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   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2014-07-17   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
      
   July 17, 2014   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
    *  Centennial Convention Will Be an Event to Remember, ARRL President Says   
    *  ARRL President Issues Call to Action to Gain Support for HR.4969, the   
       Amateur Radio Parity Act!   
    *  ARRL Board of Directors to Meet July 21-22 in Hartford   
    *  It's Official: N6MJ and KL9A Take WRTC-2014 Gold, Slovak and German   
       Teams Win Silver and Bronze   
    *  HAARP Closing Delayed, But Facility Being Dismantled Piecemeal   
    *  Attendance at Friedrichshafen "Ham Radio" 2014 Tops Last Year's   
    *  W1AW Centennial Operations Head to South Carolina   
    *  New Ham Radio Regulations in Place in Thailand, Germany Gets 4 Meters   
       Briefly   
    *  ICE Spacecraft Recovery Effort Appears at an Impasse   
    *  Astronauts Andy Thomas, VK5MIR, and Dave Leestma, N5QWC, Retire from   
       NASA   
    *  A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL   
    *  Just Ahead in Radiosport   
    *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   NOTE: Because of the ARRL Centennial Convention, this week's edition of The   
   ARRL Letter is being distributed earlier than usual and will not include The   
   K7RA Solar Update (the propagation bulletin will be posted as usual on   
   Friday, July 18). There will be no ARRL Audio News on Friday, July 18.   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
   Centennial Convention Will Be an Event to Remember, ARRL President Says   
      
   ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, is eagerly anticipating the ARRL National   
   Centennial Convention this week, but with a sense of history, awe, and   
   honor. The Convention gets underway Thursday, July 17, at the Connecticut   
   Convention Center in Hartford. Craigie said this week that to be President   
   when the ARRL celebrates its centennial "is an extraordinary good fortune   
   that I am sincerely grateful for."   
      
   ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN.   
      
   "Imagine standing at one end of a row of 15 people," Craigie said. "Now   
   imagine that on the other end of the row is Hiram Percy Maxim, W1AW. Being   
   the inheritor of 'The Old Man's' legacy is enough to daunt anybody who   
   doesn't need ego-reduction surgery, even before you factor in the other 13   
   presidents -- all of them outstanding radio amateurs."   
      
   Among those attending the Convention will be all but one of the living past   
   Presidents of the ARRL. They are Harry Dannals, W2HD (1972-1982); Larry   
   Price, W4RA (1984-1992); Rod Stafford, W6ROD (1995-1999), and Joel Harrison,   
   W5ZN (2006-2010). "I spoke with Jim Haynie, W5JBP, who regrets that he can't   
   attend but sends his very best regards," Craigie recounted. Haynie served as   
   ARRL President from 2000 until 2005.   
      
   Craigie will host a Presidents Breakfast on Saturday morning. "In addition,   
   we will welcome Richard Crouch, N6RC, grandson of the third ARRL President,   
   George Bailey W1KH/W2KH," she announced. Bailey served as the League's   
   president from 1940 until 1952. Crouch, an ARRL Life Member, is from   
   Campbell, California. "I am honored to be in the company of these people,"   
   she added.   
      
   League Co-Founder Hiram Percy Maxim, W1AW, dons the headphones of a   
   shipboard station while on overseas travel.   
      
   The Convention features a full schedule of Thursday Training Track classes   
   and Friday and Saturday forums. Craigie said she believes that League   
   co-founder Hiram Percy Maxim would be "delighted" to see these on the   
   Centennial Convention program. "Coming from a family of inventors, he was   
   devoted to cutting-edge technology of the early 20th century, not only in   
   radio but also other areas such as in cinema and automobiles," she said.   
   "Technology has advanced so much in the years following his lifetime that he   
   wouldn't know what most of our presenters are talking about, but he'd figure   
   out that we are moving confidently straight ahead into the future."   
      
   That would please not only HPM but "the other visionary radio amateurs who   
   began the history we're honoring this weekend," Craigie speculated. "He   
   would also see that the ARRL is still the relentless advocate for Amateur   
   Radio that it was in his day. I think that would put the biggest smile of   
   all on the face of the original W1AW.   
      
   ARRL Chief Operating Officer and Convention Co-Chair Harold Kramer, WJ1B,   
   will preside at the official Centennial Convention opening ceremony at 8:30   
   AM on Friday, in the Pre-Function Area in from of the ARRL Centennial   
   Ballroom on Level 6. Kramer and President Craigie will welcome the   
   anticipated 500 to 1000 attendees. CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, Convention   
   Co-Chair and ARRL New England Division Vice Director Mike Raisbeck, K1TWF,   
   Convention Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, and ARRL New England Division   
   Director Tom Frenaye, K1KI, also will be present.   
      
   Introducing the Centennial Terrace   
      
   A special donor reception on Thursday, July 17, will precede the unveiling   
   of the new Centennial Terrace at ARRL Headquarters. The invitation-only   
   event gets underway at 6 PM. ARRL Development Director Mary Hobart, K1MMH,   
   will serve as master of ceremonies.   
      
   [SecondCenturyCampaign_Logo.jpg] "The Terrace includes three vertical   
   granite pillars that bear the names of the campaign committee and donors who   
   contributed or pledged at least $10,000 to the ARRL Second Century   
   Campaign," Hobart explained. "The Terrace also has six granite benches, a   
   bronze Second Century Campaign medallion, and more than 75 inscribed bricks   
   placed by donors to the campaign."   
      
   Hobart said the Centennial Terrace will expand the physical space in front   
   of the ARRL Headquarters building that also includes the Diamond Terrace.   
      
   "It is a pleasure to recognize the generosity of radio amateurs who honor   
   their call signs and those of others who have had a significant impact on   
   Amateur Radio," Hobart said.   
      
   ARRL Second Century Campaign Chairman David Brandenburg, K5QR, President   
   Craigie, and CEO Sumner are expected to make brief remarks at the reception.   
      
   Amateur Radio History on Display   
      
   A fresh display of vintage Amateur Radio equipment and artifacts will greet   
   Convention visitors who also take the opportunity to tour ARRL Headquarters   
   and the Maxim Memorial Station W1AW in nearby Newington. The ARRL Board of   
   Directors' Historical Committee is responsible for the exhibit, "The   
   Progression of Amateur Radio History and Technology." Bob Allison, WB1GCM,   
   of the ARRL Laboratory and Mike Marinaro, WN1M, are the exhibit curators.   
      
   The display concept is to illustrate the progress of Amateur Radio   
   technology from the inception of radio to the present. The exhibit will use   
   equipment items that are typical of each era to highlight some major   
   milestones in that historical arc.   
      
   The exhibits in the ARRL lobby will be arranged in chronological order,   
   displaying the development of Amateur radio in 11 stages. Some key pieces on   
   display include a 1907 spark transmitter/crystal detector set, a Collins 4A   
   crystal controlled transmitter from 1935, a Russian-made BC-348 receiver, a   
   Cosmophone 35 SSB transceiver from 1959, a TEN-TEC Century 22 solid state CW   
   transceiver from 1983, and a modern -- and working -- software defined   
   transceiver. Guides will answer questions and provide additional information   
   on each item displayed. The ARRL Laboratory, one of the stops on the ARRL   
   Headquarters Tour, includes additional items of historical interest, as part   
   of the Lab's permanent exhibit, "The Evolution of Amateur Radio Equipment"   
      
   Breakfast, Luncheon, Hors d'Oeuvres, and Banquet   
      
   An estimated 750 visitors will attend the opening-day luncheon in the   
   Convention Center Ballroom -- the ARRL Centennial Ballroom on Level 6. It   
   gets underway at noon, with ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Director Brian   
   Mileshosky, N5ZGT, serving as master of ceremonies. ARRL First Vice   
   President Rick Roderick, K5UR, will be the keynote speaker.   
      
   An International   
   Guest Welcome Reception will begin at 5 PM (continuing until 7 PM) at the   
   Convention Center Pre-Function Space on Level 6. Some 700 are expected at   
   the event to socialize and enjoy hors d'oeuvres and beverages. ARRL CEO   
   David Sumner, K1ZZ, will be the master of ceremonies. Speakers will include   
   ARRL international Affairs Vice President Jay Bellows, K0QB, and IARU   
   President Tim Ellam, VE6SH.   
      
   Some 800 diners are expected at the Centennial Banquet, Friday, 6:30 until   
   9:30 PM. ARRL Centennial Convention Steering Committee Chair and Hudson   
   Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, will be the master of ceremonies. The   
   keynote speaker will be FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, KK4INZ. Other   
   speakers and presentations will follow the banquet.   
      
   President Craigie will be at the head of the table as well as the keynote   
   speaker for the Presidents Breakfast on Saturday, 7:30 until 9 AM, in the   
   Centennial Ballroom on Level 6. ARRL Second Vice President Jim Fenstermaker,   
   K9JF, will be the master of ceremonies. Craigie will introduce and honor the   
   past presidents of the ARRL.   
      
   ARRL President Issues Call to Action to Gain Support for HR.4969, the   
   Amateur Radio Parity Act!   
      
   In a video, ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, has issued an urgent call to   
   action to all radio amateurs to get behind a grassroots campaign to promote   
   co-sponsorship of HR.4969, "The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014." HR.4969   
   would require the FCC to extend PRB-1 coverage to restrictive covenants. It   
   was introduced in the US House with bipartisan support on June 25 at the   
   request of the ARRL, which worked with House staffers to draft the   
   legislation. The measure would require the FCC to apply the   
   [US%20Capitol.jpg] "reasonable accommodation" three-part test of the PRB-1   
   federal pre-emption policy to private land-use restrictions regarding   
   antennas. The bill's primary sponsor is Rep Adam Kinzinger (R-IL). It had   
   initial co-sponsorship from Rep Joe Courtney (D-CT).   
      
   President Craigie also exhorted all radio amateurs regarding support for   
   HR.4969 in remarks appearing in the The ARRL Legislative Update Newsletter.   
   Craigie stressed in the Newsletter that the legislation stands to benefit   
   not just today's radio amateurs but those in the future.   
      
   "Chances are, those Americans of the future will grow up in communities   
   having private land use restrictions," she said "That is the way the country   
   is going, and it is very bad for Amateur Radio. How can Amateur Radio   
   thrive, if more and more Americans cannot have reasonable antennas at home?   
   You and I have to stand for the Amateurs of the second century."   
      
   If the measure passes the 113th Congress, it would require the FCC to amend   
   the Part 97 Amateur Service rules to apply PRB-1 coverage to include   
   homeowners' association regulations and deed restrictions, often referred to   
   as "covenants, conditions, and restrictions" (CC&Rs). At present, PRB-1 only   
   applies to state and local zoning laws and ordinances.   
      
   An HR.4969 page now is open on the ARRL website. It contains information and   
   resources for clubs and individuals wishing to support efforts to gain   
   co-sponsors for the measure by contacting their members of Congress.   
      
   ARRL Board of Directors to Meet July 21-22 in Hartford   
      
   The ARRL Board of Directors will meet Monday and Tuesday, July 21-22, in   
   Hartford, Connecticut, The slightly altered scheduling of the July meeting   
   takes advantage of the fact that most Board members will already be in town   
   for the ARRL National Centennial Convention July 17-19.   
      
   International guests at the gathering will include IARU Vice President Ole   
   Garpestad, LA2RR, and Radio Amateurs of Canada President Geoff Bawden,   
   VE4BAW.   
      
   The Board will hear reports from ARRL President   
   Kay Craigie, N3KN, and from other League officers. This will be the final   
   Board meeting that ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, will   
   attend in her official capacity. Hobart has announced her retirement,   
   effective July 31. She has served the League for 13 years and was behind the   
   creation of The Diamond Club, The Diamond Terrace, The Maxim Society, and   
   the Second Century Campaign, among other initiatives.   
      
   "During Hurricane Katrina, she virtually single handedly created the Ham Aid   
   Program that provides new gear to amateurs who have lost their equipment in   
   disasters," ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B, said in the   
   August issue of QST. "Because of her efforts and those of her staff, she has   
   raised millions of dollars for the ARRL and, ultimately, for the benefit of   
   Amateur Radio."   
      
   ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH.   
      
   Kramer pointed out that Hobart also was one of the founders of the   
   successful Teachers Institutes for Wireless Technology. Funded by voluntary   
   contributions, the annual summer workshops help to better acquaint classroom   
   teachers and educators with wireless technology and the science behind it.   
      
   At its meeting, the Board will receive reports from ARRL officers as well as   
   committee and coordinator reports. The agenda also calls for proposals for   
   amendments to the Articles of Association and Bylaws.   
      
   Individual ARRL Directors will also have an opportunity to speak and to   
   submit motions.   
      
   Board committees will be meeting on Sunday, July 20, and that the full Board   
   will consider their recommendations over the course of its meeting.   
      
   It's Official: N6MJ and KL9A Take WRTC-2014 Gold, Slovak and German Teams   
   Win Silver and Bronze   
      
   After considerable deliberation over which team placed third in the 2014   
   World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC-2014), it's now official. At the   
   awards ceremony July 14 concluding the international Amateur Radio   
   contesting competition, the US team of Dan Craig,   
   N6MJ, and Chris Hurlbut, KL9A, operating as K1A, took home the gold for   
   their winning team effort. There was little suspense about the top spot;   
   Craig and Hurlbut had led the international pack of 59 competing teams   
   literally from the start. Craig, 33, of Rancho Cucamonga, California, comes   
   from a ham radio family and got his license when he was just 8 years old. He   
   had competed in the last three WRTCs, finishing fourth in 2002, second in   
   2006 (with N2NL), and third in 2010 with KL9A. Hurlbut, 31, of Bozeman,   
   Montana, became a ham when he was 10 and began contesting 4 years later.   
      
   Walking away with the silver was the Slovak team of Rastislav Hrnko, OM3BH,   
   and Jozef Lang, OM3GI, who operated as W1L. Hrnko, 46, got into ham radio   
   when he was about 10. He took part in WRTC-2000 and WRTC-2010. Lang, who's   
   54, was licensed at 15. He also   
   competed at WRTC-2000 and WRTC-2010. Both have been active members of the   
   OM8A contest team.   
      
   Determining who landed in third place was not so simple, but in the final   
   analysis, the W1P team of Manfred Wolf, DJ5MW, and Stefan von Baltz, DL1IAO,   
   won the bronze medal. The duo had ranked fifth in the "raw, unchecked   
   claimed scores."   
      
   Wolf, 42, was competing at his second WRTC. He took part in WRTC-2000 in   
   Slovenia. Von Baltz, 38, was a competitor at WRTC-96 and WRTC-2000.They   
   edged out fourth-place finishers Kevin Stockton, N5DX, and Steve London,   
   N2IC, who operated as W1Z.   
      
   Chief Judge David Sumner, K1ZZ, who was master of ceremonies for the awards   
   presentations, said there was "a lot of pressure" on the judges to get it   
   right, and they had to carefully scrutinize the logs of those placing the   
   third, fourth, and fifth in the claimed scores.   
      
   "Because the skills of the operators were so high, the judges had a very,   
   very difficult time resolving the position for number 3," Sumner told the   
   gathering. "We went to extraordinary lengths, given the time that we had   
   available, checking logs. As a matter of fact, had we not checked to the   
   depth that we did, the error rate at W1P would actually have been a bit   
   lower."   
      
   "In the end," Sumner said, "there were 8000 points separating number 4 from   
   number 3. That's six-tenths of a multiplier."   
      
   Wolf and von Baltz edged out fourth-place finishers Kevin Stockton, N5DX,   
   and Steve London, N2IC, who operated as W1Z.   
      
   Sumner said this week that given the high skill level of the operators and   
   the equivalent locations of the stations, it was "inevitable that some   
   scores would differ by less than the precision that log-checking can   
   achieve." He said the judging team had a database of 3400 IARU HF   
   Championship participants' logs and was able to cross-check 60 percent of   
   the contacts.   
      
   "The difference in the final scores of W1P and W1Z is very small and the   
   N5DX/N2IC result is every bit as exceptional as that of the bronze medal   
   recipients, but in the end, one number was ever so slightly larger than the   
   other," he said.   
      
   WRTC-2014 has posted the final results on its website. Video of the closing   
   ceremony also is available. Read more.   
      
   HAARP Closing Delayed, But Facility Being Dismantled Piecemeal   
      
   The US Air Force has given the High Frequency Active Auroral Research   
   Program (HAARP) facility in Gakona, Alaska, a death row reprieve of sorts.   
   The Secretary of the Air Force told Alaska Sen Lisa Murkowski July 2 that it   
   is "willing to slow the closure process and defer irreversible dismantling   
   of the transmitter site" until May 2015. Those pushing for HAARP to remain   
   open as a scientific research facility include several radio amateurs. HAARP   
   proponents claim, however, that despite the delay, the Air Force has been   
   picking the plant apart piece by piece, and that critical research   
   instruments already have been taken off site.   
      
   University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Professor Chris Fallen, KL3WX, who has   
   conducted research at HAARP, told ARRL that it was his "unofficial   
   understanding" that the Air Force has already rendered HAARP reversibly   
   inoperable through the removal or relocation of critical diagnostic   
   instruments, instrument shelters, office furniture, and even tubes for the   
   multiple transmitters. HAARP's transmitters are capable of generating more   
   than 3 gigawatts of RF in the HF spectrum, which its 180 antennas can direct   
   upward to the ionosphere.   
      
   Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James told Murkowski that the Air   
   Force "will proceed with removal of government property not essential to   
   operations and will seek to reduce maintenance costs through additional   
   storage of equipment and winterization; however, we will retain critical   
   hardware to maximize the potential to reactivate the site, should it be   
   transferred to another federal government agency or a private entity next   
   year."   
      
   In May Murkowski raised questions in Congress about the impending HAARP   
   closure, and she took some credit for the shutdown delay. Murkowski had   
   questioned why the Pentagon was planning to demolish HAARP, "asking whether   
   it was fiscally sound to destroy an approximately $300 million facility when   
   it costs less than one percent of that amount to operate it each year," a   
   news release from her office said. She said she supports handing control of   
   HAARP over to the University of Alaska or another research entity to "keep   
   the world-class facility open and running."   
      
   "The [news release] states that the Air Force is in the process of removing   
   'non-critical' equipment, which essentially means anything not bolted to the   
   floor such as generators, amplifiers, antennae, and control systems," Fallen   
   asserted. "While I would consider the diagnostic instruments as 'critical'   
   to an ionosphere modification observatory, this apparently is not a   
   universal interpretation." He said HAARP's diagnostic instruments, including   
   the riometer and ionosonde, have not been available since June 2013 and are   
   in immediate danger of being removed. Hams in Alaska have used data from   
   both instruments in conducting their own ionospheric investigations.   
      
   UAF has been engaged in discussions with the Air Force with an eye toward   
   taking over HAARP, although it's not clear that these have gained any   
   serious traction. Read more.   
      
   Attendance at Friedrichshafen "Ham Radio" 2014 Tops Last Year's   
      
   Attendance at Germany's annual international "Ham Radio" exhibition on June   
   27-29 -- the Continent's biggest Amateur Radio event -- was 17,100 this   
   year, up from 15,300 visitors last year. This year's Ham Radio teamed with   
   the Maker World create-it-yourself event. The gathering attracted some 200   
   exhibitors from 34 countries plus 300 flea marketers. Ham Radio 2014 placed   
   an emphasis on youth-oriented themes and activities and also honored one of   
   2013's major DXpedtions. "Creative Amateur Radio -- Build It Yourself" was   
   the theme for this year's show.   
      
   The third International Youth Meeting took place at Friedrichshafen on June   
   28, sponsored by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 1 and   
   the Deutscher Amateur Radio Club (DARC), Germany's national Amateur Radio   
   society. The gathering included presentations from many young radio amateurs   
   and adult leaders. Among the presenters was 16-year-old ARRL member Alex   
   Banbury, KE7WUD, and Gerrit Herzig, DH8GHH. Herzig, who organizes activities   
   for youth in Braunschweig, Germany, spoke about ways to interest young   
   people in Amateur Radio, particularly students interested in science and   
   technology. Herzig was also involved with a team of students and youth   
   leaders who launched a tropospheric balloon from the convention grounds on   
   the convention's second day. The balloon carried student-built ham radio   
   payloads including an APRS beacon and telemetry transmitter, video camera,   
   and numerous scientific sensors.   
      
   Banbury told one forum how he started a radio club at his high school on   
   Washington's Mercer Island. He explained that promoting the public service   
   aspect of Amateur Radio has been particularly successful for recruiting   
   other students -- and because the island's infrastructure is uniquely   
   susceptible to natural or man-made disaster. Banbury, who earned his ham   
   radio ticket at age 10, spends summers in Germany with his family. He   
   attended the convention in Friedrichshafen with his father, ARRL Life Member   
   John Banbury, AG7N.   
      
   ARRL Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, said the convention included   
   many youth-organized exhibits. "A ham youth camp had participation from 100   
   young people up to the age of 27," he said. "The young hams spent 3 nights   
   meeting with one another and having fun." Their activities included building   
   various projects and getting on the air from different stations. A hidden   
   transmitter "fox hunt" was held on Sunday morning in a forest near the   
   fairgrounds. Read more.   
      
   W1AW Centennial Operations Head to South Carolina   
      
   The ARRL Centennial W1AW WAS operations taking place throughout 2014 from   
   each of the 50 states and now on hiatus will resume at 0000 UTC on   
   Wednesday, July 16 (the evening of July 15 in US time zones), from South   
   Carolina (W1AW/4). There will be only one state this week. 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.   
      
   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.   
      
   [HPM-W1AW-logo.jpg] Working W1AW/x from each state is worth 5 points per   
   mode/contact, even when working the same state during its second week of   
   activity. If you worked any of the 59 WRTC-2014 competitor stations with 1 x   
   1 call signs this past weekend, those contacts also are worth 5 points   
   apiece.   
      
   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.   
      
   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.   
      
   New Ham Radio Regulations in Place in Thailand, Germany Gets 4 Meters   
   Briefly   
      
   Thailand's 247,000 radio amateurs have new Amateur Radio regulations that   
   provide significant new privileges The Radio Amateur Society of Thailand   
   (RAST) has reported that the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications   
   Commission (NBTC) has been working on the new regulations for nearly 3   
   years. They will permit operation on 6 meters, will expand the 2 meter band   
   by 500 kHz (to 146.5 MHz), and will activate the Advanced class with   
   privileges permitting running up to 1 kW. Restrictions on HF radios that   
   include 6 meters will be removed and type-approval restrictions eased, so   
   that Thai radio amateurs will be able to purchase transceiver models.   
   Additional spectrum is being authorized for 160 and 80 meters too.   
      
   Among other changes, more club stations and contest call signs will be   
   issued, those not holding a ham ticket may operate under supervision at a   
   club station, an 8 WPM Morse code receiving test will remain as a component   
   of the Intermediate and Advanced class examination, and the entry-level   
   Basic (Novice) license now may run 60 W on 144 MHz and 100 W on 28 MHz. The   
   NBTC has posted a new allocation table.   
      
   Meanwhile, German telecommunications authorities have approved the use of   
   70.000 to 70.030 MHz by Class A radio amateurs from July 2 until August 31,   
   2014. The DARC report the restrictions are similar to those for the 50 MHz   
   band: 25 W EIRP, all modes, maximum bandwidth 12 kHz, horizontal antenna   
   polarization. This band has not been available to radio amateurs in Germany   
   since 1957. The UK also has access to 4 meters. The DARC has said it is   
   working toward permanent access to 4 meters. -- Thanks to Southgate ARC   
      
   ICE Spacecraft Recovery Effort Appears at an Impasse   
      
   According to a July 10 National Public Radio (NPR) "Morning Edition" report,   
   the effort to recover the venerable International Sun-Earth Explorer 3   
   spacecraft (ISEE-3) -- later repurposed, redirected, and renamed the   
   International Cometary Explorer (ICE) -- has run into problems and may have   
   reached a dead end. The ISEE-3 Reboot Project has been trying since July 8   
   to fire the engines of the 36-year-old space traveler without apparent   
   success. The spacecraft is some 2.65 million miles from Earth. The team,   
   which includes several Amateur Radio operators, has been transmitting   
   control signals from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico and listening   
   for spacecraft telemetry at the Bochum Observatory in Germany. The   
   pessimistic NPR report featured team member Keith Cowing, a former NASA   
   engineer.   
      
   [ISEE-3%20Reboot%20Project%20logo.jpg] "Our first series of burns, we   
   thought went okay," Cowing told reporter Nell Greenfieldboyce. "And then   
   when we went to the second set, pretty much nothing happened. And we tried   
   it again, and nothing happened." The group has conjectured that the nitrogen   
   tanks needed to pressurize the hydrazine fuel on the spacecraft may be   
   empty, meaning that the engines are dead, and the team will not be able to   
   redirect ICE into an orbit that is closer to Earth, instead of letting it   
   fly past the planet.   
      
   "At this point, we're sort of scratching our heads," Cowing said. "We may   
   take one last run at the spacecraft, but this may be it for an attempt to   
   bring it back to Earth." ICE has been in a solar orbit for most of its life,   
   following its 1978 launch.   
      
   In late May, Dennis Wingo, KD4ETA, a project team member and the CEO of   
   California-based Skycorp Incorporated, reported that the team was able to   
   command one of the spacecraft's transponders on 2.042 GHz by radio.   
      
   The group has been hoping to place ICE into a gravitationally stable spot   
   some 930,000 miles from Earth -- essentially its original orbit -- where it   
   could again study the effects of solar weather on Earth's magnetosphere (the   
   project's slogan is "Make me do science again!"). The private group had to   
   obtain NASA's approval to communicate with the satellite.   
      
   Cowing said in a July 15 update that the team's next window of opportunity   
   would be July 16 at Arecibo. "During that opportunity we intend to attempt a   
   deep space plumbing repair on board ISEE-3 and then fire its engines," he   
   said. "Based on the number of thruster firings we achieve during that   
   plumbing repair session we'll need to do some additional firings -- possibly   
   over the course of several days -- all of which will constitute the   
   [trajectory correction maneuver].   
      
   "We have most certainly not given up on this spacecraft yet," Cowing said   
   July 10.   
      
   Astronauts Andy Thomas, VK5MIR, and Dave Leestma, N5QWC, Retire from NASA   
      
   Astronauts Andy Thomas, VK5MIR/ex-KD5CHF, and Dave Leestma, N5WQC, have   
   announced their retirements from NASA. Both operated on ham radio from   
   space, and Thomas, as the last US astronaut to complete a duty tour onboard   
   the Russian Mir space station, conducted several contacts with students on   
   Earth as part of the SAREX program, the predecessor of ARISS.   
      
   A native of Australia, Thomas, 62, became an astronaut in 1993. He leaves   
   the space agency after 22 years of service. His most recent work with NASA   
   involved leading design teams for projects that include a return visit to   
   the moon and a Mars mission. Thomas's spaceflight experience includes a 1996   
   mission on the shuttle Endeavour, about 6 months onboard Mir, and a 1998   
   trip on the shuttle Discovery, to deliver the Expedition 2 International   
   Space Station crew, and the 2005 Discovery "Return to Flight" mission   
   following the Columbia disaster to continue construction of the ISS.   
      
   Thomas was active on the air during his stint aboard Mir and from NA1SS   
   during his brief 2005 ISS stay. Thomas and his wife, Shannon Walker, KD5DXB,   
   will live on the couple's 40 acre ranch in central Texas. Walker, who's   
   still active with NASA, is hoping for at least one more spaceflight.   
   Thomas's US Amateur Radio license has expired.   
      
   Leestma, 65, is a veteran of three shuttle missions. He leaves NASA after   
   more than 44 years of government service. Leestma was selected to join the   
   astronaut corps in 1980. After flying in space, Leestma held multiple   
   technical and leadership assignments at NASA, including director of Flight   
   Crew Operations. He is a graduate of the US Naval Academy and the Naval   
   Postgraduate School. In 1992 he completed the Worked All Continents (WAC)   
   award from space by working Antarctica.   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
   A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL   
      
   This week, we'll look at the 1950s. Danny Weil, VP2VB, began his well-known   
   series of Yasme DXpeditions around the world in 1955, putting some rare   
   countries on the air. That series lasted until 1963, and it gave thousands   
   of DXers the opportunity to work some new ones.   
      
   In the mid-1950s, The FCC ran out of 1 x 3 call signs with W and K prefixes   
   and began reissuing lapsed W and K call signs. When those ran out, they went   
   on to 2 x 3 call signs with WA (and, later, WB) prefixes.   
      
   The log periodic antenna -- a new and very useful concept -- was introduced   
   to hams in the late 1950s. It had been developed by D.E. Isbell at the   
   University of Illinois.   
      
   Late in 1958, hams lost the shared use of 11 meters, which then became the   
   Class D Citizens Band.   
      
   A CONELRAD information poster from the 1950s, advising citizens where to   
   tune "for official information."   
      
   During the late 1950s, amateurs continued to push the limits of VHF and   
   higher bands. W6NLZ and KH6UK ran regular schedules on VHF and succeeded in   
   making two-way contact on 144 MHz in 1957, and on 220 MHz in 1959.   
      
   Another Amateur Radio first took place in 1960, when the first EME   
   (moonbounce) contact was made on 1296 MHz between W6HB in California and   
   W1BU in Massachusetts.   
      
   During the 1950s and 1960s, The USSR and the US were in the midst of the   
   so-called "Cold War." Fearing that Soviet bombers could home in on radio   
   signals to find their targets, the CONELRAD (CONtrol of ELectromagnetic   
   RADiation) system went into effect from 1957 to 1962. For their part hams   
   were required to (1) monitor an AM broadcast station at least every 10   
   minutes to be sure it was still on the air; and (2) shut down, if broadcast   
   stations went off the air. In the event of such an emergency, key 50 kW AM   
   stations would move to either 640 or 1240 kHz to broadcast emergency   
   information. The stations on each of those frequencies would go on and off   
   the air in a continually varying sequence, while all carried the same audio   
   to provide continuous information to the public. -- Al Brogdon, W1AB   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
   Just Ahead in Radios