[FPARC] The ARRL Letter Vol. 25, No. 08
W4kkw at aol.com
W4kkw at aol.com
Sun Feb 26 20:49:18 EST 2006
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The ARRL Letter
Vol. 25, No. 08
February 24, 2006
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IN THIS EDITION:
* +ARRL wants FCC to order halt to BPL database access limits
* +Regulation-by-bandwidth petition "a reasonable middle ground," League
says
* +Space station commander educates, inspires via ham radio
* +SuitSat-1 now QRT
* +New ARRL Section Managers start April 1 in four sections
* +Revised ITU recommendation on ham radio in disasters in effect
* +Lifetime licenses established for hams in Great Britain
* Solar Update
* IN BRIEF:
This weekend on the radio: The North American QSO Party (RTTY)!
ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
+3Y0X DXpedition logs more than 87,000 contacts
Dayton Hamvention® announces theme for 2006 show
Revised, corrected Element 2 question pool released
DXCC Desk approves operation for DXCC credit
Correction
+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
===========================================================
==>LEAGUE TO FCC: ORDER AN END TO ARBITRARY ACCESS LIMITS TO BPL DATABASE
The ARRL has demanded that the FCC order the United Telecom Council (UTC) to
"cease its arbitrary limits" on access to the public BPL Interference
Resolution Web site <http://www.bpldatabase.org/>. UTC administers the site,
which FCC Part 15 rules require to be "publicly available." In a complaint
<http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/files/BPL-Database-Access-Complaint-0
2-06.pdf> filed February 23 with the FCC Office of Engineering and
Technology, the FCC Enforcement Bureau and UTC, the League charged UTC with
"arbitrarily and unlawfully" preventing some individuals and
organizations--including ARRL--from utilizing the BPL database.
"Quite simply, UTC's 'management' of this database has in a very short time
proven a shambles," ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, wrote on the
League's behalf. "The Commission has taken no action in response to any BPL
interference complaints, but UTC's restricting access to the database is
directly and overtly contrary to the specific language of both the Report
and Order (R&O) and §15.615 of the Commission's rules."
According to the complaint, ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, found himself
locked out of the BPL database February 14 after attempting to search a
particular ZIP code. An "error" message warned: "The System has determined
that this line of searching constitues [sic] unauthorized use of the
database. Cease operations immediately."
"There was no unauthorized use of the database," Imlay said, adding that an
ARRL staff member got the same message after trying to search two ZIP codes
from an "arrl.org" domain address. "It was apparent thereafter that anyone
using an 'arrl.org' domain name was unilaterally shut out of the database by
UTC for an indeterminate amount of time," the complaint continued.
Imlay also cited the experience of Gary Zabriskie, N7ARE, the secretary of
the Dixie Amateur Radio Club in Utah. On February 15, he attempted a search
covering several ZIP codes in his club's membership area to report any BPL
trials or rollouts to members. After entering the third ZIP code, he
received the same "error" message. The next week, Imlay noted, a member of
the ARRL Laboratory staff conducted a series of searches to determine if
previously noted discrepancies in the database had been corrected. After
entering his seventh ZIP code search, he received a message indicating that
he had exceeded his search limit, "though you may try again later," it
added.
A advisory on the BPL Interference Resolution Web Site page states: "Access
via scripted or automated programs is prohibited. Each individual is allowed
to search a limited number of times. Individuals are advised not to conduct
random searches of the database, or their access to the database may be
further restricted."
"The limits placed unilaterally and apparently variably on searches of the
database are each and all improper," the ARRL complaint asserted. "There is
nothing in any Commission document that authorizes UTC to limit access to
the database whatsoever. Worse, UTC has decided to limit public access
arbitrarily by IP address or by domain name, and apparently as few as three
ZIP code searches trigger the cutoff mechanism." The League said there is no
technical reason to limit the search function.
The League maintains that the design of the database and the restricted
access are "clearly intended to frustrate the Commission's purpose" in
requiring the database in the first place and "to inhibit complaints of
interference" from BPL systems. As a result, the ARRL says, the FCC should
immediately rescind UTC's appointment as the BPL database administrator or
order UTC to end its arbitrary limits on access to the database.
==>REGULATION-BY-BANDWIDTH PETITION "A REASONABLE MIDDLE GROUND," LEAGUE
SAYS
The ARRL says its Petition for Rule Making (RM-11306) to regulate the
amateur bands by necessary bandwidth rather than by mode represents "a
reasonable middle ground in a difficult regulatory area." In reply comments
filed with the FCC February 21, the League said it was gratified to see more
than 900 commenters responded to the admittedly "controversial" petition and
noted that many "show the investment of a good deal of thought about the
proposal." ARRL said it would have been concerned if the amateur community
had not responded with a loud voice on all facets of the League's
regulation-by-bandwidth proposal.
"ARRL continues to believe that its petition is a measured response to
progress in digital telecommunications technology and successfully balances
the interests of all, regardless of which of the polarized opinions in this
proceeding, if any, constitutes a 'majority' view," the League's reply
comments said. "To the extent that the success of this philosophy
necessitates the participation and cooperation of all amateurs in the
development of, and increased reliance on, modernized voluntary band plans,
ARRL is optimistic that such participation and cooperation will be
available" as it has in past "transitional phases" in Amateur Radio's
history.
The ARRL is asking the FCC to replace the table at §97.305(c) with a new one
that segments bands by necessary bandwidths ranging from 200 Hz to 100 kHz.
Unaffected by the ARRL's recommendations, if they're adopted, would be 160
and 60 meters. Other bands below 29 MHz would be segmented into subbands
allowing maximum emission bandwidths of 200 Hz, 500 Hz or 3.5 kHz, with an
exception for AM phone.
The ARRL says the changes it's proposing constitute a balance "between the
need to encourage wider bandwidth, faster digital communications and the
need to reasonably accommodate all users in crowded bands."
The League's reply comments countered criticism that its petition represents
"overregulation wrapped in a different cloak," that increased reliance--and
confidence--in the ability of voluntary band plans to substitute for subband
regulation by emission mode is misplaced, or that the ARRL's proposal caters
to a small minority of digital enthusiasts and experimenters. Many of those
who commented expressed a desire to leave things as they are, some because
they feel the advent of digital technology may threaten their favorite mode.
"They are comfortable with the status quo, because the current regulations
are not encouraging toward digital modes and, therefore, the current
regulatory scheme, they feel, 'protects' them," the League said. "The
comfort level with the status quo is high for these licensees, and they have
not hesitated to tell the Commission so."
The League emphasized, "All should be accommodated by the regulatory
structure of amateur subbands, and technology changes demand regulatory
changes in this instance." Its plan, the League said, "attempts to segment
emission modes of similar bandwidths in a manner that accommodates the
varied needs and interests of all, while insuring compatibility by grouping
like-bandwidth emissions together."
Citing repeated efforts to gather input from the Amateur Radio community at
large and from its members since its regulation-by-bandwidth concept was
first aired in 2002, the League called the petition "the most thoroughly
vetted regulatory proposal" it's ever developed.
"The ARRL petition does not favor one mode at the expense of another," the
League reiterated in concluding its reply comments. "It merely allows
expansion of the repertoire of options that amateurs may pursue compatibly."
The ARRL petition is available on the FCC Web site
<http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_docume
nt=6518181567>. The League's reply comments are on the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/bandwidth/Bandwidth-Petition-Reply-
Comments-2-6.pdf>.
==>NO LOLLIES ON SPACE STATION, COMMANDER TELLS YOUNGSTERS IN SPACE QSO
International Space Station Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR,
this month educated and inspired youngsters in Florida and the Australian
outback during separate Amateur Radio contacts. McArthur spoke from NA1SS
with youngsters attending Collier County, Florida, public schools on
February 8, and at the Charleville Cosmos Centre in Queensland on February
17. The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program
arranged both events. Students at Florida's Pine Ridge and Immokalee middle
schools posed several questions on the subject of robotics aboard the ISS,
and McArthur discussed use of the space station's robotic arm, Canadarm 2.
"We use the robotic arm only occasionally onboard the ISS," McArthur
explained. "It's used to either relocate people or equipment on the outside,
which happens only occasionally. Also, we will sometimes use the cameras
installed on the robotic arm to do video surveys of the exterior of the
station."
McArthur told the students that it took extensive training to learn how to
properly manipulate the Canadarm 2, used mostly to move equipment and cargo
that's too large for the astronauts to handle during space walks.
Twice during the contact, McArthur offered some words of inspiration and
encouragement to those contemplating careers as astronauts. "Do not be
afraid to follow your dreams," he advised. "Reach high, because even if you
fall a little bit short you will have accomplished so much more than if
you're afraid to even try."
Members of the Amateur Radio Association of Southwest Florida (ARASWF) set
up and operated the equipment necessary for the direct VHF contact between
NA1SS and K4YHB at Pine Ridge Middle School, a NASA Explorer School.
Coordinating Teacher Sharon Lea, who once met McArthur, took a moment at the
end of the QSO to express gratitude on behalf of the schools for making the
contact possible. "This was a wonderful experience for us all," she said.
Some 150 school officials, teachers, parents and students were on hand, and
two TV stations, a local radio station and the Naples Daily News reported on
the space contact.
Nine days later, youngsters attending the Charleville School of Distance
Education gathered at the Cosmos Centre in the Australian outback to hook up
with McArthur via ham radio and a Verizon Conferencing teleconferencing link
from WH6PN at Sacred Hearts Academy in Honolulu to the Queensland facility.
McArthur told the students that he's been an astronaut for 15 years, and his
duty tour aboard the ISS marked his fourth flight into space. "Prior to
this, my longest mission was 14 days--two weeks," McArthur responded to one
question, noting that he enjoyed being in space very much. "This one will be
a little more than a half-year, and, to me, it's the difference between
visiting a wonderful place and living there."
Looking ahead to longer-duration space flights, one student wanted to know
how long it would take to get to Mars. "It would take somewhere between six
and nine months depending on the technology used and also depending on how
the planets are aligned," McArthur replied.
"Do you eat chocolate bars and lollies?" another student wanted to know.
"Well, we have no lollies," McArthur answered, "but that's only because
Valeri [Tokarev] and I didn't ask for them. Yes, we do have chocolate bars,
chocolate candy, other candy, and if a crew wanted lollies they could ask
for them, and they would have them up here."
Beyond that, McArthur said, the cuisine aboard the ISS largely consisted of
foods familiar on Earth, although all meals come already prepared and
usually dehydrated.
The school waited nearly two years for its contact to be scheduled, and just
12 hours before the event a thunderstorm knocked out telephone service
throughout the town. Earth station operator and ARISS veteran Tony
Hutchison, VK5ZAI, said a repair crew managed to get the telephone system
back up with only two hours to spare.
National TV and radio and local media joined the audience on hand to report
on the contact. The Charleville Cosmos Center is an observatory in outback
Queensland some 800 km west of Brisbane.
ARISS <http://www.rac.ca/ariss> is an international educational outreach
with US participation from ARRL, AMSAT and NASA.
==>ARISS MAKES IT OFFICIAL: "TREMENDOUSLY SUCCESSFUL" SUITSAT-1 IS SK
SuitSat-1 is now a confirmed "Silent Key." So says its sponsor, the Amateur
Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program. In operation for
more than two weeks, SuitSat-1--designated AO-54--easily outlasted initial
predictions that it would transmit for about one week. ARISS International
Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, says the mission captured imaginations around
the world, despite a much-lower-than-expected signal strength.
"The outreach, press requests and visibility of SuitSat were absolutely
amazing and appear to be unprecedented for a ham radio event," Bauer said.
"While the press requests are just now starting to wane, we expect that you
will continue to see SuitSat status reports and pictures in magazines, Web
sites and other literature over the next few months." The more than nine
million hits at the SuitSat Web site attest to the level of interest in the
SuitSat-1 experiment, Bauer noted, calling the tally "quite impressive
indeed!"
Bob King, VE6BLD, in Alberta posted the last confirmed reception of
SuitSat-1's voice audio, Saturday, February 18, at 0332 UTC. Richard Crow,
N2SPI, in New York received the last confirmed telemetry, which indicated
the battery voltage dropping precipitously to a low of 18.3 V before the
novel satellite ceased to transmit.
Hearing SuitSat-1's puny signal strength generally required gain antennas,
but Bauer says he heard SuitSat with a 3-element Arrow antenna and a
handheld radio. Bauer's daughter Michelle recorded the English-language
voice identification. Another challenge to signal reception, he said, was
the very deep fading due to the suit's rotation in orbit.
"One great positive that came from these issues is that it challenged the
ham radio community worldwide to improve their station receive capabilities
so that they could pull every bit of signal from SuitSat," Bauer remarked.
Bauer says reports that SuitSat-1 was non-operational and that the battery
was frozen shortly after deployment are false. "This never occurred," he
stressed. "As the telemetry has shown, temperatures within the suit were a
somewhat comfortable 12-16 degrees C during the entire mission."
So, he adds, is the tale of SuitSat-1's early demise and resurrection. "It
was alive and operated flawlessly, except the signal strength issue, from
the time the crew flipped the switches until the battery power was used up,"
he said.
Bauer says he's also not ready to buy into an AMSAT calculation that the
transmitter may have been putting out between 1 and 10 mW. "It is entirely
possible that the radio output could have been at 500 mW, and the feed line,
connector or the antenna caused the problem," he said, adding that the
SuitSat team has only just begun studying what might have caused the weak
signal.
The AMSAT/ARISS team already is looking forward to a SuitSat-2. "Correcting
the signal strength issue would be a top priority for this flight," Bauer
said. "So would be a longer-term power generation device, like solar
arrays."
Although no longer transmitting, SuitSat-1 could continue orbiting Earth for
another 70 to 120 days, depending on atmospheric drag, Bauer said.
More information on the SuitSat-1 project, including QSL information, is
available on the AMSAT Web site <http://www.amsat.org/> and on the SuitSat
Web site <http://www.suitsat.org/>.
==>VIRGINIA MEMBERS ELECT NEW SECTION MANAGER IN CONTESTED RACE
In the only contested Section Manager race this winter, Glen Sage, W4GHS,
outpolled incumbent Virginia SM Carl Clements, W4CAC, 720 to 656. Ballots
were counted February 21 at ARRL Headquarters. Clements has served as
Virginia's SM since May 2001.
Sage, who lives in Hillsville, has been licensed since 1976 and has a strong
interest in--and commitment to--emergency communication, teaching licensing
classes and serving as a volunteer examiner.
Three other ARRL sections are getting new SMs. In North Carolina, Tim Slay,
N4IB, of Mooresville, was the only candidate to succeed John Covington,
W4CC, who decided not to run for another term after serving for six years.
Bob Schneider, AH6J, of Keaau, Hawaii, will return to the Pacific SM post
when he takes over the reins from Kevin Bogan, AH6QO, who did not seek a new
term. Schneider has served three separate, earlier terms as Pacific SM,
beginning in 1992.
Tuck Miller, NZ6T, will once again become San Diego SM, a post he'd held
previously for nearly two terms. Incumbent Pat Bunsold, WA6MHZ, decided not
to run again.
Four incumbent ARRL SMs faced no opposition and were declared re-elected.
They are Pete Cecere, N2YJZ, Eastern New York; Eric Olena, WB3FPL, Eastern
Pennsylvania; Mickey Cox, K5MC, Louisiana, and Richard Beebe, N0PV, South
Dakota.
New two-year terms for all successful candidates begin April 1.
==>REVISED ITU RECOMMENDATION ON USE OF AMATEUR RADIO IN DISASTERS IN EFFECT
A revised International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecommunication
Development Sector (ITU-D) Recommendation is now in force to promote
"effective utilization of the amateur services in disaster mitigation and
relief operations." Initially developed in 2001, the document, known as
Recommendation ITU-D 13, was brought up to date last year through the
efforts of an ITU-D study group and circulated to administrations around the
globe for adoption.
"This is an updated version of a Recommendation that administrations include
the amateur services in their national disaster plans, reduce barriers to
effective use of the amateur services for disaster communications, and
develop memoranda of understanding with amateur and disaster relief
organizations," explained ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. ITU-D 13 further
advises cooperation among all parties in making available model agreements
and "best practices" in disaster telecommunications.
The revised Recommendation takes into account changes adopted at World
Radiocommunication Conference 2003 (WRC-03) to Article 25 of the
international Radio Regulations. One change provides that Amateur Radio
stations may be used to transmit international communications on behalf of
third parties in case of emergencies or for disaster relief. Another
encourages administrations "to take the necessary steps to allow amateur
stations to prepare for and meet communication needs in support of disaster
relief." The FCC recently adopted changes to its Part 97 Amateur Service
rules to reflect these and other WRC-03 actions.
The revised Recommendation ITU-D 13 recognizes that effective Amateur Radio
disaster communication depends "largely on the availability of amateur
operators located throughout a country," and that post-disaster
international humanitarian assistance "often includes the provision of
amateur operators and of equipment from an assisting country."
It further acknowledges that barriers in terms of gaining permission to
operate and to move equipment and operators into a disaster zone "in many
cases hindered the full use of telecommunications capabilities available
from outside an affected country."
"The Tampere Convention on the Provision of Telecommunications Resources for
Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations," adopted in 1998 by the
Intergovernmental Conference on Emergency Telecommunications in Tampere,
Finland, established a framework for the reduction and/or removal of such
barriers. Revised in 2003, ITU-Radiocommunication Sector Recommendation
M.1042-2, "Disaster Communications in the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite
Services," encouraged "the development of such services and of making such
networks robust, flexible and independent of other telecommunication
services and capable of operating from emergency power."
The revised Recommendation ITU-D 13 is expected to be available soon--in
several languages and in MS-Word and PDF formats--from the ITU Web site
<http://www.itu.int>.
==>GREAT BRITAIN TO INSTITUTE LIFETIME AMATEUR RADIO LICENSES
Telecommunications regulator Ofcom has unveiled plans to reform Amateur
Radio licensing in Great Britain. The main change is that Amateur Radio
licenses will be issued for life, although licensees will have to confirm
their license details every five years. The Radio Society of Great Britain
(RSGB) says it welcomes the Amateur Radio licensing reforms.
"The RSGB are reasonably comfortable with Ofcom's recent announcement," RSGB
General Manager Peter Kirby, G0TWW, told ARRL. "We never had an argument
with electronic delivery. We had a big argument with regards to a 'lifetime'
license with no checks and balances. Our concerns have been satisfied
inasmuch as it is a lifetime license that has to be effectively renewed
every five years or it lapses."
Paper licenses are going away too, for all intents and purposes, and Ofcom
instead will provide an on-line service to issue electronic licenses.
Hard-copy licenses will remain available for those lacking Internet access,
but there will be an administrative charge. Starting October 1, Ofcom will
take over from the Royal Mail the role of issuing, renewing and amending
Amateur Radio licenses.
The RSGB's Kirby notes that while Ofcom announced it was deregulating the
Amateur Radio license, the RSGB is quick to point out that the changes to
the licensing system "do not add up to deregulation" of ham radio. "Ofcom
continue to shoot themselves in the foot with the liberal use of the word
'deregulate'," Kirby said. "Every time it appears they get deluged with
letters from angry hams and Members of Parliament, and even our Patron, the
Duke of Edinburgh, has taken them to task in recent months."
The RSGB last year went on record as being "strongly opposed" to any steps
by Ofcom to deregulate Amateur Radio in Great Britain, fearing that it could
lead to the elimination of amateur licensing altogether. "There is no doubt
that the RSGB's robust stand last year influenced Ofcom's change of mind in
a number of areas," Kirby said. "However, these are early days yet, and I
have serious doubts that they will be able to provide the electronic option
in the time scale they have laid down."
Ofcom said its new approach to Amateur Radio licensing will "reduce
unnecessary bureaucracy." Additional details are on the Ofcom Web site
<http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/aradio/statement/>.
==>SOLAR UPDATE
Sol Man Tad "Who Let the Spots Out?" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington,
reports: More zeroes! A string of zero-sunspot days reappeared this week--a
pattern we'll likely see repeated over the next year, but for longer
periods. Average daily sunspot numbers compared to last week dropped by
nearly two points to 7.1. On February 20 and 21 a gust of solar wind hit
Earth, causing a moderate rise in geomagnetic indices and visible aurora way
up north. A small coronal hole on our sun's equator was the source.
Over the next week don't expect sunspot numbers to rise. A solar wind from a
coronal hole is expected to cause unsettled conditions for Friday and
Saturday, February 24-25. Geophysical Institute Prague expects unsettled
conditions for February 24, quiet to unsettled on February 25, quiet
February 26-27, and quiet to unsettled on February 28-March 2.
Sunspot numbers for February 16 through 22 were 27, 23, 0, 0, 0, 0 and 0,
with a mean of 7.1. 10.7 cm flux was 79.2, 79.2, 78.5, 76.5, 76.2, 75.9, and
76, with a mean of 77.4. Estimated planetary A indices were 8, 4, 2, 6, 20,
17 and 12, with a mean of 9.9. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 7, 2,
2, 5, 9, 15 and 11, with a mean of 7.3.
__________________________________
==>IN BRIEF:
* This weekend on the radio: The North American QSO Party (RTTY), the CQ
160-Meter Contest (SSB), the Russian PSK Worldwide Contest, the REF Contest
(SSB), the UBA DX Contest (CW), the Mississippi and North Carolina QSO
parties, the CZEBRIS Contest, the High Speed Club CW Contest and the CQC
Winter QSO Party are the weekend of February 25-26. JUST AHEAD: The ARRL
International DX Contest (SSB), the Wake-Up! QRP Sprint, the Open Ukraine
RTTY Championship, the DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest are the weekend of
March 4-5. The ARS Spartan Sprint and the AGCW YL-CW Party are March 7. 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. JUST AHEAD: 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, March 5, for these ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education (CCE) Program on-line courses:
Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 2 (EC-002), Amateur Radio
Emergency Communications Level 3 (EC-003), Antenna Modeling (EC-004), HF
Digital Communications (EC-005), VHF/UHF Beyond the Repeater (EC-008) and
Radio Frequency Propagation (EC-011). Classes begin Friday, March 17. 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>.
* 3Y0X DXpedition logs more than 87,000 contacts: This month's 3Y0X
DXpedition to Peter I Island managed to put 87,034 contacts into its logbook
during two weeks of operation before it shut down February 19 at 1813 UTC.
The lucky last contact was with K8LTG. The 3Y0X DXpedition surpassed the
82,000 QSOs achieved by A52A (Bhutan), but it fell a bit short of the 96,000
contacts logged by K1B (Baker Island). The 22-member 3Y0X team, headed by
led by Ralph Fedor, K0IR, and Bob Allphin, K4UEE, now is safely aboard its
ship, the DAP Mares and plans a stop in the South Shetlands on the way home.
Because of its remote location in the Bellinghausen Sea near Antarctica and
the severe weather conditions, Peter I has been activated but rarely and
remains one of the most-wanted DXCC entities. For additional information,
visit the Peter I DXpedition Web site <http://www.peterone.com/>.
* Dayton Hamvention® announces theme for 2006 show: "Ham Radio is Public
Service" is the theme for Dayton Hamvention 2006--reflecting the renewed
awareness by the public of the service Amateur Radio operators provided
after the Gulf Coast hurricanes and other disasters. In announcing the
theme, Hamvention 2006 General Chairman Jim Nies, WX8F, said that it serves
to remind the public and the ham radio community that one of the reasons ham
radio exists is to provide communication in emergencies when all else fails.
Several forum sessions are expected to deal with emergency
communication-related topics, including how Amateur Radio performed after
the hurricanes wiped out communications in a wide segment of the south. For
more information, visit the Dayton Hamvention Web site
<http://www.hamvention.org>. More than 25,000 visitors are expected to
attend the three-day event Friday through Sunday, May 19-21. The ARRL has
announced that it will present ARRL EXPO 2006 during Hamvention
<http://www.arrl.org/announce/nc/2006/>.
* Revised, corrected Element 2 question pool released: The Question Pool
Committee (QPC) of the National Conference of Volunteer Examiner
Coordinators (NCVEC) has announced the release of a revised and corrected
Element 2 (Technician) question pool. The new Element 2 question pool
becomes effective for all Technician-class Amateur Radio examinations
administered on or after July 1, 2006. Changes from the initial Element 2
question pool include elimination of some questions (T5D06, T6B09 and T7A08)
and rewording of others to increase clarity. "We thank those users who
reported the errors and made other suggestions for ways to improve the
product," the committee said. "The QPC reviewed all submissions and
incorporated the changes that were appropriate." The QPC warned that only
the Element 2 question pool dated February 6, 2006, is valid. The new
Element 2 database is available for download from the NCVEC Web site as a
PDF, MS-Word, Rich Text Format (RTF) or ASCII text file
<http://www.ncvec.org/ama_news_article.php?id=82>. The QPC says subsequent
changes will be handled by deletion of the affected question. The QPC
invites additional input via e-mail <qpcinput at ncvec.org>.
* DXCC Desk approves operation for DXCC credit: The ARRL DXCC Desk has
approved this operation for DXCC credit: K3LP/KP5 and N3KS/KP5, Desecheo
Island, December 16-17, 2005. For more information, visit the DXCC Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/awards/dxcc/>. "DXCC Frequently Asked Questions" can
answer most questions about the DXCC program. ARRL DX bulletins are
available on the W1AW DX Bulletins page <http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/dx/>.
* Correction: The story "Onboard Fires, Safe Grounding Question Topics for
NA1SS School Contacts" in The ARRL Letter, Vol 25, No 04 (January 27, 2006)
incorrectly identified Aquebogue Elementary School in Riverhead, New York.
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==>How to Get The ARRL Letter
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