PRESIDENT’S SOAPBOX
I finally got around to reading my August issue of QST. As usual there
are a lot of informative and educational articles to be read. Here are
just a few of them that I found of particular interest. _…_ Ham
fests. The late summer and early fall are great times for ham fests.
Check out the calendar of events to see if there are any within a
reasonable driving distance that you might want to attend. _…_ The
W1AW CW schedule. OK, so you are not interested in CW practice or the
bulletins. But consider this. The other day I had just completed the
installation of a new frequency display module in my FT-2000 and was
anxious to see it in action. It lit up fine, but I wasn’t hearing much
on 40 meters. As I tuned up the band (I always start listening at the
bottom) I heard a rather weak CW signal on 7.048 MHz, the frequency used
by W1AW for code practice transmissions. Sure enough, that is what I
was hearing, but why so weak? Their legal limit signal is usually among
the strongest on the band. Tuning up and down from there I didn’t hear
much of anything else. The antenna and other equipment checked out
fine. What I was hearing was the result of crummy band conditions.
Since W1AW transmits code signals on a regular schedule on all bands
from 160 to 6 meters, why not use them as a beacon signal to assess band
conditions? _…_ WSJT-X and frequency stability. There is an article
on the use of this program to evaluate the frequency stability of any
radio over time without specialized equipment. We all like to think
that our up to date multikilobuck transceivers with modern temperature
compensated frequency management circuitry has made drift a thing of the
past. From cold starts the transceivers in this article all required a
surprising amount of time to reach frequency stability, up to 25 minutes
in one case. One transceiver reached stable frequency after several
minutes, but the actual frequency was off by more than 3 Hz. That may
not seem like much, but in some digital applications that might be
enough to interfere with the contact. …_._ de WM3X, Bill Michne,
252-249-1175, drmichne73@gmail.com.
BIKE MS IS BACK, HAM HELP IS NEEDED
From Bruce Arnold, KS8l
“The Bike MS bikeathon will be held on Sept. 11 and 12th. We need more
ham operators as there are many positions yet to be filled, such as
manning a rest stop, shadowing an MS staff person, or out on the course
in your vehicle, ensuring the health and welfare of our cyclists. It’s
such a well-run event and tons of fun.” Contact Bruce at
bruce.ks8l@gmail.com to get signed up.
Originally called the MS-150, it ran from Raleigh to the beach for the
first 12 years. In 2001, it was changed to the current format–they ride
out of New Bern both days on a 100 mile loop. A 50 mile and 30 mile loop
were added to make it appeal to more riders. The Bike MS New Bern is in
the top 10 of the 77 Bike MS events around the country. The rides
generate over $1.7 million each year for MS research and aid for those
who have MS.
As always, if you can only work one day, if you can only work mornings
or afternoons, whatever, no amount of time you can help out is too
small. Check with Bruce if you have any questions on this and they’ll
put you somewhere that your time will be valuable no matter how short it
may be.
SOLAR NUMBERS TODAY
NOAA reported solar activity was very low during the 24 hour period
ending yesterday at 5 p.m. local. There are two NOAA reported numbered
sunspot regions on the Sun facing Earth this morning. The Prediction
Center expects solar activity to be very low through Wednesday with a
slight chance for C-class flares. On Sunday the observed Solar Flux
Index (SFI) at Penticton was 75. (Last Sunday it was 74.) The index is
predicted to be 74 today and 73 tomorrow and Wednesday. The SFI 90 day
trailing average is still holding at 79, the same as the past three Mondays.
The Earth’s geomagnetic field was quiet to unsettled yesterday. NOAA
expects conditions to be quiet to unsettled today and tomorrow, quiet on
Wednesday. The estimated Kp-index of 1 reported at 5 a.m. local this
morning reflects our current very quiet geomagnetic conditions.
We can expect fair daytime and good nighttime operating conditions today
on 80 and 40 meters, fair on 30 and 20, and poor on the higher bands.
Nothing new. HF has just been clicking along. Maybe more folks have
re-found 17M. On the other hand, the magic has gone out of the Magic
Band for us as the summer Es season quickly faded. Openings are very hit
or miss.
For an explanation of the numbers used in our PARSgram, see the
excellent article written by Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA at
http://arrl.org/the-sun-the-earth-the-ionosphere.
HAM EQUIPMENT FOR SALE, TRADE, OR WANTED
For listing in the PARSgram send me your amateur radio related items
that are for sale, trade, or wanted. PLEASE let me know when you have
have sold your item or your listing is no longer needed. Listings will
EXPIRE AFTER 90 DAYS unless I hear otherwise.–Jim.
* Free. 1930’s AM Radio in cabinet. Worthy restoration project. If
interested contact Priscilla Wormell, N4TNP, at rpwormell@embarqmail.com
(20210802)
* For Sale. SCS PTC-IIex Modem licensed with PACTOR III. This modem
functions as it should and comes with the installation guide, the USB to
RS232 cable and the CD. This modem was recently in use on my IC-7300,
until I upgraded. In very good condition and works great. The 9095 cable
available from Farallon Electronics or HRO. $550. Bruce, K4ONC@aol.com,
252-626-2730 (20210719)
PARS CALENDAR:
* Aug 28, PARS MONTHLY MEETING, Saturday, 9am, Brantley’s Village
Restaurant, Oriental. For more info, contact Bill Michne, WM3X,
252-249-1175 or drmichne73@gmail.com.
* Sep 25, PARS MONTHLY MEETING, Saturday, 9am, Brantley’s Village
Restaurant, Oriental. For more info, contact Bill Michne, WM3X,
252-249-1175 or drmichne73@gmail.com.
LOCAL NETS OF INTEREST TO PARS MEMBERS:
* Wednesdays, Pamlico Emergency Net Practice and Rag Chew/ARES, 7:30
pm, Oriental Repeater, 147.210 + (PL151.4).
* Thursdays, “DownEast/Pamlico Six Meter Net”, 8 pm local, 50.200 MHz,
USB. A non-directed open net to promote operation on the ‘Magic Band’.
(For more nets see www.arrl.org/arrl-net-directory-search )
PARS WEB SITE: https://www.n4prs.org/
Our Web Master is Paul Jodoin, K4MMB, 561-308-3456, PARSwebman@gmail.com
PARS YOUTUBE CHANNEL–N4PRS RADIO
Videos of recorded PARS Meetings, presentations, and club activities can
be viewed on on the N4PRS Radio YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpEMfxc7PQixT0rr5xEKtyQ
73, Jim AI4WL
——
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