ALERT NEWSLETTER – January 2023

Hi everyone & Happy New Year!

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

I usually don’t make New Years Resolutions as they are a recipe for failure. Sometimes I wlll make “anti-resolutions”, resolving to do things I wouldn’t do in a million years, and failing to achieve these anti-resolutions, I remain on the “straight and narrow” path.

I prefer “goals”.

Some of my goals for 2023 in no particular order are:

1. Make a dent in the mountain of books which are causing my house to tilt to the east.
2. Go camping
3. Get on the air more often.
4. Take time for ME, as I am the worst to burn the candle at both ends and the middle too.
5, Finally figure out the mystery which is LOTW – Logbook Of The World. Which has me stymied thus far.

I know there are many videos covering LOTW on YouTube, but, then we come back to Resolution #4 and finding that elusive beast called time.

One thing I have learned is that whatever you do don’t suggest that the LOTW logging program is anything but the greatest invention since air on antisocial media, or as James Spann calls it “Facebag”, or you will surely catch grief.

Some folks take this hobby way too seriously. It is a hobby. A hobby. One of many.

There is a term that has come into vogue called “sad hams” – hams that find fault with anything or everything under the sun. This term is totally inaccurate. They aren’t sad at all, they are happy. Very happy making everybody else miserable.

So what do you do? You act like a duck, and let it run off your feathers, realizing that social media paints an inaccurate version humanity. Most people are not turnip heads.

And, most importantly of all, don’t become like them.

What are your goals for the New Year?

Whatever your goals, I hope 2023 is kind, peaceful and prosperous for you!

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Ham Radio Contests

Ham radio contests can be a divisive issue.

On the one hand there are those who, like me have limited time they can get on the air as life and its responsibilities have a habit of eating away at my “play time”, get on the air and find every frequency occupied by “CQ Contest, CQ Contest”. Which can be totally annoying if you are just wanting to “chew the rag”.

Contesters counter with the true statement that 60, 30, 17 & 12 meters are intentionally contest free. And, those are very good bands.

Though I am “not a contender” and never submit a log, I actually enjoy contests & see the usefulness of them.

For one thing, they amuse me. They confirm what I have seen in 45 years of hamming. Many times, you can tune above and below a ham band and hear those frequencies literally crawling with “utility” and Shortwave broadcasters, but, the ham band in between is “dead”. A black hole in the RF spectrum.

Contest time comes, a switch is flipped and that black hole that was sucking all RF from, say 14.000 – 14.350 MHz disappears and an anthill of operators is stirred up. The contest’s time ends and suddenly crickets rule the world of 20 meters again.

The band was open the entire time, everyone just assumes it is dead and stay off the air.

Another reason I like contests is the fact that the multitudes of humanity piling in one on top of another help dispel the persistent myth that “ham radio is dying because {insert your favorite whine}”. It’s been dying since I first heard of the realm since 1973, for various versions of the same reason you hear today, but the persnickety beast just refuses to die.

With contests you get to hear states and especially rare DX stations that you otherwise might not ever hear or hear so rarely that it is a miracle, and 1000 stations are clawing through a pileup the size of Mt. Everest trying to reach them.

With contests DX stations that might ordinarily pass you by because your signal is putrid & puny, like mine, WANT to work you and so you can rack up contacts for the DXCC and other various awards.

I like contests because even if you have to repeat your callsign nine times before they get it right your signal report is always “59”, which for our non-ham readers means “a perfect readability strong signal”. Even if I know the report is a total illusion, it stokes my ego, making me and my station feel like a Big Dawg, even if it is a chihuahua.

Contests help give you an idea of the effectiveness and quirks of your station. For instance, I know that 15 meters is my best bet to reach Europe, 10 meters for western stations and South America, 20 meters is for the Midwest and so on. It gives me an idea of the actual antenna pattern I am encountering, as opposed to the theoretical pattern I would have if I had a “by the book” antenna setup, which due to my treeless yard and city restrictions, I do not have.

Because over the years all the trees in my yard have come down, either due to storms, safety reasons or woodpeckers, I am treeless. To compensate, I have a G5RV antenna that is shaped like the letter L with the feedline connected to the longer leg of the letter and a 170 foot random wire antenna strung along a privacy fence shaped like a large question mark.

 

As to city restrictions, I live in Homewood.

How many ham or CB towers do you see in Homewood? None. Why is that?

Per the City of Homewood Ordinances:

“Sec. 18.5-5. – Towers.

(a)Minimum area. The area for the antenna support structure shall be of a minimum area that can contain the tower in the event of a storm or structural failure. The tower shall not endanger the public or adjacent property owners. The minimum area of an antenna support structure site shall be defined as follows: From the outer perimeter of the base of the tower a distance equal to one hundred fifty (150) percent of the height of the tower shall be extended in all directions. The site area must be contained within the property boundaries of the site owner.”

I don’t know of any yard in Homewood that can contain even a 50 foot tower, because they can’t fit basically a 150 foot (75 feet either side of the tower) dead zone into their lots. In my case I could probably put a 15 foot tower up and wear a hard hat for when I bump and impale myself on the droopy radials.

So, I have a chihuahua station.

I envy the 1000 watt mastiffs I hear. Maybe someday I’ll be able to let my inner dog out.

Contests give life to lesser used bands such as 160 & 6 meters and the VHF & UHF bands, which usually are thought of in terms of repeaters not distant contacts.

So, if you find a contest in progress, you might check online for the rules or exchange requirements, or just listen a while and you generally will get the gist of what is going on and just hop in.

The following lists are my Target List of contests that particularly interest me, usually due to DX opportunities, as in “non-Continental US stations” and state contests for those needing a particular state.

In case you didn’t know, there is currently a debate that the term “DX” should not include Canada, since supposedly Canadians don’t consider the United States as DX. That’s news to me and the ARRL DXCC list.

It doesn’t really matter to me, as I don’t chase awards and am not really sure how many “DX” stations I have actually worked. Someday I will dig out 45 years’ worth of logbooks and find out. They are paper logs and should be ok. If I had computerized them way back when, the oxide from the floppy disks would have corroded into powder long ago, even if I found a computer still compatible with the operating system used in those days. This is why I recommend that if you use a logging program, use a paper log too also as a backup. Operating systems change, storage systems become obsolete and eventually they are no longer supported. Paper and pen last decades and doubles as a journal of your ham radio journey. Something you will value in years to come.

My definition of “DX”, by the way, according to Mark’s Rule #3 is “if I can’t see the other stations antenna, it’s ‘DX’”, therefore Arizona is DX to me. And, since Mark’s Rule #2 is “ My Station My Rules”, there ya go.

What is Mark’s Rule #1? “Don’t act like a jabroni”.
The following list is by no means a complete list. For an in-depth list of the various contests and the homepages of the contests I will be listing, go to the WA7BNM Contest Calendar WA7BNM Contest Calendar: Home

Also, the dates given should be confirmed at the above address and Contest Calendar (arrl.org) as some were marked “tentative” while researching this article.

Mark’s Contest Calendar

January 1 Straight Key Night
January 7 ARRL Kids Day
January 14 North American QSO Party – CW
ARRL VHF Contest
January 25 Australia Day
January 27 CQ 160 Meter Contest – CW
ARRL Winter Field Day
February 4 10-10 International – Winter – USB
British Columbia QSO Party
North American Sprint – CW
February 11 Asia-Pacific Sprint – CW
February 18 ARRL International DX – CW
February 24 CQ 160 Meter Contest – LSB
March 4 ARRL International DX
March 11 Idaho QSO Party
March 25 CQ Worldwide WPX Contest – SSB
April 9 New Mexico QSO Party
North Dakota QSO Party
April 16 ARRL Rookie Roundup – SSB
Quebec QSO Party
Ontario QSO Party
May 6 10-10 International – Spring – CW
7th Call Area QSO Party
New England QSO Party
May 14 Canadian Prairies QSO Party
CQ Worldwide WPX Contest – CW
June 10 Asia-Pacific Sprint – SSB
ARRL June VHF Contest
June 17 SMIRK Contest (6 Meters)
ALL Asia DX Contest – CW
June 24 ARRL Field Day
July 1 RAC Canada Day
July 8 International Amateur Radio Union HF Worldwide
July 15 CQ Worldwide VHF
August 5 10-10 International – Summer – USB
European HF Contest
ARRL 220 & Up Contest
North American QSO Party – CW
August 19 North American QSO Party – SSB
August 26 Hawaii Contest Party
W/VE Island QSO Party
September 2 All Asia DX Contest – SSB
Colorado QSO Party
September 9 ARRL September VHF Contest
North American Sprint – CW
Alabama QSO Party
September 16 Washington State Salmon Run
New Hampshire QSO Party
New Jersey QSO Party
September 18 144 MHz Fall Sprint
September 23 Maine QSO Party
October 1 California QSO Party
October 7 Oceania DX – Phone
Arizona QSO Party
South Dakota QSO Party
Nevada QSO Party
Arizona QSO Party
October 10 10-10 International 10-10 Sprint
October 14 Oceania DX – CW
Asia Pacific Sprint
October 21 10-10 International – CW
October 28 CQ Worldwide – SSB
November 4 ARRL Sweepstakes – CW
November 18 ARRL Sweepstakes – SSB
November 25 CQ Worldwide – CW
December 2 ARRL 160 Meter Contest
Skywarn Appreciation Day
December 9 ARRL 10 Meter Contest
December 16 ARRL Rookie Roundup – CW

2023 State & Province QSO Parties

Alabama Alabama QSO Party Sep 9 – 10
Alaska (None – just pray a lot) X
Alberta Canadian Prairies QSO Party May 13 – 14
Arizona 7th Call Area QSO Party May 6 – 7
Arizona QSO Party Oct 7 – 8
Arkansas Arkansas QSO Party May 20 – 21
British Columbia British Columbia QSO Party Feb 5 – 6
California California QSO Party Oct 7 – 8
Colorado Colorado QSO Party Sep 2 – 3
Connecticut New England QSO Party May 6 – 7
Delaware Delaware QSO Party May 6 – 7
Florida Florida QSO Party Apr 29 – 30
Georgia Georgia QSO Party Apr 8 – 9
Hawaii Hawaii QSO Party Aug 26 – 28
Idaho Idaho QSO Party Mar 11 – 12
7th Call Area QSO Party May 6 – 7
Illinoi Illinois QSO Party Oct 22 – 23
Indiana Indiana QSO Party May 6 – 7
Iowa Iowa QSO Party Sep 16 – 17
Kansas Kansas QSO Party Aug 26 – 27
Kentucky Kentucky QSO Party Jun 3 – 4
Louisiana Louisiana QSO Party Apr 1 – 2
Maine New England QSO Party May 6 – 7
Maine QSO Party Sep 23 – 24
Manitoba Canadian Prairies QSO Party May 13 – 14
Maryland Maryland-DC QSO Party Aug 12 – 13
Massachusetts New England QSO Party May 6 – 8
Michigan Michigan QSO Party Apr 15 – 16
Minnesota Minnesota QSO Party Feb 4
Mississippi Mississippi QSO Party Apr 1 – 2
Missouri Missouri QSO Party Apr 1 – 2
Montana 7th Call Area QSO Party May 6 – 7
Nebraska Nebraska QSO Party Apr 8 – 9
Nevada Nevada QSO Party Oct 14 – 15
7th Call Area QSO Party May 6 – 7
New Hampshire New England QSO Party May 6 – 7
New Hampshire QSO Party Sep 16 – 17
New Jersey New Jersey QSO Party Sep 16 – 17
New Mexico New Mexico QSO Party Apr 8 – 9
Nevada Nevada QSO Party Oct 14 – 15
New York New York QSO Party Oct 21 – 22
North Carolina North Carolina QSO Party Feb 26 – 27
North Dakota North Dakota QSO Party Apr 8 – 9
Nova Scotia NSARA Contest Mar 5
Ohio Ohio QSO Party Aug 26 – 27
Oklahoma Oklahoma QSO Party Mar 11 – 12
Ontario Ontario QSO Party Apr 15 – 16
Oregon 7th Call Area QSO Party May 6 – 7
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania QSO Party Oct13 – 14
Quebec Quebec QSO Party Apr 16
Rhode Island New England QSO Party May 6 – 7
Saskatchewan Canadian Prairies QSO Party May 13 – 14
South Carolina South Carolina QSO Party Feb 25 – 26
South Dakota South Dakota QSO Party Oct 14 – 15
Tennessee Tennessee QSO Party Sep 3 – 4
Texas Texas QSO Party Sep 16 – 17
Utah 7th Call Area QSO Party May 6 – 7
Vermont New England QSO Party May 6 – 7
Vermont QSO Party Feb 4 – 5
Virginia Virginia QSO Party Mar 18 – 19
Washington Washington State Salmon Run Sep 16 – 17
7th Call Area QSO Party May 6 – 7
West Virginia West Virginia QSO Party Jun 17 – 18
Wisconsin Wisconsin QSO Party Mar 12 – 13
Wyoming 7th Call Area QSO Party May 6 – 7

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Mark’s Almanac

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

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

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

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

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

Barometric pressure is highest in January.

Though the Atlantic Hurricane Season officially ended November 30, every now and then Mother Nature will give us a surprise as there have been 5 tropical storms and 3 Category 1 hurricanes from 1851 to 2022. This includes an unnamed hurricane in 1938 in the Eastern Atlantic & Hurricane Alex which in 2016 effected Bermuda and the Azores.

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

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

Sunrise and sunset times for Birmingham are:

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

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

At the beginning of the month Mercury, magnitude –0.7, in Sagittarius. The Archer, is hidden in the glow of the Sun.

Mercury will pass between the Earth and The Sun, of be in “Inferior Conjunction” on January 7.

By mid-month he will have emerged into the predawn morning sky and will reach his highest altitude in the sky on January 24, and his greatest angle above the eastern horizon or “Greatest Elongation West” on January 30, when he will be 25.0° above the eastern horizon.

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

Venus, magnitude –3.9, in Sagittarius, The Archer, is emerging from behind the Sun and will become visible around 5 PM CST, a low 8° above the south-western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness.

She then sinks toward the horizon, setting an hour later at 6 PM.

Venus will pass and exceedingly close 0.3°South of Saturn on January 22 and just 3.5°North of Moon on January 23.

Earth, magnitude -4.0, as viewed from the Sun, is in the Constellation Cancer, The Crab.

Earth will reach her closest distance to the Sun on January 4, when the planet will be 0.98329 Astronomical Units or 91,403,000 miles from the Sun.

Mars, magnitude -1.3 in Taurus, The Bull is visible as a morning object. He becomes visible at 5 PM 30° above the eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness.

He will reach his highest point in the sky around 9:30 PM CST, 81° above the southern horizon and will continue to be observable until around 4 AM, when he sinks below 7° above the north-western horizon.

Mars will pass a close 0.5° North of the Moon on January 3 and an even closer 0.5° North of Moon on January 30.

Mars will pass behind the Moon at 10:27 PM CST.

Mars is currently 250 times farther from us than the Moon. Physically, Mars is twice as large as the Moon in diameter.

Time Matters…

As on Earth, time on Mars is divided into days based on its rotation rate and years are based on its completed orbits. Sols, or Martian solar days, are only 39 minutes and 35 seconds longer than Earth days, and there are 668 sols (687 Earth days) in a Martian year.

For convenience, Sols are divided into a 24-hour clock. Each landed Mars mission keeps track of “Local Solar Time,” or LST, at its landing site, because Local Solar Time relates directly to the position of the Sun in the sky and thus the angle from which camera views are illuminated. The time of day, Local Solar Time, depends upon the lander’s longitude on Mars.

Unlike Earth, there is no large leisurely-orbiting moon to give Mars “months,” and while there have been many imaginative calendars suggested for Mars, none is in common use.

The way that scientists mark the time of Mars year is to use solar longitude, abbreviated “Ls”.
Ls is 0° at the vernal equinox, the beginning of northern spring, 90° at summer solstice, 180° at autumnal equinox, and 270° at winter solstice.

So what is the date on Mars?

1/1/2023 on Earth is 1/5/0037 on Mars.

Scientists chose Year 1 to correspond with the year of a global dust storm widely observed in 1956. A more recent paper defined the existence of a Mars Year 0, starting on May 24, 1953, and defined previous years as having negative numbers.

An online calculator for converting Terran time to Martian time is available at Convert Earth Date to Martian Solar Longitude Ls (jussieu.fr)

Dwarf Planet Ceres, magnitude 8,2, is in Virgo, The Virgin.

Jupiter, magnitude –2.4, in Pisces, The Fish, is an early evening object, now receding into evening twilight. He becomes visible at 5 PM CST, 55° above the southern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. Being at his highest point in the sky at 5 PM, he will continue to be observable until around 10:30 PM, when he sinks below 7° above the western horizon.

Jupiter will be at his closest distance from the Sun, or Perihelion, on January 20, when he will be 4.95101 Astronomical Units, or 460,225,131 miles from the Sun.

Jupiter will pass within 1.8° North of the Moon on January 25.

Saturn, magnitudes at +0.9, in Capricorn, The Sea Goat, will soon pass behind the Sun at solar conjunction. He becomes visible around 5:30 CST, 28° above the south-western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting around 8:00 PM.

Saturn will pass 3.8° North of the Moon on January 23.

Uranus, magnitude 5.7, in Aries, The Ram, is an early evening object. He becomes visible around 6 PM CST, 56° above the south-eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will reach he highest point in the sky at 8PM CST, 72° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 1 AM, when he sinks below 21° above the western horizon.

Neptune, magnitude 7.8, at the Aquarius-Pisces border about 8° west of Jupiter, is an early evening object. He becomes accessible around 6 PM CST, 49° above the south-western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting by 11 PM.

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

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

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

Dwarf Planet 136199 Eris and her moon Dysnomia is barely visible in the most powerful telescopes at magnitude 18.7 in Cetus the Sea Monster.

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

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

50000 Quaoar,and his moon Waywot shines at magnitude +18.6 in Ophiuchus, The Serpent Bearer.

90377 Sedna, the coldest, and at one time, the most distant known place in the Solar System, glows faintly at magnitude +20.9 in Taurus, The Bull.

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

2014 UZ224 nicknamed “DeeDee” for “Distant Dwarf” is 8.5 billion miles from the Sun, at magnitude +23.1 in Eridanus, The River.

Currently the most distant observable known object in the Solar System, Asteroid 2018 AG37, nicknamed “FarFarOut”, which is 12.4 billion miles or 18.5 light hours from Earth, glows at a barely detectable +25.5 magnitude in Lynx.
.
5235 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of December 20, per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/

The Quadrantids Meteor Shower will occur Tuesday & Wednesday, 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. This year the nearly full moon will block out most of the fainter meteors. But if you are patient, you may 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 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.

Full Moon will occur Friday, January 6, at 5:09 PM CST or 23:09 PM UTC. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be fully illuminated.

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

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

The Moon will be at Apogee or its farthest distance from Earth on January 8, when she will be 252,562 miles from Earth.

Last Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Eastern side illuminated, will occur January 14, at 8;13 PM CST or 02:13 UTC, January 15.

During a Quarter Moon the Moon’s magnitude is -10.0.
New Moon occurs January 21 at 2:55 PM CST or 20:55 UTC when the Moon will on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

The Moon will be at Perigee or its closest approach to Earth on January 21, when she will be 221,562 miles from Earth.

First Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Western side illuminated, will occur December 28 at 9:20 AM or 15:20 UTC. During a Quarter Moon the Moon’s magnitude is -10.0.
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This month’s meeting will be on January 10 at 7PM at the National Weather Service Forecast Office at the Shelby County Airport.

I hope to see you there!

Mark Wells
Editor / ALERT Newsletter