ALERT NEWSLETTER – May 2020

Hi Everyone,

I hope this finds you well.

Many of you are currently homebound as we struggle with the spread and effects of Covid-19.

One interesting side effects of this, as they say, “hunkering down”, are the numerous reports of good HF band conditions and scores of stations being heard.

Is it a coincidence that with so many being stuck at home that radio propagation has suddenly come alive, or is it a case that the conditions have been there all along, but, operators have just been elsewhere, perhaps haunting social media instead?

So if you have HF capability and time, throw a CQ out into the ether. You never know what you may reel in.

Our next ALERT meeting will occur May 12.

I hope to “see” you there!

One final word before we continue. Though it has been occasionally discussed, ALERT does not have its own dedicated 2 meter repeater. We have never needed one as we by normal procedure seek out reports on other repeaters. When we deploy to the NWS, K4NWS does continuously monitor 220 MHz as a direct link to the ham station at the State EMA, and the Atlanta/Peachtree City NWS office has contacted us directly on 220. Also, for a while we thought about, and tried using a 440 MHz repeater as an ALERT frequency for in-house ALERT coordination. But, while we try to monitor 146.880 during severe weather, we may be anywhere on the 2 meter band, targeting affected areas.

So, ALERT cannot do what I am about to suggest.

While we are dealing with the restrictions caused by the pandemic, clubs have held online meetings using Zoom and other methods. If you are reading this and your club has a repeater, why not consider an on the air meeting?

This could give good exposure to your club, its purposes and its achievements.

It’s free advertising, certainly legal, as it’s basically a net and it might generate interest in hams who might not have had interest in clubs or meetings before. So, there could be a distinct membership boost.

It’s something to think about anyway!

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Yes Still Need A Ham License

With the strangeness of the times, there is a myth floating around, even among some “seasoned” amateurs, that “you really don’t need a ham license right now, after all were under a ‘national emergency’”.

It is true that the President declared a national emergency on March 13.

It is also true that there were already 31 national emergencies already in effect, including one dating back to 1979 in response to the Iranian Hostage Crisis during the Carter Administration.

So the question comes, has the normal communications infrastructure been damaged, compromised or collapsed? Are you in a dire emergency, where there are no other means of communications available to call for help?

If you are reading this you know the internet is working, the flickering across the room indicates that the TV is working; the phone keeps bugging you with telemarketer calls, so that’s working also. And since, (hopefully) you have no reason to call 911, then the answer is no and yes. No, we are not experiencing a communication emergency and yes you still need a ham license to transmit in a ham band.

Now one question arises as to how to get take a ham radio examination when “social distancing”
has been mandated.

One answer is just wait until all this passes, for it will surely end and take the test then.

Or, organizations could do as one club did and do open air testing in a tent, with proper distancing.

Another possible answer is, the FCC ruled on April 30 that “nothing in the FCC’s rules prohibits remote testing, and prior FCC approval is not required to conduct remote tests.” See: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-20-467A1.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3-Ggmt71lAnepf_oycJ6C09fPOOpECcaJP0WQx4C8J8nCsE7oQ-RShnPk

In fact the first virtual technician testing session has already occurred. See: https://qrznow.com/usa-conducts-first-all-online-ham-radio-exam/

So, as VECs gear up for online testing, look for opportunities and take advantage of those opportunities.

Some of us old timers will be heard moaning about this development. I also remember hearing moaning when the Volunteer Exam concept itself was proposed and adopted in 1984. “Everyone is going to cheat”. “Just get two buddies to sign a certificate and you are an instant ham. Why not certify your collie while you are at it?” “That’s one way to build an instant club.” “All this started when they started with those blasted KA calls…you know they are making way for those million CBers…um hmm you just wait and see.”

I guess the mystical lure of an Amateur Radio License just causes an uncontrollable urge to cheat in people. My thinking is some might, but most won’t. I also believe that those who do will quickly lose interest in the realm, since the commitment level is so abysmally low to begin with.

The only real problem I have with online testing is that there needs to be a system or pool of “Elmers” available to mentor the new hams. Don’t just throw them into the water and expect them to know how to swim.

The license just opens the door. The rest is learned by “on the job experience” with trial, error and trying again until you get it right. Having a friendly patient ham to help me through the rough spots was a gift from above. My Elmer, Jim K4UMD, helped me study, gave me my test, found a radio for me so I could get on the air and guided me in the do’s and don’ts of the hobby.

Hams new and old often find that ham radio communications can be a complicated little beast. So, if you hear someone struggling, or someone not doing something “exactly right”, help them out, don’t jump on them. And, don’t whine about how good licensing was in the “old days”.

After all, though you may not remember it, but someone called you a “dummy” for the test you passed also.

So remember how it was when YOU first started out, and be someone’s mentor today.

It will do you good and help you to.

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Starlink

On October 4, 1957 the Soviet Union shocked the world by placing Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite into orbit. Ham radio operators worldwide tuned to its radio beacon on 20.005 MHz and 40.010 MHz to hear the “beep beep beep” of Earth’s “new moon”. Some believe it was sending back data about its orbital environment. Others think it just went “beep beep beep” to prove it was really there.

While its transmissions ceased 21 days later, due to its batteries being exhausted, amateur observers using powerful binoculars continued to track it across the sky until its reentry on January 4, 1958

In more modern times observers have enjoyed looking towards the sky as the International Space Station passed over. The station, which began with the launch of the first section in 1998, is the largest manmade object in space. It will become even larger in 2021 when the Russians will launch the Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to dock with the station.

The brightness of the station as it passes over varies depending on the solar angle and the angle of the stations huge solar arrays.

If you have never seen the station, or it has been a while, information on when you can spot the station can be found at https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/

But, now we have another target, or set of targets to search for in the sky – the Starlink satellite constellation.

SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, which hopefully on May 27 will launch the first Americans into space from American soil since the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011, has created the Starlink Satellites.

The goal of the Starlink Satellites is to provide high speed broadband internet to locations around the globe where internet access is unreliable, expensive, or unavailable. They are currently targeting areas of the Northern U.S. and Canada for high speed broadband internet access. They are hoping to make this global by 2021.

Launched 60 satellites at a time, new Starlink satellites are injected into a preliminary orbit of 174 miles, but each of the 60 satellites is equipped with an ion engine to slowly raise its orbit to an altitude of about 217 miles. For a period of time after launch they float across the sky like a brilliant string of celestial pearls and but as the days progress they spread out into their final orbits and become less spectacular.

For details on observing opportunities go to https://findstarlink.com/

Naturally not everyone is thrilled by this project.

In 1960 astronomers were worried about an experimental satellite NASA was about to launch called Echo 1.

Echo 1, would be a 100 foot metalized balloon, launched into low Earth orbit that would act as a passive communications satellite.

The balloon satellite would function as a reflector, not a transceiver. A signal would be sent to it, reflected by its surface, and returned to Earth.

Astronomers worried that Echo 1 would drift by when they were making long exposure photographs of deep sky objects. But, as things turned out, Echo 1 and its even larger sister, 135 foot Echo 2 launched in 1964 presented no problems.

Other large satellites, such as the Salyut, Skylab and Mir space stations caused no problems, and even the largest object in space, the International Space Station, has caused no troubles.

But, Starlink is another story. With 420 satellites already in orbit, the Starlink system will eventually consist of 12,000 satellites.

Starlink satellites have appeared as bright streaks across images taken by observatory telescopes, ever since SpaceX launched the first mission almost a year ago.

SpaceX in recent months has taken to addressing astronomer’s concerns directly, reaching out to the American Astronomical Society (AAS) to establish a line of communication.

As a result there will be changes made to the design of its Starlink satellites, as well as changes to how the satellites move in space, to help reduce the brightness and damage to astronomer’s images.

“SpaceX is committed to making future satellite designs as dark as possible,” the company said in a press release following a presentation to the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

How dim will they become? Only time will tell.

Until then though, we can have the fun of tracking the Starlink train and the ISS, which is scheduled to exist to at least 2028, and then either be partially disassemble and used for another Russian / European space station, or deorbited completely to crash into an ocean.

So catch them while you can.

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Mark’s Almanac

May is the fifth month & third month of the Roman calendar. May is named for the Greek goddess Maia, who was identified with, Bona Dea, the Goddess of Fertility, who was celebrated in May.

Since ancient times the first day of the month, “May Day” has been a time of celebration. In Rome it honored Flora, the goddess of flowers.

On May the fifth Mexican’s celebrate Cinco De Mayo, the celebration Mexico’s 1862 victory over Napoleon III’s forces at Puebla. This is not, as many assume, Mexico’s Independence Day, which is actually on September 16.

Rainfall decreases in May as the Azores-Bermuda High strengthens, expands Westward over the Southeastern US & begins rerouting storm systems northward.

The door opens to the Gulf of Mexico & Gulf moisture spreads northward over the continent.

The center of maximum tornadic activity also shifts northward over the Nation’s Heartland. May is the peak tornado month, with a 42% increase over April’s amount.

Eastern Pacific hurricane season begins May 15, and although the North Atlantic hurricane season has not arrived, occasionally a tropical system will form in the Gulf of Mexico. From 1851 to 2019 there have been 24 Tropical Storms and 5 Hurricanes, including an 1863 Category 2 storm, the knowledge of which is based on historical reanalysis by NOAA’s Michael Chenoweth and Cary Mock in 2013 and posthumously given the name Hurricane Amanda, named after, a Union ship the storm washed ashore. It made landfall near Apalachicola Florida.

60% of off-season Hurricanes occur in May.

Colorado State University has issued its outlook for the 2020 tropical season.

Their forecast predicts 16 named storms during the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30. Of those, researchers expect eight to become hurricanes and four to reach major hurricane strength of Category 3 or greater, with sustained winds of 111 miles per hour or greater.

A “Normal” season sees about 12 named storms, 6 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes.

AccuWeather released its 2020 Atlantic hurricane forecast earlier. Their outlook also calls for an above average season with 14 to 18 tropical storms during the upcoming season, which runs from June 1 through November 30. Of those storms, seven to nine are forecast to become hurricanes; and two to four are predicted to strengthen into major hurricanes.

NOAA’s forecast is due at the end of May.

The Atlantic Hurricane names for 2020 are: Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, Hanna, Isaias, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paulette, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky and Wilfred.

Should they run out of names they will use the Greek alphabet for names, as they did with Tropical Storm Alpha in 2005.

Days continue to grow longer as the Sun’s angle above the noonday horizon increases from 71.6 degrees at the beginning of the month to 78.4 degrees at the month’s end. Daylight increases from 13 hours 31 minutes on May 1 to 14 hours 13 minutes on May 31.

Sunrise and sunset times for Birmingham are:

May 1 Sunrise 5:59 AM Sunset 7:30 PM
May 15 Sunrise 5:47 AM Sunset 7:41 PM
May 30 Sunrise 5:39 AM Sunset 7:52 PM

Looking towards the sky, The Sun, magnitude -26.7 is currently located in Aries.

At the beginning of the month Mercury is hidden behind the Sun. On May 4 he will pass directly behind the Sun or be in “Superior Conjunction”.

On May 9 he will be at his closest approach to the Sun, or “Perihelion” when he will be 28.8 million miles from the Sun.

On May 11 he reappears in the evening sky and will be steadily rising and by month’s end will be a -0.1 object 20 degrees above the Western horizon in Gemini.

Venus, magnitude –4.7, in north-central Taurus, is the dazzling white “Evening Star” in the west during and after dusk. She is now at her maximum brightness.

Venus is now sinking lower in the evening sky, at the first of the month she sets 90 minutes after twilights end.

In a telescope, Venus is a 28% sunlit crescent. Towards the end of the month she will be a dramatically thin crescent low in the twilight as she nears conjunction with the Sun.

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

Mars, magnitude +0.4 in Capricorn, shines in the southeast before and during early dawn.

Jupiter, magnitude -2.3 in Sagittarius, shines brightly in the southeast before and during the early dawn.

Saturn, magnitudes +0.6 in Capricorn, shines in the southeast before and during early dawn.

Mars, Jupiter and Saturn form a trio with Jupiter, the brightest, on the right and Saturn glowing pale yellow 5° to Jupiter’s left.

Mars is ever farther to Saturn’s lower left, moving eastward against the stars away from the other two.

Uranus is hidden in conjunction with the Sun.

Neptune, magnitude +7.9 in Aquarius, is barely risen in the east as dawn begins.

4152 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of April 23, per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/

The Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower, an above average shower, peaks May 4 & 5. It is capable of producing up to 60 meteors per hour at its peak, but, most of the activity is seen in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, the rate can reach about 30 meteors per hour, which is still a decent shower. It is produced by dust particles left behind by comet Halley, due to return in a mere 42 years in the summer of 2061. The shower runs annually from April 19 to May 28. It peaks this year on the night of May 4 and the morning of the May 5. The nearly full moon will be a problem this year, blocking out all but the brightest meteors. But if you are patient, you should still be able to catch a few good ones. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Aquarius, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

The Moon will be at Perigee, or her closest point from the Earth on May 5 at a distance of 223,480 Miles.

Full Moon will occur May 7th at 5:45 AM CDT or 10:45 UTC. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. May’s Moon is “Flower Moon” in Native American folklore, because of the abundance of spring flowers. It has also been called “Corn Planting Moon” & “Milk Moon”.

This is also the last of four Supermoons for 2020. The Moon will be near its closest approach to the Earth and may look slightly larger and brighter than usual.

The Moon will be at Apogee, or her farthest point from the Earth on May 18 at a distance of 252018 Miles.

New Moon will occur May 22 at 12:39 PM CDT or 17:39 UTC. The Moon will 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 deep sky objects such as galaxies and star clusters, as there will be no moonlight to wash out the evening sky.

Last month I mentioned the possibility of a bright comet arriving named Comet Atlas. Well as celestial things don’t always go as expected, Atlas has fragmented and the remains will never reach naked eye visibility.

There is, however, a new kid in town in the form of Comet Swan which is inbound and will make its closest approach to Earth on May 13 and brighten to magnitude 3.5.

Unfortunately, the Southern Hemisphere is expected to get the best view as Swan sails past Earth.

Swan will be at its brightest in the US towards the end of May but will only be visible extremely low in the Eastern morning sky.

But, if you happen to be in Australia or Chile in the next couple of weeks, then you are in luck as you will get a great view of a bright comet.

Last year, amateur and professional astronomers discovered about 50 new comets, and recovered 17 returning visitors. Not a single one was bright enough to be seen by the naked eye or by amateur equipment, except for interstellar comet 2I/Borisov which was visible only if you had dark skies and a telescope with a primary lens or mirror 16 inches across.

So, we are currently in a cometary drought.

The good thing is, all droughts do eventually come to an end. So who knows, the Fall may see the yet to be discovered Great Comet of 2020.

Perhaps we won’t be needing biohazard suits by then!

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Articles and suggestions for the Newsletter are welcome and needed. Share your knowledge and experience with us. If you like DX, tell us about it. Digital communications, whether FT4, FT8, Fusion, p25, D-Star DMR or CW, and yes dash dot CW is a digital mode, tell us about it. How does it work. What works best locally?

While I may tweak the article to flow smoothly in the newsletter, any topic that is weather or ham radio related is welcome!

This month’s meeting will be on May 12. The meeting will be done remotely as was last month’s meeting.

Details and instructions will be issued as the time nears.

Hope to “see” you there!

Mark / WD4NYL
Editor
ALERT Newsletter

Wd4nyl@bellsouth.net

Mark’s Weatherlynx
Weather Resource Database

www.freewebs.com/weatherlynx/