The ARRL Letter
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
June 21, 2012
Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive
Audio News
IN THIS ISSUE
- + ARRL Field Day: ARRL Field Day is This Weekend: Are You Ready?
- ARRL Field Day: W1AW Announces 2012 Field Day Bulletin Schedule
- + Amateur Radio in the Classroom: ARRL Executive Committee Approves
Resource Grants for 11 Schools
- + 2011 ARRL Annual Report Now Available
- + Getting Licensed: New Amateur Extra Class Question Pool Effective
July 1
- + On the Air: ARRL UHF/Microwave Band Plan Committee Seeks Comments
on Proposed 23 cm Band Plan
- + FCC News: FCC Downgrades Hawaiian Ham's License
- Yasme Foundation Announces Awards, Expanded List of Eligible Call
Signs
- Solar Update
- + New Section Manager Appointed in South Dakota
- This Week in Radiosport
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
+ Available on ARRL Audio News .
> + ARRL FIELD DAY: ARRL FIELD DAY IS THIS WEEKEND: ARE YOU READY?
Tens of thousands of Amateur Radio operators will be firing up
portable radio stations from unexpected locations this weekend for ARRL
Field Day . On June 23-24, more than
35,000 hams are expected to operate from parks, malls, schools and.
yes, fields, around the country. Field Day is the climax of the
week-long Amateur Radio Week sponsored by the ARRL. As of June 19, more
than 20 states and countless cities and towns have issued proclamations
thanking and supporting the hams for their community service work.
Looking for a Field Day location? Check out the Field Day Locator
. Find information for media and
the general public here . Find
information for radio amateurs and participants here
. Check the ARRL Facebook page
and the ARRL Twitter feed
throughout Field Day weekend for live
updates.
> ARRL FIELD DAY: W1AW ANNOUNCES 2012 FIELD DAY BULLETIN SCHEDULE
Stations active during ARRL Field Day -- June 23-24 -- are eligible to
receive 100 bonus points for copying the special Field Day bulletin
transmitted by W1AW (or K6KPH on the West Coast). You must include an
accurate copy of the message in your Field Day submission. The Field
Day bulletin must be copied via Amateur Radio; it will not be included
in Internet bulletins sent out from Headquarters and will not be posted
to Internet BBS sites.
W1AW will operate on the regularly published frequencies. The special
PSK31 bulletin will be transmitted on the regular W1AW digital
frequencies:
- CW frequencies: 1.8025, 3.5815, 7.0475, 14.0475, 18.0975, 21.0675,
28.0675 and 147.555 MHz.
- Digital frequencies (includes PSK31 and MFSK16) using 45.45-baud
Baudot: 3597.5, 7.095, 14.095, 18.1025, 21.095, 28.095 and 147.555 MHz.
- Phone frequencies: 1.855, 3.990, 7.290, 14.290, 18.160, 21.390,
28.590 and 147.555 MHz.
The Maritime Radio Historical Society's K6KPH will transmit the 2012
W1AW Field Day message for the benefit of West Coast stations on
3.5815, 7.0475, 14.0475, 18.0975 and 21.0675 MHz, CW only. The
frequencies for K6KPH Digital (RTTY, BPSK31 MFSK16 and FEC AMTOR) will
be 7.095 and 14.095 MHz. Click here
for the complete schedule.
> + AMATEUR RADIO IN THE CLASSROOM: ARRL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE APPROVES
RESOURCE GRANTS FOR 11 SCHOOLS
In June, the ARRL Executive Committee reviewed grant applications
for the ARRL's Education & Technology Program (ETP), awarding equipment
and resources valued at nearly $16,000 to 11 schools. More than 590
schools across the country have received support from the ETP in the
form of grants for equipment, curriculum and resources, as well as
teacher in-service training through the Teachers Institute on Wireless
Technology. Applications for equipment and resource grants are accepted
twice each year; application deadlines are May 1 and November 1. A
central goal of the ETP is to develop a foundation of wireless
technology literacy among America's teachers and students. It employs
Amateur Radio to explore radio science and electronics and provide
hands-on activities that engage students' minds and imaginations,
opening doorways into math, science and technology curriculum topics,
as well as other core curriculum areas such as geography and language
arts. Read more here
.
> + 2011 ARRL ANNUAL REPORT NOW AVAILABLE
The ARRL Annual Report for 2011 -- now available online -- reviews
the major events of the year and documents the renewed growth of both
the ARRL and the activities of the Amateur Radio Service. For the fifth
consecutive year, ARRL membership grew -- totaling 157,813 members at
year end.
According to ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, Amateur
Radio is flourishing: "Despite challenges on many fronts, Amateur Radio
and the ARRL were in better shape at the end of 2011 than at the
beginning. In September, we reached a milestone in amateur licensing,
with 700,000 individuals licensed by the FCC, and reached 702,056 at
the end of December, up .86 percent for the year." Sumner noted that
ARRL membership also grew at .86 percent, exactly the same rate as the
licensing numbers. "While membership is still short of its all-time
high, we have achieved five straight years of growth, straight through
the recession," he said. "This record of success is testimony to the
professionalism of our membership staff as well as to the diligent
efforts of everyone, volunteer and staff alike, who contributes every
day to a positive image of the ARRL in the Amateur Radio community."
Read more here
.
> + GETTING LICENSED: NEW AMATEUR EXTRA CLASS QUESTION POOL EFFECTIVE
JULY 1
The new Amateur Extra class (Element 4) question pool
-- released by the National
Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC
) in January 2012 -- becomes effective on
Sunday, July 1. The current Amateur Extra class pool expires on June
30, 2012 and cannot be used after that date. This new question pool --
including graphics and diagrams -- will remain valid until June 30,
2016. The new Amateur Extra pool contains 702 questions, from which 50
are selected for an Element 4 examination. As of June 13, three
questions -- E1D09, E2A14 and E6E10 -- have been removed
from the new pool. The
current Technician class question pool
that became effective July 1,
2010 is valid through June 30, 2014. The current General class pool
that became effective July 1,
2011 is valid until June 30, 2015.
> + ON THE AIR: ARRL UHF/MICROWAVE BAND PLAN COMMITTEE SEEKS COMMENTS
ON PROPOSED 23 CM BAND PLAN
Last
winter, the ARRL UHF/Microwave Band Plan Committee asked the Amateur
Radio community about current, planned and projected uses of the
Amateur bands between 902 MHz and 3.5 GHz. The excellent level of
response provided us with the basis to complete drafts of the 9 cm, 13
cm and 33 cm revised band plans for ARRL Board approval. The Committee
has now prepared for your consideration a draft band plan for 23 cm
(1240-1300 MHz), the final band on its assigned list. Please look over
the accompanying draft and let us know if you have any major concerns.
Read more here
.
> + FCC NEWS: FCC DOWNGRADES HAWAIIAN HAM'S LICENSE
On June 18, the FCC issued an Order of Modification
,
modifying the license class of Todd Wilson, WH6DWF, of Honolulu,
Hawaii, from General to Technician. This stems from an Order Proposing
Modification released in March 2012
where the FCC stated
that granting General class Amateur Radio operator privileges to Wilson
was "improper." Read more here
.
> YASME FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES AWARDS, EXPANDED LIST OF ELIGIBLE CALL
SIGNS
The Yasme Foundation currently offers two
awards. The Yasme Award, in the form of a handsome plaque, is offered
to those radio amateurs who submit proof of 30 QSOs with Yasme
officials and DXpeditions that have at least one Yasme official as a
participant. The Yasme Supreme Award is in the form of a representation
of the YASME boat used by Danny Weil in his around-the-world
DXpedition. It is available to those who submit proof of 60 QSOs with
YASME officials and DXpeditions with a Yasme official as a participant.
These awards are available to qualifying applicants at no cost. After a
year-long evaluation of the rules, the Yasme Board of Directors has
revised the rules for those call signs that may be used to qualify for
the two awards, with many new ones added to the list. The Yasme
Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation organized to conduct
scientific and educational projects related to Amateur Radio, including
DXing and the introduction and promotion of Amateur Radio in
underdeveloped countries. -- Thanks to the Yasme Foundation for the
information
> SOLAR UPDATE
Tad "It's brighter than sunshine
" Cook, K7RA, reports:
Sunspot numbers seemed to be in a free-fall this week: The average
daily sunspot numbers declined more than 29 points to 87, while the
average daily solar flux fell 6.2 points to 126.2. The outlook for
Field Day weekend -- June 22-23 -- is for low sunspot numbers and quiet
geomagnetic conditions. The predicted daily solar flux is just 90 for
June 21-28, 125 on June 29-July 7, then 130, 135 and 140 on July 8-10,
and then rising to 145 on July 11-12. The predicted planetary A index
is 5 on June 21-29, then 8 on June 30, 15 on July 1-3, 8 on July 4-5, 5
on July 6-7, 8 on July 8-9, and back down to 5 on July 10-14. Look for
more on the ARRL website on Friday, June 22. For more information
concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information
Service Propagation page
. This week's "Tad
Cookism" is brought to you by Aqualung's Brighter than Sunshine
.
> + NEW SECTION MANAGER APPOINTED IN SOUTH DAKOTA
Chris Stallkamp, W0ADZ, of Selby, South Dakota, has been appointed
as the South Dakota Section Manager, effective June 15. ARRL Membership
and Volunteer Programs Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, made the appointment
in consultation with Dakota Division Director Greg Widin, K0GW, and
with the recommendation of outgoing South Dakota Section Manager Scott
Rausch, WA0VKC. Rausch, of Piedmont, has served as South Dakota Section
Manager since April 2009. He decided not to run for a new two-year term
of office that was scheduled to begin on April 1. After a
re-solicitation for nominations this spring did not result in any
potential candidates, Stallkamp was then appointed to take the Section
Manager reins from Rausch. Stallkamp's appointment extends until March
31, 2014. Stallkamp has been a radio amateur since 2006, and is a
member of the Black Hills Amateur Radio Club. Interest in Amateur Radio
runs in his family: Both his mother Margaret, KA0BEB, and father Lloyd,
KA0ADZ, of Havre, Montana, are also licensed Amateur Radio operators.
> THIS WEEK IN RADIOSPORT
This week:
- June 23-24 -- ARRL Field Day ; His
Majesty King of Spain Contest (SSB); Marconi Memorial HF Contest;
Ukrainian DX DIGI Contest
- June 27 -- SKCC Sprint
- June 27-28 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test
Next week:
- July 1 -- RAC Canada Day Contest; WAB 144 MHz Low Power Contest
(Phone)
- July 2-8 -- 10-10 International Spirit of '76 QSO Party
- July 3 -- ARS Spartan Sprint
- July 5 -- Michigan QRP July 4th CW 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
- 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 10-12 -- RAC National Convention 2012
, Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada
- August 11 -- ARRL Ohio State Convention
, Columbus, Ohio
- 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
.
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