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   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2015-07-16   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
      
   July 16, 2015   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
    *  ARRL Board of Directors to Meet July 17-18   
    *  The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015: Politicians Do Listen, ARRL   
       President Says   
    *  IARU Member-Societies Conducting Second Kosovo Vote; Burundi Admitted   
    *  ARISS Initiates Fundraising Effort, Offers "Challenge Coin" Keepsake   
    *  SSTV Images from Space Will Commemorate 40th Apollo-Soyuz Mission   
       Anniversary   
    *  Inexpensively Made Satellite Closing in on 2 Years in Orbit and Still   
       Ticking   
    *  Remotely Controlled VY1AAA Puts Northern Territories on the Air for   
       Field Day, Canada Day   
    *  New Horizons Phones Home   
    *  In Brief...   
    *  The K7RA Solar Update   
    *  Just Ahead in Radiosport   
    *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events   
      
      
   ARRL Board of Directors to Meet July 17-18   
      
   The ARRL Board of Directors will hold its second meeting of 2015 Friday and   
   Saturday, July 17-18, in Windsor, Connecticut. Much of the League's governance   
   work is done by committees between Board meetings. At this meeting, as usual,   
   the Board will receive reports and consider recommendations from its   
   committees.   
      
   Among these, the Board will hear the recommendations of the HF Band Planning   
   Committee, based on more than 1000 responses to a web survey and additional   
   comments from members earlier this year. The ARRL had asked members to give   
   their opinions on possible changes to the League's HF Band Plans suggested by   
   the committee. The survey was part of the committee's efforts to tweak the   
   band plans for the RTTY/data/CW portions of 80 through 10 meters -- excepting   
   60 meters.   
      
   The committee developed its suggested revisions to the voluntary band plans   
   after reviewing some 400 member comments solicited last year, seeking   
   suggestions for using the spectrum more efficiently so that data modes may   
   coexist compatibly.   
      
   In addition, the Board's Strategic Planning Working Group will present an   
   interim report as it develops a strategic plan to propose for adoption next   
   year.   
      
   The Board will also consider a proposal for a 2016 ARRL National Convention.   
      
   IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA, and Radio Amateurs of Canada President   
   Geoff Bawden, VE4BAW, are expected to attend the July meeting as guests of the   
   Board.   
      
      
   The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015: Politicians Do Listen, ARRL President   
   Says   
      
   ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, said in the July ARRL Legislative Update   
   Newsletter that Washington politicians are paying attention to League members   
   who have contacted lawmakers to urge their cosponsorship of the Amateur Radio   
   Parity Act of 2015. Essentially identical bills have been introduced in both   
   the US House (H.R. 1301) and Senate (S. 1685). Both measures would direct the   
   FCC to extend its rules relating to reasonable accommodation of Amateur   
   Service communications to private land-use restrictions.   
      
   "Many visits have been made to the offices of Senators and Congressmen on   
   behalf of H.R. 1301 and S. 1685 by members of the ARRL Board and ARRL   
   Headquarters staff," President Craigie said. "ARRL Section Managers have   
   encouraged members to speak out. ARRL members around the country have talked   
   with your elected officials in their home-district offices and town hall   
   meetings. This is a full-team advocacy effort." To date, H.R. 1301 has   
   attracted 86 cosponsors; the just-introduced Senate bill, S. 1685, has one   
   original cosponsor.   
      
   President Craigie said The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 is aimed at   
   helping to ensure the future of Amateur Radio, as more and more neighborhoods   
   impose deed restrictions that prohibit Amateur Radio antennas and keep today's   
   youngsters from becoming active radio amateurs.   
      
   "What if their parents have bought houses in neighborhoods with deed   
   restrictions prohibiting antennas?" she speculated. "Those kids' interest in   
   ham radio gained from school, Scouts, or family friends will have no way to   
   blossom into the life-changing experience of being radio amateurs."   
      
   ARRL members, she continued, "are working together so that both today's   
   amateurs and the kids who will be amateurs in the future have the chance to   
   operate from their homes." Letters from members urging support of the bills   
   are what make the difference between being ignored and being heard on Capitol   
   Hill.   
      
   "Earlier this year, I visited a North Carolina Congressman's office and got a   
   friendly reception -- but no cosponsorship," President Craigie recounted.   
   "More recently, another ARRL person followed up at the same office, with the   
   same staff member, but with about 40 letters in hand. The Congressman became a   
   cosponsor."   
      
   The newsletter suggested several ways ARRL members can get involved in the   
   Amateur Radio Parity Act grassroots effort. One idea is to have a "letter   
   party" at your next club meeting.   
      
   Take pre-addressed copies of letters to all three of your lawmakers -- one in   
   the House, two in the Senate -- and have club members add their names,   
   addresses, and signatures to letters for each Member of Congress. Have enough   
   copies, so that each individual can sign his or her own letter. In some cases,   
   club members in a given area may reside in more than one Congressional   
   district.   
      
   Names and addresses of US House and Senate members are available on the ARRL   
   website. Mail the collected letters to the ARRL (c/o The Amateur Radio Parity   
   Act, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111), which will collate them for hand   
   delivery on Capitol Hill.   
      
   Members also may e-mail their lawmakers, post comments on their US House or   
   Senate member's website, or call their lawmakers on the telephone. Be   
   courteous, make your points, and be brief. In all cases, thank lawmakers for   
   considering your point of view.   
      
   "Grassroots politics is about you -- the individual -- making your voice   
   heard," the July Legislative Update pointed out. "It requires a good deal of   
   preparation and effort to achieve the end results."   
      
   The League now has a combined web page to accommodate activities on behalf of   
   both the House and Senate 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 clearing house for all   
   information on these identical pieces of legislation.   
      
      
   IARU Member-Societies Conducting Second Kosovo Vote; Burundi Admitted   
      
   International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) member-societies are taking a second   
   vote on whether to admit Kosovo's national Amateur Radio association, Shoqata   
   e Radio Amatoreve te Kosoves (SHRAK) to IARU membership.   
      
   "Many of you will recall that Kosovo was proposed for IARU membership in IARU   
   Proposal 251 in 2014," IARU Secretary Rod Stafford, W6ROD, explained in an   
   e-mail to members. "Fifty-one affirmative votes were required for approval; 49   
   affirmative votes were received prior to the close of voting, so the proposal   
   failed."   
      
   Stafford pointed out, however, that two more affirmative votes arrived "very   
   shortly after the close of voting" but could not be counted under IARU rules.   
   "Under the circumstances, IARU Region 1 requested the International   
   Secretariat conduct a revote for the admission of Kosovo," Stafford said. He   
   urged member-societies to return their ballots as soon as possible.   
      
   Amateur Radio was revived in Kosovo in 2012, and a training and licensing   
   program has been established there.   
      
   Stafford also announced that a vote on IARU Proposal 253 resulted in an   
   affirmative vote on the membership application of the Association Burundaise   
   des Amateurs Radio et T‚l‚vision (ABART). Sixty-seven votes were received in   
   favor of admitting Burundi. "It is a pleasure to welcome a new member to the   
   IARU," Stafford said. -- Thanks to Rod Stafford, W6ROD, Secretary, IARU   
      
      
   ARISS Initiates Fundraising Effort, Offers "Challenge Coin" Keepsake   
      
   The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program has   
   kicked off a fundraising program, and it's offering an ARISS Challenge Coin as   
   a token of appreciation to those who contribute at a certain level. ARISS   
   relies on resource support from NASA, ARRL, AMSAT, and individual donors and   
   volunteers to ensure day-to-day operation of its programs and to pay for   
   spaceflight equipment certification. In light of budget cutbacks at NASA over   
   the past 2 years, the funding needed to cover operational expenses down the   
   road has become more uncertain, however, and ARISS leadership initiated the   
   fundraising effort with the goal of securing greater financial stability.   
      
   "To assure the future of the program, we are looking to individuals and   
   corporate sponsors to provide the resources we will need to sustain operations   
   and to acquire needed equipment upgrades," said ARISS International Chair   
   Frank Bauer, KA3HDO.   
      
   Plans are under way to develop a new, higher-power Amateur Radio station for   
   the ISS Columbus module. The current radio is a lower-power unit that   
   sometimes results in weak signals during ISS-to-Earth educational contacts. A   
   new radio system will improve communication capability for students scheduled   
   to participate in ARISS educational contacts and related activities. The new   
   system also would allow greater interoperability between the Columbus module   
   and the Russian Service Module. ARISS said that integration of the equipment   
   into the ISS infrastructure and the necessary testing and certification   
   require hours of engineering resources that it cannot afford.   
      
   "Each ARISS contact offers the opportunity to inspire young people through   
   ARISS's unique window into space exploration activities, opening the horizon   
   of possibilities of a career in a STEM field," said ARRL Education Services   
   Manager, Debra Johnson, K1DMJ. "Each contact also introduces students and   
   their communities to Amateur Radio. The program needs your help to secure   
   these opportunities for the future."   
      
   Individuals may donate to ARISS online via the AMSAT website (select the   
   "ARISS Donate" button). AMSAT is contributing the necessary personnel   
   resources to handle gifts to ARISS. Individuals contributing $100 or more will   
   receive the new ARISS Challenge Coin. Corporate donors should contact Frank   
   Bauer. -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service, ARISS, and Debra Johnson, K1DMJ   
      
      
   SSTV Images from Space Will Commemorate 40th Apollo-Soyuz Mission Anniversary   
      
   To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz mission, the Amateur   
   Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) team will transmit a series   
   of 12 Slow Scan Television (SSTV) images. The SSTV transmissions 145.80 MHz   
   will begin on the morning of Saturday, July 18, and continue through Sunday   
   July 19, subject to change. Apollo-Soyuz represented the first joint US-USSR   
   mission, and it set the stage for later US-Russia collaboration on the space   
   shuttle, Mir Space Station, and the International Space Station.   
      
   "The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project would send NASA astronauts Tom Stafford, Deke   
   Slayton, and Vance Brand in an Apollo Command and Service Module to meet   
   Russian cosmonauts Aleksey Leonov and Valeriy Kubasov in a Soyuz capsule,"   
   NASA has recounted. "A jointly designed, US-built docking module fulfilled the   
   main technical goal of the mission, demonstrating that two dissimilar craft   
   could dock in orbit. But the human side of the mission went far beyond that."   
      
   The Soyuz and Apollo vehicles were docked from July 17-19, 1975. During that   
   time, the three astronauts and two cosmonauts carried out experiments and   
   other activities. Apollo-Soyuz was the final mission of the Apollo program and   
   the last US human spaceflight mission prior to the inaugural space shuttle   
   mission in 1981.   
      
   Submit SSTV images to the ARISS SSTV image gallery, which will post the best   
   SSTV images received from this event.   
      
   The ISS cosmonauts will take time out from the SSTV transmissions on July 18   
   to conduct an ARISS contact (starting at approximately 1655 UTC) with students   
   attending the Moon Day/Frontiers of Flight Museum event in Dallas, Texas.   
   Streaming audio will be available.   
      
   ARISS International has expressed thanks ARISS-Russia's Sergey Samburov,   
   RV3DR, for his leadership on this historic commemoration. -- Thanks to AMSAT   
   News Service via Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS International Chair, and NASA   
      
      
   Inexpensively Made Satellite Closing in on 2 Years in Orbit and Still Ticking   
      
   At just a few months shy of turning 2 years old, the $50SAT Amateur Radio   
   "PocketQube" microsatellite -- also known as Eagle 2 (MO-76) -- is still   
   operating, although it's not entirely well either. The satellite, which   
   transmits on 437.505 MHz at a power of 100 mW, may be heard using a handheld   
   transceiver, but it does not include a transponder. Launched in late 2013 from   
   Russia, $50SAT is a collaborative education project of Prof Bob Twiggs,   
   KE6QMD, of Kentucky's Morehead State University, and three other radio   
   amateurs -- Howie DeFelice, AB2S; Michael Kirkhart, KD8QBA, and Stuart   
   Robinson, GW7HPW.   
      
   Formerly of Stanford University, Twiggs and Jordi Puig-Suari of Cal Poly are   
   the co-inventors of the CubeSat model. $50SAT's stated purpose was to evaluate   
   if the PocketQube form factor offered a   
   cost-effective means for engineering and science students to use in developing   
   real-world skills. The "$50" is a bit of a misnomer. The tiny satellite   
   actually was constructed from about $250 worth of parts. Kirkhart recently   
   offered an update on $50SAT, which measures just 5 x 5 x 7.5 cm and weights   
   210 grams.   
      
   "The good news is [that] it is still operating. The bad news is the power   
   situation has been degrading, with an apparent step change on or near May 12,   
   2015, followed by another on June 23, 2015," he recently posted.   
      
   Kirkhart, who lives in Michigan, said his last full telemetry capture was on   
   May 27, and the last time he heard $50SAT was on June 6. "I continued to   
   attempt to listen for it for another week or so, and heard nothing," he said.   
   $50SAT transmissions repeat about every 75 seconds, starting with an FM slow   
   Morse code call sign beacon, data at 60 WPM Morse, and FSK RTTY data and   
   digital data telemetry.   
      
   Since then, Kirkhart has been monitoring the satellite via the WebSDR site of   
   Anton Janovsky, ZR6AIC, as $50SAT makes daytime passes over South Africa.   
   "During these passes, where it has already spent a significant amount of time   
   in sunlight, the battery voltage is below 3400 mV," he said.   
      
   Kirkhart speculated that while loss of battery capacity is likely, "it appears   
   the low battery voltage is due to low solar power output." He said this could   
   be a result of solar cell damage; since there was no protective covering on   
   the solar cells, the impact of high-energy particles could have damaged the   
   solar cells, resulting in a drop in output. He also said the solar cells could   
   have been damaged through thermal cycling. A short circuit is another   
   possibility, but, Kirkhart said that, because of the limited amount of   
   telemetry gathered, "it may not be possible to determine the exact cause."   
      
   He said that if the solar output continues to drop, the battery voltage may   
   never get above the 3300 mV threshold needed to enable the transmitter, "at   
   which point we will lose the ability to monitor its status."   
      
   "Even if this does happen," Kirkhart continued, "we never really thought it   
   would last this long. We would have been happy if it just worked, and really   
   happy if it lasted a month or two." -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service and   
   Southgate ARC   
      
      
   Remotely Controlled VY1AAA Puts Northern Territories on the Air for Field Day,   
   Canada Day   
      
   If you worked VY1AAA in Yukon Territory (Northern Territories or NT Section)   
   during Field Day 2015 or Canada Day, the operator was actually in the US.   
   VY1AAA is a Canadian club station call sign for the station of J Allen, VY1JA,   
   near Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. Gerry Hull, W1VE, was among those operating   
   VY1AAA remotely from the K1B Field Day site of the Contoocook Valley Radio   
   Club (CVRC) in New Hampshire. The operation was part of a project to provide   
   remote control capability for VY1JA, and Hull said the point of the VY1AAA   
   call sign was not to burden Allen with QSL chores. He said he's been using   
   Logbook of The World (LoTW) but will have some QSL cards printed too. He added   
   that he's already received "a ton" of QSL requests as a result of the Field   
   Day and Canada Day operations.   
      
   "We are up and running with the Ten-Tec Omni VII," Hull told ARRL. "The   
   antennas are still something in the works. He currently has two ground planes   
   mounted on power poles. We use the 40 meter antenna on 40, 15, and 10 and the   
   80 meter vertical on 20 via a high-power tuner. This gives us 80-10 meter   
   coverage." The project is looking into additional equipment.   
      
   Hull, who worked at ARRL HQ as a technical editor in the early 1980s under   
   Doug DeMaw, W1FB (SK), said Allen hopes to install a new antenna -- possibly a   
   V beam or a rhombic -- using recycled utility poles for supports. "J also has   
   a 105 foot tower and a quad to get back up," he added.   
      
   Allen, who has worked for an electric utility for years, will be retiring and   
   will have more time for station development, Hull said.   
      
   Meanwhile, Andy McLellan, VE9DX, has been working on getting WSJT, PSK31, and   
   RTTY modes up and running. Hull said he doesn't think there's been much   
   digital mode activity from Yukon Territory for some time now.   
      
   "We are working out kinks, but, so far, so good," Hull concluded. A video of   
   the CVRC Field Day operation includes some VY1AAA contacts. Read more.   
      
      
   New Horizons Phones Home   
      
   NASA's New Horizons spacecraft made its historic rendezvous with Pluto this   
   week. While there is no direct Amateur Radio involvement in the Pluto flyby,   
   many amateurs are curious about how NASA communicates with New Horizons at a   
   distance of nearly 3 billion miles.   
      
   At that vast distance, New Horzions' radio signal is extremely weak -- so weak   
   that only the Deep Space Network's largest 70 meter parabolic dish antennas   
   and receivers are capable of detecting it. New Horizons downlink transmissions   
   take place on an X-Band frequency of approximately 7 GHz. In terms of raw RF   
   output, the traveling wave tube amplifiers (TWTAs) aboard the spacecraft   
   supply only 12 W to its 2.1-meter high-gain antenna.   
      
   There are two TWTAs aboard New Horizons. Each is connected to a separate   
   radiating element at the antenna. One element is configured for left-hand   
   circular polarization and the other for right-hand circular polarization. The   
   original intent for using two TWTA was for redundancy.   
      
   As the spacecraft was on its way to Pluto, however, engineers discovered that   
   they could use this cross-polarized configuration to transmit two signals   
   simultaneously. At the Deep Space Network they designed a system to detect the   
   separately polarized signals and combine them for substantially greater gain.   
      
   A stronger signal means New Horizons can transmit at a higher data rate --   
   about 1.9 times the rate than with a single TWTA. Unfortunately, New Horizon's   
   nuclear-powered generator has decayed during its 10-year flight, and there is   
   no longer enough power to run two TWTAs at the same time, unless the team   
   shuts down another onboard system.   
      
   This is why it will take considerable time to download the treasure trove of   
   images and other information that New Horizons carries in its memory. At   
   present, New Horizons is transmitting data at just 1 kByte per second. A   
   typical image produced by LORRI, the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager, is   
   about 2.5 Mbytes, even when compressed. At such a low transmitting data rate,   
   it takes about 42 minutes for New Horizons to transmit a single image to Earth   
   -- and then there is the 4.5-hour trip at the speed of light! This is why   
   mission scientists are warning an impatient public that it will be well into   
   2016 before all of the data arrives at Earth.   
      
   A footnote: In 2005, NASA invited individuals to sign on to the "first mission   
   to the last planet." Their names -- and sometimes Amateur Radio call signs --   
   burned onto a compact disc went into deep space on the New Horizons   
   spacecraft. Participants, such as ARRL member Angel Santana, WP3GW, received a   
   certificate of appreciation from NASA. He wondered how many other hams were   
   among the more than 430,000 who took NASA up on its invitation to, "Come with   
   us as we complete the reconnaissance of the solar system and unlock the   
   secrets of Pluto, its moon Charon, and the Kuiper Belt."   
      
   For more details about the New Horizons RF communication system, see "The RF   
   Telecommunications System for the New Horizons Mission to Pluto" from the   
   Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. -- Thanks to Steve Ford,   
   WB8IMY; Angel Santana, WP4GW   
      
      
   In Brief...   
      
   ARRL 2015 Hurricane Season Webinar Set for Monday, July 20: A reminder: The   
   ARRL will host a 2015 Hurricane Season webinar on Monday, July 20. The session   
   will get under way at 8 PM EDT (0000 on July 21). The approximately 90-minute   
   session will address the role of Amateur Radio during the 2015 Hurricane   
   Season, which runs through November. All who are interested in hurricane   
   preparedness and response are invited to register for this online   
   presentation. The program will include presentations by representatives of the   
   National Hurricane Center and WX4NHC, the VoIP Hurricane Net, the HWN, the   
   Canadian Hurricane Centre, and the ARRL. Webinar registration is open to all,   
   but should be of particular interest to radio amateurs in hurricane-prone   
   areas. The webinar will conclude with a Q&A session. Register online. --   
   Thanks to Mike Corey, KI1U, ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager   
      
      
   Dayton Hamvention Reports 2015 Attendance Up Slightly Over 2014: The official   
   attendance at the 2015 Dayton Hamvention(R) was 25,621. That's an increase   
   from the official count of 24,873 visitors   
   last year -- or an additional 748 attendees. The 2013 attendance was 24,542.   
   Hamvention attendance peaked in 1993 at 33,669, before the 1996 change in date   
   from April to May. While attendance has fluctuated over the years, Dayton   
   Hamvention has grown to international proportions, attracting members of the   
   worldwide Amateur Radio community each spring. The sponsoring Dayton Amateur   
   Radio Association (DARA) already has begun counting down the days to the next   
   Hamvention, which will take place May 20-22, 2016. -- Thanks to Henry   
   Ruminski, W8HJR   
      
      
   DeorbitSail CubeSat Put into Orbit, Heard in US: The DeorbitSail CubeSat,   
   built by researchers and radio amateurs at the Surrey Space Centre in   
   Guildford, England, was launched into orbit on July 10. It carries a 1200 bps   
   BPSK beacon transmitting on 145.975 MHz. The first DeorbitSail packet reports   
   to the Surrey Space Centre came from Ken Swaggart, W7KKE, in Oregon. Nitin   
   Muttin, VU3TYG, reported receiving signals as the CubeSat passed over India.   
   The DeorbitSail project is a collaboration to build a 3U CubeSat with a   
   deployable sail that will demonstrate rapid deorbiting from low-Earth orbit,   
   taking advantage of the increased aerodynamic drag from a large deployed sail.   
   The satellite will return to the Earth and burn up in the atmosphere over   
   time, as its altitude reduces. The project has expressed its gratitude to the   
   European Commission Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). Chris Bridges, 2E0OBC,   
   is accepting all available telemetry files via e-mail. Tracking and other   
   information is available on the AMSAT-UK website. Follow the Surrey Space   
   Center on Twitter.   
      
      
   Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR Named to Head NASA Astronaut Office: Ham-Astronaut Chris   
   Cassidy, KF5KDR, has been appointed chief of NASA's Astronaut Office. Cassidy,   
   who conducted several Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)   
   contacts as part of the Expedition 35/36 crew onboard the ISS in 2013, is a US   
   Navy Captain and a former Navy SEAL. NASA officials announced his appointment   
   on July 9. During his career as an astronaut, Cassidy, 45, spent 182 days in   
   space and carried out six spacewalks. In addition to time on the ISS, Cassidy   
   was part of a Shuttle Endeavour crew. He replaces US Air Force Col Robert   
   Behnken, KE5GGX. In his new role, Cassidy will manage the operations and   
   safety programs of NASA's Astronaut Office. He'll also help to develop   
   astronaut flight crew operational concepts as well as crew assignments for   
   future space missions.   
      
      
   Two Radio Amateurs Set to Launch to ISS: Three new International Space Station   
   (ISS) crew members will launch July 23 (UTC) from Baikonur Cosmodrome in   
   Kazakhstan. Kjell Lindgren, KO5MOS; Oleg Kononenko, RN3DX, and Kimiya Yui will   
   travel into space in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft that will rendezvous with the   
   ISS and dock after four orbits of Earth. NASA TV will cover the activities.   
   Expedition 44 Commander Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, and Flight Engineers Scott   
   Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko, RN3BF, will be on hand to greet the newcomers.   
   Lindgren, Kononenko, and Yui will remain on station until late December. Kelly   
   and Kornienko, who have been onboard the ISS since March, will return to Earth   
   next March at the end of their 1-year mission. Padalka, who also has been   
   aboard since March, will return to Earth in September.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   The K7RA Solar Update   
      
   Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Average daily sunspot numbers dropped from   
   109.1 on July 2-8 to 73.7 in the past week, July 9-15. Average daily solar   
   flux dropped from 123.2 to 114.8 over the same two periods. Geomagnetic   
   indices were more active, with average daily planetary A index increasing from   
   10 to 13.7, and average mid-latitude A index going from 8.9 to 12.3.   
      
   The geomagnetic field was active on July 11 when the mid-latitude A index, the   
   high latitude college A index, and planetary A index were 20, 44 and 23.   
   Activity was greater on July 13, when the three indices were 22, 45, and 32.   
      
   The July 11 activity was the result of a G1 class geomagnetic storm caused by   
   a high-speed solar wind stream; similar events caused the July 13 activity.   
   There is very little chance at present of solar flares or geomagnetic storms   
   over the next few days.   
      
   Predicted planetary A index is 5 on July 16-30; 18 on July 31; 25 on August 1,   
   and 12 on August 2. On August 3-5 the planetary A index is predicted at 5;   
   then 20 and 25 on August 6-7, and 8 on August 8-10. For August 11 and beyond,   
   the planetary A index prediction is 5.   
      
   Predicted solar flux is 100 on July 16-18; 105 on July 19-20; 100 on July   
   21-22; 105 on July 23; 110 on July 24-25; 115 on July 26; 120 on July 27-31,   
   and 115 on August 1-4. Solar flux is expected to rise to 120 again after   
   August 22.   
      
   Recently there have been only a few new sunspot groups -- one each on July 7,   
   8, 10, and 12.   
      
   In Friday's bulletin look for reports from readers and updated forecasts. Send   
   me your reports and observations.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   Just Ahead in Radiosport   
      
    *  July 18 -- Trans-Tasman Low-Bands Challenge (CW, digital)   
    *  July 18 -- Feld Hell Sprint   
    *  July 18-19 -- North American QSO Party RTTY   
    *  July 18-19 -- CQ Worldwide VHF Contest (CW, phone, digital)   
    *  July 18-19 -- DMC RTTY Contest   
    *  July 19 -- RSGB Low Power Contest (CW)   
    *  July 20 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)   
    *  July 22 -- SKCC Sprint (CW)   
    *  July 22-23 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test (CW)   
    *  July 23 -- RSGB 80 Meter Club Championship (Digital)   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events   
      
    *  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   
      
   ... From this strange confusion grows a perverse communication.   
   ---   
    * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)