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   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-01-07   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
      
   January 7, 2016   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
    *  ARRL Board of Directors to Elect New President, Officers at January   
       Meeting   
    *  National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) Event Gets Off to a Strong Start!   
    *  ARRL Again Complains to FCC about Illegal Marketing of Electronic   
       Lighting Ballasts   
    *  Redesigned FCC Website Makes it Easy for Hams to File Interference   
       Complaints   
    *  "Official" P5/3Z9DX North Korea Activation Now Set for this Summer   
    *  Palmyra, South Sandwich/South Georgia Will Help Kick Off 2016 DXpedition   
       Calendar   
    *  ARRL Education and Technology Program Announces School Grants   
    *  Dishtronix Purchases TEN-TEC Assets   
    *  CQ World Wide Participants Favor Limiting Operating Time to Less Than 48   
       Hours   
    *  Commemorative EME Transmission Set from Refurbished Dish on "Project   
       Diana" Site   
    *  Contester, DXpeditioner William Vanderheide, N7OU, SK   
    *  The K7RA Solar Update   
    *  Just Ahead in Radiosport   
    *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events   
      
      
   ARRL Board of Directors to Elect New President, Officers at January Meeting   
      
   The ARRL Board of Directors' annual meeting in mid-January will mark the start   
   of a changing of the guard at the League. After serving three 2-year terms,   
   ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, of Blacksburg, Virginia, is stepping aside,   
   and the Board will choose her successor -- and the League's 16th president --   
   when it convenes on January 15. The Board also will elect other officers, as   
   well as vice presidents, Executive Committee members, and ARRL Foundation   
   directors.   
      
   A former college instructor, Craigie was licensed in 1983. She served   
   previously as ARRL Section Manager for Eastern Pennsylvania, Atlantic Division   
   Vice Director and Director, and ARRL First Vice President. As President,   
   Craigie presided during the League's Centennial and transition into its second   
   century.   
      
   The annual meeting also will be the last for ARRL Chief Executive Officer   
   David Sumner, K1ZZ, and for ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B.   
   Both will retire this year. Kramer will depart at the end of February. Sumner   
   has targeted May 1 as his last day, and he plans to work with the new CEO to   
   ensure a smooth transition. During the annual meeting, the Board will receive   
   the report of the CEO Search Committee, which is expected to include a   
   recommendation for Sumner's successor. The Board initiated its CEO search last   
   July. The COO position will remain vacant until the new CEO is in place.   
      
   By the time he steps down, Sumner will have been on the ARRL Headquarters   
   full-time staff for 44 years. He was named Secretary and General Manager in   
   1982, with a change in title to Executive Vice President in 1985, and the   
   additional title of Chief Executive Officer in 2001 (the title of Executive   
   Vice President was phased out in 2011).   
      
   The Board of Directors will also receive the report of the Strategic Planning   
   Working Group, which has been working on a revised Strategic Plan to guide the   
   League in the coming years. In addition, the Administration & Finance   
   Committee will ask the Board to ratify the operational budget plan for 2016-17.   
      
   The ARRL Board of Directors' annual meeting will take place Friday and   
   Saturday, January 15 and 16, in Windsor, Connecticut.   
      
      
   National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) Event Gets Off to a Strong Start!   
      
   ARRL's National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) year-long event got off to a strong   
   start on New Year's Day, with considerable activity reported on the HF bands   
   and even some on the SO-50 satellite over the first weekend of the new year.   
   Throughout 2016, Amateur Radio will be helping the National Park Service (NPS)   
   to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Hams will activate NPS units, promote the   
   Park Service, and showcase Amateur Radio to the public. During the first 3   
   days of NPOTA, "Activators" were on the air from 78 of the 483 NPOTA Units.   
      
   "Pileups were pretty strong all weekend long," said ARRL Media and Public   
   Relations Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X. "At least two units -- Weir Farm National   
   Historic Site in Connecticut (NS76), and Little Rock Central High School   
   National Historic Site in Arkansas (NS45) -- were activated via the SO50 FM   
   satellite."   
      
   The program has two participation tracks -- Chasers and Activators. Chasers   
   will simply attempt to make contact with operators in as many of the NPS units   
   as possible. NPOTA participants may serve in both roles. Chaser and Activator   
   totals will be tracked via an online NPOTA Leader Board based on LoTW data.   
      
   "We've received an official welcome from the NPS superintendent of the North   
   Country National Scenic Trail and the Executive Director of the North Country   
   Trail Association," Kutzko reported. The trail runs from New York to North   
   Dakota.   
      
   "We appreciate your enthusiasm and engagement as we celebrate this 100th   
   anniversary of the National Park Service," wrote Mark Weaver, the Scenic Trail   
   superintendent, and Bruce Matthews, executive director of the North Country   
   Trail Association. "While operating from the North Country National Scenic   
   Trail, we encourage all radio amateurs to participate in the NCTAs Hike 100   
   Challenge, to hike 100 miles on the trail this year; to get out, enjoy the   
   fresh air, get some exercise, and take a moment to appreciate one of America's   
   great scenic and recreational resources."   
      
   Kutzko said 400 new NPOTA Facebook group members have signed on since New   
   Year's Eve. "The Facebook group is the central location for all things NPOTA,"   
   he said. "It has lots of people exchanging ideas, tips, spots, and success   
   stories. We're also using it as the place to keep everybody updated on   
   administrative issues."   
      
   #ARRL_NPOTA, #NPS100, and #HamRadioInParks remain the common Twitter feeds.   
      
      
   ARRL Again Complains to FCC about Illegal Marketing of Electronic Lighting   
   Ballasts   
      
   The ARRL has again complained to the FCC to allege illegal marketing of   
   electronic RF lighting ballasts, operating under Part 18 of the Commission's   
   rules, on the part of two major retailers. Letters went out in late December   
   to the FCC Enforcement Bureau and its Office of Engineering and Technology,   
   claiming Part 18 marketing regulations violations by Lowe's and by Walmart   
   stores. At issue is the sale of non-consumer RF lighting ballasts to consumers   
   who, in several instances, were told by store personnel that it was okay to   
   install these in a residential setting. In addition, non-consumer and   
   residential-class ballasts are being intermixed in store displays with   
   inadequate signage to direct consumers to the correct choice. Both letters   
   asked the FCC to investigate and commence enforcement proceedings with respect   
   to the two stores' marketing and retail sale of RF lighting devices in the US.   
      
   "ARRL purports to show that the [retailer] is...marketing and selling to   
   consumers (by retail sale) non-consumer Part 18 RF lighting devices which are   
   not intended for residential deployment, to consumers who have specifically   
   noted their intention to deploy the devices in residential applications," ARRL   
   Chief Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, said in similar complaint letters to the   
   Commission. Part 18 emissions limits for consumer devices are far lower than   
   those allowed for non-consumer devices.   
      
   "ARRL has received numerous complaints from Amateur Radio operators of   
   significant noise in the medium (MF) and high frequency (HF) bands between 1.8   
   MHz and 30 MHz from 'grow lights' and other Part 15 and part 18 RF lighting   
   devices," Imlay continued. "These devices are easily capable of emitting RF   
   noise sufficient to preclude Amateur Radio MF and HF communications (and, as   
   well, AM broadcast station reception) throughout entire communities."   
      
   Supporting both complaints were extensive and detailed reports by ARRL   
   Laboratory EMC Specialist Mike Gruber, W1MG. The reports recount incidents of   
   actual purchases of Part 18 RF lighting devices intended for commercial use to   
   consumers who made clear to store personnel that they intended to use the   
   devices at home. Gruber's reports include multiple photographs depicting   
   in-store displays of the products in question and showing signage that does   
   not adequately explain which devices may be sold to whom.   
      
   The ARRL has asked that stores remove all non-consumer devices from retail   
   sale and marketing and to track and recall non-consumer devices already sold   
   to consumers.   
      
      
   Redesigned FCC Website Makes it Easy for Hams to File Interference Complaints   
      
   The FCC has made it easier for hams to file RF interference and other   
   complaints, thanks to a new feature of the FCC's recently redesigned website.   
   The addition was made at ARRL's request. Hams have always been able to file   
   such complaints, but when a new complaint system geared largely to consumers   
   came online a year ago, they lost the ability to do so via e-mail to a   
   dedicated address. The change made it less clear how amateurs should file such   
   complaints and what, if anything, would result.   
      
   Once on the FCC site, click "File a Consumer Complaint" on the right side of   
   the screen. The next page lists several categories. Under "Radio," click on   
   "File Complaint." This will take you to a web form that you can fill out. The   
   form includes a drop-down menu for the "Radio Issues" field. Pick one, such as   
   "Interference." This will bring down another menu. The "Your Radio Method"   
   field includes another drop-down menu. Select "Amateur Radio." Complete the   
   rest of the form. It is possible to add attachments. Click on "Submit" to file   
   your complaint.   
      
   The FCC e-mail addresses for submitting complaints have been discontinued;   
   they had been rendered ineffective by spam.   
      
   Each complaint is assigned a ticket number, and complainants receive an e-mail   
   acknowledgment and, if appropriate, a follow-up report on what was done to   
   address the complaint. Many complaints are simply acknowledged, however, and   
   the complainant is told that it will be used for statistical analysis. A   
   complainant can update a complaint with additional information.   
      
      
   "Official" P5/3Z9DX North Korea Activation Now Set for this Summer   
      
   Following an unexpected "demonstration" operation from North Korea --   
   officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) -- just before   
   Christmas, Polish DXer Dom Grzyb, 3Z9DX, now expects to be back in the DPRK --   
   the most-wanted DXCC entity -- for his "official" activation by late this   
   summer, according to The Daily DX. He initially had anticipated returning this   
   month or next.   
      
   P5/3Z9DX showed up on the air from the most-wanted DXCC entity on December 20   
   and 21 to demonstrate Amateur Radio for North Korean officials. Over the   
   course of that activation -- the first in more than a decade -- P5/3Z9DX made   
   nearly 785 SSB contacts, most of them on 15 meters. Nearly 600 of the contacts   
   were with stations in Asia; P5/3Z9DX worked just 26 stations in North America.   
   He has posted his log on ClubLog.   
      
   Grzyb recently contacted The Daily DX Editor Bernie McClenny, W3UR, to update   
   his situation. During his visit, authorities were friendly and polite,   
   McClenny reported, noting that he was also surprised that they allowed him to   
   operate in December. P5/3Z9DX was severely hampered by extremely high noise   
   levels on all HF bands, not to mention a geomagnetic storm. Noise, he said in   
   a video posted on his website, made it "almost impossible" to copy weaker   
   signals in Pyongyang.   
      
   High noise levels in Pyongyang hampered the ability of P5/3Z9DX to copy weaker   
   signals. [3Z9DX video clip]   
      
   When he goes back to the DPRK this summer, he will be operating from a far   
   quieter location in a rural area, Grzyb told The Daily DX. While operating   
   from North Korea in December, P5/3Z9DX was running 100 W to a vertical antenna   
   mounted on a metal fence post some 7 feet above the ground among government   
   high-rise buildings. His equipment was left behind in Pyongyang, as was agreed   
   to before his December visit. The P5/3Z9DX preview was the first activation   
   from North Korea since the 2001-2002 operation by Ed Giorgadze, 4L4FN. --   
   Thanks to OPDX, The Daily DX   
      
      
   Palmyra, South Sandwich/South Georgia Will Help Kick Off 2016 DXpedition   
   Calendar   
      
   Let the 2016 pileups begin! Two major January DXpeditions will be among other   
   smaller efforts, with all aimed at providing a new one to the madding crowd.   
   Look for the Palmyra Island and South Georgia Island/South Sandwich Islands   
   activations, starting around mid-month.   
      
   The Pacific Islands DX Group's K5P DXpedition to Palmyra hopes to be on the   
   air on January 12 and will continue until January 25. Palmyra ranks among the   
   Top 10 most-wanted DXCC entities. Initially a 12-member team was set to depart   
   and activate K5P. Due to a change of aircraft that will transport the team to   
   the island, the team has been trimmed to nine operators. The team is planning   
   to leave Hawaii for Palmyra on January 11. The Pacific Islands DXpedition   
   Group has been awarded permission to activate Cooper Island in the Palmyra   
   Atoll.   
      
   The Group notes that another Palmyra Atoll activation may not take place for   
   many years, because access is severely restricted and permission is difficult   
   to obtain. The team said that without the cooperation and support of the   
   Nature Conservancy and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the DXpedition would   
   not be possible. The DXpedition's co-leaders are Craig Thompson, K9CT, and Lou   
   Dietrich, N2TU.   
      
   Meanwhile, the 14-member Intrepid-DX Group VP8 DXpedition team to the South   
   Sandwich Islands and South Georgia will set out on January 9 from the Falkland   
   Islands on the R/V (research vessel) Braveheart for a 37-day voyage. Both   
   entities are rare. The team will use VP8STI from South Sandwich and VP8SGI   
   from South Georgia.   
      
   "Our plans have us activating South Sandwich Island first, as it is the #3   
   most-wanted DXCC [entity] in ClubLog," the group said on its website. "We will   
   be active on South Sandwich for 8 full days, weather and sea conditions   
   permitting. We expect to start our activation of VP8STI on January 17." South   
   Georgia is the 8th most-wanted DXCC entity, according to the ClubLog Most   
   Wanted DXCC List.   
      
   The DXpedition's website describes the South Sandwich Islands as "a cold and   
   inhospitable place," and Southern Thule Island, where the group will operate,   
   as "one of the most remote places on Earth." Read more.   
      
      
   ARRL Education and Technology Program Announces School Grants   
      
   The ARRL Executive Committee has voted unanimously to approve ARRL Education &   
   Technology Program (ETP) grant awards for equipment and other resources to   
   seven schools for the 2015-2016 academic year.   
      
   They are Akron STEM High School, Akron, Ohio; Liberal Arts & Science Academy   
   High School, Austin, Texas; Life Christian School, Aloha, Oregon; Rock Canyon   
   High School, Highland Ranch, Colorado; Southport Elementary School, Kenosha,   
   Wisconsin; Wink High School, Wink, Texas, and Yucaipa High School, Yucaipa,   
   California.   
      
   Resources awarded ranged from license manuals, foxhunting equipment, and a   
   marine buoy, to transceivers and a complete station.   
      
   A primary goal of the ETP is to enhance wireless technology literacy among   
   teachers and students in the US, using Amateur Radio to explore radio science   
   and electronics and provide hands-on activities that stress math, science,   
   engineering, and technology (STEM) topics as well as other core curriculum   
   areas, such as geography and language arts.   
      
   As of this month, 579 schools have received support from the ETP in the form   
   of equipment and resource grants. The ETP accepts applications for equipment   
   and resource grants each year. The next application deadline is November 1.   
   More information on applying for a grant is on the ARRL website.   
      
      
   Dishtronix Purchases TEN-TEC Assets   
      
   Dishtronix, an electronics design and manufacturing company, has purchased the   
   assets of Amateur Radio equipment manufacturer TEN-TEC from RKR Designs.   
   Headquartered in Bellefontaine, Ohio, Dishtronix manufactures and markets the   
   "Prometheus" solid-state Amateur Radio amplifier, among other products. No   
   formal announcement has been made by either company, and details of the   
   purchase are still being finalized. RKR Designs announced last April 2 that it   
   had acquired the assets of TEN-TEC and Alpha Amplifiers from RF Concepts, less   
   than 1 year after the two lines had merged under the RF Concepts brand in an   
   asset sale. Dishtronix owner Steven M. "Mike" Dishop, N8WFF, told ARRL that,   
   while TEN-TEC has had different owners over the years, he is in it for the   
   long haul.   
      
   "Dishtronix has been continuously operating for 17 years, is financially   
   stable and will continue managing in a manner that promotes and maintains   
   financial stability. My vision is strictly long term," he said. TEN-TEC   
   production will remain in Sevierville, Tennessee.   
      
   According to its website, Dishtronix was incorporated in 1998 to design,   
   develop and manufacture electronic controls and products, serving smaller   
   manufacturers that lack electronic design expertise. Dishtronix said that it   
   "seriously committed" in September 2001 to enter the Amateur Radio market with   
   high-power, solid-state amplifiers and accessories. Dishop said Dishtronix has   
   other new products under development, including a new legal-limit, solid-state   
   amp that he expects to debut at Dayton Hamvention(R) in May.   
      
   "When I have capacity, the next step is to run the first batch of Omni VII+   
   [transceivers], which is the Omni VII with some minor cosmetic changes and   
   improvements, such as a flat metal front for improved shielding," he added. He   
   also expects to post some firmware updates as soon as possible, once the new   
   TEN-TEC website is up.   
      
   Dishop told ARRL that he's had to make "some tough decisions" to ensure the   
   company's long-term viability. He confirmed a recent TEN-TEC reflector web   
   post by former TEN-TEC Engineering Manager John Henry, KI4JPL, whom Dishop has   
   retained on a contract basis, that indicated a new service policy is now in   
   place, with a $140 minimum charge just to look at a radio, even if it is not   
   repaired. This includes items already sent to RKR for repair.   
      
   Dishop asked the Amateur Radio community to be patient during the transition.   
   "I am fully committed to bring TEN-TEC back to a sustainable state," he said   
   in his earlier web post. "This will take some time." Read more.   
      
      
   CQ World Wide Participants Favor Limiting Operating Time to Less Than 48 Hours   
      
   According to Part 2 of the 2015 CQ World Wide Contests survey results,   
   contesters want to see a time-limited category for single operators. In   
   September, the CQ WW Contest Committee surveyed everyone who had submitted a   
   log in the 2014 CQ WW SSB and CW events, and issued a public invitation on the   
   cq-contest e-mail reflector. CQ WW Contest Director Randy Thompson, K5ZD, said   
   the committee received 5117 responses from contest operators around the world   
   to Part 2 of the survey, which addressed possible rule changes. A vast   
   majority of respondents answered "yes" to the question, "Do you support   
   limiting the operating time of single operator entrants to less than 48   
   hours?" Currently, single operators may operate for the entire 48-hour contest   
   period.   
      
   "This question was designed to determine how broad the interest in a   
   time-limited category might be," Thompson said in the survey report. "We were   
   surprised at the high level of support for a time   
   limit. It was even more surprising to see that the majority of support was   
   coming from Europe. Even more interesting was that it was serious competitors   
   who wanted this change. While older ages were more in favor, the results were   
   fairly consistent across all."   
      
   According to the survey, 2775 respondents answered "yes," and 1638 said "no,"   
   while 694 offered no opinion.   
      
   A review of CQ World Wide entries for 2015 showed that approximately 90   
   percent of SSB operators stay in the chair for fewer than 30 hours, while some   
   90 percent of CW entrants operate fewer than 35 hours.   
      
   The survey results also suggested that a plurality -- nearly one-half -- of   
   contesters responding would prefer to maintain the separate Single Operator   
   and Single Operator Assisted categories, rather than combining them into one   
   entry category.   
      
      
   Commemorative EME Transmission Set from Refurbished Dish on "Project Diana"   
   Site   
      
   Radio amateurs will attempt a 23 centimeter Earth-Moon-Earth (EME, or   
   "moonbounce") transmission on January 10, using the 60-foot-diameter TLM-18   
   dish on the former "Project Diana" site, now part of the InfoAge Science   
   History Museum in New Jersey. This month's event marks the 70th anniversary of   
   Project Diana. It was on the InfoAge site, then a part of Fort Monmouth, that   
   the US Army's Project Diana team on January 10, 1946, first received radio   
   signals bounced from the moon.   
      
   During the anniversary event, the TLM-18 reactivation team, consisting of   
   volunteers from the museum, the Ocean Monmouth Amateur Radio Club (OMARC), and   
   Princeton University, will transmit from the TLM-18 control console in   
   Building 9162, the original TIROS control building, adjacent to Building 9116,   
   which houses N2MO, the OMARC club station. The dish offers 35 dBi gain at 465   
   MHz. The former US Army tracking dish was used as a ground station for the   
   TIROS I and II weather satellites and for Project Vanguard, which led to the   
   launch of Vanguard 1, the second US satellite, in 1958. The dish was   
   demilitarized in the 1970s.   
      
   An impromptu pre-event EME test conducted on January 2 on 1296 MHz from the   
   TLM-18 dish was successful, and the N2MO operators completed a contact with   
   K2UYH.   
      
   Daniel Marlow, K2QM, an InfoAge board member who teaches physics at Princeton,   
   plans to use the dish as a radio telescope to see 21 centimeter radiation from   
   the Milky Way, but he also wants to observe radio pulsars, and because that   
   activity can be performed at 70 centimeters, the TLM-18 dish is being made   
   available to the Amateur Radio community for EME use on a secondary basis. --   
   Thanks to InfoAge and Martin Flynn, W2RWJ   
      
      
   Contester, DXpeditioner William Vanderheide, N7OU, SK   
      
   Well-known contester and DXpeditioner William "Bill" Vanderheide, N7OU   
   (ex-AA7KF), of Portland, Oregon, died December 31 after a lengthy illness. He   
   was 70. A member of ARRL and the Willamette Valley DX Club, he had operated   
   from a dozen islands in the South Pacific as well as from several in the   
   Caribbean, often combining Amateur Radio with service in the Global Volunteers   
   organization, helping out in local classrooms. Licensed in Michigan at 13,   
   Vanderheide was an avid CW operator, a regular and high-scoring participant in   
   ARRL November Sweepstakes, Field Day, and other operating events -- always   
   running QRP or low power with wire antennas, said his friend Bob Norin, W7YAQ,   
   who called him "an outstanding contester, DXpeditioner, and ambassador" for   
   Amateur Radio.   
      
   "Bill was a keen practitioner of the lightweight DXpedition," Norin said.   
   Vanderheide documented his DXpeditions in articles for QST -- including   
   "Return to Rotuma" in the October 2013 edition, and "High Tide on Tarawa" in   
   January 2012.   
      
   Vanderheide taught in the Portland area for more than 30 years and later   
   volunteered in the city's schools. He also was a sorter with the 7th Area ARRL   
   QSL Bureau.   
      
   N7OU was involved in the T27OU, T32OU, 3D2OU, 3D2RO, 5W0OU, ZK1NOU, ZK3OU,   
   ZL7/N7OU, AA7KF, N7OU/HI9, E51NOU, E51PEN, TI5/N7OU, and YJ0OU DXpeditions.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   The K7RA Solar Update   
      
   Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Solar indices were down over the past   
   reporting week -- December 31-January 6 -- with average daily sunspot numbers   
   down from 49.6 to 41 and average daily solar flux down from 122.3 to 98.2. The   
   average daily planetary A index declined from 21.7 to 16.6, while the average   
   mid-latitude A index dropped from 12.6 to 10.6.   
      
   The predicted solar flux is 100 on January 7; 105 on January 8-13; 100, 105,   
   110, and 115 on January 14-17; 120 on January 18-21; 115, 110, 105, and 110 on   
   January 22-25; 115 on January 26-27; 110 on January 28, and 105 on January   
   29-February 3. The solar flux then peaks for the near term at 115 on February   
   5-6 and again at 120 on February 14-17.   
      
   The predicted planetary A index is 12 on January 7; 8 on January 8; 5 on   
   January 9-11; 12 on January 12; 8 on January 13; 5 on January 14-20; 8, 15,   
   12, and 8 on January 21-24; 5 on January 25-30; 12 on January 31; 8 on   
   February 1; 20 on February 2-3; 12 on February 4; 8 on February 5, and 5 on   
   February 6-16.   
      
   Sunspot numbers for December 31 through January 6 were 18, 40, 52, 50, 60, 29,   
   and 38, with a mean of 41. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 96.2, 98.4, 100,   
   101.9, 95.3, 95.2, and 100.2, with a mean of 98.2. Estimated planetary A   
   indices were 43, 27, 10, 7, 5, 7, and 17, with a mean of 16.6. Estimated   
   mid-latitude A indices were 25, 17, 6, 5, 4, 5, and 12, with a mean of 10.6.   
      
   In the Friday bulletin look for an updated forecast and reports from readers.   
   Send me your reports and observations.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   Just Ahead in Radiosport   
      
    *  January 9 -- Old New Year Contest (CW)   
    *  January 9-10 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)   
    *  January 9-10 -- UBA PSK63 Prefix Contest   
    *  January 9-10 -- North American QSO Party (CW)   
    *  January 10 -- NRAU-Baltic Contest (SSB)   
    *  January 10 -- DARC 10-Meter Contest (CW)   
    *  January 10 -- NRAU-Baltic Contest (CW)   
    *  January 13 -- NAQCC CW Sprint   
      
   See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth reporting on   
   Amateur Radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest Update via your ARRL   
   member profile e-mail preferences.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events   
      
    *  January 9 -- TECHFEST, Lawrenceville, Georgia   
    *  January 10 -- New York City-Long Island Section Convention, Bethpage,   
       New York   
    *  January 15-16 -- Southern Florida Section Convention, Fort Myers,   
       Florida   
    *  January 15-16 -- North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill, Texas   
    *  January 17-23 -- Quartzfest, Quartzsite, Arizona   
    *  January 29-30 -- Mississippi State Convention, Jackson, Mississippi   
    *  January 29-31 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto Rico   
    *  February 6 -- South Carolina State Convention, N. Charleston, South   
       Carolina   
    *  February 6 -- Virginia State Convention (Frostfest), Richmond, Virginia   
    *  February 12-14 -- ARRL National Convention, Orlando, Florida   
    *  February 13 -- Georgia ARES Convention, Forsyth, Georgia   
    *  February 19-20 -- Southwestern Division Convention, Yuma, Arizona   
    *  February 20 -- Arkansas State Convention, Hoxie, Arkansas   
    *  February 27 -- WCF Section Technical Conference, Tampa, Florida   
    *  February 27 -- New Mexico TechFest, Albuquerque, New Mexico   
    *  February 27 -- Vermont State Convention, S. Burlington, Vermont   
    *  March 4-5 -- Alabama Section Convention, Birmingham, Alabama   
    *  March 18-19 -- South Texas Section Convention, Rosenburg, Texas   
    *  March 11-12 -- Louisiana State Convention, Rayne, Louisiana   
    *  March 12 -- Santa Clara Valley Section Convention, Del Rey Oaks,   
       California   
    *  March 19 -- MicroHAMS Digital Conference, Redmond, Washington   
    *  March 19 -- West Texas Section Convention, Midland, Texas   
      
   Find conventions and hamfests in your area.   
      
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   )\/(ark   
      
   "So let me ask you a question about this brave new world of yours. When you've   
   killed all the bad guys, and when it's all perfect, and just and fair, and   
   when you have finally got it exactly the way you want it, what are you going   
   to do with the people like you? The trouble makers. How are you going to   
   protect your glorious revolution from the next one?" - The twelfth Doctor   
      
   ... Like a martini without the egg.   
   ---   
    * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)