[FPARC] The ARRL Letter

[W4kkw at aol.com]

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 24, No. 42
October 28,  2005
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +Hurricane Wilma  Amateur Radio support continues
* +"Ham Aid" extended to cover Hurricane  Rita, Wilma volunteers
* +ISS Expedition 12 commander completes first school  group contact
* +Comments on Morse proposal fast and furious as filing  deadline nears
* +Vanity processing suspension could run through late  December
* +ARRL 2005 Holiday Toy Drive ramping up
*  Solar  Update
*  IN BRIEF:
This weekend on the  radio
ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course  registration
ARRL invites Amateur Radio disaster  volunteers to log their service
+Amateur Radio volunteers fill  communication gap when telephones fail
+SSETI Express satellite  goes silent
+Yardley Beers, W0JF, SK
K5ZD to provide chance to eavesdrop firsthand on contest operation
AMSAT-NA announces Executive Team
RAC  president, board pledge greater support to ARES/NTS
Portions of Handbook on Emergency Telecommunications now  available

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

===========================================================
==>Delivery  problems (ARRL member direct delivery  only!):
letter-dlvy at arrl.org
==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick  Lindquist, N1RL,  n1rl at arrl.org
===========================================================

==>FLORIDA  AMATEUR RADIO VOLUNTEERS ANSWER THE CALL

Amateur Radio Emergency Service  (ARES) and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency
Service (RACES) volunteers from all  three Florida ARRL sections answered the
call this week to provide  communication support in the wake of Hurricane
Wilma. Millions of residents  in South Florida remained without power at
week's end, and relief agencies  were continuing efforts to meet basic needs
of affected residents. Ham radio  volunteers turned out in force to assist
them, although the need for  additional Amateur Radio support waned--perhaps
only momentarily--toward  week's end.

"Things seem to be winding down," ARRL Southern Florida  Section Emergency
Communications Coordinator Jeff Beals, WA4AW, said October  28. "We've put a
temporary hold on new operators to assist the affected  counties in the
Southern Florida Section." As of week's end, Beals said, some  60 Amateur
Radio volunteers from Florida plus a few from outside the state  were
deployed in hurricane-affected counties.

Beals has been  coordinating the deployment of Amateur Radio volunteers in
his section with  assistance from ARRL West Central Florida SEC Neil
Lauritsen, W4NHL, and ARRL  Northern Florida SEC Joe Bushel, W2DWR. Since
Wilma raked the Florida  peninsula, Amateur Radio volunteers have been
providing vital tactical  communications for the Red Cross and its shelters,
special care facilities,  county emergency operations centers (EOCs), state
logistical staging areas  (LSAs), and points of distribution (PODs) for food,
ice and water, Beals  said

At week's end Beals was visiting EOCs in Broward and Palm Beach  counties to
determine their present and future needs for Amateur Radio  communication
support. He said things could pick up again next week. "I  believe the
situation is as good as it can be at the moment," Beals explained  October
28, "but we believe there may be additional needs next week and the  week
after, as well as to replace people who have been working long hours  at
their posts."

Earlier in the week in Palm Beach County, ARRL  Emergency Coordinator Dave
Messinger, N4QPM, reported Amateur Radio  volunteers were staffing three Red
Cross shelters, a special care unit, the  Red Cross Chapter house, the LSA at
the county fairgrounds and the county  EOC. Staging areas for volunteers in
Southern Florida are in the Palm Beach  and W Palm Beach and Broward County
EOCs.

Beals said the Amateur Radio  link between the Broward EOC and the Palm Beach
Fairgrounds distribution  point has proven invaluable as a primary
communication channel because of  problems with satellite telephones.

The Wellington RACES team spearheaded  by RACES Radio Officer Larry Lazar,
KS4NB, was handling local  health-and-welfare traffic. The Salvation Army
Team Emergency Radio Network  (SATERN) on 14.265 MHz also was taking
Hurricane Wilma health-and-welfare  traffic. HF traffic nets have been
running smoothly throughout the  activation.

Northern Florida State Government Liaison Ted Zateslo, W1XO,  reported
generators in high demand this week as widespread power outages  hampered
relief efforts. Southern Florida SM Sherri Brower, W4STB, still  without
electricity, was told it could be up to two weeks before power is  restored
in her area, Zateslo said. Brower does have telephone service,  however.

Beals said that he and Brower "wish to express our appreciation  to all the
amateurs who have answered the call for assistance to our  section."

==>"HAM AID" ELIGIBILITY EXPANDED TO RITA, WILMA  VOLUNTEERS

Thanks to the Corporation for National and Community Service  (CNCS), the
ARRL's "Ham Aid" program has been expanded. In addition to  Hurricane Katrina
Amateur Radio volunteers, Ham Aid now will cover those who  are serving or
have served in the wake of hurricanes Rita and Wilma. CNCS  provided ARRL
with $170,000 in grant extensions to support Ham Aid. The fund  offers
limited reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses to ham radio  volunteers who
are providing or have provided emergency communication support  in
communities devastated by hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma.

"To  date, there is adequate funding to support the hundreds of hams who
traveled  to the Southeast since late August," said ARRL Chief Development
Officer Mary  Hobart, K1MMH. She points out that the same reimbursement
procedures already  in place for Hurricane Katrina Amateur Radio volunteers
will apply to  hurricane Rita and Wilma  volunteers
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/forms/cncs/>.

In an  effort to distribute funding to as many ham radio volunteers as
possible,  Hobart says expense reimbursements at present are limited to $25
per day for  a maximum of four days, or a total reimbursement per radio
amateur of $100.  Amateur Radio volunteers are eligible for one expense
reimbursement per  hurricane event. For now, the program only covers per-diem
reimbursements  between September 1 and December 31, 2005. The period may be
extended,  however, based on availability of funds.

Hobart says she wants to allay  fears of Amateur Radio volunteers who believe
accepting the money is contrary  to FCC Part 97 rules. §97.113 prohibits
"Communications for hire or for  material compensation, direct or indirect,
paid or promised, except as  otherwise provided in these rules." Hobart says
Ham Aid reimbursements are  not for providing "communications" but to help
with such costs as travel,  meals, lodging and other necessities.

"These out-of-pocket expenses can  be a hardship for some Amateur Radio
volunteers," Hobart said, noting that  some hurricane volunteers have come
from the ranks of the unemployed or  seniors on fixed incomes. "If we can
help one ham to serve where badly  needed, that's what this grant is intended
to do." She encouraged all who  served in the field in the aftermath of
Katrina, Rita or Wilma to put in for  the reimbursement nonetheless--if for
no other reason than to honor those who  have volunteered before them
throughout ham radio's history.

"These  volunteers should consider applying anyway and then donate the
reimbursement  to their club or to another emergency communication-related
project," she  said. "I'd like to see this money support ARES and our
emergency response  capabilities in the field." Hobart says the CNCS grant is
a tangible  expression of the value that the federal government puts on
Amateur Radio as  an emergency communication asset.

"I hope people take advantage of the  helping hand CNCS has extended," Hobart
says. "Let's put this funding to work  as CNCS intended."

Hobart says the League will accept reimbursement  request applications on a
first-come, first served basis for as long as funds  are available.
Reimbursement checks will be mailed to the address the radio  amateur
provides on the form.

The CNCS grant is an extension of the  ARRL's three-year Homeland Security
training grant, which has provided  certification in emergency communication
protocols to nearly 5500 Amateur  Radio volunteers over the past three years.
This grant extension does not  cover additional ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency
Communications training program  reimbursements, however.

Cash donations from individuals are also being  accepted by the ARRL to
support hams in the field assisting with hurricane  relief and recovery
efforts. To make a donation go to the ARRL general  donation form and select
"Ham Aid" (this is a secure  site)
<https://www.arrl.org/forms/development/donations/basic/>.

==>NEW  ISS COMMANDER DELIGHTS JAPANESE YOUNGSTERS VIA HAM RADIO

Bill McArthur,  KC5ACR, the new commander of the International Space Station,
delighted  youngsters at Tomioka Elementary School in Urayasu City, Japan,
October 24 by  answering 14 of their questions via ham radio. The direct VHF
contact between  8J1UTE at the school and NA1SS in space was arranged via the
Amateur Radio on  the International Space Station (ARISS) program. Answering
one interesting  question, McArthur told the youngsters that mold, while rare
on the ISS,  comes in for some scrutiny when it does show up.

"If we do find mold,  then we take pictures of it to send to the ground,"
McArthur said. "We send  samples to the ground for analysis, and then we
clean it off." He said the  crew tries to keep everything extremely clean,
wipes surfaces with a  disinfectant cloth at least once a week, and is very
careful to clean up any  moisture that forms on panels or surfaces.

Responding to a question about  the first thing he wants to do when he gets
back to Earth next spring,  McArthur said he wants to "smell nature."

"Our atmosphere here is very  clean, but it doesn't have the things that
smell . . . that you really enjoy,  such as trees, flowers, grass and those
things," McArthur replied. "And then  I'm very excited to see my family
again."

The Tomioka Elementary  School QSO was the first ARISS school group contact
of McArthur's six-month  duty tour, which began early this month. McArthur
said he's found it "very,  very comfortable" to be weightless aboard the ISS.
Once he got used to it, he  said, it was a "very pleasant place to be."
McArthur's also said that he and  his crewmate, Russian cosmonaut and flight
engineer Valery Tokarev, enjoy  looking at Earth from the ISS in their spare
time.

An audience of some  650 parents, faculty members and other visitors was on
hand for the contact,  along with reporters from two TV stations and 10
newspapers. Control operator  for the ARISS event was Noriyasu Itho, JE1OWA,
and Satoshi Yasuda,  7M3TJZ/AD6GZ, served as the mentor for the ARISS
contact.

ARISS  <http://www.rac.ca/ariss> is an international educational outreach
with  US participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA.

==>COMMENT POSTINGS RAMP UP  AS FILING DEADLINE NEARS

With three days to go, nearly 3200 comments had  been filed--more than 500 of
them in the past week--in response to the FCC  "Morse code" Notice of
Proposed Rule Making and Order (NPRM&O) in WT  Docket 05-235. The NPRM&O
proposes to do away with the 5 WPM Morse code  requirement for all license
classes. The July NPRM&O also denied several  proposals to create a new
entry-level license class.

The closing date  for comments is Monday, October 31. Reply comments--ie,
comments on comments  filed by October 31--are due Monday, November 14.

To file on-line  comments on the FCC NPRM&O in WT Docket 05-235 or to view
others'  comments in the proceeding, visit the FCC Electronic Comment Filing
System  (ECFS) <http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/>. After clicking on "Submit  a
Filing" or "Search for Filed Comments," enter "05-235" (without  the
quotation marks but including the hyphen) in the "Proceeding" field. The  FCC
will accept brief comments in a comment window or more lengthy filings  as
attachments.

Alternative filing formats are available for people  with disabilities.
Contact the FCC to request reasonable accommodations  (accessible format
documents, sign language interpreters, CART, etc) by  e-mail <FCC504 at fcc.gov>
or telephone 202-418–0530 or TTY  202-418–0432.

For additional information, contact William T. Cross,  Public Safety and
Critical Infrastructure Division, Wireless  Telecommunications Bureau,
<William.Cross at fcc.gov>; 202-418–0680; TTY  202-418–7233.

An FCC Report and Order ending this proceeding and  announcing the effective
date of any rule changes is not likely until  sometime in 2006.

==>VANITY PROCESSING COULD BE ON HIATUS UNTIL LATE  DECEMBER

Thanks to Hurricane Wilma, the FCC likely will not be processing  any vanity
call sign applications until late December. The Wireless  Telecommunications
Bureau (WTB) halted vanity processing on or about  September 23 after
realizing that filing and regulatory deadline extensions  for licensees in
certain states affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita could  affect the
vanity program. This week, the FCC announced an additional  extension--until
December 22--for licensees adversely affected by Hurricane  Wilma. Because
all three extensions apply to Amateur Radio's two-year "grace  period," they
could have an impact on vanity call sign processing. A WTB  spokesperson said
that the Wilma deadline extension probably would have the  same effect on
vanity processing as the previous two.

"It looks like  it's going to be the same thing carried forward," Tracy
Simmons told ARRL. He  said amateur licensees can continue to file vanity
call sign applications,  but these will not be acted upon until the WTB
resumes vanity processing.  Then, all pending vanity call sign applications
will be processed in the  order they were received. Simmons indicated that
the WTB would revise its  Universal Licensing System (ULS) Web page "alert"
telling applicants that  vanity processing has been suspended "until further
notice" to reflect the  latest deadline extension.

In a public notice issued October 25, the WTB  made clear that the Hurricane
Wilma deadline extension only applies to  "affected licensees and applicants
in Florida and the Gulf of Mexico." For  Part 97 licensees, the extension
applies primarily to license modification  and renewal application deadlines.
According to this week's public notice,  the WTB will require affected
applicants to attach a "Hurricane Relief  Certification" with any filings
taking advantage of the extended  deadlines.

"WTB will rely on certifications by licensees and applicants  at the time
they submit their filings as proof that relief is due and the  filings are
timely," the FCC said.

The FCC halted vanity processing to  avoid such potential problems as
re-issuing the call sign of an affected  individual in one of the designated
states whose license has expired but  remains within the two-year grace
period for renewal.

Under Part 97,  Amateur Radio licensees have two years from the date of
license expiration to  renew their tickets without having to retest or risk
losing their call signs  to a vanity applicant. WTB has temporarily disabled
the "auto-termination"  feature of the ULS so that it will not automatically
cancel any licenses not  renewed by the end of the grace period.

On September 1, the FCC extended  until October 31 all filing and regulatory
deadlines falling between August  29 and October 30 for licensees in
Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana  affected by Hurricane Katrina. On
September 24, it extended until November 21  all filing and regulatory
deadlines falling between September 20 and November  20 for licensees in
Louisiana and Texas affected by Hurricane  Rita.

The FCC has not announced when vanity processing will resume, but  at this
point it appears unlikely that the date will be any sooner than  December 23.
It typically takes approximately three weeks for the FCC to  process a vanity
call sign application. In August, the FCC raised the vanity  application fee
to $21.90.

The October 25 public notice is available  on the FCC's Web  site
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-2778A1.pdf>.

==>ARRL  2005 HOLIDAY TOY DRIVE KICKING INTO GEAR

Toys already have begun showing  up in Memphis, Tennessee, in response to the
ARRL 2005 Holiday Toy Drive  appeal. The League has partnered with The
Salvation Army for this year's  effort to brighten the holiday season for
children in the coastal areas of  Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana left
homeless or displaced in the  aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

"As The Salvation Army  continues to provide assistance to the victims of the
largest natural  disaster in modern US history, we are excited to partner
with the ARRL in  providing toys for children affected by hurricanes Katrina
and Rita this  holiday season," said Mark Jones, The Salvation Army's public
relations  director.

Because it still has the facilities to manage a large toy  drive, The
Salvation Army will handle the distribution end of the program.  Its facility
in Jackson, Mississippi, will coordinate distribution throughout  the Gulf
Coast region.

Country music artist Patty Loveless, KD4WUJ, is  the Holiday Toy Drive's
national chairperson.

The collection point for  the toys is in Memphis, Tennessee, where the League
has secured a warehouse  facility. Between now and December 10, the ARRL is
encouraging ham radio  operators throughout the US to purchase new, unwrapped
toys for children ages  1 through 4 and send them with a QSL card to ARRL Toy
Drive/The Salvation  Army, 1775 Moriah Woods Blvd--Suite 12, Memphis,  TN
38117-7125.

Volunteers in Memphis will sort and stock the toys, and  in early December,
the toys will be transported to The Salvation Army  facilities in hurricane
areas that need help the most at that  time.

Amateur Radio volunteers turned out in force to support  communication for
relief and recovery operations in the Gulf Coast. ARRL  Media and Public
Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, says the Amateur Radio  community is
once again in a position to make a difference.

"Thousands  of families are without a place to live and will be homeless over
the coming  holiday season," he said. "For a child living out of a tent or
car, FEMA  trailer or someone else's home, the 2005 holiday season will be
anything but  jolly. But hams from all across the country are coming to their
rescue again  through the ARRL Holiday Toy Drive."

Cash donations from ARRL members  also are welcome. League members may send
checks to ARRL Holiday Toy Drive,  225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111.

"Knowing that someone 'out there'  remembers you is a start for these
children," Pitts said.

More  information about the ARRL 2005 Holiday Toy Drive is available on  the
League's Web site <http://www.arrl.org/pio/>.

==>SOLAR  UPDATE

Solar Seer Tad "Sunshine Superman" Cook, K7RA, Seattle,  Washington, reports:
NO SUNSPOTS! The average daily sunspot number from the  previous reporting
week to the current dropped six points to 7.7. There were  no visible
sunspots over the four days October 24-27. Do not expect an  improvement for
the CQ World Wide DX Contest (Phone) this weekend. Thankfully  geomagnetic
conditions are stable, and the longer nights as we head toward  winter
solstice are good for 160, 80 and 60-meter operation.

Solar  flux should remain around 70 over the next few days, rising to 80
around  November 4. Predicted planetary A index for October 28-31 is 15, 12,
8, and  5. Geophysical Institute Prague predicts unsettled conditions for
today,  October 28, unsettled to active conditions for Saturday October 29,
and  unsettled conditions for Sunday October 30.

Sunspot numbers for October  20 through 26 were 15, 15, 13, 11, 0, 0 and 0,
with a mean of 7.7. The  10.7-cm flux was 76.7, 75.3, 74.7, 74.2, 73.4, 73,
and 72, with a mean of  74.2. Estimated planetary A indices were 3, 2, 6, 2,
4, 19 and 8, with a mean  of 6.3. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 2, 1,
7, 2, 3, 17 and 8, with a  mean of 5.7.

__________________________________

==>IN  BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: The CQ Worldwide DX Contest (SSB),  the eXtreme
CW World-Wide Challenge, the 10-10 International Fall Contest  (CW) and the
F.I.S.T.S. Coast to Coast Contest are the weekend of October  29-30. JUST
AHEAD: The ARRL November Sweepstakes (CW), the North American  Collegiate ARC
Championship (CW), the IPARC Contest (CW and Phone), the  Ukrainian DX
Contest, High Speed Club CW Contest and the DARC 10-Meter  Digital Contest
are the weekend of November 5-6. See the ARRL Contest Branch  page
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/> and the WA7BNM Contest  Calendar
<http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more  info.

* ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course  registration:
Registration remains open through Sunday, November 6, for these  ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education (CCE) Program on-line  courses:
Emergency Communications Level 2 (EC-002), Emergency Communications  Level 3
(EC-003), Antenna Modeling (EC-004), VHF/UHF Beyond the Repeater  (EC-008),
and Propagation (EC-011), Digital Electronics (EC-013). Classes  begin
Friday, November 18. To learn more, visit the CCE Course Listing  page
<http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> or Contact the CCE  Department
<cce at arrl.org>.

* ARRL invites Amateur Radio disaster  volunteers to log their service: The
ARRL is asking Amateur Radio volunteers  who helped to provide or support
communication during one of the recent  hurricanes or other incident. An
Amateur Radio Service Volunteer Form now is  available on the ARRL Web  site
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/agencies/vol-report.html>. The  League is
asking radio amateurs to complete the form each time they complete  volunteer
service. "Your commitment and dedication to using ham radio in  community
service sends a strong message that volunteer radio operators are  essential
to a successful response to any disaster," said ARRL COO Harold  Kramer,
WJ1B. "The details of your service strengthens Amateur Radio and its  voice
in official Washington, to the public and to the press. When we can  document
the thousands of hours you serve, we can use the information to  build a
strong case for radio spectrum protection at home and abroad." The  on-line
form includes a "Your Comments" box to ask questions or to supply  additional
information. The ARRL will use the information provided for  internal
purposes only and will not share any individual's information with  any other
organization.

* Amateur Radio volunteers fill communication  gap when telephones fail: When
a telephone outage occurred in Southern  California October 18, the Long
Beach Emergency Communications and Operations  Center (ECOC) declared a
"communication failure protocol," and ARES/RACES  members and other ham radio
volunteers stepped in to help. The outage  disabled 911 service in
communities along the coast and through parts of Los  Angeles and Orange
counties. It also cut off at least 150,000 telephone and  Internet service
customers for up to 12 hours along with many cell phone  users. Radio
amateurs worked with police and fire officials to support the  departments
with auxiliary communications. Hams also were stationed at 17 of  the largest
nursing homes in town. The emergency net successfully relayed  traffic
through the ECOC to the hospitals, nursing homes and ambulance  services,
ensuring access to 911. When the City of Long Beach built its new  ECOC three
years ago Emergency Services Coordinator Casey Chel, KD6DOV, had  the
foresight to include a complete Amateur Radio facility for those  rare
occasions when all other communication systems might fail. Those plans  paid
off on October 18.--Associated Radio Amateurs of Long Beach

*  SSETI Express satellite goes silent: The Student Space Exploration  and
Technology Initiative (SSETI) Express satellite, sent into orbit from  Russia
October 27, was reported silent at week's end. "We have not heard  anything
from Express on UHF since last night [October 27] when the telemetry  seemed
to indicate a very negative power budget," Graham Shirville, G3VZV,  said on
the AMSAT BB as he was departing Russia following the launch. "If it  does
not recover then it will be a sad end to a wonderful mission."  Shirville
said ground controllers were going to attempt a blind command of  the
satellite over the weekend in an effort to revive the satellite,  which
carries an Amateur Radio package and three CubeSat picosatellites.  The
spacecraft had been transmitting AX.25 telemetry at 9k6 bps on 437.250  MHz.
Plans call for the satellite will be turned into a single-channel  amateur FM
voice Mode U/S transponder after the transmitter serves initial  telemetry
duty. The AMSAT-UK <http://www.uk.amsat.org/> and  AMSAT-NA
<http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/sat_summary/SSETI.php>  Web sites
have additional information on this European Space Agency-sponsored  project,
in which SSETI Express was built by a distributed team of  university
students and radio amateurs throughout Europe. Additional details  are on the
SSETI Express Web site  <http://sseti.gte.tuwien.ac.at/express/mop/>.

* Yardley Beers,  W0JF, SK: Yardley Beers, W0JF (ex-W3AWH, W2AWH, W0EXS), of
Jamaica Plain,  Massachusetts, died recently. He was 92. An ARRL Full Charter
Life member,  Beers, was a contributing writer to QST from the 1930s until
the late 1990s  and was the author of the book, The Theory of Error. He also
was an avid DXer  and a member of the A-1 Operator Club. Beers was among
those involved in the  construction of the WWV time and frequency-standard
station at Ft Collins,  Colorado, where he oversaw maintenance of the cesium
atomic clock. He  detailed the experience in "WWV Moves to Colorado," which
appeared in the  January and February 1967 issues of QST. More recently, his
wife, Dorothy,  detailed her husband's life and ham radio activities in the
"Old Radio"  column in the November 2004 issue of QST.--some information from
Jack  Ciaccia, WM0G/Boulder Amateur Radio Club

* K5ZD to provide chance to  eavesdrop firsthand on contest operation: In
what appears to be a contesting  first, streaming audio
<http://www.k5zd.com/live> from the Western  Massachusetts contest station of
Randy Thompson, K5ZD, will be available on  the Internet during the CQ World
Wide Phone Contest. Dave Pascoe, KM3T, a  contest veteran, will be at the
helm of K5ZD for a serious single-operator,  all-band effort. "This will be a
full blown SO2R [single-operator, two radio]  effort, and the stream will be
in stereo, so you hear exactly what he is  hearing," Thompson said. He
advises listeners to look for audio streaming to  start a few hours before
the contest. E-mail comments to K5ZD  <k5zd at contesting.com>.

* AMSAT-NA announces Executive Team:  AMSAT-NA has announced that one key
action at the Board of Directors meeting  October 7 was the election of its
new Executive Team. Here are the results.  AMSAT Board of Directors: Rick
Hambly, W2GPS; Barry Baines, WD4ASW; Gunther  Meisse, W8GSM; Tom Clark,
W3IWI; Lou McFadin, W5DID; Paul Shuch, N6TX; Emily  Clarke, W0EEC; Bob
McGwier, N4HY (first alternate), and Lee McLamb, KU4OS  (second alternate).
AMSAT Officers: Rick Hambly, W2GPS, president; Lee  McLamb, KU4OS, executive
vice president; Mike Kingery, KE4AZN, vice president  operations; Frank
Bauer, KA3HDO, vice president of human spaceflight; Bob  McGwier, N4HY, vice
president engineering; Barry Baines, WD4ASW, vice  president Marketing and
user services; Steve Diggs, W4EPI, secretary; Gunther  Meisse, W8GSM,
treasurer, and Martha Saragovitz, manager. Stan Wood, WA4NFY,  has retired as
vice president of engineering, and AMSAT thanked him for his  years of
service in that capacity.

* RAC president, board pledge  greater support to ARES/NTS: Radio Amateurs of
Canada (RAC) President Earle  Smith, VE6NM, and its Board of Directors have
committed to increasing  tangible support to RAC's Field Organization,
including its Amateur Radio  Emergency Service (ARES) and National Traffic
System (NTS). The move is part  of an effort to heal rifts that have
developed within RAC's Field  Organization. "We are listening and are ready
to take appropriate action to  turn the situation around," Smith told RAC
ARES volunteers during an address  in Ontario. He said the RAC wants to do
more to recognize ARES/NTS volunteers  through individual contact, public
forums, on the RAC Web site and in The  Canadian Amateur magazine. Smith also
said the importance of RAC's Field  Organization needs to be brought to the
forefront in discussions at all  levels of government to enhance the image of
Canada's Amateur Service. In  turn, he called on ARES/NTS field volunteers to
present a professional and  unified front to gain the public recognition they
deserve. "The Field  Organization and ARES/NTS must be taken seriously, must
be recognized as an  integral operating arm of Radio Amateurs of Canada, and
must be promoted as  such," Smith concluded. The text of his remarks is on
the RAC Web  page
<http://www.rac.ca/downloads/RAC_ARES_StatementofPurpose_2005-10-24.pdf>

*  Portions of Handbook on Emergency Telecommunications now available:  The
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has made significant portions  of
the 2005 edition of its Handbook on Emergency Telecommunications  available
for free download in English, French or Spanish. The ITU says the  Handbook
is designed to serve as a close companion to those involved in  providing and
using telecommunications for disaster mitigation and relief.  Details are on
the ITU Web  site
<http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/emergencytelecoms/publications.html>.