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   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2014-10-16   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
      
   October 16, 2014   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
    *  As Gonzalo Hits Category 4, Hurricane Watch Net Plans Extended   
       Activation   
    *  ARES Volunteers Stand Ready as Tropical Storm Ana Aims for Hawaii   
    *  ARRL Executive Committee Adopts Mobile Amateur Radio Operation Policy   
    *  W1AW Centennial Operations are West Virginia and Nevada Bound   
    *  Young Ham Recognized for Navigation Aid for Visually Impaired   
    *  School Club Roundup is Coming to Town!   
    *  AMSAT Offering Fox Satellite Collectable Coin as Donation Premium   
    *  Radio Amateurs in India Fill Communication Gaps in Cyclone's Wake   
    *  IARU Region 1 Proposal Could Expand List of Countries with 70 MHz   
       Allocations   
    *  National Wildlife Refuge Week Special Events Set for October 14-20   
    *  Celebration of First Great Britain-New Zealand Contact Highlights   
       Interesting History   
    *  Amateur Radio Author William E. "Bill" Sabin, W0IYH, 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   
      
   As Gonzalo Hits Category 4, Hurricane Watch Net Plans Extended Activation   
      
   The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) continued to keep close watch on Hurricane   
   Gonzalo this week, especially after the storm strengthened considerably and   
   was poised for a near-direct hit on Bermuda. The Net activated for several   
   hours on October 13 and early on October 14, when the storm threatened the   
   US and British Virgin Islands and the northern Leeward Islands but stood   
   down after Gonzalo took an abrupt turn to the north.   
      
   By midweek, however, Gonzalo ballooned into a Category 4   
   hurricane with Bermuda in its sights, and the Hurricane Watch Net had to   
   recalibrate its plans. The storm was forecast to reach Bermuda on Friday,   
   and if it tracks a bit more to the east, it could make direct landfall on   
   the island.   
      
   "The people of Bermuda are still picking up from damage caused by Tropical   
   Storm Fay, which did make direct landfall this past Sunday morning," Graves   
   pointed out. "I've already been in contact with a few hams on Bermuda, and   
   antennas that weren't destroyed by Fay are being taken down and being   
   secured. In order to get on the air, they have constructed 20 meter dipoles,   
   either as an outside NVIS antenna or attic antenna."   
      
   As of 1800 UTC on October 16, the storm was 460 miles south-southwest of   
   Bermuda, moving at 7 MPH and packing maximum sustained winds of 145 MPH.   
      
   "Interests in Bermuda should be rushing their preparations to completion,"   
   the National Hurricane Center in Miami has advised.   
      
   The Net has announced plans to activate October 16 at 2100 UTC and remain in   
   continuous activation until sometime Saturday, October 18. Throughout this   
   event, the net will operate on 14.325 during the day, shifting to 7.268 MHz   
   at 0100 UTC, and returning to 14.325 MHz at 1000 UTC. The Net's plans are   
   subject to change.   
      
   "We will be collecting surface observations and reporting them directly to   
   the National Hurricane Center (NHC)," Graves said. "We will also be   
   available to provide backup communications for emergency operation centers,   
   emergency management agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other   
   vital interests. Graves said any hurricane preparation or response could   
   also involve cooperating with military relief operations.   
      
   "Amateur stations in the affected area should be aware of the storm, and be   
   prepared to operate from a place of safety," Graves continued, expressing   
   the Net's appreciation for a clear frequency and for assisting with relays.   
      
   The Net's primary goals are to issue storm advisory information on a regular   
   basis to those in the affected area of the forecast path of the storm. It   
   also will be requesting measured/observed ground-truth data from those in   
   the affected area.   
      
   More information on Hurricane Gonzalo and the Hurricane Watch Net is on the   
   HWN website.   
      
   ARES Volunteers Stand Ready as Tropical Storm Ana Aims for Hawaii   
      
   Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers in Hawaii are on alert for   
   possible activation as Tropical Storm Ana, which is forecast to become a   
   Category 1 hurricane, bears down on the Hawaiian Islands. As of 1200 UTC on   
   October 16, Ana was 740 miles southeast of Honolulu and moving at about 10   
   MPH with maximum sustained winds of 60 MPH. The storm is expected to reach   
   the islands on Saturday. ARRL Pacific Section Manager Bob Schneider, AH6J,   
   said he attended an informational meeting at Hawaii County Civil Defense on   
   Wednesday and will attend another Thursday.   
      
   "All beaches, parks and schools are closed starting Friday, including Hawaii   
   Volcano National Park," Schneider told ARRL Headquarters. He said he   
   expected to deploy Ham Aid equipment kits to several schools. The Ham Aid   
   kits -- sent in September from ARRL as a lava flow was threatening   
   communities on the Big Island -- include HF gear as well as VHF and UHF   
   equipment. Schneider also cancelled two ARRL-sanctioned ham radio gatherings   
   scheduled for Saturday -- one on the Big Island and the other on Oahu.   
      
   "We are in tropical storm watch and expect to upgrade that Friday morning to   
   a hurricane watch," Schneider said. "A hurricane warning may also go up   
   soon. The storm is wandering a little. I still expect it to become a Cat 1   
   hurricane with very heavy waves on the northeastern quadrant. I heard the   
   mayor instruct the Kona people to be sure and get the surfers out of the   
   water as he expected the Kailua-Kona beaches to be hit hardest."   
      
   The National Weather Service Central Pacific Hurricane Center anticipates   
   that the first significant swells from Ana will arrive late on Thursday, and   
   large, potentially damaging surf will follow the next day. The Hawaii County   
   Civil Defense Agency was advising residents of Punalu'u, Kalapana, Pohoiki,   
   and Kapoho to take precautions and move to higher ground.   
      
   The NWS has issued a flash flood watch for Hawaii Island from noon Friday   
   through 6 PM Sunday, with forecasts of 10 to 15 inches of rain, and locally   
   up to 20 inches along southeast-facing slopes. The heavy rain raises the   
   possibility of landslides in areas of steep terrain.   
      
   ARRL Executive Committee Adopts Mobile Amateur Radio Operation Policy   
      
   The ARRL Executive Committee has adopted an updated Policy Statement on   
   Amateur Radio mobile operation. While agreeing that driver inattention is a   
   leading cause of auto accidents and that concern over driver distraction "is   
   not unreasonable," the policy cites Amateur Radio's 70-year history of   
   two-way mobile operation as evidence that such radio use does not contribute   
   to driver inattention. The policy points out that Amateur Radio operation   
   differs from cell phone communication, in part because the device need not   
   be held to the face to listen, no text messaging is involved, and mobile ham   
   operators only need to pick up a microphone to make "brief and infrequent"   
   transmissions.   
      
   Prompting the policy update is the 2012 federal   
   law "Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century" or MAP-21, which   
   requires states to enact and enforce statutes that prohibit "texting through   
   a personal wireless communications device while driving" in order to qualify   
   for federal grants to support a state's program. The League "encourages the   
   use of the language in MAP-21 in state statutes and municipal ordinances   
   dealing with mobile telephone and mobile text-messaging limitations," the   
   updated policy states.   
      
   Many states already have statutes in place that restrict the use of cell   
   phones and other communication devices to a greater or lesser degree, and   
   several exempt Amateur Radio. A lot of these laws predate MAP-21, however,   
   and because MAP-21 permits no specific exception for Amateur Radio   
   operation, some may need to be revised in order to comply with its   
   requirements. The ARRL is urging states or localities to adopt motor vehicle   
   codes that narrowly define the class of regulated devices, in order to   
   exclude Amateur Radio specifically.   
      
   "Given the necessity of unrestricted mobile Amateur Radio communications in   
   order for the benefits of Amateur Radio to the public to continue to be   
   realized, ARRL urges state and municipal legislators considering   
   restrictions on mobile cellular telephone operation and mobile text   
   messaging to narrowly define the class of devices included in the   
   regulation, so that the class includes only full-duplex wireless telephones   
   and related hand-held or portable equipment," the League policy recommends.   
      
   The ARRL policy suggests statutory language for state and local motor   
   vehicle codes that defines a "personal wireless communications device" as   
   one through which "commercial mobile services, unlicensed wireless services,   
   and common carrier wireless exchange access services are transmitted." This   
   would include such devices as cell phones and anything used for text   
   messaging or paging, but the suggested wording specifically excludes   
   "two-way radio communications equipment, such as that used in the Amateur   
   Radio Service."   
      
   For states or localities considering banning all but hands-free cell phone   
   use, the ARRL recommended wording that would prohibit the use of a personal   
   wireless communications device "in any manner" while driving, unless the   
   motorist is using hands-free capability. The suggested statutory language   
   would not apply to anyone using the device while the vehicle is parked or   
   "to contact or receive calls from an emergency response vehicle or agency."   
      
   ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, addressed the issue in his November 2013 QST   
   "It Seems to Us" editorial, "Distracted Driving Legislation: Proceed with   
   Caution." Read more.   
      
   W1AW Centennial Operations are West Virginia and Nevada Bound   
      
   The ARRL Centennial W1AW portable operations taking place throughout 2014   
   from each of the 50 states are now in Alabama and Michigan. They will   
   transition at 0000 UTC on Wednesday, October 22 (the evening of October 21   
   in US time zones), to West Virginia (W1AW/8) and Nevada (W1AW/7). W1AW/KH0   
   also will be active until October 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.   
      
   Young Ham Recognized for Navigation Aid for Visually Impaired   
      
   A young radio amateur from California is one of nine Popular Mechanics   
   "Future Breakthrough Award" winners. Shiloh Curtis, KK6ISM, developed a   
   "hat-based, hands-free, haptic navigational aid for visually impaired   
   individuals." As the publication explained, after a friend from her school's   
   robotics club described going blind as losing "two eyes and one hand,"   
   Curtis determined to come up with a way to free up the hand that would be   
   wielding the classic white cane. Robotics was the key.   
      
   "A robot is blind until you put sensors on it," she told Popular Mechanics.   
   "Why don't we put sensors on the blind, so they can navigate like robots?"   
      
   She combined a wide-brimmed hat, vibrating motors, and a robot vacuum   
   cleaner's laser distance sensor to come up with the wearable device that   
   warns the wearer of obstacles through vibrations.   
      
   Shiloh Curtis is a junior at Laughing Thunder Academy in Sunnyvale,   
   California. She has been recognized as the winner of California State Fair   
   "Project of the Year" and was an Americas Regional finalist in the Google   
   Science Fair. She is the daughter of Dave Curtis, N6NZ. -- Thanks to Ward   
   Silver, N0AX, and Bob Wilson, N6TV   
      
   School Club Roundup is Coming to Town!   
      
   Is it the ARRL November Sweepstakes that kicks off the ARRL's fall HF   
   contest season? No! School Club Roundup (SCR) leads the parade, warming up   
   students across the land. By this time, fall quarter or semester is well   
   underway, and clubs are at full throttle. October   
   typically exhibits good fall propagation, and clubs should find it easy to   
   make contacts across the continent and around the world, even with a modest   
   station. Unlike most contests, this one takes place through the week,   
   beginning at 1300 UTC on October 20 and running through October 24 at 2359   
   UTC. Stations may operate for a maximum of 24 hours through the entire   
   contest and are limited to 6 hours of operation during any single 24-hour   
   period.   
      
   Participation is simple, and there's a home for everybody. There are five   
   categories of club entries: Elementary/Primary, Middle/Intermediate/Junior   
   High School, Senior High School, College/University Club, and Non-School   
   Club. There is also an Individual category.   
      
   If you just want to get on the air and hand out contacts, enter in the   
   Individual category. Any mode -- SSB, CW, or digital -- is okay. Tune around   
   and listen for SCR stations calling CQ, or do it yourself and see who   
   answers (call "CQ School Clubs," if you aren't a club station). Once you   
   make a contact, exchange a signal report, category (School, Club, or   
   Individual), and your state, province, or DXCC entity. After the contest is   
   over, submit your log online (preferred) or by paper.   
      
   The most popular time for younger students is during the after-school hours,   
   but the older students may be on the air at any time. All groups are limited   
   to one transmitter on the air. By no means do the older students   
   automatically win. The February SCR results were a shootout with the K1BBS   
   Burr and Burton ARC high school team prevailing over all challengers, edging   
   out the K5LMS Lampasas Middle School Youth ARC.   
      
   The School Club Roundup is co-sponsored by the ARRL and the Long Island   
   Mobile Amateur Radio Club (LIMARC), and results appear in QST as well as   
   online. Bruce Horn, WA7BNM, has created a web entry service that accepts   
   scores and logs. Paper logs and summary sheets are still available, but   
   participants might want to try the logging program SCR-LOG, which is written   
   especially for the School Club Roundup. Other logging program choices are   
   listed on the SCR website.   
      
   Once the contest is over, browse to the WA7BNM web service and upload your   
   log. As soon as the log deadline passes on November 8, the web service   
   automatically sorts and displays all claimed scores. Logs are reviewed by   
   the LIMARC team, and final results are posted afterward. Certificates will   
   be generated at the same time for downloading and printing.   
      
   While you're at it, upload some photos of your school team in action to the   
   ARRL Soapbox to show off your team members. -- Thanks to Ward Silver, N0AX   
      
   AMSAT Offering Fox Satellite Collectable Coin as Donation Premium   
      
   AMSAT has announced that it's making available a collectable "challenge   
   coin" for qualifying donations to the Fox satellite program. AMSAT   
   commissioned the coin for those contributing at least $100 to the campaign.   
      
   "This challenge coin is shaped as an   
   isometric view of a Fox-1 CubeSat, complete with details such as the stowed   
   UHF antenna, solar cells, and camera lens viewport," AMSAT's Drew   
   Glassbrenner, KO4MA, said in making the announcement. The coin is 3 mm thick   
   brass and plated with antique silver and finished in bright enamel. The   
   reverse side displays the AMSAT Fox logo. The coins were scheduled for   
   delivery prior to the just-concluded 2014 AMSAT Space Symposium. They also   
   will be made available upon request to qualifying donors who contributed   
   since the Fox-1C announcement on July 18.   
      
   The Fox program is designed to provide a platform for university experiments   
   in space, as well as provide FM repeater capability for radio amateurs   
   worldwide. Fox-1A and 1C are set to launch in 2015, and Fox-1B -- also known   
   as RadFXSat -- is awaiting NASA ELaNa launch assignment.   
      
   Donations to the Fox satellite program may be made via the AMSAT website,   
   the FundRazr crowdsourcing app, or via the AMSAT office, (888) 322-6728. --   
   AMSAT News Service via Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA   
      
   Radio Amateurs in India Fill Communication Gaps in Cyclone's Wake   
      
   Authorities in India called on Amateur Radio volunteers to help as powerful   
   Cyclone (hurricane) Hudhud was poised to sweep into Bay of Bengal coastal   
   areas of India in the state of Andhra Pradesh over the October 11-12   
   weekend. According to media reports, upward of 50 people have died as a   
   result of the storm, which generated heavy rains and flooding. Winds upward   
   of 130 MPH uprooted trees, downed utility lines, and cut off conventional   
   telecommunication systems. Hardest hit was the city of Visakhapatnam, also   
   known as "Vizag." Infrastructure is still being restored.   
      
   "It will take about 5 to 6 days before life returns to normal. Crews are   
   repairing power lines, telephones and other infrastructure," said Jayu   
   Bhide, VU2JAU, the Amateur Radio Society of India National Disaster   
   Communication Coordinator. "There was no water, petrol pumps were out of   
   action, and airports closed." More than 40 National Disaster Response Force   
   teams have been engaged in rescue efforts, along with the navy and dozens of   
   divers.   
      
   Thousands of residents were evacuated to shelters in advance of the storm.   
   The government has been airlifting food and supplies into affected areas.   
   The storm made landfall in the same general area struck last year by Cyclone   
   Phailin.   
      
   Bhide reported that Preeti Mekap, VU3UFX; Rajesh Kumar, VU3PLP, and Sameer   
   Ranjan Panda, VU2AOR, were active from the Bhuvaneshwar area. In the   
   Sambalpur area Dilip Padhi, VU2DPI, was working with Santanu Panigrahi,   
   VU2SIC, and Pawan Agrawal, VU2PGU.   
      
   In the Andhra coastal area, volunteers from the National Institute of   
   Amateur Radio were reported to be handling emergency communication.   
      
   On October 14 Indian TV5 News featured radio amateurs involved with the   
   Cyclone Hudhud response. -- Thanks to Jim Linton, VK3PC, IARU Region 3   
   Disaster Communications Committee chair   
      
   IARU Region 1 Proposal Could Expand List of Countries with 70 MHz   
   Allocations   
      
   A proposal has been adopted to modify the European Common Frequency   
   Allocation (ECA) table to allocate 69.9 to 70.5 MHz on a secondary basis to   
   the Amateur Service. International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 (IARU-R1 --   
   Europe, Middle East, and Africa) and five IARU R1 countries submitted the   
   proposal to a meeting of the European Conference of Postal and   
   Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) European Communications Committee   
   (ECC) Frequency Management Working Group, October 6-10 in France. Efforts to   
   place an allocation at 70 MHz in the ECA table have been underway since the   
   1990s.   
      
   "A growing number of administrations are now   
   permitting amateur operation in all or parts of the 70 MHz, and it is   
   proposed that this should be reflected appropriately in the ECA," the   
   proposal from Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, and IARU Region   
   1 said.   
      
   More than 30 CEPT administrations, including the UK, allow national amateur   
   use on all or part of the 4 meter band, but others have indicated that they   
   require a clear regulatory decision before opening the band to secondary   
   Amateur Radio usage. The proposal would amend the ECA table to include a   
   secondary allocation for Amateur Radio at 69.9 - 70.5 MHz and update   
   existing footnote EU9 to state that CEPT administrations may allocate all or   
   parts of the band to the Amateur Service.   
      
   The proposal received the support of more than 10 administrations, with only   
   three countries opposed. Fourteen CEPT administrations have already notified   
   of such usage in the European Communications Office Frequency Information   
   System, and the working group agreed to include the allocation change in the   
   next revision of the ECA table.   
      
   The band will not become immediately available in all CEPT countries,   
   however, as the ECA table is not binding on CEPT national regulatory   
   authorities. Read more. -- Thanks to IARU Region 1 via David Court, EI3IO   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   National Wildlife Refuge Week Special Events Set for October 14-20   
      
   Amateur Radio operators will be on the air October 14-20 to let the public   
   know about the National Wildlife Refuge System by operating from refuges   
   around the US during National Wildlife Refuge Week.   
      
   To celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week 2013, Anne Arundel Amateur Radio   
   Club activated special event station W3VPR at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife   
   Service's Patuxent Research Refuge near Laurel, Maryland. [Courtesy of the   
   Anne Arundel Amateur Radio Club]   
      
   They will be highlighting refuge features, wildlife, and geography while   
   contacting other stations across the US and North America. The goal for   
   participants is to combine their communication skills with their enjoyment   
   of the outdoors to help others learn about the National Wildlife Refuge   
   System. Authorized, safe, responsible access to refuges is sanctioned by   
   this event. As of 2013, hams also may operate from wildlife refuges, areas   
   or preserves managed by any state, territory, or Canadian province.   
      
   A list of National Wildlife Refuge sites by state is available. Contact the   
   NWR Week Amateur Radio coordinator. Read more.   
      
   Celebration of First Great Britain-New Zealand Contact Highlights   
   Interesting History   
      
   If you've heard "2SZ" on the HF bands, it's not a pirate. The call sign is   
   part of a special event to mark the 90th anniversary of the first Amateur   
   Radio contact between Great Britain and New Zealand in   
      
   1924. The radio operator in England was 18-year-old Cecil Goyder, operating   
   the Mill Hill School station 2SZ. The Radio Society of Great Britain, in   
   partnership with groups of amateurs in the UK and New Zealand, invited   
   participation in the celebration by recreating that original contact between   
   the UK and New Zealand on 80 meters, and a lot of the activity has   
   concentrated on that band when propagation has been favorable. The 2SZ call   
   sign joined special event station GB2NZ, operated by various groups, in the   
   celebration, which wraps up in the UK on October 18, the actual anniversary   
   date.   
      
   On the New Zealand end of the circuit, ZM90DX and ZL4AA are on the air, with   
   many individual ZL stations also participating. ZM90DX will be active until   
   October 31. Kiwi sheep farmer Frank Bell, Z4AA, a World War I veteran, was   
   the other operator for the historic October 18, 1924 contact. Amateur Radio   
   had only been authorized a year earlier in New Zealand, and Bell already had   
   set some distance records. These included a September 21, 1924, contact with   
   U6BCP in California, and an October 13, 1924, contact with U1SF in   
   Connecticut.   
      
   In later years, Goyder emigrated to the US, where he served as the first   
   communications officer for the United Nations. As for Bell, after being   
   elected in absentia to the executive committee of the new International   
   Amateur Radio Union in 1925, he apparently lost interest in radio. His   
   sister Brenda took over Z4AA to become New Zealand's first female Amateur   
   Radio operator and was the first New Zealand ham to contact South Africa in   
   1927. She later became a radio broadcaster.   
      
   Amateur Radio Author William E. "Bill" Sabin, W0IYH, SK   
      
   Noted Amateur Radio author Bill Sabin, W0IYH, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, died   
   October 13. He was 88. An ARRL member, Sabin was the author of   
   Discrete-Signal Analysis and Design. He also was co-editor (with E.O.   
   Schoenike) and contributor to three books on single-sideband and HF radio,   
   and he contributed to ARRL's RF Amplifier Classics. In addition, Sabin wrote   
   more than 40 technical articles, including articles for QST and QEX, as well   
   as portions of The ARRL Handbook between 1985 and 2012. In 1983 he received   
   the ARRL Technical Excellence Award.   
      
   Sabin was licensed in 1941 as W9YFA (later W4YFA), when he was 15 and living   
   in Covington, Kentucky, where he was born. He served as a US Navy radio   
   operator during World War II. During a post-war stint as a radio and TV   
   repairman, Sabin began taking math and engineering classes at the University   
   of Cincinnati, and in 1955 he went to work for General Electric as an   
   engineering assistant (and later as a specialist). In 1963 he became a   
   registered professional engineer in the State of Ohio.   
      
   When he moved to Iowa in 1964 to work for Collins Radio Company as an   
   engineer, he became W0IYH. In 1973, he received his BS in electrical   
   engineering from the University of Iowa. A master's degree in EE from the   
   same institution followed in 1976. He retired from Rockwell Collins Company   
   in 1990. Sabin was a Life Senior Member of the IEEE.   
      
   An active operator, he was a member of the ARRL DXCC Honor Roll.   
      
   Survivors include his wife, Ellen. Services were October 16 in Cedar Rapids.   
      
   A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL   
      
   The October 1990 QST reported on the 3Y5X Bouvet Island DXpedition of   
   1989-1990. This $330,000 venture -- funded by the participants and by   
   donations from hams around the world -- produced nearly 50,000 contacts on   
   all HF bands on SSB, CW, and RTTY.   
      
   The first World Radiosport Team   
   Championship was held in Seattle in 1990, as part of the International   
   Goodwill Exchange Event.   
      
   Marking the 75th anniversary of QST, the magazine's December 1990 issue   
   published an overview of those 75 years, written by WJ1Z. The article noted   
   that at the time the first issue of QST was published, the League's   
   membership was 635.   
      
   On October 28, 1990, W5UN worked his 100th country via EME (moonbounce). Not   
   content to rest on his laurels, by November 4 he was up to 104 countries.   
   Dave might have made EME DXCC earlier, had it not been for a tornado that   
   wrecked his first 32 dBi-gain moonbounce array.   
      
   The FCC instituted the new "codeless" Technician license on Valentine's Day   
   1991. Within the first two weeks, 313 people had applied, and the first such   
   license was issued to N3IFY.   
      
   An interesting airplane accident story was published in March 1991 QST.   
   Gary, V31KX, was aboard a flight in Belize that went down on November 14,   
   1990. After the forced landing, Gary retrieved his 2 meter handheld from his   
   luggage, connected it to the aircraft's 121 MHz antenna and made a   
   successful call for help.   
      
   Operation Desert Storm began in 1990, and MARS stations were activated to   
   handle personal messages, including phone patches, between members of the   
   military and their families back home -- a major morale-booster. Those   
   efforts of American amateurs operating under their counterpart MARS call   
   signs generated a great amount of positive publicity for Amateur Radio.   
      
   The May 1991 QST article, "Last Voice from Kuwait," told how Abdul, 9K2DZ,   
   hid his amateur gear from Iraqi soldiers when they came to confiscate it.   
   When they demanded his radio equipment, he gave them a broken radio! After   
   that, he used AMTOR and APLINK to handle health-and-welfare messages in and   
   out of Kuwait. Many of Abdul's messages were forwarded to the media,   
   Department of Defense, Department of State, and the White House. Again, good   
   reviews for Amateur Radio.   
      
   During 1991, many hams made contact with the Soviet Mir space station,   
   thanks to the efforts of operator Musa, UV3AM. Another Amateur Radio first   
   occurred in 1991: The entire crew of the space shuttle Atlantis on its   
   STS-37 mission (April 5-11, 1991) was comprised of hams, and Space Amateur   
   Radio EXperiment (SAREX) ham gear was aboard. -- Al Brogdon, W1AB   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   The K7RA Solar Update   
      
   Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: Solar activity declined this   
   week, with average daily sunspot numbers dropping from 98 last week to 55.1   
   in the week that ended Wednesday, October 15. Average daily solar flux   
   slipped from 131.9 to 117.4.   
      
   The average planetary A index rose from 6.4   
   to 10.4. The most unsettled geomagnetic day was Tuesday, October 14, when   
   the planetary A index was 18, and the planetary K index reached 5 for 9   
   hours overnight. In Alaska, the college A index reached 21, but this was   
   because the same 9-hour period of activity all occurred by the end of the   
   day (UTC), while the planetary K index reached 5 for 6 hours as Tuesday   
   ended and 3 hours as Wednesday began.   
      
   The latest prediction for solar flux is 130, 140, and 150 on October 16-18,   
   160 on October 19-22, 140 on October 23-25, 135, and 130 on October 26-27,   
   and 125 on October 28-29.   
      
   The predicted planetary A index is 18 and 12 on October 16-17, 8 on October   
   18-20, 15 on October 21-24, 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 17-19 -- Jamboree On The Air (JOTA)   
    *   
      
       October 18 -- Asia-Pacific Sprint (CW)   
    *   
      
       October 18 -- 902+ MHz Fall VHF Sprint   
    *   
      
       October 18 -- Telephone Pioneer QSO Party   
    *   
      
       October 18-19 -- JARTS WW RTTY Contest   
    *   
      
       October 18-19 -- 10-10 Fall CW QSO Party (CW)   
    *   
      
       October 18-19 -- Iowa QSO Party   
    *   
      
       October 18-19 -- New York QSO Party   
    *   
      
       October 18-19 -- South Dakota QSO Party   
    *   
      
       October 18-19 -- Worked All Germany (CW, SSB)   
    *   
      
       October 18-19 -- Stew Perry Warmup Contest (CW)   
    *   
      
       October 18-19 -- W/VE Islands QSO Party   
    *   
      
       October 18-19 -- Spooky Feld-Hell Sprint   
    *   
      
       October 19-20 -- Illinois QSO Party   
    *   
      
       October 20 -- Run For the Bacon (CW)   
    *   
      
       October 20-24 -- School Club Roundup (see above)   
    *   
      
       October 22 -- SKCC Straight Key Sprint   
      
   See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information.   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events   
      
    *   
      
       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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