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   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2014-09-11   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
      
   September 11, 2014   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
    *  "Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014" Co-Sponsor List Swells to 32   
    *  ARES/RACES Volunteers Mobilize in Wake of Nevada Flash Flooding   
    *  FCC Enforcement Bureau Warns Two Hams for Failure to Identify Properly   
    *  Canadian Regulator Accepts Radio Amateurs of Canada's International 60   
       Meter Allocation Proposal   
    *  W1AW Centennial Trifecta: Colorado, New Hampshire, and Texas. North   
       Carolina, Connecticut Starting September 17 (UTC)   
    *  Keynote Convention Speech of FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, KK4INZ,   
       Available on YouTube   
    *  Morse Learning Machine Challenge Catching on with Hams   
    *  Selected "Ham Radio" 2014 Presentations Now Available Online   
    *  Round Two of 2014 ARRL 10GHz and Up Contest Just Ahead!   
    *  Radio Scouting Webinar Set   
    *  Tuskegee Airman and Congressional Gold Medal Recipient George Mitchell,   
       K6ZE, SK   
    *  Red Cross Volunteer Stu Press, KC8HQT, 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   
      
   "Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014" Co-Sponsor List Swells to 32   
      
   The number of co-sponsors for H.R. 4969, the Amateur Radio Parity Act of   
   2014, has reached 32 members of the US House of Representatives. The list   
   includes 21 Republicans and 11 Democrats representing 17 states and the   
   Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The push to persuade additional House members   
   to sign on as H.R. 4969 co-sponsors continues. ARRL Regulatory Information   
   Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, has pointed out that the House may adjourn as   
   early as Friday, September 19, and not reconvene until after the mid-term   
   elections on November 4. Members of the ARRL team have been in Washington,   
   DC, to contact House members while Congress is still in session.   
      
   "The bump in co-sponsors is a direct result of two   
   things: ARRL's letter-writing campaign and the efforts by many ARRL members   
   to meet with their members of Congress and their staffs in person," said   
   Henderson, who has spent the past few weeks collecting additional letters of   
   support from League members to forward to US House members by next week.   
      
   Letters directed for forwarding to US House of Representatives members via   
   ARRL Headquarters will be printed beforehand. Henderson explained that this   
   approach speeds delivery, since individual pieces of mail to members of   
   Congress are scanned for threats.   
      
   "We have received more than 3000 letters since the bill was introduced,"   
   Henderson said, adding that he was not sure how many more might arrive by   
   week's end. "The more noise we make, the better our chances for the bill's   
   passage," he said. Henderson emphasized that a successful outcome requires   
   as many co-sponsors as possible, and letting House members hear from ARRL   
   members in their role as voters and constituents can contribute to making   
   that happen. The current campaign in support of H.R. 4969 only targets   
   members of the US House, since the bill has not yet reached the Senate.   
      
   While Congress was on break in August, the League encouraged members to meet   
   with their representatives while they were home on break in their districts,   
   and urge their support for H.R. 4969, Henderson said.   
      
   In addition to a list of current co-sponsors, the League's H.R. 4969 page   
   contains information and guidance for clubs and individuals promoting   
   efforts to gain co-sponsors for the measure by contacting their members of   
   Congress. The web page includes a sample letter to a member of Congress and   
   a list of "talking points." Direct letters to H.R. 4969 Letter Campaign,   
   ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. If e-mailing your letter as an   
   attachment, include the bill's number, H.R. 4969, in your subject line.   
   Letters may also be faxed to 860-594-0259.   
      
   The bill, which was introduced in the US House of Representatives with   
   bipartisan support in late June, would call on the FCC to apply the   
   "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), and it received initial   
   co-sponsorship from Rep Joe Courtney (D-CT).   
      
   The limited PRB-1 pre-emption currently applies only to state and municipal   
   land-use ordinances. The FCC has indicated its reluctance to provide the   
   same legal protections from private land-use agreements -- often called   
   covenants, conditions, and restrictions or CC&Rs -- without direction from   
   Congress.   
      
   H.R. 4969 has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Rep   
   Greg Walden, W7EQI (R-OR), chairs that panel's Communications and Technology   
   Subcommittee, which will consider the measure.   
      
   ARES/RACES Volunteers Mobilize in Wake of Nevada Flash Flooding   
      
   ARES/RACES members in Clark County, Nevada, activated Monday, September 8,   
   after heavy rains sparked flash flooding. The Amateur Radio volunteers   
   deployed after being called up by local emergency managers to support   
   communication during recovery efforts in the Moapa Valley northeast of Las   
   Vegas. At least two people died as a result of the flooding.   
      
   A slow-moving storm that spun off from Hurricane Norbert dumped   
   nearly 4 inches of rain within the space of 90 minutes onto the town of   
   Moapa. Heavy flooding and mud closed nearly 50 miles of Interstate 15,   
   stranding motorist and truckers, buckling or washing away pavement in many   
   areas. Nevada Department of Transportation officials said they expected that   
   it would take several days before the highway would be reopened. Some   
   alternate routes also were impassible. The flooding has been called the   
   worst in more than 30 years.   
      
   Emergency sheltering was needed for nearly 200 tribal members of the Moapa   
   River Reservation, as well as nearly 90 elementary and high school students.   
   Stranded motorists were being cared for at a middle school in Mesquite, on   
   the Arizona border.   
      
   ARES personnel staffed the Emergency Operations Center in Las Vegas, and the   
   Clark County Mobile Communications Vehicle was on the scene. -- Thanks to   
   ARRL Nevada PIC John Bigley, N7UR   
      
   FCC Enforcement Bureau Warns Two Hams for Failure to Identify Properly   
      
   The FCC Enforcement Bureau has released Warning Notice letters it sent in   
   July to two radio amateurs, advising them that it had monitored   
   transmissions during which the licensees had failed to identify properly.   
   The Bureau posted the correspondence earlier this month on its Amateur Radio   
   Service Enforcement Actions web page. The two notices from FCC Enforcement   
   Bureau Special Counsel Laura L. Smith, both dated July 21, contain   
   essentially the same wording.   
      
   In a Warning Notice to Gary E. Davis, W1IT, of Inman, South Carolina, Smith   
   told Davis that he was monitored on July 15 and 16 at the FCC's High   
   Frequency Direction Finding Center (HFDFC) in Maryland, failing to properly   
   identify while operating on 7.185 MHz. "[Y]ou were heard by a Commission   
   employee operating your Amateur Radio station for 20 minutes without   
   identifying in a timely manner," Smith wrote. "The Commission employee used   
   direction-finding equipment and confirmed the transmissions were coming from   
   your location."   
      
   Smith pointed out that Section   
   97.119(a) of the Amateur Service Rules requires each amateur station to   
   "transmit its assigned call sign on its transmitting channel at the end of   
   each communication, and at least every 10 minutes during a communication."   
      
   In a nearly identically worded Warning Notice to John J. Krajewski, KB3MZQ,   
   of Newark, Delaware, Smith said the HFDFC also had monitored transmissions   
   by him on July 15 and 16, also on 7.185 MHz, during which he failed to   
   identify properly.   
      
   Smith said the FCC had "recorded the offending transmissions" in both   
   instances and offered to make copies available to Davis and Krajewski. She   
   further advised Davis and Krajewski that recurring "operation of this type"   
   after receipt of the warning letters, could subject them to "severe   
   penalties, including license revocation, monetary forfeiture (fines), or a   
   modification proceeding to restrict the frequencies upon which you may   
   operate."   
      
   In 2006, in response to a Petition for Rule Making, the FCC declined to   
   modify its Amateur Service station identification rules. The petition   
   received some 100 comments. In dismissing the petition the following year,   
   the FCC concluded that the changes requested were "neither necessary nor   
   supported by the Amateur Radio community," and that the failure-to-identify   
   problem "would be better addressed by enforcement of the present rule,   
   rather than a rule change."   
      
   Canadian Regulator Accepts Radio Amateurs of Canada's International 60 Meter   
   Allocation Proposal   
      
   Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) has announced that its proposal to establish   
   an international 60 meter Amateur Service allocation has been accepted by   
   the Industry Canada consultative committee for World Radiocommunication   
   Conference 2015 (WRC-15). The regulator uses that panel's conclusions to   
   determine its position on WRC-15 issues. The RAC proposal specifically   
   addresses WRC-15 Agenda Item 1.4 -- to establish a 60 meter allocation for   
   Amateur Radio on a secondary basis. The Canadian proposal will be considered   
   by other International Telecommunication Region (ITU) Region 2 countries in   
   October.   
      
   "This proposal will be [submitted] at the CITEL meetings in   
   Merida, Mexico, next month to be considered as the CITEL position going into   
   WRC-15," said RAC International Affairs Officer George Gorsline, VE3YV.   
   CITEL, the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission, is the   
   telecommunications and telecommunications technology advisory body of the   
   Organization of American States. Its members include all ITU Region 2   
   countries except Cuba.   
      
   The RAC proposal recommends two 25-kHz band segments for Amateur Radio --   
   5330 to 5355 kHz and 5405 to 5430 kHz. Amateur access would be on a   
   secondary, non-interference, listen-before-transmit basis.   
      
   Gorsline credited the efforts of Bryan Rawlings, VE3QN, the RAC   
   representative on domestic committees and a Canadian and International   
   Amateur Radio Union (IARU) delegate at ITU meetings.   
      
   "His role and the hours of work -- essentially an unpaid job -- attending   
   many, many formal and informal meetings with our regulator and with   
   interested parties in Canada and internationally are a key factor in gaining   
   formal Canadian government support," he said. "We are very fortunate to have   
   his talents and willingness to sacrifice his on-the-air time for all of us."   
      
   RAC also acknowledged "the strong support of Industry Canada at Working   
   Party meetings and on other committees and at ITU WRC-15 preparatory   
   meetings.   
      
   Gorsline said that a "firm proposal" from his country citing specific   
   frequencies for support by Region 2 countries at the CITEL meeting "is a   
   giant step toward a favorable outcome at WRC-15."   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
   W1AW Centennial Trifecta: Colorado, New Hampshire, and Texas. North   
   Carolina, Connecticut Starting September 17 (UTC)   
      
   The ARRL Centennial W1AW portable operations taking place throughout 2014   
   from each of the 50 states are now in Colorado (W1AW/5), New Hampshire   
   (W1AW/1), and Texas (W1AW/5). W1AW operations will transition starting at   
   0000 UTC on Wednesday, September 17 (the evening of September 16 in US time   
   zones) to North Carolina (W1AW/4) and Connecticut (W1AW/1). W1AW has visited   
   each of the 50 states for at least 1 week so far during 2014. By year's, end   
   W1AW will have been on the air from every state at least twice, as well as   
   from most US territories.   
      
   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. 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.   
      
   Keynote Convention Speech of FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, KK4INZ,   
   Available on YouTube   
      
   The July 18 keynote speech of FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, KK4INZ, at   
   the ARRL National Centennial Convention in Hartford, Connecticut, has been   
   posted on YouTube. Fugate spoke before some 800 guests at the Friday evening   
   convention banquet. Earlier that day,   
   he and ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, signed a Memorandum of Agreement   
   (MOA) aimed at enhancing cooperation between the League and FEMA in the area   
   of disaster communication. In his remarks at the banquet, Fugate said that   
   before he even became FEMA administrator, it became clear to him that   
   Amateur Radio could support ad hoc and innovative communication without   
   relying on conventional telecommunication systems.   
      
   "The more sophisticated our systems become, the more fragile they become,"   
   he told the gathering. He emphasized the need for resiliency in   
   communication systems. "The relevancy of ham radio only grows," asserted   
   Fugate, who recently upgraded to General class. "Amateur Radio is taking   
   that hobby and turning it into saving lives."   
      
   After Fugate's talk, President Craigie presented him with the ARRL Medal of   
   Honor.   
      
   Morse Learning Machine Challenge Catching on with Hams   
      
   Experimenter Mauri Niininen, AG1LE, of Lexington, Massachusetts, reports   
   that his Morse Learning Machine Challenge has been catching on among members   
   of the Amateur Radio community. The goal of the competition is to build a   
   machine that can learn how to decode audio files containing Morse code.   
   Niininen said his project has been approved by Kaggle, which bills itself as   
   "the world's largest community of data scientists." Niininen said that it   
   takes humans many months of effort to learn Morse code, and, after years of   
   practice, the most proficient operators can decode Morse code up to 60 or   
   more words per minute   
      
   "Humans have extraordinary ability to quickly adapt to varying conditions,   
   speed, and rhythm. We want to find out if it is possible to create a machine   
   learning algorithm that exceeds human performance and adaptability in Morse   
   decoding."   
      
   The computer-generated Morse data for the competition   
   includes various levels of added noise. The signal-to-noise ratio, speed,   
   and message content of the files vary randomly to simulate real-life ham   
   radio HF Morse communication.   
      
   "I hope to attract people from the Kaggle community, who are interested in   
   solving new, difficult challenges using their predictive data modeling,   
   computer science, and machine learning expertise," Niininen added.   
      
   During the competition, participants will build a learning system capable of   
   decoding Morse code, using development data consisting of 200 WAV audio   
   files containing short sequences of randomized Morse. Data labels are   
   provided for a training set, so participants can self-evaluate their   
   systems.   
      
   "To evaluate their progress and compare themselves with others, they can   
   submit their prediction results online to get immediate feedback," he   
   explained. "A real-time Kaggle leader board shows participants their current   
   standing based on their validation set predictions." Niininen has provided a   
   sample Python Morse decoder to make it easier to get started.   
      
   Niininen said that within the first 24 hours of the competition, he had 33   
   downloads. "We have already 53 downloads of the materials for this   
   competition," he said on September 5, "and it is growing by the hour, as the   
   word about this challenge is spreading."   
      
   Selected "Ham Radio" 2014 Presentations Now Available Online   
      
   Key presentations from the 2014 "Ham Radio" international exhibition in   
   Friedrichshafen, Germany, have been posted online. The Vienna-based DokuFunk   
   archive offers both audio and video presentations from the 2014 Ham Radio,   
   which is Europe's largest Amateur Radio gathering.   
      
   PowerPoint presentations in English include "The   
   Enigma and Other famous Cipher Machines" by Tom Perera, W1TP; "FT5ZM --   
   Amsterdam Island DXpedition" by Ralph Fedor, K0IR; "K9W -- Wake Atoll 2013   
   Commemorative Expedition" by Lou Dietrich, N2TU, and "VK9MT -- Mellish Reef   
   DXpedition" by Leslie P. Kalmus, W2LK. The German-language presentation   
   "Yagi und Quad Antennen f�r den Kurzwellenamateur" ("Yagi and Quad Antennas   
   for HF") by Martin Steyer, DK7ZB, also is available.   
      
   The DokuFunk site offers selected Ham Radio presentations dating to 2008.   
      
   Round Two of 2014 ARRL 10GHz and Up Contest Just Ahead!   
      
   Round two of the 2014 ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest arrives the weekend of   
   September 20-21. Experimentation, building, and contesting all come together   
   when radio amateurs competitively explore the microwave portion of the radio   
   spectrum. The contest runs from 6 AM local time on Saturday until midnight   
   local time on Sunday.   
      
   The exchange is your six-character Maidenhead Locator or "grid square," (eg,   
   FN64co). Participants earn points based on the distance of each contact.   
   Operating from several locations during the event is not only allowed, it's   
   encouraged. Many stations will run just a few hundred milliwatts, using   
   parabolic dishes to maximize gain. Along with line-of-sight contacts --   
   often made from mountaintops -- stations may make use of tropospheric and   
   rainfall scatter or bounce signals off large objects, such as buildings or   
   mountains.   
      
   A list of resources with more information is available. Complete rules and   
   entry forms are on the ARRL website. All logs must be e-mailed or postmarked   
   no later than 2359 UTC on Tuesday, October 21, 2014. Send paper logs to ARRL   
   10 GHz and Up Contest, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111.   
      
   Radio Scouting Webinar Set   
      
   A webinar, "What is Radio Scouting and What Does it Mean to Me?" is set for   
   September 18 at 0100 UTC (Wednesday, September 17, in US time zones). The   
   presenter will be Jim Wilson, K5ND, chairman of the Boy   
   Scouts of America's Radio Scouting Committee, president of the K2BSA Amateur   
   Radio Association, and member of the World Scouting JOTA-JOTI Team.   
      
   "Radio Scouting" includes all things Amateur Radio and Scouting. Topics will   
   include the upcoming Jamboree on the Air (JOTA), the world's largest   
   Scouting event, with 700,000 Scouts, 13,500 stations, and more than 22,000   
   Amateur Radio operators in 140 countries taking part. Advance registration   
   is required. -- Thanks to The ARRL Contest Update via Keith Kaiser, WA0TJT   
      
   Tuskegee Airman and Congressional Gold Medal Recipient George Mitchell,   
   K6ZE, SK   
      
   ARRL Life Member, longtime Amateur Radio operator and Tuskegee Airman George   
   T. Mitchell, K6ZE, of San Diego, California, died September 4. He was 94.   
   During World War II Mitchell taught Morse code to the pioneering black   
   aviators known as the Tuskegee Airmen.   
      
   In 2007, Mitchell was among the group of Tuskegee Airmen veterans to   
   belatedly receive the Congressional Gold Medal, the United States' highest   
   civilian award, for his wartime service. African-American servicemen had   
   been barred from training as military pilots until the Roosevelt   
   Administration, faced with a federal lawsuit and mounting protests, opened   
   an aviation school at Tuskegee Institute, a traditionally black college in   
   Alabama.   
      
   George Mitchell, K6ZE, SK.   
      
   "The world looked at us as second-class citizens," Mitchell said in a 2003   
   San Diego Union-Times interview about his time with the Tuskegee Airmen. "We   
   knew we were in a fishbowl. We knew we couldn't fail." Some 450 Tuskegee   
   fighter pilots flew more than 15,000 sorties over North Africa and Europe   
   during the war. The story of the Tuskegee Airmen was the subject of a 1995   
   film.   
      
   A Philadelphia native, Mitchell, who got into ham radio at the age of 12,   
   belonged to several Amateur Radio organizations, including the OMIK Amateur   
   Radio Association, the Air Force Flyers Club, the Old Old Timers Club, and   
   the Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA), from which he received a   
   75-year certificate in 2012.   
      
   Following the war, Mitchell went to work as a civilian engineer for the US   
   Navy. He retired to San Diego, but subsequently returned to work on the sea,   
   this time for the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. He frequently spoke to   
   school and civic groups about the role the Tuskegee Airmen played in the   
   nation's history.   
      
   Survivors include his widow, D'Andrea Mitchell, and children, actor Brian   
   Stokes Mitchell, George Mitchell, Richard Mitchell, Lorna Mitchell, and   
   stepsons Deon and Robert Coons. -- Thanks to John Bigley, N7UR/Nevada   
   Amateur Radio Newswire and media accounts   
      
   Red Cross Volunteer Stu Press, KC8HQT, SK   
      
   American Red Cross Disaster Service Technology Group (DST) volunteer Stuart   
   "Stu" Press, KC8HQT, of Cincinnati, Ohio, died September 5. He was 61.   
   Press, an ARRL member, is reported to have become ill during a DST   
   deployment to the State of Washington to assist with communication in a   
   fire-stricken area, and he returned to Cincinnati, where he died.   
      
   "Stu was a very active national volunteer, who called   
   the Cincinnati Chapter of the American Red Cross his home base," said ARRL   
   Public Information Officer Cindy Ebner, K8CJE, an ARC volunteer. "He   
   volunteered numerous hours helping maintain their Amateur Radio station   
   (W8VVL), [and] worked closely with the IT team to grow and maintain the   
   network." The DST team oversees the technical component of a response. It   
   also can serve as a liaison between local Amateur Radio groups and the ARC   
   to facilitate initial emergency communication.   
      
   Ebner called Press "an instrumental cog in the machine of emergency response   
   to both the American Red Cross organization and the Amateur Radio   
   community," and said his loss would be felt by both.   
      
   Survivors include his wife, Susan, and two daughters. Services were   
   September 9. In-memoriam donations may be made to the American Red Cross.   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
   A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL   
      
   When the 1979 World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC-79) concluded,   
   Amateur Radio had gained new bands at 10, 18, and 24 MHz. Those bands would   
   become available to US hams later, after the FCC had done its work to put   
   them in place. The term "WARC bands" for 30, 17, and 12 meters persists to   
   this day.   
      
   Also in 1979, the FCC issued a Notice of Inquiry on the subject of radio   
   frequency interference (RFI). The great expansion of consumer electronic   
   gear that was susceptible to RFI had led an increase in complaints of   
   interference from hams, largely through no fault of the hams or their   
   equipment.   
      
   In the March 1980 issue of QST, VE2AEJ's article, "Observance of   
   Long-Delayed Echoes on 28 MHz" concluded that long-delayed echoes are a   
   result of transmitted signals getting into a natural duct, probably between   
   the E and F layers of the ionosphere, and circling the globe many times   
   before re-emerging. After the explanation of LDEs was set forth, scientists   
   asked for hams to help with reports of their LDE experiences, to better   
   understand the details of the propagation.   
      
   As QST articles in the 1980s reflected, the main topics of interest to the   
   amateur community were new antenna ideas -- from simple and inexpensive to   
   large, complex, and very expensive -- the use of new solid state technology   
   in the ham shack, VHF/UHF/microwave equipment and activities, 2 meter FM and   
   repeaters, DXing, contesting, and moonbounce communication.   
      
   When microprocessors and microcomputers emerged in the early 1980s, hams   
   began putting them to work. Later, stand alone computers began to be   
   integrated into the stations of hams who were pushing the state of the art.   
   Another area where digital technology helped amateurs was the construction   
   of frequency synthesizers.   
      
   In the late 1970s, the Soviet Union's "woodpecker" over-the-horizon   
   (ionospheric) radar had started its strong and annoying peck-peck-peck that   
   slowly swept through the HF amateur bands as well as the allocations of   
   other radio services.   
      
   In 1980 the ARRL Board of Directors   
   established a Long-Range Planning Committee, to look far into the future and   
   plan for Amateur Radio to remain strong enough to weather the efforts of   
   other radio services to chip away at our frequency allocations. The LRPC was   
   also tasked to find ways to strengthen the cooperation between Amateur Radio   
   and governmental agencies at all levels.   
      
   The Amateur Radio space effort suffered a huge disappointment in May 1980,   
   when the first attempt to launch a Phase 3 (OSCAR 9) satellite was   
   unsuccessful. The Ariane launch vehicle failed right after liftoff, and   
   Phase 3 landed in the Atlantic Ocean. The AMSAT-OSCAR community regrouped   
   and went to work building another Phase 3 unit. The ARRL Foundation launched   
   a fund-raising drive for building the new Phase 3 satellite that was highly   
   successful. -- Al Brogdon, W1AB   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
   The K7RA Solar Update   
      
   We saw a nice increase in the level of solar activity this week, and the   
   outlook for the near term is good -- or at least interesting.   
      
   Average daily sunspot numbers for the period September 4-10 jumped from 85.1   
   to 152.1, and average daily solar flux rose from 126.7 to 155.8. Geomagnetic   
   indicators were quiet, with the average planetary A index declining from   
   14.7 to 7.9, and the average mid-latitude A index dropped from 13.4 to 8.3.   
   These latest numbers are compared with those of the previous 7 days, August   
   28 through September 3.   
      
   Spacenews.com has reported that a couple of   
   coronal mass ejection (CME) blasts, launched September 9 and 10 from sunspot   
   2158, are headed toward Earth. The sunspot was in a most favorable position   
   for launching CMEs in our direction; it was right in the center of the   
   visible solar disc from Earth's perspective. Don't worry, though. This is   
   not a doomsday event, although it is strong.   
      
   At 0520 UTC on September 11, the Australian Space Forecast Centre issued a   
   geomagnetic warning. The Centre has predicted increased geomagnetic activity   
   for September 11-13, due to CMEs. The Centre's forecast calls for unsettled   
   conditions, with minor storm periods possible on September 11,   
   active-to-major storm levels on September 12, and active geomagnetic   
   conditions on September 13.   
      
   From NOAA/USAF the predicted planetary A index is 5, 32, and 18 for   
   September 11-13, 5 for September 14-24, then 18 on September 25, 15 for   
   September 26-27, 12 for September 28-29, and 10 on September 30.   
      
   Predicted solar flux is 160 on September 11, 165 for September 12-14, then   
   170, 165 and 155 for September 15-17, 145 for September 18-20, then 150, 145   
   and 135 for September 21-23, 130 for September 24-25, 125 for September   
   26-27, 130 for September 28-29, and 145 for September 29-30.   
      
   Expect aurora borealis displays in northern latitudes of the Northern   
   Hemisphere and rough HF conditions on Friday, September 12. The predicted   
   planetary A index of 32 for Friday is typical during a geomagnetic storm.   
      
   You can watch the fun on NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center geomagnetic   
   data page, updated every 3 hours. A K index above 3 indicates active   
   geomagnetic conditions. Each single point higher represents a large increase   
   in activity.   
      
   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 Friday's bulletin look for an updated forecast and some interesting   
   reports from readers.   
      
   Send me your reports and observations.   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
   Just Ahead in Radiosport   
    *   
      
       September 13-14 -- Worked All Europe DX Contest (SSB)   
    *   
      
       September 13-14 -- Straight Key Weekend Sprintathon   
    *   
      
       September 13-14 -- Arkansas QSO Party   
    *   
      
       September 13-15 -- ARRL September VHF Contest   
    *   
      
       September 14 -- North American Sprint (SSB)   
    *   
      
       September 14-15 -- Classic Exchange (phone)   
    *   
      
       September 15 -- Run For the Bacon (CW)   
    *   
      
       September 18 -- NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint (CW)   
    *   
      
       September 20 -- Feld-Hell Hell on Wheels Sprint   
    *   
      
       September 20 -- Pirate QSO Party   
    *   
      
       September 20-21 -- ARRL 10 GHz Cumulative Contest   
    *   
      
       September 20-21 -- Scandinavian Activity Contest (CW)   
    *   
      
       September 20-21 -- South Carolina QSO Party   
    *   
      
       September 20-21 -- Washington State Salmon Run   
    *   
      
       September 21 -- BARTG Sprint 75   
    *   
      
       September 21-23 -- Classic Exchange (CW)   
    *   
      
       September 22 -- 144 MHz Fall VHF Sprint   
      
   See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information.   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
   Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events   
    *   
      
       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), Regional ARRL   
       Centennial Event, Santa Clara, California   
    *   
      
       October 11 -- Iowa State Convention (Sioux City Ham Convention),   
       Sergeant Bluff, Iowa   
    *   
      
       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 Convention, 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)