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   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-10-27   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
      
   October 27, 2016   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
    *  Just Hours Remain to Bid on Annual ARRL On-Line Auction Items   
    *  Philippine Hams Team Up to Confront Back-to-Back Typhoons   
    *  Ecuador Radio Club Recognizes ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager, Ham   
       Aid   
    *  Broadcasters, Jammers Wreak Havoc on Amateur Radio Frequencies   
    *  ARISS Radio Failure Prompts Shift to ISS Russian Service Module Ham Gear   
    *  The Doctor Will See You Now!   
    *  National Parks on the Air Update   
    *  Georgia Section Manager Changing on November 1   
    *  "Sweeps" Time is Upon Us!   
    *  Battleship Missouri Serves as Amateur Radio Licensing Class, Testing   
       Venue   
    *  ARES/RACES Supports Office of Emergency Management during Presidential   
       Debate   
    *  Suspicious Bangladesh Border Ham Band Signals Now of Interest to Indian   
       Intelligence   
    *  In Brief...   
    *  The K7RA Solar Update   
    *  Just Ahead in Radiosport   
    *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions   
      
      
   Just Hours Remain to Bid on Annual ARRL On-Line Auction Items   
      
   Bidding has been fierce on many of the nearly 300 items available in the 11th   
   Annual ARRL On-Line Auction, which continues through Thursday, October 27.   
   There is still time to bid, but the clock is ticking down. Each auction item   
   has its own closing time.   
      
   This year's auction inventory includes some vintage ham radio items, including   
   a Collins S-Line, which has been attracting many bids. Among other premier   
   items from the QST "Product Review" stock are the new Elecraft K3S HF+6 meter   
   transceiver, an Ameritron ALS-1306 HF/6-meter amplifier, and the new Icom   
   IC-7300 HF+6-meter transceiver. Also on the block is a RigExpert AA-230 ZOOM   
   0.1-230 MHz antenna and cable analyzer, and an autographed script from the TV   
   show Last Man Standing, starring Tim Allen, KK6OTD.   
      
   There are books and publications -- including many vintage editions of the   
   ARRL Handbook, among them a special 1942 defense edition and a 1926 edition.   
   Bid on embroidered ham call sign caps and ARRL-branded gear too, from playing   
   cards to iPhone chargers and even glassware.   
      
   Proceeds from the yearly On-Line Auction benefit ARRL education programs.   
   These include activities to license new hams, strengthen Amateur Radio   
   Emergency Service (ARES) training, offer continuing technical and operating   
   education, and create instructional materials.   
      
   Participants must register. Those who have participated in past ARRL On-Line   
   Auction events may use their previous login information. Clicking on the   
   "Help" tab will offer password and user ID-retrieval instructions. Bidders   
   also should ensure that a correct address and other information are on file.   
   The auction site only accepts Visa and MasterCard. Bidders are urged to read   
   the auction policies.   
      
      
      
   Philippine Hams Team Up to Confront Back-to-Back Typhoons   
      
   Philippine Amateur Radio Association (PARA) Ham Emergency Radio Operations   
   (HERO) network volunteers were ready for Super Typhoon Haima, which struck the   
   northeastern Philippines on October 19 with winds peaking at more than 180 MPH   
   prior to landfall -- a category 5 storm. Roberto Vicencio, DU1VHY, reported   
   that HERO had already activated its net on 7.110 MHz for an earlier category 3   
   storm, Typhoon Sharika, which hit Luzon Island before moving west and   
   weakening. But the powerful Haima forced thousands of residents to flee. More   
   than a dozen deaths in the Philippines were blamed on the storm.   
      
   "Considering the limited access to other communication channels, ham radio is   
   being used to support affected communities to communicate with their loved   
   ones and provide feedback to their evolving needs," the UN Office for the   
   Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a report.   
      
   The latest of a dozen storms to hit the Philippines archipelago this year,   
   Haima left in its wake a path of debris, destroyed infrastructure, some 46,000   
   damaged homes and businesses, flooding, and landslides. The storm also had an   
   impact on agriculture and fishing.   
      
   Vicencio said that 130 stations checked into the HERO net to give reports on   
   weather conditions, power outages, and flooding. Other groups of radio   
   amateurs, including the United Methodist Amateur Radio Club (UMARC), sent   
   members north to the Province of Isabela. OCHA reported that UMARC and PARA   
   provided solar generator sets to radio amateurs in Isabela. It took a team of   
   three radio amateurs more than 10 hours to reach Santiago City, Isabela, by   
   road. They were able to report via HF that electrical power had been cut and   
   phone coverage was intermittent in the province. Read more. -- Thanks to IARU   
   Region 3 Disaster Communications Committee Chair Jim Linton, VK3PC   
      
      
      
   Ecuador Radio Club Recognizes ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager, Ham Aid   
      
   ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U, was recognized by the   
   Guayaquil Radio Club (GRC) of Ecuador for coordinating the work of ARRL and   
   several other radio amateurs to provide Ham Aid equipment to Ecuador this past   
   spring, following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake in April.   
      
   "It was quite a surprise and honor," said Corey. "The recognition really goes   
   to the team that made it all happen -- here at ARRL Headquarters, Ken Bailey,   
   K1FUG; Sean Kutzko, KX9X, and Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, and in South Florida, Jeff   
   Beals, WA4AW, and Kenny Hollenbeck, KD4ZFW. And most of all, Gunter Chanange,   
   HC2CG, and the members of the Guayaquil Radio Club, who did the real work."   
      
   Presenting the award during the IARU Region 2 General Assembly in Chile was   
   GRC President Lorenzo Lertora, HC2BP, who is also Ecuador's deputy defense   
   minister. Lertora said the equipment provided through Ham Aid allowed   
   Ecuadorian Amateur Radio volunteers to help a Venezuelan Air Force plane   
   carrying search-and-rescue personnel and equipment to land safely at an   
   airport that had lost all power and communication.   
      
   Some 400 pounds of Ham Aid Amateur Radio equipment valued at more than $7,500   
   was shipped from ARRL Headquarters to Ecuador in early May to support relief   
   and recovery efforts under way in the wake of the major earthquake that struck   
   the South American nation on April 16. The disaster destroyed or compromised   
   electrical power and commercial telecommunication systems and rendered many   
   roads impassable due to earthquake rubble.   
      
      
      
   Broadcasters, Jammers Wreak Havoc on Amateur Radio Frequencies   
      
   The battle continues between Radio Eritrea (Voice of the Broad Masses) and   
   Radio Ethiopia, which is said to be jamming the Eritrean broadcaster with   
   broadband white noise. The problem for radio amateurs is that the battle is   
   taking place in the 40-meter phone band -- 7.145 and 7.175 MHz -- with the   
   jamming signal reported by the IARU Region 1 Monitoring System (IARUMS) to be   
   20 kHz wide on each channel.   
      
   The on-air conflict has been going on for years; Ethiopia constructed new   
   transmitting sites in 2008 and is said to use two or three of them for jamming   
   purposes. The interfering signals can be heard in North America after dark.   
   According to IARUMS Region 1 Coordinator Wolf Hadel, DK2OM, Radio Eritrea is   
   airing separate programs on each frequency. He said in the IARUMS September   
   newsletter that telecommunications regulators in Germany, Austria, and   
   Switzerland have been informed, so they could file official complaints.   
      
   Other AM broadcast intruders on 40 meters include Radio Hargeisa in Somaliland   
   on 7.120 MHz, which, Hadel said, is even audible in Australia and Japan. He   
   further reports that the Voice of Iran's signal on 7.205 MHz is splattering up   
   to 5 kHz on either side of its channel, while Radio France International,   
   which operates on the same frequency, is splattering down to 7.185 MHz.   
      
      
      
   ARISS Radio Failure Prompts Shift to ISS Russian Service Module Ham Gear   
      
   The International Space Station (ARISS) program has announced that the   
   Ericsson MP-A VHF handheld transceiver that astronauts had been using to speak   
   via Amateur Radio with students and educational groups around the world for   
   more than 16 years recently began displaying an error message, rendering it   
   unusable, at least for now. While the ARISS technical team is looking into how   
   to restore operation from the ISS Columbus module, it will support ARISS   
   contacts from NA1SS using the 25 W Kenwood TM-D710 transceiver in the Russian   
   Service Module. Cosmonauts have been using that radio to carry out their ARISS   
   school contacts from RS0ISS. For the time being, the packet digipeater, which   
   relied on the Ericsson transceiver, will be unavailable. Switching to the   
   70-centimeter capability in the Columbus module for some operations is being   
   coordinated. New ISS ham gear is on the way, though.   
      
   "ARISS is actively working on a new Interoperable Hardware System for the ISS.   
   The primary components are a modified JVC Kenwood D710GA radio and a custom   
   ARISS-designed power supply," ARISS Operations Committee Chair Dave Taylor,   
   W8AAS, said in an AMSAT Bulletin Board post. "The radio is complete except for   
   final programming and NASA testing and certification. The power supply design   
   is in final stages, and a hardware prototype has been built. It will power   
   existing and anticipated ARISS equipment."   
      
   On October 21, the ARISS hardware team held a Technical Interchange Meeting   
   (TIM) for the Interoperable Hardware System. In addition to domestic and   
   international ARISS Technical Evaluation and Support (TES) Committee members,   
   subject-matter experts from NASA attended to provide advice. A retired NASA   
   Space Communication and Navigation engineer was also on hand.   
      
   "With this milestone completed, we will move forward with the design process   
   and finalize the design with a TIM in the next few months," ARISS   
   International President Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, said in a news release over the   
   weekend.   
      
   Bauer said ARISS has estimated that the cost of the 3-year development cycle   
   for the new hardware is in the $200,000 range. He encouraged donations to the   
   ARISS Challenge Coin Donation Campaign, announced this year at Dayton   
   Hamvention.   
      
   "The goal is to have this new system aboard ISS about 1 year from now," Taylor   
   added in his post. "This assumes that ARISS can raise the remaining funds   
   needed and that no delays occur in NASA testing and certification of the   
   entire system."   
      
   A reminder: The deadline is November 1 for formal and informal education   
   institutions and organizations to submit proposals to host an Amateur Radio   
   contact with an ISS crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that   
   contacts will take place between July 1 and December 31, 2017. Crew scheduling   
   and ISS orbits determine contact dates. To maximize these radio contact   
   opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers   
   of participants and integrate the ham radio contact into a well-developed   
   education plan. Read more. -- Thanks to ARISS, AMSAT, and   
   John Brier, KG4AKV, via Southgate Amateur Radio News   
      
      
      
   The Doctor Will See You Now!   
      
   "HF Mobile Antennas" is the topic of the latest (October 20) 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 e-mail 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.   
   Next time: "Anderson Power Pole Connectors, and Antenna Polarization."   
      
      
      
   National Parks on the Air Update   
      
   Amateurs taking part in the ARRL National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) program are   
   making a serious push to complete 1 million contacts from eligible NPS units   
   before December 31. NPOTA crossed the 750,000 mark last week, and in just 7   
   days, more than 25,000 new contacts were uploaded to Logbook of the World,   
   putting the year-to-date total at 778,000. Every US radio amateur can help   
   NPOTA break the 1 million mark by getting on the air and working the   
   Activators at parks, or by going out and activating an NPOTA unit!   
      
   October 22 saw the first activation of the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic   
   Site in Philadelphia. Ed Breneiser, Walt Skavinsky, KB3SBC, and Pete Kobak,   
   K0BAK, braved rain and heavy winds to set up on the lawn of NS12 and managed   
   to log more than 200 contacts from this exceptionally rare unit. Pete has been   
   involved in activating some of the most sought-after and rarest NPOTA urban   
   units. He will continue this streak by providing the first-ever activation of   
   the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial Affiliated Area in downtown   
   Philadelphia on Sunday, October 30.   
      
   Forty-two activations are scheduled for October 27 through November 2,   
   including the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail in Alabama, and the   
   Longfellow House National Historic Site in Massachusetts.   
      
   Details about these and other upcoming activations can be found on the NPOTA   
   Activations calendar. Keep up with the latest NPOTA news on Facebook. Follow   
   NPOTA on Twitter (@ARRL_NPOTA).   
      
      
      
   Georgia Section Manager Changing on November 1   
      
   Georgia Section Manager Gene Clark, W4AYK, of Albany, has announced that he's   
   stepping down at the end of October, after serving since October 2009. David   
   Benoist, AG4ZR, of Senoia, has been appointed as Georgia Section Manager,   
   effective November 1, to complete the current term of office, which extends   
   until September 30, 2017.   
      
   When a Section Manager vacancy occurs between elections, the position is   
   filled by appointment. Clark recommended to Field Services and Radiosport   
   Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, that Benoist succeed him. Patton then consulted   
   with Southeastern Division Director Doug Rehman, K4AC, before making the   
   appointment.   
      
   Benoist has served as Georgia Section Emergency Coordinator and as an   
   Emergency Coordinator.   
      
      
      
   "Sweeps" Time is Upon Us!   
      
   The very popular ARRL November Sweepstakes (SS) operating events take place in   
   November on separate weekends for CW (November 5-7) and SSB (November 19-21).   
   The contest period for each contest begins at 2100 UTC on Saturday and   
   continues through 0259 UTC on Monday. Stations may operate for 24 hours out of   
   the 30 hours available. Logs are due 15 days after each event. SS is a   
   "domestic" contest that not only has broad appeal, but is within the reach of   
   stations with modest equipment and antennas. Many stations enjoy operating in   
   the QRP category each fall (5 W or less output).   
      
   The challenge of Sweepstakes is the lengthy exchange, as compared with other   
   operating events. In SS, stations exchange:   
      
    *  A consecutive serial number (leading zeros are not required).   
      
    *  Operating category -- Q for Single Op QRP; A for Single Op, Low Power   
       (up to 150 W output); B for Single Op, High Power (greater than 150 W   
       output); U for Single Op, Unlimited, regardless of power; M for   
       Multi-Op, regardless of power, and S for School Club.   
      
    *  Your call sign.   
      
    *  Check -- the last two digits of the year of first license for either   
       operator or station.   
      
    *  Your ARRL/RAC Section.   
      
   Many, if not most, Sweeps operators try for a "clean sweep" by working all 83   
   ARRL/RAC Sections, which count as multipliers for Sweepstakes, and earning   
   a(nother) coffee mug for the shack shelf.   
      
   The SS Operating Guide package, available for download, explains how to   
   participate. It includes all rules, plus examples of log formatting. Clubs or   
   public service teams thinking about giving Sweepstakes a try this year will   
   find the guide a valuable resource.   
      
   A new system for submitting club eligibility lists has been undergoing testing   
   and is available online. Club secretaries can submit a list of eligible   
   members by uploading a file or by copying and pasting from a list. Uploaded   
   lists must include the club's full name; the club territory (center of the   
   club's circle as a 6-digit grid locator or ARRL Section for medium and   
   unlimited category clubs); the club's call sign, the eligible member's call   
   sign, and a 6-digit grid locator of each eligible member living in and   
   operating from the club territory.   
      
   The deadline to submit an eligibility list is now the start of each contest --   
   November 5 at 2100 UTC in the case of SS CW, and November 19 at 2100 UTC in   
   the case of SS phone. There's more information on how to do so.   
      
   Complete sets of ARRL November Sweepstakes (SS) records for both modes are now   
   available. Direct questions to ARRL Contest Branch Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ.   
      
      
      
   Battleship Missouri Serves as Amateur Radio Licensing Class, Testing Venue   
      
   The ARRL-affiliated Emergency Amateur Radio Club (EARC) in Honolulu held the   
   first-ever Amateur Radio licensing classes and test session on board the   
   battleship USS Missouri, now a World War II memorial berthed in Pearl Harbor.   
   The October 8 test session was the culmination of 5 weeks of classes and a   
   tour of KH6BB, the ship's club station. Eight applicants passed the Technician   
   exam, and two of them went on to pass the General class test as well.   
      
   Candidates included a couple living aboard a sailing vessel who wanted to be   
   able to stay in touch while under way. Four military personnel wanted to get   
   ham tickets, "so they would be better at their jobs," the club said. One   
   military dependent always wanted to get licensed and "thought it would be   
   fun," according to the EARC. A teen who had worked on a project in Alaska   
   involving satellites also was among the successful applicants. A team of four   
   EARC volunteer examiners administered the tests.   
      
   After seeing service as recently as the early 1990s, the battleship was   
   donated to the USS Missouri Memorial Association in 1998 and now is a museum   
   ship. The vessel's radio room is home to KH6BB, operated by the Battleship   
   Missouri Amateur Radio Club.   
      
      
      
   ARES/RACES Supports Office of Emergency Management during Presidential Debate   
      
   ARES/RACES volunteers stepped up to support communication for the Clark   
   County, Nevada, Office of Emergency Management (OEM) during the third US   
   presidential debate in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 19. Clark County OEM   
   Chief John Steinbeck asked ARES/RACES to activate and support the county's   
   Multi-Agency Coordination Center (MACC).   
      
   Seven Clark County ARES/RACES members operated UHF and VHF voice as well as   
   VHF packet and mesh VoIP from the MACC as well as from the Clark County IT   
   Department communications van during the entire event. In addition, ARES/RACES   
   members provided back-up monitoring of all event communications.   
      
   Among the Amateur Radio volunteers supporting the effort were ARRL Nevada   
   Section Traffic Manager Jim Bassett, W1RO; Nevada Southern District Emergency   
   Coordinator Jay Peskin, KE7EGO; Jim Davis, KF7GCT; Steve Deveny, KF7WGL; Frank   
   Kostelac, N7ZEV, and Jack Cook, N8RRL. Also providing support from the   
   communications van was ARES/RACES member Keith Aurich, KD7TOF, of the Clark   
   County IT Department.   
      
   More than a dozen Clark County ARES/RACES members remained on standby,   
   monitoring communications from home and mobile stations, in case a wider   
   activation was required. -- Thanks to Jim Davis, KF7GCT   
      
      
      
   Suspicious Bangladesh Border Ham Band Signals Now of Interest to Indian   
   Intelligence   
      
   What have been called "highly suspicious" VHF transmissions along the   
   Bengal-Bangladesh border now are being considered signals of interest to   
   India's Intelligence Bureau. After several days of monitoring, Ambarish Nag   
   "Raju" Biswas, VU2JFA, told The Indian Express that he and his team have   
   determined that the transmissions, taking place on Amateur Radio frequencies,   
   are coming from the area of Basirhat in West Bengal. The voice communications   
   have been heard at night. Federal Ministry of Communication officials in India   
   had asked Biswas, the secretary of the West Bengal Amateur Radio Club, and his   
   fellow hams to keep an ear on the strange VHF signals.   
      
   Biswas told The Indian Express that he'd found the recent signals suspicious   
   because he'd heard similar communications in 2002 and 2003. Subsequently,   
   police arrested six "extremists," from Gangasagar, an island in the Ganges   
   River delta, he told the paper.   
      
   An earlier article in the Hindustan Times reported that the signals were being   
   heard in the dead of night, with participants said to be in motion and   
   speaking in some sort of code in Bengali and Urdu with a Bangladeshi accent.   
   They also used numerical codes, according to the report.   
      
   Indian Intelligence Bureau officials did not rule out the possibility that   
   terror organizations were behind the signals. "The border of India-Bangladesh   
   near West Bengal is porous," a senior Intelligence Bureau official told The   
   Indian Express. "Smugglers and extremists try to exploit it fully."   
      
      
      
   In Brief...   
      
   "Contest Giant," Honor Roll DXer Paul Obert, K8PO, SK: An operator who   
   provided the Maine multiplier for many participants in the ARRL November   
   Sweepstakes and other operating events has gone silent. Paul T. Obert, K8PO,   
   of Union, Maine, died on October 21. He was 72. An ARRL member, Obert held No.   
   1 DXCC Honor Roll. "I'd gotten to know Paul well in the last few years as a   
   guest operator at his Maine station," said noted DXer and contester Scott   
   Redd, K0DQ, who had operated from K8PO on several occasions. "He was a true   
   gentleman, thoughtful and of high integrity." Redd said Obert was a   
   perfectionist who had engineered "a superb station" as well as a gracious,   
   generous, and unassuming person, who "was quick to praise others and recognize   
   their skills." DXer and contester Fred Laun, K3ZO, called Obert "a contest   
   giant." K8PO was among the Maine stations taking part in the 2014 W1AW   
   Centennial portable operations. Obert also was an enthusiastic and   
   accomplished golfer. -- Thanks to The Daily DX, CQ-Contest Reflector   
      
      
   Central Kiribati T31W DXpedition Called Off, Contributions to be Returned: The   
   Perseverance DX Group (PDXG) and T31W team have canceled plans to activate   
   Central Kiribati (Kanton Island) in 2017. The DXpedition organizers pointed   
   out that a three-person European team has already activated the rare DXCC   
   entity this year, making some 30,000 contacts. The same group announced its   
   intention to return to T31 in 2017 to finish the job. "Based on these events,   
   it makes no sense for us to commit personal or donated funds to continue the   
   project," the PDXG said in a news release. The PDXC/T31W team had announced   
   plans last March to activate T31 next year. "When the news of this recent T31   
   activation became public, we considered switching to one of two back-up DXCC   
   entities," the PDXC release said. "These alternatives are still under   
   consideration." The PDXC said the nearly $3,500 already donated to the planned   
   T31W effort would be returned over the next 30 days.   
      
      
   Welcome Mat Out for New Amateur Radio Licensees in Lebanon: The Ministry of   
   Communications in Beirut, Lebanon, conducted the first Amateur Radio licensing   
   exams in 13 years on October 16 at the offices of OGERO, a telecoms provider.   
   Some 50 applicants sat for the exams; it's not yet known how many passed.   
   Ghassan Afif Chammas, AC2RA, who posted the news to QRZ.com, credited OGERO   
   Director General Abdul M. Youssef; engineer Toni Aoun; Hani Raad, OD5TE/AA3EI;   
   Michel Homsi, OD5TX, and Elie el Kadi, OD5KU, for facilitating the test   
   session. "The ham community should expect a boost in ham activities from OD5   
   very soon," AC2RA said. OD5TE once was very active in the Washington, DC area   
   as N3IWM, and he served as the District's Emergency Coordinator. -- Thanks to   
   Ken Claerbout, K4ZW   
      
      
      
   The K7RA Solar Update   
      
   Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: We saw a decline in solar activity over the   
   October 20-26 reporting week, as compared to the previous week. Average daily   
   sunspot numbers were 18.7, down from 31 in the previous 7 days. Average daily   
   solar flux dipped from 83.4 to 76.9 over the same two periods.   
      
   Geomagnetic indicators were up slightly, with average daily planetary A index   
   edging up from 19.1 to 20.3, and the average daily mid-latitude A index moving   
   from 14 to 16.7. One caveat: The mid-latitude A index values for October 22-24   
   are my estimates. Note the values in the left column for the mid-latitude A   
   index: It appears that for more than 60 hours, a problem occurred in gathering   
   geomagnetic data from Virginia. A -1 indicates missing data.   
      
   The forecast from October 26 predicts solar flux at 78, 77, and 76 on October   
   27-29, 78, 80, 85, and 90 on October 30-November 2; 80 on November 3-6; 78 on   
   November 7-10; 75 on November 11-12; 73 on November 13-16; 75 on November   
   17-19; 76, 74, and 73 on November 20-22; 71, 70, 71, and 77 on November 23-26;   
   80 on November 27-December 3, and 78 on December 4-7.   
      
   Predicted planetary A index is 30, 24, 18, and 16 on October 27-30; 14, 12,   
   and 8 on October 31-November 2; 5 on November 3-5; 8 on November 6; 5 on   
   November 7-10; 10, 15, 18, 10, and 8 on November 11-15; 5 on November 16-18;   
   10, 32, 44, 40, and 22 on November 19-23, 18 on November 24-25, then 14, 20   
   and 12 on November 26-28, 5 on November 29-December 2; 10 on November 3, and 5   
   on November 4-7.   
      
   Sunspot numbers for October 20 through 26 were 16, 29, 27, 14, 13, 17, and 15,   
   with a mean of 18.7. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 74.7, 77.8, 77.5, 76.9,   
   75.3, 77.8, and 78, with a mean of 76.9. Estimated planetary A indices were 3,   
   2, 6, 9, 16, 60, and 46, with a mean of 20.3. Estimated mid-latitude A indices   
   were 5, 2, 5, 18, 17, 39, and 31, with a mean of 16.7.   
      
   Send me your reports and observations.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   Just Ahead in Radiosport   
      
    *  October 29-30 -- CQ World Wide DX Contest (SSB)   
    *  November 2 -- UKEICC 80 Meter Contest (Phone)   
    *  November 3 -- NRAU 10 Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)   
    *  November 5 --IPARC Contest (CW)   
    *  November 5 -- RSGB International Sprint (SSB)   
    *  November 5-6 -- Ukrainian DX Contest (CW, phone)   
    *  November 5-7 -- ARRL November Sweepstakes (CW)   
    *  November 6 --IPARC Contest (SSB)   
    *  November 6 -- EANET Sprint (CW, phone, digital)   
    *  November 6 -- High Speed Club CW Contest   
    *  November 6 -- DARC 10 Meter Digital Contest   
      
   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   
      
    *  November 5 -- TechFest Convention, Lakewood, Colorado   
    *  November 5-6 -- Georgia State Convention, Lawrenceville, Georgia   
    *  November 12-13 -- Indiana State Convention, Fort Wayne, Indiana   
    *  November 19 -- Alabama State Convention, Montgomery, Alabama   
    *  December 9-10 -- West Central Florida Section Convention, Plant City,   
       Florida   
    *  January 8 -- New York City/Long Island Section Convention, Bethpage, New   
       York   
    *  January 14 -- TechFest 2017 Convention, Lawrenceville, Georgia   
    *  January 20-21 -- North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill, Texas   
    *  January 21 -- Georgia ARES Convention, Forsyth, Georgia   
    *  January 22-28 -- QuartzFest Convention, Quartzsite, Arizona   
    *  January 27-28 -- Mississippi State Convention, Jackson, Mississippi   
    *  January 27-29 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto Rico   
      
   Find conventions and hamfests in your area.   
      
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   )\/(ark   
      
   Always Mount a Scratch Monkey   
   Do you manage your own servers? If you are not running an IDS/IPS yer doin' it   
   wrong...   
   ... God told me it's none of your business. - Jimmy Swaggart   
   ---   
    * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)