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Due to the Corona virus our life and how we associate with others has changed. To help us enjoy Field Day 2020 the rules have been temporarily modified to accommodate social distancing and gatherings where you may have folks at risk exposed to potential harm.
The changes are as follows: Temporary Rule Waivers Announced for 2020 ARRL Field Day 05/28/2020 With one month to go before 2020 ARRL Field Day, June 27 – 28, the ARRL Programs and Services Committee (PSC) has adopted two temporary rule waivers for the event: 1) For Field Day 2020 only, Class D stations may work all other Field Day stations, including other Class D stations, for points.
Field Day rule 4.6 defines Class D stations as “Home stations,” including stations operating from permanent or licensed station locations using commercial power. Class D stations ordinarily may only count contacts made with Class A, B, C, E, and F Field Day stations, but the temporary rule waiver for 2020 allows Class D stations to count contacts with other Class D
…Continue reading Field Day Rule Change for 2020
I frequently receive questions regarding how to sign up for ARRL Newsletters and Section emails.
<Click This Link> for the easy to follow process process to follow.
73, Dale
 For most of us, ARRL Field Day 2020 is going to look quite different than it did in past years. Considering the impact of social distancing due to the pandemic, many radio clubs and large groups will not gather in their usual Field Day locations this year. Whether you are a seasoned veteran or a Field Day first-timer, there are many questions about how to participate in amateur radio’s largest annual on-air event under these unusual circumstances. Here are some tips and suggestions to help you plan this year’s operation.
Don’t Forget 6 Meters
Remember, Field Day is a non-adjudicated operating event and not a “full speed ahead” contest. It is also not an HF-only event. All amateur radio bands above 50 MHz may be used during the event too.
This includes 6 meters, which often offers significant propagation enhancements in the summer months around Field Day weekend, to help you make contacts. The band
…Continue reading Planning Your ARRL Field Day 2020 Operation
 Question: I received an email invitation from a group of friends to join a Zoom meeting. I’ve never done this before. How do I join a Zoom meeting?
Answer: You’re not alone. Many people are using Zoom for the first time these days, whether to virtually hang out with friends and family or participate in a community meeting. Here are the steps to take to join a Zoom meeting on your computer:
First, you’ll need to visit zoom.us/download to download the Zoom desktop app on your PC or Mac. Open the Zoom app. Click on the meeting invite URL that the host shared via email. Approve the request for permission to use your computer’s audio and camera. (Depending on the meeting’s setup, you may enter the meeting right away, you may need to wait for the host to arrive first, or you may be placed into
…Continue reading How to sign in to a Zoom Meeting
 Ham-Com 2020 Has Been Rescheduled to 2021
The Ham-Com Board of Directors announced today that in light of the risks attendant to the C0VID-19 virus and based on input from multiple advisors, it reluctantly made the decision for the safety of attendees, vendors, volunteers, presenters and staff to postpone Ham-Com 2020 until June 17-19, 2021.
The formal announcement was emailed this afternoon and is now posted at:
https://sites.google.com/hamcom.org/ham-com
 The SkyWarn Basic class (previously scheduled at K5WPH on May 15) will be presented on a Google Meet video conference on May 29, at 7PM.
To register, send your name, address, email address, and a contact phone number to Lew Maxwell at KB5HPT@ARRL.net by May 14th.
This information is the same as what is on the form you would fill out at the in-person class, and is used to register you as a trained Skywarn Observer, and issue you a certification number, or update your current ID.
When the list is compiled, you will be sent access information for the class via the email address you submitted.
If you’re “sheltering in place” or otherwise stuck at home to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, the CQ World Wide WPX SSBContest this coming weekend (March 28-29) is the perfect way to have some fun and keep connected with the outside world.
However, we want to make sure you practice “safe contesting,” especially if you’re planning a multi-operator effort. A few suggestions:
– Consider staying at home and operating single-op (except for family stations), especially if local jurisdictions are limiting or prohibiting group gatherings – Consider remote multi-op with operators “traveling” to your station via the internet instead of in-person (if you’re equipped for it and if your ops will all be legal)
– If you’re too far along in planning an in-person multi-op operation, please follow “social distancing” recommendations, including:
setting up operating positions at least six feet (two meters)
…Continue reading
 Amateur radio volunteers from around the world have volunteered to assist University of Florida Professor Sam Lampotang and his engineering team in their quest to rapidly develop an open-source, low-cost patient ventilator that can be built anywhere from such commonly available components as PVC pipe and lawn-sprinkler valves. The amateur radio volunteers are developing Arduino-based control software that will set the respiratory rate and other key parameters in treating critically ill coronavirus victims.
Multiple volunteers responding to a call for help from Gordon Gibby, MD, KX4Z, included noted software developer Jack Purdum, W8TEE, and uBITX transceiver maker Ashhar Farhan, VU2ESE. University of Florida physicians are working to address the critical legal aspects as the design moves closer to fruition.
The ventilator’s valves would precisely time compressed oxygen flow into patient breathing circuits under Arduino control, allowing exhausted patients with “stiff” lungs impacted by viral pneumonia to survive until their body
…Continue reading Radio Amateurs Team Up to Help University Design Low-Cost Ventilator
 ARRL Headquarters will comply with an executive order from Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont that all non-essential businesses and not-for-profit entities reduce in-person workforces by 100% no later than March 23, 2020, at 8 PM. ARRL will equip as many Headquarters staffers as possible to work remotely.
W1AW bulletin and code practice transmissions will continue. Customer service representatives will be available to take calls, although response times could be longer than usual. Operations at the ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) will also continue, and the best way to receive a timely response is via email, as call volume has been heavy. The ARRL publication schedule will remain unchanged.
The ARRL warehouse will be working with a reduced staff, so orders will be delayed, and ARRL will not be able to respond to expedited shipping orders. ARRL Headquarters will remain open until 5 PM on March 23, as managers and staff prepare for the shutdown.
ARRL will keep members posted on this situation.
 The launch of the PSAT3 CubeSat, which was part of the DARPA Launch Challenge, has been canceled. The Challenge offered a $10 million prize for any launch provider that could deliver a rocket with only 30 days’ notice of what payloads they would have and where they would launch from — and then, to do it again only 30 days later. “We were on the second launch,” said PSAT3’s Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, of the US Naval Academy. “But on March 2, the third attempt by the launch provider was scrubbed at T-9 minutes and was not resolved until the launch window and DARPA Challenge deadline had passed. Therefore, the Challenge was over. There was no winner, and we lost the launch.” The US Naval Academy project spacecraft remains available for a CubeSat Poly-Picosatellite Orbital Deployer (P-POD) launch opportunity, Bruninga said. He described PSAT3 as a follow-on opportunity to
…Continue reading DARPA Launch Challenge Cancelled
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Hamfests and Convention closings |
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