| |
AE5ME > ARL 26.03.16 07:55l 114 Lines 7863 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 1ZECQJMMVNIL
Read: GUEST
Subj: ARRL Letter March 24 Part 4 of 4
Path: IW8PGT<HB9CSR<IK2XDE<DB0RES<DB0OVN<DB0GOS<ON0AR<F1OYP<VK6ZRT<N0KFQ<
AE5ME
Sent: 160326/0414Z 34226@AE5ME.#NEOK.OK.USA.NOAM BPQ1.4.64
Kosovo Activity in CQ WPX SSB Will Help to Train Young Hams
Z60A in Kosovo, the headquarters station of SHRAK, the newest International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) member society, will be on the air leading up to and during the CQ World Wide WPX SSB Contest the weekend of March 26-27. SHRAK President Vjollca Caka, Z61VB, has announced that other Kosovo prefixes, such as Z61DX, Z62FB, Z63ESC, Z64EEF, and Z68BH, will be active in addition to Z60A. The on-the-air activity will serve as part of a training process for new Kosovar hams as they prepare for the forthcoming IARU Youngsters On The Air (YOTA) gathering in Austria with other young people from throughout Europe.
(L-R) Fehmi Bojniku, Z62FB; Driton Sadiku, Z61DX; David Meadows, Z63MED; Vjollca Caca, Z61VB, and Martti Laine, OH2BH/Z68BH. Meadows, associated with the UN, was the first foreigner to take the Kosovo license examination under SHRAK auspices. He is returning to the US after 3 years of operating and 34,364 contacts in his log. [Martti Laine, OH2BH, photo]
SHRAK has a new Yaesu/Acom station sporting Force 12 beams high up in the hills at the Technical University of Pristina, where Z60A is located. SHRAK has expressed its gratitude to the ARRL Fund for International Relations and Goodwill, the International DX Association (INDEXA), Force 12, the OH-DX-Foundation (OHDXF) and to Chiltern DX Club (CDXC) -- the UK DX Foundation, for their valuable support.
Helping to mentor the operation and handle on-the-air duties will be Martti Laine, OH2BH. Nigel Cawthorne, G3TXF, will be in Kosovo in late May to assist SHRAK and to activate Z60A in the WPX CW event. -- Thanks to thanks to Vjollca Caka, Z61VB, and Martti Laine, OH2BH
In Brief...
Well-Known Contester Gary R. Senesac, AL9A, SK: Contesting luminary Gary Senesac, AL9A (ex-KC9UM), of Wasilla, Alaska, died suddenly on March 15 while vacationing in Florida. An ARRL Life Member, he was 72. Senesac, an Illinois native, moved to Alaska in 2003 after he retired, and his was a familiar call sign in many operating events. During the ARRL Centennial in 2014, he took part in the W1AW/KL7 operation. "Gary was an avid contester," said fellow Alaskan Corliss Kimmel, AL1G, "and he was an excellent contester. He was also very technically knowledgeable and helpful to anyone who needed advice." Senesac enjoyed operating all modes but may be best known as a CW and RTTY contester. Senesac was a member of the Matanuska Amateur Radio Association, the Fox River Radio League, the Society of Midwest Contesters, and the ARRL A1 Operators Club. In addition to his participation in the W1AW ARRL Centennial year operation, AL9A also recently took part in the KL7RST special event, and he served as a mentor to many operators. "He will be dearly missed by us all," Kimmel said. "I will miss his posts, seeing his amazing scores, and laughing at his jokes."
Centenarian, Alaska Women's Hall of Fame Member Arlene "Buddy" Clay, KL7OT, SK: Arlene "Buddy" Clay, KL7OT, of Wasilla, Alaska, died on February 11. She was 103. An ARRL member, Clay was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame in 2015 for her work in rural justice administration among the Yup'ik people. She became a ham in 1948 and began calling the Thursday night Snipers Net for the Matanuska Amateur Radio Association, a duty she continued from her retirement community home until she died of a stroke. In 1960, after having worked for years with her husband Earl, KL7EM (SK), as an air traffic controller, she began a new career as a magistrate for the Alaska Court System, becoming responsible for 12 villages along the Kuskokwim, Yukon, and Iditarod rivers. She traveled from village to village by boat in the summer and by dog sled in the winter. In all, "Buddy" Clay spent nearly 70 years living in Alaska's wilderness. She was profiled in the August 2013 issue of QST in the article "A Radio Voice in the Wilderness," by Brenda Plessinger, AL7LX.
The FCG's recently elected President Chris Plumblee, WF3C, with Ellen White, W1YL.
W1YL, W1CW (SK), and K4OJ (SK) are First Florida Contest Group Hall of Fame Inductees: Former ARRL Headquarters staffers Ellen White, W1YL, and Bob White, W1CW (SK), and their son Jim, K4OJ (SK), were the first inductees into the Florida Contest Group (FCG) Hall of Fame, in honor of their lifetime of service to Amateur Radio and "for their role as the First Family of the Florida Contest Group (FCG)," the group said. An honorary plaque was presented to Ellen White by FCG President Dan Street, K1TO, at the 2016 Florida Contest Group Banquet on February 12, attended by more than 160 visitors. The Florida Contest Group, an ARRL affiliated club, supports and encourages all types of Amateur Radio contesting. -- Thanks to George Wagner, K5KG
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: All of the indicators we track were lower over the past week (March 17-23), compared to the previous 7 days. Average daily sunspot numbers declined from 51.7 to 28.4, and average daily solar flux dipped from 98.6 to 88.8 over the reporting period. The planetary A index was lower by 3.8 points at 11.9, and the average mid-latitude A index (measured in Wallops Island, Virginia) dropped from 12 to 8.6. Lower geomagnetic indices are generally considered a good thing for HF propagation. The record indicates no new sunspot regions since March 17.
Even though our sun is quiet, there is a seasonal variation that produces aurora around the vernal and autumnal equinox. Spaceweather.com explained this recently.
Sunspot numbers for March 17 through 23 were 66, 29, 26, 26, 25, 13, and 14, with a mean of 28.4. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 91.6, 90.3, 89.4, 87.6, 88.9, 87.3, and 86.8, with a mean of 88.8. Estimated planetary A indices were 21, 8, 18, 10, 8, 8, and 10, with a mean of 11.9. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 16, 6, 12, 6, 7, 6, and 7, with a mean of 8.6.
Send me your reports and observations.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just Ahead in Radiosport
•March 26 -- FOC QSO Party (CW)
•March 26-27 -- CQ WW WPX Contest (SSB)
•March 30 -- UKEICC 80 Meter Contest (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 and Events
•March 25-26 -- Maine State Convention, Lewiston, Maine
•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
•Find conventions and hamfests in your area.
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
