[FPARC] The ARRL Letter

[W4kkw at aol.com]

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 25, No. 02
January 13,  2006
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +League's "regulation  by bandwidth" petition up for public comment
* +ARRL Board of Directors meets  January 20-21
* +Youngsters in three countries speak to ISS via ham  radio
* +Texas BPL deployment not expected to be interference problem
*  +Vanity call sign processing is back on track
* +FCC still shy one  commissioner
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF:
This weekend on the radio: The North American QSO Party (CW)!
ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course  registration
Logbook of the World to be down
+ISS commander attempting to work all continents on UHF
+Group petitions FCC to eliminate segregation of emission modes
YI9DXX Internet Remote Base on the air from Iraq
ARRL announces new policy for deployed members of the US  military
NCDXA takes over as ARRL W3 Incoming QSL  Bureau
K1JT to headline SVHFS gathering
DXCC Desk approves operations for DXCC credit

+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
===========================================================

==>FCC  INVITES COMMENTS ON LEAGUE'S "REGULATION BY BANDWIDTH" PETITION

Comments  are due by Monday, February 6, on the ARRL's Petition for Rule
Making that  asks the FCC to regulate the amateur bands by necessary
bandwidth rather than  by mode. The petition, designated as RM-11306,
recommends what the ARRL calls  "a shift in regulatory philosophy" to
encourage and enable development and  refinement of digital techniques and
advanced technologies.

"This  petition seeks for the Amateur Radio Service the flexibility to
experiment  with new digital transmission methods and types to be developed
in the future  while permitting present operating modes to continue to be
used for as long  as there are radio amateurs who wish to use them," the
League said in its  petition, filed November 14. The ARRL says the changes it
suggests also will  update the FCC's rules and eliminate the need for
"cumbersome procedures" to  determine whether a new digital mode is legal
under Part 97.

The next  step in this proceeding would be either a Notice of Proposed Rule
Making  (NPRM) or a dismissal of the League's petition. An NPRM would kick
off a  further round of formal comments. For the rules to take effect, the
FCC would  have to issue a Report and Order putting the changes into place
and setting  an effective date.

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 or 500 Hz  or 3.5 kHz, with an
exception for AM phone.

* 200 Hz would permit CW  "at all speeds that human operators can decode" as
well as PSK31.

*  500-Hz bandwidth would accommodate RTTY and data modes and possibly some
new  image modes.

* 2.8 kHz would remain the bandwidth for 60-meter operation  on USB.

* 3.5 kHz would accommodate SSB and digital telephony, image,  high-speed
data and multimedia.

* 9 kHz is the ARRL's recommendation  for double-sideband AM.

* 16 kHz is "a reasonable compromise bandwidth"  to continue to permit analog
FM voice, data, digital voice and multimedia at  29.0 to 29.7 MHz.

* 100 kHz, now permitted for RTTY and data in bands  above 420 MHz, should be
allowed starting at 50 MHz, with the exception of  50.0-50.3 MHz and
144.0-144.3 MHz to allow digital multimedia and high-speed  meteor scatter
work.

The ARRL says the Part 97 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." Conceding that its regulation-by-bandwidth regime would  place
increased responsibility on the amateur community to establish  workable,
accepted band plans, the League has expressed confidence that such  an effort
would be successful.

ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, has  discussed the subject of regulating by
bandwidth in three "It Seems to Us . .  ." QST editorials: "Regulation by
Bandwidth" in September 2004, "Narrowing  the Bandwidth Issues" in April 2005
and "Self Regulation" in October  2005.

"This petition does not favor one mode at the expense of another,"  the ARRL
concluded in urging FCC adoption. "It merely allows expansion of  the
repertoire of options that amateurs may pursue compatibly."

A copy  of the ARRL petition is on the ARRL Web  site
<http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/bandwidth/Bandwidth-Minute-64-Petit
ion-FINAL.pdf>

Comment  via the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System  (ECFS)
<http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/>. Under "ECFS Main Links" on the  right-hand
side of the screen, click on "Submit a Filing" to file comments.  To view
others' comments, click on "Search for Filed Comments." In either  case, type
"RM-11306" in the "Proceeding" field using capital letters and  including the
hyphen (but not the quotation marks).

==>PRESIDENTIAL  ELECTION TO HIGHLIGHT ARRL BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

The election of a  new ARRL president will highlight the annual meeting of
the ARRL Board of  Directors. When the Board convenes Friday and Saturday,
January 20 and 21, in  Windsor, Connecticut, Jim Haynie, W5JBP, will wield
the gavel for the last  time as the League's president. Haynie, who lives in
Dallas, Texas, has made  it known over the past few months that he will not
be a candidate for a  fourth two-year term. He says that while it's been a
great honor to serve as  the ARRL's president for the past six years, he
feels it's time for him to  step aside.

"It's a time-consuming job. It tends to wear on you after a  while," Haynie
conceded this week. "I've racked up hundreds of thousands of  miles
traveling--not only here in the United States but all over the  world
representing the ARRL and Amateur Radio."

Haynie says he's  thoroughly enjoyed his tenure in the League's top office--a
strictly  volunteer position--but he believes someone with fresh ideas and a
different  vision from his now should take over the reins. The ARRL Board
customarily  elects a president from among its own ranks or elevates one of
the League's  vice presidents, although it's not required to. When he was
elected, Haynie  was the ARRL West Gulf Division Director.

Among the successes of his six  years as ARRL president, Haynie cites the
ARRL Education and Technology  Program--often better known as "The Big
Project." Haynie kicked off the  initiative to put Amateur Radio stations and
a curriculum into schools across  the US shortly after he took office in
2000. The program now boasts upward of  180 participating schools.

He says he's also proud that he's been able to  contribute to enhancing the
visibility of Amateur Radio at the FCC, in  "official Washington" and on
Capitol Hill. "I enjoyed that work," said  Haynie, who testified before the
House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and  the Internet on behalf of the
Spectrum Protection Act in 2003. Last year, he  submitted written testimony
to the House Government Reform Committee on the  successful efforts of
Amateur Radio operators who provided communications  during the Hurricane
Katrina response.

"It's paid off in the long  run," Haynie said of his regular visits to
Washington to advance Amateur  Radio's agenda. "Amateur Radio needs to learn
how to sell itself, not just  from the League's standpoint," he said. "The
president can only do so much."  He encouraged all radio amateurs, whether or
not they're ARRL members, to  promote Amateur Radio and its value to the
community.

Once he steps  down, Haynie says he's looking forward to "maybe chasing some
DX or maybe  running a few contests." But he says he'll also make himself
available to the  Board to handle any necessary duty.

Among other items on its agenda, the  ARRL Board is expected to discuss the
process of developing effective band  plans to support rule changes the
League recently requested in a Petition for  Rule Making RM-11306. The
petition asks the FCC to regulate the amateur bands  by necessary bandwidth
rather than by mode. The Commission will accept public  comments on the
petition until February 6.

The Board also plans to  review and discuss Article 11 of its Articles of
Association, which defines  eligibility to hold League office. It also will
hear reports from officers  and consider recommendations from various
committees.

==>US, THAI  AND BRAZILIAN YOUNGSTERS LEARN ABOUT LIFE IN SPACE VIA HAM RADIO

Students  in Michigan, Thailand and Brazil are among the latest to learn
about life in  space by speaking via ham radio with International Space
Station Expedition  12 commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR. The three contacts
with the station's  NA1SS were arranged by the Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station  (ARISS) program. McArthur told pupils at Carman
Park and Rankin elementary  schools in Flint, Michigan, December 21 that
wearing eyeglasses in space  poses special problems.

"My glasses get oily from my skin a little more  quickly than on the earth,
and if my face is wet, they do fog up because we  don't have the same breezes
to keep them clear," said  McArthur.

McArthur also told the youngsters that the ISS is relatively  safe from
collisions with space debris, although it does collide with "minor  pieces of
dust" as it orbits Earth. Responding to another question, he said  he's able
to keep in touch with the ground via e-mail at least three times a  day.

Youngsters at the two Michigan schools had been studying about the  ISS and
preparing for their big moment since September. Nancy Rocheleau,  WH6PN, in
Hawaii served as the Earth station control operator, and MCI  donated a
teleconference link to provide two-way audio to the Michigan  students.
Despite some delay in getting the contact under way, 17 questions  were asked
and answered during the QSO.

On December 31, several young  radio amateurs attending the 25th Asia-Pacific
Scout Jamboree in Bangkok,  Thailand, spoke with McArthur. During the
approximately eight minute contact  between NA1SS and E25AJ, the ISS
commander left open the possibility of life  on other planets.

"There are billions and billions of stars in the  universe, so there must be
billions and billions of planets," McArthur  observed. "Certainly other
planets must have the ability to sustain  life."

The Bangkok ARISS event attracted several TV, radio and newspaper  reporters.
Nui Apornrum, E20YZD, served as the Earth station control operator  for the
direct VHF contact.

The first ARISS school group contact of  the new year took place January 2
between NA1SS and PY1KCF at the STS Flight  School in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
McArthur answered 15 questions put to him  by students, professors and flight
instructors.

McArthur told the  group that keeping fit was among the biggest challenges of
living in space.  "The most difficult thing is keeping healthy in the absence
of gravity,  keeping muscles strong as well as our bones, and we do that
through intense  exercise," he said.

Being fit, he said in response to a later question,  is one requirement for
venturing into space. "I think the greatest skill is  doing a spacewalk," he
said. "It requires physical strength, endurance and  significant training."

Replying to another question, the Expedition 12  commander described the ISS
as much more than a spaceship "It is a very large  ship, rather than an
aerospace vehicle," McArthur said, "because it is so  stable, and there is no
turbulence and very little vibration."

Earth  station operators for the direct contact were Tadeu Fernandes, PY1KCF,
of  ARISS-Brazil, and Felipe José, PY1IA. Cássio da Fonte, ZZ1UMS, and  Kevin
Fernandes handled the real-time translation for the approximately 60  people
on hand.

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

==>ARRL CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT PENDING TEXAS BPL  DEPLOYMENT

The ARRL is taking a cautious, but hopeful, stance following  the recent
announcement of a commercial broadband over power line (BPL)  deployment by
the largest electric power utility in Texas. TXU Electric  Delivery and BPL
manufacturer Current Communications Group have partnered to  establish "the
nation's first broadband-enabled Smart Grid" that will cover  most of TXU's
service area. That includes some two million homes and  businesses in the
Dallas-Forth Worth area as well as other Texas  communities.

"If TXU is going to install a BPL system, the ARRL is glad  that TXU has
chosen Current's system--which avoids using spectrum allocated  to the
Amateur Radio Service--in preference to one that has proven to  be
problematic," commented ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ.

It was another  story altogether when TXU operated a pilot BPL project in
Irving, Texas, in  2004 and early 2005 using Amperion hardware. The system
generated such  interference on Amateur Radio frequencies that the League
filed a formal  complaint with the FCC in support of a Texas radio amateur
seeking the  system's shutdown and fines for the operator. Within two weeks
of the  League's filing, TXU dismantled the BPL trial, and the ARRL withdrew
its  complaint.

Sumner says the League is not expecting history to repeat  itself when TXU
and Current begin installing their "Smart Grid" BPL system  later this year.
As he pointed out in his "It Seems to Us . . ." editorial in  August 2005
QST, Cinergy Corp's deployment of the nation's largest BPL system  in the
Cincinnati, Ohio, area so far "has proceeded without major  interference
problems." The Cinergy system also uses Current Technologies  equipment.

"Current has avoided putting high-frequency energy on the  medium-voltage
lines by using low-band VHF (30-50 MHz) instead," Sumner  wrote.
Additionally, he noted, Current's system uses Homeplug modems, which  avoid
all ham bands except 60 meters, to connect individual customers.  Limited
testing of the Cinergy BPL deployment suggested its interference  potential
is minimal relative to Amateur Radio facilities.

While  Sumner won't rule out some occurrences of RF interference in the TXU
rollout,  he says the League anticipates a low-enough probability to deal
with it on a  case-by-case basis. ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI,
says he's  discussed with engineers at Current Technologies the sorts of
interference  issues that might arise.

"While they are taking the position that they  will wait until problems
actually occur, then determine what is needed to fix  them, their open
dialogue with ARRL will be an important part of the  process," he said. "The
opportunity for dialogue exists for all of the BPL  companies, although not
all of them want to work on solutions to the  interference problems that have
plagued this industry."

In October,  the ARRL petitioned the FCC to issue a Further Notice of
Proposed Rule Making  modifying the Part 15 BPL rules it adopted a year
earlier and sharply reduce  BPL's potential to cause interference. In
exchange, the League said it would  withdraw its still-pending Petition for
Reconsideration in the BPL  proceeding, ET Docket 04-37.

"It is no longer the case that all BPL  systems inherently radiate high
levels of RF energy on amateur allocations on  overhead medium-voltage power
lines," the ARRL said in its petition. "Thus,  not all BPL architectures have
similar potential for harmful interference to  the Amateur Radio Service (and
to other licensed services)."

The  League's petition cited BPL systems by Current Technologies, IBEC  and
Corridor Systems as being among those that meet the additional  requirements
it's proposed. The ARRL also has cooperated with Motorola in  testing the
interference potential of that company's Powerline LV BPL system.  Results so
far have been very encouraging.

Judging from TXU's news  release, BPL's ability to provide broadband service
to individual customers  and businesses take a back seat to its potential to
monitor the utility's  power grid, preventing and detecting problems and
outages and enabling  automated meter reading.

==>FCC ZIPS THROUGH VANITY APPLICATION  BACKLOG

Once the FCC resumed processing Amateur Radio vanity call sign  applications
earlier this month, its Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB)  blazed
through the backlog.

A total of 990 vanity applications piled  up in the queue after the FCC
suspended vanity processing September 23. The  WTB dispatched them in fairly
short order. An initial batch of 121 grants  Friday, January 6, was followed
by 195 more the next day. Apparently  confident by then that the system was
working okay, the FCC let loose the  remaining 674 vanity grants Tuesday,
January 10.

During the vanity  hiatus, applications appeared with a "Y--application has
problems" flag in  the Universal Licensing System (ULS)
<http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/>,  prompting some concern on the part of those
who checked their applications'  status. The WTB reportedly applied the "Y"
status to prevent the system from  running the entire backlog at once.

The WTB halted vanity processing last  fall after realizing that filing
deadline extensions for licensees in certain  states affected by hurricanes
Katrina and Rita applied to Amateur Radio's  two-year "grace period" and
could impact the vanity system.

FCC  spokesman Tracy Simmons told ARRL this week that the WTB now is
processing  current vanity call sign receipts. It typically takes
approximately three  weeks from the time a vanity application is submitted
until a call sign is  issued. The current vanity call sign fee is $21.90 for
the ten-year license  term.--some information from Fred Maia, W5YI

==>TATE, COPPS SWORN IN  AS FCC MEMBERS

Republican Deborah T. Tate and Democrat Michael J. Copps  were sworn in
January 3 by FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin as members of the  FCC. But the
Commission still remains one member shy.

Tate will  complete the term of former FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell, who
departed the  Commission last March. That term ends June 30, 2007. Copps, an
FCC member  since 2001, is beginning a second term that will run through June
30,  2010.

Before joining the FCC, Tate was a director of the Tennessee  Regulatory
Authority, which she chaired in 2003 and 2004. Earlier in her  career, Tate
was an attorney and senior policy advisor to former Tennessee  governors
Lamar Alexander and Don Sundquist.

Prior to his FCC service,  Copps was assistant secretary of commerce for
trade development at the US  Department of Commerce. He previously was on the
staff of US Sen Ernest  "Fritz" Hollings (D-SC) and served for more than a
dozen years as chief of  staff.

To round out the five-member FCC, the White House still must fill  the
vacancy left by former Commissioner Kathleen Q. Abernathy, a Republican,  who
stepped down December 9.

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Propagation  guru Tad "Walking on the Sun" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington,
reports:  Geomagnetic conditions have been very, very quiet. This week has
seen many  periods when the K index--both planetary and mid-latitude--was
zero or one.  The average planetary/mid-latitude K index this week dropped
from 5.4/5.1  last week to 3.3/3.4 in the current reporting period.

Of course, this low  in the solar cycle, it is not surprising that sunspot
numbers and solar flux  also dropped. Average daily sunspot numbers declined
by 35 points from last  week to 14.7, and solar flux was down 7.5 points to
an average of  79.4.

Over the next week expect these conditions to stay the same, with  some
slightly unsettled geo-activity possible January 16.

Sunspot  numbers for January 5 through 11 were 23, 24, 11, 11, 11, 11 and 12,
with a  mean of 14.7. The 10.7 cm flux was 83.4, 82, 79.2, 78.2, 77.6, 77.8,
and  77.3, with a mean of 79.4. Estimated planetary A indices were 3, 6, 5,
4, 2,  1 and 2, with a mean of 3.3. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 3,
6, 6,  5, 1, 2 and 1, with a mean of  3.4.

__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

*  This weekend on the radio: The North American QSO Party (CW), Hunting
Lions  in the Air, the 070 Club PSKFest, the Michigan QRP January CW Contest
and the  NRAU-Baltic Contest (CW and SSB are separate events) are the weekend
of  January 14-15. The Run for the Bacon QRP Contest is January 16. The  NAQCC
80-Meter Straight Key/Bug Sprint is January 19. JUST AHEAD: The ARRL  January
VHF Sweepstakes, the North American QSO Party (SSB), the LZ Open  Contest,
the UK DX Contest (RTTY) and the Hungarian DX Contest are the  weekend of
January 21-22. 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. 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, January 22, for these  ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education (CCE). Program on-line  courses:
Amateur Radio Emergency Communication Level 1 (EC-001) Antenna  Design and
Construction (EC-009), Technician Licensing (EC-010), Radio  Frequency
Interference (EC-006), Digital Electronics (EC-013) and Analog  Electronics
(EC-012). Classes begin Friday, February 3. 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>.

* Logbook of the  World to be down: The ARRL Logbook of the World  (LoTW)
<http://www.arrl.org/lotw> system will be off line for  maintenance this
weekend. LoTW will shut down at 1300 UTC Saturday, January  14, and will
return to service at 1300 UTC on Monday, January 16. We regret  any
inconvenience to LoTW users.

* ISS commander attempting to work  all continents on UHF: International
Space Station Expedition 12 Commander  Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, will be
attempting to work all continents--including  Antarctica--on UHF during the
January 14-15 weekend (UTC). McArthur will be  using the Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS) call sign  NA1SS. The astronaut already
has worked all continents plus Antarctica on  VHF. "It is his desire to work
all continents on the UHF band (70 cm) from  the International Space
Station," said Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, the ARISS ham  radio engineer. "The
frequency he will be using will be 437.55 MHz FM  simplex." Ransom notes that
the substantial Doppler effect on 70 cm dictates  split-frequency operation
for most of a given pass. He suggests setting up  transmit and receive
memories with 5 kHz spacing. McArthur still needs to  work Alaska and
Missouri to claim Worked All States from space. He also has  worked more than
half the 100 entities he needs for DXCC US QSLs for NA1SS  contacts go to
ARRL, ARISS QSL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT  06111-1494.

* Group petitions FCC to eliminate segregation of emission  modes: A group
calling itself the Communications Think Tank has filed a  Petition for Rule
Making asking the FCC "to discontinue mandatory segregation  of emission
modes and the activities using these modes in the Amateur  Service." Instead,
the petitioners would substitute "a voluntary system of  coordination" on the
bands. The FCC has designated the petition as RM-11305.  Comments are due by
February 6. The petitioners assert "there is a chronic  need to allow greater
leeway in selecting a place to operate" on the ham  bands. "We propose ending
mode-based subbands in the Amateur Radio Service,  and we seek affirmation of
established operator responsibility against  interference as part of this
request for greater latitude in frequency  selection," the petitioners state.
A survey, "An Analysis of Band Occupancy  by Mode" accompanies the  group's
petition
<http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_docume
nt=6517982317>.

*  YI9DXX Internet Remote Base on the air from Iraq: Keith Lamonica, W7DXX,
has  announced that the YI9DXX Internet remote base (IRB) station is on the
air  from Baghdad, Iraq, controllable via the Internet from the US and
elsewhere.  Lamonica says he made the first contact by talking with himself
to and from  YI9DXX. The YI9DXX gateway is a closed system. "The Baghdad
remote is  available only to those who have contributed toward the equipment
and/or sent  equipment," Lamonica says. He has no plans to charge dues or
membership fees  but does ask participants to help defray expenses. Live
streaming audio from  both W7DXX and YI9DXX remotes may be available from the
W7DXX Internet Remote  Base Web site <http://www.w7dxx.com/>. Lamonica holds
the license for  YI9DXX, issued by Iraqi authorities. "This is truly
amazing," raved Jim  Brookmon, WA4PXP, after using the IRB. ARRL DXCC Branch
Manager Bill Moore,  NC1L, points out that DXCC Rule 9 stipulates that while
the location of the  transmitter defines a station's location, for award
purposes, "remote  operating points must be located within the same DXCC
entity as the  transmitter and receiver." In practice, this means a contact
with YI9DXX  counts toward DXCC only if a properly licensed control op is
operating the  YI9DXX IRB from within Iraq. Articles in the November 2001 and
2002 issues of  QST detail the concept and technical aspects of an IRB.

* ARRL announces  new policy for deployed members of the US military: In
support of deployed US  armed forces, the ARRL has adopted a new policy. ARRL
members in active US  military deployment outside the US and its territories
may request to  temporarily suspend dues payments and/or delivery of QST for
the duration of  their deployments. The objective is to ensure that members
in active duty and  deployed overseas can maintain their League memberships.
The ARRL recognizes  that members deployed away from their homes or permanent
duty stations may  experience difficulties with, or interruptions in, mail
delivery or other  disruptions. To apply, members should e-mail the ARRL
Circulation Department  <circulation at arrl.org> or send a copy of their
deployment orders or a  verification letter to ARRL, Attn:
Circulation/Military Deployment, 225 Main  St, Newington, CT 06111 USA; fax
860-594-0303.

* NCDXA takes over as  ARRL W3 Incoming QSL Bureau: Effective January 2, the
National Capitol DX  Association (NCDXA) <http://www.qsl.net/ncdxa/> assumed
sponsorship of  the ARRL Third Call Area Incoming QSL Bureau. The new bureau
address is  National Capitol DX Association, PO Box 1149, Clinton, MD
20735-5149. Noted  DXer Fred Laun, K3ZO, will manage the bureau. He takes
over the reins from  well-known QSL manager and DXer Mary Ann Crider, WA3HUP,
who oversaw W3  incoming QSLs for more than a decade. "Her tenure has been
notable for its  length of service and for the collegial atmosphere she has
nurtured among her  loyal band of sorters," Laun said of Crider, who received
the 2005 ARRL  President's Award last November. "Her encyclopedic knowledge
of DXCC entities  and call sign prefixes was built by her work in the
trenches, as illustrated  by her DXCC confirmed total of 360 entities."
Before taking over as manager,  Crider served as a sorter for 11 years. Laun
says the QSL bureau transition  should be seamless, and many of the sorters
will remain the same.

*  K1JT to headline SVHFS gathering: Nobel laureate Joe Taylor, K1JT, will  be
the guest speaker for the 10th annual Southeastern VHF Society  (SVHFS)
Technical Conference April 28-29 at the Embassy Suites Convention  Center in
Greenville, South Carolina. Taylor shared the Nobel prize in  astrophysics
and authored the WSJT weak-signal communication program. The  April event
also will feature a flea market night, banquet, pre-amp noise  figure
testing, antenna range and technical paper presentation. A field trip  to the
Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) in North Carolina will  follow
the conference on Sunday, April 30. The deadline to submit papers  and
presentations is March 3. All submissions should be in Microsoft Word  (.doc)
or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. For additional information, visit the  SVHFS
Web site <http://www.svhfs.org>.

* DXCC Desk approves  operations for DXCC credit: The ARRL DXCC Desk has
approved these operations  for DXCC credit: D2DX (Angola), current operation
as of December 15, 2004;  KH9/W0CN (Wake Island) September 17-28, 2005. For
more information, visit the  DXCC Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/awards/dxcc/>. "DXCC Frequently  Asked Questions"
<http://www.arrl.org/awards/dxcc/faq/> 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/>.

===========================================================
The  ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the American
Radio  Relay League--The National Association For Amateur Radio--225 Main  St,
Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax  860-594-0259;
<http://www.arrl.org>. Jim Haynie, W5JBP,  President.

The ARRL Letter offers a weekly e-mail digest of essential  news of interest
to active amateurs. The ARRL Letter strives to be timely,  accurate, concise,
and readable. Visit ARRLWeb <http://www.arrl.org>  for the latest news,
updated as it happens. The ARRL Web site  <http://www.arrl.org/> offers
access to news, informative features and  columns. ARRL Audio News
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> is a  weekly "ham radio newscast"
compiled from The ARRL Letter.

Material  from The ARRL Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole or
in part in  any form without additional permission. Credit must be given to
The ARRL  Letter and The American Radio Relay League.