Boy Scouts of the Philippines Center

181 Natividad Almeda-Lopez Sts, Ermita, Manila 1000, Philippines

(opposite SM Manila)

 

QSL Bureau Address:

PO BOX 4083
1000 MANILA
PHILIPPINES

tel: 974 1986

fax: 481 7632

dx1par@yahoo.com

 

Go to the District News Page for the latest info in your District, including VHF nets.

Check out our For Sale/Wanted ads page. If you want to place a personal ad (for free!) please email to webmaster.

Reasonable rates apply for long term commercial ads.

March 23rd - there is a new article by Gil Lappay 4F2KWT in Members Writes

A collection of NTC Memorandums relevant to amateur radio is now available by clicking HERE

 

                                                      Google Search  PARA website
                                                     

Salvador Arevalo, ex DW1VGA fined!


The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) sitting en banc has found Salvador Arevalo, ex-DW1VGA, guilty of transmitting without a license in violation of NTC Memorandum Circular No. 9-4-94A which prescribes rules on renewal of licenses, and Ministry Circular No. 87-174 which prohibits the transmission of profane or indecent words or language.

The findings contained in a Decision promulgated only in July concludes that “(C)onsidering that respondent’s (Mr. Arevalo) Philippine amateur license has already expired, he is prohibited from using the frequency allocated to Philippine amateur amateurs. Also, he is not allowed to use his foreign amateur call sign here in the Philippines for failure to show proof of his qualifications to avail of the benefit of the reciprocity rule as provided by law.”

As for the allegations that Mr. Arevalo’s QRZ.com’s account was hacked by PARA, the same Decision deems the “operation of PARA’s affairs and the alleged hacking of the respondents account (in QRZ.com) are matters concerning their internal functions, (hence) the Commission deems it appropriate not to discuss the same being outside the realms of its jurisdiction.” The Decision imposed a PhP5,000 fine against Mr. Arevalo payable within 15 days from date of Decision.

PARA President Ramon J. Anquilan, DU1UGZ, welcomed the Decision saying that NTC showed a firm resolve in deciding the case as it were, and that the Decision will become a deterrent against bootleggers and other unlicensed people on 2 meters.
 

2010 PARA Hamvention & 17th International Grand Eyeball

Hosted by FLARE

Co-Hosted by COMPASS

The PARA Summer Convention and 17th International Grand Eyeball held over the weekend of June 4-6, 2010 was a huge success. It was well attended with donated transceivers and PARA watches as raffle prizes. Some 275 delegates, coming all the way from Mindanao to Northern Luzon, packed the convention hall, not counting the Pinoy hams from North America. On behalf of the Board and the members of PARA, may I extend my congratulations to the Convention Chairman Ed Ilagan, DU1DPE, together with his hardworking crew from FLARE and COMPASS as well as their counterparts from the IGEB. I would like to express also my gratitude to all participants, delegates, supporters, advertisers and other people who ensured the success of the event. In particular, my special thanks to foreign hams and Pinoy hams from North America, some of whom donated some of the prizes, placed ads in the souvenir program and shared their precious time by coming over to be one with the local hams to support the event. Please continue to participate and support the amateur radio service in the Philippines. Sana huwag kayong magsawa sa inyong pagtangkilik, pakikiisa at pagpapalaganap sa ating hilig. Sa mga aking nakaligtaang bigyan ng pasasalamat, alam ninyo kung sino kayo at ang inyong naging mahalagang bahagi, ang aking taos-pusong pasasalamat din po. Pinakahuli, kung anuman ang naging pagkukulang namin, hinihingi po namin ang paumanhin at inyong pag-unawa. See you in Bohol in 2011.

Ramon J. Anquilan, DU1UGZ, President

David R. Fraser, DU5/NU4W, SK

A tragedy has struck the amateur community here in the Philippines. Mr. David R. Fraser, DU5/NU4W, who lived in Tacloban City, met with an accident while on his bike around 1100Z on Monday 3rd of May, 2010. The news was relayed by Nathan Eamiguel, DU5AOK, moments after the accident. There is no information yet as to where his body will be interred.

After retirement, David chose to live his life in Tacloban City, his wife's home town. He was active in Elmering hams from ACCESS 5 and assisted the club during the 2010 GSP INFEX & DX Contest.

Efforts are being made to inform proper authorities and David's surviving relatives about his untimely demise. Our condolences to David's family, may his soul rest in peace.

QRZ.com

Do you have an entry on QRZ.com? Please help spread the word by mentioning the PARA website in your entry.

President's Monthly Digest

from the desk of your President...

Monthly Digest (February 2010)

As of February 27, 2010, the total number of paid members in District 1 is 183. May I remind all those from all districts who have not paid their annual dues to do so soonest. As you will realize soon, your status as a paid member is critical in making your voice heard in PARA. CLICK HERE FOR MORE....

Cycle 24 Update 1/6/10

courtesy of KH6/K6MIO, from Moon Net group

This plot shows the northern and  southern R indices through December 2009. The northern hemisphere  shows a clear jump in activity that continued to increase through  October, November, and December (and appears to be continuing into  January); and it is tracking quite close to the Cycle 23 northern-hemisphere trajectory.

Even more encouraging is that in November and December, there is a  similar jump in the southern hemisphere R, which appears to be  approaching the Cycle 23 track.

The current, very preliminary, indications continue to suggest that solar maximum may occur around the Northern Hemisphere winter of  2012-13, if normal rules apply (they may not).

DX Marathon

The CQ DX Marathon is a year-long activity, beginning at 0001 UTC January 1 and ending at 2359 UTC December 31. Each year’s event is separate. Any authorized amateur frequency may be used. Contacts through repeaters or satellites are not allowed for credit, nor are contacts with maritime or aeronautical mobile stations. All contacts must be made entirely over amateur radio frequencies—i.e., Echolink-type contacts do not count. Any authorized amateur mode may be used. Three modes will be recognized in the DX Marathon—CW, SSB, and Digital. All modes other than CW and SSB will count as Digital. Submissions with all contacts utilizing a single mode will be recognized.

Now that Cycle 24 appears to be on an upswing according to the article above, you have no excuse not to participate in this activity.

For more details please click on the link below...

http://www.dxmarathon.com/Contestrules2010/DX Marathon Rules Dec09.pdf

New PARA Forum

A new Forum and Bulletin Board has been created now that we have a larger server space. This Forum is open to all comers but requires one time registration. Many of the old forum posts will gradually be migrated over to this new forum and bulletin board.

Please click PARA Forum to register and visit our new Bulletin Board.

The old Forum for PARA members only will be retained until the topics have been migrated to the new board.

If you don't know what "Forum" means please look it up in a dictionary. It is not a website, it is a place for your voice to be heard, whether questions about any topic relating to ham radio or PARA, or advice for newbies, or just something you want to post in the various topics to be found in the PARA Forum to start a conversation or thread about something that interests you.

Broadband over Power Line, BPL

Is this something we should be concerned about? Well, BPL is now becoming established in the Philippines and will shortly be trialed in Malabon. BPL uses HF frequencies and has been shown to cause severe interference to VHF & HF receivers/transceivers such as used on amateur radio frequencies as well as government and civil agencies.

For more information please click HERE.

PARA Board Resolution

WHEREAS, there is a need to adopt an icon that would officially represent the sponsorship of the PARA Annual National Convention;

WHEREAS, this icon shall be passed from one District sponsor to the next District host during the culmination of every PARA Annual National Convention conducted;

WHEREAS, the most appropriate icon that could be adopted for this purpose is a microphone as it is the most common object used by all ham radio operators;

WHEREAS, the first turn over activity shall be conducted during the 2010 PARA Annual National Convention at Tagaytay City wherein the symbolic microphone shall be handed over by the PARA President and the District V Director, the host District in the year 2009;

WHEREFORE, be it resolved as it is hereby resolved to adopt a symbolic icon, a microphone, to be handed over from one District host to another at the end of every PARA Annual National Convention;

RESOLVED further that the 2009 District V Director be given the task and the privilege to provide the said icon together with its proposed inscription within ten (10) days from approval hereof, to be presented to the PARA Board for approval and adoption;

RESOLVED finally that the first symbolic turnover shall be made during the 2010 PARA Annual National Convention in Tagaytay City to be handed over by the PARA President and the 2009 District V Director.

Manila, 18 June 2009

Mystery of the Missing Sunspots, Solved?

June 17, 2009: The sun is in the pits of a century-class solar minimum, and sunspots have been puzzlingly scarce for more than two years. Now, for the first time, solar physicists might understand why. At an American Astronomical Society press conference today in Boulder, Colorado, researchers announced that a jet stream deep inside the sun is migrating slower than usual through the star's interior, giving rise to the current lack of sunspots.

For more info and graphics please click HERE

PARA now has a Facebook page. To join the group please click on the Facebook logo above. If you are not yet a member of Facebook you will be given the option to create an account. See you there!

NOAA Predicts Solar Cycle 24

A new active period of Earth-threatening solar storms will be the weakest since 1928 and its peak is still four years away, after a slow start last December, predicts an international panel of experts led by NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. The panel predicts the upcoming Solar Cycle 24 will peak in May 2013 with a daily sunspot number of 90. If the prediction proves true, Solar Cycle 24 will be the weakest cycle since number 16, which peaked at 78 daily sunspots in 1928, and ninth weakest since the 1750s, when numbered cycles began.
The panel also predicted that the lowest sunspot number between cycles—or solar minimum—occurred in December 2008, marking the end of Cycle 23 and the start of Cycle 24. If the December prediction holds up, at 12 years and seven months Solar Cycle 23 will be the longest since 1823 and the third longest since 1755. Solar cycles span 11 years on average, from minimum to minimum.
An unusually long, deep lull in sunspots led the panel to revise its 2007 prediction that the next cycle of solar storms would start in March 2008 and peak in late 2011 or mid-2012. The persistence of a quiet sun since the last prediction has led the panel to a consensus that the next cycle will be "moderately weak."

http://www.spaceweather.com/

An updated sunspot forecast graph can be seen on http://www.para.org.ph/propagation.htm

also check out http://solarcycle24.com/

Current Solar information is shown on the Propagation Page

As Solar Cycle 24 has now started it pays to keep your eye on various web pages that show solar information. We have collected some of this information and it is displayed on our Propagation Page. You can also see from the Cycle graph on http://www.para.org.ph/Dynamic Prop.htm that the forecast sunspot numbers and the actual numbers up to December 2008 are quite different which explains the poor propagation of late.

Regular Seminar Schedule

See the Local News page for more details

Seminars for aspiring amateurs are conducted regularly. Those who are interested in attending please check firstly on the PARA news page for news of upcoming seminars. Please contact the PARA office for more details and confirmation.

tel: 974 1986

email: dx1par@yahoo.com

Local clubs are encouraged to conduct their own seminars to help their members to upgrade as well as introducing new members to the hobby. Assistance will be given to clubs so please contact Dolores at PARA HQ for more details.

PARA Website

The para.org.ph domain name and web hosting service is being funded by PARA President Ramon DU1UGZ, as well as some donations from others (see donors page). We are now looking for more contributions from members to continue running the PARA web site. Any amount will be gratefully accepted and the more the better of course so that we can keep the web site going for many years. Please contact the PARA secretariat if you feel you can contribute. Maraming salamat po....

DU HAMS IN DXCC HONOR

The latest ARRL Honor Listing (17th January 2010) includes several prominent DU Hams. Highest among DU hams is Robin Go, DU9RG with 345 confirmed entities in the Mixed category and 345 on Phone. DU1KT is listed with 341 confirmed entities worked on Phone.

As of 17th January 2010 , there are a total of 338 current DXCC. 329 confirmations are required for entry to the DXCC Honor Roll.

Included in the Honor Roll is a ham sporting a portable DU call. Clarence Green, WB5LBJ/DU, is an Extra Class operator based in DU6. He is listed with 341 confirmed entities in the DXCC Honor Roll Mixed Category and 340 on Phone.

DXCC stands for the DX Century Club Award given by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). DXCC entities are not political territories but are defined in the DXCC rules. So there can be more than one entity in a country.  In the Philippines, the Spratly Group is a separate DXCC entity designated as 1S. The latest DXpedition to Spratly was conducted by DXØJP.  Another entity in the Philippines is the disputed Scarborough Reef designated as BS7.  There was a DXpedition to the reef recently with the special call DXØS granted by NTC to the Philippine Amateur Radio Association (PARA), Inc.

To find out more and to subscribe to the K9YA Telegraph click here....

Inside the June 2010 Issue...

Ft. Tuthill 80 By Philip Cala-Lazar, K9PL

So You Think You Want to Be an Expeditionary Radio Op By John Kirk, VK4TJ

Ham Quips By Dick Sylvan, W9CBT

What's Wrong With This Picture By Chuck Guenther, NIØC

S. L. Seaton's Radio Autobiography

Latest Ham Radio News from around the World

 

  
 

Government Links

 

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"I am often asked how radio works. Well, you see, wire telegraphy is

H4A/LARA     webmistress

like a very long cat. You yank his tail in New York and he meows in

  (now at 12wpm Morse speed!)

Los Angeles. Do you understand this? Now, radio is exactly the same,

click on the photo for more

except that there is no cat."
Attributed to Albert Einstein

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Information contained in this web site is copyright of Philippine Amateur Radio Association, unless otherwise stated. You must seek permission from PARA before using any information contained herein and any such use must be accompanied by a reference and link to the PARA website. PARA is not responsible for the content of external sites.


© Philippine Amateur Radio Association, Inc. 2009

 
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