via the ARRL: Solar Cycle 25 Producing Record High Sunspot Numbers
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Thursday, August 15, 2024 Midday Update:
The National Hurricane Center reports that Tropical Storm Ernesto had become a Category 1 hurricane.
A hurricane warning has now been issued for Bermuda and dangerous rip currents are likely along U.S. East Coast beaches this weekend, August 17 - 18.
Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, Hurricane Watch Net Manager, reports the netβs activation plans:
Friday August 16Β
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I have been emailed details of a new RTTY contest which will run for the first time this year on Friday 4th October 2024. Itβs scheduled for the first Friday of October each year going forward. Itβs called the URC DX RTTY Contest and the rules are pretty standard in that everyone works everyone. The [β¦]
The post New RTTY contest β Friday 4th October 2024 first appeared on QSO365.Some of you may remember that I used to collect valves. I started collecting when I was around 6 years old, although back then it was more to impress friends than collect. An old directly heated valve plus a Lego battery box lit my desk up at primary school. I did not start collecting in earnest until the 1990βs and launched my first online valve museum in 1999. Since then the collection grew in several directions at once, including German WW2 types, Russian Cold War types and British military and civilian types. There were specials from all over the world as well including a few Japanese WW2 ones. Valves ranged from tiny little things to a RD150YB that had to live in the garage, and a 6-anode mercury arc rectifier that was equally not allowed in the house, and for good reason too. The main collection grew to over 3,000 types, many of which had duplicates, so probably 4,000 in total. And then there were boxes of valves that did not warrant adding to the collection.
And so the collection continued to expand. While on holiday in the US friend in the US was discussing collecting trends with me and another collecting friend and said he collected US antique types, others collected microwave types and, pointing at me he said I collected everything and there is nothing wrong in that. But it made me think what exactly is my interest. And so I decided to concentrate on what I found most interesting β British military types, mainly in the CV, and A, N and V military series. The collection included a number of CRTs as well and eventually took over the whole garage.
I decided then to concentrate solely on CV types and trimmed the collection to 1,500 types, again with duplicates taking the collection to over 2,000 valves. Of the remainder many were sold and many hundreds went to the National Valve Museum which was nearly as old as my own.
Eventually though three things happened. First, it was becoming increasingly difficult to find new additions. Second, the website was now seeing fewer and fewer actual hits (as opposed to search engine spiders), and, most importantly I realised it had become an obsession. Time to quit. I also came to the realisation that I had an awful lot of valves in lots of boxes and I never even looked at any once they went into a box.
So I decided to close the website and sell off anything I could, donating the remainder to the National Valve Museum. The website was essentially converted to flat HTML files with none of the database behind them and taken over by a member of the BVWS. Of course, all praise to them for doing that, but none to me for all my years of work. Par for the course. In the past 20 years I received just a handful comments thanking me for providing the photographs and information about the collection. I was somewhat surprises at the screams when I announced the website was to close. Of course, I did not make the website for that, I did it because I thought people might actually be interested, and they clearly were back at the turn of the millennium but times change.
I was fortunate that someone local took many of the CRTs and a bunch of valves as well. Of the rest, a few hundred are destined for friends in Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy but the logistics are going to be a nightmare. Several hundred have found new homes here in the UK. Of the thousands left these went to the National Valve Museum with the more mundane radio and TV types being scrapped as no-one wanted to come and get them. I am keeping many of the early magnetrons for later sale, and some of the more decorative valves for, well, decoration!
There are still several boxes and a cupboard full of valves and they are destined to be scrapped. Selling on eBay as an individual has become more and more complex over the years so I will rarely sell there. As no-one was interested in paying me a visit to take them away they will end up in the dump.
At its height the collection took over half the workshop and half the garage. Once trimmed down to the CV types it was still half the workshop. Now it is all under one bench and I have more space to set up the various tools that have been sidelined for years and actually get back to working on the house.
Thursday, August 15, 2024 Midday Update:
The National Hurricane Center reports that Tropical Storm Ernesto had become a Category 1 hurricane.
A hurricane warning has now been issued for Bermuda and dangerous rip currents are likely along U.S. East Coast beaches this weekend, August 17 - 18.
Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, Hurricane Watch Net Manager, reports the netβs activation plans:
Friday August 16Β
By: Frank Donovan, W3LPL
Editorβs note: This article was written earlier in the week. The latest measurements show even higher numbers. See this week's K7RA Solar Report in The ARRLΒ Letter for latest information.Β
Record High Solar Cycle 25 Solar Maximum Sunspot Numbers Have Improved HF Propagation Since Mid-July and Possibly Bringing Worldwide 6 Meter F2 Propagation This Fall.
According to the NO...
Vibroplex, which first manufactured and sold its signature Morse code βbugβ key back in 1904, is the longest continually operating ham radio equipment provider on the planet, but that doesnβt mean the venerable company doesnβt have more than a few new tricks up its well-worn, rolled-up sleeves.
DX Engineeringβs Rod Ehrhart, K8RR, caught up with Scott Robbins, W4PA, Vibroplexβs owner since 2009, at Dayton Hamvention 2024 to discuss the mAT-TUNER line of automatic antenna tuners, which the Knoxville, Tennessee-based company has distributed in the U.S. since 2019. Watch the video below:
Scott, W4PA, highlights two new mAT-TUNER offeringsβmAT-50 Automatic Antenna Tuner and Coupler Packages and the 1500PRO Automatic Antenna Tuner, both available along with the entire mAT-TUNER lineup at DXEngineering.com.
The multipurpose, 1.8-54 MHz mAT-50 Automatic Antenna Tuner comes with either an Icom, Yaesu, or Kenwood coupler and corresponding control cable. This remote tuner has the capability of matching a variety of impedances and antennas including long-wires, dipoles, verticals, Yagis, whips, and virtually any coax-fed antenna. It features a maximum input power of 120W SSB/60W Digital.
Install the sturdy, weather-resistant tuner outside near the antenna. Then install the coupler inside near the transceiver to provide power for the tuner and control its operation. The tuner does not require a control cable between the remote tuner and coupler, making installation simple. The only required connection between the antenna tuner and coupler is one 50-ohm coaxial cable. Advanced technology employed in the tuner delivers stable performance and excellent anti-interference capabilities for convenient one-key tuning.
The mAT-50 can also be used as a universal tuner for all transceivers if a mAT-50-Y or mAT-50-M coupler is connected to an external DC power supply (not included) and a control cable is not installed. You can then operate the tuner manually.
The mAT-1500PRO Automatic Antenna TunerΒ is an upgraded version of the original mAT-1500 tuner. Improvements include reduced weight, high- quality housing, and additional interfaces for Yaesu, Icom, and Kenwood transceivers and their corresponding operating modes. This allows the tuner to be controlled directly from the transceiver, reducing the need for manual operation.
In addition, two antennas can be connected simultaneously, and the corresponding buttons for switching (in receive mode) are placed on the front panel for easy access. Other features include:
See all mAT-TUNER automatic antenna tuners and accessories at DXEngineering.com, including the MAT-Y200 for Yaesu transceivers, the MAT-705PLUS for the Icom IC-705, and the MAT-180H for select Icom and Kenwood transceivers.
The post New Products Spotlight: mAT-TUNER mAT-50 and 1500PRO Automatic Antenna Tuners (video) appeared first on OnAllBands.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) accepted for public comment a Petition for Rulemaking filed by NextNav Inc., a licensee in the 900-MHz Location and Monitoring Service (LMS), to completely reconfigure the 902-928 MHz band and replace the LMS with high-powered 5G cellular and related location services.
The FCC Notice requested comment on the effects that NextNavβs proposals would have ...
11am Meet in the βDungeonβ in theΒ Lowndes Emergency Services AnnexΒ of the Court House. Go to the 911 office door and press the 911 call button and tell them you are there for the HAM radio club meeting. Once in go left downstairs then to the right at the end of the hall. See Yβall There!Β
An update a few days ago from the N5J team said that many callers were continuing to use an older version of WSJT-X that wasnβt compatible with the new SuperFox Hound mode that is being used. This, despite considerable pre-DXpedition press informing everyone that the software update would be required.
Apparently, complaints from enough stubborn hold outs are causing the team to capitulate on this point as they just announced:
βIn response to the requests to run normal Fox Hound mode because some stations are having difficulty with the SuperFox mode, effective 00:00 UTC 16 August we will convert one of the two WSJT-X stations to the old Fox Hound methodβ.
I hope the real problem here is propagation related and not that radio amateurs are unable to upgrade their own softwareβ¦
was the skill to homebrew stuff. And by stuff I mean circuits, receivers, transmitters, accessories and the like. Oh, I can build kits all right - although as I age, my eyes aren't quite what they used to be, and SMD components can send shivers up and down my spine when they are microscopic. I can look at a schematic and make repairs. Heck, I did that for 22 years for a living. But to look at a schematic, and take a bunch of components and build a working whatever? I'm out of my league.
I look at the creations of Dave AA7EE or Bob W3BBO and I just wistfully whistle to myself. To have the prowess and ability to build a receiver or transmitter from scratch, have it work AND look beautiful too? God didn't gift me with that kind of talent.Β And that's OK, I guess. I just muddle around with the few things I can make, which are usually non-electrical and always would look nicer if someone else had built them.Β Β
Which brings me to last night. I needed a solution for my American Morse DCP paddles. I took them with me to FOBB, but stopped using them part ways into the event. I was hand holding them, and my big meaty paws were causing problems. I have the tension and contact spacing set so that this thing feels pretty much like a touch paddle. The problem is that it's so small that when I would hold it in one hand and key with the other, the holding hand would mess things up by accidentally creating extraneous dits and dahs.
I want to use them for the Skeeter Hunt, but realized that I need some kind of base. That would allow me to handle it better. But what could I use? I went down to the shack and started hunting around. I didn't have any wood or metal blocks laying around that would be useful, but then my eyes landed upon and old Velamints tin that had been sitting on the shelf for years. A possibility?
I took a punch and made a tiny hole in the lid. Then I went into my parts drawers looking for a screw and nut skinny enough to go through the hole in the paddle, but long enough to reach into the case. After rummaging around for a while, i found what I needed.
I'll go to a sporting goods store on Saturday and will purchase some of those small and round split bead sinkers that are used for fishing. I'll pour a few packets into the tin and will put some tape around the edges to make sure it never accidentally opens, "spilling the beans" as it were. That should make the base heavy enough for table top use without making it too heavy.
Just like my drive on mast holder, it's no work of art, and it's no ingenious design, but it works and I guess that's all I can ask for.Β
And perhaps I won't even get the chance to use the paddles this Sunday, anyhow. I may just be operating the Skeeter Hunt from the shack, if at all. 91% chance of thunderstorms on Sunday afternoon. Yuck!
The other place I haven't been having any luck is listening for N5J - the Jarvis Island DXpedition. When I get home, they seem to be concentrating on 15 and 17 Meters. Not only can I not hear them, I can't hear the pileup, either!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!