[CVRC] The ARRL Letter for March 7, 2013

Thu Mar 7 14:46:05 EST 2013

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

Published by the American Radio Relay League
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March 7, 2013

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

- + FCC Enforcement News: Alleged Deliberate Interference Leads to
$25,000 Fine for Florida Ham
- + Amateur Radio and the Law: Montana Governor Signs Legislation to
Limit Antenna Restrictions, Protect Hams from Distracted Driving
Regulations
- + Ham Radio in Hollywood: Last Man Standing to Feature Amateur Radio
Storyline
- + Florida Hams Prove that Ham Radio Works When Cell Phones Don't
- ARRL in Action: What Have We Been Up to Lately?
- ARRL Recognizes: Nominations Now Open for ARRL Technical and
Educational Awards
- + More Than 20,000 arrl.net, arrl.org E-mail Addresses Blocked by
Microsoft
- Solar Update
- + ARRL Recognizes: John White, VA7JW, and Ken Tapping  Win February
QST Cover Plaque Award
- New QuickStats Poll Now Available on ARRL Website
- This Week in Radiosport
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events

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

==> + FCC ENFORCEMENT NEWS: ALLEGED DELIBERATE INTERFERENCE LEADS TO
$25,000 FINE FOR FLORIDA HAM

On March 1, the FCC issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for
Forfeiture (NAL) in the amount of $25,000 to Terry L. VanVolkenburg,
KC5RF, of Cocoa, Florida. The FCC alleged that VanVolkenburg
"apparently willfully and repeatedly violated Sections 301 and 333 of
the Communications Act of 1934, as amended..., by operating a radio
transmitter without a license on...465.300 MHz and for interfering with
licensed communications." VanVolkenburg holds an Advanced class
license.

   According to the Commission's Forfeiture Policy Statement and
Section 1.80 of the rules, the base forfeiture amount for operation
without an instrument of authorization is $10,000, and the base
forfeiture amount for interference is $7000. In assessing the monetary
forfeiture amount, the FCC must also take into account statutory
factors that include the nature, circumstances, extent and gravity of
the violations, and with respect to the violator, the degree of
culpability, any history of prior offenses, ability to pay and other
such matters. "We find Mr VanVolkenburg's misconduct particularly
egregious because his unlicensed operation involved willful and
malicious interference to the communications of the Brevard County
Sheriff's Department, which included threats against the officers,
after being told (multiple times) to cease his interfering
communications," the FCC stated in the NAL. "Thus, we find that an
upward adjustment of $8000 to the combined base forfeiture of $17,000
is warranted. Applying the Forfeiture Policy Statement, Section 1.80 of
the rules and the statutory factors to the instant case, we conclude
that Mr VanVolkenburg is apparently liable for a forfeiture in the
amount of $25,000." Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/florida-ham-issued-25-000-fine-for-operating-an-unlicensed-radio-transmitter-and-interfering-with-li>.

==> + AMATEUR RADIO AND THE LAW: MONTANA GOVERNOR SIGNS LEGISLATION TO
LIMIT ANTENNA RESTRICTIONS, PROTECT HAMS FROM DISTRACTED DRIVING
REGULATIONS

   On February 28, Montana Governor Steve Bullock (D) signed House Bill
148 into law. Montana State Representative Pat Connell, WA7PDC, had
submitted the bill -- Clarifying Local Government Authority to Regulate
Amateur Radio Operations -- on the 2013 Montana legislative docket in
order to protect Amateur Radio operators in Montana from distracted
driving laws. The new law prohibits local governments from regulating
licensed Amateur Radio operations from a motor vehicle and also
establishes a 100-foot by-right height below which local jurisdictions
may not regulate Amateur Radio towers. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/montana-governor-signs-legislation-to-protect-mobile-amateur-radio-operations-from-distracted-drivin>.

==> + HAM RADIO IN HOLLYWOOD: LAST MAN STANDING TO FEATURE AMATEUR
RADIO STORYLINE

In an episode scheduled to air Friday, March 15, the hit ABC comedy
Last Man Standing -- starring Tim Allen as Mike Baxter, KA0XTT -- will
feature a secondary ham radio storyline. This is the first time that
the show will highlight Amateur Radio in its plot, showing various cast
members on the air and communicating via ham radio.

   In Episode 217 -- called "The Fight" -- Mike's daughter Mandy
(played by Molly Ephraim), gets her cell phone taken away as
punishment. She discovers Mike's home shack in the basement and uses
ham radio to make faraway friends. According to Last Man Standing
Producer John Amodeo, NN6JA, the home shack is a brand new set built
just for this episode. The ARRL provided many of the awards and
certificates -- including 5 Band DXCC, 5 Band Worked All States, 5 Band
Worked All Continents, VUCC (for 50 MHz), the Diamond DXCC Challenge
and the Morse Code Proficiency Certificate -- seen on Mike Baxter's
home shack wall. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/em-ham-radio-in-hollywood-em-last-man-standing-to-feature-amateur-radio-storyline>.

==> + FLORIDA HAMS PROVE THAT HAM RADIO WORKS WHEN CELL PHONES DON'T

After a day of exploring the Green Swamp Wildlife Management Area --
which covers 50,692 protected acres in Florida's Lake, Polk and Sumter
Counties -- with his grandson, Joe Cody, KE4WDP, of Winter Haven,
Florida, saw that the roads were flooding and becoming hazardous. As he
tried to drive out of the area, Cody's small pick-up truck got bogged
down in the mud. Since he was out of cell phone range, Cody tried
calling for help on the Dade City 146.880 repeater. Richard Parker,
KF4ORW, of Dade City, Florida, heard the call and answered. Read more
here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/florida-hams-prove-that-ham-radio-works-when-cell-phones-don-t>.

==> ARRL IN ACTION: WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO LATELY?

   This feature is a concise monthly update of some of the things that
the ARRL is doing on behalf of its members. This installment -- which
covers the month of February -- takes a look at the 2013 ARRL Field
Day, scholarships administered by the ARRL Foundation, Section Manager
election results, updates from the ARRL Development Office, reports
from the Official Observer Desk and more. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-in-action-what-have-we-been-up-to-lately-55>.

==> ARRL RECOGNIZES: NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN FOR ARRL TECHNICAL AND
EDUCATIONAL AWARDS

   Each year, the ARRL Board of Directors has the opportunity to select
recipients for a number of awards in various categories that honor
Amateur Radio operators. The nomination period is now open for the ARRL
awards that are designed to recognize educational and technological
pursuits in Amateur Radio, including an award that honors a young
Amateur Radio operator. ARRL members may nominate hams for the Herb S.
Brier Instructor of the Year Award, the Hiram Percy Maxim Award, the
ARRL Microwave Development Award, the ARRL Technical Service Award, the
ARRL Technical Innovation Award and the Knight Distinguished Service
Award. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/nominations-now-open-for-arrl-technical-and-educational-awards>.

==> + MORE THAN 20,000 ARRL.NET, ARRL.ORG E-MAIL ADDRESSES BLOCKED BY
MICROSOFT

   The ARRL IT staff has been notified that Microsoft is blocking
e-mail to the more than 20,000 members who use the arrl.net e-mail
forwarding service to forward e-mail to Microsoft domains (hotmail.com,
msn.com, live.com and outlook.com). In addition, the blockage is also
affecting those members of the ARRL's Field Organization and other ARRL
volunteers who use an arrl.org alias e-mail address to have e-mail
delivered to an address with a Microsoft domain. According to ARRL
Information Technology Manager Michael Keane, K1MK, the IT staff is
working to have these blocks lifted and e-mail delivery restored to
normal operation as quickly as possible.

==> SOLAR UPDATE

   Tad Cook, K7RA, reports: Both the averages of daily sunspot numbers
and solar flux rose, with the sunspot numbers up nearly 36 points to
93.3 and the solar flux up nearly 12 points to 112.6. The most active
geomagnetic day was Friday, March 1, when the planetary A index was 27
and the mid-latitude A index was 23; Alaska's high latitude College A
index was a whopping 64. The latest forecast from NOAA/USAF puts the
average solar flux for the next five days -- March 7-11 -- at 117. The
predicted solar flux is 115, 112 and 118 on March 7-9, 120 on March
10-11, 118, 115 and 110 on March 12-14, 95 on March 15-17, 100 on March
18-20, and back down to 105 on March 21-24. The predicted planetary A
index is 8 on March 7-8, 5 on March 9, 8 on March 10-13, 5 on March
14-20, 8 on March 21, and back down to 5 on March 22-27. Look for more
on the ARRL website on Friday, March 8. For more information concerning
radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service
Propagation page <http://www.arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals>.

==> + ARRL RECOGNIZES: JOHN WHITE, VA7JW, AND KEN TAPPING  WIN FEBRUARY
QST COVER PLAQUE AWARD

   The winners of the February QST Cover Plaque award are John White,
VA7JW, and Ken Tapping for their article "The Penticton Solar Flux
Receiver
<http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/arrl/qst_201302/index.php#/40>."
Congratulations John and Ken! The QST  Cover Plaque Award -- given to
the author or authors of the best article in each issue -- is
determined by a vote of ARRL members on the QST Cover Plaque Poll web
page <http://www.arrl.org/cover-plaque-poll>. Cast a ballot for your
favorite article in the March issue today .

==> 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:

   - Is your primary FM transceiver a single- or dual-band model?
- Do you consider your local Amateur Radio club dues to be too low, too
high or just right?
- Does your flat screen TV generate interfering signals?
- How often do you back up the data in your station computer?

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 May 2013 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 IN RADIOSPORT

This week:

- March 9 -- AGCW QRP Contest
- March 9-10 -- Idaho QSO Party; RSGB Commonwealth Contest; AWA John
Rollins Memorial DX Contest; EA PSK63 Contest
- March 10 -- North American Sprint (RTTY)
- March 10-11 -- Wisconsin QSO Party
- March 13 -- NAQCC-EU Monthly Sprint
- March 13-14 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test

Next week:

- March 15 -- NCCC Sprint
- March 16 -- Feld Hell Sprint; AGCW VHF/UHF Contest
- March 16-17 -- Virginia QSO Party; Russian DX Contest
- March 16-18 -- BARTG HF RTTY Contest
- March 17 -- North American Sprint (SSB)
- March 18 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest
- March 21 -- NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint

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

- March 8-9 -- ARRL Oklahoma Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/oklahoma-section-convention-green-country-hamfest-1>,
Claremore, Oklahoma; ARRL Louisiana Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/louisiana-section-convention-acadiana-53rd-annual-hamfest>,
Rayne, Louisiana
- March 16 -- ARRL Nebraska State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/nebraska-state-convention-2>, Lincoln,
Nebraska; ARRL West Texas State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/west-texas-section-convention-58th-annual-st-patrick-s-day-hamfest>,
Midland, Texas
- March 23 -- ARRL South Texas State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/south-texas-section-convention-greater-houston-hamfest-3>,
Rosenberg, Texas
- March 29-30 -- ARRL Maine State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/maine-state-convention-3>, Lewiston,
Maine
- March 30 -- ARRL North Carolina State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/north-carolina-state-convention-raleigh-hamfest-2>,
Raleigh, North Carolina
- April 13-14 -- Communications Academy
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/communications-academy-2013>, Seattle,
Washington
- April 19-20 -- Southeastern VHF Society Conference
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/svhfs-conference>, Cocoa Beach, Florida
- April 19-21 -- International DX Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/international-dx-convention-2>, Visalia,
California
- April 20 -- ARRL Louisiana State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/louisiana-state-convention-northeast-louisiana-regional-ham-radiofest>,
Monroe, Louisiana
- April 26-28 -- ARRL Idaho State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/idaho-state-convention-3>, Boise, Idaho
- May 4 -- ARRL South Carolina Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/south-carolina-section-convention-upstate-hamfest-1>,
Spartanburg, South Carolina
- May 17-19 -- Dayton Hamvention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/dayton-hamvention-4>, Trotwood, Ohio
- June 1 -- ARRL Georgia State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/georgia-state-convention-atlanta-hamfest-1>,
Marietta, Georgia
- May 31-June 2 -- ARRL Northwestern Division Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/northwestern-division-convention-seapac-4>,
Seaside, Oregon
- June 7-8 -- ARRL West Gulf Division Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/west-gulf-division-convention-35th-anniversary-ham-com>,
Plano, Texas
- June 8 -- ARRL Delta Division Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/delta-division-convention-2>, Rogers,
Arkansas; ARRL Tennessee State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/tennessee-state-convention-knoxville-hamfest-electronics-convention>,
Knoxville, Tennessee
- June 28-30 -- ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/rocky-mountain-division-convention-hamcon-colorado-2013>,
Estes Park, Colorado
- July 6 -- ARRL Eastern Pennsylvania Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/eastern-pennsylvania-section-convention-firecracker-hamfest-electronics-expo>,
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
- July 25-27 -- Central States VHF Society Conference
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/central-states-vhf-society-2013-conference>,
Elk Grove Village, Illinois
- 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 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

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

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