NO PARSGRAM NEXT MONDAY
Just taking the week off. Look for us next year.
PARS HOLIDAY BREAKFAST MEETING AND “GIFT” EXCHANGE THIS COMING SATURDAY
This will be our final gathering for the year. The “program” will be the
exchange of small gifts not to exceed $10 or so in value. These presents
should be related to ham radio in some way. Put your imagination to work,
see what you can find then wrap it and bring it to the meeting. After you
go through the pile and make your choice, then comes “show and tell”. If
you already have a widget like the one you opened, swap it for something
else. A fun time. See you at the meeting on Saturday, December 26th, 9 am,
at Brantley’s Village Restaurant in Oriental. This a family affair. Spouses
and kids are invited to join us for breakfast and the fun. Of course, there
is no need for them to bring a gift to exchange. And if you forget a “gift”,
not to worry, come anyway, eat and watch the show. Hope to see you
Saturday…. Again, please park along the side or out back. Thanks.
PARS BIT BUCKET
Correction, I mistyped Pete’s email address last week. Here’s the “bit”
again with the correct address:
* Some thought is being given again on moving the Monday roundtable–“Swamp
Net” for some–to 6 Meters. Distances are a bit too short between some
stations on Ten. Let Pete AG7C know your thoughts at pzawasky@pzef.net.
Techs, do you have a transceiver that does 6? Remember, a 6 Meter dipole is
only about 9 3/4 ft long and doesn’t have to be up high….
SOLAR NUMBERS TODAY
NOAA reported that solar activity was low during the 24 hours ending
yesterday at 4 pm local. The largest recent solar event was a M2 flare
observed at 0103Z this morning. There are 3 numbered sunspot regions on the
disk facing Earth. The sunspot count this morning is 33, less than half the
74 reported by NOAA last week and only one sunspot per region. The Solar
Flux Index (SFI) was 117 at noon yesterday, down a few from the 123 in last
week’s report. According to the Space Weather Prediction Center, solar
activity is expected to continue to be low for the next three days with a
slight chance (15%) for M-class flares–we have already have had one–
during the period. The NOAA forecast has the SFI rising slightly to 125
today through Wednesday. The 90 day trailing average has actually risen by
one from last week to 109. The hold in the downward trend continues.
The Earth’s geomagnetic field varied from active to major storm levels over
the weekend. A G2-class geomagnetic storm was caused by a CME that struck
our planet’s magnetic field Saturday. Expect quiet to stormy conditions
today. The field is forecast to be unsettled on Tuesday and finally quiet on
Wednesday. The Kp-index was reported to be an unsettled 4 at 8 a.m. local
this morning. No storms are expected for the next 24 hours.
Only fair conditions are expected on the HF bands 40-15 today and poor
conditions on the other bands until the noisy conditions abate.
THIS WEEK’S DX CHALLENGE
SOUTH COOK ISLANDS, E5. Henrik, OZ6TL plans to operate holiday
style as E51TLA from December 19 to January 9, 2016. QSL via OZ6TL,
direct or via the bureau. Hardy, DL7LL will be QRV from December 20
to 28 as E51LLA from Raratonga Island (OC-013). QSL via DL7LL. Magnus,
SM6WET will be active as E51WET until January 9, 2016. Operations will be
on 160 to 6 meters using CW, SSB, RTTY and JT65. QSL via his home call
sign.
QSO CORNER
This is the place to post contacts with DXpeditions, Special Event
Stations, or special QSO’s you would like to share.
Nothing heard, all quiet in the County.
OTHER ACTIVITY ON THE RADIO:
This info is extracted from the ARRL Letter, from the WA7BNM Contest
Calendar, the ARRL Contest Update or the ARRL Contest Corral. You can
receive the Letter weekly via email as a member of ARRL :
* December 26 — DARC Christmas Contest (CW, phone)
* December 26-27 — World Wide Iron Ham Contest (CW, phone, digital)
* December 27 — Stew Perry Topband Challenge (CW)
* December 27 — RAEM Contest (CW)
See the ARRL Contest Branch page <http://www.arrl.org/contests/>, the
ARRL Contest Update http://www.arrl.org/The-ARRL-Contest-Update/ and the
WA7BNM Contest Calendar <http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html>
for more info. Looking for a Special Event station? Be sure to check out the
ARRL Special Event Station Web page<http://www.arrl.org/special-events>. For
a LIST OF STATE QSO PARTIES, see
http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/stateparties.html. (State QSO parties
and the W1AW Centennial Stations are a great way to get those last states on
your Worked All States (WAS) Award list.)
SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS
(Courtesy of the ARRL Letter for December 17, 2015)
**Fessenden Christmas Eve Commemorative Transmissions**
Brian Justin, WA1ZMS, will again put his 600 meter Experimental Station
WG2XFQ on the air on for a Christmas Eve commemorative transmission. WG2XFQ
will transmit on 486 kHz from Forest, Virginia, to mark the 109th
anniversary of Reginald Fessenden’s first audio transmission. Historic
accounts say Fessenden played the violin — or a recording — and read a
brief Bible verse. It’s been reported that other radio experimenters and
shipboard operators who heard Fessenden’s broadcast were astounded.
Justin will conduct a run-up to this year’s event starting at around mid-day
Eastern Time on December 23. The “official” Christmas event will begin on
December 24 at 0001 UTC (the evening of December 23 in US time zones) and
will continue for at least 24 hours. Justin said he plans to repeat the
commemorative transmissions on New Year’s Eve and on New Year’s Day.
Fessenden’s transmitter was an ac alternator, modulated by placing carbon
microphones in series with the antenna feed line. Justin’s homebuilt station
is slightly more modern, based on a 1921 vacuum tube master oscillator power
amplifier (MOPA) design. Listener reports are appreciated and may be sent
directly to Brian Justin, WA1ZMS, at his QRZ.com address.
HAM EQUIPMENT FOR SALE, TRADE, OR WANTED
——————–
(Send me your amateur radio related items for sale, trade, or wanted for
listing in the PARSgram. PLEASE let me know if your listing is no longer
needed. ITEMS listed will EXPIRE AFTER 90 DAYS unless I hear
otherwise.–Jim).
UPCOMING REGIONAL HAMFESTS:
A complete list can be found on your PARS Website, www.n4prs.org
PARS CALENDAR:
* Dec 26, PARS Monthly Meeting and Christmas Gift Exchange, Saturday, 9 am,
Brantley’s Village Restaurant, Oriental, Bill Olah, KR4LO, 249-0287
or w_olah@yahoo.com.
* Jan 30, PARS Monthly Meeting, Saturday, 9 am, Brantley’s Village
Restaurant, Oriental, Bill Olah, KR4LO, 249-0287 or w_olah@yahoo.com.
PARS NETS:
* Mondays, Pete’s “Swamp Talk” roundtable, around 8:15 pm local,
28.463 MHz plus or minus, USB. This is an informal forum originally
established to assist our new Hams. The frequency is in the 10M voice
segment open to technician licensees and above. Radio related
topics/questions/issues welcomed.
* Wednesdays, Pamlico Emergency Net Practice and Rag Chew, 7:30 pm,
Oriental Repeater, 147.210 + (PL151.4).
PARS WEB SITE:
https://www.n4prs.org/
* Chief Editor and Administrator is Greg Wadsworth KM4DZM, 252-322-1033 or
gwadsworth1@ yahoo.com
* Web Master is Larry Wall, KK4SEO, wallmailbox@yahoo.com.
PARSgram ITEMS
We are always looking for items of interest to PARS members to put in
the PARSgram. If you run across a timely item or think of something you
believe would interest our folks, please send it to me. Thanks.
And, lest I forget, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas!
Jim AI4WL