QRZ Forums - Amateur Radio News
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Amateur Radio Capabilities added to the Maritime Incident Response Team
Posted: 02 Jul 2015 12:59 PM PDT
https://forums.qrz.com/showthread.ph...m&goto=newpost
Audubon NJ – The Tri-State Maritime Safety Association (TMSA) added Amateur
Radio capabilities to its Maritime Incident Response Team
in early May. TMSA is teaming up with the Audubon-Barrington OEM
Alliance-Radio Club, for Amateur Radio support. Amateur Radio
Operators have the communications knowledge, skills and abilities to assist
the team in its communications needs thus freeing up team
leadership who can focus their efforts on Incident Management knowing that
skilled radio operators will be ready to handle communications.
Amateur Radio Operators are not paid for their services, but volunteer
their time to assist during emergencies. They will be utilizing the
TMSA “MIRT” communications vehicle that features five dispatch consoles, an
incident command meeting area, and a support station.
The MIRT Bus is a 1970 GMC “Fishbowl” previously serving as a Red Arrow
transit bus, which was converted by the USN Seas Bees
to a mobile communications center over two decades ago. The vehicle is
equipped with a Detroit Diesel engine, automatic transmission
and has two onboard Honda generators, two rooftop AC/Heating RV style
units, UHF and VHF RadioÂ’s for Marine and First Responder
use as well as Amateur Radio Stations.
Amateur Radio Operators will not only operate and maintain the vehicle for
the MIRT Team but will have the opportunity to utilize
the vehicle at Field Days, Public Affairs, Festivals, and Bike Races or
anywhere Amateur Radio is being utilized to support public events
and public safety in general.
The MIRT Bus was the main highlight at this yearÂ’s 2015 ARRL Field Day site
at the Woodland School in Barrington NJ. The event was
well attended by the public as well as the Audubon and Barrington Police
and Fire Departments. The BoroughsÂ’ of Audubon and
Barrington recently started the process to enter into an agreement to
create an Emergency Management Alliance for its Amateur
Radio Emergency Services and Community Emergency Response Teams. The newly
formed alliance teamed up with the non-profit
TMSA-MIRT group and agreed to provide communications support.
The Tri-state Maritime Safety Association (TMSA), which includes the
Delaware River and Bay Marine Fire Fighting Task Force (MFFTF)
and the Tri-state Search and Rescue Team (TriSAR), promotes partnerships
between local responders and the maritime community
for regional maritime emergency preparedness and education within Delaware,
Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
For further information about TMSA please see;
http://www.marinefirefighting.org/
Look for the Audubon Amateur Radio Club, Station K2AUD, on July 4th as they
operate a special event station in Audubon NJ
at the fire station on Merchant Street during the Fourth of July
festivities. Audubon NJ, listed as AmericaÂ’s Most Patriotic Small Town,
is home to three Congressional Medal of Honor winners, the most per capita
for a municipality of its size in the United States.
Anyone interested in joining the Audubon-Barrington OEM Radio Club may
contact Jim Tieman WA2WUN at .
For further information please contact:
Rick Tighe N2PHI,
PIO Camden County NJ ARES
Attached Images
Erial MIRT BUS.jpg
(1.73 MB)
0627151049a.jpg
(1.87 MB)
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Record making Aussie balloon finally returns home
Posted: 02 Jul 2015 12:54 PM PDT
https://forums.qrz.com/showthread.ph...e&goto=newpost
Record making Aussie balloon finally returns home
balloon02072015.jpgAfter heading north the petulant pico
party-type balloon PS-46, carrying an Amateur Radio payload, floated over
the Indian Ocean near Cocos Keeling Island, or within 660km of Jakarta
Indonesia.
There the solar powered high altitude balloon was
tracked taking a heart-shaped course, over several days, before heading to
West Australia coming ashore on Tuesday near Exmouth.
Under a jetstream influence it then floated over
AustraliaÂ’s interior north of Alice Springs to its starting point of
longitude of 144.894 degree East, at about 1000 hours local (0000 UTC) on
Thursday July 2, albeit a week later than earlier thought, and a
Queensland exit.
PS-46 launched by Andy VK3YT on May 23, has had a
marvellous flight. He thanked all who had followed the balloon series, and
particularly the tracker network using data sent by the payload 25mW
transmitter on HF.
The PS-46 balloon had circumnavigated the southern
hemisphere after 12 days on Thursday June 4, and with its latest cross
over, is set to begin a third trip around the globe.
The flight had been twice over the Pacific Ocean to
South America, then the Atlantic Ocean to Africa, and across the Indian
Ocean back to Australia. The more northerly route taken and the absence of
storms at this time of the year are being attributed to its longevity.
Jim Linton VK3PC
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Attached Images
balloon02072015.jpg
(24.6 KB)
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The ARRL Letter, July 2, 2015
Posted: 02 Jul 2015 11:01 AM PDT
https://forums.qrz.com/showthread.ph...5&goto=newpost
The ARRL Letter
July 2, 2015
Rick Lindquist, WW1ME, Editor
[Note: Clicking on the story links below will take you to the news article
as it appears in The ARRL Letter on the ARRL website.]
The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 Introduced in the US SenateARRL
Website Has New Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 PageFCC Invites Comments
on Proposed Rules for New LF and MF Amateur AllocationsFCC Speedily
Dismisses Petitions to Alter Amateur Service RulesW1AW/5 Will Represent
ARRL Headquarters in the 2015 IARU HF World ChampionshipPattern of CQ WW
Contact Padding Prompts Disqualifications, Review of Past Contest LogsCEDAR
Conference Participants Dig Into Science of Interest to Radio
AmateursPhillip Groves, N8SFO, Named as West Virginia Section ManagerThe
ARRL Letter Tops 100,000 Subscribers!“Founders and Patriots of the
Republic” is Theme of Annual 13 Colonies EventThe K7RA Solar UpdateJust
Ahead in RadiosportUpcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
and Events
ARRL Headquarters Will Be Closed on Friday, July 3: ARRL Headquarters will
be closed on Friday, July 3, in observance of Independence Day. There will
be no edition of ARRL Audio News and no W1AW bulletins or code practice on
July 3. We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend!
The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 Introduced in the US Senate
A companion Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 bill has been introduced in
the US Senate. Mississippi Republican Sen Roger Wicker introduced S. 1685
on June 25, with Connecticut Democratic Sen Richard Blumenthal as the
initial cosponsor. The Senate bill joins an identical measure in the US
House, H.R. 1301, which was introduced in March by Illinois Republican Rep
Adam Kinzinger. Both measures would direct the FCC to extend its rules
relating to reasonable accommodation of Amateur Service communications to
private land-use restrictions.
“Introduction of the Senate bill is a huge step toward achieving fairness
for amateurs affected by private land-use regulation,” said ARRL President
Kay Craigie, N3KN. “For them and for the future of Amateur Radio, I thank
everyone who contributed to making this progress. Now let’s finish the job!”
Wicker said the bill he introduced with BlumenthalÂ’s cosponsorship would
allow for transparency and equality in the regulatory process. He said in a
June 29 media release that the legislation would ensure that Amateur Radio
operators are able to continue to provide “critical communications support
at no cost to taxpayers.”
“This would be particularly beneficial in Mississippi and other rural
states,” Wicker said. “During Hurricane Katrina, Mississippians learned
firsthand the value of Amateur Radio, and its ability to provide
information that could save lives in times of natural disasters.”
According to Wicker, the measure “ensures ‎increased access to, and
availability of, critical resources and communication tools” to first
responders. Added Blumenthal, “We have seen the effectiveness of these
systems, and the need to provide these emergency response systems to
Americans, regardless of where you live, is evident.”
Wicker pointed out that private land-use restrictions prevent many hams
from installing functional outdoor antennas. “This bill would call on FCC
to apply the reasonable accommodation policy evenly to all types of
residential land-use regulations and offer Amateur Radio operators the
ability to negotiate with subdivisions that now have restrictions that
preclude Amateur Radio antennas completely,” he said. “This could be
accomplished without taking any jurisdiction away from homeowners
associations and would protect neighborhood aesthetics.”
S. 1685 has been referred to the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation, chaired by Sen John Thune (R-SD).
The House version of The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 had attracted
support from 83 cosponsors, as of July 1.
ARRL Website Has New Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 Page
Now that there is Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 legislation in both
chambers of the US Congress, the League has a combined web page to
accommodate activities on behalf of both bills. The Amateur Radio Parity
Act of 2015 is H.R. 1301 in the US House of Representatives and S. 1685 in
the US Senate. The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 page provides a
clearinghouse for all information on these identical pieces of legislation.
US Rep Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) introduced H.R. 1301 on March 4 with
bipartisan support. US Sen Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced S. 1685 on June
26, with Sen Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) as an original cosponsor.
The bill would require the FCC to amend its Part 97 Amateur Service rules
to apply the three-part test of the PRB-1 federal pre-emption policy to
include homeowners association regulations and deed restrictions, often
referred to as “covenants, conditions, and restrictions” or CC&Rs. PRB-1
now only applies to state and local zoning laws and ordinances, and the FCC
has been reluctant to extend the same legal protections to include such
private land-use agreements without direction from Congress.
ARRL members are urged to write their members of Congress in both the House
and the Senate, asking them to sign on to the bill as cosponsors. Route
letters to your member of Congress to ARRL, ATTN Amateur Radio Parity Act
Grassroots Campaign, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. Correspondence will
be sorted at ARRL Headquarters and hand delivered to the appropriate US
representatives and senators. Letters should include the senderÂ’s name and
address.
FCC Invites Comments on Proposed Rules for New LF and MF Amateur Allocations
The FCC is inviting comments on its recent proposals to authorize Amateur
Radio operation on two new bands -- an LF allocation at 135.7 to 137.8 kHz
(2200 meters), and an MF allocation at 472-479 kHz (630 meters). Amateur
Radio would be secondary on both bands. Comments are due August 31. Reply
comments -- ie, comments on comments filed -- are due by September 30. The
FCC allocated 135.7 to 137.8 kHz to the Amateur Service in accordance with
the Final Acts of the 2007 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-07).
The proposed new allocation at 472 to 479 kHz would implement decisions
made at WRC-12.
“The Commission is proposing service rules for the Amateur Service in the
135.7-137.8 kHz and 472-479 kHz bands with the principal goal of enabling
sharing of this spectrum among licensed amateur stations and unlicensed PLC
systems,” the FCC said on April 27 in a 257-page Report and Order, Order,
and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The combined proceeding addresses three
dockets -- ET-12-338, ET-15-99, and IB-06-123 -- affecting various radio
services in addition to the Amateur Service. The detailed proposals
appeared in The Federal Register on July 2.
Amateur Radio would not be permitted in either band until the FCC
determines, on the basis of comments, the specific technical and
operational Part 97 rules it must develop. Amateur Radio would share both
allocations with unlicensed Part 15 power line carrier (PLC) systems
operated by utilities to control the power grid, as well as with other
users.
With respect to the new 630 meter band, the FCC has concluded that Amateur
Radio and PLC systems “can successfully coexist in the band,” and noted
that there has been no reported interference to PLC operation resulting
from experimental operations there. The FCC said PLC systems and
anticipated Amateur Radio use of both 630 meters and 2200 meters “have
characteristics that make coexistence possible.” In general, the FCC wants
to hear from the public regarding power limits, antenna placement and
height, and geographical limitations for operation in the proposed LF and
MF allocations. The FCC has said that the “cornerstone” of the technical
rules it’s proposing for both bands is “physical separation between amateur
stations and the transmission lines” carrying PLC signals.
The FCC has said that if it concludes, after considering the record, that
Amateur Radio and PLC systems cannot coexist on 135.7-137.8 kHz, it would
“defer the adoption of service rules, and amateur users will have to
continue to use the experimental licensing process to operate in the band.”
In 2012, the ARRL submitted a Petition for Rule Making asking the FCC to
allocate 472-479 kHz to the Amateur Service on a secondary basis and to
amend the Part 97 rules to provide for its use. Several countries,
including Canada, already have access to the band.
The FCC said the addition of the new LF and MF allocations “would provide
new opportunities for amateur operators to experiment with equipment,
techniques, antennas, and propagation phenomena but with signals having
larger bandwidth and higher power.”
In addition, the FCC has raised the secondary Amateur Service allocation at
1900 to 2000 kHz to primary, while providing for continued use by currently
unlicensed commercial fishing vessels of radio buoys on the “open sea.” The
Commission is seeking comment on technical requirements to govern operation
of the Part 80 radio buoys.
Interested parties may submit comments, identified by ET Docket No 15-99,
via the FCC Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS). The ARRL will file
comments in this proceeding.
FCC Speedily Dismisses Petitions to Alter Amateur Service Rules
Acting with near lightning speed, the FCC has dismissed two petitions for
rule making calling for separate amendments to the Part 97 Amateur Service
rules. Willison H. Gormly, WD0BCS, of Des Moines, New Mexico, filed both
petitions on June 16, and the FCC turned them away on July 1. Gormly had
requested that the FCC amend §97.301(e) of the rules by dividing it into
separate sub-paragraphs for technician and Novice class privileges. He had
also asked the FCC to amend §97.305(c) to authorize spread spectrum
emissions in the 2 meter band.
“The rule changes you propose were previously rejected by the Commission,”
Scot Stone, deputy chief of the Mobility Division in the Wireless
Telecommunications Bureau, told Gormly in the FCC’s dismissal letter. “Your
petitions do not demonstrate or even suggest that any relevant
circumstances have changed such as to merit reconsideration of these
decisions.”
The FCC noted that while §97.301(e) had been divided into two paragraphs
in the past, these were consolidated when the Commission streamlined the
rules in 1999. Gormly argued that the present configuration was confusing,
but the FCC pointed out that §97.301 “has been in this arrangement for a
number of years without any reported difficulty.”
Regarding GormlyÂ’s second petition, the Commission noted that it had sought
comment in 2004 as to whether it should expand the bands authorized for
spread spectrum to permit such emissions on the 50 MHz, 144 MHz, and 222
MHz bands. Agreeing with the majority of comments, the FCC subsequently
determined that authorizing spread spectrum was not warranted on 6 meters
and 2 meters, “because of concerns over the compatibility of spread
spectrum emission types and other Amateur Radio operations in those bands,”
the FCC explained in its denial letter. Read more.
W1AW/5 Will Represent ARRL Headquarters in the 2015 IARU HF World
Championship
The summerÂ’s most popular HF contest -- The 2015 International Amateur
Radio Union (IARU) HF World Championship -- gets under way on July 11 at
1200 UTC and continues for 24 hours. The object of the contest is to
contact other amateurs around the world -- especially IARU officials and
member-society HQ stations -- in as many ITU zones as possible on 160, 80,
40, 20, 15, and 10 meters -- using CW and phone. The ARRL Headquarters
station for the event will be W1AW/5, organized by Steve London, N2IC, in
New Mexico. NU1AW/7 in Washington will be the IARU headquarters station,
organized by Mark Tharp, KB7HDX. London said the W1AW/5 operation will take
place from six sites spread across New Mexico, with eight operators. HeÂ’s
hoping things will go smoothly, but heÂ’s also been keeping an eye on the
weather.
“July is monsoon season in New Mexico,” he said. “It’s not unusual to have
thunderstorms that just sit there over large areas, for hours.”
Participating IARU member-society headquarters stations and officials count
as score multipliers. Members of the IARU Administrative Council and the
three IARU regional executive committees send a signal report plus “AC,”
“R1,” “R2,” and “R3,” as appropriate. Other stations send a signal report
plus ITU zone, and contact points vary from 1 to 5 points, depending on the
other stationÂ’s ITU zone.
The IARU offers a variety of entry categories, and single operators can
operate SSB only, CW only, or a mixture of both modes. Power categories
include High Power (greater than 150 W), Low Power (between 5 W and 150 W),
or QRP (5 W or less). This year new Unlimited categories have been added
for operators using assistance. There is also a Multioperator, Single
Transmitter category, so several friends can get together to operate from
one station.
The IARU HF Championship offers a lot of summertime operating enjoyment and
a chance to check out your station and antennas well in advance of the
2015-2016 contest season. ThereÂ’s plenty of room for casual operators too.
Submit logs via e-mail. Mail paper logs to IARU International Secretariat,
Box 310905, Newington, CT 06111-0905 USA. All logs must be e-mailed or
postmarked no later than 1200 UTC on August 11, 2015.
Pattern of CQ WW Contact Padding Prompts Disqualifications, Review of Past
Contest Logs
The CQ World Wide Contest Committee said on June 25 that it plans to review
all past CQ WW contest logs, after its investigation revealed a pattern of
routine QSO padding on the part of one top-scoring CQ WW participant. This
follows in the wake of the disqualifications of some two dozen 2014 CQ WW
SSB contest operators in April, and another 30 contestants in the 2014 CQ
WW CW event. Among the latter group of DQs was the TO7A entry of Dmitry V.
Stashuk, UT5UGR, of Kiev, Ukraine, for unclaimed use of assistance. TO7A
had claimed the top Single Operator, High Power score.
“During the public discussion around this disqualification, a section of
the log on 160 meters was pointed out as being suspicious,” the committee
said. “Further checking revealed a run of 47 QSOs that were added to the
log when TO7A could not be detected on the air by RBN [Reverse Beacon
Network] or SDR recordings. In total, as many as 123 QSOs representing 22
additional multipliers were padded into the log.” The CQ WW Contest
Committee said the “particular pattern” of the suspicious contacts made it
clear that they were added deliberately after the contest to fill in rest
or break periods.
The contest committee subsequently decided to dig more deeply into past
contest logs submitted by UT5UGR, many of them competitive entries,
including one for a record continental score, and it uncovered evidence of
log padding going back to 2008, when UT5UGR placed third in the world in
the Single Operator, High Power category from V31WA in the CQ WW CW.
As a result, CQ has disqualified UT5UGRÂ’s entries in which they detected
log padding and removed them from the official score database. In addition,
any entry into a CQ-sponsored contest until July 2020 in which UT5UGR is
the operator or listed as a participant will be reclassified as a checklog.
“This violation of the trust that underlies radiosport competition cannot
be ignored,” CQ said. The CQ WW Contest Committee has announced that new
log checking processes were being developed to improve the detection of log
padding. “We intend to test these methods against all submitted logs from
2011-2014. If other entries are found to have added unverifiable QSOs, we
will address them on a case by case basis,” CQ said.
Stashuk did not respond to an ARRL e-mail seeking comment. Read more.
CEDAR Conference Participants Dig Into Science of Interest to Radio Amateurs
It was a meeting of the minds as more than 300 scientists -- many of them
radio amateurs -- met at the University of Washington in Seattle during the
week of June 21 for the annual National Science Foundation-sponsored
Coupling, Energetics, and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions (CEDAR)
Conference. CEDAR is a broad-based, community-guided upper-atmosphere
research program. The program focuses on the science of atmospheric regions
from the middle atmosphere (~30 km altitude) through space. This region
includes the ionosphere, and the CEDAR workshop discussed issues highly
relevant to Amateur Radio HF propagation.
“The middle atmosphere is particularly difficult to study, as it is
generally too high for sounding rockets and balloons, and too low for most
satellites,” explained Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, a graduate student at
Virginia Tech who attended the CEDAR workshop. “Thus, it is difficult to
make in-situ measurements, and remote sensing techniques are very
important.” Frissell said it’s also very difficult, because of its size, to
take sufficient measurements that truly characterize the whole Earth-space
system.
Noteworthy topics at the CEDAR workshop included ionospheric and neutral
atmospheric response to geomagnetic storms and space weather, atmospheric
gravity waves and traveling ionospheric disturbances, and the coupling of
the ionosphere and middle atmosphere to space. Frissell delivered a
presentation, “Using Amateur Radio Signals with the CARINA Satellite,”
during the conference, in collaboration with Magda Moses, KM4EGE, a
Virginia Tech undergraduate; Ethan Miller, K8GU, of JHU/APL; Steve
Kaeppler, AD0AE, of SRI, and the Reverse Beacon Network (RBN). Frissell
said his presentation prompted the recent experiment that had the Canadian
CASSIOPE satellite listen for Field Day signals.
Scientists on hand at the CEDAR event represented many major ionospheric
and upper-atmosphere research programs.
Moses’ workshop poster presentation, “Experiment Design to Assess
Ionospheric Perturbations During a Solar Eclipse,” discussed how solar
eclipses offer an opportunity to determine the dependence of the ionosphere
on sunlight. She is working with her advisor, Gregory Earle, W4GDE, and
Frissell. A total solar eclipse will occur over the US in August 2017.
MosesÂ’ plan is to observe whether unique ionospheric responses may be
witnessed during an eclipse. “This will be accomplished using a nationwide
network of GPS receivers as well as coherent scatter radars and a variety
of techniques involving Amateur Radio,” her poster explained. The
experiment would make use of the RBN and involve an Eclipse QSO Party.
“These conferences are extremely important, because the only way we have a
chance at gaining understanding of the Earth-space system is to have the
entire scientific community work together to identify strategies for making
progress,” Frissell said. He noted that many CEDAR talks were about
building networks of instruments and sharing data to tackle problems of
common interest. “This is one reason I think using the RBN -- and similar
networks -- is important,” he said, “because they provide a global view
that complements other observational techniques.” Read more. -- Thanks to
Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF
Phillip Groves, N8SFO, Named as West Virginia Section Manager
Phillip Groves, N8SFO, has been appointed as ARRL West Virginia Section
Manager. Groves, of Beckley, succeeds the late Charles Hardy, WV8CH, of
Fayetteville, who died on June 14, apparently as the result of accidental
electrocution while working on an antenna at his home.
“This position will present me with new opportunities to further promote
Amateur Radio participation and membership for radio clubs,” Groves told
ARRL Headquarters.
Field Services and Radiosport Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, made the
appointment, effective on June 30, after consulting with Roanoke Division
Director Jim Boehner, N2ZZ, and Roanoke Division Vice Director Bill Morine,
N2COP.
Groves, 56, has been a radio amateur since 1991 and is active within the
ARRL National Traffic System (NTS) as net control station for the West
Virginia Mid-Day Net and the NTS Eighth Region Net, and, as needed, assists
with the Eastern Area Net. He is a member of the Plateau Amateur Radio
Association and the 8 Rivers Amateur Radio Club. A retired underground coal
miner and contractor, Groves also enjoys hunting and fishing, gardening,
and road trips with his wife.
Groves will serve the remainder of the current term, which extends until
September 30, 2017.
The ARRL Letter Tops 100,000 Subscribers!
For the first time in its 33-year history, The ARRL Letter -- the LeagueÂ’s
weekly e-newsletter -- has exceeded 100,000 subscribers. The tally for the
June 25, 2015, edition was 100,139. The ARRL Letter is distributed free to
all ARRL members who opt to receive it via their membership profile.
“I am gratified to see The ARRL Letter reach the 100,000-reader mark. It is
testimony to the excellent journalistic work of News Editor Rick Lindquist,
WW1ME,” said ARRL Publications Manager Steve Ford, WB8IMY. “It is
astonishing to realize that, in terms of overall circulation, The ARRL
Letter’s readership is now exceeded only by QST magazine itself.”
The ARRL Letter began as a bi-weekly, paid-subscription, 4-page newsletter
delivered by postal mail to subscribers, who had to be ARRL members. The
first edition was published on October 28, 1982. The focus was on
delivering breaking news to members who didnÂ’t want to wait for the next
issue of QST to read about it. The first editor was Peter OÂ’Dell, KB1N (now
WB2D), with Wayne T. Yoshida, KA6KGU (now KH6WZ), as associate editor. The
banner headline in the first edition was, “Flash! FCC Gives 10 MHz to Hams
NOW!”
Lindquist has served twice as editor of The ARRL Letter. He oversaw the
transition of the newsletter from a print-only publication to an electronic
publication in the mid-1990s. For more than 10 years, The ARRL Letter
appeared in subscribersÂ’ inboxes as a plain ASCII text publication. After
Lindquist retired from the ARRL Headquarters staff in 2007 and Khrystyne
Keane, K1SFA, took over as news editor, The ARRL Letter was reconfigured as
an HTML publication that included color photos and ads of interest to
readers. When Keane left HQ in mid-2013, Lindquist was tapped to return as
news editor, which he handles on a part-time basis from his home in Down
East Maine.
“Founders and Patriots of the Republic” is Theme of Annual 13 Colonies Event
The annual Independence Day week 13 Colonies Special Event got under way on
June 30 and will continue until July 5 at 0400 UTC. The theme for the 2015
event is “Founders and Patriots of the Republic.” The object is for
operators to contact special event stations in each of the 13 British
colonies that became the US in 1776. The contact count for last yearÂ’s
event was nearly 109,000.
Certificates and endorsements will be available for working the 13 colonies
stations, with a sticker for contacting all 13 and an endorsement for
contacting WM3PEN in Philadelphia, where independence was declared in 1776.
Those working WM3PEN will have a Liberty Bell added to their 13 Colonies
certificates.
The 1 × 1 call sign stations on the air this year are K2A in New York, K2B
in Virginia, K2C in Rhode Island, K2D in Connecticut, K2E in Delaware, K2F
in Maryland, K2G in Georgia, K2H in Massachusetts, K2I in New Jersey, K2J
in North Carolina, K2K in New Hampshire, K2L in South Carolina, and K2M in
Pennsylvania. In addition to WM3PEN, UK special event station GB13COL will
operate from Durham, England, with members of the Durham and District
Amateur Radio Society participating.
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Conditions over Field Day weekend turned
out to be not bad at all. The expected geomagnetic upset never happened. On
the Thursday and Friday before Field Day, the predicted planetary A index
for the June 27-28 was 45 and 60 -- really bad conditions. The actual
planetary A indices on those dates were 9 and 13, and the mid-latitude A
indices were a modest 8 and 12.
Average solar flux over June 25 through July 1 was 100.7, down from 130.8
over the previous 7 days. Average daily sunspot numbers declined from 71.6
to 35.9.
The latest solar flux prediction is 110, 115, 120, and 125 on July 2-5; 130
on July 6-8; 125 on July 9-10; 130 on July 11-19; then 115, 110, and 105 on
July 20-22; 100 on July 23-26, and 105 on July 27-August 1. Flux values
rise to 130 after August 6.
Planetary A index is predicted at 5 on July 2-4; then 25, 12, 10, and 5 on
July 5-8; 8 on July 9-10; 18, 12, and 8 on July 11-13; then 5 on July
14-17; 8 on July 18-19, and 5 on July 20-25.
In FridayÂ’s bulletin look for reports from readers, a review of our moving
average of sunspot numbers, and updated forecasts. Send me your reports and
observations.
Just Ahead in Radiosport
July 3 -- NCCC RTTY Sprint
July 3 -- NCCC Sprint
July 4 -- FISTS Summer Slow Speed Sprint
July 4-5 -- DL-DX RTTY Contest
July 4-5 -- Marconi Memorial HF Contest (CW)
July 4-5 -- Original QRP Contest (CW)
July 4-5 -- PODXS 070 Club 40 Meter Firecracker Sprint (digital)
July 5 -- WAB 144 MHz Low Power Phone
July 5 -- DARC 10 Meter Digital Contest
July 5 -- QRP ARCI Summer Homebrew Sprint (CW)
July 6 -- RSGB 80 Meter Club Championship, CW
July 7 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)
July 8-9 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test
July 10 -- NCCC RTTY Sprint
July 10 -- NCCC Sprint
July 11 -- FISTS Summer Sprint
July 11-12 -- IARU HF World Championship (CW, SSB)
July 11-12 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon
July 12 -- CQC Great Colorado Gold Rush (CW)
See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information.
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events
July 4 -- Eastern Pennsylvania Section Convention, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
July 10-11 -- Northern Florida Section Convention, Milton, Florida
July 13-16 -- Mobile Amateur Radio Awards Club Convention, The Villages,
Florida
July 17-19 -- Montana State Convention, East Glacier, Montana
July 23-26 -- Central States VHF Society Conference, Westminster, Colorado
July 24-25 -- Oklahoma Section Convention, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
July 31-August 2 -- Rocky Mountain Division Convention, Bryce Canyon, Utah
August 1 -- Great Lakes Division Convention, Columbus, Ohio
August 7-8 -- South Texas Section Convention, Austin, Texas
August 7-9 -- New Mexico State Convention, Albuquerque, New Mexico
August 7-9 -- Pacific Northwest DX Convention, Everett, Washington
August 15-16 -- Alabama State Convention, Huntsville, Alabama
August 16 -- Kansas State Convention, Salina, Kansas
August 21-23 -- New England Division Convention, Boxborough, Massachusetts
August 22 -- West Virginia State Convention, Weston, West Virginia
August 30 -- Western Pennsylvania Section Convention, New Kensington,
Pennsylvania
September 5-6 -- Roanoke Division Convention, Shelby, North Carolina
September 11-12 -- W9DXCC, Schaumburg, Illinois
September 11-13 -- Southwestern Division Convention, Torrance, California
September 12 -- Virginia Section Convention, Virginia Beach, Virginia
September 26 -- Washington State Convention, Spokane Valley, Washington
Find conventions and hamfests in your area.
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