DRAGON BOAT RACING FESTIVAL
A fun Saturday is on tap out at Grace Harbor. The Oriental Dragonboat
Festival is coming up on Aug 15 at River Dunes off Orchard Creek Rd. Tom
Finta K8TF can always use more help with communication support for the
event. If you have the time on Saturday give him a call–more operators,
shorter shifts. The paddlers will practice on Friday the 14h and race on
Saturday. You can reach Tom at Fintatom@aol.com or 249-9838.
BIT BUCKET
Sam/Dave KD2T reminds our readers the PARSgram lists URLs of several sources
to get the details of upcoming contests and special events. He especially
likes the weekly version of “hornucopia”. “This is a great site to see what
contests are running and all about the contest such as exchange etc.” You
can find it at: http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/weeklycont.php
Thanks Dave.
SOLAR NUMBERS TODAY
NOAA reported that solar activity was low during the 24 hours ending
yesterday at 5 pm local. The largest recent solar event was a B8 flare
observed at 0610Z this morning. There are 4 numbered sunspot regions on the
disk facing Earth, all quiet The sunspot count this morning is 87, up from
the 51 reported by NOAA a week ago at this time. The Solar Flux Index (SFI)
is 115, also up. It was 102 in our last PARSgram. The NOAA forecast shows
the SFI staying the same for the next two days and then dropping to 110 on
Wednesday. According to the Space Weather Prediction Center, solar activity
is expected to be low through Wednesday with a 35% chance for M-class
flares.
The Earth’s geomagnetic field was quiet to unsettled over the weekend. The
Earth’s geomagnetic field is expected reach minor storm levels today, be
quiet to active Tuesday and then quiet to unsettled on Wednesday. The
Kp-index was reported by NOAA to be a quiet 2 at 0800 local this morning.
Don’t take down your temporary 6 Meter antenna yet. According to Tad Cook,
K7RA in his Propagation Forecast Bulletin 32 ARLP032, the Earth is entering
the debris field from Comet Swift-Tuttle, and the resulting Perseid meteor
shower should peak August 12 to 13. This offers the possibility of VHF
meteor scatter communication on 6 and 2 meters. It offers possible
enhancement of the ionosphere for upper HF bands as well. Best to use a
digital program or talk fast and be brief!
THIS WEEK’S DX CHALLENGE
CUBA, T47. Members of the Camaguey Contest Crew will operate as
T47LH during the ILLW from the Colon Lighthouse at Sabinal Key. The
crew, consisting of CO7RR, CO7SF, CO7FR, CO7DS and CO7WT will be
active from August 14 to 16. Operations are planned on all HF
bands, with 60 meters pending approval, and satellite via SO-50
passes during the ILLW. QSL route is to be determined.
Just so you know, now in it’s 18th year, the International Lighthouse and
Lightship Weekend (ILLW) will take place this year on the 14th and 15th
August. Since 1998, the event has grown each year to become a big hit with
portable operators. More than 450 lighthouses and Lightships in over 50
countries around the world are participating in the event which also
coincides with the International Lighthouse Heritage Weekend organized by
the Association of Lighthouse Keepers. The objective of ILLW event is “to
promote public awareness of lighthouses and lightships and their need for
preservation and restoration, to promote amateur radio and to foster
International goodwill.”
QSO QSO CORNER
This is the place to post contacts with DXpeditions, Special Event
Stations, or special QSO’s you would like to share.
Jamie, KJ4JK, reported a while back that he is finding digital life on the
HF lately. He recently added Paraguay to his log, a country he has
found tough to work in the past.
Even radio life is slow down here in the swamp.
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 :
* 15/1200-16/1200Z Aug Keyman’s Club of Japan Contest, CW
* 15/1800-16/0559Z Aug North American QSO Party, SSB,
* 15/2100-16/2100Z Aug CVA DX Contest, CW
* 16/1300-16/1630Z Aug SARL HF Digital Contest, Dig
* 16/1800-16/2359Z Aug ARRL Rookie Roundup, RTTY
See the ARRL Contest Branch page
ARRL Contest Update http://www.arrl.org/The-ARRL-Contest-Update/ and the
WA7BNM Contest Calendar
for more info. Looking for a Special Event station? Be sure to check out the
ARRL Special Event Station Web page
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
——————–
* 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. (20150601).
* FOR SALE–Hank Aaron WB4ROA, long time PARS member is moving. He is
selling much of his equipment. Brian Shepard K4LTE is handling the sale.
For a Yaesu FT-2000 and other Yaesu transceivers:
RF Mu-tuning kit 80/40m band for $300.00, and RF Mu-tuning kit 30/20m band
for $300.00.
Command Technologies Commander Amplifier 2KW for $1500.00.
Yaesu-7800R 2M/70cm Transceiver for $150.00.
Heil Headset Pro Set Quiet Phone with HC-5 mic for $80.00, retailed for
$155.00.
MXL Studio Condenser Microphone MXL-2003 for $100.00, retailed for $163.00.
Heil Hand Switch for $25.00.
Foot Switch for $20.00.
Array Solutions Six Pack ( remote antenna switch) 2 radios-6 antenna ports
per radio for $300.00, retailed for $450.00.
Array Solutions Rat Pack (remote antenna switch) 6 antenna positions for
$100.00, retailed for $250.00.
Astron SL-11 pwr supply for $50.00, retailed for $89.00.
Bencher Keyer for $150.00.
Plus lots of coax and cables-most coax uses N-connectors and were
professionally made by Cable X.
PL259 adapters for .50 cent ea. (28-total)
UHF Male Crimp (type PL259) connectors $2.00 ea. (37-total)
Type N Male crimp for RG8 $2.00 ea. (15-total)
PL259 Connectors $1.00 ea. (16-total)
PL259 UHF Male to female tee adapter connectors, $4.00 ea. (total-9)
BNC Male to UHF female connectors, $2.00 ea. (total-2)
Added items–
Palstar ZM30 digital antenna analyzer, $200.00
ICOM M1V VHF Handheld radio with HM-125 speaker microphone and a new BC-119N
desk top charger, $175.00
Aceco FC-6002 RF Tracer, $150.00
Contact Brian at k4lte2@centurylink.net or at his cell 252-670-5531.
(20150511, 20150518, 20150622)
——————–
(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:
* Aug 15, Dragonboat Racing (PARS Public Service), Saturday, 9 am – 4 pm,
River Dunes Grace Harbor, Tom Finta, K8TF, 249-9838 or fintatom@aol.com
* Aug 29, PARS Monthly Meeting, Saturday, 9 am, Brantley’s Village
Restaurant, Oriental. Bill Olah, KR4LO, 249-0287 or w_olah@yahoo.com.
* Sep 26, 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/
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.
Jim AI4WL
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