Transcript Northern California DX Club

Welcome to
Northern
California DX Club
March 19, 2009
Tonight’s Agenda
• Club Business
– Introduction of Officers
– Introductions of Members
– New members
– DX news
– QSTs
• The status of the sunspot cycle
• Feature – Show & Tell
• NCDXC Raffle
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 2
Introduction of Officers
• Officers
– President
– Vice Pres
– Secretary
– Treasurer
Craig Bradley
Risto Kotalampi
Russ Bentson
Jose Picazo Jr.
AE6RR
W6RK
K6KLY
WT6X
• Directors
– Steve Jones
– Jim Abraham
– John Eisenberg
N6SJ
W6EB
K6YP
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 3
Introductions
• Let’s Go Around the room…
– Introduce yourself & any guests
– Tell us what new DX you have bagged
– K5D stories?
– Any other news you wish to share?
(please keep it brief)
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 4
New members?
• Secretary - Russ, K6KLY
– He has applications are available…
– Voting
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 5
K5D Wrap Up
• QSL info
– Web Site and online log: http://kp5.us/
– QSL online (you do not need to send a card)
• Mailed to you $5 (paypal or credit card)
• Bureau (free)
– QSL direct (SASE - $.44)
– Bureau
– LoTW (early next year)
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 6
Final K5D QSOs
Statistics
SSB
CW
RTTY
SSTV
Band Totals
6M
17
80
·
·
97
10M
163
64
2
·
229
12M
640
264
1
·
905
15M
6129
4166
443
·
10738
17M
12959
7183
1341
·
21483
20M
15693
9587
1719
3
27002
30M
1
13424
2180
·
15605
40M
6789
8462
863
·
16114
80M
7414
8797
·
·
16211
160M
1983
5217
·
·
7200
Mode Totals
51788
57244
6549
3
115584
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 7
DX News – KH4
• K4M - Midway Island
– #24 most needed world wide
• first operation in almost 10 years
–
–
–
–
10 days in October 2009
19 Ops
160 through 6m
www.midway2009.com
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 8
DX News – VK9
• VK9AA – Christmas Island
– Now on
• VK9N/ON5AX – Norfolk Island
– On until the 22nd
• VK9GMW – Mellish Island
– Starts on the March 22nd to April 6th
• VK9LA – Lord Howe
– Starts on the March 24th to April 3rd
– 24/7 Internet with online logs
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 9
Postage Rates
Going Up May 11
• First Class letters - 44¢ (from 42¢)
– Buy those Forever Stamps
• They are great for SASEs
• They are always good for 1st class postage
• You can get them at discount prices at COSTCO
• International - 96¢ (from 90¢)
– Use up your old ones before May 11 or add 6¢
– Get those QSL cards out now
• IRCs
– Currently $2.10, will expire on 12/31/09
– Use up your old ones, many QSL managers will not
take them in a few months
– New prices not announced yet
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 10
Upcoming DX Contests
• Russian DX Contest
– This weekend
– See http://www.rdxc.org for details
• CQ WPX
– SSB
• March 28-29
– CW
• May 30-31
– Prefixes are multipliers
– Exchange
• RST + Serial Number
– See the CQ website for the complete rules
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 11
NCDXC Club Historian
• The NCDXC has a lot of history
• Much of it is on the heads of the old time
members
• Maintain lists of past officers, recipients for the
CMOTY award, SKs, etc.
• Custodian of club memorabilia
• We should gather and record our history before
it fades away…
• Would you like to volunteer for this position or do
you know someone who would be a good
candidate?
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 12
Silent Key List
• At Visalia each year the clubs Silent Keys
from the last year are remembered
• I need to compile a list for the MC to read
• If you know of a club member that has
become a SK in the last year, please let
me or Russ, K6KLY know
• Even if you think that everyone knows,
please contribute as we don’t want to
overlook any one
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 13
QSTs
IDXC Visalia
• IDXC 2009 (the 60th year) will be held
April 17- April19, 2009 at the Visalia
Holiday Inn
• News from the committee?
– John, K6YP
– Steve, N6SJ
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 15
NCDXC Net
• Net coordinator - Don, AA6W
• If you would like to be a net control,
please see or contact Don
• Please Remember - NCDXC Net
– Every Thursday 8pm
– Except on monthly meeting nights (3rd Thurs)
– On W6TI repeater, 147.360 MHz, PL 110.9
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 16
DXer Material
• Editor - Phil, K6TT
• If you have suggestions for articles, etc.
please see or contact Phil
• If you would like to contribute (photos,
articles, etc.), Phil will be very happy to
talk to you!
• This is your newsletter – help make it
great!
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 17
Tonight’s Raffle
• Mike W6WZ & Carolyn WB6ABC have some great
prizes!
–
–
–
–
–
–
1st Prize: Yaesu FT-2800M, 65 W 2M mobile rig
2nd Prize: Powerex MHC-9000 Charger-Analyzer
3rd Prize: 3 Large Fair-Rite Beads
4th Prize: Crimping Tool
5th Prize: Multi-Purpose Pocket Tool with Light
Door Prize: 9-LED Flashlight with batteries
• Need Tickets – see Carolyn or Mike
– 6 for $5 - 12 for $10 - 24 for $20
• GOOD LUCK!
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 18
Additional QSTs
• Does anyone have any other
announcements they would like to make?
• Amtech Day?
• Flea Market?
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 19
Our Sunspot Cycle
The sun has flat-lined…
The Minimum
• March 6, 2006 – Solar Minimum has
Arrived
• January 10, 2008 – Solar Cycle 24 Begins
• September 30, 2008 – Blankest Year of
the Space Age
• November 7, 2008 – The Sun Shows
Signs of Life
• The last few sunspots that we had were
old ones from cycle 23
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 21
Cycle 24 Prediction
Updated 3/4/09
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 22
Current Conditions
Last Month
This Month
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 23
The Last Year
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 24
SOHO MDI Continuum Latest
Image
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 25
SHOW & TELL
or
Tonight’s Mini Topics
Craig Bradley, AE6RR
Risto Kotalampi, W6RK
Phil Verinsky, W6TQG
Why Do We DX?
• Because we like to see the lights dim
when we talk?
• Because is it there?
• Because we like talking to people in
foreign lands?
• Because we like the nice QSL cards?
• Because we like Wall Paper (Awards)?
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 27
CQ Magazine Awards
Something else to do with your QSL
collection while the bands are dead!
- AE6RR
CQ WAZ Award
• Worked All Zones (WAZ)
• One of the longest running in Ham Radio
– Started prior to WWII
•
•
•
•
One of the most prestigious awards
Based on working all 40 CQ Zones
Equal difficulty from all areas of the world
5-Band version available (5BWAZ)
– 80, 40, 20, 15 & 10 m
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 29
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 30
CQ Zones
• We are in Zone 3
• The hardest zones to work from here are
– 21, Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan,
Pakistan, Georgia)
– 22, India, Maldives, Laccadive (VU7)
– 34, NE Africa (Egypt, Libya, Sudan)
– 37, E Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi)
• The path to these zones is over more land mass
than the others
– The path includes NA, EU & AS (or NE AF)
– Water reflects signals much better than land
– You probably have a better chance of working these
areas via long path
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 31
The World from San Jose
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 32
CQ DX Award
• Similar to the ARRL DXCC
– Same entities
– Similar rules (100 entities minimum)
• If you need more “wall paper” and have
DXCC, this one is easy
– Just submit your DXCC record
– I did it via email
• eQSL, LoTW records and Cards accepted
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 33
CQ WPX Award
• Based on call sign prefixes (letters and
numbers)
– K6, N6, WD4, HG1, HG19, WB3, KC2, etc.
• If you have worked the WPX contest, you get the
idea
• Minimum awards
– Mixed: 400
– Mode (CW, SSB, Digital): 300
• Honor system: You do not need to send cards or
have them checked!
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 34
CQ DX Field Award
• Based on the 324 Maidenhead Grid Fields
– The grids are the two letter prefix (ie CM)
• Basic award is 50 or more grids
• Maritime mobile stations count
• Somewhat equal difficulty from all areas of
the world except there are more stations
on land
• eQSL, LoTW records and Cards accepted
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 35
CQ USA-CA Award
•
•
•
•
Based on USA Counties
Base award is 500 counties
There are 3077 counties in the US
There are groups, nets and special
frequencies for “County Hunters”
• Some people do road trip expeditions to
activate rare ones
• eQSL, LoTW records and Cards accepted
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 36
Applying for CQ Awards
• CQ card checkers are hard to find but you can
use ARRL DXCC checkers
• CQ has announced that you can use eQSL, but
this is not mentioned on the web site
• I have used LoTW confirmations (also not
mentioned on web site) – printed the QSL info
• Find the award rules on the CQ web site and
email the award manager for the latest
acceptable procedure for that award
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 37
Risto Kotalampi – W6RK
Global QSL
http://www.globalqsl.com/
Phil Verinsky – W6TQG
Using QRZ.com's XML for Call Sign Lookup
and Bearing
Convenient Log Database Synchronization
with LOTW
VE7VV Packet Cluster
The NCDXC Raffle!
• Does anyone need tickets before we
start?
• Prizes
– Door Prize: 9-LED Flashlight with batteries
– 1st Prize: Yaesu FT-2800M, 65 W 2M mobile
rig
– 2nd Prize: Powerex MHC-9000 ChargerAnalyzer
– 3rd Prize: 3 Large Fair-Rite Beads
– 4th Prize: Crimping Tool
– 5th Prize: Multi-Purpose Pocket Tool with
Light
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 40
Thanks for Coming Tonight!
• Remember the net next Thursday
night!
• See you at Visalia
• Pray for sunspots!
• 73 & Good DX!
NCDXC Mar 09
Slide 41