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   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-07-21   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
      
   July 21, 2016   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
    *  Amateur Radio Plays Key Role in Major FEMA Earthquake Disaster Exercise   
    *  Future FAA Rules Could Affect Some Amateur Radio Antenna Support   
       Structures   
    *  ARRL Central Division Director Dick Isely, W9GIG, Steps Down   
    *  Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, Appointed Central Division Vice Director   
    *  The Doctor Will See You Now!   
    *  The National Parks on the Air Update   
    *  Amateur 47 GHz Allocation Avoids 5G Juggernaut in the US for Now,   
       Worldwide Defense Continues   
    *  Pikes Peak ARES Supports Pikes Peak International Hill Climb   
    *  Two Young Radio Amateurs are First Americans to Take Part in YOTA Camp   
    *  In Brief....   
    *  The K7RA Solar Update   
    *  This Week in Radiosport   
    *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions   
      
      
   Amateur Radio Plays Key Role in Major FEMA Earthquake Disaster Exercise   
      
   Amateur Radio played a major role in meeting the objectives of the June 6-10   
   Cascadia Rising 2016 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) exercise in   
   the Pacific Northwest. In the exercise scenario, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake   
   and consequent tsunami has struck the Pacific Northwest, causing a blackout of   
   all conventional communication channels -- a natural opening for Amateur Radio   
   to step in. ARES/RACES organizations in Oregon and Washington were heavily   
   involved, and ARRL Headquarters was also in the loop. Upward of 500 Amateur   
   Radio volunteers in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho took part in the exercise.   
   Success of the exercise depended in large part on Amateur Radio point-to-point   
   communication.   
      
   "Amateur Radio operators not only provided communications continuity for   
   Emergency Management Agencies, they worked with the Washington State Patrol,   
   Washington State Guard, Washington National Guard, and the Federal Aviation   
   Agency," ARRL Western Washington Section Manager Monte Simpson, AF7PQ, said in   
   his Western Washington Section after-action report, released this week.   
   Simpson is also Washington's State RACES Officer. He said radio amateurs   
   supported approximately 32 city, county, state, tribal, and federal agencies   
   during the event.   
      
   "We were able to support all our served agencies and clients," Simpson   
   recounted. "Volunteers were able to provide communications support on location   
   and during the planned participation period." He said US Amateur Radio   
   responders established cross-border communication with the emergency   
   operations center in Langley, British Columbia, which was holding its own   
   province-wide exercise, Coastal Response.   
      
   "Overall, our objectives of being able to communicate with external agencies   
   via voice and Winlink were achieved," Simpson said. "It was great to be able   
   to participate in an exercise of this magnitude to get a feeling for what it   
   would be like to have this many people trying to send and receive data. All of   
   our operators felt this was very beneficial."   
      
   Simpson said that including Amateur Radio as "an actual functional part" of   
   Cascadia Rising was a big plus, and that the participants felt they were   
   "actually part of the team and not some auxiliary group that was being   
   tolerated."   
      
   Among his recommendations, Simpson said there should be more standardization   
   on language and forms, as well as coming up with a method of establishing   
   contact with communities that lack communication if repeaters go down. He also   
   advised that ARES and RACES teams exercise their equipment on a regular basis,   
   to avoid unexpected outages and failures during a real-world event.   
      
      
      
   Future FAA Rules Could Affect Some Amateur Radio Antenna Support Structures   
      
   Yet-to-be-developed Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules stemming from   
   the recent passage in Congress of H.R. 636, the FAA Reauthorization Act, could   
   pose additional marking requirements for a small number of Amateur Radio   
   towers. The bill instructs the FAA to enact rules similar to state-level   
   statutes now in place that are aimed at improving aircraft safety in the   
   vicinity of meteorological evaluation towers (METs) set up in rural areas. In   
   the wake of fatal crop dusting aircraft collisions with METs, often erected on   
   short notice, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended in   
   2013 that states enact laws -- sometimes called "crop duster" statutes --   
   requiring marking and registration of METs. While some state crop duster laws   
   exempt ham radio   
   towers, the federal legislation does not. ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay,   
   W3KD, said, however, that the list of exemptions in the federal legislation   
   restricts application of the new rules to a very small subset of Amateur Radio   
   towers.   
      
   "The FAA Reauthorization Act has very little application to Amateur Radio   
   antennas. We will have a good opportunity to address the final FAA rules   
   through the normal rulemaking process," Imlay said. "We'll be meeting soon   
   with FAA officials to learn their intentions as well as to advance our own   
   concerns to the agency. Uniform federal regulation is beneficial to hams,   
   because it eliminates a patchwork of state statutes that can impose   
   significant constraints on ham antennas in rural and agricultural areas."   
      
   The FAA Reauthorization Act gives the FAA 1 year to issue regulations   
   requiring the marking of towers covered by the new legislation. Marking of   
   towers covered by the legislation will be in the form of painting and lighting   
   in accordance with current FAA guidelines.   
      
   The law covers towers that are "self-standing or supported by guy wires and   
   ground anchors;" are 10 feet or less in diameter at the above-ground base,   
   excluding concrete footings; are between 50 feet above ground level at the   
   highest point and not more than 200 feet above ground level; have accessory   
   facilities on which an antenna, sensor, camera, meteorological instrument, or   
   other equipment is mounted, and are located outside the boundaries of an   
   incorporated city or town or on land that is undeveloped or used for   
   agricultural purposes.   
      
   Imlay said the law excludes towers erected adjacent to a house, barn, electric   
   utility station, or other building, or within the curtilage (enclosed area   
   occupied by a dwelling, grounds, and outbuildings) of a farmstead, among other   
   exclusions.   
      
   "We do not anticipate that a significant number of Amateur Radio antennas will   
   be subject to these rules," Imlay said, "but we need to monitor the FAA   
   rulemaking process carefully to head off requirements that could put the cost   
   of installing and maintaining affected structures out of any reasonable reach."   
      
      
      
   ARRL Central Division Director Dick Isely, W9GIG, Steps Down   
      
   Saying it was time that the ARRL Central Division had younger leadership,   
   Central Division Director Dick Isely, W9GIG, of Saint Charles, Illinois, has   
   resigned from the League's Board of Directors. He has been succeeded by Vice   
   Director Kermit Carlson, W9XA, of Batavia, Illinois.   
      
   "I'm 77 years old, and I still have pretty good health, despite my slow   
   recovery from a shingles attack that hit me last December," Isely said in a   
   public announcement. "However, it's time that you have a younger Central   
   Division Director." Isely and Carlson were re-elected last year without   
   opposition, and Isely expressed confidence that Carlson would "do a better   
   job" in the Director's chair.   
      
   Isely tendered his resignation during the July 2016 ARRL Board of Directors   
   meeting over the weekend in Windsor, Connecticut, and, acting on Carlson's   
   nomination, Isely's Board colleagues elected him as an ARRL Honorary Vice   
   President.   
      
   "I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting and talking with many of you over these   
   many years, and, from time to time, there will be future opportunities for   
   this activity," Isely's announcement concluded.   
      
   During his time on the Board, Isely served as a member of the ARRL Executive   
   Committee as well as on the Board's Administration and Finance and Membership   
   Services committees. He chaired the CEO Search Committee after former ARRL CEO   
   David Sumner, K1ZZ, announced his retirement in 2015. Isely also has been   
   among the ARRL Board members active in promoting the Amateur Radio Parity Act   
   on Capitol Hill.   
      
   Isley became the ARRL Central Division Director in 2001, succeeding Ed   
   Metzger, W9PRN, and he was an ARRL Foundation director from 2007 until his   
   resignation from the Board. He had served as ARRL Foundation Vice President   
   since 2008. ARRL Great Lakes Director Dale Williams, WA8EFK, has been named to   
   replace Isely on the ARRL Foundation Board.   
      
   Isely is a graduate of the University of Missouri and a retired US Navy and   
   American Airlines pilot. He's an ARRL and an AMSAT Life Member and has been a   
   radio amateur since 1977. Isely helped organize the National Frequency   
   Coordinators' Council and served 4 years as a director.   
      
      
      
   Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, Appointed Central Division Vice Director   
      
   ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, has appointed Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, of   
   Fort Wayne, Indiana, as Central Division Vice Director. He succeeds Kermit   
   Carlson, W9XA, who became the Division's Director upon the resignation of Dick   
   Isely, W9GIG, on July 16. Luetzelschwab said he plans to bring lots of energy   
   to the job and to be visible to Central Division members.   
      
   "It is an honor to serve and give back to the Amateur Radio service for all   
   that it has given me over the years," Luetzelschwab said. "I am looking   
   forward to working with Director Carlson, whom I have known for a number of   
   years, and I would like to give a big 'thank you' to retired director Dick   
   Isely for his friendship and many years of service. I hope to emulate his   
   visibility and approachability."   
      
   Luetzelschwab has been a radio amateur since 1961. His interests include   
   propagation, DXing, antennas, vintage equipment, and contesting. He served as   
   National Contest Journal (NCJ) editor from 2002 until 2007 and, until 2015,   
   contributed the "Propagation" column to NCJ and articles to other Amateur   
   Radio publications. Luetzelschwab received The Bill Orr, W6SAI, Technical   
   Writing Award for 2013 for his article "The Sun and the Ionosphere," which   
   appeared in the March 2013 issue of QST and won the March QST Cover Plaque   
   Award for the same article. His website offers considerable   
   information on propagation and related subjects. He's been on several   
   DXpeditions and is at the top of the DXCC Honor Roll.   
      
   Luetzelschwab holds both bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical   
   engineering from Purdue University. He retired in 2013, after 41 years as an   
   RF design engineer. His wife Vicky is AE9YL.   
      
      
      
   The Doctor Will See You Now!   
      
   "HF Propagation" is the topic of the current (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: "Magnetic Loops."   
      
      
      
   The National Parks on the Air Update   
      
   The ARRL National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) program now has more than one-half   
   million contacts resulting from nearly 9000 activations of NPS units in 2016!   
   As we've just crossed the halfway point of NPOTA, we hope to reach 1 million   
   contacts by the end of the year.   
      
   National Parks on the Air Chasers were recently treated to some rare NPOTA   
   units in New York City, activated thanks to the efforts of Pete Kobak, K0BAK.   
   On July 17, Kobak was able to activate Federal Hall National Memorial, Teddy   
   Roosevelt's Birthplace National Historic Site, and the most recent addition to   
   the National Park Service, Stonewall National Monument. Operating on HF from   
   dense, urban areas is always challenging, and Kobak's activities proved no   
   exception. Nonetheless, he was able to make a combined total of 66 contacts   
   from the three units -- quite respectable, given the tough conditions.   
      
   The 37 activations on the schedule for the week of July 21-28 include Chaco   
   Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico, and the Seattle Unit of the   
   Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Washington.   
      
   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).   
      
      
      
   Amateur 47 GHz Allocation Avoids 5G Juggernaut in the US for Now, Worldwide   
   Defense Continues   
      
   There's good news regarding the future of Amateur Radio's primary allocation   
   at 47 GHz in the US. Still a test bed for point-to-point propagation   
   experimentation by dedicated enthusiasts, the 47-47.2 GHz band is among those   
   under consideration at the next World Radiocommunication Conference in 2019   
   (WRC-19) to accommodate so-called 5G wireless broadband devices. Early this   
   year, some FCC commissioners indicated they would include bands on the WRC-19   
   agenda in the Commission's "Spectrum Frontiers" 5G initiative. As the   
   Commission put it this week as it made nearly 11 gigahertz of spectrum above   
   24.25 GHz available for licensed, unlicensed, and shared use: "High-band   
   millimeter wave spectrum is key to unlocking the potential for 5G." The FCC's   
   Spectrum Frontiers included several of the bands set for consideration at   
   WRC-19, but not the 47 GHz band -- although it did target 47.2-50.2 GHz.   
      
   "Maintaining the status quo in the 47-47.2 GHz band is a win for continued   
   Amateur Radio use of the band in the United States, and amateurs continue to   
   do great things there," ARRL Chief Technology Officer Brennan Price, N4QX,   
   allowed. He pointed to the new US-Canada distance record of 215 kilometers set   
   recently by radio amateurs from both countries. But, he suggested, Amateur   
   Radio could be doing more at 47 GHz.   
      
   Spectrum in the millimeter range has come under increasing scrutiny, because   
   the demand for greater throughput has driven demand for bandwidth -- hence,   
   the greater focus on spectrum above 24.25 GHz for next-generation 5G wireless   
   broadband applications. As Price explains, it's easier to find 200 megahertz   
   of spectrum in the millimeter range than at UHF.   
      
   Price noted that radio amateurs have set up broadband networks on several   
   lower microwave bands, nearly all of which are allocated to hams on a   
   secondary basis. "The 47 GHz band is allocated to the Amateur Service and the   
   Amateur-Satellite Service on a worldwide primary and exclusive basis," Price   
   pointed out. "We don't have to work around others in this space."   
      
   He suggested that Amateur Radio broadband experimenters consider and expand   
   upon the work of Ted Rappaport, N9NB -- the founding director of NYU Wireless   
   at New York University's Tandon School of Engineering -- whose investigations   
   have demonstrated that the millimeter waves may serve next-generation   
   broadband systems. "For a long time, millimeter waves were thought to be most   
   suitable for the point-to-point work that radio amateurs perfected and   
   continue to advance," Price said. "Ted's work indicates that poi   
   t-to-multipoint systems are feasible at this range, and the world has taken   
   notice."   
      
   Price stressed the need going forward for the worldwide Amateur Radio   
   community to maintain a staunch defense of all spectrum allocated to the   
   Service, as the 47 GHz band remains under consideration by other countries.   
   The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) is organizing the protective   
   effort on this and other issues, as it continues to get ready for WRC-19, he   
   added.   
      
      
      
   Pikes Peak ARES Supports Pikes Peak International Hill Climb   
      
   In late June, members of the Pikes Peak Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES)   
   Region 2, District 2 team ("Pikes Peak ARES") supported the 100th anniversary   
   running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb -- "The Race to the Clouds"   
   -- the second-oldest motorsport event in the US (right behind the Indy 500).   
   One hundred vehicles attempt the course, from a starting point of 9390 feet   
   above sea level to the 14,110 foot summit. A good run is less than 10 minutes,   
   although two made it in less than 9 minutes this year.   
      
   Although the race occurred on Field Day weekend, Pikes Peak ARES deployed 27   
   operators along the course to provide vehicle tracking, alternate   
   communication, course status, weather observations, and other functions. One   
   operator comes from Texas each year to support the race, while most of the   
   others were locals.   
      
   Once multiple vehicles are on the course, the pace of radio communication and   
   message traffic becomes lightning fast, with brief tactical call signs   
   interspersed with legal FCC IDs every 10 minutes.   
      
   Launching vehicles from the starting line as frequently as every 60 seconds   
   requires strict net discipline, the use of very specific terminology, the   
   ability to pick out hard-to-read vehicle numbers streaking past at speeds in   
   excess of 100 MPH and spot any problems, and being ready to quickly adapt from   
   normal race pace to a full-on emergency.   
      
   Led by veteran race operators Don Johnson, K0DRJ, at net control, Al Glock,   
   KC0PRM, at liaison with race officials, and Dan Martin, KD0SMP, as the mission   
   coordinator, the team handled hundreds of calls during the event. When a racer   
   slammed into a guardrail and needed to be airlifted from the course, the   
   ability to get the initial report to race officials and to maintain control of   
   the net testified to the operators' skills.   
      
   Such situations can be a matter of life or death, and fatalities have occurred   
   during the event. Amateur Radio operators also were the first to notice debris   
   and fluid on the course, alerting Race   
   Safety officials who closed the course until the hazard could be cleared.   
      
   The mountain and Colorado weather often throw curve balls at the operators and   
   participants alike, and sometimes spectators misbehave, racers crash, and   
   vehicles break down. Through it all, Pikes Peak ARES and associated Amateur   
   Radio operators provide this volunteer service year after year. -- Thanks to   
   Pikes Peak ARES EC John Bloodgood, KD0SFY, via The ARES E-Letter   
      
      
      
   Two Young Radio Amateurs are First Americans to Take Part in YOTA Camp   
      
   Two young ARRL members are among the more than 100 attending the Youngsters On   
   The Air (YOTA) camp in the Austrian mountains this week. Sterling Coffey,   
   N0SSC, of St Louis, Missouri, and Sam Rose, KC2LRC, of Syracuse, New York, are   
   the first two Americans to take part in the week-long YOTA camp. Participants   
   not only enjoy a variety of Amateur Radio activities, they hone their   
   electronics and contesting skills and make new international friends.   
      
   "Being at YOTA is really something beyond amazing," Coffey tweeted on July 17.   
      
   Begun in 2011, YOTA has grown exponentially since, and camps have been held in   
   Romania, The Netherlands-Belgium, Estonia, Finland, and Italy. Since the IARU   
   Region 1 General Conference in Albena, Bulgaria, in 2014, YOTA has been an   
   official International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 (IARU-R1) activity. Open   
   to participants ranging in age from 15 to 25, the sixth YOTA in Austria is the   
   largest ever and the first to include young hams from the US and Asia. The   
   Northern California DX Foundation (NCDXF) subsidized the two Americans'   
   participation in YOTA 2016. The Yasme Foundation supported the teams from   
   Ethiopia and Tunisia at YOTA 2016.   
      
   Rose, an electrical engineering graduate from Clarkson University, last year   
   inaugurated the Collegiate Ham Radio Operators Facebook group, aimed at   
   college ham radio club members interested in sharing and collaborating on   
   college ham radio activities. He also spoke on "Advantages of College Ham   
   Radio Clubs" at the Hamvention 2016 Youth Forum. Coffey, who majored in   
   electrical engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in   
   Rolla, is a past ARRL Youth Editor who handled the Youth@HamRadio.Fun web   
   column on the ARRL website. He served as a member of ARRL Ad-Hoc Committee on   
   Youth in the Second Century, prior to the ARRL Centennial.   
      
   YOTA 2016 has featured a full slate of Amateur Radio activities. A successful   
   Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact took place on   
   July 18 with astronaut Jeff Williams, KD5TVQ, on the International Space   
   Station, an event that IARU Region 1 Youth Working Group Chair Lisa Leenders,   
   PA2LS, called "a historical day for youth and Amateur Radio." Twenty of the   
   YOTA 2016 participants had a chance to pose questions to Williams, and   
   Austria's ORF television channel covered the event.   
      
   YOTA 2016 participants set up a 5 GHz HamNet Wi-Fi link to use in their   
   Summits On The Air (SOTA) activation on July 21. The link will connect the   
   team on the mountain with the YOTA base camp.   
      
   The Austrian Amateur Radio Society ™VSV, which is celebrating its 90th   
   anniversary, is hosting the YOTA 2016 summer camp near Salzburg. OE2YOTA has   
   been on air on various bands and modes. YOTA 2016 wraps up on July 23.   
      
      
      
   In Brief....   
      
   ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, to Keynote W9DXCC DX Convention Banquet: The   
   64th annual W9DXCC DX Convention and Banquet will be held Friday and Saturday,   
   September 16-17, in Schaumburg, Illinois. ARRL's new CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF,   
   will be the Saturday evening banquet speaker. Sponsored by the Northern   
   Illinois DX Association, the W9DXCC DX Convention is an ARRL-sanctioned   
   operating specialty convention. Contest University and DX University programs   
   will be presented on Friday. Day-long sessions on Saturday will include   
   speakers, exhibits, QSL card checking, and a CW pileup contest. On Saturday,   
   there will be presentations on the VP8STI/VP8SGI Sandwich Island/South Georgia   
   Island, VK0EK Heard Island, and K5P Palmyra Island DXpeditions, as well as a   
   Solar Cycle 24 update, "DXing During Declining Conditions," and using the   
   FLEX-6000 for contesting and DXing. Register online. For more information,   
   contact John McCormick, N0FCD.   
      
      
   "Triumvirate" to Oversee CQ World Wide DX Contest: CQ World Wide DX Contest   
   Director Doug Zwiebel, KR2Q, has announced that he, Scott Robbins, W4PA, and   
   Bob Naumann, W5OV, will serve as CQ WW DX Contest co-directors. "We will all   
   share the various tasks of 'director,' and we all will provide backup or   
   contingency coverage for each other for most, if not all, aspects of CQ WW   
   Committee leadership," Zwiebel explained. "We are all equals." Robbins and   
   Naumann are veteran contesters and well-known in the Amateur Radio community.   
   Formerly Amateur Radio product manager for TEN-TEC, Robbins now is the   
   proprietor of Vibroplex. Naumann, who previously served on the CQ WW Contest   
   Committee for 20 years, is sales manager of DX Engineering; he worked   
   previously for Array Solutions.   
      
      
      
   The K7RA Solar Update   
      
   Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: All solar indices rose over the past week,   
   and geomagnetic indicators were lower. Average daily solar flux rose from the   
   previous 7 days at 52.6 to 58.1, and average daily sunspot numbers rose from   
   91.6 to 103.6.   
      
   The average daily planetary A index went from 15.7 to 10.6, and the average   
   daily mid-latitude A index dipped from 14.1 to 11.1.   
      
   The late July 20 predictions for solar flux show 105 on July 21-22; 100 and 95   
   on July 23-24; 90 on July 25-26; 85 and 80 on July 27-28; 70 on July 29-August   
   4; 80 and 95 on August 5-6; 105 on August 7-16; 100 on August 17-18; 95, 90,   
   80, and 75 on August 19-22, and 70 on August 23-31. The next few days   
   following the end-of-August prediction show a sharp rise in solar flux.   
      
   Predicted planetary A index levels are at 16, 12, 10, and 8 on July 21-24; 5,   
   8, 12, 10, and 9 on July 25-29; 8 on July 30-31; 5 on August 1-2; 20 on August   
   3-4; 15 on August 5; 10 on August 6-7; 20, 8, 12, 10, and 8 on August 8-12; 5   
   on August 13-14; 8, 12, and 15 on August 15-17; 10 on August 18-19; 8 on   
   August 20; 5 on August 21-23; 8 and 9 on August 24-25; 8 on August 26-27; 5 on   
   August 28-29, and 20 on August 30-31.   
      
   At 2341 UTC on July 19 the Australian Space Forecast Centre issued a   
   geomagnetic disturbance warning:   
      
   A shock wave signature was detected in the solar wind on 19 July at 2300 UTC.   
   A geomagnetic sudden impulse is expected, followed by increased geomagnetic   
   activity up to minor storm levels.   
      
   The forecast anticipated increased geomagnetic activity due to coronal mass   
   ejection over the July 20-22 period.   
      
   Sunspot numbers for July 14 through 20 were 54, 73, 47, 51, 68, 58, and 56,   
   with a mean of 52.6. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 95.1, 102.1, 106.6, 105.2,   
   107.1, 100.8, and 108, with a mean of 91.6. Estimated planetary A indices were   
   12, 11, 8, 6, 4, 10, and 23, with a mean of 15.7. Estimated mid-latitude A   
   indices were 16, 10, 8, 10, 4, 11, and 19 with a mean of 14.1.   
      
   Send me your reports and observations.   
      
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   This Week in Radiosport   
      
    *  July 27 -- SKCC Sprint (CW)   
    *  July 30 -- RSGB IOTA Contest (CW)   
    *  August 1 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)   
    *  August 1 -- ARS Flight of the Bumblebees (CW)   
    *  August 4 -- NRAU 10 Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)   
    *  August 6 -- European HF Championship (CW, phone)   
    *  August 6 -- WAB 144 MHz Low Power Phone   
    *  August 6 -- TARA Grid Dip Shindig (digital)   
    *  August 6-7 -- 10-10 International Summer Contest (SSB)   
    *  August 6-7 -- North American QSO Party (CW)   
    *  August 6-7 -- August UHF Contest (CW, phone, digital   
    *  August 7 -- SARL HF Phone Contest   
      
   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 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   
      
   ... Tagteam:  A bunch of people thinking up taglines.   
   ---   
    * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)