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   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2014-08-28   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
      
   August 28, 2014   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
    *  Major ARRL Second Century Campaign Gift from JA1BK Will Support DX Log   
       Archive   
    *  FCC Proposes to Fine CBer $14,000 for Not Permitting Station Inspection   
    *  US-to-VK Transpacific Reception on 630 Meters Reported   
    *  Balloons Carrying Amateur Radio Payloads Still Circling the Earth   
    *  W1AW Centennial Operations Relocate to Tennessee, Oregon on September 3   
    *  2014 ARRL Field Day Logs Received List Available for Review   
    *  W1AW/8 to Take the Snowball's Chance This Fall   
    *  World DATV QSO Party is August 29-30   
    *  Summits-on-the-Air Activity Weekend is September 13-14   
    *  Gerald Youngblood, K5SDR, Will Be 2014 ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications   
       Conference Banquet Speaker   
    *  ARRL First Vice President Rick Roderick, K5UR, to Keynote W9DXCC 2014   
    *  73 on 73 Award Announced   
    *  Operations Approved for DXCC Credit   
    *  NASA Astronaut Steven R. Nagel, N5RAW, SK   
    *  A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL   
    *  The K7RA Solar Update   
    *  Just Ahead in Radiosport   
    *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   ARRL Headquarters Closed on Labor Day: ARRL Headquarters will be closed on   
   Labor Day, Monday, September 1, and there will be no W1AW bulletins or code   
   practice. ARRL Headquarters will reopen at 8 AM Eastern Time on Tuesday,   
   September 2. We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday!   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
   Major ARRL Second Century Campaign Gift from JA1BK Will Support DX Log   
   Archive   
      
   A major donation from noted DXer Kan Mizoguchi, JA1BK, to the ARRL Second   
   Century Campaign will support "The DX Log Archive   
   [SecondCenturyCampaign_Logo.jpg] Endowed by JA1BK." Earnings from the   
   generous gift will fund the creation and management of a DX Log Archive   
   Program for paper DX logs of rare and significant DXpeditions that took   
   place predominantly in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. The archive also would   
   include pre-1950 paper logs, as well as those from rare operations, and logs   
   kept by long-time residents of very rare entities.   
      
   The ARRL will be reaching out to the DX community to collect paper DX   
   station logs for inclusion. All logbooks will be inventoried and housed at   
   ARRL Headquarters.   
      
   Confirmations from archived logs will be made available via Logbook of the   
   World (LoTW) or, upon request, with a traditional QSL card.   
      
   The ARRL Membership and Volunteer Programs Department will manage the DX Log   
   Archive Program. A qualified volunteer or part-time ARRL employee will   
   execute the project. Earnings also will fund any equipment, software, and   
   materials needed to maintain the program.   
      
   On behalf of the League, ARRL Individual Giving Manager Lauren Clarke,   
   KB1YDD, expressed thanks and appreciation to Kan for his financial   
   contribution that will make this new program possible.   
      
   FCC Proposes to Fine CBer $14,000 for Not Permitting Station Inspection   
      
   The FCC continued this month to demonstrate that it's serious about   
   enforcing its rules and regulations, proposing to fine a Florida Citizens   
   Band operator $14,000 for failing to allow FCC agents inspect his station.   
   The Commission issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (NAL) to   
   Tommie Salter of Jacksonville on August 22. The Commission alleged that   
   Salter earlier this year denied permission for agents from the FCC's Tampa   
   Office to check out his station in the wake of renewed complaints of   
   interference to a neighbor's "home electronic equipment." On March 21, the   
   agents monitored radio transmissions on 27.245 MHz and used radio   
   direction-finding techniques to track the signal's source to Salter's   
   residence.   
      
   "The agents told Mr Salter about the   
   radio interference complaint from a neighbor and asked if they could inspect   
   his CB radio station," the FCC NAL recounted. "Mr Salter denied the agents'   
   request. The agents verbally warned Mr Salter that refusing to allow an   
   inspection of his CB radio station violated the [Communications] Act and the   
   [FCC] rules and could result in a forfeiture action, but he again denied the   
   request."   
      
   The FCC's Forfeiture Policy Statement and its rules set a base forfeiture   
   amount of $7000 for failure to permit inspection. Salter had previously   
   received a Notice of Violation for refusing an inspection request in 2004,   
   the NAL noted, and he also had been fined for operating with a   
   non-certificated transmitter during restricted hours the Commission had   
   imposed following similar interference complaints.   
      
   "Misconduct of this type is serious, exhibits contempt for the Commission's   
   authority, and threatens to compromise the Commission's ability to fully   
   investigate violations of its rules," the FCC said in making an "upward   
   adjustment" of $7000 in the proposed forfeiture. In a footnote, the FCC   
   pointed out that its agents do not have to obtain a search warrant prior to   
   requesting a station inspection.   
      
   Salter has 30 days to pay the fine or to seek reduction or cancellation of   
   the proposed forfeiture.   
      
   In July the FCC proposed substantial fines for two radio amateurs, alleging   
   deliberate interference with other Amateur Radio communications and failure   
   to properly identify.   
      
   US-to-VK Transpacific Reception on 630 Meters Reported   
      
   A radio amateur and medium-frequency (MF) experimenter in Australia has   
   received a 630 meter (475.62 kHz) transmission from a radio amateur and Part   
   5 Experimental operator in Texas. While the   
   approximately 8710 miles covered is not a distance record nor a "first" for   
   that part of the spectrum, it does represent the sorts of accomplishments   
   that the Amateur Radio community in the US might come to enjoy if a band at   
   472-479 kHz ever becomes a reality. John Langridge, KB5NJD, in Texas, who   
   holds Experimental license WG2XIQ, told ARRL that having his WSPR signal   
   heard in Australia on August 25 at 0952 UTC by David Isele, VK2DDI, was a   
   "huge surprise."   
      
   "I did not know until I got a text message that morning," Langridge said. "I   
   am normally checking the band during the overnight hours but went to bed   
   very early on Sunday night and slept until almost 7:45 AM local. I had not   
   seen my e-mails, but the local community as well as the one in Oceania was   
   abuzz. Needless to say I woke up very fast and started looking at data."   
      
   Langridge said he only recently renewed his FCC Part 5 license, requesting a   
   power increase to 10 W in the process. He said the only longer WSPR   
   reception report on 630 meters was in February 2013 and involved a 10,450   
   mile path from Australia to France. Signals from North America have been   
   heard in Australia on 630 meters using other modes.   
      
   "Many of us use WSPR as an effective means of determining band conditions   
   very quickly, which can lead to two-way [communication]," Langridge said.   
   "WSPR has a very well-established listener base, which provides tremendous   
   amounts of data with a 2-minute transmit cycle." He said WSPR is a good tool   
   to introduce newcomers to 630 meters and MF operation, and that many MF   
   operators, including him, stumbled into the nether ranges of the spectrum by   
   way of monitoring WSPR and, as he put it, "seeing how amazing this band   
   really can be."   
      
   WG2XIQ is equipped with an 80 foot tall asymmetrical T-top vertical, base   
   loaded with a motorized variometer and almost 3 miles of radials. He   
   generates a signal on 630 meters using an MF Solutions transmit   
   downconverter, driving two GW3UEP Class D/E amps in parallel, combining them   
   using a 0ø hybrid combiner and filter with a low-pass filter. "I can make   
   200 W total power output, which at this time of year equates to about 4 or 5   
   W ERP," Langridge said. "During the fall and winter, once the trees have   
   lost their leaves and system resistance goes down, that 200 W TPO will look   
   more like 10 W ERP, so things only stand to get better as we move into the   
   2014 MF season."   
      
   On the Australian end, VK2DDI, who lives in New South Wales, said he was   
   just taking "a quick look on 630 meters" when "up popped WG2XIQ" in a faint   
   trace on his display. He was expecting it to be another Australian operator.   
   "Pleasant surprise for all concerned," he said in a post to a 630 meter news   
   group.   
      
   Isele uses a 30 meter thin, galvanized-iron vertical wire, strung between a   
   ground rod and a high tree branch for receiving on 630 meters. It has no   
   radials and no antenna tuner. "I hear better than most on most bands," he   
   told Langridge, adding that he lives in a rural area 512 meters above sea   
   level with few noise issues.   
      
   "There are so many misconceptions about what goes on below the AM broadcast   
   band," Langridge told ARRL. "It's amazing how many people still know nothing   
   about the 630 meter band." Langridge calls himself "one of those crazy   
   individuals" who believes that one day radio amateurs will earn DXCC on 630   
   meters. "As modulation methods and receivers continue to improve, I do think   
   it will be a reality," he said. "But it will be a lifelong pursuit. That   
   alone will make it even more worthwhile."   
      
   The ARRL is sponsoring the WD2XSH experimental group in the vicinity of 500   
   kHz.   
      
   Balloons Carrying Amateur Radio Payloads Still Circling the Earth   
      
   Three plastic foil-envelope balloons carrying Amateur Radio payloads and   
   launched from the UK by Leo Bodnar, M0XER, remain aloft and continue to   
   circle the Earth. The oldest, identified as B-63, was released on July 8 and   
   became the second of Bodnar's balloons to circumnavigate the globe. The   
   first to do so, B-64, went up on July 12 and had completed one lap around   
   the Northern Hemisphere by July 31. Air currents have carried the balloon   
   within 9 km of the North Pole and within 10 km of its launch site. The last   
   balloon to make it around the Earth was B-66, which Bodnar released on July   
   15.   
      
   Each balloon carries a tiny 10 mW solar-powered transmitter that can   
   alternate between APRS and Contestia 64/1000 digital mode on 434.500 MHz   
   (USB). The Amateur Radio payload weighs just 11 grams.   
      
   As of this week, the B-64 balloon (M0XER-4 on APRS) was north of Moscow,   
   Russia, at an elevation of more than 40,200 feet; the B-63 balloon (M0XER-3   
   on APRS) appeared to be located nearly 42,000 feet above South Korea, and   
   the B-66 balloon (M0XER-6 on APRS) appeared to be nearly 44,000 feet above   
   Ukraine. Notes on the M0XER-3 and M0XER-6 APRS pages flag their reported   
   trajectories with "Seriously bad path," however, and add, "This station   
   appears to be flying at high altitude and using digipeaters, which causes   
   serious congestion in the APRS network. The tracker should be configured to   
   only use digipeaters when at low altitude."   
      
   The numeral following the "B" denotes the number of similar balloons Bodnar   
   has launched (B-65 failed to deploy). The transmitter stores positions   
   during its flight and transmits a log file that can recall 5 days of   
   previous locations in the comments field of its APRS transmissions. If it   
   has been out of radio contact, however, a straight line will appear on the   
   APRS map.   
      
   W1AW Centennial Operations Relocate to Tennessee, Oregon on September 3   
      
   The ARRL Centennial W1AW portable operations taking place throughout 2014   
   from each of the 50 states are now in Arizona and Maine (Maine is the last   
   state to activate). Operations will relocate at 0000 UTC on Wednesday,   
   September 3 (the evening of September 2 in US time zones), to Tennessee   
   (W1AW/4), and Oregon (W1AW/7). During 2014 W1AW will be on the air from   
   every state (at least twice) and most US territories.   
      
   [HPM-W1AW-logo.jpg] 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 mode/contact, even when   
   working the same state during its second week of activity.   
      
   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.   
      
   An ARRL Centennial QSO Party leader board shows participants 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.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
   2014 ARRL Field Day Logs Received List Available for Review   
      
   The ARRL "Logs Received" page now contains all   
   2014 ARRL Field Day logs received to date (scroll to bottom of page),   
   including logs submitted via e-mail, web applet or on paper. The ARRL   
   Contest Branch requests that Field Day participants review the list and   
   contact ARRL Contest Branch Manager Matt Wilhelm, W1MSW, (860-594-0232) no   
   later than September 12, if anything appears to be incorrect with their   
   entry information.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
   W1AW/8 to Take the Snowball's Chance This Fall   
      
   It will be hell for W1AW/8 in Hell, Michigan, on October 18 -- the Saturday   
   of Michigan's second week in the ARRL Centennial QSO Party spotlight. Hank   
   Greeb, N8XX, is organizing a team of operators to operate W1AW/8 in Feld   
   Hell mode on 80 through 10 meters from Hell. He has recruited a couple of   
   volunteers so far but could use more, he said this week.   
      
   The Hell weather bureau keeps track of the temperature there.   
      
   "The plan is to have each band covered for at least one hour," said Greeb,   
   who operates QRP most of the time. "We'd like to have at least three   
   stations active, to cover three bands at once, hugging the maximum usable   
   frequency (MUF) at first, and then moving to lower frequency bands as the   
   MUF drops." Greeb said a website will announce the operating schedule, once   
   plans have solidified. Watch for W1AW/8 to be spotted on Fell Hell mode.   
      
   Also known as Hiland Lake, Hell, Michigan, is an unincorporated community a   
   few miles northwest of Ann Arbor. How Hell got its name is the subject of   
   unconfirmed historical accounts and even some wild speculation. According to   
   one version, after Michigan became a state, George Reeves, who built the   
   community's first sawmill and operated its first tavern, was asked what to   
   call the town. He is rumored to have replied, "You can name it hell, for all   
   I care." The moniker became official in 1841. Other "Hells" exist in   
   California, Norway, and the Grand Caymans. Michigan also has a town named   
   Paradise.   
      
   A sample of Feld Hell.   
      
   Feld Hell -- or Hellschreiber -- is a facsimile mode invented by Rudolf Hell   
   in the 1920s that used synchronous motors to transcribe letters onto a   
   moving tape. Feld Hell has since morphed into a computer-generated mode,   
   typically using AFSK into a SSB transceiver and decoding software that   
   essentially "paints" the characters on the screen. Popular software includes   
   DM780 (part of the Ham Radio Deluxe suite), Fldigi, MixW, MultiPSK, and   
   IZ8BLY. Additional information is available on the Feld Hell Club website.   
      
   And, just in case you were wondering, Hell, Michigan, has indeed frozen over   
   a time or two. Contact Hank Greeb, N8XX, if you're interested in taking part   
   in the W1AW/8 Feld Hell operation. Read more.   
      
   World DATV QSO Party is August 29-30   
      
   Greater participation is expected this year in the only global on-the-air   
   gathering of digital Amateur Radio television (DATV) enthusiasts. The annual   
   event, which originated in Australia and now is in its fourth year, begins   
   Friday, August 29, at 1000 UTC in Australia and internationally on Saturday,   
   August 30, at 0001 UTC. According to the event's primary organizer, Peter   
   Cossins, VK3BFG, to maximize the number of signals, stations should work   
   through ATV repeaters where possible. Others may use Skype to reach a local   
   anchor, if there is no other alternative, and then that signal will be sent   
   on to a repeater.   
      
   International repeaters are WR8ATV in Columbus, Ohio, with Art Towslee,   
   WA8RMC, a designer on the DATV-Express project; the W6ATN Amateur Television   
   Network in Southern California, consisting of nine linked repeaters with Don   
   Hill, KE6BXT, as the local anchor, and GB3HV, the Home Counties ATV Group.   
   London.   
      
   All amateur television users are welcome to participate, either by arranging   
   a suitable time with their nearest anchor, or by watching the proceedings   
   through the repeaters or streaming via the British Amateur TV Club website.   
   Many segments are of the show-and-tell variety, with ATVers in their shacks   
   before the camera.   
      
   The Amateur Television Directory is a web-based resource. More information   
   on the World DATV QSO Party is available from Peter Cossins, VK3BFG. --   
   Thanks to Jim Linton, VK3PC   
      
   Summits-on-the-Air Activity Weekend is September 13-14   
      
   North America Summits on the Air (SOTA) Activity Weekend 2014 is a casual   
   event in which summiting radio amateurs (called "activators") use tiny   
   battery-powered radios to work home-based operators (called "chasers").   
   [SOTA-logo.jpg] This year's event, September 13-14, is aimed at introducing   
   SOTA to newcomers. There are no rules regarding power levels, modes, or   
   bands.   
      
   SOTA operators have climbed mountains as high as 14,000 feet. They run low   
   power, and they don't operate split, so operator courtesy is paramount.   
      
   The SOTAwatch2 website offers information regarding what stations are on   
   which mountains. Summits are numbered, and mousing over the number will   
   reveal the name and point value for each summit.   
      
   Activity typically concentrates near 7.032, 7.185, 10.110, 14.061, 14.342,   
   18.095, 18.155, 21.061, 21.350, 24.905, 24.955, 28.061, 28.420, 146.52, and   
   446.00 MHz. Participants collect points toward SOTA certificates and   
   trophies. -- Thanks to Elliott Pisor, K6EL   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
   Support ARRL and Be Rewarded!   
      
   Sign up today for the ARRL Visa Signaturer Card and be rewarded. When you   
   apply and make a first purchase on the card, you'll receive   
   2500 bonus points to start you off. With every purchase   
   you make with this card, a portion of your purchase will be contributed to   
   the ARRL. Apply today!   
      
   Disclaimer: Subject to credit approval. Accounts must be open and in good   
   standing (not past due) to earn statement credit. Please wait 6-8 weeks   
   after meeting threshold for account to be credited. The creditor and issuer   
   of the American Radio Relay League Card is U.S. Bank National Association,   
   pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. c 2014 U.S. Bank National   
   Association.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
   Gerald Youngblood, K5SDR, Will Be 2014 ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications   
   Conference Banquet Speaker   
      
   Gerald Youngblood, K5SDR, will be the banquet speaker at the 2014 ARRL/TAPR   
   Digital Communications Conference (DCC), September 5-7 at the Austin   
   Marriott South in Austin, Texas. His presentation will be, "Accidental   
   Company, the Making of FlexRadio."   
      
   [ARRL_TAPR.JPG] The 33rd annual DCC will offer 2 days of technical forums on   
   Friday and Saturday and a concurrent introductory forum on Saturday (the   
   Proceedings will be available following the conference). The Sunday morning   
   seminar will be "Introduction to SoC FPGA Programming for Mixed Signal   
   Systems," by Chris Testa, KD2BMH.   
      
   Free tables will be available to demonstrate projects and for vendors to   
   display products.   
      
   More information on the conference is available on the TAPR DCC web page.   
      
   ARRL First Vice President Rick Roderick, K5UR, to Keynote W9DXCC 2014   
      
   ARRL First Vice President Rick Roderick, K5UR, will be the banquet speaker   
   for the 62nd annual W9DXCC, September 19-20, 2014, in   
   Schaumburg, Illinois. Registration remains open. The special hotel rate is   
   valid through August 28; banquet orders must be received by September 13.   
      
   DXers, anyone interested in learning more about DXing, and their guests are   
   welcome. There is a full program of forums and discussions, and some of the   
   illuminati of the DXing community will be on hand. E-mail for more   
   information.   
      
   W9DXCC is an ARRL-approved Operating Specialty Convention and is sponsored   
   by the Northern Illinois DX Association.   
      
   73 on 73 Award Announced   
      
   Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, is sponsoring a new award for contacts made via the UK   
   Amateur Radio Educational Satellite FUNcube-1 (AO-73) to promote activity on   
   the satellite. The award period begins on [FUNcube%20logo.png] September 1.   
   Requirements are simple: Work 73 different stations on AO-73 (SSB or CW).   
   There are no geographic restrictions on operating location, no QSLs are   
   required, and the award is free, although Stoetzer encourages contributions   
   to AMSAT-UK and to AMSAT-NA's Fox program.   
      
   E-mail log extracts containing the call sign of each station worked and the   
   date/time (UTC) of each contact. Include your mailing address.   
      
   The AO-73 inverting transponder uplink is 435.150-435.130 MHz (LSB). The   
   downlink is 145.950-145.970 MHz (USB). Use no more than 5 W to a 7 dBi gain   
   antenna when accessing the AO-73 transponder. -- Thanks to AMSAT News   
   Service via Paul Stoetzer, N8HM   
      
   Operations Approved for DXCC Credit   
      
   The ARRL DXCC Desk has approved these operations for DX Century Club credit:   
   A52JR, 4W/HB9FLX, 4W/N1YC, and 4W/PE7T. If a   
   request for DXCC credit for any of these operations has been rejected in a   
   prior application, contact the ARRL DXCC Desk 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.   
      
   NASA Astronaut Steven R. Nagel, N5RAW, SK   
      
   Astronaut and Space Shuttle veteran Steven Nagel, N5RAW, of Houston, Texas,   
   died August 21. He was 67. In April 1991, Nagel was the commander of the   
   first all-ham Space Shuttle crew aboard Atlantis   
   with Kenneth Cameron, KB5AWP; Jay Apt, N5QWL; Linda Godwin, N5RAX -- whom he   
   later married -- and Jerry Ross, N5SCW, during the SAREX (Shuttle Amateur   
   Radio EXperiment) program, the forerunner to ARISS. In all, Nagel flew on   
   four Shuttle missions in the 1980s and 1990s.   
      
   Nagel joined the Astronaut Corps in 1979 and was the pilot on the last   
   successful mission of Challenger in the 1980s, the only time eight people   
   were launched into space aboard the same spacecraft. Following the   
   Challenger disaster in January 1986 that killed seven astronauts, Nagel was   
   part of the effort to develop a crew escape mechanism.   
      
   "This was my best time at NASA, actually," Nagel once said in an interview   
   for the space agency. "Nothing I ever did was more fulfilling than that 2   
   years, to be honest, even flying." Nagel logged 723 hours in space.   
      
   One of his last public appearances was at the 2013 ARRL Midwest Division   
   Convention in Lebanon, Missouri, where he spoke to nearly 300 students at   
   Lebanon schools, did a presentation about the first half- century of   
   spaceflight, and took part in a youth forum with Carole Perry, WB2MGP.   
      
   Nagel retired from the Air Force and the Astronaut Office in 1995 and went   
   to work for Johnson Space Center in Houston. A year later, he transferred to   
   NASA's Aircraft Operations Division as a research pilot. He retired from   
   NASA in 2011 and joined the faculty of the University of Missouri at   
   Columbia.   
      
   Survivors include Godwin and their two daughters. -- Thanks to NASA, NPR,   
   ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
   A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL   
      
   In January 1976, QST expanded to an 8-1/2 x 11 format! The new size would   
   reduce the printing cost by $100,000 a year. The old, smaller format had   
   remained in place for years, because it was the size of the press the local   
   printer had in those early days.   
      
   Following the fall of South Vietnam, thousands of refugees from that country   
   poured into the US. The State Department provided housing in unused military   
   bases, but there was a need for communication to help reunite families. US   
   State Department employee Jim Bullington, K4LSD, saw that ham radio would be   
   ideal for the task and proposed the idea to the ARRL Board of Directors   
   (which happened to be in session at the time). The Board supported the idea,   
   and hams entered a new area of public service that provided humanitarian aid   
   -- again showing the public what our operators could do. See "Operation   
   Vietnamese Refugee" by George Hart, W1NJM, in the February 1976 QST for a   
   full description of the effort.   
      
   By the mid-1970s, Citizens Band radio had become hugely popular, which led   
   to a major crime wave of mobile CB radio thefts. Criminals typically are not   
   noted for their superior intellect, so occasionally 2 meter ham gear was   
   purloined and even used, with the thief believing he was on CB. In some   
   cases, hams were able to identify the pirate for the police to investigate.   
      
   The League began encouraging clubs to recruit CB operators into Amateur   
   Radio. Many CB operators rose to the challenge, as they came up against the   
   limitations of CB operation. As a result, the number of new licensees rose   
   sharply.   
      
   QST published a series of articles called "Learning to Work with Integrated   
   Circuits," to help hams keep up with that new technology.   
      
   The state of the art in power transistors continued to improve, and QST   
   articles appeared, detailing the construction of solid-state kilowatt   
   amplifiers for the ham.   
      
   During the latter half of the 1970s, articles and editorials in QST reported   
   on the League's work in preparation for defending our amateur allocations at   
   World Administrative Radio Conference 1979 (WARC-79).   
      
   Hidden transmitter hunts, also known as radio foxhunting, had been very   
   popular in Europe for some time, and the sport started catching on in the   
   US, mostly involving the use of 2 meter FM. -- Al Brogdon, W1AB   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
   The K7RA Solar Update   
      
   Average daily sunspot numbers this week moved from 101.7 to 113.4, while   
   average daily solar flux changed from 111.8 to 130.5. The active day,   
   according to geomagnetic indicators, was Wednesday, August 27, when the   
   planetary A index reached 20. This was the result of a coronal mass ejection   
   (CME), which created aurora at both of Earth's poles.   
      
   Predicted solar flux is 125 on August 28-29,   
   120 on August 30-31, 115 on September 1-4, 120 on September 5-6, 125 on   
   September 7-8, and 120 on September 9. Solar flux then will peak at 145 for   
   September 16-17.   
      
   Predicted planetary A index is 25, 10, and 8 for August 28-30, 12 on August   
   31 and September 1, 5 on September 2-5, 8 on September 6-7, and 12 on   
   September 8.   
      
   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 and reports from   
   readers. Send me your reports and observations.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
   Just Ahead in Radiosport   
    *   
      
       August 30 -- Full Day of Hell   
    *   
      
       August 30-31 -- SCC RTTY Championship   
    *   
      
       August 30-31 -- YO DX HF Contest (SSB, CW)   
    *   
      
       Aug 30-31 -- Colorado QSO Party   
    *   
      
       September 1 -- OK1WC Memorial Contest (SSB, CW)   
    *   
      
       September 1-2 -- Labor Day Sprint (CW)   
    *   
      
       September 2 -- NAQCC/FISTS Honor WZ8C Sprint (CW)   
    *   
      
       September 3 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)   
    *   
      
       September 3 -- CWOps Weekly Mini-CWT Tests   
    *   
      
       September 5 -- NS Weekly Sprint   
    *   
      
       September 6 -- CWops CW Open   
    *   
      
       September 6-7 -- All-Asian DX Contest (SSB)   
    *   
      
       September 6 -- Russian Radio RTTY WW   
    *   
      
       September 6 -- DARC 10 Meter Digital "Corona"   
    *   
      
       September 6 -- Straight Key Party   
    *   
      
       September 6 -- Indiana Parks on the Air   
    *   
      
       September 6 -- Ohio State Parks On the Air   
    *   
      
       September 6-7 -- 070 Club KA3X Memorial Sprint (Digital)   
    *   
      
       September 6-7 -- IARU Region I Field Day (SSB)   
    *   
      
       September 7 -- North American Sprint (CW)   
    *   
      
       September 7 -- QRP ARCI Two Sidebands Sprint   
    *   
      
       September 7-8 -- Tennessee QSO Party   
      
   See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
   Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events   
    *   
      
       August 30-31 -- North Carolina State Convention, (Shelby Hamfest),   
       Shelby, North Carolina   
    *   
      
       September 5-7 -- ARRL-TAPR Digital Communications Conference, Austin,   
       Texas   
    *   
      
       September 6 -- Kentucky State Convention, Shepherdsville, Kentucky   
    *   
      
       September 6 -- Virginia Section Convention, Virginia Beach, Virginia   
    *   
      
       September 12-14 -- Southwestern Division Convention, San Diego,   
       California   
    *   
      
       September 19-20 -- W9DXCC Convention, Schaumburg, Illinois   
    *   
      
       September 26-27 -- W4DXCC/SEDCO, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee   
    *   
      
       September 26-28 -- Mid-Atlantic States VHF Conference, Bensalem,   
       Pennsylvania   
    *   
      
       September 27 -- North Dakota State Convention, West Fargo, North Dakota   
    *   
      
       September 27 -- Washington State Convention, Spokane Valley, Washington   
    *   
      
       October 4 -- Delaware State Convention, Georgetown, Delaware   
    *   
      
       October 5 -- Iowa Section Convention, West Liberty, Iowa   
    *   
      
       October 10-11 -- Florida State Convention, Melbourne, Florida   
    *   
      
       October 10-12 -- Pacific Division Convention (Pacificon), Santa Clara,   
       California   
    *   
      
       October 11 -- Pacific Northwest VHF Conference, Seaside, Oregon   
    *   
      
       October 12 -- Connecticut State Convention, Meriden, Connecticut   
    *   
      
       October 18 -- Arkansas State Convention, Batesville, Arkansas   
    *   
      
       October 18 -- Wisconsin ARES/RACES Conference, Wisconsin Rapids,   
       Wisconsin   
    *   
      
       October 24-25 -- Oklahoma Section Convention, Ardmore, Oklahoma   
    *   
      
       November 1 -- TechFest 2014, Lakewood, Colorado   
    *   
      
       November 1-2 -- Georgia State Convention, Lawrenceville, Georgia   
    *   
      
       November 8 -- Alabama State Convention, Montgomery, Alabama   
    *   
      
       November 15-16 -- Indiana State Convention, Fort Wayne, Indiana   
    *   
      
       December 12-13 -- West Central Florida Section, Plant City, Florida   
      
   Find conventions and hamfests in your area.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
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   )\/(ark   
      
   If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until   
   you hire an amateur.   
      
   --- FMail/Win32 1.60   
    * Origin:  (1:3634/12.71)