From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue May 3 19:01:46 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 3 May 2016 19:01:46 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] A Message from Jeff In-Reply-To: <20160502190052.061AC2014721@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20160502190052.061AC2014721@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <21220226-9e5c-a71b-6109-e066ed9423ba@bellsouth.net> Greetings to all, During April, I visited with members of the W. Palm Beach ARC at their Titanic Special Event and picnic, the Palms West ARC at their picnic and meeting, the AREC Repeater Group and the Cy Harris Free Flea. On April 9th, SFL ARES leadership officials and Cabinet members traveled to West Palm Beach for our annual leadership conference at the AJFCS Center. Led by SEC Larry Zimmer, W4LWZ and yours truly, participants had the opportunity to network with their peers and come away with the latest info to assist with their respective responsibilities. My thanks to all SFL Field Organization volunteers for their dedication to the Section and our members. The ARRL National Parks on the Air event continues to be quite popular. One of the most challenging sites is in our Section; Ft Jefferson/Dry Tortugas NP on the southern tip of Florida accessible only by boat. A team led by Ricky, K4JTT will activate this site on May 6-9th with the call K4T. They will be looking for you. New SFL Appointees: Welcome to the SFL Team ! Dick Cassada, W4DAC Tech Specialist in St. Lucie County Bob Vastola, KK4ATI South Palm Beach County EC Upcoming events in SFL: HURREX 2016 May 18, 2016 Members of SFL ARES will be participating in the State exercise in conjunction with the Florida Div. of Emergency Management. For more info, contact your local county EC. May 20-22, 2016 Dayton Hamvention HARA Arena, Trotwood, Ohio Info- www.hamvention.com Look for me in the ARRL Expo at the Public Service booth. Fort Pierce ARC 2016 Hamfest Start Date: 08/13/2016 Location: IRSC KSU Building 3209 Virginia Avenue Ft. Pierce, FL Website: http://fparc.org Sponsor: Fort Pierce Amateur Radio Club Type: ARRL Hamfest Talk-In: 147.345 (PL 107.2) Public Contact: Joe Lenartiene , KD4BTD 3209 Virginia Avenue, Building Q Ft. Pierce, FL 34981 Phone: 772-462-7815 Email: jlenarti at irsc.edu ARRL Field Day June 25-26, 2016 http://www.arrl.org/field-day ARRL Field Day is the most popular on-the-air event held annually in the US and Canada. On the fourth weekend of June, more than 35,000 radio amateurs gather with their clubs, groups or simply with friends to operate from remote locations. Field Day Locator http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator ASM Barry, KB1PA and yours truly will do the annual SFL FD Tour. Be sure to list your activity on the FD Locator so we won?t miss you. This year additional bonus points are available to groups who appoint a Safety Officer and use social media to promote their event Don?t forget to invite local youth groups to your FD site. Hope to see you during FD weekend. Congrats to the Suncoast HS ARC as the only SFL entry in the ARRL School Club Roundup. Looking forward to seeing additional SFL entries during the next SCR. Call Used Category School/Club Name Participants WS4FSC Senior High School Suncoast High School Amateur Radio Club 2 Primary Operator/Sponsor: Call QTH Name KJ6VCH FL Charles Lindsay Score CW/RTTY/Dig Qs Phone Qs US VE DX Clubs Schools 130 0 5 4 0 0 1 4 Annual Armed Forces Day Cross-Band Communications Test Set for May 14 The US Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard will cosponsor the Armed Forces Day Military/Amateur Radio Cross-Band Communications Test on Saturday, May 14, 2016. The event gets under way at 1200 UTC, with activity continuing throughout the day. Some military stations may not operate for the entire period. ?New for Armed Forces Day this year, military stations and Amateur Radio operators are authorized to directly communicate on the 60 meter interoperability channels,? US Army MARS Program Manager Paul English, WD8DBY, pointed out. This year marks the 66th Armed Forces Day (AFD) observance, a week later than the radio event. Armed Forces Day is observed this year on May 21, but the Military/Amateur Radio Cross-Band Communications Test is held earlier in order to avoid conflicting with Dayton Hamvention?. The annual communications exercise is an opportunity to test two-way communication between amateur and military communicators and features traditional military-to-amateur cross-band SSB and CW communication and offers an opportunity for radio amateurs to utilize modern military communications modes such as MIL-STD serial PSK and automatic link establishment (ALE). These tests give Amateur Radio operators and shortwave listeners (SWLs) a chance and a challenge to demonstrate individual technical skills, and to receive recognition from military radio stations. QSL cards will be provided to stations that contact military stations during this event. The complete announcement of stations, times, and frequencies? subject to change ? is available on the US Army MARS website. Participating military stations will transmit on selected military frequencies and listen for Amateur Radio stations on selected amateur frequencies, which the military station operator will announce. Contacts should be limited to a minute or two, so all participants get a chance. Some stations will operate on Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) frequencies; others will use CW. Amateur Stations with automatic link establishment (ALE) capability can contact military stations on specific half-duplex cross-band channels established for this purpose. Military stations will scan and receive certain Amateur HFLINK ALE frequencies, and transmit on the corresponding military ALE frequency. Military stations will also transmit ALE station identification (soundings) on each military frequency at 30 to 90-minute intervals. The traditional Secretary of Defense message will be transmitted via Military Standard radio teletype modes, described in MIL-STD 188-110A/B. Reception of serial PSK will provide a technical challenge to amateur stations to receive the broadcasts using a high symbol rate serial PSK waveform not utilized in Amateur Radio, but found in all modern military equipment. See the complete schedule for details. Additional transmissions will use wide-shift FSK (RTTY), as this mode represents a baseline in interoperability common in all radio services. Most RTTY programs can be set to decode this mode. To accommodate amateurs some stations will transmit the Secretary of Defense message using common ham radio modes such as RTTY, PACTOR, AMTOR, PSK31, MFSK and MT63. Deadline is June 1 for US Radio Amateurs to Submit IARU Region 2 HF Band Plan Suggestions The deadline is June 1 for US radio amateurs to submit suggestions to the ARRL Board of Directors? HF Band Planning Committee 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 on the agenda for the IARU Region 2 General Assembly in Chile this fall. The ARRL joins other IARU member societies in the Americas in seeking input from the amateur community on the Region 2 HF Band Plan. The HF Band Planning Committee will review the current plan, consider comments from US radio amateurs, 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 sub-band 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 urges 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. Radio amateurs licensed in Region 2 countries other than the US should contact their own IARU member society for information on how to participate in the band-planning process. 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. Transcripts of the received text should be submitted ?as received,? without attempting to correct possible transmission errors. Provide time, frequency and call sign of the military station copied, including the submitter?s name, call sign, and address (with ZIP code). This information should appear on the paper containing the test message. Stations copying the Secretary of Defense message from Army and Navy stations should send their entries to Armed Forces Day Celebration, Commander Netcom, ATTN: NETC-ITSMD, Bldg 90549 Jim Ave, Fort Huachuca, AZ 85613-7070. Stations copying Secretary of Defense message from Air Force stations, should send entries to Armed Forces Day Celebration, 38CYRS/Chief AF MARS, 203W Losey St, Room 1200, Scott AFB, IL 62225. FCC Invites Comments on Petition to Eliminate 15 dB Gain Limit on Amateur Amplifiers The FCC has put on public notice and invited comments on a Petition for Rule Making (RM-11767), filed on behalf of an amateur amplifier distributor, which seeks to revise the Amateur Service rules regarding maximum permissible amplifier gain. Expert Linears America LLC of Magnolia, Texas, which distributes linears manufactured by SPE in Italy, wants the FCC to eliminate the 15 dB gain limitation on amateur amplifiers, spelled out in ?97.317(a)(2). Expert asserts that there should be no gain limitation at all on amplifiers sold or used in the Amateur Service. ?There is no technical or regulatory reason [that] an amplifier capable of being driven to full legal output by even a fraction of a watt should not be available to Amateur Radio operators in the United States,? Expert said in its Petition. Expert maintains that the 15 dB gain limitation is an unneeded holdover from the days when amplifiers were less efficient and the FCC was attempting to rein in the use of Amateur Service amplifiers by Citizens Band operators. While the FCC proposed in its 2004 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Order in WT Docket 04-140 to delete the requirement that amplifiers be designed to use a minimum of 50 W of drive power and subsequently did so, it did not further discuss the 15 dB amplification limit in the subsequent Report and Order in the docket. ?Although no party advocated retention of the 15 dB limit, it remains in place today,? Expert pointed out in its filing. ?In the intervening years, advancements in Amateur Radio transmitter technology have led to the availability of highly compact, sophisticated low-power transmitters that require more than 15 dB of amplification to achieve maximum legal power output. Therefore, Expert seeks to remove the 15 dB limit from ?97.317 so that Amateur Radio manufacturers and distributors will not be forced to needlessly cripple their amplifiers for sale in the United States.? Expert pointed to its Model 1.3K FA amplifier as an example of a linear ?inherently capable of considerably more than 15 dB of amplification,? which would make it a suitable match for low-power transceivers now on the market having output power on the order of 10 W. Well, I guess that?s about it for now. My thanks for all that you do for Amateur Radio. Get on the air, Elmer a new ham, support your local club and ARES group but most of all, have fun. Vy 73, Jeff, WA4AW -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL Southern Florida Section Section Manager: Jeff Beals, WA4AW wa4aw at arrl.org From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu May 12 17:43:18 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 12 May 2016 17:43:18 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ARLB016 Missouri Radio Amateur Petitions FCC to Designate "Symbol Communication" Subbands In-Reply-To: <20160512203019.0351F2016215@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20160512203019.0351F2016215@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <9792f971-6fe3-9f18-c3eb-118cf8be5a5a@bellsouth.net> SB QST @ ARL $ARLB016 ARLB016 Missouri Radio Amateur Petitions FCC to Designate "Symbol Communication" Subbands ZCZC AG16 QST de W1AW ARRL Bulletin 16 ARLB016 >From ARRL Headquarters Newington CT May 12, 2016 To all radio amateurs SB QST ARL ARLB016 ARLB016 Missouri Radio Amateur Petitions FCC to Designate "Symbol Communication" Subbands James E. Whedbee, N0ECN, of Gladstone, Missouri, has petitioned the FCC to designate Morse (radiotelegraphy) Amateur Radio band segments as "symbol communication" subbands. The FCC has invited comments on his Petition for Rule Making (RM-11769), filed on May 2. Arguing that retaining the current regime of "legacy" CW subbands has proven to be grossly inefficient, Whedbee said he'd like to see the FCC delete all privilege restrictions that limit any part of the Amateur Radio spectrum to Morse code to the exclusion of other modes. RM-11769 can be found on the web at, http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/comment/view?id=60001692464 . "Nostalgia for retention of Morse code telegraphy-only subbands is also an insufficient reason to avoid moving forward to [the] elimination of such subbands, because nothing about this Petition suggests the elimination of the mode itself, only that it not be the sole authorized mode in the subject subbands," Whedbee told the FCC. Whedbee characterized CW-only subbands as "an excessive regulatory constraint, as well as a poor use of the spectrum concerned." He proposed that the FCC's Part 97 rules reflect the "ultimate form of communication reproduced at the receiving end." As he explained it, his regulatory scheme would break down modes into three categories - "symbol communication mode" - for CW, digital, and other emission modes that reproduce a discrete symbol on the receiving end - "voice mode," and "image mode." "[C]ontinuing regulation by specific emission designator is proving to be onerous with changes to the state of the art," Whedbee said. "Accordingly, to continue developing the state of the art in radiocommunications, Amateur Radio needs to clearly get away from regulating in that fashion and return to consideration of what the receiving end of the communication reproduces." He proposed that where the Part 97 rules refer to exclusive radiotelegraphy allocations - or subbands - privileges be changed to reflect symbol communication modes. Where the rules prohibit voice and image modes, he would revise the rules to reflect symbol communication modes. In situations where current rules prohibit symbol communication modes other than Morse, that voice and image modes would be permitted, "with an exception for manually keyed" radiotelegraphy. For example, he would drop the distinction between 75 meters and 80 meters, authorizing symbol communication modes between 3.5 MHz and 3.65 MHz, and voice and image modes between 3.65 MHz and 4 MHz, with manual radiotelegraphy authorized throughout the band. Whedbee told the FCC that, if his Petition is accepted for filing and put on public notice, he would submit an appendix spelling out proposed service rules as part of his Petition. Commenters have 30 days to respond to Whedbee's Petition. NNNN /EX From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri May 13 07:12:38 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 13 May 2016 07:12:38 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Fwd: The ARRL Letter for May 12, 2016 In-Reply-To: <20160512223826.43139200EF66@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20160512223826.43139200EF66@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: Preview If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-05-12 The ARRL Letter May 12, 2016 Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME ARRL Home Page /ARRL Letter/ Archive Audio News Ad * ARRL Ham Aid Gear Shipped to Ecuador to Support Earthquake Relief, Recovery <#toc01> * Missouri Radio Amateur Petitions FCC to Designate "Symbol Communication" Subbands <#toc02> * Rare de Forest Audion Donated to ARRL, Mated with Vintage Radio for Museum Display <#toc03> * Canadian Radio Amateurs Went on Alert to Assist in Alberta Wildfire Emergency, Evacuations <#toc04> * The Doctor Will See You Now! <#toc05> * National Parks on the Air Update <#toc06> * Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park Opens for NPOTA Activity During Hamvention <#toc07> * ARRL DX Log Archive Invites Submissions at Dayton Hamvention^? <#toc08> * OTH Radars, Fishery and Taxi Traffic, Buoys, and Broadcasters Continue to Mar Ham Bands <#toc09> * Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award Nominations Due by May 20 <#toc10> * ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference Issues 2016 Call for Papers <#toc11> * Former Alpha/Power President, Researcher John Brosnahan, W0UN, SK <#toc12> * In Brief... <#toc13> * Getting It Right! <#toc14> * The K7RA Solar Update <#toc15> * Just Ahead in Radiosport <#toc16> * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions <#toc17> ARRL Ham Aid Gear Shipped to Ecuador to Support Earthquake Relief, Recovery Five boxes of Ham Aid Amateur Radio equipment -- some 400 pounds in all -- left ARRL Headquarters on May 4, bound for the Guayaquil Radio Club (HC2GRC) in Ecuador. The radio equipment will help to support relief and recovery efforts under way in the wake of a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck the South American nation on April 16. Valued at more than $7500, the equipment will provide reliable communication in areas where the telecommunication infrastructure suffered damaged. *ARRL has donated 400 pounds of Ham Aid communication equipment to support relief efforts in Ecuador following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on April 16. From left to right: Ken Bailey, K1FUG; Mike Corey, KI1U; Sean Kutzko, KX9X, and ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF.* "As we've seen before -- in Haiti and Nepal -- an earthquake can cause long-term disruptions in infrastructure," said ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U. "An Amateur Radio network fills the communications gaps. It can be deployed anywhere, run on solar power, and can function without the Internet or traditional telecommunication infrastructure." Corey said the recovery process can be lengthy, and radio amateurs in the affected area need repeaters, antennas, antenna supports, and many other things to be able to help those disrupted by disaster. "This is what Ham Aid is for -- to enable amateurs to effectively respond following a disaster to help their communities through the recovery process," he said. Most earthquake damage occurred in the Guayaquil (HC2) and Portoviejo/Manta (HC4) areas. Some structures in Portoviejo and Manta suffered severe damage, with many victims buried in the rubble of collapsed buildings and homes. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, electrical power and commercial telecommunication systems were either destroyed or disrupted, and many roads were rendered impassable because of earthquake rubble. Corey noted that while most Ham Aid deployments have been stateside, the opportunity arose for the ARRL to assist with this international disaster relief effort through the Guayaquil Radio Club. ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, said, "For more than 100 years, when there is a need, we use our communication and electronics expertise to give back. Amateur Radio answers the call when and where needed." Missouri Radio Amateur Petitions FCC to Designate "Symbol Communication" Subbands James E. Whedbee, N0ECN, of Gladstone, Missouri, has petitioned the FCC to designate Morse (radiotelegraphy) Amateur Radio band segments as "symbol communication" subbands. The FCC has invited comments on his /Petition for Rule Making/ (RM-11769 ), filed on May 2. Arguing that retaining the current regime of "legacy" CW subbands has proven "grossly inefficient," Whedbee said he'd like to see the FCC delete all privilege restrictions that limit any part of the Amateur Radio spectrum to Morse code to the exclusion of other modes. "Nostalgia for retention of Morse code telegraphy-only subbands is also an insufficient reason to avoid moving forward to [the] elimination of such subbands, because nothing about this /Petition/ suggests the elimination of the mode itself, only that it not be the sole authorized mode in the subject subbands," Whedbee told the FCC. Whedbee characterized CW-only subbands as "an excessive regulatory constraint, as well as a poor use of the spectrum concerned." He proposed that the FCC's Part 97 rules reflect the "ultimate form of communication reproduced at the receiving end." As he explained it, his regulatory scheme would break down modes into three categories: "Symbol communication mode" -- for CW, digital, and other emission modes that reproduce a discrete symbol on the receiving end; "voice mode," and "image mode." "[C]ontinuing regulation by specific emission designator is proving to be onerous with changes to the state of the art," Whedbee said. "Accordingly, to continue developing the state of the art in radiocommunications, Amateur Radio needs to clearly get away from regulating in that fashion and return to consideration of what the receiving end of the communication reproduces." Commenters have 30 days to respond to Whedbee's /Petition/. Read more . Rare de Forest Audion Donated to ARRL, Mated with Vintage Radio for Museum Display An ARRL member from Virginia has donated a rare de Forest "round bulb" Audion vacuum tube to the League, which has paired the groundbreaking triode with a de Forest receiver of similar vintage. Walt Bain, W4LTU, recently wrote ARRL Headquarters to see if the League would give the antique tube a home. Radio pioneer Lee de Forest filed his first patent for the Audion in 1907, describing it as a detector of sound, and he is generally credited with having invented the vacuum tube. First used as the detector in the de Forest Audion Receiver, the Audion subsequently was heralded as the world's first electronic amplifying device. Bain, who is 86, said he inherited the Audion from his father, George Bain, a graduate of Wesleyan University in Connecticut in the 1920s, who went on to work for Westinghouse. *The de Forest Audion. [Bob Allison, WB1GCM, photo]* "In the 1930s he was chief engineer at Ken-Rad Tube and Lamp Company," Bain told ARRL. "He would have met de Forest anytime during college, at Westinghouse, or Ken-Rad." This particular Audion likely dates back to the early 1910s and appears to be a somewhat later version of the device that de Forest had submitted on his patent application a few years earlier. An intact Audion such as this one is considered extremely rare. ARRL Lab Test Engineer Bob Allison, WB1GCM, who curates the League's museum collection , accepted the Audion and had it installed on the League's own de Forest Audion Receiver, which lacked a tube. "Each year, we have about 2000 visitors to the Lab; they will get to see that tube," Allison said. The League's Audion Receiver bears the patents of de Forest's Radio Telephone and Telegraph Company. The Audion's three elements are clearly visible within the blown-glass envelope. Connections to the Audion's rectangular plate and squiggly grid were made via wires exiting one end of the bulb. The other end features a candelabra-style lamp base, which screws into a socket, providing the filament connection. The Audion is mounted with the lamp base up, to prevent the filament from sagging and touching the tube's other two elements. *The de Forest Audion in its natural habitat, installed in a de Forest Audion Receiver. [Bob Allison, WB1GCM, photo]* In developing the Audion, de Forest had built on the work of John Ambrose Fleming, who invented a two-element vacuum tube in 1905. De Forest discovered that applying a radio signal to a grid instead of to the filament, or cathode, would yield a more sensitive RF detector. De Forest came up with the idea of using a series of Audions to enhance their amplifying capabilities, an attribute American Telephone & Telegraph company capitalized upon, after securing de Forest's patents. In time, vacuum tubes supplanted solid-state mineral detectors in radio receivers, although in a "what goes around, comes around" turn of events, solid-state devices called "transistors" replaced the vacuum tube in the 1950s and 1960s. Today's iPhones have the equivalent of 2 billion transistors packed inside. Canadian Radio Amateurs Went on Alert to Assist in Alberta Wildfire Emergency, Evacuations A wildfire in Alberta, Canada, that began unremarkably on May 1 as "MWF-009" soon ballooned into a major, fast-moving conflagration, owing to hot, dry weather, high winds, and low humidity, creating a disaster of historic proportions. The flames caused extensive property damage and led to the evacuation of the entire population of Fort McMurray, in the heart of Canada's oil sands country. While the wildfire emergency never became a "communications event," prompting an ARES activation, Radio Amateurs of Canada said, radio amateurs on the ground helped other organizations such as the Red Cross. Alberta Section Manager Garry Jacobs, VE6CIA/VE6OW, reported on May 5 that Alberta ARES went on standby "to provide VHF/UHF linking," although there was no HF activity due to the fact that Fort McMurray had been evacuated. According to the Amateur Radio Coalition , a national ham radio "fan page" on Facebook, PERCS (Provincial Emergency Radio Communications Service) was put on standby to staff the radio room and to establish communication into Fort McMurray, and the club in Fort McMurray was staffing its local emergency communications center in case communications fail. PERCS Alberta Assistant Coordinator Curtis Bidulock, VE6AEW, said the organization directly supports the Alberta Emergency Management Agency and assists all Alberta Amateur Radio clubs with provincial coordination of resources and communication links, as requested. By the end of the first week, some 80,000 residents had been evacuated from Fort McMurray. Read more . Ad The Doctor Will See You Now! "Open Wire Feed Lines" is the topic of the current (May 5) episode of the "ARRL The Doctor is In " podcast. Listen...and learn! Coming up on May 19: "Hunting Down Interference." Sponsored by DX Engineering , "ARRL The Doctor is In" is an informative discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like! Every 2 weeks, your host, /QST/ Editor in Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of technical topics. You can also e-mail your questions to doctor at arrl.org , and the Doctor may answer them in a future podcast. Enjoy "ARRL The Doctor is In" on Apple iTunes , or by using your iPhone or iPad podcast app (just search for "ARRL The Doctor is In"). You can also listen online at Blubrry , or at Stitcher (free registration required, or browse the site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or Android devices. If you've never listened to a podcast before, download our beginner's guide . National Parks on the Air Update Congratulations to Larry Burke, K5RK, the first radio amateur to confirm 400 of the 484 eligible NPS units for National Parks on the Air (NPOTA )! As of May 11, Larry had 402 units confirmed. Five other NPOTA participants have more than 390 confirmed, and 18 hams have more than 350 units confirmed. There now have been more than 5100 activations of NPS units in 2016, resulting in 333,000 contacts. There will be plenty of NPOTA-themed activity at Dayton Hamvention May 20-22. Look for the NPOTA booth in the ARRL EXPO area, attend the NPOTA forum on Saturday at 9:15AM, and visit the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park in downtown Dayton, where two stations will be available to operate (see below). Thirty NPOTA activations are on the calendar from May 12-19, including Oregon Caves National Monument is Oregon, and the Whitman Mission National Historic Site in Washington. 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). Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park Opens for NPOTA Activity During Hamvention ARRL has an opportunity for those traveling to Dayton Hamvention ^? who want to activate an NPS unit for National Parks on the Air (NPOTA )! The League has secured an operating permit with the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park in downtown Dayton. The special NPOTA activity will be available for visiting operators to enjoy activating an NPOTA unit without having to bring their own gear. The event will run from Friday, May 20, until Sunday, May 22, at the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center. Operations will run from 9 AM until 5 PM on Friday and Saturday, and 9 AM until noon on Sunday. "Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park is excited to partner with ARRL for a National Parks on the Air event during Dayton Hamvention 2016," said Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park Ranger Ryan Qualls. "ARRL's legacy of experimentation, education, and public service is in concert with the National Park Service's mission. We hope that Hamvention attendees visit the park during their stay in Dayton and learn how Orville and Wilbur Wright, two bicycle mechanics from Ohio, changed the world through their experiments in aviation." ARRL Ohio Section Affiliated Club Coordinator John Myers, KD8MQ, is coordinating on-site operations for the event. He is looking for volunteers on Friday and Saturday who would be able to help visiting operators and/or explain NPOTA and Amateur Radio to non-ham park visitors. Even an hour or two of time as a volunteer would be helpful. Contact him to volunteer or to sign up for a 15-minute operating slot. All slots are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and all operators are limited to one slot, to make this opportunity available to as many visitors as possible. "I'm really looking forward to working with the National Park Service and the League to make this location available during Hamvention week," Myers said. Vibroplex is donating antennas mast and hardware to the effort, and ARRL is providing the equipment. The Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center is located at 16 South Williams Street in downtown Dayton. ARRL DX Log Archive Invites Submissions at Dayton Hamvention^? The ARRL DX Log Archive has invited anyone planning to attend Dayton Hamvention ^? to submit hard copy DX logbooks for inclusion in the archive. A major donation from noted DXer Kan Mizoguchi, JA1BK, to the ARRL Second Century Campaign is supporting "The DX Log Archive Endowed by JA1BK," as it's officially known. Earnings from his generous gift funded creation and management of the DX Log Archive, which will serve as a repository of paper DX logs of rare and significant DXpeditions that took place prior to the advent of computer logging, as well as of certain other DXpedition artifacts. Pre-1990 logs are the most sought after. The archive is also seeking paper logs from stations whose operators resided in interesting and/or "rare" places, as well as any pre-1930 logs. "We have listed the first logs that we have in our possession," ARRL Field Services and Radiosport Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, said. "If anyone wants to bring old, interesting logs to Dayton, we will be happy to take them, if they satisfy the program guidelines." Contact the program administrator with any questions or with information about an available log -- or one known to be available -- and the administrator will make a determination. Logs accepted for the archive will be inventoried, preserved, stored, and made available to confirm those long-ago contacts and for use in research projects. The archive also welcomes DXpedition artifacts or documents, such as licenses, landing permits, ship logs, and blank QSL cards. A few logs are now available in the archive database. Ad OTH Radars, Fishery and Taxi Traffic, Buoys, and Broadcasters Continue to Mar Ham Bands The International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 Monitoring System (IARUMS) April newsletter chronicles a plethora of intruding signals heard on exclusive Amateur Radio allocations in Europe and Africa, many of these also affecting the bands in IARU Regions 1 and 3. The most significant interfering signals originate from over-the-horizon (OTH) radars in China and Russia and affect 40, 30, 20, and 15 meters. The newsletter also recounts monitoring stations' reports of voice traffic on several bands from fishing operations in various parts of the world, telemetry from marine buoys, and persistent taxi dispatching traffic from Russia on 10 meters. Other interference has stemmed from broadcasters -- harmonic-challenged and otherwise -- as well as from jamming signals attempting to prevent broadcasts from reaching their intended audiences. Pirate (ie, unlicensed) stations have been reported on 80 meters and elsewhere, and Russian digital military traffic has been monitored on 40 and 20 meters. OTH radar interference prevails, however. IARUMS Region 1 Coordinator Wolf Hadel, DK2OM, documented a Chinese OTH radar occupying considerable swaths of spectrum on several bands. IARU Region 1 maintains the world's most active network of volunteer intruder monitors. Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award Nominations Due by May 20 The deadline to submit nominations for the 2016 Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award is Friday, May 20. Honoring the memory of Phil McGan, WA2MBQ, the first chairman of the ARRL Public Relations Committee, the award recognizes the promotion of Amateur Radio to the general public. *Philip J. McGan, WB2MBQ (SK).* Each year, ARRL public information coordinators, public information officers, and other public relations volunteers strive to keep Amateur Radio visible in their communities by publicizing special events, writing media releases, creating media for radio and television, and maintaining good relations with local media -- among many other valuable activities. If you know someone who has achieved public relations success on behalf of Amateur Radio, consider nominating that individual for the McGan Award. The award will recognize a radio amateur who has demonstrated success in Amateur Radio public relations and who best exemplifies the volunteer spirit of Phil McGan. Nominees must be full ARRL members in good standing, may not be compensated for any public relations work involving Amateur Radio, and may not be current ARRL officers, Directors, Vice Directors, paid staff members, or members of the selection committee. Anyone may make a nomination. Nominations must be on an official entry form . Nominations must be received at ARRL Headquarters by the close of business on May 20, 2016. Mail nominations and any supporting documentation to Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award, PR Department, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. The ARRL Public Relations Committee will review all nominations and forward its recommendation to the Programs and Services Committee of the ARRL Board of Directors. The Board will make a final determination at its July meeting. For more information, contact ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X. ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference Issues 2016 Call for Papers Technical Papers are being solicited for presentation at the 35th Annual ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC ), September 16-18 in St Petersburg, Florida. Papers will also be published in the /Conference Proceedings/. Authors do not need to attend the conference to have their papers included in the /Proceedings/. The submission deadline is July 31, 2016. The ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference is an international forum for technically minded radio amateurs to meet and present new ideas and techniques. Paper/presentation topic areas include -- but are not limited to -- software defined radio (SDR), digital voice, digital satellite communication, digital signal processing (DSP), HF digital modes, adapting IEEE 802.11 systems for Amateur Radio, Global Positioning System (GPS), Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS), /Linux/ in Amateur Radio, AX.25 updates, and Internet operability with Amateur Radio networks. Submit papers via e-mail or via US mail to Maty Weinberg, KB1EIB, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. Papers will be published exactly as submitted, and authors will retain all rights. Former Alpha/Power President, Researcher John Brosnahan, W0UN, SK Former Alpha/Power President and Technical Director John Brosnahan, W0UN, of Vanderpool, Texas, died on May 4 after suffering an apparent stroke. He was 71 and an ARRL Life Member. *John Brosnahan, W0UN.* "John was a great family man, a first-rate contester, a DXer, builder, problem solver, businessman, and a help to all who knew him," said Alan Applegate, K0BG, his friend of many years. "He was also one of the most personable people I have ever known." An active contester, Brosnahan was a contributor to /National Contest Journal/ (/NCJ/) and to the /ARRL Contest Update/, as well as to various technical forums. He stepped down from Alpha/Power in 2000 citing a combination of health issues and family obligations. Brosnahan, who relocated from Colorado to Texas about 10 years ago, was a research physicist and developer of atmospheric remote-sensing tools for clients such as the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Applegate said Brosnahan did a lot of the equipment design and installation for the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) ionospheric research facility in Alaska. Brosnahan founded Signal Hill Research, Tycho Technologies, and LaSalle Research. He contributed technical papers to such journals as /Radio Science./ Ad In Brief... */Digital Storage Oscilloscopes for Ham Radio/ Now Available as E-Book:* The ARRL's newest e-book is /Digital Storage Oscilloscopes for Ham Radio/, by Eric Nichols, KL7AJ. This rapidly developing instrument is finding its way into the Amateur Radio station in many useful and interesting ways. "Recent developments in technology have brought the price of this marvelous class of instruments into the range of every radio amateur's budget," Nichols said. "A limitless variety of routine and exotic tasks in the ham shack can be performed with the aid of the DSO." /Digital Storage Oscilloscopes for Ham Radio/ is an introduction to the capabilities of the DSO. It will help guide you as you consider making your first purchase, which as we will demonstrate, will probably not be your last. To order, download the e-book in the Kindle format from Amazon . *VOA Museum to Host Hamvention Amateur Radio Reception:* The National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting , located at the former VOA Bethany, Ohio, Relay Station, will host a reception for radio amateurs on Saturday, May 21, 6:30-9 PM, for Dayton Hamvention ^? attendees. The museum will be open for tours, and West Chester Amateur Radio Club station WC8VOA -- located in the original VOA control room -- will be available for operation. The museum displays a collection of R.L. Drake equipment as well as the Collins 821A 250 kW shortwave transmitter that was used at the site. Admission is $5. Refreshments will be offered. The museum is located south of Dayton off I-75. Exit at Tylersville Road, and turn left at the top of the ramp. The museum is about 1 mile east on the left (north) side of Tylersville Road. /-- Thanks to Jay Adrick, K8CJY, via QRZ.com/ *Classic Radio Buff John Dilks, K2TQN, to offer "Old Transmissions and Voices of the Past" at Hamvention:* Antique radio aficionado John Dilks , K2TQN, who edited "Vintage Radio" in /QST/ for 15 years, will moderate a forum, "Old Transmissions and Voices of the Past" at Hamvention ^? on Friday, May 20, 2:30-3:30, in Room 5. His presentation will include photos, graphics, and the actual voices of several wireless pioneers relating their personal accounts, including Guglielmo Marconi, Lee de Forest, Hugo Gernsback, Major Edwin Armstrong, and Clarence Tuska, who will describe the start of /QST/ in 1915. *Armed Forces Day Military/Amateur Radio Cross-Band Communications Test is May 14:* The US Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard will cosponsor the Armed Forces Day Military/Amateur Radio Cross-Band Communications Test on Saturday, May 14, 2016. The event gets under way at 1200 UTC, with activity continuing throughout the day. Some military stations may not operate for the entire period. Read more . Getting It Right! The article "Carole Perry, WB2MGP, to Moderate Hamvention^? Forums" in the May 5 edition of /The ARRL Letter/ incorrectly indicated that ARRL is the sponsor of the Hamvention Instructors' Forum on Friday, May 20. The ARRL was among the many Amateur Radio businesses and organizations contributing prizes for the forum, but is not a sponsor. The K7RA Solar Update Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: A whopper of a geomagnetic storm occurred on Mother's Day, May 8, when the planetary A index reached 70. In Alaska, the college A index was 117. Aurora was visible in North America well south of the northern tier of states. The latest prediction has planetary A index at 8 on May 12; 5 on May 13-14; 8, 14, 10, 6, 12, 15, and 12 on May 15-21; 5 on May 22-23; 10 on May 24; 5 on May 25-27; 10, 25, and 10 on May 28-30; 5 on May 31-June 1; 12 on June 2-3; 30, 32, 25, 15, and 8 on June 4-8, and 5 on June 9-10. The planetary A index then rises to 25 on June 25. Predicted solar flux is 97 on May 12; 100 on May 13-14; 102, 105, 99, 93, and 85 on May 15-19; 82 on May 20-22; 85 on May 23-25; 90 on May 26-30; 88 on May 31-June 2; 85 on June 3-6; 90 on June 7-9; 95 on June 10-11; 90 and 85 on June 12-13; 82 on June 14-18, and 85 on June 19. Average daily sunspot number dropped 15.6 points to 59.1 over the past week, and average daily solar flux declined 3.1 points to 88.8. Average daily planetary A index over the same period doubled from 11.3 to 22.6, and average daily mid-latitude A index rose 3.9 points to 14.6. Sunspot numbers for May 5 through May 11 were 55, 56, 51, 42, 68, 70, and 72, with a mean of 59.1. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 87.1, 89.6, 88, 85.6, 88.5, 88.7, and 93.9, with a mean of 88.8. Estimated planetary A indices were 8, 15, 10, 70, 33, 16, and 6, with a mean of 22.6. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 7, 12, 9, 32, 21, 15, and 6, with a mean of 14.6. In Friday's bulletin look for an updated forecast as well as comments and questions from readers, plus a review of our moving average of sunspot numbers. Send me your reports and observations. . . . . . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just Ahead in Radiosport * May 12 -- NAQCC CW Sprint * May 14 -- FISTS Spring Unlimited Sprint (CW) * May 14-15 -- HPC World Wide DX Contest (Digital) * May 14-15 -- CQ-M International DX Contest (CW, phone) * May 14-15 -- VOLTA WW RTTY Contest * May 14-15 -- Arkansas QSO Party (CW, phone, digital) * May 14-15 -- MARAC USA QSO Party (CW) * May 14 -15 -- Portuguese Navy Day Contest (CW, phone) * May 14-15 -- 50 MHz Spring Sprint (CW, phone, digital) * May 15 -- WAB 7 MHz Phone * May 15 -- UA2 QSO Party (CW, phone) * May 16 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW) * May 19 -- RSGB 80 Meter Club Championship (CW) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions * May 13-15 -- Rocky Mountain Division Convention , Keystone, Colorado * May 14 -- Iowa State Convention , Boone, Iowa * May 20-22 -- Dayton Hamvention , Dayton, Ohio * June 3-5 -- Northwestern Division Convention , Seaside, Oregon * June 4 -- Georgia Section Convention , Marietta, Georgia * June 5 -- Western Pennsylvania Section Convention , Prospect, Pennsylvania * June 10-11 -- West Gulf Division Convention , Irving, Texas * June 18 -- Tennessee State Convention , Knoxville, Tennessee * July 2 -- Eastern Pennsylvania Section Convention , Harrisburg, Pennsylvania * July 8-9 -- Northern Florida Section Convention , Milton, Florida * July 8-9 -- Utah State Convention , Sandy, Utah * July 22-23 -- Oklahoma Section Convention , Oklahoma City, Oklahoma * July 29-31 -- Central States VHF Conference , Rochester, Minnesota 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 May 13 07:56:37 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 13 May 2016 07:56:37 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] FCC Petition for Rulemaking RM-11769 Message-ID: <3958b825-ba3f-84d4-fd15-619886f86adf@bellsouth.net> From CWops List: Bill W2CQ Dave Sumner (ex-ARRL CEO) said, Guys, you are getting excited over nothing. The only two CW-exclusive FCC subbands are the bottom 100 kHz of 6 and 2 meters. Dave K1ZZ (now retired from ARRL) In other words, that filing by the guy in Missouri, at best, would impact the subbands on 6 and 2 meters. There are no exclusive CW subbands on the HF bands. Rob K6RB From bmarx at bellsouth.net Mon May 16 18:35:12 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (William Marx) Date: Mon, 16 May 2016 18:35:12 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ARLX003 Hollywood Producer, ARRL Patron Dave Bell, W6AQ (SK) References: <20160516203628.7C2F42014723@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: > SB SPCL @ ARL $ARLX003 > ARLX003 Hollywood Producer, ARRL Patron Dave Bell, W6AQ (SK) > > ZCZC AX03 > QST de W1AW > Special Bulletin 3 ARLX003 > From ARRL Headquarters > Newington CT May 16, 2016 > To all radio amateurs > > SB SPCL ARL ARLX003 > ARLX003 Hollywood Producer, ARRL Patron Dave Bell, W6AQ (SK) > > Award-winning Hollywood producer and ARRL benefactor Dave Bell, > W6AQ, of Encinitas, California, died on May 13. He was 84 and had > been a radio amateur for 65 years. Bell had been suffering from > cancer and was in hospice care. An ARRL Life Member and a former > chair of the ARRL Public Relations Committee, Bell directed Amateur > Radio Today and produced several other ham radio-related promotional > videos and films, starting with The Ham's Wide World, a TV > documentary filmed in black and white. > > "If I have a claim to fame in Amateur Radio, it's probably that I > produced the first television documentary about ham radio that got > worldwide distribution, and then I made several others before I > 'retired' from the ham radio film/video hobby-within-a-hobby and got > busy making a living producing TV movies, specials, and > documentaries for all of the networks including HBO and Showtime, > and made a couple of theatrical feature films - Nadia and The Long > Walk Home," Bell recounted on his QRZ.com profile. He started TV's > Unsolved Mysteries, and he received an Emmy Award in 1985 for > Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special, Do You Remember Love. Bell > chronicled his filmmaking and his Amateur Radio and professional > lives in a memoir, World's Best Hobby. > > Last year, Bell and his wife Sam, W6QLT (she's a quilter), donated a > signed Andy Warhol print to the ARRL. The artwork - "Myths: Superman > 1981" - sold at auction last fall for $150,000. The proceeds are > being used to create "The Dave Bell, W6AQ, Endowment Fund" to > benefit the League. > > Bell also produced The World of Amateur Radio, This is Ham Radio, > and Moving Up to Amateur Radio. He directed the Amateur Radio Today > video in 2002. The short presentation about emergency preparedness > was narrated by former CBS Evening News anchor Walter Cronkite, > KB2GSD (SK), written by Alan Kaul, W6RCL, and produced by Bill > Pasternak, WA6ITF (SK) and Bill Baker, W1BKR. Bell and Pasternak > also created The DIY Magic of Amateur Radio in 2011, and he > co-produced The ARRL Goes to Washington, also voiced by Cronkite. > Working on his own, Bell filmed videos for the World Radiosport Team > Championship (WRTC) events in 2000 in Slovenia (The Ham Radio > Olympics) and in 2002 in Finland. > > A DXer, casual contester, and a past president of the Southern > California DX Club, Bell was a frequent speaker at Amateur Radio > gatherings. He was named the 1984 Ham of the Year at Dayton > Hamvention, and, in 2003, the ARRL presented Bell with its first > Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on films and videos about > Amateur Radio. In 2011 he was named to the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of > Fame. > > Heil Sound Ltd's Bob Heil, K9IED, called Bell "one of the great > ones." Heil said Bell's "great smile and laughter" and his > "generosity to the hobby" would be missed, "but most of all, we will > miss his spirit." > NNNN > /EX From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed May 18 09:46:01 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (William Marx) Date: Wed, 18 May 2016 09:46:01 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Bill Moore, NC1L References: <573C5E93.1080504@verizon.net> Message-ID: From Bill NA2M: > PDXG Donates Lenovo Laptop to Bill Moore NC1L > > on 17 May 2016. > > As you may recall, after a life altering automobile accident in July, 2014 Bill Moore NC1L stepped down as the ARRL Awards Manager. > > Recently we learned that Bill was in need of a laptop computer. His current Windows laptop is quite old and very much out of date. He is using an iPhone and iPad but a Windows 10 laptop will be of great help in his recovery. Bill cannot use his fingers except in a very limited way and at that he has no strength. We hope this current technology laptop will be the foundation for development of an interface that allows Bill to use the Remote Ham Radio site with push buttons rather than mouse actions. > > This particular laptop was used on the TX3X Chesterfield Island DX-pedition. The machine was refurbished by PDXG, loaded with Windows 10 and presented to Bill by Les Kalmus W2LK. > > PDXG is extremely happy to have been able to help Bill on his long road to recovery. From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sat May 21 21:01:41 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (William Marx) Date: Sat, 21 May 2016 21:01:41 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Dayton Contest Dinner 2016 Message-ID: <42D5A410-19F9-4F46-A1C4-31836B07E29A@bellsouth.net> Over 500 in attendance! Contest Hall of Fame 2016 Winners are: Tod Olson K0TO and Rich Strand KL7RA (SK) From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sun May 22 12:10:31 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (William Marx) Date: Sun, 22 May 2016 12:10:31 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] (no subject) Message-ID: From ARRL: Southern Florida Section Convention (Tropical Hamboree's 50th Anniversary) 02/03/2017 Start Date: 02/03/2017 End Date: 02/04/2017 Location: War Memorial Auditorium 800 NE 8th Street Ft. Lauderdale, FL Website: http://hamboree.org Sponsor: Dade Radio Club of Miami, Inc. Type: ARRL Convention Talk-In: 147.000 (PL 94.8) Public Contact: Lloyd Kurtzman , N4LJK 8266 Mills Drive PO Box 835367 Miami, FL 33283 Phone: 305-332-9142 Email: LLOYD0703 at gmail.com http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/southern-florida-section-convention-tropical-hamboree-s-50th-anniversary From bmarx at bellsouth.net Mon May 23 16:27:11 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (William Marx) Date: Mon, 23 May 2016 16:27:11 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] WX4NHC will be On-The-Air for the Annual Station Test References: <20160523200907.D1CD92010842@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: WX4NHC will be On-The-Air for the Annual Station Test > > Please direct any questions to the NHC via www.wx4nhc.org. > > 73 de Doug, K4AC, and Mike, AA6ML > > Announcement from WX4NHC > Amateur Radio Station at the National Hurricane Center, Miami Florida > > WX4NHC will be On-The-Air for the Annual Station Test > Saturday, May 28th , 2016 from 9AM- 5 PM EDT ( 1400z- 2200z) > This will be our 36th year of public service at NHC. > > The purpose of this event is to test Amateur Radio Station equipment, > antennas and computers prior to this year's Hurricane Season, which > starts June 1st and runs through November 30th. > This event is good practice for Ham Radio Operators world-wide as well > as NWS Staff to become familiar with Amateur Radio communications > available during times of severe weather. > > We will be making brief contacts on many frequencies and modes, > exchanging signal reports and basic weather data exchange ("Sunny", or > "Rain", etc.) with any station in any location. > > WX4NHC will be On-The-Air on HF, VHF, UHF , 2 & 30 meter APRS and > WinLink wx4nhc at winlink.org subject must contain "//WL2K". > We will try to stay on the Hurricane Watch Net frequency 14.325 MHz > most of the time. > > Due to space and equipment limitations, we will have 2 operators per > shift, we can not be everywhere and every mode at the same time. > You may be able to find us on HF by using one of the DX Spotting > Networks, > Such as the DX Summit Web Site: http://www.dxsummit.fi/Search.aspx > > We will also be on VoIP Hurricane Net 4pm-5pm EST (2100-2200z) > (IRLP node 9219 / EchoLink WX-TALK Conference node 7203). > http://www.voipwx.net/ > > Florida VHF & UHF Repeaters will be contacted. > > QSL Cards are available via WD4R. > Please send your card with a S.A.S.E. > Please do NOT send QSLs directly to the Hurricane Center address, as it > will get delayed. > > Due to security measures; > Please, NO VISITORS will be allowed entry to NHC without prior > clearance from NHC PIO and Security. > Only WX4NHC Operators on the pre-approved operating schedule will be > allowed entry. > > For more information about WX4NHC, please visit our website > www.wx4nhc.org > > Thank you for your participation in the WX4NHC Annual Station Test > event. > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > ARRL Southeastern Division > Director: Doug Rehman, K4AC > k4ac@ From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu May 26 08:41:16 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (William Marx) Date: Thu, 26 May 2016 08:41:16 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] YouTube Playlist: The Spurious Emissions Band, Dayton, 2016 Message-ID: <16EABCC3-C57E-44E5-B016-7485E60990FA@bellsouth.net> A YouTube video playlist of the entire performance of N0AX's Spurious Emissions Band recorded Friday, May 20th, 2016 at the Dayton Crowne Plaza Presidential Ballroom is now available for your viewing pleasure, here: http://bit.ly/DaytonSpurs2016 The song lyrics may be viewed in the "Description" section of each video. On a computer, click SHOW MORE below the title and description. On a smartphone, first click the little up arrow in the black section next to the playlist name, then click the little down arrow in the white section, next to the song title. Credits: Lyrics: N0AX Mandolin: N0AX Lead Guitar: K4RO Bass Guitar: W4PA Drums: KX9X Backup Singers: WY7YL, NV9L Guest Vocal: N5OT Sound Engineer: K8GT Video: N6TV Powerpoint Projector (for lyrics): W4NZ Roadies: WF7T, K4UU Host: K3LR 73, Bob, N6TV Oops, I forgot to include: Guest Drummer: DL1QQ (In Codey from Muskogee) 73, Bob, N6TV Sent from my iPhone From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri May 27 10:55:06 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (William Marx) Date: Fri, 27 May 2016 10:55:06 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Radios & Accessories for sale References: <20160527.104528.21221.0@webmail09.vgs.untd.com> Message-ID: <4B09309C-E8B7-4495-85AF-2D7F9578BE3E@bellsouth.net> Radios and Accessories For Sale Yaesu FT-1000MP Mark V HF transceiver with FP-29 PS Yaesu FT-736R 50, 144 & 430 Mhz all mode transceiver with built-in PS Yaesu FT-2400 2M FM transceiver Ten Tec 422 Centurion linear Amplifier Icom IC-718 HF transceiver Icom IC-706 Mk II G HF/VHF/UHF transceiver Icom IC-7000 HF/VHF/UHF transceiver Icom IC-2200 2M FM transceiver Icom T70A HT Astron RS-35A PS Astron RS-20M PS Kenwood TS-440S HF transceiver Diamond SX-600 SWR meter Diawa CN-101 SWR meter LDG AT 7000 tuner MFJ 986 Ant Tuner MFJ 269 Ant Analyzer Timewave DSP 9 Swan 250 6M and PS Hustler 6 BTV Trap Vertical Ant For more info, contact Jeff WA4AW at 561-252-6707or wa4aw at arrl.net From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri May 27 11:20:24 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (William Marx) Date: Fri, 27 May 2016 11:20:24 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Radios & Accessories for sale References: <688311249.396400.1464361787727.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <0A6AECFB-1B05-4C33-B070-43DB6F6E2521@bellsouth.net> > > Yaesu FT-1000MP Mark V HF transceiver with FP-29 PS $ 1500.00 > > Yaesu FT-736R 50, 144 & 430 Mhz all mode transceiver $ 600.00 > with built-in PS > > Yaesu FT-2400 2M FM transceiver $ 60.00 > > Ten Tec 422 Centurion linear Amplifier $ 1250.00 > > Icom IC-718 HF transceiver $ 450.00 > > Icom IC-706 Mk II G HF/VHF/UHF transceiver $ 600.00 > > Icom IC-7000 HF/VHF/UHF transceiver $ 800.00 > > Icom IC-2200 2M FM transceiver $ 125.00 > > Icom T70A HT $ 150.00 > > Astron RS-35A PS $ 90.00 > > Astron RS-20M PS $ 60.00 > > Kenwood TS-440S HF transceiver $ 350.00 > > Diawa CN-101 SWR meter $ 75.00 > > LDG AT 7000 tuner $ 150.00 > > MFJ 986 Ant Tuner $ 175.00 > > Timewave DSP 9 $ 75.00 > > Swan 250 6M and PS $ 100.00 > > Hustler 6 BTV Trap Vertical Ant $ 100.00 > For more info, contact Jeff WA4AW at 561-252-6707or wa4aw at arrl.net From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue May 31 06:02:17 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 31 May 2016 06:02:17 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ARRL Reaches Agreement with Community Associations Institute on Parity Act Message-ID: <3e1bed85-832a-fa70-94c3-a102b1ef01d3@bellsouth.net> ARRL Reaches Agreement with Community Associations Institute on Parity Act 05/28/2016 After 2-1/2 months of intense negotiations, ARRL has reached an agreement with the Community Associations Institute (*CAI* ) ? the national association of homeowners associations ? concerning amended language of the *Amateur Radio Parity Act* . This will allow H.R. 1301 to proceed to what is hoped will be passage of the bill in both houses of Congress this year. ?We express support for H.R. 1301, the Amateur Radio Parity Act, as proposed to be amended,? the CAI statement said. ARRL, working with CAI and Congressional staff, agreed on an amended bill that would allow every amateur living in a deed-restricted community the ability to install an effective outdoor antenna. ?We are pleased with the agreement with CAI over new proposed language in the legislation, and thank CAI and the Congressional staffers who helped make this happen,? ARRL Hudson Division Director and Legislative Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, said. Lisenco stressed that, while the agreement with CAI is significant, there is still much work to be done. ?This agreement with CAI is a big step forward, but getting the Amateur Radio Parity Act signed into law remains a long process. ARRL will still need to call upon the membership to contact their elected officials and ask for their affirmative vote on this bill,? he said. http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-reaches-agreement-with-community-associations-institute-on-parity-act *More information* on the Amateur Radio Parity Act is available on the ARRL website.