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Date: Fri, 03 Nov 2006 06:50:46 -0500
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-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [arnewsline] Amateur Radio Newsline? Report 1525 -  November 2, 
2006
Date: Fri, 03 Nov 2006 09:55:18 -0000
From: wa6itf <newsline at arnewsline.org>
Reply-To: arnewsline-owner at yahoogroups.com
To: arnewsline at yahoogroups.com

Amateur Radio Newsline? Report 1525 -  November 2, 2006

Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1525 with a release date of
Friday, November 3rd, 2006 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a Q-S-T.  The American Red Cross tells hams to give
it your personal info but the ARRL says -- not so fast.  Also, ham
radio helps dock a Russian cargo ship to the I-S-S, Canada considers a
new entry level Foundation Class license,  tire pressure monitoring
could interfere with 70 centimeters and the League asks the FCC to
upgrade ham radio privileges on 60 meters.  All this and more on
Amateur Radio Newsline? report number 1525 coming your way right now.


(Billboard Cart Here)

**

RESCUE RADIO:  AMERICAN RED CROSS WANTS PERSONAL INFO ON HAM RADIO
VOLUNTEERS

If you plan to volunteer your communications services to the American
Red Cross, be aware that the organization wants to know everything
about you.  It even wants to know about your personal finances and
that has the ARRL warning hams to be careful of what information you
provide.  Amateur Radio Newsline's Mark Abramovich, NT3V is in
Philadelphia with more:

--

The American Radio Relay League was among the first to sound the alarm
on this one after members involved in emergency communications
activities with the Red Cross began questioning the need for extensive
background checks for all volunteers.

Perhaps it is the legacy of Hurricane Katrina and the fraud
investigations of Red Cross activities that followed.

Volunteers began receiving letters in the last several weeks from Red
Cross chapters around the country instructing them if they wished to
continue serving, they would have to submit to a mandatory criminal
background check by Oct. 31. That deadline has since been moved to the
end of December.

The letters directed volunteers to go to the website:
www.mybackgroundcheck.com.

While the Red Cross chapter letters insisted there was only interest
in whether someone had a criminal background and a valid driver's
license, it was the disclosures and instructions on the website that
alarmed ham radio operators around the country.

Bob Josuweit, WA3PZO, writes the Public Service column for CQ Magazine.

"The big concern right now is the difference between what the Red
Cross is saying versus what is actually posted on a website that they
are directing you to to register for the background check," Josuweit
says.

He says it's not so much the issue of a background check, but the kind
of information the website seeks.

"There is concern that the background checks that the site is
requiring is much more extensive than many county background checks
for RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service) operation," Josuweit
says.

What has so many up in arms is the requirement of
mybackgroundcheck.com that you give them your name, Social Security
number, date of birth, telephone number, driver's license number,
email address, and other personal data. Then, you must grant the
company permission to run a credit report, education history, and
quoting from the website's privacy policy "other types of background
screening."

This could involve exploring your sources of income, investments and
other business or legal arrangements.

In this age of privacy concerns about personal information, and risks
of identity theft, many hams are crying foul and have called their
ARRL field representatives and League headquarters to raise concerns.

The League's president Joel Harrison, W5ZN, even issued a statement
advising hams who work with the Red Cross to read carefully what the
organization permission to gather. The League's position is it's up to
the individual volunteer to comply with the Red Cross request.

A website statement posted on a Red Cross chapter site in Maryland,
and comments of a Red Cross official in an interview aired on KYW
Newsradio here in Philadelphia, stated the Red Cross is not interested
in credit checks - only criminal background and driver license
information.

The national office of the Red Cross has not been forthcoming with an
explanation of the inconsistencies in what data is being sought.

ARRL has a Statement of Understanding with the American Red Cross
governing the work of ham radio operators with the organization. There
is no mention of background checks in the agreement, which comes up
for review next year.

Bob Josuweit says some volunteer radio operators are exploring another
alternative.

"There's already some discussion going on several email reflectors
indicating they don't want to go through the additional background
check that is required at this point," Josuweit says. "However, other
sections are looking into the possibility that they may be able to
still provide the service but being assigned to a shelter by a local
county government."

Josuweit concedes the Red Cross has been under fire in the wake of
allegations that some volunteers assigned duties during the Gulf Coast
hurricanes engaged in theft and diverted donations elsewhere.
"They had a need to take some drastic steps" Josuweit says. "There was
concerns over some fraud issues following the Katrina disaster last
year with the hurricanes.

"And they need to take some steps to make sure that everybody, that
they were above reproach and people, the volunteers were going to help
out without any surprises coming on."
Josuweit says he is hopeful the matter can be resolved amicably.

"Oh, I think there is a resolution there," Josuweit says. "I think
it's going to have to be discussed. I'm hoping that ARRL will continue
their discussion with Red Cross on a national level and express our
concerns. We do play a major role with the Red Cross communications
and hopefully that this will resolve sooner before we have the next
major disaster."

Based on a reading of some of the popular ham radio websites, Red
Cross chapters may be in for quite a shock when formerly loyal
volunteer communicators don't respond to the call.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mark Abramowicz, NT3V, in
Philadelphia.

--

To what extent this demand for personal information will have on
future ham radio volunteering to the American Red Cross is to early to
tell.  (ARNewsline? with information from various sources)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  NASA CALLS OUT HAM RADIO TO ASSIST CARGO SHIP
DOCKING

Ham radio operating as the "ISS Ham Contingency Network" sprang into
action on October 26th.  This after its members were notified that
NASA might need ham radio communications assistance in the docking of
a Russian cargo ship to the orbiting International Space Station outpost.

A problem had arisen during the docking.  Controllers on the ground
were unsure whether or not an automated antenna on the supply ship had
retracted.  To avoid disturbing the cargo ship and with docking
maneuvers, the space station was put into a free drift mode.  That
meant communications with the ground via the Tracking and Data Relay
Satellite System might be lost.

As a back-up, the ham radio network was put on alert.  Stations in the
USA, Australia, South Africa and around the world were ready to jump
in if satellite communications was lost.  Once the technical
difficulties with the antenna retraction system was solved, the ham
radio back-up network was permitted to stand down.

The ISS Ham Contingency Network is operated by A-R-I-S-S -- the
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station group. The call-up
marked the first time that NASA had asked for its help since the
Expedition 1 crew came aboard the I-S-S six years ago in November of
2000.   (SAREX Remailer, N1ORC)

**

ARRL ASKS FCC TO UPGRADE 60-METER ALLOCATION, PRIVILEGES

The ARRL is asking the FCC to expand 60-meter operating privileges and
substitute a new channel for one that's often occupied by a federal
government user.

The ARRL Letters says that the League wants the FCC to authorize
General class and higher licensees to run 100 watts of effective
radiated power instead of the present 50 watts.,  It also wants the
FCC to allow CW and narrow-band digital modes, including PSK31 and
PACTOR 3.

In its filing, the ARRL also asked the Commission to replace the
5.368.0 MHz center-frequency channel with 5.358.5 MHz.  This, so
amateurs can avoid federal government digital traffic on the current
channel. Operation on 60 meters would remain on a secondary,
non-interference basis.

The League filed a Petition for Rule Making  on October 11. The FCC
has not yet assigned a rule making  number to the petition nor invited
comments. The ARRL Executive Committee okayed filing the PRM when it
met October 7.  (ARRL)

**

WORLDBEAT-CANADA:  NEW ITU REGS MAY FORCE CHU TO GO QRT

One of the worlds best known time standard stations could be forced to
go QRT next spring.  This, if Canada's C-H-U is not able to re-invent
itself in order to meet current International Telecommunications Union
regulations.  Bill Pasternak,  WA6ITF, has the details:

--

C-H-U is operated by the Institute for National Measurement Standards
at the National Research Council of Canada.  In April 2007 the license
to operate C-H-U on 7.335 MHz will have to be modified to reflect
recent changes on the status of the band made by the I-T-U.  This
frequency has been changed from "fixed service" to "broadcast."

Three alternatives are currently being considered.  One possibility
might be to re-license C-H-U to call it a broadcast rather than a time
standard transmission.  Another option is to move C-H-U off of 7.335
MHz to a nearby fixed-service frequency.  But that would require an
investment in new hardware and in manpower.

Simply taking C-H-U off the air is the easiest solution but could
create problems for some users who are counting on this particular
signal.  But with the current financial climate and the pending need
to retool the C-H-U transmission system, this could be the logical
conclusion that is reached.

By way of background, the call letters C-H-U were first used for
Canadian time transmission in 1938.  Prior to that time essentially
the same transmissions were made using the call sign VE9OB.  Before in
the late 1920's the call letters were VE9CC and prior to that it was
simply 9CC.

Now the big question is whether or not C-H-U will be on the air after
April of 2007.  Lots of hams in North America and around the world
count on it, but only time will tell.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the
studio in Los Angeles.


--

The I-T-U decision only affects 7.335 MHz.  C-H-U transmission
frequencies 3.33 MHz and 14.67 MHz do not have to make any changes.
(RAC, others)

**


Break 1

>From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline,
heard on bulletin stations around the world including the N9AKN
repeater serving Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

(5 sec pause here)


**

RADIO MYSTERY: FIRST DEFENDANT GOES ON TRIAL IN THE HAWKES MURDER CASE:

The trial of one of five defendants in the alleged murder of Thomas
and Jackie Hawkes, KD7VWJ and KD7VWK, is underway. This as Jennifer
DeLeon goes before a Orange County California Superior court on
Monday, October 30th.  Amateur Radio Newsline's Bruce Tennant, K6PZW,
has been following the case since the Hawkes disappeared back in 2004
and has the latest:

---

Jennifer Deleon is the wife of  Skylar Deleon.  He is the reputed
mastermind behind a November 2004 plot to kill the Thomas and Jackie
Hawkes and then steal money from their bank accounts using
power-of-attorney forms obtained under extreme duress.

In April 2005, charges were filed against Mr and Mrs. Deleon, along
with Deleon, Myron S. Gardner Sr., John F. Kennedy and Alonso Machain.
  The Orange County District Attorney's office later announced it would
seek the death penalty for Skylar DeLeon and John F, Kennedy.
Prosecutors allege that  the two overpowered the Hawkses and dumped
them overboard into the Pacific Ocean during a phony test cruise of
the Hawkses' 55-foot cabin cruiser. Their bodies have not been recovered.

According to defendant Machain's testimony at an earlier hearing,
Jennifer Deleon was not present on the yacht when the Hawkse's were
killed.  But there was also testimony from a Newport Beach police
detective that Mrs.  Deleon accompanied her husband to a bank and
unsuccessfully tried to withdraw money from the ham radio couples account.

Recently, the Orange County California District Attorney's office
elected to try Jennifer Deleon separately.  Now, as her trial is about
to begin, word from her attorney Michael Molfetta to the Orange County
Register newspaper that Mrs. Deleon has filed for divorcee from her
husband.  What that might mean when Skylar Deleon goes toi trial is
not yet clear.

Right now, the big question in Jennifer Deleon's trial is whether
she'll take the stand.  The Orange County Register says that opinion
is she must, if she's to have a chance at acquittal.  But attorney
Molfetta says he won't decide until he sees how the first few weeks of
testimony shape up.

Jennifer Deleon's trial is expected to last several weeks.  We will
keep you updated on developments.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, reporting.

--

The trial of Skylar Deleon and John Fitzgearald Kennedy  is scheduled
to begin on January 29th, 2007, also in Orange County California
Superior Court.  (From www.tomandjackiehawks.com and other reports)

**

EMI WORRIES:  NEW TIRE PRESSURE MEASURING SYSTEM IS EMI PRONE

As if BPL was not enough for hams to worry about, now comes word of a
new vehicle tire pressure monitoring system on luxury cards in Europe
and the United States that is far from interference proof.  The system
operates in the 70 centimeter ham band using a frequency of on 433.92
MHz to communicate between the tires and a monitor receiver mounted in
the dashboard.

Recent tests conducted by the Korean Amateur Radio League, found that
this system is at the meruy of radio frequency interference ingress.
K-A-R-L noted that the system is seriously affected by any amateur
station transmitting on or near the frequency at close range.  The
transmitter does not even have to be mounted in the vehicle for the
interference to occurr.

Oh yes. 433.92 MHz  is that this same frequency is also under
consideration worldwide for remote keyless vehicle entry systems.  It
is already being used for radio frequency identification tages on some
shipping containers now traveling across the globe.  (Amateur Radio
Victoria via WANSARC News )

**

RESTRUCTURING - CANADA:  RAC TO STUDY NEW CANADIAN ENTRY LEVEL TICKET

The Board of Directors of Radio Amateurs of Canada has authorized the
formation of an Advisory Committee.  One to examine whether
telecommunications regulator Industry Canada should be asked to create
a new entry level license.

The committee is under the leadership of Midwest Director Bj Madsen,
VE5FX.  It  is reportedly  looking at the very successful Foundation
License that has been implemented in the UK and Australia as a way of
encouraging youngsters to take an interest in science and technology
and to promote growth in amateur radio.

Radio amateurs of Canada says that the committee will seek input from
Canadian radio amateurs as to what should be done regarding an entry
level license in that nation.  (RAC)

**

RESTRUCTURING - USA:  THE HAM RADIO COMMUNITY REACTS - MOOREFIELD W. VA.

Hams across the United States are talking about the latest round of
restructuring affecting them?  This week we get the reaction in the
city of Moorefield, West Virginia.  Paul Vinoski, KR8ZZY, lives there
and sought out feedback from his fellow hams:

---

Moorefield, WV, is a small town located on the South Branch of the
Potomac River, not all that far from Washington D.C.. On October 13th,
hams from the Moorefield area listened with rapt attention to the AR
Newsline report of the release of FCC Docket 04-140.  Afterward, I
asked some of them for their views on some of the key restructuring
issues.

First off, under this latest round of restructuring, some operating
privileges have undergone revision.  Specifically, on High Frequency
bands where spectrum  previously allocated exclusively for Morse is
now available for phone operation. Bryan Crites, KD8BOG says it's a
step in the right direction:

"Well, I guess that it should relieve some of the overcrowding.  I
believe it will just open up more area for phone use in the HF."

However, he could also see the opposite side of this issue and said:

"I can see where it's going to restrict that band quite a bit with the
increased traffic, and that will deter more people from operating CW."

A change also to the 2 meter band that will open it up to new forms of
digital communications, such as Voice over IP or VOIP.   Frequencies
above 144.5 MHz, except 145.8-146.0 MHz, will be open to these
communications.  It also will allow spread spectrum communications on
the 220MHz band. Scott Greenwalt, KD8AZC responded by saying

"I'm kind of looking forward to the Voice over IP and it's really hard
to tell what people will come up with to make use of it, especially
the newer generations which are fluent with computers and software
will really enjoy having those other privileges open to them to try
new things."

However, some hams were concerned as to the future of the two meter
band, and the possible interference this could cause to analog
communications.

One "nice" thing that was added to the rules is the ability for hams
to will his or her call sign, in memoriam, to a favorite Amateur Radio
Club.

The bottom line:  There are obviously mixed feelings here in
Moorefield about these latest FCC rules changes.  Only time will tell
how well any of them work.

Reporting from the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia for the Amateur
Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Vinoski, KR8ZZY.

--

More of your reaction to this latest round of restructuring in future
Amateur Radio Newsline reports.  Be sure to tune in.  (KR8ZZY,
ARNewsline?)

**

RESCUE RADIO:  WICEN IN SEARCH FOR OLD CESSNA

WICEN, which is Australia's version of our ARES was called up
recently.  This, to take part in a search for an aircraft lost years
ago.  Did they find it?  Robert Broomhead, VK3KRB, has more:

--

VK2UD has reported on a WICEN activation come exercise in the llyn
River area, a combined services exercise involving WICEN, Wilderness
Rescue, police, Rural Rescue, S.E.S. AND V.R.A.

The volunteers and professionals were searching for a Cessna aircraft
that crashed in the region some years ago. The crash was real and the
aircraft was never found.

WICENS involvement is to supply operators for the various
communication  links that are set up to coordinate the search and rescue.

This is Robet, VK3KRB.

--

The missing Cessna is still missing, but ham radio got some high marks
for for the work it performed during this exercise.  (WIA News)

**

RESCUE RADIO:  EM-COMM PARTY ON THE AIR

Region 1 of the International Amateur Radio Union is calling on its
member societies' headquarters stations and emergency communications
groups to take part in the first Emergency Communications or Em-Comm
Party on the Air. The aim of the event is to raise the profile of
amateur radio emergency communications, test how usable these
frequencies are across Europe.  Also to create practices for
international emergency communication between Region 1 member
societies and special emergency communication groups

The happening takes place between 1100 and 1500UTC on November 18th on
the 40, 20 and 15 meter bands using SSB.  The aim for participants is
to contact IARU Region 1 HQ station OF3F in Finland and also as many
other national HQ and special group stations as possible.

You can find out about the event from IARU Region 1 emergency
communication coordinator Seppo Sisatto.  E-mail him at
seppo.sisatto at uta.fi.  (RSGB)

**

CHANGING OF THE GUARD:  MARSHALL QUIAT, AG0X _ S.K.

The changing of the guard in Amateur Radio continues.  This with the
sad news that former ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Director Marshall
Quiat, AG0X, has become a Silent Key.

  In addition to his years of volunteer service to the ARRL AG0X was
also was a notable contributor to Amateur Radio antenna law.  He was
an attorney by profession who had also served as a judge and a
Colorado state legislator.

Recognizing his contributions to both the League and the nations ham
community in 2000 the ARRL Board of Directors elected him as an
Honorary Vice President.

Marshall Quiat, AG0X, passed away on Sunday, October 15th at age 84.
A memorial service was scheduled for this past Wednesday, November 1st
at the Grant Humphries Mansion in Denver, Colorado.  (ARRL, others)

**

BREAK 2

This is ham radio news for today's radio amateur.  From the United
States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline with links to the
world from our only official website at www.arnewsline.org and being
relayed by the volunteer services of the following radio amateur:

(5 sec pause here)

**

HAM RADIO TOWN MEETING:  THE DIGITALIZING OF HAM RADIO

Are you one of those who cannot wait for the day when ham radio exists
in an all digital world?  Or would you prefer it to remain the analog
world of yesterday and today?  Maybe you want a little of both.

No matter, we figure that everyone has an opinion on the
digitalization of the hobby and next May we invite you to share it
with us and everyone else attending the 2007 Ham Radio Town Meeting.

As it has for the past 6 years, the Ham Radio Town Meeting will be
held next spring at the Hara Arena in conjunction with the 2007 Dayton
Hamvention.  That date is Saturday, May 19th from 1 to 3 p.m. local
time.

And starting right now we are looking for presenters who want to share
their opinion, their technological know how or both with those
attending the session.  If you plan on attending Hamvention 2007 and
would like to be part of the Ham Radio Town Meeting, e-mail us to
newsline at arnewsline.org and include a bio on whom you are and a short
outline of your presentation.  We will look it over and get back to you.

Again, that e-mail address is newsline at arnewsline.org  We look forward
to hearing from you.  (ARNewsline?)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  RADIO AMATEUR TO HELP REPAIR HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

A space shuttle carrying a crew that includes a ham radio Astronaut
will make one final repair call to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.
This, as part of a mission to extend and improve the observatory's
capabilities through 2013.

Veteran astronaut Scott Altman will command the final space shuttle
mission to Hubble. Navy Reserve Capt. Gregory Johnson will serve as
pilot. Mission specialists include veteran spacewalkers John M.
Grunsfeld , KC5ZTF and Michael J. Massimino.  Also in the crew will be
first-time space fliers Andrew J. Feustel, Michael T. Good and K.
Megan McArthur.

The two new instruments are the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and Wide
Field Camera 3. The Cosmic Origins Spectrograph is the most sensitive
ultraviolet sensor ever flown on Hubble. The instrument will probe the
large-scale structure of the universe whose form is determined by the
gravity of dark matter and is traced by the spatial distribution of
galaxies and intergalactic gas.

The Wide Field Camera 3 is a new instrument that is sensitive across a
wide range of wavelengths including infrared, visible, and ultraviolet
light.  It will look at the planets in our solar system as well as
early and distant galaxies beyond Hubble's current reach.

Other planned work also includes installing a refurbished Fine
Guidance Sensor that replaces one degrading unit of the three already
onboard.  The sensors control the telescope's pointing system.  (NASA)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  ISS EXPEDITION 14 CREW TO SPEND AN EXTRA MONTH IN
SPACE

A Russian space officials says that the astronauts and cosmonauts
currently working on the International Space Station will have their
mission extended by a month.  This, to avoid flooding on the Kazakh
steppe, where they are due to land.

According to the official, the flooding makes it extremely hard to
find a dry place for a capsule with astronauts to land on, and landing
on a flooded steppe may be quite dangerous.

According to a revised schedule, U.S. astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria,
KE5GTK,  and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, RA9ANS of the
Expedition 14 crew, who began working on the orbital station on
September 20th, will return to Earth in April instead of March.  They
will be joined by the fifth space tourist on their return trip.  He is
Hungarian-born American software billionaire Charles Simonyi, who is
expected to arrive at the ISS with the 15th crew.

European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter, DP0MIR,  of Germany,
has been on board the station since July.  He will work as part of the
Expedition 14 crew until December and will then hand off to astronaut
Sunita Williams, KD5PLB.  (N1ORC)

**

WORLDBEAT - BELGIUM:  THE UBA AT 60

The Belgian Radio Society, better known as the U-B-A celebrates its
60th birthday on December 1st.  To help in the festivities, the
Belgian Institute of Post and Telecommunication is permitting the use
of the  special prefix ON60 by all of that nations radio club stations
holding membership in the U-B-A.  This, from November 1st to next
February 10th.

The Belgian Radio Society was first created in 1923 as "Le R?seau
Belge."  It became the U-B-A in 1946.  (GB2RS)

**

WORLDBEAT - AUSTRALIA:  CRACKDOWN ON SPECIAL EVENT CALLS

Australian telecommunications regulator A-C-M-A has teightened the
reins for those wanting a special event callsign.  Jim Linton, VK3PC,
has the details

--

Amateur radio tradition is over-ruled ? down-under.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority has confirmed a
tightening up of the rules for special event stations and is now
rigorously applying them.
It began refusing some applications for special event callsigns
earlier this year, but only recently published its new rules.
Australians have two special prefixes, Alpha X-ray for national or
international events while Victor India is for locally significant events.
However these will no longer be issued recurrent events, except for
Australia Day the 26th of January, Anzac Day ? our veterans day on the
25th of April, and the ITU's birthday on the 17th of  May.
Use of the VI prefix for events such as the International Lighthouse
and Lightship Weekend have now ceased. This year in Australia four
callsigns were issued for this weekend before the new rules were invoked.
Victor India 4 Victor Victor that had been operated by Vietnam War
Veterans from a special place in Queensland has had its last airing,
according the new rules.
Anniversaries are also now restricted 'unless it is a significant
occasion such as the 25th, 50th or 75th anniversary'.
The new rules provide that generally only one special event callsign
will be available for each event. They also that state: "Special event
stations will normally only be issued where the amateur station
concerned is actually participating in the event." What a whammy!
With heightened security at major events, the tradition of amateur
stations celebrating events without them having direct participation
in event has been the normal practice ? but not anymore in Australia.
I'm Jim Linton VK3PC    for the Amateur Radio Newsline.
--

If you hear fewer Australian special event callsigns on the air, now
you know why.  (VK3PC, ARNewsline?)

**

WORLDBEAT:  FINLAND WINDING DOWN ANALOG TV

Analog television broadcasting is coming to an end in Finland.  In a
recent article, the Finnish News Agency STT reminded viewers that all
of that nations television  transmissions will switch to digital on
August 31st of 2007.

The article noted that as of June of this year, about half the
households in Finland with TV sets had acquired a digital adapter,
set-top converter box or had purchased new receivers.  The European
Union recommended all member states complete their transition to all
digital operation by 2011 at the latest.   (TV Technology)

**

DX

In D-X, word that HA2VR and several others will be active from Thassos
Island until ythe 8th of November.  They will be on all bands using CW
and SSB.

And keep an ear open for  SX8F from Falkonera Island and lighthouse
from  November 15th to the 19th.  Tge operators will use SSB, CW, PSK,
FSK441, SSTV and FM on 160 to 6 meters plus VHF, UHF and SHF.

Also word that K0NR is active portable PJ4 from Bonaire in the
Netherlands Antilles through November 9th.  Bob is using SSB and PSK31
on 30 through 6 meters and FM on the FM OSCAR satellites.

Lastly, DL2SBY, HA4DX, and HA0HW, will be active portable TK  from
Sisco, Corsica from the 2nd to the 11th of November.  They will
operate CW, SSB and digital modes on all HF bands, with an emphasis on
the low bands.  QSL all of these operations as directed on the air.


**

THAT FINAL ITEM:  WWW.NOVICE.BAPPY.COM

And finally this week, the FCC may not be issuing new Novice class
licenses anymore, but one ham is keeping that ticket alive and on the
world-wide-web.  Amateur Radio Newsline's Jim Davis, W2JKD, has the
rest of the story:

--

Cliff Cheng, KI6CM, has relocated the Novice Historical Society
webpage to its new cyberspace home at www.novice.bappy.com

>From 1951 to the 2000, many of United States hams entered the hobby by
way of the Novice class ticket.  Almost every Novice will tell you
that his or her Novice years was their happiest in ham radio.

Cliff says that he established this website to celebrate his Novice
years as W-N-6-J-P-A.  He says that many hams still remember their
novice time with a smile on their face and that we need more smiles in
ham radio.  And that's what www.novice.bappy.com is really all about.
  Go take a look and see for yourself.

--

Again that website is www.novice.bappy.com.  It's a place for Novices
and ex-Novices to sit back, browse and smile.  (Southgate News)

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE

With thanks to Alan Labs, AMSAT, the ARRL, the CGC Communicator, CQ
Magazine, the FCC, the Ohio Penn DX Bulletin, Radio Netherlands, Rain,
the RSGB and Australia's W-I-A News, that's all from the Amateur Radio
Newsline?.  Our e-mail address is newsline at arnewsline.org.  More
information is available at Amateur Radio Newsline's? only official
website located at www.arnewsline.org.  You can also write to us or
support us at Amateur Radio Newsline?, P.O. Box 660937, Arcadia,
California 91066.

For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors desk, I'm Burt
Hicks, WB6MQV, saying 73 and we thank you for listening."  Amateur
Radio Newsline? is Copyright 2006.  All rights reserved.






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-- 
Randy Allen, KA?AZS



From ka0azs at earthlink.net  Fri Nov  3 06:51:12 2006
From: ka0azs at earthlink.net (Randy Allen)
Date: Fri, 03 Nov 2006 06:51:12 -0500
Subject: [bulletins] [Fwd: WEAVER'S WORDS -- Did th' goblins git ya?]
Message-ID: <454B2D30.2070707@earthlink.net>



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: WEAVER'S WORDS -- Did th' goblins git ya?
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2006 03:30:14 -0500
From: ARRL Web site <memberlist at www.arrl.org>


[Reply to k8je at arrl.org, only.  The ARRL reflector that sent this
newsletter to you is outgoing, only.  I don't want to miss any message
you may send to me.]

-	Dee Logan Wins Silver Antenna Award
-	Red Cross Background Checks
-	No RACES Frequencies = No RACES?
-	CW on 80 M
-	Scholarships Available
-	SW OH Digital Symposium
-	W1AW Schedule Change
-	W8GEX writes on Op from New DX Entity

DEE LOGAN WINS SILVER ANTENNA AWARD

Congratulations to D.E. "Dee" Logan, W1HEO, of Mentor, OH.  Dee is the
2006 winner of the Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award for
long-time demonstration of success in Amateur Radio public relations.
Dee led a team of amateurs in the Cleveland Area who developed "The
Northeast Ohio Ham Radio Project."  This effort pulled together nearly
all resources needed to interest and guide people in becoming Amateur
Radio operators.  One part of the project involves an excellent video
that is available to any club to use in its recruiting effort.  The
video is available to clubs in the general Cleveland area that become a
member of the overall recruitment project.  There is a fee for this
membership and the video.  The video is also available to clubs outside
the area for a lesser fee.

Contact Dee for details.

Incidentally, the very first McGan recipient was Ohio SM Joe Phillips,
K8QOE.

RED CROSS BACKGROUND CHECKS

I doubt if anyone believes the Red Cross should blindly accept just
anyone who comes in off the street as a trusted volunteer.  Most people
who volunteer are fine, upstanding citizens who have the highest
motives; however, there are those among the public who are . . . well .
. . dishonorable.  Just imagine what injury folks with perverted ideas
of honesty could do to disaster victims and their property during
relief operations.  The Red Cross has responded to the risk of having
dishonorable people try to infiltrate its ranks by turning to
background checks for all employees and volunteers.

I believe the Red Cross has the right and duty to keep unscrupulous
people from joining its ranks.  I also believe it has the right to
require, somehow, background checks for all its personnel -- paid or
not.  The Red Cross needs a way to determine the honesty of its workers
as best it can.  When it comes to most volunteers, this is where I draw
the proverbial line.  Requiring background checks for criminal activity
is thing.  Requiring permission to do credit checks and more is just
too much for non-employees, but this is precisely what Red Cross is
doing.

As one ham who is a long-time officer in his local Red Cross Chapter
said, "The Red Cross is requiring volunteers to grant permission for
more than just a criminal background check, they are also requiring
permission to draw a consumer and/or investigative consumer report on
the volunteer.  This would include a criminal background check, credit
check and a mode of living check."

The ham Red Cross Chapter official?  He authorized his superiors to do
a criminal check, only.  He still has his position at the Chapter.

Incidentally, some amateurs have expressed concern that
MyBackgroundcheck that does the checking will have access to all of the
credit and personal information on persons who have been checked even
though Red Cross says they do not want it, themselves.  Frankly, I'd
trust the Red Cross folks that I know long before I'd trust many other
people.

My suggestion:  Read carefully what is being demanded and be sure you
are willing to agree with it.  If you agree, by all means give your
consent to the full background check.  If you don't agree, don't give
your consent.  You might even try sending a letter to your local
chapter giving consent for them to do a criminal check but withholding
your consent to other checks.  Use your personal judgment.

NO RACES FREQUENCIES = NO RACES?

A few people have asked if FCC's abolishing special RACES frequencies
means it plans to abolish RACES.  It may come as a shock to some of
you, but I don't know just what is in the minds of the folks at FCC.  I
discovered my crystal ball was broken when they issued the recent
omnibus Report & Order.  Nonetheless, I strongly doubt they plan to
abolish RACES.

Instead of looking behind the abolishment of RACES frequencies for an
ulterior motive, why not look at it at face value.  The change that
will take effect 30 days after the new rules are published will open
amateur frequencies to use by RACES.  RACES is being freed to operate
anywhere in the ham bands the local RACES brass want it to operate.  My
money is on RACES being around for quite some time.

CW ON 80 M

In spite of the misinformation being spread by some people, ARRL
neither petitioned nor wanted FCC to drop the 75 M phone band down to
3600 kHz.  We asked them to drop the phone band edge to 3725 kHz.  This
represented an increase in the phone band of 25 kHz.  This 3725 kHz is
also the lower band edge proposed by the Commission in its NPRM two
years ago.  Imagine our surprise when the Commission announced the
phone band edge would be 3600.  Not only does this make things
difficult for the many NTS and other 80 M CW nets, and casual CW QSOs,
but it thoroughly jumbles the situation for RTTY and data modes that
are no longer permitted on 80.  Bummer.

Speaking of CW, ARRL also has also not asked FCC to abolish all Morse
testing for Amateur Radio licensing exams.  We petitioned to have the
exam dropped for General licensees.  This tactic was based upon the
knowledge CW would be dropped totally if we did not develop a counter
strategy to FCC internal thinking to drop all Morse testing.  The
strategy acknowledges that Morse testing will be lost for Generals
regardless of what we do.  At the same time, we're trying to keep it
for Extras.  The idea is to keep Morse as one means of making the Extra
Class license something extra.  Will even this strategy work.  I'm
hopeful, but not holding my breath.

When will the FCC release its decision on Morse testing?  My crystal
ball is still broken, but I'm guessing it will not take nearly so long
as it took them to release the omnibus Report & Order.

One final word on Morse testing:  Even if the Commission abolishes all
Morse testing, CW will remain the primary mode of operation for a great
many current hams.  I'm included among this number.  It will even
become the primary mode of operation for a great many new hams.  A
still greater number of hams -- new and old -- will use it to some
extent.  Abolishing Morse code testing as a licensing requirement will
not of itself doom Morse to extinction.

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE

It is time to apply for ARRL Foundation scholarships.  Over 40
scholarships ranging in value from about $10,000 to $300 are available.
  The sponsors of some of the scholarships have designated them for
specific categories of applicants; however, many are open to all
amateurs who are furthering their education.  For information on the
scholarships and the application form, go to
http://www.arrl.org/arrlf/scholgen.html.

The Great Lakes Division has been well represented among scholarship
winners during recent years.  I'm sure there are a few more worthy
candidates in our three state.

SW OHIO DIGITAL SYMPOSIUM

The annual SW Ohio Digital Symposium is January 13 with registration
beginning at 8 AM and sessions at 9.  This is not a hamfest/swap.  It
is a place for the typical and not-so-typical ham to come to learn the
practical operation of PSK-31, software defined radio (SDR), D-Star,
WinLink 2000 and more.  This is an opportunity to advance the typical
technology of Amateur Radio beyond CW, SSB and FM.  The Symposium is at
the Miami University Middletown, OH, campus in Thesken Hall.
Directions and program information are at www.swohdigi.org.  Additional
information can be obtained from Jay Slough, K4ZLE at k4zle at arrl.net.

W1AW SCHEDULE CHANGE

In case you want to copy W1AW code practice or bulletins and can't find
what you want, check its new schedule.  This schedule is at
http://www.arrl.org/w1aw.html.

W8GEX WRITES ON EARLY OPERATION FROM NEW DX ENTITY

Joe Pater, W8GEX, is a well-known DXer member of the Southwest Ohio DX
Association. A resident of Hamilton, OH, Joe arranged for a DXpedition
of a few friends to new DX entity Montenegro.  He wrote of the trials
and tribulations of forming this DXpedition in the fall issue of the
International DX Association (INDEXA) newsletter.  It was a relatively
small DXpedition as DXpeditions go, but provided many new contacts to
the worthy with this new country.  Contacts were with 406DX.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

I'm getting back into the swing of things now that I've pretty well
recovered from back surgery.  My tentative schedule at this moment is
as follows:

Nov. 17-19:  A&F Meeting, Newington, CT.
Jan.  9:  20/9 Meeting, Canfield, OH.
Jan. 13:  SW OH Digital Symposium, Middletown, OH.
Jan. 18:  A&F Meeting, Newington, CT.
Jan. 19-20:  Board of Directors Meeting, Newington, CT.
Feb. 11:  Mansfield Hamfest, Mansfield, OH.
May  18-20:  Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH.
Sep.  9:  Findlay Hamfest, Findlay, OH.

If you wish me to come to your meeting or other event, please let me
know.

Tnx for your support of ARRL.  Your backing is very important to the
well being of Amateur Radio.  Please consider becoming a worker in the
new ARRL Legislative Action Program.  Several amateurs throughout the
Division have volunteered, but we still need additional help if we are
to cover all of the US Representatives and Senators in our three
states.  Contact Division Legislative Action Chair Val Rose, N8EXV
(n8exv at arrl.net) or me (k8je at arrl.org) for information.  The job
requires such little time and can provide such great benefit to Amateur
Radio.

73,

Jim, K8JE

Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director
Great Lakes Division, ARRL
5065 Bethany Rd., Mason, OH 45040
Tel. 513-459-0142; E-mail k8je at arrl.org
ARRL, the Reason Amateur Radio is!
Members, the Reason ARRL is!

--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Great Lakes Division
Director: James Weaver, K8JE
k8je at arrl.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------
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-- 
Randy Allen, KA?AZS



From ka0azs at earthlink.net  Fri Nov  3 20:40:40 2006
From: ka0azs at earthlink.net (Randy Allen)
Date: Fri, 03 Nov 2006 20:40:40 -0500
Subject: [bulletins] [Fwd: ARLP045 Propagation de K7RA]
Message-ID: <454BEF98.5010503@earthlink.net>



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: ARLP045 Propagation de K7RA
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2006 12:30:54 -0500
From: ARRL Web site <memberlist at www.arrl.org>


SB PROP @ ARL $ARLP045
ARLP045 Propagation de K7RA

ZCZC AP45
QST de W1AW
Propagation Forecast Bulletin 45  ARLP045
>From Tad Cook, K7RA
Seattle, WA  November 3, 2006
To all radio amateurs

SB PROP ARL ARLP045
ARLP045 Propagation de K7RA

Sunspot numbers rose over the past few days. Though the average
sunspot number for the past reporting week (Thursday through
Wednesday) was about the same as the previous week, the emergence of
sunspots 921 and 922 brought the daily sunspot number over October
29 through November 2 to 0, 15, 34, 46 and 59. This number will
probably rise through the weekend.

The increased sunspot numbers may correlate with some activity
observed for the past few days on the higher bands. A glance at
http://dx.dxers.info/ on Thursday evening shows that during the day,
Asian Far East stations on 10 and 12 meters were hearing and working
the XF4DL expedition on Socorro Island (this is in the Pacific
Ocean, roughly 300 miles south of Baja California on roughly the
same latitude as Mexico City). Also apparent on 10 and 12 meters is
E51QMA in the North Cook Islands heard and worked by North American
stations.

Helioseismology detects (see
http://spaceweather.com/glossary/farside.html) a new spot emerging
on the far side of our Sun which should rotate to face us in a few
days, around November 7. Why this, when we might be only months away
from sunspot minimum, predicted to occur some time around April 2007
(see http://sec.noaa.gov/ftpdir/weekly/Predict.txt)?  Attribute it
to the many large short term variations we see in solar activity
during any cycle.

October is over, and we now know the average sunspot number for the
month (14.7) and the average solar flux (74.3). Here are the monthly
averages for the past thirteen months:

The average daily sunspot numbers for the months October 2005
through October 2006 were 13, 32.2, 62.6, 26.7, 5.3, 21.3, 55.2,
39.6, 24.4 , 22.6, 22.8, 25.2 and 14.7. Average daily solar flux for
the same months was 76.6, 86.3, 90.8, 83.4, 76.5, 75.5, 88.9, 80.9,
76.5, 75.8, 79, 77.8 and 74.3.

We can compare the recent monthly sunspot averages to the averages
during the last solar minimum in 1996. The monthly average sunspot
numbers for January 1996 through April 1997 were 18, 9.1, 12.1, 8.5,
11.9, 18.8, 13.2, 20.7, 2.9, 2.3, 25.6, 15.1, 8.7, 11.4, 13.7, and
24.5. We see the lowest numbers were in September-October 1996, and
six months prior to that, the numbers weren't far off from what
we've seen for the past three months, 22.8, 25.2 and 14.7.

Last week was the phone weekend of the CQ World Wide DX Contest.
Geomagnetic conditions were a bit unsettled. This weekend is the CW
weekend for ARRL Sweepstakes, and conditions should remain quiet
through the weekend, with increased sunspot numbers. Many contesters
would rather see those conditions on a DX contest weekend, but we
can't complain. The predicted planetary A index (lower numbers
indicate more stable geomagnetic conditions), for November 3-9 are
8, 8, 5, 5, 5, 5 and 20. Geophysical Institute Prague predicts
unsettled conditions for November 3, quiet to unsettled November 4,
quiet conditions November 5-7, quiet to unsettled November 8, and
unsettled to active November 9.

Larry Godel, W0OGH in Gilbert, Arizona reports that he experienced
good 10 meter FM openings last weekend to California and Texas. He
was able to work through the W5DFW repeater and another near
Yosemite in California with full-quieting signals. He comments that
on Sunday morning, "on the 40 meter AM net, local stations (those
within 100 miles) were strong as 20db over S9. Within 5 minutes they
were gone and within half an hour they were all back, strong as
ever. Conditions stayed that way for several hours thereafter."

Finally, I don't know if this fellow in Quebec is a ham operator,
but he should be. This illustrates a personal fantasy I had as an 11
year old. Problem was, it was 1963, and we didn't have the
technology yet. Take a look at these videos at,
http://tinyurl.com/n7agv and http://tinyurl.com/ms6t2.

If you would like to make a comment or have a tip for our readers,
email the author at, k7ra at arrl.net.

For more information concerning radio propagation, see the ARRL
Technical Information Service at,
http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html. For a detailed
explanation of the numbers used in this bulletin see,
http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/k9la-prop.html . An archive of past
propagation bulletins is at, http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/prop/.

Sunspot numbers for October 26 through November 1 were 0, 2 14, 28,
0, 15, 34 and 46 with a mean of 19.9. 10.7 cm flux was 71.9, 72,
74.7 , 73.3, 75.7, 80.1, and 86.7, with a mean of 76.3. Estimated
planetary A indices were 1, 2, 14, 21, 9, 4 and 6 with a mean of
8.1. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 1, 3, 12, 13, 6, 2 and 5,
with a mean of 6.
NNNN
/EX



-- 
Randy Allen, KA?AZS



From ka0azs at earthlink.net  Fri Nov  3 20:43:15 2006
From: ka0azs at earthlink.net (Randy Allen)
Date: Fri, 03 Nov 2006 20:43:15 -0500
Subject: [bulletins] [Fwd: The ARRL Letter, Vol 25, No 44 (Nov 3, 2006)]
Message-ID: <454BF033.6030607@earthlink.net>



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: The ARRL Letter, Vol 25, No 44 (Nov 3, 2006)
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2006 16:57:45 -0500
From: ARRL Letter Mailing List <letter-dlvy at arrl.org>


***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 25, No. 44
November 3, 2006
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +League wants FCC WRC-07 support for 150 kHz band at 60 meters
* +Two DXpeditions set to activate rare Lakshadweep Islands
* +ARISS "Contingency Network" put on alert for first time
* +Amateur Radio volunteers on duty in California wildfire response
* +FCC solicits comments on Amateur Radio petitions
* +IARU observers to attend ITU Plenipotentiary Conference
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF:
      This weekend on the radio: ARRL November Sweepstakes (CW)!
      ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
     +ARRL extends deadline for member input on "omnibus" Report and Order
     +ARRL Foundation scholarship application window open
      KPH to mark International Radiotelegraph Conference centenary
      Jersey Shore DXPO set for November 11
      DXCC Desk approves operation for DXCC credit

+Available on ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/>

===========================================================
==>Delivery problems: First see FAQ
<http://www.arrl.org/members-only/faq.html#nodelivery>, then e-mail
<letter-dlvy at arrl.org>
==>Editorial questions or comments only: Rick Lindquist, N1RL,
<n1rl at arrl.org>
===========================================================

==>LEAGUE SEEKS FCC'S WRC-07 SUPPORT FOR 150-KHZ 60-METER AMATEUR ALLOCATION

The ARRL wants the FCC to throw its support behind a Draft Proposal seeking
to have World Radiocommunication Conference 2007 (WRC-07) delegates consider
a worldwide, secondary Amateur Radio allocation from 5260 kHz to 5410 kHz.
The ARRL included the request in comments
<http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/WRC07/WRC-07-Comments-10-27-06.pdf>
it filed October 27 in IB Docket 04-286, "Recommendations approved by the
Advisory Committee for the 2007 World Radiocommunication Conference." WRC-07
Agenda Item 1.13 will review allocations to all services between 4 and 10
MHz. The League told the FCC that a contiguous band of frequencies in the
range of 5 MHz is an important goal of the amateur community -- domestically
and internationally.

"There are times when the propagation at 5 MHz bridges a significant gap
between the Maximum Usable Frequency (MUF) when the MUF is below 7 MHz, but
the Lowest Usable Frequency (LUF) is above the next lower Amateur Radio
allocation at around 3.8 MHz," the League said, citing the Draft Proposal.
"For reliable communications, an Amateur allocation in the vicinity of 5 MHz
is the solution."

Originating with ARRL, the Draft Proposal from Informal Working Group 4
(IWG-4) follows up on disaster relief-related changes to Article 25 of the
international Radio Regulations made at WRC-03.

"The amateur services provide emergency communications on a local, national
and international basis as an adjunct to normal communications, and in many
cases provide the first information about disasters and serve as the only
communications link when communications infrastructures are destroyed," the
IWG-4 Draft Proposal background information notes.

Several countries -- including the US, Canada, Finland, Iceland, Norway and
the UK -- already have permitted Amateur Radio operation on spectrum between
5250 and 5450 kHz, the ARRL said, citing the Draft Proposal. "It notes that
there is a successful history of amateur secondary use of bands in which
incumbent primary users are present," the ARRL said, mentioning 30 meters as
one example. The ARRL said the five 60-meter channels have been in regular
use by US radio amateurs since 2003 "without any instances of interference
reported by primary users."

The League took issue with remarks contained in the ITU Conference
Preparatory Meeting (CPM) draft report with respect to Agenda Item 1.13 that
suggest otherwise. Among "disadvantages," the Draft CPM Report asserts, an
allocation such as the League suggests "would increase congestion and
potential interference to fixed and mobile services at 5 MHz." It argues
that compatibility between amateur and fixed service systems in the vicinity
of 5 MHz "has not been shown" and a decision to create an Amateur Service
allocation there "could seriously affect reliable 24 hours [sic]
communication capabilities of the fixed and mobile services." The Draft CPM
Report also takes note of the advantages to the Amateur Service of such an
allocation.

The proposed allocation is "well within the scope of existing resolutions
from WRC-03," the League said. It reiterated that amateur use of the five
current 60-meter channels "has not resulted in any apparent compromise in
the use of the band" on the part of primary Fixed and Mobile services. "To
the contrary, that use has demonstrated compatibility with primary users
over a reasonable period of time," the ARRL said.

The ARRL's request in its IB Docket 04-286 comments is unrelated to the
League's October 10 Petition for Rule Making (PRM)
<http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/5MHz/5-MHz-Improvement-Petition-09-
2006.pdf>, in which the ARRL asked the FCC to expand operating privileges on
60 meters and to swap one existing channel for a new one.

While the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
has indicated it's okay with the ARRL's October 10 petition request, it also
said it could not support a request for a 50 kHz-wide domestic secondary
allocation. The NTIA oversees spectrum allocated to federal government
users, which includes the present 60 meter allocation.

Both the FCC and the NTIA provide input toward positions the US delegation
ultimately will take on various WRC-07 issues. Should WRC-07 delegates
eventually consider and agree to the international allocation at 5 MHz that
ARRL proposes, it still would be up to the FCC -- in conjunction with the
NTIA -- whether to authorize such a band for US radio amateurs.

==>DUELING DXPEDITIONS? TWO GROUPS SET TO DESCEND ON RARE LAKSHADWEEP
ISLANDS

The second most-wanted DXCC entity, Lakshadweep Islands (VU7) may host two
separate DXpeditions during December. A team sponsored by the Amateur Radio
Society of India (ARSI) -- the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU)
member-society for India -- will operate as VU7LD
<http://arsi.info/vu7/index.html>. A second group, under the auspices of the
National Institute for Amateur Radio (NIAR), has announced plans to operate
as VU7RG <http://www.vu7.in/>, in honor of the late Indian Prime Minister
Rajiv Gandhi, VU2RG. While the two DXpeditions would have multiple stations
on the air simultaneously on various HF bands and modes for at least the
first part of December, the Web sites for the respective DXpeditions do not
mention the other's planned operation. The Daily DX and QST "How's DX?"
Editor Bernie McClenny, W3UR, has cautioned that the two highly competitive
organizations carefully coordinate their on-air activities to avoid chaos.

"It is possible that up to six or more stations between the two teams may
operate at the same time on the same band and mode," McClenny pointed out in
the October 26 edition of The Daily DX <http://www.dailydx.com>. He said
both teams are aware of concerns within the DX community and on the part of
potential DXpedition sponsors regarding the possibility for confusion caused
by overlapping operating frequencies that could decrease the efficiency of
the operations as well as opportunities to get into the VU7LD and VU7RG
logs.

"With this in mind, it will be important for some kind of frequency
management (ie, to assign strict frequency slots for all modes and bands to
all operation sites of both groups)," McClenny advised. "This will ensure
well-regulated and trouble free operations." He says members of the two
groups need to work out an agreement before their DXpeditions begin. The
NIAR says all of its VU7RG sites "will work closely together to avoid
multiple stations in the air using overlapping frequencies."

ARSI's VU7LD DXpedition will run from December 1 until December 30, while
NIAR's VU7RG DXpedition is set for December 1 until December 10. A three-day
hamfest and conference will kick off the NIAR DXpedition. Earlier NIAR
announcements had set the event for the January 15-25, 2007, time frame, but
ARSI's announcement that it would mount its own VU7 DXpedition reportedly
drove NIAR to reschedule.

Questions remain as to whether the Indian government has authorized NIAR's
VU7RG DXpedition, but event organizers called these "rumors," and assured
that the VU7 licenses "are getting processed in a regular way." Earlier this
year, the NIAR organized and sponsored a successful DXpedition and
hamfest-conference in the Andaman Islands (VU4).

Fifty or more hams from India and elsewhere -- including a number of
well-known DXers -- are said to have signed on to fill the VU7RG operating
positions. Approximately two dozen radio amateurs from India will handle
VU7LD operations on CW, SSB and digital modes.

Part of the Laccadive Islands, Lakshadweep -- the smallest union territory
of India -- is located in the Arabian Sea some 200 to 300 km off the
southwestern coast of India. The territory marks its 50th anniversary this
year. The VU7LD team will operate from Kavaratti Island, while the VU7RG
DXpedition will take place from sites on Agatti, Bangaram and Kadmat
islands.

==>ARISS "CONTINGENCY NETWORK" IMPRESSES NASA

When Russian flight controllers encountered difficulties during a recent
International Space Station cargo rocket docking, NASA called on a special
-- although little-known -- Amateur Radio team to stand by if needed.
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Ops Team "ISS Ham
Contingency Network" volunteers around the world immediately swung into
action. Within 15 minutes of receiving the call from Johnson Space Center,
Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, reported the ISS Ham Contingency Network was ready to
provide any necessary communication support.

"The ARISS teamwork was very effective," ARISS Secretary-Treasurer Rosalie
White, K1STO said. "Its members learned a great deal, and they impressed
NASA with how quickly the system was brought up."

During the October 26 Progress docking, NASA says, Russian flight
controllers were unable to confirm whether an automated antenna on the
rocket had retracted as commanded. If still extended, the antenna could have
interfered with the final latching of the supply ship to the ISS. To avoid
disturbing the softly docked cargo ship and to aid the crew with docking
maneuvers, the ISS orientation was allowed to drift freely.

During free-drift mode, however, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite
System (TDRSS) -- which handles communication between the crew and Mission
Control in Houston -- can be lost. That's because the station's solar arrays
may not directly face the sun, causing a drop in onboard power.

Awakened at 2 AM, ARISS Australian team member Tony Hutchison, VK5ZAI, put
out a blind call on VHF to the ISS crew, although no answer was needed at
that point. Others available to cover later passes included Gerald Klatzko,
ZS6BTD, in South Africa; Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, at ON4ISS in Belgium; Dick
Flagg, AH6NM, and Nancy Rocheleau, WH6PN, at Sacred Hearts Academy in
Honolulu; and Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, and Mark Steiner, K3MS, at the Goddard
Space Flight Center's WA3NAN. Each of these Earth stations has a track
record of being able to sustain reliable communication with the ISS.

The call-up marked the first time that NASA had asked for such Amateur Radio
assistance since the initial crew came aboard the ISS in November 2000.
Ransom says that by remaining available to ensure solid communication while
Mission Control staff dealt with the docking issue, the ISS Ham Contingency
Network provided Mission Control with an additional layer of security.

Once the antenna retraction problem was resolved, the contingency network
stood down, but NASA's request and the ensuing ham radio activity did serve
as a valuable drill, ARISS said.

NASA says Expedition 14 Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria, KE5GTK, and flight
engineers Mikhail Tyurin, RZ3FT, and Thomas Reiter, DF4TR, opened the hatch
to the supply ship October 27 to unload supplies.

==>ARES/RACES ASSIST IN ESPERANZA FIRE RESPONSE

Amateur Radio volunteers under the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES)
and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) banners in late October
assisted the American Red Cross response to California's Esperanza Fire,
some 90 miles east of Los Angeles.

"We are very proud of all of our Amateur Radio operators who were called in
to assist not only with communications but other needed areas," ARRL Orange
Section Manager Carl Gardenias, WU6D, said.

Authorities believe an arsonist ignited the deadly blaze early on October
26. Before it was declared 100-percent contained October 31, the fire had
burned over some 40,200 acres and claimed the lives of five firefighters.

The Salvation Army provided canteens for firefighters, while the Riverside
County Red Cross opened shelters to house and feed those displaced by the
flames. The Esperanza Fire destroyed 34 homes and 20 outbuildings, and the
Red Cross said many residents were forced to flee with nothing.

Via the 3965 kHz RACES net, Gardenias says, Riverside County Red Cross
issued "a big thank you" for Amateur Radio support to its shelters.
Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) members supported that
organization's relief efforts, he said. The California Department of
Forestry and Fire Protection said more than 1800 fire personnel were
involved in battling the Esperanza Fire.

==>FCC INVITES COMMENTS ON TWO AMATEUR RADIO RULE MAKING PETITIONS

The FCC has invited comments on two Amateur Radio-related petitions for rule
making. Both petitioners seek changes in the FCC's Part 97 Amateur Service
station identification rules, specifically ?97.119(a). That rule now
requires stations to identify "at the end of each communication, and at
least every ten minutes during a communication . . ."

RM-11346, filed December 9, 2005, by Murray Green, K3BEQ, would raise the
required ID interval to 30 minutes as well as at the end of each
communication. Green argues in his petition that while he has no problem
with the Commission's requirement that Amateur Radio stations identify,
"less frequent identification should not hinder the Commission's enforcement
of Amateur Radio regulations, as demonstrated by the station identification
requirements for other radio services." He suggests the current 10-minute
requirement is a result of "an abundance of caution" on the FCC's part.

A second petition, RM-11347, filed May 19, 2006, by Glen Zook, K9STH, would
revise ?97.119(a) to more closely resemble the old FCC ?12.82(a)
Transmission of call signs rule. The FCC's Amateur Radio Service rules were
under Part 12 prior to a revision that put them under Part 97.

In what he calls "a minor but important change," Zook proposes requiring
radio amateurs to transmit the call sign(s) of stations with which they are
in communication plus their own call sign at the start and end of each
single transmission or of a series of transmissions between stations in
communication "each transmission of which is of less than three minutes'
duration" (operators could omit the ID at the end when the entire series is
less than three minutes), at least every 10 minutes during a series of
transmissions between stations in communication, and at least every 10
minutes during any single transmission more than 10 minutes long.

"Unfortunately, too many Amateur Radio operators, especially when using FM
repeaters, do not identify during their first transmission," Zook asserts in
his petitions. "In fact, a considerable number of these operators never seem
to get around to identifying even after 10 minutes of operation and a 'fair'
number never seem to get around to giving their call sign at all."

Zook believes his suggested changes will "clarify the existing regulations
and to help eliminate problems with station identification in the Amateur
Radio Service" and actually legalize some commonplace on-air station
identification behavior.

Comments on these petitions are due by November 29. Interested parties may
file using the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS). In the
"Proceeding" field, commenter should enter the full petition identifier with
"RM" in capital letters followed by the hyphen and the five digit number.

==>ALL EYES ON ANTALYA: ITU PLENIPOTENTIARY CONFERENCE TO CONVENE IN TURKEY

The top event in the world of telecommunications this month is the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference in
Antalya, Turkey. The "Plenipot" opens November 6 and concludes November 24.
Some 2000 attendees are expected. For only the second time, International
Amateur Radio Union (IARU) representatives will be among the Plenipot
observers. Turkey's IARU member society, Telsiz ve Radyo Amat?rleri Cemiyeti
(TRAC), has organized a demonstration station and exhibit of Amateur Radio
emergency communications capabilities adjacent to the conference site.
Attending on behalf of the IARU are Vice President Tim Ellam, VE6SH, and
International Coordinator for Emergency Communications Hans Zimmermann,
HB9AQS/F5VKP. Each will be present for half of the conference.

The Plenipot is the ultimate authority in the ITU. Every four years,
representatives of ITU member states meet to consider proposed changes to
the organization's constitution and convention, adopt strategic and
financial plans and elect senior management.

Incumbent Secretary-General Yoshio Utsumi is not eligible to run for another
term. A new secretary-general will be elected from a field of six candidates
that includes current Deputy Secretary-General Roberto Blois of Brazil and
Telecommunication Development Bureau Director Hamadoun Tour? of Mali. They
are also term-limited in their present positions and so must move "up or
out." The other candidates are Marc Furrer of Switzerland, Matthias Kurth of
Germany, Montasser Ouaili of Tunisia, and Muna Nijem of Jordan.

ITU-Radiocommunication Bureau Director Valery Timofeev of the Russian
Federation is eligible for re-election and is unopposed. There are four
candidates for each of the other three senior posts: deputy
secretary-general, director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau,
and director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau.

Among the candidates for the 12 seats on the part-time Radio Regulations
Board is Robert W. Jones, VE7RWJ. He served two terms as director of the
Radiocommunication Bureau and later as a consultant to the IARU at World
Radiocommunication Conference 2003.

In addition, 46 member states will be elected to the ITU Council. The
council meets annually and supervises the overall ITU management and
administration between Plenipots.

The delegates in Antalya and those whom they elect to carry out the work of
the ITU over the next four years face significant challenges. In recent
years member states have been unwilling to increase their financial
contributions to the ITU.

IARU Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ, observes that normal increases in
expenses and the costs associated with simultaneous interpretation and the
translation of documents into the ITU's six official languages have limited
the ITU's ability to keep up with the rapid pace of telecommunications
development and led to staff reductions, lowering morale among those who
remain.  Because ITU bureau directors are elected by the member states
rather than appointed by the secretary-general, outgoing Secretary-General
Utsumi has complained of having responsibility without authority.

Plenipot delegates will even be called upon to consider changing the name of
the ITU! A Common Proposal submitted by several Arab States would make it
the "International Telecommunication and Information Technology Union."
Whatever the fate of this specific proposal, it reflects a growing belief
among member states that "telecommunication" no longer adequately
encompasses the scope of the ITU's responsibilities.--IARU
E-Letter/International Amateur Radio Union

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Solar flash Tad "I Live for the Sun" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington,
reports: Sunspot numbers rose over the past few days. Although the average
sunspot number for the past reporting week (Thursday through Wednesday) was
about the same as for the previous week, the emergence of sunspots 921 and
922 brought the daily sunspot number from October 29 through November 2 to
0, 15, 34, 46 and 59. This number will probably rise through the weekend,
when the ARRL November Sweepstakes (CW)
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2006/novss.html> takes place.

A new spot is emerging on the far side of our sun. It should rotate to face
us around November 7. Attribute it to the many large short term variations
we see in solar activity during any cycle.

For the ARRL November Sweepstakes (CW), conditions should remain quiet
through the weekend, with increased sunspot numbers. Many contesters would
rather see those conditions on a DX contest weekend, but we can't complain.
The predicted planetary A index (lower numbers indicate more stable
geomagnetic conditions), for November 3-9 are 8, 8, 5, 5, 5, 5 and 20.
Geophysical Institute Prague predicts unsettled conditions for November 3,
quiet to unsettled November 4, quiet conditions November 5-7, quiet to
unsettled November 8, and unsettled to active November 9.

For more information concerning radio propagation, see the ARRL Technical
Information Service at <http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html>. For
a detailed explanation of the numbers used in this bulletin, see
<http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/k9la-prop.html>.

Sunspot numbers for October 26 through November 1 were 0, 2 14, 28, 0, 15,
34 and 46, with a mean of 19.9. The 10.7 cm flux was 71.9, 72, 74.7 , 73.3,
75.7, 80.1, and 86.7, with a mean of 76.3. Estimated planetary A indices
were 1, 2, 14, 21, 9, 4 and 6 with a mean of 8.1. Estimated mid-latitude A
indices were 1, 3, 12, 13, 6, 2 and 5, with a mean of 6.

__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: The ARRL November Sweepstakes (CW), the North
American Collegiate ARC Championship (CW), the IPARC Contest (CW/SSB), the
PSK63 Sprint, the Ukrainian DX Contest, the High Speed Club CW Contest, and
the DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest are the weekend of November 4-5. The ARS
Spartan Sprint is November 7. JUST AHEAD: The Worked All Europe DX Contest
(RTTY), the ARRL EME Contest Part 3 (50-1296 MHz), the JIDX Phone Contest,
the OK/OM DX Contest (CW), the Kentucky QSO Party and the CQ-WE Contest are
the weekend of November 11-12. The NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint is November
16. The YO International PSK31 Contest is November 17. See the ARRL Contest
Branch page <http://www.arrl.org/contests/> and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar
<http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more info.

* ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration:
Registration remains open through Sunday, November 19, for these ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education (CCE) <http://www.arrl.org/cce/>
online courses beginning Friday, December 1: Amateur Radio Emergency
Communications Level 1 (EC-001), Radio Frequency Interference (EC-006),
Antenna Design and Construction (EC-009), Amateur Radio License Course
(EC-010), Analog Electronics (EC-012) and Digital Electronics (EC-013).
These courses also will open for registration Friday, November 17, for
classes beginning Friday, January 5, 2007. To learn more, visit the CCE
Course Listing page <http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> or contact the
CCE Department <cce at arrl.org>.

* ARRL extends deadline for member input on "omnibus" Report and Order: The
ARRL has extended the deadline to receive members' input concerning the
FCC's "omnibus" Report and Order (R&O) in WT Docket 04-140, released October
10 <http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-06-149A1.pdf>. The
ARRL is specifically seeking member guidance on how the changes the R&O
mandates will affect current operating activities on 80, 40 and 15 meters
(see the current ARRL band plans
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/bandplan.html> and an ARRL FAQ
<http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/wt04-140/faq.html> that includes a
chart showing the band changes.) The R&O takes effect 30 days after
publication in the Federal Register, and ARRL will accept members' comments
until one week after Federal Register publication. The publication date is
not yet known. A summary of the "omnibus" R&O appears on our Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/10/11/100/>. Submit comments by
e-mail <bandplan at www.arrl.org>. All e-mails will be read and considered, but
individual responses are not possible. Thank you for your assistance and
cooperation!

* ARRL Foundation scholarship application window open: The application
period for ARRL Foundation scholarships
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlf/scholgen.html> remains open until February 1,
2007. The ARRL Foundation has announced the addition of three new
scholarships for the 2007 awards: The Zachary Taylor Stevens Scholarship,
The Richard W. Bendicksen, N7ZL, Memorial Scholarship and The Gary Wagner,
K3OMI, Scholarship. These new scholarship awards bring the total number of
ARRL scholarships to 44 -- some providing multiple awards. Following an
evaluation of all applications, the ARRL Foundation Scholarship Committee
will announce the 2007-2008 academic year ARRL Foundation scholarship
recipients next spring. IMPORTANT: Applicants must include high school or
college academic transcripts with scholarship applications. Those applying
for the four-year William R. Goldfarb Memorial Scholarship
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlf/goldfarb.html> must include a Free Application
for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and a transcript.

* KPH to mark International Radiotelegraph Conference centenary: The
Maritime Radio Historical Society (MRHS) <http://www.radiomarine.org/> will
join others around the world in marking the 100th anniversary of the
International Radiotelegraph Conference. Delegates to the 1906 gathering in
Berlin designated 500 kHz (600 meters) as the international distress and
calling frequency and SOS as the distress signal, and they signed the
International Radiotelegraph Convention, which eventually became the
International Telecommunication Union Radio Regulations. MRHS's KPH, which
began operation in 1905, will activate at 0001 UTC on Saturday, November 4,
on 500 kHz and on its working frequency, 426 kHz. "KPH will send special
messages and marine information using 500 kc as frequently as possible,
keeping in mind that other stations share this frequency," says the KPH
Chief Operator Richard "R.D." Dillman, W6AWO. "Longer bulletins will be sent
on 426 kc after an announcement on 500 kc." Dillman says KPH will monitor
500 kHz at all times for calls from ships and will observe the silent
period. KPH ops also will listen between 505 and 510 kHz for stations
operating as part of the ARRL WD2XSH experimental group
<http://www.500kc.com/>, although Dillman adds that contacts between those
stations and KPH will not be possible. MRHS Amateur Radio station K6KPH will
monitor 3550, 7050 and 14,050 kHz for calls from radio amateurs wishing to
submit signal reports. To obtain a printed confirmation of KPH reception,
send reports to D.A. Stoops, PO Box 381, Bolinas CA 94924-0381 USA.

* Jersey Shore DXPO set for November 11: The South Jersey DX Association
(SJDXA), the Old Barney Amateur Radio Club (OBARC) and Yaesu will sponsor
Jersey Shore DXPO 2006, Saturday, November 11, Ocean Acres Community Center,
Manahawkin, New Jersey (near the Garden State Parkway). Doors open 11 AM,
and programs run from noon until 5 PM, with a social hour and buffet dinner
to follow. There will be DXCC card checking, and the program agenda covers a
wide range of topics that include presentations on several DXpeditions and
DX contest sites, 6-meter DXing and more, plus an update on the December
DXpedition to Lakshadweep Islands (VU7). Some of the top DXers will be on
hand and among the presenters. Bob Allphin, K4UEE, will keynote the dinner
with his "3Y0X DX-perience Show." Full information is available on the DXPO
2006 Web site <http://sjdxa.org/jersey_shore_dxpo.htm>.--Bob Schenck, N2OO

* North Carolina county commissioners commend Amateur Radio volunteers: The
Orange County, North Carolina, Board of County Commissioners has commended
Amateur Radio volunteers as well as volunteer firefighters and rescue
squads. At its October 17 meeting, the Board recognized the county's
volunteer emergency responders, including Amateur Radio operators, for their
continuing service, and presented plaques to the Orange County Radio
Amateurs (OCRA) -- an ARRL-affiliated special service club -- as well as to
each volunteer fire department and rescue squad. OCRA President Dave Snyder,
W4SAR (left in photo, holding plaque), and Orange County ARES Emergency
Coordinator Skip Fisher, N6LUZ (right in photo), represented the county's
amateur community. The inscription says: "Presented to the Orange County Ham
Radio Amateurs in appreciation of your service and dedication to the
citizens of Orange County."

* DXCC Desk approves operations for DXCC credit: The ARRL DXCC Desk has
approved these operations for DXCC credit: ZA/IK7JWX (Albania), July 10-30,
2006; 3V6T (Tunisia), July 5-15, October 22-31 and November 22-30, 2006;
3V7A (Tunisia), May 22-31, 2006; 9G5UR (Ghana), current operation effective
September 22, 2006; 9M0/9M2TO (Spratly Islands), June 9-12, 2006; 9Q1NT
(Democratic Republic of the Congo), current operation effective September
22, 2006; C91TL (Mozambique), June 29-July 13, 2006; FO/F8UFT (Clipperton
Island), March 1-31, 2005; OJ0LA (Market Reef), September 9-15, 2006; ZL9BSJ
(Auckland & Campbell Island), September 12, 2002.  For more information,
visit the DXCC Web page <http://www.arrl.org/awards/dxcc/>. "DXCC Frequently
Asked Questions" can answer most questions about the DXCC program
<http://www.arrl.org/awards/dxcc/faq/>.

===========================================================
The ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the American
Radio Relay League: ARRL--the National Association For Amateur Radio, 225
Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259;
<http://www.arrl.org>. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, President.

The ARRL Letter offers a weekly e-mail digest of essential and general news
of interest to active radio amateurs. Visit the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org> for the latest Amateur Radio news and news updates.
The ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/> also offers informative features
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Material from The ARRL Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole or
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860-594-0384

==>How to Get The ARRL Letter

The ARRL Letter is available to ARRL members free of charge directly from
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-- 
Randy Allen, KA?AZS



From ka0azs at earthlink.net  Tue Nov  7 06:24:38 2006
From: ka0azs at earthlink.net (Randy Allen)
Date: Tue, 07 Nov 2006 06:24:38 -0500
Subject: [bulletins] [Fwd: WEAVER'S WORDS - CORRECTION & MORE]
Message-ID: <45506CF6.9090401@earthlink.net>



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: WEAVER'S WORDS - CORRECTION & MORE
Date: Tue, 7 Nov 2006 06:14:10 -0500
From: ARRL Web site <memberlist at www.arrl.org>


[As always, never reply to these newsletters by clicking "reply."
Always reply to k8je at arrl.org.  The ARRL reflector that distributes
these newsletters is one-way, only.]

- OOPS
- SPEAKING OF THE BAND CHANGES
- GREAT LAKES DIVISION CONVENTION
- THE ARRL BUDGET IS BORN

OOPS!

In my comments in the last issue on FCC's drastic changes to 80M, I
messed up the wording of one sentence.  This made it sound as though
the FCC had kicked all date and RTTY transmissions off 80.  I guess I
let my fingers go faster than my brain.  What I intended to say is that
some data transmissions were banned from 80M and that the allowed forms
of digital and RTTY were crammed in to the lower 100 kHz of the band
along with CW.

SPEAKING OF THE BAND CHANGES

Speaking of the band changes, the ARRL Bandplan committee that is
working on new bandplans for the bands that are being changes by the
new FCC rules has extended the time for commenting on these new plans.
This committee is asking amateurs to tell them how the new FCC rules
will effect current operations.  They also will accept comments on what
features the new bandplans should have.  Send your thoughts to
bandplan at www.arrl.org.

Comments for the new bandplans will be accepted until one week after
the new rules are published in the Federal Register.  The new rules
become effective 30 days after they are published in the Federal
Register.

GREAT LAKES DIVISION CONVENTION

Don't forget about the Great Lakes Division Convention on September 22,
2007.  It is in Cleveland the day before the Cleveland Hamfest which is
on September 23.  ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN is banquet
speaker.  Joel is a real go-getter and a very interesting speaker.
You'll have ample opportunity to speak with him in person throughout
the weekend.  The details of the program will be released later;
however, the program committee is working on a real winner.  They have
polled numerous amateurs throughout the area to learn the programs that
are in greatest demand.

THE ARRL BUDGET IS BORN

Ever wonder how the budget (commonly referred to as "The Plan") for
ARRL is set?  The process for the 2007 budget is well underway.  Its
draft has just been completed by Dave Sumner, K1ZZ our CEO and his
staff.  I expect to receive a copy of this many-paged draft on
Wednesday of this week and it will be discussed in great detail at the
A&F (Administration and Finance) Committee on November 18 when we
convene in Newington for our next-to-last in-person meeting of ARRL
year 2006.  During this meeting, ARRL staff managers can expect to
answer a number of questions and challenges from the Committee.  We are
likely to suggest a number of changes.  In return, the Committee will
expect to see revisions in the draft.

A&F will have its final meeting of the current year in Newington the
day before the mid-January 2007 Annual Meeting.  The Plan for 2007 will
again be reviewed in depth prior to and at this Committee meeting.
This last meeting of the 2006 year is critical to the budget because
this will be when the 2007 budget is either approved or disapproved or
changed by the Committee.  Barring any insurmountable disagreement
between management and the Committee, a budget proposal will be
reported to the full Board of Directors with a recommendation for
approval.

At the Board meeting, the 15 Directors and only the 15 Directors have
the power to vote The Plan as it then exists either up or down.  ARRL
Officers have no vote on the The Plan and other Board proposals.  The
ARRL staff has no vote on any Board operation.

I thought you might want to know.

73,

Jim

Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director
ARRL Great Lakes Division
5065 Bethany Rd.
Mason, OH 45040
E-mail:  k8je at arrl.org; Tel.: 513-459-0142

--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Great Lakes Division
Director: James Weaver, K8JE
k8je at arrl.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------
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-- 
Randy Allen, KA?AZS



From ka0azs at earthlink.net  Wed Nov  8 20:01:22 2006
From: ka0azs at earthlink.net (Randy Allen)
Date: Wed, 08 Nov 2006 20:01:22 -0500
Subject: [bulletins] [Fwd: ARLB023 ARRL Frequency Measuring Test 2006 Goes
	Back to Basics]
Message-ID: <45527DE2.60301@earthlink.net>



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: ARLB023 ARRL Frequency Measuring Test 2006 Goes Back to Basics
Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2006 18:52:23 -0500
From: ARRL Web site <memberlist at www.arrl.org>


SB QST @ ARL $ARLB023
ARLB023 ARRL Frequency Measuring Test 2006 Goes Back to Basics

ZCZC AG23
QST de W1AW
ARRL Bulletin 23  ARLB023
>From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  November 8, 2006
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB023
ARLB023 ARRL Frequency Measuring Test 2006 Goes Back to Basics

The ARRL Frequency Measuring Test (FMT) this year will represent a
return to basics: Measuring the carrier frequency of the transmitted
signal. Engineer and Contributing Editor Ward Silver, N0AX, spells
out the details of FMT 2006 in the article ''Frequency Measuring Test
2006 - Back to Basics, Plus,'' which appears on p 50 of November QST
and on the ARRL Web site, www.arrl.org/w1aw/fmt/.

''You don't have to own a rack full of sophisticated test equipment,''
Silver advises. ''By calibrating your radio to a known frequency
reference such as WWV or CHU and letting the radio reach an even,
stable temperature, your measurements can be within 1 part per
million (ppm) or even better.''

FMT transmissions from ARRL Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station W1AW
at League Headquarters in Connecticut will take place on 160, 80 and
40 meters starting at 0245 UTC on Thursday, November 16 (Wednesday,
November 15, in US time zones), replacing the W1AW phone bulletin.
Approximate frequencies will be 1853 kHz, 3586 kHz and 7039 kHz. An
initial call-up will take place on all three bands. During the FMT,
W1AW will indicate the band for the upcoming transmission. W1AW's
FMT 2006 transmissions will start on 160 meters.

To better accommodate stations west of the Mississippi, Mike Fahmie,
WA6ZTY, has volunteered to transmit a separate West Coast FMT signal
on 40 meters from the San Francisco area. The FMT transmission from
WA6ZTY will begin at 0330 UTC on approximately 7029 kHz.

FMT participants should listen to the W1AW CW or digital bulletin
transmission prior to the FMT to determine which band will provide
the best conditions for reception and measurement purposes. The W1AW
test will consist of three 60-second continuous carrier
transmissions on each band, followed by a series of Morse dits and
station identification. The whole test will run for about 15 minutes
and will end with a series of Vs followed by a station ID.

The West Coast FMT from WA6ZTY will begin with a general call at 10
WPM CW of ''QST DE WA6ZTY''. The measurement period begins with ''NOW
40 METERS''. Transmissions consisting of one minute of continuous
carrier and 10 seconds of Morse dits will follow. The West Coast FMT
will conclude with 15 seconds of Vs followed by a station ID.

All FMT participants will receive a Certificate of Participation.
Those coming closest to the measured frequency will be listed in the
test report and receive special recognition on their certificate.
Submit entries via e-mail to fmt at arrl.org or via the USPS to
W1AW/FMT, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. Entries must be received
or postmarked by December 16, 2006.
NNNN
/EX



-- 
Randy Allen, KA?AZS



From ka0azs at earthlink.net  Thu Nov  9 20:48:43 2006
From: ka0azs at earthlink.net (Randy Allen)
Date: Thu, 09 Nov 2006 20:48:43 -0500
Subject: [bulletins] [Fwd: ARLD047 DX news]
Message-ID: <4553DA7B.8000900@earthlink.net>



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: ARLD047 DX news
Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2006 15:45:12 -0500
From: ARRL Web site <memberlist at www.arrl.org>

CC: Subscribed ARRL Members:;

SB DX @ ARL $ARLD047
ARLD047 DX news

ZCZC AE47
QST de W1AW
DX Bulletin 47  ARLD047
>From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  November 9, 2006
To all radio amateurs

SB DX ARL ARLD047
ARLD047 DX news

This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by
NC1L, SV1EEX, QRZ DX, the OPDX Bulletin, DXNL, 425 DX News, The
Daily DX, Contest Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest Calendar and
WA7BNM web sites.  Thanks to all.

LIBYA, 5A.  An international team of operators will be QRV as 5A7A
from November 15 to 29.  This includes an entry in the upcoming CQ
WW CW contest.  They plan to be active on all bands and modes with
up to eight stations.  QSL via DL9USA.

QATAR, A7.  In celebration of the 15th Asian Games 2006 which begin
in Doha on December 1, a number of Qatar amateurs are QRV as A70RRY
until December 15.  They are active on all HF bands using CW and
SSB.  QSL via EA7FTR.

IRAN, EP.  Sadegh, EP3HF has been QRV on 15 meters from around 1000
to 1100z.

SVALBARD, JW.  Math is QRV as JW5NM and has been active on 80 meters
around 1100z.  QSL via LA5NM.

GREECE, SV.  A group of Greek amateurs will be QRV as SX8F from the
rocky islet of Falkonera, IOTA EU-113, from November 15 to 19.  This
includes activating the Lighthouse, ARLHS GRE-012.  Activity will be
on 160 to 6 meters using CW, SSB, FM, PSK and FSK441.  QSL via
SV1HER.

TURKEY, TA.  Berkin, TA3J will be QRV as TA3J/0 from Rat Island,
IOTA AS-115, from November 11 to 26.  Activity is on 160 to 2 meters
using all modes.  QSL direct via TA3YJ.

BELIZE, V3.  Joe, K8JP is QRV as V31JP until early April 2007.
Activity is on 160 to 6 meters using mostly CW.  He will try to be
active in some of the upcoming contests.  QSL via KA9WON.

MICRONESIA, V6.  Operators JA1KJW, JA1JQY, JI1FOP and JA8VE are QRV
as V63JQ, V63JY, V63OP and V63VE, respectively, from Chuuk Island,
IOTA OC-011, until November 13.  Activity is on 160 to 10 meters
using CW, SSB and RTTY.  QSL to home calls, except V63VE is via
JF1OCQ.  In addition, JA7HMZ will be QRV as V63DX from IOTA OC-010
from November 13 to 17.  He will place a special emphasis on Topband
activity.  QSL to home call.

ANTARCTICA.  Alan, VK6CQ is QRV as VP8PJ from the Summer Base Camp
at Patriot Hills, Ellsworth Land until December 10.  He is here on
work assignment, so he is active in his spare time.  He is usually
active using CW on 40, 30 and 20 meters.  QSL via DL5EBE.

BURKINA FASO, XT.  Michael, F1IQH will be QRV as XT2WC beginning
November 13.  He will be active on 40 and 20 meters.  QSL to home
call.

INDONESIA, YB.  Pele, YB8TAF is QRV as YB8TAF/p from Celebes Island,
IOTA OC-146, until November 14.  This includes an entry in the
Japan International DX contest.  QSL via EA5KB.

ALBANIA, ZA.  Tom, DL2RMC and Heiko, DL1RTL are QRV as ZA/homecalls
while on holiday until November 13.  Activity is on 160 to 10 meters
using all modes.  They also plan to be active in the Worked All
Europe RTTY contest.  QSL to home calls.

OPERATIONS APPROVED FOR DXCC CREDIT.  The following operations are
approved for DXCC credit: Tunisia, 3V6T, operations from July 5 to
15, 2006, October 22 to 31, 2006 and November 22 to 30, 2006;
Tunisia, 3V7A, operation from May 22 to 31, 2006; Ghana, 9G5UR,
current operation effective September 22, 2006; Spratly Islands,
9M0/9M2TO, operation from June 9 to 12, 2006; Democratic Republic of
the Congo, 9Q1NT, current operation effective September 22, 2006;
Mozambique, C91TL, operation from June 29 to July 13, 2006;
Clipperton Island, FO/F8UFT, operation from March 1 to 31, 2005;
Market Reef, OJ0LA, operation from September 9 to 15, 2006; and
Auckland and Campbell Island, ZL9BSJ, operation on September 12,
2002.

BULLETIN CORRECTION.  As reported in DX bulletin ARLD046, Adam,
K2ARB was actually QRV as CE8/K2ARB from Punta Arenas, Chile, not
Antarctica.

THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO.  The ARRL EME Contest 50 to 1296 MHz,,
Worked All Europe DX RTTY Contest, Japan International DX Phone
Contest, OK/OM DX CW Contest, Kentucky QSO Party and the CQ-WE
Contest are all scheduled for this weekend.  Please see November
QST, page 104 and the ARRL and WA7BNM contest websites for details.
NNNN
/EX




-- 
Randy Allen, KA?AZS



From ka0azs at earthlink.net  Fri Nov 10 19:48:54 2006
From: ka0azs at earthlink.net (Randy Allen)
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2006 19:48:54 -0500
Subject: [bulletins] [Fwd: ARLP046 Propagation de K7RA]
Message-ID: <45551DF6.7010505@earthlink.net>



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: ARLP046 Propagation de K7RA
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2006 09:21:02 -0500
From: ARRL Web site <memberlist at www.arrl.org>

CC: Subscribed ARRL Members:;

SB PROP @ ARL $ARLP046
ARLP046 Propagation de K7RA

ZCZC AP46
QST de W1AW
Propagation Forecast Bulletin 46  ARLP046
>From Tad Cook, K7RA
Seattle, WA  November 10, 2006
To all radio amateurs

SB PROP ARL ARLP046
ARLP046 Propagation de K7RA

Average daily sunspot numbers more than doubled this week over last,
up nearly 27 points to 46.3. While there were more sunspots, the
geomagnetic K index was 0, and on some days the A index was 0 as
well. Check out November 7-8 on,
http://www.sec.noaa.gov/ftpdir/indices/DGD.txt. A rare sight, with
nearly nothing but zeros straight across for two days, seemingly at
all latitudes. For the low end of the HF spectrum, what could be
better than a very quiet geomagnetic index and a long night?

That quiet period has come to an end. At 0600z on November 10, the
mid-latitude K index reported by WWV is 5, and the planetary K index
is 6, indicating a geomagnetic storm and a good night to observe
aurora. At the same time, sunspots 921 and 922 are leaving the
visible solar disc on the western limb, and sunspot 923 is emerging
on the eastern side.

On November 6, as sunspot 923 was about to emerge, it was throwing
off X-rays and a strong solar wind, but it was not yet aimed toward
earth. Astronomer Thomas Ashcraft is about 12 miles southeast of
Santa Fe, New Mexico, and has antennas aimed at the sun, with
receivers tuned to 18.7 and 22.2 MHz to detect radio noise. On
November 6 he recorded a particularly fast burst of solar radio
energy, and recorded it in stereo with the 18.7 MHz receiver feeding
one channel, and 22.2 MHz feeding the other. This produces an
interesting stereo effect, and you can hear it for yourself on his
web site, http://www.heliotown.com/Radio_Sun_Introduction.html.  He
recommends stereo headphones for maximum dramatic binaural effect.
This blast was from sunspot 923, which had not quite moved into
view. What would the effect have been if it was pointed toward us?
Interestingly, the geomagnetic field stayed very quiet for the next
few days.

Several readers, including Vince Varnas, K7ZH of Aloha, Oregon and
Jon Jones, N0JK of Wichita, Kansas commented on the report of 10
meter propagation from W0OGH in last week's bulletin. Both said that
this was more sporadic E propagation, and Jon noted that he worked
California on 6 meters around the same time.

Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, has a new article (in PDF format) just put
up on the Propagation section of the ARRL Technical Information
Service portion of the League web site. The title is, "The Precursor
Method of Predicting Solar Cycles," at,
http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/pdf/PrecursorMethod.pdf. He describes
one method for predicting an upcoming solar cycle, based on the
storminess (geomagnetically) of the period before the end of the
previous solar cycle.

Based on recent conditions, this would suggest a lower than normal
cycle 24. Currently, the solar minimum is still predicted for March
or April of 2007, only four to five months away. Carl isn't making
claims about the accuracy of such a prediction, but it is an
interesting illustration of the method.

Similarly, Gerry Fasse, W8GF of Warren, Michigan sent a link to a
2-year-old abstract from the American Geophysical Union about cycle
24 being small, and you can see the summary at,
http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2005/2004GL021664.shtml.

By the way, Gerry is at the top of the DXCC Honor Roll, has both 160
and 6 meter DXCC in addition, and 5-Band WAZ.

Currently the predicted planetary A index for today, November 10,
through Tuesday, November 14 is 20, 10, 8, 8 and 5. Sunspot numbers
and solar flux should begin to taper off, reaching a short term
minimum around November 21-23, and becoming high again around
December 5-7.

Several readers sent in an article about the Hinode Solar Optical
Telescope, and some fantastic images of the sun expected from this
project. Read about it at,
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/02nov_firstlight.htm?list5854.

Last week there was a typo at the beginning of the sunspot number
listing. For October 26-28, the sunspot numbers were 0, 14 and 28.

If you would like to make a comment or have a tip for our readers,
email the author at, k7ra at arrl.net.

For more information concerning radio propagation, see the ARRL
Technical Information Service at,
http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html. For a detailed
explanation of the numbers used in this bulletin, see,
http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/k9la-prop.html. An archive of past
propagation bulletins is at, http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/prop/ .

Sunspot numbers for November 2 through 8 were 59, 57, 52, 62, 30, 26
and 38 with a mean of 46.3. 10.7 cm flux was 88.2, 87.4, 85.5, 84.7,
83.5, 87.1, and 86.4, with a mean of 86.1. Estimated planetary A
indices were 8, 8, 6, 5, 1, 0 and 1 with a mean of 4.1. Estimated
mid-latitude A indices were 6, 5, 4, 3, 1, 0 and 0, with a mean of
2.7.
NNNN
/EX




-- 
Randy Allen, KA?AZS



From ka0azs at earthlink.net  Fri Nov 10 19:49:15 2006
From: ka0azs at earthlink.net (Randy Allen)
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2006 19:49:15 -0500
Subject: [bulletins] [Fwd: ARLB024 FCC "omnibus" rule changes not yet in
	effect]
Message-ID: <45551E0B.1020909@earthlink.net>



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: ARLB024 FCC "omnibus" rule changes not yet in effect
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2006 15:46:26 -0500
From: ARRL Web site <memberlist at www.arrl.org>

CC: Subscribed ARRL Members:;

SB QST @ ARL $ARLB024
ARLB024 FCC "omnibus" rule changes not yet in effect

ZCZC AG24
QST de W1AW
ARRL Bulletin 24  ARLB024
>From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  November 10, 2006
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB024
ARLB024 FCC "omnibus" rule changes not yet in effect

The new Amateur Radio rules detailed in the recent "omnibus" FCC
Report and Order (R&O), WT Docket 04-140, adopted October 4 and
released October 10, are not yet in effect. The R&O is available on
the FCC Web site,
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-06-149A1.pdf.

The changes will become effective 30 days after they appear in the
Federal Register, the official daily publication for rules, proposed
rules and notices of federal agencies and organizations. Since
publication has not yet occurred, the effective date of the Part 97
rule changes cannot be determined. The ARRL will announce the
effective date of these new rules as soon as it's known.

The "omnibus" R&O does not include action on the Commission's
proposal to eliminate the Morse code requirement for all license
classes. A Report and Order in that proceeding, WT Docket 05-235, is
still pending, and the ARRL will announce when the Commission
releases it.
NNNN
/EX




-- 
Randy Allen, KA?AZS



From ka0azs at earthlink.net  Fri Nov 10 19:49:39 2006
From: ka0azs at earthlink.net (Randy Allen)
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2006 19:49:39 -0500
Subject: [bulletins] [Fwd: The ARRL Letter, Vol 25, No 45 (Nov 10, 2006)]
Message-ID: <45551E23.5040508@earthlink.net>



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: The ARRL Letter, Vol 25, No 45 (Nov 10, 2006)
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2006 18:26:49 -0500
From: ARRL Letter Mailing List <letter-dlvy at arrl.org>


***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 25, No. 45
November 10, 2006
***************

===========================================================
NOTE: The new Amateur Radio rules detailed in the recent "omnibus" FCC
Report and Order (R&O), WT Docket 04-140, released October 10, are NOT yet
in effect. See "Reminder -- FCC 'omnibus' rule changes not yet in effect,"
below.
===========================================================

IN THIS EDITION:

* +Red Cross tries to clarify background-check policy
* +Stand by for SuitSat-2!
* +FCC warns unlicensed 2 and 10-meter users
* +League's Legislative Action Program seeks volunteers
* +ARRL On-Line Auction to return next year
* +"Hello" video now available
* +It's back to basics for 2006 Frequency Measuring Test
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF:
      This weekend on the radio
      ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
     +Reminder: FCC "omnibus" rule changes not yet in effect
      Texas club makes generous Spectrum Defense Fund donation
      ARRL members may sign up for IARU E-Letter
      QEX turns 25!
      Randy Koehn, KC5TIL wins October QST Cover Plaque Award

+Available on ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/>

===========================================================
==>Delivery problems: First see FAQ
<http://www.arrl.org/members-only/faq.html#nodelivery>, then e-mail
<letter-dlvy at arrl.org>
==>Editorial questions or comments only: Rick Lindquist, N1RL,
<n1rl at arrl.org>
===========================================================

==>AMERICAN RED CROSS CLARIFIES BACKGROUND CHECK POLICY

The American Red Cross (ARC) has attempted to clarify its policy to require
background checks of its employees and volunteers, at least as far as the
policy applies to possible credit checks. After the ARC announced the policy
in July through its regional and local chapters, Amateur Radio Emergency
Service (ARES) members who support Red Cross disaster relief and recovery
efforts began expressing concerns to ARRL. In some past incidents -- most
notably the 2001 World Trade Center terror attacks and the 2005 Hurricane
Katrina response -- ARES volunteers have had to badge in as Red Cross
volunteers. In a statement
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/RedCross-LauraHowe-Statement.pdf> to the
ARRL November 9, Laura Howe, the ARC's director of response communication
and marketing, stressed that, while background check applicants must give
permission to conduct a credit check, the ARC has no intention of conducting
them across the board.

"The Red Cross realizes some volunteers may have concerns about authorizing
a credit check. Those concerns are understandable," Howe said. "But please
rest assured that credit checks are only run in rare instances and are not a
part of the routine minimum basic check the Red Cross performs on employees
or volunteers." Howe told the League that the "standard minimum check"
verifies the applicant's Social Security number and a search of the National
Criminal File for the past seven years.

"While the Red Cross will never run a credit check on the vast majority of
its employees and volunteers," she asserted, "it is important that this
standard language is included in the consent form to protect our clients,
volunteers and employees."

The ARC has contracted with MyBackgroundCheck.com LLC (MBC) to handle the
on-line background checks. MBC notifies the applicant's local Red Cross
chapter whether or not the individual passed the background check, but it
does not share any personal data.

In a statement
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/RC-Background-Checks0610.pdf> October 24,
ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, urged ARES and other ham radio
volunteers to tread cautiously and read very carefully what they are giving
MBC permission to collect on behalf of the Red Cross, especially given the
wide net being cast. Howe acknowledged that by signing the consent form,
applicants do give MBC permission to "conduct a credit check or other
investigation into an individual's background." ARES members are not obliged
to submit to a background check, however; the choice to do so is a personal
one.

Several ARES leaders maintain that they and their volunteers represent ARES
when supporting the ARC as a served agency. "Our issue is not the background
checking, but the fact ARC considers ARES members ARC volunteers," one ARRL
Section Emergency Coordinator told ARRL. An ARES District Emergency
Coordinator suggested the ARC policy is too arbitrary. "The unfortunate
thing is that if a member decides not to submit to this check, then that
will hamper our ability to serve the Red Cross in an emergency," he said.

ARRL Field and Educational Services Manager Dave Patton, NN1N -- whose
department supports and oversees the ARRL Field Organization -- believes the
Red Cross stands to lose a fair number of volunteers because of the
requirement -- and not necessarily just ARES volunteers.

The Statement of Understanding (SoU) between the ARC and the ARRL does not
address the issue of background checks. It also is ambiguous on the subject
of whether ARES volunteers automatically become ARC volunteers when
supporting Red Cross operations and become subject to a background check.
The bottom line: The requirement extends to whomever the Red Cross says it
does. While some Red Cross chapters will allow ARES member participation
without requiring that they register as Red Cross volunteers, others may
not. The ARRL-ARC SoU is up for review in 2007.

==>SUITSAT-2 TO HAVE AMATEUR RADIO TRANSPONDERS

Plans to launch a second "SuitSat" spacesuit-turned-satellite were the
subject of discussions and presentations at the recent AMSAT Space Symposium
and Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) International
Delegates' meeting near San Francisco. Despite a weaker-than-anticipated
2-meter signal, SuitSat-1 -- a surplus Russian Orlan spacesuit fitted with
an Amateur Radio transmitter -- sparked the imagination of students and the
general public and turned into a public relations bonanza for Amateur Radio.
ARISS now hopes to capitalize on the concept by building an even better
SuitSat that will include ham radio transponders.

"The whole science fiction aspect" of SuitSat-1 made it attractive, ARISS
International Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, told the AMSAT Space Symposium
in October. "From our perspective it was a tremendous success." Bauer said
the experience gained through SuitSat-1 "will provide the stepping stone to
get to the next level." The next-generation SuitSat also will re-use another
surplus Orlan spacesuit.

The ISS Expedition 12 crew of Bill McArthur, KC5ACR -- who was the AMSAT
Space Symposium's banquet speaker -- and Valery Tokarev released SuitSat-1
into orbit. SuitSat-1 transmitted its voice message -- "This is SuitSat-1
RS0RS!" -- in several languages plus telemetry and an SSTV image on an
eight-minute cycle as it orbited Earth. The unusual spacecraft's radio
signal was heard around the globe, although only the best-equipped Earth
stations could copy it. Designated by AMSAT as AO-54, SuitSat-1 remained in
operation for more than two weeks. It re-entered Earth's atmosphere
September 7.

Lou McFadin, W5DID, who headed the SuitSat-1 hardware team, told the AMSAT
Space Symposium that SuitSat-2 will incorporate some features his team
didn't have the chance to accomplish the first time around. For starters,
the second SuitSat will have an onboard Amateur Radio transponder using
digital signal processing (DSP) techniques. McFadin says the team is looking
at SuitSat-2 as a test bed for the hardware that AMSAT plans to launch on
its Phase 3E "Eagle Project" satellite, which will employ software defined
radio (SDR) technology.

"With DSP, we can do more than one thing at once," he said. Among them are
an SSB Mode U/V transponder, an FM crossband transponder, a CW ID that
offers a contest for listeners to copy as many of the call signs as
possible, a digipeater and four slow-scan TV (SSTV) cameras. Other
experiments are yet to be determined. Solar panels -- something SuitSat-1
did not have -- will energize the hardware and recharge SuitSat-2's
batteries.

An ISS crew could launch SuitSat-2 during a spacewalk as early as next fall.
It could have an operational lifetime of six months or longer.

"We're going to have so much fun with this," McFadin predicted, adding that
one goal of SuitSat-2 will be to attract newcomers to Amateur Radio.

==>LOADED FOR BEAR: FCC ISSUES WARNINGS FOR UNLICENSED USE OF HAM BANDS

Special Counsel in the FCC Spectrum Enforcement Division Riley Hollingsworth
has warned seven Michigan residents that unlicensed use of Amateur Radio
transmitting equipment on 2 meters to facilitate their bear hunting
activities is illegal and may result in substantial fines. Warning notices
went out October 19.

"While many hunters use Citizens Band radio or Family Radio Service
equipment, the use of Amateur Radio equipment requires a license,"
Hollingsworth advised. He also sent an Advisory Notice to the Michigan Bear
Hunters Association, suggesting the association post it on its Web site.

In a similar situation, the Commission attempted to enlist the aid of Quest
Air Soaring Center in Groveland, Florida, in spreading the word that glider
pilots using the facility also need to avoid unlicensed operation on 2
meters. Hollingsworth said unlicensed use of airborne radio equipment not
only violates federal law but causes widespread interference to licensed
stations. He suggested the soaring center post the Advisory Notice on its
Web site as well.

The FCC also warned yet another trucking firm of apparent unlicensed
operation on 10 meters by two of its drivers this past summer. Hollingsworth
wrote Sysco Corporation of Houston, Texas, October 10, citing reports that
the transmissions were spotted August 11 and 18 on 28.115 MHz while the
drivers were on the road in Michigan.

In all instances of alleged unlicensed operation, Hollingsworth pointed out
that violators face fines of up to $10,000 and possible imprisonment as well
as seizure of any transmitting equipment they may have been using illegally.


In other recent actions, the FCC alerted two radio amateurs that the
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) has referred their Amateur Radio
license renewal applications to the Enforcement Bureau for review.
Hollingsworth notified each licensee to expect a Hearing Designation Order
from the Commission.

Hollingsworth told David O. Castle, WA9KJI, of Evansville, Indiana, October
11 that the WTB referral was the result of "longstanding complaints against
the operation of your station" involving interference on HF and 2 meters. In
another case, Hollingsworth wrote William F. Crowell, W6WBJ (ex-N6AYJ), of
Diamond Springs, California, that his license renewal application has been
designated for hearing after a review of "numerous complaints filed against
the operation of your station" alleging deliberate interference.

Hearings are held in Washington, DC, before an administrative law judge, and
the applicants will have the burden of proof in showing they're still
qualified to be Amateur Radio licensees. Over the past several years, the
FCC has asked both licensees to respond to allegations of deliberate
interference on the amateur bands.

==>THE ARRL LEGISLATIVE ACTION PROGRAM WANTS YOU!

The ARRL Legislative Action Program wants League members who are willing to
get directly involved in promoting and protecting Amateur Radio through
coordinated, legitimate political action at the "grassroots level." The
program is being staffed to prepare for the 110th Congress, which convenes
in January. ARRL Great Lakes Division Director Jim Weaver, K8JE, who chairs
the Legislative Action Committee, says members of Congress often base their
votes upon their understanding of what their constituents -- the voters who
put them in office -- want.

"As a constituent, your opinion is important to them," Weaver says.
"Constituent input helps lawmakers gauge positions on legislation and
determine how a particular bill might affect voters in their states or
districts." He says radio amateurs can be a valuable resource to members of
Congress, who may have only a limited knowledge of Amateur Radio.

"Your combination of being a constituent and a federal licensee can help
make a difference by ensuring that your member of Congress and staff receive
the balanced information they need to make good decisions on Amateur
Radio-related legislation," Weaver adds.

A new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
<http://www.arrl.org/govrelations/laprog-faq.html> on the ARRL Legislative
Action Program now is available for ARRL members and others interested in
this ARRL grassroots effort. Contact your ARRL Division Director
<http://www.arrl.org/divisions/> for additional information or to volunteer.
There's more information on the ARRL Government Relations page
<http://www.arrl.org/govrelations/>.

==>ARRL ON-LINE AUCTION: "WE'LL BE BACK!"

The first ARRL On-Line Auction <http://arrl.auctionanything.com/> is
history, but the event may well become an annual affair. Once the bidding
had ended November 3 and the dust had settled a bit, ARRL Business Services
Manager Deb Jahnke, K1DAJ -- whose staff pulled the auction together -- was
able to compile and share some statistics. Not only did auction proceeds
exceed expectations by more than 20 percent, it attracted more than 4300
bidders from 36 countries -- and as far away as Australia -- competing for
just over 100 items.

"Based on feedback, I think it's safe to say -- to paraphrase Arnold
Schwarzenegger -- we'll be back!" Jahnke said. During the bidding from
October 23 until November 3, she reports, many participants e-mailed League
Headquarters not just with questions but to share their excitement.

"This is too much fun -- I'm high bidder on two items! And just a beginner!"
enthused one participant. "What a riot!" Another put it more succinctly:
"Our hobby still rocks!"

Jahnke says most of those who wrote expressed the wish that the ARRL run and
online auction every year -- or perhaps even more frequently, possibly all
year long. She says that while the auction involved a lot of planning and
preparation, ARRL Headquarters staffers also had a lot of fun.

"All staff members who worked on the project enjoyed it as much as the
bidders as we saw the prices climb and bidding wars ensue," she said. "We
also thoroughly enjoyed the one-on-one contact with bidders grateful for
prompt responses to their questions and shared our excitement with the
winners."

The 12-day event actually ran into overtime as a handful of bidders battled
for the right to take home the coveted prizes that remained. In all 1300
bids were placed. A 1964 softcover edition of the ARRL's Radio Amateur's
Handbook was the unlikely final item. Extended bidding -- a dollar or two at
a pop and sometimes edging to within seconds of the gavel -- ultimately
upped the price to $161. Other last-minute holdouts included a 1973
hardcover edition of the Radio Amateur's Handbook, which went for $52, and a
white gold signet ring, which brought $334.

The generosity of many donors, Jahnke says, made it possible for the
League's premier auction to offer a diverse list of items that also included
transceivers, ARRL Lab-tested and reviewed equipment, exotic vacations,
vintage gear, mystery "junque" boxes and an Eagles-autographed acoustic
guitar donated by Joe Walsh, WB6ACU, that went for $3353.

Jahnke says the auction donors were as thrilled as the participants. "Quite
a few of our advertisers who donated items called to tell us that their Web
sales had spiked during and immediately after the auction," Jahnke remarked
afterward.

Said ARRL COO Harold Kramer, WJ1B, after the last item had sold: "It was
fun, it was exciting and, best of all, it raised money for a good cause."
Auction proceeds will help support ARRL educational activities including
licensing newcomers, strengthening Amateur Radio's emergency service
training, offering online continuing education courses and creating new
instructional and educational materials.

==>NEW "HELLO" VIDEO NOW AVAILABLE

A new Amateur Radio promotional video -- part of the "Hello" campaign -- now
is available from ARRL. Kevin O'Dell, N0IRW, a member of the ARRL Public
Relations Committee, produced the video, which runs approximately four
minutes. It's available for viewing
<http://p1k.arrl.org/files/Hello-Movie.wmv> and downloading in Windows Media
and MPEG formats via the League's public relations page
<http://www.arrl.org/pio/> (scroll down to "Hello Video Files Hello - 4
minute mini-presentation").

ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, says the video
is an excellent addition to the Hello package. Timed to coincide with the
culmination of the Hello campaign in late December, he says, the video
"gives hams a once-in-a-century opportunity to promote Amateur Radio as
never before!" He advises that a DVD version also is available for placement
on cable and TV stations (unlike Amateur Radio Today, the "Hello" campaign
video production may be broadcast). Contact Pitts <hello at arrl.org> to obtain
a copy.

The "Hello" campaign, aimed at presenting a friendly and inviting image of
Amateur Radio to non-hams, has been tremendously successful, Pitts reports.
"It has shown that active public information officers across the country can
be very effective when provided with quality materials. Audio and video
public service announcements have played on hundreds of stations."

The "Hello" campaign brochure quickly blew its initial printing of 40,000
and soon will pass 80,000 or more, he says, adding that buttons and bumper
stickers "flew off the tables" at various gatherings.

==>ARRL FREQUENCY MEASURING TEST 2006 GOES BACK TO BASICS

The ARRL Frequency Measuring Test (FMT) this year will represent a return to
basics: Measuring the carrier frequency of the transmitted signal. Engineer
and Contributing Editor Ward Silver, N0AX, spells out the details of FMT
2006 in the article "Frequency Measuring Test 2006 -- Back to Basics, Plus,"
which appears on p 50 of November QST and on the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/fmt/>.

"You don't have to own a rack full of sophisticated test equipment," Silver
advises. "By calibrating your radio to a known frequency reference such as
WWV or CHU and letting the radio reach an even, stable temperature, your
measurements can be within 1 part per million (ppm) or even better!"

FMT transmissions from ARRL Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station W1AW at
League Headquarters in Connecticut will take place on 160, 80 and 40 meters
starting at 0245 UTC on Thursday, November 16 (Wednesday, November 15, in US
time zones), replacing the W1AW phone bulletin. Approximate frequencies will
be 1853 kHz, 3586 kHz and 7039 kHz. An initial call-up will take place on
all three bands. During the FMT, W1AW will indicate the band for the
upcoming transmission. W1AW's FMT 2006 transmissions will start on 160
meters.

To better accommodate stations west of the Mississippi, Mike Fahmie, WA6ZTY,
has volunteered to transmit a separate West Coast FMT signal on 40 meters
from the San Francisco area. The FMT transmission from WA6ZTY will begin at
0330 UTC on approximately 7029 kHz.

FMT participants should listen to the W1AW CW or digital bulletin
transmission prior to the FMT to determine which band will provide the best
conditions for reception and measurement purposes. The W1AW test will
consist of three 60-second continuous carrier transmissions on each band,
followed by a series of Morse dits and station identification. The whole
test will run for about 15 minutes and will end with a series of Vs followed
by a station ID.

The West Coast FMT from WA6ZTY will begin with a general call at 10 WPM CW
of "QST DE WA6ZTY". The measurement period begins with "NOW 40 METERS".
Transmissions consisting of one minute of continuous carrier and 10 seconds
of Morse dits will follow. The West Coast FMT will conclude with 15 seconds
of Vs followed by a station ID.

All FMT participants will receive a Certificate of Participation. Those
coming closest to the measured frequency will be listed in the test report
and receive special recognition on their certificate. Submit entries via
e-mail to <fmt at arrl.org> or via the USPS to W1AW/FMT, 225 Main St,
Newington, CT 06111. Entries must be received or postmarked by December 16,
2006.

An ARRL staple for nearly 50 years, the League resurrected the FMT in 2002.
The increasing technical quality of amateur gear was one of the primary
reasons the League suspended the FMT in 1980.

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Propagation guru Tad "I Saw the Sun" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington,
reports: Average daily sunspot numbers more than doubled this week over
last, up by nearly 27 points to 46.3. While there were more sunspots, the
geomagnetic K index was zero, and on some days the A index was zero as well.
That quiet period has come to an end. At 0600 UTC on November 10, the
mid-latitude K index reported by WWV is 5, and the planetary K index is 6.
This indicates a geomagnetic storm and a good time to observe aurora.

On November 6, as sunspot 923 was about to emerge, it was throwing off X
rays and a strong solar wind, but it was not yet aimed toward Earth.
Radioastronomer Thomas Ashcraft in New Mexico had his antennas aimed at the
sun and his receivers tuned to 18.7 and 22.2 MHz to detect radio noise. On
November 6 he recorded a particularly fast burst of solar radio energy, and
recorded it in stereo with the 18.7 MHz receiver feeding one channel, and
22.2 MHz feeding the other
<http://www.heliotown.com/Snov6_06_1747ut1822.mp3>. He recommends stereo
headphones for maximum effect.

The predicted planetary A index for Friday, November 10, through Tuesday,
November 14 is 20, 10, 8, 8 and 5. Sunspot numbers and solar flux should
begin to taper off, reaching a short-term minimum around November 21-23, and
becoming high again around December 5-7.

For more information concerning radio propagation, see the ARRL Technical
Information Service at <http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html>. For
a detailed explanation of the numbers used in this bulletin, see
<http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/k9la-prop.html>.

Sunspot numbers for November 2 through 8 were 59, 57, 52, 62, 30, 26 and 38,
with a mean of 46.3. The 10.7 cm flux was 88.2, 87.4, 85.5, 84.7, 83.5,
87.1, and 86.4, with a mean of 86.1. Estimated planetary A indices were 8,
8, 6, 5, 1, 0 and 1, with a mean of 4.1. Estimated mid-latitude A indices
were 6, 5, 4, 3, 1, 0 and 0, with a mean of 2.7.

__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: The Worked All Europe DX Contest (RTTY), the
ARRL EME Contest Part 3 (50-1296 MHz), the JIDX Phone Contest, the OK/OM DX
Contest (CW), the Kentucky QSO Party and the CQ-WE Contest are the weekend
of November 11-12. The NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint is November 16. The YO
International PSK31 Contest is November 17. JUST AHEAD: The ARRL November
Sweepstakes (SSB), the NA Collegiate ARC Championship (SSB), SARL Field Day,
the LZ DX Contest, the EUCW Fraternizing CW QSO Party, the All-Austrian
160-Meter Contest, the RSGB Second 1.8 MHz Contest (CW), the EU PSK63 QSO
Party are the weekend of November 18-19. The Run for the Bacon QRP Contest
is November 20. The CQ Worldwide DX Contest (CW) is the weekend of November
25-26. The ARCI Topband Sprint is November 30 (UTC). The ARRL 160-Meter
Contest, the EU-PSK QRP Contest, the TARA RTTY Melee, the Wake-Up! QRP
Sprint, and the TOPS Activity Contest are the weekend of December 2-3. See
the ARRL Contest Branch page <http://www.arrl.org/contests/> and the WA7BNM
Contest Calendar <http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more
info.

* ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration:
Registration remains open through Sunday, November 19, for these ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education (CCE) <http://www.arrl.org/cce/>
online courses beginning Friday, December 1: Amateur Radio Emergency
Communications Level 1 (EC-001), Radio Frequency Interference (EC-006),
Antenna Design and Construction (EC-009), Amateur Radio License Course
(EC-010), Analog Electronics (EC-012) and Digital Electronics (EC-013).
These courses also will open for registration Friday, November 17, for
classes beginning Friday, January 5, 2007. To learn more, visit the CCE
Course Listing page <http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> or contact the
CCE Department <cce at arrl.org>.

* Reminder -- FCC "omnibus" rule changes not yet in effect: The new Amateur
Radio rules detailed in the recent "omnibus" FCC Report and Order (R&O), WT
Docket 04-140, adopted October 4 and released October 10, are NOT yet in
effect. The changes will become effective 30 days after they appear in the
Federal Register, the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules
and notices of federal agencies and organizations. Since publication has not
yet occurred, the effective date of the Part 97 rule changes cannot be
determined. The ARRL will announce the effective date of these new rules as
soon as it's known. The "omnibus" R&O does not include action on the
Commission's proposal to eliminate the Morse code requirement for all
license classes. A Report and Order in that proceeding, WT Docket 05-235, is
still pending, and the ARRL will announce when the Commission releases it.

* Texas club makes generous Spectrum Defense Fund donation: The Temple
Amateur Radio Club (TARC) <http://www.tarc.org/> in Texas has donated $1000
to the 2007 ARRL Spectrum Defense Fund
<https://www.arrl.org/forms/fdefense/>. "TARC is pleased to donate a little
something back to the hobby that we all enjoy," TARC's President-Elect Tom
Olsen, KC5KXS, and President Myron Mesecke, N5TFK, said in a note to ARRL
Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH. "The ARRL Spectrum Defense
Fund needs our support, and we hope this check helps, if just a little.
Thanks for all you do!" TARC's twice-yearly Belton HamEXPO, billed as the
"friendliest hamfest in the country," draws thousands of hams come from all
over Texas and the surrounding states to buy, sell and socialize. The ARRL
Spectrum Defense Fund wants to raise $250,000 by year's end, and the ARRL's
federal court appeal of the FCC's 2004 and 2006 broadband over power line
(BPL) rule decisions will be a prime beneficiary. Donations will enable the
court appeal to go forward without shifting resources away from other
important ARRL programs.

* ARRL members may sign up for IARU E-Letter: ARRL members now may sign up
to receive the monthly International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) electronic
newsletter, The IARU E-Letter <http://www.iaru.org/e-letter/>. This new
e-publication reports on various IARU activities and projects in all three
IARU regions. New editions appear on the IARU Web site around the first of
each month and are available for free viewing/downloading. ARRL members now
may request to receive The IARU E-Letter directly: (1) Log into the ARRL Web
site <http://www.arrl.org/> as a member and click on "Member Data page"
Note: If you're logged in as a member, this link will appear in the box in
the site banner that says "Members Only (your call sign)." If you don't see
this link, you're not logged in as a member. (3) Click on "Modify membership
data." (4) Check the box next to "The IARU E-Letter (International Amateur
Radio Union news)." (5) Click on "Submit modification." Other IARU
member-societies may make the IARU E-Letter available to their members
through their own news channels. Subscribers receive their copies via the
"iaru-news" e-mail list maintained by the IARU International Secretariat.
Anyone holding a position as an IARU volunteer or with an IARU
member-society will be included on this distribution list upon e-mail
request <iaru at iaru.org>. Please include your IARU or member-society
position.

* QEX turns 25! QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters celebrates
25 years of publication with its November/December 2006 issue. Published six
times a year, QEX features technical articles, columns and other items of
interest to radio amateurs, students and communications professionals. Doug
Smith, KF6DX, who's in his ninth year as editor (ARRL Senior Assistant
Technical Editor Larry Wolfgang, WR1B, is QEX managing editor), says the
magazine aims to strike a balance between the theoretical and the practical.
"You're reading the best technical journal in its field," he tells
subscribers. "QEX rose to that status through hard and intelligent work of
the same kind that sustains it now." Most QEX content comes from outside
contributors, and Smith encouraged more authors to submit construction
articles. To learn more about QEX, visit the QEX Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/qex/>.

* Randy Koehn, KC5TIL wins October QST Cover Plaque Award: The winner of the
QST Cover Plaque Award for October is Randy Koehn, KC5TIL, for his article
"A Remote Reporting Solar Powered Weather Station." Congratulations, Randy!
The winner of the QST Cover Plaque award--given to the author or authors of
the best article in each issue--is determined by a vote of ARRL members on
the QST Cover Plaque Poll Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/members-only/QSTvote.html>. Cast a ballot for your
favorite article in the November issue by Thursday, November 30.

===========================================================
The ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the American
Radio Relay League: ARRL--the National Association For Amateur Radio, 225
Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259;
<http://www.arrl.org>. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, President.

The ARRL Letter offers a weekly e-mail digest of essential and general news
of interest to active radio amateurs. Visit the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org> for the latest Amateur Radio news and news updates.
The ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/> also offers informative features
and columns. ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> is a
weekly "ham radio newscast" compiled and edited from The ARRL Letter. It's
also available as a podcast from our Web site.

Material from The ARRL Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole or
in part in any form without additional permission. Credit must be given to
The ARRL Letter/American Radio Relay League.

==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!):
letter-dlvy at arrl.org
==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, n1rl at arrl.org
==>ARRL News on the Web: <http://www.arrl.org>
==>ARRL Audio News: <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> or call
860-594-0384

==>How to Get The ARRL Letter

The ARRL Letter is available to ARRL members free of charge directly from
ARRL HQ. To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address for e-mail
delivery:
ARRL members first must register on the Members Only Web Site
<http://www.arrl.org/members/>. You'll have an opportunity during
registration to sign up for e-mail delivery of The ARRL Letter, W1AW
bulletins, and other material. To change these selections--including
delivery of The ARRL Letter--registered members should click on the "Member
Data Page" link (in the Members Only box). Click on "Modify membership
data," check or uncheck the appropriate boxes and/or change your e-mail
address if necessary. (Check "Temporarily disable all automatically sent
email" to temporarily stop all e-mail deliveries.) Then, click on "Submit
modification" to make selections effective. (NOTE: HQ staff members cannot
change your e-mail delivery address. You must do this yourself via the
Members Only Web Site.)

The ARRL Letter also is available to all, free of charge, from these
sources:

* ARRLWeb <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/>. (NOTE: The ARRL Letter will be
posted each Friday when it is distributed via e-mail.)

* The QTH.net listserver, thanks to volunteers from the Boston Amateur Radio
Club: Visit Mailing Lists at QTH.Net
<http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/letter-list>. (NOTE: The ARRL
cannot assist subscribers who receive The ARRL Letter via this listserver.)





-- 
Randy Allen, KA?AZS



From w8lly at sbcglobal.net  Tue Nov 14 23:16:19 2006
From: w8lly at sbcglobal.net (w8lly at sbcglobal.net)
Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2006 23:16:19 -0500
Subject: [bulletins] FW: EVENING OSSBN NET TO START EARLIER;
	ANSWER TO BAND PROPAGATION PROBLEMS
Message-ID: <002a01c7086c$cd5d4340$4101a8c0@FREDSTONE>



-----Original Message-----
From: ARRL Web site [mailto:memberlist at www.arrl.org] 
Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2006 1:10 PM
To: W8LLY at sbcglobal.net
Subject: EVENING OSSBN NET TO START EARLIER; ANSWER TO BAND PROPAGATION
PROBLEMS

The evening session of the Ohio Single Band Net (OSSBN) will be moving
messages 30 minutes earlier each day until further notice. Propagation
problems on the 75 meter band makes necessary to start the evening
traffic net at 1815 (6:15 p.m.) The announcement was made by OSSBN Net
Manager Connie Hamilton, N8IO, who is also an Assistant Section Manager
for Ohio.
                    
"The OSSBN Advisory Board met Tuesday (November 14) to make this
change,"  Connie said, "too many evenings we have either had out of
state operators relaying or absolutely NO copy on anyone due to
propagation problems." OSSBN will revert to the normal start time when
the propagation returns to normal, she said.
                    
OSSBN, Ohio's traffic net of record, meets three times daily on 3.9725
MHz at  1030 (10:30 a, m,) and 1615 (4:15 p.m.) as well as the new time
announced today.  

Connie, N8IO
OSSBN NM
ASM SE OH

--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Ohio Section
Section Manager: Joseph J. Phillips, K8QOE
k8qoe at arrl.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------
This message is being sent to you via the ARRL Members Only Web site.
If you do not want to receive further messages, go to the site at:
http://www.arrl.org/members-only/memdata.html?modify=1
Log in with your username and password and change your email options.
Unchecking the "News and information from your Division Director and
Section Manager" box will prevent messages such as this one from
being sent to you.
-- webmaster at arrl.org




From w8lly at sbcglobal.net  Thu Nov 16 02:18:26 2006
From: w8lly at sbcglobal.net (w8lly at sbcglobal.net)
Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2006 02:18:26 -0500
Subject: [bulletins] FW: ARRL Contest Rate Sheet for November 15, 2006
Message-ID: <000501c7094f$68c202c0$4101a8c0@FREDSTONE>


-----Original Message-----
From: ARRL Web site [mailto:memberlist at www.arrl.org] 
Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 12:12 AM
To: W8LLY at sbcglobal.net
Cc: Subscribed ARRL Members:
Subject: ARRL Contest Rate Sheet for November 15, 2006

********************************************
	  CONTESTER'S RATE SHEET
	      15 November 2006

	Edited by Ward Silver N0AX

Published by the American Radio Relay League
 Free to ARRL members - tell your friends!
(Subscription info at the end of newsletter)
********************************************

SUMMARY
o Phone Band Phollies - Phone Sweepstakes
o Worldwide Morsematism - CQ WW Code
o The Gorillapod
o Tips for Phone Contesting
o IOTA 2006 Results Published
o K3LR on PL259 Soldering
o NIST Time and Frequency Services Publication
o Cabrillo - Version 3 Cometh

BULLETINS
o The Rate Sheet would like to remind all Topband contesters that in
the upcoming ARRL 160 Meter contest, DX stations ARE allowed to work
stations outside the continental US if the station is sending an ARRL
or RAC section abbreviation as part of the exchange. These stations
may be contacted for QSO Point credit by DX!  This includes KH6
(PAC), KL7 (AK), KP4 (PR), and KP2 (VI) stations.  Make sure your
software treats these stations correctly and spread the word outside
the US and VE.	Thank you!

BUSTED QSOS
o The KY QSO Party had the right dates but was printed in the wrong
section of the summary - apologies.

CONTEST SUMMARY (Rules follow Commentary section)

November 18-19
- ARRL Sweepstakes, Phone
- North American Collegiate ARC Championship, Phone
- LZ DX Contest
- RSGB 1.8 MHz Contest, CW
- PSK63 QSO Party
November 25-26
- CQ Worldwide, CW

--o- ooo - --o- ooo - --o- ooo -  -oo o
NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST
- oooo o   o-o o- - o	ooo oooo o o - -o-

Fans of Art Collins and everyone interested in radio history will
enjoy the online article "Arthur A. Collins - A Hero Among Hams" from
Electronic Design. It's short, but packed full of information about
Art's achievements and the history of his company, Collins Radio. 
You can read it by browsing to http://www.elecdesign.com and entering
13670 into the "Enter ED Online ID", then click "GO".

A friend sent me a clipping from the newspaper with a short story
about the Gorillapod - a flexible tripod that will hold a camera on
just about any surface or structure.  Made by Joby
(http://www.joby.com), the Gorillapod looked like something with
workshop, garage, and antenna farm applications, as well.  At the
least, it's a Neat Thing!

We all hope for that CE0Z multiplier, but rarely get it.  Why not
read about it, instead?  I read "Selkirk's Island" by Diana Souhami
over the summer and really enjoyed the tale of the real-life Robinson
Crusoe.  Just the thing while you're waiting for the bands to open!

Speaking of odd call signs, during 2007 Mexico's FMRE will celebrate
its 75th anniversary and XE stations will use new prefixes 6E through
6J. Make sure your CTY files are up to date! (Thanks, Pepe XE2MX and
Dennis N6KI)

Jim AD1C report that his Cabrillo Contest Converter
(http://software.ad1c.us/#Cabrillo) now makes files in CT's native
.BIN format. 

If you are getting ready for Phone Sweepstakes this weekend and want
to minimize repeats and fills, think about how you will sound when
giving the number, check, and section.	In the QRM and QRN, "fifty"
and "sixty" sound an awful lot alike and there are many other
combinations that aren't clear or easy to confuse. Why not say the
individual digits and leave no doubt?  "Seven Six Five" is a lot
clearer than "Seven sixty-five," for example.  The same goes for
checks.  Sections are another opportunity for errors to creep in. 
Was that Sacramento Valley or Santa Clara Valley?  Try "Sugar Victor"
or "Sugar Charlie Victor" to get it across the first time.  You'll
find that by using phonetics and saying each digit separately, you'll
save time with fewer repeats and you can maintain a rhythm. (Thanks,
Marc W6ZZZ)

One more tip for phone contesting - before responding and giving the
contest exchange, breathe in.  Then say the whole exchange in one
long exhalation.  Do not add extra words like "Please copy" or "Your
number is" or "Check," "Uh," and "And."  They are just time and
breath wasters.  Listen to the top operators when you tune by them. 
The key to sounding like a pro is efficiency and rhythm, giving the
information in the expected order, enunciated clearly for easy copy.

Dave K6LL has found an "RF bulletproof" cordless phone; the Uniden
Model EXP 970, available at Walmart for under $10.  He also thinks
that the Radioshack phone, Model ET-296 series, catalog # 43-874
(white) is similar to the discontinued, but RF resistant, model
43-591.

Here's a good way to spend a few minutes of Web surfing - the
Internet Archive Wayback Machine at
http://www.archive.org/web/web.php is a cache of Web pages dating
back to 1996!  Wow - ten years of the 'net!  That embarrassing photo
of you asleep at the radio?  It's still out there for all of us to
enjoy! (Thanks, Jack WA0RJY)

URL of the Week - Every so often you stumble on a little Web treasure
chest of goodies.  This week's trove is brought to you by Tim EI8IC
who tips us off to
http://home.hccnet.nl/s.j.francke/software/software.htm. This site is
full of useful freeware utilities, particularly CSVed for editing
files in the popular CSV format. (CSV stands for "Comma Separated
Values" and is used by logging and spreadsheet programs.)

oo-o oo -o -oo	 -o-- --- oo- o-o
RESULTS AND RECORDS
-o-o o- o-oo o-oo    oooo o o-o o

ARRL Contest Results

Field Day and June VHF Results columns have been posted to the Web.
An update the Contest FAQ for the Web is being planned. And the Logs
Received and Claimed Scores for the 2006 ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest
are now online at: http://www.arrl.org/contests/claimed/ (Thanks, Tom
KC1J)

- - - - -

The results for the 2006 IOTA contest are now posted at:
http://www.iotacontest.com/contest/iota/2006/finalScore.php  This
year saw the highest number of submitted logs, well over 1500 in
total, despite being at the bottom of the sunspot cycle. There are
more than 203 pictures submitted by entrants. The contest database
will, in due course, be linked to the New Generation IOTA Software
(coming next year), to allow validated contest QSOs to be used as
credit towards IOTA awards. (Thanks, Contest Manager Don G3XTT and
the IOTA Contest Team)

The results of the 2005 LZ DX Contest have been published at:
http://bg.bfra.org/lzdx/2005 (Thanks, Nasko LZ3YY)

oo oo-o    oo - ooo    -o --- - -ooo o-o --- -o- o
TECHNICAL TIPS AND INFORMATION
-o-- --- oo- o-o o  -o --- -  - o-o -o-- oo -o --o

Tim K3LR is famous not only for having one of the best stations in
the world, but for his attention to detail which extends to the care
with which coax connectors are attached.  In a station with hundreds
of PL-259 connectors, how does he make time to do a good job?  Here's
Tim's process:
"Use silver-plated connectors that say "Made in USA" on the shell.
Take a fully assembled (shell + body) connector and measure the
connector against the RG8 (or similar) coax. Take the outer covering
of the coax off with a sharp knife. Pull the braid back all the way
by fanning it out. Wrap 3 to 4 turns of Scotch 88 black tape around
the center conductor. Trim the dielectric up against the fanned out
braid. Use wire strippers and remove the remaining dielectric from
the center conductor. Install the fully assembled PL259 (meaning WITH
the shell on the connector body - Ed.) onto the center conductor and
over the tape. The back of the PL259 body should rest on the fanned
out shield. Solder the center conductor. Trim the exposed shield to
1/4" long and fold over the back of the PL259. Solder the shield all
the way around the back of the PL259 body. While the back is still
hot wrap 2 turns of 88 tape around the soldered shield to seal it
good. The shield is well soldered for 360 degrees around the
connector with no chance that the dielectric is melted."

When purchasing ferrite beads and cores for RFI suppression, the
question often arises as to what mix is best.  Jim K9YC tested
several of the popular mixes for the one that has the most resistive
(loss) characteristics over the HF frequency range. "The #31 mix has
significantly higher R below about 5 MHz than the #43 mix, but is 
nearly equal to the #43 mix up to about 50 MHz. So above 7 MHz, it
doesn't matter whether you use #31 or #43 - they are equally
effective. But if you need suppression on 160 or 80, the #31 mix is
greatly superior."

Rick N1RL supplements the previous issue's advice on relay problems
with the general suggestion to "...rule out all other possible causes
external to the radio first: check out the antenna system (ie, put
the radio on an antenna you KNOW has no problems - even something
makeshift - or see if it only occurs with one antenna) and take any
linears and antenna switches out of the path."

The Electronic Research Group Web site features "SMD Soldering Tools
and Technique" (http://www.zianet.com/erg/SMT_Soldering.html), a good
set of instructions and close-up photos.  Worth a look if you plan on
doing any building or repair with SMT (Surface Mount Technology)
parts. (Thanks, Carter N3AO)

What is the most common piece of equipment in the ham shack?  Wrong! 
It's the ubiquitous "wall wart" transformer. (If it's not the most
popular, it's not far from it.)  To learn more about these oft-used,
little-investigated accessories, download "A Dummies' Guide to
Working with Wall Warts" (http://tinyurl.com/unmk9) by John Bryant.
(Thanks, Charlie WA2ONH)

Here's how to make a surplus CD into a nice reduction drive dial. 
Mount the CD on the panel so that it rotates freely. Take an old
panel-mount potentiometer apart and remove the stop so the shaft
spins 360 degrees.  Slip a rubber grommet over the shaft then mount
the pot so that the edge of the CD fits in the groove in the grommet.
The resulting friction drive has an approximately 12:1 ratio,
depending on the grommet's diameter. Take a look at some samples at
http://tinyurl.com/yycyg9 and http://tinyurl.com/y7t7o4. (Thanks,
John KU4AF)

If you'd like to experiment with Phase-Locked Loops but the whole
prospect seems daunting, give the National Semiconductor Webench site
a try.	Webench (http://tinyurl.com/t2fyy) is a free design aid that
can help you pick parts or experiment with simulations.  Once
acquainted with the basic concepts, you can tinker with the
simulations to really get a feel for the fundamentals.

Steve Weber KD1JV has plans for a 600 Hz resonant speaker on his site
(http://kd1jv.qrpradio.com/resonatespkr/cwspkr.html) that removes
high frequency hiss and acts as a passive AF filter. (Thanks, RC
KC5WA)

Just in time for the W1AW Frequency Measuring Test
(http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/fmt) the NIST Special Publication 432,
"NIST Time and Frequency Services", 2002 Edition is available for
download at http://tf.nist.gov/timefreq/general/pdf/1383.pdf  The
section titled "Geophysical Alerts" describes in non-physicist terms
what this is all about. As a bonus, there is also a nice picture of
the WWVB transmitters. (Thanks, Roy K1LKY)

Randy WX5L recommends the "ISOBAR" power strip made by Tripp-Lite Co.
for RFI suppression.  The strips are available with up to 75 dB of RF
attenuation.  This may help a neighbor or with equipment for which
the usual ferrite cores or bypass capacitors can't be used.

Bergen Cable offers some handy "Cable 101"-style information at
http://tinyurl.com/y8xzlo.  Good reading for next year's antenna
projects. (Thanks, Norm AI2C)

Check out Rick N6RK's Web site (http://www.n6rk.com) for information
on using irrigation pipe for verticals and vertical arrays.  This
material is often available as agricultural surplus in farming areas.
(Thanks, Terry KK6T)

Want to get your SO2R skills honed for the real thing? Turn the
computer speaker on and practice copying calls from a code training
program such as Morse Runner (http://www.dxatlas.com/MorseRunner)
while tuning a radio and copying calls in your head. (Thanks, Tom
W7WHY)

Electronic Design magazine's "Ideas for Design" section often
features circuits that would be handy around the ham shack.  The 26
October issue has a nifty over- and under-voltage protector that
might be useful for sensitive (or expensive) equipment.  Enter
"13788" in the "Enter ED Online ID" window at
http://www.elecdesign.com to see the full article.

TECHNICAL URL OF THE WEEK -- Before the days of digital frequency
meters and phase-locked loops, Lissajous figures were used to
determine the frequencies of sounds or radio signals. Plus, they're
groovy to stare at, man!  Here are some Web sites about these
interesting figures:
  http://www.math.com/students/wonders/lissajous/lissajous.html
 
http://perso.orange.fr/olivier.granier/meca/simul/lisajou/simul.html
  http://www.ngsir.netfirms.com/englishhtm/Lissajous.htm 

o- -o-o -o-o oo- o-o o- -o-o -o--   oo ooo   o--- --- -ooo
CONVERSATION
--- -o o   oo -o   -o-o --- -o - o ooo - oo -o --o

No responding prose was received from PVRC in response to the NCCC
offering in the last issue, so I declare NCCC the winner in the first
annual "Highbrow Smartypants Trashtalking" competition!

Cabrillo - Version 3 Cometh

In the beginning, there were paper log sheets and paper summary
sheets and it was a pain.  Fingers hurt, handwriting was poor, and
the dog sometimes ate the paperwork - although not quite as often as
blamed.  Thus of necessity was computer logging begat and there were
diskettes and it was a pain.  Diskettes covered the desk like
locusts, file names were as babble, and the postman sometimes ate the
diskettes - although not as frequently as claimed.  Thence came email
and it was a pain.  File formats were without number, encoding and
attachments spoke in tongues, and the contest sponsors sometimes ate
logs for dinner - although rarely to the extent imagined or wished.

Then came Cabrillo 1.0 and confusion was upon the land.  Was it a
format, a method, or what?  Robots were created and sent to guard the
Inboxes of the contest sponsors, passing no file that smelt too
strongly of non-Cabrillo-ness. And there was a gnashing of teeth and
rending of garments as software author and user alike made haste to
achieve full compliance lest their scores not be tallied with the
rest in the Final Results.

And Cabrillo 2.0 came forth and there was a little less gnashing and
rending and the process became less onerous and the robots smote
fewer and fewer logs with each passing contest. And there was a great
yearning - for more contests and for more categories and for greater
variation than had hitherto been permitted.  The scribes of Cabrillo
did mutter and did think and did release version 3.0. And thus begins
our tale.

As anyone that deals with lots of contest knows, there are lots and
lots of different definitions for any of the categories and
vocabulary used to describe an entry. Some contests distinguish
between single-op assisted and unassisted while others separate the
same logs into single-op and multi-op.	For any contest with more
than a handful of categories, entrants often have no idea what their
true category really is.  Some entrants really don't care - they are
just having a good time and sending in a log to note their
participation and provide more information to the sponsors.

What Cabrillo 3.0 does is to allow entrants to simply pick the
"adjectives", if you will, that describe how they operated and the
contest sponsors can then determine the proper category for the
entry.	Cabrillo adjectives are recognized values for the various
types of information or "tags" that characterize an operation.	The
version 2.0 tag "CATEGORY:" is dropped in favor of a basket of
finer-grained distinctions. For example, for the tag
"CATEGORY-ASSISTED", there are two recognized values (or adjectives):
ASSISTED and NON-ASSISTED.  For the tag "CATEGORY-TRANSMITTER",
recognized values include ONE, TWO, UNLIMITED, and SWL.  This avoids
the inevitable conflicts between competing definitions of categories
in different contests.

Here is an example of how this works: An ARRL 10 Meter Contest
operation done mobile by two operators taking turns at the rig, low
power, one radio, no assistance, phone only would describe their
operation this way:

CATEGORY-ASSISTED: NON-ASSISTED
CATEGORY-BAND: 10M
CATEGORY-OPERATOR: MULTI-OP
CATEGORY-MODE: SSB
CATEGORY-POWER: LOW
CATEGORY-TRANSMITTER: ONE
CATEGORY-STATION: MOBILE

For awards purposes, the entry category will be considered as
"Multioperator, Single Transmitter, Mixed Mode."  The extra
information - Low Power, Mobile, SSB - can then be included for
comparison to other similar operations.

There is an interesting side-effect to including information beyond
that required for a specific contest: the extra information can be
included with on-line scores.  For example, SO2R may not be a formal
category, but the entry can include the tags and values
"CATEGORY-OPERATOR: SINGLE-OP" and "CATEGORY-TRANSMITTER: TWO". The
sponsor will list the score in the SO category, but may choose to
append "two-transmitter" to the score.	If the extra information is
simply copied from the Cabrillo file so that the format is
consistent, then on-line information can be downloaded and analyzed
by third-parties...that means YOU! It makes "Contests Within A
Contest" a lot easier, as well, and frees the sponsor from having to
create ever more categories.

Another similar change in Cabrillo 3.0 is that there is now a general
"LOCATION:" tag.  Recognized values for the tag are defined by the
contest sponsors and not maintained in the Cabrillo specification.
ARRL contests will use this tag to report scores by ARRL sections. 
Other contest sponsors can define their own values for this tag.

Do you have to upgrade your contest software?  Nope, although authors
of contest logging software will be adding the version 3.0 tags and
values to their programs.  Version 3.0 also has a new tag called
"DEBUG:" that allows software authors to test their Cabrillo
generation routines by sending logs to a real log-handling robot.

When is this going to happen?  Um, it's already happening! The CQ WW
SSB, California QSO Party, and several other log-handling robots are
already compliant with version 3.0.  In fact, they convert version
2.0 logs to version 3.0 automagically.	You didn't even notice, did
you?

Would you like to know more about Cabrillo 3.0?  Take a look at
author N5KO's discussions at http://www.kkn.net/~trey/cabrillo where
the actual format description lives along with templates and
recommendations.  This is how it's supposed to work.  Can you imagine
going back to the Good Old Days?  And the log sheets were as leaves
in the forest and the aspirins as grains of sand...

73, Ward N0AX

-o-o  --o-  - o ooo - -o-o  --o-  - o ooo -
CONTESTS -- 15 NOVEMBER TO 28 NOVEMBER 2006
-o-o  --o-  - o ooo - -o-o  --o-  - o ooo -

Note that the following abbreviations are used to condense the
contest rules summaries: SO - Single-Op; M2 - Multi-Op - 2
Transmitters; MO - Multi-Op; MS - Multi-Op, Single Transmitter; MM -
Multi-Op, Multiple Transmitters; AB - All Band; SB - Single Band;
S/P/C - State/Province/DXCC Entity; HP - High Power (>100 W); LP -
Low Power; QRP (5W or less)

HF CONTESTS

ARRL November Sweepstakes--Phone, from 2100Z Nov 18 - 0300Z Nov 20.
Frequencies: 160 - 10 meters, work stations only once. Categories:
SOAB-LP (A), HP (B), QRP (Q), SO-Unlimited (U), MS (M), School Club
(S). Exchange: Serial number, Category (precedence), Call, Check
(last two digits of first year licensed), and ARRL section. QSO
Points: 2 pts/QSO. Score: QSO points x sections (counted only once).
For more information: http://www.arrl.org/contests  Logs due 20 Dec
in Cabrillo format via on-line form at http://www.b4h.net/cabforms or
by email to ssphone at arrl.org or to November SS CW, ARRL, 225 Main St,
Newington, CT 06111.

North American Collegiate ARC Championship--Phone. This is a
competition based on Sweepstakes results between club stations at
institutions of higher education beyond the high school level. Clubs
enter Sweepstakes in any of the valid entry categories. Separate
champions will be determined for CW, Phone and Combined scores. For
more information: http://www.collegiatechampionship.org

LZ DX Contest--CW/SSB, sponsored by the Bulgarian Federation of Radio
Amateurs from 1200Z Nov 18 - 1200Z Nov 19. Frequencies: 80-10-meters
with 10-minute mode change rule. Categories: SOAB (CW, Phone, Mixed),
SOAB-QRP Mixed, SOSB-Mixed, MS-Mixed, SWL. Exchange: RST + ITU zone
or 2-letter LZ district. QSO Points: same continent--1 pt, different
cont--3 pts, LZ station--10 pts. Score: QSO points x ITU zones + LZ
districts counted once per band. For more information:
www.qsl.net/lz1fw/contest. Logs due 30 days after the contest to
lzdxc at yahoo.com or BFRA, PO Box 830, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria.

RSGB 1.8 MHz Contest--CW, from 2100 Nov 18 - 0100Z Nov 19. (See Feb
QST, p 99) For more information: www.rsgbhfcc.org. Logs due 16 days
after the contest to 2nd160.logs at rsgbhfcc.org or RSGB--G3UFY, 77
Bensham Manor Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey CR7 7AF, England.

PSK63 QSO Party--sponsored by the European PSK Club from 0000Z to
2400Z Nov 19. Frequencies: 160-10 meters, near PSK calling
frequencies. Categories: SOAB, 100 watts max, spotting assistance
allowed. Exchange: EPC member number or signal report plus serial
number. QSO Points: EPC members--5 pts, otherwise 1 pt. Score: QSO
Points x EPC numbers from all bands. For more information:
www.eu.srars.org. Logs due 30 days after the contest to
eudx at scotham.net.

CQ WW DX Contest--CW, sponsored by CQ Magazine from 0000Z Nov 25 to
2400Z Nov 26. Frequencies: 160-10 meters. Categories: SOAB and SOSB
(HP >100W, LP, QRP <5W), MS, M2 (new), MM. MS have 10 minute rule.
Exchange RS(T) and CQ zone. QSO Points: same cont--1 pts (NA stations
count 2 pts), diff cont--3 pts. Stations in the same country may be
worked for zone credit only. Score: QSO points x CQ Zones + DXCC
entities and WAE countries counted once per band. For more
information: http://www.cqww.com. Logs due Jan 15 for CW to
cw at cqww.com or to CQ Magazine, 25 Newbridge Rd, Hicksville, NY 11801.

VHF+ CONTESTS

No VHF+ contests are scheduled.

-oo  --- -o - -- oo ooo ooo   -o-- --- oo- o-o
LOG DUE DATES - 15 NOVEMBER TO 28 NOVEMBER 2006
o-oo  --- --o	  -oo o o- -oo o-oo oo -o o ooo

November 15 - Arkansas QSO Party, email logs to: k1ark at arrl.net,
diskettes and paper logs to: Bill Smith, K1ARK, 3032 Strawberry
Drive, Fayetteville, AR 72703, USA. Find rules at:
http://zinfoserv.com/arkan/docs/2006arkqsorules.pdf 

November 15 - California QSO Party, email logs to: logs at cqp.org,  
Upload log at: http://logs.cqp.org/, diskettes and paper logs to:
NCCC, c/o Kevin Rowett, WB6S, 21906 Monte Ct, Cupertino, CA 95014,
USA. Find rules at: http://www.cqp.org/Rules.html 

November 15 - Pennsylvania QSO Party, email logs to:
paqsolog at nittany-arc.net, diskettes and paper logs to: PA QSO Party
2006, c/o NARC, PO Box 614, State College, PA 16804-0614, USA. Find
rules at: http://www.nittany-arc.net/06_rules.pdf 

November 15 - Makrothen RTTY Contest, email logs to:
tmc-rtty at arcor.de, diskettes and paper logs to: (none). Find rules
at:
http://home.arcor.de/waldemar.kebsch/The_Makrothen_Contest/TMC_Rules.
html 

November 18 - 50 MHz Fall Sprint, email logs to: wa4njp at aol.com,
diskettes and paper logs to: Ray Rector WA4NJP, 3493 Holly Springs
Rd, Gillsville, GA 30534, USA. Find rules at:
http://svhfs.org/fall_sprint_rules.htm 

November 20 - Worked All Germany Contest, email logs to:
wag at dxhf.darc.de, diskettes and paper logs to: WAG Contestmanager,
Klaus Voigt, DL1DTL, Am Jaegerpark 75, D-01099 Dresden, Germany. Find
rules at: http://www.darc.de/referate/dx/xedcgr.htm 

November 22 - Illinois QSO Party, email logs to: n9jf at arrl.net,
diskettes and paper logs to: WIARC, PO Box 3132, Quincy IL
62305-3132, USA. Find rules at: http://www.w9awe.org/ILQP%20Rules.pdf


November 22 - ARCI Fall QSO Party, email logs to:
contest at qrparci.org, diskettes and paper logs to: ARCI Fall QSO
Party, c/o Jeff Hetherington, VA3JFF, 139 Elizabeth St W, Welland,
Ontario L3C 4M3, Canada. Find rules at:
http://www.qrparci.org/component/option,com_extcalendar/Itemid,/extmo
de,view/extid,41/lang,en/

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS & SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

The Contester's Rate Sheet wishes to acknowledge information from the
following sources:
WA7BNM's Contest Calendar Web page -
<http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal>
SM3CER's Web site - <http://www.sk3bg.se/contest>

ARRL members may subscribe at no cost by editing their Member Data
Page as described at <http://www.arrl.org/contests/rate-sheet>.

Excel and Windows are trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation

======================================================================
THE ARRL CONTEST RATE SHEET is published every other Wednesday (26 
times each year), by the American Radio Relay League--The National 
Association For Amateur Radio--225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 
860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259. Editor: Ward Silver, N0AX.

The ARRL Contest Rate Sheet offers a useful source of timely 
information for both the active and casual contester. The Rate Sheet 
includes information about events during the following two-week period, 
time-sensitive news items, upcoming deadlines, and other news of 
interest to contesters.

For permission to quote or reprint material from the ARRL Contest Rate 
Sheet, send a request including the issue date, a description of the 
material requested, and a description of where you intend to use the 
reprinted material to the ARRL Editorial & Production Department: 
permission at arrl.org. 

Editorial questions or comments: Ward Silver, N0AX, rate-sheet at arrl.org
Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!): 
rate-sheet-dlvy at arrl.org

The ARRL Contest Rate Sheet is available to ARRL members via email free 
of charge directly from ARRL HQ. To subscribe, unsubscribe or change 
your address for e-mail delivery:

ARRL members first must register on the Members Only Web Site, 
http://www.arrl.org/members/. You'll have an opportunity during 
registration to sign up for e-mail delivery of the ARRL Contest Rate 
Sheet, W1AW bulletins, and other material. ARRL members may subscribe 
to the ARRL Contest Rate Sheet by going to the Member Data Page at: 
http://www.arrl.org/members-only/memdata.html?modify=1 Note that you 
must be logged in to the site to access this page. Scroll down to the 
section "Which of the following would you like to receive automatically 
via email from ARRL?" Check the box for "ARRL Contest Rate Sheet 
(biweekly contest newsletter)" and you're all set. Past issues of the 
ARRL Contest Rate Sheet are available at 
http://www.arrl.org/rate-sheet/. Issues are posted to this page after 
publication.
======================================================================




From w8lly at sbcglobal.net  Thu Nov 16 12:06:06 2006
From: w8lly at sbcglobal.net (w8lly at sbcglobal.net)
Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2006 12:06:06 -0500
Subject: [bulletins] "Omnibus" Amateur Radio R&O--Clarification Status
Message-ID: <006401c709a1$81cfeaa0$4101a8c0@FREDSTONE>

 

>From the ARRL Website:

****************************

 

See controversial items in blue below.

73, Fred W8LLY

 

 

=============================================== 

FCC "Omnibus" Amateur Radio R&O Published in Federal Register, Takes Effect
December 15

 

NEWINGTON, CT (November 15, 2006) -- Just a little over a month after the
Federal Communications Commission released the Report and Order (R&O) in the
so-called "Omnibus" Amateur Radio proceeding, WT Docket 04-140 (FCC 06-149)
to the public, a revised version appeared today in the Federal Register. The
changes in the R&O will take effect Friday, December 15, at 12:01 AM EST, 30
days after its publication. 

 

As expected, the Report & Order as published this morning clarified two
items that had raised some concerns when it was first released last month:
That the 80/75 meter band split applies to all three IARU Regions, and that
FCC licensees in Region 2, which includes North America, can continue to use
RTTY/data emissions in the 7.075-7.100 MHz band. 

 

************************************************

Still to be resolved are three controversial aspects of the Proceeding: 

 

Expansion of the 75 meter phone band all the way down to 3600 kHz (thus
reducing the privileges of General, Advanced and Amateur Extra class
licensees, who had RTTY/data privileges in the 80 meter band, and CW
privileges of General and Advanced class licensees) 

 

The elimination of J2D emissions, data sent by modulating an SSB
transmitter, of more than 500 Hz bandwidth (thus making PACTOR III at full
capability illegal), and 

 

The elimination of access to the automatic control RTTY/data subband at
3620-3635 kHz. 

 

The ARRL Board is discussing the possibility of a petition to reconsider
several items in the R&O. 

 

************************************************

 

ARRL Regulatory Information Specialist Dan Henderson, N1ND, commented: "The
release of the R&O in the Federal Register has started the countdown clock.
We are all looking forward to being able to use the refarmed frequencies
starting on December 15. We are still anxiously awaiting the release of the
Report and Order for 05-235, the Morse Code Proceeding. We are hopeful that
the Commission will be able to move on that petition and address the
outstanding issues in the Omnibus R&O soon." 

 

For more information, see the band chart [917,715 bytes, PDF] and the
Frequently Asked Questions on WT Docket No. 04-140. Both have been updated
to reflect the R&O as it was published in the Federal Register. 

 

===============================================

 

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From ka0azs at earthlink.net  Mon Nov 20 18:28:13 2006
From: ka0azs at earthlink.net (Randy Allen)
Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2006 18:28:13 -0500
Subject: [bulletins] [Fwd: ARLB025 W1AW to change its 80-meter digital
	frequency]
Message-ID: <45623A0D.9000707@earthlink.net>



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: ARLB025 W1AW to change its 80-meter digital frequency
Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2006 17:09:36 -0500
From: ARRL Web site <memberlist at www.arrl.org>
To: allenr at dma.org
CC: Subscribed ARRL Members:;

SB QST @ ARL $ARLB025
ARLB025 W1AW to change its 80-meter digital frequency

ZCZC AG25
QST de W1AW
ARRL Bulletin 25  ARLB025
>From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  November 20, 2006
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB025
ARLB025 W1AW to change its 80-meter digital frequency

In response to the expansion of the 75-meter phone band down to 3600
kHz, W1AW will shift its 80-meter digital bulletin frequency down to
3597.5 kHz, effective Friday, December 15, 2006.

The new frequency will be in use beginning with the regularly
scheduled 6 PM EST (2300 UTC) digital bulletin on Friday December
15, 2006.

The old 80-meter digital frequency (3625 kHz) has been in use for
well over two decades.  The expansion of phone privileges on 75
meters (as part of Report  Order, WT Docket 04-140 (FCC 06-149))
prompted the change.

A possible change in the 80-meter CW frequency is being considered.
NNNN
/EX


-- 
Randy Allen, KA?AZS



From ka0azs at earthlink.net  Tue Nov 21 19:19:37 2006
From: ka0azs at earthlink.net (Randy Allen)
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2006 19:19:37 -0500
Subject: [bulletins] [Fwd: ARLB026 New Vice Director Elected for Roanoke
	Division]
Message-ID: <45639799.8040208@earthlink.net>



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: ARLB026 New Vice Director Elected for Roanoke Division
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2006 17:06:15 -0500
From: ARRL Web site <memberlist at www.arrl.org>
To: allenr at dma.org
CC: Subscribed ARRL Members:;

SB QST @ ARL $ARLB026
ARLB026 New Vice Director Elected for Roanoke Division

ZCZC AG26
QST de W1AW
ARRL Bulletin 26  ARLB026
>From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  November 21, 2006
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB026
ARLB026 New Vice Director Elected for Roanoke Division

Patricia Hensley, N4ROS, has been elected Vice Director of the
Roanoke Division. Ballots were counted November 17 at ARRL
Headquarters. She defeated incumbent Rev Les Shattuck, K4NK, 2280 to
996. A total of 3281 ballots were received; five ballots were not
able to be counted, being declared spoiled or invalid. The three
year term begins at noon EST, January 1, 2007.

Hensley, a retired school principal from Richburg, South Carolina,
has served in ARRL volunteer positions for the past 15 years,
serving as South Carolina Section Manager from February 2000 to
December 2002. She is a recipient of the ARRL Instructor of the Year
award and is currently the South Carolina state director for Air
Force MARS.

Hensley ran on a platform wanting to make the term ''Amateur Radio
operator'' a highly respected title. She said she feels, ''an Amateur
Radio license no longer fosters respect from community and national
leaders. Even FEMA finds it 'more comfortable' to hire part-time
individuals to provide emergency communications because amateurs are
'volunteers.'''

She went on to acknowledge that ARRL membership is declining, and
leadership positions are ''filled by default because few want to
serve. More is required than smiling faces behind a hamfest table to
solve these problems.'' She said she sees restrictive covenants and
interference to frequencies as major issues affecting the Amateur
Radio community.

Stepping forward to run for election to support what she calls
''proactive change,'' she said the members of the Amateur Radio
community ''must be regarded as individuals who are knowledgeable
about our avocation and are willing and competent to serve our
communities in time of need.''

Rev Shattuck became Vice Director in 2000 after serving as South
Carolina Section Manager. He has been licensed for over 40 years. In
the past, Rev Shattuck has served as president of QRP ARCI, and is a
member of QCWA, the A-1 Operator Club, DXCC, VUCC, FISTS CW Club and
ARES/RACES. He is currently serving as pastor of Gilgal United
Methodist Church. He lives in Anderson, South Carolina.
NNNN
/EX



-- 
Randy Allen, KA?AZS



From ka0azs at earthlink.net  Tue Nov 21 22:05:23 2006
From: ka0azs at earthlink.net (Randy Allen)
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2006 22:05:23 -0500
Subject: [bulletins] [Fwd: WEAVER'S WORDS -- GOBBLE, GOBBLE]
Message-ID: <4563BE73.1050701@earthlink.net>



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: WEAVER'S WORDS -- GOBBLE, GOBBLE
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2006 20:10:23 -0500
From: ARRL Web site <memberlist at www.arrl.org>
To: allenr at dma.org

[As always, send replies to k8je at arrl.org.  Do not click on REPLY.  The
ARRL reflector that gets this newsletter to you is one-way, only.]

-	Red Cross Again
-	What the Elections Changed for Amateur Radio
-	Legislative Action Program
-	Frustration
-	Low Profile Amateur Radio
-	W1AW Changes Digital Frequency
-	Change the New Rules
-	Tentative Travel Schedule
-	Happy Thanksgiving

RED CROSS, AGAIN

I want to make it clear that I support the Red Cross and have supported
it since I first became a volunteer through the Queen City Emergency
Net in early 1964.  However, in answer to questions I've received from
members, I unhesitatingly say I will not give the Red Cross or its
agent, Mybackgroundcheck.com, permission to run a credit check or
lifestyle check on me.  It isn't that I have anything to hide; it is
simply that they have no business prying into these matters.
Unfortunately, whenever a volunteer authorizes Red Cross to do
background checks, Mybackgroundcheck.com on behalf of Red Cross is
automatically authorized to do these irrelevant types of background
checks.  This is true even though Red Cross insists they don't
typically receive credit and lifestyle checks.  Why is the Red Cross
acting in this schizophrenic manner?

I am writing the Cincinnati Area Chapter of the Red Cross to authorize
them to do a criminal check on me.  This is all they need.  I
simultaneously am denying permission to do the other checks.  The
letter is addressed to the CEO and the Chairman of the Chapter.  I am
copying the Chapter Disaster Chairman and the Disaster Communications
Chairman, both of whom are personal friends.  I have great appreciation
for the people in the Disaster Office of the local Chapter.

Provided the National officers of the Red Cross do not intend to obtain
credit and lifestyle checks on volunteers, they should not require us
to authorize these checks.  If you disagree, I have this bridge to sell
. . .

It is neither my, nor ARRL's business to tell you what you should do if
the Red Cross (or anyone else) asks you to complete the form at
Mybackgroundcheck.com.  This is your business.  My only reason for
sharing my comments on this is to ensure you are aware of the extent of
information being demanded at Mybackgroundcheck.com, so that you will
read the disclosure form carefully and do what is best for you.

WHAT THE ELECTIONS CHANGED FOR AMATEUR RADIO

Not much.  Let me explain.

In reading the following information, please do not interpret it to
represent partisan (political party vs. political party; candidate vs.
candidate) political thinking.  The only part that relates to Democrat,
Republican, Socialist and similar parties or non-parties is the simple
comment that the Democratic Party picked up control of both the US
House and the US Senate in November.  For Amateur Radio, the only thing
this proves is that a few seats in each of house Congress changed from
one party to another

Let me point also that Federal agencies such as the US Food & Drug
Administration, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission . . . and the
US FCC . . . are managed by appointees made by the President, not
Congress.  With possible exception, the appointed committees or boards
have Republican majorities.  Of specific interest to us, the FCC will
continue to be controlled by the same, pre-election,
Republican-appointed majority until one or more Commissioner leaves the
Commission.  Until there is a change in control of the White House, any
new appointees to the FCC can be expected to be made so that Republican
control of the Commission continues.

ARRL's task as it continues its long-standing policy of advocating on
behalf of Amateur Radio remains unchanged.  We have never and will
never become involved in partisan politics; therefore, we will continue
to tell the Amateur Radio story to whoever holds the elected positions.
  We will continue this approach through our Washington Congressional
relations firm and also through the new ARRL Legislative Action
Program.

LEGISLATIVE ACTION PROGRAM

You've seen my appeals for help with this Program.  We still need help.
  A number of members have stepped forward to volunteer and have been
appointed to very important, although not highly demanding, positions.
We still need additional to join the fight to preserve Amateur Radio.
Please read www.arrl.org/govrelations/laprog.faq.html for brief
questions and answers about the Program.  If you are interested in
learning more or volunteering to help in your own Congressional
District, please contact Val Rose, N8EXV at n8exv at arrl.net or me
(k8je at arrl.org).  Val is the Division Legislative Action Chair (DLAC)
for the Great Lakes Division.

We need two members to help in each Congressional District in our three
states.

FRUSTRATION

Every few weeks, I receive E-mail that asks a question, but when I
attempt to reply the questioner's Spam setting or ISP blocks my reply.
This happened just recently when a good member from Grand Rapids wrote
twice.  My two attempts to reply were rejected.  I could not find a
telephone number to call him, so I asked Michigan SM Dale Williams',
WA8EFK, to try to forward my message.  He was blocked, also.  I gave
up, admittedly without trying the USPS.

If you want an answer from me and don't get one, it is nearly certain
that my E-mail to you is being blocked somewhere along the line.  In
this situation, please give me a telephone call or send me an E-mail
that contains your phone number.

LOW PROFILE AMATEUR RADIO

Speaking of frustration, many of members are frustrated over being
unable to operate Amateur Radio because of spousal or local homeowner
regulations that ban antennas.  A book published by ARRL might be the
answer to these frustrations.  Just as the US Military has developed
large naval vessels and airplanes that are virtually invisible to
RADAR, the second edition of Low Profile Amateur Radio might have the
answers to hams' need for stealth.  For information, go to
www.arrl.org, type Low Profile Amateur Radio into the Search Site blank
near the top of the opening screen and click on GO.  The cost is
$19.95.

W1AW CHANGES DIGITAL FREQUENCY

In response to the expansion of the 75-meter phone band down to 3600
kHz, W1AW will shift its 80-meter digital bulletin frequency down to
3597.5 kHz, effective Friday, December 15, 2006.  The new frequency
will be in use beginning with the regularly scheduled 6 PM EST (2300
UTC) digital bulletin on Friday December 15, 2006.

CHANGE THE NEW RULES

The need for many nets to change frequency has generated a lot of heat.
  As a supporter of NTS and other net operations, I am very sympathetic,
but there isn't anything anyone can do about this . . . at least in the
near term.

A few people have suggested petitioning FCC to change its new rules.
These will go into effect on December 15.  We could start a fight over
the new rules, but we wouldn't win; at least yet.  FCC is not going to
consider changing the new rules until there has been a reasonable
amount of experience with them.  There are other avenues for achieving
changes, but these are pretty drastic.

Although there would seem to be little chance for changes to be made at
this time, the ARRL Board has begun to review the situation.  The first
thing that must be demonstrated is that parts of the new rules impose
an undue hardship and damage.  Although many amateurs believe it is
very apparent that they do cause tremendous hardship and damage, not
all amateurs agree.  Many amateurs support the rules changes fully.
This makes it even more difficult to demonstrate hardship and damage.
At the same time, it makes it less likely that pursuing any avenues to
achieve change in the new rules will be successful.

We are, nonetheless, looking at the situation to see where we are.
This does not mean we intend to try to change the new rules, or that we
don't intend to do this.  We are merely evaluating the issues at this
time.

TENTATIVE TRAVEL SCHEDULE FOR K8JE

Jan.  9: 20/9 Meeting, Canfield, OH.
Jan. 13: SW OH Digital Symposium, Middletown, OH.
Jan. 18: A&F Meeting, Newington, CT.
Jan. 19-20:  Board of Directors Meeting, Newington, CT.
Feb. 11: Mansfield Hamfest, Mansfield, OH.
Apr. 14: QCWA Meeting, Cleveland, OH.
Apr. 20: KY Colonels ARC, Lexington, KY.
Apr. 26: SUMCO ARES, Stow, OH.
May 18-20: Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH.
Jul.18-19: Board of Directors Meeting, Newington, CT.
Sep   9: Findlay Hamfest, Findlay, OH.
Sep. 22: Great Lakes Division Convention, Cleveland, OH.
Sep. 23: Cleveland Hamfest, Cleveland, OH.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Have a very happy Thanksgiving.  Janice and I wish each of you and your
family the very best in this joyful season.

73,

Jim, K8JE

Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director
ARRL Great Lakes Division
5065 Bethany Rd.
Mason, OH 45040
E-mail:  k8je at arrl.org; Tel.: 513-459-0142

--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Great Lakes Division
Director: James Weaver, K8JE
k8je at arrl.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------
This message is being sent to you via the ARRL Members Only Web site.
If you do not want to receive further messages, go to the site at:
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Log in with your username and password and change your email options.
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-- webmaster at arrl.org



-- 
Randy Allen, KA?AZS



From ka0azs at earthlink.net  Wed Nov 22 20:01:50 2006
From: ka0azs at earthlink.net (Randy Allen)
Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2006 20:01:50 -0500
Subject: [bulletins] [Fwd: ARLP048 Propagation de K7RA]
Message-ID: <4564F2FE.3060900@earthlink.net>



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: ARLP048 Propagation de K7RA
Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2006 09:33:55 -0500
From: ARRL Web site <memberlist at www.arrl.org>
To: allenr at dma.org
CC: Subscribed ARRL Members:;

SB PROP @ ARL $ARLP048
ARLP048 Propagation de K7RA

ZCZC AP48
QST de W1AW
Propagation Forecast Bulletin 48  ARLP048
>From Tad Cook, K7RA
Seattle, WA  November 22, 2006
To all radio amateurs

SB PROP ARL ARLP048
ARLP048 Propagation de K7RA

This is an early bulletin because of the Thanksgiving holiday, but
the timing is wrong for publishing another week of solar and
geomagnetic data, so the numbers at the bottom of this bulletin are
the same as in last week's Propagation Forecast Bulletin, ARLP047.
An additional bulletin will come out on Monday, November 27 with the
updated numbers.

Last weekend geomagnetic conditions were quiet for the ARRL Phone
Sweepstakes. But we are about to experience the effects of a solar
wind stream just before this next weekend's big contest, the CW
portion of the CQ Worldwide DX Contest. The planetary A index for
November 22-26 is predicted at 5, 10, 20, 15 and 10. Helioseismic
holography has detected the emergence of a new large sunspot on the
sun's far side.

Check "The World Above 50 MHz" column in the current (December 2006)
issue of QST for a good piece about "Solar Cycles and the Coming of
Cycle 24," part 1. It was written by Jim Kennedy, K6MIO of the
Gemini Observatory in Hilo, Hawaii, and gives good information on
the magnetic conveyor belt, solar magnetic fields, and a 22 year
solar magnetic cycle.

Brett Graham, VR2BG wrote from Hong Kong with some reports on
beacons he monitored recently on 12 meters at 24.93 MHz. He often
hears these from JA, VK, ZS and 4S, but at the same time hears
nobody on the band, even when he is monitoring the beacons operating
down to the milliwatt level. You can get information on the NCDXF
beacons at, http://www.ncdxf.org/beacons.html.

If you would like to make a comment or have a tip for our readers,
email the author at, k7ra at arrl.net.

For more information concerning radio propagation, see the ARRL
Technical Information Service at,
http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html. For a detailed
explanation of the numbers used in this bulletin see,
http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/k9la-prop.html. An archive of past
propagation bulletins is at, http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/prop/.

Sunspot numbers for November 9 through 15 were 29, 13, 13, 18, 30,
41 and 50 with a mean of 27.7. 10.7 cm flux was 89.4, 91.1, 97,
96.7, 95.2, 94.5, and 96.1, with a mean of 94.3. Estimated planetary
A indices were 10, 36, 20, 7, 2, 4 and 5 with a mean of 12.
Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 7, 29, 20, 9, 1, 3 and 6, with
a mean of 10.7.
NNNN
/EX





-- 
Randy Allen, KA?AZS



From ka0azs at earthlink.net  Wed Nov 29 20:03:45 2006
From: ka0azs at earthlink.net (Randy Allen)
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2006 20:03:45 -0500
Subject: [bulletins] [Fwd: ARLB028 FCC corrects error in "Omnibus" Report
	And Order]
Message-ID: <456E2DF1.7090701@earthlink.net>



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: ARLB028 FCC corrects error in "Omnibus" Report And Order
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2006 17:14:57 -0500
From: ARRL Web site <memberlist at www.arrl.org>
To: allenr at dma.org
CC: Subscribed ARRL Members:;

SB QST @ ARL $ARLB028
ARLB028 FCC corrects error in "Omnibus" Report And Order

ZCZC AG28
QST de W1AW
ARRL Bulletin 28  ARLB028
>From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  November 29, 2006
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB028
ARLB028 FCC corrects error in "Omnibus" Report And Order

The FCC has released an Erratum that corrects one error in the
recent Report and Order (R&O) in WT Docket 04-140 -- the so-called
"omnibus" Amateur Radio proceeding -- that inadvertently limited J2D
emissions to an occupied bandwidth of 500 Hz. J2D emissions are data
sent by modulating an SSB transmitter.

Had it been left to stand, the error would have rendered illegal
below 30 MHz PACTOR III at full capability as well as Olivia and
MT63 when operated at bandwidths greater than 500 Hz bandwidth, 1200
baud packet, Q15X25 and Clover 2000.

The FCC Erratum revises 97.3(c)(2) of the Amateur Service rules
going into effect December 15 to read:

Data. Telemetry, telecommand and computer communications emissions
having (i) designators with A, C, D, F, G, H, J or R as the first
symbol, 1 as the second symbol, and D as the third symbol; (ii)
emission J2D; and (iii) emissions A1C, F1C, F2C, J2C, and J3C having
an occupied bandwidth of 500 Hz or less when transmitted on an
amateur service frequency below 30 MHz. Only a digital code of a
type specifically authorized in this part may be transmitted.

The Erratum is available on the FCC Web site,
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-268642A1.pdf

The FCC incorporated some unrelated editorial revisions in the
version of the R&O that appeared November 15 in the Federal
Register,
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov
/2006/pdf/E6-19189.pdf.
The "omnibus" rule changes -- including those accounted for in the
Federal Register and the Erratum -- take effect Friday, December 15,
at 12:01 AM EST (0501 UTC).
NNNN
/EX



-- 
Randy Allen, KA?AZS



From ka0azs at earthlink.net  Thu Nov 30 20:42:16 2006
From: ka0azs at earthlink.net (Randy Allen)
Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 20:42:16 -0500
Subject: [bulletins] [Fwd: ARLD050 DX news]
Message-ID: <456F8878.3040301@earthlink.net>



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: ARLD050 DX news
Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 17:40:02 -0500
From: ARRL Web site <memberlist at www.arrl.org>
To: allenr at dma.org
CC: Subscribed ARRL Members:;

SB DX @ ARL $ARLD050
ARLD050 DX news

ZCZC AE50
QST de W1AW
DX Bulletin 50  ARLD050
>From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  November 30, 2006
To all radio amateurs

SB DX ARL ARLD050
ARLD050 DX news

This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by
NC1L, the OPDX Bulletin, DXNL, 425 DX News, The Daily DX, Contest
Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest Calendar and WA7BNM web sites.
Thanks to all.

CHINA, BY.  Operators BA4XA, BA4VE, BD3APX, BD4IXA, BG4VES and
BG6IQD will be QRV as BI4N from Linshan Island, IOTA AS-150, from
December 6 to 10.  Activity will be on all HF bands.  QSL direct via
BA4XA.

BAHAMAS, C6.  Brian, ND3F is QRV as C6AQQ from New Providence, IOTA
NA-001, until December 3.  He will also be active on the ARRL
160-Meter contest.  QSL to home call.  In addition, four members of
the SouthWest Ohio DX Association will be QRV as C6DX and C6AXX from
Eleuthera Island, IOTA NA-001, from December 5 to 13.  They will be
active on all HF bands and 6 meters with three stations.  They will
also be QRV in the upcoming ARRL 10-Meter contest.  QSL C6DX via
W8GEX and C6AXX via W9IXX.

SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS.  Sang is QRV as DT8A from King George Island
and has been active on 20 meters around 0100z.  QSL via HL2FDW.

THAILAND, HS.  Look for Champ, E21EIC, Dej, E21YDP, Bruce, HS0ZCY
and Alex, UT5UY to be QRV as E21EIC/p from Lipe Island, IOTA AS-126,
in the Malay Peninsula South West Group from December 5 to 12.  They
will also be active with their own Thai callsigns.  Activity will be
on 160 to 10 meters using CW, SSB and digital modes.  QSL to home
calls.

DJIBOUTI, J2.  Eric, ON7SAT is QRV as J20SA until December 16.
Activity is on 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters using SSB in his spare time.
QSL to home call.

JAPAN, JA.  Look for JA6WFM/6, JM6EBU/6 and JF6YME/6 to be QRV from
Yoron Island, IOTA AS-023, in the Amami Island Group, from December
4 to 7.  Activity will be on all HF bands using CW, SSB and RTTY.
QSL to home calls.

AMERICAN SAMOA, KH8.  Operators N0FW, K4ZLE, W6KK and N9NS are QRV
as KH8Q until December 14.  Activity is on 160 to 10 meters using CW
and SSB.  This includes entries in the ARRL 160-Meter and upcoming
ARRL 10-Meter contests.  QSL direct via W8QID.

ANTARCTICA.  Mitko, LZ1UQ and Danny, LZ2UU are QRV as LZ0A from the
Bulgarian Base St. Kliment Ohridski until January 3, 2007.  LZ1UQ
will also be active as VP8/LZ1UQ in some of the HF contests during
this time.

ARUBA, P4.  Dave, K9UK, John, W9KXQ, Bill, WW9WW, Dave, WG9J and
Tom, W9AEB are QRV as P40Z until December 5.  QSL via K9UK.

CANADA, VE.  To mark the 100th anniversary of Reginald Fessenden's
first AM voice broadcast on December 24, 1906, Canadian amateurs are
active with special callsign prefixes until January 31, 2007.

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, VP5.  Kelly, N0VD will be QRV as VP5/N0VD
from December 2 to 12.  Activity will be on the HF bands.  He will
also be active as VP5D in the upcoming ARRL 10-Meter contest.  QSL
to home call.

LAKSHADWEEP ISLANDS, VU.  Members of the Amateur Radio Society of
India are QRV as VU7LD (and possibly VU7LD/homecalls) from Kavaratti
Island, IOTA AS-011, from December 1 to 31.  They are active on 160
to 10 meters using CW, SSB, RTTY, SSTV and PSK.  QSL via W3HNK.

LAOS, XW.  Larry is QRV as XW1A and has been active on 20 meters
around 0200z.  QSL via E21EIC.

INDONESIA, YB.  Mat, YC8TDE/p is QRV from Ternate Island, IOTA
OC-145, until December 15.  He is usually QRV on 40 and 15 meters
using SSB.  QSL to home call.

THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO.  The ARRL 160-Meter Contest, EU-PSK-QRP
Contest, TARA RTTY Melee, Wake-Up. QRP CW Sprint, TOPS Activity
80-Meter CW Contest and the New Mexico QSO Party are all scheduled
for this weekend.  The ARS Spartan CW Sprint is scheduled for
December 5.  Please see December QST, page 79 and the ARRL and
WA7BNM contest websites for details.
NNNN
/EX



-- 
Randy Allen, KA?AZS



From ka0azs at earthlink.net  Thu Nov 30 20:42:32 2006
From: ka0azs at earthlink.net (Randy Allen)
Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 20:42:32 -0500
Subject: [bulletins] [Fwd: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE]
Message-ID: <456F8888.5070302@earthlink.net>



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 15:18:13 -0500
From: ARRL Web site <memberlist at www.arrl.org>
To: allenr at dma.org

The Ohio Slow Net (OSN), one of three CW traffic nets operating in the
Buckeye State, will change its operating frequency beginning Monday,
November 27. The change was necessary due to the recent modifying of
our sub bands by the Federal Communications Commission.

OSN Net Manager Henry Koenig, WD8Q, has announced the new operating
frequency will be 3.596 MHz. This net meets daily at 6:10 p.m. and will
continue to meet daily at that time.

Early in November, the FCC in a Rule and Order, announced band changes
which will be effective December 15. The OSN has been using 3.708 MHz,
a frequency the net will use until November 27.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Ohio Section
Section Manager: Joseph J. Phillips, K8QOE
k8qoe at arrl.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------
This message is being sent to you via the ARRL Members Only Web site.
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Log in with your username and password and change your email options.
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-- 
Randy Allen, KA?AZS