A newly updated GLIST from W0FP  is now available in the FILES section of the GERATOL Website.

It is dated 12/1/17

Regards, N1KL

A new and exciting operating event will kick off on January 1, 2018, at 0000 UTC (New Year’s Eve in US time zones), when the ARRL International Grid Chase gets under way. The year-long event hopes to build on the success of the highly successful 2016 National Parks on the Air (NPOTA). The objective is to work stations on any band (except 60 meters) in as many different Maidenhead grid squares as possible, and then upload your log data to ARRL’s Logbook of The World (LoTW). Registration is free, and it costs nothing to use LoTW. Many hams are familiar with grid squares from the VHF/UHF and satellite realms, and everyone lives in one. ARRL’s VUCC is based on grid squares, and some contests on HF, as well as on VHF and UHF, also use them as a scoring factor.

John Morris, G4ANB, came up with the locator system, which the VHF Working Group adopted in 1980 at a meeting in Maidenhead, England — thus the term “Maidenhead grid square.” The system divvies up the entire globe into 324 fields, each containing 100 grid squares 1° latitude by 2° longitude in size. With 32,400 potential grid squares, it’s not likely that anyone will run out of challenges, even though some grid squares are surrounded entirely by water, are in areas that are uninhabited, or are difficult to access.
If you don’t know your grid square, David Levine, K2DSL, has an online calculator. Just enter a postal address, ZIP code or a call sign, and his site will tell you the grid square for that location. For example, enter “W1AW” and the site will return “FN31pr.” For the purposes of the ARRL International Grid Chase, though, just the two initial letters and the two numbers that follow (e.g., FN31) are all you need to know.

Once you get active in the chase and start uploading your log data, each new grid square contact confirmed through LoTW will count toward your monthly total. Getting started is simple: Turn on the radio and call CQ or “CQ Grid Chase,” or listen for others doing the same. Make the contact, exchange grid squares, log it, and move on to another. At the end of each month, your totals on the Grid Chase Leader Board will reset to zero, although the system retains all monthly data to determine top finishers in various categories at the end of the year.
Any contact you make in 2018 can count for your Chase score; it doesn’t have to involve an exchange of grid squares. As long as the other operators participate in LoTW, you’ll get credit automatically when they upload their logs. This means that contest contacts will also count, as will contacts with special event stations, or other on-air activity that uses LoTW to confirm contacts.

Some radio amateurs live in sparsely populated grid squares, and if you’re one of those, you could find yourself handling a pileup! Expeditions to hard-to-reach or rare grid squares will undoubtedly evolve. You also can travel to one of those grid squares yourself. Some vehicle or hand-held GPS units can be set to display when you are in a particular grid square. Apps are available for smartphones or tablets, such as Ham Square for iOS devices or HamGPS for Android devices.
There are no restrictions on modes or bands, as long as they are legal. Satellite contacts are valid for the Chase. The event is open to all radio amateurs.

Awards
As all contacts are uploaded to LoTW, participants may use their contacts toward other ARRL awards, in addition to the overall monthly and annual Grid Chase recognitions. These other ARRL awards include the grid-based VHF-UHF Century Club (VUCC) and Fred Fish Memorial Award, as well as Worked All States (WAS), WAS Triple Play, DX Century Club (DXCC), and Worked All Continents (WAC).
Complete details of the ARRL International Grid Chase will appear in the December 2017 issue of QST. The digital edition is available on Friday, November 10.

For more information, contact the ARRL Contest Branch.

Source:ARRL

Frosty has posted a new Gnumber1 file in the FILES section of the website for any and all to download.

Below are the minutes from the GERATOL Board meeting held on 10/29/17 as submitted by AA0ZP; Frank; Secretary of the GERATOL Net.

The GERATOL Board of Directors Meeting was called to order by the Chairman on 30 Oct at 0100 UTC.
Present were W0FP, AA0ZP, KJ8V, KJ8W, N1KL, N0HD, and AI4IL. Absent was WX4H.

Responsibility for maintenance of the Web Page has been transferred to N1KL (from AE2T). A motion was made to issue a check in the amount of $63 to cover the cost of the Web Page. Following some discussion, a vote was called:

The motion was passed unanimously.

Another motion was made and seconded to eliminate the statement that the contact was made on GERATOL Net with EQSL’s and that the frequency to four digits needed to be placed the Comments field of the EQSL in the preamble of the net.

This motion also passed unanimously.

A third motion was made to allow LoTW use for GERATOL endorsements, but not for the basic.

This motion passed unanimously.

The chairman adjourned the meeting at 0113UTC>

Respectfully Submitted, Frank Taylor – AA0ZP, GERATOL Secretary

we0a says:
October 24, 2017 at 8:58 pm  (Edit)
I’m game. Where do you want NEW posts. I’ve got a couple of topics:
– Later meetup for some west coast station QSOs,
– ARRL Logbook of The World (LoTW) in addition to cards & eQSL

The following operators have been assigned the ability to make “Comments” and to “Post” items on the website:

Welcome aboard, and thanks for taking the time to update your account and/or to register as new participants….

Others who have registered, but have not used their call sign as part of their user name and/or e-mail while registering, will retain “read” only privileges on the website.

WG8AR – GEORGE                      K0HB – HANS                        NF4F – MICHAEL

KJ8V – DAVE                                 N5MJ – MIKE                         KA5T – LARRY

NF0J – DAVE                                 W0WT – WARREN                N0HD – BRUCE

N7EN – CONRAD                         W4RG – RAY                           AB8S – GAIL

VA7DP – DOUG                            W0FP – FROSTY                    K0MC – MICHAEL

WD4SCZ – EMIL                          W6VY -BOB                             W0QS – RICK

K9MQ – MARK                             AA0ZP – FRANK                    W3GRG – STEPHEN

N3RC- ROGER                            W4KH – JACK                         KE9TC – KENNY

N2RB – RAY                                 N0SJ – JAMES                         KN0L – STEVEN

K2MF – BARRY                           W4WCR – RUSTY                  VE3VSA – CHARLES

N7UT – DOUG                            AB3RS – RANDY                    KA5T – LARRY

AC9GK – STEVE                         WG5N – DALE                        N0MN – RICHARD

WW8X – JOE                              NO0B -JIM                              AA7VR – MICHAEL

W0CI – JERRY                           KJ8W – SANDY                      WM0G – JACK

K3BO – BARRY                          N4RP – ROSS                          N7BD – DON

WX4H – MIKE                           W9WY – JOHN                       WV2M – FRANK

N9SC – STEVE                           WD1Z – BUD                            NW9M – MARK

W4WLF – TOM                         KA0O – DOUG                         WB5MEX – HURSHEL

K0MXL – JOHN                       NW9M – MARK                       WD4LYV – WAYNE

KJ8F – SHARON                      NS3X – MARK                          AD4BP – BOB

K9TPW – TIM                            K3BOB – BOB                          WS8X – JOE

W9EGB – ED                              VE3FMC – RICK                     K5KHZ – DAN

K0FD – DAN                              WY3W – JIM                            AE4GH – PHIL

WE0FC – FOY                            AI4IL – BOB                             AA4EX – RAY

AC0QK – RALPH

Please feel free to contact Kevin, N1KL at n1kl@arrl.net if any of the information above is not accurate.

Today we added several Ham Radio links to the GERATOL Website,  that may serve as valuable resources not only for pursuing GERATOL activities, but in your day to day resource needs for your Ham Radio hobby.

They include:

• FCC Universal Licensing System Link
• QRZ Call Sign Look Up and Ham Radio Forum Link
• eHAM Ham Radio Resource Link
• Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA) Link
• AE7Q Call Sign Database and Vanity Call Availability Link

These links may be found on the FILES page of the GERATOL Website

Frosty has released a new GLIST.  The file,  Gnumber1.dat dated 10/13/2017 can be found on the File pages of our website.

In addition, on the file page you can download the latest GLIST program v1.09    You need this program before downloading Gnumber1.dat dated 10/1/2017.   Gnumber1.dat from 10/13/2017 must be copied into the GLIST folder, overwriting the original .dat file

                                                                        THANK YOU        

At the risk of getting my web site mentor mad at me, I would like to take a minute to thank Al,  AE2T for his efforts in keeping the GERATOL web site up and running for so many years.

We reference the web site to all our new check-ins as a resource for all matters GERATOL.   In addition, many of us use the site to get the details on new awards, endorsements, etc. etc.

The site is easy to navigate for new and old users alike,  and all key pointers can be found right on the opening page.

Al recently documented his desire to retire from his GERATOL Web Site efforts as a post on the site,  and take a well deserved break.  We want to thank  him for is efforts, and appreciate his continued support of the GERATOL Net.

Kevin  N1KL