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   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2015-01-29   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
   January 29, 2015   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
     * ARES, SKYWARN Volunteers Go On Alert for Massive East Coast Winter Storm   
     * FCC "Paperless" Amateur Radio License Policy Goes into Effect on February   
   17   
     * ARRL Board Names Award Recipients   
     * New Legislative Issues Advocacy Fund Gets Initial Boost from Hudson   
   Division   
     * ARRL Board Elects Executive Committee, Hears Reports, Welcomes Visitors   
     * School Club Roundup is February 9-13!   
     * Unlicensed Religious Broadcaster Who Used Amateur Frequencies Ordered Off   
   the Air   
     * QRZ Logbook Now Offering Reciprocal Confirmation Credit and LoTW Download   
     * NASA Opens Application Window for Paid CubeSat, PICetSat Internships   
     * March Issue of The American Legion Magazine to Feature Amateur Radio   
     * RSGB Welcomes Proposed Crackdown on Interference-Producing Power Line Data   
   Devices   
     * ARRL Assistant Roanoke Division Director Anthony R. "Tony" Curtis, K3RXK,   
   SK   
     * ARRL Technical Advisor, Author, AMRAD President Emeritus Andr‚ Kesteloot,   
   N4ICK, SK   
     * In Brief...   
     * The K7RA Solar Update   
     * Just Ahead in Radiosport   
     * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events   
      
   ARES, SKYWARN Volunteers Go On Alert for Massive East Coast Winter Storm   
      
   Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) teams and SKYWARN weather observers   
   along the US Eastern Seaboard went on alert Monday, January 26, as a winter   
   storm began working its way into the Northeast. The storm, which brought   
   blizzard conditions to some areas, shut down transportation and kept residents   
   at home in several states. Eastern Massachusetts and the City of Boston may   
   have been hardest hit, with record or near-record snowfall amounts and storm   
   surge flooding in some coastal communities. ARES units on Cape Cod deployed to   
   staff six shelters and the Multi-Agency Coordination Center, which serves   
   Barnstable County. A shelter was opened on Nantucket Island, after the entire   
   island lost electrical power as well as most telecommunication services, and   
   ham radio volunteers helped to fill the gap. Amateur Radio volunteers relayed   
   this information to the National Weather Service (NWS) Taunton Office, home to   
   WX1BOX, where operations kicked into high gear on Monday evening and continued   
   for 27 hours. Hurricane-force wind gusts were recorded on Nantucket Island and   
   on the western edge of Martha's Vineyard.   
      
   "Amateur Radio operators across Southern New England checked into regular   
   SKYWARN Nets and/or with WX1BOX throughout the storm, even during the   
   overnight hours, providing tremendous situational awareness and disaster   
   intelligence information for the National Weather Service, state emergency   
   management, nongovernmental organizations, and the media," Eastern   
   Massachusetts Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator and SKYWARN Coordinator   
   Rob Macedo, KD1CY, told ARRL. "Several hundred snowfall total and damage   
   reports, including coastal flood reports, were fielded over a dozen SKYWARN   
   nets across the NWS coverage area."   
      
   Macedo said widespread snowfall totals of 15 to 30 inches -- and up to 3 feet   
   in some areas -- occurred in Central and Eastern Massachusetts and parts of   
   Rhode Island, while up to 2 feet of snow fell in Connecticut and Southwest   
   Massachusetts. ARRL Headquarters announced on Monday that it would close on   
   January 27 in anticipation of the severe weather.   
      
   Massachusetts' South Shore experienced flooding, as a wind-driven tidal surge   
   breached one seawall, flooding homes and businesses along the Brant Rock   
   Esplanade. Flooding was also reported in Scituate, where streets filled with   
   slushy seawater. Fierce winds caused some minor structural damage. A few   
   residents had to be evacuated.   
      
   ARES and SKYWARN volunteers elsewhere in the Northeast also relayed   
   ground-level weather conditions to NWS offices as the severe storm continued   
   its northeasterly trek. The winter storm may not have lived up to advance hype   
   in some areas, leaving forecasters apologetic, but it was a significant   
   weather event for Northern New England residents. While the worst of the storm   
   missed New York City, extreme Long Island saw a couple of feet of snow.   
   Eastern New York SEC David Galletly, KM2O, said ARES groups in his Section   
   stood down at midday on January 27.   
      
   "The storm track was apparently 50 to 100 miles east of the original forecast   
   with a very sharp snow boundary," Galletly said. "This resulted in much less   
   snow accumulation, especially in the Northern District counties."   
      
   ARRL New York City-Long Island Section Manager Jim Mezey, W2KFV, said ARES   
   teams in his Section spent Monday preparing for a storm that was anticipated   
   to be of "historic proportions." By midday, he said, ARES members were   
   awaiting marching orders. The American Red Cross had identified three possible   
   shelter locations in Nassau and Suffolk counties, where ARES might have   
   supported communication.   
      
   "Winds were running at 25 MPH with higher gusts, creating whiteout conditions   
   for most of the night and early morning," Mezey said. He reported snowfall   
   accumulations of from 5 to 8 inches in New York City, 13 to 20 inches in   
   Nassau County, and more than 24 inches in Eastern Suffolk County. By noon on   
   January 27, ARES teams stood down but continued to monitor the situation a   
   while longer.   
      
   In Maine, where heavy snowfall and high winds battered eastern and coastal   
   communities, ARES bumped up its alert status to Level 2 -- standby. Scattered   
   power outages were reported, mostly in southern Maine. Temperatures remained   
   in the teens. Maine ARES Section Emergency Coordinator Phil Duggan, N1EP,   
   activated ARES Weather and SKYWARN Net sessions on HF, but no served agencies   
   requested ARES communication support.   
      
   More than 1 foot of snow fell along parts of the Maine coast, and stiff winds   
   out of the northeast caused considerable blowing and drifting of snow. At   
   times, visibility was less than one-quarter mile. More snow is forecast for   
   January 30.   
      
   FCC "Paperless" Amateur Radio License Policy Goes into Effect on February 17   
      
   Starting on February 17, the FCC no longer will routinely issue paper license   
   documents to Amateur Radio applicants and licensees. The Commission has   
   maintained for some time now that the official Amateur Radio license   
   authorization is the electronic record that exists in its Universal Licensing   
   System (ULS), although the FCC has routinely continued to print and mail hard   
   copy licenses. That will stop next month.   
      
   In mid-December, the FCC adopted final procedures to provide access to   
   official electronic authorizations, as it had proposed in WT Docket 14-161 as   
   part of its "process reform" initiatives. Under the new procedures, licensees   
   will access their current official authorization ("Active" status only) via   
   the ULS License Manager. The FCC will continue to provide paper license   
   documents to all licensees who notify the Commission that they prefer to   
   receive one. Licensees will also be able to print out an official   
   authorization -- as well as an unofficial "reference copy" -- from the ULS   
   License Manager.   
      
   "We find this electronic process will improve efficiency by simplifying access   
   to official authorizations in ULS, shortening the time period between grant of   
   an application and access to the official authorization, and reducing   
   regulatory costs," the FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) said.   
   According to the WTB, the new procedures will save at least $304,000 a year,   
   including the cost of staff resources.   
      
   In comments filed November 5, the ARRL had strongly recommended that the FCC   
   "give serious consideration to continuing a default provision for sending an   
   initial paper license document to new licensees in the Amateur Radio Service,   
   along with detailed, simple instructions for how to make the elections set   
   forth in the notice relative to future modified or renewed licenses."   
      
   Under the new procedures, a new license applicant who already has an FRN and   
   provides a valid e-mail address under "Applicant Information" in the ULS will   
   receive an official ULS-generated electronic authorization via e-mail. New   
   license applicants lacking an FCC Registration Number will receive in the mail   
   an FRN and a temporary password to access the Commission Registration System   
   (CORES), but will no longer automatically receive a license document; they   
   must request one by changing their "Paper Authorization Preference" in the ULS   
   License Manager.   
      
   The ARRL and other Amateur Radio commenters also worried that unless a license   
   document is printed on distinctive paper stock, its authenticity could be   
   questioned in such situations as obtaining vanity call sign license plates. To   
   address this, the FCC said the watermark "Official Copy" will be printed on   
   each page of an official authorization that a licensee prints out from the   
   ULS. The WTB recently stopped using distinctive paper stock to produce hard   
   copy licenses and has been printing these on "standard, white recycled paper."   
   The Bureau noted that the distinctive paper stock it had been using was six   
   times more expensive than the plain recycled paper it now uses.   
      
   The ULS License Manager (left) now includes settings that allow licensees to   
   notify the WTB that they prefer to receive official authorizations on paper.   
   Once final procedures go into effect designating electronic access as the   
   default, licensees can change the ULS License Manager setting so that the   
   Bureau will print and mail a license document. Licensees also may contact FCC   
   Support via the web, telephone, or mail to request paper licenses.   
      
   The FCC rejected as "outside the scope of this proceeding" an ARRL argument   
   that Section 97.23 of the Amateur Service rules be amended to replace   
   "licensee mailing address" with other alternatives, including e-mail, for use   
   in Commission correspondence. The rule, which requires that any licensee   
   mailing address be in an area where the licensee has US Postal Service access,   
   has precluded FCC issuance of location-specific call signs in such areas as   
   Navassa Island (KP1) and some Pacific islands.   
      
   ARRL Board Names Award Recipients   
      
   The ARRL Board of Directors has bestowed the 2014 George Hart Distinguished   
   Service Award on David B. Colter, WA1ZCN, of New London, New Hampshire. The   
   Board may grant the award to an ARRL member whose service to the ARRL Field   
   Organization has been of the most exemplary nature. The award's namesake is   
   George Hart, W1NJM, long-time Communications Manager at ARRL Headquarters and   
   chief developer of the National Traffic System.   
      
   Colter, a member of the Twin State Amateur Radio Club, was recognized for   
   nearly 4 decades of service to the Amateur Radio community, including such   
   leadership positions as Section Emergency Coordinator and Assistant Section   
   Emergency Coordinator.   
      
   Colter designed training and development courses for the New Hampshire ARES   
   community and was the prime mover behind the New Hampshire ARES Academy -- a   
   day-long springtime event that provides courses and training in various   
   aspects of public service communication. He also served as editor of the ARRL   
   Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course (ARECC) series and as New   
   England Division representative on the League's Emergency Communications   
   Advisory Committee.   
      
   The Board also honored three professional journalists with the ARRL Bill   
   Leonard Award for their outstanding coverage of Amateur Radio in video, print,   
   and aural media. The award honors journalists for excellence in reporting that   
   highlights the enjoyment, importance, and public service value of Amateur   
   Radio. The award is a tribute to the late CBS News President Bill Leonard,   
   W2SKE, an avid Amateur Radio operator and advocate.   
      
     * The video award went to Christine Kim of KSNV-TV in Las Vegas, for her   
   "Local Heroes" profile of the Nevada Amateur Radio Emergency Service.   
      
     * The print award went to Marti Attoun of American Profile magazine, for her   
   "Radio Active" article that profiled Amateur Radio.   
      
     * The aural media award went to Steve Kraske and Beth Lipoff of KCUR-FM in   
   Kansas City, for their "Exploring Ham Radio in a Digital World" interview of   
   Brian Short, KCOBS; Carolyn Wells, NOCJ, and Matt May, KC4WCG.   
      
   The Board announced the award recipients at its 2015 Annual Meeting, January   
   16-17, in Windsor, Connecticut.   
      
   New Legislative Issues Advocacy Fund Gets Initial Boost from Hudson Division   
      
   ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB -- acting on behalf of the   
   members of his Division -- has presented ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN,   
   with an inaugural donation of $4500 to the new ARRL Legislative Issues   
   Advocacy Fund. President Craigie received the contribution during the ARRL   
   Board's Annual Meeting January 16-17 in Windsor, Connecticut. The check, from   
   the Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club, represented contributions from   
   members at the 2014 Hudson Division Awards Luncheon on November 8. President   
   Craigie generously matched the donation. The Board's Administration and   
   Finance Committee established the Legislative Issues Advocacy Fund -- proposed   
   by Lisenco -- to educate and inform members of Congress of the importance of   
   issues that impact the Amateur Radio Service.   
      
   "There is an urgent need to raise money to help offset the cost of sending our   
   voice to Washington for legislative advocacy, and we need to continue these   
   expenditures into the future to achieve our goals -- including and going   
   beyond the current CC&R legislative effort -- as there will always be issues   
   that require a continuing presence on Capitol Hill," Lisenco said after the   
   meeting.   
      
   Lisenco added that potential issues down the road could include spectrum   
   allocation -- and especially conflicts stemming from broadband allocations --   
   revisions to the Communications Act, the adequacy and efficiency of FCC   
   enforcement and the use of Amateur Radio volunteers, increased privatization   
   of Amateur Radio administration, FCC oversight, and radio frequency   
   interference concerns, "to name a few."   
      
   "We must establish a brand for Amateur Radio now, so that we no longer have to   
   be reactive when it comes to the relationship between the federal government   
   and Amateur Radio," Lisenco stressed after the meeting.   
      
   The ARRL is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) entity. All donations to the fund are tax   
   deductable within the limits of the law. For information on how to donate to   
   the ARRL Legislative Issues Advocacy Fund, contact Development Manager Lauren   
   Clarke, KB1YDD (tel 860-594-0348).   
      
   Legislative Objectives Outlined   
      
   At its Annual Meeting, the ARRL Board adopted several legislative objectives   
   for the 114th US Congress. Accordingly, the ARRL will continue to secure   
   passage of legislation instructing the FCC to extend the requirement for   
   "reasonable accommodation" of Amateur Radio station antennas -- a requirement   
   that now applies to state and local governing bodies -- to all forms of land   
   use regulation. The League also will continue to oppose legislation leading to   
   the reallocation of amateur spectrum or to sharing arrangements that reduce   
   the utility of existing allocations, as well as legislation that diminishes   
   the rights of federal licensees in favor of unlicensed emitters or that   
   encourages the deployment of spectrum-polluting technologies. Read more.   
      
   ARRL Board Elects Executive Committee, Hears Reports, Welcomes Visitors   
      
   The ARRL Board of Directors has elected members of the Executive Committee.   
   Chosen during the Board's 2015 Annual Meeting were New England Division   
   Director Tom Frenaye, K1KI; Hudson Division Director Lisenco; West Gulf   
   Division Director Dr David Woolweaver, K5RAV; Pacific Division Director Bob   
   Vallio, W6RGG, and Great Lakes Division Director Dale Williams, WA8EFK.   
      
   The Board also chose members of the ARRL Foundation Board. Northwestern   
   Division Director Jim Pace, K7CEX, was elected to fill the unexpired term of   
   past ARRL Midwest Division Director Cliff Ahrens, K0CA, who stepped down from   
   the Foundation Board.   
      
   For full 3-year terms on the Foundation Board, the Board elected Director   
   Frenaye, Rocky Mountain Division Director Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, and Martin   
   Green, K2PLF. Frenaye, as ARRL Foundation President, reported that the   
   Foundation funded some 80 scholarships in 2014, and that two new scholarships   
   are in the process of being established.   
      
   Other Business   
      
   The ARRL Board heard reports from officers during its Annual Meeting.   
      
     * Chief Technology Officer Brennan Price, N4QX, told the Board that efforts   
   are in full swing to build support for Amateur Radio-related issues, in   
   preparation for World Radiocommunication Conference 2015 in November.   
      
     * General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, pointed out in his report that spectrum   
   auctions continue to pose a potential threat to Amateur Radio spectrum. He   
   also told the Board that inadequate FCC attention to Amateur Radio enforcement   
   issues continues to be a concern.   
      
   Also present for the Annual Meeting were International Amateur Radio Union   
   (IARU) Secretary Rod Stafford, W6ROD, and Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) Vice   
   President Glenn MacDonell, VE3XRA. Stafford brought greetings from IARU   
   President Tim Ellam, VE6SH, and Vice President Ole Garpestad, LA2RR, and noted   
   that 2015 is the 90th anniversary of the IARU. The IARU is preparing for the   
   International Telecommunication Union World Radiocommunication Conference 2015   
   this November in Geneva.   
   ______________________________________________________________________________   
      
   School Club Roundup is February 9-13!   
      
   School clubs are busily prepping their stations for The "Winter/Spring Term"   
   School Club Roundup, which gets under way Monday, February 9 at 1300 UTC, and   
   continues through Friday, February 13, at 2359 UTC. Stations may operate no   
   more than 6 hours in any 24 hour period (up to a maximum of 24 hours).   
      
   The twice-yearly event is an opportunity for school club stations -- from   
   elementary school to college -- to get on the air for a friendly radio   
   activity. Non-school clubs and individuals are encouraged to participate too.   
   Sponsored by the ARRL, the ARRL Hudson Division Education Task Force, and the   
   Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club (LIMARC), the contest aims to foster   
   contacts with and among school radio clubs.   
      
   Stations exchange signal reports, class ("Individual," "Club," or "School"),   
   and US state, Canadian province/territory, or DXCC entity. Stations may   
   operate on all amateur bands except 60, 30, 17, and 12 meters (no repeater   
   contacts and VHF/UHF contacts must be on recognized simplex frequencies,   
   except calling frequencies). Stations may operate phone, CW, and digital   
   modes, or a combination. The most popular time for younger students is during   
   after-school hours, but older students may be on the air anytime. All groups   
   are limited to one transmitter on the air.   
      
   If you'd just like to get on the air and hand out contacts, enter in the   
   Individual category. Tune around in any mode and listen for SCR stations   
   calling CQ, or call CQ yourself and see who answers (call "CQ School Clubs,"   
   if you are not a club station). Logs are due no more than 15 days after the   
   operating period has ended and can be submitted online via the WA7BNM website.   
      
   The top three entries in each category -- Elementary, Middle/Int   
   rmediate/Junior High School, Senior High School College/University -- will   
   receive an Award Certificate. Non-school clubs or multiop groups and   
   individuals are also eligible for certificates.   
      
   See "Getting Organized for School Club Roundup" for some helpful tips! Stay up   
   to date on SCR by subscribing to the School Club Roundup reflector.   
      
   Unlicensed Religious Broadcaster Who Used Amateur Frequencies Ordered Off the   
   Air   
      
   The FCC has ordered an unlicensed California religious broadcaster, who   
   sometimes broadcast on a frequency in the 40 meter phone band, to shut down   
   his station. On December 31, the FCC's Los Angeles District Office issued a   
   Notice of Unlicensed Operation to Martin K. Elliott of Inyokern, California.   
   The FCC said it issued the Notice in response to a complaint of unlicensed   
   operation on multiple HF frequencies, including some allocated to aeronautical   
   stations. The FCC said its agents used radio direction-finding techniques to   
   confirm that signals on 6280 kHz and 11,595 kHz were emanating from a   
   residence located near Inyokern, and property records indicated that Elliott   
   was the current owner and resident.   
      
   "The Commission's records show that no license was issued for operation of a   
   station on either the frequencies of 6280 kHz or 11,595 kHz at this location,"   
   the FCC wrote. "Unlicensed operation of this radio station must be   
   discontinued immediately."   
      
   The pirate station, which identified itself as "YHWH," was not cited for   
   operating on Amateur Radio frequencies, although ARRL Official Observers had   
   monitored the station in the past on 7185 kHz LSB. One short-wave listener   
   said the operator of YHWH changed frequencies regularly.   
      
   The FCC warned Elliott that operation of radio transmitting equipment without   
   valid authorization violates federal law and could subject the operator to   
   severe penalties including, but not limited to, substantial monetary   
   forfeitures, equipment seizure, and criminal sanctions.   
      
   The Commission gave him 10 days to respond. The FCC said its Notice "does not   
   preclude this office from pursuing additional sanctions based upon our   
   investigation of this incident."   
      
   QRZ Logbook Now Offering Reciprocal Confirmation Credit and LoTW Download   
      
   QRZ Logbook now recognizes contact confirmations from ARRL's Logbook of The   
   World (LoTW). QRZ Logbook users now can download their contacts from LoTW   
   directly into their QRZ Logbook. Contacts that exist in LoTW but not in QRZ   
   Logbook will be added to your QRZ Logbook. LoTW automatically puts contacts   
   made under a previous call sign into a user's current call sign account. QRZ   
   will automatically put contacts into the logbook associated with the call sign   
   used when the contact was logged.   
      
   "Not only will this improve your confirmation rates, because you are receiving   
   credit for your confirmations on LoTW, but it will also import records that   
   exist on LoTW and not QRZ Logbook," QRZ.com said in announcing the new   
   service. "Those QSOs may match another record on QRZ, resulting in even more   
   confirmations."   
      
   In addition, all contact data in your LoTW database -- whether or not the   
   contact is new to your QRZ account -- will include the LoTW QSL Received Date,   
   as well as the LoTW Sent (Y/N) flag set in the QRZ Logbook. Contacts confirmed   
   in LoTW, whether or not they are new to QRZ, will automatically be confirmed   
   in your QRZ Logbook. Read more. -- Thanks to QRZ.com   
      
   NASA Opens Application Window for Paid CubeSat, PICetSat Internships   
      
   The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) seeks applicants to fill paid   
   CubeSat and PICetSat-related internships for the Summer 2015 semester. These   
   positions may be of interest to Amateur Radio licensees pursuing degrees in   
   electrical or computer engineering and now in their junior or senior years.   
   Applications are being taken on the NASA One Stop Shopping Initiative (OSSI)   
   recruiting website. The openings are CubeSat Simulator Upgrade Plus --   
   advertised previously but now reopened -- as well as CubeSat Ground Station   
   Development, and PICetSat Module and PCB Development. Other internship   
   opportunities are available at each of the other 10 NASA field center   
   locations as well, said Pat Kilroy, N8PK, of GSFC. The official application   
   deadline is March 1, but Kilroy is hoping applications will be submitted   
   sooner.   
      
   "The word to the wise student is to get one's application in ASAP -- and   
   certainly within the next 3 weeks," Kilroy said. Applications from Amateur   
   Radio licensees should include a call sign.   
      
   Details on each internship are available through the OSSI page. Contact Pat   
   Kilroy for more information. Applications must be submitted via the OSSI web   
   page.   
      
   March Issue of The American Legion Magazine to Feature Amateur Radio   
      
   Amateur Radio will be featured in the March 2015 issue of The American Legion   
   Magazine. The article, by best-selling author Don Keith, N4KC, will explain   
   how ham radio remains exciting, important, and relevant, even after more than   
   a century in existence and changes in technology. The article will also talk   
   about the American Legion   
   Amateur Radio Club (TALARC) -- home to club station K9TAL at American Legion   
   Headquarters in Indianapolis, which sponsors regular operating events. It also   
   will explain how the American Legion is integrating Amateur Radio into its   
   organization and for its members, how members can become licensed, and perhaps   
   establish a club station at an American Legion post.   
      
   The Legion has an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to   
   provide assistance during emergencies, and Keith's article will discuss how   
   Amateur Radio meshes with that effort. Keith has written more than 2 dozen   
   books, including Riding the Shortwaves: Exploring The Magic of Amateur Radio,   
   Firing Point -- a submarine thriller -- and Wizard of the Wind, which includes   
   a ham as a key character. He has also written extensively about World War II   
   history.   
      
   RSGB Welcomes Proposed Crackdown on Interference-Producing Power Line Data   
   Devices   
      
   The Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) has said it welcomes a recent   
   initiative by telecommunications regulator Ofcom to combat interference from   
   home power line data transmission (PLT) devices. The Ofcom "consultation" --   
   similar to an FCC Notice of Proposed Rule Making -- has invited responses by   
   February 16. The RSGB Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Committee has   
   lobbied Ofcom to assume greater authority in cases involving violations of EMC   
   rules.   
      
   "These proposals make the regulations more resilient to evolving technology,   
   when it causes undue interference to wireless telegraphy apparatus," the RSGB   
   said. "The proposed changes aim to catch apparatus that exceeds the   
   permissible levels in service," The RSGB said.   
      
   A recent news article reported that Ofcom was proposing that individuals using   
   power line networking equipment could face prosecution if it interferes with   
   radio communications. The article, in The Telegraph, also said that GCHQ -- a   
   security and intelligence organization similar to the US Department of   
   Homeland Security -- has become increasingly concerned about PLT in recent   
   years.   
      
   The RSGB said the Ofcom proposals would provide additional enforcement   
   authority with respect to a particular piece of equipment, not just a range of   
   devices. "These changes are essential to prevent compromising important   
   communication systems, particularly those that ensure public safety," the RSGB   
   said.   
      
   ARRL Assistant Roanoke Division Director Anthony R. "Tony" Curtis, K3RXK, SK   
      
   ARRL Assistant Roanoke Division Director Anthony R. "Tony" Curtis, K3RXK, of   
   Laurinburg, North Carolina, died on January 23. He was 74. Curtis served twice   
   as an Assistant Director -- from 1986 until 1997 and again from 2002 until his   
   death. Known as "Dr Tony" to his mass communication students at the University   
   of North Carolina at   
   Pembroke, Curtis -- who was licensed at 14 -- was a space and Amateur Radio   
   satellite enthusiast and occasional guest speaker. He also contributed to QST.   
   An ARRL Life Member, Curtis was involved in emergency preparedness and held   
   ARRL Field Organization appointments as Official Emergency Station and   
   Volunteer Examiner.   
      
   "The department lost a valued colleague and a good friend, and he'll be deeply   
   missed," Dr Jason Hutchens, chair of the Mass Communication department, said.   
      
   At UNCP, he received an Outstanding Teaching Award in 2012 and was named the   
   Most Valuable Professor in 2012 and 2013. He had served as chair of the   
   faculty senate and as president of the Friends of the Library Board. Read more.   
      
   ARRL Technical Advisor, Author, AMRAD President Emeritus Andr‚ Kesteloot,   
   N4ICK, SK   
      
   ARRL Technical Advisor, author, and Amateur Radio Research and Development   
   Corporation (AMRAD) President Emeritus Andr‚ V. Kesteloot, N4ICK, of McLean,   
   Virginia, died on January 4. He was 77. Kesteloot was the author of Spread   
   Spectrum Sourcebook, published in 1991, and he contributed to QST and QEX. A   
   native of   
   Belgium, Kesteloot was an electrical engineer and spent a decade in the Middle   
   East installing TV and radio transmitters in the 1950s and 1960s. He   
   subsequently signed on with the Central Intelligence Agency and spent 25 years   
   as a CIA operative. Kesteloot was a recipient of a CIA Intelligence Star for   
   Valor, and he served as executive vice president of the Association of Former   
   Intelligence Officers.   
      
   After retiring in 1994, Kesteloot joined the faculty of Phoenix Consulting,   
   and trained Iraq-bound Special Forces units and intelligence agencies. An   
   active AMRAD member, he was a frequent contributor to the organization's   
   newsletter and papers. He also assisted in taking field measurements of   
   Broadband over Power Line (BPL) systems in Virginia and Maryland. Kesteloot   
   was an ARRL member and life senior member of the Institute of Electrical and   
   Electronics Engineers.   
      
   In Brief...   
      
   DXpedition Goings and Comings: As of January 26, the three-person "boat team"   
   heading to Navassa Island for the K1N DXpedition had made it to Great Inagua   
   in the Bahamas. There was no official word yet from the Navassa Island   
   DXpedition team as to when the other operators, now in Jamaica with the   
   equipment containers, would depart. The DXpedition to one of the most-wanted   
   DXCC entities is expected to get under way in the next few days. "We plan to   
   sail from Great Inagua the afternoon of January 30," the K1N team announced   
   January 27. The DXpeditioners hope to start offloading their gear on January   
   31 and February 1. Meanwhile, on Kish Island, Iran, the Belgian EP6T   
   DXpedition team finished up operations on January 27 (UTC). The EP6T operators   
   logged more than 68,000 contacts during 9 days on the air -- nearly 70 percent   
   of them with stations in Europe. Just under 10 percent of the EP6T contacts   
   were with North American stations, although the operators reported persistent   
   noise issues that prevented them from hearing many callers. -- Thanks to The   
   Daily DX   
      
   Ralph Fedor, K0IR, to be Dayton RTTY Contest Dinner Speaker: DXpeditioner   
   Ralph Fedor, K0IR (photo), will be the keynote speaker at the 2015 RTTY   
   Contest Dinner, Thursday, May 14, at 7:15 PM, at the Crowne Plaza in downtown   
   Dayton. Tickets will be on sale until May 1. No tickets will be sold at the   
   door. The NAQP RTTY plaques will be presented at the event. -- Thanks to Fred   
   Dennin, WW4LL   
      
   SSTV Transmissions Scheduled from the International Space Station: The Russian   
   Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) team plans to   
   activate slow-scan television (SSTV) from the ISS on Saturday January 31, and   
   on Sunday, February 1. The anticipated SSTV mode will be PD180 on 145.800 MHz   
   with 3-minute off periods between transmissions. Twelve different images will   
   be transmitted during the operational period. This is the second series of   
   pictures to be transmitted. The SSTV transmission are scheduled to begin   
   around 1000 UTC on January 31 and around 0900 UTC on February 1. Transmissions   
   should terminate around 2130 UTC each day. -- Thanks to ARISS-EU Chair Gaston   
   Bertels, ON4WF   
   ______________________________________________________________________________   
      
   The K7RA Solar Update   
      
   Average daily sunspot numbers for the January 22-28 period rose from 61.9 on   
   the previous 7 days to 89.1. Average daily solar flux climbed from 126.2 to   
   136.8 over the same period.   
      
   There were two new sunspot regions on February 22, another one on February 23   
   and again on February 25, four more on February 26, and another two on   
   February 28.   
      
   The average daily solar flux for January 29 through February 4 is predicted to   
   be 165.7 -- nearly 29 points higher than the previous week.   
      
   Predicted solar flux is 165 on January 29, 170 for January 30 through February   
   2, then 160, 155, 145 and 125 for February 3-6, 130 for February 7-9, 125 for   
   February 10-11, 120 for February 12-13, and 125 for February 14-16. Flux   
   values will reach of low of 115 on February 18, then a high of 135 during the   
   period February 26-28.   
      
   Predicted planetary A index is 12 on January 29, 15 for January 30 through   
   February 1, 12 on February 2, 10 for February 3-4, 5 on February 5, 10 for   
   February 6-7, 8 for February 8-9, 5 for February 10-14, 12 on February 15, and   
   10 for February 16-18.   
      
   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 the Friday, January 30, bulletin expect an updated forecast for the near   
   term and reports from readers.