Hi Everyone,

I hope this finds you having safely weathered the storms of Wednesday. That stormy night goes to underscore the danger and vulnerability we all face from a tornado that season is far from over.

According to the Storm Prediction Center, March 2022 has set the March record for tornadoes with at least 219 confirmed tornadoes occurring nationwide and counting, as storm surveys are still ongoing. This breaks the previous record of 191 tornadoes which was set in 2021.

Research at the University of Alabama Huntsville indicates that appears to have been a shift in areas tornado formation, or “tornado alleys”. While there are certainly many, many tornados that form in the traditional and legendary “Tornado Alley” of the Midwest, the major areas of formation have shifted from Oklahoma & Texas to Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, with Mississippi being the bullseye. This is accompanied by a marked increase in long track tornadoes on a southwest to northeast axis from central Mississippi to western and northern Alabama, including Jefferson County.

So, with the storms of April brewing, now is definitely not the time to let our guard down.

The threat is real and ongoing, so make sure you have a plan in place and a safe place in mind, both at home, school and at work should a tornado threaten you or your loved ones.

Pay attention to forecasts – possible tornado threats are usually forecast days in advance.

Pay attention Watches and Warnings – have multiple reliable ways to receive them wherever you
may be located.

Pay attention to the conditions around you – brief spin up tornados can occur between radar
scans or in areas of problematic radar coverage, either due to the distance from the radar, signal obstructions or atmospheric conditions affecting the radar returns.

Do understand that with the exception of the NWS, state and local authorities, and local news media, not everyone will give you good valid information or instructions as to what to do in an emergency and social media is perhaps one of the worst sources, as everyone is an “expert” online and on Facebook.

Beware of well-meaning misinformed people.

Heed the advice of learned authorities and reliable sources, as they know what is or may be about to happen and any overriding circumstances and conditions that may be present that may alter the usual recommended actions.

Stay safety!

See: Tornado Safety (Online Tornado FAQ) (noaa.gov)

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FCC Fee Reinstatement

The long awaited FCC new fee schedule will officially take effect on April 19. Starting that date there will be a S35 fee for any new ham license, renewal or callsign change.

Three will be no charge for “Administrative” changes, such as name or address changes or license upgrades.

If you are interested in obtaining a license for the General Mobile Radio Service, the license fee will drop to from $70 to $35. The test free license covers the entire family.

The vast majority of GMRS traffic in Birmingham is business related, but families using this for local communications is a very good choice. Do be aware that there are no GMRS repeaters in Birmingham, although there are repeaters in Tuscaloosa and Blount Counties, so everything is simplex and shared with the lower power Family Radio Service or FRS.

The simplex VHF Multi-User Radio Service – MURs remains license free. It’s 5 frequencies are little used in Birmingham and having 2 watts output and the ability to use better antennas than the supplied stock antennas make them a good option.

CB remains license free and is a valuable tool to have on the road and at home.

Amateur Radio, GMRS, FRS, MURs and CB all are different realms, with different purposes, customs, operating traits, “lingo” and so on. Some things I like, some I don’t. One size does not necessarily fit all.

To help determine which is the best fit for you, I direct you to the March 2019 ALERT Newsletter which features the article “Non-Amateur Radio Options For Emergency Preparedness”, which is a much more detailed comparison of the various services so you can choose the right one for you.

ALERT NEWSLETTER – March 2019

Or you can do like I do.

I’m greedy, I have them all.

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AM DXing

I have always had a never ending fascination or perhaps love affair with radios. The fact that I can listen to voices from hundreds of miles away with a little box or a collection of parts thrown together is mystical to me. That someone across an ocean can hear my puny signal radiating off an antenna that could easily double for my Mom’s clothesline borders on miraculous.

My first memorable exposure to radio was listening to “Tick, tick, tick…This is radio station WWV Fort Collins Colorado” on my brother’s ham radio probably around1962. His callsign was K4FHX.

Christmas of 1966 saw Santa Claus somehow having been duped into believing that I had been a good tike and me receiving a little black Truetone AM radio, a little larger than a deck of cards.
In 1967 you would have found a 9 year old non-wrinkled version of me walking around with an earphone stuck in my left ear listening to mainstays of those days WSGN, WVOK, WBRC and WAPI. Mainly WSGN and WVOK though since they played the “good stuff” and later listening as the ratings wars between WSGN and WERC and DJs Christopher “Super Foxx” and “Coyote J Calhoun” raged in the 70’s.

WSGN, WVOK and WBRC are now WAGG, WJOX and WERC as stations changed ownership and formats over the decades. Callsigns WSGN and WVOK are now assigned to different stations in Alexander City and Oxford. There is no WBRC on the AM dial.

I’ll digress for a moment and say that while I understand stations changing their callsigns either to reflect new format directions or in some cases, such as when Taft Broadcasting sold WBRC AM to Mooney Broadcasting, FCC regulations at that time prohibited non-commonly owned stations from sharing call letters, and so WBRC became WERC, that I think that there should be exceptions for “historical” or shall we say “legacy” callsigns.

On April 24, 1922, Alabama’s first licensed AM radio station, Alabama Power’s WSY – “We Serve You” went on the air from a studio near its Powell Avenue Steam Plant in Birmingham.
The radio station was used to reach isolated steam plants and rural work crews, It proved successful, as letters from residents poured in thanking them for the broadcasts, which included weather reports, interviews, stock quotes, an orchestra composed of Alabama Power employees, five Birmingham church services and other programming.

As one of the country’s first radio stations, WSY had the ability to reach people as far away as Canada and Cuba. Unfortunately, the station proved too successful and Alabama Power, instead of hiring employees dedicated solely to running the station, decided to get out of the radio business and sold the station, producing its final broadcast on Nov. 6, 1923.

Meanwhile in Auburn, the Alabama Polytechnic Institute now known as Auburn, put WMAV – “Making A Voice” on the air in September 1922 from Boun Hall. Alabama power donated WSY’s equipment to WMAV and in 1925 the stations callsign was changed to WAPI – “Alabama Polytechnic Institute”. The Station was moved to Birmingham in 1928 and remains to this day. So callsign WAPI is 97 years old.

My Mom, who was a little girl at the time said signs popped up all over Birmingham saying “WAPI is coming!” She said she was hard pressed to figure out what a “wapee” was.

In 1925 WBRC began transmitting on 1210 kHz. WBRC was the acronym for “Bell Radio Corporation” named after it’s owner Dr. J.C. Bell. Eventually moving to 960 kHz, it would remain “WBRC” until 1972 – 42 years.

In 1934 long forgotten WKBC was sold to the Birmingham News and became WSGN – “South’s Greatest Newspaper” and broadcast on 1310 kHz, With twin towers looming over the Alabama State fairgrounds, the station was a prominent fixture at 610 kHz until it was sold and the call sign changed to WZZK AM in 1985 – 51 years.

WWL in New Orleans is celebrating 100 years on the air, as is WSB in Atlanta, WOR in New York City, WBT in Charlotte, NC, WBAP in Dallas – Fort Worth, WBZ in Boston and WLW in Cincinnati.

KDKA in Pittsburgh is approaching 102 years on the air.

The point being that callsigns which last this long reach a point where they are landmarks on the radio dial. Historical RF signposts that stretch generations and I feel really should have be preserved.

I have nothing against WJOX on 690 kHz. I just wish the owners of WJOX had kept the callsign WVOK.

I think of all the programs and history that those stations covered – programs now called now Old Time Radio shows, but, then brand new. Roosevelt’s “Fireside Chats” during the Depression, The War Of The Worlds, Edward R Murrow reporting live during the air raids on London at the start of World War II, Pearl Harbor, the Kennedy assassination, the first tentative steps into outer space, Apollo 11, The Andrews Sisters, Glenn Miller, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, the Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Mamas & The Papas, Elton John, Olivia Newton-John, Chicago and the Rolling Stones.

Somewhere in an ever increasing orb of radio signals radiating from Earth, those programs and broadcasts are still “live, as it happens”.

But then I am a sentimental sot, which explains why while others quickly shed their new callsigns I have been the one and only WD4NYL since December 1977 and always shall be until they pry the microphone from my desiccated paws.

But, back on topic, as I listened and blew out my eardrums listening to local stations, I soon discovered that with nightfall other stations in distant cities would fade in.

Better equipment would follow, and the hobby of AM DXing was firmly established.

Late at night into the wee hours of the morning one would find me scouring the band and straining the ears for a station ID. Back then it was a little easier. Most programming was local, so you would have local advisements. “Ed’s Macho Taco in Paducah” gave a hint, as did local talk shows. Plus, broadcasters wanted you to remember their station, so they weren’t hiding their callsign. Talk shows gave you a taste of the flavor of the town and there were very few syndicated programs. You always kept your fingers crossed that the signal didn’t fade out just at that time that the ID was coming – “you are listening to sfsfssfsfsfsfsfsfssfs ……..ssfsfsfsfssfsfssfsfsfs I’m your boogie man, that’s what I am. I’m here to do whatever I can. Be it early morning, late afternoon, or at midnight. It’s never too soon”

Another busted ID.

Today is different with so much syndication and so much simulcasting. You can listen for hours to people droning on and on and on and never hear an ID, or if you do it’s “Scintillating Newstalk 101.1 The Lizard” and you look at the dial which clearly says 1460”.

So, I have had to alter my strategy a little with time. Yep, I Google it.

I look up “101.1 The Lizard”, if it gives a callsign I Google it and see if it has an AM frequency of 1460. Or I search “101.1 MHz 1460 kHz”. Sometimes that worked. If I have two definite possibilities and they have an online feed, I compare that feed to the actual signal. This is especially effective with stations in Mexico and Cuba. And some stations actually give their callsign like the Good Lord and the FCC prefer.

It’s all part of the adventure.

The denizens of the AM Broadcast band come in three categories, Clear, Regional and Local Channels.

Clear Channel Class A stations are the Big Kahuna’s of the airwaves. Operating between 10 to 50 kilowatts 24 hours a day. Some have directional antenna arrays, and they have the longest range of AM stations.

Regional Channel stations also found on Clear Channels in the daylight hours but, are required by the FCC to reduce their power or cease operating at night in order to avoid interference with the Big Boys Of The Night.

Then there are exclusive Regional Channels with restricted range and Local Channels which are low power stations covering a particular county.

The lowest on the Totem Pole are the “Graveyard Frequencies of 1230, 1240, 1340, 1400, 1450 and 1490 kHz.

The most crowded channels on the AM broadcast band, there are 150+ stations operating on each frequency. Most of them run 1000 watts day and night into non-directional antenna arrays. Listening to any of these frequencies after sunset can sound like a noisy crowd at an overstuffed restaurant, making reception of individual stations very difficult.

The easiest Graveyard station for Birmingham is on 1400 kHz, WJDL in Fairfield. The others will make you pull your hair out.

The following loggings were made using the most commonly available AM receiver there is – my car radio. As I went to and from work, during day and night shifts I would torture my eardrums and log what I found.

The farthest interception was PJB3 – Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, 1883 miles away, from which I received a QSL card.

There are those using better equipment who under perfect conditions can hear Europe and Africa.
Their AM band is slightly different, as their channel spacing is 9 kHz as opposed to out 10 kHz. So if you are listening and hear a faint heterodyne you may be receiving signals from across the Atlantic.

I intend to try this once I get my antennas better situated and have more time, using my HF receiver. Also, I will try to see if I can hear the megawatt stations in the 155 – 281 kHz European & African Long Wave AM broadcast band.

Knowledge of our AM band and that these stations exist is a valuable piece of your emergency preparedness scheme. Should a major disaster hit and knock out our local stations, news from the outside world could be received by the more distant clear channel stations. Likewise, if a disaster hit an area where you have loved ones, being able to listen to stations from that area might give some scope of the situation, unfiltered (also possibly unconfirmed) information apart from online or network sources. Remembering that if their Internet infrastructure has been damaged, yours being functional may not be that great of an asset.

If you have never given AM DXing a try, give it a shot. You never know what you may hear, and what memories you will build or revive.

“Gonna take a sentimental journey
Gonna set my heart at ease
Gonna make a sentimental journey
To renew old memories.”
– Doris Day 1945

 

 

Radio Log
Fall 2019 – Spring 2022

kHz Class Day Night

530 – Local Bleed over & Splatter / CMBR – Havana, Cuba – 766 miles
540 R WDAK – Columbus, GA – 128 miles / KMLB – Monroe, LA – 316 miles
550 R WDUN – Gainesville, GA – 179 miles / WAUK – Milwaukee, WI – 660 miles
KTRS – St. Louis, MO – 400 miles / KTRS – St. Louis, MO – 400 miles
560 R WHBQ – Memphis, TN – 217 miles / WHBQ – Memphis, TN – 217 miles
570 R WAAX – Gadsden, AL – 57 miles / KLIF – Dallas, TX – 580 miles
— / WWNC – Asheville, NC – 281 miles
580 R WELO – Tupelo, MS – 120 miles / WELO – Tupelo, MS – 120 miles
590 R WDWD – Atlanta, GA – 140 miles / KXSP – Omaha, NE – 734 miles
600 R Bleed over from 610 / Bleed over from 610
610 R WAGG – Birmingham, AL – 4 miles / WAGG – Birmingham, AL – 4 miles
620 R Bleed over from 610 / Bleed over from 610
630 R Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WMBQ – Savannah, GA – 346 miles
— / WLAP – Lexington, KY – 338 miles
— / KYFI – St. Louis, MO – 400 miles
640 C WGST – Atlanta, GA – 140 Miles / CMLA – Las Tunas, Cuba – 1055 miles
650 C WSM – Nashville, TN – 182 miles / WSM – Nashville, TN – 182 miles
660 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WFAN – New York, NY – 860 miles
670 C WYLS – York, AL – 112 miles / WSCR – Chicago, IL – 579 miles
— / CMBC – Havana, Cuba – 766 miles
680 C Bleed over from 690 / WMFS – Memphis, TN – 217 miles
690 C WJOX – Birmingham, AL – 10 miles / WJOX – Birmingham, AL – 10 miles
700 C Bleed over from 690 / WLW – Cincinnati, OH – 406 miles
710 C Local Bleed over & Splatter / WOR – New York, NY – 860 miles
720 C WVCC – Hoganville, GA – 112 miles / WGN – Chicago, IL – 579 miles
730 C WUMP – Madison, AL – 81 miles / WFMW – Madisonville, KY – 266 miles
740 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / CFZM – Toronto, Canada – 806 miles
— / KRMG – Tulsa, OK – 552 miles
750 C WSB – Atlanta, GA – 140 miles / WSB – Atlanta, GA – 140 miles
760 C WURL – Moody, AL – 19 miles / WJR – Detroit, MI – 642 miles
770 C WVNN – Athens, AL – 89 miles / WABC – New York, NY – 860 miles
780 C WTXT – Tuscaloosa, AL – 49 miles / WBBM – Chicago, IL – 579 miles
790 C Local Bleed over & Splatter / WQZI – Atlanta, GA – 140 miles
800 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / CKLW – Windsor Ontario, CA – 727 miles
— / PJB3 – Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles – 1883
810 C WCKA – Jacksonville, AL – 76 miles / WHB – Kansas City, KS – 582 miles
820 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WBAP – Fort Worth, TX – 669 miles
830 C WQZQ –Goodlettsville, TN – 205 mi / WCCO – Minneapolis, MN – 1076 miles
— / WACC – Hialeah, FL – 745 miles
840 C Bleed over from 850 / WHAS – Louisville, KY – 366 miles
850 C WXJC – Birmingham, AL – 11 miles / WXJC – Birmingham, AL – 11 miles
/ KOA – Denver, CO – 1094 miles
860 C Bleed over from 850 / Bleed over from 850
870 C WWL – New Orleans, LA – 344 miles / WWL – New Orleans, LA – 344 miles
880 C Bleed over from 900 / WCBS – New York, NY – 860 miles
890 C Bleed over from 900 / WLS – Chicago, IL – 579 miles
900 C WATV – Birmingham, AL – 10 miles / WATV – Birmingham, AL – 10 miles
910 R Bleed over from 900 / WEPG – South Pittsburg, TN – 154 miles
920 R Bleed over from 900 / WLIV – Livingston, TN – 253 miles
930 R Bleed over from 900 / CMKN – Santiago De Cuba, Cuba – 1151 mi
940 C WCPC – Houston, MS – 135 miles / WCPC – Houston, MS – 135 miles
— / XEQ – Mexico City, Mexico – 1239 miles
950 R Bleed over from 960 / CMBD – Havana, Cuba – 767 miles
960 R WERC – Birmingham, AL – 6 miles / WERC – Birmingham, AL – 6 miles
970 R Bleed over from 960 / Bleed over from 960
980 R Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WFYN – Nashville, TN – 183 miles
990 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WNML – Knoxville, TN – 233 miles
1000 C WKLF – Clanton, AL – 48 miles / WMVP – Boston, MA – 1050 miles
1010 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WJXL – Jacksonville, FL – 374 miles
1020 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / KDKA – Pittsburgh, PA – 608 miles
1030 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WBZ – Boston, MA – 1050 miles
1040 C WJBE – Powell, TN – 235 miles / WHO – Des Moines, IA – 669 miles
1050 C WSGN – Alexander City, AL – 63 miles / WEPN – New York, NY – 860 miles
1060 C Bleed over from 1070 / Bleed over from 1070
1070 C WAPI – Birmingham, AL – 5 miles / WAPI – Birmingham, AL – 5 miles
1080 C Bleed over from 1070 / Bleed over from 1070
1090 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / KAAY – Little Rock, AR – 328 miles
1100 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WTAM – Cleveland, OH – 618 miles
1110 C WBIB – Centerville, AL – 44 miles / WBT – Charlotte, NC – 360 miles
1120 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / KMOX – St Louis, MO – 400 miles
1130 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WBBR – New York, NY – 860 miles
— / KWKH – Shreveport, LA – 408 miles
1140 C WBXR – Hazel Green, AL – 98 miles / XEMR – Monterrey, MX – 975 miles
— / WRVA – Richmond, VA – 593 miles
1150 R WRJD – Tuscaloosa, AL – 48 miles / WHBY – Kimberly, WI – 747 miles
1160 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WYLL – Chicago, IL – 579 miles
…. / KSL – Salt Lake City, UT – 1463 miles
1170 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WGMP – Montgomery, AL – 85 miles
1180 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / Spanish – Unknown (like in a barrel)
1190 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WOWO – Ft. Wayne, IN – 532 miles
1200 C Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WOAI – San Antonio. TX – 744 miles
1210 C Bleed over from 1200 / Bleed over from 1220
1220 C WAYE – Birmingham, AL – 3 miles / WAYE – Birmingham, AL – 3 miles
1230 L g Bleed over from 1220 / Bleed over from 1220
1240 L g Momentary Hints Of A Signal / Mixed Intermittent Unidentifiable Signals
1250 R Bleed over from 1260 / WTMA – Charleston, SC – 401 miles
1260 R WYDE – Birmingham, AL – 6 miles / WYDE – Birmingham, AL – 6 miles
1270 R Bleed over from 1260 / WBOJ – Columbus, GA – 128 miles
1280 R Bleed over from 1260 / WODT – New Orleans, LA – 344 miles
Momentary Hints Of A Signal / Mixed Intermittent Unidentifiable Signals
1290 R WYEA – Sylacauga, AL – 40 miles / WHKY – Hickory, NC – 346 miles
1300 R Heterodyne of 610 & 690 / Mixed Intermittent Unidentifiable Signals
1310 R Bleed over from 1320 / Bleed over from 1320
1320 R WENN – Birmingham, AL – 6 miles / WENN – Birmingham, AL – 6 miles
1330 R Bleed over from 1320 / Bleed over from 1320
1340 Lg WMHZ – Holt, AL – 44 miles / Mixed Intermittent Unidentifiable Signals
1350 R WWWL – New Orleans, LA – 344 mi / WRWH – Cleveland, GA – 189 miles
1360 R Momentary Hints Of A Signal / Mixed Intermittent Unidentifiable Signals
1370 R Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WZTA – Vero Beach, FL – 557 miles
1380 R Harmonic of 690 / XECO – Mexico City, MX ? – 1239 miles
— / WAOK – Atlanta, GA – 140 miles
1390 R Bleed over from 1400 / Bleed over from 1400
1400 Lg WJLD – Fairfield, AL – 4 miles / WJLD – Fairfield, AL – 4 miles
1410 R Bleed over from / Bleed over from 1400
1420 R Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals / Mixed Intermittent Unidentifiable Signals
1430 R Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals / WPLN – Nashville, TN – 183 miles
1440 R WLWI – Montgomery, AL – 85 miles / WZVX – Cowan, TN – 122 miles
1450 L Momentary Hints Of A Signal / WCRS – Greenwood, SC – 270 miles
1460 R Heterodyne of 610 & 850 / WZEP – DeFuniak Springs, FL – 198 miles
1470 R Bleed over from 1070 / WMBD – Peoria, IL – 519 miles
1480 R WMMD – Irondale, AL – 6 miles / WMMD – Irondale, AL – 6 miles
1490 L Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals / Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals
1500 C WQCR – Alabaster, AL – 19 miles / Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals
1510 C Bleed over from 1500 / WLAC – Nashville, TN – 183 miles
1520 C Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals / KOKC – Oklahoma City, OK – 624 miles
1530 C WCKY – Cincinnati, OH – 406 miles / WCKY – Cincinnati, OH – 406 miles
1540 C Heterodyne 690 & 850 / CHIN – Toronto, Canada – 805 miles
Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals
1550 C Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals / WKTF – Vienna, GA – 201 miles
— / WIGN – Bristol, TN – 336 miles
1560 C Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals / KGOW – Houston, TX – 567 miles
1570 C WCRL – Oneonta AL – 35 miles / XERF – Ciudad Acuna, MX – 883 miles
1580 C WVOK – Oxford, AL – 56 miles / WVOK – Oxford, AL – 56 miles
1590 R Heterodyne 690 & 900 / WCSL – Cherryville, NC – 335 miles
— / WQCH – Lafayette, GA – 119 miles
1600 R WAOS – Atlanta, GA – 140 miles / WAOS – Atlanta, GA – 140 miles
1610 R Nil / CHHA – Toronto, ON – 805 miles
1620 R NIL / WNRP – Gulf Breeze, FL – 220 miles
— / WTAW – College Station, TX –592 miles
1630 R NIL / KCJJ – Iowa City, IA – 619 miles
1640 R WTNI – Biloxi, MS – 248 miles / WTNI – Biloxi, MS – 248 miles
1650 R Heterodyne 690 & 960 / Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals
1660 R NIL / WCNZ – Marco Island, FL – 606 miles
— / KRZI – Waco, TX – 616 miles
1670 R WMGE – Dry Branch, GA – 197 miles / WMGE – Dry Branch, GA – 197 miles
1680 R NIL / KRJO – Monroe, LA – 316 miles
1690 R Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals / WVON – Berwyn, IL – 578 miles
1700 R Mixed Intermit Unidentifiable Signals / KKLF – Richardson, TX – 575 miles
1700 – NIL / NIL

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Mark’s Almanac

The Romans called April “Aprilis”, probably from the word “aperire”, which means, “to open”. This time of year being when buds open. It was originally the second month of the Roman calendar, before Roman King Numa Pompilius added January & February in 700 BC.

Freezing weather comes to an end as Birmingham’s average last freeze is April 1, while Tuscaloosa’s is March 26. The record for the latest freeze date is April 21, 1953 for Tuscaloosa and April 23, 1986 for Birmingham.

Snowfall is still possible though, as April 3, 1987’s 5 inches proves. The latest trace of snow was April 25, 1910.

April is less wet than March & rain becomes more localized and less widespread in nature. The sun heats the lower atmosphere near the ground and since the upper atmosphere is still cold, the warm air rises, reaches the dew point line, forms clouds & then it may rain. April is the first time in the spring season that favors local convective activity, which is why you have “April Showers”.

North Atlantic Tropical activity remains at a minimum. From 1851 to 2021 there has never been a Hurricane and only two Tropical Storms – Ana in 2003 and Arlene in 2017 which affected only shipping.

April is peak tornado month, with wide scale outbreaks possible. There are 2 ½ times the number of tornadoes as in March. 25% of the year’s tornadoes will have occurred by April 28.

From April 1950 to 2020, 9499 tornadoes were reported causing, as of 2020, 1820 deaths and as of 2013, 29,090 injuries.

As of 2017, Oklahoma leads the nation in killer violent tornados, having had 64, followed by Iowa with 54, Texas with 53, Kansas with 48 and Alabama 44.

As of 2015, Alabama ranks fourth in the number of April tornadoes, following Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. They along with Illinois belong to the “over 400 club” having had over 400 tornadoes since 1950.

As of 2017 Alabama leads the nation in F5 & EF5 tornadoes, having had 9, followed by Oklahoma and Kansas with 8, and a two-way tie for third between Iowa and Texas with 6.

As of 2016 Alabama leads the nation in tornado deaths with 633, followed by Texas with 552 and Mississippi with 477.

The counties most likely to be struck by violent EF5 tornadoes are Lawrence, Limestone, Morgan, Madison and Marion, all of which have been struck three times.

Tuscaloosa has been stuck by four F4 & EF4 tornadoes including 1932, 1975, 2000 & 2011.

The suburbs of Birmingham, including Oak Grove, Pleasant Grove, McDonald Chapel and Smithfield have been struck by two F4 & EF4 tornadoes in 1956 & 2011 and by two F5 tornadoes in 1977 & 1998.

My Grandfather, who passed away in 1958, once said “someday a big tornado is going to go right up Jones Valley and tear everything up”.

Indeed, there is no logical or climatological reason why and an EF4 or EF5 tornado hasn’t struck or won’t strike the densely populated areas of Birmingham, including the high rises of downtown.

Whether it is due to “Divine Providence” or “random chance” otherwise known as “luck”, Birmingham has been spared.

When will that luck run out?

From 1950 to 2020 the top ten counties for tornadoes are:

Jefferson – 100
Mobile – 98
Baldwin – 97
Cullman – 92
Madison – 80
Tuscaloosa – 77
Marshall = 72
Limestone & Dekalb – 65
Walker – 57
Blount – 53

There is no basis to the myth that mountains can block tornadoes, and yet there is the strange coincidence that from the southern terminus of the Appalachian Mountains at Tannehill State Park in Tuscaloosa & Bibb Counties northeastward through Jefferson, Shelby, Blount, St. Clair, Marshall, Etowah, Dekalb and Cherokee Counties there are roughly twice as many tornadoes on the windward side of the Appalachian mountain range than on the leeward side.

But no matter where you might be reading this, always beware of the storms of April.

Days continue to grow longer as the Sun’s angle above the noonday horizon rapidly increases from 61.1 degrees at the beginning of the month to 71.3 degrees at the end. Daylight increases from 12 hours 32 minutes on April 1 to 13 hours 29 minutes on April 30.

Sunrise and sunset times for Birmingham are:

April 1 Sunrise 6:35 AM Sunset 7:08 PM
April 15 Sunrise 6:17 AM Sunset 7:18 PM
April 30 Sunrise 6:00 AM Sunset 7:29 PM

Looking skyward, the Sun, magnitude -26.8 is in Pisces.

At the beginning of the month Mercury, magnitude -1.1 in Aquarius is hidden in the glare of the Sun.

He will pass behind the Sun or be at “Superior Conjunction” on April 2 and will then reemerge in the evening sky, reaching the highest position in the evening sky or “Greatest Eastern Elongation” on April 29.

This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the evening sky. Look for the planet low in the western sky just after sunset.

Venus, magnitude –4.4 in Aquarius, is the brilliant Morning Star low in the morning sky in the southeast.

Earth, magnitude -4.0, as viewed from the Sun, is in the constellation Pisces.

Mars, magnitude +1,1 in Capricornus, is near Saturn in the early morning sky. Mars will pass very close, a mere 0.3°South of Saturn on April 5 and then they will begin drifting apart.

Dwarf Planet Ceres, magnitude 8.9 is in Taurus.

Jupiter, magnitude –2.0 in Aquarius, is hidden deep in the glow of the Sun.

Saturn, magnitude +0.8, in Capricornus, is low in the southeast at dawn.

Uranus, magnitude +5.9, in Aries, is disappearing into the sunset.

Neptune, magnitude +7.8 in Aquarius, is hidden in the glow of the Sun.

Dwarf Planet Pluto, with his five moons shines at a dim 14.5 in Sagittarius.

Dwarf Planet 136108 Haumea, her ring and moons Hiʻiaka and Namaka, shines at a faint magnitude of 17.4 in Bootes.

Dwarf Planet 136472 Makemake with his moon S/2015 (136472) faintly shines at magnitude 17.2 in Coma Berenices.

Dwarf Planet 136199 Eris and her moon Dysnomia is barely visible in the most powerful telescopes at magnitude 18.8 in Cetus the Sea Monster.

At least four additional bodies with the preliminary criteria for identifying dwarf planets, and though not “officially” declared as such, are generally called dwarf planets by astronomers as well.

90482 Orcus, and his moon Vanth shines at magnitude 19.1 between Hydra and Serpens.

50000 Quaoar,and his moon Waywot shines at magnitude +18.6 in Ophiucus,

90377 Sedna, the coldest, and at one time, the most distant known place in the Solar System, glows faintly at magnitude +20.7 in Taurus.

90377 Sedna, glows faintly at magnitude +20.7 in Taurus.

225088 Gonggong, and his moon Xiangli glows dimly at +21.5 magnitude in Aquarius.

Currently the most distant observable known object in the Solar System at a distance of 12,246,241,135 miles, and asteroid unofficially called Asteroid 2018 AG37, and nicknamed FarFarOut, glows at a barely detectable +25.5 magnitude in Lynx.

5005 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of March 16, per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/

New Moon will occur on April 1 at 1:27 AM CDT or 6:27 UTC. The Moon will be located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

The Moon will be at Apogee or its farthest distance from Earth on April 7, when she will be 251,306 miles from Earth.

First Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Western side illuminated, will occur April 9 at 1:48 AM or 6:48 UTC. During the Quarter Moons the Moon’s magnitude is -10.0

April’s Full Moon will occur on April 16 at 1:57 PM CST or 18:57 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Pink Moon because it marked the appearance of the moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the first spring flowers. This moon has also been known as the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Growing Moon, and the Egg Moon. Many coastal tribes called it the Fish Moon because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.

This moon has also been known as the Full Crow Moon, the Full Crust Moon, the Full Sap Moon, and the Lenten Moon.

During a Full Moon the Moon’s magnitude is -12.7.

The Moon will be at her closest distance from Earth or perigee at 226,889 miles on April 17.

The Lyrid Meteor Shower which, runs annually from April 16 – 25, peaks on the evening of April 22 and morning of April 23. This is a minor shower, with only 12 to 24 meteors per hour. These meteors sometimes produce bright dust trails that last for several seconds.

This shower is produced by dust particles left behind by comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, which was discovered in 1861.

The waning gibbous moon may block some of the fainter meteors this year, but there is still potential for a good show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Lyra but can appear anywhere in the sky.

April 2022 features two New Moons. The second will occur April 30 at 3:30 PM CDT or 20:30 UTC.

During this New Moon there will be a Partial Solar Eclipse. A partial solar eclipse occurs when the Moon covers only a part of the Sun, sometimes resembling a bite taken out of a cookie. A partial solar eclipse can only be safely observed with a special solar filter or by looking at the Sun’s reflection. This partial eclipse will be visible throughout most of the southeast Pacific Ocean and southern South America. It will be best seen from Argentina with 53% coverage.

If you have two New Moons in a month, or a “the third New Moon in a season with four New Moons”, the second New Moon is unofficially called by some a “Black Moon”.

Evenings in early April offer an excellent opportunity to view the zodiacal light. Zodiacal light is a faint, roughly triangular whitish glow seen in the night sky which appears to extend up from the vicinity of the sun along the ecliptical plane. It is caused by sunlight scattered by space dust in the orbital plane of the Earth.

From the Northern Hemisphere, early spring is the best time of year to observe this elusive glow after sunset. It appears slightly fainter than the Milky Way, so you’ll need a clear moonless sky and an observing site located far from the city. Look for the cone-shaped glow, which points nearly straight up from the western horizon, after the last vestiges of twilight have faded away.

This is the time of year when the dim Little Dipper – Ursa Minor – juts to the right from the North Star, Polaris, which is the end of the Little Dipper’s handle, during late evening. The much brighter Big Dipper curls over high above it, “dumping water” into it. They do the reverse in the fall.

Now that it’s spring, the signature fall-and-winter constellation Cassiopeia is retreating down after dark. But for mid-northern latitudes Cassiopeia is circumpolar, never going away completely. Look for it fairly low in the north-northwest these evenings. It’s standing nearly on end.

 

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This month’s meeting will be on April 12 at 7PM.

The meeting will be done remotely as was last month’s meeting. Details and instructions will be issued as the time nears.

I hope to see you there!

Mark Wells
WD4NYL & WRJE893
Editor
ALERT Newsletter
Wd4nyl@bellsouth.net

Mark’s Weatherlynx
Weather Resource Database
www.freewebs.com/weatherlynx/

Hi Everyone,

The Birminghamfest is almost here, and I hope you can attend.

This event will be held at the Trussville Civic Center on Friday March 4 from 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM and Saturday, March 5 from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM.

There will be forums, vendors, ham radio testing and a flea market with parts and equipment needing a new home.

Admission is $10, which includes 1 prize ticket. Children under 12 will be admitted for free.

For more information go to http://birminghamfest.org/

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Birmingham NWS Spring 2022 Storm Spotter Courses

The Birmingham NWS office will present several online Basic Spotter Courses and a single online Advanced Spotter Course this spring. These online classes allow individuals to complete the courses in the comfort of their own home or office using GoToWebinar.

By attending any course, which are free and runs about 2 hours, individuals or a group of individuals will become SKYWARN Storm Spotters.

Unless you are in need of or just want to attend a refresher Course, you do not need to attend more than one Basic SKYWARN Course, as the material covered is the same; however it is required you to attend at least one Basic SKYWARN Course before taking the Advanced SKYWARN Course.

These courses are two-way, meaning you will be able to interact with the meteorologist leading the training. You will be muted while training is in-progress, and unmuted when applicable (e.g., for questions); or, you can use the built-in chat feature.

How do you Attend an Online SKYWARN Spotter Class?

To avoid being hurried, give yourself at least 15 minutes prior to
the start of the class to complete the following steps:

1. Via the schedule below, register by clicking the link
corresponding to the class you’d like to attend.

2. Select the ‘join webinar’ button on the registration page or
in your confirmation email and follow the prompts.

3. Enjoy the class and ask questions.

The current online schedule is as follows:

Basic Class Tuesday, March 9at 1:00 PM
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4995442385794405132
Basic Class Tuesday, March 8 at 6:30 PM
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2635345074819786765
Basic Class Thursday, March 10 at 6:30 PM
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7540743634374993676
Basic Class Wednesday, March 23 at 6:30 PM
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2681283770139924492
Advanced Class Tuesday March 30, at 6:30 PM
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3265345446326175243

These classes will help you provide the NWS the vital “ground truth” information they need to verify radar indications, target their attention and help you relay reports in a clear manner to the NWS, via the direct number, by calling 205-664-3010 and pressing option 2, online at http://www.weather.gov/bmx/submit_storm_report or amateur radio.

This knowledge helps SKYWARN Net Control stations filter reports, by giving them knowledge of what reporting stations are trying to describe. This way they can tell if the report is a valid report, an invalid report by an overly excited operator or a valid, but poorly described report, which without this knowledge would be mistakenly dismissed.

For further information on these classes visit: http://www.weather.gov/bmx/skywarnschedule

 

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N1YZ HF Net LIST

Ham radio nets have always had a special place in my heart.

It was listening to hams working the tornado outbreak of April 3, 1974, on the AENX or Alabama Emergency Net Xray on the old 146.94 MHz repeater that piqued my interest in amateur radio.

There are many types of nets. There are emergency nets, disaster relief nets, DX spotting nets, social nets and NTS or National Traffic System Nets such as the Alabama Traffic Net Mike or ATNM. The ATNM which meets nightly at 18:30 UTC and Sunday morning at 8:30 UTC on 3.965 MHz LSB, is a net which along with other state or section nets, region nets and wide area nets provide a nationwide network for passing radiograms which provide a crucial non-internet dependent means of communications, which is even more relevant than ever considering the fragile nature of modern communications, where an incident or accident a thousand miles away can knock out communications in your own back yard.

The ATNM becomes the Alabama Emergency Net Mike during emergency situations and id the statewide ARES Net.

The designations Alabama Emergency Net “Xray” and “Mike” are legacy designations going back to a time in the 60’s and 70’s when Alabama’s nets were organized in a system called “the Alabama Emergency Net System.

Some nets that are in this system or at one time were, are:

Alabama Emergency Net Alpha – St. Clair County
Alabama Emergency Net Bravo – Defunct Alabama CW NTS Section Net 3.575 MHz
Alabama Emergency Net Delta – Defunct Alabama Slow Speed CW NTS Section Net 3.725 MHz
Alabama Emergency Net Juliette – Northwest AL
Alabama Emergency Net Kilo – Franklin, Mario & Winston Counties
Alabama Emergency Net Mike – Statewide ARES Net 3.965 MHz
Alabama Emergency Net November – Now the Shelby County ARES Net
Alabama Emergency Net Quebec – Covington County
Alabama Emergency Net Sierra – Marshall County
Alabama Emergency Net Uniform – Tuscaloosa County
Alabama Emergency Net Victor – Tallapoosa County
Alabama Emergency Net Whiskey – Calhoun County
Alabama Emergency Net Xray – Now the Jefferson County Emergency Net
Alabama Emergency Net Yankee – Etowah County
Alabama Emergency Net Zulu – Dekalb County

I know there are some I missed, and If anyone has further information I would be interested.

What ever became of the Alabama Emergency Net System, whether it still exists or not, I have never been able to determine. In fact, based on fruitless inquiries, I’m not sure if anyone other than me remembers that it even existed.

Back on topic, our friend, Rod Scott N1YZ has created an HF Net Webpage. This directory is in the form of a Google Doc and is maintained and updated by Rod, as he receives inputs, updates and corrections from his ham audience.

Rod has passed the link along to us.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cpaIUPJOG9Kdb0Xo-hyzhcVKcyvOr37vrGIF1mIETHs/edit#gid=906307814

If you know of other nets which should be added to the list let Rod know.

Special thanks to Rod for making this list available to us.

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Mark’s Almanac

Originally called Martius, March is the third month & first month of the Roman calendar. March is named for Mars, the god of war, and was the start of the military campaign season.

The beginning of “Meteorological Spring”, which is based on changes in temperature and precipitation, not the solar angle, is March 1

March is a wet month. Most floods occur in March and rainfall averages around 6 inches.
Tornadic activity sharply increases in March with there being an increase of 2.2 times the number of tornadoes over the February amount. The focal point for this tornadic activity is the Gulf States.

March is the hail maximum for the Deep South. This is due both to the number of thunderstorms & due to the freezing level still being near the surface. This allows hail to form at lower altitudes and reach the ground intact, as opposed to summer months, when the freezing level is higher and near surface level temperatures are higher melting the hail into liquid before impact.

North Atlantic Tropical activity remains at a minimum. From 1851 to 2021 there has been only one Hurricane to occur. A 100 MPH unnamed Hurricane which affected the Lesser Antilles in March 6- 9, 1908. Some sources also cite a pre-Civil War Tropical Storm also occurring, but others do not.

South Atlantic Tropical activity doesn’t have a sharp peak as the North Atlantic season does in September, however currently March has a thin lead in activity, as from 1957 – 2021 there have been 86 identified Tropical or Subtopical Storms, including the only known South Atlantic Hurricane – Hurricane Catarina which struck Brazil March 28, 2004.

Brazilian authorities at first were unwilling to admit that Catarina was a hurricane, for up until that time is was considered impossible for the South Atlantic to generate a tropical system, due to wind shear, cold sea surface temperatures and the lack of storm systems from which a storm could develop. With extensive damage from an impossible storm looking at them, they finally reluctantly agreed that maybe NOAA’s opinion was right.

Meanwhile, back in Alabama…

Killing frosts are gone and the last average frost is on March 16.

March is a snow month for Alabama & there is a 45% chance of snow up to one inch, and an 8% chance of one inch or more.

The good news is that there is hope on the horizon as Spring will arrive at Vernal Equinox on March 20 at 15:33 UTC or 10:33 AM CDT.

The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of fall, or Autumnal Equinox, in the Southern Hemisphere.

Remember to get the eggs out, as it is said that you can stand eggs on their ends at the hour of equinox.

You might also think about the Aurora, for Auroras love equinoxes. At this time of year, the interplanetary magnetic field or IMF can link up with Earth’s magnetic field, prying open cracks. Solar wind then pours in to fuel displays of the aurora borealis with no geomagnetic storm required. Researchers call this the Russell-McPherron Effect, named after the physicists who first described it in the 1970s

If you do see them be cautioned though, for among some northern Native American tribes it is said that as you are looking at the northern lights do not wave sing or whistle at them. Alerted to your presence the spirits of the lights will come down and take you away.

This month sees the return of Ruby Throated Humming Birds and the Giant Yellow Sulfur Butterflies that migrated south during the Fall.

Days grow longer as the Sun’s angle above the noonday horizon rapidly increases from 49.0 degrees at the beginning of the month to 60.7 degrees at the end. Daylight increases from 11 hours 28 minutes on March 1 to 12 hours 30 minutes on March 31.

Sunrise and sunset times for Birmingham are:

March 1 Sunrise 6:16 AM Sunset 5:44 PM
March 15 Sunrise 6:58 AM Sunset 6:55 PM
March 31 Sunrise 6:36 AM Sunset 7:07 PM *Daylight Savings Time

Why the sunrise is later midmonth as opposed to the first and the last of the month is due to a combination of the quirks in the Earth’s orbit, it’s axial tilt and it being near equinox affecting the length of day based on sunlight as opposed to the measurement of time based on the Earth’s rotation.

Daylight Savings Time begins at 2 AM on March 13. So remember to “spring forward” one hour. This, of course means I will lose one hour of “beauty sleep”, which is something I desperately need.

I don’t particularly care for Daylight Savings Time. I share the same opinion I found on the “Republic Of Lakotah” website:

When told the reason for daylight saving time the old Native American said…
“Only a white man would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket and sew it to the bottom of a blanket and have a longer blanket.”

Saint Patrick’s Day is Thursday March 17, and you better participate by wearing a Touch O’ The Green or you will be plagued by leprechauns and gnomes. Not a pleasant experience, I can assure you.

Looking skyward, the Sun, magnitude -26.8 is in Aquarius.

At the beginning of the month Mercury, magnitude -0.1 in Capricornus, is below the horizon at the first of the month but will soon reappear the predawn sky.

Venus, magnitude –4.8 in Sagittarius, rises 2 ½ hours before sunrise and is approaching
“Greatest elongation west” or her highest position in the predawn skies, which will occur on March 20, when she will be 46.6° above the horizon.

Earth, magnitude -4.0, as viewed from the Sun, is in the constellation Pisces.

Mars, magnitude +1.3, in Sagittarius, rises 2 hours before sunrise.

Dwarf Planet Ceres, magnitude 8.7 is in Taurus.

Jupiter, magnitude –2.0 in Aquarius, is hidden in the Sun’s glare and will pass behind the Sun or be in Conjunction on March 5.

Saturn, magnitude +1.4, in Capricornus, is hidden in the glare of the Sun.

Uranus, magnitude +5.8, in southwestern Aries, becomes visible above the Western horizon around 6:39 PM CDT as dusk fades and sets around 10:38 PM.

Neptune, magnitude +7.8 in Aquarius, is hidden behind the Sun and will pass directly behind the Sun at Solar Conjunction on March 13.

Dwarf Planet Pluto, with his five moons shines at a dim 14.5 in Sagittarius.

Dwarf Planet 136108 Haumea, her ring and moons Hiʻiaka and Namaka, shines at a faint magnitude of 17.4 in Bootes.

Dwarf Planet 136472 Makemake with his moon S/2015 (136472) faintly shines at magnitude 17.2 in Coma Berenices.

Dwarf Planet 136199 Eris and her moon Dysnomia is barely visible in the most powerful telescopes at magnitude 18.8 in Cetus the Sea Monster.

At least four additional bodies with the preliminary criteria for identifying dwarf planets, and though not “officially” declared as such, are generally called dwarf planets by astronomers as well.

90482 Orcus, and his moon Vanth shines at magnitude 19.1 between Hydra and Serpens.

50000 Quaoar,and his moon Waywot shines at magnitude +18.6 in Ophiucus,

90377 Sedna, the coldest, and at one time, the most distant known place in the Solar System, glows faintly at magnitude +20.7 in Taurus.

90377 Sedna, glows faintly at magnitude +20.7 in Taurus.

225088 Gonggong, and his moon Xiangli glows dimly at +21.5 magnitude in Aquarius.

Currently the most distant observable known object in the Solar System, and asteroid unofficially called Asteroid 2018 AG37, and nicknamed FarFarOut, glows at a barely detectable +25.5 magnitude in Lynx.

FarFarOut is 12,246,241,135 miles or in Light Time, 18 hours, 15 minutes and 40.1951 seconds from Earth.

This object was discovered during an ongoing search for the source of the “gravity well” or the pull of gravity of a large body in space beyond Neptune that is apparently altering the path of objects in the outer solar system. The yet to be discovered Planet X, presumably is a Neptune sized planet tracing an unusual, elongated orbit in the outer solar system 20 times more distant from the Sun than Neptune.

4935 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of February 22, per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/

New Moon will occur on March 13 at 11:38 AM CDT or 17:38 UTC. The Moon will be located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

First Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Western side illuminated, will occur March 10 at 4:46 AM or 10:46 UTC. During the Quarter Moons the Moon’s magnitude is -10.0

The Moon will be at Apogee or its farthest distance from Earth on March 17, when she will be 251,200 miles from Earth.

March’s Full Moon will occur on March 18 at 2:20 AM CST or 7:20 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as “Worm Moon”. So called because the rains disturb the earthworms & they are seen wiggling around after the rains.

This moon has also been known as the Full Crow Moon, the Full Crust Moon, the Full Sap Moon, and the Lenten Moon.

During a Full Moon the Moon’s magnitude is -12.7,

Vernal Equinox occurs at 9:33 AM CDT or 15:33 UTC on March 20. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of fall, autumnal equinox, in the Southern Hemisphere.

The name “Vernal” comes from the Latin vernālis, which means “of those things pertaining to the spring”.

The Moon will be at her closest distance from Earth or perigee at 229,761 miles on March 23.

Last Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Eastern side illuminated, will occur March 25 at 12:39 AM CDT or 18:39 UTC.

Celestial carnivores are emerging from hibernation. After dinnertime at this time of year, five carnivore constellations are rising upright in a ragged row from the northeast to south. They’re all seen in profile with their noses pointed up and their feet (if any) to the right. These are The Great Bear, Ursa Major in the northeast, with the Big Dipper as its brightest part, Leo the Lion in the east, Hydra the Sea Serpent in the southeast, The Lesser Dog, Canis Minor higher in the south-southeast, and The Greater Dog, bright Canis Major in the south.

Sirius, shining at magnitude −1.46, the brightest nighttime star, blazes high in the south on the meridian, in Canis Major by about 8 or 9 p.m. Using binoculars, you will find a fuzzy spot 4 degrees south of Sirius, directly below it when the constellation is directly South. Four degrees is somewhat less than the width of a typical binocular’s field of view.

That dim little patch of gray haze is open star cluster Messier 41, a small gravitationally bound group of 100 stars about 2,200 light-years away and moving away from us at 869 miles per second. Sirius, by comparison, is only 8.6 light-years away.

Canopus, shining at magnitude -0.72, making it the second-brightest star after Sirius, lies 36° almost due south of Sirius. That’s far enough south that it never appears above the horizon if you are above latitude 37° N, such as southern Virginia, southern Missouri and central California. Luckily we lie south of that latitude, with our horizon lying, in the case of Central Alabama, around latitude 33°.

Canopus is located in the southern constellation Carina, The Keel, part of the defunct constellation Argo Navis, the ship of Jason and the Argonauts who searched for the Golden Fleece.

The constellation of Argo was introduced in ancient Greece. However, due to the massive size of Argo Navis and the sheer number of stars that required separate designation, Nicolas Louis de Lacaille divided Argo into three sections in 1763, including Carina, the Hull or Keel, Puppis, the Poop Deck, and Vela the Sails.

In the 19th century, these three became established as separate constellations, and were formally included in the list of 88 modern IAU constellations in 1930.

Canopus, 313 light years away, crosses low above the horizon, due south just 21 minutes before Sirius and is worthy of a peak.

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This month’s meeting will be on March 8 at 7PM.

The meeting will be done remotely as was last month’s meeting. Details and instructions will be issued as the time nears.

I hope to see you there!

Mark Wells
WD4NYL & WRJE893
Editor
ALERT Newsletter
Wd4nyl@bellsouth.net

Mark’s Weatherlynx
Weather Resource Database
www.freewebs.com/weatherlynx/

Hi Everyone

Our spring tornado season is just around the corner and now is the time to review your plans and procedures for those storms to come.

Take this time brush up on your skills. Don’t wait until the sirens sound. For by then it may be too late.

In preparing, you should ask yourselves these questions:

Is my family shelter (and everyone should have one) ready?
Is my equipment, both antennae & radios working?
Are the batteries charged?
Are my communications channels still functional? Including RF, Internet & telephone resources.
Can I reliably receive weather watches and warnings?
If you are on the NWSChat or Slack Chat, is your password up to date?
Is your training and knowledge fresh, or do you need to do a quick review?

Are you prepared both at home and at work?

In preparing, remember that keeping yourself and your family alive and intact during and after the storms is your number one priority.

Here’s hoping that your February will be peaceful and safe.

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Blount County Repeaters

Last month I featured the list of repeaters which I have programmed in my Yaesu FT-817ND.

I have since learned of several repeaters in Blount County that I didn’t know about, which I wish to pass along to you.

In addition to the 146.700 MHz Nectar repeater (91.5 Hz tone), some excellent repeaters which you should also add to you lists are:

147.375 Straight Mountain 77.0 Hz tone
442.450 Snead 100.0 Hz tone
442.750 Palisades Park 123.0 Hz Tone
442.875 Pine Mountain 123.0 Hz Tone
443.875 Nectar 123.0 Hz Tone

Special thanks to JR Lowery KK4CWX for providing this list. I appreciate it!

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With the headlines filled with plagues, wars, rumors of wars and calamity…

Just for fun…

The Grand Adventures Of Mister Muff Muff

Some dog people, hopefully not all, and certainly not you, can be a weird lot. With some you could call the owners mother a wanton harlot and it would not faze them in the least, but, let them think that you have hurt poor little Ruffles feelings, usually because the mutt just tore something up, and the owner did nothing about it, and you are now “someone we do not associate with”.

Doris and Phil decide to come over to Aunt Gladys’s house. They also decide to bring their darling English bulldog, known at the shows as Lord Fauntleroy Of Stonevale, but, more affectionately known as Mr. Muff Muff. Because he likes visiting and they know everyone loves seeing little Mr. Muff Muff.

They don’t bother informing Aunt Gladys that they are bringing the 50 pound bulldog, who has a little drooling problem, just little incontinence and more than a little flatulence, since after all everyone looks forward to a visit from Mr. Muff Muff.

I mean, who wouldn’t?

They arrive, and Doris carefully adjusts Mr. Muff Muff’s designer bandana cooing “oh my handsome Boo Bear” as they get out of the car. The first thing Mr. Muff Muff does is run off Aunt Gladys’s cat, Mittens and her kittens to parts unknown. “Mr. Muff Muff, you little imp.” Doris cheerfully says.

That’s about all you can hear though, because Mr. Muff Muff starts barking and growling incessantly at Aunt Gladys, until he sees her reading glasses on the table, which he grabs and promptly chews to pieces. “Mr. Muff Muff, whatever am I going to do with you?” Doris chimes in that sing song voice that makes everyone cringe.

Aunt Gladys mumbles something about a little arsenic, but that isn’t heard, because there is a loud ripping sound from the corner of the room. Sitting in the corner is Great Great Grandma Lucille’s Chair. You know, the one that escaped the fire set when Sherman burned the plantation down in the War Of Northern Aggression.

The cushion that Great Great Grandma’s Lucille’s mother hand sewed in the log cabin is in the finishing process of being ripped to shreds and 185 year old feathers are floating everywhere. “Oh Mr. Muff Muff, you are a naughty little boy, aren’t you?” Doris laughingly says.

About that time Mr. Muff Muff jumps on the new sofa and loses bladder control.

“GET THAT BEAST OUT OF MY HOUSE!” screams Aunt Gladys, causing Mr. Muff Muff to run to the opposite corner leaving a little river across the wool carpet. You know, the imported wool one that Aunt Gladys jokingly told Phil came from a giant sheep in New Zealand and he believed it.

“Well if our precious one is not welcome, then neither are we”, Doris defiantly cries, throwing her head in the air as she stomps out of the door, with Phil cuddling poor Mr. Muff Muff and choking back tears, either due to Mr. Muff Muff’s trauma, or perhaps due to the sulfurous waft left in Mr. Muff Muff’s wake which ia curling the ceiling tiles.

Some years later Aunt Gladys passes away. Doris and Phil proudly declare they won’t “darken the halls of the church for that cruel crone”. No one misses them. They certainly don’t miss Mr. Muff Muff, remembering the incident at Uncle Oscar’s funeral when he tipped the coffin over, with Doris all the while cooing “oh how precious, he wants some ‘Unk Unk’ love”. And, the coffin having landed on Father Dominic’s foot, explains why he walks with a limp to this day.

As expected they get the call from the lawyer about Aunt Gladys’s will. Unexpectedly, it seems Aunt Gladys changed the will and the 250 million she was going to give Doris went to Mittens the Cat instead, along with a letter to Doris explaining in the most exacting detail why.

Mittens and her descendants lived happily ever after at the estate in Maui.

Doris still works the drive through at the Taco World in Picayune to this day.

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Mark’s Almanac

February, or Februarius, as the Romans called it, is named after the Latin term februum, which means “purification”. Ancient Rome celebrated the Februa purification ritual on February 15, which was Full Moon on the old lunar based Latin calendar.

February was not originally included in the Roman calendar, which began in March, but was added, along with January by Numa Pompilius around 713 BC, and until 450 BC was considered the last month of the year.

February was originally 29 days long, but one day was taken and added to August, so the that Emperor Augustus’s month would be equal to Julius Caesar’s month of July. Now only Leap Year, which will next occur in 2024, has 29 days.

Ground Hog Day is on February 2 & believers will watch that flea bitten danged old Yankee Punxsutawney Phil and (if he hasn’t gone to the Great Burrow In The Sky), True Southern Gentleman Birmingham Bill, to see if they see their shadows. If so, prepare for six more weeks of winter.

How did we come up with Groundhog Day anyway?

It is said by one theory that the first day of Spring is about six weeks after Groundhog Day, on March 20 or 21. 1000 years ago when the world used the Julian calendar, Spring Equinox fell on March 16, which is exactly six weeks after February 2. So, if the groundhog saw his shadow on Groundhog Day there would be six more weeks of winter. But, if he didn’t, there would be only 42 more days of winter left instead. Get the calculator out and you will find that 42 days equals six weeks, so Groundhog Day may have started out as a practical joke.

The modern 21 Century version blurs this into saying that if a groundhog emerges from its burrow and fails to see its shadow, winter will soon end. If not, it will return into its burrow, and the winter will continue for 6 more weeks.

It is believed that the Germans in Pennsylvania brought Groundhog Day with them.

 

Morgantown, Pennsylvania storekeeper James Morris’ diary entry for Feb. 4, 1841 states “Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate.”

So, how accurate is the little goomer?

Well, Groundhog Day believers claim a 75% to 90% accuracy rate. The National Climatic Data Center, on the other hand, says it’s more like 39%.

But, you know how Heathens can be.

If the NCDC is right, maybe they can still use the critter anyway, by flipping the theory around, so if he predicts warmth, you go with winter & vice versa.

I think this is called “Inverse Forecasting”. Or it should be anyway.

In the Southern Hemisphere February is the equivalent of August. But, for us, February is a cold month with more snow falling in February than in any other month.

Statistically speaking, there is a 70% chance of snow flurries, and a 57% chance of snow up to one inch. There is a 13% chance of over one inch, and a 3% chance of 4 inches or more.

There is hope on the horizon though, as the worst of winter weather is usually over by February 15.

North Atlantic Tropical activity is at a minimum. From 1851 to 2021 there has been only one Tropical Storm to occur, 70 MPH Tropical Storm #1, which affected Florida on February 2 & 3, 1952.

Days grow longer as the Sun’s angle above the noonday horizon rapidly increases from 39.5 degrees at the beginning of the month to 48.6 degrees at the end. Daylight increases from 10 hours 35 minutes on February 1 to 11 hours 26 minutes on February 28.

Sunrise and sunset times for Birmingham are:

February 1 Sunrise 6:44 AM Sunset 5:18 PM
February 14 Sunrise 6:33 AM Sunset 5:31 PM
February 28 Sunrise 6:17 AM Sunset 5:43 PM

Looking skyward, the Sun, magnitude -26.8 is in Capricornus.

At the beginning of the month Mercury, magnitude +4.6 in Capricornus, is rising higher in the predawn sky.

On February 16 Mercury will reach his highest point above the eastern horizon or “Greatest Western Elongation, 26.3 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since he will be at his highest point above the horizon in the morning sky. Look for the planet low in the eastern sky just before sunrise

Having emerged from the sunrise, after passing between the Earth and Sun, with his unilluminated side turned towards the Earth, he has reemerged as a thin, barely illuminated crescent. As the weeks proceed, this crescent will wax and becomes gibbous.

Since Mercury can only be observed in twilight, he is particularly difficult to find when he is in the thin crescent phase. So, he will be significantly easier to see in the days after he reaches his highest point in the sky, when he will show a gibbous phase, than in the days beforehand.

Venus, magnitude -4.7 in Sagittarius, shines brilliantly in the predawn morning sky reaching her greatest brilliancy for 2022 on February 9th.

On that date she will rise at 4:04 AM, 2 hours and 31 minutes before the Sun at an altitude of 23° above the south-eastern horizon before fading from view as dawn breaks around 06:19 AM.

If you get a chance, get up early, sip a little coffee and take a look at our bright neighbor, for she won’t appear this bright again until July 2023.

She will reach her highest altitude of 27 degrees above the horizon on February 21, blazing in darkness and into the pink twilight sky.

In a small telescope she is a dazzling thin crescent, getting a little thicker and smaller each day.

Earth, magnitude -4.0, as viewed from the Sun, is in the Constellation Leo.

Mars, magnitude +1.5 on the far side of his orbit from us in Sagittarius, is emerging from behind the Sun, low in the east-southeastern sky.

He rises two hours before sunrise and will reach the horizon at 5:55 AM.

Autumnal Equinox will occur in Mars northern hemisphere, and Vernal Equinox in the southern hemisphere on February 24.

Dwarf Planet Ceres, magnitude 8.3, is in Taurus.

Jupiter , magnitude –2.0, in Aquarius, still shines brightly in the southwest at dusk, a little lower every day. He will soon disappear into the glow of the Sun.

Saturn, magnitude +0.8 in Capricornus, will pass behind the Sun on February 4 and will emerge very low in the east-southeast morning twilight in mid-February.

Uranus, magnitude 5.8, is in Aries, north of the head of Cetus the Sea Monster, is very high in the south-southwest in early evening. He will set around midnight.

In binoculars Uranus is a little pinpoint “star” and in small telescopes with sharp optics, high power and a spell of good seeing, a tiny, fuzzy ball.

Neptune, magnitude 7.8, in Aquarius, is hidden in the glow of the Sun

Dwarf Planet Pluto, with his five moons shines at a dim 14.4 in Sagittarius.

Dwarf Planet 136108 Haumea, her ring and moons Hiʻiaka and Namaka, shines at a faint magnitude of 17.4 in Bootes.

Haumea, discovered in December 2004, is the goddess of fertility and childbirth in Hawaiian mythology.

Dwarf Planet 136472 Makemake with his moon S/2015 (136472) faintly shines at magnitude 17.2 in Coma Berenices.

Makemake is the creator of humanity and god of fertility in the myths of the Rapa Nui, the native people of Easter Island.

After its discovery on March31, 2005, Makemake was given the official provisional designation 2005 FY9 when the discovery was made public. Before that, the discovery team used the nickname “Easterbunny” for the object, because of its discovery shortly after Easter.

Dwarf Planet 136199 Eris and her moon Dysnomia is barely visible in the most powerful telescopes at magnitude 18.8 in Cetus the Sea Monster.

Eris, discovered in January 2005, is named after the Greek goddess of strife and discord. Her Roman equivalent is Discordia, which means the same. Eris’s Greek opposite is Harmonia, whose Roman counterpart is Concordia.

Dysnomia is from the Ancient Greek word Δυσνομία meaning “anarchy & lawlessness” and is the daughter Eris.

Eris was initially labeled by NASA as the “Tenth Planet” and was temporarily named “Xena” after TV’s “Xena The Warrior Princess” and her moon “Gabrielle”, after Xena’s sidekick.

At least four additional bodies meet the preliminary criteria for identifying dwarf planets, and though not “officially” declared as such, are generally called dwarf planets by astronomers as well.

The unofficial official list includes:

50000 Quaoar, magnitude +18.6 in Ophiucus, was discovered June 5, 2002 and announced October 7 of that year. Quaoar has one known moon named Waywot.

Quaoar was temporarily nicknamed “Object X” as a reference to Planet X, due to its potentially large size and unknown nature.

Both objects were eventually named after mythological figures from the Native American Tongva people in Southern California. Quaoar is the Tongva creator deity and Weywot is his son.

90377 Sedna, magnitude +20.7 in Taurus, was discovered November 14, 2003 and announced March 15, 2004.

Sedna was nicknamed “The Flying Dutchman”, or “Dutch”, after a legendary ghost ship, because its slow movement had initially masked its presence from researchers.

Because it is the coldest, most distant place known in the Solar System, it was decided to name the object “Sedna” honor of Sedna, the Inuit goddess of the sea, who is thought to live at the bottom of the frigid Arctic Ocean.

90482 Orcus, magnitude 19.1 between Hydra and Serpens, was discovered February 17, 2004 and announced two days later. Orcus has one known moon, named Vanth.

Orcus is very similar to Pluto, both in size and orbit, and since Pluto is the god of the underworld, they kept with the theme naming this object Orcus.

Orcus was a god of the underworld, punisher of broken oaths in Etruscan and Roman mythology. As with Hades, the name of the god was also used for the underworld itself.

Vanth, was named after a winged female demon of the Etruscan underworld. She could be present at the moment of death, and frequently acted as a psychopomp, a guide of the deceased to the underworld.

Not a heifer you exactly want to mess with.

225088 Gonggong, +21.5 magnitude in Aquarius, was discovered July 17, 2007 and announced January 2009. Gonggong has one moon, Xiangli.

Initially nicknamed the object “Snow White” for its presumed white color as it was assumed to be ice covered, Gongong is the Chinese water god responsible for chaos, floods and the tilt of the Earth. Xiangliu, was a nine-headed poisonous snake monster in Chinese mythology that attended the water god Gonggong as his chief minister.
Gonggong was recognized as a dwarf planet by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA in May 2016.

Elsewhere, 4903 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of January 10, per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/

New Moon occurs February 1 at 5:48 UTC when the Moon will on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

Now. this month we have a situation in which the New Moon is occurring in two months at the same time, as 5:48 UTC February 1st is also 11:48 CST on January 31.

If you have two New Moons in a month, or a “the third New Moon in a season with four New Moons”, the second New Moon is unofficially called by some a “Black Moon”.

So, from Alabama westward it will be a January 31 Black Moon, from Georgia eastward, just a New Moon.

To help further complicate things further, February is a short month, having only 28 days this year, so there will not be another New Moon for Alabama until March. So, technically Alabama eastward will experience a February without a New Moon, which only happens every 19 years, and only in February. This has also been tagged the name “Black Moon”.

Either way, we are going to have one, (or is it two?) Black Moons. One on January 31 and not having a New Moon in February, a second one.

First Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Western side illuminated, will occur February 8.

During the Quarter Moons the Moon is only 10% as bright as a Full Moon.

The Moon will be at Apogee or its farthest distance from Earth on February 10, when she will be 251,591 miles from Earth.
Full Moon will occur February 16 at 10:59 AM CST or 16.59 UTC. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be fully illuminated. February’s Full Moon is “Full Snow Moon” in Native American folklore, since the heaviest snows usually fall at this time of year. Since the harsh weather made hunting difficult, some tribes called it “Full Hunger Moon”.

Last Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Eastern side illuminated, will occur February 23.

The Moon will be at Perigee or her closest approach to Earth on February 3, when she will be 228,532 miles from Earth.

The February sky is alit with bright stars. Orion the Hunter is overhead, along with his faithful hunting dogs, Canis Major & Canis Minor, the Large & Lesser Dogs. In Canis Major is the blue star Sirius, The Dog Star, which 8.6 light years away, is the brightest star in the night sky.

February and March are the best times of the year for seeing the Zodiacal Light. In the evening away from city lights and after twilight has faded you might see a faint, roughly triangular, whitish glow near the sunset point. This is Zodiacal Light, which is formed by the sunlight reflecting off millions of minute particles of cosmic dust aligned with the Earth’s orbital plane.

A kindred, but much fainter glow is the “Counterglow” or “Gegenschein”. This is a glow in the night sky directly opposite the Sun caused by sunlight being reflected by dust and particles in the disk shaped interplanetary dust cloud which lies along the plane of the Solar System. These particles are the debris from comet and asteroid collisions.

To see the Gegenschein you must look around midnight in very dark, non-light polluted skies. In February it is located near base of the head of Leo The Lion.

You will probably have to use “averted vision”, a trick astronomers use to see faint objects.

Averted vision is a technique for viewing faint objects which uses your peripheral vision instead of looking directly at the object.

This technique compensates for fact that the retina of the human eye has virtually no rods, the cells which detect dim light in black and white near the focal point of the eye, but, has mostly cone cells, which serve as bright light and color detectors and are not as useful during the night.
This situation results in a decrease in visual sensitivity in central field of vision at night.

But by looking as an object a little off to the nasal side of the field of view, which avoids the possibility that the object will be imaged on the blind spot, which everyone has at approximately 15 degrees on the cheek side of the field of vison, you can use the most light sensitive part of the eye, which is around 20 degrees off the center of vision.

For right-eyed observers it is best to shift to the right, and for left-eye observers it is best to shift to the left.

I have used this technique for many years and though it can be frustrating not being able to look directly at an object, as they tend to disappear from view when you look directly at them, it does work, and the object appears brighter. This is especially useful for observing diffuse objects such as galaxies, comets and nebulae.

You should give your eyes time to adapt to the dark. It can take typically 7 minutes for your eyes to become used to darkness and up to 30 minutes to become totally adjusted to the dark conditions of observing.

Care should be taken not to ruin this dark adaptation by being exposed to bright lights, such as headlights from passing cars, flashlights or moonlight. Lights with red filters will not harm the eyes sensitivity.

Relaxing your eyes also helps. By straining at objects or squinting eyes we place stress on them which makes it harder for the eye to refocus on objects. By relaxing our eyes when we look through a telescope or by using an eye patch we can improve our vision.

An eyepatch also helps preserve dark adapted eyesight. There is a theory that the reason so many pirates are depicted as wearing eyepatches isn’t that they typically had the worst of luck in combat with all of them losing an eye, but rather they were preserving their “night eye” so that when they went below the deck, which was very poorly lit, they could still see.

Very few people have actually seen the Gegenschein, for finding a dark enough sky can be a challenge. The least light polluted skies in Alabama are in a crescent shaped area of west Alabama from west of Tuscaloosa to near the Mississippi border and north and south of that line. An especially good area is southwest Alabama from south of Tuscaloosa to north of Mobile. Another area is southeast of Montgomery towards Eufaula.

Light Pollution Map – DarkSiteFinder.com

For the Gegenschein’s position for other months see:

https://earthsky.org/upl/2020/03/Screen-Shot-2020-03-02-at-11.19.39-AM-e1583166166450.png

Another sight to look for which is much more common is the Earth Shadow. At sunset, on very clear days, as the sun goes farther below the horizon, you will see what appears to be a layer of gray cloud rising along the eastern horizon. This is actually the silhouette of the earth’s shadow being cast against darkening sky, sometimes with a pinkish glow along the edge. It fades as twilight fades into darkness.

The pink fringe, which is technically called an “anti-twilight arch” was called in Victorian times “The Belt of Venus” or “Venus’s Girdle” and the shadow itself being “the dark segment”.

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This month’s meeting will be on February 8 at 7PM.

The meeting will be done remotely as was last month’s meeting. Details and instructions will be issued as the time nears.

I hope to see you there!

Finally, we are in need for weather, radio & emergency communications related articles for this newsletter. Any help at all will be appreciated.

Mark Wells
WD4NYL & WRJE893

Editor
ALERT Newsletter
Wd4nyl@bellsouth.net

Hi everyone & Happy New Year!

I hope you had a safe and happy holiday season. Santa was good to me with books and LOTS to eat, which seeing that my New Year’s Resolution is to become the Fat of The Land, worked out perfectly.

As we begin, I wanted to discuss the Newsletter for a moment.

One thing that I have occasionally pointed out is that this is YOUR newsletter, not mine. I am merely the caretaker.

I have been producing this newsletter since 2007 and there are a couple of favors that I would like to ask of you.

First, and this is an easy one, is that if you are reading this newsletter, let me know. Whether you love it, loathe it or need to be “marked safe from” it, let me know, so I can get an idea of whether there is still an audience or a need for it. A simple “yeah, I read the garbage” will do. Wd4nyl@bellsouth.net

Secondly, I need articles. It was suggested once that I write an article on digital modes and their comparative features. I can’t do this, as I am in no way versed in the subject. I see we use DMR, Allstar, D-Star, EchoLink, IRLP, WinLink along with social media platforms such as Zello & Telegram and the more familiar Twitter, Facebook and MeWe.

Some I am familiar with, some are complete mysteries to me, and I can’t fake the knowledge needed to write a credible, coherent article, but there are others with our group who are very knowledgeable in these modes and if they could write a simple overview for dummies such as I on how they work, and how ALERT utilizes these modes it would be appreciated.

That’s all!

I hope 2022 is kind, peaceful and prosperous for you!

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Optimizing An HF Transceiver’s General Coverage Capabilities

One feature most modern High Frequency transceivers feature is a top rate general coverage receiver, usually covering from 100 kHz to 30 MHz, This covering the longwave, mediumwave, and shortwave portions of the radio frequency spectrum.

These frequencies cover broadcast, marine, aviation, government, and of course amateur radio frequencies.

Forty-four years ago, as a young amateur and even before, I would have given my eyeteeth to have my grubby little hands on such a resource, as I was and still am interested in shortwave radio and AM DXing.

The first taste of these capabilities came when I found a Radio Shack DX-300 receiver at a Birminghamfest in the 1980’s. This receiver was unique in that it covered the mysterious realm below 100 kHz, covering, according to the box, from 10 kHz to 100 kHz. In reality, it went all the way down to 3 kHz.

Using transformer wire salvaged from old TV sets I strung 1000 feet of wire in the back yard, which gained me a visit from a Birmingham fireman cautioning me against installing an electric fence in Birmingham. I explained it was an antenna used for receiving very low frequency signals and apparently, he did not believe me, for a week later I heard a voice outside my house saying “no, it’s an antenna, haven’t you ever seen an antenna before?” I looked out to see a BFD Lieutenant explaining the wire to the fireman I had spoken to.

I never heard from them again.

Using that antenna and a crude filter I made to filter out bleed over from AM broadcast stations, I was able to tune in the USSR Alpha navigation beacon on 11.9 kHz, and the now defunct US Omega navigation beacons at 10.2, 13.6 &11.33 kHz. Scattered around I heard jingle of RTTY being sent by the US Navy to submerged submarines, the weird sounding digital signal of WWVB on 60 kHz setting folks “atomic clocks”.

Also, there were strange natural signals such as “whistlers” which sound like someone whistling “whew”, which are radio waves caused by thunderstorm lightning strikes in South America travelling along the Earth’s magnetic field to a similar longitude in the Northern hemisphere, and the “dawn chorus” a birdlike sound that occurs at dawn.

To quote Wikipedia “The electromagnetic dawn chorus is believed to be generated by a Doppler-shifted cyclotron interaction between anisotropic distributions of energetic (> 40 keV) electrons and ambient background VLF noise.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Frequencies below 3 kHz are in use. Namely by the Indian and Russian Navy. The Russian ZEVS (Zeus) system transmits signals to deeply submerged submarines on 82 Hz. The rules of physics become mushy at these low frequencies and due to this radio waves travel lower than the speed of light. Signals must be sent very slowly and basically it is used as a pager telling the submarines to rise to a level where they can receive commands from the VLF systems.

Why manufacturers don’t include these frequencies below 100 kHz, I don’t know. But I wish they did.

Back on topic, while most hams now have good general coverage receivers at their fingertips, many, perhaps most, never venture out of the ham bands to explore what is out there. In fact, there is an old joke that some hams set their VFOs to 3.965 MHz, the Alabama Section Net frequency, glue the tuning shaft in place and break off the knobs, never venturing anywhere else and never powering down either.

But there is a fascinating world “between the bands” to be explored. Whether it is shortwave broadcasters, ships at sea or transoceanic air traffic, it’s all out there waiting to be heard. There is heavy use of HF by the world’s militaries. Some is in CW, most is in USB and is not scrambled, but readily heard.

Low VHF is also heavily used between 30 & 35 MHz by military forces. That’s why tanks, Humvees and have long antennas like the 102” whips you sometimes see for CB radios. Both the US Army and the Russian Army used these frequencies. A point to remember if you have a scanner.

Recently I acquired a Yaesu FT-817ND, which is an all mode QRP rig, covering HF, 6 meters, 2 meters and 70 centimeters aka “440”.

Though the manual says somewhat differently, 100 kHz – 30 MHz and 30 MHz to 50 MHz, the HF portion covers from 100 kHz to 33 MHz, and then the low VHF portion picks up at the 30 MHz point and continues to 56 MHz, providing all mode coverage.

This radio has 200 channels and as I started programming the various repeaters, a friend suggested that the way I was programming the radio was not utilizing this radio to its full potential.

He pointed out that if I program an HF frequency into memory and touch the VFO, the frequency will go up or down. Using this idea, I could use the memory as a secondary band switch and preprogram whatever band I wanted, in addition to the amateur bands covered by the normal band selector.

Going with this approach, the following is how I have programmed this radio. Perhaps you can use the same method to program your radio.

1. 135.7 kHz 2200 Meter Ham Band (135.7 – 137.8 kHz)
2. 472.0 kHz 630 Meter Ham Band (472.0 – 479.0 kHz)
3. 530.0 kHz AM Broadcast Band (530.0 – 1710.0 kHz)
4. 2.300 MHz 120 Meter Medium Wave Band (2.300 – 2.495 MHz) local tropical regions
5. 3.200 MHz 90 Meter Shortwave Band (3.200 – 3.400 MHz) local tropical regions
6. 3.900 MHz 75 Meter Shortwave Band (3.900 – 4.000 MHz) eastern hemisphere
7. 4.750 MHz 60 Meter Shortwave Band (4.750 – 4.995 MHz) local tropical regions
8. 5.900 MHz 49 Meter Shortwave Band (5.900 – 6.200 MHz) good year long night
9. 7.200 MHz 41 Meter Shortwave Band (7.300 – 7.450 MHz) Europe year long night
10. 9.400 MHz 31 Meter Shortwave Band (9.400 – 9.900 MHz) most heavily used band
11. 11.600 MHz 25 Meter Shortwave Band (11.600 – 12.100 MHz) best in summer
12. 13.570 MHz 22 Meter Shortwave Band (13.570 – 13.870 MHz) Eurasia summer best
13. 15.100 MHz 19 Meter Shortwave Band (15.100 – 15.830 MHz) day good, night varies
14. 17.480 MHz 16 Meter Shortwave Band (17.480 – 17.900 MHz) day good, night varies
15. 18.900 MHz 15 Meter Shortwave Band (18.900 – 19.030 MHz) lightly used
16. 21.450 MHz 13 Meter Shortwave Band (21.450 – 21.850 MHz) Asia – Pacific region
17. 25.670 MHz 11 Meter Shortwave Band (25.670 – 26.100 MHz) seldom used
18. 26.965 MHz Citizens Band Radio Service (26.965 – 27.405 MHz) CB 10-4!
19. 2.500 MHz WWV Colorado – Time & Frequency
20. 5.000 MHz WWV Colorado & WWVH Hawaii – Time & Frequency
21. 10.000 MHz WWV Colorado & WWVH Hawaii – Time & Frequency
22. 15.000 MHz WWV Colorado & WWVH Hawaii – Time & Frequency
23. 20.000 MHz WWV Colorado – Time & Frequency
24. 3.330 MHz CHU Ottawa, Ontario – Time & Frequency
25. 7.850 MHz CHU Ottawa, Ontario – Time & Frequency
26. 14.670 MHz CHU Ottawa, Ontario – Time & Frequency
27. 25.890 MHz Image NOAA Weatheradio 162.550 MHz (the image is 136.660 MHz lower)
28. 3.965 MHz Alabama Traffic Net LSB
29. 3.975 MHz Georgia Single Sideband Net LSB
30. 3.980 MHz Tennessee Phone Net LSB
31. 3.862 MHz Mississippi Section Net LSB
32. 3.950 MHz North Florida Section Net LSB
33. 3.935 MHz Central Gulf Coast Hurricane Net LSB
34. 7.243 MHz Alabama Traffic Net – Alternate LSB
35. 7.268 MHz Hurricane Watch Net – Alternate LSB
36. 14.325 MHz Hurricane Watch Net USB
37. 28.400 MHz Alabama Calling Frequency (unofficial) USB
38. 29.600 MHz FM Calling Frequency – Simplex
39. 29.620 MHZ Repeater – minus 100 kHz input
40. 28.640 MHz Repeater – minus 100 kHz input
41. 28.660 MHz Repeater – minus 100 kHz input
42. 28.680 MHz Repeater – minus 100 kHz input
43. 50.110 MHz DX Window CW & USB
44. 50.125 MHz USB Calling Frequency
45. 50.150 MHz North Alabama Net USB 8:30 PM Mon – Sat
46. 50.400 MHz AM Calling Frequency
47. 52.525 MHz FM Calling Frequency – Simplex
48. 53.090 MHz Bessemer, Jefferson County, AL – minus 1 MHz input – no tone
49. 53.110 MHz Warrior, AL – minus 1 MHz input – 131.8 Hz tone
50. 53.310 MHz Cullman, Cullman County, AL – minus 1 MHz input – no tone
51. 53.750 MHz Pelham, Shelby County, AL – minus 1 MHz input – 100.0 Hz tone
52. 144,200 MHz USB Calling Frequency
53. 145.130 MHz “Bald Rock”, St. Clair, County – minus 600 Hz input – 103.5 Hz tone
54. 145.230 MHz Birmingham, AL – UAB – minus 600 Hz input – 203.5 Hz tone
55. 145.350 MHz “Tall Tower”, Tuscaloosa County, AL – minus 600 Hz input – 91.5 Hz tone
56. 145.450 MHz Palmerdale, Jefferson County, AL – minus 600 Hz input – 100.0 Hz tone
57. 146.520 MHz FM Calling Frequency – Simplex
58. 146.580 MHz Central Alabama Simplex Net
59. 146.620 MHz Moody, St. Clair County, AL – minus 600 Hz input – 146.2 Hz tone
60. 146.640 MHz Jasper, Walker County, AL – minus 600 Hz input – 123.0 Hz tone
61. 146.700 MHz Nectar, Blount County, A – minus 600 Hz input L – 91.5 Hz tone
62. 146.760 MHz Birmingham, Jefferson County, AL – minus 600 Hz input – 88.5 Hz tone
63. 146.840 MHz Warrior, Jefferson County, AL – minus 600 Hz input – 156.7 Hz tone
64. 146.880 MHz Birmingham, Jefferson County, AL – minus 600 Hz input – 88.5 Hz tone
65. 146.980 MHz Columbiana, Shelby County, AL – minus 600 Hz input – 88.5 Hz tone
66. 147.075 MHz Trafford, Jefferson County, AL – plus 600 Hz input – 67.0 Hz tone
67. 147.120 MHz Corner, Jefferson County, AL – plus 600 Hz input – 100.0 Hz tone
68. 147.140 MHz “Hueytown”, Jefferson County, AL – plus 600 Hz input – 156.7 Hz tone
69. 147.280 MHz Birmingham, Jefferson County, AL – plus 600 Hz input – 100.0 Hz tone
70. 147.320 MHz Helena, Shelby County, AL – plus 600 Hz input – 88.50 Hz tone
71. 147.555 MHz “The Triple Nickel” FM Simplex
72. 432.100 MHz Trussville, Jefferson County, AL
73. 443.775 MHz Nectar, Blount County, AL- plus 5 MHz input – 91.5 Hz tone
74. 444.200 MHz Quinton, Walker County, AL – plus 5 MHz input – 179.9 Hz tone
75. 444.700 MHz Birmingham, Jefferson County AL – plus 5 MHz input 179.9 Hz tone
76. 444.875 MHz Birmingham, Jefferson County, AL – plus 5 MHz input – 131.8 Hz tone
77. 444.975 MHz Birmingham, Jefferson County, AL – plus 5 MHz input – 156.7 Hz tone
78. 446.000 MHz FM Calling Frequency – Simplex
79. 145.800 MHz International Space Station Downlink – input 144.490 MHz

Having programed 79 positions, I still have 121 channels I could use. I could program my favorite AM or FM radio stations, local aviation frequencies in the 108 – 130 MHz band, etc.

On the FT-817ND there is also a Channel 601 – 605 section, which covers the 60 meter amateur band.

Those I was careful not to delete!

A few notes:

Just above the 2200 meter ham band there is a longwave AM broadcast band used in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. This band lies between 153 – 279 kHz and is occasionally heard in North America. These stations have a much higher wattage output than stations in the standard AM Broadcast band, which are typically limited to 50,000 watts, with 300 kw and over a megawatt not being unusual.

Scattered throughout from 195 to 530 kHz are aeronautical Non-Directional Beacons, recognizable by their two or three letter CW ID’s. Birmingham’s NDB “BH” is on 224 kHz, Bessemer’s “BEQ” is on 368 kHz.

In North America the standard AM broadcast band uses channels spaced 10 kHz apart. In Europe and Africa, they are spaced 9 kHz apart. Under perfect conditions it is occasionally possible to hear these stations between the North American stations.

Though the AM band technically starts at 530 kHz, there are a few stations, most notably Radio Enciclopeia in Havana, Cuba on 530 kHz.

The 75 meter Shortwave Broadcast band lie inside the 75 meter amateur band, from 3.900 – 4.000 Mhz. The 41 meter Shortwave Band overlaps the 7.200 to 7.300 MHz portion of the US 40 meter amateur band, which is why you hear broadcast stations on those frequencies.

One oddity is how signals can be booming in from Europe on the 41 meter Shortwave Band, and yet the 40 meter ham band is “dead”, seeing they are on the same frequencies.

I included the CB Band in my setup as I have been CB capable since 1976 and always will be.

The FT-817ND is designed where it will not transmit outside of the amateur bands. I like this, since it helps prevent one from accidently transmitting out of band. It is possible, and I know how, to do a “CAP{/MARS Mod” to it to allow it to transmit out of band. I have zero interest in doing so. One reason being that if my technical skills should prove to be smaller than my ego, I would ruin a perfectly good radio.

The other reason being when I want to transmit on CB frequencies, I have good LEGAL CB radios that do the job quite nicely. They are “stock”, having not had the “Golden Screwdriver” put to them to crank out ½ watt more punch or to go “freeband” up and down the spectrum, jeopardizing my ham, GMRS and General Radiotelephone licenses.

Plus, there is a concept of “doing things the right way” which still applies or should.

If you wonder why 25.890 MHz is included, the FT-817ND does not cover the 162 MHz range and so it cannot receive NOAA Weatheradio transmissions. But, due to a design quirk, that region is receivable 136.660 MHz lower as the signals can penetrate the IF chain of the radio if in close proximity. So, if you are close enough to the transmitter, you can pick up NOAA Weatheradio, 162.550 MHz at 25.890 MHz, which is 136.660 MHz lower than the 162.550 MHz frequency.

I did not include possible subtones for the 10 meter repeaters. During a band opening it is impossible to predict what will come in and from where. That’s where the being able to quickly “program on the fly” and change or plug in a subtone comes in handy. Find the tone, program the tone and ham away!

Information on local 6 meter repeaters are problematic. One source telling me one thing, another saying another “this repeater is off”, “this repeater is off and on” and “unless you have 400 watts you might as well not even try”, which is certainly encouraging and hopefully not exactly true.

Noticeably absent from the list are two 2 meter repeaters: Mt. Cheaha, 147.090 MHz, in Calhoun, County 131.9 Hz tone and Tuscaloosa, 146.820 MHz, 118.8 Hz.

Due to me being stuck between two elongated Southwest to Northeast oriented 1000 foot mountains, namely Red Mountain and Shades Mountain, I can’t hear them, let alone hit them, so I felt there was no need include them in my set up.

The 2 and 440 MHz repeaters listed are the repeaters which I can actually reach. Others reading this who aren’t stuck in a valley, as I am and probably can reach many others.

No 220 frequencies are included since the FT-817ND doesn’t feature this band. Very few radios do, which is a shame.

Once, when I had 220 capabilities, I was able to work the 220 MHz repeater on Monsanto Mountain in Huntsville on an HT from Red Mountain. This showed me the band’s potential. 220 MHz unfortunately is a little used band, whether due to lack of interest, a lack of equipment or both.

Also not included are oddball “SHTF” frequencies touted by various groups and websites. In an actual real-life emergency, you want to go to your counties ARES, SKYWARN or Club frequencies. Just going to some random frequency because someone somewhere said so will not produce the results you are looking for. Nor will buying a radio and never bothering to learn how it works, how to use it effectively, what its limitations are and how to overcome problems when the performance doesn’t match the advertising.

Which is why if you intend to ever transmit on a ham radio you need the knowledge gained by studying, getting licensed and using the radio regularly so you can become proficient and see what really can and can’t be done. In fact, not just because of legalities, the knowledge and experience gained can make the difference in a life-or-death situation, where just making excuses thinking that “I’ll just call for help, after all anything is legal in emergencies” is a foolish approach.

If you get a radio for life and death scenarios, get the best you can currently afford, learn how to use, and care for it with proficiently and use it regularly.

Otherwise, you have merely invested in a false sense of security.

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Mark’s Almanac

January is named for the Roman god Janus, the god of gates and doors, and so openings and beginnings.

January receives more sunlight than December, but the equilibrium between incoming solar heat and the heat radiated into space by the northern snowfields does not peak until late January and early February, six weeks after winter solstice. So, the weather continues to cool, with January 8 – 20 being the coldest part of the year.

Typically, in January there is a 53% chance of up to one inch of snow and a 25% chance of over one inch of snow.

There is has been less snowfall this year than normal, as usually we see except for the southern tip of Nova Scotia, all of Canada and roughly one half of the Continental US, or “CONUS”, are usually covered with snow. Canada’s Hudson’s Bay is frozen, as is the ocean water between Baffin Island and Greenland.

https://www.nohrsc.noaa.gov/snow_model/images/full/National/nsm_depth/202112/nsm_depth_2021122205_National.jpg

Barometric pressure is highest in January.

Though the Atlantic Hurricane Season officially ended November 30, every now and then Mother Nature will give us a surprise as there have been 5 tropical storms and 3 Category 1 hurricanes from 1851 to 2020. This includes an unnamed hurricane in 1938 in the Eastern Atlantic & Hurricane Alex which in 2016 effected Bermuda and the Azores.

Birmingham January climatology per Intellicast is monthly rainfall 5.45” inches and snowfall 0.7”. Average high temperature is 53 degrees and the average low 32 degrees. Record high of 81 degrees occurred in 1941 and a record low of -6 degrees in 1985.
Barometric pressure is highest in January.

Days grow longer as the Sun’s angle above the noonday horizon steadily increases from 33.5 degrees at the beginning of the month to 39.2 degrees at the month’s end. Daylight increases from 9 hours 59 minutes on January 1 to 10 hours 33 minutes on January 31.

Sunrise and sunset times for Birmingham are:

January 1 Sunrise 6:52 AM Sunset 4:50 PM
January 15 Sunrise 6:51 AM Sunset 5:02 PM
January 31 Sunrise 6:44 AM Sunset 5:17 PM

Looking skyward, at the beginning of the month, the Sun, magnitude -26.8 is in Sagittarius

At the beginning of the month Mercury, magnitude –0.8, is very low in the west-southwest during twilight in Sagittarius.

Mercury reaches his highest point in the evening sky, or “Greatest Eastern Elongation” of 19.2 degrees from the Sun on January 7. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the evening sky. Look for the planet low in the western sky just after sunset.

He will then begin descending towards the horizon as the weeks pass and by mid-month will disappear beneath the horizon.

Mercury will pass between the Earth and the Sun or be in “Inferior Conjunction on January 23.

He will reach his closest distance to the Sun or Perihelion on January 14.

Venus, magnitude –4.7, is very low in the west-southwest during twilight in Sagittarius and is sinking towards the horizon, disappearing before the first week’s end.

Venus will pass between the Earth and the Sun or be in “Inferior Conjunction on January 8.

She will reach his closest distance to the Sun or Perihelion on January 23.
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Earth, magnitude -4.0, as viewed from the Sun, is in the Constellation Gemini.

Earth will reach her closest distance to the Sun on Jan 2, when the planet will be 0.98324 Astronomical Units or 91,403,000 miles from the Sun.

Mars, magnitude +1.6 Scorpius, is on the far side of its orbit from us, so in a telescope it’s just a tiny blob.

Dwarf Planet Ceres, magnitude 7.6, is in Taurus.

Jupiter, magnitude –2.2, in Aquarius, is in the southwest at dusk.

Saturn, magnitudes at +0.8, in Capricorn.

Uranus, magnitude 5.7, in Aries, north of the head of Cetus the Sea Monster, is very high in the south-southeast in early evening.

Neptune, magnitude 7.8, in Aquarius, is high in the south-southwest after dark 20° upper left of Jupiter. Though it is invisible to the naked eye, it adds a fourth planet to the Venus-Saturn-Jupiter line arrayed across the sky.

Dwarf Planet Pluto, with his five moons shines at a dim 14.5 in Sagittarius.

Dwarf Planet 136108 Haumea, its ring, and moons Hiʻiaka and Namaka, shines at a faint magnitude of 17.4 in Bootes.

Dwarf Planet 136472 Makemake with his moon faintly shines at magnitude 17.3 in Coma Berenices.

Dwarf Planet 136199 Eris and her moon Dysnomia is barely visible in the most powerful telescopes at magnitude 18.8 in Cetus the Sea Monster

4884 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of December 13, per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/

The Moon will be at Perigee or its closest approach to Earth on January 1, when she will be 222,474 miles from Earth.

New Moon occurs January 2 at 12:35 PM CST or 18:35 UTC January 13 when the Moon will on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

The Quadrantids Meteor Shower will occur Saturday & Sunday, January 3 & 4. This is an above average shower producing between 40 to 100 meteors per hour radiating from the constellation Bootes, in the area near the end of the handle of the Big Dipper and the head of Draco the Dragon.

The shower runs annually from January 1-5. It peaks this year on the night of the 3rd and morning of the 4th. The thin, crescent moon will set early in the evening leaving dark skies for what should be an excellent show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Bootes but can appear anywhere in the sky.

This shower favors the Northern Hemisphere because its radiant point, or the point where the meteors appear to originate in the sky, is so far north on the sky’s dome.

This shower is believed to be produced by dust grains from burnt out comet 2003 EH1, which may also be the remainder of comet c/1490 Y1, which was lost to history after a prominent meteor shower was observed in 1490, possibly due to the breakup of the comet.

First Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Western side illuminated, will occur January 9.

The Moon will be at Apogee or its farthest distance from Earth on January 15, when she will be 252,156 miles from Earth.

Full Moon will occur Thursday, January 17, at 5:51 PM CST or 23:51 PM UTC. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be fully illuminated.

January’s Full Moon is “Wolf Moon” in Native American folklore. This was also called “Wulf-Monath” or “Wolf Month” by the Saxons, because at this full Moon, packs of wolves howled in hunger outside of the villages.

It has also been called “Old Moon” and “Moon After Yule”.

Last Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Eastern side illuminated, will occur January 25.

The Moon will be at Perigee or its closest approach to Earth on January 30, when she will be 225,092 miles from Earth.

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This month’s meeting will be on January 11 at 7PM.

The meeting will be done remotely as was last month’s meeting. Details and instructions will be issued as the time nears.

I hope to see you there!

Mark Wells
WD4NYL & WRJE893
Editor
ALERT Newsletter
Wd4nyl@bellsouth.net

Mark’s Weatherlynx
Weather Resource Database
https://weatherlynx.webs.com/