The ARRL Letter
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
August 23, 2012
Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive
Audio News
IN THIS ISSUE
- + FCC News: FCC Releases Congressionally Mandated Study on Amateur
Radio
- + ARRL Members Nominate Candidates for Director, Vice Director
- + Silent Key: QST Managing Editor Joel Kleinman, N1BKE (SK)
- + Summer Section Manager Election Results Announced
- Solar Update
- + Silent Key: Vic Poor, W5SMM (SK)
- + Silent Key: George Varvitsiotes, K6SV (SK)
- + ARRL Headquarters to Close in Observance of Labor Day
- "Early Bird" Hotel Reservation Deadline Approaching for ARRL/TAPR
Digital Communications Conference
- This Week in Radiosport
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
+ Available on ARRL Audio News .
> + FCC NEWS: FCC RELEASES CONGRESSIONALLY MANDATED STUDY ON AMATEUR
RADIO
On August 20 -- in response to a Spring 2012 Congressional directive --
the Federal Communications Commission released its findings on the Uses
and Capabilities of Amateur Radio Service Communications in Emergencies
and Disaster Relief: Report to Congress Pursuant to Section 6414 of the
Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012.
This report contains the FCC's " review of the importance of
emergency Amateur Radio Service communications relating to disasters,
severe weather and other threats to lives and property in the United
States; and recommendations for enhancements in the voluntary
deployment of Amateur Radio operators in disaster and emergency
communications and disaster relief efforts; and recommendations for
improved integration of Amateur Radio operators in the planning and
furtherance of initiatives of the federal government." It also required
"that the study identify impediments to enhanced Amateur Radio Service
communications and provide recommendations regarding the removal of
such impediments."
"There are many positive things included in the FCC report to
Congress," said ARRL Regulatory Information Manager Dan Henderson,
N1ND. "We are pleased that the Commission highlighted the existing
Amateur Radio infrastructure to provide disaster and time-critical
communications. They also recognized the flexibility of the Amateur
Service in working with federal, state, local and tribal emergency
service agencies to supplement existing communications. The affirmation
of the value that Amateur Radio brings to the communities across the
country is underscored by the suggestion that 'DHS work with state,
local, and tribal authorities so they may develop disaster area access
or credentialing policies for trained amateur operators, including a
means for documenting their qualifications...'"
While the FCC did hold Amateur Radio in a positive light in its
discussion of emergency Amateur Radio Service communications, the FCC
report was not as favorable in the portion of the study that addressed
impediments to enhanced Amateur Radio Service communications. In the
comments provided to the FCC as they prepared the study, the ARRL -- as
well as numerous individuals -- cited the proliferation of specific
land-use restrictions, such as deed restrictions and homeowners
associations covenants, that prohibit the erection of even modest
Amateur Radio antennas. Read more here
.
> + ARRL MEMBERS NOMINATE CANDIDATES FOR DIRECTOR, VICE DIRECTOR
In response to solicitations in the July and August issues of QST,
ARRL members in the Central, Hudson, New England, Northwestern and
Roanoke Divisions have nominated 14 candidates for the 10 positions of
Director and Vice Director. This year, there will be three contested
elections: The Director positions in the Hudson and Northwestern
Divisions, and the Vice Director position in the Northwestern Division.
Seven incumbents have been declared elected without opposition; per
ARRL By-Law 19, if there is only one eligible candidate for an office,
he or she will be declared elected by the Ethics and Elections
Committee. If there is more than one eligible candidate for an office,
the full members in that division (who are in good standing as of
September 10, 2012) will have the opportunity to cast ballots.
Balloting will begin no later than October 1, 2012 and will conclude at
noon (EST) Friday, November 16, 2012. The candidate receiving the most
votes will be declared the winner. Read more here
.
> + SILENT KEY: QST MANAGING EDITOR JOEL KLEINMAN, N1BKE (SK)
QST Managing Editor Joel P. Kleinman, N1BKE, of Meriden, Connecticut,
died from injuries received during a house fire on August 18. He was
64. Kleinman was responsible for the coordination, organization,
control and completion of all aspects of QST's editorial content each
month. Kleinman's wife Jayne survived the fire, but is currently in the
intensive care unit of a local hospital.
"Joel was obsessed with making QST the best Amateur Radio magazine
it could be, but he pursued that obsession with uncommon dignity and
kindness," said QST Editor Steve Ford, WB8IMY. "He was the quiet man
behind the scenes, shouldering much of the burden that comes with
creating 164 pages of new content every month. Joel set a high standard
for all who may follow him."
After graduating from the University of Montana with an MA in
Journalism, Kleinman came to ARRL's Club and Training Department in
June 1976 to lead a program aimed at introducing students to space
science using Amateur Radio satellites. It was in this capacity that he
contributed to the five-part series "Getting to Know OSCAR from the
Ground Up " that was published
in QST in 1977. Less than year later, Kleinman moved over to the ARRL's
Production Department as an Editorial Assistant before becoming the
ARRL Features Editor, then Editorial Supervisor, then
Editorial/Production Supervisor. In 1988, he became Book Team
Supervisor, where he was responsible for the development and editorial
integrity of ARRL books and other media. He was named as QST Managing
Editor in April 2001.
Kleinman was not licensed prior to beginning his career at ARRL
Headquarters: "When I came on board, I didn't know much about ham
radio," he remarked in a "Behind the Diamond
" feature in the June 1979
issue of QST. "But it was made very clear to me that I soon would --
and I did!" Before long, Kleinman had written such QST articles as "The
Lure of 2 Meters -- Part 1 ,"
the OSCAR articles and "Network Hams: A Hobby Becomes a Career
," which focused on hams who
worked at ABC, CBS and NBC: "It's not often that a person gets to go on
behind-the-scenes tours of the headquarters of all three broadcast
networks in two days," Kleinman remarked. [Editor's note: You must be
an ARRL member and logged in to the ARRL website to access the linked
articles.]
"With the passing of Joel Kleinman, N1BKE, we have lost not only a
respected professional colleague, but also a friend," said ARRL
President Kay Craigie, N3KN. "The shocking circumstances of his death
sharpen the sadness we feel. The ARRL sends our deepest sympathy to all
of Joel's friends and family. I would like to thank the many amateurs
who have expressed condolences through social media and by other means.
Although you may not have known Joel personally, you feel his loss as a
member of the extended Amateur Radio family. Your kindness and words of
comfort are sincerely appreciated."
"Joel was a gifted writer and editor," said ARRL Chief Executive
Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ. "Amateur Radio is the richer today because
he chose to devote his talents to the work of the ARRL."
Kleinman was a former president of the Newington Amateur Radio League
(NARL ) and a member of the Quarter Century
Wireless Association (QCWA ). Funeral
arrangements are pending. The ARRL is collecting condolence messages to
forward on to Joel's family. If you would like to send a message,
please submit it here .
> + SUMMER SECTION MANAGER ELECTION RESULTS ANNOUNCED
Two Section Manager elections this summer were decided by member
balloting: ARRL Connecticut Section Manager Betsey Doane, K1EIC, was
re-elected, and John Mueller, K2BT, was elected as the new ARRL Western
New York Section Manager. New terms of office start October 1, 2012.
Ballots were counted at ARRL Headquarters on Tuesday, August 21. Puerto
Rico will be getting a new Section Manager beginning October 1: Rene
Fonseca, NP3O, of Fajardo, will be taking over from Roberto Jiminez,
KP4AC, who has served as Section Manager since 2007; Jiminez decided
not to run for another term of office. Read more here
.
> SOLAR UPDATE
Tad "In the dark of the Sun, we will stand together
" Cook, K7RA, reports: The
weak solar activity continues: The average daily sunspot numbers for
August 16-22 were down 23 points -- or 30 percent -- to 54.6, while the
average daily solar flux dropped a little more than 16 percent -- or
18.7 points -- to 96. These figures offer a comparison between August
9-15 and the latest reporting period of August 16-22. Solar flux is
expected to rise above 100 soon, with the predicted flux values from
NOAA/USAF at 95 on August 23, 100 on August 24-25, 105 on August 26-27,
and then peaking at 130 at month's end on August 31 and September 1.
The next peak is expected in the three days following the autumnal
equinox, with flux values at 135 on September 23-25. Look for more on
the ARRL website on Friday, August 24. For more information concerning
radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service
Propagation page . This
week's "Tad Cookism" is brought to you by Tom Petty and the
Heartbreakers' In the Dark of the Sun
.
> + SILENT KEY: VIC POOR, W5SMM (SK)
Victor (Vic) Poor, W5SMM, of Melbourne, Florida, passed away Friday,
August 17, due to complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 79. Just
last month, Poor -- an ARRL member -- received the ARRL President's
Award for his contributions to the development of digital
communications systems in the Amateur Radio Service. Poor was also
known for his work in the development of one of Intel's first
commercial microprocessors. Poor -- who also held the calls KH6AXV,
W6JSO and K3NIO -- developed an active interest in ham radio while
still in high school and became W6JSO in 1951. He quickly developed an
affinity for RTTY and later, other Amateur Radio digital modes, and was
instrumental in the development of many hardware and software
innovations that are at the heart of modern day computing and
communications technology, used both in Amateur Radio and in industry.
Read more here .
> + SILENT KEY: GEORGE VARVITSIOTES, K6SV (SK)
Ham Radio Outlet (HRO ) Vice President
George Varvitsiotes, K6SV (ex-WB6DSV), passed away August 21 due to
complications from cancer. He was 57. An ARRL member, Varvitsiotes
began his career at HRO in September 1976 as a salesman in the
company's Burlingame, California store. "While at HRO, George did just
about everything," recalled HRO Owner and President Robert Ferrero,
W6KR. "As Vice President, George did all the purchasing for the entire
company. He was a technician, a salesman, a store manager. He loved our
hobby top-to-bottom. George lived ham radio." A memorial service for
Varvitsiotes is planned for August 28 at Resurrection Greek Orthodox
Church in Castro Valley, California.
> + ARRL HEADQUARTERS TO CLOSE IN OBSERVANCE OF LABOR DAY
ARRL Headquarters will be closed in observance of Labor Day on Monday,
September 3. There will be no W1AW bulletin or code practice
transmissions that day.
ARRL Headquarters will reopen Tuesday, September 4 at 8 AM Eastern
Daylight Time. We wish everyone a safe and festive holiday weekend.
> "EARLY BIRD" HOTEL RESERVATION DEADLINE APPROACHING FOR ARRL/TAPR
DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE
A reminder that this coming Monday -- August 29 -- is the deadline
for discounted room rates for the 31st Annual ARRL/TAPR Digital
Communications Conference (DCC ), scheduled
for September 21-23 in Atlanta at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel Atlanta
Airport. Click here
to make your hotel reservations before the rates go up.
> THIS WEEK IN RADIOSPORT
This week:
- August 24 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
- August 25 -- QRP ARCI Welcome to QRP
- August 25-26 -- Hawaii QSO Party; Kansas QSO Party; Ohio QSO Party;
SCC RTTY Championship; YO DX HF Contest; CVA DX Contest (SSB)
- August 26 -- SARL HF CW Contest
Next week:
- August 31 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
- September 1 -- Russian RTTY WW Contest; Wake-Up! QRP Sprint; AGCW
Straight Key Party
- September 1-2 -- Colorado QSO Party; All Asian DX Contest (Phone);
CWOps CW Open
- September 2 -- DARC 10 Meter Digital Contest
- September 2-3 -- Tennessee QSO Party
- September 3-4 -- Michigan QRP Labor Day CW Sprint
- September 4 -- 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
- August 24-26 -- ARRL New England Division Convention
,
Boxboro, Massachusetts
- August 26 -- ARRL Western Pennsylvania Section Convention
,
New Kensington, Pennsylvania
- September 14-15 -- W9DXCC Convention
, Elk Grove Village,
Illinois
- September 15 -- ARRL Virginia Section Convention
,
Virginia Beach, Virginia
- September 22 -- ARRL Washington State Convention
,
Spokane Valley, Washington
- September 22-23 -- ARRL Illinois State Convention
,
Peoria, Illinois
- September 28-29 -- SEDCO/W4DXCC VIII Convention
, Pigeon
Forge, Tennessee
- October 12-14 -- ARRL National Convention
,
Santa Clara, California
- October 13 -- ARRL Iowa State Convention
,
Sergeant Bluff, Iowa
- October 13-14 -- ARRL Florida State Convention
,
Melbourne, Florida
- November 3-4 -- ARRL Georgia State Convention
,
Lawrenceville, Georgia
- November 4 -- ARRL Iowa Section Convention
,
Davenport, Iowa
- November 10 -- ARRL Alabama State Convention
, Montgomery,
Alabama
- November 17-18 -- ARRL Indiana State Convention
,
Fort Wayne, Indiana
- December 1-2 -- ARRL West Central Florida Section Convention
,
Palmetto, Florida
To find a convention or hamfest near you, click here
.
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