PRESIDENT’S SOAPBOX
There is a new amateur repeater in orbit on board the international
space station, operating in VU mode, i.,e., 2 meters up and 70 cm down.
It came online in September of this year, and seems to be working well.
I have seen reports of amateurs working it using dual band vertical
antennas, not the best possible situation but usable. There is a lot of
information on youtube.com about how to use it. Note that it is used
for communications between earth stations, just like any other satellite
repeater, so don’t expect to talk to any of the astronauts on board.
Tracking information can be found at amsat.org. _…_ Further on the
space science front, the giant Arecibo radio telescope is being shut
down and will be dismantled. Over the years of its operation it has
been used in making major discoveries in astronomy, one of which was the
discovery of the first binary pulsar. That achievement was recognized
by being awarded the Nobel Prize in physics. The science of radio
astronomy is far too important to die with the loss of this facility,
and we can only hope that a comparable facility will become available.
_…_ Don’t forget the monthly PARS meeting will take place via ZOOM
this Saturday at 9:00 AM. …_._ de WM3X, Bill Michne, 252-249-1175,
drmichne73@gmail.com.
PARS MEETING THIS COMING SATURDAY, NOV 28, 2020
**** 9:AM VIA “ZOOM” *****
We will be holding this month’s PARS meeting via Zoom. Prior to the
meeting, it is recommended to download the Zoom application to the
device you wish to use. Steve Silveira, KO4EDA, will again be our
technical host for the meeting.
If you are on MacOS or Windows proceed to https://zoom.us. In the top
right corner there is a drop down menu labeled “Resources”. Click the
“Download Zoom Client” link to install. If you are on an iPhone or iPad
get the app from the App Store, and if you are on Android phone or
tablet, get the app from Google Play Store.
Here is the meeting link and ID for the Saturday NOV 28, 2020 PARS
Monthly Meeting and also for the December meeting:
Topic: PARS Monthly Meeting
Time: NOV 28, 2020 09:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Zoom Meeting Link: Contact AI4WL for connection details at jth350@embarqmail.com.
https://cravenk12.zoom.us/j/
Meeting ID:
Dial in:
You can join the meeting one of 3 ways:
- Click the link to join the meeting, on MacOS and Windows you should
be prompted to Open the Zoom App, and on mobile devices and tablets it
should just open.
- Open your Zoom App (MacOS, Windows, and Mobile Devices) and click
“Join a Meeting” (or the “Join” Button if already signed in), then type
in the Meeting ID and enter your name and click Join.
- If you cannot seem to get Zoom working or do not have a compatible
device, dial in via the phone number provided above.
If you have questions regarding “Zoom” that you can’t resolve, please
email Steve at rastoban@gmail.com.
SOLAR NUMBERS TODAY
NOAA reported that solar activity was low during the 24 hours ending
yesterday at 5 pm local. There are 3 sunspot regions on the Sun facing
Earth this morning. A fourth is about to appear, reportedly a large one.
The largest solar event of the period was a C3 event on 22 Nov at 1231
local. NOAA expects activity to be low through Wednesday but with a 1 in
5 chance for an M-class flare each day. On Sunday the observed Solar
Flux Index (SFI) at Penticton was 88. The index is predicted to register
90 today, 92 Tuesday and 94 Wednesday. The SFI 90 day trailing average
is 75.
The Earth’s geomagnetic field reached minor storm levels yesterday. It
is expected to be quiet to minor storm levels today, quiet to unsettled
on Tuesday and then quiet to active on Wednesday. The estimated Kp-index
of 2 reported at 4 a.m. local this morning indicates we are currently
experiencing quiet geomagnetic conditions.
For the next several days, we can expect poor daytime and fair nighttime
operating conditions on 80 and 40 meters, fair on 30 and 20. Poor
conditions are expected on the higher bands. DXMaps showed numerous Es
contacts Sunday evening with a mix of CW, FT8 and even SSB being used.
Almost all were between stations in the Midwest.
So now, a local near real-time report from Gary, NC3Z: “10M has
continued to play well, worked 2 new ones on FT8 today [Sunday, Nov 22].
Since July 2020 I have worked 60 DXCC entities on 10M. On the other end
of the bands 160M has been working very well, just worked 7Q7RU on FT8
for DXCC entity # 100 since Dec 2019.”
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.
HAM EQUIPMENT FOR SALE, TRADE, OR WANTED
For listing in the PARSgram send me your amateur radio related items
that you have for sale, trade, or wanted. PLEASE let me know when you
have have sold your item or your listing is no longer needed. Listings
will EXPIRE AFTER 90 DAYS unless I hear otherwise.–Jim.
**For Sale**
Heil Foot Switch, push to transmit. $15.00. Contact Ed Valentine, W2YPM,
at 252-637-3161 or w2ypm@earthlink.net. (20201019)
**Estate Ham Equipment For Sale**
Eddie Lyon, K4NGR, provided a long list of equipment he is wishing to
sell on behalf of the wife of a fellow ham who passed several weeks ago.
Major items now remaining on the list with prices originally paid
include a Yaesu FT2000/HF Transceiver $2,115 with Yaesu MD-100 Mic $179
and Yaesu external speaker with phone patch and an Ammeritron AL-811H
Amp $999. “These prices are what he had paid for them brand new so
whatever we can get for them to help his wife Pat out will be most
appreciated.” For a complete list of the remianing items or more
information please contact Eddie at ELyon47@aol.com or 540-905-5839.
(20201019, 20201102)
PARS CALENDAR:
* Nov 28, PARS MONTHLY MEETING, Saturday, 9am, Virtual Meeting via
“Zoom” or at Brantleys Restaurant, Oriental. For more info, contact Bill
Michne, WM3X, 252-249-1175 or drmichne73@gmail.com.
* Dec 26, PARS MONTHLY MEETING, Saturday, 9am, Virtual Meeting via
“Zoom” or at Brantleys Restaurant, Oriental. For more info, contact Bill
Michne, WM3X, 252-249-1175 or drmichne73@gmail.com.
LOCAL NETS OF INTEREST TO PARS MEMBERS:
* 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/
Our Web Master is Paul Jodoin, K4MMB, 561-308-3456, PARSwebman@gmail.com
FOR A SAFE THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION
Our Pamlico County COVID-19 Community Task Force has produced some good
guidance for celebrating the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Our county
cases have increased more than 34% since October 1st. With 14 new cases
just this weekend, towndock.net reported we are up to 373 cases as of
yesterday, Nov 22. From the Task Force:
https://mailchi.mp/ac3ab9674f7f/pamlico-county-celebrates-thanksgiving-safely?e=adb5dfd6c4
- Please mask up in public and stay safe. We wish you a happy
Thanksgiving. Jim AI4WL
——
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