If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at:   
   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2014-02-13   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
      
   February 13, 2014   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
    *  DX: Amsterdam Island FT5ZM DXpedition Concludes Operation   
    *  Ham Radio in Space: ISS CubeSat Deployment, "Ham Video" Commissioning   
       Postponed   
    *  Education: Winter Edition of New Radio Waves E-Newsletter Now Available   
    *  Radiosport: Work the World During the ARRL International DX Contest   
       (CW)!   
    *  Radiosport: ARRL Contest Branch Catching Up   
    *  Radiosport: WRTC-2014 Announces Three Sponsored Teams for July   
       Competition   
    *  Regulatory: RAC Cautions Regulator: Tower Rules Changes Should Not   
       Affect Hams   
    *  ARRL Centennial: W1AW Centennial Operations Now in California, Wisconsin   
    *  ARRL Centennial: A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL   
    *  Milestones: DXer, Contester Victor Paounoff, N4XR, SK   
    *  In Brief   
    *  The K7RA Solar Update   
    *  Just Ahead in Radiosport   
    *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events   
      
   DX: Amsterdam Island FT5ZM DXpedition Concludes Operation   
      
   The FT5ZM DXpedition has shut down, although the trip home remains. That news   
   may be welcome to non-DXers who have been contending with huge and sometimes   
   chaotic split-operation pileups that occasionally occupied substantial   
   segments of spectrum, but depressing for operators who were unsuccessful in   
   snagging this rare one. The Amsterdam Island DXpedition team logged on the   
   order of 165,000 contacts on SSB, CW and RTTY. AA4SC had the honor of   
   completing the final FT5ZM contact -- on February 12 at 0220 UTC. Amsterdam   
   Island is the seventh most-wanted DXCC entity, according to the ClubLog DXCC   
   Most Wanted List.   
      
   "All the team members are now safely aboard the Braveheart as of 0520 UTC,"   
   FT5ZM Pilot Station Val Hotzfeld, NV9L, reported on February 13. "There is a   
   strong storm right behind them. This should make for rough seas but favorable   
   winds pushing them to Perth."   
      
   Earlier seas were too rough to load the boat, leaving the DXpedition team and   
   gear stuck on shore.   
      
   All FT5ZM logs have been uploaded to ClubLog, and the Online QSL Request   
   Service (OQRS) for FT5ZM now is online. The budget for the DXpedition was   
   $450,000, which, to date, has not been met. More information on the Amsterdam   
   Island DXpedition budget and on the DXpedition is available on the Amsterdam   
   Island FT5DX website. The ARRL made a Colvin Award grant to help support the   
   DXpedition. -- Thanks to The Daily DX, FT5ZM   
      
   Ham Radio in Space: ISS CubeSat Deployment, "Ham Video" Commissioning Postponed   
      
   Two Amateur Radio-related activities aboard the International Space Station   
   have been postponed. The deployment of Amateur Radio CubeSats planned for   
   February 6 was put off, and a new date has not yet been announced. Launch   
   provider NanoRacks announced the deployment of two PlanetLabs commercial   
   imaging satellites on February 11, however, so the ham radio satellites may   
   not be far behind. NASA reported that astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA, ran   
   into a little difficulty while installing the CubeSat deployer mechanism that   
   will be used in concert with the Kibo robotic arm. That setback and the fact   
   that NASA also wanted to make sure the CubeSats did not fall into the intended   
   orbit of the Global Precipitation Measurement satellite, accounted for the   
   delay.   
      
   The CubeSats were aboard the Cygnus freighter that launched from Virginia's   
   Eastern Shore January 9. The satellites include Lithuania's first two   
   satellites -- LituanicaSat-1 and LitSat-1 -- as well as ArduSat-2, UAPSat-1 --   
   Peru's third satellite -- and the 915 MHz SkyCube. LituanicaSat-1 carries a   
   145/435 MHz FM transponder, while LitSat-1 will have a 435/145 MHz linear   
   SSB/CW transponder. The Kaunas University of Technology developed   
   LituanicaSAT-1, while the Lithuanian Space Federation developed LitSat-1.   
   Mineo Wakita, JE9PEL, has posted details of these and other Amateur Radio   
   satellites due for deployment this month.   
      
   Meanwhile, the European Space Agency has postponed the commissioning of the   
   "Ham Video" system aboard the ISS Columbus module. That activity had been set   
   to start last week as well. ARISS-Europe Chairman Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, said   
   the four commissioning steps most likely will take place on weekend dates in   
   March, and that a couple of the steps may be combined to condense the process.   
      
   "The agenda is still to be finalized," he said. NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins,   
   KF5LJG, was to have installed the Ham TV equipment last week and connected the   
   2.4 GHz transmitter to the ARISS 41 antenna already on Columbus. He was   
   involved with another onboard project on the day the installation was   
   scheduled, however. Hopkins also will be involved with the Ham Video   
   commissioning process.   
      
   Once operational, the Ham Video transmitter will be used for ARISS educational   
   contacts with schools in Europe. There are no immediate plans to deploy   
   downlink video for US ARISS school events, in part because no North American   
   ground stations have been planned. -- AMSAT-UK; ARISS-EU; NASA   
      
   Education: Winter Edition of New Radio Waves E-Newsletter Now Available   
      
   The Winter 2014 edition of Radio Waves, ARRL's redesigned and renamed   
   e-newsletter for instructors and teachers, is now available on the ARRL   
   website. Among the selection of articles: "High School Students Put Packet   
   Radio to Work for Local Environmental Study," "Club Boasts Fourfold Increase   
   in New Licensees/Upgrades," "Instructor Corner -- News, Ideas, Support," and   
   "In The Classroom: Teaching Ohm's Law."   
      
   ARRL Education Services Manager Debra Johnson, K1DMJ, who edits the   
   newsletter, said Radio Waves aims to provide information that will help   
   educators and instructors with licensing or classroom instruction and to share   
   experiences and stories of other instructors and teachers that may offer ideas   
   for readers to incorporate into their own activities. Johnson explained that   
   the redesign was due in part to a desire to include links to the wealth of   
   information available on the ARRL website and elsewhere.   
      
   "We can bring together information that exists in many places more effectively   
   than we could in the past," she said. "We provide the information in   
   newsletter format direct to your mailbox as a convenience."   
      
   Johnson said readers can review the current edition or earlier issues --   
   including an archive of past editions of the earlier Instructor/Teacher   
   E-Letter -- for information and ideas about licensing instruction, and for   
   stories about how ham radio is being used in the classroom for learning and   
   fun.   
      
   ARRL-registered volunteer instructors and classroom teachers are automatically   
   subscribed to receive Radio Waves. Others may sign up to receive e-mail   
   notification of new issues; click on "Edit your Profile" at the top of the   
   ARRL website home page. Then, click on "Edit Email Subscriptions" and check   
   the box for "ARRL Instructor/Teacher E-Letter."   
      
   Radiosport: Work the World During the ARRL International DX Contest (CW)!   
      
   The CW weekend of the ARRL International DX Contest is February 15-16 (UTC).   
   If you like CW DX, this event "keeps the DX aiming in your direction," as Ward   
   Silver, N0AX, put it in his ARRL Contest Update e-newsletter. "With   
   propagation so good lately, this might be a good weekend to spend on the   
   radio," he added.   
      
   Goran Fagerstrom, SM0DRD, was part of the KH6LC multi-multi operation in the   
   2013 ARRL International DX Contest.   
      
   One of the premier events on the contest calendar, the ARRL DX encourages   
   participants to expand their knowledge of DX propagation on the HF and MF   
   bands, and to improve operating skills and station capability by creating a   
   competition in which DX stations may only contact stations in the US and   
   Canada.   
      
   W/VE amateurs work as many DX stations in as many DXCC entities as possible on   
   160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters DX stations work as many US and Canadian   
   stations in as many of the 48 contiguous US states and Canadian provinces as   
   possible.   
      
   US and Canadian stations send a signal report and their state or province   
   abbreviation. DX stations send a signal report and output power. There are   
   entry categories for individual operators and multioperator teams as well as a   
   choice of power levels in each category.   
      
   Even contest newcomers and low-power or QRP operators will find a niche in the   
   ARRL International DX Contest. It's a terrific opportunity to boost DXCC   
   totals too. The ARRL International DX Contest phone weekend will take place   
   March 1-2, 2014.   
      
   Radiosport: ARRL Contest Branch Catching Up   
      
   There have been some changes in the ARRL Contest Branch following the January   
   23 resignation of Mike DeChristopher, N1TA, as ARRL Contest Manager. Since his   
   departure, a team of ARRL staffers that includes former Contest Branch   
   managers Dan Henderson, N1ND, and Sean Kutzko, KX9X, have been addressing the   
   needs of the Contest Branch until a new manager is in place. ARRL Membership &   
   Volunteer Services Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, is heading up the team. In   
   addition to maintaining day-to-day Contest Branch activities, Kutzko said, the   
   team has several immediate objectives -- the first to eliminate the backlog of   
   overdue awards certificates and plaques. These have been going out on a   
   regular basis over the past couple of weeks.   
      
   Sean Kutzko, KX9X.   
      
   "With the help of several ARRL staffers in the Awards Branch, we have sent out   
   over 5000 award certificates in the last two weeks," Kutzko said. These   
   include certificates for the 2012 ARRL November Sweepstakes, the 2012   
   September VHF Contest, the 2012 August UHF Contest, and the 2013 RTTY Roundup.   
   Another 1100 certificates for the 2012 ARRL 10 Meter Contest are in the mail   
   queue.   
      
   "In addition, plaques for the 2012 CW Sweepstakes and 2013 RTTY Roundup were   
   shipped," Kutzko said, adding that 2012 plaques for the phone Sweepstakes   
   should be going out within 3 weeks. "We will continue to aggressively work on   
   the backlog of overdue awards and hope to be caught up soon," Kutzko said.   
   Contesters can monitor the team's progress on the ARRL website, which is   
   updated regularly.   
      
   Kutzko said the team does not foresee any delays in the publication of contest   
   results online or in QST. Several contest results tables, log check reports,   
   and databases have been uploaded to the ARRL website in the past 2 weeks.   
      
   The extended article on the ARRL September VHF Contest has been posted on the   
   Contest Results Articles page, and log check reports are now available for the   
   2013 ARRL June VHF and August UHF contests.   
      
   "Finally, we are working together to take care of customer service inquiries   
   to the Contest Branch and reply as rapidly as possible," Kutzko said,   
   expressing regret for "the delays in communications and awards fulfillment   
   that contesters have experienced."   
      
   "The past few months have not been up to ARRL standards; we apologize for this   
   and are working hard to correct it," he concluded.   
      
   Direct any ARRL contest-related questions to Dave Patton, NN1N, or Sean   
   Kutzko, KX9X. -- Thanks to ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Sean   
   Kutzko, KX9X, and the ARRL Contest Update   
      
   Radiosport: WRTC-2014 Announces Three Sponsored Teams for July Competition   
      
   WRTC-2014 is July 8-14 in the Boston area.   
      
   World Radiosport Team Championship 2014 (WRTC-2014) has announced pairings for   
   three of the four "sponsored" teams that will participate in the July event.   
   The WRTC-2014 Steering Committee permits each WRTC organizer to offer the   
   opportunity for sponsors to name teams outside of the normal qualification   
   process as a fund-raising mechanism. The first three sponsorships were on a   
   first-come, first-served basis. A fourth sponsored team slot will be available   
   by auction.   
      
   The "Latitude 13" will consist of Tom Georgens, W2SC, and Dave Mueller, N2NL.   
   Both are past WRTC competitors. The name reflects the fact that both   
   contesters typically operate at 13ø latitude. "RadioTeam Azores," sponsored by   
   the Azores Tourism Association, will consist of Martti Laine, OH2BH, and Ville   
   Hiilesmaa, OH2MM. Laine was the contest chairman of the first WRTC in 1990 and   
   co-chair of WRTC-2002 in Finland. Hiilesmaa has been a WRTC organizer,   
   referee, and judge. The "Brazil-Bulgaria Friendship Team" is sponsored by a   
   consortium that includes the Araucaria DX Group; the Sao Paulo section of   
   LABRE; K1LZ, and the Bulgarian Federation of Radio Amateurs (BFRA). They have   
   appointed Soni Leite, PY1NX, and Atanas "Nasko" Koitchev, LZ3YY/LZ9R. Both are   
   experienced operators with world-class credentials.   
      
   The auction to determine the final sponsored team will be held on March 8.   
   Interested parties should contact WRTC Chairman Doug Grant, K1DG, to register.   
   WRTC-2014 will take place July 8-14 in New England, in conjunction with the   
   IARU HF Championship event.   
      
   Regulatory: RAC Cautions Regulator: Tower Rules Changes Should Not Affect Hams   
      
   Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) has told its membership that it will advise   
   telecommunications regulator Industry Canada (IC) "in the strongest of terms"   
   that no changes be made in tower siting rules that might negatively affect   
   existing Amateur Radio antenna installations. A February 5 announcement,   
   "Harper Government Making Changes to Cell Tower Placement Rules," and a   
   subsequent notice stating that changes to the current regulations would   
   follow, prompted the RAC warning.   
      
   "RAC does not believe this policy change announcement was generated by   
   problems caused by the Amateur Radio community," assured Glenn MacDonell,   
   VE3XRA, RAC's Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, adding that the current   
   15 meter (maximum) height "has worked well for several years." Speaking on the   
   RAC's behalf, MacDonell pointed out that Amateur Radio antenna structures   
   differ in many ways from cell phone towers in that they are typically smaller   
   and less obtrusive, are owned by individuals and typically sited on the user's   
   residential property, and are in intermittent use.   
      
   "RAC has always been willing to work with Industry Canada in consultations   
   [regulatory proceedings -- Ed] that take into account the needs of the general   
   community and Amateur Radio operators," MacDonell said. "Radio amateurs are   
   most noticed by the general community when they fill in for failing   
   communications systems, such as has happened with floods and ice storms, or   
   provide communications for community events," he concluded. "We must be very   
   careful not to make it needlessly difficult to install antennas, as that   
   would, over time, reduce the number of people able to provide these important   
   community services."   
      
   ARRL Centennial: W1AW Centennial Operations Now in California, Wisconsin   
      
   The ARRL Centennial "W1AW WAS" operations taking place throughout 2014 from   
   each of the 50 states are in California (W1AW/6) and Wisconsin (W1AW/9). At   
   0000 UTC on February 19 (the evening of February 18 in US time zones),   
   operations will relocate to Michigan (W1AW/8) and Florida (W1AW/4). During   
   2014 W1AW will be on the air from every state (at least twice) and from most   
   US territories, and it will be easy to work all states solely by contacting   
   W1AW portable operations.   
      
   In conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the ARRL, the ARRL Centennial QSO   
   Party kicked off January 1 for a year-long operating event in which   
   participants can accumulate points and win awards. The event is open to all,   
   although only ARRL members and appointees, elected officials, HQ staff and   
   W1AW are worth ARRL Centennial QSO Party points. Working W1AW/x from each   
   state is worth 5 points per contact.   
      
   To earn the "Worked all States with W1AW Award," work W1AW operating portable   
   from all 50 states. (Working W1AW or W100AW in Connecticut does not count for   
   Connecticut, however. For award credit, participants must work W1AW/1 in   
   Connecticut.) A W1AW WAS certificate and plaque will be available.   
      
   ARRL Centennial: A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL   
      
   American hams won high praise for their considerable help to the military   
   during the Great War. However, at the end of the war, hearings in Congress   
   began on an effort to put all radio matters under the control of the US Navy.   
   It was expected that the Navy would abolish Amateur Radio -- despite the debt   
   owed to hams for their war service.   
      
   ARRL President Maxim and representatives of many of the large radio clubs in   
   the country attended the hearings and spoke against the proposed legislation.   
   The ARRL called on its membership and on families of hams killed in action to   
   speak out in opposition to the bill, which they did -- in large numbers, and   
   with emotional pleas. So, despite a strong effort to push the bill through, it   
   died in committee and never reached the floor.   
      
   On April 12, 1919, five months after the armistice was signed, the US Navy   
   Department announced that the ban on amateur receiving would be lifted, but   
   that the ban on transmitting would continue until the President of the United   
   States officially announced that a state of peace existed.   
      
   Three months later, on July 24, the Navy tried again. The Secretary of the   
   Navy wrote the President of the Senate, asking that legislation be enacted to   
   give the Navy a monopoly on all oceanic and international radio communication.   
   This effort was also defeated by the combined forces of American radio   
   interests, including the efforts of the ARRL.   
      
   In August, the Navy again postponed the removal of the ban on transmitting by   
   hams. A bill was introduced in Congress to force the Navy to lift the ban.   
   Finally, under the threat of congressional action, the Navy, on September 26,   
   1919, lifted the transmitting ban and ceded authority over radio matters to   
   the Department of Commerce. Amateur Radio was back in business!   
      
   In this year-long overview of the first 100 years of the ARRL, I've lingered   
   over the early years simply because of their great importance. Without the   
   early efforts of the League, its officers, and its members, we likely would   
   not have Amateur Radio as it is today. Perhaps there would be no Amateur Radio   
   at all.   
      
   Now we'll move on through our retrospective at a faster pace. Hams get on the   
   air again! Technology makes great strides! The ARRL continues its leadership   
   roll. Stay tuned! -- Al Brogdon, W1AB   
      
   Milestones: DXer, Contester Victor Paounoff, N4XR, SK   
      
   Victor Paounoff, N4XR, of Crossville, Tennessee, and formerly of Gettysburg,   
   Pennsylvania, died February 10. He was 96. Paounoff became licensed in the   
   1930s as W1EOB while a teenager living in Connecticut. He later became a   
   well-known on-the-air presence from Haiti, where he operated as HH2VP.   
   Paounoff was a founding member of the Yankee Clipper Contest Club and a member   
   of its Hall of Fame for his contributions to contesting.   
      
   Paounoff joined the US Navy prior to World War II and served in both the   
   European and Pacific theaters as a radioman. Before the war ended, he had   
   received a commission. Following WW II, he was a quality control engineer for   
   General Instrument, a job that took him to Japan, Haiti, and elsewhere around   
   the globe.   
      
   Paounoff maintained his enthusiasm for Amateur Radio throughout his long life,   
   taking part in contests and finishing with the top world score on at least a   
   couple of occasions. He also enjoyed bowling and remained a Boston Red Sox   
   fan. He had 384 DXCC entities confirmed, including deleted entities. -- Thanks   
   to Pete Chamalian, W1RM, and The Daily DX   
      
   In Brief   
      
   ARRL Headquarters is Closed on Monday, February 17: ARRL Headquarters will be   
   closed on Presidents Day, Monday, February 17, and there will be no W1AW   
   bulletin or code practice transmissions that day. Headquarters will be open   
   for business Tuesday, February 18, at 8 AM ET. We wish everyone a safe and   
   enjoyable holiday!   
      
   First-Time W1AW/KG4 Guantanamo Bay Operation Set: As part of ARRL's Centennial   
   QSO Party, Ed Williams, KN4KL, and Bill Verebely, W4WV, will activate W1AW/KG4   
   from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in late February and early March! The operation will   
   take place Wednesday, February 26, through Tuesday, March 4 UTC. This may mark   
   the first time the US Navy has authorized the use of a "portable" call sign   
   from Gitmo. QSL via ARRL Headquarters (225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111) or   
   Logbook of The World (LoTW).   
      
   Maine Sea Gull Net Celebrates Diamond Jubilee: The Maine Sea Gull Net (SGN)   
   marks its 75th anniversary in 2014, making it the oldest or among the oldest   
   nets still in service. "We are celebrating throughout the year with various   
   activities," Net Manager Jerry Burns, K1GUP, of Carmel, Maine, told ARRL. "A   
   month ago on the net I played a recording from 1989 of a QSO I had with the   
   net's founder, Win Ramsdell, W1FBJ (SK), in which he recounted the beginnings   
   of the net and his election as Maine's first 'phone man' Section   
   Communications Manager -- when CW reigned as the mover of traffic. He also   
   told about the net's involvement in the fires of 1947." Burns recently ran a   
   session on AM, "netting" 38 check-ins, all but two on AM. "It was so much like   
   the 'good old days!'" he said. Burns invited past net control operators and   
   visitors to check in anytime. At hamfests he'll offer net certificates with a   
   75th anniversary ribbon attached, and down the road he'll air a tape of a 1978   
   net. The Sea Gull Net meets at 5 PM ET, Mondays through Saturdays, on 3940 kHz.   
      
   Olympic Special Event Stations On the Air: Among the dozens of special event   
   call signs on the air to mark the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2014 Paralympic   
   Games is R0000O (that's R plus four zeros and the letter O, to symbolize the   
   five interlocked Olympic rings). Special event stations will be active until   
   March 31. Click on the special event call sign in the Mega Log page list for   
   more information and QSL routes (not all call signs are hyperlinks).   
      
   Brazil's LABRE Celebrating its 80th Anniversary: The Liga de Amadores   
   Brasileiros de Radio Emissao (LABRE) -- Brazil's national Amateur Radio   
   organization and IARU member-society -- was founded 80 years ago on February   
   2, 1934. LABRE is marking the event with a massive special event operation.   
   Stations with commemorative "ZZ80" call signs in all 26 Brazilian states and   
   the Federal District are on the air through the end of February. The   
   two-letter suffix of each station represents the state from which it is   
   operating. Stations will be on all HF bands and on 2 meters using various   
   modes. LABRE will confirm all contacts with a QSL card. QSL to LABRE 80 Years,   
   Caixa Postal 4, 70351-970 Brasilia DF, Brazil.   
      
   Poland Allocates New Ham Bands at Opposite Ends of the Amateur Radio Spectrum:   
   Radio Amateurs in Poland this month will gain access to two new Amateur Radio   
   bands at opposite ends of the spectrum -- 472 kHz and 122.25 GHz. The new   
   472-479 kHz and 122.250-123.000 GHz bands both are allocated to the Amateur   
   Service on a secondary basis. They become available in Poland on February 18.   
   -- Thanks to Pawe�? Zakrzewski, SP7TEV, PZK IARU Liaison Office   
      
   South Pole Station's KC4AAA Now on CW: Joseph Musachia, W5FJG, a satellite   
   engineer at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, reports that CW capability has   
   been restored at KC4AAA, and operators there now are trying to get up and   
   running on PSK31 and RTTY within the next few weeks. In late January a new 3   
   element 17 meter monobander was installed at 45 feet, fixed at 105ø for North   
   America. Look for KC4AAA at around 18111 kHz. Elsewhere in Antarctica, RI1ANP   
   is on the air from Progress Station, with Nikolay Zinin, RW6ACM, as the main   
   operator. He operates CW, SSB, and digital modes. Word is that Antarctica may   
   come to Top Band in March. George Taft, W8UVZ, is assisting. Oleg Sakharov,   
   UA1PBA, at RI1ANR/R1ANR (Antarctica Novo Runway), reported that a 160 meter   
   vertical was nearly ready, and he hoped to be active this month. (RI- prefix   
   call signs may show up as "European Russia" in loggers and online databases.)   
   -- Thanks to The Daily DX   
      
   The K7RA Solar Update   
      
   There seems to be a disconnect between daily sunspot numbers and solar flux   
   over the past reporting week (February 6-12), with the average daily sunspot   
   number rising 28 points to 184.3, and average daily solar flux declining 8.5   
   points to 171.9. Perhaps this reflects the general weakness in the energy and   
   magnetic complexity of recent sunspots. Many days we see a substantial number   
   of sunspots, but they don't produce much activity.   
      
   We did see unsettled geomagnetic conditions on February 8, though, when the   
   planetary A index reached 23, caused by a coronal mass ejection (CME) the day   
   before.   
      
   At 2351 UTC on February 12, the Australian Space Forecast Centre released this   
   geomagnetic warning: "INCREASED GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY EXPECTED DUE TO CORONAL   
   MASS EJECTION FROM 13-15 FEBRUARY 2014." They predict a minor geomagnetic   
   storm on Saturday, February 15. Too bad, since that will be the first day of   
   the ARRL International DX Contest, CW.   
      
   The latest forecast from NOAA/USAF has planetary A index at 5 on February 13,   
   25 on February 14, 40 on February 15, 18 on February 16, 12 on February 17, 5   
   on February 18-24, 8 on February 25, 5 on February 26 through March 1, 12 on   
   March 2, 5 on March 3-6, and 8 on March 7-9, before dropping back to 5 until   
   February 16.   
      
   Predicted solar flux values are 155 on February 13, 150 on February 14-15, 145   
   on February 16-17, 140 on February 18-19, 145 on February 20-22, then 150,   
   160, 170, 180, 185, 190 and 200 on February 23 through March 1, then 195, 200,   
   205 and 210 on March 2-5, before declining to a low of 130 on March 14.   
      
   Last week's Friday bulletin reported my discovery of a first-edition Radio   
   Amateur's Handbook at a local library. Now I know why it was in such wonderful   
   condition. It turned out to be a 2006 reproduction on the book's 90th   
   anniversary, shipped to buyers who placed advanced orders for the 2006 ARRL   
   Handbook for Radiocommunications.   
      
   Tad Cook invites reports and observations.   
      
   Just Ahead in Radiosport   
    *  Feb 14 -- QRP Fox Hunt   
    *  Feb 14 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder   
    *  Feb 14-15 -- PODXS 070 Club Valentine Sprint   
    *  Feb 14-15 -- Russian World Wide PSK Contest   
    *  Feb 15 -- Feld-Hell Bingo Sprint   
    *  Feb 15-16 -- ARRL Int'l DX Contest, CW   
    *  Feb 16 -- Maine 2 Meter FM Simplex Challenge   
    *  Feb 17 -- Run For the Bacon, CW   
    *  Feb 19 -- QRP Fox Hunt   
    *  Feb 19 -- AGCW Semi-Automatic Key Evening   
    *  Feb 21-23 -- CQ World Wide 160 Meter Contest, SSB   
    *  Feb 22-23 -- REF Contest   
    *  Feb 22 -- SARL Youth Day Sprint   
    *  Feb 22-23 -- UBA Contest, CW   
    *  Feb 22-23 -- North American QSO Party, RTTY   
    *  Feb 23-24 -- North Carolina QSO Party   
    *  Feb 24 -- CQC Winter QSO Party   
      
   Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events   
    *  February 14-15 -- Arizona Section Convention, Yuma, Arizona   
    *  February 22 -- Vermont State Convention, South Burlington, Vermont   
    *  March 1-2 -- Alabama Section Convention (BirmingHAMfest 2014),   
       Birmingham, Alabama   
    *  March 7-8 -- North Carolina Section Convention (Charlotte Hamfest),   
       Concord, North Carolina   
    *  March 7-8 -- West Gulf Division Convention, Claremore, Oklahoma   
    *  March 14-15 -- Delta Division Convention, Rayne, Louisiana   
    *  March 15 -- Nebraska State Convention, Lincoln, Nebraska   
    *  March 15 -- West Texas Section Convention, Midland, Texas   
    *  March 22 -- South Texas Section Convention (Greater Houston Hamfest),   
       Rosenberg, Texas   
    *  March 22-23 -- Communications Academy, Seattle, Washington   
    *  March 28-29 -- Maine State Convention, Lewiston, Maine   
    *  March 29 -- Microhams Digital Conference, Redmond, Washington   
    *  April 4-6 -- International DX Convention, Visalia, California   
    *  April 19 -- Roanoke Division Convention, Raleigh, North Carolina   
    *  April 25-27 -- Idaho State Convention, Boise, Idaho   
    *  April 26 -- Aurora '14 Conference, White Bear Lake, Minnesota   
    *  May 3 -- South Carolina Section Convention, Spartanburg, South Carolina   
    *  May 16-18 -- Dayton Hamvention -- Regional ARRL Centennial Event,   
       Dayton, Ohio   
      
   Find conventions and hamfests in your area.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information   
      
   Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes QST, Amateur Radio's most   
   popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month.   
      
   Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday.   
      
   Subscribe to...   
      
   NCJ -- National Contest Journal. Published bi-monthly, features articles by   
   top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties.   
      
   QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters. Published bi-monthly,   
   features technical articles, construction projects, columns and other items of   
   interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals.   
      
   Free of charge to ARRL members: Subscribe to the ARES E-Letter (monthly public   
   service and emergency communications news), the ARRL Contest Update (bi-weekly   
   contest newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much more!   
      
   Find us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 50 times each year. ARRL members may   
   subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member Data Page as   
   described at http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/.   
      
   Copyright (c) 2014 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved   
      
   www.arrl.org   
      
      
      
   )\/(ark   
      
   One of the great tragedies of life is the murder of a beautiful theory by a   
   gang of brutal facts. --Benjamin Franklin   
      
   --- FMail/Win32 1.60   
    * Origin:  (1:3634/12.71)