The ARRL Letter
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
February 17, 2011
Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive
Audio News
IN THIS ISSUE
- + Legislative News: Spectrum Management Bill Threatens Amateur
Frequencies
- + Spaceweather : Sunspot 1158 Produces Largest Flare of Solar Cycle
24; CME Headed Toward Earth
- + Amateur Radio in Space: ARISSat-1 Deployment Postponed
- + Dayton Hamvention : Astronaut Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC, to be Honored
Guest of ARRL and AMSAT
- + Rockers with Ham Connection Win Big at Grammys
- QEX -- the March/April 2011 Issue
- + ARRL Atlantic Division to Host Two Webinars in February
- ARRL Headquarters to Close in Observance of Presidents' Day
- Solar Update
- ARRL Field Day: 2011 Field Day Packets Available
- This Week on the Radio
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
> + LEGISLATIVE NEWS: SPECTRUM MANAGEMENT BILL THREATENS AMATEUR
FREQUENCIES
On February 10, Representative Peter King (R-NY-3), Chairman of the
House Homeland Security Committee, introduced HR 607, the Broadband for
First Responders Act of 2011. The bill been referred to the House
Energy and Commerce Committee, which handles telecommunications
legislation. HR 607 addresses certain spectrum management issues,
including the creation and maintenance of a nationwide Public Safety
broadband network. As part of that network, the bill provides for the
allocation of the so-called "D-Block" of spectrum in the 700 MHz range
for Public Safety use.
The D-Block consists of two, 5 megahertz-wide segments of spectrum
(758-763 and 788-793 MHz) that became available when the FCC ended
analog television broadcasts in June 2009 and reallocated the 698-806
MHz band for Public Safety and commercial broadband. It was anticipated
that the D-Block would be auctioned for commercial use. There are
several bills in Congress providing for the allocation of the D-Block
for Public Safety use, and HR 607 is one of those. But HR 607 uniquely
provides for the reallocation of other spectrum for auction to
commercial users, in order to offset the loss of revenue that would
occur as the result of the allocation of the D-Block to Public Safety
instead of commercial auction. HR 607 lists the paired bands of 420-440
MHz and 450-470 MHz among the bands to be reallocated for commercial
auction within 10 years of its passage. Read more here.
> + SPACEWEATHER : SUNSPOT 1158 PRODUCES LARGEST FLARE OF SOLAR
CYCLE 24; CME HEADED TOWARD EARTH
Over the past few days, there has been a lot of activity on the Sun. On
Sunday, February 13 at 1738 UTC, sunspot 1158 unleashed an M6.6-level
blast and on Tuesday, February 15, the same sunspot unleashed an
X-class flare, the strongest solar flare in more than four years. On
Thursday, February 17, the solar flux index reached 114, the highest
yet in Solar Cycle 24. It is expected to continue to be at least 100
for the next few days.
The source of this activity is growing rapidly. Sunspot 1158 is in
the Sun's southern hemisphere, which has been lagging behind the
northern hemisphere in activity for Solar Cycle 24. This active region
is now more than 100,000 km wide, with at least a dozen Earth-sized
dark cores in the group. More Earth-directed eruptions are likely.
In addition to flashing Earth with UV radiation, data from NASA's Solar
Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) and its Solar Heliospheric
Observatory (SOHO) show that the explosion also hurled a coronal mass
ejection (CME) toward Earth. According to the Space Weather Prediction
Center (SWPC), three CMEs are headed toward Earth. The last of the
three seems to be the fastest and may catch both of the forerunners
about mid- to late day on Thursday, February 17.
Solar activity is expected to be moderate with a chance for an isolated
major flare through February 19. Sunspot group 1158 is expected to
produce more M-class flares and still has the potential for producing
an M5 or greater x-ray event. There is also a chance for isolated
M-class activity from sunspot group 1161. Geomagnetic storms are
possible when the CME hits the Earth's magnetic field, and auroras are
possible. Read more here
.
> + AMATEUR RADIO IN SPACE: ARISSAT-1 DEPLOYMENT POSTPONED
According to the AMSAT News Service, the deployment of the ARISSat-1
satellite from the International Space Station -- previously scheduled
for Wednesday, February 16 -- has been postponed. The postponement was
necessary because of changes in the work schedule for the February 16
space walk. Instead, ARISSat-1 deployment will be added to a spacewalk
scheduled for July 2011.
When launched, ARISSat-1 will add another dimension to science
classrooms worldwide, in addition to space communications for the
Amateur Radio community. Unfortunately this delay will considerably
narrow the window of opportunity for US school calendar activities, but
may provide opportunities for summer learning activities.
The project is a cooperative effort between AMSAT, ARISS (Amateur Radio
on the International Space Station,) RSC-Energia (the Russian space
agency) and NASA. The design, development and construction of the
satellite were done entirely by AMSAT volunteers. Original plans called
for the satellite to be hosted inside an old Russian spacesuit. But
when the suit became unavailable, the radio equipment was modified and
refitted to a newly designed space frame and named ARISSat-1.
After it is deployed from the International Space Station, ARISSat-1 is
expected to be operational in orbit for up to six months. For more on
ARISSat-1, check out this article
from the February 2011 issue of QST.
> + DAYTON HAMVENTION : ASTRONAUT DOUG WHEELOCK, KF5BOC, TO BE
HONORED GUEST OF ARRL AND AMSAT
Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC, will be attending the 2011 ARRL EXPO - part
of the Dayton Hamvention® -- as a special guest of the ARRL and AMSAT.
While at Hamvention, Wheelock will share his experiences about using
Amateur Radio in space. Wheelock spent six months on the ISS, seven
weeks as ISS Commander; while on board the ISS, he, along with fellow
astronaut Shannon Walker, KD5DXB, participated in the Amateur Radio on
the International Space Station (ARISS) program. Together, the two made
22 ISS-to-school and ISS-to-camp QSOs. Read more here
.
> + ROCKERS WITH HAM CONNECTION WIN BIG AT GRAMMYS
One of the biggest prizes handed out during the February 13 Grammy
awards went to rockers Arcade Fire. Their highly acclaimed album The
Suburbs was crowned Album of the Year. While Arcade Fire's win was a
surprise -- facing competition from Eminem, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga
and Katy Perry -- it wasn't totally unexpected, as The Suburbs
dominated many critics' best-of lists of 2010.
Arcade Fire's Win Butler was visibly stunned as the group accepted
their trophy and then quickly rushed to perform the last song of the
night. Band members Win and Will Butler are the grandsons of the late
orchestra leader Alvino Rey, W6UK.
The song We Used to Wait from their winning album relates to
communications and, during their concert performances of the song, the
band displays images of Amateur Radio QSL cards. Arcade Fire was
profiled in an article by ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen
Pitts, W1AGP, in the November 2010 issue of QST.
> QEX -- THE MARCH/APRIL 2011 ISSUE
The March/April issue of QEX is coming soon, and it is full of
theoretical and practical technical articles that you won't want to
miss. QEX is the ARRL's "Forum for Communications Experimenters."
Published bimonthly, it features technical articles, columns and other
items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals.
The mission of QEX is threefold: To provide a medium for the exchange
of ideas and information among Amateur Radio experimenters; to document
advanced technical work in the Amateur Radio field, and to support
efforts to advance the state of the Amateur Radio art. Read more here
.
> + ARRL ATLANTIC DIVISION TO HOST TWO WEBINARS IN FEBRUARY
Periodically, the ARRL's Atlantic Division hosts a "webinar" -- an
interactive web-based seminar, designed to facilitate communication
between a small number of presenters and a large remote audience using
the Internet. During February, Atlantic Division Director Bill Edgar,
N3LLR, will host two webinars for ARRL members, one on 501(c)(3)
organizations and one on using Narrow Band Emergency Messaging Software
(NBEMS) -- a set of programs used to send messages and files via
Amateur Radio using an audio interface. Read more here
.
> ARRL HEADQUARTERS TO CLOSE IN OBSERVANCE OF PRESIDENTS' DAY
ARRL Headquarters will be closed in observance of Presidents' Day on
Monday, February 21. There will be no W1AW bulletin or code practice
transmissions that day.
ARRL Headquarters will reopen Tuesday, February 22 at 8 AM Eastern
Standard Time. We wish everyone a safe Presidents' Day holiday.
> SOLAR UPDATE
Tad "The glory of the departing Sun piled up masses of gold and
burning fire" Cook, K7RA, reports: A dramatic surge in solar activity
is underway, with a level of sunspot numbers and solar flux not seen
since 2005-2006. Tuesday's sunspot number of 100 has not been observed
since April 6, 2006 when it was 105. On Wednesday the solar flux was
114.1, and the last time it was that high was September 15, 2005 when
it was 119.4. The average daily sunspot numbers rose this week by more
than 25 points to 69.9, and the average daily solar flux was up 20
points to 103.5. NOAA/USAF predicts solar flux at 105 on February
17-18, 100 on February 19-21, 98 on February 22-24 and 80 on February
25-28. The planetary A index is predicted at 18, 25 and 12 on February
17-19 and 5 on February 20-28. Look for more information on the ARRL
website on Friday, February 18. For more information concerning radio
propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service Propagation
page . This week's "Tad
Cookism" is brought to you by Charles Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop.
> ARRL FIELD DAY: 2011 FIELD DAY PACKETS AVAILABLE
It's that time of year again -- time to start gearing up for ARRL
Field Day, June 25-26, 2011! ARRL's flagship operating event -- always
held the fourth full weekend in June -- brings together new and
experienced hams for 24 hours of operating fun. Field Day packets are
now available for download
and
include the complete rules (including a change for 2011), as well as
other reference items such as forms, ARRL Section abbreviation list,
entry submission instructions, a Frequently Asked Questions section,
guidelines for getting bonus points, instructions for GOTA stations and
a kit to publicize your event with the local press. Read more here
.
> THIS WEEK ON THE RADIO
This week:
- February 18 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
- February 18-19 -- Russian PSK WW Contest
- February 19 -- Feld Hell Sprint
- February 19-20 -- ARRL International DX Contest (CW)
, AWA Amplitude Modulation QSO Party
- February 21 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest
- February 23 -- SKCC Sprint
Next week:
- February 25 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
- February 25-February 27 -- CQ 160 Meter Contest (SSB)
- February 26-27 -- Mississippi QSO Party; North American QSO Party
(RTTY)
- February 27 -- High Speed Club CW Contest
- February 27-28 -- North Carolina QSO Party
- February 28 -- CQC Winter QSO Sprint
- March 1 -- AGCW YL-CW Party
All dates, unless otherwise stated, are UTC. See the ARRL Contest
Branch page , the ARRL Contest Update
and the WA7BNM Contest
Calendar for more
info. Looking for a Special Event station? Be sure to check out the
ARRL Special Event Stations Web page
.
> UPCOMING ARRL SECTION, STATE AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS AND EVENTS
- February 18-19 -- ARRL Arizona State Convention
,
Yuma, Arizona
- February 26 -- ARRL Vermont State Convention
,
Colchester, Vermont
- March 5 -- ARRL South Texas Section Convention
,
Rosenberg, Texas; ARRL Alabama Section Convention
,
Birmingham, Alabama
- March 11-12 -- ARRL Oklahoma Section Convention
,
Claremore, Oklahoma
- March 12-13 -- ARRL North Carolina Section Convention
,
Concord, North Carolina
- March 19 -- ARRL West Texas Section Convention
,
Midland, Texas; ARRL Nebraska State Convention
, Lincoln,
Nebraska
- March 25 -- ARRL Maine State Convention
, Lewiston,
Maine
- March 26 -- ARRL Maryland State Convention
,
Timonium, Maryland
To find a convention or hamfest near you, click here
.
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