RAC Bulletin 2009-05-23

Subject: RAC Ontario Section Bulletin for May 23, 2009
Date: Saturday, May 23, 2009 7:56 AM

NATIONAL NEWS

ONTARIO SECTION NEWS

1. Tillsonburg ARES

A new Emergency Coordinator is being added to the lineup of ARES
Officials in southern Ontario. Gord Collins,VE3CPP becomes the EC for
Tillsonburg and portions of Oxford, Norfolk and Elgin Counties
effective May 15, 2009. The Tillsonburg Amateur Radio Club supports
Gord in this new role as EC to launch a new ARES program.

The Ontario ARES welcomes Gord to this very latest appointed position
to plan and develop activity and to join ranks with other Emergency
Team members in the progressive Tecumseh District.

-- Bob Gammon, VA3RX, Ontario ARES SEC

ITEMS OF INTEREST

2. Central Ontario Hamfest

The Guelph and Kitchener-Waterloo Amateur Radio Clubs will hold the
35th annual Central Ontario Hamfest on Saturday, June 6, at the
Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex, 550 Belsyde Ave. East, in
Fergus. Open to the public at 9 a.m.; talk-in on VE3KSR 146.970 (-)
with 131.8 Hz tone, or VE3ZMG 145.210 (-). For more information visit
www.hamfest.on.ca

-- RAC Events Database

3. National Hurricane Center Station Test

The annual WX4NHC On-the-Air Station Test from the National
Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami takes place Saturday, May 30,
1300-2100 UTC. This is not a contest or a simulated hurricane
exercise -- it is merely to test new software and equipment.

WX4NHC will be on the air on HF, VHF and UHF, plus 2 and 30 meter
APRS. Suggested SSB frequencies are 3.950, 7.268, 14.325, 21.325 and
28.525 MHz, +/-QRM; they will mostly be on 14.325 MHz and will make
announcements when they change frequencies. Stations working WX4NHC
exchange call sign, signal report, location and name plus a brief
weather report, such as "sunny," "rain" or "cloudy." Send QSL
requests to WD4R, NOT WX4NHC, with a self-addressed, stamped
envelope.

-- ARRL Bulletin Service

4. VE3MIS Special Event

The Mississauga Amateur Radio Club (MARC) will operate special event
station VE3MIS at the Streetsville Bread and Honey Festival, on June
6 and 7, from 1400 to 2000 UTC each day. SSB frequencies are 7.230,
14.240, 21.315 and 28.480 MHz +/- QRM. For QSL cards send a SASE to
MARC, c/o Michael Brickell, VE3TKI. For more information visit
www.marc.on.ca

-- RAC Events Database

5. Three CubeSats Launched

At 19:55 EDT on Tuesday May 19 three CubeSats carrying Amateur Radio
payloads were successfully launched from the NASA Wallops Flight
Facility in Virginia.

PHARMASAT-1 - Santa Clara University on 437.465 MHz AX.25 1200 bps.
Beacon reports are welcome; see web site www.pharmasat.org.

HAWKSAT-I - Hawk Institute for Space Sciences on 437.345 MHz

POLYSAT CP6 - California Polytechnic State University on 437.365 MHz
1200bps AX.25. See web site cubesat.calpoly.edu

-- Southgate ARC News and AMSAT News Service

6. Solar Cycle 24 to Peak in 2013

At the annual Space Weather Workshop held in Boulder, Colorado last
month, an international panel of experts led by NOAA's Space Weather
Prediction Center predicted that Solar Cycle 24 will peak in May 2013
with 90 sunspots per day on average. If the prediction proves true,
Solar Cycle 24 will be the weakest cycle since Solar Cycle 16 which
peaked with 78 daily sunspots in 1928, and ninth weakest since the
1750s, when numbered cycles began.

-- ARRL Web