BRANCH 11 , AUGUST NEWSLETTER
ali.a...@xtra.co.nz
FIRST LIGHT
The Official Newsletter , Branch 11, NZART.
Gisborne NZ. 10th August 2009.
THE RADIO STATION OF ZL2CC
STATION EQUIPMENT
- Rig : Kenwood FT1000d set up to TX into any antenna. CAT
- ( computer controlled/interfaced via logging programme)
- Linear: Ameritron AL811a 500w output connected to any antenna/any rig.
- Computer: Old Dell Latitude running Windows 98 for logging/rig control only.
- Logging programme: WinEQF . Capabilities , Any HF frequency and mode 160 thru' 10m
-
Data Station
- HF Rig Icom IC725 HF rig set up for data modes only into any antenna. CAT controlled for logging.
- VHF Zycom vhf rig 10w output for packet, Kenwood 2m and Tait UHF rigs for voice.
- Computer HP Pavilion PC running XP and data modes as follows;
- Packet Paket (an old Australian programme)
- APRS UI-View 32
- SSTV MMSSTV
- PSK WinPSKse
- Other data modes covered by Ham Radio Deluxe (HRD) most modes covered. (you name it I'll work you..hi)
- I was borne back in '45 in the UK and emigrated to New Zealand in 1967. I returned to the UK for my eldest daughter's health in 1979 and took the Amateur Radio exam in '83 taking the call G1NFD then upgrading to G0LBP before returning to ZL and taking the present call.
- Radio interests are DXing, Contesting and antennas. Station is capable of HF psk31, rtty, SSTV as well as ssb and a little cw. Also UHF, VHF packet and APRS. You may see me on PSK31 on 30m.
- At present I write the DX section of the NZART magazine 'Break-In'.
- Proud member of the East Coast Contesters ZM2M
- Honoured to be a member of the ZL7T DXpedition to Chatham Island 2009
- Other hobbies include shooting (CAS/SASS) and classic American cars.
Club night
will be Monday 10th August at the Bryce St scout hall 7.30pm. Guest
speaker will be Lee Jennings . As many of our members will be unable to attend ,
it is important that as many members as possible who can
attend, make time available to come along and hear what Lee has to
say. *************************************************************************************************************
Oceania Contest 2008 results
Two GISBORNE hams have been placed very high in this world wide contest.
(Phone)
Phil ZL2RVW first in country for 20m single band, single operator.
Mike ZL2CC first in continent, country (and world) for 40m single band, single
operator
(CW)
Phil ZL2RVW first in country (second world) for 20m single band, single operator.
ZL2RVW
Oceania Contest 2009 contest dates
PHONE Contest: 08:00 UTC Saturday 4 October to 08:00 UTC Sunday 5 October 2008
CW Contest: 08:00 UTC Saturday 11 October to 08:00 UTC Sunday 12 October 2008
**********************************************************************************************************
* SUNSPOTS *
June 17, 2009: The sun is in the pits of a century-class solar minimum, and sunspots have been puzzlingly
scarce for more than two years. Now, for the first time, solar physicists might understand why.
At an American Astronomical Society press conference today in Boulder, Colorado, researchers announced
that a jet stream deep inside the sun is migrating slower than usual through the star's interior, giving rise to
the current lack of sunspots.
Rachel Howe and Frank Hill of the National Solar Observatory (NSO) in Tucson, Arizona, used a technique
called helioseismology to detect and track the jet stream down to depths of 7,000 kmbelow the surface of the
sun. The sun generates new jet streams near its poles every 11 years, they explained to a room full of
reporters and fellow scientists. The streams migrate slowly from the poles to the equator and when a jet
stream reaches the critical latitude of 22 degrees, new-cycle sunspots begin to appear.
Howe and Hill found that the stream associated with the next solar cycle has moved sluggishly, taking three
years to cover a 10 degree range in latitude compared to only two years for the previous solar cycle. The jet
stream is now, finally, reaching the critical latitude, heralding a return of solar activity in the months and
years ahead. "It is exciting to see", says Hill, "that just as this sluggish stream reaches the usual active latitude
of 22 degrees, a year late, we finally begin to see new groups of sunspots emerging."
The current solar minimum has been so long and deep, it prompted some scientists to speculate that the sun
might enter a long period with no sunspot activity at all, akin to the Maunder Minimum of the 17th century.
This new result dispells those concerns. The sun's internal magnetic dynamo is still operating, and the
sunspot cycle is not "broken." Because it flows beneath the surface of the sun, the jet stream is not directly
visible. Hill and Howe tracked its hidden motions via
helioseismology. Shifting masses inside the sun send pressure waves rippling through the stellar interior.
So-called "p modes" (p for pressure) bounce around the interior and cause the sun to ring like an enormous
bell. By studying the vibrations of the sun's surface, it is possible to figure out what is happening inside.
Similar techniques are used by geologists to map the interior of our planet.
In this case, researchers combined data from GONG and SOHO. GONG, short for "Global Oscillation
Network Group," is an NSO-led network of telescopes that measures solar vibrations from various locations
around Earth. SOHO, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, makes similar measurements from space.
"This is an important discovery," says Dean Pesnell of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. "It shows how
flows inside the sun are tied to the creation of sunspots and how jet streams can affect the timing of the solar
cycle." There is, however, much more to learn. "We still don't understand exactly how jet streams trigger
sunspot production," says Pesnell. "Nor do we fully understand how the jet streams themselves are generated."
To solve these mysteries, and others, NASA plans to launch the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) later
this year. SDO is equipped with sophisticated helioseismology sensors that will allow it to probe the solar
interior better than ever before. The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on SDO will improve our
understanding of these jet streams and other internal flows by providing full disk images at ever-increasing
depths in the sun," says Pesnell.
Continued tracking and study of solar jet streams could help researchers do something unprecedented--
accurately predict the unfolding of future solar cycles. Stay tuned for that!
From the internet via Art G3KWY
*************************************************************************************************************
Upcoming Events
15-16 August—Lighthouse Weekend - ILLW
12-16 October—14th IARU R3 Conference (Christchurch)
17-18 October—JOTA/JOTI
17-19 October—Admin Council of IARU (Christchurch)
November—GlobalSET Exercise
*************************************************************************************************************
It is important to have a back up station ready for portable/mobile/or remote use. The picture below illustrates only one possible way to configure your station for immediate portable use. This station has a built in AC power supply, power pole strip, antenna tuner, HF through 2 meters, digital modem, etc. I use it everyday as my regular station so I know it is all working and ready to go. On the left side are antenna connectors so it is fast and easy to disconnect. If I want to use battery power it is simply a matter of connecting a battery to the power pole strip also on the left side. The left side also has a switched AC power strip, all ready to go. The drawer at the bottom holds paper, pencils, radio manuals, and small 12 volt lights.
********************************************************************************
Due to me being absent in Wellington for some time and not long being back , this will be a shortish newsletter.
On behalf of my family , my thanks to the members for expressions of sympathy in my recent sad loss of my mother.
Until next time,
73
Alistair ZL2AIX Ed .
