The ARRL Letter
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
October 25, 2012
Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive
Audio News
IN THIS ISSUE
- FCC News: FCC Seeks Comments on Proposed Changes to Amateur Licensing
Rules, Emission Types
- Public Service: Hurricane Sandy Now a Category 2 Storm
- Get Ready for the 7th Annual ARRL On-Line Auction
- On the Air: Fun and Excitement Fill the Airwaves for the 2012 ARRL
November CW Sweepstakes
- ARRL HQ: W1AW Receives Semi-Annual Antenna Inspection, New Antenna
for 160 Meters
- Nominations Now Open for the George Hart Distinguished Service Award
- Solar Update
- This Week in Radiosport
There will be no ARRL Audio News
on Thursday, October 25. The Audio News will return on Thursday,
November 1.
> FCC NEWS: FCC SEEKS COMMENTS ON PROPOSED CHANGES TO AMATEUR
LICENSING RULES, EMISSION TYPES
Earlier this month, the FCC released
a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM
)
-- WT Docket No. 12-283 -- proposing to amend the Part 97 rules
governing the Amateur Radio Service. On October 24, a summary of the
NPRM was published in the Federal Register
and the FCC is seeking comments on it.
Specifically, the Commission is proposing to modify the Amateur
Radio Service rules to grant examination credit for expired and
beyond-the-grace-period-for-renewal Amateur Radio operator licenses; to
shorten the grace period during which an expired amateur license may be
renewed; to revise the time a call sign is not available to the vanity
call sign system correspondingly, and to reduce the number of volunteer
examiners needed to administer an amateur license examination. The NPRM
also asks for comment on amending the rules to permit remote test
administration, and proposes to amend the Amateur Radio Service rules
to allow amateur stations to transmit certain additional emission
types.
Comments must be filed on or before December 24, 2012 (60 days after
publication in the Federal Register); reply comments must be filed on
or before January 22, 2013 (90 days after publication in the Federal
Register). Instructions on how to file comments are listed beginning on
page 12 of the NPRM.
> PUBLIC SERVICE: HURRICANE SANDY NOW A CATEGORY 2 STORM
As Hurricane Sandy -- now a Category 2 storm -- heads toward the
Bahamas, both the Hurricane Watch Net and the VoIP Hurricane Net are
supporting WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio station at the National Hurricane
Center. As of 8 AM (EDT) on Thursday, October 25, Sandy was moving
toward the north between the northeast coast of Cuba and the Central
Bahamas (about 130 miles south of the Bahamas and 75 miles northeast of
Cuba) with maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per hour. Read more
here .
> GET READY FOR THE 7TH ANNUAL ARRL ON-LINE AUCTION
The Seventh Annual ARRL On-Line Auction
is now open for bidding! 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.
> ON THE AIR: FUN AND EXCITEMENT FILL THE AIRWAVES FOR THE 2012 ARRL
NOVEMBER CW SWEEPSTAKES
Steeped in tradition and still as exciting as ever, the 79th Annual
ARRL Sweepstakes offers US and Canadian operators a fun-filled contest
opportunity again this fall. First up is CW Sweepstakes during the
weekend of November 3-5. "You don't have to have a huge station with
large antennas to have fun in Sweepstakes," explained ARRL Sweepstakes
Manager Larry Hammel, K5OT. "Maybe you have 100 W and a backyard dipole
or vertical. Or perhaps the challenge of a 5 W QRP effort hits your hot
button this year. You will be amazed at the number of stations you can
work as you trade exchanges all over the continent."
This year, with four new Canadian Sections, the November Sweepstakes
will be a bit different: In August, the RAC split its Ontario Section
into four new Sections: Ontario East (ONE), Ontario North (ONN),
Ontario South (ONS) and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Contesters now
need to work 83 sections to earn the coveted Clean Sweep. Read more
here
.
> ARRL HQ: W1AW RECEIVES SEMI-ANNUAL ANTENNA INSPECTION, NEW ANTENNA
FOR 160 METERS
On October 24, Matt Strelow, KC1XX, and Andrew Toth of XX Towers
came to Newington to inspect the antennas and towers at W1AW, the Hiram
Percy Maxim Memorial Station, and W1HQ, the Laird Campbell Memorial HQ
Operators Club. In addition to the annual autumn inspections, they also
repaired some of the W1AW antennas.Strelow and Toth replaced the 160
meter dipole located atop the Rohn 65 (120 foot) tower. The antenna --
used for both station broadcasts and visitor operations -- was damaged
in a windstorm a few weeks ago. "I'm happy that we now have a new 160
meter dipole," said W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q. "I missed
W1AW being active on 160 meters, as did other radio amateurs. The
station's 1300 W 160 meter signal now has someplace to go." Read more
here
.
> NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN FOR THE GEORGE HART DISTINGUISHED SERVICE
AWARD
Each year at its Annual Meeting in January, the ARRL Board of Directors
bestows the George Hart Distinguished Service Award to a League member
whose service to the ARRL's Field Organization is of the most exemplary
nature. This award is named in honor of George Hart, W1NJM, long-time
Communications Manager at ARRL Headquarters and chief developer of the
National Traffic System.
Selection criteria for the George Hart Distinguished Service Award
include:
- Operating record with the National Traffic System, or
- Participation within the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), or
- Station appointments and/or leadership positions held within the
Field Organization.
Nominations for the George Hart Distinguished Service Award shall be
accepted from anyone and shall be submitted to the Membership and
Volunteer Programs Manager at ARRL Headquarters by November 1.
Nominations should document as thoroughly as possible the nominee's
lifetime activities and achievements within the ARRL Field
Organization. It is expected that nominated candidates will have 15 or
more years of distinguished service. The Programs and Services
Committee will serve as the Review Committee, with the Board of
Directors making the final determination at its Annual Meeting in
January. Recipients will be given an engraved plaque and cover letter,
and will be profiled in QST .
Nominations for the 2013 George Hart Distinguished Service Award,
including any related supporting material and letters of
recommendation, may be e-mailed to ARRL Headquarters to the attention
of ARRL Membership and Volunteer Programs Manager Dave Patton, NN1N
, or to ARRL Field and Public Service Team Supervisor
Steve Ewald, WV1X . Nominations and supporting materials
must be received no later than November 1, 2012 to be considered.
> SOLAR UPDATE
Tad Cook, K7RA, reports: The average daily sunspot numbers for
October 18-24 were down 1.7 points from the previous seven days, to
95.3, while the average daily solar flux rose 14.7 points to 143.9.
Geomagnetic activity was quieter, with all daily planetary A index
measures in the single digits. As of October 24, NOAA and the US Air
Force are predicting the solar flux to be at 135 on October 25-26, 130
on October 27-29, 125 on October 30-November 1, 100 on November 2-3,
then 105 and 110 on October 4-5, 115 on October 6-7, 120 on November
8-11, 125 on November 12-13, then peaking at 145 on November 18 and
dropping back to 100 on November 29-30. The predicted planetary A index
is 5 on October 25-November 7, then 10, 20 and 15 on November 8-10, 5
on November 11-17, 10 on November 18-19, and back down to 5 on November
20-December 4. On October 23, sunspot 1598 emitted an X-1 class solar
flare. This region is still rotating into the most geoeffective
position toward the center of the solar disc, relative to Earth. There
is a chance of more solar flares in the next couple of days. Look for
more on the ARRL website on Friday, October 26. For more information
concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information
Service Propagation page
.
> THIS WEEK IN RADIOSPORT
This week:
- October 26 -- NCCC Sprint
- October 27-28 -- CQ WW DX Contest (SSB)
Next week:
- November 2 -- NCCC Sprint
- November 3 -- IPARC Contest (CW)
- November 3-4 -- ARRL EME Contest ;
Ukrainian DX Contest
- November 3-5 -- ARRL November Sweepstakes (CW)
- November 4 -- IPARC Contest (SSB); High Speed Club CW Contest; DARC
10 Meter Digital Contest
- November 6 -- 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
- 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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