[W5SFA] Fw: West Gulf Division Newsletter September 2018

[Dan White]

FT-8 data.

-----Original Message----- 
From: ARRL Members Only Web site
Sent: Sunday, September 09, 2018 5:00 PM
To: dan at dandlfarms.com
Subject: West Gulf Division Newsletter September 2018

West Gulf Division Newsletter September 2018

---Six Meter Barbecue in Austin
---ARRL selects new CEO Dr. Howard Michel, WB2ITX
---New Handbook Limited Edition for 2019
---Elections for Directors and Vice Directors
---FT8 mode becomes Number 1 in LoTW
---Planned Events for K5RAV and N5AUS
---Upcoming Hamfests and Conventions

---Six Meter Barbecue in Austin

The annual Six Meter BBQ will be held September 21st-22nd in Austin, TX
at the Lonestar Court.  Registration begins on Friday afternoon
September 21st from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
A six meter eye ball QSO period starts at 7:00 PM.  On Saturday
September 22nd, coffee starts at 8:00 AM followed by presentations
running from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM in the Tack Room.

A buffet style lunch and dinner will be provided on Saturday.
Presentations include such subjects as “The JT Mode and Six Meters”,
“Advance Yagi Basics and Construction for VHF antennas”,
“Grounding and Bonding” “Enhancing your 6 meter shack experience
with the latest technology”.  A blue ribbon speaker’s list includes
Joel Harrison, W5ZN, Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, Kent Britain, WA5VJB, Tim
Duffy, K3LR and many others.

Registration options include $98.00 for all presentations and a buffet
lunch and buffet dinner.  $65.00 for the buffet dinner only or $55.00
for presentations and the buffet lunch only.  For just the presentations
with no lunch or dinner the fee is $30.00.  No sign up at the door.  You
must pre register.  See the website for details.  www.sixmeterbbq.com

---ARRL selects new CEO Dr. Howard Michel, WB2ITX

The ARRL Board of Directors has elected Howard E. Michel, WB2ITX, of
Dartmouth, Massachusetts, to be ARRL’s new Chief Executive Officer,
starting on October 15. Michel (his name rhymes with "nickel") is
currently Chief Technology Officer at UBTECH Education, and Senior Vice
President of UBTECH Robotics, a $5 billion Shenzhen, China, artificial
intelligence and robotics company. As the Chief Technology Officer at
UBTECH Education, Michel helped build this company from a startup in
China to $100 million in valuation.

ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, said, “We are excited to have
someone of Howard’s qualifications to lead this organization.
Howard’s management experience, along with his experience at leading a
membership-driven association, makes him an ideal person to move this
organization forward.”

In 2015, Michel was the volunteer president and CEO of the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a volunteer-led IRS
501(c)(3) association advancing technology.

“In any large membership-led organization such as ARRL, its members
and volunteers are its greatest asset, and a good staff-volunteer
relationship is crucial to its success,” Michel said. “I intend to
build on this relationship and multiply and amplify the efforts of both
staff and volunteers in furthering ARRL’s goals to advance the art,
science, and enjoyment of Amateur Radio.”

Michel is a retired US Air Force officer, having served as a pilot,
satellite launch director, engineer, and engineering manager, including
a tour in the People’s Republic of China where he served as a senior
US government technical representative enforcing technology-transfer
control plans and procedures during two satellite launch operations.

He notes that during his time in the military, wherever he could set up
an antenna, he took the opportunity to operate.

Michel earned his bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering from New
Jersey Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in electronic and
computer engineering from the University of Massachusetts, and a
master’s degree in systems management from the University of Southern
California. He holds a PhD in computer science and engineering from
Wright State University.

His noteworthy academic background further includes current service as a
visiting professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronic
Engineering Science at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa.
Previously, he was on the faculty of the University of Massachusetts
Dartmouth and of the University of Dayton.

---New Handbook Limited Edition for 2019

Limited Edition! The 2019 ARRL Handbook is divided into six volumes and
included in a hard slipcase, for easy storage and access.  The cost of
the Limited Edition is $64.95.  The Handbook Soft Edition will also be
available for $49.95.

---FT8 Mode becomes Number 1 in LoTW

Logbook of The World (LoTW) reports that more than 2.3 million FT8
contacts were uploaded in 1 month — a net gain of 1.2 million contacts
on all modes over the same month last year, ARRL Radiosport Manager Norm
Fusaro, W3IZ, said. Over the same period, activity in some of the other
modes has declined.

“Year-to-date DXCC applications are up by 11% over the same period
last year,” Fusaro said. “So far, we have processed 898 Worked All
States (WAS) applications — a 72% increase over the same period last
year. Of those applications 347 — or 39% — were FT8 endorsements.
Application for VUCC are also up by 33% over 2017.”

Fusaro said that while some feel that FT8 is “taking over the
world,” subsuming all other modes, that’s not the case. “Activity
in the traditional modes of SSB and CW has decreased only slightly, by
10%,” he said. “The real decrease is in RTTY and PSK activity and in
the other WSJT-X modes. I believe poor propagation would have cut into
SSB and CW activity, regardless of the new mode.” Anecdotal reports
support Fusaro’s hard numbers, with wall-to-wall signals surrounding
the FT8 watering holes.

Late last year, Denny Berg, WB9MSM, achieved his goal of completing DXCC
using FT8. It took him just 4 months.

“I can tell all of you that this mode is spreading like wildfire
throughout all the HF bands,” Berg told The Daily DX at the time. He
said he was able to work all states on FT8 in about 6 weeks of
operating.

Joe Taylor, creator of the WSJT-X program, has characterized SSB and CW
as “general-purpose modes” that are good for ragchewing, DXing,
contesting, disaster communication, and other purposes. On the other
hand, he has said, FT8 and the other protocols in the WSJT-X suite are
“special-purpose modes,” designed for making reliable, error-free
contacts using signals that may be too weak to work using more
traditional modes — and sometimes even too far down in the noise even
to hear.

---Planned Events for K5RAV and N5AUS

K5RAV
---HamEXPO, Belton, TX Oct 6
--- South Texas Hamfest & Electronics Expo, Sinton, TX Oct 20
--- Texoma Hamarama, Ardmore, OK Oct 26
--- A&F Committee Meeting, Portland, OR, Nov 10

N5AUS
---HamEXPO, Belton, TX Oct 6
--- South Texas Hamfest & Electronics Expo, Sinton, TX Oct 20
--- Texoma Hamarama, Ardmore, OK Oct 26

ARRL Convention and Hamfest events are a great place to visit with the
Division and Section Leadership. Each event will also include an ARRL
forum where you can receive additional insight into Division and
Section matters.

At any time that you have a concern or just want to say hello, contact
Director Woolweaver at K5RAV at arrl.org

---Upcoming Hamfests and Conventions 2018

10/06/2018 | HamEXPO
Location: Belton, TX
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Temple Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://TARC.org/hamexpo/

10/20/2018 | South Texas Hamfest & Electronics Expo
Location: Sinton, TX
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: South Texas Hamfest Association
Website: http://www.southtexashamfest.org

10/26/2018 | Texoma Hamarama
Location: Ardmore, OK
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Texoma Hamarama, Inc. (Local ARCs)
Website: http://www.texomahamarama.org

11/03/2018 | Enid Hamfest
Location: Enid, OK
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Enid Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://www.enidarc.org/ENIDHAMFEST

--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL West Gulf Division
Director: David A Woolweaver, K5RAV
k5rav at arrl.org
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