The ARRL Letter
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
August 25, 2011
Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive
Audio News
IN THIS ISSUE
- + NHC Issues Hurricane Watch for Portions of North Carolina; ARRL
Establishes Hurricane Irene Website
- + ARRL Members Nominate Candidates for Director, Vice Director
- + FCC News: ARRL Files Comments in Response to Anchorage VEC's Waiver
Request
- + Scoutmaster Arthur Anderson, W9WPH, Stabbed to Death on Hiking Trip
- + Section News: Georgia, Western Washington See No Change in Section
Leadership
- IARU Administrative Council Holds Annual Meeting in South Africa
- + At the Workbench: Heathkit Returns to the Kit Business
- Solar Update
- + Silent Key: Peter Dahl, K0BIT (SK)
- This Week on the Radio
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
+ Available on ARRL Audio News
> + NHC ISSUES HURRICANE WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CAROLINA; ARRL
ESTABLISHES HURRICANE IRENE WEBSITE
As Hurricane Irene -- currently a Category 3 storm -- approaches the
US, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has issued a hurricane watch
earlier this morning for regions north of Surf City, North Carolina to
the North Carolina-Virginia border, including the Pamlico, Albemarle
and Currituck Sounds. A tropical storm watch is also in effect for
north of Edisto Beach, South Carolina to Surf City, North Carolina.
In
anticipation of Irene's expected landfall in North Carolina, the ARRL
HQ Emergency Response Team (HQERT) has established a website to keep
amateurs informed of the latest developments. This website will also
provide links to the NHC, WX4NHC -- the Amateur Radio station at the
NHC -- the Hurricane Watch Net and the Voice over Internet Protocol
Weather Net, where radio amateurs can send in their reports. The HQERT
will also be monitoring various nets and providing support to the
affected Field Organizations beginning on Friday, August 26 from W1AW,
the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station.
The NHC is predicting that it will be issuing hurricane warnings later
on Thursday for those areas already covered by the hurricane watch, and
is expected to extend the hurricane watch northward along the
Mid-Atlantic coast, as well. The NHC advises residents in the
Mid-Atlantic States and New England to monitor Irene's progress in
anticipation of possible hurricane watches or warnings. Read more here
.
> + ARRL MEMBERS NOMINATE CANDIDATES FOR DIRECTOR, VICE DIRECTOR
The policies of the ARRL are established by 15 Directors who are
elected to the Board on a geographical basis, with elections for
three-year terms held in five divisions each year. At the same time,
Vice Directors are elected on the same basis. Responding to
solicitations in the July and August issues of QST, ARRL members in the
Atlantic, Dakota, Delta, Great Lakes and Midwest Divisions have
nominated 15 candidates for the 10 positions of Director and Vice
Director.
One candidate for Vice Director was found to be ineligible by the
Ethics and Elections Committee, which left one eligible nominee for
Vice Director in each of the five divisions. Accordingly, all five have
been declared elected to three-year terms beginning at noon on January
1, 2012. Two incumbent Directors were unopposed and have been declared
re-elected. There will be balloting for Director in the Atlantic, Delta
and Midwest Divisions. Read more here
.
> + FCC NEWS: ARRL FILES COMMENTS IN RESPONSE TO ANCHORAGE VEC'S
WAIVER REQUEST
In April 2011, the Anchorage VEC -- one of 14 Volunteer Examiner
Coordinators -- filed a Petition for Rule Making (RM-11629) that asked
the FCC to give permanent credit to radio amateurs for examination
elements they have successfully passed. This would, in effect, create a
license exam credit that would be valid throughout an amateurs'
lifetime, never expiring. On July 6, the Anchorage VEC submitted a
Waiver Request with the FCC while RM-11629 is pending. This request
asks that the FCC grant a blanket waiver ofSection 97.505 of the
Commission's Rules to those radio amateurs whose licenses have expired
-- and are beyond the two-year grace period for renewal -- to be
afforded credit for examination elements previously passed. On August
11, the ARRL filed comments with the FCC, urging the Commission to
dismiss or deny the Waiver Request. Read more here
.
> + SCOUTMASTER ARTHUR ANDERSON, W9WPH, STABBED TO DEATH ON HIKING
TRIP
Arthur Anderson, W9WPH, of Kokomo, Indiana, 76, bled to death after
being stabbed in what authorities are calling "a senseless act." On
Sunday, August 21, Anderson -- together with another man -- was leading
two Boy Scouts, ages 11 and 12, on a required five mile nature hike on
the Nickel Plate Trail in Bunker Hill, 60 miles north of Indianapolis.
According to Indiana State Police Sergeant Tony Slocum, the group had
stopped on the trail to discuss a tree when Anderson was attacked from
behind. Anderson, a scouting volunteer for 50 years, was an Assistant
Scoutmaster of a troop based at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Kokomo.
Read more here
.
> + SECTION NEWS: GEORGIA, WESTERN WASHINGTON SEE NO CHANGE IN
SECTION LEADERSHIP
Two Section Manager elections this summer were decided by member
balloting. In Georgia, incumbent Gene Clark, W4AYK, of Albany, was
re-elected to a second term with 820 votes. His opponent Verne Fowler,
W8BLA, of Cumming, received 365 votes. In Western Washington, Jim Pace,
K7CEX, of Centralia, was re-elected for a third term with 965 votes.
His opponent Daniel Stevens, KL7MA, of Kent, received 508 votes. Both
men will begin new terms of office on October 1. Read more here
.
> IARU ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL HOLDS ANNUAL MEETING IN SOUTH AFRICA
The Administrative Council of the International Amateur Radio Union
(IARU) held its annual meeting on August 19-20 in Sun City, South
Africa. The AC is responsible for the policy and management of the IARU
and consists of the three IARU international officers and two
representatives from each of the three IARU regional organizations.
IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA, along with IARU Vice President
Ole Garpestad, LA2RR, and IARU Secretary Rod Stafford, W6ROD, were in
attendance. IARU Region 1 President Hans Blondeel Timmerman, PB2T, IARU
Region 1 Vice President Tafa Diop, 6W1KI, and IARU Region 1 Executive
Committee Member Colin Thomas, G3PSM, represented IARU Region 1. IARU
Region 2 President Reinaldo Leandro, YV5AM, IARU Region 2 Secretary
Ramon Santoyo, XE1KK represented IARU Region 2. IARU Region 3 Chairman
of Directors Michael Owen, VK3KI, and IARU Region 3 Secretary Ken
Yamamoto, JA1CJP, represented IARU Region 3. David Sumner, K1ZZ,
attended as recording secretary. Read more here
.
> + AT THE WORKBENCH: HEATHKIT RETURNS TO THE KIT BUSINESS
A notice on the Heathkit website announces that the venerable kit
manufacturer, well-known to all Amateur Radio operators of a certain
age, will be reentering the kit business in late August. The notice
states, in part: "Heathkit will debut their new line of Do-it-Yourself
kits for common around-the-house items. The first kit will be a Garage
Parking Assistant (GPA). The Garage Parking Assistant kit lets you
build your own system that uses ultrasonic sound waves to locate your
car as it enters the garage. The system signals to the driver using LED
lights mounted on the wall when the car is detected and in the perfect
spot for parking. Read more here
.
> SOLAR UPDATE
Tad "I could feel the Sun on my back
" Cook, K7RA, reports:
Solar activity rose this week, with the average daily sunspot number
rising more than 40 points to 66 points, while the average daily solar
flux rose more than 13 points to 101.9. The predicted solar flux for
August 25-26 is 110, rising to 115 for August 27-30, 110 for August 31,
105 for September 1-3, and 100 for September 4-5. The predicted
planetary A index is 5 for August 25-26, 10 on August 27, and 5 on
August 28 through September 2, then 8, 10, 10, 10, 7 and 5 on September
3-8. Look for more information on the ARRL website on Friday, August
26. 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 Bangles' Something to Believe In
.
> + SILENT KEY: PETER DAHL, K0BIT (SK)
Peter Dahl, K0BIT, of El Paso, Texas, passed away August 15 of
Parkinson's disease. He was 71. In 2007 after more than 40 years, he
closed his company -- the Peter W. Dahl Company -- citing health
reasons. "I want to thank everyone for their business throughout the
years," Dahl told the ARRL upon his retirement. "I have enjoyed making
each Amateur Radio transformer." Read more here
.
> THIS WEEK ON THE RADIO
This week:
- August 26 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
- August 27 -- ARCI Welcome to QRP
- August 27-28 -- Hawaii QSO Party; Kansas QSO Party; Ohio QSO Party;
ALARA Contest; YO DX HF Contest; SCC RTTY Championship
- August 28 -- SARL HF CW Contest
Next week:
- September 2 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
- September 3 -- Wake-Up! QRP Sprint; GCW Straight Key Party; Russian
Radio WW RTTY Contest
- September 3-4 -- Colorado QSO Party; QCWA Fall QSO Party; All Asian
DX Contest (Phone); CWops Mini-CWT Test
- September 4 -- DARC 10 Meter Digital Contest
- September 4-5 -- Tennessee QSO Party
- September 5-6 -- Michigan QRP Labor Day CW Sprint
- September 6 -- ARS Spartan 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
information. 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
- August 28 -- ARRL Western Pennsylvania Section Convention
,
New Kensington, Pennsylvania
- September 9-11 -- ARRL Southwestern Division Convention
,
Torrance, California
- September 11 -- ARRL Great Lakes Division Convention
,
Findlay, Ohio
- September 17 -- ARRL Roanoke Division Convention
,
Virginia Beach, Virginia
- September 24 -- ARRL Washington State Convention
,
Spokane Valley, Washington
- October 8-9 -- ARRL Florida State Convention
,
Melbourne, Florida
- October 9 -- ARRL Connecticut State Convention
,
Wallingford, Connecticut
- October 14-16 -- ARRL Pacific Division Convention
, Santa Clara, California
- October 21-22 -- ARRL West Gulf Division Convention
,
Ardmore, Oklahoma
- October 22 -- ARRL Iowa State Convention
,
Sergeant Bluff, Iowa
- November 6 -- ARRL Iowa Section Convention
, Davenport, Iowa
- November 19-20 -- ARRL Indiana State Convention
,
Fort Wayne, Indiana
- December 3-4 -- ARRL West Central Florida Section Convention
,
Palmetto, Florida
To find a convention or hamfest near you, click here
.
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