In the log this week
* FCC Issues Notice of Violation to Amateur for One-Way Transmissions and Denial of Inspection
* FCC Licensing Systems Unavailable Due to Government Shutdown
* MVARC Breakfast Recap
* MVARC Masonic Lodges on the Air Activation Recap
* Reminder: ARRL Requests Amateurs Contact Representatives About Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act
* MVARC Nets on the Air
* What’s happening with DX?
* Solar Activity Update
* Upcoming Contests
* Interesting Online Radio Content
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FCC Issues Notice of Violation to Amateur for One-Way Transmissions on 7.200 MHz and Denial of Inspection
The Federal Communications Commission issued a Notice of Violation for Unauthorized One-Way Transmissions and Denial of Inspection to an amateur radio licensee operating from his residence in Brookfield, Connecticut. He was reportedly transmitting on 7.200 MHz with one-way transmissions where he was “talking” with another station with a made up call that is not assigned to any licensee in violation of 47 CFR § 97.113(b). According to FCC notice the amateur “admitted to an agent that he was engaging in one-way communication that was neither allowed nor exempted under the rules”. Additionally the amateur reportedly denied FCC agents access to his station for inspection in violation of 47 CFR § 97.103(c). The 7.200 MHz frequency is known as a center of activity for bad behavior on the air, and this may be the beginning of enforcement actions to combat this. The licensee has been instructed to respond to the notice within 20 days of its issuance. The FCC filing and more information from the ARRL can be found at https://www.fcc.gov/document/mike-f-conte-licensee-amateur-station-ka2fpz and https://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-issues-notice-of-violation-for-unauthorized-one-way-transmissions-and-denial-of-inspection.
FCC Licensing Systems Unavailable Due to Government Shutdown
The ARRL reports that the CORES registration system used by new applicants to get an FCC FRN, which is a requirement for those who wish to take the test and do not already have one, is offline due to the government shutdown. FCC systems went off-line around 1 PM Eastern time Wednesday, so the FCC will not be processing any amateur radio license applications during the shutdown. This includes individual, club, and exam session applications for new and upgrading licensees. The ARRL is discussing continuing to hold licensing sessions to temporarily allow testing without a FRN. They ask that interested parties keep monitoring the ARRL web site for future updates. Further information can be found at: https://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-licensing-update-during-us-government-shutdown and https://www.fcc.gov/document/impact-potential-lapse-funding-commission-operations-0
MVARC Breakfast Recap
Image Courtesy Corey KN4YZY
Last Saturday MVARC had another big turnout for our monthly breakfast with plenty of friendly faces both new and familiar. Our monthly breakfasts are held on the 4th Saturday of each month, and we hope to see you at the next one.
MVARC Masonic Lodges on the Air Activation Recap
Image Courtesy Corey KN4YZY
Last Saturday MVARC participated in its third Masonic Lodges on the Air event from the grounds of Mount Vernon Lodge No. 219 and we had a wonderful time on the air with 5 operators getting behind the microphone. Conditions were favorable and we got 74 QSOs in the log with contacts from Utah to Florida to Nova Scotia. We used a Yaesu FT-897 at 100 Watts and an N2EC VersaHex antenna. Thanks to the Mount Vernon Lodge No. 219 for hosting us once again and to everyone who joined us both on the air and behind the scenes to make this event so fun and successful.
Reminder: ARRL Requests Amateurs Contact Representatives About Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act
Image Courtesy: United_States_Capitol_-west_front.jpg: Architect of the Capitol derivative work: O.J. - United_States_Capitol-_west_front.jpg, Public Domain, Link
The American Radio Relay League is asking American amateur radio operators to contact their representatives and senators in support of the “Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act”. The legislation seeks to give amateur radio operators rights equal to users of antennas for broadcast television, wireless internet, and flagpoles. The bills, H.R. 1094 in the House of Representatives and S.459 in the Senate seek to prevent overly restrictive homeowner’s association (HOA) regulations that prohibit the installation of antennas, even when placed inconspicuously. The ARRL asks that all amateur radio operators go to https://send-a-letter.org/hoa/ which will allow for a letter to be sent on your behalf to your Representative and Senators. More information can be found at
http://www.arrl.org/member-bulletin?issue=2025-09-17
https://www.arrl.org/current-legislation
MVARC Nets on the Air
* 2 Meter FM Net: Tuesdays at 7 PM [146.655/- MHz (141.3 Hz PL Tone) ]
* 2 Meter Digital Net: Immediately Follows 2 Meter FM Net [146.655/- MHz C4FM]
* MVARC Slow Speed CW Roundtable: Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 AM [3.565 MHz CW]
* MVARC Cherry Tree Net: Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 AM [3.920 MHz LSB]
What’s Happening with DX
There will be a good amount of DX on the bands this week including the Federated States of Micronesia (V6D), Palau (T88PB), Bhutan (A52G), Svalbard (JW7XK, JW6VM, JW9DL, JW5X), Manihiki Atoll North Cook Islands (E51MWA), Uganda (5X2I), Greenland (OX3LX), Guatemala (TG9BBV), Madagascar (5R8IC), Burkina Faso (XT2AW), Marcus Island Minami Tori Shima Islands (JG8NQJ/JD1), Colombia (HK3JCL), Mali (TZ4AM), Kuwait (9K2HN), Solomon Islands (H44MS), and Antarctica (DP0GVN).
A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at https://dxnews.com/calendar/
Solar Activity Update
As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 184 and the estimated sunspot number was 161 with 9 numbered sunspot regions visible from Earth. Over the last week the SFI has increased. Solar activity has been at moderate levels recently. The geomagnetic field was at quiet to severe storm levels and the Kp index reached 7 yesterday. The solar wind peaked at 861 km/s. Solar activity is predicted to be moderate with geomagnetic activity at unsettled to minor storm levels today and at unsettled to active levels this weekend. The chance of solar radiation storms at the S1 or greater level is low at 5% today through Sunday. R1 to R2 radio blackouts are likely in the near term with a predicted probability of 55% through Sunday. R3 or greater blackouts are unlikely with a 10% chance predicted today through Sunday. There is a chance of 6 meter propagation so keep an eye on the band and spotting clusters to be ready for the next time the magic band does its thing. It remains a fantastic time for amateurs to get on the air and work the world.
Good sources of real-time solar information include https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/ and https://solarham.com/. A good overview of conditions can be found at https://dx.qsl.net/propagation/. To see D-layer absorption data and associated radio blackouts, visit https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/d-region-absorption-predictions-d-rap. To see real-time Maximum Usable Frequency (MUF) and Critical Frequency (foF2) information from radiosonde data, visit https://prop.kc2g.com/.
Upcoming Contests
On the contest calendar this weekend we will see the the Collegiate QSO Party, the TRC DX Contest, the Oceania DX Contest on Phone, the Worked All Provinces of China DX Contest, the IARU Region 1 UHF/Microwaves Contest, the California QSO Party, the International HELL-Contest, the UBA ON Contest on SSB, and the Peanut Power QRP Sprint. As always the K1USN SSTs, MSTs, and CWTs will also be on the air.
The full contest calendar with events and exchanges can be found at https://www.contestcalendar.com/weeklycont.php
Interesting Online Radio Content
Mark AA3K takes a look at a battery box on Amazon -
Craig KM6LYW takes a look at the TOADS Digital Interface -
Steve KM9G attempts to track down RFI with a TinySA -
Mike K8MRD takes a look at the Just OK Mini antenna -
Dr. Tamitha Skov WX6SWW discusses recent solar conditions -
Dugbo KD7DUG shows us how he does FT8 with the QMX -
Mike K8MRD shows us the RigExpert AA-55 Zoom antenna analyzer -
Dan WD4DAN talks about the violation notice handed down from the FCC this week -
Walt K4OGO builds a 3 element vertical beam -
Steve KM9G compares two SWR meters -
Matt M0DQW tests out the InnovAntennas 2m Monoband LFA Yagi -
Walt K4OGO talks Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries -
Hayden VK7HH builds a filter to make a dirty Baofeng clean -
Sean W9FFF checks out the PowerPAL -
Simon VA7BIX builds a simple multiband antenna in the field -
Mike K8MRD shows how h is Modern Morse QRZombie CW Paddle was made -
That’s it for this week.
Best 73,
Ed
N2EC
