Dear fellow PVARC members,
Upgrade work on our K6PV repeater is proceeding nicely and the unit should be returned to its usual location next week. In the meantime, K6PV remains fully-operational at its temporary location in both analog and DMR modes. Our weekly nets are tonight at 7:30 pm (analog) and 8:00 pm (DMR), so please try checking in (same frequencies as usual: 447.120 MHz, Tone Squelch, PL 100.0 for the analog net with 2-meter cross-link on 144.910 MHz, Tone Squelch, PL 156.7; and for the DMR net it's 447.120 MHz receive, 442.120 MHz transmit, Time Slot 2, Color Code 1, Talk Group 31060.
If someone recently sent you a link to an angry YouTube rant about the State of California "declaring ham radio unnecessary" please ignore and do not circulate it further. Basically, this YouTube troll was an attempt to mobilize hams into supporting an unauthorized Northern California ham repeater on State land. What happened was that CalFire assumed property management for all telecommunication sites on State-owned hilltops. Then a CalFire analyst routinely reviewing/updating the permits for repeaters at one hilltop found no records for an amateur repeater installed at that site. Not knowing anything about the unauthorized repeater CalFire contacted the repeater owner and advised the latter's equipment was no longer needed at the site. However the repeater owner was told he could register and pay the permit fees all users must do for their share of tower and vault costs at State-owned sites. That's when the YouTuber went on his wild rant...and hoped other hams would contact the Governor and State Legislature in outrage. Ham radio had to do damage control as a result of this deceptive guy. So please do not take the bait from this troll: amateur radio is still very much valued at State and local levels for emergency communication. Many radio groups will be demonstrating that on Thursday during the 2019 Great California ShakeOut.
We're still on track for our November 7th monthly meeting about amateur radio and the International Space Station. Sometime during the week of October 28-November 1 there's an ISS contact via amateur radio planned with Vermont Elementary School in Los Angeles (about a mile west of the University of Southern California campus) and our fellow club member Norm Thorn, K6UU, will be there as one of the facilitators.
Have a great week and 73 to all,
Diana, AI6DF
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Here's the latest DX bulletin, courtesy of the ARRL (some completed operations are omitted):
This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by
HK6O, The Daily DX, the OPDX Bulletin, 425 DX News, DXNL, Contest
Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest Calendar and WA7BNM web sites.
Thanks to all.
ZAMBIA, 9J. Mario, IK1MYT is QRV as 9J2MYT from Lusaka until June
2020. Activity is on 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters. QSL to home call.
AZORES, CU. Operators DG0OHD, DG5AA, DK8YY, DL1AOB, DL1AWD, DL7ZZ
and DL8ALU will be QRV as CT8/home calls from Graciosa Island, IOTA
EU-175, from October 13 to 21. During the upcoming Worked All
Germany contest they will be active as CR2Y. QSL CR2Y via DH7WW and
all others to home calls.
GUADELOUPE, FG. Philippe, F1DUZ will be QRV as FG4KH from October
14 to 29. Activity will be on 80 to 10 meters using SSB and FT8.
QSL to home call.
MAYOTTE, FH. Willy, DJ7RJ will be QRV as FH/DJ7RJ from October 15
to November 3. Activity will be on 160 to 10 meters using CW and
SSB. QSL to home call.
SAN ANDRES AND PROVIDENCIA, HK0. A large group of operators will be
QRV as 5K0K from San Andres Island, IOTA NA-033, from October 15 to
30. Activity will be on 160 to 10 meters using CW, SSB, RTTY and
FT8. QSL via OK6DJ.
JAPAN, JA. Markus, DJ4EL will be QRV as JR6/DJ4EL from Yomitan,
Okinawa, IOTA AS-017, from October 13 to 25. Activity will be on 20
meters. He also plans to visit other islands and maybe be active on
other bands as well. QSL to home call.
NETHERLANDS, PA. Special event station PH100ADL is QRV until the
end of 2019 to commemorate the first commercial flight in the
Netherlands 100 years ago. Activity is on the HF bands using CW and
SSB. QSL via bureau.
PALAU, T8. Operators JH7IPR, JQ6FQI and JA6KYU are QRV as T88UW,
T88WM and T88HS, respectively, from Koror, IOTA OC-009, until
October 16. Activity is on the HF bands and 6 metersd using CW, AM,
SSB, FSK, FT8 and FT4. This includes being an entry in the Oceania
DX CW contest. QSL via operators' instructions.
ST. KITTS AND NEVIS, V4. John, W5JON will be QRV as V47JA from St.
Kitts, IOTA NA-104, from October 16 to 22. Activity will be on 160
to 6 meters using SSB and FT8. QSL direct to home call.
BERMUDA, VP9. Josh, W9HT will be QRV as W9HT/VP9 from Hamilton
Parish from October 12 to 15. Activity will be on the HF bands and
6 meters. QSL to home call.
SOUTH SUDAN, Z8. James, Z81C is QRV from Juba while working for a
non-governmental organization for the next 18 months. Activity is
mostly on SSB. QSL via operator's instructions.