Thursday, November 13, 2014

Extra Class & VE Exam on 11-08-2014 in Kent fire station #73

    Subj: Extra Class & VE Exam on 11-08-2014 in Kent fire station #73

Dan and the group,
 This is very good news! Thanks for the awesome work you have done.
 Monte
  
    11-09-2014

    Dear Monte K2MLS (ARRLSection Manager in the Western Washington Section),

    Here are some pictures of Daniel KL7WM and the VE Test Team at the Saturday 11-08-2014 Extra Class and VE Test held in Kent WA.
    The Extra Class finished on November 8, 2014 with 27 New Extras and 1 with a CSCE for Element 4, because he needs to pass Element 3.  4 others failed, but are close and will continue to study.  One postponed his test.
     This was a very large class.  There were 11 VEs with 36 candidates and 40 elements taken.  The VE session was open to 4 walk-in who took Technician tests.  Three passed.  This class is the result of six months of preparing slides and materials for an Extra Class.
    
    Thanks goes out to everyone who helped out, including the Kent Regional Fire Authority and the Tukwila Fire Department and Emergency Management for offering a classroom.  Although two instructors taught the 24 hour class, there was two others behind the scene who did a lot of work. The team took on a big endeavor when they decided to create their own training material.
    
    We want to thank the KCST for providing drinks and cookies for the class.
    
    Many of the students have expressed "Thank You'' for sponsoring an Extra Class. I want to pass along those "Thank You's" to those who weren't so visible in the efforts to hold a class that was this long and technical.
    
    A BIG  THANK YOU goes out to everyone,
     For the Training Team
    
    Daniel Stevens KL7WM
    Training Coordinator
    ARRL Liaison VE
    206 228 9274

(Below: Here are 3 pictures that Bill KL7BB took at our Extra Class exam on November 8, 2014)



(Note: The EXTRA training material is available here Tukwila TECTeam Training Roadmap [subject to disappearing at any time] -- K7LWA)


Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Current Weather ALERTS for King County [WAC033] & Washington State


Issued by the National Weather Service:
Watches, Warnings or Advisories for
King County [WAC033] Washington
 Click here for latest King County Alerts ---> WAC033

(RSS Feed Listing)

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for
Washington
Click below for latest WA State Alerts
Washington -- (Zone List | County List)
 
(RSS Feed Listing)

   No Power?   
Check the PSE Outage map 


11-11-2014PM -- ALERT WAC033 King


Watches, Warnings or Advisories for
King (WAC033) Washington

This page shows alerts currently in effect for
King (WAC033) Washington and is normally updated every two-three minutes.
Please see here for other state and listing by county.
Last updated: 13:52 PST on 11-11-2014
High Wind Warning
Issued: November 11 at 1:52PM PST
Expiring: November 12 at 8:00AM PST
Urgency: Expected
Status: Actual
Areas affected:East Puget Sound Lowlands
 Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories
 for Washington Issued by the National Weather Service
Washington -- (Zone List | County List)
Click here for latest Alerts --->  ATOM Format


PSE logo

Service Alert
Winds gusting to 60 mph in south King & Pierce counties created dangerous conditions for crews and caused additional power outages overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning. Outage info at pse.com/outagemap.
As of 5 p.m., Tuesday Nov. 11
Crews have restored power to nearly 50,000 Puget Sound Energy customers throughout the day, but as high winds continue into late afternoon and evening, more damage is causing additional outages. Visit our outage map to see where outages have been reported and estimated restoration times.
Due to the unusually cold temperatures, PSE encourages customers without power to be prepared for their safety and comfort. If using portable heaters, keep them away from furniture, draperies and other flammable materials. Never use a natural gas range for heating or charcoal as an indoor heating or cooking source. For more, see pse.com/safety.

No Power?
Check the PSE Outage map




No Power? Check the PSE Outage map

PSE Outage map
Current outages and estimated restoration times
A text list of all outages is available here.
The map is updated every 15 minutes.
Please note: Restoration times are estimates only. Conditions can change rapidly, especially during a storm or emergency, affecting the accuracy of information on the outage map.

++ click [here] to view PSE Outage Map ++

(Posted 2014-10-28 08:32)


Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Happy Birthday, Pepa [KF7ZHL]

Happy Birthday, Pepa [KF7ZHL]


Sunday, November 9, 2014

W1AW/7 -- Need operators for a big finish on Phone!!!

Need operators for a big finish on Phone from West Seattle.
Many slots from 8am to 4pm on Monday and Tuesday - 
then nothing forever - this is it.
    Radio Operators willing to fill slots at a superstation in West Seattle (not WR5J's) are asked to coordinate with Curt Black - 206 755-4541c
    Phone is best because the computer running the email is tied up running the RTTY Station and Logging at WR5J...
    So, time is of the essence - these are great chances to work with a contesting pro (world class +) who is looking for some help with his workload and would like to teach the next generation of contesters how to get after it.
    Tremendous opportunity to be the DX - his station is great.   Just soak up the knowledge as you run the pileups from his station,
    Slots are from 8am to 4pm each day of Monday and Tuesday...
    Check with Curt - WR5J for scheduling - call as early as 7:45am Pacific Standard Time on Monday Morning.  We'll get you into those slots.
   
Curt Black - West Seattle Amateur Radio Club
206 755-4541c
wr5j@arrl.net


Current W1AW/7 Invitation and Timeslot Spreadsheet


An Invitation to Operate W1AW/7 Digital Station for the 100th Year of ARRL
The most famous callsign in all of Amateur Radio - W1AW



To: wr5j@arrl.net
Sent: 11/1/2014 9:45:56 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time
Subj: Current W1AW/7 Invitation and Timeslot Spreadsheet

Greetings!

Attached is the current schedule spreadsheet for the W1AW/7 digital operation from West Seattle.  
You are greatly encouraged to get back to me with your choices for timeslots..

Please note - the slots with WR5J in the attached excel sheet which are NOT BOLD are just place holders. They represent slots that I have reserved for our operation on the official ARRL spreadsheet - so they are available (as are many other slots...)   Really, if your heart is set on a slot that I've got in BOLD with MY CALL - let me know. 
The West Seattle Operation scheduling spreadsheet is attached - take a look and see what you might like - there is wording that encourages taking slots between 10am and 10pm each day (except for first and last...), but this is just a suggestion - if you really want to operate a slot and you see it is available on the main sheet link above, just drop me a line and I'll sign us up. (plus or minus the need for sleep...). My station is mostly a daytime station - I am no good on the low bands - 40/8-/160... Just too much local noise.
Here is the official ARRL sheet:
http://w1aw.dxusa.net/wa/index.php?date=2014-11-05
Call with any questions - it is a little perilous switching between the Zulu time days on the ARRL site and my sheets which are local time days.  I'm pretty confident you will be good with the translation...
Vy 73 de wr5j
Curt Black
3601 35th Ave. SW
Seattle WA 98126
206 755-4541c
wr5j@arrl.net

Invitation to Operate W1AW/7 Digital Station from West Seattle for 100th Year of ARRL

By: WR5J

Here is...  
An Invitation to Operate W1AW/7 Digital Station for the 100th Year of ARRL.
The most famous callsign in all of Amateur Radio - W1AW
A once-in-100-year opportunity to have that call in your own backyard, Plus the chance to "be the DX" on a stunning scale. Please join us for one of the great experiences in amateur radio.  The station is all setup, the logging and macros are all tuned for the operation.  Everything has been tested.  Instruction will be provided. No experience necessary, but a willingness to dive in and take direction will be appreciated.
The Idea is to provide the Washington W1AW/7 station to thousands upon thousands of stations around the world who want to contact us.  Many stations are well on their way to working all states, all modes on many bands using only the W1AW stations.  We want to make sure Washington is available to all who need it for each desired mode and band. 
The ARRL has been conducting these Centennial Operations from every state in the country all year.  Our operation lasts 1 week - 168 hours - from 4pm on Tuesday, November 4th - to 4 pm on Tuesday November 11th.   This station will be operating primarily RTTY with some PSK later in the week (and over the weekend if the RTTY Contest activity makes it impossible to politely work split).  We will start with 20 meters, but if propagation is as good as it has been we can dynamically select bands.
You can do this alone or as a team - the slots are 2 hours each and people are welcome to commit to multiple slots.  Ideally we would work 10 am to 10 pm but so far I've only planned for 4pm to 10 pm with the volunteers I have so far.   We'll fix that as soon as we have lots more volunteers.  That's where you come in.
The station is in West Seattle.  This is going to be lots of fun, but it is a serious operation.  Unlike many previous ham radio events at this house, this one will be alcohol free until the thank you party for all the participating operators.
Send an email to wr5j@arrl.net to express interest.   I'll send you scheduling spreadsheets showing open slots and you can let me know of your interest and availability. 
I appreciate your willingness to help with this historic event.  It will be fun.  It will be challenging.  We have several operators already, but many more opportunities are knocking.  This is perfect if you're "mic shy" - you just need to make friends with 2 function keys via mouse click...
This is the sort of thing you can tell grandchildren about - I hope you will answer the call...
vy 73 de WR5J
Curt Black 
206 755-4541c
wr5j@arrl.net
Posted 2014-11-06 09:00



Saturday, November 8, 2014

Weather For You (via AccuWeather.com)






Originally Posted by PSRG FUN BLOG at 11/08/2014 11:29:00 AM


Friday, November 7, 2014

[ QSLs ] -- Emails & Letters from YOU!


Please send your comments to PSRG-FUN@gmail.com

2014-11-07 (from Alco R. -- Nederlands):
Hello!
    As a daily KEXP 90.3 FM listener, I also like to listen the online PSRG's "Nine O'clock Net" here at 6pm local Dutch time.
    Very interesting for a foreigner and radio enthusiast to listen to the daily weather reports and other everyday stories from Seattle
[C:].
    I hope to visit the city one day...


73 from Holland!

Alco


Latest El Nino Prediction 2014-2015 -- A Drier & Definitely Warmer WINTER!

"El Niño is favored to begin in the next 1-2 months 
and last into the Northern Hemisphere spring 2015"
(updated 11-05-2014)

[Click on to enlarge]
HOME > Expert Assessments > ENSO Diagnostic Discussion

El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Discussion
Weekly ENSO Update (Updated Mondays)
Monthly Climate Diagnostics Bulletin (Updated mid-month)



Thursday, November 6, 2014

[ISS Sightings] NOVEMBER 2014 ISS (11-04 thru 11-20)

International Space Station -- Spot The Station
Sighting Location:
Seattle, Washington, United States
The following ISS sightings are possible from
Wednesday Nov 4, 2014 through Thursday Nov 20, 2014
Date Visible Max Height Appears Disappears Share Event
Sat Nov 8, 6:27 AM 2 min 23° 11 above SSW 23 above SE  
Sun Nov 9, 5:39 AM 2 min 15° 11 above SSE 15 above SE  
Mon Nov 10, 6:24 AM 4 min 51° 10 above SW 38 above E  
Tue Nov 11, 5:35 AM 4 min 32° 10 above SSW 28 above ESE  
Wed Nov 12, 4:48 AM 1 min 20° 20 above SSE 18 above ESE  
Wed Nov 12, 6:22 AM 6 min 80° 10 above WSW 11 above ENE  
Thu Nov 13, 5:34 AM 3 min 70° 34 above SW 20 above ENE  
Fri Nov 14, 4:47 AM 1 min 35° 35 above ESE 21 above E  
Fri Nov 14, 6:20 AM 6 min 50° 12 above W 11 above ENE  
Sat Nov 15, 5:33 AM 4 min 64° 51 above WNW 11 above ENE  
Sun Nov 16, 4:46 AM 1 min 26° 26 above ENE 14 above ENE  
Sun Nov 16, 6:19 AM 5 min 39° 14 above WNW 12 above ENE  
Mon Nov 17, 5:31 AM 3 min 44° 43 above NNW 12 above ENE  
Tue Nov 18, 4:44 AM 1 min 23° 23 above NE 11 above ENE  
Tue Nov 18, 6:17 AM 4 min 40° 17 above WNW 17 above ENE  
Wed Nov 19, 5:29 AM 3 min 38° 38 above N 14 above ENE  
Thu Nov 20, 4:42 AM 1 min 20° 20 above NE 12 above ENE  
The following PROGRESS56P sightings are possible from 
Tuesday Nov 4, 2014 through Thursday Nov 20, 2014
Date Visible Max Height Appears Disappears Share Event
Fri Nov 7, 6:30 AM 2 min 16° 10 above S 16 above SSE  
Sat Nov 8, 5:40 AM < 1 min 10° 10 above SE 10 above SE  
Sun Nov 9, 6:22 AM 3 min 34° 10 above SSW 34 above SE  
Mon Nov 10, 5:31 AM 3 min 21° 11 above S 21 above SE  
Tue Nov 11, 4:40 AM 2 min 12° 10 above SSE 12 above ESE  
Tue Nov 11, 6:14 AM 5 min 67° 10 above SW 22 above ENE  
Wed Nov 12, 5:24 AM 3 min 41° 21 above SSW 29 above E  
Thu Nov 13, 4:35 AM < 1 min 22° 22 above ESE 18 above E  
Thu Nov 13, 6:08 AM 6 min 70° 12 above WSW 10 above ENE  
Fri Nov 14, 5:18 AM 3 min 80° 71 above SW 18 above ENE  
Sat Nov 15, 4:29 AM < 1 min 22° 22 above E 15 above ENE  
Sat Nov 15, 6:01 AM 5 min 48° 21 above W 11 above ENE  
Sun Nov 16, 5:12 AM 3 min 56° 56 above NNE 12 above ENE  
Sun Nov 16, 6:45 AM 5 min 40° 10 above WNW 26 above NE  
Mon Nov 17, 4:22 AM < 1 min 14° 14 above ENE 12 above ENE  
Mon Nov 17, 5:55 AM 4 min 40° 28 above NW 13 above ENE  
Tue Nov 18, 5:05 AM 2 min 37° 37 above NNE 11 above ENE  
Tue Nov 18, 6:37 AM 5 min 45° 10 above WNW 23 above ENE  
Wed Nov 19, 4:15 AM < 1 min 11° 11 above ENE 11 above ENE  
Wed Nov 19, 5:47 AM 3 min 40° 28 above NW 18 above ENE  
(Posted 2014-11-04 12:30AM)