The ARRL Letter
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
November 23, 2011
Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive
Audio News
IN THIS ISSUE
- ARRL Headquarters to Close for Thanksgiving Holidays
- On the Air: FCC Releases New Rules for 60 Meters
- Delta Division Sees Leadership Change; Midwest, Atlantic Divisions
Unchanged
- Public Service: When Brutal Storm Slams Alaska, Hams Provide Critical
Communications
- Public Service: The 13th Annual SKYWARN Recognition Day Set for
December 3
- Logbook of The World: Backlog Is Clearing
- Spectrum Defense: The ARRL Needs Your Help to Protect Our Amateur
Radio Spectrum
- On the Air: Reach for the Top in the ARRL 160 Meter Contest
- Support ARRL: Annual CFC Campaign Is Underway
- Amateur Radio Fun: Be a Star! Enter the Second Annual ARRL Video
Contest
- Solar Update
- Section Manager Elections: Fall Section Manager Election Results
- ARRL and Amateur Radio Featured on Fox News
- This Week on the Radio
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
There will be no ARRL Audio News
this week. The Audio News will return December 1, 2011.
> ARRL HEADQUARTERS TO CLOSE FOR THANKSGIVING HOLIDAYS
ARRL Headquarters will be closed November 24 and 25 in observance of
Thanksgiving. There will be no W1AW bulletins or code practice
transmissions those days.
The ARRL Letter will be published a
day early on Wednesday, November 23, but there will be no ARRL Audio
News on Thursday, November 24.
ARRL Headquarters will reopen Monday, November 28 at 8 AM Eastern
Standard Time. We wish everyone a safe and bountiful Thanksgiving
holiday.
> ON THE AIR: FCC RELEASES NEW RULES FOR 60 METERS
On November 18, the FCC released a Report and Order (R&O), defining
new rules for the 60 meter (5 MHz) band. The new rules will not go into
effect until 30 days after being published in the Federal Register,
which has not yet happened. These rules are in response to a Petition
for Rulemaking filed by the ARRL filed more than five years ago, and a
June 2010 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. In the R&O, the FCC replaced
one of the channels, increased the maximum authorized power amateur
stations may transmit and authorized amateur stations to use three
additional emission designators. Read more here .
> DELTA DIVISION SEES LEADERSHIP CHANGE; MIDWEST, ATLANTIC DIVISIONS
UNCHANGED
On November 18, ballots were counted in the races for Director in
the Atlantic, Delta and Midwest Divisions. This year, there were only
three contested races for Director or Vice Director in the five
Divisions holding elections. In the Delta Division, Vice Director David
Norris, K5UZ, defeated Director Mickey Cox, K5MC, for the top slot in
that Division. Bill Edgar, N3LLR, won re-election as the Director in
the Atlantic Division. Cliff Ahrens, K0CA, also was re-elected in the
Midwest Division. Terms for Directors and Vice Directors begin at noon
on January 1, 2012 and run for three years. Read more here
.
> PUBLIC SERVICE: WHEN BRUTAL STORM SLAMS ALASKA, HAMS PROVIDE
CRITICAL COMMUNICATIONS
Winter storms are nothing new to Alaska, "the Last Frontier." But
even infrastructure built to withstand some of the harshest conditions
can fail. As a November storm pummeled the small, isolated villages
along Alaska's western coast, it knocked out power lines and
communications across the region. The only way the villages could
communicate with each other -- and with officials and weather
forecasters in Fairbanks and Anchorage -- was via ham radio. "The hams
were providing critical observations," explained Carven Scott, the
Science and Operations Officer at the National Weather Service's office
in Anchorage. "We don't have a lot of meteorological observations in
the west. We don't have the instruments out there."
Scott told the Alaska Dispatch -- an online-only news service -- that
the messages he received from radio amateurs were "deceptively simple":
How fast the wind was blowing and from what direction, sea level, wave
height, whether it was snowing or raining and the temperature. "These
seemingly small details from various villages made a big difference for
the weather service," he told the Dispatch. "A lead forecaster told
Scott that 'whatever you do, don't cut it off because this stuff is
really helping us.' Through the ham radio network, Scott and his
colleagues learned that river ice in Koyuk was backing up and spilling
onto the banks, roofs had blown off in Nome, water was surging in Nome,
and rain and snow were falling in Shaktoolik and Savoonga." Read more
here
.
> PUBLIC SERVICE: THE 13TH ANNUAL SKYWARN RECOGNITION DAY SET FOR
DECEMBER 3
The 13th Annual SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD) Special Event will
take place Saturday, December 3, 2011. SRD is co-sponsored by the ARRL
and the National Weather Service (NWS) as a way to recognize the
commitment made by Amateur Radio operators in helping to keep their
communities safe. According to SRD Coordinator David Floyd, N5DBZ,
Amateur Radio operators can visit their local participating NWS
offices, working as teams to contact other hams across the world
throughout the 24 hour event. Read more here
.
> LOGBOOK OF THE WORLD: BACKLOG IS CLEARING
Logbook of The World (LoTW
) is continuing to accept and
process logs, including logs from this weekend's ARRL November Phone
Sweepstakes Contest. Currently, the processing delay is at 30 hours,
down from 45 hours last week. As of November 23, there are
approximately 857,000 QSOs in 3335 logs still waiting to be processed.
If you have already uploaded a log, please do not upload it again; by
doing so, you will only add to the queue. Do not send entire logs that
contain previously uploaded QSOs; use the date range option when
signing logs, selecting only those QSOs in a specific date range to
upload to LoTW. By following these guidelines, you'll help LoTW process
the backlog at a faster pace. Thanks again for your patience.
> SPECTRUM DEFENSE: THE ARRL NEEDS YOUR HELP TO PROTECT OUR AMATEUR
RADIO SPECTRUM
The third edition for 2011 of Spectrum Defense Matters -- a newsletter
aimed at keeping ARRL members updated on issues related to the
protection of Amateur Radio frequencies -- was recently published on
the ARRL website. This newsletter covers both domestic and
international topics related to the Amateur Radio spectrum.
Defending spectrum means protecting the way each of us chooses to
enjoy Amateur Radio. It is important to have VHF/UHF allocations when
radio amateurs are called upon to provide support during communications
emergencies. But Amateur Radio is primarily a personal radio service
where licensees have great latitude to develop their skills, experiment
to broaden their knowledge base, serve their communities and to simply
have fun. Your financial support is vital to continue the ARRL's work
to protect your operating privileges. You can help to protect these
privileges by contributing generously to the 2011 ARRL Spectrum Defense
Fund. Read more here
.
> ON THE AIR: REACH FOR THE TOP IN THE ARRL 160 METER CONTEST
While Solar Cycle 24 is making the high bands the focal point for HF
operators ,
160 meters -- often called "Top Band" -- is still chock-full of DX.
There's no better time to explore this fun and exciting band than the
ARRL 160 Meter Contest , running the
weekend of December 2-4.
The ARRL 160 Meter Contest is an all-CW event. The object of the
contest is for DX stations to contact American and Canadian stations
(and vice versa). And according to ARRL Contest Branch Manager Sean
Kutzko, KX9X, everyone will be seeking you, especially if you live in a
rare Section such as North Dakota, Nebraska or any of the rare Sections
from November's Sweepstakes contests. In this contest, Alaska (KL7) and
Hawaii (KH6) count as DX, as do the Caribbean US possessions (KP1-KP5)
and all of the Pacific Ocean territories (KH0-KH9).
"If you don't have an antenna for 160, you should just load up whatever
you have through an antenna tuner and give 'top band' a try," Kutzko
said. "Even a 40 meter dipole through a tuner will make QSOs. And since
ARRL and RAC Sections are each worth 2 points and count as multipliers,
the ARRL 160 Meter Contest is a good way to begin working -- or
finishing up! -- your Worked All States (WAS )
award. But don't forget about those DX stations: each DXCC entity is a
multiplier and is worth 5 points."
The 2011 ARRL 160 Meter Contest runs
from 2200 UTC Friday, December 2 through 1559 UTC Sunday, December 4.
Logs must be e-mailed <160meter@arrl.org> or postmarked no later than
1600 UTC Tuesday, January 3, 2012. Paper logs should be sent to ARRL
160 Meter Contest, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111.
> SUPPORT ARRL: ANNUAL CFC CAMPAIGN IS UNDERWAY
For the past 10 years, the US Office of Personnel Management has
designated the ARRL to participate in the Combined Federal Campaign
(CFC ). In that time, this campaign for
federal government civilian employees, US Postal Service workers and
members of the military has generated more than $191,000 for ARRL
programs since it first became an option for giving by federal
employees to the League. The CFC provides an easy way to support the
ARRL's effort to represent its members and all radio amateurs.
Similar to the United Way, the CFC encourages individuals to pledge
by payroll deduction to non-profit organizations of their choice. The
ARRL encourages eligible radio amateurs to consider the League when
designating campaign recipients. Payroll deduction through the CFC is
an easy way for participants to support ARRL over and above their
annual membership. Such contributions support programs that are not
funded by member dues, enriching ARRL's ability to serve its members
and all of Amateur Radio. Those wishing to select the ARRL to receive
all or part of their payroll deductions should designate organization
10099 when completing their CFC donor forms. Donations to ARRL can be
designated for Diamond Club contributions, the ARRL Spectrum Defense
Fund or the ARRL Education & Technology Program. Donors may also make
unrestricted contributions to the League. The 2012 CFC Campaign ends
December 15.
One important note: Since the CFC does not provide the ARRL with the
names of individual donors, the ARRL Development Office would
appreciate a copy of the donor form to ensure that each contribution is
applied according to the donor's wishes and the contribution or pledge
can be properly acknowledged. Please e-mail or
fax a copy of your completed pledge form to 860-594-0259.
> AMATEUR RADIO FUN: BE A STAR! ENTER THE SECOND ANNUAL ARRL VIDEO
CONTEST
If you've ever wanted a way to show the world how exciting Amateur
Radio can be, here's your chance: The ARRL is sponsoring its Second
Annual Video Contest! Here's a chance to put that video camera to use:
Shoot a ham radio-related video and send it our way. If your video
takes first, second or third place, we'll post it on the ARRL website
for everyone to see. We're looking for a few good videos (but only one
per ARRL member, please) on any tasteful subject relating to Amateur
Radio. While you are welcome to submit a video on any theme, we're
especially looking for videos that illustrate the joy and excitement of
Amateur Radio. Videos will be judged on overall quality and
composition, and prizes will be awarded. This year, the ARRL will be
offering two categories: Professional and Amateur. The Professional
category is intended for entrants who are professional videographers or
those who have access to professional-grade video equipment and
software. Both categories will have prizes for first, second and third
place. Read more here
.
> SOLAR UPDATE
Tad "We drove off into the sunset
" Cook, K7RA, reports:
There is not much in the way of solar excitement this week. While there
are many sunspots, the solar activity in terms of flares or coronal
mass ejections is low. The overlapping (by one day) average sunspot
numbers in this bulletin declined 21 points to 124. We should see good
conditions for the CQ Worldwide DX Contest, which runs this weekend
(November 26-27). The latest prediction from USAF/NOAA shows the solar
flux at 140 on November 23, 145 on November 24-27, 150 on November
28-29, 155 on November 30, 160 December 1-2, and 165 December 3-7. The
predicted planetary A index is 5 on November 23-27, 7 on November
28-29, and then 5 on November 30-December 24. Look for more information
on the ARRL website on Monday, November 28. For more information
concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information
Service Propagation page
. This week's "Tad
Cookism" is brought to you by Arlo Guthrie's Alice's Restaurant
.
> SECTION MANAGER ELECTIONS: FALL SECTION MANAGER ELECTION RESULTS
ARRL members in New Mexico, Tennessee, and Michigan will have new
Section Managers, beginning January 1, 2012. Members in Kansas also
re-elected their Section Manager in a balloted race that concluded when
ballots were counted and verified at ARRL Headquarters on Tuesday,
November 22. Read more here
.
> ARRL AND AMATEUR RADIO FEATURED ON FOX NEWS
In a story published on the Fox News website on November 22,
reporter Michelle Macaluso called Amateur Radio the "newest trend in
American communication." Macaluso cited numbers provided by the FCC
that proclaimed that in October 2011, there were more than 700,000
radio amateurs in the US. Read the story here
on the Fox News website.
> THIS WEEK ON THE RADIO
This week:
- November 26-27 -- CQ Worldwide DX Contest (CW)
- November 27 -- SARL Digital Contest
- December 1 -- QRP ARCI Topband Sprint
Next week:
- December 2 -- NCCC Sprint
- December 2-4 -- ARRL 160 Meter Contest
- December 3 -- TARA RTTY Melee; Wake-Up! QRP Sprint
- December 3-4 -- TOPS Activity Contest
- December 4 -- 10 Meter RTTY Contest
- December 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
- December 3-4, 2011 -- ARRL West Central Florida Section Convention
,
Palmetto, Florida
- January 8, 2012 -- ARRL New York/Long Island Section Convention
,
Bethpage, New York
- January 27-28, 2012 -- ARRL Mississippi State Convention
,
Jackson, Mississippi
- February 4, 2012 -- ARRL Virginia State Convention
,
Richmond, Virginia; ARRL South Carolina State Convention
,
Ladson, South Carolina
- February 10-12, 2012 -- ARRL Northern Florida Section Convention
,
Orlando, Florida
- February 17-18, 2012 -- ARRL Southwestern Division Convention
,
Yuma, Arizona
- February 18, 2012 -- ARRL Arkansas Section Convention
, Hoxie,
Arkansas
- February 25, 2012 -- ARRL Vermont State Convention
,
South Burlington, Vermont
To find a convention or hamfest near you, click here
.
ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information
Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership
includes QST , Amateur Radio's most popular
and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month.
Subscribe to NCJ -- the National Contest Journal
. Published bi-monthly, features articles by
top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO
Parties.
Subscribe to QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters
. Published bi-monthly, features technical
articles, construction projects, columns and other items of interest to
radio amateurs and communications professionals.
Free of charge to ARRL members: Subscribe
to the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and emergency
communications news), the ARRL Contest Update (bi-weekly contest
newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much more!
Find us on Facebook . Follow us on
Twitter .
ARRL offers a wide array of products
to enhance your enjoyment of Amateur Radio
Donate to the fund of your
choice -- support programs not funded by member dues!
Click here to advertise in this newsletter.
The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 50 times each year. ARRL
members and registered guests may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe
by editing their profile
.
Copyright (c) 2011 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All
Rights Reserved
Do you have access to ham radio related shareware, public domain or
other files? Help support and promote the ham-fdn. COntact the fdn
coordinator, Mark Lewis at 1:3634/12.
---
* Origin: RRN BBS: Your fidonet ham radio connection! (1:116/901)
|
