Arkansas Statewide ARES DMR Net to Hear about Hardware Updates: Guus van
Dooren, PE1PLM, the founder of DVMEGA, and Ruud Kerstens, PE1MSZ, founder of
Combitronics will be the guests of the Arkansas Statewide ARES DMR Net on
September 14 at 0100 UTC on the BrandMeister Network Talk Group 3105. The
session will be available outside of Arkansas. Van Dooren and Kerstens will
offer an update on new developments in their DMR hardware and take questions
from participants. Those without DMR radios may listen via the BrandMeister
Network hose line streaming platform. Participants also may connect with the
net on Facebook, where the net will take check-ins and questions for those who
aren't yet on DMR. More details are on the Talk Group 3105 website. -- Thanks
to Denny Johnson, KD5DLJ, and Arkansas ARRL SM Jay Ferguson, N5LKE

____________________________________________________________________________


The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Wow! What a week for solar activity. Although
 the solar cycle is trending toward a solar minimum in around 2020, we will
still see notable upticks in activity, such as this week's surprises.

On August 31, Spaceweather.com reported a G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm. The
planetary A index was 59. The following day Spaceweather.com reported
geomagnetic unrest with a planetary A index of 19.
This index rose to 26 on September 2, when Spaceweather.com reported sunspot
group AR2674 "rapidly growing, increasing in both area and sunspot count."
Spaceweather.com said that as the sunspot grows, its magnetic field is becoming
 unstable, posing a threat for M-class solar flares.

The planetary A index was 9 on September 3, when Spaceweather.com reported two
huge sunspot groups facing Earth -- AR2674 and AR2673, the latter quadrupling
in size with multiple dark cores breaching the Sun's surface in the past 24
hours.

On September 4, the planetary A index was 18, and Spaceweather.com said AR2673
was "seething with activity."

NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center said a moderate (R2) radio blackout was
observed on September 4 and a strong (R3) radio blackout occurred on September
6 in the wake of a strong X9.3-class solar flare. The September 6 flare
followed an X2.2 flare, also R3.

Predicted solar flux is 135 on September 7-9; 130, 120, 110, and 100 on
September 10-13; 85 on September 14-17; 88 on September 18; 92 on September
19-21; then 95, 98, 100, and 105 on September 22-25; 110 on September
26-October 2; 105 on October 3-5; 100, 95, 90, 85, and 80 on October 6-10; 85
on October 11-14; 88 on October 15; 92 on October 16-18, and 95, 98, and 100 on
 October 19-21.

Predicted planetary A index is 45, 65, 50, 30, 15, 8 and 28 on September 7-13;
30 on October 14-15; 25 and 12 on October 16-17; 5 on October 18-19;, 8 on
October 20, and 5 on October 21.

Sunspot numbers for August 31-September 6 were 59, 62, 71, 96, 122, 122, and
79, with a mean of 87.3. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 91.9, 93.4, 100, 120.2,
140, 120.5, and 132.9, with a mean of 114.1. Estimated planetary A indices were
 31, 19, 26, 9, 18, 12, and 11, with a mean of 18. Estimated mid-latitude A
indices were 20, 17, 25, 10, 16, 11, and 18, with a mean of 16.7.

Send me your reports or observations.

____________________________________________________________________________


Just Ahead in Radiosport

 *  September 9 -- FOC QSO Party (CW)
 *  September 9 -- Ohio State Parks on the Air (Phone)
 *  September 9 -- Kulikovo Polye Contest (CW)
 *  September 9-10 -- Russian Cup Digital Contest
 *  September 9-11 -- ARRL September VHF Contest (CW, phone, digital)
 *  September 9-10 -- ARRL EME Contest (CW, phone, digital)
 *  September 9-10 -- WAE DX Contest (SSB)
 *  September 9-10 -- SARL Field Day Contest (CW, phone, digital)
 *  September 9-10 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)
 *  September 10 -- North American Sprint (CW)
 *  September 10-13 -- Classic Exchange (CW)
 *  September 11 -- 4 States QRP Group 2nd Sunday Sprint (CW, phone)
 *  September 11 -- RSGB 80-Meter Autumn Series (SSB)

See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth reporting on
Amateur Radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest Update via your ARRL
member profile e-mail preferences.

____________________________________________________________________________


Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions

 *  September 8-10 -- New England Division Convention, Boxboro,
    Massachusetts
 *  September 8-10 - NW APRS Summer Gathering, North Bend, Washington
 *  September 9 -- Virginia Section Convention, Virginia Beach, Virginia
 *  September 10 -- New Jersey State Convention, Mullica Hill, New Jersey
 *  September 15-16 -- W9DXCC Convention, Schaumburg, Illinois
 *  September 15-17 -- Southwestern Division Convention, Torrance,
    California
 *  September 15-17 -- ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference, St.
    Louis, Missouri
 *  September 22-23 -- W4DXCC/SEDCO Convention, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
 *  September 23 -- Iowa State Convention, Sergeant Bluff, Iowa
 *  September 23 -- Washington State Convention, Spokane Valley, Washington
 *  September 29-30 - Wisconsin State Convention, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
 *  September 30 -- North Dakota State Convention, West Fargo, North Dakota
 *  October 6-8 -- Mid-Atlantic States VHF Conference, Bensalem,
    Pennsylvania
 *  October 7 -- South Carolina Section Convention, Rock Hill, South
    Carolina
 *  October 7-8 -- Great Lakes Division Convention, Brooklyn, Michigan
 *  October 13-14 -- Florida State Convention, Melbourne, Florida
 *  October 14 -- Pacific Northwest VHF Society Conference, Moses Lake,
    Washington
 *  October 20-22 -- Pacific Division Convention, San Ramon, California
 *  October 21 -- Wisconsin ARES/RACES Conference, Wisconsin Rapids,
    Wisconsin
 *  October 22 -- Connecticut State Convention, Meriden, Connecticut
 *  October 28 -- Arizona State Convention, Maricopa, Arizona

Find conventions and hamfests in your area.

____________________________________________________________________________


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)\/(ark

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wrong...
... Stock news: Green Giant sales mushroom.
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 * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)