[CVRC] The ARRL Letter for September 15, 2011

Thu Sep 15 15:36:04 EDT 2011

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            The  ARRL Letter

Published by the American Radio Relay League
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September 15, 2011

Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA <k1sfa at arrl.org>

ARRL Home Page <http://www.arrl.org/>ARRL Letter Archive
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/>Audio News
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> IN THIS ISSUE

- + Public Service: Missouri Hams Help Out When 911 Service Goes Down
- + ARRL to Welcome USTTI Students Next Month
- + ARRL Seeks Treasurer
- + ARRL Facebook Page: 20,000 Fans Strong
- + Heathkit's Amateur Radio Plans Taking Shape
- QEX -- the September/October 2011 Issue
- Solar Update
- + New QuickStats Poll Now Available on ARRL Website
- This Week on the Radio
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events

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

==> + PUBLIC SERVICE: MISSOURI HAMS HELP OUT WHEN 911 SERVICE GOES DOWN

   It doesn't take a major disaster for Amateur Radio to step in and
save the day. Around 9 PM on September 5, a cable cut completely
isolated the Johnson County 911 Center in Warrensburg, Missouri,
impacting landline, Internet and cellular service. Johnson County --
home to Whiteman Air Force Base -- is located just east of the Kansas
City metro area.

Johnson County's emergency plan called for the telephone company to
transfer all 911 calls to the Henry County 911 facility in Clinton,
Missouri; Henry County is the next county south of Johnson County. But
an equipment problem at Henry County's center prevented the transfer
from completing successfully. Calls were then routed to the Benton
County 911 Center in Warsaw, Missouri; Benton County is the next county
west of Henry County. This transfer was successful and calls started
coming in to Warsaw. Unfortunately, Warsaw is more than 40 miles from
Warrensburg, and the two centers were unable to establish communication
using the county VHF radio facilities. It was then that radio amateurs
were brought in to provide communications support. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/missouri-hams-help-out-when-911-service-goes-down>.

==> + ARRL TO WELCOME USTTI STUDENTS NEXT MONTH

   Next month -- October 3-7 -- the ARRL will welcome international
students who want to learn how to administer and regulate Amateur Radio
programs in their home countries. This course, offered by the United
States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI) for learners from
developing countries, will help the participants create, administer and
foster an Amateur Radio Service in their countries. This is the 27th
year that the ARRL has participated in the USTTI program. Read more
here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-to-welcome-ustti-students-next-month>.

==> + ARRL SEEKS TREASURER

   After more than 31 years of distinguished service to the ARRL as its
volunteer Treasurer, Jim McCobb, K1LU, has decided to step down when
his current term expires in January 2012. The ARRL is seeking qualified
candidates from among its membership. The Board of Directors elects the
Treasurer and other officers at its Annual Meeting in even-numbered
years.

The Treasurer is a non-voting member of the Board of Directors and must
be a licensed radio amateur and a Full member of the ARRL for four
continuous years prior to nomination. The ARRL By-laws
<http://www.arrl.org/arrl-by-laws> define the role of the Treasurer as
follows:

- In consultation with and subject to the general supervision of the
Administration and Finance Committee, provides for the investment and
reinvestment of the surplus funds of the League in any bonds or stocks
or other securities as would be selected by a trustee with the care of
a prudent investor.
- Reports to and attends all regular meetings of the Board of
Directors.
- Serves as a member of the Administration and Finance Committee.

The position is unpaid; however, necessary expenses including travel to
meetings are reimbursable.

A Search Committee has been established to recommend one or more
candidates for Treasurer to the Board. Additional information about the
position is available here
<http://www.arrl.org/files/media/News/ARRL_Treasurer-Position_Description.pdf>.
Interested and qualified members are invited to submit a Statement of
Interest and qualifications by November 14, 2011 to the Secretary,
preferably by e-mail <dsumner at arrl.org>.

==> + ARRL FACEBOOK PAGE: 20,000 FANS STRONG

   With more than 20,000 fans on Facebook, the ARRL Facebook page is
the number one spot for hams on the Internet's most popular social
networking site. Not only is the ARRL page the most popular Amateur
Radio page on Facebook, it is attracting many young -- and not-so-young
-- hams to share their opinions and ham radio-related news with other
hams. According to Facebook demographics, more than 460 people between
the ages of 13-17 are fans of the ARRL's page, with 74 percent of users
below the age of 55. Since September 2010, hundreds of users post their
own comments on the page, make a comment on a post or "like" a comment
each week. The ARRL has been active on Facebook since July 2010; since
that time, the page has been viewed almost 14.5 million times by fans
and non-fans alike. The ARRL also has a Logbook of the World Facebook
page. Premiering in June 2011, this popular page has almost 1000 ham
fans. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-facebook-page-20-000-fans-strong>.

==> + HEATHKIT'S AMATEUR RADIO PLANS TAKING SHAPE

   Heathkit Educational Systems hopes to reenter the Amateur Radio
market by the end of 2011. Back in August, Heathkit announced
<http://www.arrl.org/news/heathkit-returns-to-the-kit-business> its
return to the kit business and actively solicited suggestions. The
response from Amateur Radio operators convinced Heathkit to develop
several Amateur Radio products.

"When we made the announcement on our web page about a month ago, we
had no intention of entering the Amateur Radio kit market," Ernie Wake,
Heathkit's Director of Sales and Marketing, told the ARRL. "The
response was really overwhelming, exciting and scary. The scary part is
that the brand name has so much loyalty that we don't want to
disappoint the people who have such fond memories."

Wake said that Heathkit is presently working on developing a few
Amateur Radio kits. "Initially, the kit line will include a few
'accessories,' like kits for a Dual Watt Meter, Antenna Tuners and the
Cantenna," he explained. "Once we are a little more 'settled,' I think
we will develop a QRP receiver. We won't rush to market just to get
there. We want to develop a line of kits in the tradition of Heathkit.
I'm hoping to have one or two kits by the end-of-the-year."

==> QEX -- THE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 ISSUE

   The September/October issue of QEX <http://www.arrl.org/qex> is
already out, 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 here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/em-qex-em-the-september-october-2011-issue>.

==> SOLAR UPDATE

   Tad "When the Sun is setting
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znOOaKPTH2Y>" Cook, K7RA, reports:
Although the average daily sunspot numbers are lower -- down nearly 13
points to 91.7 -- the average daily solar flux is higher by 6.7 points,
rising to 122.2. Yes, solar activity is rising rapidly. You could see
it coming earlier this week by glancing at the STEREO mission
<http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/> when you looked at the back side of the
Sun. There was lots of activity, and you can still see quite a bit more
(those white patches) just over the eastern horizon, which is on the
left side of the image beyond -90 degrees. The image of the daily Sun
<http://spaceweather.com/> shows a disc peppered with sunspots, a
welcome sight after watching the current solar cycle seem to stall.
Numerous CME events disturbed the Earth's magnetic field. The planetary
A index record shows September 9, 10 and 12 were the most active days,
with the index at 36, 33 and 27. The autumnal equinox in the northern
hemisphere is just a week away: September 23 at 0905 UTC, which is 5:05
AM EDT or 02:05 AM PDT. Luckily, the increased sunspot activity should
continue. The predicted solar flux is 145 on September 15-17, 150
September 18-22, 110 on September 23-24, and 115 on September 25-29.
The predicted planetary A index is 5 on September 15-18, 7 on September
19, 5 on September 20-23, 7 on September 24-25, 5 on September 26-29,
and 15 on September 30. Look for more information on the ARRL website
on Friday, September 16. For more information concerning radio
propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service Propagation
page <http://www.arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals>. This week's "Tad
Cookism" is brought to you by The Go-Go's Beneath the Blue Sky
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znOOaKPTH2Y>.

==> + NEW QUICKSTATS POLL NOW AVAILABLE ON ARRL WEBSITE

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

Questions in this month's QuickStats poll:

- What is the longest time you've ever spent at your radio (including
brief breaks)?
-  Do you analyze your antenna designs with modeling software before
you build the antennas?
- Have you monitored signals from the new ARISSat-1 satellite?
- How far are you willing to drive for a hamfest?

Visit the QuickStats page <http://www.arrl.org/quickstats> and be sure
to bookmark it in your browser. Results from this QuickStats poll will
be published in the December 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.

==> THIS WEEK ON THE RADIO

This week:

- September 16 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder; AGB NEMIGA Contest
- September 17 -- Connecticut QSO Party; Feld Hell Sprint
- September 17-18 -- ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest (local time)
<http://www.arrl.org/news/go-high-for-the-2011-arrl-10-ghz-and-up-contest>;
South Carolina QSO Party; Washington State Salmon Run; CIS DX QPSK63
Contest; Scandinavian Activity Contest (CW); SRT HF Contest (SSB); QRP
Afield
- September 18 -- North American Sprint (SSB); WAB 144 MHz QRP Phone
Contest; BARTG Sprint 75
- September 19 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest; 144 MHz Fall Sprint
(local time)
- September 22 -- NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint

Next week:

- September 23 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
- September 24 -- AGCW VHF/UHF Contest
- September 24-25 -- ARRL EME Contest
<http://www.arrl.org/eme-contest>; Texas QSO Party; CQ Worldwide DX
Contest (RTTY)
- September 25 -- UBA ON 6 Meter Contest
- September 26 -- QRP Homebrewer Sprint
- September 27 -- 222 MHz Fall Sprint (local time)
- September 28 -- SKCC Sprint
- September 28-29 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test

All dates, unless otherwise stated, are UTC. See the ARRL Contest
Branch page <http://www.arrl.org/contests>, the ARRL Contest Update
<http://www.arrl.org/The-ARRL-Contest-Update> and the WA7BNM Contest
Calendar <http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more
information. Looking for a Special Event station? Be sure to check out
the ARRL Special Event Stations Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/special-event-stations>.

==> UPCOMING ARRL SECTION, STATE AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS AND EVENTS

- September 17 -- ARRL Roanoke Division Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/roanoke-division-convention-virginia-beach-hamfest>,
Virginia Beach, Virginia
- September 24 -- ARRL Washington State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/washington-state-convention-35th-annual-spokane-hamfest>,
Spokane Valley, Washington
- October 8-9 -- ARRL Florida State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/florida-state-convention-melbourne-hamfest>,
Melbourne, Florida
- October 9 -- ARRL Connecticut State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/connecticut-state-convention-1>,
Wallingford, Connecticut
- October 14-16 -- ARRL Pacific Division Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/pacificon-2011>, Santa Clara, California
- October 21-22 -- ARRL West Gulf Division Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/west-gulf-division-convention-texoma-hamarama>,
Ardmore, Oklahoma
- October 22 -- ARRL Iowa State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/iowa-state-convention-hamboree-2011>,
Sergeant Bluff, Iowa
- November 6 -- ARRL Iowa Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/iowa-section-convention>, Davenport, Iowa
- November 19-20 -- ARRL Indiana State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/indiana-state-convention-fort-wayne-hamfest-and-computer-expo>,
Fort Wayne, Indiana
- December 3-4 -- ARRL West Central Florida Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/west-central-florida-section-convention-tampa-bay-hamfest-1>,
Palmetto, Florida

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

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