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   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2015-03-26   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
      
   March 26, 2015   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
    *  ARRL President, Directors, and Officers Educate and Advocate on Capitol   
       Hill   
    *  ARRL Centennial Points Challenge, W1AW WAS Awards Application Window   
       Open   
    *  Preparatory Meeting Under Way for World Radiocommunication Conference   
       2015   
    *  Global Amateur Radio Emergency Conference Returns to its Roots for 2015   
    *  Hams on Vanuatu Help with Cyclone Recovery Effort   
    *  Virginia Ham Test Session Yields Winners from Ages 9 to 90   
    *  Two Centenarian Radio Amateurs Honored   
    *  In Brief...   
    *  The K7RA Solar Update   
    *  Just Ahead in Radiosport   
    *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events   
      
   ARRL President, Directors, and Officers Educate and Advocate on Capitol Hill   
      
   ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, made a new Amateur Radio friend on Capitol   
   Hill this month as she headed a contingent of League Directors, officers,   
   and staff advocating for H.R. 1301 -- The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015.   
   Not only that, but Rep Daniel Benishek, KB8TOW (R-MI), signed on as an H.R.   
   1301 cosponsor. Others new to the fold include Reps Eliot Engel (D-NY),   
   David Joyce (R-OH), Jackie Walorski (R-IN), Kay Granger, (R-TX) and Pedro   
   Pierluisi (NP/D-PR), raising the total number of cosponsors to 28. Benishek   
   is one of two known radio amateurs in Congress. The other is Rep Greg   
   Walden, W7EQI (R-OR), who heads the subcommittee that will consider H.R.   
   1301.   
      
   "I visited 10 Congressional offices, including that of Dr Daniel Benishek,   
   who represents Michigan's 1st District. Dr Benishek is also an ARRL member,"   
   President Craigie said this week. "He was very friendly, and I appreciated   
   his meeting with me to talk about the bill." Benishek's legislative aide sat   
   in on the conversation, she said. "We were already in the area for the   
   Executive Committee meeting on March 21."   
      
   If approved and signed by President Obama, the measure would direct the FCC   
   to extend its rules relating to reasonable accommodation of Amateur Service   
   communications to private land use restrictions -- also known collectively   
   as "deed covenants, conditions, and restrictions," or CC&Rs.   
      
   President Craigie said she got a cordial reception at all of the Capitol   
   Hill offices she visited, and there was good dialogue with the staff people   
   she met. "I don't mind probing questions," she added. "They show that the   
   staff person is actually thinking about the points I'm making."   
      
   Rep Walden, also an ARRL member, and two of his subcommittee staffers met   
   with ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB; West Gulf Division   
   Director Dr David Woolweaver, K5RAV; ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, and   
   President Craigie to talk about strategy for H.R. 1301 going forward.   
      
   "At the end of the meeting, I asked Rep Walden how the ARRL could help him   
   to help us," President Craigie recounted. "He replied that it's essential to   
   continue educating people on the Hill -- members of Congress, Senators, and   
   their staffs -- about the value and importance of Amateur Radio."   
      
   President Craigie said ARRL officials can't do the job by themselves,   
   though. "ARRL members throughout the country must take advantage of every   
   opportunity to convince our lawmakers that Amateur Radio is beneficial and   
   that this bill is key to maintaining Amateur Radio as a resource," she said.   
   She encouraged ARRL members to write or call their US House members, urging   
   them to sign on as H.R. 1301 cosponsors. A regularly updated H.R. 1301 page   
   on the ARRL website includes key "talking points" and other information for   
   Amateur Radio delegations or individuals to use when contacting US House   
   members for their support.   
      
   President Craigie pointed out that one   
   opportunity to contact their representatives in person would be during the   
   Easter recess, March 27 through April 12, when lawmakers or their aides will   
   be available at their district offices. At this time, League members are   
   being encouraged to contact only US House members. Similar legislation has   
   not yet been introduced in the US Senate.   
      
   "Members of Congress may hold open town hall meetings or be available to   
   meet with constituents in the home district," President Craigie pointed out.   
   "The information we need to prepare ourselves is posted on the ARRL website.   
   It's not rocket science. It's just telling someone briefly in plain English   
   how Amateur Radio makes our communities better places to live and then   
   asking for co-sponsorship of H.R. 1301."   
      
   Others in the ARRL team visiting Capitol Hill were First Vice President Rick   
   Roderick, K5UR; Second Vice President Jim Fenstermaker, K9JF; Pacific   
   Division Director Bob Vallio, W6RGG, and ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay,   
   W3KD.   
      
   ARRL Centennial Points Challenge, W1AW WAS Awards Application Window Open   
      
   The window to apply for ARRL Centennial Points Challenge and W1AW Worked All   
   States awards is now open. The ARRL Centennial operating events were hugely   
   successful, with participation that exceeded all expectations.   
      
   "This was the biggest on-the-air operation in the history of Amateur Radio,"   
   ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B, said. More than 5.5   
   million Centennial event contacts were recorded in Logbook of The World   
   (LoTW) during 2014. That number includes contacts with W1AW portable   
   operations as well as those with individual ARRL members and Field   
   Organization volunteers. W100AW completed about 70,000 contacts.   
      
   For most applicants, the process will be simple and largely automated,   
   explained Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, Assistant Manager, Field Services and   
   Radiosport Department.   
      
   "The form will auto-populate, if we have your information on file, and the   
   form can be edited to update name and address information only," Fusaro   
   said. "The system will select the awards for which you qualify. Certificates   
   will be printed daily, so fulfillment will be ongoing, while plaques will be   
   shipped directly from the supplier." Fusaro said ARRL Headquarters has hired   
   extra staff to handle the added workload.   
      
   Certificates will be available for the Centennial Points Challenge Award,   
   while W1AW WAS Award participants will have the option of a certificate or a   
   plaque. Certificates are $16, and plaques are $60.   
      
   Fusaro said the task of checking and double-checking electronic logs,   
   entering paper logs into LoTW, and resolving various anomalies put an   
   unexpected burden on staff resources and delayed the opening of the awards   
   window. ARRL Headquarters also had to recalculate all submitted scores to   
   come up with final tallies.   
      
   "It's been a very time- and staff-intensive process, researching busted call   
   signs and running down claimed contacts and mode discrepancies for   
   operators," Fusaro said.   
      
   Centennial Points Challenge logs must have been submitted through LoTW by   
   January 22, but participants may apply for Centennial operating awards   
   indefinitely. The system automatically looks for points-qualifying QSOs from   
   submitted logs and applies them to each participant's Centennial Points   
   Challenge total. While most Centennial QSO Party participants entered their   
   contact information into LoTW, operators do not have to use LoTW to apply   
   for Points Challenge certificates or W1AW WAS awards.   
      
   Qualifying for the Top Level Award requires 15,000 points. The Third Level   
   Award requires 7500 points, while the Second and First Level awards require   
   3000 and 1000 points, respectively. Point totals will be printed on   
   certificates.   
      
   US stations that worked W1AW/p and W100AW during the Centennial may request   
   QSL cards via the Incoming QSL Service on the Centennial QSO Party web page.   
   This is a one-time only use of the QSL Bureau for this purpose, and those   
   who want to receive cards via the Bureau should ensure that their accounts   
   are sufficiently funded, because cards will not be held. Cards destined for   
   stations outside the US will be sent via the QSL Bureau. Participants also   
   may request cards directly, providing one SASE for up to six cards per   
   envelope.   
      
   W1AW/p and W100AW will not confirm every contact on the traditional paper   
   QSL cards, but will confirm QSOs for each mode and on most bands on a single   
   card for each weekly operation.   
      
   Preparatory Meeting Under Way for World Radiocommunication Conference 2015   
      
   International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) President Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA,   
   is on hand as the second session of the World Radiocommunication Conference   
   2015 (WRC-15) Conference [WRC-15%20Logo(1).png] Preparatory Meeting (CPM)   
   opens March 23 in Geneva, Switzerland. Delegates to the CPM will consider   
   regulatory, technical, operational, and procedural studies of WRC-15 agenda   
   issues and issue a report for presentation to WRC-15 delegates in advance of   
   the conference this November.   
      
   "The WRC is preceded by a long and rigorous preparatory process to lay the   
   groundwork and ensure that delegates are informed on all the issues and   
   understand the implications of the different options under discussion," said   
   ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. Zhao called the CPM "an extremely   
   important meeting" that may resolve various WRC-15 agenda issues.   
      
   Of importance to many radio amateurs is Agenda Item 1.4, involving the   
   possibility of an Amateur Radio allocation in the vicinity of 5 MHz. No US   
   proposal has been finalized on Agenda Item 1.4. The US proposal for Agenda   
   Item 1.12 -- to expand the Earth Exploration Satellite Service (EESS) in the   
   vicinity of 10 GHz -- supports allocating an additional 600 MHz of spectrum   
   to the EESS (active) as a   
   primary allocation in the band 9.9-10.5 GHz, with certain limitations. The   
   Amateur and Amateur-Satellite services have secondary allocations of   
   10.0-10.5 GHz and 10.45-10.5 GHz, respectively; the only current primary   
   allocation is to Radiolocation. An ITU concluded that the interference   
   potential of EESS (active) to Amateur Radio was limited to very brief and   
   infrequent periods.   
      
   US proposals on WRC-15 agenda items that already have been agreed upon are   
   available on the National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA)   
   website. Each proposal represents the US position on WRC-15 agenda items for   
   possible changes to the international Radio Regulations.   
      
   During the preparatory process, ARRL Chief Technology Officer Brennan Price,   
   N4QX, has been advocating on behalf of positions favorable to Amateur Radio   
   at WRC-15. Price will be a member of the US delegation at WRC-15.   
      
   World Radiocommunication Conferences, held every 3 to 4 years, are mandated   
   to review and, where necessary, revise the Radio Regulations, the   
   international treaty governing the use of the radio-frequency spectrum and   
   the geostationary-satellite and non-geostationary-satellite orbits. The   
   agenda is determined by ITU Council. -- Thanks to the ITU   
      
   Global Amateur Radio Emergency Conference Returns to its Roots for 2015   
      
   Ten years after its inaugural session in Tampere, Finland, the Global   
   Amateur Radio Emergency Conference (GAREC) will return to that city on   
   Tuesday and Wednesday, June 23-24. The theme of the international event will   
   be "Cooperating with Authorities." GAREC 2015 has extended an invitation to   
   all involved in emergency communication around the world.   
      
   Hosting GAREC 2015 will be the Finnish Amateur Radio League (SARL).   
   Finland's national emergency communications society, Suomen Radioturva   
   (SRT), will organize the event. Program Committee Chairman Seppo Sis„tt”,   
   OH1VR, will review the development of the GARECs from 2005 to 2015. He will   
   also chair a session laying out an emergency communication scenario.   
      
   IARU Regional 1 Emergency Communications Coordinator Greg Mossop, G0DUB, is   
   scheduled to moderate two panel discussions -- "Cooperating with Authorities   
   -- What have we done?" and "Cooperating with Authorities -- What should we   
   do?"   
      
   Juha Hartikka, OH7HJ, will introduce a forum on "The Tools for Amateur Radio   
   EmComms" and a "Long-Range Provincial EmComm Repeater."   
      
   Representatives from all three IARU regions will deliver reports during a   
   session chaired by SRT President Jyri Putkonen, OH7JP. Other GAREC 2015   
   moderators will include SRAL President Merja Koivaara, OH1EG.   
      
   A preliminary GAREC 2015 program and more information are available on the   
   GAREC 2015 website. -- Thanks to IARU Region 1   
      
   Hams on Vanuatu Help with Cyclone Recovery Effort   
      
   Vanuatu radio amateur Rod Newell, YJ8RN, reported this week that his home   
   survived the recent devastation from Cyclone Pam with only minor damage,   
   although he still has no electrical power. A bank of solar panels and a   
   small gasoline generator are permitting him to live off the grid at least   
   for a little while.   
      
   "I have had light and ice cream all the way through," the Australia native   
   told The Daily DX. He ran his two-stroke 800 W generator 15 hours a day for   
   10 days to keep his refrigerator and water pump running. He has estimated   
   that commercial power will be out for another 10 days or so. While the   
   Island of �fat‚, where Newell lives, still has leaves on its trees, there   
   are many broken branches.   
      
   He noted that Vanuatu connected to a fiber optic cable in early 2014, which   
   made it possible for scenes of destruction to be shared with the rest of the   
   world. Newell said the northern part of the island archipelago caught just   
   the edge of the storm and suffered little damage. The southern island of   
   Tanna, with some 30,000 inhabitants, and Erromango, just north of Tanna and   
   with barely 2000 residents, were the worst hit.   
      
   On Tanna, the cyclone blew leaves from trees that have been left bare and   
   brown, although palm trees seem to have fared better. Crops are just bare   
   stalks, and local produce markets have had to shut down, he said. Newell   
   estimated that it could take about 6 months for farmers to once again   
   produce such local stables as manioc, although crops such as cabbage could   
   be ready within 6 weeks. Malekula, mid-way between �fat‚ and Santo, suffered   
   some tree damage on ridge tops but is otherwise green. Santo was largely   
   unscathed, and the produce market has been open.   
      
   Humanitarian efforts are well under way, with planes   
   and helicopters coming in to help. Relief ships are starting to arrive, but   
   Newell said it will be a long time before housing, schools, and water   
   supplies are back to normal on Tanna. One radio amateur has put his Twin   
   Otter aircraft to use as part of the relief efforts.   
      
   Newell said he spent 3 days on Tanna setting up HF radios for the local   
   airline, the Red Cross, and the police, and he just returned from doing the   
   same on Santo to the north.   
      
   The YJ0XG operation by Haru Uchida, JA1XGI, is still on schedule for April   
   13-19. The resort he booked suffered only minimal damage from the cyclone,   
   although ac power is still being worked out.   
      
   The ZL3X group that operated from Vanuatu last October as YJ0X has donated   
   $1000 to the Red Cross appeal. -- Thanks to The Daily DX   
      
   Virginia Ham Test Session Yields Winners from Ages 9 to 90   
      
   None of the 34 candidates at a February 28 ARRL VEC Amateur Radio testing   
   session in Virginia's Tidewater region went home empty handed. Among the   
   successful applicants was a nonagenarian former licensee who had been out of   
   ham radio for 60 years, and sisters aged 9 and 12. Every applicant passed at   
   least one of the tests attempted. Turnout at the session, sponsored jointly   
   by the Hampton Public Service Team (HPST) and the Southern Peninsula Amateur   
   Radio Klub (SPARK), was impressive, said Volunteer Examiner Tom Tach‚,   
   WE4TOM.   
      
   "We had some stunning results," Tach‚ said. "Four of the   
   individuals who came in with no license earned their Extra tickets at this   
   exam session, and another individual who already had a license also earned   
   an Extra ticket." Robert Uiterwyk, W3AF, headed the 15-member VE team.   
      
   A 90-year-old man who had not been licensed since the 1950s rejoined the ham   
   radio ranks by passing the Technician test, then presented his 1950-vintage   
   Advanced ticket to qualify for a General license. An 80-year-old man became   
   a ham for the first time by passing the Technician examination. A 9-year-old   
   girl and her 12-year-old sister both earned their Technician licenses, and a   
   10-year-old girl and her 12-year-old brother both earned General tickets at   
   the test session. Four candidates went from Tech to Extra in one fell swoop,   
   passing all three license exams at the Virginia session.   
      
   Tach‚ said 23 candidates walked in the door unlicensed, and all left with a   
   ham ticket in hand. Seventeen of the newbies earned Technician licenses,   
   while another six went on to pass the General exam, and four continued on to   
   earn their Amateur Extra license. One applicant achieved a perfect score on   
   all three examinations. The turnout represented an all-time record for the   
   groups' test sessions, and Tach‚ said it was especially impressive for an   
   exam session not held in conjunction with a hamfest.   
      
   Tach‚ credited three factors with contributing to increased interest in the   
   examination session: The SPARK website, word of mouth among area hams, and   
   Technician licensing classes that SPARK had offered in January and February.   
      
   Of the 52 examinations that were administered, six candidates who attempted   
   the General test and two who took the Amateur Extra exam did not pass.   
      
   Two Centenarian Radio Amateurs Honored   
      
   Two distinguished centenarian radio amateurs recently were honored by their   
   respective states. In Alaska, 102-year-old ARRL member Arlene "Buddy" Clay,   
   KL7OT, was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame for her work in   
   rural justice administration among the Yup'ik people. Responding to a 1944   
   QST advertisement, Buddy Clay and her late husband Earl, KL7EM, went to work   
   as air traffic   
   controllers for the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) in Nome. After a transfer   
   to Aniak, a tiny Yup'ik settlement, they built a cabin overlooking the   
   Kuskokwim River, eventually left the CAB, and lived off the land for the   
   next 10 years, developing a dogsled team to aid in hunting. Buddy became a   
   ham in 1948 and began calling the Thursday night Snipers Net for the   
   Matanuska Amateur Radio Association, a duty she continues from her   
   retirement community home in Wasilla.   
      
   After Earl Clay died in 1956, Buddy went back to work for the CAB and for   
   the US Postal Service. In 1960, though, she started a new career as a   
   magistrate for the Alaska Court System, becoming responsible for 12 villages   
   along the Kuskokwim, Yukon, and Iditarod rivers. She traveled from village   
   to village by boat in the summer and by dog sled in the winter. In all, she   
   spent nearly 70 years living in Alaska's wilderness.   
      
   In Utah, the State House of Representatives honored Greef "Richard" Beckham,   
   W7FVM, on the occasion of his 100th birthday. A Texas native, Beckham is   
   believed to be the last living member of the US Navy team that searched for   
   famed aviator Amelia Earhart after she went missing over the South Pacific.   
   Earhart's fate remains unknown. As an observer aboard a Navy seaplane,   
   Beckham sent the first CW messages that Earhart was missing. He also shot   
   and owns the only film footage ever taken of the Earhart search operation.   
      
   After his Navy tour, Beckham became a science teacher in Oregon. He earned a   
   pilot's license and became active with the Civil Air Patrol.   
      
   Beckham has applied to join a June International Group for Historic Aircraft   
   Recovery (TIGHAR) mission that hopes to solve the Earhart mystery. -- Thanks   
   to the Nevada Amateur Radio Newswire; the information about Richard Beckham   
   was originally broadcast by KSL-TV in Salt Lake City.   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   In Brief...   
      
   ARISS Announces NA1SS Listening Opportunity: An ARISS telebridge   
   contact is scheduled with schools in Belgium and in Turkey on April 1. The   
   contact will take place via ground station K6DUE at NASA Goddard Space   
   Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The scheduled astronaut is Samantha   
   Cristoforetti, IZ0UDF, who will use the call sign NA1SS. The contact is set   
   for Wednesday, April 1 at 0920 UTC. Anyone in the Washington, DC, area with   
   a VHF transceiver or scanner should be able to receive at least some of   
   Cristoforetti's answers as they are transmitted on 145.800 MHz from NA1SS as   
   the space station passes overhead. -- Thanks to ARISS   
      
   Web Article Explains How to Research Old Ham   
   Call Signs: A web article, "How to Find Old Amateur Radio Call Signs"   
   provides useful tips on how to research old Amateur Radio call signs. It   
   includes access to old Call Book Magazine editions dating back to 1913 as   
   well as privately compiled listings and valuable information on considerable   
   online resources and how to search for call signs using the sometimes   
   imperfect Google scans of old Radio Amateur Call Book editions. Other   
   resources mentioned include the ARRL Periodicals Archive and Search page and   
   the National Silent Key Archive, which includes both US and Canadian   
   listings. -- Thanks to The Daily DX   
      
   Malawi 7QAA Operation Aiming for   
   60,000 Contacts, WPX SSB Operation Planned: The twin-team 7QAA DXpedition to   
   Malawi is rapidly closing in on 50,000 contacts. Team 1 wrapped up its   
   CW/RTTY operation with some 41,000 CW QSOs and 4000 RTTY contacts before   
   heading home. Team 2, the SSB/RTTY group, has raised the RTTY total to 5500   
   contacts and counting. 7QAA will be on the air during the CQ World Wide WPX   
   SSB contest March 28-29 (UTC). The teams used the "Armstrong method" to   
   raise and rotate their antennas. -- Thanks to Roger Jones, ZS6RJ   
      
   Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about K1N:   
   Co-Team Leader Glenn Johnson, W0GJ, has prepared a detailed article,   
   "Mission Impossible or Mission Possible?" regarding all aspects of planning   
   and executing the recent K1N Navassa Island DXpedition. The article appears   
   in the March edition of The Gray Line Report, the newsletter of the Twin   
   Cities DX Association (TCDXA). As the article explains, DXpeditions on this   
   scale take professional levels of planning, negotiation, and execution every   
   step of the way. -- Thanks to OPDX   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   The K7RA Solar Update   
      
   Sunspot numbers and solar flux both rose this week. Average daily sunspot   
   numbers on March 19-25 were up 24.8 points to 83.9, compared to the previous   
   7-day period. Average daily solar flux rose from 117.5 to 122.4.   
      
   The average planetary A index dropped from   
   29.4 to 19.4, although conditions continued to be active. March 22-23 had   
   planetary A index numbers at 24 and 21, but there was nothing like the index   
   of 117, recorded on March 17.   
      
   We saw one new sunspot region on March 19, two on March 21, three on March   
   22 and again on March 23, and yet another new one on March 24.   
      
   Predicted solar flux is 150 on March 26-28, 145 on March 29-30, then 150,   
   155, and 145 on March 31 through April 2, 130 on April 3-5, 125 on April   
   6-8, 120 on April 9-10, 115 on April 11-19, 120 on April 20, 115 on April   
   21, 120 on April 22-23, and 125 on April 24-27.   
      
   Predicted planetary A index is 8 on March 26-27, 25 on March 28-29, 10 on   
   March 30-31, 5 on April 1, then 10, 15, and 12 on April 2-4, 5 on April 5-6,   
   8 on April 7-8, 5 on April 9-11, 15, and 30 on April 12-13, 20 on April   
   14-16, 15 on April 17, 20 on April 18-19, then 12, 5 and 15 on April 20-22,   
   and 25 on April 23-24.   
      
   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 news from readers,   
   including a report from one unlucky ham who had planned to operate on 17   
   meters while vacationing in Florida for a couple of days. Unfortunately, his   
   stay coincided with the peak effect of the recent large disturbance, and he   
   heard no signals for the 2 days he was there.   
      
   Send me your reports and observations. -- Tad Cook, K7RA   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   Just Ahead in Radiosport   
      
    *   
      
       March 28-29 -- FOC QSO Party   
    *   
      
       March 28-29 -- CQ WPX SSB Contest   
    *   
      
       March 28-29 -- Worldwide EME Contest   
    *   
      
       April 1 -- CWOps Weekly Mini-CWT Tests   
    *   
      
       April 3 -- NS Weekly RTTY Sprint   
    *   
      
       April 3 -- NS Weekly Sprint (CW)   
    *   
      
       April 3-12 -- Lighthouse Spring Lites QSO Party   
      
   See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information.   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events   
      
    *   
      
       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 24-25 -- Southeastern VHF Society Conference, Morehead, Kentucky   
    *   
      
       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   
    *   
      
       June 5-7 -- Northwestern Division Convention (SeaPac), Seaside, Oregon   
    *   
      
       June 6 -- Georgia State Convention, Marietta, Georgia   
    *   
      
       June 12-13 -- West Gulf Division Convention (Ham-Com), Irving, Texas   
    *   
      
       June 13 -- Tennessee State Convention, Knoxville, Tennessee   
      
   Find conventions and hamfests in your area.   
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   )\/(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)