| |
AE5ME > ARL 17.06.16 18:33l 42 Lines 4628 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 05QTCVNMFMH1
Read: GUEST
Subj: ARRL Letter June 16 Part 3 of 4
Path: IW8PGT<CX2SA<N0KFQ<AE5ME
Sent: 160617/1543Z 39756@AE5ME.#NEOK.OK.USA.NOAM BPQ1.4.65
"The Magic Band" Lives Up to its Name in ARRL June VHF Contest
Six meters sounded more like an HF band during the ARRL June VHF Contest over the June 11-12 weekend, as sustained sporadic E (also known as E-skip or Es) openings greeted participants. Some found 6 meter contacts so bountiful that they tended to neglect the other VHF/UHF bands, where conditions were more typical.
"As for why the contest weekend was so good, all I can say is that June can be good for E-skip," said Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, the former "Propagation" editor for National Contest Journal (NCJ). "I think the term 'sporadic' in its name is well suited. We just don't understand the detailed processes of 6 meter Es."
The well-appointed VHF-UHF tower at K2DRH.
For many, it was a 6-meters-only event, with the best conditions in several years and much of the action on CW. "This was the consummate 50 MHz festival, with wide-open bands throughout most of the contest," Bill Schwantes, W7QQ, in New Mexico, posted in his soapbox comments on the 3830 website. "For the first time in my memory I felt like a rate junkie, often reaching 200 per hour. What fun on 6, while ignoring long-haul, weak signal contacts on 144, 222, and 432."
Bob Striegl, K2DRH, who boasts some serious VHF-UHF antennas in upstate Illinois, said the band "was going crazy" in the evening from the East Coast to Europe, and to Japan from the Midwest and South. "In a lull I tuned up JA7QVI, who was the strongest, and worked him on CW with low power!"
Mike Smith, VE9AA, in New Brunswick called it, "A VHF (6 meter) contest I can write home about." He was one station's first 6 meter contact, and "was tickled to do that."
Top-tier HF contester Dan Street, K1TO, in Florida, made his first 6 meter contact with Japan during ARRL VHF, only the third time he's operated in the event. "Conditions were amazingly different for all of us," Street said in his soapbox post. "I watched in awe as the W1s seemed to have a contest-long opening to somewhere. EA8DBM's skimmer made an incredible number of US spots, and he worked stations out to the West Coast. Yet here in Florida, I never heard him once, nor even one European."
Eric Gruff, NC6K, in California also didn't get in on the excitement. "Another frustrating VHF contest from DM13," he posted. "[T]he majority of the time, I spent listening to the same local stations calling CQ incessantly, while the rest of the country was enjoying a huge opening."
Charlie Panek, KX7L, in Washington, summed things up this way: "Every few years the planets line up right, and we get a good Es opening during the contest," he said. "This was one of those years!" Read more.
White House Honors Limor Fried, AC2SN, Among "Champions of Change for Making"
The White House will honor Adafruit founder Limor "Ladyada" Fried, AC2SN, on June 17 as one of 10 "Champions of Change for Making." According to the announcement, while an engineering student at MIT, Fried became determined to create a company that focused on supporting the learning of electronics for makers of all ages and skill levels.
Limor Fried, AC2SN.
"These individuals were selected by the White House for their personal passion and tireless efforts to make advances in technology and platforms, educational opportunities, or spaces that empower even more Americans to become tinkerers, inventors, and entrepreneurs," the announcement said.
Fried founded Adafruit in 2005, and it has grown to now employ more than 100 individuals in a 50,000 square foot factory in New York City. As the company's sole owner, she has committed to building both innovation and community, and is known for creating resources for learning.
"When Limor Fried looks at a circuit board, she sees it as a series of aesthetic choices -- a vehicle for self-expression, rather than simply the product of rational optimization," Nicola Twilley wrote in the March 3 edition of The New Yorker magazine. Twilley quoted Fried as saying, "I want to show people that engineering isn't something cold and calculated. Thinking like an engineer is a beautiful and fascinating way to see the world, too."
Fried was the first female engineer on the cover of WIRED magazine, and she was named Entrepreneur of the Year in 2012 by Entrepreneur magazine. She also served on the NYC Industrial Business Advisory Council.
Adafruit has expanded its offerings to include tools, equipment, and electronics, which Fried personally selects, tests, and approves before they go into the Adafruit store.
The White House will live stream the recognition ceremony on Friday, June 17, at 1700 UTC. Read more.
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
