Mount Vernon Amateur Radio Club

The K7RA Solar Update
We've had another week with no sunspots. Our reporting week for this bulletin runs from Thursday through Wednesday, and this is the fifth bulletin of the year reporting zero sunspots for the week. The rest of the 16 bulletins had at least one day with sunspots in the reporting period. Sunspot numbers for May 8-14 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 and 0 with a mean of 0. The 10.7 cm flux was 66.4, 67.3, 67.4, 68, 68, 68.3 and 69 with a mean of 67.8. Estimated planetary A indices were 4, 3, 5, 3, 4, 4 and 3 with a mean of 3.7. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 3, 3, 4, 3, 3, 3 and 1, with a mean of 2.9.

ARRL Introduces "Fifth Pillar" at Dayton Hamvention®
On Saturday, May 17 at the Dayton Hamvention, ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5NZ, plans to announce that the League will expand its identity program to include greater emphasis on technology. Harrison explained that "Ham radio operators, and particularly ARRL members, closely identify with current and emerging radio technology. Today, we are naming 'technology' as ARRL's new fifth pillar." ARRL's other four pillars, the underpinnings of the organization, are Public Service, Advocacy, Education and Membership. "For hams, expanding the four pillars to include technology will reinforce one of the organization's guiding principles -- that ham radio is state-of-the-art, innovative and relevant," he said.

CQ Announces 2008 Hall of Fame Inductees
CQ magazine today announced its 2008 Hall of Fame inductees, welcoming 14 new members into the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame, three new members of the CQ DX Hall of Fame and two new members of the CQ Contest Hall of Fame. The CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame honors those individuals, whether licensed hams or not, who have made significant contributions to Amateur Radio, and those amateurs who have made significant contributions either to Amateur Radio, to their professional careers or to some other aspect of life on our planet. The CQ Contest and DX Halls of Fame honor those amateurs who not only excel in personal performance in these major areas of Amateur Radio but who also "give back" to Amateur Radio in outstanding ways.

Surfin': Locating a Radio Destination
This week, visit a Web site that provides a tool for finding a location for your next hilltop radio operation.

The Amateur Radio Crossword Puzzler
DXPedition Ditties

Chinese Olympic Special Event Stations Getting Ready to Go On-the-Air
Special Event stations for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games will begin operating on Sunday, May 18 through September 17. Five special calls, representing the five rings of the Olympic flag, will be on the air: BT1OB, BT1OJ, BT1OH, BT1OY and BT1ON. The last letter of the call sign corresponds to the color of each of the rings of the Olympic flag -- Beibei (Blue), Jingjing (Black), Huanhuan (Red), Yingying (Yellow) and Nini (Green). Zheng Feng, BA4EG, will be the QSL manager for all stations. QSLs can be sent either direct or via the bureau and will begin to be answered in October. A Web site supporting the Special Event stations will include an on line log search, QSL card received and sent status, as well as other information; award criteria will soon be posted on the site. -- Thanks to The Daily DX for this information

ARRL to Blog from Dayton Hamvention
As in previous years, the ARRL will be blogging live from Hara Arena, site of the Dayton Hamvention®. In addition to keeping everyone up with the latest and greatest at Dayton, this year's blog will feature video clips. QST Editor -- and Hamvention blogger extraordinaire -- Steve Ford, WB8IMY, said, "The video clips were such a big hit with last year's blog that we decided to do even more of them for this year!" Ford says he plans on featuring new products that are debuting at the Hamvention, as well as all the "fun stuff" that pops up: "Both I and the staff have a lot of fun with this, and we hope those who read the blog do, too." Look for the blog to go "live" Thursday, May 15 and continue throughout the Hamvention.

Hams Called to Action in Aftermath of China Quake
On Monday, May 12 at 0628 UTC, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Sichuan, China. The Chinese Radio Sports Association, the Chinese IARU Member-Society, has designated the following frequencies for emergency services involved in the rescue: 14.270, 7.050 and 7.060 MHz. The ARRL encourages US amateurs to be aware of the emergency operations on those three frequencies.

W1HQ Snake Gets Name, Call Sign
With more than 400 votes tallied, the W1HQ snake finally has a name. Sean Kutzko, KX9X, president of The Laird Campbell Memorial HQ Operators Club, announced that the snake not only has a name, but a call sign, as well.

ARRL EXPO at Dayton Hamvention®, May 16-18
Find the latest details about the ARRL EXPO at the Dayton Hamvention, including an activities guide, news, blogs and other event information. If you are coming to Dayton, look for new features in the ARRL EXPO, including the Movie Room! All purchases of $10 or more in the ARRL bookstore will receive a complementary reusable eco-friendly bag; all new and renewing ARRL members will also receive this new bag. If you can't make it to Dayton this year, keep up with all the fun on our live Web blog. Get the latest Hamvention news right here on the ARRL Web site.