The GERATOL Board of Directors has recently approved a new award for members to pursue. The award is called the “GERATOL INVITATIONAL AWARD”. No GERATOL number is required to complete this award, so all may participate in working toward its completion.

PURPOSE:  To provide all net members, but especially our regulars, an opportunity to pursue a fun, yet challenging award, this season and if necessary next season.   

In addition, the purpose of this award, and perhaps the most important aspect of the award, is to create a level of activity on the net, which results in multiple states checking into the net throughout the upcoming season/s beginning this November, as approved by the GERATOL Board.

DURATION: The Invitational Award is expected to have a finite duration, and will be attainable from November of 2019 through April of 2020.   However, should conditions remain marginal this 2019/20 season, the Board has elected to review the award status, and if need be, extend this award out through 2021. 

ELIGIBILITY: Any amateur radio operator, with Extra Class operating privileges.

REQUIREMENTS: To successfully complete the award a successful applicant for the award must:

1. Invite, then successfully contact at least 25 stations in the Extra Class portion of the 80M ham band (3.6-3.7Mhz), and/or during the GERATOL Net on 3.668 Mhz.
2. Must work an additional 25 stations in the Extra Class portion of the 80M ham band, or during the GERATOL Net on 3.668 Mhz, that were invited there by other operators.
3. At least 25 different states need to be represented by the 50 QSO’s completed in items 1 and 2 above.
4. All QSO’s must be logged, and then listed on the “Invitational Award” application, and submitted along with $5.00 to the Net Awards Manager, KJ8V.  (See GERATOL Website for additional information, and application form)
5. No GERATOL number is required to work toward this award.

RULES:

1. Qualifying QSO’s for item 1.  The invited station must confirm he/she was invited by the station working him/her.  Successful exchange of signal reports and call signs.  All QSO’s must be made in Extra Class portion of Ham Band 3.6-3.7MHz
2. Qualifying QSO’s for item 2.  After being identified as an “invited” station by another net member, a successful QSO would also consist of exchange of signal reports and call signs.
3. All QSO’s must be made in Extra Class portion of Ham Band 3.6-3.7MHz. Applicant must successfully work, by exchange of call sign and signal reports, a minimum of 25 states from items 1 and 2 above.
4. Stations who identify themselves as being “invited” by a net member to the NCS, must identify which member invited them.  The member identified by the invited stations will be the ONLY station allowed to work the invitee, at that time, in order to keep the net check-in process at reasonable levels.   If the invited station agrees to remain on frequency for the net, any other stations may of course work him/her by getting on the work list or if the NCS allows them to work that station before a work list is taken. If they had also invited them, they can add this QSO to their Item 1 total, when they successfully work them, or their Item 2 totals, if they successfully work them, but did not invite them. 
   • It will be the Net Control Stations prerogative, to determine how many stations may or may not work the invited station, prior to a formal “work list” being taken.
   • All decisions on this are final, as determined by the NCS
   • Should anyone need the “Invited” station to complete 48, 49 or 50 for the basic award, or other endorsement or award completion, as always, the operator needs to alert the NCS by stating “48”, “49” or “50”

THANK YOU:

                It is our intention to provide a special THANK YOU to those stations who came on frequency that were invited up by our net members.  We will be talking more about this, as the Award is approved and operators begin working toward it.

Have fun, and above all, enjoy working toward the new award, while bringing new friends and old acquaintences on to the net frequency.

As previously posted, we will be featuring information about our 50 States. As a Worked All States net, it may be interesting to refresh our memories about the states we hear and/or work on the net. This week we will focus on the state of Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania is the 5^th most populous, the 33^rd most extensive, and the 9^th most populated state. It is located in the northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. Pennsylvania attained statehood on December 12, 1787, becoming the 2^nd state to join the union.

Pennsylvania (nicknamed: the Keystone State) has 67 counties. The state’s capital is Harrisburg. Pennsylvania is the second state, after Delaware, to ratify the Constitution of the United States of America. The Liberty Bell, an iconic symbol of American Independence, is located in Pennsylvania. The bell can be seen in the Liberty Bell Center in Independence National Historical Park. The bell was commissioned from London in 1751 by the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly. The bell was rung at the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence.

Before the establishment of Washington D.C. as the permanent capital of the United States of America; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the nation’s capital between 1790 and 1800s. Did you know that on September 27, 1777, Lancaster, Pennsylvania served as the country’s capital for just one day?

PENNSYLVANIA FIRSTS:

The first computer in the world–The Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer–was invented at the University of Pennsylvania in 1946.

The first Zoo in the U.S. was opened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 1, 1874.

The first public library was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1731 in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia is also the place where the first American Flag was sewn in 1777 by Betsy Ross.

These are just a few of the interesting facts about Pennsylvania. Have fun working PA as you pursue your W.A.S. or any of the GERATOL Awards and endorsements, that reuire Pennsylvania.

As previously posted, we will be featuring information about our 50 States. As a Worked All States net, it may be interesting to some, to refresh their memories about the states we hear and/or work on the net. We start the series off with Delaware, often referred to as the “FIRST” state.

Delaware is known as the first state in the United States because it was the first of the original 13 colonies to ratify the Constitution that formed the U.S. government. Prior to this unification, the 13 colonies were all under British rule.

Delaware’s history, however, stretches back much father than its position as the first state. The first Europeans to settle the region were the Dutch, in 1631. They set up a trading post in the area, within a year, however, the original settlers were dead from conflicts with local Indian tribes. In 1638, the Swedes successfully established Fort Christina, the first permanent settlement in Delaware. The Dutch settled in the Delaware Valley again in 1651, establishing New Castle and eventually capturing Fort Christina. After changing hands a few more times, the settlement came under permanent English control in 1674.

Delaware shares a semi-circular border with Pennsylvania. The border was drawn at the time of the original land grants to William Penn from King Charles II and the Duke of York.

The Lady Bug is Delaware’s official state bug.

The Blue Hen chicken is the official state bird. The hens were noted for their fighting ability. Delaware is sometimes referred to as the Blue Hen State.

The peach blossom is Delaware’s official state flower and has prompted Delaware’s nickname as the peach state.

Delaware nicknames include:

The First State; The Small Wonder; Blue Hen State; The Diamond State

So when working a Delaware station, you can dazzle them with your knowledge of their state. Have fun.

WOMEN ON THE RADIO – A ‘FIRST’ WITH A PURPOSE

Listen for a special team of YLs from around the world this month. They’re not just on the air to collect QSL cards, as Jeremy Boot G4NJH explains.

“An international team of YLs is working together through the month of November to put the first “Women on the Radio” Award in the logbooks – as many logbooks as possible. The award and the inaugural event behind it are the creations of Angeles EC1YL who is the founder of the international group Women on the Radio, in cooperation with Erica IZ-ZERO-EIK (IZ0EIK), the editor of QTC magazine which is produced by the Italian Radio Amateurs Union.”

The significance of this event being run through November is also to publicize the United Nation’s ‘International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women’ on November the 25th.

Hams, especially YLs, are encouraged to compete for this award by gathering at least 60 points through contacts with any of the 13 members of the team. They include YLs in the UK, the Philippines, Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic, Chile and the United States.

They are calling “CQ CQ Women on the Radio Award.” For additional details visit w-o-t-r-a dot home dot blog (wotra.home.blog)

Source: Amateur Radio Newsline – Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

TWO SOLAR CYCLES ARE ACTIVE AT THE SAME TIME:

Solar Minimum is here, and it is very deep. During this quiet nadir of solar activity, something happens that might surprise you: Two solar cycles become active at the same time. Recent shots of the surface displayed this counter-intuitive phenomenon:

This image from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory shows two active regions on the sun–one north of the equator and once south. These are not sunspots. Instead, they are “hot spots” where magnetic fields have gathered with just enough intensity to bottle-up some glowing-hot plasma, but not quite enough strength to create a full-fledged sunspot.

The magnetic polarity of these two hot spots identifies them as members of different solar cycles (see: Hale’s Law). The southern hot spot comes from old Solar Cycle 24. The northern hot spot comes from new Solar Cycle 25. Adjacent solar cycles always overlap during Solar Minimum and, indeed, this is happening right now.

If forecasters are correct, Solar Cycle 25 will gain strength in the years ahead, ultimately dispatching old Solar Cycle 24. A new Solar Maximum comprised entirely of Solar Cycle 25 sunspots should arrive as early as 2023. Source of article on Solar Cycles: Spaceweather.com

(My comments) So look at the bright side gang. Cycle 24 may be approaching the end of it’s cycle, and Cycle 25 may just be starting up. There are two schools of thought, some suggesting Cycle 25 will be even weaker than 24, and others like the one by Solar physicist Dibyendu Nandi and his Ph.D .student Prantika Bhowmik, are suggesting 25 will be stronger. I’m betting on these guys !! ha ha Based on their model, they expect Cycle 25 to start rising around December of 2019 and peak in 2024. We shall see.

Meanwhile, let’s just hope the noise floor does not continue to rise !!! Ever try listening to your AM car radio these days ? The proliferation of poorly installed and maintained “Solar Farms” in my rural area, is wreaking havoc on reception. How about in your neck of the woods ?

We wanted to provide our fellow GERATOLers a brief update on where we stand with activity on our GERATOL Website, as well as some information on how to better take advantage of the site for those who have registered.

First and foremost, a hearty THANK YOU to all who have taken time to register on the site. We currently have over 170 registered members. We continue to get new registrations, and in addition, we are fortunate to have non-registered members, using the site for “read only” purposes, to learn more about our net. This activity typically picks up just prior to the net start up, and as we publicize the net via QRZ, eHAM, etc.

For those who have not yet registered, I would like to remind you, we remain pretty strict about providing privileges to those who register. While confirming you “are not a robot” may seem tedious upon registering, it is a means to keep our site free of hackers, spammers and whatever. So when you do register, simply follow the instructions under the “REGISTER” section of the META FILE area, located at the bottom right of the opening page.

For those who have already registered, there is a nice tutorial on the site, explaining how to add posts, make comments, etc. It’s located under the HELP button, at the top of the opening page. Simply click on HELP, then on “Help for New Accounts” and it will display the tutorial.

Regarding your registration: there are two categories of privileges we assign to all our registrants: 1.) Subscriber – This category provides you with basic privileges on our site. 2.) Contributor – This category allows you to create your own POSTS as well as make COMMENTS to POSTS on the site. POSTS and COMMENTS are subject to approval by the site Administrator and/or Webmaster. This is done to insure non-volatile messages are posted.

The distinction between Subscriber and Contributor, as mentioned in previous updates, resides in how you register. If part of your registration includes your call sign, and we can confirm it on QRZ, you are granted Contributor status. If you register without a call sign, but use a name and/or email we can confirm on QRZ, again you are granted Contributor status. If we are unable to find or confirm a call sign for you, via your registration data, we grant only Subscriber status. Again, this is all done as part of our efforts to keep the site safe. If you wish to move from Subscriber to Contributor, simply send me an e-mail with your call sign, and the email used when you registered, and I will upgrade your status immediately upon confirmation.

We have had registrations which reflect “suspect” email accounts, etc. and those are automatically deleted. Again, this is a precaution we take to keep our site secure.

Finally, if anyone has any suggestions for Website topics, POSTS of interest, etc., please feel free to send me an email, and I will get in touch with you.

Regards, Kevin N1KL Website Administrator

The Summer of 2019 is in our rear view mirror !!

The 2019/2020 GERATOL Season has begun !!    It began on Oct 1, 0100 UTC, and continues each and every evening at 0100Z on 3.668 (+/- QRM).

Last season we were fortunate to have several new “regulars” begin working on their basic award, and of course, we enjoyed the company of many of our old friends over the entire season. A thanks to all active members who took the time to invite our long time members on frequency, as well as a thanks to those who took them up on the invitations and joined us for some fun during the season.

We also had a few more folks successfully complete their 50/50 Award, where they were able to work all 50 states, and in addition, were able to contact 50 Operators who had been licensed continuously for 50 years.  Congratulations to all who have completed that challenging award, and good luck to those still in the hunt, perhaps the 2019/2020 season will be the year you finish up !!

Most of all, continued good fortune and good hunting to our newest attendees working toward that elusive Unbelievable Operating Achievement Award, or better known as the basic award.

Let’s make this a real Dynamite Season !   Take a few minutes to check in, say hi, renew old acquaintances and give out some contacts to the new guys looking for those last few states.

9/9/19

The FCC is seeking comment on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that is part of an overall plan to transition completely to electronic filing, licenses, authorizations, and correspondence. The notice proposes to make all filings to the Universal Licensing System (ULS) completely electronic, expand electronic filing and correspondence elements for related systems, and require applicants to provide an email address on the FCC Forms related to these systems. Although much of the FCC’s ULS filings are already electronic, the changes suggested in the NPRM (in WT Docket No. 19-212) would require all Amateur Radio Service applications to be filed electronically. Under current rules, Amateur Radio applications may still be filed manually, with the exception of those filed by Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (VECs).

“Given the drastic changes that have occurred with regard to the ubiquity of the internet and increased personal computer access, we find it unlikely that electronic filing remains infeasible or cost-prohibitive for the previously exempted types of filers, or that they lack resources to file electronically,” the FCC said in the NPRM, which was released on September 6. “We therefore propose to eliminate Section 1.913’s exemptions to mandatory electronic filing.”

The FCC said that while the vast majority of ULS applications today are submitted electronically, some are still manually filed, largely from exempted filers, such as radio amateurs. Last year, the FCC received some 5,000 manually filed applications out of a total of some 425,000 applications. Among other aspects, the FCC is seeking comment on whether its underlying assumptions about the ease of electronic filing for previously exempted filers are valid.

This NPRM also seeks comment on additional rule changes that would further expand the use of electronic filing and electronic service.

“Together, these proposals will facilitate the remaining steps to transition these systems from paper to electronic, reducing regulatory burdens and environmental waste, and making interaction with these systems more accessible and efficient for those who rely on them,” the FCC said.

Source: ARRL News Bulletin

8/29/19

Amateur Radio resources organized this week as Hurricane Dorian threatened Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and worked its way through the Caribbean. A change in direction spared Puerto Rico — still recovering from hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 — from taking a direct hit; the Virgin Islands suffered downed trees and widespread power outages. As of August 29, Dorian was a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds near 85 MPH with higher gusts. According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Dorian was expected to become a major hurricane on Friday and remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through the weekend, reaching Category 3 or 4 by September 1. Heavy rainfall generated by Dorian could cause flash flooding, the NHC said.

“The risk of devastating hurricane-force winds along the Florida east coast and peninsula late this weekend and early next week continues to increase,” the NHC said on August 29.

“We are standing by in a ready-to-respond state, once a more definitive track is known,” Southern Florida Section Manager Barry Porter, KB1PA, told ARRL Headquarters on August 29. “We will be holding a tri-Section conference call tonight to firm up any plans.” Porter said Florida Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster and Red Cross were in preparation mode.

On Wednesday, the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN), activated for about 9 hours on 14.325 MHz and 7.268 MHz, working in conjunction with WX4NHC at the NHC in Miami to provide “ground truth” weather data to forecasters. The VoIP Hurricane Net also activated.

The HWN has continued to closely monitor Dorian’s progress. HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, said the HWN tentatively plans reactivate on August 30 at 2100 UTC.

The ARRL Headquarters Emergency Response Team is also monitoring the situation closely. ARRL officials are in regular communication with partner agencies, particularly FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. In addition, ARRL HQ remains in close contact with Field Organization officials in the affected region, where some ARRL Ham Aid equipment was previously positioned.

W1AW, which had already planned to be in operation for the Hiram Percy Maxim 150th Birthday special event this weekend, will remain ready to assist with emergency communications.

Source: ARRL News

The following (I’m Just Sayin’) is an editorial by your GERATOL Website Administrator and does not necessarily reflect the views of the GERATOL Board.

As a long time, “active” member of the Quarter Century Wireless Association, I feel obligated to make an appeal to my fellow GERATOL members. When I refer to myself as an active QCWA member, I am simply referring to the fact my QCWA membership is active. That is to say, my dues are up to date.

Most seasoned GERATOLers, are very familiar with the QCWA, and are proud to swap and share their “Q” numbers with other net members, both new and old, as GERATOLers work toward Endorsement # 19, where you must work stations sporting a “Q” from all 50 states. Completing Endorsement # 19 does not require you have a “Q” but simply need to work stations from all 50 states, that have one. No doubt a fun and challenging endorsement to achieve during those long winter nights.

As the creator of several awards including the 20/20 and 50/50 awards, I know first hand the “criteria” I was held accountable to follow in creating those awards and it was quite demanding. For example, before I was given permission to announce the 50/50 Award, I had to provide data to support the fact there was a sufficient number of stations, licensed for 50+ years. Another criteria that was added after the initial approval and announcement, was to have been licensed “continually” with no breaks, for the 50 years. Pretty demanding stuff, but lo and behold, the award has been achieved by several diligent GERATOLers.

However, it seems when it comes to Endorsement # 19, the criteria is not on the same level as some of our other awards or endorsements. When it comes to QCWA numbers, we gladly swap numbers proudly. Yet many operators doing so, have not been “active” (dues paying) members of the QCWA for years. In fact, some have never renewed since a year after they got their “Q” number assigned. A check of the QCWA website, where they display “lost” members, will list those who are no longer “active” members.

I am in no way affiliated with, nor have I ever been affiliated with the QCWA in any official capacity, other than being a member. The QCWA, like many Ham related organizations and publications, is working hard to remain viable. They no longer publish the hard copy of the QCWA Journal, due to the cost of publishing and distributing. To their credit, they have an on line version on their website, which you can find at: https://www.qcwa.org

So, while we may not be able to change or modify the criteria for Endorsement # 19 to reflect working “active” QCWA members, I’d like to encourage those “lost” members to consider adding your QCWA membership to your allotted Ham spending, or to encourage those eligible, (first licensed 25 years ago) to apply for QCWA membership. It would be terrible to lose such a historically active (Founded in 1947) and important element of our Ham Radio hobby, and potentially robbing those approaching their 25th anniversary of garnering their own “Q” number. A look at the last few months of data on the QCWA website, reflects the totals shown for NEW members, vs LOST members, and it’s a disturbing trend. The number of LOST members, vs NEW is at least two to one. Needless to say, that can’t go on forever. So, JUST SAYIN’, if you can afford it, check out the QCWA website, and renew your membership, or join up if not yet a member !!!

For those who registered on the GERATOL website, using their call signs as part of their registration, feel free to add a “comment” to this JUST SAYIN’ editorial.

All the best, and let’s not forget, the new 2019/2020 GERATOL season is not far off !!!! Time to get that antenna work done, and get on the air to renew old acquaintances, and maybe even make some new ones !!!

Regards, Kevin N1KL