2015-07-03

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

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The ARRL Letter, July 2, 2015

Posted: 02 Jul 2015 11:01 AM PDT
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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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