Jim Hartmeyer <pamlicoham@pamlico.net>
PARS BREAKFAST MEETING THIS COMING SATURDAY
Our next meeting will be at 0900 this Saturday, March 30th 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 drmichne73@gmail.com.
PRESIDENT’S SOAPBOX
Last week I mentioned the FCC is seeking comments on ARRL’s proposal to grow the amateur radio community by enhancing operating privileges for Technician licensees in the HF bands. The FCC is also seeking comments on another proposal, a new class of license called the “Tyro Class.” If you qualify for membership in QCWA I suggest that you either take your blood pressure medication and strap yourself into your seat before reading this, or don’t read it at all. To qualify for a Tyro license, one must be at least 11 years old and pass a “minimal online examination as well as mentoring by an Amateur Radio licensee of Technician class or higher.” Tyro licensees would earn operating privileges on 99 channels in a 70-centimeter Tyro sub-band. The proposer asserts that, “The Tyro license is exceptionally important to FEMA’s CERT program,”and that the license “allows ARES to solve CERT’s communication problems. The TyroSubBand technical specifications easily double the capacity of typical 70-centimeter repeaters…” He also asserts that amateur radio “should be used to further scientific research that is published and quickly placed in the public domain.” Gosh, who knew that today’s crop of 11 year olds represent such a vast untapped technological resource? Anyway, if you’d like to comment go to How to Comment on FCC Proceedings.” de WM3X, Bill Michne, 252-249-1175, drmichne73@gmail.com.
SOLAR NUMBERS TODAY
NOAA reported that solar activity was very low during the 24 hours ending yesterday at 5 pm local. There is one sunspot region on the sun facing earth this morning. It will soon depart. According to the Space Weather Prediction Center activity is expected to be low today with a chance for C-class flares and then very low on Tuesday and Wednesday . On Sunday, the reported Solar Flux Index (SFI) at Penticton was 75. The index is predicted to be 73 today, 71 on Tuesday and then 79 on Wednesday. The SFI 90 day trailing average remains 71.
The Earth’s geomagnetic field was quiet yesterday. It is expected to be quiet to active today, quiet to unsettled on Tuesday, and then quiet to active again on Wednesday. The estimated Kp-index of 1 at 5 a.m. local this morning indicates quiet conditions.
We can expect good operating conditions on 80 and 40 meters both day and night but only fair on 30 and 20. Poor conditions will continue on the higher bands. For the 6 Meter band, most reported contacts were digital via meteor scatter. A few E-layer skip contacts were also reported.
For an explanation of numbers used in our PARSgram, see the excellent article written by Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA at http://arrl.org/the-sun-the-earth-the-ionosphere.
THIS WEEK’S DX CHALLENGES
BOUVET ISLAND, 3Y0I. According to a release from the Rebel DX Group, the team departed Cape Town aboard the “Atlantic Tuna” on Tuesday, Mar 19 with an expected arrival o/a Mar 26. Their landing is weather dependent. Operations may begin as early as three days after landing. More information may be found at https://rebeldxgroup.com with the band plan at https://bouvetoya.org/3y01-bandplan Bouvet is number 2 on the ClubLog “DXCC Most Wanted” list . Good Luck!
JUAN FERNANDES ISLAND, CE0. A group of operators are QRV as XR0ZRC from Robinson Crusoe Island, IOTA SA-005, until April 3. Activity is on 160 to 10 meters using CW, SSB and FT8. QSL direct to R7AL.
OTHER ACTIVITY ON THE RADIO:
This info is extracted from the weekly 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.
* 30/0000-31/2359Z Mar 1.8-28MHz CQ WW WPX Contest, SSB (www.cqwpx.com)
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
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. Listings will EXPIRE AFTER 90 DAYS unless I hear otherwise.–Jim.
None listed.
UPCOMING REGIONAL HAMFESTS:
***The 28th Annual Down East Hamfest in Kinston will be on Saturday April 6, 2019, from 8 am until 2 pm in the Lenoir Community College Gymnasium. For more info call Bill Highland at 252-347-1498 or go to www.downeasthamfest.org. ***
PARS CALENDAR:
* Mar 30, PARS MONTHLY MEETING, Saturday, 9am, Brantley’s Village Restaurant, Oriental. Bill Michne, WM3X, 252-249-1175 or drmichne73@gmail.com.
* April 6, FCC License Examination/VE Session, Saturday 9am, Oriental Town Hall, Oriental. Bill Michne, WM3X, 252-249-1175 or drmichne73@gmail.com.
* Apr 27, PARS MONTHLY MEETING, Saturday, 9am, Brantley’s Village Restaurant, Oriental. Bill Michne, WM3X, 252-249-1175 or drmichne73@gmail.com.
LOCAL NETS OF INTEREST TO PARS MEMBERS:
* Mondays, Pete’s “Pamlico Swamp Roundtable” (“Swamp Net” for some), around 8 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 10 Meter Band voice segment open to technician licensees and above. Radio related topics/questions/issues welcomed.
* Tuesdays, Newport Weather Service SKYWARN Practice Net, 9:00 pm local, Oriental (147.210+ (PL151.4)) and all other local repeaters. Open net for severe weather warning and reporting continously monitored upon activation.
* Wednesdays, Pamlico Emergency Net Practice and Rag Chew/ARES, 7:30 pm, Oriental Repeater, 147.210 + (PL151.4).
* Thursdays, “DownEast/Pamlico Six Meter Net”, 8 pm local, 50.200 MHz, USB. A non-directed open net to promote operation on the ‘Magic Band’.
(For more nets see www.arrl.org/arrl-net-directory-search )
PARS WEB SITE: https://www.n4prs.org/
Web Master is Paul Jodoin, K4MMB, 561-308-3456, PARSwebman@gmail.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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