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   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2015-07-02   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
      
   July 2, 2015   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
    *  The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 Introduced in the US Senate   
    *  ARRL Website Has New Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 Page   
    *  FCC Invites Comments on Proposed Rules for New LF and MF Amateur   
       Allocations   
    *  FCC Speedily Dismisses Petitions to Alter Amateur Service Rules   
    *  W1AW/5 Will Represent ARRL Headquarters in the 2015 IARU HF World   
       Championship   
    *  Pattern of CQ WW Contact Padding Prompts Disqualifications, Review of   
       Past Contest Logs   
    *  CEDAR Conference Participants Dig Into Science of Interest to Radio   
       Amateurs   
    *  Phillip Groves, N8SFO, Named as West Virginia Section Manager   
    *  The ARRL Letter Tops 100,000 Subscribers!   
    *  "Founders and Patriots of the Republic" is Theme of Annual 13 Colonies   
       Event   
    *  The K7RA Solar Update   
    *  Just Ahead in Radiosport   
    *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   ARRL Headquarters Will Be Closed on Friday, July 3: ARRL Headquarters will be   
   closed on Friday, July 3, in observance of Independence Day. There will be no   
   edition of ARRL Audio News and no W1AW bulletins or code practice on July 3.   
   We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend!   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 Introduced in the US Senate   
      
   A companion Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 bill has been introduced in the   
   US Senate. Mississippi Republican Sen Roger Wicker introduced S. 1685 on June   
   25, with Connecticut Democratic Sen Richard Blumenthal as the initial   
   cosponsor. The Senate bill joins [CapitolDome.jpg] an identical measure in the   
   US House, H.R. 1301, which was introduced in March by Illinois Republican Rep   
   Adam Kinzinger. Both measures would direct the FCC to extend its rules   
   relating to reasonable accommodation of Amateur Service communications to   
   private land-use restrictions.   
      
   "Introduction of the Senate bill is a huge step toward achieving fairness for   
   amateurs affected by private land-use regulation," said ARRL President Kay   
   Craigie, N3KN. "For them and for the future of Amateur Radio, I thank everyone   
   who contributed to making this progress. Now let's finish the job!"   
      
   Wicker said the bill he introduced with Blumenthal's cosponsorship would allow   
   for transparency and equality in the regulatory process. He said in a June 29   
   media release that the legislation would ensure that Amateur Radio operators   
   are able to continue to provide "critical communications support at no cost to   
   taxpayers."   
      
   "This would be particularly beneficial in Mississippi and other rural states,"   
   Wicker said. "During Hurricane Katrina, Mississippians learned firsthand the   
   value of Amateur Radio, and its ability to provide information that could save   
   lives in times of natural disasters."   
      
   According to Wicker, the measure "ensures increased access to, and   
   availability of, critical resources and communication tools" to first   
   responders. Added Blumenthal, "We have seen the effectiveness of these   
   systems, and the need to provide these emergency response systems to   
   Americans, regardless of where you live, is evident."   
      
   Wicker pointed out that private land-use restrictions prevent many hams from   
   installing functional outdoor antennas. "This bill would call on FCC to apply   
   the reasonable accommodation policy evenly to all types of residential   
   land-use regulations and offer Amateur Radio operators the ability to   
   negotiate with subdivisions that now have restrictions that preclude Amateur   
   Radio antennas completely," he said. "This could be accomplished without   
   taking any jurisdiction away from homeowners associations and would protect   
   neighborhood aesthetics."   
      
   S. 1685 has been referred to the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and   
   Transportation, chaired by Sen John Thune (R-SD).   
      
   The House version of The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 had attracted   
   support from 83 cosponsors, as of July 1.   
      
      
   ARRL Website Has New Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 Page   
      
   Now that there is Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 legislation in both   
   chambers of the US Congress, the League has a combined web page to accommodate   
   activities on behalf of both bills. The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 is   
   H.R. 1301 in the US House of Representatives and S. 1685 in the US Senate. The   
   Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 page provides a clearinghouse for all   
   information on these identical pieces of legislation.   
      
   US Rep Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) introduced H.R. 1301 on March 4 with bipartisan   
   support. US Sen Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced S. 1685 on June 26, with Sen   
   Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) as an original cosponsor.   
      
   The bill would require the FCC to amend its 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" or CC&Rs. PRB-1 now only applies to   
   state and local zoning laws and ordinances, and the FCC has been reluctant to   
   extend the same legal protections to include such private land-use agreements   
   without direction from Congress.   
      
   ARRL members are urged to write their members of Congress in both the House   
   and the Senate, asking them to sign on to the bill as cosponsors. Route   
   letters to your member of Congress to ARRL, ATTN Amateur Radio Parity Act   
   Grassroots Campaign, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. Correspondence will be   
   sorted at ARRL Headquarters and hand delivered to the appropriate US   
   representatives and senators. Letters should include the sender's name and   
   address.   
      
      
   FCC Invites Comments on Proposed Rules for New LF and MF Amateur Allocations   
      
   The FCC is inviting comments on its recent proposals to authorize Amateur   
   Radio operation on two new bands -- an LF allocation at 135.7 to 137.8 kHz   
   (2200 meters), and an MF allocation at 472-479 kHz (630 meters). Amateur Radio   
   would be secondary on both bands. Comments are due August 31. Reply comments   
   -- ie, comments on comments filed -- are due by September 30. The FCC   
   allocated 135.7 to 137.8 kHz to the Amateur Service in accordance with the   
   Final Acts of the 2007 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-07). The   
   proposed new allocation at 472 to 479 kHz would implement decisions made at   
   WRC-12.   
      
   "The Commission is proposing service rules for the Amateur Service in the   
   135.7-137.8 kHz and 472-479 kHz bands with the principal goal of enabling   
   sharing of this spectrum among licensed amateur stations and unlicensed PLC   
   systems," the FCC said on April 27 in a 257-page Report and Order, Order, and   
   Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The combined proceeding addresses three dockets   
   -- ET-12-338, ET-15-99, and IB-06-123 -- affecting various radio services in   
   addition to the Amateur Service. The detailed proposals appeared in The   
   Federal Register on July 2.   
      
   Amateur Radio would not be permitted in either band until the FCC determines,   
   on the basis of comments, the specific technical and operational Part 97 rules   
   it must develop. Amateur Radio would share both allocations with unlicensed   
   Part 15 power line carrier (PLC) systems operated by utilities to control the   
   power grid, as well as with other users.   
      
   With respect to the new 630 meter band, the FCC has concluded that Amateur   
   Radio and PLC systems "can successfully coexist in the band," and noted that   
   there has been no reported interference to PLC operation resulting from   
   experimental operations there. The FCC said PLC systems and anticipated   
   Amateur Radio use of both 630 meters and 2200 meters "have characteristics   
   that make coexistence possible." In general, the FCC wants to hear from the   
   public regarding power limits, antenna placement and height, and geographical   
   limitations for operation in the proposed LF and MF   
   allocations. The FCC has said that the "cornerstone" of the technical rules   
   it's proposing for both bands is "physical separation between amateur stations   
   and the transmission lines" carrying PLC signals.   
      
   The FCC has said that if it concludes, after considering the record, that   
   Amateur Radio and PLC systems cannot coexist on 135.7-137.8 kHz, it would   
   "defer the adoption of service rules, and amateur users will have to continue   
   to use the experimental licensing process to operate in the band."   
      
   In 2012, the ARRL submitted a Petition for Rule Making asking the FCC to   
   allocate 472-479 kHz to the Amateur Service on a secondary basis and to amend   
   the Part 97 rules to provide for its use. Several countries, including Canada,   
   already have access to the band.   
      
   The FCC said the addition of the new LF and MF allocations "would provide new   
   opportunities for amateur operators to experiment with equipment, techniques,   
   antennas, and propagation phenomena but with signals having larger bandwidth   
   and higher power."   
      
   In addition, the FCC has raised the secondary Amateur Service allocation at   
   1900 to 2000 kHz to primary, while providing for continued use by currently   
   unlicensed commercial fishing vessels of radio buoys on the "open sea." The   
   Commission is seeking comment on technical requirements to govern operation of   
   the Part 80 radio buoys.   
      
   Interested parties may submit comments, identified by ET Docket No 15-99, via   
   the FCC Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS). The ARRL will file comments   
   in this proceeding.   
      
      
   FCC Speedily Dismisses Petitions to Alter Amateur Service Rules   
      
   Acting with near lightning speed, the FCC has dismissed two petitions for rule   
   making calling for separate amendments to the Part 97 Amateur Service rules.   
   Willison H. Gormly, WD0BCS, of Des Moines, New Mexico, filed both petitions on   
   June 16, and the FCC turned them away on July 1. Gormly had requested that the   
   FCC amend ?97.301(e) of the rules by dividing it into separate sub-paragraphs   
   for technician and Novice class privileges. He had also asked the FCC to amend   
   ?97.305(c) to authorize spread spectrum emissions in the 2 meter band.   
      
   "The rule changes you propose were previously rejected by the Commission,"   
   Scot Stone, deputy chief of the Mobility Division in the Wireless   
   Telecommunications Bureau, told Gormly in the FCC's dismissal letter. "Your   
   petitions do not demonstrate or even suggest that any relevant circumstances   
   have changed such as to merit reconsideration of these decisions."   
      
   The FCC noted that while ?97.301(e) had been divided into two paragraphs in   
   the past, these were consolidated when the Commission streamlined the rules in   
   1999. Gormly argued that the present configuration was confusing, but the FCC   
   pointed out that ?97.301 "has been in this arrangement for a number of years   
   without any reported difficulty."   
      
   Regarding Gormly's second petition, the Commission noted that it had sought   
   comment in 2004 as to whether it should expand the bands authorized for spread   
   spectrum to permit such emissions on the 50 MHz, 144 MHz, and 222 MHz bands.   
   Agreeing with the majority of comments, the FCC subsequently determined that   
   authorizing spread spectrum was not warranted on 6 meters and 2 meters,   
   "because of concerns over the compatibility of spread spectrum emission types   
   and other Amateur Radio operations in those bands," the FCC explained in its   
   denial letter. Read more.   
      
      
   W1AW/5 Will Represent ARRL Headquarters in the 2015 IARU HF World Championship   
      
   The summer's most popular HF contest -- The 2015 International Amateur Radio   
   Union (IARU) HF World Championship -- gets under way on July 11 at 1200 UTC   
   and continues for 24 hours. The object of the contest is to contact other   
   amateurs around the world -- especially IARU officials and member-society HQ   
   stations -- in as many ITU zones as possible on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10   
   meters -- using CW and [IARU_all3regions.JPG] phone. The ARRL Headquarters   
   station for the event will be W1AW/5, organized by Steve London, N2IC, in New   
   Mexico. NU1AW/7 in Washington will be the IARU headquarters station, organized   
   by Mark Tharp, KB7HDX. London said the W1AW/5 operation will take place from   
   six sites spread across New Mexico, with eight operators. He's hoping things   
   will go smoothly, but he's also been keeping an eye on the weather.   
      
   "July is monsoon season in New Mexico," he said. "It's not unusual to have   
   thunderstorms that just sit there over large areas, for hours."   
      
   Participating IARU member-society headquarters stations and officials count as   
   score multipliers. Members of the IARU Administrative Council and the three   
   IARU regional executive committees send a signal report plus "AC," "R1," "R2,"   
   and "R3," as appropriate. Other stations send a signal report plus ITU zone,   
   and contact points vary from 1 to 5 points, depending on the other station's   
   ITU zone.   
      
   The IARU offers a variety of entry categories, and single operators can   
   operate SSB only, CW only, or a mixture of both modes. Power categories   
   include High Power (greater than 150 W), Low Power (between 5 W and 150 W), or   
   QRP (5 W or less). This year new Unlimited categories have been added for   
   operators using assistance. There is also a Multioperator, Single Transmitter   
   category, so several friends can get together to operate from one station.   
      
   The IARU HF Championship offers a lot of summertime operating enjoyment and a   
   chance to check out your station and antennas well in advance of the 2015-2016   
   contest season. There's plenty of room for casual operators too.   
      
   Submit logs via e-mail. Mail paper logs to IARU International Secretariat, Box   
   310905, Newington, CT 06111-0905 USA. All logs must be e-mailed or postmarked   
   no later than 1200 UTC on August 11, 2015.   
      
      
   Pattern of CQ WW Contact Padding Prompts Disqualifications, Review of Past   
   Contest Logs   
      
   The CQ World Wide Contest Committee said on June 25 that it plans to review   
   all past CQ WW contest logs, after its investigation revealed a pattern of   
   routine QSO padding on the part of one top-scoring CQ WW participant. This   
   follows in the wake of the disqualifications of some two dozen 2014 CQ WW SSB   
   contest operators in April, and another 30 contestants in the 2014 CQ WW CW   
   event. Among the latter group of DQs was the TO7A entry of Dmitry V. Stashuk,   
   UT5UGR, of Kiev, Ukraine, for unclaimed use of assistance. TO7A had claimed   
   the top Single Operator, High Power score.   
      
   "During the public discussion around this disqualification, a section of the   
   log on 160 meters was pointed out as being suspicious," the committee said.   
   "Further checking revealed a run of 47 QSOs that were added to the log when   
   TO7A could not be detected on the air by RBN [Reverse Beacon Network] or SDR   
   recordings. In total, as many as 123 QSOs representing 22 additional   
   multipliers were padded into the log." The CQ WW Contest Committee said the   
   "particular pattern" of the suspicious contacts made it clear that they were   
   added deliberately after the contest to fill in rest or break periods.   
      
   The contest committee subsequently decided to dig more deeply into past   
   contest logs submitted by UT5UGR, many of them competitive entries, including   
   one for a record continental score, and it uncovered evidence of log padding   
   going back to 2008, when UT5UGR placed third in the world in the Single   
   Operator, High Power category from V31WA in the CQ WW CW.   
      
   As a result, CQ has disqualified UT5UGR's entries in which they detected log   
   padding and removed them from the official score database. In addition, any   
   entry into a CQ-sponsored contest until July 2020 in which UT5UGR is the   
   operator or listed as a participant will be reclassified as a checklog.   
      
   "This violation of the trust that underlies radiosport competition cannot be   
   ignored," CQ said. The CQ WW Contest Committee has announced that new log   
   checking processes were being developed to improve the detection of log   
   padding. "We intend to test these methods against all submitted logs from   
   2011-2014. If other entries are found to have added unverifiable QSOs, we will   
   address them on a case by case basis," CQ said.   
      
   Stashuk did not respond to an ARRL e-mail seeking comment. Read more.   
      
      
   CEDAR Conference Participants Dig Into Science of Interest to Radio Amateurs   
      
   It was a meeting of the minds as more than 300 scientists -- many of them   
   radio amateurs -- met at the University of Washington in Seattle during the   
   week of June 21 for the annual National Science Foundation-sponsored Coupling,   
   Energetics, and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions (CEDAR) Conference. CEDAR is a   
   broad-based, community-guided upper-atmosphere research program. The program   
   focuses on the science of atmospheric regions from the middle atmosphere (~30   
   km altitude) through space. This region includes the ionosphere, and the CEDAR   
   workshop discussed issues highly relevant to Amateur Radio HF propagation.   
      
   "The middle atmosphere is particularly difficult to study, as it is generally   
   too high for sounding rockets and balloons, and too low for most satellites,"   
   explained Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, a graduate student at Virginia Tech who   
   attended the CEDAR workshop. "Thus, it is difficult to make in-situ   
   measurements, and remote sensing techniques are very important." Frissell said   
   it's also very difficult, because of its size, to take sufficient measurements   
   that truly characterize the whole Earth-space system.   
      
   Noteworthy topics at the CEDAR workshop included ionospheric and neutral   
   atmospheric response to geomagnetic storms and space weather, atmospheric   
   gravity waves and traveling ionospheric disturbances, and the coupling of the   
   ionosphere and middle atmosphere to space. Frissell delivered a presentation,   
   "Using Amateur Radio Signals with the CARINA Satellite," during the   
   conference, in collaboration with Magda Moses, KM4EGE, a Virginia Tech   
   undergraduate; Ethan Miller, K8GU, of JHU/APL; Steve Kaeppler, AD0AE, of SRI,   
   and the Reverse Beacon Network (RBN). Frissell said his presentation prompted   
   the recent experiment that had the Canadian CASSIOPE satellite listen for   
   Field Day signals.   
      
   Moses' workshop poster presentation, "Experiment Design to Assess Ionospheric   
   Perturbations During a Solar Eclipse," discussed how solar eclipses offer an   
   opportunity to determine the dependence of the ionosphere on sunlight. She is   
   working with her advisor, Gregory Earle, W4GDE, and Frissell. A total solar   
   eclipse will occur over the US in August 2017. Moses' plan is to observe   
   whether unique ionospheric responses may be witnessed during an eclipse. "This   
   will be accomplished using a nationwide network of GPS receivers as well as   
   coherent scatter radars and a variety of techniques involving Amateur Radio,"   
   her poster explained. The experiment would make use of the RBN and involve an   
   Eclipse QSO Party.   
      
   "These conferences are extremely important, because the only way we have a   
   chance at gaining understanding of the Earth-space system is to have the   
   entire scientific community work together to identify strategies for making   
   progress," Frissell said. He noted that many CEDAR talks were about building   
   networks of instruments and sharing data to tackle problems of common   
   interest. "This is one reason I think using the RBN -- and similar networks --   
   is important," he said, "because they provide a global view that complements   
   other observational techniques." Read more. -- Thanks to Nathaniel Frissell,   
   W2NAF   
      
      
   Phillip Groves, N8SFO, Named as West Virginia Section Manager   
      
   Phillip Groves, N8SFO, has been appointed as ARRL West Virginia Section   
   Manager. Groves, of Beckley, succeeds the late Charles Hardy, WV8CH, of   
   Fayetteville, who died on June 14, apparently as the result of accidental   
   electrocution while working on an antenna at his home.   
      
   "This position will present me with new opportunities to further promote   
   Amateur Radio participation and membership for radio clubs," Groves told ARRL   
   Headquarters.   
      
   Field Services and Radiosport Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, made the appointment,   
   effective on June 30, after consulting with Roanoke Division Director Jim   
   Boehner, N2ZZ, and Roanoke Division Vice Director Bill Morine, N2COP.   
      
   Groves, 56, has been a radio amateur since 1991 and is active within the ARRL   
   National Traffic System (NTS) as net control station for the West Virginia   
   Mid-Day Net and the NTS Eighth Region Net, and, as needed, assists with the   
   Eastern Area Net. He is a member of the Plateau Amateur Radio Association and   
   the 8 Rivers Amateur Radio Club. A retired underground coal miner and   
   contractor, Groves also enjoys hunting and fishing, gardening, and road trips   
   with his wife.   
      
   Groves will serve the remainder of the current term, which extends until   
   September 30, 2017.   
      
      
   The ARRL Letter Tops 100,000 Subscribers!   
      
   For the first time in its 33-year history, The ARRL Letter -- the League's   
   weekly e-newsletter -- has exceeded 100,000 subscribers. The tally for the   
   June 25, 2015, edition was 100,139. The ARRL Letter is distributed free to all   
   ARRL members who opt to receive it via their membership profile.   
      
   "I am gratified to see The ARRL Letter reach the 100,000-reader mark. It is   
   testimony to the excellent journalistic work of News Editor Rick Lindquist,   
   WW1ME," said ARRL Publications Manager Steve   
   Ford, WB8IMY. "It is astonishing to realize that, in terms of overall   
   circulation, The ARRL Letter's readership is now exceeded only by QST magazine   
   itself."   
      
   The ARRL Letter began as a bi-weekly, paid-subscription, 4-page newsletter   
   delivered by postal mail to subscribers, who had to be ARRL members. The first   
   edition was published on October 28, 1982. The focus was on delivering   
   breaking news to members who didn't want to wait for the next issue of QST to   
   read about it. The first editor was Peter O'Dell, KB1N (now WB2D), with Wayne   
   T. Yoshida, KA6KGU (now KH6WZ), as associate editor. The banner headline in   
   the first edition was, "Flash! FCC Gives 10 MHz to Hams NOW!"   
      
   Lindquist has served twice as editor of The ARRL Letter. He oversaw the   
   transition of the newsletter from a print-only publication to an electronic   
   publication in the mid-1990s. For more than 10 years, The ARRL Letter appeared   
   in subscribers' inboxes as a plain ASCII text publication. After Lindquist   
   retired from the ARRL Headquarters staff in 2007 and Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA,   
   took over as news editor, The ARRL Letter was reconfigured as an HTML   
   publication that included color photos and ads of interest to readers. When   
   Keane left HQ in mid-2013, Lindquist was tapped to return as news editor,   
   which he handles on a part-time basis from his home in Down East Maine.   
      
      
   "Founders and Patriots of the Republic" is Theme of Annual 13 Colonies Event   
      
   The annual Independence Day week 13 Colonies Special Event got under way on   
   June 30 and will continue until July 5 at 0400 UTC. The theme for the 2015   
   event is "Founders and Patriots of the Republic." The object is for operators   
   to contact special event stations in each of the 13 British colonies that   
   became the US in 1776. The contact count for last year's event was nearly   
   109,000.   
      
   Certificates and endorsements will be available for working the 13 colonies   
   stations, with a sticker for contacting all 13 and an endorsement for   
   contacting WM3PEN in Philadelphia, where independence was declared in 1776.   
   Those working WM3PEN will have a Liberty Bell added to their 13 Colonies   
   certificates.   
      
   The 1 x 1 call sign stations on the air this year are K2A in New York, K2B in   
   Virginia, K2C in Rhode Island, K2D in Connecticut, K2E in Delaware, K2F in   
   Maryland, K2G in Georgia, K2H in Massachusetts, K2I in New Jersey, K2J in   
   North Carolina, K2K in New Hampshire, K2L in South Carolina, and K2M in   
   Pennsylvania. In addition to WM3PEN, UK special event station GB13COL will   
   operate from Durham, England, with members of the Durham and District Amateur   
   Radio Society participating.   
      
      
   The K7RA Solar Update   
      
   Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Conditions over Field Day weekend turned out   
   to be not bad at all. The expected geomagnetic upset never happened. On the   
   Thursday and Friday before Field Day, the predicted planetary A index for the   
   June 27-28 was 45 and 60 -- really bad conditions. The actual planetary A   
   indices on those dates were 9 and 13, and the mid-latitude A indices were a   
   modest 8 and 12.   
      
   Average solar flux over June 25 through July 1 was 100.7, down from 130.8 over   
   the previous 7 days. Average daily sunspot numbers declined from 71.6 to 35.9.   
      
   The latest solar flux prediction is 110, 115, 120, and 125 on July 2-5; 130 on   
   July 6-8; 125 on July 9-10; 130 on July 11-19; then 115, 110, and 105 on July   
   20-22; 100 on July 23-26, and 105 on July 27-August 1. Flux values rise to 130   
   after August 6.   
      
   Planetary A index is predicted at 5 on July 2-4; then 25, 12, 10, and 5 on   
   July 5-8; 8 on July 9-10; 18, 12, and 8 on July 11-13; then 5 on July 14-17; 8   
   on July 18-19, and 5 on July 20-25.   
      
   In Friday's bulletin look for reports from readers, a review of our moving   
   average of sunspot numbers, and updated forecasts. Send me your reports and   
   observations.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   Just Ahead in Radiosport   
      
    *  July 3 -- NCCC RTTY Sprint   
    *  July 3 -- NCCC Sprint   
    *  July 4 -- FISTS Summer Slow Speed Sprint   
    *  July 4-5 -- DL-DX RTTY Contest   
    *  July 4-5 -- Marconi Memorial HF Contest (CW)   
    *  July 4-5 -- Original QRP Contest (CW)   
    *  July 4-5 -- PODXS 070 Club 40 Meter Firecracker Sprint (digital)   
    *  July 5 -- WAB 144 MHz Low Power Phone   
    *  July 5 -- DARC 10 Meter Digital Contest   
    *  July 5 -- QRP ARCI Summer Homebrew Sprint (CW)   
    *  July 6 -- RSGB 80 Meter Club Championship, CW   
    *  July 7 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)   
    *  July 8-9 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test   
    *  July 10 -- NCCC RTTY Sprint   
    *  July 10 -- NCCC Sprint   
    *  July 11 -- FISTS Summer Sprint   
    *  July 11-12 -- IARU HF World Championship (CW, SSB)   
    *  July 11-12 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon   
    *  July 12 -- CQC Great Colorado Gold Rush (CW)   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events   
      
    *  July 4 -- Eastern Pennsylvania Section Convention, Harrisburg,   
       Pennsylvania   
    *  July 10-11 -- Northern Florida Section Convention, Milton, Florida   
    *  July 13-16 -- Mobile Amateur Radio Awards Club Convention, The Villages,   
       Florida   
    *  July 17-19 -- Montana State Convention, East Glacier, Montana   
    *  July 23-26 -- Central States VHF Society Conference, Westminster,   
       Colorado   
    *  July 24-25 -- Oklahoma Section Convention, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma   
    *  July 31-August 2 -- Rocky Mountain Division Convention, Bryce Canyon,   
       Utah   
    *  August 1 -- Great Lakes Division Convention, Columbus, Ohio   
    *  August 7-8 -- South Texas Section Convention, Austin, Texas   
    *  August 7-9 -- New Mexico State Convention, Albuquerque, New Mexico   
    *  August 7-9 -- Pacific Northwest DX Convention, Everett, Washington   
    *  August 15-16 -- Alabama State Convention, Huntsville, Alabama   
    *  August 16 -- Kansas State Convention, Salina, Kansas   
    *  August 21-23 -- New England Division Convention, Boxborough,   
       Massachusetts   
    *  August 22 -- West Virginia State Convention, Weston, West Virginia   
    *  August 30 -- Western Pennsylvania Section Convention, New Kensington,   
       Pennsylvania   
    *  September 5-6 -- Roanoke Division Convention, Shelby, North Carolina   
    *  September 11-12 -- W9DXCC, Schaumburg, Illinois   
    *  September 11-13 -- Southwestern Division Convention, Torrance,   
       California   
    *  September 12 -- Virginia Section Convention, Virginia Beach, Virginia   
    *  September 26 -- Washington State Convention, Spokane Valley, Washington   
      
   Find conventions and hamfests in your area.   
      
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   )\/(ark   
      
   ... Humor is the shock absorber of life. :)   
   ---   
    * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)