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   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2015-03-12   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
      
   March 12, 2015   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
    *  FCC Enforcement Bureau Field Resources Poised to Shrink   
    *  New Legislative Issues Advocacy Fund Will Power Capitol Hill Educational   
       Campaign   
    *  League Counters Another Mimosa Move for 10 GHz Wireless Broadband   
       Sharing   
    *  ITU Smart Sustainable Development Model Report Touts Amateur Radio's   
       Advantages   
    *  Fox-1A Ready for Launch, Fox-1D to Carry Radiation-Mapping Experiment   
    *  Radio Amateurs Invited to Listen for Lambda-Sat   
    *  Danish Astronaut is Among Latest Group of Space-Bound Radio Amateurs   
    *  ARRL Honorary Vice President, Past Director Receives BirmingHAMfest   
       Citizenship Award   
    *  Scientist-Radio Amateur Named to Receive Prestigious Award   
    *  Southeastern Division Assistant Director Charles I. "Chuck" Baer, W4ROA,   
       SK   
    *  In Brief...   
    *  The K7RA Solar Update   
    *  Getting It Right!   
    *  Just Ahead in Radiosport   
    *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events   
      
   FCC Enforcement Bureau Field Resources Poised to Shrink   
      
   According to an internal FCC Enforcement Bureau (EB) memorandum, the Bureau   
   plans to ask the full Commission to cut two-thirds of its field offices and   
   eliminate nearly one-half of its field agents. At the same time, the Bureau   
   would develop a so-called "Tiger Team" of field agents as a flexible strike   
   force it could deploy as needed. In the March 10 memorandum to Enforcement   
   Bureau field staff -- obtained by ARRL and others -- EB Chief Travis LeBlanc   
   and FCC Managing Director Jon Wilkins cited the need to take "a fresh look"   
   at the Bureau's 20-year-old operating model in light of technology changes   
   and tighter budgets. ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, expressed dismay at the   
   proposals.   
      
   "The ARRL is concerned that there is already no sense of urgency in the   
   FCC's enforcement activities targeting spectrum polluters, such as utilities   
   with noisy power lines, or the few violators in our own ranks," Sumner said.   
   "It is troubling to see recommendations for such drastic reductions in the   
   Commission's geographic footprint and the number of field agents at a time   
   when the Field staff is facing ever-increasing challenges."   
      
   The EB and the Office of the Managing Director initiated an effort last fall   
   to modernize the Bureau's field operations, the memorandum said.   
      
   "This project sought to ensure that the Field's structure, operations,   
   expenses, and equipment were properly aligned with the Commission's overall   
   mission and resources," LeBlanc and Wilkins said. The Commission hired   
   outside consultants to analyze the EB's current "operating model," gathering   
   input from employees, outside experts, and internal and external   
   stakeholders.   
      
   Under its "Phase I" field modernization scheme, the Bureau will recommend to   
   the full Commission that it adjust the primary focus of its reduced field   
   office complement to RF spectrum enforcement. The EB will also recommend   
   "adjusting" the number of field agents from 63 to 33. To compensate, part of   
   that field staff complement would include what the EB called a "Tiger Team"   
   of agents "flexible enough to support other high-priority initiatives."   
   Under the plan, all field agents would have to have electrical engineering   
   backgrounds "to support the primary focus on RF spectrum enforcement." The   
   Bureau will also propose standardizing its investigatory and sanctioning   
   processes.   
      
   Management would not be spared. Under the recommendations, the EB field   
   organization chart would shrink from 21 to 5 director positions, and from 10   
   to 3 administrative support positions.   
      
   Under the proposals, the field office would reduce its "geographic   
   footprint," from 24 sites to 8 sites and would "pre-position" equipment in   
   several other strategic locations. Offices slated to stay under the   
   plan would be New York City; Columbia, Maryland -- the site of the Bureau's   
   HF Direction-Finding Center; Chicago; Atlanta; Miami; Dallas; Los Angeles,   
   and San Francisco. The EB would deploy equipment in or near several other   
   cities, initially to include Kansas City, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Seattle,   
   San Juan, Anchorage, Honolulu, and Billings, Montana.   
      
   Part of the plan calls for the EB to establish "beneficial partnerships   
   between the Field and other organizations that may support increasing our   
   effectiveness."   
      
   During a March 4 US House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology   
   Committee hearing on the FCC's FY2016 budget, Rep Michael Pompeo (R-KS)   
   pressed Wilkins on whether the FCC intended to close any field offices and   
   eliminate any personnel. Wilkins attempted to dodge offering a direct   
   answer, and hedged on whether any cuts were planned. He also said the Bureau   
   had not yet received a final report from the outside consultant it had   
   worked with. US Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI (R-OR), chairs the subcommittee.   
      
   A copy of the memorandum was sent to National Treasury Employees Union   
   (NTEU) Local 209 President Ana Curtis. The NTEU represents many FCC staff   
   members.   
      
   New Legislative Issues Advocacy Fund Will Power Capitol Hill Educational   
   Campaign   
      
   Now that the ARRL's new Legislative Issues Advocacy Fund is in place, ARRL   
   Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB -- who proposed the fund --   
   hopes it will fuel a heightened campaign of congressional advocacy on issues   
   important to Amateur Radio. On behalf of the members of his Division,   
   Lisenco earlier this year presented ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, with   
   an inaugural $4500 Fund donation,   
   which she matched. The primary goal of the ARRL Legislative Issues Advocacy   
   Fund is educational, Lisenco explained.   
      
   "We want to heighten Amateur Radio's visibility in Congress and to establish   
   its brand in the minds of today's lawmakers, so we don't have to be reactive   
   when it comes to our relationship with the federal government," Lisenco   
   said. "It's not enough just to have a Spectrum Defense Fund. We must be   
   recognized as effective advocates for Amateur Radio in Congress."   
      
   The immediate focus of the Legislative Issues Advocacy Fund will be the   
   recently introduced "Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015," officially known as   
   H.R. 1301. US Rep Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) introduced the bill March 4 with   
   seven Republican and five Democratic co-sponsors. Last summer Kinzinger   
   sponsored an essentially identical piece of legislation, which died at the   
   end of the 113th Congress.   
      
   "We're going all out for this bill," Lisenco said. "Last year, we got a late   
   start and still picked up 69 co-sponsors. This time, we're starting early   
   and have the entire congressional session to get this done. In addition to   
   getting as many co-sponsors as we can in the US House, we'll be trying to   
   get a companion bill going in the US Senate. But this effort will take   
   money."   
      
   If Congress approves H.R. 1301, and it is signed by the president, the   
   legislation would compel the FCC to amend the Part 97 Amateur Service rules   
   to apply the three-part test of the PRB-1 federal pre-emption policy to   
   include homeowners' association regulations and deed restrictions, often   
   referred to as "covenants, conditions, and restrictions" (CC&Rs). At   
   present, PRB-1 only applies to state and local zoning laws and ordinances.   
   The FCC has been reluctant to extend the same legal protections to private   
   land-use agreements without direction from Congress.   
      
   Lisenco stressed that the Legislative Issues Advocacy Fund is not simply for   
   this particular piece of legislation and that additional actions on the part   
   of Congress or federal regulators could also affect Amateur Radio.   
      
   "We have to have an ongoing relationship with members of Congress and their   
   staff members," he said. "They need to know that Amateur Radio is alive and   
   well, and flourishing in the 21st century." Lisenco pointed out that there   
   are many more licensees today than during the 1950s and 1960s -- which some   
   consider the Golden Age of Amateur Radio. "The Golden Age of Amateur Radio   
   is today," he said. "We're experimenting with cutting-edge technology, and   
   we provide a service to the community."   
      
   But, he added, if the League does not take steps now to ensure Amateur   
   Radio's future, "there may be no future."   
      
   The Legislative Issues Advocacy Fund welcomes your support. For more   
   information, contact Lauren Clarke, KB1YDD, tel 860-594-0348. The ARRL has   
   an H.R. 1301 resources page on its website.   
      
   League Counters Another Mimosa Move for 10 GHz Wireless Broadband Sharing   
      
   The ARRL has told several US House and Senate members that the 10 GHz band,   
   where the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite services have allocations, is not a   
   suitable place to expand wireless broadband.   
   Three Republican and three Democratic lawmakers wrote FCC Chairman Tom   
   Wheeler on March 2, asking the Commission to "explore potential sharing   
   opportunities within the 10 GHz band" to alleviate "the well-documented   
   spectrum crunch." The primary allocation of 10.0-10.5 GHz is for federal   
   radiolocation, with Amateur Radio secondary in the entire band and   
   Amateur-Satellite secondary at 10.45 to 10.50 GHz. The League pointed out   
   that plans for additional sharing are already in the works.   
      
   "Based on extensive compatibility studies conducted during preparations for   
   the 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15), additional sharing   
   for an important scientific purpose is already planned," ARRL CEO David   
   Sumner, K1ZZ, pointed out in a March 4 letter to the Congress members.   
   Sumner explained that several years of work went into an agreed-upon US   
   proposal at WRC-15 for a primary allocation at 9.9 to 10.5 GHz for the Earth   
   Exploration Satellite Service (active), "subject to appropriate protections   
   for incumbent services."   
      
   Sumner said the ARRL is satisfied that the Earth Exploration Satellite   
   Service (active) "can be accommodated in the band without causing   
   intolerable harmful interference to the Amateur Service," while the same   
   would not be true for wireless broadband. "Accordingly," he concluded, "the   
   ARRL opposes the introduction of wireless broadband into the 10 GHz band."   
      
   "A request by a wireless broadband equipment manufacturer to permit   
   broadband was considered but could not be accommodated," Sumner added. That   
   manufacturer, Mimosa Networks, filed a Petition for Rule Making (RM-11715)   
   in 2013 that the FCC put out for comment last year, seeking the allocation   
   of the band for what it has called "lightly licensed fixed wireless   
   broadband use." Mimosa's petition included a band plan for 10.0 to 10.5 GHz   
   that would cede to Amateur Radio and Amateur-Satellite users just two small   
   segments of the present allocation. The company claimed its proposal would   
   protect the 10 GHz frequencies most often used by radio amateurs. The FCC   
   has not acted on the Petition.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   The ARRL told the FCC that Mimosa's Petition to permit unlicensed wireless   
   broadband services in the 10.0-10.5 GHz band was "fatally flawed" and should   
   be dismissed.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   Sumner noted that the FCC already has initiated a proceeding to identify   
   spectrum above 24 GHz that can be designated for mobile wireless broadband,   
   including additional spectrum that could be authorized on an unlicensed   
   basis.   
      
   Democratic House members Doris Matsui and Anna Eshoo, both from California,   
   and US Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, joined Republican House members   
   Brett Guthrie of Kentucky and Robert Latta of Ohio, and US Senator Marco   
   Rubio of Florida in signing the March 2 letter to Wheeler.   
      
   "Sharing opportunities in the 10 GHz band could make more spectrum available   
   and provide another avenue for consumers and innovators to tap into the   
   Internet economy," the lawmakers told Wheeler. Mimosa Networks expressed   
   support for the lawmakers' appeal in a March 3 media release.   
      
   In comments to the FCC last April, the ARRL told the FCC that Mimosa's   
   Petition to permit unlicensed wireless broadband services in the 10.0-10.5   
   GHz band was "fatally flawed" and should be dismissed. The League told the   
   FCC that, among other things, the Mimosa Petition is inconsistent with a US   
   footnote in the domestic Table of Allocations, and that fact alone is   
   sufficient reason for the Commission to quash Mimosa's request.   
      
   The footnote prohibits all non-federal services in the 10-10.5 GHz band   
   except for the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite services and the non-federal   
   radiolocation service. The FCC "is not at liberty to ignore" the US   
   footnote, the League said, and is obliged on that basis alone to dismiss the   
   Petition, "because it hasn't the authority to grant it."   
      
   ITU Smart Sustainable Development Model Report Touts Amateur Radio's   
   Advantages   
      
   The use of Amateur Radio in disaster preparedness and response was among   
   "best practices" cited in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)   
   Smart Sustainable Development Model Report for 2015. International Amateur   
   Radio Union (IARU) President Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA, is a member of the   
   Smart Sustainable Development Model Advisory Board, which prepared the   
   report, published in January. The IARU is an ITU sector member.   
      
   "I strongly believe that telecommunications and [information and   
   communication technologies] are critical to saving lives as well as   
   integrating communities and countries into the global economy, particularly   
   as we enter the post-2015 development   
   era," ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau Director Brahima Sanou said   
   in the preface to the report, which deemed Amateur Radio operators "well   
   suited to respond in times of crisis."   
      
   "The resource of the Amateur Radio Service should continue to be utilized as   
   new technologies are developed," the report said. "However, the best asset   
   the Amateur Radio Service brings to emergency communications transcends   
   technology. It provides skilled people 'on the ground' who can communicate   
   using whatever technology is available."   
      
   The report cited trained volunteers and existing allocated spectrum as   
   Amateur Radio's primary resources. "Amateur Radio services can be used in   
   any area with an active population of radio amateurs, and is uniquely suited   
   to situations in which other communication networks have been disrupted,"   
   the report said, noting that Amateur Radio "involves a community-driven   
   response to disasters."   
      
   Fox-1A Ready for Launch, Fox-1D to Carry Radiation-Mapping Experiment   
      
   Following successful vibration and thermal/vacuum testing, AMSAT-NA's Fox-1A   
   CubeSat now sits in a clean environment awaiting launch, said AMSAT   
   Vice-President-Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY. Fox-1A completed its Mission   
   Readiness Review at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California, on February 24   
   before a review board of Cal Poly and NASA representatives, he said, adding   
   that Fox-1A delivery and integration has been set for March 25.   
      
   "From there, we won't see her again, but certainly look forward to hearing   
   from her again," Buxton said.   
      
   Fox-1A will include a Mode B (U/V) FM   
   transponder and capabilities similar to the AO-51 satellite, which went dark   
   in late 2011. The first phase of the Fox series 1-Unit CubeSats will allow   
   simple ground stations using handheld transceivers and simple dual-band   
   antennas to make contacts. The Fox-1 CubeSats will also be able to transmit   
   continuous telemetry during normal transponder operation.   
      
   Fox-1A is scheduled to launch in late August from Vandenberg Air Force Base   
   in California, as part of the NASA Educational Launch of Nanosatellites   
   (ELaNa) program, which offers free launches to educational entities and   
   encourages science missions. Fox-1A will host a Penn State student   
   experiment with micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS).   
      
   Elsewhere, AMSAT and University of Iowa have agreed to include the   
   University's High Energy Radiation CubeSat Instrument (HERCI)   
   radiation-mapping experiment on the Fox-1D CubeSat.   
      
   "HERCI is intended to provide a mapping of radiation in a low-Earth orbit,"   
   said Don Kirchner, KD0L, a University of Iowa research engineer. "This is of   
   scientific interest for planning CubeSat test flights for low-energy X-ray   
   detectors."   
      
   The University of Iowa's history in spaceflight research dates back to the   
   earliest satellites. As Kirchner put it, "HERCI can be considered a direct   
   descendent of the first University of Iowa spaceflight instrument flown on   
   Explorer I in 1958." He said the instrument is a senior design project by   
   four UI electrical engineering students working under the supervision of the   
   space physics engineering staff.   
      
   Buxton said the partnership is a win-win arrangement. "This partnership with   
   the University of Iowa illustrates our strategy of leveraging the new   
   CubeSat design to assist universities that need a way to fly scientific   
   payloads while providing a viable ongoing platform for Amateur Radio," he   
   said. -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service   
      
   Radio Amateurs Invited to Listen for Lambda-Sat   
      
   Lambda-Sat -- the first Greek CubeSat -- was released from the International   
   Space Station on March 4, following its launch last summer, and its   
   developers have invited radio amateurs around the world to listen for the   
   Lambda-Sat signal and file reports.   
      
   "You can help us to track and get the data from the   
   Lambda-Sat while [it is] flying above areas not covered by our ground   
   stations," the Lambda-Sat team said. The 1U CubeSat transmits AX.25-protocol   
   UI packets at 1200 bps AFSK on 437.465 MHz. The 1 W transmitter identifies   
   as KK6DFZ.   
      
   Lambda-Sat was constructed entirely by young volunteers from Greece, who   
   traveled to Silicon Valley to participate in this project. Members of the   
   Lambda-Sat team contributed to the construction of the satellite system   
   through their knowledge in robotics, electronics, software development, and   
   telecommunications.   
      
   "I want to motivate the youth in Greece to continue to dream," said the   
   project's initiator, Periklis Papadopoulos, an aerospace engineering   
   professor at San Jose State University. "My goal is to demonstrate the   
   capabilities of young people in Greece."   
      
   Lambda-Sat carries an experiment that measures the radiation effects on   
   graphene in a low-Earth orbit environment. It also carries an Automatic   
   Identification System (AIS) receiver for tracking all marine vessels within   
   its footprint around the globe, employing an Iridium Short Burst Data (SBD)   
   modem and making use of the Iridium constellation.   
      
   An article on the Lambda-Sat project by Cyprus Amateur Radio Society (CARS)   
   Secretary Nestor Jacovides, 5B4AHZ, has been posted on the CARS website.   
      
   Danish Astronaut is Among Latest Group of Space-Bound Radio Amateurs   
      
   Only one radio amateur -- Samantha Cristoforetti, IZOUDF -- is now aboard   
   the International Space Station, but five more astronauts -- including one   
   from Denmark -- have passed the US Technician license exam, and three of   
   them will be among those heading to the ISS this year and next. The newest   
   licensees are Thomas Pesquet, KG5FYG; Jack Fischer, KG5FYH; David   
   Saint-Jacques, KG5FYI; Kathleen Rubins, KG5FYJ, and Andreas Mogensen,   
   KG5GCZ.   
      
   Pesquet joined the European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut corps in 2009.   
   Starting in November 2016 he will serve as a flight engineer on ISS   
   Expeditions 50 and 51. Fischer was selected in 2009 as a member of the 20th   
   NASA astronaut class, while Saint-Jacques, selected in 2009 by the Canadian   
   Space Agency, has moved to Houston to join the 20th NASA astronaut class.   
   Rubins, also selected in 2009 as a member of NASA's 20th astronaut class,   
   will serve as a flight engineer for ISS Expeditions 48 and 49, which heads   
   to the ISS in May 2016. Mogensen, who also joined the ESA astronaut corps in   
   2009, has been training in Texas. When he heads to the ISS this September   
   for a 10-day mission, he will become the first Danish astronaut to go into   
   space. Accompanying Mogensen on the Soyuz spacecraft will be British soprano   
   Sarah Brightman -- who has paid $52 million to be a "spaceflight   
   participant" for 10 days -- and cosmonaut Sergei Volkov, RU3DIS.   
      
   Later this month, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail   
   Kornienko, RN3BF, and Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, will head to the ISS, and   
   Kelly and Kornienko will remain onboard for 1 year -- the longest space   
   mission ever assigned to a NASA astronaut. Cristoforetti will head back to   
   Earth in May, after Kjell Lindgren, KO5MOS; Oleg Kononenko, RN3DX, and   
   Kimiya Yui arrive at the ISS as part of a scheduled crew rotation. Read   
   more.   
      
   ARRL Honorary Vice President, Past Director Receives BirmingHAMfest   
   Citizenship Award   
      
   ARRL Honorary Vice President and past ARRL Southeastern Division   
      
   Director Frank Butler, W4RH, is the recipient of the Birmingham (Alabama)   
   Amateur Radio Club's 2015 Citizenship Award, the club's highest honor. The   
   award recognizes outstanding service, unselfish devotion, and contributions   
   to the club, the community, and Amateur Radio.   
      
   The recipient is selected by the club's president and the two past award   
   recipients. Butler, of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, retired in 2008 after 50   
   years of elected service to the ARRL. He served as Southeastern Division   
   Director from 1980 until 2008. Before joining the ARRL Board, Butler served   
   briefly as the Division's Vice Director, and he was a Section Communications   
   Manager in Florida from 1957 until 1979.   
      
   He was honored at the 2015 BirmingHAMfest.   
      
   Scientist-Radio Amateur Named to Receive Prestigious Award   
      
   Ajay K. Poddar, AC2KG, of Elmwood, New Jersey, has been selected by the   
   Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) as the winner of   
   the 2015 International Frequency Control Symposium W.G. Cady Award. Poddar,   
   a chief scientist at Synergy Microwave Corp and an academic, was cited for   
   "the analysis, design, and development of a host of frequency control   
   products exhibiting state-of-the-art performance, including the development   
   of extremely low noise crystal oscillator circuitry." The award marks the   
   second honor for Synergy   
      
   Microwave scientists this year, and the third in 3 years. Synergy Chairman   
   Ulrich Rohde, N1UL (ex-KA2WEU), recently was named as the recipient of the   
   IEEE's I. I. Rabi Award for 2015, and last year he won the C.B. Sawyer   
   Memorial Award.   
      
   "In the history of the IEEE, no company ever got all three possible awards   
   in two consecutive years in this field," Rohde said.   
      
   In his current position, Poddar is responsible for the design and   
   development of a host of frequency-generating components and   
   signal-processing modules that hold performance records. Poddar has received   
   more than a dozen awards for his scientific contributions and technological   
   innovations, holds several dozen patents, and has published more than 200   
   scientific papers.   
      
   Poddar and Rohde will be honored at the 2015 Joint Conference of the IEEE   
   International Frequency Control Symposium and European Frequency and Time   
   Forum, held April 12-16 in Denver.   
      
   Southeastern Division Assistant Director Charles I. "Chuck" Baer, W4ROA, SK   
      
   Longtime ARRL Southeastern Division Assistant Director Charles I. "Chuck"   
   Baer, W4ROA, of Sunrise, Florida, died March 7 after a lengthy illness. He   
   was 74. An ARRL member, Baer had served three ARRL Southeastern Division   
   directors over the years.   
      
   "Chuck and I have worked together for over 30 years with local ARRL   
   affairs," said ARRL Southern Florida Section Manager Jeff Beals, WA4AW. "He   
   was very active in the Broward County Amateur Radio community."   
      
   Originally licensed KN9TVA in 1959 when he was 17, Baer worked at Allied   
   Radio in Chicago before moving to South Florida to work for Motorola at the   
   company's Plantation manufacturing facility.   
      
   "He led the team that produced the Amateur Radio gear for the Space Shuttle   
   program," said Beals. "Chuck was a founding member of the Motorola Amateur   
   Radio Club W4MOT and served as repeater trustee for many years." Baer   
   retired from Motorola after nearly 3 decades of service.   
      
   Baer was a member of the South Florida DX Association, the Broward Amateur   
   Radio Club, the Palmetto Amateur Radio Club, and the ARRL A-1 Operators   
   Club. He served as an ARRL Official Observer for more than 50 years in   
   Illinois and Florida.   
      
   In Brief...   
      
   Yasme Foundation Elects Two Directors: The Yasme Foundation   
   Board of Directors has announced the election of Ken Claerbout, K4ZW, and   
   Hans Blondeel Timmerman, PB2T, to the Board, effective with the Foundation's   
   upcoming Annual Meeting in Visalia, California. The action brings the number   
   of directors to nine. The Yasme Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation   
   organized to conduct scientific and educational projects related to Amateur   
   Radio, including DXing and the introduction and promotion of Amateur Radio   
   in developing countries.   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   The K7RA Solar Update   
      
   Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: For the second week in a row, average   
   daily sunspot numbers were down. According to ARRL Propagation Bulletins   
   6-11, the average sunspot numbers were 139, 81.6, 54.6, 59, and 54.1,   
   respectively. Over the past week the number was all the way down to 32.   
      
   [Solar%20Disk-2015-03-12.gif] On the other hand, for the second week in a   
   row, average daily solar flux trended upward. Average daily solar flux   
   numbers reported in ARRL Propagation Bulletins 6-11 were 151.1, 144.1,   
   121.4, 116.3, 122.9, and 127.8, respectively. These averages cover the dates   
   from January 29 through March 11.   
      
   Predicted solar flux is 125 on March 12-15, 130 on March 16-18, 125 on March   
   19, 120 on March 20-21, 115 on March 22-23, 110 on March 24-27, and 115 on   
   March 28-31. Solar flux then goes to a high of 125 on April 2-15 before   
   again dropping to a low of 110 for April 20-23.   
      
   Predicted planetary A index is 18, 30, 18 and 8 on March 12-15, then 20, 18,   
   and 12 on March 16-18, 5 on March 19-21, then 15, 20 and 8 on March 22-24, 5   
   on March 25-26, then 15, 30, 25, 12, and 10 on March 27-31, then 8, 10, 15,   
   12, 18, and 12 on April 1-6, 8 on April 7-8, and 10 on April 9-10. Looking   
   all the way out toward the end of the 45-day forecast, planetary A index for   
   April 24 is expected to be 30. As you can see, forecasters predict active   
   geomagnetic conditions similar to those seen as previous solar cycles have   
   turned down. The current sunspot cycle peaked about 1 year ago.   
      
   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 an update on our   
   3-month moving average of daily sunspot numbers. Send me your reports and   
   observations. -- Tad Cook, K7RA   
      
   Getting It Right!   
      
   A photo caption in the story, "Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 Introduced   
   in Congress," which appeared in The ARRL Letter of March 5, 2015, contained   
   incorrect information. The caption should have said: US Rep Adam Kinzinger   
   (R-IL) introduced "The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015" on March 4.   
      
   "Just Ahead in Radiosport" in The ARRL Letter of March 5, 2015, contained   
   incorrect dates for the Africa All-Mode International DX Contest. The   
   contest will take place over the March 14-15 weekend.   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   Just Ahead in Radiosport   
      
    *   
      
       March 14 -- AGCW QRP Contest (CW)   
    *   
      
       March 14 -- QRP ARCI Spring Digital Sprint   
    *   
      
       March 14-15 -- Africa All-Mode International DX Contest   
    *   
      
       March 14-15 -- RSGB Commonwealth Contest (CW)   
    *   
      
       March 14-15 -- Louisiana QSO Party   
    *   
      
       March 14-15 -- EA PSK63 Contest   
    *   
      
       March 14-15 -- Tesla Memorial HF Contest (CW)   
    *   
      
       March 14-15 -- QCWA Spring QSO Party   
    *   
      
       March 14-15 -- Idaho QSO Party   
    *   
      
       March 15 -- North American RTTY Sprint   
    *   
      
       March 15-16 -- Wisconsin QSO Party   
    *   
      
       March 16 -- PODXS St Patrick's Day Contest (Digital)   
    *   
      
       March 16 -- Run For the Bacon (CW)   
    *   
      
       March 17 -- CLARA Chatter Party (SSB, CW)   
    *   
      
       March 19 -- NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint (CW)   
      
   See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information.   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events   
      
    *   
      
       March 13-14 -- North Carolina Section Convention, Concord, North   
       Carolina   
    *   
      
       March 14 -- West Texas Section Convention, Midland, Texas   
    *   
      
       March 20-21 -- Louisiana State Convention, Rayne, Louisiana   
    *   
      
       March 21 -- MicroHAMS Digital Conference, Redmond, Washington   
    *   
      
       March 21 -- Nebraska State Convention, Lincoln, Nebraska   
    *   
      
       March 21 -- Southern Florida Section Convention, Stuart, Florida   
    *   
      
       March 21 -- Wisconsin State Convention, Milwaukee, Wisconsin   
    *   
      
       March 27-28 -- Maine State Convention, Lewiston, Maine   
    *   
      
       March 28 -- Texas State Convention, Rosenberg, Texas   
    *   
      
       April 4 -- West Central Florida Technical Conference, Sebring, Florida   
    *   
      
       April 4 -- North Carolina State Convention, Raleigh, North Carolina   
    *   
      
       April 4 -- Arkansas State Convention, Fort Smith, Arkansas   
    *   
      
       April 11 -- Delta Division Convention, Bartlett, Tennessee   
    *   
      
       April 11-12 -- Communications Academy, Seattle, Washington   
    *   
      
       April 17-19 -- International DX Convention, Visalia, California   
    *   
      
       April 17-19 -- Eastern VHF-UHF-Microwave Conference, Manchester,   
       Connecticut   
    *   
      
       April 25 -- Aurora Conference, White Bear Lake, Minnesota   
    *   
      
       May 1-3 -- Nevada State Convention, Verdi, Nevada   
    *   
      
       May 2 -- South Carolina Section Convention, Spartanburg, South Carolina   
    *   
      
       May 15-17 -- Dayton Hamventionr, Dayton, Ohio   
      
   Find conventions and hamfests in your area.   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 48 times each year. ARRL members may   
   subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member Data Page as   
   described at http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/.   
      
   Copyright (c) 2015 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved   
      
   www.arrl.org   
      
      
   )\/(ark   
      
   If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until   
   you hire an amateur.   
      
   --- FMail/Win32 1.60   
    * Origin:  (1:3634/12.71)