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Hurricane Katrina....Hams did what they do best, provide reliable communications when main stream forms fall over. (Sept. 2 2005) A local NBC affiliate channel 17 has given some 3 minutes to Ham Radio and EchoLink and IRLP during there continuous coverage of this weeks hurricane. Pete VK2YX in our text editions has the url, a great TV clip you should watch, well worth a read !!!! http://redhat.irlp.net/irlpnbc17.wmv Right across the USA, and even in Australia according to that NBC report Amateurs did what they do best, provide reliable communications when main stream forms fall over. A Ham in central Indiana took control of one of the most powerful emergency networks anywhere to help those effected by Hurricane Katrina. Amateur Peggy McNary took the post of "controller" of SATERN, Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network and speaking on WISH-TV 8 described her job as "traffic cop", juggling the broadcasts of ham radio operators across the world. The primary function for "SATERN" is health and welfare checks. (www.satern.org) ARRL report that Louisiana ARES Section Emergency Coordinator Gary Stratton, K5GLS, told them some 250 ARES members have been working with relief organizations and emergency management agencies throughout the disaster. A Hurricane Katrina Volunteer Signup Database Has Opened. Site Administrator AB2M, set up the database, and South Texas ARRL Section Emergency Coordinator KK5CA, is handling volunteer coordination, the site intended for Amateur Radio volunteers to sign up for communication support duty on behalf of Hurricane Katrina relief and recovery efforts in Louisiana and Mississippi. Hurricane Katrina HF Response and Recovery Frequencies 02802.4 USB American Red Cross Disaster (F-91) ** 03171.4 USB American Red Cross Disaster (F-92) ** 05136.4 USB American
Red Cross Disaster (F-93) **
06859.5 USB American Red Cross Disaster (F-95) ** 07507.0 USB USN/USCG
hurricane net (pri)
09380.0 USB USN/USCG hurricane net (sec) 10493.0 USB FEMA 14396.5 USB SHARES Coordination Network (nationwide HF voice coordination) AMATEUR HIGH-FREQUENCY GULF COAST HURRICANE NETS 03845.0 LSB Gulf
Coast West Hurricane
07225.0 LSB Central
Gulf Coast Hurricane
14265.0 USB Salvation
Army Team Emergency Radio (SATERN) (health & welfare)
(WIA News)
Amateur Radio Awareness Day to Feature Emergency Power Operating Event (Sept. 17 2005) What makes Amateur Radio unique is the ability to communicate with one another anywhere in the world--and even in orbit--without having to rely on any outside infrastructure whatsoever. Hams can even do this without even being plugged into the wall socket. Experienced radio amateurs take this capability for granted, but the general public is far less aware of it. So, an Emergency Power Operating Event (EPOE) on Amateur Radio Awareness Day, Saturday, September 17, will highlight Amateur Radio's ability to communicate worldwide without commercial mains, the Internet or a cellular telephone system. "What better way to mark Amateur Radio Awareness Day than by calling attention to this unique capability?" says ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. "It is particularly appropriate since September is the Department of Homeland Security's National Preparedness Month." Amateur Radio Awareness Day activities typically focus on increasing public awareness. Past events have included public demonstrations, talks to community groups and getting local media coverage. According to DHS, National Preparedness Month is aimed at encouraging Americans to prepare for emergencies and to raise public awareness about the importance of being prepared. This Amateur Radio Awareness Day, September 17, the ARRL will sponsor a 15-hour Emergency Power Operating Event for stations operating off the grid. "It is not a contest," Sumner stresses. "It is simply a demonstration of what we amateurs can do without having to rely on the commercial mains, and what we will do whenever the need arises." An announcement in September QST (page 49) spells out the details. The event kicks off at 1300 UTC on Saturday, September 17, and wraps up at 0400 UTC on September 18. The ARRL is inviting home stations to operate from generator or battery power. Portable and mobile stations also may participate. "We hope home stations operating on batteries or generators, mobiles, and possibly even some portables will participate," Sumner says, "although unlike Field Day, the emphasis is not on setting up a temporary station, but rather on operating your regular station on emergency power." There is no set exchange; contacts may be casual, but operators are encouraged to share information on their emergency power sources in addition to the traditional signal report, name and location. ARRL Maxim Memorial Station W1AW will be on the air for the event, running on emergency power from its 60-kW emergency backup diesel generator. W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, says the whole point is to showcase that Amateur Radio is prepared during National Preparedness Month--"and any time, for that matter," he adds. A special QSL will be available to stations contacting W1AW while running from an emergency power source. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with all QSL card requests, and indicate on your card the emergency power source used. (Address cards to W1AW, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111.) "I hope we can work stations operating on emergency power in all 50 states," says Sumner. "It should be a lot of fun, and we may even learn something!" The League is encouraging participating radio amateurs or groups to invite local Citizen Corps leaders to see Amateur Radio installations in emergency power mode. "The two events offer great opportunities for Amateur Radio to showcase its valued service to the nation," said ARRL Field and Educational Services Manager Rosalie White, K1STO. She urges ARRL-affiliated clubs and Field Organization volunteers to take advantage of the occasion to set up public demonstrations of Amateur Radio and to present or even demonstrate--under the banner of National Preparedness Month--the free services Amateur Radio provides to the community. ARRL Club/Mentoring Program Manager Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, believes a public Emergency Power Operating Event offers a great opportunity to recruit prospective hams for licensing classes clubs that may be forming this fall. (ARRL News Service)
70CM spared in The Phillipines (Oct. 2 2005) Some good news for hams in the Phillipines. After spending an anxious month, radio amateurs in that nation have received the good news that the 70 centimeter band in is not going to be re-assigned for wireless broadband services. As previously reported, the Phillipines National Telecommunications Commission had included 410 to 495 MHz, including the 70 centimeter ham allocation in nine bands it considered could be available for broadband wireless networks. This being needed to promote and facilitate the development of information and communications technology. A subsequent public inquiry into the proposal saw it opposed not only by the Philippines Amateur Radio Association, but also some broadband service companies. As a result, in issuing its memorandum under the Public Telecommunications Act the National Telecommunications Commission has spared the amateur 70cm band by excluding it from the reassignment list. By the way, in the Philippines radio amateurs have 430 to 440 MHz which includes the international amateur satellite band. Its loss in the Phillipines had the potential to negativly impact on ham satellite use worldwide. (VK3PC) (ARNewsLine)
GB2RS Celebrates 50 Years (Sept. 25 2005) (RSGB2)
UK: Icom supports Ham Commemoration of the Battle of Trafalger (Oct. 17-24 2005) Icom is lending its support to a special event celebrating the Bi-Centenary commemoration of the Battle of Trafalgar. This by supplying most of the gear to a special event station which is being run by the Cray Valley Radio Society The station will operate from the
National
Maritime Museum at Greenwich in South East London for an 8-day period
from October 17th to the 24th. Icom
The battle of Trafalgar fought in 1805 is considered by many as one of the most decisive naval engagements in history, both tactically and strategically. It not only eliminated Napoleon's plans to invade England, but also destroyed French naval power and ensured the dominance of the British navy throughout the world. The Cray Valley Radio Society is no stranger to operating high profile special event stations. The club manned the highly successful Millennium special event station M2000A, making 48,000 QSOs in two months. For more details of the society, please visit www.cvrs.org on the World-Wide-Web. (Icom America) (ARNewsLine)
Sept. 2 2005 Tad Cook K7RA Solar Update
The IMF was continuing to point south as of the evening of September 1, and this could leave Earth vulnerable to a coronal mass ejection (CME) erupting on the sun on Wednesday, August 31 at 2230 UTC. The wind from this event is traveling at about 3.36 million miles per hour, or 1500 km per second. The predicted planetary A index for Friday through Monday, September 2-5 is 30, 25, 10 and 10. Sunspot numbers and solar flux should rise slowly over the next week. As September begins, we look forward to the fall equinox in the Northern Hemisphere--always a better time for HF propagation. It is also time to look at the average solar flux and sunspot numbers from August, comparing them to previous months. Average daily sunspot number in August was 65.6, down slightly from 68.7 in July. July average daily solar flux was 96.5, declining to 92.4 in August. The average daily sunspot numbers for the months October 2004 through August 2005 were 77.9, 70.5, 34.7, 52, 45.4, 41, 41.5, 65.4, 59.8, 68.7 and 65.6. Average daily solar flux for the same months was 106, 113.7, 95, 102.3, 97.2, 89.9, 85.9, 99.5, 93.7, 96.5 and 92.4. Peter Baskind, N4LI. of Germantown, Tennessee (EM55) reported that on August 27 there was a great 6 meter opening in which he worked stations around the eastern US and Caribbean. Most surprising was a 30 minute opening to Argentina with LU6DRV (GF05) peaking sometimes over S9--uncommon he says for that far north. I remembered this week that a ham I used to chat with on AMTOR in the 1980s, W5KSI, Angelo Glorioso Jr. lived in New Orleans. I e-mailed him and his son to inquire about their welfare, hoping they'd evacuated early from the city before the storm. His son (Angelo III, N5UXT) answered right back, saying he was in Baton Rouge and his dad had evacuated to Houston, Texas, on Sunday morning. I rang up Angelo, asked how he was doing, and he said "Everything is gone," including the house he's lived in for 50 years and his mother's home. Angelo lived about 500 feet east of Bayou Saint John, on Filmore Avenue, a mile south of Lake Pontchartrain. The last they saw their home was around 10 AM Sunday morning when Angelo and his wife began the 360-mile drive to the Bunker Hill Village area of Houston via Interstate 10. Even though all of I-10 was switched for the evacuation to westbound traffic only, the traffic crawled the whole way. Angelo and his wife drove nearly non-stop until 4:30 PM Monday, an average speed of less than 12 MPH. Angelo told me he wakes up in the morning expecting the nightmare to be over, and then it sinks in, that it really did happen. But he is grateful he made it out of New Orleans safely with his family. Western Washington Section Manager Ed Bruette, N7NVP, sent along some non-ham frequencies to monitor for possible hurricane traffic. Of course, these are outside the ham bands, and all we should do is listen. All are in upper sideband. USN/USCG hurricane nets are on 7507 and 9380 kHz. American Red Cross also uses upper sideband for disaster communication on 2802.4, 3171.4, 5136.4, 5141.4, 6859.5, 7550.5 and 7698.5 kHz, but 7550.5 is the primary frequency. Hugh Stegman, NV6H, has compiled a list of hurricane recovery frequencies. I've been asked recently about any new sunspots from the next solar cycle. The conventional wisdom is that sunspots with a new magnetic polarity are actually from the next solar cycle. I talked to Bill Murtagh of the NOAA Space Environment Center, and he said a recent one was what he called a rogue sunspot group or a "gnarly group." In fact, spots with a magnetic polarity opposite to the prevalent one appear from time to time throughout the solar cycle, and are a good indicator for enhanced geomagnetic activity to come. I asked Bill about the sunspot cycle prediction tables in the back of the Preliminary Report and Forecast (mentioned in the "Solar Update" of August 5). I was curious how these are updated and when, and I also noted that the prediction for solar cycle minimum around the end of 2006 had not changed in several years. Bill said this estimate is still valid, but they should have an update in April 2006 to be announced during Space Weather Week. A panel of experts will meet to come up with an updated model for the end of the current cycle. Bill said that so far the prediction for the smoothed sunspot number for the peak of the next cycle ranges from a pessimistic 50 maximum to 150 maximum. By contrast, the famous Cycle 19 from the late 1950s had a smoothed peak of 201.3, and cycles 21 and 22 (the last two) peaked at 164 and 158. Current Cycle 23 peaked at 120.8. Bill said the smoothed solar flux and sunspot numbers are averaged over 13 months, so the most recent number that is not a prediction would be six months ago. The number shown for the current month would be the six predicted months in the future combined with the previous six observed months. For more information concerning radio propagation and an explanation of the numbers used in this bulletin see the ARRL Technical Information Service Propagation page. An archive of past bulletins is on the ARRL Web site. Sunspot numbers for August 25 through 31 were 76, 57, 91, 99, 88, 68 and 48, with a mean of 75.3. The 10.7 cm flux was 92.4, 93.2, 92.1, 89.8, 89.2, 86, and 84, with a mean of 89.5. Estimated planetary A indices were 24, 11, 7, 7, 9, 4 and 36, with a mean of 14. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 18, 5, 4, 5, 5, 3 and 17, with a mean of 8.1. (ARRL News Service)
Europe
Flare activity has mostly been low or very low, with only one M-class flare during the week. The solar flux edged down from 92 on the 27th to 77 on the 2nd, averaging 85 - a drop of 15 from the previous week. The 90-day average is down a point at 93. The x-ray flux declined, from B1.8 to A3.7, averaging A7.4. The geomagnetic field was initially quiet or unsettled, with the Ap index in single figures. However, a high-speed coronal stream on the 31st combined with a sustained southerly orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field resulted in a geomagnetic storm that continued into the 1st. The Ap index for the 31st was 36, and for the 1st 21. The 2nd was also disturbed, due to a coronal mass ejection on the 28th. The Ap index reached 33, with the disturbance continuing into 3rd. Solar wind speeds varied between 332km/sec on the 31st and 968km/sec on the 2nd. Particle densities briefly reached 33 per cubic centimetre on the 31st but were mostly single figures. The storm was the major factor affecting propagation, with HF conditions considerably degraded over the past few days, especially over high-latitude paths. However, aurora was reported on 50, 70 and 144MHz from around 1230UTC on the 31st, peaking between about 1530 and 1830, when it extended to all parts of the UK, and petering out during the evening. Sporadic-E occurred on most days, reaching 70MHz on the 27th and 28th. However, most openings were fairly short and unstable. Now the week ahead. The Sun currently has few spots, with little or no potential to produce substantial flares. However, a region that has produced an extremely bright coronal mass ejection on the far side of the Sun will rotate into view about the 7th. We may well hear more of it in a week's time. Solar flux levels should begin recovering soon but seem unlikely to rise above the 80s. The high speed stream that brought heightened geomagnetic levels on the 3rd is likely to continue into the 4th. The 5th and 6th will mainly be quiet with active periods. The rest of the week should be quiet-to-unsettled. MUFs at equal latitudes should show a slight seasonal increase to 22MHz in the south and 19MHz in the north. Darkness hour lows will remain about 10MHz. Paths to India should have a maximum usable frequency of about 24MHz. The more reliable optimum working frequency will be in the area of 18MHz. The path should be best between 0800 and 1600UTC. Summer sporadic-E is just about at an end, though occasional openings can still occur at any time. However, it will no longer feature in these predictions until the end of the year, which sometimes brings a small seasonal increase. (This report prepared by Neil Clarke, G0CAS, and Martin Harrison, G3USF)
Life Aboard ISS "Very Comfortable,"
Astronaut Tells Japanese Youngsters (Aug. 31 2005)
"For me, the importance of spaceflight is we are pushing the frontiers of humanity every outward, discovering new things" Phillips said. The US astronaut and Expedition 11 crew commander Sergei Krikalev, U5MIR, will remain aboard the ISS until October. One youngster wanted to know if Phillips had experienced any difference in his blood pressure during his duty tour aboard the ISS. Phillips said he hasn't noticed any big change. "I think that maybe my blood pressure may be just a little bit higher because the fluids in my body are distributed differently on the earth," he said. "But the difference is very small." In fact, he allowed, his blood pressure was probably about normal. Another ham club member asked Phillips what he thinks about when he's looking at Earth from the ISS. "I think that it's very beautiful," Phillips replied, "and that all peoples of Earth share a responsibility for safeguarding our planet and working together to keep the earth beautiful for many generations to come." In all, 13 students--including control operator Jun Maeda, JL8AQH, a high school student--took part in the August 22 contact. They asked 19 questions. In addition to an audience of more than 40 people, two TV stations and three newspapers covered the event. "This was my pleasure to talk to the students of the Sapporo Junior Amateur Radio Club," Phillips said in his parting remarks. "I've been to Sapporo a couple of times, and I have very fond memories of that city." Those assembled for the event broke out in cheers and applause as the contact concluded. The next ARISS school contact also will be with youngsters in Japan. On September 2 at approximately 0945 UTC, the ISS crew is scheduled to take questions from youngsters visiting the 2005 World Expo in Aichi. The direct contact between NA1SS and 8N2AI should be audible to anyone in Japan and nearby parts of Asia and the Pacific who are monitoring 145.80 MHz downlink. It's expected the contact will be carried out in English. According to ARISS event organizers, the Japan Amateur Radio League has set up a commemorative Amateur Radio station at the World Expo 2005 site. ARISS is an international educational outreach with US participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA. (ARRL News Service)
Space QSO Provides Arizona Youngsters
Something to Remember (Aug. 26 2005)
In all, the youngsters, who ranged from second through eighth graders, managed to fire off nearly two dozen questions before the ISS went out of range. Among them was the nearly inevitable "food question." "Canned and dried foods," Phillips responded when asked what kind of foods the crew eats in space. "Unfortunately, there's no ice cream." Another youngster was curious about whether meteorites could collide with the space station. Phillips said they could, but it's also possible to maneuver the ISS to avoid them. In their free time, he told the students, he and crew mate Sergei Krikalev, U5MIR--the Expedition 11 commander--enjoy reading books and magazines and staying in touch with their families via e-mail. "We don't get a lot of free time," Phillips explained. Phillips responded to fourth grader Anastasia Plyasunova first in her native Russian, then in English. She'd asked if ISS crew members can vote from space and how many times the space station orbits Earth each day. Space station crew members can vote from space, he said, and the ISS orbits Earth every 91 minutes. Steve Bible, N7HPR, served as the control operator for the event. "At the end of the pass when the static took over," he recounted, "I thought to cheer to seal the excitement of the contact and break the tension in the room. It did!" Bible had help from Joe Julicher, N9WXU, who set up a laptop computer displaying a real-time graphic of the ISS passing overhead. A parent, Ward Brown, held the microphone for the students to ask their questions. ARISS International Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, served as the mentor for the contact. In the spirit of the occasion, students and staff members at Higgins wore T-shirts bearing the legend, "I Went to School Today and All I Got to Do was Talk to an Astronaut." The Higgins QSO marked the 190th ARISS school group contact since the first ISS crew came aboard in 2000. After the approximately 10-minute contact, several students remarked that they'd remember the day. A number of news media covered the event, including a couple of newspapers and two television stations, both of which aired reports on their evening newscasts. Among the distinguished guests in the audience of students, parents, administrators and faculty was Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman. ARISS is an international educational outreach with US participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA. (ARRL News Service)
ARISS delegates urged to cast eye on future of Ham Radio in Space (Aug. 26 2005) The two dozen delegates to the Amateur
Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) International Meeting
August 1-2 voted unanimously to study
"We must begin to think seriously about making solid plans for ARISS, or we will not be ready when it's time to move ahead," ARISS International Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, told the gathering at the University of Surrey in Guildford, England. NASA already has plans for missions to the moon, Mars and beyond on the drawing board. The new committee will provide updates at ARISS International monthly teleconferences. Delegates from the five ARISS regions--Japan, Canada, Europe, Russia and the US--convened on the heels of the AMSAT-UK Symposium. At the Symposium, ARISS-Europe team members hosted a session that updated those attending on the ARISS program. Looking toward the deployment of
the European Space Agency's Columbus ISS module, ARISS delegates named
a committee to develop a strategy and
ARISS-Europe's Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, provided an extensive progress report on Columbus module radio systems, including feedthroughs, cables and patch antennas. The patch antennas, the first designed to conform to the shape of a space module, will be Earth-facing and located near the port cone. Amateur Radio contractors are currently fabricating the antennas, which will provide receive-only coverage on L band (1260-1270 MHz) and transmit and receive capability on S band (2400-2450 MHz) at a maximum power output of 10 watts. The ARISS Team is on a tight deadline--approximately
a year--to design and develop an Amateur Radio system for Columbus, then
test, certify and
ARISS delegates also gave the go-ahead
for the ARISS Public Relations Committee and ARISS International delegates
to publicize the Russian Shadow
Bauer, Lou McFadin, W5DID, and ARISS-Russia's
Sergei Samburov, RV3DR, updated the group on SuitSat. If all goes according
to plan, an ISS crew
ARISS-US delivered to ARISS-Russia
a supply of ARISS logo patches to place on SuitSat hardware containers
during their flight to the ISS. Bauer's
ARISS International Secretary-Treasurer
Rosalie White, K1STO, reminded delegates that NASA's new administrator
is a radio amateur, Mike Griffin,
"It should be expected that most
people in NASA leadership positions will change as the new administrator
gets settled in his job," she said, "and
(ARRL News Service)
Plug and Play Radio Telescope (Aug. 26 2005) The British Astronomical Association's radio astronomy group is working on an interesting project to develop a “plug and play” radio telescope system that can be connected to any modern PC. The group says that beginners as well as experts will be able to use the system to easily set up their own radio observatory. The system will have a modular design to allow new functionality to be bolted on as and when it is developed. Modules will initially be available for solar observations at 2.8GHz and sudden ionospheric disturbances (SIDs) at VLF but other modules are planned, including a software-controlled scanning receiver and interferometry, 151MHz and 38MHz receivers. The group is also keen to hear from anyone interested in developing further modules. The project has been split into three phases. The first involves the production of a core PIC module to which a variety of receiver designs can be connected. Each receiver will be controlled and monitored from a PC using Java software. In the second phase, the group aims to develop a simple Ethernet to eight-channel RS485 hub to provide easy connection with modern computers. The final phase is to create an internet-based database of results from individuals' observations. For more information about this innovative project, visit the group's website. www.britastro.org/info/radio.html (RSGB2)
Next Near Space Ballon Launch (Sept. 3 2005) The Arizona based Near Space Research
group says that its next Amateur Radio balloon launch event will take place
on Saturday September 3rd at
The vcoice system operates with an uplink will be on 145.560 MHz using a 162.2 Hz CTCSS access tone. You listen for Near Space on 445.525 MHz. This event can also be heard live via the IRLP. Arizona Near Space Research is focused
on promoting science and education through Amateur Radio and High Altitude
Balloons. More information is on
(ARNewsLine)
Dick Bird G4ZU.....Pioneer antenna designer, silent key (Oct. 2 2005) Well recognised for re-shaping the construction of antennas and their theory of operation is Gordon "Dick" Bird G4ZU/F6IDC, who has died in South France, aged 86. A chief electronics engineer and manager he worked for the British Post and Telecommunications, NATO and the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence. From the 1950s he created numerous original antennas such as the "Minibeam" and "Birdcage" with their designs being published in ham radio magazines creating worldwide interest. In the 1980s he designed an antenna with bent elements, that became known as the "Jungle Job" or "Bow-and-Arrow Yagi". Later when writing about it Dick conceded in designing the antenna having stumbled on the `critical coupling' technique developed jointly by two of his peers, Fred Caton VK2ABQ and Les Moxon G6XN. The popular multi-band "spider beam" is based on Dick's ideas but was not developed by him. It consists of three mono-band "Bow and-Arrow Yagis" interlaced on the same supporting cross. This lightweight portable antenna remains popular today and is marketed by Cornelius Paul, DF4SA. The G4ZU antenna designs are renowned for their gain. An example being a two-element switchable beam antenna made of wire comprising three dipoles and a common parasitic reflector. The three switchable lobes, 120-degrees apart, produced forward gain of nearly 9dBi and a front-to-back ratio of about 25dB. Sincere condolences are extended to his wife Helene Bird and their children. The antenna design legacy left by Dick, continues to be explored by modern day antenna builders using computer modelling. His principles remain the subject of debate and wonderment. Vale' Gordon "Dick" Bird G4ZU/F6IDC. (WIA News)
All-Asian DX Contest--Phone, 0000Z Sep 3-2400Z Sep 4 (See June QST, p 93 or www.jarl.or.jp/English.) IARU Region 1 Field Day--SSB--sponsored by IARU Societies, 1300Z Sep 4-1300Z Sep 5 (See June QST, p 93, logs due 16 days after the contest to ssbfd.logs@rsgbhfcc.org or RSGB G3UFY, 77 Bensham Manor Rd, Thornton Heath, Surrey CR7 7AF, England.) DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest--Digital Modes--sponsored by the Deutsche Amateur Radio Committee, 1100Z-1700Z Sep 4. Frequencies (MHz): 28.050-28.150 on RTTY, Pactor PSK31, Amtor, Clover. Categories: SO, SWL. Stations may be worked on each mode, but count for multipliers only once. Exchange: RST + serial number. QSO points: 1 pt/QSO. Score: QSO points × WAE countries + DXCC entities + W/VE/JA districts. For more information: www.darc.de/referate/hf/contest/. Logs due 4 weeks after the contest to df5bx@darc.de or Werner Ludwig, DF5BX, PO Box 1270, D-49110 Georgsmarienhuette, Germany. MI QRP Labor Day CW Sprint, 2300Z Sep 5-0300Z Sep 6 (see Jan QST, p 102 or www.qsl.net/miqrpclub/). Russian RTTY WW Contest, sponsored by Radio, from 0000Z-2400Z Sep 3. Frequencies: 80-10 meters. Categories: SOAB, SOSB, MS, SWL. Exchange: RST + WAZ zone or Russian Oblast. QSO points: own continent--5 pts, different cont.--10 pts. Score: QSO points × DXCC entities + Russian oblasts, each counted once per band. For more information:www.radio.ru/cq/contest/rule-results/index2.shtml. Logs due Oct 3 to contest@radio.ru or Radio Magazine, Seliverstov per 10, 107045 Moscow, Russia. North American Sprint--CW, 0000Z-0400Z Sep 11 (see Feb QST, p 102, or www.ncjweb.com). YLRL Howdy Days--CW/SSB--sponsored by the YL Radio League, 1400Z Sep 14-0200Z Sep 16, work 24 out of the 36 hour period. Try frequencies ending in 33 or 88, such as 7.233, 14.288, etc. Exchange: YLRL Member or not. QSO points: non-YLRL member--1 pt, YLRL members--2 pts. Score is total points. For more information: www.ylrl.org. Logs due 30 days after the contest to wx4mm@tm-moore.com or Mary Moore WX4MM, 1593 Lee Rd 375, Valley, AL 36854. WAE DX Contest--SSB, 0000Z Sep 10-2359Z Sep 11 (see Aug QST, p 85, or www.darc.de/referate/dx). ARRL Sep VHF QSO Party, 1800Z Sep 10-0300Z Sep 12 (see Aug QST, p 90). Second-Class Operators Club (SOC) Marathon Sprint--CW, from 1800Z to 2400Z Sep 10. (Most sprints run 4 hours, but since we're Second Class Ops, we need more time!) Frequencies: 160-10 meters. Categories: SOAB. Exchange: RST + S/P/C + SOC number or power output. QSO points: SOC member--5 pts, non-member same continent--2 pts, diff cont--4 pts. Score: QSO points × S/P/C counted once per band × Power Multiplier (<250 mW × 15, <1 W ×10, <5 W ×7, >5 W ×1). Multiply by 1.5 if using a homebrew paddle. Logs due 30 days after the contest to n4bp@arrl.net or Bob Patten, N4BP, 2841 NW 112 Terr, Plantation, FL 33323. Arkansas QSO Party--CW/SSB/PSK31 sponsored by K1ARK, from 1400Z Sep 10-0600Z Sep 11 and 1800Z Sep 11-0200Z Sep 12. Frequencies (MHz): CW--3.550, 7.050, 14.050, 21.050, 28.050; Phone--3.980, 7.260, 14.260, 21.360, 28.360, 145-147; PSK--3580, 7070; 14.070; 21.080; 28.120. Categories: SO, MS, Mobile, HP, LP, QRP, S/P/C, PSK. Exchange: RST, state or province, DX stations send DX (Arkansas stations send county). QSO points: PSK--3 pts, CW--2 pts, SSB--1 pt. Score: QSO points × AR counties (AR station count states, provinces and AR counties). Work mobile stations from each county. Bonus stations: K5NE (25 pts per band/mode), AR ARRL affiliated club station (10 pts). For more information: www.arkan.us. Logs due 30 days after the contest to k1ark@arrl.net or to Bill Smith, K1ARK, 3032 Strawberry Dr, Fayetteville, AR 72703. Tennessee QSO Party--CW/Phone--sponsored by the Tennessee Contest Group, 1800Z Sep 11-0100Z Sep 12. Frequencies (MHz): CW--1.815, 3.540, 7.040, 14.040, 21.040, 28.040; SSB--1.855, 3.900, 7.240, 14.280, 21.390, 28.390; Novice/Tech--3.700, 7.130, 21.140, 28.140, 28.390; VHF/UHF--50.195, 144.195, 146.55, 223.5, 446.0. Exchange: RS(T) and TN county or S/P/C. QSO points: HF Phone--2 pts, HF CW-- 3 pts, VHF Phone--4 pts, VHF CW--6 pts. Score: QSO points × TN counties (TN stations add S/P/C) counted only once. TN stations claim one additional multiplier for every 5 QSOs with the same TN county. Bonus points: 100 points for each QSO with K4TCG and TN mobiles add 500 points for each TN county activated. For more information: www.k4ro.net/tcg/tqp/tqp05_rules.html. Logs due Oct 12 to w9wi@w9wi.com or TN QSO Party c/o Doug Smith, W9WI, 1389 Old Clarksville Pike, Pleasant View, TN 37146-8098. (ARRL News Service)
Black Rock Desert, NV. Nevada-7-Burn
at Burning Man Festival
World Championship Barbecue Goat
Cookoff.
Woodstock Agricultural Fair
80th anniversary of the crash
of USS Shenandoah over Noble County
Kendall County Texas Fair Association
Centennial
Honoring the slain at Rock Springs
Mining Massacre, September 2, 1885
ARCBS Covered Bridge Weekend
Power's Crossroads Country Fair
& Art Festival
26th Anniversary Trek to Ghost
Town of Paradise AZ
CQ Labor Day
Lions Hebron Fair
Commemorating and operating where
Lewis & Clark entered Idaho
50th Anniversary of the Utah State
Fair
To honor those who lost their
lives during Sep 11
Homeland Security Station at the
Pocono Area Hamfest +Plus+
Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum
Open House
September 11 Memorial Station
on NA-026
General Sterling Price Day
Lewis and Clark Expedition Bicentenniel
Route 66 On-the-Air
Duluth Aerial Bridge 100th Anniversary
Commemorating the attacks on the
Pentagon, World Trade Center and over Pennsylvania
Commemorating the World Trade
Center Disaster
POW-MIA Recognition Week
200th anniversary of the Discovery
Corps encampment on the route over the Bitterrot Mountains
111th Annual Big Rock Plowing
Match
(ARRL)
Rare Worked All Britain Square to be Activated (Oct. 10 2005) Kevin Haworth, M0TNX, and Keith Radford, G3SZU, are planning to activate an extremely rare Worked All Britain square – SD35 – near the village of Knott End On Sea in Lancashire on 10 October this year. They believe that this will be only the third time that the square has been activated. The reason the square is so rarely activated is that it lies within Morecambe Bay and is therefore under water for much of the year. Kevin and Keith plan to be active from the square from 1400 to 2100UTC on the 20/40/80/160m bands on both phone and CW. (RSGB2)
EGYPT, SU. Gab, HA3JB
will be QRV again as SU8BHI from July 01 to December 31. He
will be active on all bands using CW, RTTY, SSTV, PSK and some SSB during
many of the major upcoming contests. QSL direct only via
HA3JB (Kutasi Gabor, P.O. Box 243, H-8601
Siofok, Hungary).
Sept. 1 2005 ARRL DX News This week's bulletin was made possible
with information provided by the OPDX Bulletin, The Daily DX, 425DXnews,
DXNL, WA7BNM and Contest
CROATIA, 9A. Roger, 9A/ON4TX is QRV from Prezba Island, IOTA EU-016, until September 11. Activity is on 40 and 20 meters using CW and SSB. QSL to home call. PAKISTAN, AP. Ijaz, AP2IA has been QRV on 15 meters around 1500z. QSL to home call. ETHIOPIA, ET. Station ET3TK has been active using RTTY at various times. QSL via OK1CU. PHILIPPINES, DU. Jon, DU9/N0NM is usually QRV using CW on 160 meters just before 1000z. QSL via W4DR. DJIBOUTI, J2. J20VB is usually QRV on 40 or 30 meters using CW around 0100 to 0300z. QSL via UA4WHX. ISLE OF MAN, GD. Four members of the Wrexham ARS will be QRV as GD4WXM/p and GT4WXM/p from the Scarlett Point Tower from September 6 to 9. Activity will be on 160 to 2 meters using CW and SSB. They may also use their personal callsigns. QSL via operators instructions. NORWAY, LA. Look for
LA3SRK/p to be QRV during the IARU Region 1 Field Day. Activity will
be on 160 to 10 meters using CW, SSB, RTTY
DENMARK, OZ. Michael,
OZ/DK5NA/p will be QRV from Romo Island, IOTA EU-125, from September 4
to 23. He will concentrate his activity on
BRAZIL, PY. Special event station PS113QB is active during the month of September to commemorate the 113th birthday anniversary of the first LABRE RN president, Jose Bezerra Marinho. QSL via bureau. CRETE, SV9. Terry is QRV as SV9/M0CLH/p until September 12. His activity is holiday style, but can usually be found using mostly SSB on 20 or 17 meters. He may try 12 and 10 meters as well. QSL to home call. MARSHALL ISLANDS, V7. Neil, V73NS is usually QRV on 160 meters around 0900z. QSL via operator's instructions. NORFOLK ISLAND, VK9N. Kirsti, VK9NL has been QRV on 15 meters around 2300z. QSL direct only. THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO. The All Asian DX Phone Contest, Russian RTTY World Wide Contest, Wake-Up. QRP Sprint, AGCW Straight Key Party, IARU Region 1 SSB Field Day, RSGB SSB Field Day, IARU VHF Contest, DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest and the MI QRP Labor Day CW Sprint will certainly keep contesters busy this weekend. Please see September QST, page 98 and the ARRL and WA7BNM contest websites for details. (ARRL News Service)
Sept. 1-15 2005 I.C.P.O. Bulletin Islands, Castles & Portable Operations - I.C.P.O. 01/09/2005:
AS-100 4Z4DX/P & 4Z5KJ/P AKHZIV ISLAND -
01/09/2005:
HP1/WN6K PANAMA -
01/09/2005:
AF-NEW! SU8GFTN GIFTON ISLAND -
01/09/2005:
OC-002 VK9XMO CHRISTMAS ISLANDS -
01/09/2005:
NA-NEW VYØ NUNAVUT (KITIMEOT REGION) WEST -
01/09/2005:
NA-136 WA2ART/1 JOHNSON ISLAND, CT -
01/09/2005:
OC-NEW! YE7P KARIMATA ISLAND -
03/09/2005:
EU-043 SM6/DL2VFR ORUST ISLAND -
04/09/2005:
EU-125 OZ/DK5NA/P ROEMOE ISLAND -
04/09/2005:
EU-043 SM7DAY/6 ORUST ISLAND -
05/09/2005:
EU-030 OZ/DJ4JI BORNHOLM ISLAND -
06/09/2005:
EU-136 9A5ID/P CROATIAN ISLANDS -
06/09/2005:
OC-009 T88 REPUBLIC OF PALAU -
07/09/2005:
EU-017 ID9/IZØEHO LIPARI ISLAND -
09/09/2005:
NA-005 VP9/WA4PGM BERMUDA -
10/09/2005:
SA-001 CE/LA6IKA/MM CHILE & EASTER ISLAND -
10/09/2005:
NA-026 K2MET GOVERNORS ISLAND -
11/09/2005:
EU-008 MSØWRC/P ISLE OF MULL -
15/09/2005:
EU-061 LA6Q SVENNER ISLAND -
73 and Good
Hunting!
Home of
ICPO:
www.qsl.net/va3rj
Note: A complete list of Prefixes assigned by International Telecommunications Union can be found on the Trans Provincial Website: www.tpn7055.ca/callsign.html
ARRL President Urges Orderly Amateur Radio Response in Katrina Recovery (Sept. 1 2005) ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, today called on the Amateur Radio community to exercise patience as the Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans flooding relief and recovery efforts move into high gear. "I know many people would like to move now," Haynie said. "Please don't. I know many of you want to enter the fray, come to the coast and get involved. Please, not yet." Haynie instead advised hams eager to assist to make sure they're prepared, refresh their skills and knowledge of protocols and procedures and let emergency management and relief agencies determine who is needed and where. "For now, the area is simply too dangerous and no one is being allowed in," Haynie went on to say. "Transportation and logistics, including volunteer groups coming in, must be done in an orderly manner or we may only add to the chaos and confusion." He recommended that ARES members and teams work through their Section Emergency Coordinators (SECs). "Information and coordination for such a historically large response is being developed and will be made available soon," he said. Haynie also reminded volunteers to be "professional and disciplined" whenever checking into a net. "Net control is a difficult job at best, so be respectful," he said. "If you have traffic fine, but if not , please stand by." Meanwhile, Amateur Radio operators have been deployed from Houston, Texas, to New Orleans to assist in the trouble-plagued evacuation of flooding refugees from the Louisiana Superdome. Because of additional flooding, damage to the facility and other problems at the Superdome, authorities have been convoying the 25,000 flood evacuees in the sports stadium to the Houston Astrodome. Louisiana Section Emergency Coordinator Gary Stratton, K5GLS, says ham radio communication between Houston and the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, emergency operations center (EOC) today was able to clarify some logistical issues involved with the refugee relocation effort. "They needed ETAs and that sort of thing, because they needed police escorts to go with the convoy," he said. "They were also working with the management at the Superdome and police support for the people that are being moved in there." While Amateur Radio is providing scattered support in Louisiana for various relief organizations, Stratton said most of the hams' efforts so far have gone toward assisting with emergency management and search-and-rescue operations. He says he has ARES members ready to roll once state authorities reopen the hardest-hit parishes that have been closed off to outsiders. "We have people on standby from all over northern Louisiana and from the South Texas Section basically champing at the bit trying to find out when they can go," Stratton told ARRL. "It's a very tough wait." Volunteers have been or will be deployed into the areas that are not cordoned off, he said. "People are beginning to come back up," to he said, referring to radio amateurs who were themselves storm victims. Stratton says Louisiana Assistant SM Mike King, W5MP, rode out the storm at a hospital on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, from which he's been providing communication. "He basically lost everything down there," Stratton said, "but he's carrying health-and-welfare traffic out of Slidell at this point and also coming up to the tactical frequency from time to time." Stratton said most of the emergency activity has been on HF, as repeaters were knocked out or have exhausted emergency power resources. He noted that some systems north of Lake Pontchartrain were coming back on line, however, as power is restored. ARES volunteers from Bossier and Caddo parishes are being deployed into areas that are still open. "We're handling a lot of traffic from down there that ends up being made by cell phones from people in the affected area to relatives to people up here in Shreveport," Stratton explained, "and they call the 911 center in the Bossier area, and we have a radio link from our EOC to Bossier." From there the traffic goes onto the HF net. Mississippi Section Manager Malcolm Keown, W5XX, in Vicksburg, told ARRL today that ARES members in the three hardest-hit counties--Harrison, Hancock and Jackson. Assistant Mississippi SM Edwin Franks, AD5IS, says people have been calling him at home to get information about friends and relatives in the stricken area. District Emergency Coordinator Thomas Hammack, W4WLF, in Gulfport, has been among those volunteering at the Harrison County EOC. Amateurs in the three counties have been using HF, VHF and UHF resources to support emergency management as well as the Red Cross, The Salvation Army and the Baptist Men's Kitchen. Amateurs also have been handling considerable health-and-welfare traffic, he said. The West Gulf ARES Emergency Net--organized under an agreement among Louisiana, Mississippi and South Texas sections--remains active on 7.285 MHz days and 3.873 MHz nights, handling emergency and priority traffic only. The net has been operating 24/7 according to Keown. Health-and-welfare traffic is being handled on 7.290 MHz days and 3.935 MHz nights. Stratton said he'd heard that some 40,000 health-and-welfare requests had been received via Amateur Radio already, but no way to deliver them at this point. "We've not had anything like this, and it was so widespread," he said. The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) on 14.265 MHz has begun concentrating on emergency and priority traffic and shuttling health-and-welfare requests to its Web site. As of this morning, SATERN reported it had received more than 12,000 health-and-welfare requests, most via the Web site, and it's had to update its server to handle the overwhelming volume of requests. The Salvation Army also is using Amateur Radio for its tactical communications. SATERN National Net Director Jim Adams, WA0LSB, says the net is activating daily at 1400 UTC and continuing until 20 meters closes. "We estimate that approximately 1000 Amateur Radio operator operators are checking into the SATERN net each day," he said. "Most of them have traffic and are an excellent source for relays and traffic handling. Each day, we are able to pass many pieces of traffic." He said QRM and jamming problems have been minimal so far. The American Red Cross advises it's also handling health-and-welfare inquiries via its toll-free "Get Info" hotline, 866-GET INFO (866-438-4636). Radio amateurs not involved in emergency communication are being asked to keep the West Gulf Emergency Net and SATERN frequencies clear, plus or minus 5 kHz. ARRL advises that stations not initiate any additional traffic into the storm-affected areas at this time, since the primary activity is focused on supporting ongoing search-and-rescue, relief and recovery operations. (ARRL News Service)
Federal Government Grant to "Ham Aid" Will Support Katrina Response (Sept. 2 2005) The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) will provide a $100,000 grant supplement to ARRL to support Amateur Radio's emergency communication operators in states affected by Hurricane Katrina. The grant will help to fund "Ham Aid," a new League program to support Amateur Radio volunteers deployed in the field in disaster-stricken areas. ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, expressed gratitude to CNCS for its generous response. Ham Aid, she said, offers a unique opportunity to support individual radio amateurs helping to bridge the communication gap Hurricane Katrina has caused. "For the first time in ARRL history, we will be able to reimburse some of the expenses that hams incur in response to a disaster," she said. "We only wish that we could justify an expense reimbursement program like this every time Amateur Radio Emergency Service volunteers are called upon to help in a disaster or emergency, sometimes placing themselves in harm's way." In addition to providing emergency communication within and outside the affected areas, Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) members and individual radio amateurs are supplementing the communication needs of emergency management and relief agencies, including the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army. Hobart said it's only due to the scope of the unprecedented and tragic Katrina disaster that CNCS agreed to help support dedicated Amateur Radio volunteers. "But," she added, "we'd like to think of this grant as a token of appreciation and a recognition of Amateur Radio's value in past emergencies and disasters, such as 9/11." Hobart says ARRL's Ham Aid program already has received some substantial private donations. Those and the CNCS grant, she said, provide a way for the League to "support our Field Organization as never before." The CNCS Ham Aid grant is effective for operations established and documented as of September 1, 2005, and the aid is earmarked for Hurricane Katrina deployments only at this point. Guidelines are being established that will permit volunteers who have been involved in bona fide field support operations on or after September 1 to provide communication support to apply for a reimbursement voucher on a per diem basis. Trained Amateur Radio operators will be on site for the duration of this disaster response, which could run into several weeks or months. "Many will leave their jobs and families and travel on their own expense, using their own equipment," Hobart points out. Corporation funds may also sustain the Ham Aid program and help to rebuild the emergency communications capabilities in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to ensure that the Gulf Coast is prepared, should disaster strike again. The CNCS grant is an extension of ARRL's three year Homeland Security training grant, which has provided certification in emergency communication protocols to nearly 5500 Amateur Radio volunteer over the past three years. "CNCS grants helped make it possible for the ARRL to train America's hams and make them the best all-volunteer emergency radio service ever seen," Hobart said. "Now they are making it possible for the hams to use that training." (ARRL News Service)
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