From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Nov 1 08:24:10 2017 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 1 Nov 2017 08:24:10 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] CW Thoughts... Message-ID: <0bd6f1dd-94f9-3833-4d91-86004c954c84@bellsouth.net> From CWops List: - Bill W2CQ I find that CW has many practical and engaging aspects that I just don?t get with computer-mediated modes like FT8. You?d think I?d be burned out on CW by now, over 45 years since I was first licensed, but no, I?m still doin? it :) Yes, FT8 (etc.) is a no-brainer when, despite poor conditions, your goal is to log as many contacts as possible with as many states or countries as possible. It?s so streamlined and efficient that the whole process is readily automated. (If you haven?t read enough opinions on that, see "The mother of all FT8 threads? on QRZ.com, for example.) But back to CW. Here?s why it works for me. YMMV. CW feels personal and visceral, like driving a sports car rather than taking a cab. As with a sports car, there are risks. You can get clobbered by larger vehicles (QRM). Witness road range (?UP 2!?). Fall into a pothole (QSB). Be forced to drive through rain or snow (QRN). With CW, like other forms of human conversation, you can affect your own style. Make mistakes. Joke about it. CW is a skill that bonds operators together across generations and nations. A language, more like pidgin than anything else, with abbreviations and historical constructs and imperialist oddities. A curious club anyone can join. (At age 60 and able to copy 50 WPM on a good day, I may qualify as a Nerd Mason of some modest order, worthless in any other domain but of value in a contest.) With very simple equipment that anyone can build, such as a high-power single-transistor oscillator, you can transmit a CW signal. I had very little experience with electronics when I was 14 and built an oscillator that put out maybe 100 mW. Just twisted the leads of all those parts together and keyed the collector supply--a 9-volt battery. With this simple circuit on my desk, coupled to one guy wire of our TV antenna mast, I worked a station 150 miles away and was instantly hooked on building things. And on QRP. I?m sure the signal was key-clicky and had lots of harmonics. I?ve spent a lifetime making such things work better, but this is where it started. Going even further down the techno food chain, you can ?send? CW by whistling, flashing a lamp, tapping on someone?s leg under a table in civics class, or pounding a wrench on the inverted hull of an upside-down U.S. war vessel, as happened at Pearl Harbor. Last Saturday at an engineering club my son belongs to, a 9-year-old demonstrated an Arduino Uno flashing HELLO WORLD in Morse on an LED. The other kids were impressed, including my son, who promptly wrote a version that sends three independent Morse streams on three LEDs. A mini-pileup. His first program. Finally, to do CW you don?t always need a computer, keyboard, mouse, monitor, or software. Such things are invaluable in our daily lives, but for me, shutting down everything but the radio is the high point of my day. The small display glows like a mystic portal into my personal oyster, the RF spectrum. Unless I crank up the power, there?s no fan noise. Tuning the knob slowly from the bottom end of the band segment to the top is a bit like fishing my favorite stream, Taylor Creek, which connects Fallen Leaf Lake to Lake Tahoe. Drag the line across the green, sunlit pool. See what hits. Big trout? DX. Small trout? Hey, it?s still a fish, and a QSO across town is still a QSO. Admire it, then throw it back in. (BTW: You now know why the Elecraft K3, K3S, KX2, and KX3 all have built-in RTTY and PSK data modes that allow transmit via the keyer paddle and receive on the rig?s display. We decided to make these data modes conversational. ...like CW.) Back to 40 meters.... 73, Wayne N6KR From mj451 at bellsouth.net Wed Nov 1 08:37:01 2017 From: mj451 at bellsouth.net (Mike Williams) Date: Wed, 1 Nov 2017 08:37:01 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] CW Thoughts... In-Reply-To: <0bd6f1dd-94f9-3833-4d91-86004c954c84@bellsouth.net> References: <0bd6f1dd-94f9-3833-4d91-86004c954c84@bellsouth.net> Message-ID: <36d5cb65-4fb1-fae0-be69-36c9b5e6d9b6@bellsouth.net> I concur with this;? I have been a cw op for 50 years and still enjoy it.? I have tried all of the "digital" modes and after figuring out how it works and making one or two contacts, I took the cabling apart to make room on my operating desk for my paddles and coffee. Finally have replacement parts for my Hexbeam so looking forward to getting OTA very soon now! 73 Bill! W4DL? Mike in EL96wf On 11/1/2017 8:24 AM, Bill wrote: > From CWops List: - Bill W2CQ > > > I find that CW has many practical and engaging aspects that I just > don?t get with computer-mediated modes like FT8. You?d think I?d be > burned out on CW by now, over 45 years since I was first licensed, but > no, I?m still doin? it :) > > Yes, FT8 (etc.) is a no-brainer when, despite poor conditions, your > goal is to log as many contacts as possible with as many states or > countries as possible. It?s so streamlined and efficient that the > whole process is readily automated. (If you haven?t read enough > opinions on that, see "The mother of all FT8 threads? on QRZ.com, for > example.) > > But back to CW. Here?s why it works for me. YMMV. > > CW feels personal and visceral, like driving a sports car rather than > taking a cab. As with a sports car, there are risks. You can get > clobbered by larger vehicles (QRM). Witness road range (?UP 2!?). Fall > into a pothole (QSB). Be forced to drive through rain or snow (QRN). > > With CW, like other forms of human conversation, you can affect your > own style. Make mistakes. Joke about it. > > CW is a skill that bonds operators together across generations and > nations. A language, more like pidgin than anything else, with > abbreviations and historical constructs and imperialist oddities. A > curious club anyone can join. (At age 60 and able to copy 50 WPM on a > good day, I may qualify as a Nerd Mason of some modest order, > worthless in any other domain but of value in a contest.) > > With very simple equipment that anyone can build, such as a high-power > single-transistor oscillator, you can transmit a CW signal. I had very > little experience with electronics when I was 14 and built an > oscillator that put out maybe 100 mW. Just twisted the leads of all > those parts together and keyed the collector supply--a 9-volt battery. > With this simple circuit on my desk, coupled to one guy wire of our TV > antenna mast, I worked a station 150 miles away and was instantly > hooked on building things. And on QRP. I?m sure the signal was > key-clicky and had lots of harmonics. I?ve spent a lifetime making > such things work better, but this is where it started. > > Going even further down the techno food chain, you can ?send? CW by > whistling, flashing a lamp, tapping on someone?s leg under a table in > civics class, or pounding a wrench on the inverted hull of an > upside-down U.S. war vessel, as happened at Pearl Harbor. Last > Saturday at an engineering club my son belongs to, a 9-year-old > demonstrated an Arduino Uno flashing HELLO WORLD in Morse on an LED. > The other kids were impressed, including my son, who promptly wrote a > version that sends three independent Morse streams on three LEDs. A > mini-pileup. His first program. > > Finally, to do CW you don?t always need a computer, keyboard, mouse, > monitor, or software. Such things are invaluable in our daily lives, > but for me, shutting down everything but the radio is the high point > of my day. The small display glows like a mystic portal into my > personal oyster, the RF spectrum. Unless I crank up the power, there?s > no fan noise. Tuning the knob slowly from the bottom end of the band > segment to the top is a bit like fishing my favorite stream, Taylor > Creek, which connects Fallen Leaf Lake to Lake Tahoe. Drag the line > across the green, sunlit pool. See what hits. Big trout? DX. Small > trout? Hey, it?s still a fish, and a QSO across town is still a QSO. > Admire it, then throw it back in. > > (BTW: You now know why the Elecraft K3, K3S, KX2, and KX3 all have > built-in RTTY and PSK data modes that allow transmit via the keyer > paddle and receive on the rig?s display. We decided to make these data > modes conversational. > ...like CW.) > > Back to 40 meters.... > 73, > Wayne > N6KR > ______________________________________________________________ > QCWA69 mailing list > SubScribe UNSubscribe or Info: > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/qcwa69 > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:QCWA69 at mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Nov 1 09:33:22 2017 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 1 Nov 2017 09:33:22 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] A Message from Jeff In-Reply-To: <20171101130311.4C377207D570@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20171101130311.4C377207D570@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: *Greetings to all, * If you like hamfests, then November is your month in the SFL Section. Please support the clubs sponsoring these events by your attendance and participation. The ARRL Florida State Convention at Melbourne last month was well attended on both Friday and Saturday. The sponsoring club, the Platinum Coast ARS, did a great job putting on the show. At the ARRL Forum, I was joined by SE Division Director Greg Sarratt, W4OZK and WCF Section Manager Darrell Davis, KT4WX. During the forum, I had the pleasure of presenting the 30 year ARRL Club affiliation award to members of the Harris-Intersil ARC, the Section Traffic Manager appointment certificate to Ed Johnson, W2PH, and the SFL Section Award to former Technical Coordinator Don Drennon, N4TZH for his 12 years of service to our section. Congratulations to all November events in the SFL Section 11/3-5/2017 Stuart Air Show Members of the Martin County ARA will be operating special event station N4A at the annual Stuart Air Show at Witham Field on November 3-5, 2017. Right across the street from the fairgrounds where the club will hold their hamfest in March 2018. For more info, please visit http://www.mcaraweb.com/ 11/11/2017 | Palms West ARC Flea Market Location: West Palm Beach, FL Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: Palms West Amateur Radio Club Website: http://www.palmswestradio.org 11/18/2017 | Flamingo Net / UMARC Free Flea Location: Coral Gables, FL Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: Flamingo Net ARC & University of Miami ARC Website: http://flamingonet.8m.net 11/25/2017 | Okeechobee Hamfest in the Woods Location: Okeechobee, FL Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: Okeechobee Amateur Radio Club Website: http://www.k4oke.com On the October 21st weekend, the annual Jamboree on the Air (JOTA), a nationwide campout and training activity of the Boy Scouts was held. Our Section Youth team was on hand participating with the JOTA group at the Tanah Keeta scout camp in southern Martin County. Another ARISS contact is scheduled in our area for November 6th at the South Florida Science Center in West Palm Beach assisted by members of the WPBARC. I hope to be on hand for the event. Communications Interoperability Training with Amateur Radio Community Set Elements of the US Department of Defense (DOD) will conduct a ?communications interoperability? training exercise November 4-6, once again simulating a ?very bad day? scenario. Amateur Radio and MARS organizations will take part. ?This exercise will begin with a national massive coronal mass ejection event which will impact the national power grid as well as all forms of traditional communication, including landline telephone, cellphone, satellite, and Internet connectivity,? Army MARS Program Manager Paul English, WD8DBY, explained in an announcement. During the exercise, a designated DOD Headquarters entity will request county-by-county status reports for the 3,143 US counties and county equivalents, in order to gain situational awareness and to determine the extent of impact of the scenario. Army and Air Force MARS organizations will work in conjunction with the Amateur Radio community, primarily on the 60-meter interoperability channels as well as on HF NVIS frequencies and local VHF and UHF, non-Internet linked Amateur Radio repeaters. Again this year, a military station on the east coast and the Fort Huachuca, Arizona, HF station will conduct a high-power broadcast on 60-meter channel 1 (5330.5 kHz) on Saturday from 0300 to 0315 UTC. New this year will be an informational broadcast on Sunday, on 13,483.5 kHz USB from 1600 to 1615 UTC. Amateur Radio operators should monitor these broadcasts for more information about the exercise and how they can participate in this communications exercise, English said. ?We want to continue building on the outstanding cooperative working relationship with the ARRL and the Amateur Radio community,? English said. ?We want to expand the use of the 60-meter interop channels between the military and amateur community for emergency communications, and we hope the Amateur Radio community will give us some good feedback on the use of both the 5-MHz interop and the new 13-MHz broadcast channels as a means of information dissemination during a very bad day scenario. ?Force of 50? Volunteers? Puerto Rico Hurricane Recovery Mission Ends The 22 ?Force of 50? radio amateurs who deployed to Puerto Rico earlier this month as American Red Cross volunteers have ended their mission and will be back on the US mainland by week?s end. They had been in Puerto Rico for about 3 weeks. ?The Force of 50 volunteers demonstrated an extraordinary range of skills possessed by this accomplished team,? said ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF. ?There was no task that they wouldn?t tackle. It also demonstrated the generosity of these volunteers, who not only performed their roles as communicators, but also engaged the population with their many acts of personal kindness.? Val Hotzfeld, NV9L, who filed situation reports documenting the team?s activities, said the volunteers accomplished everything they went to Puerto Rico to do, ?and then some.? She said that the Red Cross felt they had exceeded all expectations. ?We opened a lot of peoples? eyes when we started going to the ESF-2 communications task force meetings. They had no idea of our capabilities,? Hotzfeld told ARRL. ?When they heard what we?d accomplished, we were swarmed; everybody was wanting us.? Hotzfeld said the volunteers? initial mission was to provide a way to gather outbound health and welfare messages and put them into the Red Cross?s Safe and Well System using Winlink. However, the mission changed once they were on the ground when they discovered the needs were much greater. ?No one had any communications, so the mission morphed to communications,? she said. ?But, we did both.? She said the Red Cross recognized the value of ensuring communication for hospitals, and other volunteers handled Safe and Well messages. She said the volunteers possessed a wide range of talents, from medical to mechanical, not just communications. For example, Andy Anderson, KE0AYJ, set up the helicopter landing pad at Guajataca Dam, Hotzfeld said, and provided communications where there was none. Ten SHARES (Shared Resources) HF Radio Program operators will replace the Amateur Radio volunteers who had worked on behalf of the Red Cross. These SHARES operators are federal employees who happen to be radio amateurs and volunteered for the duty in Puerto Rico. Hotzfeld said they will be stationed in four different zones, with two operators at headquarters in the San Juan Convention Center. ?The hospitals did not want us to leave,? Hotzfeld said. ?They were begging us to stay.? She noted, though, that the hospitals also have access to satellite telephones. ?I was so proud of our guys,? Hotzfeld said in summary. ?They were rock stars.? New Ham Bands Spring to Life; Veteran LF Experimenter Denied Amateur Access to 2200 Meters Amateur Radio?s two newest bands came to life on Friday the 13th. Both 630 meters (472-479 kHz) and 2200 meters (135.7-137.8 kHz) now are available to radio amateurs who have notified the Utilities Technology Council (UTC) of their intention to operate and did not hear anything back during the ensuing 30 days. ?Many of us filed notices with the Utilities Technology Council on September 15, the day the notification procedure was announced,? said Fritz Raab, W1FR, who coordinated the ARRL WD2XSH 630-Meter Experiment. ?We did not expect to hear from the UTC unless they were objecting to amateur operation. Much to our surprise, on Friday, October 13, a number of operators received ?okay? notices. So, the first amateur operations commenced that night.? Some Denied Access to 2200 Meters UTC e-mails went out to an undermined number of US radio amateurs who had notified the Council, but not everyone got the thumbs up. One of those thwarted in his hopes of operating under his Amateur Radio license on 2200 meters was John Andrews, W1TAG, a long-wave veteran with thousands of hours on the band over the past 15 years or so under his FCC Part 5 Experimental license. Andrews, who also participated in the ARRL?s 630-Meter Experiment, said UTC denied his request because he was within 1 kilometer of a power line using PLC (power line communication). Raab said another who did not pass UTC muster for 2200 meters was Alabamian Dave Guthrie, KN4OK, who is hoping to give 630 meters a try. UTC also told Guthrie that he was within 1 kilometer of a power line using PLC, and that operation on 2200 meters could cause interference, but added, ?We encourage you to reapply and select only the ?472-479 kHz? range, as it is much more free of interference from utilities.? Awash with Signals Raab said a few operators reported making contacts on 630 meters the first night, although noise levels were high, and a geomagnetic storm was in progress. Saturday night, October 14, ?was a bust,? he said. The next evening, however, things broke open. ?The band was awash with CW and digital signals,? Raab said. ?Operating modes included CW, JT9, SSB, and WSPR. Many operators were new to the band and not previously experimental licensees.? Various Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) nodes heard W7IUV, AH6EZ/W7, N6TV, N6LF, KB5NJD, AA4VV, WZ7I, WA1ZMS, K4EJQ, K4LY VE6WZ, VE6JY, VE7AB, VE9WZ, and VE7CNF, among others. W0YSE/7 reported making JT9 QSOs with W7IUV, VE7CNF, W7RNB, and VE7VV, and CW QSOs with W7IUV, K7SF, N6LF, and VE7CNF. WA1ZMS: SSB QSOs with NO3M and KL4Y. NO3M: CW: K4LY, K4EJQ, N4PY, WA1ZMS, K9MRI, KB5NJD, W0RW, WA9ETW (cross band 1805) JT9: K4LY, K2BLA FT8: K3RWR, VE3CIQ SSB: K4LY, WA1ZMS. ?Many were on 630 meters last night [October 15], and one highlight for me was an SSB QSO with K4LY,? Brian Justin, WA1ZMS, told ARRL. He and K4LY both worked NO3M, who also reported working K4EJQ, N4PY, K9MRI, KB5NJD, W0RW, and WA9ETW on CW. He made some JT9 and FT8 contacts too. On October 17, W7IUV and VK4YB completed a JT9 contact, possibly the first US-to-DX contact between radio amateurs on 630 meters. ARRL Expresses Gratitude for Outpouring of Ham Aid Donations ARRL is thanking the Amateur Radio community for its generosity in support of the ARRL Ham Aid Fund, which is making it possible to provide relief and recovery communications in Puerto Rico. Overall, there have been more than 600 donations to the Ham Aid program in response to a call from ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, and nearly $125,000 has come in from clubs and individuals. Several Amateur Radio retailers and manufacturers also have stepped up to donate needed equipment. Roderick said he was amazed at the overwhelming response, including those who answered his call to join the ?Force of 50? now deployed in Puerto Rico. ?The Amateur Radio community really came together in providing donations of equipment, funding, and personnel in response to the great need in Puerto Rico,? Roderick said. ?The scale of these efforts and the response is making history. This has got to be one of Amateur Radio?s greatest moments. Our sincere thanks go to all involved.? The list of those offering their generosity and support is long and growing. Contributors include International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 (IARU R2), which donated two Ham Aid kits in addition to a monetary donation; the Yasme Foundation, which made a monetary contribution to the Ham Aid Fund and donated critical equipment, and the Northern California DX Foundation (NCDXF). Donations also came from the Orlando Amateur Radio Club (OARC) and from Orlando HamCation?. Amateur Radio dealers and retailers have made in-kind donations. Quicksilver Radio (QSR) has contributed antennas and accessories, Radiowavz has provided antennas, and Heil Sound Ltd. has donated headsets with cables. Other corporate and retail in-kind contributors include ABR Industries, AT&T, Icom America, Yaesu, Ham Radio Outlet (HRO), and DX Engineering. Monetary donations also have arrived from the CW Operators Club (CWops); the SouthEastern DX and Contesting Organization (SEDCO), sponsor of W4DXCC; the Northern California Contest Club (NCCC); the Fort Myers Amateur Radio Club (FMARC); the Wahkiakum Amateur Radio Club; the North Shore Radio Club (NSARC), and the Steel City Amateur Radio Club (W3KWH). Ham Aid was created in 2005 in response to the need for equipment and resources to support the Amateur Radio response to hurricanes in the US and the Caribbean, and Ham Aid kits are in use throughout Puerto Rico for the Hurricane Maria relief and recovery effort. Well, I guess that's about it for now. Hope you and your family have a pleasant Thanksgiving. My thanks for all that you do for Amateur Radio. Get on the air, Elmer a new ham, support your local club and ARES group but most of all, have fun with ham radio. Vy 73, Jeff, WA4AW -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL Southern Florida Section Section Manager: Jeff Beals, WA4AW wa4aw at arrl.org From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Nov 2 13:31:27 2017 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2017 13:31:27 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] IRC Canada Post In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <17b808ae-3fbd-ce9c-8959-0a6c28f9e18c@bellsouth.net> From Tony N2MFT[MFDXA] : The latest shots fired in the war against IRCs just took place and it is local. Canada Post has stopped selling them. Two ways government shuts down a service that may be a motherhood or well loved service: 1. Underfund it until it can no longer serve its purpose and the public do not use it any ?longer then it is easy to shut it down. The past Canadian government did this wholesale. 2. Overcharge for the service.? Over the past years the price of IRCs in Canada escalated to around $6.00 where for a long time you could still buy them in Japan for $2.00 each, not sure what they are in Japan now.? At any rate when I took two QSL envelopes with IRCs to the PO today I was assured they still redeemed the IRCs but no longer sold them and had sent their stock back. The reason given was no interest in purchasing them .? Well I had no interest in purchasing them either at the ludicrous price they were offered. Amen. 73 Reg, VE7IG From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Nov 3 13:53:50 2017 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2017 13:53:50 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] [SFDXA] NCIS In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: We discussed the NCIS program where they were not very complimentary towards ham radio operators. Too bad that the network had no better way to depict us. I was asked to get a list of the advertisers for that program. Here they are: ADVERTISERS ON THE NCIS PROGRAM 10/31/2017 "TRAPPED" Toys-R-Us, Ancestry.com, Caress, Trulicity, Ibrance, Neutrogena, Progressive insurance, Nexium, Farmer's insurance, Trivago, Cosentryx, Citi Bank, KFC, Shark Robot vacuum, Florida Lottery, FP&L, Xfinity, Nisan Rogue, ADT, Eucrisa, Theravent, Listerine COMMENTS MADE, that I caught, there were others... "Dork machine" (the radio equipment) A45J04 Calling CQ (They have no clue about ham radio) Calling on 10.010 MHz USB Full Dork {Hams are a] Unique breed ? Their [radio is their} only conduit to society 45, chubby and lives with his mother (intimating that is who we are) Had bad experience in childhood and cannot face society ever since. They tried to depict all ham radio operators as introverted loosers! This shows a real lack of sensitivity towards a hobby where we volunteer to sit in shelters throughout hurricanes, standby to help first responders after storms and earthquakes and other natural disasters help with all types of civic events such as bike races, marathon runs and boat parades. ?Loosers? who were in our hobby include: King Hussein of Jordan; King Juan Carlos of Spain; Senator Barry Goldwater Arthur Godfrey; General Curtis LeMay -- Hero of WW2; Gene Sheppard (writer of ?the Christmas Story? and famous for his Radio Shows in New York) Marlon Brando; Joe Walsh of the ?Eagles?; Walter Cronkite; Singer Patti Loveless; Singer/guitar player Chet Atkins; Singer Ronnie Milsap Actor Andy Devine; Rev. Father Moran (famous missionary ? 9N1MM) From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sat Nov 4 13:50:07 2017 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sat, 4 Nov 2017 13:50:07 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] BARC and ARES/RACES Club information and Volunteers needed In-Reply-To: <020a01d35592$1696e3d0$43c4ab70$@comcast.net> References: <020a01d35592$1696e3d0$43c4ab70$@comcast.net> Message-ID: <271ee9c5-a752-6034-5b40-96e70ee5d7a3@bellsouth.net> From Robin N4HHP: *PLEASE PASS THIS ONTO YOUR HAM FRIENDS AND CLUBS*** *I know that the Oak Room has been a long walk for all of us, especially me, and through a long period of asking for a change in venue, Broward Health has agreed to give us a closer room to the parking lot. The meeting rooms for the Broward Amateur Radio Club (BARC) and the Broward County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) ?and the Broward County Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) have changed and is no longer in the Oak Room at Broward Health, 1600 S. Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale Fl. 33316. _Please note that the meeting days are the same as we have now._? The BARC will meet on the 2^nd Tuesday starting at 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM and ARES/RACES will meet on the 3^rd Tuesday starting at 7:00 to 9:00 PM.? To Make this clear to everyone, the ARES/RACES will start at 7:30 but you can gain access to the room after 7:00 PM for setup.* ** *Both the BARC and ARES/RACES will be meeting in the Atrium HCE Conference Room. * ** *_Directions to get to the Atrium ACE Conference room is as follows:_**__* *Park in the Broward Health 7 level parking lot and take the parking garage elevator to the 2^nd floor. Walk over the walkway and show your picture ID (Driver?s License), and you will be given a visitor pass.? (DO NOT BY PASS THIS OR YOU WILL BE REMOVED BY SECURITY). From the security desk, turn left and you will see a sign that says ?Same Day Surgery?.? The Atrium HCE Conference Room is just North of the Same Day Surgery. * ** *This should make a big difference in the attendance for both the BARC and the ARES/RACES groups as the walking distance is 1/8^th the distance we walk now. The Conference room has all the amenities that the Oak Room has. * ** *Please plan on joining us at both of these meetings.* ** ** ** The Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade Saturday, December 9, 2017from 6:30PMto 11:55PM https://i.gyazo.com/af87026e82c13f0bfbd3f9555b636b93.png *Winterfest Boat Parade is December 9^th . For those that have worked the Parade last year and want to work the Parade in the same position again for this year, please send me an email stating your name, call sign, cell phone number, what position that you worked last year, and state that you would want to work the same position as last year. You will have first choice to work the same station as last year.* ** *For those that have not worked the Parade before or those that are requesting a certain position that they may have worked in previous years, please email me and state that you would like to work the Parade this year and I will contact you. ?Please send me an email stating your name, call sign, cell phone number and I will get back to you ASAP.? Email me at n4hhp at comcast.net .* ** *Sent by* *Robin N4HHP* *Broward County RACES Officer* *n4hhp at comcast.net * *954 583-3625* ** ** From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sun Nov 5 09:21:38 2017 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sun, 5 Nov 2017 09:21:38 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Marlin P Jones - Small Parts Message-ID: <91d521dd-c46a-1237-782c-bb6cddbc12d1@bellsouth.net> Best Small Parts Supplier AND they're LOCAL!(West Palm) They have Everything! I've shopped in their store and bought from them for years. Just in case you haven't heard of them. Browsing their website is fun too. Bill W2CQ _ __Marlin P. Jones_ http://www.mpja.com/ From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sun Nov 5 17:02:50 2017 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sun, 5 Nov 2017 17:02:50 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Geomagnetic Storm Predicted (G1-Class) In-Reply-To: <0c5fce34d5ca05f64a13d085d.d71faae82a.20171105212131.cb26a72a7e.16933c0f@mail215.suw16.rsgsv.net> References: <0c5fce34d5ca05f64a13d085d.d71faae82a.20171105212131.cb26a72a7e.16933c0f@mail215.suw16.rsgsv.net> Message-ID: <587a92e1-d920-0cbf-7974-1c002b15338e@bellsouth.net> *GEOMAGNETIC STORM PREDICTED:* On Nov. 6th, Earth will cross through a fold in the "heliospheric current sheet"--a vast system of electrical currents that ripples through interplanetary space. A day later, on Nov. 7th, a fast-moving stream of solar wind is expected to engulf our planet. The combined effect of these two events could spark polar geomagnetic storms. NOAA forecasters say there is a chance of G1-class storms on both Nov. 7th and Nov. 8th. Arctic sky watchers will likely see auroras mixed with moonlight on those dates, while photographers in northern-tier US states may be able to capture the lights using digital cameras with nighttime ISO settings. Visit Spaceweather.com for more information and updates. From bmarx at bellsouth.net Mon Nov 6 06:59:57 2017 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Mon, 6 Nov 2017 06:59:57 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Youth CW Academy Pilot Program - from CWops Message-ID: /Know any you//ths that may have an interest in ham radio and learn code too? An interesting take on it too. / //* * *Youth CW Academy Pilot Program* Rob Brownstein, K6RB The Youth CW Academy program has been brewing for about two years, now, and it is finally ready to be launched. CWops is sponsoring a CW Academy program aimed squarely at young people. The pilot program will begin in January 2018. For the last 50 years, ham radio has been ageing. The average age of a licensed operator is now above 60 years old. In contrast, back in 1960, the average age was just below 30. The ARRL points to the increased number of licensees, these days, but the real question is how many remain committed to radio? The HF bands are notable for the decline in daytime activity with the exception of DXpedition pileups and contests. True, young people have many distractions in their daily lives ? school, social media, smartphones, games ? so for years the appeal of ham radio among the youth has been waning. Teenagers, today, are not wowed by wireless communications the way we baby boomers were wowed. Nearly all of them have a wireless transceiver in a pocket. So, 2 meter handi-talkies, repeaters and the like have little long-lasting appeal. And, frankly, neither does HF phone or RTTY. We have found that a reasonable number of teens and sub-teens, however, are attracted to CW. It shares many of the qualities of texting, which is something a lot of them do, routinely. So, the time appears ripe to entice young folks to ham radio by virtue of its Morse Code heritage rather than the now jaded magic of wireless technology. Does it really matter why they may flock to HF CW? The truth is if we can get a sizable number of kids on the air, on HF, using CW, we have a shot at rejuvenating a hobby that would otherwise be unlikely to exist in 25 years. So, here?s our chance to embellish CWops? already noteworthy CW mentoring efforts by launching a program expressly for young people between the ages of 11 and 19. *The Plan* **In the short term, Youth CW Academy will borrow from our very successful CW Academy Level 1 program and offer a Level 1 for kids. The syllabus will be essentially the same but the makeup of the groups will be different. Here, in addition to grouping by time zone the students will also be grouped by age zones. There will be three such zones: 11-13, 14-16, 17-19. Ideally, no student will be in a group with someone more than two years younger or older. From the beginning, they will be encouraged to work in teams. The goal will be to impart CW skills and build groups of young ham friends. The pilot programs will be exclusive to already-licensed applicants ? especially no-code technician licensees. Later manifestations will be also include unlicensed applicants who will learn CW skills and license-test knowledge, simultaneously. For the first pilot program ? Jan-Feb 2018 ? we will try to establish up to five groups of five students, 25 students in total. There will be enough advisors, for now, to handle that many groups. We will repeat the pilot program, again, in April and May 2018. Then, over the summer, we will roll out (hopefully) a full-blown program that includes both licensed and unlicensed applicants. In addition, the full-blown program will include an equipment loaner program so that graduates will be able to get on the air right after graduating. For students who already have equipment, we will just mentor them to get them up to speed. For those who cannot afford equipment, we will offer a loaner program that includes donated HF radios and club-provided portable HF antennas. *Moving Forward* We will begin accepting applicants from 15 November through 15 December. The application should be emailed during that period. Applications should be emailed to: k6rb58 at gmail.com and the header /*Youth CWA*/should be used for easy spotting. The information should include the following: * First and last name * Callsign and license type (e.g. tech, general, extra) * Age * Time zone (EST, CST, MST or PST) * Email address * Telephone number For now, applicants will be restricted to North America (US/Canada). When we begin adding license-test preparation, non-licensed applicants will be restricted to US applicants while we expand the test-preparation program. *How You Can Help* If you know some young licensees between the ages of 11 and 19, let them know about the Youth CWA program, and encourage them to apply. If you are interested in advising a YCWA group, let me know (k6rb58 at gmail.com ). If you are interested in mentoring graduates to help them get up to speed on the air (helping to set up stations and antennas), let me know that, too. We hope to begin a loaner program by Sep-Oct 2018. Toward that end, anyone who has a working HF rig capable of CW operation, preferably 100 watts power, please let me know that, too. I am planning to establish a non-profit entity for rig donations that will allow for a modest tax write-off for your donated gear. Please email me with any questions you may have about the pilot program. From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Nov 7 15:33:40 2017 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 7 Nov 2017 15:33:40 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Geomagnetic Storm in Progress (G2-class) In-Reply-To: <0c5fce34d5ca05f64a13d085d.d71faae82a.20171107202810.6fe9c3144c.af82ac00@mail204.atl61.mcsv.net> References: <0c5fce34d5ca05f64a13d085d.d71faae82a.20171107202810.6fe9c3144c.af82ac00@mail204.atl61.mcsv.net> Message-ID: <9020f6fa-f354-26a2-8184-56ff83080262@bellsouth.net> *Space Weather News for Nov. 7, 2017* http://spaceweather.com https://www.facebook.com/spaceweatherdotcom *GEOMAGNETIC STORM IN PROGRESS:* As predicted, a solar wind stream engulfed Earth on Nov. 7th, but the geomagnetic storms it is producing are stronger than expected. Moderate G2-class storms are underway at the time of this alert, sparking auroras around both of our planet's poles. The gaseous stream is flowing from a wide hole in the sun's atmosphere, and Earth could be inside it for days. NOAA forecasters say there is a > 50% chance of continued storming (most likely G1-class) on Nov. 7th, 8th and 9th. Visit Spaceweather.com for more information and updates. From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Nov 9 10:41:15 2017 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2017 10:41:15 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Hip Ham Shirts (and more) Message-ID: <4e7aa59f-d1ba-6e65-dbad-fe6fb3c0b937@bellsouth.net> /With some edgy slogans.../* https://www.hiphamshirts.com/collections/t-shirts https://www.hiphamshirts.com/?page_id=5* From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Nov 9 17:30:17 2017 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2017 17:30:17 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Silver Springs Radio Club Hamfest this December 2nd Message-ID: <967a0cd2-ab19-9818-96e2-94d83a89dc59@bellsouth.net> Ocala... Silver Springs Radio Club will be hosting our annual Hamfest this December 2nd 2017! Our vendor list grows more and more every year and this year will be bigger than any other year! See: HTTP://WWW.K4GSO.US/HAMFEST for more details and prepurchase ticket sales! DXCC, VUCC, WAS and QSL card checking all day. More Info: https://www.facebook.com/k4gso/ From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Nov 9 18:27:41 2017 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2017 18:27:41 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Letter for November 9, 2017 In-Reply-To: <20171109230724.CFD992033310@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20171109230724.CFD992033310@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=2017-11-09 The ARRL Letter November 9, 2017 Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME ARRL Home Page /ARRL Letter/ Archive Audio News Ad * Announcing: The ARRL International Grid Chase <#toc01> * FCC Chairman Recognizes Amateur Radio in Praising those Assisting Puerto Rico <#toc02> * Emergency HF Net Convened in Colombia in Wake of Landslide, Flooding <#toc03> * The Doctor Will See You Now! <#toc04> * New Book: /ARRL's Best of The Doctor is In/ Now Shipping <#toc05> * Amateur Radio Volunteers Continue New York City Marathon Tradition <#toc06> * ** Amateur Radio Poised to Bring a Brighter Future to Dominica <#toc07> * RadFxSat (Fox-1B) Launch Delayed; AMSAT Asks for Patience During Commissioning <#toc08> * Yasme Foundation Announces 2017 Excellence Awards and Supporting Grant <#toc09> * Canada C3 Voyage Carrying /WSPR/ Concludes; Beacon May Remain Active on Return Trip <#toc10> * In Brief... <#toc11> * Getting It Right <#toc12> * The K7RA Solar Update <#toc13> * Just Ahead in Radiosport <#toc14> * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions <#toc15> Announcing: The ARRL International Grid Chase A new and exciting operating event will kick off on January 1, 2018, at 0000 UTC (New Year's Eve in US time zones), when the ARRL International Grid Chase gets under way. The year-long event hopes to build on the success of the highly successful 2016 National Parks on the Air (NPOTA). The objective 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). Registration in LoTW is free, and it costs nothing to participate Many hams are familiar with grid squares from the VHF/UHF and satellite realms, and everyone lives in one. ARRL's VUCC is based on grid squares, and some contests on HF, VHF, and UHF also use them as a scoring factor. The Maidenhead grid square system divvies up the entire globe into 324 fields, each containing 100 grid squares 1? latitude ? 2? longitude in size. With 32,400 potential grid squares, it's not likely that anyone will run out of challenges, even though some grid squares are surrounded entirely by water or are in areas that are uninhabited or difficult to access. If you don't know your grid square, David Levine, K2DSL, has an online calculator . Just enter a postal address, ZIP code, or even a call sign, and his site will tell you the grid square for that location. For example, enter "W1AW" and the site will return "FN31pr." For the purposes of the ARRL International Grid Chase, though, just the two initial letters and the two numbers that follow (e.g., FN31) are all you'll need to know. Once you get active in the chase and start uploading your log data, each new grid square contact confirmed through LoTW will count toward your monthly total . Getting started is simple. Turn on the radio and just call CQ or "CQ Grid Chase" or listen for others doing the same. Make a contact, exchange grid squares, log it, and move on to another. At the end of each month, your totals on the Grid Chase leader board will reset to zero, although the system retains these to determine top finishers in various categories at the end of the year. *A map segment showing part of the EN field of grid squares. Note that some grid squares are very nearly surrounded by water. [Photo courtesy of Icom America]* Any contact you make in 2018 can count toward your Chase score; it doesn't have to involve an exchange of grid squares. As long as the other operators also participate in LoTW, you'll get credit automatically when they upload their logs. This means that contest contacts also count, as will contacts with special event stations or other on-air activity that uses LoTW to confirm contacts. Some radio amateurs live in sparsely populated grid squares, and if you're one of those, you could find yourself handling a pileup! Expeditions to hard-to-reach or rare grid squares undoubtedly will evolve. You also can travel to one of those grid squares yourself. Some vehicle or handheld GPS units can be set to display when you are in a particular grid square. Apps are available for smartphones or tablets, such as /Ham Square/ for iOS devices or /HamGPS/ for Android devices. 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. Full details of the ARRL International Grid Chase will appear in the December 2017 issue of /QST/. The digital edition is available on Friday, November 10. For more information, contact the ARRL Contest Branch. Read more . FCC Chairman Recognizes Amateur Radio in Praising those Assisting Puerto Rico Wrapping up a 2-day visit to Puerto Rico on Monday, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, recognized Amateur Radio volunteers as he praised those who turned out to help the stricken commonwealth in the wake of Hurricane Maria. "[T]he worst of tragedies can also bring out the best in people. I saw that firsthand during my 2 days in Puerto Rico," Pai said. "Everyone is pitching in: the people of Puerto Rico helping their neighbors, hardworking Federal Emergency Management Agency staff -- including communications personnel in Emergency Support Function #2 -- the dedicated regulators of the Puerto Rico Telecommunications Regulatory Board, and the FCC's own Roberto Mussenden, who has spent the past month away from his family on the mainland in order to help the island where he grew up." "Additionally, Amateur Radio operators, broadcasters, cable operators, fixed wireless companies, wireline carriers, and mobile providers have stepped up to the plate, working overtime to connect the disconnected," Pai continued. "All of this work reflects the ethos I saw on many signs and t-shirts during my time on the island: 'Puerto Rico Se Levanta' [Puerto Rico is Rising]." Pai said recovering from Hurricane Maria will require an all-hands-on-deck effort, and the FCC "remains committed to doing everything we can to help restore communications networks as quickly as possible." In October, the FCC granted ARRL's request to waive current Amateur Radio rules to permit data transmissions at a higher symbol rate than currently permitted, in order to facilitate hurricane relief communications between the continental US and Puerto Rico. The temporary waiver will enable the use of PACTOR 3 and PACTOR 4. "The path to recovery has met several challenges, most notably the lack of power and functional infrastructure," Pai said. "One thing is clear: overcoming these challenges won't be easy." Read more . Emergency HF Net Convened in Colombia in Wake of Landslide, Flooding Radio amateurs in Colombia were put on Orange Alert on November 8, and an HF net activated on 7.117 kHz in the wake of an avalanche of mud and rocks the previous evening on the La Paila River in the town of Corinto. The incident at dusk killed at least five and injured dozens more. Upward of 20 people are missing after a flood of mud and debris swept through the small town some 60 kilometers southeast of Cali. *Mud and debris were flushed into Corinto by the avalanche. [Red Cross video]* "The Emergency Network of radio amateurs in Cali and Popayan are working together at this time to keep the risk management authorities informed about injured and missing people and temporary shelters," Juan Manuel Yanguas, HK5AKN, Director and Coordinator of the Emergency Service for Liga de Radioaficionados de Ca, said on November 7. "We continue monitoring and will inform about more risks." Yanguas said the Corinto hospital had been evacuated, and a hospital facility has been set up in a camp in the city's principal park, and the population is being evacuated to higher ground. Relief agencies have evacuated the community to the village of San Rafael. The spreading footprint of the avalanche had affected some 60 families -- about 300 people in all. A half-dozen injured were taken to the local coliseum, which was activated as a shelter, and a crisis room was installed at the Corinto Fire Department command center. /-- Thanks to IARU Region 2 Emergency Coordinator Cesar Santos, HR2P; media reports/ Ad The Doctor Will See You Now! "NVIS: Near Vertical Incidence Skywave" is the topic of the new (November 9) 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 . New Book: /ARRL's Best of The Doctor is In/ Now Shipping For more than a decade, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, has been offering ideas and advice to radio amateurs in /QST/'s "The Doctor is In" column. Each month he educates, dispenses cures for troublesome problems, and indulges in more than a little technical myth-busting. Now the Doctor's advice is available in Volume 1 of /ARRL's Best of The Doctor is In/ /. / In this series, ARRL has gathered the most frequently asked questions, as well as Joel's detailed answers, on the topic of antenna systems. Many answers include comprehensive illustrations. You'll find helpful information about VHF/UHF antennas, HF wire antennas, HF vertical antennas, HF Yagi antennas, and transmission lines. If you're puzzling over how to improve your station antennas or how to solve a problem with your antenna system, chances are someone else has shared the same questions with -- and received helpful answers from -- The Doctor. Having /ARRL's Best of The Doctor is In/ at hand is the next best thing to a visit from W1ZR himself! /ARRL's Best of The Doctor Is In/ is available from the ARRL Store or your ARRL Dealer . (ARRL Item no. 0741), ISBN: 978-1-62595-074-1, $22.95 retail, special ARRL Member Price $19.95). Call 860-594-0355 or, toll-free in the US, 888-277-5289. It is also available as an e-book for the Amazon Kindle. Amateur Radio Volunteers Continue New York City Marathon Tradition More than 175 hams from all directions on the compass converged on New York City this past weekend to support communications for the 2017 New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 5. Tata Consultancy Services is the event's primary sponsor. Along with more than 50,000 runners and an estimated crowd of some 2.5 million spectators, Amateur Radio volunteers were on the scene to assist in numerous communications and other race-related activities. Ham radio and the Marathon have a relationship dating back to the 1970s, when former ARRL Hudson Division Director and later First Vice President Steve Mendelsohn, W2ML (then WA2DHF, now Silent Key), began organizing a cadre of ham radio volunteers to support race communications. In an era before cell phones and widespread deployment of digital mobile radio, Mendelsohn and his volunteers provided a major share of the communications, logistical, and organizational support for the growing event. Over the past decade and a half, as the Marathon has become more and more prominent as a major international athletic gathering, dependence on Amateur Radio has been partially supplanted by non-volunteer, paid resources. *Deborah Kerr, KC2GPV, the 2017 TCS NYC Marathon Amateur Radio Communications Director (left), and ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF.* Hams still staff all 26 mile stations along the route, along with medical facilities set up near most mile stations, as well as a large communications center in Central Park. Amateur Radio operators act as course marshals, closely observing the participants, calling in for medical assistance, relaying logistical requirements, and, in general, lending a hand as needed. When a runner drops out of the race, even for a short period, hams alert medical resources and advise NYPD officers nearby. A downed runner may get a bottle of fluids, a package of high-sugar candy, and the jacket of a ham volunteer draped over his or her shoulders to protect from a chilly shock. The task of marshaling all the ham radio resources for the New York City Marathon falls to Deb Kerr, KC2GPV, who succeeded Mendelsohn as Amateur Radio Communications Director for the NYC Marathon. This past weekend, she was on her game./-- Thanks to Tom Gallagher, NY2RF./ Ad **Amateur Radio Poised to Bring a Brighter Future to Dominica Despite the devastating blow Hurricane Maria dealt to the Caribbean island nation of Dominica, Brian Machesney, K1LI, is optimistic that the recent delivery of Amateur Radio gear to the island will help to expedite ongoing recovery and better prepare Dominica for any similar disasters in the future. Machesney is recently back from Dominica, where he and others helped deploy the nearly 600 pounds of radio equipment, transported by air, thanks to Dave Bridgham, N1AHF. Assisting him was Brian Lloyd, WB6RQN, who circumnavigated the globe earlier this year. *Gordon Royer, J73GAR (left), and John Mitchel, J73MH, at the Canefield Airport, in contact via HF ALE with the Douglas-Charles Airport across the mountainous center of the country.* "I wish we could have accomplished more in the 10 days we were on the ground in Dominica but, as any reasonable person would concede, the weeks immediately following the region's most devastating hurricane in living memory were not the best time to deploy new radio equipment," Machesney said. Nonetheless, the gear was delivered safely to the Dominica Amateur Radio Club, Inc. (DARCI ). Many DARCI members lost everything in the hurricane. All of the ham radio gear was donated or purchased with donations. Some of the primary players included the Yasme Foundation, the Foundation for Amateur International Radio Service (FAIRS), and Yaesu. "The first challenge the hams faced in providing communications after the hurricane was the lack of power to recharge their HT batteries," Machesney said. "The solar-charged battery power systems supplied by FAIRS were quickly dispersed to stations from Jimmit to Castle Comfort where, in addition to powering ham equipment, they served to recharge neighbors' mobile devices and further raised ham radio's profile in Dominica." *"RJ" Raymond, J73RJ, tests a solar-powered FT-8900 cross-band VHF/UHF station for deployment to a village that may not have grid power for months.* Machesney sees a productive future on Dominica for HF Automatic Link Establishment (ALE ), a mode widely used by the government and the military. Through a cooperative arrangement with the Dominica Air and Seaports Authority, HF ALE transceivers, purchased by the Yasme Foundation, were installed at a station at Canefield Airport, with a companion station at the larger Douglas-Charles Airport. A third HF ALE station was set up at the DARCI club station, J73Z, and powered by solar panels. FAIRS provided six solar-charged battery power kits, Machesney said. Yaesu also supplied 10 FT-8900 transceivers and 30 FT-65R handheld transceivers and accessories. Generous donations to a GoFundMe campaign provided the cash to purchase antennas and other gear. "All parties are thoroughly sold on HF ALE as a valuable addition to their local and long-range communication capabilities," Machesney said. "Once the state of emergency has passed, the HF ALE stations will be re-deployed to private amateur stations strategically located around the island." He hopes that HF ALE will augment the island's VHF/UHF repeater coverage. "It was a great, cooperative effort that resulted in an integrated package of equipment that should 'keep the lights on' for the foreseeable future," Machesney said. RadFxSat (Fox-1B) Launch Delayed; AMSAT Asks for Patience During Commissioning The launch of the Delta II vehicle carrying RadFxSat (Fox-1B) and other payloads has been delayed, due to a faulty battery on the booster, United Launch Alliance (ULA) announced on November 6. The launch now is scheduled for no earlier than Tuesday, November 14. RadFxSat is one of four CubeSats making up the NASA ELaNa XIV mission, riding as secondary payloads aboard the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS-1) mission, which will launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. RadFxSat is a partnership with Vanderbilt University's Institute for Space and Defense Electronics (ISDE ) and hosts four payloads for the study of radiation effects on commercial off-the-shelf components. It will carry a Fox-1 style FM U/V repeater with an uplink on 435.250 MHz (67.0 Hz CTCSS) and a downlink on 145.960 MHz. Satellite and experiment telemetry will be downlinked via the DUV subaudible telemetry stream, which can be decoded using /FoxTelem/ software. AMSAT Vice-President Engineering, Jerry Buxton, N0JY, said RadFxSat/Fox-1B will automatically come up in beacon mode, transmitting a beacon and voice ID ("RadFxSat Safe Mode") every 2 minutes, starting about 50 minutes after deployment. He said AMSAT command stations will want to see voltage and current data to determine that the spacecraft is healthy and to conduct various tests before opening it up for general use. Telemetry should begin about 55 minutes after deployment. "[F]or the next 72-96 hours at least, we look for successful startup, watch the general health and function as the satellite begins to acclimate to space, and perform the on-orbit checkout," Buxton said. Ground stations are invited to continue uploading received telemetry for the life of the satellite. "You can help AMSAT and everyone waiting to get on the air with RadFxSat tremendously, by capturing RadFxSat telemetry," Buxton said. He called on the satellite community to be "polite and patient" as RadFxSat is commissioned. Read more . /-- Thanks to AMSAT News Service/ Yasme Foundation Announces 2017 Excellence Awards and Supporting Grant The Yasme Foundation Board of Directors has announced five Excellence Awards and one supporting grant for 2017. The Yasme Excellence Award is presented to individuals and groups who, through their own service, creativity, effort, and dedication, have made a significant contribution to Amateur Radio. Their contribution may recognize technical, operating, or organizational achievement. The Yasme Excellence Award consists of a cash grant and an individually engraved crystal globe. Receiving Yasme Foundation Excellence Awards were: * *Dayton Amateur Radio Association (**DARA* *):* To pick up the nation's largest Amateur Radio event -- Hamvention^? -- on a few months' notice and move it to a completely different facility is a daunting task. That it went so smoothly was a testament to the extraordinary efforts of the 600 volunteers and event leadership. * *Paul Verhage, KD4STH, and Bill Brown, WB8ELK: *For their leadership and continued technical innovation in Amateur Radio high-altitude ballooning (ARHAB). While not the traditional means of introduction, ARHAB is exposing hundreds of students to Amateur Radio through an interest in science experimentation. Both honorees have written extensively about ARHAB and have contributed material to /The ARRL Handbook/. * *Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, and Magda Moses, KM4EGE:* For creating and leading the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI ) organization that sponsored the Solar Eclipse QSO Party (SEQP). The SEQP was the largest Amateur Radio experiment ever devised, and it generated the world's most extensive set of HF propagation observations during an eclipse. Beyond the SEQP, HamSCI is attracting the interest of professional/academic researchers from numerous universities, the Arecibo Radio Observatory in Puerto Rico, MIT's Haystack Observatory, and the HAARP facility in Alaska. * *The /WSJT/ Development Team: *Initially the work of Joe Taylor, K1JT, the /WSJT/ software suite is now maintained and extended by a team of developers led by Bill Somerville, G4WJS; Steve Franke, K9AN; Greg Beam, KI7MT; Michael Black, W9MDB; Edson Pereira, PY2SDR, and Nico Palermo, IV3NWV, in collaboration with Taylor. FT8, their latest digital mode, combines the extraordinarily low signal-to-noise ratio performance of JT9 and JT65 with a much faster decoding and exchange process. * *Dale Hughes, VK1DSH:* For his excellent work as chairman of the Amateur Working Group in ITU-R Working Party 5A and as Chairman of the sub-Working Group that addressed the allocation of a worldwide 60-meter Amateur Radio band during World Radiocommunication Conference 2015. Receiving a Yasme Foundation Supporting grant was: * *Gary Pearce, KN4AQ*, for his production and distribution of videos of interest to the Amateur Radio community through /HamRadioNow/ and YouTube. Read more . Ad Canada C3 Voyage Carrying /WSPR/ Concludes; Beacon May Remain Active on Return Trip The epic Canada C3 voyage of the /Polar Prince/ to commemorate Canada's 150th Anniversary of Confederation celebration ended successfully on October 28. Over the course of the 150-day expedition from Toronto, Ontario, to Victoria, British Columbia via the Northwest Passage, the CG3EXP /WSPR/ HF beacon was received on every continent except Antarctica, CG3EXP trustee Barrie Crampton, VE3BSB, told ARRL this week. *The /Polar Prince/ receives a Victoria Fire Department salute as it arrives in British Columbia.* "The Ultimate 3S beacon transmitter made 64,800 transmissions that resulted in 397,964 uploads to WSPRnet.org ," Crampton said. The CG3EXP /WSPR /beacon -- which transmitted on 40, 30, and 20 meters -- provided an opportunity for the Amateur Radio community to follow the vessel's progress and share in the celebration. However, the end of the voyage does not mean the end of the beacon's transmissions. Crampton said the CG3EXP beacon "will likely remain on the air as the /Polar Prince/ returns to the east coast of Canada via the Panama Canal." The deadline for Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) Canada C3 Expedition Award submissions is November 30. The purpose of the award was to track the voyage of the /Polar Prince/ from Toronto to Victoria and to study radio propagation in the Arctic regions of Canada. Stations listened for /WSPR/ signals from CG3EXP and recorded the 6-character Maidenhead grid square that was transmitted, as well as the location of the ship. The /WSPR/ beacon consists of a QRP Labs Kits U3S beacon transmitter. The antenna is a 30-meter resonant end-fed dipole from MyAntennas.com , sloping at 62? up to the mid-mast. Earlier this year, Crampton explained that the /Polar Prince/ did not carry a full-blown Amateur Radio station because of logistics, space, technical requirements. A /WSPR/ beacon was far easier to implement, he said. Read more . /-- Thanks to Barrie Crampton, VE3BSB, and RAC MarCom Director Alan Griffin./ In Brief... *ARI President Mario Ambrosi, I2MQP, SK: *Associazione Radioamatori Italiani (ARI) President Pietro "Mario" Ambrosi, I2MQP, of Rodano, Millepini, Italy, died November 6 after serving for several decades at the head of Italy's national Amateur Radio organization and IARU member society. An ARRL member, DXCC card checker, and 2005 CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame inductee, Ambrosi was credited with growing ARI and with bringing younger people into ham radio. Ambrosi was a DXer and contester, a member of the ARI DX Club Contest Team, and held #1 Honor Roll and 9-Band DXCC. He also served as a QSL manager for multiple stations. Ambrosi was the author of several books on radio and the editor of ARI's journal, /Radiorivista/.** *Tehu Kharel, 9N1DX.* *Mother, Daughter Radio Amateurs Active from Nepal:* Kalpana Kharel, 9N1MM, and her daughter Tejaswita (Tehu), 9N1DX, both are active radio amateurs from Nepal's capital of Kathmandu. Husband and father Satish is 9N1AA. Both women are reported operational on HF, mostly on RTTY and FT8. Kalpana Kharel is believed to be the first female Amateur Radio licensee from Nepal, and her daughter is the youngest ever to obtain a ham license there (an American, Jinny Beyer, 9N1RA, was active in the 1970s). Tehu Kharel, who attends Rato Bangala School in Patan, Nepal, said on her QRZ.com profile that she is working to improve her Morse code skills. "I was very keen to learn about ham radio since my childhood," she said there. "I always observed RTTY QSOs of my dad. So, I am more comfortable with digital modes." QSL cards for 9N1MM and 9N1DX are said to be in production. 9N1MM, now held by Kalpana Kharel, once was the famous call sign of Father Marshall Moran, the first radio amateur active in Nepal from the 1950s until the early 1990s. Getting It Right The article "CQ World Wide SSB Event Inaugurates Fall Contest Season," in the November 2 edition of /The ARRL Letter/, contained inaccurate information. The CQ World Wide SSB contest claimed score for K3LR was the top US high-power multi-multi score. Ad The K7RA Solar Update Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: No sunspots have been visible so far in November. The average daily sunspot number dropped from 17.7 last week to zero this week, November 2-8. The average daily solar flux declined from 75.4 to 70.8, while the average daily planetary A index went from 6.4 to 15.6, and average mid-latitude A index rose from 4.7 to 12.4. Predicted solar flux is 68 on November 9-11; 69, 70, and 72 on November 12-14; 73 on November 15-16; 75 on November 17-30; 72 on December 1; 71 on December 2-3; 70 on December 4-10; 71, 72, 73, 73, and 74 on December 11-15, and 75 on December 16-23. Predicted planetary A index is 38, 30, 26, and 12 on November 9-12; 5, 8, and 16 on November 13-15; 10 on November 16-17; 5 on November 18-19; 20 on November 20-22; 5 on November 23-28; 10 on November 29-30; 5 on December 1-2; 10 and 27 on December 3-4; 30 on December 5-6; 28, 25, and 10 on December 7-9; 5 on December 10-11; 10 on December 12-14; 5 on December 15-16; 20 on December 17-19, and 5 on December 20-23. Sunspot numbers for November 2-8 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0, with a mean of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 73.6, 73.2, 72.1, 71.1, 69.4, 68.3, and 67.6, with a mean of 70.8. Estimated planetary A indices were 8, 9, 4, 3, 2, 36, and 47, with a mean of 15.6. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 12, 7, 2, 1, 0, 26, and 39, with a mean of 12.4. Send me your reports and observations. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just Ahead in Radiosport * November 11-12 -- WAE DX Contest (RTTY) * November 11-12 -- 10-10 International Fall Contest (Digital) * November 11-12 -- JIDX Phone Contest * November 11-12 -- OK/OM DX Contest (CW) * November 11-12 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW) * November 11-12 -- Kentucky QSO Party (CW, phone, digital) * November 11-13 -- CQ-WE Contest (CW, phone, digital) * November 13 -- 4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint (CW, phone) * November 13 -- RSGB 80-Meter Autumn Series (Data) * November 16 -- 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 * November 11 -- HamJam Convention , Alpharetta, Georgia * November 18-19 -- Indiana State Convention , Fort Wayne, Indiana * December 2 -- Arkansas DX Association's 50th Anniversary Convention , North Little Rock, Arkansas * December 8-9 -- West Central Florida Section Convention , Plant City, Florida * 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 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 bimonthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint, and QSO Parties. * /QEX/ *//*--/A Forum for Communications Experimenters/ . Published bimonthly, 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_ __, Snapchat @ARRLHQ, and _Instagram_ ! Ad Ad 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 ? 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. www.arrl.org From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Nov 9 18:29:51 2017 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2017 18:29:51 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] =?utf-8?q?American_Legion_Special_E?= =?utf-8?q?vent_Set_for_Veterans=E2=80=99_Day?= In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: American Legion Special Event Set for Veterans? Day 11/08/2017 The American Legion Amateur Radio Club (TALARC) station K9TAL in Indianapolis will operate special event station N9V on Saturday, November 11, 1800-2400 UTC, to commemorate Veterans? Day. N9V will be on the air from the K9TAL radio room at American Legion National Headquarters in Indianapolis to celebrate and reflect upon the service and sacrifices of US Armed Forces veterans. Look for N9V on or around 7.225 and 14.275 MHz (SSB); on the 147.315 K9DC repeater; on IRLP 9735, and the EchoLink *CrossRds* conference node. Those who experience difficulty hearing or being heard by N9V may be able to check in via relay through TALARC members Everett Bollin, WA3DVO, in Maryland on or about 7.225 MHz (SSB) or Bill Huntimer, KI0CW, in South Dakota, on or about 14:275 MHz (SSB). Both relay stations will operate certain hours on both bands as primary net control stations. Other American Legion radio amateurs also may be available to relay messages. If your American Legion post has an Amateur Radio club station and would like to participate as an assistant net control station, contact Bill Sloan, NZ9S. A full-color certificate and QSL card will be sent to all radio amateurs who contact N9V by any means. Send a 9 ? 12 SASE to The American Legion Amateur Radio Club, 700 N Pennsylvania St., Indianapolis, IN 46204. For more information, contact TALARC or visit the club?s website. http://www.arrl.org/news/american-legion-special-event-set-for-veterans-day From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sun Nov 12 14:25:56 2017 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2017 14:25:56 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] A bunch of balloons delivered basic Internet to 100, 000 Puerto Rico residents Message-ID: <68963eaf-b7f7-bc82-93cb-0f1721b3d46f@bellsouth.net> A bunch of balloons delivered basic Internet to 100,000 Puerto Rico residents Alphabet ?s Project Loon might still be experimental in nature, but it just delivered real hope to 100,000 Puerto Rico residents in what the Project Loon team called the fastest deployment of its Internet-providing balloons ever. Head of Project Loon Alastair Westgarth confirmed the deployment of the balloons over part of the hurricane-ravaged island in a recent blog post, saying that they launched from Nevada and are hovering over ?the hardest hit parts of [Puerto Rico].? According to Westgarth, the Project Loon team is collaborating with AT&T and T-Mobile to provide 100,000 of the island?s residents with emergency Internet service: Working with AT&T and T-Mobile, Project Loon is now supporting basic communication and Internet services like sending text messages and accessing information online for some people with LTE-enabled phones. This is a new venture for the Project Loon team, since this is the first time they have utilized machine learning powered algorithms to keep the balloons clustered over Puerto Rico. Westgarth also admitted that the team is unsure how well these balloons will work or how long they will remain over Puerto Rico, so there remains some uncertainty regarding their effectiveness and longevity. Editor's Pick Project Loon may become Alphabet?s next spinoff company A balloon-delivered wireless service project that began as a part of Google in 2013 might soon be spun off into its own company. Just a week ago, we reported that Google?s parent company was granted an ? Even so, this is the fastest that the Project Loon team has ever created and deployed balloons, which is certainly promising for the future of Alphabet?s experiment. Keep in mind that the team needed to wait until the FCC gave its blessing in early October, so it took them less than two weeks to make this possible. There is still plenty of work to be done, with the FCC reporting today that almost 44 percent of cell sites on Puerto Rico are out of service. According to the agency, the majority of the island?s counties have between 20 and 60 percent of non-functioning cell sites. With Puerto Rico?s population standing at almost 3.5 million people, that is a significant number of people without any wireless service, but at least with the Project Loon news, some can finally get back online. https://www.androidauthority.com/project-loon-puerto-rico-813800/ From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Nov 14 21:31:32 2017 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill M) Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2017 21:31:32 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] US Navy returns to CW Training. Message-ID: <4A5378C6-8F22-45F0-B607-56857B7C0915@bellsouth.net> From another list: Morse Code: A Staple in the Navy IW Toolkit http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=92864 From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Nov 30 14:30:58 2017 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2017 14:30:58 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] A Message from Jeff In-Reply-To: <20171130191444.EBC3A2077255@bmail.arrl.org> References: <20171130191444.EBC3A2077255@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: Holiday greetings to all, We hope you and your families had a pleasant Thanksgiving holiday as we have much to be thankful for. No hamfests to report on in December in SFL, however, many clubs hold their annual holiday parties this month. Join with your fellow club members and their families for a festive evening to celebrate the holiday season. Mark your 2018 calendars for the upcoming Southwest FL Hamfest in Fort Myers on January 19 & 20 and our Southern Florida Section Convention in Stuart on March 17 . Southwest Florida Hamfest Start Date: 01/19/2018 End Date: 01/20/2018 Location: Riverside Church of Fort Myers 8660 Daniels Parkway Fort Myers, FL 33901 Website: http://swflhamfest.info Sponsor: Fort Myers Amateur Radio Club Talk-In: 147.345 (PL 136.5) Public Contact: Harold A Drew , KM4WNF 12407 Davis Blvd. Fort Myers, FL 33905 Phone: 239-309-3660 Email: dfoy50 at gmail.com Southern Florida Section Convention Start Date: 03/17/2018 Location: Martin County Fairgrounds 2616 SE Dixie Highway(A1A) Stuart, FL 34994 Website: http://www.stuarthamfest.com Sponsor: Martin County Amateur Radio Association Talk-In: 147.06 Public Contact: Doug Shields , W4DAS PO Box 1901 Stuart, FL 34995 Phone: 772-349-7820 Email: w4das at comcast.net If you need to satisfy your hamfest cravings this month, visit our friends in the West Central Florida Section at their convention at Plant City on December 8 & 9. West Central Florida Section Convention Start Date: 12/08/2017 End Date: 12/09/2017 Location: Strawberry Festival Agriculture Center 2508 East Oak Avenue Plant City, FL 33564 Website: http://www.tampabayhamfest.org Sponsor: Florida Gulf Coast Amateur Radio Council Type: ARRL Convention Talk-In: 145.410 (PL 131.8) Public Contact: Bill Williams , AG4QX 3215 West Tambay Avenue Tampa, FL 33611-1539 Phone: 813-837-3833 Email: ag4qx at arrl.net And don?t forget the 2018 ARRL Florida State Convention in Orlando. Hope to see you at these events next year. Florida State Convention (Orlando HamCation) Start Date: 02/09/2018 End Date: 02/11/2018 Location: Central Florida Fairgrounds 4603 West Colonial Drive Orlando, FL 32801 Website: http://www.hamcation.com Sponsor: Orlando Amateur Radio Club Talk-In: 146.76 (no PL tone during hamfest) Public Contact: John Knott , N4JTK PO Box 574962 Orlando, FL 32857 Phone: 407-841-0874 Email: info at hamcation.com Another successful ARISS contact was held at the South Florida Science Museum on November 6th. The museum partnered with members of the West Palm Beach ARC assisted by SFL ARISS mentors Ryan, W4NTR and Steve, W1HQL. SFL SM.Jeff , WA4AW was on hand for moral support. Congratulations to all ! December Youngsters on the Air Event Set The annual Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) event takes place during the entire month of December, with YOTA stations attempting to contact many other young radio amateurs around the world. The event offers an excellent opportunity for get radio amateurs in their teens and early 20s to get together on the air. ?The idea of this is to show the Amateur Radio hobby to youth and to encourage youngsters to be active within the hobby,? said International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 (IARU-R1) Youth Working Group Chair Lisa Leenders, PA2LS. ?Consider giving a demonstration at a school or local club, gather together with your friends, grab a pizza, and make some QSOs, or enjoy a great pile-up. Let?s show this great hobby to the world!? This is not a formal contest but a way to get young people on the air with their peers. Numerous participating stations, primarily in Region 1, will be sporting YOTA call sign suffixes. 2017 SFL Field Day Results # Call Score Category QSOs Power Mult GOTA Call Section Participants Club 1 K4LRA 8,848 4A 2,424 2 SFL 14 Lighthouse AR Alliance 2 W4MLB 6,056 2F 1,454 2 AF4Z SFL 32 Platinum Coast ARS 3 N4BP 5,402 1D 1,313 2 SFL 1 4 N2JF 4,724 2A 1,346 2 SFL 35 Palms West ARC 5 N4BRF 4,524 3E 1,024 2 SFL 18 6 W4LX 3,354 5A 601 2 SFL 20 Ft. Myers ARC 7 W4OT 2,566 5A 338 2 SFL 54 Vero Beach ARC 8 K4ZK 2,150 2A 424 2 WX4MC SFL 27 Martin Co ARA & ARES 9 NA4DC 1,796 2A 277 2 SFL 15 Davie Cooper city ARC 10 K4FAU 1,776 2A 443 2 SFL 15 Florida Atlantic Univ ARC 11 K4HRS 1,466 2A 253 2 K3VN SFL 15 Harris-Intersil ARC 12 N4J 1,452 3A 192 2 SFL 41 West Palm Beach ARG 13 K4YHB 1,124 4AC 297 2 SFL 15 ARASWF 14 W4AKH 1,064 2AC 85 2 SFL 23 Ft Pierce ARC 15 KJ4LQX 992 1B1C 178 2 SFL 1 16 N1KSC 966 2A 129 2 SFL 18 Kennedy Space Center ARC 17 W4J 950 1A 50 2 SFL 12 Jupiter Tequesta Repeater Group 18 AJ4IR 934 3A 178 2 SFL 11 Indian RIver ARC 19 WB2FAU 591 1D 541 1 SFL 1 20 AG4BV 290 1E 8 5 SFL 4 21 KS3K 248 1D 51 2 SFL 1 22 N3EQF 210 1B1 40 2 SFL 1 23 K3TZ 198 1D 48 2 SFL 1 24 WD8JPX 174 1E 12 2 SFL 1 25 AA4GT 106 1D 33 2 SFL 1 26 KE4UZL 100 1D 25 2 SFL 1 27 K4XZ 94 1D 22 2 SFL 1 28 KB4FB 94 1D 22 1 SFL 1 29 WA4HWH 92 1D 21 2 SFL 1 30 KC3D 35 1D 35 1 SFL 1 SKYWARN Recognition Day is Saturday, December 2 A heads up: SKYWARN? Recognition Day (SRD) will take place this year on Saturday, December 2 from 0000 until 2400 UTC (starts on the evening of Friday, December 1, in US time zones). During the SKYWARN Special Event, ham radio operators will set up stations at National Weather Service (NWS) offices and contact other radio amateurs around the world. Participating Amateur Radio stations will exchange a brief description of their current weather with as many NWS-based stations as possible on 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, and 2 meters plus 70 centimeters. Contacts via repeaters are permitted. SRD was developed jointly in 1999 by the NWS and ARRL to celebrate the contributions SKYWARN volunteers make to the NWS mission ? the protection of life and property. Amateur Radio operators, which comprise a large percentage of SKYWARN volunteers, also provide vital communication between the NWS and emergency managers, if normal communications become inoperative. Year-Long NASA On The Air Event Kicks off on December 11 The Amateur Radio clubs at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) centers around the US have invited the Amateur Radio community to join the NASA On The Air (NOTA) special event. NOTA gets under way in December 2017 and continues through December 2018. In addition to being the agency?s 60th anniversary, 2018 will mark 50 years since NASA orbited the first human around the moon, and 20 years since the first elements of the International Space Station (ISS) were launched into low-Earth orbit. Starting on Monday, December 11, 2017 (UTC), Amateur Radio club stations at various NASA centers and facilities will be on the air with special event operations to celebrate these monumental achievements, as well as current milestones. Some clubs will offer commemorative QSL cards, and a special certificate will be available indicating the number of NASA club stations worked on various bands and modes. ?We plan to have a web-based system for you to check your points total and download a printable certificate at the end of the event in December 2018,? the NASA announcement said. ?Points will be awarded for each center worked on each band and mode (phone, CW, digital, and ?space? modes ? satellites, meteor scatter, EME, ISS APRS).? That would, of course, include contacts with any of the Amateur Radio stations on the ISS. Key anniversaries during NOTA include the 45th anniversary of Apollo 17 on December 11, 2017, which kicks off the event; NASA?s founding on July 29, 1958; the 20th anniversary of the ISS first element launch on November 20, 1998; the 20th anniversary of the ISS Node 1 Launch on December 4, 1998, and the 50th anniversary of Apollo 8 ? launched on December 21, 1968, and returned on December 27 ? marking the end of the event. Ham radio clubs at various NASA facilities will sponsor their own special events to commemorate and celebrate specific events. ?We hope to be on the air for casual contacts and contests as well. All contacts with NASA club stations will count toward your total,? the announcement said. ?QSL cards can be requested from each club you work and details will be on the individual QRZ.com profile page for each club call sign.? More information is on the NASA On The Air website. Participating Amateur Radio clubs, and the NASA On The Air (NOTA) event are independent of ? and not officially sponsored by ? NASA. ? Status Report: The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2017 The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2017 ? S. 1534is alive, but with legislative action slowed to a glacial pace on Capitol Hill in recent months, there?s been no real progress to report since this past summer. At present, the bill is under consideration by the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and it remains an active concern for ARRL. The League is working diligently to shake the bill loose and move it forward. While it may appear that time is short, S. 1534 does not need to pass the Senate by this years? end. We have until the current session of Congress adjourns, which is not until December 31, 2018. Once the bill passes both Houses, the FCC would still have to implement its essence in the Part 97 Amateur Service rules. Introduced on July 12, 2017, S. 1534 marked another step forward for the landmark legislation. Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sponsored the bill in the Senate. The US House version of the legislation, HR 555, passed the House of Representatives by unanimous consent in January 2017. ARRL Seeks Nominations for 2017 ARRL Bill Leonard Award ARRL is seeking nominations for the prestigious Bill Leonard Award. Created as a tribute to the late CBS News President Bill Leonard, W2SKE, an avid radio amateur and advocate for the service, the award honors three professional journalists whose outstanding media coverage highlights the enjoyment, importance, and public service value of Amateur Radio each yea. Awards are given for audio, visual, and print/text journalism. The ARRL Public Relations Committee judges nominations, and the ARRL Board of Directors makes the ultimate decision, announced at its January meeting. The award consists of an engraved plaque, and a $250 contribution made in each recipient?s name to a charity of their choice. Recipients will receive the award based on their work, in English, covering Amateur Radio topics in an audio format, such as broadcast radio or podcasting; a visual format, such as television, movie, or other video media, and print and text format, such as newspapers, news websites, magazines or journals. The scope of the work nominated may be a single story or series. The work for which a nominee is considered must have appeared between December 4, 2016, and December 1, 2017. Only one submission per entrant will be accepted, and only one award will be granted for a team effort. Copies of the work for which the journalist is nominated must be submitted with the nomination. Submit entries to ARRL PR Committee, c/o Communication Manager, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. Entries are due by 5 PM EST on December 1, 2017. For more information about the award or to obtain a nomination form, visit the ARRL website or contact ARRL Communication Manager, David Isgur at disgur at arrl.org or call 860-594-0328. The Official Nomination Form is also available to download. JOTA ?Alive and Doing Well,? Although 2017 Participation Down from Last Year Nearly 8,000 Scouts got on the air for the 60th Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) over the third weekend in October, National JOTA Coordinator Jim Wilson, K5ND said. Wilson this week released the 2017 JOTA report, which declared, ?Radio Scouting and Jamboree on the Air are alive and doing well.? Facilitating the October JOTA activity were more than 900 radio amateurs at 525 stations. ?Propagation wasn?t our friend, but, even so, [radio amateurs in] almost 90 countries and all 50 states engaged in conversations with Scouts during the weekend,? Wilson said. ?In addition to HF, VHF, and UHF many Amateur Radio digital modes were in use, as well as online Jamboree on the Internet channels.? The tally for JOTA 2017 was 7,872 Scouts on the air, which, Wilson pointed out, was down from the 10,761 who took part in JOTA 2016, but more in line with 2015?s participation. Reports were filed by 226 JOTA locations. ?The Boy Scouts of America National Radio Scouting Committee will be exploring several improvement projects for 2018,? Wilson said. These would include establishing a JOTA Frequency Task Force to explore updated frequency listing and operating recommendations, looking into new ways to alert participants in real time about other JOTA stations that are on the air. The Radio Scouting Committee?s work in 2017 resulted in the introduction of new Radio Merit Badge requirements, which included a new option for Amateur Direction Finding (ARDF) ? or ?foxhunting.? The panel also developed documents to help Scout leaders incorporate radio and JOTA in their unit activities ? ?Cub Scout Program Helps for JOTA? and ?Boy Scout Troop Meeting Plan for Radio.? Wilson pointed out that the "very successful" K2BSA operation at the 2017 National Scout Jamboree in July introduced Amateur Radio to nearly 2,500 Scouts, with 305 earning the Radio merit badge. Miami Marathon Sunday January 28, 2018 Once again we are ready to begin preparations for the upcoming Miami Marathon on Sunday January 28, 2018, and once again I ask for your help. This will be the 16thrunning of the Miami Marathon, and we have all played a critical role in providing communications since year one. We are expecting close to 25,000 participants this year, and the need for our communications is even greater than last year. The marathon has become a truly world class event, a big asset to our community, a major boost to child fitness programs in our schools, and a real opportunity for us to help by doing what we do best. Miami Marathon runners raise millions of dollars for more than a dozen charities working to fight cancer, diabetes, and many other worthwhile causes. As always, returning volunteers have priority in selecting post assignments. Please let me know if you prefer your previous post or a different location. Although the Venetian Causeway has re-opened, the race route may be different from prior years. Please let me know if you would like to participate, and please pass along this information to any other hams you think may be interested. Also, if you have changed your email, mailing address, callsign, or phone number in the past year, please be sure to advise me of your current contact information. Now that the Venetian Causeway has reopened, parts of the race course and some of the aid station locations will be different this year. You can find more information about the marathon on http://www.themiamimarathon.com/. I Look forward to seeing all of you on Sunday January 29th Best regards and 73 Ben Nemser WA4DZS bnemser at nemal.com cell 305-439-7190 Silent Keys- It is with deep regret that we report the passing of the following SFL members: Retired Southern Florida Official Observer Coordinator Harry Newell, N3HN, SK Retired ARRL Southern Florida Official Observer Coordinator Harry Newell, N3HN, of Homestead passed away on September 22. He was 82. Harry served the ARRL Southern Florida Section for many years in various capacities as Official Observer, Official Emergency Station and Local Net Manager in Miami-Dade County as well as OOC. William ? Bill ? Kennebeck, W2DRX of Hobe Sound passed away on October 30. He was 95. Bill was an active member of the Martin County Amateur Radio Association. Well, I guess that's about it for now. My thanks for all that you do for Amateur Radio. Get on the air, Elmer a new ham, support your local club and ARES group but most of all, have fun with ham radio. On behalf of the entire SFL volunteer Field Organization Team, Myra and I wish you all the very best of the holiday season and a happy, healthy New Year. Vy 73, Jeff, WA4AW -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL Southern Florida Section Section Manager: Jeff Beals, WA4AW wa4aw at arrl.org From billbass at gmail.com Wed Nov 1 12:31:49 2017 From: billbass at gmail.com (billbass@gmail) Date: Wed, 01 Nov 2017 16:31:49 -0000 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] [SFDXA] CW Thoughts... In-Reply-To: <36d5cb65-4fb1-fae0-be69-36c9b5e6d9b6@bellsouth.net> References: <0bd6f1dd-94f9-3833-4d91-86004c954c84@bellsouth.net> <36d5cb65-4fb1-fae0-be69-36c9b5e6d9b6@bellsouth.net> Message-ID: Wayne, You should write a novel! You're very good at it! 73's Bill K4TF > On Nov 1, 2017, at 8:37 AM, Mike Williams wrote: > > I concur with this; I have been a cw op for 50 years and still enjoy it. I have tried all of the "digital" modes and after figuring out how it works and making one or two contacts, I took the cabling apart to make room on my operating desk for my paddles and coffee. > > Finally have replacement parts for my Hexbeam so looking forward to getting OTA very soon now! > > 73 Bill! > > W4DL Mike in EL96wf > > > >> On 11/1/2017 8:24 AM, Bill wrote: >> From CWops List: - Bill W2CQ >> >> >> I find that CW has many practical and engaging aspects that I just don?t get with computer-mediated modes like FT8. You?d think I?d be burned out on CW by now, over 45 years since I was first licensed, but no, I?m still doin? it :) >> >> Yes, FT8 (etc.) is a no-brainer when, despite poor conditions, your goal is to log as many contacts as possible with as many states or countries as possible. It?s so streamlined and efficient that the whole process is readily automated. (If you haven?t read enough opinions on that, see "The mother of all FT8 threads? on QRZ.com, for example.) >> >> But back to CW. Here?s why it works for me. YMMV. >> >> CW feels personal and visceral, like driving a sports car rather than taking a cab. As with a sports car, there are risks. You can get clobbered by larger vehicles (QRM). Witness road range (?UP 2!?). Fall into a pothole (QSB). Be forced to drive through rain or snow (QRN). >> >> With CW, like other forms of human conversation, you can affect your own style. Make mistakes. Joke about it. >> >> CW is a skill that bonds operators together across generations and nations. A language, more like pidgin than anything else, with abbreviations and historical constructs and imperialist oddities. A curious club anyone can join. (At age 60 and able to copy 50 WPM on a good day, I may qualify as a Nerd Mason of some modest order, worthless in any other domain but of value in a contest.) >> >> With very simple equipment that anyone can build, such as a high-power single-transistor oscillator, you can transmit a CW signal. I had very little experience with electronics when I was 14 and built an oscillator that put out maybe 100 mW. Just twisted the leads of all those parts together and keyed the collector supply--a 9-volt battery. With this simple circuit on my desk, coupled to one guy wire of our TV antenna mast, I worked a station 150 miles away and was instantly hooked on building things. And on QRP. I?m sure the signal was key-clicky and had lots of harmonics. I?ve spent a lifetime making such things work better, but this is where it started. >> >> Going even further down the techno food chain, you can ?send? CW by whistling, flashing a lamp, tapping on someone?s leg under a table in civics class, or pounding a wrench on the inverted hull of an upside-down U.S. war vessel, as happened at Pearl Harbor. Last Saturday at an engineering club my son belongs to, a 9-year-old demonstrated an Arduino Uno flashing HELLO WORLD in Morse on an LED. The other kids were impressed, including my son, who promptly wrote a version that sends three independent Morse streams on three LEDs. A mini-pileup. His first program. >> >> Finally, to do CW you don?t always need a computer, keyboard, mouse, monitor, or software. Such things are invaluable in our daily lives, but for me, shutting down everything but the radio is the high point of my day. The small display glows like a mystic portal into my personal oyster, the RF spectrum. Unless I crank up the power, there?s no fan noise. Tuning the knob slowly from the bottom end of the band segment to the top is a bit like fishing my favorite stream, Taylor Creek, which connects Fallen Leaf Lake to Lake Tahoe. Drag the line across the green, sunlit pool. See what hits. Big trout? DX. Small trout? Hey, it?s still a fish, and a QSO across town is still a QSO. Admire it, then throw it back in. >> >> (BTW: You now know why the Elecraft K3, K3S, KX2, and KX3 all have built-in RTTY and PSK data modes that allow transmit via the keyer paddle and receive on the rig?s display. We decided to make these data modes conversational. >> ...like CW.) >> >> Back to 40 meters.... >> 73, >> Wayne >> N6KR >> ______________________________________________________________ >> QCWA69 mailing list >> SubScribe UNSubscribe or Info: >> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/qcwa69 >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:QCWA69 at mailman.qth.net >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > > ______________________________________________________________ > South Florida DX Assoc. "SINCE 1974" > SFDXA WebSite: http://www.SFDXA.com > SFDXA Repeater 147.33+ 103.5 Tone > To Post: mailto:SFDXA at mailman.qth.net > To UNSUBSCRIBE/EDIT: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/sfdxa > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net