RACES Logger by KB3HIY

ORLANDO, Fla. – Applicants for FEMA disaster assistance should not consider the initial determination letter from the agency ruling them ineligible for disaster assistance as the final word. FEMA offers these tips to keep in mind if you receive such a letter:

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Posted on 22 October 2017 | 10:37 am

Virgin Island Hurricane Survivors Have More Time to Register with FEMA

ST. CROIX, Virgin Islands – Survivors of hurricanes Irma and Maria in the U.S. Virgin Islands have until December 18 to register for assistance with FEMA.

FEMA has granted the territorial government’s request to extend the deadlines and make the deadline the same for both disasters.

“We understand that the ongoing communications challenges and power outages have made it difficult for some Virgin Islanders to register with FEMA, and we want to ensure everyone has an opportunity,” said FEMA’s Federal Coordinating Officer William Vogel.

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Posted on 22 October 2017 | 10:13 am

Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Yuba County

SACRAMENTO - A Disaster Recovery Center (DRC), jointly operated by the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has opened in Yuba County, offering residents affected by the devastating October 2017 fires a one-stop shop for disaster assistance.

The center, located at the Yuba County Administrative Office, 915 Eighth St., Marysville, CA 95901, is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.

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Posted on 22 October 2017 | 8:45 am

Commonly Asked Questions about Applying for Federal Disaster Assistance

ORLANDO, Fla. – After a major disaster was declared Sept. 10, 2017 in Florida for Hurricane Irma, residents in 48 declared counties became eligible for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Misconceptions can sometimes stand in the way of getting all the assistance a person is eligible to receive. People who would qualify for help can miss out if they don’t know about or understand various assistance programs and eligibility requirements. Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about the registration process, FEMA grants and U.S.

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Posted on 21 October 2017 | 2:40 pm

Commonly Asked Questions about SBA Low-interest Disaster Loans

ORLANDO, Fla. After a major disaster was declared in Florida Sept. 10, 2017 for Hurricane Irma, residents in 48 declared counties became eligible for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Some owners and renters also became eligible to apply for low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Here are answers to commonly asked questions about SBA loans and their connection to FEMA disaster assistance.

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Posted on 21 October 2017 | 2:34 pm

Virgin Island Hurricane Survivors Have More Time to Register with FEMA

ST. CROIX, Virgin Islands – Survivors of hurricanes Irma and Maria in the U.S. Virgin Islands have until December 18 to register for assistance with FEMA.

FEMA has granted the territorial government’s request to extend the deadlines and make the deadline the same for both disasters.

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Posted on 21 October 2017 | 2:19 pm

Third Disaster Recovery Center Opens in St. Croix for Hurricane Survivors

ST. CROIX, Virgin Islands — A third Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) opened today in St. Croix to provide information and help for survivors of hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Like all DRCs in the Virgin Islands, the new center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily until further notice. It is located at:

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Posted on 21 October 2017 | 2:03 pm

Harris County Disaster Recovery Center to Operate Sundays

AUSTIN, Texas – Starting on Oct. 22, the Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) located at the Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church, 3015 N MacGregor Way, Houston TX 77486, will extend its operating hours to include Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Recovery specialists from FEMA, the State, the Small Business Administration and other agencies will be located at the center to answer disaster related questions and can help survivors apply for assistance.

When: Starting Oct. 22
Hours of Operation: Monday-Saturday 9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.; Sunday 12:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.

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Posted on 21 October 2017 | 12:33 pm

Fact Sheet: Tips for Driving Safely when there is No Electricity

A disaster or severe storm can cause power outages and increase risks when driving. Use the following tips to help keep you, and the other drivers safe on the road.

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Posted on 21 October 2017 | 11:49 am

FEMA to Host Houston Job Fair for Hurricane Recovery Efforts on Oct. 21

AUSTIN, Texas – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will host a job fair Oct. 21 to recruit Texans for positions assisting with Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts.

The job fair will be held at 3015 N. MacGregor Way in Houston from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. FEMA needs to fill more than 300 available positions, with pay ranging from $14 to $37 per hour.

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Posted on 21 October 2017 | 11:45 am

Schedule Changed at Some Locations for Virgin Islanders Applying for Temporary Jobs

ST. CROIX, Virgin Islands – U.S. Virgin Island workers interested in applying for temporary jobs to help with the territory’s recovery from hurricanes Irma and Maria should be aware of a change in schedule for assistance in filling out applications and resume drop-off location hours.

Residents interested in working for FEMA may email their resume to fema-workforce-caribbean@fema.dhs.gov or they may drop off resumes in-person at these locations:

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Posted on 21 October 2017 | 9:46 am

FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers to open in Humacao and Mayagüez

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Two FEMA/Government of Puerto Rico Disaster Recovery Center (DRCs) will open in Puerto Rico on Saturday, October 21. One is in Humacao and the other in Mayagüez.

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Posted on 20 October 2017 | 7:33 pm

Media Advisory: Press Conference to Update Response Efforts in Puerto Rico

   WHO:             PUERTO RICO GOVERNOR Ricardo Rosselló
                        Federal Coordinating Officer Michael Byrne
                      Department of Homeland Security Acting Deputy Secretary Claire Grady
                        Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón (R-Puerto Rico)
                        Representative Sean Duffy (R-WI-07)
                        Representative Dan Donovan (R-NY-11)

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Posted on 20 October 2017 | 6:50 pm

29 More Georgia Counties Approved for Additional Federal Infrastructure Disaster Aid

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — The state of Georgia, local governments and certain private nonprofits in 29 Georgia counties are now eligible to receive federal assistance to help cover expenses for permanent work, under the Public Assistance program, to help with costs to repair or replace infrastructure damaged as a result of Hurricane Irma, according to state and federal officials.

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Posted on 20 October 2017 | 4:50 pm

Disaster Recovery Center to Open in Glynn County

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — A Georgia Disaster Recovery Center will open Saturday, Oct. 21 at 8 a.m. to assist Hurricane Irma survivors in Glynn County. The center will be open for one week and will be staffed by representatives of the State of Georgia, FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

The center is located at:

St Simons Island Police Station Precinct

1965 Demere Road

St Simons Island, GA 31522

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Posted on 20 October 2017 | 4:31 pm

Puerto Rico, Federal Government, and Voluntary Agencies Unite to Address Health and Medical Needs

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The Government of Puerto Rico, the Federal Government, and voluntary organizations are combining efforts to ensure life sustaining relief and medical care is available to survivors of Hurricane Maria.

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Posted on 20 October 2017 | 3:58 pm

Irma Survivors Should Stay in Touch with FEMA

If you registered for disaster assistance following Hurricane Irma, stay in touch with FEMA.

Missing or outdated information, such as phone numbers or addresses, can delay help.

The easiest way to update your application, check your status or provide missing information is to create an account at DisasterAssistance.gov to:

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Posted on 20 October 2017 | 11:01 am

FEMA Looking to Hire Virgin Islanders to Help with Hurricane Recovery

ST. CROIX, Virgin Islands – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is looking to hire dozens of U.S. Virgin Islanders as temporary employees to help with the territory’s recovery from hurricanes Irma and Maria. Positions will be available on St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas.

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Posted on 20 October 2017 | 10:46 am

Fact Sheet: FEMA and Public Assistance Funding Process

• The Public Assistance Program provides grants assistance for debris removal, emergency protective measures and permanent restoration of infrastructure such as roads, bridges and public buildings after the Presidential disaster declaration of Aug. 18, 2017.

• Eligible applicants for PA include state, local and federally recognized tribal governments and any other political subdivision of the state that was affected by the disaster.

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Posted on 20 October 2017 | 10:29 am

Progress Underway in U.S. Virgin Islands Recovery after Back-to-Back Hurricanes

ST. CROIX, Virgin Islands – U.S. Virgin Islanders were making progress facing the devastation of Hurricane Irma when, just two weeks later, a second Category 5 storm pummeled the territory. In the weeks since Hurricane Maria finished the job that Irma started, a massive and united effort is underway to help island communities and survivors put their lives back together.

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Posted on 20 October 2017 | 8:53 am

Help Remains after Disaster Recovery Center Closes in Nueces County

AUSTIN, Texas – A State of Texas/Federal Disaster Recovery Center in the city of Robstown will close permanently at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21. However, help is just a mouse click, phone call or a tap on the FEMA app away.

The center is at the following location:

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Posted on 20 October 2017 | 8:22 am

Media Advisory: Press Conference to Update Response Efforts in Puerto Rico

***Please NOTE starting time is 7:45 a.m.***

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Posted on 19 October 2017 | 8:46 pm

FEMA Tarps and USACE Blue Roofs Aid in Protecting Homes From Further Damage

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are providing roof repair options for Puerto Rican homeowners to protect their homes from further damage caused by wind and rain.

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Posted on 19 October 2017 | 6:25 pm

Hurricane Maria Update

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – In the four weeks since Hurricane Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico, FEMA, and its federal and local partners, have been making progress in the nation’s most logistically complex response in FEMA history.

For Puerto Rico, Hurricane Maria was a catastrophic event causing damage beyond that of most storms.

Puerto Rico, a territory roughly the size of Connecticut, is more than 1,000 miles from the continental United States, creating logistical challenges bringing millions of pounds of cargo to the Island.

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Posted on 19 October 2017 | 4:52 pm

American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the national association for amateur radio, connecting hams around the U.S. with news, information and resources.

Bidding is Now Open for the 12th Annual ARRL On-Line Auction!

Posted on 20 October 2017 | 8:20 pm

QRZ DX and The DX Magazine Publisher Carl Smith, N4AA, SK

QRZ DX and The DX Magazine Publisher and Editor Carl Smith, N4AA, of Asheville, North Carolina, died on October 20. An ARRL member, he was 77 and had been a radio amateur and DXer for more than 6 decades. Smith and his late wife Miriam, KB4C, bought

the two publications’ parent DX Publishing in 1997

“Carl was a ham’s ham, as he dabbled in many aspects of our great hobby,” The Daily DX Editor Ber...

Posted on 20 October 2017 | 8:05 pm

The K7RA Solar Update

The past reporting week (October 12-18) saw very little solar activity, with a sunspot number of 12 on October 15, meaning the average daily sunspot number was only 1.7, down from the already low average of 8.4 over the previous seven days.

Over the same two periods, average daily solar flux declined from 76.8 to 70.5, while average daily planetary A index increased from 8.9 to 21.1 and average ...

Posted on 20 October 2017 | 10:43 am

RadFxSat (Fox-1B) FM Satellite Set to Launch in November

The next AMSAT Fox-1 satellite, RadFxSat (Fox-1B), is scheduled to launch on November 10 at 0947 UTC. RadFxSat (Fox-1B), which will carry a 435/145 MHz FM transponder, is one of four CubeSats making up the NASA ELaNa XIV mission, riding as secondary payloads aboard the Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1) mission. JPSS-1 will launch on a Delta II vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif...

Posted on 20 October 2017 | 9:06 am

ARISS International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, Wins G3AAJ Trophy

ARISS International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, has been honored with the Ron Broadbent, G3AAJ, Trophy. The presentation came during the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium this past weekend.

“AMSAT-UK totally shocked me yesterday at the colloquium with the Ron Broadbent Trophy,” Bauer reacted. “I was nearly speechless when asked to come up and receive the trophy for ARISS work. I mentioned t...

Posted on 19 October 2017 | 9:20 am

Reminder: This is JOTA Weekend

With nearly 600 stations in the US registered to take part in Scouting’s 60th Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) October 20-22, and many more planning to operate around the world, expect some additional activity on the bands. Listen for JOTA stations and help to introduce some Scouts to Amateur Radio. JOTA uses Amateur Radio to link Scouts and hams around the world, around the nation, and in communitie...

Posted on 19 October 2017 | 9:14 am

Chinese CAS-4A and CAS-4B Amateur Radio Satellite Transponders Activated

The Amateur Radio linear (SSB/CW) inverting transponders on the CAS-4A and CAS-4B satellites were activated on October 18. CAMSAT’s Amateur Radio payloads piggybacked on the optical remote-sensing micro-satellites OVS-1A (CAS-4A) and OVS-1B (CAS-4B), launched on June 15.

CAS-4A (call sign BJ1SK) has a CW telemetry beacon on 145.855 MHz, and 4.8 kB GMSK telemetry on 145.835 MHz. The uplink is 435...

Posted on 19 October 2017 | 9:11 am

The Doctor Will See You Now!

“Dirty Transmitters” is the topic of the current episode of the “ARRL The Doctor is In“ podcast. Listen...and learn!

Sponsored by DX Engineering, “ARRL The Doctor is In” is an informative discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like!

Every 2 weeks, your host, QST Editor-in-Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and the Doctor himself, J...

Posted on 19 October 2017 | 9:00 am

California Fire Situation Improves

San Francisco Section District Emergency Coordinator Len Gwinn, WA6KLK, in the Redwood Valley told ARRL this week that Amateur Radio volunteers in Mendocino and Lake counties have stood down, and things are “kind of back to normal, in that no emergency stations are being operated.” Gwinn, who spent more than 3 decades with Cal Fire and a few more years as a volunteer, said the sound of the wild...

Posted on 18 October 2017 | 5:33 pm

Focus on Emergency Communication at Pacificon 2017

Emergency communication will be a prominent part of the program at Pacificon 2017, the ARRL Pacific Division Convention, October 20-22 in San Ramon, California, sponsored by the Mount Diablo Amateur Radio Club.

National SATERN Liaison Bill Feist, WB8BZH, will speak on Saturday and Sunday. The Saturday session will cover “SATERN and Amateur Radio Emergency Communications in the 21st Century,” whi...

Posted on 18 October 2017 | 11:34 am

“Force of 50” Volunteers’ Puerto Rico Hurricane Recovery Mission Ends

The 22 “Force of 50” radio amateurs who deployed to Puerto Rico earlier this month as American Red Cross volunteers have ended their mission and will be back on the US mainland by week’s end. They had been in Puerto Rico for about 3 weeks.

“The Force of 50 volunteers demonstrated an extraordinary range of skills possessed by this accomplished team,” said ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF. “There wa...

Posted on 18 October 2017 | 10:16 am

David Trachtenberg, N4WWL, Confirmed as Principal Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Policy

The US Senate today confirmed ARRL member David Trachtenberg, N4WWL, of Burke, Virginia, as the next Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Trachtenberg, 60, is the president and CEO of Shortwaver Consulting LLC, a national security consultancy. He is National Planning Coordinator and Northeast Division Director for USAF MARS, and is active in the Pentagon Amateur Radio Club (P...

Posted on 17 October 2017 | 5:51 pm

New Ham Bands Spring to Life; Veteran LF Experimenter Denied Amateur Access to 2200 Meters

Amateur Radio’s two newest bands came to life on Friday the 13th. Both 630 meters (472-479 kHz) and 2200 meters (135.7-137.8 kHz) now are available to radio amateurs who have notified the Utilities Technology Council (UTC) of their intention to operate and did not hear anything back during the ensuing 30 days.

“Many of us filed notices with the Utilities Technology Council on September 15, the d...

Posted on 17 October 2017 | 4:10 pm

NCDXF Announces Major Support for Baker Island DXpedition

The Northern California DX Foundation (NCDXF) has announced a major contribution to the Baker Island DXpedition planned for June 2018 by the Dateline DX Association. Baker-Howland is #4 on the Club Log’s DXCC Most Wanted list, and likely will move up by one place after the Bouvet DXpedition next year. In 2016, NCDXF invested $156,000 to support DXpeditions activating five of the ten most-needed...

Posted on 17 October 2017 | 9:00 am

Caribbean Telecommunications Union Head Calls for “New Generation” of Hams

In remarks made on International Disaster Reduction Day, Friday, October 13, Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) Secretary-General Bernadette Lewis described Amateur Radio as a “bedrock of sustained communications” during emergencies, and strongly suggested cultivating a new and younger generation of radio amateurs to carry this role forward. She spoke as part of a panel on emergency telec...

Posted on 16 October 2017 | 4:23 pm