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N9PMO > LETTER 01.04.16 17:44l 655 Lines 29705 Bytes #999 (0) @ ARRL
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ARRL Asks FCC to Restore Balance of Modes on 80 and 75 Meters
"ARRL The Doctor is In" -- the Podcast -- Debuts on April 7
ARRL to Review, Evaluate, and Explore Possible Improvements for OO
Program
National Parks on the Air Update
Major DXpeditions Cooperating to Minimize Conflicts
ARRL Okays P5/3Z9DX North Korea Operation for DXCC
Kingman Reef (KH5) Deleted from DXCC List
"Discover the HF Experience" Aims to Dazzle Technicians, Newcomers
ISS Expedition 47/48 Crew Increment Includes Two Radio Amateurs
"Elmer" Inspiration, Elmer "Bud" Frohardt Jr, W9DY, SK
Comedian, Actor, TV Writer and Personality Garry Shandling, ex-KD6OY,
SK
In Brief...
The K7RA Solar Update
This Week in Radiosport
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events
ARRL Asks FCC to Restore Balance of Modes on 80 and 75 Meters
In comments filed on March 23 on its Petition for Rule Making (RM
11759) seeking changes to 80 and 75 meters, the ARRL has told the FCC
that its primary objective is to "rebalance" the bands by correcting a
10-year-old FCC error.
"ARRL's proposal is not fairly viewed as a proposal to take anything
away from anyone," the League's comments assured. "It is more properly
viewed as the effectuation of a fair, equitable, and efficient 'band
plan' looking forward for the foreseeable future that balances
everyone's needs, and which remedies a plainly unfair plan,
imprudently created in the 2006 Report and Order in WT Docket 04-140."
Prompting the League's assurances were comments filed on the ARRL's
Petition by a number of Amateur Extra class licensees, who felt that
refarming 3600 to 3650 kHz for data modes could prove to be a
disincentive to General licensees to upgrade. Others commenters saw it
as an unfair spectrum grab. The ARRL noted that prior to 2006, the
band was evenly divided between RTTY/data and phone/image subbands,
with the RTTY/data subband extending from 3500 to 3750 kHz, and the
phone/image subband extending from 3750 to 4000 kHz. The 2006 FCC
Report and Order "substantially altered" what the League called "this
even division of emission types."
In outlining the history of the proceeding, the ARRL pointed out that
the FCC's Notice of Proposed Rule Making in Docket 04-140 would have
shifted the line between the 80 meter RTTY/data subband and the 75
meter phone/image subband from 3750 kHz to 3725 kHz, pursuant to a
2002 ARRL Petition for Rule Making, RM-10413. This would change the
ratio of spectrum between phone/image and RTTY/data segments on 75/80
meters from 50/50 to 55/45, and it is what the FCC proposed in its
NPRM.
In its Report and Order in Docket 04-140, however, the FCC made "a
very substantial and unjustifiable departure" from what it had
proposed in its NPRM, the ARRL recounted. The Commission expanded the
phone/image subband at 75 meters to 3600-4000 kHz, and it reduced the
80 meter RTTY/data subband to 3500-3600 kHz, eliminating RTTY
operation above 3600 kHz and changing "the entire dynamic of this
band," the League said.
The FCC had said in its proposal that no licensees would lose
operating privileges. Nonetheless, the FCC's phone band expansion
reduced by 100 kHz the spectrum between 3500 and 4000 kHz that was
previously available to General class licensees, while Advanced
licensees lost 75 kHz. In an apparent FCC oversight, the Report and
Order completely eliminated access by automatically controlled digital
stations (ACDS) to 3620 to 3635 kHz. A subsequent FCC Report and order
and Order on Reconsideration only made the situation worse by
replacing the deleted ACDS segment with 3585-3600 kHz. That resulted
in "a shortfall in available RTTY/data spectrum on 80 meters," the
ARRL said, adding that its current Petition "simply restores that
which was disruputed in 2006 in error." Read more.
"ARRL The Doctor is In" -- the Podcast -- Debuts on April 7
The popular QST "The Doctor is In" column soon will also be available
as a podcast! "ARRL The Doctor is In" will debut on Thursday, April 7,
and subsequent new episodes will be posted every other Thursday. The
podcast will feature QST columnist and technical whiz Joel Hallas,
W1ZR, with QST Editor in Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, serving as the
host. Each 20-minute program will be available from Apple iTunes and
Stitcher -- the two largest podcast distribution platforms (search for
"ARRL The Doctor is In") -- and episodes will be archived on the ARRL
website. DX Engineering is the sponsor of the "ARRL The Doctor is In"
podcast.
"When the ARRL presented us with this unique opportunity, it was an
easy decision to make," said DX Engineering CEO Tim Duffy, K3LR. "DX
Engineering is one of the most prominent businesses supporting the ham
radio community, so it just makes sense to be part of the 'ARRL The
Doctor is In' podcast."
The new, twice-monthly podcast will cover a broad range of technical
topics of interest to all amateurs -- everything from antennas to
zener diodes and beyond. We invite listeners to send us their own
questions for the show. Your question could be answered in a future
podcast.
"ARRL The Doctor is In" arrives on Thursday, April 7!
ARRL to Review, Evaluate, and Explore Possible Improvements for OO
Program
The ARRL Executive Committee has directed the Headquarters staff to
"review and evaluate the Official Observer (OO) program, solicit input
from the field organization, and explore areas of possible improvement
including in the area of training for OOs." ARRL Second Vice President
Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, will oversee the study. The action stemmed
from a discussion during the EC's March 12 meeting in Westlake,
ARRL Second Vice President Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, will oversee a
review of the ARRL Official Observer program. [Rick Lindquist, WW1ME,
photo]
Texas. At the meeting, ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD,
observed that there have been "several positive developments" with
respect to FCC enforcement, since the EC last met in October 2015. But
with the closure of some FCC field offices and the retirement of
several experienced engineers who have been helpful with enforcement
matters in the past, the EC discussed how the OO program might be
better positioned to help the FCC. A preliminary report is due at the
EC's October meeting.
In other matters, the EC directed the development of a Petition for
Rule Making to implement the 15 kHz band allocation at 5 MHz that came
out of World Radiocommunication Conference 2015, while retaining the
existing five discrete channels at 5 MHz.
WRC-15 laid the foundation for a global, secondary Amateur Radio
allocation of 5351.5 kHz to 5366.5 kHz at up to 15 W effective
isotropic radiated power in the US (some Region 2 countries will be
permitted up to 25 W EIRP). The new worldwide band won't be available
for use in the US until the FCC institutes a rule making proceeding
and establishes operating parameters for the band.
The ARRL has served notice on the National Frequency Coordinators'
Council (NFCC) to terminate the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that
spells out how the two organizations will cooperate in achieving
common goals. At the EC's direction, ARRL CEO and EC Secretary David
Sumner, K1ZZ, wrote to Mark Stennett, NA6M, as the most-recent known
NFCC president, after Sumner reported "clear evidence" that the NFCC
is no longer functioning.
The letter gave the NFCC 90 days' notice of the ARRL's intention to
terminate the MoU, signed in 2013. Sumner stressed the sentiment of
the Executive Committee, however, that the League would greatly prefer
that the NFCC membership elect and install a new Board of Directors,
and that the NFCC resumes its functions.
Imlay told the EC that he has asked FCC staff why there has been no
action on the ARRL's Petition for Rule Making RM-11708, since the FCC
solicited comments on the petition more than 2 years ago. The
petition, in part, asked the FCC to remove the symbol rate limitation
for data emissions in band segments below 29 MHz where RTTY and data
emissions are now permitted. It also asked the Commission to establish
a 2.8 kHz maximum bandwidth for data emissions on MF and HF bands.
Chairing his first EC meeting, ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR,
thanked all participants for their hard work and attention and
observed that this was David Sumner's last meeting as CEO and
Secretary. He will retire on April 18. Read more.
National Parks on the Air Update
Satellite aficionado Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, activated the National Mall
(DZ06) in Washington, DC, on March 27, during two FO-29 satellite
passes. Stoetzer said he plans to operate from other NPOTA sites in
the DC area and will set up to operate HF between satellite passes.
See W5PFG's blog about N8HM's activity.
The week of April 1 offers some very high-profile NPOTA expeditions.
A team of of five Hawaiian operators from Oahu will travel to the
north side of Molokai Island to activate Kalaupapa National Historical
Park (HP18), April 1-5, as KH6BWG. Once a leper colony, the site is
isolated from the rest of the island by 1600-foot cliffs. It's located
in Kalawao County, one of the rarer US counties. One QSO with KH6BWG
is worth a credit in several awards programs. Activity will be on
40-10 meters on SSB, CW, and digital modes.
Yosemite National Park has published a guide for NPOTA activators who
visit this venerable National Park. The Yosemite Office of Special
Park Uses worked with ARRL to establish equitable rules for visiting
Activators that will help promote NPOTA activity while minimizing
impact on other park visitors, during what is certain to be a season
of record attendance at Yosemite. The document is also available on
the NPOTA website.
In all, 44 Activations are slated for March 31-April 6, including
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona (MN58), and the San
Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico (NS63).
Details about these and other upcoming activations can be found on the
NPOTA Activations calendar.
Keep up with the latest NPOTA news on Facebook. Follow NPOTA on
Twitter (@ARRL_NPOTA).
Major DXpeditions Cooperating to Minimize Conflicts
Two major DXpeditions are now attracting hordes of DX chasers and
raising activity levels on HF. While both the Heard Island VK0EK and
Juan de Nova FT4JA DXpeditions coordinated their operating plans in
advance to avoid conflicts and confusion, the fact that both DXCC
entities are quite rare will keep things hopping on bands where both
DXpeditions are active at the same time. Heard Island is number 5, and
Juan de Nova is number 4 on ClubLog's DXCC Most Wanted List.
VK0EK team member Eric Brown, K2ARB, and friends on Heard Island.
"Because we will be on the air at the same time as the FT4JA
DXpedition -- and because we will both be operating from a very
similar time zone -- it is very important that we coordinate with the
French Team, and we have," says the VK0EK website. The VK0EK and FT4JA
websites include the same graphical presentation of their joint
operating plan.
The Juan de Nova DXpedition kicked off on March 30 and will operate
until April 11. The VK0EK DXpedition began on March 23 and will
continue until April 10.
As part of that plan to head off potential conflicts, the VK0EK
operators are listening down from their transmit frequencies, while
the FT4JA operators are listening up from their transmit frequencies
(both will always operate split).
Stations attempting to work FT4JA on 20 meters on its opening day are
spread over a wide swath of spectrum.
This should minimize "pileup overlap," although if both major
DXpeditions end up on the same band and mode, operators not interested
in working either station could find it harder to locate a clear
frequency. At one point on March 30, VK0EK and FT4JA were transmitting
3 kHz apart on 80 meters.
Heard Island is in the Indian Ocean about 1000 miles north of
Antarctica, and Juan de Nova is in the Indian Ocean in the Mozambique
Channel between Mozambique and Madagascar, off the southeastern coast
of Africa.
"We built the radio camp and antennas under extreme conditions," a
March 31 report from the FT4JA team recounted. "No wind at all during
those first days. At night, the temperature doesn't really decrease,
and we have thousands of mosquitoes showing up, looking for fresh
meat. The sea is close but very warm, with sharks coming very close to
the seashore."
The VK0EK team has offered suggestions to increase a DXer's chances of
getting into the log, but they apply to working any DXpedition. In
short, the DXpedition operators will always work split, never simplex.
Listen to the operator's instructions, and watch for the operator's
calling "pattern" before you start calling. Also, get familiar with
the band plan posted on the DXpeditions' websites. Read more.
ARRL Okays P5/3Z9DX North Korea Operation for DXCC
The ARRL DXCC Department has approved for DXCC credit the unexpected
P5/3Z9DX "demonstration" operation from North Korea
Dom Grzyb, 3Z9DX, in North Korea.
last December. Well-traveled Polish DXer Dom Grzyb, 3Z9DX, has said he
expects to be back in North Korea -- officially the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) -- for his "official" activation by
late summer.
P5/3Z9DX showed up on the air from the most-wanted DXCC entity last
December 20 and 21 to demonstrate Amateur Radio for North Korean
officials. During that activation -- the first in more than a decade
-- P5/3Z9DX made nearly 785 SSB contacts, most of them on 15 meters.
Some unsubstantiated claims were floated following the pre-Christmas
P5/3Z9DX operation that Grzyb was not really operating from North
Korea. Read more.
Kingman Reef (KH5) Deleted from DXCC List
The ARRL Awards Committee has voted to delete Kingman Reef (KH5) from
the DXCC List, effective March 29, 2016. Kingman Reef will be added to
the Deleted Entities List on March 29, 2016. The total number of
entities on the List will drop from 340 to 339. The deletion process
is described in DXCC Rules Section II DXCC List Criteria, Part 5(a)
Deletion Criteria.
Kingman Reef at low tide.
"An entity may be deleted from the List if it no longer satisfies the
criteria under which it was added. However, if the entity continues to
meet one or more currently existing rules, it will remain on the
List."
Kingman Reef's original addition by virtue of separate administration
has changed (separate administration by the US Navy has been removed),
and the reef does not meet any current criteria to remain on the List.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service (F&WS) administers Kingman Reef and
Palmyra Island. The reef is too close to Palmyra Island to count as a
separate entity and now will be considered a part of the
Palmyra/Jarvis DXCC entity.
Prior to its deletion, Kingman Reef was the seventh most-wanted DXCC
entity, according to ClubLog. It was last activated as K5K in 2000.
Read more.
"Discover the HF Experience" Aims to Dazzle Technicians, Newcomers
Contesting clubs in Canada and New England have joined forces to
invite non-hams, new hams, and even old timers to discover HF radio in
the 21st century firsthand, by getting on the air and operating remote
stations. Beta test "Discover the HF Experience" events will take
place in April, with the debut on April 2 in Manitoba. A subsequent
special event in Massachusetts will take place on April 10, using the
call sign K1K. A major rollout is expected at Dayton Hamvention® in
May, with four operating positions at ARRL EXPO. The "Discover the HF
Experience" concept stresses that "shortwave" Amateur Radio is just as
compelling now as it was 100 years ago.
"Amateur Radio is complementary to new technology, not in competition
with it," said Gerry Hull, W1VE, who came up with the idea and has
been working with Cary Rubenfeld, VE4EA, in Manitoba to flesh it out
into a program. "Ham radio is so experiential," Hull told ARRL, "so a
key part of this process is getting hams to experience HF, if they're
unfamiliar with it. As part of these events, we are going to have
remote HF stations on the air. We will have Elmers to help
participants through a contact, so they can see how HF really works,"
he added.
"Our amateur population is at an all-time high, but most new hams are
getting a Technician ticket, getting on VHF and UHF, and hanging out
with like-minded friends," Hull said. The limitations on what
Technician licensees can do often leads to boredom, Hull said, "and
they drop out of the hobby. They never get the exposure to HF ham
radio, and as any veteran radio amateur can tell you, that's a
lifelong exploration."
Radiosport Manitoba and the Winnipeg Amateur Radio Club will sponsor
the April 2 debut at the Canad Inn, Garden City, in Winnipeg (9:30 AM
until 4:30 PM CDT). The April 10 beta test will take place at Keefe
Technical High School in Framingham, Massachusetts (12:30 until 4 PM
EDT), in place of the normal Yankee Clipper Contest Club (YCCC) open
house.
"Today there are not as many HF Elmers," Hull said. "Who better to be
the ambassadors of HF than contesters? We're passionate about HF!"
Contact Discover the HF Experience for more information. Read more.
ISS Expedition 47/48 Crew Increment Includes Two Radio Amateurs
After launching on March 18 in a Soyuz TMA-20M vehicle from the
Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Expedition 47/48 crew increment
of Astronaut Jeff Williams, KD5TVQ, and Cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka,
RN3FU, and Alexey Ovchinin is settling in on board the International
Space Station (ISS).
(L-R) Oleg Skripochka, RN3FU; Jeff Williams, KD5TVQ; Alexey Ovchinin;
Tim Peake, KG5BVI/GB1SS; Tim Kopra, KE5UDN, and Yuri Malenchenko,
RK3DUP. [NASA photo]
"During their 6-month mission, the expedition crew members will
facilitate approximately 250 research investigations and technology
demonstrations not possible on Earth," NASA said. "Science conducted
also will enable future long-duration human and robotic exploration
into deep space and on the agency's journey to Mars."
Williams, Skripochka, and Ovchinin joined Expedition 47 Commander Tim
Kopra, KE5UDN, European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake,
KG5BVI/GB1SS, and cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, RK3DUP, on the ISS.
Williams will take command of the station on June 4 for Expedition 48.
This mission marks the fourth spaceflight for the 58-year-old
Williams, and it will be his third long-duration stay on the orbiting
laboratory -- a first for an American. It's also his first time back
to the ISS since its completion in 2011. When his duty tour is over,
Williams will become the new American record holder for cumulative
days in space -- 534 -- surpassing Expedition 46 Commander Scott
Kelly, who wrapped up his 1-year mission on March 1.
Skripochka has the distinction of having flown on both the maiden and
final voyages of the "old" Soyuz spacecraft. Russia's Energia is set
to debut a new Soyuz model, the MS.
"Elmer" Inspiration, Elmer "Bud" Frohardt Jr, W9DY, SK
The ham radio mentor who inspired the term "Elmer" -- Elmer P. "Bud"
Frohardt Jr, W9DY (ex-W9GFF), of Madison, Wisconsin -- died on March
22. He was 93. A friend and co-worker of the late Rod Newkirk, W9BRD
(later VA3ZBB), who edited QST's "How's DX?" column, Frohardt was the
"Elmer" that Newkirk had in mind when he used the name in his March
1971 column, referring to someone who helped to mentor new Amateur
Radio licensees.
"Too frequently one hears a sad story in this little nutshell: 'Oh, I
almost got a ticket, too, but Elmer, W9XYZ, moved away and I kind of
lost interest,'" Newkirk had written. "We need those Elmers. All the
Elmers, including the ham who took the most time and trouble to give
you a push toward your license, are the birds who keep this great game
young and fresh."
On AC6V's "Origin of Ham Speak" web page, John Becker, K9MM, is quoted
as saying, "Bud was very well known locally for his involvement with
the RAMS (Radio Amateur Megacycle Society) radio club, and he was
always helping newcomers to the hobby."
Frohardt was an ARRL Life Member. Read more. -- Thanks to The Daily DX
Comedian, Actor, TV Writer and Personality Garry Shandling, ex-KD6OY,
SK
Comedian, actor, and TV personality Garry Shandling, ex-KD6OY, died
March 24 after suffering an apparent heart attack in Los Angeles. He
was 66. Shandling became a ham as a teenager in the 1960s, long before
he entered show business.
Garry Shandling, ex-KD6OY.
"When I was 13 I had a ham radio set (true!), so I could sit in my
room and talk to people the world-over. Geeky? Or just ahead of my
time!!?" Shandling tweeted in May 2011.
Shandling grew up in Arizona and majored in electrical engineering at
the University of Arizona, but he went on to earn a degree in
marketing and complete some post-graduate work in creative writing. He
worked in marketing for a time, until a script he wrote for "Sanford
and Son" turned into his first big break into entertainment.
His most-recent Amateur Radio license -- issued to him under a
pseudonym, Dave Waddell -- expired in August 2009. The call sign was
KQ6KA. Shandling obtained the call sign under an assumed name,
apparently so that he could get on the air without being recognized as
a celebrity. Prior to KQ6KA, he held KD6OY under his real name, as
well as WA7BKG in his early years as a ham.
He had an alter ego on television as well. On "It's Garry Shandling's
Show," he played a comedian much like himself. "The Larry Sanders
Show" followed, and in that popular HBO series, he played a late-night
talk show host. Read more.
In Brief...
ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference Issues 2016 Call for
Papers: Technical Papers are being solicited for presentation at the
35th Annual ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC), to be
held September 16-18 in St Petersburg, Florida. Papers will also be
published in the Conference Proceedings. Authors do not need to attend
the conference to have their papers included in the Proceedings. The
submission deadline is July 31, 2016. The ARRL/TAPR Digital
Communications Conference is an international forum for technically
minded radio amateurs to meet and present new ideas and techniques.
Submit papers via e-mail or mail to Maty Weinberg, KB1EIB, ARRL, 225
Main St, Newington, CT 06111. Papers will be published exactly as
submitted, and authors will retain all rights.
Isolated North Carolina Ham Uses Ham Radio to Get Help in House Fire
Incident: A ham living on remote Cedar Island off the coast of North
Carolina recently used Amateur Radio to summon help after a fire broke
out in his house. "A station came on the [Pamlico Amateur Radio
Society] repeater asking if anyone could contact the local fire
department," said Bill Michne, WM3X, who lives in Oriental, North
Carolina. "The signal was broken up but readable after repeats. What I
learned was that the station was in Stacy, the operator's house was
filling with smoke, and that he had no telephone to use to call for
help." Michne said he got the other ham's address and contacted 911,
which called out the Stacy Fire Department. "The fire apparatus
arrived within a very short time," he added. The fire was said to have
been contained to the attic, and damage was not severe. The grateful
ham was Mike Clutter, KM4COD, an occasional check-in to a local ARES
net, who lives part-time on Cedar Island. -- Thanks to Bill Michne,
WM3X, and to Jamie King, KJ4JK
ARRL HQ staffer Margie Bourgoin, KB1DCO, and other members of the
Headquarters team stuff envelopes with replacement QSTs. [Sean Kutzko,
KX9X, photo]
ARRL Scrambles to Replace QSTs Lost En Route to Members: When a recent
train collision and derailment in Wyoming destroyed precisely 1086
copies of the April edition of QST on its way to some members living
in the ARRL Southwestern Division, it was all hands on deck to quickly
replace the issues, which are being sent via First Class mail. ARRL
contacted the affected members by e-mail to let them know. Local
reports indicated that there were no fatalities or serious injuries
from the train collision. If your QST ever should be lost or late --
whether due to a train wreck or other postal mishap -- contact
Circulation/Member Services Manager Yvette Vinci, KC1AIM, telephone
(860) 594-0257. -- Thanks to Sean Kutzko, KX9X
CQ World Wide DX Contest Rate Records Posted: The CQ World Wide SSB
and CW Contest rate records have been updated with details from the
2015 CW logs. It's possible to query the database by year, continent,
call sign, and country. "It is interesting to see how many high-rate
records were set in 2015," said Randy Thompson, K5ZD, past CQ WW
Contests Manager. That includes the current CW and SSB records in the
high-power category. The top CW rate was 371 contacts per hour, set by
N6MJ, operating as ZF2MJ. The top SSB rate was 407, set by W2SC at
8P5A. Rates listed are the best 60-minute tallies. Tables also have
been posted for Low Power and QRP, as well as for multioperator
categories. The rates listed were calculated from publicly available
logs before log checking and may include duplicate contacts. The
Cabrillo logs and the top-rate segments are available.
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: This week solar indices again crept
lower. Average daily sunspot numbers declined by 8 points to 20.4, and
average daily solar flux went down by 2.4 points to 86.4. Geomagnetic
indices softened, with planetary A index down by 3 points to 8.9, and
the mid-latitude A index down by 1.2 points to 7.4.
Just one new sunspot appeared since March 17, and that was on March
24.
Predicted solar flux values from USAF and NOAA saw a major downward
shift on March 28. Overnight, the predicted average daily solar flux
for the 38 days from April 4 through May 11 dropped from 91.6 to 82.2.
You can see this by downloading the spreadsheet.
Predicted solar flux is 85 on March 31 through April 5; 80 on April
6-9; 85 on April 10-11; 80 on April 12-17; 85 on April 18-24; 80 on
April 25-28, and 85 on April 29 through May 2.
Predicted planetary A index is 8, 10, 26, and 16 on March 31 through
April 3; 8, 12, 10, 5, and 10 on April 4-8; 5, 15, 24, 22, and 20 on
April 9-13; 8 on April 14-15; 5 on April 16-22; 12 on April 23-24; 8
on April 25; 5 on April 26-28, and 25 on April 29-30.
Sunspot numbers for March 24 through 30 were 25, 24, 23, 23, 23, 13,
and 12, with a mean of 28.4. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 86.5, 85.5,
85.5, 88.2, 87.7, 87.8, and 83.8, with a mean of 88.8. Estimated
planetary A indices were 7, 6, 3, 13, 10, 11, and 12, with a mean of
11.9. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 7, 6, 2, 10, 9, 8, and 10,
with a mean of 8.6.
In this week's bulletin look for an updated 3-month moving average of
sunspot numbers.
Send me your reports and observations.
This Week in Radiosport
April 2 -- LZ Open 40 Meter Sprint Contest (CW)
April 2-3 -- 15 Meter SSTV Dash Contest
April 2-3 -- Mississippi QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
April 2-3 -- Missouri QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
April 2-3 -- SP DX Contest (CW, SSB)
April 2-3 -- EA RTTY Contest
April 3 -- North American SSB Sprint
April 3 -- UBA Spring Contest, 6 Meters (CW, phone)
April 3 -- RSGB RoLo (SSB)
April 4 -- RSGB 80 Meter CW Club Championship
April 5 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)
April 6 -- UKEICC 80 Meter Contest (SSB)
April 7 -- SARL 80 Meter QSO Party (SSB)
April 7 -- NRAU 10 Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events
April 1-2 -- OzarkCon QRP Conference, Branson, Missouri
April 2 -- Delta Division Convention, Fort Smith, Arkansas
April 2 -- North Carolina Section Convention, Raleigh, North Carolina
April 2 -- Wisconsin Section Convention, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
April 8-9 -- Oklahoma State Convention, Claremore, Oklahoma
April 9-10 -- Communications Academy, Seattle, Washington
April 15-17 -- International DX Convention, Visalia, California
April 15-17 -- VHF Super Conference, Sterling, Virginia
April 16 -- Delaware State Convention, Georgetown, Delaware
April 22-24 -- Idaho State Convention, Boise, Idaho
April 23 -- Aurora '16 Conference, White Bear Lake, Minnesota
April 23 -- Nebraska State Convention, Lincoln, Nebraska
April 29-May 1 -- Nevada State Convention, Las Vegas, Nevada
May 7 -- South Carolina Section Convention, Spartanburg, South
Carolina
May 13-15 -- Rocky Mountain Division Convention, Keystone, Colorado
May 14 -- Iowa State Convention, Boone, Iowa
May 20-22 -- Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, Ohio
June 3-5 -- Northwestern Division Convention, Seaside, Oregon
June 4 -- Georgia Section Convention, Marietta, Georgia
June 5 -- Western Pennsylvania Section Convention, Prospect,
Pennsylvania
June 10-11 -- West Gulf Division Convention, Irving, Texas
June 18 -- Tennessee State Convention, Knoxville, Tennessee
Find conventions and hamfests in your area.
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