[CVRC] The ARRL Letter, Vol 26, No 35 (Friday, August 31, 2007)
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***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 26, No. 35
August 31, 2007
***************
IN THIS EDITION:
* + FCC Issues Two Citations in Longstanding Power Line Noise Case
* + Tennessee Amateur Finds Innovative Way to Promote Ham Radio
* + Michigan Hams Activated Due to Storms and Tornado
* + ARRL Announces New Fall Publications
* + Lab Testing Changes Detailed in October QST
* + ARRL Continues Efforts on Interference to PAVE PAWS Radar Sites
* Solar Update
* IN BRIEF:
This Weekend on the Radio
ARRL Continuing Education Course Registration
+ ARRL Headquarters Closed in Observance of Labor Day
+ Upcoming Meteor Shower Can Be Boon for VHFers
ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference Sunday Seminar Announced
Malaysia to Celebrate 50 Years of Independence with Amateur Radio Event
QEX -- In This Issue
Let Us Know
+Available on ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/>
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==> FCC ISSUES TWO CITATIONS IN LONGSTANDING POWER LINE NOISE CASE
The Federal Communications Commission's Dallas
Field Office issued Citations on July 25 to two
utilities in a longstanding power line noise case
in Lubbock, Texas. Bryan Edwards, W5KFT, of
Lubbock, first reported the interference
concerning the two involved utilities, Lubbock
Power & Light (LP&L) and Xcel Energy, as early as
1994. The record shows that the FCC Dallas Field
Office clarified the FCC rules with regard to
power line noise for LP&L as early as 1998, and
issued three letters to LP&L in 2003 and 2004.
Xcel Energy was first issued an FCC letter in 2004.
The Citations to the Lubbock utilities said that
due to an investigation conducted by the FCC's
Dallas office May 22-25, 2007, they found that
both LP&L and Xcel "caused harmful interference
to the reception of amateur communications to
amateur licensee W5KFT in Lubbock, Texas," and
that "Section 15.209 sets the general radiated
emission limits for intentional radiators. The
limit for the band 30 to 88 MHz is 100
micro-volts per meter measured at 3 meters. The
attached list of strong electrical arcing points
appears to exceed the value allowed even for
intentional radiators." The list, attached to
each Citation, included 44 separate "strong
electrical arcing points" that were found near Edwards' home.
The FCC directed both LP&L and Xcel, pursuant to
the Commission's Rules, to provide documents and
information within 10 days of their respective
Citations. "Because the source of harmful
interference is emanating from more than one
power company and past attempts have not resolved
the problem, you must submit a written plan
describing the planned resolution of this case,"
including LP&L's coordination with Xcel Energy
and Xcel's coordination with LP&L, according to
the Citations. Also, each company is "directed to
provide a report every sixty (60) days, of work
completed to resolve the interference until your
distribution system is in compliance."
Each Lubbock utility was warned that
"[v]iolations of the Act or the Commission's
Rules may subject the violator to substantial
monetary forfeitures, seizure of equipment
through in rem forfeiture action, and criminal
sanctions, including imprisonment." In rem is a
civil forfeiture proceeding as opposed to a criminal forfeiture proceeding.
In its undated Response to the FCC's Citation,
LP&L stated that it "does not admit to and
specifically denies any violation of the
[Communications] Act [of 1934] or any rule
pertaining thereto," but "in order to comply with
the...Citation, the City of Lubbock files this
response." As a result of the Citations issued by
the FCC, LP&L's Response stated that
representatives from "Lubbock Power & Light met
with Paul Leonard, P.E., Area Engineer with Xcel
Energy to discuss the alleged findings regarding
harmful interference to the reception of amateur
communications by amateur licensee W5KFT in Lubbock, Texas."
Xcel's Response pointed out that the Citation
acknowledges "that the source of harmful
interference to amateur licensee W5KFT is
emanating from more than one power company." Xcel
also alleges that it "has been working with
amateur W5KFT for a number of years in an effort
to identify the source of, and a possible
resolution for, the harmful interference he is
experiencing. Xcel Energy has a good working
relationship with the licensee and has
coordinated with him on numerous occasions in
attempting to resolve his interference problems."
Xcel goes on to assure the FCC that it will
"retain an outside technical consultant to
provide an unbiased assessment of whether the
harmful interference to W5KFT is attributable to
Xcel Energy's power system and if so, what
corrective measures would be required." Edwards
reported that on Thursday, August 30, he received
a phone call from Paul Leonard, head of Xcel
Energy in West Texas. Edwards said he was told
that Xcel has contracted with Mike Martin, K3RFI,
to come out to Lubbock in October to work on the
line noise. "Leonard said they tried to get LP&L
to participate with them and Mike, but they
refused to do so," Edwards said. Martin owns and
operates RFI Services, a firm dedicated
exclusively to RFI locating and training. He has
been locating interference sources for more than
25 years, solving an average of 500 complaints a
year, according to the ARRL Lab. Martin has also
given power line interference workshops at ARRL Headquarters.
ARRL Lab Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, said, "I am
pleased to see the FCC taking a strong
enforcement step in this case. It has gone on for
a long time, and this Citation should serve to
finally get things resolved. It is unfortunate
that some of the power line cases the ARRL is
handling can't be resolved without the FCC taking
formal action, but I expect that electric
utilities across the country will now take notice of this case."
Most power line noise sources in fact can be
located quickly and economically, Gruber said;
many utilities in fact handle power line noise
complaints as a matter of routine maintenance.
"All it takes is a properly trained RFI
investigator with modern noise locating
equipment. By using noise signature techniques,
the utilities would have had only to address
those sources actually contributing to the
problem. The message to utilities here is clear.
Don't ignore power line noise complaints! Don't make the FCC get involved!"
For more information on this story, as well as
links to the ARRL report, the FCC's Citations and
the utilities' Responses, please see the ARRL Web
site <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2007/08/30/100/?nc=1>.
==> TENNESSEE AMATEUR FINDS INNOVATIVE WAY TO PROMOTE HAM RADIO
About three years ago, Cliff Segar, KD4GT, and
his wife Kati were looking for another place to
live. After months of looking, they found their
dream house in Rockwood, Tennessee. There was
just one problem -- it was right on Interstate 40.
Two billboards were located within the Segar's
new property. "They don't provide much in the way
of income; basically just paying the annual
property taxes in 'rural' Tennessee. Of the two
billboards, Segar said the one "up front (from
our house perspective)" is the prime space. It is
larger and lighted and in use. The other
billboard was not rented, and it was getting run
down, with brush and trees overtaking its view from the Interstate.
This year, the ground lease for the two
billboards came up for renewal. Segar said that
this was his opportunity to do something useful.
"Basically, the new lease for the previously
unused billboard stipulated that the billboard
company had the obligation to keep the brush and
vegetation clear and, 'when the sign is not sold,
lessee will agree to provide and install a vinyl
face advertising Amateur Radio activities.'"
Segar said that the only way the billboard
company would agree to this stipulation was if
they provided the vinyl facing at their expense.
"This was even better than I thought it would be.
Since the sign had not been sold at any time in
the prior three years, I expect to see the sign
for quite a long time," Segar said.
With the new lease signed, Segar sent an e-mail
to ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen
Pitts, W1AGP, to let him know of this exciting
development. "In case anyone is wondering if
anyone in Newington reads e-mail, they do -- and
frequently. In about an hour, Allen called me to
work out the details," Segar said. Within two
days, the ARRL graphics department had created
the design for the vinyl facing.
"The only thing I requested," Segar said, "was to
have a couple of 2 meter repeater frequencies
listed for use by those of you driving past. The
one repeater was basically a must since the Roane
County Amateur Radio Club, in a moment of
collective weakness, elected me president for the
year. The only problem is that KE4RX/r is behind
anyone who sees the sign. We needed a repeater
that would continue to work with them for the
next 30-plus miles." After a few discussions with
Paul Drothler, WO4U, in Crossville, Tennessee,
W4NSA/r was deemed the flagship repeater for use
westbound. According to Segar, it is the primary
repeater used by ARES during severe weather or
other emergency situations. "If you are ever on
I-40 between Cookville and Knoxville, dial in
146.895, pl 118.8 or 147.015+ and give a call. We
will try to be listening, but please don't report
that you caused an emergency slowing down to look at the sign!"
Segar says this billboard is not about him -- it
is about Amateur Radio and the ways hams can
promote it: "With the constant pressure from
commercial interests on the spectrum allocated to
the Amateur Radio Service, we all need to do
something to promote the public benefit of the
Amateur Radio Service. We are to be more than a
hobby. It is part of our licensing agreement. It
is even part of our name. We are to be a Service.
I strongly urge everyone to think seriously about
how they can be a service to their community
through Amateur Radio. ARES is a good primary
start and one that is most visible to the leaders
of your community. Providing communication at
public service events is another. But there are
many more. To use an overworked cliché, think
outside the box. Become involved. Getting a DXCC
or WAS award is great. A 5BDXCC shows even more
dedication but it really doesn't help 'pay' for
the spectrum we enjoy. Your city mayor or county
supervisors really don't care that y!
ou managed to work Peter I Island on five bands
at the bottom of the sunspot cycle -- there's
nothing in it for them. Each of us needs to show
our elected and appointed officials that Amateur
Radio really is a high quality and vital Service
to them. The sooner that happens, the easier it
will be to put up that new antenna you've been wanting."
He continued: "Be innovative. The great folks in
Newington are ready, willing and able to help
you. Join the ARRL and get involved. Join a local
club. Get active in ARES, RACES or a local CERT
group. Spend a Saturday with a handheld radio at
a parade. You and the thousands of other licensed
operators in the Amateur Radio Service worldwide
will continue to enjoy the challenges, joys and
magic of Amateur Radio. This billboard is only
part of my contribution. What's yours?"
==> MICHIGAN HAMS ACTIVATED DUE TO STORMS AND TORNADO
On Friday, August 24 at 5:15 PM (EDT), the
National Weather Service issued a severe
thunderstorm warning for Genesee County. This
storm produced two tornados in the mid-Michigan
area that caused severe damage to several towns.
The greatest damage occurred in the City of
Fenton located just south of Flint. The NWS
confirmed that an EF2 tornado had touched down
and had torn a path 26 miles long and up to 0.5
miles wide through Livingston, Oakland, Genesee
and Lapeer County, damaging at least 250 homes
and businesses. An EF2 tornado, using the
Enhanced Fujita scale, is a wind estimate of
110-135 MPH in a three-second gust. More than
12,000 people lost power due to the storms.
Before the tornado hit, Michigan's Genesee County
ARES and SKYWARN were activated due to a severe
thunderstorm watch. The storm moved into the
county with such heavy rain that visibility
dropped down to zero at several points. Funnel
clouds were seen in the western part of the
county, but these could not be confirmed. The NWS
issued a Tornado Warning based on confirmed
sightings in the adjacent counties to the west,
as well as reports from their Doppler radar.
As spotters continued to watch the storm, Randy
Bond, N8VDS, spotted the funnel heading for
Fenton and reported it to the NWS via his ham
radio; Fred Moses Jr, W8FSM, confirmed the
sighting. Moments later, the Genesee County 911
central dispatch center received a call that the
roof on the brand new Tractor Supply Company
store in Fenton had caved in and that the tornado
had touched down. About half of the Fenton
Community Center's roof was blown off, and debris
from the building blew across the road to Fenton United Methodist Church.
Genesee County 911 called out the fire
departments and activated their Fire Coordination
Plan. Ham radio spotters have an agreement with
Genesee County fire departments to provide
supplemental communications for the departments.
Hams were providing communications via the
SKYWARN net and the Fire Coordination net.
As the county's fire departments started to move
toward the building collapse in Fenton, hams were
already on the scene. Bond and Mike Schafer,
KB8RVP, shifted gears from weather spotters to
Fire Coordination operators. At the request of
the fire chief at the scene, Bond went to the
Fenton City fire station and, using ham radio,
assisted their dispatch center; the storm had
damaged their radio fire communications tower, so
Bond and Schafer started working dispatch for
them using their ham radios until the dispatch
center was able to resume normal fire communications.
Jerry Baker, KD8AYL, was next to arrive on the
scene at the collapsed building and after meeting
with the Incident Commander, Baker was assigned
the task of setting up radio communications with
more ARES volunteers in the Flint region.
As more reports of damage came in, the Fenton
City and Township Fire Department became
overloaded; their crippled communications tower
did not help matters. ARES Emergency Coordinator
for Genesee County Greg Ybarra, N8HXQ,
coordinated the response during this incident and
put out a call for help to District 3 Emergency
Coordinator Greg Allinger, WA8OGJ. Allinger
contacted other ARES units in the state, and
Amateur Radio operators from nine Michigan
counties responded to the Fenton area to help.
Evaluation of the damage started immediately
after the storm. Baker was reassigned to a relief
shelter to aid the Red Cross. What would normally
have been a drive of less than 10 minutes took
almost an hour due to trees and power lines down
everywhere. "Trees as much as 36 inches in
diameter and more than 100 years old had been
ripped out of the ground by the storm; regular
electric power was out and the damage reports
just never seemed to end," he said.
The Genesee County Office of Emergency Management
activated their Mobile Command Unit. The MCU has
an Amateur Radio station in it, as well as radios
for all public service organizations. The city
set up a command post in the parking lot of the
Fenton City fire department and began operations
from there. Michigan State Police responded to
the area and instituted an 8 PM curfew for
everyone. State and local police set up road
blocks. Access was restricted to police, fire,
National Guard, Red Cross, Salvation Army or ARES.
ARES volunteers worked with all aspects of the
incident. Damage reports and assessments
continued until 1:30 AM Saturday when the
Incident Commander determined everyone should
break until 5:30 AM to get some rest.
==> ARRL ANNOUNCES NEW FALL PUBLICATIONS
The ARRL has announced its new fall publications
lineup. ARRL Sales and Marketing Manager Bob
Inderbitzen, NQ1R, said, "ARRL's fall lineup
includes the biggest new publication
introductions this year. These new books will
keep you current with rapid advances in radio operating and experimentation."
The ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications - 2008
(Eighty-Fifth Edition) uniquely serves both
amateur experimenters and industry practitioners,
emphasizing connections between basic theory and
application. This 85th edition is both a useful
introduction to radio communication and a source
for answers to questions about every aspect of
the state-of-the-art. Topics include Amateur
Radio licensing requirements and operating
activities, fundamental and advanced electronics
and communications concepts, radio propagation
and antenna theory, practical projects, repair
techniques, references and much more. The
Handbook includes descriptions for new and
emerging wireless technologies involving digital
signal processing (DSP) innovations, and radio
applications utilizing software and the Internet.
The book is filled with valuable references,
practical examples and projects. The CD-ROM at
the back of the book includes all of the fully
searchable text and illustrations in the printed bo!
ok, as well as companion software, PC board
templates and other support files.
Revisions to the 2008 Handbook include new filter
theory and design examples, including a HF/6
meter high-power low-pass filter project, and
revised and expanded RF safety content --
including new insights into RF safety regulations
and research. New projects include: MKII updated
universal QRP transmitter; MicroR2 receiver and
MicroT2 transmitter; ID-O-Matic-10-minute ID
timer for individual, repeater or beacon control;
simple computer-to-transceiver serial port
interface and USB interface; keying adapter to
interface vintage radios with modern gear (CW
keying or amplifier TR keying), and more.
The softcover edition of the Handbook sells for
$44.95; the hardcover sells for $59.95. As an
early bird bonus, the ARRL Software Library for
Hams CD-ROM, v 2.0, will be included with each
Handbook ordered before October 31, 2007; this is
a $20 value. The CD includes quick access to
utilities, applications, and information;
software for contesting, digital voice, HF
digital (PSK31, MFSK16, MT63, and RTTY), meteor
scatter and moonbounce, book excerpts and more,
as well as programs for APRS, Winlink 2000,
packet radio and satellite tracking. Both
editions will be available in early October.
ARRL's HF Digital Handbook -- Fourth Edition is
your guide to understanding the most active HF
digital communication modes in use today. There
is something here for every radio operator --
beginners and more advanced operators alike. And,
as this technology rapidly advances, your
increased understanding of digital communication
techniques will make certain that you stay in the
race as new modes and methods unfold. This 4th
edition book includes expanded station setup
information, discussion of PSKMail and other
varieties of PSK, new content on Olivia,
DominoEX, HF digital voice and image modes, and
Automatic Link Establishment. Are you just
getting started with exploring digital
communications? All it takes is your
sound-card-equipped computer and your HF
transceiver. ARRL's HF Digital Handbook will
guide you through the rest. This softcover book
will be available in early October for $19.95.
ARRL's Low Power Communication -- Third Edition
shows how you can explore the excitement of
low-power radio operating. Discover how to build
and operate low-power radio gear - the QRP way,
with sections on equipment and station
accessories, antennas and operating strategies.
There are new sections on Emergency Communication
and surplus military equipment, including how to
restore and use this classic radio hardware. This
book can be purchased alone for $19.95 and
includes the complete assembly manual for the MFJ
Cub Transceiver Kit, or with the MFJ-9340K 40M
QRP-Cub CW Transceiver Kit for $99.95. Both
editions will be available in early October.
FCC Rules and Regulations for the Amateur Radio
Service is now available for only $5.95. The new
8-1/2 x 11 reference contains the complete Part
97 rules from Title 47 of the Code of Federal
Regulations, effective February 23, 2007.
Antenna Compendium Volume 4, the popular antenna
book from 1995, is being reprinted due to
increasing demand. This is the fourth in the
popular ARRL Antenna Compendium series. You'll
find 38 articles inside, covering a wide range of
topics. There are simple, practical antenna
projects, and there are heavy-duty, theoretical
treatments of complex arrays. When the sunspots
are low, head for the low-bands - seven articles
are devoted to 80 and 160 meters, including some
truly gargantuan arrays. There are articles for
mobile work, too. A section on portable or
temporary antennas that will get you thinking
about Field Day in June, regardless of what time
of year you read it. The Antenna Compendium
Volume 4 will be available in September for only $20.
AC Power Interference Handbook, 3rd edition,
revised, looks at the causes, effects, locating
and correction of power-line and electrical
interference, and includes a new locating
concept! "This easy-to-read, very practical book,
is a must for anyone responsible for solving
interference problems." -- Vern Chartier, past
chairman, IEEE T&D Committee. AC Power
Interference Handbook is written by Marv
Loftness, KB7KK, and published by Percival
Technology. ARRL is the worldwide distributor for this title.
These books, as well as the complete ARRL
library, are available from the ARRL Online store
<http://www.arrl.org/catalog/>.
==> LAB TESTING CHANGES DETAILED IN OCTOBER QST
In the upcoming October issue of QST, the ARRL
Lab introduces a series of significant new
receiver tests. These are the result of
development work and discussions with
professionals in the radio industry over a period of several years.
One new test concerns receiver blocking gain
compression and reciprocal mixing. The ARRL Lab
describes Blocking Dynamic Range (BDR) as "a
condition in which the weak [desired] signal is
'blocked' or suppressed" by a strong interfering
signal. This is also known as desense or
overload. In some cases, the cause is a reduction
in receiver gain. In other cases ("noise limited"
measurements), the cause is an increase in the
receiver's internal noise due to the noise
sidebands of the local oscillator mixing together
with the strong interferer (also known as
"reciprocal mixing"). The level of the noise
masks the gain reduction effect on the desired
signal. Instead of reporting the BDR as a noise
limited measurement, the Lab will now be using
narrow-band measurement techniques to "dig out"
the desired signal on noise-limited measurements
and determine the point of gain reduction.
To distinguish from earlier measurements, the
name will be changed to "Blocking Gain
Compression." A separate reciprocal mixing test
indicates the level of noise increase within the
receiver caused by the interfering signal.
Together, these two measurements provide more
information about how the receiver behaves with a
single strong interfering signal.
From 1983 onward, ARRL Product Review published
IP3 (third order intercept) figures for receivers
based on a noise floor intermodulation distortion
(IMD) response level. In 1993, the level was
changed to a response that produced an S5 reading
on the receiver's own S-meter. The decision was
based largely on this being a more typical
average of signals that would be found on the
bands. The drawbacks to this approach are that
there is a great variation in S-meters from
receiver to receiver (see Product Review, April
2005) and it overlooks the significant change
that can often be observed in receivers at higher signal levels.
With this in mind, the ARRL Lab has decided to
measure and report IP3 at three levels. The
lowest level measurement is made at the noise
floor, as has been done in the past. The middle
level is done at a standard level of -97 dBm,
defined as S5 in the IARU Region 1 standard for
S-meters. For the highest level, instead of
selecting a particular receiver response, the
maximum level of expected interferer will be set
to 0 dBm (S9 + 73 dB by the IARU standard, a loud
signal indeed!). These three levels taken
together should present the best overall view of
a receiver's total performance, with each level
being most useful in a particular context. For
example, someone doing SSB or CW work on VHF
would care most about the receiver performance at
the noise floor, while on HF, an S5 level would be more useful.
According to ARRL Lab Test Manager Mike Tracy,
KC1SX, members frequently ask why manufacturers'
sensitivity specifications are given in
microvolts but Product Review measurements are
reported in dBm (decibels relative to a
milliwatt). He said, "The chief reason is that
manufacturers typically do not include a
bandwidth in their specification, and
measurements in different bandwidths are not
directly comparable. All other things being
equal, there is more noise power in a 3 kHz
bandwidth than a 2.4 kHz bandwidth. To overcome
that limitation, the sensitivity testing is done
with a 500 Hz bandwidth filter, or as close to
that as is available. This permits reasonable
comparisons of different receivers." Although the
filters that a receiver has cannot be changed,
the variation in actual bandwidth can be
determined by calculating the Equivalent
Rectangular Bandwidth (ERBW). This is the width
that the filter would have if it passed the same
noise power and possessed the "ideal" sha!
pe of vertical sides and a flat passband response.
For more on the changes coming in future Product
Reviews, be sure to check out the October issue of QST.
==> ARRL CONTINUES EFFORTS ON INTERFERENCE TO PAVE PAWS RADAR SITES
On August 13, the ARRL began sending "specific
mitigation reduction numbers" to 122 repeater
owners, recommending that they reduce their
signal anywhere from 7 dB to 56 dB, according to
ARRL Regulatory Information Branch Manager Dan
Henderson, N1ND. These reductions, requested by
the US Air Force and the Department of Defense,
only concern those repeaters identified by the
DoD as affecting the PAVE PAWS radar system.
"Some reductions are going to be attainable,"
Henderson said. "You can do 7 dB, but 56?" He
said such a reduction would "not be realistic to
achieve. While many of the affected repeater
owners may not be able to achieve the required
reductions, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't
try to meet the goal. Everyone involved needs to
continue trying to meet the DoD's requirements.
This gives us the best chance to keep as many of
these machines as possible on the air."
Henderson stressed that any order to shut down a
repeater will come from the Federal
Communications Commission, at the request of the
DoD. "This situation only affects those repeaters
on the DoD's list in Massachusetts and
California. It does not affect the everyday,
casual user of 70 cm. This is not a wide-spread threat to the 70 cm band."
Citing an increasing number of interference
complaints, the US Air Force has asked the FCC to
order dozens of repeater systems to either
mitigate interference to the PAVE PAWS radars or
shut down. The ARRL has been working with the DoD
to develop a plan to mitigate alleged
interference from 70 cm ham radio repeaters to
this military radar system on both coasts.
According to the DoD, the in-band interference
from Amateur Radio fixed FM voice repeaters has
increased to an unacceptable level. PAVE PAWS
radars are used for national security functions,
including early detection of sea-launched
missiles. They are critical to our national
defense and are in use 24 hours per day, seven days per week.
The Amateur Radio Service is a secondary user in
the 420-450 MHz (70 cm) band, both by the Table
of Frequency Allocations and the FCC Part 97
regulations. As such, Amateur Radio licensees,
jointly and individually, bear the responsibility
of mitigating or eliminating any harmful
interference to the primary user, which in this
case is the Government Radiolocation Service that
includes the DoD PAVE PAWS systems.
==>SOLAR UPDATE
Tad "I'm Melting in the Sun, and This Is What
They Call the Life" Cook, K7RA, this week
reports: Sunspot numbers pulled up from zero this
week, but barely. Average daily sunspot numbers
rose more than nine points to 12.9. Geomagnetic
conditions were quiet. Conditions have been quiet
for so long that we may not appreciate this, as
many of us wish for more solar activity and
sunspots. Geophysical Institute Prague predicted
earlier that August 31 would be quiet to
unsettled, September 1 unsettled to active,
unsettled conditions September 2-3, quiet
September 4-5 and unsettled to active again on
September 6. Over the same period, the US Air
Force predicts planetary A index of 15, 25, 12,
12, 8, 5 and 15 for August 31-September 6. From
the same prediction, it looks like September 8-17
may see a return of zero sunspot days. Sunspot
numbers for August 23 through 29 were 12, 12, 14,
13, 12, 14 and 13 with a mean of 12.9. The 10.7
cm flux was 70.8, 71.6, 71.5, 70.1, 69.2, 70.1 and 69!
.6 with a mean of 70.4. Estimated planetary A
indices were 2, 2, 8, 10, 12, 11 and 4 with a
mean of 7. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were
1, 1, 6, 10, 10, 9 and 4 with a mean of 5.9. For
more information concerning radio propagation,
visit the ARRL Technical Information Service
Propagation page <http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html>.
__________________________________
==>IN BRIEF:
* This weekend on the radio: This weekend, look
for the NCCC Sprint (CW) on August 31. The
Russian RTTY WW Contest and the Wake-Up! QRP
Sprint are on September 1. On September 1-2,
check out the All Asian DX Contest (Phone), RSGB
Field Day (SSB) and IARU Region 1 Field Day
(SSB). The DARC 10 Meter Digital Contest is
September 2, while the MI QRP Labor Day CW Sprint
is September 3-4 and the ARS Spartan Sprint is
September 4. Next week, don't forget the ARRL
September VHF QSO Party, scheduled for September
8-10. The NCCC Sprint (CW) and the AGCW Straight
Key Party are September 7. Another NCCC Sprint
(CW), the SOC Marathon Sprint and the Swiss HTC
QRP Sprint are September 8. The WAE DX Contest
(SSB) and the Arkansas QSO Party are scheduled
for September 8-9. The North American Sprint (CW)
and the ARCI End of Summer Digital Sprint are
both September 9. The Tennessee QSO Party is
September 9-10, while the YLRL Howdy Days are
September 11-13. See the ARRL Contest Branch page <htt!
p://www.arrl.org/contests/>, the ARRL
Contester's Rate Sheet
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/rate-sheet/> and
the WA7BNM Contest Calendar
<http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more info.
* ARRL Continuing Education course registration:
Registration remains open through Sunday,
September 9, 2007, for these online courses
beginning on Friday September 21: Amateur Radio
Emergency Communications Level 2 (EC-002);
Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 3
(EC-003R2); Antenna Modeling (EC-004); HF Digital
Communications (EC-005); VHF/UHF -- Life Beyond
the Repeater (EC-008), and Radio Frequency
Propagation (EC-011). To learn more, visit the
CCE Course Listing page
<http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> or contact
the Continuing Education Program Coordinator <cce at arrl.org>.
* ARRL Headquarters Closed 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 fun Labor Day holiday.
* Upcoming Meteor Shower Can Be Boon for VHFers:
VHFers, particularly those interested in meteor
scatter, should be on the alert Saturday morning,
September 1, for what could be a rare opportunity
of excellent propagation. At 1137 UTC (+/- 20
minutes), the Earth's orbit will cross through
the dust trail of long-period comet C/1911 N1
(Kiess), which is expected to provide a short but
active two hour outburst of bright (-2 to +3
magnitude) meteors radiating from the
constellation Auriga. Predicted rates for this
particular Aurigids vary from around 100 meteors
per hour to up to 1000. If high rates are
achieved, the meteors could provide "open-band"
conditions during the peak times. It might
certainly be worth a look on 2 meters (or higher)
during the hour leading up to the peak and
through the peak time period. The meteor radiant
is ideally placed for North Americans, so the
more stations that are active, the more people
can take advantage of what might possibly happen in the !
sky on Saturday morning. If conditions turn out
to be excellent, the best mode for information
exchange will be on SSB, keeping calls and
transmissions very short and exchanging minimal
information, such as signal reports or grids. As
usual, the best frequency on 2 meters will likely
be 144.200 MHz, with stations spreading out from
there if conditions warrant. -- Information provided by Steve McDonald, VE7SL
* ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference
Sunday Seminar Announced: Robert McGwier, N4HY,
will present "A Stroll through Software Radio,
Information Theory and Some Applications" at the
ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference
Sunday Seminar in Hartford, Connecticut on
September 30. The seminar will cover the basic
building blocks of a simple software radio
system, as well as a discussion of information
theory and its practical use in communication
systems. As time permits, McGwier plans to
demonstrate several software radio systems
ranging from the Softrock40 to the GnuRadio/USRP
and the Flex5000. Attendees will receive packages
containing tutorials and software. McGwier is the
chairman of the ARRL Software Defined Radio
Working Group, a member of the SDR Forum and a
contributor to GnuRadio and vice president of
engineering for AMSAT-NA. He is co-author with
Frank Brickle, AB2KT, of DttSP, a software radio
suite used in Flex Radio's PowerSDR to operate its SDR transc!
eivers. The ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications
Conference will be held September 28-30 at the
Doubletree Hotel in Windsor Locks, Connecticut,
just north of Hartford. For more information and
registration, see the conference's Web site
<http://www.tapr.org/dcc>, or call the TAPR
office at 972-671-8277. Tickets for the Sunday
Seminar are $25 and are separate from the conference registration fee.
* Malaysia to Celebrate 50 Years of Independence
with Amateur Radio Event: Radio amateurs in
Malaysia will celebrate its 50 years of
independence from Great Britain with a nationwide
Field Day August 30-September 1 with 9M50Mx
special event call signs. The Malaysian Amateur
Radio Transmitter's Society (MARTS)
<http://www.marts.org.my/> invites Amateur Radio
operators from all over the world to celebrate
with Malaysia on air. The Malaysian
Communications and Multimedia Commission granted
these 9M50Mx special event call signs for the
first time in history of Malaysian Amateur Radio.
To celebrate the occasion, the Merdeka Field Day
(MFD) -- Merdeka means independence in the Malay
language -- has a total of 16 stations operating
simultaneously in different cities, as well as in
the middle of the jungle. QSL to the Bureau at PO
Box 10777, 50724 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. --
Information provided by Lance M. T. Lai, 9W2LAI, MARTS Honorary Secretary
* QEX -- In This Issue: The September/October
issue of QEX is out, and it is full of
theoretical and practical technical articles. In
this issue, Maynard Wright, W6PAP, explains the
impedance graphing capabilities of some powerful
computer software in "Octave for Circle
Diagrams." Dr George Steber, WB9LVI, describes
some simple circuits that combine with a digital
oscilloscope, signal generator and PC to create
"An Unusual Vector Network Analyzer." Mateo
Campanella, IZ2EEQ, used a direct digital
synthesizer IC and PIC microcontroller to build
"A DDS Based QRSS (and CW) Beacon." Paolo
Antonizzi, IW2ACD and Marco Arecco, IK2WAQ, team
up to describe the design and lab testing of
"Very High Q Microwave Cavities and Filters." J.
R. Laughlin, KE5KSC, designed a circuit to reduce
background noise pick-up and feedback squeal for
a "Differential Leveling Microphone." Steve
Gradijan, WB5KIA, shares the news about a free
software development tool by Code Gear from Borland in "Turbo Del!
phi Explorer: Develop Amateur Radio Projects
for Windows with a Free Compiler." Fred Glenn,
K9SO, describes his system of using Excel
spreadsheets to compare antenna performance and
propagation predictions by "Using
Gain-Probability Data to Compare Antenna
Performances." Contributing Editor L.B. Cebik,
W4RNL, compares some circularly polarized
satellite antennas in "Antenna Options." QEX is
edited by Larry Wolfgang, WR1B
(lwolfgang at arrl.org), and is published six times
a year. Subscribe to QEX today <http://www.arrl.org/qex>.
* Let Us Know: What's your favorite part of The
ARRL Letter? What kind of stories would you like
to see in the Letter? Would you prefer the Letter
in an HTML format? This is your Letter and your
chance to let your voice be heard. Please send
your suggestions to ARRL News Editor S. Khrystyne
Keane, K1SFA, at k1sfa at arrl.org, with the subject
line "ARRL Letter Suggestions." All messages will
be read and discussed, and we look forward to
implementing positive suggestions into the ARRL Letter.
===========================================================
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