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   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2014-04-17   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
      
   April 17, 2014   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
    *  International: World Amateur Radio Day is Friday, April 18   
    *  Regulatory: ARRL Asks FCC to Dismiss "Fatally Flawed" Petition for Rule   
       Making Affecting 10 GHz   
    *  Public Service: Amateur Radio Volunteers Provide Critical Support for   
       30th Challenge Cup Relay   
    *  Ham Radio in Space: Astronaut Emcees Live Amateur Radio Digital TV Test   
       from the ISS   
    *  Ham Radio in Space: FUNcube/AO-73 Transponder Will Be Active Each   
       Weekend   
    *  Ham Radio in Space: KickSat Project Announces Telemetry Download   
       Competition   
    *  Your League: Deadline is May 1 to Apply for ARRL Teachers Institute   
    *  Centennial: W1AW Centennial Operations are in Mississippi and North   
       Dakota until April 23 (UTC)   
    *  Technology: HAARP Facility in Danger of Being Dismantled   
    *  Feature: A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL   
    *  In Brief...   
    *  Getting It Right!   
    *  The K7RA Solar Update   
    *  Just Ahead in Radiosport   
    *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   ARRL Headquarters Closed on April 18: ARRL Headquarters will be closed on   
   Good Friday, April 18. There will be no W1AW bulletin or code practice   
   transmissions and no ARRL Audio News on April 18. ARRL Headquarters will   
   reopen Monday, April 21, at 8 AM Eastern Daylight Time. We wish everyone a   
   safe and enjoyable holiday!   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   International: World Amateur Radio Day is Friday, April 18   
      
   "Amateur Radio: Your Gateway to Wireless Communication" is the theme for   
   World Amateur Radio Day 2014, Friday, April 18. Radio amateurs celebrate   
   World Amateur Radio Day each year on April 18 to recognize the anniversary   
   of the founding of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) in Paris in   
   1925. ARRL Co-Founder Hiram Percy Maxim, 1AW, was its first president. The   
   primary purpose of World Amateur Radio Day is to highlight Amateur Radio and   
   its benefits to countries and communities. This year the IARU and its more   
   than 150 member-societies are marking the organization's 89th anniversary.   
      
   "Amateur radio has truly entered the 21st century. In less than 100 years   
   Amateur Radio communication has evolved from crude spark-gap technology to   
   digital signal processing and software-defined radios," the IARU has pointed   
   out. "The amateur's HF choice between voice and CW has been expanded to a   
   broad range of communication choices from television to spread spectrum."   
      
   Amateur Radio experimenters were the first to discover that the short wave   
   spectrum -- far from being a wasteland -- could support worldwide   
   propagation. As the rush to shorter wavelengths ensued, however, Amateur   
   Radio was "in grave danger of being pushed aside," the IARU's history has   
   noted. So, Amateur Radio pioneers met in Paris in 1925 and created the IARU   
   to support Amateur Radio worldwide.   
      
   World Amateur Radio Day activities and special events are an opportunity to   
   spread the word about what radio amateurs are doing in the 21st century.   
   Several IARU member-societies and associated clubs are expected to sponsor   
   special event stations to mark the occasion this weekend. Among them will be   
   the Puerto Rico Field Day Group, which plans to activate KP4FD on April 18.   
   Others to listen for include HZ14WARD in Saudi Arabia, SK89WARD in Sweden,   
   and A91WARD in Bahrain.   
      
   Regulatory: ARRL Asks FCC to Dismiss "Fatally Flawed" Petition for Rule   
   Making Affecting 10 GHz   
      
   The ARRL has told the FCC that a Petition for Rule Making (RM-11715) from   
   Mimosa Networks to permit unlicensed Part 15 wireless broadband services in   
   the 10.0-10.5 GHz band is "fatally flawed" and should be dismissed. Mimosa   
   filed the Petition in May 2013, and the FCC invited public comments last   
   month. The Petition includes a band plan for 10.0 to 10.5 GHz that would   
   cede Amateur Radio and Amateur-Satellite users access to just two small   
   segments of the present allocation. The League told the FCC that, among   
   other things, the Mimosa Petition is inconsistent with a US footnote in the   
   domestic Table of Allocations, and that fact alone is sufficient reason for   
   the Commission to quash Mimosa's request.   
      
   "Footnote US128 very clearly and without equivocation prohibits all   
   non-Federal services in the band 10-10.5 GHz except for the Amateur Service,   
   the Amateur-Satellite Service, and the non-Federal radiolocation service,"   
   the ARRL said in its comments. The FCC "is not at liberty to ignore" the US   
   footnote, the League said, and is obliged on that basis alone to dismiss the   
   Petition, "because it hasn't the authority to grant it."   
      
   Approval of the Mimosa Petition hinges on FCC adoption of rule changes that   
   would put the 10 GHz band under Subpart Z of the Commission's Part 90 rules.   
   Subpart Z currently sets out regulations governing wireless licensing,   
   technical standards, and operational standards in the 3650 to 3700 MHz band.   
   Mimosa told the FCC that the "application of the coordination procedures and   
   requirements provided in Subpart Z will ensure that Amateur Radio operations   
   in the band will not be disrupted." Its proposed band plan, the company   
   said, would protect frequencies in the band "that are most often used by   
   Amateur Radio operators," but the plan itself would carry no weight, since   
   Mimosa failed to mention it among the rules changes it proposed. The plan   
   would specify 10.350 to 10.370 GHz as an "Amateur Calling Band," and 10.450   
   to 10.500 GHz for Amateur-Satellite operations in the midst of 21 wireless   
   broadband channels and a small guard band.   
      
   "[T]here is no 'sharing' between allocated radio services and Part 15   
   devices," the ARRL said. "Part 15 unlicensed devices have no allocation   
   status...and are prohibited from causing interference to any authorized   
   radio service. That is not the regulatory paradigm proposed by Mimosa for   
   the 10.0-10.5 GHz band."   
      
   The League pointed out that Amateur Radio operations exist throughout the   
   10.0 to 10.5 GHz band now, and that Mimosa's protocols for avoiding   
   interference would not protect repeater input frequencies or interference to   
   receivers used in "weak-signal" amateur operation. "Increases in the noise   
   floor in this band that would result from wireless broadband operations as   
   proposed would simply foreclose most or all amateur use of the band on an   
   ongoing basis," the ARRL asserted.   
      
   Even if the FCC could proceed with the proposed allocation, the League said,   
   it would be "premature" to do so, because the US is now developing positions   
   in advance of World Radiocommunication Conference 2015 (WRC-15). The League   
   said WRC-15 agenda item 1.12 could have "a profound effect" on the 10.0-10.5   
   GHz band in ITU Region 2. "Action domestically on the Mimosa Petition now   
   would foreclose certain options that the United States may wish to advocate   
   at WRC-15, and the WRC-15 final acts may have an effect on this band as   
   well," the League explained.   
      
   "[I]t is quite obvious that Mimosa has propounded a seriously flawed   
   proposal which fails to justify the allocation," the League concluded. "The   
   Petition should be dismissed without action by the Commission without   
   delay." Read more.   
      
   Public Service: Amateur Radio Volunteers Provide Critical Support for 30th   
   Challenge Cup Relay   
      
   Amateur Radio volunteers were key to maintaining safety and security for the   
   thousands of law enforcement personnel who took part in the   
      
   Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay (B2V) race on March 22. This year marked   
   the 30th anniversary of the event, sometimes called "The world's longest   
   police foot pursuit." The relay event covers some 120 miles of remote   
   territory, from the Mojave Desert near Baker, California -- the gateway to   
   Death Valley -- to Las Vegas, Nevada.   
      
   "This year we started 261 teams over a span of 9 hours," B2V Communications   
   Director Joy Matlack, KD6FJV, told ARRL. "All of the teams that started the   
   race finished, which sometimes is not the case. We had a minimal level of   
   injuries this year -- only five airlifts -- so that made this year's race   
   all the better."   
      
   The grueling route tests human endurance in an environment where   
   rattlesnakes thrive and the temperature has topped 130ø F. The race course   
   winds through the Mojave Desert, crosses the Spring Mountains at Mountain   
   Springs Pass (elevation 5530 feet) and descends into Las Vegas. The terrain   
   and race logistics also challenge the communication system, which needs to   
   cover some 8100 square miles. Given a lack of conventional telecommunication   
   services, the vast impromptu telecommunication infrastructure incorporates   
   ham radio as well as business band, aeronautical, and public safety systems.   
      
   "We have multiple layers of communications, and most are tied into an   
   integrated ham radio network," Matlack explained. Many teams bring along   
   their own ham radio teams to provide logistical support for their runners,   
   she added.   
      
   Matlack said the B2V starts out with some 325 or so volunteers, who support   
   communication with and for the race director and other officials as well as   
   provide information to and from each of the 22 baton exchange points. She   
   said individual teams that use ham radio bring out another 325 hams along   
   the course. The primary mission of the Amateur Radio volunteers is the   
   protection and safety of runners and their support-vehicle staff members.   
      
   To keep a close eye on the early part of the course, where runners face the   
   most severe conditions, Matlack dispatches a smaller Safety Patrol   
   consisting of a coordinator and trained radio amateurs. The Safety Patrol   
   checks the condition of each runner, while keeping in contact with race   
   officials and medical personnel as necessary.   
      
   The race takes place in 20 stages, where the teams change runners. Amateur   
   Radio operators serve as the race staff at these stages, provide scoring and   
   timing functions, handle the PA system, call in the medics if necessary, and   
   handle all routine and emergency event radio traffic.   
      
   The B2V is sponsored by the Los Angeles Police Revolver and Athletic Club,   
   which has limited the number of entries to 270 teams. With family, friends   
   and onlookers the crowd can grow to more than 10,000 people. Read more. --   
   Thanks to Joy Matlack, KD6FJV; John Bigley, N7UR, Nevada Amateur Radio   
   Newswire   
      
   Ham Radio in Space: Astronaut Emcees Live Amateur Radio Digital TV Test from   
   the ISS   
      
   Japanese Astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA, served as the host for a   
   successful final commissioning test pass April 13 for the Amateur Radio on   
   the International Space Station (ARISS) "Ham Video" transmitter and camera.   
   Operating as OR4ISS from the ISS Columbus module, Wakata transmitted digital   
   video and audio, as ground stations in France and Italy tracked the station.   
   G4KLB, F6DZP, and IK1SLD were among those receiving clear video and audio   
   during the approximately 6 minute pass. They streamed the signal over the   
   Internet via the British Amateur Television Club (BATC) server. The test   
   used so-called "configuration 4" -- 2395 MHz with ARISS antenna 43.   
      
   JAXA Astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA, is on the air live April 13 during a   
   final commissioning pass of the ARISS ham radio digital TV system onboard   
   the International Space Station. [G4KLB image via BATC server]   
      
   "The final Ham Video commissioning pass was performed flawlessly Sunday,   
   April 13, at 1823 UTC," ARISS Europe Chairman Gaston Bertels, ON4WF,   
   proclaimed. "Congratulations to the Ham Video team for this outstanding   
   performance. Next step should be a video-enhanced ARISS school contact."   
      
   During the pass, Wakata congratulated ARISS for its achievement and answered   
   a series of questions "in the manner of a school contact," Bertels   
   explained. He also conducted a microgravity experiment.   
      
   In early March, as one of his final actions during his duty tour aboard the   
   International Space Station, NASA Astronaut Mike Hopkins, KF5LJG, installed   
   and commissioned the ARISS Ham Video transmitter and camera. He also was the   
   first member of an ISS crew to transmit his image to Earth using the Amateur   
   Radio digital television (DATV) setup.   
      
   The ARISS project, led by ARISS-EU, AMSAT-Italy, and the European Space   
   Agency (ESA), eventually will enhance ARISS school contacts by providing a   
   video and audio downlink plus an audio-only uplink.   
      
   Commissioning of the overall "Ham TV" Amateur Radio DATV system marked the   
   culmination of more than a decade of planning and preparation within ARISS.   
   Although there are no immediate plans to employ Ham TV for educational   
   contacts with schools in North America, ARISS International President Frank   
   Bauer, KA3HDO, said several US radio amateurs are testing this capability.   
      
   "If this shows educational value," he said, "it will be employed in the US."   
      
   The Ham Video transmitter has downlink frequencies of 2.422, 2.437, 2.369   
   and 2.395 GHz in a DVB-S type format (symbol rates of 1.3 Ms/s and 2.0   
   Ms/s). The two patch antennas, ARISS 41 and ARISS 43, are located on the   
   nadir of the Columbus module. The Ham Video transmitter puts out   
   approximately 10 W EIRP. The camera is a Canon XF-305. -- Thanks to ARISS   
   International President Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, and ARISS-EU Chairman Gaston   
   Bertels, ON4WF   
      
   Ham Radio in Space: FUNcube/AO-73 Transponder Will Be Active Each Weekend   
      
   The FUNcube/AO-73 Amateur Radio transponder will be active full time (with   
   low-power beacon) on weekends.   
      
   FUNcube's controllers will switch to full-time transponder mode during the   
   first suitable pass over the UK on Friday, typically between 1930 and 22:30   
   UTC. (If this is not possible, the switch will be made on the first suitable   
   pass on Saturday, typically between 0930 and 1200 UTC. Controllers will   
   switch off full-time transponder mode during a suitable pass on Sunday   
   evening, typically between 1930 and 2230 UTC. (If this is not possible, the   
   switch will be made during the first suitable pass on Monday, typically   
   between 0930 and 1200 UTC.   
      
   This schedule is totally reliant on the availability of command stations.   
      
   AO-73's telemetry downlink frequency is 145.935 MHz BPSK. The SSB/CW   
   inverting transponder uplink is 435.150-435.130 MHz LSB, and the downlink is   
   145.950-145.970 MHz USB. Use a maximum uplink power of 5 W into a 7 dBi gain   
   antenna.   
      
   More information is available on the FUNcube website. Comments are user   
   reports are welcome. -- Thanks to Jim Heck, G3WGM, via AMSAT News Service   
      
   Ham Radio in Space: KickSat Project Announces Telemetry Download Competition   
      
   Zac Manchester, KD2BHC, of the KickSat project is offering prizes to the   
   first stations to copy telemetry from KickSat and the "Sprite" satellites it   
   will deploy.   
      
   "I'll be offering prizes to the first several people who receive telemetry   
   packets from KickSat as well as the first few who receive signals from the   
   Sprites," the Cornell University aerospace engineering graduate student has   
   announced. "The prizes will include souvenir Sprites, and CRS-3 and ELaNa-V   
   mission patches."   
      
   KickSat's Zac Manchester, KD2BHC, offers a whimsical boost to the delayed   
   SpaceX launcher at Cape Canaveral.   
      
   The KickSat will go into space with the third SpaceX ISS resupply mission,   
   which was delayed at least until April 18. If all goes according to plan,   
   the 3U KickSat CubeSat subsequently will release more than 100 Sprite   
   satellites -- each about the size of a small cracker -- into orbit. They   
   will become the smallest Earth-orbiting satellites ever.   
      
   For KickSat telemetry (437.505 MHz and 2401-2436.2 MHz), Manchester wants   
   the raw hex or ASCII packet data, "and I have to be able to successfully   
   decode it." For the Sprites, he wants a raw baseband recording, "and I have   
   to be able to decode at least one Sprite signal from it." All of the Sprites   
   are on the same frequency -- 437.240 MHz. Manchester said he is the final   
   judge on winners, and he'll continue to offer prizes, "until I run out of   
   cool swag." To get in on the fun, Manchester said, visit the KickSat Wiki   
   and sign up for the KickSat mailing list. AMSAT-UK also has posted a report.   
      
   Your League: Deadline is May 1 to Apply for ARRL Teachers Institute   
      
   The ARRL Education & Technology Program (ETP) is still accepting   
   applications for all sessions of the ARRL Teachers Institute this summer.   
   The application deadline is May 1. Admission decisions will be made by May   
   9.   
      
   Learn how to integrate science and mathematics with engineering and   
   technology by exploring wireless technology!   
      
   Now in its 11th year, the ARRL Teachers Institute is a 4-day, expenses paid,   
   intensive professional development opportunity for educators who want to   
   receive training and resources to explore wireless technology in the   
   classroom. ARRL will offer two sessions of the "Introductory Teachers   
   Institute on Wireless Technology" (TI-1) this summer. Topics include basic   
   electronics, radio science, microcontroller programming and basic robotics.   
      
   ARRL also will offer an advanced Teachers Institute (TI-2), "Remote Sensing   
   and Data Gathering."   
      
   For more details see the announcement in the March issue of QST or visit the   
   Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology website. Download applications for   
   both Teachers Institutes from the ARRL website. Scroll down to the "2014 TI   
   Applications" tab.   
      
   Centennial: W1AW Centennial Operations are in Mississippi and North Dakota   
   until April 23 (UTC)   
      
   The ARRL Centennial W1AW WAS operations taking place throughout 2014 from   
   each of the 50 states now are in Mississippi (W1AW/5) and North Dakota   
   (W1AW/0). They will relocate at 0000 UTC on Wednesday, April 23 (the evening   
   of April 22 in US time zones), to New Jersey (W1AW/2) and New Hampshire   
   (W1AW/1). 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).   
      
   Some schedule changes have been made, and the schedule has been updated to   
   reflect these. Maine and New Mexico have swapped weeks. New Mexico's second   
   week will start September 24, and Maine's second week will begin December 3.   
   The District of Columbia's week has been moved to the week of October 1.   
   North Dakota's second week has been shifted to the week of August 20. Puerto   
   Rico will now have a second week of operation starting November 26.   
      
   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.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   W1AW/x Portables, W100AW, and W1HQ Can QSL via Bureau   
      
   You may request that QSL cards be delivered via the ARRL QSL Bureau system   
   for contacts with the W1AW/x portable operations, W100AW, and W1HQ, now   
   underway during the ARRL Centennial. You must first have an account with the   
   QSL Bureau that handles your cards and have sufficient postage or envelopes   
   on file with that bureau. Any cards that cannot be delivered will not be   
   held or stored.   
      
   Please do not send any cards for W1AW/x portable operations, W100AW, or W1HQ   
   to ARRL via the bureau. While we appreciate the thought, we do not have room   
   to store or file them and would rather you have fun working all the   
   Centennial stations!   
      
   This is a one-time only use of the QSL Bureau for this purpose. QSLs to   
   stations outside the US via the QSL Bureau will be handled normally. Click   
   here, enter your call sign, and click SUBMIT to request delivery of W1AW/x   
   portable operations, W100AW, or W1HQ QSL cards via the Bureau. -- Thanks to   
   Membership and Volunteer Programs Manager Dave Patton, NN1N   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   Technology: HAARP Facility in Danger of Being Dismantled   
      
   According to an April 9 Alaska Dispatch report, the High Frequency Active   
   Auroral Research Program (HAARP) facility near Gakona, Alaska, could be   
   decommissioned and dismantled altogether this year, unless the US Air Force   
   can find a new prime contractor to take over the sprawling, 35-acre   
   facility. The report said the Geophysical Institute at the University of   
   Alaska-Fairbanks is hoping to pull together a plan to run the facility,   
   which has long been a subject of fascination for hams and the target of   
   conspiracy theorists. The facility shut down last year and, with the   
   exception of some contract-funded research, it has essentially remained in   
   standby.   
      
   Money is one major issue. The US Air Force Research Laboratory wants to see   
   HAARP survive, "but only if someone else pays the bills, estimated at about   
   $5 million a year," the article said.   
      
   The University of Alaska Geophysical Institute is said to be trying to come   
   up with a plan to keep HAARP up and running to continue ionospheric   
   research. A White House Office of Science and Technology Policy meeting in   
   February of federal agencies interested in ionospheric research came up with   
   no viable candidates to run HAARP, however.   
      
   The news account cited an Air Force spokesman as saying that final research   
   experiments funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)   
   are set to wrap up next month.   
      
   HAARP had indicated 3 years ago that it would be shutting down, and it did   
   not submit a budget request for FY 15, but that attracted scant attention at   
   the time.   
      
   Jointly funded by the US Air Force Research Laboratory and the US Naval   
   Research Laboratory, the HAARP ionospheric research facility. Its best-known   
   for its 3.6 MW HF (approximately 3 to 10 MHz) ionospheric research   
   instrument (IRI) -- a transmitter feeding an extensive system of 180 gain   
   antennas and used to "excite" sections of the ionosphere. Other onsite   
   equipment is used to evaluate the effects.   
      
   The ultra-high power facility long has intrigued hams, even outside of   
   Alaska. In 1997, HAARP transmitted test signals on HF (3.4 MHz and 6.99 MHz)   
   and solicited reports from hams and short-wave listeners in the "Lower 48"   
   to determine how well the HAARP transmissions could be heard to the south.   
   In 2007 HAARP succeeded in bouncing a 40 meter signal off the moon. Early   
   last year, HAARP scientists successfully produced a sustained high-density   
   plasma cloud in Earth's upper atmosphere.   
      
   While the Air Force has possession for now, the unique facility will be   
   dismantled if no other agency steps forward to take it over.   
      
   Feature: A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL   
      
   By 1945, when it became certain that the Allies would win the war, attention   
   turned toward post-war hamming. Articles in QST described modern VFO and   
   transmitter construction, small portable stations, antenna advances, and   
   VHF/UHF equipment and techniques. Everyone was ready to return to "normal,"   
   and the League was pushing for that return!   
      
   In May 1945, the FCC announced its plan for the Amateur Radio bands when the   
   war was over. Among other things the 2« and 1¬ meter bands would be shifted   
   to the frequencies they occupy today. In June, the FCC announced that it   
   would delete the 5 meter band and replace it with 6 meters.   
      
   The July 1946 QST contained plans for "A Beginner's Two-Stage Transmitter."   
      
   And then, the war was over! The documents were signed on August 14, 1945, to   
   formally end hostilities. On August 15, ARRL asked the FCC to re-open the   
   ham bands. The very next day, the FCC announced that the 112 MHz (2« meter)   
   band would be immediately opened for ham use. Slashing through miles of red   
   tape, the band was opened on August 21. We were back on the air, even though   
   it was on only one VHF band that would shortly become another!   
      
   Other bands were opened to ham operation as quickly as possible, but   
   military communications first had to be moved away from the amateur bands.   
   Making all those military frequency changes was not an easy task, but it was   
   done as quickly as possible. After military circuits had been moved from a   
   given ham band, the FCC would release it for ham use.   
      
   The 160 meter band remained closed to hams. During the war, a then-secret   
   navigation system called LORAN (for "Long-Range Aid to Navigation") had been   
   developed and placed in the 1.8 to 2.0 MHz band. After the war it continued   
   to be widely used for maritime navigation. Hams eventually were allowed back   
   on 160 -- at first with reduced power limits but ultimately, after LORAN   
   went away, with normal power limits.   
      
   In another change that came with post-war Amateur Radio, the FCC rezoned the   
   48 states into 10 call areas, rather than the previous 9. New W0-prefix call   
   signs started showing up on the air. Those were new licensees. Hams who had   
   been living in the new 10th call area before the war could continue to use   
   their W9-prefix call signs until renewal time, at which time their call   
   signs were switched to the W0-prefix.   
      
   By early 1946, 10 meters had been reopened for amateur use, and the ARRL   
   threw a "Band-Warming Party" in February and March 1946. The Band-Warming   
   Party was a worldwide QSO party, with both CW and phone operation. It was a   
   nice way to celebrate being back on the air! -- Al Brogdon, W1AB   
      
   In Brief...   
      
   VK9MT Okayed for DXCC Credit: The April 2014 VK9MT Mellish Reef DXpedition   
   has been approved for DXCC credit. 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   
      
   ARRL Field Day Locator Now Active: ARRL Field Day 2014 is not far off. Let   
   the world know about your ARRL Field Day Operation via the ARRL Field Day   
   Locator. It's easy to use. The web page is intended to show only public   
   Field Day sites that members of the public and media can visit. If you're   
   planning to operate from at a private, residential location, do not add your   
   site to the map. Field Day 2014 is June 28-29.   
      
   Getting It Right!   
      
   The article "Mellish Reef DXpedition Yields to Weather," which appeared in   
   the April 10, 2014, edition of The ARRL Letter, contained incorrect   
   information. The article should have read, "Team Mellish said that before   
   shutting down, it was able to give an elderly South Africa radio amateur his   
   last one for top of the DXCC Honor Roll." The unnamed South African ham was   
   Dennis Wells, ZS1AU, a member of both the South African Radio League (SARL)   
   and the ARRL, and he has been licensed since 1950. -- Thanks to Dennis   
   Wells, ZS1AU   
      
   The announcement "W1AW Centennial Operations Shift States on April 9," which   
   appeared in the April 10 edition of The ARRL Letter, should have read   
   "...Shift States on April 16" and indicated that the ARRL Centennial W1AW   
   WAS operations in Massachusetts, Virginia, and Puerto Rico would relocate at   
   0000 UTC on Wednesday, April 16 (the evening of April 15 in US time zones),   
   to Mississippi (W1AW/5) and North Dakota (W1AW/0).   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   The K7RA Solar Update   
      
   After a few days in the doldrums April 8-13, solar activity made a strong   
   recovery over the 3 days following, with daily sunspot numbers of 105, 149,   
   and 245. Sunspot numbers have topped 200 several times in the past 12   
   months. For example, on February 28, the daily sunspot number reached 279,   
   and last November 17, it hit 282.   
      
   The average daily sunspot number was actually down this week compared to   
   last -- from 129.3 to 118.4. Average daily solar flux rose from 142.2 to   
   149.1. April 12 was geomagnetically active, and the planetary A index   
   reached 25, the result of a solar wind stream.   
      
   Solar flux was predicted to be 190 for April 17-19, 185, 180, and 175 for   
   April 20-22, 170 for April 23-24, 140 for April 25-27, 130 for April 28-29,   
   125 for April 30, 120 on May 1-2, 125 for May 3-5, and then peaking at 145   
   for May 12-19.   
      
   Predicted planetary A index is 8 for April 17-18, 5 for April 19-May 10, 8   
   for May 11-12, and then 5 for the remaining days of the 45 day forecast   
   period.   
      
   For the first time in many years, WWV again is transmitting on 25 MHz on an   
   experimental basis. David Crawford, KF4VXJ, in North Carolina reported   
   hearing the 25 MHz signal on April 10 at 2118 UTC with some fading, the   
   signal strength varying from S-5 to S-8. He included this in a reception   
   report to WWV.   
      
   In its reply NIST recounted that WWV first began broadcasting on 25 MHz in   
   1946, but suspended that broadcast in 1977. "Due to listener interest and   
   changes in broadcasting technology, NIST is pleased to be able to provide   
   this service on a limited basis once again," NIST said. Visit the WWV   
   website for the latest status of the 25 MHz transmission.   
      
   Sunspot numbers for April 10-16 were 78, 83, 74, 95, 105, 149, and 245, with   
   a mean of 118.4. The 10.7 cm flux was 136.7, 137.6, 135.9, 137.1, 150.3,   
   161.9, and 183.9, with a mean of 149.1.   
      
   Estimated planetary A indices were 3, 8, 25, 16, 8, 6, and 5, with a mean of   
   10.1. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 4, 7, 16, 13, 7, 5, and 5, with   
   a mean of 8.1.   
      
   The latest bulletin and an archive of past propagation bulletins are on the   
   ARRL website.   
      
   Send me your reports and observations.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   Just Ahead in Radiosport   
      
   Apr 18-19 -- Holyland DX Contest   
      
   Apr 19 -- TARA Skirmish Digital Prefix Contest   
      
   Apr 19 -- ES Open HF Championship   
      
   Apr 19 -- EU Spring Sprints   
      
   Apr 19 -- Ontario QSO Party   
      
   Apr 19 -- Feld-Hell New Member Sprint   
      
   Apr 19-20 -- YU DX Contest   
      
   Apr 19-20 -- Worked All Provinces of China   
      
   Apr 19-20 -- CQMM DX Contest   
      
   Apr 19-20 -- Michigan QSO Party   
      
   Apr 19-20 -- EA QRP Contest   
      
   Apr 19-20 -- Nebraska QSO Party   
      
   Apr 19-20 -- North Dakota QSO Party   
      
   Apr 20 -- ARRL Rookie Roundup (SSB)   
      
   Apr 21 -- Run For the Bacon   
      
   Apr 21 -- Low Power Spring Sprint   
      
   Apr 23 -- VHF Spring Sprints   
      
   Apr 26 -- Florida QSO Party   
      
   Apr 26-27 -- Ten-Ten Spring Digital Contest   
      
   Apr 26-27 -- SP DX RTTY Contest   
      
   Apr 26-27 -- Helvetia Contest   
      
   Apr 27 -- BARTG 75 Sprint   
      
   Visit the Contest Calendar for details.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events   
      
   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   
      
   July 5 Eastern Pennsylvania Section Convention, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania   
      
   July 9-12 Mobile Amateur Radio Awards National Convention, Visalia,   
   California   
      
   July 17-19 ARRL National Centennial Convention, Hartford, Connecticut   
      
   July 18-19 Arizona State Convention, Williams, Arizona   
      
   July 18-20 Montana State Convention, East Glacier, Montana   
      
   July 24-27 Central States VHF Society Convention, Austin, Texas   
      
   July 25-26 Oklahoma State Convention, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma   
      
   Find conventions and hamfests in your area.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
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