OpenBCM V1.07b12 (Linux)

Packet Radio Mailbox

IW8PGT

[Mendicino(CS)-Italy]

 Login: GUEST





  
N9PMO  > LETTER   06.01.17 04:56l 636 Lines 30085 Bytes #999 (0) @ ARRL
BID : ARRL3501
Read: GUEST
Subj: ARRL3501 ARRL Letter
Path: IW8PGT<F1OYP<ON0AR<OZ5BBS<CX2SA<N9PMO
Sent: 170106/0234Z 9825@N9PMO.#SEWI.WI.USA.NOAM BPQ6.0.13

FEMA Interoperability Exercise Deemed a Success, Monthly Exercises Set
for 2017

630 Meters Becoming a "Mainstream" Amateur Band, Experiment
Coordinator Says

FCC Denies Expert Linears' Request for Waiver of 15 dB Rule, Petition
Pending

Philippines' Ham Emergency Radio Operations Net Activates for Super
Typhoon

The Doctor Will See You Now!

Boy Scouts' Radio Merit Badge Requirements to Include Amateur Radio
Direction Finding Option

QCWA Donation to Support ARISS Hardware Upgrade

ARRL Education & Technology Program Offers Grants to Four Schools

HamSCI Members Showcase Amateur Radio-Related Research at AGU Fall
Meeting

In Brief...

The K7RA Solar Update

Just Ahead on Radiosport

Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions

FEMA Interoperability Exercise Deemed a Success, Monthly Exercises Set
for 2017

Laura Goudreau, KG7BQR, Regional Emergency Communications Coordinator
for FEMA Region X, said a December 21 Region X interoperability
communications exercise on 60 meters went well. FEMA Region X, which
consists of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, now has announced
that it will hold similar exercises each month in 2017, with all radio
amateurs welcome to participate.

"We had 48 check-ins, of which 42 were amateurs," Goudreau said of the
December event. "It was very successful and also included our first
digital test." The "COMMEX" event consisted of check-ins from
authorized state, tribal, federal, and Amateur Radio stations to test
HF interoperability in case of an emergency or disaster response. The
interoperability aspect between federal stations and Amateur Radio
licensees was coordinated and authorized by the NTIA and the FCC.

The net included a digital component, intended as a one-way broadcast
to test FEMA's ability to send messages and for remote stations to
receive them. Goudreau said that while there's still room for
improvement in the digital area, overall, she was happy with how the
exercise played out.

During 2017, FEMA Region X will hold a communication exercise (COMMEX)
on the third Wednesday of each month, 1500-2100 UTC. The initial
exercise will take place on January 18.

"The intent of [each] COMMEX is to test and exercise interoperable
communications (federal/state/local/tribal/amateur) during a major
disaster, where communications infrastructure would be significantly
damaged or destroyed," a FEMA Region X announcement said. FEMA Region
X will use the call sign WGY910. Others taking part in these exercises
will include, but are not limited to, other FEMA stations, SHARES
stations, and Air Force and Army MARS stations. All stations are
encouraged to participate.

The COMMEX will use the five 60-meter channels: 5,330.5 kHz, 5,346.5
kHz, 5,357.0 kHz, 5,371.5 kHz, and 5,403.5 kHz. The area of operation
is the Continental US. -- Thanks to FEMA Region X Regional Emergency
Communications Coordinator Laura Goudreau, KG7BQR, and FEMA Spectrum
Manager Dave sit, KG4BIR

630 Meters Becoming a "Mainstream" Amateur Band, Experiment
Coordinator Says

The coordinator of ARRL's WD2XSH 600-Meter Experimental Group -- Fritz
Raab, W1FR -- said in his latest quarterly report that 630 meters is
becoming quite active, with both Amateur Radio and Part 5 Experimental
stations taking advantage of the band, which is still not available in
the US.

"Band activity has been very high, and there are often more WSPR
stations -- more than 110 stations -- on 472 kHz than on 80 or 160
meters!" Raab said. WSPR, which stands for "Weak Signal Propagation
Reporter," is software designed for transmitting and receiving
low-power transmissions to test propagation paths on MF and HF.

"In a sense, 630 meters has become a mainstream ham band, in spite of
not being authorized in the US," Raab said. To boost activity, a
second annual Midwinter 630-Meter Operating Activity Night will take
place on February 4-5. Details will be announced.

Raab also said in his report that MF propagation appears to be
improving as the solar cycle declines. "The paths to VK and JA have
remained good," Raab said. "This was not the case last year, so
perhaps it is an effect of the coming solar minimum. Many reports have
been received for WSPR transmissions with relatively moderate power.
There have been a number of polar and high-latitude openings to LA2XPA
from North America. Many long-time operators say that they have never
seen anything like that. There have also been a number of openings
from the US west coast deep into Europe."

WD2XSH Experiment participant Ralph Wallio, W0RPK, employs a homebrew
shielded loop for receiving on 630 meters.

Countries now permitting Amateur Radio access to the 630-meter band
include Germany, Greece, Malta, Monaco, Norway, Philippines, Czech
Republic, Ireland, Switzerland, New Zealand, Finland, Spain, France,
Poland, Bulgaria, Canada, Vietnam, Japan, Cayman Islands, Reunion
Island, and Hungary. "It appears that more than 100 DXCC entities have
permission to operate on 630 meters," Raab said in his report.

In April 2015, the FCC proposed a new secondary 630-meter allocation
at 472 to 479 kHz to Amateur Radio, implementing decisions made at
World Radiocommunication Conference 2012 (WRC-12). At the same time,
the FCC allocated a new LF band, 135.7 to 137.8 kHz (2,200 meters), to
the Amateur Service on a secondary basis, in accordance with the Final
Acts of WRC-07.

No US Amateur Radio operation will be permitted in either band until
the FCC determines the specific Part 97 rules it must frame to permit
operation in the new bands. That process is ongoing at the FCC, but
the change in administration and the consequent resignation of the
current FCC chairman has put FCC action on any proceeding on hold, at
least until a new chairman is in place.

FCC Denies Expert Linears' Request for Waiver of 15 dB Rule, Petition
Pending

The FCC has denied a request by Expert Linears America LLC to waive
§97.317(a)(2) of the Amateur Service rules limiting amplifier gain.
Expert, of Magnolia, Texas, distributes linears manufactured by SPE in
Italy. Its waiver request, filed in June, would have allowed Expert to
import an amplifier capable of exceeding the current 15 dB gain
limitation as it awaits FCC action on its April petition (RM-11767) to
revise the same Amateur Service rules. That petition remains pending.
Expert has asserted that there should be no gain limitation on
amplifiers sold or used in the Amateur Service. Most commenters
supported Expert's waiver request, but a couple of commenters --
including FlexRadio, which supports a rule change -- expressed
concerns about granting a waiver to Expert alone.

"In light of the conflicting comments regarding the desirability of
eliminating the 15 dB limitation, we conclude that waiving the
limitation at this stage of the rulemaking proceeding would prejudice
the rulemaking proceeding and prematurely dispose of commenters'
concerns," the FCC said in denying the waiver. "Moreover, we agree
with FlexRadio that granting Expert's waiver request while the
rulemaking petition remains pending would provide an unfair market
advantage for one equipment model over other manufacturers' RF power
amplifiers that would still be limited by [the existing rules]."

The FCC said it would rather give full consideration to "the pending
issues" and apply the result of the rulemaking proceeding to all
Amateur Radio Service equipment. The Commission said rule waivers
"generally" are not warranted "merely to accommodate technical
parameters that are based solely on harmonization with the
manufacturer's products available abroad."

In its April rulemaking petition, Expert maintained that the 15 dB
gain limitation is an unneeded holdover from the days when amplifiers
were less efficient and the FCC was attempting to rein in the use of
Amateur Service amplifiers by Citizens Band operators.

Although the FCC had proposed in 2004 to delete the requirement that
amplifiers be designed to use a minimum of 50 W of drive power -- and
subsequently did so -- it did not further discuss the 15 dB limit in
the subsequent Report and Order in that proceeding. Read more.



Philippines' Ham Emergency Radio Operations Net Activates for Super
Typhoon

Super Typhoon Nock-Ten (called "Nina" locally) interrupted Christmas
for radio amateurs in the Philippines, who responded to provide
communication for the disaster. The category 4 storm claimed six
lives, and more than 380,000 residents were evacuated as the storm cut
a path through the Philippines. Warnings were posted for flooding and
mudslides. The slow-moving typhoon made landfall seven times from
Sunday evening until mid-day on Monday. The Philippines Amateur Radio
Association's (PARA) Ham Emergency Radio Operations (HERO) net
activated in advance of the storm, which cut power to five provinces,
downed trees, caused widespread damage, and dimmed the festive
occasion in Asia's largest Roman Catholic nation.

"A truly commendable job was done by many radio amateurs, who not only
gave up their traditional Christmas activities, but some had to stop
transmissions because they were in the storm path," Jojo Vicencio,
DU1VHY, said. Amateur Radio volunteers used both HF and VHF during the
storm response.

Vicencio said that as the typhoon first made landfall in Catanduanes,
some network stations were forced off air by high winds in excess of
120 MPH. Stations gradually returned to the air to report extensive
damage in their areas. HERO reported that as the typhoon swept along
the Southern Tagalog region, it made landfall several times.
Marinduque also was badly hit.

"It created a large swath of destruction and debris -- uprooted and
fallen trees and posts, landslides, impassable roads, and other
damage," Vicencio said. "Even our own HEROs were not spared." Net
participants were able to compile damage reports and relay them to
authorities, some of which had tuned to the HERO net.

"It has now become a reality that our emergency calling frequency is
the most listened to during disaster," Vicencio said. "Government
operators listened in...armed forces station Peacemaker in Catarman,
for example, broke into the frequency looking for a counterpart
station also in Northern Samar." The HERO net also heard from the
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and the Office
of Civil Defense. Vicencio said the HERO HF net on 7.095 MHz never
faltered. -- Thanks to Jim Linton, VK3PC, Chairman IARU Region 3
Disaster Communications Committee

The Doctor Will See You Now!

"Restoring Old Radios" is the topic of the latest (December 29)
episode of the "ARRL The Doctor is In" podcast. Listen...and learn!

Sponsored by DX Engineering, "ARRL The Doctor is In" is an informative
discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet,
or smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like!

Every 2 weeks, your host, QST Editor-in-Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and
the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of
technical topics. You can also e-mail your questions to
doctor@arrl.org, and the Doctor may answer them in a future podcast.

Enjoy "ARRL The Doctor is In" on Apple iTunes, or by using your iPhone
or iPad podcast app (just search for "ARRL The Doctor is In"). You can
also listen online at Blubrry, or at Stitcher (free registration
required, or browse the site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher
app for iOS, Kindle, or Android devices.

If you've never listened to a podcast before, download our beginner's
guide.

Boy Scouts' Radio Merit Badge Requirements to Include Amateur Radio
Direction Finding Option

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) have updated the requirements for the
Radio Merit Badge for 2017, although a formal announcement is pending
the publication of the 2017 Boy Scouts Requirements pamphlet. A new
option for the Radio Merit Badge is Amateur Radio Direction Finding
(ARDF). ARRL ARDF Coordinator Joe Moell, K0OV, said he's "really
excited" about the move, and he credited Jamboree on the Air
Coordinator (JOTA) and K2BSA trustee Jim Wilson, K5ND, with being the
"spark plug" behind the ARDF addition.

"Jim visited a training session at the USA ARDF Championships in Texas
last April and realized what an excellent activity that on-foot hidden
transmitter hunting can be for Scouts," Moell recounted. "Working with
Brian Coleman, KB0MAP, Jim authored the new ARDF Radio Merit Badge
syllabus, which was then reviewed by several leaders of US ARDF
community."

A first draft of the new merit badge pamphlet is anticipated later
this month or in early February. Moell said the new merit badge
requirements should become effective just in time for the July 2017
National Scout Jamboree in West Virginia, where an ARDF course and
equipment will be available to Scouts of all ages. He also hopes there
could be a role for ARDF in JOTA.

The Radio Merit Badge ARDF option combines orienteering and
foxhunting, and opens a new interactive component to this program.
Other new Radio Merit Badge options include cellular telephones and
different types of radio modulation.

Key requirements being dropped from the Radio Merit Badge include
open, closed, and short circuits, as well as schematic symbols and
components, because these are covered in the Electricity and
Electronics Merit Badges.

The BSA also made some minor editorial changes and reordered
requirements for the Amateur Radio option. The radio broadcasting
option now includes internet streaming, regulations, and power levels.
A medium-wave and shortwave listening option includes both types of
listening, as well as listening via streaming services on a
smartphone.

The BSA has posted a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs). Scouts
are encouraged to follow the new requirements, although the guidelines
may allow use of the previous requirements in some cases.



QCWA Donation to Support ARISS Hardware Upgrade

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) in late
December announced a "notable contribution" from the Quarter Century
Wireless Association (QCWA) to help support the development and
certification of new radio hardware for the International Space
Station. ARISS-International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, thanked the
QCWA for its contribution and said that it arrived at a most critical
time.

"Our radio system design is nearly complete, and we're about to start
fabrication and the very expensive hardware certification effort," he
said. "It is fantastic to see Amateur Radio groups like QCWA donating
to ARISS, as it demonstrates to our larger benefactors and potential
sponsors that the Amateur Radio community has 'skin in the game' and
is willing to sacrifice to further the ARISS cause."

QCWA President Ken Oelke, VE6AFO, expressed the hope that the donation
might inspire other groups and individuals to follow suit. ARISS
reports its hardware team has made good progress over the past year in
developing the new radio system. But the October failure of the
17-year-old Ericsson VHF handheld in the ISS Columbus module made
completion of the project far more urgent. The failure shut down
2-meter APRS operation, and ARISS operations must now be carried out
using an Ericsson UHF handheld in the Russian Service Module. This
requires astronauts to make a round trip from one end of the ISS to
the other in order to carry out 10-minute school contacts.

ARISS-International Treasurer Rosalie White, K1STO, said, "QCWA
members now understand it's important to hams to have the ARISS radio
for APRS and other modes, and it's caused a number of hams and their
local clubs to donate toward helping to get the radio system
upgraded."

ARISS welcomes donations toward the hardware upgrade project via the
AMSAT website. Click on the "ARISS Donate" button, or visit the
donation page on the ARISS website. Contributions may be tax
deductible. Those contributing $100 or more will receive an ARISS
Challenge Coin. Contact Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, if you or your
organization wishes to make a more substantial contribution.

ARRL Education & Technology Program Offers Grants to Four Schools

The ARRL Board of Directors' Executive Committee has approved
Education and Technology Program (ETP) grants to schools in Illinois,
California, Ohio, and Connecticut. The funds will help three of the
schools to establish Amateur Radio club stations by providing the
necessary equipment, and aid one school in getting its radio club off
the ground.

Zeigler-Royalton High School in rural Zeigler, Illinois; Sato Academy
in Long Beach, California, and Pickaway-Ross Career & Technology
Center in Chillicothe, Ohio, will receive station grants, while E.O.
Smith High School in Mansfield, Connecticut, will receive a progress
grant, enabling it to build upon the school's burgeoning Amateur Radio
program. Sponsors for all four grants are alumni of the ARRL Teachers
Institute on Wireless Technology, who are implementing Amateur Radio
as part of their school's curriculum.

Teacher Miroslaw Klapyk, KC1GBT, at E.O. Smith High School, took his
initial Amateur Radio license test during a Teachers Institute session
this past summer, and promptly upgraded to Amateur Extra. Klapyk
teaches physics to more than 50 students, and he plans to spend a week
or two toward the end of the school year focusing on wireless
communication, with an eye toward getting more students interested in
the radio club. But, he told ARRL, that interest is already there. "I
never advertised our club," he said. "Yet since the start of the
school year, we went from one to eight members. They just keep
coming." The school currently has some Amateur Radio station gear and
the beginnings of an antenna system.

The Pickaway-Ross Career & Technology Center in Chillicothe, Ohio,
requested Amateur Radio station equipment to augment the school's
engineering program and to attract other interested students to
wireless and related technology. "The establishment of an Amateur
Radio station would give impetus for students to become radio
amateurs," with a view toward getting them involved in public service
communication, teacher David Pentecost, KC8WEB, said in the school's
application. Pickaway-Ross, he said, is "committed to helping
underserved students in the Appalachian region of southern Ohio
achieve success in a variety of technical fields."

The Sato Academy Amateur Radio Emergency Communication team's project
in part focuses on establishing a demonstration station to train
youngsters in using Amateur Radio for emergency communication. The
school, which received a station grant, also wants "to help students
learn to build and create circuit boards, such as those used in the
Teachers Institute," teacher Devon Day, KF6KEE, said in her school's
application.

At Zeigler-Royalton, teacher Lance Newman, KD9GOY, said he's hoping to
see more students become interested, pass their license exams, and
spend time on the radio and working with the equipment. Newman said in
the school's application that he began the process of establishing a
ham radio station at the school this fall, "to provide an
extracurricular outlet for students interested in radio communication
technologies." But he's hoping that Amateur Radio will offer other
educational opportunities as well.

HamSCI Members Showcase Amateur Radio-Related Research at AGU Fall
Meeting

Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) scientists were among
those taking part in the fall meeting of the American Geophysical
Union (AGU) in San Francisco earlier this month. The December 11-17
gathering, which attracted some 24,000 geoscientists, offered an
opportunity for HamSCI scientists to present Amateur Radio-based
research, discuss possibilities for upcoming experiments, and network
with members of the citizen science and space science communities. Two
young university-affiliated radio amateurs -- Nathaniel Frissell,
W2NAF, a post-doctoral research associate at the New Jersey Institute
of Technology (NJIT), and Virginia Tech (VT) undergraduate researcher
Magda Moses, KM4EGE -- offered poster presentations at the AGU
meeting. Frissell said he feels the radio amateurs made a good
impression.

Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, with his poster at the Fall AGU meeting.

"As I go to these meetings and tell different people about the HamSCI
work, I find people that either want to contribute or that I think
would have something important to say," Frissell told ARRL. "Once I
identify these people, I invite them to our HamSCI Google e-mail
group, where we can discuss possible experiments or ways to use ham
radio for science. We now have almost 60 scientists and ham radio
operators in the group."

Frissell's poster presentation, "HamSCI: The Ham Radio Science Citizen
Investigation," discussed Amateur Radio and HamSCI's objectives and
demonstrated how the Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) can serve as a
scientific instrument. It also outlined plans for the Solar Eclipse
QSO Party (SEQP) next August. (An introductory Solar Eclipse QSO Party
article is set to appear in the February 2017 issue of QST; final SEQP
rules will be available by Hamvention in May.)

Moses called the Fall AGU Meeting "the most scientifically diverse
conference" she's ever attended, with many sessions and presentations
encompassing a variety of disciplines. "This diversity was especially
evident in the citizen science sessions and offered a unique
opportunity for networking before the eclipse," she told ARRL. "It was
also interesting to see similarities to HamSCI in some aspects of
other citizen science projects."

The poster presentation of Magda Moses, KM4EGE, offered an overview of
her HF propagation experiments.

Moses's poster presentation, "Characterizing the Ionosphere Using a
Commercial Off the Shelf Software Defined Radio System," described
propagation experiments between Blacksburg, Virginia, and Newark, New
Jersey, aimed at better understanding the use of HF links for
characterizing the ionosphere during the total solar eclipse later
this year. Moses first presented ray-trace diagrams through an
eclipsed ionosphere, and then used propagation test data to show that
80 meters was most useful for identifying diurnal variations along the
southwest Virginia-to-New Jersey signal path.

During a general HamSCI meeting, members talked about rules for the
upcoming SEQP, installation of additional RBN receivers, use of data
from other networks such as WSPRNet, the design of better measurement
techniques, and possibilities for future HamSCI experiments. Plans for
Hamvention 2017 include a display table and the program for a
90-minute ARRL-sponsored forum. Read more.



In Brief...

Logbook of The World to No Longer Accept Contacts Signed by TQSL
Versions Earlier Than 2.0: As of 1400 UTC on January 16, ARRL Logbook
of The World (LoTW) no longer will accept contacts that have been
digitally signed by versions of TQSL earlier than version 2.0. Users
of earlier versions are encouraged to upgrade as soon as possible, as
older TQSL versions contain uncorrected defects and display inaccurate
error messages. The current versions of TQSL for Windows, OS X, and
Linux are available online at
https://lotw.arrl.org/lotw-help/installation/. This action does not
affect data already uploaded to LoTW; all QSOs remain in the LoTW
database in perpetuity. -- Thanks to Norm Fusaro, W3IZ

Registration is Now Open for Contest University at Dayton: Student
registration is now open for 2017 Dayton Contest University (CTU), all
day on Thursday, May 18, 2017, at the Crowne Plaza hotel in downtown
Dayton, Ohio. CTU sessions have been held in 11 countries over its
11-year history, and more than 5,000 students have attended to learn
the ins and outs of Amateur Radio contesting from CTU's "professors."
Scholarships to cover the registration fee are available from CTU
through a grant from the Northern California DX Foundation (NCDXF) for
students 25 years old and younger. Click the "Contact Us" button on
the CTU website for more information. Student registration information
is available on the CTU website. Anyone who has given (or will give at
Hamvention 2017) a talk about Amateur Radio to any club, hamfest, or
group since May 17, 2016, qualifies for a $10 registration fee
discount. Use the "Registration with Club Talk Discount" option on the
CTU website, which has much more information. -- Thanks to Tim Duffy,
K3LR, Contest University Chairman

Special Call Sign Prefixes Available to Celebrate Canada's
Sesquicentennial: Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) has secured
permission for all Canadian radio amateurs to use special call sign
prefixes to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Canada's Confederation
during 2017. Starting on January 1, radio amateurs and clubs with
VA-prefix call signs may use CF instead, and those with VE-prefix call
signs may use CG instead. Amateurs and clubs with VO-prefix call signs
may substitute CH instead, while those holding VY-prefix call signs
may substitute CI. Use of the special prefixes is optional, and
Canadian radio amateurs may choose if and when to use the special
prefix at any time during the year. VY1AAA, the Yukon Canam Contest
Club, will mark the sesquicentennial with special call sign XK150YUKON
from January 1 until March 1. For the rest of 2017, VY1AAA will
operate using either CI1AAA or VY1AAA.

The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: The sun was quieter this week
compared to the previous 7 days, and there were no sunspots on
Thursday, Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday. Geomagnetic numbers were also
lower.

The average daily sunspot number decreased from 7.6 to 4.7, average
daily solar flux declined from 73.6 to 73.1, and the average daily
planetary A index went from 17.3 to 9.3. The average mid-latitude A
index dipped from 11.6 to 6.3.

The latest forecast sees solar flux at 72 on January 5; 71 on January
6-10; 72 on January 11-12; 76 on January 13-14; 77 on January 15-19;
75 on January 20-24; 74 on January 25-27; 73 on January 28-February 2;
75 on February 3-7; 76 on February 8-10, and 77 on February 11-15.

The prediction for planetary A index sees 25, 18, 15, 10, and 6 on
January 5-9; 5, 12, 10, 5, and 10 on January 10-14; 5 on January
15-16; 25, 20, 25, and 18 on January 17-20; 20 on January 21-22; 10 on
January 23; 5 on January 24-26; 12, 15, 10, 12, and 18 on January
27-31; 24, 22, 15, and 8 on February 1-4, and 5 on February 5-9.

F.K. Janda, OK1HH, delivered his geomagnetic predictions a day early
this week, for January 6-February 1: The geomagnetic field will be:
Quiet on January 8-10, 16, 24-25; mostly quiet on January 11-12, 15,
26, 30; quiet to unsettled on January 23, 27, 29; quiet to active on
January 6-7, 13-14, 17-18, 28, 31; active to disturbed on January
19-20, (21-22), February 1.

Amplifications of the solar wind from coronal holes are expected on
January 6-8, 17-20, 25, (27-31) and February 1. Numbers in parentheses
mean lower probability of activity enhancement.

Sunspot numbers for December 29-January 4 were 0, 11, 11, 0, 0, 11,
and 0, with a mean of 7.6. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 73.4, 73.6,
73.5, 72.5, 73, 73.4, and 72.4, with a mean of 73.6. Estimated
planetary A indices were 5, 4, 12, 14, 7, 12, and 11, with a mean of
17.3. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 2, 2, 10, 9, 5, 8, and 8,
with a mean of 11.6.

Send me your reports or observations.

Just Ahead on Radiosport

January 7 -- Kids Day (Phone)

January 7 -- PODXS 070 Club PSKFest

January 7-8 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)

January 7-8 -- WW PMC Contest (CW, phone)

January 7-8 -- Original QRP Contest (CW)

January 7-8 -- ARRL RTTY Roundup

January 7-8 -- EUCW 160-Meter Contest (CW)

January 8 -- DARC 10-Meter Contest (CW, phone)

January 11-15 -- AWA Linc Cundall Memorial (CW)

See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth
reporting on Amateur Radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest
Update via your ARRL member profile e-mail preferences.

Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions

January 8 -- New York City/Long Island Section Convention, Bethpage,
New York

January 14 -- TechFest 2017 Convention, Lawrenceville, Georgia

January 20-21 -- North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill, Texas

January 21 -- Georgia ARES Convention, Forsyth, Georgia

January 22-28 -- QuartzFest Convention, Quartzsite, Arizona

January 27-28 -- Mississippi State Convention, Jackson, Mississippi

January 27-29 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto Rico

February 3-4 -- Southern Florida Section Convention, Ft. Lauderdale,
Florida

February 4 -- South Carolina State Convention, North Charleston, South
Carolina

February 4 -- Virginia State Convention, Richmond, Virginia

February 10-12 -- Southeastern Division Convention (HamCation),
Orlando, Florida

February 17-18 -- Arizona Section Convention, Yuma, Arizona

February 18 -- Arkansas Section Convention, Hoxie, Arkansas

February 25 -- West Central Florida Section Technical Conference,
Sarasota, Florida

February 25 -- 2017 New Mexico Tech Fest, Albuquerque, New Mexico

February 25 -- Vermont State Convention, South Burlington, Vermont

Find conventions and hamfests in your area.

ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for 

Amateur Radio News and Information.

Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes QST, Amateur Radio's
most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each
month.

Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday.

Subscribe to...

NCJ -- National Contest Journal. Published bimonthly, features
articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA
Sprint, and QSO Parties.

QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters. Published bi-monthly,
features technical articles, construction projects, columns, and other
items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals.

Free of charge to ARRL members...

Subscribe to the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and emergency
communications news), the ARRL Contest Update (bi-weekly contest
newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much more!

Find ARRL on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram!


Read previous mail | Read next mail


 05.06.2024 05:06:45lGo back Go up