Mount Vernon Amateur Radio Club

Surfin': ATVing Digitally and APRSing Successfully
This week, Surfin' looks at Digital Amateur Television again and finds the new home of WB4APR.

The K7RA Solar Update
It was a perfect Field Day weekend from where I stood. The weather was warm, skies clear, the space weather was calm and there was enough propagation to make a domestic contest interesting. I had no plans, so on Saturday I went to the ARRL Field Day Station Locator to find a Field Day site. The one I landed at -- W7AUX -- listed a contact number, a cell phone at the site. I inquired if they needed a CW op, was told, "We could use any operators," so I drove up to the site north of Seattle. I had a lot of fun on 20 meter CW. Sporadic-E even helped out, and the 6 meter station made a number of contacts with other Field Day stations in the Western US.

IARU HF World Championships: Coming to a Radio Near You
Radiosport fans are gearing up for the summer's biggest competition: The IARU HF World Championships. Calling the 24 hour long contest "an HF operator's delight," ARRL Contest Branch Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, explained that the contest will allow amateurs plenty of opportunity to work DX from all around the globe on CW and SSB, as well as make QSOs with many IARU Member-Society club stations and officials.

Fresh Air, Friends, Food and Fun Abound for 2009 ARRL Field Day
It's an event that some groups take very seriously, planning all year long for. Still, others just use the date to get together, make a few contacts and enjoy each other's company. No matter how you view it, ARRL Field Day is fun!

What's New at Dayton 2009: The Unabridged Version
The July 2009 issue of QST had a one page overview of some of the major pieces of equipment introduced at the Dayton Hamvention®. There is no way a single person can track down everything on display that's new in the time available, but QST Technical Editor Joel Hallas, W1ZR, did find quite a bit more -- much more than can be squeezed into the available QST page. "We reported on many other categories of interest, including new VHF and antenna-related equipment, as well as many categories of accessories," he said. "When you click on the link, you'll find a description of the rest of the new items I tracked down during a very busy three days at Dayton."

ARRL In Action: What Have We Been Up to Lately?
This feature -- including convenient Web links to useful information -- is a concise monthly update of some of the things ARRL is doing on behalf of its members. This installment covers the month of June.

2008 ARRL Annual Report Now Available
The ARRL Annual Report for 2008, now available online and in print, reviews the major events of the year and documents the renewed growth of both the ARRL and the activities of the Amateur Radio Service. In 2008, the ARRL experienced a growth in membership, ending the year with 154,627 members, an increase of 0.7 percent from 2007. The growth was the greatest among International members and in the League's Northwestern, Rocky Mountain and Delta Divisions.

Michigan Ham Dies in Tower Accident
A tower accident during Field Day preparations around 11 AM EDT on Saturday, June 27 claimed the life of Larry Prelog, KE4PM, of Niles, Michigan. Prelog, a member of the Blossomland Amateur Radio Association (BARA), was airlifted from Watervliet to a Kalamazoo hospital where he passed away early Sunday morning. He was 57. BARA Public Information Officer (PIO) Matt Severin, N8MS, told the ARRL that Prelog "…was very passionate about Amateur Radio and was very involved in club activities. He was the driving force behind the first high altitude balloon launch for our club. Larry was the kind of guy who would give you the shirt off his back even if he didn't have another one for himself. He will be dearly missed."

John Miller, K6MM, Wins June QST Cover Plaque Award
The winner of the QST Cover Plaque Award for July is John Miller, K6MM, for his article "A No Excuses 160 Meter Vertical Antenna." Congratulations, John! The winner of the QST Cover Plaque award -- given to the author or authors of the best article in each issue -- is determined by a vote of ARRL members on the QST Cover Plaque Poll Web page. Cast a ballot for your favorite article in the July issue by Friday, July 31.

ARRL Continuing Education Online Course Registration
Registration remains open through Sunday, July 26, 2009, for these online course sessions beginning on Friday, August 7, 2009: Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 1; Antenna Modeling; Radio Frequency Interference; Antenna Design and Construction; Ham Radio (Technician) License Course; Propagation; Analog Electronics, and Digital Electronics