The ARRL Letter
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
April 19, 2012
Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive
Audio News
IN THIS ISSUE
- + Dayton Hamvention: Get Ready for ARRL EXPO at the Dayton Hamvention
- + Public Service: Iowa Hams Help Local and NWS Officials Before,
After Tornado
- + On the Air: Amateurs Must Protect New Radars in 23 cm Band
- + On the Air: Changes Permit More Field Checking of DXCC Cards
- + Field Day: Register Your ARRL Field Day Site on the Field Day
Locator
- Amateur Radio in the Classroom: Attention Teachers: Applications for
Teachers Institute and ETP Grant Applications Due Soon
- + Digital QST: Coming Soon to a Computer Near You!
- Minutes from March's ARRL Executive Committee Meeting Now Available
- International News: ITU Telecom World 2012 Conference Seeking
Participants for Young Innovators Program
- Solar Update
- + ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference Set for Atlanta
- This Week in Radiosport
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
+ Available on ARRL Audio News .
> + DAYTON HAMVENTION: GET READY FOR ARRL EXPO AT THE DAYTON
HAMVENTION
The ARRL has finalized its planning to bring its large exhibition --
ARRL EXPO -- to Dayton Hamvention, May 18-20. The ARRL EXPO has been a
mainstay at Hamvention since 2005, serving as the centerpiece for most
of the League's activities at the country's largest Amateur Radio
convention. "Our goal is help represent the fullness of the ARRL
membership programs and services at the convention," said ARRL
Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R. "ARRL EXPO is as much about
creating an experience for convention goers as it is about having a
place for members to interact with other members. The ARRL EXPO team
includes more than 100 ARRL volunteers, officials and staff members. If
you are an active Amateur Radio operator or want to renew your interest
in ham radio, the ARRL EXPO is the place to be at Dayton." Read more
here
.
> + PUBLIC SERVICE: IOWA HAMS HELP LOCAL AND NWS OFFICIALS BEFORE,
AFTER TORNADO
On April
14, a string of tornados swept through the Central US and Great Lakes
Region, including an EF2 tornado in Creston, Iowa, causing severe
damage to the Greater Regional Medical Center and the Southwestern
Community College campus. Prior to the tornado, radio amateurs in
Creston reported storm observations directly to the National Weather
Service. After the storm forced the evacuation of the hospital, hams
provided communications support to local officials. Read more here
.
> + ON THE AIR: AMATEURS MUST PROTECT NEW RADARS IN 23 CM BAND
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA ) is
deploying a new generation of Common Air Route Surveillance Radar
(CARSR) that has some implications for the use of the 1240-1300 MHz (23
cm) band by amateurs. The Amateur Service allocation in this band is on
a secondary basis, with aeronautical radionavigation and several other
services primary in the United States Table of Frequency Allocations.
The FCC rules require that amateur stations operating in the 23 cm band
may not cause harmful interference to stations in the
radionavigation-satellite service, the aeronautical radionavigation
service, the Earth exploration-satellite service (active) or the space
research service (active). One case of harmful interference in Southern
California has been reported.
CARSRs are being installed in several dozen locations throughout the
country and will use various frequencies in the 1240-1350 MHz range
with an occupied bandwidth of about 3 MHz. In the vicinity of the
radars, amateur operation may be precluded in a portion of the 23 cm
band. The ARRL is in contact with FAA engineers. We anticipate that the
constraints on amateur use of the band will be limited to those
necessary to protect aviation safety, which of course cannot be
compromised.
> + ON THE AIR: CHANGES PERMIT MORE FIELD CHECKING OF DXCC CARDS
Acting on a recommendation by ARRL Membership and Volunteer Programs
Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, the ARRL's Programs and Services Committee
(PSC), adopted new rules for ARRL field card checkers. ARRL card
checkers now may check QSL cards for those entities deleted from the
DXCC list and, with exceptions, check cards for 160 meters. In
addition, the PSC decided not to change the process by which card
checkers are appointed. Read more here
.
> + FIELD DAY: REGISTER YOUR ARRL FIELD DAY SITE ON THE FIELD DAY
LOCATOR
First introduced in 2008, the ARRL's Field Day Station Locator
Service has proved a popular
addition to the Field Day toolbox. This service -- an interactive map
that helps amateurs or those interested in Amateur Radio find a Field
Day site near them -- is free
to clubs or individuals who will be operating public Field Day
stations. Stations can also be listed by state or province. So far,
hams in 47 states, Puerto Rico and six Canadian provinces have listed
Field Day sites on the Field Day Locator. If your group would like to
be a part of the Station Locator Service, it's easy to get started --
just go to the Field Day Station Locator website
and follow the instructions.
ARRL Field Day is the most popular on-the-air operating event in
Amateur Radio. On June 23-24, join tens of thousands of radio amateurs
as they gather for a public demonstration of the Amateur Service.
> AMATEUR RADIO IN THE CLASSROOM: ATTENTION TEACHERS: APPLICATIONS
FOR TEACHERS INSTITUTE AND ETP GRANT APPLICATIONS DUE SOON
Thinking about using Amateur Radio and wireless technology in your
classroom to help facilitate hands-on learning opportunities? The
ARRL's Education & Technology Program offers two programs that can help
make this happen, but the deadline to apply is fast approaching: The
deadline for the 2012 Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology is May
15, while the deadline for equipment and resource grants is May 1. Read
more here
.
> + DIGITAL QST: COMING SOON TO A COMPUTER NEAR YOU!
The new digital edition of QST will debut toward the end of May. If
you are an ARRL member and you haven't yet signed up to be notified
automatically when the digital edition becomes available, you can do so
easily. Just click on the "Edit your profile" link on the ARRL website
. Once you are in your profile, click "Edit
e-mail subscriptions" and then check the box next to "Notification of
monthly digital edition of QST." That's all there is to it. A new FAQ
about the digital edition has the
answers to the questions ARRL members have been asking (it can also be
accessed from the QST page on the ARRL website
). We hope you enjoy the new digital edition
of QST.
> MINUTES FROM MARCH'S ARRL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING NOW AVAILABLE
The ARRL Executive Committee met
on Saturday, March 24 in St Louis, Missouri. The minutes from that
meeting are now available on the
ARRL website.
> INTERNATIONAL NEWS: ITU TELECOM WORLD 2012 CONFERENCE SEEKING
PARTICIPANTS FOR YOUNG INNOVATORS PROGRAM
As part of ITU Telecom World 2012 -- scheduled for October 14-18 in
Dubai -- the conference will present the Young Innovators Program. With
its theme of Youth Innovation for Development, the Young Innovators
Competition is a chance for the next generation of young visionaries to
demonstrate their ideas and innovations on this global stage and show
how their fresh digital thinking can change the world for the better.
The program seeks to attract dynamic, engaged young people and identify
projects with a genuine potential to succeed. The goal of the program
is to build a cohesive international community of highly talented of
social entrepreneurs from age 18-25 who are working on ICT-based
initiatives from the conceptual stage through to projects in areas of
critical relevance to the burning issues facing the world today. Read
more here
.
> SOLAR UPDATE
Tad Cook, K7RA, reports: The solar flux and sunspot numbers reached
a short term low on April 8-11, but they are rising again. For the past
week -- April 12-18 -- the average daily sunspot numbers more than
doubled, compared to the previous seven days, rising more than 39
points to 71.7. The average daily solar flux increased from 95.9 to
105.1. The predicted solar flux for April 19-22 is 120, followed by 115
on April 23-26, 105 on April 27-28, 100 on April 29-30, and 95 on May
1-9. The predicted planetary A index is 5, 5, 8, 5, 6, 10, 12 and 8 on
April 19-26, 5 on April 27-29, 8 on April 30, 5 on May 1-7, and 8, 12,
15 and 10 on May 8-11. Look for more information -- including
propagation reports from readers, updated predictions and a piece by
Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, regarding the current stalled state of Solar
Cycle 24 -- on the ARRL website on Friday, April 20. For more
information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical
Information Service Propagation page
.
> + ARRL/TAPR DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE SET FOR ATLANTA
The dates have been set -- September 21-23 -- for the 31st Annual
ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC
) in Atlanta at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel.
The DCC schedule includes forums, demonstrations, a Saturday evening
banquet and an in-depth Sunday seminar. This conference is for everyone
with an interest in digital communications -- from beginner to expert.
Technical papers are also being solicited for the conference
proceedings. You do not have to attend the conference to have your
paper included. The submission deadline is July 31. Please send papers
to Maty Weinberg, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111, or you can
make your submission via e-mail . Papers will be
published exactly as submitted and authors will retain all rights. For
more information, please see the DCC website
or call TAPR at 972-671-8277.
> THIS WEEK IN RADIOSPORT
This week:
- April 20-21 -- Holyland DX Contest
- April 21 -- Feld Hell Sprint; EU Spring Sprint (SSB); TARA Skirmish
Digital Prefix Contest; ES Open HF Championship
- April 21-22 -- Michigan QSO Party; South Dakota QSO Party; Ontario
QSO Party; CQ Manchester Mineira DX Contest; EA-QRP CW Contest; YU DX
Contest
- April 25 -- 432 MHz Spring Sprint (local time)
- April 25-26 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test
Next week:
- April 27 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
- April 28-29 -- Florida QSO Party; Nebraska QSO Party; 10-10
International Spring Contest (Digital); SP DX RTTY Contest; Helvetia
Contest; QRP to the Field
- April 29 -- BARTG Sprint 75
- May 1 -- AGCW QRP/QRP Party
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
- 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
- June 30 -- ARRL Eastern Pennsylvania Section Convention
,
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
- July 20-22 -- ARRL Montana State Convention
,
East Glacier, Montana
- July 26-28 -- Central States VHF Society Conference
,
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- July 27-28 -- ARRL Oklahoma Section Convention
,
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- July 27-29 -- ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Convention
,
Bryce Canyon, Utah
- August 3-4 -- ARRL Texas State Convention
,
Austin, Texas
- August 3-5 -- Pacific Northwest DX Convention
,
Portland, Oregon
- August 4 -- ARRL Ohio State Convention
, Columbus, Ohio
- August 10-12 -- RAC National Convention 2012
, Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada
- August 18 -- ARRL West Virginia State Convention
,
Weston, West Virginia
- August 18-19 -- ARRL Southeastern Division Convention
,
Huntsville, Alabama
- August 19 -- ARRL Kansas State Convention
, Salina,
Kansas
- August 24-26 -- ARRL New England Division Convention
,
Boxboro, Massachusetts
- August 26 -- ARRL Western Pennsylvania Section Convention
,
New Kensington, Pennsylvania
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) 2012 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)
|
