The ARRL Letter
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
September 8, 2011
Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive
Audio News
IN THIS ISSUE
- + Public Service: Get SET for the ARRL Simulated Emergency Test
- + Propagation News: Stanford University Researchers Announce Sunspot
Breakthrough
- + Check Out the October Issue of QST
- ARRL In Action: What Have We Been Up to Lately?
- + Report Calls on NASA to Hire More Astronauts
- + On the Air: DX0DX Spratly DXpedition "Permanently Cancelled"
- Solar Update
- + ARRL Recognizes: Doug Hall, K4DSP, Wins August QST Cover Plaque
Award
- This Week on the Radio
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
+ Available on ARRL Audio News .
> + PUBLIC SERVICE: GET SET FOR THE ARRL SIMULATED EMERGENCY TEST
Simulated ARRL's Simulated Emergency Test (SET) is October 1 and 2,
2011. This nationwide exercise is the chance to test your emergency
operating skills and the readiness of your communications equipment and
accessories in an emergency-like deployment. ARRL Field Organization
Leaders at the Section and local levels -- along with many other
volunteers who are active in public service and emergency
communications -- are developing emergency-like scenarios in
consultation with a variety of agencies for whom radio amateurs are
known to provide service during emergencies.
To find out how you can step up and be a part of the local or
Section-level activities, contact your Section Manager. You can find
contact information for all 71 ARRL Section Managers on page 16 of any
issue of QST. Additional contact information may also be found on the
ARRL website. The Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®), the
National Traffic System (NTS), the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency
Service (RACES) and members of the ARRL Field Organization will
participate and practice emergency operation plans, nets and
procedures. Read more here
.
> + PROPAGATION NEWS: STANFORD UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS ANNOUNCE
SUNSPOT BREAKTHROUGH
Imagine forecasting a hurricane in Miami weeks before the storm was
even a swirl of clouds off the coast of Africa -- or predicting a
tornado in Kansas from the flutter of a butterfly's wing in Texas.
These are the kind of forecasts meteorologists can only dream about.
Could the dream come true? A new study by Stanford University
researchers suggests that such forecasts may one day be possible -- not
on Earth, but on the Sun. In the August 19 issue of Science, Stathis
Ilonidis, together with co-workers Junwei Zhao and Alexander
Kosovichev, announced that they can see some sunspots while they are
still submerged, before they are visible to the naked eye. "This could
lead to significant advances in space weather forecasting," Ilondis
said.
Most Amateur Radio operators are aware of sunspots, those dark
blemishes on the surface of the Sun. This is because sunspots influence
propagation. They can be a boon to hams interested in HF propagation,
as sunspots are the sites of ultraviolet or extreme ultraviolet
radiation that creates our ionosphere. But sunspots can also be
destructive. They are the source for disturbances, such as flares and
the roots of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that can hinder propagation.
When a CME hits the Earth's atmosphere, the low bands will be depressed
and signals will be weaker the lower the frequency. The absorption rate
will be most severe on 160 meters, less on 80 and somewhat better on 40
meters. The maximum usable frequency (MUF
) -- the highest frequency by
which a radio wave can propagate between given terminals by ionospheric
propagation alone, independent of power -- will be lower and auroral
propagation on the VHF bands is quite possible. Read more here
.
> + CHECK OUT THE OCTOBER ISSUE OF QST
The October issue of QST is jam-packed with all sorts of things that
today's Amateur Radio operator needs. In this issue -- our annual DX
issue -- you'll discover both technical and feature articles to get you
in the mood for hunting down that rare DX. And just like every issue of
QST, you will find something to pique your Amateur Radio interests.
A receive antenna can improve the signal-to-noise ratio of those weak,
distant stations. Some transceivers don't include the capability to use
separate antennas for both receiving and transmitting. In his article
"A Receive-Only Antenna Adapter," Gerald Fasse, W8GF, offers a simple
schematic for an adapter you can build that will add functionality to
your shack. Joe Ostrowski, KI5FJ, shows how you can reduce transmission
line loss by matching your antenna at the antenna feed point. In his
article "A Remote Impedance Matching Network," he presents a simple to
use -- and easy to build -- network that doesn't have to use
microprocessors or relays to switch RF components.
In the October 2010 issue of QST, Cezar Trifu, VE3LYC, told his
nail-biting account of being stranded on an uninhabited island in the
Canadian arctic. Now for October 2011, Trifu describes his memorable
DXpedition to the islands of the southern tip of South America in his
article "CE9 DXpedition to the Tip of South America." Sean Patrick
Doran, W8OKN, now knows that the ARRL's Logbook of The World is the
best way to track his progress toward the DXCC and WAS awards. Read
about his Eureka! moment in his article "LoTW: Like Taking Your QSLs to
the Bank."
Have you ever gone to a movie and saw ham radio gear up on the big
screen and wondered just how it got there? ARRL News Editor S.
Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA, did when she went to see Mr Popper's Penguins
over the summer. She tracked down the owner of the ham gear featured in
the movie and tells of its journey from shack to screen in "Ham Radio
'Pops' on the Big Screen." Keane also presents all the details from the
ARRL Board of Directors 2011 Second Meeting in "ARRL Board of Directors
Looks to 2014 -- and Beyond."
NCJ Managing Editor Rick Lindquist, WW3DE, takes a look at the ICOM
IC-7410 HF and 6 meter transceiver in this month's Product Review. He
says that this rig "replaces the IC-746PRO and adds an improved
receiver, much faster DSP performance and new features to the mix, but
drops 2 meter coverage. Although the new radio does a lot, the 7410
user interface will be familiar to users of current ICOM radios." QST
Technical Editor Joel Hallas, W1ZR, checks out the Coaxial Dynamics
Model 81041 USB wattmeter: "This is a very nice wattmeter with some
extra features that you are likely to appreciate. It does not offer the
absolute accuracy of more recent instruments, but will be familiar and
handy to many. The provided PC software is useful, but we hope that
more will come."
Of course, there are the usual columns you know and expect in the
October QST: Happenings, Hints & Kinks, The Doctor Is IN, How's DX,
Vintage Radio and more. Look for your October 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 visit the ARRL web page
.
> ARRL IN ACTION: WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO LATELY?
This feature is a concise monthly update of some of the things that
the ARRL is doing on behalf of its members. This installment -- which
covers the month of August -- takes a look at how the ARRL HQ Emergency
Response Team helped monitor various nets and provide support to the
affected Field Organizations from W1AW, the upcoming Director elections
in the Atlantic, Delta and Midwest Divisions, helping to solve
interference problems on 60 meters, filing comments with the FCC,
reports from the Official Observer Desk and more. Read more here
.
> + REPORT CALLS ON NASA TO HIRE MORE ASTRONAUTS
Even as the space shuttle era has come to a close, a
NASA-commissioned report says the space agency needs to hire more
astronauts to maintain its presence on the International Space Station
and prepare for the next generation of spaceflight. The report warns
that "the Astronaut Corps appears to be sized below the minimum
required" and that the current corps size "poses a risk to the US
investment in human spaceflight capabilities." NASA commissioned the
report from the National Research Council, part of the National Academy
of Sciences, to examine the agency's astronaut and astronaut training
needs in the post-shuttle era. NASA Spokesman Michael Curie said that
the report "offers helpful advice about the appropriate size of our
astronaut corps as we enter this exciting new era of space exploration
and crew transport operations." Beginning in November 1983 with Owen
Garriott, W5LFL, on board STS-9, Amateur Radio has been an integral
part of NASA missions in space. More than 100 NASA astronauts have
received their Amateur Radio license. Read more here
.
> + ON THE AIR: DX0DX SPRATLY DXPEDITION "PERMANENTLY CANCELLED"
After numerous setbacks, Chris Dimitrijevic, VK3FY, announced on the
DX0DX website that the planned 2012 DX0DX
DXpedition to the Spratly Islands has been "permanently cancelled." No
explanation was given for the cancellation and Dimitrijevic did not
respond to e-mails from the ARRL. Spratly currently sits at #32 on DX
Magazine 's "Most Wanted" List.
The DX0DX Spratly DXpedition had been postponed at least twice. It
was first supposed to happen in January 2011, and then it was delayed
until April. According to Dimitrijevic, the postponement to April 2011
was "due to circumstances beyond the control of the DX0DX Team and in
the best interests of the Team of Operators." On April 10, 2011,
Dimitrijevic sent out a notice that said that 10 of the original 37
operators of the planned 2011 DX0DX DXpedition indicated that they will
return in April 2012, but that will not be happening.
In April 2012, however, another group is planning a DXpedition to the
Spratly Islands. According to the September 4 edition of the Ohio/Penn
DX Association's bulletin, members of the Malaysian Amateur Radio
Transmitter Society (MARTS ) are planning a
"2012 Project" to activate Pulau Layang Layang (AS-051) in the Spratlys
during the first two weeks of the month. The team leader is C.L. Neoh,
9M2CLN, with support by Tack Kumagai, JE1CKA, and the 9M4SDX Team
. The DXpedition
coordinator is Tex Izumo, 9M2TO. MARTS is Malaysia's IARU
Member-Society. Read more here
.
> SOLAR UPDATE
Tad "September Sun, you made me see" Cook, K7RA, reports: Solar
indicators rose again this week, with the average daily sunspot numbers
increasing nearly 21 points to 104.3, while the average daily solar
flux was up nearly 12 points to 115.5. The geomagnetic numbers were up
as well, with the most active geomagnetic day occurring on September 3.
The latest prediction from NOAA/USAF has solar flux at 110, 105 and 100
for September 8-10, 95 on September 11-13, 100 on September 14-15, 103
on September 16-17, and 105 on September 18-22. The planetary A index
is predicted at 5 on September 8-9, 18, 15, 10 and 8 on September
10-13, 5 on September 14-17, 7 on September 18-19, and 5 on September
20-23. Geophysical Institute Prague predicts minor storm for September
9-10, active conditions September 11, unsettled September 12, quiet to
unsettled September 13 and quiet on September 14-15. Both the NOAA and
Prague predictions for September 9-10 are probably based on a recent X2
class solar flare on September 6. Look for more information on the ARRL
website on Friday, September 9. For more information concerning radio
propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service Propagation
page . This week's "Tad
Cookism" is brought to you by Human Nature's September Girl.
> + ARRL RECOGNIZES: DOUG HALL, K4DSP, WINS AUGUST QST COVER PLAQUE
AWARD
The winner of the QST Cover Plaque Award for August is Doug Hall,
K4DSP, for his article "The FSKit -- A Simple Sound Card Interface for
Generating Radioteletype Frequency Shift Keying." Congratulations Doug!
The QST Cover Plaque award -- given to the author or authors of the
best article in each issue -- is determined by a vote of ARRL members
on the QST Cover Plaque Poll Web page
. Cast a ballot for your
favorite article in the September issue today.
> THIS WEEK ON THE RADIO
This week:
- September 9 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
- September 9-10 -- PODXS 070 Club Jay Hudak Memorial 80 Meter Sprint
(local time)
- September 10 -- Ohio State Parks on the Air; Kulikovo Polye Contest
- September 10-11 -- Arkansas QSO Party; WAE DX Contest (Phone)
- September 10-12 -- ARRL September VHF QSO Party
; ARCI VHF Contest
- September 11 -- SKCC Weekend Sprint
- September 14-15 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test
Next week:
- September 16 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder; AGB NEMIGA Contest
- September 17 -- Connecticut QSO Party; Feld Hell Sprint
- September 17-18 -- ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest (local time)
;
South Carolina QSO Party; Washington State Salmon Run; CIS DX QPSK63
Contest; Scandinavian Activity Contest (CW); SRT HF Contest (SSB); QRP
Afield
- September 18 -- North American Sprint (SSB); WAB 144 MHz QRP Phone
Contest; BARTG Sprint 75
- September 19 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest; 144 MHz Fall Sprint
(local time)
- September 22 -- NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint
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
- 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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