EVARC Events/Announcements

MaY 6, 2013, 2013
Vol 13, No 16

 

- IN THIS EDITION -

 

EVARC Upcoming Events/Announcements
Test Sessions
Hamfests/Conventions
ARRL Letter - May 2, 2013
     President Obama Nominates Financier and Former Telecom Executive Tom Wheeler as FCC Chairman
     Annual Armed Forces Day Crossband Test Scheduled for May 11
     Hurricane Watch Net Seeks New Members for Net Control Stations
     ARRL in Action: What Have We Been Up to Lately?
    
In Brief
Education and Training
Closing Items

   

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EVARC Upcoming Events/Announcements

Next monthly meeting of the Elkhorn Valley Amateur Radio Club
Date:  Saturday, May 11, 2013
Time:  08:30 AM
Location:  Centrium Lobby
                 123 N. 4th St
                 Park in the lot at 4th and Braasch and use the West or North entrance

Minutes from the March meeting are available and can be read on the EVARC Web page

Visitors are always welcome to the meeting.
Bring a Guest to the Meeting

For more Information see the EVARC Web Page

 

Field Day 2013

The EVARC Club is planning on participating in Field Day this year.  The dates are June 22 - 23, 2013.  Mark, WD9FYU, has agreed to host the club on his property, located South of Norfolk (click here for map).  As plans are made, the information will be posted here.  Do you have a large tent, antennas, radio equipment you can loan?  Let the club leadership know and of any ideas you may have. 

 

Midwest Division News

The Midwest Division ARRL Newsletter for May 2013 is available on the EVARC Web site.

Nebraska Section News

The Nebraska Section News for March/April 2013 is available on the EVARC Web site.

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Test Sessions within 100 miles of Norfolk, NE

For more testing locations see the ARRL Testing Web page

 

05/11/2013

     Sponsor: Bellevue ARC
     Date: May 11 2013
     Time: 1:00 PM (Walk-ins allowed)
     Contact: Robert F. McCoy
                   (402) 871-5077
     Email: nb0b@arrl.net
     VEC: ARRL/VEC
     Location: Alegent Health Midlands Hospital
                    11111 S 84 Street
                    McArdle Suite
                   Papillion NE 68046-3920

 

05/28/2013

     Sponsor: AksarbenARC/Omaha Area VE Team
     Date: May 28 2013
     Time: 6:30 PM (Walk-ins allowed)
     Contact: William H. Jackson
                   (402) 571-7540
     Email: k9rz@arrl.net
     VEC: ARRL/VEC
     Location: American Red Cross
                    2912 S 80th Ave
                    Near 84th and Center
                    Lower Level West Side
                    Omaha NE 68124-3250

 

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l Hamfests/Conventions
  Pioneer ARC's 16th Annual Flea Market

Start Date: 07/20/2013
End Date: 07/20/2013
Location: St. Charles Parish Center
8th & Locust Streets
North Bend, NE 68649
Website: http://www.k0jfn.com
Sponsor: Pioneer Amateur Radio Club
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Talk-In: 146.67/07
Public Contact: Rich Mehaffey , KB0ARZ
230 West 11th Street North Bend, NE 68649
Phone: 402-652-3410
Email: 4randjme@futuretk.com

 

  Midwest Division Convention

Start Date: 11/08/2013
End Date: 11/09/2013
Location: Cowan Civic Center
500 East Elm
Lebanon, MO 65536
Website: http://www.lebanonarc.com
Sponsor: Lebanon ARC & Missouri DX/Contest Club
Type: ARRL Convention
Talk-In: 146.700 (PL 88.5)
Public Contact: Ron Lowrance , K4SX
2 Inland Court Wright City, MO 63390
Phone: 636-745-0078
Email: k4SX@centurytel.net

 

 

For a complete listing of Hamfests go to the ARRL Hamfest Search page
http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar


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From the May 2, 2013 ARRL Letter

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President Obama Nominates Financier and Former Telecom Executive Tom Wheeler as FCC Chairman

On Wednesday, May 1, President Barack Obama announced that he has nominated Tom Wheeler to be the new Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. If the Senate confirms the nomination, Wheeler will replace Julius Genachowski who announced his resignation from the FCC in March. Pending Wheeler’s confirmation, FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn -- the agency’s soon-to-be senior Democrat -- will serve as the Commission’s acting chairman.

Wheeler, 67, has served as an informal adviser to Obama in recent years and has been a major fundraiser for his political campaigns. He has a background as a venture capitalist and as a lobbyist for the communications industry. He is the former President of the National Cable Television Association (NCTA, now known as National Cable & Telecommunications Association) and former Chief Executive Officer of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA). Currently, he is a Managing Director at Core Capital Partners, a venture capital firm in Washington, DC.

Obama, who made the announcement from the State Dining Room in the White House, said that Wheeler “has been at the forefront of some of the very dramatic changes that we’ve seen in the way we communicate and how we live our lives. He was one of the leaders of a company that helped create thousands of good, high-tech jobs. He’s in charge of the group that advises the FCC on the latest technology issues. He’s helped give American consumers more choices and better products.”

As technology continues to shape the way that Americans do business and communicate, Obama said that Wheeler will help the FCC fulfill a very important mission: “[Wheeler will give] businesses and workers the tools they need to compete in the 21st century economy, and making sure we’re staying at the cutting edge of an industry that again and again we’ve revolutionized here in America.”

Currently, Wheeler is Chairman of the FCC’s Technological Advisory Council and Chairman of the State Department’s Advisory Committee on International Communications and Information Policy (ACICIP). Wheeler was a fundraiser for Obama during both his 2008 and 2012 campaigns. In 2009, Wheeler led the Obama-Biden Transition Project’s Agency Review Working Group that was responsible for the science, technology, space and arts agencies. Wheeler has served on the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board since 2011.

Wheeler is the author of Mr. Lincoln’s T-Mails, a book on Abraham Lincoln’s use of the telegraph. “Mr Wheeler has experienced the revolution in telecommunications as both a policy expert and advocate, as well as a businessman,” states the author page for Mr. Lincoln’s T-Mails. “As an entrepreneur, he started or helped start multiple companies offering new cable, wireless and video communications services. As a policy expert he has been intimately engaged in the development of the government's telecommunications policy at both the legislative and regulatory level.”

Also in March, FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell -- a Republican -- announced his resignation. There has been no announcement by the White House as to who will be nominated to replace McDowell, although it is not unusual for nominations to fill Republican and Democrat vacancies to be paired, smoothing their way through the confirmation process.

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Annual Armed Forces Day Crossband Test Scheduled for May 11

In celebration of the 63rd anniversary of Armed Forces Day (AFD), the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard are co-sponsoring the annual Military/Amateur Radio Crossband Communications Test. Although Armed Forces Day is traditionally celebrated on the third Saturday in May -- May 18 in 2013 -- the AFD Military/Amateur Crossband Communications Test will be conducted on May 11 to prevent conflict with the Dayton Hamvention®, scheduled for May 17-19.

The annual celebration features traditional military-to-amateur crossband communications SSB voice and Morse code tests. These tests give Amateur Radio operators and short wave listeners an opportunity to demonstrate their individual technical skills and to receive recognition from the appropriate military radio station for their proven expertise. QSL cards will be provided to stations making contact with the military stations.

Military-to-amateur crossband operations will take place on the dates and time in UTC on the frequencies listed for the Army, Air Force and Navy/Marine Corps and Coast Guard MARS stations. Voice contacts will include operations in single sideband voice (SSB); some stations will use CW to provide the opportunity to check in by Morse code. Depending on propagation and staffing, some stations may not operate the entire period. Participating military stations will transmit on selected military MARS frequencies and listen for Amateur Radio stations in the amateur bands. The military station operator will announce the specific amateur band frequency being monitored. Duration of each voice contact should be limited to 1-2 minutes. The annual Secretary of Defense message will be transmitted via digital modes, including RTTY, PACTOR, AMTOR, PSK-31, MFSK and MT63 from certain stations.

Check the MARS Armed Forces Crossband Test website for schedules and frequencies of participating military stations, including a list of stations that will be transmitting the annual Secretary of Defense message. Instructions on how to copy and submit the message are also included.

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Hurricane Watch Net Seeks New Members for Net Control Stations

With the 2013 hurricane season approaching, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami and the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) are gearing up for what could be a very active storm season. In preparation for the upcoming season, the HWN is currently seeking new members who can serve as net control stations.

The HWN provides on-the-ground, real-time weather data from Amateur Radio operators who volunteer their time to monitor their calibrated home weather stations. The stations report that data to the HWN, who in turn reports it to WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio station at the NHC. “The Hurricane Watch Net relies on volunteer operators -- our members -- who serve as our net control stations,” HWN Net Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, told the ARRL. “HWN members are hams who have above-average stations, are capable of effectively conducting HF net operations and are willing to commit their time to operating in support of the HWN’s mission during net activations. The net sessions can be long and, at times, very stressful.”

The HWN primarily operates on 14.325 MHz, but Graves said that given the current solar activity, the HWN is looking for new members who can help with net control station duties on the low end of the 40 meter phone band. “If 20 meters goes away, we lose the ability to effectively communicate with our reporting stations or the NHC,” he said. “By expanding our operation to 40 meters, we can easily change over when propagation changes.”

Graves told the ARRL that the HWN is especially looking for new members with stations that can effectively communicate with Central America and the Caribbean, Mexico, the Gulf Coast, the East Coast and South Texas. “As we head into the 2013 hurricane season, we’re looking for qualified amateurs who are located anywhere within North America or the Caribbean,” he said. “We are also looking for bilingual hams. We recognize that some Latin American operators hesitate to check in and send reports to us if they aren’t fluent in English, so we’re also interested in hearing from hams who are fluent in both Spanish and English. When we’re working storms that are either affecting or threatening areas where Spanish is the language of choice, we always try to have one or more bilingual HWN members on hand to help with reporting.”

While HWN membership is required to serve as a net control station, radio amateurs do not need to be an HWN member in order to participate as an HWN reporting station that provides observed or measured weather reports, or relay assistance as required by HWN net control. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Hurricane Watch Net, please visit the Membership Information page on the HWN website.

The Hurricane Watch Net is activated either at the request of the National Hurricane Center and/or when an Atlantic basin hurricane is within 300 miles of landfall. Although hurricanes can happen any time of the year, hurricane season for the Atlantic and Caribbean runs from June 1-November 30, and usually peaks anywhere from late August through September. The Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15-November 30.

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ARRL in Action: What Have We Been Up to Lately?

This feature -- including convenient web links to useful information -- is a concise monthly update of some of the things the ARRL is doing on behalf of its members. This installment covers the month of April.

The FCC once again denied an ARRL Petition for Reconsideration regarding the Commission’s BPL rules.

ARRL leadership met with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, KK4INZ, to discuss Amateur Radio’s role in public service and disaster communications.

World Amateur Radio Day -- celebrating the 88th anniversary of the founding of the IARU -- was April 18.

The ARRL is offering T-shirts, mugs, hats, pins and patches for 2013 Field Day.

The deadline to apply for the ARRL’s Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology, as well as for equipment and resource grants, is May 15 and May 1, respectively.

W1AW News: W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, installed two new audio oscillators for use on 2 meters and EchoLink conference server W1AWBDCT.

Development Update: ARRL Individual Giving Manager Lauren Clarke, KB1YDD, reported that the ARRL Diamond Club is at 30 percent of its 2013 goal (419 donors), the Spectrum Defense Fund is at 7.5 percent of its goal (241 donors) and the Education & Technology Fund is at 19 percent of its goal (60 donors). Click here to make your contribution to the fund of your choice

The ARRL announced the top three finishers in the annual QST Video Contest.

The ARRL introduced a T-shirt, key chain, pin and challenge coin to commemorate the 75th birthday of W1AW, the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station.

Chris Brewer, N5GMJ, was appointed ARRL North Texas Section Manager, replacing Walt Mayfield, KE5SOO, who resigned due to work and family commitments.

The 32nd Annual ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference will be held September 20-22 in Seattle, Washington.

For the 12th year in a row, the ARRL has been approved to participate in the Combined Federal Campaign.

A new QuickStats Poll was posted to the ARRL website.

The winner of the April QST Cover Plaque Award is George Wallner, AA7JV, for his article “The Garden Beam.”

The June print issue of QST and the May/June issues of NCJ and QEX were released to the printer. The June digital edition of QST was released to the digital publisher. The May digital edition of QST was made available to ARRL members. A new book, Understanding Your Antenna Analyzer, was released to the printer. A third printing of both The ARRL Satellite Handbook and Hints & Kinks (18th edition) were also sent to the printer.

Official Observer Desk: ARRL Field and Regulatory Correspondent Chuck Skolaut, K0BOG, handled complaints concerning hang glider pilots not identifying properly while using 2 meters, RFI from a CB operator using high power in Arizona, interference to repeaters in Washington, DC, a pool pump causing interference on the ham bands in Arizona and a numbers station on 30 meters.

Member Contact: ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, and ARRL Lab Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, attended the International DX Convention in Visalia, California; Sumner also attended the 10th Annual CubeSat Developers’ Workshop in San Luis Obispo, California; ARRL Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, attended AES SuperFest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; ARRL Awards and Programs Assistant Mike DeChristopher, N1TA, ARRL Louisiana State Convention in Monroe, Louisiana.

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lIN BRIEF
  • Solar Update - Tad Cook, K7RA, reports: Solar activity was quiet this week: Solar activity made a healthy jump over the past week, with the average daily sunspot numbers up over 30 points to 120.9, while the average daily solar flux increased more than 27 points to 136.5. The most active day for geomagnetic indices was May 1, when the planetary A index reached 21 and the high-latitude College A index (measured near Fairbanks, Alaska) was a whopping 57. That number has been higher, but only twice in the past six months, when it was 64 on March 1 and 79 on March 17. The latest forecast has the solar flux at 165 and 170 on May 2-3, 165 on May 4-5, 160 on May 6-7, 165 on May 8-9, 125 on May 10-11, 120 on May 12, 125 on May 13-15, 120 on May 16-17, and 125, 120, and 130 on May 18-20, and rising to 135 on May 21-22. The predicted planetary A index is 12 and 8 on May 2-3, 5 on May 4-20, then 15, 10 and 15 on May 21-23, and then down to 5 for at least the following three weeks. On May 1, NASA released a new solar cycle prediction, but it wasn't really new. These arrive at the start of every month, and have remained the same since March 1 when NASA's prediction for the smoothed International Sunspot Number at the cycle peak shifted from 69 to 66 for fall 2013. Look for more information on the ARRL website on Friday, May 3. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service Propagation page

  • Logbook of The World to Undergo Scheduled Maintenance - Logbook of The World (LoTW), the ARRL's online QSO confirmation system, will undergo scheduled maintenance on Thursday, May 2 at 5 PM (2100 UTC); this should last approximately three hours. LoTW will be offline and unavailable during this time. Thank you for your patience.

  • Seattle Will Host the 32nd Digital Communications Conference - Digital communications enthusiasts will be heading to the Pacific Northwest this autumn for the 32nd annual ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC), September 20-22, at Cedarbrook Lodge near Seattle, Washington. The ARRL/TAPR DCC is an international forum for radio amateurs to meet, publish their work and present new ideas and techniques. Presenters and attendees will have the opportunity to exchange ideas and learn about recent hardware and software advances, theories, experimental results, and practical applications. The DCC is for all levels of technical experience -- not just the expert. Introductory sessions are scheduled throughout the conference to introduce new technical topics for both beginners and experts. Read more.

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l Education and Training
  • ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration - The ARRL has many ways to continue your education in things Amateur Radio.  For more information go to the ARRL Courses & Training web pagee.

  • FEMA Online Trainingggg - FEMA has numerous Independent Study Program courses available for Ham Radio Operators and others interested in emergency support and are recommended by ARES.  For a list of courses check the FEMA ISP training web site

  • Weather Spotter Training - To be a certified Weather Spotter in the State of Nebraska, you must attend a weather spotter training session, take two on-line courses, and pass a written exam provided by your local Emergency Coordinator.  The on-line courses can be found on the ucar.edu web site.

  • Did you know you can practice code on-line? The ARRL posts their code practice files on the web. These audio files can be played on line or downloaded for later play back on your own computer. Practice files are available for 5, 7.5, 10, 13, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 Words per Minute. To find the files click the following link: http://www.arrl.org/code-practice-filess

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  • lCLOSING ITEMS

    The EVARC weekly net meets every Monday evening at 7:30 PM on the club 2 meter repeater (146.73 -). Check-in to the net to hear an update on activities of other club members,  announcements of local interest, and any late breaking information. Everyone is welcome to check in.

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    The purpose of this newsletter is to provide information to local hams with items of interest.  It is compiled from local, regional, and national sources an includes national, regional, and local news items and events.  Created by Monty Wilson, NRØA. Contact  NRØA with comments or questions