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   Message 11,586 of 13,334   
   Sean Dennis to All   
   The ARRL Letter July 19.2018   
   20 Jul 18 11:03:27   
   
   ********************************************   
               The  ARRL Letter   
      
   Published by the American Radio Relay League   
   ********************************************   
      
   July 19, 2018   
      
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME    
      
   ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive   
   Audio News   
    IN THIS ISSUE   
      
   - WRTC 2018: Amazing Contact Totals, Scores Despite Poor Conditions   
   - ARRL Announces Two Career Opportunities   
   - The Doctor Will See You Now!   
   - ARRL Represented at IEEE Symposium   
   - RadioShack "Express Stores" to Open in HobbyTown USA Locations   
   - BIRDS-2 Constellation CubeSats Transported to ISS for August   
   Deployment   
   - Final Preparations Under Way for Youth on the Air 2018 in South   
   Africa   
   - Jack Gerbs, WB8SCT, Appointed General Chairman for Hamvention 2019   
   - US ARDF Champions Prepare for International Competition in Korea   
   - In Brief...   
   - The K7RA Solar Update   
   - Just Ahead in Radiosport   
   - Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions   
      
   ARRL Website, Some Services to be Down Briefly on July 25: The ARRL   
   website and some services will be down for maintenance for up to 1 hour   
   on Wednesday, July 25, starting at approximately 0900 UTC. During this   
   period some or all systems may be temporarily inaccessible. This   
   affects all content on www.arrl.org  (including   
   the ARRL Store), http://contest-clubs.arrl.org   
   , and   
   http://contest-log-submission.arrl.org   
   . Logbook of The World and   
   email will not be affected. We apologize for any inconvenience.   
      
   ==> WRTC 2018: AMAZING CONTACT TOTALS, SCORES DESPITE POOR CONDITIONS   
      
   A crack team of contesters from Lithuania won the gold medal in World   
   Radiosport Team Championship 2018 (WRTC 2018   
   ), held over the weekend in Germany. Operating   
   as Y81N, Gedas Lucinskas, LY9A, and Mindis Jukna, LY4L, topped the   
   real-time scoreboard for much of the event, which is held as a   
   competition within a contest, in conjunction with the IARU HF   
   Championship . Lucinskas and   
   Jukna had ended up in sixth place during WRTC 2014, held in New   
   England. In WRTC 2018 they posted a final score of 5,690,685 points,   
   logging 5,139 contacts, with a heavy emphasis on CW. Final results   
    for all competing teams have been   
   posted on the WRTC 2018 website.   
      
   We are the champions! The second-place team of Stefan von Baltz,   
   DL1IAO, and Manfred Wolf, DJ5MW (left), and the third-place team of Dan   
   Craig, N6MJ, and Chris Hurlbut, KL9A, flank gold medalists Gedas   
   Lucinskas, LY9A, and Mindis Jukna, LY4L. [WRTC 2018 photo]   
      
      Despite conditions during the weekend that were no better than   
   mediocre, the 63 competing teams logged a total of 262,746 contacts   
   during the 24-hour competition.   
      
   Taking second place to the pleasure of the German sponsors was the Y81A   
   team of Manfred Wolf, DJ5MW, and Stefan von Baltz, DL1IAO, with   
   5,273,488 points, with 4,936 contacts, a majority on CW. They placed   
   third in a nail-biting finale for the bronze at WRTC 2014. The mostly   
   German audience gave Wolf and Baltz a huge ovation at the WRTC 2018   
   awards ceremony.   
      
   In the third spot this time around was the WRTC 2014 defending champion   
   team of Dan Craig, N6MJ, and Chris Hurlbut, KL9A, who operated as Y82V,   
   and racked up a final tally of 4,891,710 points, heavily weighted   
   toward CW.   
      
   The WRTC 2014 second-place team of Rastislav Hrnko, OM3BH, and Jozef   
   Lang, OM3GI, from the Slovak Republic landed in 10th place at WRTC   
   2018.   
      
   The father-son Y87B team of Jeff Briggs, K1ZM, and Patrick Briggs,   
   KK6ZM, won the SSB Leader Award. [Roberto Ramirez, CE3CT, photo]   
      
      This year's first-place team scored nearly 1.5 million fewer points   
   but 567 more contacts than the WRTC 2014 first-place team of N6MJ and   
   KL9A.   
      
   The WRTC 2018 Live Scoreboard  transformed the   
   event from an isolated radio competition into a sporting event that   
   could be followed online around the world. Although Live Scoreboard   
   viewers knew where things stood among the 63 teams, the competitors had   
   no clue until the event concluded.   
      
   Determining the final results of WRTC 2018 involved an extensive   
   log-checking process, based in part on comparisons between IARU HF   
   Contest logs submitted to WRTC 2018 for that purpose. Randy Thompson,   
   K5ZD, reported at the July 16 closing ceremony that the evaluation   
   committee received 3,500 logs within 16 hours of the event's end for   
   auditing competitors' logs.   
      
   The father-son Y87B team of Jeff Briggs, K1ZM, and Patrick Briggs,   
   KK6ZM, won the SSB Leader Award. The CW leaders, operating as Y83O,   
   were Tonno Vahk, ES5TV, and Toivo Hallikivi, ES2RR, of Estonia. Vahk   
   and Hallikivi also were the WRTC 2018 multiplier leaders.   
      
   Claiming the award for the most accurate log -- which was said to be   
   very close -- was the Y86V team of Leo Slavov, OR2F, and Pascal   
   Lierman, ON5RA, of Belgium. They made 39 logging errors out of 3,052   
   contacts (1.28%).   
      
   Youth Team Award winners were Alexandru Mancas, YO8TTT, and Leo   
   Kharchenko, UT5GW, who landed in 14th place overall. There were three   
   youth teams for competitors aged 25 or younger. The youngest WRTC 2018   
   competitor was 14-year-old Bryant Rascoll, KG5HVO, who paired with   
   22-year-old Y83Z Team Leader Mathias Acevedo, CE2LR.   
      
   Jannsen said he's looking forward to WRTC 2022, which will take place   
   in Bologna, Italy, as announced at the closing ceremony.   
      
   ==> ARRL ANNOUNCES TWO CAREER OPPORTUNITIES   
      
   ARRL has announced career opportunities for a Business Services Manager   
   and a Senior Lab Engineer -- EMC/RFI Specialist at ARRL Headquarters in   
   Newington, Connecticut.   
      
   The Business Services Manager reports to the Chief Financial Officer   
   and is responsible for the marketing and sale strategies of print and   
   digital advertising along with wholesale book revenues.   
   Responsibilities include relationship management with all clients,   
   sales analysis -- including internal and market trends and management   
   functions such as forecasting, budget preparation -- and staff   
   management.   
      
   Candidates should hold a bachelor's degree and have 3 or more years of   
   in-depth industry- and job-specific and supervisory experience.   
   Applicants should possess excellent interpersonal skills, strong   
   written and oral communication skills, a high level of sales and   
   marketing expertise in print and digital media, and extensive knowledge   
   of Amateur Radio.   
      
   The Senior Lab Engineer -- EMC/RFI Specialist reports to the Lab   
   Manager, and plans and performs a wide range of technical duties in   
   support of ARRL objectives with respect to electromagnetic   
   compatibility (EMC) and radio frequency interference (RFI) in the   
   Amateur Radio Service. Candidates must hold an Amateur Radio license.   
   This individual will work with ARRL members and others in the Amateur   
   Radio community to resolve EMC/RFI problems, and will maintain a   
   database of member contact regarding specific EMC/RFI cases. The Senior   
   Lab Engineer -- EMC/RFI Specialist will work with Federal   
   Communications Commission (FCC) staff and with industry and standards   
   development organizations in the course of resolving and preventing   
   EMC/RFI problems, as well as identify devices with significant RFI   
   potential, test the devices, and draft detailed reports on their   
   performance.   
      
   The applicant should hold a bachelor's degree in electronics or have 3   
   - 5 years of relevant experience. Ideal candidates will have experience   
   in the EMC/RFI field with an emphasis on Amateur Radio.   
      
   Detailed descriptions of the job requirements for both position are on   
   the ARRL Employment Opportunities page   
   .   
      
   ==> THE DOCTOR WILL SEE YOU NOW!   
      
   "Zero Beating" is the topic of the latest (July 19) episode of the   
   "ARRL The Doctor is In " podcast.   
   Listen...and learn!   
      
   Sponsored by DX Engineering , "ARRL The   
   Doctor is In" is an informative discussion of all things technical.   
   Listen on your computer, tablet, or smartphone -- whenever and wherever   
   you like!   
      
   Every 2 weeks, your host, QST Editor-in-Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and   
   the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of   
   technical topics. You can also email your questions to doctor@arrl.org,   
   and the Doctor may answer them in a future podcast.   
      
   Enjoy "ARRL The Doctor is In" on Apple iTunes   
   ,   
   or by using your iPhone or iPad podcast app (just search for "ARRL The   
   Doctor is In"). You can also listen online at Blubrry   
   , or at Stitcher   
    (free registration required, or browse the   
   site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or   
   Android devices. If you've never listened to a podcast before, download   
   our beginner's guide .   
      
   ==> ARRL REPRESENTED AT IEEE SYMPOSIUM   
      
   ARRL was on hand in Boston July 8 - 13 for the Institute of Electrical   
   and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Antenna and Propagation Society (AP-S   
   )   
   Symposium, held jointly held with the US National Committee of the   
   International Union of Radio Science (URSI ). The   
   ARRL exhibit included an Amateur Radio special event demonstration   
   station, N1P, and more than a dozen volunteers staffed the ARRL   
   exhibit.   
      
   "We had a very attractive booth in a great location," said ARRL Eastern   
   Massachusetts Assistant Section Manager Phil Temples, K9HI. "Engineers   
   in the antenna and propagation fields in industry and science attending   
   from all over the world stopped by the ARRL table to see and learn   
   about Amateur Radio."   
      
   Temples said ARRL Headquarters provided supplies for the booth as well   
   as display copies of publications, "which doubled as door prizes for   
   drawings," he added. Complementing volunteers from the ARRL Eastern   
   Massachusetts Section were radio amateurs attending the conference who   
   donated their time between talks and seminars to assist with the booth   
   and greet fellow attendees.   
      
   "It was clear to me that our presence at the symposium meant a great   
   deal to the IEEE AP-S/URSI leadership," Temples said. "It's difficult   
   to have a 'live' Amateur Radio station in an exhibit area of a major   
   hotel, so we were indeed fortunate to have access to one of the   
   premiere contesting stations in New England through a remote internet   
   HF setup, courtesy of Yankee Clipper Contest Club member Greg Cronin,   
   W1KM." Temples said YCCC president Dennis Egan, W1UE, supplied an   
   Elecraft K3 to use on site.   
      
   Robert Paknys, VE2JBP/W1, checks out 20-meter SSB from special event   
   station N1P at the 2018 IEEE AP-S Symposium in Boston, Massachusetts.   
      
      In addition, Temples recounted that ARRL Volunteer Examiners were   
   able to conduct separate Amateur Radio licensing exam sessions over 2   
   days at the conference, thanks to the efforts of the Eastern   
   Massachusetts Amateur Radio Group and Lou Harris, N1UEC. More than a   
   dozen attendees took advantage.   
      
   "The IEEE AP-S/URSI hams who will organize next year's event hope to   
   secure the call sign N4P and recruit local volunteers when the   
   symposium moves to Atlanta, Georgia, in 2019," Temples said. He   
   expressed gratitude to Dave Michelson, VA7DM, an Associate Professor of   
   Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of British   
   Columbia and who chairs the IEEE's AP-S/URSI Joint Meetings Committee,   
   for his help in coordinating the Amateur Radio display. "Thanks also go   
   to San Diego Section Manager Dave Kaltenborn, N8KBC, and Michelle   
   Thompson, W5NYV, who advised us following the 2017 ham radio effort."   
      
   ==> RADIOSHACK "EXPRESS STORES" TO OPEN IN HOBBYTOWN USA LOCATIONS   
      
   According to a July 13 article  in the New York   
   Post, RadioShack  is planning to open   
   "express stores" within HobbyTown USA    
   locations. The nearly century-old, twice-bankrupt retailer has signed a   
   deal with HobbyTown USA to put a mini RadioShack outlet in some 50   
   HobbyTown USA stores across the country that would sell items that   
   might appeal to radio amateurs and experimenters. Those locations will   
   be identified with RadioShack signage. HobbyTown markets   
   remote-controlled cars and boats as well as drones and other   
   hobby-related merchandise.   
      
   RadioShack shuttered all of its company-owned retail outlets. Its last   
   unsuccessful effort to bail itself out of debt involved a deal with   
   cellular provider Sprint. HobbyTown USA has 140 retail outlets, and,   
   according to the Post article, RadioShack eventually could carve out a   
   presence -- on the order of 500 square feet -- in all of them. Stores   
   in HobbyTown USA's headquarters town of Lincoln, Nebraska, as well as   
   in Parker, Colorado, and Mooresville, North Carolina, will be among the   
   first to host RadioShack express concessions.   
      
   "HobbyTown is purchasing the RadioShack merchandise and offering it to   
   its hobbyist customers who need the tools, wires, and other accessories   
   that RadioShack makes," the Post article said.   
      
   The article quoted Steve Moroneso, chief executive of General Wireless   
   Operations Inc. -- an affiliate of hedge fund Standard General, which   
   acquired RadioShack in 2015 -- as saying that RadioShack's strategy now   
   is not to own brick-and-mortar stores. RadioShack came out of   
   bankruptcy in January with 400 dealers, an online retail presence, and   
   a distribution center. General Wireless acquired the 1,743 retail   
   outlets that survived RadioShack's 2015 bankruptcy.   
      
   Moroneso also told the Post that there is "plenty of interest from   
   dealers who want to open a full-line Radio Shack." Read more   
   .   
      
   ==> BIRDS-2 CONSTELLATION CUBESATS TRANSPORTED TO ISS FOR AUGUST   
   DEPLOYMENT   
      
   The second generation of CubeSats in the BIRDS constellation now is on   
   board the International Space Station (ISS) and set for deployment in   
   early August using the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)   
   module's remote manipulator arm. The June 29 SpaceX Falcon 9 launch   
   carried the BIRDS-2  CubeSats --   
   MAYA-1, BHUTAN-1, and UiTMSAT-1, built by students from Malaysia,   
   Bhutan, and the Philippines at the hosting Kyushu Institute of   
   Technology in Japan. All CubeSats have identical designs and utilize   
   the same frequencies. While independently made, operation and control   
   of the three CubeSats will be shared by three teams after the   
   spacecraft are released into space. All three CubeSats will transmit a   
   CW beacon on 437.375 MHz. They will be operational for 6 months.   
      
   "The three will form a constellation, orbiting the Earth from different   
   places. This will provide the countries more opportunities to make   
   measurements and run experiments than just with using one CubeSat,"   
   explained Joel Joseph Marciano, Jr., manager of the PHL-Microsat   
   program in the Philippines. The primary mission of BIRDS-2 CubeSat   
   constellation is to provide digital message relay service to the   
   Amateur Radio community by means of an onboard APRS digipeater on a   
   frequency of 145.825 MHz.   
      
   Another mission of the BIRDS-2 CubeSat constellation is to demonstrate   
   a store-and-forward system, investigating technical challenges through   
   experiments on appropriate data format, multiple access scheme, and   
   file-handling protocol while complying with limited operational time   
   and power constraints.   
      
   The BIRDS-2 CubeSat store-and-forward system will collect data from   
   remote ground sensors, store it on board, and download it to the   
   BIRDS-2 ground station network, begun last year during the BIRDS-1   
   CubeSat constellation project.   
      
   The CubeSats will carry two identical cameras with different lenses to   
   capture images with varying resolution. The cameras will also be used   
   to capture a minimum-resolution video from space for experimental   
   purpose.   
      
   The CubeSats will also carry magnetic field sensors to measure the   
   magnetic field in space and compare it with that measured on ground.   
      
   Additional experiments will use the BIRDS-2 CubeSat constellation to   
   enhance research and experiment in single latch-up event detection,   
   magnetic field measurements, and flight testing of a newly designed GPS   
   chip to demonstrate its low-power operation capabilities in space.   
   Students will also explore a passive attitude stabilization mechanism.   
   All measurements and image data will be made available on the BIRDS-2   
   project website. -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service   
      
   ==> FINAL PREPARATIONS UNDER WAY FOR YOUTH ON THE AIR 2018 IN SOUTH   
   AFRICA   
      
   There are just weeks to go until the Youngsters on the Air (YOTA   
   ) international event, YOTA South Africa   
   2018, gets under way. The South African Amateur Radio League (SARL   
   ) is hosting the event. A summertime gathering   
   in the past, YOTA South Africa 2018 will take place during the Southern   
   Hemisphere winter. The YOTA Events Team is wrapping up preparations for   
   the 7-day program, August 8 - 15 in South Africa's Gauteng region. Some   
   80 young radio amateurs -- including 13-year-old Faith Hannah Lea,   
   AE4FH, of Florida -- are expected to attend and operate the ZS9YOTA   
   special event station while there.   
      
   Last August, 80 young people attended YOTA Summer Camp in England,   
   sponsored by the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB). Two young radio   
   amateurs from the US attended the 2016 YOTA Summer Camp in Austria.   
      
   "This week creates, in addition to Amateur Radio, the opportunity to   
   learn all about different nationalities and cultures, foster   
   international friendships and goodwill as well as learning new   
   communication and technical skills," IARU Region 1 Youth Working Group   
   Chair Lisa Leenders, PA2LS, said in a statement.   
      
   Leenders said this year's camp will mark the first YOTA event focusing   
   on a "train-the-trainer" principle, with participants learning tips and   
   techniques to start their own youth activities or programs when they   
   return home. "With this [approach], we will reach a bigger audience on   
   national and local level, which makes it happen that more young people   
   and newcomers can be involved in Amateur Radio," she said.   
      
   YOTA South Africa 2018 will offer participating radio amateurs   
   opportunities to learn more about Amateur Radio, get acquainted with   
   fellow amateurs from other parts of the world, and have a lot of fun   
   with Amateur Radio-related and social activities during the week-long   
   camp.   
      
   SARL President Nico van Rensburg, ZS6QL, promised that participants   
   would be greeted "with a traditional South African welcome." He said   
   campers can expect "a mild winter with sun-filled days" with daytime   
   temperatures in the mid-60s. He called YOTA South Africa 2018 a   
   "pseudo-summer camp."   
      
   Highlights planned for the week include learning about software-defined   
   radio (SDR) technology, building a mini CubeSat, and experience   
   launching and tracking it into near space on a high-altitude balloon.   
   They also will learn about Rapid Deployment Amateur Radio (RaDAR   
   ) -- essentially Amateur Radio on the move --   
   and they will build a QRP HF transceiver kit.   
      
   ==> JACK GERBS, WB8SCT, APPOINTED GENERAL CHAIRMAN FOR HAMVENTION 2019   
      
   The Dayton Amateur Radio Board of Directors has appointed ARRL Life   
   Member Jack Gerbs, WB8SCT, of Springboro, Ohio, as the General Chairman   
   for Hamvention � 2019. Gerbs, 58, who   
   served as Assistant General Chairman for the 2017 and 2018 Hamventions,   
   succeeds Ron Cramer, KD8ENJ, who served in the post for the 2017 and   
   2018 shows.   
      
   "Jack worked very closely with me the last 2 years and is very familiar   
   with all aspects of Hamvention," Cramer said. "He was a big help during   
   the move and is well prepared to continue making Hamvention better each   
   year."   
      
   Gerbs, who has been licensed since 1974 and works in the IT industry,   
   thanked Cramer for helping him prepare for the position. "Ron kept me   
   well informed and included in all the major decisions while adapting to   
   Hamvention's new home. I look forward to building on the solid   
   foundation he set," he said.   
      
   Cramer, who was elected as DARA's president in June, said he'll be   
   available to help in any way that he can. Gerbs' first official act was   
   to select Rick Allnutt, WS8G, as his Assistant General Chairman.   
   Allnutt served on the Hamvention Awards Committee for several years and   
   was International Relations Chair for 2018. He said he's looking   
   forward to working with Gerbs and the entire Hamvention team.   
      
   Most 2018 committee chairs have agreed to remain for the 2019 show,   
   Gerbs said, adding that having an experienced team makes his job as   
   General Chairman easier and should provide visitors with an even better   
   Hamvention 2019.   
      
   Gerbs and Cramer noted that Hamvention would not be possible without   
   the more than 700 volunteers who put in many hours to make Hamvention   
   2018 the success that it was.   
      
   Hamvention 2019 will take place May 17 - 19 at the Greene County   
   Fairgrounds and Expo Center in Xenia, Ohio.   
      
   ==> US ARDF CHAMPIONS PREPARE FOR INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION IN KOREA   
      
   Results  of the 18th USA   
   National Championships of Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) are   
   now in the record books. Some of those who took part in that event now   
   are hoping to win positions on ARDF Team USA, which will travel to   
   Sokcho, Korea, in early September for the 19th ARDF World Championships   
   . IARU rules limit national teams to three   
   persons per age/gender category.   
      
   This year's USA National Championships took place near the ski resort   
   town of Truckee, California. Events included foxoring   
   , a combination of ARDF   
   and classic orienteering on 80 meters; 80-meter sprint   
   , and classic 2-meter and   
   80-meter ARDF competitions. Fourteen US-eligible competitors in the   
   four events took home first-place awards.   
      
   Veteran ARDFer Bob Cooley, KF6VSE, set the competitive courses at   
   Little Truckee Summit, a well-mapped area in the mountains north of   
   Truckee at 6,300 feet of elevation. Meet Director Jay Hennigan, WB6RDV,   
   was responsible for starting-line operations, medals, and many other   
   details.   
      
   The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU )   
   establishes ARDF championship rules. For scoring and awards,   
   participants are divided into 11 age/gender categories   
   . Most categories for   
   males over age 40 and females over age 60 already have a full slate of   
   Team USA candidates for the world competition in Korea, although   
   uncontested openings exist for females and younger males, so it is   
   possible for inexperienced radio-orienteers in these ranges to join the   
   US team, ARRL ARDF Coordinator Joe Moell, K0OV, explained. Contact   
    Moell, if interested -- do not contact the Korean   
   organizers directly.   
      
   The Homing In website  carries the latest   
   information about upcoming ARDF activities. Read more   
   .   
   -- Thanks to ARRL ARDF Coordinator Joe Moell, K0OV   
      
   ==> IN BRIEF...   
      
   The ARRL Board of Directors will meet Friday and Saturday, July 20 -   
   21, in Connecticut for its second meeting of the year. ARRL President   
   Rick Roderick, K5UR, will preside. The Board will hear reports from the   
   general counsel, officers, and committees. Representatives of the   
   International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) and Radio Amateurs of Canada   
   (RAC) have been invited to attend the July Board meeting.   
      
   The ARRL Logs Received page has gotten a new home and a facelift. "This   
   is the first step toward a new ARRL Contests Landing Page   
    for post-event contest information," ARRL   
   Contest Branch Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, said. "We'll have more to say   
   about this in the coming weeks." Jahnke said Field Day web app   
   submissions are being posted  every   
   few days at the bottom of the Logs Received page (this file is updated   
   manually). Hard copy and emailed submissions will appear the week of   
   July 23, allowing participants until the end of July to review. The   
   ARRL Contest Branch also announced that some contest award certificates   
   now are available for download   
    from the ARRL website in   
   PDF and JPEG formats. Just enter the call sign. Currently available   
   certificates are for the 2017 IARU HF Championship, the 2017 ARRL 222   
   MHz and Up Distance Contest, and the 2017 ARRL September VHF Contest.   
   "Future certificates for more current events, as well as past events   
   going back well over a decade, will be made available in the next few   
   weeks," Jahnke said.   
      
   A team of young radio amateurs will be on the air from Market Reef   
   Lighthouse this month and next. The group will operate as OJ0C from   
   July 21 until July 28, and again from August 18 until August 25. The   
   lighthouse is near sea level, and waves have been known to cover the   
   entire reef. The Finnish Lighthouse Society (FLS) and the Amateur Radio   
   League of Finland (SRAL) in conjunction with OH-DX-Foundation (OHDXF)   
   and DX University (DXU) have organized the first-ever International   
   Youth at Sea (IYAS) cultural exchange-based radio activity, which could   
   become a regular annual event. The 2018 youth team members are Nuuti,   
   OH1UBO; Elias, OH2EP; Otava, OH3OT; Mikael, OH3UAF; Pieter, ON3DI;   
   Florian, OE3FTA, and Ilie, YO3IMD -- all 16 to 25 years old. The young   
   operators will be participating in daily workshops of safety and   
   survival at sea in the remote lighthouse. In addition, they will become   
   familiar with the latest digital modes and, most important, learning   
   how to operate the radio efficiently -- providing OJ0C contacts and   
   handling pileups. QSL OJ0C via OH3JR.   
      
   ==> THE K7RA SOLAR UPDATE   
      
   Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Three weeks of blank sun! A few weeks   
   ago, I thought sunspots would return by now, based on solar flux   
   predictions. Forecasts   
    from less   
   than 2 weeks ago were predicting solar flux of 80 for July 17-19;   
   higher flux values seem to correlate   
    with   
   increased sunspot activity, but since the July 7 forecast, predicted   
   flux values have been well below 80.   
      
   Average daily solar flux barely changed, from 71.5 to 71.8. Average   
   daily planetary A index declined from 7.3 to 6.4, while average daily   
   middle latitude A index dipped from 7.9 to 6.1.   
      
   The July 18 prediction shows predicted solar flux at 70 on July 19-25;   
   68 on July 26 - August 1; 70 on August 2; 72 on August 3-18; 70 on   
   August 19; 68 on August 20-28; 70 on August 29, and 72 on August 30 -   
   September 1.   
      
   Predicted planetary A index is 5 on July 19; 15, 8, 12, 20, and 8 on   
   July 20-24; 5 on July 25 - August 5; 8 on August 6; 5 on August 7-11; 8   
   on August 12; 5 on August 13-15; 16, 8, 10, 18, and 8 on August 16-20,   
   and 5 on August 21 - September 1.   
      
   Sunspot numbers for July 12-18 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0, with a   
   mean of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 72.1, 72.5, 72.3, 71.7, 71.9,   
   71.2, and 71.2, with a mean of 71.8. Estimated planetary A indices were   
   8, 6, 5, 4, 9, 9, and 4, with a mean of 6.4. Estimated mid-latitude A   
   indices were 8, 6, 4, 4, 8, 9, and 4, with a mean of 6.1.   
      
   Friday's bulletin will include some remarks from solar observer Tamitha   
   Skov, who told me we are facing 3 more weeks of a spotless sun.   
      
   Send  me your reports or propagation observations.   
      
   ==> JUST AHEAD IN RADIOSPORT   
      
   - July 21 -- Feld Hell Sprint   
      
   - July 21 -- SA Sprint Contest (CW, phone)   
      
   - July 21 -- Jakarta DX Contest 40-Meters (phone)   
      
   - July 21 -- Russian Radio Team Championship (CW, phone)   
      
   - July 21 -- Trans-Tasman Low-Bands Challenge (CW, phone)   
      
   - July 21-22 -- DMC RTTY Contest   
      
   - July 21-22 -- North American QSO Party    
   (RTTY)   
      
   - July 21-22 -- CQ World Wide VHF Contest (CW, phone, digital)   
      
   - July 22 -- RSGB Low Power Contest (CW)   
      
   - July 22 -- CQC Great Colorado Gold Rush (CW)   
      
   - July 25 -- SKCC Sprint (CW)   
      
   - July 26 -- RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship (digital)   
      
   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 email preferences.   
      
   ==> UPCOMING ARRL SECTION, STATE, AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS   
      
   - July 20-22 -- Nevada State Convention , Reno,   
   Nevada   
      
   - July 27-28 -- Oklahoma Section Convention   
   , Oklahoma City, Oklahoma   
      
   - August 2-5 -- YLRL 2018 Convention ,   
   Oklahoma City, Oklahoma   
      
   - August 3-4 -- Texas State Convention   
   , Austin, Texas   
      
   - August 3-5 -- Pacific Northwest DX Convention   
   , New Westminster, British Columbia,   
   Canada   
      
   - August 4-5 -- Midwest Division Convention ,   
   Central City, Iowa   
      
   - August 18-19 -- Southeastern Division Convention   
   , Huntsville, Alabama   
      
   - August 19 -- Kansas State Convention , Salina,   
   Kansas   
      
   - August 24-26 -- West Virginia State Convention   
   , Weston, West Virginia   
      
   - August 31-September 2 -- Roanoke Division Convention   
   , Shelby, North Carolina   
      
   - September 1 -- Pennsylvania State Convention ,   
   Uniontown, Pennsylvania   
      
   - September 7-9 -- New England Division Convention   
   , Boxborough, Massachusetts   
      
   - September 7-9 -- Northwest APRS Convention   
   , North Bend, Washington   
      
   - September 8 -- Kentucky State Convention   
   , Shepherdsville, Kentucky   
      
   - September 8 -- Virginia Section Convention   
   , Virginia Beach, Virginia   
      
   - September 14-16 -- W9DXCC Convention ,   
   Schaumburg, Illinois   
      
   - September 15 -- Wyoming State Convention   
   , Rock Springs, Wyoming   
      
   - September 16 -- Southern New Jersey Section Convention   
   , Mullica Hill, New Jersey   
      
   - September 21-22 -- W4DXCC/SEDCO Convention ,   
   Pigeon Forge, Tennessee   
      
   - September 21-23 -- Rocky Mountain Division Convention   
   , Albuquerque, New Mexico   
      
   - September 22 -- Washington State Convention   
   , Spokane Valley, Washington   
      
   - September 28-29 -- Wisconsin State Convention ,   
   Milwaukee, Wisconsin   
      
   - September 29 -- North Dakota State Convention ,   
   West Fargo, North Dakota   
      
   Find conventions and hamfests in your area   
   .   
      
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