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N9PMO > LETTER 05.02.15 22:16l 1368 Lines 35344 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Participation in ARRL Centennial On-the-Air Events Exceeds All
Expectations
Eric Nichols, KL7AJ, Selected as 2014 Bill Orr, W6SAI, Technical
Writing Award Winner
ARISS Selects 15 Possible ISS Amateur Radio Contact Hosts for 2015
Events
K1N Navassa Island DXpedition Dominates HF Bands
RadioShack's Long, Slow Downward Slide Nears the End
Amateur Radio Payloads Share Ride into Space with Soil Moisture
Monitoring Satellite
Ham Among Devil's Brigade Members to Receive Medal
Past ARRL Dakota Division Director Howard Mark, K3HM, SK
Nevada Section Manager Gary Grant, K7VY, SK
Long-time ARRL Kansas Section Manager Robert M. "Bob" Summers,
K0BXF,
SK
In Brief...
Getting It Right...
The K7RA Solar Update
Just Ahead in Radiosport
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events
Participation in ARRL Centennial On-the-Air Events Exceeds All
Expectations
Attendance at the ARRL's on-the-air Centennial celebration in 2014
was
through the roof! Approximately 3.5 million contacts were recorded
for
W1AW portable operations and the Centennial Points Challenge during
the Centennial QSO Party last year.
"The Centennial QSO Party was a huge success, and participation was
way greater than anyone anticipated it would be when we were in the
planning stages," said Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, Assistant Manager, Field
Services and Radiosport Department. As a result, the window for
operators to apply and pay fees for awards they earned in the
Centennial QSO Party is not expected to open until mid-March.
Fusaro said that while award certificates have been printed, the
task
of checking and double-checking the electronic logs and resolving
any
anomalies has put an unexpected burden on staff resources.
To compete in the Centennial Points Challenge, logs must have been
submitted through Logbook of The World (LoTW). The system will
automatically look for points-qualifying QSOs from submitted logs
and
apply them to each participant's Centennial QSO Points total. ARRL
Headquarters has been recalculating all submitted scores to come up
with final tallies.
"Recalculating will allow operators to earn points for contacts
they
made with stations that were not yet in the database when the logs
went into LoTW," Fusaro explained. "Accuracy in fulfilling awards
is
important, and we need to get this right the first time. It's been
a
very time and staff-intensive process, researching busted call
signs
and running down claimed contacts and mode discrepancies for
operators."
Enhancements to LoTW -- which served as the repository for
Centennial
QSO Party contacts -- also contributed to the delay. And a few
operators logged on paper; those logs were keyed into the system
manually.
The deadline to submit logs for 2014 via LoTW was January 22, but
participants may apply for Centennial awards indefinitely, once the
application process is up and running. Operators do not have to use
LoTW to apply for Points Challenge certificates or W1AW WAS awards.
Qualifying for the Top Level Award requires 15,000 points. The
Level 3
Award requires 7500 points, while the Level 2 and Level 1 awards
require 3000 and 1000 points, respectively. Point totals will be
printed on certificates.
QSL cards for W1AW portable and W100AW operations are not yet back
from the printer. "We did not plan to have as many W1AW/p
operators,
which contributed to the bonanza of Centennial QSO Party contacts,"
Fusaro said. US stations that worked W1AW/p and W100AW during the
Centennial may use the Centennial QSO Party web page to request QSL
cards via the domestic Incoming QSL Service.
Fusaro explained that this is a one-time only use of the QSL Bureau
for this purpose, and those who want to receive cards via the
Bureau
should ensure that their accounts are sufficiently funded, because
cards will not be held. Cards destined for stations outside the US
will be sent via the QSL Bureau. Participants may also request
cards
directly, providing one SASE for up to six cards per envelope.
W1AW/p and W100AW will not confirm every contact with traditional
paper QSL cards, but will verify QSOs for each mode and on most
bands
on a single card for each weekly operation.
Eric Nichols, KL7AJ, Selected as 2014 Bill Orr, W6SAI, Technical
Writing Award Winner
Eric Nichols, KL7AJ, of North Pole, Alaska, has been named as the
winner of the Bill Orr, W6SAI, Technical Writing Award for 2014.
Nichols was recognized for his article "Using Your Grid Dip Meter
Oscillator," which appeared in the February 2014 issue of QST. The
Orr
Award is bestowed each year to the QST author who writes an
outstanding article or series on new or existing technologies or on
methods or means of amateur communication. Articles must be written
Eric Nichols, KL7AJ, at home in North Pole, Alaska.
in an easy-to-understand style worthy of the Bill Orr "stamp of
approval," and they should encourage interest and expand the
knowledge
and understanding of amateurs who may lack a strong technical
background.
"Eric's article was chosen, because it did an outstanding job of
explaining how to use a device -- the grid dip oscillator -- that
has
been somewhat forgotten by many amateurs," said Steve Ford, WB8IMY,
QST Editor in Chief and ARRL Publications Manager. "Eric did an
excellent job of explaining why this device is still useful and how
to
put it to use."
Licensed in 1972 as WN6TEE in California, Nichols is a former
broadcast engineer who now works at Eielson Air Force Base. He has
written many articles for various Amateur Radio publications over
the
past 30 years and describes himself as "a fanatic homebrewer and CW
freak." Nichols also works as a consultant to the High Power
Auroral
Stimulation (HIPAS) Observatory, operated by UCLA, and at the High
Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) facility. He is
the
author of Radio Science for the Radio Amateur (available from
ARRL),
Plasma Dreams, and The Opus of Amateur Radio Knowledge and Lore.
"It's certainly an honor to receive the William Orr Technical
Writing
Award!" Nichols said. "Thanks for your vote of confidence!"
The QST editorial staff serves as the selection panel and
recommends
the winner from a review of the year's QST articles to the ARRL
Foundation Board for final approval at its Annual Meeting. The
award
comprises an engraved plaque and $250, to be presented at an ARRL
convention.
Established in 1973 by the ARRL, the ARRL Foundation is a separate
IRS
501(c)(3) organization that administers programs to support the
Amateur Radio community. The Foundation is funded entirely through
the
generosity of radio amateurs and friends. ARRL Foundation programs
for
Amateur Radio award scholarships for higher education, grants for
Amateur Radio projects, and special Amateur Radio program grants
for
The Victor C. Clark Youth Incentive Program and The Jesse A.
Bieberman
Meritorious Membership Program.
ARISS Selects 15 Possible ISS Amateur Radio Contact Hosts for 2015
Events
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has
selected
15 semifinalists to host ham radio contacts with ISS crew members
during 2015. ARISS anticipates that NASA will provide 12 scheduling
opportunities for US hosts between May and December. The 15
semifinalists, representing schools and educational organizations
as
well as one event, now must submit acceptable equipment plans that
demonstrate their ability to carry out the Amateur Radio event.
Once
the ARISS technical team approves an equipment plan, ARISS will
attempt to schedule schools or organizations as their availability
and
flexibility match up with the opportunities offered by NASA. ARISS
does not expect to be able to schedule all 15 schools on the list
of
semifinalists.
"This is a significant step in ARISS's continuing effort to engage
young people in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math
activities
and raise their awareness of human spaceflight," an ARISS media
release said. "ARISS was encouraged by the high level of interest
in
the education community, evidenced by the significant number of
submitted proposals and the quality of the submissions."
The 15 finalists are Bay View Elementary School, Burlington,
Washington; Corpus Christi Catholic School, Chambersburg,
Pennsylvania; Daggett Montessori School K-8, Fort Worth, Texas;
Dearborn Public Schools, Dearborn, Michigan; Grady High School
Robotics Team, Atlanta, Georgia; Kopernik Observatory & Science
Center, Vestal, New York; Maconaquah School Corporation, Bunker
Hill,
Indiana; Moon Day/Frontiers of Flight Museum, Dallas, Texas; New
Mexico Military Institute, Roswell, New Mexico; Pima County 4H/Vail
Vaqueros 4-H Club, Tucson, Arizona; Space Jam 9, Rantoul, Illinois;
Ste Genevieve du Bois Catholic Elementary School, Warson Woods,
Missouri; Tulsa Community College-NE Campus, Tulsa, Oklahoma;
United
Space School, Seabrook, Texas, and West Michigan Aviation Academy,
Grand Rapids, Michigan.
2016 ARISS Contact Proposal Window Opens February 15
The next US ARISS contact proposal window will be open between
February 15 and April 15. ARISS is seeking formal and informal
educational institutions and organizations, individually or working
together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with an ISS crew member
between January 1 and June 30, 2016. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits
determine the exact contact dates.
ARISS is looking for organizations that have the potential to draw
large numbers of participants and can integrate the contact into a
well-developed educational plan.
Students at Mill Springs Academy in Alpharetta, Georgia, queue up
in
September 2013 to speak via Amateur Radio with astronaut Chris
Cassidy, KF5KDR, onboard the ISS.
FM voice contacts with ISS crew members last about 10 minutes --
the
typical length of an orbital pass -- and allow students and
educators
to interact with the astronauts in a question-and-answer format.
ARISS
contacts afford an opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts
and
cosmonauts what it is like to live and work in space and about ISS
research. Students will also have an opportunity to learn about
satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science.
Because of the nature of human spaceflight and scheduling
complexity,
schools and organizations must demonstrate flexibility to
accommodate
changes in contact dates and times.
Amateur Radio organizations around the world, NASA, and space
agencies
in Russia, Canada, Japan, and Europe sponsor this educational
opportunity by providing the equipment and operational support to
enable communication between ISS crew and students around the world
via Amateur Radio.
In the US, ARISS is managed by the ARRL and AMSAT, in partnership
with
NASA. Details on expectations, audience, proposal guidelines, and
proposal form, and dates and times of information sessions are on
the
ARRL website. E-mail ARISS with any questions.
K1N Navassa Island DXpedition Dominates HF Bands
The antennas are up, the gear deployed, and all 15 operators are on
site and in their chairs. The K1N Navassa Island operation, which
came
up on 40 and 80 meter CW in the middle of the Super Bowl on
February
2, is now a full-blown DXpedition, with stations on the air on as
many
bands and modes as the team can muster. K1N hopes to remain on the
air
until February 12. As might be expected with a major DXpedition to
the
#2 (all modes) most-wanted
This pileup for K1N extended some 15 kHz or more up the band. The
blue
represents the overall pileup, while the green shows the stations
calling at the time the photo was taken. The red vertical line
indicates K1N's transmit frequency.
DXCC entity, the pileups have been spectacular. While there has
been
some undesirable behavior and poor operating practice -- such as
not
paying attention to the operator's instructions -- things have gone
fairly smoothly. For many US operators, it's been a matter of "so
close, yet so far away," as they plea to be heard from within the
din.
"It has been very windy and very hot...and very dirty," team member
Glenn Johnson, W0GJ, said in a post this week. "We have heavy rains
every evening, collected for washing, as we all feel very grubby."
Johnson said inclement weather plagued and delayed deployment, and
daytime temperatures have been in the 110° to 120° range. Upon
arrival
the team reported seeing "rats as large as cats, scorpions, and
black
widow spiders."
Initial log uploads to ClubLog have been completed, and the log
page
on the K1N website activated. The first uploads contain more than
22,000 contacts.
The old Navassa Island Iighthouse is serving as a convenient
antenna
support structure.
Johnson said that everyone is in good spirits and healthy. "We have
been very pleased with pileup cooperation when working the
difficult
JA/Asia/Oceania windows," he added. "We can hear a din of pileup
activity, and, at times, difficult-to-pull-out individual calls on
these long hauls."
The K1N RTTY operator has asked callers not to include any
information
beyond a signal report when working the DXpedition on that mode.
Including anything more can slow down their QSO rate.
Team member Bob Allphin, K4UEE, said deliberate QRM was "at
expected
levels," and he encouraged operators to fill out a Deliberate QRM
(DQRM) report to help isolate the locations of offenders. "There's
a
DQRM button on every page of our website," he said. "In addition,
you
can go directly to www.dqrmreport.com and file there."
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RadioShack's Long, Slow Downward Slide Nears the End
The end is near for RadioShack. It seems inevitable that the once
seemingly ubiquitous electronics and cell phone retailer will
liquidate its assets, after which RadioShack would cease to exist.
A
number of legal steps would have to come first, including a
bankruptcy
filing. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) de-listed RadioShack on
February 2, after the company failed to maintain a required minimum
value. BloombergBusiness has reported that behind-the-scenes talks
are
under way to sell approximately half of RadioShack's
owned-and-operated stores to Sprint and shutter the remaining
outlets,
although other scenarios involving other entities are possible.
The nearly century-old Fort Worth, Texas, based retailer -- once a
go-to shop for electronic components and, at one point, even
Amateur
Radio and shortwave receivers -- has lost 90 percent of its value
over
the past year, despite efforts to refinance and modernize its
stores.
Before being de-listed on February 2, RadioShack's stock was
selling
for just 24 cents a share.
The hedge fund Standard General LP loaned the retailer $535 million
last fall and would be the lead bidder in a bankruptcy filing and
debtor-in-possession financing, BloombergBusiness said.
RadioShack once offered entry-level short-wave receivers, Citizens
Band gear, a wide array of discrete components -- including
transistors, resistors, and capacitors -- and, for a time, a fairly
popular 2 meter hand-held transceiver and two different models of
10
meter single-band transceivers, although it failed in its effort to
develop and market a VHF/UHF hand-held radio. Over the years,
RadioShack has offered fewer discrete components in its
brick-and-mortar stores, moving that stock and other products to
its
online outlet, as it shifted its marketing focus to cell phones,
consumer electronics, and various battery-operated gadgets.
A year ago, after a dismal holiday showing, RadioShack announced
plans
to close 1100 stores, including 900 company-owned outlets. Due to
the
high costs involved with closing the stores, liquidating
merchandise,
lease penalties, and severances, however, the company has been able
to
shut down fewer than 200 outlets. RadioShack was reported to have
about $60 million in cash heading into the 2014 holiday season.
RadioShack has made no comment on the reports.
Amateur Radio Payloads Share Ride into Space with Soil Moisture
Monitoring Satellite
Four NASA Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNA-X) CubeSats
carrying Amateur Radio payloads launched successfully January 31
from
California's Vandenberg Air Force Base. The primary
A Delta 2 launcher lifts of on January 31 from Vandenberg AFB
carrying
the SMAP satellite and four CubeSats with Amateur Radio payloads
into
space. [NASA photo by Bob Ingalls]
payload for the Delta II launcher was the Soil Moisture Active
Passive
(SMAP) satellite. The SMAP on-board radar will share Amateur Radio
spectrum at 1.26 GHz. Amateur Radio is secondary on the 23
centimeter
band, which covers 1240 to 1300 MHz.
"This is a good example of a compatible sharing partner," ARRL CEO
David Sumner, K1ZZ, observed. "Any interference to amateur
communication in the band will be brief as the satellite passes
overhead."
SMAP and the four CubeSats all deployed successfully. The research
CubeSats, launched on behalf of universities, will downlink their
telemetry on the 70 centimeter band. The CubeSats and their
downlink
frequencies (modes) are:
Firebird II FU3
437.405 MHz (19k2 FSK)
Firebird I FU4
437.230 MHz (19k2 FSK)
GRIFEX
437.485 MHz (9k6 FSK)
ExoCube (CP-10)
437.270 MHz (9k6 FSK)
The GRIFEX satellite is a University of Michigan project, in
cooperation with JPL, while ExoCube (CP-10) is a space weather
satellite developed by the California Polytechnic State
University-San
Luis
The ExoCube (CP10) CubeSat. [University of California-San Luis
Obispo
photo]
Obispo and the University of Wisconsin in partnership with NASA,
and
sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The FIREBIRD program
is
a collaborative CubeSat space weather mission of two CubeSats
designed
and developed by Montana State University, the University of New
Hampshire, The Aerospace Corporation, and Los Alamos National
Laboratories -- the FIREBIRD consortium. The FIREBIRD mission is
also
funded by the NSF.
SMAP carries a "synthetic aperture radar." The L band (1.26 GHz)
radar
is designed to measure backscatter off the Earth's surface. The
amount
of backscatter returned to the radar changes with the amount of
moisture in the soil. RF pulses at this frequency are less affected
by
weather or by a moderate vegetation cover. The satellite is
approximately 425 miles up in a near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit.
SMAP also includes a radiometer operating at 1.41 GHz to measure
naturally occurring RF energy given off by Earth's surface.
Ham Among Devil's Brigade Members to Receive Medal
A 90-year-old California radio amateur -- Stan McEtchin, WB6KDZ, of
Paradise -- was among the surviving members of the First Special
Operations Force (FSSF), known as "The Devil's Brigade," to receive
the Congressional Gold Medal on February 3. The medal recognizes
the
unit's extraordinary heroism and service during World War II.
Stan McEtchin, WB6KDZ, is interviewed by KHSL ActionNewsNow. [KHSL
ActionNewsNow video image]
"We used to go behind the lines at night and sit out there, and we
could hear the Germans talking," McEtchin told The Paradise Post.
"Our
guy would write it down, so we would find out where their guns were
and that kind of thing."
Montana US Senators Jon Tester and Max Baucus worked for 5 years to
honor the unit. "The Devil's Brigade represented the very best of
our
Greatest Generation that defeated tyranny around the world," Tester
said. "The Medal is the highest honor Congress can bestow, and yet,
while a small token of this nation's gratitude, it is an
everlasting
reminder of the sacrifices these men made for all of us." Remarked
Baucus, "Without these brave volunteers, there would be no Special
Forces today."
Based at Fort Harrison in Helena, Montana, the Devil's Brigade was
a
top-secret combat unit comprising 1800 volunteers from 49 states,
the
District of Columbia, Canada, and Australia. Their training was the
first of its kind, specializing in high alpine combat, covert
amphibious landings, parachuting, mountain climbing, among other
tactics. By the time the war ended, the Force had suffered 2314
casualties, equating to an astounding 134 percent of its original
combat strength. It had captured more than 30,000 prisoners, won
five
US campaign stars and eight Canadian battle honors. The Force never
failed a mission.
"The people in this group were not ordinary people," McEtchin told
The
Paradise Post. "That is the kind of people that they were, they
would
just succeed at everything they did."
Not ordinary people: Some members of "The Devil's Brigade" take a
break near Anzio, Italy, in 1943. [US Army Archive photo]
The unit was instrumental in the liberation of Rome, surprising and
defeating massive German artillery units located on treacherous
mountain peaks and rocky islands, and in freeing communities in
southern France and Italy despite bitter resistance and extreme
conditions. The Force also engaged in large-scale raids against the
infamous German Hermann Goering First Panzer Paratroop Division.
The
unit paved the way for the nation's modern elite Special Forces, of
such highly trained units as the Green Berets and the Navy SEALs.
About 75 members of The Devil's Brigade are believed to be still
alive.
The Congressional Gold Medal is the nation's highest award for
distinguished achievement. Past recipients have included members of
the Tuskegee Airmen, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, and Jimmy Doolittle's
Tokyo Raiders. The Canadian government recognized members of the
Force
in 2012. The presentation ceremony at Expedition Hall in
Washington,
DC, was televised on C-SPAN and remains available on the C-SPAN
website. Also visit "Suicide Missions: The Black Devils" on
YouTube.
McEtchin also recalled his World War II experiences in an interview
on
KHSL's ActionNewsNow. -- Thanks to the Golden Empire Amateur Radio
Society (GEARS) Radiator, media accounts
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Past ARRL Dakota Division Director Howard Mark, K3HM, SK
Past ARRL Dakota Division Director Howard Mark, K3HM (ex-W0OZC), of
Burnsville, Minnesota, died on January 24. He was 81. An ARRL
member,
Mark was licensed in 1957. He was appointed as ARRL Dakota Vice
Director in 1982 to fill a vacancy. He served in that post until
1986,
when he succeeded Tod Olson, K0TO, as Director after Olson was
elected
as ARRL International Affairs Vice President. Mark stepped down as
Director in 1993, when he moved out of the Division to Las Vegas,
Nevada.
Howard Mark, K3HM.
"Howard had been failing the last week or two, and his passing
still
comes with great sorrow to everyone," said Mike Sigelman, K0BUD, a
good friend. "Howard Mark was a highly intelligent person who set a
fine example of a great husband and family man and one very devoted
to
his friends and to our hobby! I know he will be missed by all of
us."
During his 17 years in Las Vegas, Mark was an active member of the
Las
Vegas Radio Amateur Club (LVRAC) and held various club leadership
roles. Within the club he became known as "The Voice of Summerlin,"
after the community where he lived. Mark served as the club's net
control operator for many years, and he regularly organized LVRAC's
participation in such public service activities as the Las Vegas
Marathon, the Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay, and the American
Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure.
Survivors include his wife, Margi. The family will hold a private
memorial observance.
Nevada Section Manager Gary Grant, K7VY, SK
ARRL Nevada Section Manager Gary Grant, K7VY, of Reno, died
February
1, after a period of ill health. He was 78. Grant was a native of
Glendale, California, and was licensed in 1956.
During his more than 50 years of ARRL membership, Grant served in
several Field Organization positions, including Official Observer
and
OO Coordinator, Volunteer Examiner, and Assistant Section Manager.
Grant was appointed Section Manager last year to complete the
remaining term of SM Joe Giraudo, N7JEH, who stepped down because
of
increased business travel and who recommended Grant to succeed him.
That term ends June 30.
Gary Grant, K7VY. [Gino Calestini, KB7POU, video image]
Grant had enjoyed an extensive career in broadcast engineering and
previously worked for Collins Radio in Iowa and California. In
1962,
he began work as a TV engineer for KCRL and KRNV in Reno, a job he
continued for 30 years before taking a position with the University
of
Nevada-Reno. He retired from UNR in 2000, after 23 years of
service.
Grant also once owned Sierra Electronics, a two-way radio company.
Grant had a reputation as a consummate Elmer. A new licensee, Gino
Calestini, KG7POU, said Grant was his Elmer. "Gary helped me in so
many ways," Calestini said, "I had this dream burning inside me to
become a ham and to help others. [Gary] handed me his card and he
never stopped being there for me." Calestini started his Amateur
Radio
Club website and did his first live video interview with Grant
during
the Reno hamfest last September, posting it on YouTube. Calestini
said
Grant was "the definition of Elmer" who "deserves to be honored in
so
many ways."
In addition to the ARRL, Grant was a member of the Quarter Century
Wireless Association and the University of Nevada-Reno Radio Pack.
Survivors include his wife, Elizabeth, and their two children.
The position of Nevada Section Manager will be filled by
appointment.
-- Thanks to John Bigley, K7UR
Long-time ARRL Kansas Section Manager Robert M. "Bob" Summers,
K0BXF,
SK
Former ARRL Kansas Section Manager Bob Summers, K0BXF, of Kansas
City,
Kansas, died on January 10. He was 86. Summers served as the Kansas
Section Manager for more than 30 years -- from
Bob Summers, K0BXF.
1965 until 1996. He subsequently served as the Kansas Section
Emergency Coordinator from 2003 to 2012, and he held Field
Organization appointments as an Official Relay Station and Official
Bulletin Station.
A surveyor, Summers was the city street inspector for Kansas City,
Kansas, during his working years. In addition to his ARRL
activities,
Summers volunteered as a Boy Scouts of America leader and with the
American Red Cross.
Summers also was involved in the Military Auxiliary Radio System
(MARS) program, enjoyed HF mobile operation and CW. In addition to
the
ARRL and the QCWA, Summers was a member of the Jayhawk Amateur
Radio
Society.
Survivors include his wife, and a son and daughter.
In Brief...
School Club Roundup is February 9-13! A reminder: The
"Winter/Spring
Term" School Club Roundup gets under way on Monday, February 9, at
1300 UTC, and continues through Friday, February 13, at 2359 UTC.
Stations may operate no more than 6 hours in any 24 hour period (up
to
a maximum of 24 hours). The twice-yearly event is an opportunity
for
school club stations -- from elementary school to college -- to get
on
the air for a friendly radio activity. Non-school clubs and
individuals are encouraged to participate too. In the photo Deavana
takes part in the 2012 School Club Roundup from KF5CRF, the Viking
Radio Club, at Eisenhower Middle School in Lawton, Oklahoma.
EP6T Team Hopes DXpedition will Boost Ham Radio in Iran: Some
68,000
contacts later, the EP6T DXpedition operators are back home after
dealing with "extremely difficult circumstances" on Kish Island in
Iran. The sponsoring Rockall DX Group in Belgium said it achieved
its
goal of promoting Amateur Radio in Iran and opening the door for
future operations from the rare DXCC entity by local amateurs and
DXpeditions. A top government telecommunications official has
assured
the group that his agency will continue to support Amateur Radio in
Iran by creating license exams and establishing new clubs. The
Rockall
DX Group provided an Amateur Radio training guide to Iran, which is
being translated into Farsi. QSL cards and a DXpedition video are
in
process. -- Thanks to The Daily DX
Hurricane Watch Net Stalwart Bob Botik, K5SIV, SK: Hurricane Watch
Net
(HWN) veteran Bob Botik, K5SIV, of Austin, Texas, died January 31,
after a period of ill health. "Those who knew Bob remember his
commanding presence on air from his station in Austin, as it was
unique," said HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV. "His voice was both
calming and reassuring to anyone caught in an emergency situation."
Botik was among the key players in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch
in
1998, which hit Honduras. "He was there to assist bush pilots in
getting to and from their destinations," Graves recounted. Botik
also
was active with the Maritime Mobile Service Net and was involved
with
several at-sea rescues.
AMSAT-NA 2015 Space Symposium and Annual Meeting Set for October in
Dayton: The 2015 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Meeting will take
place October 16-18, at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Dayton, Ohio.
The
Space Symposium will include presentations on amateur satellite
operating techniques and news from the amateur satellite world. The
AMSAT-NA Board of Directors will convene, and the meeting will be
open
to AMSAT members. Additional information will be announced as it
becomes available. -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service
Deadline for Boston Marathon Ham Volunteers is February 10:
Volunteer
registration is open until February 10 for radio amateurs seeking
to
volunteer during the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 20, and the
Boston Athletic Association 5K (BAA 5K) race that occurs April 18.
The
early deadline is due both to the scale of the events and to
security
concerns. Last year, more than 300 radio amateurs participated in
Boston Marathon support. Volunteers for both races should first
register on the BAA website. Once you have a confirmation number,
register and/or log into the Marathon Amateur Radio Communications
(Minuteman Repeater Association) website and complete the
registration
form to get a specific assignment. For more information contact BAA
Public Service Coordinator Brett Smith, AB1RL.
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Getting It Right...
Several subscribers have reported that occasional photographs
appearing in The ARRL Letter have displayed incorrectly oriented.
Others -- most often Gmail users -- have reported that headlines
appear in the same typeface as the articles, making it difficult to
tell where articles begin. These issues are related to the software
used to view The ARRL Letter. It appears that some software
recognizes
that a photo has been rotated or that headlines are formatted in
large
red typeface, and some does not, but other factors may be in play,
and
we are looking into this problem further. The edition of The ARRL
Letter that appears on the ARRL website should display photos and
headlines correctly.
The K7RA Solar Update
Solar activity rose over the past week, with average daily sunspot
numbers rising from 89.1 to 139 in the 7 days ending February 4.
Average daily solar flux rose from 136.8 to 151.1. This is the
second
week in a row in which we saw higher sunspot numbers and solar flux
than in the previous 7 days.
Twice over the past week the daily solar flux numbers had to be
adjusted downward, due to overloading of the receiver at Penticton,
the Canadian observatory which provides those readings. On January
29
the reading was 171.8. This was revised downward to an estimated
165,
and again on February 4, when 154.4 was lowered to 145.
A new sunspot appeared on January 29, two more showed up on
February
2, and another one on February 4. The average daily sunspot number
for
January was 101.3.
This weekly "Solar Update" in The ARRL Letter is a preview of the
"Propagation Bulletin" issued each Friday. The latest bulletin and
an
archive of past propagation bulletins is on the ARRL website.
For Friday's bulletin, expect an updated forecast for the near term
and reports from readers, plus an updated moving average of daily
sunspot numbers. Send me your reports and observations. -- Tad
Cook,
K7RA
Just Ahead in Radiosport
February 6 -- NS Weekly Sprint (CW)
February 6 -- YL-OM Contest (SSB, CW, Digital)
February 6-8 -- Triathlon DX Contest (SSB, CW, Digital)
February 7 -- Straight Key Weekend Sprintathon
February 7 -- FYBO Winter QRP Field Day (SSB, CW)
February 7 -- Minnesota QSO Party (SSB, CW, Digital)
February 7 -- Straight Key Party
February 7-8 -- Vermont QSO Party (SSB, CW, Digital)
February 7-8 -- YLISSB QSO Party
February 7-8 -- Ten-Ten Winter Phone QSO Party
February 7-8 -- Black Sea Cup International (SSB, CW)
February 7-8 -- British Columbia QSO Party (SSB, CW, Digital)
February 7-8 -- XE International RTTY Contest
February 7-8 -- AM QSO Party
February 8 -- North American Sprint (CW)
February 8-9 -- Classic Exchange (Phone)
February 8 -- Milwaukee FM Simplex Contest
February 9-13 -- School Club Roundup (SSB, FM, CW)
February 11 -- NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint (CW)
See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information.
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events
February 7 -- Virginia State Convention, Richmond, Virginia
February 7 -- South Carolina State Convention, North Charleston,
South
Carolina
February 13-15 -- Southeastern Division Convention, Orlando,
Florida
February 20-21 -- Arizona Section Convention, Yuma, Arizona
February 28 -- New Mexico Techfest Convention, Albuquerque, New
Mexico
February 28 -- Vermont State Convention, S Burlington, Vermont
March 7 -- Santa Clara Valley Section Convention, Del Rey Oaks,
California
March 13-14 -- North Carolina Section Convention, Concord, North
Carolina
March 14 -- West Texas Section Convention, Midland, Texas
March 20-21 -- Louisiana State Convention, Rayne, Louisiana
March 21 -- MicroHAMS Digital Conference, Redmond, Washington
March 21 -- Nebraska State Convention, Lincoln, Nebraska
March 21 -- Southern Florida Section Convention, Stuart, Florida
March 28 -- Texas State Convention, Rosenberg, Texas
April 4 -- West Central Florida Technical Conference, Sebring,
Florida
April 4 -- North Carolina State Convention, Raleigh, North Carolina
April 11-12 -- Communications Academy, Seattle, Washington
April 17-19 -- International DX Convention, Visalia, California
April 25 -- Aurora Conference, White Bear Lake, Minnesota
Find conventions and hamfests in your area.
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