From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Jun 1 08:45:07 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2016 08:45:07 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] A Message from Jeff In-Reply-To: <20160601113849.3535A20335A0@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20160601113849.3535A20335A0@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <682e6bcb-c191-fe2b-cfa5-cacb3065dc8d@bellsouth.net> Greetings to all, We had a great time at the Dayton Hamvention held on May 20-22. Ran into a good number of SFL members partaking in the weekend festivities. The WX mostly cooperated with some rain and moderate temperatures. The ARRL Expo, where once again, Gold Coast DEC Charlie, WB2SSN and myself were assisting at the Public Service booth, had huge crowds visiting the various exhibits and the ARRL Store. If you have never been to Dayton, you are missing out on one of the premier events in Amateur Radio. Our thanks to Kenny Hollenbeck, KD4ZFW for responding to the call we put out on the Southeast FL Traffic Net for assistance in transporting Ham Aid gear headed to Ecuador to support earthquake relief and recovery. Kenny picked up 5 boxes weighing 400 pounds at SW Air Cargo at FLL and transported them to UTS in Miami for shipment to Ecuador. Kenny was presented with a special SFL Section service award at the recent Gold Coast ARA meeting by ASM Barry Porter, KB1PA. For more info about the Ham Aid program, please visit http://www.arrl.org/ham-aid SFL ARES units participated in the HURREX ?16 drill on May 18th. The drill was coordinated with the FL Division of Emergency Management and county EOC?s. Six SFL county ARES groups passed traffic to Tallahassee on HF and the SARNet UHF network. June 1st marks the beginning of the Atlantic Hurricane season. I guess Mother Nature can?t read the calendar as we have had 2 named tropical storms in May. WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center conducted their annual station test on May 28th. This should signal to all of us to prepare for what might come our way this season. As the Florida DEM often reminds us, ?Get A Plan? And sign up with your local ARES group to provide the needed communications support for our communities. At the May South Florida DX Association meeting, ASM Barry Porter, KB1PA presented Kai Siwiak, KE4PT with the Feb. 2016 QST Cover Plaque Award for his article ?Radio Wave Propagation: How Waves Attenuate with Distance? Congratulations, Kai !! ARRL Reaches Agreement with Community Associations Institute on Parity Act After 2-1/2 months of intense negotiations, ARRL has reached an agreement with the Community Associations Institute (CAI) ? the national association of homeowners associations ? concerning amended language of the Amateur Radio Parity Act. This will allow H.R. 1301 to proceed to what is hoped will be passage of the bill in both houses of Congress this year. ?We express support for H.R. 1301, the Amateur Radio Parity Act, as proposed to be amended,? the CAI statement said. ARRL, working with CAI and Congressional staff, agreed on an amended bill that would allow every amateur living in a deed-restricted community the ability to install an effective outdoor antenna. ?We are pleased with the agreement with CAI over new proposed language in the legislation, and thank CAI and the Congressional staffers who helped make this happen,? ARRL Hudson Division Director and Legislative Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, said. Lisenco stressed that, while the agreement with CAI is significant, there is still much work to be done. ?This agreement with CAI is a big step forward, but getting the Amateur Radio Parity Act signed into law remains a long process. ARRL will still need to call upon the membership to contact their elected officials and ask for their affirmative vote on this bill,? he said. More information on the Amateur Radio Parity Act is available on the ARRL website. June events in the SFL Section: June 2nd- The City of Palm Beach Gardens proclaims ?Amateur Radio Week? in in their community, June 20-26, 2016. PBC ARES and club representatives have been invited to the meeting to receive the proclamation from city officials. Proclamations have also been received from the Towns of Hypoluxo and Juno Beach and the Village of North Palm Beach in Palm Beach County. If your club or ARES group has requested and received local proclamations, please let me know. June 4th- Boca Raton ARA annual open house at their new clubhouse at Delray West Park. The park is located at 10875 W. Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach. June 18th- Kids Day Kids Day is designed to give on-the-air experience to youngsters and hopefully foster interest in getting a license of their own. It is also intended to give older hams a chance to share their station and love for Amateur Radio with their children. For more info, please visit http://www.arrl.org/kids-day June 25th & 26th- ARRL Field Day- Field Day is the most popular on-the-air event held annually in the US and Canada. On the fourth weekend of June, more than 35,000 radio amateurs gather with their clubs, groups or simply with friends to operate from remote locations. Many clubs around the section will be participating. Find the club nearest to you with the Field Day Station Locator- www.arrl.org/field-day-locator ASM Barry, KB1PA and myself will be on the annual SFL Field Day Tour during the weekend and will be using the FD Locator to plan our visits, so please list your club event on the locator map Have fun, be safe and look for you during FD weekend. For more info on Field Day, please visit http://www.arrl.org/field-day ARRL Contest Advisory Committee Conducting Youth in Amateur Radiosport Survey The ARRL Contest Advisory Committee (CAC) has been looking into how to attract more youngsters and youth into Amateur Radio contesting, and it has invited all hams, and especially young people, whether or not they?re already radio amateurs, to take the Youth in Amateur Radiosport Survey. ?Please spread the word about the survey among your ham friends and local radio and contest clubs,? said CAC Chair George Wagner, K5KG, adding that the CAC would like to see more young people engaged in ?the thrill and challenge of competitive ham radio contesting ? also called ?radiosport.?? Wagner said that he and fellow CAC member Glenn Johnson, W0GJ, plan to hand out survey announcement cards at Dayton Hamvention? ? Johnson at the NCDXF booth and Wagner at Carole Perry?s Youth Forum and at the ARRL Youth Rally. ?We hope to capture a lot of survey responses on the fly at those events,? he said. ?Some other CAC members will be at Dayton, and they will also have survey cards to hand out.? As an initial step, the CAC is gathering information about where and how young people are currently involved in radiosport. It?s contacting ham radio clubs, contest clubs, private schools, international youth ham radio organizations, and the general public. The committee is using surveys, focus groups, and even face-to-face meetings to gauge ?the lay of the land? about youth and radiosport in today?s world, Wagner said. Radio contests grew out of attempts in the early 1900s to transmit and receive signals across the Atlantic, essentially the beginning of the use of ?the short waves? to span such long distances. Contests have allowed hams to practice message handling ? used during emergency communication ? as well as to gauge their own operator proficiency and their station?s performance. Over time, contests grew and flourished to the point where many hams today pursue them as their primary ham activity. ?For those who participate in radiosport, it provides a thrill that?s often compared to roller coaster rides or video gaming or big game hunting,? commented CAC member Don Daso, K4ZA. ?There?s just something about contacting a great number of people all over the world as fast as possible, or talking to someone ? just like yourself, at a station like your own ? on the opposite side of the world, and doing it without using a giant infrastructure or even a huge outlay of money.? Like many types of competitions, this ?sport,? Daso said, can be addictive. The survey will continue to accept input until August 31. Visit the online survey to participate. April ARES report from SEC Larry, W4LWZ Total number of ARES members: 396 Change since last month (+, -, same): +4 Number of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 9 Number of ARES nets active: 9 Number of nets with NTS liaison: 3 Calls of DECs/ECs reporting: W9GPI, WA4ASJ, WA4PAM, AD4RZ, AC4ZM, KK4ENJ, WW4RX, KB1PA, N4ZIQ Number of drills, tests and training sessions this month: 47 Person hours: 370.92 Number of public service events this month: 4 Person hours: 86 Number of emergency operations this month: 2 Person Hours: 40 Total number of ARES operations this month: 53 Total Person hours: 496.92 Comments: We had 2 Skywarn activations and a walkathon to benefit Service Dogs of Southwest Florida. April Traffic report from STM Mike, KM2V SAR - April 2016 CALL TOTAL WA4BAM 229 KE4CB 062 K9GZT 006 KK4KAH 005 K4KFF 091 KA3PYO 006 KR4ST 029 KM2V 155 W4ZE 016 PSHR - April 2016 Callsign Total WA4BAM 110 KE4CB 130 K4KFF 110 KM2V 130 NETS - April 2016 NET ABB. QNI QTC QND SESS MGR All Florida CW Traffic Net QFN 223 71 274 30 WA4BAM Florida Medium Speed Net FMSN 224 60 485 30 AG4RJ/AB4XK Southeast Florida Traffic Net SEFTN 444 75 719 30 KM2V Southwest Florida Traffic Net SWFTN 415 44 1625 27 KE4CB/N9WS Jupiter-Tequesta Repeater Group W4JUP 28 0 115 4 K4VMS 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 -------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe from messages, go to: http://p1k.arrl.org/oo/52f346c26e19976394cfd0d7e254234e From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Jun 2 14:08:33 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (William Marx) Date: Thu, 2 Jun 2016 14:08:33 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] MIKE's ELECTRONICS VACATION References: <190701d1bce5$9eb1a530$dc14ef90$@comcast.net> Message-ID: <63D1190E-7F11-486C-ADA8-11ABACB0F60D@bellsouth.net> > > MIKE?S ELECTRONICS WILL BE CLOSED FOR VACATION FROM JUNE 9TH TO JUNE 14TH . WILL RE-OPEN WED JUNE 15TH. IF YOU ARE A VENDOR PLEASE DO NOT SCHEDULE ANY DELIVERIES DURING THIS PERIOD. > > > Best regards, > Mike Spivak > > > > 1069 NW 53RD STREET > FT LAUDERDALE, FL 33309 > PH 954-491-7110 > FX 954-491-7011 > 800-427-3066 > mspivak at bellsouth.net > > MON 9-2 > TUES 9-2 > WED 9-NOON > THURS 9-2 > FRI 9-2 > SAT 9-NOON > From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Jun 3 19:55:22 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2016 19:55:22 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ARRL News - Houston Area ARES Activates in Response to Flood Emergency Message-ID: <0c297ff5-2281-155a-d20a-99f290d0eceb@bellsouth.net> Houston Area ARES Activates in Response to Flood Emergency 06/02/2016 ARRL South Texas Section Emergency Coordinator Frank Aguilar, N5SSH, reported on June 2 that South Texas District 14 Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) has activated in response to continued flooding in the area. He said there have not been any communications failures, but ARES is assisting with other communication-related ?situational awareness issues? for now. District 14 ARES activated at the request of Harris County Homeland Security Office of Emergency Management. ?Heavy rainfall continues to fall across Harris County and Southeast Texas,? said District 14 Emergency Coordinator Jeff Walter, KE5FGA. ?The Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management (HCOHSEM) has moved to Level 3 ? Increased Readiness ? in response to the potential threat of extensive flooding over the next several days.? Walter said ARES volunteers will monitor reports from the field with respect to street flooding ?that may need the new barricade rule put into effect.? He asked volunteers having WebEOC access to input information via that route, using June 2016 Regional Severe Weather event. Otherwise, he asked volunteers to either call in by their area, rather than unit affiliation, on the net frequency or use a local repeater. Frequencies to be monitored in the TranStar communications center will include: * 147.000 (103.5 Hz) (info net) * 146.720 (123.0 Hz) (NW area) * 145.190 (123.0 Hz) (SW area) * 145.430 (NE area) * 146.640 (SE area) http://www.arrl.org/news/houston-area-ares-activates-in-response-to-flood-emergency From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Jun 9 18:23:42 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 9 Jun 2016 18:23:42 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Letter for June 9, 2016 In-Reply-To: <20160609214839.8A6B420DB24A@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20160609214839.8A6B420DB24A@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: Preview If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-06-09 The ARRL Letter June 9, 2016 Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME ARRL Home Page /ARRL Letter/ Archive Audio News Ad * ARRL, Community Associations Institute Find Common Ground on Parity Act Language <#toc01> * Pacific Northwest Earthquake Exercise Reaching for Realistic Response Scenario <#toc02> * The Doctor Will See You Now! <#toc03> * National Parks on the Air Update <#toc04> * Shop Amazon Smile for Father's Day and Support ARRL <#toc05> * The 2016 ARRL June VHF Contest is Upon Us! <#toc06> * Colorado Creates Auxiliary Emergency Communications Unit <#toc07> * ARES Volunteers Take Part in Search for Missing Plane <#toc08> * Transatlantic VHF Digital Receiver Site Now Operational in Newfoundland <#toc09> * Bouvet Island Activation Planned for 2017-2018 Timeframe <#toc10> * In Brief... <#toc11> * The K7RA Solar Update <#toc12> * Just Ahead in Radiosport <#toc13> * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions <#toc14> ARRL, Community Associations Institute Find Common Ground on Parity Act Language ARRL and the Community Associations Institute (CAI ) -- the national association of homeowners associations (HOAs) -- have reached consensus on provisions of the Amateur Radio Parity Act , H.R. 1301. ARRL and CAI have worked intensively since February to reach agreement on substitute language for the bill in an effort to move it through the US House Energy and Commerce Committee and to overcome objections to the companion US Senate bill, S. 1685. Along the way, the offices of U.S. Representatives Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Greg Walden, W7EQI, (R-OR), and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) mediated and offered assistance. ARRL Hudson Division Director and Legislative Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, called the agreement "a significant development in the League's 30-year pursuit to secure the ability to erect Amateur Radio antennas in deed restricted communities." ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, said the League was pleased to have reached an agreement with CAI over new proposed language in this legislation that both ARRL and CAI endorse and support. "We agree with CAI that the substitute amendment is balanced, and we think that this bill's language is more objective and offers perhaps more guidance to HOAs than would the PRB-1 'reasonable accommodation' test for municipal land use regulations," he said. Imlay explained that ARRL did not have the final language for the substitute amendment until late last week, and the amended bill has not been introduced in the House as of yet. ARRL planned no announcement about the text of the amended House bill until it was introduced. However, because the text became available from the House Office of Legislative Counsel, and as CAI released the text to its members, it was decided to release the amended text now. "The bottom line," Imlay said, "is that if the bill is enacted, it would allow every amateur living in a deed-restricted community -- for the first time in the history of Amateur Radio in the US -- the ability to install an effective outdoor antenna." "That would benefit thousands of current and future hams living in deed-restricted communities," Lisenco added. *ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD. [Rick Lindquist, WW1ME, photo]* Imlay explained that the substitute bill would guarantee that a radio amateur living in a deed-restricted community -- including condominium or townhouse communities -- could install and maintain an "effective outdoor antenna." Achieving the agreement came without disrupting 30 years of zoning case law that has interpreted the PRB-1 federal preemption and protected radio amateurs from overregulation by zoning authorities. The bill incorporates the basic tenets of PRB-1. According to the substitute bill's language, the FCC would enact rules prohibiting the application of deed restrictions that preclude Amateur Radio communication on their face or as applied. Also prohibited would be deed restrictions that do not permit an Amateur Radio operator living in a deed-restricted community to install and maintain an effective outdoor antenna on property under the licensee's exclusive use or control. The substitute bill would prohibit deed restrictions that do not impose the minimum practicable restriction on amateur communication to accomplish the lawful purposes of a homeowners association (HOA) seeking to enforce the restriction. Amateurs wishing to install an antenna in a deed-restricted community would have to notify and obtain prior approval of the homeowners association. HOAs would be able to preclude the installation of antennas in common areas -- ie, property not under the licensee's exclusive use. *ARRL Hudson Division Director and Legislative Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Lisenco, N2YBB.* The substitute measure provides that HOAs could enact /reasonable/ written rules governing height, location, size, and aesthetic impact of outdoor antennas and support structures, as well as installation requirements. Those rules could not preclude amateur communication nor restrict the absolute entitlement of each amateur living in a deed-restricted community to an effective outdoor antenna, however. The amended measure reiterates the strong federal interest in Amateur Radio communication in a licensee's residence. "Community associations should fairly administer private land use regulations in the interest of their communities, while nevertheless permitting the installation and maintenance of effective outdoor Amateur Radio antennas," the negotiated language states. "There exist antenna designs and installations that can be consistent with the aesthetics and physical characteristics of land and structures in community associations while accommodating communications in the Amateur Radio services." Lisenco cautioned that getting the Amateur Radio Parity Act signed into law still remains a long process. "Much work needs to be done," Lisenco said. "ARRL will still need to call upon the entire membership to contact their elected officials, especially in the Senate, to ask for their affirmative vote on this bill," he stressed. More information on the Amateur Radio Parity Act, including a copy of the complete substitute amendment agreed to by ARRL and CAI, is available on the ARRL website. Pacific Northwest Earthquake Exercise Reaching for Realistic Response Scenario This is /only/ a test... Amateur Radio is playing a major role in the largest FEMA exercise of 2016, "Cascadia Rising ," which got under way on June 7 and continues until June 10. In the exercise scenario, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and consequent tsunami have struck the Pacific Northwest, and the exercise began with a blackout of all conventional means of communication -- a natural opening for Amateur Radio involvement. ARES/RACES organizations in Oregon and Washington have been heavily involved, and ARRL Headquarters, including W1AW, has been in the loop as well. In the exercise scenario, all Oregon ARES teams have been activated, and an emergency net convened on 20 meter SSB. As part of the exercise, a /Winlink/ HF e-mail from ARRL Oregon Section Manager John Core, KX7YT, indicated that Seaside had been "severely damaged by a tsunami wave" with "many missing persons." Among those unaccounted for were ARRL staff, Directors and Vice Directors attending the Pacific Northwestern Division Convention in Seaside (Sea-Pac -- the /actual/ convention ended on June 5). *ARRL Headquarters Volunteer Skip Colton, W1FTE (rear), and ARRL Field Organization Supervisor Steve Ewald, WV1X, check into the national net from W1AW as part of the "Cascadia Rising" exercise. W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, handled message traffic via /Winlink/.* ARRL Emergency Response Manager Mike Corey, KI1U, called a meeting of the ARRL HQ Emergency Response Team on June 7. Corey said ARRL Headquarters has been taking part via /Winlink/ and HF voice, adding that the exercise offers an opportunity to exercise the ARRL Headquarters Emergency Response Team. "This team is called up to support the ARRL Field Organization during a major disaster, when support cannot be provided during normal business hours," he explained. According to FEMA, emergency operations centers (EOCs) and emergency coordination centers (ECCs) at all levels of government and the private sector are conducting simulated field response operations within their jurisdictions and with neighboring communities, state EOCs, FEMA, and major military commands. FEMA will activate the five discrete Amateur Radio channels on 60 meters for use during the interoperability exercise. The Doctor Will See You Now! "All About Baluns" is the topic of the newest (June 2) episode of the "ARRL The Doctor is In " podcast. Listen...and learn! Sponsored by DX Engineering , "ARRL The Doctor is In" is an informative discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like! Every 2 weeks, your host, /QST/ Editor in Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of technical topics. You can also e-mail your questions to doctor at arrl.org , and the Doctor may answer them in a future podcast. Enjoy "ARRL The Doctor is In" on Apple iTunes , or by using your iPhone or iPad podcast app (just search for "ARRL The Doctor is In"). You can also listen online at Blubrry , or at Stitcher (free registration required, or browse the site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or Android devices. If you've never listened to a podcast before, download our beginner's guide . Just ahead on June 16, the topic will be "Grounding." Ad National Parks on the Air Update June is the beginning of sporadic-E season, which means the likelihood of good domestic openings on 10 and 6 meters goes up for a couple of months. NPOTA Activators and Chasers alike should not overlook the QSO possibilities to be found on these bands. Activators can take advantage of gain antennas for these bands, which are much smaller than their 20 and 40 meter counterparts. In addition, access to 10 and 6 by Technician licensees means many contact opportunities with an entirely new segment of Chasers. Stay alert for activity on these bands for the next couple of months. There are 40 activations on the NPOTA calendar June 9-15, including the rare Niobrara Wild and Scenic River in Nebraska, and the Washita Battlefield National Historic Site in Oklahoma. Details about these and other upcoming activations can be found on the NPOTA Activations calendar. Keep up with the latest NPOTA news on Facebook . Follow NPOTA on Twitter (@ARRL_NPOTA). Shop Amazon Smile for Father's Day and Support ARRL Father's Day is Sunday, June 19. Remember to shop smile.amazon.com , and Amazon will make a contribution to the American Radio Relay League. This helps the League to extend its reach in public service, advocacy, education, technology, and membership. Make Dad's day. Browse great Father's Day gift ideas now! Bookmark ARRL's link and support Amateur Radio and the ARRL /every/ time you shop online. The 2016 ARRL June VHF Contest is Upon Us! One of the premier VHF/UHF events on the contest calendar is the ARRL June VHF Contest , which gets under way at 1800 UTC on Saturday, June 11, and continues until 0259 UTC on Monday, June 13. *Even a modest 6 meter antenna can help to put you on the map for the June VHF Contest. [Rick Lindquist, WW1ME, photo]* The object for participants in the US and Canada (and their possessions) is to work stations in as many different 2? ? 1?Maidenhead grid squares as possible, using authorized frequencies above 50 MHz. Stations outside the US and Canada (and their possessions) may only work stations in the US (and its possessions) and Canada. Stations in KH0-9, KL7, KP1-KP5, CY9, and CY0 count as W/VE stations and may be worked by DX stations for contest credit. Whether from a home station, mobile, or even portable (perhaps mountaintopping or on the air at a nearby National Parks On The Air site), you won't need large antennas or elaborate gear to operate in the June VHF Contest, and you don't have to be a contesting "pro." June also is a favorable month for band openings on the "Magic Band" -- 6 meters. Even DX contacts are possible on 6. There are several classic entry categories, but for those new to VHF, these categories might be a great place to get started in VHF contesting: * Single-Operator, Portable: For those who enjoy operating low power from a portable power source and using portable antennas. * Rover: For mobile operators who enjoy traveling from one grid square to another to hand out contacts. * Single-Operator, FM-only: A category for the 50, 144, 222, and 440 MHz bands at a power of 100 W or less. Even with a modest station, it's possible to work hundreds of miles on the VHF bands during a good opening. For more information, contact the ARRL Contest Branch. Ad Colorado Creates Auxiliary Emergency Communications Unit A new Colorado law has created an Auxiliary Emergency Communications (AuxComm) Unit within the state's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM). The action implements recommendations contained in a 2012 FCC report to Congress regarding the value of Amateur Radio in disasters and emergencies. Colorado Gov John Hickenlooper signed the measure into law on June 6, after it sailed through both houses of the Colorado General Assembly. *(L-R) Colorado Sen Chris Holbert; SEC and SGL Robert Wareham, N0ESQ; SM Jack Ciaccia, WM0G; Gov John Hickenlooper; Rocky Mountain Division Vice Director Jeff Ryan, K0RM; ASEC Perry Lindquist, W6AUN, and Rep Jonathan Singer. Holbert and Singer are holding their ARRL Special Services Award plaques. [John Maxwell, W0VG, photo]* "This bill will make it possible for Colorado ARES to further enhance the level of emergency communications services during times of need," ARRL Colorado Section Manager Jack Ciaccia, WM0G, said. Colorado's General Assembly determined that "a uniformly trained and credentialed unit of communication volunteers available for disaster response" would "materially assist emergency preparedness and disaster response efforts across the state." The new law was conceived by Colorado Section Emergency Coordinator and State Government Liaison Robert Wareham, N0ESQ, an attorney, while he met with DHSEM staff in 2012. That year and the next, Amateur Radio operators played key roles in responding to multiple major disasters in Colorado, including wildfires that destroyed several hundred homes and a 500-year-flood that inundated much of north-central Colorado. "The real-life laboratory of successive major disaster helped us quickly realize the need for statewide response capabilities; which ideas worked, and which ones didn't," said Wareham. "In essence, we had the perfect storm of major disasters, FCC recommendations to Congress, and FEMA OEC sponsored training to bring it all together into the current auxiliary communications framework." *Colorado ARES volunteers assisted emergency managers in the response and damage assessment resulting from flooding in the summer of 2013. [Uli Hauser, KB9TTI, photo]* The new statute provides that Colorado ARES will enter into a Section-level Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state's Office of Emergency Management to recruit, train, credential, coordinate, and supervise members of the Auxiliary Emergency Communications Unit. "Too often, valuable Amateur Radio resources are diluted by having multiple organizations in a single community competing with one another, such as having separate ARES and RACES organizations in a single county," Wareham said. "Under the Colorado model, all Colorado ARES members who meet the training and background check requirements of the AuxComm Unit will be issued credentials that will be recognized statewide." The AuxComm Unit will perform all RACES functions for the state. Read more . ARES Volunteers Take Part in Search for Missing Plane Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers in Kentucky recently joined other volunteer organizations, law enforcement, firefighters, and emergency managers in an effort to locate a missing single-engine private aircraft. ARES teams and individual volunteers from Grayson, Hardin, and Davies counties and elsewhere mustered on June 1 at the Owensboro Airport -- the plane's destination -- to assist with communication. Kentucky State Police had put out the call for information on the plane's whereabouts. *ARES members and other search volunteers set up at the Owensboro, Kentucky, Airport. [Courtesy of George Allen, WA4YPQ]* Members of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) also took part in the search-and-rescue mission, and the operation had support from the American Red Cross, which provided meals and water for the responders. The plane was believed to have gone down near Rough River State Park, not long after departing the Falls of Rough airfield on a flight back to its home base of Owensboro. "We were only called out 'for communications,' so we didn't know what would be needed," Hardin County Assistant Emergency Coordinator Shelby Ennis, W8WN, said afterward. "Therefore, both W8QAS [the emergency communications point of contact for the incident] and I took a lot of gear. Most of it was needed." Kentucky Region 2 Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator George Allen, WA4YPQ, activated Hardin County ARES and requested help from Kentucky Section Emergency Coordinator Cecil Dennis, K4TCD. Firefighter Andrew Whobrey, KG4OOZ, also served at incident command (IC) for communications relay and support on non-ham radio frequencies, and three radio operators at the IC monitored the various radios and frequencies. Ennis said four dual-band radios were pressed into service. The crash site was spotted on the afternoon of June 1 in a remote area. A ground team subsequently reached the site and removed the body of the pilot, Dr Robert C. Dalzell Jr of Owensboro, a retired physician. "The local emergency manager and the others [involved] were greatly appreciative of our coming down and providing the communications for them," Ennis said. He noted that upward of 50 individuals, including a dozen or so radio amateurs, were involved in the search effort. Transatlantic VHF Digital Receiver Site Now Operational in Newfoundland A transatlantic VHF digital receiver site has begun operation in Newfoundland. Frank Davis, VO1HP, reports that antennas were erected and a VHF SDR activated on May 19 to inaugurate the VO1FN "TransAtlantic VHF Digital Beacon Receiver Site." The receiver site, in grid square GN37, is sponsored by the Society of Newfoundland Radio Amateurs (SONRA ), the Baccalieu Amateur Radio Klub (VO1BRK ), and the Upper Trinity Amateur Radio Club (UTARC ). Davis made his summer home and station in Freshwater, Conception Bay North, available for the receive-only site; it offers an unobstructed view of the North Atlantic, and he's open to suggestions as to how to take best advantage of the site's capabilities. *The VO1FN transatlantic VHF receiving site. [Courtesy of Frank Davis, VO1HP]* "The point of this experiment is to provide a North American receiver online 24/7 that can be used by European beacon operators or well-equipped VHF stations to test their transmissions," he told ARRL. "It is a receive-only site, but if it is proven over time that signals can be heard and correlated with propagation studies, then it might stimulate operators to equip their stations to attempt a two-way QSO." Attempts have been made from Newfoundland and Labrador to transmit an Amateur Radio signal across the North Atlantic on 2 meters, with a two-way contact as the ultimate goal. The Irish Radio Transmitters Society (IRTS ) offers its Brendan Trophy to the operators of the Amateur Radio stations to establish the first two-way communication on 2 meters between Europe and North or South America. The most recent effort to snag the Brendan Trophy took place from VC1T in Newfoundland in 2014. Interest stemming from that experiment led to the VO1FN project. "The receiver site is up and running using an SDR and /SDR Console/ software," Davis told ARRL. He explained that users would first have to install /SDR Console V2.3/, and he would open a free account permitting them to log in. "We are willing to rotate the Yagi array in any direction for testing with distant 144 MHz digital stations," Davis said. Read more . Ad Bouvet Island Activation Planned for 2017-2018 Timeframe Three proven and experienced DXpedition leaders of a large team of operators have announced plans to activate Bouvet Island (Bouvet?ya), the number 2 most-wanted DXCC entity, in late 2017 or early 2018. Ralph Fedor, K0IR, Bob Allphin, K4UEE, and Erling Wiig, LA6VM, have been working on this project since returning from Peter I (3Y0X) some 10 years ago. "We are making this announcement now, so that other DXpedition teams that may be considering Bouvet as a DXpedition target can redirect their time and effort elsewhere," the trio said in the announcement. The team has an agreement with R/V /Braveheart/ skipper Nigel Jolly, K6NRJ, to provide transportation, a helicopter, pilot, and mechanic. A website is under development. *The west side of glacier-laden Bouvet Island.* The group's preliminary plan, submitted to the Norwegian Polar Institute, has been accepted, and a permit will be issued to land on Slakhallet -- a huge glacier that covers the volcanic island. A dependency of Norway, Bouvet is a subantarctic island in the South Atlantic. The last Bouvet activation was 3Y0E, which took place during a scientific expedition over the winter of 2007-2008. Petrus Kritzinger, ZS6GCM, was the DXpedition operator. A Bouvet activation that occurred in January 2001 surprised the DX community. Dr Chuck Brady, N4BQW (SK), a retired NASA astronaut, operated solo as 3Y0C from Bouvet and got to talk about it at the Dayton DX Dinner a few months later. Other Bouvet DXpeditions in the 2016 timeframe had been planned and announced but apparently never came together. Read more . /-- Thanks to/ The Daily DX In Brief... *ARRL Network Maintenance Set for Sunday, June 12:* The ARRL IT Department will conduct network maintenance on Sunday, June 12, to improve reliability and security. The work will occur between 1100 UTC and 2300 UTC. During this period some or all systems may be temporarily unavailable, including the website. Among services that will be affected are the ARRL Store, the National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) page, Logbook of The World (LoTW), the DXCC page, and the ARRL VEC page. E-mail also will be offline, but all messages will be queued for later delivery. Telephone service to ARRL Headquarters also may be affected. We apologize for any inconvenience. *Houston Area ARES Activates in Response to Flood Emergency:* ARRL South Texas Section Emergency Coordinator Frank Aguilar, N5SSH, reported on June 2 that South Texas District 14 Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) had activated in response to continued flooding in the area. There had not been any communications failures, but ARES briefly assisted with other communication-related "situational awareness issues." District 14 ARES activated at the request of Harris County Homeland Security Office of Emergency Management. "Heavy rainfall continues to fall across Harris County and Southeast Texas," District 14 Emergency Coordinator Jeff Walter, KE5FGA, said at the time. The Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management moved to Level 3 -- Increased Readiness -- in response to the potential flooding threat. *Past /QST/ VHF-UHF Columnist, ARRL Staffer Bill Smith, W0WOI (ex-K0CER), SK:* Former ARRL Headquarters staffer Bill Smith, W0WOI (ex-K0CER, W1DVE, and others), of Jefferson, Iowa, died on June 1. An ARRL Life Member, he was 78 and had been a radio amateur and League member since 1952. He served on the ARRL staff from 1967 to 1974 and was the editor of /QST/'s "World Above 50 Mc." column, succeeding Sam Harris, W1FZJ. In 1967, Smith was among the founders (with W0CUC and W0ENC) of the organization that became the Central States VHF Society. He was said to be looking forward to the organization's 50th gathering later this year. Smith activated the Cayman Islands for the first time ever on 6 meters as ZF1DT in 1968, and he led the 1970 KL7ABR DXpedition to Alaska 2 years later for the ARRL June VHF QSO Party. He was on the DXCC Honor Roll and had nearly completed DXCC on 6 meters. He also enjoyed collecting vintage and rare QSL cards. On the professional side, Smith had extensive experience in television news reporting and documentary work. *Mike Santana designed the Clegg FM-76 220 MHz transceiver. [Courtesy of RigReference.com]* *Former Fanon-Courier Vice President of Engineering Mike Santana, WB6TEB, SK:* Former vice president of engineering for Fanon Courier Miguel Emilio "Mike" Santana, WB6TEB, of Arcadia, California, died May 24. A native of Cuba, Santana was 84 and had been an ARRL member. Santana was the designer of the 12-channel crystal-controlled Clegg FM-76 transceiver for 220 MHz, which was licensed to Midland and Cobra. He also designed the President line of CB radios, many of which were converted to 10 meter operation. He was an associate member of the JPL Amateur Radio Club (ARC). Santana also was a reserve police officer for more than 10 years and served as a radio consultant for the city police and fire departments. /-- Thanks to Mike Morris, WA6ILQ/ The K7RA Solar Update Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: I thought it was too early in the decline of this solar cycle to start seeing days with no sunspots (ie, when the sunspot number is zero) but I was wrong. There were no sunspots on June 3-6. The last time there were four or more spot-less days was December 18-24, 2010 when there were no sunspots for an entire week. Last year, we saw no spot-less days, 2014 had just one, and there were none in 2012 or 2013. The average daily sunspot number dropped from 33 to 7.7 this week, and the average daily solar flux went from 87.4 to 80.7. Geomagnetic indicators were up slightly, with the planetary A index going from 8.9 to 11.6, and the mid-latitude A index from 9 to 9.4. Predicted solar flux for the near term is 80, 82, 85, and 90 on June 9-12; 95 on June 13-16; 90 on June 17-20; 85 on June 21-24; 80 on June 25-28; 78 on June 29-July 4; 82 on July 5-7; 85 on July 8-11, and 90 on July 12-17. Predicted planetary A index is 5, 8, 12, 16, and 12 on June 9-13; 8, 6, 8, 15, and 10 on June 14-18; 5 on June 19-22; 10, 12, and 8 on June 23-25; 10 on June 26-27; 5 on June 28-July 1; 25, 20; and 8 on July 2-4; 5 on July 5-8; 12 on July 9-10, and 8 on July 11-12. Sunspot numbers are somewhat subjective, based on a visual count of sunspot groups, the number of sunspots in those groups, and the total area covered by sunspots. Solar flux is an actual measure of one type of radiation reaching us from the sun -- radio energy with a wavelength of 10.7 centimeters, or 2.8 GHz. Sunspot numbers for June 2 through 8 were 27, 0, 0, 0, 0, 12, and 15, with a mean of 7.7. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 85.2, 83.2, 80, 79.1, 78.5, 78.5, and 80.1, with a mean of 87.4. Estimated planetary A indices were 4, 3, 4, 29, 26, 9, and 6, with a mean of 8.9. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 5, 5, 5, 23, 21, 10, and 6 with a mean of 9. Send me your reports and observations. . . . . . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just Ahead in Radiosport * June 10 -- HA3NS Sprint Memorial Contest (CW) * June 11 -- Asia-Pacific Sprint (SSB) * June 11-12 -- DRCG WW RTTY Contest * June 11-12 -- VK Shires Contest (CW, phone) * June 11-12 -- Portugal Day Contest (CW, phone) * June 11-12 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW) * June 11-12 -- GACW WWSA CW DX Contest (CW) * June 11-12 -- REF DDFM 6 Meter Contest (CW, phone) * *June 11-13 -- ARRL June VHF Contest **(CW, phone, digital)* * June 15 -- NAQCC CW Sprint * June 15 -- RSGB 80 Meter Club Championship (CW) See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth reporting on Amateur Radio contesting, subscribe to /The ARRL Contest Update/ via your ARRL member profile e-mail preferences. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions * June 10-11 -- West Gulf Division Convention , Irving, Texas * June 18 -- Tennessee State Convention , Knoxville, Tennessee * June 24-26 -- Ham Radio 2016 , Friedrichshafen, Germany * July 2 -- Eastern Pennsylvania Section Convention , Harrisburg, Pennsylvania * July 8-9 -- Northern Florida Section Convention , Milton, Florida * July 8-9 -- Utah State Convention , Sandy, Utah * July 15-17 -- Montana State Convention , East Glacier, Montana * July 22-23 -- Oklahoma Section Convention , Oklahoma City, Oklahoma * July 29-31 -- Central States VHF Conference , Rochester, Minnesota * August 5-6 -- Texas State Convention , Austin, Texas * August 5-7 -- Pacific Northwest DX Convention , Portland, Oregon * August 12-14 -- New Mexico State Convention , Albuquerque, New Mexico * August 19-21 -- West Virginia State Convention , Weston, West Virginia * August 20-21 -- Southeastern Division Convention , Huntsville, Alabama * August 21 -- Kansas State Convention , Salina, Kansas * September 3-4 -- North Carolina State Convention , Shelby, North Carolina * September 9-11 -- New England Division Convention , Boxborough, Massachusetts * September 10 -- Kentucky State Convention , Shepherdsville, Kentucky * September 10 -- Virginia Section Convention , Virginia Beach, Virginia Find conventions and hamfests in your area . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *ARRL *-- *Your One-Stop Resource for * *Amateur Radio News and Information*. . . * Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes /QST/ , Amateur Radio's most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month. * Listen to /ARRL Audio News/ , available every Friday. Subscribe to... * /NCJ -- National Contest Journal/ . Published bi-monthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties. * /QEX/ *//*/-- A Forum for Communications Experimenters/ . Published bi-monthly, features technical articles, construction projects, columns, and other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals. Free of charge to ARRL members... * Subscribe to the /ARES E-Letter/ (monthly public service and emergency communications news), the /ARRL Contest Update/(bi-weekly contest newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much more! Find ARRL on Facebook ! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram ! 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 ? 2016 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved www.arrl.org From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Jun 17 08:34:02 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 17 Jun 2016 08:34:02 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Letter for June 16, 2016 In-Reply-To: <20160616225901.199FC200A579@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20160616225901.199FC200A579@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <2a993fe9-18b8-4c8e-4786-981e115da47e@bellsouth.net> Preview If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-06-16 The ARRL Letter June 16, 2016 Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME ARRL Home Page /ARRL Letter/ Archive Audio News Ad * ARRL Now Offering New "Radio and Wireless Technology" Patch Program for Girl Scouts <#toc01> * FCC Turns Away Petition to Permit Experimental Operation on Amateur Bands <#toc02> * Polish DXer 3Z9DX Reported Ready to Return to North Korea on a Moment's Notice <#toc03> * Three Radio Amateurs on the ISS Head Home on June 18 <#toc04> * National Parks on the Air Update <#toc05> * The Doctor Will See You Now! <#toc06> * Gear Up for ARRL Field Day with Official Merchandise <#toc07> * Kids Day is Saturday, June 18 <#toc08> * "The Magic Band" Lives Up to its Name in ARRL June VHF Contest <#toc09> * White House Honors Limor Fried, AC2SN, Among "Champions of Change for Making" <#toc10> * Well-Known DXer, DXpeditioner Milt Jensen, N5IA, Dies in Fall from Tower <#toc11> * Nepal Radio Amateur Describes Earthquake Response Effort at West Coast Gathering <#toc12> * Europe's "Dayton" -- Ham Radio 2016 (Friedrichshafen) -- Takes Place June 24-26 <#toc13> * The K7RA Solar Update <#toc14> * This Week in Radiosport <#toc15> * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions <#toc16> ARRL Now Offering New "Radio and Wireless Technology" Patch Program for Girl Scouts The ARRL has begun offering a new Girl Scouts "Radio and Wireless Technology " patch program that offers opportunities for participants to learn about wireless technology, including Amateur Radio. Scout leaders and Amateur Radio volunteers associated with the Greater Atlanta Girl Scout Council and Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains developed the program to incorporate information and exploratory activities that provide a backdrop for understanding radio communication. The program will encourage Girl Scouts to take on activities to gain knowledge and skills, as well as kindle an interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects and careers. "The initiative for the program came about through my conversations with hams who wanted to work with Girl Scouts as well as Boy Scouts and wanted a patch program that would introduce ham radio, as the 'Radio' merit badge does in the Boy Scouts," said ARRL Education Services Manager Debra Johnson, K1DMJ. "I was introduced to a group of leaders with the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta who wanted to work in developing a new, fun patch program for radio that would fit with the Girl Scout Leadership Experience structure. This group was joined by Jill Galus, KB1SWV, of the Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains in New Hampshire. We collaborated on this over the course of several years." Galus's father, "Skip" Youngberg, K1NKR, and a team from the Nashoba Valley Radio Club helped test-drive the new patch program with Girl Scouts in New Hampshire, during "Thinking Day on the Air" this past February. The program defines the requirements for Girl Scouts to earn the patch at the Brownie, Junior, Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador levels. Girl Scouts can learn the fundamentals of radio communication and wireless technology, from broadcasting to smartphones, and apply what they learn to connect people, enhance safety, and explore related careers. In addition to acquiring the fundamentals, participants can explore radio science through hands-on learning with Amateur Radio, and use radio to talk around the world and for public service. They also can learn about the role of wireless technology in everyday life and in careers. Read more . FCC Turns Away Petition to Permit Experimental Operation on Amateur Bands The FCC has denied the 2015 petition of a Missouri radio amateur seeking to have the Commission authorize low-power experimental activity on Amateur Radio frequencies. James Edwin Whedbee, N0ECN, of Gladstone, sought to amend FCC Part 97 Amateur Service rules to let radio amateurs conduct experiments on all Amateur Radio bands, subject to certain limits on duration, power, and bandwidth. The FCC declined to put his petition on public notice and invite comments. "[T]he Commission's rules contain numerous provisions for experimentation and development of new radio equipment and techniques," the FCC said in a June 9 letter to Whedbee. "The Experimental Radio Service (ERS) rules contained in Part 5 permit a broad range of experiments, including in the Amateur Service, and prescribe the manner in which the radio spectrum may be made available to experiment with new radio technologies, equipment designs, characteristics of radio wave propagation, or service concepts related to the use of the radio spectrum." The letter pointed out that the FCC "recently revised and streamlined" its Part 5 rules "to provide additional flexibility to innovators" and noted that Whedbee did not discuss in his petition whether those rule changes might address his concerns. In the same stroke of the pen, the FCC denied a 2016 petition from Whedbee seeking to delegate to the chiefs of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) and the Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) the authority to dispose of certain requests for exemptions, waivers, and rulemaking regarding new technologies or new application of existing technologies. "The Commission has already delegated to WTB and OET authority to act on applications, waiver requests, petitions, and even some rulemaking matters, so long as they do not raise novel questions of law or policy which cannot be resolved under outstanding Commission precedents and guidelines," the FCC told Whedbee. "[W]e conclude that [both] petitions present no evidence of an existing problem or other evidence meriting a rule change, and we dismiss the petitions," the FCC concluded. Whedbee is no stranger to the FCC petition process. Earlier this year he petitioned the FCC to designate Morse (radiotelegraphy) Amateur Radio band segments as "symbol communication" subbands, and the FCC invited public comment on that request (RM-11769 ). In 2012, the FCC turned down Whedbee's request that the FCC declare homeowners associations' covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs) unenforceable. Polish DXer 3Z9DX Reported Ready to Return to North Korea on a Moment's Notice In the wake of a surprise "demonstration" operation from North Korea -- officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) -- in December, Polish DXer Dom Grzyb, 3Z9DX, is eagerly awaiting the call that will allow him to return to the most-wanted DXCC entity for another brief activation. Just when that will come could be anytime, however. /DX-World/ and /The Daily DX/ report that Grzyb has received confirmation that North Korea will authorize a 5-day operation, and he is ready to roll as soon as he gets word, which will be on short notice -- just enough time for him to book his flight, grab his gear, and head off. /DX World/ reported that no notice would be given prior to the P5/3Z9DX activation itself. *Dom Grzyb, 3Z9DX, during an earlier visit to North Korea.* There are other conditions: He may only operate on SSB and on one band, 20, 15, or 10 meters. No decisions will be made until Grzyb gets to the DPRK, however. Over the course of his unanticipated December 20-21, 2015, activation -- the first in more than a decade -- P5/3Z9DX made nearly 785 SSB contacts, most of them on 15 meters. Nearly 600 of the contacts were with stations in Asia; P5/3Z9DX worked just 26 stations in North America. He has posted his log on ClubLog. The ARRL DXCC Department subsequently approved the P5/3Z9DX operation for DXCC. /-- Thanks to /The Daily DX /and/ DX-World Three Radio Amateurs on the ISS Head Home on June 18 Three radio amateurs on board the International Space Station (ISS ) will depart the orbiting outpost at the end of the week. Expedition 47 Commander Tim Kopra, KE5UDN; Flight Engineer Tim Peake, KG5BVI/GB1SS, and Yuri Malenchenko, RK3DUP, will undock from the space station early on Saturday morning, June 18 (the evening of Friday, June 17, in US time zones) in a /Soyuz/ TMA-19M spacecraft commanded by Malenchenko, after having spent 186 days in space since their December launch. NASA Television will provide coverage starting on June 17. *Seated in front, L-R: ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Timothy Peake, KG5BVI; NASA astronaut Timothy Kopra, KE5UDN, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, RK3DUP, are set to depart the International Space Station and return to Earth on June 18. Behind them (L-R) are Oleg Skripochka, RN3FU, Alexey Ovchinin, both of Roscosmos, and Jeff Williams, KD5TVQ. [NASA photo]* When the /Soyuz/ undocks, ISS Expedition 48 will begin under the command of Jeff Williams, KD5TVQ. Williams and crewmates Oleg Skripochka, RN3FU, and Alexey Ovchinin will operate the station for 3 weeks until the arrival of the next crew increment. NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, KG5FYJ; Russian cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin, and Takuya Onishi, KF5LKS, of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency are scheduled to launch on July 6 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. During their stay, Kopra and Peake scored some milestones for the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS ) program. On March 10, Kopra conducted the 1000th ARISS school group contact with students in North Dakota. The first contact occurred in December of 2000. Peake made use of Amateur Radio in his "Principia Mission " outreach, which aimed to directly engage students with communication technologies, inspiring them to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. During his stay in space, Peake hosted 10 ARISS school group contacts, including the first to take advantage of the HamTV digital Amateur Radio television (DATV) system when he spoke with students in England on February 11. The DATV system in the /Columbus /module of the ISS allowed students at Royal Masonic School, home of GB1RSM, to see as well as to listen, as Peake, operating as GB1SS, answered their questions about life in space. Read more . Ad National Parks on the Air Update One of the rarest locations in the National Parks on the Air (NPOTA ) program will be activated on Saturday, June 18. The HacDX Amateur Radio Club, W3HAC, has secured permission to operate from the White House Visitor Center (DZ10), during ARRL Kids Day . Announced frequencies are 14,270, 7270, 14,042, and 7042 kHz from 1800 to 2300 UTC. The group, which has secured the call sign W3H for this activity, plans other NPOTA Activations on August 25 -- the actual date of the National Park Service's 100th anniversary -- and in October for Scouting's Jamboree On the Air (JOTA ). There are 55 NPOTA activations on the calendar for June 16-22, including Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, and the James Garfield National Historic Site in Ohio. Details about these and other upcoming activations can be found on the NPOTA Activations calendar. Keep up with the latest NPOTA news on Facebook . Follow NPOTA on Twitter (@ARRL_NPOTA). The Doctor Will See You Now! "Grounding" is the topic of the latest (June 16) episode of the "ARRL The Doctor is In " podcast. Listen...and learn! Sponsored by DX Engineering , "ARRL The Doctor is In" is an informative discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like! Every 2 weeks, your host, /QST/ Editor in Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of technical topics. You can also e-mail your questions to doctor at arrl.org , and the Doctor may answer them in a future podcast. Enjoy "ARRL The Doctor is In" on Apple iTunes , or by using your iPhone or iPad podcast app (just search for "ARRL The Doctor is In"). You can also listen online at Blubrry , or at Stitcher (free registration required, or browse the site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or Android devices. If you've never listened to a podcast before, download our beginner's guide . Just ahead: "Are Linear Amplifiers Really Worthwhile?" Gear Up for ARRL Field Day with Official Merchandise ARRL Field Day -- the most popular operating event of all -- is June 25-26. There's still time to show your support for ARRL Field Day with official merchandise. Shirts hats , pins , patches , and coffee mugs are a great way to acknowledge -- and commemorate -- your participation in this annual event. Encourage family, friends, and fellow hams to take part in ARRL Field Day with recruitment posters and attractive "Get on the Air" (GOTA) pins for newcomers. Get out...get /on the air/...and leave nothing but footprints! Order your 2016 ARRL Field Day merchandise from the ARRL online store or call (888) 277-5289 in the US, Monday through Friday, from 8 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time. Outside the US, call (860) 594-0355). While supplies last. Kids Day is Saturday, June 18 Kids Day is Saturday, June 18, from 1800 to 2400 UTC. The twice-yearly (January and June) event, sponsored by the ARRL and The Boring (Oregon) Amateur Radio Club, is an excellent opportunity to showcase Amateur Radio to youngsters and even to hand over the keys, so they can get some hands-on hamming experience. Share the excitement with your own children or grandkids, or with youngsters in the neighborhood! For youngsters, their positive ham radio experience may foster an interest that may lead them to become radio amateurs. For veterans, it's a chance to share their stations and affection for Amateur Radio with the next generation. *Brian Szewczyk, NJ1F (left), mentors new radio amateur Lukas Rieben, KE8EIC, at the Discover the HF Experience demonstration at Hamvention^? 2016. Lukas passed his Technician exam at the show. [Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, photo]* To solicit contacts, call "CQ Kids Day." The suggested exchange is name, age, location, and favorite color. There is /no/ limit on operating time, and stations may work each other more than once if the operator has changed. Repeater contacts (with permission of the repeater's sponsor) are okay too, and satellite contacts may provide a /real/ thrill. Observe third-party traffic restrictions when making DX contacts. All participants are encouraged to post stories and photos to the Kids Day Soapbox page and are eligible for a colorful certificate. You can download the free certificate, customized with the youngsters' names, after filling out the Kids Day Survey found on the same page as the certificate generator. Alternatively, you can send a 9 ? 12 SASE to Kids Day Certificate Request, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. Ad "The Magic Band" Lives Up to its Name in ARRL June VHF Contest Six meters sounded more like an HF band during the ARRL June VHF Contest over the June 11-12 weekend, as sustained sporadic E (also known as E-skip or E_s ) openings greeted participants. Some found 6 meter contacts so bountiful that they tended to neglect the other VHF/UHF bands, where conditions were more typical. "As for why the contest weekend was so good, all I can say is that June can be good for E-skip," said Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, the former "Propagation" editor for /National Contest Journal/ (/NCJ /). "I think the term 'sporadic' in its name is well suited. We just don't understand the detailed processes of 6 meter E_s ." *The well-appointed VHF-UHF tower at K2DRH.* For many, it was a 6-meters-only event, with the best conditions in several years and much of the action on CW. "This was the consummate 50 MHz festival, with wide-open bands throughout most of the contest," Bill Schwantes, W7QQ, in New Mexico, posted in his soapbox comments on the 3830 website. "For the first time in my memory I felt like a rate junkie, often reaching 200 per hour. What fun on 6, while ignoring long-haul, weak signal contacts on 144, 222, and 432." Bob Striegl, K2DRH, who boasts some serious VHF-UHF antennas in upstate Illinois, said the band "was going crazy" in the evening from the East Coast to Europe, and to Japan from the Midwest and South. "In a lull I tuned up JA7QVI, who was the strongest, and worked him on CW with low power!" Mike Smith, VE9AA, in New Brunswick called it, "A VHF (6 meter) contest I can write home about." He was one station's first 6 meter contact, and "was tickled to do that." Top-tier HF contester Dan Street, K1TO, in Florida, made his first 6 meter contact with Japan during ARRL VHF, only the third time he's operated in the event. "Conditions were amazingly different for all of us," Street said in his soapbox post. "I watched in awe as the W1s seemed to have a contest-long opening to somewhere. EA8DBM's skimmer made an incredible number of US spots, and he worked stations out to the West Coast. Yet here in Florida, I never heard him once, nor even one European." Eric Gruff, NC6K, in California also didn't get in on the excitement. "Another frustrating VHF contest from DM13," he posted. "[T]he majority of the time, I spent listening to the same local stations calling CQ incessantly, while the rest of the country was enjoying a huge opening." Charlie Panek, KX7L, in Washington, summed things up this way: "Every few years the planets line up right, and we get a good E_s opening during the contest," he said. "This was one of those years!" Read more . White House Honors Limor Fried, AC2SN, Among "Champions of Change for Making" The White House will honor Adafruit founder Limor "Ladyada" Fried, AC2SN, on June 17 as one of 10 "Champions of Change for Making." According to the announcement, while an engineering student at MIT, Fried became determined to create a company that focused on supporting the learning of electronics for makers of all ages and skill levels. Limor Fried, AC2SN. "These individuals were selected by the White House for their personal passion and tireless efforts to make advances in technology and platforms, educational opportunities, or spaces that empower even more Americans to become tinkerers, inventors, and entrepreneurs," the announcement said. Fried founded Adafruit in 2005, and it has grown to now employ more than 100 individuals in a 50,000 square foot factory in New York City. As the company's sole owner, she has committed to building both innovation and community, and is known for creating resources for learning. "When Limor Fried looks at a circuit board, she sees it as a series of aesthetic choices -- a vehicle for self-expression, rather than simply the product of rational optimization," Nicola Twilley wrote in the March 3 edition of /The New Yorker/ magazine. Twilley quoted Fried as saying, "I want to show people that engineering isn't something cold and calculated. Thinking like an engineer is a beautiful and fascinating way to see the world, too." Fried was the first female engineer on the cover of /WIRED/ magazine, and she was named Entrepreneur of the Year in 2012 by /Entrepreneur/ magazine. She also served on the NYC Industrial Business Advisory Council. Adafruit has expanded its offerings to include tools, equipment, and electronics, which Fried personally selects, tests, and approves before they go into the Adafruit store. The White House will live stream the recognition ceremony on Friday, June 17, at 1700 UTC. Read more . Well-Known DXer, DXpeditioner Milt Jensen, N5IA, Dies in Fall from Tower Well-known DXer and DXpeditioner Milt Jensen, N5IA, of Virden, New Mexico, died on June 10 after falling from an Amateur Radio tower. An ARRL Life Member, he was 73. According to the Pima County Sheriff's Department, Jensen was working on a tower on Arizona's Mount Lemmon when he fell. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The mishap is still under investigation. *Milt Jensen, N5IA, during the Ducie Island DXpedition in 2008.* "Milt was on one of his many tower climbing adventures, and, by no choice of his, it became his last," his oldest son, Jason, wrote in a QRZ.com post. Licensed in 1960, Jensen had lived in Virden for his entire life. Especially well known for his 160 meter activity, he spent several years constructing an "8-circle array" of full-sized 160 meter verticals -- each 125-foot towers -- at his station site south of Safford, Arizona, near the New Mexico border, Lee Finkel, KY7M, wrote in an article set to appear in the July/August issue of /NCJ/. Jensen operated his "dream station" remotely from his home, often using the call sign N7GP in contests. In addition to his Top Band operation, Jensen was heavily involved in designing, installing, and maintaining VHF and UHF mountaintop repeaters, remotely controlled base stations, and linking systems. As a contester, he often landed in the Top 10 standings. Jensen participated in three DXpeditions. He and his wife Rulene, KB5VTM, were part of the 1998 XZ1N team in Myanmar. In 2000, he returned to Myanmar as part of the XZ0A multinational team. In 2008, he was part of the Ducie Island VP6DX DXpedition team. Read more . Nepal Radio Amateur Describes Earthquake Response Effort at West Coast Gathering Amateur Radio's "vital role" in the 2015 Nepal earthquake response was the topic on June 2 as the City of Santa Clara, California, hosted Sanjeeb Panday, 9N1SP, of Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu Nepal. Given that the Silicon Valley and the Kathmandu Valley share the common geography of multiple, nearby earthquake fault lines, the subject was relevant. The Santa Clara Fire Department sponsored the presentation, with an eye toward applying the lessons learned in the wake of the Nepal earthquake to better prepare for a similar disaster in the Silicon Valley. *Sanjeeb Panday, 9N1SP, spoke in Santa Clara, California, on June 2.* "The Nepali people have gone through a tremendous ordeal," Panday told the audience. "If our experience can help others in different parts of the world [to] better prepare for disasters, then this can be regarded as a positive outcome." Nearly 100 spectators attended Panday's presentation, including firefighters, emergency response officials, City of Santa Clara ARES/RACES members, Bay-Net participants, and members of the Nepali-American Community. Scout leader Richard Silkebakken, KM6CPH, and members of Cub Scout Pack 32 (Monterey Bay Council) presented Panday with two handheld transceivers for delivery to Scouts in Nepal. Also during the event, the office of US Rep Mike Honda presented the Global Nepali Professional Network (GNPN or CAN-USA) with a "Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition." Through its Radio Mala program, GNPN funded and helped to construct the only two Amateur Radio repeaters available in Nepal during the earthquake. Panday was in the US to attend the International Microwave Symposium (IMS ), where he addressed a panel on Amateur Radio in post-secondary education. On June 1, he also spoke to the US Geological Survey. Second-generation Nepali-American Suresh Ojha, W6KTM, said he was gratified that the academic community and US jurisdictions are looking at Nepal's earthquake experience with an eye to applying the lessons learned to the challenges faced in the US. Read more . Ad Europe's "Dayton" -- Ham Radio 2016 (Friedrichshafen) -- Takes Place June 24-26 ARRL will be well represented this month at Europe's premier Amateur Radio gathering -- Ham Radio 2016. The 3-day event, in Friedrichshafen, Germany, on the shores of Lake Constance, gets under way on June 24. ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, will head the League's contingent to Friedrichshafen, which also will include International Affairs Vice President Jay Bellows, K0QB; CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF; Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R; Assistant Field Services and Radiosport Manager Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, and retired CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. The annual show attracts upward of 15,000 visitors from around the globe. The co-sponsoring Deutscher Amateur Radio Club (DARC ) has set a theme of "Amateur Radio -- On land, on water, and in the air" for this summer's event. Some 200 exhibitors from 34 countries will be on hand for this 41st "Friedrichshafen." *The indoor flea market at Friedrichshafen always draws a crowd.* "There are as many different ways to operate Amateur Radio as there are places from which you can send radio transmissions: On land, on water, and in the air," DARC spokesperson Stephanie Heine, DO7PR, said. This year's program includes a "foxhunt" in woods near the fairgrounds, a youth camp , and the Ham Rally, where the next generation of radio amateurs can explore the world of technology and wireless. It's open to young people between the ages of 8 and 18. A Contest University (CTU ) sponsored by the DARC will take place for radiosport beginners on Friday, June 24, and experienced contesters on Saturday, June 25, with sessions aimed at how to improve contesting performance. IARU Region 1 will host a meeting of those interested in emergency communication on Friday, June 24. The session will include an open forum for national coordinators to report on activities in their respective countries. Also up for discussion will be GlobalSet and changes to the IARU emergency message procedure. International Amateur Radio Union (IARU ) President Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA, will head the IARU team to Friedrichshafen, along with IARU Vice President Ole Garpestad, LA2RR, and IARU Secretary Rod Stafford, W6ROD, a past ARRL president. Next year's big show in Friedrichshafen will take place July 14-16, owing to a scheduling conflict. Read more . The K7RA Solar Update Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: It was a little scary to see the daily sunspot number at zero for 4 days -- June 3-6 -- but conditions seem to have recovered nicely. The average daily sunspot number for our June 9-15 reporting week was 29.1, up from 7.7 the previous week. Due to the way sunspots are counted, the minimum non-zero sunspot number is 11. A sunspot number of 11 means there is one sunspot (counting as one point) in one sunspot group (adding 10 points). A second sunspot raises the sunspot number to 12, unless that spot is on its own and not clustered with the other spot, in which case the sunspot number would be 22. So, that average daily sunspot number of 7.7 from the previous week is due to the fact that 4 out of the 7 days had sunspot numbers of zero; you would never see a day with an /actual/ sunspot number of 7.7. Average daily solar flux this week was 88.3, up from 80.7. Predicted solar flux for the next month is pretty flat, at 85 on June 16-30; 80 on July 1-5; 85 on July 6-9; 92 on July 10-11; 95 on July 12-18; 92 and 90 on July 19-20, and 85 on July 21-27. Predicted planetary A index is 18, 12, and 8 on June 16-18; 5 on June 19-21; 8, 10, 12, and 8 on June 22-25; 1 on June 26-27; 5 on June 28-July 1; then 25, 20, and 8 on July 2-4; 5 on July 5-6; 8 and 10 on July 7-8; 8 on July 9-10; 5, 8, 12, and 8 on July 11-14; 5 on July 15-19; 10, 12, and 8 on July 20-22; 1 on July 23-24, and 5 on July 25-28. Sunspot numbers for June 9 through 15 were 22, 28, 40, 39, 27, 26, and 22, with a mean of 29.1. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 85.2, 84.9, 88.2, 94.1, 91, 87.6, and 87.3, with a mean of 88.3. Estimated planetary A indices were 4, 9, 11, 10, 9, 21, and 14, with a mean of 11.1. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 5, 9, 11, 9, 10, 15, and 15 with a mean of 10.6. In Friday's bulletin look for reader reports on recent 6 meter propagation. Send me your reports and observations at k7ra at arrl.net . . . . . . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This Week in Radiosport * *June 18 -- **Kids Day* * June 18 -- Feld Hell Sprint * June 18 -- AGCW VHF/UHF Contest (CW) * June 18-19 -- SMIRK Contest (CW, phone) * June 18-19 -- All Asian DX Contest (CW) * June 18-19 -- Ukrainian DX Classic (RTTY) * June 18-19 -- IARU Region 1 50 MHz Contest (CW, phone) * June 18-19 -- Stew Perry Topband Challenge (CW) * June 18-19 -- West Virginia QSO Party (CW, phone, digital) * June 19 -- WAB 50 MHz Phone * June 20 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW) * June 22 -- SKCC Sprint (CW) * June 23 -- NAQCC CW Sprint * June 23 -- RSGB 80 Meter Club Championship (SSB) See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth reporting on Amateur Radio contesting, subscribe to /The ARRL Contest Update/ via your ARRL member profile e-mail preferences. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions * June 18 -- Tennessee State Convention , Knoxville, Tennessee * July 2 -- Eastern Pennsylvania Section Convention , Harrisburg, Pennsylvania * July 8-9 -- Northern Florida Section Convention , Milton, Florida * July 8-9 -- Utah State Convention , Sandy, Utah * July 15-17 -- Montana State Convention , East Glacier, Montana * July 22-23 -- Oklahoma Section Convention , Oklahoma City, Oklahoma * July 29-31 -- Central States VHF Conference , Rochester, Minnesota * August 5-6 -- Texas State Convention , Austin, Texas * August 5-7 -- Pacific Northwest DX Convention , Portland, Oregon * August 12-14 -- New Mexico State Convention , Albuquerque, New Mexico * August 19-21 -- West Virginia State Convention , Weston, West Virginia * August 20-21 -- Southeastern Division Convention , Huntsville, Alabama * August 21 -- Kansas State Convention , Salina, Kansas * September 3-4 -- North Carolina State Convention , Shelby, North Carolina * September 9-11 -- New England Division Convention , Boxborough, Massachusetts * September 10 -- Kentucky State Convention , Shepherdsville, Kentucky * September 10 -- Virginia Section Convention , Virginia Beach, Virginia Find conventions and hamfests in your area . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *ARRL *-- *Your One-Stop Resource for * *Amateur Radio News and Information*. . . * Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes /QST/ , Amateur Radio's most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month. * Listen to /ARRL Audio News/ , available every Friday. Subscribe to... * /NCJ -- National Contest Journal/ . Published bi-monthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties. * /QEX/ *//*/-- A Forum for Communications Experimenters/ . Published bi-monthly, features technical articles, construction projects, columns, and other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals. Free of charge to ARRL members... * Subscribe to the /ARES E-Letter/ (monthly public service and emergency communications news), the /ARRL Contest Update/(bi-weekly contest newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much more! Find ARRL on Facebook ! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram ! 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 ? 2016 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved www.arrl.org From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sun Jun 19 11:24:19 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sun, 19 Jun 2016 11:24:19 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ARES/RACES Meeting canceled In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4cd813b1-361a-1ff4-6bc1-b047f589413e@bellsouth.net> *THE ARES/RACES MEETING FOR JUNE 21ST WILL BE CANCELED PLEASE PASS THIS ONTO YOUR CLUBS AND NETS Broward County Upcoming Field Days: 1. Markham Park ? Friday, Saturday, Sunday ? June 24, 25, 26 Davie Cooper City Amateur Radio Club and the Broward Amateur Radio Club 2. Quiet Waters Park ? Saturday, Sunday ? June 25, 26 Gold Coast Amateur Radio Club 3. Villages of Hillsboro Park ? Saturday, Sunday ? June 25, 26 * From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Jun 21 15:15:37 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2016 15:15:37 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ARRL Urgently Requests the help of Members in Florida To Support of the Amateur Radio Parity Act In-Reply-To: <131d7325-74f4-125d-5b1c-6c88b1f8429b@embarqmail.com> References: <131d7325-74f4-125d-5b1c-6c88b1f8429b@embarqmail.com> Message-ID: To All Our ARRL Members in Florida ? I am writing to you today because we are at a critical juncture in our efforts to obtain passage of The Amateur Radio Parity Act in the U.S. Senate (S.1685). Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), is not yet supporting the legislation despite the recent agreement between ARRL and the Community Associations Institute (CAI). This agreement is supported by all parties to the issue and leaves no visible opposition to the bill. However, Senator Nelson?s support is critical to the success of our efforts. You are one of well over 40,000 licensed Amateur Radio Operators living in Florida. Many of you already live in deed-restricted communities, and that number grows daily. If you would like to have the opportunity to have an effective outdoor antenna but are not currently allowed to do so, or you already have outdoor antennas and want to support your fellow hams, then we need you to reach out to Senator Nelson TODAY! Right away. Please go to this linked website and follow the prompts. The link will provide you with a letter that you can send to Senator Nelson. https://arrl.rallycongress.net/ctas/contact-senator-nelson-regarding-amateur-radio-parity-act Thank you. 73, Rick - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Rick Roderick, K5UR President ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio? -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL Southeastern Division Director: Doug Rehman, K4AC k4ac at arrl.org From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Jun 24 09:33:36 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2016 09:33:36 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Confirmed Tornado in Maryland Downs Tower at W3LPL Contest Station Message-ID: http://www.arrl.org/news/confirmed-tornado-in-maryland-downs-tower-at-w3lpl- contest-station Confirmed Tornado in Maryland Downs Tower at W3LPL Contest Station 06/22/2016 [UPDATED: 2016-06-23 @ 1006 UTC] A confirmed Fujita scale EF-0 tornado touched down for up to 20 minutes in Howard County, Maryland, on the first full day of summer, taking down a tall AB-105 tower at the contest superstation of Frank Donovan, W3LPL. The tornado was just part of a spate of strong storms to hit the region, dumping heavy rain that caused flooding, and high winds that toppled trees and utility poles. Donovan?s station is one of the premier multi-multi contest sites in the US. He told ARRL that his location was "Ground Zero" for the twister. ?The storm was extreme,? Donovan said in a post to the Potomac Valley Radio Club (PVRC) reflector. ?I?ve never experienced anything like it before. Essentially all of the trees in the front of the house and along the driveway are gone. Several power poles on Hobbs Road snapped. The 200 foot tower adjacent to the house collapsed, everything on it was destroyed.? Donovan said he will have to do ?a tremendous amount of testing and inspection? to determine what other damage may have occurred. Big Gun contester John Crovelli,W2GD, reported that he had spoken with Donovan, who told him that his other antennas were intact but ?beat up.? Crovelli said the huge Potomac Valley Radio Club/Columbia Amateur Radio Association W3AO Field Day operation was still on. News media accounts said the tornado, which hit at approximately 1:30 PM in western Howard County, had top winds of 80 MPH ? at the high end of the EF-0 range. The tornado was some 1500 feet across and traveled nearly 13 miles, according to the National Weather Service. No injuries were reported. The NWS said that properties in the vicinity of the tornado?s touchdown ?sustained tree damage with multiple trees snapped, uprooted, and topped in multiple directions.? Along its path, the twister ?caused nearly continuous tree damage, with large trees and tree branches snapped, uprooted, and topped in multiple directions. The trees downed many power lines and blocked multiple roads. Some trees and large branches fell on homes and garages,? the NWS said. Mike Lonneke, W4AAW, in Middleburg, Virginia, reported ?tremendous tree damage? and roofs ripped from barns about a mile from his location. ?Two 70 MPH storms in close succession hit Middleburg at 4 PM yesterday,? Lonneke said this morning. Thousands were left without power as a result of the tornado, severe storms, and heavy rainfall that hit the region west of Baltimore. John Pescatore, K3TN, who is some 15 miles south of Donovan?s location, reported being ?just clipped by the big storm.? He said 3 inches of rain fell in a 90-minute period. Some areas received hail. QST ?How?s DX?? Editor Bernie McClenny, W3UR, who lives next door to Donovan, reported that power was out at his location and ?it could be several days? before it was restored. McClenny said the downed W3LPL tower collapsed away from Donovan?s house, and that a lot of trees and utility poles were down in his area. ?Got the generator out and running,? he said. The felled tower at W3LPL supported a 6 element 10 meter Yagi on a 48 foot boom at 200 feet, three stacked 9 element G0KSC 6 meter LFA Yagis on 52 foot booms at 48, 76, and 104 feet and a pair of 2 element 80 meter quads at 170 feet. Donovan told ARRL that plans "are well under way" to install a 200-foot heavy-duty AB-105 replacement tower in August. Thousands of residents in the affected region remain without power. From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Jun 28 21:03:23 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2016 21:03:23 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Hallicrafters Collection For Sale On QRZ Message-ID: <97cd12a0-583b-87f9-328d-09cdf9ed99ed@bellsouth.net> $30,000 for entire collection https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/hallicrafters-30-year-collection.528581/ From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Jun 30 16:44:43 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 30 Jun 2016 16:44:43 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ARLB022 FCC's OET Clarifies Emissions Compliance Testing for RF LED Lighting Devices In-Reply-To: <20160630204227.44CAB2077255@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20160630204227.44CAB2077255@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: SB QST @ ARL $ARLB022 ARLB022 FCC's OET Clarifies Emissions Compliance Testing for RF LED Lighting Devices ZCZC AG22 QST de W1AW ARRL Bulletin 22 ARLB022 >From ARRL Headquarters Newington CT June 30, 2016 To all radio amateurs SB QST ARL ARLB022 ARLB022 FCC's OET Clarifies Emissions Compliance Testing for RF LED Lighting Devices The FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) has clarified that all RF LED lighting devices falling under Part 15 rules as "unintentional radiators" must meet conducted and radiated emissions limits set forth in those rules. "Operation of Part 15 unintentional radiators is subject to the condition that no harmful interference is caused," the OET reminded, in a knowledge database paper released on June 17. "Manufacturers and users should therefore note that lighting devices are required to cease operation, if harmful interference occurs." The OET said radiated emissions measurements must be performed at least from 30 MHz to 1000 MHz to adequately demonstrate compliance with Part 15 (15.109). Its guidance, the OET continued, applies to RF LED lighting devices that, in the past, have been considered to operate on frequencies below 1.705 MHz. Previously, devices operating between 9 kHz and 1705 kHz had to be tested only for radiated emissions up to 30 MHz, where no specified radiated emissions limits exist, and were exempt from testing from 30 MHz to 1000 MHz. The OET said it recognizes that routine radiated emissions measurements are needed under Part 15, based on the highest frequency generated or used in the device. "[W]e have found that emissions from RF LED lighting devices are non-periodic, broadband in nature, and are produced as a byproduct of the internal driver circuitry within the RF LED lighting device," the OET "knowledge database" paper said. "These types of emissions have adequate energy and potential to generate radiated emissions well above 30 MHz." The ARRL Lab's Electromagnetic Compatibility Engineer Mike Gruber, W1MG, said he was pleased to see the FCC's OET clarify the test measurement requirements. He said ARRL is generally hearing more RFI complaints stemming from RF LED bulbs. "Not only are the emissions limits higher for Part 15 LED bulbs - as opposed to Part 18 fluorescent and CFL bulbs, they seem to be winning out in terms of consumer popularity," Gruber said. "Higher limits and more bulbs probably make for more complaints." Gruber said the Lab has seen LED lighting devices causing problems in the 2 meter band. "Since conducted emissions limits do not apply above 30 MHz, radiated emissions limits can be the first line of defense against RFI at these higher frequencies." Gruber pointed out that noise generated by street and traffic lighting can be widespread. In such instances, he suggested that Part 15b limits for residential areas should apply. "These limits are lower than Part 15a limits, which are intended only for commercial and industrial environments," he explained. "This is especially critical in cases where a pole transformer connected to the lighting device also feeds a home or residence. The 240 V split-phase secondary system can conduct RF into a residence through the service entrance panel." He suggested that the lower limits may benefit mobile users. The OET noted that the ANSI Accredited Standards Committee C63-EMC is drafting measurement procedures for lighting devices. "When complete, we expect it will address in greater detail the measurement procedures and configurations to be used in determining compliance," the OET said. NNNN /EX