The ARRL Letter
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
April 7, 2011
Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive
Audio News
IN THIS ISSUE
- + Japan Suffers Large Aftershock; Tsunami Warning Issued, Lifted
- + Amateur Radio in the Classroom: Alabama High Schools Successfully
Launch High Altitude Balloon
- + Public Service: Bill Smith, K1ARK, Receives National Recognition
for Storm Spotting Activities
- + Check out the May Issue of QST
- + On the Air: Rev Up the Rookies -- the 2011 SSB Rookie Roundup Is
Here!
- ARRL to Change Insurance Company for Equipment Protection, Club
Liability Services
- + Amateur Radio Fun: Announcing the Winners of the ARRL Video Contest
- ARRL in Action : What Have We Been Up to Lately?
- + FCC News: FCC Launches Complete Overhaul of Website
- Solar Update
- + ARRL Recognizes: Howard "Skip" Teller, KH6TY, Wins March QST Cover
Plaque Award
- + On the Air: ARRL Frequency Measuring Test Scheduled for Tuesday,
April 12
- On the Air : NIST to Conduct Time and Frequency User Survey
- This Week on the Radio
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
+ Available on ARRL Audio News
> + JAPAN SUFFERS LARGE AFTERSHOCK; TSUNAMI WARNING ISSUED, LIFTED
A 7.4 magnitude aftershock hit just off the coast of Japan
at 11:30 PM JST (1430 UTC) on Thursday, April 7. The epicenter of this
earthquake is just 73 miles from the nuclear plant at Fukushima and 41
miles from the epicenter of last month's 9.0 earthquake
.
As such, Japan's meteorological agency issued, and then lifted, a
tsunami warning for a wave of up to 6 feet for the coastal area that
has been already torn apart by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
These events are believed to have killed some 25,000 people and have
sparked an ongoing crisis at the nuclear power plant. The ARRL asks
that you keep 7.030 MHz clear for emergency use. In addition, these
frequencies should also be kept clear: 3.525, 7.030, 7.077, 7.087,
7.097, 14.100, 21.200 and 28.200 MHz. -- Thanks to CNN and other
sources for the information
> + AMATEUR RADIO IN THE CLASSROOM: ALABAMA HIGH SCHOOLS SUCCESSFULLY
LAUNCH HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOON
The Pell City and St Clair County High School's joint balloon launch
was a great success. The balloon was launched from the St Clair County
Airport in Pell City, Alabama into a brisk wind at 2 PM on April 2. The
balloon carried a variety of experiments ranging from materials,
plastic sticks, silly putty, several varieties of seed, batteries, film
and cameras, radio location equipment and a radio beacon announcing the
balloons flight, as well as a collection of worms. The worms were given
physicals by a St Clair County High School science class prior to the
flight. They returned home in apparent good health and have made
reservations for the next flight. The balloon made a rapid and steady
ascent to 94,449 feet and, after bursting, landed near Woodbury,
Georgia. The balloon landed in the middle of an open field and was
quickly retrieved by Amateur Radio operators from the Auburn/Alexander
city area. Read more here
.
> + PUBLIC SERVICE: BILL SMITH, K1ARK, RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION
FOR STORM SPOTTING ACTIVITIES
It is difficult to imagine the number of hours that Dr Bill Smith,
K1ARK, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, logs in his job as the University of
Arkansas' Director of New Media for the Razorback Athletics Department.
Smith spends countless hours blogging, filming, commentating and
handling the social media responsibilities for 19 teams and the
department, but he still finds time to assist Washington County
residents when dangerous weather conditions arise. Smith has
volunteered for the Washington County Department of Emergency
Management for more than a decade, assisting with county weather
emergency communications. In addition, Smith is the volunteer Public
Information Officer for the DEM with Advanced P10 certification from
FEMA.
For these efforts, Smith -- an ARRL member -- has been named the Bob
Kenworthy Community Service Award winner by the College of Sports
Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The Bob Kenworthy Community
Service Award is presented annually to a member for civic involvement
and accomplishments outside of the sports information office. CoSIDA is
a 2700-plus member national organization comprised of the sports public
relations, communications and information professionals throughout all
levels of collegiate athletics in the United States and Canada. Smith
will be honored at the CoSIDA at the organization's annual convention
in June. Read more here
.
> + CHECK OUT THE MAY ISSUE OF QST
The May issue of QST is jam-packed with all sorts of things that
today's Amateur Radio operator needs. From product reviews to
experiments to contesting -- including a special look at the ARRL EXPO,
coming to the Dayton Hamvention® and the ARRL National Convention at
Ham-Com in Plano, Texas -- this issue of QST has something for just
about everyone.
As amateurs, we get excited when we finally get that new entity, top
a previous year's score in a contest, build a new piece of equipment or
meet up with an old friend on the air. Why not unleash some of that
excitement and introduce kids to Amateur Radio at the same time? Mark
Spencer, WA8SME, shows readers how to do just that in his article "A
Transmitter for Foxhunting." Build this project that combines the fun
of the outdoors with the science and art of radio. With today's rising
energy costs, we are all looking for ways to save on those monthly
bills. One of the ways to do so is by lassoing the energy of the Sun.
In his article "An Emergency Backup Solar Power System," Jim Talens,
N3JT, says that after the purchase of some basic hardware, solar power
is free -- and independent of the grid.
Three Dutch hams -- Eltje Veen, PA3CEE; Johan Meezen, PE9DX, and René
Hasper, PE1L -- ventured to Mauritius to shoot for the moon. Read about
their adventure in "3B8EME -- Moonbounce from the Indian Ocean." Join a
group of Midwestern teenage hams as they discover what it's like on the
other end of the pile-up in "Youth DX Adventure #1" by Don DuBon,
N6JRL, and Dave Kalter, KB8OCP. QST Assistant Editor Steve Sant Andrea,
AG1YK, decodes RSQ and explains what it means to digital operators in
his article "Readability, Strength -- and Quality?"
QST Contributing Editor Ward Silver, N0AX, takes a look at the
Kenwood TS-590S HF and 6 meter transceiver in this month's Product
Review. He says that this rig "is a compact package of high-performance
radio with an exceptional receiver for the price and is well-suited for
today's operating modes and styles. It has a useful package of features
that are thoughtfully organized and easy to access." QST Technical
Editor Joel Hallas, W1ZR, checks out the Heil Pro Set Elite headset. He
calls it "a worthy addition to the popular Pro Set line of headsets. It
offers comfortable, wider range earphones, combined with a wide range
fidelity dynamic microphone element. The mic element is intended to be
tailored by radio or external audio equalizers to provide just the
desired voice characteristics."
Kelly Taylor, VE4XT, delivers the results of the 2010 ARRL November CW
Sweepstakes. For the first time ever in the history of the contest,
there's a tie for first place! Jeremy Alexander, W7EME, has the results
of the 2010 ARRL International EME Competition, held over three
weekends this past September and October. According to Alexander, the
2010 running of the contest generated more than 100 logs with many more
stations participating.
Of course, there are the usual columns you know and expect in the May
QST: Happenings, Hints & Kinks, The Doctor Is IN, How's DX, Technical
Correspondence, Vintage Radio and more. Look for your May issue in your
mailbox. QST is the official journal of ARRL, the national association
for Amateur Radio. QST is just one of the many benefits of ARRL
membership. To join or renew your ARRL membership, please see the ARRL
Web page .
> + ON THE AIR: REV UP THE ROOKIES -- THE 2011 SSB ROOKIE ROUNDUP IS
HERE!
Newly licensed amateurs will once again be the focus of attention on
Sunday, April 17 as the ARRL Rookie Roundup enters its second year.
Created to give the budding operator a place to learn about contesting
at an easier pace, the ARRL Rookie Roundup is a six hour contest open
to all amateurs who have been licensed for three years or fewer. If you
were licensed in 2009, 2010 or 2011, you qualify as a Rookie. The
Rookie Roundup happens three times each year: SSB in April, RTTY in
August and CW in December. Read more here
.
> ARRL TO CHANGE INSURANCE COMPANY FOR EQUIPMENT PROTECTION, CLUB
LIABILITY SERVICES
On May 1, 2011, the ARRL will begin a new partnership to provide its
ARRL-sponsored Equipment Insurance and Club Liability Insurance plans.
The League has signed an agreement with Hays Affinity Group to serve as
the program administrator to provide equipment insurance to its members
who choose to elect coverage. In addition, Hays will also provide club
liability insurance to ARRL Affiliated Clubs for those clubs that wish
to take advantage of that program. Hays will be replacing Marsh
Affinity Group Services as the program's administrator and will be
introducing new policies for both plans, underwritten by the Hanover
Insurance Company. Read more here
.
> + AMATEUR RADIO FUN: ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS OF THE ARRL VIDEO
CONTEST
With more than 30 videos submitted from all corners of the Earth,
the ARRL's production and editorial team had a tough job ahead of them
as they sat down to pick the best one. But in the end, these ARRL HQ
staff members picked a clear and decisive winner. In December, the ARRL
announced that it was looking for ARRL members to shoot and submit
videos that showcase how fun and electrifying our hobby can be. Extra
points were awarded for videos showing someone -- young or old,
licensed or not -- making their first contacts. Videos were judged on
their creativity, overall quality and composition, and how well each
communicated enthusiasm for Amateur Radio. All videos had to be less
than five minutes long. Read more here
.
> ARRL IN ACTION : WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO LATELY?
Compiled by ARRL News Editor S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
This feature is a concise monthly update of some of the things ARRL
is doing on behalf of its members. This installment -- which covers the
month of March -- looks at how the ARRL and its members are responding
to HR 607, various filings made by the ARRL to the FCC, the ARRL's
Executive Committee meeting, reports from the Official Observer Desk
and more. Read more here
.
> + FCC NEWS: FCC LAUNCHES COMPLETE OVERHAUL OF WEBSITE
The Federal Communications Commission announced on April 6 that it has
launched a complete overhaul of its website. According to an April 6
press release from the FCC, the new website is "architected with a more
intuitive user experience and the addition of Web 2.0 technologies, and
improves and simplifies the FCC.gov experience for consumers,
government, public safety agencies and the business community." This is
the first major update to the Commission's website in 10 years. Read
more here
.
> SOLAR UPDATE
Tad "I walk out into the Sun, I try to find a new day
" Cook, K7RA, reports: Our
Sun is still quite active, but solar activity is down this week when
compared with the week before. The average daily sunspot numbers were
down nearly 34 points to 68.3, while the average daily solar flux
declined nearly 3 points to 111.8. But geomagnetic activity was quite
strong this week, with the planetary A index on April 2 at 20, rising
to 26 on April 6. The latest forecast from USAF and NOAA has the solar
flux at 117 on April 7-9, 115 on April 10-14, 88, 90, 100 and 115 on
April 15-18 and 125 on April 19-27. The predicted planetary A index is
8, 5, 10 and 10 on April 6-9, 5 on April 11-17 and 7 on April 18-20.
Geophysical Institute Prague predicts quiet conditions on April 8,
quiet to unsettled April 9, unsettled to active April 10, active April
11, unsettled April 12, quiet to unsettled April 13 and back to quiet
on April 14. On April 4, NASA released a new solar cycle prediction
, and they say this
may be the smallest sunspot cycle in 200 years. Look for more
information on the ARRL website on Friday, April 8. For more
information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical
Information Service Propagation page
. This week's "Tad
Cookism" is brought to you by Duran Duran
's Careless Memories
.
> + ARRL RECOGNIZES: HOWARD "SKIP" TELLER, KH6TY, WINS MARCH QST
COVER PLAQUE AWARD
The winner of the QST Cover Plaque Award for March is Howard "Skip"
Teller, KH6TY, for his article "Digital VOX Sound Card Interface."
Congratulations Skip! The QST Cover Plaque award -- given to the author
or authors of the best article in each issue -- is determined by a vote
of ARRL members on the QST Cover Plaque Poll Web page
. Cast a ballot for your
favorite article in the April issue today.
> + ON THE AIR: ARRL FREQUENCY MEASURING TEST SCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY,
APRIL 12
The Frequency Measuring Test (FMT
) adds a couple of new
wrinkles to the format when it takes to the airwaves on April 12. The
first change is that the FMT will be held on Tuesday evening instead of
Wednesday. If weeknight schedules have prevented you from participating
in past FMTs, this change is for you. The second change is in the
sequence of stations transmitting. The new format will mimic a
round-table QSO in which all of the stations are close to the same
frequency but not exactly on the same frequency. Read more here
.
> ON THE AIR : NIST TO CONDUCT TIME AND FREQUENCY USER SURVEY
The National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Time and
Frequency Division is conducting a survey to learn more about its
users, seeking to determine how the agency can make its services more
useful in the future. NIST services include WWV, WWVH and WWVB, which
provide reference time and frequency signals via radio. The NIST also
provides the Internet Time Service -- which provides accurate time
synchronization to computer systems -- and several other services to
offer accurate time information via telephone or web pages. Radio
amateurs are encouraged to complete the survey. Read more here
.
> THIS WEEK ON THE RADIO
This week:
- April 9 -- PODXS 070 Club PSK 31 Flavors Contest (local time); EU
Spring Sprint (CW)
- April 9-10 -- Montana QSO Party; New Mexico QSO Party; Georgia QSO
Party; JIDX CW Contest
- April 10 -- SKCC Weekend Sprint; UBA Spring Contest (SSB)
- April 11 -- 144 MHz Spring Sprint (local time)
- April 13 -- NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint
- April 13-14 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test
Next week:
- April 15 -- NCCC Sprint
- April 15-16 -- Holyland DX Contest
- April 16 -- Feld Hell Sprint; TARA Skirmish Digital Prefix Contest;
ES Open HF Championship; EU Spring Sprint (SSB)
- April 16-17 -- Michigan QSO Party; Ontario QSO Party; YU DX Contest;
CQ Manchester Mineira DX Contest; EA-QRP CW Contest
- April 16-24 -- ARLHS Annual Spring Lites QSO Party
- April 17 -- ARRL Rookie Roundup (SSB)
- April 18 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest
- April 19 -- 222 MHz Spring Sprint (local time)
All dates, unless otherwise stated, are UTC. See the ARRL Contest
Branch page , the ARRL Contest Update
and the WA7BNM Contest
Calendar for more
info. Looking for a Special Event station? Be sure to check out the
ARRL Special Event Stations Web page
.
> UPCOMING ARRL SECTION, STATE AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS AND EVENTS
- April 22-24 -- ARRL Idaho State Convention
, Boise, Idaho
- April 23 -- ARRL Louisiana State Convention
,
Monroe, Louisiana; ARRL North Carolina State Convention
,
Raleigh, North Carolina
- May 7 -- ARRL South Carolina State Convention
,
Spartanburg, South Carolina
- June 3-5 -- ARRL Northwestern Division Convention (SeaPac)
,
Seaside, Oregon; ARRL Wyoming State Convention
, Cheyenne,
Wyoming
- June 4 -- ARRL Atlantic Division Convention
,
Rochester, New York; ARRL East Bay Section Convention
, Berkeley,
California; ARRL Georgia State Convention
,
Marietta, Georgia
- June 10-11 -- ARRL National Convention
,
Plano, Texas
- June 11 -- ARRL Tennessee State Convention
, Knoxville,
Tennessee
To find a convention or hamfest near you, click here
.
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