Oh boy - and not in a good way.

A club meeting (not mine) with guest, ARRL SE Director Mickey Baker. If you want to hear details about the events that effectively shut down the ARRL earlier this year, start listening around the 16 minute mark.

Scary and sad. As an ARRL Life Member, who has always been uber supportive of the League, it would seem that leadership (NOT the staff) is befuddled in some crucial areas, and quite frankly, maybe not doing such a great job.

With my new hearing aid, I'd almost swear that I can hear H P Maxim spinning in his grave.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Interesting speculation

This appeared on Facebook regarding the IT situation over at the ARRL:

This was reported by Chris NW6V 

 Mike Ritz, W7VO, ARRL 2nd Vice President, was at the WVDXC club meeting last night, having just attended an ARRL board meeting to discuss the outage. Mike reported those meetings are a weekly event until the matter is resolved.

Everything that was running on INTERNAL servers is down until further notice. That includes their VoIP phone system, their .org email addresses, and front ends for things like LOTW. Everything running on external servers - cloud servers etc. - including LOTW data, is believed unaffected. But, such data will not be available until the internal matters are resolved. Thus, "joe@arrl.org" doesn't work - because that was on their internal mail server. But "joe@arrl.net" does - because the relays didn't run internally. I checked, and NW6V@ARRL.NETworks.

Efforts to restore the internal systems is proceeding full-time. No time-line can be given. The nature of the problem cannot be discussed.

I believe Mike said - with air asterisks around his words - "We have been advised to say nothing." He responded similarly when asked if "the Feds" were investigating this.

Being that the ARRL is connected to Homeland Security through its disaster response functions, and that personal data (no credit cards) for many relatively important persons are stored in the systems (business, military, science, etc.) such an investigation could very well involve the FBI and Homeland Security.

I (Chris NW6V)  was an IT Director in mental healthcare for many years, so security was a big part of my responsibility. As a professional looking at it from the outside, this has all the earmarks of a hack - of sufficient severity that it needed to be reported as a CRIME. At which point, IT is required to lock everything down - every computer and device involved becomes EVIDENCE - until a full investigation by forensics experts - da cops - is conducted. Getting everything back up is NOT job 1. Once the "crime scene" is clear (yellow tape down), THEN the job of recovery can begin. If some kind of hack had wormed into the ARRL system, recovery of local system by restoring backups becomes problematic - it may be difficult to verify that backups contain no trace of the hack. In which case, recovery and restoration of services would be slow and very painful.

This fits what we know about the situation to a "T."

73 Chris NW6V

Interesting. If the ARRL was hacked by someone with some kind of revenge motive in mind, they may have bitten off way more than they could chew. I never thought of the possibility of Federal Government involvement in this due to ties and MOEs with Homeland Security.  If this was a hack, and it is determined to be a crime, the perpetrators could be facing some very serious Federal prison time if caught and prosecuted.

I hope this gets cleared up soon. The LOTW situation doesn't bother me so much, but any disruption to the VE process does. My Team's next session is a week from this coming Saturday - June 8th. I'd hate to have to tell my candidates that I have no idea as to when their results will be processed. And no sooner did I write this, than I discovered this bit of good news:

ARRL VEC Services Update During Systems Disruption

05/29/2024

ARRL previously reported that we are responding to a serious incident involving access to our network and headquarters-based systems. Several services have been affected, including those administered by the ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (ARRL VEC).

Exam Registrations and Materials. ARRL Volunteer Examiners (VEs) should continue to submit exam registrations and material requests. While we are unable to post new or revised exam session dates and details to the website, we can ship out exam materials. Please remember that most exam materials are available on our website (www.arrl.org/resources-for-ves).

Processing Applications to the FCC. We have resumed the processing of Amateur Radio License applications with the FCC. This includes applications for new and upgrade licenses, individual applications, and club license applications. Exam sessions will be submitted to the FCC in chronological order, from earliest test dates to the latest. Please allow additional time for our processing as the exam session backlog is cleared.

International Radio Permit and License Class Certificates. We are currently unable to create International Amateur Radio Permits, License Class Certificates, and Volunteer Examiner (VE) badges, certificates, and stickers. New ARRL VE applications and renewals are unable to be processed at this time.

ARRL Youth Licensing Grant Program | FCC Application Fee Reimbursement Information. ARRL is continuing to accept reimbursement forms to cover the one-time $35 application fee for new license candidates younger than 18-years of age for tests administered under the auspices of the ARRL VEC. Reimbursement checks may take longer than normal to be processed at this time.

ARRL VEC cannot be reached by telephone at this time. We appreciate your patience as ARRL continues to work on restoring access to affected systems and services.

This story will be updated with new developments.

Thank you ARRL VEC Department for the update!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Danged if you do, danged if you don't

Short post today, but just wanted to mention something I've noticed about Hams through e-mail reflectors' and social media, regarding Logbook of the World.

Type 1 are those who hate it. It's "too complicated" or "I can't get it to work" or "It doesn't work well, so I'm not going to bother using it."

Type 2 (now that it's been down for a bit) - "What's going on, I can't access my QSOs!" or "I can't believe it's been down so long - I can't live without it!" or "It's the end of the world as we know it!"

Personally? I keep all my QSOs on N3FJP's Amateur Contact Log and I upload to LOTW every now and then. I download complete ADIFs of my QSOs every month or so and I upload the file to a USB stick and I also upload a copy to my Google Drive account. 

For me, LOTW is just a way of keeping track of my QSOs and QSLs with DXCC entities and ATNOs. I like LOTW as paper QSL'ing is just too danged expensive with the cost of postage these days. Paper QSL'ing is for special contacts, responding to QSL requests and for ATNO DX QSOs who don't use LOTW.

I'm sure the ARRL will figure it out and get it fixed ASAP, but I have to tell you that the optics are really bad considering their recent history with dues membership increases. This was a really bad time for LOTW to go down. In the meantime, I'll make some popcorn and will watch each side of the spectrum tear their hair out.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

World Amateur Radio Day - April 18th

From the ARRL:

World Amateur Radio Day is April 18, 2024

World Amateur Radio Day (WARD) is celebrated each year on April 18.

The theme for 2024 is, "A Century of Connections: Celebrating 100 Years of Amateur Radio Innovation, Community, and Advocacy." The global event covers all of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) regions and spans 2 days: Thursday, April 18, 2024, 0000 UTC to Friday, April 19, 2024, 0000 UTC.

On April 18, 1925, the IARU was formed in Paris and will celebrate its centenary in 2025. American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Co-Founder Hiram Percy Maxim was the organization's first president.

All radio amateurs are invited to take to the airwaves to enjoy the global friendship with other amateurs and to show their skills and capabilities to the public. WARD is not a contest but rather an opportunity to talk about the value of amateur radio to the public and fellow amateur colleagues. It is also a great opportunity to talk about local radio clubs and amateur radio in local media as a lead-up to ARRL Field Day, which is held each year during the fourth full weekend in June. You can also promote your personal WARD activities on social media platforms like X and Facebook by using the hashtag #WorldAmateurRadioDay.

For more ideas and information, visit World Amateur Radio Day (arrl.org).

________________________________________________________________________________________

And just one week later is International Marconi Day, as discussed in a previous post. A lot of radio and Amateur Radio history occurred in April!

In an unrelated topic, I saw this on YouTube: - something I've never heard of before.

This is really wild! I kind of wish this kind of thing had been available when I was studying for my Novice license back in 1978. I like to think it would have made that first ever QSO a little less nerve wracking. I distinctly remember finishing that QSO and being wiped out - but yet hungry for the next one.

Admittedly, there's nothing like making real life QSOs on the air to improve your CW skills, but if you want to learn good sending technique BEFORE you have your ticket, this is a neat way to legally do it! Purchasing that adapter and hooking up either paddles or a key to the laptop seems to be the way to go. Using the [ and ] keys is clunky at best and takes a bit getting used to  It's fun to play around with using the two keyboard keys, but even in simulated QSOs, nothing would beat a real straight key, cootie or paddles.

I can think of a couple of instances where this bot would really come in handy. One would be for practising sending Morse with a bug. I don't use my Vibroplex often enough to be proficient with it and I hate to put anyone through the torture of listening to me shake the rust off. This would be the perfect tool for that!  I can't tell you how many times I hear really poor CW on the bands because someone is using a bug - badly. I don't want to be one of those guys!

The other instance would be as a Morse Code demonstration device. SPARC is doing "Amateur Radio at the Library" on Saturday, April 20th at a library in the neighboring town of Piscataway. I think folks might get a kick out of sending code to the bot. I did order one of those USB interfaces and will bring my laptop in addition to setting up an actual CW station. If the bands are cruddy or dead, all will not be lost.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Theme for Field Day 2024

 From the ARRL website:

2024 ARRL Field Day Theme: Be Radio Active

03/15/2024

The theme for 2024 ARRL Field Day is "Be Radio Active." The event will run on June 22 - 23, and it will be one-part contest, one-part emergency communications exercise, and one-part open house -- and a great time. The theme encourages radio amateurs to take advantage of the peak of Solar Cycle 25, which we are nearing. Activity this year is likely to be extremely high thanks to favorable solar conditions. The upper HF bands, such as 15 and 10 meters, should benefit most from the Cycle's peak.

There are resources available already for clubs and individuals to make their Field Day plans. ARRL will publish more information and tools so that hams can make the most of the event as it draws near. Amateurs interested in learning more are invited to join the Field Day Facebook group to connect with others who are planning for the big weekend.  

Find links to all of the resources on the ARRL Field Day web page at www.arrl.org/field-day.

And here's the official logo that will appear on the 2024 T-shirt and other Field day swag:

In my most humble opinion, nothing will EVER outdo the 2009 Field Day logo:

This just oozes the essence Field Day when you look at it! The Great Outdoors, the sun coming up on Sunday morning after being up all night and a cup of much needed coffee in hand! And having your best friend sitting by your side ain't bad, either!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

First weekend of 2024

For the first weekend of 2024 - here are the goings on that might interest fellow aficionados of QRP and CW. And even if they don't interest you - there's always that perennial question you hear on weekends - "Which contest is this?"

Contests:

Marconi Club ARI Loano QSO Party Day - http://www.ariloano.it/marconiclub/mcd_reg/regolamentomcday_ENG.pdf

WW PMC Contest - http://www.s59dcd.si/index.php/sl/ww-pmc/ww-pmc-contest-rules

EUCW 160m Contest - https://www.eucw.org/eu160.html

Special Events:

01/06/2024 | MRAC 107th Anniversary

Jan 6, 1600Z-2200Z, W9RH, Milwaukee, WI. Milwaukee Radio Amateurs' Club. ~7.250 ~14.250 ~21.350 145.390. Certificate. Email specialevent@w9rh.org, to receive, certificate. Celebrating 107 years of continuous service to the Milwaukee amateur radio community. Also celebrating 105 years of affiliation with the ARRL. Work us on HF, our VHF repeater, or WiRES-X (#43588). Certificate available upon email request. See web page for details. https://www.w9rh.org/special-event-station

01/06/2024 | Second Seminole Indian War Reenactment

Jan 6-Jan 7, 1300Z-2200Z, K2S, Bushnell, FL. Hog County Amateur Radio Association - K4HOG. 14.045 - CW 14.250-260 - PH 21.325 - PH 28.450 - PH. Certificate. Gene King, KI4LEH, 4655 NW 68th Blvd., Lake Panasoffkee, FL 33538. Times are daily. This event/reenactment commemorates Dade's Battle of 1835 during the Second Seminole War. Taking place at the current location known as the Historic Dade Battlefield State Park in Bushnell, Florida. This will be the first time our association or any amateur club has set up a Special Event Station. K4HOGFL@gmail.com or https://k4hog.org

Tomorrow is also "ARRL Kids Day" - Kids Day is designed to give on-the-air experience to young people and hopefully foster interest in getting a license of their own. It is also intended to give older hams a chance to share their station and love for Amateur Radio with their children - https://www.arrl.org/Kids-Day

On another note, I received a nice e-mail from the Quarter Century Wireless Association congratulating me on 45 years of being a licensed Amateur Radio operator.  It also directed me to a site where I am able to generate a certificate, suitable for framing or display on my shack wall.

This was a very welcomed surprise; and I don't mean to be petty, but this is more than anything I ever receive from the ARRL.  The only correspondence that I get from them are invitations to purchase the latest version of the ARRL Handbook, or invitations to donate to their various fund raising efforts like the Diamond Club. Heck, they seem to have even done away with sending the 10% discount birthday coupon.

Seriously, I know money is tight for the ARRL - just like it is for everyone else. But how much would it cost them to keep track of how long an ARRL Member has been an ARRL Member and generate a pdf certificate to celebrate that? As a Life Member, I an not entitled to anniversary milestone pins that other regular members receive. I have friends who have received pins for 40 and 50 years of membership. I'm not asking for that, as that is an added expense - but an e-mail of congratulations and a pdf anniversary certificate that you can print yourself is hardly going to break their bank.

Maybe little touches like this would make it easier to accept dues increases or when they do away with other things - like that 10% off birthday coupon. The ARRL needs to get it into their collective heads that their members are human beings who appreciate the little things and are not just cash cows to be milked for whatever funds you can get out of them.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Did I do something smart?

For once in my life? (Besides marrying Marianne!)

I started working "real jobs" back in 1977, By a "real job", I mean a 40 hour per week, not the kind of work you did as a teen, or a minimum wage type job.  I have to admit, though, the first few jobs I had were not that far above minimum wage! So back in the 1980's, when I started making what you might consider a decent salary at Sinar Bron, where I would remain for the next 22 years, I decided to shell out the $$$ to become an ARRL Life Member.

Even back in 1980's money it was a lot and I had to pay it over a few successive quarters. Sometimes I have wondered whether or not that was a fool hardy choice. I especially came to question my decision when the League decided to jump on the bandwagon for eliminating the Morse Code requirement for obtaining an Amateur Radio license. "Time heals all wounds" and I got over it, I guess. That policy change still lives in the back of my mind, though. There's a "never forget" flag flying in deepest and darkest recesses of my memory with regards to that issue which is near and dear to my heart.

All that aside, I received an e-mail to all ARRL Members that yearly dues are going to go up to $59 a year. That's a significant increase. I know all the ARRL does with regard to lobbying for Amateur Radio and all. I'm good with that - but as I come closer and closer to retirement (sometime within the next 2 to 4 years. I haven't truly decided yet) I have to wonder how I'd be able to justify that on a fixed income, were I still a "Standard Member". 

In addition. it was announced that applications for Life Membership are being suspended for the time being until they can "price the offering to be revenue neutral over its term". I guess that means they feel they're currently losing money on the likes of me. In actuality, they shouldn't. I opted out of getting paper copies of QST a few years ago.  It always seemed that among my local group of Ham Radio friends, I was the last one to receive the latest version of the magazine. So aside from producing digital versions and making them available to me, they don't spend all that much on me. I don't get pins or certificates for 25, 30, 40 or whatever consecutive years of membership like the rest of you do. AND when I changed from N2ELW to W2LJ back in the year 2000, I had to pay for a new Lifetime Membership plaque. It wasn't a freebie - so IMHO there's not too many perks to being a Life Member other than not being bugged about dues.

It will be interesting to see how this affects League membership going forward. I'm certain it will decrease, but by how much will remain to be seen. I think it's pretty much a no-brainer that if membership numbers do decline then that deficit will have to be made up by increasing the prices of books, apparel, and other swag. And you would NOT be able to knock me over with a feather if all of a sudden it was decided that requesting a call sign certificate for Logbook of the World became associated with a fee.

I could be totally wrong on that last one, but time will tell.

Oh, and by the way ........ if you change your call to N2ELW via the Vanity Callsign system ...... do I have a plaque for you !  LOL!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Field Day - another one bites the dust

How was your Field Day experience? First off, I hope you had one. Even with all the preparation, hard work of set up and tear down, it's still a fun and great experience. Being with some of your best friends for 24 hours, all doing the things you all love to do the most - priceless!

The South Plainfield Amateur Radio Club had a very, very good Field Day. I don't know how our effort stacked up against previous years. I'm always a "glass half empty" guy in that regard, and then I'm usually pleasantly surprised when the results come out in December to find out that we did better than I had thought.

The weather was cooperative for the most part. The weather prognosticators were somewhere around the mark with their predictions. There was a very light sprinkle of rain at the beginning of set up, but that diminished very quickly and we were blessed with good weather almost until the very end.

As usual, set up went well.  It seems that SPARC has this down to somewhat of a science. As the main part of the group gets the shelters ready and Ron N2LCZ gets the network of logging computers up and running, Dave KD2FSI and I get the antennas going.

I'm going to get a bit gushy here about Dave. He's a one man Field Day all by his lonesome. I don't know where SPARC would be without him. Between his antennas, the other equipment and the radios he brings ........... But that's not the end of it. His expertise and presence are above and beyond the "stuff" that he brings. We'd be lost without him.

The same goes for Marv K2VHW. He's the Founding President and President Emeritus of SPARC. He IS our spark. An Amateur Radio operator for over 50 years, a two time Emmy Winner for Technical Excellence in Broadcasting, untold experience in mobile communications testing, trouble shooting and repair  ....... how did we get so lucky to get these guys in our group?

When the bell rang at 2:00 PM we were ready. We got going and over the next 24 hours we gave it our best. In addition to the activity behind the radios, we had a lot of visitors. In addition to curious walkers going by us (we are in a public park, after all), we had visits from some folks who specifically brought their kids by to see what Amateur Radio is all about. We also had visits from the Red Cross, and our new Hudson Division Director Nomar Vizcarrondo, NP4H, and our Division Public Information Officer, Ed Efchak WX2R came by during setup. We also got a visit from one of our Town Council members, Derryck White, who is also a CERT member and one of our biggest supporters from within our borough. He even helped us during tear down.

A peaceful Sunday morning scene.

The visit by our ARRL Officials, Nomar NP4H has the yellow lanyard around his neck and Ed is wearing the red ARRL shirt at the right. The banner came out exceptionally well. Thanks, Vistaprint! For the record, going from left to right - Marty WB2BEW, Neil WA2EGE, Tim AB2ZK (with the green CERT cap), Nomar NP4H, Bill W2AOF (SPARC Club President) Ron N2LCZ (IT Expert Extraordinaire), Marv K2VHW, Harry KC2PGX, Ed WX2R.

Dave KD2FSI, our "Indispensable Man" running VHF/UHF, FT8 and all things digital.

Marty WB2BEW with a Phil K2OTA, working SSB. Marty would later get a QSO in the log with France. 5 Watts from a KX3 to a multiband End Fed - not bad!

This is what I was looking at for the next 24 hours. The laptop is one of Ron's Lenovo WS530's.  

Dave's MFJ-1982HP running in a roughly East to West direction. This was the SSB station antenna.

We always try to get a lot of signage up for our site, so that visitors can have their own sort of "walking tour" when we are super busy with other things.

More descriptive signage. Bill W2AOF our Club President got these from Vistaprint a few years ago when they were running a sale. They come in handy and let non-Hams know what they are looking at.

My MFJ-1982LP running in a roughly North-South direction. You can see one of the driveway reflectors that I purchased, holding up the near end, with the UNUN cable-tied near the top. The coax is running down to my KX3. We tie some caution tape to the wire itself as we park in the space off to the right and we don't want anyone walking into the wire. After this shot was taken, but before 2:00 PM, we put little orange cones down so that people would not traverse where we did not intend them to. The weird event of Field Day was that even with that, someone stole and walked off with the driveway reflector at the far end, while we weren't watching. Tim AB2ZK happened to need to go to his car for something and let me know that it was gone. We initially thought that maybe someone had driven into it or something like that, but it was totally gone with no trace (not even pieces) to be found. At least whoever took it, didn't damage the antenna - which performed flawlessly this year, after my soldering repairs to the UNUN. In fact, during the wee hours of the overnight, Marv K2VHW used it to worked New Zealand with our maximum output of  5 Watts. 

I have video of that and will post that tomorrow. I wish that Bill W2AOF had been present for that QSO. He was tuckered from the heat and humidity of the day and left for home to get in some rest. However, he had traveled to New Zealand to visit some friends earlier this year. As someone who made that long flight from New Jersey to New Zealand, I think witnessing that QSO would have really brought home the wonder of Amateur Radio and QRP. We Hams are so used to what we do, that sometimes I think we take for granted how magical it all really is. When you experience that flight, the distance and the time and then you see a "measly" 5 Watts of power do that - for me at least, that is a super "Wow" moment.

Bob WB2UDC giving me a break at the CW station.

The new crescent Moon, coming close to it's set sometime very early Sunday morning.

First light is always a welcome sight.

It's amazing how bright it is so early in the morning. This was taken just a little after 5:00 AM.

The bands themselves were decent, but frustrating. QSB was like a roller coaster. A station would be 599 one second and 339 the next. The bulk of our CW QSOs were completed on 40 Meters, which I thought was in great shape. 80 Meters was decent at night, but there was a lot of static crashes to deal with. Since 20 Meters was the choice of the SSB guys, I only went there when they were taking a break. I could hear signals on 15 Meters the couple of times that I checked, but they were so low in strength that I could not make anything out. 10 Meters was completely dead the various times I twiddled the dial on that band.

Around 12:30 PM on Sunday, you could tell the weather was shifting. While most normal people woke to clear skies and a beautiful Sunday morning with blue skies, by lunchtime the sky had turned to that ominous lead gray color. With an hour and a half of Field Day operating time left, I convinced the crew to start tearing down. About halfway to three quarters of the way through, there were unnervingly close lightning strikes and the clouds literally burst open. We had to retreat to the safety of our vehicles. When the rain lessened up, we were able to finish the job and get the commonly owned Club "stuff" back to the CERT building.

I'll have a few more thoughts to put down for posterity tomorrow, when I post the short video that I took during the overnight. There's a thing or two more that I want to mention. My brain is a big bowl of oatmeal today. In the days when I wore a younger man's clothes, I was able to cope with an "up for 36 hours" stretch with a lot more ease and aplomb than I can now.

More thoughts about weather and equipment tomorrow - stay tuned!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

ARRL DX CW

I played around in the ARRL DX CW contest this weekend. Not long, just for about an hour and a half to two hours. It was nice to get back behind the rig again after a long absence. I must apologize to the first few stations that I worked. My Morse sending was absolute crap!  But after about 4 or 5 contacts, I found my rhythm again and it was game on.

I haven't been on the air since my time undergoing radiation therapy. And let me tell you, the radiation therapy was a cakewalk compared to this hormone therapy I'm undergoing to keep my PSA level low. But I muddle through the best I can. One of the worst side effects is that it takes motivation away. You just feel like "meh" and not doing much, other than the things you absolutely have to.

But Sunday was rather warm for February here in NJ, which meant the basement was not quite the icebox it usually is during the winter. The temps down there were in the low 60s rather than the high 50s, so it was a bit more bearable.

My main weapon was the Butternut HF9V. All contacts were made at 5 Watts of course. In the time I felt motivated to operate, I made 31 contacts, all search and pounce, of course.. I worked into Europe, South America, the Caribbean and Hawaii.  I was surprised that KH6LC came back to me on my first call!

I made contacts on 10, 15 and 20 Meters. 10 Meters was absolutely awesome! It was truly difficult to find a dead, open spot on the band. I think that 27 of my 31 contacts were made on 10 Meters. I should have stayed on longer, but I caved in to the tiredness. But while I was on, I had a blast!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very keast!

Is this a new thing?

 A good friend of mine, John Wyatt W2VTV posted this on Facebook.

He received a certificate from the ARRL for 25 years of membership. Have any of you out there gotten something like this from the ARRL?

Let's see ....... I've been a member sine 1979 - that's 43 years.  I've been a VE Examiner since 1994 - that's 28 years. I became a Life Member as N2ELW back in the 80s and received the associated plaque. When I changed my call to W2LJ in 2000, I had to pay for a new one. 

I guess being a Life Member they figure they've lost money on me over they years - so no certificates marking the milestone years. Oh well, they would have looked nice on the shack wall.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

A good one for the QRP CW Newbs

 This weekend is the ARRL DX Contest (CW).

Even in you're not a contester and even if you're not a CW Wizard, this is still a good one to dive into for several reasons:

1) It will improve your CW.

2) The exchange is simple.

3) You'll be able to work your way well toward earning QRP DXCC.

4) It's a lot of fun!

Here's the official line from the ARRL:

Contest Objective: To encourage W/VE stations to expand knowledge of DX propagation on the HF and MF bands, improve operating skills, and improve station capability by creating a competition in which DX stations may only contact W/VE stations. One contest period is CW-only and one is Phone-only.  Use only the 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meter bands.

W/VE amateurs: Work as many DX stations in as many DXCC entities as possible.

DX stations: Work as many W/VE stations in as many of the 48 contiguous states and provinces as possible.

Dates:

CW: Third full weekend in February (February 19-20, 2022).

Phone: First full weekend in March (March 5-6, 2022).

Contest Period: Begins 0000 UTC Saturday and runs through 2359 UTC Sunday.

Exchange:

W/VE stations send a signal report and their state or province. DX stations send a signal report and power as a number or abbreviation.

How simple is that?

But here's the big tip!

For those of you new to QRP CW - either your code is kinda on the slower side; or you're not a big contester - I would wait to jump into the fray until Sunday.  If you jump in right at the beginning, you're likely to get frustrated and discouraged. At the beginning of any big contest like this - it' s best to let the big guns and CW speed demons get their rocks off for a while.  From the very beginning, a lot of the CW is going to be sent so fast, that you'll think you're listening to a buzz saw.

It's way better to wait until the latter part (second half) of the contest. Those big guns will have worked just about everyone they could have and they will more than likely be willing to listen for weaker signals and slower CW in order to fill up their logs. This is your big chance!

If conditions are right, and you're new to QRP DX, you can easily work your way to a quarter, halfway or even more countries needed for QRP DXCC.

Go get 'em!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

ARRL announces Field Day rule changes for 2022

From the ARRL Website:

Some New Rules Going into Effect this Year for ARRL Field Day

02/09/2022

After taking a few detours over the past couple of years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ARRL Field Day rules are being updated on a permanent basis starting this summer. ARRL conducted a Field Day community survey with invitations propagated far and wide, and direct emails sent to more than 15,000 individuals and ARRL-affiliated clubs. After sorting through, reviewing, and discussing the survey results, the ARRL Programs and Services Committee recommended a number of rule changes for ARRL Field Day, which will take place this year over the June 25 – 26 weekend.

Starting this year, the maximum PEP output for a transmitter used by anyone submitting a Field Day log will be 100 W. The power multiplier of 2 will remain in place, and the high-power category will be removed from the rules. Until this year, the maximum low-power limit had been 150 W for most ARRL-sponsored operating events. The power multiplier will remain at 5 for QRP participants running a maximum of 5 W or less. As previously announced, 100 W is now the low-power category limit for all ARRL and IARU HF Contests, effective January 1, 2022.

A couple of changes instituted initially as accommodations for the COVID-19 pandemic will remain. Class D (Home) stations will continue to be able to earn points for contacts with other Class D stations. The club aggregate scoring change initiated in 2020 as a temporary measure will become part of the permanent rules. In the aggregate scoring plan, the scores of individual stations are combined under the score of a single club.

Another change, involving Rule 7.3.2 Media Publicity, has been modified. Rules to date have offered 100 bonus points for attempting to obtain publicity and demonstrating same. With the ease of posting via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and various other media websites, Field Day participants will now be required to obtain publicity, not just try to do so. Any combination of bona fide media hits would qualify for the bonus points. For example, posting the details of your upcoming or ongoing Field Day activity, or your Field Day results, on a club or news media site, on Facebook, or via Twitter and Instagram would meet the bonus criteria. Photos and videos are encouraged as part of media posts.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

If you were hoping that Field Day would return to "normal" ...

 ARRL to Extend Field Day Rule Waivers from 2020, Add Class D and E Power Limit

02/10/2021

The COVID-19 pandemic-modified ARRL Field Day rules from 2020 will continue this June with the addition of a power limit imposed on Class D (Home Stations) and Class E (Home Stations-Emergency Power) participants. The news from the ARRL Board’s Programs and Services Committee comes as many clubs and groups are starting preparations for Field Day in earnest. Field Day 2021 will take place June 26 – 27.

“This early decision should alleviate any hesitancy that radio clubs and individual Field Day participants may have with their planning for the event,” said ARRL Contest Program Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE.

For Field Day 2021:

Class D stations may work all other Field Day stations, including other Class D stations, for points. This year, however, Class D and Class E stations will be limited to 150 W PEP output.

An aggregate club score will be published — just as it was done last year. The aggregate score will be a sum of all individual entries that attributed their score to that of a specific club.

ARRL Field Day is one of the biggest events on the amateur radio calendar. Last summer, a record 10,213 entries were received.

“With the greater flexibility afforded by the rules waivers, individuals and groups will still be able to participate in Field Day, while still staying within any public health recommendations and/or requirements,” Bourque said.

The preferred method of submitting entries after Field Day is via the web applet. The ARRL Field Day rules include instructions on how to submit entries, which must be submitted or postmarked by Tuesday, July 27, 2021.

The ARRL Field Day web page contains for complete rules and entry forms, as well as any updated information as it becomes available. Join the ARRL Field Day Facebook page.

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72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Field Day - it's like Lays Potato Chips

You can't eat just one - you can't make just one QSO.

As I stated before, I was not really hepped up for this Field Day. For me, Field Day is way more than just the operating event. The planning, the set up and tear down, the being with good friends who understand your passion end enjoy doing what you do. It's a social event - not just an operating event; and that's what makes it so special - and for 2020, COVID-19 blew all that right out of the water. So no, I was not very eager about Field Day 2020.

The plan was to set up the station out on the patio, operate from the table we have out there under the big market umbrella. I took care of all my chores early with the intent of setting up around 1:30. It doesn't take long when your equipment is designed with portable in mind. While I was mowing the lawn, my phone chirped with an advisory from NWS - severe thunderstorm watch until 8:00 PM local time. That torpedoed my outdoor plans, which in turn made set up even easier. I decided to take my portable KX3 down to the basement, hook it up to the deep cycle marine battery and operate there as W2LJ 1E NNJ. Set up would be even easier, 5 minutes max.

After I mowed the lawn (final chore of many), I set down on the couch. BIG MISTAKE!  Next thing I know, it's 2:30 PM and Field Day had begun without W2LJ. When I awoke, I took everything downstairs and WAS operational within 5-10 minutes. I worked until I had 20 stations in the log and came upstairs for a stretch break and something cold to drink. That's when I heard my AcuRite lightning detector chirping. I rushed downstairs, disconnected the antennas and shut everything down. And to be honest with you, I wasn't sure if I was even going to bother getting on again. It's just not the same as being in the field. To that point, about a three hour break ensued which included dinner and being with the family.

Around 8:00 PM, I decided I'd give it another go - maybe I could get to 50 stations worked before turning in,  Conditions on both 80 and 40 Meters were fantastic! 20 Meters was good as well, but for some reason, the SWR on 20 Meters was like a roller coaster, up and down, up and down. I had to hit the ATU button on the KX3 quite often - something I never had to do before. Not knowing what the problem was, I stayed on the W3EDP and when I looked at the clock, it was Midnight, I worked two more stations to bring my total to 100 QSOs and hit the sack for the night at 12:15 AM.

When I woke this morning, I was pleased with my total and was kind of ambivalent about getting on again. But like the post title says, once you're into it, for better or worse, Field Day is like Lays potato chips - "You can't eat just one."  I took a shower, made some coffee and headed down to the shack again, Before I knew it, I was at 150 QSOs when I decided to take another break. 15 Meters had been open and surprisingly, the HF9V played well and behaved itself, To me, that meant any problem was not at the feed point or with the feed line, It had to be something with the antenna itself. I knew that I would investigate some time after 2:00 PM.

I sat down on the couch again, took another short snooze and when I woke up, I headed down to the shack for one last time. "Maybe I can make it to 175 QSOs", I thought to myself. 175 became 185 and the 185 became 190 and finally reached 200 when I shut down with about 20 minutes to go, In that last session, I actually ran a frequency for a little while on 40 Meters and actually had a tiny pile up. Not bad for 5 watts, eh? Here's the statistical break down:

Not the best Field Day effort I've ever put forth, but considering the circumstances, not a terrible one, either. I'm pretty happy with it,

As a whole, propagation was weird. Severe QSB plagued both days, and for me at least, most of  my RF was blocked by an invisible RF shield located at the Mississippi River.  Colorado, North Texas and Saskatchewan were the only locations in the West that intercepted my RF.

I worked all the US Eastern Sections except for North New York, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands ...... and Indiana! Hey, Indiana Fireflies - where were you guys? LOL!

To complete the day, I discovered and rectified my 20 Meter SWR problem, I hadn't noticed that ivy had grown into and wrapped itself in the HF9V's coils. I cut the vine at the base and removed the offending foliage. A quick run to the basement seems to indicate (for now) that the ivy was indeed the problem. Some "TEST DE W2LJ VVVVV" transmissions on 20 Meters and the SWR remained rock solid at 1.2:1. I hope that's all this was - I don't need bigger antenna problems.

Thanks to all who worked me and put me in their logs!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

For those of you out there

who have a real yen for Amateur Radio contesting and Radiosport competition in general ........... I ran across this announcement on the ARRL Webpage the other day.

The State QSO Party Challenge is a competition comprised of other contests, namely state and provincial QSO parties. As explained on the website, the annual cumulative score program is open to any radio amateur who participates in any approved state QSO parties (SQPs).

Participants just need to submit their QSO party scores to 3830scores.com to enter the challenge. Participants’ cumulative scores will be calculated by totaling up the number of reported contacts and multiplying by the number of SQPs entered in the year to date. Periodic standings will be posted to 3830scores.com, the QSOParty Groups.io forum, and the StateQSOParty.com website.

“Using the number of QSO parties entered as a multiplier is expected to encourage radio amateurs to enter more state/province QSO parties,” the program’s organizers said. “The first SQPs in 2020 are the Vermont, Minnesota, and British Columbia QSO Parties in the first weekend of February.”

Entrants must make at least two contacts in a QSO party for it to count as a multiplier. Full details are available on the State QSO Party Challenge website. Challenge sponsors expressed appreciation to Bruce Horn, WA7BNM, for developing the SQP Activity Tracker on 3830scores.com.

This is interesting in a few ways.  Even if you decide to not formally participate in this, it can be taken on as a real personal challenge. "How many State QSO Parties can I participate in?". For me, it would be a big deal to participate in all fifty, plus Canada  This kind of reminds me of the QRP-ARCI Golden Jubilee event a few years back, where the goal was to work K6JSS stations in all 50 states.

Secondly, would I be able to make "at least two contacts" in all of these? With band conditions the way they are - the state QSO parties in Alaska and Hawaii and some of the Canadian Provinces might prove to be a real challenge. But then, going back to the QRP-ARCI Golden Jubilee event, Alaska and Hawaii were NOT the two states I missed!

Thirdly, this would be a great way for those who are on their way to earning Worked All Sates to actually accomplish that.

Fourthly, for those of you out there who complain about the bands being "flooded with contests" every weekend (you know who you are), this would actually make that a good thing. Instead of disdaining these QSO Parties, it would be an incentive to jump in and make them into an enjoyable and an interesting experience for you. After all, you don't have to stay in them for the entire event if you don't want to - but can you make just two QSOs in each?

I just might be tempted to take on the personal challenge myself!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

New Amateur Extra Question Pool Released

From the ARRL:

SB QST @ ARL $ARLB004
ARLB004 New Amateur Extra Question Pool Released

ZCZC AG04
QST de W1AW
ARRL Bulletin 4  ARLB004
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT  January 28, 2020
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB004
ARLB004 New Amateur Extra Question Pool Released

The new Amateur Extra-class license examination question pool, effective from July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2024, has been released and is available at the National Conference of Volunteer Coordinators (NCVEC) website at, http://www.ncvec.org/ .

The 2020-2024 Extra-class pool incorporates significant changes compared to the current 2016-2020 question pool, which expires on June 30. The number of questions in the pool was reduced from 712 to 622. The result was 239 modified questions, 49 new questions, and 139 questions removed due to changes in what was felt to be an abundance of outdated questions, while areas of new technology and subjects were added.

In addition, an effort was made to balance the difficulty level, removing or replacing some questions deemed too easy or too difficult compared to the rest of the pool. The 2020 pool has 10 diagrams, which have been renumbered because the new question pool has two fewer than the 2016 question pool.
NNNN
/EX

Once again, this is really nothing to get your undies all up in a knot about. If you are studying the material that you need to know for the Amateur Extra upgrade and not just memorizing answers to questions - then no matter what they throw at you, you'll pass.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

On The Air

Many of you have probably heard that the ARRL has launched a new publication - "On The Air". This magazine is dedicated to / aimed at the "Beginner to Intermediate" Amateur Radio operator, in terms of experience.

ARRL members will be able to specify which print magazine they wish to receive - either "On The Air" or "QST". Both will be available to all ARRL members as digital editions. But hey, don't take my word for it - here it is right fro the horse's mouth:

01/07/2020

The premiere issue of ARRL’s On the Air magazine has left the printer and is on its way to member subscribers! The magazine should be in mailboxes within the next 10 days. On the Air is the newest ARRL member benefit to help new licensees and beginner-to-intermediate radio communicators navigate the world of amateur radio.

Eligible US-based members can elect to receive On the Air or QST magazine in print when they join or when they renew their ARRL membership. All members will be able to access digital editions of On the Air magazine.

The first digital issue of On the Air will be available beginning January 14, supported by a new version of ARRL’s digital magazine app. With one app, members will be able to access On the Air and QST.

Looks like there's a new app that I will be downloading onto my phone, soon.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Puerto Rico Earthquake

From the ARRL:

Strong Earthquake Shakes Puerto Rico, ARES Standing By

01/07/2020

A strong magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit Puerto Rico early on January 7 on the heels of a smaller magnitude 5.8 tremor a day earlier. The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority reported widespread power outages after generating plants automatically activated protective shutdown systems following the earthquake. Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez Garced urged citizens to remain calm.

“The entire government is active and in action,” Governor Vazquez said in a tweet. “I ask our people to remain calm and urge you to remain safe.” Government offices have been shut down for the day.

The director of Puerto Rico’s Seismic Network, Víctor Huérfano, told The Associated Press that it’s been difficult to obtain reports of damage or injuries because communications are out over much of the island. Geologists had warned of additional seismic activity following the January 6 earthquake. Tremors have been occurring in some areas of Puerto Rico since December 28.

ARRL Puerto Rico Public Information Officer Angel Santana, WP3GW, said the earthquakes have damaged homes in communities including Guánica and Guayanilla, with aftershocks felt minutes later from today’s event. A tsunami advisory for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands was canceled minutes after being issued. Santana said the PREMA Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has been activated.

Santana said VHF and UHF repeater systems having emergency power carried reports of power outages and other information. ARRL Puerto Rico Section Manager Oscar Resto, KP4RF, told ARRL that no Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) activations have been necessary, as commercial telecommunication systems remain functional.

“The situation is scary, with houses, schools, and roads collapsing,” Resto said, with many structures — including a school and homes in Guánica — damaged.

********************************************************************************

Should any HF emergency frequencies become activated, please be sure to give them a wide berth.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP _ When you care to send the very least!

Solar Cycle 25

From the ARRL Website:

Two Solar Cycle 25 Sunspots Appear

12/30/2019

New Solar Cycle 25 is on the way, but just when the transition from Cycle 24 to Cycle 25 will take place is not entirely clear. On December 24, two new sunspots — one in each hemisphere — emerged on the face of the sun that exhibit the reversed magnetic polarity marking them as belonging to Solar Cycle 25. According to Hale’s Law, sunspot polarities flip-flop from one solar cycle to the next, the National Center for Atmospheric Research explains.

“The sun is currently in solar minimum — the nadir of the 11-year sunspot cycle,” Tony Phillips said in his article, “Reversed Polarity Sunspots Appear on the Sun” on the Spaceweather.com website. “It’s a deep minimum, century-class according to sunspot counts.” The remarkable sunspot scarcity has prompted discussion of a possible “extended minimum” akin to the Maunder Minimum in the 17th century, when no sunspots appeared for decades, Phillips said. “Such an event could have implications for terrestrial climate.”

“Today’s new-cycle sunspots (along with isolated new-cycle spots earlier this year) suggest that the solar cycle is, in fact, unfolding normally,” Phillips wrote, adding that a new Maunder Minimum does not appear to be in the offing.

Earlier this month, the NOAA/NASA-co-chaired international Solar Cycle Prediction Panel released its latest forecast for Solar Cycle 25. The panel’s consensus calls for a peak in July 2025 (±8 months), with a smoothed sunspot number of 115 and the solar minimum between Cycles 24 and 25 occurring in April 2020 (±6 months). If this solar minimum prediction is correct, it would make Solar Cycle 24 the seventh longest on record at 11.4 years.

Climate scientist David Archibald speculates that the Solar Cycle 24/25 minimum could occur as late as March 2021, and that Cycle 25 maximum might not happen until 2027.

“We are well into the Solar Cycle 24/25 minimum but [Cycle] 24 may not have ended yet,” Archibald said in a December 22 update on the Watts Up With That? website. “A solar cycle isn’t over until the heliospheric current sheet has flattened. And that could be as late as March 2021. Solar cycle amplitude does matter with respect to climate and the amplitude of Solar Cycle 25, from projecting trends from the last three cycles, looks like being about 80 in 2027.”

The Solar Cycle Prediction Panel agreed that Cycle 25 will be of average intensity and similar to Cycle 24.

In an article posted on NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center site, Scott McIntosh, the Director of the High Altitude Observatory at National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), stresses that Solar Cycle 25 will happen, “but a sunspot cycle could be small.”

Predictability comes with some physical understanding of the underlying process, McIntosh asserts. “The sunspot cycle is erratic,” he said in his presentation, “provocative of a chaotic, turbulent solar interior where sunspot progressions with time and latitude are the only tracers…”

Thank you for the news, ARRL!  Two new sunspots may not seem like much - but they're better than nothing. A portent of better conditions to come - something we can all hope for!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Hmmmmm ....... interesting!

From the ARRL:

ARRL to Launch New On the Air Magazine in January

10/17/2019

ARRL is launching a new magazine, On the Air, in January 2020. To be published on a bimonthly basis, On the Air will offer new and beginner-to-intermediate-level radio amateurs a fresh approach to exploring radio communication. Each issue will include advice and insights on topics from the variety of Amateur Radio interests and activities: radio technology, operating, equipment, project building, and emergency communication. The goal of this new magazine is to be a vital resource in helping new and newer radio amateurs get active and involved in radio communications.

“On the Air responds to the brand new and not-so-brand-new radio amateur seeking ideas and answers,” said QST Managing Editor Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY. Schoenfeld is part of the ARRL staff team that developed the new magazine. The planning included an extensive national-level study of new Amateur Radio licensees, identifying their motivations for getting licensed and their experiences of getting started. A focus group responded positively to a trial sample edition of the magazine.

“Too many new licensees never take the next step,” says Schoenfeld. “We’re excited to introduce a new Amateur Radio magazine for this audience, aimed at getting them active, getting them involved, and getting them on the air.” 

The first issue of On the Air will be published in January 2020 (January/February issue) and will be introduced as a new ARRL membership benefit. Effective November 1, when eligible US radio amateurs join ARRL or renew their memberships, they will be prompted to select the print magazine of their choice — On the Air or QST. Current members receiving the print edition of QST, upon renewal, may choose to continue receiving the monthly print edition of QST or the print edition of the bimonthly On the Air.

All ARRL members, including international members, will be able to access digital editions of both QST and On the Air. Members who already access QST on the web or from the mobile app will be able to access QST and On the Air starting in January. 

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Thoughts?

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!