Merry Xmas to all, and take note that next year’s Field Day is just 180 days away.

So please, start thinking about how you might contribute—as a station operator, by helping with the trailer refurbishment and outfitting, antenna design and planning, or anything else you think might help.

At the first PAARA meeting of 2005, Dean Straw, N6BV, ARRL’s Senior Assistant Technical Editor, will speak about “Strategies Using Propagation Predictions for DXing and Contesting”

Straw will show how to use propagation software, local terrain models and antenna modeling tools to plan for specific DX contacts and to guide contest band strategies.

One of the most interesting parts of the lecture will be his comparison of the predictions he compiled for the rare W6–VU4 path several months ago, with the actual conditions during December 2004.