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   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2014-11-13   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
      
   November 13, 2014   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
    *  ARRL Seeks Input on Recommended VHF-UHF-Microwave Contest Rule Changes   
    *  "Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014" Attracts More than a Dozen New   
       Co-Sponsors   
    *  FCC Reverses ALJ's Decision, Revokes Convicted Sex Offender's Ham Radio   
       License   
    *  International Space Station Briefly "Ham-less" After Crew Members Return   
       to Earth   
    *  W1AW Centennial Operations Heading South to Florida, Arkansas   
    *  ARRL "Red Badges" Will Be Back On the Air on Saturday, November 22   
    *  4M Lunar Flyby Spacecraft Amateur Radio Payload Now in Silent Earth   
       Orbit   
    *  California Scientist-Ham On the Air from Antarctica's McMurdo Station,   
       Ross Ice Shelf   
    *  AMSAT Celebrates 40 Years in Space for AO-7   
    *  Some CQ WPX Applications via LoTW Not Processed   
    *  The ARRL November Sweepstakes SSB is This Weekend   
    *  AMSAT Invites Ideas and Suggestions for Next-Gen Satellites   
    *  Past ARRL Connecticut SCM Victor L. Crawford, W1TYQ, 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 Seeks Input on Recommended VHF-UHF-Microwave Contest Rule Changes   
      
   The recently formed "Ad Hoc Subcommittee on VHF and Above Revitalization" --   
   created by the ARRL Board of Directors' Programs and Services Committee   
   (PSC) -- is seeking member input by December 15 on updating various aspects   
   of the League's VHF-UHF-Microwave and EME contest program. In the   
   subcommittee's solicitation for input, Chairman Kermit Carlson, W9XA, said   
   members can help the work of the committee "by providing additional insights   
   and ideas for our consideration."   
      
   "Contest participation benefits both individual   
   amateurs and the Amateur Radio Service as a whole," said Carlson, who is   
   ARRL Central Division Vice Director. "Individual operators gain overall   
   operating experience, increase their knowledge of band characteristics, test   
   the results of changes in equipment, antennas and locations, and have   
   incentive to add bands and modes to their station complement, all in the   
   context of enjoyable, yet challenging, activities."   
      
   He said operating in contests also helps the Amateur Radio Service increase   
   its pool of skilled operators and can demonstrate more intense use of our   
   allocations, "some of which may be under threat from ever-expanding   
   commercial and consumer services."   
      
   Subcommittee members have recommended one set of changes that would apply   
   across all ARRL VHF-UHF-Microwave and EME contests. These include:   
      
   1. Removing the current prohibition on the use of amateur and non-amateur   
   forms of assistance for all operator categories, with such use having no   
   impact on entry category.   
      
   2. Removing the current prohibition on self-spotting for all operator   
   categories.   
      
   3. Allowing single operators to transmit on more than one band at a time.   
      
   "Unlike most HF contests, operating skill and knowledge of propagation may   
   not be enough to find stations to work. You can't just point your antenna to   
   Europe or Asia at the right time and find a ready supply of potential   
   contacts," Carlson explained. "The less-predictable nature of VHF+   
   propagation and the necessarily higher-gain, narrow-beamwidth antennas used   
   make finding someone to work largely a matter of chance. Indeed, most   
   microwave contacts would never occur at all without the use of real-time   
   coordination."   
      
   Carlson said the League's current prohibitive stance toward assistance and   
   self-spotting "is the most often-heard complaint about our VHF contest   
   program." He said subcommittee members believe that removing those   
   prohibitions "will foster greater participation and result in more contacts   
   and a more positive experience for participants without impacting the   
   existing challenge of actually completing contacts."   
      
   Similarly, he continued, the present restriction of Single-Operator stations   
   to one transmitted signal at a time precludes such activities as calling CQ   
   on one band while soliciting or completing contacts using digital modes on   
   another. "Such restriction constrains the number of potential contacts among   
   participants while yielding no apparent benefit," he said.   
      
   The full announcement details and explains the rationale behind the specific   
   recommended rule changes.   
      
   "You can help us by considering the potential impact of each proposal and   
   sharing any specific observations about it," Carlson said. "We're not   
   tallying votes; rather, we want to be sure we have considered all   
   foreseeable results of the proposed changes." Carlson said that collective   
   input from user groups would be more helpful and expedient than receiving   
   multiple versions of the same position from individual group members.   
      
   Submit comments prior to December 15, 2014. Only comments received through   
   vhf-input@arrl.org will be assured of reaching all the members of the   
   Subcommittee.   
      
   "Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014" Attracts More than a Dozen New   
   Co-Sponsors   
      
   The list of co-sponsors for the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014, H.R. 4969,   
   has grown to 63. Sixteen new co-sponsors signed aboard as the 113th Congress   
   re-convened for its final session before adjournment. ARRL Regulatory   
   Information Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, is urging ARRL members to keep in   
   contact with their Congressional representatives and to encourage them to   
   become co-sponsors to the bill.   
      
   [US%20Capitol.jpg] "We are excited about the addition of 16 new co-sponsors   
   when Congress reconvened after the November mid-term elections," Henderson   
   said. "Each new co-sponsor brings us one step closer to achieving our goal   
   of getting HR 4969 enacted. We have a long way to go - but we are definitely   
   moving in the right direction."   
      
   A few more co-sponsors may still be in the wings. The current tally   
   represents a considerable expansion of support from the number of US   
   Representatives who had signed aboard as Congress adjourned prior to the   
   mid-term elections. All 16 of the latest co-sponsors were re-elected on   
   November 4.   
      
   H.R. 4969, which was introduced in the US House of Representatives with   
   bipartisan support in late June, would call on the FCC to apply the   
   "reasonable accommodation" three-part test of the PRB-1 federal pre-emption   
   policy to private land-use restrictions regarding antennas. The limited   
   PRB-1 pre-emption currently applies only to state and municipal land-use   
   ordinances. The FCC has indicated its reluctance to provide the same legal   
   protections from private land-use agreements -- often called covenants,   
   conditions, and restrictions or CC&Rs -- without direction from Congress.   
      
   The League has opened a HR.4969 page. HR.4969 has been referred to the House   
   Energy and Commerce Committee. Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI (R-OR), chairs that   
   panel's Communications and Technology Subcommittee, which will consider the   
   measure.   
      
   FCC Reverses ALJ's Decision, Revokes Convicted Sex Offender's Ham Radio   
   License   
      
   The FCC has reversed the decision of an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) who   
   had ruled in 2010 that David Titus, KB7ILD, of Seattle, Washington, could   
   keep his Amateur Radio license in the wake of his conviction for a   
   sex-related crime 17 years earlier. In his March 9, 2010, Initial Decision,   
   ALJ Richard L. Sippel determined that Titus "has been a law-abiding member   
   of his community for many years" and, based on evidence that Titus and   
   witnesses on his behalf had presented, ordered that Titus's amateur license   
   not be revoked. Sippel also ruled that the FCC's Enforcement Bureau had   
   failed to meet the burden of proof necessary for revocation. He determined   
   that Titus had shown remorse and been rehabilitated, and that the   
   Enforcement Bureau had presented no credible evidence to indicate that Titus   
   should be categorized as a high-risk sex offender. In a November 5 Decision   
   in the proceeding (EB Docket 07-13), the FCC reversed Sippel's decision.   
      
   "We find that the ALJ erred in holding that   
   the Enforcement Bureau failed to meet its burden of demonstrating that Titus   
   is currently unqualified to remain a Commission licensee," the Decision   
   said, "inasmuch as the ALJ failed to consider relevant convictions for sex   
   offenses and failed to give appropriate deference to the judgment of local   
   law enforcement authorities that Titus is a convicted sex offender who poses   
   a high risk to the safety of the community."   
      
   The FCC also said Sippel should have given more weight to incidents in 2002   
   and 2004 that, while not resulting in conviction, "prompted the Seattle   
   Police Department to raise Titus's assessed risk level from moderate to   
   high."   
      
   In January 2007 the FCC issued a show-cause Order and designated for hearing   
   the issue of whether Titus was qualified to remain a licensee in light of a   
   1993 felony conviction for "communicating with a minor for immoral   
   purposes." The Communications Act provides that the FCC may revoke any   
   license, if conditions come to its attention that would have warranted a   
   denial of the licensee's original application. The Commission has said in   
   the past that felony convictions, "especially those involving sexual   
   offenses involving children," raise questions regarding a licensee's   
   character qualifications.   
      
   Titus's General class license expired in 2009, and the FCC deferred action   
   on his renewal application while the revocation proceeding was still in   
   play.   
      
   The FCC said that given "known risks of Amateur Radios in the hands of sex   
   offenders, such misconduct is prima facie disqualifying, and has resulted in   
   the loss of licenses in past cases."   
      
   "In focusing on the impact of Titus's misconduct on his qualifications to   
   hold an Amateur Radio license," the FCC concluded, "we would be remiss in   
   our responsibilities as a licensing authority if we continue to authorize   
   Titus to hold an Amateur Radio license that could be used to put him in   
   contact with children."   
      
   International Space Station Briefly "Ham-less" After Crew Members Return to   
   Earth   
      
   The only two radio amateurs on the International Space Station (ISS) were   
   among three crew members who returned to Earth on November 10, and another   
   ham-astronaut won't arrive on board the ISS until later this month. An   
   exciting 2015 appears to be in store.   
      
   NASA Flight Engineer Reid Wiseman, KF5LKT, and European Space Agency   
   Astronaut Alexander Gerst, KF5ONO, joined Expedition 41 Commander and   
   Russian Cosmonaut Max Suraev on the flight home this week. Traveling in a   
   Soyuz space capsule, the trio touched down safely in Kazakhstan after some 6   
   months on the station. Wiseman and Gerst were active on Amateur Radio during   
   their time in orbit, handling questions from curious Earthlings during   
   Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) educational   
   contacts and, in Wiseman's case, his first ARRL Field Day in June -- an   
   activity he discussed in a recent #askAstro YouTube post.   
      
   This was the first mission for both Wiseman and Gerst. While in space, the   
   pair carried out a spacewalk to relocate a failed pump module and configure   
   the station for upcoming additions. Wiseman completed a second spacewalk   
   with fellow NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore, now the ISS Expedition 42   
   Commander.   
      
   According to ARISS, there will be no US Operational Segment hams on the ISS   
   until December 7, and the ARISS Russian team will conduct any school   
   contacts in the interim. European Space Agency astronaut Samantha   
   Cristoforetti, IZ0UDF, heads to the ISS on November 23. She will be the sole   
   radio amateur on orbit until next March. That's when Cosmonauts Gennady   
   Padalka, RN3DT, and Mikhail Kornienko, RN3BF -- both space veterans -- will   
   arrive. A key research focus during Expedition 41 was human health   
   management for long-duration space travel, as NASA and Roscosmos prepare for   
   Kornienko and NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly to remain aboard the ISS for 1   
   year.   
      
   Several call signs are available for use on the ISS. NASA astronauts use   
   NA1SS, while Russian cosmonauts operate under RS0ISS. Other call signs   
   include DP0ISS, OR4ISS, and IR0ISS, available for use by European Space   
   Agency astronauts. UK telecoms regulator Ofcom recently issued the call sign   
   GB1SS for assignment to UK space travelers while aboard the ISS.   
      
   NASA Astronaut Kjell Lindgren, KO5MOS, and Japan Aerospace Exploration   
   Agency (JAXA) Astronaut Kimiya Yui, KG5BPH, will head to the ISS next May.   
   Astronauts Tim Kopra, KE5UDN, and Tim Peake, KG5BVI, will be part of a crew   
   increment heading into space a year from now. Peake, who is from the UK, may   
   use the GB1SS call sign.   
      
   British pop singer Sarah Brightman is currently scheduled to travel to the   
   ISS in October 2015 for a 10-day visit as a fare-paying "spaceflight   
   participant." Her website has adopted an otherworldly theme. While it is not   
   known if she will participate in any Amateur Radio contacts during her short   
   ISS stay, she apparently would be eligible to do so using GB1SS.   
      
   ARISS has announced that the deadline is December 15 for schools and   
   educational institutions and organizations -- formal and informal -- to   
   submit proposals to host an Amateur Radio contact with an ISS crew member.   
   ARISS is especially interested in arranging contact events that will draw   
   large numbers of participants and integrate the radio contact into a   
   well-developed educational plan. ARISS anticipates that the ham radio   
   contacts between students and the space station will take place between May   
   1 and December 31, 2015. The ARRL website has more information.   
      
   Contact ARISS with any questions or for additional information.   
      
   NASA has posted more information on the International Space Station and its   
   crews.   
      
   W1AW Centennial Operations Heading South to Florida, Arkansas   
      
   The ARRL Centennial W1AW portable operations taking place throughout 2014   
   from each of the 50 states are now in Mississippi and Rhode Island. They   
   will transition at 0000 UTC on Wednesday, November 19 (the evening of   
   November 18 in US time zones), to Florida (W1AW/4) and Arkansas (W1AW/5). 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.   
      
   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) username and   
   password, and your position will appear at the top of the leader boards.   
   Results are updated daily, based on contacts entered into LoTW.   
      
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   ARRL "Red Badges" Will Be Back On the Air on Saturday, November 22   
      
   The next ARRL "Red Badges on the Air" activity will take place on Saturday,   
   November 22 UTC (starting the evening of Friday, November 21, in US time   
   zones). That's when holders of red ARRL name/call sign badges will once   
   again be roaming the bands, offering yet another chance to boost your ARRL   
   Centennial QSO Party total. There will be   
   one more Red Badges on the Air activity on New Year's Eve, Wednesday,   
   December 31. ARRL officers, elected officials such as Director or Section   
   Manager, as well as Headquarters staffers and volunteers, and other members   
   of the ARRL family will take to the air en masse for both occasions.   
   Contacts with red badge wearers are worth as much as 300 points per contact   
   for working ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN. Many of the 200 or so holders   
   of red badges will be on the air on November 22 and December 31, along with   
   other ARRL appointees, VEs, and members.   
      
   These events are considered activity days, not contests, and operation is   
   permitted on all bands. Participants can call "CQ ARRL Centennial QSO Party"   
   on phone or "CQ CENT" on CW or digital modes. While the focus is to   
   encourage ARRL red badge holders to hand out Centennial QSO Party points,   
   all activity is welcome, regardless of point value.   
      
   ARRL members are worth at least one point in the Centennial QSO Party.   
   Participants get credit for each band/mode contact, regardless of point   
   value. ARRL Centennial QSO Party participants can use the leader board to   
   determine how many points they have accumulated.   
      
   As of November 13, 13,000 people have reached 1000 points in the QSO points   
   Challenge, and 7000 ops have reached the 3000-point level. Read more.   
      
   4M Lunar Flyby Spacecraft Amateur Radio Payload Now in Silent Earth Orbit   
      
   The Amateur Radio payload in the Manfred Memorial Moon Mission (4M) lunar   
   flyby experiment has gone silent, but the spacecraft itself will likely be   
   in Earth orbit for some time to come.   
      
   "It is there for some thousands of years, I think, but it might also be   
   ejected into heliocentric orbit if it passes close to the Moon, which is   
   what some simulations show," said Ghislain Ruy, LX2RG, of Luxspace (LSE),   
   the private company behind the 4M payload. Ruy said the 4M is orbiting Earth   
   every 16.5 days.   
      
   Ruy told ARRL that the 4M's Amateur Radio payload exhausted its batteries on   
   November 10 after 438 hours of service -- four times more than Luxspace   
   engineers had predicted. "It can be considered a huge success that opened   
   new paths and made people think or even dream," he said.   
      
   On November 10 the battery voltage began dropping, and Rein Smit, W6SZ, in   
   California, received the last signal at 0135 UT on November 11, when the   
   battery voltage had fallen to 8.4 V.   
      
   "Here at Luxspace, we have to thank you all for the reports, for the   
   tracking, and we also hope that we provided you with the challenges you   
   expected," Ruy posted to the Moon-Net list. "4M may possibly awaken from   
   time to time if illumination becomes better. We shall now endeavor to   
   prepare the next one."   
      
   The Chinese Chang'e 5T-1 lunar mission payload that the 4M initially   
   accompanied into space on a Long March 3C rocket already has been recovered.   
   The 4M and Chang'e 5T-1 -- part of the China Lunar Exploration Program --   
   launched into space on October 23, with the 4M payload hitchhiking on the   
   launch vehicle's third stage. Until early this week the Amateur Radio   
   payload was transmitting a WSJT JT65B beacon and telemetry on 145.980 MHz,   
   and it was only by chance that the 4M managed to attain Earth orbit on the   
   return leg, rather than burn up in the atmosphere -- which had been its more   
   likely fate. Read more.   
      
   California Scientist-Ham On the Air from Antarctica's McMurdo Station, Ross   
   Ice Shelf   
      
   Ham radio is not the primary reason that Ron Flick, K6REF, is in Antarctica,   
   but it's proving to be an enjoyable diversion to his scientific activities   
   at McMurdo Station and the Ross Ice Shelf. He's put a few hundred contacts   
   in the log since arriving late last month from California. Flick, an   
   oceanographer with the California Department of Parks and Recreation,   
   Division of Boating and Waterways, and colleagues are conducting ice   
   vibration studies on the Ross Ice Shelf, sponsored by Scripps Institution of   
   Oceanography. McMurdo is home to KC4USV, but Flick's initial experience at   
   the station -- once he was able to locate the key to unlock the door -- was   
   less than optimal.   
      
   "The view is spectacular!" he enthused. "After I plugged the radio into   
   power and the Yagi, I was able to hear a few stations on the lower end of   
   20, but was not able to contact anyone. The Yagi is fixed in an east-west   
   orientation."   
      
   Flick subsequently learned that the Antarctic winds had shifted the Yagi's   
   orientation. He'd been using 14.243 MHz -- the "usual" KC4USV frequency --   
   and 14.290 MHz, which he called "my personal favorite." He was also using   
   21.260 MHz, generally getting on the air around 2200 UTC for a few hours,   
   depending upon his work schedule.   
      
   According to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Amateur Radio   
   operations are part of the outreach and education efforts of the "Dynamic   
   Response of the Ross Ice Shelf to Wave-Induced Vibrations" expedition.   
      
   Starting this week, Flick will be on the air as time and conditions permit   
   as KC4/K6REF from Yesterday Camp near the International Date Line on the   
   Ross Ice Shelf, running 100 W to dipole antennas. He hopes to be active for   
   a few hours during the Antarctic afternoon and evening, starting at about   
   0300 UTC. He will be in the field until December 5.   
      
   The US Antarctic Program has a webcam at McMurdo Station. Read more. --   
   Thanks to Joe Garza, AB6RM   
      
   AMSAT Celebrates 40 Years in Space for AO-7   
      
   Saturday, November 15, will mark 40 years since the AMSAT-OSCAR 7 (AO-7) ham   
   radio satellite went into space from Vandenberg Air Force Base in   
   California. Special Event W7O will be on the air November 15-24 to   
   commemorate the launch of AO-7, the oldest working Amateur Radio satellite.   
   Satellite aficionado Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK/VA7EWK, who secured W7O for   
   the occasion, plans to work satellite passes during the special event from   
   Arizona, including AO-7 passes. He also hopes to recruit other operators to   
   participate in the celebration from other locations and on other bands,   
   including HF.   
      
   AO-7 made the cover of the April 1974 issue of QST.   
      
   AO-7 was the second so-called "Phase 2" Amateur Radio satellite that   
   AMSAT-NA constructed and launched into low-Earth orbit. It remained in   
   operation until a short circuit occurred in a battery in 1981. More than 20   
   years later, however, AO-7 unexpectedly returned to life, its 2 meter beacon   
   showing up on 145.9775 MHz. AMSAT describes the Mode A/B bird as   
   "semi-operational" and dependent upon its solar panels for a reliable power   
   source; AO-7 works only as long as its solar panels are illuminated by   
   sunlight. Satellite experts speculate that AO-7's resurrection occurred when   
   the short circuit in the battery opened, allowing the solar cells to power   
   the spacecraft. When the satellite goes into eclipse, it powers down. Since   
   the satellite returned to the outerworld of the living, terrestrial users   
   have enjoyed numerous contacts via AO-7.   
      
   According to its operating plan, AO-7 switches to Mode B (70 centimeters   
   up/2 meters down) at 0000 UTC. AO-7 has beacons on 29.502 MHz (used in   
   conjunction with Mode A) and, nominally, on 145.972 MHz (used in conjunction   
   with Mode B and Mode C -- low power Mode B). The 435.100 MHz beacon has an   
   intermittent problem, switching between 400 mW and 10 mW.   
      
   Stoddard said he would publish a schedule through a link on his WD9EWK   
   QRZ.com entry. Contact Stoddard for more information.   
      
   AMSAT has posted a series of photos documenting the early OSCAR years,   
   including AO-7. Read more. -- Thanks to AMSAT-NA, AMSAT News Service   
      
   Some CQ WPX Applications via LoTW Not Processed   
      
   It has been determined that some CQ WPX Awards Program applications using   
   ARRL's Logbook of The World (LoTW) were not properly processed, because the   
   applications were inadvertently tagged as incomplete.   
      
   If you used LoTW to apply for a WPX Award between mid-October and early   
   November and have not yet received an e-mail acknowledgment, contact WPX   
   Award Manager Steve Bolia, N8BJQ.   
      
   The ARRL November Sweepstakes SSB is This Weekend   
      
   "CQ SS, CQ SS!" Operators in the US and Canada will be exercising their   
   vocal cords (or [sweepstakes_logo.jpg] their digital voice memories) to   
   compete in the 2014 ARRL November Sweepstakes SSB event this weekend,   
   November 15-17.   
      
   The action gets under way at 2100 UTC Saturday and runs through 0259 UTC   
   Monday (Sunday evening in continental US time zones).   
      
   Many operators hope to get a "Clean Sweep" by working stations in all 83   
   ARRL and Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) sections.   
      
   AMSAT Invites Ideas and Suggestions for Next-Gen Satellites   
      
   AMSAT has invited the Amateur Satellite community to submit ideas and   
   suggestions for the next generation of AMSAT satellites. AMSAT Vice   
   President-Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY, announced the plan at the 2014   
   AMSAT Space Symposium in Baltimore. AMSAT asked that ideas be based on the   
   CubeSat platform, as "this is the standard through which we will look for   
   launches in the foreseeable future," its announcement said.   
      
   "The door is open for everyone to submit   
   their ideas," Buxton said. "AMSAT Engineering has a long-term strategy, and   
   this is the first step." He outlined the goals of that strategy:   
      
    *  Advance Amateur Radio satellite technical and communications skills.   
    *  Enhance international goodwill.   
    *  Grow and sustain a skilled pool of Amateur Radio satellite engineers.   
    *  Establish and maintain partnerships with educational institutions.   
    *  Develop a means to use hardware common to all opportunities.   
      
   "Within the bounds of the type of satellite it takes to achieve any of the   
   various orbit opportunities, let's consider in those plans the possibility   
   of developing a platform that can suit any and all orbits," Buxton said in   
   reference to the last goal.   
      
   Buxton pointed out that the purpose of the proposal is not just collecting   
   suggestions. "Being an all-volunteer team," he said, "AMSAT needs your help   
   in carrying out the idea." He asked that submissions be thorough. The   
   deadline is May 30, 2015. Read more. -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service   
      
   Past ARRL Connecticut SCM Victor L. Crawford, W1TYQ, SK   
      
   Past ARRL Connecticut Section Communications Manager (SCM) Victor L. "Vic"   
   Crawford, W1TYQ (ex-W8NUV, HZ3TYQ), of Rapid City, Michigan, died November   
   8. He was 94. An ARRL Life Member, Crawford served as Connecticut's SCM from   
   1957 until 1960, when he stepped down to work in the Middle East.   
      
   As HZ3TYQ from 1963 until 1976, Crawford made two DXpeditions each to what   
   were then called the Saudi Arabian/Iraqi and Saudi Arabian/Kuwaiti Neutral   
   Zones, 8Z4 and 8Z5. In 1961, he led an operation from the Saudi   
   Arabian/Kuwaiti neutral zone (9K3TL/NZ), with Jack Laub, HB9TL, Roy Fleming,   
   MP4BBD, and L.M. "Rundy" Rundlett, W3ZA/K4ZA.   
      
   Crawford also operated from HZ1AB, using the phonetics "Hot Ziggety One   
   American Boy." Don Karvonen, K8MFO, recalled that Crawford was known   
   worldwide for his impeccable CW and top-notch operating. "I will always   
   remember June 29, 1962, when, as a 16-year-old with a rag-tag station in   
   Upper Michigan, I worked Vic from HZ1AB," Karvonen recounted. "I know I'm   
   not alone in sharing lifelong respect for Vic, both as a top-notch operator   
   and a world-class guy. We have lost one more from America's Greatest   
   Generation." Read more. -- Thanks to The Daily DX and Hamgallery.com   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
   A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL   
      
   After many years of political unrest in Myanmar that resulted in the banning   
   of Amateur Radio, the country formerly known as Burma starting cracking the   
   door open to hams in 1994. Following 3 years of negotiations with Myanmar   
   officials and two small-scale DXpeditions to that country, Martti Laine,   
   OH2BH, obtained permission for a   
   large-scale DXpedition that would demonstrate the value of ham radio to the   
   government. A multinational ham team operating as XZ1A made many thousands   
   of contacts and even operated in the CQ World Wide DX SSB contest. The   
   article, "DXing from the Golden Land," published in the March 1996 issue of   
   QST, told the fascinating story.   
      
   For many years, interest in 10 GHz operation had been building, spurred on   
   by the ARRL's 10 GHz contests. By the mid 1990s, many hams were heading to   
   the mountaintops with their small dishes to operate at 10 GHz. Coastal hams   
   with pleasure boats would often go offshore to operate from the rarer grids,   
   but sometimes they would have to suspend operation, when seas became high   
   enough to make dish-pointing from their bouncing boats almost impossible.   
      
   Gate 1 of the long-awaited vanity call sign program finally opened on May   
   31, 1996, after many delays -- including a total federal government shutdown   
   at the beginning of that year, because Congress could not pass a budget.   
   Gate 1 accepted applications from former holders of expired and unused call   
   signs and from hams asking for the call signs once held by now-deceased   
   relatives. Gate 2 opened on September 23, 1996, for Amateur Extra class   
   licensees to apply.   
      
   An interesting juxtaposition of two "the old and the new" articles appeared   
   in the September 1996 issue of QST. The first was an article explaining how   
   the then-new Global Positioning System (GPS) works. The next article looked   
   far into ham radio's past as it attempted to explain the inexplicable   
   mysteries of the Wouff-Hong and the Rettysnitch.   
   The Wouff Hong and Rettysnitch were fictional tools that sprang from the   
   imagination of "The Old Man" (Hiram Percy Maxim), to be used for punishing   
   Amateur Radio operators who demonstrate poor operating practices.   
      
   As the "It Seems to Us" editorial related in the October 1996 issue of QST,   
   "August was ushered in by a sudden announcement of rewritten FCC rules   
   governing human exposure to RF fields, creating a mountain of uncertainty   
   and concern in the Amateur Radio community." The "Happenings" column in that   
   issue provided more details. An article in the January 1997 issue of QST   
   further explained how the new rules would affect hams. -- Al Brogdon, W1AB   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
   The K7RA Solar Update   
      
   This was one of those confounding weeks, when the average daily sunspot   
   number was down, while the average daily solar flux went up. Compared with   
   the 7 days previous, the November 6-12 average daily sunspot number declined   
   10.7 points to 85, while average daily solar flux rose 11.5 points to 139.4.   
      
   The latest prediction from the USAF/NOAA   
   45-day outlook has solar flux at 165 on November 13, 180 on November 14-15,   
   then 180, 185, 190, and 195 on November 15-18, 200 on November 19-20, then   
   195, 190, and 170 on November 21-23, then 150, 135, and 125 on November   
   24-26, 105 on November 27-28, 100 on November 29-30, 90 on December 1-3, and   
   bottoming out at 80 on December 5. It then rises to a short-term maximum of   
   200 on December 16-17.   
      
   The predicted planetary A index is 8 on November 13-15, 12 on November   
   16-18, 10 on November 19, 8 on November 20-21, 12 on November 22-24, 8 on   
   November 25, and 5 on November 26-29. It then rises to a high of 22 on   
   December 6, and again on December 26.   
      
   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   
    *   
      
       November 15 -- Feld-Hell Turkey Shoot Sprint   
    *   
      
       November 15-16 -- Russian WW Multi-Mode Contest   
    *   
      
       November 15-16 -- All Austria 160 Meter Contest (CW)   
    *   
      
       November 15-17 -- ARRL November Sweepstakes (SSB)   
    *   
      
       November 15-17 -- Collegiate ARC Championship (see ARRL Sweepstakes)   
    *   
      
       November 15-16 -- RSGB Second 1.8 MHz Contest (CW)   
    *   
      
       November 16 -- ARS HF Contest (CW/SSB/Digital)   
    *   
      
       November 16 -- Homebrew and Oldtime Contest (CW)   
    *   
      
       November 17 -- Run For the Bacon (CW)   
    *   
      
       November 20 -- NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint (CW)   
      
   See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
   Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events   
    *   
      
       November 15-16 -- Indiana State Convention, Fort Wayne, Indiana   
    *   
      
       December 12-13 -- West Central Florida Section Convention, Plant City,   
       Florida   
    *   
      
       January 4 -- New York City/Long Island Section Convention, Bethpage, New   
       York   
    *   
      
       January 10 -- TECHFEST, Lawrenceville, Georgia   
    *   
      
       January 16-17, 2015 -- North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill,   
       Texas   
    *   
      
       January 18-24 -- Quartzfest, Quartzsite, Arizona   
    *   
      
       January 23-24 -- Mississippi State Convention, Jackson, Mississippi   
    *   
      
       January 23-25 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto Rico   
    *   
      
       February 7 --