The ARRL Letter
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
December 6, 2012
Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive
Audio News
IN THIS ISSUE
- + Amateur Radio in Space: NASA Now Accepting Applications for Hosting
a Real-Time Conversation with ISS Crewmembers
- + On the Air: Rookies Ride the Wave in the ARRL CW Rookie Roundup
- + FCC News: Kansas Ham Issued $10,000 Fine for Operation of
Unlicensed Broadcast Station
- ARRL in Action: What Have We Been Up to Lately?
- + On the Air: ARRL UHF/Microwave Band Plan Committee Seeks Input on 6
and 3 Centimeter Bands
- ARRL Invites Nominations for 2012 International Humanitarian Award
- Solar Update
- + ARRL Recognizes: Robert Bastone, WC3O, Wins November QST Cover
Plaque Award
- + RAC Announces New Incoming QSL Bureau Address
- + New QuickStats Poll Now Available on ARRL Website
- This Week in Radiosport
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
+ Available on ARRL Audio News .
The last ARRL Letter and ARRL Audio News for 2012 will be published
Thursday, December 13. The ARRL Letter and ARRL Audio News will resume
on Thursday, January 10, 2013.
> + AMATEUR RADIO IN SPACE: NASA NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR
HOSTING A REAL-TIME CONVERSATION WITH ISS CREWMEMBERS
NASA is now accepting proposals from US schools, museums, science
centers and community youth organizations -- individually or working
together -- to host an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
(ARISS ) contact between May 1, 2013
and November 1, 2013. To maximize these radio contact opportunities,
NASA is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of
participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education
plan. Radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length. ARISS
contacts are supported by the program's US partners -- the ARRL and
AMSAT -- and their member volunteers, as well
as other international space agencies and Amateur Radio partners.
Proposals are due January 28, 2013.
Interested parties can visit the ARRL website
or the NASA Teaching From Space website
for information about
proposal requirements and how to submit a proposal, as well as links to
audio and videos of archived contacts. Five information sessions are
also available for groups who are considering submitting an ARISS
proposal. Access to the Internet and a telephone line are required to
connect to a session. Information on how to sign up for these sessions
is available on the ARRL and NASA websites.
> + ON THE AIR: ROOKIES RIDE THE WAVE IN THE ARRL CW ROOKIE ROUNDUP
Newly licensed CW buffs can get their copying skills in shape on
Sunday, December 16 as the CW edition of the ARRL Rookie Roundup takes
to the airwaves! The Rookie Roundup combines a competitive event with
some on-the-air training, with the goal of bringing fun and Elmering
into the 21st century. Who is a Rookie? Any amateur licensed for three
years or less, regardless of license class. If you received your
license in 2010, 2011 or 2012, you're eligible to compete as a Rookie;
stations licensed before 2010 can only submit checklogs, but they will
be recognized in the final results. Old Timers are encouraged to get on
the air and work the Rookies. This is an immediate, hands-on way to
teach good operating practices to those just getting started. The
Rookie Roundup is also an excellent activity for clubs, offering a
chance for club members to open their doors to those newer club
members. Read more here
.
> + FCC NEWS: KANSAS HAM ISSUED $10,000 FINE FOR OPERATION OF
UNLICENSED BROADCAST STATION
On December 5, Glen Rubash, KC0GPV, of Dwight, Kansas, was issued a
$10,000 fine for what the FCC called "willfully and Repeatedly"
violating Section 301 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, by
operating an unlicensed radio transmitter on the frequency 88.3 MHz in
Manhattan, Kansas.
In response to a complaint, agents from the FCC's Kansas City office
used direction finding equipment techniques to locate the source of
radio frequency transmissions on the frequency 88.3 MHz. According to a
Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture issued on December 6,
agents found an FM transmitting antenna mounted on a pole next to a
residence in Manhattan, Kansas on September 26, 2012. The agents
determined that the signals on 88.3 MHz exceeded the limits for
operation under Part 15 and therefore required a license. The FCC noted
that its records showed that no authorization was issued to Rubash or
to anyone else for operation of an FM broadcast stations at or near
this location. 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 November -- takes a look at the November elections
for ARRL Director and Vice Director, the new QST app for Apple devices,
bug fixes for ARRL's Logbook of The World, W1AW activities, , reports
from the Official Observer Desk and more. Read more here
.
> + ON THE AIR: ARRL UHF/MICROWAVE BAND PLAN COMMITTEE SEEKS INPUT ON
6 AND 3 CENTIMETER BANDS
Last year, in recognition of the need to update the published band
plans for our UHF and microwave bands, the ARRL Board of Directors
formed the UHF/Microwave Band Plan Committee to develop revised
national plans for the amateur bands between 902 MHz and 3.5 GHz. After
receiving extensive user input, the committee completed its task and
the resulting band plans were approved by the Board in July 2012. The
committee has now received an additional assignment to conduct a
similar update to the 6 and 3 centimeter bands. In order to do this
effectively, the committee needs to know how various segments of these
bands are now being utilized around the country. You can help them by
sharing what you know about local usage in your area and by asking
other users -- both individuals and groups -- to do the same. Read more
here
.
> ARRL INVITES NOMINATIONS FOR 2012 INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Nominations for the 2012 ARRL International Humanitarian Award close
December 31, 2012. This award is conferred upon an amateur or amateurs
who demonstrate devotion to human welfare, peace and international
understanding through Amateur Radio. The League established the annual
prize to recognize those radio amateurs who have used ham radio to
provide extraordinary service to others in times of crisis or disaster.
As one of the few telecommunication services that allow people
throughout the world from all walks of life to meet and talk with each
other, Amateur Radio spreads goodwill across political boundaries. The
ARRL International Humanitarian Award recognizes the Amateur Radio
Service's unique role in international communication and the assistance
amateurs regularly provide to people in need. Read more here
.
> SOLAR UPDATE
Tad Cook, K7RA, reports: Solar activity declined again this week,
with the average daily sunspot numbers dropping 17.8 points, from 78.9
to 61.1, while the average daily solar flux declined 19.4 points, from
121 to 101.6. The latest prediction from NOAA/USAF has the solar flux
at 105 and 110 on December 6-7, 115 on December 8-9, 120, 125 and 130
on December 10-12, 135 on December 13-17, then 130, 125 and 120 on
December 18-20, 115 on December 21-23, and back down to 110 on December
24-27. The predicted planetary A index is 5 on December 6-13, 8 on
December 14-15, 5 on December 16-28, and rising to 8 on December 29-30.
Look for more on the ARRL website on Friday, December 7. For more
information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical
Information Service Propagation page
.
> + ARRL RECOGNIZES: ROBERT BASTONE, WC3O, WINS NOVEMBER QST COVER
PLAQUE AWARD
The winner of the November QST Cover Plaque award is Robert Bastone,
WC3O, for his article "A Different Way to Assemble PL-259 Coax Plugs
."
Congratulations Robert! 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 December issue today.
> + RAC ANNOUNCES NEW INCOMING QSL BUREAU ADDRESS
Effective immediately, Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC
) has instituted a new, centralized address for its
Incoming QSL Bureau: RAC National Incoming QSL Bureau, Box 51, Saint
John, NB E2L 3X1, Canada. RAC International Affairs Officer George
Gorsline, VE3YV, told the ARRL that hams should no longer send any
cards through the provincial QSL bureaus. Please direct any questions
regarding this new policy to Gorsline via e-mail .
> + NEW QUICKSTATS POLL NOW AVAILABLE ON ARRL WEBSITE
Four new poll questions have just been published on the QuickStats page
on the ARRL website. Let your voice be
heard!
Questions in this month's QuickStats poll:
- What is your outlook for Amateur Radio in 2013?
- How do you feel about a possible low frequency allocation
for US amateurs?
- Have you added the new digital QST app
to your
iPad, iPhone or iPod touch?
- Is your call sign on prominent display at your home station?
Visit the QuickStats page and be sure
to bookmark it in your browser. Results from this QuickStats poll will
be published in the March 2013 issue of QST on the QuickStats page,
located in the rear advertising section of the magazine. Along with
monthly poll results, QST QuickStats offers colorful charts and graphs
that highlight interesting Amateur Radio statistics.
> THIS WEEK IN RADIOSPORT
This week:
- December 7 -- NCCC Sprint
- December 8-9 -- ARRL 10 Meter Contest ;
International Naval Contest
- December 9 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon; CQC Great Colorado Snowshoe
Run
- December 12 -- NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint; NAQCC-EU Monthly Sprint
- December 12-13 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test
Next week:
- December 14 -- NCCC Sprint; Russian 160 Meter Contest
- December 15 -- OK DX RTTY Contest; Feld Hall Sprint
- December 15-16 -- Croatian CW Contest
- December 16 -- ARRL Rookie Roundup (CW)
; QRP ARCI Holiday Spirits Homebrew
Sprint
- December 17 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest
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 18-19 -- ARRL North Texas Section Convention
,
Fort Worth, Texas
- January 19 -- ARRL Southern Florida Section Convention
,
Fort Myers, Florida
- January 25-26 -- ARRL Mississippi State Convention
,
Jackson, Mississippi
- January 26-27 -- ARRL Puerto Rico State Convention
, Hatillo,
Puerto Rico
- February 2 -- ARRL South Carolina State Convention
, North
Charleston, South Carolina
- February 8-10 -- ARRL Southeastern Division Convention
,
Orlando, Florida
- February 15-16 -- ARRL Arizona State Convention
,
Yuma, Arizona
- March 8-9 -- ARRL Oklahoma Section Convention
,
Claremore, Oklahoma;
- March 30 -- ARRL North Carolina State Convention
,
Raleigh, North Carolina
- April 20 -- ARRL Louisiana State Convention
,
Monroe, Louisiana
- April 26-28 -- ARRL Idaho State Convention
, Boise, Idaho
To find a convention or hamfest near you, click here
.
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