November 2015 THE WACOM HAM · WACOM President’s Message November 2015 Bill—NY9H 2 Yes he is...
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November 2015 Vol. 40, #11 WACOM President’s Message—2 WACOM General Information—3 WACOM Meeting Minutes - 4 Upcoming Events—5 WACOM DX Corner—6-7 WACOM Hamfest Pictures—8-10 WACOM Hamfest Prize Winners—11 Field Day Results for WACOM—12 ARRL News—13-14 WASHFEST 2016 Hamfest Flyer—15 WACOM 2015 Renewal Form - 16 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Washington Amateur Communications Inc. THE WACOM HAM WACOM 2015 Hamfest! 1 November 2015 pp. 8-11 Palmyra Atoll DXpedition K5P Coming in January 2016 p.13 ARRL Field Day Results are in! P. 12 AO-85 Transponder in Operation P.13 A 501-C3 Tax Exempt Organization
Transcript of November 2015 THE WACOM HAM · WACOM President’s Message November 2015 Bill—NY9H 2 Yes he is...
November 2015
Vol. 40, #11
WACOM President’s Message—2
WACOM General Information—3
WACOM Meeting Minutes - 4
Upcoming Events—5
WACOM DX Corner—6-7
WACOM Hamfest Pictures—8-10
WACOM Hamfest Prize Winners—11
Field Day Results for WACOM—12
ARRL News—13-14
WASHFEST 2016 Hamfest Flyer—15
WACOM 2015 Renewal Form - 16
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Washington Amateur Communications Inc.
THE
WACOM
HAM WACOM 2015 Hamfest!
1 November 2015 pp. 8-11
Palmyra Atoll DXpedition
K5P Coming in January 2016 p.13
ARRL Field Day Results are in!
P. 12
AO-85 Transponder in Operation
P.13
A 501-C3 Tax Exempt Organization
WACOM President’s Message
November 2015 Bill—NY9H
2
Yes he is selling a new book, BUT .
Last night, after watching a totally amazing series on PBS about the brain, I watched my favorite TV
host "Charlie Rose", who actually interviews people. Last night he spoke with the familiar former ABC
anchor Ted Koppel. YES , Ted is selling a book, but the subject is very close to Ham Radio.
As I have shared in this space, our friend from the FCC, ex-enforcer Riley Hollingsworth, is playing the
same tune that our country's electric grid is totally exposed to cyber attack, and NOBODY has done
anything about it.
Ted says he found out by calling all the different government types, and asking questions, when he
could actually get a human on the phone. He would pick an agency, call it and get the bosses... they
were all clueless about any activities to protect the systems. After a year of research and pestering lead-
ers at Homeland Security, FEMA, energy commissions and power companies, Koppel walks away with
the distinct impression that the government does not have any real plan for a cyber attack on the grid,
anymore than it had a real plan for coping with Hurricane Katrina. “I’m convinced by the experts I’ve
talked to that the Russians and the Chinese already have what amount to cyber-time-bombs in our pow-
er grid,” he said.
Koppel worries even more about “outlaw states” like North Korea that don’t rely on commerce with the U.S., along with increasingly sophisticated and well-financed terrorist organizations. He also provides readers with an accessible explanation of what keeps the complex U.S. power grid crackling with elec-trons, and why the giant machine is forever vulnerable to computers, the internet, and our electric grid.
Several years ago , when I was involved with sound systems at the airports, we avoided the IP guys re-quirements to get on their network. We required our own 'cables' to avoid the voice messages getting messed up by intense network traffic. Yet it appears that enough of our "grid" is exposed via the inter-net, that it is well past a 'vulnerability' issue.
Such a potential for a cyber attack against the U.S. power grid that might leave the country in darkness without power, water, food, fuel and sanitation appears as a when , not an IF. Koppel noted that with our American conveniences, we keep very little foodstuffs at home. We eat out often, and probably have no more than a few days food available. He spoke of New York City being out of food in less than 3 days. Koppel also noted that one religion, The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) has been strongly directed by their leaders to maintain 6 months food supplies. With no electricity we have no furnaces, no gasoline, and with no water we cannot drink nor flush ! No power for weeks or months means stores could not sell anything, or pump anything.
Ham radio folks : not only do we need to think about our "go kits", we better figure out how to survive an extended period without power...
PS: generators will run out of gas.
Be well,
Bill Steffey NY9H
WACOM OFFICERS, BOARD OF DIRECTORS,
STAFF, REPEATERS, AND NETS!
Membership
- WACOM membership is open to anyone
- Annual Dues:
$20 for individuals
$10 for each additional family member
(send check & completed form to club treasurer)
- Questions? Contact the WACOM club treasurer.
Membership Meeting
- 7:30PM (1930 hrs), First Thursday of every month
Board of Directors Meeting
- 7PM (1900 hrs), Last Thursday of every month
Mailing Address
WACOM
c/o Norma Plants N3YJJ
236 Chambers Ridge Road
West Alexander, Pa 15376-2270
General Club Correspondence; [email protected]
Club Officers
President: Bill Steffey, NY9H; [email protected]
Vice President: Don Smith, KB3YLR; [email protected]
Secretary: Randy Kief, KC3EKZ; [email protected]
Treasurer: Norma Plants, N3YJJ; [email protected]
Board of Directors
Director: Jim Burtoft, KC3HW; [email protected]
Director: Dennis Presky, K3PSP; [email protected]
Director: Bud Plants, N3TIR; [email protected]
Newsletter Editor
Ken Frankenbery, AA3GM; [email protected]
Webmaster
Joe Caldwell, N3XE; [email protected]
VE Liaison
Bob Kinnear, KI4DHB; [email protected]
Repeaters
K3PSP - 146.790+ MHz, EchoLink node - WA3COM-R
147.285+ MHz (Scenery Hill, PA)
145.250 - MHz (West Alexander)
147.390+ MHz (Smith Township)
147.315+ MHz (Greene County)
W3CYO - 145.490 MHz, 224.4 MHz, 443.300 MH z
Digital Net
- Mondays at 8PM (2000 hrs), on K3PSP Repeater
- Rich, KC3AJM Net Control
2 Meter Public Service Net
- Tuesdays at 8:30PM (2030 hrs), on K3PSP Repeater
- Dave, N3IDH Net Control
10 Meter Net
- Tuesdays at 9PM (2100 hrs), on 28.340 MHz
- Bud, N3TIR Net Control
YL Net
- Wednesdays at 7:30PM (1930 hrs), on K3PSP Repeater
- Karen, K3PUP Net Control
Elmer Net
- Wednesdays at 8PM (2000 hrs), on K3PSP Repeater
- Bud N3TIR, Net Control
Club Elmers
DX Contest - Bill Sheehan, KB3LIX; [email protected]
QSL & DX - Bill Steffey, NY9H; [email protected]
ARES & RACES - Bob Ketzell, KB3IN; [email protected]
CW - Loren McCullough, WA3WZR; [email protected]
VHF - Craig Yoho, KB3RHR; [email protected]
Repeaters - Dennis Presky, K3PSP; [email protected]
Websites - Joe Caldwell, N3XE; [email protected]
Washington Amateur Communications is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to advancing the principles of Amateur Radio
while making it fun for all who participate. We have been affiliated with the ARRL for over 25 years. Our club call sign is
WA3COM. Because of our activity in promoting Amateur Radio, including conducting classes, public demonstrations, emergency
preparedness and training, studying technical advancements in radio and mentoring of new and soon-to-be hams, WACOM has
earned the designation of Special Service Club from the ARRL.
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WACOM General Meeting Minutes
1 October 2015, 7:30 PM
Next WACOM meeting - 5 November 2015, 7:30 PM!
___________________________________________________________
Present for meeting: KC3EKZ—Randy, KB3AAG—Frank, N3TIR—Bud, N3YJJ –Norma,WA3WMB—Joe, W3CYO—Sam,
KB3IN—Bob, K3PSP—DENNIS, KC3FGN—Tom, KC3HW –Jim, KC3EDQ—Brad, NY9H—Bill, KB3TFN—Pat, AA3GM—
Ken, N3XAR—Patty, W3PLP—Paul, N3BKW—Walt, KC3AJM—Bob, N3PSQ—Sam.
The meeting was called to order by Bill Steffey (NY9H) at 7:30 PM.
Membership intros and introducing visitors were performed and new hams, and member license upgrades were recognized
Old minutes were read by Randy (KC3EKZ). Changes to minutes were:
SET drill date from October 5th to October 3rd and Shippingsport drill canceled, and rescheduled for next year
A motion to accept by Joe (WA3WMB), 2nd by Ken (AA3GM). There were no objections. Minutes accepted.
The treasury report was read by Norma (N3YJJ). Motion to accept by Bob (KC3AJM), 2nd by Joe (WA3WMB), no objections. Report
accepted as read.
Mike (K3AIR) stated that the 501C3 is in process at the IRS, still waiting on approval.
Bill (NY9H) reviewed elections for November, and December. Bud (N3TIR) verified that vice president, secretary, and 1 board mem-
ber are due this year.
Bill (NY9H) reviewed operations (nets). Replacements for Dave (KA3PMW), and Karen (K3PUP) are needed. HF special events. (PA
QSO party, W3R, W3M) Pa. QSO party maybe held from the club radio room. Party scheduled for October 10, and 11, 2015. Randy
(KC3EKZ) to provide access to radio room. Bill (NY9H) also discussed how drills assist in preparing the club for disasters. So far the
club is performing a good job over most other clubs.
Dennis (K3PSP) discussed the repeater system. He is cleaning up internal repeater issues. He is also narrowing down on the external
problem as well.
Bill (NY9H) reminded all of the PA QSO party on October 10 and 11. The radio room will be open for operations for this event.
Randy (KC3EKZ) announced a special event for the end of June next year at the Pennsylvania trolley museum.
Bob (KB31N) reviewed several items. The county phone chain list is available to the club at no charge. Bob passed around a signup
sheet for anyone that wants to be on the emergency call list. Bob also passed around registration sheets for photo ID's for the region 13
ID cards. The county will be at the next meeting to take pictures for the cards. Cards will only be issued to those who are active in re-
gion 13 activities. This was left for Bob to decide who will get ID cards by the county. The SET drill is Saturday the 13th_ Bob re-
viewed staffing needs, and member assignments.
Bud (N3TIR) reviewed the hamfest. 1000 mailers and 500 emails are going out. Bud will hold a meeting at the radio room in about 2
weeks for the hamfest. Help is needed for set-up, over night, and clean up.
Norma (N3YJJ) stated that the refrigerator at the radio room needs a door gasket. Cost to replace it is about $150.00. She requested
permission to either repair door, or purchase new refrigerator. Dennis (K3PSP) stated that he may have one. Replacement was voted to
be the preferred option.
Randy (KC3EKZ) reviewed changes, and new items at the radio room. He would like assistance in going thru the items stored there, and
remove anything that is of no need to the club. He also discussed the installation of a new HF antenna for the new Kenwood HF station.
Randy will be talking to members about this in the near future.
Mike (K3AIR) is now married, and living in the area. He would like help in installing antennas. He discussed having an "antenna party"
sometime in the near future.
A motion to adjourn was made by Sam (W3CYO), and second by Bob (KC3AJM). Motion passed unanimously, and the meeting was
adjourned at 8:30 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Randy Kief. (KC3EKZ)
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2015-16 WACOM Upcoming Events Calendar Meetings, Contests & Other Significant Club Events (Subject to Change)
____________________________________________________
1 November 2015, WACOM Hamfest!, http://www.wacomarc.org
5 November 2015, WACOM Meeting at 7:30PM, Washington County Building
7-9 November 2015—ARRL Sweepstakes-CW, http://www.arrl.org
21-23 November 2015—ARRL Sweepstakes-SSB, http://www.arrl.org
28-29 November 2015—CQ WW DX Contest-CW, http://www.cqww.com
3 December 2015, WACOM Meeting at 7:30PM, Washington County Building
4-6 December 2015—ARRL 160-meter Contest, http://www.arrl.org
12-13 December 2015—ARRL 10-meter Contest, http://www.arrl.org
26-27 December 2015—Stu Perry Topband Challenge, http://www.kkn.net/stew
1 January 2016—ARRL Straight Key Night, http://www.arrl.org
2-3 January 2016—ARRL RTTY Roundup, http://www.arrl.org
7 January 2016, WACOM Meeting at 7:30PM, Washington County Building
30 January—1 February 2016—ARRL January VHF Contest, http://www.arrl.org
28 February 2016—WASHFest, CSVFD, Castle Shannon, PA
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WACOM HAM DX Corner—NOVEMber 2015 COURTESY: http://www.ng3k.com/Misc/adxo.html
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2015 Nov01 2015 Dec12 Madagas-
car 5R8IC [spots]
LotW DXNews 20150821
By F6ICX fm Sainte Marie I (AF-090, WLOTA LH-0491); 40-10m; mainly CW, some SSB RTTY PKS63; 100w; holiday style operation; QSL also OK via F6ICX and Club Log
2015 Nov02 2015 Nov07 Bonaire PJ4 [spots]
OE7PGI DXNews 20150825
By OE7PGI as PJ4/OE7PGI; 20-10m; SSB
2015 Nov02 2015 Nov09 Timor Leste
4W
[spots]
JA8BMK Direct
JA8BMK 20151029
By JA8BMK as 4W/JA8BMK; 80 40m; mainly CW; Elecraft K2; dipole + vertical; SASE w/ QSL re-quest
2015 Nov02 2015 Nov16 Vanuatu YJ0BJ [spots]
LotW DXW.Net 20150902
By VK2BJ; 80-6m; CW SSB; QSL also OK via eQSL
2015 Nov03 2015 Nov10 Aruba P4 OH2BAD OH2BAD 20150903
By OH2BAD as P40MH and OH1MA as P4/OH1MA; CW SSB RTTY; QSL P4/OH1MA also via LotW
2015 Nov04 2015 Nov11 Jersey MJ
LotW
425DXN 20151031
By K3PLV as MJ/K3PLV and K8PT as MJ/K8PT fm EU-013; 160-10m; SSB CW RTTY; QSL also OK via home_call direct
2015 Nov04 2015 Nov11 Vietnam 3W Home Call
DXW.Net 20150930
By JA8VE as 3W4VE and JF1OCQ as 3W4VX fm Phu Quoc I (AS-128); 160-6m; CW SSB RTTY; holiday style operation
2015 Nov04 2015 Nov12 Montserrat VP2 Home Call
DXW.Net 20151012
By AI5P as VP2MXP, K3EW as VP2MEW, KE5F-NA as VP2MRL, W3NRJ as VP2MVI fm NA-103; 80-6m
2015 Nov04 2015 Nov13 Saba & St Eustatius
PJ6
DF8AN DXW.Net 20151031
By DF8AN as PJ6/DF8AN fm Saba I; 160-6m; CW RTTY PSK31; personal call sign applied for
2015 Nov04 2015 Nov18 Kenya 5Z4HW LotW DXW.Net 20151004
By DK1BT DL4WK DL7DF DL7KL DL7UFR; 160-6m; CW SSB RTTY PSK31; see link for full QSL details, including OQRS; also QRV using 5Z/home_call
2015 Nov07 2015 Nov14 St Lucia J68KF LotW DXW.Net 20150801
By N7BF, also AA4OC KB7NJV N7QR N7DWL WT4BT using J6/home_call; 40-10m, possibly 80 6m; all modes; QSL also OK via home_call
2015 Nov07 2015 Nov15 Antigua V25CNC
KA3CNC
DXNews 20151027
By KA3CNC fm NA-100; HF
2015 Nov07 2015 Nov27 Burkina
Faso XT2AW
M0OXO
IK6QON 20151102
By DF2WO; 100w; slow CW + other modes
2015 Nov09 2015 Nov18 Anguilla VP2 Home Call
DXW.Net 20150904
By DL9USA as VP2ECC and DJ8NK as VP2ENK; CW SSB + digital
2015 Nov09 2015 Nov15 South Cook
Is E51KIK G0KIK
DXNews 20150826
By G0KIK fm Rarotonga I (OC-013); HF; G0KIK: Steve Berry, 85 Lakeview Close Hollypark, Plym-outh, Devon, PL54LT England
2015 Nov09 2015 Nov16 Micronesia V63GG JR2GAG DXW.Net 20151024
By JR2GAG fm Chuuk (OC-011) Nov 9-10 and Pohnpei (OC-010) Nov 11-16; 160-6m; holiday style operation; QSL OK via JARL Buro or direct
2015 Nov10 2015 Nov18 Bonaire PJ4 OH2BAD OH2BAD 20150903
By OH2BAD as PJ4/OH2BAD and OH1MA as PJ4/OH1MA; CW SSB RTTY; QSL PJ4/OH1MA also via LotW
WACOM HAM DX Corner—NOVEMber 2015 COURTESY: http://www.ng3k.com/Misc/adxo.html
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2015 Nov11 2015 Nov17
San An-dres &
Providen-cia
HK0
SP5QAZ DXW.Net 20151029
By LU9EFO as HK0/LU9EFO and HK6F as HK0/HK6F fm San Andres I (NA-033); HF; SSB
2015 Nov12 2015 Nov23 Equatori-al Guinea
3C7GIA LA7GIA
Direct DXNews 20150502
By LA7GIA fm Malabo I (AF-010); HF; call tentative
2015 Nov13 2015 Nov16 Malta 9H3YY DL2JRM VA3RJ
20150626
By DL2JRM fm EU-023 (MIA MM-001, WLOTA 1113); 80-10m; CW SSB RTTY; 100w; vertical; QSL OK via DARC Buro or direct
2015 Nov13 2015 Nov16 Sint
Maarten PJ7
DF8AN
DXW.Net 20151031
By DF8AN as PJ7/DF8AN; 160-6m; CW RTTY PSK31; personal call sign applied for
2015 Nov13 2015 Nov18 Anguilla VP2ELY
LotW
DXW.Net 20151029
By JA1ELY JH1NBN JR4OZR; 80-10m; CW SSB RTTY; 500w; 2 staions; QRV for JIDX SSB; QSL also OK via Club Log and JA1ELY direct: Toshikazu Kusano, PO Box 8, Kamata, Tokyo 144-8691, Japan
2015 Nov14 2015 Nov23 Willis I VK9WA LotW N7QT
20150511
By N7QT N7SMI VE7NY K7EDX SM5AQD SM3SGP VE7SZ fm Middle I (OC-007, QH43xs); 80-10m, perhaps 160m; CW SSB RTTY; high power; focus on ATNAs; donations sought (see Web)
2015 Nov15 2015 Nov23 Seychelles S79C M0OXO DXW.Net 20150802
By EA3NT EI9FBB MM0NDX PA3EWP SP5APW VK5CE fm Coetivy I (AF-119, new); 40-10m, perhaps 6m; CW SSB RTTY; seeking financial support
2015 Nov18 2015 Dec02 Rwanda 9X0NH LotW DXNews 20150928
By G3RWF; 80-10m; QRV for CQ WW DX CW; QSL also OK via G3RWF
2015 Nov19 2015 Nov25 Sint
Maarten PJ7
LotW
DXW.Net 20151029
By JA1ELY JH1NBN JR4OZR as TBA; 80-10m; CW SSB RTTY; 500w; 2 staions; QSL also OK via Club Log and JA1ELY direct: Toshikazu Kusano, PO Box 8, Kamata, Tokyo 144-8691, Japan
2015 Nov22 2015 Dec01 Reunion FT
OH2YL
OH2YL 20151027
By OH2YL as FR/OH2YL; 160-10m; CW
2015 Nov23 2015 Dec05 Vietnam XV2D LotW DXNews 20150323
By SM6LRR; HF; CW SSB + digital
2015 Nov24 2015 Dec02 Easter I CE0Y Home Call
OPDX 20150907
By RZ3FW as CE0Y/RZ3FW and R4WAA as CE0Y/R4WAA fm SA-001
2015 Nov24 2015 Dec03 Tuvalu T2TT LotW DXW.Net 20150911
By KW7XX NL7F NX1P N7RO W7IV; 80-10m, perhaps 160m; QSL also OK via K8NA, Buro or direct, Club Log, or OQRS after De-cember 3
2015 Nov29 2015 Dec04 Sint
Maarten PJ7 LotW
DXNews 20151016
By G4JEC as PJ7/G4JEC fm NA-105 (FK88lb); 40-10m; mainly CW; QSL also OK via N0UK direct
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2015 WACOM Hamfest! 8
Early morning as vendors set up Set up really begins Getting ready for the big day!
The kitchen with good food served! The doors are ready to open Mike (K3AIR) & Ron (W3WN)
The line to get in at 0810 People start filing in at 0800 Breakfast is served….
Norma (N3YJJ) hands out tickets The place starts to fill up Back corner with the American flag
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2015 WACOM Hamfest! (Con’t) 9
Lots of stuff to buy!
Joe ( WA3WMB) & Bill (NY9H)
The place really fills Passing out the raffle tickets
Jim (KC3HW) at the front table
Bill Hill (W3WH) at his table Hmm, what should I buy?
A Closer look at the KJI table The KJI Electronics table
The POD Runner Anyone need some DC cable? Norma, Dave & Woody chat
at the front tables
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9
2015 WACOM Hamfest! (Con’t)
Sam (W3CYO) looking for a bargain Toys to buy for Christmas
The Washington County Mobile Command Post Inside the Mobile Command Post
Folks ready to test during the VE Session Some of the VE test graders waiting for it to start
Thanks to all those who took their time to
make WACOM’s Hamfest a success!
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Congratulations to the following prize winners
at the WACOM Hamfest
2015 WACOM HAMFEST PRIZE WINNERS
1st Prize Ameritron 811H HF Amplifier
Sam Adams—KC4SMN
2nd Prize 48 in HD Smart TV
Tom Wright (no call sign given)
3rd Price YAESU FT-2900 R 75 WATT 2 METER RIG
Gary Van Balen—KB3GUZ
4th Prize YAESU FT- 2900 R 75 WATT 2 METER RIG
Bill Shultz—WR8S
5th Prize YAESU FT- 2900 R 75 WATT 2 METER RIG
Dave Havaran—KA3ZJW
6th Prize Elecraft XG3 RF Signal Source
Ralph Bliss—KB3LBB
7th Prize 1000 ft. RG-58 50ohm cable
Bill Shultz - WR8S
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ARRL PUBLISHES 2015 FIELD DAY RESULTS! 12
# Call Score Category QSOs Power Mult GOTA Call Section Participants Club
1 W3LIF 9,394 8E 3,788 2 WPA 35
2 N3AQC 6,020 3AB 562 5 WPA 3 North American QRP
CW Club
3 K3MJW 5,466 4E 1,418 2 WPA 9
4 WA3COM 4,954 5F 1,207 2 KC3HW WPA 18 WA Amateur Comm
5 W3UDX 3,854 5A 960 2 AA3YW WPA 13 Butler Cty ARA - PA
6 W3MIE 3,828 2A 823 2 WPA 20 Crawford ARS
7 K3VX 3,730 1AB 348 5 WPA 3
8 W3YA 3,564 3A 2,143 1 WPA 30 Nittany ARC
9 W3GV 2,816 4A 811 2 WPA 24 RA of Erie - Rae
10 W3CSL 2,182 3A 392 2 WPA 21 Monessen ARC
11 W3BMD 1,988 3A 588 2 WPA 8 ICARC
12 W3ZIC 1,864 6A 358 2 WPA 6 Fort Venango Mike & Key
Club
13 WX3SKY 1,838 5A 330 2 WPA 8 Skyview ARS
14 KA3PMW 1,798 3A 739 2 WPA 6
15 W3OC 1,758 3A 441 2 WPA 25 Two Rivers ARC of
McKeesport
16 K3SMT 1,616 5A 416 2 WPA 20 Somerset Cty ARC
17 KB3LIX 1,586 1D 385 2 WPA 1
18 K3NQT 1,522 4F 279 2 WPA 20 Bedford Cty
ARES/RACES
19 N3NIA 1,454 5A 292 2 WPA 16 Elk Cty ARA
20 W3ACH 1,436 3A 237 2 N3TWU WPA 25 Cumberland Valley ARC
21 N3SH 1,406 3A 357 2 WPA 20 Wireless Assoc of South
Hills
# Call Score Category QSOs Power Mult GOTA Call Section Participants Club
272 VE4BB 4,956 3A 1,103 2 VE4HK MB 69 Winnipeg ARC
273 W4A 4,956 4A 1,434 2 AL 60 Tuscaloosa ARC
274 WA3COM 4,954 5F 1,207 2 KC3HW WPA 18 WA Amateur Comm
275 W0WTN 4,952 7A 1,109 2 KD0NIQ SD 32 Lake Area Radio Klub
# Call Score Category QSOs Power Mult GOTA Call Section Participants Club
1 W6YX 17,336 5F 5,432 2 K6SU SCV 38 Stanford
2 WA3COM 4,954 5F 1,207 2 KC3HW WPA 18 WA Amateur Comm
3 W4F 3,544 5F 1,095 2 SFL 18 ARASWF
4 W4CAE 3,142 5F 996 2 W8NYK SC 50 Columbia ARC
5 K6SEE 2,512 5F 604 2 SDG 80 Lakeside ARC
6 K7CEM 2,192 5F 457 2 WWA 28 Centralia ARES
OVERALL SCORE
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA SECTION
5F CATEGORY
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ARRL NEWS
Polish Radio Amateur May Be a Step Closer to Activating North Korea
Polish radio amateur Dom Grzyb, 3Z9DX, has indicated that he’s moving forward with his plans to operate from North Korea early next year. Earlier this year Grzyb announced that he had se-cured written permission to operate from North Korea in January or February 2016 and that he would be going to the capital, Pyongyang, for a final meeting to discuss guidelines for the opera-tion. Grzyb now has informed DX News.com that he will head to North Korea in December, ra-dio gear and GP7 vertical antenna in tow, to pin down the details of his ham radio plans.
Grzyb is said to have already procured a license to operate as P5/3Z9DX on three bands with 100 W. If he succeeds in being allowed to operate from North Korea, the P5/3Z9DX operation would be for 5 days, SSB only, on 20, 15, and 10 meters from a secured location with 24/7 government supervision. He has said he plans to concentrate on 20 meters.
The last DXCC-approved operation from North Korea took place more than a decade ago. Ed Giorgadze, 4L4FN, of the Re-public of Georgia operated on SSB and RTTY as P5/4L4FN in 2001 and 2002, making more than 16,000 contacts before being asked abruptly to cease transmitting and pack up his gear. Giorgadze, who was not on a DXpedition but working for the UN World Food Program in Pyongyang at the time, had tried for more than 2 years before obtaining oral permission from North Korean authorities to operate.
The Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea remains the most-wanted and elusive DXCC entity on the globe
Palmyra DXpedition to Sign On as K5P
10/26/2015
When the Palmyra DXpedition gets under way in January 2016, operators will be using the call sign K5P. The Pacific Islands DXpedition Group has been grant-ed permission to activate Cooper Island in the Palmyra Atoll.
Palmyra and Jarvis Islands (KH5) ranks number 9 on ClubLog’s DXCC Most Wanted List. “After many months of planning, securing permits, and negotiat-ing contracts with US Fish and Wildlife and the Nature Conservancy, we are quickly approaching the much anticipated DXpedition to Palmyra,” said co-leaders Craig Thompson, K9CT, and Lou Dietrich, N2TU, in a recent news release.
A team of 12 operators will operate five stations over a 14 day period, from January 11 through January 26. Visit the Palmyra
2016 website to learn more.
Fox-1A (AO-85) Transponder Again Open for Use
10/23/2015
AMSAT Vice President for Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY, has announced that the Fox-1A
(AO-85) transponder reopened at 2225 UTC on October 23 following several days of testing
and commissioning activity.
A new version of the FoxTelem telemetry software (ver 1.01) now is available. In addition to
offering some new functionality, it fixes some bugs and issues so that more data will be up-
loaded to the server. This is a patch release. If you already have 1.00 installed then download the file
FoxTelem_1.01_patch.zip. The patch and the full FoxTelem program are available in Windows, Mac, and Linux versions.
Two files have changed (plus the manual). For the patch, copy these files into your install directory:
FoxTelem.jar
spacecraft/FOX1A_radtelemetry2.csv
You can also download the whole install file and install it in a new directory. You can use the settings menu to continue using
your existing log files
AO-85
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ARRL Medium-Wave Experimenters Sponsoring Special Event on 14-15 November 2015
10/28/2015
The 107th anniversary of the Berlin Treaty, which created the interna-tional distress frequency at 500 kHz, will be the occasion for a special event operation in that vicinity of the spectrum. The event, announced by ARRL Medium-Wave Experiment (WD2XSH) Coordinator Fritz Raab, W1FR, set for the November 13-14 weekend, will involve experi-mental operators in the US, Canadian Amateur Radio stations, and US heritage maritime stations.
“For US experimental ops, this will be a CW event,” Raab said. “Some stations will run beacons with special messages, and some will offer spe-cial QSLs. Other stations will simulate maritime communication. They will call CQ on a designated calling frequency and then QSY to complete the QSO. Silent periods will be observed. Some stations will pass message traffic.”
Activity for the special event will focus on 465 to 480 kHz and 495 to 510 kHz, since different licensees have differ-ent frequency authorizations, Raab explained. Designated calling frequencies are 475 kHz for the lower segment, and 500 kHz for the upper.
Raab said the Maritime Radio Historical Society (MRHS) will conduct a mini “Night of Nights” on Saturday night, with special attention to MF operation. “This will give listeners the best chance of copying their MF signals by operating during the winter and extending our operating hours well into the evening Pacific time,” Raab said. KPH will keep 426 and 500 kHz active with messages and will verify listener reports.
Five Canadian amateurs are expected to operate in the 472-479 kHz band. “In addition to activities similar to those of the US experimental stations, the Canadian amateurs will conduct cross-band communication tests with amateurs operating on 80 and 40 meters,” Raab said. Canadian amateurs planning to participate include:
VO1NA, Torbay, Newfoundland (GN37), 2130-0130 UTC on November 14/15 (Friday and Saturday nights in US time zones), transmitting on 477.7 kHz, listening on 3562 kHz.
VE7SL, Mayne Island, British Columbia (CN88), 0200-0700 UTC on November 14/15 (Friday and Saturday nights in US time zones), transmitting on 473.0 kHz, listening on 3566 kHz and 7066 kHz.
VE7BDQ, in Delta, British Columbia (CN89), 0430-0700 UTC on November 14/15 (Friday and Saturday nights in US time zones), transmitting on 474.0 kHz, listening on 3536 kHz.
VA7MM, Coquitlam, British Columbia (CN89) 0500Z-0700 UTC on November 14 (Friday in US time zones) and 0400-0800 UTC on November 15 (Saturday in US time zones), transmitting on 475.0 kHz, listening on 3570 kHz.
VE7CNF, Burnaby, British Columbia (CN89), 0300-0700 UTC on November 14/15 (Friday and Saturday nights in US time zones), transmitting on 476.0 kHz, listening on 3558 kHz and 7062 kHz.
“All stations will either call CQ or send VVV marker beacons while listening on their respective QSX frequencies,” Raab said. Stations will announce their listening frequencies.
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