the Week - Science Channel, How It's Made > > The Science Channel provides bite-sized (2-6 minute) videos on how various things are made. It's intriguing to see machines, tools, and techniques used to make things as mundane as inner tubes or confections, and gives me ideas on how to handle or use materials. The How It's Made link on the Science Channel provides one means to watch these videos, another is the How It's Made channel on YouTube. > > WORD TO THE WISE > > > Foreground: N7QT chats with N6TR after Tree's "Low Band Antenna" presentation at the Pacific Northwest DX Convention. Other WKCs hams in the background, include N0AX, W6OAT, WWDXC president K7EDX. > > RDF - Receive Directivity Factor > > In practical terms, RDF is a factor measuring the difference in signal from the desired signal direction vs. energy received from all of the other directions. A more precise definition (from W8WWV) is the "difference between the forward gain of an antenna (usually the maximum forward gain) and the average gain of the antenna." RDF is used as a figure of merit for low-band antennas, where desired signals can be well above receiver MDF, but are masked by 'louder' noise signals. A comparison of typical antennas used for the low bands and their respective RDFs can be found on W8JI's web site. > > > SIGHTS AND SOUNDS > > Well-known contester Dan W7WA, and conference chair Rich, W6RS at the Pacific Northwest DX Convention. Dan mentions he's looking forward to the CQP coming up soon. > > The Pacific Northwest DX Convention was held this past weekend in Everett, Washington. This year's event was sponsored by the Western Washington DX Club, and featured speakers covering a wide range of topics relevant to contesters, including an ARRL forum (K9JF, W6RGG, N0AX, K7CEX), propagation (K9LA), low-band operation (N6TR), the E30FB DXpedition (N6PSE), techniques to make efficient Q's (N6MZ, K6MM, N2TU, K9JF), and contesting from our part of the world (W7VJ). Saturday evening's presentation on K1N by N6MZ was preceded by the YASME Foundation's Technical Excellence award being presented to Mike, K7IR, for his dogged pursuit and perfection of the dynamically tunable yagi antenna. Everyone enjoyed K6MM's take on the humorous side of the hobby on Sunday. Throughout the weekend, it was a great opportunity to meet with contesters and DXers; events like these seem to raise the enthusiasm level for everyone. > > You've likely heard W6YI on the air in a contest. This drone video, shot by N6ED, of the W6YI 'layout' shows why they do so well. Here's another, this one of K6NA. (Thanks N6KI) > > RESULTS AND RECORDS > Final results and PDF certificates for URE's His Majesty the King of Spain SSB 2015 are available for perusal and download, as are the complete scores. > > The 2015 Minnesota QSO Party Results (PDF) have been posted. In addition to listings of the scores, there are interesting ham-biographic sketches on some of the participants, and even a discussion on the log scoring process. > > The 2015 ARRL DX Phone Line Score Results have been posted. The full results article should also be on the web site by the end of the week. > > Mark, K6UFO reports: "Preliminary results for the July North American QSO Party - RTTY, are now available at the National Contest Journal web site. Congratulations to all participants! Please report any problems directly to me, K6UFO. Final results will be published in a few months in the National Contest Journal." > > OPERATING TIP > > Can't break that CW pileup? Try varying your CW sending speed, or perhaps try sending your call with a straight key - anything to distinguish your call from everyone else calling, but still within the bounds of good operating ethics and practices. > > > TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION > Radio waves (and their reflections) at around 60 MHz are used to map ice thickness. This article on ice penetrating radar discusses the basics, and has some great visualizations of RF reflections through ice. And it has a picture of penguins. > > As we upgrade our shack computers to Microsoft Windows 10, there are concerns about the policies and particulars of Windows 10 automatic upgrades. Steve, N2IC, suggests changing a few Windows settings if you're going to be using Windows 10 during contests (you may need to be a member of the N1MMLoggerPlus Yahoo group to access this article). A short summary of his comments: In Updates and Security Settings, Advanced Options, change restart after update to "Notify to schedule restart." Also, to minimize peer-to-peer distribution of Windows updates through your computer, turn off the "Windows Update Delivery Optimization" in the same location. N3BUO also suggested another article on how to disable Windows 10 updates. > > Initial independent performance measurements of the Yaesu FT-991 have been completed by some well-regarded individuals, Adam Farson: VA7OJ/AB4OJ's FT-991 Notes, and Rob Sherwood: Sherwood Engineering's Receiver Test Data. (thanks W7VP) > > You may have heard or seen the stories in the news about a Jeep Cherokee being able to be taken over by 'hackers.' Here's an in-depth article (PDF) by the researchers that were funded by DARPA to do this very thing, including description of the vulnerable systems, and methods used. > > Power derived from nuclear fusion may be getting a little closer to reality as MIT researchers have come up with a new reactor design taking advantage of Rare Earth Barium Copper Oxide superconducting tapes for conductors for the high-field magnetic coils. The breakthrough enables intense magnetic fields at reasonable (liquid nitrogen) temperatures with considerably less power consumption than previous designs. Though no fusion reactors have yet been able to generate more energy than they consume, the MIT team predicts that this new design could return 3 to 6 times the input energy. The ITER reactor in France, designed and started before the MIT discoveries, is scheduled to be completed in 2019. The ITER reactor could be the first operational net-positive fusion reactor. > > Non-magnetic materials could be made more attractive in the future: Researchers have found a way to add magnetic properties to non-magnetic materials, to achieve ferromagnetism at room temperatures. Materials altered in this way could find wide application in electronics. (Thanks N6KI) > > One of the technologies to build really big things, and lift very large loads, is a strand jack. A relatively new invention (1969), if you were a Lilliputian, and you had to lift your Gulliver a few stories, you'd use these. > > Technical Web Site of the Week - crows.org > > The Association of Old Crows doesn't sound much like it's related to technology, however this non-profit organization is devoted to cutting-edge uses of electronics and the electromagnetic spectrum. The AOC traces its history back to the Strategic Air Command and before - and caters to individuals involved in Electronic Warfare technology and techniques. Amateur radio can trace some innovations in communications techniques (e.g. SSB) directly to these same roots. The AOC's scope has increased to encompass IT topic areas, as the electromagnetic spectrum can be viewed as a transport. Free technical seminars are available periodically via the AOC web site, and the "Journal of Electronic Defense" makes for interesting reading. > > CONVERSATION > This Issue's Conversation is courtesy of Sean Kutzko, KX9X: > > Satellites for Contest Expeditions > > Planning a contest expedition soon? While the pileups you know and love are on HF, there's an entire community of satellite operators that would be thrilled to work you from a different DXCC country. With a slight change of perspective, you can be working pileups in an entirely different way. > > > ARRL's Sean Kutzko, KX9X, works FM satellites while on a contest expedition to KP4 for the 2011 ARRL CW Sweepstakes. Using just a hand-held dual-band HT and an Arrow dual-band yagi, Sean made 30 QSOs and was able to give a new DXCC country to a few ops. (courtesy KX9X) > > Satellite operation is on the upswing, thanks to AMSAT's FOX program and efforts from China-AMSAT. More FM single-channel satellites will be in the air over the next 18 months, and the number of SSB/CW linear transponder satellites (with between 20kc and 100kc of bandwidth) will also be rising, too. Both types of satellite operate primarily on 2 meters and 70 centimeters, transmitting on one band while receiving on the other. > > With the absence of high Earth orbit (HEO) ham sats in the past several years, DXCC via satellite went from being a reasonable challenge to all but impossible. This year's K1N Navassa Island operation was the first major DXpedition in some time to bring satellite equipment, thanks to the efforts of AMSAT Vice President of Operations Andrew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, and ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X. They were able to convince the K1N team to bring a modest satellite station on the DXpedition and AMSAT even provided the transceiver, much to the delight of the satellite community. > > The extra gear doesn't have to take up much space. For the FM satellites, a dual-band HT and a handheld Arrow or Elk antenna are all that's needed for reliable QSOs. For the analog birds, one or two DC-to-daylight rigs will do quite nicely. Adjusting your VFO on the fly to compensate for the Doppler shift as the satellite flies overhead takes a bit of getting used to, as does keeping the antenna pointed towards a moving target, but it's nothing too strenuous. > > The satellite community is also very active collecting Maidenhead grid squares, so you can hand out a rare DXCC and a rare grid at the same time. Veteran satellite operator Clayton, W5PFG, has a YouTube video (http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=1869) of his talk to the 2014 AMSAT Symposium on grid squares and portable operating on the birds. > > Add a little satellite spice to your contest DX trip. You'll discover a new way of enjoying ham radio and you'll provide a rare country to an entire community of operators. Check out AMSAT's "For Beginners" page on their site (http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=1869) to get the ball rolling, or email Drew or Sean if you have more specific questions. > > 73, > > Sean Kutzko, KX9X > > Media and Public Relations Manager > > > CONTESTS > 13 Aug to 26 Aug 2015 > > 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 > > QRP Fox Hunt, Aug 14, 0100z to Aug 14, 0230z; CW; Bands: 20m Only; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: August 15. > > NCCC RTTY Sprint, Aug 14, 0145z to Aug 14, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: August 16. > > NCCC Sprint Ladder, Aug 14, 0230z to Aug 14, 0300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6m; Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: August 16. > > SARTG WW RTTY Contest, Aug 15, 0000z to Aug 15, 0800z, Aug 15, 1600z to Aug 16, 0000z, Aug 16, 0800z to Aug 16, 1600z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: September 12. > > Russian District Award Contest, Aug 15, 0800z to Aug 16, 0800z; CW, SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RU: RS(T) + District code, non-RU: RS(T) + QSO No.; Logs due: August 31. > > Keyman's Club of Japan Contest, Aug 15, 1200z to Aug 16, 1200z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6m; JA: RST + prefecture/district code, non-JA: RST + continent code; Logs due: September 16. > > North American QSO Party, SSB, Aug 15, 1800z to Aug 16, 0559z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: August 23. > > Feld Hell Sprint, Aug 15, 2000z to Aug 15, 2159z; Feld Hell; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6m; (see rules); Logs due: August 22. > > CVA DX Contest, CW, Aug 15, 2100z to Aug 16, 2100z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RST + type/UF(see rules); Logs due: September 15. > > SARL HF Digital Contest, Aug 16, 1300z to Aug 16, 1630z; RTTY, PSK31; Bands: 80, 40, 20m; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: August 23. > > ARRL Rookie Roundup, RTTY, Aug 16, 1800z to Aug 16, 2359z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6m; NA: Name + 2-digit year first licensed + (state/province/XE area/DX); Logs due: August 19. > > Run for the Bacon QRP Contest, Aug 17, 0100z to Aug 17, 0300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RST + (state/province/country) + (Member No./power); Logs due: August 23. > > Phone Fray, Aug 19, 0230z to Aug 19, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15m; NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: August 14. > > CWops Mini-CWT Test, Aug 19, 1300z to Aug 19, 1400z, Aug 19, 1900z to Aug 19, 2000z, Aug 20, 0300z to Aug 20, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; Member: Name + Member No., non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: August 15. > > QRP Fox Hunt, Aug 21, 0100z to Aug 21, 0230z; CW; Bands: 20m Only; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: August 15. > > NCCC RTTY Sprint, Aug 21, 0145z to Aug 21, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: August 16. > > NCCC Sprint Ladder, Aug 21, 0230z to Aug 21, 0300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6m; Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: August 16. > > Hawaii QSO Party, Aug 22, 0400z to Aug 24, 0400z; CW, Phone, RTTY, PSK; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; HI: RS(T) + QTH ID, non-HI W/VE: RS(T) + (state/province), DX: RS(T); Logs due: September 30. > > Ohio QSO Party, Aug 22, 1600z to Aug 23, 0400z; CW, SSB; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; OH: RS(T) + county, non-OH: RS(T) + (state/province/"DX"); Logs due: September 21. > > CVA DX Contest, SSB, Aug 22, 2100z to Aug 23, 2100z; SSB; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RS + type/UF(see rules); Logs due: September 15. > > VHF+ CONTESTS > > (see HF contests above also including 6 meters) > > ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest, Aug 15, 0600 (local) to Aug 17, 0000 (local); Any; Bands: 10 GHz to light; 6-Character Maidenhead Locator; Logs due: October 20. > > LOG DUE DATES > 13 August through 26 August 2015 > > August 14, 2015 > > Phone Fray > August 15, 2015 > > SMIRK Contest > SKCC Weekend Sprintathon > QRP Fox Hunt > CWops Mini-CWT Test > August 16, 2015 > > NCCC Sprint Ladder > RSGB IOTA Contest > NCCC RTTY Sprint > NAQCC CW Sprint > August 17, 2015 > > 10-10 Int. Summer Contest, SSB > August 18, 2015 > > RSGB RoPoCo CW > August 19, 2015 > > DMC RTTY Contest > RSGB 80m Club Sprint, CW > August 20, 2015 > > NRAU 10m Activity Contest > August 22, 2015 > > Feld Hell Sprint > 50 MHz Fall Sprint > August 23, 2015 > > SARL HF Digital Contest > North American QSO Party, SSB > August 24, 2015 > > WAE DX Contest, CW > ARRL Information > Click here to advertise in this newsletter, space subject to availability. > > Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information > > Join or Renew Today! > > ARRL membership includes QST, Amateur Radio's most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month. > > Subscribe to NCJ - the National Contest Journal. Published bimonthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties. > > Subscribe to QEX - A Forum for Communications Experimenters. Published bimonthly, features technical articles, construction projects, columns and other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals. > > Free of charge to ARRL members: Subscribe to The ARRL Letter (weekly digest of news and information), the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and emergency communications news), Division and Section news -- and much more! > > ARRL offers a wide array of products to enhance your enjoyment of Amateur Radio. 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All Rights Reserved > From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Aug 13 21:48:14 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 13 Aug 2015 21:48:14 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Letter for August 13, 2015 References: <20150813215406.17D55200A578@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <464FBBD4-0FE7-49BC-862E-7CA6529E76F1@bellsouth.net> > > If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: > http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2015-08-13 > > > > August 13, 2015Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME > ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive Audio News > > > > AMSAT Echoes IARU Satellite Coordination Concerns > ARRL Teachers Institutes Chalk Up Another Successful Summer > World-Circling Danish Radio Amateur-Cyclist Now in the US > Joint Cuba-US DX Operation Planned; Will Include CQ World Wide SSB Contest > Texas Club Donates $1000 to Support Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 Campaign > ARRL Rookie Roundup RTTY is August 16 > ARRL Logs Received Page Showing all 2015 Field Day Entries to Date > WWV's 25 MHz Signal is Back on Original Vertical Dipole > Rockwell Collins to End Mechanical Filter Production > Yasme Foundation Announces Excellence Awards > Central States VHF Society Honors Wayne Overbeck, N6NB; Lauren Libby, W0LD > Katrina 10th Anniversary Mississippi Memorial Event Set > The K7RA Solar Update > Just Ahead in Radiosport > Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events > > AMSAT Echoes IARU Satellite Coordination Concerns > AMSAT-NA has joined the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) in expressing concern that some soon-to-be-launched satellites operating in Amateur Radio bands could cause conflicts in some ITU regions. In an August 7 statement on behalf of the IARU, Secretary Rod Stafford, W6ROD, said the IARU had become aware of plans to launch a series of satellites, "where the frequencies proposed appear to conflict with existing IARU band plans" in parts of the world. > > "IARU is investigating how this has arisen, and is discussing the issues with the parties involved," Stafford said. AMSAT-UK has reported that the IARU Satellite Coordinator was asked to look into the matter. > > While Stafford did not name any specific satellites that may be of concern, AMSAT-UK has said that some frequencies proposed for the Chinese Amateur Radio Group (CAMSAT) XW-2/CAS-3 mission do not respect the internationally agreed-upon 2 meter band plan for IARU Region 1. > > AMSAT-NA President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, told the ARRL that AMSAT's initial excitement regarding the pending CAMSAT launch of nine Amateur Radio satellites has been tempered by concerns that some of the proposed amateur frequencies may not have been properly coordinated. > > "While these frequencies are within the spectrum allocated for the Amateur Satellite Service, several will conflict with existing terrestrial allocations, as well as with the normal voice and SSTV downlink from the ISS," Baines told ARRL. "We support the IARU's effort to determine how the lack of coordination occurred, to mitigate the interference issues to the maximum amount possible, and to ensure that future amateur satellites will be coordinated in accord with established norms for the benefit of all." > > In a related matter, also alluded to by Stafford, the operation of an existing satellite -- the 14-year-old PCSAT (NO-44) -- recently became a problem over Europe, when it began transmitting APRS on 144.390 MHz, due to technical issues related to its age. APRS on that frequency is not compatible with the Region 1 band plan. "[T]his unfortunate circumstance appears to be unintentional," Baines allowed in his comments to ARRL. "There are lessons to be learned in satellite design from this experience that will hopefully be followed in the future to mitigate such potential problems," Baines added. Users have been asked not to digipeat via PCSAT while the satellite is over Europe. > > With the support of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), IARU volunteer satellite coordinators assign appropriate frequencies for satellites designed to operate on Amateur Radio frequencies. Stafford said these efforts have generally been successful, "allowing satellites to operate without undue interference to each other and to other services using the bands in question." -- Thanks to IARU, AMSAT, and AMSAT News Service > > ARRL Teachers Institutes Chalk Up Another Successful Summer > Educators from several states expanded their electronic horizons this summer in three ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology sessions. The 2015 ARRL Education & Technology Program (ETP) offered two introductory (TI-1) and one advanced (TI-2) Teachers Institute sessions this summer. > > > TI Instructor Tommy Gober, N5DUX, demonstrates how to operate via an Amateur Radio satellite. > > "I am the only teacher in my building who teaches Ohm's Law and basic electricity, along with breadboard circuits, because of what I learned at the first TI," one advanced student commented afterward. "From this TI, I feel like I have 'upped' my game." > > The expenses-paid Teachers Institute sessions offer educators a professional development opportunity that equips them with training and resources to explore a variety of applications in radio science and wireless technology and -- in the advanced seminar -- remote sensing and data-gathering techniques. > > A 4-day introductory (TI-1) session in June at Parallax in Rocklin, California, kicked off the series. An additional introductory course was held in July at ARRL Headquarters. A 5-day advanced (TI-2) seminar, "Remote Sensing and Data Gathering," took place in late July at ARRL Headquarters. The advanced course is only open to those who have already completed the introductory program; an Amateur Radio license is a prerequisite. > > At the California TI-1 class, instructor Tommy Gober, N5DUX, plunged into some hands-on radio activities, which included working a couple of stations via SaudiSat 1-C (SO-50) and capturing part of a NOAA weather satellite pass. Groups of class participants in both sessions also faced off in a hidden-transmitter hunt -- a fox hunt. > > > TI students run their BoeBots through a maze to check on how well they've mastered the required programming skills. > > The TI-1 students also learned computer programming to control Boe-Bot? robots on wheels that they then run through a maze to check their coding skill. > > In the TI-2 class, expanded to 5 days to cover applications for downloading and using satellite telemetry as well as electronic sensors and their deployment in a marine buoy. Participants also used a MAREA (Mars Lander Amateur Radio Robotics Exploration Activity) transceiver to outfit their Boe-Bots for packet control. The robot activity simulates how NASA scientists use radio signals to control the Mars rovers. TI Instructor Matt Severin, N8MS, demonstrated techniques to use satellite data in the classroom by downloading telemetry from the FUNCube-1 (AO-73) educational spacecraft. TI-2 participants also were exposed to digital concepts, such as analog-to-digital conversion. > > Among the 22 attending the two TI-1 courses, 11 had Amateur Radio licenses, while nine others indicated they intended to get their tickets. Ten radio amateurs participated in the TI-2 class. > > > Members of the advanced (TI-2) class with the buoys they used to learn remote-sensing techniques. [Debra Johnson, K1DMJ, photo] > > "We are all teachers and deal with a lack of time, money, and authorization issues, but we do have the ability to integrate ideas that can profoundly change the way students understand data and technology," TI Instructor Bill Richardson, N5VEI, remarked. > > ARRL Teachers Institute is open to grade 4-12 teachers as well as to post-secondary educators. "We look for teachers who have a vision of how to apply this wireless technology training to support STEM learning in their classrooms," said ARRL Education Services Manager Debra Johnson, K1DMJ. > > World-Circling Danish Radio Amateur-Cyclist Now in the US > Danish radio amateur Thomas Andersen, OZ1AA/K9DXX, has said he never wanted to think back on things that he might have done during his lifetime, but did not. That's why he decided to follow his dream and start cycling -- around the globe. He's now completing the 5th year of his journey, and he's been meeting many hams along the way. This month he's been working his way up the East Coast of the US, more or less following US Route 1 from Florida. > > > OZ1AA set out on his bicycle from Copenhagen in 2010. > > "I have been staying with hams almost every day on the trip in the US!" the 32-year-old telecommunications engineer told ARRL this week. "Absolutely amazing hospitality." He plans to end the North American leg of his trip in St John's, Newfoundland. "From there I will be flying back to Denmark for a 3-month break," he explained. "Then my plan is to go to Africa and start riding home from there." > > Andersen said his bicycle adventure also stemmed from a desire to attempt something that he was not entirely sure he could finish, but it's been an opportunity to combine his favorite activities. > > "Apart from ham radio I have been interested in cycling since I was a kid," he said on his QRZ.com page. "I also love to travel, so it was somewhat natural for me to combine my passions in life into a perfect match." Andersen has been pedaling since leaving his homeland in 2010. His initial plan was to cycle southeast and end his trip in Sydney, Australia. > > > OZ1AA stops in Washington, DC, on his way up the US East Coast. > > "When I left Denmark I had enough money for 1 year of travelling (on a $20 a day budget). That was enough to get me to Australia," he told ARRL. "I thought I had to go back home from there, but I found work in Australia -- on a huge cattle station out of Alice Springs -- so I could save up more money and extend my trip to the Americas as well." He now hopes to complete his circumnavigation back home in Denmark. > > So far, he has not been carrying along any Amateur Radio gear, because of weight concerns. "Even so, I have come to the conclusion that I would like to add a small HF rig to my setup. Having a radio in my bag simply seems worth it," he said on QRZ. Andersen said he thinks his adventure would not have been possible without his being a radio amateur. > > "I can't honestly think of any other hobby where you can show up in any town in any part of the world and be welcomed like I have been. He said his non-ham friends don't get it, though. "[B]ut all I can tell them is: Become a ham, and you will have 1 million friends around the world as well." Read more. > > > Joint Cuba-US DX Operation Planned; Will Include CQ World Wide SSB Contest > In the wake of the recently announced normalization of diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba, a joint US-Cuba operation is being planned for this fall, to include the dates of the CQ World Wide SSB contest. > > "The combined group will be operating under the call sign T42US between October 21 and October 28, including during the CQ WW DX SSB Contest," the announcement said. "There will be nine operators from the USA and approximately the same number from Cuba. The T42US group will operate 160-10 meters, SSB and CW." > > The US Team leader is Jim Millner, WB2REM, and the Cuban Team Leader is Bob Ibarra, CM2KL. Millner said the T42US operation will be among the first of its kind in Cuba and will involve a joint effort between the US and Cuban teams. Read more. > > Texas Club Donates $1000 to Support Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 Campaign > The Temple Amateur Radio Club (TARC) has again generously supported the ARRL's advocacy efforts, this year donating $1000 to the Legislative Issues Advocacy Fund in support of the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015. In the past, the Texas club has donated to the Spectrum Defense Fund, but this time it asked specifically to put its gift toward the Parity Act campaign. > > "The Temple Amateur Radio Club has been a long-time supporter of ARRL," said ARRL Development Manager Lauren Clarke, KB1YDD. "Over the years, the club has donated $8000 to the Spectrum Defense Fund to support ARRL advocacy efforts to protect our frequencies. We are grateful to the members of TARC for their continued support and generosity." > > > (L-R) John Hobson, WD5BFS, Temple ARC; Dr David Woolweaver, K5RAV, ARRL West Gulf Division Director; Gerald Richmond, N5ZXJ, TARC President, and John Robert Stratton, N5AUS, West Gulf Division Vice Director. [Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, photo] > > Representatives of the club presented a check to ARRL West Gulf Division Director Dr David Woolweaver, K5RAV, and Vice Director John Stratton, N5AUS, at the ARRL South Texas Section Convention -- the Austin Summerfest -- August 7-8. ARRL Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, who represented League Headquarters at the event, said some 700 visitors turned out for the convention, despite temperatures in excess of 100? F. > > During the ARRL Forum, attended by about 120 conventioneers, Inderbitzen said Director Woolweaver encouraged those on hand to support the Amateur Radio Parity Act grassroots effort to obtain additional cosponsors for the US House and Senate bills. > > TARC maintains two repeaters under its W5LM call sign, and actively participates in public service events. The club sponsors the HamEXPO, held this year on October 3 in Belton, Texas. > > ARRL Rookie Roundup RTTY is August 16 > The ARRL Rookie Roundup returns to RTTY Sunday, August 16, 1800 UTC through 2359 UTC. For the purposes of this operating event, a "Rookie" is any radio amateur licensed within the current calendar year or in the previous 2 calendar years, regardless of license class. Rookie Roundup events take place three times a year -- SSB in April, RTTY in August, and CW in December. > > > KK4EVI and KK4JRP learn RTTY contesting techniques during the 2012 ARRL Rookie Roundup with the Charleston Amateur Radio Society. > > The goal of Rookie Roundup is to encourage recently licensed operators in North America (including territories and possessions) to operate on the HF bands and experience competitive Amateur Radio operating. Experienced operators are encouraged to participate and help new operators -- either on the air or in person. Old Timers may want to consider opening up their stations to rookies and serving as contesting mentors. The more operators on the air, the more fun the Roundup will be for everyone. > > During the contest Rookies can work anyone, while veteran operators only work Rookies. Single-Operator Rookie entrants can form teams, but teams must register beforehand. A multioperator category is also available for stations hosting more than one Rookie operator. Rookies call "CQ RR" (CQ Rookie Roundup), while veteran ops call "CQ R" (CQ Rookies). Exchange the call sign of the station you're working, your call sign, your first name, two-digit number of the year first licensed, and your state, Canadian province, Mexican call area, or DX. > > Review the rules before the event, and get familiar with logging and log submission processes too. Rookies exchange information with as many other stations as possible on 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters. Before venturing forth, Rookie entrants are encouraged to read "HF Contesting -- Good Practices, Interpretations and Suggestions." > > Contact ARRL Contest Branch Manager Matt Wilhelm, W1MSW, for more information. Read more. > > > ARRL Logs Received Page Showing all 2015 Field Day Entries to Date > The ARRL "Logs Received" page now contains all 2015 ARRL Field Day entries received to date (scroll to bottom of page). This includes entries submitted via e-mail, web applet, or on paper. The date to submit entries for ARRL Field Day 2015 has passed. > > The ARRL Contest Branch requests that Field Day participants review the list and contact ARRL Contest Branch Manager Matt Wilhelm, W1MSW, (860-594-0232) no later than Midnight, August 21, if anything appears to be incorrect with their entry information. > > > > WWV's 25 MHz Signal is Back on Original Vertical Dipole > Time and frequency standard station WWV's resurrected 25 MHz signal -- now back on the air for more than a year after going silent in 1977 -- is once again transmitting on a vertical dipole from its original antenna and location. The 25 MHz signal returned to the air on an "experimental basis" in April 2014, and it's been transmitting ever since. The WWV vertical dipole is not something you'd likely find in the average ham radio antenna farm. > > > A depiction of a WWV vertical dipole antenna. [Courtesy of Matt Deutch, N0RGT] > > "The antenna the 25 MHz [transmitter] is on right now is the original antenna it was on in 1977," Matt Deutch, N0RGT, WWV's lead electrical engineer, told ARRL. "When the 25 [MHz transmitter] was shut down [that year], the radiating section was removed and tossed in the bone yard, and a new longer section put on the tower to make it a 15 MHz stand-by antenna." > > Deutch said that when WWV first reintroduced the 25 MHz broadcast in 2014, it used a broadband monopole. It was later decided to use that antenna for WWV's 2.5 MHz stand-by transmitter, though. "So, we decided to rebuild the 25 MHz antenna," he recounted. "A few weeks ago the boys dug the 25 MHz radiating section out of the mud in the bone yard and rebuilt the 25 MHz antenna, so that it looks identical to what it looked like in 1977." > > > The WWV campus in Fort Collins, Colorado. [Courtesy of NIST] > > Deutch said the 25 MHz WWV vertical dipole now is coupled to its own, dedicated transmitter, radiating 2.5 kW "with near zero watts reflected," he added, and modeling has showed that the dipole exhibits a lower angle of radiation than the broadband monopole did. "There is no automatic backup transmitter for 25 MHz at this time," Deutch added. The 25 MHz WWV signal had been operating at about 1 kW for the past 16 months. > > Deutch has said that WWV has received reports on the 25 MHz signal from across the Atlantic. The 25 MHz transmission not only provides another option to check your frequency calibration or the exact time, it also can serve to indicate the state of propagation on 12 and 10 meters. The 25 MHz broadcast includes the same information transmitted on all other WWV frequencies and at the same level of accuracy. > > Located in Fort Collins, Colorado, WWV is operated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). WWV has invited listeners' comments and signal reports. > > Rockwell Collins to End Mechanical Filter Production > As more and more communications equipment designs have adopted digital signal processing techniques, Rockwell Collins has announced that it will stop manufacturing its renowned mechanical filters. It did not provide a specific date. > > "Over the past several years, we have seen a dramatic reduction in demand for narrowband analog filters," the company said on its website. "Due to this and other economic reasons, [Rockwell Collins] Filter Products will be discontinuing its mechanical filter products in the near future." > > Rockwell Collins makes two different types of mechanical filters, many of which have found their way into Amateur Radio products and applications. In a mechanical filter, input and output transducers convert the electrical signal to and from resonant mechanical vibrations, respectively. > > Collins has made mechanical filters for more than 6 decades, and their initial application was in telephone circuits. The filters gained favor for Amateur Radio use because of their excellent selectivity, especially in IF applications. It is said to take about 12 weeks to manufacture a single unit. Read more. -- Thanks to Mike Morris, WA6ILQ; Rockwell Collins > > > Yasme Foundation Announces Excellence Awards > The Yasme Foundation Board of Directors has announced the recipients of the Yasme Excellence Award. The Award is presented to individuals who, through their own service, creativity, effort, and dedication, have made a significant contribution to Amateur Radio. > > "The contribution may be in recognition of technical, operating, or organizational achievement, as all three are necessary for Amateur Radio to grow and prosper," the announcement said. The Yasme Excellence Award is in the form of a cash grant and an individually-engraved crystal globe. > > The recipients are: > > Mike Mertel, K7IR, for his revolutionary invention of a tunable Yagi antenna that was later made available to the Amateur Radio community under the brand name SteppIR. > Koos Fockens, PA0KDF, for his investigations, measurements, and publications regarding noise in the Amateur Radio bands that played a key role in the global fight against Broadband over Power Line (BPL) interference. > James Ying, N2IW, for his creation of an online scheduling application that was used by many W1AW/portable operations during the 2014 ARRL Centennial and remains available without charge. > The Yasme Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation organized to conduct scientific and educational projects related to Amateur Radio, including DXing, and the introduction and promotion of Amateur Radio in developing countries. > > Central States VHF Society Honors Wayne Overbeck, N6NB; Lauren Libby, W0LD > The Central States VHF Society (CSVHFS) recently honored two radio amateurs with awards. Wayne Overbeck, N6NB, was presented with the Society's 2015 John Chambers Memorial Award, and Lauren Libby, W0LD, received the 2015 Wilson Award. Kent Britain, WA5VJB, presented both honors on July 25 at the CSVHFS annual conference in Denver. > > The Chambers Award is given for technical contributions to VHF/UHF Amateur Radio. Created in 1970, it honors the memory of John Chambers, W6NLZ, who completed the first-ever 2 meter transpacific contact with Ralph "Tommy" Thomas, KH6UK. The Wilson Award is given for outstanding service to the CSVHFS or for service to VHF-UHF Amateur Radio in general. Introduced in 1982, it honors the memory of Mel Wilson, W2BOC. > > This marked the second time that Overbeck has won the Chambers Award, although it's been a long time between awards; he previously won it in 1978. > > Overbeck and Libby said they were pleased and surprised to be feted at the conference. In presenting the awards, Kent Britain, WA5VJB, said Overbeck was being honored for accomplishments since winning his previous Chambers Award in 1978, and primarily for his success in setting new world DX records on the 2.3 and 3.4 GHz bands. Libby received the Wilson Award for his longtime service to the CSVHFS. > > Katrina 10th Anniversary Mississippi Memorial Event Set > A special event operation from August 26 through September 2 will commemorate the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the more than 230 people who lost their lives as a result of Katrina along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and points north. > > "Many lost everything they owned and many lost their lives," said Larry Morgan, AG5Z, who is spearheading the event. "We also want to honor the hundreds of volunteers from all over the country that poured in to assist us in our time of dire need." > > > Hurricane Katrina damage in Gulfport, Mississippi. > > Several stations along the Mississippi coast will use special event K (for Katrina) prefix 1 ? 1 call signs. Operation will begin on August 26 at 0000 UTC from home stations. On August 29 at 1300 -- the time of Katrina's impact -- all stations will reduce power to 100 W, except for bonus stations K5M and K5T. Reduced-power operation will continue until September 2 at 2359 UTC. > > K5Z at "ground zero" will consist of a portable QRP station set up on the beach using temporary antennas and emergency power. > > Certificates will be available. See the Katrina 10th Anniversary Special Memorial Event website for details. Send logs and QSLs to AG5Z. Morgan expressed his appreciation to the 599 DX Association and the Hattiesburg Amateur Radio Club. Read more. > > The K7RA Solar Update > Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Solar activity remains soft, although sunspot numbers and solar flux both increased this week. Average daily sunspot numbers for August 6-12 increased from 70.3 to 82.3, compared to the previous 7 days. Average daily solar flux went from 104.5 to 112.4. Geomagnetic activity was moderate. > > Predicted solar flux for the near term is 100 on August 13; 95 for August 14-15; 90 for August 16-21; 95 on August 22; 100 for August 23-26; 105 for August 27-28; 110 for August 29-31, and then peaking at 115 for September 1-7. Solar flux drops below 100 for September 13-18. > > Predicted planetary A index is 5 for August 13-16; 14 on August 17; 10 on August 18; 8 for August 19-20; 10 for August 21-22; 12 on August 23; 10 on August 24; 5 for August 25-26; 12 on August 27; 10 for August 28-29; 5 for August 30-September 1; 12, 22, and 15 for September 2-4; 20, 22, 12, and 8 for September 5-8, and 5 for September 9-12. > > In Friday's bulletin we will present a revised forecast, and any reports from readers. > > Send me your reports and observations. > > Just Ahead in Radiosport > August 15 -- SARTG WW RTTY Contest > > August 15 -- Feld Hell Sprint > > August 15-16 -- North American QSO Party, SSB > > August 15-16 -- ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest > > August 15-16 -- Russian District Award Contest (CW, SSB) > > August 15-16 -- Keyman's Club of Japan Contest > > August 15-16 -- CVA DX Contest, CW > > August 16 -- ARRL Rookie Roundup, RTTY > > August 16 -- SARL HF Digital Contest > > August 17 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW) > > August 19 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test > > See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. > > Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events > August 15-16 -- Alabama State Convention, Huntsville, Alabama > > August 16 -- Kansas State Convention, Salina, Kansas > > August 21-23 -- New England Division Convention, Boxborough, Massachusetts > > August 22 -- West Virginia State Convention, Weston, West Virginia > > August 30 -- Western Pennsylvania Section Convention, New Kensington, Pennsylvania > > September 5-6 -- Roanoke Division Convention, Shelby, North Carolina > > September 11-12 -- W9DXCC Convention, Schaumburg, Illinois > > September 11-13 -- Southwestern Division Convention, Torrance, California > > September 12 -- Virginia Section Convention, Virginia Beach, Virginia > > September 19 -- San Joaquin Valley Section Convention, Fresno, California > > September 25-26 -- W4DXCC/SEDCO Convention, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee > > September 26 -- Iowa State Convention, Sergeant Bluff, Iowa > > September 26 -- North Dakota State Convention, West Fargo, North Dakota > > September 26 -- Washington State Convention, Spokane Valley, Washington > > October 2-4 -- Mid-Atlantic States VHF Conference, Bensalem, Pennsylvania > > October 3 -- Delaware State Convention, Georgetown, Delaware > > October 9-10 -- Florida State Convention, Melbourne, Florida > > October 10-11 -- Pacific Northwest VHF Conference, Issaquah, Washington > > Find conventions and hamfests in your area. > > ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for > Amateur Radio News and Information > > . > > . > > . > > Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes QST, Amateur Radio's most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month. > Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday. > Subscribe to... > > NCJ -- National Contest Journal. Published bi-monthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties. > QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters. Published bi-monthly, features technical articles, construction projects, columns, and other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals. > Free of charge to ARRL members... > > Subscribe to the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and emergency communications news), the ARRL Contest Update (bi-weekly contest newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much more! > Find ARRL on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! > > > > > > > The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 48 times each year. ARRL members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member Data Page as described at http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/. > > Copyright ? 2015 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved > From n8pr at bellsouth.net Fri Aug 14 15:48:25 2015 From: n8pr at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Fri, 14 Aug 2015 15:48:25 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Windows 10 OS Issues In-Reply-To: <55CC9279.1050908@bellsouth.net> References: <55CC9279.1050908@bellsouth.net> Message-ID: <6627F0AAB6E444D79337E456FBBD9B12@PeteRGateway> Mike, Copy the address and save it... qcwa69 at mailman.qth.net This is now forwarded to all. 73, PeteR -----Original Message----- From: Mike Williams Sent: Thursday, August 13, 2015 8:50 AM To: Pete Rimmel Cc: Duane ; Carlos KP4GL ; W8NJR at aol.com Subject: Windows 10 OS Issues Hi Pete, at the last QCWA lunch meeting I noted that I was having trouble with the MS OS 10 download not functioning with a wireless printer (HP6600 all in one). I have been digging into this and it turns out that I had to relax the security firewall in order for the PC to recognize the printer over the WiFi system. I lowered the security level, reloaded the HP drivers from their website and it now functions properly as it did with the old OS (8.1). I changed the security level back to the McAfee recommended level and everything seems to be functioning fine. FYI for the QCWA gang; I don't have the chapter #69 mailing list so please pass this on to our members. Thanks and good DX! Mike W4DL From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Aug 21 10:54:06 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 21 Aug 2015 10:54:06 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] WWII History you never knew........ References: <55D73240.2@verizon.net> Message-ID: <24D41597-51BA-44AF-8B4C-89E2060DF308@bellsouth.net> > ? Global eavesdroppers: In World War II, dozens of radio operators in Scituate dialed into enemy conversations worldwide > Reception was incredible: They could pick up tank-to-tank communications among Rommel's Afrika Korps > > By Tom Mooney > Providence Journal Staff Writer Aug. 8, 2015 > > > > Seventy years ago this week Rhode Islanders swarmed into the streets with other joyous Americans celebrating the end of World War II. It would be three more months before the world learned of Rhode Island?s top-secret role in defeating Germany and Japan. > > It was a tale of espionage, now virtually forgotten, centered in, of all places, an old farmhouse in Scituate. > > The clandestine mission that went on up there on Chopmist Hill from 1941 through 1945 not only helped defeat the enemy, historians say, but brought to Rhode Island the representatives of a new organization called the United Nations, looking for a headquarters location. > > Incredible, perhaps. But true. > > ?They even had plans to build an airstrip if the United Nations ended up here,? says Scituate Town Historian Shirley Arnold. ?Can you imagine that? In Scituate?? > > No one knows the story anymore, she says. ?All the old-timers are gone.? > > There was nothing remarkable to see on Chopmist Hill in 1940 when, a year before the Japanese would attack Pearl Harbor and bring America into the war, a Boston radio technician by the name of Thomas B. Cave drove up Darby Road. > > England was already at war with Germany, and Cave knew it was inevitable that the United States, already fortifying Great Britain with supplies and weaponry, would enter, too. > > Cave worked for the Intelligence Division of the Federal Communications Commission, charged with finding a hilltop in southern New England that could serve as one of several listening posts to detect radio transmissions from German spies in the United States. > > What he discovered up at William Suddard?s 183-acre farm was nothing short of miraculous. > > Because of some geographic and atmospheric anomalies, Cave reported he could clearly intercept radio transmissions coming from Europe ? even South America. > > As a Providence Journal story revealed after the war, military officials were initially skeptical. They wanted Cave to prove his remarkable claims that from Chopmist Hill he could pinpoint the location of any radio transmission in the country within 15 minutes. > > The Army set up a test. Without telling the FCC, it began broadcasting a signal from the Pentagon. From atop the 730-foot hill in the rural corner of Scituate, it took Cave all of seven minutes to zero in on the signal?s origin. > > In March 1941, the Suddards obligingly moved out of their 14-room farmhouse, leasing the property to the FCC. > > Workers set off erecting scores of telephone poles across the properly, purposely sinking them deep to keep them below the tree line. They strung 85,000 feet of antenna wire ? the equivalent of 16 miles ? around the poles and wired it into the house. > > They fenced off the perimeter, erected floodlights and established armed patrols to keep people out. They filled six rooms with banks of sensitive radio receivers, transmitters and directional finders. > > Then the FCC turned loose a 40-member spy team of men and women to listen in on the world ?although none of them knew the full extent of the information they were cultivating. > > The interceptors kept tabs on more than 400 different enemy radio transmitting stations broadcasting on any given day. They ferreted out secret low-frequency transmissions hidden under the beams of commercial radio stations abroad. > > Much of what they intercepted were coded messages that were then recorded and sent electronically to Washington's "black chamber" for decoding. > > Shaping the war > > The Chopmist Hill listening post soon became the largest and most successful of a nationwide network of 13 similar installations. Its ability to eavesdrop on German radio transmissions in North Africa, for instance, was so precise that technicians could actually listen in on tank-to-tank communications within Field Marshal Erwin Rommel?s infamous Afrika Korps. > > The Germans? battlefield strategy was then relayed to the British, who under Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery eventually defeated Rommel at El Alamein. > > The Chopmist station is also credited with saving the Queen Mary, the pride of England?s maritime fleet, as it was about to sail with 14,000 troops from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Australia. > > The station intercepted orders from Germany to the Nazi?s submarine wolf pack operating in the south Atlantic to sink the ship. The radio station alerted the British, who ordered the ship to change course. > > Cave, who supervised the Chopmist Hill station, told The Journal in November 1945 that virtually all the wartime messages sent by German spies working in the United States were intercepted in Scituate. > > Often, those German spies were allowed to continue operating so counterintelligence officers could run down their sources of information. > > One of Scituate station?s most important jobs was to intercept German weather reports from Central Europe. > > The reports, broadcast at a frequency undetectable in England, flowed easily across the Atlantic to Chopmist Hill. The information proved vital for British bombing raids over Germany. > > Occasionally the station assisted in air and sea rescue operations. On one occasion a plane carrying actress Kay Francis got lost off the coast of Florida en route home from a USO tour. No other radio installation on the East Coast had picked up the pilot?s distress calls, but the Chopmist Hill station did, guiding the plane home safely. > > In 1981, George Sterling, who had been the FCC commissioner during the war, told a Providence Journal reporter that he never understood why the United States was caught by surprise in the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor since the Chopmist Hill listening station had for months been intercepting Japanese messages in the Pacific indicating an impending attack. > > Once war broke out, the station thwarted Japanese attempts to bomb the United States using unmanned hot-air balloons laden with explosives. The Japanese had placed radio transmitters on the balloons to track them as they rode the jet stream across the Pacific in the hope they reached the West Coast of America. Many did, and the Scituate eavesdroppers heard the balloon signals. They relayed the information to Washington. U.S. fighter planes intercepted and destroyed the balloons. > > Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945, a week after Hitler committed suicide in a bunker in Berlin. The Japanese agreed to surrender on Aug. 14, 1945, five days after the U.S. dropped a second atomic bomb, on Nagasaki. > > UN takes a look > > The remarkable radio capabilities of Chopmist Hill captured world attention after the war when, in November 1945, the FCC permitted a Providence Journal reporter to visit the monitoring station. > > Two months after her story ran, seven inspectors from the United Nations Organization were climbing an icy fire lookout tower on Chopmist Hill and scanning the rural landscape below for what might become their new headquarters. > > The Jan. 26, 1946, issue of The Providence Journal carried the lead headline: ?Chopmist Hill District is rated One of Top Potential Locations for UNO Quarters by Committee.? > > The story described how inspectors were seriously considering the site as its headquarters because of area?s unmatched capability to reach every corner of the globe by radio. > > ?This is a possible site,? Dr. Stoyan Gavrilovic, of the Balkans and chairman of the inspection committee, told reporters during the tour. ?It meets most of the technical points. It is good.? > > During the tour the inspectors went into a room in the Suddard farmhouse where on one bank of radio equipment signs hung listing the cities of Lisbon, Madrid and Cairo ? the cities the radios were tuned to. > > One of the inspectors asked Cave, directing the tour, what was the range of the radio station? > > ?Well, Sydney, Australia,? replied Cave. ?That?s about the farthest place there is.? > > The inspectors said they were also looking for a wide tract of land to build an airport as well as a headquarters. Cave said the site offered about 50 square miles of property spanning Scituate, Foster and Glocester that could be available, although about 1,000 people would have to be relocated. > > The inspectors were in town for only a couple of days before heading off to inspect possible sites around Worcester and Boston. > > In the end, the United Nations officials settled on New York City after John D. Rockefeller Jr. offered them $8.5 million to purchase a six-block tract of land along the East River. > > Today the Suddard house still stands behind the same ornate stone wall it did more than 70 years ago. But the hill around it, once mostly pasture and scrub, is covered with tall trees and dotted with new homes. > > The house, privately owned again, reveals few clues to what happened there the last time the world went to war, save for a tall, thin radio tower in the yard, now covered in ivy, reaching for the clouds. > > > From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sat Aug 22 10:11:45 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sat, 22 Aug 2015 10:11:45 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] KB6NU's Column for August 2015 References: <<57A302B46C764FE0BC5B9F7F2E18F943@danromanchik.com>> Message-ID: <245F0AEB-945D-4013-B8BB-26990341F720@bellsouth.net> > Here's my column for August. > > This column is now going out to more than 360 clubs now. Thanks for all your support. > > 73, Dan KB6NU > > Antenna Analyzers You Can Hack > > By Dan Romanchik, KB6NU > > I'm a nut for antenna analyzers. I think that they are one of the most useful things a ham can own. > > I?ve often wondered why there aren?t more DIY antenna analyzer projects, though. Perhaps it?s because designing measurement circuits isn?t easy. An antenna analyzer has to have a signal source as well. Even so, an antenna analyzer doesn't need a whole lot of accuracy to be useful, so you would think that more builders/hackers would tackle a project like this. > > I do know of one antenna analyzer kit on the market. The VK5JST Antenna Analyser Kit (http://www.ahars.com.au/about/kits/) costs about $110 USD. I actually purchased this kit a year or so ago, and it looks like a great unit. The unit seems well-designed, and it comes with a plastic case, unlike many projects theses days, but I haven?t yet gotten around to building it. > > I've also recently found out about an Arduino-based antenna analyzer project (http://hackaday.com/2015/08/06/40-antenna-analyzer-with-arduino-and-ad9850/). It uses an AD9850 module as the signal source. The approximate cost for all the parts is about $40, and you can experiment with the code, if you like. If you have the time and inclination, this project might be worth taking a hack at. [[NOTE TO EDITORS: A photo of this project can be found at http://www.kb6nu.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/analyzer.jpg]] > > Another antenna analyzer project from Australia is the VK3YY antenna analyzer (or "analyser" as they spell it there). It uses an Arduino Nano. The interesting thing about the blog post in which VK3YY describes the project (https://vk3yy.wordpress.com/2014/09/29/antenna-analyser-project/) is that you can follow his design and experimentation process. > > Yet another analyzer > > While I?m talking about antenna analzyers, let me mention another one that I?ve just found out about: the IW2NDH Antenna Analyzer (http://www.iw2ndh.com/). This antenna analyzer isn't a kit, but at $175 seems to be a good deal. This unit has a frequency coverage of 2 ? 160 MHz, and can be used as an antenna analyzer, signal generator, and a scalar network analyzer. > > Apparently, this started out as an Arduino project. As Maximo, EA1DDO, pointed out on the radioartisan Yahoo Group, there is source code for this project on GitHub (https://gist.github.com/jackdev23/7876502), and a schematic is available on the Union de Radioaficionados Espanoles (URE) website (http://www.ure.es/media/kunena/attachments/2420/Schematic.jpg). > > ========================== > > When not writing about antenna analyzers, Dan, KB6NU, actually builds an antenna now and then. You can often find him on the HF bands (mostly 40m and 30m), working CW. His #1-rated amateur radio blog can be found at KB6NU.Com, and you can e-mail questions, comments, or complaints to cwgeek at kb6nu.com. From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sun Aug 23 18:48:52 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sun, 23 Aug 2015 18:48:52 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Icom 7300 Unveiled Message-ID: <4C45C10B-7975-428A-A818-7A260BF1AF0C@bellsouth.net> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TYo8JD8KkmM&autoplay=1 Sent from my iPhone From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Aug 25 10:46:42 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2015 10:46:42 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ARLB025 FCC Universal Licensing System, Other Applications to be Down for Maintenance References: <20150825144019.E2D8A200A282@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <5CF49AE6-3C14-4913-BD80-FF346911E85E@bellsouth.net> > SB QST @ ARL $ARLB025 > ARLB025 FCC Universal Licensing System, Other Applications to be > Down for Maintenance > > ZCZC AG25 > QST de W1AW > ARRL Bulletin 25 ARLB025 > From ARRL Headquarters > Newington CT August 25, 2015 > To all radio amateurs > > SB QST ARL ARLB025 > ARLB025 FCC Universal Licensing System, Other Applications to be > Down for Maintenance > > FCC website maintenance in early September will make the Universal > Licensing System (ULS), the Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS), > the Electronic Document Management System (EDOCS) and other public > applications unavailable for more than 5 days. The Commission said > the outage will begin at 2200 UTC on Wednesday, September 2, and > continue through the Labor Day weekend. The maintenance work should > be completed by 1200 UTC on Tuesday, September 8. During the ULS > outage, it will not be possible to file any Amateur Radio > applications. > > "[M]ost Commission resources normally accessible through the > Commission's website, including access to all electronic filing > systems and electronic dockets, will be inaccessible for the same > period, with the exception of the Network Outage Reporting System > (NORS), the Consumer Help Center (CHC), and the Disaster Information > Reporting System (DIRS), which will remain available," an FCC Public > Notice said on August 20. "The Commission's website will remain > available, but with reduced content and limited search > capabilities." According to the Public Notice, the FCC will follow > its normal schedule of operation during the maintenance period, but > voicemail will be offline, and most Commission staffers will not > have access to e-mail. Static content webpages on the fcc.gov > domain, such as the FCC consumer guides, should remain available > during the outage. > > The FCC will extend filing deadlines for all regulatory and > enforcement filings that fall during the maintenance period. Filings > due on September 2, 3, 4, or 8 now will be due on Wednesday, > September 9. "Except for the due dates specified herein, we are not > automatically extending the deadlines for any other comment or > filing periods that will be running during this time period, but > requests for extension of time will be considered consistent with > the Commission's normal practice," the FCC Public Notice said. "To > the extent the due dates for filings to which reply or responsive > pleadings are allowed are affected by this Public Notice, the due > dates for reply or responsive pleadings shall be extended by the > same number of days." > > In a blog, "Modernizing the FCC's IT," FCC CIO David Bray said that > with the world and the technology we use are changing rapidly, "the > information technology used by the Federal Communications Commission > must change as well." Bray said the FCC has "made significant > progress to upgrade and modernize our infrastructure, and we > continue to work on modernizing the FCC's legacy IT systems with the > resources we have available." > > "We understand that this temporary downtime before and during the > Labor Day Weekend may be inconvenient for some FCC stakeholders," > Bray added. > NNNN > /EX From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Aug 26 09:05:10 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 26 Aug 2015 09:05:10 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] IARU Reiterates Commitment to Coordinate Satellites Only Within International Band Plans References: Message-ID: <8A002F3B-CEE7-4BAF-9E49-8FCA38B287B1@bellsouth.net> From Tony N2MFT: > SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS012 > ARLS012 IARU Reiterates Commitment to Coordinate Satellites Only Within International Band Plans > > ZCZC AS12 > QST de W1AW > Space Bulletin 012 ARLS012 > From ARRL Headquarters > Newington, CT August 24, 2015 > To all radio amateurs > > SB SPACE ARL ARLS012 > ARLS012 IARU Reiterates Commitment to Coordinate Satellites Only Within International Band Plans > > In apparent reference to efforts by China's Amateur Satellite Group (CAMSAT) to coordinate operating frequencies for nine satellites set to launch in early September, the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) has made it clear that it will not coordinate frequencies that do not conform with accepted band plans for all three IARU regions. The IARU has informed CAMSAT CEO Alan Kung, BA1DU, that it was only able to coordinate uplink and downlink frequencies for two of the nine spacecraft (CAS-3/XW-2D and E), but it has not made that > letter public. CAMSAT has said it plans to launch the nine satellites, all carrying Amateur Radio payloads, on September 7 or 8. > > "The IARU Satellite Adviser, Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS6AKV, and his advisory panel are mandated to coordinate frequencies within the IARU band plans for amateur satellites," said a public statement released on August 20 by IARU Secretary Rod Stafford, W6ROD. "Coordinated frequencies must comply with band plans that are common to all three IARU regions. Satellites coordinated outside these plans could cause interference to terrestrial amateur operations in other regions." > > The IARU statement suggested that the popularity and high occupancy of 2 meters "led to a request by satellite builders for coordination outside the spectrum reserved for satellites in the IARU band plans (145.800-146.000 MHz), as not enough channels are available to satisfy their requirements." > > The IARU said that, in theory, satellites could be programmed only to operate while orbiting above their countries of origin, but "because satellite orbits make it difficult to pinpoint operations, spillover to other regions may occur during parts of the orbit. Accordingly, IARU will not coordinate frequencies for satellites which are planned to operate outside the internationally aligned IARU band plans for amateur satellites." > > The IARU statement noted that its frequency coordination service aims to "maximize spectrum utilization and avoid possible interference to other satellites and ground stations." The IARU recommended that satellite groups "work on a sharing plan or use other parts of the Amateur Service spectrum designated for satellite operation," and it suggested resurrecting 10 meters - once popular as a satellite band, but largely unused today - as one possibility for uplink channels. > > "The band segment 29,300-29,510 MHz has been used for Amateur-Satellite downlinks for more than 40 years, beginning with Australis-OSCAR 5 in 1970 and AMSAT-OSCAR 6, AMSAT's first communication satellite, in 1972," the IARU statement noted. Just one amateur satellite actively uses a 29 MHz downlink - AMSAT-OSCAR 7, launched in 1974. Conceding that 29 MHz downlink frequencies "would not be practical for today's very small satellites" due to antenna size considerations, the IARU said the band could be used > for uplinks, even with small receiving antennas, because Earth stations can run sufficient transmit power to overcome the disadvantage. "The IARU Satellite Adviser and his panel believe that the 10 meter band offers a good alternative to 2 meter uplinks," the IARU said. > > AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, said his organization's Advanced Satellite Communications and Exploration of New Technology (ASCENT) initiative is exploring alternatives to address the proliferation of CubeSats and the resulting pressure on 2 meters and 70 centimeters. He pointed out that the 200 kHz IARU allocation on 2 meters "is not very wide" given the number of satellites being launched, but the use of 10 meters is impractical in this era of CubeSats. > > "It is incumbent upon the Amateur-Satellite community to develop new ways of 'keeping Amateur Radio in space' that take advantage of other bands and provide enhanced services through appropriate technologies, given the need to find suitable bandwidth for an increasing number of satellites," Baines told ARRL. He said using digital technology could provide multi-channel capability, and design work is already under way. Transitioning to "underutilized amateur spectrum on bands such as 5 GHz and 10 GHz is also a > possibility, Baines added, although he was quick to point out that AMSAT does not intend to abandon use of 2 meters and 70 centimeters for its own satellite projects. > > The IARU said that when a large group of satellite sharing the same band is launched, "they will soon drift apart which enhances the opportunity to share the same frequencies. For example, during the initial phase, just after launch, a time-sharing system could be used to monitor the payloads before initializing transponders and other systems." > > "Currently the IARU team also coordinates frequencies for satellites built by universities and educational groups in an effort to maximize spectrum utilization and mitigate any possible interference to Amateur Radio operations," the IARU statement concluded. "The IARU is committed to work with these groups and with the ITU to find other spectrum for these satellites." > NNNN > /EX From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Aug 26 09:23:24 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 26 Aug 2015 09:23:24 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Santa Claus Chapter 11 - OH8X Message-ID: <25DC057E-6AA5-4CF6-A300-D4A748A72669@bellsouth.net> MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE LAND OF SANTA CLAUS http://www.qrz.com/db/OF9X Sent from my iPhone From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Aug 26 09:53:57 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 26 Aug 2015 09:53:57 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] WWV's 25 MHz Signal is Back on Original Vertical Dipole References: Message-ID: <04F93BDB-6C9D-4393-9442-E368115AA19D@bellsouth.net> > WWV's 25 MHz Signal is Back on Original Vertical Dipole > Time and frequency standard station WWV's resurrected 25 MHz signal -- now back on the air for more than a year after going silent in 1977 -- is once again transmitting on a vertical dipole from its original antenna and location. The 25 MHz signal returned to the air on an "experimental basis" in April 2014, and it's been transmitting ever since. The WWV vertical dipole is not something you'd likely find in the average ham radio antenna farm. > > > A depiction of a WWV vertical dipole antenna. [Courtesy of Matt Deutch, N0RGT] > > "The antenna the 25 MHz [transmitter] is on right now is the original antenna it was on in 1977," Matt Deutch, N0RGT, WWV's lead electrical engineer, told ARRL. "When the 25 [MHz transmitter] was shut down [that year], the radiating section was removed and tossed in the bone yard, and a new longer section put on the tower to make it a 15 MHz stand-by antenna." > > Deutch said that when WWV first reintroduced the 25 MHz broadcast in 2014, it used a broadband monopole. It was later decided to use that antenna for WWV's 2.5 MHz stand-by transmitter, though. "So, we decided to rebuild the 25 MHz antenna," he recounted. "A few weeks ago the boys dug the 25 MHz radiating section out of the mud in the bone yard and rebuilt the 25 MHz antenna, so that it looks identical to what it looked like in 1977." > > > The WWV campus in Fort Collins, Colorado. [Courtesy of NIST] > > Deutch said the 25 MHz WWV vertical dipole now is coupled to its own, dedicated transmitter, radiating 2.5 kW "with near zero watts reflected," he added, and modeling has showed that the dipole exhibits a lower angle of radiation than the broadband monopole did. "There is no automatic backup transmitter for 25 MHz at this time," Deutch added. The 25 MHz WWV signal had been operating at about 1 kW for the past 16 months. > > Deutch has said that WWV has received reports on the 25 MHz signal from across the Atlantic. The 25 MHz transmission not only provides another option to check your frequency calibration or the exact time, it also can serve to indicate the state of propagation on 12 and 10 meters. The 25 MHz broadcast includes the same information transmitted on all other WWV frequencies and at the same level of accuracy. > > Located in Fort Collins, Colorado, WWV is operated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). WWV has invited listeners' comments and signal reports. > > http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2015-08-13 > From n8pr at bellsouth.net Thu Aug 27 09:24:04 2015 From: n8pr at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2015 09:24:04 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Windows 10 privacy settings Message-ID: Windows 10 privacy settingsI got this from my old club in Cleveland. thought it was worth passing on... 73 PeteR N8PR As Stephen, N8WB, says, wait a while (months) before installing Windows 10, if you are inclined to install it. Wait until all the implications are known. Here are some: http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/08/windows-10s-privacy-policy-is-the-new-normal/ --73, Glenn, AF8C