[FPARC] The ARRL Letter Vol. 25, No. 24 June 16, 2006

[W4kkw at aol.com]

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 25, No. 24
June 16,  2006
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +FCC tells BPL system  to resolve hams' interference complaints
* +First named storm of 2006  hurricane season "a false alarm"
* +ISS Field Day pass times announced
*  +South Pole to be on the air for Field Day
*  ARRL Kids Day is Saturday,  June 17
* +Take your handheld to work June 20!
* +DXCC announces rule  change
* +New York ARRL member marks 100 years and counting
*  Solar  Update
*  IN BRIEF: 
This weekend on the radio:  Kids Day is Saturday, June 17!
ARRL Certification and  Continuing Education course registration
+Courtesy urged on 6  meter "DX window"
"Zulu stations" stand down in  Indonesia
San Diego SM Tuck Miller, NZ6T, stepping  down
Amateur Radio CubeSat launch postponed
Ukraine soccer star is radio amateur
QST  "Old Radio" editor honored

+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  DIRECTS MANASSAS BPL SYSTEM TO RESOLVE AMATEURS'  INTERFERENCE
COMPLAINTS

In two strongly worded letters, the FCC's  Enforcement Bureau has directed
the Manassas, Virginia, BPL system to take  appropriate steps to eliminate
harmful interference to Amateur Radio  operators. Several hams in the
Manassas area have complained, some  repeatedly, about severe interference
from the BPL system, operated by COMTek  on the city-owned power grid. The
FCC minced no words in detailing what it  wants the city and BPL operator
COMTek to do to ensure its system complies  with Part 15 rules governing BPL
systems and even hinted that it may shut  down all or part of the system. One
of the FCC letters followed up on a  complaint from Dwight Agnew, AI4II, of
BPL interference to his mobile  operations.

FCC Spectrum Enforcement Division Chief Joseph Casey told the  city and
COMTek June 16 that within 20 days he wants a "detailed report on  the
actions you have taken and the progress you have made in resolving  the
interference complaint or reducing the emissions in the area referenced  in
Mr Agnew's complaint to 20 dB below the Part 15 limit," a level the  FCC
maintains generally is sufficient to eliminate BPL interference to  mobile
operations. Additionally, Casey said the Commission wants to know  "the
specific steps you will take to inform customers of a cessation of  service
in the event you are directed to cease operations, either in part  or
system-wide."

ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, said the League is  "especially gratified" that
the Enforcement Bureau's Spectrum Enforcement  Division has ordered the City
of Manassas to take steps to prepare for a  cessation of BPL services.
"Clearly, the FCC has lost patience with COMTek's  reliance on misleading
news releases as a substitute for meaningful solutions  to the ongoing
interference," he said.

In an April 7 news release  COMTek Vice President Walt Adams called the
Manassas BPL system "a real  success story" and said its testing showed "an
almost identical" level of  interference whether or not the system was in
operation. It made a similar  claim to the FCC in Agnew's case.

COMTek has indicated it expects  emissions can be reduced to 20 dB below the
Part 15 limit once  second-generation BPL equipment is in place along the
Virginia Business Route  234 corridor by the end of July. Casey said that's
not good enough. "We note  that a failure to respond until the end of July to
any complaint alleging  harmful interference in an effort to determine if the
new equipment resolves  the matter is not sufficient," he pointed out in a
footnote.

Casey  said Manassas and COMTek must address and "reach a resolution" with
regard to  Agnew's interference complaint "as soon as practicable."

Based on the  engineering reports the FCC received from the city and COMTek
in response to  the Agnew complaint, Casey said, "it appears that the BPL
system is not in  compliance with the Commission's emission requirements at
several  frequencies," although none were in the amateur bands.

Manassas and  COMTek must detail within 30 days steps taken to clean up the
system as well  as any additional actions necessary for the system to remain
in compliance  with Commission rules.

In a second letter, Casey requested Manassas and  COMTek to examine and
address specific longstanding interference complaints  from George Tarnovsky,
K4GVT; Donald Blasdell, W4HJL; Bill South, N3OH; Jack  Cochran, WC4J, and
Arthur Whittum, W1CRO. Manassas and COMTek must "take  appropriate remedial
steps to eliminate any instances of harmful  interference" or reduce
emissions in the areas cited in the complaints to 20  dB below the Part 15
limit, he instructed. He also reiterated his call for  system compliance.

Casey said the FCC wants a report within 30 days on  steps taken to address
the five radio amateurs' specific interference  complaints and eliminate
excessive emissions.

Tarnovsky said the  complainants are encouraged by the FCC's response to
COMTek's reports and are  looking forward to the results of the
Commission-directed testing.

"I  think I can speak for all parties in saying that we're looking forward to
a  BPL interference-free Manassas," he said.

==>ALBERTO PROVIDES TRIAL  RUN FOR AMATEUR RADIO WEATHER NETS, VOLUNTEERS

While Tropical Storm  Alberto didn't turn into a hurricane as first forecast,
the first named storm  of the 2006 hurricane season did serve as a valuable
trial run for weather  spotters, weather nets and ham radio emergency
communication volunteers. In  the early going, the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN)
<http://www.hwn.org>  anticipated activating June 12 on 14.325 MHz. When it
became obvious that  Alberto was losing strength with no potential to
intensify prior to landfall,  HWN Manager Mike Pilgrim, K5MP, told net
members they could relax for the  time being.

"Thank you all for your assistance as we attempted to gear up  for our first
test of the year," Pilgrim said. "Thank goodness it was a false  alarm."

The HWN works in cooperation with WX4NHC  <http://www.wx4nhc.org> at the
National Hurricane Center (NHC) to  gather real-time, ground-level weather
data during storms. NHC forecasters  use the reports to help fine-tune their
predictions of a storm's  behavior.

Amateur Radio emergency communication volunteers in northern  Florida also
stood by as Alberto approached landfall on the Gulf Coast. The  storm came
ashore the afternoon of June 13 at Keaton Beach. Apparently not  taking any
chances, the NHC maintained a hurricane warning along the Florida  Gulf Coast
until late that same morning.

ARRL's North Florida Section  Emergency Coordinator Joe Bushel, W2DWR,
notified District Emergency  Coordinators June 12 to put Amateur Radio
Emergency Service (ARES) jump teams  on alert and to advise all Emergency
Coordinators to pay close attention to  the storm. No nets activated,
however.

North Florida West Central  District Emergency Coordinator Dixie Steinberg,
K2BEV, reported that shelters  for possible storm evacuees were set to open
in Citrus, Hernando and Sumter  counties, and ARES and RACES personnel, as
well as CERT and SKYWARN teams,  were standing by. West Central Florida SEC
Neil Lauritsen, W4NHL, said  Pinellas County had three shelters on standby.

Rob Macedo, KD1CY, the  director of operations for the VoIP Hurricane  Net
<http://www.voipwx.net/> says his organization activated Monday  evening on
predictions that Alberto would attain Category 1 hurricane  strength. 

"The net was a good dress rehearsal for more significant  tropical systems
later in the 2006 hurricane season," Macedo  said.

Alberto's maximum sustained winds peaked out at almost 70 MPH with  higher
gusts--not quite a Category 1 hurricane--but decreased to about 50 MPH  as
the storm hit the coast and dropped even further as it passed over  land.
Nonetheless, it generated coastal storm surge flooding along Florida's  Gulf
Coast and spawned torrential rainfall as it passed up the southeastern  US
coastline.

The storm came just weeks after the State of Florida's  annual Emergency
Management Hurricane and Terrorism Exercise, May 22-26. The  exercise
scenario was a hurricane-spawned F4 tornado striking a power  plant.

==>NASA RELEASES ISS NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA PASS TIMES FOR  FIELD DAY

NASA ISS Ham Radio Project Engineer Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, has  released a
list of International Space Station Field Day pass times for North  and South
America (see http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/06/15/1/ for  pass times
and any updates). The Amateur Radio on the International Space  Station
(ARISS) Phase 2 ham station will be in crossband repeater mode over  Field
Day weekend, June 24-25. The chances of actually talking to one of the  crew
members appear to be minimal, however.

"Keep in mind that these  are not scheduled times for the crew to be active,"
Ransom points out. He  says crew members Jeff Williams, KD5TVQ, and Pavel
Vinogradov, RV3BS, may  work some stations personally, but they're already
booked pretty heavily  during FD weekend.

"They will try to participate as time permits, but the  pass times for North
America are not favorable," Ransom noted. The crew  should be on its normal
sleep schedule of 2130-0600 UTC during Field Day  weekend. When they're
awake, however, Williams and Vinogradov will have their  hands full preparing
for the arrival of the Progress 22 supply vehicle on  Monday, June 26, when
the crew will deactivate the crossband  repeater.

The crossband repeater uplink is 437.800 MHz. The downlink is  145.800 MHz.
Ransom says the crossband repeater should be up and running  sometime after
1900 UTC on Thursday, June 22. He said this will give stations  a couple of
days to practice working through it and learn how best to deal  with the
Doppler on the uplink, which can be considerable. The crossband  repeater
will be available only to low-power (QRP) stations following AMSAT  criteria,
Ransom said. A QRP station may run no more than 10 W to a vertical  or
handheld antenna.

US pass times are not especially ideal for  contacts with the crew members.
The only one on Saturday, June 24 (UTC) -  over Mexico and the Eastern US -
falls during the crew's sleep period. Passes  on Sunday, June 24 - from 0046
to 0105 UTC and from 0708 to 0728 UTC over the  Central US - may offer a
better opportunity. Stations in the US Southwest  might look for crew
activity on Sunday from 0844 to 0900 UTC, while those in  Hawaii should check
Sunday from 1152 to 1200 UTC and again from 1327 to 1335  UTC.

If Williams or Vinogradov do find time to get on the air, Ransom  says, they
also will use the crossband repeater mode. Williams will give a  report of
"NA1SS, 1 Alpha ISS," while Vinogradov will give a report of  "RS0ISS, 1
Alpha ISS." 

Contacts made via the ISS crossband repeater  count as satellite contacts for
Field Day bonus points. Contacts with the  crew do not count for Field Day
bonus points.

AMSAT is making its ECHO  (AO-51) satellite available for Field Day. One of
AO-51's FM transponders  (145.880 MHz up/435.150 MHz down, no CTCSS tone
needed) will be QRP only (10  W) for Field Day.

Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, says PCSat2, which is mounted on  the outside of the
ISS, will be in packet mode and operating on 145.825 MHz  simplex over Field
Day weekend.

==>ANTARCTICA'S KC4AAA TO BE ON THE  AIR FOR FIELD DAY

KC4AAA at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station,  Antarctica, has announced plans
to participate in ARRL Field Day 2006. The  station's Satellite
Communications Technician Robert Reynolds, N0QFQ, will  head up the effort.
Operations from KC4AAA will commence at 1800 UTC on June  24 and continue
through 2100 UTC on June 25. 

Experience has shown  that the best opportunity for North and South American
stations to contact  KC4AAA appears around 2300 UTC on the Eastern Seaboard,
moving westward with  time until the window closes around 0400 UTC. Given
South Pole's location  right under the auroral oval, propagation can make
South Pole  intercontinental HF radio communications a challenge, so listen
carefully!  

The primary operating frequency will be on or about 14.243 MHz.  KC4AAA
operators will monitor and exploit other bands, but 20 meter SSB will  be the
primary operating mode. 

South Pole will operate as a "home"  station with supplied power (Class 1D).
Reynolds plans to have a team of up  to 10 operators staffing the station,
most of whom are in a ham radio  licensing class at the station. KC4AAA will
be running 1 kW and will mainly  use a pair of log-periodic antennas aimed
toward the US. 

KC4AAA plans  to upload its Field Day log to Logbook of The World  (LoTW)
<http://www.arrl.org/lotw>. QSL cards will go out later in the  year. For
more information, contact Nick Powell, NH6ON,  <nick.powell at usap.gov>.

==>ARRL KIDS DAY IS SATURDAY, JUNE  17

The next opportunity to bring Amateur Radio into the lives of young  people
is Saturday, June 17, when ARRL's second Kids Day of 2006 takes  place
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/kd-rules.html>.

"It's  their special day, so make the most of it," says ARRL Education  and
Technology Program Coordinator Mark Spencer, WA8SME. "Why not join in  the
fun and invite some kids to experience the 'magic of radio' in your  shack
June 17?" Kids day begins at 1800 UTC and continues until 2400 UTC.  There's
no limit on operating time. Suggested exchanges are first name,  age,
location and favorite color. Call "CQ Kids Day" to elicit  contacts.

Suggested frequencies are 14.270 to 14.300 MHz, 21.380 to  21.400 MHz and
28.350 to 28.400 MHz, plus local VHF repeaters with the  sponsor's
permission. Licensees should observe third-party traffic  restrictions
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/io/3rdparty.html>  when making
DX contacts. These apply when unlicensed individuals communicate  via ham
radio. More information on Kids Day is in June QST, p 53.

The  Echo AO-51 satellite will be available for Kids Day with an uplink of
145.920  MHz FM voice (67 Hz CTCSS) and a downlink of 435.300 MHz. The
digital  transponder on 435.150 will be turned off.

==>SECOND ANNUAL "TAKE YOUR  HANDHELD TO WORK DAY" SET FOR JUNE 20

The ARRL apparently struck a chord  in 2005 when it initiated "Take Your
Handheld to Work Day." Radio amateurs  who participated last year report they
were able to introduce many new people  to Amateur Radio. Whether any of
those co-workers became hams themselves as a result isn't known, but this
simple activity offers a great opportunity to  demonstrate and describe
Amateur Radio to others and to talk up its benefits.  So, the League is doing
it again this year.

"On Tuesday, June 20, we  encourage every ham radio operator across the
country who owns a handheld  transceiver to take their little radios to work
if they can," says ARRL Media  and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts,
W1AGP. "By wearing it on their  belt, setting it on a desk or just making
your radio visible, the goal is to  have co-workers ask, 'What's that?' In
this way, the hams will be able to  share about the fun they have with
Amateur Radio."

Pitts encourages  hams not only to show the capabilities of their handheld
radios, but to  invite co-workers to actually give them a try -- under the
licensee's  supervision, of course -- as the Amateur Radio rules allow. 

ARRL member  Ted Homan, WB8WFG, says he tried the idea on his own about 15
years ago. One  of his co-workers, Pete Engel, saw his handheld-an Icom
IC2-AT--and "had to  have one," Homan said. "Now he is N8OGW, and several
members of his family  are also hams now. In addition, Homan reports, several
inactive hams at his  workplace were inspired to get back on the air.

"This is a very good way  to show off Ham Radio," he concludes.

"Take Your Handheld to Work Day" is  a chance to have a lot of fun, recruit
new hams, invite people to Field Day,  get publicity and show off Amateur
Radio," Pitts points out. "Many people  would like to have the capabilities
of ham radio in a crisis, but don't know  where to start. The best recruiter
is another ham. I hope you have fun and  make the most of it!"

A heads up: On June 20 between noon and 1 PM in  your local time zone, be on
the lookout for surprise messages from ARRL. By  using modern digital radio
technology, EchoLink and a few other tricks,  random participants from
locations around the country might be spotted on the  air by W1AW and win a
prize.

==>DXCC ANNOUNCES RULE  CHANGE

The ARRL DXCC Desk has announced new language to replace the  wording of a
previously removed DXCC rule pertaining to political entities.  The change
adds a Paragraph 1(c) under Section II, DX List Criteria, in the  DXCC Rules.

"Upon request of the Programs and Services Committee (PSC),  the DX Advisory
Committee (DXAC) has studied the impact of a change to the  DXCC rules," said
the announcement. The DXAC, the Awards Committee and the  PSC have concurred
in the rule change, which became effective June 15,  2006.

The new text at Section II, Paragraph 1(c) reads: "The Entity  contains a
permanent population, is administered by a local government and is  located
at least 800 km from its parent. To satisfy the 'permanent  population' and
'administered by a local government' criteria of this  subsection, an Entity
must be listed on either (a) the US Department of  State's list of
'Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty' as having a  local
'Administrative Center,' or (b) the United Nations' list  of
'Non-Self-Governing Territories.'"

The DXCC Desk says Rule 1(c) is  intended to recognize entities that are
sufficiently separate from their  parent for DXCC purposes but don't qualify
under Rule 1(a) or Rule 1(b). "The  new rule will cause certain geographic
separation entities to be reclassified  as political entities," ARRL
Membership Services Manager Wayne Mills, N7NG,  explains. This, in turn, will
reduce the mileage for a first separation for  these entities from 800 km to
350 km.

QSOs with any new entity  resulting from this rule change will count for
credit only for contacts made  on or after the start date for that entity. In
no case will QSOs made prior  to the date of this notice be considered for
credit for any new entity  created as a result of this rule. 

Applications for DXCC award credits  resulting from this change will be
accepted on or after October 1,  2006.

==>WESTERN NEW YORK HAM MARKS 100TH BIRTHDAY

ARRL Member  Horace Staley, KA2HDO, of Walton, New York, turned 100 years old
on June 6.  ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, took note of the occasion to
extend best  wishes on behalf of the League.

"Congratulations on reaching the  one-century mark with your birthday on June
6," Harrison, said this week in  an e-mail greeting to Staley. "Your
enthusiasm for life and your dedication  to amateur are a great example we
can all admire and be proud of. CU on the  bands!" 

A longtime member of the Walton Radio Association, Staley is an  active ham,
and he continues to run the Walton Radio Association Monday  evening CW net.
His decades of experience make him a wonderful mentor, says  his friend John
Hampel, AB2IC. Staley answers questions that club members  e-mail, and he
checks into the club's 2-meter net every Wednesday evening  with
well-thought-out questions or solutions, he said. 

A widower,  Staley lives independently, is in good health and still drives a
car. While  the ARRL does not keep statistics on the oldest radio amateur in
the US or  even the oldest League member, Staley likely would be at or near
the top of  the list.

The Walton Radio Association staged a surprise birthday party  for Staley on
June 4, complete with a birthday cake bedecked with strawberry  slices. He
took the opportunity to talk about his life, starting with his  time in China
and continuing through the last 75 years he's lived in New  York. 

"It was fascinating; all were amazed," Hampel said. "It is an  honor to be
his friend."

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Sun watcher Tad  "Let the Sunshine In" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington,
reports: Solar  activity continues at very low levels, wit sunspot numbers in
the 70s. We're  probably not at the bottom of the cycle yet, however. During
long periods of  zero sunspots at solar minima, we observe solar flux values
in the  mid-60s.

Wednesday, June 21, is "the longest day of the year" in the  Northern
Hemisphere, as we transition from spring to summer propagation. A  couple of
things you might notice: 40, 60 and 80 meters will be open for  shorter
periods due to fewer hours of darkness. You can also look forward  to
long-distance 20-meter openings later into the evening. These effects  become
more noticeable at northern latitudes.

Six meters remains hot.  ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, reports he
worked 123 Japanese stations  in one recent evening. He says ARRL Vice
President Rick Roderick, K5UR,  worked 130 JAs in the same day recently.

For more information concerning  propagation and an explanation of the
numbers used in this bulletin see the  ARRL Technical Information Service
Propagation page  <http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html>.

Sunspot numbers  for June 8 through 14 were 67, 42, 46, 46, 32, 23 and 35,
with a mean of  41.6. 10.7 cm flux was 80, 77.6, 76.1, 74.4, 74.2, 77.1, and
75.3, with a  mean of 76.4. Estimated planetary A indices were 20, 10, 8, 5,
4, 3 and 7,  with a mean of 8.1. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 18, 9,
7, 4, 2, 2  and 6, with a mean of 6.9.
__________________________________

==>IN  BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: ARRL Kids Day (see above), the  Council of
Europe Radio Club 20th Anniversary Challenge, the All Asian DX  Contest (CW),
the SMIRK Contest, the West Virginia and Quebec QSO parties,  the AGCW
VHF/UHF Contest and the DIE Contest are the weekend of June 17-18.  JUST
AHEAD: The Run for the Bacon QRP Contest is June 19 (UTC). The RSGB  80-Meter
Club Championship (SSB) is June 22. The Thursday NCCC Sprint Ladder  is June
23. ARRL Field Day, the ARCI Milliwatt Field Day, the His Majesty the  King
of Spain Contest (SSB) and the Ukrainian DX Digi Contest are the weekend  of
June 24-25. The Marconi Memorial HF Contest has been cancelled. The  Thursday
NCCC Sprint Ladder is June 30. 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 Friday, June 23, for these  ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education (CCE) program on-line  courses:
Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 1 (EC-001), Radio  Frequency
Interference (EC-006), Antenna Design and Construction (EC-009),  Analog
Electronics (EC-012) and Digital Electronics (EC-013) CLASSES BEGIN  FRIDAY,
JULY 7. 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>.

* Courtesy urged on 6 meter "DX  window": Radio amateurs taking advantage of
recent openings on 6 meters are  advised that the ARRL 6-meter band  plan
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/6m> designates the  segment
50.100 to 50.125 MHz as the "DX window." The idea behind this  unofficial
designation, which reflects a consensus of longtime band users, is  to keep
that area of the band clear for US-to-DX contacts on "The Magic  Band."
Veteran 6-meter operators report hearing many US stations working each  other
when the band is open. Such complaints arise each year when the band  first
opens, says ARRL Field and Educational Services Manager Dave Patton,  NN1N.
"Frequently the newcomers learn where to operate quickly enough, and  often
the veterans can be heard gently coaxing them up the band for a nice  chat,
at the same time making them aware of the band plan," he added. US  stations
are asked to keep stateside operation above 50.125 MHz (the "SSB  calling
frequency") as a courtesy to those attempting to work DX during  band
openings.

* "Zulu stations" stand down in Indonesia: The Amateur  Radio "zulu stations"
activated to handle emergency communications in the  wake of the magnitude
6.3 earthquake in late May Indonesia's main island of  Java, have now stood
down. Indonesia's International Amateur Radio Union  (IARU) member-society,
the Organization of Amateur Radio for Indonesia  (ORARI) coordinated an
emergency communication network comprised of  zulu-suffix emergency
communication stations on HF and VHF. Radio amateurs  involved with the
emergency effort now say West Java provincial emergency  managers have
declared the emergency phase at an end and that a recovery  or
"rehabilitation" phase has begun. Wyn Purwinto, AB2QV, an Indonesian  native
who's been keeping tabs on the Amateur Radio response, says all  "zulu
stations" that have been supporting the emergency response effort in  the
disaster areas of his home country were deactivated effective June 12.  The
action includes YE1ZAB, a zulu station that had been supporting  the
provincial health department's disaster relief unit. Purwinto says  all
emergency radio volunteers who came to hard-hit Yogyakarta area  following
the quake will return home, although local club stations and  emergency
volunteers will remain on standby.

* San Diego SM Tuck  Miller, NZ6T, stepping down: ARRL San Diego Section
Manager Tuck Miller,  NZ6T, of National City, California, has announced that
he's resigning his  post effective July 1. Miller suffered a massive heart
attack June 11 and now  is recovering from surgery. He says he's stepping
down to take control of his  health. Miller previously served as San Diego SM
from 1998 to 2002 before  being elected ARRL Southwestern Division Vice
Director. Earlier this year, he  was re-elected as San Diego SM and took
office April 1. In consultation with  ARRL Southwestern Division Director
Dick Norton, N6AA, ARRL Field and  Educational Services Manager Dave Patton,
NN1N, has named past San Diego SM  Pat Bunsold, WA6MHZ, of El Cajon to
complete the remainder of Miller's term,  which ends in April 2008.

* Amateur Radio CubeSat launch postponed: The  launch and deployment 13
Amateur Radio "CubeSats," originally set for June  28, has been postponed
until July 26 (UTC), reportedly due to a technical  issue during launch
vehicle preparation. The backup date is July 27, one  CubeSat group told
ARRL. A Dnepr-1LV rocket is scheduled to carry the  CubeSats into space from
the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. A fourteenth  satellite in the package
will not carry an Amateur Radio payload. The CubeSat  project is a
collaboration between California Polytechnic State  University-San Luis
Obispo and Stanford University's Space Systems  Development Laboratory. All
of the CubeSats were designed and built by  students at various universities
in the US and elsewhere in the world. Twelve  of the satellites have
downlinks in the Amateur Radio satellite allocation  between 435 and 438 MHz,
and one will operate on 145.980 MHz. None of the  spacecraft will carry a
transponder. Transmitter power outputs range from 10  mW to 2 W. 

* Ukraine soccer star is radio amateur: If you've been  following FIFA World
Cup football (soccer) matches from Germany, you may know  the name Sergei
Rebrov, a midfielder on the Ukraine team. What you might not  know is that
Serge, 32, is UT5UDX and an active CW contester and DXer when  he's not on
the playing field (he wears number 11). Although Spain beat  Ukraine 4-0 in
their June 14 match, Ukraine is still considered a favorite to  advance from
Group H. Rebrov and his teammates next face off against Saudi  Arabia on June
19 at 1800 CEST. Rebrov also has operated as M0SDX, TA2ZF and  other call
signs.--thanks to Osten, SM5DQC; Michael Keane, K1MK

* QST  Contributing Editor John Dilks, K2TQN, honored: QST Contributing
Editor John  Dilks, K2TQN, has received the Marconi Memorial Award from the
Veteran  Wireless Operators Association (VWOA) <http://www.vwoa.org/> "for
his  persevering efforts over the past 15 years in collecting,  restoring,
displaying and demonstrating the operation of vintage radio  equipment," the
award plaque reads. "His published writings of radio history  preserve the
memories of all radio and wireless pioneers." VWOA President  Alan Ehrlich,
WA2GDQ, presented the award to Dilks on May 20. Dilks has  written the
popular monthly "Old Radio" column  <http://www.eht.com/oldradio/arrl/> for
QST since January 2000.--Mike  Shaw, K2LRE 

===========================================================  
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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>. Joel Harrison, W5ZN,  President.

The ARRL Letter offers a weekly e-mail digest of essential  news of interest
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updated as it happens. The ARRL Web site  <http://www.arrl.org/> offers
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<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> is a  weekly "ham radio newscast"
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Material  from The ARRL Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole or
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