The summer VHF contest season kicks off this weekend with the ARRL June VHF Contest, beginning at 1800 UTC on Saturday, June 8, and concluding at 0259 UTC Monday, June 10. The contest exchange is your four-digit Maidenhead grid square. For more information on grid squares, visit www.arrl.org/grid-squares. Complete rules are available at www.arrl.org/june-vhf.
Consult the ARRL Special Event section for complete listing of stations who will be on the air for this historical occasion of World War II. Listed below are snapshots of that Special Event section
June 1-14 1500/-2200Z , W2D Hunt Valley, MD Amateur Radio Club of the National Electronics Museum W2D D-Day Commemoration and the Role of Electronics of World War II, 7.044, 7,244 14.044, 14.244 Certificate & QSL ..K3NY, 108 Brent Rd., Arnold , MD 21012 (Primary)
Photo Above Courtesy of Google Images
WELCOME ABOARD THE USS LUCID
MUSEUM SHIPS WEEKEND IS COMING
MAY 31ST – JUNE 2ND
SDARC Members and Friends have been invited aboard the USS Lucid Museum Ship to activate the ship for Museum Ships Weekend.
We will be operating from 0000Z June 1st (5:00 PM May 31st) until
Sunday June 5th – shutting down at around1400 or 2PM local time.
John NZ6Q is organizing the operation this year.
A special event commemorating ships whose service effected the outcome of conflicts. A local museum ship the USS Lucid designated as a minesweeper from the W6SF Stockton Club will be on the air. Here is a link that you can follow to get a registrar of all 97 ships participating.
An educational outreach program demonstrated to students at Mt. Oaks Charter School in Sonora, the students learned about the history of early radio, and the many facets of the hobby of Amateur Radio At the end of the presentations they were introduced to one of those facets and were given the opportunity of participating in a Pico Balloon Launch. Many students were impressed with how the Balloons can transmits information digitally as it orbits the Earth. Four Hams took part in this unique mission all from different Radio Clubs so you can say it was a collaborative effort. David Voit WB6TOU, Skip Chraft N6NFB (Lodi Amateur Radio Club), Paul Bailey KN6CWT (Tuolumne Radio Club) and Michael Grcevich KB6USJ (Calaveras Amateur Radio Club). Our expectations and that of the students was that the Balloon could orbit the Earth for a time before the Balloon would fail rendering it back to Earth.
The students really enjoyed tracking KB6USJ-11 as it traversed the planet passing over countless countries and continents using tracking software developed like WSPR and APRS.FI. I’m overjoyed to report our mission is not over the Balloons performance in the high altitude has gone far beyond expectations. Today a year later it is orbiting the Earth beaconing its position and other telemetry, the electronics and the materials used in construction of the Balloon have held up admirably. The Pico Balloon group as well as the students wish it to continue on its travels.