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   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2014-04-03   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
      
   April 3, 2014   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
    *  ARRL Calls for Timely, Visible FCC Amateur Radio Enforcement   
    *  Public Service: Washington Governor Visits Snohomish County EOC Radio   
       Room   
    *  Public Service: Hams on Alert in Wake of Chile Earthquake   
    *  DX: Stormy Weather May Force Retreat of Mellish Reef VK9MT DXpedition   
       Team   
    *  Radiosport: WRTC-2014 Receives ARRL Colvin Grant Award   
    *  Centennial: W1AW Centennial Operations in Pennsylvania, Oregon, until   
       April 9 (UTC)   
    *  Ham Radio in Space: Lithuania's President Relays Greetings via Amateur   
       Radio CubeSat   
    *  Events: ARRL to Be Represented at National Association of Broadcasters   
       Convention   
    *  Milestones: Voice of Russia Goes Dark After All   
    *  Milestones: AMSAT-NA Board Member, Officer Tony Monteiro, AA2TX, SK   
    *  Feature: A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL   
    *  In Brief...   
    *  The K7RA Solar Update   
    *  Just Ahead in Radiosport   
    *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events   
      
   ARRL Calls for Timely, Visible FCC Amateur Radio Enforcement   
      
   In comments filed in response to the FCC's February 14 Report on Process   
   Reform (GN Docket 14-25), the ARRL has called for a more visible, responsive   
   Amateur Radio enforcement program. The League also said it was concerned   
   that FCC policies for adjudicating certain complaints of interference to   
   radio amateurs, especially those involving electric utilities, provide no   
   incentive for the utilities to resolve them. The ARRL was further critical   
   of the fact that FCC petitions for rule making and spectrum allocation   
   proceedings often take years to resolve. But the League confined the bulk of   
   its comments to perceived shortcomings in the Amateur Radio enforcement   
   program.   
      
      
   "[T]he visibility of the Commission's enforcement program for the Amateur   
   Service is wholly inadequate, resulting in a widespread, albeit inaccurate,   
   public perception that there is no active enforcement in our service," the   
   League's comments asserted. The ARRL said "deterrence based on visibility is   
   a critical component of a successful compliance campaign."   
      
   The most successful -- and visible -- period of Amateur Radio enforcement in   
   recent years was between 1997 and 2008, the ARRL said. According to the   
   League, compliance during that period was a result of "the visibility in the   
   Amateur Radio community of a single member of the Commission's Enforcement   
   Bureau staff at Amateur Radio events" and of keeping the Amateur Radio media   
   fully informed on what was being done to resolve a particular enforcement   
   issue.   
      
   FCC-imposed constraints in the past few years have had "a devastating effect   
   on the entire philosophy of the program and its success," the League told   
   the Commission. Among other factors, the ARRL pointed to the "extensive   
   approvals" required before the release of enforcement correspondence.   
   Enforcement actions that are taken, the League continued, are not released   
   to the Amateur Radio media. "This deprives radio amateurs of the knowledge   
   that the Commission is indeed investigating and responding to a given   
   enforcement problem," the ARRL said. "The result is the perception that   
   nothing is being done in a given case, and frustration builds rapidly among   
   the radio amateurs who have to endure the rule violator on an ongoing   
   basis."   
      
   "[L]imitations imposed on the visibility of enforcement actions in recent   
   years have significantly reduced the effectiveness of the program," the ARRL   
   stressed, and "directly resulted in notable and unacceptable increases in   
   rule violations, most especially malicious interference." Further, the ARRL   
   said, Enforcement Bureau personnel responsible for Amateur Radio enforcement   
   should be empowered with greater autonomy to address problems as they arise.   
      
   The League faulted the FCC's websites -- old and new -- for being "woefully   
   out of date" and not well maintained or presented. "The fact that there are   
   two separate listings of Amateur Radio enforcement actions on two separate   
   FCC websites is, frankly, ridiculous in any case," the ARRL concluded.   
      
   The ARRL also urged the FCC to make better use of the Amateur Auxiliary --   
   the ARRL Official Observer Program -- in resolving enforcement complaints.   
   "It is unclear why none of the evidence gathered by OOs is usable other than   
   as a predictor for Commission District Office staff to use in investigating   
   the matter themselves -- if and when their time permits," the League said.   
   "The program is authorized by legislation. It would increase the   
   Commission's efficiency if the work of these volunteers were put to a better   
   use."   
      
   The ARRL pointed to cases where chronic rule violators who were the subject   
   of hundreds of hours of OO surveillance and off-the-air recordings have   
   "been allowed to continue those activities for periods of years without more   
   than a warning letter."   
      
   The League said the Report "makes good recommendations" in addressing   
   years-long delays in resolving rule making petitions and open-docket   
   proceedings. As an example it cited the League's 2012 Petition for   
   Rulemaking seeking a new Amateur Radio allocation at 472-479 kHz. "To date,   
   a year and a half after it was filed, this Petition for Rule Making has not   
   been afforded a file number, nor has public comment been solicited on it,"   
   the ARRL said.   
      
   In a Public Notice the FCC said its Report "seeks to further the goal of   
   having the agency operate in the most effective, efficient and transparent   
   way possible." The League said it was not being critical of any individual   
   FCC staffers or managers. "Rather, the remarks are directed at the   
   Commission's policies and processes" and address issues that "result, in   
   large part, from the unenviable necessity of allocating scarce (and in some   
   cases inadequate) human resources available to the Commission."   
      
   Public Service: Washington Governor Visits Snohomish County EOC Radio Room   
      
   Snohomish County Auxiliary Communications Service (Snohomish ACS -- formerly   
   RACES) Radio Officer Scott Honaker, N7SS, reported that Washington Gov Jay   
   Inslee toured the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management EOC in   
   Everett on March 26. The EOC has been central to the ongoing relief effort   
   following the March 22 mudslide near Oso, Washington.   
      
      
   "We saw Gov Inslee walk into the EOC, and a few minutes later the EOC   
   manager brought him into the radio room with a small group," Honaker told   
   ARRL. "The governor shook hands and thanked us and kept asking good   
   questions about issues he'd heard in the field. He was clearly quite   
   engaged."   
      
   Honaker said the EOC radio room has six radio stations in cubicles, four of   
   them currently monitoring incident traffic. He said ARES DEC George Boswell,   
   K7YHB, has been at the EOC 12 hours a day since last weekend.   
      
   The March 22 landslide, approximately 3 miles east of Oso -- between   
   Darrington and Arlington -- destroyed some 50 homes or other structures and   
   resulted in 30 deaths, as of April 3. Another 16 people remain missing. The   
   slide blocked the north fork of the Stillaguamish River and covered about 1   
   mile of State Route 530, cutting off access to Darrington and disrupting   
   telecommunication services.   
      
      
   Snohomish ACS has been handling communication from the EOC and has moved one   
   command vehicle (COM1) to Darrington, where it had been staffed until March   
   27. A second vehicle was moved to the incident command post in Arlington and   
   is being staffed by dispatchers from 911 call centers.   
      
   "Our DEM Director has requested we staff COM1 in Darrington again, and [we]   
   will do so until relieved," Honaker said on April 1. Amateur Radio   
   volunteers now are running two 9 hour shifts in the EOC and one 12 hour   
   shift in Darrington." Other Amateur Radio volunteers are providing   
   communication support for the Incident Management Team in Arlington.   
      
   In addition to Honaker and Boswell, other Amateur Radio volunteers who met   
   with the governor included former ACS Radio Officer Tim Lawson, K7TKA; Erik   
   Robbins, K7QOG; Ann Wright, AA7AG, and Rob Myers, K7RHM.   
      
   During a radio interview with Brandi Kruse on KIRO in Seattle, Gov Inslee   
   recounted his EOC visit and specifically his visit to the radio room.   
      
   "It's interesting that they had a volunteer group that really has handled a   
   lot of the communications," the governor said. "They have staffed the   
   communications center so that you could have communications from Darrington   
   across over to the Operations Center in Arlington, because the phones were   
   down for two and a half days."   
      
   Public Service: Hams on Alert in Wake of Chile Earthquake   
      
   A magnitude 8.2 earthquake occurred off Northern Chile on April 1, and a   
   powerful 7.6 magnitude aftershock rocked the area on April 3. After the   
   initial temblor, the Radio Club de Chile activated in collaboration with   
   ONEMI, the National Emergency Office of the Ministry of Interior and Public   
   Security.   
      
      
   Radio amateurs established an emergency communication net using 7.050 and   
   14.255 MHz, according to Julio Zavala, CE3OP. The initial earthquake killed   
   six people and triggered a tsunami that pounded Chile's shore with 7 foot   
   waves.   
      
   Right after the first quake, Amateur Radio volunteers in Hawaii opened a   
   tsunami radio watch net on the linked statewide State Civil Defense   
   RACES/Oahu Department of Emergency Management VHF/UHF repeaters. The net   
   carried periodic announcements from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in   
   Ewa Beach, said ARRL Emergency Coordinator and RACES Coordinator Ron   
   Hashiro, AH6RH. The ETA of the tsunami was 3:24 AM, local time.   
      
   Amateur Radio observers reported only modest effects, however, and the radio   
   watch net shut down at 4:32 AM, local time. The tsunami advisory was   
   cancelled about 3 hours later.   
      
   Thousands of people who had evacuated Chile's low-lying coastal areas   
   returned the morning of April 2, after authorities called off the first   
   tsunami alarm. They retreated again after the second earthquake, but a   
   precautionary tsunami alert along the coast and in neighboring Chile was   
   canceled.   
      
   The threat may not be over, according to Paul Earle, a seismologist at the   
   US Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center. He said the   
   Tuesday earthquake was insufficient to release the stress in the vicinity of   
   the undersea seismic gap. "It's going to take some time to evaluate the   
   effect of this earthquake on that region," he said. "But people should stay   
   prepared."-- Thanks to Ron Hashiro, AH6RH, Jim Linton, VK3PC, The Daily DX,   
   and Reuters   
      
   DX: Stormy Weather May Force Retreat of Mellish Reef VK9MT DXpedition Team   
      
   Deteriorating weather and high winds could force the Mellish Reef VK9MT   
   DXpedition team from the Pacific Atoll to the Evohe, the ship that   
   transported them from Australia a week earlier. The operation may have to be   
   abandoned altogether, if the poor weather persists. The DXpedition began   
   operations on March 29 and had planned to remain on Mellish Reef until April   
   9.   
      
      
   "The weather continues to change," a team update reported April 3. "Last   
   night there were torrential downpours and high winds." The DXpedition said   
   that antennas survived with no damage, but the operators have removed   
   nonessential equipment and several antennas, including the just-erected 160   
   meter antenna. While water flowed into the "break tent" through an open   
   window, the operating tents were dry, and no equipment was damaged.   
      
   "Tomorrow morning we will remove all remaining equipment from the island and   
   head towards Australia," the team said, adding that its immediate   
   destination would depend upon the winds and sea conditions, although the   
   ship eventually would return to its home port of Mackay, Australia. "Even if   
   the storm subsides, it is unlikely we will have enough time to return to the   
   island."   
      
   Early on April 3, the team reported it was keeping an eye on a tropical   
   depression north of Mellish Reef and made contingency plans to shut down and   
   abandon the reef, at least temporarily. "The safety of the DXpedition team   
   and the crew is the first priority," the team said.   
      
   The operators were requesting that only those needing Mellish Reef for an   
   all-time new one call the DXpedition. To that end VK9MT intended to focus   
   its attention on bands that drive the highest rates. As of 2000 UTC, VK9MT   
   continued to hold forth on 15, 17, 20, 30, 80, and 75 meters. Last activated   
   in 2009, Mellish Reef is number 22 on ClubLog's most recent mixed-mode DXCC   
   Most Wanted List. -- Thanks to The Daily DX, DX Summit   
      
   Radiosport: WRTC-2014 Receives ARRL Colvin Grant Award   
      
   World Radiosport Team Championship 2014 (WRTC-2014) has announced that it is   
   the recipient of what it called "a significant financial contribution" in   
   the form of an ARRL Colvin Award grant. WRTC-2014 will take place July 8-14   
   in New England. The Colvin Award is funded by an endowment established by   
   the late Lloyd D. Colvin, W6KG, and administered by the ARRL. Colvin Award   
   grants are conferred in support of Amateur Radio projects that promote   
   international goodwill in the field of DX.   
      
   "We are honored to receive this prestigious award," said WRTC-2014 Chair   
   Doug Grant, K1DG. "More than just a radio competition, the WRTC is a place   
   where competitors from around the world can create or renew lasting   
   friendships."   
      
      
   In the July event 59 teams of top Amateur Radio contest operators from more   
   than 40 countries will compete from equivalent stations for top honors in   
   the event, which typically takes place every 4 years. Eligibility to   
   participate in WRTC-2014 was based on qualifying scores posted in major   
   contests between 2010 and 2014.   
      
   A contingent of referees and judges, all well-known contesters in their own   
   right, will oversee the competition and confirm the results.   
      
   Recent Colvin Award grant recipients include the 2013 K9W Wake Atoll and   
   T33A Banaba Island DXpeditions and the 2014 FT5ZM Amsterdam Island   
   operation.   
      
   Centennial: W1AW Centennial Operations in Pennsylvania, Oregon, until April   
   9 (UTC)   
      
   The ARRL Centennial "W1AW WAS" operations taking place throughout 2014 from   
   each of the 50 states are now in Pennsylvania (W1AW/3) and Oregon (W1AW/7).   
   They will relocate at 0000 UTC on Wednesday, April 9 (the evening of April 8   
   in US time zones), to Massachusetts (W1AW/1) and Virginia (W1AW/4). During   
   2014 W1AW will be on the air from every state (at least twice) and 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   
   (pricing not yet available).   
      
   The ARRL has posted an ARRL Centennial QSO Party leader board that   
   participants can use to determine how many points they have accumulated in   
   the Centennial QSO Party and in the W1AW WAS operations. Log in using your   
   Logbook of The World (LoTW) user name and password, and your position will   
   appear at the top of the leader boards. Results are updated daily, based on   
   contacts entered into LoTW.   
      
   So far this year the W1AW Centennial operations have posted nearly 685,000   
   contacts, with uploads awaited from some operations.   
      
   Ham Radio in Space: Lithuania's President Relays Greetings via Amateur Radio   
   CubeSat   
      
   A greeting from Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite was transmitted via   
   LituanicaSAT-1. Grybauskaite may be the first head of state to send a   
   message via an Amateur Radio satellite, her country's first.   
      
      
   Using a handheld radio and the call sign LY5N, she transmitted through the   
   satellite's FM voice transponder. Her words, "Greetings to all Lithuanians   
   around the world!" were recorded on a memory chip in the satellite and the   
   message was successfully transmitted from space on March 22.   
      
   Last year Grybauskaite visited the Science Communication and Information   
   Center at Vilnius University and got to see the LituanicaSAT-1 CubeSat, then   
   being readied for its trip into space. LituanicaSAT-1 was launched to the   
   International Space Station on January 9 and deployed into orbit with other   
   Amateur Radio satellites on February 28.   
      
   The tiny satellite, measuring just 10 x 10 x 10 cm and weighing slightly   
   more than 1 kg, carries a VGA camera and a 145/435 MHz FM Amateur Radio   
   voice transponder, designed and built by Lithuanian radio amateurs. --   
   Thanks to AMSAT News Service, AMSAT-UK   
      
   Events: ARRL to Be Represented at National Association of Broadcasters   
   Convention   
      
   The ARRL will be on hand April 5-10 as more than 100,000 visitors descend on   
   Las Vegas to attend the annual National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)   
   Convention. Hundreds of Amateur Radio operators are expected to be among the   
   attendees at the Las Vegas Convention Center. ARRL Pacific Division Director   
   Bob Vallio, W6RGG, will join local ham radio volunteers in staffing the ARRL   
   booth. Jim Bilan, W7UXB, is coordinating the staff. NAB Science and   
   Technology Vice President John Marino, KR1O, arranged for the generous   
   donation of booth space from the NAB.   
      
      
   Marino and NAB Technology will join Bob Heil, K9EID, of Heil Sound,   
   Broadcast Supply World, Turner Engineering, and DX Engineering in hosting   
   the popular Amateur Radio Operators Reception at the NAB. More than 600 hams   
   from around the world are expected to attend the April 9 event. All Amateur   
   Radio operators are invited, and there is no charge.   
      
   Nearly 1700 exhibitors will be at the show. The ARRL booth will offer   
   convention attendees information on how to get involved in ham radio, how to   
   become an ARRL member, and how to take advantage of League services.   
   Staffing the ARRL booth are members of the Frontier Amateur Radio Society,   
   the Nellis Radio Amateur Club, the Las Vegas Repeater Association, Nevada   
   Amateur Radio Repeaters Inc, and the Las Vegas Radio Amateur Club. Members   
   of several of the non ARRL-affiliated clubs also assist. -- Thanks to   
   Pacific Division Assistant Director/Nevada Section PIO John Bigley, N7UR   
      
   Milestones: Voice of Russia Goes Dark After All   
      
   The Voice of Russia -- the former "Radio Moscow" -- ended its shortwave   
   broadcasts on Tuesday, April 1 -- No fooling! After contradictory   
   announcements and reports last December, it appears the international   
   broadcaster has indeed pulled the plug on its HF transmissions. SWL Tom   
   Witherspoon, K4SWL, contacted VOR. As he reported on his blog, Voice of   
   Russia's Elena Osipova told him, "This is to thank you for your message and   
   confirm the information about the upcoming cancellation of the Voice of   
   Russia's short- and medium wave transmissions as of April 1, 2014."   
      
      
   Richard Weil, KW0U, in St Paul, Minnesota, was able to hear the final   
   shortwave broadcast. "Just barely picked up the last-day broadcast of VOR on   
   13.805 at 1300 UTC," he commented on Witherspoon's site. He used a dipole in   
   his attic. "No mention on air of a final broadcast, which some services have   
   given before closing down," he added. "Too bad to lose it, but time does   
   move on."   
      
   Effective December 9, as a result of a decree signed by Russian President   
   Vladimir Putin, the Voice of Russia radio company officially ceased to exist   
   and merged with several other state-run news agencies as part of Rossia   
   Segodnya, a Russia-based international news service. From the 1950s through   
   the 1980s, the station, then as Radio Moscow, was an easy catch for budding   
   short-wave listeners (SWLs), many of whom later gravitated to Amateur Radio.   
      
   "I remember when the Voice of Russia and Radio Moscow absolutely dominated   
   the shortwaves, especially in my early years as a radio listener,"   
   Witherspoon remarked on his blog. "Times have changed for this broadcaster,   
   who has been the mouthpiece for Russia and the Soviet Union."   
      
   In 2003 VOR was among the first major international radio broadcasters to   
   launch daily broadcasts to Europe in Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM).   
      
   Milestones: AMSAT-NA Board Member, Officer Tony Monteiro, AA2TX, SK   
      
   AMSAT Board Member and Vice President-Engineering Anthony J. "Tony"   
   Monteiro, AA2TX, of North Andover, Massachusetts, died March 26. He was 55   
   and had been suffering from cancer. A "farewell" message was relayed via the   
   FUNcube-1 satellite. First licensed in 1973, Monteiro once described making   
   his first ham radio contact with a transmitter he'd made using parts from an   
   old TV set.   
      
      
   "A Heathkit HR-10B receiver and a 65-foot piece of wire strung out of a   
   window for an antenna made up the rest of my station, which was pretty   
   modest even by 1973 standards," he said. "Even so, I will never forget the   
   thrill of my very first contact."   
      
   After receiving a BS in electrical engineering and a MS in computer science,   
   Monteiro worked at Bell Laboratories, several startups, and with Cisco   
   Systems, where he managed the development of ADSL, voice over packet, and   
   content networking products. He retired from industry in 2002 to focus on   
   satellite projects.   
      
   Monteiro joined AMSAT in 1994. He was a frequent presence at AMSAT events,   
   and he played a significant role in space-based hardware development,   
   including the Fox-1 and Fox-2 satellites. The family has requested memorial   
   donations to AMSAT, 850 Sligo Ave, Suite 600, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Read   
   more. -- AMSAT News Service   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   ARRL Centennial Station Giveaway!   
      
   The ARRL has announced a "Centennial Station Giveaway" as part of its   
   National Centennial Convention in Hartford, Connecticut, July 17-19, 2014.   
   Sponsored by the ARRL and R&L Electronics, the first-prize winner will   
   receive a Grand Prize voucher worth up to $5000 of equipment -- radio,   
   antenna, and accessories -- redeemable for products sold by R&L Electronics.   
   A second-prize winner will receive a $2500 prize voucher for products sold   
   by FlexRadio Systems, also co-sponsored by ARRL.   
      
      
   All paid convention registrants will be entered in the prize drawings (door   
   prizes). Winners will be drawn from among eligible registrants at the end of   
   the convention on Saturday, July 19, 2014. The winner does not need to be   
   present during the drawings.   
      
   Three-day convention tickets are $75 and include an all-day training   
   workshop and lunch on Thursday. Two-day tickets are $25 ($30 at the door),   
   good for admission on Friday and Saturday. Everyone who attends the   
   convention must register.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   Feature: A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL   
      
   When the US entered World War II, Amateur Radio operations were immediately   
   shut down for the duration. After one false start, authorization soon was   
   given for amateurs to operate on 112 MHz for emergency drills and actual   
   emergency operations, as members of the War Emergency Radio Service (WERS).   
      
   During the war years QST published many articles on WERS equipment suitable   
   for 112 MHz -- especially portable and hand-held gear -- and on club   
   preparedness. Announcements in QST made repeated calls for trained operators   
   to volunteer for the military and for civil service. At one time, the Navy   
   made a call for 5000 men specifically to be trained as radar operators and   
   maintenance personnel -- state-of-the-art work.   
      
      
   As America's young men went to various parts of the world to fight the war,   
   the nation called on its women to help with the war effort. Many female hams   
   became military radio operators within the US, and others went to work in   
   defense plants building radio equipment, just as their sisters built the   
   aircraft, ships, and vehicles required by modern warfare.   
      
   Manufacturers' ads in QST started using photos of radio operation during   
   military training maneuvers and even from the battlefield. Early in the war   
   years, manufacturers were unable to keep up with the military's demand, and   
   other ads called for hams to sell or donate their radio gear and components   
   (panel meters were especially needed) for the war effort. Manufacturers   
   expanded their facilities and work forces as quickly as possible, and they   
   soon were able to meet the need.   
      
   It has been reported -- but never confirmed -- that, following the attack at   
   Pearl Harbor, Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto said, "I fear all we have   
   done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."   
   Regardless of the proof of that exact quote, Admiral Yamamoto's writings   
   confirmed that those were, indeed, his feelings. And those feelings were   
   soon proven to be correct.   
      
   Next week: We will continue to look at how hams and the ARRL backed the war   
   effort.   
      
   In Brief...   
      
   FCC Fines CBer $18,000 for Inspection, Quiet Hours Violations: In a   
   Forfeiture Order released March 12, the FCC fined CB operator Nathaniel   
   Johnson, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, $18,000 for "willful and repeated   
   failure" to permit FCC personnel to inspect his station and to comply with   
   "quiet hours" the Commission imposed. The 2012 enforcement action stemmed   
   from neighbors' complaints of interference to telephones and televisions.   
   Because it was unable to inspect Johnson's station, the FCC prohibited him   
   and family members from transmitting between 8 AM and 11:30 PM, but the   
   complaints continued. The Commission issued a Notice of Apparent Liability   
   for Forfeiture and Order (NAL) in the case in May 2013.   
      
   Dayton Top Band Dinner Speaker Announced: Craig Thompson, K9CT, will present   
   "The FT5ZM TopBand Experience" at the 2014 Dayton Top Band Dinner, Friday,   
   May 16, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Downtown Dayton. The event starts with   
   a social hour at 6:15 PM, with dinner at 7:15 PM.   
      
      
   AMSAT/TAPR Banquet Speaker Announced: Tom Clark, K3IO, will be the featured   
   speaker for the eighth annual AMSAT/TAPR Banquet, Friday, May 16, at the   
   Kohler Presidential Banquet Center, 4572 Presidential Way, Kettering, Ohio   
   -- just south of Dayton. Tickets are $30 and must be purchased online by May   
   13 on the AMSAT website (click on the "AMSAT Store" tab).   
      
      
   Operations Approved for DXCC Credit: The ARRL DXCC Desk has approved the   
   February 26 through March 6, 2014 operation of 3C0BYP -- Annobon -- and the   
   2013 operation of 9X0HP -- Rwanda -- for DX Century Club credit. If a   
   request for DXCC credit for this operation has been rejected in a prior   
   application, contact ARRL Awards Branch Manager Bill Moore, NC1L, to be   
   placed on the list for an update to your record. Please note the submission   
   date and/or reference number of your application in order to expedite the   
   search for any rejected contacts. DXCC is Amateur Radio's premier award that   
   hams can earn by confirming on-the-air contacts with 100 DXCC "entities,"   
   most of which are countries in the traditional sense. You can begin with the   
   basic DXCC award and work your way up to the DXCC Honor Roll. Learn more. --   
   ARRL Awards Branch Manager Bill Moore, NC1L   
      
   New World 24 GHz EME Record Claimed: A new world record for moonbounce on 24   
   GHz -- 17,405.6 kilometers (10,815.3 miles) -- was set March 5 by Rex   
   Moncur, VK7MO, and Charlie Suckling, G3WDG. VK7MO set up on Mount   
   Wellington, near Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, to minimize water vapor   
   attenuation of the 24 GHz signal and to take advantage of the Moon's being   
   close to Earth. The Moon had to be at low elevation, which meant a longer   
   path for the signal through Earth's atmosphere. -- Jim Linton, VK3PC, via   
   Southgate Amateur Radio News   
      
   The K7RA Solar Update   
      
   Tad Cook, K7RA, reports from Seattle: Average daily sunspot numbers over the   
   past reporting week (March 27 to April 2) declined from 135.6 to 130.4,   
   compared to the previous 7 days. Average daily solar flux drifted lower too,   
   from 153.2 to 149.   
      
   The current prediction has solar flux at 155 on April 3, 160 on April 4-7,   
   155 and 150 on April 8-9, 140 on April 10-11, 135 on April 12-13, then 140   
   and 145 on April 14-15, 150 on April 16-18, 155 on April 19-22, 145 on April   
   23-28, and 140 on April 29 through May 2.   
      
   Predicted planetary A index is 5, 8, 15, 12 and 8 on April 3-7, 5 on April   
   8-16, 8 on April 17-19, 5 on April 20-22, 8 on April 23-26, 5 on April 27   
   through May 2, then 8 on May 3-4, 5 on May 5, and 8 on May 6.   
      
      
   On Saturday, March 29, Spaceweather.com reported: "Sunspot AR2017 in the   
   Sun's northern hemisphere is crackling with M-class solar flares, and it has   
   a delta-class magnetic field that harbors energy for even stronger   
   eruptions. Earth-directed flares are possible this weekend."   
   Spaceweather.com subsequently reported: "AR2017 has just unleashed an   
   X1-class solar flare. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the extreme   
   ultraviolet flash on March 29 at 1752 UTC."   
      
   The Australian government's IPS Radio and Space Services issued a   
   geomagnetic disturbance warning at 0445 UTC on April 3. "Active region 12027   
   produced a M6.5 X-ray flare with associated CME on 02 April. Possible Active   
   to Minor Storm conditions at higher latitudes on 05 April due to CME   
   arrival. INCREASED GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY EXPECTED, DUE TO CORONAL MASS   
   EJECTION FOR 05 APRIL 2014."   
      
   This weekly "Solar Update" in The ARRL Letter is a preview of the   
   "Propagation Bulletin" issued each Friday. The latest bulletin and an   
   archive of past propagation bulletins is on the ARRL website.   
      
   In tomorrow's bulletin look for an updated forecast, reports from readers   
   including a 6 meter long-path contact, updated and expanded reports of solar   
   flares, and an update to our 3 month moving average of sunspot numbers.   
      
   Send me your reports and observations.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   Just Ahead in Radiosport   
      
    *  April 4 -- NS Weekly Sprint   
    *  April 5 -- LZ Open 40 Meter Contest   
    *  April 5 -- PODXS 31 Flavors Contest (Digital)   
    *  April 5 -- Missouri QSO Party   
    *  April 5-6 -- Mississippi QSO Party   
    *  April 5-6 -- Worldwide EME Contest   
    *  April 5-6 -- QRP ARCI Spring QSO Party (CW)   
    *  April 5-6 -- SP DX Contest (CW, SSB)   
    *  April 5-6 -- EA RTTY Contest   
    *  April 5-6 -- Montana QSO Party   
    *  April 6 -- OK1WC Memorial Contest   
    *  April 7 -- VHF Spring Sprints (All modes)   
    *  April 9 -- NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint (CW)   
    *  April 9 -- CWops Monthly Mini-CWT Tests   
    *  Apr 12 -- EU Spring Sprints (CW)   
    *  Apr 12 -- New Mexico QSO Party   
    *  Apr 12 -- Georgia QSO Party   
    *  Apr 12-13 -- Japan International DX Contest (CW)   
    *  Apr 12-13 -- Yuri Gagarin DX Contest (CW)   
    *  Apr 13 -- International Vintage Contest (CW)   
    *  Apr 13-14 -- Straight Key Weekend Sprintathon   
    *  Apr 15 -- VHF Spring Sprints   
    *  Apr 17-22 -- Lighthouse Spring Lites QSO Party   
      
   Visit the Contest Calendar for details.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events   
      
    *  April 4-6 -- International DX Convention, Visalia, California   
    *  April 11-13 -- Eastern VHF/UHF Conference, Manchester, Connecticut   
    *  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   
    *  May 30-Jun 1 Nevada State Convention, Virginia City, Nevada   
    *  Jun 6-8 Northwestern Division Convention (SeaPac) -- Regional ARRL   
       Centennial Event, Seaside, Oregon   
    *  Jun 7 Georgia Section Convention (Atlanta Hamfest), Marietta, Georgia   
    *  Jun 13-14 Ham-Com, Regional ARRL Centennial Event, Plano, Texas   
    *  Jun 14 Western Pennsylvania ARES Emcomm Conference, Johnstown,   
       Pennsylvania   
    *  Jun 14 Tennessee State Convention (Knoxville Hamfest), Knoxville,   
       Tennessee   
    *  Jun 27-29 HAM RADIO International Exhibition for Radio Amateurs,   
       Friedrichshafen, Germany   
      
   Find conventions and hamfests in your area.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
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