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   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-03-03   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
      
   March 3, 2016   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
    *  US Amateur Radio Numbers Continue to Soar   
    *  ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B, Retires   
    *  ARISS Celebrates its 1000th Educational Amateur Radio Contact with Video   
    *  ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology Announces 2016 Schedule   
    *  National Parks on the Air Update   
    *  ARES Groups, Individual Hams Support Army and Air Force MARS   
       Communications Exercise   
    *  Armed Forces Day 2016 Communication Test to Include Direct Military-Ham   
       Contact on 60 Meters   
    *  Regulators Attend Amateur Radio Administration Course in Mexico City   
    *  Texas to Host US ARDF Championships in April   
    *  "Frequency" TV Series Now Planned for The CW Network   
    *  First Solid-State Transmitter to Span the Atlantic Now Part of ARRL   
       Historical Collection   
    *  Getting It Right!   
    *  In Brief...   
    *  The K7RA Solar Update   
    *  Just Ahead in Radiosport   
    *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events   
      
      
   US Amateur Radio Numbers Continue to Soar   
      
   Amateur Radio is alive and well! Growth in the US continued in 2015, with a   
   record 735,405 licensees in the FCC's Universal Licensing System (ULS)   
   database by the end of the year. That's up 9130 over December 2014, a 1.2   
   percent rise, continuing a steady increase in the US Amateur Radio population   
   in every year since 2007. In 2014, the ranks grew by a net 8149 licensees. The   
   figures, compiled by ARRL Pacific Section Manager-elect Joe Speroni, AH0A, on   
   his FCC Amateur Radio Statistics web pages, exclude expired licenses within   
   the 2-year grace period and club station licenses.   
   Over the past 10 years, the Amateur Radio population in the US has expanded by   
   72,805 licensees -- or nearly 11 percent.   
      
   As expected, the biggest growth by license class was in Technician licensees,   
   which rose by 6570 in 2015. Technician licensees still comprise a little less   
   than one-half of the US Amateur Radio population.   
      
      
   General ranks increased by 3079, and Amateur Extra numbers went up by 3496.   
      
   The 2015 overall numbers faltered a little in April, before rebounding in   
   July. The introduction of a new General class question pool on July 1 appeared   
   to have only a slight effect on month-to-month numbers in that license class.   
   ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, said 2015 was another banner year for   
   ARRL VEC-sponsored test sessions.   
      
   "For the second year in a row, we have conducted more than 7000 Amateur Radio   
   exam sessions in a year, an important milestone for the ARRL VEC," she said.   
   "A total of 7358 ARRL-sponsored exam sessions were administered in 2015,   
   compared to 7216 in 2014. The number of exam applicants was down slightly in   
   2015, compared to the previous year, and the number of examination elements   
   administered also dipped slightly, she noted.   
      
   "Since 2014 was a record-setting year, the numbers of 2015 examinees didn't   
   drop so much as return to more typical levels," Somma explained.   
      
   As of December 31, some 47,850 Advanced and 10,800 Novice licensees remained   
   in the FCC database. The FCC no longer issues Advanced and Novice licenses,   
   and their numbers continue to decline. -- Thanks to Joe Speroni, AH0A; FCC ULS   
   licensing statistics   
      
      
   ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B, Retires   
      
   On February 26, the ARRL Headquarters staff bid farewell and a happy   
   retirement to Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B, as he wrapped up 11   
   years at ARRL Headquarters. His last official day on the job was March 1. At a   
   retirement party, staff members presented Kramer with an antique clock from a   
   Waterbury, Connecticut, clock maker -- a particularly fitting gift, as he was   
   born in Waterbury.   
      
   "I was glad to have him as a colleague and a friend," said ARRL CEO David   
   Sumner, K1ZZ -- who will depart ARRL Headquarters himself on April 18, after   
   more than 4 decades. Sumner cited several of Kramer's contributions during his   
   "one sunspot cycle" on the staff. These included arranging for some League   
   publications to be published in Chinese in China, digital publishing --   
   especially books on Kindle, recruiting authors of new publications, and his   
   participation in the development of the League's new Strategic Plan.   
      
   Sumner also noted that Kramer took the initiative to organize the W1Q special   
   event marking the 100th anniversary of QST in 2015.   
      
   ARRL Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, praised Kramer for making the   
   League and its programs more visible to members. "Through his 'Inside HQ'   
   column, hundreds of personal tours, loads of hamfest and convention travel,   
   radio club meetings, and shaking a lot of hands -- Harold packaged the   
   contributions of ARRL and every staff person, and delivered that story to   
   members, prospective members, and loads of friends and visitors," Inderbitzen   
   said.   
      
   Kramer said he is proud of what he and the ARRL Headquarters staff   
   accomplished together during his tenure, including the response to Hurricane   
   Katrina. He also cited the upgraded ARRL website and the League's enhanced   
   presence in digital publishing -- including a digital edition of QST.   
      
   "One of the things that I am most proud of was being the co-chairman of the   
   Centennial Convention -- one of the best-ever ham radio conventions, and the   
   centennial QSO Party -- the largest operating event in ham radio history,"   
   Kramer told the staff.   
      
   As for his plans, Kramer, whose principal focus has been on emergency   
   communication, said he's hoping to finally put up the tower and beam he's been   
   talking about for the past decade and may even return to the Connecticut Field   
   Organization, where he was once an EC. A book and some QST articles are   
   definite possibilities, he added.   
      
   "You have been a great group to get to know and to work with," Kramer said.   
   "I've been proud to call you my colleagues."   
      
      
   ARISS Celebrates its 1000th Educational Amateur Radio Contact with Video   
      
   Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS), the first-ever ISS   
   payload activated by the crew, is gearing up for its 1000th educational ham   
   radio contact in March. A video jointly produced by ARRL, NASA, and AMSAT,   
   titled, "Celebrating the 1000th Contact," has been posted on YouTube.   
      
   ARISS celebrated 15 years of a permanent ham radio presence in space last   
   December. In 2000, several pupils and a teacher got to chat on 2 meters with   
   the first ISS Commander, William "Shep" Shepherd, KD5GSL. Since that first   
   ARISS school contact, astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the station have talked   
   with students in 44 states in the US and in 51 other countries.   
      
      
   ARISS anticipates the 1000th educational radio contact will occur during March.   
      
   On an application basis, ARISS organizes scheduled Amateur Radio contacts   
   between ISS crew members and students at a school or less-formal education   
   venue. Experienced Amateur Radio volunteers work with ARISS and individual   
   schools to handle the technical aspects. Through these radio contacts,   
   students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space   
   technologies, and Amateur Radio.   
      
   ARISS touches tens of thousands of students per year. One ARISS goal is to   
   inspire an interest among young people in science, technology, engineering,   
   and math (STEM) subjects and in STEM careers. Another is to provide an   
   educational opportunity for students, teachers, and the public to learn about   
   space exploration and satellites, as well as about wireless technology and   
   radio science through Amateur Radio.   
      
      
   ARISS Online Information Session   
      
   The ARISS program coordinator will offer an online information session on   
   March 10 at 7 PM ET for schools and organizations interested in hosting an   
   Amateur Radio contact with a member of the International Space Station crew.   
   The hour-long session is aimed at providing additional details regarding US   
   ARISS contacts and the proposal process. There will be an opportunity to ask   
   questions. Advance registration is required. Contact ARISS to sign up.   
      
   Prospective ARISS contact sponsors are not required to attend an online   
   information session, but they are strongly encouraged to do so.   
      
      
   ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology Announces 2016 Schedule   
      
   The deadline is May 1 for educators to apply for a spot in this summer's ARRL   
   Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology sessions. These educational   
   opportunities are offered by the ARRL Education & Technology Program (ETP).   
   Two introductory sessions and one advanced session are scheduled. The   
   Introduction to Wireless Technology course (TI-1) will be presented June 20-24   
   at Parallax Inc in Rocklin, California, and July 25-29 at ARRL Headquarters in   
   Newington, Connecticut. The advanced Remote Sensing and Data Gathering course   
   (TI-2) will be offered July 18-21 at the Dayton Amateur Radio Association in   
   Dayton, Ohio. The TI-1 course is a prerequisite to TI-2. An article in the   
   March 2016 issue of QST offers more details about each 4-day course, or visit   
   the ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology page on the ARRL website.   
      
   Now in its 13th year, the ARRL Teachers Institute is an expenses-paid,   
   intensive professional development opportunity for educators who want to   
   receive training and resources to explore wireless technology in the classroom   
   and integrate science and math with engineering and technology.   
      
   Applicants must be teaching in a school, college, or professional educational   
   organization serving grade levels 4-12+, or leading a school-affiliated   
   enrichment program in an official capacity.   
      
   Visit the ARRL website for more information, and to download and complete an   
   application and the pre-workshop survey.   
      
   Donations to support the ARRL's efforts to promote Amateur Radio in schools   
   and to provide professional development to education are welcome.   
      
      
   National Parks on the Air Update   
      
   National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) statistics for the end of February show that   
   momentum for the year-long event continues. More than 136,000 NPOTA contacts   
   have been made from 311 NPOTA units, in more than 1500 qualified activations!   
   National Scenic and Historic Trails continue to be the most-activated units.   
   The Appalachian Trail is the biggest favorite, with 34 valid activations,   
   while the Santa Fe National Historic Trail has the most number of QSOs made   
   from an NPS unit -- 3533. For you NPOTA Honor Roll chasers, 34 of the 59   
   National Parks have had Amateur Radio activity since January 1.   
      
   SSB is by far the most popular mode, with 88.4 percent of all NPOTA QSOs made   
   with a microphone. CW comes in a very distant second, with 10.3 percent, and   
   digital at 1.2 percent.   
      
   There are 26 NPOTA activations listed for March 3-9, including Cabrillo   
   National Monument in California (MN09), and the Lincoln Boyhood National   
   Memorial in Indiana (NM15).   
      
   Details about these and other upcoming activations can be found on the NPOTA   
   Activations calendar.   
      
   Keep up with the latest NPOTA news on Facebook. Follow NPOTA on Twitter   
   (@ARRL_NPOTA).   
      
      
   ARES Groups, Individual Hams Support Army and Air Force MARS Communications   
   Exercise   
      
   On February 12, more than 300 Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) members   
   and individual radio amateurs participated in the first quarterly Military   
   Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) US Department of Defense communications exercise   
   of 2016 (COMEX 16-1). US Army and Air Force MARS operators across the US,   
   Europe, and the Pacific took part in the 12-hour Department of Defense (DOD)   
   contingency HF communication exercise, which simulated a widespread loss of   
   telephone and Internet communication across the US. MARS operators reached out   
   to ARES members and individual hams in as many US counties as possible to   
   obtain status reports via radio.   
      
   "The purpose of the exercise was to give MARS operators the opportunity to   
   demonstrate their proficiency in responding to DOD requests for simulated   
   emergency situational awareness reports from counties across the United   
   States," Army MARS Program Manager Paul English, WD8DBY, explained. "DOD and   
   the MARS leadership want to thank the more than 300 Amateur Radio operators   
   who assisted in making this exercise a success by providing local county   
   information using VHF, UHF, and NVIS HF voice communications."   
      
   English said the supported Department of Defense headquarters entities "were   
   very pleased with the outcome of the exercise, and especially with the number   
   of Amateur Radio stations that participated on a weekday and the number of   
   unique county reports received over the 12-hour period." After eliminating   
   duplicates, English said, MARS received 312 county status reports.   
      
   The exercise aimed in part to develop local-level working relationships   
   between MARS operators and ARES groups and individual radio amateurs and   
   clubs, English said.   
      
      
   Armed Forces Day 2016 Communication Test to Include Direct Military-Ham   
   Contact on 60 Meters   
      
   This year's Armed Forces Day Crossband Communication Test on Saturday, May 14,   
   will include a significant new wrinkle: Select military stations will be using   
   60 meter interoperability channels to communicate directly with Amateur Radio   
   stations on the band. Back this year, select military stations will use   
   crossband Automatic Link Establishment (2G ALE) communication as well as   
   MIL-STD Serial PSK to send the Secretary of Defense Armed Forces Day message.   
   Armed Forces Day 2016 is Saturday, May 21, but the radio event is held earlier   
   to avoid conflicting with Dayton Hamvention, May 20-22.   
      
   The annual Armed Forces Day Communication Test is an opportunity to exercise   
   two-way communication capability between Amateur Radio and military stations   
   using a variety of modes, including SSB and CW as well as digital modes. The   
   annual event gives participants -- including shortwave listeners (SWLs) -- an   
   opportunity to demonstrate their technical skills, and to receive recognition   
   from the appropriate military radio station.   
      
   The Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard cosponsor the joint   
   military/Amateur Radio, with military stations transmitting on military   
   frequencies and listening on Amateur Radio bands.   
      
   Amateur Radio stations and shortwave listeners interested in trying the   
   MIL-STD Serial PSK mode can download the software program, MS-DMT.   
      
   Full details about this year's Armed Forces Day radio will be posted by April   
   12 and will also appear on the US Army MARS Facebook page.   
      
      
   Regulators Attend Amateur Radio Administration Course in Mexico City   
      
   Telecommunications regulators from Mexico and Belize attended an Amateur Radio   
   Administration Course (ARAC) February 17-19 in Mexico City. International   
   Amateur Radio Union Region 2 (IARU R2), the Mexican Federation of Radio   
   Amateurs (FMRE), and the ARRL sponsored the sessions.   
      
   Presiding at the opening ceremony was Rafael Eslava Herrada, who heads the   
   Concessions and Services Unit of Mexico's telecoms regulator, the Federal   
   Institute of Telecommunications (IFT).   
      
   Among others, course topics included:   
      
    *  Organization of the ITU and the IARU   
    *  Nature of Amateur Radio Services   
    *  ITU Radio Regulations   
    *  Amateur Radio Activities and Allocations   
    *  How Society Can Benefit from Amateur Radio   
    *  National Licensing and Regulations   
    *  Amateur Radio Examinations   
    *  Emergency Communications   
    *  Satellites and the Amateur Satellite Service   
    *  Electromagnetic Compatibility   
      
   Regulators from the Public Utilities Commission of Belize and Mexico's IFT   
   attended the classroom sessions. The objective of the course is for regulators   
   to be able to help create, administer, and foster an Amateur Radio Service   
   within their home countries. The ARAC is designed for those who regulate and   
   manage Amateur Radio, and it was taught in both English and Spanish.   
      
      
   Texas to Host US ARDF Championships in April   
      
   The US championships of Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) return to the   
   Lone Star State this spring. Sponsored by Texas ARDF and the Austin   
   Orienteering Club (AOC), the event will take place April 7-10 near Killeen,   
   Texas. On-foot foxhunting fans of all skill levels will gather for 4 days of   
   intense competition.   
      
   National ARDF championships typically take place in the late summer or early   
   fall, but because the ARDF World Championships in Bulgaria take place in early   
   September this year, the national event is being held in April to provide   
   plenty of time to select Team USA members and to make travel arrangements.   
      
   An optional training day just prior to the championships on Wednesday, April   
   6, will feature an 80 meter short course. Thursday, April 7, will be devoted   
   to foxoring, a combination of radio direction finding and classic   
   orienteering, on 80 meters. Friday morning will be the formal 80 meter sprint   
   event, followed by a catered lunch, competitor meeting, and model event for   
   equipment testing.   
      
   Classic 2 meter and 80 meter competitions will take place on Saturday and   
   Sunday, respectively. An awards banquet on Saturday evening will honor winners   
   of the foxoring, sprint, and 2 meter classic events. Awards for the 80 meter   
   classic event will be given Sunday afternoon, immediately following the   
   competition.   
      
   Lead organizers, event hosts, and course planners are Jennifer and Kenneth   
   Harker, W5JEN and WM5R, assisted by members of the Austin Orienteering Club.   
      
   Stateside winners of the US championships will be considered for membership in   
   ARDF Team USA, which will travel to Albena, Bulgaria for the 18th ARDF World   
   Championships.   
      
   Full details are on the Texas ARDF website. -- Thanks to ARRL ARDF Coordinator   
   Joe Moell, K0OV   
      
      
   "Frequency" TV Series Now Planned for The CW Network   
      
   The buzz from Hollywood is that a TV series based on the 2000 movie   
   "Frequency" is in development and -- appropriately enough for a show featuring   
   ham radio -- on The CW network. Amateur Radio served as a plot device in the   
   movie and will play the same role in the TV series.   
      
   In November 2014, The Hollywood Reporter indicated that NBC had committed to a   
   "Frequency" series, but those plans apparently fell by the wayside. Now, The   
   CW has ordered a pilot episode of "Frequency," and, if the network does go   
   forward with the project, the modern-day version of "Frequency," the TV   
   series, would feature a young female police detective named Raimy, who uses   
   ham radio to communicate through time with her deceased father.   
      
   Actress Peyton List is said to have landed to role of Raimy, reprising Jim   
   Caviezel's movie character. Riley Smith would play her father.   
      
   When the original "Frequency" movie debuted, the ham radio theme and the   
   chance to see vintage ham gear and real, glowing vacuum tubes on the big   
   screen generated considerable interest within the community of "boatanchor"   
   enthusiasts. ARRL worked with the film's producers.   
      
      
   First Solid-State Transmitter to Span the Atlantic Now Part of ARRL Historical   
   Collection   
      
   A flea-powered transistor ham transmitter built in the 1950s and later used to   
   make a transatlantic contact has become part of the ARRL Historical   
   Collection. The noteworthy historical artifact was donated by Andy Stewart,   
   KB1OIQ, on behalf of the estate of Gus Fallgren, W1OG (SK), the ham who was at   
   the key for the momentous event. Fallgren -- then W1OGU -- and two other   
   Raytheon engineers, Al "Hank" Hankinson, W1OSF, and Dick Wright, W1UBC, built   
   the little transmitter in the summer of 1956 on a lark, to see if they could   
   achieve Worked All Continents (WAC) with it. The 20 meter, 78 mW transmitter   
   was designed around a pair of Raytheon 2N113 transistors -- one as a 7 MHz   
   oscillator, the other as a frequency-doubling power amplifier. On September   
   18, 1956, Fallgren, in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, running the transistor   
   transmitter into a three-element wide-spaced Yagi, worked OZ7BO in Copenhagen,   
   Denmark. His signal report was 339.   
      
   The transmitter was the first to run Raytheon transistors on 20 meters. Hams   
   had previously constructed low-power, solid-state transmitters for 40 meters   
   and made contacts spanning up to 800 miles. Fallgren's 3800-mile contact   
   worked out to approximately 47,500 miles per watt.   
      
   Raytheon documented the historic contact in the February 1957 edition of Radio   
   and Television News -- with a feature banner and cover photo of W1OGU in his   
   shack with the battery-powered transistor transmitter -- and it was reported   
   in other publications as well, including Raytheon's own publication and the   
   Boston Globe. A November 1956 QST "Stray" reported that Fallgren had "worked   
   KP4, TI2, OZ7, and G3, and has reportedly been heard in VK" with the little   
   rig, and included a photo.   
      
   Assistant ARRL Laboratory Manager Bob Allison, WB1GCM, staff liaison to the   
   ARRL Historical Committee, accepted the donation and thanked Stewart for   
   arranging it.   
      
      
   Getting It Right!   
      
   Getting It Right! In "Article Profiles First African-American Radio Amateur,   
   Rufus Turner, W3LF," which appeared in the February 25 edition of The ARRL   
   Letter, we inadvertently -- and incorrectly -- added an "A" to the designation   
   of the diode Mr Turner helped to develop. The diode the article refers to is   
   the 1N34, not the later 1N34A, which typically had a hermetically sealed glass   
   envelope. Thanks to Frank Donovan, W3LPL, for spotting this error.   
      
      
   In Brief...   
      
   List of US House Amateur Radio Parity Act Cosponsors Continues to Grow: Three   
   more members of the US House of Representatives have stepped forward to   
   cosponsor The Amateur Radio Parity Act, H.R. 1301. That brings the total to   
   123. The latest to sign on are Reps Evan Jenkins (R-WV), Stephen Knight   
   (R-CA), and Charles Boustany Jr (R-LA). In a voice vote on February 11, the US   
   House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, chaired by Rep Greg   
   Walden, W7EQI, sent H.R. 1301 to the full House Energy and Commerce Committee   
   with a favorable report for further consideration. More information on The   
   Amateur Radio Parity Act is on the ARRL website.   
      
      
   Winter 2016 Edition of Radio Waves Now Available: The winter 2016 edition of   
   ARRL's Radio Waves newsletter for Amateur Radio license instructors and radio   
   science educators is now available. Some of the articles in this issue   
   include, "In-Depth Licensing Class Probes Electronics;" "Exploring Complex   
   Concepts through Electronic Kit Building;" "Two Schools Experience ARISS   
   Impact;" "West Chester Amateur Radio Association on Hand for Pi Day," and   
   "Youth Nets." In addition, the Instructor Corner offers resources for   
   classroom and licensing instruction, and there's news of the ARRL Education &   
   Technology Program, a calendar of upcoming events, and more.   
      
      
   ARRL VEC Applications, Session Scheduling Getting Back on Track: A computer   
   program issue that was preventing the ARRL VEC from managing and posting its   
   schedule of future examination sessions and   
   transmitting application data from completed sessions to the FCC has been   
   resolved, and the backlog is being cleared. "The ARRL IT Department has our   
   system is back up and running," ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, said on   
   March 2. "ARRL VEC has begun to transmit into FCC Electronic Batch Filing   
   system the approximately 200 exam sessions that were waiting in the queue. It   
   may take a few days to get through the entire backlog." Since the problem   
   surfaced on February 22, the system had worked "sporadically," Somma said,   
   allowing a few test sessions to make it to the FCC for processing.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   The K7RA Solar Update   
      
   Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Average daily sunspot numbers were   
   marginally higher over our reporting week (February 25-March 2) than during   
   the previous 7 days -- rising from 37.9 to 41.4. Average daily solar flux was   
   down by just one point, to 92.9. The average planetary A index dipped from   
   10.1 to 5.9, and the average mid-latitude A index declined from 12.6 to 5.3.   
      
   Predicted solar flux for the near term is 100 on March 3; 105 on March 4-5;   
   110 on March 6-10; 105 on March 11-13; 100 on March 14-15; 95 on March 16-20,   
   and bottoming out at 90 on March 21-26. Flux values then peak at 115 on March   
   30-31.   
      
   The planetary A index prediction shows 8 on March 3-4; 12, 20, 15, 10, and 5   
   on March 5-9; 8 on March 10-11; 5 on March 12, and 12 on March 13. The   
   predicted A index then makes a huge jump to 30 on March 14-16. This is perhaps   
   the result of a recurring coronal hole, because on April 10-12 the A index   
   again goes to 30. Note that there were similar numbers -- 38, 34 and 29 -- for   
   February 17, 18 and 19.   
      
   Sunspot numbers for February 25 through March 2 were 26, 41, 37, 38, 44, 39,   
   and 65, with a mean of 41.4. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 91.7, 89, 90.4,   
   93.2, 90.9, 96.8, and 98.2, with a mean of 92.9. Estimated planetary A indices   
   were 5, 7, 4, 4, 5, 9, and 7, with a mean of 5.9. Estimated mid-latitude A   
   indices were 6, 5, 3, 4, 4, 8, and 7, with a mean of 5.3.   
      
   This week's bulletin will look at changes in our 3-month moving averages of   
   sunspot numbers, which should indicate the further decline in the current   
   solar cycle. We'll also have a quantitative report from NP3A on band-by-band   
   changes in CW Skimmer logs between the ARRL International DX Contest 2015 and   
   2016 numbers.   
      
   Send me your reports and observations.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   Just Ahead in Radiosport   
      
    *  March 5 -- Wake-Up! QRP Sprint (CW)   
    *  March 5-6 -- ARRL International DX Contest (SSB)   
    *  March 5-6 -- Open Ukraine RTTY Championship   
    *  March 6 -- UBA Spring Contest (CW)   
    *  March 6 -- DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest   
    *  March 6 -- SARL 40 Meter Simulated Emergency (SSB)   
    *  March 7 -- RSGB 80 Meter Club Championship (Digital)   
    *  March 8 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)   
    *  March 9-13 -- AWA John Rollins Memorial DX Test (CW)   
      
   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   
      
    *  March 4-5 -- Alabama Section Convention, Birmingham, Alabama   
    *  March 11-12 -- Louisiana State Convention, Rayne, Louisiana   
    *  March 18-19 -- South Texas Section Convention, Rosenburg, Texas   
    *  March 19 -- West Texas Section Convention, Midland, Texas   
    *  March 19 -- MicroHAMS Digital Conference, Redmond, Washington   
    *  March 25-26 -- Maine State Convention, Lewiston, Maine   
    *  April 2 -- Delta Division Convention, Fort Smith, Arkansas   
    *  April 2 -- North Carolina Section Convention, Raleigh, North Carolina   
    *  April 8-9 -- Oklahoma State Convention, Claremore, Oklahoma   
    *  April 9-10 -- Communications Academy, Seattle, Washington   
    *  April 15-17 -- International DX Convention, Visalia, California   
    *  April 15-17 -- VHF Super Conference, Sterling, Virginia   
    *  April 16 -- Delaware State Convention, Georgetown, Delaware   
    *  April 22-24 -- Idaho State Convention, Boise, Idaho   
    *  April 23 -- Aurora '16 Conference, White Bear Lake, Minnesota   
    *  April 23 -- Nebraska State Convention, Lincoln, Nebraska   
    *  April 29-May 1 -- Nevada State Convention, Las Vegas, Nevada   
    *  May 13-15 -- Rocky Mountain Division Convention, Keystone, Colorado   
    *  May 14 -- Iowa State Convention, Boone, Iowa   
    *  May 20-22 -- Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, Ohio   
      
   Find conventions and hamfests in your area.   
      
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   )\/(ark   
      
   Always Mount a Scratch Monkey   
      
   ... MIXED EMOTIONS: When your kid gets an "A" in sex ed class.   
   ---   
    * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)