Wacom Buildathon!

September 2017 Vol. 42, #9 Washington Amateur Communications Inc. THE

A 501-C3 Tax Exempt Organization WACOM

HAM WACOM BUILDATHON!

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: WACOM President’s Message—2 WACOM Buildathon! - 8-10 WACOM General Information –3 DXpedition Feature—South Shetland Is - 13-14 Regular & Board Meeting Minutes—4-5 ARRL News——13-15 Upcoming Events—6 WACOM Hamfest Flyers—16-17 WACOM DX Corner—7 WACOM 2017 Renewal Form - 18

WACOM 2017 Buldathon! DX Feature of the Month Major Solar Flare Hits Earth! Pp. 8-10 P. 14 South Shetland Is. Pp. 11-12 2 WACOM President’s Message September 2017 Joe—N3XE

President’s Message, September 2017

September means back-to-school time for the kids as well as hams looking to upgrade! WACOM will be of- fering classes for both the General and Extra class li- censes. Classes start September 12th for the General and on the 13th for the Extra. The only cost is for the instruction book, if you don’t have one already. This is a great opportunity for those without HF privileges to vastly improve their operating capabilities and join in on the fun.

We also have a lot of events in the coming months that need some thought ahead of time. Both the SET drill and fall Marianna Canoe Race take place in early October, and our WACOM Hamfest isn’t that far away either. All of these events need your help and partici- pation, so keep them in mind as we head toward fall!

73,

Joe, N3XE

3 WACOM OFFICERS, BOARD OF DIRECTORS, STAFF, REPEATERS, AND NETS!

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.

Membership Repeaters - WACOM membership is open to anyone K3PSP - 146.790+ MHz, EchoLink node - WA3COM-R - Annual Dues: $20 for individuals 147.285+ MHz (Scenery Hill, PA) $10 for each additional family member 145.250 - MHz (West Alexander) (send check & completed form to club treasurer) - Questions? Contact the WACOM club treasurer. 147.390+ MHz (Smith Township) Membership Meeting 147.315+ MHz (Greene County) - 7:30PM (1930 hrs), First Thursday of every month W3CYO - 145.490 MHz, 224.4 MHz, 443.300 MH z Board of Directors Meeting Digital Net - 7PM (1900 hrs), Last Thursday of every month - Mondays at 8PM (2000 hrs), on K3PSP Repeater Mailing Address - Bob, KC3AJM Net Control WACOM 2 Meter Public Service Net c/o Norma Plants N3YJJ - Tuesdays at 8:30 PM (2030 hrs), on K3PSP Repeater 236 Chambers Ridge Road West Alexander, Pa 15376-2270 10 Meter Net - Tuesdays at 9:30 PM (2130 hrs), on 28.340 MHz E-Mail - Bud, N3TIR Net Control General Club Correspondence; [email protected] YL Net 2017 Club Officers - Wednesdays at 7:30 PM (1930 hrs), on K3PSP Repeater Joe Caldwell, N3XE; [email protected] - Karen, K3PUP Net Control Vice President: Patrick Degnan Jr., KB3TFN; [email protected] Secretary: Randy Kief, KC3EKZ; [email protected] Elmer Net - Wednesdays at 8 PM (2000 hrs), on K3PSP Repeater Treasurer: Kathleen Briggs, KC3HBO; [email protected] - Bud N3TIR, Net Control 2017 Board of Directors Club Elmers Director: Bob Fischer, KC3AJM, [email protected]

Director: Dennis Presky, K3PSP; [email protected] DX Contest - Bill Sheehan, KB3LIX; [email protected] Director: Rob Balogh, KB3ZUS; [email protected] QSL & DX - Bill Steffey, NY9H; [email protected] Newsletter Editor ARES & RACES - Bob Ketzell, KB3IN; [email protected] Ken Frankenbery, AA3GM; [email protected] CW - Loren McCullough, WA3WZR; [email protected] Webmaster Joe Caldwell, N3XE; [email protected] VHF - Craig Yoho, KB3RHR; [email protected]

VE Liaison Repeaters - Dennis Presky, K3PSP; [email protected] Bob Kinnear, KI4DHB; [email protected]

Radio Room Committee Websites - Joe Caldwell, N3XE; [email protected] Patrick Degnan Jr., KB3TFN; [email protected] Elmer Net - Bud Plants, N3TIR; [email protected] EMCOMM Training Officer

Brad McCarrell, KC3EDQ; [email protected]

4 WACOM General Meeting Minutes 6 July 2017, 7:30 PM

General Meeting – 7/6/2017

The meeting was called to order by Joe (N3XE) at 7:30 pm.

Membership introductions and introducing visitors were performed.

Old minutes and treasury report was not read. The board of directors have decided that since both reports are published in the club newsletter, and the website, the reading of these reports is redundant. This will be the standard practice for all remaining general meetings in an effort to make future meetings more interesting, and shorter in length.

Old Business –

Radio room – Patrick (KB3TFN) reported that the weekend antenna work party is this weekend at 10 am.

ACS – Joe (N3XE) stated that anyone can bring up a skywarn net. Bob (KB3IN) stated that there is not skywarn net for watches, only warnings in our area. All logs, and call-up sheets are on the website. The labor day 5K is the next event. The run for Alex went well. There was one issue of people asking to talk to command, and telling net control the entire message, then telling comman the entire message a second time. There is no need to tell net control the message. Just request to talk to command, wait for permission, the tell command the message directly.

Field Day – Went very well. 926 QSO’s made. Mike (K3AIR) made the majority of the contacts.

Joe (N3XE) reviewed battery technology.

W3R is going on now. This special event can be done from home. Please forward all logs to Bill (NY9H). The event ends the 16th.

Bill (NY9H) W3M is July 3rd – 12th. Anyone interested can work it from home.

Joe (N3XE) reviewed the BITX40 kit project. He also stated that there is another QRP night planned for August after the BITX40 project is complete.

A motion to adjourn was made by Bob (KC3AJM), 2nd by Sam (W3CYO). Meeting adjourned at 8:15 pm.

Respectfully submitted by Randy Kief. (KC3EKZ)

Next Regular WACOM Meeting - Thursday, 3 Aug 2017, 7:30 PM!

5 WACOM Board Meeting Minutes 27 July 2017 , 7:00 PM

Board) Meeting Minutes – 7/27/2017

The meeting was called to order by Bob (KC3AJM) at 7:00 pm. Previous meeting minutes were read by Randy Kief (KC3EKZ). Motion to accept by Rob (KB3ZUS)/Bob (KC3AJM). Minutes accepted by unanimous vote. The treasury report was not read. Old Business – Station 3 – Rob (KB3ZUS) reported that the equipment is scheduled to be installed. Classes – All classes are posted on the ARRL website Radio Room – Patrick (KB3TFN) reported the antennas are back up & repaired. The tilt base is installed. QRP (BITX40) – Bill (NY9H) stated that the night went well. The made several contacts with the BITX40 radios.

New Business – Repeaters – The repeater should be repaired by the weekend. ACS – Next event is the Washington Labor day run. No request or date yet. There will be a fall Marrianna canoe race in late October. Medowcroft – August 12th for the on-site event. Norma (N3YJJ) asked if the board has access to the club bank account. Joe (N3XE) stated that he has access. Bob (KC3AJM) suggested a Toffee House fund raiser. This needs to be looked into for a future meeting. Joe (N3XE) stated a QRP night for the BITX40 radios TBA Meeting adjourned at 7:30 pm. Patrick (KB3TFN)/Rob (KB3ZUS)

Respectfully submitted by Randy Kief. (KC3EKZ)

2017 WACOM Upcoming Events Calendar Meetings, Contests & Other Significant Club Events (Subject to Change) ______

Thu, 7 Sep 2017, WACOM Meeting at 7:30PM, Washington County Building

Sun, 10 Sep 17, Butler Co. ARA Swapfest, Union Fire Hall, Butler, PA

Tues, 12 Sep 17, General License Class Begins, 6-9 PM, WACOM Radio Room

Wed, 13 Sep 17, Extra License Class Begins, 6-9 PM, WACOM Radio Room

Sun, 24 Sep 17, The Great Races (ARES Event), http://rungreatrace.com

Thu, 5 Oct 2017, WACOM Meeting at 7:30PM, Washington County Building

Sat, 14 Oct 17, Mariana Canoe Race, (Assist in EMCOMM), Mariana, PA

Thu, 19 Oct 17, WASH VE Exam, 4145 Evergreen Rd, Pittsburgh, PA

28-29 Oct 17, CQ WW DX Contest SSB, http://www.cqww.com

Thu, 2 Nov 2017, WACOM Meeting at 7:30PM, Washington County Building

4-6 Nov 17, ARRL Sweepstakes—CW, http://www.arrl.org

Sun, 5 Nov 17, WACOM Hamfest, Washington Co. Fairgrounds

1-3 Dec 17 , ARRL 160-meter Contest, http://www.arrl.org

7 WACOM HAM DX Corner —Sep 2017 COURTESY: http://www.ng3k.com/Misc/adxo.html

2017 2017 Market OJ0 TDDX By UA4WHX as IJ0/UA4WHX; 160 80 60 30m; end UA4WHX Sep01 Sep08 Reef 20170902 date uncertain

2017 2017 DXW.Net By Radio Club of Djelfa fm Rachgoun I (IOTA AF-094); Algeria 7Y94I 7X2DD Sep01 Sep10 20170710 HF 2017 2017 425DXN By K9HZ fm IOTA NA-108; 160-6m; CW SSB RTTY; St Lucia J68HZ LotW Sep01 Sep16 20170826 QSL also OK via Clug Log or K9HZ direct By SQ1SGB fm King George I (IOTA AN-010, 2017 2017 South HF0ARC SQ1SGB DXNews GC07su); 40m (22-23z) 20m (21-22z); SSB JT65 JT9; Sep02 Oct10 Shetland Is Direct 20170905 100w; delta loop By PA3HGT as 3B8/PA3HGT fm IOTA AF-049; 40 20 2017 2017 3B8 DXW.Net Mauritius LotW 10m; SSB + digital; 100w; end-fed wire; QSL also OK Sep05 Sep22 20170731 via PA3HGT (Buro or diret) By TA1HZ as CN2HZ and TA7AZC as CN2ZC; holi- 2017 2017 CN2 TA1HZ Morocco LotW day style operation; QRV for WAE DX SSB Contest; Sep06 Sep13 20170711 QSL also OK via LZ3HI By DF1YP as FO/DF1YP fm Moorea I (IOTA OC-046, 2017 2017 French DF1YP DF1YP FO BH52cm, WWFF FFF-0178); 20-15m; SSB + digital; Sep06 Oct01 Polynesia [ Buro 20170811 holiday style operation 2017 2017 TDDX Botswana A25AL Auto Buro By IW5ELA; mainly CW; vertical; spare time operation Sep07 Sep15 20170428

2017 2017 Liechten- TDDX By DL2SBY as HB0/DL2SBY; 80-10m; SSB CW,focus HB0 LotW Sep09 Sep15 stein 20170817 on RTTY; 400w; QSL also OK via Club Log

By HB9OAU as SV5/HB9OAU fm Karpathos I (IOTA 2017 2017 Dodeca- TDDX SV5 LotW EU-001); 40-10m; SSB RTTY PSK; QSL also OK via Sep09 Sep22 nese 20170810 HB9OAU (Buro or direct) or eQSL By G4NRT fm Borrowdale; 80-6m; SSB CW PSK 2017 2017 Z21NRT TDDX Zimbabwe LotW JT65/9 FT8; 100w; wires; QSL also OK via G4NRT Sep09 Sep29 20170904 direct, Club Log, eQSL 2017 2017 Cocos & W7GJ By W7GJ; 6m; mainly EME, some SSB CW; exact dates VK9CGJ W7GJ Sep12 Sep28 Keeling 20170308 uncertain By VK5GR; 40-6m, perhaps 80m; mainly digital, some 2017 2017 DXW.Net Niue E6AG LotW SSB; 500w; vertical folded dipole; QSL also OK via Sep13 Sep25 20170625 M0OXO OQRS, Club Log, eQSL, VK5GR Buro By WB2REM VK2BXE KG0YL N1MWJ G8OFQ fm 2017 2017 TDDX Galapagos HD8M WB2REM Isabela I (IOTA SA-004); 160-6m; CW SSB + digital; Sep14 Sep21 20170109 QSL also OK via Club Log 2017 2017 OM6TC DXW.Net Svalbard JW By OM6TC as JW/OM6TC; HF; CW SSB; 100w; wires Sep15 Sep20 Buro 20170731 By RM0F as A25BI, R2AD as A25SP, RC5A as A25BE 2017 2017 TDDX Botswana A25 Home Call fm Kasane; 160-6m; CW SSB; QSL OK via Buro or di- Sep15 Sep25 20170628 rect; A25BI and A25BE will use LotW

By OK1BOA OK1CRM OK6DJ OK1FCJ OK1GK 2017 2017 DXW.Net Mauritania 5T5OK LotW OK2ZA OK2ZI 5T0JL 5T2AI; 160-6m; SSB CW Sep16 Sep28 20170521 RTTY; 100w; yagis, verticals; QSL also OK via OK6DJ

2017 2017 St Pierre & TDDX By M0WUT as FP/M0WUT, M0BLF DK2AB G3ZAY FP Home Call Sep17 Sep23 Miquelon 20170501 DH5FS G7VJR likewise fm IOTA NA-032; all bands; all

8 WACOM’s BITX Buildathon 2017 By Bill Steffy—NY9H

Our local club, WACOM (Washington Amateur Communications), serves over 100 members in Southwestern Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh to Wheeling WVA) with interests across most amateur VHF and HF activities. WACOM enjoys a cooperative relationship with county government sup- porting various strategic emergency drills and also more traditional events such as parades and canoe races utilizing the 5 tower 2 meter repeater sys- tems serving Washington County. The club is a busy group, yet there was a need for a hands-on project beyond the regular Monday evening fare at the radio room of building antennas, or best way to do a PL- 259.

While attending the QRP Banquet at Dayton, I found myself seated next to the banquet speaker Ash Farhan (VU2ESE) who had created a great solution for a low cost entry into the QRP world. He developed a kit, which is really more of an assembly job (think Elecraft K3 ), with minimal soldering to a few ca- ble assemblies. His goal was to provide a low cost easy entrance into a phone transceiver for 40 meters for beginning hams in India. Not only very inexpen- sive, the BITX40 board is completely assembled and tested. Now, what kind of a kit does that sound like? Just providing connectivity to the digital vfo/display, antenna and all the audio and power jacks sounds too easy, with good reason. It is intended to provide an initial successful result: a working set, whether you have ever soldered anything, and a few of our newest hams had yet to melt solder.

Our organization, over time, has been very successful in assisting many join the ranks of amateurs, but sometimes difficult to get them on the air. He believed that a phone set would find wider acceptance than the usual CW QRP rig. Ash points out there is something amazing about HF that is not found in world of the VHF simplex and repeater operations. You never know where in the world you will contact, hence a wonder of HF.

9 WACOM’sWACOM’s BITX BITX Buildathon Buildathon 2017 2017 (Con’t) So our club embarked on the WACOM BITX 'buildathon'. The WACOM board, thank you, supported my request to provide a subsidy to the membership of 50%, bringing the cost for the radio and enclosure to $35 USD !!!!! The BITX40 is 59$ , the enclosure was $ 9.99. The author and our VP Joe N3XE had already pur- chased a BITX so we could get ahead of the project, looking for any issues for our 'buildathon' especially since we have many new generals coming from our classes in Washington, PA. We found no issues with the radio, and Joe XE even proceeded with some of the modifications found online, including updating the firmware on the computer controlled VFO/display and adding more features.

The enclosures which were found online, arrived and we looked for any logistical problems with loading the BItX into the box. The enclosure even had a tilt bail, some internal stand-offs and blank panels for the front and rear. Our builders just had to solder and mount some potentiome- ters and jacks for RF, power and audio. Then there was the requirement to cut/route/rip/slice out a rectangle for the two-line digital display. After a week of deliberating and consulting, we were nowhere on how to safely do this. Just use a Dremel tool, Utility knife or Box cutter! This is sounding dangerous. As ex-club president I want- ed no part of membership bloodletting. The strong 4-6 mm thick plastic panel would be a challenge. The answer should have been obvious from the beginning: print a panel with a 3D printer. With less than a week to build night, the printer ran con- tinuously, as each panel required 1 hour and 14 minutes plus reloading time. With 24 front panels required, time added up.

Now it was "show time". The crowd arrived, but with it being a wet July, some members found themselves in the fields tending hay, rather than at the buildathon, leaving a project for the next few Monday nights at the WACOM Radio Room. By the end of the first night we had radios going. Success!

10 WACOM’sWACOM’s BITX BITX Buildathon Buildathon 2017 2017 (Con’t)

Our test table included 10 watt wattmeter/dummy load and the KX3/PX3 panadapter. Our first finished radio, while not quite 'finished' appeared at the test table, knobs and mic hanging from the wires: 7 watts out with modulation. Brad KC3EDQ's trip then to the coax provided a qso with N3TIR about 15 miles away, even with Bud 'enjoying' a 10 over noise level. Next up was brand new general John KC3JDW. We called KB0LYL , who had just signed off with another station. Art responded with a 57 signal report (loud & clear) from Minnesota. It doesn't get much better than "MAKING THE TRIP' FOR 690 MILES on 5 watts and a dipole. Next up was Patrick KB3TFM, club VP who contacted the same Minnesota station but received a 5X8...a stronger report. Having trouble making a contact 15 miles away, but booming into Minnesota from Western Pennsylvania, that is what HF is about.

Our next WACOM project is set to get all the participants building a 40 meter dipole and then onto a 40 meter net with the their BITX40 radios.

Our club link : www.wacomarc.org Bitx link: hfsigs.com more pictures of the buildathon on the club site Thanks to Farhan for the concept…

Bill Steffey NY9H/3 [email protected] Radio Hill Prosperity, PA 15329

11 WACOM DX Feature of the Month — South Shetland Islands HF0ARC (2 Sep – 10 Oct 2017) The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands, ly- ing about 75 miles north of the Antarctic Peninsula, with a total area of 1,424 sq miles. By the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, the islands' sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the sig- natories and they are free for use by any signatory for non- military purposes.

The islands have been claimed by the United Kingdom since 1908 and have been part of the British Antarctic Territory since 1962. They are also claimed by the governments of Chile (since 1940, as part of the Antártica Chilena province) and by Argenti- na (since 1943, as part of Argentine Antarctica, Tierra del Fuego Province).

Several countries maintain research stations on the islands. Most of them are situated on King George Island, benefitting from the airfield of the Chilean base Eduardo Frei. Espirito Santo, chartered by British merchants in Buenos Aires. There are sixteen research stations to date in different parts of The ship arrived at Rugged Island off Livingston Island, where the islands, with Chilean stations being the greatest in number. its British crew landed on Christmas Day 1819, and claimed the Research is often a shared duty of nations, with the Chilean- islands for King George III. A narrative of the events was pub- United States Shirreff Base being one example. lished by the brig's master, Joseph Herring, in the July 1820 edi- tion of the Imperial Magazine. The Espirito Santo was followed from the Falkland Islands by the American brig Hersilia, com- manded by Captain James Sheffield (with second mate Nathaniel History Palmer), the first US sealer in the South Shetlands. The islands were discovered by the British mariner William Smith in 1819. Although it has been postulated that Dutch mari- The first wintering over in Antarctica took place on the South ner Dirck Gerritsz in 1599 or Spanish Admiral Gabriel de Cas- Shetlands, when at the end of the 1820–21 summer season elev- tilla in 1603 might have sighted the South Shetlands, or North or en British men from the ship Lord Melville failed to leave King South American sealers might have visited the archipelago be- George Island, and survived the winter to be rescued at the be- fore Smith, there is insufficient historical evidence to sustain ginning of the next season. such assertions. Smith’s discovery, by contrast, was well docu- mented and had wider historical implications beyond its geo- graphic significance. Having circumnavigated the Antarctic continent, the Russian Antarctic expedition of Fabian von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Chilean scientists have claimed that Amerinds visited the is- Lazarev arrived at the South Shetlands in January 1821. The lands, due to stone artifacts recovered from bottom-sampling Russians surveyed the islands and named them, landing on both operations in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, and Discovery King George Island and Elephant Island. While sailing between Bay, Greenwich Island; however, the artifacts — two arrow- Deception and Livingston islands, Bellingshausen was visited by heads — were later found to have been planted. In 1818 Juan Nathaniel Palmer, master of the American brig Hero, who in- Pedro de Aguirre obtained permission from the Buenos Aires formed him of the activities of dozens of American and British authorities to establish a base for sealing on "some of the unin- sealing ships in the area. habited islands near the South Pole". Captain William Smith in the British merchant brig Williams, while sailing to Valparaíso, The name "New South Britain" was used briefly, but was soon Chile in 1819 deviated from his route south of Cape Horn, and changed to South Shetland Islands (in reference to the Shetland on 19 February sighted Williams Point, the northeast extremity Islands off the coast of Scotland). The name South Shetland Is- of Livingston Island. Thus Livingston Island became the first lands is now established in international usage. Both island land ever discovered south of the 60th southern latitude. Smith groups lie at similar distances from the South Pole and North revisited the South Shetlands, landed on King George Island on Pole respectively, but the South Shetlands are much colder 16 October 1819, and claimed possession for Britain. On 15 November 1819 the United States agent in Valparaíso, Jeremy Seal hunting and whaling was conducted on the islands during Robinson, informed the US Secretary of State John Quincy Ad- the 19th and early 20th century. Beginning in 1908, these islands ams of Smith's discovery and Bransfield's forthcoming mission, and suggested dispatching a US Navy ship to explore the islands were governed as part of the Falkland Islands Dependency, but where "new sources of wealth, power and happiness would be they have only been occupied by humans since the establishment disclosed and science itself be benefited thereby." of a scientific research station in 1944. The archipelago, together with the nearby Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia Island, is The discovery of the islands attracted British and American seal- an increasingly popular tourist destination during the southern ers. The first sealing ship to operate in the area was the brig summer

12 WACOM DX Feature of the Month — South Shetland Islands

Geography The islands have experienced measurable glacier As a group of islands, the South Shetland Islands retreat during recent years, but despite this, they are located at 62°0′S 58°0′W / 62.000°S remain more than 80% snow and ice covered throughout the summer. 58.000°W / -62.000; -58.000Coordinates: 62°0′S 58°0′W / 62.000°S 58.000°W / -62.000; - The climate is cloudy and humid all year round 58.000. They are within the region 61° 00'–63° and very strong westerly winds blow at all sea- 37' South, 53° 83'–62° 83' West. The islands lie sons. Some of the sunniest weather is associated 580 mi south of the Falkland Islands, and be- with outbreaks of very cold weather from the tween 58 mi (Deception Island) and 167 mi south in late winter and spring. Mean summer (Clarence Island) northwest and north from the temperatures are only about 34.7 °F and those in nearest point of the Antarctic continent, Graham winter are about 23 °F. The effect of the ocean Land. tends to keep summer temperatures low and winter temperatures from decreasing as low as they do inland to the south.

Flora and fauna Despite the harsh conditions the islands do support vegetation and are part of the Scotia Sea Is- lands tundra ecoregion, along with South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, the South Ork- ney Islands and Bouvet Island. All these islands lie in the cold seas below the Antarctic Conver- gence. These areas support tundra vegetation con- sisting of mosses, lichens and algae, while sea- birds, penguins and seals feed in the surrounding The South Shetlands consist of 11 major islands and several minor ones, totaling 1,424 sq mi of waters. land area. Between 80 and 90 percent of the land area is permanently glaciated. The highest point on the island chain is Mount Irving on Clarence Island at 7,546 ft above sea level.

The South Shetland Islands extend about 280 mi from Smith Island and Low Island in the west- southwest to Elephant Island and Clarence Island in the east-northeast.

Climate

The islands are the same distance from the equa- tor as the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic, but their proximity to Antarctica means that they have a much colder climate. The sea around the islands is closed by ice from early April to early December and the monthly average temperature is below 32 °F for eight months of the year (April SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA to November).

13 ARRL NEWS

New “Pre-Release” Version of WSJT-X Includes Route 66 Special Event Set for September 9-17 FT8 Changes 09/05/2017 09/06/2017 The Citrus Belt Amateur Radio Club of San Bernardino, A new “pre-release” version of WSJT-X now is available. California will host the 18th annual Route 66 On The Air This is the Amateur Radio digital software suite developed by special event, September 9–17. The event offers radio am- Joe Taylor, K1JT, that includes the new FT8 mode, which has been catching on like wildfire. The September 2 release, ateurs a chance to perhaps relive their own Route 66 WSJT-X version 1.8.0-rc2, fixes a number of issues, provides memories and to celebrate the famed highway’s 91st anni- better performance, and offers some new features. versary. Opened in 1926, US Route 66 was the first major improved highway to link the West Coast with the nation’s “Implementation of FT8 and its auto-sequencing feature is heartland; it once served as the backdrop for a popular TV now more capable and more polished,” Taylor said in the re- show and has been the subject of songs and stories. There lease notes. “The decoder is faster and better. It now includes will be 21 stations — two of them “rovers” — operating signal subtraction, multi-pass decoding, and the use of accu- mulated ‘a priori’ information as a QSO progresses. Sensitivi- in or around the major cities along Route 66 from Santa ty extends Monica, California to Chicago, Illinois. They will use 1 × 1 downward as W6-prefix special event call signs. far as –24 dB in some cir- The Route 66 special event stations will concentrate activi- cumstances.” ty on these frequencies: CW — 3.533, 7.033, 10.110, 14.033, 18.080, 21.033, 24.900, 28.033, and 50.033 MH; Taylor said SSB — 3.866, 7.266, 14.266, 18.164, 21.366, 24.966, that overlap- ping signals 28.466, and 50.166 MHz; Digital — 3.580, 7.070, 10.140, “two and 14.070, 18.100, 21.070, 24.920, and 28.120 MHz. Some three deep” participating clubs will also use VHF and UHF repeaters. are frequently decoded at essentially the same frequency, and on a crowded Radio amateurs who operate while driving on Route 66 band “we sometimes see more than 30 decodes in a single 15- second interval, over a 2-kHz window.” In addition, the North may take part in the event by using the designations American VHF Contesting Mode has been expanded to in- “mobile 66” or “/66” after their call signs. clude both FT8 and MSK144 modes, and the WSJT-X User Guide has been extensively updated. Each participating club will issue its own commemora- tive QSL card to celebrate this event. Certificates are “Depending on what code revision you upgrade from, it may available. be necessary to do a one-time reset of the default list of suggested operating frequencies,” Taylor pointed out in his release notes. Some new features have been discussed in the An unrelated Military Vehicle Convoy On-The-Air Route WSJT Meteor Scatter and Weak Signal Group. 66 event will take place from September 16 until October 14. Visit ConvoyOnTheAir.org for operating details. — Digital modes such as JT65 and FT8 require that your com- Thanks to Southgate Amateur Radio News via OPDX puter’s internal time clock be set precisely. If your computer's clock is off by more than 1 or 2 seconds, contacts may be difficult or impossible. Internet time synchronization may be sufficient. The WSJT-X documentation recommends using Meinberg NTP on Windows machines to synchronize with internet time servers.

Logbook of The World (LoTW) now supports the upload of FT8 contacts after a TQSL configuration file update, which was released shortly after the mid-August debut of the new ADIF standard (version 3.0.6) with support for FT8. — Thanks to the ARRL Contest Update

14 ARRL NEWS

Solar Flares Spark Radio Blackouts, Auroral Displays Possible

09/07/2017

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) has issued a strong (G3) geomagnetic storm watch for Sep- tember 7 through September 9. The SWPC said the watch for September 7 remains in effect due to the arrival of a coronal mass ejection (CME) and the effects of a CME on September 4.

“Additionally, a G3 watch is now in effect for the 8 and 9 September UTC days in anticipation of the arrival of another CME associated with the X9.3 flare (R3 — strong radio blackout) on 6 September at 1202 UTC (0802 ET),” the SWPC said early on September 7. “Analysis indicates likely CME arrival late on 8 September into early 9 September.” The September 6 flare is being called the strongest in more than a decade.

Its effect on HF radio propagation has adversely affected the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN), currently operating on 20 and 40 meters as Hurricane Irma sweeps through the Caribbean.

As of September 7 at 1400 UTC, the solar flux index stood at 127, the sunspot number at 27, the A index at 11, and the K index at 4. All HF conditions are being deemed as no better than fair. The possibility of extended auroral displays could work to the benefit of VHF and UHF operators who aim their antennas north to take advantage of “buzz” mode. SWPC posts a 30-minute forecast of visible aurora.

The SWPC said the September 4 CME arrived at the DSCOVR spacecraft on September 6 at 2308 UTC, and “a sudden impulse was observed at several of Earth's magnetometers” at 2348 UTC due to the effects from the shock arrival at Earth.

“While solar wind speed initially reached speeds of around 600 km/s and total interplanetary magnetic field strength (IMF) increased to around 14 nT, the Bz component [of the Sun’s magnetic field] was di- rected northward in the early stages of the event — an unfavorable orientation for escalating geomagnetic re- sponses,” the center said. “However, the potential for geomagnetic storming still exists as the CME continues passing over Earth.

An S1 (minor) radiation storm warning has been extended to September 8 at 0600 UTC. This could have a minor impact on polar HF propagation. The SWPC has observed S2 conditions over the past day or two.

The September 6 X9.3 flare followed an X2.2 flare (also R3) at 0910 UTC. The source region for both flares was Region 2673 on the Sun.

15 ARRL NEWS

nents of the WWV signal, which allows relative signal More Professional and Citizen phase to be reconstructed from recorded data,” Greneker Research Suggests Eclipse Briefly explained in a more-detailed account. Affected HF Propagation “Signal phase-vector rotation change was chosen to indi- cate totality arrival, because phase is very sensitive to any change in propagation path length, possibly caused by ion- 09/06/2017 ospheric movement, up or down. Solar presence or absence can cause vertical ionospheric movement.” Both professional and citizen scientists conducted formal and informal investigations into the effect of the August 21 Greneker recording the phase of the 15-MHz WWV signal solar eclipse on HF radio propagation. Nathaniel Frissell, from 1800 UTC until 1900 UTC on August 21. “Each time W2NAF, of HamSCI, has said it will take some time to get the path length changes by 1 wavelength, there is a 360° a more scientific analysis of data compiled during the Solar change in the phase of the signal,” he said. Greneker offset Eclipse QSO Party. Frissell and others are investigating the path of totality to the south, running parallel to the path whether the sudden absence of sunlight during the eclipse between WWV in Fort Collins, Colorado and his location — and especially of solar ultra-violet and x-rays — would in Atlanta. briefly change the properties of the upper atmosphere. Pro- fessional ionospheric researcher Phil Erickson, W1PJE, of Greneker assumed that the reflection point off the iono- the Atmospheric Sciences Group at MIT’s Haystack Ob- sphere was south of Kansas City, and, he said, the mini- servatory, said he can say categorically that there was a mum dip in the phase record occurred very close to totality definite, large, and measurable effect in the ionosphere at that location. “At 1809 hours UTC, when the totality from the eclipse. point was parallel to the midpoint of the propagation path, the path length increased from zero wavelengths to 157 “We saw a 2X reduction in electron density during the wavelengths, or 3,140 meters, during the intervening 9 eclipse for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour,” Erickson told minutes.” He reported. As totality moved southeast solar ARRL. “This reduction had direct impacts on HF propaga- radiation began to increase and the path length decreases as tion along the bottom side.” Erickson said many models the ionospheric reflecting point moves downward. and observations exist from previous eclipses that demon- strate these effects. Erickson said MIT researchers used a Bob Skaggs, KB5RX, told ARRL he spent about 4 hours in “megawatt-class Thomson scatter radar” which can directly the central part of Mission Valley, Montana, listening to measure the plasma state of the ionosphere, including elec- conversations on various 20-meter frequencies with a low tron density, across a huge area in the eastern US. antenna. “At maximum of the eclipse the propagation went almost to nothing for maybe about 15 or 20 minutes,” he “Scientists in the worldwide space physics community will said. “As the eclipse resided, signals came back up.” be using these and many other eclipse observations to learn Skaggs tried 17 meters for 5 minutes at 1800 UTC and more about our ionosphere, space weather, and its effects heard “no signals at all.” on navigation and communication signals including amateur radio,” Erickson said. He has shared his data with the He also said the local animal population responded to the HamSCI team. eclipse as if evening were approaching Taking an approach he allowed was “a bit scientific,” Bob Reif, W1XP, was in North Carolina where the eclipse totality was about 97%. “I had two radios running multi bands of WSPR,” Reif told ARRL. “Lots of data to look at, but what jumped out was that at almost the exact time of maximum coverage of the sun at this location, 160 meters opened for about 30 minutes and then closed down again till the normal gray line. So the D layer responded to the shadow of the moon to some extent.”

Gene Greneker, K4MOG, in Georgia told ARRL that his own eclipse experiment “worked out rather well.” He set up an RFSpace NetSDR receiver at his location, locked to a 10-MHz GPS standard and tuned to WWV on 15 MHz. “The NetSDR provides in-phase and quadrature compo-