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   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2014-10-02   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
      
   October 2, 2014   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
    *  ARRL Again Asks FCC to Elevate Amateur Service to Primary on 2300-2305   
       MHz   
    *  ARRL Takes Issue with NTIA's WRC-15 Proposal for 5 MHz   
    *  The ARRL Foundation Invites Scholarship Applications for 2015-16   
       Academic Year   
    *  ARRL Executive Committee to Meet October 4   
    *  Actor Tim Allen Gets His Ham Ticket For Real   
    *  W1AW Centennial Operations Will Be in Missouri and Virginia Starting   
       October 8 (UTC)   
    *  ITU Secretary General Extends Greetings to IARU Region 1 Delegates   
    *  Ham Radio Saves the Day in the Yukon   
    *  RSGB Outlines "New" Islands on the Air (IOTA) Vision, Seeks Partnership   
    *  FT4TA DXpedition Team Aims to Take Tromelin Off the Top 10 Most-Wanted   
       Lists   
    *  Past Sacramento Valley SCM, Santa Clara Valley SM, Pacific Vice Director   
       Jettie B. Hill, W6RFF, SK   
    *  Marte Wessel, K0EPE, and Pete Wessel, W0CM, 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 Website To Be Offline on October 3 Starting at 2000 UTC   
      
   The ARRL website is scheduled to be offline on Friday, October 3,   
   starting at 2000 UTC. The length of the outage   
   could run for several hours and possibly into Saturday, October 4. The ARRL   
   IT Department will be performing maintenance in the process of switching the   
   site to a new server.   
      
   A "Down for Maintenance" message will appear for the duration of the outage   
   whenever someone attempts to access www.arrl.org. Logbook of The World will   
   remain accessible during the outage. All e-mail functionality will remain   
   online -- only the website will be down for testing.   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   ARRL Again Asks FCC to Elevate Amateur Service to Primary on 2300-2305 MHz   
      
   In comments filed in response to an AT&T Mobility Petition for Rule Making   
   seeking a new air-to-ground communications system on 2.3 GHz Wireless   
   Communications Service (WCS) spectrum, the ARRL has once again asked the FCC   
   to elevate the Amateur Service allocation at 2300 to 2305 MHz from secondary   
   to primary. The Petition (RM-11731) asked the Commission to authorize an   
   LTE-based in-flight connectivity service in the WCS "C" and "D" blocks   
   (2305-2315 MHz and 2350-2360 MHz, respectively) for airlines and airline   
   passengers. AT&T has asserted that restrictions on out-of-band emission and   
   power limits to protect adjacent-band users make the use of the C and D   
   blocks problematic. The wireless provider asked the FCC for rule changes to   
   permit deployment of its service "using currently fallow spectrum" while   
   also "preserving adequate interference protection to users of adjacent   
   bands."   
      
   "Notwithstanding this broad and nebulous claim,   
   there is no showing anywhere in the four corners of the Petition that the   
   proposed rule changes would permit any continued Amateur Radio operations on   
   a secondary basis in the shared A block (2305-2310 MHz)," the ARRL commented   
   on September 22. More to the point, the League said, there is no showing in   
   the Petition that Amateur Radio operations in the adjacent 2300-2350 MHz   
   band would be protected from increased out-of-band emissions, if the FCC   
   were to implement the changes requested.   
      
   The League asserted in its comments that the FCC has, to date, "failed to   
   protect Amateur Radio operations at 2300-2305 MHz from WCS out-of-band   
   emissions." The ARRL said the band is "regularly and substantially utilized   
   by radio amateurs" for weak-signal, long-distance communication and, only by   
   circumstances -- a lack of a primary occupant -- has it been able to enjoy   
   that segment as a de facto primary user.   
      
   "The Commission's rules are quite clear that WCS licensees enjoy no   
   entitlement to disrupt adjacent-band radio service operations," the ARRL   
   commented. But, the League pointed out, previous FCC actions to expand   
   mobile broadband devices left 2300-2305 MHz vulnerable to increased   
   out-of-band interference that would be difficult or impossible to mitigate.   
   The ARRL said amateur stations operating in the 2300-2305 MHz band would be   
   unable to avoid interference from AT&T Mobility's proposed system, and that   
   the FCC has refused to clarify the obligation of WCS mobile providers to   
   avoid interference to Amateur Radio operations there.   
      
   The ARRL objected to what it called the FCC's "practice of making allocation   
   decisions which place incompatible uses in close proximity to amateur   
   stations and then place on the amateur licensees the burden of avoiding the   
   interference." Read more.   
      
   ARRL Takes Issue with NTIA's WRC-15 Proposal for 5 MHz   
      
   The ARRL is taking issue with the World Radiocommunication Conference 2015   
   (WRC-15) stance of the National Telecommunications and Information   
   Administration (NTIA) with respect to an upgraded 60 meter Amateur Radio   
   allocation. In response to WRC-15 agenda item 1.4, the NTIA has called for   
   no change at 5250-5450 kHz. The League said in comments filed September 24   
   in IB Docket 04-286 that while it concurs with the NTIA's view regarding   
   5250 to 5275 kHz -- allocated to the radiolocation service for oceanographic   
   applications at WRC-12 -- the rest of the agency's proposal is   
   "unsupportable in light of actual domestic and international practice and   
   contains assertions of incompatibility that are demonstrably not correct."   
   The US has authorized Amateur Radio secondary operation on five discrete   
   channels in the 5275-5450 kHz range for more than a decade, the ARRL pointed   
   out, with no instances of unresolved interference to primary users.   
      
   "Against this backdrop, the stated reason for the   
   no-change proposal -- that '[e]xperience has shown that sharing is not   
   possible between the Amateur Service and the fixed and mobile service' --   
   fails the straight-face test," the ARRL said in its comments.   
      
   The NTIA's position is at odds with the proposal for agenda item 1.4   
   previously adopted by the FCC's WRC-15 Advisory Committee (WAC). In January,   
   the WAC recommended a secondary allocation to the Amateur Radio Service from   
   5275-5450 kHz, and the FCC indicated in a subsequent Public Notice that it   
   could generally support this recommendation.   
      
   The League called the NTIA's position "particularly puzzling" given the   
   position of federal agencies, for which the NTIA manages spectrum, to allow   
   what the ARRL called, "a more disruptive service (radiolocation) in the   
   identical frequency range under consideration here less than three years   
   ago."   
      
   "Neither NTIA nor its constituent federal agencies have credibly or   
   persuasively articulated why fixed and mobile systems in the 5250-5450 kHz   
   range can withstand the demonstrated potential for interference from   
   automated, wideband, HF oceanographic radars, but cannot withstand operation   
   by trained, licensed operators using smaller bandwidths, actually monitoring   
   the spectrum to be used before and during a transmission, and with the   
   capability to shift frequency immediately to avoid incidents of interference   
   with a primary service," the ARRL commented.   
      
   The League asserted that the Amateur Service deserves "the same treatment"   
   that NTIA proposed for HF radiolocation less than 3 years ago. "Proponents   
   of a different treatment, particularly a channelized treatment or a   
   no-change approach, have still not presented a compelling distinction   
   between amateur operation and radiolocation that would justify a departure   
   from the general policy followed by the United States at WRC-12," the ARRL   
   concluded.   
      
   The ARRL Foundation Invites Scholarship Applications for 2015-16 Academic   
   Year   
      
   The ARRL Foundation has begun accepting scholarship applications from   
   eligible young radio amateurs pursuing post-secondary education. Individuals   
   and clubs support many of the 80 scholarships, ranging from $500 to $5000,   
   that are awarded annually. In addition, one applicant may be selected to   
   receive the prestigious William R. Goldfarb Memorial Scholarship, a "gap"   
   scholarship that assists with the cost of college throughout four academic   
   years to earn a bachelor's degree in a business, computer, medical, nursing,   
   engineering, or science-related field. Applicants for all scholarships must   
   be active radio amateurs and must complete and submit the online   
   application.   
      
   [ARRL_Foundation.jpg] "This is a tremendous opportunity for students   
   graduating from high school or currently enrolled in college to apply for a   
   monetary award to help with their educational expenses," says ARRL   
   Foundation Secretary and ARRL Development Manager Lauren Clarke, KB1YDD.   
   "All ARRL Foundation scholarships are made possible by individuals or clubs.   
   With these awards, donors hope to encourage young people to be active in   
   Amateur Radio and to earn their degrees."   
      
   For 2014, the Foundation awarded 79 annual scholarships through 58 funds to   
   young Amateur Radio operators, valued at $106,250. In addition, the   
   Foundation Board selected 17-year-old Padraig Lysandrou, KC9UUS, of   
   Bloomington, Indiana, as the 2014 recipient of the Goldfarb award. This   
   fall, Padraig is attending Cornell University School of Applied &   
   Engineering Physics.   
      
   Students planning to apply for 2015 awards should first carefully review the   
   eligibility requirements and scholarship descriptions. Although only one   
   application per applicant is required, applicants may ask to be considered   
   for as many of the scholarships for which they are eligible (some   
   scholarships have geographic criteria or other requirements) Check off only   
   the scholarships for which you would like to be considered. In addition to   
   completing the online application, applicants must submit a PDF of their   
   academic transcript from their most recently completed school year. Goldfarb   
   Scholarship applicants also must submit a copy of their completed Free   
   Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).   
      
   Applications are due January 31, 2014, by 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Awards   
   winners typically are notified in mid-May by USPS mail and e-mail.   
      
   Established in 1973 as an independent and separate IRS 501(c)(3)   
   organization, the ARRL Foundation manages grant and scholarship programs to   
   support the Amateur Radio community. All grants and scholarships are funded   
   entirely by the generous contributions of radio amateurs, clubs and friends.   
   Individuals, groups or clubs wishing to establish an ARRL Foundation   
   Scholarship Fund should visit the ARRL Foundation website.   
      
   For more information about ARRL Foundation scholarships, e-mail the ARRL   
   Foundation or call 860-594-0348.   
      
   ARRL Executive Committee to Meet October 4   
      
   A raft of regulatory-related items will confront the ARRL Executive   
   Committee when it meets Saturday, October 4, in Memphis, Tennessee. On the   
   list are several ongoing FCC proceedings that affect Amateur Radio, as well   
   as international and organizational matters. Among other topics, the EC will   
   mull strategies to improve the FCC's Amateur Radio enforcement program,   
   consider the FCC regulatory fee structure for vanity call signs going   
   forward, and review the status of various petitions that could hinder or   
   limit Amateur Radio access to various portions of the UHF and microwave   
   spectrum. Committee members also will discuss the status of preparations   
   leading up to World Radiocommunication Conference 2015 and will review a   
   proposal to license FEMA stations with distinctive call signs, similar to   
   Military Recreation or club stations.   
      
   Also up for discussion will be the status of the   
   ARRL's advocacy efforts on behalf of the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014   
   (H.R. 4969), which 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 -- deed covenants,   
   conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs). Further, the EC will consider   
   revisions to its 2009 Mobile Amateur Radio Operation Policy Statement as   
   well as state legislative issues that might affect Amateur Radio mobile   
   operation, such as statutes regulating cell phone use and texting while   
   driving.   
      
   Among important Amateur Radio proceedings still awaiting FCC action that   
   will come up for discussion are the League's Petition for Rule Making   
   seeking a new allocation at 472-479 kHz and its petition to replace symbol   
   rate limits on data emissions below 28.3 MHz with a 2.8 kHz maximum occupied   
   bandwidth.   
      
   The EC will consider a request for support from proponents of keeping open   
   the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) facility in   
   Gakona, Alaska.   
      
   The EC will also approve convention and club affiliation requests and   
   recognize new ARRL Life Members.   
      
   Actor Tim Allen Gets His Ham Ticket For Real   
      
   Actor and comedian Tim Allen now not only plays an Amateur Radio operator on   
   television, he is one! Allen got his Technician ticket on September 4, but   
   did not release the news until this week. In his weekly ABC comedy TV show   
   "Last Man Standing," Allen plays Mike Baxter, KA0XTT, and the show, which   
   starts its new season October 3,   
   has featured ham radio in some episodes (Allen's TV wife Mandy Baxter is   
   KF0XIE). "Last Man Standing" producer John Amodeo, NN6JA, told ARRL that the   
   agreement with Allen was that "we would not publicize his license until he   
   approved it." Allen subsequently revealed to Tom Medlin, W5KUB, for one of   
   Medlin's webcasts that he had passed his Technician license test but, per   
   Allen's request, did not mention his call sign, Amodeo said. The call sign   
   has since been disclosed elsewhere.   
      
   "The Amateur Radio operators on the crew of 'Last Man Standing' are   
   delighted that Tim has taken and passed his Technician exam and received his   
   own, real call sign," Amodeo said. "It took more than 3 years to make it   
   happen, and it started with Tim's personal interest in radio technology and   
   his request to make the Mike Baxter character an Amateur Radio operator."   
   The ham shack on the show is a working station.   
      
   More than 2 dozen members of the "Last Man Standing" crew -- and now Allen,   
   its star -- have been inspired by the show's Amateur Radio component to get   
   licensed. On September 28, the K6H "Hollywood Hamnado" special event station   
   was on the air, with "Last Man Standing" crew members at the helm from the   
   show's set.   
      
   Amodeo said K6H went very well. "We had about 35 operators and guests on   
   Stage 9 here at CBS Studio Center" he told ARRL. "All enjoyed being on the   
   set of 'Last Man Standing.' The feeling was like a Field Day and a mini   
   Hamvention." Amodeo said that all six K6H stations had "continuous contacts   
   from start to finish."   
      
   Most of the K6H event and several interview segments, including one with the   
   VEs who administered Allen's test, have been posted on Medlin's website.   
      
   Amodeo expressed gratitude to the ARRL for its "continued support," starting   
   with the assistance of former ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen   
   Pitts, W1AGP, in the creation of the KA0XTT call sign and the more recent   
   assistance of ARRL VEC staffers Maria Somma, AB1FM, and Amanda Grimaldi,   
   KB1VUV.   
      
   "We hope Tim will find Amateur Radio to be an enjoyable and useful hobby for   
   many years to come," he added.   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   W1AW Centennial Operations Will Be in Missouri and Virginia Starting October   
   8 (UTC)   
      
   The ARRL Centennial W1AW portable operations taking place throughout 2014   
   from each of the 50 states and now in Alaska, California, and the District   
   of Columbia, will transition at 0000 UTC on Wednesday, October 8 (the   
   evening of October 7 in US time zones), to Missouri (W1AW/0) and Virginia   
   (W1AW/4). W1AW has visited each of the 50 states for at least 1 week so far   
   during 2014, and by year's end W1AW will have been on the air from every   
   state at least twice.   
      
   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.   
      
   ITU Secretary General Extends Greetings to IARU Region 1 Delegates   
      
   In a video, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Secretary General   
   Hamadoun Tour‚, HB9EHT, extended his wishes for "every success" to   
   International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 1 delegates during their   
   Regional Conference September 21-26 in Albena, Bulgaria. In the nearly   
   4-minute greeting, Tour‚ said he appreciated the work of the IARU and for   
   its support of ITU Headquarters station 4U1ITU.   
      
   "I can assure you that IARU is a valuable member of the ITU family, and this   
   relationship will be nurtured in the years to come," said Tour‚, who called   
   Amateur Radio is "a very important public service."   
      
   Tour‚ said that the ITU was donating an Icom IC-765 transceiver to IARU   
   Region 1. "I am sure this transceiver will find a good use in the IARU   
   Region 1 member societies," he said.   
      
   Amateur Radio, Tour‚ continued, is "a means of technical self-training for   
   young people" as well as a national resource, "particularly in developing   
   countries, and even provides support and relief in the event of national   
   disasters."   
      
   Next year, the ITU will celebrate its 150th anniversary, and Tour‚ said that   
   the ITU club station will identify as 4U0ITU to mark the occasion. He   
   invited the Region 1 delegates to join the World Radio Day celebration next   
   February 13, the anniversary of the first broadcast by UN Radio in 1948.   
      
   "I assure you that my Amateur Radio hobby is very dear to me," concluded   
   Tour‚, a native of Mali who assumed the Secretary General's post in 2007. "I   
   look forward to meeting with you, personally or on the Amateur Radio bands.   
   I wish you every success in your hobby and activity. Thank you for your   
   support to ITU. 73."   
      
   Ham Radio Saves the Day in the Yukon   
      
   According to a Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) report, Amateur Radio bridged   
   the gap recently for members of a search-and-rescue team attempting to   
   locate a missing teenager in Canada's Yukon Territory. SAR team member Terry   
   Hauff, VY1MAP, was unable to contact the team's headquarters in Whitehorse   
   during the September 21 activation. He was out of cell phone range, and the   
   satellite phone the team had was not working. VY1MAP was, however, able to   
   reach a 2 meter repeater from his mobile station.   
      
   Hauff reached out to Ray Fugard, VY1RF, and Ron   
   McFadyen, VY1RM, on the 146.88 MHz repeater in Whitehorse, and they were   
   able to relay a report on the search status from the SAR command center some   
   35 km north of Whitehorse at Lake Laberge. The missing teen was eventually   
   located unharmed. According to the RAC report, this marked the second time   
   in as many months that Amateur Radio and Yukon Amateur Radio Association   
   members and repeater infrastructure had proved invaluable in an emergency.   
      
   Vincent Charron, VE3XU, RAC's Director of Communications, commented,   
   "Whether it's a natural disaster, major weather event, planned community   
   event, or a missing person search, we at RAC receive numerous reports of   
   Amateur Radio interventions when traditional communication systems fail. Ham   
   radio is most certainly still relevant and provides a crucial communications   
   back-up option, often in challenging/dire situations." -- Thanks to Radio   
   Amateurs of Canada via Mark Bowers, VY1MAB   
      
   RSGB Outlines "New" Islands on the Air (IOTA) Vision, Seeks Partnership   
      
   Changes are in store for the Radio Society of Great Britain's popular   
   Islands on the Air (IOTA) program, as the RSGB repositions itself to assume   
   a less-direct role in the operating award program's management and   
   administration going forward. The "New IOTA" will embrace the program's   
   international scope and likely include some online means of confirming IOTA   
   contacts and claiming contact credits. For the time being, however,   
   everything will remain as it is. This past July, IOTA celebrated its 50th   
   anniversary as "a premier DX program" under the guidance of the RSGB and   
   IOTA Manager, Roger Balister, G3KMA. The program boasts some 2500 active   
   island chasers and another 15,000 or so casual participants. In September   
   the RSGB announced that it had asked IOTA management to enlist a group or   
   organization from within the IOTA community to take the program into its   
   next 50 years.   
      
   "The main focus will be on the development of online island   
   credit submission (paperless QSLing) as a new feature of the programme,"   
   Balister explained in a September 27 post on the IOTA website. "The plan is   
   then for this group to run IOTA in partnership with the RSGB. In the   
   meantime no immediate policy, management or personnel changes are planned."   
      
   The RSGB announcement from President John Gould, G3WKL, said that a review   
   of the program identified three primary issues. These include the program's   
   current heavy reliance on a few key people, the need for modern, robust IT   
   support that "will include online island credit submission akin to LoTW,"   
   and a requirement for a more friendly and accessible website.   
      
   "The review accepted without question that all island and participant   
   databases should be preserved and that any changes should be   
   backwards-compatible," Gould's announcement said. "In addition, it was   
   important to seek ways to rejuvenate and ensure the sustainability of the   
   program. This vision we loosely called 'New IOTA.'"   
      
   [RSGB.JPG] Gould explained that the RSGB is seeking a "partnership rather   
   than a top-down approach," and that the RSGB Board has agreed that the IOTA   
   team be invited to establish a group to develop and implement the "New IOTA"   
   concept, with the RSGB providing seed money and "other appropriate support."   
      
   "This approach acknowledges that the strength of the program lies with its   
   national and international participants whom, we are assured, have the   
   motivation, skills and enthusiasm to develop the program and to promote it   
   to its full potential," Gould continued. "This way forward has the full   
   support of the IOTA team and has been welcomed by the wider IOTA community   
   both at home and abroad. "   
      
   According to Gould's announcement, research and study to develop a plan for   
   the "New IOTA" will take place over the next 9 months. Read more.   
      
   FT4TA DXpedition Team Aims to Take Tromelin Off the Top 10 Most-Wanted Lists   
      
   The FT4TA DXpedition to Tromelin Island is in its final stages of   
   preparation, and in less than 1 month the six-man team will depart for the   
   small French possession in the Indian Ocean. Operation is scheduled to   
   commence on October 30 and continue until November 10. The DXpedition is the   
   recipient of an ARRL Colvin Award grant.   
      
   "I and about 10,000 of your 'best friends' will be tuned up and listening   
   for you," Warren Croke, NW4C, quipped on the Tromelin2014 Facebook page. "Be   
   safe and have fun."   
      
   [Tromelin%20FT4TA%20logo.jpg] The FT4TA DXpedition said its operation is a   
   chance to get Tromelin Island off the Top 10 most-wanted lists. Right now,   
   it's number 8 (mixed) on the ClubLog DXCC Most Wanted List. Located some 280   
   miles east of Madagascar, Tromelin has not been activated on Amateur Radio   
   since 2000, when a four-person team logged some 50,000 contacts using the   
   somewhat unwieldy call sign of FR/F6KDF/T. No one has been authorized to   
   operate from the island since. Tromelin Island is administered as part of   
   the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (abbreviated in French as "TAAF").   
      
   The DXpedition has announced plans to be active on 160 through 10 meters on   
   CW, SSB, and RTTY. "Openings toward the USA and Japan are short," the   
   DXpedition has advised. "We will do our utmost to give this entity to   
   worldwide deserving hams while openings last."   
      
   The DXpedition has said that its operators will take into consideration   
   information from their pilot stations regarding propagation and feedback   
   from the Amateur Radio Community.   
      
   Operators are expected to concentrate on "the higher-volume bands," but will   
   give a second priority to the low bands. Logs will be updated daily to   
   ClubLog via a satellite connection, but there will be no leader board. An   
   as-yet-unreleased postage stamp commemorating the 60th anniversary of the   
   first Tromelin Island Amateur Radio operation will be applied to all direct,   
   OQRS, or donor-requested QSL cards.   
      
   In June, the FT4TA team shipped three boxes of gear to R‚union Island, and   
   the DXpedition team members will fly between there and Tromelin. Read more.   
      
   Past Sacramento Valley SCM, Santa Clara Valley SM, Pacific Vice Director   
   Jettie B. Hill, W6RFF, SK   
      
   Long-time ARRL Field Organization volunteer Jettie B. Hill, W6RFF, of   
   Roseville, California, died September 21. He was 93. An ARRL Life Member,   
   Hill served as ARRL Santa Clara Valley Section Communications Manager (later   
   "Section Manager") from 1978 until 1982. He was the ARRL Pacific Division   
   Vice Director in 1982 and 1983. Following his retirement in 1984, he   
   relocated to Roseville and subsequently served as Sacramento Valley Section   
   Manager from 1989 until 2000 and again from 2002 until 2006.   
      
   First licensed in 1938 in Eureka, California, Hill moved to the San   
   Francisco Bay area after graduating from high school. He served in the US   
   Army as a radiotelegraph operator at the Presidio during World War II.   
   Subsequently he served in the US Navy (1944-1946 and 1950-1951).   
      
   Hill graduated from San Jose State University and during his career was   
   employed by United Airlines, Itek, Stanford Research Institute, Illumitronic   
   Engineering, National Semiconductor and other firms.   
      
   He was a member of the Sierra Foothills Amateur Radio Club. A serious DXer   
   and CW operator, he was on the DXCC Honor Roll with 340 DXCC entities   
   confirmed. He also had earned WAZ and 7-Band DXCC.   
      
   Marte Wessel, K0EPE, and Pete Wessel, W0CM, SK   
      
   A well-known Kansas Amateur Radio couple has passed on. Martha "Marte"   
   Wessel, K0EPE, of Liberal, Kansas, died September 23. She was 89. Her   
   husband Walter "Pete" Wessel, W0CM, died 6 days later on September 29 at age   
   101. Both were ARRL members.   
      
   "Liberal has lost a YL legend and a lowband DX veteran," said ARRL Honorary   
   Vice President Bruce Frahm, K0BJ, referring to the couple.   
      
   Marte Wessel was on the DXCC Honor Roll. She oversaw the annual scholarship   
   drive for the Young Ladies Radio League (YLRL), to which she belonged for 55   
   years and served on the President's Advisory Committee. The scholarship   
   campaign she headed raised nearly $4600 this year.   
      
   "Martha was one of the cornerstones of the YLRL and of the Colorado-YLs, of   
   which she was our last charter member," the YLRL website said in announcing   
   her passing.   
      
   An Ohio native, Marte Wessel belonged to the Ohio Ladies Amateur Radio Club   
   (Buckeye Belles), the Quarter Century Wireless Association, Young Ladies   
   International Single Sideband System, and the Quarter Century Wireless   
   Women. She also was an avid bowler, a Red Cross "Grey Lady" volunteer, and a   
   Camp Fire Girls leader.   
      
   The YLRL has invited donations in memory of Marte Wessel to its scholarship   
   fund to Linda Hynan, AC5QQ, 1312 Western Ridge Dr, Waco TX 76712.   
      
   Pete Wessel, W0CM, a Nebraska native, was well-known as a low-band DXer and   
   also was on the DXCC Honor Roll. A US Navy veteran, he was licensed in 1928   
   as 9EYE, and subsequently held W9EYE, W9JYW, and W0LYW. In addition to the   
   League, Pete Wessel belonged to the Old Timers Club and was a Life Member of   
   the Southern Plains Amateur Radio Klub.   
      
   Pete and Marte Wessel had been married for 69 years.   
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   A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL   
      
   At the 1983 Dayton Hamvention, volunteers administered Amateur Radio   
   examinations for the first time, under FCC supervision, demonstrating the   
   feasibility of a volunteer examiner system. The following year, the FCC   
   began designating Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (the first was the   
   Anchorage, Alaska, Amateur Radio Club VEC), including the ARRL VEC, now the   
   largest and most successful.   
      
   In June 1985, ARRL co-founder Clarence D. Tuska died. He was the last   
   surviving pioneer of early organized Amateur Radio. Tuska was still a   
   teenager and Hiram Percy Maxim was a well-known inventor in his 40s when   
   they first met and eventually formed the League a century ago. Tuska, who   
   went to a career in radio manufacturing and patent law, served as the ARRL's   
   first secretary as well as the first editor of QST. The fascinating story of   
   their early association and how it came about was told in the April 1989   
   issue of QST and recounted and updated in the January 2014 QST "It Seems to   
   Us" editorial, "Present at the Creation."   
      
   On August 15, 1985, the FCC opened the 902 to 928 MHz band for amateur use.   
   Also in 1985, the 10 MHz band (30 meters), one of the so-called "WARC   
   bands," was opened for US amateur use. The band was one of those gained at   
   the World Administrative Radio Conference 1979.   
      
   Also in August 1985, astronaut Tony England, W0ORE, took along ham radio,   
   including slow-scan TV, on a shuttle Challenger mission. His aim was to get   
   youngsters involved in the space program and ham radio.   
      
   On March 21, 1987, "Novice enhancement" came to pass, 12 years after the   
   ARRL had first asked the FCC to implement it. Novice privileges were   
   expanded to allow operation on 28 MHz SSB, 220 MHz, and 1270 MHz, as well as   
   operation using RTTY, AMTOR, and packet. This was a giant step toward   
   getting Novices more into the mainstream of Amateur Radio.   
      
   During Field Day 1987, those new privileges allowed Novices to make contact   
   with the Goodyear blimp Enterprise, thanks to KA4KVI, WB4RFC, and N4ORN, who   
   had put a ham station on board.   
      
   The results of a new ARRL contest   
   were reported photographically in the April 1987 QST -- "The Messy Shack   
   Photo Contest." Winners in each of the nine categories truly outdid   
   themselves, making our hearts swell with admiration and pride at our fellow   
   amateurs' efforts.   
      
   The August 1987 QST reported an interesting solo hike by VE3HBF, 89 days on   
   foot from the southwestern tip of England to extreme northeastern Scotland.   
   A solo hiker, David was never alone. He had a 2 meter handheld with him, so   
   that other hams could keep him company along the way, and so he could call   
   for help, if needed. As he walked, he visited historic radio sites along the   
   way, and was visited by other hams on several occasions.   
      
   In 1987, Amateur Radio in the US celebrated the bicentennial of the US   
   Constitution with "200" call signs for club stations, a "We the People" WAS,   
   and other radio events.   
      
   On January 1, 1988, the Canadian Radio Relay League became fully autonomous,   
   ending its long-held status as a division of the ARRL. -- Al Brogdon, W1AB   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   The K7RA Solar Update   
      
   Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: We saw a rise in solar   
   activity this week. Last Friday and Sunday, September 26 and 28, the daily   
   sunspot number was 203 and 200, respectively. This level of activity was   
   last seen on July 4-8, when sunspot numbers were 199, 213, 256, 197, and   
   209.   
      
   Geomagnetic indicators were stable, but the latest 45-day forecast shows   
   some instability ahead.   
      
   Average daily sunspot numbers increased from   
   80.9 to 170.1, and average daily solar flux rose from 128.3 to 168.9. This   
   compares the current September 25 through October 1 reporting week with the   
   earlier September 18-24 period.   
      
   Significantly, the GOES-15 X-ray background flux has been between C1.0 and   
   C1.3 every day since September 25. We haven't seen this many days in a row   
   of X-ray values at that level since last January.   
      
   The latest forecast has solar flux at 150 and 145 on October 2-3, 140 on   
   October 4-6, 135 on October 7-8, 140 on October 9-11, then 135, 130, 120,   
   and 135 on October 12-15, then 150, 165, 170, and 165 on October 16-19, 160   
   on October 20-21, 165 on October 22-23, and 170 on October 24-26. Flux   
   values are expected to rise to