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AE5ME > ARL 10.04.16 03:48l 50 Lines 5379 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: ARRL Letter April 7th Part 3 of 4
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Sent: 160410/0140Z 35306@AE5ME.#NEOK.OK.USA.NOAM BPQ1.4.64
"Cows Over the World DXpedition" Set to Get Under Way
Tom Callas, KC0W, has all of his bovines in a row to begin his "Cows Over the World DXpedition" to several DXCC entities in the Pacific and Asia this month, several months earlier than initially announced. All call signs will include a "COW" suffix. American Samoa will be the starting point for his all-CW adventure. The Minnesota DXer will operate as KH8/KC0W beginning on or about April 12. At the outset of his stay on Tutuila Island (OC-045), Callas will be on a beach near Pago Pago on the east side of the island.
"Running down the center of American Samoa is an 800 meter (approximately 2600 feet) tall mountain, which should greatly attenuate my CW signal to Europe and Asia," he told The Daily DX. This location should favor North and South America, however.
After completing operations on the east side of the island, KC0W will move to the west side to accommodate European and Asian DXers. He has estimated that he will operate "for a month or two" from the east side of the island. "Europe and Asia, don't get frustrated if you can't hear me when I'm operating from the east side of the island. Your time will come," he said on his QRZ.com profile.
Tom Callas, KC0W, with friend.
Callas has no set time frame to operate from each entity. "The determining factor will be: When the pileups die down, it's time to pack everything up and move along," he said. Although his emphasis will be on 160, 80, and 40 meters, KC0W plans to be active on 160 through 6 meters, running 500 W to vertical antennas over salt water. He expects to participate in "all major CW contests."
His DX travels to the other venues are still on track. These include Samoa, Tokelau, Solomon Islands, Temotu Province, and Bangladesh. He said he's spent months researching the absolute best DXing sites at each location.
Callas stressed that he will only be operating CW. "No microphones have been brought along," he pointed out. He's financing the round-robin DXpedition out of his own pocket. Read more. -- Thanks to The Daily DX for some information
Hurricane Watch Net Seeks Net Control Operators
The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) is looking for additional net control operators. Hurricane Season in the Atlantic begins on June 1 and ends on November 30; in the Eastern Pacific, it begins on May 15 and ends on November 30. Hurricanes can form at any time of the year, however, as witnessed by Hurricane Alex in January.
"With the 2016 hurricane season rapidly approaching, the Hurricane Watch Net is preparing for what looks to be an active season," HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, said. "It has been a long time since the US has seen a major hurricane make landfall." He believes the US may be overdue for one.
Graves said the HWN is always on the lookout for well-qualified, experienced net control operators who can effectively communicate with hurricane-prone areas from eastern Canada, the US East Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. He said bilingual (English and Spanish) operators are a valuable asset.
Visit the HWN Membership Information Page, if you're interested in becoming a member of the Hurricane Watch Net. Read more.
Ohio SEC Expanding "NVIS Antenna Day" Activity this Year
ARRL Ohio Section Emergency Coordinator Stan Broadway, N8BHL, says he has expanded participation in his section's "NVIS Antenna Day" on Saturday, April 23, by inviting stations in neighboring states to participate. This year's activity also will introduce the "anchor stations" concept, to provide more consistent signal reports. The Near-Vertical Incidence Skywave or NVIS antenna has gained traction among emergency communication groups and others desiring a close-in radiation pattern for regional work on HF.
Typical elevation plane pattern for half-wavelength antennas one-eighth wavelength or less above ground.
"Working with antennas has been an integral part of Amateur Radio since the first hams took to the airwaves," Broadway said. "Having the 'right' antenna becomes even more important when we're acting in the interest of public safety." Sponsored by Ohio ARES, NVIS Antenna Day will get under way at 1500 UTC on April 23, when teams will start making contacts to compare antennas.
"We don't have an ending time, because some stations had so much fun -- and so many pileups -- last year that that they went on for quite a while past dark," Broadway recounted.
Ohio Section Emergency Coordinator Stan Broadway, N8BHL.
Broadways said several stations in surrounding states plan to be active in this year's NVIS Day. "We've also received word a group in Texas will be doing their own NVIS exercise along with ours," he added. "So, it looks like 40 meters will be busy with test signals!"
Broadway said NVIS Antenna Day is not a contest but an activity focused on having teams or individuals research and determine the NVIS antenna designs they believe will work the best -- then build and test them on the air.
"The differences [among competing NVIS antennas] last year weren't as dramatic as one might expect. Those fashioned after the military AS-2259 cross-dipole configuration appeared to be the best, but other designs worked nearly as well," Broadway pointed out. "We do understand that 'regular' antennas work well also -- a lot has to do with band conditions." Read more.
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