[CVRC] The ARRL Letter for March 25, 2010

Thu Mar 25 15:24:54 EDT 2010

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March 25, 2010
Editor: <mailto:k1sfa at arrl.org>S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
<http://www.arrl.org/>ARRL Home 
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    * ARRL Executive Committee Examines Proposed 
Vanity Call Sign Changes, Legislative, Regulatory Issues, More
    * FCC News : FCC Issues Notice of Proposed 
Rule Making on Government Disaster Drills and Amateur Radio
    * Glitch Delays Launch of New ARRL Web Site
    * Dayton Hamvention® : Announcing the 2010 Dayton Hamvention Award Winners
    * Legislative Affairs : ARRL Requests Support for S 1755
    * ARRL Seeks Input for New IARU Region 2 Band Plan
    * Solar Update
    * This Week on the Radio
ARRL Executive Committee Examines Proposed Vanity 
Call Sign Changes, Legislative, Regulatory Issues, More

The ARRL Executive Committee (EC) held its first 
2010 meeting Saturday, March 13 in Denver. The EC 
worked through a lengthy agenda that for the 
first time had been shared in advance with ARRL 
members -- the result of an ARRL Board action at 
its January meeting intended to increase 
transparency in the governance of the organization.

The EC administers the League's affairs in 
between Board meetings. It consists of the 
President (Kay Craigie, N3KN), five Directors 
elected annually by the Board, and - without vote 
- the First Vice President (Rick Roderick, K5UR) 
and Executive Vice President (David Sumner, 
K1ZZ). For 2010 the Director members are Tom 
Frenaye, K1KI (New England), George R. Isely, 
W9GIG (Central), Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT (Rocky 
Mountain), Bob Vallio, W6RGG (Pacific) and Dr 
David Woolweaver, K5RAV (West Gulf). Also in 
attendance at the meeting were General Counsel 
Chris Imlay, W3KD; Vice President Bruce Frahm, 
K0BJ, and International Affairs Vice President 
Jay Bellows, K0QB. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2010/03/25/11404/?nc=1>here.
FCC News: FCC Issues Notice of Proposed Rule 
Making on Government Disaster Drills and Amateur Radio

On March 24, the FCC released a Notice of 
Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) proposing to amend 
the Commission's Amateur Radio Service rules 
"with respect to Amateur Radio operations during 
government-sponsored emergency preparedness and 
disaster readiness drills and tests." While 
current rules provide for Amateur Radio use 
during emergencies, the rules prohibit 
communications where the station licensee or 
control operator has a pecuniary interest, 
including communications on behalf of an 
employer. In October 2009, the FCC released a 
Public Notice clarifying the Commission's rules 
relating to the use of Amateur Radio by licensed 
amateurs participating in drills and exercises on 
behalf of their employers. To date, the FCC has 
granted several dozen waivers under this new policy.

The FCC notes that while there are some 
exceptions to this prohibition, "there is none 
that would permit amateur station control 
operators who are employees of public safety 
agencies and other entities, such as hospitals, 
to participate in drills and tests in preparation 
for such emergency situations and transmit 
messages on behalf of their employers during such 
drills and tests." Based on that, the Commission 
proposes to amend the rules to provide that, 
under certain limited conditions, Amateur Radio 
operators may transmit messages during emergency 
and disaster preparedness drills, regardless of 
whether the operators are employees of entities 
participating in the drill. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2010/03/25/11405/?nc=1>here.<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2010-03-25&p=0>
Glitch Delays Launch of New ARRL Web Site

The ARRL's launch of a new Web site has been 
delayed following problems that appeared as the 
huge computer programs were being transferred to 
their main Web server. Normally the Web site 
connects ham radio operators around the world, 
dynamically presenting the services that ARRL 
offers the ham radio community at www.arrl.org. 
"When we tried to switch over to the new Web site 
on Wednesday, we encountered unanticipated 
technical issues during the process of 
transferring to the new Web site," said ARRL 
Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B. "It 
appears that with all of the new technology and 
vast simultaneous hits to the site, the code had 
problems keeping up. We are working to fix the 
issues and should be online very soon. We have 
temporarily switched back to the old Web site 
until these issues are resolved. Obviously, we 
are trying to complete this transfer as quickly 
as possible and we will keep you informed of our progress."
Dayton Hamvention®: Announcing the 2010 Dayton Hamvention Award Winners

Three Amateur Radio operators who have made 
significant contributions to the Amateur Radio 
Service will be honored guests when the 2010 
Dayton Hamvention® opens in Hara Arena on May 14. 
In addition, Hamvention organizers will recognize 
a Club of the Year in keeping with the 2010 
Hamvention theme: Amateur Radio Clubs Worldwide: 
The Lifeline. "Choosing the finalists was a 
difficult process due to the number of fine 
nominations," said Hamvention Awards Committee 
Chairman Frank Beafore, WS8B. Click 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2010/03/25/11403/?nc=1>here 
to read more about these three deserving 
individuals and a club that personifies what 
Amateur Radio is all 
about.<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2010-03-25&p=1>
Legislative Affairs: ARRL Requests Support for S 1755

Senate Bill 1755 -- The Amateur Radio Emergency 
Communications Enhancement Act of 2009 introduced 
in October 2009 by Senators Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) 
and Susan Collins (R-ME) -- has unanimously 
passed the US Senate and has been sent to the US 
House of Representatives for consideration and 
now sits in the House Committee on Energy and 
Commerce. The ARRL is asking its membership to 
contact the leadership of the Energy and Commerce 
committee, requesting support and action on 
moving S 1755 through the committee. S 1755 
accomplishes the same things as HR 2160; HR 2160 
was introduced in April 2009 by Rep Sheila 
Jackson Lee (D-TX-18). Since S 1755 has already 
been approved by the Senate, moving it forward in 
the House will simplify the process. Click 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2010/03/10/11385/?nc=1>here 
for more information, including instructions on 
how to encourage the committee's leadership to support S 1755.
ARRL Seeks Input for New IARU Region 2 Band Plan

The International Amateur Radio Region 2 
conference -- to be held later this year in El 
Salvador -- brings together delegations from the 
national Amateur Radio Societies in the Western 
Hemisphere. One of the topics on the agenda will 
be the Region 2 HF band plan. This band plan is 
"harmonized with" -- spectrum management-speak 
for "very similar to" -- the IARU Region 1 and 
Region 3 band plans. At this year's conference, 
the IARU Member-Societies will consider possible 
changes to the Region 2 band plan.

The ARRL is cooperating with this procedure by 
inviting input to be sent to the ARRL Board of 
Directors' Band Planning Committee. The committee 
will review the existing Region 2 band plan, 
consider input from the amateur community and 
make recommendations to the ARRL Board for 
submission to IARU Region 2. Be sure to get your 
comments in by Monday, April 5. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2010/03/04/11374/?nc=1>here.<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2010-03-25&p=2>
Solar Update

The Sun, as seen on Thursday, March 25, 2010 from 
<http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/realtime-update.html>NASA's 
SOHO Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope. This 
<http://soi.stanford.edu/>MDI (Michelson Doppler 
Imager) image was taken in the continuum near the 
Ni I 6768 Angstrom line. The most prominent 
features are the sunspots. This is very much how 
the Sun looks like in the visible range of the spectrum.

Tad "<http://www.classicreader.com/book/309/7/>We 
are too much like oysters observing the Sun 
through the water, and thinking that thick water 
the thinnest of air" Cook, K7RA, reports: The 
average daily sunspot numbers were down nearly 5 
points this week from last week -- 24.6. A new 
sunspot group 1057 appeared on March 23, and by 
March 24, it was 25 times its original size. It 
covered 10 one-millionths of the solar hemisphere 
on Tuesday; on Wednesday, it grew to 25 one 
millionths. This is the largest area seen since 
February 11. Just past the Northern Hemisphere's 
spring equinox, radio conditions are good and 
geomagnetic indices are still quiet. In fact, the 
mid-latitude A index for March 21-23 was 0 for 
all days. Look for more information on the ARRL 
Web site on Friday, March 26. 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 
Herman Melville's 
<http://www.classicreader.com/book/309/7/>Moby Dick (Chapter 7, "The Chapel").
This Week on the Radio

Jose Castillo, N1BAA, works 10 meters during 
February's NAQP RTTY Contest at K1TTT (M/2 using 
K1SFA). [S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA, Photo]

This week, the CQ WW WPX Contest (SSB) is March 
27- 28. Next week, look for the Lighthouse Spring 
Lites QSO Party on April 1-11. The QRP ARCI 
Spring QSO Party, the SP DX Contest and the EA 
RTTY Contest are April 3-4. The Missouri QSO 
Party is April 3-5 and the Low Power Spring 
Sprint is April 5. 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, April 
25, 2010, for these 
<http://www.arrl.org/cep/student/>online course 
sessions beginning on Friday, May 7, 2010: 
Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 1; 
Antenna Modeling; Radio Frequency Interference; 
Antenna Design and Construction; 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=2010-03-25&t=r&p=0>.

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