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N9PMO > LETTER 17.10.14 00:53l 698 Lines 32029 Bytes #999 (0) @ ARRL
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As Gonzalo Hits Category 4, Hurricane Watch Net Plans Extended
Activation
ARES Volunteers Stand Ready as Tropical Storm Ana Aims for Hawaii
ARRL Executive Committee Adopts Mobile Amateur Radio Operation Policy
W1AW Centennial Operations are West Virginia and Nevada Bound
Young Ham Recognized for Navigation Aid for Visually Impaired
School Club Roundup is Coming to Town!
AMSAT Offering Fox Satellite Collectable Coin as Donation Premium
Radio Amateurs in India Fill Communication Gaps in Cyclone's Wake
IARU Region 1 Proposal Could Expand List of Countries with 70 MHz
Allocations
National Wildlife Refuge Week Special Events Set for October 14-20
Celebration of First Great Britain-New Zealand Contact Highlights
Interesting History
Amateur Radio Author William E. "Bill" Sabin, W0IYH, SK
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
As Gonzalo Hits Category 4, Hurricane Watch Net Plans Extended
Activation
The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) continued to keep close watch on
Hurricane Gonzalo this week, especially after the storm strengthened
considerably and was poised for a near-direct hit on Bermuda. The Net
activated for several hours on October 13 and early on October 14,
when the storm threatened the US and British Virgin Islands and the
northern Leeward Islands but stood down after Gonzalo took an abrupt
turn to the north.
By midweek, however, Gonzalo ballooned into a Category 4 hurricane
with Bermuda in its sights, and the Hurricane Watch Net had to
recalibrate its plans. The storm was forecast to reach Bermuda on
Friday, and if it tracks a bit more to the east, it could make direct
landfall on the island.
"The people of Bermuda are still picking up from damage caused by
Tropical Storm Fay, which did make direct landfall this past Sunday
morning," Graves pointed out. "I've already been in contact with a few
hams on Bermuda, and antennas that weren't destroyed by Fay are being
taken down and being secured. In order to get on the air, they have
constructed 20 meter dipoles, either as an outside NVIS antenna or
attic antenna."
As of 1800 UTC on October 16, the storm was 460 miles south-southwest
of Bermuda, moving at 7 MPH and packing maximum sustained winds of 145
MPH.
"Interests in Bermuda should be rushing their preparations to
completion," the National Hurricane Center in Miami has advised.
The Net has announced plans to activate October 16 at 2100 UTC and
remain in continuous activation until sometime Saturday, October 18.
Throughout this event, the net will operate on 14.325 during the day,
shifting to 7.268 MHz at 0100 UTC, and returning to 14.325 MHz at 1000
UTC. The Net's plans are subject to change.
"We will be collecting surface observations and reporting them
directly to the National Hurricane Center (NHC)," Graves said. "We
will also be available to provide backup communications for emergency
operation centers, emergency management agencies, non-governmental
organizations, and other vital interests." Graves said any hurricane
preparation or response could also involve cooperating with military
relief operations.
"Amateur stations in the affected area should be aware of the storm,
and be prepared to operate from a place of safety," Graves continued,
expressing the Net's appreciation for a clear frequency and for
assisting with relays.
The Net's primary goals are to issue storm advisory information on a
regular basis to those in the affected area of the forecast path of
the storm. It also will be requesting measured/observed ground-truth
data from those in the affected area.
More information on Hurricane Gonzalo and the Hurricane Watch Net is
on the HWN website.
ARES Volunteers Stand Ready as Tropical Storm Ana Aims for Hawaii
Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers in Hawaii are on
alert for possible activation as Tropical Storm Ana, which is forecast
to become a Category 1 hurricane, bears down on the Hawaiian Islands.
As of 1200 UTC on October 16, Ana was 740 miles southeast of Honolulu
and moving at about 10 MPH with maximum sustained winds of 60 MPH. The
storm is expected to reach the islands on Saturday. ARRL Pacific
Section Manager Bob Schneider, AH6J, said he attended an informational
meeting at Hawaii County Civil Defense on Wednesday and will attend
another Thursday.
With the ARRL Ham Aid kits In the Hawaii County CD Office (L-R): CD
Administrator Darryl Oliveira; ARRL Pacific SM Bob Schneider, AH6J; CD
Administrative Officer/BIARC President Bill Hanson, N0CAN, and CD
Staff Officer Berry Periatt. [Photo courtesy of Bob Schneider, AH6J]
"All beaches, parks and schools are closed starting Friday, including
Hawaii Volcano National Park," Schneider told ARRL Headquarters. He
said he expected to deploy Ham Aid equipment kits to several schools.
The Ham Aid kits -- sent in September from ARRL as a lava flow was
threatening communities on the Big Island -- include HF gear as well
as VHF and UHF equipment. Schneider also cancelled two ARRL-sanctioned
ham radio gatherings scheduled for Saturday -- one on the Big Island
and the other on Oahu.
"We are in tropical storm watch and expect to upgrade that Friday
morning to a hurricane watch," Schneider said. "A hurricane warning
may also go up soon. The storm is wandering a little. I still expect
it to become a Cat 1 hurricane with very heavy waves on the
northeastern quadrant. I heard the mayor instruct the Kona people to
be sure and get the surfers out of the water as he expected the
Kailua-Kona beaches to be hit hardest."
The National Weather Service Central Pacific Hurricane Center
anticipates that the first significant swells from Ana will arrive
late on Thursday, and large, potentially damaging surf will follow the
next day. The Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency was advising
residents of Punalu'u, Kalapana, Pohoiki, and Kapoho to take
precautions and move to higher ground.
The NWS has issued a flash flood watch for Hawaii Island from noon
Friday through 6 PM Sunday, with forecasts of 10 to 15 inches of rain,
and locally up to 20 inches along southeast-facing slopes. The heavy
rain raises the possibility of landslides in areas of steep terrain.
ARRL Executive Committee Adopts Mobile Amateur Radio Operation Policy
The ARRL Executive Committee has adopted an updated Policy Statement
on Amateur Radio mobile operation. While agreeing that driver
inattention is a leading cause of auto accidents and that concern over
driver distraction "is not unreasonable," the policy cites Amateur
Radio's 70-year history of two-way mobile operation as evidence that
such radio use does not contribute to driver inattention. The policy
points out that Amateur Radio operation differs from cell phone
communication, in part because the device need not be held to the face
to listen, no text messaging is involved, and mobile ham operators
only need to pick up a microphone to make "brief and infrequent"
transmissions.
Prompting the policy update is the 2012 federal law "Moving Ahead for
Progress in the 21st Century" or MAP-21, which requires states to
enact and enforce statutes that prohibit "texting through a personal
wireless communications device while driving" in order to qualify for
federal grants to support a state's program. The League "encourages
the use of the language in MAP-21 in state statutes and municipal
ordinances dealing with mobile telephone and mobile text-messaging
limitations," the updated policy states.
Many states already have statutes in place that restrict the use of
cell phones and other communication devices to a greater or lesser
degree, and several exempt Amateur Radio. A lot of these laws predate
MAP-21, however, and because MAP-21 permits no specific exception for
Amateur Radio operation, some may need to be revised in order to
comply with its requirements. The ARRL is urging states or localities
to adopt motor vehicle codes that narrowly define the class of
regulated devices, in order to exclude Amateur Radio specifically.
"Given the necessity of unrestricted mobile Amateur Radio
communications in order for the benefits of Amateur Radio to the
public to continue to be realized, ARRL urges state and municipal
legislators considering restrictions on mobile cellular telephone
operation and mobile text messaging to narrowly define the class of
devices included in the regulation, so that the class includes only
full-duplex wireless telephones and related hand-held or portable
equipment," the League policy recommends.
The ARRL policy suggests statutory language for state and local motor
vehicle codes that defines a "personal wireless communications device"
as one through which "commercial mobile services, unlicensed wireless
services, and common carrier wireless exchange access services are
transmitted." This would include such devices as cell phones and
anything used for text messaging or paging, but the suggested wording
specifically excludes "two-way radio communications equipment, such as
that used in the Amateur Radio Service."
For states or localities considering banning all but hands-free cell
phone use, the ARRL recommended wording that would prohibit the use of
a personal wireless communications device "in any manner" while
driving, unless the motorist is using hands-free capability. The
suggested statutory language would not apply to anyone using the
device while the vehicle is parked or "to contact or receive calls
from an emergency response vehicle or agency."
ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, addressed the issue in his November 2013
QST "It Seems to Us" editorial, "Distracted Driving Legislation:
Proceed with Caution." Read more.
W1AW Centennial Operations are West Virginia and Nevada Bound
The ARRL Centennial W1AW portable operations taking place throughout
2014 from each of the 50 states are now in Alabama and Michigan. They
will transition at 0000 UTC on Wednesday, October 22 (the evening of
October 21 in US time zones), to West Virginia (W1AW/8) and Nevada
(W1AW/7). W1AW/KH0 also will be active until October 21 from Tinian
Island in the Northern Marianas. So far during 2014, W1AW has visited
each of the 50 states for at least 1 week, and by year's end W1AW will
have been on the air from every state at least twice.
The ARRL Centennial QSO Party kicked off January 1 for a year-long
operating event in which participants can accumulate points and win
awards. The event is open to all, although only ARRL members and
appointees, elected officials, HQ staff and W1AW are worth ARRL
Centennial QSO Party points.
Working W1AW/x from each state is worth 5 points per mode/contact,
even when working the same state during its second week of activity.
To earn the "Worked all States with W1AW Award," work W1AW operating
portable from all 50 states. (Working W1AW or W100AW in Connecticut
does not count for Connecticut. Participants must work W1AW/1 in
Connecticut.) A W1AW WAS certificate and plaque will be available.
An ARRL Centennial QSO Party leader board shows participants 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.
Ad
Young Ham Recognized for Navigation Aid for Visually Impaired
A young radio amateur from California is one of nine Popular Mechanics
"Future Breakthrough Award" winners. Shiloh Curtis, KK6ISM, developed
a "hat-based, hands-free, haptic navigational aid for visually
impaired individuals." As the publication explained, after a friend
from her school's robotics club described going blind as losing "two
eyes and one hand," Curtis determined to come up with a way to free up
the hand that would be wielding the classic white cane. Robotics was
the key.
Shiloh Curtis, KK6ISM, wears her "breakthrough" device. [Gordon Kelly
Photography photo]
"A robot is blind until you put sensors on it," she told Popular
Mechanics. "Why don't we put sensors on the blind, so they can
navigate like robots?"
She combined a wide-brimmed hat, vibrating motors, and a robot vacuum
cleaner's laser distance sensor to come up with the wearable device
that warns the wearer of obstacles through vibrations.
Shiloh Curtis is a junior at Laughing Thunder Academy in Sunnyvale,
California. She has been recognized as the winner of California State
Fair "Project of the Year" and was an Americas Regional finalist in
the Google Science Fair. She is the daughter of Dave Curtis, N6NZ. --
Thanks to Ward Silver, N0AX, and Bob Wilson, N6TV
School Club Roundup is Coming to Town!
Is it the ARRL November Sweepstakes that kicks off the ARRL's fall HF
contest season? No! School Club Roundup (SCR) leads the parade,
warming up students across the land. By this time, fall quarter or
semester is well underway, and clubs are at full throttle. October
Deavana looks for contacts during the 2012 SCR from the Eisenhower
Middle School KF5CRF Viking Radio Club station.
typically exhibits good fall propagation, and clubs should find it
easy to make contacts across the continent and around the world, even
with a modest station. Unlike most contests, this one takes place
through the week, beginning at 1300 UTC on October 20 and running
through October 24 at 2359 UTC. Stations may operate for a maximum of
24 hours through the entire contest and are limited to 6 hours of
operation during any single 24-hour period.
Participation is simple, and there's a home for everybody. There are
five categories of club entries: Elementary/Primary,
Middle/Intermediate/Junior High School, Senior High School,
College/University Club, and Non-School Club. There is also an
Individual category.
If you just want to get on the air and hand out contacts, enter in the
Individual category. Any mode -- SSB, CW, or digital -- is okay. Tune
around and listen for SCR stations calling CQ, or do it yourself and
see who answers (call "CQ School Clubs," if you aren't a club
station). Once you make a contact, exchange a signal report, category
(School, Club, or Individual), and your state, province, or DXCC
entity. After the contest is over, submit your log online (preferred)
or by paper.
These students at the Glenn Raymond School Science Club's W9GRS seem
to be having a great time during the 2012 SCR.
The most popular time for younger students is during the after-school
hours, but the older students may be on the air at any time. All
groups are limited to one transmitter on the air. By no means do the
older students automatically win. The February SCR results were a
shootout with the K1BBS Burr and Burton ARC high school team
prevailing over all challengers, edging out the K5LMS Lampasas Middle
School Youth ARC.
The School Club Roundup is co-sponsored by the ARRL and the Long
Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club (LIMARC), and results appear in QST
as well as online. Bruce Horn, WA7BNM, has created a web entry service
that accepts scores and logs. Paper logs and summary sheets are still
available, but participants might want to try the logging program
SCR-LOG, which is written especially for the School Club Roundup.
Other logging program choices are listed on the SCR website.
Once the contest is over, browse to the WA7BNM web service and upload
your log. As soon as the log deadline passes on November 8, the web
service automatically sorts and displays all claimed scores. Logs are
reviewed by the LIMARC team, and final results are posted afterward.
Certificates will be generated at the same time for downloading and
printing.
While you're at it, upload some photos of your school team in action
to the ARRL Soapbox to show off your team members. -- Thanks to Ward
Silver, N0AX
AMSAT Offering Fox Satellite Collectable Coin as Donation Premium
AMSAT has announced that it's making available a collectable
"challenge coin" for qualifying donations to the Fox satellite
program. AMSAT commissioned the coin for those contributing at least
$100 to the campaign.
"This challenge coin is shaped as an isometric view of a Fox-1
CubeSat, complete with details such as the stowed UHF antenna, solar
cells, and camera lens viewport," AMSAT's Drew Glassbrenner, KO4MA,
said in making the announcement. The coin is 3 mm thick brass and
plated with antique silver and finished in bright enamel. The reverse
side displays the AMSAT Fox logo. The coins were scheduled for
delivery prior to the just-concluded 2014 AMSAT Space Symposium. They
also will be made available upon request to qualifying donors who
contributed since the Fox-1C announcement on July 18.
The Fox program is designed to provide a platform for university
experiments in space, as well as provide FM repeater capability for
radio amateurs worldwide. Fox-1A and 1C are set to launch in 2015, and
Fox-1B -- also known as RadFXSat -- is awaiting NASA ELaNa launch
assignment.
Donations to the Fox satellite program may be made via the AMSAT
website, the FundRazr crowdsourcing app, or via the AMSAT office,
(888) 322-6728. -- AMSAT News Service via Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA
Radio Amateurs in India Fill Communication Gaps in Cyclone's Wake
Authorities in India called on Amateur Radio volunteers to help as
powerful Cyclone (hurricane) Hudhud was poised to sweep into Bay of
Bengal coastal areas of India in the state of Andhra Pradesh over the
October 11-12 weekend. According to media reports, upward of 50 people
have died as a result of the storm, which generated heavy rains and
flooding. Winds upward of 130 MPH uprooted trees, downed utility
lines, and cut off conventional telecommunication systems. Hardest hit
was the city of Visakhapatnam, also known as "Vizag." Infrastructure
is still being restored.
Cyclone Hudhud comes ashore along the Odisha-Andhra coastline on the
Bay of Bengal. [INSAT 3D image]
"It will take about 5 to 6 days before life returns to normal. Crews
are repairing power lines, telephones and other infrastructure," said
Jayu Bhide, VU2JAU, the Amateur Radio Society of India National
Disaster Communication Coordinator. "There was no water, petrol pumps
were out of action, and airports closed." More than 40 National
Disaster Response Force teams have been engaged in rescue efforts,
along with the navy and dozens of divers.
Thousands of residents were evacuated to shelters in advance of the
storm. The government has been airlifting food and supplies into
affected areas. The storm made landfall in the same general area
struck last year by Cyclone Phailin.
Bhide reported that Preeti Mekap, VU3UFX; Rajesh Kumar, VU3PLP, and
Sameer Ranjan Panda, VU2AOR, were active from the Bhuvaneshwar area.
In the Sambalpur area Dilip Padhi, VU2DPI, was working with Santanu
Panigrahi, VU2SIC, and Pawan Agrawal, VU2PGU.
In the Andhra coastal area, volunteers from the National Institute of
Amateur Radio were reported to be handling emergency communication.
On October 14 Indian TV5 News featured radio amateurs involved with
the Cyclone Hudhud response. -- Thanks to Jim Linton, VK3PC, IARU
Region 3 Disaster Communications Committee chair
Ad
IARU Region 1 Proposal Could Expand List of Countries with 70 MHz
Allocations
A proposal has been adopted to modify the European Common Frequency
Allocation (ECA) table to allocate 69.9 to 70.5 MHz on a secondary
basis to the Amateur Service. International Amateur Radio Union Region
1 (IARU-R1 -- Europe, Middle East, and Africa) and five IARU R1
countries submitted the proposal to a meeting of the European
Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT)
European Communications Committee (ECC) Frequency Management Working
Group, October 6-10 in France. Efforts to place an allocation at 70
MHz in the ECA table have been underway since the 1990s.
"A growing number of administrations are now permitting amateur
operation in all or parts of the 70 MHz, and it is proposed that this
should be reflected appropriately in the ECA," the proposal from
Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, and IARU Region 1 said.
More than 30 CEPT administrations, including the UK, allow national
amateur use on all or part of the 4 meter band, but others have
indicated that they require a clear regulatory decision before opening
the band to secondary Amateur Radio usage. The proposal would amend
the ECA table to include a secondary allocation for Amateur Radio at
69.9 - 70.5 MHz and update existing footnote EU9 to state that CEPT
administrations may allocate all or parts of the band to the Amateur
Service.
The proposal received the support of more than 10 administrations,
with only three countries opposed. Fourteen CEPT administrations have
already notified of such usage in the European Communications Office
Frequency Information System, and the working group agreed to include
the allocation change in the next revision of the ECA table.
The band will not become immediately available in all CEPT countries,
however, as the ECA table is not binding on CEPT national regulatory
authorities. Read more. -- Thanks to IARU Region 1 via David Court,
EI3IO
National Wildlife Refuge Week Special Events Set for October 14-20
Amateur Radio operators will be on the air October 14-20 to let the
public know about the National Wildlife Refuge System by operating
from refuges around the US during National Wildlife Refuge Week.
To celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week 2013, Anne Arundel Amateur
Radio Club activated special event station W3VPR at the U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service's Patuxent Research Refuge near Laurel, Maryland.
[Courtesy of the Anne Arundel Amateur Radio Club]
They will be highlighting refuge features, wildlife, and geography
while contacting other stations across the US and North America. The
goal for participants is to combine their communication skills with
their enjoyment of the outdoors to help others learn about the
National Wildlife Refuge System. Authorized, safe, responsible access
to refuges is sanctioned by this event. As of 2013, hams also may
operate from wildlife refuges, areas or preserves managed by any
state, territory, or Canadian province.
A list of National Wildlife Refuge sites by state is available.
Contact the NWR Week Amateur Radio coordinator. Read more.
Celebration of First Great Britain-New Zealand Contact Highlights
Interesting History
If you've heard "2SZ" on the HF bands, it's not a pirate. The call
sign is part of a special event to mark the 90th anniversary of the
first Amateur Radio contact between Great Britain and New Zealand in
Cecil Goyder, 2SZ.
1924. The radio operator in England was 18-year-old Cecil Goyder,
operating the Mill Hill School station 2SZ. The Radio Society of Great
Britain, in partnership with groups of amateurs in the UK and New
Zealand, invited participation in the celebration by recreating that
original contact between the UK and New Zealand on 80 meters, and a
lot of the activity has concentrated on that band when propagation has
been favorable. The 2SZ call sign joined special event station GB2NZ,
operated by various groups, in the celebration, which wraps up in the
UK on October 18, the actual anniversary date.
A "preview" of the ZM90DX QSL card.
On the New Zealand end of the circuit, ZM90DX and ZL4AA are on the
air, with many individual ZL stations also participating. ZM90DX will
be active until October 31. Kiwi sheep farmer Frank Bell, Z4AA, a
World War I veteran, was the other operator for the historic October
18, 1924 contact. Amateur Radio had only been authorized a year
earlier in New Zealand, and Bell already had set some distance
records. These included a September 21, 1924, contact with U6BCP in
California, and an October 13, 1924, contact with U1SF in Connecticut.
In later years, Goyder emigrated to the US, where he served as the
first communications officer for the United Nations. As for Bell,
after being elected in absentia to the executive committee of the new
International Amateur Radio Union in 1925, he apparently lost interest
in radio. His sister Brenda took over Z4AA to become New Zealand's
first female Amateur Radio operator and was the first New Zealand ham
to contact South Africa in 1927. She later became a radio broadcaster.
Amateur Radio Author William E. "Bill" Sabin, W0IYH, SK
Noted Amateur Radio author Bill Sabin, W0IYH, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa,
died October 13. He was 88. An ARRL member, Sabin was the author of
Discrete-Signal Analysis and Design. He also was co-editor (with E.O.
Schoenike) and contributor to three books on single-sideband and HF
radio, and he contributed to ARRL's RF Amplifier Classics. In
addition, Sabin wrote more than 40 technical articles, including
articles for QST and QEX, as well as portions of The ARRL Handbook
between 1985 and 2012. In 1983 he received the ARRL Technical
Excellence Award.
Bill Sabin, W0IYH.
Sabin was licensed in 1941 as W9YFA (later W4YFA), when he was 15 and
living in Covington, Kentucky, where he was born. He served as a US
Navy radio operator during World War II. During a post-war stint as a
radio and TV repairman, Sabin began taking math and engineering
classes at the University of Cincinnati, and in 1955 he went to work
for General Electric as an engineering assistant (and later as a
specialist). In 1963 he became a registered professional engineer in
the State of Ohio.
When he moved to Iowa in 1964 to work for Collins Radio Company as an
engineer, he became W0IYH. In 1973, he received his BS in electrical
engineering from the University of Iowa. A master's degree in EE from
the same institution followed in 1976. He retired from Rockwell
Collins Company in 1990. Sabin was a Life Senior Member of the IEEE.
An active operator, he was a member of the ARRL DXCC Honor Roll.
Survivors include his wife, Ellen. Services were October 16 in Cedar
Rapids.
Ad
A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL
The October 1990 QST reported on the 3Y5X Bouvet Island DXpedition of
1989-1990. This $330,000 venture -- funded by the participants and by
donations from hams around the world -- produced nearly 50,000
contacts on all HF bands on SSB, CW, and RTTY.
The first World Radiosport Team Championship was held in Seattle in
1990, as part of the International Goodwill Exchange Event.
Marking the 75th anniversary of QST, the magazine's December 1990
issue published an overview of those 75 years, written by WJ1Z. The
article noted that at the time the first issue of QST was published,
the League's membership was 635.
On October 28, 1990, W5UN worked his 100th country via EME
(moonbounce). Not content to rest on his laurels, by November 4 he was
up to 104 countries. Dave might have made EME DXCC earlier, had it not
been for a tornado that wrecked his first 32 dBi-gain moonbounce
array.
The FCC instituted the new "codeless" Technician license on
Valentine's Day 1991. Within the first two weeks, 313 people had
applied, and the first such license was issued to N3IFY.
An interesting airplane accident story was published in March 1991
QST. Gary, V31KX, was aboard a flight in Belize that went down on
November 14, 1990. After the forced landing, Gary retrieved his 2
meter handheld from his luggage, connected it to the aircraft's 121
MHz antenna and made a successful call for help.
The 3Y5X Bouvet Island QSL card.
Operation Desert Storm began in 1990, and MARS stations were activated
to handle personal messages, including phone patches, between members
of the military and their families back home -- a major
morale-booster. Those efforts of American amateurs operating under
their counterpart MARS call signs generated a great amount of positive
publicity for Amateur Radio.
The May 1991 QST article, "Last Voice from Kuwait," told how Abdul,
9K2DZ, hid his amateur gear from Iraqi soldiers when they came to
confiscate it. When they demanded his radio equipment, he gave them a
broken radio! After that, he used AMTOR and APLINK to handle
health-and-welfare messages in and out of Kuwait. Many of Abdul's
messages were forwarded to the media, Department of Defense,
Department of State, and the White House. Again, good reviews for
Amateur Radio.
During 1991, many hams made contact with the Soviet Mir space station,
thanks to the efforts of operator Musa, UV3AM. Another Amateur Radio
first occurred in 1991: The entire crew of the space shuttle Atlantis
on its STS-37 mission (April 5-11, 1991) was comprised of hams, and
Space Amateur Radio EXperiment (SAREX) ham gear was aboard. -- Al
Brogdon, W1AB
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: Solar activity declined
this week, with average daily sunspot numbers dropping from 98 last
week to 55.1 in the week that ended Wednesday, October 15. Average
daily solar flux slipped from 131.9 to 117.4.
The average planetary A index rose from 6.4 to 10.4. The most
unsettled geomagnetic day was Tuesday, October 14, when the planetary
A index was 18, and the planetary K index reached 5 for 9 hours
overnight. In Alaska, the college A index reached 21, but this was
because the same 9-hour period of activity all occurred by the end of
the day (UTC), while the planetary K index reached 5 for 6 hours as
Tuesday ended and 3 hours as Wednesday began.
The latest prediction for solar flux is 130, 140, and 150 on October
16-18, 160 on October 19-22, 140 on October 23-25, 135, and 130 on
October 26-27, and 125 on October 28-29.
The predicted planetary A index is 18 and 12 on October 16-17, 8 on
October 18-20, 15 on October 21-24, and 10 on October 25-28.
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 is on the ARRL website.
In Friday's bulletin look for an updated forecast and reports from
readers. Send me your reports and observations.
Just Ahead in Radiosport
October 17-19 -- Jamboree On The Air (JOTA)
October 18 -- Asia-Pacific Sprint (CW)
October 18 -- 902+ MHz Fall VHF Sprint
October 18 -- Telephone Pioneer QSO Party
October 18-19 -- JARTS WW RTTY Contest
October 18-19 -- 10-10 Fall CW QSO Party (CW)
October 18-19 -- Iowa QSO Party
October 18-19 -- New York QSO Party
October 18-19 -- South Dakota QSO Party
October 18-19 -- Worked All Germany (CW, SSB)
October 18-19 -- Stew Perry Warmup Contest (CW)
October 18-19 -- W/VE Islands QSO Party
October 18-19 -- Spooky Feld-Hell Sprint
October 19-20 -- Illinois QSO Party
October 20 -- Run For the Bacon (CW)
October 20-24 -- School Club Roundup (see above)
October 22 -- SKCC Straight Key Sprint
See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information.
Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
October 18 -- Arkansas State Convention, Batesville, Arkansas
October 18 -- Wisconsin ARES/RACES Conference, Wisconsin Rapids,
Wisconsin
October 24-25 -- Oklahoma Section Convention, Ardmore, Oklahoma
November 1 -- TechFest 2014, Lakewood, Colorado
November 1-2 -- Georgia State Convention, Lawrenceville, Georgia
November 8 -- Alabama State Convention, Montgomery, Alabama
November 15-16 -- Indiana State Convention, Fort Wayne, Indiana
December 12-13 -- West Central Florida Section Convention, Plant City,
Florida
Find conventions and hamfests in your area.
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