Volume 17, Number 36 (September 11, 1998)

The ARRL Letter Index
ARRL Audio News

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IN THIS EDITION:

+ Available on ARRL Audio News

HAMS ACTIVATE NETS AS TROPICAL STORM FRANCES STRIKES

Hams in South Texas have activated HF emergency nets on 40 and 75 meters as Tropical Storm Frances hit the Texas coast from the Gulf of Mexico early Friday. The storm, which is not expected to become a hurricane, is packing 65 mph winds. Torrential rain and high tides caused flooding in coastal areas and damaged beachfront homes. Residents of some coastal areas had to evacuate.

ARES has activated 7.285 and 3.873 MHz for daytime and nighttime emergency traffic, respectively, and 7.290 and 3.935 MHz for daytime and nighttime health-and-welfare traffic, respectively. South Texas Section Manager Ray Taylor, N5NAV, has asked the FCC to declare a communications emergency to keep the net frequencies clear for the next few days.

Taylor reports one person has died as a result of the storm.

CANADIAN AMATEURS REPOND TO SWISSAIR DISASTER

Within a couple of hours of the Swissair Flight 111 crash September 2, Amateur Radio operators had set up a communication link between the disaster site at Peggy's Cove and downtown Halifax. At the request of local government officials, RAC ARES Halifax Area Coordinator Dave George, VE1AJP, relayed word to activate the Halifax Regional Municipality Emergency Measures Organization Amateur Radio Group. In addition, the Director of the Nova Scotia Region Canadian Red Cross, John Byrne, activated the Disaster Response Team, including Telecoms Officer Joe MacPherson, VE1CH. The Red Cross team was directed to report to the site and join the emergency response vehicle, on its maiden journey. MacPherson said new UHF hand-helds were used in simplex to keep in touch with key Red Cross officials and to link with the command bus--as a backup to Amateur Radio. Hams also were deployed to several other staging areas. MacPherson said the hams' emergency ID cards and vehicle identification cards were imperative to gain access.

MacPherson called in members of the Senior Amateur Radio Association to activate the communications center at the Canadian Red Cross Headquarters in downtown Halifax and also set up telecommunications links--amateur and other--between the on-site emergency response vehicle, the command post, Red Cross HQ, and the net control station.

MacPherson said some 20 hams volunteered in all. A shift roster was set up for 24-hour operation by the net control station. Two repeaters were used, one for traffic handling, the other for personnel coordination and assignment.

Amateur operators established emergency HF links to the military and to naval ships engaged in the search. They also were asked to establish communication on marine emergency channel 16 (156.8 MHz).

"The response was both fast and efficient considering the hour and the number of people needed," MacPherson said. "The extensive training over the past year really paid off. Radio procedures were excellent, and I heard many reports from senior officials at the site about how well the amateurs performed."--thanks to RAC and Joe MacPherson, VE1CH

LABOR DAY NO PICNIC IN WESTERN NEW YORK

There was no Labor Day holiday for hams in upstate New York, who activated SKYWARN nets in the face of severe weather that struck several counties. In the wee hours of September 7, straight-line winds ranging from 70 to 115 MPH tore across 11 of the 30 counties that make up the Western New York section--from Niagara County in the west to Herkimer, Otsego and Delaware Counties in the east. Some 270,000 customers still were without power by mid-week. Gov. George Pataki declared nine counties as disaster areas. Four deaths and nearly two dozen injuries are blamed on the storms. Oneida County SEC Bud Hippisley, K2KIR, reported a lightning strike the day after Labor Day at his home damaged several pieces of ham radio and computer gear.

Shortly after midnight on Labor Day, the National Weather Service began issuing severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings. One of the more severely damaged areas was the New York State Fair Grounds, where the annual fair was scheduled to wind up on Labor Day. The storm hit there at 1:20 AM, killing two State Fair vendors and injuring several campers. The State Fair was closed on Monday.

Western New York SM Bill Thompson, W2MTA, reports that initial severe weather alerts by the Binghamton NWS center came at 12:52 AM. SKYWARN activations followed in Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca and Yates counties. Tornado warnings were posted from Onondaga County eastward to Madison and Oneida counties at 1:05 AM. Additional SKYWARN nets activated at 1:30 AM with WB2UEC as SKYWARN net control on the Oneida County 2-meter repeater.

Red Cross shelters remained open at mid-week in four counties. Damage assessment and debris removal was expected to continue for several more days. Army and Air National Guard personnel have been activated to help.--thanks to Bill Thompson, W2MTA

CONTEST PANEL PONDERS AGENDA

ARRL Contest Advisory Committee Chairman Tim Duffy, K3LR, reports the CAC is looking at four possible contesting rules changes. The committee plans to vote on the topics in October and make its recommendations to the Membership Services Committee, and is seeking input on the issues from the contesting community.

Among the items the CAC is a pondering is whether to suggest increasing the time period (at the end) for the 10 GHz and Up Cumulative Contest.

The CAC also is considering whether to suggest that ARRL contests with single band categories allow multiple single-operator (ie, multiple operators) unassisted single band operations from the same location and using the same call sign. The individual operators would submit separate log entries.

The CAC is also considering some questions regarding CW contacts for mixed-mode entries in the ARRL 10 Meter Contest: Should contacts be required to be made below a specific frequency and/or should operators be required to stay on a mode for a specified time before switching to the other mode?

The CAC also wants to know if it should recommend establishing a low-power category (200 W output) for VHF and UHF operating events.

Comments on the proposals are welcome to the Contest Advisory Committee; e-mail .

SOME SWEEPSTAKES SECTIONS PLAY HARD TO GET

All contesters know the toughest ARRL/RAC sections to snag during the ARRL November Sweepstakes--or at least they think they do. But accountant Doug Richardson, VE5CMA, "could not resist playing with the numbers" and has ranked the hard-to-get sections in both the CW and phone events--from 1 to 78.

Most people who've ever attempted a clean sweep during Sweepstakes would probably guess Yukon/Northwest Territories (VE8/VY1) as the most elusive section. The real surprise from Richardson's data is that VE8/VY1 came in third place--behind Wyoming and Newfoundland-Maritime--on CW and second behind Puerto Rico on SSB. His analysis and rankings are detailed in the article ARRL Sweepstakes "Need List" on page 20 of the September/October issue of National Contest Journal (NCJ).

Working from 1996 and 1997 Sweepstakes results, Richardson teased out a combined ranking for all 78 ARRL/RAC sections. The results will be of interest to anyone who's ever tried to put those final few mults into the log in a quest to work all 78.

On CW, the top five hardest sections were: Wyoming, Newfoundland-Maritime (split in 1997), Yukon/NWT, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. On SSB, the toughest five sections to get were Puerto Rico, Yukon/NWT, Alaska, Newfoundland-Maritime, and Quebec.

What was the easiest section to snag? On CW, it was South Texas. On phone, it was Michigan, according to Richardson's statistics.

See you in the Sweeps!

PROPOSED POSTAGE HIKES FORCE QSL SERVICE TO ADJUST

Starting in 1999, the ARRL Outgoing QSL Service will increase its fees from $4 to $6 a pound. ARRL Membership Services Manager Bill Kennamer, K5FUV, says the move is necessary to absorb the effects of a proposed postal rate increase and to bring the money-losing service a bit closer to a break-even basis. The rate for quantities of 10 cards will remain at $1.

Kennamer said the rate increase represents a cost of 4 cents per card (based on 150 cards per pound) to sort, package and mail QSL cards to the bureaus of the other IARU member societies. "Even with the increase, this still represents one of the better bargains in services to ARRL members," he said.

Inaugurated in 1976, the Outgoing QSL Service provides an economical way for ARRL members to send their QSL cards to amateurs in other countries. Today, two fulltime employees handle the more than 2 million cards that show up most years.

"The ARRL has subsidized the Outgoing QSL Service since the beginning, and continues to do so today," Kennamer explained. He said the League's handling and mailing costs now run more than $9 a pound, leaving a shortfall of more than $5 per pound at the current rates.

The last rate increase, to $4 a pound, was three years ago.

JY1 ACTIVE FROM US

During his stay in the US for medical treatment, King Hussein of Jordan, JY1, has been active on HF, and AMSAT Area Coordinator Bruce Paige, KK5DO, in Houston, is among those with a QSL to prove it. And what a QSL it is!

Hussein, who suffers from lymphoma, has been in the US for treatment of the disease earlier this summer at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. While still in the US, he also made time to get on the radio. Paige worked JY1 on August 22 around 2200 UTC on 20-meter SSB "for about 10 minutes until the pileup got to be too much."

Paige said Hussein had been working a US op who had just undergone the same cancer treatment that the King was starting, but then signed off. He showed up on frequency later when his QSL manager, WA3HUP, came on the air, and Paige eventually got to work him. "I have worked astronauts aboard the shuttle, cosmonauts aboard the Mir, DX stations on rare islands," Paige said. "None of then gave me the rush that talking to the King has done. That was a very exciting moment for me."

Hussein also was on the air Sunday, August 30. Paige said he got his QSL about a week later via WA3HUP. It's very likely the only QSL card decorated with gold leaf. You can see it at http://www.amsatnet.com/jy1.html.

King Hussein was due to return to the Mayo Clinic earlier this month.

NEW VIDEOS AVAILABLE FROM ARRL

The League now has another volume of videos available for your club program. Check out Volume 12--Amateur Radio Far Away. It includes programs that focus on Amateur Radio in space.

  • Phase 3D Integration Lab. Take a close-up view of the satellite of the future, Phase 3D, described by the very folks who designed and assembled it. Scientists and engineers at the Phase 3D Integration Lab near Orlando, Florida, show all the ins and outs of testing the satellite in preparation for its launch. [1996; 25 mins]

  • JAS1B/Fuji2. Our fellow amateurs in Japan have been experimenting with Amateur Radio satellites for a long time. Here's a look at some of the history and background of Japan's Amateur Radio satellite program. [1996; 28 mins]

  • Sandia Robotics. Have you ever considered how robots may affect Amateur Radio in the future? Sandia National Laboratories demonstrates several robots, but none have any Amateur Radio applications--yet! This video is sure to prompt a discussion about the ways Amateur Radio could enhance robot use. [1996; 12 mins]

  • SAREX at Center Street School in California. With the help of the ARRL, AMSAT, and NASA, Gordon West, WB6NOA, describes a successful Space Amateur Radio EXperiment (SAREX) contact with shuttle mission STS-94 in July, 1997. [1997; 47 mins]

Volume 12--Amateur Radio Far Away, is $12 from the ARRL. To order, contact Margie Bourgoin, KC1DCO, in the ARRL Educational Activities Department; tel 860-594-0267; e-mail mbourgoin@arrl.org. Order item No 6974.

FCC SEQUENTIAL CALL SIGN UPDATE

The following is a list of FCC sequentially assigned call signs issued as of September 1, 1998. For more information about the sequential call sign system, see Fact Sheet PR5000 #206S or contact the FCC, 1270 Fairfield Rd, Gettysburg, PA 17325-7245; e-mail fccitd@fcc.gov.

DistrictGroup A
Extra		Group B
Advanced		Group C
Tech/Gen		Group D
Novice
0AB0HWKI0NZ++KC0ECE
1AA1TZKE1KG++KB1DEZ
2AB2FNKG2OY++KC2EAH
3AA3RPKF3CB++KB3CZM
4AF4LRKU4UM++KF4ZYN
5AC5RFKM5SM++KD5FDC
6AD6GNKQ6XM++KF6SQT
7AB7YXKK7PN++KD7CRE
8AB8DDKI8GS++KC8KWK
9AA9WLKG9OH++KB9TIM
N. Mariana IslandNH0FAH0BAKH0HEWH0ABJ
Guam++AH2DHKH2TRWH2ANX
HawaiiNH7LAH6PNKH7JZWH6DEU
American SamoaAH8RAH8AHKH8DMWH8ABF
AlaskaAL0MAL7RGKL0QDWL7CUW
Virgin Islands ++KP2CNNP2KEWP2AIJ
Puerto RicoNP3YKP3BKNP3YGWP4NNX

++ All call signs in this group have been issued in this district.

SOLAR UPDATE

Sun watcher Tad Cook, K7VVV, Seattle, Washington, reports: Solar activity still remains fairly high. The average solar flux for the past week declined a little over 8 points, but the daily value actually peaked again on Sunday at 164.6. The average solar flux for the previous 90 days went up another two points to 124, and the solar flux on every day last week was above this level, indicating a continued general upward trend. Geomagnetic conditions were stable, so HF operators enjoyed good propagation.

Solar flux is expected to decline September 11-13 from 140 to 135 to 130. It should then bottom out below 130 early in the week, then rise above 145 after September 18, above 155 after September 23, and peak below 170 from September 25 until the end of the month. Look for unsettled geomagnetic conditions around September 18 and 19, caused by a solar wind stream from a coronal hole. These predictions are based on the previously observable regions now rotated off the visible surface of the sun, so a burst of new activity could raise these values.

VE2FLE sends along an interesting resource for current geomagnetic conditions. It is an ftp site, which can be accessed using a Web browser, and the downloaded file can be read with the same. Check ftp://suntwo.geolab.NRCan.gc.ca/pub/forecast/forecast.gif to see current geomagnetic activity in the sub-auroral, auroral, and polar zones. In addition to current and recent activity, it also provides forecasts.

Sunspot numbers for September 3 through 9 were 117, 73, 101, 142, 138, 164, and 156, with a mean of 127.3. The 10.7-cm flux was 162.7, 154.7, 154.3, 164.6, 151.2, 153.5, and 145.3, with a mean of 155.2. The estimated planetary A indices were 9, 7, 6, 6, 7, 11, and 8, with a mean of 7.7.

In Brief:

  • This weekend on the radio: The ARRL September VHF QSO Party is September 12-13. Also on tap this weekend: the Worked All Europe (SSB) Contest, the North American Sprint (SSB), and the Ohio and Indiana QSO parties. Just ahead: YLRL Howdy Days are September 18-20; the QCWA QSO Party--Part 2, the ARRL 10 GHz and Up Cumulative Contest, the Air Force Anniversary QSO Party, the Washington State Salmon Run, and the Tennessee QSO Party are September 19-20. Contest results: The 1998 ARRL DX Contest CW results are available to ARRL members on the ARRLWeb Members Only Web Site, http://www.arrl.org/members/. This posting in Adobe PDF format replicates the article that will appear in October's QST.

  • QCWA QSO Party--Part Deux: The second Quarter Century Wireless Association QSO Party of the year takes place from 1800 UTC September 19 to 1800 UTC September 20. This is a CW and phone event--operator's choice or mixed mode. Work stations on each of 15 possible "bands," 160-10 (excluding WARC), CW and phone, plus VHF and UHF. Work stations in your own QCWA chapter once. No crossband or repeater contacts. QCWA members exchange call signs, last two digits of the year first licensed, chapter number ("AL" if not a member of a chapter). Nonmembers exchange call signs, the last two digits of the year first licensed, and state/province/country. Logs go to Art Monsees, W4BK, 420 Bay Ave, Apt 1521, Clearwater, FL 34616, or Don Bice, W4PCO, 5511 18th Ave N, St Petersburg, FL 33170. For full details, check out the QCWA Web site at http://www.teleport.com/~qcwa/qsoparty.htm or see QST, March 1998, page 101.

  • Zack Lau, W1VT, in hospital: ARRL Senior Lab Engineer Zack Lau, W1VT, is reported to be in good spirits and on the road to recovery after being hospitalized in Hartford, Connecticut. A well-known and widely respected authority on RF and microwave topics and a regular contributor to , Zack is a fixture on the VHF/UHF and above contest circuit. He's also been known to fire up W1AW on occasion to operate an HF event. Zack has been at ARRL HQ for more than 12 years and is considered the technical cornerstone of the ARRL Lab. Friends may send their best wishes to Zack Lau via ARRL HQ.

  • Martha McCoy succumbs following surgery: Martha McCoy, the wife for over 50 years of former ARRL HQ staffer and ham radio writer and columnist Lew McCoy, W1ICP, died September 4, following a brain tumor operation.

  • K0BC is new QCWA president: Gary Harrison, K0BC, of Bolivar, Missouri, is the new president of the Quarter Century Wireless Association. He succeeded Jack Kelleher, W4ZC, on September 1. QCWA members can contact Harrison at gharrison@getonthe.net. --thanks to Jack Kelleher, W4ZC

  • Vanity update: The vanity call sign program continues to be a hit. The FCC in Gettysburg reports it received 597 vanity applications during August, nearly all of them filed electronically. The FCC reports it has processed vanity applications received through August 24.

  • VE3PD to be next RAC president: The Radio Amateurs of Canada Board of Directors has elected Pat Doherty, VE3PD, of Murillo, Ontario, to succeed Farrell "Hoppy" Hopwood, VE7RD. Doherty, who's Ontario North Director for Radio Amateurs of Canada, will take office January 1, 1999. Hopwood resigned earlier this year, effective at year's end. --RAC

  • K7BV assumes CY9AA QSL chores: National Contest Journal Editor Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV, has assumed QSL chores for the 1997 CY9AA DXpedition to St Paul's Island. The DXpedition made some 12,000 contacts, but QSLing has fallen behind for a variety of reasons. Motschenbacher says he'll enlist the assistance of his wife and his friends in the Northern California Contest Club "in an organized yet speedy attack on the QSL backlog." During the transition in QSL managers, K7BV requests that stations be patient and not send additional cards either to VE9AA or to him. Motschenbacher said he now has the cards originally sent to VE9AA and expects the logs soon, but added that it will take some time to clear the entire backlog of "thousands" of cards. "I will be putting this activity right at the top of my list," he pledged. VE9AA, VE1PZ, and K7BV were the ops for the June/July 1997 CY9AA operation. K7BV says that the first cards from his CY9AA "clean-up" effort go out the week of September 7, "with KU7Y joining the team of volunteers dedicated to helping me get these much overdue cards out as soon as possible." He adds that his own QSLs for his recent 8P0V IARU contest operation and warm-up time as 8P9JJ "are being prepared now to respond to the 6,000+ QSOs I made." --thanks to Bill Moore, NC1L

  • Updated 10 meter logs delayed: The ARRL Contest Branch had hoped to publish the revised 1997 ARRL 10-Meter Contest Results in the October QST. Due to a software glitch in the Contest Branch, however, the revised results will not appear in that issue but in a later issue, possibly November. A problem had developed with the system that collects electronic log submittals, and some logs were not received even though they had been acknowledged.

  • Marquesas/Austral Islands on DXCC List: The ARRL Awards Committee has accepted a recommendation of the ARRL DX Advisory Committee to add the Marquesas Islands and the Austral Islands (FO) to the DXCC List. The additions will be effective with contacts made on or after 2359 UTC, March 31, 1998. The ARRL DXCC Desk will accept QSL cards for both the Marquesas and the Austral Islands beginning October 1, 1998. QSL cards received before that time will be returned without action. --DXCC Desk

  • TAPR 1998 CD-ROM available: The TAPR 1998 CD-ROM that was supposed to be ready for the Dayton Hamvention now is available! Those who ordered the 1998 CD should have already received their copies. The CD features updated information and software. Check the TAPR Web site, http://www.tapr.org/tapr/html/cdrom97.html, for the list of current updates. The price is $20 (plus $5 S&H). The new virtual audio segments on the 1998 CD include the 1997 ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference; the 1997 Digital Communications Conference (more than 30 hours of audio, plus photos); the 1997 Ham Radio Town Meeting at Dayton; and the 1997 Texas Packet Radio Society Fall Digital Symposium. TAPR still has copies of the 1997 CD-ROM too. Send orders to TAPR, 8987-309 E Tanque Verde Rd #337, Tucson, AZ 85749-9399; tel 940-383-0000; fax 940-566-2544.

  • Satellite Times ends publication: Satellite Times has ceased publication after four years. The magazine, published by Grove Enterprises, called it a wrap with its September issue. Subscribers will be absorbed by Grove's Monitoring Times. In a statement, publisher Bob Grove said his company attempted to turn the publication over to "other responsible entities," but got no takers. He said rising costs for paper and printing were the last straw. For more information, see http://www.grove-ent.com/grove/hmpgst.html

  • WTX SM on the tube: West Texas Section Manager Charles Royall, WD5CJI, made six TV appearances on KLST-TV, Channel 8, on August 26. One was a "live shot," and the others were a rerun of a news clip taped in his shack as he handled traffic during the Del Rio flood disaster. Royall also coordinated flood relief efforts for the Lions Clubs and Salvation Army of San Angelo, Texas. --thanks to Jennifer Gagne, N1TDY

  • USAF special event: The Strategic Air Command Memorial Amateur Radio Club will sponsor a special event station during the USAF QSO party September 19-20. K0GRL will operate from Elkhorn, Nebraska. Most operation will be on HF (no fixed frequencies), with some VHF/UHF operation. K0GRL is the call sign of the late Gen Curtis LeMay. For more information, contact SSgt Clay Mayrose, WA6LBU, Shift Supervisor, Offutt Global Detachment 1, 755TH Communications Squadron; e-mail clay.mayrose@offutt.af.mil or wa6lbu@aol.com; tel 402-292-9680 (H) 402-294-7062 (W).