The ARRL Letter
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
August 18, 2011
Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive
Audio News
IN THIS ISSUE
- + ARRL Field Day: 2011 Field Day Logs Posted
- + Amateur Radio in the Classroom: ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless
Technology Opens Horizon of Learning Opportunities
- + ARRL and California Researchers Team Up to End 12 Meter
Interference
- + Check Out the September Issue of QST
- + QSL Card Exhibit in Maryland Through September 15
- + Amateur Radio Technology: 30th Annual ARRL/TAPR Digital
Communications Conference Set for September
- Solar Update
- + Silent Key: Tom Hammond, N0SS
- This Week on the Radio
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
+ Available on ARRL Audio News
> + ARRL FIELD DAY: 2011 FIELD DAY LOGS POSTED
A record 2654 submissions have been received for the 2011 running of
ARRL Field Day. According to ARRL Field Day Manager Dan Henderson,
N1ND, this is the highest number of entries received for what is one of
Amateur Radio's most popular on-the-air operating events. The combined
list of Logs Received for Field Day has been posted online. The list
includes all logs submitted via the website, as well as those submitted
via e-mail and US Mail. Read more here
.
> + AMATEUR RADIO IN THE CLASSROOM: ARRL TEACHERS INSTITUTE ON
WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY OPENS HORIZON OF LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
This summer, the ARRL offered five sessions of the Teachers
Institute on Wireless Technology (TI). Veteran instructors Miguel
Enriquez, KD7RPP, and Nathan McCray, K9CPO -- along with new
Instructors Tommy Gober, N5DUX, and Matt Severin, N8MS -- led the
instruction. A total of 55 educators from 24 states, ranging from
elementary teachers to university PhDs, took part in the 2011 TIs.
The first TI session of 2011 was held at Desert Ridge Middle School in
Albuquerque, New Mexico, and was hosted by Diane Nihart, KE5UHB, a 2010
TI graduate. Other sessions took place at Parallax, Inc's corporate
office in Rocklin, California (Parallax provides the robotics equipment
for each TI session); at Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica, New
York -- hosted by Bob Decker, AA2CU; and at ARRL Headquarters. The
Dayton Amateur Radio Association hosted the TI-2 seminar, Space in the
Classroom. The TI-2 curriculum focuses on the nuts and bolts of setting
up and operating a satellite ground station. While TI participants do
not need to have an Amateur Radio license to attend a session, TI-2
participants must have at least a Technician class license and have
already attended a TI session. Read more here
.
> + ARRL AND CALIFORNIA RESEARCHERS TEAM UP TO END 12 METER
INTERFERENCE
After the resolution of the recent 60 meter Coastal Ocean Dynamics
Applications Radar (CODAR) situation on the East Coast, the ARRL noted
an earlier report by John Terrell, N6LN, of Palos Verdes, California.
Terrell described CODAR activity on the 12 meter band, from 24.93 to
25.058 MHz. Since it appeared likely it was originating on the West
Coast -- possibly near Orange Section Official Observer Coordinator Dan
Welch, W6DFW -- ARRL Field and Regulatory Correspondent Chuck Skolaut,
K0BOG, contacted Welch for assistance. Read more here
.
> + CHECK OUT THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF QST
The September issue of QST is jam-packed with all sorts of things that
today's Amateur Radio operator needs. This issue focuses on Emergency
Communications and Public Service, activities that many hams enjoy.
From product reviews to experiments to contesting, this issue of QST
has something for just about everyone.
Victor Cid, W3CID, and Andrew Mitz, WA3LTJ, know that radio amateurs
have a long history of tinkering, of taking something and adjusting it
to their purposes. These two hams -- who work at the National
Institutes of Health in Washington, DC -- did just that when they
developed a unique way to link a group of Maryland hospitals during
major disasters via Amateur Radio. Find out how they did it in their
article "Optimizing Amateur Radio Resources for Major Disasters." When
your ARES® group is activated during an emergency, you know to grab
your go-kit. Geoff Haines, N1GY, took this idea a bit further with his
article "An Emergency Radio Package - or The Radio in a Box II." Haines
developed a box to hold a dual-band VHF/UHF radio, a battery and
paperwork using only materials and equipment he already had on hand.
David Gillespie, W4LHQ, looks back at the devastating Alabama tornadoes
earlier this year in his article "Alabama Slammer." Gillespie recounts
that thanks to the the training hams had before the storm -- as well as
the experiences they brought with them from past disaster deployments
-- was crucial to providing top-notch communications support to the
area served agencies. Speaking of practice, it's time to get ready for
the 2011 Simulated Emergency Test (SET), set for October 1-2. ARRL
Field Organization Supervisor Steve Ewald, NV1X, takes a look at this
annual event that tests emergency operating skills and the readiness of
communications equipment and accessories in an emergency-like
deployment.
QST Contributing Editor Howard Robins, W1HSR, takes a look at the Yaesu
VX-8GR dual-band handheld transceiver in this month's Product Review.
He says that this radio "incorporates GPS and a slew of features into a
rugged, compact package. With so many features in a small package, it
will be most appropriate for advanced amateurs wanting to explore and
master APRS and GPS technology." QST Contributing Editor Phil Salas,
AD5X, also checks out the Ameritron ALS-1300 HF power amplifier. He
says this amplifier "delivers the goods and provides a good value for
those interested in a solid state near-legal-limit linear power
amplifier for 160-10 meters."
Ward Silver, N0AX, delivers the results of the 2011 ARRL International
DX Phone Contest. With the bands wide open during the contest, Silver
noted that "more butts in more chairs [meant] a 24 percent increase in
QSOs reported by US and Canadian stations. There were more single-band
logs than ever this year and the big increase was -- no surprise -- 10
meters, which went from 13 logs submitted in 2010 to 60 in 2011."
Of course, there are the usual columns you know and expect in the
September QST: Happenings, Hints & Kinks, The Doctor Is IN, How's DX,
Technical Correspondence, Vintage Radio and more. Look for your
September issue in your mailbox. QST is the official journal of ARRL,
the national association for Amateur Radio. QST is just one of the many
benefits of ARRL membership. To join or renew your ARRL membership,
please see the ARRL web page .
> + QSL CARD EXHIBIT IN MARYLAND THROUGH SEPTEMBER 15
HPE 2 WRK U AGN SN: Ephemeral Communiqué 1920-1980 -- a design exhibit
of more than 550 QSL cards -- will be on view until September 15, 2011
at the Chesapeake Gallery on the campus of Harford Community College in
Bel Air, Maryland. It is curated by Harford CC Professor of Art and
Design Kenneth Jones. Jones will present a talk at the closing
reception September 14 from 6-8 PM.
"In an age of communicating wirelessly with avatars, tweets and
friending through Facebook. QSL cards are sophisticated communication
devices that reconnect two people to the past," Jones told the ARRL.
"Today, the pace of communication is so much faster, and the memory of
that communication may be stored or in most cases hidden in histories,
caches and the recesses of hard drives and servers. The act and art of
QSLing is an act of respect, unity and friendship."
Jones said that he "rediscovered" his grandfather's QSL cards a few
years ago: "When I opened [the box], I was overwhelmed by the aroma
contained in the contents. The box was full of items from my
grandfather (he passed in 1987) and included QSL cards, which
transported me to the shack he used which was part of his kitchen. I
remembered the big antenna on top of his little home, and how he would
let me turn the dial to change its direction. The cards in the box
sparked my interest in their design and history, so I began to research
and collect them. After collecting about 10,000 of them, I started to
think about writing a book about the design history of the cards and
applied for a sabbatical, which I was awarded and then took in the fall
of 2010."
HPE 2 WRK U AGN SN is a design exhibition of more than 550 QSL cards
from the Golden Age of Amateur Radio (1920-1980), presented and
arranged by style. Jones selected the cards from the more than 10,000
in his collection. Read more here
.
> + AMATEUR RADIO TECHNOLOGY: 30TH ANNUAL ARRL/TAPR DIGITAL
COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE SET FOR SEPTEMBER
The Four Points Sheraton Hotel at Baltimore Washington International
Airport is home base for the 30th annual ARRL/TAPR Digital
Communications Conference, September 16-18. This conference is an
international forum for radio amateurs to meet and publish their work,
as well as present new ideas and techniques. Presenters and attendees
will have the opportunity to exchange ideas and learn about recent
hardware and software advances, theories, experimental results and
practical applications. Read more here
.
> SOLAR UPDATE
Tad "The warmth of the Sun is in your smile
" Cook, K7RA, reports:
Solar activity was down again this week -- the sunspot number on Sunday
went all the way to 0 for the first time since January 27, which was 29
weeks ago. The average daily sunspot numbers declined nearly 50 points,
to 25.6, while the average daily solar flux was down nearly 16 points
to 88.5. The latest prediction from NOAA/USAF on August 17 has the
solar flux at 98 on August 18, 100 on August 19-21, 105 on August
22-24, then 110, 115, and 115 on August 25-27, and back to 110 on
August 28-31. The predicted planetary A index is 5 on August 18-20, 8
on August 21, 5 on August 22-25, 15, 10 and 8 on August 26-28, and 5
again on August 29-31. Thanks to Max White, M0VNG, of Worcester,
England, for sending along this story from NASA, "Solar Flares: What
Does It Take to Be X-class?
"
Look for more information on the ARRL website on Friday, August 19. For
more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical
Information Service Propagation page
. This week's "Tad
Cookism" is brought to you by The Bangles' Waiting for You
.
> + SILENT KEY: TOM HAMMOND, N0SS
Tom Hammond, N0SS, of Lohman, Missouri, passed away August 4 from
cancer. He was 67. Hammond was the first and only Life Member of the
Kansas City DX Club, playing an invaluable role in the club for more
than three decades, creating his world famous CW pileup files each year
for the annual CW Pileup Competition at the Dayton Hamvention. Read
more here .
> THIS WEEK ON THE RADIO
This week:
- August 19 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
- August 20 -- Feld Hell Sprint
- August 20-21 -- ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest (local time)
;
SARTG WW RTTY Contest; North American QSO Party (SSB); Russian District
Award Contest; CWOps CW Open
- August 21 -- ARRL Rookie Roundup (RTTY)
;
SARL Digital Contest
- August 22 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest
- August 24 -- SKCC Sprint
- August 24-25 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test
Next week:
- August 26 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
- August 27 -- ARCI Welcome to QRP
- August 27-28 -- Hawaii QSO Party; Kansas QSO Party; Ohio QSO Party;
ALARA Contest; YO DX HF Contest; SCC RTTY Championship
- August 28 -- SARL HF CW Contest
All dates, unless otherwise stated, are UTC. See the ARRL Contest
Branch page , the ARRL Contest Update
and the WA7BNM Contest
Calendar for more
information. Looking for a Special Event station? Be sure to check out
the ARRL Special Event Stations Web page
.
> UPCOMING ARRL SECTION, STATE AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS AND EVENTS
- August 20 -- ARRL West Virginia State Convention
,
Weston, West Virginia
- August 20-21 -- ARRL Alabama State Convention
,
Huntsville, Alabama
- August 21 -- ARRL Kansas State Convention
, Salina,
Kansas
- August 28 -- ARRL Western Pennsylvania Section Convention
,
New Kensington, Pennsylvania
- September 9-11 -- ARRL Southwestern Division Convention
,
Torrance, California
- September 11 -- ARRL Great Lakes Division Convention
,
Findlay, Ohio
- September 17 -- ARRL Roanoke Division Convention
,
Virginia Beach, Virginia
- September 24 -- ARRL Washington State Convention
,
Spokane Valley, Washington
- October 8-9 -- ARRL Florida State Convention
,
Melbourne, Florida
- October 9 -- ARRL Connecticut State Convention
,
Wallingford, Connecticut
- October 14-16 -- ARRL Pacific Division Convention
, Santa Clara, California
- October 21-22 -- ARRL West Gulf Division Convention
,
Ardmore, Oklahoma
- October 22 -- ARRL Iowa State Convention
,
Sergeant Bluff, Iowa
- November 6 -- ARRL Iowa Section Convention
, Davenport, Iowa
- November 19-20 -- ARRL Indiana State Convention
,
Fort Wayne, Indiana
- December 3-4 -- ARRL West Central Florida Section Convention
,
Palmetto, Florida
To find a convention or hamfest near you, click here
.
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