From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Sep 1 13:48:06 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 1 Sep 2015 13:48:06 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Charles Hellman, W2RP References: <55E5B0FF.1040409@verizon.net> Message-ID: From Bill NA2M > > > > : > : I'm sure many of you know Charlie Hellman, W2RP. I had the pleasure of studying photography with him while I attended the Bronx High School of Science in the early 70s. He set up a beautiful Collins KW station with a Tri-band beam on a crank up tower on the roof of the school. Until recently, Charlie could be heard mornings on 20M, Monday through Friday, discussing politics with his friends. Charlie was awarded the QCWA 90th Anniversary Award - licensed since 1925 and still going strong. Congratulations Charles! > > Richard, KC2HZW > > ?Hamming? it up for 90 Years! > > Charles ?Charlie? Hellman W2RP Licensed since 1925 > > Presented with Historic 90th Anniversary Award > > Hastings-on-Hudson, NY (August 31, 2015) Today, the Quarter Century Wireless Association, Inc. (QCWA)?an international organization of amateur (?ham?) radio operators---presented a 90 Year Licensed Certificate Award (Serial #1) to Charles ?Charlie? Hellman W2RP. Mr. Hellman is 105 years of age and is the oldest living amateur radio operator in the United States and possibly the world. Charlie was licensed in 1925 as a 15 year-old, and joined QCWA in 1975 and is also a member of local QCWA Chapter 181 (Hudson Valley). > > On hand to present the certificate, and represent QCWA President Ken Oelke VE6AFO and the membership were: Treasurer Charles Tropp N2SO, Directors Carole Perry WB2MGP and Pete Varounis NL7XM; along with QCWA Chapter 181 Secretary Mike Sturm, K2AE. Also on hand for the ceremony was Don Finkel, WA2OQM. The certificate reads: ?The Quarter Century Wireless Association presents this 90th Anniversary Award to its Distinguished Member Charles ?Charlie? Hellman, W2RP to commemorate Ninety Years of Service as a licensed Radio Amateur.? > > In addition to the certificate, Charlie was also presented with a letter from QCWA president Ken Oelke VE6AFO which reads in part, ?I would also like to say how proud I am that you have kept active for these many years, and to proudly celebrate what many will not be able to achieve in their entire lifetime. Congratulations to you on 90 years as a licensed radio amateur, and may you enjoy many more in amateur radio!? > > The information pertaining to Charlie was discovered when the QCWA webmaster, Bob Roske, N?UF, was updating member files and discovered that Charlie was still living in New York and was certainly the oldest living member of QCWA. In recognition of his achievement the QCWA Board of Directors quickly voted to award Charlie the 90 year certificate, a first for the organization. > > From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Sep 2 15:16:18 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 2 Sep 2015 15:16:18 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] A Message from Jeff References: <20150902114653.137822050D79@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <2ED8DA55-9C37-42EE-BC73-E7A81F8760AF@bellsouth.net> > Greetings to all, > Erika- It appears that we have dodged another tropical system > ?bullet? Just goes to show that even during a ?quiet season?, > it can just take one storm to upset our tranquil lifestyle here in SFL. > On the plus side, Erika provided a good drill for our ARES teams. My > thanks to all who answered the call and were prepared for Erika should > she have come our way. > > > > I know that I?m beginning to sound like a broken record, however, we > cannot lose our momentum with going forward with our support of the > Amateur Radio Parity Act ( HR 1301 & S 1685 ) If you have not already > done so, please reach out to your Representative and Senators. Write > letters of support and forward to ARRL HQ for distribution. A useful > tool has been developed to assist you. Visit www.rescue-radio.com This > site will provide sample letters with your respective legislators > printed thereon. Bring your laptop and printer to your next club > meeting so everyone can sign up. I cannot over emphasize how important > it is for everyone to sign on with this effort. > For more info, please visit > http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-parity-act > > > > Congratulations to the members of the Kennedy Space Center ARC upon > their approval as an ARRL Affiliated Club. Welcome to the ARRL club > family ! > > The Affiliated Club Update mechanism has been upgraded. Now when a > club updates the information on the ARRL club pages the changes are > displayed as soon as the information is submitted. The tutorial on the > club page www.arrl.org/clubs has been updated to reflect the changes in > the updating procedure. Here is the direct link to the pdf tutorial. > http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Clubs/Club%20Update%20Online_20150806.pdf > > For more info on ARRL club affiliation or the Special Service Club > program, just let me know. > > > > Mark your calendars for October 9-10 for the Florida State > Convention at Melbourne. Held in conjunction with the 50th Melbourne > Hamfest at the Melbourne Auditorium, this show has become a major > event > in the SFL Section. Meet with your Division Director/Vice Director and > the SFL Section staff at the ARRL booth. Our special guest from ARRL > HQ > will be Emergency Preparedness & Response Manager Mike Corey, KI1U. . > For more info, please visit > http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/florida-state-convention-50th-anniversary-melbourne-hamfest > > > The annual Simulated Emergency Test will be held in the SFL Section on > the weekend of October 3 & 4. For most ARES groups, the SET is a part > of their ongoing training program. Details about the SET can be found > on page 88 in the September QST. For more info on how you can > participate in the SET, contact your local EC or the DEC in your > District. SFL SEC Larry Zimmer, W4LWZ will provide support and > suggested scenarios for our ARES leadership. > > > A Reminder - FCC Universal Licensing System Down for > Maintenance September 2-8 > > The FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) and other FCC website > public applications are down for maintenance and will be unavailable > from 2200 UTC on Wednesday, September 2, until 1200 UTC on Tuesday, > September 8. The outage also will affect the Electronic Comment > Filing System (ECFS) and the Electronic Document Management System > (EDOCS). > > During the ULS outage, it will not be possible to file any Amateur > Radio applications, including examination session documents, or > conduct any license or application searches. Also, while the > requirement to pay a regulatory fee for Amateur Radio vanity call > sign applications will end on September 3, prospective vanity > applicants now will have to wait until after 1200 UTC on September 8 > to file an application for an available call sign. > > The FCC has told ARRL that the approximately 18-day vanity call sign > waiting period will remain in place "for now." > > The FCC's August 20 Public Notice has complete details on the > planned maintenance outage. It can be found on the web at, > https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-databases-unavailable-filing-deadline-extensions-early-september > > > > ARISS Issues Invitation to Schools, Educational Organizations, Groups > > Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is inviting > proposals from schools, educational organizations, and groups that are > willing and able to host an Amateur Radio contact with an International > Space Station crew member. The window for formal and informal proposals > will be open from September 1 until November 1, 2015. ARISS anticipates > that the contacts will be scheduled between July 1 and December 31, > 2016. Crew schedules and ISS orbits determine exact contact dates. > To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for > organizations that will a draw large number of participants and > integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. Because of > the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling > activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility > to accommodate changes in contact dates and times. > > Full information on hosting an ARISS contact is available on the ARRL > website. > To help organizations in preparing their proposals, the ARISS Program > Coordinator will offer hour-long online information sessions. These are > designed to provide more information regarding US ARISS contacts and the > proposal process and offer an opportunity to ask questions. While > attending an online information session is not required, it is strongly > encouraged. > These will be offered Thursday, September 17, at 2000 UTC; Tuesday, > September 22, at 2000 UTC, and Wednesday, September 30, at 2300 UTC. > Advance registration is necessary. E-mail ARISS to sign up for an > information session. > > ISS crew members will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts, > which last about 10 minutes, and allow students and educators to > interact with the astronauts in a question-and-answer format. An ARISS > contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio > between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and > classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences > the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to > live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on > the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about > satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. > Amateur Radio organizations around the world, NASA, and space agencies > in Russia, Canada, Japan, and Europe sponsor this educational > opportunity by providing the equipment and operational support to > enable direct communication between crew on the ISS and students around > the world via Amateur Radio. In the US, the program is managed by ARRL > and AMSAT in partnership with NASA. > > Visit the ARISS website for more information. Contact ARISS with any > questions > > > > > July ARES report from Larry, W4LWZ SFL SEC > > > Total number of ARES members: 368 > > Change since last month (+, -, same): +8 > > Number of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 10 > > Number of ARES nets active: 10 > > Number of nets with NTS liaison: 3 > > Calls of DECs/ECs reporting: WW4RX, K1UQE, KJ4FJD, N4ZIQ, AD4RZ, > WA4ASJ, WA4PAM, KK4ENJ, W9GPI, KB1PA > > Number of drills, tests and training sessions this month: 32 > Person hours: 300.5 > > Number of public service events this month: 1 > > Person hours: 5 > > Number of emergency operations this month: 0 > > Person Hours: 0 > > Total number of ARES operations this month: 33 > > Total Person hours: 305.5 > > > > > July Traffic report from Mike, KM2V SFL STM > > > > SAR - July 2015 > > CALL TOTAL > > WA4BAM 150 > W9GPI 008 > K9GZT 008 > K4KFF 091 > W4LWZ 004 > KA3PYO 011 > KR4ST 044 > NT4TS 018 > KM2V 108 > W4ZE 021 > > > > PSHR - July 2015 > > Callsign Total > WA4BAM 120 > K4KFF 110 > KM2V 130 > > > > NETS - July 2015 > > NET ABB. QNI QTC QND SESS MGR > All Florida CW Traffic Net QFN 229 52 334 31 WA4BAM > Florida Medium Speed Net FMSN 214 51 411 31 AG4RJ/AB4XK > Southeast Florida Traffic Net SEFTN 545 62 874 31 KM2V > Southwest Florida Traffic Net SWFTN 366 49 84 31 KE4CB/N9WS > Broward County Emer Prep Net BCEPN 25 3 97 5 K2MOL > Jupiter-Tequesta Repeater Group W4JUP 19 0 40 4 K4VMS > > > Silent Keys- It is with deep regret that we report the passing of the > following SFL members: > > Frank R. Hammond, KC4GKY of Palm Bay. Frank was a member of the Harris > Intersil ARC > > > > Well, I guess that?s about it for now. My thanks for all that you do > for Amateur Radio. Get on the air, Elmer a new ham, support your local > club and ARES group but most of all, have fun. > > Vy 73, > > Jeff, WA4AW > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > ARRL Southern Florida Section > Section Manager: Jeff Beals, WA4AW > wa4aw at arrl.org > ------------------------------------- From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Sep 8 11:23:15 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 08 Sep 2015 11:23:15 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Mike's Electronics - New Hours Message-ID: <55EEFD63.7080500@bellsouth.net> Mike's Electronics SERVING AMATEUR RADIO SINCE 1980 DOMESTIC & INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING 1069 NW 53 STREET FT LAUDERDALE, FL 33309 P 954-491-7110 F 954-491-7011 mspivak at bellsouth.net http://www.mikeselectronicsfl.com STORE HOURS STARTING 9/8/2015 MONDAY 9AM - 2PM TUESDAY 9AM - 2PM WEDNESDAY 9AM - NOON THURSDAY 9AM - 2PM FRIDAY 9AM - 2PM SATURDAY 9AM - NOON From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Sep 8 12:36:05 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 08 Sep 2015 12:36:05 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ARLB029 FCC Now Says ULS, Other Systems, Will Not Return Until September 10 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <55EF0E75.7030901@bellsouth.net> ZCZC AG29 QST de W1AW ARRL Bulletin 29 ARLB029 From ARRL Headquarters Newington CT September 8, 2015 To all radio amateurs SB QST ARL ARLB029 ARLB029 FCC Now Says ULS, Other Systems, Will Not Return Until September 10 The FCC has announced that its Universal Licensing System (ULS) and some other website applications remain offline for maintenance, but the Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) is now back in service and the Electronic Document Management System (EDOCS) should be available in a short time. The remaining computer system upgrades scheduled to have been completed by today, September 8, now are notexpected to be done until September 10, the FCC said in a Public Notice. As the ULS outage continues, it will not be possible to file any Amateur Radio applications, including examination session documents, or conduct any license or application searches. "Over Labor Day weekend, a dedicated FCC team worked day and night to complete major IT upgrades," the FCC's Chief Information Officer David A. Bray, said in a statement. "This work included physically moving more than 200 different legacy servers out of FCC's headquarters to a commercial service provider." This move - a cost-saving measure, Bray explained - ran into trouble when it was determined that additional cabling was needed to complete the transition. "Unfortunately, this delayed completion of all of the system upgrades - even with the FCC team working around the clock throughout the holiday weekend," Bray explained. While the requirement to pay a regulatory fee for Amateur Radio vanity call sign applications officially ended on September 3, prospective vanity applicants now will have to wait until the ULS is up and running again to file an application for an available call sign. The FCC has told ARRL that the approximately 18-day vanity call sign waiting period will remain in place "for now." ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, said a lot of candidates and volunteer examiners have begun asking why new call signs or license upgrades have not yet been issued. "We have a huge back log in our filing system that continues to grow!" she said. "We already have approximately 75 examination sessions and over 500 applications waiting to be released to FCC." Bray said it took seven moving vans to contain the servers being relocated. "With a massive server move of this scale - even with detailed planning, independent verification, and backup plans - the opportunity always exists for surprises, especially with legacy IT systems, nearly 400 program applications, and hundreds of servers," he pointed out. The project will relocate the FCC's "legacy" computer systems to a commercial service provider, helping to reduce maintenance costs, improve "resiliency," and allow the FCC to shift many of its legacy applications to the cloud, as it has done with its Consumer Help Desk. The FCC said in its Public Notice that it anticipates all systems and databases to be back online by 1200 UTC on September 10. By that time, it said, the Commission's website "will have returned to normal operations, with full content and search capabilities available." FCC voicemail and e-mail also should be back by then too. "We will continue to work diligently and provide updates on these IT upgrades," Bray said. "The entire FCC team and I truly appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to complete all of the upgrades." NNNN /EX From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Sep 9 10:41:09 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 09 Sep 2015 10:41:09 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Contest Update for September 9, 2015 In-Reply-To: <20150909101437.31BCB20DB24C@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20150909101437.31BCB20DB24C@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <55F04505.3020000@bellsouth.net> Preview If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/?issue=2015-09-09 The ARRL Contest Update September 9, 2015 Editor: Brian Moran, N9ADG /Contest Update/ Archive Contest Calendar ARRL Home Page Ad IN THIS ISSUE ? Sprints, not Marathons <#Contests> ? Arrrgggghh! <#Contests> ? Lockdown for commodity WiFi gear? <#News> ? Global Blanket <#Newsweek> ? SMC fest <#Sights> ? Changing wallpaper <#Results> ? Attractive communications <#Tech> ? How do YOU pronounce it? <#Techweek> ? Post Recruitment <#Conversation> NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO Adam, K7EDX, placing the rebar cage for a tower base. It's going to be getting very, very busy, very soon. October's calendar is chock full of events. You'd better be finishing up your outside antenna work. If you're up for a fun challenge this week, try the Worked All Europe DX Contest. US stations can only work Europe, and the contest has a special feature of QTCs (telegrams) - which count like additional contacts. The QTCs you send contain the QSO information from previous contacts. It sounds complicated, and it can be, but that's one of the reasons why it's fun to master. Your logging program (e.g. N1MM Logger+) can assist with the QTC mechanical aspects. If the bands aren't open to Europe... you might try (or at least listen to) the NA CW Sprint on 0000-0400z September 13 (Saturday evening in the US). Only four hours long, it can be daunting, frustrating, difficult, exhilarating, enjoyable, and fun as you get the hang of it. The Washington State QSO Party is called the "Salmon Run" as it occurs about the same time the salmon (like this pink) are indeed running. The weekend of the 19^th , dependable choices propagation-wise are QSO Parties for South Carolina, New Jersey, and Washington. If you liked the CW Sprint, try the RTTY Sprint. BULLETINS At the time of this writing, the FCC's Universal Licensing System is currently unavailable, due to system upgrades. It is expected to be on line again after September 10, 2015. The Pacific Northwest VHF Society 's 21^st Annual VHF-UHF-Microwave Conference will be held in Issaquah, Washington, October 10-11, 2015. BUSTED QSOS Apparently the last issue was "Golden enough." CONTEST SUMMARY Complete information for all contests follows the Conversation section *September 10* * CWops Mini-CWT Test *September 11* * NCCC RTTY Sprint Ladder * NCCC Sprint *September 12* * Kulikovo Polye Contest * FOC QSO Party * WAE DX Contest, SSB * SARL Field Day Contest * SKCC Weekend Sprintathon * Arkansas QSO Party * Ohio State Parks on the Air * *ARRL September VHF Contest * *September 13* * *North American Sprint, CW * * Swiss HTC QRP Sprint *September 16* * Phone Fray * CWops Mini-CWT Test *September 17* * CWops Mini-CWT Test * NAQCC CW Sprint *September 18* * NCCC RTTY Sprint Ladder * NCCC Sprint * AGB NEMIGA Contest *September 19* * *ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest * * SARL VHF/UHF Analogue/Digital Contest * Scandinavian Activity Contest, CW * SRT HF Contest SSB * South Carolina QSO Party * Washington State Salmon Run * New Jersey QSO Party * QRP Afield * Feld Hell Sprint *September 20* * Washington State Salmon Run * New Jersey QSO Party * *North American Sprint, RTTY * * Classic Exchange, CW * BARTG Sprint 75 *September 21* * Run for the Bacon QRP Contest * 144 MHz Fall Sprint *September 22* * Classic Exchange, CW *September 23* * SKCC Sprint * Pirate QSO Party * Phone Fray * CWops Mini-CWT Test NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST The FCC has published an NPRM affecting manufacturers of Wi-Fi equipment to restrict the ability of after-sale changes (via software changes or updates) by third parties to enable the devices (through software-settable RF parameters) to operate outside of their certification parameters. Such restrictions could make it more difficult (if not impossible) for alternate router firmware (e.g. OpenWRT, DD-WRT, Tomato, broadband-hamnet) to operate on these devices . Commodity consumer Wi-Fi hardware is currently being repurposed to support a wide range of amateur activities at 900 MHz and above (e.g. broadband-hamnet ). It's mesmerizing to watch during the summer months in North America - Live lightning strike maps , and this one too ! Though they've been reported since the beginning of high-altitude flying, red sprites emanating from the TOPS of thunderstorms aren't completely understood. The best views can be from space . Researchers recently had a good oops, and accidently quadrupled a lithium ion battery's lifespan . The accident was leaving electrode materials in an acid bath too long; this put a titanium hydroxide coating on a core of aluminum... ("You've got your titanium hydroxide on my aluminum! You've got your aluminum in my titanium hydroxide!") A recap of the historic solar storm of 1859 was recently featured on spaceweather.com . The consequences of such an event in today's world would be severe. Morse Code and a camera were allegedly being used to cheat in a chess tournament, according to the BBC. The player was allegedly blinking out communications to a conspirator that was feeding moves into a computer, and responding with moves. It's not good to get sore from sitting around, contesting. The Cleveland Clinic has some suggestions on how to treat your body better , through better posture. A better contest score depends on your 'butt in seat' time. Today, with all of the information available to us during a contest, controlling everything can be daunting at times. If one were to combine the use of the butt in seat with a special seat to control things... we'd need a combination of technologies to get the job done. TI may be in the right place at the right time. They have an example design http://www.ti.com/tool/tida-00314 which combines a multi-axis inductance-to-digital converter, along with a haptic-feedback IC , to enable a sealed ("environmentally resistant!") design which can not only take input, but provide feedback. If you're familiar with newer Apple laptop hardware with Force Touch trackpads, you may be familiar with the use of haptic feedback to trick our brains into thinking pressing on a fixed, sealed metal plate actually causes movement. Imagine if at the next 'send cw with your glutes' contest, you're faced with a butt-sized paddle? Feedback would definitely be helpful, and perhaps even inspirational. One could imagine the further refinement of haptic technology to suit our contesting needs: a peripheral used during the contest to enable additional logging functions. Imagine adding another special-function Shift key? Buttswitch inputs, both left and right. Special feedback to announce the spot of a needed mult. Behinders, er, reminders to switch bands as the rate drops. Such a peripheral could be just the kick in the pants needed to make it through the slow times. Two researchers from the Naval Research Laboratory are predicting that Solar Cycle 25 will be similar in amplitude to Cycle 24 . (Thanks W3LPL via Topband reflector). *Web Site of the Week* - NCDXF Beacons The Northern California DX Foundation sponsors a network of worldwide beacons on 20 through 10 meters. These can provide an important tool for which bands are open at particular times. In the days preceding a contest, it can be useful to monitor these beacons to understand what you can hear from your station at various points during the day. On a particular schedule, stations in various parts of the world transmit a readily identifiable CW signal at varying power levels. There are beacon id programs for your desktop computer and smartphone to help determine which beacon your hear, or should be hearing. The beacons are reduced in utility during contest weekends as operators forget about them and use the beacon frequencies. WORD TO THE WISE - FSQ FSQ stands for Fast Simple QSO . Developed by ZL2AFP and ZL1BPU, it's a channelized communications mode designed for HF, which evolved from WSQ2. It features quick link turnaround time, and suitability for propagation conditions found on HF. It is finding application in being used for 'chat' type communications. As it is channelized, it's not particularly suited for situations where the communications frequencies are not established beforehand. Ad SIGHTS AND SOUNDS K9CT sends information on the recent SMC Fest, which was held August 22^nd : SMC Fest Group Picture (courtesy K9QQ) "2015 SMC Fest is now history. Over 70 of our members met at the Marriott in Normal, IL and shared their contesting stories. We celebrated 30 Years as a contest club and Dave Patton, NN1N recounted the early days of the SMC. Several presentations were made by K9WX, N0AX, K2DRH, W9RE, K9ZO, K3WA, and K9CT on subjects ranging from VHF contesting, WRTC to SO2R. It seemed like we had something for everyone including a special 30th anniversary cake designed by Ralph, K9ZO. N0AX, NN1N, and NV9L at registration (courtesy K9QQ) The first few years of the club had about 80 paid members. We reset our membership a few years ago and now have about 280 paid members that are active. Recent interests have been the NAQP competition with NCCC and PVRC, Sweepstakes and the big DX contests by CQ and ARRL. We have supported WRTC, contest plaques and awards for our membership. K3WA discussing SO2R and how to do it with minimal equipment (courtesy K9QQ) SMC will be supporting the W9DXCC with the addition of Contest University for the new contester." (Text courtesy of K9CT, pictures by K9QQ) RESULTS AND RECORDS Sending out paper certificates to contest participants can be expensive. Considering the cost of reasonably nice paper, an envelope, printing, and postage, it could be several dollars per certificate. To reduce costs, some contests have changed to provide a self-print option for certificate winners. The CQWW Contest committee is soliciting opinions on "the future of paper certificates" via their blog . OPERATING TIP The band is open to Elbonia... I think. One way to tell is to use the reverse beacon network , and choose a receiving site that is near you. Hopefully, an Elbonian station is calling CQ, so that there's a chance that it can be picked up by the RBN. You can also CQ (using CW), and see if the Elbonian RBN receiver can hear you. Another way is to listen for fixed stations at known locations on particular frequencies in or near the amateur bands. OK1RP has put together an updated list of Topband-related beacons , which can sometimes be heard on or near 160 meters. Though it's nice to know where a beacon originates, sometimes it's enough just to know 160 meters is open. Another technique for 160 meters is to monitor the top end of the AM Broadcast band. For 20-10 meters, don't forget the NCDXF beacons, mentioned earlier. Ad TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION There was a stir in the media recently about using magnetic fields to communicate between on-person sensors and smart devices. Potential benefits for personal devices were seen in lower power consumption, and shorter range. More fusion reactor news: A private company is announcing some breakthroughs , primarily in reactor design. If you're experiencing eye strain or just want a change of scenery during heavy logging program use, try a different font for better readability . A typeface is available which is optimized for 8-12 pixel fonts on modern display equipment. Using the typeface Hack , lowercase "L" and the number "one" are easily distinguishable, and zero stands apart from the letter "O" (Thanks NN4X via cq-contest). Here are some useful tips on using an oscilloscope to track down sources of EMI in electronic designs . When researching how to fix an ailing transceiver, which has an extensive amount of SMD devices, I came across some videos from IFixit on how to do microsoldering - soldering really small things. The level of integration on the (>12 year old) rig isn't the same as say, my iPhone, but some of the equipment and techniques are applicable. W9IB and K2TXB have released an update to their WinBD program. This Windows application calculates bearing and distance to a four or six character grid location, and would be useful if you were VHF/UHF Roving. NIST is forming an alliance with industry to develop propagation models for millimeter wave bands which are anticipated to be used with 5G communications. Coilcraft has published a paper on how to select appropriate components for use in Bias-T applications (you may need to trade your email address for access). A Bias-T allows power *and* RF to be sent via one cable - sometimes it's called a power injector. It's Wi-Fi all the way down... below 1 GHz. 802.11ah is a standard for communication on frequencies below 1GHz. It's targeted more towards devices communicating vs. web browsing. You'll likely be hearing more about this category standard as part of MtM (or M2M) (Machine to Machine) communications for the IoT (Internet of Things). There's a bit of a backlash occurring when everything is sprinkled with Internet-enabling dust: /The Internet Of Way Too Many Things ./ *Technical Web Site of the Week* - Cabrillo Log Specifications The Cabrillo specification was created by Trey Garlough, N5KO, to provide a log file format that computer logging programs could generate, computerized scoring programs could digest, yet remained editable with a text editor. Now in it's third version, the Cabrillo Standard has a home on the web site of theWWROF . You may need to consult the standard if you're a contest sponsor, and have special entry categories that log scoring has to handle, or if you're running a contest-within-a-contest and require some special fields, or if you're wondering why the contest robot is rejecting your log. There are all manner of tools to convert to/from Cabrillo available at your beck and search engine query. The ARRL offers a tutorial on the format , including a template for the ARRL Sweepstakes. DISCUSSION Post Recruitment Let's say you've been successful in getting someone who isn't a "big contester", or even a little contester, yet, to show up to field day. He/she had a positive experience, because you've followed up with him/her, or were there to (Elmer) mentor him/her. Now is the time to find out what it was about the contesting experience that he/she enjoyed, so that you (and he/she) can build on their past positive experience with new ones. Some people will be self-starters, he/she knows what he's/she's interested in, and he/she went home after field day and got into a contest or two on his/her own. You might merely have to discuss some of the aspects of the various upcoming contests, and he/she will be filling her own weekend calendars well into spring. Your role here is a support resource, and to channel his/her energy into a range of activities, so he/she will better understand what he/she likes and doesn't like. Maybe he/she will be inviting others over to his/her QTH for a multi-op soon. You should cross your fingers that he/she gives his/her club contest points to your club. Others will have enjoyed the experience, but be stymied in his/her contesting next steps for lack of location, equipment, antennas, etc. You'll need to continue to offer (ask, don't tell) opportunities for him/her to participate. That participation may be in many forms - perhaps he/she liked station setup and construction, but was a little shy around the field day microphone. How about a RTTY contest? Is rate his/her thing? /Ask him/her what he/she needs to be on the air in a contest. /Note - what about some regular club members that you've not heard on the air lately? /Ask him/her what he/she needs to be on the air in a contest. / There are so many variables that can affect any particular contest experience - contest time, mode, frequency, exchange, propagation, equipment, antennas, team dynamics, etc. If you're doing a multi-op, don't forget the continued care and feeding of your new recruit. Involve him/her in all aspects of the contest operation and make sure his/her participation matters. While he/she might say "yes" to doing anything that's asked, it's up to you to figure out if you can put him/her on the 10 meter station for four hours CQing into a closed band. What motivates a person is feeling a sense of purpose and making constant progress . You, the Elmer, are helping to develop the talent of your recruit, not unlike what sports teams, corporations, non-profits, social organizations and the like must do to be successful. Remember to balance the needs of the organization (the contest effort) with the needs of the operators - and have fun! 73, Brian N9ADG Ad CONTESTS *10 Sep - 23 Sep 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* CWops Mini-CWT Test , Sep 9, 1300z to Sep 9, 1400z, Sep 9, 1900z to Sep 9, 2000z, Sep 10, 0300z to Sep 10, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; Member: Name + Member No., non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: September 12. NCCC RTTY Sprint Ladder , Sep 11, 0145z to Sep 11, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15m; Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: September 13. NCCC Sprint , Sep 11, 0230z to Sep 11, 0300z; (see rules); Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: September 13. Kulikovo Polye Contest , Sep 12, 0000z to Sep 12, 2359z; CW; Bands: 20m Only; KP: RST + "KP", non-KP: RST + Serial No.; Logs due: September 27. FOC QSO Party , Sep 12, 0000z to Sep 12, 2359z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, VHF; FOC-Member: RST + Name + Member No., non-Members: RST + Name; Logs due: September 26. WAE DX Contest, SSB , Sep 12, 0000z to Sep 13, 2359z; SSB; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RS + Serial No.; Logs due: September 28. SARL Field Day Contest , Sep 12, 1000z to Sep 13, 1000z; CW, SSB, Digital; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RS(T) + Number of transmitters + Category (see rules) + Province (or "DX"); Logs due: September 27. SKCC Weekend Sprintathon , Sep 12, 1200z to Sep 14, 0000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, *6m*; RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (SKCC No./"NONE"); Logs due: September 19. Arkansas QSO Party , Sep 12, 1400z to Sep 13, 0200z; CW, Phone, Digital; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, *2m*; AR: RS(T) + County, non-AR: RS(T) + (state/province/"DX"); Logs due: September 26. Ohio State Parks on the Air , Sep 12, 1600z to Sep 13, 0000z; SSB; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; OH Park: park abbreviation, OH: "Ohio", W/VE: (state/province), DX: "DX"; Logs due: September 26. *North American Sprint, CW , Sep 13, 0000z to Sep 13, 0400z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20m; [other station's call] + [your call] + [serial no.] + [your name] + [your state/province/country]; Logs due: September 20.* Swiss HTC QRP Sprint , Sep 13, 1300z to Sep 13, 1900z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20m; RST + "/" + Class + "/" + (kanton, province, etc.) + "/" + first name; Logs due: see rules. Phone Fray , Sep 16, 0230z to Sep 16, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15m; NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: September 11. CWops Mini-CWT Test , Sep 16, 1300z to Sep 16, 1400z, Sep 16, 1900z to Sep 16, 2000z, Sep 17, 0300z to Sep 17, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; Member: Name + Member No., non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: September 12. NAQCC CW Sprint , Sep 17, 0030z to Sep 17, 0230z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20m; RST + (state/province/country) + (NAQCC No./power); Logs due: September 20. NCCC RTTY Sprint Ladder , Sep 18, 0145z to Sep 18, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15m; Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: September 13. NCCC Sprint , Sep 18, 0230z to Sep 18, 0300z; (see rules); Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: September 13. AGB NEMIGA Contest , Sep 18, 2100z to Sep 19, 0000z; CW, SSB, Digital; Bands: 80m Only; AGB Member: RST + QSO No. + Member No., non-Member: RST + QSO No.; Logs due: October 18. Scandinavian Activity Contest, CW , Sep 19, 1200z to Sep 20, 1200z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: September 27. SRT HF Contest SSB , Sep 19, 1300z to Sep 20, 1300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RS + CQ Zone; Logs due: see rules. South Carolina QSO Party , Sep 19, 1400z to Sep 20, 0300z; CW, Digital, Phone; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, *6m*; SC: RS(T) + County, non-SC: RS(T) + (state/province/"DX"); Logs due: October 19. Washington State Salmon Run , Sep 19, 1600z to Sep 20, 0700z, Sep 20, 1600z to Sep 21, 0000z; CW, SSB, Digital; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, 2m; WA: RS(T) + County, non-WA: RS(T) + (state/province/country); Logs due: October 4. New Jersey QSO Party , Sep 19, 1600z to Sep 20, 0359z, Sep 20, 1400z to Sep 20, 2000z; CW, Phone; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; NJ: RS(T) + county, non-NJ: RS(T) + (state/province/"DX"); Logs due: October 1. QRP Afield , Sep 19, 1600z to Sep 19, 2200z; All; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RS(T) + (state/province/country/IOTA/USi) + (power or NE QRP No.); Logs due: October 19. Feld Hell Sprint , Sep 19, 1800z to Sep 19, 1959z; Feld Hell; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 15, 10, *6m*; (see rules); Logs due: September 26. *North American Sprint, RTTY , Sep 20, 0000z to Sep 20, 0400z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20m; [other station's call] + [your call] + [serial no.] + [your name] + [your state/province/country]; Logs due: September 27.* Classic Exchange, CW , Sep 20, 1300z to Sep 21, 0800z, Sep 22, 1300z to Sep 23, 0800z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, *6, 2m*; Name + RST + (state/province/country) + rcvr/xmtr manuf/model; Logs due: November 30. BARTG Sprint 75 , Sep 20, 1700z to Sep 20, 2100z; 75 Baud RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; Serial No.; Logs due: September 27. Run for the Bacon QRP Contest , Sep 21, 0100z to Sep 21, 0300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RST + (state/province/country) + (Member No./power); Logs due: September 27. SKCC Sprint , Sep 23, 0000z to Sep 23, 0200z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (SKCC No./power); Logs due: September 25. Pirate QSO Party , Sep 23, 0030z to Sep 23, 0330z; SSB; Bands: 40, 20, 15m; (see rules); Logs due: September 30. Phone Fray , Sep 23, 0230z to Sep 23, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15m; NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: September 11. CWops Mini-CWT Test , Sep 23, 1300z to Sep 23, 1400z, Sep 23, 1900z to Sep 23, 2000z, Sep 24, 0300z to Sep 24, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; Member: Name + Member No., non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: September 12. *VHF+ CONTESTS* *ARRL September VHF Contest , Sep 12, 1800z to Sep 14, 0300z; All; Bands: 50 MHz and up; 4-character grid square; Logs due: October 14.* ** *ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest , Sep 19, 0600 (local) to Sep 21, 0000 (local); Any; Bands: 10 GHz to light; 6-Character Maidenhead Locator; Logs due: October 20.* SARL VHF/UHF Analogue/Digital Contest , Sep 19, 1000z to Sep 20, 1000z; Analog (CW/SSB/FM), Digital; Bands: 50 MHz, 70 MHz, 144 MHz, 432 MHz, 1296 MHz; RS + 6-character grid locator; Logs due: September 28. 144 MHz Fall Sprint , Sep 21, 1900z to Sep 21, 2300z; not specified; Bands: 2m Only; 4-character grid square; Logs due: October 5. LOG DUE DATES** *10 Sep - 23 Sep 2015* *September 10, 2015* * ARS Spartan Sprint *September 11, 2015* * Phone Fray *September 12, 2015* * Wake-Up! QRP Sprint * SARTG WW RTTY Contest * CWops Mini-CWT Test *September 13, 2015* * NCCC Sprint * NCCC RTTY Sprint Ladder *September 15, 2015* * CVA DX Contest, CW * CVA DX Contest, SSB * MMMonVHF/DUBUS 144 MHz Meteorscatter Sprint Contest * W/VE Islands QSO Party *September 16, 2015* * Keyman's Club of Japan Contest * RSGB 80m Club Sprint, SSB *September 17, 2015* * NRAU 10m Activity Contest *September 19, 2015* * CWOps CW Open * PODXS 070 Club Jay Hudak Memorial 80m Sprint *September 20, 2015* * Russian RTTY WW Contest * North American Sprint, CW *September 21, 2015* * DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest * Ohio QSO Party * MI QRP Labor Day CW Sprint *September 22, 2015* * RSGB SSB Field Day ARRL Information Click here to advertise in this newsletter, space subject to availability. Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information *Join or Renew Today!* ** ARRL membership includes /QST/ , Amateur Radio's most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month. Subscribe to /NCJ/ - the National Contest Journal . Published bimonthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties. Subscribe to /QEX/ - A Forum for Communications Experimenters . Published bimonthly, features technical articles, construction projects, columns and other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals. /Free of charge to ARRL members:/ Subscribe to The ARRL Letter (weekly digest of news and information), the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and emergency communications news), Division and Section news -- and much more! /ARRL offers a wide array of //products/ //to enhance your enjoyment of Amateur Radio. Visit the site often for new publications, specials and sales. Donate to the fund of your choice -- /support programs not funded by member dues!/ Reprint permission can be obtained by sending email to permission at arrl.org with a description of the material and the reprint publication. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ARRL Contest Update wishes to acknowledge information from WA7BNM's Contest Calendar and SM3CER's Contest Calendar . Ad Ad Ad Ad Ad ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The ARRL Contest Update is published every other Wednesday (26 times each year). ARRL members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member Data Page as described at http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/. Copyright ? 2015 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved www.arrl.org From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Sep 9 11:15:04 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 09 Sep 2015 11:15:04 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Chess player caught 'using Morse code to cheat' Message-ID: <55F04CF8.5080806@bellsouth.net> From Tony N2MFT: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34184940 From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Sep 10 08:35:42 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2015 08:35:42 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Why Aurora is Everywhere Today: Solar Storm News 09-10-2015 - TamithaSkov Message-ID: <55F1791E.4070803@bellsouth.net> *Published on Sep 10, 2015* The Earth continues to be slammed this week by a huge solar storm that has raged for several days. It started on September 7 and has kept us at moderate storm conditions nearly continuously since. Spectacular aurora has been spotted down to Germany (in Europe) and Pennsylvania (in the USA) and aurora photos keep coming. See the source of this lengthy storm, get an update on its ongoing effects, and learn how much longer we can expect it to last. There is even a sneak peek at some of the aurora views I will highlight later in the week! For daily updates visit me on Twitter: twitter.com/TamithaSkov For a more in-depth look these links below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5jgXrZwNBM&feature=em-uploademail From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Sep 10 18:45:30 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2015 18:45:30 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Letter for September 10, 2015 In-Reply-To: <20150910211325.063942174F4F@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20150910211325.063942174F4F@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <55F2080A.3060505@bellsouth.net> Preview If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2015-09-10 The ARRL Letter September 10, 2015 Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME ARRL Home Page /ARRL Letter/ Archive Audio News Ad * ULS, Other FCC Systems, Come Back Online <#toc01> * Opponents' Representations of Parity Act's Purpose "Just Not True," ARRL President Says <#toc02> * Vintage Transmitter Sale Funds Opportunity for ARRL Teachers Institute Participant <#toc03> * ARISS-International Delegates Meet in Tokyo <#toc04> * Jamboree On The Air 2015 Station Registration is Open <#toc05> * QCWA Recognizes 105-Year-Old Radio Amateur's 90 Years of Hamming <#toc06> * Arkansas Ham Tops His Own Satellite Contact Distance Record <#toc07> * Nominations Open for the George Hart Distinguished Service Award <#toc08> * In Brief... <#toc09> * The K7RA Solar Update <#toc10> * Just Ahead in Radiosport <#toc11> * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events <#toc12> ULS, Other FCC Systems, Come Back Online Scheduled FCC computer system upgrades took a couple of days longer than anticipated, but the Universal Licensing System (ULS ) -- the repository for Amateur Radio licensing data and portal for all applications -- came back online early on September 10, along with FCC e-mail and other systems that had been down for several days. The Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) and the Electronic Document Management System (EDOCS) returned to service on September 8. During the outage, which began on September 2, it was not possible to file any Amateur Radio applications, including examination session documents, or conduct any license or application searches. Earlier this week, ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, said a lot of candidates and volunteer examiners had begun asking why new call signs or license upgrades had not yet been issued. "We have a huge backlog in our filing system that continues to grow!" she said on September 8, the day the ULS was supposed to be back online. "We already have approximately 75 examination sessions and over 500 applications waiting to be released to FCC." Somma said she first wanted to make sure the ULS electronic batch filing system was working properly before attempting to file the backlog, which, she added, could take a day or so to release. The FCC's Chief Information Officer David A. Bray, said the computer system work included physically moving more than 200 different legacy servers from FCC headquarters to a commercial service provider. This move -- a cost-saving measure, he explained -- ran into trouble when it was determined that additional cabling was needed to complete the transition. "Unfortunately, this delayed completion of all of the system upgrades -- even with the FCC team working around the clock throughout the holiday weekend," Bray explained earlier this week. Bray said it took seven moving vans to contain the servers being relocated. "With a massive server move of this scale -- even with detailed planning, independent verification, and backup plans -- the opportunity always exists for surprises, especially with legacy IT systems, nearly 400 program applications, and hundreds of servers," he pointed out. The requirement to pay a regulatory fee for Amateur Radio vanity call sign applications officially ended on September 3, but prospective vanity applicants have had to wait until the ULS was up and running again to file for an available call sign. The approximately 18-day vanity call sign waiting period will remain in place "for now," the FCC has told ARRL. Opponents' Representations of Parity Act's Purpose "Just Not True," ARRL President Says ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, has taken strong exception to certain claims being made by community association organizations about the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 -- H.R. 1301 and S. 1685. In an interview with /Ham Radio Now/ host Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, during the ARRL Roanoke Division Convention in Shelby, North Carolina over Labor Day weekend, President Craigie stressed that passage of the legislation is critical to ensuring the future of Amateur Radio. And she described as "false" recent assertions that the bills' passage would prevent community associations from requiring prior approval for 70-foot ham radio towers and from creating reasonable processes and aesthetic guidelines. *ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, was interviewed by ***/HamRadioNow/* during Labor Day weekend. * "As bills go, it's pretty short, and it's in plain English," President Craigie said. "The legislation does not say that, it does not /mean/ that. It's just not true!" She pointed to the League's recent "Clarity on Amateur Radio Parity " posting, which attempts to separate fact from fiction regarding the legislation. The "Clarity" document explains the bill and "addresses some of these statements that have no resemblance to anything that is factual in this or any other solar system," she said. "The /only/ authority that [homeowners associations] would lose is the ability to say, 'No, go away,'" said President Craigie. HOAs, she explained, would at least have to negotiate "reasonable accommodation," which would depend on the circumstances existing in a given neighborhood. She also said that the Parity Act does not represent any sort of federal government or FCC takeover or preemption of HOAs. "It does not take their authority to regulate away," she said. "It only takes away their authority to say 'no.' There's a big difference." *ARRL Roanoke Division Director Dr Jim Boehner, N2ZZ.* "The legislation does not even come close to what they are saying," agreed ARRL Roanoke Division Director Dr Jim Boehner, N2ZZ, who was interviewed with President Craigie at the Shelby Hamfest. President Craigie said the proliferation of antenna-restricted communities could dramatically affect the ability of young newcomers to engage in and enjoy Amateur Radio. "A lot of people who are hams today got started as young folks, and it led them into careers; it led them into all kinds of interesting opportunities in their lives," she told Pearce. If a young person's parents buy into a deed-restricted neighborhood, however, any ham radio aspirations could be shut down, she said. "We need to make sure that whatever community their parents decide to buy a house in, that [prospective newcomers] will be able to have some kind of a functioning antenna," President Craigie said. "Otherwise, our future has got a major crimp in it." "The world will not come to an end if the HOAs actually have to sit down and communicate with the radio amateurs who live there," President Craigie concluded. Vintage Transmitter Sale Funds Opportunity for ARRL Teachers Institute Participant The sale of a vintage Collins transmitter has made it possible for a Connecticut Amateur Radio club to fund a seat for a future ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology participant. The ARRL-affiliated Chippens Repeater Association/Bristol Radio Club (CRA/BRC) donated the money it realized from the sale of the old transmitter to cover the League's cost of providing the opportunity for an educator at a Teachers Institute session. As part of its educational outreach to schools through the Education & Technology Program , each summer the League offers multiple expenses-paid Teachers Institute sessions at locations throughout the US. "We have decided to fund a seat in the Teachers Institute program, since we believe that teachers bringing Amateur Radio and wireless technology into their classrooms and exposing their students to STEM lessons would be an excellent use of the money," CRA/BRC Treasurer Bill Flaherty, W1GY, told ARRL Development Manager Lauren Clarke, KB1YDD, in a letter accompanying the club's check for $2000. Clarke said the League greatly appreciates the club members' thoughtful and generous support. "The Teachers Institute program, started by ARRL staff members and key volunteers in 2000, has grown into one of ARRL's cornerstone programs," said Clarke. "Applicants far exceed the number of available spots every year. By sponsoring a 'seat' at a future Teachers Institute, the CRA/BRC is giving a teacher a very special opportunity to teach Amateur Radio and wireless technology and to engage students in STEM-related lessons." Flaherty said the club hoped the donation would "help inspire future students to become radio amateurs." Read more . Ad ARISS-International Delegates Meet in Tokyo Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS ) International delegates and representatives tackled a wide-ranging agenda when they met in late August in Tokyo. The August 20-23 gathering was held in conjunction with the Japan Amateur Radio League's 90th anniversary celebration and the JARL Ham Fair. Those attending represented Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia, and the US. Keigo Komuro, JA1KAB, of ARISS-Japan and JARL delivered opening remarks. ARRL First Vice President Rick Roderick, K5UR, who was in Tokyo for the JARL Ham Fair, also spoke briefly to the gathering. Kicking off the meeting was a presentation by Hideshi Kagawa of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on its initiatives to launch and deploy small satellites and technology payloads using JAXA's Epsilon launcher. During the meeting, delegates voted to study the feasibility of creating an interoperable radio system based on the Kenwood TM-D710 transceiver, which would be interchangeable between the /Columbus/ and Russian ISS modules. "Currently items are certified for one or the other, but not both," explained NASA ARISS Technical Liaison Mark Steiner, K3MS. "They also use two different voltages, 28 V dc in the Russian segment and 120 V dc in the US segment. Future equipment will be able to be used in either. This will significantly improve our flexibility on orbit." Steiner added that the next set of equipment being proposed for launch will follow this new requirement for interoperability. Delegates agreed to continue studying a proposal to use a so-called "Astro Pi" unit -- a modified Raspberry Pi computer device -- to generate a slide show of images for the Ham TV DATV system at times when no camera is attached. An Astro Pi unit will accompany the UK's first ESA astronaut, Tim Peake, KG5BVI, to the ISS in November. *(L-R) ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARRL First Vice President Rick Roderick, K5UR, IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA, JARL President Toshihiko Yamanouchi, JA7AIW, and JARL dignitaries cut the ribbon to open the JARL Ham Fair, celebrating the JARL's 90th anniversary.* A lot of discussion focused on fundraising and the formation of the ARISS-International Sustainability and Funding Committee. Delegates discussed funding projects and recommended yearly budgets. ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, encouraged all ARISS regions to support development of an international plan and strategy for funding and resources. Delegates also considered a revision of the organization's current terms of reference, to better formalize and document team roles, responsibilities, and processes, and address other recent changes within the ARISS program. ARISS-International delegates will meet next in Houston, Texas, in November 2016, the 20th anniversary of the inaugural ARISS working group meeting. Read more . Jamboree On The Air 2015 Station Registration is Open Worldwide station registration is open for the 2015 Boy Scouts Jamboree On The Air/Jamboree On The Internet (JOTA/JOTI ), which will take place over the October 16-18 weekend. Registration requires a *scout.org* username, which gives full access to the registration system as well as to many of the JOTA/JOTI activities that will be under way during the weekend. JOTA is aimed at fostering Scout-to-Scout communication across borders and is the largest Scouting event in the world, with upward of 750,000 Scouts participating from some 6000 stations in 150 countries. In the US 13,326 Scouts and visitors took part in JOTA 2014. Registration will also provide everything needed to take part in JamPuz (short for "Jamboree Puzzle"), an identity code that JOTA-JOTI participants exchange with one another. Required JID codes will be issued later in September, and participation in JamPuz is optional. The Boy Scouts encourage participating stations to submit JOTA reports and photos following this fall's event. "We need your report to demonstrate the success of JOTA to those in Scouting and Amateur Radio," said Jim Wilson, K5ND, the national JOTA organizer. He has asked stations to note down the number of Scouts participating, Amateur Radio licensees, and radios on the air, as well as the total number of contacts and states and countries contacted. "We would also like to see your best photos and hear some stories about your event," Wilson said. He advised local JOTA team organizers to add these tasks to their JOTA "to-do" lists. This is the 58th JOTA, held each year on the third weekend in October. Read more . QCWA Recognizes 105-Year-Old Radio Amateur's 90 Years of Hamming The Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA ) has honored 105-year-old Charlie Hellman, W2RP, of Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, for his 90 years in Amateur Radio. The QCWA's announcement also served to flush out another active ham who, while 1 year older than Hellman, has not been licensed quite as long. On August 31, the QCWA presented a "90 Year Continuous Licensed Certificate Award" (No 1) to Hellman, whom the organization at the time called "the oldest living Amateur Radio operator in the United States and possibly the world." Hellman got his ham ticket in 1925, when he was 15 years old. He joined QCWA in 1975 and is a member of QCWA Chapter 181 in New York's Hudson Valley. He gets on the air regularly. *(Seated) Charlie Hellman, W2RP. (L-R, standing) Hellman's friend Don Finkel, WA2OQM; QCWA Treasurer Charles Tropp, N2SO; and QCWA Directors Pete Varounis, NL7XM, and Carole Perry, WB2MGP. [Mike Sturm, KA2E, photo]* After QCWA posted its announcement on the QRZ.com news forum, however, Marcel Stieber, AI6MS, chimed in to point out that Hellman is not the oldest known ham. He said that Harry Wolf, W6NKT, of Morro Bay, California, is 106, although licensed but since 1936. QCWA Webmaster Bob Roske, N0UF, stepped forward to renew Wolf's lapsed QCWA membership and noted that since Wolf had been licensed for more than 75 years, QCWA would issue him a life membership. And now the organization may recognize his longevity as well. First licensed as W2AMK, Hellman was an educator. After working his way through the City College of New York, he taught physics on the secondary level. During World War II, the Department of War tapped Hellman to write a textbook, /Elements of Radio/, for training radio operators. Two of Hellman's siblings also held ham tickets. His brother Robert, now deceased, was W2JAN. His brother Benjamin, 96, is W2VB. *Harry Wolf, W6NKT, aged 106, has been a ham since 1936.* Also an educator, Wolf indicated on his QRZ.com profile that he once taught electronics at the college level and, after retiring in 1973, went to live in Hong Kong where he operated as VS6GF for 4 years before returning to California. He said he's on the air every day, mostly on 40 meter CW. Hellman's certificate reads, "The Quarter Century Wireless Association presents this 90th Anniversary Award to its Distinguished Member Charles 'Charlie' Hellman, W2RP, to commemorate Ninety Years of Service as a licensed Radio Amateur." Hellman also received a congratulatory letter from QCWA President Ken Oelke, VE6AFO. Read more . /-- Thanks to QCWA, Pete Varounis, NL7XM, and Charles Tropp, N2SO/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ad Arkansas Ham Tops His Own Satellite Contact Distance Record On September 5, Arkansas Amateur Radio satellite enthusiast Dave Swanson, KG5CCI, topped the satellite contact distance record he had set just a few days earlier. Operating from an old US Forest Service fire tower atop Rich Mountain in extreme western Arkansas (EM24uq01mu), Swanson worked Manuel "Dom" Ruiz, EA5TT, in Valencia, Spain (IM99sl48cx), via the venerable Oscar 7 (AO-7) satellite, operating in Mode B (U/V). *Arkansas satellite enthusiast Dave Swanson, KG5CCI, on Shinall Mountain in Arkansas.* "[T]his equates to 7947.381 km (4927.3 miles), which we believe to be a new record for AO-7 Mode B," Swanson said in a posting to the AMSAT-BB. Unlike his FO-29 record-setting contact on August 27, the contact between KG5CCI and EA5TT was scheduled in advance. Swanson recorded the contact and posted it on YouTube. On August 27, Swanson worked Christophe Lucas, F4CQA, in Trouy, France, by responding to his CQ. Swanson was operating on Shinall Mountain in Arkansas at the time. The two operators calculated that their contact spanned 7599.959 km (4712 miles). That appeared to break the previous distance records of 7537.799 km between W5CBF and G4DOL, and 7538.685 km between K4FEG and DK1TB, set on FO-29. AO-7, the oldest still-active satellite, was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on November 15, 1974. It went silent in 1981 due to battery failure, but it reactivated on June 21, 2002. AO-7 now will only operate when it is in sunlight. Nominations Open for the George Hart Distinguished Service Award The ARRL is accepting nominations **for the George Hart Distinguished Service Award. The deadline to receive nominations and supporting materials is November 1. The award honors longtime ARRL Communications Manager George Hart, W1NJM (SK), the chief developer of the National Traffic System (NTS ). Hart died in 2013 at the age of 99. *George Hart, W1NJM, SK.* Established by the ARRL Board of Directors in 2009, the George Hart Distinguished Service Award is given annually to an ARRL member for exemplary service to the League's Field Organization. Selection criteria include NTS operating record, Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) participation, or service to the ARRL Field Organization in terms of appointments and/or leadership positions held. Nominations should thoroughly document the nominee's lifetime activities and achievements within the ARRL Field Organization. Nominees are expected to have at least 15 years of distinguished service. The Programs and Services Committee will serve as the Review Committee, and the ARRL Board of Directors will make the final determination at its Annual Meeting in January. Submit**nominations and related supporting material and letters of recommendation via e-mail or postal mail to ARRL Field Organization Team Supervisor Steve Ewald, WV1X , 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. In Brief... *ARRL Server Maintenance Will Put All Website Systems Offline:* Some ARRL servers will undergo routine maintenance from 0000 UTC until 0700 UTC on Sunday, September 13 (Saturday evening on September 12 into Sunday morning on September 13 in US time zones). While the website will remain accessible, all systems will be unavailable during this outage. This includes Logbook of The World (LoTW), the ARRL Store, and all ARRL e-mail, including the ARRL E-Mail Forwarding Service (@arrl.net addresses), and ARRL Headquarters e-mail. E-mail will be queued for delivery after the system is back online. We regret any inconvenience to our members and website visitors. *Mason P. Southworth, ex-W1VLH, SK; Headed ARRL IGY Propagation Project:* Former ARRL staffer Mason Southworth, ex-W1VLH, of Montara, California, died August 28 from complications related to a traumatic brain injury sustained 2 years ago. He was 81. A graduate of Trinity College in Hartford and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, he began work in 1956 at ARRL Headquarters, where he met his wife, Freddie. While at ARRL, he was chosen to head the ARRL International Geophysical Year (IGY) Propagation Research Project (PRP ). Conducted under a US Air Force contract, the PRP enlisted 600 Amateur Radio operators from around the world to help improve the understanding of VHF propagation. Data from the experiment, sorted and recorded on 300,000 computer punch cards, provided a global footprint of VHF propagation phenomena. Southworth subsequently directed a PRP follow-on project under O.G. Villard, W6QYT, at Stanford University, researching transequatorial scatter propagation. He later returned to the East Coast to join IBM, where he spent 25 years and became known for his ability to make complex technological concepts accessible to non-scientists. During his League tenure, Southworth authored numerous articles on the PRP as well as on VHF-related topics, including construction projects. *A Reminder -- The ARRL September VHF Contest Beckons! *The ARRL September VHF Contest gets under way on September 12 at 1800 UTC and wraps up on September 14 at 0259 UTC. This operating event provides a chance for radio amateurs at all levels to experience contesting on the most popular VHF and UHF bands, as well as on those less-frequented frequencies above 450 MHz. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ad The K7RA Solar Update Tad Cook, K7RA, in Seattle, reports: The Australian Space Forecast Centre issued a Geomagnetic Disturbance Warning at 0132 UTC on September 8: "The effect of a high-speed solar wind stream from a coronal hole is keeping geomagnetic activity enhanced." The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) Daily Geomagnetic Data show the resulting high numbers indicating geomagnetic instability. On HF we might see higher absorption rates, but on VHF, we might see some interesting propagation modes. Note that there are no mid-latitude or high-latitude A index numbers for September 8, 9, and 10. This is probably because geomagnetic activity was strong enough to knock the respective magnetometers out of service. Frank Donovan, W3LPL, shared a link to the American Astronomical Society Nova article, "Witnessing Solar Rejuvenation," which proposes that Cycle 25 may be similar to Cycle 24. Weak solar activity continues. The average daily sunspot number for September 3-9 was only 37.3, down 11 points from the previous 7 days. Average daily solar flux was 85.3, compared to 97 for the previous week. Geomagnetic activity was strong, with the average planetary A index up from 19.4 to 27.1. The most active day was September 9, when the planetary A index was 59. The latest solar flux prediction from USAF/NOAA has readings of 85, 90, and 100 on September 10-12; 105 on September 13-14; 110 on September 15-17; 115 on September 18-22; 110, 105, 100, and 95 on September 23-26; 90 on September 27-October 1, and 85 on October 2-7. Flux values then rise to 115 for October 15-19. Predicted planetary A index is 28, 16, and 27 on September 10-12; 16, 10, and 8 on September 13-15; 5 on September 16-17; then 8, 20, and 10 on September 18-20; 5 on September 21-23; 15 and 10 on September 24-25; 5 on September 26-29; 8 and 18 on September 30-October 1; 12 on October 2-4; 8 on October 5; 5 on October 6-7; 8, 12, and 8 on October 8-10, and 10 on October 11-13. Sunspot numbers for September 3 through 9 were 27, 36, 24, 38, 47, 40, and 49, with a mean of 37.3. The 10.7 cm flux was 86.5, 89.9, 85.4, 85.6, 83.7, 83.5, and 82.3, with a mean of 85.3. Estimated planetary A indices were 9, 20, 13, 14, 46, 29, and 59, with a mean of 27.1. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 9, 18, 10, 12, 27, 24, and 31, with a mean of 18.7 (the September 8 and 9 numbers are my own estimates). In Friday's bulletin we will look at a revised forecast. Send me your reports and observations. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just Ahead in Radiosport * September 11 -- NCCC RTTY Sprint Ladder * September 12 -- FOC QSO Party (CW) * September 12 -- WAE DX Contest (SSB) * September 12 -- Ohio State Parks on the Air (SSB) * September 12 -- Kulikovo Polye Contest (CW) * September 12-13 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW) * September 12-13 -- Arkansas QSO Party (CW, SSB) * September 12-14 -- ARRL September VHF Contest * September 13 -- North American Sprint (CW) * September 16-17 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test * September 17 -- NAQCC CW Sprint See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events * 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 * October 16-18 -- Microwave Update Convention , San Diego, California * October 16-18 -- Pacific Division Convention (Pacificon) , San Ramon, California * October 17 -- Wisconsin ARES/RACES Conference , Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin * October 18 -- Connecticut State Convention , Meriden, Connecticut * October 23-24 -- Arizona State Convention , Kingman, Arizona * October 23-24 -- Oklahoma State Convention , Ardmore, Oklahoma Find conventions and hamfests in your area . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *ARRL *-- *Your One-Stop Resource for * *Amateur Radio News and Information* . . . * Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes /QST/ , Amateur Radio's most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month. * Listen to /ARRL Audio News/ , available every Friday. Subscribe to... * /NCJ / /-- National Contest Journal/ . Published bi-monthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties. * /QEX/ *//*/-- A Forum for Communications Experimenters/ . Published bi-monthly, features technical articles, construction projects, columns, and other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals. Free of charge to ARRL members... * Subscribe to the /ARES E-Letter/ (monthly public service and emergency communications news), the /ARRL Contest Update/ (bi-weekly contest newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much more! Find ARRL on Facebook ! Follow us on Twitter ! Ad Ad Ad Ad Ad ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 48 times each year. ARRL members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member Data Page as described at http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/. Copyright ? 2015 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved www.arrl.org From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sat Sep 12 08:48:42 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2015 08:48:42 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Army Signal Corp Morse Aptitude Test. Instructions and tests. 1942 Message-ID: <55F41F2A.2020203@bellsouth.net> Army Signal Corp Morse Aptitude Test. Instructions and tests. 1942 https://archive.org/details/U.S._Armed_Forces_Institute_Basic_Radio_Code_ca1942 https://archive.org/details/U.S._Armed_Forces_Institute_Basic_Radio_Code_ca1942 From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sun Sep 13 08:04:41 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sun, 13 Sep 2015 08:04:41 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Comments to FCC needed ASAP, regarding Fish Net Beacons in 1900-2000 kHz Message-ID: <55F56659.7040301@bellsouth.net> From QRZ: K4KYV Said: Here's an item from the FCC that needs our attention, since 160m is one of the bands most widely used by the amateur community. While most attention so far has focused on the proposed new MF and LF allocations, there is also the issue of fish net beacons on 160m. The initial comment deadline is past due, but reply comments are still open through the 30th of September. We can reply to the ARRL comments; they pretty much have the issue identified and defined spot on, except for a suggestion that fish net beacons on 1900-2000 kHz be moved to the "lightly used" portion of the Radiolocation frequencies between the broadcast band and 160m ham band, specifically 1750-1800 kHz. From what I hear on my receiver at this location, the entire segment of frequencies between 1705 kHz and 1800 kHz is lightly used. I rarely ever hear a signal of any kind in that segment, which was once packed full of now-discontinued radiolocation beacons. I would strongly urge everyone to submit a reply comment explaining why you support the ARRL position, with a further suggestion that the entire band of Radiolocation frequencies between 1705 and 1800 kHz be considered for re-accommodating beacons presently on 1900-2000. I am not familiar with the beacon transmitters except for a few online ads for the products, but I suspect it would be very easy to move the transmit frequency, requiring only re-setting a synthesized master oscillator and tweaking the antenna tuning network. A technician could probably complete the task in less than 10 minutes. The beacons would suffer far less interference operating in the now-vacant Radiolocation spectrum, than in the heavily used amateur band. Even though they operate at low transmitting power, amateurs, particularly those living in coastal areas, frequently complain of interference. Likewise, signals from high power amateur transmitters are undoubtedly capable of causing harmful interference to the beacons. When the FCC released the Report & Order upgrading amateur status to primary, it wasn't immediately clear that this included a new docket proposal (15-99) with a subsequent comment deadline. It is unusual for the FCC to combine a R&O for one proceeding with a new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking all in the same release, so this did not come to the attention of most amateurs until a recent news item appeared on the ARRL website. Some useful links: Here, you see a list of links to recent comments, plus a link to the text of the original FCC Release in the right-hand pane. If you wish to submit a (reply) comment, click on "Submit a Filing in 15-99", which is located at the top of the page just above the main heading. http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/proceeding/view?name=15-99 Here is the entire FCC Docket, which is very lengthy. The pertinent section addressing the 1900-2000 kHz issue begins with paragraph 30. http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/comment/view?id=60001030137 Here are the ARRL's submitted comments. The 160m issue is addressed in Section II, beginning on page 4 and running through page 11. http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/comment/view?id=60001198635 From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sun Sep 13 11:12:21 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sun, 13 Sep 2015 11:12:21 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] =?utf-8?q?K1JT_Advises_WSJT-X_Users?= =?utf-8?q?_Not_to_Use_=E2=80=9CUnauthorized=E2=80=9D_Builds_of_His_Softwa?= =?utf-8?q?re?= In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <55F59255.5070706@bellsouth.net> From Tony N2MFT: K1JT Advises WSJT-X Users Not to Use ?Unauthorized? Builds of His Software *TAGS:* Laureate Joe Taylor , new mode , WSJT software suite 09/11/2015 Nobel Laureate Joe Taylor, K1JT, the developer of the popular /WSJT/ ?weak-signal communication? software suite is advising users to avoid what he called ?unauthorized? versions of his software. He said problems could result by using these builds on the air, and any results that might be shared with the broader user community would be unhelpful. ?Third-party individuals ? ie, others not part of the /WSJT/ development team ? have been compiling /WSJT-X/ from the open-source code and making unauthorized ?releases? of their builds,? Taylor said September 8 in a *discussion* of */WSJT-X/* ?fast modes? on his website. ?I do /not/ recommend use of these builds on the air. If you operate with one of these unauthorized ?rXXXX? code revisions in our experimental code branch, you have no idea what you've got.? Taylor said that such programs ?quite possibly? have been built from an intermediate, temporary ?save? of various files that were not intended to produce a usable program. Subsequent observations regarding what does or does not work, he said, then become ?worse than useless. [T]hey waste your time and ours.? /WSJT-X /implements /JT9/, which Taylor has described as ?a new mode optimized for weak-signal communication on the LF, MF, and HF bands.? Taylor said /JT9/ is about 2 dB more sensitive than /JT65/ while using less than 10 percent of the bandwidth. /WSJT-X/ is an ?experimental? or ?extended? package. Plans call for the eventual inclusion of other popular modes now supported in /WSJT/. A new *alpha release* of experimental /WSJT-X/ v1.6.1, r5865, includes major improvements to the /JTMSK/ decoder. Taylor also recently posted *information* about new ?Fast /JT9/? submodes for meteor-scatter communication on 28 and 50 MHz. The post includes a brief development history and instructions. ?Since its origin in the dark ages (ca 2001) /WSJT/ has supported ?fast? modes (designed for meteor scatter, etc) and ?slow? modes (optimized for EME and other weak-signal propagation types),? he said. ?The most recent new mode, /JT9/, now has /both/ fast and slow submodes.? He said the new, experimental /JT9/ submodes use the same message structure, encoding, and modulation type as /JT9A/ (the original version), but wider tone spacing and optional faster keying rates. Among other improvements, it features a 5? speed increase for the fast /JT9/ decoder. *More information* on the /WSJT/ software suite is available on Taylor?s website. http://www.arrl.org/news/k1jt-advises-wsjt-x-users-not-to-use-unauthorized-builds-of-his-software From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Sep 15 14:13:24 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 15 Sep 2015 14:13:24 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Periscope Live Daily News: Solar Storm Hits Earth Now & Big Region on Sun Rotates into View Message-ID: <55F85FC4.3050003@bellsouth.net> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=365gl5WfcoY&feature=em-uploademail From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Sep 17 18:38:06 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2015 18:38:06 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Mark McCloud, K6YCV, Perishes in the Butte Fire Message-ID: <55FB40CE.2020500@bellsouth.net> From QRZ: Calaveras County Coroner Kevin Raggio has confirmed two fatalities have resulted from the Butte Fire. Raggio says they found the body of 65 year old Mark McCloud at his home on Baker Riley Ranch yesterday. Today they found another body in the M 24 Ranch subdivision. That person's identity has not been released pending notification of next of kin. Raggio says both victims refused to evacuate the area and were found dead in their homes, which were destroyed by the fire. ?#?ButteFire? http://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/mark-mccloud-k6ycv-perishes-in-the-butte-fire.493656/ From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Sep 17 18:38:29 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2015 18:38:29 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Letter for September 17, 2015 In-Reply-To: <20150917221934.1D664200EE22@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20150917221934.1D664200EE22@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <55FB40E5.3080007@bellsouth.net> Preview If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2015-09-17 The ARRL Letter September 17, 2015 Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME ARRL Home Page /ARRL Letter/ Archive Audio News Ad * ARES/RACES Volunteers Activate for California Wildfires <#toc01> * Orlando HamCation to Host 2016 ARRL National Convention <#toc02> * ARRL VEC Manager Elected as NCVEC Vice Chair <#toc03> * Amateur Radio Special Event Stations to Mark Pope's US Visit <#toc04> * Ham Radio Team Supports Road Race Using High-Speed Mesh Network <#toc05> * ARRL New England Division Convention Fields Remote Site Special Event W1A <#toc06> * Three ISS Crew Members, Including Two Hams, Return Safely to Earth <#toc07> * IARU Monitoring System Reports Increased Russian Military Traffic on Ham Bands <#toc08> * Worcester Polytechnic Institute Wireless Association Welcomes New, High-Profile Tower <#toc09> * In Brief... <#toc10> * The K7RA Solar Update <#toc11> * Just Ahead in Radiosport <#toc12> * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events <#toc13> ARES/RACES Volunteers Activate for California Wildfires Radio amateurs responded to the ongoing wildfire emergency in California. Earlier this month, ARES volunteers in Amador County supported communications at a Red Cross shelter at the Jackson Rancheria Conference Center, which has been housing evacuees from the Butte wildfire in Northern California. ARES/Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS ) volunteers were called out late on September 9. Amador County ARES Emergency Coordinator Daniel Edwards, KJ6WYW, had communications set up at the shelter by midnight and began contacting other ARES members and scheduling operators to work the shelter station 24 hours a day. During the activation, members of Yolo County and Sacramento County ARES spelled the Amador County operators at the shelter. "This gave the Amador County members a break and for some time off to help their neighbors evacuate their positions," Sacramento Valley Section District 3 EC Greg Kruckewitt, KG6SJT, told ARRL. Edwards said 20 operators took part in the activation, with two operators per shift. The station at the shelter was active for 120 hours. Bill Gustavson, K6BIL, who took part in the Amador County ARES response, said that at one point, with cell phone, Internet, television, and landline down, "my only source of information was ham radio. The radio was the only outside link to the world." He also said he was amazed to learn how many nonhams listen on scanners. As some roads in the area reopened and evacuees were able to return home, Amador County ARES was released from supporting Red Cross shelter communication early on September 14. The Butte fire also extended into Calaveras County, in the ARRL San Joaquin Valley Section. "The heart of our county is burned," Calaveras Amateur Radio Society President Ken Sanders, AE6LA, reported, with much of the area under mandatory or advisory evacuation alerts. "We've had an informal net going since the beginning on our 145.170 repeater," he said on September 14, adding that he expected that activity to continue "for several days." *The perimeter of the Butte Fire on September 16, 2015.* Raging southeast of Sacramento in the Stanislaus National Forest region, the Butte Fire has consumed some 71,000 acres and was 49 percent contained as of September 17. The fire has destroyed more than 250 homes, and damage assessment continues. Meanwhile, the 70,000+ acre Valley Fire west of Sacramento has destroyed nearly 600 homes as well as many other structures. ARRL Sacramento Valley Section Manager Ron Murdock, W6KJ, said Amateur Radio operators coordinated by Charlie Porter, N6JOA, at the University of California-Davis have been collecting veterinary supplies for evacuated domestic animals and livestock. "These will be transported to Petaluma and other unspecified locations in Sonoma County by members of the Class of 2017 Veterinary Sciences Department," he told ARRL. Orlando HamCation to Host 2016 ARRL National Convention Orlando HamCation ^? will host the 2016 ARRL National Convention in February. The convention will mark the 70th anniversary of HamCation -- second only in the US to Dayton Hamvention^? in terms of attendance. Orlando HamCation is sponsored by the Orlando Amateur Radio Club, an ARRL-affiliated radio club, and is supported by volunteers from radio clubs throughout the region. HamCation has regularly served as the host for the ARRL Southeastern Division Convention, and in 2014 -- the ARRL's centennial -- it was designated as one of the six regional centennial events. HamCation will take place February 12-14 at the Central Florida Fair and Expo Park in Orlando. In 2015, the convention sponsored 28 forums covering topics in Amateur Radio technology, public service, and education. ARRL Volunteer Examiners will conduct morning and afternoon license examination sessions on Saturday. Special event station K1AA will be set up and operating from the fairgrounds, and licensed attendees are invited to participate. The focus of the League's national convention will be ARRL EXPO , which will feature an array of ARRL exhibits and programs. The League also will sponsor several presentations and forums. On Saturday evening, the 2016 ARRL National Convention Banquet will take place at the nearby Highland Manor in Apopka, Florida. Banquet tickets, available from ARRL, are $60, including transportation from the fairgrounds and some nearby hotels. The HamCation website explains how to obtain convention tickets and offers more information about forums, exhibits, exam sessions, and local accommodations -- some offering special convention rates. Convention tickets are $13 in advance or $15 at the gate, offering admission for all 3 days. The fairgrounds can accommodate recreational vehicles within walking distance of the main exhibit buildings. A reservation form is available on the HamCation website . ARRL VEC Manager Elected as NCVEC Vice Chair ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, has been elected as the new vice chair of the National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC ). This marks the first time an ARRL VEC representative will serve in an NCVEC leadership position. She succeeds Michael Maston, N6OPH, of the San Diego County Amateur Radio Council (SANDARC ), who resigned as vice chair and as a member of the Question Pool Committee (QPC). The NCVEC called a special election teleconference on September 15 to pick a new vice chair. *ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, is the new NCVEC vice chair.* "I am honored to have been elected to this position by the NCVEC organization and excited to serve the 14 VECs and FCC in this capacity," said Somma, who also serves as NCVEC assistant custodian of the rules. No one has been named yet to replace Maston on the QPC. Somma said the QPC will not fill the position immediately, because it is in the middle of the revision cycle for the Amateur Extra class question pool. Larry Pollock, NB5X, of the W5YI VEC is the NCVEC chair, while Michael Cimbala, WK3X, is secretary, and Willard Sitton, W4HZD, is its treasurer. Officers serve 1 year terms, and Somma will serve for the remainder of Maston's term. Officers are elected every July. Assistant ARRL VEC Manager Perry Green, WY1O, is a member of the Question Pool Committee. The NCVEC is a private, not-for-profit voluntary association, with membership comprised of the various FCC-certified VECs. The NCVEC functions to facilitate the communication between the FCC and each VEC. Ad Amateur Radio Special Event Stations to Mark Pope's US Visit When Pope Francis visits the US in late September, Amateur Radio special event stations will take to the air to mark the occasion. The Pope is scheduled to visit the US from September 22 until September 27. Six Papal Visit Amateur Radio special event stations will be active while he is here. *Pope Francis.* The Pope will arrive on September 22 at Joint Base Andrews and first will visit Washington, DC, then meet with President Barack Obama, and address a joint session of the Congress. On September 25, he will attend a UN General Assembly session and take part in a service at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center. The following day, he will speak at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, before concluding his visit with an outdoor mass in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on September 27. Call signs from the Washington, DC, area will be K3P and N4P; from New York and New Jersey, K2P; from Southeastern Pennsylvania, W3FRC/WMF, and from Philadelphia, W3P and WM3PEN. Four commemorative QSL cards and a certificate to mark the historic event will be available. Members of the Potomac Valley Radio Club , the Frankford Radio Club , the Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club , and the Holmesburg Amateur Radio Club , plus individual radio amateurs, will help to coordinate activity. A Facebook group has been established for the event. Ham Radio Team Supports Road Race Using High-Speed Mesh Network Radio Amateurs in Utah have again made use of a broadband ham radio mesh network to support a public event. Charles Gray, KE6QZU, headed a group of ham radio volunteers that set up a high-speed broadband ham net mesh (BBHN MESH) network in the rugged Wasatch Mountains of northern Utah to provide communication along the final 30 miles of the of the September 11-12 Wasatch 100 Mile Mountain Endurance Race . Other hams covered the first 70 miles of the race using more conventional technology, including FM voice and packet. *Brad Rupp, AC7BR (left), and Grant Gardner, KC7HOU, admire their handiwork after setting up a node on rugged Clayton Peak.* Using the BBHN MESH system, the hams helped race officials to keep track of the racers and their progress along the extremely difficult course. BBHN MESH uses ordinary Wi-Fi technology on Amateur Radio frequencies, which meant the mesh network was able to cover a considerable amount of real estate, even in the challenging mountainous environment. The race course encompassed more than 53,000 feet of elevation change, and it's not unusual for participants to drop out before reaching the finish line. For the hams, the terrain added a challenge to setting up the network; at some points they had to maneuver over huge boulders, some the size of cars, on their way to the summit of Clayton Peak, on the north *The Reverend Robert Jelf (KG7OHV) manning the Soldier Hollow Race Finish Line Radio/Computer Station with his Service Dog Teal'c.* side of the Brighton Ski Resort. The radio amateurs had to work in teams to hoist their radio gear over the rocks to reach the top. The mesh network included five sites, including two unattended relay points. The group employed /TeamTalk/ software for race communication. In addition to Gray, other participants included Brad Rupp, AC7BR; Steven Baxter, K7SRB; Grant Gardner, KC7HOU; David Bauman, KF7MCF; Robert Jelf, KG7OHV; Doug Thompson, W1DUG; Taylor Brinton, KE7BME, and Rich Allen, N7HRA. Last March, some of the same hams successfully used a broadband 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network to help coordinate the Boy Scouts of America's "Scouting for Food" project. /-- Thanks to //David T. Bauman/ /, KF7MCF/ ARRL New England Division Convention Fields Remote Site Special Event W1A Special event station W1A at the ARRL New England Division Convention August 21-23 in Boxboro, Massachusetts, was "special" in more than one respect. For starters, it did not have any antennas at the convention site. Instead, the convention hotel served as the control point for "remote base" sites in Vermont, Massachusetts, Manitoba, and even Poland. Dennis Egan, W1UE, and Gerry Hull, W1VE, remote enthusiasts who oversaw the special event, said the fully remote base operation was a first for the W1A special event. Egan, a member of the convention organizing committee, convinced his colleagues to go with the remote option. *Gerry Hull, W1VE, operates CW at the New England Division Convention's W1A special event station. [Rick Lindquist, WW1ME, photo]* "We managed slightly more than 1800 QSOs, despite rotten conditions," Hull said. "We were using mainly K2LE/1 in Vermont, and K1TTT in Massachusetts -- both big contest stations." In the past, the New England Division Convention W1A special event station has erected temporary antennas outside the hotel. Hull also reported one "special QSO." ARRL officials spoke with a camper at the Courage Kenny Handiham System 's Camp Courage. Directed by Patrick Tice, WA0TDA, Handihams is an organization for radio amateurs with disabilities. W1A enjoyed a successful contact with W0EQO at the camp in Maple Lake, Minnesota. ARRL COO Harold Kramer, WJ1B, extended greetings to the campers on behalf of the League and those at the convention. Camp volunteer Matt Arthur, KA0PQW, operated W0EQO. The Handiham Remote Base HF Stations offer the opportunity for members to operate through a PC or Android device, if they live where they can't have antennas. The initial plan, Hull said, was to contact the camp via VE4EA, taking advantage of daytime propagation between Minnesota and Manitoba. But there was a terrestrial issue: "Cary's [VE4EA] remote uses DSL for Internet, and RF kills the Internet connection on 160-40," Hull explained. "So, instead we used K1TTT, with 4 element 40 meter Yagis at 180 and 60 feet and 1 kW. They were S-5 on the K1TTT end over the remote." *Craig Clark, K1QX, pulls a phone shift at W1A. [Rick Lindquist, WW1ME, photo]* Hull said W1A also logged some 50 contacts through VE4EA in suburban Winnipeg. Plans to also use VY1JA's station in Yukon Territory to operate as VY1/W1A fell through, because a solar flare had wiped out the bands in the Arctic region. "There were only two signals on the band -- birdies in the receiver," Hull said. W1A also was able to make a handful of contacts via 3Z9DX in Poland, using RemoteHams , on 40 meters with 100 W and a 3 element Yagi. Operators staffed two W1A operating positions, often with one on SSB, the other on CW. Primary operators were NB1N, WO1N, NF1A, AE5RF/BA4CW), K1BG, N2KW, KM3T, AA4AK, W1QK, W1UE, K1QX, and W1VE. Hull said a lot of younger operators got a chance at the mic. These included KC1CWF, KC1CZQ, and KC1CWX. "It was a lot of fun!" he concluded. Ad Three ISS Crew Members, Including Two Hams, Return Safely to Earth Two radio amateurs -- European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ, /Soyuz/ commander and Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, RN3DT -- plus Kazakh cosmonaut Aidyn Aimbetov, arrived back on Earth on September 12 from the International Space Station (ISS ). Mogensen, Aimbetov, and cosmonaut Sergey Volkov, RU3DIS, had launched in a /Soyuz/ transporter to the ISS on September 2 from Baikonur cosmodrome. Aimbetov -- who had replaced "space tourist" and British singer Sarah Brightman on the /Soyuz/ flight -- and Mogensen took part in the 10-day ESA mission to test new technologies and conduct a series of scientific experiments. Mogensen is Denmark's first astronaut, while Aimbetov is the first Kazakh cosmonaut. *The Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft carrying returning ISS crew members lands in the Kazakh steppe. [Courtesy of the ESA]* The trio undocked from the orbiting complex on September 11 in the /Soyuz/ spacecraft that had been attached to the ISS, leaving the vessel they arrived in for the station crew. The new /Soyuz/ spacecraft will return NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, RN3BF, at the end of their one-year mission next March, along with Volkov. The return wrapped up 168 days in space for Padalka, who had been on the ISS since March and has logged a record 879 days in space on five flights -- more than 2 months longer than cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, U5MIR, the previous record holder. The undocking of the returning /Soyuz/ marked the formal start of ISS Expedition 45 under Kelly's command. In addition to Kelly, Kornienko, and Volkov, those onboard the ISS include astronaut Kjell Lindgren, KO5MOS; cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, RN3DX, and JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, KG5BPH. Three more radio amateurs are scheduled to head to the ISS in December. They are cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, RK3DUP; UK astronaut Timothy Peake, KG5BVI, and Timothy Kopra, KE5UDN. November 2 will mark the 15th anniversary of a permanent human presence on the ISS./-- Thanks to NASA, European Space Agency/ IARU Monitoring System Reports Increased Russian Military Traffic on Ham Bands The September edition of the IARU Region 1 Monitoring System (IARUMS ) newsletter has reported that Russian Military traffic in the Amateur Radio 7 and 14 MHz bands increased during August. At least some of these intruders were likely to be audible in other parts of the world. Monitors in Europe reported a Russian over-the-horizon (OTH) radar in Gorodezh on 14.108 MHz, causing strong interference daily and often exhibiting splatter. In addition the Russian Navy was reported active frequently on 14.192.0 MHz using FM CW. Other monitoring stations in Germany reported numerous Chinese OTH radars in other bands, including on 75 meters. *Veteran IARUMS Region 1 intruder watcher Wolf Hadel, DK2OM.* Region 1 IARUMS Coordinator and veteran monitor Wolf Hadel, DK2OM, recently told the Rusk County Amateur Radio Club in East Texas that some of the worst offenders are OTH facilities in Russia and Iran. The signals can result in broad swaths of noise in the 20 meter band, he said. During his VoIP talk, Hadel pointed out that recruiting volunteer monitors with the "right equipment" is difficult, and he encouraged club members to join the hunt for ham band intruders. According to Region 1 monitors, intruding signals said to be coming from Spanish fishing vessels have now been reported on all amateur bands -- shared and exclusive. A beacon, reported to be in Kazakhstan, has been transmitting "V" on 7027.5 kHz continuously. Apparent North Korean diplomatic traffic from the DPRK embassy in Moscow has been heard on 14.109.5 MHz. Mario Taeubel, DG0JBJ, observed 31 OTH radars on 20 meters, 28 OTH radars on 15 meters, and 11 OTH radars on 10 meters during August. In addition, a Chinese OTH radar has often appeared on 80 meters in IARU Region 3. Monitors in Europe also have monitored transmissions between taxi drivers and dispatchers on Amateur Radio frequencies, primarily on 10 meters. The ARRL recently forwarded reports from IARU Region 2 and Hawaii to R2 Monitoring System Coordinator Jorge Del Valle, TG9ADV. These included so-called drift net beacons on 10 meters (28.281 and 28.226 MHz), as well as digital, radar, and phone intruders heard on 20 meters in Hawaii. Authorized by the IARU Administrative Council, IARU Monitoring System volunteers work under the guidance of the IARU International Monitoring System Coordinator and regional coordinators. The IARU Monitoring System operations are coordinated under the Monitoring System Committee. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Worcester Polytechnic Institute Wireless Association Welcomes New, High-Profile Tower The new fall semester at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Massachusetts, heralded not only the resumption of classes but a new antenna tower for the WPI Wireless Association (WPIWA ), the home of W1YK. The new tower replaced an older one atop the four-story Salisbury Labs building on the campus, where the club's other antennas are located. The club station has long been housed in a small penthouse on the building. The new tower sports a 2 element antenna to cover 40 and 10 meters. *The new WPIWA tower supports a 40/10 meter Yagi.* WPIWA President Andrew Mahn, NS1A -- a member of the Class of 2017 who is studying management information systems -- credited many people for helping make the project possible, including the club's current and previous executive boards, the WPI Student Government Association, and many WPI employees who worked with club over the past several months to coordinate the new tower installation. He singled out club alumnus Gregory Karp-Neufeld, W6GKN, as essential to the project from the very beginning, and who contributed countless hours to it throughout the summer from the West Coast. The WPI Wireless Association traces its roots to the earliest days of Amateur Radio. The group was first founded in October of 1909, by Oliver B. Jacobs and a group of 40 others, inspired by a similar initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. More photos are on the club's Facebook page. Ad In Brief... *Ned Stearns, AA7A, Now Maintaining World Above 50 MHz Standings:* Ned Stearns, AA7A, now is maintaining The World Above 50 MHz Standings on the ARRL website. Stearns has chased DX on all bands, operated as part of DXpeditions all over the world, and run moonbounce from home and abroad. He is active on all bands from 160 meters through 23 centimeters. The World Above 50 MHz Standings page is a listing of station operator-reported information detailing the number of grids, states and DXCC entities worked on 50 MHz and above.**/This information is reported by the station operator and does not reflect data confirmed by the ARRL Awards Branch. //The ARRL /will verify the veracity of exceptional claims. Numbers reported should reflect confirmed contacts. Report information to standings at arrl.org.**Visit The World Above 50 MHz Standings webpage. *AMSAT Announces 2015 Board of Directors Election Results:* AMSAT has announced the results of its 2015 Board of Directors election. Barry Baines, WD4ASW; Jerry Buxton, N0JY; Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, and Bob McGwier, N4HY, will serve 2 year terms on the AMSAT-NA Board. The First Alternate is Mark Hammond, N8MH, and the Second Alternate is Bruce Paige, KK5DO. Both will serve 1 year terms. /-- Thanks to AMSAT News Service/** ** *Early Registration for ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference Ends September 19:* Early conference registration closes on September 19 for those planning to attend the 34th annual ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC ). The 2015 DCC will take place October 9-11 near Chicago. The DCC provides an international forum for radio amateurs to meet, publish their work, and present new ideas and techniques. Presenters and attendees will have the opportunity to exchange ideas and learn about recent hardware and software advances, theories, experimental results, and practical applications. *HF Parachute Mobile Jumps Set:* HF Parachute Mobile Mission 21 is set for Sunday, September 20, over Byron, California. Operators will start jumping at 9:30 AM local, with subsequent jumps approximately every hour after that, up to 3 or 4 jumps. Regular updates will be made on the W6CX Mount Diablo repeater (147.060 MHz). Contacts will be made on 146.430 MHz FM simplex and**on 28.425 MHz, in the Novice/Technician portion of the band. Operation on 20 and 40 meters also is possible. Live streaming video will be available. Mission 22 will take place during Pacificon , October 16-18./-- Thanks to Mark Meltzer, AF6IM/ *Fox-1C and Fox-1D FM Transponder CubeSats to Share a Ride:* In response to a breaking opportunity, AMSAT and Spaceflight, Inc have arranged for two of the Fox series of CubeSats -- Fox-1D and Fox-1C -- to share a ride into space. Fox-1D will accompany Fox-1C on the maiden flight of the SHERPA system on a SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle. Fox-1D is identical to Fox-1C, but operates on different frequencies and carries the University of Iowa HERCI (High-Energy Radiation CubeSat Instrument) radiation-mapping experiment as a hosted payload. Once in orbit, Fox-1D will provide additional selectable U/V or L/V repeater capabilities and will be able to downlink Earth images from the Virginia Tech camera experiment. Launch is currently planned for the first quarter of 2016. AMSAT has said its Fox-1A and Fox-1B CubeSats 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. Fox-1A is scheduled to launch this fall. For more information on the Fox satellites, see "Fox-1, the New Era of Amateur Radio Satellites ," by Dave Jordan, AA4KN, in the July 2015 /QST/. *VI0ANZAC Faced Poor Weather and Propagation*: Despite adverse Antarctic winter weather, the VI0ANZAC special event made it on the air over the August 29-30 weekend. Poor propagation hampered the operation, but 56 contacts made it into the log. The operation was part of the WIA commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) landing at Gallipoli, Turkey. An earlier plan to activate VI0ANZAC had to be postponed because of a storm. Operator Doug McVeigh, VK0DMV, sheltered in the antenna shack with a 50 W transceiver. Because of the wind, he had to first obtain official permission before venturing outdoors, and he ended up spending the night there, because winds were at 80 knots. "Lots and lots of noise," McVeigh said, "but there were some very clear signals from mainly Queensland (VK4), which was a good break from the noise in the background." He expressed thanks to all who contacted him and apologized for having to leave early on Sunday to take advantage of a break in the weather. A special QSL card will be available for this event. /-- Thanks to Jim Linton, VK3PC / ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The K7RA Solar Update Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Solar activity is perking up this week. Average daily solar flux rose from 85.3 last week to 97.3 for the reporting week, September 10-16. Over the same 2 weeks, average daily sunspot numbers rose from 37.3 to 66.9. The latest forecast from USAF/NOAA shows solar flux at 110 on September 17-19; 105 on September 20-22; 100 on September 23; 90 on September 24-26; then 85, 80, and 85 on September 27-29; 90, 95, and 90 on September 30-October 2; 85 on October 3-6; 90 and 95 on October 7-8; 100 on October 9-10; 105 on October 11-12; 100 and 95 on October 13-14, and 90 on October 15-23. Predicted planetary A index is 8 on September 17-19; 12 on September 20; 10 on September 21; 8 on September 22-23; then 15 and 10 on September 24-25; 5 on September 26-29; 8 and 18 on September 30-October 1; then 25, 20, and 12 on October 2-3; 25, 20, 18, and 12 on October 4-7; 18, 15, 10, 12, 20, and 12 on October 8-13, and 8 on October 14-15. Send me your reports and observations. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just Ahead in Radiosport * September 17 -- NAQCC CW Sprint * September 18 -- NCCC RTTY Sprint Ladder * September 18 -- AGB NEMIGA Contest (CW, SSB, Digital) * September 19 -- QRP Afield (CW) * September 19 -- Feld Hell Sprint * *September 19-20 -- **ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest* *(all modes)* * September 19-20 -- SARL VHF/UHF Analog/Digital Contest * September 19-20 -- Scandinavian Activity Contest CW * September 19-20 -- South Carolina QSO Party (CW, SSB, Digital) * September 19-20 -- Washington State Salmon Run (CW, SSB, Digital) * September 20 -- North American Sprint (RTTY) * September 20 -- BARTG Sprint 75 (Digital) * September 21 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW) * September 21 -- 144 MHz Fall Sprint (CW, Phone, Digital) * September 23 -- SKCC Sprint (CW) * September 23 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test * September 23 -- UKEICC 80 Meter Contest (CW) * September 24 -- RSGB 80 Meter Club Sprint (CW) * September 25 -- NCCC RTTY Sprint Ladder See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events * 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 9-11 -- ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference , Arlington Heights, Illinois * October 10-11 -- Pacific Northwest VHF Conference , Issaquah, Washington * October 16-18 -- Microwave Update Convention , San Diego, California * October 16-18 -- Pacific Division Convention (Pacificon) , San Ramon, California * October 17 -- Wisconsin ARES/RACES Conference , Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin * October 18 -- Connecticut State Convention , Meriden, Connecticut * October 23-24 -- Arizona State Convention , Kingman, Arizona * October 23-24 -- Oklahoma State Convention , Ardmore, Oklahoma * November 7 -- Fall TechFest , Lakewood, Colorado * November 7-8 -- Georgia Section Convention , Lawrenceville, Georgia * November 14 -- HamJam Convention , Alpharetta, Georgia * November 14-15 -- Indiana State Convention , Fort Wayne, Indiana Find conventions and hamfests in your area . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *ARRL *-- *Your One-Stop Resource for * *Amateur Radio News and Information* . . . * Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes /QST/ , Amateur Radio's most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month. * Listen to /ARRL Audio News/ , available every Friday. Subscribe to... * /NCJ / /-- National Contest Journal/ . Published bi-monthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties. * /QEX/ *//*/-- A Forum for Communications Experimenters/ . Published bi-monthly, features technical articles, construction projects, columns, and other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals. Free of charge to ARRL members... * Subscribe to the /ARES E-Letter/ (monthly public service and emergency communications news), the /ARRL Contest Update/ (bi-weekly contest newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much more! Find ARRL on Facebook ! Follow us on Twitter ! Ad Ad Ad Ad Ad ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 48 times each year. ARRL members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member Data Page as described at http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/. Copyright ? 2015 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved www.arrl.org From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Sep 18 14:01:39 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2015 14:01:39 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Russian military in 7 and 14 MHz Ham Radio bands Message-ID: <55FC5183.4070306@bellsouth.net> Interesting report from As The World Turns, Ham Radio News: http://www.myrockport.com/world.htm The Link at the end has some neat SWL DXing frequencies if you do any SWLing. *Russian military in 7 and 14 MHz Ham Radio bands* The latest IARU Monitoring System newsletter reports Russian Military traffic in the amateur radio 7 and 14 MHz bands has increased The Russian Navy has often been active on 14192.0 using F1B and the Russian Over The Horizon (OTH) radar in Gorodezh (near Nizhny Novgorod) has been causing strong interference daily. The International Amateur Radio Union Monitoring System (IARUMS) Region 1 August 2015 newsletter can be read at http://www.iarums-r1.org/iarums/news2015/news1508.pdf* * From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sat Sep 19 08:34:51 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sat, 19 Sep 2015 08:34:51 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The Telegraph Office Message-ID: <55FD566B.9030007@bellsouth.net> *Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key Collectors and Historians* Web site by Neal McEwen K5RW. You will all recognize the old Vibroplex bug. A treasure trove of photos, drawings, descriptions and other information on keys, sounders and other items of telegraph and wireless Morse lore Whether you are a collector, historian or have a casual interest in the many facets of wire and wireless telegraphy, you will find something of interest here. Many resources are presented. You should be able find information about an old telegraph key or other artifact that you have. If you have a question, take a minute to read the Telegraph Office http://www.telegraph-office.com/ From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sun Sep 20 19:49:47 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sun, 20 Sep 2015 19:49:47 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] China launches nine (9) new Amateur Satellites! Message-ID: <55FF461B.7090408@bellsouth.net> From QRZ: http://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/china-launches-nine-9-new-amateur-satellites.494007/ After being postponed several times, nine Chinese satellites carrying Amateur Radio payloads were launched on September 19 at 2300 UTC. All of the new satellites have downlinks on 2 meters and uplinks on 70 centimeters. http://www.arrl.org/news/china-successfully-launches-nine-amateur-radio-satellites http://www.amsat.org/ From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Sep 23 09:05:00 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 23 Sep 2015 09:05:00 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Contest Update for September 23, 2015 In-Reply-To: <20150923095245.E285F20DB249@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20150923095245.E285F20DB249@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <5602A37C.8000309@bellsouth.net> Preview If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/?issue=2015-09-23 The ARRL Contest Update September 23, 2015 Editor: Brian Moran, N9ADG /Contest Update/ Archive Contest Calendar ARRL Home Page Ad IN THIS ISSUE ? CQWW RTTY <#Contests> ? QSO Gold Rush <#Contests> ? No one re-mains neutral over grounding issues <#News> ? Norman Rockwell's teenage neighbors <#Newsweek> ? The LU say! <#Sights> ? ARRL DX and RTTY results are ready <#Results> ? Growly RFI <#Tech> ? Stub the line <#Techweek> ? Adaptation <#Conversation> NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO For a total-immersion contest weekend, the 48-hour CQWW RTTY contest (September 26) is your target. If you put in a significant effort, you'll likely be hearing phantom RTTY signals in your head for a few hours after the contest. During the contest you'll hear RTTY signals throughout the RTTY/data sub-band on most bands, which can crowd CW into lowest band segments. Be mindful of the RTTY/data sub-band upper edges to make sure you stay legal. In these days of declining sunspots, there is always the chance that ten meters /could/ be open next week. If it is, NRAU has a ten-meter mode-stravaganza to explore. The California QSO Party is on October 3. There will be an abundance of activity, with 58 California counties providing some of the multipliers. It's good training for the November ARRL Sweepstakes, as the exchange is similar. BULLETINS Dave, NN1N informs: "Matt Wilhelm, W1MSW, has moved-on from the position of Contest Branch Manager at ARRL to pursue other opportunities. Matt gave us an excellent 17 months - catching us up all the way to current, which was not an easy task. He recruited Frandy Johnson, N1FJ to assist as well, and I want to thank both Matt and Frandy for their work. The Contest Manager's job is not easy and relies on the good work of many to produce results. We will be evaluating the position's requirements and responsibilities in the near term before moving ahead. Dan, N1ND, Ward, N0AX, and Dave, NN1N will keep the workflow going in the meantime. Randy, K5ZD recently noted "The CQ WW DX Contest Committee is conducting a survey to gather feedback from participants about the contest. An invitation email with a link to the survey has been sent to everyone who submitted a log in the 2014 SSB and CW contests. The responses will help us improve the contest and make important decisions about the rules. Please see the blog post with the details. The number of responses has slowed to the point that we are going to move up the end date of the survey to September 25, 2015 (next Friday). If you would like to respond please do so now. If you have already responded, thank you." BUSTED QSOS Hmm, log from last time must not be scored yet. CONTEST SUMMARY Complete information for all contests follows the Conversation section *September 24* * CWops Mini-CWT Test * RSGB 80m Club Sprint, CW *September 25* * NCCC RTTY Sprint Ladder * NCCC Sprint *September 26* * CQ Worldwide DX Contest, RTTY * Maine QSO Party * Texas QSO Party * AGCW VHF/UHF Contest *September 27* * Texas QSO Party * UBA ON Contest, 6m * Classic Exchange, Phone * Peanut Power QRP Sprint *September 29* * Classic Exchange, Phone * 220 MHz Fall Sprint *September 30* * Phone Fray * CWops Mini-CWT Test * UKEICC 80m Contest *October 1* * CWops Mini-CWT Test * NRAU 10m Activity Contest * SARL 80m QSO Party *October 2* * NCCC Sprint * YLRL DX/NA YL Anniversary Contest *October 3* * TARA PSK Rumble Contest * 15-Meter SSTV Dash Contest * German Telegraphy Contest * Oceania DX Contest, Phone * TRC DX Contest * Russian WW Digital Contest * International HELL-Contest * California QSO Party * 4 State 4x4 QRP Sprint * FISTS Fall Slow Speed Sprint * WAB HF Phone *October 4* * International HELL-Contest * UBA ON Contest, SSB * RSGB 21/28 MHz Contest *October 6* * ARS Spartan Sprint *October 7* * Phone Fray * CWops Mini-CWT Test * 432 MHz Fall Sprint * UKEICC 80m Contest NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST In discussions of shack layout and construction, issues of where and how to run electrical power inevitably crop up. The History of Residential Electrical Wiring in the US paints the picture of how electrical standards in the US have evolved, and can help illustrate why there has been such variety over time in something as mundane as a 220v branch circuit. An article in the Wall Street Journal recently discussed how repairing electronic goods is better than throwing them away, and how the practice should be more mainstream. The author of the article found that manufacturer policies and lack of technical information to enable repairs introduce obstacles. Why does it cost $200 to fix something with a 69 cent part? Overhead! Someone has to be available to diagnose the problem, sometimes using complex, expensive, equipment, and information that may be expensive to produce and maintain. The repair facility rent isn't free; stocking parts requires infrastructure... (Charles Mount) The WWROF is sponsoring a webinar entitled "WRTC 2018 Update " on Sunday, October 4, 2015 @ 1900 UTC. Topics include an overview of WRTC 2018, recent news, rules, and a discussion of the new Worked All Germany contest as a qualifying event. According to a recent article in Scientific American, people are more likely to cheat at the end of a competitive activity . One of the causes cited is that some of the test subjects anticipated regretting a missed opportunity to cheat the system. Jay Allen, VY1JA, has been stalwart in bringing the Yukon to the airwaves over the past 70 years. To help Jay continue to do so, but also reduce the technical and operational demands placed on Jay, a number of amateurs are collaborating to upgrade VY1JA to be fully accessible remotely . Most recently, Gerry, W1VE, set up a gofundme page to raise additional funds to accelerate the effort and build on early successes, and it's inspiring to see the donations and comments made by the donors. As of this writing, their initial funding goal was been surpassed in just 10 days! While searching the 'net for a low-cost GPS source for use in his reverse beacon network node, Bill Hein, CEO of Force 12 Antennas, came across some GPS references made by Leo Bodnar, M0XER . These units are used in professional auto racing applications. Bill Hein bought one for his node, and also obtained US distribution rights for the units... the first ones will have landed by now, and he's able to take pre-orders . ARES/RACES volunteers have activated in support of the response the California wildfires; the devastation to property and lives is extensive. At least one resident amateur radio operator was a victim , and the wildfires have claimed the American Museum of Telephony in Mountain Ranch, California, as a casualty . If you're dealing with rig signals from a K3, you might find a "DB15 D-SUB VGA male plug 15pin port Terminal Breakout PCB Board" search on eBay will give you an interesting way to quickly connect into some of the lines. Winford.com also has a number of breakout-type boards that could help with interfacing needs. (Ralph N5RZ) "I can't hear you now." - EMI levels can be so great that modern, every-day devices like cellular phones are affected ... which can be an impetus to getting the underlying cause fixed. (Mark K6UFO) If you use a standing desk, you may have spent long hours fretting over the choice of the right clothes to wear while standing at it. You are not alone . ** *Web Site of the Week* - Carl and Jerry Stories Reading them on paper only enhances the charm of the Carl and Jerry stories that John Frye wrote for /Popular Electronics/ between 1954 and 1964. Yes, they're dated, but they're also a heck of lot of fun to read, as the duo get involved in situations that always require some application of electronics, but ultimately are about humanity. A number of the stories are available to read online, but reading the book collections is a great way to spend a winter afternoon. WORD TO THE WISE - Galling Galling is wear or damage occurring when two materials exhibit friction and/or adhesion between each other. Metals that depend on their oxides to inhibit corrosion, for example aluminum and titanium, as well as some softer steels, are prone to galling. If you're doing tower work with stainless steel hardware, it's recommended that you use some type of anti-seize compound on the threads to reduce the potential for galling. Galling can also be the description of the experience of not placing in a top-ten spot because you forgot to send in your log. Ad SIGHTS AND SOUNDS Members of the LU Contest Group at their fifteenth anniversary. (courtesy LU8ADX) On September 5, the LU Group Contest celebrated its 15th anniversary at a get together in the city of Villa Mar?a, C?rdoba. One hundred and ten amateurs, many of them contesters, were present and included the participation of Radio Club Villa Maria LU1HYW , AMSAT Argentina and ICOM. The event drew from all parts of Argentina and colleagues from Uruguay, Chile and Brazil. Some WKCs - Standing L-R: LT1F LU4DX CX6DRA CE3CT LU1FAM LU5DX LU1AEE LU8ADX. Front L-R: LU3DX CE2MVF LU2FE (courtesy LU8ADX) There were 12 presentations given by LU1BJW, LU1CGB, LU1DCX, LU1DZL, LU1FAM, LU1FP, LU3HY, LU7HZ LU8ADX, LU9EFO, M6SEJ / ZZ5JKL, along with a display of DXCC QSL cards and certificates assembled by LU3HBO. (Diego, LU8ADX) Like Vinyl LP Records, Audio Cassettes are enjoying a bit of a renaissance. Here's a nice video on what it is like running and being in the last audio cassette factory . RESULTS AND RECORDS The full results Results article (PDF) for 2015 ARRL DX CW is now online ; The Top Ten History for the ARRL DX Phone Contest has also been added to the ARRL contest results web site. Worth waiting for! The full 2015 RTTY Roundup results article is now online at www.arrl.org/contest-results-articles . There are opportunities for interested parties to sponsor RTTY Roundup plaques in future contests - contact Jeff, WK6I if you're interested. Kevin, W9GKA, informs that the Distance Scoring Working Group has 'back-tested' different distance scoring models on the Top 10 SOHP logs from the September 2010 VHF QSO Party, and some results look promising. If you're interested in the effort, you can join view the public web site , and see some preliminary results . August 2015 NAQP SSB contest preliminary results have been posted to the NCJ web site . If you entered the contest, check your results and let the contest manager Bill, AC0W, know if you find something that doesn't seem right before September 26. You should verify your category, and make note if there's a large QSO count or score change from what you submitted. "Reminder these are just preliminary results, the final results may have some minor score adjustments." OPERATING TIP - Signal reports during contests Unless a contest sponsor says they are going to actually check signal reports as part of the exchange, it's generally a waste of effort to provide any report other than 59 or 5NN. During contests, the signal report is in reality used to frame the useful portions of the exchange. In marginal signal conditions, using anything other than 59 or 5NN may hinder the effective copying of the other useful parts of the exchange. Also, if you use 5NN for the signal report on RTTY, you are sending at minimum four 5-bit characters instead of the optimum three. Ad TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION In a recent discussion of coax stubs on the TowerTalk reflector, Frank, W3LPL, explained why harmonics of your transmit frequency may sound "growly" in a nearby receiver: Those "growly" signals you're hearing are harmonics of your transmitted signal generated by unintentional radiators, especially switching power supplies. This type of RFI -- sometimes called "flooding" -- is caused by solid state devices flooded by intense RF fields (your transmitted signal) in which they were not intended to operate. The unintentional radiator produces harmonics of your transmitted signal mixed with the AC power line or digital signals that are normally present in the unintentional radiator. Common unintentional radiators of harmonics of your transmitted signal include many of the newer compact "wall wart" DC power supplies and susceptible power supplies in devices such as antenna rotators. The control box for the Ham series and T2X rotator is a well-known source of re-radiated "growly" harmonics. Smart phone chargers are among the most common unintentional radiators of your harmonics in your home and neighborhood. As you rotate your transmitting and receiving antennas you will notice a considerable variation in the signal strength of the "growly" harmonics you've observed. It's likely that your harmonics will be free of "growly" signals in some directions. Another tool for pulling signals out of the noise -- you can build a mechanical audio filter for CW listening, in the form of a tuned speaker enclosure resonating at your rig's CW center frequency (KD1JV) You may not see it on late night TV, however here's a list of the top 10 algorithms of the 20^th Century and why they're considered such . Communication is about transmitting information between two points. The actual recording or changing of a single bit of information takes a theoretical minimum amount of energy - Landauer's principle proposes a lower bound for this amount of energy. At room temperature, this is about 0.0172 eV. Topband season is here in the northern hemisphere! K1LZ has some practical beverage antenna advice: www.qsl.net/k1fz/beverage_antenna.html (K1LZ via Topband) Though the intended use is for a camera, a low-band vertical could in theory be used with the Fotokite . The Fotokite is a tethered drone with a camera. The drone part, powered through the tether, could stay up for a long time. When a transistor fails, but there are no direct replacements available, you may be able to find your own substitute using this guide from EDN . The article may help you understand the characteristics that matter for the circuit in question. (Jeff, AD6MX via QRP-L) If you need an oscilloscope or signal generator in the audio range, your smart phone may have an app for that . Don't forget that your laptop can also do this with appropriate sound input/outputs, and there are plenty of open source or free applications to generate or manipulate waveforms (for example, Audacity ). Audacity is also useful to prepare your voice macros for your contesting logging program. EDN has a nice article on how MOSFETs can be used modulator applications . More generally, their application as on-off switches have wide modulation applicability from DC through RF. (Ward, N0AX) The Class E Radio web site describes an abundance of amateur experimenter activity - MOSFETs are used extensively throughout the transmitter and modulator designs described on the site. QST also featured a construction article for a CW Class E amplifier a number of years ago. You can use a good network analyzer and a belt sander to adjust phasing lines on the higher (VHF, UHF) frequencies, according to Dave, K1WHS. (via the Elecraft mailing list) Bob, N6TV, writes: "I've just completed a large update to VE3NEA's Rig Definition files for modern Icom radios supported by his Omni-Rig universal radio control program, which is used by Win-Test, Ham Radio Deluxe, Faros, and many other programs. The update includes new and updated files for the following Icom models and firmware versions: IC-7000 IC-7000v2 IC-7100 IC-7100e4 IC-7200 IC-7200v2 IC-7410v2 IC-7600 IC-7600v2 IC-7700 IC-7700v2 IC-7800 IC-7800v3 IC-7850 IC-7851 IC-9100v2 Among other improvements, the latest Icom firmware for the "high end" models (IC-7600 and above), now support reading and setting VFO B directly from contest software, clearing the RIT, and using the radio's built-in USB sound card as a voice keyer. The new rig definition files also automatically set Icom CI-V Transceive OFF, eliminating the requirement to do that manually to use OmniRig. Win-Test users can also use the radio's sound card for voice keying, as well as the internal CW keyer and Morse generator, using custom LUA Script extensions I've written and posted to my web site, http://bit.ly/wtscripts." N3FJP reminds that his N3FJP WAE contest logging program provides QTC management. N1MM Logger+'s version 12.03.00 and later requires certain ICOM radios (e.g. IC-7600, IC-7700, IC-7800, IC-9100, this list may not be exhaustive ) to use more recent versions of the ICOM firmware which include a get-split command. If you recently updated N1MM Logger+ and your radio is no longer recognized, check N1MM Logger+ release notes to see if your radio model has such a requirement, and that your radio is up to date. The NRAO published some pointers on electric fence construction and maintenance to minimize RFI . Rigetti, a quantum computing startup, is looking for a RF/Microwave design engineer with (from reading the job listing) practical design and build experience. The desired qualifications are interesting reading. *Technical Web Site(s) of the Week* - Stubs! While operating W7DX in the Salmon Run contest last weekend, members of our team were discussing inter-station interference and coax stubs. A quick internet search turned up Jim, K9YC's Q&A for coax and coax stubs (PDF) . In addition to an explanation of the important quality characteristics of coax and a summarization of the theory behind the use of stubs, Jim has provided a nice collection of pointers to information so that you can go as deep as you like. N3RR completed a big project to add stubs to his station, and was kind enough to share his project details with everyone (PDF) . This 46 page PDF serves as his own station documentation, but also shows the thought and work that goes into a project like this. CONVERSATION Adaptation My contest season started last weekend as I joined Dick, K7BTW and Adam, K7EDX for a multi-op at K7BTW's station near Olympia, Washington. Our mission was to make W7DX, the Washington State Salmon Run bonus station, well represented with CW and Phone on the bands. As the first contest of the season, it's also an opportunity for a shack shakedown to make sure we're ready for the rest of the season. As we've worked together before, last weekend's effort came together easily enough over the summer with just a few discussions at the end of our monthly WWDXC club meetings, and some additional day-before emails. As a group, we've tried different Salmon Run operations over the years: in the beginning a home station with one radio and three ops, other years included a beach cabin field-day style with 5+ ops and three stations, a home station with two transmitters in one location with digital in another over the internet with multiple ops, and even tent camping field day style low power with 2 ops on an island. We had a 'friendly heavy competition phase' over a number of years with Nick, K7MO and Harry, K7LAZ pulling off ever more elaborate (weekend) expeditions to Washington's less populous counties to provide a rare mult. Nick and Harry beat us every time as I recall, but we all had a fun time and it inspired everyone to try harder. The last few years, we've joined up with Nick for some contests, and this year he and Valerie, K7VAP, were the digital side of W7DX located in nearby Tacoma. Year to year individual participation and commitment ebbs and flows from real-life concerns intruding into our hobby, like health issues that preclude staying up all night, spousal commitments on the 2nd day, medications that could be incompatible with tower climbing, moving /into/ town ... the list is infinite. We adapt. We get more operators involved so each of us can lose less sleep over the weekend. Salads appear on the contest weekend food menus. We operate at others' QTHs. No matter what the obstacle, we adapt. Well, except decaf. Never decaf. What I have come to appreciate more and more about radio contesting is that individually, we can mold our efforts in any contest to balance our resources and capabilities. 73, Brian N9ADG Ad CONTESTS *24 Sep - 7 Oct 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* CWops Mini-CWT Test , Sep 23, 1300z to Sep 23, 1400z, Sep 23, 1900z to Sep 23, 2000z, Sep 24, 0300z to Sep 24, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; Member: Name + Member No., non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: September 26. RSGB 80m Club Sprint, CW , Sep 24, 1900z to Sep 24, 2000z; CW; Bands: 80m Only; [other station's call] + [your call] + [serial no.] + [your name]; Logs due: October 1. NCCC RTTY Sprint Ladder , Sep 25, 0145z to Sep 25, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15m; Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: September 7. NCCC Sprint , Sep 25, 0230z to Sep 25, 0300z; (see rules); Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: September 27. CQ Worldwide DX Contest, RTTY , Sep 26, 0000z to Sep 28, 0000z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; 48 States/Canada: RST + CQ Zone + (state/VE area), All Others: RST + CQ Zone; Logs due: October 2. Maine QSO Party , Sep 26, 1200z to Sep 27, 1200z; CW, Phone; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; ME: RS(T) + county, non-ME: RS(T) + (state/province/"DX"); Logs due: October 12. Texas QSO Party , Sep 26, 1400z to Sep 27, 0200z, Sep 27, 1400z to Sep 27, 2000z; All; Bands: All, except WARC; TX: RS(T) + County, non-TX: RS(T) + (state/province/country/MM region); Logs due: October 31. Classic Exchange, Phone , Sep 27, 1300z to Sep 28, 0700z, Sep 29, 1300z to Sep 30, 0700z; AM, SSB, FM; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, *6, 2m*; Name + RS + (state/province/country) + rcvr/xmtr manuf/model; Logs due: November 30. Peanut Power QRP Sprint , Sep 27, 2000z to Sep 27, 2200z; CW, SSB; Bands: 40, 20, 15m; RS(T) + (state/province/country) + (peanut no./power output); Logs due: October 15. Phone Fray , Sep 30, 0230z to Sep 30, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15m; NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: September 25. CWops Mini-CWT Test , Sep 30, 1300z to Sep 30, 1400z, Sep 30, 1900z to Sep 30, 2000z, Oct 1, 0300z to Oct 1, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; Member: Name + Member No., non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: September 26. UKEICC 80m Contest , Sep 30, 2000z to Sep 30, 2100z; CW; Bands: 80m Only; 4-Character grid square; Logs due: September 30. NRAU 10m Activity Contest , Oct 1, 1700z to Oct 1, 1800z (CW), Oct 1, 1800z to Oct 1, 1900z (SSB), Oct 1, 1900z to Oct 1, 2000z (FM), Oct 1, 2000z to Oct 1, 2100z (Dig); CW, SSB, FM, Digital; Bands: 10m Only; RS(T) + 6-character grid square; Logs due: October 15. SARL 80m QSO Party , Oct 1, 1700z to Oct 1, 2000z; SSB; Bands: 80m Only; RS + Serial No. + Grid Locator or QTH; Logs due: October 8. NCCC Sprint , Oct 2, 0230z to Oct 2, 0300z; (see rules); Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: September 27. YLRL DX/NA YL Anniversary Contest , Oct 2, 1400z to Oct 4, 0200z; CW, SSB, Digital; Bands: Any; Serial No. + RS(T) + (ARRL Section/province/country); Logs due: November 2. TARA PSK Rumble Contest , Oct 3, 0000z to Oct 4, 0000z; PSK; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10,***6m*; W/VE/JA/VK: Name + Call Area, Other: Name + Country; Logs due: October 31. 15-Meter SSTV Dash Contest , Oct 3, 0000z to Oct 4, 2359z; SSTV; Bands: 15m Only; WSSTVC-Member: RSV + "W" + 4-digit member no., non-Members: RSV + Serial No.; Logs due: October 19. German Telegraphy Contest , Oct 3, 0700z to Oct 3, 1000z; CW; Bands: 80, 40m; DL: RST + LDK, non-DL: RST; Logs due: October 17. Oceania DX Contest, Phone , Oct 3, 0800z to Oct 4, 0800z; Phone; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RS + Serial No.; Logs due: October 31. TRC DX Contest , Oct 3, 1200z to Oct 4, 1200z; CW, SSB; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; TRC Members: RST + "TRC", non-TRC Members: RST + ITU Zone No.; Logs due: October 11. Russian WW Digital Contest , Oct 3, 1200z to Oct 4, 1159z; BPSK63, RTTY; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; UA: RST(Q) + 2-character oblast code, non-UA: RST(Q) + QSO No.; Logs due: October 9. International HELL-Contest , Oct 3, 1600z to Oct 3, 1800z (80m), Oct 4, 0900z to Oct 4, 1100z (40m); Hell; Bands: 80, 40m; RST + QSO No.; Logs due: October 18. California QSO Party , Oct 3, 1600z to Oct 4, 2200z; CW, Phone; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, *6, 2m*; CA: Serial No. + County, non-CA: Serial No. + (state/VE area/country); Logs due: October 31. 4 State 4x4 QRP Sprint , Oct 3, 1700z to Oct 3, 2100z; Any; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; 4SQRP Members: RST + (state/province/country) + 4x4, Non-Members: RST + (state/province/country) + power; Logs due: October 15. FISTS Fall Slow Speed Sprint , Oct 3, 1700z to Oct 3, 2100z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; FISTS: RST + (state/province/country) + first name + FISTS No., non-FISTS: RST + (state/province/country) + first name + power; Logs due: November 2. WAB HF Phone , Oct 3, 1900z to Oct 4, 1900z; Phone; Bands: 20, 15, 10m; British Isles: RS + serial no. + WAB square, Other: RS + serial no. + country; Logs due: October 25. UBA ON Contest, SSB , Oct 4, 0600z to Oct 4, 1000z; SSB; Bands: 80m Only; ON: RS + Serial No. + ON Section, non-ON: RS + Serial No.; Logs due: October 25. RSGB 21/28 MHz Contest , Oct 4, 0700z to Oct 4, 1900z; CW, SSB; Bands: 15, 10m; UK: RS(T) + Serial No. + UK District Code, non-UK: RS(T) + Serial No.; Logs due: October 19. ARS Spartan Sprint , Oct 6, 0100z to Oct 6, 0300z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; RST + (state/province/country) + Power; Logs due: October 8. Phone Fray , Oct 7, 0230z to Oct 7, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15m; NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: September 25. CWops Mini-CWT Test , Oct 7, 1300z to Oct 7, 1400z, Oct 7, 1900z to Oct 7, 2000z, Oct 8, 0300z to Oct 8, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m; Member: Name + Member No., non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: September 26. UKEICC 80m Contest , Oct 7, 2000z to Oct 7, 2100z; CW; Bands: 80m Only; 4-Character grid square; Logs due: September 30. *VHF+ CONTESTS* AGCW VHF/UHF Contest , Sep 26, 1400z to Sep 26, 1700z (144), Sep 26, 1700z to Sep 26, 1800z (432); CW; Bands: 144 MHz, 432 MHz; RST + "/" + Serial No. + "/" Power class + "/" + 6-character grid locator; Logs due: October 12. UBA ON Contest, 6m , Sep 27, 0700z to Sep 27, 1000z; CW, Phone; Bands: 6m Only; ON: RS(T) + Serial No. + ON Section, non-ON: RS(T) + Serial No.; Logs due: October 18. 220 MHz Fall Sprint , Sep 29, 1900z to Sep 29, 2300z; not specified; Bands: 222 MHz; 4-character grid square; Logs due: October 13. 432 MHz Fall Sprint , Oct 7, 1900z to Oct 7, 2300z; not specified; Bands: 432 MHz; 6-character grid square; Logs due: October 21. LOG DUE DATES *24 Sep - 7 Oct 2015* *September 25, 2015* * Phone Fray * SKCC Sprint *September 26, 2015* * Arkansas QSO Party * FOC QSO Party * Feld Hell Sprint * Ohio State Parks on the Air * CWops Mini-CWT Test *September 27, 2015* * NCCC Sprint * BARTG Sprint 75 * Kulikovo Polye Contest * Run for the Bacon QRP Contest * Scandinavian Activity Contest, CW * WAB 144 MHz QRO Phone * SARL Field Day Contest * North American Sprint, RTTY *September 28, 2015* * SARL VHF/UHF Analogue/Digital Contest * WAE DX Contest, SSB *September 29, 2015* * YO DX HF Contest *September 30, 2015* * AGCW Straight Key Party * Hawaii QSO Party * ALARA Contest * IARU Region 1 Field Day, SSB * Pirate QSO Party *October 1, 2015* * Kansas QSO Party * New Jersey QSO Party * RSGB 80m Club Sprint, CW *October 3, 2015* * Colorado QSO Party *October 4, 2015* * Washington State Salmon Run *October 5, 2015* * 144 MHz Fall Sprint *October 6, 2015* * G3ZQS Memorial Straight Key Contest *October 7, 2015* * All Asian DX Contest, Phone * Tennessee QSO Party ARRL Information Click here to advertise in this newsletter, space subject to availability. Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information *Join or Renew Today!* ** ARRL membership includes /QST/ , Amateur Radio's most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month. Subscribe to /NCJ/ - the National Contest Journal . Published bimonthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties. Subscribe to /QEX/ - A Forum for Communications Experimenters . Published bimonthly, features technical articles, construction projects, columns and other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals. /Free of charge to ARRL members:/ Subscribe to The ARRL Letter (weekly digest of news and information), the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and emergency communications news), Division and Section news -- and much more! /ARRL offers a wide array of //products/ //to enhance your enjoyment of Amateur Radio. Visit the site often for new publications, specials and sales. 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All Rights Reserved www.arrl.org From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Sep 25 15:27:44 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2015 15:27:44 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Phishing Scheme Targeting ARRL E-Mail Forwarding Service Participants Message-ID: <5605A030.1070806@bellsouth.net> Phishing Scheme Targeting ARRL E-Mail Forwarding Service Participants 09/25/2015 A phishing scheme currently afoot has been targeting ARRL members who have signed up for the ARRL E-Mail Forwarding Service and have an *@arrl.net* e-mail alias. An e-mail from ?Arrl Webmail Admin? with the subject line ?ACCOUNT UPGRADE? was received September 25 by an unknown number of members who use @arrl.net e-mail aliases. The e-mail, which requests that recipients reply by providing their usernames and passwords, did /not/ come from the ARRL, and anyone receiving this sort of message should delete it and not reply. The ARRL would never distribute an e-mail requesting personal information. ?ARRL is aware of this phishing scheme and is working to block the sender?s e-mail address at our upstream provider,? said Andy Shefrin, KB1YHB, ARRL?s IT Infrastructure & Operations Manager. ?As with any e-mails of unknown origin, do not open or reply.? Simply replying to this e-mail alerts the sender that your e-mail address is valid. The bogus message indicates that access to @arrl.net account holders is being ?removed? and accounts ?upgraded to a new enhanced web mail user interface provided by arrl.net.? Recipients are being asked to provide usernames and passwords ?to ensure your e-mail address book is saved in our database.? This is clearly an effort to harvest @arrl.net subscriber information and valid e-mail addresses. Ignore any message of this sort that seeks to have recipients provide any sensitive information, such as usernames, account numbers, and passwords. If you experience any problem with e-mail forwarding, *send* details to the ARRL IT Department. http://www.arrl.org/news/phishing-scheme-targeting-arrl-e-mail-forwarding-service-participants From wa4aw at juno.com Sun Sep 27 12:30:21 2015 From: wa4aw at juno.com (wa4aw) Date: Sun, 27 Sep 2015 16:30:21 GMT Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] QCWA Chapter 111 LUNCHEON MEETING Sept. 29th Message-ID: <20150927.123021.601.0@webmail12.vgs.untd.com> QCWA Palm Beach Chapter # 111 Hello, This is friendly reminder that our Palm Beach Chapter meeting is the last Tuesday of each month. We will be meeting at the Golden Corral Buffet, 10100 Fox Trail Rd., on the service road behind the SW corner of Okeechobee Blvd. and State Road 7 in Royal Palm Beach at 11:30 AM. This month our meeting date is Sept. 29th. Hope you can join us for fellowship, rag chews & information. The prestigious QCWA Century Club award will be presented to Life Member Howard Rensin, KC3D at the meeting and Our QCWA General Manager Tom, AJ4XM, will be with us to discuss the latest happenings from HQ. I encourage everyone who has not been to the Golden Corral to call for info on either the Palms West repeater 147.045 or the AREC repeater on 146.670. Both repeaters have a 110.9 PL. Everyone is welcome to join us. We meet in the private dining room in the back of the restaurant. QCWA Chapter 111 webpage link: www.qcwa.org/chapter111.htm Chapter YahooGroup website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/qcwa111 47, Jeff WA4AW, Secretary QCWAQuarter Century Wireless AssociationJeff Beals, WA4AWNational Director &QCWA Historian QCWA Palm Beach Chapter 111Secretary-TreasurerPO Box 1584Loxahatchee, FL 33470-1584561-252-6707 wa4aw at qcwa.org www.qcwa.org ____________________________________________________________ Buffett???s New Enemy Buffett just confirmed his worst fear. Click here for his warning. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/560819f7802bf19f73421st01vuc From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sun Sep 27 19:52:16 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sun, 27 Sep 2015 19:52:16 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Upcoming Lighthouse Activations In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <56088130.6050909@bellsouth.net> From Tony N2MFT: [ICPO] Upcoming Lighthouse Activations Thu Sep 24, 2015 12:30 pm (PDT) . Posted by: "Dave Raycroft" va3rj I.C.P.O. (Islands, Castles & Portable Operations) Listing is by calendar date (day/month/year) =========================================== LIGHTHOUSE CALENDAR - Current and upcoming WLOTA, ARLHS, and other lighthouse activations - 24/09-29/09 E51AAR: Rarotonga Island WLOTA:0971 QSL K7AR (d/B)/OQRS 24/09-04/10 EA6/EA5IDQ: Isla de Menorca WLOTA:2988 QSL H/c (d/B) 24/09-28/09 KH2/KU0Q: Guam Island WLOTA:0064 QSL JR1EFG (d) 24/09-29/09 MJ0CFW: Jersey Island (main) WLOTA:0818 QSL ClubLog OQRS 24/09-30/09 TM48B: Belle Ile Island WLOTA:0872 QSL F5HNQ (d/B) 24/09-28/09 VP9/K3GP: Hamilton Island WLOTA:0201 QSL H/c (d) 24/09-28/09 VP9/K8UT: Hamilton Island WLOTA:0201 QSL H/c (d) 24/09-28/09 VP9/ND8L: Hamilton Island WLOTA:0201 QSL H/c (d) 24/09-28/09 VP9/WW3S: Hamilton Island WLOTA:0201 QSL H/c (d) 25/09-27/09 DU3JH: Luzon Island WLOTA:0081 QSL LoTW 25/09-27/09 DU3LA: Luzon Island WLOTA:0081 QSL LoTW 26/09-27/09 CO8CML: Cuba Island WLOTA:0032 QSL QRZ.com 26/09-27/09 IS0/S50P: Sardinia WLOTA:1608 QSL H/c Buro 26/09-27/09 KP2/WE5DX: St. Croix Island WLOTA:2477 QSL H/c (d/B) 26/09-27/09 MJ5Z: Jersey Island (main) WLOTA:0818 QSL OQRS/LoTW 26/09-08/10 PA/DL1EAL: Texel Island WLOTA:0043 QSL H/c (d/B) 26/09-11/10 PJ4M: Bonaire Island WLOTA:1279 QSL PH2M (B) 26/09-27/09 PJ6A: Saba Island WLOTA:2043 QSL Club Log OQRS 26/09-27/09 VK6FADF: Australia (main island) WLOTA:1520 QSL Buro 26/09-27/09 YB0NDT: Java WLOTA:1660 QSL Direct/LoTW 26/09-27/09 YB8ROP: Pulau Sangihe WLOTA:2486 QSL Direct (QRZ.com) 01/10-04/10 IA5/IK3JLV: Punta del Ferraione WAIL:TO-004 WLOL:ITA-127 WLOTA:0545 QSL H/c (d/B) 01/10-04/10 IA5/IW3ILP: Punta del Ferraione WAIL:TO-004 WLOL:ITA-127 WLOTA:0545 QSL H/c (d/B) 01/10-04/10 LU4AA/D: Martin Garcia Island WLOL:ARG-045 QSL H/c (d/B) 01/10-08/10 VP2MAC: Montserrat Island WLOTA:1475 QSL Op's Info 01/10-08/10 VP2MLJ: Montserrat Island WLOTA:1475 QSL K8ESQ (d)/LoTW 01/10-08/10 VP2MXT: Montserrat Island WLOTA:1475 QSL Op's Info 05/10-30/10 3B8/DJ7RJ: Mauritius Island WLOTA:0595 QSL H/c (d)/LoTW 06/10-14/10 MX0LDG: Lundy Island WLOTA:1997 QSL M0URX OQRS 15/10-15/12 6Y5/JA0RQV: Jamaika Island WLOTA:0214 QSL JA0RQV (d/B) 17/10-27/10 5J0B: Isla San Andres WLOTA:2990 QSL LU1FM (d) 17/10-24/10 D4D: Ilha da Boa Vista WLOTA:0972 QSL EB7DX (d) 17/10-03/11 FG4KH: Guadeloupe Island WLOTA:0644 QSL F1DUZ (d/B) 17/10-27/10 FM/VE8DX: Martinique Island WLOTA:1041 QSL LY5W (d) 17/10-31/10 PJ7PL: Sint Maarten WLOTA:0711 QSL WA1ZAM (d/B) 18/10-25/10 P40A: Aruba Island WLOTA:0033 QSL WD9DZV (d/B) 18/10-27/10 PY0F/AA4NC: Fernando de Noronha DFB:OC-03 WLOL:FDN-001 WLOTA:1208 QSL H/c (d) 18/10-27/10 PY0F/AA4VK: Fernando de Noronha DFB:OC-03 WLOL:FDN-001 WLOTA:1208 QSL H/c (d) 18/10-27/10 PY0F/WA4DAN: Fernando de Noronha DFB:OC-03 WLOL:FDN-001 WLOTA:1208 QSL H/c (d) 19/10-02/11 E51EAQ: Rarotonga Island WLOTA:0971 QSL SP7DQR (d/B) 20/10-27/10 FJ/G4XUM: St Barthelemy Island WLOTA:0377 QSL H/c (d/B) 20/10-27/10 FJ/GM4AFF: St Barthelemy Island WLOTA:0377 QSL H/c (d/B) 20/10-27/10 FJ/M5RIC: St Barthelemy Island WLOTA:0377 QSL H/c (d/B) 20/10-27/10 FJ/N0VD: St Barthelemy Island WLOTA:0377 QSL H/c (d/B) 20/10-28/10 P40W Aruba Island WLOTA:0033 QSL N2MM (d) 20/10-27/10 PJ2/DK3DM: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/c (d/B) 20/10-27/10 PJ2/DL8OBQ: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/c (d/B) 20/10-27/10 PJ2/IK7YTT: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/c (d/B) 20/10-27/10 PJ2/N0YY: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL W3HNK (d) 20/10-27/10 PJ2/N4QQ: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/c (d/B) 20/10-27/10 PJ2/N4RV: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/c (d/B) 20/10-27/10 PJ2/VA7AM: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/c (d/B) 20/10-27/10 PJ2/W1ASB: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/c (d/B) 20/10-27/10 PJ2DX: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL W0CG (d) 21/10-28/10 FS/K9EL: St. Martin Island WLOTA:0383 QSL H/c (ClubLog OQRS) 21/10-29/10 FS/W9ILY: St. Martin WLOTA:0383 QSL H/c (d/B) 21/10-28/10 T42US: Cuba Island WLOTA:0032 QSL WB2REM (d)/LoTW/eQSL 22/10-27/10 TO2EME: St. Martin WLOTA:0383 QSL PE1L (d) 23/10-26/10 VP2V/AA7V: Virgin Gorda WLOTA:0347 QSL NR6M (d) 24/10-25/10 IH9YMC: Isola di Pantelleria WLOTA:0041 QSL eQSL 24/10-25/10 NH0DX: Saipan Island WLOTA:1333 QSL JL3RDC (d/B) 24/10-25/10 NH7A: Island of Hawaii WLOTA:0065 QSL F5VHJ (d/B) 24/10-25/10 PJ2T: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL W3HNK (d) 24/10-25/10 TO1E: St Martin Island WLOTA:0383 QSL TBA 24/10-25/10 TO2M: Martinique Island WLOTA:1041 QSL LY5W (d) 24/10-25/10 TO4K: St Barthelemy Island WLOTA:0377 QSL G3NKC (d) 24/10-25/10 VP2V/N3DXX: Virgin Gorda WLOTA:0347 QSL NR6M (d) 25/10-31/10 HI7/YV5IAL: Dominican Republic Island WLOTA:2974 QSL H/c (d/B) 27/10-03/11 PJ2/W4PGM: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/c (d/B) 27/10-03/11 PJ2/W4VAB: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/c (d/B) 29/10-01/11 PJ7/PE1L: St. Maarten WLOTA:0711 QSL PE1L (d) 30/10-04/11 ZD7N: Saint Helena Island WLOTA:1488 QSL W6NV (d) 31/10-01/11 JA4GXS/6: Kita Daito Shima WLOTA:0928 QSL H/c (d/B) 01/11-30/11 3B9/DF6LO: Rodrigues Island WLOTA:4265 QSL LoTW/eQSL 01/11-12/12 5R8IC: Ile Sainte Marie WLOTA:0491 QSL F6ICX (d/B) 01/11-30/11 PJ4/OE7PGI: Bonaire Island WLOTA:1279 QSL H/c (d/B) 01/11-30/11 ZY2QG: Ilha Queimada Grande DFB:SP-11 WLOL:BRA-086 WLOTA:0242 QSL PY2AE (d/B) 02/11-16/11 YJ0BJ: Efate Island WLOTA:1051 QSL VK2BJ (d)/LoTW/eQSL 03/11-10/11 P40MH: Aruba Island WLOTA:0033 QSL OH2BAD (d/B) 03/11-10/11 P4/OH1MA: Aruba Island WLOTA:0033 QSL OH2BAD (d/B) 06/11-04/12 ZD8W: Ascension Island WLOTA:1491 QSL W6NV (d) 07/11-14/11 J6/AA4OC: Santa Lucia Island WLOTA:1336 QSL H/c (d)/LoTW 07/11-14/11 J6/KB7NJV: Santa Lucia Island WLOTA:1336 QSL H/c (d)/LoTW 07/11-14/11 J6/N7DWL: Santa Lucia Island WLOTA:1336 QSL H/c (d)/LoTW 07/11-14/11 J6/N7QR: Santa Lucia Island WLOTA:1336 QSL H/c (d)/LoTW 07/11-14/11 J6/WT4BT: Santa Lucia Island WLOTA:1336 QSL H/c (d)/LoTW 08/11-23/11 VP2ECC: Anguilla Island WLOTA:1474 QSL DL9USA (QRZ.com) 09/11-15/11 E51KIK: Rarotonga Island WLOTA:0971 QSL G0KIK (d) 10/11-08/12 FM/DL7VOG: Martinique Island WLOTA:1041 QSL H/c (B/OQRS/d) 10/11-18/11 PJ4/OH1MA: Bonaire Island WLOTA:1279 QSL OH2BAD (d/B) 10/11-18/11 PJ4/OH2BAD: Bonaire Island WLOTA:1279 QSL H/c (d/B) 13/11-16/11 9H3YY: Malta Island WLOTA:1113 QSL DL2JRM (d/B) 13/11-01/12 PJ2/K2PLF: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/c (d/B) 13/11-01/12 PJ2/K8ND: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/c (d/B) 13/11-01/12 PJ2/KB7Q: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/c (d/B) 13/11-01/12 PJ2/KY7M: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/c (d/B) 13/11-01/12 PJ2/N5OT: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/c (d/B) 13/11-01/12 PJ2/N7IR: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/c (d/B) 13/11-01/12 PJ2/W0NB: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/c (d/B) 13/11-01/12 PJ2/W8WTS: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/c (d/B) 13/11-01/12 PJ2/W9NJY: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/c (d/B) 13/11-01/12 PJ2/ZS6EZ: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/c (d/B) 13/11-01/12 PJ2DX: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL W0CG (d) 18/11-25/11 FH/DL1RPL: Mayotte Island WLOTA:0376 QSL H/c (d/B) 22/11-30/11 VP2EAQ: Anguilla Island WLOTA:1474 QSL KE1B (d/B) 22/11-30/11 VP2EAR: Anguilla Island WLOTA:1474 QSL KE1B (d/B) 23/11-02/12 PJ5/OH1VR: Saba Island WLOTA:2043 QSL H/c (d/B) 23/11-02/12 PJ5/OH3JR: Saba Island WLOTA:2043 QSL H/c (d/B) 24/11-02/12 CE0Y/R4WAA: Isla de Pascua WLOTA:0319 QSL H/c (d/B) 24/11-02/12 CE0Y/RZ3FW: Isla de Pascua WLOTA:0319 QSL H/c (d/B) 25/11-03/12 5W0IF: Upolu Island WLOTA:1944 QSL ZL1IF (d)/LoTW 25/11-01/12 PJ4/K4BAI: Bonaire Island WLOTA:1279 QSL H/c (d/B) 25/11-01/12 PJ4/KU8E: Bonaire Island WLOTA:1279 QSL K4BAI (d/B) 25/11-01/12 PJ4/W8FN: Bonaire Island WLOTA:1279 QSL H/c (d/B) 27/11-30/11 AH0KT: Saipan Island WLOTA:1333 QSL JH8PHT (d/B) 27/11-03/12 FR/DL1RPL: La Reunion Island WLOTA:1812 QSL H/c (d/B) 28/11-29/11 3B9HA: Rodrigues Island WLOTA:4265 QSL LoTW 28/11-29/11 IH9R: Pantelleria Island WLOTA:0041 QSL IZ1GAR (d) 28/11-29/11 PJ2T: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL W3HNK (d) 28/11-29/11 PJ4A: Bonaire Island WLOTA:1279 QSL K4BAI (d/B) 28/11-29/11 TC0A: Bozcaada Adasi WLOTA:0085 QSL LZ5X (d) 28/11-29/11 TO4GU: Martinique Island WLOTA:1041 QSL DL7VOG (d/B) 01/12-31/12 3B8/DF6LO: Mauritius Island WLOTA:0595 QSL LoTW/eQSL 03/12-10/12 E51XGI: Rarotonga Island WLOTA:0971 QSL JA1XGI OQRS 03/12-10/12 3D2RJ: Viti Levu Island WLOTA:0055 QSL N7RO (d/B) 04/12-06/12 PJ2T: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL W3HNK (d) 12/12-13/12 PJ2T: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL W3HNK (d) 19/12-9/1/16 E51TLA: Rorotonga Island WLOTA:0971 QSL OZZ6TL (d/B) 20/12-28/12 E51LLA: Rorotonga Island WLOTA:0971 QSL DL7LL (d/B) 27/12-13/1/16 YJ4AO: Efate Island WLOTA:1051 QSL DL7VOA (d/B) =========================================== 73 and Good DX! Dave Raycroft, VA3RJ Home of I.C.P.O. & VEFF Program: www.qsl.net/va3rj/ Note: My website is constantly updated and will often show activity that did not make it in time for the I.C.P.O. Bulletin, and last minute announcements. My DX Calendar page is a good place to start to find updated information between bulletins. Join the VEFF (Flora & Fauna) Forum at: groups.yahoo.com/group/VEFF/ Subscribe to ICPO Mailing List: mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/icpo ******************************************* North American Checkpoint For: World Lighthouses On The Air - WLOTA www.wlota.com/ ******************************************* Canadian Checkpoint For: All Croatian Islands Award - ACIA All Croatian Islands Award Group - ACIAG The World Lighthouse Diplom - TWLHD/TWLHF www.9a7k.com/ ******************************************* Official Representative & Co-Ordinator of WCA program for Canada. wcagroup.org/wordpress/ ******************************************* Official Representative & Co-Ordinator of WorldWide Flora & Fauna (WWFF) Canada. WWFF-council-member (representing VEFF). www.wwff.co/ ******************************************* __________________________________________________________ ICPO mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/icpo Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:ICPO at mailman.qth.net From bmarx at bellsouth.net Mon Sep 28 18:15:18 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2015 18:15:18 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] RSGB IOTA Database breached In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <5609BBF6.7050903@bellsouth.net> From Tony N2MFT: At 04:48 UTC on Sunday morning 27 September, an automatic bot gained access to the IOTA website database and was able to exploit a bug in the IOTA code in order to reset the password for every user on the site. This is why you might not have been able to log into the site. There is no sign in the system logs that any data was read or that personal data was compromised. Once the IT team was aware of the issue, they immediately took the database offline for analysis and corrected the bug. User passwords are stored in a hashed format in the database, not in plain text. In accordance with best practice, however, we'd like to encourage all users of the IOTA website to change their passwords. Additionally, if you have used your IOTA password on other websites, you should change the passwords on those other sites also. If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact iota.online at rsgb.org.uk . G3KMA, 28 Sep 2015 http://www.rsgbiota.org/