[CVRC] The ARRL Letter for October 7, 2010
ARRL Web site
memberlist at www.arrl.org
Thu Oct 7 22:15:56 EDT 2010
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October 7, 2010
Editor: <mailto:k1sfa at arrl.org>S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
<http://www.arrl.org/>ARRL Home
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* + International Spotlight : IARU
Administrative Council Updates WRC-12 Plans
* + Amateur Radio in the Classroom : ARRL
Teachers Institute Expands to Include Space, Electronics in the Classroom
* Amateur Radio in the Classroom : ARRL
Executive Committee Approves Grant Funding for Seven Schools
* + At the Workbench : Get Ready for the ARRL Homebrew Challenge III
* ARRL in Action : What Have We Been Up to Lately?
* DX News : PJ Pandemonium -- Opening October 10 on an HF Band Near You
* + Public Service : Nominations Now Being
Accepted for the 2010 ARRL International Humanitarian Award
* + Solar Update
* This Week on the Radio
+ Available on <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news>ARRL Audio News
+ International Spotlight: IARU Administrative Council Updates WRC-12 Plans
The Administrative Council (AC) of the
International Amateur Radio Union held its annual
meeting on October 1-2 in Salinitas, El Salvador.
The AC is responsible for the policy and
management of the IARU and consists of the three
IARU international officers and two
representatives from each of the three IARU
regional organizations. The IARU Region 2 General
Assembly -- held October 4-8 -- also in
Salinitas, immediately follows the AC meeting.
Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/iaru-administrative-council-updates-wrc-12-plans>here.
+ Amateur Radio in the Classroom: ARRL Teachers
Institute Expands to Include Space, Electronics in the Classroom
This summer, the ARRL offered two advanced ARRL
Teachers Institutes on Wireless Technology (TI-2)
sessions. One session focused on how to integrate
space into the classroom, while the other
concentrated on basic and more advanced
electronics concepts and ham radio operations.
"As we gain experience as to what content is need
to help teachers to better integrate basic
electronics, the science of radio,
microcontrollers and robotics into their
curriculum, the TI program continues to be
refined and expanded," said ARRL Education and
Technology Program Coordinator Mark Spencer,
WA8SME. "The TI-2 program is an offshoot of that
effort and provides a 'graduate level'
opportunity for graduates of the regular Teachers
Institute sessions." Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-teachers-institute-expands-to-include-space-electronics-in-the-classroom>here.
Amateur Radio in the Classroom: ARRL Executive
Committee Approves Grant Funding for Seven Schools
In May 2010, the ARRL Executive Committee
reviewed grant applications for the ARRL's
Education & Technology Program, awarding nearly
$6400 to seven schools. More than 475 schools
across the country have received support from the
ETP in the form of grants for equipment,
curriculum and resources, as well as teacher
in-service training through the Teachers
Institute on Wireless Technology. The Executive
Committee reviews applications for equipment and
resource grants twice each year, in December and
May. Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-executive-committee-approves-grant-funding-for-seven-schools>here.<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2010-10-07&p=0>
+ At the Workbench: Get Ready for the ARRL Homebrew Challenge III
QEX Editor Larry Wolfgang, WR1B -- one of the HBC
judges -- evaluates transceivers from the first
Homebrew Challenge on the air from ARRL club
station, W1HQ. [S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA, Photo]
The ARRL has sponsored two Homebrew Challenges in
the past, designed to test our members' design
and construction skills by making useful amateur
gear at low cost -- and sharing their results
with our members. Our first ARRL Homebrew
Challenge, announced in QST for August 2006,
required the construction of a 40 meter, 5 W
voice and CW transceiver built for less than $50
of new parts. The Second Homebrew Challenge,
announced in February 2009, resulted in a number
of creative designs of low cost 50 W linear
amplifiers to follow the transceiver -- two for
about $30, as well as a multiband amplifier with
many features for somewhat more.
This time, we announce a challenge to build a
transceiver in celebration of the (slow) return
of sunspots. This challenge will be in two parts
and readers can enter into either or both:
* A single band 25 W SSB and CW transceiver
for 10 or 6 meters (Option 1), with a prize of $200.
* A 25 W SSB and CW transceiver that can be
switched between 10 and 6 meters, using one or
two switches (Option 2), with a prize of $300.
Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/get-ready-for-the-arrl-homebrew-challenge-iii>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 September -- includes seeking protection
of amateur frequencies with the FCC, representing
the ARRL at the local, regional and national
level, training Field Organization leaders,
administering ARRL awards programs and more. Read
more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-in-action-what-have-we-been-up-to-lately-26>here.
Amateur Radio in Space: Sumbandila OSCAR 67 Satellite Active Over the Americas
The FM repeater aboard the South African
Sumbandila OSCAR 67
(<http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/satInfo.php?satID=71&retURL=/satellites/status.php>SO-67)
satellite will be activated over North and South
America until Sunday, October 10. According to
the announcement from AMSAT-NA Vice President of
Operations Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, the repeater
will be available for 15 minutes beginning at the following times (UTC):
* October 7: 11:55, 14:51 and 17:57
* October 8: 13:04, 16:06, and 19:10
* October 9: 11:18, 14:14 and 17:20
* October 10: 10:58, 13:56 and 17:02
The SO-67 repeater receives at 145.875 MHz FM
(233.6 CTCSS) and re-transmits at 435.345 MHz FM.
Local pass predictions are available from
<http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/predict/>AMSAT-NA's
online calculator. -- Activity periods calculated by Ed Clayo, N8BBQ
DX News: PJ Pandemonium -- Opening October 10 on an HF Band Near You
By H. Ward Silver, N0AX
Not since after World War II -- with new European
entities -- and the break-up of the French
colonies in Africa in the early 1960s, have so
many new possible DXCC entities come into existence all at once.
No, it's not a colorized re-release of a 1960s
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_movie>B-grade
beach movie. On Sunday, October 10, five islands
in the Caribbean are all changing their
governmental status at the same time: Saba, St
Eustatius, Bonaire, St Maarten and Curacao. Known
collectively as the Netherlands Antilles, these
islands have up to now been an autonomous part of
the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Some will remain
within the Netherlands as "special
municipalities" and some will become independent
nations within the Kingdom of the Netherlands,
just as the island nation of Aruba did back in
1986. What this means for the HF bands is a lot
of interference as the new DXCC entities are
born: Two DXCC entities (the island pair of
Bonaire & Curacao and the three-island group of
St Maarten, Saba and St Eustatius) will be
deleted from the DXCC list of active entities and
be replaced by up to five new entities! Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/pj-pandemonium-opening-october-10-on-an-hf-band-near-you>here.
+ Public Service: Nominations Now Being Accepted
for the 2010 ARRL International Humanitarian Award
The ARRL International Humanitarian Award
Nominations are open for the 2010 ARRL
International Humanitarian Award. The award is
conferred upon an amateur or amateurs who
demonstrate devotion to human welfare, peace and
international understanding through Amateur
Radio. The League established the annual prize to
recognize Amateur Radio operators who have used
ham radio to provide extraordinary service to
others in times of crisis or disaster. Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/nominations-now-being-accepted-for-2010-arrl-humanitarian-award>here.
+ On the Air: Amateurs Are On the Air in
Celebration of National Wildlife Refuge Week
This colorful QSL card commemorated a previous NWR Week operation.
Amateur Radio operators will be on the air in
observance of the
<http://www.arrl.org/news/nwrweek-radio.info>2010
National Wildlife Refuge Week, scheduled for
October 9-17. This event will coincide with
festivals and special events at refuges that help
connect people with nature at the country's more
than 500 National Wildlife Refuges. Combining
Amateur Radio's communication capabilities with
enjoyment of the outdoors to help others learn
about the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS)
is the goal of the amateur stations participating
in the nine-day event. Hams begin operating from
a number of wildlife refuges this week under
guidelines established in cooperation with the US
Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Only those
stations that have authorized, responsible access
to refuges are sanctioned by this event. For the
first time, the US Senate has passed a resolution
officially recognizing National Wildlife Refuge
Week. The resolution "recognizes the importance
of national wildlife refuges to wildlife
conservation and the protection of imperiled
species and ecosystems" and "reaffirms the
support of the Senate for wildlife conservation
and the National Wildlife Refuge System." Visit
the <http://nwrweek-radio.info>National Wildlife
Refuge Week Ham Radio Web site for more
information and a list of participating ham radio
stations.<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2010-10-07&p=2>
+ Solar Update
The Sun, as seen on Thursday, October 7, 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=tgLCGurproA>Here
comes the Sun King; everybody's laughing,
everbody's happy" Cook, K7RA, reports: Solar
activity quieted over the past week. There were
no sunspots on Wednesday, October 6, and the
average daily sunspot number declined nearly 18
points to 27.6, compared to the previous week.
The average daily solar flux values were off more
than 3 points to 81. The predicted solar flux for
the next 10 days -- October 7-16 -- is 75, 76,
78, 78, 80, 79, 80, 80, 82 and 81. Looking at the
<http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/>STEREO image early
Thursday morning shows an active region in our
Sun's southern hemisphere, just over the eastern
horizon. Perhaps this will bring more sunspots.
Look for more information -- including an updated
solar forecast and reports on 15 meter activity
-- on the ARRL Web site on Friday, October 8. 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
John Lennon's
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgLCGurproA>Here comes the Sun King.
On the Web: How to Submit a News Story
Visit the <http://www.arrl.org/news-tips>News
Tips page on the ARRL Web site to submit a news
story to our Editorial team. Your Amateur
Radio-related news tip could end up in QST, online or in The ARRL Letter.
Here are a few hints from QST Managing Editor Joel Kleinman, N1BKE:
* Include contact information: If the person
sending the tip isn't the main point of contact,
be sure to include that person's contact information.
* Photos: When a story has a photo or two
included, attach it to an e-mail message
addressed to <mailto:news at arrl.org>news at arrl.org
and include caption information, as well as the
name and call sign of the photographer.
For those submitting a complete item rather than
just a tip, it's best to include the usual suspects:
* Who? Who was involved?
* What? What happened (what's the story)?
* When? When did it take place?
* Where? Where did it take place?
* Why? Why did it happen?
* How? How did it happen?
This Week on the Radio
This week:
With a little work, the Hamtronics R303-137
weather satellite receiver board offers a great
way to receive fascinating weather satellite
images. Read a review about this product, as well
as the ICOM IC-R6 portable wideband receiver and
Wouxun's KG-UV2D and KG-UVD1P dual-band handheld
transceivers in the November issue of QST. Click
<http://www.arrl.org/multimedia>here to watch the video.
* October 8-10 -- YLRL DX/NA YL Anniversary Contest
* October 9 -- FISTS Fall Sprint; EU Autumn Sprint (CW)
* October 9-10 -- Arizona QSO Party;
Pennsylvania QSO Party; CQ SA SSB Contest;
Makrothen RTTY Contest; Oceania DX Contest (CW);
Scandinavian Activity Contest (SSB); WAB HF Phone Contest
* October 10 -- SKCC Weekend Sprint; North
American Sprint (RTTY); 10-10 International 10-10
Day Sprint; UBA ON Contest (CW)
* October 13 -- NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint
* October 13-14 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test
Next week:
* October 16 -- Iowa QSO Party; Feld Hell
Sprint; Microwave Fall Sprint (local time)
* October 16-17 -- New York QSO Party; JARTS
WW RTTY Contest; ARCI Fall QSO Party; Worked All
Germany Contest; PODXS 070 Club 160 Meter Great Pumpkin Sprint (local time)
* October 17 -- Asia-Pacific Fall Sprint (CW)
* October 17-18 -- Illinois QSO Party; Run for the Bacon QRP Contest
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.
Upcoming ARRL Division Conventions and Events
* October 15-17, 2010 --
<http://www.pacificon.org/>ARRL Pacific Division
Convention, San Ramon, California
* May 20-22, 2011 --
<http://www.hamvention.org/>Dayton Hamvention®
featuring ARRL EXPO, Trotwood, Ohio
* June 10-11, 2011 -- ARRL National
Convention and ARRL EXPO at the
<http://www.hamcom.org/>ARRL West Gulf Division Convention, Plano, Texas
Click <mailto:ads at arrl.org>here to advertise in this newsletter.
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