From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Mar 1 13:29:50 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 1 Mar 2016 13:29:50 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] A Message from Jeff In-Reply-To: <20160301124059.13B34200A448@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20160301124059.13B34200A448@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <56D5DF9E.4060806@bellsouth.net> Greetings to all, February was a busy month beginning with the ARRL National Convention held in conjunction with the 70th annual Orlando Hamcation. Three days chock full of activities with flea market, dealer displays & sales, forums & eyeball QSO's with new & old friends. Hope you had a chance to visit the ARRL Expo & meet your League representatives & staff as well as the opportunity to pick up items from the ARRL Store. I had the pleasure to meet with many of you during the hamfest. Kudos to the members of the Orlando ARC for another great show. In addition to local meetings, I visited with members of the Gold Coast ARA and the Martin County ARA with ASM Barry Porter, KB1PA. Look forward to seeing you at these SFL activities during the month of March: Link McGarity WV4I Memorial Free Flea 03/12/2016 Location: JFCS of Palm Beach County 5841 Corporate Way West Palm Beach, FL 33401 Website: http://www.palmswestradio.org Sponsor: Palms West Amateur Radio Club Talk-In: 147.045 (PL 110.9) Public Contact: Robert Pease , KS4EC Phone: 561-358-9999 Email: ks4ec at att.net Stuart Hamfest 03/19/2016 Location: Martin County Fairgrounds 2616 SE Dixie Highway Stuart, FL 34994 Website: http://www.stuarthamfest.com Sponsor: Martin County Amateur Radio Association Talk-In: 147.060+ (PL 107.2) Public Contact: Doug Shields , W4DAS Phone: 772-349-7820 Email: hamfest at mcaraweb.com 03/26/2016 Titusville ARC Free Tailgate Hamfest Fox Lake Park 4400 Fox Lake Road 8 AM- 1 PM Talk in- 146.910 rptr, 107.2 Hz PL Info: ku4zo at cfl.rr.com Congratulations to the following SFL Clubs on their anniversary of affiliation with ARRL: Titusville Amateur Radio Club 50 years West Palm Beach Amateur Radio Club 45 years Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association 40 years The ARRL National Parks on the Air activity has really taken off ! I have received reports of activations at Everglades NP, Canaveral NS, Dry Tortugas NP and Big Cypress NP. In addition to these, Biscayne NP is in our Section. Get on the air and work these and other NP activations or venture out with your club and put one on the air yourselves. More info on NPOTA is available at https://npota.arrl.org/ We bid farewell to Assistant OOC Marshall Paisner, K4MAP who has moved to Cincinnati, OH for a new job opportunity. Marshall was active with ARRL and the FL Repeater Council. GL & 73, OM. KE4PT Wins February QST Cover Plaque Award The winner of the February 2016 QST Cover Plaque award is ?Radio Wave Propagation: How Waves Attenuate with Distance? by Kazimierz ? Kai ? Siwiak, KE4PT. The QST Cover Plaque Award -- given to the author or authors of the most popular article in each issue -- is determined by a vote of ARRL members on the QST Cover Plaque Poll web page. Cast a ballot for your favorite article in the March issue today. Kai?s plaque will be presented to him at an upcoming SFDXA meeting by SFL SM Jeff Beals, WA4AW ARISS Celebrates its 1000th Educational Amateur Radio Contact with Video Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS), the first-ever ISS payload activated by the crew, is gearing up for its 1000th educational ham radio contact in March. A jointly produced ARRL-NASA-AMSAT video ?Celebrating the 1000th Contact? has been posted on YouTube. ARISS celebrated 15 years of a permanent ham radio presence in space last December. In 2000, several pupils and a teacher got to chat on 2 meters with the first ISS Commander, William ?Shep? Shepherd, KD5GSL. Since that first ARISS school contact, astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the station have talked with students in 44 states in the US and in 51 other countries. ARISS anticipates the 1000th educational radio contact will occur during March. On an application basis, ARISS organizes scheduled Amateur Radio contact between ISS crew members and students at a school or less-formal education venue. Experienced amateur radio volunteers work with ARISS and individual schools to handle the technical aspects. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and Amateur Radio. ARISS touches tens of thousands of students per year. One ARISS goal is to inspire an interest among young people in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects and in STEM careers. Another is to provide an educational opportunity for students, teachers, and the public to learn about space exploration and satellites, as well as about wireless technology and radio science through Amateur Radio. ARISS is a cooperative venture of the ARRL and AMSAT in cooperation with international Amateur Radio societies and NASA. List of US House Amateur Radio Parity Act Sponsors Continues to Grow Three more members of the US House of Representatives have stepped forward to cosponsor The Amateur Radio Parity Act, H.R. 1301. That brings the total to 123. The latest to sign on are Reps Evan Jenkins (R-WV), Stephen Knight (R-CA), and Charles Boustany Jr (R-LA). On a voice vote on February 11, the US House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, chaired by Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI, sent H.R. 1301 to the full House Energy and Commerce Committee with a favorable report for further consideration. H.R. 1301 would direct the FCC to extend its rules relating to reasonable accommodation of Amateur Service communications to private land-use restrictions, such as deed covenants, conditions, and restrictions. More information on The Amateur Radio Parity Act is on the ARRL website. Amateur Radio Parity Act Gets Favorable Subcommittee Report On a voice vote, the US House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology has sent the Amateur Radio Parity Act, H.R. 1301, to the full House Energy and Commerce Committee with a favorable report for further consideration. The measure was among three bills the Subcommittee considered during a February 11 "markup" session. The Subcommittee is chaired by Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI (R-OR). ?I?m optimistic that we can put the finishing touches on these bills in the weeks ahead and once again produce important, bipartisan legislation that protects consumers, small businesses, and access to the latest communications services,? Walden said after the hearing. During the markup session, Walden and the bill?s sponsor, Rep Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) made impassioned statements in favor of the legislation. Kinzinger said that while he can appreciate some of the concerns expressed by those who do not agree with his bill, he believes that the time has come to adopt a ?reasonable accommodation standard? with respect to the erection of outdoor antennas in neighborhoods governed by private land-use restrictions. Walden agreed. ?You don?t necessarily need to have a giant tower blocking everybody?s view,? he pointed out to the Subcommittee. He suggested that more modest antenna systems often are sufficient. He and Kinzinger noted that there is common ground between proponents and opponents of the measure and that ?it?s important to get this done.? Rep Anna Eshoo (D-CA) also spoke to recognize the work all parties have been doing to ensure the bill?s passage in the House. At a Subcommittee hearing on H.R. 1301 last month, Walden called it ?a commonsense bill" and urged his colleagues' support. Kinzinger also spoke in favor of H.R. 1301 at the January 12 hearing, saying that his bill's "reasonable accommodation standard" would not mandate placement, size, or aesthetics regarding an outdoor antenna, leaving ham radio operators and homeowners associations to decide those issues. H.R. 1301 would direct the FCC to extend its rules relating to reasonable accommodation of Amateur Service communications to private land-use restrictions, such as deed covenants, conditions, and restrictions. The bill has attracted 120 cosponsors from both sides of the aisle. An identical US Senate measure, S. 1685, has attracted three cosponsors. It cleared the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation last November. FCC Seeks Comments on Petition to Grant Lifetime Amateur Radio Licenses The FCC is seeking comments on a Petition for Rule Making (RM 11760) that asks the FCC to grant lifetime Amateur Radio licenses. Mark F. Krotz, N7MK, of Mesa, Arizona, filed his request with the FCC last November. He wants the FCC to revise ? 97.25 of its rules to indicate that Amateur Radio licenses are granted for the holder?s lifetime, instead of for the current 10 year term. Krotz noted that the General Radiotelephone Operator License (GROL) already is issued on a lifetime basis, and he maintained that not having to renew licenses would lighten the FCC?s workload. ?It would be mutually beneficial for the FCC and Amateur Radio operators to update Part 97 to grant operator licenses for lifetime, Krotz said in his filing. ?The FCC would benefit by reducing administrative costs.? In 2014 the FCC granted lifetime credit for examination elements 3 and 4, but applicants seeking relicensing under that provision still must pass examination element 2. Individuals may submit comments via the FCC?s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS). FCC Invites Comments on ARRL Petition That Seeks 80/75 Meter Adjustments The FCC has put the ARRL?s January Petition for Rule Making (RM 11759) on public notice and invited interested parties to comment on what the League has called ?minimal but necessary changes? to 80 and 75 meters. The ARRL petitioned the FCC to fix a ?shortfall in available RTTY/data spectrum? that the Commission created when it reapportioned 80 and 75 meters 10 years ago. The League?s petition asked the FCC to shift the boundary between the 80 meter RTTY/data subband and the 75 meter phone/image subband from 3600 kHz to 3650 kHz. The proposed change received strong support from ARRL members, and the ARRL Board of Directors adopted it as policy at its July 2015 meeting. At that time the Board also agreed to seek RTTY and data privileges for Novice and Technician licensees within their current 15 meter CW subband, and to do the same on 80 meters, depending on the outcome of the 80/75 meter subband revision. The petition asks the FCC to make the following changes to the Part 97 Amateur Radio Service rules, with respect to 80/75 meters: ? Modify the RTTY/data subband, so that it extends from 3500 kHz to 3650 kHz. ? Modify the phone/image subband, so that it extends from 3650 kHz to 4000 kHz. ? Make 3600-3650 kHz available for General and Advanced Class licensees, as was the case prior to 2006. ? Make 3600-3650 kHz available to Novice and Technician licensees for telegraphy ? consistent with existing rules permitting Novices and Technicians to operate CW in the 80, 40, and 15 meter General and Advanced RTTY/data subbands. ? Modify the rules governing automatically controlled digital stations (ACDS), to shift the ACDS segment from 3585-3600 kHz to 3600-3615 kHz, consistent with the IARU Region 1 and 2 band plans. According to the ARRL, the FCC Report and Order in Docket 04-140 released in 2006 departed substantially and without justification from the rules proposed in the FCC?s so-called ?Omnibus? Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM), with respect to 75 and 80 meters. Among other actions, the resulting changes expanded voice privileges on additional frequencies in various bands, including 75 meters. The FCC shifted the phone/image subband from 3750-4000 kHz to 3600-4000 kHz, trimming the 80 meter RTTY/data subband from 3500-3750 kHz to 3500-3600 kHz and substantially changing ?the entire dynamic of this band,? the League said. Although the Omnibus R&O had indicated that incumbent licensees would not lose any operating privileges, some clearly did, the ARRL has pointed out. The most substantial adverse effect of the ?unexpected and vast expansion? of the 75 meter phone/image subband, the League said, was the elimination of access to 3620-3635 kHz by ACDS. The Omnibus R&O rule changes limited 80 meters to 3500-3600 kHz, and no longer authorized RTTY and data emissions above 3600 kHz. That the Omnibus R&O did not modify ? 97.221 of the rules to provide for ACDS ?was clearly an oversight by the Commission.? After the FCC denied a subsequent ARRL Petition for Reconsideration, the Commission replaced the inadvertently deleted 3620-3635 kHz ACDS segment with 3585-3600 kHz. ?Far from fixing the problem created by the error in the Omnibus R&O, the moving of the inadvertently deleted digital subband downward in frequency below 3600 kHz made the situation in the 80 meter RTTY/data subband even worse than it was,? the ARRL said. The result has been a shortfall in available RTTY/data spectrum at 80 meters. ?ARRL has analyzed the regulatory limitations as part of a comprehensive effort to make more efficient the use of those HF allocations, especially with respect to encouraging further experimentation and proficiency in narrowband digital communications technologies,? the League said in concluding its Petition. ?The recommendations for modified band plans developed by ARRL necessitate the few, but important regulatory changes proposed.? ARRL Signs New Memorandum of Understanding with the American Red Cross The ARRL and the American Red Cross have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The document, signed in January, succeeds one agreed to in 2010; it will remain in place for the next 5 years. The MoU spells out how League Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers will interface with the Red Cross in the event that ARES teams are asked by the Red Cross to assist in a disaster or emergency response. ?Whenever there is a disaster requiring the use of Amateur Radio communications resources and/or facilities, the local Red Cross region or chapter may request the assistance of the local ARES organization responsible for the jurisdiction of the scene of the disaster,? the MoU provides. Such assistance would include mobilization of ARES personnel in accordance with a prearranged plan, and the establishment of communication as necessary during a disaster or emergency. ?Both ARRL volunteers and American Red Cross workers will work cooperatively at the scene of a disaster and in the disaster recovery, within the scope of their respective roles and duties? within the scope of the MoU, the agreement says. Generally, the MoU sets the parameters of the partnership between the ARRL and the Red Cross to provide assistance to communities affected by disasters. It calls upon both organizations to encourage and maintain open lines of communication at the state and local levels, sharing current data regarding disasters, situational and operational reports, changes in policy or personnel, and any information pertaining to disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. For its part, the League will encourage ARES units to engage in discussions with local Red Cross entities to develop plans for local response or disaster relief operations. The Red Cross will encourage its field units to engage in discussions with the ARRL Field Organization to develop plans for local response or disaster relief. Facilitating this is a Statement of Cooperation to provide methods of cooperation between the two organizations on the local level in providing services to communities during or after a disaster event, ?as well as other services for which cooperation may be mutually beneficial.? The ARRL signatory is either the appropriate ARRL Section Manager or Section Emergency Coordinator. The new MoU also clarifies that ARES volunteers assisting the Red Cross but not registered as Red Cross volunteers do not have to undergo a prior background check. Radio amateurs who register as Red Cross volunteers, though, must abide by the Red Cross?s background check requirement. January ARES Report from SEC Larry, W4LWZ Total number of ARES members: 324 Change since last month (+, -, same): +4 Number of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 8 Number of ARES nets active: 8 Number of nets with NTS liaison: 2 Calls of DECs/ECs reporting: WW4RX, KB1PA, W9GPI, K1UQE, N4ZIQ, AD4RZ, KK4ENJ, WA4PAM Number of drills, tests and training sessions this month: 29 Person hours: 242.4 Number of public service events this month: 1 Person hours: 8 Number of emergency operations this month: 3 Person Hours: 24 Total number of ARES operations this month: 33 Total Person hours: 274.4 EC-001 graduate- Brad Magill, KW1P Comments: We had a couple of tornado touch downs. 2 in the Palm Beach area and 2 in the Fort Myers-Cape Coral Area. Fortunately, there were no injuries and little property damage. The Gulf Coast district is planning a district conference in the near future and the section annual conference will be held in the next 2 months. January Traffic Report from STM Mike, KM2V SAR - January 2016 CALL TOTAL WA4BAM 172 KE4CB 061 W9GPI 011 K9GZT 011 KK4KAH 005 K4KFF 046 KA3PYO 005 KR4ST 017 KD8SYP 011 KM2V 211 W4ZE 008 PSHR - January 2016 Callsign Total WA4BAM 110 KE4CB 130 KM2V 130 NETS - January 2016 NET ABB. QNI QTC QND SESS MGR All Florida CW Traffic Net QFN 591 50 378 31 WA4BAM Florida Medium Speed Net FMSN 234 54 446 31 AG4RJ/AB4XK Southeast Florida Traffic Net SEFTN 538 95 867 31 KM2V Southwest Florida Traffic Net SWFTN 410 44 1625 27 KE4CB/N9WS Jupiter-Tequesta Repeater Group W4JUP 32 0 80 4 K4VMS Please let me know about any events that your club or ARES group are sponsoring such as picnics, free fleas, operating events, etc. as they can be added to this newsletter to better keep the members of SFL informed of your activity. Well, I guess that?s about it for now. My thanks for all that you do for Amateur Radio. Get on the air, Elmer a new ham, support your local club and ARES group but most of all, have fun with ham radio. Vy 73, Jeff, WA4AW -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL Southern Florida Section Section Manager: Jeff Beals, WA4AW wa4aw at arrl.org From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Mar 4 05:51:34 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 4 Mar 2016 05:51:34 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Free Flea Message-ID: <56D968B6.4080805@bellsouth.net> /A heads up for next month.// //Bill W2CQ/ Cy Harris Free Flee is next month, on the 23rd of April. Tony. KK4GUU From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Mar 4 13:31:07 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 4 Mar 2016 13:31:07 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Letter for March 3, 2016 In-Reply-To: <20160303231311.DB8C3204D3E3@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20160303231311.DB8C3204D3E3@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <56D9D46B.2050504@bellsouth.net> Preview If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-03-03 The ARRL Letter March 3, 2016 Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME ARRL Home Page /ARRL Letter/ Archive Audio News Ad * US Amateur Radio Numbers Continue to Soar <#toc01> * ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B, Retires <#toc02> * ARISS Celebrates its 1000th Educational Amateur Radio Contact with Video <#toc03> * ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology Announces 2016 Schedule <#toc04> * *National Parks on the Air Update* <#toc05> * ARES Groups, Individual Hams Support Army and Air Force MARS Communications Exercise <#toc06> * Armed Forces Day 2016 Communication Test to Include Direct Military-Ham Contact on 60 Meters <#toc07> * Regulators Attend Amateur Radio Administration Course in Mexico City <#toc08> * Texas to Host US ARDF Championships in April <#toc09> * "Frequency" TV Series Now Planned for The CW Network <#toc10> * First Solid-State Transmitter to Span the Atlantic Now Part of ARRL Historical Collection <#toc11> * Getting It Right! <#toc12> * In Brief... <#toc13> * The K7RA Solar Update <#toc14> * Just Ahead in Radiosport <#toc15> * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events <#toc16> US Amateur Radio Numbers Continue to Soar Amateur Radio is alive and well! Growth in the US continued in 2015, with a record 735,405 licensees in the FCC's Universal Licensing System (ULS ) database by the end of the year. That's up 9130 over December 2014, a 1.2 percent rise, continuing a steady increase in the US Amateur Radio population in every year since 2007. In 2014, the ranks grew by a net 8149 licensees. The figures , compiled by ARRL Pacific Section Manager-elect Joe Speroni, AH0A, on his FCC Amateur Radio Statistics web pages, exclude expired licenses within the 2-year grace period and club station licenses. Over the past 10 years, the Amateur Radio population in the US has expanded by 72,805 licensees -- or nearly 11 percent. *The trend was onward and upward in 2015 for Amateur Radio numbers in the US.* As expected, the biggest growth by license class was in Technician licensees, which rose by 6570 in 2015. Technician licensees still comprise a little less than one-half of the US Amateur Radio population. General ranks increased by 3079, and Amateur Extra numbers went up by 3496. The 2015 overall numbers faltered a little in April, before rebounding in July. The introduction of a new General class question pool on July 1 appeared to have only a slight effect on month-to-month numbers in that license class. ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, said 2015 was another banner year for ARRL VEC-sponsored test sessions. "For the second year in a row, we have conducted more than 7000 Amateur Radio exam sessions in a year, an important milestone for the *ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM. [Rick Lindquist, WW1ME, photo]* ARRL VEC," she said. "A total of 7358 ARRL-sponsored exam sessions were administered in 2015, compared to 7216 in 2014. The number of exam applicants was down slightly in 2015, compared to the previous year, and the number of examination elements administered also dipped slightly, she noted. "Since 2014 was a record-setting year, the numbers of 2015 examinees didn't drop so much as return to more typical levels," Somma explained. As of December 31, some 47,850 Advanced and 10,800 Novice licensees remained in the FCC database. The FCC no longer issues Advanced and Novice licenses, and their numbers continue to decline. Read more . /-- Thanks to Joe Speroni, AH0A; FCC ULS licensing statistics/ ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B, Retires On February 26, the ARRL Headquarters staff bid farewell and a happy retirement to Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B, as he wrapped up 11 years at ARRL Headquarters. His last official day on the job was March 1. At a retirement party, staff members presented Kramer with an antique clock from a Waterbury, Connecticut, clock maker -- a particularly fitting gift, as he was born in Waterbury. "I was glad to have him as a colleague and a friend," said ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ -- who will depart ARRL Headquarters himself on April 18, after more than 4 decades. Sumner cited several of Kramer's contributions during his "one sunspot cycle" on the staff. These included arranging for some League publications to be published in Chinese in China, digital publishing -- especially books on Kindle, recruiting authors of new publications, and his participation in the development of the League's new Strategic Plan. *Outgoing ARRL COO Harold Kramer, WJ1B, speaks to ARRL staffers at his retirement party. The Headquarters staff presented him with an antique clock. [Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, photo]* Sumner also noted that Kramer took the initiative to organize the W1Q special event marking the 100th anniversary of /QST/ in 2015. ARRL Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, praised Kramer for making the League and its programs more visible to members. "Through his 'Inside HQ' column, hundreds of personal tours, loads of hamfest and convention travel, radio club meetings, and shaking a lot of hands -- Harold packaged the contributions of ARRL and every staff person, and delivered that story to members, prospective members, and loads of friends and visitors," Inderbitzen said. Kramer said he is proud of what he and the ARRL Headquarters staff accomplished together during his tenure, including the response to Hurricane Katrina. He also cited the upgraded ARRL website and the League's enhanced presence in digital publishing -- including a digital edition of /QST/. *Retiring ARRL COO Harold Kramer, WJ1B, was among a handful of ARRL Headquarters staff members to take part in a scheduled contact between W1AW and GB3RS -- the demonstration station at the National Radio Centre located at historic Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes, UK. The ARRL participants spoke with three members of the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) staff who are working on getting their Amateur Radio licenses. [Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, photo]* "One of the things that I am most proud of was being the co-chairman of the Centennial Convention -- one of the best-ever ham radio conventions, and the centennial QSO Party -- the largest operating event in ham radio history," Kramer told the staff. As for his plans, Kramer, whose principal focus has been on emergency communication, said he's hoping to finally put up the tower and beam he's been talking about for the past decade and may even return to the Connecticut Field Organization, where he was once an EC. A book and some /QST/ articles are definite possibilities, he added. "You have been a great group to get to know and to work with," Kramer said. "I've been proud to call you my colleagues." Read more . ARISS Celebrates its 1000th Educational Amateur Radio Contact with Video Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS ), the first-ever ISS payload activated by the crew, is gearing up for its 1000th educational ham radio contact in March. A video jointly produced by ARRL, NASA, and AMSAT, titled, "Celebrating the 1000th Contact ," has been posted on YouTube. *A jointly produced ARRL-NASA-AMSAT video, "Celebrating the 1000th Contact," has been posted on YouTube.* ARISS celebrated 15 years of a permanent ham radio presence in space last December. In 2000, several pupils and a teacher got to chat on 2 meters with the first ISS Commander, William "Shep" Shepherd, KD5GSL. Since that first ARISS school contact, astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the station have talked with students in 44 states in the US and in 51 other countries. ARISS anticipates the 1000th educational radio contact will occur during March. On an application basis, ARISS organizes scheduled Amateur Radio contacts between ISS crew members and students at a school or less-formal education venue. Experienced Amateur Radio volunteers work with ARISS and individual schools to handle the technical aspects. Through these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and Amateur Radio. ARISS touches tens of thousands of students per year. One ARISS goal is to inspire an interest among young people in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects and in STEM careers. Another is to provide an educational opportunity for students, teachers, and the public to learn about space exploration and satellites, as well as about wireless technology and radio science through Amateur Radio. /*ARISS Online Information Session*/ The ARISS program coordinator will offer an online information session on March 10 at 7 PM ET for schools and organizations interested in hosting an Amateur Radio contact with a member of the International Space Station crew. The hour-long session is aimed at providing additional details regarding US ARISS contacts and the proposal process. There will be an opportunity to ask questions. Advance registration is /required/. Contact ARISS to sign up. Prospective ARISS contact sponsors are not required to attend an online information session, but they are strongly encouraged to do so. ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology Announces 2016 Schedule The deadline is May 1 for educators to apply for a spot in this summer's ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology sessions. These educational opportunities are offered by the ARRL Education & Technology Program (ETP ). Two introductory sessions and one advanced session are scheduled. The /Introduction to Wireless Technology/ course (TI-1) will be presented June 20-24 at Parallax Inc in Rocklin, California, and July 25-29 at ARRL Headquarters in Newington, Connecticut. The advanced /Remote Sensing and Data Gathering/ course (TI-2) will be offered July 18-21 at the Dayton Amateur Radio Association in Dayton, Ohio. The TI-1 course is a prerequisite to TI-2. An article in the March 2016 issue of /QST/ offers more details about each 4-day course, or visit the ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology page on the ARRL website. Now in its 13th year, the ARRL Teachers Institute is an /expenses-paid/, intensive professional development opportunity for educators who want to receive training and resources to explore wireless technology in the classroom and integrate science and math with engineering and technology. Applicants must be teaching in a school, college, or professional educational organization serving grade levels 4-12+, or leading a school-affiliated enrichment program in an official capacity. Visit the ARRL website for more information, and to download and complete an application and the pre-workshop survey. Donations to support the ARRL's efforts to promote Amateur Radio in schools and to provide professional development to education are welcome. Read more . Ad *National Parks on the Air Update* National Parks on the Air (NPOTA ) statistics for the end of February show that momentum for the year-long event continues. More than 136,000 NPOTA contacts have been made from 311 NPOTA units, in more than 1500 qualified activations! National Scenic and Historic Trails continue to be the most-activated units. The Appalachian Trail is the biggest favorite, with 34 valid activations, while the Santa Fe National Historic Trail has the most number of QSOs made from an NPS unit -- 3533. For you NPOTA Honor Roll chasers, 34 of the 59 National Parks have had Amateur Radio activity since January 1. SSB is by far the most popular mode, with 88.4 percent of all NPOTA QSOs made with a microphone. CW comes in a very distant second, with 10.3 percent, and digital at 1.2 percent. There are 26 NPOTA activations listed for March 3-9, including Cabrillo National Monument in California (MN09), and the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial in Indiana (NM15). 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*). ARES Groups, Individual Hams Support Army and Air Force MARS Communications Exercise On February 12, more than 300 Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) members and individual radio amateurs participated in the first quarterly Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) US Department of Defense communications exercise of 2016 (COMEX 16-1). US Army and Air Force MARS operators across the US, Europe, and the Pacific took part in the 12-hour Department of Defense (DOD) contingency HF communication exercise, which simulated a widespread loss of telephone and Internet communication across the US. MARS operators reached out to ARES members and individual hams in as many US counties as possible to obtain status reports via radio. "The purpose of the exercise was to give MARS operators the opportunity to demonstrate their proficiency in responding to DOD requests for simulated emergency situational awareness reports from counties across the United States," Army MARS Program Manager Paul English, WD8DBY, explained. "DOD and the MARS leadership want to thank the more than 300 Amateur Radio operators who assisted in making this exercise a success by providing local county information using VHF, UHF, and NVIS HF voice communications." English said the supported Department of Defense headquarters entities "were very pleased with the outcome of the exercise, and especially with the number of Amateur Radio stations that participated on a weekday and the number of unique county reports received over the 12-hour period." After eliminating duplicates, English said, MARS received 312 county status reports. The exercise aimed in part to develop local-level working relationships between MARS operators and ARES groups and individual radio amateurs and clubs, English said. Armed Forces Day 2016 Communication Test to Include Direct Military-Ham Contact on 60 Meters This year's Armed Forces Day Crossband Communication Test on Saturday, May 14, will include a significant new wrinkle: Select military stations will be using 60 meter interoperability channels to communicate /directly/ with Amateur Radio stations on the band. Back this year, select military stations will use crossband Automatic Link Establishment (2G ALE) communication as well as MIL-STD Serial PSK to send the Secretary of Defense Armed Forces Day message. Armed Forces Day 2016 is Saturday, May 21, but the radio event is held earlier to avoid conflicting with Dayton Hamvention , May 20-22. The annual Armed Forces Day Communication Test is an opportunity to exercise two-way communication capability between Amateur Radio and military stations using a variety of modes, including SSB and CW as well as digital modes. The annual event gives participants -- including shortwave listeners (SWLs) -- an opportunity to demonstrate their technical skills, and to receive recognition from the appropriate military radio station. The Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard cosponsor the joint military/Amateur Radio, with military stations transmitting on military frequencies and listening on Amateur Radio bands. Amateur Radio stations and shortwave listeners interested in trying the MIL-STD Serial PSK mode can download the software program, /MS-DMT/. Full details about this year's Armed Forces Day radio will be posted by April 12 and will also appear on the US Army MARS Facebook page . Regulators Attend Amateur Radio Administration Course in Mexico City Telecommunications regulators from Mexico and Belize attended an *(L-R) Andrew Robateau, Sharolyn Dougal -- both of the PUC Belize, and Alejandro Aldana of the IFT. Partially obscured in the back row, Roberto Navarro of the IFT. * *[Tania Carmona, photo]* Amateur Radio Administration Course (ARAC) February 17-19 in Mexico City. International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 (IARU R2 ), the Mexican Federation of Radio Amateurs (FMRE ), and the ARRL sponsored the sessions. Presiding at the opening ceremony was Rafael Eslava Herrada, who heads the Concessions and Services Unit of Mexico's telecoms regulator, the Federal Institute of Telecommunications (IFT ). Among others, course topics included: * Organization of the ITU and the IARU * Nature of Amateur Radio Services * ITU Radio Regulations * Amateur Radio Activities and Allocations * How Society Can Benefit from Amateur Radio * National Licensing and Regulations * Amateur Radio Examinations * Emergency Communications * Satellites and the Amateur Satellite Service * Electromagnetic Compatibility Regulators from the Public Utilities Commission of Belize and Mexico's IFT attended the classroom sessions. The objective of the course is for regulators to be able to help create, administer, and foster an Amateur Radio Service within their home countries. The ARAC is designed for those who regulate and manage Amateur Radio, and it was taught in both English and Spanish. Ad Texas to Host US ARDF Championships in April The US championships of Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) return to the Lone Star State this spring. Sponsored by Texas ARDF and the Austin Orienteering Club (AOC ), the event will take place April 7-10 near Killeen, Texas. On-foot foxhunting fans of all skill levels will gather for 4 days of intense competition. National ARDF championships typically take place in the late summer or early fall, but because the ARDF World Championships in Bulgaria take place in early September this year, the national event is being held in April to provide plenty of time to select Team USA members and to make travel arrangements. An optional training day just prior to the championships on Wednesday, April 6, will feature an 80 meter short course. Thursday, April 7, will be devoted to foxoring , a combination of radio direction finding and classic orienteering, on 80 meters. Friday morning will be the formal 80 meter sprint event, followed by a catered lunch, competitor meeting, and model event for equipment testing. *Jennifer Harker, W5JEN, competing at the 2015 USA ARDF Championships. [Joe Moell, K0OV, photo]* Classic 2 meter and 80 meter competitions will take place on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. An awards banquet on Saturday evening will honor winners of the foxoring, sprint, and 2 meter classic events. Awards for the 80 meter classic event will be given Sunday afternoon, immediately following the competition. Lead organizers, event hosts, and course planners are Jennifer and Kenneth Harker, W5JEN and WM5R, assisted by members of the Austin Orienteering Club. Stateside winners of the US championships will be considered for membership in ARDF Team USA, which will travel to Albena, Bulgaria for the 18th ARDF World Championships . Full details are on the Texas ARDF website. Read more ./-- Thanks to ARRL ARDF Coordinator //Joe Moell/ /, K0OV/ "Frequency" TV Series Now Planned for The CW Network The buzz from Hollywood is that a TV series based on the 2000 movie "Frequency" is in development and -- appropriately enough for a show featuring ham radio -- on The CW network. Amateur Radio served as a plot device in the movie and will play the same role in the TV series. *Actor Jim Caviezel in the 2000 movie, "Frequency."**[Courtesy of New Line Cinema]* In November 2014, /The Hollywood Reporter/ indicated that NBC had committed to a "Frequency" series, but those plans apparently fell by the wayside. Now, The CW has ordered a pilot episode of "Frequency," and, if the network does go forward with the project, the modern-day version of "Frequency," the TV series, would feature a young female police detective named Raimy, who uses ham radio to communicate through time with her deceased father. Actress Peyton List is said to have landed to role of Raimy, reprising Jim Caviezel's movie character. Riley Smith would play her father. When the original "Frequency" movie debuted, the ham radio theme and the chance to see vintage ham gear and real, glowing vacuum tubes on the big screen generated considerable interest within the community of "boatanchor" enthusiasts. ARRL worked with the film's producers. First Solid-State Transmitter to Span the Atlantic Now Part of ARRL Historical Collection A flea-powered transistor ham transmitter built in the 1950s and later used to make a transatlantic contact has become part of the ARRL Historical Collection. The noteworthy historical artifact was donated by Andy Stewart, KB1OIQ, on behalf of the estate of Gus Fallgren, W1OG (SK), the ham who was at the key for the momentous event. Fallgren -- *Gus Fallgren, W1OGU, and his transistor transmitter were featured on the cover of the February 1957 issue of Radio & Television News. * then W1OGU -- and two other Raytheon engineers, Al "Hank" Hankinson, W1OSF, and Dick Wright, W1UBC, built the little transmitter in the summer of 1956 on a lark, to see if they could achieve Worked All Continents (WAC) with it. The 20 meter, 78 mW transmitter was designed around a pair of Raytheon 2N113 transistors -- one as a 7 MHz oscillator, the other as a frequency-doubling power amplifier. On September 18, 1956, Fallgren, in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, running the transistor transmitter into a three-element wide-spaced Yagi, worked OZ7BO in Copenhagen, Denmark. His signal report was 339. The transmitter was the first to run Raytheon transistors on 20 meters. Hams had previously constructed low-power, solid-state transmitters for 40 meters and made contacts spanning up to 800 miles. Fallgren's 3800-mile contact worked out to approximately 47,500 miles per watt. *Assistant ARRL Laboratory Manager Bob Allison, WB1GCM (L), holds the transistor transmitter and semi-automatic key, while donor Andy Stewart, KB1OIQ, holds the 1957 issue of Radio & Television News that featured W1OGU on the cover.* Raytheon documented the historic contact in the February 1957 edition of /Radio and Television News/ -- with a feature banner and cover photo of W1OGU in his shack with the battery-powered transistor transmitter -- and it was reported in other publications as well, including Raytheon's own publication and the /Boston Globe/. A November 1956 /QST/ "Stray" reported that Fallgren had "worked KP4, TI2, OZ7, and G3, and has reportedly been heard in VK" with the little rig, and included a photo. Assistant ARRL Laboratory Manager Bob Allison, WB1GCM, staff liaison to the ARRL Historical Committee, accepted the donation and thanked Stewart for arranging it. Read more . Getting It Right! *Getting It Right!* In "Article Profiles First African-American Radio Amateur, Rufus Turner, W3LF," which appeared in the February 25 edition of /The ARRL Letter/, we inadvertently -- and incorrectly -- added an "A" to the designation of the diode Mr Turner helped to develop. The diode the article refers to is the 1N34, not the later 1N34A, which typically had a hermetically sealed glass envelope. Thanks to Frank Donovan, W3LPL, for spotting this error. Ad In Brief... *List of US House Amateur Radio Parity Act Cosponsors Continues to Grow:* Three more members of the US House of Representatives have stepped forward to cosponsor The Amateur Radio Parity Act, H.R. 1301. That brings the total to 123. The latest to sign on are Reps Evan Jenkins (R-WV), Stephen Knight (R-CA), and Charles Boustany Jr (R-LA). In a voice vote on February 11, the US House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, chaired by Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI, sent H.R. 1301 to the full House Energy and Commerce Committee with a favorable report for further consideration. More information on The Amateur Radio Parity Act is on the ARRL website. *Winter 2016 Edition of /Radio Waves/ Now Available:* The winter 2016 edition of ARRL's /Radio Waves / newsletter for Amateur Radio license instructors and radio science educators is now available. Some of the articles in this issue include, "In-Depth Licensing Class Probes Electronics;" "Exploring Complex Concepts through Electronic Kit Building;" "Two Schools Experience ARISS Impact;" "West Chester Amateur Radio Association on Hand for Pi Day," and "Youth Nets." In addition, the Instructor Corner offers resources for classroom and licensing instruction, and there's news of the ARRL Education & Technology Program, a calendar of upcoming events, and more. *ARRL VEC Applications, Session Scheduling Getting Back on Track:* A computer program issue that was preventing the ARRL VEC from managing and posting its schedule of future examination sessions and transmitting application data from completed sessions to the FCC has been resolved, and the backlog is being cleared. "The ARRL IT Department has our system is back up and running," ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, said on March 2. "ARRL VEC has begun to transmit into FCC Electronic Batch Filing system the approximately 200 exam sessions that were waiting in the queue. It may take a few days to get through the entire backlog." Since the problem surfaced on February 22, the system had worked "sporadically," Somma said, allowing a few test sessions to make it to the FCC for processing. . . . . . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The K7RA Solar Update Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Average daily sunspot numbers were marginally higher over our reporting week (February 25-March 2) than during the previous 7 days -- rising from 37.9 to 41.4. Average daily solar flux was down by just one point, to 92.9. The average planetary A index dipped from 10.1 to 5.9, and the average mid-latitude A index declined from 12.6 to 5.3. Predicted solar flux for the near term is 100 on March 3; 105 on March 4-5; 110 on March 6-10; 105 on March 11-13; 100 on March 14-15; 95 on March 16-20, and bottoming out at 90 on March 21-26. Flux values then peak at 115 on March 30-31. The planetary A index prediction shows 8 on March 3-4; 12, 20, 15, 10, and 5 on March 5-9; 8 on March 10-11; 5 on March 12, and 12 on March 13. The predicted A index then makes a huge jump to 30 on March 14-16. This is perhaps the result of a recurring coronal hole, because on April 10-12 the A index again goes to 30. Note that there were similar numbers -- 38, 34 and 29 -- for February 17, 18 and 19. Sunspot numbers for February 25 through March 2 were 26, 41, 37, 38, 44, 39, and 65, with a mean of 41.4. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 91.7, 89, 90.4, 93.2, 90.9, 96.8, and 98.2, with a mean of 92.9. Estimated planetary A indices were 5, 7, 4, 4, 5, 9, and 7, with a mean of 5.9. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 6, 5, 3, 4, 4, 8, and 7, with a mean of 5.3. This week's bulletin will look at changes in our 3-month moving averages of sunspot numbers, which should indicate the further decline in the current solar cycle. We'll also have a quantitative report from NP3A on band-by-band changes in /CW Skimmer/ logs between the ARRL International DX Contest 2015 and 2016 numbers. Send me your reports and observations. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just Ahead in Radiosport * March 5 -- Wake-Up! QRP Sprint (CW) * *March 5-6 -- **ARRL International DX Contest (SSB)* * March 5-6 -- Open Ukraine RTTY Championship * March 6 -- UBA Spring Contest (CW) * March 6 -- DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest * March 6 -- SARL 40 Meter Simulated Emergency (SSB) * March 7 -- RSGB 80 Meter Club Championship (Digital) * March 8 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW) * March 9-13 -- AWA John Rollins Memorial DX Test (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 and Events * March 4-5 -- Alabama Section Convention , Birmingham, Alabama * March 11-12 -- Louisiana State Convention , Rayne, Louisiana * March 18-19 -- South Texas Section Convention , Rosenburg, Texas * March 19 -- West Texas Section Convention , Midland, Texas * March 19 -- MicroHAMS Digital Conference , Redmond, Washington * March 25-26 -- Maine State Convention , Lewiston, Maine * April 2 -- Delta Division Convention , Fort Smith, Arkansas * April 2 -- North Carolina Section Convention , Raleigh, North Carolina * April 8-9 -- Oklahoma State Convention , Claremore, Oklahoma * April 9-10 -- Communications Academy , Seattle, Washington * April 15-17 -- International DX Convention , Visalia, California * April 15-17 -- VHF Super Conference , Sterling, Virginia * April 16 -- Delaware State Convention , Georgetown, Delaware * April 22-24 -- Idaho State Convention , Boise, Idaho * April 23 -- Aurora '16 Conference , White Bear Lake, Minnesota * April 23 -- Nebraska State Convention , Lincoln, Nebraska * April 29-May 1 -- Nevada State Convention , Las Vegas, Nevada * May 13-15 -- Rocky Mountain Division Convention , Keystone, Colorado * May 14 -- Iowa State Convention , Boone, Iowa * May 20-22 -- Dayton Hamvention , Dayton, Ohio 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 ? 2016 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved www.arrl.org From w4ox at bellsouth.net Fri Mar 4 12:50:26 2016 From: w4ox at bellsouth.net (w4ox) Date: Fri, 4 Mar 2016 17:50:26 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] [SFDXA] Free Flea In-Reply-To: <869474397.3366602.1457094874636.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> References: <869474397.3366602.1457094874636.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1413594795.2886786.1457113826718.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> The FQP page indicates that this year's event is set for 4/30 & 5/1. 73, Doug W4OX On Friday, March 4, 2016 7:34 AM, Richard gillingham wrote: On the first day of the FQP...? Boooooooo..... Gill, W1RG -------------------------------------------- On Fri, 3/4/16, Bill wrote: Subject: [SFDXA] Free Flea To: "'SFDXA Reflector'" , "QCWA" Date: Friday, March 4, 2016, 5:51 AM /A heads up for next month.// //Bill W2CQ/ Cy Harris Free Flee is next month, on the 23rd of April. Tony. KK4GUU ______________________________________________________________ South Florida DX Assoc. "SINCE 1974" SFDXA WebSite: http://www.SFDXA.com SFDXA Repeater 147.33+ 103.5 Tone To Post: mailto:SFDXA at mailman.qth.net To UNSUBSCRIBE/EDIT: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/sfdxa This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net ______________________________________________________________ South Florida DX Assoc. "SINCE 1974" SFDXA WebSite: http://www.SFDXA.com SFDXA Repeater 147.33+ 103.5 Tone To Post: mailto:SFDXA at mailman.qth.net To UNSUBSCRIBE/EDIT: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/sfdxa This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net From w6bxq at comcast.net Fri Mar 4 15:11:08 2016 From: w6bxq at comcast.net (W6BXQ, John) Date: Fri, 4 Mar 2016 20:11:08 -0000 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] [SFDXA] Free Flea In-Reply-To: <204909076.2170847.1457118267349.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> References: <204909076.2170847.1457118267349.JavaMail.yahoo.ref@mail.yahoo.com> <204909076.2170847.1457118267349.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <000301d17651$fdf18ef0$f9d4acd0$@comcast.net> FYI: http://browardarc.net/free-flea/ W6BXQ John Sanders W6BXQ at comcast.net http://www.W6BXQ.net W6BXQ Repeater Phone: 954-589-1206 Cell: 954-643-4085 From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sat Mar 5 08:25:04 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sat, 5 Mar 2016 08:25:04 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] January 2016 ARRL Board Meeting Recap In-Reply-To: <20160305035729.33C70204D3E1@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20160305035729.33C70204D3E1@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <56DADE30.4080103@bellsouth.net> Between the Board Meeting in January, the Puerto Rico State Convention at the end of January, and the Orlando HamCation/ARRL National Convention, it has been quite a busy start to the year! Here are the highlights of the meeting, how I voted on each one, and why I voted that way. As this will be a long email, I'll leave out votes on awards, thanks to staff, and honorary positions (all of which were unanimous). You can read the full minutes here: Those that read the minutes when they were sent out via email saw that I was nominated for President of the ARRL by one of my fellow Directors. (You can sign up to receive them in your profile on arrl.org.) While I would have served if elected, I accepted the nomination so there would be a choice available. I believe that dissenting voices are an essential element for an organization to be healthy. I am honored that some of my fellow Directors cast their votes for me. Rick Roderick, K5UR, who was the First Vice President was elected to a two year term as President. Rick has already shown a great deal of leadership and I'm looking forward to working with him. Rick joined Vice Director Mike Lee, AA6ML, and me in Puerto Rico at the Convention and again at the National Convention in Orlando a few weeks later. The CEO Search Committee presented its report and recommendations to the Board. I was the only Director that voted against accepting the report. It is now widely known that Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, was selected to be the new CEO. My vote against accepting the report was not a vote against Tom, it was a vote against a flawed process that had still managed to come to a good recommendation. This vote was only on accepting the committee's report; the vote on hiring Tom as CEO was done a week or so later in an electronic meeting of the Board and I did indeed vote for Tom as CEO. I have had several opportunities to talk with Tom at length and am very excited about the ARRL's future under his guidance as CEO. By the way, Tom is from our Division (South Florida). The Strategic Plan (2016-2020) was presented to the Board for acceptance. I was the lone vote against the plan. After I had reviewed the plan, I was very disappointed with it as it lacked a vision for the future with a path to reach that vision. You can read the plan for yourself here: The Executive Committee submitted a motion to clean up the League's Standing Orders, eliminating ones that have been replaced by the Board with later orders or that have become irrelevant due to organizational changes over time. The vote was unanimous to adopt the motion. The Administration & Finance Committee presented the 2016-2017 budget plan and it was unanimously accepted. Southwestern Division Director Dick Norton, N6AA, made a motion to modify the current Division boundaries to ones contained in his motion. The proposed boundaries were chosen to attempt to balance the size of the Divisions. Our Division is the largest with more than 16,000 members while the Dakota Division is the smallest with about 3,500 members?4.5 times smaller than our Division. Director Norton was attempting to give equal weight to all members by having each Director represent approximately the same number of members. It has been many decades since any Division lines have been changed. The motion failed with 12 votes against it, including mine. While I applaud Director Norton for bringing the disparity to the forefront, I believe that the issue deserves much more attention to determine the right way to proceed. I made a motion to amend the ARRL Travel Policy to the following: "Directors ? Travel within their own Division is at the discretion of each Director. Travel to neighboring Divisions on official ARRL business shall be coordinated with advance notification to the Director of the Division being visited. Division budgets may be used for travel on official ARRL business to the Dayton Hamvention, extending stays at headquarters, and making an additional trip annually to Headquarters for those Directors serving on committees that do not hold four meetings a year there." The changes included allowing reimbursement for travel to Dayton, staying at HQ before or after Board Meetings, and going to HQ one additional time. Dayton was included as it is the largest gathering of amateurs in the world, many amateurs travel to Dayton from all over the country, the ARRL has a huge presence there, and it is the only place where an annual gathering of donors occurs. Many members I have talked to previously were surprised to learn that Directors were not reimbursed for attending Dayton to work on the ARRL's behalf. As to HQ travel, it is important to realize that the 15 Directors are the voting members of the Board of a sixteen million dollar non-profit corporation with 100 employees and 170,000 members. We have a fiduciary duty to the organization and part of fulfilling that duty requires that we be informed about the organization. That requires spending some time at HQ interacting with the staff and gathering information. Excluding the Administration and Finance Committee that meets at HQ in between our Board Meetings, the only time a Director was previously reimbursed was for the day traveling to HQ before the Meeting, the meeting days, and travel the day after the meeting (Sunday). The busy Committee/Board Meeting schedule makes it almost impossible to spend any actual time at HQ meeting with staff. The changes allow Directors to maximize trips there by being reimbursed for going a day earlier. The motion was adopted. As an aside, while we do have small budgets available for reimbursement many members do not realize that Board Members (President, Vice Presidents, Directors, and Vice Directors) are unpaid volunteers. This is also true for the Section Managers. I made a motion stating that the Board is interested in establishing an ARRL Digital Media Content Channel and directing staff to prepare a proposal to be submitted to the Board's Executive Committee at its upcoming meeting. The concept is to have YouTube type videos available on a wide array of amateur radio topics. Some would be prepared by the fantastic experts we have on staff and others would be submitted by members. Some would be short 3-5 minute videos aimed at sparking interest in amateur radio by non-hams. Others would be longer 10-15 minute videos that would be suitable for use as a program at a radio club meeting. There might be videos on how to correctly install a coax connector, different HQ operating areas, public service, and hundreds of other amateur radio and electronics related areas. The videos would be publicly available on the Internet. The motion was adopted. Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco made a motion to create an ad hoc Legislative Advocacy Committee to oversee the League's activities in legislative matters such as lobbying for the Amateur Radio Parity Act which is pending in Congress. The motion was adopted and I voted in favor of it. Director Lisenco has been at the forefront of our efforts in Congress. The creation of the committee will elevate the League's current and future efforts in this area critical to the future of amateur radio. The Legislative Advocacy Committee has been formed and I am one of the four members appointed to the committee by President Roderick. In light of Director Norton's failed motion to change the Division boundaries, I made a motion to create a Reapportionment Committee to study member representation. The motion specified that the fifteen Divisions would be grouped into five sets of three based on the member population. We are in Group 5, the largest three Divisions (Southeastern, Atlantic, and Southwestern). Each Group was then to select a representative to serve on the committee and the committee would then elect a Chair. The motion specified the committee shall explore at minimum these possible means of reapportionment: 1. Realigning Division Boundaries, 2. Decreasing the Number of Divisions, 3. Increasing the Number of Divisions, 4. Weighting a Director?s Vote Based Upon the Number of Members They Represent, and any other means they may determine. It further specifies that the committee will issue a preliminary report to the Board and then to the membership so that comments can be solicited from the membership. A final report to the Board is due at the January 2017 meeting. The motion was adopted. I was chosen to represent Group 5 on the committee and was elected to Chair the committee. For 2016, I am on the following committees: Programs and Services Legislative Action Reapportionment VHF+ Contest I am also on the Board Liasion to the Contest Advisory Committee (our CAC representative George Wagner, K5KG, is the Chair of the CAC). Vice Director Lee is not on any committees for 2016. This is not unusual as the vast majority of the committee assignment positions are for Directors and quite a few Vice Directors do not serve on committees each year. Rest assured that while you may not see Mike and I at a lot of hamfests due to our business commitments, we are putting in a huge number of hours actively working to make the League even better! 73 de K4AC and AA4FL -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL Southeastern Division Director: Doug Rehman, K4AC k4ac at arrl.org From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Mar 8 13:06:13 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2016 13:06:13 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] 73 magazine In-Reply-To: <56DED2B8.4070601@verizon.net> References: <56DED2B8.4070601@verizon.net> Message-ID: <56DF1495.7040200@bellsouth.net> From Bill NA2M: Did you like 73 Magazine? Here is a dose of nostalgia should you need it. Once you've picked an issue and it loads click on the front cover to turn pages. Bill W2CQ https://archive.org/details/73-magazine From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Mar 9 09:09:55 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 9 Mar 2016 09:09:55 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Aluminum Tower In-Reply-To: <3849970E-ECBF-4780-B8B0-4EA7DBA70B74@gmail.com> References: <3849970E-ECBF-4780-B8B0-4EA7DBA70B74@gmail.com> Message-ID: <56E02EB3.5000109@bellsouth.net> From TowerTalk: I am going to drive from Arkansas to Florida over the weekend. Going to Miami to buy stuff to go on a container to Carribean. I would like to include a self supporting aluminum tower - the heavier duty the better. I can divert my route to a point to pick it up on the way. Hoping someone has one not in use and in good shape that I can buy or make a trade. I have almost everything except what I currently need :-) Leaving Friday or Saturday for Miami. Thanks... Stan, K5GO Stan Stockton wa5rtg at gmail.com From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Mar 11 14:17:39 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 11 Mar 2016 14:17:39 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Heil Sound Celebrating 50th Anniversary - ARRL Message-ID: <56E319D3.9040503@bellsouth.net> http://www.arrl.org/news/heil-sound-celebrating-50th-anniversary Heil Sound Celebrating 50th Anniversary **03/09/2016 *Heil Sound* , a name that?s probably synonymous within the Amateur Radio community for its microphones and ?boom set? microphone/headset combinations, is marking its 50th anniversary this year. Heil Sound came into being in 1966 as Ye Olde Music Shoppe ? a music store in Marissa, Illinois, the home town of its founder Bob Heil, K9EID. The celebration ? being called ?50 Years of Maximum Rock ?N Roll? ? kicked off at the winter NAMM show. A commemorative series of *interviews* , packaged as podcasts, also debuted with the new year. The series highlights the history of Heil Sound. Heil initially made a name for himself working with music performers to provide sound reinforcement for their live gigs, initially supplying full sound system packages for venues and festivals throughout the Midwest and later working with world-class acts, such as Humble Pie, The Who, The Grateful Dead, and Joe Walsh, WB6ACU. Heil said it was the Dead?s Jerry Garcia who suggested changing the name of his enterprise to Heil Sound. Among other innovations, Heil created the quadraphonic sound system for The Who?s ?Quadrophenia? tour as well as the Heil Talk Box made famous by Joe Walsh and Peter Frampton. By 1982 Heil Sound had curtailed the touring side of the business and began concentrating on developing products for the Amateur Radio market. He also launched a home theater division. Amateur Radio and professional audio came together in 2006, when Walsh suggested that Heil Sound develop microphones for concert use. Heil Sound designed and manufactured high-quality microphones and has gained a reputation among music performers for its professional microphone products, such as the PR30 and PR40. Bob Heil and his wife and business partner Sarah ? who is the president of Heil Sound ? are frequent visitors at major Amateur Radio conventions and gatherings. From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Mar 11 15:34:20 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 11 Mar 2016 15:34:20 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Announcement from SuperBertha by Scott W3TX In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <56E32BCC.7020406@bellsouth.net> From TowerTalk: All, SUPERBERTHA IS OFFICIALLY FOR SALE. Pricing will be VERY reasonable as I am motivated to make a transition ASAP (see reasons below). Depending upon ones interest it could be an entire purchase or purchasing just the antenna line vs just the Bertha Tower line. We have exceptional ads in the Antenna Book and Low Band Dxing, as well as great name recognition in the high-end amateur radio community. SuperBertha has an exceptional repertoire of OWA Yagis. The electrical and mechanical of the designs are exceptional. SuperBertha Bertha Towers speak for themselves: Breathtaking, Aesthetic, Monolithic, Elegant: The Ultimate Antenna System! If a qualified buyer doesn?t emerge for the antenna line then I will be turning them over to the ARRL for publication into the general knowledge base. If a qualified buyer doesn?t emerge for the Bertha tower line then I will continue the business as a Bertha tower business only ~ it is the part of the company I LOVE! The reasons that I am performing this transition are four-fold: One, I have been blessed with the opportunity to expand my veterinary practice from one-site to two-sites. We have broken ground on the second site and it has unlimited growth potential and will require my utmost attention to capitalize on that potential. Second, my children are aged 9 to 16...and my wife is finally feeling recovered after breast cancer treatment?and they deserve my attention as a dad and a husband. Third, I desire more time to get on the air, teach my children about electronics and Dxing and contesting, and maybe even build that station on the Maine coast I aspire to. Finally, in the future I hope to give back to our hobby in a leadership role perhaps on the ARRL Board ~ which is something that cannot be done when one owns an amateur radio company. Please contact me directly if you are interested. 73, Scott W3TX From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sat Mar 12 19:28:27 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sat, 12 Mar 2016 19:28:27 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] How to Find Old Amateur Radio Call Signs... Message-ID: <56E4B42B.2090506@bellsouth.net> I was always told finding history on really old call signs wasn't possible due to loss of paper records. I did some Google searching recently and found some one had posted old government records going back to 1913. I found my call sign first in 1931 listings(when I first thought it was assigned) just prior to the Communications act of 1933(I think that was the name) anyway...I found the call in the 1931 records. So I looked also at the records beginning in 1921 and found another name holding 2CQ. He held it until 1924 and then the same name came up as in 1931. I hope you are still with me. So I went all the way back to the 1913 records and found 2CQ, his name address and Power in watts 30! Then it changed hands again in 1916! In those years they are US held calls so you have to scroll past radio stations and Naval ships and other ships but half way through the listings are the Amateur Call Signs. No one was assigned my call in 1938 or 1940. Maybe in 1933 they didn't assign it? I know who held it in the last 30 years but my search continues.Ill keep looking. So if you have a 1x2 or 1x3 callsign and want to dig in to find the previous owners here is the link to the source I found. He gives instructions and a good description of the history of the records. Many of you may already be aware of this but it is new to me. Click here: http://w0is.com/oldcallsigns/oldcalls.html The stuff in the 1913 to 1916 and also the books in the 20's require some enlarging and other tricks you will find. The actual published privately call books in the 30's you can page through by clicking on the page and it turns hi. Then you need to enlarge but there are cursors and zoom buttons for those. I hope you enjoy your search as much as I have...HAVE FUN! 73, Bill W2CQ Held since 1998.(Thanks John) Click here: http://w0is.com/oldcallsigns/oldcalls.html From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sat Mar 12 19:34:04 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sat, 12 Mar 2016 19:34:04 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] How to Find Old Amateur Radio Call Signs... In-Reply-To: <56E4B42B.2090506@bellsouth.net> References: <56E4B42B.2090506@bellsouth.net> Message-ID: <56E4B57C.2040900@bellsouth.net> /BTW I forgot to mention there is a list of call signs for amateurs in 1909...mine was not among them but a fellow in Minneapolis held the call H.A.M. That should raise some eyebrows.../ Earl C. Hawkins, Minneapolis, Minn., H.A.M. 62 1? " / His wavelength was 62 and his spark gap was 1 1/2"// //Bill/ I was always told finding history on really old call signs wasn't possible due to loss of paper records. I did some Google searching recently and found some one had posted old government records going back to 1913. I found my call sign first in 1931 listings(when I first thought it was assigned) just prior to the Communications act of 1933(I think that was the name) anyway...I found the call in the 1931 records. So I looked also at the records beginning in 1921 and found another name holding 2CQ. He held it until 1924 and then the same name came up as in 1931. I hope you are still with me. So I went all the way back to the 1913 records and found 2CQ, his name address and Power in watts 30! Then it changed hands again in 1916! In those years they are US held calls so you have to scroll past radio stations and Naval ships and other ships but half way through the listings are the Amateur Call Signs. No one was assigned my call in 1938 or 1940. Maybe in 1933 they didn't assign it? I know who held it in the last 30 years but my search continues.Ill keep looking. So if you have a 1x2 or 1x3 callsign and want to dig in to find the previous owners here is the link to the source I found. He gives instructions and a good description of the history of the records. Many of you may already be aware of this but it is new to me. Click here: http://w0is.com/oldcallsigns/oldcalls.html The stuff in the 1913 to 1916 and also the books in the 20's require some enlarging and other tricks you will find. The actual published privately call books in the 30's you can page through by clicking on the page and it turns hi. Then you need to enlarge but there are cursors and zoom buttons for those. I hope you enjoy your search as much as I have...HAVE FUN! 73, Bill W2CQ Held since 1998.(Thanks John) Click here: http://w0is.com/oldcallsigns/oldcalls.html From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Mar 17 19:07:17 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2016 19:07:17 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Letter for March 17, 2016 In-Reply-To: <20160317225344.26DBC201F8D7@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20160317225344.26DBC201F8D7@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <56EB38A5.9030704@bellsouth.net> Preview If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-03-17 The ARRL Letter March 17, 2016 Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME ARRL Home Page /ARRL Letter/ Archive Audio News Ad * ARRL Urges FCC Not to Impose Overbroad Notification Requirement on 2200 and 630 Meter Operation <#toc01> * ARES, SKYWARN Volunteers Respond to Heavy Rain, Flooding in Louisiana <#toc02> * Southern Florida ARES Volunteers Support Biennial Nuclear Power Plant Drill <#toc03> * National Parks on the Air Update <#toc04> * ARRL Now on Instagram! <#toc05> * RFinder -- The Worldwide Repeater Directory -- Now Includes Coverage Maps <#toc06> * ARISS Marks its 1000th Contact! <#toc07> * Over the Horizon Radars Becoming Routine Visitors on Amateur HF Bands <#toc08> * National Hurricane Conference Amateur Radio Sessions to be Live Streamed <#toc09> * Young Connecticut Ham Off to an Award-Winning Start <#toc10> * Former DX QSL Manager Mary Ann Crider, WA3HUP, SK <#toc11> * In Brief... <#toc12> * The K7RA Solar Update <#toc13> * Just Ahead in Radiosport <#toc14> * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events <#toc15> ARRL Urges FCC Not to Impose Overbroad Notification Requirement on 2200 and 630 Meter Operation In an /ex parte/ statement filed March 10 with the FCC, the ARRL has asked the Commission not to adopt "an overbroad" requirement for notification of utilities in advance of intended Amateur Radio operation on the pending 2200 (135.7-137.8 kHz) and 630 meter (472-479 kHz) bands. The statement, filed in ET Dockets 12-338 and 15-99 , supplemented the League's earlier comments in the proceeding. The FCC is expected to provide Amateur Radio with access to both bands and to spell out service rules and operational requirements sometime within the first quarter of 2016. Regulatory provisions under consideration have included a possible notification requirement by some radio amateurs to utilities that operate PLC systems in that region of the spectrum, prior to operating on either new band. Utilities use unlicensed, mostly LF PLC systems to control parts of the electrical power grid. "ARRL does not object to such a notification requirement, provided that it is appropriately circumscribed, not overbroad in its applicability, and not overly burdensome for radio amateurs to comply with," the League's statement asserted. The ARRL noted that comments filed by the Utilities Telecom Council (UTC) called for a system of "quasi-coordination" by radio amateurs before commencing operation on 2200 meters. In its remarks to the FCC, the ARRL pointed out, however, that the UTC has not volunteered any information with respect to how a notification process might work, nor offered any PLC database information to the ARRL or to the amateur community so prospective users of the band could determine if their operation might be problematic. The ARRL expressed concern that "this vague reference" to a notification procedure by UTC might lead the FCC to adopt an overbroad notification requirement for radio amateurs intending to operate in either the 2200 or 630 meter band. The League further pointed out that PLC systems operating between 9 and 490 kHz are not subject to protection from licensed services. *Utilities use unlicensed, mostly LF PLC systems on transmission lines to control parts of the electrical power grid.* The League reiterated its willingness to accept distance-separation criteria between amateur stations operating on either band and PLC-carrying transmission lines using frequencies in either band, and a notification process in the few instances in which an amateur station intends to operate on either band within close proximity to a transmission line with a PLC using the same frequencies. The League said interference potential to PLC systems from Amateur Radio operation on 2200 or 630 meters is very low, with the possible exception of amateur operation within 1 kilometer of an existing transmission line carrying /co//-channel/ PLC signals. "It would be an unreasonable regulatory burden to require more than this, and there is no record justification for a requirement that all radio amateurs who wish to operate in these bands to have to participate in a notification process," the ARRL said in its /ex parte/ statement. Any sort of blanket notification requirement prior to transmitting on 2200 or 630 meters "would be clear regulatory overkill," the ARRL concluded. Read more . ARES, SKYWARN Volunteers Respond to Heavy Rain, Flooding in Louisiana Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and SKYWARN volunteers in Louisiana assisted the National Weather Service (NWS), as record-setting rainfall led to severe and widespread flooding. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved a disaster declaration for the state. Region 7 District Emergency Coordinator John Mark Robertson, K5JMR, in the Shreveport-Bossier City area, said Amateur Radio involvement began on March 8, when the NWS-Shreveport Office requested a SKYWARN activation during a tornado watch. *Flooding in Bossier Parish, Louisiana.* For the next 17 hours, Robertson reported, a group of volunteers handled weather-spotting duties over linked repeaters, filing some 70 reports. Their coverage included parts of Texas and Arkansas. The severe weather included hail as well as major flooding that closed Interstate 20 in three Louisiana parishes and inundated entire neighborhoods. On March 10, the ARES team in Tangipahoa Parish in southeastern Louisiana was active for nearly 2 days in response to heavy rain and flooding. "Local hams operating [fixed, portable, or mobile] provided updates on local conditions and were able to offer road reports to travelers on the state highways and Interstate 12, which crosses all of the major rivers in our area," ARES Region 9 DEC Bob Priez, WB5FBS, told ARRL. He said numerous rivers, streams, and waterways were well above flood stage by the afternoon of March 11. *Some livestock in this flooded area took refuge under the porch of a home under construction on higher ground. [Photo courtesy Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office]* "We were able to receive and send weather bulletins and flood conditions to and from the NWS in Slidell, Louisiana, using our 147.000 repeater and the Slidell 147.270 repeater. The 147.000 repeater also provided communication with the EOC at Southeastern Louisiana University and Tangipahoa Parish EOC in Amite, Louisiana," he said. Fixed stations used packet radio on VHF as well as conventional e-mail to relay NWS weather bulletins and to forward local reports to NWS. Priez said the March activation was the third for his ARES crew since two events in February, when the area was hit with heavy rain and wind. He said that event gave the group the opportunity to test recently revised plans to interface directly with the NWS Office in Slidell via repeaters in Tangipahoa and St Tammany parishes, and via packet. "This plan proved really effective in the February 23 event, which, in addition to rains and winds, also spawned numerous tornadoes across the southeast region," Priez said. "Our widespread ham radio observers were able to send real-time reports of tornado activity in Livingston, Montpelier, and Convent, and from Washington and St John parishes in Louisiana, and also from southwestern Mississippi." The group also kept in contact with the Southeastern Louisiana University EOC and the Tangipahoa Parish EOC via the local VHF repeater. On March 13, Robertson said three SKYWARN volunteers activated in response to severe weather, posting 25 messages dealing with tornado watches and warnings, reports of hail, and continued major flooding. As the National Weather Service reported, the highest reported rainfall total was "a whopping 26.96 inches!" southeast of Monroe. The NWS has posted rainfall totals for the March 8-12 period. The flooding has led to road closings over a wide area, and law enforcement personnel assisted by the Louisiana National Guard used boats to reach and rescue stranded residents and their pets. Southern Florida ARES Volunteers Support Biennial Nuclear Power Plant Drill ARES teams from five Florida counties took part in a February 24 exercise at the St Lucie Nuclear Power Plant on Hutchinson Island in Jensen Beach. The plant is required to hold an exercise every 2 years to test and evaluate the responses of plant personnel, law enforcement, emergency managers, and communication personnel in the event of an emergency, such as a radiation release. The exercises are evaluated by personnel from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The 2016 scenario involved overloaded and unusable public telecommunication systems. In a real emergency, ARES volunteers would provide radio communication among the county emergency operations centers and other critical entities and locations. ARES teams participated from St Lucie, Palm Beach, Martin, Indian River, and Brevard counties. Operators successfully employed the linked UHF repeater-based Statewide Amateur Radio Network (SARnet) for most communication, as well as an HF net on 7.245 MHz. *The St Lucie Nuclear Power Plant in Florida. [Florida Power & Light photo]* The dual nets provided for redundancy and reliability for the ARES mission to support the EOCs. SARnet serves the State of Florida; it's interconnected by a Florida Department of Transportation network. All ARES communication tests and requirements were successfully passed and met, and evaluators praised the use of dual nets for enhanced reliability. Martin County ARES also had a display of go-kits. A FEMA representative visited with ARES EC Steve Marshall, WW4RX, who discussed the kits and answered questions about SARnet and its coverage./-- Thanks to the /ARRL ARES E-Letter Ad National Parks on the Air Update ARRL has created a certificate for National Park Service employees who go the extra mile in helping to promote or assist National Parks on the Air (NPOTA ) activity in their parks. The NPOTA /Certificate of Appreciation/ is available to any NPS employee or volunteer who is recommended by the NPOTA Activator community for exceptional assistance in promoting NPOTA. Show your appreciation for the NPS staffer who helped to make /your/ activation a success; nominate them for the NPOTA /Certificate of Appreciation/. E-mail the name, title, and NPS unit of your nominee. There are 52 activations scheduled for the week of March 17-23, including Mammoth Cave National Park (NP39) in Kentucky, and the newest addition to the National Parks System, Castle Mountains National Monument (MN82) in California. 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 onTwitter (*@ARRL_NPOTA*). ARRL Now on Instagram! ARRL now has a presence on Instagram , a social networking app made for sharing photos and videos. Similar to Facebook or Twitter, everyone who creates an account has a profile and a news feed. Photos or videos you post on Instagram will be displayed on your profile. Other users who follow you will see your posts in their own feed. Likewise, you'll see posts from other users who you choose to follow. Instagram is available for free on /iOS/, /Android/, and /Windows/ phone devices. It can also be accessed on the web from a computer, but users can only upload, share photos or videos, and create an account from their devices. Before you can start using the app, Instagram will ask you to create a free account. You can sign up via your existing Facebook account or through the app itself. After you sign up, you may be asked if you want to follow some friends who are on Instagram in your Facebook network. Instagram is all about visual sharing. Every user profile has a "Followers" and "Following" count, representing how many people they follow and how many users are following them. Every user profile has a button you can tap to follow them. If a user has their profile set to private, they will need to approve your request first. Interacting within posts is fun and easy. You can double tap any post to "like" it or add a comment at the bottom. The @ sign represents a link to your user profile. For example, if you choose your username to be JaneDoe, other users can tag you in their posts by commenting @JaneDoe, which, by clicking it, will bring them directly to your profile. If you want to find more friends or interesting accounts to follow, use the search tab (marked by the magnifying glass icon) to browse through posts recommended to you. You can also use the search bar at the top to look for specific users or #hashtag. ARRL uses Instagram to promote current events, happenings at Headquarters, and news. ARRL is on Instagram as *@arrlhq*. Follow us, and you'll have instant access to all photos and videos that we post. It's an interesting and entertaining collection that will only grow over time! /-- Thanks to Erin Day/ RFinder -- The Worldwide Repeater Directory -- Now Includes Coverage Maps RFinder -- The Worldwide Repeater Directory -- now will include coverage maps for all repeaters on Earth. In February, the ARRL established an agreement with RFinder, the creator of a web- and app-based directory of Amateur Radio repeaters worldwide, to serve as its preferred online resource of repeater frequencies. RFinder has partnered with CloudRF.com to provide the maps. "Our systems are busy rendering and indexing coverage maps, based on ground-path loss using the Longley-Rice irregular terrain model ," explained RFinder Creater Bob Greenberg, W2CYK. "We have worked with Alex Farrant, M6ZUJ, creator of CloudRF.com, to render coverage maps for nearly the entire collection of repeaters in RFinder's database." *An RFinder screenshot of the Long Island, New York, vicinity.* RFinder has downloaded and will serve as a host for KMZ (Keyhole Markup Language Zipped) overlays for Google Earth. The resulting KMZ place marker files will be viewable in Google Earth on /Windows/ and /Mac/ platforms (via web.rfinder.net and routes.rfinder.net) and on /Android/ and /iOS/ versions of RFinder. The /Windows/ and /Mac/ versions allow the viewing of multiple coverage maps at the same time. As part of this project, RFinder will provide free access to repeater coordinators worldwide. As coordinators update repeaters with height above average terrain (HAAT), power and gain, and latitude and longitude, maps will be automatically re-rendered within a few minutes and made available to subscribers. The sign-up procedure for the repeater coordinator program will be announced later this month. The new capability is expected to ease the work of repeater coordinators, as they will easily be able to see repeater coverage maps side by side for both coordinated and uncoordinated machines -- information critical as simplex nodes for Internet linking, cross-band repeaters, and homebrew repeaters crop up worldwide. Users of the trial version of RFinder on /Android/ will have access to coverage maps for a limited time, after which only subscribers will have access. An annual $9.99 RFinder subscription provides access to repeater data worldwide. RFinder will be an ARRL EXPO exhibitor at Dayton Hamvention ^? , May 20-22. Read more . Ad ARISS Marks its 1000th Contact! The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS ) program has celebrated a milestone -- its 1000th school radio contact. The first ARISS contact with students on Earth took place a little more than 15 years ago. On March 10, ISS crew member Tim Kopra, KE5UDN, did the honors for number 1000 -- a contact with students from schools in North Dakota and Minnesota gathered at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, organized by the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium (NDSGC ). The ARISS contact was the first to be hosted in North Dakota, and some 500 students and visitors were on hand for the big event. ARISS International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, congratulated the ARISS team on what he called "this phenomenal accomplishment." *Astronaut Tim Kopra, KE5UDN, on the air as NA1SS from the International Space Station. [NASA photo]* "With the outstanding support of NASA and the international space agencies participating in ISS, the ISS on-orbit crew members encompassing all 48 expeditions and the hundreds of ARISS volunteers worldwide, the ARISS team has reached a tremendous milestone: 1000 ARISS contacts between schools on the ground and the ISS crews on orbit," he said. "Since our first contact in December 2000 to today's contact in North Dakota, hundreds of thousands of students have participated in the hands-on STEM learning that ARISS affords, and many millions from the general public have witnessed human spaceflight in action through an ARISS contact." During the 10-minute ARISS contact Kopra answered 20 questions posed by young people ranging from kindergarten to graduate school. Veteran astronaut Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, marveled at the number of contacts completed to date. "A thousand contacts. Who would have ever thought?" he said in a NASA video marking the milestone. "That means a thousand times we've had a chance to reach down to Planet Earth to make contact and to inspire the next generation of explorers. So, I congratulate the ARISS program." Astronaut Tim Peake, KG5BVI -- one of Kopra's crew mates on the ISS -- said in another NASA video marking the milestone that talking to schools via Amateur Radio has been "one of the most rewarding activities" of his time in space. Ahead of the actual contact, a consortium team led youngsters at participating schools in hands-on activities and learning about aerospace, priming them for the interview with Kopra. The students, many from smaller rural communities, built and launched rockets, crafted and tested parachutes similar to those on NASA's /Orion/ capsule, and designed and tested neutral buoyant objects. Read more . Over the Horizon Radars Becoming Routine Visitors on Amateur HF Bands The International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 (Europe/Africa) Monitoring System (IARUMS ) has reported a spate of over the horizon (OTH) radar signals on various Amateur Radio HF bands -- exclusive and shared. Many of these signals are being heard outside of the Region 1 confines. *A signal from the Australian "JORN" OTH radar (FM CW burst mode) on 21,293 kHz with different sweep rates. [Courtesy of Wolf Hadel, DK2OM]* A 50 kHz wide Russian OTH radar has been heard in the evening on 80 meters, often in the CW part of the band. An "often long-lasting" Russian OTH signal about 13 kHz wide is being heard on the 7000-7100 kHz segment of 40 meters, while some digital traffic (FSK or PSK), and a "Codar-like radar from the Far East" are being heard in the 7000-7200 kHz segment as well as non-amateur CW transmissions. The same OTH radar being heard on 40 meters also is appearing on 20 meters, along with digital traffic in FSK or PSK and on CW and broadband OTH radar signals from China. Some monitoring reports are intriguing, such as this one on 14.280 MHz from IARU Region 1 Monitoring System Coordinator Wolf Hadel, DK2OM: "Female voice with encrypted msgs -- figures -- 'SZRU' = Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine in Rivne -- every Wednesday at 1005 UTC." Broadband OTH radars from China, Australia, Cyprus, and Turkey have been monitored in 15 meters. On 10 meters, radars from Iran with FM CW and different sweep rates have been monitored, as well as fishery buoys on CW, and taxi operations on voice from Russia. Voice traffic from fishing operations has been heard on all or most HF bands, as have a variety of broadcasters, including the third harmonic of Radio Tajik (4765 kHz) on 14.295 MHz, Radio Taiwan and Myanmar Radio, both on 7.200 MHz, and Radio Hargeysa in Somalia on 7.120 MHz/./ The February 2016 IARU Region 1 Monitoring System newsletter offers more details. There is an online archive of past issues./-- Thanks to the IARU Region 1 Monitoring System/ National Hurricane Conference Amateur Radio Sessions to be Live Streamed Sessions focusing on the role of Amateur Radio in major weather events will be a part the 2016 National Hurricane Conference , set for later this month in Orlando, Florida. The goal of the annual conference is to improve hurricane preparedness. Attendance is free to all Amateur Radio sessions, which will take place Tuesday, March 22, from 1:30 until 5 PM ET (1830-2200 UTC). Amateur Radio presentations will be live streamed via YouTube and recorded. At the 1:30 PM session, National Hurricane Center Director Rick Knabb will discuss the importance of Amateur Radio surface reporting. Other presenters will include Bob Robichaud, VE1MBR, of the Canadian Hurricane Centre, who will speak on hurricane meteorology and give a brief overview of his center's operation, and WX4NHC Assistant Amateur Radio Station Coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4R, who will talk about activities at WX4NHC, the National Hurricane Center's Amateur Radio station. The 2 PM session will feature presentations from Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, discussing the HWN, personal weather stations, and back-up power and antennas; VoIP Hurricane Net director of operations and ARRL ARES Eastern Massachusetts Assistant SEC Rob Macedo, KD1CY, on the VoIP Hurricane Net and best practices in SKYWARN tropical systems, and ARRL Assistant Emergency Preparedness Manager Ken Bailey, K1FUG, who will offer an ARRL beginner's course in Amateur Radio hurricane preparedness. A question-and-answer session will follow the presentations. The National Hurricane Conference takes place March 21-24 at the Hilton Orlando. Some 2000 attendees are expected. Ad Young Connecticut Ham Off to an Award-Winning Start Fifteen-year-old Matt Shea, KC1DLY, had no Amateur Radio ticket 1 year ago. Today, he's an Amateur Extra class licensee and already *ARRL CEO-Elect Tom Gallagher, NY2RF (left), with Matt Ettus, KC1DLY, and his WAS and DXCC certificates. [Sean Kutzko, KX9X, photo]* holds two of the League's flagship operating awards -- DXCC and Worked All States (WAS ). His 100 W station is quite modest, with a 35-foot end-fed wire in the attic for his antenna (and he even operates on 160 meters!). He confirmed all of the contacts necessary for the two awards using Logbook of The World (LoTW ). ARRL CEO-Elect Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, on March 7 congratulated Shea and presented him with his awards. "I play radio daily and absolutely love it," Shea, a high school sophomore in Southington, Connecticut, said on his QRZ.com profile. In addition to ham radio, he's on the Southington High School Robotics Team, and he's been busy recruiting new radio amateurs among his friends at school. "I am hoping to get a few more new hams on the air to keep the great hobby going!" he said./-- Thanks to Sean Kutzko, KX9X/ Former DX QSL Manager Mary Ann Crider, WA3HUP, SK Well-known QSL manager for DX stations and a former manager of the Third Call Area QSL Bureau Mary Ann Crider, WA3HUP, of Duncannon, Pennsylvania, died on March 12 after a period of failing health. An ARRL member, she was 91. DX chasers during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s likely received QSL cards from DX stations for which she handled QSLing duties. *Mary Ann Crider, WA3HUP.* In 2005, the ARRL Executive Committee voted unanimously to name Crider the recipient of ARRL President's Award for her contributions to the cause of international goodwill through her long service as a QSL manager and as manager of the ARRL Third Call Area Incoming QSL Bureau. When she stepped down, the National Capitol DX Association (NCDXA) took over the bureau, with noted DXer Fred Laun, K3ZO, at the helm. At the time, Laun cited Crider's "encyclopedic knowledge of DXCC entities and call sign prefixes...built by her work in the trenches, as illustrated by her DXCC confirmed total of 360 entities." Before she became the bureau's manager, Crider served as a sorter for 11 years. Among the DX operators she served as QSL manager was King Hussein of Jordan, JY1, and she made several trips to Jordan to visit him. Crider was licensed as a Novice in 1967. Her late husband was W3GE (ex-W3HTO). A service is set for Saturday, March 19. /-- Thanks to Glenn Kurzenknabe, K3SWZ, Kay Craigie, N3KN, and to/ The Daily DX In Brief... *ARRL 2016 August UHF Contest Cancelled:* The ARRL August UHF Contest for 2016 has been cancelled, while the ARRL VHF Contest Revitalization Committee mulls its future. The Contest Revitalization Committee fielded dozens of comments from members concerning possible changes to this annual UHF operating event, traditionally held on the first weekend of August each year. Many commenters expressed dissatisfaction with the timing of the contest, occurring as it does at the hottest time of the year, and that it was too close on the calendar to other VHF/UHF events. In response to this member input, the Contest Revitalization Committee recommended to the Programs and Services Committee (PSC) that the 2016 August UHF Contest be cancelled, and the PSC agreed. The ARRL VHF Contest Revitalization Committee continues to study the possibility of redesigning the August UHF Contest or replacing it with a similar event at another point in the calendar -- possibly in the spring -- for 2017. The Committee will solicit member comments in the near future, as it weighs several alternatives. *Boston Marathon Communications Committee Seeks Additional Amateur Radio Volunteers:* Registration for Boston Marathon Amateur Radio volunteers remains open with assignments available for new volunteers with a passion for public service as well as for experienced hands. The Boston Athletic Association (BAA) sponsors the marathon, and preparations are in high gear for the April 18 Patriots' Day event. Each spring, some 300 trained Amateur Radio volunteers staff the event, providing vital communication services over the entire 26-mile course. Amateur Radio volunteers are recruited, selected, and managed by the BAA's Communications Committee. The marathon attracts approximately 30,000 runners and 10,000 volunteers. Registration is easy and one-stop. Visit the Boston Marathon Amateur Radio Communications website for more information . -- /Thanks to Brett Smith, AB1RL, BAA Communications Committee Volunteer Coordinator/ *Russian "Inventors of Telecommunications" Stations on the Air:* Special event stations in Russia will be on the air from March 16 until June 16 as part of the international scientific-educational radio marathon called "Inventors of Telecommunications ," established by the Russian Geographical Society and supported by radio clubs and Amateur Radio operators. There will be awards and certificates. Each RT73-prefix station represents a historical figure in the area of telecommunications or electronics. For example, RT73BA represents Alexander Graham Bell, RT73EA represents Edwin Howard Armstrong, RT73VZ represents Vladimir Kosmich Zworykin, and RT73NT represents Nikola Tesla (photo)./-- Thanks to /The Daily DX The K7RA Solar Update Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Solar indicators were lower this week, while geomagnetic indicators were higher. Compared to the previous 7 days, average daily sunspot numbers in our reporting week (March 10-16) dropped by 12.7 points to 51.7, and average daily solar flux was down by 3.2 points to 93.6. The average planetary A index was up by 2.8 points to 15.7, and the average mid-latitude A index increased from 8.6 to 12. The latest forecast has predicted solar flux at 95 on March 17-19; 90 on March 20-21; 85 on March 22-23; 95 on March 24-28; 100 on March 29-31; 95 on April 1-9; 93 on April 10; 90 on April 11-15; 95 on April 16-17, and 90 on April 18-19. Flux values then rise to 100 on April 25-27. The predicted planetary A index is 14, 8, and 5 on March 17-19; 4, 6, and 8 on March 20-22; 5 on March 23-31, and 8, 30, 25, and 8 on April 1-4. The planetary A index rises to 25 on April 11, and to 30 on April 29. Sunspot numbers for March 10 through 16 were 61, 48, 56, 43, 57, 44, and 53, with a mean of 51.7. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 95, 94.2, 95, 92.6, 93.4, 94.1, and 91, with a mean of 93.6. Estimated planetary A indices were 10, 23, 13, 4, 14, 24, and 22, with a mean of 15.7. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 7, 21, 11, 4, 11, 17, and 13, with a mean of 12. Send me your reports and observations. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ . . . . . . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just Ahead in Radiosport * March 19 -- AGCW VHF/UHF Contest (CW) * March 19 -- Feld Hell Sprint * March 19-20 -- SARL VHF/UHF Analog/Digital * March 19-20 --F9AA Cup (SSB) * March 19-20 -- Russian DX Contest (CW, SSB) * March 19-20 -- Louisiana QSO Party (CW, phone, digital) * March 19-20 -- Virginia QSO Party (CW, phone, digital) * March 19-21 -- BARTG HF RTTY Contest * March 20 -- UBA Spring Contest (SSB) * March 21 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW) * March 23 -- SKCC Sprint (CW) * March 24 -- 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 and Events * March 11-12 -- Louisiana State Convention , Rayne, Louisiana * March 18-19 -- South Texas Section Convention , Rosenburg, Texas * March 19 -- West Texas Section Convention , Midland, Texas * March 19 -- MicroHAMS Digital Conference , Redmond, Washington * March 25-26 -- Maine State Convention , Lewiston, Maine * April 1-2 -- OzarkCon QRP Conference , Branson, Missouri * * April 2 -- Delta Division Convention , Fort Smith, Arkansas * April 2 -- North Carolina Section Convention , Raleigh, North Carolina * April 2 -- Wisconsin Section Convention , Milwaukee, Wisconsin * April 8-9 -- Oklahoma State Convention , Claremore, Oklahoma * April 9-10 -- Communications Academy , Seattle, Washington * April 15-17 -- International DX Convention , Visalia, California * April 15-17 -- VHF Super Conference , Sterling, Virginia * April 16 -- Delaware State Convention , Georgetown, Delaware * April 22-24 -- Idaho State Convention , Boise, Idaho * April 23 -- Aurora '16 Conference , White Bear Lake, Minnesota * April 23 -- Nebraska State Convention , Lincoln, Nebraska * April 29-May 1 -- Nevada State Convention , Las Vegas, Nevada * May 7 -- South Carolina Section Convention , Spartanburg, South Carolina * May 13-15 -- Rocky Mountain Division Convention , Keystone, Colorado * May 14 -- Iowa State Convention , Boone, Iowa * May 20-22 -- Dayton Hamvention , Dayton, Ohio 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 Mar 18 08:45:39 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2016 08:45:39 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Mary Ann Crider, WA3HUP, SK - ARRL Message-ID: <56EBF873.10609@bellsouth.net> Former QSL Manager Mary Ann Crider, WA3HUP, SK 03/14/2016 *[UPDATED 2016-03-15 1536 UTC] *Well-known QSL manager for DX stations and a former manager of the Third Call Area QSL Bureau Mary Ann Crider, WA3HUP, of Duncannon, Pennsylvania, died on March 12 after a period of failing health. An ARRL member, she was 91. DX chasers during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s likely received QSL cards from DX stations for which she handled QSLing chores. In 2005, the ARRL Executiv From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Mar 18 18:00:20 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2016 18:00:20 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] =?utf-8?q?Russian_=E2=80=9CInventor?= =?utf-8?q?s_of_Telecommunications=E2=80=9D_Stations_on_the_Air?= In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <56EC7A74.90802@bellsouth.net> From Tony N2MFT: http://www.arrl.org/images/view/News/Nikola%20Tesla%20c1880.jpeg Russian ?Inventors of Telecommunications? Stations on the Air 03/17/2016 Special event stations in Russia will be on the air until June 16 as part of the international scientific-educational radio marathon called ?*Inventors of Telecommunications* ,? established by the Russian Geographical Society and supported by radio clubs and Amateur Radio operators. There will be awards and certificates. Each RT73-prefix station represents a historical figure in the area of telecommunications or electronics. For example, RT73BA represents Alexander Graham Bell, RT73EA represents Edwin Howard Armstrong, RT73VZ represents Vladimir Kosmich Zworykin, and RT73NT represents Nikola Tesla./? Thanks to /*The Daily DX* Special event stations in Russia will be on the air until June 16 as part of the international scientific-educational radio marathon called ?*Inventors of Telecommunications* ,? established by the Russian Geographical Society and supported by radio clubs and Amateur Radio operators. There will be awards and certificates. Each RT73-prefix station represents a historical figure in the area of telecommunications or electronics. For example, RT73BA represents Alexander Graham Bell, RT73EA represents Edwin Howard Armstrong, RT73VZ represents Vladimir Kosmich Zworykin, and RT73NT represents Nikola Tesla./? Thanks to /*The Daily DX* http://www.arrl.org/news/russian-inventors-of-telecommunications-stations-on-the-air From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Mar 18 18:53:41 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2016 18:53:41 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The Longest Morse Code Message Ever, Established Nevada As A State In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <56EC86F5.9070601@bellsouth.net> From Tony N2MFT: The Longest Morse Code Message Ever, Established Nevada As A State PictureFinal transcribed page and cost It was October 1864. The Civil War was winding down and Abraham Lincoln was facing re-election. The 13th Amendment to the Constitution was looming on the horizon. Lincolns stay in the White House is being seriously threatened by the candidacies of General John Freemont, a Republican and General George McClellan, a Democrat. The Republican party was still in it's infancy. Lincoln needed the votes from new states to ensure that he would remain in office and be able to enact his reconstruction polices for the South. Earlier, gold and silver had been discovered on the Comstock in Virginia City. In 1861 the United States was eager to make sure this wealth did not find it's way into the coffers of the Confederacy. They lost no time in forging Nevada into a new federal territory away from the Utah Territory. Lincoln appointed James Warren Nye, a police commissioner from New York and a newly converted Republican, to be the Territorial Governor. Nye, nicknamed, "Old Grey Eagle" made sure the new territory government was well organized. An avowed supporter of civil rights, he also stamped out any attempts to become a part of the Confederacy. With the help of Nevada votes Lincoln could win the election and Nevada could help to ratify the 13th Amendment and abolish slavery. Having only 40,000 residents Nevada fell far short of the 60,000 people usually needed to become a state. But Lincoln needed new states and as election time drew near, three territories were tapped to become states: Nevada, Colorado, and Nebraska. Nebraska voted against statehood and Colorado failed to pass a constitution. In Nevada things were different, the vote for statehood was 8 to 1. Nevada was heavily Republican, the votes from Nevada could ensure Lincoln a victory. Nevada sent certified copies of their proposed Constitution overland to Congress for approval. By October 24, they had not arrived. With only days to go Nevada needed it's newly passed Constitution to arrive in Washington in order to be admitted to the Union. Governor Nye decided to send the entire 16,543 word text of the proposed Nevada State Constitution by Morse code, via telegraph, to Washington. On October 23, 1864 in Carson City, telegrapher James H. Guild, labored for seven hours over his key, pounding brass, until the entire 175 page document was transmitted to Salt Lake City, to be relayed to Chicago, Philadelphia, and on to the War Department in Washington, DC. Guild's work netted his company $4,303.27 in fees, roughly $60,000 in todays money. The 1864 transmission remains to this day as the longest Morse Code message ever sent. On October 31st, just eight days after Guild's record setting message, the United States Congress admitted Nevada to the Union. In a twist of fate, John Freemont withdrew from the Presidential race and Lincoln won easily. The votes from Nevada were not needed. Nevada also almost missed it's opportunity to ratify the 13th Amendment, when both of her Senator's failed to arrive in Washington in time to cast their votes. Congressman Henry C. Worthingham cast the lone vote from Nevada and on January 31, 1865 slavery ended in the United States. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ James Guild left his mark on Nevada's history by his use of Morse Code and so can you. The Nellis Radio Amateur Club has announced that they will be starting a code study class. Interested in learning Morse Code? For more information, send your contact information via email to Sean Sheehan _memberatlarge at nellisrac.org_ http://www.nevadahamradio.com/recent-news.html From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sat Mar 19 09:31:10 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2016 09:31:10 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Ham Radio Nostalgia on Facebook Message-ID: <56ED549E.6010307@bellsouth.net> Ham Radio Nostalgia: https://www.facebook.com/groups/292345464174646/ From bmarx at bellsouth.net Mon Mar 21 16:46:33 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2016 16:46:33 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ARRL Handbooks For Sale In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <56F05DA9.60809@bellsouth.net> If you interested contact Mike directly On Sat, Mar 19, 2016 at 4:29 PM, Michael Raskin > wrote: ARRL Handbooks: I have been collecting ARRL Handbooks for 35 years and, at one time, had every edition starting from the first in 1926. Until after WWII, initial printings were very small to keep costs down. If they sold out, a second, third, and even a fourth printing was done. Each printing was identified by a different publication date. The true fanatical collector would try to obtain every edition and every printing (I was only missing the third printing of the 1930 6th edition, and the second printing of the 1933 10th edition). In the past several years, I have sold some of the very rare handbooks for hundreds of dollars, mainly to other collectors. I still have many old handbooks left from the thirties, forties, and fifties that are still reasonably priced. Each handbook has a protective plastic dust jacket. The 1st through 8th editions have been sold ? the 9th edition to the present is available. I also have handbooks from the fifties to the present. Hams sometimes want a handbook from the year they were born or first licensed. I probably have that for you. All of my handbooks are in very good to excellent condition. Your money back if not satisfied. If you have a special edition or year handbook you are interested in, let me know and I will quote you a price. I am offering these handbooks to club members first. Mike, W4UM ARRL Handbook Sale follow up. As a follow-up to my initial posting, all Handbooks, from 1932 to 2015, are priced at $25 each plus shipping, or you can pick them up in Stuart or Tamarac. I have sold about 20 so far, but have dups of many. The forties are the most popular (I guess many of us were born then) followed by the sixties (many of us were first licensed then). Unlike the ones offered on eBay, mine are in very good or better condition. Most of the handbooks from 1988 onward are hardbound. The CD is included, if issued with one. Shipping is $5.00 for the first handbook. Add $2.00 for each of any additional handbook other than the first one. PayPal (rask1553 at bellsouth) preferred rather than many small checks. Email me first to check on availability before sending money to PayPal. Mike, W4UM From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Mar 24 17:39:59 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2016 17:39:59 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Letter for March 24, 2016 In-Reply-To: <20160324211841.6BF0420303B0@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20160324211841.6BF0420303B0@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <56F45EAF.90608@bellsouth.net> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Preview If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-03-24 The ARRL Letter March 24, 2016 Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME ARRL Home Page /ARRL Letter/ Archive Audio News Ad * ARRL HF Band Planning Committee Seeks Suggestions on IARU Region 2 HF Band Plan <#toc01> * SBE Urges FCC to Improve Medium-Wave Noise Environment <#toc02> * Puerto Rico ARES Volunteers Take Part in Caribe Wave 2016 Exercise <#toc03> * ARRL Introduces Three New E-Books <#toc04> * National Parks on the Air Update <#toc05> * Hamvention Announces 2016 Award Winners <#toc06> * UC Berkeley Trains, Tests Hundreds of New Hams <#toc07> * Fox-1C and Fox-1D Satellites Ready for Payload Integration <#toc08> * "Amateur Radio Roundtable" Connects Live with Heard Island DXpedition <#toc09> * Kosovo Activity in CQ WPX SSB Will Help to Train Young Hams <#toc10> * In Brief... <#toc11> * The K7RA Solar Update <#toc12> * Just Ahead in Radiosport <#toc13> * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events <#toc14> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *ARRL Headquarters to be Closed on Friday, March 25:* ARRL Headquarters will be closed on Good Friday, March 25. There will be no W1AW bulletin or code practice transmissions and no /ARRL Audio News/ on that day. ARRL Headquarters will reopen Monday, March 28, at 8 AM Eastern Daylight Time. We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ARRL HF Band Planning Committee Seeks Suggestions on IARU Region 2 HF Band Plan The ARRL Board of Directors' HF Band Planning Committee is inviting input from the US Amateur Radio community regarding possible changes to the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU ) Region 2 Band Plan . That band plan and other significant Amateur Radio spectrum issues will be high on the agenda at this fall's IARU Region 2 General Assembly in Chile. Leading up to that gathering, the ARRL and other IARU member societies in the Americas will be seeking comments and suggestions regarding the Region 2 HF Band Plan. The HF Band Planning Committee will review the current plan, consider comments from the US Amateur Radio community, and recommend any changes to the ARRL Board for submission to IARU Region 2. "The ARRL HF Band Planning Committee wants to stress that the IARU Region 2 Band Plan is a voluntary guideline and does not supersede FCC regulations related to spectrum usage," Committee Chairman and ARRL Second Vice President Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, noted. He also pointed out two other issues for radio amateurs to consider. Most Region 2 countries outside the US do not have the sort of detailed subband regulations contained in the FCC's Part 97. For radio amateurs in these countries, the Region 2 Band Plan may serve as the only source of guidance on spectrum usage. The designation of a calling frequency or band segment for a particular purpose or mode in any IARU band plan does not convey any special rights or exclusivity of use. On the other hand, the /absence/ of a calling frequency or band segment associated with a particular purpose or mode should not suggest that these have been overlooked or are viewed negatively. The Committee is urging US radio amateurs who are considering suggesting revisions to the IARU Region 2 Band Plan first to study the existing IARU Region 2 Band Plan . They then should formulate a clear statement of any proposed changes, including a brief explanation of why each particular change would benefit all IARU Region 2 spectrum users. Participants should include name and call sign. Submit input via e-mail by June 1, 2016. Messages will be automatically acknowledged. The 19th IARU Region 2 General Assembly will take place in mid-October in Vi?a del Mar, Chile. Held every 3 years, the Region 2 Conference is attended by delegations from IARU member societies in throughout the Americas. SBE Urges FCC to Improve Medium-Wave Noise Environment The Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE ) has told the FCC that the regulatory agency needs to take another tack in its efforts to tackle AM broadcast band revitalization. If the FCC takes the SBE's advice, the result could be less noise in the MF and HF Amateur Radio bands. In comments the SBE filed in response to an FCC /Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking/ and /Notice of Inquiry/ (MB 13-249) proposing ways to enhance the viability of the AM broadcast service, the SBE said the Commission must "commit to a regulatory plan which, over time, will reduce the levels of man-made noise in the MF bands, and more broadly in the bands below 30 MHz." In comments it filed earlier in the proceeding, the SBE pointed out that "AM radio in particular is susceptible to interference from electronic devices of all types," and that ambient noise on the AM band is only bound to get worse with further proliferation of noise-generating electronic devices, including certain lighting devices regulated under FCC Part 15 and Part 18 rules. "[T]he only source of regulatory reform that has a meaningful chance to positively affect the noise floor over time are regulations that create obligations on manufacturers and importers and dealers, prior to the point that the consumer or user of the device or system comes into possession of it, and before it is deployed," the SBE said. The SBE said that while the FCC has strongly supported unlicensed low-power RF devices over the years, it "apparently does not have a clear understanding of the aggregate effects" of these devices on the MF noise environment. In addition, the power grid has expanded, imposing its own family of electrical noises on the radio spectrum. "Much unintentional interference is local in nature, but the cumulative impact can be extensive," the SBE told the FCC. "The Commission does not now have, and has never had, a complete understanding of ambient RF noise levels and trends over time." The SBE urged the FCC to better enforce some existing regulations and develop new ones to address ambient noise in the existing AM band. "It is obvious that any interference management plan...has to be based on rules which limit RF noise before it becomes an issue, not /post hoc/, and those rules have to be enforced," the SBE said. Read more . Puerto Rico ARES Volunteers Take Part in Caribe Wave 2016 Exercise For the second year, Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers in Puerto Rico took part in the annual Caribe Wave exercise (formerly known as the Large Atlantic Tsunami Exercise -- LANTEX), a tsunami communication drill undertaken on different dates on the US East Coast, in Canada, on the Gulf of Mexico, and in the Caribbean Basin. The object of Caribe Wave is to test the reliability of communication systems and protocols among tsunami alert centers and to help emergency management agencies to improve their preparedness to execute a tsunami alert. In Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, Caribe Wave takes place in conjunction with the Puerto Rico Seismic Network (Red S?smica de Puerto Rico), FEMA, NOAA, and the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Agency (PREMA/AEMEAD ). The scenario for the March 17 drill was a tsunami generated by a magnitude 8.4 seismic event, 15 kilometers deep, off the coast of Venezuela. Amateur Radio has played an important part on this exercise at an island-wide level in the past, and ARES Puerto Rico, with Section Emergency Coordinator Carlos A. Rosado, KP4CAR, at the helm, is now the major player in these drills. *Net control for Caribe Wave 2016 was Santos Javier Rodriguez, KP4RS, operating from the Oficina Municipal de Manejo de Emergencias (Municipal Emergency Management Office) in Moca, Puerto Rico.* At 10:05 AM on March 17, the Emergency Alert System (EAS) activated on broadcast and cable outlets around Puerto Rico, announcing the "emergency" and emphasizing that it was a drill. Many government, public, school, and senior institutions conducted evacuation drills to test their preparedness to reach their nearest local refugee site. PREMA practiced evacuation procedures in the city of Cata?o, which could end up partially underwater in the event of a tsunami. Amateur Radio's role during Caribe Wave 2016 was to gather reports from other radio amateurs in the island regarding how they learned of the tsunami alert. The reports gathered are delivered to PREMA Headquarters for a later evaluation meeting that includes all agencies and organizations involved. The main communication took place via the KP4CAR 147.210 MHz repeater in Jayuya, Cerro Puntas -- the highest point on the island. The repeater's emergency power system will permit it to remain on the air for a few days. Read more . /-- Thanks to Angel Santana, WP3GW, ARRL Puerto Rico Section Public Information Coordinator/ Ad ARRL Introduces Three New E-Books ARRL has introduced three new e-books to its growing digital library. The newest titles available in the popular Amazon Kindle format include /Work the World with JT65 and JT9/ by ARRL author Steve Ford, WB8IMY, /ARRL's Small Antennas for Small Spaces/ , second edition, and /Antenna Physics: An Introduction/ , by Robert J. Zavrel, Jr, W7SX. /Work the World with JT65 and JT9/ shows you how to assemble an effective digital communication station and configure the software for best performance. Some operators use these popular digital modes with as little as 5 W RF output and an indoor antenna. The book is filled with tricks and tips to help you get on the air and making contacts. The fully updated second edition of /ARRL's Small Antennas for Small Spaces/ is a must-have for radio amateurs who live in apartments, condominiums, or houses on small lots. The book is filled with practical advice, and will guide you to finding the right antenna design to fit whatever space you have available. /Antenna Physics: An Introduction/ has been written to bridge the gap between basic theory and graduate-level engineering texts. Delve deeper into antenna theory, and explore the underlying principles and mathematics of antennas and antenna physics. All of these publications are also available in print format, directly from ARRL and ARRL publication dealers . ARRL reminds Amazon shoppers to consider visiting smile.amazon.com when ordering. Amazon will donate 0.5 percent of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to ARRL whenever you shop on AmazonSmile . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ National Parks on the Air Update National Parks Week is April 16-24, a happy alignment for National Parks on the Air operators, as World Amateur Radio Day is April 18. This would be a prime day to get out and operate from an NPOTA unit, promoting both the National Parks and Amateur Radio simultaneously. If you plan to be on the air from an NPS site for World Amateur Radio Day, e-mail the details to npota at arrl.org . There are 28 NPOTA activations scheduled for March 24-30, including Big Bend National Park (NP04) in Texas, and the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site (NS71) in Alabama. 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*). Hamvention Announces 2016 Award Winners Nobel Laureate Joe Taylor, K1JT, of Princeton, New Jersey, has been named as the 2016 Dayton Hamvention ^? Amateur of the Year. Hamvention announced the recipients of the Amateur of the Year, Technical Achievement, Special Achievement, and Club of the Year awards on March 18. Taylor was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1993 for the discovery of the first orbiting pulsar, leading to observations that established the existence of gravitational waves. Licensed in 1954 as KN2ITP, Taylor served as a professor of astronomy at the University of Massachusetts from 1969 to 1981, and later as a professor of physics at Princeton University. Since his retirement, Taylor has been developing and enhancing digital protocols for weak-signal communication by Amateur Radio, including /JT65/ and /WSPR./ John S. Burningham, W2XAB, of Morrow, Georgia, is the recipient of the Hamvention Technical Achievement Award. A radio amateur since 1970, Burningham has been involved with amateur repeaters for more than 40 years. Following positions in the aerospace industry and for Motorola, he has been in higher education for more than 20 years, and now serves as a senior lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Information Technology at Clayton State University. A Life Member of ARRL and QCWA and a member of AMSAT and TAPR, he currently is active in the digital mobile radio community and is the author of the /Amateur Radio Guide to Digital Mobile Radio/ /. /He also wrote "Introduction to Digital Mobile Radio," which appeared in the October 2015 issue of /QST/, and is a contributing author in the 2016 /ARRL Handbook/. The 2016 Hamvention Special Achievement Award will go to Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, of Wolcott, Connecticut, for advocating cutting-edge technologies now commonly used in Amateur Radio. Horzepa has authored five books and written more than 1200 pieces for ARRL and TAPR, evangelizing the use of home computers, packet radio, APRS, digital signal processing and software defined radio in Amateur Radio. Licensed in 1969, Horzepa has sampled almost every entr?e on the ham radio menu and has served in a slew of roles, including ARRL Connecticut Section Manager. Presently, Horzepa is a director and secretary for TAPR and serves as editor of TAPR's newsletter, /PSR/. Rocky Mountain Ham Radio has been named as Hamvention Club of the Year. The organization, based in the Denver, Colorado suburbs, offers its services to other ham radio clubs and ARES groups to help them be successful. Technical assistance, classroom training on a myriad of subjects, mentoring, equipment/system design, and public service are among the services it provides. The group owns and maintains fixed analog and digital/DMR repeater assets, including one of the premier private DMR networks in the nation, which is linked with an amateur microwave network that spans the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to Ca?on City, Colorado. The group also owns and operates a deployable communications command post in a 26-foot trailer. Read more . Ad UC Berkeley Trains, Tests Hundreds of New Hams Ham radio-related courses taught at the University of California Berkeley Campus and a follow-on "Annual VE Mega-Session" may be one reason that California continues to lead the nation in the number of Amateur Radio licensees. A March 16 exam session yielded 50 new Technician licensees, as well as three new General class, and five new Amateur Extra class licensees. For the third year in a row, scores of mostly electrical engineering and computer science students capped their participation in one of two ham radio-related classes taught by UC Berkeley EE/CS Professor Michael "Miki" Lustig, KK6MRI. His lower-division "Hands-On Ham" course is for sophomores, while and his upper-division "Digital Signal Processing" course is aimed at juniors and seniors. "These popular courses are filled quickly on registration day," Lustig said. "Class members also include some majoring in mechanical, biological, and nuclear engineering." *A 2015 UC Berkeley Amateur Radio test session. [Peter McElmury, AA6SF, photo]* The entry-level course exposes newcomers to ham radio and introduces them to "hacking" and "making," Lustig explained, while the advanced class "delves into the theoretical applications of digital signal processing, filter design, modulation/demodulation, decoding subcarriers, APRS audio interface techniques, and antenna design." Both classes feature hands-on, practical projects that require them to transmit on radio frequencies, so students are motivated, as part of their courses, to become licensed Amateur Radio operators. The lower-division students are given inexpensive handheld transceivers to keep, and are coached in radio protocols. The upper division students are issued higher-end handhelds that they may keep if they pass the General or Amateur Extra class examination. "They make satellite contacts, participate in on-campus Field Day-like activities, practice with small software designed radio dongles, and, if already licensed, stay in touch with each other throughout the semester on a 2 meter simplex frequency," Lustig told ARRL. Lustig is quick to point out that the two courses would not be possible without the active support of the UC Berkeley W6BB club members, including Trustee Fritz Sommer, K6EE/DL4TT; President Jack Burris K6JEB, and others, as well as support from the EECS Department staff. In the latest VE session, 63 candidates took a total of 78 exam elements in a little more than 2 hours. Only one candidate left without a license. Read more . Fox-1C and Fox-1D Satellites Ready for Payload Integration AMSAT reports that its Fox-1C (Fox-1Cliff -- named in honor of the late AMSAT pioneer and benefactor Cliff Buttschardt, K7RR) and Fox-1D satellites are ready for delivery to Spaceflight Industries for integration into the SHERPA payload dispenser, which will be making its maiden flight. Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D successfully finished environmental testing on February 8. Launch is set for later this year on a SpaceX Falcon 9. Until delivery, the CubeSats will be sealed in anti-static bags, opened occasionally to charge the batteries so they will be fully topped off for delivery. Launched into Sun synchronous orbits, Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D will carry the same FM repeater as Fox-1A (AO-85), in addition to a Virginia Tech camera experiment that will take images of Earth for high-speed downlink. Fox-1Cliff will also contain a radiation experiment from Vanderbilt University ISDE, like the one in AO-85, and Fox-1D will host the University of Iowa High-Energy Radiation CubeSat Instrument experiment to map the Van Allen radiation belts. The Fox Engineering Team now has shifted its focus to RadFxSat/Fox-1B, currently set to launch in January 2017./-- Thanks to AMSAT News Service/ "Amateur Radio Roundtable" Connects Live with Heard Island DXpedition W5KUB's "Amateur Radio Roundtable " webcast scored a live, audio-only interview on March 22 with the leader of the Heard Island VK0EK DXpedition , Bob Schmieder, KK6EK -- believed to be a first in ham radio news media history. The VK0EK DXpedition team got under way on March 23. When "Amateur Radio Roundtable" host Tim Medlin, W5KUB, spoke with Schmieder, he and the other 13 DXpedition operators had just arrived on Heard Island on the R/V /Braveheart/ and were preparing to start moving equipment and personnel ashore. Schmieder talked with Medlin for about 15 minutes over an Iridium phone, explaining that he could not do a video interview this time, because he was still on board the /Braveheart/, and the necessary Inmarsat phone's antenna must be pointed at the satellite. *"Amateur Radio Roundtable" host Tom Medlin, W5KUB (left, inset), interviewed VK0EK DXpedition leader Bob Schmieder, KK6EK, on March 22 via a satellite telephone connection.* "Amateur Radio Roundtable" is hoping for a video interview on Tuesday, March 29, with the VK0EK DXpedition. "I want to see a volcano in the background and penguins all around him," Medlin quipped, looking ahead to the planned video interview. More information is on the DXpedition's website , and the VK0EK log appears on the DXA3.org website. The interview, available on the "Amateur Radio Roundtable" YouTube archive, was also broadcast on international shortwave station WBCQ on 5130 kHz. Ad Kosovo Activity in CQ WPX SSB Will Help to Train Young Hams Z60A in Kosovo, the headquarters station of SHRAK , the newest International Amateur Radio Union (IARU ) member society, will be on the air leading up to and during the CQ World Wide WPX SSB Contest the weekend of March 26-27. SHRAK President Vjollca Caka, Z61VB, has announced that other Kosovo prefixes, such as Z61DX, Z62FB, Z63ESC, Z64EEF, and Z68BH, will be active in addition to Z60A. The on-the-air activity will serve as part of a training process for new Kosovar hams as they prepare for the forthcoming IARU Youngsters On The Air (YOTA ) gathering in Austria with other young people from throughout Europe. *(L-R) Fehmi Bojniku, Z62FB; Driton Sadiku, Z61DX; David Meadows, Z63MED; Vjollca Caca, Z61VB, and Martti Laine, OH2BH/Z68BH. Meadows, associated with the UN, was the first foreigner to take the Kosovo license examination under SHRAK auspices. He is returning to the US after 3 years of operating and 34,364 contacts in his log. [Martti Laine, OH2BH, photo]* SHRAK has a new Yaesu/Acom station sporting Force 12 beams high up in the hills at the Technical University of Pristina, where Z60A is located. SHRAK has expressed its gratitude to the ARRL Fund for International Relations and Goodwill, the International DX Association (INDEXA ), Force 12 , the OH-DX-Foundation (OHDXF ) and to Chiltern DX Club (CDXC ) -- the UK DX Foundation, for their valuable support. Helping to mentor the operation and handle on-the-air duties will be Martti Laine, OH2BH. Nigel Cawthorne, G3TXF, will be in Kosovo in late May to assist SHRAK and to activate Z60A in the WPX CW event./-- Thanks to thanks to Vjollca Caka, Z61VB, and Martti Laine, OH2BH/ In Brief... *Well-Known Contester Gary R. Senesac, AL9A, SK*: Contesting luminary Gary Senesac, AL9A (ex-KC9UM), of Wasilla, Alaska, died suddenly on March 15 while vacationing in Florida. An ARRL Life Member, he was 72. Senesac, an Illinois native, moved to Alaska in 2003 after he retired, and his was a familiar call sign in many operating events. During the ARRL Centennial in 2014, he took part in the W1AW/KL7 operation. "Gary was an avid contester," said fellow Alaskan Corliss Kimmel, AL1G, "and he was an excellent contester. He was also very technically knowledgeable and helpful to anyone who needed advice." Senesac enjoyed operating all modes but may be best known as a CW and RTTY contester. Senesac was a member of the Matanuska Amateur Radio Association, the Fox River Radio League, the Society of Midwest Contesters, and the ARRL A1 Operators Club. In addition to his participation in the W1AW ARRL Centennial year operation, AL9A also recently took part in the KL7RST special event, and he served as a mentor to many operators. "He will be dearly missed by us all," Kimmel said. "I will miss his posts, seeing his amazing scores, and laughing at his jokes." *Centenarian, Alaska Women's Hall of Fame Member Arlene "Buddy" Clay, KL7OT, SK:* Arlene "Buddy" Clay, KL7OT, of Wasilla, Alaska, died on February 11. She was 103. An ARRL member, Clay was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame in 2015 for her work in rural justice administration among the Yup'ik people. She became a ham in 1948 and began calling the Thursday night Snipers Net for the Matanuska Amateur Radio Association, a duty she continued from her retirement community home until she died of a stroke. In 1960, after having worked for years with her husband Earl, KL7EM (SK), as an air traffic controller, she began a new career as a magistrate for the Alaska Court System, becoming responsible for 12 villages along the Kuskokwim, Yukon, and Iditarod rivers. She traveled from village to village by boat in the summer and by dog sled in the winter. In all, "Buddy" Clay spent nearly 70 years living in Alaska's wilderness. She was profiled in the August 2013 issue of /QST /in the article "A Radio Voice in the Wilderness ," by Brenda Plessinger, AL7LX. *The FCG's recently elected President Chris Plumblee, WF3C, with Ellen White, W1YL.* *W1YL, W1CW (SK), and K4OJ (SK) are First Florida Contest Group Hall of Fame Inductees:* Former ARRL Headquarters staffers Ellen White, W1YL, and Bob White, W1CW (SK), and their son Jim, K4OJ (SK), were the first inductees into the Florida Contest Group (FCG ) Hall of Fame, in honor of their lifetime of service to Amateur Radio and "for their role as the First Family of the Florida Contest Group (FCG)," the group said. An honorary plaque was presented to Ellen White by FCG President Dan Street, K1TO, at the 2016 Florida Contest Group Banquet on February 12, attended by more than 160 visitors. The Florida Contest Group, an ARRL affiliated club, supports and encourages all types of Amateur Radio contesting. /-- Thanks to George Wagner, K5KG/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ . . . . . . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The K7RA Solar Update Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: All of the indicators we track were lower over the past week (March 17-23), compared to the previous 7 days. Average daily sunspot numbers declined from 51.7 to 28.4, and average daily solar flux dipped from 98.6 to 88.8 over the reporting period. The planetary A index was lower by 3.8 points at 11.9, and the average mid-latitude A index (measured in Wallops Island, Virginia) dropped from 12 to 8.6. Lower geomagnetic indices are generally considered a good thing for HF propagation. The record indicates no new sunspot regions since March 17. Even though our sun is quiet, there is a seasonal variation that produces aurora around the vernal and autumnal equinox. Spaceweather.com explained this recently. Sunspot numbers for March 17 through 23 were 66, 29, 26, 26, 25, 13, and 14, with a mean of 28.4. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 91.6, 90.3, 89.4, 87.6, 88.9, 87.3, and 86.8, with a mean of 88.8. Estimated planetary A indices were 21, 8, 18, 10, 8, 8, and 10, with a mean of 11.9. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 16, 6, 12, 6, 7, 6, and 7, with a mean of 8.6. Send me your reports and observations. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just Ahead in Radiosport * March 26 -- FOC QSO Party (CW) * March 26-27 -- CQ WW WPX Contest (SSB) * March 30 -- UKEICC 80 Meter Contest (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 and Events * March 25-26 -- Maine State Convention , Lewiston, Maine * April 1-2 -- OzarkCon QRP Conference , Branson, Missouri * April 2 -- Delta Division Convention , Fort Smith, Arkansas * April 2 -- North Carolina Section Convention , Raleigh, North Carolina * April 2 -- Wisconsin Section Convention , Milwaukee, Wisconsin * April 8-9 -- Oklahoma State Convention , Claremore, Oklahoma * April 9-10 -- Communications Academy , Seattle, Washington * April 15-17 -- International DX Convention , Visalia, California * April 15-17 -- VHF Super Conference , Sterling, Virginia * April 16 -- Delaware State Convention , Georgetown, Delaware * April 22-24 -- Idaho State Convention , Boise, Idaho * April 23 -- Aurora '16 Conference , White Bear Lake, Minnesota * April 23 -- Nebraska State Convention , Lincoln, Nebraska * April 29-May 1 -- Nevada State Convention , Las Vegas, Nevada * May 7 -- South Carolina Section Convention , Spartanburg, South Carolina * May 13-15 -- Rocky Mountain Division Convention , Keystone, Colorado * May 14 -- Iowa State Convention , Boone, Iowa * May 20-22 -- Dayton Hamvention , Dayton, Ohio * 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 n8pr at bellsouth.net Fri Mar 25 20:07:40 2016 From: n8pr at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2016 20:07:40 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] [FCG] Found on QTH.com "TOWER - FREE 80 FT TOWER" / Davie FL In-Reply-To: <56F5A5F2.907@embarqmail.com> References: <56F5A5F2.907@embarqmail.com> Message-ID: Steve, I don' t have a crane, but will pass this along locally. 73, PeteR N8PR To: Contest Group Reflector Florida Subject: [FCG] Found on QTH.com "TOWER - FREE 80 FT TOWER" / Davie FL Apparently in Davie, FL. Sketchy on the deets, and no pix, but might be worth looking into, because "free". :-) TOWER - FREE 80 FT TOWER Located in Davie, this 80 ft tower is bolted in 4 20 ft sections....rust free and in excellent condition....yours for the taking... Listing #1255869 - Submitted on 03/25/16 by Callsign NONE - IP: 221-123-87-66.pools.cgn.spcsdns.net http://swap.qth.com/search-results.php?keywords=1255869&fieldtosearch=ListingNo From bmarx at bellsouth.net Mon Mar 28 08:20:28 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2016 08:20:28 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Ham Radio, Vintage Guitars, Audio, Test Equipment & More! Message-ID: <56F9218C.2050304@bellsouth.net> Schulman Auctions: Ham Radio, Vintage Guitars, Audio, Test Equipment & More! Something for everyone but if you like guitars and radios have a look at the catalog. http://schulmanauction.hibid.com/ From bmarx at bellsouth.net Mon Mar 28 20:33:01 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2016 20:33:01 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ARLB013 ARRL Tells FCC to Restore Balance of Modes on 80 and 75 Meters In-Reply-To: <20160328203158.DE2A3203E404@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20160328203158.DE2A3203E404@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <56F9CD3D.7070407@bellsouth.net> SB QST @ ARL $ARLB013 ARLB013 ARRL Tells FCC to Restore Balance of Modes on 80 and 75 Meters ZCZC AG13 QST de W1AW ARRL Bulletin 13 ARLB013 >From ARRL Headquarters Newington CT March 28, 2016 To all radio amateurs SB QST ARL ARLB013 ARLB013 ARRL Tells FCC to Restore Balance of Modes on 80 and 75 Meters In comments filed on March 23 on its Petition for Rule Making (RM 11759) seeking changes to 80 and 75 meters, the ARRL has told the FCC that its primary objective is to "rebalance" the bands by correcting a 10-year old FCC error. "ARRL's proposal is not fairly viewed as a proposal to take anything away from anyone," the League's comments assured. "It is more properly viewed as the effectuation of a fair, equitable, and efficient 'band plan' looking forward for the foreseeable future that balances everyone's needs, and which remedies a plainly unfair plan, imprudently created in the 2006 Report and Order in WT Docket 04-140." The Report and Order can be found on the web at, http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/comment/view?id=5513680269 . Prompting the League's assurances were comments filed on the ARRL's Petition by a number of Amateur Extra class licensees, who felt that refarming 3600 to 3650 kHz for data modes could prove to be a disincentive to General licensees to upgrade. Others commenters saw it as an unfair spectrum grab. The ARRL noted that prior to 2006, the band was evenly divided between RTTY/data and phone/image subbands, with the RTTY/data subband extending from 3500 to 3750 kHz, and the phone/image subband extending from 3750 to 4000 kHz. The 2006 FCC Report and Order "substantially altered" what the League called "this even division of emission types." In outlining the history of the proceeding, the ARRL pointed out that the FCC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in Docket 01-140 would have shifted the line between the 80 meter RTTY/data subband and the 75 meter phone/image subband from 3750 kHz to 3725 kHz, pursuant to a 2002 ARRL Petition for Rule Making, RM-10413. This would change the ratio of spectrum between phone/image and RTTY/data segments on 75/80 meters from 50/50 to 55/45, and it is what the FCC proposed in its NPRM. In its Report and Order in Docket 04-140, however, the FCC made "a very substantial and unjustifiable departure" from what it had proposed in its NPRM, the ARRL recounted. The Commission expanded the phone/image subband at 75 meters to 3600-4000 kHz, and it reduced the 80 meter RTTY/data subband to 3500-3600 kHz, eliminating RTTY operation above 3600 kHz and changing "the entire dynamic of this band," the League said. The FCC had said in its proposal that no licensees would lose operating privileges. Nonetheless, the FCC's phone band expansion reduced by 100 kHz the spectrum between 3500 and 4000 kHz that was previously available to General class licensees, while Advanced licensees lost 75 kHz. In an apparent FCC oversight, the Report and Order completely eliminated access by automatically controlled digital stations (ACDS) to 3620 to 3635 kHz. A subsequent FCC Report and order and Order on Reconsideration only made the situation worse by replacing the deleted ACDS segment with 3585-3600 kHz. "It resulted in a sudden and severe dislocation of traffic-handling nets using telegraphy, without advance planning or notice," the ARRL said. "It disaccommodated net participants with General and Advanced class licenses; and it worsened the effect of the overexpansion of the 75 meter phone/image subband." The result, the ARRL noted, has been "a shortfall in available RTTY/data spectrum on 80 meters" that has created a significant obstacle to narrowband digital data communications and experimentation. The League said its current Petition "simply restores that which was disrupted in 2006 in error." In its comments, the League conceded that compromises are inevitable in managing a heavily used band like 75/80 meters, no matter the band planning approach. "Looking forward, it is necessary, in order to encourage experimentation with and expand the use of digital communication techniques, to rebalance the 75 and 80 meter subbands," the ARRL concluded. NNNN /EX From n8pr at bellsouth.net Tue Mar 29 18:04:32 2016 From: n8pr at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2016 18:04:32 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Heard Island Photos Message-ID: Here is a link to many photos of the Heard Island operation... Scroll down to see antennas and operating positions. http://vk0ek.org/photos/ 73, PeteR N8PR