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   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-03-31   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
      
   March 31, 2016   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
    *  ARRL Asks FCC to Restore Balance of Modes on 80 and 75 Meters   
    *  "ARRL The Doctor is In" -- the Podcast -- Debuts on April 7   
    *  ARRL to Review, Evaluate, and Explore Possible Improvements for OO   
       Program   
    *  National Parks on the Air Update   
    *  Major DXpeditions Cooperating to Minimize Conflicts   
    *  ARRL Okays P5/3Z9DX North Korea Operation for DXCC   
    *  Kingman Reef (KH5) Deleted from DXCC List   
    *  "Discover the HF Experience" Aims to Dazzle Technicians, Newcomers   
    *  ISS Expedition 47/48 Crew Increment Includes Two Radio Amateurs   
    *  "Elmer" Inspiration, Elmer "Bud" Frohardt Jr, W9DY, SK   
    *  Comedian, Actor, TV Writer and Personality Garry Shandling, ex-KD6OY, SK   
    *  In Brief...   
    *  The K7RA Solar Update   
    *  This Week in Radiosport   
    *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events   
      
      
   ARRL Asks FCC to Restore Balance of Modes on 80 and 75 Meters   
      
   In comments filed on March 23 on its Petition for Rule Making (RM 11759)   
   seeking changes to 80 and 75 meters, the ARRL has told the FCC that its   
   primary objective is to "rebalance" the bands by correcting a 10-year-old FCC   
   error.   
      
   "ARRL's proposal is not fairly viewed as a proposal to take anything away from   
   anyone," the League's comments assured. "It is more properly viewed as the   
   effectuation of a fair, equitable, and efficient 'band plan' looking forward   
   for the foreseeable future that balances everyone's needs, and which remedies   
   a plainly unfair plan, imprudently created in the 2006 Report and Order in WT   
   Docket 04-140."   
      
   Prompting the League's assurances were comments filed on the ARRL's Petition   
   by a number of Amateur Extra class licensees, who felt that refarming 3600 to   
   3650 kHz for data modes could prove to be a disincentive to General licensees   
   to upgrade. Others commenters saw it as an unfair spectrum grab. The ARRL   
   noted that prior to 2006, the band was evenly divided between RTTY/data and   
   phone/image subbands, with the RTTY/data subband extending from 3500 to 3750   
   kHz, and the phone/image subband extending from 3750 to 4000 kHz. The 2006 FCC   
   Report and Order "substantially altered" what the League called "this even   
   division of emission types."   
      
   In outlining the history of the proceeding, the ARRL pointed out that the   
   FCC's Notice of Proposed Rule Making in Docket 01-140 would have shifted the   
   line between the 80 meter RTTY/data subband and the 75 meter phone/image   
   subband from 3750 kHz to 3725 kHz, pursuant to a 2002 ARRL Petition for Rule   
   Making, RM-10413. This would change the ratio of spectrum between phone/image   
   and RTTY/data segments on 75/80 meters from 50/50 to 55/45, and it is what the   
   FCC proposed in its NPRM.   
      
   In its Report and Order in Docket 04-140, however, the FCC made "a very   
   substantial and unjustifiable departure" from what it had proposed in its   
   NPRM, the ARRL recounted. The Commission expanded the phone/image subband at   
   75 meters to 3600-4000 kHz, and it reduced the 80 meter RTTY/data subband to   
   3500-3600 kHz, eliminating RTTY operation above 3600 kHz and changing "the   
   entire dynamic of this band," the League said.   
      
   The FCC had said in its proposal that no licensees would lose operating   
   privileges. Nonetheless, the FCC's phone band expansion reduced by 100 kHz the   
   spectrum between 3500 and 4000 kHz that was previously available to General   
   class licensees, while Advanced licensees lost 75 kHz. In an apparent FCC   
   oversight, the Report and Order completely eliminated access by automatically   
   controlled digital stations (ACDS) to 3620 to 3635 kHz. A subsequent FCC   
   Report and order and Order on Reconsideration only made the situation worse by   
   replacing the deleted ACDS segment with 3585-3600 kHz.   
   That resulted in "a shortfall in available RTTY/data spectrum on 80 meters,"   
   the ARRL said, adding that its current Petition "simply restores that which   
   was disruputed in 2006 in error."   
      
      
   "ARRL The Doctor is In" -- the Podcast -- Debuts on April 7   
      
   The popular QST "The Doctor is In" column soon will also be available as a   
   podcast! "ARRL The Doctor is In" will debut on Thursday, April 7, and   
   subsequent new episodes will be posted every other Thursday. The podcast will   
   feature QST columnist and technical whiz Joel Hallas, W1ZR, with QST Editor in   
   Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, serving as the host. Each 20-minute program will be   
   available from Apple iTunes and Stitcher -- the two largest podcast   
   distribution platforms (search for "ARRL The Doctor is In") -- and episodes   
   will be archived on the ARRL website. DX Engineering is the sponsor of the   
   "ARRL The Doctor is In" podcast.   
      
   "When the ARRL presented us with this unique opportunity, it was an easy   
   decision to make," said DX Engineering CEO Tim Duffy, K3LR. "DX Engineering is   
   one of the most prominent businesses supporting the ham radio community, so it   
   just makes sense to be part of the 'ARRL The Doctor is In' podcast."   
      
   The new, twice-monthly podcast will cover a broad range of technical topics of   
   interest to all amateurs -- everything from antennas to zener diodes and   
   beyond. We invite listeners to send us their own questions for the show. Your   
   question could be answered in a future podcast.   
      
   "ARRL The Doctor is In" arrives on Thursday, April 7!   
      
      
   ARRL to Review, Evaluate, and Explore Possible Improvements for OO Program   
      
   The ARRL Executive Committee has directed the Headquarters staff to "review   
   and evaluate the Official Observer (OO) program, solicit input from the field   
   organization, and explore areas of possible improvement including in the area   
   of training for OOs." ARRL Second Vice President Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, will   
   oversee the study. The action stemmed from a discussion during the EC's March   
   12 meeting in Westlake, Texas. At the meeting, ARRL General Counsel Chris   
   Imlay, W3KD, observed that there have been "several positive developments"   
   with respect to FCC enforcement, since the EC last met in October 2015. But   
   with the closure of some FCC field offices and the retirement of several   
   experienced engineers who have been helpful with enforcement matters in the   
   past, the EC discussed how the OO program might be better positioned to help   
   the FCC. A preliminary report is due at the EC's October meeting.   
      
   In other matters, the EC directed the development of a Petition for Rule   
   Making to implement the 15 kHz band allocation at 5 MHz that came out of World   
   Radiocommunication Conference 2015, while retaining the existing five discrete   
   channels at 5 MHz.   
      
   WRC-15 laid the foundation for a global, secondary Amateur Radio allocation of   
   5351.5 kHz to 5366.5 kHz at up to 15 W effective isotropic radiated power in   
   the US (some Region 2 countries will be permitted up to 25 W EIRP). The new   
   worldwide band won't be available for use in the US until the FCC institutes a   
   rule making proceeding and establishes operating parameters for the band.   
      
   The ARRL has served notice on the National Frequency Coordinators' Council   
   (NFCC) to terminate the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that spells out how   
   the two organizations will cooperate in achieving common goals. At the EC's   
   direction, ARRL CEO and EC Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ, wrote to Mark   
   Stennett, NA6M, as the most-recent known NFCC president, after Sumner reported   
   "clear evidence" that the NFCC is no longer functioning.   
      
   The letter gave the NFCC 90 days' notice of the ARRL's intention to terminate   
   the MoU, signed in 2013. Sumner stressed the sentiment of the Executive   
   Committee, however, that the League would greatly prefer that the NFCC   
   membership elect and install a new Board of Directors, and that the NFCC   
   resumes its functions.   
      
   Imlay told the EC that he has asked FCC staff why there has been no action on   
   the ARRL's Petition for Rule Making RM-11708, since the FCC solicited comments   
   on the petition more than 2 years ago. The petition, in part, asked the FCC to   
   remove the symbol rate limitation for data emissions in band segments below 29   
   MHz where RTTY and data emissions are now permitted. It also asked the   
   Commission to establish a 2.8 kHz maximum bandwidth for data emissions on MF   
   and HF bands.   
      
   Chairing his first EC meeting, ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, thanked all   
   participants for their hard work and attention and observed that this was   
   David Sumner's last meeting as CEO and Secretary. He will retire on April 18.   
      
      
   National Parks on the Air Update   
      
   Satellite aficionado Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, activated the National Mall (DZ06)   
   in Washington, DC, on March 27, during two FO-29 satellite passes. Stoetzer   
   said he plans to operate from other NPOTA sites in the DC area and will set up   
   to operate HF between satellite passes. See W5PFG's blog about N8HM's activity.   
      
   A team of of five Hawaiian operators from Oahu will travel to the north side   
   of Molokai Island to activate Kalaupapa National Historical Park (HP18), April   
   1-5, as KH6BWG. Once a leper colony, the site is isolated from the rest of the   
   island by 1600-foot cliffs. It's located in Kalawao County, one of the rarer   
   US counties. One QSO with KH6BWG is worth a credit in several awards programs.   
   Activity will be on 40-10 meters on SSB, CW, and digital modes.   
      
   Yosemite National Park has published a guide for NPOTA activators who visit   
   this venerable National Park. The Yosemite Office of Special Park Uses worked   
   with ARRL to establish equitable rules for visiting Activators that will help   
   promote NPOTA activity while minimizing impact on other park visitors, during   
   what is certain to be a season of record attendance at Yosemite. The document   
   is also available on the NPOTA website.   
      
   In all, 44 Activations are slated for March 31-April 6, including Organ Pipe   
   Cactus National Monument in Arizona (MN58), and the San Juan National Historic   
   Site in Puerto Rico (NS63).   
      
   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).   
      
      
   Major DXpeditions Cooperating to Minimize Conflicts   
      
   Two major DXpeditions are now attracting hordes of DX chasers and raising   
   activity levels on HF. While both the Heard Island VK0EK and Juan de Nova   
   FT4JA DXpeditions coordinated their operating plans in advance to avoid   
   conflicts and confusion, the fact that both DXCC entities are quite rare will   
   keep things hopping on bands where both DXpeditions are active at the same   
   time. Heard Island is number 5, and Juan de Nova is number 4 on ClubLog's DXCC   
   Most Wanted List.   
      
   "Because we will be on the air at the same time as the FT4JA DXpedition -- and   
   because we will both be operating from a very similar time zone -- it is very   
   important that we coordinate with the French Team, and we have," says the   
   VK0EK website. The VK0EK and FT4JA websites include the same graphical   
   presentation of their joint operating plan.   
      
   The Juan de Nova DXpedition kicked off on March 30 and will operate until   
   April 11. The VK0EK DXpedition began on March 23 and will continue until April   
   10.   
      
   As part of that plan to head off potential conflicts, the VK0EK operators are   
   listening down from their transmit frequencies, while the FT4JA operators are   
   listening up from their transmit frequencies (both will always operate split).   
      
   This should minimize "pileup overlap," although if both major DXpeditions end   
   up on the same band and mode, operators not interested in working either   
   station could find it harder to locate a clear frequency. At one point on   
   March 30, VK0EK and FT4JA were transmitting 3 kHz apart on 80 meters.   
      
   Heard Island is in the Indian Ocean about 1000 miles north of Antarctica, and   
   Juan de Nova is in the Indian Ocean in the Mozambique Channel between   
   Mozambique and Madagascar, off the southeastern coast of Africa.   
      
   "We built the radio camp and antennas under extreme conditions," a March 31   
   report from the FT4JA team recounted. "No wind at all during those first days.   
   At night, the temperature doesn't really decrease, and we have thousands of   
   mosquitoes showing up, looking for fresh meat. The sea is close but very warm,   
   with sharks coming very close to the seashore."   
      
   The VK0EK team has offered suggestions to increase a DXer's chances of getting   
   into the log, but they apply to working any DXpedition. In short, the   
   DXpedition operators will always work split, never simplex. Listen to the   
   operator's instructions, and watch for the operator's calling "pattern" before   
   you start calling. Also, get familiar with the band plan posted on the   
   DXpeditions' websites.   
      
      
   ARRL Okays P5/3Z9DX North Korea Operation for DXCC   
      
   The ARRL DXCC Department has approved for DXCC credit the unexpected P5/3Z9DX   
   "demonstration" operation from North Korea last December. Well-traveled Polish   
   DXer Dom Grzyb, 3Z9DX, has said he expects to be back in North Korea --   
   officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) -- for his   
   "official" activation by late summer.   
      
   P5/3Z9DX showed up on the air from the most-wanted DXCC entity last December   
   20 and 21 to demonstrate Amateur Radio for North Korean officials. During that   
   activation -- the first in more than a decade -- P5/3Z9DX made nearly 785 SSB   
   contacts, most of them on 15 meters.   
      
   Some unsubstantiated claims were floated following the pre-Christmas P5/3Z9DX   
   operation that Grzyb was not really operating from North Korea.   
      
      
   Kingman Reef (KH5) Deleted from DXCC List   
      
   The ARRL Awards Committee has voted to delete Kingman Reef (KH5) from the DXCC   
   List, effective March 29, 2016. Kingman Reef will be added to the Deleted   
   Entities List on March 29, 2016. The total number of entities on the List will   
   drop from 340 to 339. The deletion process is described in DXCC Rules Section   
   II DXCC List Criteria, Part 5(a) Deletion Criteria.   
      
   "An entity may be deleted from the List if it no longer satisfies the criteria   
   under which it was added. However, if the entity continues to meet one or more   
   currently existing rules, it will remain on the List."   
      
   Kingman Reef's original addition by virtue of separate administration has   
   changed (separate administration by the US Navy has been removed), and the   
   reef does not meet any current criteria to remain on the List. The US Fish and   
   Wildlife Service (F&WS) administers Kingman Reef and Palmyra Island. The reef   
   is too close to Palmyra Island to count as a separate entity and now will be   
   considered a part of the Palmyra/Jarvis DXCC entity.   
      
   Prior to its deletion, Kingman Reef was the seventh most-wanted DXCC entity,   
   according to ClubLog. It was last activated as K5K in 2000.   
      
      
   "Discover the HF Experience" Aims to Dazzle Technicians, Newcomers   
      
   Contesting clubs in Canada and New England have joined forces to invite   
   non-hams, new hams, and even old timers to discover HF radio in the 21st   
   century firsthand, by getting on the air and operating remote stations. Beta   
   test "Discover the HF Experience" events will take place in April, with the   
   debut on April 2 in Manitoba. A subsequent special event in Massachusetts will   
   take place on April 10, using the call sign K1K. A major rollout is expected   
   at Dayton Hamvention(R) in May, with four operating positions at ARRL EXPO.   
   The "Discover the HF Experience" concept stresses that "shortwave" Amateur   
   Radio is just as compelling now as it was 100 years ago.   
      
   "Amateur Radio is complementary to new technology, not in competition with   
   it," said Gerry Hull, W1VE, who came up with the idea and has been working   
   with Cary Rubenfeld, VE4EA, in Manitoba to flesh it out into a program. "Ham   
   radio is so experiential," Hull told ARRL, "so a key part of this process is   
   getting hams to experience HF, if they're unfamiliar with it. As part of these   
   events, we are going to have remote HF stations on the air. We will have   
   Elmers to help participants through a contact, so they can see how HF really   
   works," he added.   
      
   "Our amateur population is at an all-time high, but most new hams are getting   
   a Technician ticket, getting on VHF and UHF, and hanging out with like-minded   
   friends," Hull said. The limitations on what Technician licensees can do often   
   leads to boredom, Hull said, "and they drop out of the hobby. They never get   
   the exposure to HF ham radio, and as any veteran radio amateur can tell you,   
   that's a lifelong exploration."   
      
   Radiosport Manitoba and the Winnipeg Amateur Radio Club will sponsor the April   
   2 debut at the Canad Inn, Garden City, in Winnipeg (9:30 AM until 4:30 PM   
   CDT). The April 10 beta test will take place at Keefe Technical High School in   
   Framingham, Massachusetts (12:30 until 4 PM EDT), in place of the normal   
   Yankee Clipper Contest Club (YCCC) open house.   
      
   "Today there are not as many HF Elmers," Hull said. "Who better to be the   
   ambassadors of HF than contesters? We're passionate about HF!"   
      
   Contact Discover the HF Experience for more information.   
      
      
   ISS Expedition 47/48 Crew Increment Includes Two Radio Amateurs   
      
   After launching on March 18 in a Soyuz TMA-20M vehicle from the Baikonur   
   Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Expedition 47/48 crew increment of Astronaut   
   Jeff Williams, KD5TVQ, and Cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka, RN3FU, and Alexey   
   Ovchinin is settling in on board the International Space Station (ISS).   
      
   "During their 6-month mission, the expedition crew members will facilitate   
   approximately 250 research investigations and technology demonstrations not   
   possible on Earth," NASA said. "Science conducted also will enable future   
   long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space and on the   
   agency's journey to Mars."   
      
   Williams, Skripochka, and Ovchinin joined Expedition 47 Commander Tim Kopra,   
   KE5UDN, European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake, KG5BVI/GB1SS, and cosmonaut   
   Yuri Malenchenko, RK3DUP, on the ISS. Williams will take command of the   
   station on June 4 for Expedition 48.   
      
   This mission marks the fourth spaceflight for the 58-year-old Williams, and it   
   will be his third long-duration stay on the orbiting laboratory -- a first for   
   an American. It's also his first time back to the ISS since its completion in   
   2011. When his duty tour is over, Williams will become the new American record   
   holder for cumulative days in space -- 534 -- surpassing Expedition 46   
   Commander Scott Kelly, who wrapped up his 1-year mission on March 1.   
      
   Skripochka has the distinction of having flown on both the maiden and final   
   voyages of the "old" Soyuz spacecraft. Russia's Energia is set to debut a new   
   Soyuz model, the MS.   
      
      
   "Elmer" Inspiration, Elmer "Bud" Frohardt Jr, W9DY, SK   
      
   The ham radio mentor who inspired the term "Elmer" -- Elmer P. "Bud" Frohardt   
   Jr, W9DY (ex-W9GFF), of Madison, Wisconsin -- died on March 22. He was 93. A   
   friend and co-worker of the late Rod Newkirk, W9BRD (later VA3ZBB), who edited   
   QST's "How's DX?" column, Frohardt was the "Elmer" that Newkirk had in mind   
   when he used the name in his March 1971 column, referring to someone who   
   helped to mentor new Amateur Radio licensees.   
      
   "Too frequently one hears a sad story in this little nutshell: 'Oh, I almost   
   got a ticket, too, but Elmer, W9XYZ, moved away and I kind of lost interest,'"   
   Newkirk had written. "We need those Elmers. All the Elmers, including the ham   
   who took the most time and trouble to give you a push toward your license, are   
   the birds who keep this great game young and fresh."   
      
   On AC6V's "Origin of Ham Speak" web page, John Becker, K9MM, is quoted as   
   saying, "Bud was very well known locally for his involvement with the RAMS   
   (Radio Amateur Megacycle Society) radio club, and he was always helping   
   newcomers to the hobby."   
      
   Frohardt was an ARRL Life Member. -- Thanks to The Daily DX   
      
      
   Comedian, Actor, TV Writer and Personality Garry Shandling, ex-KD6OY, SK   
      
   Comedian, actor, and TV personality Garry Shandling, ex-KD6OY, died March 24   
   after suffering an apparent heart attack in Los Angeles. He was 66. Shandling   
   became a ham as a teenager in the 1960s, long before he entered show business.   
      
   "When I was 13 I had a ham radio set (true!), so I could sit in my room and   
   talk to people the world-over. Geeky? Or just ahead of my time!!?" Shandling   
   tweeted in May 2011.   
      
   Shandling grew up in Arizona and majored in electrical engineering at the   
   University of Arizona, but he went on to earn a degree in marketing and   
   complete some post-graduate work in creative writing. He worked in marketing   
   for a time, until a script he wrote for "Sanford and Son" turned into his   
   first big break into entertainment.   
      
   His most-recent Amateur Radio license -- issued to him under a pseudonym, Dave   
   Waddell -- expired in August 2009. The call sign was KQ6KA. Shandling obtained   
   the call sign under an assumed name, apparently so that he could get on the   
   air without being recognized as a celebrity. Prior to KQ6KA, he held KD6OY   
   under his real name, as well as WA7BKG in his early years as a ham.   
      
   He had an alter ego on television as well. On "It's Garry Shandling's Show,"   
   he played a comedian much like himself. "The Larry Sanders Show" followed, and   
   in that popular HBO series, he played a late-night talk show host.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   In Brief...   
      
   ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference Issues 2016 Call for Papers:   
   Technical Papers are being solicited for presentation at the 35th Annual   
   ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC), to be held September 16-18   
   in St Petersburg, Florida. Papers will also be published in the Conference   
   Proceedings. Authors do not need to attend the conference to have their papers   
   included in the Proceedings. The submission deadline is July 31, 2016. The   
   ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference is an international forum for   
   technically minded radio amateurs to meet and present new ideas and   
   techniques. Submit papers via e-mail or mail to Maty Weinberg, KB1EIB, ARRL,   
   225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. Papers will be published exactly as   
   submitted, and authors will retain all rights.   
      
      
   Isolated North Carolina Ham Uses Ham Radio to Get Help in House Fire Incident:   
   A ham living on remote Cedar Island off the coast of North Carolina recently   
   used Amateur Radio to summon help after a fire broke out in his house. "A   
   station came on the [Pamlico Amateur Radio Society] repeater asking if anyone   
   could contact the local fire department," said Bill Michne, WM3X, who lives in   
   Oriental, North Carolina. "The signal was broken up but readable after   
   repeats. What I learned was that the station was in Stacy, the operator's   
   house was filling with smoke, and that he had no telephone to use to call for   
   help." Michne said he got the other ham's address and contacted 911, which   
   called out the Stacy Fire Department. "The fire apparatus arrived within a   
   very short time," he added. The fire was said to have been contained to the   
   attic, and damage was not severe. The grateful ham was Mike Clutter, KM4COD,   
   an occasional check-in to a local ARES net, who lives part-time on Cedar   
   Island. -- Thanks to Bill Michne, WM3X, and to Jamie King, KJ4JK   
      
      
   ARRL Scrambles to Replace QSTs Lost En Route to Members: When a recent train   
   collision and derailment in Wyoming destroyed precisely 1086 copies of the   
   April edition of QST on its way to some members living in the ARRL   
   Southwestern Division, it was all hands on deck to quickly replace the issues,   
   which are being sent via First Class mail. ARRL contacted the affected members   
   by e-mail to let them know. Local reports indicated that there were no   
   fatalities or serious injuries from the train collision. If your QST ever   
   should be lost or late -- whether due to a train wreck or other postal mishap   
   -- contact Circulation/Member Services Manager Yvette Vinci, KC1AIM, telephone   
   (860) 594-0257. -- Thanks to Sean Kutzko, KX9X   
      
      
   CQ World Wide DX Contest Rate Records Posted: The CQ World Wide SSB and CW   
   Contest rate records have been updated with details from the 2015 CW logs.   
   It's possible to query the database by year, continent, call sign, and   
   country. "It is interesting to see how many high-rate records were set in   
   2015," said Randy Thompson, K5ZD, past CQ WW Contests Manager. That includes   
   the current CW and SSB records in the high-power category. The top CW rate was   
   371 contacts per hour, set by N6MJ, operating as ZF2MJ. The top SSB rate was   
   407, set by W2SC at 8P5A. Rates listed are the best 60-minute tallies. Tables   
   also have been posted for Low Power and QRP, as well as for multioperator   
   categories. The rates listed were calculated from publicly available logs   
   before log checking and may include duplicate contacts. The Cabrillo logs and   
   the top-rate segments are available.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   The K7RA Solar Update   
      
   Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: This week solar indices again crept lower.   
   Average daily sunspot numbers declined by 8 points to 20.4, and average daily   
   solar flux went down by 2.4 points to 86.4. Geomagnetic indices softened, with   
   planetary A index down by 3 points to 8.9, and the mid-latitude A index down   
   by 1.2 points to 7.4.   
      
   Just one new sunspot appeared since March 17, and that was on March 24.   
      
   Predicted solar flux values from USAF and NOAA saw a major downward shift on   
   March 28. Overnight, the predicted average daily solar flux for the 38 days   
   from April 4 through May 11 dropped from 91.6 to 82.2. You can see this by   
   downloading the spreadsheet.   
      
   Predicted solar flux is 85 on March 31 through April 5; 80 on April 6-9; 85 on   
   April 10-11; 80 on April 12-17; 85 on April 18-24; 80 on April 25-28, and 85   
   on April 29 through May 2.   
      
   Predicted planetary A index is 8, 10, 26, and 16 on March 31 through April 3;   
   8, 12, 10, 5, and 10 on April 4-8; 5, 15, 24, 22, and 20 on April 9-13; 8 on   
   April 14-15; 5 on April 16-22; 12 on April 23-24; 8 on April 25; 5 on April   
   26-28, and 25 on April 29-30.   
      
   Sunspot numbers for March 24 through 30 were 25, 24, 23, 23, 23, 13, and 12,   
   with a mean of 28.4. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 86.5, 85.5, 85.5, 88.2,   
   87.7, 87.8, and 83.8, with a mean of 88.8. Estimated planetary A indices were   
   7, 6, 3, 13, 10, 11, and 12, with a mean of 11.9. Estimated mid-latitude A   
   indices were 7, 6, 2, 10, 9, 8, and 10, with a mean of 8.6.   
      
   In this week's bulletin look for an updated 3-month moving average of sunspot   
   numbers.   
      
   Send me your reports and observations.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   This Week in Radiosport   
      
    *  April 2 -- LZ Open 40 Meter Sprint Contest (CW)   
    *  April 2-3 -- 15 Meter SSTV Dash Contest   
    *  April 2-3 -- Mississippi QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)   
    *  April 2-3 -- Missouri QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)   
    *  April 2-3 -- SP DX Contest (CW, SSB)   
    *  April 2-3 -- EA RTTY Contest   
    *  April 3 -- North American SSB Sprint   
    *  April 3 -- UBA Spring Contest, 6 Meters (CW, phone)   
    *  April 3 -- RSGB RoLo (SSB)   
    *  April 4 -- RSGB 80 Meter CW Club Championship   
    *  April 5 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)   
    *  April 6 -- UKEICC 80 Meter Contest (SSB)   
    *  April 7 -- SARL 80 Meter QSO Party (SSB)   
    *  April 7 -- NRAU 10 Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events   
      
    *  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   
    *  June 3-5 -- Northwestern Division Convention, Seaside, Oregon   
    *  June 4 -- Georgia Section Convention, Marietta, Georgia   
    *  June 5 -- Western Pennsylvania Section Convention, Prospect,   
       Pennsylvania   
    *  June 10-11 -- West Gulf Division Convention, Irving, Texas   
    *  June 18 -- Tennessee State Convention, Knoxville, Tennessee   
      
   Find conventions and hamfests in your area.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
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   )\/(ark   
      
   Always Mount a Scratch Monkey   
      
   ... I'll try anything twice.  Once if it kills me.   
   ---   
    * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)