Friday, October 1, 2010

This Weekends Contesting Opportunities.

Wow, here we are at another weekend full of contesting opportunities.
I am wishing all of you who participate good luck and have fun.

ARRL EME Contest Oct 2-3
TARA PSK Rumble Contest Oct 2
EPC Russia DX Contest Oct 2-3
Oceania DX Contest, Phone Oct 2-3
F9AA Cup, CW Oct 2
California QSO Party Oct 2-3
EU Autumn Sprint, SSB Oct 2
International HELL-Contest Oct 2-3
F9AA Cup, SSB Oct 3
UBA ON Contest, SSB Oct 3
German Telegraphy Contest Oct 3
RSGB 21/28 MHz Contest Oct 3

ARDF Championship;USA wins 3 Metals

This is cool. Over the last few months several in my local area have been getting involved with Fox Hunting. I believe it was a week ago the local club, MAARC held a fox hunting workshop.
I tried Fox Hunting for a summer and it was not for me. I an average hunter but could not see the excitement in it. I would rather build and antenna and play around with software etc.
Congratulations to Team USA!!

(ARDF) Amateur radio direction finding

Three Medals For Team USA At The 2010 ARDF World Championships:

from The ARRL Letter on September 30, 2010
Website: http://www.arrl.org/
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Three Medals For Team USA At The 2010 ARDF World Championships:

By ARRL ARDF Coordinator Joe Moell, K0OV

ARDF Team USA has just returned from Croatia, the site of this year's World Championships of Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF). Three team members have new medals for their collections, the most medals ever earned in the World Championships by the USA. ARDF -- also called foxhunting and radio-orienteering -- requires map-and-compass proficiency, stamina and speed, as well as skill using direction-finding gear. It is done entirely on foot. Each day, the competitors set forth into a 1700 acre woods containing five "fox" transmitters in unknown locations. The foxes for each band are all on the same frequency and each one comes on the air for 60 seconds at a time in rotating sequence. Only men and women in the prime age category are required to look for all five; those in the other age/gender categories search for fewer, in accordance with International Amateur Radio Union rules. Read more here http://www.arrl.org/news/ardf-update-three-medals-for-team-usa-at-the-2010-ardf-world-championships.

My Stamp Collecting Blog

Counter Added January 1, 2011

free counters

HOW TO READ PROPAGATION NUMBERS

The A index [ LOW is GOOD ]

  • 1 to 6 is BEST
  • 7 to 9 is OK
  • 11 or more is BAD

Represents the overall geomagnetic condition of the ionosphere ("Ap" if averaged from the Kp-Index) (an average of the eight 3-hour K-Indices) ('A' referring to amplitude) over a given 24 hour period, ranging (linearly) typically from 1-100 but theoretically up to 400.

A lower A-Index generally suggests better propagation on the 10, 12, 15, 17, & 20 Meter Bands; a low & steady Ap-Index generally suggest good propagation on the 30, 40, 60, 80, & 160 Meter Bands.

SFI index [ HIGH is GOOD ]

  • 70 NOT GOOD
  • 80 GOOD
  • 90 BETTER
  • 100+ BEST

The measure of total radio emissions from the sun at 10.7cm (2800 MHz), on a scale of 60 (no sunspots) to 300, generally corresponding to the sunspot level, but being too low in energy to cause ionization, not related to the ionization level of the Ionosphere.

Higher Solar Flux generally suggests better propagation on the 10, 12, 15, 17, & 20 Meter Bands; Solar Flux rarely affects the 30, 40, 60, 80, & 160 Meter Bands.

K index [ LOW is GOOD ]

  • 0 or 1 is BEST
  • 2 is OK
  • 3 or more is BAD
  • 5 is VERY VERY BAD

The overall geomagnetic condition of the ionosphere ("Kp" if averaged over the planet) over the past 3 hours, measured by 13 magnetometers between 46 & 63 degrees of latitude, and ranging quasi-logarithmically from 0-9. Designed to detect solar particle radiation by its magnetic effect. A higher K-index generally means worse HF conditions.

A lower K-Index generally suggests better propagation on the 10, 12, 15, 17, & 20 Meter Bands; a low & steady Kp-Index generally suggest good propagation on the 30, 40, 60, 80, & 160 Meter Bands.

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