[CVRC] The ARRL Letter for December 2, 2010

Sat Dec 11 13:52:36 EST 2010

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December 2, 2010
Editor: <mailto:k1sfa at arrl.org>S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
<http://www.arrl.org/>ARRL Home 
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News<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2010-12-02&t=t>

    * + Public Service : ARES® , SKYWARN 
Activated as Tornados Swing Through the South
    * + BPL : ARRL Strengthens the Case for Mandatory BPL Notching
    * + Amateur Radio in Space : ISS Expedition 24/25 Crew Back on Terra Firma
    * + On the Air : Soar High in the ARRL 10 Meter Contest
    * On the Air : The Spratly Islands DXpedition Gets Wings
    * ARRL in Action : What Have We Been Up to Lately?
    * Support ARRL : ARRL Thanks Donors with Publication Gift Certificates
    * + Amateur Radio Enforcement : British Man 
Convicted for Deliberate Interference, Operating Without a License
    * + Amateur Radio Enforcement : FCC Issues 
Retailer Second Citation in 18 Months for Marketing Non-Compliant RF Devices
    * Solar Update
    * ARRL Homebrew Challenge Has New Dedicated Web Page
    * + ARRL Recognizes : Joe Taylor, K1JT, and 
Bruce Walker, W1BW , Win November QST Cover Plaque Award
    * This Week on the Radio
    * Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events

+ Available on <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news>ARRL Audio News
+ Public Service: ARESÂ®, SKYWARN Activated as Tornados Swing Through the South

This image shows the location of the seven 
tornados that swept through Mississippi the night 
of November 29. Click 
<http://www.arrl.org/images/view/News/MississippiTornados.JPG>here 
for a larger image. [Image courtesy of the National Weather Service, Jackson]

On the evening of Monday, November 29, a series 
of severe storms swept through Louisiana, 
Mississippi and Alabama, and hams provided 
support from the National Weather Service office 
in Jackson, Mississippi. According to the NWS, 
seven tornados were embedded in the storm system, 
with at least six counties reporting damage. 
There were no deaths in the latest storms, though 
15 people were hurt in Mississippi and buildings 
were badly damaged there and in Louisiana. 
Schools were closed in Alabama and tornado 
watches were posted in Tennessee and parts of 
North and South Carolina on Tuesday as the storms 
moved east. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/ares-sup-sup-skywarn-activated-as-tornados-swing-through-the-south>here.
+ BPL: ARRL Strengthens the Case for Mandatory BPL Notching

The ARRL filed an ex parte submission with the 
FCC on November 30, providing additional support 
for its position that the FCC should require 
mandatory notching of the amateur bands by 
Broadband over Power Line (BPL). The ARRL's 
filing stated such devices can cause harmful 
interference to Amateur Radio operators, and 
requested that the FCC "establish rules that are 
appropriate for unlicensed BPL systems and which 
minimize the interference potential."

After the FCC released its Request for Further 
Comment and Further Notice of Proposed Rule 
Making in July 2009, the ARRL filed comments and 
reply comments and made oral and written ex parte 
filings, urging the adoption of Part 15 Rules 
which reflect both the capabilities and practices 
of the bulk of the BPL industry, and which are 
sufficient to protect licensed radio services in the HF and VHF bands.

"It has been painfully apparent that the present 
rules permit the deployment of BPL in 
configurations which cause severe, ongoing 
harmful interference if operated on radio 
spectrum that is in use locally," the ARRL 
asserted in its filing. The ARRL, in its numerous 
filings on this issue has "strenuously urged" the 
FCC to require full time, mandatory notching of 
all amateur allocations to at least 35 dB notch 
depths. "This level of notching is both 
achievable by present BPL systems and is 
typically, but not universally, implemented by 
the BPL industry." Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-strengthens-the-case-for-mandatory-bpl-notching>here.
+ Amateur Radio in Space: ISS Expedition 24/25 Crew Back on Terra Firma

Astronaut Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC, chats with Craig 
Fox, N6RSX, of Brea, California while on board 
the International Space Station. [Image courtesy of NASA]

After more than 160 days in space, ISS Expedition 
25 Commander Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC -- along with 
Flight Engineers Shannon Walker, KD5DXB, and 
Fyodor Yurchikhin, RN3FI -- has returned to Earth 
from the International Space Station (ISS). Their 
Soyuz spacecraft landed in Kazakhstan on Friday, 
November 26. While on board the ISS, both 
Wheelock and Walker participated in the Amateur 
Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) 
program, and made 22 ISS-to-school and 
ISS-to-camp QSOs. In addition, Wheelock averaged 
about two dozen casual QSOs each week while on 
board the ISS. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/iss-expedition-24-25-crew-back-on-terra-firma>here.<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2010-12-02&p=0>
+ On the Air: Soar High in the ARRL 10 Meter Contest

Brock Thomsen, W6GMT, of Marcell, Minnesota, ran 
as QRP mixed for the 2008 ARRL 10 Meter Contest. 
He operated from the San Pedro Campground near 
Del Rio, Texas, using solar and battery power. 
[Photo courtesy of Brock Thomsen, W6GMT]

The highest of the HF bands will be the central 
operating focus of many amateurs in the ARRL 10 
Meter Contest, December 11-12. During the event, 
many propagation modes will be available: 
Sporadic-E will help you work stateside stations, 
a touch of meteor scatter in the morning will 
give you split-second chances to work stations -- 
you'd better be quick, though! -- and DX stations 
could find their way into the log, thanks to some 
recent signs of life from the F-layer. "Ten 
meters was open from the United States to Africa, 
Europe and South America during the CQ World Wide 
DX CW contest on the weekend of November 27," 
said ARRL Contest Branch Manager Sean Kutzko, 
KX9X. "Let's see if those conditions remain for 
the second weekend in December." Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/soar-high-in-the-arrl-10-meter-contest>here.
On the Air: The Spratly Islands DXpedition Gets Wings

The 37 operators from 15 countries who make up 
the DX0DX DXpedition Team that will go to the 
Spratly Islands is finalizing preparations for 
the almost month-long DXpedition that begins 
January 6, 2011. Instead of going by boat, the 
team will instead fly to Thitu Island where they 
will set up their operation. Thitu is the second 
largest island in the Spratly Islands. The 
Spratlys are a group of more than 750 reefs, 
islets, atolls, cays and islands in the South 
China Sea between Vietnam, the Philippines, 
China, Malaysia and Brunei. They comprise less 
than 4 square kilometers of land area, spread out 
over more than 425,000 square kilometers of sea. 
Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/the-spratly-islands-dxpedition-gets-wings>here.
ARRL in Action: What Have We Been Up to Lately?

Compiled by ARRL News Editor S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA

This feature is a concise monthly update of some 
of the things ARRL is doing on behalf of its 
members. This installment -- which covers the 
month of November -- includes ARISS activities ; 
new licensing exam software; elections of Board 
members and Section Managers; and on-the-air 
events. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-in-action-what-have-we-been-up-to-lately-28>here.<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2010-12-02&p=1>
Support ARRL: ARRL Thanks Donors with Publication Gift Certificates

The end of 2010 is fast approaching and ARRL is 
poised to close the books on December 31! Many 
members wait to make contributions at the end of 
the year -- these contributions are important to 
the ARRL funds that are not supported by member dues.

But wait! There's more! When you make a 
contribution of $30 or more before December 31, 
you'll receive a complimentary $10 gift 
certificate* on your next publication sales 
purchase at ARRL. You can make your gift on our 
<http://www.arrl.org/donate>secure Web site, by 
mail or by phone at 860-594-0397 and we'll send 
your $10 gift certificate right away.

You may designate your contribution to one or more of the following funds:
    * 
<http://www.arrl.org/the-arrl-diamond-club>The 
ARRL Diamond Club (to renew your ARRL membership and make a contribution!)
    * <http://www.arrl.org/spectrum-defense-fund>The Spectrum Defense Fund
    * 
<http://www.arrl.org/education-and-technology-fund>The 
Education & Technology Fund
    * The Lab Fund
    * 
<http://www.arrl.org/historic-preservation-fund>The Historic Preservation Fund
    * The ARRL General Fund.

You may decide to make a monthly credit card 
contribution of $10 or more on the ARRL Web site 
to support one of the areas listed above. For 
more information, contact ARRL Chief Development 
Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, via 
<mailto:mhobart at arrl.org>e-mail or by phone at 
860-594-0397. Your year-end contribution is tax 
deductible to the extent allowed by law. ARRL is 
an IRS designated 501(c)(3) organization holding 
tax identification number 06-6000004.

* About ARRL Gift Certificates: After making your 
contribution of $30 or more, your $10 ARRL Gift 
Certificate will be promptly mailed to you. 
Certificates must be redeemed by April 30, 2011. 
It is easy to redeem your certificate online, by 
mail or phone. This offer is valid on all sale 
and regular-priced ARRL publications.
+ Amateur Radio Enforcement: British Man 
Convicted for Deliberate Interference, Operating Without a License

Clive McMurray of the British town of Hull 
(located about 45 miles southwest of York) was 
convicted and sentenced on November 22 for 
causing deliberate interference to Amateur Radio 
users and unlawfully using radio equipment 
without a license. According to the Radio Society 
of Great Britain -- that country's IARU 
Member-Society -- McMurray caused interference to 
operators in the Hull region of Humberside 
between June-November 2009. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/hams-invited-to-listen-for-new-satellites>here.
+ Amateur Radio Enforcement: FCC Issues Retailer 
Second Citation in 18 Months for Marketing Non-Compliant RF Devices

On November 23, the FCC issued a 
<http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2010/db1123/DA-10-2220A1.pdf>Citation 
to Hobby Lobby International 
(<http://www.hobby-lobby.com/>HLI) for marketing 
non-compliant radio frequency devices. According 
to the Commission, these devices were in 
violation of Section 302(b) of the Communications 
Act of 1934, as Amended and 
<http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2002/octqtr/pdf/47cfr2.803.pdf>Section 
2.803(a)(1) of the Commission's Rules. In July 
2009, 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-issues-citation-to-part-15-marketer>HLI 
was also issued a 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-issues-citation-to-part-15-marketer>Citation 
for the same reason. This time, HLI was found to 
be selling an unauthorized radio frequency 
device, specifically the 
<http://www.hobby-lobby.com/jeti-duplex.htm>JETI 
Duplex 2.4 GHz System for radio-controlled 
models. This system consists of a transmitter and 
receiver used for remote control of model 
aircraft, boats, and cars. The FCC Citation 
warned that if, after receipt of the Citation, 
HLI violates the Communications Act or the Rules 
"by engaging in conduct of the type described 
herein, the Commission may impose monetary 
forfeitures...as well as criminal sanctions, 
including imprisonment." HLI has 30 days to 
respond to the Citation, either through a 
personal interview at the FCC office in Atlanta 
or via a written 
statement.<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2010-12-02&p=2>
Solar Update

The Sun, as seen on Thursday, December 2, 2010 
from 
<http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/realtime-update.html>NASA's 
SOHO Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope. This 
image was taken at 304 Angstrom; the bright 
material is at 60,000 to 80,000 Kelvin.

Tad 
"<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8SsSlak5xE>Holding 
you close is like holding the summer Sun" Cook, 
K7RA, reports: The average daily sunspot numbers 
for the seven days -- November 25 through 
December 1 -- were up 1.3 points to 25.9, 
compared to the prior seven day period. The 
predicted solar flux for the next 10 days, 
December 2-11 is 88, 90, 90, 90, 88. 88. 86, 86, 
85 and 85. The predicted planetary A index for 
the same period is 5, 10, 8, 7, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 and 
7. The three-month moving average of daily 
sunspot numbers changed from 28.9 to 33 and 35.6 
for the periods centered on August, September and 
October (ending in September, October and 
November). This shows a continued slow upward 
trend in sunspot activity. Look for more 
information -- including some news on Long 
Delayed Echoes (LDE) -- on the ARRL Web site on 
Friday, December 3. For more information 
concerning radio propagation, visit the 
<http://www.arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals>ARRL 
Technical Information Service Propagation page. 
This week's "Tad Cookism" is brought to you by 
Billy Joel's <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8SsSlak5xE>This Is the Time.
ARRL Homebrew Challenge Has New Dedicated Web Page

The original announcement of the Third ARRL 
Homebrew Challenge -- as seen on page 47 in the 
November 2010 issue of QST -- referred readers to 
the QST-in-Depth Web page for updates and rules 
clarifications. We have now established a 
<http://www.arrl.org/homebrew-challenge>dedicated 
Web page for the ARRL Homebrew Challenge. This 
page not only has the original and updated rules 
and clarifications to the third challenge, but 
also has information about the earlier contests. 
For additional clarifications, just 
<mailto:w1zr at arrl.org>e-mail QST Technical Editor Joel Hallas, W1ZR.
+ ARRL Recognizes: Joe Taylor, K1JT, and Bruce 
Walker, W1BW, Win November QST Cover Plaque Award

The winners of the QST Cover Plaque Award for 
November are Joe Taylor, K1JT, and Bruce Walker, 
W1BW, for their article "WSPRing Around the 
World." Congratulations Joe and Bruce! 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 
<http://www.arrl.org/cover-plaque-poll>QST Cover 
Plaque Poll Web page . Cast a ballot for your 
favorite article in the December issue today.
This Week on the Radio

This video by Henk Kamoen, PA3GUO, describes how 
to receive and decode telemetry from the O/OREOS 
satellite that was launched from Kodiak Island 
last week. Click <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh6lH5vqw-Y>here to view.

This week:
    * December 3 -- NCCC Sprint
    * December 3-5 -- <http://www.arrl.org/160-meter>ARRL 160 Meter Contest
    * December 4 -- TARA RTTY Melee
    * December 4-7 -- ARS Spartan Sprint
    * December 8 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test

Next week:
    * December 10 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
    * December 11 -- Feld Hell Sprint
    * December 11-12 -- 
<http://www.arrl.org/10-meter>ARRL 10 Meter 
Contest; International Naval Contest; MDXA PSK Death Match
    * December 11-16 -- NA High Speed Meteor Scatter Winter Rally
    * December 12 -- SKCC Weekend Sprint; CQC Great Colorado Snowshoe Run
    * December 15 -- NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint

All dates, unless otherwise stated, are UTC. See 
the <http://www.arrl.org/contests>ARRL Contest 
Branch page, the 
<http://www.arrl.org/The-ARRL-Contest-Update>ARRL 
Contest Update and the 
<http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html>WA7BNM 
Contest Calendar for more info. Looking for a 
Special Event station? Be sure to check out the 
<http://www.arrl.org/special-event-stations>ARRL 
Special Event Stations Web page.
Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
    * December 4-5, 2010 -- 
<http://www.fgcarc.org/>ARRL West Central Florida 
Section Convention, Palmetto, Florida
    * January 8, 2011 -- 
<http://www.selarc.org/selarchamfest.htm>ARRL 
Delta Division Convention, Hammond, Louisiana
    * January 9, 2011 -- 
<http://www.hamradiouniversity.org/>ARRL New 
York-Long Island Section Convention, Bethpage, New York
    * January 15, 2011 -- 
<http://fmarc.net/hamfest_2011.htm>ARRL Southern 
Florida Section Convention, Fort Myers, Florida
    * January 28-29, 2011 -- 
<http://www.msham.org/hamfest.php>ARRL 
Mississippi State Convention, Jackson, Mississippi

To find a convention or hamfest near you, click 
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests>here.

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