[SFDXA] The ARRL Letter for February 25, 2016
Bill
bmarx at bellsouth.net
Thu Feb 25 18:32:49 EST 2016
Preview
If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at:
http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-02-25
The ARRL Letter
February 25, 2016
Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME <mailto:ww1me at arrl.org>
ARRL Home Page <http://www.arrl.org/>
/ARRL Letter/ Archive <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/>
Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/>
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2016-02-25&t=t>
* FCC Invites Comments on ARRL Petition That Seeks 80/75 Meter
Adjustments <#toc01>
* Ballots Counted, Results Announced in Three ARRL Section Manager
Contests <#toc02>
* ARRL to Offer ARES Forms Training Webinar <#toc03>
* ARES Team Leverages Radio Services, Local Media, Internet in
Missouri Flood Watch <#toc04>
* FCC Seeks Comments on Petition to Grant Lifetime Amateur Radio
Licenses <#toc05>
* *National Parks on the Air Update* <#toc06>
* AMSAT Seeks Volunteers to Support Phase 4 "Five and Dime" Ground
Terminal Effort <#toc07>
* Satellite DXCC Nearly 20 Years in the Making <#toc08>
* Article Profiles First African-American Radio Amateur, Rufus Turner,
W3LF <#toc09>
* Hurricane Watch Net, Maritime Mobile Service Network Stalwart David
Lefavour, W7GOX, SK <#toc10>
* In Brief... <#toc11>
* The K7RA Solar Update <#toc12>
* Just Ahead in Radiosport <#toc13>
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events
<#toc14>
FCC Invites Comments on ARRL Petition That Seeks 80/75 Meter Adjustments
The FCC has put the ARRL's January /Petition for Rule Making/ (RM 11759
<http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/comment/view?id=60001374190>) on public notice
and invited interested parties to comment on what the League has called
"minimal but necessary changes" to 80 and 75 meters. The ARRL petitioned
the FCC to fix a "shortfall in available RTTY/data spectrum" that the
Commission created when it reapportioned 80 and 75 meters 10 years ago.
The League's petition asked the FCC to shift the boundary between the 80
meter RTTY/data subband and the 75 meter phone/image subband from 3600
kHz to 3650 kHz. The proposed change received strong support from ARRL
members, and the ARRL Board of Directors adopted it as policy at its
July 2015 meeting. At that time the Board also agreed to seek RTTY and
data privileges for Novice and Technician licensees within their current
15 meter CW subband, and to do the same on 80 meters, depending on the
outcome of the 80/75 meter subband revision.
The petition asks the FCC to make the following changes to the Part 97
Amateur Radio Service rules, with respect to 80/75 meters:
*
Modify the RTTY/data subband, so that it extends from 3500 kHz to
3650 kHz.
*
Modify the phone/image subband, so that it extends from 3650 kHz to
4000 kHz.
*
Make 3600-3650 kHz available for General and Advanced Class
licensees, as was the case prior to 2006.
*
Make 3600-3650 kHz available to Novice and Technician licensees for
telegraphy -- consistent with existing rules permitting Novices and
Technicians to operate CW in the 80, 40, and 15 meter General and
Advanced RTTY/data subbands.
*
Modify the rules governing automatically controlled digital stations
(ACDS), to shift the ACDS segment from 3585-3600 kHz to 3600-3615
kHz, consistent with the IARU Region 1 and 2 band plans.
According to the ARRL, the FCC /Report and Order/ in Docket 04-140
released in 2006 departed substantially and without justification from
the rules proposed in the FCC's so-called "Omnibus" /Notice of Proposed
Rule Making/ (/NPRM/), with respect to 75 and 80 meters. Among other
actions, the resulting changes expanded voice privileges on additional
frequencies in various bands, including 75 meters. The FCC shifted the
phone/image subband from 3750-4000 kHz to 3600-4000 kHz, trimming the 80
meter RTTY/data subband from 3500-3750 kHz to 3500-3600 kHz and
substantially changing "the entire dynamic of this band," the League said.
Although the Omnibus /R&O/ had indicated that incumbent licensees would
not lose any operating privileges, some clearly did, the ARRL has
pointed out. The most substantial adverse effect of the "unexpected and
vast expansion" of the 75 meter phone/image subband, the League said,
was the elimination of access to 3620-3635 kHz by ACDS. Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-invites-comments-on-arrl-petition-that-seeks-80-75-meter-adjustments>.
Ballots Counted, Results Announced in Three ARRL Section Manager Contests
The ARRL Pacific, San Diego, and Louisiana Sections will get new Section
Managers, and five incumbent SMs will begin new terms in their
respective sections on April 1. The results of three contested elections
in the winter election cycle were announced February 23, after ballots
were tallied at ARRL Headquarters.
*
In the Pacific Section, Joe Speroni, AH0A, received 228 votes, to
103 for Kimberly Fendt, WH6KIM. Speroni has been the Pacific
Section's Affiliated Club Coordinator and maintains a variety of
Amateur Radio-related interests. Outgoing Pacific Section Manager
Bob Schneider, AH6J, decided not to run for another term after
serving for the past 10 years, in addition to stints from 1992 to
1996 and from 2002 to 2004.
*
In the San Diego Section, Dave Kaltenborn, N8KBC, outpolled Patrick
Bunsold, WA6MHZ, 350 to 219 votes. Kaltenborn brings more than 25
years of experience as a radio amateur to the top post in San Diego
Field Organization. He has been Assistant Section Manager, Assistant
Section Emergency Coordinator, and a District and local Emergency
Coordinator. Outgoing Section Manager Steve Early, AD6VI, decided
not to run for another term after serving for the past 8 years.
*
In the Louisiana Section, Scott Wren, KD5DFL, will succeed Jim
Molan, KD5IGG, as Section Manager on April 1. Wren was the only
nominee for the new term when Molan announced that he would not run
for the position again after serving for one term. Wren has served
as Section Emergency Coordinator for the past 2 years, and as an
Assistant District Emergency Coordinator or Emergency Coordinator
since 2005.
*
In Virginia, incumbent Section Manager Joe Palsa, K3WRY, received
870 votes, while Anthony Harbour, KG4YXP, garnered 512 votes. Palsa
was appointed as Virginia's SM 1 year ago, to complete the remaining
term of then-Section Manager Carl Clements, W4CAC, who had stepped
down. Now elected in his own right, Palsa will continue as Section
Manager for the next 2 years.
Four incumbent ARRL Section Managers faced no opposition and have been
declared elected for new terms beginning on April 1: Pete Cecere, N2YJZ,
Eastern New York; Joe Ames, W3JY, Eastern Pennsylvania; Karl Bowman,
W4CHX, North Carolina, and Chris Stallkamp, W0ADZ, South Dakota.
ARRL to Offer ARES Forms Training Webinar
On Tuesday March 1, ARRL Headquarters staff will offer a free training
webinar on three critical Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) report
forms. This webinar is intended for Emergency Coordinators, District
Emergency Coordinators, Section Emergency Coordinators, Assistant ECs at
all three levels, and Section Managers. The training will cover these
forms:.
*
FSD-157 -- Public Service Activity Report
*
FSD-212 -- EC/DEC Monthly Report
*
FSD-96 -- SEC Monthly Report
Topics covered will include how to fill out the forms, who should
complete the forms, where the information goes, how the information gets
used, and why good reporting is critical. The future of ARES reporting
will be discussed. The webinar will begin at 8 PM ET (0100 UTC) and last
about 1 hour.
Conducting the webinar will be ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike
Corey, KI1U; ARRL Field Services Supervisor Steve Ewald, WV1X, and ARRL
Emergency Preparedness Assistant Ken Bailey, K1FUG.
Attendees may register
<https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4514424691371387394> online.
For more information, contact Mike Corey <mailto:ki1u at arrl.org>, KI1U.
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2016-02-25&p=0>
ARES Team Leverages Radio Services, Local Media, Internet in Missouri
Flood Watch
Members of Ste Genevieve County ARES in Missouri pulled together a
variety of resources to pitch in when the Mississippi River threatened
to crest at a record level in late December. Ste Genevieve County
Emergency Coordinator Norm Gallup, KD0HHM, reached out to the county's
emergency manager to offer the ARES group's assistance,
*AEC Jody Odem, NR9A, at the command post, explains the ARES team's
activities to a local TV reporter. At the left is ARES team member
Howard Dohack, W0JET.*
and the ARES team was tasked with patrolling the north levee. Gallup was
familiar with the system of levees and earthen dams that keep the river
from overflowing its banks. With only a handful of radio amateurs at
hand, AEC Jody Odem, NR9A, said the ARES team soon realized it would
have to expand its pool of volunteers to non-amateurs who would be
willing to patrol the levee. He suggested providing Multi-Use Radio
Service (MURS) VHF radios to support unlicensed levee walkers,
supplementing ham radio and the Ste Genevieve County Amateur Radio Club
repeater.
*The Levee Watch Command Post at the Ste Genevieve Public Works
Department office.*
The ARES team set up shop at the Ste Genevieve Public Works Department,
which overlooks the Mississippi. A county-provided, trailer-mounted
crank-up tower was pressed into service to mount antennas. Gallup's "go
kit" was packed with a broad complement of radio gear. To obtain
Internet service, Odem used a modified wireless router that could
function as a repeater to borrow a wireless signal from a local
residential care facility.
As the patrols got under way, MURS radios were issued to all levee
walkers, with one also going to the local police department to monitor
the ARES team's traffic. The command post also monitored local law
enforcement as well as county fire and EMS repeaters.
Ste Genevieve County Emergency Coordinator Norm Gallup, KD0HHM, calling
in an "area of concern" from the levee.
While all this was going on, Odem's wife Ana, N0ANA, took to Facebook,
e-mail, text message, and telephone to secure additional volunteers.
Fortuitously, a ham, Don Pritchard, W6ZPC, is the news director and an
on-air personality for the local radio station, and he was able to put
out the word via that medium.
"As the operation progressed, volunteers came out of the woodwork to
walk the levee," Jody Odem said. Throughout the operation, a total of 37
volunteers walked 4-hour shifts on the levee, looking for "areas of
concern," which were called in and plotted on a map using Google Earth.
Many volunteers returned to walk multiple shifts, Jody Odem said, and
even with temperatures dipping into the 20s at night, no one complained.
None of the areas of concern that levee walkers spotted turned out to be
significant, as the Mississippi River reached its second-highest level
at Chester, Illinois, since records have been kept. The ARES team
officially stood down on January 4. Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/ares-team-leverages-radio-services-local-media-internet-in-missouri-flood-watch>.
FCC Seeks Comments on Petition to Grant Lifetime Amateur Radio Licenses
The FCC is seeking comments on a /Petition for Rule Making/ (RM 11760
<http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=60001333714>) that asks the
FCC to grant lifetime Amateur Radio licenses. Mark F. Krotz, N7MK, of
Mesa, Arizona, filed his request with the FCC last November. He wants
the FCC to revise § 97.25 of its rules to indicate that Amateur Radio
licenses are granted for the holder's lifetime, instead of for the
current 10-year term. Krotz noted that the General Radiotelephone
Operator License (GROL) already is issued on a lifetime basis, and he
maintained that not having to renew licenses would lighten the FCC's
workload.
"It would be mutually beneficial for the FCC and Amateur Radio operators
to update Part 97 to grant operator licenses for lifetime," Krotz said
in his filing. "The FCC would benefit by reducing administrative costs."
In 2014, the FCC granted lifetime credit for examination elements 3 and
4, but applicants seeking relicensing under that provision still must
pass examination element 2.
Individuals may submit
<http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/proceeding/view?name=RM-11760> comments via
the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS).
*National Parks on the Air Update*
Since the creation of the Manhattan Project National Historic Site by
the National Park Service (NPS) in mid-November 2015, activating one of
the three sites comprising this unit has been impossible, in large part
because gaining access to active Department of Energy sites is
exceptionally difficult. The only site of the three with any hope of
regular public access is Oak Ridge, Tennessee. On February 24, NPOTA
administrators decided that any location within the boundaries of the
Oak Ridge Reservation, as outlined on the NPS Manhattan Project
<http://www.nps.gov/mapr/oakridge.htm> website, will count for NPOTA
credit. Activators must be sure not to transmit from private property
without prior approval.
There are 35 activations on the NPOTA Activations Calendar between
February 25 and March 2, including Petroglyph National Monument in New
Mexico, and Moore's Creek National Battlefield in North Carolina -- as
part of the 240th anniversary celebration of the Battle of Moore's Creek
Bridge during the Revolutionary War.
Details <https://npota.arrl.org/nps-events.php> about these and other
upcoming activations can be found on the NPOTA Activations calendar.
Keep up with the latest NPOTA news on Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/groups/NPOTA/>. Follow NPOTA on Twitter
<http://www.twitter.com/> (*@ARRL_NPOTA*).
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2016-02-25&p=1>
AMSAT Seeks Volunteers to Support Phase 4 "Five and Dime" Ground
Terminal Effort
Established less than 1 year ago, AMSAT's all-volunteer Phase 4 Ground
Terminal <http://www.amsat.org/?p=4945> team has made significant
strides in developing an ensemble of solutions to support the so-called
"Five and Dime" (5 GHz and 10 GHz) strategy AMSAT has embraced for
microwave satellite projects. Prompting the effort is the planned launch
of a geosynchronous military satellite in the 2018 time frame, which
could play host to an Amateur Radio payload operating on the two
microwave bands. The overarching project, which also includes a
complementary Phase 4 Space team, is exploring new territory and
innovative solutions, and it's seeking volunteers
<http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=1096> from among the technically savvy
within the Amateur Radio community.
*Michelle Thompson, W5NYV, heads the Phase 4 Ground team.*
"We're going to make it as awesome as possible," Ground Station team
lead Michelle Thompson, W5NYV, told ARRL. The project not only would
support the Phase 4B geosynchronous launch, but provide solutions for
the Phase 3E high-Earth orbit satellite, and receiver support for
AMSAT's entry into the NASA Cube Quest Challenge, which would go to the
moon.
Thompson said the compelling technical reason for using 5 GHz and 10 GHz
is the ability to use high-bandwidth modes on those bands. In addition,
"the 5 and 10 GHz bands are popular elsewhere, and other projects are
embracing this band complement," she noted. Another advantage would be
to raise Amateur Radio's profile on the two bands and perhaps "shake
things up" there for terrestrial use. "The 5 and 10 GHz bands are a
compromise that's working really, really well," Thompson said.
The US Air Force will control the geosynchronous satellite. Virginia
Tech, Millennium Space Systems (MSS <http://www.millennium-space.com/>),
FEMA, various clubs. as well as AMSAT and ARRL are partners in, or are
supporting, the project. A formal memorandum of understanding is pending.
*Cognitive Radios*
*Tinkering with a DVB-S2X signal in the laboratory.*
"We're currently exploring the Amateur Radio implementation of a very
advanced and exciting open standard called DVB-S2X for the downlink,"
Thompson explained, noting it offers a variety of modulation and coding.
Earth stations will use their individual radios, transmitting a digital
signal -- probably something called Offset QPSK (O-PSK) -- directly to
the satellite, with each getting its own channel in a frequency
division, multiple access (FDMA) scheme.
"This is an elegant way to design an efficient and advanced
communication system and allows technical volunteers to experiment with
the basics of cognitive radio -- radio that can sense the environment
and adapt to take full advantage of the capabilities the hardware
offers," she said.
*Groundsats and a "Big Honking SDR"*
Phase 4 radios will be designed to work not just with the impending
geosynchronous satellite but through terrestrial microwave "Groundsats,"
which, Thompson said, "are essentially satellite simulators that let you
test and use the radio terrestrially." Phase 4 radio designs also could
be configured to use modulation schemes that are better able to deal
with terrestrial multipath.
*Ground Team member Paul Williamson, KB5MU, with a HackRF One SDR board,
being evaluated for use as a Phase 4 Ground radio.*
Amateur Radio Access Points (ARAPs) -- essentially signal aggregators --
would allow legacy radios, FM handheld transceivers, or emergency
traffic providers to use the satellite from any point where an ARAP can
be deployed, packaging the input for uplink to the satellite. Hams
within ARAP range would be able to use the Five and Dime terrestrial
network just as if they were operating through a satellite.
"The Groundsat, which is doing the same job as the satellite payload,
has a big honking SDR on it," Thompson said. Groundsat equipment has
arrived and is in use in San Diego, North Texas, and at Virginia Tech,
and Groundsat development is under way at those sites. A fourth site
would be at Morgan State University in Maryland.
*Doing It on the Cheap*
The name "Five and Dime" also reflects the project's economics. AMSAT
Board Member and Virginia Tech Research Professor Bob McGwier, N4HY,
recently explained on the AMSAT-BB that the Ground Team's work is "an
effort to design an inexpensive ground terminal for amateurs that would
cost tens of thousands of dollars commercially, for as much under $1000
as we can get it."
To volunteer for the Phase 4 Ground Team, provide your contact
information on AMSAT's Engineering Team contact form
<http://ww2.amsat.org/?page_id=1121>. Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/amsat-seeks-volunteers-to-support-phase-4-five-and-dime-ground-terminal-effort>.
Satellite DXCC Nearly 20 Years in the Making
It took nearly 20 years, but AMSAT <http://www.amsat.org/?p=4945> Vice
President of Operations Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, finally qualified for
Satellite DXCC. Glasbrenner submitted the requisite number of QSLs for
checking at the Orlando HamCation <http://www.hamcation.org/> February
12-14, and ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X,
verified KO4MA's achievement.
"It's been a long process getting to satellite DXCC," said Glasbrenner,
who got into satellite operating around 1993, and was only on RS-12
(Mode K) for a long time. "This was the Russian satellite payload that
used 15 meters up, and 10 meters down."
Glasbrenner's activity stagnated for a long time during and after his
college years, but in 1999 he got involved in working the LEO
satellites, such as UO-14, AO-27, FO-20, FO-29, and AO-10 "when it was
still semi-usable," he added.
*ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, and AMSAT
Vice President of Operations Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, at the Orlando
HamCation.*
"When AO-40 was launched into a high-Earth orbit, I dove into Mode U/S
with gusto," Glasbrenner recounted. During the 3 years that AO-40 was
active, he spent many late nights and early mornings looking for the
next new one. "Eventually I was using a 3-foot solid dish with preamp
and downconverter for the Mode S downlink, and this is when some of my
most exciting contacts came."
Highlights included working VU2MKP at a few degrees of elevation to the
east, right after the satellite came up, and working KH2GR in the other
direction.
When AO-40 went silent, Glasbrenner said he was about a dozen short of
DXCC, and he realized that he'd have to be proactive to finish up with
just LEO satellites. Many of his new ones came from operators who went
the extra mile to operate from places like the Caribbean and Greenland.
Glasbrenner said the absence of operational HEO satellites "makes
satellite DXCC nearly impossible for newer operators."
Bernhard Dobler, DJ5MN, has been at the top of the DXCC Satellite
standings since 2000, and has 274 entities confirmed. Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/satellite-dxcc-nearly-20-years-in-the-making>.
Article Profiles First African-American Radio Amateur, Rufus Turner, W3LF
The computer hardware/software/do-it-yourself blog /Hackaday/ has
profiled
<http://hackaday.com/2016/02/15/do-you-know-rufus-turner/#comments>
Rufus Turner, W3LF (ex-K6AI) -- believed to be the first
African-American radio amateur and one of the more fascinating
personalities in US history. Born on December 25, 1907, in Houston,
Texas, Turner "became fascinated by crystal diodes and published his
first article about radio when he was 17," according to /Hackaday/. He
went on to build what /Hackaday/ described as "then the world's smallest
radio set" in 1925, while still a teenager.
*Rufus Turner, W3LF.*
In the day when radio amateurs still were allowed to broadcast, W3LF
became the first radio station licensed to an African-American. He
broadcast with a 15 W in Washington, DC, and operated another radio
station for his church.
Working with Sylvania in the 1940s, Turner helped to develop the 1N34A
germanium diode. And in 1949, he wrote "Build a Transistor" for Hugo
Gernsback's /Radio-Electronics/ magazine (May 1949 issue
<http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Radio-Craft/1940s/Radio-Craft-RE-1949-May.pdf>,
p 38) -- at a time when transistors (aka "crystal triodes") not only
were cutting edge but not commercially available. His meticulously
described project involved the sacrifice of two 1N34A diodes.
In January 1950, his article, "A Crystal Receiver with Transistor
Amplifier" appeared in /Radio and Television News/, along with plans for
a three-transistor radio. This was in the days before such things had
begun to appear on the market.
While he had attended Armstrong Tech in Washington, DC, and he became a
licensed professional engineer, he veered into the non-technical sphere
of academe later in his life, earning bachelor's and master's degrees in
English, and in 1960 -- at age 52 -- becoming an English professor. Read
more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/view/article-profiles-first-african-american-radio-amateur-rufus-turner-w3lf>.
/-- Thanks to Hackaday, Southgate Amateur Radio News, Radio-Electronics/
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2016-02-25&p=2>
Hurricane Watch Net, Maritime Mobile Service Network Stalwart David
Lefavour, W7GOX, SK
A veteran of the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN <http://www.hwn.org>) and the
Maritime Mobile Service Network (MMSN <http://www.mmsn.org/>), Capt
David Lefavour, W7GOX, of Los Lunas, New Mexico, died on February 8. He
was 82. Lefavour served for more than 28 years in the US Navy as a
fighter pilot and later worked in law enforcement. An ARRL member, he
was a member of the HWN for more than 20 years, serving as the net
manager from 2006 until 2009 and receiving manager emeritus status in
2013. He also was a net controller for a similar tenure for the MMSN.
"Dave was one of few I've met who had a very calming and reassuring
voice during any emergency situation," HWN Net Manager Bobby Graves,
KB5HAV, said.
Lefavour will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery with full
military honors.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Brief...
*February 27-28 Maintenance to Interrupt ARRL Website Services:* The
ARRL Information Technology Department will conduct overnight
maintenance on its network during the February 27-28 weekend, and some
or all website systems and services will be temporarily unavailable. The
work will start at 0100 UTC on February 28 (the evening of Saturday,
February 27, in US time zones) and be completed by 1100 UTC on Sunday,
February 28. The ARRL website will remain up, but online processing of
membership applications and renewals and the ARRL Store will not be
available. E-mail also will be unavailable, but all messages will be
queued for later delivery. We apologize for any inconvenience.
*"Ham Radio Now" Hosting 2015 ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications
Conference Video Presentations:* Full-length video of all major
presentations at the 2015 ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference
(DCC) is now online, courtesy of "Ham Radio Now
<http://arvideonews.com/hrn/>." This includes the 16 individual talks on
subjects ranging from making a /WSPR/ transmitter from a Raspberry Pi to
advances in HF receiver testing to building your own networked satellite
ground station. Each talk runs about 45 minutes. The DCC Sunday "Deep
Dive" -- 4 hours on a single topic --covered 3D modeling for Amateur
Radio. Saturday night banquet speaker ARRL Contributing Editor Ward
Silver, N0AX, posed the question: "Ham Radio... Now What?" DCC videos
are grouped in a YouTube Playlist
<https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL24Rak2jsMJRlvRDXpqtlnrWLpc7utxss>.
*Idaho QSO Party Listing in /QST/ "Contest Calendar" Contains Incorrect
Website URL:* The March "Contest Calendar" listing for the Idaho QSO
Party contains an incorrect URL for the sponsor's website. The correct
URL is http://idahoarrl.info/qsoparty/rules.htm. The Idaho QSO Party
takes place March 12-13, 2016.
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The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Over the 7 days of our reporting week
(February 18-24), average daily sunspot numbers declined from 56.7 to 37.9.
Average daily solar flux was down from 107.8 to 93.9, but geomagnetic
indicators were also down (generally a good thing), with the average
planetary A index decreasing from 17.7 to 10.1 and the average
mid-latitude A index declining from 12.6 to 7.3.
The latest prediction from the US Air Force has solar flux at 85 on
February 25-26; 80 on February 27-28; 85 on February 29; 90 on March
1-2; 105 on March 3; 115 on March 4-7; 110 on March 8-9; 105 on March
10-13; 100 on March 14-15; 95 on March 16-19; 100 and 105 on March
20-21, and 110 on March 22-23. Solar flux then peaks at 115 on March 29
through April 3.
Predicted planetary A index is 8 on February 25-29; 12 on March 1; 8 on
March 2-4; 5, 15, 10, and 8 on March 5-8; 5 on March 9-10; then 8, 5,
and 12 on March 11-13; 30 on March 14-16; 15 and 8 on March 17-18, and 5
on March 19-21.
Sunspot numbers for February 18 through 24 were 35, 42, 46, 47, 29, 27,
and 39, with a mean of 37.9. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 94.9, 94, 100,
95.6, 93.7, 91, and 87.9, with a mean of 93.9. Estimated planetary A
indices were 29, 15, 6, 4, 4, 6, and 7, with a mean of 10.1. Estimated
mid-latitude A indices were 20, 10, 5, 3, 3, 5, and 5, with a mean of 12.6.
Send <mailto:k7ra at arrl.net> me your reports and observations.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just Ahead in Radiosport
*
February 26-28 -- CQ 160 Meter Contest (SSB)
*
February 27-28 -- REF Contest (SSB)
*
February 27-28 -- UBA DX Contest (CW)
*
February 27-28 -- South Carolina QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
*
February 27-28 -- North American QSO Party (RTTY)
*
February 28 -- High Speed Club CW Contest
*
February 28 -- SARL Digital Contest
*
February 28-29 -- North Carolina QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
*
March 1 -- AGCW YL-CW Party (CW)
*
March 2 -- UKEICC 80 Meter Contest (SSB)
See the ARRL Contest Calendar <http://www.arrl.org/contest-calendar> for
more information. For in-depth reporting on Amateur Radio contesting,
subscribe to /The ARRL Contest Update/
<http://www.arrl.org/contest-update-issues> via your ARRL member profile
e-mail preferences.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events
*
February 27 -- WCF Section Technical Conference
<http://www.arrlwcf.org/>, Tampa, Florida
*
February 27 -- New Mexico TechFest
<http://www.rmham.org/wordpress/new-mexico-techfest>, Albuquerque,
New Mexico
*
February 27 -- Vermont State Convention
<http://www.ranv.org/hamcon.html>, S. Burlington, Vermont
*
March 4-5 -- Alabama Section Convention
<http://www.birminghamfest.org/>, Birmingham, Alabama
*
March 11-12 -- Louisiana State Convention <http://www.w5ddl.org/>,
Rayne, Louisiana
*
March 18-19 -- South Texas Section Convention
<http://www.houstonhamfest.org/>, Rosenburg, Texas
*
March 19 -- West Texas Section Convention
<http://hamfest.w5qgg.org/>, Midland, Texas
*
March 19 -- MicroHAMS Digital Conference
<http://www.microhams.com/mhdc>, Redmond, Washington
*
March 25-26 -- Maine State Convention <http://www.w1npp.org/>,
Lewiston, Maine
*
April 2 -- Delta Division Convention
<http://www.hangingjudgehamfest.com/>, Fort Smith, Arkansas
*
April 2 -- North Carolina Section Convention
<http://rars.org/rarsfest>, Raleigh, North Carolina
*
April 8-9 -- Oklahoma State Convention
<http://greencountryhamfest.org/>, Claremore, Oklahoma
*
April 9-10 -- Communications Academy <http://commacademy.org/>,
Seattle, Washington
*
April 15-17 -- International DX Convention
<http://dxconvention.org/>, Visalia, California
*
April 15-17 -- VHF Super Conference
<http://vhfsuperconference.com/>, Sterling, Virginia
*
April 16 -- Delaware State Convention
<http://www.radioelectronicsexpo.com/>, Georgetown, Delaware
*
April 22-24 -- Idaho State Convention <http://voiceofidaho.org/>,
Boise, Idaho
*
April 23 -- Aurora '16 Conference <http://www.nlrs.org/>, White Bear
Lake, Minnesota
*
April 23 -- Nebraska State Convention
<http://www.lincolnhamfest.org/>, Lincoln, Nebraska
*
April 29-May 1 -- Nevada State Convention <http://www.nvcon.org/>,
Las Vegas, Nevada
Find conventions and hamfests in your area <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests>.
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