The ARRL Letter
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
October 18, 2012
Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive
Audio News
IN THIS ISSUE
- + 2012 ARRL National Convention Recap
- + On the Air: Get Ready for JOTA This Weekend
- Get Ready for the 7th Annual ARRL On-Line Auction
- + ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, Retires
from League
- + Postage Rates to Increase in January
- + Digital Edition of November QST Now Available
- + Ted Rappaport, N9NB, Named Recipient of IEEE Education Award
- + At the Workbench: Attention Kit Builders -- The ARRL Wants to Hear
from You!
- Solar Update
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
+ Available on ARRL Audio News .
> + 2012 ARRL NATIONAL CONVENTION RECAP
If you missed the 2012 ARRL National Convention -- held October
12-14 in Santa Clara, California -- or you just want to relive the fun
and excitement, be sure to check out a recap of all the events on
Friday , Saturday
and Sunday
. There's also a great bunch
of photos
from the Convention on the ARRL's Facebook page
.
> + ON THE AIR: GET READY FOR JOTA THIS WEEKEND
The 55th annual Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) is October 20-21. This
48-hour event runs from 0000 (local time) on Saturday, October 20
(right at midnight Friday) through midnight (local time) on Sunday,
October 21. JOTA is an opportunity for Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girl
Scouts and Girl Guides from all over the world to experience the magic
and excitement of Amateur Radio. According to Boy Scouts of America
JOTA Organizer Jim Wilson, K5ND, more than 250 JOTA stations have
registered with the BSA; stations do not need to register with the BSA
to participate in JOTA. "We estimate that there will be nearly 17,000
Scouts in 45 states, Puerto Rico and a few countries on the air for
JOTA," Wilson told the ARRL. "We have compiled a spreadsheet that lists
locations, call signs, detailed contact information, bands and modes
for these stations. We invite hams to use this information in their
JOTA activities." Read more here
.
> GET READY FOR THE 7TH ANNUAL ARRL ON-LINE AUCTION
The Seventh Annual ARRL On-Line Auction
opened for preview on Tuesday, October 16, and will open for bidding at
10 AM EDT (1400 UTC) on Thursday, October 25. According to ARRL On-Line
Auction Coordinator Lisa Tardette, KB1MOI, there is a large assortment
of ARRL Product Review items, including an Elecraft KPA500 HF/6 meter
power amplifier, an ICOM IC-7410 HF/6 meter transceiver, a Yaesu
FT-450D HF 6 meter transceiver, a Kenwood TM-281A 2 meter FM
transceiver and an MFJ-998 RT and MFJ-994BRT remote auto antenna tuner.
The ARRL On-Line Auction also features a wide assortment of books,
including ARRL Handbooks from the 1920s and 1930s -- most notably, a
first edition of the 1926 Radio Amateur's Handbook -- and a set of
three first-day-of-issue covers of the 1964 5-cent stamp highlighting
Amateur Radio (see an image of a stamp here
).
"Once again this year, bidders will find a large variety of product
review equipment, vintage books, novelty items and a number of very
special items that have been donated by the crew of the ABC
Television's Last Man Standing, starring Tim Allen as Mike Baxter,
KA0XTT," Tardette explained. "In order to place a bid, you must
register on the ARRL On-Line Auction website. You may browse the
website and scope out those 'must-have' items without being a
registered bidder, and you can register at any time during the auction.
If you are interested in some great bargains -- and some great fun --
you really need to check out the ARRL On-Line Auction." The 2012 ARRL
On-Line Auction runs through 11:45 PM EDT on October 31 (0345 UTC
November 1). Contact Tardette via e-mail with any
questions concerning the ARRL On-Line Auction.
> + ARRL MEDIA AND PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER ALLEN PITTS, W1AGP,
RETIRES FROM LEAGUE
After more than eight years as the ARRL Media and Public Relations
Manager, Allen Pitts, W1AGP, has retired. During his tenure, Pitts was
responsible for developing public relations campaigns that featured the
many facets of the Amateur Radio Service: Hello Radio came first in
2006 and highlighted the fun and friendships of ham radio. It was
followed by Emergency Radio, which built on the ARRL and the Amateur
Radio Service's response during Hurricane Katrina. We Do That -- Radio
in 2008 showed the technologies used in Amateur Radio. In 2011, the Do
It Yourself (DIY) campaign was unveiled.
Building a corps of Public Information Officers (PIOs) throughout the
country, Pitts believed that all news was local. "With this in mind,"
he explained, "I felt the best use of ARRL resources was to provide
local PIOs with the very best materials we can and let them use them in
their home areas." The strategy obviously worked, as the number of PIOs
volunteers increased. "There are almost 200 graduates of PR-101, more
than 500 subscribers to the PR e-mail reflector and the number of media
hits about Amateur Radio grew larger and larger." Read more here
.
> + POSTAGE RATES TO INCREASE IN JANUARY
The US Postal Service has announced that as of January 27, 2013, the
cost to mail First Class letters, postcards and packages within the US
will go up. The cost to mail a first class letter will be 46 cents,
while the cost to mail a postcard will be 33 cents, an increase of 1
cent for each. This is the third increase for postcard postage in less
than two years; in April 2011, the USPS boosted the postcard stamp
price from 28 cents to 29 cents, and from 29 cents to 32 cents
in
January 2012. The USPS will also introduce a First Class Mail Global
Forever Stamp in January. This new stamp will allow customers to mail
1-ounce letters anywhere in the world for one set price of $1.10. The
cost to mail flat-rate Priority Mail packages and letters will also
increase. Click here
for
more information on all the 2013 postal increases.
> + DIGITAL EDITION OF NOVEMBER QST NOW AVAILABLE
The digital version of the November QST is now available
to ARRL members. The
digital version includes many features not available in the print
version, such as:
- Video overviews of the Array Solutions AIMuhf impedance analyzer
and the DZKit HT-7 40-meter AM handheld transceiver.
- A circuit board layout and additional information on how to bring
your vintage receiver and transmitter together with the "Boat Anchor
Buddy," by Ralph E. Taggert, WB8DQT.
Every issue of QST is filled with the news and features you need to
keep active in Amateur Radio. Find all this and more in the November
issue of QST:
- Build an inexpensive HF power attenuator.
- Learn a different way to assemble PL-259 plugs.
- See PSK31 "up close."
- Put your remote antenna tuner to work on 160 meters.
- Turn back the clock with an easy single-tube transmitter.
- See how students "Reach for the Stars" with Amateur Radio.
- ...and much more!
> + TED RAPPAPORT, N9NB, NAMED RECIPIENT OF IEEE EDUCATION AWARD
Ted Rappaport, N9NB, of New York City, has been named the recipient
of the 2012 William E. Sayle Award for Achievement in Education, given
by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Education Society. This prestigious award is presented annually to an
IEEE Education Society member who has made significant contributions in
engineering education. Rappaport, an ARRL Life Member, is a Professor
of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Polytechnic Institute of
New York University. According to the university, Rappaport was
selected to receive the award "for his exceptional technical and varied
contributions in the creation of research centers, educational books
and software and for the creation of products in the wireless
industry." Read more here
.
> + AT THE WORKBENCH: ATTENTION KIT BUILDERS -- THE ARRL WANTS TO
HEAR FROM YOU!
The ARRL wants to hear from kit builders about simple, useful,
educational and exciting kits. These kits should have a high
probability for success and would serve as stepping stones for more
advanced projects. We are looking all sorts of kits, but RF detector
kits that work in the 380 MHz-2.5 GHz range are of special interest.
The kits should also have a "Wow, I built this and it works!" factor.
If you know of such a kit, please let us know by filling out a simple
form here by October 31.
> SOLAR UPDATE
Tad Cook, K7RA, reports: Sunspot activity rose this week, with the
average daily sunspot numbers up more than 45 points to 97, while the
average daily solar flux rose more than 24 points to 129.2. We saw high
geomagnetic activity on October 12-14, with the planetary A index at
12, 38 and 19, the college A index (in Alaska) at 18, 70 and 33 and the
mid-latitude A index (measured in Virginia) at 12, 28 and 20. On
October 13, a solar wind spilled through a gap in the Earth's
magnetosphere, making for unsettled conditions, and aurora were seen
across the northern tier states in the US. The latest prediction is for
the solar flux to peak at 135 (not at 150 as predicted earlier) for
October 18-21, 130 on October 22-23, 125 on October 24, 130 on October
25-28, then down to 125, 120, 115, 110, 105 and 100 for October
29-November 3, and then 105 on November 4-5, peaking again at 140 on
November 12-14. The predicted planetary A index is 8 on October 18-19,
5 and 8 on October 20-21, 5 on October 22-November 7, then 10, 20, 15,
12, 8, 8, 10 and 8 on November 8-15, and down to 5 again on November 16
through the end of November. Look for more on the ARRL website on
Friday, October 19. For more information concerning radio propagation,
visit the ARRL Technical Information Service Propagation page
.
This Week in Radiosport
This week:
- October 15-19 -- ARRL School Club Roundup
- October 19 -- NCCC Sprint, MCG Autumn Sprint
- October 20 -- Iowa QSO Party; Feld Hell Sprint
- October 20-21 -- New York QSO Party; 10-10 International Fall Contest
(CW); Stew Perry Topband Challenge; JARTS WW RTTY Contest; Worked All
Germany Contest; Araucaria VHF Contest; 10-10 International Fall
Contest (CW); W/VE Islands QSO Party
- October 21 -- Asia-Pacific Fall Sprint (CW); UBA ON Contest (2
meters)
- October 21-22 -- Illinois QSO Party
- October 22 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest
- October 24 -- SKCC Sprint
- October 24-25 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test
Next week:
- October 26 -- NCCC Sprint
- October 27-28 -- CQ WW DX Contest (SSB)
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
- 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
- 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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