[CVRC] The ARRL Letter for July 15, 2010

Thu Jul 15 15:19:31 EDT 2010

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July 15, 2010
Editor: <mailto:k1sfa at arrl.org>S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
<http://www.arrl.org/>ARRL Home 
Page<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/>ARRL 
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Archive<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/>Audio 
News<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2010-07-15&t=t>

    * + FCC Rules that Amateurs May Participate 
in Non-Government-Sponsored Drills by Employers
    * + ARRL Board of Directors Holds Second 2010 Meeting This Weekend
    * + ARRL West Gulf Division Vice Director 
John Thomason, WB5SYT, Resigns Position
    * + First Half of 2010 Sees Upswing in New Amateur Radio Licensees
    * + ARRL Recognizes : Fred Fish Memorial Award #2 Goes to Texas Ham
    * + Honoring the Best : The ARRL's A-1 Operator Club
    * International Perspective : WRTC 2010 Winners Announced
    * + Solar Update
    * This Week on the Radio

+ Available on <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news>ARRL Audio News

+ FCC Rules that Amateurs May Participate in 
Non-Government-Sponsored Drills by Employers

In a Report and Order 
(<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-10-124A1.pdf>R&O) 
released Wednesday, July 14, the FCC stated that 
under new guidelines, amateurs employed by 
non-governmental agencies, such as hospitals, may 
participate and operate in drills sponsored by 
their employer. Specifically, the FCC will now 
permit Amateur Radio operators "to transmit 
messages, under certain limited circumstances, 
during either government-sponsored or 
non-government sponsored emergency and disaster 
preparedness drills, regardless of whether the 
operators are employees of entities participating 
in the drill." More information will be posted on the ARRL Web site.
+ ARRL Board of Directors Holds Second 2010 Meeting This Weekend

The ARRL Board of Directors will hold its 2010 
Second Meeting July 16-17 in Windsor, 
Connecticut. Directors, Vice Directors and ARRL 
Board Officers will be in attendance, including 
three Vice Directors who will be at their first 
Board meeting: Rod Blocksome, K0DAS, of the 
Midwest Division, Kent Olson, KA0LDG, of the 
Dakota Division and Grant Hopper, KB7WSD, of the 
Northwestern Division. The Board will also be 
welcoming Rod Stafford, W6ROD, in his new 
capacity as IARU Secretary, as well as Radio 
Amateurs of Canada President Geoff Bawden, VE4BAW.

The meeting will be preceded on Thursday, July 15 
with meetings of the Administration and Finance 
Committee and the Programs and Services 
Committee. The Administration and Finance 
Committee is chaired by Northwestern Division 
Director Jim Fenstermaker, K9JF. This committee 
studies, advises and makes recommendations for 
all administration and financial matters of the 
League, including recommending the annual budget 
to the Board, making recommendations in regard to 
staff management and monitoring investment of 
ARRL funds. The Programs and Services Committee, 
headed by Atlantic Division Director Bill Edgar, 
N3LLR, studies, advises and makes recommendations 
for all programs and services the League 
provides, including operating activities and the Field Organization.

At its January 2010 meeting, the ARRL Board of 
Directors decided to make the agendas of Board 
and Executive Committee meetings available on the 
ARRL Web site. The agenda for the 2010 Second 
Meeting is available 
<http://www.arrl.org/files/media/News/July%202010%20agenda.pdf>here. 
Per the 
<http://www.arrl.org/arrl-articles-of-association>Articles 
of Association, the ARRL Board of Directors meets 
twice a year, in January and 
July.<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2010-07-15&p=0>
+ ARRL West Gulf Division Vice Director John Thomason, WB5SYT, Resigns Position

John Thomason, WB5SYT

On Sunday, July 11, ARRL West Gulf Division Vice 
Director John Thomason, WB5SYT, of Edmond, 
Oklahoma, submitted his resignation to ARRL 
President Kay Craigie, N3KN. Thomason told 
President Craigie that by resigning, he will be 
able to "devote my energy to serve my family, 
employer and health." Craigie accepted the 
resignation with regret and then informed West 
Gulf Director Dr David Woolweaver, K5RAV. 
Previously the Oklahoma Section Manager, Thomason 
was 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/j-john-thomason-wb5syt-appointed-west-gulf-division-vice-director>appointed 
Vice Director in January 2009 after Dr Woolweaver 
moved up to the Director position upon the 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/coy-day-n5ok-resigns-from-arrl-board-of-directors>retirement 
of Division Director Coy Day, N5OK. The Director 
and Vice Director positions in the West Gulf 
Division -- as well as the Pacific, Rocky 
Mountain, Southeastern and Southwestern Divisions 
-- are up for election this year.
+ First Half of 2010 Sees Upswing in New Amateur Radio Licensees

As of June 30, 2010, the number of new licenses 
issued by the FCC in 2010 is outpacing the 
January-June 2009 totals by almost 8.5 percent; 
at this time last year, the FCC had issued 16,844 
new licenses. Click 
<http://www.arrl.org/images/view/News/JanJun2010NLT.JPG>here 
for a larger image.

With more than 18,000 new Amateur Radio licenses 
issued in the first half of this year -- 18,270 
to be exact -- 2010 is shaping up to be a banner 
year for Amateur Radio. So far, the number of new 
licenses issued by the FCC in 2010 is outpacing 
the January-June 2009 totals by almost 8.5 
percent; at this time last year, the FCC had 
issued 16,844 new licenses. As of June 30, 2010, 
there are 694,346 licensed Amateur Radio 
operators in the US, an almost 1 percent rise 
over all of calendar year 2009. Broken down by 
license class at the end of June 2010, there were 
16,299 Novices, 342,064 Technicians, 154,284 
Generals, 60,059 Advanced and 121,640 Amateur 
Extra licensees . Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/first-half-of-2010-sees-upswing-in-new-amateur-radio-licenses>here.<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2010-07-15&p=1>
+ ARRL Recognizes: Fred Fish Memorial Award #2 Goes to Texas Ham

Pat Rose, W5OZI, is the recipient of the Fred Fish Memorial Award #2.

Llewellyn "Pat" Rose, W5OZI, of Junction, Texas, 
is the recipient of the Fred Fish Memorial Award 
(FFMA) #2. Thanks to a recent Grid DXpedition by 
Russ Dwarshius, KB8U, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, 
Rose earned FFMA #2; FFMA #1 was awarded 
posthumously to Fred Fish, W5FF, himself. The 
ARRL Awards Branch received and approved Rose's 
QSL for his last-needed grid -- CM79 in California -- on July 8, 2010.

Fred Fish, W5FF (SK)

The Fred Fish Memorial Award was created in honor 
of Fish, a legendary VHF+ operator who became the 
first amateur to work and confirm all 488 
Maidenhead grid squares within the 48 contiguous 
United States on 6 meters. Rose is the first 
amateur to duplicate Fish's feat. The FFMA will 
be awarded to any amateur who can duplicate 
Fish's accomplishment. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/fred-fish-memorial-award-2-goes-to-texas-ham>here.
+ Honoring the Best: The ARRL's A-1 Operator Club

First organized in May 1933, the ARRL's A-1 
Operator Club has a proud history and occupies an 
important place in Amateur Radio tradition. By 
early 1934, the roster of recognized A-1 
operators had swelled to more than 400; by the 
end of 1938, to 1000. As of mid-2010 there are 
more than 6000 members of this special club! 
Then, as now, nominations were not made lightly; 
through the years, recognition as an A-1 Operator 
has represented an unsolicited acknowledgment of 
one's high standing among one's peers. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/honoring-the-best-the-arrl-s-a-1-operator-club>here.<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2010-07-15&p=2>
International Perspective: WRTC 2010 Winners Announced

Broadcast live over the Internet on Monday, July 
12, WRTC Judge David Sumner, K1ZZ -- on behalf of 
Chief Judge Mike Klokov, UA9PM, and the Judging 
Committee that included Nodir Tursoon-Zadeh, 
EY8MM, Roger Western, G3SXW, and Don Field, G3XTT 
-- announced the winners of the 2010 World 
Radiosport Team Championships 
(<http://www.wrtc2010.ru/>WRTC) in Moscow, Russia:
    * Gold Medal (First Place): The R32F Team, 
consisting of Vladimir Aksenov RW1AC, and Alexey 
Mikhailov, RA1AIP, of Russia, with 4,098,162 points.
    * Silver Medal (Second Place): The R33A Team, 
consisting of Tonno Vahk, ES5TV, and Toivo 
Hallikivi, ES2RR, from Estonia, with 4,084,889 points.
    * Bronze Medal (Third Place): The R33M Team, 
consisting of Dan Craig, N6MJ, and Chris Hurlbut, 
KL9A, of the United States, with 3,942,904 points
    * Best SSB score: The R33A Team. At least 35 
percent of their contacts must have been on CW.
    * Best CW score: The R33L Team, consisting of 
Yuri Onipko, VE3DZ, and Yury Romanov, VE3XB, of 
Canada. At least 35 percent of their contacts must have been on SSB.
    * Highest multiplier: The R33A Team with 389 multipliers.

Congratulations to all 48 WRTC teams! A complete 
list of teams and their scores can be found 
<http://www.arrl.org/attachments/view/News/53255>here. 
According to WRTC officials, the location of the 
2014 WRTC will be announced shortly; groups in 
two countries -- the United States and Bulgaria 
-- have submitted letters of interest to host the 2014 event.
International Perspective: Spain Extends Amateur Privileges on 70 MHz

The Union de Radioaficionados Espanoles -- 
Spain's IARU Member-Society -- announced that the 
SecretarÃa de Estado de Telecomunicaciones y 
para la Sociedad de la InformaciÃ³n (Spain's 
equivalent to the FCC) has extended temporary 
privileges on the 70 MHz band (4 meters) to hams 
in that country. In 2008, hams in Spain were 
granted 70 MHz privileges for six months. Spanish 
amateurs may now use 70.150-70.200 MHz, with a 
maximum of 10 W; the average power of emission 
outside the authorized band should not exceed 25 
microwatts. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/spain-extends-amateur-privileges-on-70-mhz>here.
+ Solar Update

The Sun, as seen on Thursday, July 15, 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://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/d/dickens/charles/d54nn/>The 
river glistened like a path of diamonds in the 
Sun" Cook, K7RA, reports: Two new sunspot groups 
this week provided increased solar activity. The 
average daily sunspot numbers this week rose 2.9 
points to 18.9, and the average daily solar flux 
was up 6.4 points to 79.2. The predicted solar 
flux for July 15-21 is 80 on each day. The 
predicted planetary A index for July 18 is 8, 
followed by 5 for each day through July 22. The 
next rise in the planetary A index is July 23-25, 
when it is predicted to be 18, 12 and 10. On 
Wednesday, July 14, there was an interruption at 
in the portion of the 
<http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/>STEREO image that 
faces Earth, but by early Thursday morning it was 
restored. Due to movement of the STEREO craft, as 
the gap closes on the far side, a new one facing 
Earth will begin in January 2011. Eventually, the 
two spacecraft will work their way around the Sun 
and return to their original position by 2024. 
Currently, the outlook for the near term looks 
good for HF propagation, with low geomagnetic 
indices and some moderate solar activity. Look 
for more information on the ARRL Web site on 
Friday, July 16. 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" brought to you by 
Charles Dickens' 
<http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/d/dickens/charles/d54nn/>The 
Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (Chapter 6).
This Week on the Radio

This week, the North American QSO Party (RTTY), 
the DMC RTTY Contest and the CQ Worldwide VHF 
Contest are July 17-18. The Run for the Bacon QRP 
Contest is July 19. Next week, there is another 
running of the NCCC Sprint Ladder on July 23. The 
RSGB Islands on the Air (IOTA) Contest is July 
24-25 and the SKCC Sprint July 28. 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-events>ARRL Special Events Station Web page.
ARRL Continuing Education Course Registration

Registration remains open through Sunday, July 
25, 2010, for this 
<http://www.arrl.org/online-course-registration>online 
course session beginning on Friday, August 6, 
2010: Amateur Radio Emergency Communications 
Level 1. To learn more, visit the 
<http://www.arrl.org/online-courses>CEP Course 
Listing page or contact the 
<mailto:cep at arrl.org>Continuing Education Program 
Coordinator<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2010-07-15&t=r&p=0>.

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