[CVRC] The ARRL Letter for January 13, 2011

Thu Jan 13 17:24:59 EST 2011

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January 13, 2011
Editor: <mailto:k1sfa at arrl.org>S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
<http://www.arrl.org/>ARRL Home 
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    * + ARRL in Action : New Amateur Radio Bill Introduced in Congress
    * + FCC News : FCC Sends License Renewal for 
K1MAN to Administrative Law Judge
    * + Public Service : Midwestern Hams Spot, Track Tornados As 2011 Begins
    * + On the Air : Aim High in the ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes
    * On-the Air : ARRL Outgoing QSL Service Announces New Rate Structure
    * + Amateur Radio in the Classroom : ARRL 
Executive Committee Approves Grants for Five Schools
    * + ARRL Board of Directors to Meet Next Week
    * + ARRL Foundation Scholarship Applications 
and Transcripts Due February 1
    * Solar Update
    * + Amateur Radio Fun : Be a Star! Enter the ARRL Video Contest
    * Amateur Radio Fun : New QuickStats Poll Now Available on ARRL Website
    * Silent Key : Former Western Massachusetts 
Section Manager Bill Voedisch, W1UD (SK)
    * This Week on the Radio
    * Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events

+ Available on <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news>ARRL Audio News
+ ARRL in Action: New Amateur Radio Bill Introduced in Congress

The Amateur Radio Emergency Communications 
Enhancement Act, which died at the end of the 
111th Congress, has been reintroduced in the 
112th Congress as 
<http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c112:2:./temp/%7Ec1129bpLP1::>HR 
81. The sponsor is Representative Sheila Jackson 
Lee (D-TX-18). The new bill -- which was 
introduced on January 5 -- has been referred to 
the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. "We 
are hopeful that this early start will lead to 
success in the new Congress," commented ARRL 
Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ.

Rep Jackson Lee first introduced the bill -- 
<http://www.arrl.org/hr2160>HR 2160 -- in the 
111th Congress 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/houston-representative-introduces-amateur-radio-bill-in-congress>in 
April 2009. It gained an additional 41 cosponsors 
but did not progress out of the committee of 
jurisdiction. A similar bill introduced in the 
Senate -- 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/senate-introduces-companion-bill-to-hr-2160>S 
1755 -- made it all the way through that body in 
December 2009, but likewise was not taken up by 
the House. The objective of the bill -- which is 
supported by the ARRL -- is for the Secretary of 
Homeland Security to study the uses and 
capabilities of Amateur Radio communications in 
emergencies and disaster relief and to identify 
and make recommendations regarding impediments to 
Amateur Radio communications, such as the effects 
of private land use regulations on residential antenna installations.
+ FCC News: FCC Sends License Renewal for K1MAN to Administrative Law Judge

The FCC has issued a 
<http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2011/db0112/DA-11-58A1.pdf>Hearing 
Designation Order to determine, among other 
things, if the Amateur Radio license of Glenn A. 
Baxter, K1MAN, of Belgrade Lakes, Maine, should 
be renewed. According to the Order, "Baxter has 
apparently willfully and repeatedly engaged in 
unlawful Commission-related activities, including 
causing interference to ongoing communications of 
other amateur stations, transmitting 
communications in which he had a pecuniary 
interest, failing to file requested information 
pursuant to an Enforcement Bureau (Bureau) 
directive, engaging in broadcasting without 
communicating with any particular station and 
failing to exercise control of his station."

Baxter, whose amateur license expired in 2005, 
filed a timely renewal on July 22, 2005; his 
license expired on October 17. Because of the 
timely renewal, Baxter's license remained in 
effect past the expiration date. The FCC said it 
"believe[s] that Baxter's apparent continuing 
course of misconduct raises a substantial and 
material question of fact as to whether he 
possesses the requisite character qualifications 
to be and remain a Commission licensee."
+ Public Service: Midwestern Hams Spot, Track Tornados As 2011 Begins

In the final hours of 2010, tornados swept across 
Missouri, Illinois and Arkansas, leaving at least 
seven people dead. Hams in Missouri -- one of the 
hardest hit areas -- activated nets and provided 
real-time weather observations to the National 
Weather Service. According to a timeline of 
events in the St Louis Post-Dispatch, hams in the 
towns of Pacific, Ballwin and Sunset Hills in 
Missouri, as well as a ham in O'Fallon, Illinois, 
were among the many who spotted and reported 
twisters and severe weather to their local NWS offices.

Steve Runnels, KD4OPZ -- the Warning Coordination 
Meteorologist at the NWS office in Springfield, 
Missouri -- said that he was impressed by "the 
amount of Amateur Radio support we received 
during the overnight and into the early morning 
hours. This proves that the Amateur Radio 
community is always ready. It also shows the 
strength of their commitment to the communities 
they live in and the National Weather Service's 
mission to protect life and property." Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/midwestern-hams-spot-track-tornados-as-2011-begins>here.<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2011-01-13&p=0>
+ On the Air: Aim High in the ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes

Gerald Celmer, K9PY, of Midlothian, Illinois, 
hiked to the top of Wasson Peak (4687 feet 
elevation near Tucson, Arizona) to operate in the 
2010 ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes. [Photo courtesy of Gerald Celmer, K9PY]

VHF operators will be on the bands in force the 
weekend of January 22-24 as the ARRL January VHF 
Sweepstakes hits the airwaves. This contest gives 
the VHFer in all of us a chance to do some 
contesting during the winter months. According to 
ARRL Contest Branch Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, 
January may not seem like the ideal time to hold 
a VHF+ contest, but sometimes he said, the 
propagation gods like to surprise and confound. 
"There have been plenty of QSOs made via 
sporadic-E in the colder months this winter, 
including a surprise opening from the Midwest and 
Western US to Australia and New Zealand just this 
week! QSOs on other forms of enhancement exist as 
well, thanks to tropospheric ducting and auroral 
propagation. Because of the advent of WSJT 
software, making QSOs via meteor scatter in the 
wee hours of the morning on 6 and 2 meters has 
never been easier. There are plenty of 
opportunities to make long-haul QSOs on the VHF+ 
bands in January." Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/aim-high-in-the-arrl-january-vhf-sweepstakes>here.
On-the Air: ARRL Outgoing QSL Service Announces New Rate Structure

Effective January 17, 2011, a new pricing 
structure will go into effect for the ARRL 
Outgoing QSL Service. With the new rate 
structure, amateurs will no longer need to count 
outgoing cards and then guess as to what to pay 
based upon a half-pound rate; a simple weighing 
of the cards is all that is necessary to 
determine what amount to send to the Bureau. This 
new structure also accommodates a small rate 
increase in response to recent postage, shipping 
and handling costs. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-outgoing-qsl-service-announces-new-rate-structure>here.
+ Amateur Radio in the Classroom: ARRL Executive 
Committee Approves Grants for Five Schools

In December 2010, the ARRL Executive Committee 
reviewed grant applications for the ARRL's 
Education & Technology Program (ETP), awarding 
equipment valued at nearly $5000 to five schools. 
More than 525 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. 
Applications for equipment and resource grants 
are accepted twice each year; application 
deadlines are May 1 and November 1. Applications 
for 2011 summer sessions of the Teachers 
Institute are currently being accepted. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-executive-committee-approves-grant-funding-for-five-schools>here.<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2011-01-13&p=1>
+ ARRL Board of Directors to Meet Next Week

The ARRL Board of Directors will hold its 2011 
Annual Meeting on January 21-22 in Windsor, 
Connecticut. Directors, Vice Directors and ARRL 
Board Officers will be in attendance, including 
two new Vice Directors who will be at their first 
Board meeting: Southeastern Division Vice 
Director Andrea Hartlage, KG4IUM, and West Gulf 
Division Vice Director John Robert Stratton, 
N5AUS. The Board will also welcome IARU Secretary 
Rod Stafford, W6ROD, and Radio Amateurs of Canada 
President Geoff Bawden, VE4BAW. The meeting will 
be preceded on Thursday, January 20 with meetings 
of the Board's Administration and Finance 
Committee and the Programs and Services 
Committee. 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 website. The agenda for the 2011 
Annual Meeting is available 
<http://www.arrl.org/attachments/view/News/56557>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.
+ ARRL Foundation Scholarship Applications and Transcripts Due February 1

Students planning to apply for the more than 60 
scholarships administered by the ARRL Foundation 
should be aware that the deadline is fast 
approaching. All materials -- including 
transcripts -- are due February 1. Beginning this 
year, applicants must submit all material 
electronically. No paper forms will be accepted. 
Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-foundation-scholarship-applications-and-transcripts-due-february-1>here.
Solar Update

Tad 
"<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t7QQ_DrIpA>I'm 
melting in the Sun" Cook, K7RA, reports: The 
average daily sunspot numbers declined 12 points 
to 38 during the week of January 6-12. The 
average daily solar flux declined by nearly 6 
points to 83.8. The latest forecast shows solar 
flux at 80 on January 13-15, 78 on January 16-19 
and back to 80 on January 20-35, then rising to 
nearly 90 by the end of the month. The same 
forecast has planetary A index for January 13-22 
at 5, 8, 7, 5, 5, 5, 5, 7, 7 and 5. Geophysical 
Institute Prague sees unsettled geomagnetic 
conditions on January 14-15, quiet to unsettled 
January 16, unsettled January 17-18, quiet to 
unsettled January 19 and quiet on January 20. The 
<http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/>STEREO mission's 
coverage of the entire Sun is nearly complete, 
with continuous images showing more than 99.2 
percent of our nearest star. By Sunday evening in 
North America, the project will have passed 99.34 
percent coverage. The black band of unseen area 
is now just a tiny sliver, and magnetically 
active areas over the entire Sun may now be 
observed live from any place with an Internet 
connection at any time of the day or night. Look 
for more information on the ARRL website on 
Friday, January 14. 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 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inxs>INXS' 
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t7QQ_DrIpA>Melting 
in the Sun.<http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2011-01-13&p=2>
+ Amateur Radio Fun: Be a Star! Enter the ARRL Video Contest

If you've ever wanted a way to show the world how 
exciting Amateur Radio can be, here's your 
chance: The ARRL is sponsoring its 
<http://www.arrl.org/video-contest>first-ever 
video contest! We are looking for ARRL members to 
shoot and submit videos that showcase how fun and 
electrifying our hobby is; extra points will be 
awarded for a video showing someone, young or 
old, licensed or not, making their first contact. 
Videos will be judged on overall quality and 
composition, and prizes will be awarded. The 
video author/producer must be an ARRL member; 
however, the people who appear in your video can 
be non-members. This contest is intended for 
amateur videographers. If you are a professional, 
please do not apply. Check out all the details -- 
including the fine print -- on the 
<http://www.arrl.org/video-contest>ARRL Video 
Contest Rules and Guidelines web page.
Amateur Radio Fun: New QuickStats Poll Now Available on ARRL Website

Four new poll questions have just been published 
on the <http://www.arrl.org/quickstats>QuickStats 
page on the ARRL website. Let your voice be heard!

Questions in this month's QuickStats poll include:
    * Do you use a computer to send or receive CW?
    * Do you subscribe to any publications that you read online?
    * Do you have a separate room in your home 
that's dedicated strictly to your ham station?
    * When operating SSB, do you use a speech processor?

Visit the 
<http://www.arrl.org/quickstats>QuickStats page 
and be sure to bookmark it in your browser. 
Results from this QuickStats poll will be 
published in the April 2011 issue of QST on the 
QuickStats page, located in the rear advertising 
section of the magazine. Along with monthly poll 
results, QST QuickStats offers colorful charts 
and graphs that highlight interesting Amateur Radio statistics.
Silent Key: Former Western Massachusetts Section 
Manager Bill Voedisch, W1UD (SK)

William Voedisch, W1UD, of Leominster, 
Massachusetts, became a Silent Key on January 1. 
He was 78. Voedisch was an avid CW operator who 
especially enjoyed operating in the CW National 
Traffic System nets. In recent years, he was the 
Manager of the NTS First Region CW net and almost 
nightly represented the First Region in the 
Eastern Area Net. He was also active in the 
Transcontinental Corps, relaying messages to 
other regional nets around the country. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/former-western-massachusetts-section-manager-bill-voedisch-w1ud-sk>here.
This Week on the Radio

This week:

Go behind the scenes and meet a member of the 
ARRL HQ staff! This week we feature ARRL 
Assistant Production Supervisor Jodi Morin, 
KA1JPA, as she puts together an issue of QST. 
Click <http://www.arrl.org/multimedia>here and 
scroll down the page to the "Meet the Staff" video box to meet Jodi.
    * January 14 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
    * January 15 -- LZ Open Contest, Feld Hell Sprint
    * January 15-16 -- North American QSO Party 
(SSB), Hungarian DX Contest, UK DX Contest (RTTY)
    * January 17 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest
    * January 20 -- NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint

Next week:
    * January 21 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
    * January 22-23 -- BARTG RTTY Sprint
    * January 22-24 -- 
<http://www.arrl.org/january-vhf-sweepstakes>ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes
    * January 26 -- SKCC Sprint
    * January 27 -- NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint

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
    * January 15, 2011 -- 
<http://fmarc.net/hamfest_2011.htm>ARRL Southern 
Florida Section Convention, Fort Myers, Florida
    * January 28-29, 2011 -- 
<http://www.msham.org/hamfest.php>ARRL 
Mississippi State Convention, Jackson, Mississippi

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

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