[CVRC] The ARRL Letter for February 17, 2011

Thu Feb 17 16:38:35 EST 2011

If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at:
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2011-02-17>http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2011-02-17

February 17, 2011
Editor: <mailto:k1sfa at arrl.org>S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
<http://www.arrl.org/>ARRL Home 
Page<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/>ARRL 
Letter<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/> 
Archive<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/>Audio 
News<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2011-02-17&t=t>

    * + Legislative News: Spectrum Management 
Bill Threatens Amateur Frequencies
    * + Spaceweather : Sunspot 1158 Produces 
Largest Flare of Solar Cycle 24; CME Headed Toward Earth
    * + Amateur Radio in Space: ARISSat-1 Deployment Postponed
    * + Dayton Hamvention : Astronaut Doug 
Wheelock, KF5BOC, to be Honored Guest of ARRL and AMSAT
    * + Rockers with Ham Connection Win Big at Grammys
    * QEX -- the March/April 2011 Issue
    * + ARRL Atlantic Division to Host Two Webinars in February
    * ARRL Headquarters to Close in Observance of Presidents' Day
    * Solar Update
    * ARRL Field Day: 2011 Field Day Packets Available
    * This Week on the Radio
    * Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
+ Legislative News: Spectrum Management Bill Threatens Amateur Frequencies

On February 10, Representative Peter King 
(R-NY-3), Chairman of the House Homeland Security 
Committee, introduced HR 607, the Broadband for 
First Responders Act of 2011. The bill been 
referred to the House Energy and Commerce 
Committee, which handles telecommunications 
legislation. HR 607 addresses certain spectrum 
management issues, including the creation and 
maintenance of a nationwide Public Safety 
broadband network. As part of that network, the 
bill provides for the allocation of the so-called 
"D-Block" of spectrum in the 700 MHz range for Public Safety use.

The D-Block consists of two, 5 megahertz-wide 
segments of spectrum (758-763 and 788-793 MHz) 
that became available when the FCC ended analog 
television broadcasts in June 2009 and 
reallocated the 698-806 MHz band for Public 
Safety and commercial broadband. It was 
anticipated that the D-Block would be auctioned 
for commercial use. There are several bills in 
Congress providing for the allocation of the 
D-Block for Public Safety use, and HR 607 is one 
of those. But HR 607 uniquely provides for the 
reallocation of other spectrum for auction to 
commercial users, in order to offset the loss of 
revenue that would occur as the result of the 
allocation of the D-Block to Public Safety 
instead of commercial auction. HR 607 lists the 
paired bands of 420-440 MHz and 450-470 MHz among 
the bands to be reallocated for commercial 
auction within 10 years of its passage. Read more here.
+ Spaceweather : Sunspot 1158 Produces Largest 
Flare of Solar Cycle 24; CME Headed Toward Earth

Over the past few days, there has been a lot of 
activity on the Sun. On Sunday, February 13 at 
1738 UTC, sunspot 1158 unleashed an M6.6-level 
blast and on Tuesday, February 15, the same 
sunspot unleashed an X-class flare, the strongest 
solar flare in more than four years. On Thursday, 
February 17, the solar flux index reached 114, 
the highest yet in Solar Cycle 24. It is expected 
to continue to be at least 100 for the next few days.

CSunspot group 1158 released an M-class solar 
flare (pictured) on February 13. Just two days 
later, the same sunspot group released an X-class 
flare, the largest -- so far -- of Solar Cycle 
24. [Image courtesy of NASA/SDO]

The source of this activity is growing rapidly. 
Sunspot 1158 is in the Sun's southern hemisphere, 
which has been lagging behind the northern 
hemisphere in activity for Solar Cycle 24. This 
active region is now more than 100,000 km wide, 
with at least a dozen Earth-sized dark cores in 
the group. More Earth-directed eruptions are likely.

In addition to flashing Earth with UV radiation, 
data from NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations 
Observatory (STEREO) and its Solar Heliospheric 
Observatory (SOHO) show that the explosion also 
hurled a coronal mass ejection (CME) toward 
Earth. According to the Space Weather Prediction 
Center (SWPC), three CMEs are headed toward 
Earth. The last of the three seems to be the 
fastest and may catch both of the forerunners 
about mid- to late day on Thursday, February 17.

Solar activity is expected to be moderate with a 
chance for an isolated major flare through 
February 19. Sunspot group 1158 is expected to 
produce more M-class flares and still has the 
potential for producing an M5 or greater x-ray 
event. There is also a chance for isolated 
M-class activity from sunspot group 1161. 
Geomagnetic storms are possible when the CME hits 
the Earth's magnetic field, and auroras are 
possible. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/sunspot-1158-produces-largest-flare-of-solar-cycle-24-cme-headed-toward-earth>here.
+ Amateur Radio in Space: ARISSat-1 Deployment Postponed

According to the AMSAT News Service, the 
deployment of the ARISSat-1 satellite from the 
International Space Station -- previously 
scheduled for Wednesday, February 16 -- has been 
postponed. The postponement was necessary because 
of changes in the work schedule for the February 
16 space walk. Instead, ARISSat-1 deployment will 
be added to a spacewalk scheduled for July 2011.

ARISSat-1 team members prepare the nanosatellite 
for vibration testing at the Johnson Space Center 
in Houston, Texas. [Dave Jordan, AA4KN, Photo]

When launched, ARISSat-1 will add another 
dimension to science classrooms worldwide, in 
addition to space communications for the Amateur 
Radio community. Unfortunately this delay will 
considerably narrow the window of opportunity for 
US school calendar activities, but may provide 
opportunities for summer learning activities.

The project is a cooperative effort between 
AMSAT, ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International 
Space Station,) RSC-Energia (the Russian space 
agency) and NASA. The design, development and 
construction of the satellite were done entirely 
by AMSAT volunteers. Original plans called for 
the satellite to be hosted inside an old Russian 
spacesuit. But when the suit became unavailable, 
the radio equipment was modified and refitted to 
a newly designed space frame and named ARISSat-1.

After it is deployed from the International Space 
Station, ARISSat-1 is expected to be operational 
in orbit for up to six months. For more on 
ARISSat-1, check out this 
<http://www.arrl.org/files/file/ARISS/Get%20Ready%20for%20ARISSat-1-QST%20Feb%202011.pdf>article 
from the February 2011 issue of 
QST.<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2011-02-17&p=0>
+ Dayton Hamvention : Astronaut Doug Wheelock, 
KF5BOC, to be Honored Guest of ARRL and AMSAT

Astronaut Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC

Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC, will be attending the 2011 
ARRL EXPO - part of the Dayton HamventionÂ® -- as 
a special guest of the ARRL and AMSAT. While at 
Hamvention, Wheelock will share his experiences 
about using Amateur Radio in space. Wheelock 
spent six months on the ISS, seven weeks as ISS 
Commander; while on board the ISS, he, along with 
fellow astronaut Shannon Walker, KD5DXB, 
participated in the Amateur Radio on the 
International Space Station (ARISS) program. 
Together, the two made 22 ISS-to-school and 
ISS-to-camp QSOs. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/astronaut-doug-wheelock-kf5boc-to-be-guest-of-arrl-and-amsat-at-hamvention>here.
+ Rockers with Ham Connection Win Big at Grammys

One of the biggest prizes handed out during the 
February 13 Grammy awards went to rockers Arcade 
Fire. Their highly acclaimed album The Suburbs 
was crowned Album of the Year. While Arcade 
Fire's win was a surprise -- facing competition 
from Eminem, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga and Katy 
Perry -- it wasn't totally unexpected, as The 
Suburbs dominated many critics' best-of lists of 2010.

Arcade Fire's Win Butler was visibly stunned as 
the group accepted their trophy and then quickly 
rushed to perform the last song of the night. 
Band members Win and Will Butler are the 
grandsons of the late orchestra leader Alvino Rey, W6UK.

The song We Used to Wait from their winning album 
relates to communications and, during their 
concert performances of the song, the band 
displays images of Amateur Radio QSL cards. 
Arcade Fire was profiled in an article by ARRL 
Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, 
W1AGP, in the November 2010 issue of QST.
QEX -- the March/April 2011 Issue

The March/April issue of QEX is coming soon, and 
it is full of theoretical and practical technical 
articles that you won't want to miss. QEX is the 
ARRL's "Forum for Communications Experimenters." 
Published bimonthly, it features technical 
articles, columns and other items of interest to 
radio amateurs and communications professionals. 
The mission of QEX is threefold: To provide a 
medium for the exchange of ideas and information 
among Amateur Radio experimenters; to document 
advanced technical work in the Amateur Radio 
field, and to support efforts to advance the 
state of the Amateur Radio art. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/qex-the-march-april-2011-issue>here.<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2011-02-17&p=1>
+ ARRL Atlantic Division to Host Two Webinars in February

Periodically, the ARRL's Atlantic Division hosts 
a "webinar" -- an interactive web-based seminar, 
designed to facilitate communication between a 
small number of presenters and a large remote 
audience using the Internet. During February, 
Atlantic Division Director Bill Edgar, N3LLR, 
will host two webinars for ARRL members, one on 
501(c)(3) organizations and one on using Narrow 
Band Emergency Messaging Software (NBEMS) -- a 
set of programs used to send messages and files 
via Amateur Radio using an audio interface. Read 
more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-atlantic-division-to-host-two-webinars-in-february>here.
ARRL Headquarters to Close in Observance of Presidents' Day

ARRL Headquarters will be closed in observance of 
Presidents' Day on Monday, February 21. There 
will be no 
<http://www.arrl.org/w1aw-operating-schedule>W1AW 
bulletin or code practice transmissions that day. 
ARRL Headquarters will reopen Tuesday, February 
22 at 8 AM Eastern Standard Time. We wish 
everyone a safe Presidents' Day holiday.
Solar Update

The Sun, as seen on Thursday, February 17, 2011 
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 in the visible range of the spectrum.

Tad "The glory of the departing Sun piled up 
masses of gold and burning fire" Cook, K7RA, 
reports: A dramatic surge in solar activity is 
underway, with a level of sunspot numbers and 
solar flux not seen since 2005-2006. Tuesday's 
sunspot number of 100 has not been observed since 
April 6, 2006 when it was 105. On Wednesday the 
solar flux was 114.1, and the last time it was 
that high was September 15, 2005 when it was 
119.4. The average daily sunspot numbers rose 
this week by more than 25 points to 69.9, and the 
average daily solar flux was up 20 points to 
103.5. NOAA/USAF predicts solar flux at 105 on 
February 17-18, 100 on February 19-21, 98 on 
February 22-24 and 80 on February 25-28. The 
planetary A index is predicted at 18, 25 and 12 
on February 17-19 and 5 on February 20-28. Look 
for more information on the ARRL website on 
Friday, February 18. 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 
Charles Dickens' The Old Curiosity 
Shop.<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2011-02-17&p=2>
ARRL Field Day: 2011 Field Day Packets Available

It's that time of year again -- time to start 
gearing up for ARRL Field Day, June 25-26, 2011! 
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/files/file/Field-Day/2011/2011_FD_Packet.pdf>available 
for download and include the complete rules 
(including a change for 2011), 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 and a kit to publicize your event with 
the local press. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/2011-field-day-packet-now-available>here.
This Week on the Radio

This week:
    * February 18 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
    * February 18-19 -- Russian PSK WW Contest
    * February 19 -- Feld Hell Sprint
    * February 19-20 -- 
<http://www.arrl.org/arrl-dx>ARRL International 
DX Contest (CW), AWA Amplitude Modulation QSO Party
    * February 21 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest
    * February 23 -- SKCC Sprint

Next week:
    * February 25 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
    * February 25-February 27 -- CQ 160 Meter Contest (SSB)
    * February 26-27 -- Mississippi QSO Party; North American QSO Party (RTTY)
    * February 27 -- High Speed Club CW Contest
    * February 27-28 -- North Carolina QSO Party
    * February 28 -- CQC Winter QSO Sprint
    * March 1 -- AGCW YL-CW Party

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
    * February 18-19 -- 
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/arizona-state-convention-yuma-hamfest-emergency-preparedness-show>ARRL 
Arizona State Convention, Yuma, Arizona
    * February 26 -- 
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/vermont-state-convention-ham-con-1>ARRL 
Vermont State Convention, Colchester, Vermont
    * March 5 -- 
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/south-texas-section-convention-greater-houston-hamfest-1>ARRL 
South Texas Section Convention, Rosenberg, Texas; 
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/alabama-section-convention-birminghamfest>ARRL 
Alabama Section Convention, Birmingham, Alabama
    * March 11-12 -- 
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/oklahoma-section-convention-green-country-hamfest>ARRL 
Oklahoma Section Convention, Claremore, Oklahoma
    * March 12-13 -- 
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/north-carolina-section-convention-charlotte-hamfest>ARRL 
North Carolina Section Convention, Concord, North Carolina
    * March 19 -- 
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/west-texas-section-convention-56th-annual-st-patrick-s-day-hamfest>ARRL 
West Texas Section Convention, Midland, Texas; 
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/nebraska-state-convention-1>ARRL 
Nebraska State Convention, Lincoln, Nebraska
    * March 25 -- 
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/maine-state-convention-1>ARRL 
Maine State Convention, Lewiston, Maine
    * March 26 -- 
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/maryland-state-convention-greater-baltimore-hamboree-computerfest>ARRL 
Maryland State Convention, Timonium, Maryland

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

ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information
    * <http://www.arrl.org/join>Join or Renew 
Today! ARRL membership includes 
<http://www.arrl.org/qst>QST , Amateur Radio's 
most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month.
    * Subscribe to 
<http://www.arrl.org/ncj>NCJ<http://www.arrl.org/ncj> 
-- the National Contest Journal . Published 
bi-monthly, features articles by top contesters, 
letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties.
    * Subscribe to 
<http://www.arrl.org/qex>QEX<http://www.arrl.org/qex> 
-- A Forum for Communications Experimenters. 
Published bi-monthly, features technical 
articles, construction projects, columns and 
other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals.
    * Free of charge to ARRL members: 
<http://www.arrl.org/myarrl-account-management#%21/edit-info-email_subscriptions>Subscribe 
to the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and 
emergency communications news), the ARRL Contest 
Update (bi-weekly contest newsletter), Division 
and Section news alerts -- and much more!
    * Find us on <http://www.facebook.com/ARRL.org>Facebook!
    * ARRL offers a wide array of 
<http://www.arrl.org/arrl-store>products to 
enhance your enjoyment of Amateur Radio
    * 
<https://www.arrl.org/arrl-donation-form>Donate 
to the fund of your choice -- support programs not funded by member dues!

Click 
<mailto:ads at arrl.org>here<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2011-02-17&t=r&p=0> 
to advertise in this newsletter.

----------
The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 50 times 
each year. ARRL members and registered guests may 
subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing 
their <http://www.arrl.org/Users/edit#!/edit-info-email_subscriptions>profile.