Tuesday, September 29, 2015

October 3, 17 and 24, 2015: Extra Class Licensing Course (Kent, WA)

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!
(All Classes -- Training Slides BELOW)


October 3, 17 and 24, 2015:  Extra Class Licensing Course
The Kent Communications Support Team (KCST) and
Federal Way Amateur Radio Club (FWARC) 
are hosting an Extra Class License Upgrade Course
for those already holding a General Class License.
This is a 24 hour course spanning 3 Saturdays with the test at the end of the 3rd Saturday.
  • Dates:
    • October 3 from 8am to 5pm
    • October 17 from 8am to 5pm
    • October 24 from 8am to 5pm
  • Cost:  The instruction is FREE, however the FCC charges a $15 examination fee which we must collect
  • Location:  Kent Fire Station 73, 26512 Military Road South, Kent WA, 98032
    • From I-5:  Take Exit 147, to South 272nd Street eastbound. Go east one block to the light at Military Road S and turn left.  The Fire Station is on the right just past the park.
  • Download course materials using hyperlinks below
  • The class has a high pass rate and will answer all the questions in the Extra Question Pool
  • Multiple instructors will bring their experiences and show and tell items to demonstrate
  • This is the easiest way to upgrade to Extra
  • To register for this class, send email to KL7WM@aol.com
 
This course and fee includes a book, training and testing session at the conclusion of the course.
For more information or questions, please email Training@TukwilaRadioClub.org
Technician Class Training Materials:
Download All Modules in One Zip File (38MB)
T1 - FCC Rules
T2 - Operating Procedures
T3 - Radio Waves
T4 - Radio Practice
T5 - Electrical Plus
T6 - Electrical Components
T7 - Station Equipment
T8 - Modes
T9 - Antennas & Feedlines
T10 - Electrical Safety
Technician and General Handout
Technician_Slide Count
General Class Training Materials:
Download All Modules in One Zip File (33MB)
G1 - FCC Rules
G2 - Operating Procedures
G3 - Radio Wave Propagation
G4 - Radio Practices
G5 - Electrical Principles
G6 - Circuit Components
G7 - Practical Circuits
G8 - Signals & Emissions
G9 - Antennas & Feedlines
G10 - Electrical & RF Safety
Technician and General Handout
General Slide Count
Extra Class Training Materials:
Download All Modules in One Zip File (15MB)
E1 - Commission Rules
E2 - Operating Procedures
E3 - Radio Wave Propagation
E4 - Amateur Practices
E5 - Electrical Principles
E6 - Circuit Components
E7 - Practical Circuits
E8 - Signals And Emissions
E9 - Antennas and Transmission Lines
E10 - Safety
Extra Slide Count
  (COPIED from theTECTeam Training Roadmap Website -- Thanks Marty and Mark!)
  Tukwila Emergency Communications Team

Partnering with the City of Tukwila to Provide Reliable Communications
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Latest El Niño Advisory (Sep 24, 2015) -- 95% chance El Nino through 2015-16 Winter

ENSO Alert System Status: El Niño Advisory
El Niño conditions are present.
Positive equatorial sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies continue across most of the Pacific Ocean.
Synopsis (Sep 24, 2015):
There is an approximately 95% chance that
El Niño will continue through Northern Hemisphere winter 2015-16, 
gradually weakening through spring 2016.

NOAA's El Niño Portal
For more information on the ongoing El Niño event,
check the ENSO Diagnostic Discussion, 
which is updated on the second Thursday of each month. 
Be sure to follow our ENSO blog and connect with us on social media.
Posted by PSRG FUN BLOG at 9/29/2015 08:45:00 AM
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Sunday, September 27, 2015

Photos of Total Lunar Eclipse (Sep 27, 2015)

DID YOU SEE IT?
September 27-28, 2015
4th & Last Total Lunar Eclipse
of the 2104-2015 TETRAD*!
(next TETRAD is in 17 years)
However: August 21, 2017 — Total Solar Eclipse — Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.
(BELOW: Ron [NR7O] -- Kingsgate)
(BELOW: Shelley [KF7TBA] -- At 8:20PM in Seatac)
This was the last eclipse in the 2014 – 2015 Lunar Tetrad*
From Ron [NR7O]:
THIS ONE WAS TAKEN… THIS MORNING (09-28-2015 6:41AM)!!!
Much better shot than the “blood moon”…
 ========
from Eric [KK6MWW]:
 Thanks Shelley and LW for the pictures ..we did see but had some party cloudy sky's, moon came in and out,  looks like you had better weather then we did..talk to on the net on wedenday thanks again cheers
========
from Steve [N7GWG]:
 Morning Friends:
What a scene down at Magnuson Park last night!   Hundreds and hundreds of folk waiting for the moon to come up
over the horizon from the East, and hundreds still pouring into the Park hoping to find some where to park.
On the way there, dozens of folks out on the sidewalks at good vantage points to the East, waiting for the EVENT.
Had NO IDEA so many folks were interested in astronomical events !!  What a HOOT !!
Folks with their family, folks with telescopes, and me with my old Canon Digital SLR,  a 200 mm lens and no
tripod.
The fuzziness round the bottom edge of my moon shot here below, is a bit of Photo Shop clean up.
( sorry Zack..)
But what the heck !  We went,    we saw,    we shot...
Thanks to our Ham Radio Friends for telling us about the eclipse event , and our friend Ron L. for getting us off our
duff and heading down to the Park.  We looked for you Ron.  Too many people, too dark....
Thanks, Everybody, for sharing your reports and photos!
======== 
Also, please see:
Posted by PSRG FUN BLOG at 9/27/2015 10:12:00 AM
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The 4th & Last Total Lunar Eclipse of the 2104-2015 TETRAD! (Sep 27+28, 2015)

September 27-28, 2015
4th & Last Total Lunar Eclipse
of the 2104-2015 TETRAD*!
(next TETRAD is in 17 years)

(Shelley [KF7TBA] -- At 8:20PM in Seatac)
PLUS:
Sam [KD7PWA] + "Pirate Radio" Dave [KD7PWB]'s
Lunar Eclipse Viewing Party on "L" Dock TONIGHT!
The usual rules apply:
1) They supply the grill and coals --
YOU bring what you want to eat and drink
2) Talk-In Frequency = 147.480 Simplex
-----------------
This is the last eclipse in the 2014 – 2015 Lunar Tetrad*
September 27 / September 28, 2015 — Total Lunar Eclipse
    In the US, Canada, and Central and South America,
this rare Total Lunar Eclipse of a Supermoon will begin on the
evening of September 27, 2015.
    In Europe, South/East Asia, Africa, the Arctic, and in the Pacific, Atlantic,
and Indian Oceans it starts after midnight on September 28, 2015.
Also called a Blood Moon this eclipse will last for about 1 hour and 12 minutes.
(Is this Total Lunar Eclipse visible in Seattle?)

Global Type: Total Lunar Eclipse
Seattle: Total Lunar Eclipse
Begins: Sun, Sep 27, 2015 at 5:11 PM
Maximum: Sun, Sep 27, 2015 at 7:47 PM
 
(ABOVE: At 7:47PM (MAX) in Seatac)
(BELOW: At 8:20PM in Seatac)
(ABOVE: At 8:35PM in Seatac)
Ends: Sun, Sep 27, 2015 at 10:22 PM
Duration: 5 hours, 11 minutes
Seattle Sunset: 6:57 PM
*LUNAR TETRAD =
four consecutive total lunar eclipses,
spaced at six lunar months apart from one another
These are the dates for the upcoming 2014-2015 tetrad:
2014:
Total lunar eclipse: April 14-15
Total lunar eclipse: October 7-8
2015:
Total lunar eclipse: April 4 
Total lunar eclipse: September 28
    How common is a tetrad of total lunar eclipses?
    Depending upon the century in which you live, a lunar tetrad (four consecutive total lunar eclipses, spaced at six lunar months apart from one another) may happen fairly frequently – or not at all.
    For instance, in our 21st century (2001-2100), there are a total 8 tetrads, but in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, there were none at all.
    If we include all the centuries from the 1st century (AD 1-100) through the 21st century (2001-2100), inclusive, there are a total of 62 tetrads.
   The last one occurred in 2003-2004, and the next one after the 2014-2015 tetrad will happen in 2032-2033!
About tonight's Harvest Moon Eclipse
(from Earthsky.org):
There is a total eclipse of the moon on the night of September 27-28, 2015.
It happens to be the closest supermoon of 2015.
    It’s the Northern Hemisphere’s Harvest Moon, or full moon nearest the September equinox. It’s the Southern Hemisphere’s first full moon of spring.
    This September full moon is also called a Blood Moon, because it presents the fourth and final eclipse of a lunar tetrad: four straight total eclipses of the moon, spaced at six lunar months (full moons) apart. Phew!

    The total lunar eclipse is visible from the most of North America and all of South America after sunset September 27. From eastern South America and Greenland, the greatest eclipse happens around midnight September 27-28.
    In Europe, Africa and the Middle East, the total eclipse takes place in the wee hours of the morning, after midnight and before sunrise September 28.
    A partial lunar eclipse can be seen after sunset September 27 from western Alaska, or before sunrise September 28 in far-western Asia.
    Photo top of post shows a partial phase of the April 14-15, 2014 total lunar eclipse by Fred Espenak.
(from Earthsky.org)
 ==========
 (from: http://classicalastronomy.com/)
============
Previous Friday Night Insomniac-Net Questions about the 2014-15 TETRAD Eclipses:
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RESULTS: Ham License Training (BALLARD) -- Sept 19+26, 2015

September 19+26, 2015
Free Ham License Training
RESULTS:
18 Technicians, 8 Generals (7 Tech/Gens), 1 Extra
25 New HAMs
Thank you to the Trainers, VEs, HAMs (and their families), and Communities who support us!

Daniel Stevens KL7WM
Dustin Lomax    KF7FK
Mike Walsh    W7BMW
Dean Cuccia    KG7ODB
Ryan Martin    N7TNI
Douglas Kingston    KD7DK
Stephen Kronberg    K7SEK
Richard Lundstrom    W7INK  
Carl Leon    N7KUW
Bill Thomassen    N6NBN
Joseph Trinka    AE9CM
Brad Estill     N7ER
Elaine Bradtke    KG7CME

Thank you
Daniel Stevens KL7WM
Training Coordinator
ARRL Liaison VE
206 228 9274
Technician Class
Philadelphia Church
(Ballard)
PC Center
2363 NW 80th St, Seattle, WA 98117
(free off street parking)

MORE Classes coming up!
For more information and
training materials,
and to register
Please Contact:
Daniel Stevens KL7WM
Training Coordinator
206 228 9274
KL7WM@aol.com
Posted by PSRG FUN BLOG at 9/277/2015 10:37:00 AM
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Thursday, September 3, 2015

Request Assistance for pre event field testing Bigfoot 120 event (Sep 6, 2015)

Field Test 9/6: BIGfoot 120 mile Endurance Run
October 9-11, 2015
 
 ---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "AlertSeattle ACS" <seattle-acs@getrave.com>
Date: Sep 2, 2015 8:22 PM
Subject: Request Assistance for pre event field testing Bigfoot 120 event
     
Field Test 9/6:
  Several of us are already set to travel to the area this Sunday and conduct field tests of the planned 6-meter and 2-meter communications from as many of the sites as we can.  Having more hams (you didn’t have any Labor Day weekend plans, anyway, did you?) would allow us to cover more sites more quickly, so if you can come help out, please reply ASAP.  Don’t worry about any particular equipment you may not have, for now, we’ll be sorting that out this week, hopefully with enough people to make some pairings and fill in gaps

Message from Seattle ACS Sent to All ACS Members

Here is a request from Robert Grinnell, KD7WNV
Training Officer, ESCA RACES

    Hi Mark,
    Below is an email I sent yesterday to a list of hams I’ve recruited over the past couple months from among ESCA RACES, Mike & Key, and RAMROD support, regarding a new public service event, the Bigfoot 120.  I had planned to recruit more widely, including from Seattle ACS, a bit later once we have the radio plan more settled, but we just realized late last week the happy confluence of availability of a core group for a communications field test this coming Sunday, and if we could get a few more hams to come out, it could make the difference in ensuring full testing of all planned stations/sites.  Would you be willing to forward the appeal to your group?  Anyone available for the field test and/or interested in the event itself should contact me via any of the means listed at the bottom.
    Thanks & 73,
    Robert Grinnell, KD7WNV
    Training Officer, ESCA RACES
    Public Service Committee Chair, Mike & Key ARC

From: Robert Grinnell [mailto:r-grinnell@comcast.net]
Sent: Monday, August 31, 2015 10:58 AM
To: Robert Grinnell (ARRL forwarding)
Subject: Bigfoot 120 update, & Field Testing Operation, Sunday 9/6

Hi Public Service Hams,

You are receiving this email because you have indicated at some point (perhaps in a moment of weakness or duress J) an interest in potentially helping with this new and challenging public service event.  Don’t worry, no one is considered committed as of yet.  Please let me know if at any time you wish to be removed from further email distribution.

The purpose of this email is to give you a quick reminder and update, and to solicit participation in a communications field test this coming Sunday, September 6.

I have been working with David Williamson, WA7DGW (President, Snohomish County Hams Club) and Lee Chambers, KI7SS (President, Olympia ARS) to move forward in planning for this event.  I had hoped to be sending you more information with this email, even an early draft comms plan, but the windstorm this weekend has interfered.  For now, here are some quick facts about the event:

    What:  Provide radio communications to link the aid stations of a 120-mile run/hike in remote mountainous terrain, particularly passing information between aid stations and event headquarters at Finish (event website: http://www.bigfoot200.com/bigfoot-120.html).  I encourage you to read the Runner’s Manual and review the map, linked below.

    When:  October 9-11 (Friday-Sunday).
    Where:  Gifford Pinchot National Forest & Mt. St. Helens National Monument (see CalTopo map of the course: http://caltopo.com/map?id=1M6L)

    Driving Access:  Most of the stations are accessible by paved road.  Bringing an RV would be an option for several of the stations.
    Accommodations:  Hams will be camping at the aid stations.  The organizers will provide water, food, sanitation, electrical power and shelters (exact sleeping arrangements to be confirmed.)  Hams will be encouraged to bring backups and address their own personal preferences, of course.
    Radio Plan:  We are not aware of any repeaters that would cover the course--if you know of any, please let us know!  Based on modeling with radio coverage prediction software, it appears we can set up a net, with one major relay point, using a combination of 6-meter and 2-meter FM simplex.  We are also interested in conducting HF NVIS trials during the event, but probably will not have it as a backbone of the comms plan unless the field test indicates a further need.

    Field Test 9/6:  Several of us are already set to travel to the area this Sunday and conduct field tests of the planned 6-meter and 2-meter communications from as many of the sites as we can.  Having more hams (you didn’t have any Labor Day weekend plans, anyway, did you?) would allow us to cover more sites more quickly, so if you can come help out, please reply ASAP.  Don’t worry about any particular equipment you may not have, for now, we’ll be sorting that out this week, hopefully with enough people to make some pairings and fill in gaps.
    Thanks & 73,
    Robert Grinnell, KD7WNV
    r-grinnell@comcast.net

Robert Grinnell [KD7WNV] -- Request Assistance for pre event field testing Bigfoot 120 event (Sep 6, 2015)
Posted by PSRG FUN BLOG at 9/03/2015 12:46:00 PM
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Matt [W7TFD]: 156 YEARS AGO, A GEOMAGNETIC MEGA-STORM (Sep, 2, 1859)

156 YEARS AGO, A GEOMAGNETIC MEGA-STORM:  

On Sept. 2nd, a billion-ton coronal mass ejection (CME) slammed into Earth's magnetic field. Campers in the Rocky Mountains woke up in the middle of the night, thinking that the glow they saw was sunrise. No, it was the Northern Lights. People in Cuba read their morning paper by the red illumination of aurora borealis. Earth was peppered by particles so energetic, they altered the chemistry of polar ice.

Hard to believe? It really happened--156 years ago. This map shows where auroras were sighted in the early hours of Sept. 2, 1859:


As the day unfolded, the gathering storm electrified telegraph lines, shocking technicians and setting their telegraph papers on fire. The "Victorian Internet" was knocked offline. Magnetometers around the world recorded strong disturbances in the planetary magnetic field for more than a week.


The cause of all this was an extraordinary solar flare witnessed the day before by British astronomer Richard Carrington. His sighting marked the discovery of solar flares and foreshadowed a new field of study: space weather. According to the National Academy of Sciences, if a similar storm occurred today, it would cause a trillion dollars in damage to society's high-tech infrastructure and require four to ten years for complete recovery.


In fact, a similar flare did occur just a few years ago. On July 23, 2012, a CME of rare power rocketed away from the sun. The storm was in all respects at least as strong as the 1859 Carrington event. The only difference is, it missed. No harm done. The July 2012 event serves as a reminder, however, that extreme space weather is not a thing of the past. 
Thanks, Matt!
More here:
Posted by PSRG FUN BLOG at 9/02/2015 11:11:00 PM
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Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Seattle NWS: National Weather Service Spotter Activation Requested (Sep 2, 2015)

SPOTTER ACTIVATION REQUESTED
National Weather Service, Seattle WA
Subject:     ACTION: National Weather Service Spotter Activation Requested
Date:     Wed, 2 Sep 2015 22:17:50 GMT
From:     nws.seattle@noaa.gov

There is a threat of funnel clouds or wall clouds and tornadoes or waterspouts in your area.

There is a threat of funnel clouds or wall clouds and tornadoes or waterspouts in your area. Now is a good time to make sure you have your weather reporting criteria information available. If possible, you should also have your spotter identification number available. Please call the National Weather Service at (800) 882-1431 if you observe weather conditions that meet reporting criteria.
Skywarn Weather Spotters -
     Some thunderstorms have developed across parts of western Washington this afternoon. Doppler weather radar is showing some hail and some wind shear in selected storms meaning the possibility of wall clouds, funnel clouds and perhaps a brief tornado or waterspout.
     This is a good time for you to monitor our web site and the Doppler weather radar output, and then when good radar echoes are near you, please look at outside and monitor the passing storm.
     Call us on our toll-free weather spotter 800 number if you suspect viewing a wall cloud, funnel cloud, or even a tornado or waterspout. Any hail of 1/4 inch diameter as well. Our toll-free number is on your criteria sheet.
     The thunderstorms with these conditions are expected to continue until close to sunset this evening. Thanks!
     Thank you for volunteering to be a spotter for the National Weather Service. Your information is quite important to us during significant weather events.
Web Site: http://www.weather.gov/seattlehttp://www.weather.gov/seattle
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/US.NationalWeatherService.Seattle.govhttp://www.facebook.com/US.NationalWeatherService.Seattle.gov
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NWSseattle
Posted by PSRG FUN BLOG at 9/02/2015 06:30:00 PM
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Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Joan [KG8VO]: "Welcome, all ye fellow quantum vacuum bilge rats...."

 Hey, LW! ^_^
Here are a couple of ‘instamatic’-quality pix of my shack and my perfectly matched zero-reflected-power home-brew 10m ‘mast’ (sprouting straight off the ‘wire’ side of the balun in the trans-match)
Welcome, all ye fellow quantum vacuum bilge rats, to the Long Dark Teatime of the Sol [the Solar Minimum], the interregnum of no DX worth spitting at. The Seattle-centric “Ten at Twenty-ten on Tuesday” sked on 28.42 !
 73 88 de joan =^..^= [meow]
P.S: I thought 10 metres would be good because it is one of only three bands for which all Hams have phone privileges; and, it’s the only one of the three for which rigs are a common item
Plus: single sideband. Because: HF  :D
{Um, that—and SSB is the best weak signal phone mode. Folk need to dip their toe in the water—experience life beyond FM}
Posted by PSRG FUN BLOG at 9/01/2015 09:32:00 AM
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Latest El Niño Advisory (Aug 24, 2015) -- 90% chance El Nino through 2015-16 Winter

ENSO Alert System Status: El Niño Advisory
El Niño conditions are present.
Positive equatorial sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies continue across most of the Pacific Ocean.
There is a greater than 90% chance that 
El Niño will continue through Northern Hemisphere winter 2015-16,
and around an 85% chance 
it will last into early spring 2016.
NOAA's El Niño Portal
For more information on the ongoing El Niño event,
check the ENSO Diagnostic Discussion, 
which is updated on the second Thursday of each month. 
Be sure to follow our ENSO blog and connect with us on social media.
Posted by PSRG FUN BLOG at 8/27/2015 08:45:00 PM
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