[CVRC] The ARRL Letter for February 25, 2010

Thu Feb 25 20:07:41 EST 2010

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February 25, 2010
Editor: <mailto:k1sfa at arrl.org>S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
<http://www.arrl.org/>ARRL Home 
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    * FCC NEWS : FCC Allows Robotic Device in Amateur Band
    * Public Service : Injured Colorado Skier 
Uses Amateur Radio to Summon Help
    * Launch of New ARRL Web Site Delayed to "Get it Right"
    * On the Air : ARRL DX Phone Contest Brings 
DX in Full Force to the HF Bands!
    * Section News : ARRL Virginia Section Manager Election Results
    * Amateur Radio Direction Finding : Foxes, Fitness and Fun in 2010
    * Solar Update
    * This Week on the Radio
FCC NEWS: FCC Allows Robotic Device in Amateur Band

In January 2008, a company called ReconRobotics 
filed a request with the FCC for a waiver of Part 
90 of the Commission's Rules with respect to the 
Recon Scout -- a remote-controlled, maneuverable 
surveillance robot designed for use in areas that 
may be too hazardous for human entry. A waiver is 
required to permit licensing of the Recon Scout 
because the device operates in the 430-448 MHz 
band, which is allocated to the Federal 
Government Radiolocation service on a primary 
basis, as well as the Amateur Radio Service and 
certain non-federal radiolocation systems on a 
secondary basis. More than two years later, the 
FCC granted the waiver request in the form of an 
Order (WP Docket No 08-63), subject to certain conditions.

In its comments filed in May 2008, the ARRL 
called on the FCC to deny ReconRobotics waiver 
request, "either permanently or even 
temporarily." The FCC noted in the waiver that 
they had received more than 70 comments 
"generally consist[ing] of public safety and law 
enforcement entities supporting the waiver 
request, and amateur radio operators opposing 
it." In their initial waiver request, 
ReconRobotics asserted that even thought the 
device operates in a in an area allocated to 
other services, including Amateur Radio, the 
Recon Scout operates with only 1 W peak power and 
it is "unlikely to cause interference to these services."

The FCC noted in the Order that they had received 
more than 70 comments "generally consist[ing] of 
public safety and law enforcement entities 
supporting the waiver request, and amateur radio 
operators opposing it." In their initial waiver 
request, ReconRobotics asserted that even though 
the device operates in an area allocated to other 
services, including Amateur Radio, the Recon 
Scout operates with only 1 W peak power and it is 
"unlikely to cause interference to these 
services." Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2010/02/25/11361/?nc=1>here.
Public Service: Injured Colorado Skier Uses Amateur Radio to Summon Help

Steve Priem, N0YIV, shows off his handheld 
transceiver before a ski trip this past March. [Rick Casey, Photo]

When Steve Priem, N0YIV, of Boulder, Colorado, 
decided to go backcountry skiing near Yankee 
Doodle Lake in the Guinn Mountain area of 
Colorado's Roosevelt National Forest on Friday, 
February 19, the 60 year old ham made sure he was 
well prepared: Not only did he take along a 
rescue whistle, he made sure his handheld 
transceiver was fully charged and in his pack.

It's a good thing he did: When Priem was injured 
while skiing, he used his radio to summon help. 
According to ARRL Colorado Section Manager Jeff 
Ryan, K0RM, a ham more than 100 miles away in 
Colorado Springs answered Priem's call for help 
and called 911. Priem was able to provide GPS 
coordinates for his position. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2010/02/22/11353/?nc=1>here.
Launch of New ARRL Web Site Delayed to "Get it Right"

After meeting with ARRL staff on February 23 -- 
two days before the new ARRL Web site was to 
launch -- ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold 
Kramer, WJ1B, made the decision to delay the 
unveiling of the Web site until late March. "Work 
on the new ARRL Web site has progressed at a 
frantic pace but there are still some potential 
'bugs' that could affect members. We need to be 
sure we get it right," Kramer said. "Our members' 
security, information and ability to actually use 
of all the options on the new site outweigh any 
rush to meet an artificial deadline. It's just good customer service."

The new Web site -- which will contain the online 
store, class registrations, audio, video, DXCC 
information, contest data, individualized member 
options and other 21st century opportunities for 
members -- is one of the largest technology 
upgrade activities that ARRL and Fathom, the 
company programming the site, have ever 
undertaken. "Reviewers have been unanimously 
impressed and are helping make sure we create the 
easiest, most enjoyable online experience possible," Kramer explained.

According to ARRL Media and Public Relations 
Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, the current ARRL Web 
site is not only used by ARRL members, but is a 
prime reference source for engineers, hams and 
wireless technicians around the world, making it 
the premier place to find information about 
Amateur Radio, its activities and the sciences 
behind it. "The Web is our main face to the 
world, and the new Web site will be fantastic," 
he said. "Although we all regret the delay, I 
believe our members will appreciate our diligence 
about the ease of use, security and navigation 
for the new site." 
<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2010-02-25&p=0>
On the Air: ARRL DX Phone Contest Brings DX in Full Force to the HF Bands!

Dave Robbins, K1TTT, of Peru, Massachusetts, 
works some DX on 15 meters in the ARRL 
International DX Contest. [Frandy Johnson, N1FJ, Photo]

With the 2010 ARRL International DX CW Contest 
now history, the first weekend in March brings 
the next round of competition: the 2010 ARRL 
International DX Phone Contest. Like its CW 
predecessor, this event focuses on DX stations 
working all US states and Canadian provinces, 
while US and Canadian amateurs try to work as 
many DX countries as possible over the 48 hour 
contest period. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2010/02/24/11356/?nc=1>here.
Section News: ARRL Virginia Section Manager Election Results

In the only Section Manager race this winter, 
Carl Clements, W4CAC, was re-elected as the ARRL 
Virginia Section Manager. He received 855 votes; 
his opponent, Glen Sage, W4GHS, received 511 
votes. Election ballots were counted February 23 
at ARRL Headquarters. Clements, of Portsmouth, 
starts his new two year term of office on April 
1, 2010. In North Carolina, Bill Morine, N2COP, 
of Wilmington begins his first term as Section 
Manager on April 1. Section Manager Tim Slay, 
N4IB, decided not to run again for another term 
of office, and Morine was the only nominee. Slay 
has served two terms as North Carolina's Section Manager.

The following incumbent ARRL Section Managers did 
not face opposition and were declared elected for 
their next terms of office beginning April 1: 
Pete Cecere, N2YJZ, Eastern New York; Eric Olena, 
WB3FPL, Eastern Pennsylvania; Gary Stratton, 
K5GLS, Louisiana; Bob Schneider, AH6J, Pacific; 
Steve Early, AD6VI, San Diego, and Scott Rausch, WA0VKC, South Dakota.
Amateur Radio Direction Finding: Foxes, Fitness and Fun in 2010

By ARRL ARDF Coordinator Joe Moell, K0OV

Click 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2010/02/24/11358/?nc=1>here 
to find out more about the 2010 ARDF USA 
Championships to be held this May in Ohio and the 
Wold Championships, scheduled for September in Croatia.

"Geeks in the woods!" That's how Jay Hennigan, 
WB6RDV, of Goleta, California, describes Amateur 
Radio Direction Finding (ARDF). Several times a 
year, Jay gets together with friends for a 
session of this international Amateur Radio sport 
-- also called foxtailing and radio-orienteering. 
As they set out, five 2 meter "foxes" are 
somewhere in the woods, transmitting for one 
minute each in sequence. Armed with a special 
ARDF set or just a handheld transceiver with a 
measuring-tape Yagi and attenuator, they see how 
fast they can run or walk from the start to each 
transmitter in optimum order and then back to the 
start, or perhaps to a separate finish point. To 
help them navigate, they carry compasses and 
special orienteering maps, but they aren't 
allowed to have GPS displays or other high-tech 
navigation aids. Standardized ARDF courses 
provide a good test of equipment performance and 
hunter skill. It's friendly competition combined 
with great exercise. It attracts "techies" and 
"jocks" of all ages who don't need a ham license 
to get started. And for some, it leads to medals 
at national and international competitions. Read 
more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2010/02/24/11358/?nc=1>here<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2010-02-25&p=1>.
International News: Iceland Amateurs Receive New Privileges

As of Friday, February 19, Iceland's Post and 
Telecom Administration 
(<http://www.pta.is/Default.aspx?cat_id=101>PTA) 
granted temporary experimental access to the 4 
and 600 meter bands at least through the end of 
2010, according to Islenzkir Radioamatorar 
(<http://www.ira.is/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=4194372>IRA) 
President Jonas Bjarnason, TF2JB; the ITA is 
Iceland's <http://www.iaru.org/>IARU 
Member-Society. After obtaining a special license 
from the PTA, Bjarnason said that TF stations 
with "N" or "G" class licenses may now operate 
between 493-510 kHz and 70.000-70.200 MHz running 
100 W. Amateur operations on both bands are granted on a secondary basis.
W1AW Announces New Schedule for Digital Bulletin Transmissions

Beginning Monday, March 15, 
<http://www.arrl.org/w1aw.html>W1AW, the Hiram 
Percy Maxim Memorial Station, will alternate the 
digital modes used for its digital bulletin 
transmissions. While Baudot, PSK31 and MFSK16 
still make up the digital mode complement, W1AW 
Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, says that the 
schedule will be altered to give more exposure to 
PSK31 and MFSK16. "Because of time constraints 
and the varying lengths of digital bulletins, 
there were many instances where only Baudot was 
used," he said. "With the new schedule, amateurs 
preferring either PSK31 or MFSK16 will no longer 
find these modes secondary." Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2010/02/16/11343/?nc=1>here.
Solar Update

The Sun, as seen on Thursday, February 25, 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.poemhunter.com/poem/winter-time/>Late 
lies the wintry Sun a-bed" Cook, K7RA, reports: 
The unbroken string of sunspots continues. Two 
new groups -- 1050 and 1051 -- appeared in the 
past two days, and we've now had 36 continuous 
days with sunspots. Prior to that, there is just 
a single day once in a while with no spots. The 
last time we had more than one day of no sunspots 
was a few months ago, November 23 through 
December 8. Look for more information on the ARRL 
Web site on Friday, February 26, including a 
discussion about an increase in reports of 10 
meter activity, and a "reverse beacon network" 
that uses CW skimmers to automatically check many 
frequencies from many locations, and then list 
the calls heard on a Web site. For more 
information concerning radio propagation, visit 
the 
<http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html>ARRL 
Technical Information Service Propagation page. 
This week's "Tad Cookism" brought to you by 
Robert Louis Stevenson's 
<http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/winter-time/>Winter 
Time<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2010-02-25&p=2>.
ARRL Field Day : 2010 Field Day Packets Now Available

It's that time of year again -- time to start 
gearing up for ARRL Field Day, June 26-27, 2010! 
ARRL's flagship operating event -- always held 
the fourth full weekend in June -- brings 
together new and experienced hams for 24 hours of 
operating fun. Field Day packets are now 
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/forms/fd-2010-packet.pdf>available 
for download and include the complete rules 
(including changes for 2010), as well as other 
reference items such as forms, ARRL Section 
abbreviation list, entry submission instructions, 
a Frequently Asked Questions section, guidelines 
for getting bonus points, instructions for GOTA 
stations, a kit to publicize your event with the local press and more.
W1AW News: March W1AW/West Coast Qualifying Run Schedule

The March schedules for the W1AW and West Coast 
Qualifying Runs were inadvertently left out of 
the March issue of QST. The March schedules for 
W1AW are as follows: Friday, March 5 at 10 PM EST 
(Saturday, March 6 at 0300 UTC) for 10-25 WPM and 
Tuesday, March 16 at 7 PM EDT (2300 UTC) for 
10-40 WPM. The West Coast Qualifying run will be 
transmitted by station K6KPH on Saturday, March 
13 at 2 PM PDT (2200 UTC) for 10-35 WPM. The run 
will be transmitted simultaneously on 3581.5, 
7047.5, 14047.5, 18097.5 and 21067.5 kHz.
This Week on the Radio

This week, look for an NCCC Sprint Ladder on 
February 26. The Russian PSK WW Contest and the 
CQ 160 Meter Contest (SSB) are on February 26-27. 
The REF Contest (SSB), the EPC WW DX Contest, the 
UBA DX Contest (CW), the Mississippi QSO Party 
and the North American QSO Party (RTTY) are all 
on February 27-28. The High Speed Club CW Contest 
is February 28. The North Carolina QSO Party is 
February 28-March 1. The ARS Spartan Sprint and 
the AGCW YL-CW Party are both on March 2. Next 
week, look for the 
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2010/intldx.html>ARRL 
International DX Contest (SSB) on March 6-7. The 
Wake-Up! QRP Sprint is March 6 and the DARC 10 
Meter Digital Contest is March 7. The CLARA HF 
Contest is March 9-10 (continuing on March 13-14) 
and the CWops Mini-CWT Test is March 10-11. All 
dates, unless otherwise stated, are UTC. See the 
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/>ARRL Contest 
Branch page, the 
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/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/contests/spev.html>ARRL Special Event Station Web page.
ARRL Continuing Education Course Registration

Registration remains open through Sunday, March 
21, 2010, for these 
<http://www.arrl.org/cep/student/>online course 
sessions beginning on Friday, April 2, 2010: 
Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 1; 
Antenna Modeling; Radio Frequency Interference; 
Antenna Design and Construction; Ham Radio 
(Technician) License Course; Propagation; Analog 
Electronics, and Digital Electronics. To learn 
more, visit the 
<http://www.arrl.org/cep/student>CEP Course 
Listing page or contact the 
<mailto:cce at arrl.org>Continuing Education Program 
Coordinator<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2010-02-25&t=r&p=0>.

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