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AE5ME > ARL 17.06.16 18:34l 68 Lines 8158 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : JQSD3CNMM6A7
Read: GUEST
Subj: ARRL Letter June 16 Part 4 of 4
Path: IW8PGT<CX2SA<N0KFQ<AE5ME
Sent: 160617/1543Z 39761@AE5ME.#NEOK.OK.USA.NOAM BPQ1.4.65
Well-Known DXer, DXpeditioner Milt Jensen, N5IA, Dies in Fall from Tower
Well-known DXer and DXpeditioner Milt Jensen, N5IA, of Virden, New Mexico, died on June 10 after falling from an Amateur Radio tower. An ARRL Life Member, he was 73. According to the Pima County Sheriff's Department, Jensen was working on a tower on Arizona's Mount Lemmon when he fell. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The mishap is still under investigation.
Milt Jensen, N5IA, during the Ducie Island DXpedition in 2008.
"Milt was on one of his many tower climbing adventures, and, by no choice of his, it became his last," his oldest son, Jason, wrote in a QRZ.com post.
Licensed in 1960, Jensen had lived in Virden for his entire life. Especially well known for his 160 meter activity, he spent several years constructing an "8-circle array" of full-sized 160 meter verticals -- each 125-foot towers -- at his station site south of Safford, Arizona, near the New Mexico border, Lee Finkel, KY7M, wrote in an article set to appear in the July/August issue of NCJ. Jensen operated his "dream station" remotely from his home, often using the call sign N7GP in contests. In addition to his Top Band operation, Jensen was heavily involved in designing, installing, and maintaining VHF and UHF mountaintop repeaters, remotely controlled base stations, and linking systems. As a contester, he often landed in the Top 10 standings.
Jensen participated in three DXpeditions. He and his wife Rulene, KB5VTM, were part of the 1998 XZ1N team in Myanmar. In 2000, he returned to Myanmar as part of the XZ0A multinational team. In 2008, he was part of the Ducie Island VP6DX DXpedition team. Read more.
Nepal Radio Amateur Describes Earthquake Response Effort at West Coast Gathering
Amateur Radio's "vital role" in the 2015 Nepal earthquake response was the topic on June 2 as the City of Santa Clara, California, hosted Sanjeeb Panday, 9N1SP, of Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu Nepal. Given that the Silicon Valley and the Kathmandu Valley share the common geography of multiple, nearby earthquake fault lines, the subject was relevant. The Santa Clara Fire Department sponsored the presentation, with an eye toward applying the lessons learned in the wake of the Nepal earthquake to better prepare for a similar disaster in the Silicon Valley.
Sanjeeb Panday, 9N1SP, spoke in Santa Clara, California, on June 2.
"The Nepali people have gone through a tremendous ordeal," Panday told the audience. "If our experience can help others in different parts of the world [to] better prepare for disasters, then this can be regarded as a positive outcome."
Nearly 100 spectators attended Panday's presentation, including firefighters, emergency response officials, City of Santa Clara ARES/RACES members, Bay-Net participants, and members of the Nepali-American Community. Scout leader Richard Silkebakken, KM6CPH, and members of Cub Scout Pack 32 (Monterey Bay Council) presented Panday with two handheld transceivers for delivery to Scouts in Nepal. Also during the event, the office of US Rep Mike Honda presented the Global Nepali Professional Network (GNPN or CAN-USA) with a "Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition." Through its Radio Mala program, GNPN funded and helped to construct the only two Amateur Radio repeaters available in Nepal during the earthquake.
Panday was in the US to attend the International Microwave Symposium (IMS), where he addressed a panel on Amateur Radio in post-secondary education. On June 1, he also spoke to the US Geological Survey.
Second-generation Nepali-American Suresh Ojha, W6KTM, said he was gratified that the academic community and US jurisdictions are looking at Nepal's earthquake experience with an eye to applying the lessons learned to the challenges faced in the US. Read more.
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Europe's "Dayton" -- Ham Radio 2016 (Friedrichshafen) -- Takes Place June 24-26
ARRL will be well represented this month at Europe's premier Amateur Radio gathering -- Ham Radio 2016. The 3-day event, in Friedrichshafen, Germany, on the shores of Lake Constance, gets under way on June 24. ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, will head the League's contingent to Friedrichshafen, which also will include International Affairs Vice President Jay Bellows, K0QB; CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF; Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R; Assistant Field Services and Radiosport Manager Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, and retired CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. The annual show attracts upward of 15,000 visitors from around the globe. The co-sponsoring Deutscher Amateur Radio Club (DARC) has set a theme of "Amateur Radio -- On land, on water, and in the air" for this summer's event. Some 200 exhibitors from 34 countries will be on hand for this 41st "Friedrichshafen."
The indoor flea market at Friedrichshafen always draws a crowd.
"There are as many different ways to operate Amateur Radio as there are places from which you can send radio transmissions: On land, on water, and in the air," DARC spokesperson Stephanie Heine, DO7PR, said.
This year's program includes a "foxhunt" in woods near the fairgrounds, a youth camp, and the Ham Rally, where the next generation of radio amateurs can explore the world of technology and wireless. It's open to young people between the ages of 8 and 18.
A Contest University (CTU) sponsored by the DARC will take place for radiosport beginners on Friday, June 24, and experienced contesters on Saturday, June 25, with sessions aimed at how to improve contesting performance.
IARU Region 1 will host a meeting of those interested in emergency communication on Friday, June 24. The session will include an open forum for national coordinators to report on activities in their respective countries. Also up for discussion will be GlobalSet and changes to the IARU emergency message procedure.
International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) President Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA, will head the IARU team to Friedrichshafen, along with IARU Vice President Ole Garpestad, LA2RR, and IARU Secretary Rod Stafford, W6ROD, a past ARRL president.
Next year's big show in Friedrichshafen will take place July 14-16, owing to a scheduling conflict. Read more.
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: It was a little scary to see the daily sunspot number at zero for 4 days -- June 3-6 -- but conditions seem to have recovered nicely. The average daily sunspot number for our June 9-15 reporting week was 29.1, up from 7.7 the previous week.
Due to the way sunspots are counted, the minimum non-zero sunspot number is 11. A sunspot number of 11 means there is one sunspot (counting as one point) in one sunspot group (adding 10 points). A second sunspot raises the sunspot number to 12, unless that spot is on its own and not clustered with the other spot, in which case the sunspot number would be 22. So, that average daily sunspot number of 7.7 from the previous week is due to the fact that 4 out of the 7 days had sunspot numbers of zero; you would never see a day with an actual sunspot number of 7.7.
Average daily solar flux this week was 88.3, up from 80.7. Predicted solar flux for the next month is pretty flat, at 85 on June 16-30; 80 on July 1-5; 85 on July 6-9; 92 on July 10-11; 95 on July 12-18; 92 and 90 on July 19-20, and 85 on July 21-27.
Predicted planetary A index is 18, 12, and 8 on June 16-18; 5 on June 19-21; 8, 10, 12, and 8 on June 22-25; 1 on June 26-27; 5 on June 28-July 1; then 25, 20, and 8 on July 2-4; 5 on July 5-6; 8 and 10 on July 7-8; 8 on July 9-10; 5, 8, 12, and 8 on July 11-14; 5 on July 15-19; 10, 12, and 8 on July 20-22; 1 on July 23-24, and 5 on July 25-28.
Sunspot numbers for June 9 through 15 were 22, 28, 40, 39, 27, 26, and 22, with a mean of 29.1. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 85.2, 84.9, 88.2, 94.1, 91, 87.6, and 87.3, with a mean of 88.3. Estimated planetary A indices were 4, 9, 11, 10, 9, 21, and 14, with a mean of 11.1. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 5, 9, 11, 9, 10, 15, and 15 with a mean of 10.6.
In Friday's bulletin look for reader reports on recent 6 meter propagation.
Send me your reports and observations at k7ra@arrl.net.
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