Hi Everyone,

The 2026 Birminghamfest is almost here, and I hope you can attend!

This event will be held at the Trussville Civic Center on Friday March 6 from 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM and Saturday, March 7 from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM.

The address is:

5381 Trussville-Clay Road
Trussville, AL 35173

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

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

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

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ALERT Election Committee

In accordance with ARTICLE V, Section 1 of the ALERT Constitution and Bylaws, this month’s meeting will feature the selection of the two person Nominating Committee for the upcoming elections in May.

President will appoint a Nominating Committee of 2 voting members. That Committee will contact members about serving as officers. Since there are no term limits for current officers, if the Committee can hornswoggle them into serving another term, or rather, continue in the fine job they have been doing, that’s copacetic.

The Nominating Committee will present its report at the April meeting for all the voting members to review. Nominations from the floor will be accepted at the meeting of the elections in May.

Originally the elected Officers of ALERT were:

President
Vice-President / Membership
Treasurer
Secretary
NWS Liaison
Operations
Training
Public Information

Over the years, as circumstances dictated, the process has evolved or perhaps devolved, out of necessity, both due to the chaos wreaked by Covid 19, and a shortage of willing volunteers so that the elected positions have become:

President
Vice President
Treasurer & Membership
Secretary

NWS Liaison has been faithfully performed for decades by Russell KV4S. If no one ever says thank you for this, Russell, know that what you are doing is much appreciated. You are the backbone of the callout process. Thank you so very much!

Operations, Training and Public Relations duties have been met informally by other members or Officers, even though there might not have been an “official” Official in place.

As to the Board of Directors, it is composed of the President, immediate past President, Trustee of the station and 2 operational “At Large” members appointed by the President.

The “At Large” members, per the bylaws, serve terms of one and two years, the two-year member is chosen every even year, so, since 2026 is an even year, both positions are open for appointment by the President. They are not elected positions; the President chooses them.

Please plan on attending the March meeting & don’t be shy about volunteering to serve on the Committee or to make yourself available for a leadership role. All it takes is a willing heart and once elected, a commitment to faithfully fulfill your duties of office to the best of your abilities.

We need you to be actively involved in ALERT’s leadership and to help us build a strong ALERT organization for the future.

Your time has arrived.

Your ALERT needs you.

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The Wooly Worm Weather Guide.

Many years ago, in the early 1970’s, my piano teacher seeing her yard filled with blackbirds, said “that means it will snow” and sure enough, there were flurries and bone chilling cold the next day.

Over the years I watched this and refined it a little, finding that while they may not always predict snow, they do seem to know when a cold front is moving in. But how they know this I’ve always wondered, as it would be warmish, with a south wind, a steady barometer, and except for a few feathery cirrus clouds and a few contrails which stayed for just a few minutes, a sky sunny.

As the day progressed the only thing that would change is that the cirrus would thicken and the contrails would stop dissipating, and start expanding and blending in with the cirrus that was overspreading the sky. That night there would be a halo around the moon and the next day it would rain.

As a kid who loved astronomy, Wednesdays I would be planning what to I wished to observe over the weekend, and the pattern outlined above would set in and I would be rained out. Time and time again it would repeat itself. Wednesday being clear, Thursday a few feathers in the sky and maybe a sundog at sunset, Friday a milky sky with haloes and Saturday it raining a flood.

Gradually I learned the language of the sky.

At first, friends would get aggravated with me, as they planned to go fishing Saturday and by Thursday, I would be telling them to pack an umbrella instead. “Aw you don’t know nothing” they would say, and Monday I would say “catch anything?” knowing good and well that we had gotten three inches of rain. Then I became their personal “weather man”.

Over the years I scribbled down observations, trends and folklore. Seeing which seemed true and which seemed iffy. The following is from the notes I have collected. Read them and store them in your memory and see which ones prove true and how often. As you do so you will learn to read secret messages of nature, which may help you become a Weather Wizard, or at least help keep you from being soaked on what started out as a sunny day.

Winged And Furry Critters, Four Legged And Two

I once had a four-legged thunderstorm detector named Smoky. Smoky was a gray cat, who was afraid of thunder. If I saw Smoky slinking around in slow motion, seemingly trying to hide under the grass, I knew to head to the house, for he could hear the rumble of storms approaching.

Smoky was an excellent sonar unit. When I was in the yard with my telescope exploring the night sky, I would pay attention to his ears as they homed in on sounds, I could not hear. If they moved in a random fashion, I ignored it. If both ears locked on something and especially if his eyes opened, I knew something had his attention. It might have been a rabbit or a person in the distance or in the shadows, but he never gave a false indication.

Then there was Wendy the Beagle. Once I went outside to let her “do her business” and she kept looking at the northern sky. A few nights earlier an owl had been in the pecan tree, so I ignored it. A couple of hours later James Spann said Alabama had been treated to a rare appearance of the Northern Lights. Wendy looked at me and said “I tried to tell you, Boss, but you didn’t listen”. Which was true.

Bo, my Australian Shepherd does not like thunder, and will start panting, whining and barking long before I can hear a thing. Even with doggie Trazodone, he stresses out. He also stresses out if my phone pings from a lightning detection app. Sometimes I think I need the Trazodone instead of the dog.

There is a saying “If a cat washes behind it’s ears expect rain the next day.” My cats Lollie and Whiskers tend to prove this is true, as they seldom are wrong.

Birds will tell you the wind direction, as they usually sit facing the wind so their feathers won’t get ruffled, as it is uncomfortable. A little bird told me.

As previously mentioned, one hundred blackbirds covering the ground gacking, squealing and using the car as a latrine means a cold front is approaching.

It is said that the length of the breastbone of a recently deceased goose served at Thanksgiving will indicate the length of the ensuing winter, while the color of the breastbone indicates its severity. A plain white breastbone indicates a mild winter. A mottled breastbone indicates a more severe winter, and the more mottled the breastbone is, the more severe the winter to come.

But grocery stores may not be able to tell you when the beast was slain and they may be from New Zealand, not Alabama. Which is why I recommend you start raising your own geese, which I’m sure your neighbors will not mind in the least.

The mystery of how birds are able to migrate, sometimes from one hemisphere to another has been partly unraveled, as it has been discovered that birds possess an ability called magnetoreception, which enables them to detect and navigate using the Earth’s magnetic field. Bird’s retinas have a light sensitive protein called cryptochrome, which is a photoreceptor for blue light, but also is able to detect magnetic fields. It is believed that they see a foggy bright area where the magnetic lines of force converge in the distance towards the north and south, like a misty bright bow. Also, some birds have magnetite crystals in their beaks, which acts as a built-in compass.

I often wonder what animals are seeing that we can’t. Especially on those occasions when you see your cats all gazing at a point on the ceiling and their heads slowly turning as they are obviously tracking something moving through the room, but you see nothing.

Other sayings, which may or may not prove true (you have watch and to decide) are:

“If a cat sits with its back to a heat source expect cold weather.”

“If your dog howls at the moon it signifies an early snow.”

“Many birds roosting on wires or gathering on beaches means rain.”

“When the rooster goes crowing to bed, he will rise with a watery head.”

“When the birds are flying low, expect rain and a blow.”

“When the geese cackle, it will rain.”

“If the sparrow makes a lot of noise, rain will follow.”

“When birds roost close to the ground – rain or snow are due.”

“The severity of Winter is determined by how far down feathers have grown on a partridge’s leg.”

Though neither winged nor furry, “Trout jump high when a rain is nigh.”

“Pigs gather leaves and straw before a storm.”

“Endless dark and dreary days depress all creatures whether four legged or two.”

“The deeper squirrels bury their nuts, the lower the lowest temperature will be for the upcoming winter.”

Humans may notice strange or old smells and may have aches in old wounds, joints and sinuses as they react to pressure changes.

And, what about full moons? Do people really act nuttier when the “Cold-hearted orb that rules the night” shines full?

They say (and my Mom once said that ‘they say’ are the biggest liars in the world”) that many studies have shown that there is no connection between violent or psychotic behavior and the lunar cycle.

However, when I worked retail, people did seem to act more impatient, aggressive, insulting or just plain deranged during a full moon. On the other hand, the week after a full moon the sales staff was grouchy, impatient, ready to fly off the handle or maybe just a little demented.

My theory was that either they we’re fed up with having to deal with nutcases the week before, or could it be that it was the effect of the brain lubricant resettling after having been displaced by the moons tidal pull? More study is needed, for “the truth is out there.”

Bug Eyed Forecasters

Crickets chirp faster when it’s warm and slower when it is cold. Crickets can serve as thermometers. Tradition says that if you count the cricket’s chirps for 14 seconds and then add 40, you will obtain the temperature in Fahrenheit at the cricket’s location.

Or you can cheat and use the NWS Cricket Chirp Calculator

Cricket Chirp Converter

For Celsius you count the chirp of the roaches. (Or maybe I’m lying? Watch your roaches and decide for yourselves.)

Katydids also can give you the temperature. Per the Mississippi State Extension Services “The Gloworm” count the number of calls per minute, add 161 and divide by 3.

They also say that the first killing frost comes precisely three months after the first katydids begin to sing. In late summer when they begin to call during the day from deep shade, frost is six weeks away. Keep your ears open and mark that calendar.

Did you know that the NWS keeps a cage of crickets, katydids and roaches to help verify their instrumentation? It’s behind that observatory looking thing at the airport. Just ask them.

Spiders spin larger webs during periods of clear weather. Occasionally they do miss their forecasts and you see them quickly abandoning their webs as large raindrops begin striking their carefully woven artwork. If they sense rain is moving in, they will gather their webs up and stow them, as spiders are economical creatures. It takes a lot of spider goo to build a web, and spider goo can be pricey. Just ask any spider.

Spiders are the master architects of nature. They will send a strand of web floating across the air, like a fisherman casting a line. When it reaches a suitable target, they will launch another web and continue this process until he builds a frame. This creates four sides to the web and then two diagonal lines from the four corners are added. This frame will give the web strength. The spider then makes the “spokes” of the wheel by creating lines from the outside edges in towards the center of the web. Once all the “spokes” are made, the spider goes back over the web creating spirals from the outside in making a delicate sticky net, that when covered by dew, is a piece of art that no artist can rival.

It is also a piece of art which will cause you to jump, curse, and slap yourself silly, convinced that you are covered with spiders, when your face inevitably runs into it.

If you see bees and wasps retreating to their hives and nests, this indicates rain. Likewise, bees, wasps, spiders and birds reappearing mean the storms end is near.

Ants will shore up their hills in anticipation of or in some cases, in response to long periods of heavy rain. The only problem is they don’t deconstruct them after the event, so if you see a foot high anthill, is it because it’s going to rain, or is it just left over construction?

Speaking of ants, I observed an interesting thing on the eve of Hurricane Katrina. I was working the night shift and during my tasks I noticed ants moving en masse in the parking lot towards the West along the crest of Red Mountain. Streams of hundreds if not thousands of them.

During subsequent hurricane landfalls I learned that seismographs can detect microtremors caused by major hurricanes as undersea waves crash into the continental shelf. Could the ants feel the vibrations?

There are many examples of ants and roaches fleeing from the shorelines, and animals panicking moments before a tsunami arrived.

Just before a tsunami struck Sri Lanka and India in 2005, elephants screamed and ran for higher ground, dogs refused to go outdoors, flamingos abandoned their low-lying nests and the zoo animals rushed into their shelters and could not be enticed to come back out.

In this case wildlife experts believed the animals more acute sense of hearing and other senses enabled them to hear or feel the Earth’s vibration, tipping them off to the approaching disaster long before humans realized what was going on.

So, if your flamingos and elephants start panicking for no reason, you might want to head for higher ground.

Other hints given by our sometimes pesky friends are:

Roaches suddenly appearing in a normally roach free house signals rain.

“The loud, shrill buzz of the cicada warn of long, hot days ahead.”

“Flies clustered on windows and screens predict a cold front was on the way.”

“If spiders are many and spinning their webs, the spell will soon be very dry.”

“If wasps build their nests high, the winter will be long and harsh.”

Flies, gnats & mosquitoes bite worse before rain sets in. Incidentally, unless they are caught in a current of air, most mosquitoes can’t fly above 25 to 30 feet above ground level. So, if you are being eaten alive by mosquitoes, just climb a tree like I usually do.

Now we come to Wooly Worms. It is said that “the wider the brown (middle) band on a woolly bear caterpillar, the milder the Winter and vice versa.”

Is this true? I don’t know. You need to be looking and finding out, as that’s your homework.

Another mystery, to me anyway, is I have always heard these fuzzy crawlers called “Wooly Worms”. I have read numerous articles saying that Southerners call these “Wooly Bears”. I have lived here 68 years and have never heard this term used even once.

The only two bears I heard of growing up was Bear Bryant and those wooly beasts of the woods that have the reputation (largely unfounded) of snacking on sleeping campers.

It could be that other sections of the South do use this term. Or it may be just another case of someone somewhere writing this and that and since it “sounds good” “it must be true”.

Plants

The leaves of Mimosa and clover close before rain and at nightfall.

The blossoms of lilies, daisies, dandelions and clover close before rain and at nightfall.

Many plants such as lilies and daisies are “heliotropes”. They track the Sun’s movement across the sky like tiny satellite dishes.

“When the leaves of trees turn over, it foretells windy weather.”

“A large crop of acorns indicates a harsh winter to come”

“Flowers smell best just before rain”

“When the dogwood flowers, there shall be no more frosts.”

“Ash leaves appearing before oak leaves, the summers a soak. Oak before ash, the summer’s a splash.”

General Signs for Weather Prognostication

“If the sun shines while snow is falling, expect more snow very soon.”

If the sun shines while it is raining or “the Devil is beating his wife”, it will probably rain again the next day, around the same time.

A ring around the sun or moon indicates rain or snow within 12 to 24 hours.

If the Moon has two rings encircling it, expect snowfall within 24 hours.

Sundogs indicate possible rain in 24 to 48 hours.

“It is easier to predict when rain will appear, than predict when it will finally clear.”

From 12 to 6 AM or PM a barometer will normally fall a small amount, and from 6 to 12 it will normally rise a small amount. Any deviation from this pattern, such as a continuous rise or fall, indicates the pressure is really falling or rising, and not just registering the normal daily variation.

Breaking format for a moment, there used to be a publication called the “Sager Weathercaster”, which was developed during World War 2 to provide an instant “point forecast” for a radius of 30 miles of your location. It consisted of a booklet with four rings which allowed you to input the wind direction and change, barometric pressure, barometric pressure change and the sky condition. By aligning the rings, you would get an alphanumeric code such as “X222”, which in this case was derived from a steady northwest wind, a barometric pressure of 30.1 – 30.4 inches, which was slowly rising and a partly cloudy sky. By looking up the code in the booklet you would find the forecast code “AD8”, the booklet deciphered giving a forecast of “A = Fair, D = Wind Velocity diminishing, or moderating somewhat if current winds are fresh to strong in velocity, 8 = Northwest or North Winds”.

Using this device I found it remarkably accurate, particularly in the Spring and Fall, but, less accurate in the Summer and Winter, probably because in the Summer fronts would stall or storms would be shunted around the Bermuda High, causing the indicated changes not to appear, and in the Winter, fronts seemed to move more rapidly, so the changes occurred in a compressed time scale, throwing off the forecast timing. Still, I found it an interesting and valuable resource.

If you find this book, you should get it, as it is well worth the space on your bookshelf.

Online versions can be found at Weather-Above Sager Algorithm & Vouhead Weather – Short Term Forecast

A similar but, less advanced device was developed in 1915 during World War 1, by two Italian watchmakers, the Negretti & Zambra Pocket Forecaster or Zambretti Forecaster. It also used rings, but seemed less accurate to me. Perhaps because it was limited in the data that could be used, which it made it less precise, or perhaps the weather terminology of 1915 was less clear than that being used today. For example, a forecast of “fine weather”. What exactly is “fine weather”? One source may say “few or no clouds” another may say “pleasant and enjoyable” and not referring to the cloud cover at all, just that you won’t get frozen or rained on if you go picnicking.

An online version of this forecaster may be found at Zambretti Algorithm based Forecaster & Vouhead Weather – Short Term Forecast

Continuing, a frosty night means clear weather and vice versa.

Clear night, cold night, cloudy night, a warmer night.

“Smoke falling instead of rising, signals rain”

“The louder the frog, the more the rain.”

“No weather is ill, if the wind be still.”

“Rain before seven, fine before eleven.”

“A sunshiny shower won’t last half an hour.”

Sounds are louder on a cloudy day, as distant sounds, like smoke, are carried by the wind. From my location south of Birmingham, I can hear the trains in downtown Birmingham when the wind is from the north, the interstate traffic when from the west, and quieter than normal when from the east or south.

Also, don’t overlook the most obvious weather signs, the clouds, themselves.

See: How To Predict Weather With Clouds (Cloud types for storms & rain) & The NWS Cloud Chart
cloud_chart.pdf

Sayings Passed Down Through Time

“The north wind is a satisfying wind; the south wind is harmful to man. The east wind is a rain-bearing wind; the west wind is greater than those who live there. The east wind is a wind of prosperity, the friend of Naram-Suen.” (Naram-Suen ruler of the Akkadian Empire c2255–2218 BC)

“He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.” Matthew 16: 2 &3 NIV

“Signs Of Rain”
“Forty Reasons for Not Accepting an Invitation of a Friend to Make an Excursion with Him”

“The hollow winds begin to blow, the clouds look black, the glass is low;
The soot falls down, the spaniels sleep, and spiders from their cobwebs peep.
Last night the sun went pale to bed, the moon halos hid her head;
The boding shepherd heaves a sigh, For see, a rainbow spans the sky.
The walls are damp, the ditches smell, closed is the pink-eyed pimpernel.
Hark how the chairs and tables crack! Old Betty’s nerves are on the rack;
Loud quacks the duck, the peacocks cry, the distant hills are seeming nigh.
How restless are the snorting swine, the busy flies disturb the kine,
Low o’er the grass the swallow wings, the cricket, too, how sharp he sings!
Cat on the hearth, with velvet paws, sits wiping o’er her whiskered jaws;
Through the clear streams the fishes rise, and nimbly catch the incautious flies.
The glowworms, numerous and light, illumined the dewy dell last night;
At dusk the squalid was seen, hopping and crawling o’er the green;
The whirling dust the wind obeys, and in the rapid eddy plays;
The frog has changed his yellow vest, and in a russet coat is dressed.
Though June, the air is cold and still, the mellow blackbird’s voice is shrill;
My dog, so altered in his taste, quits mutton bones on grass to feast;
And see yon rooks, how odd their flight! They imitate the gliding kite,
And seem precipitate to fall, as if they felt the piercing ball.
‘Twill surely rain; I see with sorrow, Our jaunt must be put off to-morrow.” – Dr. Edward Jenner 1749–1823 (the creator of smallpox vaccine)

“When Windows won’t open,
And the salt clogs the shaker,
The weather will favour
The umbrella maker!”

“The rain it raineth every day
On the just and unjust fella.
But mostly on the just fella,
because the unjust stole the just’s umbrella!”

“When the wind is blowing in the North
No fisherman should set forth,
When the wind is blowing in the East,
‘Tis not fit for man nor beast,
When the wind is blowing in the South
It brings the food over the fish’s mouth,
When the wind is blowing in the West,
That is when the fishing’s best!”

And, finally…

“Whether the weather be fine
Or whether the weather be not
Whether the weather be cold
Or whether the weather be hot
We’ll weather the weather
Whatever the weather
Whether we like it or not”

Try these out, observe and learn, see if a good weather prognosticator thou canst be…

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Mark’s Almanac

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

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

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

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

North Atlantic Tropical activity remains at a minimum. From 1851 to 2025 there has been only one Hurricane to occur. A 100 MPH unnamed Hurricane which affected the Lesser Antilles in March 6- 9, 1908. Some sources also cite a pre-Civil War Tropical Storm also occurring, but others do not.

South Atlantic Tropical activity doesn’t have a sharp peak as the North Atlantic season does in September, however currently March has a thin lead in activity, as from 1957 – 2025 there have been 92 identified Tropical or Subtopical Storms, including the only known South Atlantic Hurricane – Hurricane Catarina which struck Brazil March 28, 2004.

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

Meanwhile, back in Alabama…

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

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

The good news is that there is hope on the horizon as Spring will arrive at Vernal Equinox on March 20 at 9:46 AM CDT or 14:46 UTC.

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

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

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

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

This month sees the return of Ruby Throated Humming Birds, peaking March 15 – 30, the Giant Yellow Sulfur Butterflies that migrated south during the Fall and the clouds of pollen that we love so well.

Days grow longer as the Sun’s angle above the noonday horizon rapidly increases from 49.2 degrees at the beginning of the month to 60.9 degrees at the end. Daylight increases from 11 hours 28 minutes on March 1 to 12 hours 31 minutes on March 31.

Sunrise and sunset times for Birmingham are:

March 1 Sunrise 6:15 AM Sunset 5:44 PM
March 15 Sunrise 6:57 AM Sunset 6:55 PM
March 31 Sunrise 6:36 AM Sunset 7:07 PM (Time difference due to Daylight Savings Time.)

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

Daylight Savings Time begins at 2 AM on March 8. So, remember to “spring forward” one hour. This, of course means I will lose one hour of “beauty sleep”, which is something I desperately need.

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

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

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

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

Mercury, magnitude -0.3, in Aquarius, The Water Bearer, is lost in the glow of the Sun until mid-month.

Mercury will pass between the Earth and the Sun or reach Inferior Conjunction on March 7.

He will emerge into the morning sky on March 18 becoming visible around 5:55 CST 10° above the eastern horizon, he will fade as the Sun rises at 6:51 AM CST.

Mercury will reach his highest point in the sky in his March – May 2026 morning apparition on March 29, shining brightly at mag 0.2, 13° above the eastern horizon.

By the end of the month, he will become visible around 5:28 AM CST, 13° above the eastern horizon, he will fade as the Sun rises at 6:35 AM CST.

Venus, magnitude –3.9, in Piscis, The Fish, is hidden in the sunset the first few days of March, but, will return to the evening sky March 4.

On March 4 she will become visible at around 6:00 PM CST, 8° above the western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting 59 minutes after the Sun at 6:44 PM CST.

By midmonth she becomes visible at 7:09 PM CDT, 10° above the western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. She will then sink towards the horizon, setting 1 hour and 11 minute after the Sun at 8:05 PM CDT.
By the end of the month, she will become visible around 7:20 PM CDT, 14° above the western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. She will then sink towards the horizon, setting 1 hour and 29 minutes after the Sun at 8:34 PM CDT.

Earth and her Moon, magnitude -4.0, as viewed from the Sun, is in Leo, The Lion.

Dwarf Planet Ceres, magnitude +9.1, is in Pisces, The Fish.

Mars, with his moons Phobos and Deimos, magnitude +1.1, in Aquarius, The Water Bearer, is lost in the glow of the Sun.

Jupiter, and his 97 moons and (invisible from Earth) ring, magnitude -2.5, is in Gemini, The Twins,
is an early evening object and dominates the evening night sky.

At the beginning of the month, he will become visible in the evening sky, becoming accessible around 5:58 PM CST, 58° above the eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 8:12 PM CST, 79° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 2:35 AM CST, when he sinks below 7° above the horizon.

By midmonth he becomes accessible around 7:09 PM CDT, 71° above the south-eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will reach his highest point in the sky at 8:16 PM CDT, 79° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 2:39 AM CDT, when he sinks below 7° above the western horizon.

By the end of the month, he will become accessible around 7:521 PM CDT, at his highest point in the sky, 79° above the southern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will continue to be observable until around 2:34 AM CDT, when he sinks below 7° above the western horizon.

Saturn, magnitude +1.0, and his 274 moons and extensive debris ring system, is in Piscis, The Fish, is lost in the glow of the Sun.

He will pass behind the Sun, or be in Solar Conjunction on March 25.

Uranus, magnitude +5.7, and his 29 moons and ring, in Taurus, The Bull, is an early evening object, receding into the evening twilight.

At the beginning of the month he will become visible around 6:41 PM CST, 61° above the south-western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting at 11:45 PM CST.

By midmonth he will become visible at around 7:52 PM CDT, 48° above the western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting at 11:52 PM CDT.

At month’s end he becomes visible around 8:05 PM CDT, at an altitude of 33° above the western horizon as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting 3 hours and 51 minutes after the Sun at 10:56 PM CDT.

Neptune, magnitude +7.8, and his 16 moons and ring, in Pisces, The Fish, is lost in the glow of the Sun.

He will pass behind the Sun, or be in Solar Conjunction on March 22.

Pluto, the largest Dwarf Planet, with his five moons shines at a dim 14.6 in Capricornus, The Sea Goat.

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

Dwarf Planet 136472 Makemake with his moon S/2015 (136472) 1, nicknamed MK1 by the discovery team, shines faintly at magnitude +17.1 in Coma Berenices.
Dwarf Planet 136199 Eris, the second largest Dwarf Planet, and her moon Dysnomia, originally referred to as Xena and Gabrielle, is barely visible in the most powerful telescopes at magnitude +18.7 in Cetus the Sea Monster.

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

90482 Orcus, and his moon Vanth shines at magnitude 19.1 in Andromeda, The Chained Maiden.

50000 Quaoar, his two rings and his moon Waywot shines at magnitude +18.6 between Gemini, The Twins and Orion, The Hunter.

90377 Sedna, the coldest, and at one time, the most distant known place in the Solar System, glows faintly at magnitude +20.8 in Taurus, The Bull.

25088 Gonggong, the third largest Dwarf Planet, originally nicknamed Snow White by the discovery team, and his moon Xiangli glows dimly at +21.5 magnitude in Pegasus, The Winged Horse.

2014 UZ224 nicknamed “DeeDee” for “Distant Dwarf” is 8.5 billion miles from the Sun, at magnitude +23.0 in Eridanus, The River.

120347 Salacia, and her moon Actaea glows at magnitude 20.7 in Sextans, The Sextant. Salacia is considered a “borderline” Dwarf Planet. Some astronomers saying she “most certainly is a Dwarf Planet”, while others disagreeing based on her size, saying she is too small to have compressed into a fully solid body, to have been resurfaced, or to have collapsed into “hydrostatic equilibrium”, that is to assume spherical shape like a planet.

“Dwarf Planet Candidate” 2017 OF201, magnitude 23.2 is in the constellation Triangulum, the Triangle.

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

FarFarOut is currently 12,234,600,276 miles or in Light Time, 18 hours, 14 minutes and 37 seconds from Earth.

The most distant man-made object, Voyager 1, still operating after 48 years, 5 month and 18 days is 15,988,106,255 miles, or in Light Time, 23 hours, 50 minutes 27 seconds from Earth as of 3:56 PM CST, February 23, 2026, sailing 38,027 miles per hour through Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer.

Near Earth Object, asteroid 99942 Apophis, is expected to pass within 19,794 miles of the Earth on Friday, April 13, 2029.

Apophis, magnitude +21.3, in Pisces, The Fish, is 136,601,474 miles or 1146 days from the Earth as of 4:01 PM CST, February 23, 2026.

Asteroid 2024 YR4, which will pass though the Earth – Moon system on Wednesday, December 22, 2032, dimly glows at magnitude +30.1, in Libra, The Scales. It is currently 300,937,659 miles or 2599 days from Earth as of 4:04 PM CST February 23, 2026.

There are 1,519,586 known asteroids and 4,055 comets as of February 23, 2026 per NASA/JPL Solar Dynamics Website.

6,107 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of February 12, 2026 per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive.

March’s Full Moon will occur on March 3 at 5:39 AM CDT or 11:39 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as “Worm Moon”. So called because the rains disturb the earthworms & they are seen wiggling around after the rains.

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

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

There will be a Total Lunar Eclipse on March 3. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes completely through the Earth’s dark shadow, or umbra. During this type of eclipse, the Moon will gradually get darker and then take on a rusty or blood red color.

The eclipse, which social media likes to dramatically call a “Blood Moon” will be visible throughout most of eastern Asia, Australia, the Pacific Ocean, and North America.

For Birmingham:

The eclipse will begin at 2:44 AM CDT
Partial Eclipse begins at 3:50 AM CDT
Total Eclipse begins at 5:04 AM CDT
Maximum eclipse will occur at 5:33 AM CDT (close to the western horizon)
Total Eclipse ends at 6:02 AM CDT (very close to the western horizon. The eclipsed moon combined with it naturally dimming as it nears horizon, might make the Moon very hard or impossible to see)

The Moon will set at 6:15 AM CST, so the final stages of the eclipse will occur while the Moon is below the horizon.

Partial eclipse ends at 7:17 AM CDT
The eclipse ends at 8:23 AM CDT

The Moon will be at Apogee or its farthest distance from Earth on March 10 when she will be 251,273 miles from Earth.

Last Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Eastern side illuminated, will occur March 11, at 4:41 AM CST or 10:41 UTC.

During a Quarter Moon the Moon’s magnitude is -10.0.

Spring Equilux will occur March 16. Equilux is not to be confused with Equinox.

The Earth’s atmosphere acts as a prism and bends the rays of the Sun at sunrise and sunset, making the sun visible even though it is physically below the horizon. This can, depending on the latitude, can add six minutes of daylight, with three minutes at sunrise and three minutes at sunset, though the sun is actually below the horizon. Equilux take into account this distortion, and is the time of year when there are literally equal amounts of daylight and darkness. The date varies with latitude, but for latitude 30 – 35° it is on March 16.

New Moon will occur on March 18 at 8:26 PM CDT which is 01:00 UTC March 19. 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.

Vernal Equinox occurs at 9:35AM CDT or 14:45 UTC March 20. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of fall, autumnal equinox, in the Southern Hemisphere.

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

The Moon will be at Perigee or its closest approach to Earth on March 22, when she will be 227,955 miles from Earth.

First Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Western side illuminated, will occur March 25 at 2:19 PM CDT or 19:19 UTC.

During a Quarter Moon the Moon’s magnitude is -10.0.

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

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

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

To the upper right of Canis Major is his owner Orion The Hunter. Many of the brightest stars in Orion, including Rigel, Betelgeuse, stars of Orion’s Belt, and the Orion nebula are neighbors to our sun. The reason we see so many bright objects within the constellation Orion is because when we look at it, we’re looking into our own local spiral arm, the Orion Arm or the Orion Spur.
Beyond this, just to the left of Orion and Canis Major lies the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way.

Above and to the upper right of Orion’s right shoulder lies the V shaped constellation Taurus. When you look at the farthest the part of the “V” you are looking towards the Galactic Anticenter, the point directly opposite of the Center of the Galaxy in Sagittarius. The majority of Taurus is composed of the Hyades Star Cluster, an open cluster 153 light years away. Nearby is the Pleiades Star Cluster, which looks like a tiny dipper, another open cluster 444 light years away.
It is a region well worth exploring with binoculars on a moonless night away from the lights of civilization.

There is nothing more peaceful than grabbing some binoculars, fining a comfortable spot and letting oneself get lost as you drift among the stars.

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Major upcoming ham radio contests and state QSO parties for March 2026 are:

March 1 Nova Scotia NSARA QSO Party
North Carolina QSO Party
March 7 ARRL International DX – SSB
March 14 Commonwealth Contest RSGB
South American 10 Meter Contest
Idaho QSO Party
Stew Perry Top Band (160 Meters) – CW
` Oklahoma QSO Party
March 15 Wisconsin QSO Party
March 21 Virgina QSO Party
Russian DX Contest
March 28 CQ Worldwide WPX Contest – SSB
Africa All Mode International DX Contest

They are great chances to work DX galore and find those elusive stations you may need for working all states and provinces.

For more details go to WA7BNM Contest Calendar: Home

This month’s ALERT meeting will be at 7 PM, March 10 at the NWS Forecast Office at the Shelby County Airport.

In person ALERT meetings at the NWS are quarterly every March, June, September and December.

All other monthly meetings (including these) are accessible via Microsoft Teams. Watch for the meeting notification email from Russell KV4S, which will include the link for the meeting.

Mark Wells
ALERT Newsletter

Hi Everyone,

I hope this finds you well as we continue ducking and weaving winter storms that early on may promise to snow “here”, but ends up snowing “there”, with storms behaving like a wayward a kick from a field goal kicker.

Winter weather forecasting is not easy, with competing forecast models, that may agree or disagree or flip-flop showing a blizzard in the morning run, triggering all the social media Prophets of Doom, and then showing nothing of importance in the afternoon run.

The models themselves, which are the best tools currently available, provide a limited glimpse of what “may be”. A forecast 7 days out is the limit of useful forecasting and show possible large-scale patterns and trends. 5 days out they can give a clearer picture of those large patterns, but cannot give detailed local forecasts. Only at 3 days out they can provide a detailed probable scenario, which may mean shifting the areas of concern north or south or change the expected intensity and timing of the storm and which means updating the forecast. If there are changes in the forecast it because it is being fine-tuned based on a clearer picture of the situation. It is not, as online “experts” chide, “waffling”.

Then there is the problem of the finicky nature of the storms themselves, which sometimes seem to have a mind of their own. Due to minute changes in the atmosphere, which may be barely detectable, or undetectable, they might strengthen when they shouldn’t, or weaken when they should. But, many more times than not, they do exactly what the models and rabbits foot say they should be doing.

The forecasters walk a tight rope. It is a juggling act between being underly cautious and then “boom” or overly cautious and then “bust”, making for a seldom win situation.

Between the wild hordes pillaging Publix, dummies like me hoping for that blizzard which brings a Hallmark Winter Wonderland (complete with snow angels, snowball fights, and happy, happy cruise ship karaoke music in the background) and those folk dreading the approach of the glaciers marking the New Ice Age, our forecasters take a beating, especially on antisocial media.

To our forecasters I say, just know that whether we get a snowman or a mudman, we are in your corner and, we appreciate what you do!

And take heart! Winter is half over!

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Exploding Trees

Social media, which is ALWAYS a reliable source of information, is spreading tales of trees exploding due to the extreme cold.

How true is this?

Before you start warily watching your loblolly pine thinking it might go off like a grenade, the truth is that during periods of extremely cold weather, a trees sap can freeze causing trees to crack and branches to split accompanied by a load shotgun like blast, but no, they don’t blow apart like a stick of dynamite.

Has this ever occurred in Alabama?

I don’t know if it is documented anywhere or not, but my Mom, who was a little girl living in Blount County in the early 1920’s, would tell me “Once it got so cold that the trees burst open. I saw it and was crying and Daddy said ‘don’t worry, Baby, those old trees will be ok’ and they did just fine in the spring”.

She also said her grandfather would say “we don’t get the snow; we just get the cold”. Which, more times than not has proven true.

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Falling Iguanas

Another item you may see on Social Media concerns Falling Iguana Alerts and Warnings.

In this case, social media, our ever-reliable source, is telling the truth.

In south Florida, south of a line stretching from Bradenton to Vero Beach, Florida has iguanas. Further south, south of a line from Port Charlotte to Palm Beach, Florida has a LOT of iguanas.

Iguanas are cold sensitive, but unlike other creatures, they don’t seem to seek shelter, they just hang around in trees being a lizard, that is until they can’t.

At temperatures:

Above 50° iguanas are safe and act normally
45 – 50° iguanas become sluggish
40 – 45° iguanas are cold stunned
32 – 40° iguanas become immobile, looking dead, but are very much alive
Below 32° iguanas can die

The problem you encounter with iguanas is that in cold weather you can be walking under a tree and one of these beasts just falls and plops on your head, which at the least will scare you silly, not to mention the unpleasantness of being hit by in the head with 8 to 20 pounds of iguana. Hence the alerts and warnings.

The Alerts and Warnings are not official alerts from the National Weather Service, rather Fish and Wildlife and local meteorologists issue them and the National Weather Service will remind people of the phenomenon / threat.

Generally, the beasts, other than conking you on the head, are harmless, unless you do as one dummy did, gathering a dozen or so “dead” iguanas in a bucket for dinner, getting in his truck and it being cold, he turned the heat on, which revived the beasts, which then swarmed and attacked him as he was driving, causing him to wreck his truck.

Though you may be tempted to do this should opportunity ever present, just don’t.

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Birmingham NWS Spring 2026 Spotter Courses

The Birmingham NWS Office will be offering several online Basic and Advanced Spotter Courses this Spring. These 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.

Unless you want to or need 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:

Online:

Basic Class Tuesday, February 24 6:30 – 7:30PM Class Registration Link:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4587991995671086933

Basic Class Thursday, March 5 6:30 – 7:30 PM Class Registration Link:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3063480640852737114
Basic Class Tuesday, March 10 1:00 – 2:00 PM Class Registration Link:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/958587675266284121

Basic Class Tuesday, March 17 6:00 – 7:30 PM Class Registration Link:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/419924834190934614

Advanced Class Thursday, March 24 6:30 – 7:30 PM Class Registration Link:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7773127647756869984

Send questions, comments, or inquires to gerald.satterwhite@noaa.gov

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.

You can report directly to the NWS:

Via telephone at 205-664-3010 and pressing 2.
Online at https://www.weather.gov/bmx/submitstormreport
On Facebook at US National Weather Service Birmingham Alabama | Calera AL | Facebook
On X at https://www.weather.gov/bmx/x.com/NWSBirmingham
Via Slack Chat.
Or via amateur radio relay on your county Skywarn or ARES Net.

Note that when reporting via social media, include #alwx on your social media report and a photo if possible.

This knowledge gained by these courses also help 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 could be mistakenly dismissed.

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

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

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
Also, mark your calendars as Severe Weather Awareness Week will occur February 2 – 6.

For more details go to: https://www.weather.gov/bmx/outreach_swaw & Alabama Severe Weather Awareness Week

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Mark’s Almanac

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

February was not originally included in the Roman calendar, which began in March, but was added, along with January by Numa Pompilius around 713 BC, and until 450 BC was considered the last month of the year.
February was originally 29 days long, but one day was taken and added to August, so that Emperor Augustus’s month would be equal to Julius Caesar’s month of July. Now only Leap Year, which will next occur in 2024, has 29 days.

Ground Hog Day is on February 2 & believers will watch that flea bitten danged old Yankee Punxsutawney Phil and True Southern Gentleman Birmingham Bill, to see if they see their shadows.

Sand Mountain Sam in Albertville, “The Weather Predicting Possum”, may have a different take on this, since as he points out “groundhogs are rodents, while I am a marsupial”, so his opinion cannot be discounted.

So if they see their shadows, prepare for six more weeks of winter.

How did we come up with Groundhog Day anyway?

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

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

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

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

So, how accurate is the little goomer?

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

But you know how Heathens can be.

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

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

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

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

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

North Atlantic Tropical activity is at a minimum. From 1851 to 2025 there has been only one Tropical Storm to occur, 70 MPH Tropical Storm #1, which affected Florida on February 2 & 3, 1952.

Days grow longer as the Sun’s angle above the noonday horizon rapidly increases from 39.6 degrees at the beginning of the month to 48.8 degrees at the end. Daylight increases from 10 hours 36 minutes on February 1 to 11 hours 27 minutes on February 28.

Sunrise and sunset times for Birmingham are:

February 1 Sunrise 6:43 AM Sunset 5:18 PM
February 14 Sunrise 6:32 AM Sunset 5:31 PM
February 28 Sunrise 6:16 AM Sunset 5:43 PM

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

Vulcan.

Every self-respecting Star Trekker and most every one else knows that Mr. Spock is from the planet Vulcan, located in the constellation Eridanus, The River.

What many don’t know is that during the mid to late 1800’a it was believed that a tenth planet had been discovered inside the orbit of Mercury and its proposed name was “Vulcan.”

Astronomers in the 1800s we’re puzzled about irregularities in Mercury’s orbit. One theory to explain this irregularity was the gravitational pull of another planet, in the same way that Neptune’s existence was predicted by irregularities in the orbit of Uranus.

There had been rumored observations of this object in the 17th century and on January 2, 1960 it was announced that amateur astronomer Urbain Le Verrier had observed the theoretical planet cross the face of the Sun on March 26, 1859.

Based on the observation the planet was 13 million miles from the Sun, with an orbital period of 19 days and 17 hours.

Others claimed to observe the planet crossing the Sun in 1862 and during an 1878 a total solar eclipse. Astronomers continued searching for Vulcan during total solar eclipses in 1883, 1887, 1889, 1900, 1901, 1905, and 1908, but nothing was seen, therefore since the existence could not be confirmed, they discarded the theory.

The observed irregularities in Mercury’s orbit were explained to be the result of the curvature of spacetime caused by the Sun’s gravitational field. A theory which was bolstered during a solar eclipse in 1919 during which photographs showed the curvature of spacetime was bending starlight around the Sun, now referred to as “gravitational lensing”.

Gravitational lensing is used today as astronomers observe light from distant objects being bent as the gravitational field of distant galaxies and galaxy clusters warp and bend the fabric of spacetime allowing even more distant objects be seen which would otherwise be too faint to be observed.

Though totally unrelated, think if it as a mirage allowing one to see beyond the horizon.

Mercury, magnitude -0.8 in Aquarius, The Water Bearer, is lost in the glow of the Sun during the first week of the month.

He emerges into the western sky on February 8.

By midmonth he becomes visible around 5:47 PM CST, 11° above the western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting 1 hour and 17 minutes after the Sun at 6:47 PM CST.
He will reach his greatest separation from the Sun, or Greatest Eastern Elongation on February 19 and reach his highest point in the sky reaching a peak altitude of 16° above the horizon at sunset at magnitude -0.6 on February 20, 2026.

He will then retreat towards the Sun and will disappear into the glow of the Sun on February 24.

Venus, magnitude –3.9, in Aquarius, The Water Bearer, is lost in the glow of the Sun.

Earth and her Moon, magnitude -4.0, as viewed from the Sun, is in Leo, The Lion.

Mars, with his moons Phobos and Deimos, magnitude +1.0, in Capricornus, The Sea Goat, is lost in the glow of the Sun.

Dwarf Planet Ceres, magnitude +9.0, is in Cetus, The Sea Monster.

Jupiter, and his 97 moons and (invisible from Earth) ring, magnitude -2.5, is in Gemini, The Twins,
is an early evening object and dominates the evening night sky.

At the beginning of the month, he will become visible around 5:33 PM CST, 28° above the eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will reach his highest point in the sky at10:11 PM CST, 79° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 4:33 AM CST, when he sinks below 7° above the western horizon.

By midmonth he becomes accessible around 5:46 PM CST, 44° above the eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will reach his highest point in the sky at 9:10 PM CST, 79° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 3:33 AM CST, when he sinks below 7° above the western horizon.

By the end of the month, he will become accessible around 5:57 PM CST, 57° above the eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will reach his highest point in the sky at 8:16, 79° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 2:39 AM CST, when he sinks below 7° above the western horizon.

Saturn, magnitude +1.0, and his 274 moons and extensive debris ring system, is in Piscis, The Fish, is an early evening object.

At the first of the month, he becomes visible at around 5:53 PM CST, 34° above the western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting 3 hours and 34 minutes after the Sun at 8:51 PM CST.

By midmonth he will become visible around 6:05 PM CST, 23° above your western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting 2 hours and 33 minutes after the Sun at 8:03 PM CST.

At months end he becomes visible around 6:16 PM CST, 12° above the western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting 1 hours and 37 minutes after the Sun at 7:19 PM CST.

Uranus, magnitude +5.7, and his 29 moons and ring, in Taurus, The Bull, is an early evening object, receding into the evening twilight.

He becomes visible around 6:18 PM CST, at his highest altitude 75° above the southern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will continue to be observable until around 11:23 PM CST AM, when he sinks below 21° above the western horizon.

Uranus will end his retrograde motion, ending his apparent westward movement through the constellations and return to more usual eastward motion instead. This retrograde motion is caused by the Earth’s own motion around the Sun. As the Earth circles the Sun, our perspective changes, and this causes the apparent positions of objects to move from side-to-side in the sky with a one-year period. This nodding motion is super-imposed on the planet’s long-term eastward motion through the constellations.

By midmonth he will become visible around 6:30 PM CST, at an altitude of 72° above the south-western horizon, as dusk fades into darkness. He will continue to be observable until around 12:39 AM CST, when he sinks below 21° above the western horizon.

At month’s end he becomes visible around 6:41 PM CST, at an altitude of 61° above the south-western horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 11:49 PM CST, when he sinks below 21° above the western horizon.

Neptune, magnitude +7.8, and his 16 moons and ring, in Pisces, The Fish, is sinking low towards the south-western horizon.
At the first of the month, he becomes accessible via binoculars and telescopes at 6:18 PM CST, at an altitude of 31° above the south-western horizon as dusk fades into darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting 3 hours and 42 minutes after the Sun at 8:59 PM CST.

By midmonth he will become visible around 6:26 PM CST, at an altitude of 23 above the western horizon, as dusk fades into darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting 2 hours and 59 minutes after the Sun at 8:25 PM CST.

He will become lost in the glow of the Sun on February 21.

Pluto, the largest Dwarf Planet, with his five moons shines at a dim 14.6 in Capricornus, The Sea Goat.

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

Dwarf Planet 136472 Makemake with his moon S/2015 (136472) 1, nicknamed MK1 by the discovery team, shines faintly at magnitude +17.1 in Coma Berenices.

Dwarf Planet 136199 Eris, the second largest Dwarf Planet, and her moon Dysnomia, originally referred to as Xena and Gabrielle, is barely visible in the most powerful telescopes at magnitude +18.7 in Cetus the Sea Monster.

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

90482 Orcus, and his moon Vanth shines at magnitude 19.1 in Andromeda, The Chained Maiden.

50000 Quaoar, his two rings and his moon Waywot shines at magnitude +18.6 between Gemini, The Twins and Orion, The Hunter.

90377 Sedna, the coldest, and at one time, the most distant known place in the Solar System, glows faintly at magnitude +20.8 in Taurus, The Bull.

25088 Gonggong, the third largest Dwarf Planet, originally nicknamed Snow White by the discovery team, and his moon Xiangli glows dimly at +21.5 magnitude in Pegasus, The Winged Horse.

2014 UZ224 nicknamed “DeeDee” for “Distant Dwarf” is 8.5 billion miles from the Sun, at magnitude +23.0 in Eridanus, The River.

120347 Salacia, and her moon Actaea glows at magnitude 20.7 in Sextans, The Sextant. Salacia is considered a “borderline” Dwarf Planet. Some astronomers saying she “most certainly is a Dwarf Planet”, while others disagreeing based on her size, saying she is too small to have compressed into a fully solid body, to have been resurfaced, or to have collapsed into “hydrostatic equilibrium”, that is to assume spherical shape like a planet.

“Dwarf Planet Candidate” 2017 OF201, magnitude 23.2 is in the constellation Triangulum, the Triangle.

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

FarFarOut is currently 12,220,632,030 miles or in Light Time, 18 hours, 13 minutes and 23 seconds from Earth.

The most distant man-made object, Voyager 1, still operating after 48 years, 4 month and 17 days is 15,920,412,205 miles, or in Light Time, 23 hours, 44 minutes 23 Seconds from Earth as of 1:57 PM CST, January 22, 2026, sailing 38,027 miles per hour through Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer.

Near Earth Object, asteroid 99942 Apophis, is expected to pass within 19,794 miles of the Earth on Friday, April 13, 2029.

Apophis, magnitude +20.7, in Aquarius, The Waterbearer, is 140,159,775 miles or 1178 days from the Earth as of 2:08 PM CST, January 22, 2026.

Asteroid 2024 YR4, which will pass though the Earth – Moon system on Wednesday, December 22, 2032, dimly glows at magnitude +30.4, in Libra, The Scales. It currently is 337,640,477 miles or 2631 days from Earth as of 2:01 PM CST January 22, 2026.

There are 1,493,524 known asteroids and 4,052 comets as of January 22, 2026 per NASA/JPL Solar Dynamics Website.

6,080 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of January 15, 2026 per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive.

Full Moon will occur February 1 at 4:10 PM CST or 20:11 UTC. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be fully illuminated. February’s Full Moon is “Full Snow Moon” in Native American folklore as the heaviest snows usually fall at this time of year. Since the harsh weather made hunting difficult, some tribes called it “Full Hunger Moon”.

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

Last Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Eastern side illuminated, will occur February 9, at 6:43 AM CST or 12:43 UTC.

During a Quarter Moon the Moon’s magnitude is -10.0.

The Moon will be at Apogee or its farthest distance from Earth on February 10, when she will be 251,392 miles from Earth.

New Moon occurs February 17 at 6:03 AM CST or 12:03 UTC. 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.

An Annular Lunar Eclipse will occur February 17. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is too far away from the Earth to completely cover the Sun. This results in a ring of light around the darkened Moon. The Sun’s corona is not visible during an annular eclipse.

This eclipse will only be visible in Antarctica and the southern Indian Ocean.

First Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Western side illuminated, will occur February 23 at 6:28 AM CST or 12:28 UTC.

During a Quarter Moon the Moon’s magnitude is -10.0.

The Moon will be at Perigee or its closest approach to Earth on February 24, when she will be 229,989 miles from Earth.

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In December’s Newsletter I detailed the upcoming ham radio contests and state QSO parties for 2026

Those particularly catching my interest this month are:

February 7 10-10 International – Winter – USB
European Union DX Contest
British Columbia QSO Party
Minnesota QSO Party
Vermont QSO Party
February 9 ARRL School Roundup
February 14 Dutch PACC Contest
February 21 ARRL International DX – CW
South Carolina QSO Party
February 22 World Wide Argentine DX Contest
February 27 CQ 160 Meter Contest – LSB
February 28 UBA DX Contest – CW – Belgium

They are great chances to work DX galore and those elusive stations you may need for working all states and provinces.

For more details go to WA7BNM Contest Calendar: Home

BirmingHAMfest will be held Friday March 6 and Saturday March 7 at the Trussville Civic Center.

Doors open at 4:00 p.m. on Friday and close at 7:00 p.m. The hamfest will reopen at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday and close at 4:00 p.m. with the grand prize drawing. See: BirmingHAMfest

This month’s ALERT meeting will be at 7 PM, February 10 at the NWS Forecast Office at the Shelby County Airport.

Mark Wells
ALERT Newsletter

Hi everyone & Happy New Year!

I hope you had a safe and happy holiday season, and that Santa was good to you and that Father Time will be kind to you also.

As we unwind from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, make sure to mark January 13 on your calendar, as that is our next ALERT meeting.

Some other important dates to remember in 2026 are:

The Blount County Freezefest 2026, Saturday January 3, from 8 to 12 Noon, at the Locust Fork High School, in Locust Fork.

For more information got to: https://w4blt.org/freezefest2026.htm

Winter Field Day will be held January 24 & 25.

For more information go to Home – WFDA (winterfieldday.org)

Winter Field Day and its spring counterpart, Field Day are one of the most valuable events that ham radio operators can participate in, for it helps give actual experience in portable operations from a remote site, or can be done in a simulated “grid down” situation, where hams erect their antennas and power their equipment as in an actual post-disaster scenario. Whether it’s a club or group, providing their own generator and food, or an individual setting up and using his own equipment using alternate power sources, this and Parks On The Air – POTA activations can provide valuable hands own experience and operating experience that someday could prove vital in during an actual emergency.

Oh, and did I mention that it’s a fun event? It is.

The Birmingham Hamfest is only a few weeks away, Friday and Saturday, March 6 & 7, at the Trussville Civic Center. There will be vendors, a flea market, forums, including one by ALERT and ARES, and Amateur Radio Examinations.

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

Hope you can attend!

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60 Meter Band Expansion

Amateurs holding a General Class or higher license have, since 2012, had access to the following five channels in the 60 Meter band, using CW, USB and Digital modes, with a 100 Watt Effective Radiated Power limit:
Channel 1: 5330.5 kHz
Channel 2: 5346.5 kHz
Channel 3: 5357.0 kHz
Channel 4: 5371.5 kHz
Channel 5: 5403.5 kHz

On December 9, 2025, the FCC released Report and Order 25-60 which amends Parts 2 and 97 of the Commission’s Rules to implement the decisions of the World Radiocommunication Conference held in Geneva in 2015 (WRC-15). R&O 25-50 addresses the amateur radio service in the 5351.5 – 5366.5 kHz 60 Meter band.

The FCC is expanding the 60 Meter band, adding a 15 kHz non-channelized segment from 5351 to 5366.5 kHz, with a 9.15 Watt Effective Radiated Power limit. This new segment aligns with similar allocations used in many Region 2 (European & African) countries, and improves interoperability, as well as giving more elbow room on the band.

The current four channels located outside this 15 kHz section will continue to exist, and continue with their current 100 Watt power levels.

Channel 3 – 5357.0 kHz, which has become the default 60 Meter digital frequency, will be absorbed into the new band, and those using Channel 3’s frequency will have to reduce their power levels from 100 Watts to 9.15 Watts.

This raises the question, will digital users stay on the old Channel 3 frequency, or migrate to the remaining four channels to take advantage of the higher power limits?

Also, for those who, like I, use older radios, such as Yaesu FT-450 & FT-817, it should be remembered that though they have 60 Meters built in as memory channels, older pre 2012 models have 5368 kHz as Channel 3, not the current Channel 3 frequency – 5357 kHz.

In March 2012, the FCC per the ARRL recommendation, changed Channel 3 from 5368 kHz to 5357 kHz citing it’s being “heavily used by one of the primary users.” The old Channel 3 frequency is and will continue to be “out of band” and should never be used.

The power limitations are due to the fact that 60 Meters is allocated on a secondary basis, and must not interfere with their primary users. The FCC notes that “the amateur community must protect Federal operations in this band….and we do not believe that the increased potential for harmful interference at this power limit has been fully considered at this time.”

An additional 15 kHz may not sound like much, but it is room for an additional 5 concurrent USB QSOs, in addition to those on the four remaining channels and many CW QSOs seeing, as evidenced in any CW contest, that CW signals can overlap each other and still be usable. Something voice signals cannot do.

These changes will go into effect 30 days after publication in the Federal Register.

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Ham Radio Contests For 2026

Ham radio is a broad hobby with activities to suit a wide variety of tastes.

Some like long, sometimes very long contacts, or as some say “contacts of substance”. Delving deep into their lives, interests and symptoms, or as someone said recently “give an organ recital”.

Some have a preferred group they talk to day after day, week after week, year after year – those “put the radio on the frequency, solder the shaft and break off the knob” groups, which is fine.

Some like SKYWARN, National Traffic System Nets and nets in general, which certainly includes me.

Some prefer brief contacts, as some call “hit and run” or “signal report, 73 and gone” contacts. Which include DXers, POTA and Contesters.

DX and POTA contacts can be short, or the operators may take time to actually talk to you. Contesters, on the other hand, due to the nature of the event, make boom and zoom flash contacts.

I enjoy POTA and find it is valuable in that: 1. It’s fun, and has revitalized ham radio and 2. It can be thought of as a mini-Field Day. If one can set up an effective station in a state park or the middle of nowhere, which hundreds are doing, they can do the same in a disaster zone. And, they are trained and “practiced up” by doing this on a regular basis.

As for contests, though my station is a chihuahua among the big dogs, I enjoy giving them a try. During contests will find stations that you may never hear otherwise, especially rare DX stations just sitting there wanting to talk to you and there are so many that they are there just grapes for the picking.

Besides being fun and stoking my ego, since you always will get a perfect signal report in a contest, whether they can barely hear you or not, they help me evaluate my station’s effectiveness by having dozens of contacts to compare, as opposed to a single occasional contact. I get a better idea of the antenna pattern, signal reach, and my operating prowess or lack thereof.

Plus, like POTA, they are fun.

So, why not give your contest muscles a try?

The following list is by no means a complete list. For an in-depth list of the various contests, go to the WA7BNM Contest Calendar WA7BNM Contest Calendar: Home and Contest Calendar (arrl.org)

Some of the contests I have listed are marked as “tentative” as the 2026 dates had not been updated on the contests websites I browsed when I wrote this article. Also, some dates which were confirmed looked a little funky.

Note that the dates are for the beginning of the contest, not the duration and that they are UTC based. A contest listed as beginning at 00:00 UTC Saturday will begin at 6:00 PM CST Friday by our time. Check the above websites for times, dates, and contests exchanges, which vary with each contest. Some are simple, such as the standard fake signal report and location and others want so much goop that it might as well be a novel.

Here are a few hints concerning ham contests.

1. Contest stations will often appear on the bands days before the event, working stations as they set up, test and troubleshoot their equipment. You may find some interesting DX contacts even though you have no interest in contesting.
2. With CW contests the guys you hear rattling off at 85 WPM are using computers for transmit and receive. If you listen and listen and listen you will figure out their callsign. Give them a call! They will usually slow down to your speed and if not the signal report will usually be “599” anyway and maybe a number, which may be their CQ Zone, ITU Zone, or QSO number. Each contest has a certain exchange. You can either go to the WA7BNM website given above or figure it out by listening to a few exchanges.
3. When there is a heaping helping of humanity dashing and dotting or talking over each other in an unrecognizable mess, try moving up the band and you will usually find stations who have moved there to escape from the melee looking for contacts. And with CW contests often they are sending at more manageable speed
4. Just because a station has a weak signal, don’t assume they won’t hear you.
5. Just because a station is blasting the band, don’t assume they will hear you.
6. If you call a station and they, as someone put it, “just start “’CQing right in your face’” as you are sending or transmitting, don’t take it personally. At the moment they are not hearing you, but if you keep on trying the conditions may change in your favor. Or they may work you to get rid of you. Either way, you nabbed them.
7. Sometimes if you transmit a little higher in frequency than in pileup or a little slower you will stand out from the crowd.
8. If you loath contests, remember the 60, 30, 17 and 12 Meter bands are always contest free, and if a band is “eaten up” by a CW contest, for instance, the phone section is usually contest free and vice versa.

The following is a list of major contests in 2026 and the State and Province QSO parties. The QSO parties are useful for snagging those pesky states you need for working all states or provinces.

Mark’s 2026 Contest Calendar

January 1 Straight Key Night
January 3 ARRL Kids Day
January 10 North American QSO Party – CW
January 17 North American QSO Party – SSB
ARRL VHF Contest
Hungarian DX
POTA Support Your Parks
January 23 CQ 160 Meter – CW
January 24 Winter Field Day
January 25 Australia Day
January 31 UBA DX Contest – SSB – Belgium

February 1 North American Sideband Sprint
February 7 10-10 International – Winter – USB
European Union DX Contest
British Columbia QSO Party
Minnesota QSO Party
Vermont QSO Party
February 8 North American Sprint – CW
February 9 ARRL School Roundup
February 14 Asia-Pacific Sprint – CW
Dutch PACC Contest
February 21 ARRL International DX – CW
South Carolina QSO Party
February 22 World Wide Argentine DX Contest
February 27 CQ 160 Meter Contest – LSB
February 28 UBA DX Contest – CW – Belgium

March 1 Nova Scotia NSARA QSO Party
North Carolina QSO Party
March 7 ARRL International DX – SSB
March 14 Commonwealth Contest RSGB
South American 10 Meter Contest
Idaho QSO Party
Stew Perry Top Band – CW
` Oklahoma QSO Party
March 15 Wisconsin QSO Party
March 21 Virgina QSO Party
Russian DX Contest
March 27 Sasquatch Stomp – CW see: Sasquatch Stomp
March 28 CQ Worldwide WPX Contest – SSB
Africa All Mode International DX Contest

April 4 Louisiana QSO Party
April 11 Georgia QSO Party
New Mexico
JIDX Contest – Japan – CW

April 18 POTA Support Your Parks
Worked All Provinces of China DX Contest
Michigan QSO Party
Ontario QSO Party
Worldwide Holyland Contest
April 19 Quebec QSO Party
April 25 Florida OSO Party
Helvetia Contest
UK/EI DX Contest – CW

May 2 10-10 International – Spring – CW
7th Call Area QSO Party
New England QSO Party
Indiana QSO Party
Delaware QSO Party
ARI International – Italy
May 9 Canadian Prairies QSO Party – Probable
CQ-M International DX – Russia
50 MHz Sprint – Probable
May 16 Arkansas QSO Party
His Majesty King Of Spain – CW
May 30 CQ WW WPX – CW
May 31 Russian WW Multimode

June 6 Atlantic Canada QSO Party
Kentucky QSO Party
VK Shires Contest
IARU Region 1 Field Day – CW
RSGB Field Day – CW
June 13 Asia-Pacific Sprint – SSB
ARRL June VHF Contest
Portugal Day
June 20 SMIRK Contest (6 Meters)
ALL Asia DX Contest – CW
ARRL Kids Day
West Virgina QSO Party
Stew Perry Top Band – CW
June 27 ARRL Field Day
His Majesty King Of Spain

July 1 RAC Canada Day (Wednesday)
July 4 Venezuelan Independence
CQ Worldwide VHF SSB/CW
July 11 IARU HF Worldwide SSB/CW
July 18 POTA Support Your Parks (Tentative)
July 25 Alabama QSO Party (Tentative)
RSGB IOTA Contest CW & SSB
MARAC County Hunters Contest (tentative)

August 1 10-10 International – Summer – USB
European Only HF Championship – SSB/CW
ARRL 222 & Up Contest
North American QSO Party – CW
August 2 SARL SSB
August 8 Maryland-DC QSO Party
Kentucky State Parks On The Air
WAE DX CW
50 MHz Fall Sprint (tentative)
August 15 North American QSO Party – SSB
Russian District Award (tentative)
CVA DX – Brazil CW
Keyman’s Of Japan
August 22 Hawaii OSO Party
Ohio QSO Party
ARSI VUDX Contest – India (tentative)
CVA DX – Brazil SSB
YO DX HF – SSB & CW
Turkey HF SSB (tentative)
August 23 SARL CW
August 29 W/VE Island QSO Party
Kansas QSO Party
ALARA Contest – Australia/New Zealand – SSB/CW

September 5 Colorado QSO Party
All Asia DX Contest – SSB
IARU Region 1 Field Day – SSB
Ohio State POTA (tentative)
September 6 Tennessee QSO Party
September 12 ARRL September VHF Contest
WAE DX SSB
September 13 North American Sprint – CW
September 19 Washington State Salmon Run
New Hampshire QSO Party
New Jersey QSO Party
Texas QSO Party
Iowa QSO Party
Wisconsin POTA
Scandinavia Activity – CW
September 21 144 MHz Fall Sprint (tentative)
September 26 Maine QSO Party
September 20 222 MHz Fall Sprint (tentative)

October 3 California QSO Party
Oceania DX – Phone
Worked All Provinces China DX – CW
TRC DX Contest
October 10 10-10 International 10-10 Sprint
432 MHz Fall Sprint ?????
Arizona QSO Party
South Dakota QSO Party
Nevada QSO Party
Oceania DX – CW
Pennsylvania QSO Party
Scandinavian Activity – SSB
SKCC Sprintathon – RST
October 17 10-10 International – CW
New York QSO Party
Worked All Germany
POTA Support Your Parks
Stew Perry Top Band – CW
October 18 Asia Pacific Sprint – CW
October 24 CQ Worldwide – SSB
902 MHz and up – tentative

November 1 North American SSB Sprint
UK/EI DX Contest SSB
November 7 ARRL Sweepstakes – CW
November 14 JIDX Contest – Japan – SSB
Ham Spirit Contest
November 21 South American Integration Contest – CW
ARRL Sweepstakes – SSB
LZ DX – CW – Bulgaria
November 22 North American Sideband Sprint
November 28 CQ Worldwide – CW

December 4 ARRL 160 Meter Contest – CW
Skywarn Appreciation Day
December 12 ARRL 10 Meter Contest
December 19 Croatian DX
December 20 RAC Winter Contest
ARRL Rookie Roundup
December 26 Stew Perry Top Band – CW

Weekly Contests

One weekly contest of note for slow speed CW operators is the CWops Weekly Contest. See: K1USN SST

Normal Date and Times:

Friday 2 – 3 PM CST or 20:00 – 21:00 UTC
Sunday 5 – 6 PM Sunday or 00:00 – 01:00 UTC which is Monday in UTC

Suggested operating frequencies:

160 meters 1.810 – 1.825 MHz
80 meters 3.528 – 3.545 MHz
40 meters 7.028 – 7.045 MHz
20 meters 14.028 – 14.045 MHz
15 meters 21.028 – 21.045 MHz
10 meters 28.028 – 28.045 MHz
Listen for “CQ SST” at 20 WPM or slower.

Recommended Exchange: Name & State

For a faster speed of 20 – 25 WPM try the ICWC Medium Speed Test. See: MST Contest – International CW Council

Normal Date and Times:

Monday 7- 8 AM CST or 13:00 – 14:00 UTC and 1 – 2 PM CST or 19:00 – 20:00 UTC
Tuesday 9 – 10 AM CST or 03:00 – 04:00 UTC

Suggested operating frequencies:

160 meters 1.812 – 1.828 MHz
80 meters 3.528 – 3.550 MHz
40 meters 7.015 – 7.029 MHz in IARU region 3 (South & East Asia, Pacific)
7.025 – 7.040 MHz in IARU region 1 (Europe, Africa, Middle East, North Asia)
7.028 – 7.050 MHz in IARU region 2 (The Americas)
20 meters 14.028 – 14.050 MHz
15 meters 21.028 – 21.050 MHz
10 meters 28.028 – 28.050 MHz

Listen for “CQ MST” at 20 – 25 WPM.

Recommended exchange: RST & QSO Serial number.

For even faster speeds there are the CWops Speed Tests or CWT which range from 32 to over 40 WPM, which is out of my league. For more information see: CWops Tests (CWT) – CWops

Normal Dates and Times:

Wednesday 7 – 8 AM CST or 13:00 – 14:00 UTC and 1 – 2 PM CST or 19:00 – 20:00 UTC
Thursday 9 – 10 PM CST or 03:00 – 04:00 UTC and 1 – 2 AM CST or 07:00 – 08:00 UTC.

Suggested Frequencies are 28 – 45 kHz from the lower band edge of 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 & 10 Meters.

Listen for “CQ CWT” at 32 WPM and above.

Recommended exchange: Name and CWops member number. Non-members will send their name, and state.

State & Province QSO Parties

Alabama Alabama QSO Party July 25 2026 (tentative)
Alaska (None – just pray a lot) X
Alberta Canadian Prairies QSO Party May 9 2026
Arizona 7th Call Area QSO Party May 2, 2026
Arizona QSO Party Oct 10, 2026
Arkansas Arkansas QSO Party May 16, 2026
British Columbia British Columbia QSO Party Feb 7 2026
California California QSO Party Oct 3, 2026
Colorado Colorado QSO Party Sep 5, 2026
Connecticut New England QSO Party May 2, 2026
Delaware Delaware QSO Party May 2, 2026
Florida Florida QSO Party Apr 25 2026
Georgia Georgia QSO Party Apr 11 2026
Hawaii Hawaii QSO Party Aug 22, 2026
Idaho Idaho QSO Party Mar 14 2026
7th Call Area QSO Party May 2, 2026
Illinois Illinois QSO Party Oct 18, 2026
Indiana Indiana QSO Party May 2, 2026
Iowa Iowa QSO Party Sep 19, 2026
Kansas Kansas QSO Party Aug 29, 2026
Kentucky Kentucky QSO Party Jun 6, 2026
Louisiana Louisiana QSO Party Apr 4 2026
Maine New England QSO Party May 2, 2026
Maine QSO Party Sep 26, 2026
Manitoba Canadian Prairies QSO Party May 9 2026
Maryland Maryland-DC QSO Party Aug 8, 2026
Massachusetts New England QSO Party May 2, 2026
Michigan Michigan QSO Party Apr 18 2026
Minnesota Minnesota QSO Party Feb 7 2026
Mississippi Mississippi QSO Party Apr 4 2026
Missouri Missouri QSO Party Apr 4 2026
Montana 7th Call Area QSO Party May 2 2026
Nebraska Nebraska QSO Party Apr 25 2026 (tentative)
Nevada Nevada QSO Party Oct 10, 2026
7th Call Area QSO Party May 2, 2026
New Brunswick Atlantic Canada QSO Party June 6, 2026
New Hampshire New England QSO Party May 2, 2026
New Hampshire QSO Party Sep 19, 2026
New Jersey New Jersey QSO Party Sep 19, 2026
New Mexico New Mexico QSO Party Apr 11 2026
New York New York QSO Party Oct 17, 2026
Newfoundland Atlantic Canada QSO Party June 6, 2026
North Carolina North Carolina QSO Party Feb 22 2026
North Dakota North Dakota QSO Party Apr 11 2026
Nova Scotia NSARA Contest Mar 1 2026
Atlantic Canada QSO Party June 6, 2026
Ohio Ohio QSO Party Aug 22, 2026
Oklahoma Oklahoma QSO Party Mar 14 2026
Ontario Ontario QSO Party Apr 18 2026
Oregon 7th Call Area QSO Party May 2 2026
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania QSO Party Oct 10, 2026
Prince Edward Is Atlantic Canada QSO Party June 6, 2026
Quebec Quebec QSO Party Apr 19 2026
Rhode Island New England QSO Party May 2 2026
Saskatchewan Canadian Prairies QSO Party May 9 2026
South Carolina South Carolina QSO Party Feb 23 2026
South Dakota South Dakota QSO Party Oct 10, 2026
Tennessee Tennessee QSO Party Sep 6, 2026
Texas Texas QSO Party Sep 19, 2026
Utah 7th Call Area QSO Party May 2 2026
Vermont New England QSO Party May 2 2026
Vermont QSO Party Feb 7 2026
Virginia Virginia QSO Party Mar 21 2026
Washington Washington State Salmon Run Sep 19, 2026
7th Call Area QSO Party May 2 2026
West Virginia West Virginia QSO Party Jun 20, 2026
Wisconsin Wisconsin QSO Party Mar 15 2026
Wyoming 7th Call Area QSO Party May 2 2026

Give these a try! You never know what rarity will fire up on contest days and never to be heard anytime else!

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Mark’s Almanac

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

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

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

The southern tip of Nova Scotia, all of Canada and roughly one half of the Continental US, or “CONUS”, are usually covered with snow. Canada’s Hudson’s Bay is frozen, as is the ocean water between Baffin Island and Greenland.

Current Snow Depth

Barometric pressure is highest in January.

Though the Atlantic Hurricane Season officially ended November 30, every now and then Mother Nature will give us a surprise as there have been 5 tropical storms and 3 Category 1 hurricanes from 1851 to 2025. This includes an unnamed hurricane in 1938 in the Eastern Atlantic & Hurricane Alex which in 2016 effected Bermuda and the Azores and a subtropical storm that briefly spun up on January 16, 2023

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

Days grow longer as the Sun’s angle above the noonday horizon steadily increases from 33.5 degrees at the beginning of the month to 39.2 degrees at the month’s end. Daylight increases from 9 hours 59 minutes on January 1 to 10 hours 34 minutes on January 31.

Sunrise and sunset times for Birmingham per the US Naval Observatory are:

January 1 Sunrise 6:52 AM Sunset 4:50 PM
January 15 Sunrise 6:51 AM Sunset 5:02 PM
January 31 Sunrise 6:44 AM Sunset 5:18 PM

Looking skyward, at the beginning of the month, the Sun, magnitude -26.8 is in Sagittarius, the Archer
Mercury, magnitude -1.4, in Sagittarius, The Archer, is lost in the glow of the Sun.

He will reach his farthest point from the Sun, or Aphelion, on January 6, and will pass behind the Sun, or be in Superior Conjunction on January 21.

Venus, magnitude –3.9, in Sagittarius, The Archer, is lost in the glow of the Sun.

She will pass behind the Sun, or be in Superior Conjunction January 6, and reach her farthest point from the Sun, or Aphelion, on January 22.

Earth and her Moon, magnitude -4.0, as viewed from the Sun, is in Gemini, The Twins.
Earth will reach her closest distance to the Sun, or Perihelion on January 3, at 11:16AM CST, when the planet will be 91,405,993 miles from the Sun.

Mars, with his moons Phobos and Deimos, magnitude +1.1, in Sagittarius, The Archer, is lost in the glow of the Sun.

He will pass behind the Sun or be in Solar Conjunction on January 9.

Dwarf Planet Ceres, magnitude +8.7, is in Cetus, The Sea Monster.

Jupiter, his 97 moons and (invisible from Earth) ring, magnitude -2.7, in Gemini, The Twins, is a late evening and early morning object.

At the beginning of the month, he will become accessible around 6:14 PM CST, when he reaches an altitude of 7° above the eastern horizon. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 12:34 AM CST, 78° above the southern horizon. He will be lost to dawn twilight around 6:32 AM CST, 12° above the western horizon.

Jupiter will be directly opposite the Sun, or be in Opposition on January 10.

By midmonth he becomes accessible around 5:18 PM CST, 10° above the eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will reach his highest point in the sky at 11:27 PM CST, 78° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 5:48 AM CST, when he sinks below 7° above the western horizon.

By the end of the month, he will become accessible around 5:32 PM CST, 27° above your eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 10:15 PM CST, 79° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 4:37 AM CST, when it sinks below 7° above the western horizon.

Saturn, his 274 moons and extensive debris ring system, magnitude +1.0, is in Aquarius, The Water Bearer, is an early evening object descending into twilight.

At the first of the month, he visible around 5:26 PM CST, 51° above the southern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting at 10:41 PM CST.

By midmonth he will become visible around 5:38 PM CST, 46° above the south-western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting at 9:51 PM CST.

At months end he becomes visible around 5:52 PM CST, 35° above the south-western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting 3 hours and 39 minutes after the Sun at 8:55 PM CST.

Uranus, his 29 moons and ring magnitude +5.7, in Taurus, The Bull, is an evening object.

He becomes accessible with binoculars around 5:53 PM CST, 50° above the eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will reach his highest point in the sky at 8:41 PM CST, 75° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 1:48 AM CST, when he sinks below 21° above the western horizon.

By midmonth he will become accessible around 6:04 PM CST, 63° above the south-eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will reach his highest point in the sky at 7:45 PM CST, 75° above your southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 12:52 AM CST, when he sinks below 21° above the western horizon.

At month’s end he becomes accessible around 6:17 PM CST, 74° above the southern-eastern horizon, as dusk fades into darkness. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 6:41 PM CST, 75° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 11:48 PM CST, when he sinks below 21° above the western horizon.

Neptune, his 16 moons and ring, magnitude 7.8, in Pisces, The Fish, is an early evening object.

At the first of the month, he becomes accessible via binoculars and telescopes around 5:53 PM CST, 52° above the southern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting at 10:58 PM CST.

At midmonth he will become accessible around 6:04 PM CST, 45° above the south-western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting at 10:04 PM CST.

At the end of the month, he becomes accessible 6:17 PM CST, 32° above the south-western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. It will then sink towards the horizon, setting 3 hours and 47 minutes after the Sun at 9:03 PM CST.

Pluto, the largest Dwarf Planet, with his five moons shines at a dim 14.6 in Capricornus, The Sea Goat.

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

Dwarf Planet 136472 Makemake with his moon S/2015 (136472) 1, nicknamed MK1 by the discovery team, shines faintly at magnitude +17.2 in Coma Berenices.

Dwarf Planet 136199 Eris, the second largest Dwarf Planet, and her moon Dysnomia, originally referred to as Xena and Gabrielle, is barely visible in the most powerful telescopes at magnitude +18.6 in Cetus the Sea Monster.

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

90482 Orcus, and his moon Vanth shines at magnitude 19.1 near Pegasus, The Winged Horse.

50000 Quaoar, his two rings and his moon Waywot shines at magnitude +18.6 in Orion, The Hunter.

90377 Sedna, the coldest, and at one time, the most distant known place in the Solar System, glows faintly at magnitude +20.8 in Taurus, The Bull.

25088 Gonggong, the third largest Dwarf Planet, originally nicknamed Snow White by the discovery team, and his moon Xiangli glows dimly at +21.5 magnitude in Pegasus, The Winged Horse.

2014 UZ224 nicknamed “DeeDee” for “Distant Dwarf” is 8.5 billion miles from the Sun, at magnitude +23.0 in Eridanus, The River.

120347 Salacia, and her moon Actaea glows at magnitude 20.7 in Sextans, The Sextant. Salacia is considered a “borderline” Dwarf Planet. Some astronomers saying she “most certainly is a Dwarf Planet”, while others disagreeing based on her size, saying she is too small to have compressed into a fully solid body, to have been resurfaced, or to have collapsed into “hydrostatic equilibrium”, that is to assume spherical shape like a planet.
“Dwarf Planet Candidate” 2017 OF201, magnitude 23.2 is in the constellation Triangulum, the Triangle.

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

FarFarOut is currently 12,242,460,555 miles or in Light Time, 18 hours, 15 minutes and 20 seconds from Earth.

The most distant man-made object, Voyager 1, still operating after 48 years, 3 month and 7 days is 15,834,169,309 miles, or in Light Time, 23 hours, 36 minutes 40 Seconds from Earth as of 4:59 PM CST, December 12, 2025, sailing 38,027 miles per hour through Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer.

Near Earth Object, asteroid 99942 Apophis, is expected to pass within 19,794 miles of the Earth on Friday, April 13, 2029.

Apophis, magnitude +20.5, in Sagittarius, The Archer, is 152,738,440 miles or 1214 days from the Earth as of 2:04 PM CST, December 17, 2025.

Asteroid 2024 YR4, which will pass though the Earth – Moon system on Wednesday, December 22, 2032, dimly glows at magnitude +30.4, in Virgo, The Virgin. It currently is 373,804,770 miles or 2667 days from Earth as of 2:01 PM CST December 17, 2025.

There are 1,482,181 known asteroids and 4,047 comets as of December 12, 2025, per NASA/JPL Solar Dynamics Website.

6,061 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of December 11, 2025 per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive.

The Moon will be at Perigee or its closest approach to Earth on January 7, when she will be 223,910 miles from Earth.

Full Moon will occur January 3, at 4:04 AM CST or 10:04 UTC. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be fully illuminated.

This is also the first of three supermoons for 2026. The Moon will be near its closest approach to the Earth and may look slightly larger and brighter than usual.

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

It has also been called “Old Moon” and “Moon After Yule”.
During a Full Moon the Moon’s magnitude is -12.7.

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

The shower runs annually from January 1-5. It peaks this year on the night of the 3rd and morning of the 4th. Unfortunately, the full moon will obscure all but the brightest meteors this year. But if you are patient, you may 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 Bootes, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
This shower favors the Northern Hemisphere because its radiant point, or the point where the meteors appear to originate in the sky, is so far north on the sky’s dome.

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

Last Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Eastern side illuminated, will occur January 10, at 9:49 PM CST or 03:49 UTC, January 11.

During a Quarter Moon the Moon’s magnitude is -10.0.
The Moon will be at Apogee or its farthest distance from Earth on January 13, when she will be 251,927 miles from Earth.

New Moon occurs January 18 at 1:53 PM CST or 19:53 UTC. 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.

First Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Western side illuminated, will occur January 25 at 10:48 PM CST or 04:48 UTC, January 26.

During a Quarter Moon the Moon’s magnitude is -10.0.

The Moon will be at Perigee or its closest approach to Earth on January 29, when she will be 227,346 miles from Earth.

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This month’s meeting will be on January 13 at 7 PM at the National Weather Service Forecast Office at the Shelby County Airport.

I hope to see you there!

Mark Wells
Editor / ALERT Newsletter

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to the 222nd edition of the ALERT Newsletter!

The 222nd edition almost became the 000th edition as while I was typing it, the laptop went berserk and seemed to have a mind of its own. The night before I had watched an episode of 911 Nashville, where some ne’er-do-wells were hacking into the system for fun and profit. So, I switched to airplane mode, and it kept on misbehaving.

I then noticed that the sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss button was stuck, so I rebooted the computer and the sssssssssssssituation wassssss the sssssame. So, I shut it down, turned it over and gently beat the stew out of it. Then I sprayed the keyboard with a can of compressed air and froze the poor thing. I waited a day for it to defrost and dry out and gingerly rebooted it, and seeing no tendrils of smoke or any stray ssssses, here we are, back in the sssaddle again!

The other biggest news of the month is that due to the chaos which resulted from the recent budgetary jousting in Washington, NOAA has had to cancel this year’s SKYWARN Appreciation Day. They feel that the “necessary time and resources required to plan a comprehensive national event for SKYWARN Recognition Day 2025 are no longer available.”

Per the ARRL “The NWS will work with ARRL and SKYWARN spotters to brainstorm ideas to redevelop a spotter appreciation event in 2026.”

“ARRL is proud of the continued partnership with the National Weather Service to promote and recognize SKYWARN and the volunteers around the country. We look forward to working together to revitalize and promote SKYWARN Recognition Day again next year,” said Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, ARRL Director of Emergency Management.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, the next SKYWRN Appreciation Day will be held Saturday December 5, 2026.

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ALERT Christmas Party!

The 2025 ALERT Christmas Party will take place on Tuesday December 9th at 7PM during our regular meeting time.

There will be food, non-alcoholic drinks, desserts, and other goodies. Come have Christmas dinner with your ALERT family!

If you plan to bring a dish, please let Johnnie know at wxjohnnie@gmail.com and tell him who you are, what you will bring (so we don’t end up with 18 fruitcakes and no beans) and how many will attend.

Hope to see you there!

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VOACAP For Ham Radio

Amateur radio has been a fascination for me for 48 years. My ham radio story consists of many chapters, such as being involved in traffic and emergency nets, ALERT, SKYWARN, ARES or just getting on the radio and seeing who I can find and how far my modest equipment can be heard. I’m just as excited about ham radio today as I was in the beginning.

Currently, in addition to ALERT and SKYWARN, I am prowling the High Frequency bands.
Though I’m far from being a “DX Baron”, the fascination that I can talk to someone across a state, a continent or an ocean still fascinates me after all these years. Whether I am working actual “DX” or as I call it “Domestic DX”, since talking 2000 miles to Colombia and 2000 miles to Seattle is the same distance. Just one counts as “DX” and the other doesn’t.

For my purposes I use the literal definition of DX – “Distance”. How far away is the other station? For seeing how far my signal can reach, on what band, under what conditions, and with what antenna and radio is my goal.

This serves some very practical purposes. One, it is fun, two, whether HF or VHF radio, It helps keep me fresh in the usage and the nuances of the equipment and conditions, which could be vital in an emergency. For skills and knowledge are the most perishable of commodities. They tend to quietly fade away just as the charges of batteries do. When you need them, will they still be there?

One mistake many are making, is getting radios for the proverbial “SHTF”, and then neglecting getting licensed and using them regularly so they can learn what does and doesn’t work and how communicate effectively. Then a different type of “SHTF” is encountered – “Shoot, How’s This Function???” Which is not question you want to be asking when your house is now a debris field and you are in trouble. You need to learn this skill beforehand.

One radio tool I recently discovered is a VOACAP – the Voice Of America Coverage Analysis Program. VOACAP is a free professional online tool that predicts ham radio propagation from 80 to 10 Meters and down to 2.000 MHz in the Marine version at the upper edge of the 160 meter band.

The program was originally developed by the Voice of America to help with their international broadcasts, and though it bears the VOA name, it is now separate from the VOA. So, if the VOA closes its doors, the program will live on.

VOACAP provides simulated propagation conditions, factoring in the time of day, desired frequency, solar activity and distance between stations.

VOACAP comes in three versions.

The ham version covers 80 – 10 Meters, may be found at VOACAP Online for Ham Radio
The Marine version covers from 2 – 25 MHz, may be found at VOACAP Online for Marine HF
The CB Version covers from 26 – 28 MHz may be found at VOACAP Online for 11M

The program is complex, but there is a quickie method that even a dummy like me can use.

To use this program, you click on the version you wish to use and a zoomable map appears.

You set your location by zooming in on your location and positioning the red marker on the map and then zoom out.

Set the blue marker over the area you wish to contact. For example, let’s say Spain on 15 Meters.

There will be a green line connecting the two locations, which is the signal short path, and a dotted line showing the long path in the opposite direction. Also shown are the real time day/night areas of the Earth, and the gray line separating the two, which signals sometimes prefer.

To the right of the map, you can select the operating mode you intend to use, power level and the antenna.

Modes given are AM, SSB, CW and digital modes. The modes giving the best chances for a successful contact are from least to best, AM, SSB, CW and digital modes FT4, FT8 & WSPR.
Power level choices from .0 to 20,000 watts, remembering that hams are limited to 1500 watts,

I usually choose CW and 100 watts and skip the “antenna” setting and general propagation settings under “Settings”, as they are too detailed for my casual use,

By clicking Prop Charts, a pop up window appears on the left side of the screen with multicolored lines, a decibel scale to the left, a signal strength scale to the right and a timescale at the bottom. A dropdown menu will let you pick the band you want, which this example is 15 Meters.

There are four things I am looking for on this chart :

The blue line, which is “Rel” or “Circuit Reliability”.
The orange line that hints at the Maximum Useable Frequency. (The higher the line, the better).
The green line that indicates predicted signal strength.
The shaded gray area.

The gray area depicts the variation of the predicted signal strength via the short path. The upper edge hints at the strongest signal you might encounter under near perfect conditions, while the lower edge reveals the minimum signal strength you can expect under normal or average conditions.

When the gray zone widens, uncertainty creeps in. A gap or spread of 40 – 50 dB (using the scale on the left side of the chart) means VOACAP is uncertain of the propagation chances. As the gap narrows, the program’s confidence is higher. If the bottom of the gray area is also high, with a white area underneath, it indicates a strong signal should be expected.

The best chances for communications are when you see a high lower edge of the gray zone, a narrow gray zone, and high blue, orange and green lines.

As I write this it is indicating that roughly from 12:00z to 16:00z the band should be open to Spain. If the bottom of the gray area had a white area, the probability is good to very good.

A second indicator is CAP Wheel to the right, which gives a visual indication of expected propagation band by band of the entire HF ham spectrum over a 24 hour period. Click this and a bullseye chart will appear with each band. 10 Meters is on the outer circle, and then you can go inward band by band to 80 Meters on the inside circle. (For 160 Meters I use the same method with the Marine version, which goes down to just above the 160 Meter band).

This chart tells you what bands will be open, when and the percent chance. By moving the cursor to the desired band and the darkest color on the graph you will have the UT time starting on the hour, the band and your percentage. With this indicator the time is narrower than with the first method.

The third indicator is the ITUR Wheel. This is similar to the CAP Wheel, but uses predictions in accordance with ITU recommendations. Click on it and a similar bullseye appears, and you use the same method. For me this chart seems much more optimistic than the other two methods and shows that in addition to the 12:00z to 16:00z, in the wee hours of the morning 40, 60 and then 80 Meters will open to Spain from 23:00z to 10:00z.

I factor in the three methods, and mentally average them out.

That’s the quick and easy method. It is a deep, deep program in which you can change and factor in many other variables. For a deeper dive I recommend reading the online manual VOACAP_Manual.pdf

That 23:00z to 10:00z window of opportunity we predicted brings up another factor I’ll call the “human factor”.

What time of day will it be where you are and at your target location and will anyone in their right mind be up at that late at night or that early in the morning talking on the radio?

Just as 2 meters has a traffic pattern rotating around work, school and sleep, so it is true everywhere. You can’t talk to anyone if they are all asleep.

To help factor in the time I use UTC to CDT Converter – Convert Universal Time to Central Time – World Time Buddy which gives UTC time, my time and I can specify anywhere in the world and see if “yes the band is open, but only insomniacs are around” or “catch em before they go to bed!”

Other propagation programs worth exploring are:

24-hour prediction
DR2W DX Propagation
Online Rec. P.533-14 Propagation Prediction Tool

The question you may ask is does VOACAP and these other tools really work?

Well, recently they said I should be able to reach Brazil, and I worked PY4LS, 4727 miles away in Sao Paulo, Brazil and PY3PZ, 4892 miles away in Sao Gabriel, Brazil via transequatoral propagation using CW on 12 & 10 Meters. It also said I should be able to reach Japan, and I had a nice lengthy contact with JK4CHT, 6985 miles away near Osaka, via multihop reflection off the F2 layer of the ionosphere using CW on 12 Meters. That’s using 100 watts, into a vertical antenna.

So, either these programs work, or I was lucky, or a little bit of both, which is probably the case.

Try these programs out and see what you think.

Happy DX!

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Mark’s Almanac

December was the tenth Roman Month, from whence it gets its name, “decem” meaning “ten”. Among many Native American tribes it was called “the Moon of Clacking Rocks”, as it was the time when they prepared and manufactured stone tools, implements and weapons, since the growing season was over, and bad weather prevented them from hunting.

December is the cloudiest month of the year, with only 40 to 60% of possible sunshine poking through the clouds. It is also the stormiest month of the year for the Continental US & the Gulf. By “stormy” meaning large-scale storms, not necessarily the tornadic storms that they bring, even though we are still in our Second Tornado Season.

A region of heavy rainfall usually forms from Texas to Northwest Florida to Tennessee and Arkansas. Cold waves bringing rain, snow, ice and occasionally tornadoes, sweep across the region.

Average precipitation in Birmingham is 4.47” of rainfall and 0.1” of snowfall.

December can be cloudy and cold, and, then it can swing into spring like warmth, luring plants to bloom early, only to have the frosts and freezes return and the plants are “nipped in the bud”.

Hurricane season is now “officially” over, however Mother Nature sometimes throws a surprise in to make life interesting.

From 1851 – 2024 there have been 19 Tropical Storms and from 1822 to 2022 there have been 8 Category 1 hurricanes, but none have ever struck the United States.

Two notable December hurricanes are:

Hurricane Alice of 1954, which is the only known Atlantic hurricane to span two calendar years and one of only two named Atlantic tropical cyclones, along with Tropical Storm Zeta of 2005, to do so.

Alice developed on December 30, 1954 from a trough of low pressure in the central Atlantic Ocean in an area of unusually favorable conditions. The storm moved southwestward and gradually strengthened to reach hurricane status. After passing through the Leeward Islands on January 2, 1955, Alice reached peak winds of 90 mph before encountering cold air and turning to the southeast. It dissipated on January 6 over the southeastern Caribbean Sea.

The last December hurricane to occur was Hurricane Epsilon during the 2005 season, the year in which we ran out of hurricane names. The year also featured Tropical Storm Zeta, the latest forming Tropical Storm which formed on December 30, 2005 and lasted until January 7, 2006.

Days continue to grow shorter as the Sun’s angle above the noonday horizon steadily decreases from 34.6 degrees at the beginning of the month to 33.0 degrees at Winter Solstice on December 21 and then the angle begins to lift reaching 33.4 degrees on New Year’s Eve,

Daylight decreases from 10 hours 8 minutes on December 1 to 9 hours 58 minutes at Winter Solstice and then increases to 10 hours 01 minutes on December 31

Sunrise and Sunset times for Birmingham are:

December 1 Sunrise 6:32 AM Sunset 4:40 PM
December 15 Sunrise 6:42 AM Sunset 4:42 PM
December 21 Sunrise 6:46 AM Sunset 4:44 PM
December 31 Sunrise 6:40 AM Sunset 4:51 PM

Looking skyward, at the beginning of the month, the Sun, magnitude -26.8 is in Ophiuchus The Serpent Bearer.

Mercury, magnitude -0.5, in Scorpius, The Scorpion, is visible in the morning sky, rising at 4:58 AM CST – 1 hour and 33 minutes before the Sun – and will reach an altitude of 11° above the south-eastern horizon before fading from view as dawn breaks at around 6:04 AM CST.

He will reach his highest altitude in the morning sky on December 6, reaching 18° above the Eastern horizon shining brightly at -0.5 magnitude, and then reach his greatest separation from the Sun, or Greatest Western Elongation on December 7.

This is the best time to view Mercury since he will be at his highest point above the horizon in the morning sky. Look for the planet low in the eastern sky just before sunrise.

He will then begin steadily retreating towards the Sun.

By midmonth he will rise at 5:08 AM CST – 1 hour and 33 minutes before the Sun – and reach an altitude of 12° above the south-eastern horizon before fading from view as dawn breaks at around 6:19 AM CST.

Mercury will disappear into the glow of the Sun on December 22.

Venus, magnitude –3.9, in Ophiuchus, The Serpent Bearer, is hidden from view as she moves behind the Sun.

Earth and her Moon, magnitude -4.0, as viewed from the Sun, is in Orion, The Hunter.

Mars, with his moons Phobos and Deimos, magnitude +1.5, in Sagittarius, The Archer, is hidden from view as he is passing behind the Sun.

Dwarf Planet Ceres, magnitude +8.3, is in Cetus, The Sea Monster.

Jupiter, and his 97 moons and (invisible from Earth) ring, magnitude -2.6, is in Gemini, The Twins,
dominates the late evening and early morning skies.

At the beginning of the month, he will become accessible around 8:31 PM CST, when it reaches an altitude of 7° above the eastern horizon. He will reach his highest point in the sky at 2:49 AM CST, 77° above the southern horizon. He will be lost to dawn twilight around 6:14 AM CST, 43° above the western horizon.

By midmonth he becomes accessible around 7:30 PM CST, when he reaches an altitude of 7° above the eastern horizon. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 1:49 AM CST, 78° above the southern horizon. He will be lost to dawn twilight around 6:24 AM CST, 28° above the western horizon.

By the end of the month, he will become accessible around 6:18 PM CST, when he reaches an altitude of 7° above the eastern horizon. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 12:38 AM CST, 78° above the southern horizon. He will be lost to dawn twilight around 6:31 AM CST, 13° above the western horizon.

Saturn, magnitude 0.0, and his 274 moons and extensive debris ring system, in Aquarius, The Water Bearer, as an early evening object.

At the first of the month, he becomes accessible around 5:14 PM CST, 46° above the south-eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 6:47 PM CST, 52° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 11:39 PM CST, when he sinks below 11° above the western horizon.

By midmonth he will become accessible around 5:17 PM CST, 51° above the southern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 5:53 PM CST, 52° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 10:45 PM CST, when he sinks below 11° above the western horizon.

At months end he becomes visible around 5:26 PM CS, 51° above the southern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting at 10:45 PM CST.

Saturn’s rings are nearly edge-on. In a telescope they look like a long, very faint needle piercing the bright globe. Their shadow on the planet is a stronger black line along the equator. The rings will start to reappear as the months pass, and won’t disappear again until 2040.

Uranus, magnitude +5.6, and his 29 moons and ring, in Taurus, The Bull, is currently an evening object, becoming accessible via binoculars around 5:41 PM CST, 21° above the eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 10:48 PM CST, 76° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 3:56 AM CST, when he sinks below 21° above the western horizon.

By midmonth he will become accessible around 5:44 PM CST, 33° above the eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then reach its highest point in the sky at 9:50 PM CST, 76° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 2:58 AM CST, when he sinks below 21° above the western horizon.

At month’s end he becomes accessible around 5:52 PM CST, at an altitude of 49° above the eastern horizon as dusk fades into darkness. He reaches his highest point in the sky at 8:45 PM CST, 75° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 1:52 AM CST, when he sinks below 21° above the western horizon.

Neptune, magnitude +7.7, and his 16 moons and ring, in Pisces, The Fish, is currently visible in the evening sky via binoculars and telescopes.

At the first of the month, he becomes accessible at 5:41 PM CST, at an altitude of 50° above the south-eastern horizon as dusk fades into darkness. He will reach his highest point in the sky at 7:01 PM CST, 54° above the southern horizon. He will fade from view around 11:09 PM CST when he sinks below 21° above the western horizon.

Neptune will end his retrograde motion and resume his normal path across the sky on December 10.

At midmonth he will become accessible around 5:44 PM CST, 54° above the southern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 6:06 PM CST, 54° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 10:14 PM CST, when he sinks below 21° above the western horizon.

At the end of the month, he becomes accessible around 5:52 CST PM, 53° above the south-western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting at 11:02 PM CST.

Pluto, the largest Dwarf Planet, with his five moons shines at a dim 14.6 in Capricornus, The Sea Goat.

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

Dwarf Planet 136472 Makemake with his moon S/2015 (136472) 1, nicknamed MK1 by the discovery team, shines faintly at magnitude +17.2 in Coma Berenices.

Dwarf Planet 136199 Eris, the second largest Dwarf Planet, and her moon Dysnomia, originally referred to as Xena and Gabrielle, is barely visible in the most powerful telescopes at magnitude +18.6 in Cetus the Sea Monster.

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

90482 Orcus, and his moon Vanth shines at magnitude 19.1 near Pegasus, The Winged Horse.

50000 Quaoar, his two rings and his moon Waywot shines at magnitude +18.6 in Orion, The Hunter.

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

225088 Gonggong, the third largest Dwarf Planet, originally nicknamed Snow White by the discovery team, and his moon Xiangli glows dimly at +21.5 magnitude in Pegasus, The Winged Horse.

2014 UZ224 nicknamed “DeeDee” for “Distant Dwarf” is 8.5 billion miles from the Sun, at magnitude +23.0 in Eridanus, The River.

120347 Salacia, and her moon Actaea glows at magnitude 20.7 in Sextans, The Sextant. Salacia is considered a “borderline” Dwarf Planet. Some astronomers saying she “most certainly is a Dwarf Planet”, while others disagreeing based on her size, saying she is too small to have compressed into a fully solid body, to have been resurfaced, or to have collapsed into “hydrostatic equilibrium”, that is to assume spherical shape like a planet.

“Dwarf Planet Candidate” 2017 OF201, magnitude 23.2 is in the constellation Triangulum, the Triangle.

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

FarFarOut is currently 12,269,550,360 miles or in Light Time, 18 hours, 17 minutes and 45 seconds from Earth.

The most distant man-made object, Voyager 1, still operating after 48 years, 2 month and 15 days is 15,787,622,719 miles, or in Light Time, 23 hours, 32 minutes 31 Seconds from Earth as of 3:33 PM CST, November 20, 2025, sailing 38,027 miles per hour through Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer.

Near Earth Object, asteroid 99942 Apophis, is expected to pass within 19,794 miles of the Earth on Friday, April 13, 2029.

Apophis, magnitude +20.6, in Ophiuchus, The Serpent Bearer, is 164,216,487 miles or 1241 days from the Earth as of 3:45 PM CST, November 20, 2025.

Asteroid 2024 YR4, which will pass though the Earth – Moon system on Wednesday, December 22, 2032, dimly glows at magnitude +30.3, in Virgo, The Virgin. It currently is 389,788,736 miles or 2694 days from Earth as of 3:50 PM CST, November 20 2025.

There are 1,478,366 known asteroids and 4,043 comets as of November 20, 2025, per NASA/JPL Solar Dynamics Website.

6,052 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of November 20, 2025 per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive.

Full Moon occurs at 5:15 PM CST or 23:15 UTC on December 4 when the Moon, being on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun will be fully illuminated. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Cold Moon because this is the time of year when the cold winter air settles in and the nights become long and dark. This moon has also been known as the Moon Before Yule and the Full Long Nights Moon.

This is also the last of three supermoons for 2025. The Moon will be near its closest approach to the Earth and may look slightly larger and brighter than usual.

During a Full Moon the Moon’s magnitude is -12.7. The Moon will be at Perigee or its closest approach to Earth on December 4, when she will be 221,806 miles from Earth.

Last Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Eastern side illuminated, will occur December 11 at 2:52 PM CST or 20:52 UTC.

During a Quarter Moon the Moon’s magnitude is -10.0.

The Geminid Meteor Shower peaks on December 13-14. Geminids are one of the year’s best meteor showers. It is my favorite meteor shower and considered by many to be the best shower in the heavens. It’s a consistent and prolific shower, and usually the most satisfying of all the annual showers, even surpassing the more widely recognized Perseids of August. This shower typically produces 50 or more multicolored meteors an hour, or about one every minute, and at the peak 120 meteors per hour.

The dazzling Geminid meteor shower starts around mid-evening and increases in intensity as evening deepens into late night. No matter where you live worldwide, the greatest number of meteors usually fall in the wee hours after midnight, or for a few hours centered around 2 a.m. local time, as the Earth plows headlong into the stream. If you’re game, you can watch the Geminid shower all the way from mid-evening until dawn.

The Geminids are produced by debris left behind by an asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon, which was discovered in 1982. The shower runs annually from December 7-17. It peaks this year on the night of the 13th and morning of the 14th. The morning of the 15th could also be nearly as active this year.

The Last quarter moon will block some of the fainter meteors this year, but the Geminids are so numerous that it should still be a good show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Gemini, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

The Moon will be at Apogee or its farthest distance from Earth on December 17, when she will be 252,478 miles from Earth.

New Moon occurs December 19 at 7:44 PM CST or 1:44 UTC December 20. 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.

Winter Solstice occurs at 9:02 AM or 15:02 UTC December 21. The South Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the Sun, which will have reached its southernmost position in the sky and will be directly over the Tropic of Capricorn at 23.44 degrees south latitude. This is the first day of winter (winter solstice) in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of summer (summer solstice) in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Ursid meteor shower, a minor meteor shower, which runs annually from December 17-25 will peak on the night and morning of December 21 – 22 producing about 5-10 meteors per hour. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet Tuttle, which was first discovered in 1790.

The thin, crescent moon will set early in the evening, leaving dark skies for what should be a good show. Best viewing will be just after midnight from a dark location far away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Ursa Minor, or The Little Dipper, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

First Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Western side illuminated, will occur December 27 at 1:10 PM CST or 19:10 UTC.

During a Quarter Moon the Moon’s magnitude is -10.0.

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Christmas

Christmas is my favorite time of the year.

Christmastime is a time of wonder & mystery. A time of bright lights, shining trees and the time of hide and seek, as presents are hidden from inquiring minds and fingers.

It is a time when one’s mind and memories drift back to days of childhood, and Christmases now long gone by. Remembering friends and family, some here, some now gone & longing that they were near once again, as it was once upon a time not so long ago.
And it is a time when, if we allow ourselves and don’t choose to “Grinch out” and be sour pusses, we can become kids once again.

Most importantly though, it’s a time to remember that the true “reason for the season” occurred in a manger, long ago on that first cold and chilly “Silent Night.”

So, as you go about your Christmas preparations remember the magic that was there when you were a child & don’t let that magic die. Make it magic once again

For Christmas truly is “the most wonderful time of the year”.

From the House of Mark WD4NYL and Teresa KQ4JC, we wish you all a very safe and Merry Christmas!

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This month’s meeting will feature the ALERT Christmas Party on December 9 at 7:00 PM at the National Weather Service Forecast office at the Shelby County Airport.

Mark / WD4NYL
Editor
ALERT Newsletter