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   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2014-10-09   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
      
   October 9, 2014   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
    *  Radio Amateur is Among Nobel Prize in Chemistry Winners   
    *  ARRL Investigating Web Server Breach   
    *  ARRL Vice Director Candidate Steve Putman, N8ZR, SK   
    *  World Radiosport Team Championship 2018 Will Be in Germany   
    *  Late October Exercise to Test MARS-ARES Interoperability   
    *  W1AW Centennial Operations Head for Alabama and Michigan Starting   
       October 15 (UTC)   
    *  Scouting's 57th Jamboree On The Air Takes Place October 18-19   
    *  JOTA Founder Les Mitchell, G3BHK, SK   
    *  Nominations Open for the George Hart Distinguished Service Award   
    *  ARRL Hosts 31st USTTI Amateur Radio Administration Course   
    *  IARU Region 1 Announces Awards to ON4WF, Others   
    *  Past Western New York Section Manager, Atlantic Division Assistant   
       Director Steve Ryan, N2ITF, SK   
    *  Adaptive Technology Pioneer Fred Gissoni, K4JLX, 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   
      
   Radio Amateur is Among Nobel Prize in Chemistry Winners   
      
   A California radio amateur and ARRL member was among the three winners of   
   the Nobel Prize in chemistry. William Moerner, WN6I, of Los Altos, a   
   chemistry professor at Stanford University, will share the prestigious award   
   equally with two other researchers -- Eric Betzig and Stefan Hell --for   
   their work in high-resolution microscopy, or nanoscopy. For many years   
   scientists had believed that an optical microscope could never yield greater   
   than 0.2 micrometer resolution. The three scientists overcame that   
   limitation through what the Nobel panel called "the development of   
   super-resolved fluorescence microscopy."   
      
   "I was just incredibly excited and thrilled, and, of course, your heart   
   races, and you say, 'Oh, can this be? Can this be?'" was how Moerner reacted   
   when formally notified that he was a prize winner. "I'm incredibly happy   
   about the recognition of the field, especially of all the workers and all   
   the scientists at many places around the world who have contributed to the   
   effort." In Brazil for a conference, Moerner had already heard the news from   
   his wife, who learned of it from an Associated Press reporter who had called   
   their home for a comment.   
      
   As a Stanford University news release explained, "Optical microscopy was   
   long limited by the presumption that it could never obtain a better   
   resolution than half the wavelength of light. Moerner, Betzig, and Hell   
   circumvented this limitation through the clever implementation of   
   fluorescent molecules, which made it possible for optical microscopes to   
   operate at the nanoscale and visualize individual molecules moving within   
   cells." Read more.   
      
   ARRL Investigating Web Server Breach   
      
   Late last month, a security breach occurred, involving a web server at ARRL   
   Headquarters. ARRL IT Manager Mike Keane, K1MK, said that League members   
   have no reason to be concerned about sensitive personal information being   
   leaked.   
      
   Keane said that servers were taken offline and isolated from the Internet   
   when the hack was discovered. Certain ARRL web functions -- online DXCC in   
   particular -- were temporarily disabled.   
      
   "Legacy" URLs (ones containing "p1k.arrl.org")   
   have been restored, as has access to the ARRL Periodicals Archive.   
      
   Keane stressed that it is highly unlikely that any sensitive information was   
   compromised. Any information the hacker might have been able to glean from   
   the ARRL server, he said, is already publicly available -- data such as   
   names, addresses, and call signs that appear in the FCC database.   
      
   The hacker may have been able to obtain site usernames and passwords that   
   were established prior to April 2010, and that have not been changed since   
   then. Members who have not changed their ARRL website passwords since early   
   2010 should do so at this time.   
      
   Keane confirmed that it's always prudent to change passwords on a routine   
   basis. "That's the best practice," he said.   
      
   Keane said that his department is still looking into what types of   
   information may have been vulnerable to the hack.   
      
   "They were poking around, trying all the doors," he explained. "We don't   
   keep anything of value [to a hacker] there. Hackers don't care about DXCC   
   totals or want to read the online issue of QST. There's nothing of financial   
   value there."   
      
   Keane said that in addition to reporting the security breach to federal law   
   enforcement authorities, his department is working to increase the League's   
   Internet security posture.   
      
   ARRL Vice Director Candidate Steve Putman, N8ZR, SK   
      
   Steve Putman, N8ZR, of Fairborn, Ohio, one of the candidates for the Great   
   Lakes Division Vice Director's chair, died unexpectedly on October 5. He was   
   58 and an ARRL Life Member. Balloting is already underway for the Great   
   Lakes Vice Director position, currently held by Tom Delaney, W8WTD, the only   
   other candidate. The ARRL Ethics and Elections Committee has determined that   
   all votes cast by members in the Great Lakes Division will still be counted.   
   If Putman receives the most votes, a vacancy will be declared that ARRL   
   President Kay Craigie, N3KN, would fill by appointment.   
      
   In declaring his candidacy, Putman, a professional engineer, said that he   
   got into Amateur Radio "to have fun!" Born in Michigan, he was licensed as a   
   Novice in 1972 as WN4ZRR while living in Alabama. Putman became an ARRL VEC   
   volunteer examiner in 1985, in the early years of the volunteer examiner   
   program, and he established a VE program for the USECA Amateur Radio Club in   
   Utica, Michigan. Putman served as an ARRL Volunteer Consulting Engineer.   
      
   In addition to the ARRL, Putman belonged to the Dayton Amateur Radio   
   Association and was a volunteer at Dayton Hamventionr. He also was a QCWA   
   Life Member, and he held the Australian call sign VK2IZR. Putman founded the   
   Antioch Shrine ARC and served as trustee of its club station, N8FEZ.   
      
   In his spare time, Putman enjoyed playing the trumpet in the Antioch Shrine   
   Band, the Fairborn Civic Band, and at his church.   
      
   Putman earned a BS in mechanical engineering from The Ohio State University   
   and master's degrees (mechanical engineering; MBA) from Bowling Green State   
   University and the University of Dayton. He retired in 2013 as a professor   
   of systems engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright   
   Patterson AFB.   
      
   The family invites memorial donations to the Shriners Hospitals for   
   Children.   
      
   World Radiosport Team Championship 2018 Will Be in Germany   
      
   The next World Radiosport Team Championship -- WRTC 2018 -- will take place   
   in Germany. The WRTC Sanctioning Committee announced on October 5 that it   
   had granted the application of a group representing the Deutscher Amateur   
   Radio Club (DARC), the Bavarian [WRTC-2018%20logo.jpg] Contest Club (BCC),   
   and the Rhein Ruhr DX Association (RRDXA) to organize what are often called   
   "the Olympics of Amateur Radio." In July, German participants of WRTC 2014   
   in New England initiated a petition, urging the WRTC Sanctioning Committee   
   to name Germany as the site of the next international competition among   
   elite teams of Amateur Radio contesters. With initial support of the   
   contesting community in hand, the organizing team of "about 20 contest   
   enthusiasts" defined a basic project plan, according to the WRTC 2018   
   website.   
      
   "During the next weeks, the team will launch an official organization to   
   finance and conduct WRTC 2018 in Germany," the Organizing Committee said.   
   The team is recruiting volunteers and evaluating three geographical regions   
   within Germany as possible WRTC 2018 venues. General areas under study are   
   Muenster/Westphalia, Maerkisch-Oderland east of Berlin, and   
   Jessen/Wittenberg.   
      
   Christian Janssen, DL1MGB, heads the WRTC 2018 Organizing Committee.   
      
   In announcing the selection of Germany, WRTC Sanctioning Committee Chairman   
   Tine Brajnik, S50A, said, "The German application was very well prepared,   
   and, knowing their experience, we all expect another outstanding meeting and   
   competition among the world's best contesters." The Sanctioning Committee   
   evaluates requests to host a WRTC and selects the successful applicant.   
   Brajnik said the committee would be making public information regarding the   
   qualifying process. It is not known if the committee considered any other   
   applications.   
      
   Qualifying events for WRTC 2018 will start with 2015 ARRL International DX   
   CW and end with 2016 CQ World Wide CW. Detailed rules will be published by   
   the end of November. "The rules will follow the WRTC 2014 approach, with   
   some marginal changes," the committee said. In accordance with feedback from   
   WRTC 2014 competitors, the committee said it would be decreasing the number   
   of qualifying contests and, consequently, the qualifying period.   
      
   An announcement regarding the location of WRTC 2018 had been expected at the   
   closing ceremony for WRTC 2014, but no formal proposals had been received at   
   that point.   
      
   A World Radiosport Team Championship features between 50 and 60 two-person   
   Amateur Radio teams competing in a test of operating skill. The event takes   
   place concurrent with the IARU HF Championship in July, although WRTC rules   
   vary from those of the IARU event. All stations use identical antennas and   
   power level and operate from equivalent sites in the same geographical   
   region in an effort to eliminate all variables except operating ability.   
   WRTC 2014 included 59 competing teams from 29 qualifying regions around the   
   world.   
      
   The first WRTC was held in 1990 in Seattle. Read more.   
      
   Late October Exercise to Test MARS-ARES Interoperability   
      
   US Army and Air Force Military Auxiliary Radio Service (MARS) stations will   
   participate in a 48-hour nationwide contingency communication exercise on   
   October 27 and 28 as part of an effort to develop greater cooperation   
   between the Department of Defense (DoD) sponsored MARS program and the   
   Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES). MARS is encouraging its members to   
   discuss communication interoperability in advance of the exercise with their   
   ARES section and district or local emergency coordinators.   
      
   "This communications exercise is sponsored   
   by the DoD to provide MARS operators the opportunity to develop and train   
   interoperability procedures with their state/local ARES emergency   
   coordinators and their Amateur Radio colleagues," explained Army MARS   
   Program Manager Paul English, WD8DBY. He told ARRL that the DoD/MARS   
   exercise has "full participation" from Army and Air Force MARS, and that he   
   anticipates that some individual Navy MARS members may participate as well.   
      
   The plan calls for MARS members, using their Amateur Radio call signs and   
   operating on amateur frequencies, to establish two-way communication with   
   ARES leadership or members in as many US counties as possible by using   
   VHF/UHF simplex channels or local repeaters or near vertical incidence   
   skywave (NVIS) propagation on HF. "The contact can be with any amateur in   
   the county, if an ARES member or leader is not available," English added.   
      
   "Ultimately we would like the MARS operator to join an existing ARES net, if   
   one is operational during the exercise," English said. If no net is   
   available, MARS members should come up on local repeaters or check into HF   
   traffic nets to see what amateurs are available and to determine their   
   counties. "We want to use existing net times and frequencies to the extent   
   possible," English continued. "Any mode of operation is fine."   
      
   Only one ARES/Amateur Radio contact per county is needed, but more are okay.   
   The contact must be person to person and cannot rely on Internet-linked   
   repeaters, Internet connectivity systems, or store-and-forward e-mail   
   systems, such as Winlink, English said.   
      
   The information exchange requested from ARES for each county is the county   
   name and the county Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) code, if   
   available.   
      
   There are two preferred windows of opportunity to conduct the   
   interoperability exercise. These are from 1201 to 1800 UTC on October 27,   
   and from 0001 to 0600 UTC on October 28.   
      
   Contact Paul English, WD8DBY, for more information.   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   W1AW Centennial Operations Head for Alabama and Michigan Starting October 15   
   (UTC)   
      
   The ARRL Centennial W1AW portable operations taking place throughout 2014   
   from each of the 50 states are now in Missouri and Virginia. They will   
   transition at 0000 UTC on Wednesday, October 15 (the evening of October 14   
   in US time zones), to Alabama (W1AW/4) and Michigan (W1AW/8). In addition,   
   W1AW/KH0 also will be active October 8-21 from Tinian Island in the Northern   
   Marianas.   
      
   So far during 2014, W1AW has visited each of the 50 states for at least 1   
   week, and by year's end W1AW will have been on the air from every state at   
   least twice.   
      
   [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. 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.   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   Scouting's 57th Jamboree On The Air Takes Place October 18-19   
      
   Scouting's 2014 Jamboree On The Air (JOTA) is set for the October 18-19   
   weekend. The annual event links Scouts around the world via Amateur Radio.   
   More than a half million Scouts and Guides get together over the airwaves   
   each third weekend of October for JOTA. According to the World Scout Bureau,   
   JOTA is the largest Scouting event in the world, with nearly 750,000 Scouts   
   participating from 6000 stations in 150 countries around the world. Scouts   
   of any age can participate, from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts and Venture crew   
   members. Not a contest, JOTA's goal is to foster Scout-to-Scout   
   communication across borders and oceans.   
      
   "The idea is to contact other Scout stations and   
   allow as many Scouts as possible to talk to other Scouts and learn about who   
   they are and what they are doing," the Boy Scouts of America has said in its   
   JOTA guidelines, which offer suggested frequencies.   
      
   On-the-air exchanges typically include such information as name, location,   
   Scout rank, age, and hobbies, but the conversation can certainly go beyond   
   that. Amateur Radio licensees should be aware that international third-party   
   traffic agreements may prohibit direct person-to-person communication   
   between unlicensed individuals in certain other countries. In those cases,   
   the station control operator may serve as an intermediary.   
      
   Licensed mentors often open their stations to Scouts on JOTA weekend,   
   serving as control operators. Radio operation will be on 80 through 6   
   meters, all modes, and 2 meters and 70 centimeters FM simplex. Upward of   
   14,000 stations were on the air for JOTA 2013.   
      
   A JOTA participant patch is available, as is a certificate/log sheet that   
   can also be used to fulfill a Radio merit badge requirement.   
      
   JOTA 2014 gets underway on Saturday, October 18, at 0000 local time and   
   concludes on Sunday, October 19, at 2400 local time. The ARRL website also   
   has information on JOTA.   
      
   JOTA Founder Les Mitchell, G3BHK, SK   
      
   With JOTA 2014 a little more than 1 week away comes word that its "founding   
   father," Les Mitchell, G3BHK, died on October 6. Mitchell started JOTA in   
   1958, after launching the idea a year earlier at the World Scout Jamboree.   
   That was the first year the Jamboree had an Amateur Radio station on site,   
   and it's had one at every World Scout Jamboree since. Mitchell realized that   
   many scout leaders also were hams, and that it would be possible to arrange   
   a "Jamboree On The Air."   
      
   "Little did I think when I drew up the plans and rules for the first event   
   in 1958 that its popularity would increase and spread around the world,"   
   Mitchell reminisced in 2000. "Even more astonishing is the fact that after   
   all this time it still holds its popularity. In fact it has become the   
   largest international Scout event ever."   
      
   Mitchell said that far fewer Scouts were licensed in 1958, but over the   
   years Scouts taking part in JOTA got so interested that they became radio   
   amateurs themselves.   
      
   "JOTA is great fun," Mitchell said, adding, "If you put nothing into the   
   event you may get nothing out of it! JOTA is your chance to speak to Scouts   
   and Guides over the horizon. Silence makes no friends!"   
      
   Nominations Open for the George Hart Distinguished Service Award   
      
   The ARRL is accepting nominations for the George Hart Distinguished Service   
   Award. The deadline to receive nominations and supporting materials is   
   November 1. The award honors long-time ARRL Communications Manager George   
   Hart, W1NJM (SK), the chief developer of the National Traffic System (NTS).   
   Hart died in 2013 at the age of 99.   
      
   Established by the ARRL Board of Directors in 2009, the George Hart   
   Distinguished Service Award is given annually to an ARRL member for   
   exemplary service to the League's Field Organization. Selection criteria   
   include NTS operating record, Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES)   
   participation, or service to the ARRL Field Organization in terms of   
   appointments and/or leadership positions held.   
      
   Nominations should thoroughly document the nominee's lifetime activities and   
   achievements within the ARRL Field Organization. Nominees are expected to   
   have at least 15 years of distinguished service.   
      
   The Programs and Services Committee will serve as the Review Committee, and   
   the ARRL Board of Directors will make the final determination at its Annual   
   Meeting in January.   
      
   Submit nominations and related supporting material and letters of   
   recommendation to ARRL Headquarters or mail nominating documents to ARRL   
   Field Organization Team Supervisor Steve Ewald, WV1X, 225 Main St,   
   Newington, CT 06111.   
      
   ARRL Hosts 31st USTTI Amateur Radio Administration Course   
      
   Students from Thailand, Ghana, and Papua New Guinea attended the 31st United   
   States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI) Amateur Radio   
   Administration Course (ARAC) September 29-October 3 at ARRL Headquarters.   
   Two participants got their US Amateur Radio licenses as the course wrapped   
   up. ARRL Chief Technology Officer [usttilogo.jpg] Brennan Price, N4QX,   
   coordinated the session and administered the course, which is designed for   
   government officials in developing countries who regulate and manage Amateur   
   Radio. Those taking part in the program work in their respective   
   government's telecommunication offices, where they have responsibilities for   
   Amateur Radio licensing and regulation as well as preparation for   
   international conferences.   
      
   "Our students -- Annop Nittaya, HS1PLO, and Virat Uansri from Thailand,   
   Peter Djakwah, KM4EQL, of Ghana, and Oki Gari, KM4EQM, of Papua New Guinea   
   -- were already quite knowledgeable about Amateur Radio, and are committed   
   to the further development of Amateur Radio in their countries," Price said.   
   "All left with a profound understanding of the unique nature and needs of   
   the Amateur Radio Service."   
      
   The ARAC curriculum covers a variety of Amateur Radio topics and concerns,   
   including licensing, spectrum requirements, disaster communications, and   
   antenna requirements. The curriculum also covers the International   
   Telecommunication Union (ITU) and its regulations, as well as the process   
   leading to the upcoming 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15).   
      
   Several ARRL staff members delivered classroom presentations within their   
   areas of expertise. Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U, taught   
   a unit on Amateur Radio's public service, emergency, and disaster   
   communication capabilities. ARRL Regulatory Information Manager Dan   
   Henderson, N1ND, and ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, discussed   
   licensing, examination and regulatory issues. Membership and Volunteer   
   Programs Assistant Manager Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, talked about developing   
   Amateur Radio capabilities through club activity.   
      
   ARRL Laboratory Engineer Bob Allison, WB1GCM, assisted by ARRL Laboratory   
   Volunteers Lori Kosior, KB1ZML, and Pete Turbide, W1PT, supervised each   
   student's successful assembly of a 40 meter receiver kit. Each student took   
   his assembled receiver home. ARRL Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer   
   and Meeting Planner Lisa Kustosik, KA1UFZ, coordinated the League's   
   participation with USTTI and hosted the students.   
      
   The students had a particular interest in licensing, and Djakwah and Gari   
   took examinations for the United States Technician license during their time   
   at ARRL Headquarters. An ARRL VEC team comprising Somma, Corey, Field   
   Organization Supervisor Steve Ewald, WV1X, and Outgoing QSL Bureau Associate   
   Rose-Anne Lawrence, KB1DMW, administered the test, which both passed.   
      
   USTTI is a non-profit joint venture of leading US-based communications, IT   
   corporations, and federal government officials, who collectively provide   
   tuition-free management, policy and technical training for talented   
   professionals from the developing world. The ARRL hosts a course on Amateur   
   Radio to introduce or further educate regulators and other spectrum users to   
   its needs and unique issues. The next ARAC course is planned for the fall of   
   2015.   
      
   IARU Region 1 Announces Awards to ON4WF, Others   
      
   At its recent Regional Conference in Bulgaria, International Amateur Radio   
   Union (IARU) Region 1 awarded the Region 1 Roy Stevens, G2BVN, Memorial   
   Trophy to Gaston Bertels, ON4WF. IARU Region 1   
   recognized Bertels for his many years of serving first as chairman of the   
   Eurocom Working Group and then of the Amateur Radio Space Exploration   
   (ARSPEX) Working Group. Bertels, who is 87, has said that he will be   
   stepping down as chairman of the ARSPEX working group. For many years,   
   Bertels has chaired Amateur Radio on the International Space Station --   
   Europe (ARISS-EU). Region 1 conference delegates gave Bertels a standing   
   ovation when the award was announced. The trophy is awarded to a radio   
   amateur who has best exemplified the work and dedication of Roy Stevens,   
   G2BVN in international radio.   
      
   The IARU Region 1 Medal was awarded to several radio amateurs for their   
   meritorious service and their valued contributions to and support of Amateur   
   Radio.   
      
   The recipients were past IARU Region 1 President Hans Blondeel Timmerman,   
   PB2T; Hani Raad, OD5TE; Andreas Thiemann, HB9JOE; Panayot Danev, LZ1US;   
   Nikola Percin, 9A5W; Michael Kastelic, OE1MCU, and Martin Harrison, G3USF.   
      
   In September, IARU Region 1 named Mitchel Mynhardt, ZS6YH, as the first   
   recipient of its Outstanding Ham Youth Award. Mynhardt received the 2013   
   award at the Radio Technology in Action Symposium in Pretoria, South Africa.   
      
   International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 is a federation of national   
   Amateur Radio member societies in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and   
   Northern Asia.   
      
   Past Western New York Section Manager, Atlantic Division Assistant Director   
   Steve Ryan, N2ITF, SK   
      
   Past ARRL Western New York Section Manager Stephen M. "Steve" Ryan, N2ITF,   
   died on October 3. He was 62. Ryan was appointed SM in November 2010, to   
   serve the remaining term of Scott Bauer, W2LC,   
   who had resigned. Ryan lost his bid for election to the section leadership   
   position in 2012. ARRL Atlantic Division Director Bill Edgar, N3LLR,   
   subsequently appointed Ryan as an Assistant Director.   
      
   "Steve's counsel and participation in Atlantic Division meetings and events   
   greatly assisted me in representing the members of the Division," Edgar   
   said. "His friendship and counsel with be sorely missed." Edgar said Ryan   
   had been diagnosed almost 2 years ago with an aggressive form of cancer.   
      
   In addition to his ARRL membership, Ryan was a member and former president   
   of the Chautauqua County Amateur FM Association, an ARRL affiliated club. He   
   had been a ham for about 35 years. Read more.   
      
   Adaptive Technology Pioneer Fred Gissoni, K4JLX, SK   
      
   Fred L. Gissoni, K4JLX, of Louisville, Kentucky, died September 21. He was   
   84. Born blind, Gissoni was the co-developer of the Porta-Braille and   
   Pocket-Braille note-taking devices as well as other adaptive technology. He   
   also authored a popular instruction manual, "Using the Cranmer Abacus."   
   Gissoni retired in 2011 after 23 years with the American Printing House   
   (APH) for the Blind.   
      
   "Fred contributed 60 years of service to people who are blind and visually   
   impaired," Deborah Kendrick wrote for Access World, a publication of the   
   American Foundation for the Blind. "Fred was known across the United States   
   and around the world for his brilliant intellect, inventiveness, and impish   
   sense of humor."   
      
   A New Jersey native, he became interested in Amateur Radio at a very young   
   age, and his passion for technology continued through his lifetime. Gissoni   
   and Wayne Thompson developed the Pocket-Braille and Porta-Braille in the   
   1980s, while both were working at the Kentucky Department for the Blind.   
      
   With the Pocket-Braille, the user entered data from a Perkins-style   
   keyboard, and the device would render it in speech. The Porta-Braille   
   included a refreshable Braille "display." He also developed the Janus Slate,   
   a two-sided interline Braille slate that holds a 3 x 5 index card for   
   brailling on both sides. Other inventions he developed for APH included a   
   pocket Braille calendar.   
      
   "I also used other ideas that Gissoni came up with or invented," said Bob   
   Ringwald, K6YBV. "All the time I marveled at his genius, inventive mind, but   
   never knew he was also a ham radio operator, K4JLX." Read more.   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL   
      
   Part of the 220 MHz band, perpetually under attack by other radio services,   
   was snatched from the Amateur Service on August 4, 1988, by the FCC, which   
   reallocated 220-222 MHz to the Land Mobile Service. ARRL had been fighting   
   this battle for some time and would continue efforts have that band segment   
   return to the Amateur Service.   
      
   January 1989 QST published "The   
   Listener," a quick, but interesting, look at the efforts of pioneer radio   
   astronomer Grote Reber, W9GFZ.   
      
   On January 30, 1989, the FCC released the news that the much-awaited 17   
   meter ham band was open for business in the US!   
      
   The editorial in the May 1989 QST, "Spectrum Management, or Abdication?"   
   decried a recent FCC action to allow manufacturers of electronic equipment   
   to radiate unlicensed signals on hams bands from 902 MHz upward. The ARRL   
   continued its defense of amateur frequencies by preparing to go to Congress   
   for relief, using this as the latest example of FCC out-of-control decision   
   making.   
      
   A two-part article by KO5I and N4HY in the May and June 1989 issues of QST   
   introduced the latest generation of OSCAR satellites -- microsats.   
      
   In July 1988, a team of hams from Finland and the Soviet Union mounted a   
   DXpedition to a new DXCC country, Malyj-Vysotkskij ("M-V Island"). This   
   ended an 18-year effort to put the island on the DXCC List. Participant   
   Martti Laine, OH2BH, recounted the experience in a June 1989 QST article.   
   [The lease of Malyj-Vysotkskij to Finland expired in 2012, the island   
   reverted to Russia, and MVI was deleted from the DXCC list. -- Ed.]   
      
   On May 11, 1989, a congressional oversight committee summoned the FCC's   
   chief engineer to defend the Commission's decision to take 220 to 222 MHz   
   away from amateurs and allocate it to another service. Following the   
   hearing, the committee chairman wrote the FCC, asking it to reconsider   
   alternatives. The FCC stonewalled and did nothing. The ARRL subsequently   
   filed a federal court appeal.   
      
   On July 20, 1989, the newly renovated W1AW building was rededicated. Nearly   
   10,000 individual donors had put up almost a half million dollars to fund   
   the renovation.   
      
   In the "How's DX?" column in the September 1989 issue of QST, Ellen White,   
   W1YL, noted "Pitcairn Island's Bicentenary," a fascinating read. White noted   
   that Pitcairn was the country with the highest per capita number of hams in   
   the world -- 6 hams out of a population of 60! The island's 200th   
   anniversary was celebrated in part by special event station VR200PI.   
      
   In 1990, a husband-and-wife team achieved DXCC on 6 meters. The wife, K5FF,   
   was first, and her husband, W5FF, was right behind.   
      
   An interesting photo in "Up Front in QST" in September 1990 showed Samuel F.   
   B. Morse III, W6FZZ, operating at a special event station to celebrate his   
   great-grandfather's 199th birthday.   
      
   An article by NU1N appeared in the September and October issues of QST   
   telling how we could get on the air using lasers. -- Al Brogdon, W1AB   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   The K7RA Solar Update   
      
   Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: Average daily sunspot numbers   
   from October 2-8 dropped from 170.1 in the previous 7 days to 98. Average   
   daily solar flux also declined from 168.9 to 131.9.   
      
   Predicted solar flux for the near term is   
   125, 120, and 115 on October 9-11, 110 on October 12-14, then 115 and 125 on   
   October 15-16, 145 on October 17-18, 140 on October 19, 135 on October   
   20-21, and 140 on October 22-25. Solar flux then drops to a low of 110 on   
   November 7-9, and rises again to 145 for November 12-14.   
      
   The prediction for the planetary A index is for a more-active geomagnetic   
   future, at least in the near term. The predicted planetary A index is 5 on   
   October 9-10, 8 on October 11, 5 on October 12-14, then 8, 15, 8, and 5 on   
   October 15-18, then 8, 10, and 20 on October 19-21, 15 on October 22-24, and   
   10 on October 25-28.   
      
   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 reports from readers.   
   Send me your reports and observations.   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   Just Ahead in Radiosport   
      
    *   
      
       October 10 -- 10-10 Sprint   
    *   
      
       October 11 -- Arizona QSO Party   
    *   
      
       October 11 -- Pennsylvania QSO Party   
    *   
      
       October 11 -- EU Autumn CW Sprint   
    *   
      
       October 11-12 -- Great Pumpkin Sprint (Digital)   
    *   
      
       October 11-12 -- ARRL EME Contest   
    *   
      
       October 11-12 -- Makrothen RTTY Contest   
    *   
      
       October 11-12 -- Oceania DX CW Contest   
    *   
      
       October 11-12 -- Scandinavian Activity Contest (SSB)   
    *   
      
       October 11-12 -- QRP ARCI Fall QSO Party (CW)   
    *   
      
       October 11-12 -- FISTS/SKCC QSO Party (CW)   
    *   
      
       October 12 -- North American RTTY Sprint   
    *   
      
       October 15 -- NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint (CW)   
      
   See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information.   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events   
    *   
      
       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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