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   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-03-17   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
      
   March 17, 2016   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
    *  ARRL Urges FCC Not to Impose Overbroad Notification Requirement on 2200   
       and 630 Meter Operation   
    *  ARES, SKYWARN Volunteers Respond to Heavy Rain, Flooding in Louisiana   
    *  Southern Florida ARES Volunteers Support Biennial Nuclear Power Plant   
       Drill   
    *  National Parks on the Air Update   
    *  ARRL Now on Instagram!   
    *  RFinder -- The Worldwide Repeater Directory -- Now Includes Coverage   
       Maps   
    *  ARISS Marks its 1000th Contact!   
    *  Over the Horizon Radars Becoming Routine Visitors on Amateur HF Bands   
    *  National Hurricane Conference Amateur Radio Sessions to be Live Streamed   
    *  Young Connecticut Ham Off to an Award-Winning Start   
    *  Former DX QSL Manager Mary Ann Crider, WA3HUP, SK   
    *  In Brief...   
    *  The K7RA Solar Update   
    *  Just Ahead in Radiosport   
    *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events   
      
      
   ARRL Urges FCC Not to Impose Overbroad Notification Requirement on 2200 and   
   630 Meter Operation   
      
   In an ex parte statement filed March 10 with the FCC, the ARRL has asked the   
   Commission not to adopt "an overbroad" requirement for notification of   
   utilities in advance of intended Amateur Radio operation on the pending 2200   
   (135.7-137.8 kHz) and 630 meter (472-479 kHz) bands. The statement, filed in   
   ET Dockets 12-338 and 15-99, supplemented the League's earlier comments in the   
   proceeding. The FCC is expected to provide Amateur Radio with access to both   
   bands and to spell out service rules and operational requirements sometime   
   within the first quarter of 2016. Regulatory provisions under consideration   
   have included a possible notification requirement by some radio amateurs to   
   utilities that operate PLC systems in that region of the spectrum, prior to   
   operating on either new band. Utilities use unlicensed, mostly LF PLC systems   
   to control parts of the electrical power grid.   
      
   "ARRL does not object to such a notification requirement, provided that it is   
   appropriately circumscribed, not overbroad in its applicability, and not   
   overly burdensome for radio amateurs to comply with," the League's statement   
   asserted.   
      
   The ARRL noted that comments filed by the Utilities Telecom Council (UTC)   
   called for a system of "quasi-coordination" by radio amateurs before   
   commencing operation on 2200 meters. In its remarks to the FCC, the ARRL   
   pointed out, however, that the UTC has not volunteered any information with   
   respect to how a notification process might work, nor offered any PLC database   
   information to the ARRL or to the amateur community so prospective users of   
   the band could determine if their operation might be problematic.   
      
   The ARRL expressed concern that "this vague reference" to a notification   
   procedure by UTC might lead the FCC to adopt an overbroad notification   
   requirement for radio amateurs intending to operate in either the 2200 or 630   
   meter band. The League further pointed out that PLC systems operating between   
   9 and 490 kHz are not subject to protection from licensed services.   
      
   The League reiterated its willingness to accept distance-separation criteria   
   between amateur stations operating on either band and PLC-carrying   
   transmission lines using frequencies in either band, and a notification   
   process in the few instances in which an amateur station intends to operate on   
   either band within close proximity to a transmission line with a PLC using the   
   same frequencies. The League said interference potential to PLC systems from   
   Amateur Radio operation on 2200 or 630 meters is very low, with the possible   
   exception of amateur operation within 1 kilometer of an existing transmission   
   line carrying co-channel PLC signals.   
      
   "It would be an unreasonable regulatory burden to require more than this, and   
   there is no record justification for a requirement that all radio amateurs who   
   wish to operate in these bands to have to participate in a notification   
   process," the ARRL said in its ex parte statement.   
      
   Any sort of blanket notification requirement prior to transmitting on 2200 or   
   630 meters "would be clear regulatory overkill," the ARRL concluded. Read more.   
      
      
   ARES, SKYWARN Volunteers Respond to Heavy Rain, Flooding in Louisiana   
      
   Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and SKYWARN volunteers in Louisiana   
   assisted the National Weather Service (NWS), as record-setting rainfall led to   
   severe and widespread flooding. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)   
   has approved a disaster declaration for the state. Region 7 District Emergency   
   Coordinator John Mark Robertson, K5JMR, in the Shreveport-Bossier City area,   
   said Amateur Radio involvement began on March 8, when the NWS-Shreveport   
   Office requested a SKYWARN activation during a tornado watch.   
      
   For the next 17 hours, Robertson reported, a group of volunteers handled   
   weather-spotting duties over linked repeaters, filing some 70 reports. Their   
   coverage included parts of Texas and Arkansas. The severe weather included   
   hail as well as major flooding that closed Interstate 20 in three Louisiana   
   parishes and inundated entire neighborhoods. On March 10, the ARES team in   
   Tangipahoa Parish in southeastern Louisiana was active for nearly 2 days in   
   response to heavy rain and flooding.   
      
   "Local hams operating [fixed, portable, or mobile] provided updates on local   
   conditions and were able to offer road reports to travelers on the state   
   highways and Interstate 12, which crosses all of the major rivers in our   
   area," ARES Region 9 DEC Bob Priez, WB5FBS, told ARRL. He said numerous   
   rivers, streams, and waterways were well above flood stage by the afternoon of   
   March 11.   
      
   "We were able to receive and send weather bulletins and flood conditions to   
   and from the NWS in Slidell, Louisiana, using our 147.000 repeater and the   
   Slidell 147.270 repeater. The 147.000 repeater also provided communication   
   with the EOC at Southeastern Louisiana University and Tangipahoa Parish EOC in   
   Amite, Louisiana," he said. Fixed stations used packet radio on VHF as well as   
   conventional e-mail to relay NWS weather bulletins and to forward local   
   reports to NWS.   
      
   Priez said the March activation was the third for his ARES crew since two   
   events in February, when the area was hit with heavy rain and wind. He said   
   that event gave the group the opportunity to test recently revised plans to   
   interface directly with the NWS Office in Slidell via repeaters in Tangipahoa   
   and St Tammany parishes, and via packet.   
      
   "This plan proved really effective in the February 23 event, which, in   
   addition to rains and winds, also spawned numerous tornadoes across the   
   southeast region," Priez said. "Our widespread ham radio observers   
   [SKYWARN.jpg] were able to send real-time reports of tornado activity in   
   Livingston, Montpelier, and Convent, and from Washington and St John parishes   
   in Louisiana, and also from southwestern Mississippi." The group also kept in   
   contact with the Southeastern Louisiana University EOC and the Tangipahoa   
   Parish EOC via the local VHF repeater.   
      
   On March 13, Robertson said three SKYWARN volunteers activated in response to   
   severe weather, posting 25 messages dealing with tornado watches and warnings,   
   reports of hail, and continued major flooding.   
      
   As the National Weather Service reported, the highest reported rainfall total   
   was "a whopping 26.96 inches!" southeast of Monroe. The NWS has posted   
   rainfall totals for the March 8-12 period. The flooding has led to road   
   closings over a wide area, and law enforcement personnel assisted by the   
   Louisiana National Guard used boats to reach and rescue stranded residents and   
   their pets.   
      
      
   Southern Florida ARES Volunteers Support Biennial Nuclear Power Plant Drill   
      
   ARES teams from five Florida counties took part in a February 24 exercise at   
   the St Lucie Nuclear Power Plant on Hutchinson Island in Jensen Beach. The   
   plant is required to hold an exercise every 2 years to [ares(1).jpg] test and   
   evaluate the responses of plant personnel, law enforcement, emergency   
   managers, and communication personnel in the event of an emergency, such as a   
   radiation release. The exercises are evaluated by personnel from the Federal   
   Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission   
   (NRC). The 2016 scenario involved overloaded and unusable public   
   telecommunication systems. In a real emergency, ARES volunteers would provide   
   radio communication among the county emergency operations centers and other   
   critical entities and locations.   
      
   ARES teams participated from St Lucie, Palm Beach, Martin, Indian River, and   
   Brevard counties. Operators successfully employed the linked UHF   
   repeater-based Statewide Amateur Radio Network (SARnet) for most   
   communication, as well as an HF net on 7.245 MHz.   
      
   The dual nets provided for redundancy and reliability for the ARES mission to   
   support the EOCs. SARnet serves the State of Florida; it's interconnected by a   
   Florida Department of Transportation network.   
      
   All ARES communication tests and requirements were successfully passed and   
   met, and evaluators praised the use of dual nets for enhanced reliability.   
   Martin County ARES also had a display of go-kits. A FEMA representative   
   visited with ARES EC Steve Marshall, WW4RX, who discussed the kits and   
   answered questions about SARnet and its coverage. -- Thanks to the ARRL ARES   
   E-Letter   
      
      
   National Parks on the Air Update   
      
   ARRL has created a certificate for National Park Service employees who go the   
   extra mile in helping to promote or assist National Parks on the Air (NPOTA)   
   activity in their parks. The NPOTA Certificate of Appreciation is available to   
   any NPS employee or volunteer who is recommended by the NPOTA Activator   
   community for exceptional assistance in promoting NPOTA. Show your   
   appreciation for the NPS staffer who helped to make your activation a success;   
   nominate them for the NPOTA Certificate of Appreciation. E-mail the name,   
   title, and NPS unit of your nominee.   
      
   There are 52 activations scheduled for the week of March 17-23, including   
   Mammoth Cave National Park (NP39) in Kentucky, and the newest addition to the   
   National Parks System, Castle Mountains National Monument (MN82) in California.   
      
   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).   
      
      
   ARRL Now on Instagram!   
      
   ARRL now has a presence on Instagram, a social networking app made for sharing   
   photos and videos. Similar to Facebook or Twitter, everyone who creates an   
   account has a profile and a news feed. Photos or videos you post on Instagram   
   will be displayed on your profile. Other users who follow you will see your   
   posts in their own feed. Likewise, you'll see posts from other users who you   
   choose to follow. Instagram is available for free on iOS, Android, and Windows   
   phone devices. It can also be accessed on the web from a computer, but users   
   can only upload, share photos or videos, and create an account from their   
   devices.   
      
   Before you can start using the app, Instagram will ask you to create a free   
   account. You can sign up via your existing Facebook account or through the app   
   itself. After you sign up, you may be asked if you want to follow some friends   
   who are on Instagram in your Facebook network.   
      
   Instagram is all about visual sharing. Every user profile has a "Followers"   
   and "Following" count, representing how many people they follow and how many   
   users are following them. Every user profile has a button you can tap to   
   follow them. If a user has their profile set to private, they will need to   
   approve your request first. Interacting within posts is fun and easy. You can   
   double tap any post to "like" it or add a comment at the bottom. The @ sign   
   represents a link to your user profile. For example, if you choose your   
   username to be JaneDoe, other users can tag you in their posts by commenting   
   @JaneDoe, which, by clicking it, will bring them directly to your profile.   
      
   If you want to find more friends or interesting accounts to follow, use the   
   search tab (marked by the magnifying glass icon) to browse through posts   
   recommended to you. You can also use the search bar at the top to look for   
   specific users or #hashtag.   
      
   ARRL uses Instagram to promote current events, happenings at Headquarters, and   
   news. ARRL is on Instagram as @arrlhq. Follow us, and you'll have instant   
   access to all photos and videos that we post. It's an interesting and   
   entertaining collection that will only grow over time! -- Thanks to Erin Day   
      
      
   RFinder -- The Worldwide Repeater Directory -- Now Includes Coverage Maps   
      
   RFinder -- The Worldwide Repeater Directory -- now will include coverage maps   
   for all repeaters on Earth. In February, the ARRL established an agreement   
   with RFinder, the creator of a web- and app-based directory of Amateur Radio   
   repeaters worldwide, to serve as its preferred online resource of repeater   
   frequencies. RFinder has partnered with CloudRF.com to provide the maps.   
      
   "Our systems are busy rendering and indexing coverage maps, based on   
   ground-path loss using the Longley-Rice irregular terrain model," explained   
   RFinder Creater Bob Greenberg, W2CYK. "We have worked with Alex Farrant,   
   M6ZUJ, creator of CloudRF.com, to render coverage maps for nearly the entire   
   collection of repeaters in RFinder's database."   
      
   RFinder has downloaded and will serve as a host for KMZ (Keyhole Markup   
   Language Zipped) overlays for Google Earth. The resulting KMZ place marker   
   files will be viewable in Google Earth on Windows and Mac platforms (via   
   web.rfinder.net and routes.rfinder.net) and on Android and iOS versions of   
   RFinder. The Windows and Mac versions allow the viewing of multiple coverage   
   maps at the same time.   
      
   As part of this project, RFinder will provide free access to repeater   
   coordinators worldwide. As coordinators update repeaters with height above   
   average terrain (HAAT), power and gain, and latitude and longitude, maps will   
   be automatically re-rendered within a few minutes and made available to   
   subscribers. The sign-up procedure for the repeater coordinator program will   
   be announced later this month. The new capability is expected to ease the work   
   of repeater coordinators, as they will easily be able to see repeater coverage   
   maps side by side for both coordinated and uncoordinated machines --   
   information critical as simplex nodes for Internet linking, cross-band   
   repeaters, and homebrew repeaters crop up worldwide.   
      
   Users of the trial version of RFinder on Android will have access to coverage   
   maps for a limited time, after which only subscribers will have access. An   
   annual $9.99 RFinder subscription provides access to repeater data worldwide.   
      
   RFinder will be an ARRL EXPO exhibitor at Dayton Hamvention(R), May 20-22.   
      
      
   ARISS Marks its 1000th Contact!   
      
   The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program has   
   celebrated a milestone -- its 1000th school radio contact. The first ARISS   
   contact with students on Earth took place a little more than 15 years ago. On   
   March 10, ISS crew member Tim Kopra, KE5UDN, did the honors for number 1000 --   
   a contact with students from schools in North Dakota and Minnesota gathered at   
   the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, organized by the North Dakota   
   Space Grant Consortium (NDSGC). The ARISS contact was the first to be hosted   
   in North Dakota, and some 500 students and visitors were on hand for the big   
   event. ARISS International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, congratulated the ARISS   
   team on what he called "this phenomenal accomplishment."   
      
   "With the outstanding support of NASA and the international space agencies   
   participating in ISS, the ISS on-orbit crew members encompassing all 48   
   expeditions and the hundreds of ARISS volunteers worldwide, the ARISS team has   
   reached a tremendous milestone: 1000 ARISS contacts between schools on the   
   ground and the ISS crews on orbit," he said. "Since our first contact in   
   December 2000 to today's contact in North Dakota, hundreds of thousands of   
   students have participated in the hands-on STEM learning that ARISS affords,   
   and many millions from the general public have witnessed human spaceflight in   
   action through an ARISS contact."   
      
   During the 10-minute ARISS contact Kopra answered 20 questions posed by young   
   people ranging from kindergarten to graduate school.   
      
   Veteran astronaut Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, marveled at the number of contacts   
   completed to date. "A thousand contacts. Who would have ever thought?" he said   
   in a NASA video marking the milestone. "That means a thousand times we've had   
   a chance to reach down to Planet Earth to make contact and to inspire the next   
   generation of explorers. So, I congratulate the ARISS program."   
      
   Astronaut Tim Peake, KG5BVI -- one of Kopra's crew mates on the ISS -- said in   
   another NASA video marking the milestone that talking to schools via Amateur   
   Radio has been "one of the most rewarding activities" of his time in space.   
      
   Ahead of the actual contact, a consortium team led youngsters at participating   
   schools in hands-on activities and learning about aerospace, priming them for   
   the interview with Kopra. The students, many from smaller rural communities,   
   built and launched rockets, crafted and tested parachutes similar to those on   
   NASA's Orion capsule, and designed and tested neutral buoyant objects. Read   
   more.   
      
      
   Over the Horizon Radars Becoming Routine Visitors on Amateur HF Bands   
      
   The International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 (Europe/Africa) Monitoring   
   System (IARUMS) has reported a spate of over the horizon (OTH) radar signals   
   on various Amateur Radio HF bands -- exclusive and shared. Many of these   
   signals are being heard outside of the Region 1 confines.   
      
   A 50 kHz wide Russian OTH radar has been heard in the evening on 80 meters,   
   often in the CW part of the band. An "often long-lasting" Russian OTH signal   
   about 13 kHz wide is being heard on the 7000-7100 kHz segment of 40 meters,   
   while some digital traffic (FSK or PSK), and a "Codar-like radar from the Far   
   East" are being heard in the 7000-7200 kHz segment as well as non-amateur CW   
   transmissions.   
      
   The same OTH radar being heard on 40 meters also is appearing on 20 meters,   
   along with digital traffic in FSK or PSK and on CW and broadband OTH radar   
   signals from China. Some monitoring reports are intriguing, such as this one   
   on 14.280 MHz from IARU Region 1 Monitoring System Coordinator Wolf Hadel,   
   DK2OM: "Female voice with encrypted msgs -- figures -- 'SZRU' = Foreign   
   Intelligence Service of Ukraine in Rivne -- every Wednesday at 1005 UTC."   
      
   Broadband OTH radars from China, Australia, Cyprus, and Turkey have been   
   monitored in 15 meters. On 10 meters, radars from Iran with FM CW and   
   different sweep rates have been monitored, as well as fishery buoys on CW, and   
   taxi operations on voice from Russia.   
      
   Voice traffic from fishing operations has been heard on all or most HF bands,   
   as have a variety of broadcasters, including the third harmonic of Radio Tajik   
   (4765 kHz) on 14.295 MHz, Radio Taiwan and Myanmar Radio, both on 7.200 MHz,   
   and Radio Hargeysa in Somalia on 7.120 MHz.   
      
   The February 2016 IARU Region 1 Monitoring System newsletter offers more   
   details. There is an online archive of past issues. -- Thanks to the IARU   
   Region 1 Monitoring System   
      
      
   National Hurricane Conference Amateur Radio Sessions to be Live Streamed   
      
   Sessions focusing on the role of Amateur Radio in major weather events will be   
   a part the 2016 National Hurricane Conference, set for later this month in   
   Orlando, Florida. The goal of the annual conference is to improve hurricane   
   preparedness. Attendance is free to all Amateur Radio sessions, which will   
   take place Tuesday, March 22, from 1:30 until 5 PM ET (1830-2200 UTC). Amateur   
   Radio presentations will be live streamed via YouTube and recorded.   
      
   At the 1:30 PM session, National Hurricane Center Director Rick Knabb will   
   discuss the importance of Amateur Radio surface reporting. Other presenters   
   will include Bob Robichaud, VE1MBR, of the Canadian Hurricane Centre, who will   
   speak on hurricane meteorology and give a brief overview of his center's   
   operation, and WX4NHC Assistant Amateur Radio Station Coordinator Julio   
   Ripoll, WD4R, who will talk about activities at WX4NHC, the National Hurricane   
   Center's Amateur Radio station.   
      
   The 2 PM session will feature presentations from Hurricane Watch Net (HWN)   
   Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, discussing the HWN, personal weather stations,   
   and back-up power and antennas; VoIP Hurricane Net director of operations and   
   ARRL ARES Eastern Massachusetts Assistant SEC Rob Macedo, KD1CY, on the VoIP   
   Hurricane Net and best practices in SKYWARN tropical systems, and ARRL   
   Assistant Emergency Preparedness Manager Ken Bailey, K1FUG, who will offer an   
   ARRL beginner's course in Amateur Radio hurricane preparedness.   
      
   A question-and-answer session will follow the presentations.   
      
   The National Hurricane Conference takes place March 21-24 at the Hilton   
   Orlando. Some 2000 attendees are expected.   
      
      
   Young Connecticut Ham Off to an Award-Winning Start   
      
   Fifteen-year-old Matt Shea, KC1DLY, had no Amateur Radio ticket 1 year ago.   
   Today, he's an Amateur Extra class licensee and already holds two of the   
   League's flagship operating awards -- DXCC and Worked All States (WAS). His   
   100 W station is quite modest, with a 35-foot end-fed wire in the attic for   
   his antenna (and he even operates on 160 meters!). He confirmed all of the   
   contacts necessary for the two awards using Logbook of The World (LoTW). ARRL   
   CEO-Elect Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, on March 7 congratulated Shea and presented   
   him with his awards.   
      
   "I play radio daily and absolutely love it," Shea, a high school sophomore in   
   Southington, Connecticut, said on his QRZ.com profile. In addition to ham   
   radio, he's on the Southington High School Robotics Team, and he's been busy   
   recruiting new radio amateurs among his friends at school. "I am hoping to get   
   a few more new hams on the air to keep the great hobby going!" he said. --   
   Thanks to Sean Kutzko, KX9X   
      
      
   Former DX QSL Manager Mary Ann Crider, WA3HUP, SK   
      
   Well-known QSL manager for DX stations and a former manager of the Third Call   
   Area QSL Bureau Mary Ann Crider, WA3HUP, of Duncannon, Pennsylvania, died on   
   March 12 after a period of failing health. An ARRL member, she was 91. DX   
   chasers during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s likely received QSL cards from DX   
   stations for which she handled QSLing duties.   
      
   In 2005, the ARRL Executive Committee voted unanimously to name Crider the   
   recipient of ARRL President's Award for her contributions to the cause of   
   international goodwill through her long service as a QSL manager and as   
   manager of the ARRL Third Call Area Incoming QSL Bureau. When she stepped   
   down, the National Capitol DX Association (NCDXA) took over the bureau, with   
   noted DXer Fred Laun, K3ZO, at the helm. At the time, Laun cited Crider's   
   "encyclopedic knowledge of DXCC entities and call sign prefixes...built by her   
   work in the trenches, as illustrated by her DXCC confirmed total of 360   
   entities."   
      
   Before she became the bureau's manager, Crider served as a sorter for 11   
   years. Among the DX operators she served as QSL manager was King Hussein of   
   Jordan, JY1, and she made several trips to Jordan to visit him.   
      
   Crider was licensed as a Novice in 1967. Her late husband was W3GE (ex-W3HTO).   
      
   A service is set for Saturday, March 19. -- Thanks to Glenn Kurzenknabe,   
   K3SWZ, Kay Craigie, N3KN, and to The Daily DX   
      
      
   In Brief...   
      
   ARRL 2016 August UHF Contest Cancelled: The ARRL August UHF Contest for 2016   
   has been cancelled, while the ARRL VHF Contest Revitalization Committee mulls   
   its future. The Contest Revitalization Committee fielded dozens of comments   
   from members concerning possible changes to this annual UHF operating event,   
   traditionally held on the first weekend of August each year. Many commenters   
   expressed dissatisfaction with the timing of the contest, occurring as it does   
   at the hottest time of the year, and that it was too close on the calendar to   
   other VHF/UHF events. In response to this member input, the Contest   
   Revitalization Committee recommended to the Programs and Services Committee   
   (PSC) that the 2016 August UHF Contest be cancelled, and the PSC agreed. The   
   ARRL VHF Contest Revitalization Committee continues to study the possibility   
   of redesigning the August UHF Contest or replacing it with a similar event at   
   another point in the calendar -- possibly in the spring -- for 2017. The   
   Committee will solicit member comments in the near future, as it weighs   
   several alternatives.   
      
   Boston Marathon Communications Committee Seeks Additional Amateur Radio   
   Volunteers: Registration for Boston Marathon Amateur Radio volunteers remains   
   open with assignments available for new volunteers with a passion for public   
   service as well as for experienced hands. The Boston Athletic Association   
   (BAA) sponsors the marathon, and preparations are in high gear for the April   
   18 Patriots' Day event. Each spring, some 300 trained Amateur Radio volunteers   
   staff the event, providing vital communication services over the entire   
   26-mile course. Amateur Radio volunteers are recruited, selected, and managed   
   by the BAA's Communications Committee. The marathon attracts approximately   
   30,000 runners and 10,000 volunteers. Registration is easy and one-stop. Visit   
   the Boston Marathon Amateur Radio Communications website for more information.   
   -- Thanks to Brett Smith, AB1RL, BAA Communications Committee Volunteer   
   Coordinator   
      
   Russian "Inventors of Telecommunications" Stations on the Air: Special event   
   stations in Russia will be on the air from March 16 until June 16 as part of   
   the international scientific-educational radio marathon called "Inventors of   
   Telecommunications," established by the Russian Geographical Society and   
   supported by radio clubs and Amateur Radio operators. There will be awards and   
   certificates. Each RT73-prefix station represents a historical figure in the   
   area of telecommunications or electronics. For example, RT73BA represents   
   Alexander Graham Bell, RT73EA represents Edwin Howard Armstrong, RT73VZ   
   represents Vladimir Kosmich Zworykin, and RT73NT represents Nikola Tesla   
   (photo). -- Thanks to The Daily DX   
      
      
   The K7RA Solar Update   
      
   Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Solar indicators were lower this week, while   
   geomagnetic indicators were higher.   
      
   Compared to the previous 7 days, average daily sunspot numbers in our   
   reporting week (March 10-16) dropped by 12.7 points to 51.7, and average daily   
   solar flux was down by 3.2 points to 93.6. The average planetary A index was   
   up by 2.8 points to 15.7, and the average mid-latitude A index increased from   
   8.6 to 12.   
      
   The latest forecast has predicted solar flux at 95 on March 17-19; 90 on March   
   20-21; 85 on March 22-23; 95 on March 24-28; 100 on March 29-31; 95 on April   
   1-9; 93 on April 10; 90 on April 11-15; 95 on April 16-17, and 90 on April   
   18-19. Flux values then rise to 100 on April 25-27.   
      
   The predicted planetary A index is 14, 8, and 5 on March 17-19; 4, 6, and 8 on   
   March 20-22; 5 on March 23-31, and 8, 30, 25, and 8 on April 1-4. The   
   planetary A index rises to 25 on April 11, and to 30 on April 29.   
      
   Sunspot numbers for March 10 through 16 were 61, 48, 56, 43, 57, 44, and 53,   
   with a mean of 51.7. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 95, 94.2, 95, 92.6, 93.4,   
   94.1, and 91, with a mean of 93.6. Estimated planetary A indices were 10, 23,   
   13, 4, 14, 24, and 22, with a mean of 15.7. Estimated mid-latitude A indices   
   were 7, 21, 11, 4, 11, 17, and 13, with a mean of 12.   
      
   Send me your reports and observations.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   Just Ahead in Radiosport   
      
    *  March 19 -- AGCW VHF/UHF Contest (CW)   
    *  March 19 -- Feld Hell Sprint   
    *  March 19-20 -- SARL VHF/UHF Analog/Digital   
    *  March 19-20 --F9AA Cup (SSB)   
    *  March 19-20 -- Russian DX Contest (CW, SSB)   
    *  March 19-20 -- Louisiana QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)   
    *  March 19-20 -- Virginia QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)   
    *  March 19-21 -- BARTG HF RTTY Contest   
    *  March 20 -- UBA Spring Contest (SSB)   
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    *  March 23 -- SKCC Sprint (CW)   
    *  March 24 -- RSGB 80 Meter Club Championship (SSB)   
      
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    *  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 1-2 -- OzarkCon QRP Conference, Branson, Missouri   
    *  April 2 -- Delta Division Convention, Fort Smith, Arkansas   
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    *  April 2 -- Wisconsin Section Convention, Milwaukee, Wisconsin   
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    *  May 14 -- Iowa State Convention, Boone, Iowa   
    *  May 20-22 -- Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, Ohio   
      
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   )\/(ark   
      
   Always Mount a Scratch Monkey   
      
   ... It doesn't have to make sense! It just has to work.   
   ---   
    * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)