Welcome to Northern California DX Club March 19

Welcome to Northern California DX Club March 19, 2009

Tonight’s Agenda • Club Business – Introduction of Officers – Introductions of Members – New members – DX news – QSTs • The status of the sunspot cycle • Feature – Show & Tell • NCDXC Raffle Slide 2

Introduction of Officers • Officers – President – Vice Pres – Secretary – Treasurer Craig Bradley Risto Kotalampi Russ Bentson Jose Picazo Jr. AE 6 RR W 6 RK K 6 KLY WT 6 X • Directors – Steve Jones – Jim Abraham – John Eisenberg N 6 SJ W 6 EB K 6 YP Slide 3

Introductions • Let’s Go Around the room… – Introduce yourself & any guests – Tell us what new DX you have bagged – K 5 D stories? – Any other news you wish to share? (please keep it brief) Slide 4

New members? • Secretary - Russ, K 6 KLY – He has applications are available… – Voting Slide 5

K 5 D Wrap Up • QSL info – Web Site and online log: http: //kp 5. us/ – QSL online (you do not need to send a card) • Mailed to you $5 (paypal or credit card) • Bureau (free) – QSL direct (SASE - $. 44) – Bureau – Lo. TW (early next year) Slide 6

Final K 5 D QSOs Statistics SSB CW RTTY SSTV Band Totals 6 M 17 80 · · 97 10 M 163 64 2 · 229 12 M 640 264 1 · 905 15 M 6129 4166 443 · 10738 17 M 12959 7183 1341 · 21483 20 M 15693 9587 1719 3 27002 30 M 1 13424 2180 · 15605 40 M 6789 8462 863 · 16114 80 M 7414 8797 · · 16211 160 M 1983 5217 · · 7200 Mode Totals 51788 57244 6549 3 115584 NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 7

DX News – KH 4 • K 4 M - Midway Island – #24 most needed world wide • first operation in almost 10 years – – 10 days in October 2009 19 Ops 160 through 6 m www. midway 2009. com Slide 8

DX News – VK 9 • VK 9 AA – Christmas Island – Now on • VK 9 N/ON 5 AX – Norfolk Island – On until the 22 nd • VK 9 GMW – Mellish Island – Starts on the March 22 nd to April 6 th • VK 9 LA – Lord Howe – Starts on the March 24 th to April 3 rd – 24/7 Internet with online logs Slide 9

Postage Rates Going Up May 11 • First Class letters - 44¢ (from 42¢) – Buy those Forever Stamps • They are great for SASEs • They are always good for 1 st class postage • You can get them at discount prices at COSTCO • International - 96¢ (from 90¢) – Use up your old ones before May 11 or add 6¢ – Get those QSL cards out now • IRCs – Currently $2. 10, will expire on 12/31/09 – Use up your old ones, many QSL managers will not take them in a few months – New prices not announced yet NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 10

Upcoming DX Contests • Russian DX Contest – This weekend – See http: //www. rdxc. org for details • CQ WPX – SSB • March 28 -29 – CW • May 30 -31 – Prefixes are multipliers – Exchange • RST + Serial Number – See the CQ website for the complete rules NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 11

NCDXC Club Historian • The NCDXC has a lot of history • Much of it is on the heads of the old time members • Maintain lists of past officers, recipients for the CMOTY award, SKs, etc. • Custodian of club memorabilia • We should gather and record our history before it fades away… • Would you like to volunteer for this position or do you know someone who would be a good candidate? NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 12

Silent Key List • At Visalia each year the clubs Silent Keys from the last year are remembered • I need to compile a list for the MC to read • If you know of a club member that has become a SK in the last year, please let me or Russ, K 6 KLY know • Even if you think that everyone knows, please contribute as we don’t want to overlook any one NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 13

QSTs

IDXC Visalia • IDXC 2009 (the 60 th year) will be held April 17 - April 19, 2009 at the Visalia Holiday Inn • News from the committee? – John, K 6 YP – Steve, N 6 SJ NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 15

NCDXC Net • Net coordinator - Don, AA 6 W • If you would like to be a net control, please see or contact Don • Please Remember - NCDXC Net – Every Thursday 8 pm – Except on monthly meeting nights (3 rd Thurs) – On W 6 TI repeater, 147. 360 MHz, PL 110. 9 Slide 16

DXer Material • Editor - Phil, K 6 TT • If you have suggestions for articles, etc. please see or contact Phil • If you would like to contribute (photos, articles, etc. ), Phil will be very happy to talk to you! • This is your newsletter – help make it great! NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 17

Tonight’s Raffle • Mike W 6 WZ & Carolyn WB 6 ABC have some great prizes! – – – 1 st Prize: Yaesu FT-2800 M, 65 W 2 M mobile rig 2 nd Prize: Powerex MHC-9000 Charger-Analyzer 3 rd Prize: 3 Large Fair-Rite Beads 4 th Prize: Crimping Tool 5 th Prize: Multi-Purpose Pocket Tool with Light Door Prize: 9 -LED Flashlight with batteries • Need Tickets – see Carolyn or Mike – 6 for $5 - 12 for $10 - 24 for $20 • GOOD LUCK! Slide 18

Additional QSTs • Does anyone have any other announcements they would like to make? • Amtech Day? • Flea Market? NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 19

Our Sunspot Cycle The sun has flat-lined…

The Minimum • March 6, 2006 – Solar Minimum has Arrived • January 10, 2008 – Solar Cycle 24 Begins • September 30, 2008 – Blankest Year of the Space Age • November 7, 2008 – The Sun Shows Signs of Life • The last few sunspots that we had were old ones from cycle 23 NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 21

Cycle 24 Prediction Updated 3/4/09 NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 22

Current Conditions Last Month This Month NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 23

The Last Year NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 24

SOHO MDI Continuum Latest Image NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 25

SHOW & TELL or Tonight’s Mini Topics Craig Bradley, AE 6 RR Risto Kotalampi, W 6 RK Phil Verinsky, W 6 TQG

Why Do We DX? • Because we like to see the lights dim when we talk? • Because is it there? • Because we like talking to people in foreign lands? • Because we like the nice QSL cards? • Because we like Wall Paper (Awards)? NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 27

CQ Magazine Awards Something else to do with your QSL collection while the bands are dead! - AE 6 RR

CQ WAZ Award • Worked All Zones (WAZ) • One of the longest running in Ham Radio – Started prior to WWII • • One of the most prestigious awards Based on working all 40 CQ Zones Equal difficulty from all areas of the world 5 -Band version available (5 BWAZ) – 80, 40, 20, 15 & 10 m NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 29

NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 30

CQ Zones • We are in Zone 3 • The hardest zones to work from here are – 21, Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Georgia) – 22, India, Maldives, Laccadive (VU 7) – 34, NE Africa (Egypt, Libya, Sudan) – 37, E Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi) • The path to these zones is over more land mass than the others – The path includes NA, EU & AS (or NE AF) – Water reflects signals much better than land – You probably have a better chance of working these areas via long path NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 31

The World from San Jose NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 32

CQ DX Award • Similar to the ARRL DXCC – Same entities – Similar rules (100 entities minimum) • If you need more “wall paper” and have DXCC, this one is easy – Just submit your DXCC record – I did it via email • e. QSL, Lo. TW records and Cards accepted NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 33

CQ WPX Award • Based on call sign prefixes (letters and numbers) – K 6, N 6, WD 4, HG 19, WB 3, KC 2, etc. • If you have worked the WPX contest, you get the idea • Minimum awards – Mixed: 400 – Mode (CW, SSB, Digital): 300 • Honor system: You do not need to send cards or have them checked! NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 34

CQ DX Field Award • Based on the 324 Maidenhead Grid Fields – The grids are the two letter prefix (ie CM) • Basic award is 50 or more grids • Maritime mobile stations count • Somewhat equal difficulty from all areas of the world except there are more stations on land • e. QSL, Lo. TW records and Cards accepted NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 35

CQ USA-CA Award • • Based on USA Counties Base award is 500 counties There are 3077 counties in the US There are groups, nets and special frequencies for “County Hunters” • Some people do road trip expeditions to activate rare ones • e. QSL, Lo. TW records and Cards accepted NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 36

Applying for CQ Awards • CQ card checkers are hard to find but you can use ARRL DXCC checkers • CQ has announced that you can use e. QSL, but this is not mentioned on the web site • I have used Lo. TW confirmations (also not mentioned on web site) – printed the QSL info • Find the award rules on the CQ web site and email the award manager for the latest acceptable procedure for that award NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 37

Risto Kotalampi – W 6 RK Global QSL http: //www. globalqsl. com/

Phil Verinsky – W 6 TQG Using QRZ. com's XML for Call Sign Lookup and Bearing Convenient Log Database Synchronization with LOTW VE 7 VV Packet Cluster

The NCDXC Raffle! • Does anyone need tickets before we start? • Prizes – Door Prize: 9 -LED Flashlight with batteries – 1 st Prize: Yaesu FT-2800 M, 65 W 2 M mobile rig – 2 nd Prize: Powerex MHC-9000 Charger. Analyzer – 3 rd Prize: 3 Large Fair-Rite Beads – 4 th Prize: Crimping Tool – 5 th Prize: Multi-Purpose Pocket Tool with Light NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 40

Thanks for Coming Tonight! • Remember the net next Thursday night! • See you at Visalia • Pray for sunspots! • 73 & Good DX! NCDXC Mar 09 Slide 41