The ARRL Letter
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
March 1, 2012
Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive
Audio News
IN THIS ISSUE
- + On the Air: ARRL Publishes New Guidelines for 60 Meters
- + W1AW: W1AW Video Tour Available on ARRL Website
- + DXCC News: Malyj Vysotskij Island Added to DXCC Deleted Entities
List
- +ARRL Annual Awards: Nominations for ARRL Awards Now Open
- ARRL In Action: What Have We Been Up To Lately?
- + W1AW: March Qualifying Runs
- Solar Update
- This Week in Radiosport
- + Silent Key: Former RAC President Earle Smith, VE6NM (SK)
- + ARRL Recognizes: Phil Salas, AD5X , Wins February QST Cover Plaque
Award
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
+ Available on ARRL Audio News .
> + ON THE AIR: ARRL PUBLISHES NEW GUIDELINES FOR 60 METERS
Thanks to the FCC's Report and Order
issued
November 18, 2011, radio amateurs will enjoy a number of new privileges
on the 60 meter band, beginning at midnight (EST) March 5. These new
privileges include a boost in effective radiated power from 50 to 100
W, as well as the ability to use CW and certain digital modes.
Late last year, the ARRL HF Band Planning Committee surveyed 60
meter operators to gather opinions about how to best use the new
privileges. On the subject of creating a specific band plan, the survey
results indicated little consensus beyond the fact that 5403.5 kHz
should retain its status as a de facto "DX channel." On the other hand,
survey respondents made a number of suggestions for general operating
practices.
Based on the survey results and subsequent research, the committee
declined to propose a specific band plan for 60 meters at this time.
Instead, the committee created a "Recommended Practices" document
(click here
for the document). The 60 meter pages
on the ARRL website have been
updated to reflect the changes brought about by the Report and Order.
The April issue of QST will also include an article by ARRL Regulatory
Information Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, offering a detailed discussion
of the new 60 meter privileges and recommended operating practices.
> + W1AW: W1AW VIDEO TOUR AVAILABLE ON ARRL WEBSITE
In case you missed the live web tour of W1AW
,
the Hiram Percy Maxim Station at ARRL Headquarters, you can now watch
the 18 minute video on the ARRL website. On February 12, W1AW Station
Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, led Emmy Award-winning meteorologist Geoff
Fox, K1GF, on a tour of the famed station. Al Petrunti, KA1TCH, of the
New Day Group followed Carcia as he led Fox
and viewers through the station, recording it for viewers to watch.
"We wanted viewers of this live Internet tour to feel as if they are
actually at W1AW," Carcia explained. "If you came to W1AW in person,
you would see the same things that we showed on the virtual tour: The
three operating stations, the transmitter racks that we use to send out
our bulletins and use for the code practice transmission, the control
console and 'Old Betsy ,'
Hiram Percy Maxim's personal spark gap transmitter."
You can view the video of the tour on the
ARRL website (scroll to the bottom of the page).
> + DXCC NEWS: MALYJ VYSOTSKIJ ISLAND ADDED TO DXCC DELETED ENTITIES
LIST
According to the Finnish Ministry of Transportation and
Communication, the Saimaa Canal Treaty between Finland and Russia has
been finalized by relevant Finnish and Russian authorities through
ratification. Malyj Vysotskij Island (MVI), R1M, is no longer included
in the Treaty. Thus, MVI was deleted from the DXCC List as of February
17, 2012, and added to the DXCC Deleted Entities List. Read more here
.
> +ARRL ANNUAL AWARDS: NOMINATIONS FOR ARRL AWARDS NOW OPEN
Each year, the ARRL Board of Directors has the opportunity to select
recipients for a number of awards in various categories that honor
Amateur Radio operators. The nomination period is now open for the ARRL
awards that are designed to recognize educational and technological
pursuits in Amateur Radio, as well as an award to honor a young Amateur
Radio operator. ARRL members can nominate hams for the Herb S. Brier
Instructor of the Year Award, the Hiram Percy Maxim Award, the ARRL
Microwave Development Award, the ARRL Technical Service Award, the ARRL
Technical Innovation Award and the Knight Distinguished Service Award.
Read more here
.
> ARRL IN ACTION: WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO LATELY?
This feature is a concise monthly update of some of the things that
the ARRL is doing on behalf of its members. This installment -- which
covers the month of February -- takes a look the 2012 World
Radiocommunication Conference, a new law that has a provision for an
Amateur Radio study, new rules for 60 meters, happenings at W1AW, a new
movie that features Amateur Radio, reports from the Official Observer
Desk and more. Read more here
.
> + W1AW: MARCH QUALIFYING RUNS
The W1AW and West Coast Qualifying Runs were inadvertently left out of
the March 2012 issue of QST. Here is the missing information:
W1AW Qualifying Runs are 10 PM EST Friday, March 9 (0300 UTC March 10)
(10-40 WPM) and 7 PM EDT (2300 UTC) Tuesday, March 20. The West Coast
Qualifying Run will be transmitted by station K6KPH on 3581.5, 7047.5,
14047.5, 18097.5 and 21067.5 kHz at 2 PM PDT (2200 UTC) Saturday, March
17. Unless indicated otherwise, speeds are from 10-35 WPM. You can find
the upcoming schedule here
.
> SOLAR UPDATE
Tad "The dawn of the great black Sun that shines on me
" Cook, K7RA, reports: In
tomorrow's K7RA Solar Update, we'll have a review of recent sunspot
number averages. The average daily sunspot number for the month of
February 2012 was 50.1, the lowest since January 2011, when it was
32.2. The average daily sunspot number for the three months ending on
February 29, 2012 was 83.3, the lowest since the three months ending in
September 2011, when it was 79.6. This is a three month moving average,
so there is a figure for every month that includes data from the two
previous months. Look for more information on the ARRL website on
Friday, March 2. 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 Alarm's Black Sun
.
> THIS WEEK IN RADIOSPORT
This week:
- March 3 -- Wake-Up! QRP Sprint
- March 3-4 -- ARRL International DX Contest (SSB)
- March 4 -- DARC 10 Meter Digital Contest
- March 6 -- ARS Spartan Sprint; AGCW YL-CW Party
Next week:
- March 10 -- AGCW QRP Contest
- March 10-11 -- Idaho QSO Party; EA PSK63 Contest
- March 11 -- North American Sprint (RTTY); SKCC Weekend Sprint
- March 11-12 -- Wisconsin QSO Party
- March 14-15 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test
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
.
> + SILENT KEY: FORMER RAC PRESIDENT EARLE SMITH, VE6NM (SK)
Earle Smith, VE6NM, of Grand Prairie, Alberta -- who served as
President of the Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) from 2004-2007 --
passed away Friday, February 24. He was 81. An active radio amateur
since 1948, first licensed as VE1SA, Smith enjoyed meeting amateurs
from all over Canada and the world. "Earle was well respected by
Amateur Radio operators both within Canada and internationally," said
current RAC President Geoff Bawden, VE4BAW. "He was a gentleman and
friend to all hams and a strong advocate for Amateur Radio and for the
Radio Amateurs of Canada. All who knew Earle respected him as a leader,
a friend and a force for good in the Amateur Radio community. We will
miss him." Read more here
.
> + ARRL RECOGNIZES: PHIL SALAS, AD5X , WINS FEBRUARY QST COVER
PLAQUE AWARD
The winner of the QST Cover Plaque Award for February is Phil
Salas, AD5X , for his article "A Relay-Based Full Break-In TR Switch
for Your Vintage System. " Congratulations Phil! 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 March issue today.
> UPCOMING ARRL SECTION, STATE AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS AND EVENTS
- 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
- April 7 -- ARRL North Carolina State Convention
,
Raleigh, North Carolina
- April 14 -- ARRL Delta Division Convention
, Bartlett,
Tennessee
- April 14-15 -- Communications Academy 2012
, Seattle,
Washington
- April 20-22 -- ARRL Idaho State Convention
, Boise, Idaho;
63rd International DX Convention
,
Visalia, California
- April 21 -- ARRL Delaware State Convention
,
Georgetown, Delaware; ARRL Louisiana Section Convention
, Monroe,
Louisiana
- May 4-6 -- EMCOMMWEST
, Reno, Nevada
- May 18-20 -- Dayton Hamvention
, Dayton, Ohio
- June 1-3 -- ARRL Northwestern Division Convention
,
Seaside, Oregon
- June 2 -- ARRL Georgia Section Convention
,
Marietta, Georgia
- June 8-9 -- ARRL West Gulf Division Convention
,
Plano, Texas
- June 9 -- ARRL Arkansas State Convention
, Rogers,
Arkansas; ARRL Tennessee State Convention
, Knoxville,
Tennessee
To find a convention or hamfest near you, click here
.
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