PARS BREAKFAST MEETING THIS COMING SATURDAY
Our next meeting will be at 0900 this Saturday, February 26th at
Brantley’s Village Restaurant on Broad Street in Oriental. Please park
on the side or out back. Our meetings are held the last Saturday of each
month except June when the club participates in the annual ARRL Field
Day or when in conflict with a major holiday. We hope to see you all
there. For more information contact Pamlico Amateur Radio Society
President Mike Marsh, K4NLC, 252-636-1257 or mike@marshconsulting.com.
We will likely hear more about the Kershaw repeaters being back on solar
and our ARRL Field Day plan.
NORTH CAROLINA QSO PARTY IS NEXT SUNDAY–A REMINDER
Our North Carolina QSO Party is coming up soon, on Sunday February 27th
to be exact. Last year, just five hams accounted for all of Pamlico
County’s 706 QSOs. We can do better, a few more players and we will
surely top that score. Here’s what you need to know– The party is from
10 am to 8 pm on Sunday, Feb 27, 2022. The exchange is call sign and
county, “Pamlico” or “PAM” for us. Signal report is optional. Bands are
80/75 through 2M; no 160 or WARC bands. Modes include phone, CW, Digital
but no FT8/4. The complete rules are at www.ncqsoparty.org/rules. BTW,
last year, Dick, K4JJW, doing it solo, placed second in the new
“Expedition” category. This year his station will be a bonus station
with the call, “N4E”, and he will be looking for a lot of contacts. The
other bonus stations are N4D, N4U and N4K. If you work them all, you get
a 200 point bonus.
SOLAR NUMBERS TODAY
NOAA reported that solar activity was at low levels during the 24 hour
period ending yesterday at 4 p.m. local. There are 4 reported numbered
sunspot regions on the Sun facing Earth this morning. The Prediction
Center expects solar activity to be low today through Wednesday with a 1
in 10 chance for M-class flares. C-class flares are likely. On Sunday
the observed Solar Flux Index (SFI) at Penticton was 93. (Last Sunday it
was 105.) The index is predicted to measure 96 at noon today and then
102 tomorrow and Wednesday. The SFI 90 day trailing average has inched
up to 105.
The Earth’s geomagnetic field reached minor storm levels yesterday. NOAA
expects conditions to be quiet to active today, quiet to unsettled
Tuesday and Wednesday. Solar winds are the cause of the unsettled
conditions. The estimated Kp-index of 3 reported at 7 a.m. local this
morning indicates quiet geomagnetic conditions.
We can expect fair day and good nighttime operating conditions today on
80 and 40 meters and good on 30 and 20. Conditions will be fair day, but
poor nighttime, on 17 to 10.
Gary, NC3Z/4, advises that propagation on 10 Meters is indeed improving,
albeit slowly… “Finally got my 100th DXCC entity to confirm on 10M
FT8. I started in July 2020 to see how long it would take to get DXCC on
10M using FT8 and LoTW. Well it took 19 months, I have over 120 DXCC
worked but getting LoTW confirmations took a while for 10M ops. By
comparison on 20M it took a little over 1 month and on 160M it took 12
months over the same time frame.” Others, including Dick, K4JJW, are
finding life on 10. Hang a 17ft long dipole between a couple of pines
and give it a try.
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.
*WANTED* 6 Meter mobile whip antenna and or a multi band mobile antenna.
In anticipation of finishing the Lil Shaky radio Jeep. Clergyman’s
discount should be considered as I am but a lowly, humble website
attendant. Paul K4MMB, 561-308-3456, PARSwebman@gmail.com (20220103)
*FOR SALE* Astron RS-70M in pretty nice shape. $250 Gary Mitchelson,
NC3Z/4, nc3z.gary@gmail.com, 252-745-0655 (20211101)
PARS CALENDAR:
* Feb 26, PARS MONTHLY MEETING, Saturday, 9am, Brantley’s Village
Restaurant, Oriental. For more info, contact Mike Marsh, K4NLC,
252-636-1257 or mike@MarshConsulting.org
* Mar 5, PAMLICO COMMUNICATIONS TEAM MEETING, Saturday, 9am,
Florence-Whortonsville VFD. AUXCOMM & ARES–All are welcome. For more
info, contact Bruce Perkins, K4ONC, 252-626-2730 or K4ONC@aol.com
* Mar 10, PARS license exam session, Thursday, 6:30 PM at Broad Creek
Christian Church, 45 Olympia Rd, Olympia, NC. Please register your
intention to take an exam by emailing or calling Bill Michne at
drmichne73@ gmail.com or 252-671-6703.
* Mar 26, PARS MONTHLY MEETING, Saturday, 9am, Brantley’s Village
Restaurant, Oriental. For more info, contact Mike Marsh, K4NLC,
252-636-1257 or mike@MarshConsulting.org
LOCAL NETS OF INTEREST TO PARS MEMBERS:
* Wednesdays,”Pamlico Communications Net”, 7:30 pm local, 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
73, Jim AI4WL
——–
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