THE MONITOR. September Published Monthly for members of the Amateur Radio Clubs in Virginia s Central Shenandoah Valley

Transcription

1 THE MONITOR September 2017 Published Monthly for members of the Amateur Radio Clubs in Virginia s Central Shenandoah Valley PVARC Meeting September 1st The Page Valley Amateur Radio Club will hold its regular meeting on September 1st at 6:30pm at Tactical Walls. The address is: 611 Williams Avenue. On the north end of Shenandoah, turn east from US Route 340 onto Williams Avenue, go through the gate, park along the right side of the building. The entrance is around the building to the right. All Amateurs, their families and friends are welcome. VARA Meeting September 5th The Valley Amateur Radio Association, will hold its September 5th meeting at Hometown Grille & Buffet (Old Shoney s) at 30 Sanger Lane, Staunton, VA. Dinner starts at 6:00pm, and the general meeting begins at 7:00pm. All Amateurs, their families and friends are welcome. MARA Meeting September 7th The Massanutten Amateur Radio Association, Inc., will hold its monthly meeting on Thursday, September 7th at the Wood Grill on Reservoir Street in Harrisonburg. Dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. Meeting starts at 7:30 PM. All Amateurs, their families and friends are welcome. Weekly Friday Luncheon The Friday weekly casual lunch meetings are at Hometown Grille & Buffet (Old Shoney s) at 30 Sanger Lane, Staunton, VA at 11:00AM. Directions: I-81 to Exit 222, Richmond Rd. & Rte Turn East, Hometown Grille & Buffet will be on the left across the street from Mrs. Rowe s. HURRICANE SEASON is in full swing. Tropical Cyclone Harvey The Hurricane Watch Net was officially opened at 11:00 AM EDT UTC on our daytime frequency of MHz. We plan to operate overnight on MHz as propagation allows. We will resume daytime operations on MHz at 8:00 AM EDT 1200 UTC and move back to MHz at 7:00 PM EDT 2300 UTC. Should band conditions dictate, we will operate both frequencies simultaneously. The Hurricane Watch Net has upgraded to Alert Level 3 Standby Mode which means a Tropical Cyclone has become, or forecast to become, a Hurricane and threaten land within the HWN area of interest within the next 24 hours. Overnight, Harvey was upgraded to a Tropical Storm at 11:00 PM CDT 0400 UTC and is forecast to become a hurricane later today. Looking at satellite imagery, from 10:00 PM CDT UTC to 5:00 AM CDT 1000 UTC, Harvey more than tripled in size. This will be the first hurricane to make landfall in Texas in 9 years the last was Iike in Besides tropical and hurricane force winds along the Texas coast and further inland, the main concern with this storm will be that of heavy rain and flooding! In the Public Advisory issued at 7:00 AM CDT 1200 UTC, NHC said, Harvey is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 10 to 15 inches and isolated maximum amounts of 25 inches over the Texas coast through next Wednesday. During the same time period Harvey is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 3 to 9 inches along its outer radius including parts of south, central, and eastern Texas and the lower Mississippi Valley. Rainfall from Harvey may cause lifethreatening flooding. And, when it comes to landfalling tropical systems, never rule out the possibility of spin-up tornadoes! As with any net activation, we request observed ground-truth data from those in the affected area (Wind Speed, Wind Gust, Wind Direction, Barometric Pressure if available, Rainfall, Damage, and Storm Surge). Measured weather data is always appreciated but we do accept estimated. We are also available to provide backup communications to official agencies such as Emergency Operations Centers and Red Cross officials in the affected area. We will also be interested to collect and report significant damage assessment data back to FEMA officials stationed in the National Hurricane Center. As always, we are praying and hoping for the best yet preparing for the worst. Bobby Graves KB5HAV

2 President s Corner Hello fellow VARA members, we are approaching the start of our busy community volunteer events and I am asking all of our members to help with one or more of the events that will be coming up. Every year committee chairmen have to scour the valley to find the needed volunteers to fill the required positions. Please sign up early and often to help relieve the stress of the person taking his/her time to coordinate and put together our part of helping these great organizations put on their event. A partial list of events include, VFW bike event (Sept 9), Self Reliance Fair (Sept 9), Shenandoah 500 (Sept30-Oct1), Grindstone 100 (Oct6-8), Fall Foliage Bike Festival (Oct20-22). Also, it s that time again to nominate members for the 2018 club officers, if you would like to put your name in the hat or would like to recommend someone, please contact our club Secretary David AD4TJ. In closing, I want to ask all the new members to consider jumping in and getting your feet wet with volunteering for the upcoming events and even the 2018 VARA officer positions. All the seasoned radio operators are willing to help you gain the knowledge of working an event (which all are great fun to work) and gain a better understanding how your radio, antenna s and frequency issues can be resolved. See everyone in the upcoming events! John Keller W4ZAO, President VARA For Sale Icom 756 Pro III In excellent operational and cosmetic condition. Non-smoker and all equipment never outside humidity/temp controlled bedroom. Includes HM-36 mike, Astron SS-30M power supply/cables, original manual, and ICOM External Speaker SP-10. I prefer demonstrating it in my home rather then shipping. $1095. Paul Brunk, W4RY Harrisonburg, VA 2 September 2017

3 The following items were purchased by a new ham several years ago and never used. They are in like new condition. Brand New Kenwood IC-T22A 2 m handheld WITH: Original box and packing Speaker Mike HM-46 Cigarette lighter adapter CP volt wall wart charger And a brand new LI battery Asking $ Brand New 2-meter ANTTRON Magnetic mount antenna with: ¼ wave element 5/8 wave element w/loading coil BNC adapter for handheld radio Asking $45.00 Gordon WA4FJC gpbatey@compuserve.com Brand New in the box Mirage 35 watt handheld (brick) amplifier for 2 Meters. This appears to still be a current model. 1 to 8 watts input 35 Watts output Requires 12 volt power Asking $ Hustler resonators and masts. $10 each 80m high power RM-80S Fair condition. Cosmetic issues. Has a gap at one end of the covering sheath. No markings. 75m RM-75 Fair condition. Cosmetic issues. 40m RM-40 Fair condition. Cosmetic issues. 17m RM-17 Fair condition. Cosmetic issues. Markings worn off. 15m RM-15 Good condition. Masts have 3/8" x 24 threads. 54" mast. MO-3 Folding mast MO-2. Folds at 27" above the base. Tip rods. $5 each 18 1/2" tip rod with collet nut 28 1/2" tip rod with collet nut Pete - AA4PF - (540) The Monitor 3

4 Luray Triathlon A very big thank you to everyone who participated in the Triathlon Amateur Radio support this year, job well done! Thanks Again, Mark-N4YSA Mike K4MIC and Mark N4YSA Saturday at Lake Arrowhead net control station 4 September 2017

5 Am I Really.? I'd been checking out my new 5kW linear on the workbench when I accidentally touched the final plates while holding the chassis with my other hand. No problem, except I'd forgotten to turn off the power. Zaaap!! Next thing I knew, this kindly person sitting in a white Jeep was calling to me. "Hop in," he said with a grin. And I did. We took off on a path that wound around the side of a huge treeless mountaintop nearby. You can call me Pete, said my newfound friend. Dressed in white, with snow white hair, he had a set of keys dangling from his belt, jangling as we rode up the mountain trail towards the clear blue sky. When we got to the top of the mountain, I was awestruck. To my joy, there were phased rhombic antennas all over the place, most about a mile and a half on each leg. Wow! What a dx'ers dream! At the top of the summit was a fair sized building, to which my friend invited me into. Inside were even more ham thrills. Pete explained, "A separate receiver and 5kW rig on every band from 160 to 2 meters. And all controls at your fingertips from the console." He brought me over to the operating position. "Take a listen," he offered. And I did. Wow! DX coming in from all directions. I mean real DX! All the QRM was DX. "Not to worry," said Pete. "Just push in lightly on the receiver dial and concentrate on the station you want." And I did. Immediately, the QRM would fade and the signal I wanted stood out, S9! Wow! I never had a DSP so good! Then I heard one of the rarest of the rare, a 9N1 from Nepal about S5. A little QRM was there so I looked for the beam rotor control. There was none. Pete, who was watching all this with delight, seemed to know right away what was on my mind. "That red button," he pointed. "It turns the entire mountaintop. Push it in." And I did. Wow! There wasn't anything except a slight rumbling sound to let you knew something was going on-- something BIG. And sure enough, in a second 9N1VJ was coming in so clear like you were keying C-sharp on the big church organ, sending out CQ DX. I smiled to myself and went back to him on the keyer, smugly confident. I stood by. But nothing happened. That is, nothing as far as I was concerned. Plenty else, though, because the DX station went back to KE4HVR! Doggone! That Ray had an old Heathkit 807 rig that squeezed out maybe 40 Watts on CW. Where does he get off beating me out of DX? I looked at Pete with that question on my face. He knew what I was thinking. "That switch down there under the table," he pointed. "Flip it up. It connects you to a 75kW final down in the basement." And I did. Wow! I hit out a NST and with each tap of the key the house lights dimmed. I smiled again and without even waiting for Ray to QRT. I called that 9N1 five times. "I'll show that Ray a thing or two about DX," I said to myself. Beat me out of a rare DX contact, would he? Now we'll see if my signal doesn't burn out the first RF of the 9N1's receiver." But again, nothing. No reply. I looked over at Pete who somehow seemed less angelic in appearance than before. In fact, there was a sort of evil grin on his face. His complexion had changed to a ruddy red weathered look. How come no contact?" I demanded to know. "Seventy five kw and mile-long rhombics? I don't get it." Pete snickered. "Of course you don't," he was quick to reply. They never come back. They never, ever, come back to you. That's the hell of it. Why, did you really think you were in. Contributed by Vince Luciani,K2VJ, SK Originally printed in the June1998 Monitor Vince became a silent key in July 2000 The Monitor 5

6 Da Slipstick& Other Antiques Hugh, K3EC NOSTALGIC NUMBERING Discovering the excitement of radio and its Amateur component as a youngster came to mean discovering the usefulness and necessity of crunching numbers. To achieve and sustain some level of success in Radio meant reviving grade school arithmetic to handle such expressions as E = IR, P = IE, or L = 492/f (MHz). Measuring antenna wire or comprehending battery use suddenly became fixed in one's youthful pursuit of the radio hobby. At last numbers have meaning! But putting such values to work sometimes meant drudgery (consider SWR calculations) and cumbersome logarithms until one met the Mannheim or Log-log duplex trig slide rule, the slipstick beloved by folks so necessarily engaged. From high school and college into a professional communications career I always had one usually in or at hand. They were great for quick off-the-cuff calculations even if only approximate. They still are, but are rarely seen around anymore The four-banger LED calculators and its many higher-powered descendants from Hewlett-Packard and Texas Instruments assassinated them all in a matter of just two or three years in the early 1970s. Journeying down memory lane do you remember Hewlett-Packard's HP-35 beloved by civil engineers,? Or the HP-45 over which most of the electronic techs I knew fairly swooned? Or the HP-55, the Sports statistician's essential companion at all events? The amazing card-reading HP-65 and HP-67s which could handle all kinds of satellite, celestial, nuclear and really complex formulas? They too are long past desk top and laptop computers have done them in too, much as they themselves did to the humble and handy slipstick 50 years or so ago. But wait! This 90-year old number cruncher and ham radio enthusiast still uses his 1947 Dietzgen 5 pocket slide rule every time he gasses up his car (calculating mileage and gasoline consumption) and daily fires up his the HP-97 (the desktop version of the HP-67) for checking bank or credit card statements, HF propagation paths, or the occasional frequency or electrical questions presenting themselves for quick and reasonable answers. Why not? These are still trustworthy numbers! He just renewed his Extra Class ticket (vintage 1965) for another ten years, because these old clunkers (speak for yourself, Hugh) are still performing as well as they were so designed long ago. Our evolving new digital technology is truly glittering and impressive, but numbers still have to be crunched and understood for it to go forward. 6 September 2017

7 Shenandoah 500 Motorcycle Ride Public Service Opportunity On Saturday Sept. 30 and Sunday Oct 1, 1 the Shenandoah 500 Motorcycle Ride will take place in Augusta and Rockingham Counties and areas of WVA. In the past, members from VARA and MARA clubs have assisted with radio communications for this event. We will need 8-9 volunteers for various locations in the George Washington National Forest and other locations each day. Also, an assistant/relief net control will be needed on Reddish Knob each day for an hour or two. Depending on locations, you could work from 2 to 5 hours during this event. It is very important to have us participate as nearly every year there are accidents that require emergency response. To participate, you would need a mobile 2M rig with at least 35-50W and a good mag mount mobile antenna or the ability to put up a mobile mast with a 2M antenna. This year we are lucky because the Grindstone 100 mile foot race is not going on at the same time. Hopefully, this will make it easier to get volunteers. I know some will want to work the Camp Still Meadows horse ride on Sunday, but that doesn t preclude you helping out for several hours on Saturday with the Shenandoah 500 ;-) If you are interested in participating this year, please Bryan K4RMY (k4rmy at arrl.net). Thank you for considering assisting with this public service event. Valley Veterans Ride for Heroes Sept 9, 2017 Greetings fellow Hams, I just finished a meeting with the organizers of the first VFW Valley Veterans Ride for Heroes bike event scheduled for September 9 th staring at Gypsy Hill Park at 8:00am. The VARA members voted to help assist in SAG support for this event and I took off work to attend a meeting to finalize some details. They are hoping on riders for their first event that has 2 courses, a 50mile and a 25 mile loop. The 25 mile loop is inside the 50 mile loop so that helps in keeping the need down for a large number of volunteers for the event from the amateur radio community. the course with drinks and snacks. The event will run from 8:00am til 2:00pm. They are telling the participants that there will be no support after 2:00pm. Each rest stop will have a display of various war events with veterans on hand to discuss the events. I will make a presentation at the upcoming VARA meeting for Sept. Anyone volunteering please me at eaglehiker@hotmail.com and let me know if you can SAG or just be on a location/drive an area. Any MARA members are welcome to participant as well. Their website is: John Keller W4ZAO, President VARA We will be supplying SAG support and just general visibility of where the course is located. NO traffic control or first aid assistance will be provided except bandages etc from our first aid kits that will be passed out. Our vehicles will have orange fluorescent tape on our antennas as in past events and orange reflective vests. From my maps that I printed from their web site, I feel that we will need hams. 1 will be needed to drive the director around the course and communicate any needed info to the NET control operator. That leaves 8-10 hams to cover the course and also SAG support. They will have 6 rest stops at various locations throughout The Monitor 7

8 VARA Secretary s Report VARA Minutes For August 1, 2017 The Valley Amateur Radio Association had its August 1st meeting brought to order at 7 pm by president John Keller W4ZAO. Everyone introduced themselves as usual. John was recognized as being a celebrity for being on WHSV TV 3's news broadcast for his accomplishment of being #1 in VA( for the 6th year in a row, at that! ), #1 in the Roanoke Division, #4 in the US, and #11 world in the ARRL's 2017 International DX Phone Contest of March 4-5. Way to go, John! The 50/50 drawing for $13.50 was won by Roger Pience N1XP, who graciously donated it back to the club. Another 2 drawings were made: Angie Nash KM4FAI won a Yaesu hat, and Ellsworth Neff K4LXG won a DX Engineering hat. ARES report: David Tanks AD4TJ, EC for Augusta County amateurs, reminded us of the monthly ARES nets that are held on the 2nd Thursday of the month, and asked for a volunteer for Net Control: Greg Czerniak W4GRC volunteered, with the net to be held on simplex. Secretary's report: David made a motion that the minutes be accepted as printed in the newsletter; seconded and passed. Treasurer's report: Greg read his report; motion made, seconded, and passed to accept the report. Upcoming Events: John reminded us of the Mountain Mama bike event going on in Highland County on the 5th; the Shenandoah 100 bike event Sept. 3rd, the Valley Veterans bike ride Sept. 9, the Preparedness Fair at Expo also Sept 9( planning to have Net Control there for the bike ride ); the Grindstone 100 foot race in the middle of October, the Shenandoah 500 Motorcycle race is Sept. 30-Oct. 1, and the Fall Foliage bike ride is October The Roanoke( Vinton ) hamfest is August 5th, and Berryville is August 6th. Steve Ferguson N4PKJ reminded us that the Boy Scout Jamboree On The Air will be the third Saturday in October. The membership application of Steve Ferguson was read for the first time; a vote will be taken next month to accept him. With no information on Christmas Banquet locations, the discussion was tabled. David brought us up-to-date on contests and Special Events happening in August. Herb Slade AA2BF and Ellsworth are heading to Missouri for the Total Eclipse on the 21st. With no other business to discuss the meeting was closed at 7:23 pm. Al Bonck N3JB presented a short program on his amateur radio life. Respectfully submitted, David AD4TJ, VARA Secretary MARA Treasurer s Report July 21, 2017 to August 20, 2017 Opening Balance $ Income: Memberships $ /50 August Meeting $ Town of Bridgewater - Donation $ Total Income: $ Expenses: Electric $ Guest Meal $ P.O. Box Rental (1 year) $ Total Expenses: $ Balance August 20, 2017 $ 1, Submitted by Foster Farone, WF4O, MARA Treasurer 8 September 2017

9 MARA Secretary s Report MARA Secretary s Report Aug. 3, 2917 General Meeting called to order at Wood Grill, Harrisonburg, by President Andrew Pearson (N4RCE) at 7:30 p.m. 27 members and 9 guests were present. Introductions were made all around. New Member Vote: Ray Albers (K2HYD) Unanimously approved. Welcome, Ray! New Member First Reading: none The Secretary s Minutes for last month s meeting approved as published in the Monitor, The Treasurer s Report for last month approved as published in the Monitor. Committee Reports: ARES: Bryan Daniels (K4RMY): The ARES webpage has been updated. Volunteers are needed for a Sept. 9 coverage test for the upcoming 500 mile motorbike race. Repeater Committee: Bob Vanfossen (K4DLG): The 440 repeater on Great North Mtn is working fb. We plan to move its receiving antenna to the other side of a steel tower for better coverage in that direction. VE Committee: Gayle Shull (KU4XN): Next regular test session will be at 9:00 A.M., August 12, at Wood- men Life, Rt 42 in Dayton. Public Service Committee: Gayle also announced that he will not be coordinating the Bridgewater pa- rade next year. Anyone interested in taking that role should contact Bridgewater Police Department.. Old Business: Secretary Herb Slade (AA2BF) mailed a letter of appreciation to John Keller (W4ZAO) from MARA, for his outstanding FD work. Next Meeting September 6. 50/50 Drawing: Of $31 in tickets sold, $15.50 was won by Foster Farone (WF4O), who donated his share to MARA.. Thanks, Foster! Time Adjourned: 7:52 p.m. Program: David Fordham (KD9LA) discussed C4FM and how it works. It has been proposed as an experimental change in the repeater, to provide digital service. Among several alternatives, it can be set to a Fixed response mode (e.g. a single digital mode, or Auto (responding to any of four digital modes). It will always act as an analog repeater (e.g. FM). Analog listeners will have to turn on Decode on their transceivers (131.8) to quiet those transmitting digitally. Fusion Machine is Yaesu s trademark for the C4FM repeater. Since is a relatively unused repeater, it seems like a good candidate for local hams to try out the digital technology. Respectively submitted, Herb Slade, AA2BF, Secretary New Business: See Program. Announcements: Elwood Shrader (KB4DJN) is losing his eyesight. He is looking for folks interested in his ham gear. The Monitor 9

10 PVARC Secretary s Report August 4, 2017 Meeting Minutes The meeting was called to order by President Dave Firestone K4DPF at 6:30 PM at Tactical Walls in Shenandoah. (Thanks to Tim KM4TGC and Carrie KM4WDX for the donation of the use of the facility!) 12 members were in attendance The Secretary's report was approved. The Treasurer s report was deferred until next meeting. Announcements: Mark N4YSA and Gary K6OZ asked for volunteers for the Luray Triathlon (Aug 19 and 20) and the Page Valley Road Race (Aug 26). Old Business: Committee reports: Field Day: President Dave Firestone delivered his congratulations to the group for a well done Field Day (Dave was not able to attend last meeting s Field Day wrap-up, details of which are in last month s Monitor). EMCOM/Public Service: Review of communication with the county regarding the Cooter s event revealed they had belatedly expressed a desire for our participation but did not have a clear idea of what they wanted which therefore lead to a decision to not participate. Trailer: Original committee members have been identified and will continue to pursue purchase and decide what items will go into the trailer. Continued discussion of the club connection to the hospital (or lack thereof) and whether the club call sign should be changed. Resolved that Dave K4DPF will Bob WO4MI. New Business: Bob KI4VFP volunteered to present Broadband Hamnet (Mesh) at the next meeting. Mark N4YSA will contact the Sheriff regarding the training room availability. Discussion of options to print club QSL cards. Resolved that Dave K4DPF will continue to print them on a PC printer as needed. Discussion of possible solutions to lack of a digital projector. Some of the options are a purchase, use the Tactical Walls TV, or schedule some meetings at the Sheriff s training room. Lonnie s gracious offer to loan his was accepted. The meeting was adjourned at 7:18 PM, followed by a presentation of Lightning Protection by Mark N4YSA. Respectfully submitted by Gary Fischer K6OZ, PVARC Secretary Silent Keys James Williams KC5ROT Friday 8/4/2017. We have lost another valley ham and VARA Member From KI4GST 8/13 Robert Wilson's wife Angel's father, (George) was in a swimming accident a month or more ago and broke his neck. He had been on a respirator since his accident. I just got an from Robert that he passed away today. Prayers for the family would be appreciated. 10 September 2017

11 Page County Va. ARES Frequencies Repeaters Simplex Page ARES Channel ARES Contacts Mark Hensley EC N4YSA n4ysa@gmx.com Morgan Phenix AEC K4RHD phenix@centurylink.net Bob Forrest AEC WO4MI wo4mi@arrl.net Call Up Procedure Call up for the Page County ARES members will be via R & Page ARES Channel simplex. You will be advised of the emergency and you assignment. In the event of power loss, inclement weather or other emergency, monitor the Call up frequencies at the top of the hour. VE Testing (No, we re not talking about Canada) Thanks to those who gave their time to make our test session a success. They were: Hugh Pettis K3EC Robert VanFossen K4DJG E.C. Showalter KG4KUR Donald Landis WX4C Andrew Pearson W4RCE Gerald Nauman KN4FM Ray Richie K4NRA Jim Lehman W4POL Brian Daniels K4RMY It was good to see some upgrades, we issued Four Tech. and two general licenses. Our next session will be October 14, Sign-in starts at 9:00 am, followed immediately by testing. Bring your ID, your original license and a copy of same. The fee is $ If you are an accredited VE and would like to help, contact Gayle Shull, KU4XN at gshu7411@gmail.com GAYLE, KU4XN Get Involved! Don t forget: The local ARES groups hold regular nets to let you check out your radio equipment, antennas, and other station gear. Take advantage of these opportunities to get signal reports and get to know the other local hams. All Amateurs are welcome! The Page County ARES Net meets the first Sunday nights on the local simplex, the second Sunday on the (PL 114.8) repeater, and the remaining Sundays on the (PL 131.8) repeater, at 8:00 pm local time. The Rockingham County ARES Net meets Monday nights at 8:00 pm local time, the first Monday on simplex, all other Mondays on the (+) repeater (PL 131.8). The Augusta County ARES Net meets the second Thursday of each month at 8:00 pm local time, usually on the repeater (PL 131.8). The NVTN (Northern Virginia Traffic Net) meets daily on the (PL 131.8) repeater at 7:30 pm local time. The Old Dominion Emergency Net meets every first and third Monday on khz at 6:30 pm local time. All Amateurs are welcome! The VSBN (Virginia Sideband Net) meets daily on khz at 6:00 PM local time. All Amateurs are welcome! The VLN (Virginia Late Net) meets daily on mhz at 10:00 PM local time. All Amateurs welcome! The Monitor 11

12 IMPORTANT UPDATE: NEW NCVEC 605 FORM A NEW NCVEC 605 FORM MUST BE USED AT EXAM SESSIONS BEGINNING MONDAY AUGUST 21, (Details on the ARRL Website) How s DX 6W, Senegal: 6W1SU is Ronald (VE3REV), who has moved to Dakar, Senegal since August and will remain there for two or three years. He plans to be active on 80-6 metres, "currently operating phone only but hoping to tackle CW later". QSL via M0URX's OQRS ) for direct and bureau cards. See for more information. 9Q, DEM. REP. OF THE CONGO. Fernando, EA4BB (ex-9q5bb, D2BB, ST2BF, TU5JL, TZ6BB, Z21BB), is now active as 9Q6BB from Kinshasa (eastern part of the country) for up to the next 3 years. Activity has been on 20/17 meters using CW. Operations are QRP using an Elecraft KX2 w/5w into a Vertical telescopic whip 5.2m antenna. QSL via W3HNK. CE9, Antarctica: Raj/VU3LBP remains active from the Antarctic station Bharati (WAP IND-04, WW Loc. MC80co) until November QSL via I1HYW. SP, Poland: HF700LUB celebrates the 700th anniversary of the city Lublin until August QSL via SP8AB. POLAND, SP. Special event station HF700LUB is QRV until August Pirates on the Air PIRATES ---> "For more than a year now an Amateur Radio operator has been pirating the following calls on CW", The Daily DX reported on 17 August. "It started off with VU2TS, but only on CW. Then he was switching between VU2TS and 4U1ITU, when the club was using 4U1WRC, again CW only. Next he began using 5H3PM, CW only. The pirate has now recently switched over to 5H3MG again CW only. I have confirmed with Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) that both 5H3 calls are not currently registered calls. The signals are clearly coming from Southern Europe" to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the city Lublin. Activity is on the HF bands using CW, SSB and various digital modes. QSL via SP8AB. In addition, look for 3Z20ILLW to be QRV from the Jaroslawiec Lighthouse, ILLW PL-0014, during the International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend. QSL via bureau. FRENCH POLYNESIA, FO. Operators F6BCW and F6DTZ are QRV as TX5EG from Moorea until September 5. They may also be active as FO/F6BCW and FO/F6DTZ, respectively. Activity is on 80 to 12 meters using CW, SSB, RTTY and PSK. QSL via operators' instructions. IOTA s AF-021; ZS8, Prince Edward and Marion Islands: David/ ZS1BCE will be stationed on Marion Island until May 2018 and plans to operate during his spare time as ZS8Z on HF. QSL via ZS1LS. AF-078.Carabane Island Vlad, UA4WHX, is now QRT from the Gambia and is currently active as 6W/UA4WHX/p from Carabane Island, Senegal. Activity has been on 17 meters using CW and SSB (possibly Digital modes). As always, his length of stay unknown at this time. QSL via his home callsign. AN div., Graham Land West (Adelaide Island) group: Alan/ MW0YCC will be active from the Rothera Research Station/Adelaide Island and other locations until April 2018 as VP8DPJ. QSL only via eqsl. EU SV - Fred, PA1FJ will be active as SV8/PA1FJ/p from Samos Island (EU-049) from 28 August to 11 September. He will be QRV on the HF bands and 6 metres. QSL via home call, bureau preferred. [TNX rsgbiota.org] EU DL - Stefan, DF8HS will be active from Fehmarn Island (EU-128) from 28 August to 14 September. QSL via the bureau. [TNX rsgbiota.org] This month s bulle n was made possible with informa on provided by NC1L, QRZ DX, The Weekly DX, The OPDX Bulle n, 425 DX News, The Daily DX, DXNL, Contest Corral from QST, the ARRL Contest Calendar and WA7BNM web sites. Thanks to all. 12 September 2017

13 EU-170-9A - Look for 9A/GW4UWD/p to be active from Zlarin Island (EU-170) from 27 August to 2 September. He will operate SSB on the HF bands. QSL via bureau to home call. [TNX rsgbiota.org] Contests & QSO Parties For more details and information, go to: 1 QRP Fox Hunt 1 NCCC RTTY Sprint 1 NCCC Sprint Ladder 1-3 G3ZQS Memorial Straight Key Contest 2 CWOps CW Open 2 Russian RTTY WW Contest 2 Wake-Up! QRP Sprint 2 AGCW Straight Key Party 2-3 All Asian DX Contest, Phone 2-3 RSGB SSB Field Day 2-3 IARU Region 1 Field Day, SSB 2-3 Colorado QSO Party 2-3 PODXS 070 Club Jay Hudak Memorial 80m Sprint 3 WAB 144 MHz QRO Phone 3-4 Tennessee QSO Party 4-5 MI QRP Labor Day CW Sprint 5 ARS Spartan Sprint 6 Phone Fray 6 UKEICC 80m Contest 6-7 CWops Mini-CWT Test 7 NRAU 10m Activity Contest 8 NCCC RTTY Sprint 8 NCCC Sprint Ladder 9 Kulikovo Polye Contest 9 FOC QSO Party 9 Ohio State Parks on the Air 9-10 WAE DX Contest, SSB 9-10 ARRL EME Contest 9-10 SARL Field Day Contest 9-10 SKCC Weekend Sprintathon 9-10 Russian Cup Digital Contest 9-11 ARRL September VHF Contest 10 North American Sprint, CW 10 Swiss HTC QRP Sprint Classic Exchange, CW 11 4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint 11 RSGB 80m Autumn Series, SSB RTTY 13 Phone Fray CWops Mini-CWT Test 15 NCCC RTTY Sprint 15 NCCC Sprint Ladder 15 AGB NEMIGA Contest 16 QRP Afield 16 Feld Hell Sprint ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest SARL VHF/UHF Analogue/Digital Contest Scandinavian Activity Contest, CW All Africa International DX Contest SRT HF Contest SSB Iowa QSO Party Washington State Salmon Run New Hampshire QSO Party New Jersey QSO Party 17 North American Sprint, RTTY 17 BARTG Sprint Run for the Bacon QRP Contest MHz Fall Sprint 20 Phone Fray CWops Mini-CWT Test 20 RSGB 80m Autumn Series, CW 21 NAQCC CW Sprint 22 NCCC RTTY Sprint 22 NCCC Sprint Ladder 23 AGCW VHF/UHF Contest CQ Worldwide DX Contest, RTTY Maine QSO Party Texas QSO Party MHz Fall Sprint 27 SKCC Sprint 27 Phone Fray CWops Mini-CWT Test 27 UKEICC 80m Contest 28 RSGB 80m Autumn Series, Data 29 NCCC RTTY Sprint 29 NCCC Sprint Ladder 30 Feld Hell Sprint 9/30-10/1 UK/EI DX Contest, SSB 9/30-10/1 Russian WW MultiMode Contest RTTY The Monitor 13

14 *Deadline for newsletter articles is the 20th of the preceding month of publication. September 1 PVARC Club Meeting 1 Friday Luncheon 3 Shenandoah 100 Bike Event 3 Page County ARES Net ( Simplex) 4 Labor Day 4 Rockingham County ARES Net ( Simplex) 4 Old Dominion Emergency Net (3.947 khz) 5 VARA Club Meeting 5 Mt Mamma Bike Ride 7 MARA Club Meeting 8 Friday Luncheon 9 VFW Bike Event 9 Self Reliance Fair 10 Page County ARES Net ( , PL 114.8) 11 Rockingham County ARES Net ( , PL 131.8) 14 Augusta County ARES Net ( , PL131.8) 15 Friday Luncheon 17 Page County ARES Net ( , PL 131.8) 18 Old Dominion Emergency Net (3.947 khz) 20 Deadline for October newsletter submission* 22 Friday Luncheon 22 September Equinox, Fall begins 24 Page County ARES Net ( , PL 131.8) 25 Rockingham County ARES Net ( , PL 131.8) 29 Friday Luncheon 30 Shenandoah 500 Motorcycle Calendar of Local Events October 1 Shenandoah 500 Motorcycle 1 Page County ARES Net ( Simplex) 2 Rockingham County ARES Net ( Simplex) 2 Old Dominion Emergency Net (3.947 khz) 3 VARA Club Meeting 5 MARA Club Meeting 6 PVARC Club Meeting 6 Friday Luncheon 6-8 Grindstone Page County ARES Net ( , PL 131.8) 9 Columbus Day 12 Augusta County ARES Net ( , PL131.8) 13 Friday Luncheon 15 Page County ARES Net ( , PL 131.8) 16 Old Dominion Emergency Net (3.947 khz) 20 Friday Luncheon 20 Deadline for November newsletter submission* Fall Foliage Bike Festival 22 Page County ARES Net ( , PL 131.8) 23 Rockingham County ARES Net ( , PL 131.8) 27 Friday Luncheon 29 Page County ARES Net ( , PL 131.8) 30 Rockingham County ARES Net ( , PL 131.8) 31 Halloween The club newsletter, The Monitor, is provided free of charge monthly to all members of all three clubs via distribution, in PDF format. However, it is the individual club members responsibility to notify the newsletter editor directly of all changes in address. Electronic back issues are available on the MARA website: < Members not receiving the electronic Monitor in a timely fashion (e.g., before their monthly club meeting) should notify the newsletter editor promptly to investigate and resolve the problem with distribution. Members who are using the latest updated version of Adobe Reader and experience trouble opening the Monitor attachment can contact the newsletter editor for assistance. 14 September 2017

15 Club Information MASSANUTTEN AMATEUR RADIO ASSOCIATION, Inc. VALLEY AMATEUR RADIO ASSOCIATION President: Andrew Pearson, N4RCE Vice President: Bryan Daniels, K4RMY Secretary: Herb Slade, AA2BF Treasurer: Foster Farone, WF4O Board (exp 2017): James Franklin, W4SIU Board (exp 2016): Bob Steere, N1QEQ MARA meets the first Thursday of each month at Wood Grill Buffet on Reservoir Street in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Dinner begins at 6:30 pm, the business meeting begins at 7:30 pm Visitors are always welcome. Dues ($12 per year) should be mailed to: MARA PO Box 1882 Harrisonburg, VA President: John Keller, W4ZAO Vice President: Ed Varner, N4EDI Secretary: David Tanks, AD4TJ Treasurer: Greg Czerniak, W4GRC VARA meets the first Tuesday of each month at the Hometown Grill & Buffet off Richmond Road in Staunton, Virginia Dinner starts at 6:00 pm, the business meeting starts at 7:00 pm Visitors are always welcome Dues ($15 per year) should be mailed to: VARA 418 Oriole St. Staunton, VA PAGE VALLEY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB President: Dave Firestone, K4DPF Vice President: Gene Frazier, KJ4HFO Secretary: Gary Fischer, K6OZ Treasurer: Juergen Lunkowitz, W3LUV Board Member (exp 2018): Tim Matter, KM4TGC Board Member (exp 2017): Gary Fischer, K6OZ PVARC meets the first Friday of each month at Tactical Walls at 611 Williams Avenue in Shenandoah, VA. The meeting begins at 6:30 pm Visitors are always welcome. Dues ($12 per year) should be mailed to: PVARC PO Box 245 Luray VA The Monitor is published monthly by MARA, Inc. for members of the three amateur radio clubs in the Central Shenandoah Valley. Distribution is in Adobe PDF format via attachment to all club members in good standing. Clubs differ in their policies regarding paper copies. Contact the president of your respective club for information on paper copies. Back issues are freely available on the MARA website starting a few months after publication. Since the clubs derive their revenue from memberships, the Monitor is not to be made regularly available on a timely basis to individuals who are not club members. Occasional complimentary current copies are provided to prospective members free of charge. Clubs September also formally decide to provide complimentary copies at club expense to various constituencies. Contact your respective club officers for more information. Articles in the Monitor may be quoted with attribution. Being a publication of an IRS 501(c)3 educational organization, the Monitor may occasionally use copyrighted material under the Fair Use Provisions of copyright law. Copyright notices must be respected. The Monitor 15

16 MARA/VARA/PVARC c/o John Spillman 168 Bosley Drive Ext. Stanley, VA Phone: Return Service Requested MARA VARA PVARC