The ARRL Letter
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
February 24, 2011
Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive
Audio News
IN THIS ISSUE
- + Legislative News: ARRL Asks Members to Write in Opposition to HR
607
- + Public Service: New Zealand Amateurs Assist in Earthquake's
Aftermath
- + WRC-12 : Amateur MF Allocation Moves a Step Closer
- + In the News : Three Yachtsmen Killed by Somali Pirates were Hams
- + On the Air : The HF Bands Come Alive for the ARRL International DX
SSB Contest
- + Section Manager Elections : New Section Manager Elected in
Arkansas
- ARRL Atlantic Division to Host Two Webinars in February
- ARRL Field Day: 2011 Field Day Packets Available
- Solar Update
- Amateur Radio Fun: Be a Star! Enter the ARRL Video Contest
- This Week on the Radio
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
> + LEGISLATIVE NEWS: ARRL ASKS MEMBERS TO WRITE IN OPPOSITION TO HR
607
The ARRL is asking its members to contact their US representatives
in opposition to the sections of HR 607
that could affect the Amateur Radio Service allocation at 420-440 MHz.
HR 607 -- The Broadband for First Responders Act of 2011 -- would
address certain spectrum management issues, including the creation and
maintenance of a nationwide Public Safety broadband network. It was
introduced
into the US House of Representatives February 10.
ARRL Regulatory Information Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, clarified that
the League opposes HR 607 in its present form. "We do not oppose the
concept of dedicated spectrum for the development of a Public Safety
infrastructure and wireless network. We object to the bill because of
the inclusion of 420-440 MHz as part of the spectrum to be swapped and
auctioned to commercial users." You can find a sample letter, "How to
Find your Representative" and the contact information for ARRL's
legislative consultant, Chwat & Co, here
.
> + PUBLIC SERVICE: NEW ZEALAND AMATEURS ASSIST IN EARTHQUAKE'S
AFTERMATH
A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Canterbury region in New
Zealand's South Island on Tuesday, February 22 at 12:51 PM local time
(2351 on February 21 UTC). According to IARU Region 3 Disaster
Communications Committee Chairman Jim Linton, VK3PC, 10 radio amateurs
are using their two emergency broadcast vans to keep rescue teams and
Civil Defense staff in touch. One is at a major welfare center,
providing portable communication so they can talk to Civil Defense, and
the other vehicle is on its way to assist search-and-rescue teams in an
area where communication is poor . Read more here
.
> + WRC-12 : AMATEUR MF ALLOCATION MOVES A STEP CLOSER
Amateur Radio has moved a step closer to a medium frequency (MF)
allocation below the AM broadcast band. During the first week of the
Conference Preparatory Meeting (CPM) for the 2012 World
Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-12) of the International
Telecommunication Union, held in Geneva February 14-25, delegates
completed the drafting of nine pages of analysis of the technical and
regulatory issues related to WRC-12 Agenda Item 1.23: consideration of
a possible secondary allocation to the Amateur Service of about 15 kHz
somewhere between 415 and 526.5 kHz. Two possible methods of satisfying
the agenda item, along with the possibility of there being no change
(and therefore no allocation), are set out in the CPM Report, along
with the advantages and disadvantages of each . Read more here
.
> + IN THE NEWS : THREE YACHTSMEN KILLED BY SOMALI PIRATES WERE HAMS
Four Americans -- including three Amateur Radio operators -- who were
being held hostage on their yacht by pirates off the coast of Oman have
been killed. Scott Adam, K9ESO, and his wife Jean, KF6RVB, along with
Bob Riggle, KE7IIV, and Phyllis Macay were on board the S/V Quest when
pirates boarded their vessel on Friday, February 18. The Adams were
based in the Los Angeles area; Riggle and Macay were from Seattle.
According to the US Central Command, the boat was in the Indian
Ocean, headed toward the Somali coast when on Friday, the 58 foot yacht
sent a distress signal. The boat was being trailed by US Navy forces;
it was about a two day sail from the Somali coast. They had begun
tracking the yacht after being alerted that a Danish naval helicopter
had seen the Quest off Oman under the pirates' control. The Central
Command oversees US anti-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean.
Officials were in the process of negotiating for the Americans' release
when gunfire was heard around 1 AM (EST) on Tuesday, February 22. "As
(US forces) responded to the gunfire, reaching and boarding the Quest,
the forces discovered all four hostages had been shot by their
captors," a statement from US Central Command said. "Despite immediate
steps to provide life-saving care, all four hostages ultimately died of
their wounds." Read more here
.
> + ON THE AIR : THE HF BANDS COME ALIVE FOR THE ARRL INTERNATIONAL
DX SSB CONTEST
With the CW running of the ARRL International DX Contest over, it's
time to get ready for the phone portion. With the solar flux peaking at
125 during the CW contest -- and 10 meters in unexpectedly good shape
and open to Europe during the event -- one wonders if the same kind of
conditions will be present for the phone running, 0000 UTC Saturday,
March 5-2359 UTC Sunday, March 6. With another region of the Sun coming
around to face Earth for this contest, there could be more unstable
conditions. But if the solar flux index stays high -- and there aren't
any more solar flares -- the ARRL DX SSB Contest could have some
openings like there haven't been in years. Are you ready? Read more
here
.
> + SECTION MANAGER ELECTIONS : NEW SECTION MANAGER ELECTED IN
ARKANSAS
In the only balloted Section Manager election this winter, ARRL
members in Arkansas have elected Dale Temple, W5RXU, North Little Rock,
as Section Manager for the next two year term of office that starts
April 1. Temple received 362 votes, and his opponent, incumbent Section
Manager J. M. Rowe, N5XFW, received 290 votes. Rowe has served as
Section Manager since December 2008. Ballots were counted and verified
at ARRL Headquarters on Tuesday, February 22. 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. This month, Atlantic Division Director Bill Edgar, N3LLR,
will host two webinars for ARRL members, one on 501(c)(3) organizations
(Thursday, February 24) 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 (Saturday,
February 26). Read more here
.
> 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
.
> SOLAR UPDATE
Tad "Away from the Sun "
Cook, K7RA, reports: The weekly averages for solar flux and sunspot
numbers were nearly unchanged this week, although last week they were
rising and this week declining. The average daily sunspot number was
down less than five points to 65, while the average daily solar flux
was up just 0.3 points to 103.8. The outlook from NOAA/USAF shows a
gradually rising solar flux, 85 on February 24-26, 88 on February 27
through March 3, 90 on March 4 and rising to 110 on March 10-15. The
predicted planetary A index for February 24-through March 5 is 5, 7, 7,
5, 15, 12, 8, 10, 7 and 5. Sunspot groups 1161 and 1162 -- which
brought so much activity last week -- are now rotating over our Sun's
western horizon, but with the STEREO craft
, we can see a new active region rotating
over the eastern horizon. The predicted geomagnetic storm just before
last weekend's ARRL International DX CW Contest did not persist,
lasting only half a day through February 18. Look for more information
on the ARRL website on Friday, February 25. For more information
concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information
Service Propagation page
. This week's "Tad
Cookism" is brought to you by 3 Doors Down's Away from the Sun
.
> AMATEUR RADIO FUN: BE A STAR! ENTER THE ARRL VIDEO CONTEST
If you've ever wanted a way to show the world how exciting Amateur
Radio can be, here's your chance: The ARRL is sponsoring its first-ever
video contest ! We are looking for
ARRL members to shoot and submit videos that showcase how fun and
electrifying our hobby is; extra points will be awarded for a video
showing someone, young or old, licensed or not, making their first
contact. Videos will be judged on overall quality and composition, and
prizes will be awarded. The video author/producer must be an ARRL
member; however, the people who appear in your video can be
non-members. This contest is intended for amateur videographers. If you
are a professional, please do not apply. Check out all the details --
including the fine print -- on the ARRL Video Contest Rules and
Guidelines Web page . The submission
deadline is Monday, February 28, 2011.
> THIS WEEK ON THE RADIO
This 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
Next week:
- March 5 -- Wake-Up! QRP Sprint
- March 5-6 -- ARRL International DX Contest (SSB)
; Open Ukraine RTTY Championship
- March 6 -- DARC 10 Meter Digital Contest
- March 8 -- ARS Spartan Sprint
- March 9-10 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test
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 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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