From bmarx at bellsouth.net  Fri Dec  1 21:56:12 2017
From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill)
Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2017 21:56:12 -0500
Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] QRZ Review of the Icom IC-7610
Message-ID: <83bcd382-54cb-5231-295c-d5206dc30d61@bellsouth.net>

QRZ Video Review of the Icom IC-7610. Courtesy of GigaParts.

https://youtu.be/pX1fkzklET0?t=5

From bmarx at bellsouth.net  Sat Dec  2 08:11:39 2017
From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill)
Date: Sat, 2 Dec 2017 08:11:39 -0500
Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Yaesu FT-101 Repair -Nothing but
	Yaesu FT-101 radios serviced here-
In-Reply-To: <CA+Am8596HGgA8MJz=hNt0Ev-Wz5eOKHB28O0xLmOY+JFij+TYA@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CA+Am8596HGgA8MJz=hNt0Ev-Wz5eOKHB28O0xLmOY+JFij+TYA@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <216d0e94-c1e6-ad82-87aa-5e92d814e4ea@bellsouth.net>

 From Tony N2MFT:

*Welcome-*?Thank you for visiting the Yaesu FT-101 Repair and Alignment 
website. This is your one-stop shopping for all of your FT-101 repair 
and alignment needs. I have been operating, repairing, and restoring 
FT-101s for 30+ years. It was my first HF radio and my entire FT-101 
station (above) is fully operational- even today! I am here to help. 
Let's get started-

*Introduction-*?My name is Al Rabassa. I am an Extra Class amateur radio 
operator with the FCC call sign NW2M. You may already know me or have 
visited my FT-101 website that I started 20 years ago. My electronic and 
computer backgrounds span 48 years with the past 33 years a "ham" and an 
avid FT-101 collector. I have been blessed with advanced academic 
degrees from: MIT, Johns Hopkins University, and Monmouth University. 
Diagnostics and logical thinking are my specialty.

*Purpose-*?The purpose of this website is to bring you up to speed on my 
FT-101 service shop and to see if I can assist you with the services 
that your radio may need. I own a complete FT-101 station with every 
station accessory offered- so I know what you have and how it's supposed 
to operate. I have all of the original Yaesu factory extender cards, 
calibrated test equipment*, service manuals, and parts rigs to test and 
tune _all_?of the original FT-101s. If you are not familiar with the 
FT-101 series radios, please visit my FT-101 website 
<http://www.qsl.net/nw2m/ft101.html>?to learn all about it. There is so 
much to learn and to understand as you finalize your decision.

*Why-*?Each radio was built by hand. There is craftsmanship. There is 
workmanship. There is pride. Someone actually built my radio. Nothing 
like this existed before, and nothing like it since. It was a very 
special time for FT-101 owners worldwide. It was my first connection to 
ham radio and with my Elmer. While he is no long here <sk>, those 
memories are still vivid. My first CW contact, first SSB, WAC, early 
DXCC, and even my early satellite contacts were all done with my FT-101.

So, I am not just restoring radios- I am restoring memories.


http://www.ft101repair.com/

Check out his QRZ page:
https://www.qrz.com/lookup

From bmarx at bellsouth.net  Sun Dec  3 08:56:15 2017
From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill)
Date: Sun, 3 Dec 2017 08:56:15 -0500
Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] G S Manufacturing
Message-ID: <eb7f3a6e-add8-8c74-3a09-b68d55b002b4@bellsouth.net>

*_
_**__**_G S Manufacturing_*
They make really good boats and really good Ham Mobile Antennas?

http://www.gs-mfg.com/

http://www.gs-mfg.com/index_003.html

http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/1835

From bmarx at bellsouth.net  Tue Dec  5 17:02:52 2017
From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill)
Date: Tue, 5 Dec 2017 17:02:52 -0500
Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ARLB025 FCC Seeks Comments on
 Technological Advisory Council Recommendations
In-Reply-To: <20171205210533.A3AD32014728@bmail.arrl.org>
References: <20171205210533.A3AD32014728@bmail.arrl.org>
Message-ID: <4809cfd9-e478-a3bd-3bbf-7549b2bc232c@bellsouth.net>


SB QST @ ARL $ARLB025
ARLB025 FCC Seeks Comments on Technological Advisory Council
Recommendations

ZCZC AG25
QST de W1AW
ARRL Bulletin 25  ARLB025
>From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  December 5, 2017
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB025
ARLB025 FCC Seeks Comments on Technological Advisory Council
Recommendations

In a Public Notice released on December 1, the FCC's Office of
Engineering and Technology (OET) has invited comments by January 31,
2018, on a wide-ranging series of Technological Advisory Council
(TAC) recommendations that, if implemented, could alter the spectrum
policy regulatory landscape - especially with respect to
interference resolution and enforcement. An advisory body, the TAC's
membership includes several Amateur Radio licensees. ARRL will file
comments in the proceeding, ET Docket 17-340.

The Public Notice is in PDF format on the web at,
http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2017/db1201/DA-17-1165A1.pdf
.

The TAC has called on the FCC to:

* Consider adopting the spectrum management principles spelled out
in the Council's Basic Spectrum Principles white papers of March
2014 and December 2015, and "set clear expectations about the
affected system's capabilities regarding interference, such as harm
claim thresholds."

* More broadly adopt risk-informed interference assessment and
statistical service rules. "In judging whether to allow new radio
service rules, the TAC observes that the Commission has to balance
the interests of incumbents, new entrants, and the public," the
Public Notice explained. "The process of analyzing the tradeoffs
between the benefits of a new service and the risks to incumbents
has, to date, been essentially qualitative."

* Implement "a next-generation architecture" to resolve
interference, and establish a public database of past radio-related
enforcement activities. The TAC also recommended that the FCC
"incorporate interference hunters in the [interference] resolution
process."

The TAC spelled out a set of three "Interference Realities," which,
in part, assert that harmful interference "is affected by the
characteristics of both a transmitting service and a nearby
receiving service in frequency, space, or time," and that radio
services should expect occasional service degradation or
interruption."

The TAC also posed three "Responsibilities of [Radio] Services that,
in part, state that "receivers are responsible for mitigating
interference outside their assigned channels" and that "transmitters
are responsible for minimizing the amount of their transmitted
energy that appears outside their assigned frequencies and licensed
areas." The TAC acknowledged that the FCC, by and large, does not
regulate receiving systems.

Another three principles under "Regulatory Requirements and Actions"
the TAC suggested that the FCC may "apply interference limits to
quantify rights of protection from harmful interference." According
to the Public Notice, the TAC "has recommended interference limits
as a method for the Commission to communicate the limits of
protection to which systems are entitled, without mandating receiver
performance specifications." The TAC called for a "quantitative
analysis of interactions between services" before the FCC could
"make decisions regarding levels of protection," The OET said.

"[T]he TAC believes the principles can be applied to all systems and
result in an optimal solution for each service," the Public Notice
said. The TAC has suggested that the FCC not base its rules on
exceptional events and worst-case scenarios but on reality.

"The TAC recommends that the Commission start soon, and start small,
and not attempt a major overhaul of its regulatory approach," the
Public Notice said.
NNNN
/EX


From bmarx at bellsouth.net  Thu Dec 14 09:15:05 2017
From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill M)
Date: Thu, 14 Dec 2017 09:15:05 -0500
Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] SWL extraordinaire
Message-ID: <1DC1118D-4CFF-4B05-AEA6-98D557ED679A@bellsouth.net>

Mr. Gurdus called himself a journalist, but his professional niche ? rendered less exclusive but not defunct by the internet ? was so unusual that Israelis coined a Hebrew word for him: kashaveynu, or ?our listener and correspondent.?

?There were two major events in Michael Gurdus?s life this year,? the profile began. ?He acquired a new wife and a new antenna ? both beauties.?

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/08/obituaries/mickey-gurdus-dead-eavesdropped-on-the-world.html

From bmarx at bellsouth.net  Fri Dec 15 08:29:28 2017
From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill M)
Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2017 08:29:28 -0500
Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Logbook of the World to Add Support
	for CQ WAZ Award
References: <CA+Am858kK7CPgZjF+8G+2NbL4YfBWpdYRLK2Mvaxt66Q3SsL=w@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <0CC3B247-22E2-4A82-BD73-E239F8585A2F@bellsouth.net>

> 
> Logbook of the World to Add Support for CQ WAZ Award
> 
> 12/14/2017
> Participants in CQ magazine?s Worked All Zones (WAZ) award program will soon be able to use the Logbook of the World (LoTW) system of ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio, to apply for the WAZ award and its endorsements, both ARRL and CQ announced on December 14.
> 
> Amateur Radio operators will be able to use LoTW logs to generate lists of confirmed contacts to be submitted for WAZ credit. Standard LoTW credit fees and separate CQ award fees will apply.
> 
> Implementation, documentation, and internal testing of the link between LoTW and WAZ is complete. ARRL and CQ are now assembling a team of external ?beta testers? to assure that the link is ready for widespread use. A separate announcement will be made when LOTW?s support for CQ WAZ is available to everyone.
> 
> Logbook of the World is ARRL?s electronic confirmation system for Amateur Radio contacts. It provides a confirmation when both stations in a contact submit their logs to the system and a match between the logs is confirmed. LoTW has supported the CQ WPX Award program since 2012.
> 
> ?I am very pleased that participants in the CQ Worked All Zones award program will finally be able to use Logbook of the World confirmations in their applications for WAZ awards and endorsements,? said CQ magazine Editor Rich Moseson, W2VU, adding that ?WPX program participants have made excellent use of this service for the past five years and we look forward to providing it to WAZ program participants as well.?
> 
> ?We are excited about the prospect of supporting CQ magazine?s WAZ program through Logbook of the World, as it is something that many ham radio operators have been asking for,? said Greg Widin, K0GW, ARRL First Vice President and chair of the Logbook Study Committee. ?We believe this partnership will enhance the amateur radio experience for many practitioners.?
> 
> CQ Communications, Inc. is the publisher of CQ Amateur Radio magazine and is the world?s largest independent publisher of Amateur Radio magazines, books and videos. Worked All Zones is the second-oldest active Amateur Radio award program, behind the International Amateur Radio Union?s Worked All Continents (WAC) award.
> 
> http://www.arrl.org/news/logbook-of-the-world-to-add-support-for-cq-waz-award
> 

From bmarx at bellsouth.net  Sun Dec 17 21:45:34 2017
From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill M)
Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2017 21:45:34 -0500
Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] DL1A QRT | DL1A Contest Station
	Destroyed
Message-ID: <C4B6CEA9-4655-4CF3-933E-FCE9BAF3DD61@bellsouth.net>


https://www.dl1a.de/2017/12/dl1a-qrt/

From n8pr at bellsouth.net  Thu Dec 21 07:11:26 2017
From: n8pr at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR)
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2017 07:11:26 -0500
Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Orlando Contest Dinner Announcement
Message-ID: <940AD33E25234F939245018FA5DA56BD@PeteRGateway>

I have finally received the info on the Contest Dinner in February in Orlando

http://floridacontestgroup.org/2018-orlando-contest-dinner/

See you there !

From bmarx at bellsouth.net  Thu Dec 21 18:16:37 2017
From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill M)
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2017 18:16:37 -0500
Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Letter for December 21, 2017
References: <20171221223256.0722A203D69D@bmail.arrl.org>
Message-ID: <870929AA-8FF7-4610-861E-B2A324B9664A@bellsouth.net>


> 
> If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at:
> http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2017-12-21
> 
> 
> 
> December 21, 2017Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME
> ARRL Home Page		ARRL Letter Archive		Audio News
> 
>  
> 
> FCC Penalizes Marketer of Ham-Band Drone Audio-Visual Transmitters
> The ARRL International Grid Chase Kicks Off with the New Year!
> January 1 Hosts Events for Legacy Keys
> Radio Amateur's Invention to Treat Alzheimer's Patients Going to Clinical Trials
> The Doctor Will See You Now!
> FCC Proposes $25,000 Fine for Breaking Now-Voluntary Labeling Rules
> More Room for Hamvention? at Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center
> Bouvet DXpedition Nears its Moment of Truth
> Vietnam Vet, Radio Amateur Granted Dying Wish to Get on the Air One More Time
> In Brief...
> The K7RA Solar Update
> Getting It Right
> Just Ahead in Radiosport
> Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
> ARRL Headquarters will be closed on Christmas, December 25, and on New Year's Day, January 1. There will be no W1AW bulletin or code-practice transmissions on those days. This is the final edition of The ARRL Letter for 2017. The ARRL Letter will return on Thursday, January 4. We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday season.
> 
> FCC Penalizes Marketer of Ham-Band Drone Audio-Visual Transmitters
> The FCC has imposed a $180,000 civil penalty on a Sarasota, Florida, company that had been marketing noncompliant audio-visual transmitters intended for use on drones in violation of the Commission's Amateur Service and marketing rules. In an Order released on December 19, the FCC explained that Lumenier Holdco LLC (formerly known as FPV Manuals LLC) was advertising and marketing uncertified AV transmitters capable of operating on both amateur and non-amateur frequencies, including bands reserved for federal government use. Some of the transmitters also exceeded the 1 W power limit for Amateur Radio transmitters used on model craft, the FCC said.
> 
> "Moreover, entities that rely on amateur frequencies in operating compliant AV transmitters must have an amateur license and otherwise comply with all applicable laws for such operation," the FCC said in the Order. The FCC said that while it generally has not required amateur equipment to be certified if it operates solely on Amateur Radio frequencies, certification is required if a device can operate outside of the ham bands.
> 
> Last January, in what it called an "extremely urgent complaint" to the FCC, ARRL targeted the interference potential of a series of audio/video transmitters used on unmanned aircraft and marketed as Amateur Radio equipment. ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, said those transmitters used frequencies intended for navigational aids, air traffic control radar, air route surveillance radars, and global positioning systems.
> 
> In addition to paying a civil penalty, Lumenier, which has admitted to marketing the noncompliant AV transmitters, will enter into a Consent Decree with the FCC to settle the enforcement proceeding and terminate the investigation.
> 
> The case stemmed from complaints received by the Enforcement Bureau's Spectrum Enforcement Division. "The investigation revealed that some of the AV transmitters marketed by Lumenier were capable of being operated outside of the authorized Amateur Radio Service bands, including on frequencies reserved in whole or in part for federal agencies, but were not certified or otherwise compliant with the rules," the FCC said in its Order. "These AV transmitters are considered intentional radiators and must comply with the Commission's Equipment Authorization and Marketing rules."
> 
> The FCC said that Lumenier ceased marketing the noncompliant transmitters after receiving a Letter of Inquiry from the FCC last April.
> 
> The ARRL International Grid Chase Kicks Off with the New Year!
> Ready, set, go! The ARRL International Grid Chase 2018 gets under way on January 1 UTC (New Year's Eve in US time zones). The objective of the year-long event is to work stations on any band (except 60 meters) in as many different Maidenhead grid squares as possible, and then upload your log data to ARRL's Logbook of The World (LoTW). Many hams are familiar with grid squares from the VHF/UHF and satellite realms, and everyone lives in one. An online calculator by David Levine, K2DSL, can determine your grid square. Enter a postal address, ZIP code, or a call sign, and the calculator will return the grid square for that location. Each new grid square contact confirmed through LoTW will count toward your monthly total.
> 
> Any contact you make in 2018 can count for your Chase score; as long as the other operators participate in LoTW, you'll get credit automatically when they upload their logs. This means that contest contacts will also count, as will contacts with special event stations, or other on-air activity that uses LoTW to confirm contacts.
> 
> There are no restrictions on modes or bands, as long as they are legal. Satellite contacts are valid for the Chase. The event is open to all radio amateurs.
> 
> Complete details of the ARRL International Grid Chase 2018 appeared in the December 2017 issue of QST. For more information, contact the ARRL Contest Branch.
> 
> 
> January 1 Hosts Events for Legacy Keys
> Every day is a good day to send CW, but January 1 is reserved for Straight Key Night (SKN), sponsored by ARRL. Enjoy CW as it has been sent and enjoyed since the earliest days of Amateur Radio. The 24-hour event begins at 0000 UTC on January 1 (New Year's Eve in US time zones) is not a contest but a day dedicated to celebrating Amateur Radio's Morse heritage. Participants are encouraged to get on the air and enjoy conversational CW contacts, preferably while using a straight key or a semi-automatic key ("bug"). No points -- everyone's a winner. Submit your votes for best fist and most interesting QSO.
> 
> The First-Class CW Operators' Club sponsors a concurrent event, FOC Bug Day. FOC asks participants to send a description of the bug or bugs used, a list of stations worked, and a vote for best bug fist heard, to FOC Bug Day Manager Benny Owens, K5KV.
> 
> AMSAT will sponsor its second-annual satellite CW Activity Day on January 1. This year's event is dedicated to the memory of Pat Gowen, G3IOR. No rules -- just have fun. Operate CW through any ham radio satellite. The use of straight keys and bugs is encouraged, but not required. -- Thanks to Ray Soifer, W2RS, and Benny Owen, K5KV
> 
> Radio Amateur's Invention to Treat Alzheimer's Patients Going to Clinical Trials
> Inveterate inventor and radio amateur Eric Knight, KB1EHE, may be on the cusp of medical history as a device he developed in collaboration with a prominent Alzheimer's disease researcher enters clinical trials this month. Both are hoping that the device, which essentially saturates the brain with low levels of RF, may prove to be a viable treatment for the dreaded disease affecting millions.
> 
> "Sometimes breakthroughs happen in ways that are unexpected," Knight told ARRL.
> 
> 
> Eric Knight, KB1EHE.
> 
> Knight learned of experiments that world-renowned Alzheimer's researcher Dr. Gary Arendash was carrying out on mice specially bred to have the disease, exposing them to low levels of RF. Knight said the effects were dramatic, sometimes even reversing the disease's effects in the mice. Borrowing some concepts from his early experiments with small rockets and avionics, he set about developing, and later patented, a device that could provide the requisite RF exposure to the human head.
> 
> "In the early 2000s, we were trying to figure out then how to make antennas that would wrap around the airframes of the rockets we were designing," he said, noting that the diameter of his group's space vehicle was about the same as that of a human head. Knight learned that Arendash was attempting to extend his investigations in a similar vein, and eventually they collaborated.
> 
> "He came at it from mice and science, I came at it from an aerospace and hobby perspective," said Knight, who patented a device based on a bicycle-type helmet. At the same time, Arendash was developing a similar wearable -- a fabric cap resembling an old-time aviator's headgear. Both devices are embedded with small antennas to bathe the brain in electromagnetic radiation in the 900 MHz spectrum set aside for Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) applications -- some 100 MHz higher than a cell phone's frequency.
> 
> "Ironic for sure," Knight said. "Who would imagine that cell phone radio waves could be a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease?"
> 
> Knight, who has no medical background, said the device to be used in the clinical trials consists of the cap plus a palm-sized transmitter and wiring harness worn on the arm. The resulting combination has been dubbed the NeuroEM 1000. Participants will get doses of RF twice a day.
> 
> From the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) standpoint, the clinical trials aim primarily to show that the technology is safe, but Knight said he and Arendash are also looking for data that might demonstrate that the device could be beneficial in treating Alzheimer's. The protocol they've developed goes further than what the FDA requires and includes before-and-after baseline data, with cognitive testing, assays of spinal fluid and blood, and PET scans.
> 
> "The hope is that there is a tiny bit of efficacy. Then we can work to refine it," Knight said, adding, "No one is expecting a magic cure."
> 
> 
> The Doctor Will See You Now!
> "Handheld Transceiver Antennas" is the topic of the new (December 21) 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.
> 
> FCC Proposes $25,000 Fine for Breaking Now-Voluntary Labeling Rules
> The FCC has proposed fining Acuity Brands Inc. of Atlanta, Georgia, $25,000 for apparently marketing radio frequency devices that were not labeled in accordance with Commission Part 18 rules in place at the time. The FCC issued a Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL) on November 21. Compliance with the particular rule at issue now is voluntary.
> 
> "Specifically, Acuity marketed three models of consumer-grade electronic fluorescent lighting ballasts -- two since 2006 and one since 2009 -- that did not have the FCC logo affixed to them," the FCC said in the NAL. Application of the FCC logo, which the FCC no longer requires, was to inform purchasers that a device had undergone compliance testing. The FCC also said Acuity continued to market two models of the ballasts at issue for approximately 6 months after being notified, causing the Commission to up the penalty.
> 
> "We take this action today as part of our duty to ensure that radio frequency devices are marketed in accordance with the Commission's rules," the FCC said. "Consistent with this goal, we find it necessary to enforce the rules requiring that devices subject to equipment authorization are properly labeled to inform a consumer that such devices have been tested for compliance under the Commission's technical rules, because those devices could easily cause interference if they do not conform to those rules."
> 
> 
> The AccuPro Model AP-RC-432IP-120-1 ballast.
> 
> In January 2016, the Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) conducted tests on Acuity's AccuPro Model AP-RC-432IP-120-1 fluorescent lighting ballast after receiving complaints of interference said to have been caused by the ballasts. The matter was referred to the FCC Enforcement Bureau, to determine whether Acuity marketed the model at issue before receiving equipment authorization.
> 
> A footnote in the NAL points out that the use of the FCC logo became voluntary on November 2, but Accuity's alleged violations occurred before that. The FCC adopted a rule that allows the FCC logo to be physically placed on a device at the discretion of the responsible party consistent with ?18.209, but "only if [the] device complies with the applicable equipment authorization rules." Presence of the logo "will not obviate the need to provide required compliance information or maintain pertinent records related to device testing," the FCC said in adopting the change.
> 
> Acuity submitted test reports showing that the two types of fluorescent lighting ballasts it markets did comply with relevant technical requirements, but the company conceded that three models of its consumer-grade lighting ballasts did not have an FCC logo affixed for nearly 10 years.
> 
> ARRL has in the past -- and without response -- complained to the FCC regarding the marketing and sale of interference-causing lighting ballasts, as well as about a lack of required compliance notifications.
> 
> 
> More Room for Hamvention? at Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center
> Hamvention? reports that the Greene County Commissioners and the Greene County Fair Board have approved the construction of a new building at the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center, the new Hamvention venue in Xenia, Ohio.
> 
> "Greene County officials have decided to move forward with construction of a new building, as it will continue to expand their presence in the region as a world-class Exposition Center," Hamvention Spokesperson Michael Kalter, W8CI, said in a news release. "Hamvention certainly benefits from the decision to expand the Expo Center footprint. Construction is planned to be complete ahead of Hamvention 2018, and [the new building] will be used for the event."
> 
> In addition to the new structure, another building on the property, previously known as Fairgrounds Furniture, is being vacated and will be available for use by Hamvention in May 2018. Additional details are forthcoming.
> 
> Kalter said Hamvention has been told that the additional floor space will cover an area larger than the tents Hamvention used for some activities in 2017.
> 
> "Although this decision was made to expand opportunities at the Expo Center, Hamvention is grateful for the support Greene County, Xenia Township, and the city of Xenia," Kalter added.
> 
> Bouvet DXpedition Nears its Moment of Truth
> The group mounting the 3Y0Z Bouvet Island DXpedition reports that it's sorting through the myriad of details necessary to make a DXpedition to the second most-wanted DXCC entity a reality. Plans call for 3Y0Z to be on the air in late January and early February.
> 
> A shipping container holding tons of gear is now in Punta Arenas, Chile, set to be moved out of "customs bond" soon. Last-minute supplies being collected to take as extra baggage include ice screws, "should we find ourselves camping on refrozen melt areas on the glacier."
> 
> Shelter and antenna layouts have been finalized, as has marine transportation. Team members will take a marine safety course before embarking. Still under negotiation is the cost of helicopter shuttles from the ship to and from the island.
> 
> Two years of detailed planning have gone into the Bouvet Island DXpedition. "We want to live up to all that is expected of us on this 'generational' DXpedition, which is likely the largest and most challenging DXpedition ever," the DXpedition team said earlier this fall. "Indeed, there may never be another like it."
> 
> The 3Y0Z Propagation Page has been updated and now includes a button visitors can click, enter a call sign and grid square, and get a propagation forecast specific for their location -- all bands over a 24-hour period.
> 
> A dependency of Norway, Bouvet is a sub-Antarctic island in the South Atlantic. The last Bouvet activation was 3Y0E, during the winter of 2007-2008. -- Thanks to The Daily DX for some information
> 
> 
> Vietnam Vet, Radio Amateur Granted Dying Wish to Get on the Air One More Time
> Vietnam War veteran John Nugent, WA2EQJ, got on the air for what likely will be his final time earlier this month, thanks to help from the Amateur Radio community. The 75-year-old US Army Signal Corps veteran, who has cancer, lives at the James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago, Illinois. Licensed since he was 16, he told a social worker at the facility that one item on his "bucket list" was to operate on ham radio one last time. Staffers at the facility got in touch with the Lake County Veterans Assistance Commission, and replies came from the American Legion Amateur Radio Club, the North Shore Amateur Radio Club, and Lake County Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), among others.
> 
> 
> John Nugent, WA2EQJ (center), with his son, Chris (right), and daughter-in-law Nina. [Don Whitney, K9DRW, photo]
> 
> "He was just over the moon," social worker Alesia Behnke told the Chicago Tribune. "We had no idea we were going to pull it off."
> 
> The various Amateur Radio volunteers did, however, setting up an antenna outside the facility and a simple HF station inside. David Hartnett, K9DRH, and crew Don Whitney, K9DRW; James Nelson, K9QF; Harry Hahn, WB9R, and Scott Campbell, KC9SJP, were among those who made it happen. ARRL Illinois Section Manager Ron Morgan, AD9I, spread the word that WA2EQJ would be on the air.
> 
> "John is terminally ill and wanted to make some 20-meter radio contacts one last time," a post on the Lake County RACES page recounted. "He has been in the [Lovell Center] for more than 3 years." Nugent had volunteered to serve in the Army and was wounded during his Vietnam service.
> 
> On December 5, Nugent -- with help from his family members and Lovell Center staff -- turned on his radio and contacted stations in California, Illinois, and Texas. After the contacts were in the log, Nugent's son, Chris, thanked the Lake County RACES and other volunteers who facilitated his dad's last wish.
> 
> Among the stations Nugent contacted was special event W9F, operated by members of the Fermilab Amateur Radio Club (WB9IKJ) to mark the 50th anniversary of the National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab).
> 
> "We were able to add dying Army vet John Nugent, WA2EQJ, to the W9F special event log because of the rapid e-mail alert from the ARRL Illinois Section Manager, notifying ARRL members that it was Mr. Nugent's dying wish to make a final radio contact," Michaline Przekop, KC9ARP, told ARRL. "It was truly a touching and unforgettable experience."
> 
> Video of the event is available.
> 
> In Brief...
> World Radiosport Team Championship 2018 (WRTC 2018) has named 65 referees (63 on site and 2 alternates). These individuals will be monitoring the two-person competing teams during the competition July 14-15 in Germany. A referee will be at each station site to verify compliance with the rules and make decisions on any rule questions competitors may have. "The referees must be top-level contesters, because they must simultaneously listen to the audio from both operators for the entire 24 hours of the WRTC 2018 competition," WRTC 2018 said in making the announcement. Managing the referee application and verification process was Ulf Ehrlich, DL5AXX. More than 130 applied, and the selection process considered many factors, including geographical area, language skills, and SO2R ability. The Judging Committee of WRTC 2018, which Ehrlich heads, made the final choices.
> 
> Carlos Beviglia, LU1BCE, of Buenos Aires, Argentina, will take over as the International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 (IARU R2) Monitoring System Coordinator on January 1. The Region 2 Monitoring System has been inactive recently. Licensed at age 16 in 1979, he represents the third generation of radio amateurs in his family that began with his grandfather, LU2BJ, in 1927, and that he hopes will continue with his own children. He prefers to operate CW and is active on all HF bands. He served as president of the Radio Club of Argentina from 2007 until 2017 and participated in the club's 2016 Summer Antarctic Campaign at LU1ZI -- Carlini Base, South Shetland Islands, Argentine Antarctica.
> 
> There's Been a Change to December 30 West Coast Qualifying Run. The West Coast Qualifying Run for Saturday, December 30, was scheduled to be transmitted from Maritime Radio Historical Station (MRHS) K6KPH. Due to antenna maintenance, however, K6KPH is unable to conduct the run that day. Jim Michener, K9JM, will handle the task, at least on two bands (K6KPH normally handles five bands). K9JM will transmit the scheduled Run on 7,047.5 and 14,047.5 kHz at 2200 UTC on December 30.
> 
> Noted contester and DX station builder and operator Jim Sullivan, W7EJ, died on December 19. Sullivan, 64, lived in Hillsboro, Oregon, and had been an ARRL member. Licensed in 1970, he had been an active contester since 1973. Starting in 1989, he began constructing stations in DX locations -- including FG5R in Guadeloupe, 9M8R in East Malaysia, and CN2R in Morocco, which hosted some of the luminaries of the contesting world. Sullivan's stations racked up several contest records. Professionally, he was involved in hardware design and programming, and owned a small company, which developed websites and Windows applications. He also enjoyed outdoor activities including hiking.
> 
> Ulrich "Uli" Bihlmayer, DJ9KR, who was active in the Deutscher Amateur Radio Club's (DARC) Band Watch program for more than 40 years, died on December 16 after a long illness. Bihlmayer, who was 77, headed the DARC Band Watch from 1986 until 2012, and he served as Deputy Coordinator of the International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 (IARU-R1) Monitoring System (Intruder Watch) (IARUMS) for 7 years. The DARC recognized his contributions to promoting international goodwill through ham radio by conferring its Gold Badge of Honor. He received the IARU Region 1 medal in 2011, before he stepped down from the IARU Monitoring Service the following year. Licensed in 1964, Bihlmayer was a top-tier DXer.
> 
> One of the few US broadcast stations east of the Mississippi that sport K-prefix call letters -- KQV in Pittsburgh -- will go silent at midnight on January 1 after nearly 1 century on the air. "It's a sad day for broadcasting and for the news business," KQV Station Manager Bob Dickey Jr. told the Pittsburgh Tribune Review. The family-owned news-talk station operates on 1410 kHz with 5,000 W into a five-tower array that provides separate day and night patterns. Unofficial accounts indicate that KQV started out as "special amateur station" 8ZAE, to be used by the Doubleday-Hill Electric Company primarily for two-way communication with another station in Washington, DC. (Doubleday-Hill also sold radios.) In October 1921, the Federal Radio Commission issued the station a "limited commercial license," randomly assigning the KQV call letters.
> 
> The K7RA Solar Update
> Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: The first 6 days of the December 14-20 reporting week saw no sunspots. On December 20 one new sunspot group appeared (2692) with a sunspot number of 16. The average daily sunspot number decreased from 6.9 to 2.3 over the previous reporting week.
> 
> Average solar flux increased from 71 to 71.5, the average planetary A index went from 7.4 to 9.4, and mid-latitude A index rose from 5.5 to 6.1. Solar flux for the next 45 days is predicted to be 75 on December 21-28; 74 on December 29-January 1; 76 on January 2-5; 74 on January 6-13; 72 on January 14-19; 74 on January 20-28; 76 on January 29-February 1, and 74 on February 2-3.
> 
> The predicted planetary A index is 5 on December 21; 8 on December 22-23; 5 on December 24-26; 10 and 8 on December 27-28; 5 on December 29-30; 10, 25, 15, and 10 on December 31-January 3; 5 on January 4-6; 10, 12, and 8 on January 7-9; 5 on January 10-12; 22 on January 13-14; 20, 16, 10, and 8 on January 15-18; 5 on January 19-22; 12 and 8 on January 23-24; 5 on January 25-26; 10, 25, 15, and 10 on January 27-30; 5 on January 31-February 2, and 10 on February 3.
> 
> Send me your reports and observations.
> 
> Getting It Right
> The story "Radio Anniversaries Abound in December," in the December 14 edition of The ARRL Letter contained incorrect information about the location of Marconi's receiving station in Newfoundland. Marconi set up near Cabot Tower in a "fever hospital."
> 
> The 2018 ARRL RTTY Roundup announcement in the December 2017 issue of QST includes an incorrect log submission deadline. The correct date is January 12, 2018.
> 
> Just Ahead in Radiosport
> December 24 --RAEM Contest (CW)
> 
> December 26 -- DARC Christmas Contest (CW, phone)
> 
> December 27 -- SKCC Sprint (CW)
> 
> December 30 -- RAC Winter Contest (CW, phone)
> 
> December 30-31 -- Stew Perry Topband Challenge (CW)
> 
> December 31 -- Bogor Old and New Contest (Phone)
> 
> January 1 -- AGB New Year Snowball Contest (CW, phone, digital)
> 
> January 1 -- SARTG New Year RTTY Contest
> 
> January 1 -- AGCW Happy New Year Contest (CW)
> 
> January 1 -- AGCW VHF/UHF Contest (CW)
> 
> January 1 -- QRP ARCI New Year's Day Sprint (CW)
> 
> January 1-7 -- All IQRP Quarterly Marathon (CW, phone, digital)
> 
> January 2 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)
> 
> January 3 -- UKEICC 80-Meter Contest (Phone)
> 
> January 3-7 -- Linc Cundall Memorial CW Contest
> 
> January 4 -- NRAU 10-Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)
> 
> 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
> January 6 -- New York City-Long Island Section Convention, Brookville, New York
> 
> January 13 -- Georgia ARES Convention, Forsyth, Georgia
> 
> January 19-20 -- North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill, Texas
> 
> January 20 -- GARS TECHFEST Convention, Lawrenceville, Georgia
> 
> January 21-27 -- Quartzfest Convention, Quartzsite, Arizona
> 
> January 26-27 -- Delta Division Convention, Jackson, Mississippi
> 
> February 3 -- South Carolina State Convention, North Charleston, South Carolina
> 
> February 3 -- Virginia State Convention (Frostfest), Richmond, Virginia
> 
> February 9-11 -- Florida State Convention (HamCation), Orlando, Florida
> 
> February 16-17 -- Southwestern Division Convention, Yuma, Arizona
> 
> February 24 -- TECHCON Conference, Winter Haven, Florida
> 
> February 24 -- New Mexico TechFest, Albuquerque, New Mexico
> 
> February 24 -- Vermont State Convention, S. Burlington, Vermont
> 
> Find conventions and hamfests in your area.
> 
> ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for 
> Amateur Radio News and Information.
> 
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> Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday.
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> 
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> 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!
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> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 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 ? 2017 American Radio Relay League, Incorporated. Use and distribution of this publication, or any portion thereof, is permitted for non-commercial or educational purposes, with attribution. All other purposes require written permission.
> 

From bmarx at bellsouth.net  Tue Dec 26 14:45:07 2017
From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill M)
Date: Tue, 26 Dec 2017 14:45:07 -0500
Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Some Ham Fests for 2018
Message-ID: <08D030F9-AFDA-405D-B3D8-CA15931C4534@bellsouth.net>

Some Ham Fests for 2018 

2018 
13-Jan TARCFest XL - Tampa 
19-Jan Southwest FL Hamfest - Ft. Myers 
27-Jan DeSoto County Hamfest - Arcadia 
9/10/11-Feb Orlando HamCation 
17-Feb Brooksville Hamfest 
24-Feb 4th Annual TECHCON Conference -Winter Haven 
3-Mar ZAARC Hamfest - Zephyrhills 
10-Mar Charlotte County Hamfest - Port Charlotte 
14-Apr TARCFest XLI - Tampa 
21-Apr Gainesville Hamfest 
26-May Wormfest-Pinellas Park

From bmarx at bellsouth.net  Tue Dec 26 15:39:15 2017
From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill M)
Date: Tue, 26 Dec 2017 15:39:15 -0500
Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Some Ham Fests for 2018
In-Reply-To: <08D030F9-AFDA-405D-B3D8-CA15931C4534@bellsouth.net>
References: <08D030F9-AFDA-405D-B3D8-CA15931C4534@bellsouth.net>
Message-ID: <A7D78DAD-6ECC-4074-BC74-440EA61D4955@bellsouth.net>

Add the Free Flea April 7th. 



> On Dec 26, 2017, at 2:45 PM, Bill M <bmarx at bellsouth.net> wrote:
> 
> Some Ham Fests for 2018 
> 
> 2018 
> 13-Jan TARCFest XL - Tampa 
> 19-Jan Southwest FL Hamfest - Ft. Myers 
> 27-Jan DeSoto County Hamfest - Arcadia 
> 9/10/11-Feb Orlando HamCation 
> 17-Feb Brooksville Hamfest 
> 24-Feb 4th Annual TECHCON Conference -Winter Haven 
> 3-Mar ZAARC Hamfest - Zephyrhills 
> 10-Mar Charlotte County Hamfest - Port Charlotte 
> 14-Apr TARCFest XLI - Tampa 
> 21-Apr Gainesville Hamfest 
> 26-May Wormfest-Pinellas Park

From bmarx at bellsouth.net  Fri Dec 29 10:53:44 2017
From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill M)
Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2017 10:53:44 -0500
Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ARLB027 REMINDER: W1AW begins
	scheduled transmissions on 6 meters starting January 2, 2018
References: <20171229154239.4A614203D0F6@bmail.arrl.org>
Message-ID: <A9FCE5D6-80B0-409A-A17F-AABD802BBA59@bellsouth.net>


> SB QST @ ARL $ARLB027
> ARLB027 REMINDER: W1AW begins scheduled transmissions on 6 meters
> starting January 2, 2018
> 
> ZCZC AG27
> QST de W1AW  
> ARRL Bulletin 27  ARLB027
> From ARRL Headquarters  
> Newington CT  December 29, 2017
> To all radio amateurs 
> 
> SB QST ARL ARLB027
> ARLB027 REMINDER: W1AW begins scheduled transmissions on 6 meters
> starting January 2, 2018
> 
> Just a reminder that beginning with the 9 AM EST (1400 UTC) fast
> code practice on Tuesday, January 2, 2018, W1AW will add 6 meters -
> specifically 50350 kHz - to its regular CW code practice, and CW,
> digital and phone bulletin transmission schedule.
> 
> In addition to providing regularly scheduled transmissions on 6
> meters, another goal is to act as a beacon on 6 meters, especially
> from the Northeast US.
> 
> Signal reports will be welcome.  A web page that will allow
> listeners to provide signal reports will be made available after the
> start date.  Reports may also be emailed to W1AW at, w1aw at arrl.org.
> NNNN
> /EX