“They say two-thousand-two-zero, party over, oops out of time.
So tonight I’m gonna party like its 1999.”
– “1999” by Prince & The Revolution 1982 (paraphrased)

My version of partying is of course writing the exciting ALERT Newsletter!

Hi everyone,

I hope this finds you well during these tumultuous times.

2020 has certainly proved to be the dud or all duds year wise, hasn’t it?

There are many who truly think normalcy as we know it, if not the world, ends in November 2020. In fact some jabronis almost act like mayhem and chaos would be a desirable thing. After all it all turns out good in the video games, doesn’t it?

I would worry, since everyone else seems to be, but, as I watch the events unfold, things my Mom taught me keep ringing in the back of my mind.

One is my Mom saying “most of the things people worry about never actually happen”, and she, who was born during World War I, lived through the Great Depression, World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Vietnam years and the events surrounding them, was always singing “God will take care of you, through every day, o’er all the way; he will take care of you, God will take care of you.”

I do believe this. I’ve seen it prove true too many times not to.

Other things she said was “when the ‘wrong guy’ gets elected they never turn out to be as bad as you feared they would be. On the other hand, when the ‘right guy’ gets elected they are never turn out to be as good as you hoped they would be either.” She said this because I was upset because the “wrong guy” had been elected, who I won’t say, except to say that Carter turned out not to be that bad guy after all.

One story she told was that when she was a small girl the 1920 election was near and her Mom’s
lady friends were visiting and teasing one lady of a differing political view. They told her “you know they say that if Harding is elected he is going to have all the baby boys thrown into the Potomac like Pharaoh did in Egypt.”

The lady, easily duped, held her son closely and said defiantly “he’ll never get mine!”

Harding did get elected and the song floated around “Harding got elected, just as was expected. Hard, hard times.”, but, the country survived.

Nothing really changes, just the names.

For instance, in the 1800 election it was said by his opponents that Thomas Jefferson was “planning to close all the churches and convert them into ‘temples of wisdom’ and force all mothers and their daughters into prostitution”, it didn’t prove true.

One favorite memory of mine was during the 1964 election when Goldwater was running against Johnson and an advertisement ran with a little girl was picking petals off of a daisy and counting “seven, eight, nine” and she couldn’t remember what came next. The next voice was of a missile countdown “ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, for, three, two, one” BOOOOOM as the mushroom cloud appeared.

It was hinted that this was your future if Goldwater was elected and since Johnson won the office, I guess the advertisement was somewhat successful. We had no nuclear war. We got the Vietnam War instead.

These examples, along with a completely unrelated one which I will throw in for free, “don’t be the first to welcome new neighbors into the neighborhood. Find out if they are nuts first”, have taught me to be cautiously optimistic during times as these.

So, with the lessons of the past and with eternal hope for the future, I am approaching this time period with my “eyes open and ears peaked”, as one should always be “situationally aware” aka “street smart”, but, also maintaining a peaceful heart.

I hope this is the case with you also.

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August 21, 1945

August 21, 1945 was a momentous day in Amateur Radio history. For on that day Amateur Radio returned from the dead.

“Ham radio is dying”. How many times have we heard this? Well, twice in history ham radio actually has died, and that through no fault of its own.

The beginning of the first death started on June 28, 1914 when Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, was assassinated in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip of Bosnia. This assassination sparked a chain of events among the major alliances of Europe which resulted in Germany declaring war on Russia on August 1, 1914 in support of their Austria-Hungarian allies. France then entered the war in support of Russia as did Britain and Italy entered in support of Germany. The war then spread from a regional conflict to a global conflict as it spread to the countries overseas territories and colonies.

The UK worried about national security risks from uncontrolled experimental wireless transmitting stations around the country and them possibly giving military information to Germany. These licensees were ordered off the air and to dismantle their equipment. Most equipment was confiscated.

The US entered the war on April 6, 1917. On April 7, 1917 President Wilson ordered all private US radio stations to either be shut down or taken over by the government to prevent the airwaves from being used against the US by spies communicating with Germany and her allies. It became illegal for citizens to possess an operational radio transmitter or receiver. In fact in San Jose California it was declared an act of treason to possess radio equipment.

On November 11, 1918, at 11 am – “the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month”—a ceasefire came into effect, and World War I, which cost between 15 to 22 million souls ended.

When would Amateur Radio return? In some powerful governmental circles the answer would be “never”, as they wanted to keep the genie in the bottle. But in Congressional hearings after the testimonies of Hiram Percy Maxim and Guglielmo Marconi, it was agreed that Amateur Radio was an asset worth saving. So the Amateur Radio Service was restored on October 1, 1919.

In spite of the Great Depression and renewed saber rattling in Europe, all was going well with the world of Amateur Radio and there was steady progress in both technology and numbers.

On September 1, 1939 there were 52,000 US ham radio operators. On that day Germany invaded Poland, and soon the Soviet Union would attack Poland also, Britain and France soon declared war on Germany and once again a regional war grew into a World War.

As in the beginning of First World War, the US was neutral.

US hams remained on the air, but, were strongly discouraged from communicating with European stations or any British or German dependencies or occupied countries.

In June 1940 the FCC issued Order 72, which restricted US amateurs from engaging in foreign communications. The order stressed four major points:

“1. Do not contact any European station.
“2. Do not relay anything from one country to another: confine any international contact to technical subjects or trivial small talk.
“3. Do not use any code, use plain language, English recommended. Sign each transmission with your assigned call.
“4. Do not talk about the war over the air (even among yourselves).”

In February 1941, the US War Department, watching the world situation deteriorate, sent a questionnaire to every ham listed in the Callbook asking for information about their code proficiency, military status, occupation and dependents.

At 18:18 GMT, now UTC, December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Over the next seven hours there were coordinated attacks on US territories of the Philippines, Guam, Wake Island, and the British in Malaya, Singapore and Hong Kong. Eight hours after Pearl Harbor was attacked the FCC issued Order 82 which suspended all amateur radio activity.

Unlike during World War I, hams could still use receivers. This was allowed so hams could listen for people not observing the ban, as they could easily be German or Japanese spies using the ham bands to conduct covert activities both in the US and abroad.

Hams, being knowledgeable in radio and operating techniques proved invaluable as they served in the military all over the world.

Veteran radio operators I met through the years still could easily copy CW sent 40 and 50 WPM by ear. it was a second language to them, as it, with their mentoring, eventually became with me.

As the war was nearing its end, unlike the situation with World War I, there was no doubt that the Amateur Radio Service would be restored. There would be shifts in some frequencies, the loss of one band, 160 Meters, a new band, 15 Meters and a new call area, the Tenth would be created because the Ninth area was running out of call signs. When you heard a Zero call, they are really in the Tenth Call District.

Hostilities stopped on August 15, 1945. On August 21, 1945, 12 days before the end of World War II, the Amateur Radio Service was restored.

Operations were initially limited to 112 – 115 MHz, the old 2 ½ Meter Band, other bands becoming available as the military relinquished them.

The Amateur Radio Service would soon have cousins, as three other radio services were also created, Class A, B & C Citizens Radio, not to be confused with the CB radios of today.

Established in 1948, Classes A & B were 460 – 470 MHz UHF services intended for short range communications, Class A being the forerunner of the General Mobile Radio Service or GMRS radios, and Class B being similar to the Family Radio Service or FRS radios of today. Class C was for non-voice radio controlled models.

Classes A & B proved to be ahead of their time, with the tube type equipment being bulky and too expensive for average use, and eventually the Class B service was discontinued. Class C, with frequencies in the 27 & later the 70 MHz bands still exists today.

Still wishing to have a short range, non-technical communications service, the FCC created the Class D Citizens Radio Service aka Citizens Band in 1958

Much to the chagrin of the hams of that day, the frequencies for this new service were taken from the 11 Meter Amateur Radio band, which stretched from 26.960 to 27.230 MHz.

The 11 Meter band was a secondary allocation in the realm of ISM or Industrial, Scientific and Medical devices and was never a popular band. Partly because it was not harmonically related the other Amateur bands, such as 160, 80, 40, 20 15 or 10 Meters, and largely because of interference from the devices of the primary ISM users which legally created hellacious broadband interference from coast to coast.

But, popular or not, the “we was robbed” sentiment help create the love/hate relationship that some hams have with CB (and by consequence, some CBers have with hams) to this day.

In the 1960’s CB was highly “legalistic”, it wasn’t until the oil shortage of the 70’s, Smokey and The Bandit and songs by CW McCall came along that it became a fad with 20 million users and it sank into the maelstrom that it, though the fad has long ended, is even today.

Why the FCC would put a service designed for short range communications in a DX band is a mystery to me. The upper Low VHF range around 45 MHz would have seemed to be a more reasonable approach.

It is still a valuable realm, however, especially on trips. I’m not allergic to having one, and in fact have had one since 1976. My family had them, and I would talk to my sister as she travelled a dark lonely road at night going to work to make sure she arrived safely. The call sign KAJD8693 predates WD4NYL by one year.

Interesting to note that even though a license is not required, and hasn’t been for years, and people believe that the FCC doesn’t maintain a CB call sign database, the FCC rules state in Part 95.417 “You are encouraged to identify your CB communications by any of the following means: 1. Previously assigned CB call sign”. So the old clunky thing is still valid.

Another interesting item from the late 80’s or early 90’s was when, since any form of malicious interference was blamed on “those darned CBers they are letting in”, the ARRL did a survey and found that 50% of active hams not only had a CB, but, were active on it.

That and the FCC finding that most of the interference was from long term hams whose brain cells had apparently been cooked by RF, granted the CBers a temporary reprieve.

In 1984 Radio Shack proposed a low power radio service for families and the Family Radio Service or FRS band was born. Intended for family use, businesses quickly found they could use it as a much cheaper version of a Business radio. Some describe FRS as a distant cousin of the old Class B service of yesterday.

The Class A service would see changes in bandwidth and heavy use by businesses until around 1987 when due to congestion in the available channels most businesses were forced to relocate to the Business Band to get interference free coverage and the service was renamed as the General Mobile Radio Service or GMRS, and repurposed for business and personal use, allowing 50 Watts output and repeaters. GMRS requires a test free $70 license, which is valid for ten years and covers the immediate family members of the licensee.

Initially FRS and GMRS had slightly different frequencies, with some overlap. Inter-service communications between the two services were technically illegal, but, that didn’t stop many.

In 2017 the FCC basically combined the two services, and though the FCC doesn’t designate channels as with CB, there are 22 combined channels and 8 more for GMRS repeater inputs.

Birmingham incidentally has no GRMS repeaters, nor does Montgomery or Mobile. Blount County and Tuscaloosa do.

The newest addition to the radio family is MURS. In 2003 the FCC created the Multi-Use Radio Service or MURS using some unused frequencies and “borrowing” a couple from the “Color Dot/Star” Itinerant frequencies. Which are business frequencies whose channels are identified by a dot or star on the radio.

MURS uses 5 channels in the 151 – 154 MHz range. MURS channels are according to the FCC “for license free short-distance, two-way communications using small, portable hand-held radios that function similar to walkie-talkies.”

At 2 watts, they have the same coverage as 2 meter HTs on simplex. Whether due to the limited choices of equipment available, or the fact that it is relatively new and not much discussed, there is not that much activity there. Walmart is aid to be one of the prime users, though I have yet to hear “cleanup on aisle 7” or any other radio traffic from them yet.

So, we have five services available, each with their own assets, quirks and foibles which we can use.

On GMRS, which I am licensed for, and FRS which doesn’t need one, you will hear various types of businesses and occasionally families. If you listen on a scanner, if a station doesn’t have a “roger beep or is strong, it is probably GMRS. If it “bledadeeadeps” at you, and is weak, it is probably FRS.
You can set PL tones on both to cut some interference, if needed. I run my equipment without a tone so I can hear what is out there.

Efforts have been attempted to make GRMS Channel 20, which is actually a made up name that seems to have stuck, to be considered the “travel channel and safety channel” with a “Trael Tone” or PL tone of 141.3. It would be a great idea, if it ever becomes popular.

On MURS, if you hear anything at all, it will be occasional business use.

With CB, you may hear anything under the sun, and with ham radio, well, if the truth be told, almost the same there also.

I’ve never heard anything on a CB that I haven’t heard on ham radio also. And, usually it’s my fellow Old Goats who are guilty, not the “digital, no code, mail order, drive through, weather wacko, CBers”.

 

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Mark’s Almanac

With the arrival of November we enter our second tornado season. Alabama and the Southeast are “blessed” by being the only area on Earth having two tornado seasons. The cause of the second season is the same as the spring season – clashes of cold and warm air masses. The cold air of winter is invading and trying to push the warmth of the summer back into the sea, which is the same process of springtime.

This second season is often more destructive than the spring season. From 1950 to 2018 there have been 275 November tornadoes in Alabama resulting in 52 fatalities and 1069 injuries. The third largest tornado outbreak occurred on November 24 – 25 2001 when 36 tornadoes occurred and 21 tornadoes occurred during the outbreak of November 23 – 24 2004.

November was Alabama’s leading tornado month from 2001 to 2011 until the dual outbreaks of April 15 and April 27 2011 erased that record.

So beware of a warm & muggy November day. Especially one with a south wind, as something may really be “in the air”.

The Hurricane threat greatly diminishes, with hurricane activity occurring mainly in the open Atlantic, threatening the Eastern Seaboard, but usually veering off into sea as cold fronts off the East Coast deflect them. Hurricanes can still form in the Caribbean, which usually visit the Yucatan, but can enter the Gulf.

From 1851 – 2019 there have been 100 Tropical Storms and 47 hurricanes, 5 of which made landfall in the United States.

Some notable November hurricanes are:

The 1932 Cuba hurricane, known also as the Hurricane of Santa Cruz del Sur or the 1932 Camagüey Hurricane. Although forming as a tropical depression on October 30, it became the only Category 5 Atlantic hurricane ever recorded in November, and was the deadliest and one of the most intense tropical cyclones in Cuban history. On November 6, the tropical cyclone reached its peak intensity as a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph. The storm weakened to Category 4 intensity as it came ashore in Cuba’s Camagüey Province on November 9 with winds of 150 mph. The storm took 3,033 lives.

Hurricane Ida, in 2009 was the strongest land falling tropical cyclone during the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season. Ida formed on November 4 in the southwestern Caribbean, and within 24 hours struck the Nicaragua coast with winds of 80 mph. It weakened significantly over land, although it restrengthened in the Yucatán Channel to peak winds of 105 mph. Ida weakened and became an extratropical cyclone in the northern Gulf of Mexico before spreading across the southeastern United States. The remnants of Ida contributed to the formation of a nor’easter that significantly affected the eastern coast of the United States.

1985’s Hurricane Kate was the latest Hurricane in any calendar year to strike the United States.
Kate formed on November, 15 and reached hurricane intensity on November 16, and reached Category 2 intensity three days later. Kate struck the northern coast of Cuba on November 19. Once clear of land, she strengthened quickly, becoming a Category 3 storm and reached its peak intensity of 120 mph. On November 21 Kate came ashore near Mexico Beach, Florida, as Category 2 hurricane with winds of 100 mph.

Hurricane Lenny, or Wrong Way Lenny, occurred in 1999. It is the second-strongest November Atlantic hurricane on record, behind the 1932 Cuba hurricane. Lenny formed on November 13 in the western Caribbean Sea and moved retrograde from the West to East passing South of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. He reached hurricane status south of Jamaica on November 15 and rapidly intensified over the northeastern Caribbean on November 17, attaining peak winds of 155 mph near Saint Croix in the United States Virgin Islands. It gradually weakened while moving through the Leeward Islands, eventually dissipating on November 23 over the open Atlantic Ocean.

1994’s Hurricane Gordon claimed 1122 lives in Haiti when it passed just west of the country as a tropical storm on November 13, 1994.

Figure 2 – November Tropical Cyclone Breeding Grounds

Both the Atlantic and Pacific Hurricane seasons ends November 30.

Days rapidly grow shorter as the Sun’s angle above the noonday horizon steadily decreases from 40.9 degrees at the beginning of the month to 34.8 degrees at the month’s end. Daylight decreases from 10 hours 40 minutes on November 1 to 10 hours 07 minutes on November 30.

Sunrise and sunset times for Birmingham are:

November 1 Sunrise 7:06 AM Sunset 5:55 PM
November 15 Sunrise 6:19 AM Sunset 4:45 PM – After Daylight Savings Time Ends
November 31 Sunrise 6:33 AM Sunset 4:39 PM

The blooms of summer have faded, but you may find yourself still sneezing, due to ragweed and mold.

Mold is a fall allergy trigger. You may think of mold growing in your basement or bathroom – damp areas in the house – but mold spores also love wet spots outside. Piles of damp leaves are ideal breeding grounds for mold.

Oh, and did I mention dust mites? While they are common during the humid summer months, they can get stirred into the air the first time you turn on your heat in the fall. Dust mites can trigger sneezes, wheezes, and runny noses.

November welcomes the peak of fall colors. For Birmingham the peak occurs around November 15, but the date can vary depending on your elevation & latitude.

Indian Summer and Squaw Winter continue to battle it out, but the cool or cold weather will eventually win, with the first average frost being on November 11.

The usual fall effects occur in North America with Canada’s Hudson Bay becoming unnavigable due to pack ice & icebergs. Navigation in the Great Lakes becomes perilous due to storms bringing the “Gales Of November” made famous in the Gordon Lightfoot song “The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald”.

And, don’t be surprised if you hear ducks overhead & see wedges of Canadian geese heading south for the winter. And if you see strange birds appearing in your front yard, remember that for 336 species of birds Alabama IS south for the winter.

 

Looking skyward, at the beginning of the month, the Sun, magnitude -26.7 is in Virgo.

Mercury, magnitude 0, in Virgo, rapidly emerges into dawn. Mercury will be at his the closest distance to the Sun or Perihelion on November 1 and by the morning of Wednesday November 4th he will be low in the east-southeast, well below Venus, about 45 minutes before sunrise.

In telescopes Mercury will appear at “dichotomy” or half phase on November 8.

On November 10 Mercury will reach “Greatest Western Elongation”, or his highest point above the horizon, in this case 19.1 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky. Look for the planet low in the eastern sky just before sunrise.

Venus, magnitude –4.0, in Virgo, rises about an hour before dawn as the “Morning Star” and shines brightly in the east before and during dawn.

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

Mars, magnitude –2.0, in Pisces, is three weeks past opposition or the closest approach to Earth and is noticeably less bright. He is slowly shrinking in size, but is still large enough to display good surface detail when viewed with a telescope.

He is climbing higher in view earlier each night and by dusk is fiery orange in the east-southeast. He is highest and brightest around 10 PM.

Dwarf Planet Ceres shines at magnitude 7.7 in Aquarius.

Jupiter, magnitude -2.2 and Saturn, magnitude +0.6, sit together in Sagittarius in the west-southwest during and after twilight. Jupiter is the brighter of the two and they are only 5 degrees apart and closing.

They are sinking lower in the southeast in the evening and are growing smaller in a telescope.

Uranus, magnitude 5.7, in Aries, is high in the east by 8 PM. He appears as a tiny fuzzy ball, not just a point of light, at high power in even a good small telescope.

He will reach his closet approach to Earth, or opposition on November 4.

Neptune, magnitude 7.8, in Aquarius, is high in the south by 9 PM.

Dwarf Planet Pluto, with his five moons shines at a dim 14.3 in Sagittarius.

Dwarf Planet 136108 Haumea, its ring and moons Hiʻiaka and Namaka, shines at a faint magnitude of 17.3 in Bootes.

Dwarf Planet 136472 Makemake with his moon faintly shines at magnitude 17.0 in Coma Berenices.

Dwarf Planet 136199 Eris and her moon Dysnomia is barely visible in the most powerful telescopes at magnitude 19.0 in Cetus the Sea Monster

The Last Quarter Moon occurs October 8.

The Northern Taurid Meteor Shower will occur November 11 & 12. The Northern Taurids is a long-running minor meteor shower producing only about 5-10 meteors per hour. This shower is, however, famous for producing a higher than normal percentage of bright fireballs, It is also unusual in that it consists of two separate streams. The first is produced by dust grains left behind by Asteroid 2004 TG10. The second stream is produced by debris left behind by Comet 2P Encke.

The shower runs annually from September 7 to December 10. It peaks this year on the night of November of the 11th and morning of the 12th. The thin crescent moon will not be much of a problem this year leaving dark skies for what could be a really good show. Best viewing will be just after midnight from a dark location far away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Taurus, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

The Moon will be at Perigee or its closest approach to Earth on November 14, when she will be 222,351 miles from Earth.

New Moon will occur November 15. 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 phase occurs at 5:08 UTC or 12:08 AM CST. 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 annual Leonid meteor shower occurs from November 6 – 30 and peaks on the night of November 16 & the morning of the 17th. Though the Leonids are an “average shower”, producing only an average of 15 meteors per hour, they are well known for producing bright meteors and fireballs.

This shower is also unique in that it has a cyclonic peak about every 33 years where hundreds of meteors per hour can be seen. That last of these occurred in 2001. The Leonids are produced by dust grains left behind by Comet Tempel-Tuttle, which was discovered in 1865.

Its productivity varies per year, but it can deposit 12 to 13 tons of particles across the planet. Which is why having an atmosphere to shield us is such a nifty thing.

The 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 Leo, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

The Last Quarter Moon occurs October 21.

The Moon will be at Apogee or its farthest distance from Earth on November 26, when she will be 252,209 miles from Earth.

Full Moon will occur at 3:43 UTC November 30 or 9:43 AM CST November 29. November’s Full Moon is called “Beaver Moon” in Native American folklore, because this was the time of year to set the beaver traps before the swamps and rivers froze. It has also been known as the Frosty Moon and the Hunter’s Moon.

Also on November 30 there will be a Penumbral Lunar Eclipse. A Penumbral Lunar Eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through the Earth’s partial shadow, or penumbra. During this type of eclipse the Moon will darken slightly but not completely.

The eclipse will be visible in North and South America, Australia, and parts of Asia.

In Birmingham the eclipse will begin at 1:32 AM CST or 7:32 UTC.
Maximum eclipse will occur at 3:43 AM CST or 9:43 UTC
The eclipse ends at 5:53 CST or 11:53 UTC.

4296 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of October 22, per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/.

Finally, don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour at 2 AM, Sunday morning November 1st, as Daylight Savings Time ends and the clock goes back to the way the Good Lord intended.

Look up Hezekiah 4:7, I dare you.

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This month’s meeting will be on November 10 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 have had difficulty joining in, but, hopefully my technical issues will be resolved and I can will
see you there!

Mark / WD4NYL
Editor
ALERT Newsletter
wd4nyl@bellsouth.net

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi everyone and welcome to the October ALERT Newsletter.

Fall has arrived and with it we can look forward to the changing of the fall leaves, the occasional nip in the air, and perhaps Hobgoblins visiting us at the end of the month.

October is a fun time of the year, usually being not too hot and not too cold – the “Goldilocks” of seasons.

It is a time to enjoy fall football, the baseball playoffs and the last outdoor adventures of the year.

Here is hoping that you safely enjoy the days that this season and the pretty weather October brings.

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When 911 Fails

As I was writing this newsletter it was reported that there was a 911 outage affecting several states.
Though this did not affect Alabama the question came to mind “do you know how to directly reach first responders should 911 fail?”

Posted next to our home telephone, which is a “hardwired”, phone not dependent on the internet, we have a list of numbers for ready reference in case of emergencies or utility outages.

In case you are wondering why we still have a hardwired dinosaur phone and haven’t switched to a modern VOIP system, as we have been repeatedly pressure to do, I will cite three examples of why I consider it too fragile a system for me to depend on during an emergency.

1. My workplace everything is computer based. When the computer system crashes, as it likes to do, all the telephones die. The only way to summon emergency response is through cellphones, and our cell coverage ranges from pathetic to sorry, which if I did not know the location of what few and transitory coverage hot spotswe have, and that I have other ways to reach out, it would be a serious vulnerability.

2. Though telephone salespeople assure me that during a power outages that the “battery backup supplies have improved greatly, they last for hours and hours and hours”, I know that that is, to be kind, either an overestimate based on faulty training or to be less kind, proof that the blooming thieves, whose companies will remain a unmentioned, will say whatever they want to get a sale.
Once the backup battery supply dies, your phone dies with it, which will happen much sooner than advertised.

3. If the router goes out, as mine did recently, so does your internet access, including the VOIP telephone. I had to use my Fred Flintstone hardwired telephone, the same dinosaur that they want me to get rid of, to call the customer support line of the high tech gizmo that they want me to switch too since it’s “so much better.”

So, for durability and peace of mind, as long as there the option to have a hardwired phone, I feel it’s worth the cost.

As to my emergency list, here is the example with explanations to follow:

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

Police
Fire
Alabama Power
Spire / Gas
Water
Phone Company
Poison Control
Doctor
Pharmacy
Family Contact

In the blue section of your phonebook or published online, you will find on the police and fire department websites, either the dispatch, non-emergency or administrative telephone numbers. Depending on the size of the city sometimes it will be the number to the headquarters, sometimes to the precinct. Under normal conditions, of course you would use 911. But, if 911 does go out you can reach these agencies directly and get help.

I include the outage reporting numbers for the major utilities – power, gas, water & telephone.

Then comes the medical quick list. This would include the Poison Control Center, your primary care physician and perhaps specialists, such as the cardiologist, and your pharmacy.

Then finally I include a contact person. Most emergency preparedness guides specify an out of state contact person, but, I would include a local one also.

Search out these numbers and modify the list to fit your own needs and post it several places so you won’t have to frantically search for it during an emergency.

Now if your all forms of telephonic communications, landline or cell, fail you, “when all else fails, there’s Amateur Radio.”

Know your local club, Skywarn or ARES repeater frequencies. Sometimes they are separate repeaters, sometimes they are one and the same. In Birmingham it is 146.880 MHz and Shelby County is 146.980 MHz. If you are reading this in another location you may find the nets serving your area at: http://www.arrl.org/arrl-net-directory-search

On HF 3.965 MHz doubles as Alabama’s ARES and NTS net. For other states you may your nets using the search tool just mentioned.

On CB, and yes I have one, Channels 9 & most especially 19 are options for calling help and on the GMRS band there have been suggestions that Channel 20, 462.675 MHz be used as a travel and emergency channel, if a repeater exists in an area, which in Birmingham it does not, using PL tone of 141.3 hz is recommended.

Hopefully someone will actually be listening also, since it takes two to tango or pass emergency communications. That said, when is the last time you lurked on your radio just in case someone needed a helping hand?

On quasi-related topic, I’ll mention that many people listen to hams on scanners. That’s how I discovered the world of ham radio and developed the interest in getting a license. Some feel it’s a goos way to “get the inside scoop” on what is happening. This is an assumption that is somewhat faulty, for any radio reports you hear, whether police, fire, ham or whatever the source, should always be taken with “a grain of salt” and considered as “unverified”. The same is true with social media reports.

What you hear or read may be true, may be a rumor, may be an overexcited operator who has watched Twister a little too much or simply a “false alarm”, either an honest mistake or sent by someone who has more time than sense.

As an example a report is received that “there is a tornado on the ground in Possum Holler”. This is relayed to the NWS, who instead of instantly writing a warning and the EMA then triggering the sirens, take a quick look at the radar to see if there is even a storm in that county. IF so fine, if not, no warning is issued. Since Bubba was actually seeing the plume from the smokestack at the oil refinery, that was a good move.

Since so many are buying inexpensive Baofeng radios, some with the stated purpose of “wanting to know what’s going on”, I felt this was worth mentioning, relevant or not.

 

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911

The following article was originally featured in the October 2017 Newsletter. It was also presented online, and received positive feedback from several including first responders, and since it was so well received, I feel it appropriate to include it here.

This article is based on an actual incident which occurred where it was requested that 911 be called, but no further information was given. By the time the needed information was received so that 911 could dispatch the correct department going to the correct location, the person had recovered to the point that he refused help when the paramedics arrived. While the situation resolved itself with a happy ending, the potential for a tragedy was very real.

Just two simple missing items, namely the nature of the problem and the actual location within the generalized location froze the EMS response until the 911 operator could reach the person calling, and get the information needed to determine WHO should respond and WHERE they should respond. This situation was complicated by the fact that the caller had hung up the phone and wandered away to stare at the scene.

In response to this I generated some guidelines and posted them on social media and at work to help people know what to do when they need to call 911.

Before I begin those guidelines it should be mentioned that if you find yourself needing 911 whether being at the scene of an incident, whether it be an accident, a medical emergency or a disaster, don’t assume that someone has or is calling 911.

As a paramedic recently told us in a CPR class which I attended, “Just because you see a dozen people will cellphones out, don’t assume that anyone is calling 911. Most are taking pictures so they can post it on social media”. “If you are the one giving CPR point to a specific person and direct them to call 911.”

Here then are Mark’s Guidelines For Calling 911:

“’CALL 911!’(‘click’ as the caller hangs up)

That is NOT how to tell someone to call 911, NOR is the similar “SEND HELP” (‘click”) the way to call 911.

If a situation arises where you or someone you ask needs to call 911 there two pieces of information the 911 operator will absolutely need.

1. Nature of the emergency.

Even if you can only say or text “fire” it will help in getting the correct department heading your way. A lady in labor doesn’t need the SWAT team & the only thing paramedics can do with an active shooter is throw syringes at them like darts and squirt them with IV fluids.

A wreck and an armed robbery require different responses. The same is true for heart attacks vs a staple in the hand.

2. The exact location of the emergency and the victim.

If you call from a cell phone the address will not be displayed on the dispatcher’s caller ID, the call will automatically be routed to the nearest 911 center by the cell tower, which may be in a different city or different county. If you are calling form a cell phone or if you are calling from different location than the scene, they will need the correct address of the incident. And, just saying “the mall” doesn’t help at all, WHERE in the mall? Some malls, for example The Summit, are almost cities within cities.

The same is true of roadways. They will need the street name, cross street, highway mile marker or some sort of address to pin point the location. “By the service station on Green Springs” won’t help. There are seven service stations I can think of on Green Springs and Green Springs itself is at least five miles long. BE SPECIFIC.

Just these two missing pieces of information will freeze up or slow the EMS response time to a snail’s pace, because they have no idea of the situation they are heading into or even where the situation is actually located.

Also, unless you, for safety sake cannot remain on the phone or are giving CPR, STAY ON OR NEAR THE PHONE so the dispatcher can get any other needed information.

Remember, in an emergency every second counts.”

One item I will throw in is that many parents give their children old cellphones to play with, not knowing that even though the phone may be deactivated, they are by federal requirements still able to call 911.

Children playing and calling 911 have tied up operators nationwide as they have to deal with Little Timmy’s call.

So, if you give your child a phone to play with, just remove the battery.

This information, is really common sense, but, apparently not as widely known as it should be.
So I would urge you to share this information with others, including family members and coworkers.

Just the act of sharing may save lives.

Maybe even your own.

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Birmingham NWS Fall 2020 Spotter Courses

The Birmingham NWS will be offering several ONLINE Basic Spotter Courses and a single ONLINE Advanced Spotter Course this fall. These online classes are FREE, and allow individuals to complete these courses in the comfort of their own home or office.

By attending any course, which runs about 2 hours, an individual or a group of individuals will become SKYWARN Spotters.

In following COVID-19 guidelines, the NWS is not conducting in-person classes at this time.

Unless you’d like to or are in need of a refresher, you do not need to attend more than one Basic SKYWARN Course, as the material covered is the same; however, it is required that you 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, but you may use the built-in chat feature to ask questions.

To attend the Online Spotter Class:

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.

To avoid being hurried, give yourself at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the class to complete the above process.

The current schedule is as follows:

Basic Class Monday, October 5 at 6:30 PM Class Registration Link:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1788173552682812176
Basic Class Wednesday, October 14 at 6:30 PM Class Registration Link:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6143341309326840848
Basic Class Tuesday, October 20 at 1:00 PM Class Registration Link:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4047139983157959696
Basic Class Thursday, October 22 at 1:00 PM Class Registration Link:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4664293660805390608
Basic Class Thursday, November 5 at 6:30 PM Class Registration Link:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2873673004274522128
Advanced Class Tuesday, November 12 at 6:30 PM Class Registration Link:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/861322633863105808

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, either directly via the1-800-856-0758 number, online at https://www.weather.gov/bmx/submit_storm_report
or via chat 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

A PDF of the September 20, 2018 Basic presentation may be found at:
https://www.weather.gov/media/bmx/skywarn/BasicSpotterGSAT.pdf

A PDF of the April 4, 2019 Advanced presentation may be found at:
https://www.weather.gov/media/bmx/skywarn/Gerald_Satterwhite_Advanced_WEBPAGE.pdf

All NWS offices are having to deal with the turmoil caused by COVID-19. To keep abreast of the latest on their SKYWARN spotter classes, see the following links:

For information on classes being held by the Huntsville NWS office visit: https://www.weather.gov/hun/skywarn

For information on classes being held by the Mobile NWS office visit:
https://www.weather.gov/mob/spotter_training

For information on classes being held by the Tallahassee NWS office visit:
https://www.weather.gov/tae/taeskywarn

There are no reasons other than distance to why you can’t attend these classes if you wish. I attended an aviation weather seminar strictly out of curiosity and to gain knowledge, which even though hopefully I will never pilot a plane, the knowledge gain has proven very useful.

The NWS in Norman, OK have numerous YouTube videos worth exploring at:
https://www.youtube.com/user/NWSNorman/playlists

Other useful resources:

ABC33/40 Basic Storm Spotter Training
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_MzKUTfUKA

ABC 33/40 Storm Spotter Extreme Part 1 – April 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOE69nsaKWE

ABC 33/40 Storm Spotter Extreme Part 2 – April 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8hT7gCCQB0

ABC 33/40 Storm Spotter Extreme Part 3 – April 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKHsAxNzqEM

For information on online training visit:
https://www.meted.ucar.edu/training_course.php?id=23

Note this online course IS NOT intended to replace the courses offered by the NWS offices. The local meteorologists will know factors and variations in the area microclimate that may need to be considered in assessing the observed phenomena. Consider this online course as supplemental information.

 

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Mark’s Almanac

The tenth Month, October is so named because it is the eighth month on the Roman calendar. To the Slavs of Eastern Europe it is called “yellow month,” from the fading of the leaves, while to the Anglo-Saxons it was known as Winterfylleth, because at this full moon (fylleth) winter was supposed to begin.

By whichever name you call it, October is a mild and dry month, the driest of the year, in fact. And, it is a sunny month with the amount of possible sunshine reaching the ground in the 60% or greater range.

Weather shifts from autumn pattern to revisiting the summer pattern and back again. The Azores-Bermuda High shifts eastward into the Atlantic, but, leaves weakened high pressure centers over the Virginias, which still try to block out approaching fronts.

October is usually a quite month for tornadoes, with a 40% decrease in activity. Nationwide an average of 28 tornadoes occur in October and those tornadoes are usually weak.

Our Hurricane threat continues, with hurricane activity increasing during the first half of the month, concentrating in the Caribbean, both from formation in the Caribbean and from the long track Cape Verde hurricanes, which enter the Caribbean. And, we still have the little “gifts” that the Gulf of Mexico occasionally will provide.

Florida, due to its low latitude, becomes especially vulnerable to hurricanes. Since 1851, Florida has endured 31 October hurricane landfalls, nearly triple the next highest state — Louisiana, which has had eight. Also, about 60 percent of all U.S. hurricanes that made landfall after September 26 have done so in Florida. One factor being the cold fronts of Fall penetrating the Gulf and then deflecting storms towards the West coast of Florida.

Luckily after the second half of the month the activity will begin a steady decrease.

28% of the year’s hurricanes occur in October.

From 1851 – 2019 there have been 363 Tropical Storms and 213 hurricanes, 58 of which made landfall in the United States.

Some notable October hurricanes are:

The Great Hurricane of 1780, also known as Huracán San Calixto, the Great Hurricane of the Antilles, and the 1780 Disaster, the deadliest Atlantic hurricane, which killed between 20,000 to 22, 000 people in the Lesser Antilles as it passed through from October 10 – 16, 1780. It is possible that it had winds in excess of 200 MPH when it reached Barbados.

Hurricane Hazel struck the Carolinas in 1954. Weather satellite did not yet exist and the Hurricane Hunters were unable to observe the core of the storm until it neared land on October 15. Hazel made landfall just west of the North Carolina/South Carolina border slightly northeast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with a Category 4 intensity of 130 mph.

Hurricane Wilma still holds the record as the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Atlantic Basin. In 24 hours Wilma went from a Category 1 storm on October 18 to a Category 5 storm with 185 MPH Maximum Sustained Winds. She weakened to Category 4 and struck the Yucatan, then restrengthened and struck Cape Romano Florida as a Category 3 storm on October 24, 2005.

Hurricane Mitch became a Category 1 hurricane on October 24, 1998 and within 48 hours grew to Category 5 intensity, and though he weakened to Category 1 before making landfall, he became the second deadliest hurricane on record killing over 11,000, with nearly that number missing in Central America due to intense rainfall and mudslides. He would eventually reach the United States making landfall near Naples Florida on November 5.

Hurricane Michael formed near the Yucatan Peninsula on October 7, 2018 and in 72 hours grew from a Tropical Depression to a Category 5 hurricane striking struck Mexico Beach Florida.

Beware of October hurricanes, for as Wilma, Mitch and Michael have demonstrated, they can experience explosive growth.

 

October Tropical Cyclone Breeding Grounds

This is the month for Alabama’s version of “Indian Summer’s” arrival.

Technically speaking Indian Summer doesn’t occur until “Squaw Winter” or the first frost arrives, but exact date when Indian Summer arrives varies with latitude.

We live in Alabama, and while the earliest frosts have been known to occur by October 17, they usually wait until November. So, we, in our milder climate call the first warm up after the first cool down “Indian Summer”.

The Yellow Giant Sulphur Butterflies are very noticeable as they continue to drift South-Southeast on their migration towards Florida. They prefer red things & if you have red flowers they will zero in on them.

The Monarchs also will be seen gliding by in their migration towards Central America.

Fall colors will become prominent & by late October & early November the leaves will be reaching their peak fall colors.

Days rapidly grow shorter as the Sun’s angle above the noonday horizon steadily decreases from 53.2 degrees at the beginning of the month to 42.3 degrees at the month’s end. Daylight decreases from 11 hours 50 minutes on October 1 to 10 hours 51 minutes on October 31.

Sunrise and sunset times for Birmingham are:

October 1 Sunrise 5:41 AM Sunset 6:32 PM
October 15 Sunrise 6:51 AM Sunset 6:14 PM
October 31 Sunrise 7:05 AM Sunset 5:56 PM

Looking skyward, at the beginning of the month, the Sun, magnitude -26.7 is in Virgo.

Mercury, magnitude 0.0 on Virgo, is at his highest point in the western sky on October 1, when he will be 25.8 degrees from the Sun. 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.

Viewed with a telescope, he will appear half lit, like a last quarter moon, or reach “dichotomy”, on October 6.

As the month progresses he will sink lower and lower towards the horizon and then slip beyond and will pass between the Sun and the Earth on October 25.

Venus, magnitude -4.1 in Leo, rises two hours before sunrise in the east-northeast and shines prominently during the dawn.

On October 2 at and 3rd Venus will pass ever so closely by Regulus, which at magnitude +1.3 is the brightest star in Leo. The closest approach will be at 23:40 UTC, which unfortunately is 6:40 PM CDT, but the pairing will still be a good early morning treat.

Venus leaves Leo and enters Virgo on October 22 and will reach her closest approach to the sun, or “Perihelion” on October 30, when she will be 66.7 million miles from the Sun.

In a telescope Venus is a 70% lit gibbous globe.

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

Mars, magnitude -2.4 in Pisces, will pass just north of the Moon at 21:21 UTC or 4:21 PM CDT, just too early for us to see in Alabama, on October 3, as Mars will rise at twilight, but the pair will remain a great sight after the darkness of night arrives. It will also prove that Mars will not be the same size of the Full Moon at his closest approach to Earth, as the perennial internet meme proclaims. If you were at the southern tip of South America, Mars will pass directly behind the Moon.

Mars and the Earth will be at their closest distance to each other as Earth passes by at 14:19 UTC or 9:19 CDT on October 6, when we will be 38,558,243 miles apart. His face will be fully illuminated and will be visible all night long. Though close approaches occur yearly, this one is special in that this is the largest he will appear until 2035.

Mars is experiencing Winter in its Northern hemisphere and Summer in its Southern hemisphere. The planet’s Southern Pole is tipped towards the Earth at an angle of about 20º, giving us a good view of its Southern Polar Cap

Big, bright Mars will be directly opposite of the Sun, appropriately called “Opposition” on October 13.

During the close approach of Mars in October 1938, a Martian invasion force arrived dropping saucers all over the world and decimating the population of New York City and others with poisonous gas. The combined military forces of the planet were ineffective at combatting these invaders, and they were only stopped because they had no immunity to Earthly viruses.

Or, so Orson Welles said in his War Of The Worlds radio broadcast of October 30, 1938,

In 2020 we don’t have to worry about any Martian invasion. They are afraid of Covid-19 too.

Dwarf Planet Ceres shines at magnitude 7.7 in Pisces Austrinus, The Southern Fish.

Jupiter, magnitude –2.4, in Sagittarius, shines in the Southern sky during dusk and early evening and moves to the southwest as twilight fades away.

Saturn, magnitude +0.5 in Sagittarius is near Jupiter and they will be creeping ever closer to each other as fall progresses. They will be just 0.1 degree apart on December 21st low in the twilight at the dawn of winter.
Uranus, magnitude 5.7, in Aries, is well up in the east by 10 or 11 PM CDT. It’s highest in the south around 2 AM.
The blue-green planet will be at its closest approach to Earth or “Opposition” on October 31 and his face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long.

This is the best time to view Uranus, but, due to its distance, it will only appear as a tiny blue-green dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.

Neptune (magnitude 7.8, in Aquarius) is higher in the south-southeast at that time around 10 PM.

Dwarf Planet Pluto, with his five moons shines at a dim 14.3 in Sagittarius.

Dwarf Planet 136108 Haumea, its ring and moons Hiʻiaka and Namaka, shines at a faint magnitude of 17.3 in Bootes.

Dwarf Planet 136472 Makemake with his moon faintly shines at magnitude 17.0 in Coma Berenices.

Dwarf Planet 136199 Eris and her moon Dysnomia is barely visible in the most powerful telescopes at magnitude 19.0 in Cetus the Sea Monster

October’s first Full Moon will occur October 1. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 21:06 UTC or 4:06 AM CDT. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Hunters Moon because at this time of year the leaves are falling and the game is fat and ready to hunt. This moon has also been known as the Travel Moon and the Blood Moon. This full moon is also known as the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the September equinox each year.

Also since this full moon occurs near Apogee, or the Moon’s farthest point from Earth, this will be a Micromoon. A Micromoon is the opposite of a Supermoon. Where a Supermoon appears slightly larger than normal, a Micromoon appears smaller.

The Moon will be at Apogee or its farthest distance from Earth on October 3, when she will be 252,475 miles from Earth.

The Draconid Meteor Shower will peak on October 7. This minor shower is produced by dust grains left behind by Comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner, which was discovered in 1900. This shower, which runs from October 6 – 10, is unusual in that it is best observed in the early evening, instead of the early morning hours as with most other showers.

The last quarter moon will set shortly after midnight leaving fairly dark skies for observing. Best viewing will be in the early evening from a dark location far away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Draco, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

The Last Quarter Moon occurs October 9.

New Moon will occur October 16. 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 phase occurs at 2:32 PM CDT or 19:32 UTC. 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 Perigee or its closest approach to Earth on October 16, when she will be 221,775 miles from Earth.

The Orionid Meteor Shower peaks on October 21 & 22. The Orionids is an average shower producing up to 20 meteors per hour at its peak This shower, which runs from October 2 to November 7, is produced by the broad debris trail of Halley’s Comet. The light from the First Quarter moon will not be major issue and this should be a good show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Orion, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

First Quarter Moon will occur October 23.

Southern Taurids Meteor Shower occurs October 29 & 30. The Southern Taurids is a long-running minor meteor shower producing only about 5-10 meteors per hour. This shower is, however, famous for producing a higher than normal percentage of bright fireballs. The Southern Taurids is produced by debris left behind by Comet 2P Encke. The shower runs annually from September 10 to November 20. It peaks this year on the night of the 29th and morning of the 30th. The nearly full moon will block out all but the brightest meteors this year. If you are patient, you may still be able to catch a few good ones. Best viewing will be just after midnight from a dark location far away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Taurus, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

The Moon will be at Apogee or its farthest distance from Earth on October 10, when she will be 252,521 miles from Earth.

October will have two Full Moons. The second Full Moon will occur at 14:51 UTC or 9:51 AM CDT.
A second full moon in the same month is sometimes referred to as a Blue Moon. This rare calendar event only occurs every few months, giving rise to the term “once in a Blue Moon”. This, as with the Full Moon on October 1, is also Micromoon. So in October we have two Full Moons, a Harvest Moon, a Blue Moon and two Micromoons.

What else could you expect? It is 2020, after all.

If you have two New Moons in a month, or to be persnickety, “the third New Moon in a season with four New Moons”, the second New Moon is called a “Black Moon”. The next Black Moon will occur January 31, 2022.

This is the time of year when the rich star clouds of the Milky Way in Cygnus crosses the zenith, looking like a ghostly band overhead in the hour after nightfall is complete. The Milky Way now rises straight up from the southwest horizon, passes overhead, and runs straight down to the northeast. Later at midnight, Orion the Hunter and the stars of winter rise over the eastern horizon, reminding us to enjoy the mild weather while it is here, for this season, as all seasons, is but a fleeting moment in the never ending waltz of time.

4284 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of September 24, per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/.

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This month’s meeting will be on September 13 at 7PM.

The meeting will be done remotely as was last month’s meeting.

Details and instructions will be issued as the time nears.
Hope to “see” you there Hope to see you there!
Mark / WD4NYL
Editor
ALERT Newsletter

www.freewebs.com/weatherlynx/

Mark’s Weatherlynx
Weather Resource Database

Hi everyone,

I hope this newsletter finds you well.

We begin our newsletter on a sad note as we mark the passing of ALERT member Michael Lamb KK4OHW and a friend of ALERT Bobby Best WX4ALA. Both were active on the ALERT Sunday Night Net and were strong believers in ALERT and her mission. Our prayers go out to their families

They will be missed.

Fall is soon approaching as the lengthening shadows betray and soon we will enjoy the not too hot, not too cold days of the Goldilocks of seasons, hopefully with the prospect of football, camping, cookouts and a slight crispness in the air.

Let’s have a fun safe healthy Late Summer / Early Fall Season.

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Changes On The Horizon?

There are two proposals that the FCC will be considering which would significantly affect the world of Amateur Radio as we know it.

In the first, the ARRL Board of Directors has accepted the final recommendations for realigning the HF Amateur radio spectrum which would grant Technicians expanded HF voice privileges and other changes. The FCC has yet to rule in this matter,

The major changes would be as follows:

160 Meters:
None.

80 Meters:
Technician voice privileges from 3.900 – 4.000 MHz
Amateur Extra voice privileges would be reduced by 50 kHz with 3.600 – 3.650 MHz being reallocated for RTTY, Narrowband and Wideband data and Automatically Controlled Digital Stations or ACDS modes.
The remaining 8,515 Novice’s band would grow from 3.525 to 3.650 MHz. This would also be an increase for the Technician, General and Advanced classes.

60 Meters:
None.

40 Meters:
Technician voice privileges from 7.225 – 7.300 MHz
7.100 – 7,125 MHz, which is currently allocated for RTTY and Narrow Band data would now allow Wideband data and Automatically Controlled Digital Stations or ACDS modes.

30 Meters:
10.135 – 10.150 MHz, which is currently allocated for RTTY and Narrow Band data would now allow Wideband data and Automatically Controlled Digital Stations or ACDS modes.

20 Meters:
14.035 – 14.150 MHz, which is currently allocated for RTTY and Narrow Band data would now allow Wideband data and Automatically Controlled Digital Stations or ACDS modes.

17 Meters:
18.105 – 18.110 MHz, which is currently allocated for RTTY and Narrow Band data would now allow Wideband data and Automatically Controlled Digital Stations or ACDS modes.

15 Meters:
Technician voice privileges from 21.350 – 21.450 MHz
21.150 –21.200 MHz, which is currently allocated for RTTY and Narrow Band data would now allow Wideband data and Automatically Controlled Digital Stations or ACDS modes.

12 Meters:
24.925 – 24.930 MHz, which is currently allocated for RTTY and Narrow Band data would now allow Wideband data and Automatically Controlled Digital Stations or ACDS modes.

10 Meters:
28.120 – 28.189 MHz, which is currently allocated for RTTY and Narrow Band data would now allow Wideband data and Automatically Controlled Digital Stations or ACDS modes.
29.200 – 29.300, which is allocated for voice would add an NB and WB data in “Experimental Data Band” and Automatically Controlled Digital Stations or ACDS modes.
Current Novice and Technician voice privileges from 28.300 – 28.500 would remain as is.

CW would continue to be authorized on all Amateur Frequencies..

My Thoughts:

I wasn’t too thrilled by the voice proposal at first, as upgrading to General isn’t THAT grievous an undertaking. The more I thought on it, going on the assumption that the FCC will update the Technician examination to include at least Novice level HF material so applicants will be knowledgeable about the realm they are entering, it could be very useful during emergencies, for instance it could eliminate having to have a relay an emergency message from VHF to HF or vice versa.

20 Meter voice privileges will remain a very large carrot which will provide an incentive to upgrade to General.

I am NOT thrilled at all that the Amateur Extra voice privileges in 80 Meters would be reduced due to 3.600 – 3.650 MHz being removed and reallocated for data use. From my selfish point of view, it just means a loss of usable spectrum which I went through an intense degree of grief and misery to gain.

Walking through that August blizzard and fighting off wolves to reach the FCC office to take that test to get to use that precious 50 kHz is a memory I shall not soon forget.

For more information see:

Click to access Doc%2025A%20Band%20Plan%20Final-1b.pdf

In second event of note, the FCC, in an effort to implement portions of the “Repack Airwaves Yielding Better Access for Users of Modern Services Act” of 2018 — the so-called “Ray Baum’s Act”, has proposed to reinstate Amateur Radio Service fees,

Amateur radio licensees would pay a $50 fee for each amateur radio license application including:

Applications for new licenses
Renewals
Upgrades to existing licenses
Vanity call sign requests

Excluded are applications for administrative updates, such as changes of address, and annual regulatory fees.

The Ray Baum Act requires that the FCC switch from a Congressionally-mandated fee structure to a cost-based system of assessment. In its proposal, the FCC proposes application fees for a broad range of services that use the FCC’s Universal Licensing System (ULS).

The FCC also proposes to assess a $50 fee for individuals who want a printed copy of their license. “The Commission has proposed to eliminate these services — but to the extent the Commission does not do so, we propose a fee of $50 to cover the costs of these services,” the FCC said.

Deadlines for comments and reply comments will be determined once the NPRM appears in the Federal Register. File comments by using the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS), posting to MD Docket No. 20-270. This docket is already open for accepting comments even though deadlines have not yet been set.

Incidentally, those of us who hold a General Mobile Radio Service – GMRS license would see the existing $70 license fee dropped to $50 for a ten year license.

CB, MURS and FRS radios would remain license free and cost free.

My thoughts:

For existing Amateurs saving up $50 for renewing their license, or whatever they are trying to do is not that objectionable, skinflint that I am, I think the license is worth it.

If it were put in place and the monies collected went towards enforcement I would readily say “go for it”. But, I suspect it will just be deposited into the treasury for general use.

For prospective hams it will definitely be a detriment to recruiting.

We hams currently are battling a situation in which the market is being flooded with radios, cheap, inexpensive or both, where merchants either give the briefest cursory mention of the word “license” or no mention at all. One advertiser even went as far as to say “license not needed” with the advertised radio clearly showing the two meter band on the radio’s display.

Preppers and others wanting “communications capabilities” are buying these radios by the dozens. Hams in various forums try to encourage them to get a license.
The old “FCC will get you if you transmit without one” approach doesn’t work, whereas saying “you want to get a license so you can learn how to use your radio effectively and not cause more harm than good. You want to practice and perfect your skills before “The Event”, because if you wait and then try to learn when everything has fallen apart and your life depends on it working, then your ship is always sunk”.

Though there will always be those who feel they are “putting their Big Boy Pants on” as they tell hams what they can do with their stinkin’ licenses, this approach does seem to have a positive effect.

I suspect telling them “you will need a $50 license to use your $29 radio” may not be particularly effective and will just encourage those leaning towards joining the Baofeng Bootleg Brigade to ignore the requirements and just do whatever they want to do as “everything is legal in emergencies”.

Emergency uses apparently including the power twins, Karen the Soccer Mom from Hades keeping up with the kids, and good old Cooter and Donny Ray talking as they drive from the lake on an emergency run for more beer, bait and tater chips.

The one comforting thought is that though I have heard stations bootlegging on two meters, especially on 146.420 MHz, I suspect that 90% of the radios bought will never be used due to them being bought and being stuck and forgotten in a Bug Out Bag, along with the “tactical shovel/flashlight combo” with its corroded batteries and the camouflage Kevlar underwear.

I have read postings by people buying them and saying “I have no clue why I did or what to do with them”. They bought them because they were “tacticool” as they say, or as another item checked off of the “whew I‘ve got that covered” checklist. Some try once and give up saying “they are just too complicated”. Those who don’t give up use them on simplex as one would use an FRS radio, when an FRS radio would actually have been the better choice for the purposes for which they have in mind.

For more information on this proposal see:

Click to access FCC-20-116A1.pdf

Specifically page 9 which concerns Amateur radio.

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Mark’s Almanac

September is the ninth month of the year and the seventh month of the Roman calendar, which is where the month gets its name.

Temperatures are still hot at the beginning of the month, but, by months end, fall will definitely be felt.

Noticeable in September will be the thickening of the cat’s fur, as she begins growing her winter coat & the drift of Yellow Giant Sulphur Butterflies as they migrate towards Florida.

Weather starts shifting from the summer to autumn pattern and then back again. Storm activity resembles the August pattern, but the Bermuda High starts shifting southward and begins weakening, which weakens the blocking effect that has hampered fronts attempting to invade from the northwest.
September is the peak of the hurricane season, the actual peak being on September 10. This peak coincides with the time of “syzygy”, when the effects of the solar and lunar gravity and autumnal equinox combine to provide the highest astronomical tides of the year. Add a hurricane’s storm surge on top of this and you can have incredibly destructive flooding.

From 1851 – 2019 there have been 620 Tropical Storms and 409 hurricanes, 108 of which made landfall in the United States.

Some notable September hurricanes are:

The Galveston Hurricane of 1900, which was a Category 4 Storm whose storm surge overwhelmed Galveston Island, killing 8000 people, and is still the deadliest weather disaster in US history.

The Labor Day Hurricane of 1936, the most intense storm to strike the US, was a Category 5 storm which moved through the Florida Keys and along West Florida, overturning trains and literally sandblasting people to death.

Ivan, the category 3 storm which struck Alabama & Florida in 2004, caused tremendous damage to Gulf Shores and extensive damage to the state’s electrical grid. At the height of the outages, Alabama Power reported 489,000 subscribers having lost electrical power—roughly half of its subscriber base.

Rita, a category 3 storm which struck the Texas – Louisiana border in 2005, and, despite the distance, dropped 22 tornadoes over Western Alabama.

 

Days continue to grow shorter as the Sun’s angle above the noonday horizon steadily decreases from 64.9 degrees at the beginning of the month to 53.6 degrees at the month’s end. Daylight decreases from 12 hours 52 minutes on August 1 to 11 hours 53 minutes on August 31.

Sunrise and sunset times for Birmingham are:

September 1 Sunrise 6:21 AM Sunset 7:13 PM
September 15 Sunrise 6:30 AM Sunset 6:55 PM
September 31 Sunrise 6:41 AM Sunset 6:33 PM

Looking skyward, at the beginning of the month, the Sun, magnitude -26.7 is in Leo.

At the beginning of the month Mercury, in Leo is hidden in the glare of the sunset. As the month progresses he emerges into the evening sky.

On September 18 Mercury reaches his furthest distance from the Sun, or aphelion when he will be 43, 689,000 miles from the Sun.

On September 22 he will reach his highest point in the sky, or “Greatest Eastern Elongation” and will be 0.3° North of Spica, the brightest star in Virgo.

Venus, magnitude –4.3 in Gemini, rises in deep darkness two hours before dawn and by dawn is blazing brightly high in the east.

Venus, currently appears slightly gibbous or 59% sunlit, in telescopes, and sinks a little lower each morning, while the background stars move rapidly to the upper right as the days progress.

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

Mars, magnitude -1.8 in Pisces, rises in the east about a half hour after the end of twilight and reaches his highest altitude in the southern sky around 4 AM

In a telescope the gibbous 92% sunlit globe is already as big as it appears at its average close approaches to Earth, or “oppositions”. As Earth catches up with him in early October he will be much larger and shine at a bright magnitude of -2.6.

He will NOT, as the perennial social media meme proclaims, be “as large as the Full Moon.” If he ever does, there is a serious problem, as either Mars or Earth has slipped out of orbit. Which in our case would be bad mojo indeed.

Martian northern winter and southern summer solstice will occur September 3.

Mars will pass behind the Moon on September 5 at 11:42 PM.

Dwarf Planet Ceres shines at magnitude 7.7 in Aquarius.

Jupiter, magnitude –2.6, in Sagittarius, shines in the South in the early evening.

Saturn, magnitude +0.3, in Sagittarius, is the steady, pale yellowish “star” in the south in early evening.

Jupiter and Saturn provide a fine view in the late evening sky. Jupiter is the brightest; with Saturn is 8° to his left.

Uranus, magnitude 5.8, in Aries, is well up in the east by midnight, east of Mars.

Neptune, magnitude 7.8, in Aquarius, is higher in the southeast at midnight, and is highest in the south by 2 to 3 AM.

The blue giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth or “Opposition”, 2,689,200,000 miles, on September 11. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long.

Due to its extreme distance from Earth, it will only appear as a tiny blue dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.

Dwarf Planet Pluto, with his five moons shines at a dim 14.3 in Sagittarius.

Dwarf Planet 136108 Haumea, its ring and moons Hiʻiaka and Namaka, shines at a faint magnitude of 17.3 in Bootes.

Dwarf Planet 136472 Makemake with his moon faintly shines at magnitude 17.0 in Coma Berenices.

Dwarf Planet 136199 Eris and her moon Dysnomia is barely visible in the most powerful telescopes at magnitude 19.0 in Cetus the Sea Monster.

When Eris was discovered is 2005 it was undecided whether it was a planet or a dwarf planet. It was popularly nicknamed “Xena”, for TV’s “Xena the Warrior Princess”. Then her moon was discovered, so it was nicknamed “Gabrielle”, who was Xena’s sidekick.

However, when the International Astronomical Union gave its official names in 2006, they chose “Eris”, the Greek goddess of strife and discord, and “Dysnomia”, which sounds like a medical condition, who was Eris’s daughter, the Greek goddess of lawlessness.

I always have felt they should have kept it Xena and Gabrielle, as it had a “cool factor” and since when I was much younger I felt that they, along their distant cousin, Buffy The Vampire Slayer truly rocked.

Now I’m so old soon it will be “Betty White – Ninja Warrior”.

September’s Full Moon will occur September 2 at 12:23 AM CDT or 05:23 UTC.

This month’s moon is “Full Corn Moon” in Native American folklore because corn is harvested this time of year.

This year’s September Moon will not be “Harvest Moon”

Most believe that Harvest Moon is always in September; however this isn’t always the case. Harvest Moon is actually the full moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox, and so it will occur at October’s “Hunters Moon”.

Since this month’s Full Moon occurs near Apogee, it will be a “Micromoon”, which is opposite of a Supermoon. Also called “Minimoon”, “Micro Full Moon” or “Apogee Moon”, this Full Moon will appear slightly smaller than a normal Full Moon.

The Moon will be at Apogee or its farthest distance from Earth on September 6, when she will be 252,032 miles from Earth.

Last Quarter Moon occurs September 10.

New Moon occurs September 17 at 6:00 AM CDT or 11:00 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.

The Moon will be at Perigee or its closest approach to Earth on September 7, when she will be 223,123 miles from Earth.

Fall begins at Autumnal Equinox on September 22 at 8:30 AM CDT or 13:30 UTC when the Sun crosses directly over the equator and night and day is approximately the same length throughout the world. For the Southern Hemisphere it is Vernal Equinox, the first day of Spring.

One term that occasionally pops up is “equinoctial storms”. Which are severe storms in North America and the UK that supposedly accompany the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. Where this belief originated is obscure. Some say perhaps from the 1700’s when sailors were greeted by West Indies hurricanes, or due to the coincidence of the first fall severe storms sometimes coming in the latter half of September. At any rate, statistics show no evidence to support the belief.

On this date, if there is sufficient solar activity, and you are away from city lights, the aurora may possibly be seen, as the Equinox dates are the two most favored times of the year for auroral sightings.

At this time of year, the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) can link up with Earth’s magnetic field, prying open cracks. Solar wind pours in to fuel displays of the aurora borealis with no geomagnetic storm required. Researchers call this the “Russell-McPherron” effect after the space physicists who first described it in the 1970s.

First Quarter Moon will occur on September 23.

High in the Southern night sky an asterism or a group of stars appearing clustered together, but not actually gravitationally bound will be seen that resembles a teapot. This is the Teapot of Sagittarius.

To the naked eye, the Teapot is roughly the size of your fist at arm’s length. Above the spout of the Teapot lies a band of light, the Large Sagittarius Star Cloud. A pair of binoculars will reveal a sea of stars and faint grayish patches, the largest of which is the Lagoon Nebula. When you look upon these nebulae you are seeing stars in the process of being born.

The spout, which is tilting and pouring to the right, also points towards the galactic center of the Milky Way, located just beyond the Large Sagittarius Star cloud, but largely hidden by the dust clouds, which lie along the plane of the Sagittarius arm of the galaxy.

4201 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of August 13, per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/.

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This month’s meeting will be on September 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.
Hope to “see” you there Hope to see you there!
Mark / WD4NYL
Editor
ALERT Newsletter

www.freewebs.com/weatherlynx/

Mark’s Weatherlynx
Weather Resource Database

 

 

Hi everyone,

I hope this finds you safe and well as we enter these midsummer days. As you bake and broil in the sun, remember that fall is just a little over a month away, and eventually the heat and humidity will retreat back towards the tropical realms from whence it came and in about 6 months we will be griping and wishing we could borrow one of these days for a welcomed winter thaw..

As mentioned in last month’s newsletter ALERT dues are due.

We are in the process of updating our roster and databases. If you have not paid your dues by
September 1 you will be dropped from our membership rolls and will have to reapply for membership.

We don’t want this to happen, so if you haven’t paid your dues, I urge you to do

For information on where to send the dues and also for the form if you are not a member and would like to join, visit our blog at https://alert-alabama.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/Documents/alertapp.pdf

Our next ALERT meeting will be on August 14

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Cellphones And Emergency Communications

Cellphones have become society’s primary mode of communications. What was once an expensive luxury item is now just a part of everyday life. There is the joke that for the first time in human history we have at our fingertips access to the entirety of human knowledge and with this capability we share pictures of cats and call each other dogs. A fact which is, especially considering the times in which we live, painfully true.

As common as this technology is, the infrastructure which makes cellular communications possible is exceedingly fragile.

Physical damage to the towers, either due to an accident, severe weather or a deliberate act of man, or a failure of the T-1 line, which is the network digital channels that allow transmission of voice and data, and the cellular network is basically dead.

Even someone having a bad day with a backhoe in Dallas accidentally digging up the fiber optics lines can disable communications here in Alabama.

Even without damage to the system sometimes just the sheer number of calls being processed can jam communication lines, especially during and after an emergency or disaster. A prime example of this being during the Winter Storm of 2014 when “all circuits are busy” greeted those trying to make calls as the circuits were overwhelmed.
Also frequently we see the skies dotted with chubby cumulus clouds and a radar that showing plenty of nothing and calls mysteriously drop into some sort of RF vortex from whence they never return.

In these cases sometimes even though voice signals cannot make it through the circuits, text messages with their narrow bandwidth can worm their way through the logjam. A good example of this was during Hurricane Irma when I was in a continuous exchange of texts with my sister as the Category 4 storm’s eye passed directly over her house in September 2017.

Perhaps an even more dramatic example was the earthquake and tsunami which struck Japan in 2011.

Here we had, for that type disaster, the most prepared nation on Earth & yet with all that technology and knowledge, once the event began the population were helpless as they gazed into the eyes of a tragedy.

Yet with the communications infrastructure demolished, a flood of messages emerged. Not via voice communications, but via the internet with tweets & texting.

Texting is one of the most popular forms of communications. It’s handy & annoying. Just try talking to someone & them never ceasing to click away. It makes you want to grab both them and their phone and pitch both out of the window.

But, texting can be extremely useful for emergency communications.

For emergency preparedness it could be of value to have a set of brief emergency messages stored on your phone that you could copy, paste and send letting a contact person know of your status.

Everyone should have an emergency contact person, preferably out of town that everyone can coordinate their information with.

The list I concocted, which are saved in my “notes” folder are:

1. We have had to evacuate area due to ________________. Will contact you ASAP.
2. Tornado hit neighborhood, no damage, we are safe.
3. Tornado hit neighborhood, some damage, but, we are safe.
4. Tornado hit neighborhood, heavy damage, but we are ok.
5. 911…call me ASAP at ________.
6. ________ is in _________ hospital. Will call when able.
7, Departed at _______ ETA _________.
8. What’s your ETA?
9. Can’t reach you. Is everything ok?

These examples can be customized and tweaked to meet your own needs.

I all I have to do is go to the “notes” folder, click on the message, until it says “select all”, which sometimes takes more than one attempt, then click “copy” and then paste it in a text message.

Of course you can try to adlib and just type what you wish, but, the human body tends to lose its fine motor skills, such as those used for typing, during a crisis. So, having the messages ready to send is a definite advantage.

One additional little suggestion would be:

Make sure to sign the message!!!
Imagine getting a message from an unfamiliar number saying “Grandma is in ICU, probably won’t make it through the night, come ASAP”, with no signature. Is it your Grandma? Someone else’s Grandma? Is it a wrong number? Did someone borrow a phone to send the text? How do you know?

Many years ago I had an answering machine, but, no caller ID. I came home from work and on Monday I had a message from an elderly gentleman “We’ve left Chicago and are heading your way!” On Tuesday there was the message. “We spent the night in Louisville and are pulling out now.” On Wednesday I was greeted by “We spent some time in Nashville, but should be there in a couple of hours.”

No name, no number, no clue and no visitors arriving either.

I have this happen in group emails also and see it with callouts. “I can come in for a few hours Saturday”. That’s great, but who are you?

That’s why you should always sign your message!

You may have other ideas on how to better use this resource during emergencies.

Feel free to share them with us!

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Why Ham Radio Died

Periodically, in fact quite frequently, I have read either in magazines or online the reasons that ham radio is supposedly dying. This seems to be a common belief and in fact I have seen it used as an odd recruitment tool. Why “come and join our dying hobby” is supposed to attract people I never have figured out.

In 1975 I was a teenager and was researching and studying how to get in to amateur radio. The entry level license was the Novice license, which was good for two years. If you did not upgrade during that time period you would lose your license and would have to wait a year before you took the test again. You were issued a WN prefix to indicate that you were a Novice, which would be replaced with a WB callsign when you upgraded and you had to use a crystal controlled radio, as VFO’s were not allowed.

Ham radio, as I then read, had been dying since the FCC created the “incentive licensing” scheme in the late 1960’s. True there were 175,000 ham licenses, but, how many were actually active operators or even still alive? “A graying hobby, made up of old men…with no young people being attracted to keep it alive” was the common lament. Sound familiar?

Yep, the hobby was dying.

Just for fun, let’s look at the causes of death in rough chronological order from 1975 to 2020.

1. Novice Licenses are made renewable (no one will ever upgrade now}
2. Novices allowed can use VFO’s (now they will invade and bootleg in the General bands)
3. Novices get permanent callsigns, like mine WD4NYL (now you won’t know when they are
bootlegging in the General bands)
4. CB Radio (……boooooo…..hisssss)
5. Crotchety old men (sort of useful though, since they are the only ones who know how to keep
the repeater, which they financed and built, working}
6. Young whipper snappers just “given licenses”
7. KA callsigns are issued (they are making way for the 20 million CBers they are about to let in)
8. Volunteer Exams initiated (yep just say that all your fishing buddies passed the test)
9. That mystical lure of a ham that causes that uncontrollable urge to cheat (you know its true)
10. CW Exam eliminated (we are truly doomed)
11. KB callsigns (woe is us)
12. 300,000 hams (but, but, how many are active, how many dead?)
13. Crotchety Old Men
14. Know it all young whipper snappers
15. Mushy tests. (they should be made to walk through a blizzard like I did)
16. Commodore 64, TRS-80 and IBM computers (everyone will playing and no one will be
interested in ham radio)
17. Mobile telephones (if don’t need an autopatch, what’s to keep folk interested?)
18. KC callsigns (a sign of the times)
19. Cable TV (with 50 channels to choose from who will have time for hamming?)
20. 400,000 hams (how come I never hear em on?)
21. Low sunspots (it’s going supernova anyway. THEN see how far HF will get you, buddy)
22. Young whipper snappers becoming crotchety old men
23. Y2K (means QRT)
24. No code digital weather whackos (aka as ALERT)
25. D-STAR and any other digital mode (can’t afford it and FM will be dead soon)
26. Mayan Calendar (we dead)
27. Baofeng Radios (cheap n dirty)
28, Icom, Yaesu and Kenwood radios (too expensive for newbies)
29. FT8 (get a DXCC in 30 minutes while you mow the grass)
30 No one joining the ARRL (freeloaders!!!)
31. People joingin the ARRL (sheeple!!!).
32. Baotleg Boofang, er, I mean bootleg Baofeng Users
33. Preppers getting radios, but, not a license. (we don’t need no stinkin’ license)
34. Preppers getting radios and a ham license. (they ain’t in it fer the hobby!!!)
35. The price of pickles in Poughkeepsie.
36. Facebook (why get on the air when you can whine online about people not getting on the air
on Facebook instead?)
37. Auburn cheating, er I mean beating Alabama (Roll Tide anyway)
38, Covid-19
39. KO callsigns
40. 812,550 hams as of 7/29 (but, but, but, how many are really active, or dead?)

Ham radio changes, as it should and must to remain relevant. We may not always agree with the changes that occur, but, to butcher a quoe from Mark Twain:

“The reports of our death are greatly exaggerated.”

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Mark’s Almanac

August was originally named “Sextilis”, the sixth Roman month. It was renamed August in honor of Caesar Augustus and lengthened to 31 days, to equal Julius Caesar’s month of July.

August is hot and humid and summer temperatures remain at or near their summer peak.

The rapid vegetation growth of spring is over, and, since conditions are now perfect for the growth of mold, fungi & germs, plants have a “used” look, which is enhanced if rainfall is scarce.

In August the choir of cicadas whine in the afternoon & towards the end of the month the big Yellow Sulphur Butterflies will begin heading to the South-Southeast, giving hints of their soon upcoming fall migration & cats will begin to hint of growing their winter coats.

Hurricane breeding grounds in August are the Atlantic, with Low Latitude “Cape Verde” storms forming off of Africa crossing the Ocean and either threatening the Eastern Seaboard or striking the Leeward Islands, entering the Caribbean and then striking the Yucatan, or the Western or Northern Gulf coast. Breeding grounds also include the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.

August is second only to September in the number of Tropical Storms and Hurricanes. From 1851 to 2019 there have been 396 Tropical Storms and 245 Hurricanes, 78 of which made landfall in the United States, the most notable storms being Hurricanes Camille and Katrina in 1969 and 2005, which devastated Mississippi and Louisiana and Hurricane Andrew which ravaged South Florida in 1992.

21% of a year’s Hurricanes occur in August, however, 85 to 95% of land falling Hurricanes have not occurred by August 15.

Days grow shorter as the Sun’s angle above the noonday horizon steadily decreases from 74.4 degrees at the beginning of the month to 65.0 degrees at the month’s end. Daylight decreases from 13 hours 48 minutes on August 1 to 12 hours 54 minutes on August 31.

Sunrise and sunset times for Birmingham are:

August 1 Sunrise 6:00 AM Sunset 7:47 PM
August 15 Sunrise 6:09 AM Sunset 7:34 PM
August 31 Sunrise 6:20 AM Sunset 7:14 PM

Looking skyward, at the beginning of the month, the Sun, magnitude -26.7 is in Cancer.

Mercury, magnitude -0.9 in Gemini, glimmers low in the east-northeast during dawn. He will grow brighter, growing from magnitude –0.9 to –1.3 this week, but it gets a little lower each morning. He is about 30° lower left of brilliant Venus.

Mercury will be at his closest approach to the Sun or Perihelion on August 5.

Mercury then will slip beneath the Sunrise and pass directly behind the Sun or be at “Superior Conjunction” on August 17.

Venus, magnitude –4.5, is moving from eastern Taurus into the top of Orion’s Club and rises in deep darkness more than 1½ hours before the very beginning of dawn an shines brightly as the “Morning Star” at dawn.

At the beginning of the month Venus is a very thick crescent, as is moving away from the Earth. As she moves away its phase is increasing and will be nearly half lit, similar to a First Quarter Moon’s phase, also called “dichotomy” on August 12.

Venus will reach at Greatest Western Elongation or the highest point above the eastern horizon on August 13, when she will be 45.8 degrees from the Sun.

Venus along with Jupiter are the only two planets that can be spotted with the naked eye in broad daylight. Can you spot her as she passes south around 11 AM?

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

Mars, magnitude -1.2 in Pisces, rises in the east around 11 PM.

Mars will reach his closest approach to the Sun or Perihelion on August 3.

On August the 9th Mars will pass within 0.8 degrees of the Moon on August 9 just after moonrise.

Mars is growing larger in telescopes as the Earth, in its faster inner orbit speeds towards their closest approach in Early October.

Mars is 87% sunlit and his South Polar Cap is in good position for viewing.

With the Earth heading for Mars, the Earthlings are taking advantage of the opportunity by sending a flotilla of three craft towards the Red Planet. The United Arab Emirates spacecraft “Hope”, China’s “Tianwen-1” and the United States’ “Perseverance”.

And, to think, all these years we thought it would be Mars invading the Earth and it turns out to be us invading them instead…

Jupiter, magnitude –2.7 in Sagittarius, is bright in the southeast at twilight with Saturn nearby.

Saturn, magnitude +0.2 in Sagittarius, along with Jupiter 8 degrees to the right, loom in the southeast in twilight and pass highest in the south around midnight.

Uranus, magnitude 5.8, in Aries, is high in the east after midnight.

Neptune, magnitude 7.8, in Aquarius, is high in the south-southeast also after midnight.

August’s Full Moon will occur August 3 at 15:59 UTC or 10:59 AM CDT. August’s Full Moon was called “Fruit Moon” in Cherokee Folklore, “Women’s Moon” among the Choctaw, “Sturgeon Moon” by the Algonquin because the large sturgeon fish of the Great Lakes and other major lakes were more easily caught at this time of year. This moon has also been known as the Green Corn Moon and the Grain Moon and at one time was called “Dog Days Moon” by the Colonial Americans.

The moon will be at Apogee or its farthest distance from Earth on August 9, when she will be 251,443 miles from Earth.

Last Quarter Moon will occur August 11, with the visible portion of the Moon pointing East.

The Perseid Meteor Shower peaks on the night of August 12 & 13, with 50 to 60 meteors per hour. This shower, produce by debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, which was discovered in 1862, ranks as the best of the best, famous for producing bright meteors. The shower runs annually from July 17 to August 24. It peaks this year on the night of August 12 and the morning of August 13.

The Last Quarter moon will block many of the fainter meteors this year. But if you are patient, you should still be able to catch a few of the brighter ones. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Perseus, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

New Moon will occur on August 19 at 10:42 PM CDT or 2:42 UTC on August 18. 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 Perigee or her closest approach to Earth on August 21, when she will be 225,888 miles from Earth.

First Quarter Moon will occur August 25, with the visible portion of the Moon pointing West.

4197 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of July 23, per NASA’s
Exoplanet Archive http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/

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This month’s meeting will be on July 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.

Hope to “see” you there!

Mark / WD4NYL
Editor
ALERT Newsletter
wd4nyl@bellsouth.net