Frank Donovan, W3LPL, notes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) has published its official updated prediction of Solar Cycle 25 in new, interactive Solar Cycle Progression graphs. The updated prediction is based on the results of NOAA’s Solar Cycle 25 Prediction Panel.
“SWPC forecasts a solar maximum between 105 and 125, with the peak occurring between November 2024 and March 2026,” Donovan said. “There is broad consensus that solar minimum is ongoing this year — or may have already occurred — and that Cycle 25 will have no major change in the level of solar activity compared to Cycle 24.”
As Donovan explained, for many years the SWPC’s solar cycle predictions have used the Royal Observatory of Belgium’s International Sunspot Number. SWPC’s official solar cycle prediction now uses the SWPC sunspot number. The International Sunspot Number is typically about one-third lower than the SWPC sunspot number.
View of the W3LPL antenna farm
“While this is SWPC’s official Cycle 25 prediction, it’s important to note there is still divergence among various forecasting methods and members of the space weather forecasting community,” Donovan said. “Most forecasts and forecasters agree that the Cycle 25 is likely to be within ±20% of Cycle 24 and is likely to occur between 2024 and 2027.”
For those of you who utilize LoTW, the ARRL has announced that several improvements have been made to TQSL, which should improve the overall accuracy of LoTW database. As a casual CW contester, I have noticed a large increase in DX stations now using and uploading to LoTW. If you are chasing DXCC or other awards, it’s a great way to log QSO’s against what you may need, during a contest, and then receive confirmations rather quickly.
New TQSL Updates Announced
04/16/2020
The recently released TQSL version 2.5.2 application for uploading logs to Logbook of The World (LoTW) tightens requirements for data consistency, with the goal of improving the integrity of the LoTW database. Starting with TQSL version 2.5.2, discrepancies in submitted logs now are flagged, especially when it comes to the Amateur Data Interchange Format (ADIF) files frequently uploaded to LoTW. This has prompted questions and concerns, however, when the system fails to accept a user’s uploaded contact or log.
ADIF exists precisely to help ensure the accuracy of “data interchange” among amateur radio applications — different logging programs, for example. TQSL uses ADIF file data for cross-checks that help to keep inaccurate or incomplete information from contaminating the LoTW database, and that’s where some user issues have arisen. For example, the OPERATOR field, which should be a call sign, sometimes shows up as a name. Occasionally, operators have reversed their ITU and CQ zones. Another issue is in the MY_STATE field, which should show a US Postal Service two-letter state abbreviation. Anything else is a problem.
“The value of the checks added to TQSL is that it lets operators know when the data they’re handling in their computer-based logs is correct,” said TQSL Developer Rick Murphy, K1MU. “Just as most hams would not knowingly send out a QSL card with the wrong details, it’s important to make sure that when a ham submits a log to LoTW that the content of that log accurately captures the details. It also prevents operators from uploading logs that contain incorrect information.”
Some help is on the way. Murphy soon will release TQSL version 2.5.3, which, among other things, skips over the OPERATOR field check. “We have found that some of the checking performed for TQSL 2.5.2 was incomplete in some cases — for example, allowing incorrect zone information to pass, and overly strict in other cases — for example, the STATION_OWNER tag,” Murphy said. “We’ve taken feedback from users and made great strides in improving the way logs are checked to ensure that checking is more complete while not raising false alarms.”
The problem is not always with the user. The initial implementation of cross-checks in TQSL 2.5.2 revealed that not all logging applications conform to the ADIF standard, which is maintained and voted on by the 22-member ADIF group, which includes ARRL. TQSL 2.5.2 has offered support for operations from several locations, as well as the ability to detect uploads that contain incorrect location data, and the field used for checking location has been in the ADIF standard since 2004.
Some commenters have suggested that ARRL has not defined the ADIF fields appropriately, but this represents a misunderstanding of how the ADIF standard is developed and maintained. Logging applications are obliged to follow the standard, if they generate files that claim to be ADIF compatible.
“Operators have a right to insist that the logging applications they use conform to the standards agreed upon by the ADIF collective,” said Greg Widin, K0GW, the chair of the ARRL LoTW Committee. “Those who find that their logger is out of conformance should demand an update, or, if the logger is unsupported or the developer is unwilling to update, should investigate switching to an application that is a cooperative member of the universe of amateur radio logging applications.”
I am sorry to report that George Tomlinson AA4GT G#2533 D#633 became a silent key from complications due to COVID-19 on April 9, 2020, as reported by KN4SWS to N4CD and posted in the County Hunter Web Forum at this link: http://countyhunterweb.org/DisplayForum.php?id=15596.
George was a very active Geratoler as was his wife Mary NV4Z G#885 D#86 whom he married on September 2, 2000 and who predeceased him on July 21, 2018. He was also a very active county hunter and was 86 years old.
We will all miss George. Please stay home and stay safe during this pandemic!
As previously posted, over the next few months, 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 Connecticut, the fifth state to ratify the constitution.
Connecticut State Flag (Latin motto translated means: He who transplanted still sustains)
As with all our states, Connecticut has several nicknames. The official nickname is: “The Constitution State.” Connecticut is referred to as the “Constitution State” due to the fact that it has the first written constitution as recognized by many historians. It is also referred to as the “Nutmeg State”, because Connecticut’s early inhabitants had the reputation of being so ingenious and shrewd that they were able to make and sell wooden nutmegs.
Connecticut’s first European settlers were Dutchmen who established a small, short-lived settlement called Fort Hoop in Hartford at the confluence of the Park and Connecticut Rivers.
Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford
The Connecticut State Capitol is located north of Capitol Avenue and south of Bushnell Park in Hartford, the capital of Connecticut. The building houses the Connecticut General Assembly; the upper house, the State Senate, and lower house, the House of Representatives, as well as the office of the Governor. How many of you GERATOLers, have worked the Capitol of CT ???
Fun facts about the state of Connecticut:
1. Noah Webster, the author of the first dictionary, lived in West Hartford
2. The first automobile law was passed in Connecticut (and the speed limit was only 12 miles per hour).
3. Connecticut is home to the first hamburger, Polaroid camera, color television, and helicopter.
4. It’s illegal to walk on your hands in Hartford.
5. In order for a pickle to be considered a pickle in Connecticut, it must bounce.
6. Besides being known as the Consitution state, Connecticut is also known as the nutmeg state.
7. Our official state song is “Yankee Doodle.”
8. The Hartford Courant is the oldest continually published newspaper in America.
9. Connecticut never ratified the 18th amendment (prohibition).
10. The smallest natural waterfall in America, Mill Pond Falls, is located in Newington, Connecticut
These are just a few of the interesting facts about Connecticut. Have fun working CT as you pursue your W.A.S. or any of the GERATOL Awards and endorsements, that require you contact the Constitution State. You may wish to mention some of the fun facts to the folks you contact from CT.
posted by Kevin in GERATOL NET NEWS and have Comments Off on CONNECTICUT
Sent out as an email as well, from Webmaster, Al – AE2T
Kevin – N1KL and I have been working behind the scenes to ensure the security of the web page. Kevin noticed a lot of attempts to register bogus accounts. We have taken steps to stem that problem. It should not affect anyone who already has their account at all.
I also took some time today to install a SSL certificate on the site. You shouldn’t notice any difference, but the little lock symbol next to the address bar should now be locked. This helps keep the site secure, but also keeps your information more secure when logging in. We’re not a big, mission-critical site, and if we were hacked it would probably only be a big headache, but I had one certificate available with the host contract and I decided this was the best place to use it.
Also, I don’t get to use this to send you emails often, but I need to be familiar with how it works, so I’m using this opportunity to refresh my knowledge.
Hope everyone is having a great time on the net and working towards a lot of awards.
ARRL’s new On the Air podcast for those just getting started on their amateur radio journey, will debut this Thursday, January 16, with a new podcast posted each month. The podcast is a companion to the new bimonthly On the Air magazine, which is already on its way to member subscribers. On the Air magazine editor Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY, will be the host of the new podcast. Both the podcast and the magazine are aimed at offering new and beginner-to-intermediate-level radio amateurs a fresh approach to exploring radio communication.
Listeners can find the On the Air podcast at Blubrry, Apple iTunes (or by using your iPhone or iPad podcast app (search for On the Air), and Stitcher (or through the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or Android devices). Episodes will be archived on the ARRL website.
Each On the Air podcast will take a deeper dive into the articles and issues raised in the magazine, including advice and insight on topics covering the range of amateur radio interests and activities: radio technology, operating, equipment, project building, and emergency communication.
Supplementing On the Air will be a new Facebook page for those who share a love of radio communication and are looking to learn and explore more about their interests.
The biweekly Eclectic Tech podcast for experienced radio amateurs will launch on February 13. Hosted by QST Editor Steve Ford, WB8IMY, Eclectic Tech will highlight topics involving amateur and non-amateur technology, offer brief interviews with individuals involved in projects of interest to amateurs, and include practical information of immediate benefit to today’s hams. Eclectic Tech will be available via iTunes and Stitcher.
The ARRL Mags apps including QST and On the Air are now live on Apple iTunes and Google Play. The digital edition of On the Air magazine is now live and linked from the On the Air page on the ARRL website
Source: ARRL News
posted by Kevin in GERATOL NET NEWS and have Comments Off on NEW HAM PODCAST !
As previously posted, over the next few months, 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 Georgia, the fourth state to ratify the constitution.
GEORGIA
Georgia was founded by James Oglethorpe on Feb. 12, 1733. It was the thirteenth of the 13 original colonies. Georgia became a state on Jan. 2, 1788. Georgia has had 5 capitals:
Savannah (1777-1785)
Augusta (1786-1789)
Louisville (1789-1807)
Milledgeville (1807-1867)
Atlanta (1868-present
Georgia State Seal
State Flower – Cherokee Rose
Crop – Peanuts
State Song – “Georgia On My Mind”
Nicknames – Peach State, Empire State of the South
Tree – Live Oak
State HAM – AI4IL
Georgia is home to the oldest state park in the nation
Georgia is the largest state east of the Mississippi River
Georgia was the 4th state to join the Union in 1776 and the 5th to join the Confederacy in 1861
Wesleyan College in Macon was the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women
Coca-Cola was invented in May 1886 by Dr. John S. Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia. The name “Coca-Cola” was suggested by Dr. Pemberton’s bookkeeper, Frank Robinson. He penned the name Coca-Cola in the flowing script that is famous today. Coca-Cola was first sold at a soda fountain in Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta by Willis Venable.
Known as the sweetest onion in the world, the Vidalia onion can only be grown in the fields around Vidalia and Glennville, GA
These are just a few of the interesting facts about Georgia. Have fun working GA as you pursue your W.A.S. or any of the GERATOL Awards and endorsements, that require you contact the Peach State.
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.
New GERATOL Award
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:
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.
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.
At least 25 different states need to be represented by the 50 QSO’s completed in items 1 and 2 above.
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)
No GERATOL number is required to work toward this award.
RULES:
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
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.
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.
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.
