Subject: Louisiana Section Managers Newsletter July 2020 LOUISIANA SECTION MANAGERS NEWSLETTER JULY 2020 Silent Keys: Paul Strickland, WB9SUG Roger Ley, WA9PZL William “Hank†Toohey, N5ITX Below is listed in August 2020 QST: Cletus P. “Clete†Bauer, N4MPI Mary L. McDonald, WB5LBR Andrew L. “Andy†Pedneau, KD5LNU Elgin W. Austin, WA5NB Arrisia G. Sorey, KA8WZO New Hams: Report for 2020-07-02 Judah D Wolf, KI5JOA Destrehan, LA 70047-2510 Christian P Counts, KI5JLF Gretna, LA 70053-3124 Johnathan D Breaux, KI5JKQ Marrero, LA 70072-6522 Christopher Orban, KI5JLL New Orleans, LA 70115-2401 Will Trufant, KI5JKA New Orleans, LA 70117-7824 Rebecca E Workman, KI5JIO New Orleans, LA 70118-1917 Daniel Tullemans, KI5JJR New Orleans, LA 70119-5826 John D Rawlins, KI5JJQ New Orleans, LA 70122-5401 Thomas W Steffen, KI5JIP New Orleans, LA 70124-1760 David B Guidry, KI5JJO Lake Charles, LA 70611-6224 Daniel J Hebert, KI5JIR Brusly, LA 70719 Michael P Laxen, KI5JHN Walker, LA 70785-5221 Sabrina V Huezo, KI5JNY Baton Rouge, LA 70808-7029 Christopher Reine, KI5JSE Baton Rouge, LA 70809-2828 Walter D Stampley, KI5JIS Baton Rouge, LA 70810-1627 Matthew Vicari, KI5JNZ Baton Rouge, LA 70815-6246 Michael Evans, KI5JLC Greenwood, LA 71033-3329 Perry A Culver, KI5JRH Shreveport, LA 71105-2022 Eric A Reedy, KI5JSZ Shreveport, LA 71105-4238 Gary W Lowder, KI5JIV Eros, LA 71238-8375 Upgraded Licenses: Report for 2020-07-02 Mark A Ferreira, KI5IVH New Orleans, LA 70118-1917 Ronnie P Voorhies, KI5HBA Madisonville, LA 70447-3269 David Keesling, KI5JQU Lake Charles, LA 70601-3126 Myron C Brown, KI5ARK Lake Charles, LA 70605-2311 Glen A Guidry, WB5WSK Ragley, LA 70657-5912 Dawson G Andrews, KI5IMY French Settlement, LA 70733-2540 New/Renewed ARRL Members: Report for 2020-07-02 Christian P Counts, KI5JLF Gretna, LA 70053-3124 Dennis A Barhorst, N5QVU Gretna, LA 70056-5231 Austin Fellows, KF5SOA Gretna, LA 70056-5237 Christopher Orban, KI5JLL New Orleans, LA 70115-2401 Salvador Suau, KP4ENU New Orleans, LA 70124-3307 Edward A Sicard, K5AZR Folsom, LA 70437-3229 Daniel D Marsalone, AE5XK Mandeville, LA 70448-7042 James D Dillon, N0KWA Talisheek, LA 70464-0015 Tom Maher, N9ESR Mandeville, LA 70471-3605 Thomas M Chapman, KF5HDK Lake Charles, LA 70607-3651 David S Dancer Deridder, LA 70634-3427 Andrew K Kearney, N5YGJ Baton Rouge, LA 70809-3900 James R Giammanco, N5IB Baton Rouge, LA 70810-1134 Dennis D Watters, WB0TAX Elm Grove, LA 71051-8053 Henry Felan Shreveport, LA 71105-4203 Robert W Mc Donald, WB5CMI Bossier City, LA 71111-4822 Terry J Peek, KD5BIO Bossier City, LA 71112-3705 Vance K Thomas, N5DUH Bossier City, LA 71112-8713 William F Hensel, K5KYD Alexandria, LA 71303-7741 John Gregory, KF5HLF Gorum, LA 71434-0053 FROM THE ARRL: The July/August Issue of Digital QEX is Now Available! 06/19/2020 The July/August issue of Digital QEX is now available for viewing on your desktop or laptop. Click here to go the ARRL Magazines page and scroll down to access this and other ARRL publications. QEX is also available for reading on your Apple, Android, or Kindle Fire device. In this issue: â— Gene Marcus W3PM/GM4YRE, builds a project that includes a two-channel VFO, WSPR source, frequency counter, and a clock. â— Steve Franke, K9AN; Bill Somerville, G4WJS; and Joe Taylor, K1JT, describe the FT4 and FT8 digital modes implemented in WSJT-X. â— Steve Stearns, K6OIK, discusses the crest factor of sinusoidal electromagnetic fields. … and much more! Rescued Radio Amateur Says, “Ham Radio Saved My Life†06/22/2020 ARRL member Alden Sumner Jones IV, KC1JWR, of Bennington, Vermont, is thankful for amateur radio, after he suffered a medical incident and lost consciousness on June 15 while hiking with others along a remote section of the Long Trail, not far from his home. An EMT from Appalachian Mountain Rescue (AMR), who was hiking nearby, saw Jones pass out but was unable to connect with 911 via his cell phone. Jones, 41, regained consciousness and was successful in contacting Ron Wonderlick, AG1W, via the Northern Berkshire Amateur Radio Club’s K1FFK repeater on Mount Greylock, and Wonderlick initiated what turned into an 8-hour effort to get Jones off the trail and to a medical facility, acting as a relay among Jones, emergency crews, and other agencies involved. As the Bennington Post reported, “The Vermont State Police also received assistance from several licensed amateur radio operators who helped facilitate communications, greatly assisting in the rescue.†Matthew Sacco, KC1JPU, headed to a staging area where rescue crews were gathering. When he could not make it into the repeater, he employed some ham radio ingenuity to fashion a J-pole antenna from some window line he had on hand, casting it into a tree using a fishing pole. That did the trick. An individual on site was able to obtain an accurate location for Jones using the GPS on his cell phone. After it was determined that rescuers could not reach Jones using an all-terrain vehicle, arrangements were made to have a search-and-rescue crew from New York retrieve Jones by helicopter. Amateur radio participants were able to relay critical information, including an accurate location, as preparations continued. Jones, meanwhile, took advantage of his time with the EMT and other rescuers to talk up amateur radio and explaining how to get licensed. According to one account, rescuers were having trouble making contact with the helicopter, so Jones loaned them a better antenna he happened to have. Jones was eventually flown to a hospital in Albany, New York, again taking advantage of the occasion to promote amateur radio to the helicopter pilot and crew. Jones is said to be recovering. “Ham radio saved my life last night, and I am very thankful for how everyone helped me,†Jones said afterward. Registration Open, Plans Firming Up for ARRL-TAPR Digital Communications Conference 06/23/2020 Registration is open for the 30th annual ARRL-TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC), which will be a virtual event later this year. The conference is planned for Friday and Saturday, September 11 – 12, with activities starting at 1300 UTC and ending at 2130 UTC. Tentative plans call for having 26 half-hour timeslots. “We will be encouraging talks from all around the world,†said Steve Bible, N7HPR, of TAPR, who explained that times will be arranged to favor European attendees in their afternoon. Bible said participating speakers may submit a recorded presentation, if they wish. The plan is for a 20-minute talk followed by a question-and-answer session. An updated speaker schedule will be on the DCC web page. “We also plan 15-minute slots for shorter topics, such as the lightning talks that we have at the in-person DCC,†he added. “These shorter slots also provide opportunities for demonstrations of projects and ideas.†WSJT-X Update Released 06/23/2020 The digital modes suite WSJT-X version 2.2.2 has been released. The update is a bug-fix release. The primary change is to incorporate the new Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) Prince Edward Island (PE) Section PE into the FT8/FT4/MSK144 contest mode for ARRL Field Day. Operators planning to be on the air for Field Day should upgrade to this version to enable accurate logging. Another change: the FT8 decoder has been sped up in “normal†and “fast†modes. This offers a decoding speed closer to that of version 2.1.2 without compromising the number of decodes. It is particularly targeted for slower, single-board computers, such as the Raspberry Pi Model 3 or similar. Also, the DX grid field now clears automatically whenever the DX call field is changed. ARRL to Hold National Convention at Orlando HamCation in February 2021 06/23/2020 ARRL has announced that Orlando HamCation® will host the 2021 ARRL National Convention in Orlando, Florida, February 11 – 14. The convention will mark the 75th anniversary of HamCation— one of the largest annual ham radio gatherings. The convention theme, “reDiscover Radio,†is a rallying call for radio amateurs committed to developing knowledge and skills in radio technology and radio communication. The convention will kick off on Thursday, February, 11 with a series of day-long ARRL Training Tracks and a National Convention luncheon at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Orlando at SeaWorld. A complete program and list of presenters will be available later this summer. Registration will open in the fall. HamCation will host the rest of the convention Friday – Sunday, February 12 – 14, at the Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park in Orlando. HamCation is sponsored by the Orlando Amateur Radio Club (OARC), an ARRL-affiliated club. OARC is supported by volunteers from radio clubs throughout the region. This year, an estimated 24,200 people attended all 3 days of the event. Details on tickets and information about forums, exhibits (including information for vendors and tailgaters), testing, travel, and preferred hotels with special rates are on the HamCation website. Online ticket sales begin in August. Tickets purchased (postmarked) by December 1, 2020, will cost $15 and are valid for all 3 days. ARRL and HamCation acknowledge that this year’s pandemic has introduced uncertainty into any long-term planning. Both organizations will follow all government and health requirements and guidelines as plans are committed for the 2021 event. QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo Set for August 06/24/2020 QSO Today podcast host Eric Guth, 4Z1UG/WA6IGR, has announced that the first QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo will take place Saturday and Sunday, August 8 – 9. Attendance is free to all, registration is open, and there are early bird prizes for registering now. Built on a live, virtual reality platform used by Fortune 500 companies and major universities, the ARRL-sanctioned hamfest will feature a lineup of well-known speakers. Guth and his team, including George Zafiropoulos, KJ6VU, have assembled more than 50 of the best ham radio mentors in multiple tracks to address this conference from the virtual Expo’s auditorium. Presenters will include Ward Silver, N0AX, on grounding and bonding; Glenn Johnson, W0GJ, on DXpeditions, and John Portune, W6NBC, on building slot antennas for antenna-restricted locations. Demonstrations of new amateur radio gear will be presented, and attendees can speak with exhibitors via video/audio or chat, as well as interact with others online. “This platform simulates a full convention experience, with an exhibit hall and exhibit booths staffed by live attendants, speaker auditorium, lobby, and lounges,†the announcement said. Guth, an ARRL member, decided to go forward with the virtual event after many in-person ham radio conventions were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. ARRL will be among the exhibitors filling the virtual exhibit hall. Attendees will be able to share ideas and network with each other via the virtual platform. Following the 48-hour live event, audio/video from presentations and resources published by exhibitors will remain available to registrants on demand for 30 days. MARS Announces HF Skills Exercise 06/26/2020 Members of the Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) will conduct an HF skills exercise July 20 – 24 to hone their operating skills and messaging-handling capabilities. MARS members will be reaching out to the amateur radio community via the 60-meters Channel 1 Net (5330.5 kHz dial) twice a day, the SATERN HF net (14.265 MHz), and by contacting various stations via HFLink throughout the exercise. MARS members will be requesting assistance with collecting county status information as well as airport weather information, called METARs. MARS members will also be passing ICS 213 messages to numerous Department of Defense (DoD), federal, and amateur radio addressees. This exercise will be announced via WWV at 00:10 and via WWVH at 00:50 starting on or about July 13. WWV and WWVH listeners will be asked to take an online listener survey. This HF radio training event will not impact regular communications. — Thanks to Paul English, Chief, Army MARS Maritime Mobile Service Network Comes to the Aid of Vessel in Distress 07/06/2020 The Maritime Mobile Service Net (MMSN) on 14.300 MHz came to the assistance of a sailing vessel on June 25. MMSN control operator Steven Carpenter, K9UA, took a call on 20 meters from Ian Cummings, KB4SG, the skipper of the Mystic Lady, then some 40 miles east of Florida. Cummings reported that his engine had failed as he was attempting to return to his home port of Stuart, Florida. He not only had insufficient wind, but a strong current was carrying the vessel out to sea. Cummings had been unable to reach any station via his VHF marine radio, since he was too far from the coast. Assisting in the call was Robert Wynhoff, K5HUT, also an MMSN net control operator. Cummings said his vessel, with one passenger on board, was drifting northwest toward the South Carolina coast. “A major concern was that the vessel was heading directly towards a lee shore,†the MMSN reported. “Lee shores are shallow, dangerous areas which are a hazard to watercraft. Vessels could be pushed into the shallow area by the wind, possibly running aground and breaking up.†Carpenter contacted Cummings’ family, who had already called the Sea Tow marine towing service. Sea Tow advised Carpenter to tell the captain to head closer to shore by sailing west, if possible. Carpenter told Cummings that if he was unable to get nearer to shore, he would notify the US Coast Guard, which was already monitoring the situation. As the MMSN reported, “The Mystic Lady was able to make some headway, but it was very slow. Members of the MMSN made additional calls via landline to the captain’s family as to the ongoing status of those on board. The family was concerned but relieved that communication was established and that all were well.†Several hours later, the captain advised that the wind had picked up, allowing him to head close enough to shore for Sea Tow to reach the vessel and take it back to port. The Pacific Seafarers’ Net, which monitors 14.300 MHz from the West Coast after the MMSN secures at 0200 UTC, kept in touch with the Mystic Lady into the night while it was under tow. The tired, grateful captain later messaged the net, “A million thanks to everyone last night who helped rescue us on 14.300. Everyone chipped in as we drifted north in the Gulf Stream 60 miles headed to a lee shore. The MMSN net control and several others stayed with us for hours, phoned people, and were immensely helpful. The situation on board was dangerous. We are now safely under tow home. You folks are amazing!†In operation since 1968, the MMSN monitors 14.300 MHz 70 hours a week to assist vessels and others in need of assistance. — Thanks to MMSN Net Manager Jeff Savasta, KB4JKL Introducing The ARRL Current 07/09/2020 ARRL has a new way to let members know when the digital editions of QST and other publications are available. Distributed via email, The ARRL Current offers a monthly overview of ARRL publications and member benefits. The inaugural edition launched in June. AMSAT-DL Submits Lunar Lander Proposal to European Space Agency 07/13/2020 Germany’s amateur satellite organization AMSAT-DL has submitted a comprehensive proposal to the European Space Agency (ESA) for its Lunar Amateur Radio Transponder (LunART) lunar lander — a communications platform on the Large European Lander to support communication and payload experiments. AMSAT-DL’s Peter Gülzow, DB2OS, and Matthias Bopp, DD1US, say that a LunART (called “LunaART†in the AMSAT-DL proposal) would support direct communication with Earth via amateur radio, support university and student payloads and offer direct access to their experiments, and expand the reach of radio science. It could also provide backup communication capability and capacity during an emergency, or when the ESA network is busy. The comprehensive radio platform would use the European frequency protocol of 2.4 GHz up and 10.45 GHz down (approximately 100 W), pioneered in the QO-100 satellite, the first geosynchronous amateur radio payload. The platform would also include a VHF/UHF transponder. AMSAT-DL would develop and build the necessary hardware and software and provide ground station support via the 20-meter dish at AMSAT-DL headquarters in Bochum, Germany. They envision developing a smaller ground station with an approximately 1-meter dish to support groups, including schools and universities. Low-power beacons would transmit on various frequencies from VHF (145 MHz) through SHF (up to 24 GHz or even 47 GHz), AMSAT-DL’s proposal says. “This transponder would also be an ideal platform to develop new transmission schemes with novel modulation and coding techniques optimized for long-distance communications with the corresponding high latency (long delays),†AMSAT-DL said. “This would provide essential knowledge in preparation of a future Mars mission.†In addition, LunART could include the capability to transmit still or slow-scan television images and video to schools “from cameras attached to the lander monitoring the moon surface and perhaps the Earth in the background [which] would be ideal stimuli for getting school kids and STEM organizations further interested in space.†The proposal is on open access at the ESA website and is now being evaluated. AMSAT-DL’s LunART follows the Lunar Amateur Radio Interaction Experiment (LARIE) proposal from Andy Thomas, G0SFJ. Both refer to weak signal modes and suggest the same frequency bands. Thomas said he welcomes LunART as a well-developed proposal and hopes ESA will support it as well. — Thanks to Southgate Amateur Radio News, AMSAT-DL, and ESA ARRL Seeks Awards and Programs Assistant 07/09/2020 ARRL has invited applications for the position of Awards and Programs Assistant at ARRL Headquarters in Newington, Connecticut. This is a full-time, non-exempt opening in the Radiosport and Field Services Department. The pay range is from $16.08 to 19.30 per hour. The Awards and Programs Assistant assists with all Radiosport and Field Services Department activities, with an initial priority on Logbook of The World (LoTW) support. Other duties may involve supporting DXCC and other awards programs, W1AW operations, and contest program and field service support. This individual also may be assigned special projects and would represent ARRL in public forums worldwide. The successful candidate should have a well-rounded knowledge of amateur radio, an Amateur Extra-class license, and 2 years of operating experience; the ability to quickly understand and explain software functionality, and proficiency in keyboarding and data entry. This individual should have attained DXCC, regularly submit contest logs to sponsors, use LoTW, and be able to resolve issues efficiently. A bachelor’s degree is preferred. The ideal candidate will have excellent interpersonal, telephone, and listening skills and be proficient in public presentations. Some overnight travel may be required. To apply, submit a cover letter and resume via mail, email, or fax to ARRL, c/o Monique Levesque, 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111 (fax 860-594 -0298). For complete position information, visit ARRL Employment Opportunities and scroll down to “Awards and Programs Assistant.†ARRL is an equal opportunity employer. Former North Texas Section Manager Tom Blackwell, N5GAR, SK 07/14/2020 Former North Texas Section Manager Tom Blackwell, N5GAR, of Dallas, Texas, died on May 14. An ARRL Life Member, he was 65. Blackwell served as North Texas SM from 2005 until 2009. Blackwell graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in the College of Business Administration. He attended graduate school at the University of Texas at Dallas. He was an original petitioner in the Petition for Rule Making that resulted in a new FCC rule that allowed radio amateurs who are employees of public safety agencies and other entities, such as hospitals, to participate in drills, tests, and exercises in preparation for such emergency situations and to transmit messages on behalf of their employers during such drills and tests under “certain limited conditions.†During his tenure as Section Manager, Blackwell served as State Government Liaison, Public Information Officer, and Technical Specialist. FCC Announces Closing of Filing Window at its Headquarters 07/14/2020 The FCC permanently closed its filing location at FCC Headquarters — Open Window Counter, 445 12th Street SW, Room, TW-A325, Washington, DC 20554 — effective on July 7. This change is for security measures, and in anticipation of the upcoming FCC Headquarters move. Hand-carried documents will no longer be accepted at the FCC Headquarters. After COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, 9050 Junction Drive, Annapolis Junction, Maryland 20701, will be the only location where hand-carried documents for the FCC will be accepted. The filing window for hand-carried documents will be open from 8 AM until 4 PM, Monday through Friday. “These changes are being made to enhance security measures and in conjunction with the Commission’s upcoming relocation to a new headquarters building located at 45 L Street NE, Washington, DC 20554, which is scheduled to occur later this year,†the FCC said in announcing the change. International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend on Track for 2020 07/15/2020 Registrations for this year’s popular International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend (ILLW) appear to have been largely unaffected by the current COVID-19 pandemic. The event will take place this year over the August 22 – 23 weekend. By mid-July, more than 200 entries had been received, and some 400 are expected to have signed up by the event weekend. New to this year’s event is Corsica at Phare d’Alistro, which for ILLW purposes carries the French number of FR0030. Two lighthouses in Ghana will be on the air for the first time, as well as Buck Island Lighthouse in the US Virgin Islands (VI0001). Germany is well in the lead with 54 entries, followed by Australia with 29 entries, and the US with 27 entries. This event is designed as a fun weekend to encourage exposure to amateur radio and lighthouses to the visiting public, and ILLW stresses contacts should be more than just an exchange of signal reports. All participants are urged to observe local COVID-19 safety guidelines. —Thanks to Kevin Mulcahey, VK2CE Radio Club of America Announces 2020 Award Recipients and Fellows 07/17/2020 The Radio Club of America (RCA) has announced its 2020 award recipients and fellows, several of whom are radio amateurs. Recipients and fellows will be celebrated at RCA’s 111th Banquet & Awards Presentation on Friday, November 20, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. • Barry Goldwater Award: Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, for unique contributions to the field of amateur radio. • Edgar F. Johnson Pioneer Citation Award: Tokuzo Inoue, JA3FA, for noteworthy contributions to the success of the radio industry. • The Jack Poppele Award: John Schadler for important and long-term contributions to the field of radio broadcasting. • The Jay Kitchen Leadership Award: Michael T.N. Fitch in recognition of achievement of a high level of success leading a wireless association. • The Ralph Batcher Memorial Award: Eric P. Wenaas, Ph. D., for significant work in preserving the history of radio and electronic communications. • RCA President’s Award: Ron Jakubowski, K2RJ, for service and dedication to the Radio Club of America. • RCA Special Services Award: Ernie Blair, WA4BPS, to recognize an RCA member who has performed significant work to advance the goals and objectives of the Radio Club of America. • The Sarnoff Citation: Robert Rouleau, VE2P, and Norman Pearl, VE2BQS, for exceptional contributions of a technical or non-technical nature to the advancement of electronic communications. • US Navy Captain George P. McGinnis Memorial Award: CTRCM John A. “Gus†Gustafson, USN (Ret.) for service and dedication to the advancement and preservation of US Naval Cryptology, as nominated by the US Naval Cryptologic Veterans Association (NCVA). • The Vivian Carr Award: Emily Calandrelli, KD8PKR, in recognition of an outstanding woman’s achievements in the wireless industry. 2020 RCA Fellows Elevation to Fellow is made by nomination of members in good standing for at least 5 years, in recognition of contributions to the art and science of radio communications, broadcast, or to the Radio Club of America. • Jim Bugel • Raymond L. Grimes, N8RG • Tracey M. Hilburn • Paul A. Scutieri • Alan S. Tilles • David Witkowski, W6DTW A complete listing of RCA awards and previous recipients is on the RCA website. Field Day 2020 is Shaping Up to be One for the Record Books 07/16/2020 ARRL Contest Program Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE, reported that ARRL has received more than 8,700 online Field Day entries by mid-week, and paper-only entries have started arriving too. “As many participants chose to operate from home this year — and given the 2020 rules waivers, we have seen a tremendous increase in entries over last year’s event,†Bourque said. “Most of the entries received have been through the online web app, and Headquarters staffers have begun processing the paper entries this week. The 2020 waivers allowed individual club members to attribute their scores to their clubs. Participants who submitted entries online are encouraged to check the Field Day entries received page to verify that their entries are marked as complete, and that the club name entered is correct. Entries with a status of “pending†are incomplete entries that are missing one or more items, and these need to be completed for an official entry. Share your stories and photos using the ARRL soapbox or via social media, such as on the ARRL Field Day Facebook group. http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter?issue=2020-06-25 http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter?issue=2020-07-02 http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter?issue=2020-07-09 http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter?issue=2020-07-16 FROM AROUND THE SECTION: Section Traffic Managers Report: Sessions QNI QTC QTR 17. 717 38. 485 73, Jimmy Lewis AB5YS Louisiana Section Traffic Manager Section Emergency Coordinators Report: 1. ARRL Section: Louisiana 2. Month: June 3. Year: 2020 4. Total number of ARES members: 394 5. Number of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 9 6. Number of ARES nets active: 64 7. Number of nets with NTS liaison: 2 8. Calls of DECs/EC reporting: W4NDF NS5W KD5BNH KE5BMS AG5LR KD5DFL W5GAS KD5IGZ KE5GMN 9a. Number of exercises & training sessions this month: 31 9b. Person hours: 463 10a. Number of public service events this month: 1 10b. Person hours: 3 11a. Number of emergency operations this month: 0 11b. Person hours: 0 12a. Number of SKYWARN operations this month: 6 12b. Person hours: 137 13a. Auto Sum 9a, 10a, 11a, 12a: 38 13b. Auto Sum 9b, 10b, 11b, 12b: 603 Jim Coleman, AI5B Section Emergency Coordinator http://www.arrl.org/ares-el?issue=2020-06-17 http://www.arrl.org/ares-el?issue=2020-07-15 Effective immediately the following appointments are made for the Louisiana Section ARES: Region 5 ADEC Jimmy Miller, N0MSW. Region 8 EC Ouachita Parish Ricky Little, KI5GEI. Kevin Thomas, W5KGT is stepping into the role of AEC Ouachita Parish from EC to allow more time for other activities but will remain active in ARES. Thanks to Jimmy, Ricky and Kevin. Region 4: From: Volume 60, Number 07 ACADIANA AMATEUR RADIO ASSOC., INC. - July 2020 A Message From Chris Ancelet N5MCY June 2020 Field Day: We all understand that with the current state of affairs, many folks were unable to attend the AARA Field Day on June 27th and 28th. We also respect the decisions that many of you chose for this event. Whether you operated from home or attended the AARA Field day, I am certain that everyone made several contacts across the USA. The AARA would like to extend a special thanks to Mr. & Mrs. Steve Webre for allowing their property to be transformed into an antenna farm for the 24-hour event. It was an absolute pleasure to set up in a low noise area and gain some additional function from your portable set up. Overall the event was a success and we had a great turnout of over 25 people. When you combine Friends, Food, & Fellowship, you will always have a winning combination. We were spared by rain showers even though we had a few rumbles of thunder in the distance – we were not, however, spared from the heat and humidity. We are looking forward to future club events and we certainly hope to see you there. Veteran’s Day Special Event Station: As of June 29, 2020, this event is still being viewed as a possible cancellation. Due to the COVID virus, the Veteran’s facility has been keeping a close eye on visitation and at this point there is no end in sight. The staff has informed me that in the event they begin to relax the visitation restrictions, they will let us know because our presence is a big hit with the residents. July 2020 General Club Meeting: We will be hosting the July General Club Net on Thursday July 2nd on the air. Please join us as we will begin taking early check-ins beginning at 6:30 PM until the start of the net. This will expedite time spent checking in and allow time for a Field Day recap and general club information. 147.040 MHz + 0.600 PL 103.5 W5EXI Chris Ancelet N5MCY Wasn't a large turn out for testing but we did wind up with an upgrade to General. The upgrades was Ronald Bertucci ~ KI5AGS ~ of Lafayette. The VEs in attendance were Greg - K5LFT, Michael - KI5ARX & Chris - N5MCY (1st test session ever) Great big TNX to the VES and congratulations to Ronald. Birthdays: 07-02 WA5KNC Eugene 07-04 KI5JMD Jake 07-19 AI5O Stephen 07-22 KI5DHK Andrew 07-23 WB5GAF Ralph 07-28 KE5AHD Greg 08-06 W9HUT Alton 08-07 KF5PCH Jackie 08-09 KF5FNP Glen Acadiana Amateur Radio Assoc., Inc. P. O. Box 51174 Lafayette, LA 70505-1174 Website: http://www.w5ddl.org CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL COOKIES (Easy) Ingredients: (can be doubled) 1 Cup of brown sugar 3 Tablespoons white corn syrup 3 Cups of oatmeal 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 1 Cup of chocolate chip morsels (I use semi-sweet milk chocolate but you could use dark chocolate**. 1/2 Cup of margarine 3/4 Cup of peanut butter 1/2 Cup of roasted chopped peanuts or pecans Melt margarine and sugar in a saucepan. Add in all other ingredients and melt together under low heat or in a double-boiler. Drop by spoonsful onto parchment paper and put in freezer. LO-CAL----HA,HA,HA **Note: Can use 1-3/4 cup of combined chocolate/peanut butter chips. Region 6: From: The BRASS KEY July 2020 The Prez Sez….. July 2020 We will not have a club Field Day at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Outdoor Education Center in Woodworth. Per current guidelines from the state government, we cannot operate inside the building or stay overnight at the facility. I encourage you to operate Field Day under your own call sign, with the privileges specified for your license, and submit the results to ARRL. You can do this and specify credit to go to Central Louisiana Amateur Radio Club. The information on how to do that is contained in a recent e-mail from our club secretary, Lisa, KW5LC. Remember to spell out Central Louisiana Amateur Radio Club correctly and with no abbreviations. During all of the health and social chaos and the no-sun-spot-non-stellar propagation, there have been enough openings on 6m through 40m to make life interesting. Thank goodness we have amateur radio and the ability to communicate with people, who are more or less in the same boat we are in, just about anywhere from the comfort of homes or our vehicles. Despite the best efforts of 2020 to make life miserable, we plan to have a club meeting on Tuesday, July 7, and to conduct VEC testing. The venue will be the Fellowship Hall at First Baptist Church Pineville. This room is large, and we can spread out. We will send an e-mail with details. Get on the air, and stay safe. Vy 73 DX John N5CM CLARC congratulates our own who again qualified for the ARRL Certificate of Code Proficiency, improving to 15 words per minute! Check out the July issue of QST Magazine, Page 86. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, STACEY!!! REGION 6 ARES COORDINATOR SEEKING HELP As most of you know I am the Region 6 District Emergency Coordinator for Amateur Radio Emergency Services. I am looking for help. We have positions open for Emergency Coordinators as well as regular ARES members. If you are interested please contact me at kd5dfl@hotmail.com. I met with our Louisiana ARRL Public Information Coordinator, Joe Holland, KB5VJY on Thursday, June 18th, in Pineville. Joe is from West Monroe and would love to hear from any of our club members regarding anything ham radio. If you are putting up an antenna, working on a radio, participating in an event, please email me whatever you have and I'll forward it to Joe for the ARRL monthly newsletter. 73, Scott Wren, KD5DFL La. ARRL ARES DEC NOTICE: CLARC Sunday Evening Prayer Net to be Suspended The Central Louisiana Amateur Radio Club Prayer Net will be suspended following the net Sunday, June 28. An e-mail was sent to club members on 06/10/20 requesting new net control operators to volunteer to serve. There were no responses to that e-mail. When sufficient members volunteer to serve as net control operators and one member as a net coordinator, operation of the Prayer Net will resume. John N5CM CLARC President From: The BRASS KEY August 2020 The Prez Sez…… August 2020 We plan to hold the August meeting on Tuesday, 08-04-20, at the usual time. We will announce a location when those details have been secured. We will communicate with Jim, AE5ZE, to determine if testing will be available, and we will announce that information as well. Some of you have expressed an interest in CW. I would encourage you to check out the Straight Key Century Club (SKCC). Membership is free and registration can be handled easily online. The group is very welcoming and accommodating to new folks. Code speeds are slow to moderate. The requirement is that the code must be mechanically generated, no keyers or paddles. Members can use a straight key, a bug, and a side swiper, also known as a “cootieâ€. The website for SKCC is: https://www.skccgroup.com. In a typical SKCC QSO, operators exchange the following information: QTH (state), name, and SKCC number. SKCC frequencies (MHz) are: 50.090, 28.050, 28.114, 24.910, 21.050, 18.080, 14.050, 14.114, 10.120, 7.055, 7.120, 3.530, and 3.550. Take a listen when you get a chance. On 07-14-20 at 00:40 UTC, I worked Dave, K7TRT, in Billings, MT on 10.120 MHz. It was my pleasure to be his first QSO as a new member of SKCC. He was using an FT-891, a 130-foot long wire, and an old Soviet army key that he bought recently. He was a bit apologetic about his fist (ability to send code), but it sounded good to me… gud copy. SKCC is a good place to get your feet wet in CW. Because I was apprehensive about my CW skills, I joined a little while after I got back on the air in February 2018. If you want to look at this way, it is a “safe space†for new and returning CW operators. Members range from complete newbies to well- seasoned, and accomplished CW operators like Bert, W5ZR, in St. Martinsville. I’ve heard Bert hang with the high-speed contesters, but when he’s on SKCC, he takes it easy. Well, we look forward to seeing you in August assuming your circumstances will permit it. Get on the air, and stay safe. Vy 73 DX John N5C Region 9: From: The SELARC "Hamster" Vol. 47, No. 7 ......................... July 2020 Hammond VE Group - ARRL/W5YI - The Hammond VE Group has changed names to: Florida Parishes VE Group. Testing sessions are now held at the new permanent location: AmVets Post #68; 26890 Hwy 42b (jct. of Hwys 42 and 43) - Springfield, La. 70462 (approximately 3 miles south of I-12 at exit 32) Sessions are still held on the last Sunday of each month at 2:00 pm ! K5R Special Event Scott KD5PCK has secured the 1x1 event callsign K5R for August 28 - 30, 2020, the Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina; looking for people interested and hoping to run the special event at the Community Center this year. Community News / Announcements Sadly, Paul Strickland WB9SUG of the Ozone Amateur Radio Club and a past EC / organizer of St. Tammany Parish's ARES group - became a silent key on July 6, 2020. ( http://w5sla.net/sk.htm ) A new Fusion repeater is up and running down in Manchac on 444.875 + with a DG ID of 01. Yesterday the node became active which ties the repeater into the DWARN.org network. The repeater callsign is under KD5KNZ. The node is being hosted by KI5FMA in Hammond. Happy Birthday Birthday Wishes for July go out to - Roger KG5WQI, Michael KE5KMH If we missed your birthday, then please let us know. Get Well Soon — Best wishes for continued recuperation go to SELARC members Tom Simpson N5HAY and Homer Jones KA5TRT. We look forward to hearing you on the air! VE Session Results Florida Parishes VE Group - 28 June, 2020 VE Session Congratulations to the following "NEW" Amateur Radio Operators and upgrades!! Technician Lawrence Gallup - Clinton, La. Lawrence Lima / KI5JVY - Hammond, La. Bryan Vincent / KI5JWA - Covington, La. Stephen Thieneman / KI5JVZ - New Orleans, La. James Soileau / KI5JWB - Mandeville, La. David Burnstad / KI5JWD - New Orleans, La. General Westin Cobb / KI5FRF - Pine Grove, La. Justin Cline / N5ZCW - Baton Rouge, La. Robert Lennon / KI5JWC - Bay st. Louis, Ms. Chris Orban / KI5JLL - New Orleans, La. Many thanks to the faithful VEs' who take the time to come out and help with these sessions and make then a success!!! We could not give exams for Extra class because we lacked the third Extra class VE needed!! Please if you are an Extra class licensee, then please consider becoming a VE with our group!!! 73 Tyrone Burns - N5XES - ARRL VE Liason Everyone stay safe and hydrated! -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL Louisiana Section Section Manager: John Mark Robertson, K5JMR k5jmr@arrl.org --------------------------------------------------------------------
Month: August 2020
LOUISIANA SECTION MANAGERS NEWSLETTER JUNE 2020
LOUISIANA SECTION MANAGERS NEWSLETTER JUNE 2020 SILENT KEYS: Andy Pedneau, KD5LNU NEW HAMS: Welcome to the hobby! Report for 2020-06-02 Gilberto Rodriguez-Cruz, KI5IZZ Hammond, LA 70403-4722 Stephen J Fortunato, KI5JAA Covington, LA 70433-4528 Timothy J Zenner, KI5JAB Mandeville, LA 70471-6730 Kathleen M Boudreaux, KI5IWU Lafayette, LA 70503-5220 Burke Huner, AG5ZA Lafayette, LA 70508-5372 Rodger L Ballard, KI5IYV Ragley, LA 70657-3111 Ronald K Page, KI5IZX Holden, LA 70744-0021 Cid I Dillard, KI5IZY Baton Rouge, LA 70809-6700 Jerre A Hurst, KI5IXO Bastrop, LA 71220-6870 James L Longsworth, KI5JBK Leesville, LA 71446-4110 Nicholas De La Portilla, KI5JBL LEESVILLE, LA 71448 UPGRADED LICENSES: Congratulations! Report for 2020-06-02 Brandon D Willmott, KI5IPD Kenner, LA 70065-3219 Thomas B Harang, KF5DKN Thibodaux, LA 70301-3503 Adam J Melancon, KD5QZG Lafayette, LA 70503-4730 Matthew B McKellar, KI5IPZ Lafayette, LA 70506-3634 Jeremy A Hoof, KI5GIY Church Point, LA 70525-4817 Lawrence J Arena, KF5FNT Opelousas, LA 70570-1548 Ryan J Baiad, KI5GZO Lake Charles, LA 70611-4658 Charles R Richardson, KI5ILL Holden, LA 70744-6506 Daniel W Lott, KF5TQN Baton Rouge, LA 70806-6510 Bruce E Eilts, KD5GRC Baton Rouge, LA 70810-1241 NEW/RENEWED ARRL MEMBERS: Welcome/Welcome Back! Report for 2020-06-02 Brian M White, WB5BMW Metairie, LA 70003-7632 Mark A Ferreira, KI5IVH New Orleans, LA 70118-1917 Ned J Plaisance, N5DPL Cut Off, LA 70345-3578 Brian E Wetzel, N5YHM Abita Springs, LA 70420-3417 Ronnie P Voorhies, KI5HBA Madisonville, LA 70447-3269 Matthew Lewis, KI5HQV Mandeville, LA 70448-6289 Steven K Jones, KG5RMY Ponchatoula, LA 70454-4699 George R Macri, KC9BCD Slidell, LA 70458-2218 Timothy J Zenner, KI5JAB Mandeville, LA 70471-6730 Matthew B McKellar, KI5IPZ Lafayette, LA 70506-3634 Shaina K Johnson, KC5FDO Lake Charles, LA 70607-0931 George Carr, KB5ILL Lake Charles, LA 70611-3734 Scott E Wetmore, W5RTO Deridder, LA 70634-9219 Christopher W Fuselier, AF5XP Sulphur, LA 70664-0456 Travis L Tharp, KI5ILN Denham Springs, LA 70726-7279 Joseph M Frederick, KA5VJO Baton Rouge, LA 70806-6848 Charles E Foster, KG5ZLC Baton Rouge, LA 70808-3501 John J Tate, KC5JVY Baton Rouge, LA 70809-1885 Cid I Dillard, KI5IZY Baton Rouge, LA 70809-6700 Darron W Gaddis, KD5QKP Pleasant Hill, LA 71065-4648 Joe S Frazier, N5RRC Shreveport, LA 71107-9251 Sara Howes Bossier City, LA 71111-5839 Van D McCain, AC5DM Ruston, LA 71270-3290 AROUND THE ARRL: Director, Vice Director Nominations Invited in Five ARRL Divisions 05/22/2020 Nominations are being invited in five ARRL Divisions for the volunteer positions of Director and Vice Director, for 3-year terms that start January 1, 2021. Affected Divisions are Atlantic, Dakota, Delta, Great Lakes, and Midwest. A nominee must be at least 21 years old, hold a valid amateur radio licensee, and have been a full ARRL member for a continuous term of at least 4 years immediately preceding nomination. Nominees will be asked to provide information concerning employment, ownership, investment interests, and other financial arrangements to ensure compliance with the Conflict of Interest Policy spelled out in the ARRL Articles of Association and Bylaws. The incumbent Directors and Vice Directors in the affected Divisions are: • Atlantic: Director Tom Abernethy, W3TOM; Vice Director Bob Famiglio, K3RF • Dakota: Director Matt Holden, K0BBC; Vice Director Lynn Nelson, W0ND • Delta: Director David Norris, K5UZ; Vice Director Ed Hudgens, WB4RHQ • Great Lakes: Director Dale Williams, WA8EFK; Vice Director Thomas Delaney, W8WTD • Midwest: Director Rod Blocksome, K0DAS; Vice Director Art Zygielbaum, K0AIZ. Prospective candidates or those planning to nominate an individual should obtain an official nominating petition form, which any full member living in an affected Division may obtain. Send a written request to ARRL to ceo@arrl.org, by noon EDT on August 14, 2020. Using only the official form, a candidate must obtain the signatures of at least 10 full members of the Division and provide information required to determine eligibility. Petitions must reach the ARRL Secretary by noon EDT on Friday, August 21, 2020. The Secretary will notify each candidate of the name and call sign of other candidates for the same office. Candidates will have until Friday, September 4, to submit a 300-word statement and a photo for distribution with the election ballots. If only one eligible candidate is nominated for an office, he or she will be declared elected by the Ethics and Elections Committee. Balloting in Divisions where more than one candidate qualifies to stand for election as Director or Vice Director will take place this fall, with ballots counted on November 20. The formal “Call for Nominations for ARRL Director and Vice Director†appears on page 69 of the July 2020 issue of QST. The Latest Episode of ARRL Audio News is Now Available 05/22/2020 Listen to the new episode of ARRL Audio News on your iOS or Android podcast app, or online at http://www.blubrry.com/arrlaudionews/. Audio News is also retransmitted on a number of FM repeaters. Click here and then scroll down to see the list. Temporary Rule Waivers Announced for 2020 ARRL Field Day 05/28/2020 With one month to go before 2020 ARRL Field Day, June 27 – 28, the ARRL Programs and Services Committee (PSC) has adopted two temporary rule waivers for the event: 1) For Field Day 2020 only, Class D stations may work all other Field Day stations, including other Class D stations, for points. Field Day rule 4.6 defines Class D stations as “Home stations,†including stations operating from permanent or licensed station locations using commercial power. Class D stations ordinarily may only count contacts made with Class A, B, C, E, and F Field Day stations, but the temporary rule waiver for 2020 allows Class D stations to count contacts with other Class D stations for QSO credit. 2) In addition, for 2020 only, an aggregate club score will be published, which will be the sum of all individual entries indicating a specific club (similar to the aggregate score totals used in ARRL affiliated club competitions). Ordinarily, club names are only published in the results for Class A and Class F entries, but the temporary rule waiver for 2020 allows participants from any Class to optionally include a single club name with their submitted results following Field Day. For example, if Podunk Hollow Radio Club members Becky, W1BXY, and Hiram, W1AW, both participate in 2020 Field Day — Hiram from his Class D home station, and Becky from her Class C mobile station — both can include the radio club’s name when reporting their individual results. The published results listing will include individual scores for Hiram and Becky, plus a combined score for all entries identified as Podunk Hollow Radio Club. The temporary rule waivers were adopted by the PSC on May 27, 2020. ARRL Field Day is one of the biggest events on the amateur radio calendar, with over 36,000 participants in 2019, including entries from 3,113 radio clubs and emergency operations centers. In most years, Field Day is also the largest annual demonstration of ham radio, because many radio clubs organize their participation in public places such as parks and schools. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many radio clubs have made decisions to cancel their group participation in ARRL Field Day this year due to public health recommendations and/or requirements, or to significantly modify their participation for safe social distancing practices. The temporary rule waivers allow greater flexibility in recognizing the value of individual and club participation regardless of entry class. ARRL is contacting logging program developers about the temporary rule waivers so developers can release updated versions of their software prior to Field Day weekend. Participants are reminded that the preferred method of submitting entries after Field Day is via the web applet. The ARRL Field Day rules include instructions for submitting entries after the event. Entries must be submitted or postmarked by Tuesday, July 28, 2020. The ARRL Field Day web page includes a series of articles with ideas and advice for adapting participation this year. Temporary Rule Waivers Announced for 2020 ARRL Field Day 05/28/2020 With one month to go before 2020 ARRL Field Day, June 27 – 28, the ARRL Programs and Services Committee (PSC) has adopted two temporary rule waivers for the event: 1) For Field Day 2020 only, Class D stations may work all other Field Day stations, including other Class D stations, for points. Field Day rule 4.6 defines Class D stations as “Home stations,†including stations operating from permanent or licensed station locations using commercial power. Class D stations ordinarily may only count contacts made with Class A, B, C, E, and F Field Day stations, but the temporary rule waiver for 2020 allows Class D stations to count contacts with other Class D stations for QSO credit. 2) In addition, for 2020 only, an aggregate club score will be published, which will be the sum of all individual entries indicating a specific club (similar to the aggregate score totals used in ARRL affiliated club competitions). Ordinarily, club names are only published in the results for Class A and Class F entries, but the temporary rule waiver for 2020 allows participants from any Class to optionally include a single club name with their submitted results following Field Day. For example, if Podunk Hollow Radio Club members Becky, W1BXY, and Hiram, W1AW, both participate in 2020 Field Day — Hiram from his Class D home station, and Becky from her Class C mobile station — both can include the radio club’s name when reporting their individual results. The published results listing will include individual scores for Hiram and Becky, plus a combined score for all entries identified as Podunk Hollow Radio Club. The temporary rule waivers were adopted by the PSC on May 27, 2020. ARRL Field Day is one of the biggest events on the amateur radio calendar, with over 36,000 participants in 2019, including entries from 3,113 radio clubs and emergency operations centers. In most years, Field Day is also the largest annual demonstration of ham radio, because many radio clubs organize their participation in public places such as parks and schools. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many radio clubs have made decisions to cancel their group participation in ARRL Field Day this year due to public health recommendations and/or requirements, or to significantly modify their participation for safe social distancing practices. The temporary rule waivers allow greater flexibility in recognizing the value of individual and club participation regardless of entry class. ARRL is contacting logging program developers about the temporary rule waivers so developers can release updated versions of their software prior to Field Day weekend. Participants are reminded that the preferred method of submitting entries after Field Day is via the web applet. The ARRL Field Day rules include instructions for submitting entries after the event. Entries must be submitted or postmarked by Tuesday, July 28, 2020. The ARRL Field Day web page includes a series of articles with ideas and advice for adapting participation this year. Huntsville Hamfest Canceled 06/04/2020 The 2020 Huntsville Hamfest has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event’s Board of Directors has announced. The Huntsville Hamfest was sanctioned as the 2020 ARRL Southeastern Division Convention. Full refunds to prepaid commercial and flea market vendors will be processed via the mode in which payment was made. Online ticket purchases will be credited to PayPal accounts. Embassy Hotel reservations will be automatically canceled. — Thanks to Hamfest Chairman Mark Brown, N4BCD International Postal Service Disrupted 06/09/2020 The US Postal Service (USPS) has temporarily suspended international mail acceptance for items addressed to certain destinations due to service impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This situation could result in the return or loss of mail, such as QSL cards, addressed to affected parts of the world. The USPS has posted a list of affected countries, which is updated regularly. The Postal Service will, upon request, refund postage and fees on mail bearing a customs stamp that’s returned due to the suspension of service, or the sender may re-mail returned items with existing postage once service has been restored. When re-mailing under this option, customers should cross out the markings “Mail Service Suspended — Return to Sender.†ARRL Contest Program Issues Field Day 2020 FAQ 06/09/2020 The ARRL Contest Program has released some Frequently Asked Questions related to the Field Day temporary rule waivers. On May 28, the ARRL Programs and Services Committee (PSC) adopted these provisions only for the June 27 – 28, 2020, event: (1) Class D stations may work all other Field Day stations, including other Class D stations, for points, and (2) an aggregate club score will be published, which will be the sum of all individual entries that indicate a specific club. Contact the ARRL Contest Program with any questions related to Field Day 2020. Q: Several of our club members are going to operate independently and wish to attribute their scores to the aggregate club score. What call sign should they use? A: Participants should use their own call signs. Except for Class C (mobile) entries, all transmitters, receivers, and antennas must be located within a 1,000-foot-diameter circle may operate using a single call sign. This prohibits the use of a single call sign from more than one location. Under the 2020 waiver, those operating from home, including backyard operations, must use their own station call signs. Multiple home stations operating with a club call sign or modified club call sign, such as W1AW-1, W1AW-2, W1AW-3, etc, are not allowed. Q: How does my club submit an aggregate club score? Does the club need to add up each participating member’s scores and submit a club entry with the aggregate score under the club call sign? A: Each participant will submit his or her own independent entry under his or her call sign. ARRL will calculate the aggregate score based upon the club name entered on the official Field Day entry form via the web applet (preferred method) or on the paper Field Day entry form. In order for results to be tabulated correctly, all club participants must enter the club’s official name exactly the same, avoiding abbreviations or acronyms. This is important! Q: Our group is still planning to operate at the usual Field Day site, but some members do not feel comfortable gathering in a large group this year. Can we still submit an entry using the club call sign, as well as have members operating from home using their own call signs? A: Yes. If your club is still hosting a group Field Day effort, it will submit an entry as usual, using the club call sign. Club members operating at home will submit separate entries with their own call signs and will enter the club name on the entry form for club aggregate scoring. Q: Can a club member operate from home using the club call sign? A: Yes, but the call sign may only be used in one location. The member must receive permission from the trustee of the club call sign. Q: Our club normally enters Field Day in Class A. If we operate from our home stations, in which class should individual members enter in order to be included in the aggregate club score? A: Each member will operate independently and will submit the entry using whatever class that applies to their operation. Typically, home stations running on commercial ac power are Class D, while home stations running on battery, solar, generator, or the like (i.e., not from ac mains) are Class E. When the results are published, each club member will be listed in the results under the class in which they operated. For 2020 only, aggregate club scores will be listed by the club name in a separate listing. Q: Our club will have 10 members operating from home as Class D stations. Should they worry about working the same station on the same band and mode (duplicates)? A: Because members are operating as separate entries using their own call signs, the contacts are not considered duplicates. Q: Does the club need to be an ARRL-affiliated club to participate in Field Day? A: No. All clubs and groups are welcome to participate in ARRL Field Day. Q: How will bonus points be calculated for the aggregate club scores? Can individual club members still earn bonus points? A: All individual scores, including bonus points, will be added together to determine the aggregate club score. Refer to the complete rules to determine eligibility for bonus points. — Thanks to Paul Bourque, N1SFE, ARRL Contest Program Manager Volunteer Monitor Program Recognizes Good Operators 06/11/2020 Volunteer Monitor Program Coordinator Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, said the program has recognized numerous radio amateurs with Good Operator Notices. “One facet of the ARRL and FCC agreement that set up the Volunteer Monitor Program calls for ARRL to recognize especially good amateur radio behavior, in order to encourage compliance with FCC rules and further the efficiency of the Amateur Radio Service,†Hollingsworth said. “Seventeen operators in 15 states received Good Operator Notices in the first quarter of 2020. The Good Operator Notices went to veteran operators as well as newcomers, including a 13-year-old in North Carolina for CW operation during the Youth on the Air Special Event, and a 14-year-old in Wyoming for SSB operation.†Hollingsworth also said that a 2-meter repeater operator received a Good Operator Report for establishing and managing a COVID-19 net in Pennsylvania, while other operators of various license classes received notices for everyday SSB and CW operation on the HF bands. Recipients were nominated on the basis of operation observed by Volunteer Monitors. According to Hollingsworth, Volunteer Monitors reported 2,035 hours monitoring on HF monitoring, and 2,856 hours monitoring on VHF/UHF and other frequencies during May. Two cases were referred to FCC. After kicking off on January 1, the new Volunteer Monitor Program ramped up to operational status earlier this spring, starting with a “soft rollout†that started on February1, designed to familiarize Volunteer Monitors (VMs) with issues on the bands and to put into practice what to report — and what to ignore, based on their training. VMs not only look for operating discrepancies, but for examples of good operating. Hollingsworth is using a system called VMTRAC — developed by a VM — to measure the work of VMs and determine instances that qualify for good operator or discrepancy notices, referral to the FCC, or follow-up with FCC requests to the VM program. — Thanks to Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH Youth on the Air in the Americas Announces At-Home Bonus Summer Activities 06/16/2020 Youth on the Air in the Americas is planning additional home-based activities for this summer, due to the postponement of its inaugural summer camp at the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting in West Chester Township, Ohio. Virtual YOTA Day will take place on Wednesday, June 24. Activities will include a series of youth-led forums and some competitions that can be done from home — even without a radio. Virtual YOTA Day begins at 1800 UTC on June 24 and continues until 2400 UTC. Those who had been selected to attend YOTA camp 2020 will be able to meet on Zoom for a day of learning and fun, plus a chance to win prizes, but anyone interested will be able to get in on Virtual YOTA Day via the official Youth on the Air YouTube channel and play along at home. Some activities will include learning how to track down the location of a transmitter without leaving your chair, sharpening contesting skills, and more. During the week of June 21 – 26, when the camp was to take place, special event station W8Y will be on the air on all bands and modes. Those selected to attend YOTA Camp 2020 will take turns operating as W8Y throughout the week from the station of their own choosing. Campers should contact Marty Sullaway, NN1C, to be added to the schedule. Youth on the Air will operate Field Day using a remote station in southwestern Ohio. Logging will be done by remote desktop. Campers can sign up at YouthOnTheAir.org for a time slot on the remote station provided by Jay Slough, K4ZLE. Contact Chris Brault, KD8YVJ, with questions. Youth on the Air will be a club choice for Field Day score submissions. Participating operators age 25 or younger choosing to operate Field Day from a home station can contribute their scores to an aggregate club score for this year only. Enter “Youth on the Air†as the club name on the Field Day entry. More information about YOTA in the Americas can be found at YouthOnTheAir.org and on YOTAregion2 on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. FROM AROUND THE SECTION: Louisiana Section Traffic Manager’s Report: Sessions QNI QTC QTR 30. 750 42. 600 73, Jimmy Lewis AB5YS Louisiana Section Traffic ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Louisiana Section Emergency Coordinator’s Report: ARES Monthly Section Emergency Coordinators Report 1. ARRL Section: Louisiana 2. Month: May 3. Year: 2020 4. Total number of ARES members: 395 5. Number of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 9 6. Number of ARES nets active: 50 7. Number of nets with NTS liaison: 1 8. Calls of DECs/EC reporting: W4NDF NS5W KD5BNH KE5BMS AG5LR KD5DFL W5GAS KD5IGZ KE5GMN 9a. Number of exercises & training sessions this month: 36 9b. Person hours: 432 10a. Number of public service events this month: 0 10b. Person hours: 0 11a. Number of emergency operations this month: 0 11b. Person hours: 0 12a. Number of SKYWARN operations this month: 5 12b. Person hours: 21 13a. Auto Sum 9a, 10a, 11a, 12a: 41 13b. Auto Sum 9b, 10b, 11b, 12b: 453 Submitted by Jim Coleman, AI5B: Section Emergency Coordinator All Ham radio operators in the Louisiana Section are encouraged to register with ARES CONNECT. You do not have to be an ARRL member or a member of ARES to join and stay informed. Please remember that your username MUST be your call sign: https://arrl.volunteerhub.com/lp/la http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/ares-el/?issue=2020-06-17 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Region 2: As always please go to K5ARC.org and see the latest “Ascension Airwaves†newsletter ….! Region 4: Volume 60, Number 06 ACADIANA AMATEUR RADIO ASSOC., INC. June 2020 A Message From Chris Ancelet N5MCY Good afternoon AARA Members, I would like to welcome everyone to join in or our 2 Meter General Club Meeting Net. Last month's meeting was successful and considering that we are still unable to meet in person, I wanted to again capitalize on our ability to meet via radio. The meeting will take place on June 4th at 7pm on the 147.040 MHz + 0.600 PL 103.5 W5EXI repeater system. We will follow the same net rules as the normal Monday night net; taking check-ins by alphabetical order. Agenda: 1. Check-ins 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Prayer 4. General Announcements 5. 73 round for your comments We need to anticipate a large crowd so we will attempt to streamline this to the best of our ability. I am looking forward to hosting this event and hope to hear you on the air. Chris Ancelet N5MCY Birthdays: 06-05 KE5RPI Karen 06-07 K5VXX Joseph 06-08 Michael 06-11 KE5KJF Sandy 07-02 WA5KNC Eugene 07-04 KI5JMD Jake 07-19 AI5O Stephen 07-22 KI5DHK Andrew 07-23 WB5GAF Ralph 07-28 KE5AHD Greg SMOOTHIE (Peanut Butter, Chocolate & Banana) Very nutritious In a blender, mix 4 ice cubes, 1 cup of cold milk, 2 tablespoons of PB Fit powdered peanut butter (or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter), 1/2 of a ripe banana, 1 tablespoon of un-sweetened cocoa powder, and 2 teaspoons of sugar or artificial sweetener. Blend until smooth. Using 2% milk, with the PB Fit and Artificial sweetener = 220 Cal. Using 2% milk, with peanut butter, and sugar = 375 Cal. REGION 5: Submitted by George Carr, WA5KBH First up is the new DX sensation, RS-44. It's strong downlink and exceptional sensitivity has allowed for several QSOs beyond its theoretical 7,942 km maximum surface range. Hector Martinez, W5CBF, in Lake Charles, LA reports working Antonio Gutierrez, DL4EA, in Böblingen, Germany on May 26, 2020 at 23:07 UTC - a distance of 8,357km. The previous record of 8,314 km by KI7UNJ and EB1AO stood just nine days. For the QSO, Hector used an Alaskan Arrow antenna and an Icom IC-9700 on the roof of the 310' tall Capital One Tower in Lake Charles, LA, offering an exceptional view of the northern sky. -- WA5KBH Chip Carver Region 6: From the June 2020 “Brass Keyâ€: Words from our President, John Dempsey, N5CM Well, Covid-19 strikes again. Kees Park will not be available for our June 2 meeting, so the June meeting is canceled. That is a big disappointment, but it is what we have now, and we don’t have any choice in the matter. Today (05/20/20), I spoke with the manager of the Woodworth Outdoor Education Center, our Field Day site. At this point, he does not know if the facility will be open for our use or not. That decision is above his pay grade. He did say that if the situation changes for the better, he will notify us as soon as possible. Personally, I am up for having our Field Day exercise at Woodworth if the facility is available. I believe we are informed enough to conduct ourselves in a manner that we don’t compromise our own health or that of our fellow members. I do recognize, however, that some members may not feel comfortable engaging in this exercise if the facility comes open. That’s entirely understandable, and I would not think poorly of anyone if he or she chose not to participate based on concerns for health. My guess is that we will not know about the status of the facility until mid-June or a little later. One option is to plan for Field Day at Woodworth and be somewhat prepared perchance we get a more or less last-minute authorization to proceed. Let me know what you think about Field Day. Vy 73 DX John N5CM Spring Time Brings Equipment Maintenance! Some reminders from H. Ward Silver, N0AX, St. Charles, Missouri The best thing you can do for your ham radio station is to spend a little time doing regular maintenance. Maintenance works for cars, checkbooks, and relationships, so why not ham radio? Be sure to keep a station notebook. Open the notebook whenever you add a piece of equipment, wire a gadget, note a problem, or fix a problem. Over time, the notebook helps you prevent or solve problems, but only if you keep it up to date. You also need to set aside a little time on a regular basis to inspect, test, and check the individual components that make up the station. TREASURER'S REPORT Houston Polson, KD5YS, Club Treasurer Along with the equipment, check the cables, power supplies, wires, ropes, masts, and everything else between the operator and the ionosphere. Check these items when you plan to be off the air so that you don’t have to do a panic fix when you want to be on the air. Your equipment and antennas are of no use if they’re not working. You can make routine maintenance easy with a checklist. Start with the following list and customize it for your station: - Check all RF cables, connectors, switches, and grounds. Make sure all connectors are tight because temperature cycles can work them loose. Rotate switches or cycle relays to keep contacts clean and turn up problems. Look for kinks in or damage to feed lines. Be sure that ground connections are snug. - Test transmitters and amplifiers for full power output on all bands. Also, double-check your antennas and RF cabling. Use full power output to check all bands for RF feedback or pickup on microphones, keying lines, or control signals. - Check received noise level (too high or too low) on all bands. The noise level is a good indication of whether feed lines are in good shape, preamps are working, or you have a new noise source to worry about. - Check standing wave ratio (SWR) on all antennas. Be especially vigilant for changes in the frequency of minimum SWR, which can indicate connection problems or water getting into the antenna or feed line connectors. Sudden changes in SWR (up or down) mean tuning or feed-line problems. - Inspect all antennas and outside feed lines. Use a pair of binoculars to check the antenna. Look for loose connections; unraveling tape, ties, or twists; damage to cable jackets; and that sort of thing. - Inspect ropes and guy wires. Get into the habit of checking for tightness and wear whenever you walk by. A branch rubbing on a rope can eventually cause a break. Knots can come loose. -Inspect masts, towers, and antenna mounts. The best time to find problems is in autumn, before the weather turns bad. Use a wrench to check tower and clamp bolts and nuts. Fight rust with cold galvanizing spray paint. In the spring, check again for weather damage. -Vacuum and clean the operating table and equipment; clear away loose papers and magazines. Sneak those coffee cups back to the kitchen, and recycle the old soft-drink cans. Make sure that all fans and ventilation holes are clean and not blocked. - You may not want to haul the vacuum cleaner into the radio shack, but it may be the most valuable piece of maintenance gear you have. Heat is the mortal enemy of electronic components and leads to more failures than any other cause. The dust and crud that settle on radio equipment restrict air flow and act as insulators, keeping equipment hot. High-voltage circuits, such as in an amplifier or computer monitor, attract dust like crazy. Vacuuming removes the dust, wire bits, paper scraps, and other junk before they cause expensive trouble. As you complete your maintenance, note whether anything needs fixing or replacing and why, if you know. You’ll probably get some ideas about improvements or additions to the station, so note those ideas too. Over time, you’ll notice that some things regularly need work. In a mobile station, for example the antenna mounts may need cleaning, vibration loosens connectors, and cables can get pinched or stretched. Always be on the lookout for these problems. If you do routine maintenance three or four times a year, you can dramatically reduce the number of unpleasant surprises you receive. The MIGHTY Six Meter Dipole John Dempsey, N5CM Well, one of the support lines for my 6-meter dipole became abraded by the movement of the tree limbs in the wind and broke. I knew that would eventually happen when I put the antenna up. I shot a new line in the same place and had the antenna back up in short order. The little dipole has worked surprisingly well, and I have received good signal reports with it, mostly on CW. When 6 meters opens, there is quite a bit of activity between 50.090 and 50.315 Mhz. Here is what I have observed. 50.000 to 50.080 Mhz – beacons 50.080 to 50.0999 Mhz – CW 50.100 to 50.125 Mhz – DX window 50.125 to 50.160 Mhz – SSB 50.313 to 50.315 Mhz – most FT8 (LOTS of activity here during an opening) Six meters opens and closes entirely as it pleases. Some openings last for hours, and others last for minutes. Given the uncertainty of the length of the opening, CW exchanges tend to be somewhat brief and consist of an honest signal report and a 4-character grid square e.g. 569 EM31 from N5CM to another station. If an operator has some confidence in the opening, a name and QTH will be added to the exchange. A dipole for six meters is fairly easy to build, rather unobtrusive, and effective. The length of each leg of the dipole is calculated by using the equation: Length (feet) = 234/Frequency (Mhz) For a dipole centered on 50.1 MHz, the length of each leg should be: L = 234/50.1 = 4.67 feet Convert decimal feet to inches: 0.67 feet x 12 inches/foot = 8 inches. Each leg would be 4’8†log from the point at which it passes through the insulator back to the point at which the coaxial feed line is split into center lead and shield. Cut each leg around 6 inches too long and wrap the excess wire around itself. Get the finished antenna up a few feet and check the SWR. Adjust length as required, rewrap the wire at the insulator, tape it, and add a zip tire to prevent slippage. The pipe is spray painted black to help it blend into the background. I should have painted the insulators but forgot to do so. The two wires from the pipe to the insulator are pieces of coat hanger wire. They serve to support the feedline and choke and keep the weight of the feedline off the point where the feedline is split and attaches to the legs of the dipole. The choke appears to work. I have no evidence of RF getting back down the outside of the coax into the shack. My dipole is up around 60 to 65 feet between a couple of trees. The legs are oriented more or less East-West, so the antenna favors North-South propagation. On the meter on my radio, the SWR is 1:1 in the CW window of 50.080 to 50.099 MHz. The rig is happy. Thus far, I have contacts that range from Canada to Mexico to Puerto Rico and several states in between all on 100 watts and this little bit of wire. Also, I’ve had a contact with Florida and with Arizona… off the ends of the dipole! To check for a band opening, look at DX clusters such as DX Summit and DX Heat. Listen for beacons from 50.000 to 50.080 Mhz. Listen at 50.145 and 50.125 Mhz for SSB activity. Listen around 50.313 MHz for FT8 activity (15-second tones) Region 9: From: The SELARC "Hamster" Vol. 47, No. 6 ......................... June 2020 Hammond VE Group - ARRL/W5YI - The Hammond VE Group has changed names to: Florida Parishes VE Group. Testing sessions are now held at the new permanent location: AmVets Post #68; 26890 Hwy 42b (jct. of Hwys 42 and 43) - Springfield, La. 70462 70462 (approximately 3 miles south of I-12 at exit 32) Sessions are still held on the last Sunday of each month at 2:00 pm ! K5R Special Event Scott KD5PCK has secured the 1x1 event callsign K5R for August 28 - 30, 2020, the Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina; looking for people interested and hoping to run the special event at the Community Center this year. Happy Birthday Birthday Wishes for June go out to - Dean KG5AAE, Scott KD5PCK, James K5QNT, and Jason K5WDH. If we missed your birthday, then please let us know. Get Well Soon — Best wishes for continued recuperation go to SELARC members Tom Simpson N5HAY and Homer Jones KA5TRT. We look forward to hearing you on the air! Florida Parishes VE Group - 31 May, 2020 (formerly Hammond VE Group) Congratulations to the following "NEW" Amateur Radio Operators and upgrades!!!!! Technician Rebecca Workman - New Oleans, La. Thomas Steffen - New Orleans, La. Robert Beasley - Hammond, La. Daniel J.Hebert - Brusly, La. General Dawson Andrews - French Settlement, La. Walter Stampley - Baton Rouge, La. Eric Pray - Denham Springs, La. Extra Mark Ferriera - New Orleans, La. Thanks again to all the VEs' who attended to make this happen every month. Your time is greatly appreciated!!! Tyrone Burns - N5XES - VE Liason Florida Parishes VE Group (formerly....Hammond VE Group) Stay Radio active -- Hope to see you at a future meeting: to be announced. Be sure to monitor your weekly nets, e-mail, and the SELARC website at https://www.selarc.org . The Slidell EOC Hamfest has been rescheduled: 10/09/2020 - 10/10/2020 Slidell EOC Hamfest 2020 Location: Slidell Auditorium 2056 2nd Street Slidell, LA 70458 Sponsor: Ozone Amateur Radio Club Website: http://W5SLA.net Talk-In: 147.27 (PL 114.8) Public Contact: David Hartley , K5OZ Phone: 985-707-8010 Email: dehartley@charter.net Congratulations to June Prize winners! Affiliated Club: K5LSU Amateur Radio Society at LA State University (Book). ARRL LA Section Member: N5GJQ Michael O. Canady (Book). and the winner of the radio and bonus meter is KF5YBY William R. Harris. Mid-Month Prizes were won by Pat Mason, Bill Hoover, Mel Sojka, and Terry Partigianoni. Again, If you have already sent your call sign to me I still have it.....if you have not please send on Facebook, email or text me.....we will have some other prizes to give away soon and the next Book/Radio drawing will be July 1st. 73, -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL Louisiana Section Section Manager: John Mark Robertson, K5JMR k5jmr@arrl.org --------------------------------------------------------------------
Louisiana Section Managers Newsletter August 2020
SILENT KEYS:
Daniel Grafton Murphey, KE5YSK Bernice, LA
Paul B. Smith, AB5HA Bossier City, LA
NEW HAMS: WELCOME to the hobby!
Report for 2020-08-04
Omar Aldahir, KI5KAW
Metairie, LA 70005
Terrell F Robinson, KI5KAY
Harvey, LA 70058-2004
David C Burnstad, KI5JWD
New Orleans, LA 70114-6814
Kirsten L Watson, KI5KAZ
New Orleans, LA 70115-4118
Henry D Lipkis, KI5KAC
New Orleans, LA 70117-5635
Stephen W Thieneman, KI5JVZ
New Orleans, LA 70131-3351
Charles J Lapointe, KI5KBZ
Berwick, LA 70342-2001
Lawrence L Lima, KI5JVY
Hammond, LA 70401-4814
Ryan A Creel, KI5KAX
Covington, LA 70433-4569
Bryan A Vincent, KI5JWA
Covington, LA 70435-9204
James S Soileau, KI5JWB
Mandeville, LA 70471-8514
Roy Wygant, KI5JTZ
Sulphur, LA 70665-7210
Nicolas R Farmer, KI5KEZ
Converse, LA 71419-9648
License Upgrades: CONGRATULATIONS!
Report for 2020-08-04
Westin L Cobb, KI5FRF
Pine Grove, LA 70453-0985
Ronald J Bertucci, KI5AGS
Lafayette, LA 70506-5113
Michael P Laxen, KI5JHN
Walker, LA 70785-5221
Julius A Cline, N5ZCW
Baton Rouge, LA 70817-1367
Michael Evans, KI5JLC
Greenwood, LA 71033-3329
NEW/RENEWED ARRL MEMBERS: WELCOME/WELCOME BACK!
Report for 2020-08-04
Terrell F Robinson, KI5KAY
Harvey, LA 70058-2004
Clint L Guillot, AE5TZ
Kenner, LA 70065-1559
Brunella Falgout, KG5WOD
New Orleans, LA 70114-6130
Kenneth P Watzke, N5MON
New Orleans, LA 70129-2827
Richard S Vander Heide, K8VH
New Orleans, LA 70130-5726
William M Floberg, KF5SYT
Slidell, LA 70458-2928
Peggy M Goertz, W5PMG
Slidell, LA 70460-3636
David G VanSomeren, KI5IWA
Slidell, LA 70461-2007
Guy H McMillan, KK4WEQ
Slidell, LA 70461-5578
Karl F Bailey, W5DHP
Lafayette, LA 70508-7760
Kenneth G Goss, KI5HQ
Crowley, LA 70526-6705
Clayton J Rogers, N5FMX
Delcambre, LA 70528-2015
Dwight Hawker, KE5CHX
Lake Charles, LA 70611-3430
Wilfred F Luttrell, WB5UAX
Deridder, LA 70634-5838
Lawrence Jones, KB5GPM
Geismar, LA 70734-3244
Chris J Reine, KI5JSE
Baton Rouge, LA 70809-2828
Pamela E Welsh, KF5IPJ
Baton Rouge, LA 70809-9014
James M Wark, AG5MP
Greenwood, LA 71033-2989
Perry A Culver, KC5REV
Shreveport, LA 71105-2022
Michael R McCrary, K5TNK
Shreveport, LA 71107-2421
Joseph R Holland, KB5VJY
West Monroe, LA 71292-1219
James C Whitman, KI5DLG
West Monroe, LA 71292-8961
Bottom of Form
FROM THE ARRL:
The September Issue of Digital QST is Now Available!
08/07/2020
The September issue of Digital QST is now available for viewing on your desktop or laptop computer. Click here to go to the ARRL Magazines page to read QST and all other ARRL magazines in digital format. You can also read them on your Apple, Android, or Kindle Fire device with the ARRL Mags app.
In this issue . . .
- Make your own optical encoder.
- Build an easy-to-use portable antenna mast.
- Read the story of Caribbean shortwave giant Trans World Radio.
… and much more!
ARRL Hires Paul Z. Gilbert, KE5ZW, as Director of Emergency Management
08/12/2020
As another step in ARRL’s increased focus on strengthening its emergency communications capabilities and long-standing working relationships with federal and state agencies and private emergency response organizations, ARRL has hired Paul Z. Gilbert, KE5ZW, of Cedar Park, Texas, as its first Director of Emergency Management.
Gilbert brings more than 30 years of experience in public service in both his professional and amateur radio endeavors. Beginning with his appointment as Emergency Coordinator in 1987, he has held multiple positions in the ARRL Field Organization. Currently in his second term as South Texas Section Manager, he has also served for more than a decade as the West Gulf Division’s Assistant Director for Public Service, acting as liaison between Division leadership and local, state, and federal emergency management organizations.
Professionally, Gilbert most recently was Radio Officer, HQ Staff, for the Texas State Guard, where for the past 6 years he has been responsible for planning and implementation of the organization’s communications capabilities. Previously he was a Public Safety Radio Coordinator for a Texas agency, charged with overseeing that organization’s large-scale disaster communications response and identifying and eliminating in-state interoperability issues.
Gilbert, who has an Amateur Extra-class license, is a member of Army MARS, and holds numerous DHS certifications, including COML, COMT, COMT Instructor, and AUXCOM Communicator. He is a member of the FEMA Regional Emergency Communications Coordination Working Group (RECCWG), a graduate of the FEMA Emergency Management Institute’s Exercise Design Course, and was a founding member of the Texas Division of Emergency Management Communications Coordination Group.
In his new role, Gilbert will manage a team responsible for supporting ARRL Emergency Communications (EmComm) programs and services, including the Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) and National Traffic System (NTS), as well as lead the continued modernization of those programs in consonance with the future emergency communications needs of the public and ARRL’s key partners.
FROM AROUND THE LOUISIANA SECTION:
Louisiana Section Traffic Manager Report:
Sessions QNI QTC QTR
- 836 42. 169
73,
Jimmy Lewis AB5YS
Louisiana Section Traffic
———————————————————————————————————————————–
Louisiana Section Emergency Coordinator Report:
- ARRL Section: Louisiana
- Month: July
- Year: 2020
- Total number of ARES members: 365
- Number of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 9
- Number of ARES nets active: 50
- Number of nets with NTS liaison: 4
- Calls of DECs/EC reporting:
W4NDF NS5W KD5BNH KE5BMS AG5LR KD5DFL K5JMR KD5IGZ KE5GMN
9a. Number of exercises & training sessions this month: 21
9b. Person hours: 235
10a. Number of public service events this month: 0 10b. Person hours: 0
11a. Number of emergency operations this month: 0
11b. Person hours: 0
12a. Number of SKYWARN operations this month: 5
12b. Person hours: 21
13a. Auto Sum 9a, 10a, 11a, 12a: 26
13b. Auto Sum 9b, 10b, 11b, 12b: 256
Jim Coleman, AI5B
Section Emergency Coordinator
————————————————————————————————————————
Region 2: Check out the latest edition of the “Ascension Airwaves” at K5ARC.org.
Region 4:
BEARS Club W5BMC in Morgan City
INTERNATIONAL LIGHTHOUSE AND LIGHTSHIP WEEKEND – August 21 – 23, 2020
BEARS will again be taking part in this international ham radio event starting the evening of August 21 and running until early morning on the 23rd. We will be set up at the Ray Rasberry Tower in Lighthouse Park on the riverfront in Berwick, Louisiana on the Atchafalaya River across from Morgan City. We will be using the call W5BMC and operating on 20 & 40 meters. More information will be posted on later e-mails. Councilman Raymond Price generously donated the new Cushcraft A3S tri-band antenna and rotor.
As soon as this event is over, we will begin advertising nationally that the tower, antenna and rotor are there for the use of any ham who would like to set up his radio and make contacts from The Southwest Reef Lighthouse located in Lighthouse Park in Berwick. This will be a first of its kind anywhere that we know of, and we are hoping we will have many visitors
RUMOR, RUMOR – There is a possibility that Franklin, Louisiana will reschedule the Black Bear Festival in November. So, we are waiting for more word. This is our most fun one right on the bayou side, so hopefully they will be able to do this. Will keep all of you posted.
Happy Birthday – Leading off, KE5DJA – Virginia, KI5IGQ – Steve, AI5BR – Carl, WD5JTZ – Mike, W5YOP – Esther
Happy birthday to each of you!!!
Congratulations BEARS – We have had TWO winners of prizes presented by John Mark Robertson. Frank-NOD was the winner of a little AM,FM, SW radio and BEARS has just won a book for our library. Thank you, John Mark.
Boy Scout RADIO MERIT BADGE – Four BEARS members attended the Thursday meeting of Boy Scout Troop 49, sponsored by the VFW. We will begin classes soon and you will be advised. The class will be conducted in the conference room on the second floor of the building at 201 Everett St. It will always be on a Thursday at p.m. and any member is invited to attend. The entire bookless will be covered in two weeks.
Volume 60, Number 08 ACADIANA AMATEUR RADIO ASSOC., INC. – August 2020
A Message from Chris Ancelet N5MCY: Good morning AARA Members, I have been contacted by Mr. Lamperez with the 2020 Tour du Teche race. I have been asked if we would be willing to participate in this 3 day event. The dates are October 2, 3, &4. Just like the events in the past, we would be manning the various checkpoints and providing real time information to the command post. Even though the event is scheduled, there is still a chance that this event will be cancelled due to our current situation. What we need to provide to the committee, is a list of people wanting to participate. I have received 1 confirmation from Tom Dischler thus far and we will need the following spots filled as well as someone that wants to coordinate the event. Unfortunately, I will not be able to spearhead this event due to my work schedule. Below are the checkpoints that need to be filled. Please let me know if you are wanting to chair this event and/or want to man a checkpoint. We will need to get this information to the committee as soon as we can. Check Pts. Location Operator Name Call Sign Friday October 2nd
- Arnaudville, LA ??? Myrans’ Maison de Manger 1023 Neblett St 30.396282° N & 91.930858° W
- Breaux Bridge, LA ??? Poche’s Market & Restaurant 3015 Main Hwy 30.311667° N & 91.904167° W
- St. Martinville, LA ??? St. Martinville Festival Grounds 30.124556° N & 91.826111° W
Check Pts. Location Operator Name Call Sign Saturday October 3rd
- New Iberia, LA New Iberia City Park ??? 30.003889° N & 91.811667° W
- Charenton, LA ??? Chitimacha Boat Launch 3548 Chitimacha Trail 29.883055° N & 91.528888° W
- Franklin, LA ??? Parc Sur la Teche 29.792222° N & 91.499444° W Sunday October 4th
- Calumet, LA ??? East Gate, Calumet Cut Atchafalaya Levee 29.702256° N & 91.368989° W
- Berwick, LA ??? Southwest Reef Lighthouse Atchafalaya River 29.692500° N & 91.215278°
Chris Ancelet N5MCY 337-591-8871
Our next club meeting will be held on the air on August 6, 2020 on the W5EXI repeater. Check-in will begin about 6:30 PM with the meeting beginning at 7:00 PM. Repeater: 147.040 MHz + 0.600 PL 103.5 W5EXI
A BLAST FROM THE PAST Field Day 2001 Some of you “older” AARA members may remember 2001 AARA Field Day that was held on June 23 & 24 at Cajun Field. That was some 19 years ago, It was a good time with many good friends, some are now Silent Keys. It was one of our better Field Days. A lot of paperwork (crossing “T”‘s and dotting “I”‘s) went into procuring this site thanks to Field Day Chairperson Phil Caubareau KB5EKD. Our tower trailer had a winch driven telescoping tower which would reach in excess of 100 feet. We had it near 100 feet with a American Flag which could be seen from anywhere around Cajun Field especially from Congress Street and Bertrand Drive. A husband & wife were driving down Bertrand Drive and noticed the tower with the flag and both were ham radio operators just passing thru Lafayette on their way to San Antonio, TX to visit his father and decided to investigate. The couple were Skip & Cindy Douglass KA9DDN & KA9PZG of Grafton, Wisconsin. They came over to our Field Day site and visited for a while. We exchanged e-mails and after a short while they continued on their trip to San Antonio. I managed to keep in touch with them. Between 2001 and the present time, they have passed thru Lafayette and visited me at my QTH on four or five occasions. The main reason for this article is that Skip KA9DDN became a Silent Key on July 17, 2020. Skip was an avid amateur radio operator KA9DDN and belonged to the Ozaukee Radio Club. He also was a member of the Ozaukee Amateur Radio Emergency Services, the Saukville Rifle and Pistol Club, and had a passion for photography, woodworking, building computers, camping with his family, and loved listening to music. Ham radio can be fun and one way to meet people and become good friends is on Field Day. 73 de Herman KN5GRK
EGG CREAM A New York Egg Cream contains three ingredients: milk, seltzer water, and chocolate syrup. Ironically, it contains neither egg nor cream. 1 Cup Cold Milk ¼ Cup Seltzer Water Cold 2 Tbs Chocolate flavored syrup Place a 12 oz. Glass in the freezer to chill. (This is important to keep the theme.) Pour the cold milk into the glass. Pour the seltzer into the glass until the white head reaches the top of the glass. Spoon the syrup into the glass and stir to combine. Serve with a straw. Note: If you follow the directions exactly, you will have a white foam at the top. This is called the Brooklyn-style. If you mix the chocolate with the milk before adding the seltzer water, it will have a brown foam. This is the Bronx-style.
Region 7:
Shreveport Amateur Radio Assn. (SARA):
Saturday, September 5, 8:30AM: Ham & Coffee Breakfast at the Greenwood Flea Market Cafe.
Tuesday, September 8, 6:00PM: September General Meeting, Century 21 Elite Training Room. Park in rear, enter last door on the right.
As always, each Thursday evening brings a parade of scheduled nets on which SARA is well-represented. During this pandemic the nets are a great place to keep in touch with other Ark-La-Tex hams.
K5SAR Net (KC5PQL net control): Thursdays, 6:30PM, 146.820MHz
10-10 Steamboat Net (KD5DE net control): Thursdays, 7:00PM, 28.430MHz
N5SHV Net (KB5LE net control): Thursdays, 8:00PM, 146.760MHz (186.2 tone in/out)
In addition, please monitor k5sar.com and the SARA Facebook Page for news updates.
Region 8:
Louisiana Delta Radio Club KC5DR
Attention!! The Louisiana Delta Radio Club is proud to announce its First Annual Swap Fest honoring the courage and perseverance of Carter Robertson, son of John and Sunni Robertson, Carter’s strength is a beacon for all those who have obstacles to overcome. Saturday, October 24, 2020 at 8:00 AM CDT
The Fest will be at the Cheniere Lake Pavilions 1 B and 1 C. Located about 2 miles SW of West Monroe, Louisiana
The Grand Prize will be an Icom IC-705
Second Prize a Yaesu FTM-300 VHF/UHF Mobile Third Prize a Yaesu FTM-70R VHF/UHF HT Door prizes given out every hour starting at 9:00am. Doors open at 6:00 am for vendors 8:00 am for the public. Admission is a$5.00.
Ricky Little KI5GEI will be whipping up a huge pot of Jambalaya , Hot Dogs, drinks and Chips..
Vendor, and flea market tables Spaces (if you bring your own tables) is $5.00 per table. If you need a table it will wan additional $5.00 and electricity another $5.00. Tail gating area $5.00 per spot.
LIMITED SPOTS.. most spots under the pavilions are directly accessible for loading and unloading.
Current Vendor List:
Palmetto Antennas
Brinson Bling – $5.00 Jewelry
Rhonda’s Vinyl Creations (callsign license plates, window stickers) Hosted by Joe Holland KB5VJY and Louisiana Delta Radio Club – KC5DR
Region 9:
The SELARC “Hamster”
Vol. 47, No. 8 ……………………. August 2020
Special Events, Other Hamfests & VE Sessions
OARC / Slidell EOC Hamfest and Amateur Radio Symposium – Oct. 9 – 10 – http://w5sla.net/hamfest-2020.htm
The Greater New Orleans Hamfest – Nov. 14, 2020 – Hamfest page
Florida Parishes VE Group – Testing sessions are scheduled for the last Sunday of each month [with the exception of holiday conflicts] at AmVets Post #68; 26890 Hwy 42 (jct. of Hwys 42 and 43) – Springfield, La. 70462 (approximately 3 miles south of I-12 at exit 32) at 2pm with $15 testing fee. Bring photo ID and any appropriate CSCE. For more information contact n5xes@arrl.net or Find an Amateur Radio License Exam in Your Area.
K5R Special Event
Scott KD5PCK has secured the 1×1 event callsign K5R for August 28 – 30, 2020, the Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina; looking for people interested and hoping to run the special event at the Community Center this year.
Community News / Announcements
MSBike Tour 2020 – Cancelled
For your information, I received notice that the MSBike 2020 ride scheduled for Oct. 3 & 4 has been cancelled. I’m sorry we will not be doing the tour this year, but I certainly appreciate and thank you for your past participation. More info can be found at VolunteerMS@nmss.org 73, Bob WB5FBS
Happy Birthday
Birthday Wishes for August go out to – Mark WX5RN, Trent KD5PCM, Tyrone N5XES, and Carmen KF5VXO.
If we missed your birthday, then please let us know.
Get Well Soon —
Best wishes for continued recuperation go to SELARC members Tom Simpson N5HAY and Homer Jones KA5TRT. We look forward to hearing you on the air!
VE Session Results
Florida Parishes VE Group – 28 June, 2020 VE Session
Congratulations to the following new Amateur Radio Operators and upgrades!!
Technician
Richard Braniff – Prairieville, La.
Brandon Farris – Pride, La.
Justin Richter – Denham Springs, La.
Daniel Daigle – Jefferson, La.
General
Lawrence Gallup / KI5JVX – Clinton, La.
Omar Aldahir / KI5KAW – New Orleans, La.
Extra
Robert Deeb / N5BKG – Covington, La.
Julius Cline Jr. / N5ZCW – Baton Rouge, La.
Another great session this month, thanks go out to all the volunteers.
The new facility is working out great!!!
73
Tyrone Burns – N5XES – ARRL VE Liason
Tyke’s TidBits
Greetings to all members and visitors to our newsletter page. I hope that this newsletter, finds everyone in somewhat decent spirits and that you have not had the misfortune of being sick from the COVID-19 virus that seems to have everyone in a tizzy!! Stay safe and remember SOCIAL DISTANCING and FACE-MASK in PUBLIC….it does work, if you do it properly!!!
Things have really been on the quiet side for SELARC repeaters lately, but hopefully that will soon change with the activation of the 444.250 machine on the somewhat statewide DWARN linked repeater system. There are quite a few surrounding region repeaters on this link now, with probably the greatest majority from the Region 1, Region 2, Region 3 and Region 9 areas. These repeaters are a variety of brands and digital modes. I am not yet familiar with all the different talk groups and how to access them, but that will come with trial and error and a lot of keyboard time.
If you are interested in finding out what DWARN is, just go to their website at http://www.dwarn.org and read up on it.
They also show a coverage map that is very accurate for our terrain. The DWARN system uses a combination of Yaesu-System Fusion and DMR equipment and I think even has some P-25, Moto-Turbo and NexEdge format talk groups. If you cannot access a repeater in your are….no problem…..all you need is a digital format HT, and a RF Hotspot that uses the VHF/UHF HAM bands for access. The HotSpots work through your Wifi or hard-wired internet connection. There are also WiFi Bridges that can be use with your cellphone, if it has Hot-Spot capabilities through your provider!
If you are not sure of what digital format repeaters may be in your area, go to the following link : http://www.repeaterbook.com/repeaters/index.php?state_id=22.
This page shows all the different types of links, reflectors and networks available!
Currently, I think most groups are hosted on Brandmiester…. on DMR….3122 statewide is one and also 31225…not sure of others as there are so many in the state!!
Now for those of you who are kind of new to SELARC, the old 444.250 machine earned the nickname “THOR” for many years because of the BOOMING voice ID’er….. it was very bassy and may have even had a touch too much deviation…but it was definitely a presence when it ID’ed!!! It is now sitting in retired status, but is sitting there ready to go back in service if needed. Maybe, it is possible to clone the audio from that old Controller board and put it on a voice module to interface into the new machine…..who knows….anything is possible in this day and time!!!
Take care and hope to see you on ZOOM for the virtual club meeting!!!
73
Tyrone – N5XES
*** Last day to send in your nominations for 2020 Louisiana Section Amateur of the Year is August 31, 2020. Email me for the nomination form and instructions: K5JMR@ARRL.ORG ***
### As of today, we have TWO interesting disturbances that may enter the gulf next week. Everyone please keep your eye on the weather updates as it pertains to Louisiana.
From Jim Coleman, AI5B
Louisiana Section Emergency Coordinator as of Noon today:
Emergency Managers of Southeast Louisiana and Southern Mississippi –
Here is an update concerning newly named Tropical Storm Laura (formerly TD 13) and Tropical Depression 14.
Changes from previous update:
TD 13 has strengthened slightly and is now TS Laura The forecast tracks for both storms have shifted slightly westward The forecast intensity for TD 14 has also decreased slightly as it moves into the northwestern Gulf
Overview:
Tropical depression 14 and TS Laura could both bring impacts to the northern Gulf Coast region during the Monday through Thursday time frame next week
Confidence: We have average confidence in the potential for heavy rainfall across the area next week. We have lower confidence in the potential for wind and tidal impacts or where the heaviest rain might fall. Please continue to monitor the latest official forecast for updates as the expected impacts could change.
Impacts:
- There is higher than normal uncertainty in specific impacts due to the complexity of the forecast and how the systems may interact with each other
- Currently, heavy rainfall currently appears to be the greatest threat to the local area, mainly during the Monday through Thursday time frame. 2 to 6 inches of rainfall is forecast through Thursday, with locally higher amounts possible.
- Strong winds and elevated tides could affect portions of the area depending on the eventual tracks and intensities of the two systems
Additional Information and Resources:
NWS New Orleans Website: www.weather.gov/neworleans
NWS New Orleans DSS Website: http://www.weather.gov/lix/embrief
NWS New Orleans Tropical Page: https://www.weather.gov/srh/tropical?office=lix
River Gauges and Forecasts: http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/index.php?wfo=lix
NWS New Orleans Facebook: www.facebook.com/NWSNewOrleans
NWS New Orleans Twitter: https://twitter.com/NWSNewOrleans
Online Severe Weather Reporting: https://www.weather.gov/lix/submit_storm_report
National Hurricane Center Website: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
Next Update and Contact Information:
The next update will be sent following the 4pm advisory. If you have any questions in the interim or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us. We can be reached by phone at 504-522-7330 or 985-649-0429. Use extension 4 to speak with a forecaster. Alternatively, you can reach us by email by replying to this message or sending an email to sr-lix.forecasters@noaa.gov. Both methods will be delivered to the forecasters on shift at the office.
Regards, Danielle Manning
Meteorologist
NWS New Orleans/Baton Rouge
Request For ARES Assistance
The following has been received from:
Steve Irving
DST Lead
Louisiana Region
American Red Cross
“The approaching storms may require the opening of several Red Cross shelters in Regions 6, 7 and 8. If shelters are opened Red Cross will need ARES operators to provide backup communications. Red Cross will provide PPE for all operators who are deployed to assist in shelters. The number of shelters and location will be determined by the evolution of the storm situation. For planning purposes we need to know the number of operators available to assist”.
Based on this request,
COML, COMT and RADO personnel interested in providing assistance should contact the American Red Cross via :
steve.irving2@redcross.org
Steve Irving
225 933-4993
DST Lead
Louisiana Region
American Red Cross
Everyone be safe!
73,