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Webinar Helps to Build Ham Community Cohesion, Momentum for H.R. 4969
Balloting Set for this Fall in Two ARRL Divisions
Southern Florida Section Manager Wins Full Term, New SMs on Deck in
Two Other Sections
Some ARRL Website Services to Be Down for Maintenance
Support ARRL and Be Rewarded!
Pat Barkey, N9RV, Named as Next National Contest Journal Editor
W1AW Centennial Operations Heading to Arizona, Maine
Chasqui-1 Amateur Radio CubeSat Deployed from ISS
Venerable LUSAT-1 (OSCAR 19) Takes to the Dark Side
EMF 2014: It Takes an Amateur Radio Village
Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference 2014 Takes a
Technological Tack
First Joint Tribal Emergency Management Conference Held
Pirate Radio Ship Redux: Radio Caroline Returns, Radio Veronica,
Northsea Special Event Set
A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL
The K7RA Solar Update
Just Ahead in Radiosport
Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
Webinar Helps to Build Ham Community Cohesion, Momentum for H.R. 4969
An August 13 webinar on "The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014" --
H.R. 2014 -- attracted some 450 online participants who wanted to
learn more about the proposed legislation and how they could get
involved in speeding its passage. US Rep Adam Kinzinger (R-IL)
introduced H.R. 4969 in June, with US Rep Joe Courtney (D-CT) as its
first co-sponsor. This bipartisan initiative would direct the FCC to
apply the "reasonable accommodation" three-part test of the PRB-1
federal pre-emption policy regarding antennas to private land-use
restrictions (CC&Rs). The ARRL Atlantic Division sponsored the
webinar, and Director Bill Edgar, N3LLR, served as moderator.
"I think the webinar really helped to bring members together on H.R.
4969," Edgar said afterward. More than 900 registered for the event.
During the webinar, ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, and ARRL
Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, discussed the measure
and what it would mean for ARRL members and the Amateur Radio
community, and explained how individuals could help. Edgar said he's
heard a lot of positive feedback from members, who thanked his
Division for putting on the webinar and said they were going to
assist the campaign by contacting their members of Congress.
ARRL Atlantic Division Director Bill Edgar, N3LLR
Lisenco said this week that 17 co-sponsors now have signed on to H.R.
4969, and he's confident that several more will add their names to
the list once Congress reconvenes after its August recess. He said
the webinar helped members of the Amateur Radio community to realize
that they must become "activists" in order to make things happen.
"The overwhelming majority of [ARRL] members have been extremely
positive," he said this week, although he conceded that some radio
amateurs do not favor H.R. 4969. "You're going to find people who are
against it, because that's their political philosophy," he said, "but
a lot more want to send letters or visit their representatives. It's
just a matter of getting people motivated."
Lisenco views H.R. 4969 as a "mom-and-apple-pie" issue. "It's a
no-brainer," he said in the wake of the webinar. "'Reasonable
accommodation.' How can you say 'no' to that? The more people who see
how simple this is, the greater the likelihood that it will get
done." Getting the bill passed is a matter of building consensus, and
he believes that this is the time to act. "If we don't do it now, the
opportunity may not present itself again very soon," he said.
ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB. [Rick Lindquist,
WW1ME, photo]
Lisenco said that most questions during the webinar came from those
who already live in deed-restricted communities and wanted to know
how H.R. 4969 might affect them. He pointed out that some 65 million
Americans live in deed-restricted households, and that number is
growing. As he explained, the measure would give hams in
deed-restricted communities an opportunity to negotiate in good faith
with homeowners associations to arrive at a "reasonable
accommodation" of their antenna requirements -- nothing more.
"Everybody wants the biggest antenna they can put up," he said, "but
you have to be practical, you have to be pragmatic. Folks who have
not had an opportunity to put up any antenna will be happy with any
antenna they can get." Each community is different, he said, and the
bill does not specify any particular types of antennas.
Lisenco said that with many members of Congress on vacation, it's
difficult to get appointments to meet with them to seek their
support. Some 1500 members from all over the US signed letters at the
ARRL National Centennial Convention urging their representatives to
co-sponsor H.R. 4969. Another 500 or so letters went out to members
of Congress a week later. But, Lisenco added, face-to-face meetings
between members of Congress or their staff members and constituents
have proven to be the most successful approach.
Lisenco anticipates that activity to gain additional support for the
measure will ramp up again next month.
Balloting Set for this Fall in Two ARRL Divisions
When the ARRL Board of Directors gathers for its Annual Meeting in
January 2015, there will be some new faces around the table. ARRL
members in the Atlantic Division will elect a new Director and Vice
Director, while members in the Great Lakes Division will choose a
Vice Director. Two sitting directors have opted not to run for
election: Cliff Ahrens, K0CA, who was appointed in 2010 to succeed
Director, now Honorary Vice President, Bruce Frahm, K0BJ, in the
Midwest Division, and Bill Edgar, N3LLR, who has headed the Atlantic
Division since 2006.
Succeeding Ahrens as Midwest Division Director next January 1 will be
current Vice Director Rod Blocksome, K0DAS, the sole candidate for
the position. He has served as Vice Director since 2010, when he was
appointed to succeed Ahrens. No candidates stepped forward to run for
the Vice Director's slot that Blocksome is vacating, however, so ARRL
President Kay Craigie, N3KN, will appoint someone to the post, once
it is officially declared open.
Two candidates are hoping to succeed Edgar in the Atlantic Division.
They are current Vice Director Tom Abernethy, W3TOM, and Phil Theis,
K3TUF, who ran for the office in 2011. There is a three-way race for
the Vice Director's position. Running are Scott Bauer, W2LC, who
served previously as Western New York Section Manager; Bob Famiglio,
K3RF, the current Eastern Pennsylvania Section Manager, and John
Mueller, K2BT, the current Western New York SM.
In the only other contest, members in the Great Lakes Division will
choose between incumbent Vice Director Tom Delaney, W8WTD, and Steve
Putman, N8ZR, to fill the Vice Director's chair. Delaney was
appointed as Vice Director earlier this year after the former Vice
Director, Dale Williams, WA8EFK, became Director when Jim Weaver,
K8JE, stepped down from the Board. Williams is the only candidate for
Great Lakes Division Director and has been declared elected.
Incumbents in the Dakota and Delta divisions also are running
unopposed and have been declared elected. They are Dakota Division
Director Greg Widin, K0GW, and Vice Director Kent Olson, KA0LDG, and
Delta Division Director David Norris, K5UZ, and Vice Director Ed
Hudgens, WB4RHQ.
Ballots in contested races will be counted and successful candidates
announced on November 21. Those elected take office for 3-year terms
starting at noon Eastern Time on January 1, 2015.
Southern Florida Section Manager Wins Full Term, New SMs on Deck in
Two Other Sections
ARRL Southern Florida Section Manager Jeff Beals, WA4AW, has won a
full term in his own right, after being appointed to the post earlier
this year. In the just-completed summer election cycle, Beals, of
Loxahatchee, received 570 votes to 270 for his challenger, Tom
Gallagher, NY2RF, of West Palm Beach. Ballots were counted on August
19, at ARRL Headquarters.
Beals will begin his 2-year term of office on October 1. He has
served as Southern Florida Section Manager since June 1, when he was
tapped to complete the term of former Section Manager David Fowler,
K4DLF, who stepped down because of increased work respank National Association, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A.
Inc. © 2014 U.S. Bank National Association.
Pat Barkey, N9RV, Named as Next National Contest Journal Editor
Well-known contester Pat Barkey, N9RV, of Bonner, Montana, will
become the 15th editor of National Contest Journal (NCJ) effective
with the January/February 2015 issue. He takes over from Kirk
Pickering, K4RO, who has served as NCJ's editor since 2012. Pickering
said he believes Barkey will bring a fresh perspective to NCJ
readers.
NCJ Editor-designate Pat Barkey, N9RV [Tom Rosco, K8CX, photo]
"I am delighted that N9RV has stepped up to take the role as the next
NCJ Editor," Pickering said. "Pat has decades of experience in both
the multioperator and single-operator categories. His results from
his formidable home stations and from multioperator stations such as
K3LR speak for themselves."
Barkey said he considers it "an honor and a privilege" to be tapped
as NCJ's next editor. "When you take a look at the call signs of the
people who have held this job over the years, it reads like a
contesting hall of fame -- literally in many cases," he said this
week. "I am particularly humbled to be following in the footsteps of
Kirk Pickering, K4RO, who has done such an outstanding job in
managing and growing NCJ."
Barkey said he'd like to see NCJ continue and expand its role as the
face of Amateur Radio contesting, while continuing to provide a
gateway for newcomers to radiosport.
"I come to contesting as a station builder and contest operator,"
Barkey said. "I know there are a lot of people who are totally
devoted to contesting who have just as much passion for building and
planning as they do for operating. I want to make sure that NCJ
always has something for them."
N9RV has been contesting since he was 11 years old, and he continued
to be active in radiosport through graduate school and into his adult
life. His day job is as an economist directing a business research
center at the University of Montana, a position he's held since 2007.
First licensed in 1967 as WN8YVR in Michigan, Barkey attended the
University of Michigan (also attended by N4KG, K8QKY, and N8UM) in
the 1970s and has contested from numerous top-tier contest stations
over the years.
"I'm mostly a CW guy," he allowed, "but I do dust off the mic every
now and then." Barkey is an ARRL Life Member.
W1AW Centennial Operations Heading to Arizona, Maine
The ARRL Centennial W1AW portable operations taking place throughout
2014 from each of the 50 states are now in Ohio and North Dakota.
They will relocate at 0000 UTC on Wednesday, August 27 (the evening
of August 26 in US time zones), to Arizona (W1AW/7), and Maine
(W1AW/1). During 2014 W1AW will be on the air from every state (at
participants can use to determine how many points they have
accumulated in the Centennial QSO Party and in the W1AW WAS
operations. Log in using your Logbook of The World (LoTW) user name
and password, and your position will appear at the top of the leader
boards. Results are updated daily, based on contacts entered into
LoTW.
Chasqui-1 Amateur Radio CubeSat Deployed from ISS
A team of Russian cosmonauts has deployed the Peruvian Chasqui-1
Amateur Radio CubeSat into orbit during a spacewalk from the
Chasqui-1 Team Members Persing Cardenas and Rolando Adriano.
International Space Station (ISS). Expedition 40 Flight Engineers
Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev released the tiny, 1 kg
spacecraft at 1423 UTC on August 18. Chasqui-1 is a project of the
Peruvian National University of Engineering (Universidad Nacional de
Ingenieria or UNI), in collaboration with the Southwestern State
University in Kursk, Russia. According to AMSAT-UK, the CubeSat's
batteries were charged last week. It traveled to the ISS in February
2014 on board a Progress cargo craft.
As Peru's first satellite, its main goal is improving UNI's satellite
technology, its builders said. The satellite is intended to take
pictures of Earth and relay them to the ground station. It carries
two cameras, one operating in the visible light spectrum and the
other in the infrared spectrum. Amateur Radio is a secondary payload.
Chasqui-1's beacon on 437.025 MHz (±10 kHz Doppler shift) can
transmit either 1200 bps AFSK AX.25 or 9600 bps GMSK. As of August
19, the beacon had not been heard.
Ad
Venerable LUSAT-1 (OSCAR 19) Takes to the Dark Side
Set to celebrate its silver anniversary next year, LUSAT-1 -- which
is also known as OSCAR 19 or LO-19 -- appears once again to be
functioning, sort of, when not in sunlight. At this point, OSCAR 19
is only transmitting telemetry; its digital transponder has not been
reported to be operational.
"We knew that our LUSAT started transmitting again a couple of years
ago, but only when illuminated by sunlight and was not heard during
the night," Pedro Converso, LU7ABF, reported to the AMSAT-BB. During
a recent nighttime pass, though, he was surprised to hear "the usual
strong 900 mW continuous carrier on 437.125 MHz," 22 minutes after
LO-19 had emerged from Earth's shadow.
"It's almost a miracle that after almost 25 years, LUSAT's vintage
Ni-Cd batteries can receive and hold [a] charge," he said.
Launched in 1990 from Kourou, French Guyana, on an Ariane 4 vehicle,
the satellite -- Argentina's first -- has completed more than 128,000
orbits, and is one of the oldest active Amateur Radio satellites. The
satellite carries a digital store-and-forward packet transponder with
uplink frequencies at 145.84, 145.86, 145.88, and 145.90 MHz 1200 bps
FM, with AX.25 protocol downlink at 437.125 MHz SSB.
An audio clip, tracking information, and listener reports are
available via the AMSAT-LU website. Reports are welcome via e-mail.
EMF 2014: It Takes an Amateur Radio Village
An Amateur Radio Village and special event station GB2EMF will be
among the highlights for hams at the Electromagnetic Field "EMF 2014"
event Friday through Sunday, August 29-31, just south of Bletchley in
the UK.
"EMF 2014 is a festival for anyone interested in radio, electronics,
space, homebrewing, robots, UAVs, 3D printing, DIYBio, Internet
culture or pretty much anything else you can think of," its sponsors
proclaim. "It is a volunteer effort by a non-profit group, inspired
by European and US hacker camps like Chaos Communication Camp, HAR,
and ToorCamp. Imagine a camping festival with a power grid and
high-speed Internet access; a temporary village of geeks, crafters,
and technology enthusiasts that's lit up by night, and buzzing with
activity during the day."
Sponsors are anticipating more than 1000 "curious people" to show up
for the event to attend forums and workshops as well as take part in
the music, games, and installations that dot the site. "Attendees are
invited to set up their own villages -- camps within the camp --
where like-minded people can camp together and put on their own
activities."
The EMF 2014 "TiLDA" reprogrammable battery-powered development board
badge can communicate with other badges on site.
The EMF 2014 team will provide power and an Internet connection to
visitors' tents. Special event station GB2EMF will operate from the
Amateur Radio Village.
Campers' identification tags consist of a "fun piece of technology"
that attendees can take home and use following the event. "We call
our badge TiLDA, and every attendee will receive one when they arrive
at the camp!" sponsors said in a blog post. TiLDA is a reprogrammable
battery-powered development board that visitors wear on a lanyard.
"By default it communicates with all the other badges on site,
playing a networked game that encourages you to meet other people
with differing interests," the sponsors explained.
Visit the Electromagnetic Field Facebook page for more information.
-- Thanks to AMSAT News Service/AMSAT-UK
Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference 2014 Takes a
Technological Tack
The 2014 Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference
(GAREC 2014) held August 14-15 in Huntsville, Alabama, and hosted by
the ARRL Alabama Section and the Huntsville Hamfest, offered an
opportunity for participants to share presentations and perspectives
from around the globe. Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, organized this year's
GAREC event, which focused on the application of advanced
technologies in emergency communication.
"GAREC 2014 participants included Amateur Radio operators from around
the world who are highly dedicated to emergency communication,"
Sarratt said. "GAREC participants realized that the role of Amateur
Radio in emergency communication is constantly changing and that we
must continue to adapt to the needs of our partner served agencies,
including embracing emerging technologies and new challenges, in
order to remain relevant and provide the high level of service our
partners have come to rely on."
(L-R) Greg Mossop, G0DUB, Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, and Johnny Tan, 9M8DB,
observe Bill Feist, WB8BZH, demonstrate the SATERN remote station
control system. [Courtesy of Greg Sarratt, W4OZK]
Delegates attended from all three International Amateur Radio Union
(IARU) regions. In addition to hearing IARU regional reports,
attendees took part in a "desktop" exercise. Presentations covered
the use of Amateur Radio's emergency communication role as a tool to
help promote Amateur Radio, The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio
Network (SATERN) program, employment of digital modes and remote
station control, the deployment of the Military Auxiliary Radio
Service (MARS) for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and a
combined Emergency Services Dispatch Center to provide
interoperability.
Emerging themes included the importance of regularly reaching out to
served agencies to ensure that their communication needs are being
met and to promote Amateur Radio as a trusted emergency response
partner. The role of social media to disseminate near real-time
information during an event also came up for discussion.
Sarratt said the second day of the conference concentrated on
emerging and advanced technologies. "Participants shared information
about recent disasters and how advanced technologies are playing a
critical role in Amateur Radio emergency communication," he said.
Reports on emergency and disaster situations in which Amateur Radio
played a crucial role included Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and
flooding in Brazil and Thailand. Delegates reaffirmed that disaster
response needs differ from one country to another, to reflect the
local and regional landscape. They also agreed that the IARU HF
Emergency Message Procedures, which include such elements net
procedure, standard messaging protocols, and activation protocols,
should serve to establish baseline standards among countries and
regions, enhancing, but not replacing, existing standard operating
procedures.
"The role of Amateur Radio in emergency communications is constantly
changing," a concluding statement said. "It must continue to adapt to
the needs of its partners including embracing emerging technosewhere in Spokane County, a FEMA Citizen Corps volunteer
talked briefly with Lori Aberle, KG7IEO. A description of the
repeater's coverage area by Scott Christiansen, WA7SRC, garnered very
positive comments from those attending the conference.
ARRL Idaho Section Manager Ed Stuckey, AI7H, set up an HF station on
Thursday, stringing a 40 meter dipole between speaker stands in a
hallway outside the conference rooms. Although the "Faraday cage"
provided by the building inhibited nearly all attempts at indoor HF
reception, the display generated considerable interest from
conference attendees for more than 4 hours, following the "Building
Your Amateur Radio Station" presentation.
On Friday, attendees were able to view a live Ad Hoc Mesh Network
during the "Amateur Radio Digital Data Communications" presentation.
ARES/RACES groups were encouraged to welcome tribal communities in
their respective areas and to ensure interoperability with the tribal
EOC as part of their operation plan and to invite tribal emergency
communication teams to take part in local drills and exercises as
well as to licensing classes. -- Thanks to Steve Aberle, WA7PTM, ARRL
Western Washington Section Official Emergency Station (via the ARRL
ARES E-Letter)
Ad
Pirate Radio Ship Redux: Radio Caroline Returns, Radio Veronica,
Northsea Special Event Set
The renegade Radio Caroline, which entertained rock 'n' roll fans in
the UK and Europe from the 1960s until the 1990s from offshore
shipboard transmitters and studios, is back on the airwaves from the
River Blackwater off England's Essex Coast using a temporary,
low-power license. It has plans to obtain a permanent AM broadcasting
authorization. Radio Caroline was among the first, and most famous,
pirate radio ships of the era. In a related vein, Arie Rietveld,
PD0ARI, of Giessenburg, The Netherlands, has announced plans to
operate special event station PD538RNI to commemorate two other
pirate radio ship broadcasters from rock's early days -- Radio
Veronica, which last broadcast on 538 meters (557 kHz), and Radio
Northsea International (RNI). PD538RNI will operate on phone from
August 28 until September 19 on 10, 20, and 40 meters. Rietveld said
his love of radio stemmed from listening to Radio Veronica and RNI in
the early 1970s.
"Both stations transmitted from radio ships on the North Sea and had
millions of listeners," Rietveld recounted in an article on Southgate
Amateur Radio News. "Every day, good programs, fantastic DJs, nice
jingles and radio tunes! The DJs became sort of family -- a part of
your life!" Rietveld said Radio Veronica transmitted on medium wave,
while Radio Northsea International transmitted on medium wave,
shortwave, and FM.
"Radio Northsea International on shortwave triggered me to listen to
[shortwave] radio stations, and a new hobby was born," he said. RNI
and Radio Veronica shut down on August 31, 1974, after the Dutch
government made changes in the radio regulations. Radio Veronica
subsequently went legit and continues to operate. After the pirate
stations went dark, Rietveld got his ham radio license. "My love for
radio started by listening to Radio Veronica and Radio Northsea
International!" he said.
Rietveld, who enjoys operating from various locations, also
occasionally operates marine/maritime mobile, and said he is on the
air from PD0ARI every day.
According to Chris Arundel, G4KDX, another special event station,
PA40VRON, will be on the air in late August to mark the Radio
Veronica shutdown 40 years ago.
Radio Caroline, which was motivated by similar pirate radio
operations on the high seas by Scandinavian and Dutch broadcasters,
began operation in 1964. Named either after Caroline Kennedy or after
a girlfriend of its founder, Ronan O'Rahilly, Radio Caroline
transmitted on various medium-wave frequencies over the years,
starting out on 1520 kHz -- announced as "199 meters, since that
rhymed with "Caroline." The station ran nearly 20 kW, using linked
Continental Electronics transmitters
The earlier Radio Caroline inspired a number of competing offshore
pirate radio stations, and these operations eventually compelled the
staid BBC to start airing more popular musical fare. Radio Caroline
finally departed the airwaves as a pirate broadcaster in 1991, after
losing its anchor and running aground. The story of the shipboard
station was fictionalized in the movie "The Boat That Rocked," which
starred the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman. The latter-day incarnation
of Radio Caroline has been a satellite and Internet broadcaster. --
Thanks to Southgate Amateur Radio News
A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL
Continuing through the 1970s, QST articles written by Lew McCoy,
W1ICP, helped Novice licensees and other new hams by describing
various transmitters, amplifiers, antennas, and station accessories,
as well as coaching newcomers on general radio knowledge and
techniques.
The first two-way Amateur Radio laser contact (at 475 THz) took place
in 1971 between WA8WEJ and W4UDS, operating inside a building of the
US Air Force Academy.
Over the years, many other radio services tried to take 220 MHz away
from the Amateur Service. In 1971, the Electronic Industries
Association petitioned the FCC to reallocate approximately one-half
of the band to the Citizens Radio Service. The effort failed.
John Troster, W6ISQ, continued his fine humorous articles and spoofs
in QST during the 1970s, amusing us greatly. His "fictional" tales
often reminded us of real experiences we had along the same lines.
Slow-Scan TV on HF was gaining in popularity in the 1970s. [The Radio
Amateur's Handbook 1974]
A May 1972 QST article introduced readers to a new device that was
beginning to have a few practical applications -- the light-emitting
diode (LED).
As the Apollo space missions began, W4HHK and K2RIW developed
receiving systems to listen in on the 2287.5 MHz signals from the
program's spacecraft, as reported in June 1972 QST.
During the 1970s, interest continued in electronic keyers, and many
articles on the topic appeared in QST. New developments included
automatic character and word spacing and solid-state memories for
repeating often-used messages such as CQs and contest exchanges.
In late 1973, after discussions that spanned many years, the ARRL
Board of Directors voted to establish the ARRL Foundation.
The log-periodic dipole array and its great utility in amateur use
were described by K4EWG in the November 1973 QST.
The back side of the KP6KR QSL card from the 1874 DXpedition to the
Pacific atoll. [Tom Roscoe, K8CX, hamgallery.com collection]
Amateur DXpeditions increased in popularity during the 1970s. These
ranged from casual "holiday" operation by businessmen or tourists to
stand-out expeditions, such as the KP6KR Kingman Reef operation in
1974. That adventure included a two-day search to find the island,
5535 contacts in just under 30 hours of operation, and a
white-knuckle departure during gale-force winds.
QST articles in the 1970s often reported on the progress of both
amateur TV (ATV) on the UHF bands and slow-scan TV (SSTV) on the HF
bands, as well as showing station equipment and setups.
Radio contesting started to become more automated during the 1970s.
In the February 1975 QST, WA4HQW presented "The Contester," a
semi-automatic contest station controller that sent CW, checked dupe
sheets, recorded the time, filled in the log, and kept a running
contact count. One of WA4HQW's observations has been overtaken by
events: "There are things that no machine can do, such as copy two or
three CW signals at once, which will leave the human operator king
for a long time to come."
By 1974, QST was publishing reports of the League's preparations --
already in progress -- for the 1979 World Administrative Radio
Conference (WARC) to address the allocation of the limited radio
spectrum among radio amateurs and other users. WARC-1979 had a very
positive outcome for the Amateur Service. -- Al Brogdon, W1AB
The K7RA Solar Update
Solar indices and outlook are stronger this week. The average daily
sunspot number rose 19.7 points to 114.6, while average daily solar
flux increased 25.7 points to 138.8. Average daily estimated
planetary A index dropped from 7.4 to 4.3.
The day with the greatest geomagnetic activity was Tuesday, August
19, when the planetary A index was 17. This was caused by a weak
coronal mass ejection (CME), but according to Spaceweather.com the
inner magnetic structure "contained a region of south-pointing
magnetism that partially cancelled Earth's north-pointing magnetic
field." This opened a crack in the magnetosphere, and solar wind
poured through, triggering unexpectedly brilliant aurora.
The outlook for solar activity has improved. A week ago the average
predicted solar flux for the next 10 days, August 21-30, was 118.5.
Now it is 134.5, a robust increase of 16 points.
Predicted solar flux is 120 on August 21, 130 on August 22-24, 140 on
August 25-26, 145 on August 27-28, 135 and 130 on August 29-30, 125
on August 31 through September 1, then 130, 125, 120, 115 and 110 on
September 2-6, 105 on September 7-9, 100 on September 10, and 110 on
September 11-12. It meanders a bit, then rises to 140 on September 24
before declining again.
Predicted planetary A index is 8 on August 21-22, 5 on August 23-27,
8 on August 28-29, then 5, 12, 10 and 8 on August 30 through
September 2, 5 on September 3-5, 8 on September 6-7, 10 on September
8, 5 on September 9-14, 12 and 14 on September 15-16, and 8 on
September 17-18.
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 are on the ARRL website.
In Friday's bulletin look for an updated forecast and a report from
N0JK on some late season sporadic E activity on 6 meters.
Send me your reports and observations.
Just Ahead in Radiosport
August 23 -- Kansas QSO Party
August 23-24 -- Ohio QSO Party
August 23-25 -- Hawaii QSO Party
August 24 -- South Africa DX CW Contest
August 30 -- Full Day of Hell
August 30-31 -- SCC RTTY Championship
August 30-31 -- YO DX HF Contest (SSB, CW)
Aug 30-31 -- Colorado QSO Party
September 1 -- OK1WC Memorial Contest (SSB, CW)
September 1-2 -- Labor Day Sprint (CW)
September 1-2 -- NAQCC/FISTS WZ8C Honor Sprint (CW)
September 3 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)
See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information.
Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
August 23-24 -- JARL Ham Fair, Tokyo, Japan
August 24 -- Western Pennsylvania Section Convention, New Kensington,
Pennsylvania
August 30-31 -- North Carolina State Convention, (Shelby Hamfest),
Shelby, North Carolina
September 5-7 -- ARRL-TAPR Digital Communications Conference, Austin,
Texas
September 6 -- Kentucky State Convention, Shepherdsville, Kentucky
September 6 -- Virginia Section Convention, Virginia Beach, Virginia
September 12-14 -- Southwestern Division Convention, San Diego,
California
September 19-20 -- W9DXCC Convention, Schaumburg, Illinois
September 26-27 -- W4DXCC/SEDCO, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
September 26-28 -- Mid-Atlantic States VHF Conference, Bensalem,
Pennsylvania
September 27 -- North Dakota State Convention, West Fargo, North
Dakota
September 27 -- Washington State Convention, Spokane Valley,
Washington
October 4 -- Delaware State Convention, Georgetown, Delaware
October 5 -- Iowa Section Convention, West Liberty, Iowa
October 10-11 -- Florida State Convention, Melbourne, Florida
October 10-12 -- Pacific Division Convention (Pacificon), Santa
Clara, California
October 11 -- Pacific Northwest VHF Conference, Seaside, Oregon
October 12 -- Connecticut State Convention, Meriden, Connecticut
Find conventions and hamfests in your area.
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