The ARRL Letter
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
January 5, 2012
Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive
Audio News
IN THIS ISSUE
- + BPL Provider IBEC Announces Shutdown
- + On the Air: ARRL Announces Diamond DXCC Challenge
- + Amateur Radio in Space: ARISSat-1 Re-enters Earth's Atmosphere,
Falls Silent
- + Ham Radio in Hollywood: Amateur Radio Makes Its Debut on Last Man
Standing
- On the Air: Round Up Those Digital QSOs in the 2012 ARRL RTTY Roundup
- DIY: ARRL Launches New DIY Campaign
- + Yaesu's Amateur Radio Division Breaks with Motorola, Changes Name
to Yaesu Musen
- + On the Air: ARRL 10 Meter Contest Sets Record
- + DXCC News: 2011 Sees Tremendous Increase in DXCC Applications
- + On the Air: ARRL Requests Feedback for 60 Meter Band Plan
- Ham Radio in Hollywood: Amateur Radio a Plot Point in Major Motion
Picture
- Ham Radio in Hollywood: Can I Have "Amateur Radio" for $800, Alex?
- Solar Update
- ARRL Congratulates: Ashraf Abuelhaija and Klaus Solbach, DK3BA, Win
December QST Cover Plaque Award
- Dayton Hamvention: Nomination Deadline for Dayton Hamvention Awards
Approaching
- This Week in Radiosport
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
+ Available on ARRL Audio News .
> + BPL PROVIDER IBEC ANNOUNCES SHUTDOWN
IBEC -- one of the very few remaining operators of Access BPL
systems -- has announced that it is closing down. In an undated
announcement that appeared on the IBEC website, the company announced
that it has "no other option than to close our doors and cease
operations." IBEC claims that it cannot recover financially from the
April 2011 tornadoes in Alabama that "ravished [sic] some of our major
service areas." IBEC provided Internet service via broadband over power
lines (BPL) to rural communities.
"While we regret the loss of jobs brought about by IBEC's BPL business
failure, in the long run the rural areas that IBEC was trying to serve
will be better served by broadband technologies that are superior to
BPL and do not pollute the radio spectrum," said ARRL Chief Executive
Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ. "While initially IBEC was cooperative in
addressing the ARRL's concerns about interference to licensed radio
services -- including Amateur Radio -- the ARRL was dismayed to find
that the systems as actually deployed fell short of meeting even the
inadequate requirements of the FCC's rules. We hope that this latest in
the long string of Access BPL failures will persuade the few remaining
fans of BPL to turn their attention elsewhere." Read more here
.
> + ON THE AIR: ARRL ANNOUNCES DIAMOND DXCC CHALLENGE
2012 is the 75th anniversary of the ARRL's DXCC Award, the world's
preeminent DXing award. To celebrate this important milestone, the ARRL
has gone back to the beginning -- the 1937 DXCC List.The Diamond DXCC
Challenge will test DXers ability to contact all the 231 entities on
the original DXCC List.
We tried to find corresponding entities today that would represent
the places listed in 1937, and we were mostly successful. There are a
couple of places that were merged, like French and British New
Hebrides, and the Papua and New Guinea Territories. In those places,
for 2012 if you work a YJ or a P29 (on the main island of New Guinea)
you will get credit for working two entities! Many other oddities are
sprinkled throughout the list, too. Returning to the air in 2012 will
be the Canal Zone (any HP operating within 8 kilometers of the Panama
Canal), the Cities of Gdansk, Poland, as well as Ifni, Morocco and
Balochistan.
For some entities that now consist of multiple countries, you may work
any of today's entities to qualify for that single 1937 country. For
example, French Equatorial Africa will be considered worked if you log
a station in TL, TN, TR or TT in 2012. The Diamond DXCC country tables
show the current entity names and prefixes that qualify for the 1937
countries. Read more here
.
> + AMATEUR RADIO IN SPACE: ARISSAT-1 RE-ENTERS EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE,
FALLS SILENT
According to AMSAT ,
ARISSat-1 stopped transmitting on the
morning of January 4. It is believed that the satellite re-entered the
Earth's atmosphere around 0700 UTC (+/- three hours) and was destroyed
soon after. Telemetry reports showed that the temperature aboard
ARISSat-1 had been rising as the atmospheric drag began to affect the
satellite The predicted decay location is an open part of the South
Atlantic, well west of Angola.
The last telemetry reports indicated that the internal temperature
had topped 167 degrees Fahrenheit and was rising rapidly. Konstantin
Vladimirovich, RN3ZF, sent a reception report of a pass at 0842 UTC and
stated, "The telemetry was absent, voice messages were not legible,
very silent and interrupted. Most likely, I saw the last minutes in the
life of the satellite." The last full telemetry captured was received
from ground stations as the satellite passed over Japan at 0602 UTC on
January 4.
ARISSat-1 was deployed
from the
International Space Station on August 3, 2011 during EVA-29 on by
Cosmonaut/Flight Engineers Sergei Volkov, RU3DIS, and Alexander
Samokutyaev. The satellite carried a student experiment from Kursk
State University in Russia that measured atmospheric density. Students
from around the world provided the voices for the FM voice
announcements.
AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, said that ARISSat-1 marked a new
type of satellite that captured the attention of the national space
agencies around the world. "With ARISSat-1, we have we have been able
to design, launch, and operate a unique educational opportunity," he
explained. "By designing an educational mission aligned with NASA's
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics goals, radio amateurs
around the world have been able enjoy a new satellite in orbit."
ARISSat-1 achieved several "firsts" for Amateur Radio in space,
including the first flight test of the AMSAT Software Defined
Transponder, which included an FM voice downlink cycling between
student messages, spoken telemetry and SSTV; a 16 kHz bandwidth linear
transponder; a CW beacon carrying telemetry and call signs of radio
amateurs (noting their significant contributions to Amateur Radio in
space) and a robust, forward-error-corrected 1kbps BPSK digital
downlink carrying satellite telemetry and Kursk experiment telemetry.
> + HAM RADIO IN HOLLYWOOD: AMATEUR RADIO MAKES ITS DEBUT ON LAST MAN
STANDING
If you watched the January 3 episode of Last Man Standing -- the ABC
hit situation comedy starring Tim Allen as Mike Baxter, KA0XTT -- you
were in for a treat. While this episode didn't feature Amateur Radio
per se, it did show Mike's shack in the background. Viewers could see
the DXCC, Worked All States, Worked All Continents and the Morse Code
Proficiency Certificate -- all provided by the ARRL -- in the first
scene. Later on in the show, Mike records his video blog. Sharp-eyed
viewers spotted the 2011 ARRL Handbook underneath the mini-tripod, next
to issues of QST!
The episode airing on January 17 will introduce Mike Baxter as
KA0XTT. According to Last Man Standing Producer John Amodeo, NN6JA,
Mike will have a QSO on the show. "We had two Amateur Extra class staff
members complete a QSO on 10 meters and we recorded it," Amodeo
explained. " Unfortunately, we were set up on a stage that is basically
a Faraday cage. The very QRP signal made it radio-to-radio. We varied
the RIT [receiver incremental tuning] to give it a little extra SSB
sound, but I don't think the signal made it much past the stage walls.
The recording will be on the show. We thought our ham viewers would get
a kick out of it. Non-hams will think it's just distorted." Read more
here
.
> ON THE AIR: ROUND UP THOSE DIGITAL QSOS IN THE 2012 ARRL RTTY
ROUNDUP
We're in the heart of the 2011-2012 contest season and this weekend
offers the first major event of 2012: The ARRL RTTY Roundup
. According to ARRL Contest Branch
Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, participation in the digital modes has been
growing at an amazing rate. "It's not difficult to get on the digital
modes," he explained. "All it takes these days is a computer, a piece
of free software and an interface to connect your computer to your rig.
It's never been easier!"
Because of that ease, log submissions for the RTTY Roundup have
increased about 33 percent since 2007, with 1539 logs received in 2011.
"There are plenty of stations to work, including lots of DX," Kutzko
said. "Many stations have achieved RTTY DXCC
and RTTY WAS in a weekend. You can work
toward other awards as well, such as the ARRL Triple Play Award
, earned for working all 50 states on
CW, SSB and digital modes (including RTTY) and confirming all of those
QSOs via Logbook of The World (LoTW
). Do you think you have what
it takes to set a new record score for your ARRL Division or Section?
Check the record scores for the
RTTY Roundup and see if you can beat the best!
The 2012 ARRL RTTY Roundup runs from 1800 UTC Saturday, January 7
through 2359 UTC Sunday, January 8. Logs may be submitted
electronically via e-mail . Paper logs should be sent
to ARRL RTTY Roundup, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. All logs must
be postmarked no later than 2359 UTC Tuesday, February 7, 2012.
> DIY: ARRL LAUNCHES NEW DIY CAMPAIGN
The ARRL Public Relations Department has released the Do-It-Yourself
(DIY) suite of interrelated promotional materials aimed at exposing the
growing Do It Yourself/Maker community to Amateur Radio opportunities.
The DIY movement is nothing new to Amateur Radio. For more than a
century, hams have been working in basements and attics, taking things
apart and putting them back together in new ways, just for the fun of
it. Meanwhile, there has been a growing population of DIY hobbyists who
do not know about the opportunities of Amateur Radio.
To reach this growing group, the ARRL Public Relations Department has
created an entirely new set of campaign materials for ARRL Public
Information Officers, groups and individual hams to use in reaching out
to the DIY/Maker community. Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, and Dave Bell,
W6AQ, were recruited to create the new video. Recruiting volunteers
throughout 2011, the duo shot more than 65 hours of high-definition
video, and then edited it down to a mere 8 minutes. Titled The DIY
Magic of Amateur Radio, it shows ham-makers projects from around the
country. Read more here
.
> + YAESU'S AMATEUR RADIO DIVISION BREAKS WITH MOTOROLA, CHANGES NAME
TO YAESU MUSEN
After four years under the Motorola umbrella, Yaesu has split from
that company. According to Vertex Standard President and Chief
Executive Officer Jun Hasegawa, effective January1, 2012, Motorola will
keep the Vertex Standard Land-Mobile Division, while the amateur,
marine and air-band will be under the Yaesu Musen banner. The new
company will be known as Yaesu USA in the US. Read more here
.
> + ON THE AIR: ARRL 10 METER CONTEST SETS RECORD
As of January 5, almost 5200 logs have been received for the ARRL 10
Meter Contest . Contest Manager Sean
Kutzko, KX9X, is happy to have sunspots back: "This just goes to show
what sunspots can do for activity. When the solar flux climbed to 190
in September, it was like the first warm day after a long winter;
people came out to play -- and play they did, in unprecedented numbers!
Activity during this contest season has been nothing short of
tremendous, and it seems to have reached a zenith for the ARRL 10 Meter
Contest. Old Timers and new licensees from all around the world got on
the air and had one heck of a good time on 28 MHz the second weekend in
December, shattering the participation record by more than 2300 logs.
And we still have a week to go before the log submission deadline!"
> + DXCC NEWS: 2011 SEES TREMENDOUS INCREASE IN DXCC APPLICATIONS
With the coming of more sunspots, comes more DX. And when more amateurs
are working DX, that means the ARRL's Membership and Volunteer Programs
Department -- especially the DXCC Desk and the ARRL Incoming and
Outgoing QSL Bureaus -- goes into high gear.
"In 2011, we saw an increase in the number of cards we received from
ARRL members that were sent to foreign QSL bureaus, as well as the
number of cards we sent out to the bureaus," said DXCC Manager Bill
Moore, NC1L. "In addition, the number of DXCC applications -- including
those for initial awards and endorsements -- also increased."
As the number of QSL cards has increased, so have the number of DXCC
applications. In 2010, the DXCC Desk processed 7134 applications for
initial awards and endorsements; these 2010 applications included
853,462 QSOs. In 2011, the DXCC Desk processed 11,175 applications,
containing 1,250,864 QSOs. "Comparing 2010 to 2011, this represents a
47 percent increase in the number of QSOs and a 57 percent increase in
the number of applications," MVP Administrative Manager Sharon Taratula
explained. "With all of the year's applications not yet fully
processed, we've seen a substantial increase in the number of QSOs over
2010."
"Through December 31, 2011, the ARRL Outgoing QSL Bureau received
802,500 cards destined for foreign QSL bureaus from ARRL members in the
US," Taratula said. "This represents an increase of 4 percent over the
2010 number of about 771,900 cards. In 2011, the ARRL shipped 799,675
cards -- or close to 5400 pounds of cards -- to foreign bureaus." Read
more here
.
> + ON THE AIR: ARRL REQUESTS FEEDBACK FOR 60 METER BAND PLAN
In November 2011, the FCC released a Report & Order detailing new rules
for the 5 MHz (60 meters) Amateur Radio band. These rules have not yet
been published in the Federal Register. In order to be official, the
rules must be published in the Federal Register and will take effect 30
days after the publication date. The R&O brings with it a number of
changes for 60 meter operators. Considering the expected increase in 60
meter activity when the R&O finally takes effect, the ARRL is asking
for feedback to assist in crafting a proposed band plan. Read more here
.
> HAM RADIO IN HOLLYWOOD: AMATEUR RADIO A PLOT POINT IN MAJOR MOTION
PICTURE
According to previews, the plot of the movie Journey 2: The
Mysterious Island -- set to be released February 10 -- hinges on
Amateur Radio. The movie's hero Sean Anderson (played by Josh
Hutcherson) receives a coded distress signal that comes from a
mysterious island where no island should exist. Sean decides to follow
the signal with the unwilling assistance from his stepfather Hank
(played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson).
Sean explains to Hank why he wants to hunt down the signal: "A few
nights ago, a radio signal got sent out from these coordinates. It
could be the mysterious island that Jules Verne wrote about." Hank
replies: "You think you're gonna travel halfway around the world and
meet up with some lunatic who's messing around on a ham radio?" "That's
not some lunatic," Sean says. "That's my grandfather." Read more here
.
> HAM RADIO IN HOLLYWOOD: CAN I HAVE "AMATEUR RADIO" FOR $800, ALEX?
If you were watching the popular television game show Jeopardy!
-- where contestants have to answer in the
form of a question -- on December 15
, you might have
noticed there was a question featuring Amateur Radio. In the first
round, returning champ Boomie Aglietti was playing the category
"Pastimes" when he encountered this "answer" worth $800: "The FCC
assigns call signs, like N8DNR, to use in this hobby." Aglietti
answered correctly with "ham radio."
N8DNR is the call sign of Debbie Dorfman of West Bloomfield, Michigan.
Debbie is the mother of Stephen Dorfman, N6DIW (SK)
.
Stephen was a writer for Jeopardy! from 1984 until he passed away in
2004 at age 48 due to complications from cancer. According to the New
York Times
,
Dorfman was Jeopardy!'s longest serving and most prolific writer, with
more than 50,000 clues to his credit. As part of a team of writers, he
won six Daytime Emmy Awards for special-class writing, given for shows
that do not fit into traditional categories. On the Jeopardy! episode
that aired January 3, 2008
, another Dorfman
call sign was featured -- this one of Stephen's father Neil -- also for
$800, in the category "If You're...": "...using a call sign like K8RX,
you're engaged in this hobby."
> SOLAR UPDATE
Tad "We all live for the Sun
" Cook, K7RA, reports:
We're continuing to see good conditions, although sunspot activity has
declined a bit. The average daily sunspot numbers for December
29-January 4 declined nearly 20 points (when compared to the previous
seven days) to 88.1; this is the lowest reported weekly sunspot number
average since September 2011
. The average daily
solar flux was off 6.4 points to 143.1. Another problem seems to have
cropped up with NOAA reporting of data that we use in this bulletin.
Last month, the sunspot numbers had to be corrected. Now it appears
that some of the geophysical data does not check out. Check the
planetary A index for the last few weeks of December 2011 here
and check the same
dates here
.
They should match, but they don't (unless the problem has been
corrected by the time you read this). But the numbers for all of 2011
match what we have reported in the bulletin, and I suspect it is the
correct version. The near term outlook is for solar flux at 140 on
January 5-6, 135 on January 7-8, 130 on January 9-11, 125 and 135 on
January 12-13, and then back to 140 on January 14-21. The next short
term peak is expected at 150 on January 24-26. The expected planetary A
index for January 5-9 is 5, 8, 15, 10 and 8, then back down to 5 on
January 10-27. That predicted A index of 15 on January 7 -- if accurate
-- will be the highest since October 25, when it was 27, and 31 the day
before. That activity was sparked by a coronal mass ejection that
affected earth around 1800 UTC on October 24. Look for more information
on the ARRL website on Friday, January 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 Sunrays' I Live for the Sun
.
> ARRL CONGRATULATES: ASHRAF ABUELHAIJA AND KLAUS SOLBACH, DK3BA, WIN
DECEMBER QST COVER PLAQUE AWARD
The winners of the QST Cover Plaque Award for December are Ashraf
Abuelhaija and Klaus Solbach, DK3BA, for their article "An Inverted V
Wire Yagi with Switchable Pattern Rotation for 14 MHz." Congratulations
Ashraf and Klaus! 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 January issue today.
> DAYTON HAMVENTION: NOMINATION DEADLINE FOR DAYTON HAMVENTION AWARDS
APPROACHING
It's not too late to nominate individuals and clubs for the 2012
Dayton Hamvention® awards. The deadline to make your nominations for
the Amateur of the Year Award, Special Achievement Award, Technical
Excellence Award, and the Amateur Radio Club of the Year Award is
Sunday, January 15. The winners will be recognized at the 2012 Dayton
Hamvention, May 18-20. Read more here
.
> THIS WEEK IN RADIOSPORT
This week:
- January 6 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
- January 7 -- PODXS 070 Club PSKFest; QRP ARCI Pet Rock Celebration
- January 7-8 -- ARRL RTTY Roundup ;
CWops Mini-CWT Test; Original QRP Contest; EUCW 160 Meter Contest
- January 8 -- ARRL Kids Day ; SKCC
Weekend Sprint; DARC 10 Meter Contest; Midwinter Contest
- January 11-12 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test
Next week:
- January 13 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
- January 14-15 -- North American QSO Party (CW); WW PMC Contest;
Michigan QRP January CW Contest
- January 16 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest
- January 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
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
- January 8 -- ARRL New York/Long Island Section Convention
,
Bethpage, New York
- January 27-28 -- ARRL Mississippi State Convention
,
Jackson, Mississippi
- February 4 -- ARRL Virginia State Convention
,
Richmond, Virginia; ARRL South Carolina State Convention
,
Ladson, South Carolina
- February 10-12 -- ARRL Northern Florida Section Convention
,
Orlando, Florida
- February 17-18 -- ARRL Southwestern Division Convention
,
Yuma, Arizona
- February 18 -- ARRL Arkansas Section Convention
, Hoxie,
Arkansas
- February 25 -- ARRL Vermont State Convention
,
South Burlington, Vermont
- March 3 -- ARRL Santa Clara Valley Section Convention
,
Del Rey Oaks, California; ARRL South Texas Section Convention
,
Rosenberg, Texas
- March 3-4 -- ARRL Alabama Section Convention
,
Birmingham, Alabama
- March 9-10 -- ARRL Louisiana State Convention
,
Rayne, Louisiana; ARRL Oklahoma State Convention
,
Claremore, Oklahoma
- March 10-11 -- ARRL Roanoke Division Convention
,
Concord, North Carolina
- March 17 -- ARRL Nebraska State Convention
,
Lincoln, Nebraska; ARRL Southern Florida Section Convention
,
Stuart, Florida; ARRL West Texas Section Convention
,
Midland, Texas
- March 23-24 -- ARRL Maine State Convention
, Lewiston,
Maine
To find a convention or hamfest near you, click here
.
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