IARU MONITORING SYSTEM REPORTS INCREASED RUSSIAN MILITARY TRAFFIC ON HAM BANDS

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1 BCARC Club Meeting - Tuesday, October 20 th, 7:00 p.m., H & C Burnside Center Branch October 2015 Signals Volume 14, No. 10 Official Newsletter of the Branch County Amateur Radio Club IARU MONITORING SYSTEM REPORTS INCREASED RUSSIAN MILITARY TRAFFIC ON HAM BANDS Visit the BCARC website at OFFICERS 2015 Founded in 1960 An ARRL Affiliated Club Since 1961 An ARRL Special Service Club President ROY MCCLOUD AB8RM Secretary/Treasurer TED HADFIELD - KU8F BOARD MEMBERS Jim King KC8UGV Justin Lopshire KD8JEL Bill Slade WD8MGF Emergency Coordinator Pat Beeman N8VM The September edition of the IARU Region 1 Monitoring System (IARUMS) newsletter has reported that Russian Military traffic in the Amateur Radio 7 and 14 MHz bands increased during August. At least some of these intruders were likely to be audible in other parts of the world. Monitors in Europe reported a Russian over- the- horizon (OTH) radar in Gorodezh on MHz, causing strong interference daily and often exhibiting splatter. In addition the Russian Navy was reported active frequently on MHz using FM CW. Other monitoring stations in Germany reported numerous Chinese OTH radars in other bands, including on 75 meters. Wolf Hadel, DK2OM Region 1 IARUMS Coordinator and veteran monitor Wolf Hadel, DK2OM, recently told the Rusk County Amateur Radio Club in East Texas that some of the worst offenders are OTH facilities in Russia and Iran. The signals can result in broad swaths of noise in the 20 meter band, he said. During his VoIP talk, Hadel pointed out that recruiting volunteer monitors with the "right equipment" is difficult, and he encouraged club members to join the hunt for ham band intruders. According to Region 1 monitors, intruding signals said to be coming from Spanish fishing vessels have now been reported on all amateur bands - - shared and exclusive. A beacon, reported to be in Kazakhstan, has been transmitting "V" on khz continuously. Apparent North Korean diplomatic traffic from the DPRK embassy in Moscow has been heard on MHz. Mario Taeubel, DG0JBJ, observed 31 OTH radars on 20 meters, 28 OTH radars on 15 meters, and 11 OTH radars on 10 meters during August. In addition, a Chinese OTH radar has often appeared on 80 meters in IARU Region 3. Monitors in Europe also have monitored transmissions between taxi drivers and dispatchers on Amateur Radio frequencies, primarily on 10 meters. The ARRL recently forwarded reports from IARU Region 2 and Hawaii to R2 Monitoring System Coordinator Jorge Del Valle, TG9ADV. These included so- called drift net beacons on 10 meters ( and MHz), as well as digital, radar, and phone intruders heard on 20 meters in Hawaii. Authorized by the IARU Administrative Council, IARU Monitoring System volunteers work under the guidance of the IARU International Monitoring System Coordinator and regional coordinators. The IARU Monitoring System operations are coordinated under the Monitoring System Committee. Thanks to The ARRL Letter WHAT S INSIDE P. 2 The Presidents Letter P. 3 Minutes of September Meeting P. 4 - Election of Officers Notice P. 5 Tower Wanted! CLUB REPEATERS * Hz PL Hz PL *Net 7:00 p.m. Backup Simplex Page 1

2 Roy McCloud, AB8RM As I look out the window, every day I see more and more semi trucks going down the road to the grain elevator. That means they are picking corn and cutting beans and fall is here. You know what that means, that nasty word winter is not far away. But, we have had great weather so far and the trees are starting to turn color. So lets all enjoy it while we can.. When the cold weather does get here it is always a good excuse to stay in where it's warm and cozy and play radio. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Another thing that fall brings us is the club's annual meeting on Branch Signals, October 2015 PRESIDENT S COLUMN Tuesday, November 17, That means there is only one more meeting before that and it s not too early to start talking about that meeting. This is a very important meeting because it is when we hold the electios of officers and board members. Positions open for election this year are: President, Secretary- Treasurer, 2 year board member and 1 year board member. So this is your opportunity to have a say as to who will be leading the club in the upcoming year. The board has decided to start a new annual tradition at this meeting. At the clubs expense, we will be providing pizza and soft drinks to all in attendance. So we are asking everyone to please let Ted Hadfield, KU8F, or me, know as soon as possible how many plan to attend so that we have enough pizza and pop on hand. We think it will be a lot of fun for all. There are several other upcoming items of interest. At our next meeting Tuesday, October 20, 2015 the speaker will be Joe Gosla, KD8UJS of the Hillsdale Club. His program will be about Echolink for those who would like to learn something about that mode. Also, for the upcoming winter months the board has been looking into possible build projects, one of which may be building a tape measure antenna for fox hunts we will be holding in the spring. The board has been busy planning for the next year already. We have been looking into new and interesting programs and activities for us all to enjoy. By doing this we hope to have better and more versatile pro- grams to present. Hope you like what we have planned and we are always open to any of your suggestions and ideas. Well that's all folks. Look forward to seeing you all soon. 73, Roy McCloud, AB8RM DO YOU HAVE ONE OF THESE? CLUB BUILDING PROJECT BEING PLANNED Watch this newsletter for information on an upcoming build day. Options are being considered as to what the item to be built will be, but it could very well be one of these dandy Tape Measure Yagi s. These are the portable handheld antennas that many of the members use for Foxhunting. We ll make it easy enough so that someone with no building experience will have fun participating and we ll keep the cost low by buying in bulk. Got an idea for a club build day project? Contact any of the officers or Board Members with your idea and we ll put it up for consideration. We ll announce the date of the first build as soon as it is finalized. Thanks to The DX Zone Page 2

3 SEPTEMBER 2015 MEETING MINUTES Meeting called to order, September 15, at 7:04 pm by club President Roy McCloud, AB8RM. The pledge of Allegiance was then repeated by all members present. The minutes of the August meeting were contained in the newsletter, so suspension of the reading of minutes were carried by motion of Larry Camp WB8R, second by Arnie Hayward NS8T and approved. The Treasurers report was given by Sec/Treas J. Ted Hadfield, KU8F. Arnie Hayward made the motion to approve the report as given, seconded by Jim King, KC8UGV, and motion carried unanimously. Larry Camp WB8R gave a report for EC, Pat Beeman, not present, reminding of the simulated emergency test to be held on the 27 th of the month. Larry also gave a report for the repeaters and emergency net in the absence of William Slade, WD8MGF, who remains hospitalized with complications of very bad cold/flu, that caused other more serious symptoms that may cause surgery. Bill is presently in OakLawn Hospital in Marshal, room 310. A phone number was given. Larry Camp gave some ARRL section news: Federal legislation, now the new focus, as recent State Law for PRB1 is now in effect. He mentioned several tests of the new law including regarding antenna restrictions in the Sterling Heights, Michigan community, that have pretty much solved the issue for the homeowner/ham. Jim Voss, WV0SS, report. Newsletter is well appreciated by all. Again invitations for submissions by members are encouraged. Scott Meister, K2CUB, using call sign K3EL, had an excellent article regarding his field day experiences in the recent issue. Website overseer Justin Lopshire, KD8JEL, was on first anniversary trip with his wife. OLD BUSINESS: Roy McCloud mentioned that we still have the new BCARC decals for $2.00 each. A fox hunt is planned for Saturday Sept 19 at 10 am at the 911 center right after breakfast at the Prop Blast, weather permitting. New Business: We will be planning some winter build project time for antennas and kits in the near future. The October meeting will be 3 rd Tuesday in October, and speaker scheduled is to be Ed Trombley, N8DCC. Remember the Annual Elections at the scheduled monthly meeting in November. Arnie Hayward NS8T motioned to close the meeting at 7:35 pm, Jim Voss, WV0SS, seconded, and meeting was adjourned with unanimous vote. Our program with Jim Cook, KD8TKL, about CSI, followed at 8:00 pm after some refreshments and a break time. Respectfully submitted, James T. Hadfield, Secretary/Treasurer Branch Signals, October 2015 UPCOMING DX HIGHLIGHTS Montserrat VP2M 1 8 Oct. Chesterfield Is. TX3X 2 12 Oct. Dodecanese SV Oct. Seychelles S79SP 3 18 Oct. Crete SV Oct. Mauritius 3B Oct. Palau T88MZ 6 9 Oct. St. Kits V47JA 6 Oct. 6 Nov. Svalbard JW 7 12 Oct. Guantanamo Bay KG Oct. Marshall Is V73D Oct. Macau XX Oct. Cape Verde Is D4D Oct. Micronesia V63AH 18 Oct- 10 Nov Cuba T42US Oct. Agalega 3B7FA Oct. Bhutan A52CVX Oct. East Kiribati T32DX 27 Oct. 3Nov. Palau T88 30 Oct. 5 Nov. Vietman 3W3MD 31 Oct.- 10Nov. Thanks to NK3K.com WEBSITES TO EXPLORE Dan Romanchik, KB6NU will be presenting our program in the near future. Get a leg up on things by exploring his excellent website. CW operators will find his site extremely interesting. Find him at: One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man. Elbert Hubbard Page 3

4 Branch Signals, October 2015 BCARC Club Meeting - Tuesday, October 20 th 7:00 P.M. H & C Burnside Center This month s program will be: AN INTRODUCTION TO ECHOLINK PRESENTED BY JOE GOSLA, KD8UJS NOTICE OF UPCOMING ELECTION It s almost time for our annual official meeting, which marks the election of officers for 2016! We will be electing a 1 year Board Member, a 2 year board member, Secretary/Treasurer and, of course, President. The election will be held on November 17 th at the H & C Burnside Senior Center. This year the club will be providing pizza and pop, so you are asked to RSVP to Roy McCloud or Ted Hadfield. Also notify them if you would like to run for office. Page 4

5 CONTEST CALENDAR October 1 NRAU 10m Activity Contest SARL 80m QSO Party October 2 NCCC Sprint YLRL DX/NA YL Anniv. Contest October 3 German Telegraphy Contest GTC CW Cup Russian WW Digital Contest TRC DX Contest California QSO Contest FISTS Fall Slow Speed Sprint WAB HF Phone October 4 RSGB 21/28 Mhz Contest October 9 NCCC Sprint October Int Day Sprint Oceana DX Contest, CW Arizona QSO Contest Pennsylvania QSO Party October Int. Fall Contest, CW Iowa QSO Party New York QSO Party Worked All Germany Contest Telephone Pioneers QSO Party South Dakota QSO Party October 18 Illinois QSO Party October 19 Run For The Bacon QRP Contest ARRL School Club Roundup October 24th CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB October 28 SKCC Sprint Phone Fray October 29 RSGB 80m Club Sprint, SSB October 31 Feld Hell Sprint ARRL EME Contest Russian WW MultiMode Contest Thanks WA7BNM Contest Calendar FRIENDS IN NEED OF PRAYER. At the moment we have three members and friends of the Club who are suffering from physical infirmities. Bill Slade, WD9MGF, has recently been released from the hospital with upper respiratory and other problems. Warren Untkerkircher, W8WU, is recovering from a fall and Jackie Hesse is recovering for a bout of food poisoning. They would certainly appreciate your thoughts and prayers in the days to come. WEEKLY FACE-TO-FACE BREAKFAST AND RAGCHEW Every Saturday morning, beginning around 8:00, local amateurs, spouses and friends gather at the Prop Blast Café for breakfast and rag chewing. Wear your call sign name badge! Located at the Branch County Memorial Airport Branch Signals, October 2015 UPCOMING HAMFESTS 10/3/2015 GRAHamfest Location: Wyoming, MI 10/17/2015 Muskegon Color Tour Hamfest Location: Muskegon, MI 10/18/2015 Kalamazoo HamFest 2015 Location: Kalamazoo, MI 10/25/2015 USECA s 2015 Swap and Shop Location: Madison Heights, MI Thanks to ARRL.org ATTENTION FOXHUNTERS As you are likely aware by this late date, our last Foxhunt was cancelled due to inclement weather. Due to the changing of the season and other con- siderations it has been de- sided that we well postpone the next hunt until good weather re- turns in the spring. This will give you time to build new equipment and tweek your existing gear. Page 5

6 Branch Signals October 2015 BCARC FLASHBACK - FEATURING EXERPTS FROM THE OCTOBER, 1989 BRANCH SIGNALS The September Meeting of the BCARC was held in room 101 of the Branch Area Careers Center. President, Larry Camp, WB8R called the meeting to order, at 7:30 p.m. with 28 members and guests present. Amos Fleming, WA8LGO, gave the treasurers report stating that the club account contained $ A motion was made by Chris, N8JHE, seconded by Matt, N8JWC, to accept the minutes of the June meeting as printed in the September Newsletter. Motion passed by voice vote. In giving the ARES/RACES report, Chris Pavka, N8JHE, noted that it had been a very quite summer as far as severe weather. He announced that he was to hold a meeting with Sheriff Gordon in the next week to discuss how Amateur Radio could be further utilized by the department. The membership was reminded that the simulated emergency test was scheduled for October 21 st. Chris also thanked all that worked providing communications at the fair this year. Ed Geiman, WA8HMG, reported that the repeater was found to be off the air one evening and that the power supply had sustained some extreme damage. A power supply was substituted for the defective unit and Amos, WA8LGO, is currently working to repair the damage. Under old business, Larry, WB8R, announced that the club is now officially incorporated. Jim Blackman, N8KNM, announced that he is now net control for the Ligoneer Repeater evening net on Friday nights. Herb Spence, WD8JOO, invited everyone to join in the Computer get togethers on Thursday evenings at 7:00 at Big Boy in Coldwater or at his house. Respectfully submitted by Jim Voss, KS8D, Secretary (truncated) TOWER NEEDED! I am in need of a foot tower. Willing to take down a standing tower if necessary. Call with price and details. GARY STECHSCHULTE, W8CWX Earn This Unique Certificate for 12 Check- ins to the Local Net! Check in every Tuesday evening (except clubmeeting night) at 7:00 p.m. on the WD8KAF Repeater /100 hz pl Page 6 6