2022 International DX Convention Has Been Canceled

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It is with regret that the 2022 International DX convention in Visalia, California has been canceled. The convention committee of the Southern California DX Club acted in response to the current covid virus threat. We look forward to 2023. Those who had hotel reservations please contact the hotel to ensure they are canceled.

Note: EVERYONE WHO HAS HOTEL RESERVATIONS, it is your responsibility to cancel your reservation as soon as possible so that the hotels can resell their rooms.

Respectfully
Bill Kendrick, N6RV
Mel Hughes, K6SY

ARRL Announces New World Wide Digital Contest

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The ARRL International Digital Contest will debut at 1800 UTC on June 4, ending at 2359 on June 5, 2022. All non-RTTY modes are permitted. Going forward, RTTY will be the sole mode for the ARRL RTTY Roundup, which will continue to take place in January.

In broad strokes, this will be an HF – 6-meter event, on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, and 6 meters, with single-operator and multi-single entry categories. These are Single Operator, One Radio (SO1R), Single Operator, Two Radio (SO2R), and Multi-Single (MS). Overlays in the single-operator categories will include “all enclosed antennas” and “maximum of 8 operating hours.” Single-operator entries may operate for 24 hours (with off times taken in one or two breaks that are at least 60 minutes long), while MS entries may operate for the full 30 hours.

Operating assistance is permitted for all operating categories.

Power categories will be QRP (5 W transmitter output or less) and low-power (maximum 100 W PEP transmitter output).

The exchange for the International Digital Contest will be a station’s four-character grid square designation. Stations may work each other once per band, regardless of digital mode. Participants will earn 1 point for each contact, plus 1 point for each 500 kilometers (310 miles) between stations. So, a contact between stations 1,000 kilometers apart would be worth 3 points. The total score is total contact points.

ARRL makes available a grid-center distance calculation tool. Options include kilometers (always rounded up), distance between pairs, and points.

For instructions on how to submit logs, visit the ARRL Contest page. Logs will be due 7 days after the event has concluded.

In succeeding years, the International Digital Contest will take place on the first full weekend of June.

Full details on the new operating event are on the ARRL website.

APRS Developer Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, SK

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The creator of the Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS), Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, died on February 7. An ARRL Life Member, Bruninga was 73. According to his daughter, Bruninga succumbed to cancer and the effects of COVID-19. Bruninga had announced his cancer diagnosis in 2020. Over the years, he readily shared his broad knowledge of and experience with APRS, among other topics in the amateur radio and electronics fields.

While best known for APRS, Bruninga was also a retired US Naval Academy (USNA) senior research engineer who had an abiding interest in alternative power sources, such as solar power. In 2018, he authored Energy Choices for the Radio Amateur, published by ARRL, which explores developing changes in the area of power and energy, and examines the choices radio amateurs and others can make regarding home solar power, heat pumps, and hybrid and electric vehicles. Bruninga drove an all-electric car and had experimented with a variety of electric-powered vehicles over the years.

APRS originated in 1982, when Bruninga wrote his first data map program that plotted the positions of US Navy ships for the Apple II platform. A couple of years later, he developed what he called the Connectionless Emergency Traffic System (CETS) on the VIC-20 and C64 platforms for digital packet communications to support an endurance race. The program was ported to the IBM PC platform in 1988, and was renamed APRS in 1992. The recognized North American APRS frequency is 144.39 MHz, and APRS is globally linked via the internet. Bruninga founded the Appalachian Trail Golden Packet (ATPG) event, which fields APRS nodes from Stone Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine each July.

ARRL Contributing Editor Ward Silver, N0AX, remembered Bruninga this way: “Bob kept pushing APRS beyond its origins as a position reporting system. He developed and helped implement numerous other uses of APRS in support of what has become the ‘Ham Radio of Things,’ with great potential for future amateur radio applications. Bob’s far-reaching vision and imagination were as good as it gets.”

Bruninga mentored USNA midshipmen in building and launching amateur radio satellites and CubeSats, beginning with PCsat in 2001. PCsat was the first satellite to directly report its precise position to users via its onboard GPS module. Subsequent USNA spacecraft included PSK31 capability (HF to UHF) and other innovations.

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) ARRL liaison Rosalie White, K1STO, recalled that Bruninga attended many ARISS-International meetings and contributed “enormously” to ARISS APRS activities, leading a team in developing protocols and software for rapid message exchange via a packet “robot.”

White said APRS remains a key staple in the new ARISS InterOperable Radio System (IORS) that’s now on board the ISS. She added that Bruninga offered input for future NASA Lunar and Gateway opportunities in which ARISS hopes to take part.

Last year, ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, on behalf of ARRL, honored Bruninga with a brick in the ARRL Diamond Club Terrace at ARRL Headquarters. ARRL sent him a letter of appreciation along with a replica of the brick.

Bruninga held a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech (Georgia Institute of Technology) and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. Bruninga was a 20-year US Navy veteran. Dayton Hamvention® honored him in 1998 with its Technical Excellence Award.

Bruninga authored and co-authored numerous academic papers over the years, and was frequently in demand as a speaker and presenter at amateur radio gatherings.

Survivors include his wife, Elise Albert; daughter, Bethanne Bruninga-Socolar, WE4APR, and son A.J. Bruninga, WA4APR. Arrangements are pending, although his daughter said that a celebratory memorial service will be held this summer in Annapolis, Maryland.

VE3RWN 444.9750 Cobourg Updated!!

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Repeater Call Sign: VE3RWN
Location: Baltimore
Frequency: 444.9750 +
FM PL Tone: 162.2
DMR: CC 1 (NEW!!)
Sponsor: VE3RWN Randy Neals – Kawartha Lakes Amateur Radio Club

Winter Field Day 2022 is this weekend!

Posted on by VA3DBJ
Please see the Winter Field Day Rules for information about participating in the event during the pandemic.

Winter Field Day, sponsored by the Winter Field Day Association (WFDA), will take place this coming weekend January 29-30. 

Purpose: To foster camaraderie, field operation, emergency operating preparedness, and just plain on the air, outdoor fun in the midst of winter for Canadian, American and DX Amateurs.

When: Winter Field Day runs for 24 hours during the last full weekend in January each year from 1900 UTC (2pm EST) Saturday to 1900 UTC (2pm EST) Sunday. For 2021 the dates are January 30 and 31.

The following is an extract from their website:

“The Winter Field Day Association (WFDA) is a dedicated group of Amateur Radio Operators who believe that emergency communications in a winter environment is just as important as the preparations and practice that is done each summer but with some additional unique operational concerns.

We believe as do those entities of ARRL Organizations like ARES & RACES that maintaining your operational skills should not be limited to fair weather scenarios. The addition of Winter Field Day will enhance those already important skills of those that who generously volunteer their time and equipment to these organizations. This is why WFD is open to all licensed Amateur Radio operators worldwide.

Disasters are unpredictable by nature and can strike when you least expect them. WFDA’s goal is to help enhance your skills and ready you for all environmental conditions found in the US and Canada during the spring, summer, fall and winter Preparedness is the key to a professional and timely response during any event and this is what local and state authorities are expecting when they reach out to the emergency service groups that offer their services.

If you are serious about emergency communications as we are; we welcome you to join us for our yearly event. We are sure you will find this event a pleasant change and challenge to that of a normal summer time Field Day.”

For more information about Winter Field Day visit: 

https://www.winterfieldday.com

Winter Field Day Rules

VE3RWN 145.15 Cobourg Upgraded!

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Repeater Call Sign: VE3CKL (NEW!) – Formerly VE3RWN and VE3RTR
Frequency: 145.150 –
PL Tone: 162.2
AllStar Node: 28709
EchoLink Node: 28709
Sponsor: VE3RWN Randy Neals – Kawartha Lakes Amateur Radio Club
Connected to the Quinte hub (Quinte West-Belleville-Prince Edward-Campbellford).

World Radio TV Handbook to Cease Publication

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The EI7GL blog reports that publication of the World Radio TV Handbook (WRTH) will cease with the current 76th edition. For many years, the WRTH provided information about shortwave broadcast times and frequencies, but the number of listeners has dwindled as broadcasting has shifted to the internet. In addition, information on international broadcasting schedules and frequencies is also available on the internet.

In a statement, the publishers said, “Having produced this book for the past 24 years, we are very sorry to announce that WRTH 2022 will be the final edition of World Radio TV Handbook produced and published by WRTH Publications. We realize that this news will be disappointing for many people. We wish to thank you all for your loyal support over the years. Good DX and Happy Listening.”

Finland Picks Lockheed Martin F-35A

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Finland Picks Lockheed Martin F-35A in $11 Billion Defense Deal

HELSINKI — Finland has agreed to buy 64 Lockheed Martin fighter jets to replace its aging fleet of combat planes in a 10 billion-euro ($11.3 billion) deal that represents the Finnish military’s largest ever purchase, the government said Friday.

The Nordic country picked the U.S. company’s F-35A fighters from among five contenders, which also included the Boeing F-18 Super Hornet, France’s Dassault Rafale, Britain’s Eurofighter Typhoon and Sweden’s Saab Gripen.

The Finnish air force has a fleet of more than 60 F-18 Hornets, acquired in the early 1990s. It started looking for a successor aircraft in 2014.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said her government’s decision, based on a recommendation by the Finnish Defense Forces, to purchase F-35A was unanimous.

“New fighters are a key part of Finland’s defense,” Marin told a press conference. “Fighters protect the integrity of Finnish airspace, protect society from airstrikes and support (Finnish) army and navy operations.”

The Defense Ministry said Friday that the price tag for the deal with Lockheed Martin includes training and other equipment.

The U.S. aerospace, arms and defense company said in a statement it was “honored” the Finnish government picked the F-35 “through its thorough, open competition.”

Lockheed Martin said the deal would include “a robust weapons package, a sustainment solution tailored to Finland’s unique security of supply requirements, as well as a comprehensive training program.”

European Union member Finland is a militarily non-aligned nation but closely cooperates with NATO in a way similar to neighboring Sweden.

Switzerland, another militarily non-aligned European country, and NATO members Denmark and Norway previously decided to buy the F-35.

Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometer (832-mile) border with Russia, has increased its bilateral defense and military cooperation with Sweden, Norway and the United States in the past few years.

Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed Martin said Friday that there are currently more than 730 F-35s in service worldwide.

British Columbia State of Emergency Declaration November 2021

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Story by ALAN GRIFFIN

British Columbia declares state of emergency:

https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021PSSG0073-002190

BC Government news release

Radio Amateurs of Canada has had several inquiries in regard to the emergency situation in British Columbia.

At present, we are not aware of any Amateur activities related to the flooding/landslides in BC.

The situation is expected to be stable despite the possibilities of additional rain over the next few days. Localized flooding and landslides may still occur especially due to the temporary nature of repairs this week.

It has been observed that national and international reporting may not accurately reflect the current situation especially in areas outside of the BC lower mainland.

Railroad, pipeline and limited road access is now in place in most areas.

BC Government News Release: November 17, 2021:

The British Columbia government is declaring a provincial state of emergency to mitigate impacts on transportation networks and movement of essential goods and supplies, and to support the provincewide response and recovery from the widespread damage caused by severe flooding and landslides in British Columbia.

“Provincial, federal and local governments are working with emergency personnel to make sure people and communities get the help they need as they work through yet another natural disaster. This provincial declaration of emergency will ensure the transport of goods, and essential and emergency services,” said Premier John Horgan. “Thank you to everyone for doing what you can to stay safe and to help one another as we work through this catastrophic time.”

Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, made the declaration on Nov. 17, 2021, based on the recommendation from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and Emergency Management BC. The declaration will take effect immediately.

“This provincewide declaration will help us with the challenges ahead as we recover from the utter devastation that’s been caused by this natural disaster,” said Farnworth. “Getting our rail and roadways back up and in operation is a top priority, and the declaration will enable us to put the resources in place to make that happen.”

The state of emergency is initially in effect for 14 days and may be extended or rescinded as necessary. The state of emergency applies to the whole province and ensures federal, provincial and local resources can be delivered in a co-ordinated response to protect the public, which remains the provincial government’s top priority.

“Our focus is on clearing, repairing and reopening roads to connect the Interior and the North to the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, to get our supply chains moving,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “We are working closely with multiple partners to make this happen. It is a big job, but collectively we are up to the challenge and will get things opened up again just as soon as we possibly can.”

There are approximately 17,775 people evacuated due to impacts from the flooding, with 5,918 properties on Evacuation Order, and 3,632 properties on Evacuation Alert.

The federal government has responded to and accepted British Columbia’s requests for assistance. In the coming days, additional federal personnel and resources will be arriving in B.C. to assist.

The state of emergency gives agencies, such as the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, Emergency Management BC, the RCMP and others the ability to use extraordinary measures to protect people and communities.”

Quick Facts:

  • Declarations of provincial states of emergency may be issued by the minister responsible under the Emergency Program Act.
  • The provincial government can extend the period of a declaration made by the minister responsible.

Learn More:

For information on evacuation orders and alerts, visit Emergency Info BC:

https://www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca/

For BC’s response to floods and mudslides visit:

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/natural-disaster/support/home

For the latest information on roads and travel, visit: www.drivebc.ca

Fire breaks out on Canadian warship off the coast of Norway

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The Canadian military says a fire broke out on one of its warships this early morning as the vessel was serving as the flagship of a NATO fleet.

No injuries are being reported on board HMCS Fredericton, which is now on its way to a Norwegian port for repairs after the blaze was extinguished.

The military has not identified the cause of the fire, the extent of the damage or whether the ship is now sailing under its own power.

However, a Norwegian newspaper is reporting the Halifax-class frigate was participating in a NATO training exercise in extreme weather conditions when the fire broke out and the ship lost power.

Fredericton left its home port of Halifax in July for a six-month deployment during which it has been serving as the flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group 1, which Canada is currently commanding.

The Royal Canadian Navy launched an investigation in November 2018 after a spate of fires and power failures on board several frigates over a period of several weeks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 18, 2021.

The Canadian Press