IN THIS UPDATE . . .

EMERGENCY NETS ACTIVATED AS HURRICANE FRAN APPROACHES

FCC declared a voluntary communications emergency as Hurricane Fran approached the southeastern coast of the US.

South Carolina section manager Mike Epstein, KD1DS, reports activation of an ARES/RACES net on 3993.5 kHz with the state SSB net serving as backup on 3915 kHz.

In North Carolina, section manager Reed Whitten, AB4W, reports that the Tarheel Emergency Net is convening on 3923 kHz. The amateur station at the state EOC in Raleigh also was to be staffed as of Thursday at noon.

In Georgia, SM Dot Fennell, KA4HHE, reports that the state SSB net will meet on 3975 kHz.

In Virginia, SM Chris Wright, KD4TZN, reports that the state emergency nets Alpha and Bravo will meet on 3910 kHz and 3947 kHz, respectively.

Hurricane Watch Net manager Jerry Herman, N3BDW, reports that the net is activated on 14.325 MHz in coordination with the National Hurricane Center station, W4EHW, in Miami as the storm approaches landfall.

Joe Schmidt, W4NKJ, coordinator, reports that National Hurricane Center station W4EHW was active and accepting the meteoroligical data from amateurs within 300 miles of the storm center, including measured wind speed as sustained for one minute, gust speed and barometric pressure. Send information with time and origin of report to w4ehw@fiu.edu, http://www.fiu.edu/orgs/w4ehw/, via the Hurricane Watch Net or other nets.

Amateurs are advised to monitor storm nets but to not transmit on net frequencies unless directed to do so by net control stations. Emergency traffic takes priority over health and welfare traffic. Amateurs are advised to handle health and welfare messages originating in the affected areas first. Amateurs are further advised to refrain from sending inquiries into affected areas until such time as amateurs in these areas have indicated their ability to process them. --Rick Palm, K1CE

HURRICANE FRAN CAUSES SECOND STS-79 POSTPONEMENT

As Hurricane Fran approached the US coastline, NASA managers earlier this week moved the space shuttle Atlantis back to the vehicle assembly building as a precaution. The move marks the second delay for the start of the STS-79 mission, which had been set to launch September 14. The change in plans means that scheduled Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment (SAREX) contacts will be postponed. Matt Bordelon, KC5BTL, of NASA, said the new mission launch window is September 16-18, but the actual date will depend on the whims of Hurricane Fran.

The postponement also means astronaut Shannon Lucid, who's been aboard Mir since March 1996, will have to spend a few additional days in space. Even without the hurricane extension, Lucid continues to break and set world space records. As it stands, today she'll double the old Skylab space endurance record of 84 days (broken last year by astronaut Norm Thagard). Tomorrow, she'll break the world woman's single-flight duration record set in 1995 by Yelena Kondakova. Now clearly within reach is the duration record for longest-ever non-Russian space traveler, set earlier this year by Thomas Reiter at 179 days 1 hour 42 minutes. Shannon will break that record on Tuesday, September 17, at 0955 UTC.

Bordelon said Lucid is not concerned about the schedule setback. "She won't begin counting down the days until they launch," he said.

STS-79--a nine-day flight and the fourth Mir docking mission--encountered its first delay in July, when NASA decided to replace the reusable solid-rocket motors on Atlantis. Hams aboard Atlantis will use SAREX configuration M, which is FM voice, using the shuttle-Mir 2-meter radio.

Three hams will be aboard STS-79. Jay Apt, N5QWL, a mission specialist, has flown on three previous shuttle missions and used Amateur Radio on each flight. Carl Walz, KC5TIE, participated in SAREX from Columbia during STS-65 in July 1994, before earning his ham ticket. Making his fifth shuttle mission is John Blaha, KC5TZQ, a mission specialist. During STS-79, Blaha will switch places with Lucid and remain aboard the Mir space station for 5 months. Other STS-79 crew members include Commander William Readdy, Pilot Terrence Wilcutt and Mission Specialist Thomas Akers.

Three schools--two in the US and one in England--have been confirmed for SAREX QSOs during STS-79: Andover Middle School in Andover, Kansas; Immaculate Conception Elementary School in Celina, Ohio, and The Royal School for Girls in Surrey, England. The ham astronauts will also make random contacts with the amateur community as their busy schedules permit.

See the ARRLWeb SAREX page at http://www.arrl.org/sarex/ for more information.

CONTEST ADVISORY COMMITTEE STUDYING NOVICE/TECH EVENT

The ARRL Contest Advisory Committee is seriously considering the creation of a contest for Novice, Technician and Technician Plus class operators, tentatively dubbed Sprint NT. "Some of the basic rules have been hammered out within the committee, and we are in the process of seeking membership input to fine tune them," a CAC report notes. In general, the CAC is looking at these basic guidelines, subject to change:

  • Time period would run from 7 AM Saturday to 1 AM Sunday EST.
  • All Novice, Technician and Technician Plus frequencies may be used.
  • Separate Novice and Technician winners would be determined.
  • CW QSOs would count 6 points each; SSB/FM QSOs would count 2 points each.
  • Multipliers would consist of ARRL sections plus one DX contact per band.
  • Multipliers would count only once per band, regardless of mode.
  • QSOs would count once for each band/mode.
  • Only Novice, Technician and Technician Plus ops would be allowed to call CQ.
  • Rules would include provision for an "Elmer" to help but not actually make QSOs.

Pending final approval from the ARRL Board of Directors, the contest could come into being as early as next summer. The CAC welcomes comments via e-mail .

SOLAR FLUX COULD REACH MID-70S BY LATER THIS MONTH

Solar observer Tad Cook, KT7H, in Seattle, Washington, reports solar activity was up during the last week of August, and on each day, the daily solar flux was above the average of the past 90 days. The 90-day average also moved up a point from 70 to 71. Average solar flux was up 6 points from a week earlier, and average sunspot numbers were up 1 point.

Due to a recurring coronal hole, geomagnetic indices were unstable in late August and early September. Look for solar flux to drop below 70 around September 11, rise above 70 again a week later, and to the mid-70s around September 23. Moderately unstable geomagnetic conditions are expected to return then as well.

Sunspot numbers for August 22 through 28 were 12, 24, 22, 14, 16, 13 and 13, respectively, with a mean of 16.3. The 10.7-cm flux was 72.8, 74.2, 74.6, 74.7, 74.2, 74.3, and 73.3, respectively, for a mean of 74.

By the way, the Space Environment Center in Boulder, Colorado, declared July as the solar minimum month.

JIM THAYER, W1FZ, AND WIFE HONORED FOR $2 MILLION CONTRIBUTION

Jim and Beulah Thayer were honored for their generosity August 25, 1996, at a dedication ceremony for the new Farmington, New Hampshire, High School. Jim Thayer, W1FZ, a ham since 1921, and his wife donated $2 million toward the project. Several hundred area residents turned out to give the couple a standing ovation and to present them with a watercolor of the new school. A bronze plaque at the new structure declares: "Erected through the generosity of James and Beulah Thayer. Dedicated to the Youth of Farmington, August, 1996." A picture of the couple sits above the plaque. The Thayers' donation helped to make the project possible without a tax increase. Jim Thayer was president of a local bank in Farmington and owned the local telephone company. He's a member of the Great Bay Amateur Radio Association. --Arthur Westneat, W1AM

JOHN P. ALEXANDER, K6SVL, SK

John Alexander, K6SVL, of Rancho Palos Verdes, California, died August 30, 1996, of cancer. He was 73. John was the Southwestern Division representative to the ARRL DX Advisory Committee. He was active in local clubs and was a past president of the Southern California DX Club. Upon learning of John's passing, Southwestern Division Director Fried Heyn, WA6WZO, said, "We have lost a great ham."

In Brief . . .
  • Cover Plaque Winner! Eugene F. Ruperto, W3KH, won the August 1996 QST Cover Plaque Award for his article, "The W3KH Quadrifilar Helix Antenna."

  • Wohlers has e-mail: ARRL ham radio insurance administrator Albert H. Wohlers & Co now can be accessed via e-mail. To request a brochure, use info@ahw.com. Send customer service questions to cusv@ahw.com.

  • Welcome: The new ARRL Regulatory Information Branch supervisor is Tom Hogerty, KC1J, formerly the assistant contest manager. He replaces Norman Bliss, WA1CCQ, who recently completed his masters degree and accepted a position as a school librarian. Al Gordienko, KF2FB, has been named as the new assistant contest manager. He'd worked previously in ARRL/VEC.

  • Microwavers Confab: Microwave Update 1996 will be held in Phoenix, Arizona, October 4-6, 1996, at the Ramada Camelback Hotel. The technical program will be devoted to frequencies above 902 MHz and will include microwave test equipment, low-noise amplifiers, TWT power amplifiers and other pertinent microwave topics. A microwave flea market will be held Friday and Saturday nights. Noise figure measurements through 24 GHz and dish feed-horn gain and pattern measurements also are planned. A microwave equipment auction is planned for Saturday. Conference registration is $40 prior to September 22, or $45 at the door. Hotel reservations at the Ramada are available by calling 800-688-2021. For more information, contact Jim Vogler, WA7CJO, 2540 E Heatherbrae Dr, Phoenix, AZ 85016; tel 602-954-0541.

  • Cushcraft Winner! Ernest Lester, VE2AVX, of Quebec was the winner of the Project Gold drawing sponsored by Cushcraft at the 1996 Dayton Hamvention. At an award presentation at Cushcraft headquarters in Manchester, New Hampshire, Lester picked up a 24-karat solid gold coin plus the first antenna in Cushcraft's Project Gold series of VHF/UHF mobile antennas. He also got the 25-cent tour of the Cushcraft plant.

  • Ham Explorer Winners: Hams were among several 1996 award winners at Explorer Post 73 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Among its activities, the post provides communication for local parades and road races, including the St Patrick's Day and Columbus Day parades and the Boston Marathon. Among the winners were Matthew J. Norgren, N1VKH, Explorer of the Year; Dustin P. Robinson, N1XBV, Outstanding Achievement; Kathryn M. Leonard, N1WBF, and Matthew J, Norgren, N1VKH, Theatrical Awards; and Michael R. Borelli, N1VKG, Trailer Project Award. Roger D. Demers, NE1C, and Brian G. Arsenault, N1FIY, received Explorer Leadership Training Certificates. Post 73 is part of the Mohegan Council of the Boy Scouts of America.--Franny Moy, W1SPG

  • Thruway Hamming: The New York State Thruway Authority plans to place ARRL Amateur Radio recruitment brochures at rest stops along the toll highway.

  • DXCC Update: The DXCC Desk reports the number of unprocessed applications at the end of August was 464 (27,814 QSLs). The desk received 376 applications (27,400 QSLs) for endorsements and new awards during July, and 655 applications (36,367 QSLs) during August. During August, DXCC Manager Bill Kennamer, K5FUV, traveled to Tokyo, Japan, where he checked DXCC cards at Ham Fair. Kennamer returned with over 200 DXCC applications, representing over 14,000 QSLs. Applications being sent out at the end of August were received a couple of days earlier. A few applications received prior to that time were waiting for paper records to be converted, or were being audited.

The ARRL Letter

is published by the American Radio Relay League, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259. Rodney J. Stafford, KB6ZV, President; David Sumner, K1ZZ, Executive Vice President.

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