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   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-07-14   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
      
   July 14, 2016   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
      
    *  Amateur Radio Parity Act Receives Favorable House Energy and Commerce   
       Committee Report   
    *  FCC Finds a Fix for Amateur Radio Application Batch Processing Problem   
    *  Ham Radio Outlet to Acquire Some AES Employees, Re-Open Milwaukee   
       Location as HRO Branch   
    *  ARRL CEO, Emergency Preparedness Manager Visit FEMA Headquarters   
    *  ARRL Board of Directors to Meet in Connecticut   
    *  The Doctor Will See You Now!   
    *  National Parks on the Air Update   
    *  Attendance at Dayton Hamvention(R) Tops 25,000 for Second Year in a Row   
    *  ARRL Training Webinar, "Contesting as Training for Public Service," Set   
       for July 24   
    *  International Tribunal Rules Against China's Claims Regarding South   
       China Sea Reefs   
    *  New ISS Crew Increment with Two Radio Amateurs Arrives on Station   
    *  CQ Contest Hall of Famer, WRTC Competitor, DXer Walter Skudlarek, DJ6QT,   
       SK   
    *  In Brief...   
    *  The K7RA Solar Update   
    *  This Week in Radiosport   
    *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions   
      
      
      
   Amateur Radio Parity Act Receives Favorable House Energy and Commerce   
   Committee Report   
      
   An amended version of the Amateur Radio Parity Act, H.R. 1301, received a   
   unanimous favorable report on July 13 from members of the US House Energy and   
   Commerce Committee. The bill now will go to the full House for consideration.   
   Before reporting the bill out of committee, the panel first voted to accept   
   the amended language, "in the nature of a substitute." Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI   
   (R-OR), who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on   
   Communications and Technology, said the substitute bill represented "a good   
   balance" that came in the wake of months of meetings, hard work, and   
   compromise, and he recommended the measure to his colleagues.   
      
   "The amendment guarantees that even in deed-restricted communities, Amateur   
   Radio operators are able to use an effective outdoor antenna," Walden said.   
   "Without an effective antenna Amateur Radio operators are severely limited, so   
   this amendment ensures that amateurs are free to pursue their passion wherever   
   they live."   
      
   At the same time, he continued, the measure protects the rights of those "who   
   have chosen to live in deed-restricted communities and to set their own   
   aesthetic and other rules."   
      
   In early June, the ARRL and the Community Associations Institute (CAI) -- the   
   national association of homeowners associations (HOAs) -- announced that they   
   had reached consensus on substitute language for HR 1301 in an effort to move   
   it through committee and to overcome objections to the companion US Senate   
   bill, S 1685. The offices of US Representatives Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), the   
   bill's sponsor, Anna Eshoo (D-CA), and Walden mediated and offered assistance.   
      
   "While it's rare to have two groups with opposing viewpoints walk away from   
   legislation happy, by golly, I think we've done it here," Walden concluded. He   
   said the substitute bill represented "the best of what our committee can do   
   when we work together in bipartisan compromise that meets the needs of all   
   parties involved."   
      
   In her remarks, Eshoo said she was glad that an agreement had been reached on   
   the bill's language, which she initially feared would violate the rights of   
   homeowners associations. "We found a balance that works for all stakeholders,"   
   she said, calling the ARRL and CAI "the bookends of the effort."   
      
   Kinzinger called the amended bill "a good amendment that strikes the right   
   balance."   
      
      
      
   FCC Finds a Fix for Amateur Radio Application Batch Processing Problem   
      
   It's taken a couple of weeks, but the FCC has resolved a computer programming   
   problem that had affected its ability to accept and process batch-filed   
   Amateur Radio applications, resulting in a backlog for the Volunteer Examiner   
   Coordinator (VEC) and others taking advantage of automated processing. The FCC   
   information technology staff had been attempting to fix the glitch that had   
   affected the Universal Licensing System (ULS) Electronic Batch Filing (EBF)   
   system since it first cropped up on June 28. At first the problem had affected   
   the processing of all Amateur Radio and commercial license applications, said   
   ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, who alerted the FCC IT Department.   
      
   By June 30, it appeared that the FCC had corrected the broader problem, but   
   the EBF remained unable to process ARRL VEC's automated, batch-filed   
   applications and exam sessions. VECs that were manually logging in to upload   
   their files were unaffected. ARRL and FCC IT staffers put their heads together   
   to solve the problem of the blockage.   
      
   "The FCC IT staff was astutely attentive to the problem every step of the way,   
   as they worked with our IT department to find a solution," Somma said. "We   
   appreciate the specialized service we received."   
      
   ARRL's IT Department and the ARRL VEC confirmed on July 14 that the problem   
   had been fixed, the backlog of more than 1200 applications and 300 exam   
   sessions cleared, and the flow of automated, batch-filed applications and exam   
   sessions able to resume.   
      
      
      
   Ham Radio Outlet to Acquire Some AES Employees, Re-Open Milwaukee Location as   
   HRO Branch   
      
   Ham Radio Outlet (HRO) has announced plans to hire an unspecified number of   
   Amateur Electronic Supply (AES) employees when AES shuts down its four   
   locations in late July. In addition, the current AES Headquarters store in   
   Milwaukee will become HRO's newest location later this summer, following   
   renovation. On July 1, AES announced that it was going out of business and   
   ending retail operations at its Milwaukee, Las Vegas, Cleveland, and Orlando   
   locations. With the approval of AES management, HRO senior managers visited   
   each AES location to interview staffers in hopes of "acquiring some of the   
   Amateur Radio retail employee talent in each of the current AES locations," an   
   HRO news release said.   
      
   "Together with this interview process, HRO examined what it would take to   
   perhaps acquire one or more of the AES store locations. At the time of these   
   interviews, many opportunities were explored with current AES senior   
   management," the release continued. "We are very excited to announce that HRO   
   was successful in providing offers of employment to a number of    
   oon-to-be-former AES employees, and that to some, we have offered positions   
   that involve HRO-sponsored and funded relocation."   
      
   HRO announced that once AES shutters its Milwaukee location at 5710 W Good   
   Hope Road on July 28, Ham Radio Outlet will undertake an extensive remodeling   
   project to create a new HRO Milwaukee store at the same site, which will open   
   at the end of August.   
      
   "It is with great pleasure that we are able to continue Terry Sterman's and   
   Phil Majerus' legacy of providing a fantastic Amateur Radio store in   
   Milwaukee, Wisconsin," said HRO President Robert Ferrero, W6KR. "It is our   
   immediate goal to have the largest, most well-stocked Amateur Radio retail   
   store in North America and perhaps even the world."   
      
   After AES closes on July 28, all former AES locations' direct and toll-free   
   telephone numbers will be redirected to the closest HRO location, and the AES   
   website will be directed to HRO's website.   
      
   A family-owned business, HRO is the world's largest Amateur Radio dealership,   
   with locations from New England to the West Coast.   
      
      
      
   ARRL CEO, Emergency Preparedness Manager Visit FEMA Headquarters   
      
   ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, and Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey,   
   KI1U, recently visited Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters   
   in Washington, DC, to further explore areas of cooperation and partnership, in   
   line with the Memorandum of Agreement that ARRL and FEMA signed in 2014.   
      
   During the June 29 visit, Gallagher and Corey met with FEMA Administrator   
   Craig Fugate, KK4INZ. FEMA Chief Technology Officer Ted Okada, K4HNL, also   
   attended the meeting.   
      
   "Administrator Fugate's detailed knowledge of Amateur Radio is impressive, and   
   his support for the amateur community is very encouraging," Gallagher said   
   afterward. He went on to say that he was most impressed by Fugate's   
   observation that "any mode of RF that will connect across the continent is   
   valuable; we don't have enough backups to the public switched network."   
      
      
      
   ARRL Board of Directors to Meet in Connecticut   
      
   The ARRL Board of Directors will meet July 15-16 in Windsor, Connecticut, for   
   its second meeting of 2016. The session will mark the first Board meeting for   
   ARRL's new CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, who joined the Headquarters staff on   
   February 29 and became CEO on April 18 upon the retirement of David Sumner,   
   K1ZZ. Gallagher also serves as secretary to the Board.   
      
   Among other business, the Board will hear reports from League officers,   
   including a status report on regulatory, legal, and legislative issues.   
   Reports from various committees, including the standing Executive,   
   Administrative and Finance, and Programs and Services committees, also will be   
   aired.   
      
   ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, who was elected at the January meeting of   
   the Board, will preside.   
      
      
      
   The Doctor Will See You Now!   
      
   "Propagation" is the topic of the latest (July 14) episode of the "ARRL The   
   Doctor is In" podcast. Listen...and learn!   
      
   Sponsored by DX Engineering, "ARRL The Doctor is In" is an informative   
   discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or   
   smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like!   
      
   Every 2 weeks, your host, QST Editor in Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and the   
   Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of technical   
   topics. You can also e-mail your questions to doctor@arrl.org, and the Doctor   
   may answer them in a future podcast.   
      
   Enjoy "ARRL The Doctor is In" on Apple iTunes, or by using your iPhone or iPad   
   podcast app (just search for "ARRL The Doctor is In"). You can also listen   
   online at Blubrry, or at Stitcher (free registration required, or browse the   
   site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or Android   
   devices.   
      
   If you've never listened to a podcast before, download our beginner's guide.   
      
   Just ahead on July 28, the subject will be "Magnetic Loops."   
      
      
      
   National Parks on the Air Update   
      
   July represents the halfway mark for the ARRL National Parks on the Air   
   (NPOTA) program. With just under 6 months to go, slightly more than 490,000   
   contacts have been made from 431 of the 485 eligible NPS units, in 8250   
   separate activations.   
      
   There's plenty of time left to get involved! With the summer vacation season   
   in full swing, many NPS units would enjoy seeing a new NPOTA face. You can   
   start collecting NPOTA units any time; Activators are always looking for new   
   stations to log. With band conditions being less than spectacular lately,   
   NPOTA offers a way to enjoy Amateur Radio as either Chaser or Activator, with   
   plenty of domestic QSO opportunities and portable operating adventures free   
   for the taking. Help NPOTA reach more than 1 million QSOs in 2016!   
      
   A record 68 activations are scheduled for the week of July 13-20, including   
   Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, and the Nez Perce National Historical Park   
   in Idaho.   
      
   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).   
      
      
      
   Attendance at Dayton Hamvention(R) Tops 25,000 for Second Year in a Row   
      
   Given the level of enthusiasm at the 2016 running of Dayton Hamvention(R) in   
   mid-May, attendance may have seemed up, but for all intents and purposes, it   
   held steady at 25,364 visitors. That figure was down only slightly from the   
   25,621 attendees reported for 2015, but above the 25,000 mark for the second   
   year in a row. For those keeping track, in 2014 the official count was 24,873   
   visitors, and attendance in 2013 was 24,542.   
      
   Hamvention attendance peaked in 1993 at 33,669, before the 1996 change in date   
   from April to May. While attendance has fluctuated over the years, Hamvention   
   has grown to international proportions, attracting members of the worldwide   
   Amateur Radio community each spring.   
      
   The Dayton Amateur Radio Association (DARA) has sponsored Hamvention since   
   1952. Originally called the Southwestern Ohio Ham-vention, the inaugural   
   event, held in March in downtown Dayton, attracted 600 attendees -- twice as   
   many as had been predicted. Today it is the world's largest Amateur Radio   
   gathering.   
      
   DARA now is counting down the days to the next Hamvention on May 19-21, 2017.   
   Hamvention's new General Chairman is Ron Cramer, KD8ENJ, who succeeded Jim   
   Tiderman, N8IDS. Tiderman reported an "overall good mood" and "a positive   
   attitude" at this year's event and said the Hamvention staff received many   
   upbeat comments.   
      
   Hamvention's post-show Satisfaction Survey is soliciting comments and   
   observations from those who attended this year's big show. -- Thanks to Henry   
   Ruminski, W8HJR   
      
      
      
   ARRL Training Webinar, "Contesting as Training for Public Service," Set for   
   July 24   
      
   A free ARRL Training Webinar, "Contesting as Training for Public Service,"   
   hosted by Ward Silver, N0AX, will take place on Sunday, July 24, 8 until 10 PM   
   EDT (0000-0200 UTC on July 25). All are invited to join the audio-slide   
   presentation online or via telephone.   
      
   "Think of contests as a ham radio fitness center," Silver said. "Public   
   service teams are always looking for enjoyable activities to improve operator   
   skills. Just as sports provide good physical exercise, contests are great at   
   developing radio skills, and both are a lot of fun." Silver pointed out that   
   contests originated as a way to hone traffic-handling skills and develop an   
   effective station.   
      
   Registration is required.   
      
   In addition, ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U, is seeking   
   anecdotes from radio amateurs who have activated an emergency operations   
   center (EOC) for a bona fide contest, such as ARRL November Sweepstakes or a   
   state QSO party -- but not ARRL Field Day, a SET, or SKYWARN Recognition Day.   
      
   "Just a brief overview of the event, the results, the number of participants,   
   and any interesting outcomes," Corey said, in describing what he's looking   
   for. Contact Corey via e-mail.   
      
   The presentation will be available via YouTube following the webinar.   
      
      
      
   International Tribunal Rules Against China's Claims Regarding South China Sea   
   Reefs   
      
   An international tribunal ruling discounting China's claims with respect to   
   Scarborough Reef and the Spratlys could complicate efforts to mount another   
   DXpedition to the rare and remote South China Sea DXCC entities. The Permanent   
   Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled this week in favor of the Philippines   
   in a dispute with China over Scarborough Reef -- also known as Scarborough   
   Shoal. The last DXpedition to Scarborough was the 2007 BS7H operation. A 2016   
   DXpedition has been reported to be in the works.   
      
   The tribunal said that although navigators and fishermen from China and other   
   states have historically made use of South China Sea islands, there was no   
   evidence that China had historically exercised exclusive control over the   
   waters or resources. According to the tribunal, China had violated the   
   Philippines' sovereign rights and has caused "severe harm to the coral reef   
   environment" by building artificial islands and an air strip. China, which   
   refused to take part in the arbitration, said it would not be bound by the   
   tribunal's ruling. China claims almost all of the South China Sea, including   
   reefs and islands also claimed by other countries, but the tribunal made clear   
   that its ruling did not address issues of territorial sovereignty.   
      
   "This arbitration concerned the role of historic rights and the source of   
   maritime entitlements in the South China Sea, the status of certain maritime   
   features and the maritime entitlements they are capable of generating, and the   
   lawfulness of certain actions by China that were alleged by the Philippines to   
   violate the Convention," the Permanent Court of Arbitration explained in a   
   lengthy news release on July 12. "In light of limitations on compulsory   
   dispute settlement under the Convention [on the Law of the Sea], the Tribunal   
   has emphasized that it does not rule on any question of sovereignty over land   
   territory and does not delimit any boundary between the parties." Scarborough   
   Reef is claimed by China, the Philippines, and Taiwan.   
      
   In recent years, China has been actively expanding the land area of the   
   unpopulated reefs such as Scarborough and establishing a burgeoning military   
   presence, which it has deployed to keep away any visitors on land or by sea.   
   The tribunal said this activity, since the arbitration began, has unlawfully   
   aggravated and extended the dispute.   
      
      
      
   New ISS Crew Increment with Two Radio Amateurs Arrives on Station   
      
   NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, KG5FYJ, astronaut Takuya Onishi, KF5LKS, of the   
   Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin of   
   Roscosmos officially joined their Expedition 48 International Space Station   
   (ISS) crew members on July 9, when the hatches opened between their Soyuz   
   MS-01 and the space station. Four radio amateurs now are on board the ISS.   
      
   Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams, KD5TVQ, of NASA, and Flight Engineers   
   Oleg Skripochka, RN3FU, and Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos greeted the   
   newcomers. Rubins, Onishi, and cosmonaut Ivanishin replaced Expedition 47   
   Commander Tim Kopra, KE5UDN; Flight Engineer Tim Peake, KG5BVI/GB1SS, and Yuri   
   Malenchenko, RK3DUP, who returned to Earth in mid-June after a little more   
   than 6 months in space.   
      
   Later this summer, Williams and Rubins are scheduled to install the first of   
   two international docking adapters, soon to launch to the ISS. The adapters   
   will allow commercial spacecraft to dock to the station in the near future   
   when transporting astronauts as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program.   
      
   Rubins, Ivanishin, and Onishi are scheduled to remain on station until late   
   October. The trio launched early on July 7 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome,   
   traveling to the ISS onboard an upgraded Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft on its maiden   
   voyage. Williams, Skripochka, and Ovchinin will return to Earth in September.   
      
      
      
   CQ Contest Hall of Famer, WRTC Competitor, DXer Walter Skudlarek, DJ6QT, SK   
      
   Well-known contester and World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC) competitor,   
   official, and supporter Walter Skudlarek, DJ6QT, of Hirzenhain, Germany, died   
   on July 5. He was 77 and had been a radio amateur since 1958.   
      
   Skudlarek was a member of the CQ Contest Hall of Fame as well as a founding   
   member of the Rhein-Ruhr DX Association and active member for more than 50   
   years, serving at various times as president. He was a member of the RRDXA   
   Hall of Fame.   
      
   Skudlarek was a competitor at the very first WRTC in 1990 in Seattle, as well   
   as in 1996 in San Francisco, and 2002 in Helsinki. He served as a referee at   
   the WRTCs in 2000 (Slovenia) and in 2006 (Brazil) and was looking forward to   
   WRTC 2018 in Germany.   
      
   His history of DXpedition operations dates from 1979, and he operated   
   frequently from Madeira. He was one of the first single-op DXpeditioners to   
   include RTTY as an operating mode. A frequent Dayton Hamvention(R) visitor,   
   Skudlarek also was an honorary member of the Frankfort Radio Club, the North   
   Jersey DX Association, and the Araucaria DX Group.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   In Brief...   
      
   Solar Car Challenge W1N Traveling Special Event Operation Set: Special event   
   station W1N will travel from the Texas Motor Speedway to Minneapolis between   
   July 15 and July 24 to highlight the 2016 Solar Car Challenge(R). Several   
   teams include students and adult advisors who are radio amateurs who wanted to   
   operate a special event station during the Solar Car Challenge. Activity will   
   be limited on July 15-16 but will ramp up July 16-24, 0500 to 2359 UTC. W1N   
   will be on the air with a portable operation from the Texas Motor Speedway   
   before the vehicles set off on the road. During the on-the-road event, W1N   
   will have a mobile station and portable stations active as the cars move north   
   toward Minneapolis. Mobile activity will be on 20 meters, centering around   
   14.343 MHz. Operation from portable sites will take place on 6, 10, and 15   
   meters. The calendar provides the event schedule and itinerary. QSL to Steve   
   McDermott, KF5RVR. For more information, contact Fred Varian, WD5ERD.   
      
      
   Special Event Stations to Mark Pope's Visit to Poland: Several special event   
   stations are poised to mark the visit of Pope Francis to Poland. The Pope will   
   be in Poland July 27-31 to once again take part in World Youth Days in Krak¢w.   
   This is Pope Francis' first visit to Poland, where he will also make stops at   
   the national shrine in Czestochowa to honor 1050 years of Christianity in   
   Poland and pay respects to the victims of the former Auschwitz Nazi   
   concentration camp. World Youth Days is a biannual event initiated by Pope   
   John Paul II, the first Polish Pope (Karol Wojtyla). Some 2 million young   
   Catholics are expected. Special event call signs will include HF0F in Krak¢w,   
   as well as HF31WYD, HF2SDM, and HF7SDM.   
      
      
   Decades of Satellite Contacts Net Satellite WAS for Ohio Radio Amateur: It   
   took Bob Liddy, K8BL, of Mentor, Ohio, nearly 4 decades to achieve Worked All   
   States via satellite and earn WAS Satellite Award #341, although he wasn't   
   really gunning for the award for all that time. The contacts spanned 38 years,   
   and he submitted QSL cards to claim the award. His oldest satellite QSL card   
   was from W7LSV in Oregon, for an Oscar 8 Mode A CW contact in 1978. Liddy did   
   not realize until he started going through his QSL cards to submit for awards   
   at Dayton Hamvention(R) that he might have completed WAS on satellite. An   
   AMSAT member since 1979, Liddy said he was "not in the hunt very seriously,"   
   but he determined that had, indeed, worked all 50 states and was only lacking   
   a card from Vermont. "Happily, it was Nick, KB1RVT, who I knew was always good   
   for a confirmation, which he quickly returned, confirming our contact via   
   SO-50 FM on January 4, 2016," he said. -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service   
      
      
   Fox-1C and Fox-1D Launch Window Shifted: AMSAT reports that the launch period   
   for Fox-1C (Cliff) and Fox-1D has been moved. The new launch window will be   
   between September 1 and November 30. Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D will be integrated   
   onto the Spaceflight SHERPA platform for its maiden flight aboard a SpaceX   
   Falcon 9 launching into a sun-synchronous orbit from Vandenberg Air Force   
   Base. Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D carry university experiments from Pennsylvania   
   State-Erie, Vanderbilt, University of Iowa, cameras provided by Virginia Tech,   
   as well as Amateur Radio voice repeaters capable of U/V or L/V operation. The   
   Nayif-1 CubeSat, developed by Emirati students from the American University of   
   Sharjah, is expected to be put into orbit on the same launch. Nayif-1 carries   
   an inverting 435/145 MHz transponder (FUNcube-5) for SSB/CW. -- Thanks to   
   AMSAT News Service, Southgate Amateur Radio News   
      
      
      
   The K7RA Solar Update   
      
   Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: As this solar cycle declines, we will   
   occasionally see periods, such as this past week, when activity perks up, and   
   it seems that happy days are here again. Enjoy them while they last. Any   
   recovery is unpredictable and temporary.   
      
   Over the reporting week of July 7-13, the average daily sunspot number was   
   52.6, up 47.7 points from 4.9 in the previous week. Dominating the previous   
   week's activity were 5 out of 7 days with no sunspots. Over the same periods,   
   the average daily solar flux rose from 73.1 to 91.6, a healthy advance.   
      
   Geomagnetic indices were also active, with planetary A index advancing by 9   
   points, from 6.7 to 15.7 and the mid-latitude A index rising from 8.3 to 14.1   
   over the same 2 weeks.   
      
   Predicted solar flux is 94 on July 14-15; 92 on July 16-18; 87, 84, and 80 on   
   July 19-21; 77 on July 22-23; 75, 73, 74, 73, and 72 on July 24-28; 71, 72,   
   74, 72, and 77 on July 29-August 2; then 83, 87, 92, 94, and 92 on August 3-7;   
   90 on August 8-13; 85 on August 14, and 78 on August 14-15.   
      
   Predicted planetary A index is 15, 10, and 8 on July 14-16; 5 on July 17-20;   
   10, 7, 11, 10, and 6 on July 21-25; 4, 6, 7, 9, 8, and 7 on July 26-31; 4 and   
   5 on August 1-2; 23 on August 3-4; 14, 10, 20, 12, 8, 15, and 10 on August   
   5-11, and 5 on August 12-13.   
      
   Sunspot numbers for July 7 through 13 were 25, 55, 63, 46, 62, 63, and 54,   
   with a mean of 52.6. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 83.3, 87.1, 92.2, 94.4,   
   94.7, 92.4, and 96.8, with a mean of 91.6. Estimated planetary A indices were   
   23, 23, 14, 10, 11, 21, and 8, with a mean of 15.7. Estimated mid-latitude A   
   indices were 19, 18, 15, 11, 11, 18, and 7 with a mean of 14.1.   
      
   Send me your reports and observations.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   This Week in Radiosport   
      
    *  July 16 -- Russian Radio Team Championship (CW, phone   
    *  July 16 -- Trans-Tasman Low-Bands Challenge (CW, phone, digital)   
    *  July 16 -- Feld Hell Sprint   
    *  July 16-17 -- North American QSO Party (RTTY)   
    *  July 16-17 -- CQ World Wide VHF Contest (CW, phone, digital)   
    *  July 16-17 -- DMC RTTY Contest   
    *  July 17 -- RSGB Low Power Contest (CW)   
    *  July 18 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)   
    *  July 21 -- NAQCC CW Sprint   
    *  July 21 -- RSGB 80 Meter Club Championship (Digital)   
      
   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   
      
    *  July 15-17 -- Montana State Convention, East Glacier, Montana   
    *  July 22-23 -- Oklahoma Section Convention, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma   
    *  July 29-31 -- Central States VHF Conference, Rochester, Minnesota   
    *  August 5-6 -- Texas State Convention, Austin, Texas   
    *  August 5-7 -- Pacific Northwest DX Convention, Portland, Oregon   
    *  August 12-14 -- New Mexico State Convention, Albuquerque, New Mexico   
    *  August 19-21 -- West Virginia State Convention, Weston, West Virginia   
    *  August 20-21 -- Southeastern Division Convention, Huntsville, Alabama   
    *  August 21 -- Kansas State Convention, Salina, Kansas   
    *  September 3-4 -- North Carolina State Convention, Shelby, North Carolina   
    *  September 9-11 -- New England Division Convention, Boxborough,   
       Massachusetts   
    *  September 10 -- Kentucky State Convention, Shepherdsville, Kentucky   
    *  September 10 -- Virginia Section Convention, Virginia Beach, Virginia   
    *  September 16-17 -- W9DXCC Convention, Schaumburg, Illinois   
    *  September 16-18 -- ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference, St   
       Petersburg, Florida   
    *  September 17-18 -- Illinois State Convention, Peoria, Illinois   
    *  September 24 -- North Dakota State Convention, West Fargo, North Dakota   
    *  September 24 -- Washington State Convention, Spokane Valley, Washington   
      
   Find conventions and hamfests in your area.   
      
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   )\/(ark   
      
   Always Mount a Scratch Monkey   
      
   ... Let us drink deep for death is inevitable.   
   ---   
    * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)