CONTACT SPORT –
A new ham radio book called “Contact Sport” was written by J.K. George, N3BB and published this month by the Greenleaf Book Group Press. It is available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and at other stores. It is reviewed in the January issue of CQ Magazine on page 56. It is about the 2014 World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC) which took place in Massachusetts. Sounds like an interesting read.
This is a summary of the history of SDXA’s Field Day activities since the first one in 2003. If you notice any corrections or omissions, let Steve K7AWB know. I thought we joined Idaho KARS for two years of Field Days, but I find only proof for one year so far.
Here is the path to the POWERPOINT PRESENTATION LINK.
You may need a PowerPoint reader app to see PowerPoint documents such as Microsoft PowerPoint, Corel Presentations, etc.
LINK to the N3FJP website.
LAMAR RAY WA7LT – DAN HEARN N5AR – GARY ELLIOTT K7OX
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THEY SAY THAT FIRST IN THE FOOD LINE MEANS YOU ARE ALSO FIRST FOR SECONDS!
We don’t mind having the SDXA meeting outside on a warm evening when the key to the library is unavailable, but, gosh, can the SDXA supply soft cushions?
DX’ER OF THE YEAR (plaque)…..DAN HEARN N5AR
PRESIDENT’S AWARD (plaque)…..STEVE SALA K7AWB
CLUB SERVICE AWARD (plaque)…..WAYNE MILLICAN WA1PMA
2014-2015 PNW CHALLENGE CUP – SDXA HIGHEST ACCUMULATIVE SCORE (certificate)…..GEORGE TUNCIL W6AEA (7,835,634 points)
2014-2015 PNW CHALLENGE CUP – ENTERED ALL TEN CONTESTS (certificates)…..GEORGE TUNCIL W6AEA & JAY HOLCOMB WA0WWW (all 70 in 7 years!) (Jay’s certificate not shown)
2015 SDXA MARATHON – FORMULA-WORKING CLASS (certificate)……JAY HOLCOMB WA0WWW
2015 SDXA MARATHON – UNLIMITED – NON-WORKING CLASS (certificate)…..MIKE WOOD K6MW
2015 YOUTH AWARD…..CONNER J KOPPLIN
The ARRL recognizes this as a 5-band DXCC plaque with three additional bands illustrated by small labels. I like to call this an 8-band DXCC plaque.
Chuck did a survey of SDXA members on which software they were using for logging.
PRESIDENT: Chris Pritchard WX7B was reelected
VICE-PRESIDENT: Randy Crews W7TJ was elected as new
TREASURER: Mary Beth Snyder AE7GT was reelected
SECRETARY: Jay Holcomb WA0WWW was reelected
Existing 2015 Vice-President Gary Bytner will serve out his term this year.
The SteppIR antenna and Rohn 25 tower became a casualties of Wind Storm 15 Tuesday night, November 17, at the QTH of Mike N7KR. Anyone else have damage photos?
A Gap Voyager bit the dust at the QTH of our SDXA Secretery Jay WA0WWW. He had 2 up & phased for 80m, 40m and 160m. One survived. it was about a 60mph that took it; it was down wind from the house and Jay says that the winds were accelerated and circling once over the house that twisted it and brought it down.
The results of the Salmon Run (Washington QSO Party), held on September 19-20, 2015, are available at this SALMON RUN RESULTS LINK. The contest is sponsored by our sister DX club – the Western Washington DX Club (WWDXC) of the Seattle area. Awards are given for the highest score in each of the 39 Washington counties. The SDXA gives a plaque to the high score in this category:
Single Operator
Operating from the EWA Section of the ARRL (20 of the 39 counties)
Low Power
Mixed Mode (2 or more of the 3 modes).
We have had quite a few different SDXA member winners including both Gary K7OX (3 times) and Lamar WA7LT (one time), two of the founders of the SDXA. Also, Wilse WX7P (SK) once. But the most-time winner is W7WMO Gene Bye in Ephrata who won it from Grant County five times.
And Guess what? He has won it again this year! Six times out of 13 contests! His score this year was 52,976 points from 245 QSOs and 73 multipliers.
Congratulations again to Gene Buy W7WMO of Ephrata.
In the club competition, SDXA took 7th with a total of 172,078 points. In the Washington CW mobile category, Randy K7TQ/m and his sidekick Jay WA0WWW took first with 498 QSOs. Non-SDXA AB7MP took first from Spokane County with the highest score. Don’t we have any Spokane County members in the SDXA? Chuck KI7DG had the high score from Okanogan County with 68,992 points.
(Lance, from Frenchtown, MT, was one of our SDXA-sponsored speakers at our 2013 PNW DX Convention in Spokane Valley talking about his 6-meter Clipperton DXpedition – TX5K).
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What is the Fred Fish award?
Fred Fish W5FF(SK) was the first ham to work all 488 maidenhead 6-meter grids in the continental USA. The new Fred Fish Award was given to him posthumously in 2008 as their newest ARRL award. There are only six amateurs that have gotten the award. Lance should be #7. Working all 488 grids is tough; some grids are ham-less, at least on 6 meters. Some are swamps; some are accessed only by boat.
Here is the FRED FISH LINK to the ARRL site. Incidentally, SDXA member Mark W7MEM has 480 confirmed, only 8 remaining. Steve K7AWB has 412 of the 488.
Lance recently announced his working the final 488th grid (FN67 in Maine):
“What a great birthday present I had tonight! At 0204Z September 28, 2015 – just as
the eclipsed full moon rose over the mountain here – I completed with KB3SII on 6m
EME for my grid number 488 for the FFMA award 😉 KB3SII and K1WHS are currently on EME on 50.190 from FN67aa, and also making other contacts on EME. 6m Degradation is -0.9 and Kp is 1.7. 6m EME cndx are UNBELIEVABLE!”
Lance initiates many 6-meter DXpeditions using EME for his contacts. Here is a DXPEDITION LINK to his latest in Micronesia in August, 2015. This article has beautiful pictures and a great description of his trip including the flames out of the bottom of his amplifier. Lance maintains the [email protected] reflector too.
In early December 1983, operating from Montana as WA1JXN, Lance was the first radio amateur to communicate with the Space Shuttle. Astronaut Dr. Owen Garriot, W5LFL. He was contacted using Lance’s 2m EME array of 12 yagis as STS-9 passed down along the West Coast of the USA. Lance has ARRL DXCC #11 for 2-meters as well as a 6-meter DXCC.
His great technical website is at this W7GJ LINK.
The three piles in the background are from last time the bureau sent a package; the ones in the foreground came today. All will be answered on a rainy day. That is Bo the Dog in the background.
