50 MHz Spring Sprint – May 9th

8 May

The Central States VHF Society sponsors the 2021 Spring Sprints. The 50 MHz Spring Sprint runs today.

Times are 2300z (Saturday) through to 0300z (Sunday). This equates to 1600 hours PDT to 2000 hours PDT for the West Coast.

Contact as many grid squares as you can. Victoria, BC is grid square CN88.

For more information on the 50 MHz Spring Sprint.

2021 Pacific NW DX Convention – August 7th

7 May

Registration is now open for the 2021 PNW DX Convention sponsored by the Willamette Valley DX Club in Portland, OR.

The in-person convention scheduled for August, 2021 has been cancelled. The WVDXC will be holding a one day virtual convention via Zoom instead. The date is Saturday Aug 7, 2021. All hams are welcome.

Registration is free and open to everyone since this is a virtual convention. Technical sessions and prizes are still under development by the convention committee.

Please check this 2021 PNW DX Convention link for the latest news.

Important HF bulletin – ARRL

23 Apr

ARRL Bulletin 12  ARLB012
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT  April 21, 2021
To all radio amateurs

Clear Frequencies Requested for Net Providing 24/7 Coverage of Saint Vincent Volcanic Eruption

3.185 MHz LSB and 7.188 MHz LSB

The Caribbean Emergency and Weather Net (CEWN) has been providing round-the-clock coverage during the La Soufriere volcanic eruption on the island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Several neighboring islands are also being affected by the disaster. When responding to disasters and emergencies such as this, the CEWN utilizes 3.185 MHz LSB and 7.188 MHz LSB. CEWN is requesting that radio amateurs not involved in the volcano response to keep these frequencies clear.

Saturday Morning Coffee Breaks on ZOOM

9 Dec

WARA is testing holding our Saturday Morning Coffee Breaks by using the Zoom platform. This will be very informal in place of the breakfasts that we can’t hold right now. The first Zoom meetup was very well received, and there was a sense that the group wanted it to continue.

Saturday Zoom meetings provide a chance to say “Hello”, meet and put faces to people we only hear on air, swap stories, and have a “Show and Tell” if you have a new piece of kit you want to brag about.

All members should have received an email with the login information. I hope to see you next Saturday morning, March 20th at 10:00AM, PST  

Brent Besse VA7BNB, WARA President

The magnetic classification of sunspots

7 Dec

HF communications are affected by sunspots. Their number is growing with the new solar cycle #25. There are eight classifications of sunspots. You will find them below.

The different classificationssunspot with magnetic classification

  1. α – Alpha:
    A unipolar sunspot group.
  2. β – Bèta:
    A sunspot group that has a positive and a negative polarity (or bipolar) with a simple division between the polarities.
  3. γ – Gamma:
    A complex region in which the positive and negative polarities are so irregularly distributed that they can’t be classified as a bipolar Sunspot group.
  4. β-γ – Bèta-Gamma:
    A bipolar sunspot group but complex enough so that no line can be drawn between spots of opposite polarity.
  5. δ – Delta:
    The umbrae of opposite polarity in a single penumbra.
  6. β-δ – Bèta-Delta:
    A sunspot group with a general beta magnetic configuration but contains one (or more) delta sunspots.
  7. β-γ-δ – Bèta-Gamma-Delta:
    A sunspot group with a beta-gamma magnetic configuration but contains one (or more) delta sunspots.
  8. γ-δ – Gamma-Delta
    A sunspot group with a gamma magnetic configuration but contains one (or more) delta sunspots.

Check out more info on sunspots at SpaceWeatherLive.com