NEWS City of Pittsburgh 250th AnniversaryPittsburgh Area Amateur Radio Clubs will operate Special Event Stations 02-03 Aug 2008 to mark the 250th anniversary of the City of Pittsburgh. There will be celebrations throughout the entire year with the multi-club special event operation enlisting help from many Pittsburgh area Amateur Radio clubs. Those clubs with clubhouses will be operating from their installations. Clubs without clubhouses will be operating from various sites around the Pittsburgh area. Each club will be operating with its home call sign with a /250 suffix. There will be operations throughout our radio spectrum from 160 Meters to 70cm on phone, CW and digital modes. Look for operations on 3.850, 7.250, 14.250, 21.350, 28.350 and elsewhere. Send QSLs plus $2 for certificates to Edward K Oelschlager, N3ZNI, 60 Carl Ave. B2, Eighty Four, PA 15330; pittsburgh250ham.org 2008 HAMFESTS November 2, 2008 A SUMMER OF E-SKIPTired of the lousy conditions on the HF bands? Come join the crowd on the "Magic Band." Each summer regardless of where the sunspot cycle is, sporadic E -- or E-skip -- blooms on 6 meters and sometimes even on the bands above that. What often appears to be a dead band jumps to life with signals -- some relatively close, only hundreds of miles away -- but some representing worldwide DX on 6 meters.This year is no different. After a slow start, the 6 meter band came into its own in May and has been open in some direction from almost every location in the US almost every day. Sporadic E peaks around the summer solstice, on or around June 21, with a minor peak around the winter solstice, on or around December 21. Each summer season has unique characteristics that are not redictable, but make the band so fascinating to follow. This year, the emphasis has been on paths to the west and northwest, extending much further east and south than normal. According to VHF expert and conductor of QST's "World Above 50 MHz" column Gene Zimmerman, W3ZZ, there have been several strong openings from Hawaii to the mainland that have included many areas other than the West Coast. Stations in the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast and the Midwest have had good shots at KH6 in both May and June. Zimmerman said that summer has brought a nice surprise: "The highlight of this season has been repeated openings to Japan that have mostly bypassed the West Coast and settled in the Southwest, the Southeast (especially Florida) and the Midwest; Japanese stations have even been heard, but not worked, on the East Coast. The latter is a very rare occurrence indeed."Calling conditions to the Caribbean "outstanding," Zimmerman said that stations in that part of the world have been working the US and Canada, as well as many stations in Europe. "Ted Jimenez, HI3TEJ, in the Dominican Republic has even worked Japan, a tough path even on 10 meters. Inside the US, stations up to 1500 miles away have been easy to get, and there have been lots of openings where the West Coast and the Pacific Northwest worked the East Coast and the outheast."Zimmerman said that conditions are likely to continue to be very good until the middle of July when the E-skip traditionally begins to wind down. "Most areas of the country have not had good conditions to Europe, so that may still be something to look forward to," he said. "Two DXpeditions to rare Caribbean countries are coming up later in June -- to San Andres (HK0) and to St Barts (FJ). If you have an HF/VHF radio that covers 6 meters, put up a dipole or try your 80 meter antenna -- it should work on 6 meters as well -- and have some fun. You never know what you may work next |
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