From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Sep 1 09:42:00 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (William Marx) Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2016 09:42:00 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] A Message from Jeff References: <20160901132559.EC2EE2015ED9@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: > Greetings to all, > > > The tropics are heating up as we approach the historical peak of > hurricane season in September. We dodged another tropical system > ?bullet? from what is now TS Hermine. It provided a good drill for > our ARES teams. As Hermine approaches the upper Gulf coast of Florida, > we stand ready to assist our neighbors should the need arise. Don't > forget that we still have 3 active months left, so stay prepared and > ready to deploy. > > > > I?m pleased to announce the appointment of Ron Schoner, K4OIL of Palm > City as our new Affiliated Club Coordinator. Ron?s email is > tinstar109 at aol.com and cell is 772-260-5272. I urge all SFL club > officials to advise Ron of their current contact info. We all welcome > Ron to the ARRL SFL Section Management Team. > > The Affiliated Club Update mechanism has been upgraded. Now when a > club updates the information on the ARRL club pages the changes are > displayed as soon as the information is submitted. The tutorial on the > club page www.arrl.org/clubs has been updated to reflect the changes in > the updating procedure. Here is the direct link to the pdf tutorial. > http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Clubs/Club%20Update%20Online_20150806.pdf > > > For more info on ARRL club affiliation or the Special Service Club > program, just let ACC Ron know. > > > > Mark your calendars for October 7-8 for the Florida State > Convention at Melbourne. Held in conjunction with the 51th Melbourne > Hamfest at the Melbourne Auditorium, this show has become a major > event > in the SFL Section. Meet with your Division Director/Vice Director and > the SFL Section staff at the ARRL booth. Visit us at the ARRL Forum at > 10 AM. > For more info, please visit > http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/florida-state-convention-melbourne-hamfest-4 > > > The annual ARRL Simulated Emergency Test is scheduled for the weekend > of October 1 & 2. For most ARES groups, the SET is a part of their > ongoing training program. Details about the SET can be found on page 78 > in the September QST. For more info on how you can participate in the > SET, contact your local EC or the DEC in your District. SFL SEC Larry > Zimmer, W4LWZ will provide support and suggested scenarios for our ARES > leadership. > > > > Congratulations to SFL member Joseph ?Joey Jet? Tiritilli, N4ZUW, > who was declared elected as the new ARRL Vice Director for the > Southeasten Division. > Joey will take office on January 1, 2017, in time to attend the ARRL > Board of Directors meeting later in the month held at Windsor, CT. > > > > The following ARRL members have received pins from HQ recognizing their > support over many years of continuous membership: > > Alan Maslin, N3EA 60 years > > Joe Poersche, WB4HIS 50 years > > John Samuels, K2CIB 50 years > > Stephen ?Sandy? Wolf, WB2MBV 50 years > > Congrats to all ! > > > > > Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) Stations Encouraged to Register and File > Post-Event Reports > > > Scouting?s Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) officials are asking JOTA 2016 > participants not only to register for this year?s event, but to > follow up with a post-JOTA report. As an incentive, all stations filing > reports will automatically be entered to win an Icom ID-51A hand-held > transceiver. The 59th annual JOTA takes place October 14-16. > ?Last year we had 400 stations register but only 200 stations file a > report,? said JOTA Coordinator Jim Wilson, K5ND. ?We?re going to > improve that this year. Icom America and Ray Novak, N9JA, have stepped > up to help us with a considerable incentive.? > Wilson pointed out that only BSA stations will be eligible to win. > ?These prizes are for the station. It?s up to you to determine who > gets it or how you share it,? he said. ?Of course, everyone who > files a report will receive the 2016 Jamboree on the Air > Certificate.? > More than 1 million Scouts in 150+ countries ? at nearly 18,000 > stations ? are expected to take part in JOTA 2016, engaging with > other Scouts to talk about Amateur Radio and their Scouting > experiences. ?JOTA is about conversations across town and around the > world, rather than about contacts,? Wilson said. > The JOTA reporting system will open right after JOTA weekend; reports > are due on November 1, with the prize drawing held that week. > ?Designate someone on your team to collect the information needed for > your report,? Wilson recommended, pointing to a list of ?best > practices? to ensure a report that ?truly captures your event.? > > JOTA Guidelines for Amateur Radio Operators are available online. Among > other advice, the operating guide points out that US Scouts may speak > directly with Scouts in other countries as long as a third-party > agreement exists between that country and the US. A Scout station > spotting cluster also will be available this year, to show who?s on > the air and where. Dave Edwards, KD2E, and Andy O?Brien, K3UK, have > developed a Scout scheduling page for teams to post their frequencies. > JOTA stations have been asked to avoid other operating activities > taking place over the October 14-16 weekend, including the Worked All > Germany contest-free zones. Four state QSO parties also take place over > JOTA weekend ? Illinois, Iowa, New York, and South Dakota. > Wilson also asked for the cooperation of contesters. ?As you > participate in these or other contests that weekend, please keep in > mind that Scouts will be on the air at the same time,? Wilson advised > competitors. > > ?For most, this will be their first experience with Amateur Radio. > Please be courteous and where possible provide some contest free space > around their ongoing QSOs near the Scouting frequencies. After all, > they are the next generation of ham operators ? or not.? > > > > > Application Window Opens on September 1 for Prospective ISS Ham Radio > Contact Hosts > > > The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program is > seeking proposals from schools and formal or informal educational > institutions and organizations ? individually or working in concert > ? to host Amateur Radio contacts next year with ISS crew members. The > window to accept proposals opens on September 1, and the deadline to > submit a proposal is November 1. ARISS anticipates that contacts will > take place between July 1 and December 31, 2017. Crew scheduling and > ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. The ARRL website > includes proposal information and documents. > To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS seeks proposals > from schools and organizations that can draw large numbers of > participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education > plan. Each FM-voice contact lasts about 10 minutes ? the length of a > typical overhead ISS pass from horizon to horizon. > > Scheduled ham radio contacts with ISS crew members allow students to > interact with an astronaut or cosmonaut through a question-and-answer > format. Participants and the audiences alike can learn firsthand from > the astronaut or cosmonaut what it?s like to live and work in space > and to learn about space research on the ISS. Students will be able to > observe and learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, > and radio science. > Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of > scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate > flexibility to accommodate changes in contact dates and times. > > To help organizations prepare proposals, ARISS offers 1-hour online > information sessions, designed to provide more information regarding US > ARISS contacts and the proposal process, as well as provide an avenue > for interested organizations to ask questions. Attending an online > Information Session is not required but is strongly encouraged. > Information Sessions for September 1-November 1 application window will > take place on Tuesday, September 20, at 4 PM ET (2000 UTC), and > Wednesday, September 28, at 7 PM ET (2300 UTC). Contact ARISS to sign > up and take part. > Amateur Radio organizations around the world, NASA, and space agencies > in Russia, Canada, Japan, and Europe sponsor these educational > opportunities by providing the equipment and operational support to > enable direct communication between crew on the ISS and students around > the world via Amateur Radio. In the US, ARISS is a collaborative effort > between ARRL and AMSAT, in partnership with NASA and the Center for the > Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS). > Contact ARISS for more information. > > > Comments in FCC ?Symbol Rate? Rule Making Proposal Due by October > 11 > > > The FCC will accept public comments in response to a July FCC Notice of > Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) in WT Docket 16-239 ? the ?Symbol > Rate? proceeding ? until October 11. Reply comments ? ie, > comments on comments already filed ? are due by November 10. The NPRM > now has been published in The Federal Register, thus opening the > respective 60-day and 30-day comment/reply comment windows. > In response to a 2013 ARRL Petition for Rule Making (RM-11708), the FCC > proposed to revise the Amateur Service Part 97 rules to eliminate > current baud rate limitations for data emissions, consistent with > ARRL?s Petition, but it declined to propose a bandwidth limitation > for data emissions in the MF and HF bands to replace the baud rate > limitations. ARRL had asked the FCC to change the Part 97 rules to > delete the symbol rate limits in ?97.307(f) and replace them with a > maximum bandwidth for data emissions of 2.8 kHz on amateur frequencies > below 29.7 MHz. > Interested parties may comment on the NPRM in WT Docket 16-239 via the > FCC?s Electronic Comment Filing Service (EFCS), as well as by mail. > > > > ARRL Field Day 2016 List of Logs Received Now Available > > > The list of Logs Received for ARRL Field Day 2016 now is available. It > includes all logs ? paper and electronic ? as well as all entries > classified as check logs, typically due to incomplete information. > Participants have until Tuesday, August 23, to contact ARRL if they > believe there are problems with their entries. > If your listing contains errors, contact Kathy Allison, KA1RWY. ARRL > received more than 2700 ARRL Field Day logs for 2016, including check > logs. > > > ARES? Day in Palm Beach County Recruits 15 New Members > > > It was ARES? Day on July 30 in Palm Beach County, Florida. Sponsored > by Palm Beach County ARES, the event at the Palm Beach/Martin County > Red Cross Chapter in West Palm Beach, attracted 50 radio amateurs, and > 15 joined ARES. The Red Cross provided lunch. > ?Thanks to the Red Cross and all who attended,? said Central County > Emergency Coordinator Barry Porter, KB1PA. ?Palm Beach County ARES? > is now more prepared if we are needed by any of our served agencies. It > was a positive event that energized all who attended.? > Local ham radio clubs were represented at the event and offered > assistance, along with District Emergency Coordinator Charlie Benn, > WB2SNN; South County Emergency Coordinator Bob Vastola, KK4ATI; North > County Emergency Coordinator Chris Anderson, KK4ENJ, and Porter. > Section Manager Jeff Beals, WA4AW, and Section Emergency Coordinator > Larry Zimmer, W4LWZ, attended. > Activities included demonstrations of emergency power equipment, > digital communications using packet and Winlink, National Traffic > System? and NTS? digital communication, how to built an effective > UHF/VHF antenna, portable VHF and UHF antennas, and what?s inside a > Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle. > > > > > July ARES report from Larry, W4LWZ SFL SEC > > > Total number of ARES members: 451 > > Change since last month (+, -, same): +14 > > Number of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 10 > > Number of ARES nets active: 10 > > Number of nets with NTS liaison: 4 > > Calls of DECs/ECs reporting: AD4RZ, K1UQE, W9GPI, WA4ASJ, WA4PAM, > KB1PA, WW4RX, KK4AXV, K4JTT, KJ4AWB > > Number of drills, tests and training sessions this month: 50 > > Person hours: 743075 > > Number of public service events this month: 0 > > Person hours: 0 > > Number of emergency operations this month: 2 > > Person Hours: 56 > > Total number of ARES operations this month: 52 > > Total Person hours: 799.75 > > Comments: Palm Beach county held an ARES day at the county Red Cross. > The event featured demonstrations and informative talks. The event was > very well attended and resulted in 5 new members being signed up. > > > > July Traffic report from Mike, KM2V SFL STM > > > > SAR - July 2016 > > CALL TOTAL > WA4BAM > KE4CB > W9GPI 015 > KK4KAH > K4KFF > N1OFF > KA3PYO 005 > W2PH 42 > KR4PI 005 > KR4ST 033 > NT4TS 006 > KM2V 157 > WA3YRF 005 > W4ZE 010 > > > PSHR - July 2016 > > > Callsign Total > WA4BAM > KE4CB > W2PH 100 > KM2V 130 > > > NETS - July 2016 > > NET ABB. QNI QTC QND SESS MGR > All Florida CW Traffic Net QFN WA4BAM > Florida Medium Speed Net FMSN 160 18 342 31 AG4RJ/AB4XK > Southeast Florida Traffic Net SEFTN 514 73 961 31 KD4ZFW > Southwest Florida Traffic Net SWFTN KE4CB/N9WS > > > > > Silent Keys- It is with deep regret that we report the passing of the > following SFL members: > > > Richard W. ?Dick? Jump, NN4JJ of Palm Bay. Dick was a member of the > Platinum Coast ARS and Brevard County ARES. > > > > Well, I guess that?s about it for now. My thanks for all that you do > for Amateur Radio. Get on the air, Elmer a new ham, support your local > club and ARES group but most of all, have fun. > > Vy 73, > > Jeff, WA4AW > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > ARRL Southern Florida Section > Section Manager: Jeff Beals, WA4AW > wa4aw at arrl.org > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from messages, go to: > http://p1k.arrl.org/oo/e65a3d4ffab809455d05ba89ab8f0b1f From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Sep 1 11:42:44 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (William Marx) Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2016 11:42:44 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Recent FCC action References: <20160901144205.6774820177A3@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <2FC5A792-53C4-47A4-B3EB-41C2D8322497@bellsouth.net> > FCC action: Bill W2CQ > > http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-proposes-substantial-fine-for-unlicensed-amateur-operation-false-police-call > From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Sep 1 17:34:53 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (William Marx) Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2016 17:34:53 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Amateur Radio Operators needed References: <002301d20498$763a2d70$62ae8850$@comcast.net> Message-ID: <78A975B8-15E2-4F6A-8668-D6F7C37F98F3@bellsouth.net> > > THE FORT LAUDERDALE ANNUAL WINTERFEST BOAT PARADE DECEMBER 10th, 2016 > Amateur Radio Operators Needed > Don?t wait for the last minute to contact me! > SIGN-UP EARLY > > Less than four months to go before the 2016 Winterfest Boat Parade > I know this seems a bit early to sign up, but please email me and sign up early so I know that every assignment is covered. > For those that worked the parade last year will get the same assignments if they contact me immediately. > This event is shown in many different Countries with over 1 MILLION VIEWERS > You will have a front row seat to the parade since all the parade boats > (100 of them) will pass right in front of you. This is the best seat in the house! > > Ps? Please disregard if you received this more than one time as I sent this out to different reflectors and mailing list. > Robin Terrill N4HHP /Communications Chairman > Fort Lauderdale Winterfest Boat Parade > E- Mail at n4hhp at att.net From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Sep 1 17:36:42 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (William Marx) Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2016 17:36:42 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ARLX011 Hurricane Watch Net Activating for Hermine, Hawaii Dodges Madeline, SKYWARN Eyeing Lester References: <20160901203518.F017D20351EF@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <2754EBA6-4812-496D-A0FB-30EB6BE63D19@bellsouth.net> > SB SPCL @ ARL $ARLX011 > ARLX011 Hurricane Watch Net Activating for Hermine, Hawaii Dodges > Madeline, SKYWARN Eyeing Lester > > ZCZC AX11 > QST de W1AW > Special Bulletin 11 ARLX011 > From ARRL Headquarters > Newington CT September 1, 2016 > To all radio amateurs > > SB SPCL ARL ARLX011 > ARLX011 Hurricane Watch Net Activating for Hermine, Hawaii Dodges > Madeline, SKYWARN Eyeing Lester > > The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) has announced plans to activate for > Tropical Storm Hermine at 1400 UTC. The storm is expected to develop > into a hurricane before making landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast. The > net typically operates on 14.325 MHz until nightfall, then moves > 7.268 MHz for the remainder of the evening. Given current band > conditions, however, the HWN will be active on both frequencies > simultaneously. The net will remain in operation until further > notice, HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, said. > > "It seems we've been tracking this system, which began as a tropical > disturbance, for nearly 2 weeks," Graves said. "Yesterday, this > system finally became Tropical Storm Hermine. It is expected to make > landfall late Thursday evening or early Friday morning as a Category > 1 Hurricane somewhere between Panama City Beach and Cedar Key, > Florida...of course, this could change." > > As of 1200 UTC, Hermine was reported strengthening. It's located > about 235 miles west-southwest of Tampa with maximum sustained winds > of 65 MPH, moving north-northeast at 12 MPH. A Hurricane Warning is > in effect from the Suwannee River to Mexico Beach. The NWS said > interests along the US East Coast should monitor the progress of > this system. > > Graves said the HWN would be available to provide back-up > communication to entities such as emergency operations centers and > Red Cross offices in the affected area. "We will also be interested > to collect and report significant damage assessment data to FEMA > officials stationed in the National Hurricane Center," he added. > > Florida's Emergency Operations Center is at full activation, and > evacuation shelters are on standby. > > SKYWARN Tracking Pacific Hurricane Lester > > ARRL Pacific Section Emergency Coordinator Clement Jung, KH7HO, said > the National Weather Service (NWS) will activate SKYWARN for > Hurricane Lester at 1800 UTC on Saturday, September 3, continuing > until midnight on Sunday, September 4. All four Amateur Radio > Emergency Service (ARES) districts on the Big Island of Hawaii > remain in active status for Hurricane Lester, to support each other > and served agencies. KH6SW remains on the air from the NWS Honolulu > Forecast Office on HF, VHF, and UHF. > > The NWS reports that a weakening Madeline, now a tropical storm, was > passing "well south of the Big Island," with maximum sustained winds > of 50 MPH, but the storm was dumping a lot of rain on the Big > Island, and a flood advisory was in effect for some areas. > Predictions call for up to 10 inches of rain, and possibly more. > > Hurricane Lester, now a Category 2 storm, continues its westward > movement toward the Hawaiian Islands. As of 0900 UTC, Lester was > some 800 miles east of Hilo and 1030 miles east of Honolulu, > boasting maximum sustained winds of 110 MPH. The storm is moving at > 14 MPH. Some weakening was forecast through late Friday. No watches > or warnings are in effect. > > ARES teams remain ready to initiate local repeater nets, holding > 146.52 MHz simplex in reserve in case repeaters go down. Plans call > for using HF (7.180 and 3.975 MHz) to relay traffic via Auxiliary > Communications Service (ACS) nets to the Hawaii County Civil Defense > Agency Emergency Operations Center (EOC). SKYWARN traffic will use > Fldigi MT63 1KL or voice on 7.080 MHz (USB), with 3.888 MHz (LSB) as > an alternate frequency, and 7.095 MHz available to support informal > and tactical traffic. > > Public schools in Hawaii remained closed on September 1, and Hawaii > Gov David Inge has urged residents of the Big Island to take steps > to protect people and property. Some government offices and > businesses also have closed. A dozen schools have been designated to > serve as emergency evacuation shelters. > NNNN > /EX From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Sep 1 18:08:17 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (William Marx) Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2016 18:08:17 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Letter for September 1, 2016 References: <20160901215636.1940A20351F5@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: > > If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: > http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-09-01 > > > > September 1, 2016Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME > ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive Audio News > > > > FCC Proposes Substantial Fine for Unlicensed Amateur Operation, False Police Call > Hurricane Watch Net Activates for Hermine, Hawaii Dodges Madeline, SKYWARN Eyes Lester > Team USA Attending World Amateur Radio Direction Finding Championships > The Doctor Will See You Now! > National Parks on the Air Update > ARRL CEO Urges New York City-Area Hams to Join Him as Marathon Volunteer > Application Window Now Open for Prospective ISS Ham Radio Contact Hosts > Nominations Open for the George Hart Distinguished Service Award > Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) Stations Encouraged to Register and File Post-Event Reports > FO-29 Satellite Turns 20 > Ham Radio Outlet Refurbishes, Reopens Former AES Milwaukee Location > The K7RA Solar Update > Just Ahead in Radiosport > Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions > FCC Proposes Substantial Fine for Unlicensed Amateur Operation, False Police Call > A New York City man faces a fine of $23,000 for operating on Amateur Radio frequencies without a license and for transmitting a false officer-in-distress call on a New York City Police Department (NYPD) radio channel. The FCC issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (NAL) on August 31 to Daniel Delise of Astoria. It details a history of complaints and alleged illegal radio operation on Delise's part that dates back to 2012. > > "The Commission previously warned Mr Delise that unlicensed operation of this station was illegal," the FCC said in the NAL, adding that his deliberate disregard of the Communications Act and the Commission's warning "warrants a significant penalty." > > ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, credited the intervention earlier this year of New York Rep Peter King with getting the case "off the back burner and up to the front of the line." Lisenco and ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, met with the Republican congressman in January to discuss ongoing interference issues in the Greater New York City/Long Island area. King subsequently wrote FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to urge "timely and visible enforcement." > > Lisenco also praised the direct involvement of FCC Enforcement Bureau Region 1 Director David C. Dombrowski as well as "a system of grass-roots reporting," coordinated by Richie Cetron, K2KNB, an Official Observer and Assistant Hudson Division Director. Lisenco said FCC Special Counsel Laura Smith "has been a great help in keeping us informed and in the loop." > > The FCC reported receiving "numerous complaints" that Delise was transmitting on different frequencies, and issued him two official warnings in 2012. The Commission said complaints about Delise continued through 2013 and 2014, but, the FCC said, an investigating agent "was not able to confirm a rule violation." Still more complaints alleged that Delise was transmitting without authority on 461.225 MHz, a frequency licensed to NYC City Wide Disaster Services, the FCC recounted. In 2014, the FCC received 10 more complaints identifying Delise by name, plus another nine in 2015 and one more in 2016. > > Last April, field agents monitoring in Delise's Astoria neighborhood detected a strong voice transmission on 147.96 MHz. They were able to track the signal to the building where Delise resided, and, ultimately, went to his apartment and confronted him. > > The FCC said Delise admitted making the transmissions on 147.96 MHz and acknowledged that he did not have an Amateur Radio license. As a result, the FCC's New York Field office issued a Notice of Unlicensed Operation. > > > From left to right, ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD; Rep Peter King (R-NY), and ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, met in January in Washington. > > A couple of weeks later, the NYPD informed an FCC field agent that it had taken Delise into custody for "sending out false radio transmissions" over the NYPD radio system and for possessing radios capable of operating on NYPD frequencies, in violation of state law. According to the NYPD, a call had gone out reporting an officer in need, and the responding officer spotted Delise speaking into a radio. The police report said Delise admitted to making the transmission, and that he told officers that he had more radios and would continue to transmit on police frequencies. After obtaining a warrant, the NYPD confiscated all radio transmitting equipment from Delise's apartment, including 14 radios capable of operating on NYPD frequencies. > > Delise could have faced a penalty of more than $140,000, under the provisions of the Communications Act. The NAL gave Delise 30 days to pay the fine or to file a written statement seeking a reduction or cancellation of the proposed forfeiture. According to Lisenco, Delise is now serving prison time resulting from the false police call and his guilty pleas to other charges. Read more. > > Hurricane Watch Net Activates for Hermine, Hawaii Dodges Madeline, SKYWARN Eyes Lester > The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) activated for Tropical Storm Hermine on September 1. The storm was expected to develop into a hurricane before making landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast. The net operates on 14.325 MHz until 0100 UTC, then shifts to 7.268 MHz, although it may operate on both frequencies simultaneously. > > "It seems we've been tracking this system, which began as a tropical disturbance, for nearly 2 weeks," HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, said on September 1. > > A Hurricane Warning went into effect along parts of Florida's Gulf Coast. The National Weather Service (NWS) said interests along the US East Coast should monitor the progress of this system. Florida's Emergency Operations Center was at full activation, and evacuation shelters were put on standby. > > SKYWARN Tracking Pacific Hurricane Lester > > ARRL Pacific Section Emergency Coordinator Clement Jung, KH7HO, said the NWS would activate SKYWARN for Hurricane Lester at 1800 UTC on Saturday, September 3, continuing until 2400 UTC on Sunday, September 4. All four Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) districts on the Big Island of Hawaii remained in active status for Hurricane Lester, to support each other and served agencies. KH6SW has been active from the NWS Honolulu Forecast Office on HF, VHF, and UHF. > > The NWS reported that a weakening Madeline, now a tropical storm, passed "well south of the Big Island," with maximum sustained winds of 50 MPH, but the storm dumped a lot of rain on the Big Island, and a flood advisory was in effect for some areas. Predictions called for up to 10 inches of rain, and possibly more. > > Hurricane Lester, now a category 2 storm, continued its westward movement toward the Hawaiian Islands, boasting maximum sustained winds of 110 MPH and moving at 14 MPH. Some weakening was forecast through late Friday. No watches or warnings were in effect. > > ARES teams remained ready to initiate local repeater nets, holding 146.52 MHz simplex in reserve in case repeaters go down. Read more. > > Team USA Attending World Amateur Radio Direction Finding Championships > Fifteen top US on-foot hidden transmitter hunters have joined more than 400 other competitors representing 39 nations taking part in the 18th World Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) Championships in the Black Sea resort of Albena, Bulgaria. Competitors are divided into six age categories for males and five for females, in accordance with International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) rules for ARDF competition. Team USA includes nine men and six women from six states. Ranging in age from 26 to 74, they won their places on the team by their excellent performances in the 2016 USA ARDF Championships in Texas and the 2015 USA ARDF Championships in Colorado. > > "This is the 10th time that the US has fielded a team for the World Championships, which take place in even-numbered years in various countries," said ARRL ARDF Coordinator Joe Moell, K0OV. "The last time that Bulgaria hosted was in 2006, when Team USA won its first World Championships medal." That year, Nadia Scharlau of North Carolina captured bronze in the 80 meter classic event, which required her to find four transmitters scattered within 2700 acres of forest. > > Team USA picked up two medals in the optional ARDF World Cup competition, which precedes the World Championships. In the 80 meter classic competition, Vadim Afonkin, KB1RLI, of Newton, Massachusetts, placed third in the M40 category, capturing a bronze medal. The next day, Alla Mezhevaya of Rockford, Illinois, took the silver in the 2 meter classic competition in the W35 category. "We're off to a great start!" Moell allowed. Five Team USA members are participating in the 3 days of World Cup events. > > > Vadim Afonkin, KB1RLI, at an earlier ARDF event. > > World Cup competitors get a day of rest on Saturday, September 3, as the remaining World Championships participants arrive. The following day is devoted to foxoring, the first official World Championships event. Participants in all events seek medals both as individuals and as members of national teams, which are limited to three participants per age/gender category from each country. > > The World Championships continue with the sprint on Monday, September 5, and classic events on Tuesday and Thursday; Wednesday is set aside as a free day and cultural tour, offering a break between the classics. Banquets and medal award ceremonies follow each day's competition, and everyone goes home on Friday, September 9. > > The latest information on how Team USA is faring in Bulgaria will be posted on Moell's "Homing In" website. The Bulgarian Federation of Radio Amateurs (BFRA) is hosting the event. Visit Moell's Homing In website for more information on ARDF. > > > The Doctor Will See You Now! > "Software Defined Radio" is the topic of the latest (August 25) episode of the "ARRL The Doctor is In" podcast. Listen...and learn! > > Sponsored by DX Engineering, "ARRL The Doctor is In" is an informative discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like! > > Every 2 weeks, your host, QST Editor in Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of technical topics. You can also e-mail your questions to doctor at arrl.org, and the Doctor may answer them in a future podcast. > > Enjoy "ARRL The Doctor is In" on Apple iTunes, or by using your iPhone or iPad podcast app (just search for "ARRL The Doctor is In"). You can also listen online at Blubrry, or at Stitcher (free registration required, or browse the site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or Android devices. > > If you've never listened to a podcast before, download our beginner's guide. Coming up on September 8: "Coaxial Connectors." > > National Parks on the Air Update > The National Park Service Centennial last week was a great celebration of our National Parks. Amateur Radio operators played their part, transmitting from an amazing 174 units during the Centennial Week, as part of ARRL's National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) program. There were 77 units active on August 25, the actual date of the NPS Centennial, and 286 activations resulted in 14,559 QSOs between August 22-28. Thanks to all the NPOTA activators who made this possible! > > The first activation of the newly-created Katahdin Woods and Rivers National Monument (MN84) in Maine occurred on August 30, just 6 days after President Obama created the monument. Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, and his wife Anita, AB1QB, had to work "split" to handle the pileups. They will return to MN84 on September 3, and others are planning to activate this new one as well. > > There are 41 activations are scheduled for September 1-7, including Hovenweep National Monument in Utah, and Weir Farm National Historic Site in Connecticut. > > 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). > > ARRL CEO Urges New York City-Area Hams to Join Him as Marathon Volunteer > ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF -- a New York City Marathon volunteer since 1981 -- is urging radio amateurs in the New York metropolitan area to join him on the race course this fall to, as he put it, "participate in one of the world's most important public service events." > > On Sunday, November 6, Amateur Radio volunteers will provide communication support for the 46th running of the TCS New York City Marathon. The Marathon starts near the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge on Staten Island and continues through Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx before finishing 26.2 miles later in Manhattan's Central Park. Amateur Radio volunteers provide emergency medical and logistics communication support throughout the course, working in concert with the New York Police Department and Fire Department of New York Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to aid the more than 50,000 athletes expected to take part this year. > > "Additional ham radio operators are still needed to staff some mile points along the course as well as some post-finish locations inside Central Park," said TCS NYC Marathon Amateur Radio Communications Director Deborah Kerr, KC2GPV. > > Radio amateurs interested in serving the 2016 TCS New York City Marathon should register online. > > The New York City Marathon originated in 1970 as a low-budget event confined to Central Park. That first marathon attracted 127 entrants. In 1976 -- the US Bicentennial Year -- the marathon was expanded to encompass the city's five boroughs. > > For many years, Steve Mendelsohn, W2ML (SK), served as the Marathon's communications director, overseeing the approximately 400 ham radio volunteers supporting race communications. Inducted into the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame a week before he died in 2012, Mendelsohn had served as ARRL Hudson Division Director and as ARRL First Vice President. > > "I feel as though I have been given this amazing opportunity to continue Steve's legacy and continue to give other hams the opportunity to enjoy an event that I hope will continue in the years to come," Kerr said. > > > Application Window Now Open for Prospective ISS Ham Radio Contact Hosts > The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program is seeking proposals from schools and formal or informal educational institutions and organizations -- individually or working in concert -- to host Amateur Radio contacts next year with ISS crew members. The window to accept proposals opened on September 1, and the deadline to submit a proposal is November 1. ARISS anticipates that contacts will take place between July 1 and December 31, 2017. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. The ARRL website includes proposal information and documents. > > To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS seeks proposals from schools and organizations that can draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. Each FM-voice contact lasts about 10 minutes -- the length of a typical overhead ISS pass from horizon to horizon. > > Scheduled ham radio contacts with ISS crew members allow students to interact with an astronaut or cosmonaut through a question-and-answer format. Participants and the audiences alike can learn firsthand from the astronaut or cosmonaut what it's like to live and work in space and learn about space research on the ISS. Students will be able to observe and learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. > > > An ARISS educational contact at the University of North Dakota. > > Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in contact dates and times. > > To help organizations prepare proposals, ARISS offers 1-hour online information sessions, designed to provide more information regarding US ARISS contacts and the proposal process, as well as provide an avenue for interested organizations to ask questions. Attending an online Information Session is not required, but is strongly encouraged. > > Information Sessions for the current application window will take place on Tuesday, September 20, at 4 PM ET (2000 UTC), and Wednesday, September 28, at 7 PM ET (2300 UTC). Contact ARISS to sign up and take part. Read more. > > Nominations Open for the George Hart Distinguished Service Award > The ARRL will accept nominations until November 1 for the George Hart Distinguished Service Award. The award honors long-time ARRL Communications Manager George Hart, W1NJM (SK), the chief developer of the National Traffic System? (NTS). An ARRL Charter Life Member, Hart spent more than 4 decades as a member of the ARRL Headquarters staff and continued to be an active radio amateur and regular Field Day participant in his retirement. In 1984, the ARRL Board of Directors named Hart as an ARRL Honorary Vice President. He died in 2013 at the age of 99. > > > George Hart, W1NJM (SK). > > Established by the ARRL Board of Directors in 2009, the George Hart Distinguished Service Award is given annually to an ARRL member for exemplary service to the League's Field Organization. Selection criteria include NTS operating record, Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) participation, or service to the ARRL Field Organization in terms of appointments and/or leadership positions held. > > Nominations should thoroughly document the nominee's lifetime activities and achievements with the ARRL Field Organization. Nominees are expected to have at least 15 years of distinguished service. > > The Programs and Services Committee will serve as the Review Committee, and the ARRL Board of Directors will make the final decision at its Annual Meeting in January. > > Submit nominations and related supporting material and letters of recommendation via e-mail or USPS mail to ARRL Field Organization Team Supervisor Steve Ewald, WV1X, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. > > Recipients receive an engraved plaque and will be profiled in QST. > > Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) Stations Encouraged to Register and File Post-Event Reports > Scouting's Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) officials are asking JOTA 2016 participants not only to register for this year's event, but to follow up with a post-JOTA report. As an incentive, all stations filing reports will automatically be entered to win an Icom ID-51A handheld transceiver. The 59th annual JOTA takes place October 14-16. > > "Last year we had 400 stations register but only 200 stations file a report," said JOTA Coordinator Jim Wilson, K5ND. "We're going to improve that this year. Icom America and Ray Novak, N9JA, have stepped up to help us with a considerable incentive." > > Wilson pointed out that only BSA stations will be eligible to win. "These prizes are for the station. It's up to you to determine who gets it or how you share it," he said. "Of course, everyone who files a report will receive the 2016 Jamboree on the Air Certificate." > > More than 1 million Scouts in 150+ countries -- at nearly 18,000 stations -- are expected to take part in JOTA 2016, engaging with other Scouts to talk about Amateur Radio and their Scouting experiences. "JOTA is about conversations across town and around the world, rather than about contacts," Wilson said. > > The JOTA reporting system will open right after JOTA weekend; reports are due on November 1, with the prize drawing held that week. "Designate someone on your team to collect the information needed for your report," Wilson recommended, pointing to a list of "best practices" to ensure a report that "truly captures your event." > > JOTA Guidelines for Amateur Radio Operators are available online. Among other advice, the operating guide points out that US Scouts may speak directly with Scouts in other countries as long as a third-party agreement exists between that country and the US. A Scout station spotting cluster will also be available this year, to show who's on the air and where. Dave Edwards, KD2E, and Andy O'Brien, K3UK, have developed a Scout scheduling page for teams to post their frequencies. > > JOTA stations have been asked to avoid other operating activities taking place over the October 14-16 weekend, including the Worked All Germany Contest. Four state QSO parties are also taking place over JOTA weekend -- Illinois, Iowa, New York, and South Dakota. Wilson also asked for the cooperation of contesters. > > "As you participate in these or other contests that weekend, please keep in mind that Scouts will be on the air at the same time," Wilson advised competitors. "For most, this will be their first experience with Amateur Radio. Please be courteous and, where possible, provide some contest-free space around their ongoing QSOs near the Scouting frequencies. After all, they are the next generation of ham operators -- or not." > > > FO-29 Satellite Turns 20 > It's been 20 years since the Fuji-OSCAR 29 (FO-29) satellite launched on August 17, 1996, from Tanegashima Space Center. Its 100-kHz-wide analog Mode V/U transponder continues to serve the Amateur Satellite community, although its packet BBS and digitalker no longer function. > > With an apogee of 1323 kilometers, FO-29 provides satellite operators with excellent DX opportunities every few months. Intercontinental contacts are regularly reported, including contacts between Japan and Alaska and between North America and Europe. While the theoretical maximum range at apogee is 7502 kilometers, the transponder's excellent sensitivity and solid 1 W downlink signal allow that distance to be stretched when conditions are right. The longest distance covered via FO-29 was an unscheduled 7599.959 kilometer (approximately 4712 mile) contact on August 27, 2015, between Dave Swanson, KG5CCI, of Little Rock, Arkansas (on Shinnal Mountain in EM34), and Christophe Lucas, F4CQA, in Trouy, France (NJ17). Swanson answered F4CQA's CQ. > > The 2015 K1N DXpedition to Navassa Island made 29 contacts during two passes of FO-29, activating that extremely rare DX entity on satellite for the first time since 1993, when Don Roland, VE1AOE, reported logging between 400 and 500 contacts as part of the W5IJU DXpedition to Navassa -- making the bulk of them on AO-13. > > FO-29 remains the most widely used linear transponder satellite and an ideal starting point for beginners. > > Uplink for the mode V/U (J) inverting linear transponder is from 145.900 to 146.000 MHz, SSB or CW. The downlink is 435.800 to 435.900 MHz. The CW beacon transmits on 435.795 MHz. > > JARL offers an award for confirmed QSOs with 10 different stations via FO-29. -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service > > Ham Radio Outlet Refurbishes, Reopens Former AES Milwaukee Location > Ham Radio Outlet (HRO) opened its latest Amateur Radio retail outlet at the site of the former Amateur Electronic Supply (AES) headquarters store at 5710 West Good Hope Road in Milwaukee on August 27. AES closed its Milwaukee, Las Vegas, Cleveland, and Orlando outlets on July 28, following a surprise announcement 4 weeks earlier that it was going out of business after 59 years as a ham radio equipment supplier. A couple of weeks later, HRO announced plans to make over the Milwaukee outlet and reopen it as its latest "super store" -- now HRO's largest. Several former AES Milwaukee employees are now working for HRO, which undertook a rapid remodeling project to make the store over in its own brand. Dan Vanevenhoven, N9LVS, visited the HRO Milwaukee location on opening day, camera in hand, and he posted video of his brief tour on YouTube. > > > The new HRO Milwaukee outlet offers opportunities to test drive gear before buying. > > "One of the first things that caught my eye was the radio demo area," Vanevenhoven says in his video. "They've actually got radios that you can try out." A row of eight carrels, each with a different piece of gear ready to use, stretches along part of one wall in the store. > > The Milwaukee store is 5000 square feet of Amateur Radio equipment, antennas, books, and accessories. > > A family-owned business, HRO is the world's largest Amateur Radio dealership, with 14 locations from New England to the West Coast. It opened a new outlet in Plano, Texas, in early 2015 and relocated and expanded its Portland, Oregon, store, which opened in late July. > > HRO has planned the weekends of September 10, 17, 24 and October 1 for the grand opening of its Portland store, and October 1, 8, 15, and 22 for the grand opening of the new Milwaukee outlet. > > The K7RA Solar Update > Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Over the August 25-31 reporting week, average daily sunspot numbers rose from 33.9 to 60.1, and average daily solar flux increased from 79.6 to 87.9, compared to the previous 7 days. Over the same period the average planetary A index declined from 9.7 to 8, and the mid-latitude A index went from 8.7 to 6.9. That's a nice combination, lower geomagnetic activity and higher solar activity. As solar activity declines overall, there will be brief respites when sunspots increase, but only temporarily. > > Predicted solar flux is 105 on September 1-7; 95 on September 8; 78 on September 9-10; 80 on September 11; 82 on September 12-16; 80 on September 17-21; 82 on September 22; 85 on September 23-25; 82 on September 26-27; 85 on September 28-29; 80 on September 30 and October 1, and 78 on October 2-7. > > The predicted planetary A index is 18 on September 1-2; 15 on September 3; 12 on September 4-7; 10 on September 8; 5 on September 9-12; 10 and 8 on September 13-14; 5 on September 15-16; 8, 5, 15, 12, and 8 on September 17-21; 5 on September 22-24; 20, 18, 10, 15, 12, 10, and 8 on September 25-October 1, and 15 on October 2-3. > > The autumnal equinox is only 3 weeks away, so HF conditions are likely to improve. > > Sunspot numbers for August 25-31 were 39, 44, 52, 64, 67, 64, and 91, with a mean of 60.1. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 78.7, 81.9, 83.9, 85.4, 87.8, 100.4, and 97.5, with a mean of 87.9. Estimated planetary A indices were 11, 7, 5, 3, 6, 16, and 8, with a mean of 8. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 9, 5, 5, 4, 5, 12, and 8, with a mean of 6.9. > > This weekly Solar Update in The ARRL Letter is a preview of the Propagation Bulletin issued each Friday. > > Send me your reports and observations. > > . > > . > > . > > . > > . > > . > > . > > . > > Just Ahead in Radiosport > September 2 -- QRP Fox Hunt (CW) > > Septembr 2-4 -- G3ZQS Memorial Straight Key Contest > > September 3 -- CWOps CW Open > > September 3 -- Russian RTTY WW Contest > > September 3 -- Wake-Up! QRP Sprint (CW) > > September 3 -- AGCW Straight Key Party > > September 3-4 -- All Asian DX Contest (SSB) > > September 3-4 -- Colorado QSO Party (CW, phone, digital) > > September 3-4 -- PODXS 070 Club Jay Hudak Memorial (Digital) > > September 3-4 -- IARU Region 1 Field Day (SSB) > > September 3-5 -- RSGB SSB Field Day > > September 4 -- WAB 144 MHz QRO Phone > > September 4 -- DARC 10 Meter Digital Contest > > September 4-5 -- Tennessee QSO Party (CW, phone, digital) > > September 5-6 -- MI QRP Labor Day CW Sprint > > September 6 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW) > > September 7 -- UKEICC 80 Meter Contest (phone) > > Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions > September 3-4 -- North Carolina State Convention, Shelby, North Carolina > > September 9-11 -- New England Division Convention, Boxborough, Massachusetts > > September 10 -- Kentucky State Convention, Shepherdsville, Kentucky > > September 10 -- Virginia Section Convention, Virginia Beach, Virginia > > September 16-17 -- W9DXCC Convention, Schaumburg, Illinois > > September 16-18 -- ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference, St Petersburg, Florida > > September 17-18 -- Illinois State Convention, Peoria, Illinois > > September 23-24 -- W4DXCC Convention, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee > > September 24 -- San Joaquin Valley Section Convention, Modesto, California > > September 24 -- North Dakota State Convention, West Fargo, North Dakota > > September 24 -- Washington State Convention, Spokane Valley, Washington > > October 7-8 -- Florida State Convention, Melbourne, Florida > > October 7-8 -- Pacific Northwest VHF Conference, Bend, Oregon > > October 13-15 -- Microwave Update Conference, St Louis, Missouri > > October 14-16 -- Pacific Division Convention, San Ramon, California > > October 16 -- Connecticut State Convention, Meriden, Connecticut > > October 21-22 -- Arizona State Convention, Maricopa, Arizona > > October 22 -- Wisconsin ARES/RACES Conference, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin > > November 5 -- TechFest Convention, Lakewood, Colorado > > November 5-6 -- Georgia State Convention, Lawrenceville, Georgia > > November 12-13 -- Indiana State Convention, Fort Wayne, Indiana > > November 19 -- Alabama State Convention, Montgomery, Alabama > > 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! > > > > > > > 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 > From bmarx at bellsouth.net Mon Sep 12 17:01:49 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Mon, 12 Sep 2016 17:01:49 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] US House to Act on Amateur Radio Parity Act Bill, H.R. 1301 Message-ID: <726fb9f5-41f3-336a-ec4a-b29c94573400@bellsouth.net> US House to Act on Amateur Radio Parity Act Bill, H.R. 1301 09/11/2016 The US House of Representatives will consider the Amateur Radio Parity Act, *H.R. 1301* , under a suspension of the rules on Monday, September 12. A suspension of the rules is a legislative procedure used to quickly pass non-controversial bills. Speaking at the New England Division Convention on September 10 in Massachusetts, ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, expressed confidence that the bill would pass the House, but said the legislation would face additional hurdles in the US Senate. In July, an amended version of the bill received a unanimous favorable report from members of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee. Before reporting the bill out of committee, the panel first voted to accept the amended language ?in the nature of a substitute.? Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI (R-OR), who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee?s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, said the substitute bill represented ?a good balance? following months of meetings, hard work, and compromise, and he recommended the measure to his colleagues. ?The amendment guarantees that even in deed-restricted communities, Amateur Radio operators are able to use an effective outdoor antenna,? Walden said. ?Without an effective antenna Amateur Radio operators are severely limited, so this amendment ensures that amateurs are free to pursue their passion wherever they live.? In June, the ARRL and the Community Associations Institute (CAI ) ? the national association of homeowners associations (HOAs) ? announced that they had reached consensus on rhw substitute language for H.R. 1301 in an effort to move the bill through committee and to overcome objections to the companion US Senate bill,S. 1685 . For *more information* on H.R. 1301, visit the ARRL website. http://www.arrl.org/news/us-house-to-act-on-amateur-radio-parity-act-bill-h-r-1301 From bmarx at bellsouth.net Mon Sep 12 21:29:15 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (William Marx) Date: Mon, 12 Sep 2016 21:29:15 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] US House to Act on Amateur Radio Parity Act Bill, H.R. 1301 References: <1C3A8A33-C191-454A-8A75-F5ADB451F26D@mac.com> Message-ID: <0C7CE8DB-3EFB-4A00-9CC5-65C1D7203C3B@bellsouth.net> > Subject: Re: [SFDXA] US House to Act on Amateur Radio Parity Act Bill, H.R. 1301 > > HR 1301 Passed the full House. Now on to the Senate > > Barry > >> On Sep 12, 2016, at 5:01 PM, Bill wrote: >> >> >> US House to Act on Amateur Radio Parity Act Bill, H.R. 1301 >> >> 09/11/2016 >> >> The US House of Representatives will consider the Amateur Radio Parity Act, *H.R. 1301* , under a suspension of the rules on Monday, September 12. A suspension of the rules is a legislative procedure used to quickly pass non-controversial bills. >> >> Speaking at the New England Division Convention on September 10 in Massachusetts, ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, expressed confidence that the bill would pass the House, but said the legislation would face additional hurdles in the US Senate. >> >> In July, an amended version of the bill received a unanimous favorable report from members of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee. Before reporting the bill out of committee, the panel first voted to accept the amended language ?in the nature of a substitute.? Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI (R-OR), who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee?s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, said the substitute bill represented ?a good balance? following months of meetings, hard work, and compromise, and he recommended the measure to his colleagues. >> >> ?The amendment guarantees that even in deed-restricted communities, Amateur Radio operators are able to use an effective outdoor antenna,? Walden said. ?Without an effective antenna Amateur Radio operators are severely limited, so this amendment ensures that amateurs are free to pursue their passion wherever they live.? >> >> In June, the ARRL and the Community Associations Institute (CAI ) ? the national association of homeowners associations (HOAs) ? announced that they had reached consensus on rhw substitute language for H.R. 1301 in an effort to move the bill through committee and to overcome objections to the companion US Senate bill,S. 1685 . >> >> For *more information* on H.R. 1301, visit the ARRL website. >> http://www.arrl.org/news/us-house-to-act-on-amateur-radio-parity-act-bill-h-r-1301 >> > From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Sep 13 16:32:25 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2016 16:32:25 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ARRL Request to Contact Your US Senators Supporting the Amateur Radio Parity Act In-Reply-To: <20160913194920.544FC201F8DC@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20160913194920.544FC201F8DC@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: Dear ARRL member, I am writing to you today because we are at a crossroad in our efforts to obtain passage of /The Amateur Radio Parity Act./ Our legislative efforts scored a major victory in our campaign when /The Amateur Radio Parity Act/, H.R. 1301, passed in the House of Representatives yesterday, September 12^th .The legislation now moves to the Senate, where we need every Senator to approve the bill. You are one of over 730,000 licensed Amateur Radio Operators living in the United States.Many of you already live in deed-restricted communities, and that number grows daily. NOW IS THE TIME FOR ALL HAMS TO GET INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS! ?If you want to have effective outdoor antennas but are not currently allowed to do so by your Home Owner?s Association, SEND THESE EMAILS TODAY!! ?If you already have outdoor antennas, but want to support your fellow hams, SEND THESE EMAILS TODAY!! ?If you want to preserve your ability to install effective outdoor antennas on property that you own, SEND THESE EMAILS TODAY!! We need you to reach out to your Senators TODAY!*Right away*. Help us in the effort.Please go to this linked website and follow the prompts: https://arrl.rallycongress.net/ctas/urge-senate-to-support-amateur-radio-parity-act Thank you. 73, Rick - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Rick Roderick, K5UR President ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio^? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ABOUT THIS E-MAIL This e-mail was sent by ARRL, and contains timely information of importance to radio amateurs. It was sent by ARRL to current members. Your email address was not shared with any third party. ^ Logo From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Sep 14 08:01:34 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2016 08:01:34 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Amateur Radio Parity Act Passes in the US House of Representativ Message-ID: Amateur Radio Parity Act Passes in the US House of Representatives! 09/14/2016 /?The bill is passed without objection.?/ With those words, Amateur Radio history was made on September 12, when the US House of Representatives *approved* the Amateur Radio Parity Act, *H.R. 1301* on a voice vote under a suspension of the rules. The focus of the campaign to enact the legislation into law now shifts to the US Senate. The House victory culminated many years of effort on ARRL?s part to gain legislation that would enable radio amateurs living in deed-restricted communities to erect antennas that support Amateur Radio communication. The measure calls on the FCC to amend its Part 97 rules ?to prohibit the application to amateur stations of certain private land-use restrictions, and for other purposes.? While similar bills in past years gained some traction on Capitol Hill, it was not until the overwhelming grassroots support from the Amateur Radio community for H.R. 1301 shepherded by ARRL that a bill made it this far. The legislation faces significant obstacles to passage in the US Senate, however. ?This is huge step in our effort to enact legislation that will allow radio amateurs who live in deed-restricted communities the ability to construct an effective outdoor antenna,? ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, said. ?Thanks to everyone for their help in this effort thus far. Now we must turn our full attention to getting the bill passed in the Senate.? ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, who chairs the ARRL Board?s Legislative Advocacy Committee, has been heavily involved in efforts to move H.R. 1301 forward. ?This has been a multiyear effort that is finally seeing some light,? he said. ?The passage of the bill in the House is a major accomplishment, due to the hard work of so many ? from the rank-and-file member to the officers and directors.? Lisenco said it?s not a time to rest on our laurels. ?We are only halfway there. The focus now shifts to our effort in the Senate,? he said. ?We are beginning a massive e-mail campaign in which we need every member to write their two Senators using our simplified process. You will be hearing from President Roderick and from your Directors, asking you to go to our ?*Rally Congress* ? page. Using your ZIP code, e-mails will be generated much like our recent letter campaign. You?ll fill in your name and address and press Enter. The e-mails will be sent directly to your Senators without you having to search through their websites.? Lisenco said getting these e-mails to members? Senators is a critical part of the process. ?Those numbers matter! Please help us help you by participating in this effort,? he said. As the *amended bill* provides, ?Community associations should fairly administer private land-use regulations in the interest of their communities, while nevertheless permitting the installation and maintenance of effective outdoor Amateur Radio antennas. There exist antenna designs and installations that can be consistent with the aesthetics and physical characteristics of land and structures in community associations while accommodating communications in the Amateur Radio services.? During this week?s limited debate, the House bill?s sponsor, Rep Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), thanked ARRL and the Community Associations Institute (CAI) for reaching an agreement to move the bill forward ?in a bipartisan and very positive manner.? He pointed out to his colleagues that Amateur Radio antennas are prohibited outright in some areas. ?For some this is merely a nuisance,? Kinzinger said, ?but for others ? those that use their Amateur Radio license for life-saving emergency communications ? a dangerous situation can be created by limiting their ability to establish effective communication for those in need.? Kinzinger said that in emergencies, hams can provide ?a vital and life-saving function? when conventional communication systems are down. He also praised the Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS), a US Department of Defense-sponsored program, comprised largely of Amateur Radio volunteers, that also supports communication during emergencies and disasters. Cosponsor US Rep Joe Courtney (D-CT) also urged the bill?s passage. ?This is not just a feel-good bill,? Courtney said, recounting how Hurricane Sandy brought down the power grid, and ?we saw all the advanced communications we take for granted?completely fall by the wayside.? Ham radio volunteers provided real-time communication in the storm?s wake, he said, saying the legislation was a way ?to rebalance things? for radio amateurs who choose to live in deed-restricted neighborhoods by enabling them to install ?non-intrusive antennas.? Courtney noted that he spoke recently with FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, and said that Wheeler ?strongly supports this legislation.? Leading up to the vote, Rep Paul Tonko (D-NY) also spoke in support of the legislation, calling it a commonsense approach that would build ?fairness into the equation for Amateur Radio operators? in dealing with homeowners associations. The earlier U.S. Senate version of the Amateur Radio Parity Act, S. 1685, no longer is in play, and the Senate is expected to vote by unanimous consent on the version of H.R. 1301 that was adopted by the House on September 12. http://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-parity-act-passes-in-the-us-house-of-representatives From k.siwiak at ieee.org Thu Sep 15 17:54:02 2016 From: k.siwiak at ieee.org (Kai Siwiak) Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2016 17:54:02 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Fwd: The ARRL Letter for September 15, 2016 In-Reply-To: <20160915210745.847A7204DE63@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20160915210745.847A7204DE63@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <13e6d19c-1638-7d6a-26bc-5bf74806c979@ieee.org> Check out : * Amateur Radio Parity Act Passes in the US House of Representatives! <#toc01> No there yet - needs to pass the Senate too! Kai, KE4PT -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: The ARRL Letter for September 15, 2016 Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2016 17:07:45 -0400 (EDT) From: ARRL Web site To: ke4pt at amsat.org Preview If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-09-15 The ARRL Letter September 15, 2016 Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME ARRL Home Page /ARRL Letter/ Archive Audio News Ad * Amateur Radio Parity Act Passes in the US House of Representatives! <#toc01> * Higher Bands Will Pick Up this Fall, Data Suggest Smaller Solar Cycles Lie Ahead <#toc02> * Lunar-Orbiting Ham Radio Satellite Could Result from NASA Cube Quest Challenge <#toc03> * The Doctor Will See You Now! <#toc04> * National Parks on the Air Update <#toc05> * ARDF Team USA Enjoys Success in Bulgaria <#toc06> * ARRL Honors Veteran Section Manager Upon Her Retirement <#toc07> * Radio Club of America Announces 2016 Awards, Fellows <#toc08> * In Brief... <#toc09> * The K7RA Solar Update <#toc10> * Just Ahead in Radiosport <#toc11> * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions <#toc12> Amateur Radio Parity Act Passes in the US House of Representatives! /"The bill is passed without objection."/ With those words, Amateur Radio history was made on September 12, when the US House of Representatives approved the Amateur Radio Parity Act, H.R. 1301 on a voice vote under a suspension of the rules. The focus of the campaign to enact the legislation into law now shifts to the US Senate. The House victory culminated many years of effort on ARRL's part to gain legislation that would enable radio amateurs living in deed-restricted communities to erect antennas that support Amateur Radio communication. The measure calls on the FCC to amend its Part 97 rules "to prohibit the application to amateur stations of certain private land-use restrictions, and for other purposes." While similar bills in past years gained some traction on Capitol Hill, it was not until the overwhelming grassroots support from the Amateur Radio community for H.R. 1301 shepherded by ARRL that a bill made it this far. The legislation faces significant obstacles to passage in the US Senate, however. "This is huge step in our effort to enact legislation that will allow radio amateurs who live in deed-restricted communities the ability to construct an effective outdoor antenna," ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, said. "Thanks to everyone for their help in this effort thus far. Now we must turn our full attention to getting the bill passed in the Senate." *ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, during one of his many visits to Capitol Hill. [Kay Craigie, N3KN, photo]* ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, who chairs the ARRL Board's Legislative Advocacy Committee, has been heavily involved in efforts to move H.R. 1301 forward. "This has been a multi-year effort that is finally seeing some light," he said. "The passage of the bill in the House is a major accomplishment, due to the hard work of so many -- from the rank-and-file member to the officers and directors." Lisenco said it's not a time to rest on our laurels. "We are only halfway there. The focus now shifts to our effort in the Senate," he said. "We are beginning a massive e-mail campaign in which we need every member to write their two Senators using our simplified process. You will be hearing from President Roderick and from your Directors, asking you to go to our Rally Congress page. Using your ZIP code, e-mails will be generated much like our recent letter campaign. You'll fill in your name and address and press Enter. The e-mails will be sent directly to your Senators without you having to search through their websites." Lisenco said getting these e-mails to members' Senators is a critical part of the process. "Those numbers matter! Please help us help you by participating in this effort," he said. As the amended bill provides, "Community associations should fairly administer private land-use regulations in the interest of their communities, while nevertheless permitting the installation and maintenance of effective outdoor Amateur Radio antennas. There exist antenna designs and installations that can be consistent with the aesthetics and physical characteristics of land and structures in community associations while accommodating communications in the Amateur Radio services." /Limited Debate/ *H.R. 1301 Sponsor Rep Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) spoke to support his bill on September 12. [C-Span video clip]* During this week's limited debate, the House bill's sponsor, Rep Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), thanked ARRL and the Community Associations Institute (CAI) for reaching an agreement to move the bill forward "in a bipartisan and very positive manner." He pointed out to his colleagues that Amateur Radio antennas are prohibited outright in some areas. "For some this is merely a nuisance," Kinzinger said, "but for others -- those that use their Amateur Radio license for life-saving emergency communications -- a dangerous situation can be created by limiting their ability to establish effective communication for those in need." Kinzinger said that in emergencies, hams can provide "a vital and life-saving function" when conventional communication systems are down. He also praised the Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS), a US Department of Defense-sponsored program, comprised largely of Amateur Radio volunteers, that also supports communication during emergencies and disasters. *H.R. 1301 cosponsor Rep Joe Courtney (D-CT) said the bill would "rebalance things" for hams living in deed-restricted neighborhoods. [C-Span video clip]* Cosponsor US Rep Joe Courtney (D-CT) also urged the bill's passage. "This is not just a feel-good bill," Courtney said, recounting how Hurricane Sandy brought down the power grid, and "we saw all the advanced communications we take for granted...completely fall by the wayside." Ham radio volunteers provided real-time communication in the storm's wake, he said, saying the legislation was a way "to rebalance things" for radio amateurs who choose to live in deed-restricted neighborhoods by enabling them to install "non-intrusive antennas." Courtney noted that he spoke recently with FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, and said that Wheeler "strongly supports this legislation." Leading up to the vote, Rep Paul Tonko (D-NY) also spoke in support of the legislation, calling it a common-sense approach that would build "fairness into the equation for Amateur Radio operators" in dealing with homeowners associations. The earlier U.S. Senate version of the Amateur Radio Parity Act, S. 1685, no longer is in play, and the Senate is expected to vote by unanimous consent on the version of H.R. 1301 that the House adopted on September 12. Higher Bands Will Pick Up this Fall, Data Suggest Smaller Solar Cycles Lie Ahead Propagation guru Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, says that, while conditions on 12 and 10 meters will pick up as they always do in the fall, F_2 propagation on those bands will decline thereafter, with only sporadic E during the summer months as a possible saving grace. On the other hand, the lower bands -- 160, 80, and 40 meters -- should be good going forward, and 20 and 17 meters will be the mainstays of daylight HF propagation. Luetzelschwab offered these observations during an August 23 World Wide Radio Operators Foundation (WWROF )-sponsored webinar "Solar Topics -- Where We're Headed." He said data suggest that Solar Cycle 24, the current solar cycle, will bottom out in 2020, and he advised that radio amateurs may need to lower their expectations on the higher bands (and 6 meters) looking beyond that. *Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA.* "I think the only conclusion we can make with some confidence is that we are headed for some small cycles," he told his audience. He cited various evidence related to the Sun's polar fields -- which appear to be decreasing in strength, A index trends, and cosmic ray data to support his assertion. Luetzelschwab cautioned, however, that past performance does not necessarily predict future performance. "There seems to be a good correlation between how long a solar minimum is and the next solar cycle," said Luetzelschwab. "The longer you spend at solar minimum, the smaller the next cycle." He observed that hams active since the 1950s and 1960s have experienced short inter-cycle solar minimums of approximately 2 years, until the one between Solar Cycle 23 and Solar Cycle 24, which lasted about 4 years. He also allowed that the science is not fully understood, and that some things appearing to be patterns may just be coincidences. On the other hand, he said, it looks like the downward trend of disappearing sunspots has leveled off, suggesting that Solar Cycle 25 may see a lower smoothed sunspot number as opposed to zero or near-zero sunspots. Counting those sunspots can be a subjective business. "That's a tough job," he said of the task, noting that it appears observer bias also has been a factor over the years, affecting historical sunspot data. "We now have new corrected data that are believed to be more accurate." *A chart of 10.7 centimeter solar flux from 2000 to 2016. [NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center graphic]* Luetzelschwab's article "The New Sunspot Numbers," appearing in the October issue of /QST/, discusses the new sunspot numbers. Luetzelschwab cited historical sunspot cycle data going back centuries -- including the "Maunder Minimum" of zero and near-zero sunspots between the years 1645 and 1715 and a later, less-drastic "Dalton Minimum." He pointed out that over the last 11,000 years, 19 notable grand maximums -- including Solar Cycle 19 and the cycles around it -- and 27 notable grand minimums were recorded. "We're likely to have more of both grand maximums and grand minimums in the future," he predicted. The current system of numbering sunspot cycles begins with Solar Cycle 1 in the mid-18th century. "We don't fully understand the process inside the Sun that makes solar cycles," Luetzelschwab said. "Thus, you should exercise caution with statements seen in the news." Lunar-Orbiting Ham Radio Satellite Could Result from NASA Cube Quest Challenge A NASA Cube Quest Challenge (CQC ) team partnered with AMSAT-NA is among the five CQC teams to receive $20,000 each from the space agency as part of a competition that could lead to a lunar-orbiting Amateur Radio satellite. The Ragnarok Industries Nano-Satellite Company team, comprised of former NASA Goddard Space Flight Center PhD engineering interns, is designing the 6-unit (6U) /Heimdallr/ CubeSat to test advanced propulsion and communication technologies for lunar and deep-space missions. AMSAT would develop the 5 GHz uplink/10 GHz downlink -- the so-called "five and dime" paradigm -- Phase 5 Amateur Radio transponder for the spacecraft, and AMSAT's Ground Terminal initiative is supporting the effort. The /Heimdallr/ team was among five teams to score highest in the first of four "ground tournaments" (GT-1) making up the initial phase of the $5 million CQC, although it missed out on another $30,000, because it was not among the top scorers in the second ground tournament. The three teams with the highest total cumulative scores will be offered rides as secondary payloads on the first Space Launch System mission/Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) in 2018. "Cube Quest is an opportunity for non-government CubeSat developers and builders to compete in lunar orbit and deep space for accomplishments in communications, navigation, and longevity," said CQC Competition Manager Jim Cockrell of NASA's Ames Research Center. Cockrell likened a ground tournament to a "mission concept review," where teams present initial spacecraft designs, and no hardware is involved. AMSAT P5 Project Manager Howie DeFelice, AB2S, said that at the end of the SLS mission, AMSAT would take control of the satellite and operate it in lunar orbit. "This will be AMSAT's first P5 satellite," DeFelice said. "It will also be the most advanced satellite since AO-40, even though it will be smaller than AO-10 and AO-13. At 6U it will be about the size of two reams of paper stacked together." DeFelice said Ragnarok is in the running for a launch, "but it is very competitive, and we are underdogs." The ultimate goal of the competition is to send CubeSats into lunar orbit or deep space. NASA is offering a total of $3 million in prizes in the "Lunar Derby" portion of the competition -- both for being able to enter lunar orbit and to meet communication and longevity goals. *Successful projects would go into space as secondary payloads on the first Space Launch System mission/Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) in 2018 [NASA graphic]* The /Heimdallr/ satellite -- named for a Norse deity -- plans to test advanced propulsion and communication technology. According to information filed for International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Satellite Frequency Coordination , /Heimdallr/ would be a 3-axis stabilized 6U CubeSat weighing approximately 8 kg. It would have a cold-gas thruster and a star tracker for navigation. Deployable, gimbaled solar panels would produce up to 100 W of dc power. Electric propulsion will be used to achieve lunar orbit. The onboard communication gear would use a combination of omnidirectional and directional patch antennas on one side of the spacecraft. The first part of the /Heimdallr/ mission is to provide telemetry, tracking, and command to obtain lunar orbit, the second is the data downlink experiment, and the final component is to provide a two-way regenerative repeater and analog repeater in lunar orbit for the lifetime of the satellite. The omnidirectional, directional, and analog transponders would downlink in the 10 GHz band, while the uplinks would be in the vicinity of 5.6 GHz. "/Heimdallr/ will feature non-volatile and non-energetic electric propulsion to reach lunar orbit," Ragnarok Industries explains on its website. "By not having a pressurized vessel nor carrying dangerous chemicals, /Heimdallr/ will be one of the safest 6U CubeSats" aboard NASA's EM-1 Mission in 2018. Ad The Doctor Will See You Now! "Coaxial Connectors" is the topic of the current (September 8) episode of the "ARRL The Doctor is In " podcast. Listen...and learn! Sponsored by DX Engineering , "ARRL The Doctor is In" is an informative discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like! Every 2 weeks, your host, /QST/ Editor in Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of technical topics. You can also e-mail your questions to doctor at arrl.org , and the Doctor may answer them in a future podcast. Enjoy "ARRL The Doctor is In" on Apple iTunes , or by using your iPhone or iPad podcast app (just search for "ARRL The Doctor is In"). You can also listen online at Blubrry , or at Stitcher (free registration required, or browse the site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or Android devices. If you've never listened to a podcast before, download our beginner's guide . Just ahead on September 22: "Coping with the Solar Minimum." National Parks on the Air Update Two radio amateurs are putting on a real back-country adventure for ARRL's National Parks on the Air (NPOTA ) program. Dave Swanson, KG5CCI, and Wyatt Dirks, AC0RA, will be backpacking their way across the Channel Islands National Park (NP11) over the September 16-18 weekend. Their primary goal is to give out the park unit, along with the rare CM93 grid square, on Amateur Radio satellites. The team will also have QRP HF and VHF/UHF terrestrial gear. Swanson and Dirks both have extensive experience working the satellites under portable conditions and have secured the special event call sign K6R for their expedition. Detailed information is on the K6R QRZ.com page. Thirty-eight other activations will take place between September 15-21, including Saint Croix Island International Historic Site in Maine, and the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota. 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). ARDF Team USA Enjoys Success in Bulgaria Fifteen of the best on-foot hidden transmitter hunters in the US are back home after picking up seven medals in the 18th World Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) Championships and World Cup events in Bulgaria. As reported in /The ARRL Letter/ for September 1, Vadim Afonkin, KB1RLI, of Massachusetts, earned a bronze medal in the M40 class of the 80 meter classic event during the ARDF World Cup, an optional competition for individuals that preceded the Championships. Alla Mezhevaya of Illinois won silver in the World Cup 2 meter classic competition in the W35 class. In the September 1 World Cup sprint event, Afonkin took gold in the M40 category, while Team USA Captain Ruth Bromer, WB4QZG, of North Carolina, took bronze in the W60 category. The next day, she won a second bronze medal in the foxoring event. On September 8 during the World Championship events for national teams, Afonkin won an individual bronze medal on a 5.85 kilometer 2 meter classic course, finishing in 1:11:52. Bromer and Karla Leach, KC7BLA, took home a team bronze medal that same day in the W60 category, on a 4.25 kilometer 80 meter classic course. More than 400 competitors representing 39 nations took to the courses near Varna, a popular resort on the Black Sea coast. Competitors were divided into six age categories for men and five for women, in accordance with rules established by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU ). Team USA team members included nine men and six women from eight states, ranging in age from 26 to 74. They qualified for the team owing to their excellent performance in the 2016 USA ARDF Championships in Texas and the 2015 USA ARDF Championships in Colorado. Visit the Homing In website of ARRL Amateur Radio Direction Finding Coordinator Joe Moell, K0OV, for more information on ARDF. -- Read more . Ad ARRL Honors Veteran Section Manager Upon Her Retirement Retiring ARRL Connecticut Section Manager Betsey Doane, K1EIC, was honored on September 10 at the New England Division Convention in Boxboro, Massachusetts, for her many years of service. At the Convention's ARRL Forum, New England Division Director Tom Frenaye, K1KI, presented a plaque to Doane, who is believed to be the dean of the current roster of Section Managers by dint of her 25 years of continuous service in that post. She decided this year not to seek another term of office. *ARRL New England Division Director Tom Frenaye, K1KI, presents a plaque to outgoing Connecticut SM Betsey Doane, K1EIC. [Rick Lindquist, WW1ME, photo]* "Betsey has been a true pleasure to work with over the years she has been Section Manager," Frenaye said afterward. "She seems to know almost every ham in Connecticut and usually has a story to tell about them. As a former professor, she knows how to work with students and volunteers and developed a great Field Organization team. I know she'll continue to contribute after she retires." Doane was first appointed as Connecticut's SM in December 1991, after the resignation of Caesar Rondina, N1DCS. She has been elected and re-elected as Connecticut Section Manager continuously ever since. Her current term of office concludes on September 30, and Chuck Motes, K1DFS, will succeed her. Doane said she has enjoyed her time as SM. Doane's plaque -- in print and in Braille -- recognizes her "25 years of dedicated and honorable service" as Connecticut SM. Frenaye and New England Vice Director Mike Raisbeck, K1TWF, signed the plaque. In addition to her quarter-century as Connecticut SM, Doane served the ARRL Field Organization as Connecticut Section Traffic Manager from 1982 through 1991. She has remained very active in the ARRL National Traffic System^? and especially in the NTS^? Eastern Area. She is currently daytime cycle manager of the First Region Net. She continues to hold an appointment as an Official Relay Station and has been an ORS for nearly as long as she has been a radio amateur. Betsey Doane and her twin sister Barb Lombardi, K1EIR, were licensed in 1958, and both began handling message traffic soon after. She has been an Official Emergency Station since April 2010. Doane not only has the longest tenure among current SMs, she is in the Top 5 of all SMs and SCMs (Section Communication Managers) past and present in terms of years of service, ARRL Field Organization Team Supervisor Steve Ewald, WV1X, said. (The SCM/SM with the longest tenure in recent ARRL history was Bob Summers, K0BXF [SK], who headed the Kansas Section for 40 years -- from 1965 until 1995.) Radio Club of America Announces 2016 Awards, Fellows Several radio amateurs were among the 2016 Radio Club of America (RCA ) award recipients and Fellows. Winners will be honored at RCA's 107th Banquet & Awards Presentation on November 18 in New York City. The awards spotlight outstanding achievements in the field of wireless communication. The 2016 award winners are: *Armstrong Medal:* Morgan E. O'Brien for outstanding achievement and lasting contributions to the radio arts and sciences and wireless communication. *Sarnoff Citation:* William T. Murphy, W0RSJ, for exceptional contributions of a technical or non-technical nature to the advancement of electronic communication. *Lifetime Achievement Award:* Joseph H. Taylor, K1JT, recognizing his significant achievements and a major body of work accomplished over a lifetime that has advanced the art and science of radio and wireless technology. *Henri Busignies Memorial Award:* Mischa Schwartz for achievements in the field of communication equipment and contributions to the advancement of electronics for the benefit of humanity. *Fred M. Link Award:* Dan Clark, W9VV, for notable achievements in land mobile radio communication. *Barry Goldwater Amateur Radio Award:* Stanley Reubenstein, WA6RNU, for unique contributions to the field of Amateur Radio. *Edgar F. Johnson Pioneer Award:* John S. Oblak, in recognition of noteworthy contributions to the success of RCA or to the radio industry. *Ralph Batcher Memorial Award:* Marc F. Ellis, N9EWJ, for significant work in preserving the history of radio and electronic communication. *Frank A. Gunther Award:* Robert A. Rude, K0RAR, for his dedication to the field of military communication. *Vivian A. Carr Award:* Mercy S. Contreras, to recognize outstanding achievements by a woman in the wireless industry. *President's Award:* John E. Dettra Jr, WB4NBF, for unselfish dedication to the work of the Radio Club of America. Elevation to Fellow is made by nomination only to members in good standing for at least the previous 5 years and whose contributions to the art and science of radio communication, broadcasting, or the Radio Club of America are deemed outstanding. The 2016 RCA Fellows are Robert J. Hobday, N2EVG*; *James H. Kreuzer, N2GHD*; *Robert E. LaRose, W6ACU; W. Brent Lee; Andrew C. Maxymillian; Stephanie McCall; Thomas L. Morrow; Edward F. O'Connor; Sandra J. Wendelken, and Walt Stinson, W0CP, a former ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Director. In Brief... *Former Radio Amateurs of Canada President Patrick Doherty, VE3PD, SK:* Past Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC ) President Patrick G. Doherty, VE3PD, of Murillo, Ontario, died on September 5. He was 81. Doherty was licensed in 1974 and enjoyed taking ham radio along on trips to such disparate locations as Siberia and the South Pacific. /-- Thanks to Lee Hatfield, K2HAT / *RadFxSat/Fox-1B Launch Set for March 2017:* AMSAT has announced that the launch of RadFxSat/Fox-1B has been rescheduled for March 16, 2017. RadFxSat will ride as one of the NASA Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa ) XIV secondary payloads aboard a NASA Delta II launch from Vandenberg AFB in California. The RadFxSat mission is a partnership with Vanderbilt Institute for Space and Defense Electronics (ISDE) that will study space radiation effects on commercial off-the-shelf memory. The experiments are carried aboard the AMSAT Fox-1B CubeSat, and experiment data will be transmitted via the sub-audible telemetry stream of the Fox-1B FM repeater along with the CubeSat telemetry data. The telemetry can be decoded and displayed with the AMSAT /FoxTelem/ software./-- Thanks to AMSAT News Service via AMSAT Vice President-Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY/ Ad The K7RA Solar Update Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Over the September 8-14 reporting week, the average daily sunspot number rose from 46.4 to 50.1, and average daily solar flux declined from 95.1 to 88.9. This is just the opposite of what occurred the previous week, when sunspot numbers declined and solar flux rose. Normally, we would expect solar flux and sunspot numbers to track one another. Geomagnetic indicators were very quiet, with the average daily planetary A index declining from 26.6 to 6.7, and the mid-latitude A index dipping from 18.1 to 6.1. The latest NOAA/USAF forecast has solar flux at 85 on September 15-17; 80 on September 18-19; 75 on September 20-24; 72, 78, and 80 on September 25-27; 78 on September 28-30; 82 on October 1-2; 80 on October 3-7; 82, 86, and 82 on October 8-10; 80 on October 11-12; 75 on October 13-14; 70 on October 15-16, and 75 on October 17-21. Predicted planetary A index is 8 on September 15-17; 5, 18, 20, 12, and 10 on September 18-22; 5 on September 23-25; 15, 8, 38, 40, and 42 on September 26-30; 30, 18, 15, 12, and 10 on October 1-5; 5 on October 6-8; 15 on October 9; 8 on October 10-11; 5 on October 12-13; 12 on October 14-16; 15 and 10 on October 17-18, and 5 on October 18-22. Sunspot numbers for September 8 through 14 were 49, 65, 66, 63, 57, 27, and 24, with a mean of 46.4. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 94.5, 91, 93, 86.4, 86.5, 86, and 85.2, with a mean of 95.1. Estimated planetary A indices were 14, 5, 5, 4, 6, 5, and 8, with a mean of 26.6. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 12, 6, 4, 3, 6, 4, and 8, with a mean of 18.1. This weekly Solar Update is a preview of the Propagation Bulletin issued each Friday. The latest bulletin and an archive of past propagation bulletins is on the ARRL website. Send me your reports and observations. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- . . . . . . . -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just Ahead in Radiosport * September 16 -- AGB NEMIGA Contest (CW, phone, digital) * September 17 -- QRP Afield (CW, phone, digital) * September 17 -- Feld Hell Sprint * September 17-18 -- ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest (CW, phone, digital) * September 17-18 -- SARL VHF/UHF Contest (CW, phone, digital) * September 17-18 -- All Africa International DX Contest (CW, phone, digital) * September 17-18 -- Scandinavian Activity Contest (CW) * September 17-18 -- New Jersey QSO Party (CW, phone) * September 17-18 -- New Hampshire QSO Party (CW, phone, digital) * September 17-18 -- Washington State Salmon Run (CW, phone, digital) * September 18 -- North American Sprint (RTTY) * September 18 -- BARTG Sprint 75 * September 19 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW) * September 19 -- 144 MHz Fall Sprint (CW, phone) * September 22 -- NAQCC CW Sprint 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 * September 16-17 -- W9DXCC Convention , Schaumburg, Illinois * September 16-18 -- ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference , St Petersburg, Florida * September 17-18 -- Illinois State Convention , Peoria, Illinois * September 23-24 -- W4DXCC Convention , Pigeon Forge, Tennessee * September 24 -- San Joaquin Valley Section Convention , Modesto, California * September 24 -- North Dakota State Convention , West Fargo, North Dakota * September 24 -- Washington State Convention , Spokane Valley, Washington * October 7-8 -- Florida State Convention , Melbourne, Florida * October 7-8 -- Pacific Northwest VHF Conference , Bend, Oregon * October 13-15 -- Microwave Update Conference , St Louis, Missouri * October 14-16 -- Pacific Division Convention , San Ramon, California * October 16 -- Connecticut State Convention , Meriden, Connecticut * October 21-22 -- Arizona State Convention , Maricopa, Arizona * October 22 -- Wisconsin ARES/RACES Conference , Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin * November 5 -- TechFest Convention , Lakewood, Colorado * November 5-6 -- Georgia State Convention , Lawrenceville, Georgia * November 12-13 -- Indiana State Convention , Fort Wayne, Indiana * November 19 -- Alabama State Convention , Montgomery, Alabama Find conventions and hamfests in your area . -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *ARRL *-- *Your One-Stop Resource for * *Amateur Radio News and Information*. . . * Join or Renew Today! 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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 Thu Sep 15 17:55:12 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2016 17:55:12 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Letter for September 15, 2016 In-Reply-To: <20160915214410.45D062010852@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20160915214410.45D062010852@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <63a1559b-428e-41d6-f9c6-9f7c41904090@bellsouth.net> Preview If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-09-15 The ARRL Letter September 15, 2016 Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME ARRL Home Page /ARRL Letter/ Archive Audio News Ad * Amateur Radio Parity Act Passes in the US House of Representatives! <#toc01> * Higher Bands Will Pick Up this Fall, Data Suggest Smaller Solar Cycles Lie Ahead <#toc02> * Lunar-Orbiting Ham Radio Satellite Could Result from NASA Cube Quest Challenge <#toc03> * The Doctor Will See You Now! <#toc04> * National Parks on the Air Update <#toc05> * ARDF Team USA Enjoys Success in Bulgaria <#toc06> * ARRL Honors Veteran Section Manager Upon Her Retirement <#toc07> * Radio Club of America Announces 2016 Awards, Fellows <#toc08> * In Brief... <#toc09> * The K7RA Solar Update <#toc10> * Just Ahead in Radiosport <#toc11> * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions <#toc12> Amateur Radio Parity Act Passes in the US House of Representatives! /"The bill is passed without objection."/ With those words, Amateur Radio history was made on September 12, when the US House of Representatives approved the Amateur Radio Parity Act, H.R. 1301 on a voice vote under a suspension of the rules. The focus of the campaign to enact the legislation into law now shifts to the US Senate. The House victory culminated many years of effort on ARRL's part to gain legislation that would enable radio amateurs living in deed-restricted communities to erect antennas that support Amateur Radio communication. The measure calls on the FCC to amend its Part 97 rules "to prohibit the application to amateur stations of certain private land-use restrictions, and for other purposes." While similar bills in past years gained some traction on Capitol Hill, it was not until the overwhelming grassroots support from the Amateur Radio community for H.R. 1301 shepherded by ARRL that a bill made it this far. The legislation faces significant obstacles to passage in the US Senate, however. "This is huge step in our effort to enact legislation that will allow radio amateurs who live in deed-restricted communities the ability to construct an effective outdoor antenna," ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, said. "Thanks to everyone for their help in this effort thus far. Now we must turn our full attention to getting the bill passed in the Senate." *ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, during one of his many visits to Capitol Hill. [Kay Craigie, N3KN, photo]* ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, who chairs the ARRL Board's Legislative Advocacy Committee, has been heavily involved in efforts to move H.R. 1301 forward. "This has been a multi-year effort that is finally seeing some light," he said. "The passage of the bill in the House is a major accomplishment, due to the hard work of so many -- from the rank-and-file member to the officers and directors." Lisenco said it's not a time to rest on our laurels. "We are only halfway there. The focus now shifts to our effort in the Senate," he said. "We are beginning a massive e-mail campaign in which we need every member to write their two Senators using our simplified process. You will be hearing from President Roderick and from your Directors, asking you to go to our Rally Congress page. Using your ZIP code, e-mails will be generated much like our recent letter campaign. You'll fill in your name and address and press Enter. The e-mails will be sent directly to your Senators without you having to search through their websites." Lisenco said getting these e-mails to members' Senators is a critical part of the process. "Those numbers matter! Please help us help you by participating in this effort," he said. As the amended bill provides, "Community associations should fairly administer private land-use regulations in the interest of their communities, while nevertheless permitting the installation and maintenance of effective outdoor Amateur Radio antennas. There exist antenna designs and installations that can be consistent with the aesthetics and physical characteristics of land and structures in community associations while accommodating communications in the Amateur Radio services." /Limited Debate/ *H.R. 1301 Sponsor Rep Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) spoke to support his bill on September 12. [C-Span video clip]* During this week's limited debate, the House bill's sponsor, Rep Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), thanked ARRL and the Community Associations Institute (CAI) for reaching an agreement to move the bill forward "in a bipartisan and very positive manner." He pointed out to his colleagues that Amateur Radio antennas are prohibited outright in some areas. "For some this is merely a nuisance," Kinzinger said, "but for others -- those that use their Amateur Radio license for life-saving emergency communications -- a dangerous situation can be created by limiting their ability to establish effective communication for those in need." Kinzinger said that in emergencies, hams can provide "a vital and life-saving function" when conventional communication systems are down. He also praised the Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS), a US Department of Defense-sponsored program, comprised largely of Amateur Radio volunteers, that also supports communication during emergencies and disasters. *H.R. 1301 cosponsor Rep Joe Courtney (D-CT) said the bill would "rebalance things" for hams living in deed-restricted neighborhoods. [C-Span video clip]* Cosponsor US Rep Joe Courtney (D-CT) also urged the bill's passage. "This is not just a feel-good bill," Courtney said, recounting how Hurricane Sandy brought down the power grid, and "we saw all the advanced communications we take for granted...completely fall by the wayside." Ham radio volunteers provided real-time communication in the storm's wake, he said, saying the legislation was a way "to rebalance things" for radio amateurs who choose to live in deed-restricted neighborhoods by enabling them to install "non-intrusive antennas." Courtney noted that he spoke recently with FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, and said that Wheeler "strongly supports this legislation." Leading up to the vote, Rep Paul Tonko (D-NY) also spoke in support of the legislation, calling it a common-sense approach that would build "fairness into the equation for Amateur Radio operators" in dealing with homeowners associations. The earlier U.S. Senate version of the Amateur Radio Parity Act, S. 1685, no longer is in play, and the Senate is expected to vote by unanimous consent on the version of H.R. 1301 that the House adopted on September 12. Higher Bands Will Pick Up this Fall, Data Suggest Smaller Solar Cycles Lie Ahead Propagation guru Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, says that, while conditions on 12 and 10 meters will pick up as they always do in the fall, F_2 propagation on those bands will decline thereafter, with only sporadic E during the summer months as a possible saving grace. On the other hand, the lower bands -- 160, 80, and 40 meters -- should be good going forward, and 20 and 17 meters will be the mainstays of daylight HF propagation. Luetzelschwab offered these observations during an August 23 World Wide Radio Operators Foundation (WWROF )-sponsored webinar "Solar Topics -- Where We're Headed." He said data suggest that Solar Cycle 24, the current solar cycle, will bottom out in 2020, and he advised that radio amateurs may need to lower their expectations on the higher bands (and 6 meters) looking beyond that. *Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA.* "I think the only conclusion we can make with some confidence is that we are headed for some small cycles," he told his audience. He cited various evidence related to the Sun's polar fields -- which appear to be decreasing in strength, A index trends, and cosmic ray data to support his assertion. Luetzelschwab cautioned, however, that past performance does not necessarily predict future performance. "There seems to be a good correlation between how long a solar minimum is and the next solar cycle," said Luetzelschwab. "The longer you spend at solar minimum, the smaller the next cycle." He observed that hams active since the 1950s and 1960s have experienced short inter-cycle solar minimums of approximately 2 years, until the one between Solar Cycle 23 and Solar Cycle 24, which lasted about 4 years. He also allowed that the science is not fully understood, and that some things appearing to be patterns may just be coincidences. On the other hand, he said, it looks like the downward trend of disappearing sunspots has leveled off, suggesting that Solar Cycle 25 may see a lower smoothed sunspot number as opposed to zero or near-zero sunspots. Counting those sunspots can be a subjective business. "That's a tough job," he said of the task, noting that it appears observer bias also has been a factor over the years, affecting historical sunspot data. "We now have new corrected data that are believed to be more accurate." *A chart of 10.7 centimeter solar flux from 2000 to 2016. [NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center graphic]* Luetzelschwab's article "The New Sunspot Numbers," appearing in the October issue of /QST/, discusses the new sunspot numbers. Luetzelschwab cited historical sunspot cycle data going back centuries -- including the "Maunder Minimum" of zero and near-zero sunspots between the years 1645 and 1715 and a later, less-drastic "Dalton Minimum." He pointed out that over the last 11,000 years, 19 notable grand maximums -- including Solar Cycle 19 and the cycles around it -- and 27 notable grand minimums were recorded. "We're likely to have more of both grand maximums and grand minimums in the future," he predicted. The current system of numbering sunspot cycles begins with Solar Cycle 1 in the mid-18th century. "We don't fully understand the process inside the Sun that makes solar cycles," Luetzelschwab said. "Thus, you should exercise caution with statements seen in the news." Lunar-Orbiting Ham Radio Satellite Could Result from NASA Cube Quest Challenge A NASA Cube Quest Challenge (CQC ) team partnered with AMSAT-NA is among the five CQC teams to receive $20,000 each from the space agency as part of a competition that could lead to a lunar-orbiting Amateur Radio satellite. The Ragnarok Industries Nano-Satellite Company team, comprised of former NASA Goddard Space Flight Center PhD engineering interns, is designing the 6-unit (6U) /Heimdallr/ CubeSat to test advanced propulsion and communication technologies for lunar and deep-space missions. AMSAT would develop the 5 GHz uplink/10 GHz downlink -- the so-called "five and dime" paradigm -- Phase 5 Amateur Radio transponder for the spacecraft, and AMSAT's Ground Terminal initiative is supporting the effort. The /Heimdallr/ team was among five teams to score highest in the first of four "ground tournaments" (GT-1) making up the initial phase of the $5 million CQC, although it missed out on another $30,000, because it was not among the top scorers in the second ground tournament. The three teams with the highest total cumulative scores will be offered rides as secondary payloads on the first Space Launch System mission/Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) in 2018. "Cube Quest is an opportunity for non-government CubeSat developers and builders to compete in lunar orbit and deep space for accomplishments in communications, navigation, and longevity," said CQC Competition Manager Jim Cockrell of NASA's Ames Research Center. Cockrell likened a ground tournament to a "mission concept review," where teams present initial spacecraft designs, and no hardware is involved. AMSAT P5 Project Manager Howie DeFelice, AB2S, said that at the end of the SLS mission, AMSAT would take control of the satellite and operate it in lunar orbit. "This will be AMSAT's first P5 satellite," DeFelice said. "It will also be the most advanced satellite since AO-40, even though it will be smaller than AO-10 and AO-13. At 6U it will be about the size of two reams of paper stacked together." DeFelice said Ragnarok is in the running for a launch, "but it is very competitive, and we are underdogs." The ultimate goal of the competition is to send CubeSats into lunar orbit or deep space. NASA is offering a total of $3 million in prizes in the "Lunar Derby" portion of the competition -- both for being able to enter lunar orbit and to meet communication and longevity goals. *Successful projects would go into space as secondary payloads on the first Space Launch System mission/Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) in 2018 [NASA graphic]* The /Heimdallr/ satellite -- named for a Norse deity -- plans to test advanced propulsion and communication technology. According to information filed for International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Satellite Frequency Coordination , /Heimdallr/ would be a 3-axis stabilized 6U CubeSat weighing approximately 8 kg. It would have a cold-gas thruster and a star tracker for navigation. Deployable, gimbaled solar panels would produce up to 100 W of dc power. Electric propulsion will be used to achieve lunar orbit. The onboard communication gear would use a combination of omnidirectional and directional patch antennas on one side of the spacecraft. The first part of the /Heimdallr/ mission is to provide telemetry, tracking, and command to obtain lunar orbit, the second is the data downlink experiment, and the final component is to provide a two-way regenerative repeater and analog repeater in lunar orbit for the lifetime of the satellite. The omnidirectional, directional, and analog transponders would downlink in the 10 GHz band, while the uplinks would be in the vicinity of 5.6 GHz. "/Heimdallr/ will feature non-volatile and non-energetic electric propulsion to reach lunar orbit," Ragnarok Industries explains on its website. "By not having a pressurized vessel nor carrying dangerous chemicals, /Heimdallr/ will be one of the safest 6U CubeSats" aboard NASA's EM-1 Mission in 2018. Ad The Doctor Will See You Now! "Coaxial Connectors" is the topic of the current (September 8) episode of the "ARRL The Doctor is In " podcast. Listen...and learn! Sponsored by DX Engineering , "ARRL The Doctor is In" is an informative discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like! Every 2 weeks, your host, /QST/ Editor in Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of technical topics. You can also e-mail your questions to doctor at arrl.org , and the Doctor may answer them in a future podcast. Enjoy "ARRL The Doctor is In" on Apple iTunes , or by using your iPhone or iPad podcast app (just search for "ARRL The Doctor is In"). You can also listen online at Blubrry , or at Stitcher (free registration required, or browse the site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or Android devices. If you've never listened to a podcast before, download our beginner's guide . Just ahead on September 22: "Coping with the Solar Minimum." National Parks on the Air Update Two radio amateurs are putting on a real back-country adventure for ARRL's National Parks on the Air (NPOTA ) program. Dave Swanson, KG5CCI, and Wyatt Dirks, AC0RA, will be backpacking their way across the Channel Islands National Park (NP11) over the September 16-18 weekend. Their primary goal is to give out the park unit, along with the rare CM93 grid square, on Amateur Radio satellites. The team will also have QRP HF and VHF/UHF terrestrial gear. Swanson and Dirks both have extensive experience working the satellites under portable conditions and have secured the special event call sign K6R for their expedition. Detailed information is on the K6R QRZ.com page. Thirty-eight other activations will take place between September 15-21, including Saint Croix Island International Historic Site in Maine, and the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota. 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). ARDF Team USA Enjoys Success in Bulgaria Fifteen of the best on-foot hidden transmitter hunters in the US are back home after picking up seven medals in the 18th World Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) Championships and World Cup events in Bulgaria. As reported in /The ARRL Letter/ for September 1, Vadim Afonkin, KB1RLI, of Massachusetts, earned a bronze medal in the M40 class of the 80 meter classic event during the ARDF World Cup, an optional competition for individuals that preceded the Championships. Alla Mezhevaya of Illinois won silver in the World Cup 2 meter classic competition in the W35 class. In the September 1 World Cup sprint event, Afonkin took gold in the M40 category, while Team USA Captain Ruth Bromer, WB4QZG, of North Carolina, took bronze in the W60 category. The next day, she won a second bronze medal in the foxoring event. On September 8 during the World Championship events for national teams, Afonkin won an individual bronze medal on a 5.85 kilometer 2 meter classic course, finishing in 1:11:52. Bromer and Karla Leach, KC7BLA, took home a team bronze medal that same day in the W60 category, on a 4.25 kilometer 80 meter classic course. More than 400 competitors representing 39 nations took to the courses near Varna, a popular resort on the Black Sea coast. Competitors were divided into six age categories for men and five for women, in accordance with rules established by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU ). Team USA team members included nine men and six women from eight states, ranging in age from 26 to 74. They qualified for the team owing to their excellent performance in the 2016 USA ARDF Championships in Texas and the 2015 USA ARDF Championships in Colorado. Visit the Homing In website of ARRL Amateur Radio Direction Finding Coordinator Joe Moell, K0OV, for more information on ARDF. -- Read more . Ad ARRL Honors Veteran Section Manager Upon Her Retirement Retiring ARRL Connecticut Section Manager Betsey Doane, K1EIC, was honored on September 10 at the New England Division Convention in Boxboro, Massachusetts, for her many years of service. At the Convention's ARRL Forum, New England Division Director Tom Frenaye, K1KI, presented a plaque to Doane, who is believed to be the dean of the current roster of Section Managers by dint of her 25 years of continuous service in that post. She decided this year not to seek another term of office. *ARRL New England Division Director Tom Frenaye, K1KI, presents a plaque to outgoing Connecticut SM Betsey Doane, K1EIC. [Rick Lindquist, WW1ME, photo]* "Betsey has been a true pleasure to work with over the years she has been Section Manager," Frenaye said afterward. "She seems to know almost every ham in Connecticut and usually has a story to tell about them. As a former professor, she knows how to work with students and volunteers and developed a great Field Organization team. I know she'll continue to contribute after she retires." Doane was first appointed as Connecticut's SM in December 1991, after the resignation of Caesar Rondina, N1DCS. She has been elected and re-elected as Connecticut Section Manager continuously ever since. Her current term of office concludes on September 30, and Chuck Motes, K1DFS, will succeed her. Doane said she has enjoyed her time as SM. Doane's plaque -- in print and in Braille -- recognizes her "25 years of dedicated and honorable service" as Connecticut SM. Frenaye and New England Vice Director Mike Raisbeck, K1TWF, signed the plaque. In addition to her quarter-century as Connecticut SM, Doane served the ARRL Field Organization as Connecticut Section Traffic Manager from 1982 through 1991. She has remained very active in the ARRL National Traffic System^? and especially in the NTS^? Eastern Area. She is currently daytime cycle manager of the First Region Net. She continues to hold an appointment as an Official Relay Station and has been an ORS for nearly as long as she has been a radio amateur. Betsey Doane and her twin sister Barb Lombardi, K1EIR, were licensed in 1958, and both began handling message traffic soon after. She has been an Official Emergency Station since April 2010. Doane not only has the longest tenure among current SMs, she is in the Top 5 of all SMs and SCMs (Section Communication Managers) past and present in terms of years of service, ARRL Field Organization Team Supervisor Steve Ewald, WV1X, said. (The SCM/SM with the longest tenure in recent ARRL history was Bob Summers, K0BXF [SK], who headed the Kansas Section for 40 years -- from 1965 until 1995.) Radio Club of America Announces 2016 Awards, Fellows Several radio amateurs were among the 2016 Radio Club of America (RCA ) award recipients and Fellows. Winners will be honored at RCA's 107th Banquet & Awards Presentation on November 18 in New York City. The awards spotlight outstanding achievements in the field of wireless communication. The 2016 award winners are: *Armstrong Medal:* Morgan E. O'Brien for outstanding achievement and lasting contributions to the radio arts and sciences and wireless communication. *Sarnoff Citation:* William T. Murphy, W0RSJ, for exceptional contributions of a technical or non-technical nature to the advancement of electronic communication. *Lifetime Achievement Award:* Joseph H. Taylor, K1JT, recognizing his significant achievements and a major body of work accomplished over a lifetime that has advanced the art and science of radio and wireless technology. *Henri Busignies Memorial Award:* Mischa Schwartz for achievements in the field of communication equipment and contributions to the advancement of electronics for the benefit of humanity. *Fred M. Link Award:* Dan Clark, W9VV, for notable achievements in land mobile radio communication. *Barry Goldwater Amateur Radio Award:* Stanley Reubenstein, WA6RNU, for unique contributions to the field of Amateur Radio. *Edgar F. Johnson Pioneer Award:* John S. Oblak, in recognition of noteworthy contributions to the success of RCA or to the radio industry. *Ralph Batcher Memorial Award:* Marc F. Ellis, N9EWJ, for significant work in preserving the history of radio and electronic communication. *Frank A. Gunther Award:* Robert A. Rude, K0RAR, for his dedication to the field of military communication. *Vivian A. Carr Award:* Mercy S. Contreras, to recognize outstanding achievements by a woman in the wireless industry. *President's Award:* John E. Dettra Jr, WB4NBF, for unselfish dedication to the work of the Radio Club of America. Elevation to Fellow is made by nomination only to members in good standing for at least the previous 5 years and whose contributions to the art and science of radio communication, broadcasting, or the Radio Club of America are deemed outstanding. The 2016 RCA Fellows are Robert J. Hobday, N2EVG*; *James H. Kreuzer, N2GHD*; *Robert E. LaRose, W6ACU; W. Brent Lee; Andrew C. Maxymillian; Stephanie McCall; Thomas L. Morrow; Edward F. O'Connor; Sandra J. Wendelken, and Walt Stinson, W0CP, a former ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Director. In Brief... *Former Radio Amateurs of Canada President Patrick Doherty, VE3PD, SK:* Past Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC ) President Patrick G. Doherty, VE3PD, of Murillo, Ontario, died on September 5. He was 81. Doherty was licensed in 1974 and enjoyed taking ham radio along on trips to such disparate locations as Siberia and the South Pacific. /-- Thanks to Lee Hatfield, K2HAT / *RadFxSat/Fox-1B Launch Set for March 2017:* AMSAT has announced that the launch of RadFxSat/Fox-1B has been rescheduled for March 16, 2017. RadFxSat will ride as one of the NASA Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa ) XIV secondary payloads aboard a NASA Delta II launch from Vandenberg AFB in California. The RadFxSat mission is a partnership with Vanderbilt Institute for Space and Defense Electronics (ISDE) that will study space radiation effects on commercial off-the-shelf memory. The experiments are carried aboard the AMSAT Fox-1B CubeSat, and experiment data will be transmitted via the sub-audible telemetry stream of the Fox-1B FM repeater along with the CubeSat telemetry data. The telemetry can be decoded and displayed with the AMSAT /FoxTelem/ software./-- Thanks to AMSAT News Service via AMSAT Vice President-Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY/ Ad The K7RA Solar Update Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Over the September 8-14 reporting week, the average daily sunspot number rose from 46.4 to 50.1, and average daily solar flux declined from 95.1 to 88.9. This is just the opposite of what occurred the previous week, when sunspot numbers declined and solar flux rose. Normally, we would expect solar flux and sunspot numbers to track one another. Geomagnetic indicators were very quiet, with the average daily planetary A index declining from 26.6 to 6.7, and the mid-latitude A index dipping from 18.1 to 6.1. The latest NOAA/USAF forecast has solar flux at 85 on September 15-17; 80 on September 18-19; 75 on September 20-24; 72, 78, and 80 on September 25-27; 78 on September 28-30; 82 on October 1-2; 80 on October 3-7; 82, 86, and 82 on October 8-10; 80 on October 11-12; 75 on October 13-14; 70 on October 15-16, and 75 on October 17-21. Predicted planetary A index is 8 on September 15-17; 5, 18, 20, 12, and 10 on September 18-22; 5 on September 23-25; 15, 8, 38, 40, and 42 on September 26-30; 30, 18, 15, 12, and 10 on October 1-5; 5 on October 6-8; 15 on October 9; 8 on October 10-11; 5 on October 12-13; 12 on October 14-16; 15 and 10 on October 17-18, and 5 on October 18-22. Sunspot numbers for September 8 through 14 were 49, 65, 66, 63, 57, 27, and 24, with a mean of 46.4. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 94.5, 91, 93, 86.4, 86.5, 86, and 85.2, with a mean of 95.1. Estimated planetary A indices were 14, 5, 5, 4, 6, 5, and 8, with a mean of 26.6. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 12, 6, 4, 3, 6, 4, and 8, with a mean of 18.1. This weekly Solar Update is a preview of the Propagation Bulletin issued each Friday. The latest bulletin and an archive of past propagation bulletins is on the ARRL website. Send me your reports and observations. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ . . . . . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just Ahead in Radiosport * September 16 -- AGB NEMIGA Contest (CW, phone, digital) * September 17 -- QRP Afield (CW, phone, digital) * September 17 -- Feld Hell Sprint * September 17-18 -- ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest (CW, phone, digital) * September 17-18 -- SARL VHF/UHF Contest (CW, phone, digital) * September 17-18 -- All Africa International DX Contest (CW, phone, digital) * September 17-18 -- Scandinavian Activity Contest (CW) * September 17-18 -- New Jersey QSO Party (CW, phone) * September 17-18 -- New Hampshire QSO Party (CW, phone, digital) * September 17-18 -- Washington State Salmon Run (CW, phone, digital) * September 18 -- North American Sprint (RTTY) * September 18 -- BARTG Sprint 75 * September 19 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW) * September 19 -- 144 MHz Fall Sprint (CW, phone) * September 22 -- NAQCC CW Sprint 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 * September 16-17 -- W9DXCC Convention , Schaumburg, Illinois * September 16-18 -- ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference , St Petersburg, Florida * September 17-18 -- Illinois State Convention , Peoria, Illinois * September 23-24 -- W4DXCC Convention , Pigeon Forge, Tennessee * September 24 -- San Joaquin Valley Section Convention , Modesto, California * September 24 -- North Dakota State Convention , West Fargo, North Dakota * September 24 -- Washington State Convention , Spokane Valley, Washington * October 7-8 -- Florida State Convention , Melbourne, Florida * October 7-8 -- Pacific Northwest VHF Conference , Bend, Oregon * October 13-15 -- Microwave Update Conference , St Louis, Missouri * October 14-16 -- Pacific Division Convention , San Ramon, California * October 16 -- Connecticut State Convention , Meriden, Connecticut * October 21-22 -- Arizona State Convention , Maricopa, Arizona * October 22 -- Wisconsin ARES/RACES Conference , Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin * November 5 -- TechFest Convention , Lakewood, Colorado * November 5-6 -- Georgia State Convention , Lawrenceville, Georgia * November 12-13 -- Indiana State Convention , Fort Wayne, Indiana * November 19 -- Alabama State Convention , Montgomery, Alabama Find conventions and hamfests in your area . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *ARRL *-- *Your One-Stop Resource for * *Amateur Radio News and Information*. . . * Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes /QST/ , Amateur Radio's most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month. * Listen to /ARRL Audio News/ , available every Friday. Subscribe to... * /NCJ //-- National Contest Journal/ . Published bi-monthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties. * /QEX/ *//*--/A Forum for Communications Experimenters/ . Published bi-monthly, features technical articles, construction projects, columns, and other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals. Free of charge to ARRL members... * Subscribe to the /ARES E-Letter/ (monthly public service and emergency communications news), the /ARRL Contest Update/(bi-weekly contest newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much more! Find ARRL on Facebook ! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram ! Ad Ad Ad Ad Ad ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 48 times each year. ARRL members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member Data Page as described at http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/. Copyright ? 2016 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved www.arrl.org From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sun Sep 18 07:11:00 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sun, 18 Sep 2016 07:11:00 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Amateur Radio Parity Act In-Reply-To: <20160918033455.329E4208DA9C@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20160918033455.329E4208DA9C@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <1986500d-ae38-20b1-6831-cc866edca215@bellsouth.net> If you haven't already done so, please visit https://arrl.rallycongress.net/ctas/urge-senate-to-support-amateur-radio-parity-act and send letters of support to your Senators. The process only takes a minute or two. Please share the link with others. For those in KP2 and KP4, please contact friends and family on the mainland and ask them to contact their Senators. 73, Doug K4AC -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL Southeastern Division Director: Doug Rehman, K4AC k4ac at arrl.org - From bmarx at bellsouth.net Mon Sep 19 12:13:53 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2016 12:13:53 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] 'Ham-isms' We Should Retire Once and for All - From eHam Message-ID: <220e8d42-8960-7c64-d087-d1f67d132d41@bellsouth.net> 'Ham-isms' We Should Retire Once and for All from Don Keith, N4KC on July 22, 2016 Website: http://www.n4kc.com/ View comments about this article! *?Ham-isms? We Should Retire Once and for All* By Don Keith, N4KC www.donkeith.com www.n4kc.com In my book Get on the Air?NOW! , I identified and tried to help with what I consider to be some of the biggest obstacles that stand in the way of many people who get their Ham tickets but then delay actually getting more deeply involved. These were things that discouraged them from getting on the air and fully experiencing all the various aspects of our hobby. One of those impediments was the jargon, that specialized language that develops among all groups or around most pursuits and that can scare the whey out of newcomers. If you don?t agree that it can faze folks, eavesdrop on conversations involving computer game enthusiasts, antique car restorers, hunters, fishermen, golfers, Makers...or even fellow Amateurs who might have more exotic interests within the hobby than you do. To help new Hams not to be intimidated by the specialized vocabulary of our hobby, I decided to include a ?dictionary? of terms as part of /Get on the Air...NOW! / I had been collecting such a list for years and got busy tracking down as many more as I could find that might buffalo a newly-licensed Amateur. But before I knew it, I had over 1,200 terms, over 1,600 definitions, and hundreds of Internet links, and this did not include many technical terms. I also realized that a surprising number of the terms I found would be new even to old-timers. That is because the hobby constantly evolves and many of us silo ourselves, remaining within our own narrow segment of the hobby. (When I am at hamfests with my books [see you in Nashville in July and Huntsville in August], I often challenge those who proclaim, ?Aw, I?ve been licensed since before they invented AC. I don?t need no Ham Radio dictionary!? I tell them I bet I can stump them within three entries pulled from the book. If I don?t, I?ll give them a free copy they can pass along to someone not so enlightened. I have never gotten past the second term and thus have never had to give away a copy.) I decided to not only include all that jargon in the book but to also publish it separately as /The Amateur Radio Dictionary/ in both small-format paperback and e-book. Frankly, I was surprised nobody had done this before and the sales of the book prove there is a decided need. It also became clear that this would have to be an ongoing effort to keep it updated. Just as with English and other languages, our Ham terminology changes, too. I regularly get suggestions for new terms to include and I openly solicit and encourage such submissions. More prolific contributors will even get their names and callsigns in the book! However, among the new entries contributed also come phrases and lingo that do not necessarily fit into a ?dictionary.? And among them are even some that I personally would like to see disappear altogether. With a few exceptions, I left them out of the book and dictionary simply because I did not want to legitimize them. Thus the reason for this article. I want to de-legitimize them by poking good-natured fun at them! Here, then, are some expressions that I would vote to shuffle off to the scrap heap of the Amateur Radio lexicon. Not in a mean-spirited way, mind you. Some have served their purpose and are ready for a long-overdue rest. Others simply don?t make sense. Others are just plain goofy. And I bet you can come up with plenty more. My favorite ?ham-isms? I?d most like to deep-6: *?If I can hear ?em, I can work ?em.?* Well, excuse me for such a typical ?slacker generation? response, but, ?Duh!? Although I know some guys who try to bluff their way into a QSL by logging some rare DX right off the cluster spot, please explain how you can, in reality, work a station you CAN?T EVEN HEAR! Okay, I know some new digital modes allow copying stations below the noise level that you can?t discern by ear, but you know what I mean. This expression is not even really bragging. The band may be bursting with signals from all over the planet for most people listening in but that ten-penny nail you are using for an antenna only allows you to hear?and make contact with?a precious few. Continue working only what you can hear, but let?s send this nonsensical phrase packing. *?I have destinated.?* The heady days when VHF/UHF operation first put mobile operating within reach of us all inevitably resulted in all sorts of new and creative terms, many coined just to show how clever we all were. How many remember when we first got on the repeater and thought ?full quieting? was a new punk band out of San Francisco? Or ?heard you on reverse split? could have been some totally new kind of RFI best diagnosed by a proctologist? I actually heard a new op come back to the ?destinated? pronouncement with, ?You?ve WHAT?? The response was almost as puzzling to the new Ham: ?I just got to the home QTH so I?m gonna pull the plug, get a cold 807, and see who?s modulatin? on the Goat Stomper Net on 75.? Ahem. Let?s make the ?home QTH? of ?destinated? the dust bin of antiquated Amateur Radio jargon. *?We don?t have propagation today.?* Then I say alert the media! Right now! A basic tenet of physics has ceased to function. Just don?t try to use your cell phone. If there is absolutely NO radio frequency propagation, you see, then a large portion of the media?like broadcast radio and TV?won?t be able to relay the earth-shaking news. Because their signals will not be able to propagate! No, it?s all gone. 20 meters. WiFi. Cell phones. The ?Mutt and Joe Morning Radio Show? on Rock 107. What will we do? Look, you actually may not be able to chew the rag with your buds on 40 because the ionosphere has not been adequately tickled by the sun. But there is, without doubt, some propagation. It may only be lofting your little signal down to the end of the block. Or launching it far out into space beyond the usual layer that refracts such a thing, to a place where only aliens can get the latest update on your wife?s eczema. But, believe me on this. Some kind of propagation is occurring. Let?s stop propagating this dire but patently untrue pronouncement. *?We can have an eyeball at the hamfest.?* I have watched Chef Anthony Bourdain on TV as he happily engorges himself on frog gizzards, duck feet, and roasted roaches. He?s made a career?and a small fortune?eating exotic fare. I have never seen him have an eyeball! I certainly have never seen anyone have an eyeball at a hamfest. Bad hot dogs, gummy fries, and charcoal-crispy brats (Dayton), yes. Okay, I know what this phrase means and you likely do, too. But imagine some potential new Amateur programming in the local repeater channel into his scanner and the very first thing he hears is, ?Yep, we?ll have to have an eyeball. Then we?ll go over to the boneyard and see if we can find some tuning slugs and bleeder resistors.? Yummy! Ours is such a tasty hobby. *?Old man, you?re off frequency.?* I will readily admit that this terminology has become something of a pet peeve for this particular old man. I have it it from someone who answered my CQ. And even once from a station that called me after I wrapped up a nice QSO with another op. ?Old man, N4KC, what frequency you on?? I check my VFO. ?I?m reading 14 dot 250 dot 17,? I inform him. That is likely close enough to the actual frequency at which I have been emanating RF for the past hour or so. ?Thought so. You?re off frequency. I?m on 14.250 on the nose. Your audio sounds funny if you are off frequency, you know.? ?But you called me. You should listen to me and call me on the frequency on which I?m operating.? ?No, I can?t, because you?re off frequency. With that fancy Extra-class call sign, seems like you would know such a thing. I don?t even know how you do that. My radio goes from 250 to 251 to 252.? So I move down to 14.250. And I throw the ?Sarcasm? switch to ON. ?Gosh, I?m sorry. I sure hope the FCC or an Official Observer didn?t catch me operating off frequency! I worked hard for this license and I sure don?t want to lose it for pulling such a dumb stunt as operating off frequency.? I might try to explain how he might want to look in the manual and figure out how to change the increment at which his VFO dial changes. Or assure him we can transmit anywhere in the band, not just on the even frequencies. But all the time I?m squeezing the push-to-talk so hard I am in danger of crushing the microphone. *?73 and see you on down the log book.?* This one is merely antiquated. I know. Some of you still keep a paper-and-pencil log book. That?s fine. But I believe it is time we retired this old saw just on general principle. Sure, you can still ?see? me?or at least my fancy Extra-class call sign?on down your computer log. No, I?m not going to fuss at someone who tells me this on the air. I appreciate the sentiment. But this is just another of those expressions that linger from the olden days when we worked hard to come up with cute phrases to say stuff when plain old everyday language would work better. ?Down the log book? could go down the disposal and we would never miss it. *?My personal is?? ?What?s your personal??* It is also not my nature to get all sweaty and bothered by phrases that have made the trek over from CB to Ham Radio. I wholeheartedly welcome those who first whetted their interest in wireless on 11 meters. And congratulate them for moving on over to our swath of spectrum. Some of the best and most interesting Hams I know cut their teeth on CB. Not because it came from CB but because it is usually better to say stuff in plain language, I vote for dumping ?personal? from the Amateur Radio airwaves. What?s wrong with saying, ?My name is Bill?? Or, ?What is your name?? I don?t understand, though, why so many Bills out there ?love ladies? so much. Or why a considerable number of Bobs are partial to bottles of beer. That would require more study than this ?Dumb Old Nut? is capable of. *?I?m good on QRZ.?* Stop the presses! This guy is good on QRZ! I am aware that it is possible that someone?s contact info can be outdated on the QRZ.com web site. Maybe he has to move frequently, trying to stay a step ahead of the law. Or bill collectors. Or the Immigration and Naturalization Service. But if he is on the lam, I doubt he has sufficient time to do any serious hamming. Unless somebody specifically tells me his data is not correct, I believe I can safely assume it is okay. I?d bet the web site keeps itself synched pretty closely with the FCC database. We are required by law to keep the info at the FCC up to date. And any of us can correct errors on the QRZ site in a few seconds if we really want to. (To a point, that is. I live in a town called Indian Springs Village. The FCC database lacks sufficient spaces on their entry form for a town name with that many characters. In their database as well as on QRZ, I live in ?Indian Springs Villa.? Sounds vaguely South-of-France, doesn?t it? No matter. Mail to the address as it appears at either source and I?ll get your QSL. And I?ll return one to you. Providing, of course, that you are ?good on QRZ.?) *Swerz, ?My swerz are too high.?* There are three sure ways to get a fistfight going among Amateur Radio enthusiasts. 1 ? Call ?CQ contest? on a frequency that has been used by the same bunch of rag-chewers for the past quarter century, even if it is hours yet before they typically congregate. 2 ? Give a negative review of any piece of gear, either on the air, on a web site, or on an Internet reflector dedicated to users of the aforementioned piece of gear. 3 ? Discuss standing wave ratio. I don?t mean to discourage productive discussion of any of the above. I do suggest we don?t resort to fistfights but work out our differences and express our opinions (regardless how stupid and unfounded they may be) in a civil and positive manner. But please, can we stop talking about SWR as ?swerz?? Look, it is a singular term. The last word is ?ratio.? While ratio can be plural, it would not typically be so in this usage. Worse, ?swerz? sounds like a particularly distressing gastro-intestinal condition that could afflict anyone who might have eaten frog gizzards, duck feet, or roasted roaches. Or eyeballs. Or Dayton brats. So there you have a few ?ham-isms? I believe we could remove from our hobby and not miss them one bit. Now, how about you? Can you think of others? Something tells me you can. Please try to stay positive and good-spirited. I hope I have. Ours is a hobby and we should not get bent out of shape over small things. None of these expressions is going to bring down civilization as we know it. That?s what presidential politics is for. But I hope we can still find some humor in our foibles. And I hope that I have done that in this article. As for me, I?m now going to pull the plug, get a cold 807, and see what you guys come up with. (Don Keith, N4KC is a long-time active Ham. He is also an award-winning and best-selling author with more than thirty books published, fiction and non-fiction, on a wide range of subjects, including Amateur Radio. His novel /Firing Poin/t is now in production as a major motion picture under the title /Hunter Killer/r, starring Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman. He recently received the Bill Leonard Journalism Award from the ARRL for an article on the hobby that appeared in /American Legion Magazine/. Don?s web sites are www.donkeith.com and www.n4kc.com The latter site features numerous articles about our hobby. He is good on QRZ.) Full Article With Comments: http://www.eham.net/articles/37012 From bmarx at bellsouth.net Mon Sep 19 19:30:35 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2016 19:30:35 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Stone Mountain Hamfest In-Reply-To: <0100015744b590a5-cb91b045-8a03-4c9d-9921-9e764370c0e1-000000@email.amazonses.com> References: <0100015744b590a5-cb91b045-8a03-4c9d-9921-9e764370c0e1-000000@email.amazonses.com> Message-ID: Please share with your membership. THANKS STONE MOUNTAIN HAMFEST WHERE AND WHEN Gwinnett County Fairgrounds 2405 Sugarloaf Parkway Lawrenceville, GA 30045 855-786-8643 Nov. 5-6, 2016 Sat: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sun: 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. Celebrate the end of Daylight Savings Time General-admission tickets purchased before Oct. 30 are $6. Hams who buy tickets before Oct. 30 will be entered in a drawing to win a SignaLink USB sound card. Tickets purchased after that date and at the gate are $8. SPEAKERS/FORUMS Some of the speakers at the 2016 Stone Mountain Hamfest and ARRL Georgia State Convention are: Eric Nichols, KL7AJ, prolific ham-radio writer and two-time winner of the Bill Orr, W6SAI, Technical Writing Award; Dave Freese, W1HKJ, co-author of Fldigi, one of ham radio?s most popular programs for digital modes; and, via Skype, master radio instructor Gordon West, WB6NOA, author of the popular series of ham study guides available from The W5YI group. Saturday Forums 9:00AM Georgia ARES Mission, When Disaster Strikes Dave Benoist/AG4ZR 10:00AM EME Earth-Moon-Earth Communication Ray Rector/WA4NJP 11:00AM ARRL Activities In The Southeastern Division: Dr. Eugene Clark/W4AYK 12:00PM Keep The Amateur In Amateur Radio Eric Nichols/KL7AJ 12:00PM Ladies In Amateur Radio ? Part 1: Catherine Andrews/AA4YL 1:00PM DMR Digital Mobile Radio: Tom Powers/W8RED 1:00PM National Parks On The Air:: Margie Spangenberg/KK4AGN 2:00PM Vintage Radio Restoration And Renovation: Dr. Gary Bush/W6GB 2:00PMLadies In Amateur Radio ? Part 2: Catherine Andrews/AA4YL 3:00PM D-Star Innovations And Multi-Mode Devices: John Davis/WB4QDX Sunday Forums 9:00AM Lightening Protection And Grounding: Greg Abernathy/AI4UD 10:00AM The Digital Mode FLDigi:Dave Freese/W1HKJ All attendees will be entered into a drawing for a SignaLink USB (you must be present at the forum to win!) 11:00AM via SKYPEGordon?s Way To Inspire The Ham Radio World: Gordon West/WB6NOA Outside Activities on both Saturday and Sunday In the area directly in front of the Main Exhibit Hall EMCOMM-1 Vehicle, State of Florida ? Michael Lee/AA6ML Loaded with 29 Radios, Pull-Behind Generator, Crank-up Mast, and Hex-Beam AMSAT ? Dr. John Kludt/K4SQC The Stone Mountain HamFest AMSAT Challenge Gwinnett ARES Trailer For the latest, visit http://stonemountainhamfest.com/ -- Norm wa4zxv for the Stone Mountain Hamfest Team From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Sep 20 18:13:10 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2016 18:13:10 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Amateur Radio Parity Act- Action needed now ! In-Reply-To: <20160920151053.648A42033200@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20160920151053.648A42033200@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <79bc14e2-fbdd-34e4-8248-59c1281358c4@bellsouth.net> We have an opportunity to positively affect Amateur Radio for years to come. H.R. 1301, the Amateur Radio Parity Act, has unanimously passed the House of Representatives and moved on to the Senate for consideration. All you need to do is spend two minutes of your time to send an email to your two Senators supporting the Bill. By doing so, you will have helped the future of Amateur Radio by guaranteeing our ability to have an effective outdoor antenna in a deed-restricted community. The number of people living in such communities grows exponentially each year. Often, a ham homeowner has no choice but to live in a community restricted by covenants. There are nearly 3/4 of a million licensed hams in the United States, more than ever before. But that may change if we are forced to live in a community that refuses to allow an antenna. Help yourself and help your fellow hams. Go to this link: https://arrl.rallycongress.net/ctas/urge-senate-to-support-amateur-radio-parity-act Enter your zip code and follow the prompts. The letters are there. All you need to do is fill in the blanks, hit save, then send. That?s it. Under 2 minutes and you?re done. If you haven?t yet done so, please do so today. Your voice counts! Tnx & 73, Jeff Beals WA4AW SFL SM -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL Southern Florida Section Section Manager: Jeff Beals, WA4AW wa4aw at arrl.org -------------------------------------------------------------------- From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Sep 23 08:34:40 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2016 08:34:40 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Letter for September 22, 2016 In-Reply-To: <20160922222423.D1D1D202C996@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20160922222423.D1D1D202C996@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <1329c508-8888-5562-8fd3-5f2fef46f9b2@bellsouth.net> Preview If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-09-22 The ARRL Letter September 22, 2016 Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME ARRL Home Page /ARRL Letter/ Archive Audio News Ad * Momentum Building to Urge Senate Passage of the Amateur Radio Parity Act <#toc01> * AT&T's New "AirGig" is /Not/ Your Father's BPL <#toc02> * /Get Set for the SET/ : ARRL 2016 Simulated Emergency Test is October 1-2 Weekend <#toc03> * The Doctor Will See You Now! <#toc04> * National Parks on the Air Update <#toc05> * A Record Breaker on 630 Meters! <#toc06> * "Cows Over the World" DXpedition Tour to Resume <#toc07> * FCC Updates Notice on Amateur Radio Operation in CEPT Countries <#toc08> * Limor Fried, AC2SN, Named Among Most Influential Women in Internet of Things Industry <#toc09> * World War II Norwegian Resistance Member Haakon S?rbye, LA8Y, SK <#toc10> * Past ARRL Oregon Section Manager Randy Stimson, KZ7T, SK <#toc11> * In Brief... <#toc12> * The K7RA Solar Update <#toc13> * Just Ahead in Radiosport <#toc14> * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions <#toc15> Momentum Building to Urge Senate Passage of the Amateur Radio Parity Act The response to ARRL's call to action urging the support of US Senators for the Amateur Radio Parity Act, H.R. 1301 , has been gratifying -- although the campaign continues. More than 50,000 e-mails have been sent to Capitol Hill via Rally Congress , and all 100 US Senate members have been contacted. The League continues to encourage members of the Amateur Radio community who have not yet done so to reach out to their two US Senators seeking their support. Just where things stand with respect to the bill's future in the US Senate is not yet entirely clear. "As of this moment, we have no date set for action by the Senate," said ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, who has been deeply involved in promoting passage of the legislation. "The Senate will adjourn the September work period soon and members will return home to campaign. If we do not achieve consideration before they go into hiatus, we will have to wait until they return after Election Day." On September 12, the US House of Representatives approved H.R. 1301 on a voice vote under a suspension of the rules, culminating many years of effort on ARRL's part to gain legislation that would enable radio amateurs living in deed-restricted communities to erect antennas that support Amateur Radio communication. The bill calls on the FCC to amend its Part 97 rules "to prohibit the application to amateur stations of certain private land-use restrictions, and for other purposes." Shepherded by ARRL, the overwhelming grassroots support for H.R. 1301 from the Amateur Radio community was credited for getting the bill through the US House, but it faces significant obstacles to passage in the US Senate. The earlier US Senate version of the bill, S. 1685, no longer is in play, and the Senate is expected to vote on the version of H.R. 1301 that the House adopted this month. The vote came after ARRL worked with the Community Association Institute -- which represents homeowners associations -- to develop language that both organizations could support. Rally Congress makes it easy to generate letters to Senators in support of The Amateur Radio Parity Act. The entire process takes just a couple of minutes. "So it is critical that ARRL members continue to write their Senators," Lisenco urged. "To those who have already written, thank you! If you haven't done so already, please do so today. We can only do so much. After that, it becomes the responsibility of the membership to participate." As the amended bill provides, "Community associations should fairly administer private land-use regulations in the interest of their communities, while nevertheless permitting the installation and maintenance of effective outdoor Amateur Radio antennas. There exist antenna designs and installations that can be consistent with the aesthetics and physical characteristics of land and structures in community associations while accommodating communications in the Amateur Radio services." More information on The Amateur Radio Parity Act is on the ARRL website. AT&T's New "AirGig" is /Not/ Your Father's BPL Recalling the earlier efforts of the FCC and telecommunications and utility interests to roll out "Broadband over Power Line" (BPL ) technology, the Amateur Radio community has been buzzing with questions about AT&T's just-announced "AirGig " BPL plan to make broadband available via apparently similar technology. ARRL's earlier anti-BPL campaign, and market forces, eventually led to the demise of the prior BPL initiative. ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, who spearheaded the earlier effort to quantify BPL's threat to Amateur Radio's HF spectrum and remains the resident expert on the subject, said this newest BPL incarnation should /not/ pose an interference issue for radio amateurs. *The "old" BPL technology, seen here, employed frequencies in the HF range.* "This technology uses millimeter-wave RF signals (30 GHz to 300 GHz) coupled onto the surface of power lines to transmit the signal along the line with relatively low losses," Hare explained. "After looking at this technology, it looks nothing like the type of HF and VHF BPL that caused us so many problems years ago. The sky is not falling." Hare added that it is not likely that the AT&T technology will even use Amateur Radio bands, so there is little reason for concern even among those amateurs who use spectrum above 24 GHz. According to AT&T's September 20 announcement, the company is "deep in the experimentation phase" of the developing technology, which it says would be "easier to deploy than fiber, can run over license-free spectrum, and can deliver ultra-fast wireless connectivity to any home or handheld wireless device." AT&T said its initial -- and continuing -- testing at AT&T outdoor facilities "has been positive," and initial field trials are set to begin in 2017. Hare said the League will keep an eye and ear out for interference problems, but he believes that the frequencies involved and the fact that these signals should not propagate far from the lines will pose little risk to the Amateur Radio Service. Read more . /Get Set for the SET/: ARRL 2016 Simulated Emergency Test is October 1-2 Weekend The primary focal point of the 2016 ARRL Simulated Emergency Test (SET) is just ahead -- Saturday and Sunday, October 1 and 2. The national emergency exercise is aimed at testing the skills and preparedness of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and other organizations that are called into action in actual emergency situations. "Every local ARES team and/or ARRL Section will come up with their own scenarios and work with served agencies and partner organizations during the SET," ARRL Field Organization Team Supervisor Steve Ewald, WV1X, said, noting that not all SETs will take place on October 1 and 2. *During the Cascadia Rising earthquake exercise in the Pacific Northwest, Island County Amateur Radio Club members John Acton, K7ACT (seated, in yellow vest), types a Red Cross emergency message via a 2 meter packet link, while Bill Frederick, KF7BMK (standing, with handheld), monitors a VHF simplex voice net at a field triage and treatment facility on Whidbey Island. Red Cross volunteers Kendra O'Bryan (left) and Patty Cheek (right) help coordinate the message traffic flow. [Vince Bond, K7NA, photo]* "SETs can be scheduled at the local and Section levels and conducted throughout the fall to help maximize participation," he said. "But ARRL Field Organization leaders have the option of conducting their SETs on another weekend, if October 1 and 2 is not convenient." ARRL Field Organization leaders are among those tasked with developing plans and scenarios for this year's SET, Ewald explained. "The SET invites all radio amateurs to become aware of emergency preparedness and available training," Ewald said. "ARES, Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), National Traffic System^? , SKYWARN, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN), and other allied groups and public service-oriented radio amateurs are encouraged to participate." The object of the annual nationwide exercise is to test training and skills and to try out new methods. "It's a time to work with partner organizations and served agencies to get to know them better and to determine their needs /before/ an emergency or disaster strikes," Ewald said. "Knowing who to contact within partner groups and knowing the planned procedures will help everyone to accomplish their goals and succeed in their missions. To get involved, contact your local ARRL Emergency Coordinator or Net Manager. See the ARRL Sections web pages or your ARRL Section Manager (see page 16 of /QST/ for contact information). Read more . Ad The Doctor Will See You Now! "Coping with the Solar Minimum" is the topic of the latest (September 22) episode of the "ARRL The Doctor is In " podcast. Listen...and learn! Sponsored by DX Engineering , "ARRL The Doctor is In" is an informative discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like! Every 2 weeks, your host, /QST/ Editor in Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of technical topics. You can also e-mail your questions to doctor at arrl.org , and the Doctor may answer them in a future podcast. Enjoy "ARRL The Doctor is In" on Apple iTunes , or by using your iPhone or iPad podcast app (just search for "ARRL The Doctor is In"). You can also listen online at Blubrry , or at Stitcher (free registration required, or browse the site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or Android devices. If you've never listened to a podcast before, download our beginner's guide . National Parks on the Air Update More than 650,000 contacts have been logged for ARRL's National Parks on the Air (NPOTA ) program. This comes from over 12,000 different activations of over 450 eligible NPOTA units from 1,178 Activators. One of those activators is Bob Voss, N4CD. Bob is incredibly active in county hunting, and has transmitted from all 3077 US counties /twice/. Bob has also been an NPOTA road warrior, activating better than 230 unique NPOTA units from his mobile station. Bob is wrapping up another of his multi-state trips, with activations from Louisiana to the Eastern Seaboard. Look for him this weekend from the Washington, DC area; he says he'll probably head out on another NPOTA adventure in November. Fifty activations are slated for September 22-28, including Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico, and Canyonlands National Park in Utah. 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). A Record Breaker on 630 Meters! Although US radio amateurs do not yet have access to 630 meters, Canadian licensees do, and one of them was on the North American end of the first two-way contact on that band between Canada and Australia. Steve McDonald, VE7SL, in British Columbia, and Roger Crofts, VK4YB, in Queensland, completed a contact on September 15 between 1225 and 1319 UTC using JT9 digital mode. The distance covered was on the order of 7000 miles. *The /WJST/ screen and waterfall at the VE7SL end of the 630 meter contact.* "This morning a historic QSO for the Amateur Service was completed!" commented John Langridge, KB5NJD, who also holds an FCC Part 5 Experimental license, WG2XIQ. "This is also the longest two-way QSO on 630 meters ever completed." The contact took place on 474.300 kHz. McDonald said band conditions were just good enough to get the job done. "Well, it wasn't pretty as in 'pretty-quick,' but it's done," he told Langridge in recounting the contact. McDonald told ARRL that the band "was not particularly good this far north and was much better just a few hundred miles to my south," but had been improving "little by little." Crofts agreed that he and McDonald had a tough time of it. "It was a real struggle, but finally got there," he told Langridge in an e-mail. "I thought we were going to miss out, because all the big signals had taken a dive. Obviously the path to VE7 was still hanging in there." *The modest MF antenna at VE7SL. [Steve McDonald, VE7SL, photo]* McDonald said his antenna is "basically about the size of a 160 meter inverted L, but over extremely poor ground," while Crofts, with what McDonald described as "a monster antenna" was doing the heavy lifting for the contact. McDonald was using a transverter that VK4YB had sent him for beta testing, driving an LF MOSFET amplifier converted for 630 meter use. Meanwhile. Joe Lowe, NU6O, in California, reports that VK4YB also heard his WI2XBQ Experimental Service beacon on September 14. "I was running 0.5 W ERP, 50 W TPO, into a 43-foot vertical in the backyard," he told ARRL. "Very low power and simple equipment are capable of DX on 630 meters!" Lowe said he was using /WSPR/ mode. An April 2015 FCC /Report and Order, Order, and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking /(/R&O/NPRM/ ) proposed a new secondary 630 meter MF allocation at 472 to 479 kHz to Amateur Radio, implementing decisions made at WRC-12. It also allocated 135.7 to 137.8 kHz to the Amateur Service on a secondary basis. A /Report and Order/ is pending. Ad "Cows Over the World" DXpedition Tour to Resume Tom Callas, KC0W, reports his all-CW "Cows Over the World" DXpeditions will resume with his T30COW operation from Western Kiribati, September 25-October 24. "My proposed 'Top 25 Most Wanted' DXpeditions is not going to happen," he said on his QRZ.com page . "Sorry for getting anyone's hopes up." He's still awaiting permission to operate from Tokelau and Nauru. Callas said all requests to visit Tokelau (ZK3) are reviewed by tribal elders, a process that "takes a long time," he said in a September 20 update to his QRZ.com page. "If no firm progress has been made by December, I will DX from Nauru until -- hopefully -- I receive the official okay to visit Tokelau," he said. If he has to wait longer than that, he will operate from Fiji, taking advantage of the 3D2KOW license he's been issued for a DXpedition in 2017. He expects to be in the Solomon Islands, operating as H44COW from October 25 to November 26. Callas runs 500 W into vertical antennas over salt water, and is active in all major CW contests. He updates his activities on QRZ.com. QSL direct via KC0W only. A log search will be available on ClubLog ./-- Thanks to Southgate Amateur Radio News via OPDX; /The Daily DX FCC Updates Notice on Amateur Radio Operation in CEPT Countries The FCC has updated its /Public Notice / on Amateur Radio operation in European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT ) countries that have adopted certain recommendations regarding the US. The updated notice, in English, German, and French, includes some additional countries where operation is permitted. Licensees operating in CEPT countries must have a copy of the /Public Notice/, proof of US citizenship, and evidence of an FCC Amateur Radio license grant. These must be shown to "proper authorities" upon request. Subject to regulations in force in the country visited, a US citizen holding an FCC General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class Amateur Radio license grant "is authorized to utilize temporarily an Amateur Station in a [CEPT] country that has implemented certain recommendations with respect to the United States." Advanced or Amateur Extra class operators are granted CEPT Radio Amateur License privileges, in accordance with CEPT /Recommendation T/R 61-01 / (as amended). General class operators are granted CEPT Novice Radio Amateur License privileges, in accordance with ECC /Recommendation (05)06 / (as amended). The /Public Notice /includes complete details. Read more . Limor Fried, AC2SN, Named Among Most Influential Women in Internet of Things Industry The Internet of Things (IoT) Institute has named ARRL member Limor Fried, AC2SN, of New York City as one of the 25 most influential women in the IoT industry. IoT embraces the concept of connecting devices from cell phones to appliances and machine components to the Internet and/or to each other. Individuals were named on the basis of attainment of leadership roles related to IoT, hands-on experience developing IoT technology, outstanding research related to IoT, and social reach, among other factors. *Limor Fried, AC2SN, during a tour of her factory in 2015.* Fried founded the open-source hardware firm Adafruit from her MIT dorm room in 2005. The Manhattan-based company, which now employs more than 50 people, offers tools, equipment, and electronic components targeted at the "maker" audience, including IoT technology. She was the first female engineer to appear on the cover of /WIRED /and was /Entrepreneur/ magazine's Entrepreneur of the Year for 2012. In June, Fried was designated as a White House Champion of Change. As Adafruit's sole owner, Fried has become known for creating resources for and supporting the learning of electronics for makers of all ages and skill levels. Ad World War II Norwegian Resistance Member Haakon S?rbye, LA8Y, SK World War II Norwegian resistance activist Haakon S?rbye, LA8Y, of Trondheim, Norway, died on September 15. He was 96. In 1939, the year after World War II erupted in Europe, S?rbye, then an engineering student and young radio amateur, first enlisted as a telegrapher in the Norwegian military. *Haakon S?rbye, LA8Y.* After Norway surrendered to the Nazis, he joined the Norwegian resistance and became part of the "Skylark B" group -- one of two radio communication teams that relayed to London information on the movement of German troops and supplies. The mostly student Skylark B team also alerted London when the Germans captured the world's first plant to mass-produce heavy water -- a building block for the atomic bomb. Most Skylark B members eventually were arrested by the Nazis, and seven of them died in extermination camps. S?rbye survived, however, and was rescued by the "White Buses" -- an operation carried out by Swedish Red Cross members in early 1945 that saved more than 15,000 concentration camp survivors. Following the war, S?rbye returned to school, eventually becoming a professor of telematics at the Norwegian Institute of Technology. In addition to the Defence Medal awarded to military and civilian personnel who took part in fighting the German invasion and occupation of Norway, he was decorated with the King's Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom./-- Thanks to Pete Varounis, NL7XM/ Past ARRL Oregon Section Manager Randy Stimson, KZ7T, SK Former ARRL Oregon Section Manager Randy Stimson, KZ7T, died on September 10, after a period of declining health. He was 82. Stimson served as Oregon SM from 1987 until 1998. In 2003, he was appointed to fill a vacancy in the SM post. He was elected to the position in 2004, and he served until 2006, making him Oregon's longest-serving SM. In addition to ham radio, Stimson was active for many years in Cycle Oregon. A service will be held in Spokane, Washington, on September 24. /-- Thanks to Everett Curry, W6ABM/ In Brief... *Amateur Radio-Military Interoperability Exercise Set for October 31-November 1:* An Amateur Radio-military interoperability exercise will take place October 31-November 1. The event will begin at 1200 UTC on October 31 and continue through 2359 UTC on November 1 on 60 meter channels 1-4 --5.3305 MHz, 5.3465 MHz, 5.357 MHz, and 5.3715 MHz, respectively. During this exercise, military stations will attempt to make radio contact with stations in as many of the 3077 US counties as possible. Radio amateurs providing "county status" information will receive a US Department of Defense "interoperability QSL card." For more information, contact the Military Auxiliary Radio Service (MARS). *New Section Manager Appointed in Northern New Jersey:* Steve Ostrove, K2SO, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, was appointed as ARRL Northern New Jersey Section Manager, effective September 16. He takes the reins of the Northern New Jersey Field Organization after Richard Krohn, N2SMV, announced his resignation after serving as SM since July 2008. ARRL Field Services and Radiosport Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, received Krohn's resignation and recommendation for his replacement and consulted with ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, before making the appointment. Ostrove will complete the current term of office that extends until June 30, 2017. Ostrove has served as Assistant Section Manager in Northern New Jersey since 2009, and was the Section Emergency Coordinator from 2001 through 2008. He is a District Emergency Coordinator, Official Emergency Station, and Official Relay Station. *Kentucky Lieutenant Governor and Radio Amateur Talks Ham Radio during Hamfest, Interview:* ARRL member Jenean Hampton, K5EIB, the relatively new Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, was a guest of honor at the Greater Louisville Hamfest on September 10. She told attendees that her duties as Lieutenant Governor did not let her be as involved in ham radio as she would like, but she does keep a 2 meter handheld transceiver with her because, she explained, "It's important to always be prepared in the event of an emergency." Lt Gov Hampton was interviewed by Katie Allen, WY7YL, for /Amateur Radio Roundtable/ on August 23. She told Allen that she's really looking forward to getting some "serious equipment" and that not having time for ham radio is one of the things she regrets about her life in politics. *Expedition 49 crew members (L-R) Shane Kimbrough, KE5HOD; Sergey Ryzhikov, and Andrey Borisenko. [NASA photo by Victor Zelentsov]* *One Radio Amateur Among Expedition 49/50 Crew Members Headed to ISS:* Three Expedition 49/50 crew members will head to the International Space Station on Friday, September 23. Astronaut Shane Kimbrough, KE5HOD, and cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko will head into space from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. They will spend approximately 5 months aboard the orbital complex before returning to Earth in late February. Kimbrough, Ryzhikov, and Borisenko will join Expedition 49 Commander Anatoly Ivanishin and his crewmates -- Kate Rubins, KG5FYJ, and Takuya Onishi, KF5LKS, who have been on station since July. Between launch and docking, the trio will spend 2 days in the /Soyuz/ MS-02, testing system upgrades. NASA TV will provide live coverage of the launch and docking. *ARRL November Sweepstakes Operating Period is 30 Hours:* The 2016 ARRL November Sweepstakes announcement that appears on page 94 of the October 2016 issue of /QST /incorrectly indicates the period of the event. The ARRL November Sweepstakes runs for 30 hours, and participants may operate for 24 out of the 30 hours. The CW event is November 5-7; the phone event is November 19-21. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The K7RA Solar Update Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Sunspot numbers and solar flux were down over our September 15-21 reporting week. The average daily sunspot number was 29.9, down from 50.1 during the previous 7 days. Average daily solar flux dipped from 88.9 to 83.4. Geomagnetic indices were up a bit, with the average daily planetary A index rising from 6.7 to 8.9, and the average daily mid-latitude A index moving from 6.1 to 7.6. The predicted average planetary A index for the next 7 days is expected to rise to 13.1, and the average solar flux to 86.4, according to the latest 45-day outlook. Predicted solar flux is 85 on September 22-24; 90 on September 25-26; 85 on September 27-29; 95 on September 30-October 2; 90 on October 3-6; 85 on October 7-13; 80 on October 14-15; 85 on October 16-20; 88, 90, and 95 on October 21-23; 100 on October 24-27, and 95 on October 28-29. The predicted planetary A index is 8 on September 22-23; 5, 8, 18, and 10 on October 24-27; 35 on September 28-29; 32 on September 30; 30 and 18 on October 1-2; 15 on October 3-5; 5 on October 6-15; 18, 20, 12, and 8 on October 16-19; 5 on October 20-22; 15 and 10 on October 23-24, and 35 on October 25-27. Thursday, September 22 is the autumnal equinox, and the first day of fall. This should herald better HF propagation than we've seen in the past couple of months, and Spaceweather.com reports that this is also the start of the aurora season. Sunspot numbers for September 15 through 21 were 12, 13, 14, 47, 56, 32, and 35, with a mean of 29.9. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 84.4, 83.7, 80.3, 83, 82.6, 84.5, and 85.5, with a mean of 83.4. Estimated planetary A indices were 7, 3, 4, 9, 10, 19, and 10, with a mean of 8.9. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 6, 3, 4, 8, 8, 15, and 9, with a mean of 7.6. Send me /your/ reports and observations. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ . . . . . . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just Ahead in Radiosport * September 24 -- RSGB International Sprint (CW) * September 24 -- AGCW VHF/UHF Contest (CW) * *September 24-25 -- **ARRL EME Contest **(CW, phone, digital)* * September 24-25 --CQ World Wide DX Contest (RTTY) * September 24-25 -- Maine QSO Party (CW, phone) * September 24-25 -- Texas QSO Party (CW, phone, digital) * September 25 -- UBA ON Contest, 6 meters (CW, phone) * September 25-28 -- Classic Exchange (Phone) * September 25 -- Peanut Power QRP Sprint (CW, phone) * September 27 -- 220 MHz Fall Sprint (CW, phone) * September 28 -- SKCC Sprint (CW) * September 28 -- UKEICC 80 Meter Contest (CW) * September 29 -- RSGB 80 Meter Club Sprint (CW) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions * September 23-24 -- W4DXCC Convention , Pigeon Forge, Tennessee * September 24 -- San Joaquin Valley Section Convention , Modesto, California * September 24 -- North Dakota State Convention , West Fargo, North Dakota * September 24 -- Washington State Convention , Spokane Valley, Washington * October 7-8 -- Florida State Convention , Melbourne, Florida * October 7-8 -- Pacific Northwest VHF Conference , Bend, Oregon * October 13-15 -- Microwave Update Conference , St Louis, Missouri * October 14-16 -- Pacific Division Convention , San Ramon, California * October 16 -- Connecticut State Convention , Meriden, Connecticut * October 21-22 -- Arizona State Convention , Maricopa, Arizona * October 22 -- Wisconsin ARES/RACES Conference , Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin * November 5 -- TechFest Convention , Lakewood, Colorado * November 5-6 -- Georgia State Convention , Lawrenceville, Georgia * November 12-13 -- Indiana State Convention , Fort Wayne, Indiana * November 19 -- Alabama State Convention , Montgomery, Alabama 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 Sat Sep 24 07:53:07 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2016 07:53:07 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ARRL Outgoing QSL Service to Raise Rates Message-ID: <6e0d477d-4134-11b1-7e42-b01b825d237c@bellsouth.net> ARRL Outgoing QSL Service to Raise Rates 09/22/2016 Although ARRL believes it?s important to maintain the long-standing tradition of the *ARRL Outgoing QSL Service* as a membership benefit, increased administration costs will require an increase in rates, in order to keep the Service available and viable. ?The Service has been a member benefit for decades,? an ARRL statement said. ?Since its official formation in November 1976, tens of millions of QSL cards have been shipped from ARRL Headquarters to Amateur Radio QSL bureaus of other national societies worldwide. At one time, this benefit offered a safe, reliable, and inexpensive way to exchange QSL cards for a fraction of the cost of the postal service. What Amateurs saved in financial cost, however, was made up for in time; it could take months, or even years, to send and receive a QSL through the bureau.? Effective November 1, the rate for 1 ounce of outgoing QSLs via the Service will increase to match the 1 ounce USPS international postage rate. As of September 2016, this rate is $1.15 per ounce ? about 10 cards. An additional service fee of $7 will be charged per individual transaction, to cover administrative costs. ARRL said QSLing is very different now, and, while postal services are generally more reliable than in years past, international shipping costs have risen significantly. ?With the advent of the Internet and online QSL confirmation services such as ARRL?s Logbook of The World, fewer and fewer paper cards are being exchanged,? the ARRL statement observed. Calling the Outgoing QSL Service ?a significant tradition in the world of Amateur Radio,? the League said it?s committed to keeping that tradition and service alive for members who enjoy using it. ?We are committed to ensuring our members will be able to send their QSL cards through the Service for decades to come,? the ARRL statement concluded. http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-outgoing-qsl-service-to-raise-rates From k.siwiak at ieee.org Tue Sep 27 15:34:08 2016 From: k.siwiak at ieee.org (Kai) Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2016 15:34:08 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] QEX issue #1 Dec 1981 Message-ID: I'm looking for the #1 issue of QEX, it appeared in December 1981. I would like to copy that issue into high resolution PDF pages for use in a future issues of QEX, starting with issue #300 (Jan/Feb 2017). Can anyone help? With very best regards, Kai, KE4PT QEX Editor From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Sep 30 08:09:53 2016 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2016 08:09:53 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Letter for September 29, 2016 In-Reply-To: <20160929224209.6423E215C141@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20160929224209.6423E215C141@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=2016-09-29 The ARRL Letter September 29, 2016 Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME ARRL Home Page /ARRL Letter/ Archive Audio News Ad * ARRL Acting as Catalyst in College Radio Club Revitalization Campaign <#toc01> * Amateur Radio Volunteers Go on Alert during Major Puerto Rico Power Outage <#toc02> * Amateur Radio Credited with Role in Helping Injured Cyclist <#toc03> * "Cows Over the World" DXpedition is "Permantly QRT," KC0W Says <#toc04> * The Doctor Will See You Now! <#toc05> * National Parks on the Air Update <#toc06> * Rules Released for New ARRL 222 MHz and Up Distance Contest <#toc07> * ARRL Outgoing QSL Service to Raise Rates <#toc08> * ARRL Foundation Invites Scholarship Applications for 2017-18 Academic Year <#toc09> * ARRL Announces Club Competition Changes <#toc10> * More than 200 US Stations Signed Up for Scouting's Jamboree on the Air <#toc11> * Retired Librarian Who Was Maine's First Woman Radio Amateur Turns 108 <#toc12> * The K7RA Solar Update <#toc13> * In Brief... <#toc14> * Just Ahead in Radiosport <#toc15> * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions <#toc16> ARRL Acting as Catalyst in College Radio Club Revitalization Campaign ARRL is serving as a catalyst in a nascent campaign -- "Ivy + Amateur Radio" -- to boost college and university Amateur Radio club interest, membership, and activity. The initiative sprang from a conversation earlier this year between ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, and retired Yale University staffer Dr Martin Ewing, AA6E, about how to get colleges and universities to revitalize their ham clubs. Ewing relayed the message to the president of the Yale University Amateur Radio Club (W1YU), who, in turn, contacted the president of the Harvard University Amateur Radio Club (W1AF). The two schools subsequently sponsored what turned out to be a standing-room-only forum at the 2016 ARRL New England Division Convention in Massachusetts over the September 10-11 weekend, with representatives from Harvard, Yale, Penn, and MIT on hand. "They all share common problems, which include finding suitable space, finding faculty or staff sponsors -- preferably permanent -- and providing for an orderly succession of student leadership," said Gallagher, who attended the forum and moderated the hour-long idea exchange that followed. Gallagher said a college club shouldn't fall into decline just because students graduate. "Undergraduates are busy people, they're all competing for the top jobs and have busy social lives," Gallagher allowed. "Sometimes it's difficult for Amateur Radio to compete with those other interests." During the Convention and at the forum, ARRL gave copies of the 2016 /ARRL Handbook/ to all college and university attendees. *ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, at the New England Division Convention. [Rick Lindquist, WW1ME, photo]* Representatives of the Ivy League clubs are planning to meet -- possibly in New York -- in December. "There's a lot of work to do before that next meeting," Gallagher said. "We want to create a reflector, we want to create a mailing list, we want to reach out to all the clubs that did not show up. And of course we welcome college clubs to join us." He said a senior member of the Yale team offered a "generous contribution" to ARRL to support the Ivy + Amateur Radio initiative. Initial efforts will include a newsletter and a Facebook page. Gallagher stressed that the outreach initiative is not limited to Ivy League schools, although that has been the initial focus. "We welcome the participation of everyone," Gallagher said, "but the Ivies and MIT stepped up in a leadership role. The Ivy schools are very competitive with each other, and college students are very competitive with each other, and what we want to do is to put that competitive energy to work to fashion wider college Amateur Radio club participation in the process." Gallagher noted that many state colleges and universities already have active Amateur Radio clubs. "We hope they'll join us in what will become an ever-widening circle," he said. Contact Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, for more information. Amateur Radio Volunteers Go on Alert during Major Puerto Rico Power Outage Amateur Radio volunteers went on alert following an afternoon explosion on September 21 at a power station in Salinas that left some 1.5 million residents of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico without power. ARRL Public Information Coordinator Angel Santana, WP3GW, said that as the evening wore on, the most sought-after items were ice and potable water -- which depend on electricity to power the pumps that deliver it. The outage also resulted in traffic jams due to non-functioning signal lights. The governor of Puerto Rico declared a State of Emergency. "On the Amateur Radio side, the VHF/UHF linked repeater system of the Federaci?n de Radio Aficionados de Puerto Rico (FRA), an ARRL-affiliated club, was the main source of information," Santana told ARRL. "As soon as the situation began, lots of mobile and portable stations got on the air from east to west to report on the power loss, and ham radio was among the first to report the explosion, as smoke was observed soaring toward the sky." According to FEMA, the fire at the Salinas switching station caused the island-wide power generation plant to shut down as a safety precaution. FEMA said that all critical facilities operated on back-up generators, and airports, police stations, and water plants received priority as power was restored. The agency said telecommunications were operating normally. *A NASA-provided **view from space* *shows how much of Puerto Rico appears dark outside of San Juan during the power outage.* Santana said designated repeaters on 2 meters and 70 centimeters that remained up and running served as the primary network for any emergency or health care traffic. On HF, Antonio Santiago, KP4IA, in Toa Alta was "the main source of what was happening even before the situation got to the mainland news services," checking into nets on 20, 40, and 75 meters and relaying information about the situation to other amateur stations on the mainland, Santana said. Santana said that two cellular phone companies had problems, and at least one death was reported, due to carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator. A few vehicle accidents also occurred, he said. Amateur Radio Credited with Role in Helping Injured Cyclist Members of the Huntsville Amateur Radio Club (HARC ) in Alabama had a role in getting help for a Louisiana cyclist injured in a September 17 group ride in Madison County, Alabama. A representative of the sponsoring Spring City Cycling Club told WHNT-19 News that a number of riders -- including Brian Guerrero, who was seriously injured -- fell as a motor vehicle was passing in the opposite direction. The cycling club spokesperson said it was unlikely the motorist caused or contributed to the accident. An investigation continues. The club praised the action of first responders and first aid from fellow cyclists -- a trauma surgeon and a nurse. "Their actions in first aid and in directly calling for MedFlight likely saved [Guerrero's] life. Huntsville Amateur Radio Club volunteers were instrumental in coordinating the communications among event organizers and volunteers, emergency personnel, and law enforcement. We extend our gratitude to law enforcement, first responders, and HARC for their able and quick response to this terrible incident," the cycling club said. /-- Thanks to WHNT-19 News/ "Cows Over the World" DXpedition is "Permantly QRT," KC0W Says The one-man "Cows Over the World" DXpedition has ended -- prematurely, abruptly, and on a sour note. Tom Callas, KC0W, reported that a theft this week in Kiribati has left him with nothing. He told /The Daily DX / that his Cows DXpedition is "permanently QRT." "Everything I own was stolen on 28 September from here in Kiribati," Callas posted on his QRZ.com page . "They took all the radios, computers, amplifiers, antennas, coax, /everything/. They even took my clothing and shoes. I have literally /nothing /left. I type this with tears in my eyes." The Cows Over the World DXpedition got under way last spring, when the Minnesota DXer fired up as KH8/KC0W from American Samoa. Other stops followed, and, after a brief hiatus, Callas last week announced plans to resume with his T30COW operation from Western Kiribati. He had been financing the round-robin DXpedition on his own. All call signs in the all-CW DXpedition tour included a "COW" suffix. In addition to T30COW, the "Cows" DXpedition has included operations such as 5W0COW, T2COW, and YJ0COW. Announced plans to operate from the Solomons, Tokelau, Bangladesh, and other locations now are off the table. /The Daily DX/ reported on September 29 that Callas had received "a money transfer" and now will head back to the US. "It's been a major financial blow, but I will pull through," Callas told /The Daily DX/. /-- Thanks to The Daily DX for some information/ Ad The Doctor Will See You Now! "Coping with the Solar Minimum" is the topic of the latest (September 22) episode of the "ARRL The Doctor is In " podcast. Listen...and learn! Sponsored by DX Engineering , "ARRL The Doctor is In" is an informative discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like! Every 2 weeks, your host, /QST/ Editor in Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of technical topics. You can also e-mail your questions to doctor at arrl.org , and the Doctor may answer them in a future podcast. Enjoy "ARRL The Doctor is In" on Apple iTunes , or by using your iPhone or iPad podcast app (just search for "ARRL The Doctor is In"). You can also listen online at Blubrry , or at Stitcher (free registration required, or browse the site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or Android devices. If you've never listened to a podcast before, download our beginner's guide . Just ahead on October 6: "Bits vs Baud." National Parks on the Air Update The National Park Service keeps expanding, which means there are more units to work for ARRL's National Parks on the Air (NPOTA ) program. In August, Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument was added. On September 23, Natural Bridge in Virginia became an official NPS Affiliated Area, creating the 489th NPOTA unit (AA26). It didn't take long for Activators to put the new unit on the air. Just 2 days after the designation, a group led by Todd Lee, N4USS, became the first to transmit from Natural Bridge. Bob Voss, N4CD, who was already in the area on one of his long NPOTA activation trips, was a close second on the same day. They even worked each other for a park-to-park contact. Look for this new unit to be on more in the coming weeks. There are 42 activations on tap for September 29-October 5, including the first-ever activation of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in New York, and the Little River Canyon National Preserve 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). Rules Released for New ARRL 222 MHz and Up Distance Contest The official rules for the new ARRL 222 MHz and Up Contest have been released. The contest will debut in August 2017. Participants will attempt to work as many stations as possible on the 222 MHz through 241 GHz bands, "using any allowable mode." Competing stations will exchange six-character grid locators (sub-grids ) at the time of each contact. Contact point values will be computed on the basis of both the center-to-center distance in kilometers between the sub-grid square of each station and an arbitrary "band factor," a multiplier ranging from 1 to 20. For example, contacts made on 222 MHz will have a band factor of 2, contacts on 432 MHz will have a band factor of 1, and contacts made on 24 GHz and higher will have a band factor of 20. To promote participation, the new contest encourages the formation of operator teams. These may be made up of Single Operator, Fixed; Multioperator, Fixed, and/or Rover category participants operating within a single Contest Region as defined in the contest rules. Participants may only be on one team, and the scores of all team members are combined. This is similar to the approach used for years in the /NCJ/-sponsored North American QSO Party (NAQP ) events. Teams must register in advance of the contest with the ARRL Contest Branch Manager . The contribution of a Rover to a team score is limited to that portion of the Rover's score achieved from within the team's region. Team members' scores also count toward a club total in the Club Competition. The ARRL 222 MHz and Up Contest will kick off the weekend of August 5-6, 2017. ARRL Outgoing QSL Service to Raise Rates Although ARRL believes it's important to maintain the long-standing tradition of the ARRL Outgoing QSL Service as a membership benefit, increased administration costs will require an increase in rates, in order to keep the Service available and viable. "The Service has been a member benefit for decades," an ARRL statement said. "Since its official formation in November 1976, tens of millions of QSL cards have been shipped from ARRL Headquarters to Amateur Radio QSL bureaus of other national societies worldwide. At one time, this benefit offered a safe, reliable, and inexpensive way to exchange QSL cards for a fraction of the cost of the postal service. What amateurs saved in financial cost, however, was made up for in time; it could take months, or even years, to send and receive a QSL through the bureau." Effective on November 1, the rate for 1 ounce of outgoing QSLs via the Service will increase to match the 1 ounce USPS international postage rate. As of September 2016, this rate is $1.15 per ounce -- about 10 cards. An additional service fee of $7 will be charged per individual transaction, to cover administrative costs. ARRL said QSLing is very different now, and, while postal services are generally more reliable than in years past, international shipping costs have risen significantly. "With the advent of the Internet and online QSL confirmation services such as ARRL's Logbook of The World, fewer and fewer paper cards are being exchanged," the ARRL statement observed. Calling the Outgoing QSL Service "a significant tradition in the world of Amateur Radio," the League said it's committed to keeping that tradition and service alive for members who enjoy using it. "We are committed to ensuring our members will be able to send their QSL cards through the Service for decades to come." Ad ARRL Foundation Invites Scholarship Applications for 2017-18 Academic Year The ARRL Foundation will begin accepting scholarship applications on October 1 from eligible radio amateurs planning to pursue post-secondary education in the 2017-2018 academic year. Completed applications must be received by January 31, 2017. Individuals and clubs support many of the more than 80 scholarships , ranging from $500 to $5,000, that are awarded annually. Applicants for all scholarships must be active radio amateurs and must complete and submit the online application . "The ARRL Foundation Board of Directors is very pleased to be entrusted with managing this program. The scholarship program is a wonderful way to encourage students to continue their Amateur Radio activities while assisting them with the costs of their higher education," says ARRL Foundation Secretary and ARRL Development Manager Lauren Clarke, KB1YDD. "All ARRL Foundation scholarships are made possible by individuals or clubs, and we are grateful for their support." The Foundation reported that 81 radio amateurs were the recipients of 2016-2017 academic year scholarships it administered. Awards totaled $120,150. Students planning to apply for 2017-18 academic year awards should first carefully review the eligibility requirements and scholarship descriptions . Although only one application per applicant is required, applicants may ask to be considered for as many of the scholarships for which they are eligible (some scholarships have geographic criteria or other requirements ). Check off only the scholarships for which you would like to be considered. In addition to completing the online application, applicants must submit a PDF of their academic transcript from their most recently completed school year (e-mailed to foundation at arrl.org ). Applications are due by January 31, 2017, by 11:59 PM ET. /Applications without accompanying transcripts will not be considered. /Award winners typically are notified in mid-May by USPS mail and e-mail. For more information about ARRL Foundation scholarships, e-mail the ARRL Foundation or call 860-594-0348. ARRL Announces Club Competition Changes Earlier this year, following a challenge that resulted in the realignment of several club scores in the ARRL 10 Meter Contest, it became clear that the Club Competition rules were not being enforced as consistently as they should have been. In order to make sure club results are accurate and fair to all, the ARRL Contest Branch is renewing its effort to help clubs comply with the rules (See Section 8 of the "General Rules for All Contests "). It will no longer be necessary to mail, e-mail, or fax the club roster to the Contest Branch. Clubs now will be able to upload a club roster -- now called an "eligibility list" -- via a web page, just as they do with contest logs. Information will be time stamped and stored. The club just has to upload a file containing the current club roster, including the club's section or the center of the club's eligibility circle. All members' locations will be entered and displayed as six-character grid locators, such as FN21aw or DM02ks. It will no longer be necessary to determine latitude and longitude for members or a club circle center. The center of the locators will be used to calculate a member's distance from the club center using a standard algorithm that will also be public. A member may reside and operate anywhere in a six-digit locator that satisfies the distance rule. The maximum circle distances are /not/ changing, however. With the availability of the online service, the deadline of 30 days following a contest to submit a roster is changing. Putting contests on the same footing as all other competitions, and to eliminate any temptation to pick only high scores or to engage in "category shopping," the eligibility deadline is being changed to the start of the contest, effective with the ARRL November CW Sweepstakes -- eg, 2100 UTC on November 5, 2016 -- and will apply to all nine ARRL contests that have a Club Competition category (see General Rule 8.1). Rosters and club circle centers can be changed and uploaded at any time -- via multiple uploads as needed -- until the contest starts. After a roster is submitted, it will be available for inspection online The roster eligibility service will allow other contesters to view the rosters and to make it easy for clubs to follow the rules. Challenges may be made through the Contest Branch. Minimum log totals for each club category will remain the same. A regularly updated list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs ) has been posted. For more information, contact ARRL Contest Branch Manager Bart Jahnke , W9JJ. Read more . More than 200 US Stations Signed Up for Scouting's Jamboree on the Air So far, 219 US stations have registered to take part in Scouting's 2016 Jamboree on the Air (JOTA ), which will take place October 14-16. Registration remains open for the 59th annual event. Last year, 400 US stations signed up. JOTA officials are asking JOTA 2016 participants not only to register for this year's event, but to follow up with a post-JOTA report. "We expect to have several thousand stations around the world signed up by JOTA weekend," JOTA Coordinator Jim Wilson, K5ND, said in a JOTA-JOTI (Jamboree on the Internet) update. "Make sure you register your station." Designated Scouting frequencies are on the "Guidelines for Amateur Radio Operators " page. "Twenty meters is probably the go-to band during the daytime," Wilson said. "Try moving off the calling frequency and spreading out while making those contacts." Wilson noted that, in addition to the DX spotting websites, there's a Scout station spotting cluster . He also suggested taking advantage of "modes that don't require radio waves," including the dedicated D-STAR Scouting reflector 033A, as well as DMR , IRLP with topic channel 9091, and Echolink , with conference node JOTA-365. Doug Crompton, WA3DSP, and Elliott Liggett, W7QED, have set up Allstar node 41760 for JOTA/Scouting conversations, Wilson added. In addition to social media, ScoutLink is an excellent way to connect to Scouts around the world with only an Internet connection, he said. "Dave Edwards, KD2E, and Andy O'Brien, K3UK, have developed a Scout scheduling page ," Wilson said. "You can use this to post your frequency and to pick up on other stations as well." More than 1 million Scouts in 150+ countries -- at nearly 18,000 stations -- are expected to take part in JOTA 2016, engaging with other Scouts to talk about Amateur Radio and their Scouting experiences. "JOTA is about conversations across town and around the world, rather than about contacts," Wilson said. Retired Librarian Who Was Maine's First Woman Radio Amateur Turns 108 Mary Cousins, ex-W1GSC, who was the first woman in Maine to obtain an Amateur Radio license, celebrated her 108th birthday on September 20. Now a resident of a care facility in the coastal fishing village of Deer Isle, Cousins was treated to a party complete with a *Mary Cousins, ex-W1GSC, admires her 108th birthday cake. [Island Nursing Home and Care Center photo]* cake decorated with images of local newspaper articles from 1908, the year she was born. The confection also bore an image of her 1933 "Amateur First" radio license, issued to Mary Sibyl Wallace -- her maiden name -- by the old Federal Radio Commission, when Cousins was 24. The FCC came into being the following year. Cousins' old call sign has since been reissued at least once. Cousins said she operated Morse, although she does not remember the code anymore, and used to relay weather information using that mode. Cousins, a native of nearby Stonington, Maine, worked as the town's librarian, a school bus driver, and a telephone operator. She said she never stops learning new things. *The "Amateur First" Radio Operator License issued by the Federal Radio Commission in 1933 to Mary Sibyl Wallace.* Cousins told Bangor TV station WFVX that in the 1930s, ham radio "was something that the girls did not do, and the boys were all doing it at the time, and I said, 'I can do it too.' And I did." Her cake also bore images of Stonington as it looked in 1908, when Teddy Roosevelt was the US president. Enlivening the party were 108 balloons and live piano music. Cousins received and read cards from many well-wishers. Her son John told WFVX, "When she decides she's going to do something, she's going to do it. I think 100 was going to be the goal. She wanted to reach 100. She did. And then she said, 'Well, might as well go for 105.' I think she's working on 110 now." Ad The K7RA Solar Update Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Australia's Space Weather Services issued a geomagnetic warning , calling for variable geomagnetic conditions -- from active to major storms -- for the next 3 days. Average daily sunspot numbers and solar flux changed little for September 22-28 from the previous 7 days. Average daily sunspot numbers went from 29.7 to 29.9, and the average daily solar flux declined from 83.4 to 81.4. The average planetary A index was much higher, rising from 8.9 to 19.7. The average mid-latitude A index increased from 7.6 to 12.3. Projected solar flux for the near term is 85, 80, and 78 for September 29-October 1; 80 on October 2-3; 85 on October 4-7; 90 on October 8-14; 95 on October 15-18; 90 on October 19-21; 85 on October 22-27; 80 on October 28-31; 85 on November 1-3, and 90 on November 4-10. Predicted planetary A index is 44, 38, 30, 20, 14, 12, and 8 for September 29-October 5; 5 on October 6-14; 8, 10, 20, and 8 on October 15-18; 5 on October 19-22; 18 and 12 on October 23-24; 35 on October 25-27; 25, 20, 16, 10, and 8 on October 28-November 1, and 5 on November 2-10. Sunspot numbers for September 22 through 28 were 30, 49, 47, 18, 23, 21, and 20, with a mean of 29.7. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 85.1, 85.5, 84.9, 84.6, 86.8, 85.6, and 84.4, with a mean of 81.4. Estimated planetary A indices were 4, 4, 5, 23, 22, 38, and 42, with a mean of 19.7. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 4, 3, 4, 12, 18, 21, and 24, with a mean of 12.3. Send me your reports and observations. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ . . . . . . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In Brief... *ARRL to Host /CHIRP/ Radio Programming Webinar:* ARRL will host a /CHIRP/ Radio Programming webinar on October 19 at 8 PM ET (0000 UTC on October 20 in US time zones). This presentation will offer a brief overview of the free, open-source /CHIRP/ software, which can be used to program most radios. Attendees will learn: What /CHIRP/ is, which radios are supported, how to get /CHIRP/, and how to troubleshoot /CHIRP/. Presenter James Lee, N1DDK, became active in /CHIRP/ development for the initial TYT9800 driver. He is a hardware development engineer for Qualcomm. Register now! Those signing up will receive a confirmation e-mail containing information about joining the webinar. *SEDCO Contributes $1,000 to ARRL Spectrum Defense Fund:* The SouthEastern DX and Contesting Organization (SEDCO ) has once again presented ARRL with a check for $1,000 at the recent W4DXCC convention it sponsors, to support the Spectrum Defense Fund . SEDCO has supported the Spectrum Defense Fund every year since 2009, except for 2012, when it gave $1,000 to the Second Century Campaign . With this check, SEDCO has given a total of $3,700 to support Spectrum Defense. The 12th W4DXCC convention took place September 23-24 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Contributions to the Spectrum Defense Fund ensure that ARRL will have the resources to meet future challenges as they arise, and to protect Amateur Radio operating privileges. *Logbook of The World to No Longer Accept Contacts Signed by /TQSL/ Versions Earlier Than 2.0*: As of 1400 UTC on January 16, ARRL's Logbook of The World (LoTW) no longer will accept contacts that have been digitally signed by versions of /TQSL/ earlier than version 2.0. Users of earlier versions are encouraged to upgrade as soon as possible, as older /TQSL/ versions contain uncorrected defects and display inaccurate error messages. The current versions of TQSL for Windows, OS X, and Linux are available online at https://lotw.arrl.org/lotw-help/installation/. /-- Thanks to Norm Fusaro, W3IZ/ Just Ahead in Radiosport * October 1 -- TARA PSK Rumble Contest * October 1-2 -- 15 Meter SSTV Dash Contest * October 1-2 -- Oceania DX Contest (Phone) * October 1-2 -- Russian WW Digital Contest * October 1-2 -- GTC CW Cup * October 1-2 -- TRC DX Contest (CW, phone) * October 1-2 -- WAB HF Phone * October 1-2 -- International HELL-Contest * October 1-2 -- California QSO Party (CW, phone) * October 1 -- FISTS Fall Slow Speed Sprint (CW) * October 2 -- UBA ON Contest (SSB) * October 2 -- RSGB International DX Contest (CW, phone) * October 3 -- German Telegraphy Contest * October 4 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW) * October 5 -- 432 MHz Fall Sprint (CW, phone) * October 5 -- UKEICC 80 Meter Contest (Phone) * October 6 -- SARL 80 Meter QSO Party (Phone) * October 6 -- NRAU 10 Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital) Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions * October 7-8 -- Florida State Convention , Melbourne, Florida * October 7-8 -- Pacific Northwest VHF Conference , Bend, Oregon * October 13-15 -- Microwave Update Conference , St Louis, Missouri * October 14-16 -- Pacific Division Convention , San Ramon, California * October 16 -- Connecticut State Convention , Meriden, Connecticut * October 21-22 -- Arizona State Convention , Maricopa, Arizona * October 22 -- Wisconsin ARES/RACES Conference , Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin * November 5 -- TechFest Convention , Lakewood, Colorado * November 5-6 -- Georgia State Convention , Lawrenceville, Georgia * November 12-13 -- Indiana State Convention , Fort Wayne, Indiana * November 19 -- Alabama State Convention , Montgomery, Alabama * December 9-10 -- West Central Florida Section Convention , Plant City, Florida Find conventions and hamfests in your area . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *ARRL *-- *Your One-Stop Resource for * *Amateur Radio News and Information*. . . * Join or Renew Today! 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