If you would like to become a member of SELARC, please print out and complete the application/renewal form and return it with your check to: P.O. Box 1324, Hammond LA 70404. Thanks!

==> QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo Announces Full Lineup of Speakers
The first QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo, which takes place the weekend of August 8 - 9, has confirmed what it's calling "a packed lineup of over 70 great speakers" for the ARRL-sanctioned event. Attendance is free and registration is open.
Presentations will cover a range of topics, with two tracks focused on providing hands-on, practical advice for those just getting started in amateur radio. Steve Johnston, WD8DAS, will demonstrate basic soldering techniques for repairing equipment and building projects. Marcel Stieber, AI6MS, will offer an overview of common battery types, discussing the pros and cons of each -- including battery chemistry, common uses and misuses, and everyday application tips.
For experienced operators, topics will cover new techniques, equipment upgrading, 3D printing, and more. Glenn Johnson, W0GJ, will attempt to answer the question, "Is 3 dB Worth a Divorce?" and cover a wide range of antenna topics. Jim Veatch, WA2EUJ, will explain how to build a QRP radio. In his presentation, "The Slot Antenna -- Undiscovered Country for Most Hams," John Portune, W6NBC, will demonstrate how a satellite TV dish can be "slotted" to make an effective outdoor 2-meter or UHF antenna for use in antenna-restricted neighborhoods. ...

==> Maritime Mobile Service Network Comes to the Aid of Vessel in Distress
The Maritime Mobile Service Net (MMSN) on 14.300 MHz came to the assistance of a sailing vessel in distress on June 25. MMSN control operator Steven Carpenter, K9UA, took a call on 20 meters from Ian Cummings, KB4SG, the skipper of the Mystic Lady, then some 40 miles east of Florida. Cummings reported that his engine had failed as he was attempting to return to his home port of Stuart, Florida. He not only had insufficient wind, but a strong current was carrying the vessel out to sea.
Cummings had been unable to reach any station via his VHF marine radio, because he was too far from the coast. Assisting in the call was Robert Wynhoff, K5HUT, also an MMSN net control operator. Cummings said his vessel, with one passenger on board, was drifting northwest toward the South Carolina coast.
"A major concern was that the vessel was heading directly towards a lee shore," the MMSN reported. "Lee shores are shallow, dangerous areas which are a hazard to watercraft. Vessels could be pushed into the shallow area by the wind, possibly running aground and breaking up." ...

==> Washington Club Conducts Outdoor Amateur Exam Session
Parking lots may be replacing community centers, schools, and clubhouses as convenient locations to conduct amateur radio examination sessions. On June 20, the Mike and Key Amateur Radio Club in Washington took over a Boeing parking lot to administer tests under the ARRL Volunteer Examination Coordinator (ARRL VEC). Volunteer Examiner Scott Robinson, AG7T, said his team had been unable to administer exam sessions since early March.
"Based upon King County and Washington State COVID guidance, we thought we could give an outdoor session using one of Boeing's parking lots in Renton," Robinson told ARRL. "That required a lot of work to organize."
Robinson said the team developed a COVID-19 mitigation plan that detailed how the examiners would address several major areas. These included health screening of VEs and exam candidates, social distancing in all aspects of the session, sanitation in setting up the test area and in session processes, and contact tracing.
"With those details agreed to, an information document was produced for the examinees that listed a set of requirements each of them needed to meet," Robinson said. "For example, no carpooling to the session. Each examinee who agreed to the requirements was then registered for the session." Candidates had to register in advance via email, at which time they would receive directions to the exam session location and requirements...

==> Prominent Radio Amateur Helps to Lead US Convalescent Plasma COVID-19 Expanded Access Study
Well-known contester, DXer, and National Contest Journal (NCJ) Editor Scott Wright, K0MD, has been "substantially" stepping back from ham radio while offering his expertise to the US convalescent plasma COVID-19 Expanded Access Program. The study began in early April under the leadership of Principal Investigator Dr. Michael Joyner, MD, of the Mayo Clinic; Dr. Peter Marks, MD, PhD -- who is AB3XC -- and Dr. Nicole Verdun, MD, of the US Food and Drug Administration; Dr. Arturo Casavedall, MD, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University, and Wright, who is with the Mayo Clinic.
"The US Convalescent Plasma Expanded Access Program is a collaborative project between the US government and the Mayo Clinic to provide access to convalescent plasma for patients in the US who are hospitalized with COVID 19," Wright told ARRL. The work has been referenced during White House press briefings and in congressional testimony. The US government-supported study collects and provides blood plasma recovered from COVID-19 patients, which contains antibodies that may help fight the disease. The Mayo Clinic is the lead institution for the program. ...

==> Researchers Use 200 Years of Sunspot Observations to Create "Sun Clock"
Researchers in the UK and the US have developed a new "sun clock" that quantifies extreme space weather and pinpoints distinct on/off times of high solar activity and space weather. The sun clock will assist in planning to protect space and ground-based infrastructure that is sensitive to space weather. The study, "Quantifying the solar cycle modulation of extreme space weather," was published in Geophysical Research Letters. It explains that the sun clock uses the daily sunspot number record available since 1818 to map solar activity over 18 solar cycles to a standardized 11-year cycle or "clock." ...

==> Rescued Radio Amateur Says, "Ham Radio Saved My Life"
Alden Sumner Jones IV, KC1JWR, of Bennington, Vermont, is thankful for amateur radio, after he suffered a medical incident and lost consciousness on June 15 while hiking with others along a remote section of the Long Trail, not far from his home. An EMT from Appalachian Mountain Rescue (AMR), who was hiking nearby, saw Jones pass out, but was unable to connect with 911 via his cell phone. Jones, 41, regained consciousness and was successful in contacting Ron Wonderlick, AG1W, via the Northern Berkshire Amateur Radio Club's K1FFK repeater on Mount Greylock. Wonderlick initiated what turned into an 8-hour effort to get Jones off the trail and to a medical facility, acting as a relay among Jones, emergency crews, and other agencies involved. As the Bennington Banner reported, "The Vermont State Police also received assistance from several licensed amateur radio operators who helped facilitate communications, greatly assisting in the rescue." ...

==> Balloon Launched by Popular Web Show Host Completes Third Round Trip
A balloon launched on May 20 by "Amateur Radio Roundtable" web show host Tom Medlin, W5KUB, and his team has begun its third circumnavigation of Earth. The balloon, at 43,000 - 45,000 feet, completed its second trip around the globe on June 19. It crossed the Atlantic Ocean "in record time" at a speed of about 170 MPH, the balloon website reported this week.
Identified as W5KUB-18, the balloon carries APRS and WSPR amateur radio payloads. By the morning of June 25, it was above China, moving at more than 100 MPH.
According to the balloon website, the mission and goal are to launch a high-altitude balloon for long-duration and multiple trips around the world. The balloon, an SBS-13, is capable of flying up to 45,000 feet. "It will be filled with hydrogen to obtain higher altitude," the website explains. "It will be solar powered only (no batteries, so it will only transmit during daylight). We will receive tracking every 10 minutes via WSPR on HF [14.0971 MHz]." Tracking transmissions will be turned off over the UK, Yemen, and North Korea due to regulations. The tracking transmitter runs just 10 mW, but it's being heard as far away as 9,000 miles, Medlin told ARRL. ...

==> ARISS Volunteer Tony Hutchison, VK5ZAI, Named Member of the Order of Australia
Veteran Amateur Radio on the International Radio Station (ARISS) volunteer Tony Hutchison, VK5ZAI, has been honored as a Member of the Order of Australia in Queen Elizabeth's Birthday Honours List. Hutchison was recognized "For significant service to amateur radio, particularly to satellite and space communication." The Australian Government's Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet noted that Hutchison is one of 10 official ARISS telebridge stations to the International Space Station, as well as a HamTV ground station.
Hutchison's station has served as the ham radio contact point for ISS crew members to speak with schools and groups on Earth via ham radio, when a contact location is not within the footprint of an ISS pass. The students connect via a teleconference line from their school to the telebridge station, and then with the astronaut through ham radio. ...

==> Tennessee Court of Appeals Affirms Contempt Ruling Against Radio Amateur
A Tennessee Court of Appeals has affirmed a radio amateur's liability for a 30-day jail sentence for violating a court directive to refrain from contacting another radio amateur who had filed a temporary order of protection. The appeals court's June 11 determination upheld a lower trial court ruling that found Michael J. Mgrdichian, ex-N2FUV, of Kodak, in criminal contempt for violating the order by contacting Jamie Faucon, N3FA (ex-AA3JF) of Knoxville via ham radio on three separate occasions. Mgrdichian appealed, primarily asserting that the lower court lacked jurisdiction over the case, because amateur radio is regulated by the FCC, a federal agency ...

==> Indian Amateur Radio Volunteers Support Communication During Cyclones
News media in India report that amateur radio volunteers came to the aid of district officials during Cyclone Nisarga. The storm made landfall on India's west coast on June 3, leaving at least one person dead, but sparing the densely populated city of Mumbai.
"As all modes of communication collapsed in less than half an hour after severe Cyclone Nisarga made landfall, a group of nine independent ham radio operators using wireless communication became the eyes and ears for the district administration," The Hindustan Times reported. The paper said hams were on duty until the evening of June 5, when mobile networks returned in some areas. Hams were able to relay information regarding deaths, injuries, evacuations, and damage. The storm was reported to be the worst in decades. ...

==> ARRL Volunteer Monitor Program Recognizes Good Operators
Volunteer Monitor Program Coordinator Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, said the program has recognized numerous radio amateurs with Good Operator Notices.
"One facet of the ARRL and FCC agreement that set up the Volunteer Monitor Program calls for ARRL to recognize especially good amateur radio behavior, in order to encourage compliance with FCC rules and further the efficiency of the Amateur Radio Service," Hollingsworth said. "Seventeen operators in 15 states received Good Operator Notices in the first quarter of 2020. The Good Operator Notices went to veteran operators as well as newcomers, including a 13-year-old in North Carolina for CW operation during the Youth on the Air Special Event, and a 14-year-old in Wyoming for SSB operation." ...