PARS BREAKFAST MEETING THIS COMING SATURDAY
Our next meeting will be at 0900 this Saturday, November 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 Bill Michne, WM3X, 249-1175 or billmichne@embarqmail.com
Lots of ideas came out of the planning meeting this past Saturday. We would expect to talk about some of them at the regular meeting… easing access to the PARS website and more content, meeting topics, Elmering, Fox Hunting and the date for our next hunt, getting involved with our schools and the college, and… acquiring and adapting a trailer/van as a PARS communications vehicle. Come with your thoughts about all of these things and suggestions for meeting topics.
AMATEUR RADIO PARITY ACT–NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT
We have not said much here about this extremely important legislation. Most of our members are also members of the Amateur Radio Relay League and get the weekly letter–or certainly should. The letter has covered it in depth as have numerous special bulletins. As you should know, this legislation would enable radio amateurs living in deed-restricted communities to erect efficient outdoor antennas and has taken years of effort by the ARRL and others to reach this point. The bill has been approved by the House of Representatives but is awaiting passage by the Senate. If it does not pass during the “lame duck’ session ending in mid-December, it will die and the entire process will have to be repeated. After being so close to passage, and with even the association of home owners associations agreeing to the wording, that would be a shame.
Our support is needed to get the bill to the Senate floor for a vote and passed. As they say, the clock is ticking. Our task is simple. Go to the ARRL’s Rally Congress page ( https://arrl.rallycongress.net/ ) , enter your ZIP code, fill in your name and address, press enter, and e-mails will go directly to your Senators. We can do this, even if we have already contacted their US Senators for support. You may review and edit the e-mails before they are sent.
Many of us in the County might not be directly affected or require this relief, but then many others of us are. Please do your part.
SOLAR NUMBERS TODAY
NOAA reported solar activity was very low during the 24 hours ending yesterday at 5 pm local. The most recent significant activity was a B1 flare at 0027Z this morning. There is one sunspot regions on the disk facing Earth this morning. The chance for flare activity remains very low. The sunspot number (SSN) is 11–one sunspot in one region– down from the 38 we reported last Monday. The Solar Flux Index (SFI) is 76, down a couple from the 78 recorded at Penticton Sunday a week ago. According to the Space Weather Prediction Center, solar activity is expected to be very low for the next three days with a slight chance for C-class flares today through Wednesday. The NOAA forecast has the SFI rising to 80 on Wednesday. The 90 day trailing average remains at 85.
The Earth’s geomagnetic field was quiet yesterday. The Earth is again passing through a stream of solar wind from a vast coronal hole. The field is forecast to be quiet to unsettled today, reach minor storm levels Tuesday and then have unsettled to minor storm conditions on Wednesday. Remember, the major impact is in the higher latitudes but we may have slightly higher radio noise levels here. The Kp-index was reported to be a quiet 1 at 7 a.m. local this morning.
Expect fair conditions on 30 and 20 Meters, poor on the higher bands. Fair day and good nighttime conditions are expected on 80 and 40. Even with poor conditions being forecast, take those reports with a grain of salt. During the ARRL SSB sweeps yesterday yours truly worked the west coast QRP (5 watts) on 40 just after dawn and on 20 and 15 Meters in the early afternoon. As for 6 Meters, DXmaps reported some double hop Es contacts of over 2500 miles this morning. A Washington state station was working back into western North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
THIS WEEK’S DX CHALLENGE
AUSTRAL ISLAND, FO. Al, K7AR will be QRV as FO/K7AR from Raivavae Island, IOTA OC-114, from November 21 to 28. Activity will be on 160 to 10 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY. This includes an entry in the upcoming CQ World Wide DX CW contest. QSL to home call. [Raivavae is an island that is part of the Austral Islands in French Polynesia. It covers an area of 6.2 sq. mi. and at the 2012 census had a population of 940. Its highest point is the top of an extinct volcano which is 1434 ft. high.–from Wikipedia, ed.]
QSO CORNER
This is the place to post contacts with DXpeditions, Special Event Stations, or special QSO’s you would like to share.
Zippo!.
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
* 26/0000-27/2359Z Nov 1.8-28 MHz CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW
(see www.cqww.com/rules.htm )
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 are a great way to get those last states for your Worked All States (WAS) Award.)
HAM EQUIPMENT FOR SALE, TRADE, OR WANTED
——————————————————————–
* 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 13.5″ W x 8.5 H x 14″ D. 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 $500. Contact Bill Cresswell, K2ONN at 252-249-0148. (20161024)
* DONATED EQUIPMENT FOR SALE
Here are two pieces of equipment in excellent condition, fully tested, and completely functional. First is an MFJ Versa Tuner II, model 949B. This antenna tuner is rated at 300 watts maximum, has two coax outputs that are switchable and can be bypassed, and an internal dummy load. It also has balanced line or single wire output. The meter (single needle) reads forward and reflected power in two ranges, 0-30 and 0-300 watts, and SWR. Second is an MFJ Artificial Ground, Model 931. This unit is used for stations that can’t get a good RF ground, such as when the station is not on a ground floor, or when working portable at a camp ground or park. It is rated at 300 watts maximum. User manuals for both units are available for download in pdf format. Prices: tuner, $60.00, artificial ground, $50.00. These are less than half the cost of comparable new units from DX Engineering. Special deal: buy both units for $100 (they are often used together). All proceeds go to PARS. Contact Bill Michne, WM3X, 252-249-1175 or billmichne@embarqmail.com. (20160926)
* FOR SALE
SGC antenna tuner. This is the SG 235 with Smart Lock. This tuner is attached at the foot of the antenna. It is rated for 500 Watts. It can be used on Marine, Auto and land applications. Totally weather sealed. New from HRO this unit and Smart Lock are just under $1200 from HRO. Get the best for $400.
Also for sale is a MFJ 993B. This is the automatic tuner. New from HRO it is $235. Sale price is $100.
Both are up and running at my ham shack and can be seen in operation–Charlie Overcash, WA4GSI, 252-249-1257 (20160912)
* FOR SALE, PRICE REDUCED–Yaesu FT- DX3000
A perfect “10”. Only used lightly by a little old lady on Sunday. I am upgrading and would love to see you have this rig. I hate to part with it but I just purchased a FTDX5000. This is just not the basic rig that others are selling—here is what you get, Like new radio, optional 300 hz cw filter, optional DVS 6 Voice unit, FH-2 touch pad, Hand mic, SP-2000 external speaker w/filters, Nifty Mini-Manual, box and radio manual. I have well over $2200.00 invested. I’ll let it go for $1995.00 $1795, you pay shipping for 2 boxes. Local pickup possible in NC. CONUS only. NO TRADES. PayPal, cash, check (units shipped when check clears). Pictures on request. DON’T MISS THIS ONE!
Sam, KD2T, davebacon137@embarqmail.com or call 252-617-0359 (20160822)
(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:
* Nov 26, PARS Monthly Meeting, Saturday, 9 am, Brantley’s Village Restaurant, Oriental, Bill Michne, WM3X, 252-249-1175 or billmichne@embarqmail.com.
* Dec 31, PARS Monthly Meeting, Saturday, 9 am, Brantley’s Village Restaurant, Oriental, Bill Michne, WM3X. 252-249-1175 or billmichne@embarqmail.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).
* Thursdays, Pamlico Six Meter Net, 8 pm local, 50.200 MHz, USB. A non-directed open net to promote operation on the ‘Magic Band’.
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.
73,
Jim AI4WL