The ARRL Letter
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
May 5, 2011
Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive
Audio News
IN THIS ISSUE
- + Public Service: Northern Florida Hams Respond to Aftermath of
Alabama Storm
- Public Service: Georgia Hams Hasten to Help During Storms
- + Hams Helping Hams: The ARRL's Ham Aid Program Responds to
Devastated South
- + FCC News: FCC Seeks to Raise the Fee for Vanity Call Signs
- Hays Affinity Group Provides ARRL Members with Equipment Protection,
Club Liability Insurance Plans
- + Check Out the June Issue of QST
- + Amateur Radio in the Classroom: College Students Attempt High
Altitude Balloon Launch
- ARRL In Action: What Have We Been Up to Lately?
- + On the Air: Space Weather Prediction Center to Discontinue
Broadcasts on WWV and WWVH
- Solar Update
- + ARRL Recognizes: Lou Burke, W7JI, Wins April QST Cover Plaque Award
- Kenwood Donates HF/6 Meter Transceiver to W1AW
- DXCC News: DXCC Desk Approves 2011 Revillagigedo DXpedition
- This Week on the Radio
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
+ Available on ARRL Audio News
> + PUBLIC SERVICE: NORTHERN FLORIDA HAMS RESPOND TO AFTERMATH OF
ALABAMA STORM
After the devastating storms that swept through Alabama last week
,
radio amateurs from the ARRLs' Northern Florida Section -- at the
invitation of ARRL Alabama Section Emergency Coordinator Greg Gross,
K4GR - are making their way to Alabama to assist with providing
assistance. "We contacted Greg and worked out a disaster operation
assignment," ARRL Northern Florida Section Manager Paul Eakin, KJ4G,
told the ARRL. "We have already sent two teams to Alabama and have five
others on stand-by. This was a very damaging tornado and it will be
very long time before everything is cleared up." Read more here
.
> PUBLIC SERVICE: GEORGIA HAMS HASTEN TO HELP DURING STORMS
Hams in Paulding County -- located in Georgia's northwestern corner
-- activated for the tornadoes and thunderstorms that swept through the
South last week. According to Paulding County ARESŪ Public Information
Officer Lee McDaniel WB4QOJ, the County's Emergency Management Agency
invited ARESŪ members to gather at the county's Emergency Operations
Center on the evening of April 26 to help provide communications
support. Read more here
.
> + HAMS HELPING HAMS: THE ARRL'S HAM AID PROGRAM RESPONDS TO
DEVASTATED SOUTH
The ARRL's Ham Aid Fund has been tapped to aid Amateur Radio
operations in Alabama, following the wake of destructive killer
tornadoes that ravaged the state last week. According to ARRL Chief
Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, hams in Alabama have requested
radios and antennas, since cell tower sites and repeaters have been
damaged and are not yet back up. "The ARRL has already shipped five
cases to the state, full of 2 meter, 440 MHz and HF radios, as well as
two cases of handheld transceivers with batteries," she said. "We
anticipate the demand for equipment may continue from Alabama and
possibly from neighboring states."
Hobart said that she knows that not every ham can be in Alabama to
help out, but every ham can support the effort -- by contributing to
the ARRL's Ham Aid Fund: "First created in response to Hurricane
Katrina in 2005, the Ham Aid Fund has enabled ARRL to provide vital
communication equipment to devastated areas along the Gulf Coast. Now
the fund is purchasing equipment and funding shipping costs to meet the
needs of hams in Alabama, as well as our served agencies such as the
Southern Baptist Men's Kitchen and the American Red Cross."
How can you help? Hobart said that the best way is to make a
contribution of $25, $10 or $5 -- or whatever you can afford. The ARRL
will use your contribution to respond to the calls for assistance from
Amateur Radio operators where repeaters, antennas and radios have been
damaged or destroyed. "And this event may be just the beginning," she
explained. "As hurricane season is on the horizon, we need to be
prepared for those situations when all else fails. The easiest way to
make your donation is on the ARRL website .
Use the simple form and designate your contribution to the ARRL Ham Aid
Fund. We'll put your gift to work right away in the affected area. On
behalf of the ham community in Alabama, thank you!"
> + FCC NEWS: FCC SEEKS TO RAISE THE FEE FOR VANITY CALL SIGNS
The FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on May 3, seeking
to raise the fee for Amateur Radio vanity call signs. Currently, a
vanity call sign costs $13.30 and is good for 10 years; the new fee, if
the FCC plan goes through, will go up to $14.20 for 10 years, an
increase of 90 cents. The FCC is authorized by the Communications Act
of 1934 (as amended) to collect vanity call sign fees to recover the
costs associated with that program. The vanity call sign regulatory fee
is payable not only when applying for a new vanity call sign, but also
upon renewing a vanity call sign for a new term. Read more here
.
> HAYS AFFINITY GROUP PROVIDES ARRL MEMBERS WITH EQUIPMENT
PROTECTION, CLUB LIABILITY INSURANCE PLANS
Effective May 1, 2011, the ARRL began 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 has introduced new policies for both plans, underwritten by the
Hanover Insurance Company. Read more here
.
> + CHECK OUT THE JUNE ISSUE OF QST
The June 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 ARRL Field
Day, the most popular on-the-air event in Amateur Radio -- this issue
of QST has something for just about everyone.
Radio amateurs who operate ARRL Field Day know that portability is
key. So with this in mind, Bob Dixon, W8ERD, took some military surplus
mast sections to make "A One Person, Safe, Portable and Easy to Erect
Antenna Mast." Consider Dixon's approach to your Field Day antenna
installation -- especially if you're short of trees. Some wattmeters
give you power, while others measure SWR. QST Technical Editor Joel
Hallas, W1ZR, tells you how to bring them together in his article "SWR,
Reflected Power -- What Do They Mean?" In his article "A Single Element
Vertical 'Beam,'" David Robbins, K7BKI makes a directional antenna out
of a single monopole.
One of the highlights of a Field Day operation is the Get-on-the-air --
or GOTA -- Station. This is a great way to introduce non-hams to the
fun of Amateur Radio, as well as to get those less experienced hams a
bit more comfortable on the air. Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, and Dick Orander,
KD4ISC, know that the GOTA Station is the perfect spot to find new ops
in search of an Elmer. Discover how you, too, can do this in their
article "Get Up and Get-On-The-Air." ARRL Membership and Volunteer
Programs Department Assistant Manager Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, knows that
Field Day means more than just getting on the radio; it's also about
the friendships that persevere through the years. In his article "Field
Day: It's Not About the Fish," Fusaro tells the story of how Field Day
brought two hams together after half a decade of radio friendship.
ARRL Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager Mike Corey, W5MPC,
takes a look at the Alinco DX-SR8T HF transceiver in this month's
Product Review. He says that this rig "is a low cost HF transceiver
that includes a good selection of the basic features for the casual
operator." ARRL Educational Correspondent Dewey Rykard II, KI4RGD,
checks out the TYT TH-UVF1 dual band handheld transceiver. He says this
compact radio "offers a good basic set at a nice price. The user
interface and instructions need work, but the radio works well once you
have figured out how to program and use it."
Steve London, N2IC, delivers the results of the 2010 ARRL November
Phone Sweepstakes. This year, 287 stations earned the ever-elusive
Clean Sweep, five more than in 2009. Gary Breed, K9AY, has the results
of the 2010 ARRL 160 Meter Contest. According to Breed, the ARRL
Contest Branch received a record number of logs from DX stations for
this year's running.
Of course, there are the usual columns you know and expect in the June
QST: Happenings, Hints & Kinks, The Doctor Is IN, How's DX, Vintage
Radio and more. Look for your June 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
.
> + AMATEUR RADIO IN THE CLASSROOM: COLLEGE STUDENTS ATTEMPT HIGH
ALTITUDE BALLOON LAUNCH
The Amateur Radio club at Rochester Institute of Technology will be
presenting a display of modern technology and applications with ham
radio at the university's annual ImagineRIT
festival
on Saturday, May 7. Members of the RIT Amateur Radio Club, K2GXT, have
constructed a custom High Altitude Balloon
that will
be suspended below a weather balloon and launched up to 100,000 feet
during the festival. The balloon will stream live data back to the
exhibit, displaying information such as location, altitude and
temperature. The planned launch will take place close to the beginning
of the festival. The group will also be flying a 12 foot long custom
radio-controlled blimp. This blimp has appeared several times at the
RIT men's and women's hockey games this season.
> 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 April -- looks at the latest with the FCC and ReconRobotics,
sponsoring the Frequency Measuring Test, readying the OSCAR 1 satellite
to take to the air again, reports from the Official Observer Desk and
more. Read more here
.
> + ON THE AIR: SPACE WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER TO DISCONTINUE
BROADCASTS ON WWV AND WWVH
Beginning Tuesday, September 6, the Space Weather Prediction Center
(SWPC ) will cease broadcasting
its geophysical alert message
on WWV
and WWVH
. These messages inform listeners
of the solar flux, the mid-latitude A and K indices and space weather
storms, both current and predicted. Currently, the message is heard on
minute 18 from WWV and minute 45 from WWVH. The information
will still be
available on the SWPC website. If you care to comment on this, or if
you have any questions, the SPWC -- part of the National Weather
Service (NWS ) -- would like to hear from you
.
> SOLAR UPDATE
Tad "And the Sun was always shining
" Cook, K7RA, reports:
Currently, five sunspot groups are visible, but the average daily solar
flux is down more than 7 points over the past week, compared with the
previous week. The average daily solar flux was off nearly five points
compared to the earlier period. A solar wind stream from a coronal hole
induced a high latitude geomagnetic storm at the end of April.
Middle-latitude geomagnetic K indices measured at Fredericksburg,
Virginia went as high as 4, and the April 30-May 2 A index was 17, 13
and 14. The planetary K index hit 5 on April 30, and the A index over
the same three day period was 24, 19 and 20. High latitude areas were
more sharply affected, and Alaska's college K index rose to 7; the same
three day period saw the college A index at 43, 56 and 37. The latest
prediction shows more geomagnetic active coming May 9-10, when the
predicted planetary A index is 15. The USAF/NOAA prediction shows a
planetary A index of 5 on May 5-6, 7 on May 7-8, 15 on May 9-10, 10 on
May 11 and 5 on May 12-16, rising again to 15 on May 17. The sane
prediction shows solar flux at 107 on May 5, 110 on May 6-8, 100 on May
9-12 and 115 on May 13-21. Look for more information -- including some
observations on the beginning of the summer sporadic-E season, already
underway, plus an update on the three month moving sunspot average --
on the ARRL website on Friday, May 6. For more information concerning
radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service
Propagation page . This
week's "Tad Cookism" is brought to you by the song They Call the Wind
Mariah from the musical
Paint Your Wagon
.
> + ARRL RECOGNIZES: LOU BURKE, W7JI, WINS APRIL QST COVER PLAQUE
AWARD
The winner of the QST Cover Plaque Award for April is Lou Burke,
W7JI, for his article "The W7JI Low or Lower Power 40 Meter
Transmitter." Congratulations Lou! 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 May issue today.
> KENWOOD DONATES HF/6 METER TRANSCEIVER TO W1AW
Thanks to the generosity of Kenwood USA, W1AW, the Hiram Percy Maxim
Memorial Station, now boasts a new HF plus 6 meter transceiver -- the
TS-590S. "Hams from all over the world come to operate at W1AW, the
flagship station of Amateur Radio," said ARRL Business Services Manager
Debra Jahnke, K1DAJ. "We are delighted that Kenwood's generosity makes
it possible for visitors to W1AW to experience the latest in Kenwood's
line of Amateur Radio hardware." Read more here
.
> DXCC NEWS: DXCC DESK APPROVES 2011 REVILLAGIGEDO DXPEDITION
ARRL DXCC Manager Bill Moore, NC1L, reports that the 2011 4A4A
DXpedition to Revillagigedo has
been approved for DXCC credit. If you have any questions about this
operation, please send an e-mail to the ARRL DXCC Desk.
> THIS WEEK ON THE RADIO
This week:
- May 6 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
- May 7-8 -- New England QSO Party; 7th Call Area QSO Party; Indiana
QSO Party; 10-10 International Spring Contest (CW); ARI International
DX Contest
- May 8 -- Araucaria VHF Contest; Microwave Spring Sprint (local time)
- May 8 -- SKCC Weekend Sprint
- May 11-12 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test
Next week:
- May 14 -- FISTS Spring Sprint; FOC QSO Party
- May 14-15 -- Nevada Mustang Roundup; EUCW Fraternizing CW QSO Party;
CQ-M International DX Contest; VOLTA WW RTTY Contest; 50 MHz Spring
Sprint
- May 16 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest
- May 19 -- NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint
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
- 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
- July 2 -- ARRL Eastern Pennsylvania Section Convention
,
Marysville, Pennsylvania
- July 15-17 -- ARRL Montana State Convention
,
Essex, Montana
- July 29-30 -- ARRL Oklahoma State Convention
,
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
To find a convention or hamfest near you, click here
.
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