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Click on the link below to download this months edition of Short Skip. 
Click on the link below to download this months edition of Short Skip
By Tim McGillen/N9CA 2023 LCARC President
May 2023 issue *Click on blue and underlined wording to open the internet topic links April’s Club meeting was actually a field trip. We were invited by Connie Kuiper to visit his remarkable private museum in Griffith. Personally, I cannot get over the extent of his collection. Connie’s hospitality, and the stories he told about each object made those items come alive. Thank You to Andy Finick W9FXT for making that field trip possible. May’s Club Meeting will be May 12th (as always the 2nd Friday of the month) at 7:30PM. The Program will be “Listening to Earth’s Ionosphere, Magnetosphere”, and Space Itself” LCARC meetings are on the 4th floor of the 7 story EMA/Lake County health department building at 2900 W. 93rd Ave Crown Point Indiana. Ample parking. Handicap accessible, and you do not need to be a LCARC member to attend. Don’t be left out. New Club members receive both 2023 and 2024 Club membership for just $20. LOCAL HR NETS – VHF and HF Courtesy of KC9UNS www.tinyurl.com/chicago-ham-nets Tornado Siren Test Help Request David KD9UOW (Hobart) wants us to know that on the 1st Saturday every month (May 6th) at 12:00 noon there will be a test of ALL our local tornado sirens. He is hoping that we can log into their 2 meter HR net to report what we hear inside our homes and outside. This special (first Saturday each month) net is on the N9IAA repeater 146.685 with a PL of 173.8. No membership or special training is required. Thanks David! Amateur Radio Newsline 04/26/23 5min:CW,Satellites,SFI https://youtu.be/YfjYM-TqlMU Annual Armed Forces Day Crossband Test The US Department of Defense (DoD) will host this year's Armed Forces Day (AFD) Crossband Test on May 13, 2023. This annual event is open to all licensed amateur radio operators and will not impact any public or private communications. For more than 50 years, military and amateur stations have taken part in this event. The AFD Crossband Test is a unique opportunity to test two-way communications between military communicators and radio stations in the Amateur Radio Service (ARS), as authorized in 47 CFR 97.111. These tests provide opportunities and challenges for radio operators to demonstrate individual technical skills in a tightly controlled exercise scenario. Military stations will transmit on selected frequencies and will announce the specific ARS frequencies monitored. All of the times are Zulu (Z), and all frequencies are Upper Side Band (USB) unless otherwise noted. The frequencies used for the test will not stray outside the confines of the exercise. A complete list of frequencies, time periods, QSL cards, and other information can be found at DoD MARS - Armed Forces Day. 2023 Online Ham Bootcamp The Nashua Area Radio Society's spring 2023 online Ham Bootcamp will be held on Saturday, May 13, from 10 AM to 6 PM Eastern Time. Access to the session will be provided via Zoom. Ham Bootcamp includes a series of demonstrations and tutorials designed to help newly licensed Technician-, General-, and Extra-class license holders get on the air. Ham Bootcamp is also a great opportunity for hams who are interested in seeing what the hobby has to offer. The online Ham Bootcamp program is available to all licensed and prospective amateur radio operators. You can register for the next Ham Bootcamp session here. For additional information, contact Anita Kemmerer, AB1QB, of the Nashua Area Radio Society at ab1qb@arrl.net. EME: Learn How To Make Contacts Doug Hansel, AA1UI, found himself with some extra time during the pandemic and thought that it might be the right time to learn how to make Earth-moon-Earth (EME) contacts. Many now do it with 100 watts, and a good yagi. "First, I did a lot of reading and talking to other amateurs. Then, I realized I needed better equipment, software, and a lot of patience," said Hansel. “The EME community was very generous with their time and advice in helping me tick this off my bucket list." He made a detailed video of his experience that can viewed here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2n4rlnoh37rmgt7/EME%20Project%20short%20FB720-FINAL.mp4?dl=0. Build a VLF Receiver Kit. Listen to the Sounds Of Earth. This site has many links to VLF information and journals https://theinspireproject.org/default.asp?contentID=3 General License Question Pool Announcement The National Council of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) has released a 2nd Errata for the 2023 - 2027 General Class Element 3 Question Pool. The NCVEC Question Pool Committee (QPC) has released the second revision of the 2023 - 2027 General Class element 3 Question Pool. This revision supplants the question pools released on December 1, 2022, and February 1, 2023. The changes are reflected in the new General pool downloadable files, dated April 15, 2023. Three questions have been withdrawn from use and removed from the pool: G6B09, G9C06, and G9D13. Most of the other questions had minor changes. ARRL VEC teams are advised to check the NCVEC website or the ARRL website regularly for updates to the question pools, which may include errata and withdrawn questions. The revised General Class Element 3 Question Pool goes into effect on July 1, 2023. May 19 - 21 | Dayton Hamvention, Hosting the ARRL Great Lakes Division Convention, Xenia, Ohio. With nearly 700 volunteers, this year's Hamvention will boast more than 500 indoor exhibits and more than 2,500 outdoor exhibits. Tickets are now available online and by mail order. They can be purchased at https://hamvention.org/purchase-tickets. National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting Open during 2023 Dayton Hamvention®. The National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting, in conjunction with the West Chester Amateur Radio Association, announced their expanded hours during the 2023 Dayton Hamvention®. VOA Museum. The museum will be open Thursday, May 18, from 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM; Friday, May 19, from 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM; Saturday, May 20, from 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM, and Sunday, May 21, from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Admission is $10.00 at the door. The West Chester Amateur Radio Association, WC8VOA, will be on the air. The museum is a short drive from Hamvention, down Interstate 75 or Route 42 from Xenia. Use the Crosley Blvd address on your GPS. New exhibits include a dedicated room for amateur radio and shortwave equipment and a newly renovated ham shack with state-of-the-art equipment from Yaesu, Icom, and Elecraft. Docents and operators will be available to enhance visits to the museum. For further information, visit voamuseum.org or wc8voa.org. You can also find the museum on Facebook or call 513-777-0027. The museum's regular hours are Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, and it is located at 8070 Tylersville Road, West Chester, Ohio. ARRL DUES SURVEY OPENS MAY 1 ARRL is considering a membership fee increase in the near future. The last dues increase was on January 2016, the 2nd time over 22 years. The ARRL is looking for membership input on how ARRL will handle an increase in dues. Start by reading the editorial written by ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, in the April 2023 issue of QST magazine. Read now (PDF) IMPORTANT: Before taking the survey, you'll need to make sure you have logged into the ARRL website. The survey is available to ARRL members, only. www.arrl.org/take-dues-survey. This is a member-only page. Consider renewing or extending your membership at the current rates below. Renew or extend for 3 years, and get a special ARRL coffee mug. Current Memberships: 1 year $49, 2 years $95, 3 years $140 THE SMALL IDEA THAT GREW On October 13th 1984 Bob Burnett, then President of Ameritech, placed a call from the parking lot of Soldier Field in Chicago on an early mobile cellphone prototype. The call went through, and on the other end, Alexander Bell’s great grandson answered in Germany. In the 40 years since, cell phones have become ubiquitous world-wide. There are now over 15 billion cellphones in use worldwide. Consider that the 2023 population of Earth is 8 billion. 2023 Award Winner The Amateur Radio Software Award (ARSA) Committee has announced that GridTracker, a project led by Stephen Loomis, N0TTL, and the GridTracker.org team, has been selected as the recipient of the 4th annual Amateur Radio Software Award. The award recognizes software projects that enhance amateur radio and promote innovation, freedom, and openness in amateur radio software development. GridTracker is a tool that visualizes WSJT-X amateur radio traffic, like FT8 and contacts from log files, which makes it easier for radio amateurs to track their contacts and participate in contests. Its unique approach to visualizing radio traffic adds a new dimension of enjoyment to the radio art. To learn more about GridTracker, visit https://gridtracker.org. CONTESTS www.contestcalendar.com www.ARRL.org/contest-calendar *pick the month HAMFESTS HAMFEST/CONVENTION 04/29/2023 - Henry County Hamfest Location: New Castle, IN Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: Henry County ARC Website: http://www.w9ob.org Learn More A 3 hour 200 mile drive from NW Indiana and they are on EST HAMFEST/CONVENTION 04/29/2023 - North Central Indiana Hamfest Location: Peru, IN Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: Cass County, Grant County, Maimi County, Howard County Website: http://NCIHamfest.com Learn More 109 miles and a 2 hour drive away and they are on EST HAMFEST/CONVENTION 04/29/2023 - Sullivan Hamfest Location: Sullivan, IL Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: Moultrie Amateur Radio Klub Website: https://www.qsl.net/mark/ Learn More 3 hours and 178 miles away HAMFEST/CONVENTION 05/07/2023 - The DeKalb Hamfest Location: Sandwich, IL Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: Kishwaukee Amateur Radio Club Website: http://karc-club.org Learn More 1 hour 45 minute drive and 84 miles and they are on CDT. Anyone want to carpool to this one?? Contact me Tim/N9CA LOCAL VE SESSION EXAM SESSION 05/06/2023 | Valparaiso IN 46383-4820 Sponsor: Porter County ARC www.pc-arc.net Location: Downtown Valparaiso Public Library 9:00am Sharp! Walk-ins welcome. Photo ID, photocopy of license if you have one, your FCC FRN #, test fees ($35 for FCC + $15 Club), pen, pencils, valid email. BTW, The FCC offers a two year grace renewal if your license has expired. Bring a photocopy of that license. 73, Tim/N9CA By Tim McGillen/N9CA 2023 LCARC President
April 2023 issue *Click on blue and underlined wording to open the internet topic links Last Month’s meeting was: A live ZOOM video presentation by Richard Glover KD9VCQ . Richard is the Indiana Aux-Comm Coordinator for the State of Indiana. He explained that they are looking for hams to join their organization. Contact him with questions at: RGlover@ipsc.in.gov April’s Meeting on Friday the 14th WILL NOT BE AT THE EMA OFFICE ! Instead, we will meet for a hard to come by a personalized tour of a local historical museum featuring old radios in Griffith! This free unique tour begins at 6:30pm… sharp at: 1423 Gatlin Drive, Griffith Indiana 46319 You do not have to be a Club member to attend our events or be licensed. The LCARC Information NET Every Wednesday - at 8:00pm. 147.000 and 442.075 (pl 131.8) Informal, informative, and fun. A great way to stay connected with local hams in 30 minutes. You do not need to be a Club member to check in. In Memorial: The passing of longtime LCARC member Nick Cominos W9UM SK in late March. His years of dedication to our Club, and to the hobby of Amateur Radio will be hard to replace. A twice wounded marine war veteran, he served our country with honor and distinction willingly. RIP brother. RIPWhew! There IS Cellphone Service On Mount Everest! On May 21, 2007, Rod Baber placed a 1-minute, 48-second phone call. He called a voicemail account to leave a message, a move that cost him $4.72. By all accounts, Baber’s call was much like millions made from cellphones every day — except that the renowned British climber was standing on the summit of Mount Everest. Using a Motorola Rizr Z8, Baber made the call at 29,035 feet, earning a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for “highest mobile phone call.” The feat was made possible by China Telecom, which had set up a cell tower at the base camp on the mountain’s north side. Baber also called his family and sent a text to a Motorola employee: “One small text for man, one giant leap for mobilekind.” Since Baber’s historic phone call, Everest’s cell service has kept up with the times. In 2013, Everest received 4G service so climbers could livestream the view from the summit. In 2020, the mountain got the 5G upgrade, which offers 20 times more capacity at one-third the size. That means that if you want to find some excuse to unplug from work, “climbing Everest” might not be a good one. LOCAL HR NETS Courtesy of KC9UNS http://www.tinyurl.com/chicago-ham-nets Tornado Siren Test Help Request David KD9UOW (Hobart) wants us to know that on the 1st Saturday every month at 12:00 noon there will be a test of ALL our local tornado sirens. He is hoping that we can log into their 2 meter HR net to report what we hear inside and outside. This special - first Saturday of the month - net is on the N9IAA repeater 146.685 with a PL of 173.8. No membership or special training is required. Thanks David! ARES local 2 meter NET Tuesday evening at 7:00pm. N9IAA repeater 146.685 MHz PL 173.8 ARES Indiana HF VOICE Net Sunday 4:00 PM - 40 meters 7.272 MHz +/- on LSB On-Line EmComm WINLINK VARA Digital Training http://www.EmComm-Training.org NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STORM SPOTTER TRAINING WWW.WEATHER.GOV/LOT/SPOTTER_TALK VIRTUAL SESSIONS: 6:30PM WEDNESDAY APRIL 5TH AND 12TH UPCOMING HAMFESTS 04/22/2023 - St. Joseph County Michigan Amateur Radio Club Ham Fest Location: Centreville, MI Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: St Joseph County Michigan Amateur Radio Club LIVE VE TESTING EXAM SESSION 04/15/2023 | Valparaiso IN 46383-4820 Location: Valparaiso Public Library Time: 9:00 AM (Walk-ins allowed) Learn More APRIL CONTESTS www.contestcalendar.com www.arrl.org/contest-calendar *pick the dates, then go to that contest website for full rules World Amateur Radio Day is April 18 WARD is held on April 18 every year and is celebrated by radio amateurs and their national associations which are organized as member-societies of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). It was on this day in 1925 that the IARU was formed in Paris. American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Co-Founder Hiram Percy Maxim was its first president. ARRL Podcasts On the Air Sponsored by Icom Radio orienteering (aka amateur radio direction finding, or ARDF) is a radio sport like no other. In this episode, we talk to USA ARDF Co-coordinator Charles Scharlau, NZØI, about how get involved in what he calls, "the only athletic radio sport." Radio orienteering will get you out of your shack chair and bounding through the woods or a park, using a handheld receiver and directional antenna to find a transmitter that's located somewhere in the vicinity. People of all ages and skill levels can have fun with radio orienteering -- and you don't even need a ham radio license to join in. ARRL Audio News Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday. ARRL Audio News is a summary of the week's top news stories in the world of amateur radio and ARRL, along with interviews and other features. 12-15 minutes The On the Air podcast is available on iTunes (iOS) and Stitcher (Android). The On the Air podcast and ARRL Audio News is also on blubrry – On the Air | ARRL Audio News. John Gibbons, N8OBJ, introduced the “Grape Version 2” at the 2023 HamSCI Workshop March 17 and 18 at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. Grape is a high frequency (HF) Doppler receiver that is used as a low cost, personal space weather station (PSWS). The project was created for ionospheric research. The Grape collects Doppler measurements of time standard stations, like WWV in Fort Collins, Colorado. The data is used by professional and academic researchers to learn about solar flare impacts and geomagnetic storms. Grape receivers can be easily deployed by amateur radio operators. A video introducing the Grape Version 2 is available on ARRL's YouTube channel. NEW MORSE CODE LEARNING BOOK There is a lot of rumble out in the CW community regarding a new book on the market. The CW Way of Life written by Chris Rutkowski NW6V. Once past a short history lesson, you read and learn about how code is linked to harmonics, and rhythm. Topics are; moving from counting Dits and Dahs, code speed blocks, habits for code learning and so on. This book is worth a look and can be done here for your kindle the book is also available as a paper page-turning book on Amazon as well. APRIL FREQUENCY MEASURING TEST On April 20th Thursday … evening starting at 10:00 CDT the ARRL will hold a frequency measuring test. There will be 2 tries on 40 meters, followed by 2 on 80 meters. Don’t you want to know ? It’s quick and easy. Mark your calendar! Details at: WWW.FMT.ARRL.ORG To submit measurements: WWW.fmt.arrl.org/fmtentry.php CONVERTING UTC TO CDT Because we just flipped to daylight saving time, the conversion factor is; subtract 5 hours from UTC time to get CDT local time. A Resume Writing LessonSingle handedly managed the successful up-grade and deployment of a new environmental illumination system with zero cost overruns and no safety incidents, or “I changed a lightbulb” 73 everyone. See you at the Historical Museum… Friday April 14th @ 6:30pm Tim/N9CA By Tim McGillen/N9CA 2023 LCARC President
March 2023 issue *Click on blue or the underlined wording to open the internet topic links Hello everyone, here is the latest… The entire LCARC extends our sincere thanks to Paul Petrie KD9NPC and the Lake County EMA. It was exciting to hold our first Club meeting on the 4th floor in the long awaited EMA’s new meeting room. We were treated to having our program shown on a multi-media array of large screen TVs surrounding the new room The meeting room is handicapped accessible via elevator, or for the hardy.. there are also… the stairs. February’s Club Program was “Purchasing State-Of-The-Art Electronic Testing and Repair Equipment” plus news about The Antique Wireless Society Club in Illinois presented by George Pazak/KD9FCI. Thank you very much George. Great presentation! You were kind enough to share your decades of experience working with test instruments, and how to cherry pick the best ones. The hand-outs were appreciated also. March 10th Friday at 7:30pm is the next LCARC meeting. We will share a live video presentation by Richard Glover KD9VCQ and Erin Hill. Richard is the Indiana Aux-Comm Coordinator for the State of Indiana. Together they will be getting us up to speed on what is happening with Ham Radio and the need for HR participation. You do not have to be a Club member to attend our meetings or licensed. Ample parking - handicapped accessible - 2900 W. 93rd Ave Crown Point IN 46307 The LCARC Information NET Every Wednesday - at 8:00pm. 147.000 and 442.075 (pl 131.8) Informal, informative, and fun. A great way to stay connected with local hams in 30 minutes. You do not need to be a Club member to check in. LOCAL HR NETS Courtesy of KC9UNS www.tinyurl.com/chicago-ham-nets KDWN “K-Dawn” Las Vegas AM 720 Final sign-off https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxT6wTn5v9U They got big $$$ for the tower site property. Going QRT and surrendering the license. Sign off includes SSTV pictures of the transmitter site and a cw bulletin sign off while playing the Star Spangled Banner. Very moving ICELAND 3RD TALLEST RADIO TOWER “SK” Third largest structure in Iceland demolished - RÚV.is Third largest structure in Iceland demolished - RÚV.isOnce ubiquitous, few radios now receive long wave broadcasts. Priority is now given to boosting FM signals. RÚV'... 2023 QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo March 25 – 26 The event is a fully interactive virtual ham radio convention offering new content, networking opportunities, and more than 50 amateur radio presentations on a wide variety of subjects. Here are a couple;
For a $15.00 ticket, listen live, even ask presenters questions. You also get steaming access later to all 50 recorded 2023 presentations for 30 days, PLUS streaming access to the catalog of Expo’s previous 200 recorded programs. https://www.qsotodayhamexpo.com/ Hunting For NDBs In CLE288 This is a challenge for all newcomers to NDB listening and the ultimate test of your medium frequency receiving capabilities. Can you meet the challenge?' https://youtu.be/waIFtVodHHM HAMFESTS March 11th, is the Wabash Vally ARC Hamfest at the Clay County 4H Fairgrounds Brazil Indiana a 150 mile drive straight down south via US 41. March 11th is the Southern Michigan ARC “wings event” hamfest. If you go, they are 1 hour ahead of us in Battle Creek MI www.w8df.com (BTW: Battle Creek Michigan hosts a “Cereal Festival” every summer in June) Live VE Testing EXAM SESSION 03/11/2023 | Valparaiso IN 46383-4820 Sponsor: Porter County ARC Location: Valparaiso Public Library Time: 9:00 AM (Walk-ins allowed) www.PC-ARC.net PROS AND CONS OF HF ATTIC ANTENNAS In a perfect world, all hams would have plenty of room for antennas. HOAs wouldn’t exist, and there would be no need to hide antennas in the attic (provided you have one). While the performance of antennas located outside will almost always be better, locating them inside and in a roof space may be the only option—and a workable one. Here’s the article’s link found with other great – (worth a look) - ham stuff at www.onallbands.com a HR blog by DX Engineering www.onallbands.com/pros-and-cons-of-hf-attic-antennas/ March 2023, Facebook Live HR Events FB Live with Tim, K3LR every Friday at 3:00 pm CST (20:00 UTC) FB Live with Tim, K3LR, and Jeff, KB8ZWT, every Tuesday at 12:15 pm CST (17:15 UTC) Manufacturer Showcase, every Thursday at 1:30 pm CST (18:30 UTC) ARRL Audio News Listen to ARRL Audio News, a new 10-13 minute edition is available every Friday. ARRL Audio News is a summary of the week's top news stories in the world of amateur radio and ARRL, along with interviews and other features. K7RA Solar Update www.K7RA@ARRL.net K7RA Solar Update is posted Fridays on the ARRL website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service, read "What the Numbers Mean..." and check out the Propagation Page of Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA. Also VOACAP Online for Ham Radio website. 10 METER BAND OPEN During the mornings, Europe is open to the US. While in the afternoon, propagation favors the southwest: Asia, New Zealand, and Australia. ALL , ham licenses have privileges on 10 meters for Voice, CW and digital modes. The antenna needs for 10 meters such as a horizontal or vertical dipole are simple… just 16 and a half feet long… total. Higher may be better, but just 15 feet off the ground works (as will an attic install). Max 10m output for the Tech license is 200 watts. When 10m is open, you can work the world with 10 watts. www.SpaceWeather.com GLANCING-BLOW CME POSSIBLE THIS WEEK: Yesterday's M8.6-class solar flare produced a faint CME. NOAA analysts have determined that it might deliver a glancing blow to Earth's magnetic field on March 4th. Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible on that date. G1 storms are relatively weak and usually only cause minor fluctuations in power grids and impair some satellite functions — including those for mobile devices and GPS systems. It could also cause auroras or Northern lights The G-scale used by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which rates the storm from G1 to G5 (i.e. G1, G2, G3, G4, G5 in order), G1 is the weakest storm classification (corresponding to a solar Kp value of 5), and G5 is the strongest (corresponding to a Kp value of 9). The KP index: disturbance in Earth’s magnetic field The planetary 3-hour-range index Kp is the mean standardized K-index from 13 geomagnetic observatories located about Earth’s northern and southern geomagnetic latitudes between 44 degrees and 60 degrees. DID YOU KNOW That there is a straight key Century Club? Membership is free, the only requirement is that you do not use an electronic key. They offer numerous awards and host straight key contests. If interested, visit www.SKCCgroup.com click the “JOIN SKCC” tab ARES local 2 meter NET Tuesday evening at 7:00pm. N9IAA repeater 146.685 MHz PL 173.8 ARES Indiana HF VOICE Net Sunday 4:00 PM - 80 meters 3.900 MHz – LSB ARES D1 DIGITAL 3.590 MHz USB Held Wednesday at 8:30 PM Eastern Time on or about 3.590 MHz USB. Check in using Olivia 8/500 digital. May use VARA-HF also. ARRL ARES Info: https://inarrl.org/index.php/public-service/indiana-ares On-Line EmComm WINLINK VARA Digital Training http://www.EmComm-Training.org Worldwide Contests www.ARRL.org/contest-calendar *pick the month you wish www.ContestCalendar.com WA7BNM Contest Calendar: Home DX News www.DxNews.com (DX news with a European slant) http://www.DxMaps.com (real-time propagation & DX news) QSO/SWL real time maps and listsQSO/SWL real time maps and lists See you March 10th @ 7:30PM 73, Tim/N9CA Q: Why can’t sailors play cards while at sea? A: Because the Captain stands on the deck By Tim McGillen/N9CA 2023 LCARC President
February 2023 issue *Click on blue wording to open the internet topic links Hello everyone, Here is the latest…January’s Club program was a tour of Chicago’s 91.5 FM radio station on the 93rd floor of the former John Hancock Building. Our thanks to Mark Skowronski K9MQ February LCARC Club meeting will be Friday February 10th at 7:30pm (Always the 2nd Friday of the month). February’s Program “State-Of-The-Art Electronic Testing and Repair Equipment” presented by George Pazak/KD9FCI The LCARC Information NET Every Wednesday - at 8:00pm. 147.000 and 442.075 (pl 131.8) Informal, informative, and fun. A great way to stay connected with local hams. Typically 30 minutes long. LOCAL HR NETS Courtesy of KC9UNS www.tinyurl.com/chicago-ham-nets Hunting For NDBs In CLE288 YNE - 207 Norway House, MB (tnx ve3gop.com)Yes! It's CLE time once again. This is a challenge for all newcomers to NDB listening and the ultimate test of your medium frequency receiving capabilities. Can you meet the challenge?' https://youtu.be/waIFtVodHHM Russian Meteorological Satellite M2 Has Failed Meteor “M2” was launched July 2014 and failed late December 2022. Meteor M2 was a Russian meteorological satellite whose LRPT transmissions at 137 MHz were relatively easily received by anyone with a simple satellite antenna plus an RTL-SDR dongle and a computer. Low-Rate Picture Transmission (LRPT) is a digital transmission system, intended to deliver images and data from an orbital weather satellite directly to end users via a VHF radio signal. It is used aboard polar-orbiting, near-Earth weather satellite programs such as MetOp and NPOESS. Instructions for receiving LRPT images are posted on the Internet. M2 should not be confused with satellite M2-1 who’s launch rocket blew up, or M2-2 which is now partially operational in orbit after being struck by a micro-meteorite. A replacement satellite “M2-3” is in the works and being prepared to be launched in 2023. NOAA’s meteorological satellites in orbit use a 60 year old analog system called automatic picture transmission (APT). BTW, lots of older NOAA, USAF, and Department of Defense satellites have mysteriously “expoloded” or disintegrated while in orbit leaving space debris fields. Hmmmm Newer USAF & DMSP satellites transmit their data classified as “need-to-know”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_Meteorological_Satellite_Program PROS AND CONS OF HF ATTIC ANTENNAS In a perfect world, all hams would have plenty of room for antennas. HOAs wouldn’t exist, and there would be no need to hide antennas in the attic (provided you have one). While the performance of antennas located outside will almost always be better, locating them inside and in a roof space may be the only option—and a workable one. Here’s the article’s link found with other great – (worth a look) - ham stuff at www.onallbands.com a HR blog by DX Engineering www.onallbands.com/pros-and-cons-of-hf-attic-antennas/ February 2023, Facebook Live HR Events FB Live with Tim, K3LR every Friday at 3:00 pm CST (20:00 UTC) FB Live with Tim, K3LR, and Jeff, KB8ZWT, every Tuesday at 12:15 pm CST (17:15 UTC) Manufacturer Showcase, every Thursday at 1:30 pm CST (18:30 UTC) ARRL Audio News Listen to ARRL Audio News, a new 10-13 minute edition is available every Friday. ARRL Audio News is a summary of the week's top news stories in the world of amateur radio and ARRL, along with interviews and other features. 3Y0J Bouvet Island DXpedition The 3Y0J Bouvet Island DX-pedition is an amateur radio event planned for late January through February 2023. The expedition's goals are the same as other DXpeditions: to contact as many amateur radio stations as possible from a remote location. http://www.3y0j.no https://www.facebook.com/groups/3093983840726129 K7RA Solar Update www.K7RA@ARRL.net K7RA Solar Update is posted Fridays on the ARRL website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service, read "What the Numbers Mean..." and check out the Propagation Page of Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA. Also VOACAP Online for Ham Radio website. 15, 12, & 10 METER BANDS OPEN FOR BUSINESS Solar Cycle 25 is bubbling up faster than expected. Solar Flux Index (SFI) can vary from the 50s up to 300. Higher SFI = more ham radio DX propagation. Lately SFI is between 140 and 190 www.dxmaps.com During the mornings, Europe is open to the US. While in the afternoon, propagation favors the southwest: Asia, New Zealand, and Australia. All, I say ALL , ham licenses have privileges on 10 meters for Voice, CW and digital modes. The antenna needs for 10 meters such as a horizontal or vertical dipole are simple… just 16 and a half feet long… total. Higher may be better, but just 15 feet off the ground will do nicely (as will an attic install). While the max output for the Tech license is 200 watts, you can work the world with QRP on 10 meters. LIVE VE EXAM SESSION 02/11/2023 | Valparaiso IN 46383-4820 Sponsor: Porter County ARC www.PC-ARC.net Location: Valparaiso Public Library Downtown Time: 9:00 AM (Walk-ins allowed) . ARES 2 meter NET Tuesday evening at 7:00pm. N9IAA repeater 146.685 MHz PL 173.8 ARES HF Net Sunday 4:00 PM - 80 meters 3.900 MHz – LSB Worldwide Contests www.ARRL.org/contest-calendar *pick the month you wish www.ContestCalendar.com See you February 10th @ 7:30 PM 73, Tim/N9CA By Tim McGillen/N9CA 2023 LCARC President
January 2023 issue *Click on blue wording to open internet topic links Happy New Year ! I’m personally wishing the best for each of you and your loved ones in 2023. It’s truly hard for me to believe it has been another year already. Guess it’s true: The days are long, but the years fly by! December 2022, the LCARC celebrated out 70th year as a Ham Radio Club. Cake, coffee, soda, and most importantly, ham radio fellowship were the order of the evening - plus a short HR program by yours truly. Friday January 13th, is our next live meeting at 7:30PM in the EMA offices, 2900 W. 93rd Ave Crown Point IN 46307. Our program will be “A Virtual Tour of Chicago’s FM Radio Station WBEZ”. You do not have to be a Club member to attend. You may face mask if you wish. Fans will be running, windows will be cracked, social distancing observed as possible. EZ free parking and handicapped accessibility. Online Amateur Radio License Examination Since June 2020, many ARRL VE teams have gone completely electronic by using a web-based examination system to administer online exams for remote, video-supervised sessions or in-person sessions. The remote sessions are conducted using a video conferencing platform with ExamTools onscreen tests. Online exams can also be used at in-person sessions (candidates must have tablets or computers for fully electronic in-person sessions) The online exam platform includes registering and tracking candidates throughout the session, onscreen exams and grading, online signing of Certificates of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCEs) and 605 forms, logging and compiling the session stats and VE participation list, and output files for upload to the coordinating VEC. The program manages almost everything needed to conduct a test session. Interested ARRL VE team leaders should email the ARRL VEC at VEC@arrl.org for details and instructions on creating an ExamTools account and training with an experienced team. JANUARY’S ARRL EVENTS Jan 7th ARRL Kids Day Twice a year, ARRL offers an event designed to promote Amateur Radio to our youth. Share the excitement with your kids or grandkids, a Scout troop, a church or the general public! Jan 7-8 ARRL RTTY Contest Objective: Amateurs worldwide contact and exchange QSO information using only the Radioteletype (RTTY) mode on the 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meter bands. Any station may work any other station. Stations may be worked once per band. Automated operation is not permitted. Each claimed contact must include contemporaneous direct initiation by the operator on both sides of the contact. Jan 21-23rd ARRL VHF And Up Contest Objective: For amateurs in the US and Canada (and their possessions) to work as many amateur stations in as many different 2 degrees x 1 degree Maidenhead grid squares as possible using authorized frequencies above 50 MHz. Stations outside the US & Canada (and their possessions) may only work stations in the US (and its possessions) and Canada. Visit: www.arrl.org Other Worldwide Contests www.ARRL.org/contest-calendar *pick the month you wish www.ContestCalendar.com LOCAL HR NETS Courtesy of KC9UNS www.tinyurl.com/chicago-ham-nets The LCARC Information NET Every Wednesday - at 8:00pm. 147.000 and 442.075 (pl 131.8) Informal, informative, and fun. A great way to stay connected with local hams. Typically 30 minutes long. Deja Vue A new VarAC V6.4.15 program has just been released. The software is free. Visit Youtube for how to use this cool keyboard P-P digital mode. A big thing with the new version is Narration! Yes, synthesized text-to-voice that will read outload anything you want. From Broadcasts to CQ calls. From chat messages to real-time alerts, you name it ! Rep. Lesko Introduces Bill to Replace Symbol Rate Limit With A Bandwidth Limit12/22/2022 Congresswoman Debbie Lesko (AZ-08) introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R. 9664) on December 21, 2022, to require that the FCC replace the current Amateur Radio HF digital symbol rate limit with a 2.8 kHz bandwidth limit. The Back Story The ARRL petitioned the FCC in 2013 (RM-11708) for the same relief. Finally, in 2016, the FCC issued a “Notice of Proposed Rulemaking” (WT Docket No. 16-239) in which the FCC agreed that the HF symbol rate limit was outmoded, served no purpose, and hampered experimentation. But… the FCC questioned whether any bandwidth limit was needed at all ! Most amateurs, including the ARRL, objected to there being no signal bandwidth limit in the crowded HF ham bands, and so, there has been no action to date by the FCC on this matter. Stay tuned In a Future Filled With Electric Cars, AM Radio May Be Left Behind Carmakers say electromagnetic interference causes static and noise on AM transmissions, annoying customers. Broadcasters say they could lose a connection to their core listeners, who rely on the radio for emergencies. Quote from BMW: “Rather than frustrate customers with inferior reception and noise, the decision was made to leave the AM radio band off vehicles that feature “eDrive technology,” their name for the system that powers BMW electric vehicles. Tesla, Audi, Porsche and Volvo have also deleted AM radio from their electric vehicles, as has Volkswagen from its electric S.U.V., ID.4. Ford said that the 2023 F-150 Lightning, (it’s popular electric pickup truck), has also dropped AM radio. Mid-Winter Sporatic E – Or Was It Tropo? The main Sporadic-E (Es) season normally lasts from May to August every year, but… there is also a smaller secondary peak during the Winter months around December 21st. What caught my interest was in December I was hearing 10 meter signals at mid-day from just 400 miles away. My question: was it Es or some kind of tropospheric ducting? Most of the time, E-Skip stations will be 1000+ miles away. www.DXMAPS.com offers real-time E-skip maps, and there were definitely Es clouds, hovering over just the Midwest US. Hmmm? My Recent 10 Meter Observations 01/03/2023A good indicator of band conditions on 10m is via the 10m beacon band. In general, most state-side beacons are found from 28.2 – 28.3 MHz while DX (ex-US) beacons are heard from 28.1 – 28.2 MHz. While listening to 10 meter beacons 01/03/2023 at 2:00PM, I observed a phenomena. Each beacon I heard had a distorted delayed echo of itself right on the same frequency. At first, I thought it was some “lid” jamming. But all the beacons? I think what I was hearing was the beacons via both a “short path” and then a distorted delayed long path signal -on frequency - that had traveled all the way around the world with a time delay. Very cool and worth your moment to listen for. Using A Drone To Put Up A HAM Radio Antenna You say your antenna came down? You just want another antenna? You don’t want to climb ladders, houses, or trees especially in the winter? Clever hams to your rescue. https://youtu.be/U5H_jJJHMiA https://youtu.be/k_kzTwGRrhc https://youtu.be/MvSGPGC94ik https://youtu.be/kKWu68mCr4 https://youtu.be/VzIvXZx4S8w Interesting Ham Internet Sites Worth a Look www.voacap.com HF radio propagation prediction maps using real-time MUF and SFI www.onallbands.com DX Engineering’s Own HR newsletter See you on lucky Friday January the 13th @ 7:30PM 73, Tim/N9CA By Tim McGillen/N9CA 2022 LCARC President
December 2022 *Click on blue wording to open internet topic links Hi everyone and welcome, The November 2022 LCARC meeting was enjoyable as we made and renewed HR friendships in person. After all… HR is about creating friendships. Congratulations to winners of all the free raffle prizes! The elected LCARC 2023 Club officers: Tim McGillen N9CA President James Harney KF9EX Treasurer Russ McComb KB9HO Secretary My sincere thanks all the members who volunteered to serve on the Board. WANTED: Club Vice President. Could you be that person? Fun job. Not much work. Looks great on resume. Candidate must like amateur radio. Email Tim N9CA tim2020@sbcglobal.net for a no obligation discussion. The LCARC Board meeting will be Tuesday December 6th at 7:30pm via ZOOM. All Club members are welcome to link in with ZOOM. The Friday December 9th Club meeting at 7:30pm will be physical without a ZOOM option. The theme of the meeting is: a seasonal and social celebration of life and Ham Radio friendships. Coffee, cake, cookies, pop. You do not have to be a Club member to attend. Come join us. Lighted easy parking, handicapped accessible, 1st floor of the EMA office, north side of 93rd 2900 W. 93rd Ave, Crown Point IN 46307. ARRL DECEMBER CONTESTS 160 METER CW Contest - For Amateurs worldwide to exchange information with W/VE amateurs on 160-meter CW. December 2-4, 2022. 10 Meter Contest – all modes For Amateurs worldwide to exchange QSO information with as many stations as possible on the 10 meter band. December 10-11 (the Second weekend of December). Starts 0000 UTC Saturday; runs through 2359 UTC Sunday Rookie Round-up - Sunday, December 18, 2022, using CW 6 hours from 1800 to 2359 UTCRookies exchange information with as many other stations as possible on the 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meter HF bands. All hams are encouraged to participate, but only those licensed 3 years or less may submit their logs for awards. For complete ARRL rules visit www.ARRL.org Other Worldwide Contests www.ARRL.org/contest-calendar *pick the month you wish www.ContestCalendar.com LOCAL HR NETS Courtesy of KC9UNS www.tinyurl.com/chicago-ham-nets The LCARC Information NET Every Wednesday - at 8:00pm. 147.000 and 442.075 (pl 131.8) Informal, informative, and fun. A great way to stay connected with local hams. Typically 30 minutes long. ARES 2 meter NET Tuesday evening at 7:00pm. N9IAA repeater 146.685 MHz PL 173.8 ARES HF Net Sunday 4:00 PM - 80 meters 3.900 MHz – LSB ARRL ARES Info https://inarrl.org/index.php/public-service/indiana-ares Indiana ARES® HF Digital Net is held every Wednesday at 8:30 PM Eastern Time except the second Wednesday of the month on or about 3.583 MHz check in using Olivia 8/500 digital. May use VARA-HF also. On-Line EmComm WINLINK VARA Digital Training http://www.EmComm-Training.org VarAC Revisited VarAC is a “newer” keyboard person-to-person digital communication mode using computer software. Speeds to 210WPM. There are many YouTube videos. Here is a short introductory YouTube link on VarAChttps://youtu.be/0yJ-GGBEFQU * There has just been a new software release: v6.3.3. New software is not backward compatible!!! Free VarAC software download: https://vara-ac-hamradio.com 20m - 14.105 MHz (Primary - day time) 40m - 7.105 MHz (Primary - night time) optional VarAC calling frequencies 80m - 3.595 MHz 30m - 10.133 MHz 17m - 18.106 MHz 15m - 21.105 MHz 12m - 24.927 MHz 10m - 28.105 MHz 6m - 50.330 MHz EmComm DIGITAL USERS Latest free version of VARA-HF is v4.6.6 Latest free version of VARA-FM is v4.2.6 YouTube video how-to-install & use https://youtu.be/N8Kd_W_djVQ ARES D1 RAFFLE ARES Indiana District 1 volunteers are in the process of revitalizing our webpage www.ARESD1.com We are in need of funds to change its domain and pay for initial hosting fees. The raffle is for a Surecom SW-102 SWR meter (a $65 value). This SWR meter is rated for 125 - 525MHz, 120 watts.Tickets are $5.00. Contact David KD9UOW david.kd9uow.wrkq418@gmail.com Amateur Satellite News www.Amsat.org “ANS-331 Weekly Bulletin” 11/27/2022 New FCC Ruling Presents a New Set of Challenges Until now, all spacecraft had to either deorbit or move to a disposal orbit no later than 25 years after the end of their mission. With the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) new ruling, they must come down sooner. The FCC’s new orbital debris mitigation ruling, FCC 22-74, requires non-geostationary satellite operators that terminate their satellite operations or pass through the Low Earth Orbit region below 2,000-kilometer (1246 miles) altitude, complete disposal as soon as practicable following the end of mission, and no later than five years after the end of its primary mission. The goal is to minimize the risk of collisions that would create debris. *Space-X satellites orbit 340 miles up. The ISS orbit is about 240 miles up. Based upon maneuvering fuel, Space-X is predicting a 7 year life for their communication satellites which may be commanded to change orbit 8x/day. The FCC defines “end of mission” to be “the time at which the individual spacecraft is no longer capable of conducting collision avoidance maneuvers,” and, for spacecraft without collision avoidance capabilities, end of mission is defined as the point at which the individual spacecraft has completed its primary mission. Furthermore, the FCC requires a demonstration that the probability of success of the chosen disposal method will be 90 percent or greater. This new rule-making will have a significant effect on AMSAT’s future satellite operations. OMOTENASHI Struggling to Carry Amateur Radio to the Moon Amstat Bulletin ANS-324 11/20/22 OMOTENASHI, a project of the JAXA Ham Radio Club, (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) was a secondary payload aboard NASA’s Artemis 1 mission, launched along with the Orion space capsule from Cape Canaveral on November 16. It was planned to land on the surface of the moon, and to transmit with a 1 watt beacon in the amateur 70cm band. Of the ten CubeSats flown as secondary payloads with the Orion space capsule, seven are operation, two have not been heard from. OMOTENASHI, a Japanese word for hospitality, is derived from Outstanding MOon exploration TEchnologies demonstrated by NAno Semi-Hard Impactor. Controllers have reported OMOTENASHI is tumbling, making it difficult for the spacecraft to charge its batteries and communicate with the ground. Controllers are continuing recovery attempts, but it’s Moon landing mission window has closed permanently. OMOTENASHI is a 6U-CubeSat with external dimensions of 239 x 366 x 113mm and an approximate mass of 14 kg. (9.5 x 14 x 4.5 inches and 30 lb). It’s cost was $5.6 million US and would have made Japan the 4th nation with a probe on the Moon. Further details at https://www.isas.jaxa.jp/home/omotenashi/JHRCweb/jhrc.html U.S. High School CubeSat to be APRS Relay TJREVERB, a 2U CubeSat built by Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology, has been frequency coordinated to operate as an APRS relay on 145.825 MHz. It is scheduled for launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft set to deliver additional science, crew supplies, and hardware to the International Space Station next week. The satellite will be released from ISS at a later time. The first U.S. high school to send a CubeSat to space back in 2013, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology’s Research and Education Vehicle for Evaluating Radio Broadcasts satellite aims to study the use of iridium as a primary radio communication method. Additionally, the satellite will demonstrate using a passive magnet onboard and the Earth’s magnetic field for stabilization rather than using an attitude determination and control system for pointing accuracy and stabilization for iridium. What makes this satellite even more notable is that it was a system’s engineering project. The students selected space-grade parts, wired the electronics for the satellite, wrote the drivers to control the different systems, and coded the flight software. “What’s special about TJREVERB isn’t necessarily the mission, it’s what we did. These kids literally built a satellite the way the industry would build a satellite; we selected parts from vendors and got those parts to work together,” said Kristen Kucko, robotics lab director and the school’s space faculty advisor. “This is an engineering feat.” The Iridium Satellite Constellation Network provides L band (1-2 GHz) voice and data information coverage to satellite phones, pagers and integrated transceivers over the entire surface of Earth. Iridium Communications owns and operates the constellation, additionally selling equipment and access to its services. The constellation consists of 66 active satellites in orbit, required for global coverage, plus additional spare satellites to serve in case of failure. Satellites are placed in low Earth orbit at a height of approximately 781 kilometres (485 miles) The nearly polar orbit and communication between satellites via Ka band inter-satellite (26-40GHz) links provide global service availability (including both poles, oceans and airways), regardless of the position of ground stations and gateways. GlobalStar Satellite Network What is the main difference between Iridium and GlobalStar? The main difference between Iridium and Globalstar is the relaying mechanism. While Iridium requires relaying between satellites via Ka band links, GlobalStar requires relaying between satellites and network station “brains” on earth. GlobeStar currently operates using 11.5 MHz across the United States and now LTE 5G on 2.4 GHz. They have also begun to use the L band as consumer satellite communication grows worldwide. The FCC has authorized GlobalStar to use 65.1 GHz (so called 6G “mm” internet and cell phone) The Globalstar project was launched in 1991 as a joint venture of Loral Corporation and Qualcomm. Apple's new 450 million dollar investment provides critical enhancements to Globalstar's satellite network and ground stations, ensuring iPhone 14 users are able to connect to emergency SOS services when off the grid. At Globalstar, more than 300 employees support the new service. CAPSTONE Arrives to Orbit at the Moon The CAPSTONE mission operations team confirmed that NASA’s CAPSTONE spacecraft arrived at its orbit at the Moon Sunday evening. The CubeSat completed an initial orbit insertion maneuver, firing its thrusters to put the spacecraft into orbit, at 12:39 UTC on Nov. 13. CAPSTONE is now in a near-rectilinear halo orbit, or NRHO. This particular NRHO is the same orbit that will be used by Gateway, the Moon-orbiting space station that will support NASA’s Artemis missions. CAPSTONE is the first spacecraft to fly an NRHO, and the first CubeSat to operate at the Moon. In the next five days, CAPSTONE will perform two additional clean-up maneuvers to refine its orbit. After these maneuvers, the team will review data to confirm that CAPSTONE remains on track in the NRHO. CAPSTONE – short for Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment – is a precursor to the Gateway project to establish a crewed space station in orbit around the moon. AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an Amateur Radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. What Is CAPSTONE A lunar orbiter that will test and verify the calculated orbital stability planned for the Lunar Gateway space station. Capstone is a 12-unit CubeSat the size of a microwave weighing 55 lbs that will also test a navigation system that will measure its position relative to NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) without relying on ground stations. It was launched on June 28th 2022, and arrived in lunar orbit on 14 November 2022. It’s scheduled to orbit for six months. What is Lunar Gateway ? The Lunar Gateway, or simply Gateway, is the first planned extraterrestrial space station in lunar orbit intended to serve as a solar-powered communication hub, science laboratory, and short-term habitation module for government-agency astronauts, as well as a holding area for rovers and other robots. It is a multinational collaborative project involving four of the International Space Station partner agencies: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Canadian Space Agency (CSA) plus10 more. It is planned to be both the first space station beyond low Earth orbit and the first space station to orbit the Moon. The manned Artemis 4 mission in the reusable Orion space capsule is hoped to dock with Gateway orbiting the Moon sometime in 2027-8. What Is the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter ? (LRO) is a NASA robotic spacecraft currently orbiting the Moon in an eccentric polar mapping orbit.[6][7] Data collected by LRO have been described as essential for planning NASA's future human and robotic missions to the Moon.[8] Its detailed mapping program is identifying safe landing sites, locating potential resources on the Moon, characterizing the radiation environment, and demonstrating new technologies. Launched on June 18, 2009, in conjunction with the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), as the vanguard of NASA's Lunar Precursor Robotic Program,\ Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter - WikipediaThe Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is a NASA robotic spacecraft currently orbiting the Moon in an eccentric ... The LRO mission life was expected to last 1-2 years. 13 years later, it is still orbiting and working. LRO might well operate through 2027 depending on its fuel reserves. Are LRO, LCROSS, CAPSTONE, Gateway, and Orion, all part of NASA’s Artemis mission? YES. The plan of the Artemis mission is to return man to the Moon surface with Artemis 3. Artemis 4 will dock with and crew, a robotic/manned space station (GATEWAY) orbiting the Moon. This will allow regular robotic and manned excursions to the Moon surface. 73, see you at the December 9th meeting Tim/N9CA Q1) RTTY uses what digital encoding method? baudot, binary, fortran, EBCDIU A1) baudot |
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