[SFDXA] The ARRL Letter for June 9, 2016
Bill
bmarx at bellsouth.net
Thu Jun 9 18:23:42 EDT 2016
Preview
If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at:
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The ARRL Letter
June 9, 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=2016-06-09&t=t>
* ARRL, Community Associations Institute Find Common Ground on Parity
Act Language <#toc01>
* Pacific Northwest Earthquake Exercise Reaching for Realistic
Response Scenario <#toc02>
* The Doctor Will See You Now! <#toc03>
* National Parks on the Air Update <#toc04>
* Shop Amazon Smile for Father's Day and Support ARRL <#toc05>
* The 2016 ARRL June VHF Contest is Upon Us! <#toc06>
* Colorado Creates Auxiliary Emergency Communications Unit <#toc07>
* ARES Volunteers Take Part in Search for Missing Plane <#toc08>
* Transatlantic VHF Digital Receiver Site Now Operational in
Newfoundland <#toc09>
* Bouvet Island Activation Planned for 2017-2018 Timeframe <#toc10>
* In Brief... <#toc11>
* The K7RA Solar Update <#toc12>
* Just Ahead in Radiosport <#toc13>
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions <#toc14>
ARRL, Community Associations Institute Find Common Ground on Parity Act
Language
ARRL and the Community Associations Institute (CAI
<https://www.caionline.org/>) -- the national association of homeowners
associations (HOAs) -- have reached consensus on provisions of the
Amateur Radio Parity Act <http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-parity-act>,
H.R. 1301. ARRL and CAI have worked intensively since February to reach
agreement on substitute language for the bill in an effort to move it
through the US House Energy and Commerce Committee and to overcome
objections to the companion US Senate bill, S. 1685. Along the way, the
offices of U.S. Representatives Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Greg Walden,
W7EQI, (R-OR), and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) mediated and offered assistance.
ARRL Hudson Division Director and Legislative Affairs Committee Chairman
Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, called the agreement "a significant development in
the League's 30-year pursuit to secure the ability to erect Amateur
Radio antennas in deed restricted communities."
ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, said the League was pleased to
have reached an agreement with CAI over new proposed language in this
legislation that both ARRL and CAI endorse and support. "We agree with
CAI that the substitute amendment is balanced, and we think that this
bill's language is more objective and offers perhaps more guidance to
HOAs than would the PRB-1 'reasonable accommodation' test for municipal
land use regulations," he said.
Imlay explained that ARRL did not have the final language for the
substitute amendment until late last week, and the amended bill has not
been introduced in the House as of yet. ARRL planned no announcement
about the text of the amended House bill until it was introduced.
However, because the text became available from the House Office of
Legislative Counsel, and as CAI released the text to its members, it was
decided to release the amended text now.
"The bottom line," Imlay said, "is that if the bill is enacted, it would
allow every amateur living in a deed-restricted community -- for the
first time in the history of Amateur Radio in the US -- the ability to
install an effective outdoor antenna."
"That would benefit thousands of current and future hams living in
deed-restricted communities," Lisenco added.
*ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD. [Rick Lindquist, WW1ME, photo]*
Imlay explained that the substitute bill would guarantee that a radio
amateur living in a deed-restricted community -- including condominium
or townhouse communities -- could install and maintain an "effective
outdoor antenna." Achieving the agreement came without disrupting 30
years of zoning case law that has interpreted the PRB-1 federal
preemption and protected radio amateurs from overregulation by zoning
authorities. The bill incorporates the basic tenets of PRB-1.
According to the substitute bill's language, the FCC would enact rules
prohibiting the application of deed restrictions that preclude Amateur
Radio communication on their face or as applied. Also prohibited would
be deed restrictions that do not permit an Amateur Radio operator living
in a deed-restricted community to install and maintain an effective
outdoor antenna on property under the licensee's exclusive use or control.
The substitute bill would prohibit deed restrictions that do not impose
the minimum practicable restriction on amateur communication to
accomplish the lawful purposes of a homeowners association (HOA) seeking
to enforce the restriction. Amateurs wishing to install an antenna in a
deed-restricted community would have to notify and obtain prior approval
of the homeowners association. HOAs would be able to preclude the
installation of antennas in common areas -- ie, property not under the
licensee's exclusive use.
*ARRL Hudson Division Director and Legislative Affairs Committee
Chairman Mike Lisenco, N2YBB.*
The substitute measure provides that HOAs could enact /reasonable/
written rules governing height, location, size, and aesthetic impact of
outdoor antennas and support structures, as well as installation
requirements. Those rules could not preclude amateur communication nor
restrict the absolute entitlement of each amateur living in a
deed-restricted community to an effective outdoor antenna, however. The
amended measure reiterates the strong federal interest in Amateur Radio
communication in a licensee's residence.
"Community associations should fairly administer private land use
regulations in the interest of their communities, while nevertheless
permitting the installation and maintenance of effective outdoor Amateur
Radio antennas," the negotiated language states. "There exist antenna
designs and installations that can be consistent with the aesthetics and
physical characteristics of land and structures in community
associations while accommodating communications in the Amateur Radio
services."
Lisenco cautioned that getting the Amateur Radio Parity Act signed into
law still remains a long process. "Much work needs to be done," Lisenco
said. "ARRL will still need to call upon the entire membership to
contact their elected officials, especially in the Senate, to ask for
their affirmative vote on this bill," he stressed.
More information <http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-parity-act> on the
Amateur Radio Parity Act, including a copy of the complete substitute
amendment agreed to by ARRL and CAI, is available on the ARRL website.
Pacific Northwest Earthquake Exercise Reaching for Realistic Response
Scenario
This is /only/ a test... Amateur Radio is playing a major role in the
largest FEMA exercise of 2016, "Cascadia Rising
<https://www.fema.gov/cascadia-rising-2016>," which got under way on
June 7 and continues until June 10. In the exercise scenario, a
magnitude 9.0 earthquake and consequent tsunami have struck the Pacific
Northwest, and the exercise began with a blackout of all conventional
means of communication -- a natural opening for Amateur Radio
involvement. ARES/RACES organizations in Oregon and Washington have been
heavily involved, and ARRL Headquarters, including W1AW, has been in the
loop as well.
In the exercise scenario, all Oregon ARES teams have been activated, and
an emergency net convened on 20 meter SSB.
As part of the exercise, a /Winlink/ HF e-mail from ARRL Oregon Section
Manager John Core, KX7YT, indicated that Seaside had been "severely
damaged by a tsunami wave" with "many missing persons." Among those
unaccounted for were ARRL staff, Directors and Vice Directors attending
the Pacific Northwestern Division Convention in Seaside (Sea-Pac -- the
/actual/ convention ended on June 5).
*ARRL Headquarters Volunteer Skip Colton, W1FTE (rear), and ARRL Field
Organization Supervisor Steve Ewald, WV1X, check into the national net
from W1AW as part of the "Cascadia Rising" exercise. W1AW Station
Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, handled message traffic via /Winlink/.*
ARRL Emergency Response Manager Mike Corey, KI1U, called a meeting of
the ARRL HQ Emergency Response Team on June 7. Corey said ARRL
Headquarters has been taking part via /Winlink/ and HF voice, adding
that the exercise offers an opportunity to exercise the ARRL
Headquarters Emergency Response Team. "This team is called up to support
the ARRL Field Organization during a major disaster, when support cannot
be provided during normal business hours," he explained.
According to FEMA, emergency operations centers (EOCs) and emergency
coordination centers (ECCs) at all levels of government and the private
sector are conducting simulated field response operations within their
jurisdictions and with neighboring communities, state EOCs, FEMA, and
major military commands. FEMA will activate the five discrete Amateur
Radio channels on 60 meters for use during the interoperability exercise.
The Doctor Will See You Now!
"All About Baluns" is the topic of the newest (June 2) episode of the
"ARRL The Doctor is In <http://www.arrl.org/doctor>" podcast.
Listen...and learn!
Sponsored by DX Engineering <http://www.dxengineering.com/>, "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
<mailto:doctor at arrl.org>, and the Doctor may answer them in a future
podcast.
Enjoy "ARRL The Doctor is In" on Apple iTunes
<https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/arrl-the-doctor-is-in/id1096749595?mt=2>,
or by using your iPhone or iPad podcast app (just search for "ARRL The
Doctor is In"). You can also listen online at Blubrry
<https://www.blubrry.com/arrl_the_doctor_is_in/>, or at Stitcher
<https://www.stitcher.com/> (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 <http://www.arrl.org/doctor>.
Just ahead on June 16, the topic will be "Grounding."
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2016-06-09&p=0>
National Parks on the Air Update
June is the beginning of sporadic-E season, which means the likelihood
of good domestic openings on 10 and 6 meters goes up for a couple of
months. NPOTA <https://npota.arrl.org/> Activators and Chasers alike
should not overlook the QSO possibilities to be found on these bands.
Activators can take advantage of gain antennas for these bands, which
are much smaller than their 20 and 40 meter counterparts. In addition,
access to 10 and 6 by Technician licensees means many contact
opportunities with an entirely new segment of Chasers. Stay alert for
activity on these bands for the next couple of months.
There are 40 activations on the NPOTA calendar June 9-15, including the
rare Niobrara Wild and Scenic River in Nebraska, and the Washita
Battlefield National Historic Site in Oklahoma.
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).
Shop Amazon Smile for Father's Day and Support ARRL
Father's Day is Sunday, June 19. Remember to shop smile.amazon.com
<https://smile.amazon.com/ch/06-6000004>, and Amazon will make a
contribution to the American Radio Relay League. This helps the League
to extend its reach in public service, advocacy, education, technology,
and membership. Make Dad's day.
Browse
<http://smile.amazon.com/gp/charity/homepage.html?orig=%2Fgp%2Fbrowse.html%3Fnode%3D502661011&ein=06-6000004>
great Father's Day gift ideas now!
Bookmark ARRL's link <https://smile.amazon.com/ch/06-6000004> and
support Amateur Radio and the ARRL /every/ time you shop online.
The 2016 ARRL June VHF Contest is Upon Us!
One of the premier VHF/UHF events on the contest calendar is the ARRL
June VHF Contest <http://www.arrl.org/june-vhf>, which gets under way at
1800 UTC on Saturday, June 11, and continues until 0259 UTC on Monday,
June 13.
*Even a modest 6 meter antenna can help to put you on the map for the
June VHF Contest. [Rick Lindquist, WW1ME, photo]*
The object for participants in the US and Canada (and their possessions)
is to work stations in as many different 2° × 1°Maidenhead grid squares
<http://www.arrl.org/grid-squares> as possible, using authorized
frequencies above 50 MHz. Stations outside the US and Canada (and their
possessions) may only work stations in the US (and its possessions) and
Canada. Stations in KH0-9, KL7, KP1-KP5, CY9, and CY0 count as W/VE
stations and may be worked by DX stations for contest credit.
Whether from a home station, mobile, or even portable (perhaps
mountaintopping or on the air at a nearby National Parks On The Air
<https://npota.arrl.org/> site), you won't need large antennas or
elaborate gear to operate in the June VHF Contest, and you don't have to
be a contesting "pro."
June also is a favorable month for band openings on the "Magic Band" --
6 meters. Even DX contacts are possible on 6.
There are several classic entry categories, but for those new to VHF,
these categories might be a great place to get started in VHF contesting:
* Single-Operator, Portable: For those who enjoy operating low power
from a portable power source and using portable antennas.
* Rover: For mobile operators who enjoy traveling from one grid square
to another to hand out contacts.
* Single-Operator, FM-only: A category for the 50, 144, 222, and 440
MHz bands at a power of 100 W or less.
Even with a modest station, it's possible to work hundreds of miles on
the VHF bands during a good opening. For more information, contact
<mailto:contest at arrl.org> the ARRL Contest Branch.
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2016-06-09&p=1>
Colorado Creates Auxiliary Emergency Communications Unit
A new Colorado law
<http://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2016a/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/563EFCB8D892956E87257F2400641D54?open&file=1040_enr.pdf>
has created an Auxiliary Emergency Communications (AuxComm) Unit within
the state's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
(DHSEM). The action implements recommendations contained in a 2012 FCC
report to Congress regarding the value of Amateur Radio in disasters and
emergencies. Colorado Gov John Hickenlooper signed the measure into law
on June 6, after it sailed through both houses of the Colorado General
Assembly.
*(L-R) Colorado Sen Chris Holbert; SEC and SGL Robert Wareham, N0ESQ; SM
Jack Ciaccia, WM0G; Gov John Hickenlooper; Rocky Mountain Division Vice
Director Jeff Ryan, K0RM; ASEC Perry Lindquist, W6AUN, and Rep Jonathan
Singer. Holbert and Singer are holding their ARRL Special Services Award
plaques. [John Maxwell, W0VG, photo]*
"This bill will make it possible for Colorado ARES to further enhance
the level of emergency communications services during times of need,"
ARRL Colorado Section Manager Jack Ciaccia, WM0G, said.
Colorado's General Assembly determined that "a uniformly trained and
credentialed unit of communication volunteers available for disaster
response" would "materially assist emergency preparedness and disaster
response efforts across the state."
The new law was conceived by Colorado Section Emergency Coordinator and
State Government Liaison Robert Wareham, N0ESQ, an attorney, while he
met with DHSEM staff in 2012. That year and the next, Amateur Radio
operators played key roles in responding to multiple major disasters in
Colorado, including wildfires that destroyed several hundred homes and a
500-year-flood that inundated much of north-central Colorado.
"The real-life laboratory of successive major disaster helped us quickly
realize the need for statewide response capabilities; which ideas
worked, and which ones didn't," said Wareham. "In essence, we had the
perfect storm of major disasters, FCC recommendations to Congress, and
FEMA OEC sponsored training to bring it all together into the current
auxiliary communications framework."
*Colorado ARES volunteers assisted emergency managers in the response
and damage assessment resulting from flooding in the summer of 2013.
[Uli Hauser, KB9TTI, photo]*
The new statute provides that Colorado ARES will enter into a
Section-level Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state's Office
of Emergency Management to recruit, train, credential, coordinate, and
supervise members of the Auxiliary Emergency Communications Unit.
"Too often, valuable Amateur Radio resources are diluted by having
multiple organizations in a single community competing with one another,
such as having separate ARES and RACES organizations in a single
county," Wareham said. "Under the Colorado model, all Colorado ARES
members who meet the training and background check requirements of the
AuxComm Unit will be issued credentials that will be recognized
statewide." The AuxComm Unit will perform all RACES functions for the
state. Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/colorado-creates-auxiliary-emergency-communications-unit>.
ARES Volunteers Take Part in Search for Missing Plane
Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers in Kentucky recently
joined other volunteer organizations, law enforcement, firefighters, and
emergency managers in an effort to locate a missing single-engine
private aircraft. ARES teams and individual volunteers from Grayson,
Hardin, and Davies counties and elsewhere mustered on June 1 at the
Owensboro Airport -- the plane's destination -- to assist with
communication. Kentucky State Police had put out the call for
information on the plane's whereabouts.
*ARES members and other search volunteers set up at the Owensboro,
Kentucky, Airport. [Courtesy of George Allen, WA4YPQ]*
Members of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) also took part in the
search-and-rescue mission, and the operation had support from the
American Red Cross, which provided meals and water for the responders.
The plane was believed to have gone down near Rough River State Park,
not long after departing the Falls of Rough airfield on a flight back to
its home base of Owensboro.
"We were only called out 'for communications,' so we didn't know what
would be needed," Hardin County Assistant Emergency Coordinator Shelby
Ennis, W8WN, said afterward. "Therefore, both W8QAS [the emergency
communications point of contact for the incident] and I took a lot of
gear. Most of it was needed."
Kentucky Region 2 Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator George Allen,
WA4YPQ, activated Hardin County ARES and requested help from Kentucky
Section Emergency Coordinator Cecil Dennis, K4TCD.
Firefighter Andrew Whobrey, KG4OOZ, also served at incident command (IC)
for communications relay and support on non-ham radio frequencies, and
three radio operators at the IC monitored the various radios and
frequencies. Ennis said four dual-band radios were pressed into service.
The crash site was spotted on the afternoon of June 1 in a remote area.
A ground team subsequently reached the site and removed the body of the
pilot, Dr Robert C. Dalzell Jr of Owensboro, a retired physician.
"The local emergency manager and the others [involved] were greatly
appreciative of our coming down and providing the communications for
them," Ennis said. He noted that upward of 50 individuals, including a
dozen or so radio amateurs, were involved in the search effort.
Transatlantic VHF Digital Receiver Site Now Operational in Newfoundland
A transatlantic VHF digital receiver site has begun operation in
Newfoundland. Frank Davis, VO1HP, reports that antennas were erected and
a VHF SDR activated on May 19 to inaugurate the VO1FN "TransAtlantic VHF
Digital Beacon Receiver Site." The receiver site, in grid square GN37,
is sponsored by the Society of Newfoundland Radio Amateurs (SONRA
<http://sonra.ca/>), the Baccalieu Amateur Radio Klub (VO1BRK
<http://www.qsl.net/vo1brk/>), and the Upper Trinity Amateur Radio Club
(UTARC <https://utarc.wordpress.com/>). Davis made his summer home and
station in Freshwater, Conception Bay North, available for the
receive-only site; it offers an unobstructed view of the North Atlantic,
and he's open to suggestions as to how to take best advantage of the
site's capabilities.
*The VO1FN transatlantic VHF receiving site. [Courtesy of Frank Davis,
VO1HP]*
"The point of this experiment is to provide a North American receiver
online 24/7 that can be used by European beacon operators or
well-equipped VHF stations to test their transmissions," he told ARRL.
"It is a receive-only site, but if it is proven over time that signals
can be heard and correlated with propagation studies, then it might
stimulate operators to equip their stations to attempt a two-way QSO."
Attempts have been made from Newfoundland and Labrador to transmit an
Amateur Radio signal across the North Atlantic on 2 meters, with a
two-way contact as the ultimate goal. The Irish Radio Transmitters
Society (IRTS <http://www.irts.ie/>) offers its Brendan Trophy to the
operators of the Amateur Radio stations to establish the first two-way
communication on 2 meters between Europe and North or South America. The
most recent effort to snag the Brendan Trophy took place from VC1T in
Newfoundland in 2014. Interest stemming from that experiment led to the
VO1FN project.
"The receiver site is up and running using an SDR and /SDR Console/
software," Davis told ARRL. He explained that users would first have to
install /SDR Console V2.3/, and he would open a free account permitting
them to log in.
"We are willing to rotate the Yagi array in any direction for testing
with distant 144 MHz digital stations," Davis said. Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/transatlantic-vhf-digital-receiver-site-now-operational-in-newfoundland>.
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2016-06-09&p=2>
Bouvet Island Activation Planned for 2017-2018 Timeframe
Three proven and experienced DXpedition leaders of a large team of
operators have announced plans to activate Bouvet Island (Bouvetøya),
the number 2 most-wanted DXCC entity, in late 2017 or early 2018. Ralph
Fedor, K0IR, Bob Allphin, K4UEE, and Erling Wiig, LA6VM, have been
working on this project since returning from Peter I (3Y0X) some 10
years ago.
"We are making this announcement now, so that other DXpedition teams
that may be considering Bouvet as a DXpedition target can redirect their
time and effort elsewhere," the trio said in the announcement. The team
has an agreement with R/V /Braveheart/ skipper Nigel Jolly, K6NRJ, to
provide transportation, a helicopter, pilot, and mechanic. A website is
under development.
*The west side of glacier-laden Bouvet Island.*
The group's preliminary plan, submitted to the Norwegian Polar
Institute, has been accepted, and a permit will be issued to land on
Slakhallet -- a huge glacier that covers the volcanic island. A
dependency of Norway, Bouvet is a subantarctic island in the South Atlantic.
The last Bouvet activation was 3Y0E, which took place during a
scientific expedition over the winter of 2007-2008. Petrus Kritzinger,
ZS6GCM, was the DXpedition operator.
A Bouvet activation that occurred in January 2001 surprised the DX
community. Dr Chuck Brady, N4BQW (SK), a retired NASA astronaut,
operated solo as 3Y0C from Bouvet and got to talk about it at the Dayton
DX Dinner a few months later.
Other Bouvet DXpeditions in the 2016 timeframe had been planned and
announced but apparently never came together. Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/bouvet-island-activation-planned>. /-- Thanks
to/ The Daily DX
In Brief...
*ARRL Network Maintenance Set for Sunday, June 12:* The ARRL IT
Department will conduct network maintenance on Sunday, June 12, to
improve reliability and security. The work will occur between 1100 UTC
and 2300 UTC. During this period some or all systems may be temporarily
unavailable, including the website. Among services that will be affected
are the ARRL Store, the National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) page, Logbook
of The World (LoTW), the DXCC page, and the ARRL VEC page. E-mail also
will be offline, but all messages will be queued for later delivery.
Telephone service to ARRL Headquarters also may be affected. We
apologize for any inconvenience.
*Houston Area ARES Activates in Response to Flood Emergency:* ARRL South
Texas Section Emergency Coordinator Frank Aguilar, N5SSH, reported on
June 2 that South Texas District 14 Amateur Radio Emergency Service
(ARES) had activated in response to continued flooding in the area.
There had not been any communications failures, but ARES briefly
assisted with other communication-related "situational awareness
issues." District 14 ARES activated at the request of Harris County
Homeland Security Office of Emergency Management. "Heavy rainfall
continues to fall across Harris County and Southeast Texas," District 14
Emergency Coordinator Jeff Walter, KE5FGA, said at the time. The Harris
County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management moved to Level
3 -- Increased Readiness -- in response to the potential flooding threat.
*Past /QST/ VHF-UHF Columnist, ARRL Staffer Bill Smith, W0WOI
(ex-K0CER), SK:* Former ARRL Headquarters staffer Bill Smith, W0WOI
(ex-K0CER, W1DVE, and others), of Jefferson, Iowa, died on June 1. An
ARRL Life Member, he was 78 and had been a radio amateur and League
member since 1952. He served on the ARRL staff from 1967 to 1974 and was
the editor of /QST/'s "World Above 50 Mc." column, succeeding Sam
Harris, W1FZJ. In 1967, Smith was among the founders (with W0CUC and
W0ENC) of the organization that became the Central States VHF Society.
He was said to be looking forward to the organization's 50th gathering
later this year. Smith activated the Cayman Islands for the first time
ever on 6 meters as ZF1DT in 1968, and he led the 1970 KL7ABR DXpedition
to Alaska 2 years later for the ARRL June VHF QSO Party. He was on the
DXCC Honor Roll and had nearly completed DXCC on 6 meters. He also
enjoyed collecting vintage and rare QSL cards. On the professional side,
Smith had extensive experience in television news reporting and
documentary work.
*Mike Santana designed the Clegg FM-76 220 MHz transceiver. [Courtesy of
RigReference.com]*
*Former Fanon-Courier Vice President of Engineering Mike Santana,
WB6TEB, SK:* Former vice president of engineering for Fanon Courier
Miguel Emilio "Mike" Santana, WB6TEB, of Arcadia, California, died May
24. A native of Cuba, Santana was 84 and had been an ARRL member.
Santana was the designer of the 12-channel crystal-controlled Clegg
FM-76 transceiver for 220 MHz, which was licensed to Midland and Cobra.
He also designed the President line of CB radios, many of which were
converted to 10 meter operation. He was an associate member of the JPL
Amateur Radio Club (ARC). Santana also was a reserve police officer for
more than 10 years and served as a radio consultant for the city police
and fire departments. /-- Thanks to Mike Morris, WA6ILQ/
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: I thought it was too early in the
decline of this solar cycle to start seeing days with no sunspots (ie,
when the sunspot number is zero) but I was wrong.
There were no sunspots on June 3-6. The last time there were four or
more spot-less days was December 18-24, 2010 when there were no sunspots
for an entire week. Last year, we saw no spot-less days, 2014 had just
one, and there were none in 2012 or 2013.
The average daily sunspot number dropped from 33 to 7.7 this week, and
the average daily solar flux went from 87.4 to 80.7. Geomagnetic
indicators were up slightly, with the planetary A index going from 8.9
to 11.6, and the mid-latitude A index from 9 to 9.4.
Predicted solar flux for the near term is 80, 82, 85, and 90 on June
9-12; 95 on June 13-16; 90 on June 17-20; 85 on June 21-24; 80 on June
25-28; 78 on June 29-July 4; 82 on July 5-7; 85 on July 8-11, and 90 on
July 12-17.
Predicted planetary A index is 5, 8, 12, 16, and 12 on June 9-13; 8, 6,
8, 15, and 10 on June 14-18; 5 on June 19-22; 10, 12, and 8 on June
23-25; 10 on June 26-27; 5 on June 28-July 1; 25, 20; and 8 on July 2-4;
5 on July 5-8; 12 on July 9-10, and 8 on July 11-12.
Sunspot numbers are somewhat subjective, based on a visual count of
sunspot groups, the number of sunspots in those groups, and the total
area covered by sunspots. Solar flux is an actual measure of one type of
radiation reaching us from the sun -- radio energy with a wavelength of
10.7 centimeters, or 2.8 GHz.
Sunspot numbers for June 2 through 8 were 27, 0, 0, 0, 0, 12, and 15,
with a mean of 7.7. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 85.2, 83.2, 80, 79.1,
78.5, 78.5, and 80.1, with a mean of 87.4. Estimated planetary A indices
were 4, 3, 4, 29, 26, 9, and 6, with a mean of 8.9. Estimated
mid-latitude A indices were 5, 5, 5, 23, 21, 10, and 6 with a mean of 9.
Send <mailto:k7ra at arrl.net> me your reports and observations.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just Ahead in Radiosport
*
June 10 -- HA3NS Sprint Memorial Contest (CW)
*
June 11 -- Asia-Pacific Sprint (SSB)
*
June 11-12 -- DRCG WW RTTY Contest
*
June 11-12 -- VK Shires Contest (CW, phone)
*
June 11-12 -- Portugal Day Contest (CW, phone)
*
June 11-12 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)
*
June 11-12 -- GACW WWSA CW DX Contest (CW)
*
June 11-12 -- REF DDFM 6 Meter Contest (CW, phone)
*
*June 11-13 -- ARRL June VHF Contest
<http://www.arrl.org/june-vhf>**(CW, phone, digital)*
*
June 15 -- NAQCC CW Sprint
*
June 15 -- RSGB 80 Meter Club Championship (CW)
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
*
June 10-11 -- West Gulf Division Convention
<http://www.hamcom.org/>, Irving, Texas
*
June 18 -- Tennessee State Convention <http://www.w4bbb.org/>,
Knoxville, Tennessee
*
June 24-26 -- Ham Radio 2016
<http://www.hamradio-friedrichshafen.de/ham-en/>, Friedrichshafen,
Germany
*
July 2 -- Eastern Pennsylvania Section Convention
<http://www.w3uu.org/>, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
*
July 8-9 -- Northern Florida Section Convention
<http://www.miltonarc.org/>, Milton, Florida
*
July 8-9 -- Utah State Convention
<http://thegreatsaltlakehamfest.org/>, Sandy, Utah
*
July 15-17 -- Montana State Convention <http://gwhamfest.org>, East
Glacier, Montana
*
July 22-23 -- Oklahoma Section Convention
<http://www.hamholiday.com/>, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
*
July 29-31 -- Central States VHF Conference
<http://2016.csvhfs.org/>, Rochester, Minnesota
*
August 5-6 -- Texas State Convention
<http://www.austinsummerfest.org/>, Austin, Texas
*
August 5-7 -- Pacific Northwest DX Convention
<http://pacificnwdxconvention.com/>, Portland, Oregon
*
August 12-14 -- New Mexico State Convention
<http://dukecityhamfest.org/>, Albuquerque, New Mexico
*
August 19-21 -- West Virginia State Convention
<http://www.qsl.net/wvsarc/>, Weston, West Virginia
*
August 20-21 -- Southeastern Division Convention
<http://hamfest.org/>, Huntsville, Alabama
*
August 21 -- Kansas State Convention <http://www.w0cy.org/>, Salina,
Kansas
*
September 3-4 -- North Carolina State Convention
<http://shelbyhamfest.org/>, Shelby, North Carolina
*
September 9-11 -- New England Division Convention
<http://boxboro.org/>, Boxborough, Massachusetts
*
September 10 -- Kentucky State Convention
<http://louisvillehamfest.com/>, Shepherdsville, Kentucky
*
September 10 -- Virginia Section Convention <http://vbhamfest.com>,
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Find conventions and hamfests in your area <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests>.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*ARRL *-- *Your One-Stop Resource for *
*Amateur Radio News and Information*.
.
.
*
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Subscribe to...
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