PAMLICO EMERGENCY NET (ARES) PRACTICE
The Pamlico Emergency Net meets Wednesday nights at 7:30 pm local time on
the Oriental repeater (147.210 MHz, CTCSS/PL tone 151.4, standard
offset). There are alternate frequencies. If you have not already done
so, please PROGRAM YOUR RADIO to use the Oriental 440 repeater on the
frequency of 444.350 MHz, standard offset, PL tone 85.4. Net members should
also make sure that they have the backup simplex frequency of 146.55 MHz in
their radio’s memory. The simplex frequency would be used in an emergency
situation if the repeaters fail. Our net controller and County ARES
coordinator Mike Hurm, K4HPS, will be listening for you.
NORTH CAROLINA QSO PARTY IN TWO WEEKS
Standby: the annual North Carolina state QSO Party will be Sunday, Mar 1,
from 10 AM to 8 PM local time. The object is for NC stations to work
as many NC counties, States, Canadian provinces and DXCC countries as
possible. We exchange our call sign and county (PAM or PAMLICO) for the call
sign and NC county or State or Country of the other station. Signal report
is optional. Digital modes have been added to phone and CW and there are new
categories for portables and rovers. For all the county abbreviations and
more go to: http://www.rars.org/ncqsoparty/ The QSO Party comes the day
after our February PARS meeting. If you play, be ready: Pamlico County
contacts are in demand!
SOLAR NUMBERS TODAY
NOAA reported that solar activity has been very low during the 24 hours
ending yesterday at 4 pm local. The largest recent solar event was a
B4 event observed at 16/0844Z. There are currently 3 numbered sunspot
regions on the disk facing Earth The sunspot count this morning is 45 down
from the 94 reported by NOAA last week. The Solar Flux Index is holding at
120. That’s down from the 153 in our last PARSgram. The forecast shows the
SFI actually raising slightly to 130 by Wednesday. According to the Space
Weather Prediction Center, solar activity is expected to be low through
Wednesday with a chance (25%) for M-class flares.
The Earth’s geomagnetic field was quiet to unsettled during the past 24
hours. The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet today and quiet to
unsettled on Tuesday and Wednesday. The K-index was reported by NOAA to be
an quiet 1 at 0700 local this morning.
THIS WEEK’S DX CHALLENGE
COCOS ISLAND, TI9. Operators Dom, 3Z9DX, Jorge, TI2HMJ, Przemek,
SP8SIW and Dmitri, RA9USU will be QRV as TI9/3Z9DX from February 16
to 23. Activity will be on 80 to 10 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY
with two stations. QSL via 3Z9DX.
QSO CORNER
This is the place to post contacts with DXpeditions, Special Event
Stations, or special QSO’s you would like to share.
OK, as best I can tell, here’s the list of those PARS folks who worked K1N
during the current DXpedition. Almost everyone made the trip more than once.
As of Friday afternoon, K4JJW filled 19 band slots, N4LV 16. WM3X was
successful QRP on 20 Meters but had to use more juice on 30. And N4ENE came
back after 22 years to do it again several times. Others who showed up in
the Club Log log for Navassa Island include KD2T, K4LTE, K4HPS, K4WRD,
K2ONN, W4XMT, KI4NSP, and yours truly, AI4WL. That’s 12 PARS members and
there may be others. Not too shabby. Congratulations all!
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 :
* Feb 21, 0000Z – Feb 22, 2359Z ARRL Int’l CW DX Contest
* Feb 21, 0600Z – Feb 22, 1800Z REF Contest
* Feb 21, 0800Z – Feb 21, 1000Z SARL Youth Day Sprint
* Feb 21, 2000Z – Feb 21, 2200Z Feld-Hell Bingo Sprint
* Feb 22, 0100Z – Feb 22, 0259Z CQC Winter QSO Party
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.)
HAM EQUIPMENT FOR SALE, TRADE, OR WANTED
——————–
* WANT TO BUY — Dip meter with coils. Prefer one in working condition,
but not necessary. Bill Michne, WM3X, 252-249-1175, or
billmichne@embarqmail.com (20150216)
* FOR SALE — Lightly used Ameritron AL-811H in good working order.
Output power is 800 Watts PEP, 600 Watts CW. It uses four rugged, fully
neutralized low cost 811A PA tubes. A backup set of four tubes is included
with the amplifier. The dimensions are 8 ¼” x 13 ¾” x 15 ½”. The operating
weight is 32 lbs. I am the second purchaser/owner of this amplifier. The
first owner is an active PARS member. This Amplifier has the factory
modification for operation on 10 meters. A copy of the manual is included.
Asking $550. Contact Bill Cresswell, K2ONN at 252-249-0148. (20150126)
* FOR SALE — Yaesu FT 450 Transceiver, MD 100 desk mike and a Pyramid
35 amp power supply. All for $650 and can be seen in action at my QTH to
check it out. All you will need is an antenna to be on the air. Charlie
Overcash, WA4GSI, charlie@dockline.net or 252-249-1257. (20150126).
* FREE — Coax. Belden 8281 video cable (blue jacket), 78 ft piece; RG-59U
two pieces (yellow jacket). Pick up in Morehead City or New Bern, contact
Stephen Freeman, KK4JOP, 252-725-3845. (20141215)
——————–
(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 HAMFESTS:
* March 28, 2015, DownEast Hamfest, Lenoir Community College Gym, Kinston,
8 am until 2 pm, http://www.downeasthamtest.org
* April 4, 2015: 43rd Annual RARSfest/North Carolina State Convention,
Raleigh Amateur Radio Society, State Fairgrounds,
Raleigh, NC, http://www.rars.org/rarsfest
PARS CALENDAR:
* Thru Mar 2, PARS General Class License Preparation Course, Monday
evenings,6:30-8:30 PM, Room 412 in the Brinson Building,Pamlico Community
College, 5049 Highway 306 South, Grantsboro. Contact Bill Michne, WM3X, at
252-249-1175 or by email at billmichne@embarqmail.com.
* Feb 28, PARS Monthly Meeting, Saturday, 9 am, Brantley’s Village
Restaurant, Oriental. Bill Olah, KR4LO, 249-0287 or w_olah@yahoo.com.
* Mar 2, 2015, Amateur Radio License Exam Session, Technician, General, and
Extra, Monday evening, 6:30 PM. Room 412 in the Brinson Building, Pamlico
Community College, 5049 Highway 306 South, Grantsboro. For more information,
and TO REGISTER FOR THE EXAM, contact Bill Michne, WM3X, at 252-249-1175 or
by email at billmichne@embarqmail.com.
* Mar 28, 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. Since this is an informal forum originally
established to assist our new Hams, this frequency is in the 10M voice
segment open to technician licensees and above. Radio
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/
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.
Fire up that “boat anchor” if you’ve got one and stay warm! Have a good
President’s Day.
Jim AI4WL