[SFDXA] Fwd: The ARRL Letter for May 12, 2016
Bill
bmarx at bellsouth.net
Fri May 13 07:12:38 EDT 2016
Preview
If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at:
http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-05-12
The ARRL Letter
May 12, 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=2016-05-12&t=t>
* ARRL Ham Aid Gear Shipped to Ecuador to Support Earthquake Relief,
Recovery <#toc01>
* Missouri Radio Amateur Petitions FCC to Designate "Symbol
Communication" Subbands <#toc02>
* Rare de Forest Audion Donated to ARRL, Mated with Vintage Radio for
Museum Display <#toc03>
* Canadian Radio Amateurs Went on Alert to Assist in Alberta Wildfire
Emergency, Evacuations <#toc04>
* The Doctor Will See You Now! <#toc05>
* National Parks on the Air Update <#toc06>
* Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park Opens for NPOTA
Activity During Hamvention <#toc07>
* ARRL DX Log Archive Invites Submissions at Dayton Hamvention^® <#toc08>
* OTH Radars, Fishery and Taxi Traffic, Buoys, and Broadcasters
Continue to Mar Ham Bands <#toc09>
* Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award Nominations Due by May
20 <#toc10>
* ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference Issues 2016 Call for
Papers <#toc11>
* Former Alpha/Power President, Researcher John Brosnahan, W0UN, SK
<#toc12>
* In Brief... <#toc13>
* Getting It Right! <#toc14>
* The K7RA Solar Update <#toc15>
* Just Ahead in Radiosport <#toc16>
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions <#toc17>
ARRL Ham Aid Gear Shipped to Ecuador to Support Earthquake Relief, Recovery
Five boxes of Ham Aid <http://www.arrl.org/ham-aid> Amateur Radio
equipment -- some 400 pounds in all -- left ARRL Headquarters on May 4,
bound for the Guayaquil Radio Club (HC2GRC) in Ecuador. The radio
equipment will help to support relief and recovery efforts under way in
the wake of a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck the South American
nation on April 16. Valued at more than $7500, the equipment will
provide reliable communication in areas where the telecommunication
infrastructure suffered damaged.
*ARRL has donated 400 pounds of Ham Aid communication equipment to
support relief efforts in Ecuador following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake
on April 16. From left to right: Ken Bailey, K1FUG; Mike Corey, KI1U;
Sean Kutzko, KX9X, and ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF.*
"As we've seen before -- in Haiti and Nepal -- an earthquake can cause
long-term disruptions in infrastructure," said ARRL Emergency
Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U. "An Amateur Radio network fills
the communications gaps. It can be deployed anywhere, run on solar
power, and can function without the Internet or traditional
telecommunication infrastructure."
Corey said the recovery process can be lengthy, and radio amateurs in
the affected area need repeaters, antennas, antenna supports, and many
other things to be able to help those disrupted by disaster. "This is
what Ham Aid is for -- to enable amateurs to effectively respond
following a disaster to help their communities through the recovery
process," he said.
Most earthquake damage occurred in the Guayaquil (HC2) and
Portoviejo/Manta (HC4) areas. Some structures in Portoviejo and Manta
suffered severe damage, with many victims buried in the rubble of
collapsed buildings and homes. In the immediate aftermath of the
disaster, electrical power and commercial telecommunication systems were
either destroyed or disrupted, and many roads were rendered impassable
because of earthquake rubble.
Corey noted that while most Ham Aid deployments have been stateside, the
opportunity arose for the ARRL to assist with this international
disaster relief effort through the Guayaquil Radio Club.
ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, said, "For more than 100 years, when
there is a need, we use our communication and electronics expertise to
give back. Amateur Radio answers the call when and where needed."
Missouri Radio Amateur Petitions FCC to Designate "Symbol Communication"
Subbands
James E. Whedbee, N0ECN, of Gladstone, Missouri, has petitioned the FCC
to designate Morse (radiotelegraphy) Amateur Radio band segments as
"symbol communication" subbands. The FCC has invited comments on his
/Petition for Rule Making/ (RM-11769
<http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/comment/view?id=60001692464>), filed on May 2.
Arguing that retaining the current regime of "legacy" CW subbands has
proven "grossly inefficient," Whedbee said he'd like to see the FCC
delete all privilege restrictions that limit any part of the Amateur
Radio spectrum to Morse code to the exclusion of other modes.
"Nostalgia for retention of Morse code telegraphy-only subbands is also
an insufficient reason to avoid moving forward to [the] elimination of
such subbands, because nothing about this /Petition/ suggests the
elimination of the mode itself, only that it not be the sole authorized
mode in the subject subbands," Whedbee told the FCC.
Whedbee characterized CW-only subbands as "an excessive regulatory
constraint, as well as a poor use of the spectrum concerned." He
proposed that the FCC's Part 97 rules reflect the "ultimate form of
communication reproduced at the receiving end." As he explained it, his
regulatory scheme would break down modes into three categories: "Symbol
communication mode" -- for CW, digital, and other emission modes that
reproduce a discrete symbol on the receiving end; "voice mode," and
"image mode."
"[C]ontinuing regulation by specific emission designator is proving to
be onerous with changes to the state of the art," Whedbee said.
"Accordingly, to continue developing the state of the art in
radiocommunications, Amateur Radio needs to clearly get away from
regulating in that fashion and return to consideration of what the
receiving end of the communication reproduces." Commenters have 30 days
to respond to Whedbee's /Petition/. Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/missouri-radio-amateur-petitions-fcc-to-designate-symbol-communication-subbands>.
Rare de Forest Audion Donated to ARRL, Mated with Vintage Radio for
Museum Display
An ARRL member from Virginia has donated a rare de Forest "round bulb"
Audion vacuum tube to the League, which has paired the groundbreaking
triode with a de Forest receiver of similar vintage. Walt Bain, W4LTU,
recently wrote ARRL Headquarters to see if the League would give the
antique tube a home. Radio pioneer Lee de Forest filed his first patent
for the Audion in 1907, describing it as a detector of sound, and he is
generally credited with having invented the vacuum tube. First used as
the detector in the de Forest Audion Receiver, the Audion subsequently
was heralded as the world's first electronic amplifying device. Bain,
who is 86, said he inherited the Audion from his father, George Bain, a
graduate of Wesleyan University in Connecticut in the 1920s, who went on
to work for Westinghouse.
*The de Forest Audion. [Bob Allison, WB1GCM, photo]*
"In the 1930s he was chief engineer at Ken-Rad Tube and Lamp Company,"
Bain told ARRL. "He would have met de Forest anytime during college, at
Westinghouse, or Ken-Rad." This particular Audion likely dates back to
the early 1910s and appears to be a somewhat later version of the device
that de Forest had submitted on his patent application a few years
earlier. An intact Audion such as this one is considered extremely rare.
ARRL Lab Test Engineer Bob Allison, WB1GCM, who curates the League's
museum collection
<http://www.arrl.org/arrl-vintage-amateur-radio-equipment-exhibit>,
accepted the Audion and had it installed on the League's own de Forest
Audion Receiver, which lacked a tube. "Each year, we have about 2000
visitors to the Lab; they will get to see that tube," Allison said. The
League's Audion Receiver bears the patents of de Forest's Radio
Telephone and Telegraph Company.
The Audion's three elements are clearly visible within the blown-glass
envelope. Connections to the Audion's rectangular plate and squiggly
grid were made via wires exiting one end of the bulb. The other end
features a candelabra-style lamp base, which screws into a socket,
providing the filament connection. The Audion is mounted with the lamp
base up, to prevent the filament from sagging and touching the tube's
other two elements.
*The de Forest Audion in its natural habitat, installed in a de Forest
Audion Receiver. [Bob Allison, WB1GCM, photo]*
In developing the Audion, de Forest had built on the work of John
Ambrose Fleming, who invented a two-element vacuum tube in 1905. De
Forest discovered that applying a radio signal to a grid instead of to
the filament, or cathode, would yield a more sensitive RF detector. De
Forest came up with the idea of using a series of Audions to enhance
their amplifying capabilities, an attribute American Telephone &
Telegraph company capitalized upon, after securing de Forest's patents.
In time, vacuum tubes supplanted solid-state mineral detectors in radio
receivers, although in a "what goes around, comes around" turn of
events, solid-state devices called "transistors" replaced the vacuum
tube in the 1950s and 1960s. Today's iPhones have the equivalent of 2
billion transistors packed inside.
Canadian Radio Amateurs Went on Alert to Assist in Alberta Wildfire
Emergency, Evacuations
A wildfire in Alberta, Canada, that began unremarkably on May 1 as
"MWF-009" soon ballooned into a major, fast-moving conflagration, owing
to hot, dry weather, high winds, and low humidity, creating a disaster
of historic proportions. The flames caused extensive property damage and
led to the evacuation of the entire population of Fort McMurray, in the
heart of Canada's oil sands country. While the wildfire emergency never
became a "communications event," prompting an ARES activation, Radio
Amateurs of Canada said, radio amateurs on the ground helped other
organizations such as the Red Cross.
Alberta Section Manager Garry Jacobs, VE6CIA/VE6OW, reported on May 5
that Alberta ARES went on standby "to provide VHF/UHF linking," although
there was no HF activity due to the fact that Fort McMurray had been
evacuated.
According to the Amateur Radio Coalition
<https://www.facebook.com/NARCFP>, a national ham radio "fan page" on
Facebook, PERCS <http://www.percsalberta.ca/> (Provincial Emergency
Radio Communications Service) was put on standby to staff the radio room
and to establish communication into Fort McMurray, and the club in Fort
McMurray was staffing its local emergency communications center in case
communications fail. PERCS Alberta Assistant Coordinator Curtis
Bidulock, VE6AEW, said the organization directly supports the Alberta
Emergency Management Agency and assists all Alberta Amateur Radio clubs
with provincial coordination of resources and communication links, as
requested.
By the end of the first week, some 80,000 residents had been evacuated
from Fort McMurray. Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/canadian-radio-amateurs-went-on-alert-to-assist-in-alberta-wildfire-emergency-evacuations>.
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2016-05-12&p=0>
The Doctor Will See You Now!
"Open Wire Feed Lines" is the topic of the current (May 5) episode of
the "ARRL The Doctor is In <http://www.arrl.org/doctor>" podcast.
Listen...and learn! Coming up on May 19: "Hunting Down Interference."
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>.
National Parks on the Air Update
Congratulations to Larry Burke, K5RK, the first radio amateur to confirm
400 of the 484 eligible NPS units for National Parks on the Air (NPOTA
<https://npota.arrl.org/>)! As of May 11, Larry had 402 units confirmed.
Five other NPOTA participants have more than 390 confirmed, and 18 hams
have more than 350 units confirmed. There now have been more than 5100
activations of NPS units in 2016, resulting in 333,000 contacts.
There will be plenty of NPOTA-themed activity at Dayton Hamvention
<http://www.hamvention.org/> May 20-22. Look for the NPOTA booth in the
ARRL EXPO <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-expo> area, attend the NPOTA forum
on Saturday at 9:15AM, and visit the Dayton Aviation Heritage National
Historical Park in downtown Dayton, where two stations will be available
to operate (see below).
Thirty NPOTA activations are on the calendar from May 12-19, including
Oregon Caves National Monument is Oregon, and the Whitman Mission
National Historic Site in Washington. 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).
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park Opens for NPOTA
Activity During Hamvention
ARRL has an opportunity for those traveling to Dayton Hamvention
<http://www.hamvention.org/>^® who want to activate an NPS unit for
National Parks on the Air (NPOTA <https://npota.arrl.org/>)! The League
has secured an operating permit with the Dayton Aviation Heritage
National Historical Park in downtown Dayton. The special NPOTA activity
will be available for visiting operators to enjoy activating an NPOTA
unit without having to bring their own gear. The event will run from
Friday, May 20, until Sunday, May 22, at the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive
Center. Operations will run from 9 AM until 5 PM on Friday and Saturday,
and 9 AM until noon on Sunday.
"Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park is excited to partner
with ARRL for a National Parks on the Air event during Dayton Hamvention
2016," said Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park Ranger
Ryan Qualls. "ARRL's legacy of experimentation, education, and public
service is in concert with the National Park Service's mission. We hope
that Hamvention attendees visit the park during their stay in Dayton and
learn how Orville and Wilbur Wright, two bicycle mechanics from Ohio,
changed the world through their experiments in aviation."
ARRL Ohio Section Affiliated Club Coordinator John Myers, KD8MQ, is
coordinating on-site operations for the event. He is looking for
volunteers on Friday and Saturday who would be able to help visiting
operators and/or explain NPOTA and Amateur Radio to non-ham park
visitors. Even an hour or two of time as a volunteer would be helpful.
Contact him <mailto:kd8mq at arrl.net> to volunteer or to sign up for a
15-minute operating slot. All slots are available on a first-come,
first-served basis, and all operators are limited to one slot, to make
this opportunity available to as many visitors as possible.
"I'm really looking forward to working with the National Park Service
and the League to make this location available during Hamvention week,"
Myers said.
Vibroplex is donating antennas mast and hardware to the effort, and ARRL
is providing the equipment. The Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center is
located at 16 South Williams Street in downtown Dayton.
ARRL DX Log Archive Invites Submissions at Dayton Hamvention^®
The ARRL DX Log Archive <http://www.arrl.org/dx-log-archive> has invited
anyone planning to attend Dayton Hamvention
<http://www.hamvention.org>^® to submit hard copy DX logbooks for
inclusion in the archive. A major donation from noted DXer Kan
Mizoguchi, JA1BK, to the ARRL Second Century Campaign
<http://www.arrl.org/arrl-second-century-campaign> is supporting "The DX
Log Archive Endowed by JA1BK," as it's officially known. Earnings from
his generous gift funded creation and management of the DX Log Archive,
which will serve as a repository of paper DX logs of rare and
significant DXpeditions that took place prior to the advent of computer
logging, as well as of certain other DXpedition artifacts. Pre-1990 logs
are the most sought after. The archive is also seeking paper logs from
stations whose operators resided in interesting and/or "rare" places, as
well as any pre-1930 logs.
"We have listed the first logs that we have in our possession," ARRL
Field Services and Radiosport Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, said. "If
anyone wants to bring old, interesting logs to Dayton, we will be happy
to take them, if they satisfy the program guidelines." Contact
<mailto:DXlogarchive at arrl.org> the program administrator with any
questions or with information about an available log -- or one known to
be available -- and the administrator will make a determination.
Logs accepted for the archive will be inventoried, preserved, stored,
and made available to confirm those long-ago contacts and for use in
research projects. The archive also welcomes DXpedition artifacts or
documents, such as licenses, landing permits, ship logs, and blank QSL
cards.
A few logs are now available
<http://www.arrl.org/files/file/DXCC/Log%20Archive/LogsAvailable_DXLogArchiveProgram10_May_16.pdf>
in the archive database.
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2016-05-12&p=1>
OTH Radars, Fishery and Taxi Traffic, Buoys, and Broadcasters Continue
to Mar Ham Bands
The International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 Monitoring System
(IARUMS) April newsletter
<http://www.iarums-r1.org/iarums/news2016/news1604.pdf> chronicles a
plethora of intruding signals heard on exclusive Amateur Radio
allocations in Europe and Africa, many of these also affecting the bands
in IARU Regions 1 and 3. The most significant interfering signals
originate from over-the-horizon (OTH) radars in China and Russia and
affect 40, 30, 20, and 15 meters.
The newsletter also recounts monitoring stations' reports of voice
traffic on several bands from fishing operations in various parts of the
world, telemetry from marine buoys, and persistent taxi dispatching
traffic from Russia on 10 meters. Other interference has stemmed from
broadcasters -- harmonic-challenged and otherwise -- as well as from
jamming signals attempting to prevent broadcasts from reaching their
intended audiences. Pirate (ie, unlicensed) stations have been reported
on 80 meters and elsewhere, and Russian digital military traffic has
been monitored on 40 and 20 meters.
OTH radar interference prevails, however. IARUMS Region 1 Coordinator
Wolf Hadel, DK2OM, documented a Chinese OTH radar occupying considerable
swaths of spectrum on several bands.
IARU Region 1 maintains the world's most active network of volunteer
intruder monitors.
Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award Nominations Due by May 20
The deadline to submit nominations for the 2016 Philip J. McGan Memorial
Silver Antenna Award <http://www.arrl.org/phil-mcgan-award> is Friday,
May 20. Honoring the memory of Phil McGan, WA2MBQ, the first chairman of
the ARRL Public Relations Committee, the award recognizes the promotion
of Amateur Radio to the general public.
*Philip J. McGan, WB2MBQ (SK).*
Each year, ARRL public information coordinators, public information
officers, and other public relations volunteers strive to keep Amateur
Radio visible in their communities by publicizing special events,
writing media releases, creating media for radio and television, and
maintaining good relations with local media -- among many other valuable
activities.
If you know someone who has achieved public relations success on behalf
of Amateur Radio, consider nominating that individual for the McGan
Award. The award will recognize a radio amateur who has demonstrated
success in Amateur Radio public relations and who best exemplifies the
volunteer spirit of Phil McGan.
Nominees must be full ARRL members in good standing, may not be
compensated for any public relations work involving Amateur Radio, and
may not be current ARRL officers, Directors, Vice Directors, paid staff
members, or members of the selection committee. Anyone may make a
nomination.
Nominations must be on an official entry form
<http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Media%20&%20PR/PR%20Awards/McGan-Form-2015.pdf>.
Nominations must be received at ARRL Headquarters by the close of
business on May 20, 2016. Mail nominations and any supporting
documentation to Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award, PR
Department, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111.
The ARRL Public Relations Committee will review all nominations and
forward its recommendation to the Programs and Services Committee of the
ARRL Board of Directors. The Board will make a final determination at
its July meeting.
For more information, contact <mailto:skutzko at arrl.org> ARRL Media and
Public Relations Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X.
ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference Issues 2016 Call for Papers
Technical Papers are being solicited for presentation at the 35th Annual
ARRL/TAPR <http://www.tapr.org/> Digital Communications Conference (DCC
<http://www.tapr.org/dcc.html>), September 16-18 in St Petersburg,
Florida. Papers will also be published in the /Conference Proceedings/.
Authors do not need to attend the conference to have their papers
included in the /Proceedings/. The submission deadline is July 31, 2016.
The ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference is an international
forum for technically minded radio amateurs to meet and present new
ideas and techniques. Paper/presentation topic areas include -- but are
not limited to -- software defined radio (SDR), digital voice, digital
satellite communication, digital signal processing (DSP), HF digital
modes, adapting IEEE 802.11 systems for Amateur Radio, Global
Positioning System (GPS), Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS),
/Linux/ in Amateur Radio, AX.25 updates, and Internet operability with
Amateur Radio networks.
Submit papers via e-mail <mailto:maty at arrl.org> or via US mail to Maty
Weinberg, KB1EIB, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. Papers will be
published exactly as submitted, and authors will retain all rights.
Former Alpha/Power President, Researcher John Brosnahan, W0UN, SK
Former Alpha/Power President and Technical Director John Brosnahan,
W0UN, of Vanderpool, Texas, died on May 4 after suffering an apparent
stroke. He was 71 and an ARRL Life Member.
*John Brosnahan, W0UN.*
"John was a great family man, a first-rate contester, a DXer, builder,
problem solver, businessman, and a help to all who knew him," said Alan
Applegate, K0BG, his friend of many years. "He was also one of the most
personable people I have ever known."
An active contester, Brosnahan was a contributor to /National Contest
Journal/ (/NCJ/) and to the /ARRL Contest Update/, as well as to various
technical forums. He stepped down from Alpha/Power in 2000 citing a
combination of health issues and family obligations.
Brosnahan, who relocated from Colorado to Texas about 10 years ago, was
a research physicist and developer of atmospheric remote-sensing tools
for clients such as the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA). Applegate said Brosnahan did a lot of the
equipment design and installation for the High Frequency Active Auroral
Research Program (HAARP) ionospheric research facility in Alaska.
Brosnahan founded Signal Hill Research, Tycho Technologies, and LaSalle
Research. He contributed technical papers to such journals as /Radio
Science./
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2016-05-12&p=2>
In Brief...
*/Digital Storage Oscilloscopes for Ham Radio/ Now Available as E-Book:*
The ARRL's newest e-book is /Digital Storage Oscilloscopes for Ham
Radio/, by Eric Nichols, KL7AJ. This rapidly developing instrument is
finding its way into the Amateur Radio station in many useful and
interesting ways. "Recent developments in technology have brought the
price of this marvelous class of instruments into the range of every
radio amateur's budget," Nichols said. "A limitless variety of routine
and exotic tasks in the ham shack can be performed with the aid of the
DSO." /Digital Storage Oscilloscopes for Ham Radio/ is an introduction
to the capabilities of the DSO. It will help guide you as you consider
making your first purchase, which as we will demonstrate, will probably
not be your last. To order, download the e-book
<http://amzn.com/B01EXBUPS8> in the Kindle format from Amazon
<http://www.amazon.com>.
*VOA Museum to Host Hamvention Amateur Radio Reception:* The National
Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting <http://www.voamuseum.org/>,
located at the former VOA Bethany, Ohio, Relay Station, will host a
reception for radio amateurs on Saturday, May 21, 6:30-9 PM, for Dayton
Hamvention <http://www.hamvention.org>^® attendees. The museum will be
open for tours, and West Chester Amateur Radio Club station WC8VOA --
located in the original VOA control room -- will be available for
operation. The museum displays a collection of R.L. Drake equipment as
well as the Collins 821A 250 kW shortwave transmitter that was used at
the site. Admission is $5. Refreshments will be offered. The museum is
located south of Dayton off I-75. Exit at Tylersville Road, and turn
left at the top of the ramp. The museum is about 1 mile east on the left
(north) side of Tylersville Road. /-- Thanks to Jay Adrick, K8CJY, via
QRZ.com/
*Classic Radio Buff John Dilks, K2TQN, to offer "Old Transmissions and
Voices of the Past" at Hamvention:* Antique radio aficionado John Dilks
<http://www.k2tqn.com/>, K2TQN, who edited "Vintage Radio" in /QST/ for
15 years, will moderate a forum, "Old Transmissions and Voices of the
Past" at Hamvention <http://www.hamvention.org>^® on Friday, May 20,
2:30-3:30, in Room 5. His presentation will include photos, graphics,
and the actual voices of several wireless pioneers relating their
personal accounts, including Guglielmo Marconi, Lee de Forest, Hugo
Gernsback, Major Edwin Armstrong, and Clarence Tuska, who will describe
the start of /QST/ in 1915.
*Armed Forces Day Military/Amateur Radio Cross-Band Communications Test
is May 14:* The US Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard will cosponsor
the Armed Forces Day Military/Amateur Radio Cross-Band Communications
Test <http://www.usarmymars.org/home/announcements> on Saturday, May 14,
2016. The event gets under way at 1200 UTC, with activity continuing
throughout the day. Some military stations may not operate for the
entire period. Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/annual-armed-forces-day-cross-band-communications-test-set-for-may-14>.
Getting It Right!
The article "Carole Perry, WB2MGP, to Moderate Hamvention^® Forums" in
the May 5 edition of /The ARRL Letter/ incorrectly indicated that ARRL
is the sponsor of the Hamvention Instructors' Forum on Friday, May 20.
The ARRL was among the many Amateur Radio businesses and organizations
contributing prizes for the forum, but is not a sponsor.
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: A whopper of a geomagnetic storm
occurred on Mother's Day, May 8, when the planetary A index reached 70.
In Alaska, the college A index was 117. Aurora was visible in North
America well south of the northern tier of states.
The latest prediction has planetary A index at 8 on May 12; 5 on May
13-14; 8, 14, 10, 6, 12, 15, and 12 on May 15-21; 5 on May 22-23; 10 on
May 24; 5 on May 25-27; 10, 25, and 10 on May 28-30; 5 on May 31-June 1;
12 on June 2-3; 30, 32, 25, 15, and 8 on June 4-8, and 5 on June 9-10.
The planetary A index then rises to 25 on June 25.
Predicted solar flux is 97 on May 12; 100 on May 13-14; 102, 105, 99,
93, and 85 on May 15-19; 82 on May 20-22; 85 on May 23-25; 90 on May
26-30; 88 on May 31-June 2; 85 on June 3-6; 90 on June 7-9; 95 on June
10-11; 90 and 85 on June 12-13; 82 on June 14-18, and 85 on June 19.
Average daily sunspot number dropped 15.6 points to 59.1 over the past
week, and average daily solar flux declined 3.1 points to 88.8. Average
daily planetary A index over the same period doubled from 11.3 to 22.6,
and average daily mid-latitude A index rose 3.9 points to 14.6.
Sunspot numbers for May 5 through May 11 were 55, 56, 51, 42, 68, 70,
and 72, with a mean of 59.1. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 87.1, 89.6,
88, 85.6, 88.5, 88.7, and 93.9, with a mean of 88.8. Estimated planetary
A indices were 8, 15, 10, 70, 33, 16, and 6, with a mean of 22.6.
Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 7, 12, 9, 32, 21, 15, and 6, with
a mean of 14.6.
In Friday's bulletin look for an updated forecast as well as comments
and questions from readers, plus a review of our moving average of
sunspot numbers.
Send <mailto:k7ra at arrl.net> me your reports and observations.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just Ahead in Radiosport
*
May 12 -- NAQCC CW Sprint
*
May 14 -- FISTS Spring Unlimited Sprint (CW)
*
May 14-15 -- HPC World Wide DX Contest (Digital)
*
May 14-15 -- CQ-M International DX Contest (CW, phone)
*
May 14-15 -- VOLTA WW RTTY Contest
*
May 14-15 -- Arkansas QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
*
May 14-15 -- MARAC USA QSO Party (CW)
*
May 14 -15 -- Portuguese Navy Day Contest (CW, phone)
*
May 14-15 -- 50 MHz Spring Sprint (CW, phone, digital)
*
May 15 -- WAB 7 MHz Phone
*
May 15 -- UA2 QSO Party (CW, phone)
*
May 16 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)
*
May 19 -- RSGB 80 Meter Club Championship (CW)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
*
May 13-15 -- Rocky Mountain Division Convention
<http://www.hamconcolorado.org/>, Keystone, Colorado
*
May 14 -- Iowa State Convention <http://3900club.com/>, Boone, Iowa
*
May 20-22 -- Dayton Hamvention <http://www.hamvention.org/>, Dayton,
Ohio
*
June 3-5 -- Northwestern Division Convention
<http://www.seapac.org/>, Seaside, Oregon
*
June 4 -- Georgia Section Convention
<http://www.atlantahamfest.com/>, Marietta, Georgia
*
June 5 -- Western Pennsylvania Section Convention
<http://breezeshooters.org/>, Prospect, Pennsylvania
*
June 10-11 -- West Gulf Division Convention
<http://www.hamcom.org/>, Irving, Texas
*
June 18 -- Tennessee State Convention <http://www.w4bbb.org/>,
Knoxville, Tennessee
*
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 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
Find conventions and hamfests in your area <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests>.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*ARRL *-- *Your One-Stop Resource for *
*Amateur Radio News and Information*.
.
.
*
Join or Renew Today! <http://www.arrl.org/join> ARRL membership
includes /QST/ <http://www.arrl.org/qst>, Amateur Radio's most
popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month.
* Listen to /ARRL Audio News/ <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news>,
available every Friday.
Subscribe to...
* /NCJ -- National Contest Journal/ <http://www.ncjweb.com/>.
Published bi-monthly, features articles by top contesters, letters,
hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties.
* /QEX/ <http://www.arrl.org/qex>*//*/-- A Forum for Communications
Experimenters/ <http://www.arrl.org/qex>. Published bi-monthly,
features technical articles, construction projects, columns, and
other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications
professionals.
Free of charge to ARRL members...
* Subscribe
<http://www.arrl.org/myarrl-account-management#%21/edit-info-email_subscriptions>
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 <https://www.facebook.com/ARRL.org/>! Follow us on
Twitter <https://twitter.com/>and Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/>!
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2016-05-12&t=r&p=0>
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2016-05-12&t=r&p=1>
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2016-05-12&t=r&p=2>
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2016-05-12&t=r&p=3>
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2016-05-12&t=r&p=4>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 48 times each year. ARRL members
may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member Data
Page as described at http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/.
Copyright © 2016 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved
www.arrl.org <http://www.arrl.org/>
More information about the SFDXA
mailing list