[CVRC] The ARRL Letter for July 25, 2013

Thu Jul 25 15:16:21 EDT 2013

********************************************
            The  ARRL Letter

Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************

July 25, 2013

Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME <ww1me 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

- Your League: ARRL Board Names Award Winners, Okays LoTW Initiatives
- FCC: Receiver Immunity Standards Unnecessary, Impractical for Amateur
Service, ARRL Says
- Ham Radio in Space: Boy Scout Jamboree Hosts Space Station Ham Radio
Contact
- Radiosport: WRTC 2014 Station Test "A Valuable Experience,"
Organizers Say
- DX: Wake Atoll K9W DXpedition Preparations On Track
- People: Hams Win International Association of Emergency Managers
Awards
- Conferences: Papers Due July 31 for 32nd Digital Communications
Conference
- Public Service: More Than 400 Attend 2013 ARRL Hurricane Webinar
- Youth: BSA Troop Club Station KT5BSA Achieves DXCC
- Solar Update
- Getting It Right
- This Week in Radiosport
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events

==> YOUR LEAGUE: ARRL BOARD NAMES AWARD WINNERS, OKAYS LOTW INITIATIVES

   At its second meeting of the year, July 19 and 20 in Windsor,
Connecticut, the ARRL Board of Directors
<http://www.arrl.org/divisions> confronted a broad agenda that included
the naming of ARRL award winners, the efforts of the Ad Hoc LoTW
<http://www.arrl.org/logbook-of-the-world> (Logbook of The World) and
Symbol Rate Rule Modernization committees, creation of a new field
appointment for youth, and the procedure for eventual ARRL CEO
succession.

LoTW

ARRL Dakota Division Director Greg Widin, K0GW, reported on the work of
the Ad Hoc LoTW Committee. The Board resolved, on Widin's motion, to
authorize $75,000 in order to procure outside professional services
with the goal of improving LoTW's database implementation. The Board
also okayed the hiring of a full-time Headquarters staff member with
"strong IT development and architectural skills" to address LoTW
improvements.

Symbol Rate Rule Modernization

On the motion of ARRL West Gulf Division Director Dr David Woolweaver,
K5RAV, on behalf of the Ad Hoc Symbol Rate Rule Modernization
Committee, the Board directed ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD,
to prepare a Petition for Rule Making with the FCC seeking to modify
Â§97.307(f) to delete all references to "symbol rate." The Petition
would ask the FCC "to apply to all amateur data emissions below 29.7
MHz the existing bandwidth limit, per Â§97.303(h), of 2.8 kHz."

The committee determined that the current symbol rate restrictions in
Â§97.307(f) "no longer reflect the state of the art of digital
telecommunications technology," and that the proposed rule change would
"encourage both flexibility and efficiency in the employment of digital
emissions by amateur stations." The committee was dissolved with the
thanks of the Board. (In his September 2013 QST "It Seems to Us"
editorial
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-ceo-explains-board-s-action-on-symbol-rate-regulation>,
ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, explains the Board's action on symbol rate
regulation.)

New Section Level Youth Field Appointment

ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Vice Director Dwayne Allen, WY7FD, acting
on behalf of Director Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, who was unable to
attend, presented the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Youth in the
Second Century. A highlight of the report was the proposed creation of
a Section Youth Coordinator as a section level appointment in the ARRL
Field Organization.

The Board subsequently resolved, on Allen's motion, to adopt the
committee's recommendation to establish the Section Youth Coordinator
(SYC) position, to replace the current Assistant SM for Youth. The
Board further resolved to have the Program and Services Committee and
ARRL staff define the roles and responsibilities of the SYC,
considering the recommendations in the Ad Hoc Committee on Youth in the
Second Century's report to the Board.

CEO Succession

   The Board devoted considerable time and discussion throughout the
meeting to the issue of CEO (chief executive officer) succession. While
current CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, has no immediate plans to retire, he is
approaching his normal retirement age. That prompted the Board to put
in place a procedure for naming a new CEO when the time comes. The
Board agreed to establish a CEO Candidate Screening Committee
consisting of five directors and elected an initial committee. Among
its first responsibilities, the new committee will establish CEO search
criteria. The committee may employ an independent management consultant
and is to recommend at least three CEO candidates to the Board for
consideration at the appropriate time.

Award Winners

The Board named the winners of two prestigious awards. Dr Robert S.
Dixon, W8ERD, of Delaware, Ohio, was awarded the 2013 ARRL Technical
Service Award <http://www.arrl.org/technical-awards>. He was recognized
"for numerous technical contributions" to Amateur Radio and for sharing
"his abilities and enthusiasm" for Amateur Radio. A QST author, Dixon
designed and created one of the first tactical communications bridge
systems for his local ARES team.

Well-known microwave experimenter Brian D. Justin, WA1ZMS, of Forest,
Virginia, is the winner of the ARRL Doug DeMaw, W1FB, Technical
Excellence Award. The Board recognized Justin for his "distinguished
lifelong Amateur Radio career," which has included expeditions that
garnered Justin the first VUCC Award on 47, 76, 122, 145 and 241 GHz.
Justin was further commended for developing and building several
millimeter-wave stations and for operating several repeaters, from 146
to 1200 MHz. Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-board-names-award-winners-okays-lotw-initiatives>.

==> FCC: RECEIVER IMMUNITY STANDARDS UNNECESSARY, IMPRACTICAL FOR
AMATEUR SERVICE, ARRL SAYS

Responding <http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7520932633> to an
FCC call for comments
<http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7022305447> based in part on
recommendations in a Technological Advisory Council (TAC
<http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/technological-advisory-council>) white
paper
<http://transition.fcc.gov/bureaus/oet/tac/tacdocs/WhitePaperTACInterferenceLimitsv1.0.pdf>,
the ARRL this week told the Commission that establishing so-called
"harm claim threshold" (HCT) standards for receivers would not work in
the Amateur Service. HCTs, expressed in field strength or power flux
density, would specify the level of radio interference that receivers
should be expected to tolerate before a radio service could claim
harmful interference. Limits would be established throughout a
service's assigned frequency range as well as within certain
frequencies outside that range. The ARRL argued that there is a need
for minimum, perhaps even mandatory, receiver performance standards for
home electronic devices, but the Amateur Service should not be subject
to receiver immunity standards.

   "Any performance standards for Amateur receivers would be purely
arbitrary, and would compromise the experimental purposes of the
Service," the ARRL told the Commission. "Amateurs have the technical
knowledge to differentiate between interference from spurious or
out-of-band emissions from nearby transmitters and that caused by
receiver deficiencies."

In the Amateur Service, the League continued, station-to-station
interference issues are typically resolved cooperatively without FCC
intervention and are "essentially not a problem." The issue for radio
amateurs, the League said, is "protection from spurious and out-of-band
emissions from other services."

Early last year then-FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski tasked the TAC
with studying the role of receivers "in ensuring the efficient use of
spectrum and to provide recommendations on avoiding obstacles posed by
receiver performance to making spectrum available for new services." In
late April, the FCC released a Public Notice (ET Docket 13-101
<http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7022305447>), detailing the
recommendations of the TAC's working group on receivers and spectrum in
a white paper called Interference Limits Policy -- The use of harm
claim thresholds to improve the interference tolerance of wireless
systems. A General Accountability Office report in February recommended
that the FCC "consider small-scale pilot tests and other methods to
collect information on the practical effects of various options for
improving receiver performance." The FCC accepted comments on both the
TAC white paper and the GAO report.

The ARRL told the FCC that the HF environment is not conducive to fixed
receiver standards and that it would be impossible to establish
reasonable HCTs for HF radio equipment. "The most pressing need," the
League said, "is for improved immunity of consumer electronic devices
and systems. The Commission has had the authority to require this for
many years, and has failed repeatedly to exercise it." Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/receiver-immunity-standards-unnecessary-impractical-for-amateur-service-arrl-says>.

==> HAM RADIO IN SPACE: BOY SCOUT JAMBOREE HOSTS SPACE STATION HAM
RADIO CONTACT

   European Space Agency Astronaut Luca Parmitano
<http://lucaparmitano.com/>, KF5KDP, aboard the International Space
Station spoke July 20 via ham radio with Scouts attending the 2013 Boy
Scouts of America <http://www.scouting.org/> National Jamboree, July
15-24, at the Summit Bechtel Reserve <https://summit.scouting.org/> in
Mount Hope, West Virginia. The Amateur Radio on the International Space
Station (ARISS <http://www.ariss.rac.ca>) program arranged the 2 meter
contact between the Scouts' K2BSA <http://www.k2bsa.net> and NA1SS.

"What really matters is to be good at what you do," Parmitano told the
Scouts. "So, pick something you like, love it and be really good at
it." Parmitano also said that the stars look different -- more natural
-- from the ISS but appear the same size as on Earth, as do the
planets.

   ARISS Technical Mentor Bob Greenberg, W2CYK, coordinated the contact
with the Jamboree. Some 40,000 attendees were anticipated at the
National Jamboree over its 10 day run. Amateur radio has been a part of
the Jamboree experience since 1953, when K6BSA was on the air from
Irvine Ranch in California. An ARISS direct contact with Space Station
Commander Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC, was a highlight of K2BSA's activities
during the BSA's centennial National Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill,
Virginia, in 2010.

On July 22, students at Colegio UruguÃ¡ <http://www.colegiourugua.com/>,
in El Pinar, Uruguay, spoke with the ISS crew via LU8YY. An ARISS
contact also was scheduled this with students at the Scuola Italiana di
Montevideo <http://www.scuolaitaliana.edu.uy/> in Uruguay.

Visitors to the European Space Agency's Space Camp 2013
<http://www.esa.int/Education/European_Space_Camp> in Radstadt,
Austria, spoke July 24 with the ISS crew via a telebridge between
IR0ISS and VK4KHZ. The theme of this year's camp is "Space
Exploration." Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/boy-scout-jamboree-hosts-space-station-ham-radio-contact>.
-- ARISS

==> RADIOSPORT: WRTC 2014 STATION TEST "A VALUABLE EXPERIENCE,"
ORGANIZERS SAY

   World Radiosport Team Championship 2014 (WRTC-2014
<http://www.wrtc2014.org/>) organizers say the 2013 station test held
during the IARU HF World Championship
<http://www.arrl.org/iaru-hf-championship> July 13-14 went very well.
The 25-station trial run was the second such test in advance of next
summer's international competition in New England. The results
<http://www.wrtc2014.org/competition/2013-station-test/> of the
unofficial competition are on the WRTC-2014 website.

"We accomplished our main objectives of exercising our processes around
building and operating the stations," said WRTC-2014 Board Vice
President Randy Thompson, K5ZD. "We had some more lessons learned
around equipment, processes and people. The volunteers did a fantastic
job of constructing 25 stations in one day. No one got hurt."

The periodic WRTCs run concurrently with the IARU HF World
Championship, and the 2014 event will see 65 stations on the air from
various New England locations. The goals of the 2013 station test,
organizers said, were to expand the pool of experienced teams for
station setup, evaluate proposed site locations, confirm logistics and
procedures and gather log data under competition conditions. A similar
test was conducted in 2012, and organizers say that the just-completed
test will be the final one before WRTC-2014 next July. All of the test
stations were in Eastern Massachusetts.

   The test stations were active on CW and SSB on 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10
meters, and many of them followed the equipment configuration and
scoring rules that will be prevail for the actual event. "Conditions
were not the best, but these operations will provide valuable log and
propagation information to the WRTC 2014 competitors," organizers said.

The exercise relied heavily upon more than 100 volunteers, who were
able to construct, operate, and take down all 25 stations over the
three day test period. "We will need more help for next year with 65
stations to construct," Thompson stressed. "Volunteers can come from
anywhere, as long as they can be here for the necessary days --
Thursday, Friday and Sunday." Prospective volunteers can sign up
<http://www.wrtc2014.org/volunteer/> on the WRTC-2014 website.

"It will be a fantastic event next year," Thompson predicted. "Just one
week before the ARRL National Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/arrl-centennial-convention-2014> -- a double treat
for anyone who can come to New England next July." Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/wrtc-2014-station-test-a-valuable-experience-organizers-say>.

==> DX: WAKE ATOLL K9W DXPEDITION PREPARATIONS ON TRACK

The Wake Atoll 2013 Commemorative DXpedition <http://wake2013.org> team
reports that preparations for its planned K9W operation
<http://wake2013.org/pages/bandplan.html> this fall are "progressing
nicely." Most of the needed equipment is in hand and being checked out
before shipment to staging areas in California and Hawaii. The
operation will commemorate 98 US civilian contractors -- "The Forgotten
98 <http://wake2013.org/pages/forgotten98.html>" -- who died on the
atoll during World War II in October 1943.

"Our operation, observing the 70th anniversary of their deaths, will be
dedicated to keeping their memory alive and honoring their sacrifice,"
the team said in a recent news release.

   A contingent of 12 operators is being assembled with plans to
operate five stations over a 14-day period on all modes, 160 through 6
meters. The team anticipates that the operation will start the last
week of September or first week of October, depending on the military
flight schedule into and out of Wake Atoll.

The Wake Atoll DXpedition is the recipient of an ARRL Colvin Award
<http://www.arrl.org/colvin-award-grants>. -- K9W Wake Atoll Management
Team

==> PEOPLE: HAMS WIN INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EMERGENCY MANAGERS
AWARDS

 <http://www.hsmm-mesh.org> <http://www.hsmm-mesh.org/>Broadband-Hamnet
<http://www.hsmm-mesh.org/>â„¢ (formerly HSMM-Meshâ„¢)   firmware,
developed by Amateur Radio operators to provide hams with a high-speed
digital wireless communication mesh network, has won both US and global
awards from the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM
<http://www.iaem.com/>). The USA Council of the IAEM International
Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) designated Broadband Hamnet as
a Division 2 (state/regional national government, international, or
nonprofit organization) Technology and Innovation Award winner. It went
on to win the IAEM-Global Technology and Innovation Award in the same
division. The awards will be presented in October at the IAEM's annual
conference in Reno, Nevada. The firmware was the subject of a cover
story article in the July 2013 issue of QST, "A Broadband Ham Network
Crosses the Finish Line," by Lynn Jelinski, AG4IU. Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/broadband-hamnet-wins-international-association-of-emergency-managers-awards>.

   The IAEM also named Monte Fronk, KC0WMC, and Randolph Mantooth as
co-winners of its 2013 IAEM-USA Public Awareness Award
<http://www.iaem.com/documents/IAEM-USA-Awards-News-Release-2013.pdf>
Certificate of Recognition. Fronk and Mantooth were recognized for
developing and creating "Strength and Resiliency: Emergency
Preparedness for Tribal Leaders," a 30 minute training video designed
to educate elected Tribal leaders about disaster preparedness. Mantooth
was one of the stars of the 1970s TV program "Emergency," which has
been credited with inspiring a generation of firefighters and
paramedics. -- Thanks to Broadband-Hamnet webmaster Jim Kinter, K5KTF,
and to Steve "Sid" Caesar, NH7C, Chief, Division of Emergency
Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs

==> CONFERENCES: PAPERS DUE JULY 31 FOR 32ND DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS
CONFERENCE

   Digital communications enthusiasts will be heading to the Pacific
Northwest this autumn for the 32nd annual ARRL/TAPR
<http://www.tapr.org/index.html> Digital Communications Conference (DCC
<http://www.tapr.org/dcc.html>), September 20-22, at Cedarbrook Lodge
<http://www.cedarbrooklodge.com/> near Seattle, Washington. The
ARRL/TAPR DCC is an international forum for radio amateurs to meet,
publish their work and present new ideas and techniques. Presenters and
attendees will have the opportunity to exchange ideas and learn about
recent hardware and software advances, theories, experimental results,
and practical applications. The DCC is for all levels of technical
experience -- not just the expert. Introductory sessions are scheduled
throughout the conference to present new technical topics for beginners
and experts alike.

Amateurs are invited to submit papers for publication in the conference
proceedings (you do not have to attend the conference to submit a
paper). Send papers by July 31 to Maty Weinberg, KB1EIB, ARRL 225 Main
St, Newington, CT 06111, or e-mail to maty at arrl.org.

More details and conference reservation information
<http://www.tapr.org/dcc> is on the TAPR website (or call
972-671-8277).

==> PUBLIC SERVICE: MORE THAN 400 ATTEND 2013 ARRL HURRICANE WEBINAR

Individuals interested in emergency preparedness flocked to the 2013
ARRL Hurricane Webinar, which was held Monday evening, July 15. A total
of 410 people, many of them radio amateurs, participated -- the highest
attendance ever for an ARRL webinar, administered by ARRL Emergency
Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U.

   Attendees heard presentations on a number of topics, including an
overview of the 2013 hurricane season forecasts and the role of IRLP
<http://www.irlp.net/>/EchoLink <http://www.echolink.org/> in disaster
communication by veteran SKYWARN <skywarn.org> volunteer Rob Macedo,
KD1CY; the history and current status of the National Hurricane Center
<http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/>'s Amateur Radio station WX4NHC
<http://www2.fiu.edu/orgs/w4ehw/> by Julio Ripoll, WD4R; a summary of
Hurricane Watch Net <http://www.hwn.org> activity by Net Manager Bobby
Graves, KB5HAV, and the importance of publicizing Amateur Radio
communication support by ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Sean
Kutzko, KX9X.

Among those registered was FEMA <http://www.fema.gov> Administrator
Craig Fugate, KK4INZ, who posted his attendance on his Twitter feed:
"Enjoyed joining other hams for training to prepare for the 2013
Hurricane Season."

"It was great to see such a large attendance for this year's hurricane
webinar," Corey said. "Given NOAA's Climate Prediction Center's
forecast for an above-average season, we all need to maintain a high
level of readiness to support our communities. Let's hope it is a quiet
and safe one."

The 2013 ARRL Hurricane Webinar was recorded and is available for
downloading <http://www.arrl.org/public-service-resources> from the
ARRL website.

==> YOUTH: BSA TROOP CLUB STATION KT5BSA ACHIEVES DXCC

   Boy Scouts of America Troop 5's club station KT5BSA in Pasadena,
California, has become a member of the DX Century Club (DXCC
<http://www.arrl.org/dxcc>), and the Scouts did it the hard way. To
achieve their goal, troop members set up portable HF stations at
various campouts and Scout events, and all 24 troop members contributed
to working the DXCC entities needed to qualify, ARRL Southwestern
Division Vice Director Marty Woll, N6VI, explained. Travis Williams,
AF6WU, is the club's adviser and KT5BSA trustee.

"Travis and his wife, Kjerstin, AF6KJ, have done a fine job with these
young hams, providing guidance, encouragement and opportunity to get
them active on the air," Woll stated. ARRL Rocky Mountain Division
Director Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT -- an Eagle Scout -- called the club's
DXCC "a very neat accomplishment, and one I'm sure all of the boys and
leaders involved are proud of."

==> SOLAR UPDATE

Propagation prognosticator Tad Cook, K7RA, in Seattle, reports: At 2330
UTC on July 24, Australia's IPS Radio and Space Weather Services
<http://www.ips.gov.au/> issued a geomagnetic disturbance warning.
Increased geomagnetic activity is expected due to a coronal mass
ejection (CME). They predict quiet to unsettled conditions on July 25,
active to minor storm on July 26, and active conditions on July 27.

Over the past reporting week, compared to the previous period (July
11-17) average daily sunspot numbers decreased by less than four points
to 73.4, while average daily solar flux declined slightly more than
three points to 110.6.

   NOAA/USAF predicts Planetary A Index at 5 on July 25, 12 on July 26,
18 on July 27, 8 on July 28, 5 on July 29 through August 8, 8 on August
9-11, 5 on August 12-13, 8 on August 14-15, 5 on August 16-17, 10 on
August 18, and 15 on August 19-22.

The outlook for solar flux calls for 105 on July 25-27, then 110, 115,
120, 125, 130, 135, 130, 125, 120, 125, 120 and 125 on July 28 through
August 8, respectively, 120 on August 9-12, 115 on August 13, and 120
on August 14-17. The latest projection shows a short-term peak at 135
on September 4-5 after a minimum of 100 on August 27-28.

In Friday's bulletin we'll review some reports from reports and some
thoughts on why AC6T in Santa Barbara may not be experiencing the 6
meter openings others are enjoying. We will also present a number of
interesting articles, including this one
<http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/The-Weakest-Solar-Cycle-in-100-Years-216752671.html>,
about the current solar cycle being the weakest in 100 years.

==> GETTING IT RIGHT

The news item "CQ World Wide DX Contest Rules Get Complete Rewrite,"
which appeared in The ARRL Letter for July 11, 2013, contained
incorrect information regarding the "Classic Overlay" category for
Single Operator, All-Band entrants. The CQ WW rules say that
participants opting to use this overlay may operate up to 24 of the 48
hour contest period, with minimum off-times of 60 minutes. If an
operator's log shows more than 24 hours of operation, only the first 24
hours of actual operating time will count. Also, "Rookie Overlay"
category operators must be licensed less than 3 years before the date
of the contest.

==> THIS WEEK IN RADIOSPORT

July 26 -- QRP Fox Hunt

July 26 -- NCCC RTTY Sprint

July 27-28 -- RSGB IOTA Contest

July 27-28 -- US Counties QSO Party

July 28 -- New Jersey QSO Party

July 28 -- ARS Flight of the Bumblebees

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

July 25-27 -- Central States VHF Society Conference
<http://www.csvhfs.org/2013conference/>, Elk Grove Village, Illinois

July 26-27 -- ARRL Oklahoma State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/oklahoma-state-convention-ham-holiday-1>,
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

August 2-3 -- ARRL Texas State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/texas-state-convention-austin-summerfest-2013>,
Austin, Texas

August 2-4 -- Pacific Northwest DX Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/pacific-northwest-dx-convention-2>,
Spokane Valley, Washington

August 3 -- Great Lakes Division Convention
<http://arrl-greatlakes.org/convention.html>, Columbus, Ohio

August 9-11 -- New Mexico State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/new-mexico-state-convention-duke-city-hamfest-2>,
Albuquerque, New Mexico

August 17 -- ARRL West Virginia State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/west-virginia-state-convention-3>,
Weston, West Virginia

August 17-18 -- ARRL Alabama State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/alabama-state-convention-huntsville-hamfest-1>,
Huntsville, Alabama

August 18 -- ARRL Kansas State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/kansas-state-convention-3>, Salina,
Kansas

August 25 -- ARRL Western Pennsylvania Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/western-pennsylvania-section-convention-3>,
New Kensington, Pennsylvania

August 31-September 1 -- North Carolina Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/north-carolina-section-convention-shelby-hamfest>,
Shelby, North Carolina

September 6-8 -- Southwestern Division Convention (SWHAMCOM)
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/southwestern-division-convention-swhamcon>,
Buellton, California

September 14 -- Roanoke Division Convention <http://vbhamfest.com/>,
Virginia Beach, Virginia

September 20-21 -- W9DXCC Convention <http://www.w9dxcc.com/>, Elk
Grove Village, Illinois

September 27-28 -- SEDCO/W4DXCC <http://w4dxcc.com/> Convention, Pigeon
Forge, Tennessee

September 28 -- North Dakota State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/north-dakota-state-convention>, West
Fargo, North Dakota

September 28 -- Washington State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/washington-state-convention-spokane-hamfest>,
Spokane Valley, Washington

September 29 -- EmComm East Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/emcomm-east-convention-2>, Rochester, New
York

October 6 -- Maryland State Convention <http://carafest.org/>, West
Friendship, Maryland

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

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