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AE5ME > ARRL 22.01.16 17:32l 159 Lines 9048 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: //WL2K ARRL Newsletter January 21st Part 4 of 4
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Midwinter 630 Meter Activity Weekend Set for Early February
US and Canadian radio amateurs and experimenters will join forces in February for the first Midwinter 630 Meter Activity Weekend. The event will get under way at 0000 UTC on February 6 (Friday, February 5, in US time zones) and runs through 2359 UTC on February 7.
"Tower A" at the QTH of Joe Craig, VO1NA, an LW/MW enthusiast in Torbay, Newfoundland. He will be among the Canadian stations taking part in the Midwinter 630 Meter Activity Weekend. [Photo courtesy of Joe Craig, VO1NA]
"This event is being undertaken because of the new and quickly growing interest in present 630 meter activities, both in the US and Canada," said ARRL 600 Meter Experimental Group (WD2XSH) Experiment Coordinator Fritz Raab, W1FR. "Much of the interest is in response to the strong likelihood of US amateurs receiving access to the band in the near future, while Canadian hams are eager to learn more about the present level of Amateur Radio activity on their newest ham band." The activity weekend comes on the heels of a special event operation over the November 13-14 weekend that included participation by US and Canadian radio amateurs, and the Maritime Radio Historical Society (MRHS).
Raab said the two activity nights will offer interested amateurs in both countries an opportunity to experience the 630 meter band and, through crossband activity with Canadian amateurs, to take part in activity in the MF spectrum. "Our hope is to see this activity become an annual operating event, to be held every winter on the 630 meter band," Raab said. "For those who may be building for future 630 meter operation, this event will provide an opportunity to test your 'receive' capabilities on MF."
Operation will be from 472 kHz to 479 kHz in various modes. Several Canadian stations will undertake two-way crossband work, all on CW. Submit reception reports via e-mail to the respective operators or via the ARRL 600 Meter Experiment website. Read more.
NASA Control Terminates Spacewalk by Two-Ham Astronaut Team
NASA prematurely terminated a January 15 extra-vehicular excursion (EVA) - or spacewalk - that Astronauts Tim Peake, KG5BVI, and Tim Kopra, KE5UDN, had been undertaking since early that morning. The two were replacing a voltage regulator near the solar arrays that had failed in November outside the International Space Station (ISS) when Kopra reported what NASA Control called "a small amount of water" inside his space helmet. NASA cut the spacewalk short at about 1700 UTC.
Astronauts Tim Peake, KG5BVI, and Tim Kopra, KE5UDN, undertake maintenance and repair work in a January 15 extra-vehicular excursion -- or spacewalk. [NASA video]
The incident recalled the 2013 problem suffered by Astronaut Luca Parmitano, KF5KDP, when his helmet inexplicably began filling with water. The situation became urgent by the time Parmitano and fellow spacewalker Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR, were ordered back into the ISS. NASA subsequently blamed the water buildup on unexplained cooling system issues.
The January 15 spacewalk was the first for Peake, and the third for Kopra. Peake, the first UK astronaut, and Kopra arrived at the ISS in December.
All Amateur Radio equipment on the ISS is routinely shut down during EVAs, effectively postponing planned commemorative slow-scan TV transmissions.
In Brief...
Time Running Out to Order ARRL 2015 November Sweepstakes Pins and Mugs: Orders for 2015 ARRL November Sweepstakes participation pins and mugs must be placed by month's end. Those submitting logs with more than 100 contacts qualify for a Sweepstakes Participation Pin. Anyone managing a "Clean Sweep" by working all 83 ARRL/RAC sections qualifies for a Clean Sweep coffee mug. All pin/mug orders need to be postmarked by January 31, 2016. To order a Sweepstakes pin or mug, send either a copy of your Sweepstakes summary sheet or a copy of the first page of your Cabrillo file along with your check payable to ARRL. Sweepstakes Participation Pins are $8; Clean Sweep Mugs are $15 this year, including shipping. Send orders to ARRL November Sweepstakes Pins/Mugs, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. These items are not stocked. The ARRL places its order once it's known how many have requested pins and mugs. Items will be shipped after all contest entries and all pin/mug orders have been processed and verified, which should happen by April.
Foundation for Amateur Radio Invites Scholarship Applications: The Foundation for Amateur Radio Inc (FAR) invites applications for the 2016-2017 academic year for the 46 scholarships it administers. Applicants must hold a valid Amateur Radio license and be enrolled or accepted for enrollment at an accredited university, college, or technical school. Applicants attending schools outside the US must provide a brochure describing the school. Students do not apply for specific scholarships; each application will be considered for all of the scholarships for which the applicant is qualified. In order to be considered for the Chichester and QCWA scholarships, applicants must obtain the appropriate recommendations. Applications must be submitted by April 15, although applicants may edit their applications until May 7. Data entered onto the application goes directly into an encrypted, password-protected PDF file that is available only to the review committee. No part of the application is stored online. Contact FAR for more information.
Central States VHF Society Issues Call for Conference Papers: The Central States VHF Society (CVHFS) is soliciting papers, presentations, and poster displays about any aspect of weak-signal VHF and above operating for the 50th annual CSVHFS Conference to be held in Rochester, Minnesota July 28-31. Authors do not need to attend the conference nor present their papers in order to have them published in the Proceedings. Posters will be displayed at the conference. The deadline for submissions is May 22. Further information is available at the CVHFS website.
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The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Over the past week we saw solar activity decline somewhat. The average daily sunspot number dipped from 55.7 during the January 7-13 reporting period to 46 during the current January 14-20 reporting period.
Over the same periods average daily solar flux declined from 106.5 to 100.7. Average daily planetary A index went from 11.1 to 9, and average daily mid-latitude A index drooped from 8.4 to 5.6.
Predicted solar flux is 95 on January 21; 100 on January 22-23; 105 on January 24-29; 100 on January 30; 105 on January 31; 110 on February 1-4; 105 on February 5-11; 100 on February 12-14; 95 on February 15-19, and 105 on February 20-25.
We saw one new sunspot on January 14, another on January 17, and two more on January 19 and 20.
Sunspot numbers for January 14 through 20 were 36, 38, 38, 48, 48, 55, and 59, with a mean of 46. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 103.2, 103.5, 99.9, 100.6, 99.9, 97.5, and 100.4, with a mean of 100.7. Estimated planetary A indices were 8, 6, 4, 4, 5, 11, and 25, with a mean of 9. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 6, 4, 3, 3, 4, 7, and 12, with a mean of 5.6.
Send me your reports and observations.
Just Ahead in Radiosport
?January 23 -- WAB 1.8 MHz Phone
?January 23-24 -- YL-ISSB QSO Party (CW/SSB)
?January 23-24 -- BARTG RTTY Sprint
?January 23-24 -- Montana QSO Party
?January 24 -- QRP ARCI Fireside SSB Sprint
?January 27 -- SKCC Sprint
?January 27 -- 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
?January 17-23 -- Quartzfest, Quartzsite, Arizona
?January 29-30 -- Mississippi State Convention, Jackson, Mississippi
?January 29-31 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto Rico
?February 6 -- South Carolina State Convention, N. Charleston, South Carolina
?February 6 -- Virginia State Convention (Frostfest), Richmond, Virginia
?February 12-14 -- ARRL National Convention, Orlando, Florida
?February 13 -- Georgia ARES Convention, Forsyth, Georgia
?February 19-20 -- Southwestern Division Convention, Yuma, Arizona
?February 20 -- Arkansas State Convention, Hoxie, Arkansas
?February 27 -- WCF Section Technical Conference, Tampa, Florida
?February 27 -- New Mexico TechFest, Albuquerque, New Mexico
?February 27 -- Vermont State Convention, S. Burlington, Vermont
?March 4-5 -- Alabama Section Convention, Birmingham, Alabama
?March 11-12 -- Louisiana State Convention, Rayne, Louisiana
?March 18-19 -- South Texas Section Convention, Rosenburg, Texas
?March 19 -- West Texas Section Convention, Midland, Texas
?March 19 -- MicroHAMS Digital Conference, Redmond, Washington
?March 25-26 -- Maine State Convention, Lewiston, Maine
Find conventions and hamfests in your area.
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