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+Available on ARRL Audio News
Ham radio operators helped relay damage assessments and continue to keep open lines of communication between Guam and the Pacific islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota in the Northern Marianas in the wake of Typhoon Paka. The storm Tuesday caused heavy damage on Guam, but telephone service remains intact, according to Jim Kehler, KH2D, president of the Mariana Islands DX Association. Kehler says the islanders are taking the situation in stride for the most part. "Typhoons in this part of the Pacific are something that everyone knows about and has a respect for, since we have all seen the results previously."
While damage estimates are in the $200 million range, no one was killed or seriously injured when the storm passed over Guam, "Everybody is just happy to be alive, and nobody is sitting on the curb crying cuz the house got flooded and the car got crushed," Kehler relates. "That's Guam." Kehler says there's a great sense of community on the island, with everyone pitching in to help others get their lives and homes back together in the disaster's wake.
Kehler reports the storm wiped out commercial power and water as well as most of the trees on the island. He estimated that it could be "two or three months" before commercial power is fully restored on Guam.
Kehler said 7.085 MHz is being used for inter-island communication. He said that during the storm's approach, hams on Guam also used 7.085 while tracking its path. During the storm, Kehler's and five other MIDXA stations were operational on 40 meters. The others included WHØAAV on Saipan, KHØCE, on Tinian, and N4UQM/KH2, KH2JU, and K9AW/KH2 on Guam. Kehler said that his ham radio station was not damaged in the storm, but he reports conditions have not been favorable for reliable communication with the mainland with his modest setup. Several other hams on Guam were not as fortunate and suffered heavy wind and water damage from Typhoon Paka, he said.
Kehler said Paka marked the first storm where he was "really scared." The typhoon is said to have packed record-shattering winds in excess of 200 mph.
The only VHF repeater on Guam survived the storm, but Kehler says it's not being used for emergency communication at this point. Commercial radio stations were put off the air, however.
Kehler said the MIDXA was formed in November after Typhoon Keith struck the Northern Marianas. "One of the reasons was that Rota lost all commercial communications in that storm, and the ham community here was totally unprepared to help," he explained. MIDXA members continue to monitor 7.085, "at least those with a radio, antenna, and a house left," Kehler said, but with commercial power and water out of commission, "Guam is a mess."
In the storm's wake, Red Cross National Headquarters had activated Virginia ARES to coordinate damage assessment recovery information from ham radio sources in the Pacific--primarily Hawaii and Guam. Red Cross National Headquarters is located in Fairfax County, Virginia, and relies heavily on ARES support during disaster responses when normal lines of communication are not available. Information summaries and updates were posted on the Virginia ARES Web site, http://www.aresva.org. The Red Cross now has a contingent on Guam and has terminated the Virginia ARES activation "with thanks to everyone who participated in this response."--thanks to Jim Kehler, KH2D, and Don Mahan, KD4WGV and Frank Mackey, K4EC/Virginia ARES
Three Franklin Pierce College students may owe their lives to ham radio. The three found themselves stranded on New Hampshire's Mount Monadnock in late November after becoming disoriented and lost in the snow and darkness. Fortunately, one of the students was Michael Sensabaugh, KB2SSA, of New York. He radioed for help with his small hand-held transceiver via the K1TQY repeater in Keene.
Repeater trustee Dawn Cummings, K1TQY, and Roberta Bennett, N1WTY, responded. Cummings took charge of communication. Bennett called in the alarm to Monadnock State Park Manager Michael Walsh. Then, she bundled her young son and her own H-T in the family car and drove to Walsh's office.
Throughout the next four hours, Bennett provided a radio link between the lost students and the search party via "Henry, the Keene Machine," as the K1TQY repeater is known. Walsh was thus aware of the students' current predicament and was able to instruct and encourage them accordingly. The students were found late that evening and brought to safety as bad weather continued to move in.--thanks to Richard Seifert, KB2FF
With just days to spare, the new FCC Form 610 now is available from the FCC's forms contractor. The FCC has ordered the destruction of all previous versions of the form. As of January 1, 1998, the FCC will accept only the new Form 610 for all filings. Forms 610A and 610B also have been amended. The major change in the new Form 610 is a certification that says the applicant has read and will comply with the new RF radiation safety rules that begin phasing in on January 1, 1998.
The FCC Forms Distribution Center accepts orders at 800-418-3676.
That's not to say the new Form 610 simply has not been available until now. ARRL VEC Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, says the ARRL/VEC sent out 43,000 copies of the revised 610 last week to VE teams across the country. The ARRL had copies printed earlier this fall and has been supplying the new forms to those who have requested them for the past six weeks. In addition, the ARRL now supplies a new handout, Additional Information for Amateurs Completing the New FCC Form 610, that contains a condensed version of how to comply with the new RF safety regulations.
The new Forms 610 also have been available from the FCC's Web site at http://www.fcc.gov/formpage.html, at ftp://ftp.fcc.gov/pub/Forms, or by fax at 202-418-0177 (request index).
To order a new Form 610 from the ARRL, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to ARRL/VEC, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. Include one unit of first-class postage for each Form you order.
Ham visitors to Ohio--perhaps on their way to the Dayton Hamvention--sometimes found it hard to keep their eyes on the highway when passing the Voice of America's Bethany Relay Station. The vast antenna farm off I-75 north of Cincinnati consisting of 14 rhombics and a huge Sterba curtain easily distracted most hams.
At one time among the most powerful shortwave stations in the world, the Bethany Relay Station was shut down a couple of years ago. Earlier this month, the towers supporting the majestic Sterba curtain and other wire arrays came crashing down--to make way for commercial and recreational development and a university campus on the 625-acre site. Among those on hand to watch the spectacle was Tom Rupp, W8TCR, a VOA engineer for 26 years who retired in 1993.
Work will continue to remove the other towers and structures. Most of the towers will be pulled from the ground with a crane. Forty towers, ranging from 90 to 150 feet tall, will be salvaged. Crews will finish clearing the towers by February.
A report in the Cincinnati Enquirer quoted ham radio operator Joe Goforth, WB8NFJ, who lived less than a mile from the VOA site for two decades. "I used to talk to the engineers all the time," he told the paper, noting that VOA broadcasts sometimes interfered with his ham gear. "But I guess I'm a little disappointed to see it go," he added.
For a look at one of the Sterba curtain support towers coming down, see http://www.palmtop.net/img/voa.jpg. For more info on the Bethany Relay Station, visit the Jim Hawkins' (WA2WHV) Radio Room, http://www.exit109.com/~jimh/voaohio.html.--thanks to Mitch Hamm, N8XS, and Jim Hawkins, WA2WHV
QEX, the ARRL Forum for Communications Experimenters, will become a bimonthly publication starting in January, and the magazine will expand in size to compensate for the new publication schedule. "Two months is not so long that you forget we are here, and the amount of material is not so great that you can't take the time to read through it," said new QEX Editor Rudy Severns, N6LF. Severns said the total amount of material subscribers get each year would not decrease. "Issues will be either 48 or 64 pages, depending on the available material," he said.
Several interesting articles are set to appear in the January/February issue. Among them is "The Car--As a Contoured Ground-Plane," a discussion by Peter Madie, KE6RBV, that will appeal to mobile operators trying to determine the best place to locate their antennas. In the same issue are "Parabolic Dish Feeds--Performance Analysis," by Paul Wade, N1BWT, plans for a 2.4 GHz Phase 3D receiver by John Reed, W6IOJ, and a tutorial, "RF Phase Shifters for Phasing-Type SSB Rigs," by Byron E. Blanchard, N1EKV. Also, Randy Henderson, WI5W, explains how to build an economical high-voltage power supply. The regular "RF" column by Zack Lau, W1VT, and subscribers' letters round out this issue.
The basic QEX subscription rate will increase slightly. Effective January 1, ARRL members will pay $18 per year (six issues); nonmembers will pay $30. "These two changes will help ensure QEX's long-term financial health," Severns said. For more information, or to subscribe to QEX, visit the ARRLWeb site, http://www.arrl.org/ or call toll-free 888-277-5289.
Thanks to ham radio, several hospitalized kids in the Omaha area got a chance to visit with Santa Claus earlier this month. Sixteen members of the Ak-Sar-Ben Amateur Radio Club were called into action by Santa to activate the North Pole Network on December 13. This marked the fourth consecutive year that net coordinator Pat Joseph, NØHPP, has organized the event that uses ATV and Amateur Radio to allow Santa Claus to visit area hospitals.
Working with Santa and the nurses and technical staff of area hospitals, the children could see and hear Santa on their hospital room TVs and talk to him via Amateur Radio. This year, three hospitals had children who wanted to talk to Santa, and 24 kids had a chance to have a visit from Santa and discuss their Christmas lists. The hams used the KØ0USA 2-meter repeater, which is owned and operated by the Ak-Sar-Ben ARC, and the WBØCMC ATV repeater which is sponsored by WOWT Television. Both repeaters are located on the WOWT broadcast tower.--Pat Joseph, NØHPP
In a whimsical mood, here's a lighthearted look at ham radio history. The original version of this was posted on the Contest Reflector a few months back.
* 4 Billion BC--Earth is a swirling ball of flames. Propagation is extremely poor.
* 1 Billion BC--First dry land appears. It is divided up into grid squares.
* 500 Million BC--Second patch of dry land appears. First DXpedition; DXCC credit disallowed because of questionable licensing agreement.
* 400 Million BC--Flowering plants and grasses evolve. Rotary beam invented, but sales stall for lack of suitable mounting structures.
* 300 Million BC--First tree appears and is immediately cut down, stripped of branches, placed in a concrete base and called a telephone pole. Beam sales pick up.
* 200 Million BC--More beams sold. Installer falls from top of pole. Safety belt is invented.
* 100 Million BC--First mountain appears. The repeater is invented.
* 50 Million BC--CQ is adopted.
* 4 Million BC--Humans replace swine as dominant species. The name ham operator hangs on, however.
* 3 Million BC--Dugout canoe invented. Maritime Mobile Net formed on 14.313 MHz.
* 2 Million BC to 800 AD--Nothing much happens for a long time.
* 900 AD--Chinese invent gunpowder. BY1AA is first "Big Gun" DXer.
* 1790 AD--Ben Franklin invents long wire receiving antenna. Ground switch invented.
* 1961 AD--Second repeater erected. First repeater group refuses to change frequency. First repeater coordinator appointed.
* 1997 AD--Amateur Radio humor sinks to a new low.
Solar scholar Tad Cook, K7VVV, Seattle, Washington, reports: Solar activity was down last week. Not only was the solar flux below the average for the previous 90 days on six out of seven days, but the 90-day average actually dropped one point. Average solar flux last week dropped nearly 12 points when compared to the previous week. Solar flux was also lower than expected for the 10 meter contest last week.
Solar flux is expected to stay below 90 until December 22, then rise above 100 around December 27, and drop below 100 again around January 1. A recurring coronal hole is expected to increase geomagnetic instability resulting in higher K and A indices around December 21 and 22.
Sunspot numbers for December 11 through 17 were 99, 64, 70, 66, 56, 43 and 42 with a mean of 62.9. The 10.7-cm flux was 96.4, 92.5, 89.3, 90, 89.1, 84.7 and 85.6, with a mean of 89.7, and estimated planetary A indices were 13, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, and 3, with a mean of 4.
Kentucky PIO Harry Bradshaw, W4TPB, of Lexington, died December 10. He was 82. Bradshaw, a member of the Bluegrass Amateur Radio Society and its former PR chairman, had been in ill health for some time.--Steve McCallum, W2ZBY
Contester and DXer Dena Morgan, W5DRI, of Brookhaven, Mississippi, died November 30. She was 73 and had been inactive in ham radio for a few years. Dena Morgan and her husband Shelton, W5DQK, were active contest and DX ops in the 1950s and 60s. During that period, Dena Morgan won several YL-OM Contests with her B&W 5100 and Collins 75A-3 on AM. She also was a regular in the ARRL Sweepstakes and DX contests. "Old timers will remember her potent YL signal and the rare Mississippi YL multiplier she passed out," said Dave Thompson, K4JRB (ex-K5MDX). She also got other YLs involved with ham radio. Her oldest son, Larry, AG5Z, is among her survivors.--Larry Morgan, AG5Z; Dave Thompson, K4JRB
The ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the American Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur Radio--225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, President; David Sumner, K1ZZ, Executive Vice President.
The ARRL Letter offers a weekly summary of essential news of interest to active amateurs that's available in advance of publication in QST, our official journal. The ARRL Letter strives to be timely, accurate, concise, and readable. The ARRLWeb Extra at http://www.arrl.org/members-only/extra offers ARRL members access to late-breaking news and informative features, updated regularly.
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