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CQ COMMUNICATIONS ACQUIRES WORLDRADIO MAGAZINE

12:54 PM 13-Nov-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

CQ COMMUNICATIONS ACQUIRES WORLDRADIO MAGAZINE

(Hicksville, NY and Sacramento, CA, November 12, 2008)
-- CQ Communications, Inc. has acquired WorldRadio magazine, CQ
Publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA and WorldRadio Publisher Armond Noble,
N6WR, announced jointly today. CQ, based in Hicksville, New York,
currently publishes CQ Amateur Radio, CQ VHF and Popular
Communications magazines.

WorldRadio, based in Sacramento, California, has been
published monthly since July, 1971, with a primary focus on the
human side of ham radio. CQ, a general-interest ham radio magazine
best known for its support of DXing and contesting, has been in
print since January, 1945.

Armond Noble, N6WR, Publisher of WorldRadio, said that
at the age of 74 the time had come for him to retire. "I wanted to
be sure that WorldRadio found a good home, and that our readers
would continue to be served by an independent voice in amateur
radio," Noble said.

CQ Publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA, said, "WorldRadio has
filled an important niche in our hobby for nearly four decades. We
welcome WorldRadio's readers to the CQ family, and we look forward
to meeting their needs for many years to come."

Current plans call for WorldRadio to continue to be
published online as part of the CQ family of magazines, with Editor
Nancy Kott, WZ8C, continuing in that position. WorldRadio
subscribers will also have their subscriptions transferred to CQ
magazine. Readers will be notified of details as plans are finalized.

NASA - The Sun Shows Signs of Life

1:03 PM 10-Nov-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

The Sun Shows Signs of Life

11.07.2008

+ Play Audio | + Download Audio | + Email to a friend | + Join mailing list

Nov. 7, 2008: After two-plus years of few sunspots, even fewer solar flares, and a generally eerie calm, the sun is finally showing signs of life.

"I think solar minimum is behind us," says sunspot forecaster David Hathaway of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.

His statement is prompted by an October flurry of sunspots. "Last month we counted five sunspot groups," he says. That may not sound like much, but in a year with record-low numbers of sunspots and long stretches of utter spotlessness, five is significant. "This represents a real increase in solar activity."

Above: New-cycle sunspot group 1007 emerges on Halloween and marches across the face of the sun over a four-day period in early November 2008. Credit: the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO).

Even more significant is the fact that four of the five sunspot groups belonged to Solar Cycle 24, the long-awaited next installment of the sun's 11-year solar cycle. "October was the first time we've seen sunspots from new Solar Cycle 24 outnumbering spots from old Solar Cycle 23. It's a good sign that the new cycle is taking off."

Old Solar Cycle 23 peaked in 2000 and has since decayed to low levels. Meanwhile, new Solar Cycle 24 has struggled to get started. 2008 is a year of overlap with both cycles weakly active at the same time. From January to September, the sun produced a total of 22 sunspot groups; 82% of them belonged to old Cycle 23. October added five more; but this time 80% belonged to Cycle 24. The tables have turned.

At first glance, old- and new-cycle sunspots look the same, but they are not. To tell the difference, solar physicists check two things: a sunspot's heliographic latitude and its magnetic polarity. (1) New-cycle sunspots always appear at high latitude, while old-cycle spots cluster around the sun's equator. (2) The magnetic polarity of new-cycle spots is reversed compared to old-cycle spots. Four of October's five sunspot groups satisfied these two criteria for membership in Solar Cycle 24.

The biggest of the new-cycle spots emerged at the end of the month on Halloween. Numbered 1007, or "double-oh seven" for short, the sunspot had two dark cores each wider than Earth connected by active magnetic filaments thousands of kilometers long. Amateur astronomer Alan Friedman took this picture from his backyard observatory in Buffalo, New York:

On Nov. 3rd and again on Nov. 4th, double-oh seven unleashed a series of B-class solar flares. Although B-flares are considered minor, the explosions made themselves felt on Earth. X-rays bathed the dayside of our planet and sent waves of ionization rippling through the atmosphere over Europe. Hams monitoring VLF radio beacons noticed strange "fades" and "surges" caused by the sudden ionospheric disturbances.

Hathaway tamps down the excitement: "We're still years away from solar maximum and, in the meantime, the sun is going to have some more quiet stretches." Even with its flurry of sunspots, the October sun was mostly blank, with zero sunspots on 20 of the month's 31 days.

But it's a start. Stay tuned for solar activity.

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/07nov_signsoflife.htm

Hurricane Watch Net, VoIP Hurricane Net and WX4NHC to Activate for Paloma

1:38 PM 7-Nov-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

Hurricane Watch Net, VoIP Hurricane Net and WX4NHC to Activate for Paloma

As Hurricane Paloma, a Category 1 hurricane, makes its way through the Caribbean, WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio Station at the National Hurricane Center, the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) and the VoIP Hurricane Net (VoIPWXNet) plan to activate. According to the National Weather Service, Hurricane Paloma is expected to make a gradual turn toward the northeast Friday night and into Saturday, with the center of Paloma passing near the Cayman Islands late Friday or early Saturday and approaching the coast of central Cuba late Saturday. As of 10 AM EST on Friday, November 7, Paloma's center is about 75 miles south-southwest of Grand Cayman and about 245 miles west of Montego Bay, Jamaica.

HWN and WX4NHC are set to activate at 6 PM Friday. The VoIP Hurricane Net will activate in an informal mode Friday afternoon and will likely go into a formal mode later that afternoon into the night.

HWN Manager Dave Lefavour, W7GOX, said the Net will operate on their usual frequency of 14.325 MHz. "We will be providing the latest storm bulletins and collecting real time weather data from hams in the affected area for relay to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida," Lefavour said. "The Net plans to operate until the band closes due to propagation loss. This schedule is subject to change depending on storm forecast wind and track predictions."

WX4NHC will be monitoring the Hurricane Watch Net on 14.325 MHz. Secondary HF frequencies will be 7.268 MHz and 3.950 MHz +/- QRM, should we lose propagation on 20 meters. EchoLink "WX-Talk" Conference Room and IRLP node 9219 will also be monitored. WX4NHC will also monitor CWOP, APRS and MADIS/MESONET Automated weather stations in the affected area. Surface Reports using our Online Hurricane Report form will be monitored.

"We request all land based stations, as well as ships at sea in the areas affected, to send us weather data (measured or estimated) and damage reports," said WX4NHC Assistant Coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4R. "If you are in the affected area and normally monitor on a local Net on VHF, 40 or 80 meters, we would appreciate your checking into the HWN NET or EchoLink/IRLP Net once per hour to receive the latest Hurricane Advisories and to report your local conditions."

The National Weather Service reported that Paloma is strengthening and the storm is expected to reach Category 2 status late Friday, possibly reaching Category 3 intensity by Saturday.

From: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2008/11/07/10443/?nc=1

http://www.arrl.org

ARRL Files Petition with FCC against Experimental License Using 40 Meter Band

5:36 PM 22-Oct-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

QST de W1AW
ARRL Bulletin 14 ARLB014
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT October 22, 2008
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB014
ARLB014 ARRL Files Petition with FCC against Experimental License
Using 40 Meter Band

On Monday, October 20, the ARRL filed a Petition for Modification or
Cancellation of Experimental Authorization (Petition) with the FCC
with respect to WE2XRH. According to the FCC, this experimental
license -- issued to Digital Aurora Radio Technologies (DART) --
proposes to "test digital transmissions in 4.50-5.10 MHz, 7.10-7.60
MHz and 9.25-9.95 MHz for a terrestrial digital radio service to the
citizens of Alaska."

The League's Petition states that DART's hopes that this
experimentation "will lead to a terrestrial, high-frequency (HF)
digital aural (domestic broadcast) service in Alaska. Ostensibly to
study the operation of this 'shortwave' system at high latitudes,
and apparently in order to roll out this domestic broadcast service,
DART specifies exceptionally high power operation in various
segments of the HF spectrum. ARRL's interest in this matter is
limited to the fact that the experimental license includes the band
7.1 -7.3 MHz, allocated domestically exclusively to the Amateur
Radio Service."

"It is astonishing that the FCC would grant this experimental
license for operation at such a high power level in a band that is
allocated exclusively to a service with which such operation is
clearly incompatible," said ARRL Chief Executive Officer David
Sumner, K1ZZ. "The only possible explanation is that it was an
error; the only reasonable step for the FCC to take is to correct
its error immediately, either by cancelling the license or by
amending the frequency ranges to delete 7.1 -7.3 MHz."

It is the ARRL's view that "Simply stated, there is a 100% certainty
of severe, continuous, harmful interference from operation of the
DART facilities as authorized by the Commission to ongoing Amateur
Radio operation at 7.1 to 7.3 MHz. This authorization must be
modified immediately (if not cancelled completely), so as to delete
the band 7.1-7.3 MHz" from DART's experimental license application.

The ARRL ascertains that DART has been permitted operation in the
7.1-7.6 MHz band using a 20 kHz bandwidth digital emission at a
transmitter output power of 100 kW and an ERP of 660 kW within a
radius of 1500 kilometers of Delta Junction, Alaska. In the
Petition, ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, points out that
while DART says it will coordinate with the High Frequency
Coordination Conference (HFCC), "[i]t does not propose any
coordination with any individual or entity in the Amateur Service.
There is no showing whatsoever how DART proposes to avoid
interference to Amateur Radio operation at 7.1-7.3 MHz. In fact,
there is no indication that DART is even aware of the allocation."

Calling the 40 meter band "perhaps the most heavily-utilized Amateur
HF band in the United States," the ARRL states that it can see "no
compatible use that DART can make of this band in any state or
territory of the United States, at any time of the day or night" and
will cause "preclusive interference" to amateurs using that portion
of the band. "The entire 7.0 - 7.3 MHz band is used heavily within
Alaska, especially by radio amateurs located in its remotest areas,
at all times. It is particularly critical in times of emergency due
to its daytime and nighttime propagation characteristics. The band
is also used at all times of the day and night for worldwide
communications by radio amateurs."

The League's Petition points out that the FCC's Rules at Section
5.83(b) state that experimental license grants are subject to change
or cancellation by the Commission at any time without hearing if in
the Commission's discretion the need for such action arises: "ARRL
submits that this application should never have been granted as
applied for in the first place, and there is an urgent need to
prohibit operation of the DART high power transmitters in the
entirety of the 7.1-7.3 MHz band. It is likely that DART has been
under a misapprehension that the band is among the international
broadcast allocations, because, in ITU Regions 1 and 3, the band is
allocated to that Service. However, in Region 2, in Alaska, it is
not." After March 29, 2009, 7.1-7.2 MHz will not be available for
broadcasting anywhere.

The League goes on to say that Section 5.85 of the Commission's
Rules governs the selection and use of frequencies by holders of
experimental authorizations and adamantly states that "there is no
justification submitted by DART for the use of the frequency bands
requested, particularly with respect to 7.1-7.3 MHz. It is unclear
why such large segments of spectrum were specified by DART, given
its stated course of experimentation, and given its narrow occupied
bandwidth" and notes that DART "should have been required to conduct
its frequency coordination efforts in advance of the filing of its
application."

The ARRL contends that DART's proposed facility cannot meet the
FCC's requirements, as outlined in the Commission's Rules, Section
5.111(a)(2), "and there is no showing that the transmitter power is
the lowest practical value consistent with the program of
experimentation. Nor has it even taken Amateur Radio operation into
account." This portion of the Rules state that when transmitting,
the experimental licensee "must use every precaution to ensure that
the radio frequency energy emitted will not cause harmful
interference to the services carried on by stations operating in
accordance with the Table of Frequency Allocations of part 2 of this
chapter and, further, that the power radiated is reduced to the
lowest practical value consistent with the program of
experimentation for which the station authorization is granted. If
harmful interference to an established radio service develops, the
licensee shall cease transmissions and such transmissions shall not
be resumed until it is certain that harmful interference will not be
caused."

Calling for DART's WE2XRH experimental license to "be cancelled
entirely, or at least modified so as to delete the reference to any
Amateur HF allocation," the ARRL reminded the FCC that DART failed
to make any showing as to how it would avoid interference to Amateur
radio operation at 7.1-7.3 MHz: "ARRL submits that such a showing
could not be made in any case."

From http://www.arrl.org

One-day Technician license class in Cincinnati area

2:28 PM 21-Oct-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

One-day Technician license class in Cincinnati area

From: Steve Lewis <n8tfd@one.net>
Subject: [warn-news] one-day Technician license class in Cincinnati area
To: warn-news@lists.warn.org
Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2008, 1:35 AM

Have you thought about becoming an amateur radio operator but just have
not had the time? Did you know that morse code is no longer required
for any amateur radio license?

Registration is now open for a 1 day ham radio license class in the
Cincinnati, Ohio area scheduled for Saturday, November 8, 2008. This
course will prepare you for the Technician Class, entry level, amateur
radio license examination. This 1 day class will be held at the Blue
Ash office of the American Red Cross, 10870 Kenwood Road. Amateur radio
license examinations will be given the following Saturday, November 15,
12pm, at the Salem Presbyterian Church in Westwood.

Classroom instruction with plenty of opportunity for questions will
cover all of the main topics needed to pass the Technician exam.
Demonstrations, hands on experiences and interaction with local hams
will help participants better understand what amateur radio is all about.

This 1 day amateur radio course is being given by the OH-KY-IN Amateur
Radio Society in cooperation with the Queen City Emergency Net. The
class fee is $10 to defray expenses.

For more information call 513-382-3979. Email inquiries to
classes@ohkyin.org. Registration deadline is November 1st.

Area hams are encouraged to pass the word to friends who would like to
become licensed. To sign up, visit:
http://www.qcen.org/tiki-view_tracker.php?trackerId=5 .

The Ham Radio License Manual is available from the League at:
http://www.arrl.org/catalog/?item=9639 .
_______________________________________________
warn-news mailing list
http://lists.warn.org/mailman/listinfo/warn-news

VP6DX Ducie Island press release #29 - 2008 Oct 08

7:59 PM 18-Oct-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

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For Immediate Release
News #29 - 2008 Oct 08

Highlights:
... QSL cards confirming 78,286 QSOs mailed to 11,363 stations ...
... LOTW confirmations for these stations have also been uploaded to the LOTW server ...
... For comparison, the total log contains 183,503 QSOs with 38,502 callsigns. ...
... When to inquire about your "missing card" ...
... and other information about QSL processing ...

1. QSLs sent:

During the last three months the volunteer QSL team made significant progress on the backlog of requests:

a. All requests made on-line by donors, and received through Aug 1, have been processed. Note: We recently discovered that a batch of on-line donor cards for donations made after Aug 1 had not been processed, and are working on those cards now.

b. All postal requests for direct-mailed cards (donors and non-donors) received through Sep 30 have been processed.

c. All postal requests (donors and non-donors) for SWL cards received through Sep 30 have been processed.

d. The website home page now contains a link to a list of callsigns for which QSL cards have been sent. We will try to update this list every few weeks. Check the VP6DX website home page for updated versions of this list.

e. LOTW: We recently discovered 2360 callsigns to which QSL cards had been sent, but an LOTW confirmation had not been uploaded. The QSOs for these stations will be uploaded to LOTW in the next few days.

2. QSL backlog status:

The next groups of QSL requests to be handled are:

Recent on-line donors.
Requests made on-line for a QSL via the bureau: about 5000 requests received to date.
Requests received via post with insufficient postage or no return envelope (to be answered via the bureau): less than 50.
Research on QSL requests which do not match the log or appear fraudulent. Note: Information about QSOs which appear to be fraudulent is sent to the ARRL DXCC program administrator for appropriate action.

3. E-mail inquiries:

About 1000 emails have been received containing a message similar to: "My friend has his QSL card. Where is my card?" These inquiries fall into three categories:

60% of email inquiries are about QSL cards which are already in the mail or in a group not yet processed. Answering these messages has taken over 40 man-hours away from the job of preparing QSL cards. Beginning today, through the link on the vp6dx.com website home page mentioned above, anyone can check when a QSL was prepared.
40% of these messages are from people who did not include their callsign with their donation. As of Sep 30, 662 names remain in the "unknown callsign" database. The website home page now contains a list of sponsor names without callsigns. We will update this list occasionally. Note: We have a backlog of about 95 additional email inquiries from Sep 5 forward on which we are working. Some of these emails provide calls for these sponsors. If you have notified us recently of your callsign, there is no need to re-transmit your information. We are catching up!
Less than 10 people had their postal QSL request, donation, or QSL card lost in the mail.

4. What to do if you have requested a QSL, but have not received it:

Please follow the suggestions according to your category:

Your name is on the list of "donors without callsigns":

Send us your name and callsign on-line here.
If you have not requested your QSL on-line, please enter the QSO data on-line here.

You requested that your QSL card be sent via the bureau:

The volunteer QSL team has not yet started work on these requests. Work begins next week. Please wait.

You made a donation and requested your card on-line, or
You requested your card via the post, and mailed your request before Sep 1:

Your QSL request almost certainly has been processed. Please check the list of QSL cards sent for the preparation date of your card. Many cards are still in the postal system. If you do not receive your card before Nov 1, please send us a note via the web here.

5. What to do if you want a QSL card, but have not made a request:

There are three choices:

QSL card mailed direct to you - fastest method:

Use the on-line QSL request procedure here.
If you have not made any donation in the past, please make a donation of at least US$5 or €3. On-line donation is the fastest and easiest to process:
Donation in US$ or Euro via PayPal
Donation via European bank transfer
Donation via German "Spenden"
Donation via credit card (not a PayPal member): Send us a message via the website. Include your name, callsign, email address, and the amount you wish to donate (US$ or Euro). You will receive a message from PayPal with instructions for credit card processing. PayPal membership is not required to use credit card payment.

These requests will be processed in groups once each week.

QSL card mailed direct to you - slow method:

Send your card with SASE via the post to the address listed here. These requests will be processed in groups once each week.

QSL card sent via bureau to you:

Use the on-line QSL request procedure here. That is all you have to do. These requests will be processed in groups once per month.

6. Protect your computer log!

We have received about 30 emails from operators who lost their log because of a computer hard disk failure. Unfortunately, to protect the integrity of the QSL process, we cannot provide detailed log information. We are sorry to hear about these problems.

Please backup your log files today!

- end -

We would be delighted if DX editors would publish this information as widely as possible and DXers bring it to the attention of their clubs and fellow DXers.

CQWW SSB - PJ4E

7:17 PM 18-Oct-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

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CQWW SSB - PJ4E

PJ2/PJ4, NETHERLANDS ANTILLES. Look for a group of operators to be active

from Bonaire (IOTA SA-006) as PJ4E during the upcoming CQWW DX SSB

Contest(October 25-26th). Operators Kyle/WA4PGM, Roy/WK4Y, John/K6AM,

Gene/K5GS, Frank/K4EJ, Keith/K0RAY and Kelly/N0VD will likely operate as a

Multi-Multi. Before the contest WA4PGM, WK4Y, K4EJ and K0RAY will spend a

few days on PJ2 (October 18-21st), then be active from PJ4 during October

21-28th. K6AM, K5GS and N0VD will be active on PJ4 from October 18-29th.

Before and after the contest all operators will be signing PJ2/ and

PJ4/callsign. QSL PJ4E direct to WA4PGM. QSL N0VD via W3HNK. QSL all

others via operators instructions.

Roy and I are leaving tomorrow and hope to work each of you on all bands.

73,

Kyle

Dayton Amateur Radio Assn D-Star Repeater information

6:29 PM 18-Oct-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

DARA D-STAR Repeater

-----Original Message-----

From: brassardjn@att.net [mailto:brassardjn@att.net]

Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2008 11:11 PM

Subject: DARA D-STAR Repeater

The Dayton Amateur Radio Association D-STAR 440 repeater is on the air at a

temporary location and frequency for test purposes. This will last from one

to two weeks.

The following information is required to program the D-STAR radios.

Frequency: 443.750+

Mode: DV

UR: CQCQCQ

RPT1: W8BI---B (the last letter 'B' must be in the 8th position)

RPT2: NOT USE

MY: (your own call sign here)

The repeater is located in Huber Heights, Ohio (Northeast side of Dayton). The antenna is at the 250 foot level.

The 2-meter system is not operational yet due to the duplexer not being ready.

I will try to monitor this frequency as much as I can. I will also monitor

the 442.925+ repeater with a tone of 123.0 for those individuals they may

need assistance.

Joe - KA8C

brassardjn@att.net

CQWW SSB Preview stories on Radio-Sport.net

4:36 PM 18-Oct-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

From: Jamie Dupree NS3T
Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2008 17:52
To: pvrc@mailman.qth.net
Subject: [PVRC] CQ WW SSB Previews

If you are watching the calendar and counting down the days to

CQ WW SSB, then you can burn up some time by zipping over

to my contesting news web site, where I have now posted

eleven different preview stories on this year's contest.

One of them was written by our own Fred Laun K3ZO, as he

looks at contesting from Zone 26.

You can find them all at http://www.radio-sport.net

73 Jamie NS3T

The 2009 CQ World-Wide 160-Meter Contest

4:26 PM 18-Oct-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

The 2009 CQ World-Wide 160-Meter Contest

CW: 2200Z January 23 to 2200Z January 25

SSB: 2200Z February 27 to 2200Z March 1

PLEASE NOTE: This year’s rules reflect several significant changes, so please read them closely. Here is a summary of the major changes:

1. The dates for the 2009 SSB contest are a week later than usual to avoid conflict with the ARRL DX Contest. This is a calendar anomaly and will return to the last full weekend in February in 2010.

2. The start and end times of the contests have been shifted two hours earlier in response to requests from the 160 contesting community.

3. The exchange for DX stations has been changed from RS(T) & country to RS(T) and CQ zone.

4. A new single-operator/assisted class has been added to permit the use of clusters, skimmers, etc.

5. A 40-hour maximum operating period has been added for multi-op entries.

6. Provisions have been added regarding remote operation.

I. OBJECTIVE: For amateurs around the world to contact other amateurs in as many U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and countries as possible utilizing the 160 meter band.

II. BAND USE: 1800–2000 kHz. All entrants are encouraged to spread out as much as possible, obeying frequency restrictions and power limits for their own country.

III. CATEGORIES:

For all categories:

The main site is defined as all transmitters, receivers, and antennas must be located on the same contiguous property. If the property is not contiguous, then all equipment must fall within a 1500 meter radius. All antennas must be connected by wires to the main station. This rule applies to all entrants.

The use of any so-called “Chat Rooms” via the internet or similar means for communication between stations or operators during the contest period is strictly prohibited. Do not arrange or confirm QSOs by any other means than the use of the 160 Meter band and the same mode as used in the contest. Any such use may result in disqualification at the discretion of the committee. The use of self spotting is not allowed in any category.

Remote operation is permitted under the following conditions:
The use of any receiver located away from the main site is strictly prohibited.
The use of a separate receiver at the remote control location is prohibited.
Any receiver linked via the Internet or RF not physically located at the main site is strictly prohibited.
If the remote station is located in another DXCC entity, it is required to comply with all local country regulations.

Operating time: Each contest is 48 hours long and starts at 2200Z. Single operator stations may only operate 30 out of the 48 hours. Multi-Operator stations may operate 40 hours. Off times must be a minimum of 30 minutes in length for all categories.

(A) Single Operator: One person performs all of the operating, logging, and spotting functions. Maximum operating time is 30 hours. Passive spotting is NOT allowed. (See definition of passive spotting functions below.) Only one transmitted signal is allowed at any moment in time. Maximum power is 1500 watts total output or the output power allowed by your country, whichever is less.

(B) Single Operator/Low Power: Same as (A) with the exception that the output power shall not exceed 150 watts. Stations in this category compete with other Low Power stations only.

(C) QRP: Same as (A) with the exception that the output power shall not exceed 5 watts. Stations in this category compete with other QRP stations only.

(D) Single Operator Assisted: HIGH POWER ONLY. Same as (A) with the following exception: The use of passive spotting IS allowed. (See definition of passive spotting functions below.)

(E) Multi-Operator: HIGH POWER ONLY. All rules apply as in Single Op Assisted; however, more than one operator (person) is involved in the operation. Maximum operating time is 40 hours. Only one transmitted signal is allowed at any moment in time. Maximum power is 1500 watts total output or the output power allowed by your country, whichever is less. The use of passive spotting is allowed.

Passive Spotting is defined as (but not limited to):

DX spotting nets or QSO alerting assistance of any kind. Over-the-air nets or stations that provide frequency and station information.

Any device or person that provides frequency and callsign information of any station during the contest period. This includes band skimmers or similar devices. Passive spotting does NOT include band scopes, SDR receivers, or the like, which provide no information about the signal other than its presence, which is allowed in all categories.

IV. Exchange: RS(T) and state for U.S., province for Canada, and CQ Zone for DX. Note: Zones are location indicators only and do not count for multipliers.

V. Multiplier:

U.S. States: (48 contiguous states); U.S. District of Columbia (DC) (1)

Canadian Provinces: (14) VO1, VO2, NB, NS, PEI (VY2), VE2, VE3, VE4, VE5, VE6, VE7, VE8 (NWT), VY1 (YUK), VYØ.

DXCC plus WAE countries: WAE: IT, GM (Shetland Islands), JW (Bear island), TA1 (European Turkey), 4U1VIC, YU8 Kosova.

VI. Points:

Contacts with stations in own country: 2 points.

Contacts with other countries on same continent: 5 points.

Contacts with other continents: 10 points

Maritime mobile contacts count 5 points. There is no multiplier value for a maritime mobile contact.

VII. SCORING: All stations—the final score is the result of the total QSO points multiplied by the sum of all multipliers (states, VE provinces, DX countries).

VIII. Awards: Certificates will be awarded to the top scorers in each class (see provisions under classes) by state, Canadian area, and DX country. Runners-up with high scores over 100,000 points may also receive certificates. The trophies and donors for all categories can be found on the official contest web site CQ160.com. If you are interested in sponsoring a plaque, please contact us at: <questions@cq160.com>.

IX. Club Competition: Any club that submits at least three logs may enter the Club Competition. The name of the club must be clearly identified under club competition on the summary sheet, or summary portion of the Cabrillo log. Please make sure all entrants from your club use the same club name (spelled the same) in the Cabrillo entry. Non-compliance with this request may result in your score not being credited to your club’s entry.

X. LOG INSTRUCTIONS:

The submission of Cabrillo Logs is highly encouraged. Please submit CQ WW 160 Meter Contest logs via e-mail to <160CW@kkn.net> for CW and <160SSB@kkn.net> for SSB. Logs are requested to be in the Cabrillo file format. You can view the current list of logs received at <www.CQ160.com>.

Cabrillo format logs are received by a log processing robot. If your log has been submitted correctly, the robot will reply with an e-mail containing a tracking (confirmation) number. If there is a problem with your log, the robot will send you an error message containing suggestions for how to fix your log. Read this e-mail carefully. Most log submission problems are minor and can be corrected in one pass. Submit your log as many times as needed. The last submitted log will be the version that counts for your official entry. Once you receive a tracking number, your log has been accepted. Inquiries may be sent to <questions@CQ160.com>.

Special request for competitive entries: Wherever possible, the entrant is asked to record and save an audio file of the contest for review by the committee when requested. Any type of audio format is acceptable. This is only a request and is not required for awards.

Be sure to send in paper and diskette based logs early to ensure receipt by the deadlines. Unreadable paper logs will be classified as check logs.

XI. Penalties and Disqualification: Logs will be cross-checked and penalties will be applied at the committee’s discretion for contacts determined to be bad or busted. The bad QSO is removed and a penalty of two more equivalent QSOs is applied to the points only. No penalty should be applied for unique QSOs unless they are deemed excessive. A log may be disqualified for violation of amateur radio regulations, unsportsmanlike conduct, or claiming excessive unverified contacts.

Report file outputs showing final score calculations will be available for all entrants after the results are published. The decisions of the CQ WW 160 Contest Committee are final.

XII. Deadline: Mailing deadline for CW entries is February 28, 2009; for SSB entries March 31, 2009. Mail all paper/disk logs to: CQ 160 Meter Contest, 25 Newbridge Road, Hicksville, NY 11801 USA. Indicate CW or SSB on the envelope.

ALE Net ALERT - HURRICANE IKE - Special Bulletin

3:27 PM 11-Sep-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

ALE ALERT - HURRICANE IKE
HFN BULLETIN - 1900z 11SEP2008 UTC

For Emergency/Disaster Relief Communications
Interoperation and Support, Ham Radio operators
in North America are encouraged to commence
continuous ALE operation on the following channels:

ALE High Frequency Network Freqs (kHz USB)
3596-7102-10145.

5-14109-21096-24926-28146
(Hourly sounding)

ALE Voice SSB Freqs (kHz USB)
3845-3996-7185.5-7296-14346-18117.5-28312.5

Global ALE High Frequency Network (HFN)
http://hflink.net

ALE Emcomm Website:
http://hflink.net/qso/

========END HFN BULLETIN======
This message may be forwarded to others.

HFN Bulletin Originator:
Bonnie KQ6XA (HFN Coordinator)

Great Hurricane site - Stormpulse.com

11:30 AM 10-Sep-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

Just in time for Hurricane Ike, I have been found Stormpulse.com to keep track of the storm.

Go to www.Stormpulse.com and check it out.

73,

Sid

22JUL08 - VoIP Hurricane Net Activation Announcement for Dolly

8:22 AM 22-Jul-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

From: SkyWarn Announcement List [mailto:SkyWarn-list@oak.powersrvcs.net]
Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2008 7:51 AM
To: Skywarn-list@oak.powersrvcs.net
Subject: VoIP Hurricane Net Activation Announcement for Dolly

Hello to all..

As a FYI to folks, the VoIP Hurricane Net will be activating for Hurricane Dolly. See text below:

...VoIP Hurricane Net Activation to Commence with a call-up net on Tuesday Evening at 8 PM with a continuous activation starting at 12 AM EDT Wednesday through Midnight EDT Thursday as there are EchoLink and IRLP Node/stations in the affected area...

The VoIP Hurricane Net in coordination with WX4NHC will be activating with a call-up net at 8 PM ET Tuesday Evening / 0000 UTC Wednesday to support WX4NHC with surface/meterological reports from stations in the affected area on *WX-TALK* node: 7203/IRLP reflector 9219. At the time of the net call-up, wind fields of minimal tropical storm force will reach the Northeast Mexico/Southeast Texas coastline. Impact to the Southern Texas/Northeast Mexico area is expected to start Tuesday Evening with the worst conditions on Wednesday Morning into early afternoon.

As of 11pm EDT / 03:00 UTC Hurricane Warnings have been issued for Browsnville to Port O'Connor Texas and from Rio San Fernando Mexico to the border between Mexico and Texas. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect from Port O'Connor to San Luis Pass with a Tropical Storm Warning and Hurricane Watch in effect for La Pesca to south of Rio San Fernando. Dolly is currently centered at 23.1 North/92.8 West or about 325 miles east of La Pesca Mexico and 435 miles southeast of Corpus Christi Texas with maximum sustained winds of 50 MPH, a minimum central pressure of 999 millibars or 29.50 inches. Dolly is moving west at 17 MPH and the forward speed will be slower by Tuesday and then a northwestward motion will begin on Wednesday with tropical storm force winds extending out to 200 miles from the center.

Complete information on Dolly can be found at the National Hurricane Center Web page http://www.nhc.noaa.gov or via the VoIPWXNet web site by clicking Atlantic Tropical Products under the main menu and clicking the advisory information for Dolly.

We are currently making contact with Amateurs in Northeast Mexico and Southern Texas. Any stations with contacts in that area are urged to assist us by relaying reports from those contacts in the affected area wherever possible. We would like to get many folks on our call-up net on Tuesday Evening and for those folks to support the net during the formal activation timeframe on Wednesday. It is possible that if Dolly does not slow down as expected that operations could start earlier than currently anticipated and this activation notice will be updated if that occurs.

The reporting criteria and activation policy for our net during hurricane net activations can be found on our web site at http://www.voipwx.net

Listen Only IRLP/EchoLink capability include the following systems:

IRLP:
Reflector 9508 Sydney Australia Reflector channel 8.
Reflector 9129 New England Reflector channel 9.

EchoLink:
*KC4QLP-C* Node: 290251
*VKEMCOMM* Node: 270177
*N5API* Node: 77433

Below is the WX4NHC Activation Announcement as provided by John McHugh-K4AG, WX4NHC Coordinator and Julio Ripoll-WD4R, Assistant WX4NHC Coordinator:

WX4NHC ANNOUNCEMENT - HURRICANE DOLLY OPERATIONS

Released July, 21, 2008, 1PM EDT

PLEASE RELAY TO STATIONS IN THE AFFECTED AREAS.

At the 11am advisory NHC said "Tropical Storm Dolly NOW OVER THE WARM WATERS OF THE GULF OF MEXICO MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 50 MPH...85 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST...AND DOLLY COULD BECOME A HURRICANE BY TOMORROW"

Dolly is expected to become a hurricane tomorrow and track towards the Texas/Mexico border.

With this in mind WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio station at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, will be activating it's HF and EchoLink/IRLP station on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 at 2 PM EDT (1800z).

We request all land based stations as well as ships at sea in the areas affected to send us weather data (measured or estimated) and damage reports.

If you are in the affected area and normally monitor on a local Net on VHF, 40 or 80 meters, we would appreciate your checking into the HWN NET or
EchoLink/IRLP Net once per Hour to receive the latest Hurricane Advisories and to report your LOCAL conditions.

Please do not venture outside during the hurricane to gather weather data.

Your safety is the first priority.

There are many constantly changing atmospheric variables that affect the storm's track and strength.

Please refer to the National Hurricane Center Advisories for official information. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

WX4NHC will be monitoring the Hurricane Watch Net http://www.hwn.org on 14.325 MHz.

Secondary HF frequencies will be 7.268 MHz and 3.950 MHz +/- QRM, should we loose propagation on 20 meters.

EchoLink "WX-Talk" Conference Room and IRLP node 9219 will also be monitored. http://www.voipwx.net

WX4NHC will also monitor CWOP, APRS and MADIS/MESONET Automated weather stations in the affected area.

Surface Reports using our On-line Hurricane Report form will be monitored.

Amateur Weather Enthusiasts and ON-NHC Volunteers may report directly to WX4NHC on-line.

http://www.wx4nhc.org/WX-form1.html

ON-NHC Volunteers are both Ham Radio Operators and Non-Ham weather observers that use their own weather instruments to submit "Surface Reports" directly to NHC over the Internet via the WX4NHC on-line report form. These "Surface Reports" are very important as they give Hurricane Specialists at NHC a better idea of what is actually happening on the ground level during the storm.

The WX4NHC Group continues to expand its efforts to increase the quantity and quality of surface reports to include many different modes of reception and groups of people; including HF, VHF/UHF IRLP & EchoLink, VHF & HF APRS, CWOP NOAA Program and ON-NHC Weather Observers Network. (see our web site for more information on these programs): http://www.wx4nhc.org

WX4NHC is very proud to have maintained an active Amateur Radio Station at the National Hurricane Center for the past 28 years.

We appreciate all of the volunteers who help with our efforts.

OUR MISSION: TO HELP SAVE LIVES.

John Mc Hugh, K4AG
Coordinator for Amateur Radio
National Hurricane Center, WX4NHC
Home page:- http://www.wx4nhc.org
National Hurricane Center
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

VP6DX News Release - QSL Info - 18JUN08

5:38 PM 18-Jun-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

VP6DX News Release
2008 Jun 18 / 1715z

Highlights:

1 QSL card design
2 QSL processing status
3 Donors without callsigns in the database
4 Instructions for donors who have made an on-line QSL request, but have not received LOTW credit
5 List of donors without callsigns as of 2008 June 16 Monday

1 QSL card design

An earlier press release stated that we expected QSL cards to enter the postal system in mid-April. We must apologize for failing to meet that deadline.

Our printer offered us an opportunity to send an extraordinary QSL card. The direct-mail "card" will be a 36-page booklet, sponsored by the QSL-Shop and Knut Theurich DG0ZB (qslshop.com). This booklet has the same dimensions as a QSL card, and contains over 80 color photos and maps. The text in-cludes information about the major sponsors, Ducie Island history, and the VP6DX project. With a thickness of 1mm, the VP6DX QSL will fit in standard QSL card display holders.

Not surprisingly, it takes much more time to design and prepare for printing a 36-page booklet than a standard QSL card. We submitted the complete draft of the card design to the printer on May 14. Dur-ing the next several weeks we worked together with the printer to resolve technical layout issues and to proofread the final design. The final proof was approved on June 6 and printing of 20,000 cards be-gan on June 9. Last Friday June 13 more than 500 kg (1100 lb) of cards were shipped to the QSL team which should arrive around the end of this week.

We hope you will find this special card worth the additional waiting time. As you will read below, the QSL team has been using this time to complete other tasks for card preparation.

Note: Because QSL bureaus are not equipped to handle a booklet, VP6DX QSLs delivered via the bureau will use a normal card with color photographs.

2 QSL processing status

Over a dozen volunteers in Germany and USA form the QSL processing team.

In order to process the largest number of QSL requests in the shortest period of time, QSL requests are prioritized in groups. Several factors determine the priority of each request group:

• QSL requests for QSOs that match the VP6DX log exactly have priority over requests that require man-ual research. Manual research for busted calls is a time-consuming activity that can only begin after the owner of the logged callsign has been given time to request his QSL.

• QSL requests submitted on-line through the website have priority over requests receive via postal mail. On-line QSL requests can be handled more quickly; the time-consuming steps of opening enve-lopes, entering QSO data, and checking for errors — all of which must be done by a QSL team volun-teer – are eliminated when the DXer uses the on-line QSL request form on the VP6DX website. In comparison, on-line requests require no manual data entry by QSL team volunteers. To submit a re-quest on-line, go to ducie2008.dl1mgb.com/oqrs/index.php.

• When sending confirmations, we transmit LOTW confirmations first as this is the fastest way for a DXer to receive DXCC credit. Next we prepare direct-mail QSLs. Bureau cards, the least time-critical, have lower priority.

• Requests from donors have priority over requests from non-donors. Everyone who requests a QSL will receive both a card and a LOTW confirmation.
The group definitions and order of processing are:

• Group A1: LOTW confirmations for on-line QSL requests from donors
• Group A2: QSL cards for on-line QSL requests from donors.
• Group B: QSL cards and LOTW confirmations for postal requests from donors.
• Group C: QSL cards and LOTW confirmations for on-line QSL requests from non-donors.
• Group D: QSL cards and LOTW confirmations for postal requests from non-donors with SASE or equiva-lent.
• Group E: QSL cards and LOTW confirmations for postal requests from non-donors without SASE or equivalent.
• Group X: QSL requests that do not match the log.

SWL requests will be handled in the same group as a corresponding amateur radio operator QSL re-quests. In order to preserve the integrity of the SWL confirmation, an SWL request must include data for at least two consecutive QSOs heard on the same band and mode. SWL requests should be entered in the on-line QSL request form on the website by putting the data in the “comments” field.

Note 1: 1,086 additional donors have not provided their callsigns; see the list at the end of this press release. We cannot process their QSL request without their callsign. If you are on this list of missing callsigns, please send us your callsign via the "Contact Us" menu option on the left side of the VP6DX website: ducie2008.dl1mgb.com/contactus/index.php.

Note 2: Requests will be processed in Germany as soon as the cards arrive from the printer. Labels and envelopes are ready. After preparation, cards for North American stations will be bulk-shipped by air to the USA for mailing direct to the DXer. Cards for the rest of the world will be mailed direct to the DXer from Germany.

Note 3: As these requests are entered into the database, LOTW credits will be uploaded to the ARRL server during the weekly upload. In parallel, direct-mail QSL cards will be prepared. After preparation, cards for North American stations will be bulk-shipped by air to the USA for mailing direct to the DXer. Cards for the rest of the world will be mailed direct to the DXer from Germany. – page 2 of 8 –

Note 4: If you are a donor and made an on-line QSL request before 2008 Jun 09 Monday 1800Z, and your LOTW confirmation is not present on the ARRL server, please see instructions below.

Note 5: As these requests are entered into the database, LOTW credits will be uploaded to the ARRL server during the weekly upload. The QSL cards for these requests will be delivered via the bureau.

Note 6: As these requests are entered into the database, LOTW credits will be uploaded to the ARRL server during the weekly upload. Cards for North American stations will be bulk-shipped by air to the USA for mailing direct to the DXer. Cards for the rest of the world will be mailed direct to the DXer from Germany.

Note 7: If a logging error at VP6DX is discovered, a QSL card will be mailed direct to the DXer and LOTW credits will be uploaded to the ARRL server during the weekly upload.

Donors without callsigns in the database

Before April, over 1000 DXers made on-line donations without providing their callsign. In almost all cases, this occurred when the donation was made via PayPal. To add to the confusion, some of these PayPal donations were made using business accounts. In late March an improvement to the website was made to avoid this problem for subsequent requests.

We apologize for not anticipating this problem, and want to properly acknowledge every donor on our website. And, without a callsign, QSL requests from these donors will not be prioritized correctly.

Please check the list of names attached below. If your name (or business) is listed, please send us your callsign via the "Contact Us" menu option on the left side of the VP6DX website: ducie2008.dl1mgb.com/contactus/index.php. Thank you!

Instructions for donors who have made an on-line QSL request, but have not received LOTW credit
If you are:
• a donor, and
• have made an on-line QSL request via the website, and
• your LOTW credit(s) does not appear on the ARRL LOTW server today then please follow these steps:

1. Check that your callsign is recorded together with your name as a donor on the VP6DX website: ducie2008.dl1mgb.com/sponsors/index.php. Donor names (or businesses) with no callsigns are listed below. If you are on this list of names without callsigns, please send us your name and call-sign via the "Contact Us" menu option on the left side of the VP6DX website: ducie2008.dl1mgb.com/contactus/index.php.

2. If:
• You have submitted on-line requests for confirmation of more than one QSO, and’
• Some QSOs are confirmed in the ARRL LOTW server but others are not confirmed; then your non-confirmed QSOs do not match the VP6DX log. Your non-confirmed QSOs will be re-searched manually later. You do not need to take any further action now.

3. If none of your on-line requests have been confirmed on the ARRL LOTW server, please check that your on-line request is in the database. Go to the website's on-line QSL request page ducie2008.dl1mgb.com/oqrs/index.php and enter your callsign. A list of all QSOs that you requested in the past will appear in your browser. If your desired QSO is not listed in this database, then follow the instructions on the webpage to complete the on-line request form for the additional QSO(s). Your additional QSOs, if matched in the VP6DX log, will be uploaded to the ARRL LOTW server during the next weekly upload.

4. If (1), (2), or (3) does not apply, please send us a note via the "Contact Us" menu option on the left side of the VP6DX website: ducie2008.dl1mgb.com/contactus/index.php.

FIELD DAY DECLARED HAM RADIO APPRECIATION DAY IN OHIO

11:10 AM 3-Jun-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

FIELD DAY DECLARED HAM RADIO APPRECIATION DAY IN OHIO

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland has declared June 28 (Saturday Field Day)
as "Ohio Amateur Radio Appreciation Day" in the state.

Please go to www.ohioares.org to see the official document. Ohio
Section Manager Joe Phillips, K8QOE, wants all Ohio Field Day sites to
down load the document and display it proudly during all 24 hours of
Field Day - 2 p.m. Saturday, June 28 to 2 p.m. Sunday, June 29.

The Appreciation Day certificate, already signed by Gov. Strickland,
cites the "vital role amateur radio plays in emergencies." The
certificate also honors the 28,000 amateur radio operators many of whom
donate equipment, time and talent to the safety of the general public
in Ohio, local communities and the nation as a whole.

The Appreciation Certification is the work of Ohio State Government
Liaison, Nick Pittner, WB8TMF, of West Jefferson. Nick worked for five
weeks with state officials to make this "Appreciation Day" a reality.

Remember go to www.ohioares.org and download the document for
display at Field Day sites. Newsletter editors, please download the
document for your publications.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Ohio Section
Section Manager: Joseph J. Phillips, K8QOE
k8qoe@arrl.org

Biggest little QSO Party of the Southeast - Alabama QSO Party

10:21 PM 2-Jun-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

Biggest little QSO Party of the Southeast

Hey Everyone,

I would like to extend an invitation to you to participate in the Alabama QSO Party coming up this Saturday, Jun 7th.

This event is sponsored by the Alabama Contest Group.

We will be awarding certificates and plaques for the top scores in many categories.

It looks like we may have all 67 counties active during this year event--we missed by three

counties last year! Have been working hard to get the word out in Alabama and it looks like

participation is going to be very good. There are going to be eight or more Alabama club

stations participating. Looks like at least six or more mobiles this year.

Complete rules and information please go to http://www.AlabamaQSOParty.org .

Hope to hear you during the " biggest little QSO party of the Southeast" AQP.

Tim, KY5R

VP ACG

SEANET Contest this weekend!

10:17 PM 2-Jun-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

SEANET Contest this weekend!

Hi!

Don't forget that this year's SEANET Contest takes place this coming weekend - on 7 / 8 June 2008. The rules have been rewritten and simplified in an attempt to encourage greater participation. In particular, any computer contest logging program can now be used to log the SEANET contest.

Please see the new rules at www.seanet.cc (go to "SEANET 2008" then, at the bottom of the page, "Contest Rules").

We would welcome your participation and entry, even if it is only a few QSOs. Please also remind your friends of the contest, pass on the details to them, and ask them to put in an entry.

The results will be announced and prizes given out at the SEANET Convention, to be held in Sabah, East Malaysia, in November. Full details of the convention can also be found on the SEANET website at www.seanet.cc

If you have any queries, please feel free to contact me by e-mail.

73 and see you on the air this weekend!
Steve Telenius-Lowe, 9M6DXX
teleniuslowe@gmail.net

JARL HQ Stations for the IARU HF Championship

11:21 AM 2-Jun-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

JARL HQ Stations for the IARU HF Championship

Dear contesters,

For the 2008 IARU HF Championship, JARL will establish 10 HQ stations in
various regions of Japan. Each station may be heard on other bands than
specified below outside the Contest in the week of 7th July.

All QSOs will be QSLed automatically via the buro.

Here are the details of the 10 stations;

Call Band during the Contest Location
8N1HQ 15m-Ph               Kimitsu City, Chiba
8N1HQ 160m-CW, 10m-Ph      Minato Ku, Tokyo
8N2HQ 80m-CW               Chita Gun, Aichi
8N2HQ 80m-Ph               Nakatsugawa City, Gifu
8N2HQ 15m-CW               Susono City, Shizuoka
8N3HQ 40m-CW               Kobe City, Hyogo
8N3HQ 20m-CW               Miki City, Hyogo
8N3HQ 10m-CW               Nara City, Nara
8N4HQ 40m-Ph               Okayama City, Okayama
8N8HQ 20m-Ph               Iwamizawa City, Hokkaido

See you all in the contest!

73s, de JA1BPA (Icko)

Kazunori 'Icko' Suzuki, Ph.D.
JA1BPA/JI6CUK/JA6-9330
*****************************************************************
http://www.icko.jp/

WX4NHC Hurricane Season 2008 On-The-Air Station Test - 31MAY08

5:49 PM 22-May-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

WX4NHC Hurricane Season 2008 On-The-Air Station Test
Saturday, May 31st, 2008 from 9 AM - 5 PM EST (1300z-2100z)

Announcement from WX4NHC
Amateur Radio Station
at the National Hurricane Center

Our new NHC Director Bill Read, KB5FYA will also be making some contacts.

The purpose of this annual Station Test is to test all of our radio equipment, computers and antennas using as many modes and frequencies as possible. This is not a Contest or simulated Hurricane Exercise. New equipment and software will be tested. Some operator training will also be conducted.

WX4NHC will be On-The-Air on HF, VHF, UHF and 2 & 30 meter APRS.

We plan on testing on the following voice frequencies +/- QRM 3.950 MHz, 7.268MHz, 14.325MHz, 21.325MHz, 28.525MHz.

We will mostly stay on 14.325 MHz and announce when we QSY.

Need to find us on HF, try using one of the DX Spotting Networks,

Such as the DX Summit Web Site:
http://oh2aq.kolumbus.com/dxs/

Select "DX-Spots" 50, 250 or 1,000 or select "Spot Database Search" and enter WX4NHC.

We will also be on VoIP Hurricane Net 1pm-3pm EDT (1700z-1900z) (IRLP node 9219 / EchoLink WX-TALK Conference).
http://www.voipwx.net/

South Florida area VHF & UHF Repeaters & simplex. Report your Call sign, Signal Report, Location and Name.

Short Weather Report ("Sunny", or "Rain", etc.)

Non-Hams are invited to submit their actual weather using the On-Line Hurricane Report Form at
http://www.wx4nhc.org/WX-form1.html

QSL Cards are available via WD4R. Please S.A.S.E.
(Please do not send QSLs directly to the Hurricane Center address.)

Due to security measures, NO VISITORS will be allowed at NHC during this test.

Thank you for your participation in this Station TEST.

WX4NHC Amateur Radio Station
At the National Hurricane Center
http://www.wx4nhc.org

Video Interview of NHC Director, Bill Read on Ham Radio and Hurricanes. (courtesy of Danny Musten KD4RAA and the Storm Study Team)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emU95Hsd7WY

Pictures at the 2008 National Hurricane Conference.
http://www.wx4nhc.org/NHC2008ConfWX4NHC.html

Julio Ripoll Architect WD4R
WX4NHC Amateur Radio Asst. Coordinator
http://www.wx4nhc.org

National Hurricane Center
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

CQ ANNOUNCES 2008 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

8:57 AM 20-May-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

CQ ANNOUNCES 2008 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

(Dayton, OH - May 16, 2008) -- CQ magazine today announced its 2008
Hall of Fame inductees, welcoming 14 new members into the CQ Amateur Radio
Hall of Fame, three new members of the CQ DX Hall of Fame and two new
members of the CQ Contest Hall of Fame.

The CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame honors those individuals, whether
licensed hams or not, who have made significant contributions to amateur
radio; and those amateurs who have made significant contributions either to
amateur radio, to their professional careers or to some other aspect of life
on our planet. The 2008 inductees (listed alphabetically) are:

Gaston Bertels, ON4WF - Honorary President, former President & CEO, UBA
(Belgian IARU society); founder & President, AMSAT Belgium; Chairman, ARISS
Europe

L.B. Cebik, W4RNL (SK) - Noted antenna authority, prolific author on topics
relating to antennas and antenna modeling

Gordon England, ex-W3AWO - Deputy Secretary of Defense; former Secretary of
the Navy; former defense industry executive

Adm. Edmund Giambastiani, N4OC - Retired Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of
Staff

Gerald Griffin, MD, K6MD - Brigadier General, Medical Corps, US Army (Ret.)
- Led medical brigades and humanitarian missions in various combat zones;
delegate to NATO medical advisory committee

Larnelle Harris, WD4LZC - Multi-award-winning Gospel singer/songwriter

Lenore Jensen, W6NAZ (SK) - Co-Founder, Young Ladies' Radio League (YLRL)

John Kanzius, K3TUP - Inventor of possible cure for cancer using RF energy;
process for possible use of seawater as fuel

Charles (Chip) Margelli, K7JA - DXer and DXpeditioner; arranged the use of
Yaesu equipment for countless DXpeditions; successfully represented hams in
Morse code vs. text-messaging competition on "The Tonight Show with Jay
Leno" in 2005

Philip S. Rand, W1DBM (SK) - TVI pioneer; author, Television Interference;
engineer, Remington-Rand (son of one of the founders); author, many articles
in CQ and QST

Vice Adm. Scott Redd (Ret.), K0DQ / A92Q - Former Director, National
Counterterrorism Center; Retired Commander, US Fifth Fleet; active contester
and DXer

Dr. Tony Tether, K2TGE - Director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
(DARPA)

Dr. Hamadoun I. Touri, HB9EHT - Secretary-General, International
Telecommunication Union (ITU)

Dr. John Townsend, W3PRB - Space program pioneer, aerospace industry
executive.

The CQ Contest and DX Halls of Fame honor those amateurs who not only excel
in personal performance in these major areas of amateur radio but who also
"give back" to the hobby in outstanding ways.

The 2008 inductees to the CQ DX Hall of Fame are:

John Devoldere, ON4UN, who more or less single-handedly popularized DXing on
80 meters. His book, Low Band DXing, is considered the "bible" for DXing on
these bands, with more than 50,000 copies sold in the 20+ years in which
it's been in print. John was the first ham to earn CQ's 5-Band Worked All
Zones (5BWAZ) award, in 1979; he holds 80m DXCC certificate #1 and currently
has 357 countries confirmed on the band.

Nellie Saltiel de Lazard, XE1CI, a pediatrician and DXer/DXpeditioner,
Nellie has earned just about every major DXing award and has operated from
more than a dozen different countries, including being the first YL to
operate from Palestine (E4).

Bob Schenck, N2OO, has made his greatest contribution to DXing behind the
scenes as QSL manager for over 100 DX stations and more than 130 DXpeditions
and as founder of the QSL Manager's Society.

The 2008 inductees to the CQ Contest Hall of Fame are:

Paolo Cortese, I2UIY - has too many top-10 finishes to list. Off the air,
Paolo served for more than a decade as the HF Contest Manager for Italy's
national amateur radio association; wrote a book on contesting, has been a
member of the CQWW Contest Committee since 1990 and co-director of the CQ WW
RTTY DX Contest and CQ WPX RTTY Contest since 2005.

Randy Thompson, K5ZD, has multiple wins in the CQ World Wide DX Contest,
ARRL Sweepstakes, CQ WPX (CW and SSB), CQ 160 and the IARU HF Championship.
His station has also hosted many #1 performances by guest operators. Randy
is three-time editor of the National Contest Journal, co-founder of the
_e-ham.net_ (http://e-ham.net/) website. He has just been named Director of
the CQ WPX Contests.

Formal inductions to the CQ Contest and DX Halls of Fame were scheduled for
the contest and DX dinners, respectively, at the Dayton Hamvention.

New Remote Operating Reflector

9:45 PM 6-May-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

New Remote Operating Reflector

From Paul K2DB - K2NNY:

I have set up a new reflector for those of us that are interested in

remote stations, operating, contesting, etc. It is called remoteoperating.

It is my hope that those currently using remote stations, or are thinking

about it, please subscribe and help kick this new reflector off.

There are many of us that have a lot of experience, technical know how and

have been there and are doing it now. I know I have had a lot of successes

and failures in my endeavor to get the remote station operational. I want to

share, and I still have a lot of what if and how do I do this type of

questions.

Hopefully this list will be where we can get together and help each other.

If you know of others who are interested, or other lists that we can get the

word out about this new reflector, please let them know. The more we get the

word out, the more we will enjoy each others comments.

Thanks in advance, and I hope to see you on the new list.

General information and subscription info on the mailing list is at:

http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/remoteoperating

73 and thanks,

Paul K2DB - K2NNY

West Coast Regional Radio Team Championship - 12-13 JUL08

8:01 PM 6-May-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

West Coast Regional Radio Team Championship

1200Z, July 12 to 1200Z, July 13, 2008

Japanese Amateurs Receive More Privileges on 75/80 Meters

Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) announced that Japan's Table of Frequency Allocations and the Japanese Amateur Bandplan have been amended, giving amateurs in that country more privileges on certain frequency blocks in the 75/80 meter band. Japanese amateurs are now allowed to operate the following additional frequencies on the 75/80 meters: 3.599-3.612 MHz, 3.680 to 3.687 MHz, 3.702-3.716 MHz, 3.745-3.747 MHz and 3.754-3.770 MHz.

As of April 28, 2008, Japanese amateurs will have privileges on the following frequencies in the 75/80 meter band:

• 3500-3520 kHz (CW only)

• 3520-3525 kHz (Digital Mode and CW)

• 3525-3575 kHz (CW and Phone)

• 3599-3612 kHz (CW and Phone)

• 3680-3687 kHz (CW and Phone)

• 3702-3716 kHz (CW and Phone)

• 3745-3770 kHz (CW and Phone)

• 3791-3805 kHz (CW and Phone)

"This makes it a bit easier for US amateurs to make contacts with Japanese amateurs, especially in contests, since Japan does not have phone privileges on the 160 meter band," said ARRL Membership Services Manager Dave Patton, NN1N. "These new privileges will also make it easier for DXpeditions to work Japan." -- Information provided by JARL and theARRL

http://www.arrl.org

http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2008/04/28/10066/

INTERNATIONAL MARCONI DAY SPECIAL EVENT

7:14 AM 24-Apr-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

INTERNATIONAL MARCONI DAY SPECIAL EVENT
SATURDAY, APRIL 26 - 00:00-24:00 Zulu

Special event stations will be on the air Saturday, April 26 (UTC), to
mark International Marconi Day (IMD), a 24-hour Amateur Radio event
commemorating the birth of wireless pioneer Guglielmo Marconi on April
25, 1874.

Participants can qualify for awards by making contacts on 160 through 10
meters (CW, SSB and digital) with designated IMD stations operating on
or near a site where Marconi carried out experiments or where Marconi
equipment was used prior to his death in 1937.

The sponsoring Cornish
Radio Amateur Club (CRAC) will operate GB4IMD from Pendennis Castle,
Falmouth, Cornwall, overlooking Falmouth Harbour where Marconi spent
some 10 days aboard his yacht in April 1923.

Additional IMD stations will be on the air from the UK, the US, Canada,
South America, Australia and Europe. The IMD Web site has a list of IMD
2008 award stations:

http://www.gb4imd.org.uk/awardstns.htm

On the US side, the Marconi Cape Cod Radio Club, KM1CC, will participate
at the Coast Guard Station on Coast Guard Beach in Eastham,
Massachusetts, just south of Marconi's original 1903 station on Cape
Cod.

If you would like to operate an IMD 2008 award station, register your
station prior to the event, providing full details

webmaster@gb4imd.org.uk

  More information on International Marconi Day
can be found on the IMD Web site:

http://www.gb4imd.org.uk

New September Contest Scheduled - Ohio State Parks On The Air Contest

4:16 PM 22-Apr-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

NEW SEPTEMBER CONTEST SCHEDULED

The Portage County Amateur Radio Service (PCARS) announces the first Ohio State Parks On The Air Contest to be held on Saturday, September 6, 2008, from the hours of noon to eight p.m. EDT (1600Z to 2400Z).

For hams throughout the State of Ohio this contest presents an opportunity to visit and enjoy the amenities offered by the seventy-three beautiful State Parks here in Ohio. You can spend the day or even spend the weekend at the park of your choice. No matter whether you are camping or staying at one of the outstanding lodges or resorts you will find that the parks are one of Ohio's greatest assets.

Find out more about the parks and all that they have to offer at http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/default/tabid/80/Default.aspx.

This contest places a premium on working stations at the State Parks.

That means that it is critical to have as many parks activated as possible. The challenge for Ohio stations will be to work HF in the 50 to 300 mile range. Contacts can be made with any mode on the HF and VHF bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6 and 2 meters and all contacts have the same point value. This is a great chance to try something new, like an NVIS antenna or two meter SSB.

Individuals and clubs can operate high or low power park stations and there is a special award for the club that activates the greatest number of parks! Non-park stations in Ohio as well as outside of Ohio can also compete with each other.

So get to an Ohio State Park and get On The Air in September. Have some fun with this contest!

You can get complete information, including rules, forms and FAQ's, at http://parks.portcars.org, or contact the contest chairman, Chuck, K8CMP, at k8cmp@portcars.org. Check back at the web site for future announcements about additional prizes.

OPERATORS NEEDED - WPX CW @ 6Y1V

2:03 PM 5-Apr-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

OPERATORS NEEDED - WPX CW @ 6Y1V

Hello again from 6Y1V.

After a very successful M2 operation with K6AM, W4PA and WE9V, most likely having set a new North American WPX SSB Record with 30 million claimed points and possibly winning the M2 category, I am planning early for another M2 operation for the 2008 WPX CW contest.

I need 2 to 4 "experienced" CW operators for a successful M2 operation. We have done M2 with as little as 3 ops (CQWW CW ) and as many as 5 (ARRL SSB ), all providing ample operating time for everyone.

There are no fees to pay for guest operators for this contest. Simply volunteer, confirm your spot by purchasing a ticket to Montego Bay and come have a blast operating one of the Caribbeans best contest station.

Guest operators are welcome to stay at the house for free or share the cost of a rental villa at a local a plush resort such as Tryall Golf and Beach Resort or Round Hill. Also, there is a very inexpensive seaside resort close by called the Saraha that has rooms for about $70/night.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

David ~ 6Y1V

David 6Y1V [david@6y1v.com]

http://www.6y1v.com/

PS: If interested, please don't wait until the last minute. I can provide no travel assitance for this contest. If I can't get enough operators, I will simply operate single op.

KH6 Incoming QSL Bureau Change

5:02 PM 14-Mar-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

KH6 Incoming QSL Bureau Address Change (Mar 13, 2008) -- As of April 1, 2008, Barbara Darling, NH7FY, will assume management of the Hawaiian KH6 Incoming QSL Bureau. All card shipments should now be sent to KH6 QSL Bureau, Big Island ARC, Attn: Barbara Darling, NH7FY, PO Box 1938, Hilo, HI 96721-1938. Any concerns regarding this bureau's operation should be directed via e-mail to Barbara Darling, NH7FY. The ARRL would like to thank former KH6 Incoming QSL Manager Wayne Jones, NH6K, for his years of service.

KH6 Incoming QSL Bureau Address Change: As of April 1, 2008, Barbara Darling, NH7FY, will assume management of the Hawaiian KH6 Incoming QSL Bureau. All card shipments should now be sent to KH6 QSL Bureau, Big Island ARC, Attn: Barbara Darling, NH7FY, PO Box 1938, Hilo, HI 96721-1938. Any concerns regarding this bureau's operation should be directed via e-mail to Barbara Darling, NH7FY <nh7fy@yahoo.com>. The ARRL would like to thank former KH6 Incoming QSL Manager Wayne Jones, NH6K, for his years of service.

http://www.arrl.org/?artid=8081
http://www.nh7c.com
http://www.biarc.net/
http://www.qrz.com/detail/NH7FY

VP6DX - News #26 - 2008 Mar 10

4:15 PM 10-Mar-2008 - 0 comments - [ post comment ]

VP6DX - News #26 - 2008 Mar 10

News #26- 2008 Mar 10

Highlights:

... Answering questions about QSLs and LOTW credits ...

... missing QSOs ...

... other questions answered ...

QSL procedures:

***************

All the operators have returned home. Carsten DL6LAU arrived at his house to

find several thousand envelopes with QSL cards waiting for him. We are

surprised! Apparently we forgot to explain the new on-line QSL system used for

VP6DX clearly!

* Please do NOT send a paper QSL card! You do NOT need to send a paper QSL card nor a letter in the mail.

* Go to the website www.vp6dx.com. Click "Online QSL Request" on the left side menu. Follow the procedures to submit your claimed QSOs.

* After entering your claimed QSOs, you may choose to:

o Receive your cards via the bureau at a later date. No financialdonation to the VP6DX project is required. You are finished. Please do not send any cards to us.

o Receive your QSLs mailed direct to your home ("premium on-line QSL request service").

To cover the cost of mailing and other expedition expenses, the premium on-line

QSL request service is available only to people who make a donation of at least

US$5 or €3. If you have already made a donation, that's great: just check the

appropriate box on the premium service request page. If you want to make a new

donation, or add to your previous donation, that's great too! Check the

appropriate box, and the website will take you to the donation section. You may

donate on-line (via Paypal/credit card) or by sending a check in the mail; just

follow the website instructions.

By far, the most popular error in using the Paypal donation procedure is

forgetting to enter your callsign. If you use the Paypal system, please remember

to enter your callsign so your donation can be matched to your QSL requests.

Remember: you do NOT need to send a paper QSL card! In fact, a QS

Hurricane Watch Net, VoIP Hurricane Net and WX4NHC to Activate for Paloma

The 2009 CQ World-Wide 160-Meter Contest

West Coast Regional Radio Team Championship

1200Z, July 12 to 1200Z, July 13, 2008

Sponsored by the Southern California Contest Club (SCCC)

Japanese Amateurs Receive More Privileges on 75/80 Meters