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   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-03-24   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
      
   March 24, 2016   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
    *  ARRL HF Band Planning Committee Seeks Suggestions on IARU Region 2 HF   
       Band Plan   
    *  SBE Urges FCC to Improve Medium-Wave Noise Environment   
    *  Puerto Rico ARES Volunteers Take Part in Caribe Wave 2016 Exercise   
    *  ARRL Introduces Three New E-Books   
    *  National Parks on the Air Update   
    *  Hamvention Announces 2016 Award Winners   
    *  UC Berkeley Trains, Tests Hundreds of New Hams   
    *  Fox-1C and Fox-1D Satellites Ready for Payload Integration   
    *  "Amateur Radio Roundtable" Connects Live with Heard Island DXpedition   
    *  Kosovo Activity in CQ WPX SSB Will Help to Train Young Hams   
    *  In Brief...   
    *  The K7RA Solar Update   
    *  Just Ahead in Radiosport   
    *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   ARRL Headquarters to be Closed on Friday, March 25: ARRL Headquarters will be   
   closed on Good Friday, March 25. There will be no W1AW bulletin or code   
   practice transmissions and no ARRL Audio News on that day. ARRL Headquarters   
   will reopen Monday, March 28, at 8 AM Eastern Daylight Time. We wish everyone   
   a safe and enjoyable holiday!   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   ARRL HF Band Planning Committee Seeks Suggestions on IARU Region 2 HF Band Plan   
      
   The ARRL Board of Directors' HF Band Planning Committee is inviting input from   
   the US Amateur Radio community regarding possible changes to the International   
   Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 2 Band Plan. That band plan and other   
   significant Amateur Radio spectrum issues will be high on the agenda at this   
   fall's IARU Region 2 General Assembly in Chile. Leading up to that gathering,   
   the ARRL and other IARU member societies in the Americas will be seeking   
   comments and suggestions regarding the Region 2 HF Band Plan. The HF Band   
   Planning Committee will review the current plan, consider comments from the US   
   Amateur Radio community, and recommend any changes to the ARRL Board for   
   submission to IARU Region 2.   
      
   "The ARRL HF Band Planning Committee wants to stress that the IARU Region 2   
   Band Plan is a voluntary guideline and does not supersede FCC regulations   
   related to spectrum usage," Committee Chairman and ARRL Second Vice President   
   Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, noted. He also pointed out two other issues for radio   
   amateurs to consider.   
      
   Most Region 2 countries outside the US do not have the sort of detailed   
   subband regulations contained in the FCC's Part 97. For radio amateurs in   
   these countries, the Region 2 Band Plan may serve as the only source of   
   guidance on spectrum usage.   
      
   The designation of a calling frequency or band segment for a particular   
   purpose or mode in any IARU band plan does not convey any special rights or   
   exclusivity of use. On the other hand, the absence of a calling frequency or   
   band segment associated with a particular purpose or mode should not suggest   
   that these have been overlooked or are viewed negatively.   
      
   The Committee is urging US radio amateurs who are considering suggesting   
   revisions to the IARU Region 2 Band Plan first to study the existing IARU   
   Region 2 Band Plan. They then should formulate a clear statement of any   
   proposed changes, including a brief explanation of why each particular change   
   would benefit all IARU Region 2 spectrum users. Participants should include   
   name and call sign. Submit input via e-mail by June 1, 2016. Messages will be   
   automatically acknowledged.   
      
   The 19th IARU Region 2 General Assembly will take place in mid-October in Vi¤a   
   del Mar, Chile. Held every 3 years, the Region 2 Conference is attended by   
   delegations from IARU member societies in throughout the Americas.   
      
      
   SBE Urges FCC to Improve Medium-Wave Noise Environment   
      
   The Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) has told the FCC that the regulatory   
   agency needs to take another tack in its efforts to tackle AM broadcast band   
   revitalization. If the FCC takes the SBE's advice, the result could be less   
   noise in the MF and HF Amateur Radio bands. In comments the SBE filed in   
   response to an FCC Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Notice of Inquiry   
   (MB 13-249) proposing ways to [SBE%20logo.jpg] enhance the viability of the AM   
   broadcast service, the SBE said the Commission must "commit to a regulatory   
   plan which, over time, will reduce the levels of man-made noise in the MF   
   bands, and more broadly in the bands below 30 MHz." In comments it filed   
   earlier in the proceeding, the SBE pointed out that "AM radio in particular is   
   susceptible to interference from electronic devices of all types," and that   
   ambient noise on the AM band is only bound to get worse with further   
   proliferation of noise-generating electronic devices, including certain   
   lighting devices regulated under FCC Part 15 and Part 18 rules.   
      
   "[T]he only source of regulatory reform that has a meaningful chance to   
   positively affect the noise floor over time are regulations that create   
   obligations on manufacturers and importers and dealers, prior to the point   
   that the consumer or user of the device or system comes into possession of it,   
   and before it is deployed," the SBE said. The SBE said that while the FCC has   
   strongly supported unlicensed low-power RF devices over the years, it   
   "apparently does not have a clear understanding of the aggregate effects" of   
   these devices on the MF noise environment. In addition, the power grid has   
   expanded, imposing its own family of electrical noises on the radio spectrum.   
      
   "Much unintentional interference is local in nature, but the cumulative impact   
   can be extensive," the SBE told the FCC. "The Commission does not now have,   
   and has never had, a complete understanding of ambient RF noise levels and   
   trends over time."   
      
   The SBE urged the FCC to better enforce some existing regulations and develop   
   new ones to address ambient noise in the existing AM band. "It is obvious that   
   any interference management plan...has to be based on rules which limit RF   
   noise before it becomes an issue, not post hoc, and those rules have to be   
   enforced," the SBE said.   
      
      
   Puerto Rico ARES Volunteers Take Part in Caribe Wave 2016 Exercise   
      
   For the second year, Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers in   
   Puerto Rico took part in the annual Caribe Wave exercise (formerly known as   
   the Large Atlantic Tsunami Exercise -- LANTEX), a tsunami communication drill   
   undertaken on different dates on the US East Coast, in Canada, on the Gulf of   
   Mexico, and in the Caribbean Basin. The object of Caribe Wave is to test the   
   reliability of communication systems and protocols among tsunami alert centers   
   and to help emergency management agencies to improve their preparedness to   
   execute a tsunami alert. In Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, Caribe Wave   
   takes place in conjunction with the Puerto Rico Seismic Network (Red S¡smica   
   de Puerto Rico), FEMA, NOAA, and the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Agency   
   (PREMA/AEMEAD).   
      
   The scenario for the March 17 drill was a tsunami generated by a magnitude 8.4   
   seismic event, 15 kilometers deep, off the coast of Venezuela.   
      
   Amateur Radio has played an important part on this exercise at an island-wide   
   level in the past, and ARES Puerto Rico, with Section Emergency Coordinator   
   Carlos A. Rosado, KP4CAR, at the helm, is now the major player in these drills.   
      
   At 10:05 AM on March 17, the Emergency Alert System (EAS) activated on   
   broadcast and cable outlets around Puerto Rico, announcing the "emergency" and   
   emphasizing that it was a drill. Many government, public, school, and senior   
   institutions conducted evacuation drills to test their preparedness to reach   
   their nearest local refugee site. PREMA practiced evacuation procedures in the   
   city of Cata¤o, which could end up partially underwater in the event of a   
   tsunami.   
      
   Amateur Radio's role during Caribe Wave 2016 was to gather reports from other   
   radio amateurs in the island regarding how they learned of the tsunami alert.   
   The reports gathered are delivered to PREMA Headquarters for a later   
   evaluation meeting that includes all agencies and organizations involved.   
      
   The main communication took place via the KP4CAR 147.210 MHz repeater in   
   Jayuya, Cerro Puntas -- the highest point on the island. The repeater's   
   emergency power system will permit it to remain on the air for a few days. --   
   Thanks to Angel Santana, WP3GW, ARRL Puerto Rico Section Public Information   
   Coordinator   
      
      
   ARRL Introduces Three New E-Books   
      
   ARRL has introduced three new e-books to its growing digital library. The   
   newest titles available in the popular Amazon Kindle format include Work the   
   World with JT65 and JT9 by ARRL author Steve Ford, WB8IMY, ARRL's Small   
   Antennas for Small Spaces, second edition, and Antenna Physics: An   
   Introduction, by Robert J. Zavrel, Jr, W7SX.   
      
   Work the World with JT65 and JT9 shows you how to assemble an effective   
   digital communication station and configure the software for best performance.   
   Some operators use these popular digital modes with as little as 5 W RF output   
   and an indoor antenna. The book is filled with tricks and tips to help you get   
   on the air and making contacts.   
      
   The fully updated second edition of ARRL's Small Antennas for Small Spaces is   
   a must-have for radio amateurs who live in apartments, condominiums, or houses   
   on small lots. The book is filled with practical advice, and will guide you to   
   finding the right antenna design to fit whatever space you have available.   
      
   Antenna Physics: An Introduction has been written to bridge the gap between   
   basic theory and graduate-level engineering texts. Delve deeper into antenna   
   theory, and explore the underlying principles and mathematics of antennas and   
   antenna physics.   
      
   All of these publications are also available in print format, directly from   
   ARRL and ARRL publication dealers.   
      
   ARRL reminds Amazon shoppers to consider visiting smile.amazon.com when   
   ordering. Amazon will donate 0.5 percent of the price of your eligible   
   AmazonSmile purchases to ARRL whenever you shop on AmazonSmile.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   National Parks on the Air Update   
      
   National Parks Week is April 16-24, a happy alignment for National Parks on   
   the Air operators, as World Amateur Radio Day is April 18. This would be a   
   prime day to get out and operate from an NPOTA unit, promoting both the   
   National Parks and Amateur Radio simultaneously. If you plan to be on the air   
   from an NPS site for World Amateur Radio Day, e-mail the details to   
   npota@arrl.org.   
      
   There are 28 NPOTA activations scheduled for March 24-30, including Big Bend   
   National Park (NP04) in Texas, and the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site   
   (NS71) in Alabama.   
      
   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).   
      
      
   Hamvention Announces 2016 Award Winners   
      
   Nobel Laureate Joe Taylor, K1JT, of Princeton, New Jersey, has been named as   
   the 2016 Dayton Hamvention(R) Amateur of the Year. Hamvention announced the   
   recipients of the Amateur of the Year, Technical Achievement, Special   
   Achievement, and Club of the Year awards on March 18.   
      
   Taylor was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1993 for the discovery of the   
   first orbiting pulsar, leading to observations that established the existence   
   of gravitational waves. Licensed in 1954 as KN2ITP, Taylor served as a   
   professor of astronomy at the University of Massachusetts from 1969 to 1981,   
   and later as a professor of physics at Princeton University. Since his   
   retirement, Taylor has been developing and enhancing digital protocols for   
   weak-signal communication by Amateur Radio, including JT65 and WSPR.   
      
   John S. Burningham, W2XAB, of Morrow, Georgia, is the recipient of the   
   Hamvention Technical Achievement Award. A radio amateur since 1970, Burningham   
   has been involved with amateur repeaters for more than 40 years. Following   
   positions in the aerospace industry and for Motorola, he has been in higher   
   education for more than 20 years, and now serves as a senior lecturer in the   
   Department of Computer Science and Information Technology at Clayton State   
   University. A Life Member of ARRL and QCWA and a member of AMSAT and TAPR, he   
   currently is active in the digital mobile radio community   
   and is the author of the Amateur Radio Guide to Digital Mobile Radio. He also   
   wrote "Introduction to Digital Mobile Radio," which appeared in the October   
   2015 issue of QST, and is a contributing author in the 2016 ARRL Handbook.   
      
   The 2016 Hamvention Special Achievement Award will go to Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU,   
   of Wolcott, Connecticut, for advocating cutting-edge technologies now commonly   
   used in Amateur Radio. Horzepa has authored five books and written more than   
   1200 pieces for ARRL and TAPR, evangelizing the use of home computers, packet   
   radio, APRS, digital signal processing and software defined radio in Amateur   
   Radio. Licensed in 1969, Horzepa has sampled almost every entr‚e on the ham   
   radio menu and has served in a slew of roles, including ARRL Connecticut   
   Section Manager. Presently, Horzepa is a director and secretary for TAPR and   
   serves as editor of TAPR's newsletter, PSR.   
      
   Rocky Mountain Ham Radio has been named as Hamvention Club of the Year. The   
   organization, based in the Denver, Colorado suburbs, offers its services to   
   other ham radio clubs and ARES groups to help them be successful. Technical   
   assistance, classroom training on a myriad of subjects, mentoring,   
   equipment/system design, and public service are among the services it   
   provides. The group owns and maintains fixed analog and digital/DMR repeater   
   assets, including one of the premier private DMR networks in the nation, which   
   is linked with an amateur microwave network that spans the Front Range of the   
   Rocky Mountains from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to Ca¤on City, Colorado. The group   
   also owns and operates a deployable communications command post in a 26-foot   
   trailer.   
      
      
   UC Berkeley Trains, Tests Hundreds of New Hams   
      
   Ham radio-related courses taught at the University of California Berkeley   
   Campus and a follow-on "Annual VE Mega-Session" may be one reason that   
   California continues to lead the nation in the number of Amateur Radio   
   licensees. A March 16 exam session yielded 50 new Technician licensees, as   
   well as three new General class, and five new Amateur Extra class licensees.   
   For the third year in a row, scores of mostly electrical engineering and   
   computer science students capped their participation in one of two ham   
   radio-related classes taught by UC Berkeley EE/CS Professor Michael "Miki"   
   Lustig, KK6MRI. His lower-division "Hands-On Ham" course is for sophomores,   
   while and his upper-division "Digital Signal Processing" course is aimed at   
   juniors and seniors.   
      
   "These popular courses are filled quickly on registration day," Lustig said.   
   "Class members also include some majoring in mechanical, biological, and   
   nuclear engineering."   
      
   The entry-level course exposes newcomers to ham radio and introduces them to   
   "hacking" and "making," Lustig explained, while the advanced class "delves   
   into the theoretical applications of digital signal processing, filter design,   
   modulation/demodulation, decoding subcarriers, APRS audio interface   
   techniques, and antenna design." Both classes feature hands-on, practical   
   projects that require them to transmit on radio frequencies, so students are   
   motivated, as part of their courses, to become licensed Amateur Radio   
   operators.   
      
   The lower-division students are given inexpensive handheld transceivers to   
   keep, and are coached in radio protocols. The upper division students are   
   issued higher-end handhelds that they may keep if they pass the General or   
   Amateur Extra class examination.   
      
   "They make satellite contacts, participate in on-campus Field Day-like   
   activities, practice with small software designed radio dongles, and, if   
   already licensed, stay in touch with each other throughout the semester on a 2   
   meter simplex frequency," Lustig told ARRL.   
      
   Lustig is quick to point out that the two courses would not be possible   
   without the active support of the UC Berkeley W6BB club members, including   
   Trustee Fritz Sommer, K6EE/DL4TT; President Jack Burris K6JEB, and others, as   
   well as support from the EECS Department staff.   
      
   In the latest VE session, 63 candidates took a total of 78 exam elements in a   
   little more than 2 hours. Only one candidate left without a license.   
      
      
   Fox-1C and Fox-1D Satellites Ready for Payload Integration   
      
   AMSAT reports that its Fox-1C (Fox-1Cliff -- named in honor of the late AMSAT   
   pioneer and benefactor Cliff Buttschardt, K7RR) and Fox-1D satellites are   
   ready for delivery to Spaceflight Industries for integration into the SHERPA   
   payload dispenser, which will be making its maiden flight. Fox-1Cliff and   
   Fox-1D successfully finished environmental testing on February 8.   
      
   Launch is set for later this year on a SpaceX Falcon 9. Until delivery, the   
   CubeSats will be sealed in anti-static bags, opened occasionally to charge the   
   batteries so they will be fully topped off for delivery. Launched into Sun   
   synchronous orbits, Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D will carry the same FM repeater as   
   Fox-1A (AO-85), in addition to a Virginia Tech camera experiment that will   
   take images of Earth for high-speed downlink.   
      
   Fox-1Cliff will also contain a radiation experiment from Vanderbilt University   
   ISDE, like the one in AO-85, and Fox-1D will host the University of Iowa   
   High-Energy Radiation CubeSat Instrument experiment to map the Van Allen   
   radiation belts.   
      
   The Fox Engineering Team now has shifted its focus to RadFxSat/Fox-1B,   
   currently set to launch in January 2017. -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service   
      
      
   "Amateur Radio Roundtable" Connects Live with Heard Island DXpedition   
      
   W5KUB's "Amateur Radio Roundtable" webcast scored a live, audio-only interview   
   on March 22 with the leader of the Heard Island VK0EK DXpedition, Bob   
   Schmieder, KK6EK -- believed to be a first in ham radio news media history.   
   The VK0EK DXpedition team got under way on March 23.   
      
   When "Amateur Radio Roundtable" host Tim Medlin, W5KUB, spoke with Schmieder,   
   he and the other 13 DXpedition operators had just arrived on Heard Island on   
   the R/V Braveheart and were preparing to start moving equipment and personnel   
   ashore. Schmieder talked with Medlin for about 15 minutes over an Iridium   
   phone, explaining that he could not do a video interview this time, because he   
   was still on board the Braveheart, and the necessary Inmarsat phone's antenna   
   must be pointed at the satellite.   
      
   "Amateur Radio Roundtable" is hoping for a video interview on Tuesday, March   
   29, with the VK0EK DXpedition. "I want to see a volcano in the background and   
   penguins all around him," Medlin quipped, looking ahead to the planned video   
   interview.   
      
   More information is on the DXpedition's website, and the VK0EK log appears on   
   the DXA3.org website. The interview, available on the "Amateur Radio   
   Roundtable" YouTube archive, was also broadcast on international shortwave   
   station WBCQ on 5130 kHz.   
      
      
   Kosovo Activity in CQ WPX SSB Will Help to Train Young Hams   
      
   Z60A in Kosovo, the headquarters station of SHRAK, the newest International   
   Amateur Radio Union (IARU) member society, will be on the air leading up to   
   and during the CQ World Wide WPX SSB Contest the weekend of March 26-27. SHRAK   
   President Vjollca Caka, Z61VB, has announced that other Kosovo prefixes, such   
   as Z61DX, Z62FB, Z63ESC, Z64EEF, and Z68BH, will be active in addition to   
   Z60A. The on-the-air activity will serve as part of a training process for new   
   Kosovar hams as they prepare for the forthcoming IARU Youngsters On The Air   
   (YOTA) gathering in Austria with other young people   
   from throughout Europe.   
      
   SHRAK has a new Yaesu/Acom station sporting Force 12 beams high up in the   
   hills at the Technical University of Pristina, where Z60A is located. SHRAK   
   has expressed its gratitude to the ARRL Fund for International Relations and   
   Goodwill, the International DX Association (INDEXA), Force 12, the   
   OH-DX-Foundation (OHDXF) and to Chiltern DX Club (CDXC) -- the UK DX   
   Foundation, for their valuable support.   
      
   Helping to mentor the operation and handle on-the-air duties will be Martti   
   Laine, OH2BH. Nigel Cawthorne, G3TXF, will be in Kosovo in late May to assist   
   SHRAK and to activate Z60A in the WPX CW event. -- Thanks to thanks to Vjollca   
   Caka, Z61VB, and Martti Laine, OH2BH   
      
      
   In Brief...   
      
   Well-Known Contester Gary R. Senesac, AL9A, SK: Contesting luminary Gary   
   Senesac, AL9A (ex-KC9UM), of Wasilla, Alaska, died suddenly on March 15 while   
   vacationing in Florida. An ARRL Life Member,   
   he was 72. Senesac, an Illinois native, moved to Alaska in 2003 after he   
   retired, and his was a familiar call sign in many operating events. During the   
   ARRL Centennial in 2014, he took part in the W1AW/KL7 operation. "Gary was an   
   avid contester," said fellow Alaskan Corliss Kimmel, AL1G, "and he was an   
   excellent contester. He was also very technically knowledgeable and helpful to   
   anyone who needed advice." Senesac enjoyed operating all modes but may be best   
   known as a CW and RTTY contester. Senesac was a member of the Matanuska   
   Amateur Radio Association, the Fox River Radio League, the Society of Midwest   
   Contesters, and the ARRL A1 Operators Club. In addition to his participation   
   in the W1AW ARRL Centennial year operation, AL9A also recently took part in   
   the KL7RST special event, and he served as a mentor to many operators. "He   
   will be dearly missed by us all," Kimmel said. "I will miss his posts, seeing   
   his amazing scores, and laughing at his jokes."   
      
      
   Centenarian, Alaska Women's Hall of Fame Member Arlene "Buddy" Clay, KL7OT,   
   SK: Arlene "Buddy" Clay, KL7OT, of Wasilla, Alaska, died on February 11. She   
   was 103. An ARRL member, Clay was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of   
   Fame in 2015 for her work in rural justice administration among the Yup'ik   
   people. She became a ham in 1948 and began calling the Thursday night Snipers   
   Net for the Matanuska Amateur Radio Association, a duty she continued from her   
   retirement community home until she died of a stroke. In 1960, after having   
   worked for years with her husband Earl, KL7EM (SK), as an air traffic   
   controller, she began a new career as a magistrate for the Alaska Court   
   System, becoming responsible for 12 villages along the Kuskokwim, Yukon, and   
   Iditarod rivers. She traveled from village to village by boat in the summer   
   and by dog sled in the winter. In all, "Buddy" Clay spent nearly 70 years   
   living in Alaska's wilderness. She was profiled in the August 2013 issue of   
   QST in the article "A Radio Voice in the Wilderness," by Brenda Plessinger,   
   AL7LX.   
      
      
   W1YL, W1CW (SK), and K4OJ (SK) are First Florida Contest Group Hall of Fame   
   Inductees: Former ARRL Headquarters staffers Ellen White, W1YL, and Bob White,   
   W1CW (SK), and their son Jim, K4OJ (SK), were the first inductees into the   
   Florida Contest Group (FCG) Hall of Fame, in honor of their lifetime of   
   service to Amateur Radio and "for their role as the First Family of the   
   Florida Contest Group (FCG)," the group said. An honorary plaque was presented   
   to Ellen White by FCG President Dan Street, K1TO, at the 2016 Florida Contest   
   Group Banquet on February 12, attended by more than 160   
   visitors. The Florida Contest Group, an ARRL affiliated club, supports and   
   encourages all types of Amateur Radio contesting. -- Thanks to George Wagner,   
   K5KG   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   The K7RA Solar Update   
      
   Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: All of the indicators we track were lower   
   over the past week (March 17-23), compared to the previous 7 days. Average   
   daily sunspot numbers declined from 51.7 to 28.4, and average daily solar flux   
   dipped from 98.6 to 88.8 over the reporting period. The planetary A index was   
   lower by 3.8 points at 11.9, and the average mid-latitude A index (measured in   
   Wallops Island, Virginia) dropped from 12 to 8.6. Lower geomagnetic indices   
   are generally considered a good thing for HF propagation. The record indicates   
   no new sunspot regions since March 17.   
      
   Even though our sun is quiet, there is a seasonal variation that produces   
   aurora around the vernal and autumnal equinox. Spaceweather.com explained this   
   recently.   
      
   Sunspot numbers for March 17 through 23 were 66, 29, 26, 26, 25, 13, and 14,   
   with a mean of 28.4. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 91.6, 90.3, 89.4, 87.6,   
   88.9, 87.3, and 86.8, with a mean of 88.8. Estimated planetary A indices were   
   21, 8, 18, 10, 8, 8, and 10, with a mean of 11.9. Estimated mid-latitude A   
   indices were 16, 6, 12, 6, 7, 6, and 7, with a mean of 8.6.   
      
   Send me your reports and observations.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   Just Ahead in Radiosport   
      
    *  March 26 -- FOC QSO Party (CW)   
    *  March 26-27 -- CQ WW WPX Contest (SSB)   
    *  March 30 -- UKEICC 80 Meter Contest (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 25-26 -- Maine State Convention, Lewiston, Maine   
    *  April 1-2 -- OzarkCon QRP Conference, Branson, Missouri   
    *  April 2 -- Delta Division Convention, Fort Smith, Arkansas   
    *  April 2 -- North Carolina Section Convention, Raleigh, North Carolina   
    *  April 2 -- Wisconsin Section Convention, Milwaukee, Wisconsin   
    *  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 7 -- South Carolina Section Convention, Spartanburg, South Carolina   
    *  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   
      
   ... Go on, you seem to like babbling to yourself.   
   ---   
    * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)