PARS BREAKFAST MEETING THIS COMING SATURDAY
Our next meeting will be at 0900 this Saturday, May 29th 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
This Saturday is the monthly PARS meeting. It will be held at
Brantley’s at 9:00 AM. This is a very important meeting, as the main
topic for discussion will be Field Day. This is the last formal PARS
meeting before the event, and we need to make some decisions as to how
we will be involved. We will be at the Shrine Club just outside
Grantsboro on Hwy 306 S. To begin with there will be a VE test session
on Saturday morning before folks arrive to set up. I have at least
three candidates for the exams, maybe more. We need to decide on
whether and how we will handle public access. We’ll also start
collecting information for a headcount for dinner. And we need
operators. I’d like to go to a system of signing operators up for a
specific time slot. You can also volunteer for a time slot for logging.
And don’t forget that if you operate from your home station using your
own call you can pool your score with the club’s score. So we have lots
to talk about. And don’t forget to get me your Field Day gear order so
I can get it in before they run out of the more popular items. I hope
to see many of you on Saturday. …_._ de Bill Michne, WM3X,
252-249-1175, drmichne73@gmail.com.
SOLAR NUMBERS TODAY
NOAA reported solar activity was at moderate levels during the 24 hour
period ending yesterday at 5 p.m. local. Although the activity was
reported as “moderate”, there were two M-class flares and 10 C-class
flares on Saturday. The largest solar event during the period was a M1
class flare at 2136Z Saturday afternoon. There are two numbered sunspot
regions on the Sun facing Earth this morning. Although the Prediction
Center expects solar activity to be “low” through Wednesday, the chance
exists for more M-class flares. On Sunday the observed Solar Flux Index
(SFI) at Penticton was 79. (Last Sunday it was 73.) The index is
predicted to register 79 again today, Tuesday and Wednesday. The SFI 90
day trailing average remains 76.
The Earth’s geomagnetic field was quiet yesterday. For our middle
latitudes, NOAA expects conditions to be quiet today then become active
Tuesday and Wednesday. Conditions could reach minor storm levels Tuesday
and then major storm (G-2) levels Wednesday for the Earth’s higher
latitudes. According to spaceweather.com, Saturday’s flares sent
multiple coronal mass ejections toward the Earth that will cause the
disruptions to the Earth’s magnetic field. The estimated Kp-index of 1
reported at 5 a.m. local this morning reflects our current quiet
geomagnetic conditions.
On Thursday last, we had our first big 6 Meters opening into Europe. It
was, perhaps, our biggest in years. Great double and triple hop E-layer
skip brought us stations from the Azores to Italy, Slovenia, Croatia,
Bosnia and most of the countries in between. And it lasted… from just
after dawn into the early afternoon. Gary, NC3Z, Dick, K4JJW and Bill,
N2COP, were just a few of those seen harvesting DX that day on the Magic
Band.
For an explanation of the numbers used in our PARSgram, see the
excellent article written by Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA at
http://arrl.org/the-sun-the-earth-the-ionosphere.
BIT BUCKET
*From Gary, NC3Z, Friday May 21: “Started my 20M FT8 DXCC quest on 13
Apr 2021 and got my 100th confirmation via LoTW on 20 May 2021. Just
wanted to see how quickly I could get DXCC via WSJT just working it as I
can. It was a lot quicker than the 12 months it took on 160M last year.”
*And then we read in this week’s Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin (#1517) that
NC3Z’s going on his own little dxpedition:
“VP2V, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS. Gary, NC3Z, Gary, will be active as
VP2V/NC3Z from Tortola, British Virgin Islands (NA-023), between June
3-14th. His activity will be on 40-6 meters using SSB and FT8/FT4; as
propagation dictates. His equipment is a FT-891 with 100 watts into a
SuperAntenna MP1 on the beach and various wire antennas. QSL via LoTW
(primary) and ClubLog.” Let’s all pile on 🙂
HAM EQUIPMENT FOR SALE, TRADE, OR WANTED
For listing in the PARSgram send me your amateur radio related items
that are 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.
* FREE TO A GOOD HOME. Vintage Weston Selective Analyzer (Multimeter),
Model 665, Type3. Gone, it found a good home.
* No new listings, send me one.
PARS CALENDAR:
* May 29, PARS MONTHLY MEETING, Saturday, 9am, Brantley’s Village
Restaurant, Oriental. For more info, contact Bill Michne, WM3X,
252-249-1175 or drmichne73@gmail.com.
* Jun 26-27, ARRL Field Day, Pamlico County Shrine Club, NC-306,
Grantsboro. For more info, contact Bill Michne, WM3X, 252-249-1175 or
drmichne73@gmail.com.
* Jul 31, PARS MONTHLY MEETING, Saturday, 9am, Brantley’s Village
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
PARS YOUTUBE CHANNEL–N4PRS RADIO
Videos of recorded PARS Meetings, presentations, and club activities can
be viewed on on the N4PRS Radio YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpEMfxc7PQixT0rr5xEKtyQ
73, Jim AI4WL
——
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