[FPARC] The ARRL Letter Vol. 25, No. 09 March 3, 2006

[W4kkw at aol.com]

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 25, No. 09
March 3,  2006
***************

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This  weekend: The ARRL International DX Contest  (SSB)!
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IN  THIS EDITION:

* +Ham Aid funds disaster communication "Gear Ready to Go"  
* +Federal post-Katrina reports favorable to Amateur Radio's role
* +ISS  commander continues his record-breaking streak of school QSOs
* +ARRL  National Emergency Response Planning Committee named
* +ARRL "Hello" campaign  to kick off in April
* +Recovering mine tragedy survivor making  progress
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF: 
This weekend on the radio: THE ARRL INTERNATIONAL DX CONTEST (SSB)!
ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course  registration
+Hams help following mud slide
+W1AW 160-meter frequency change put on hold
David A.  Rosenthal, N6TST, wins February QST Cover Plaque Award
Dayton 2006 Contest Dinner tickets now available
Tim  Chen, BV2A, SK
DXCC Desk approves operations for DXCC  credit

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

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==>Delivery  problems (ARRL member direct delivery  only!):
letter-dlvy at arrl.org
==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick  Lindquist, N1RL,  n1rl at arrl.org
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==>ARRL  HAM AID "GEAR READY TO GO" AWAITS NEXT DISASTER

When another disaster on  the scale of Hurricane Katrina comes along, the
League will be able to deploy  "ham gear ready to go," thanks to
manufacturers' donations of Amateur Radio  gear, ARRL members' generous
monetary contributions and a federal grant. The  ARRL Ham Aid-sponsored "Go
Kits" now being assembled at League Headquarters  are the third leg of a
program that's already reimbursed certain  out-of-pocket expenses for ham
radio hurricane zone volunteers and helped  restore Amateur Radio backbone
infrastructure along the US Gulf  Coast.

"To me, this is a first step in ramping up ARRL's ability to  support Amateur
Radio volunteers in the field before the next big disaster  hits," says ARRL
Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH. "It won't  replace or supplant
anything that's already on the ground and working well,  but it will
strengthen it and add flexibility to Amateur Radio's overall  response
capabilities." The equipment and cash donations, coupled with a  grant from
the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), will  mean Amateur
Radio Emergency Service (ARES) field volunteers will never go  without in
terms of equipment. Hobart says $25,000 in Ham Aid funds have been  set aside
for the Go Kits.

The Go Kits will enable the League to loan  out needed equipment on a
moment's notice. Emergency Communications  Specialist Harry Abery, AB1ER,
spends his days at ARRL Headquarters securely  stowing various equipment
complements in rugged, waterproof Pelican 1650  containers.

"The idea is that this makes it easy to ship," explains  Abery, "and since
they're less than 50 pounds apiece, they'll be able to go  by air if
necessary." Flooding won't be an issue. "You can throw them in the  water,
and they'll float," he adds.

So far, Abery says, there's an HF  Kit, a VHF/UHF Kit, a Handheld Transceiver
Kit and a Support Kit--seven of  each, and more on the way. He and other
League staffers consulted with  volunteers who'd been in the field during
Hurricane Katrina to find out what  gear served them best or what they wished
they'd had but didn't.

The  HF Kit contains a 100-W HF transceiver, a microphone and a power supply.
The  VHF/UHF Kit includes a dualband mobile transceiver, power supply,
headset, 10  handheld transceivers and a supply of alkaline batteries. In the
Handheld  Transceiver Kit are eight dualband handheld transceivers and
antennas plus a  stock of extra batteries. The Support Kit includes a length
of BuryFlex 213  coaxial cable, rope, 15-foot jumper cables with battery
clamps at one end and  an Anderson Powerpole on the other. The kit includes
various fittings and  adapters to connect to the power distribution unit and
to make RF feed line  connections. All kits contain any necessary manuals.
Packed in a separate  container, appropriate antennas and antenna accessories
will accompany a  given kit.

More than two dozen members of the Amateur Radio industry and  individual
radio amateurs contributed equipment last year for use in the  Hurricane
Katrina relief effort  <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/09/09/105/>.

Citing Amateur  Radio's favorable treatment in recent US House Subcommittee
and White House  reports on the Hurricane Katrina response (see below),
Hobart said it's  imperative to sustain and enhance ham radio's emergency
communication  capabilities for the future. "Disasters happen to be one place
Amateur Radio  can shine," she pointed out. "We need to maintain a high level
of readiness  to do those things that are second nature to ARES members but
that the public  is just coming to recognize."

Making the Go Kits available to ARES teams,  Hobart says, will help to cement
Amateur Radio's position as a community  resource. "We want to be able to
ensure that we have the personnel and the  equipment," she said. "With a
disaster of this magnitude we need to be  ready."

ARRL continues to solicit Ham Aid donations to help maintain and  sustain the
League's ability to support Amateur Radio volunteers in the  field. League
members can contribute to Ham Aid via the secure ARRL  Development Office
donation Web site  <https://www.arrl.org/forms/development/donations/basic/>.
Simply click  "Ham Aid" and complete the on-line form. 

==>AMATEUR RADIO GETS  FAVORABLE MENTIONS IN FEDERAL KATRINA REPORTS

Ham radio received positive  mentions in post-Katrina reports from the US
House of Representatives and the  White House. References to the Amateur
Radio Emergency Service (ARES), the  Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS)
and the HF digital e-mail system  Winlink 2000 appear in "A Failure of
Initiative"--the final report of the  Select Bipartisan Committee to
investigate the preparation for and response  to Hurricane Katrina  (see
<http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/02/17/2/>).

"Like  all levels of government," noted the 364-page report released February
15,  "the National Communication System (NCS) "was not able to address all
aspects  of the damage to the communications infrastructure of the  Gulf
States."

MARS was cited for its role as part of the Shared  Resources High Frequency
Radio Program (SHARES), a federal emergency  communication system. The report
says that "within days" of Katrina's  landfall, NCS called upon more than 430
SHARES stations across the US to,  among other things, assist first
responders conducting search-and-rescue  missions by relaying information to
government agencies, by relaying  logistical and operational information
among FEMA EOCs in Georgia,  Mississippi and Louisiana, and by handling
health-and-welfare messages  between volunteer agencies in Georgia and the
American Red Cross national  headquarters. 

"Additionally, the NCS coordinated the frequencies used by  the nearly 1000
Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers across the  nation who
served in the Katrina stricken area providing communications for  government
agencies, the Red Cross and The Salvation Army," the report  continued.
"Emergency communications were conducted not only by voice, but  also by
high-speed data transmissions using state-of-the art digital  communications
software known as Winlink." 

The report further noted,  "In Mississippi, FEMA dispatched Amateur Radio
operators to hospitals,  evacuation centers, and county EOCs to send
emergency messaging 24 hours per  day. Cited were comments by Bay St Louis
Mayor Eddie Favre that Amateur Radio  volunteers "were especially helpful in
maintaining situational awareness and  relaying Red Cross messages to and
from the Hancock County  EOC."

According to the report, radio amateurs at airports in Texas and  Louisiana
"tracked evacuees and notified families of their whereabouts,"  while the Red
Cross "deployed Amateur Radio volunteers at its 250 shelters  and feeding
stations, principally in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida."  

The Salvation Army, the report pointed out, operates its own system  of
Amateur Radio volunteers known as SATERN (Salvation Army Team  Emergency
Radio Network). "During the Hurricane Katrina response and recovery  effort,
SATERN joined forces with the SHARES program and received over  48,000
requests for emergency communications assistance utilizing  federal
frequencies made available via the SHARES program," the report noted.  

"A Failure of Initiative" asserted that the loss of power and the  failure at
various levels of government "to adequately prepare for the  ensuing and
inevitable loss of communications" hindered the hurricane  response "by
compromising situational awareness and command and control  operations."

"Despite the devastation left by Katrina, this needn't have  been the case,"
the report stressed. "Catastrophic disasters may have some  unpredictable
consequences, but losing power and the dependent communications  systems
after a hurricane should not be one of them."

The White House  report, "The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons
Learned"  <http://www.whitehouse.gov/reports/katrina-lessons-learned.pdf>
released  February 22 also cast Amateur Radio in a favorable light--in its
Appendix B,  "What Went Right." 

"Amateur Radio Operators from both the Amateur Radio  Emergency Service and
the American Radio Relay League monitored distress  calls and rerouted
emergency requests for assistance throughout the US until  messages were
received by emergency response personnel," the report said. "A  distress call
made from a cell phone on a rooftop in New Orleans to Baton  Rouge was
relayed, via ham radio, from Louisiana to Oregon, then Utah, and  finally
back to emergency personnel in Louisiana, who rescued the 15  stranded
victims." 

The report also points out that Amateur Radio  volunteers were on duty at the
National Hurricane Center, the Hurricane Watch  Net, Waterway Net, SKYWARN
and the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio  Network (SATERN). 

The report's Appendix B cites specific reports in the  general news media
about Amateur Radio activities following Hurricane Katrina  and points to
several news stories that appeared on the ARRL Web  site.

==>SPACE QSOs A HIT IN DC, JAPAN

Sixteen youngsters  attending the Discover Engineering Family Day event
February 18 in  Washington, DC, had the rare opportunity of talking to
International Space  Station Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, via ham radio.
Operating from the  space station's NA1SS a few days later, McArthur also
answered a series of  questions from pupils at Itaki Elementary School in
Japan. The Amateur Radio  on the International Space Station (ARISS) program
arranged both events.  During the Engineering Day contact, one participant
wanted to know if the  Expedition 12 crew had "learned anything really cool"
during its science  experiments. 

"One of the biggest experiments is just the crew members on  board, just the
human beings on board, so we learn how our bodies change in  space," McArthur
said, noting that ISS research centers on finding out what's  needed for a
journey to Mars. On other fronts, he's growing crystals in  space, while
crewmate Valeri Tokarev is growing seeds. 

As for the  really cool stuff: "I think the coolest thing I've learned is
that living in  space is a very pleasant, very nice thing to do," McArthur
added.

For  the Discover Engineering Family Day contact, Verizon donated a  two-way
teleconferencing link between the Sacred Hearts Academy WH6PN Earth  station
operated by Dick Flagg, AH6NM, in Honolulu, and the National Building  Museum
in Washington. Children and questions for the contact were solicited  via the
museum's Web site.

McArthur told the Engineering Day  participants that it's possible to get
headaches in space, especially when  the carbon dioxide level gets too high.
Crew members sometimes sneeze, too,  he said, and the result in microgravity
can illustrate Newton's Third  Law.

"I think a good sneeze really feels good, and it feels really good  in
space!" McArthur enthused. "Of course, if you're not holding  yourself
securely when you sneeze, y'know, just that kind of violent motion  can send
you spinning off in a strange direction."

The contact got  some publicity in the Washington Post and on local TV
stations. Some 7000  people turned out for Discover Engineering Family Day,
and an AMSAT team  supported an ARISS booth during the event.

On February 20, youngsters at  the Itaki Elementary School Fathers' Club took
part in a direct VHF contact  between NA1SS and 8J4I in Japan. McArthur told
them that he became an  astronaut because he's an aerospace engineer and a
pilot, "and being an  astronaut seemed to be the most interesting way of
doing both things." He  said his current stint as commander of ISS Expedition
12 marked his  fourth--and by far his longest--trip into space.

"To me, space represents  the ultimate challenge for mankind, to show that we
can grow and eventually  leave our home planet," McArthur told another young
questioner. 

Asked  which star was the most beautiful, McArthur replied, "our sun." But,
he went  on to say, he thinks all the stars in the sky are beautiful. "They
are no  bigger for us than they are for you," he explained, "but we do not
have  clouds or dust in the air to look through, so they are very clear."

At  the 8J4I controls was Kei Fujimura, JJ4RJE. In all, 13 students
participated  in the event, and McArthur answered 19 of their questions
before the ISS went  over the horizon and signal was lost. The event
attracted media coverage from  TV and newspapers. An audience of about 100
people was on hand for the  occasion.

McArthur has completed 29 ARISS school contacts during his five  months in
space--far more than any previous ISS crew member.  ARISS
<http://www.rac.ca/ariss> is an international educational  outreach, with US
participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA.  

==>PRESIDENT HARRISON NAMES ARRL NATIONAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE  PLANNING
COMMITTEE

ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, has appointed  13 individuals to serve on
the ARRL National Emergency Response Planning  Committee. The League's Board
of Directors resolved to establish the panel  during its annual meeting in
January "to appropriately prepare for future  large-scale disasters." The
committee will develop a comprehensive  recommendation for ARRL responses to
regional, national and international  disasters.

"This group reflects a nationwide assembly of individuals with  direct field
experience in all aspects of emergency communications at various  levels with
disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, floods and  terrorist
activity to name a few," Harrison said. "There were many  excellent
recommendations for this committee, which is quite encouraging in  itself and
speaks highly of Amateur Radio's productive involvement in  emergency
communications."

ARRL First Vice President Kay Craigie,  N3KN, will chair the ad hoc
committee. Appointed to serve on the committee  were:

Delta Division Director Henry Leggette, WD4Q, (Programs and  Services
Committee liaison); Pacific Division Vice Director Andy Oppel,  N6AJO;
Atlantic Division Vice Director Tom Abernethy, W3TOM; Alabama  Section
Manager Greg Sarratt, W4OZK; Western Washington Section Manager Ed  Bruette,
N7NVP; South Texas Section Emergency Coordinator Jerry Reimer,  KK5CA;
Southern Florida Section Emergency Coordinator Jeff Beals, WA4AW;  NYC-Long
Island Section Emergency Coordinator Tom Carrubba, KA2D; Mississippi  Section
District Emergency Coordinator Karl Bullock, WA5TMC; Colorado  Net
Manager/State Government Liaison Gene McGahey, AL7GQ; IARU Region  II
Emergency Coordinator Rick Palm, K1CE, (IARU liaison) and ARRL Field  and
Educational Services Manager Dave Patton, NN1N (ARRL staff  liaison).

Harrison said the committee will begin its work immediately  under Craigie's
direction. Among other things, the National Emergency  Response Planning
Committee will thoroughly evaluate the responses and  actions of ARRL and the
Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) during  Hurricane Katrina as well as
lessons learned. 

The Board's resolution  establishing the committee noted that the emergency
communications resources  and organization needed for national and
international disasters "are  markedly different" from what's required at the
regional and local levels.  Given the unprecedented scope and devastation of
the 2005 hurricane season in  general and of Hurricane Katrina in particular,
ARRL Headquarters was placed  into a leadership coordination role through
national-level requests for help  from served agencies such as the American
Red Cross.

The ARRL Board  will consider the committee's recommendations at its 2007
annual meeting next  January.

==>"HELLO" CAMPAIGN TO PUT FRIENDLY, INVITING FACE ON AMATEUR  RADIO

A new ARRL public relations campaign set to launch this April will  cast
Amateur Radio in the light of the 21st century and focus on its  universal
appeal, even in today's already technology-rich society. At the  same time,
the "Hello" campaign will note the 100th anniversary of what many  historians
consider the first voice radio broadcast in 1906 by Reginald  Fessenden.

"It is quite simply the largest PR campaign that ham radio has  ever
attempted," says ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts,  W1AGP.
Built around the word "Hello," the coordinated campaign will set  "a
positive, upbeat tone that highlights the international capabilities  of
Amateur Radio," he explained. 

One aim of the "Hello" campaign will  be to reframe Amateur Radio within a
contemporary context. "ARRL President  Joel Harrison, W5ZN, was correct in
stating that the Main Street of today is  not the same as the Main Street of
yesteryear," Pitts went on to say. "To  reach out today, the very first
requirement is that Amateur Radio operators  be perceived as friendly and
trustworthy. That's a true public relations goal  and the prime focus of the
campaign."

Pitts says it's not helpful to  lament the time in decades past when Amateur
Radio grew pretty much on its  own, without too much effort on the part of
clubs and individuals. "Only our  combined, effective action will do that
today," Pitts says. "This campaign  will give hams the tools they need to
reach out in their communities to  non-hams and influence their perception of
Amateur Radio."

The  national "Hello" campaign can bring curious people into contact with  ham
radio groups, but it will be up to local radio amateurs to make them  truly
welcome, Pitts maintains.

The "Hello" campaign is designed to  gain momentum as the year progresses.
Components will include the release of  public service announcements for use
by radio and TV broadcasters and a video  for meetings, presentations and
even broadcast. Other highlights will include  a "Hello" campaign Web site
and special operating events. The high point of  the "Hello" campaign will
come in December on the centennial of Fessenden's  first radio broadcast.

History recalls that the Canadian-born and  educated Fessenden, using an
early alternator, transmitted the first audio  radio broadcast from his
laboratory in Brant Rock, Massachusetts. Radio  operators aboard ships at
sea--tipped off in advance to be listening for  something special--were
astounded to hear Fessenden's broadcast that included  the scientist and
inventor playing "O Holy Night" on the violin and reading a  Bible passage.

The campaign will show that despite the Internet and other  technologies, the
possibility of being able to talk with everyday people  around the world and
sometimes in exotic locales--coupled with the surprise,  art and uncertainty
of DXing--remains a major attraction for Amateur Radio.  The "Hello" campaign
also will take advantage of likely FCC action this year  to drop the Morse
code requirement at least for General class  applicants.

"We all say we want to make a change for the better for  Amateur Radio and
get others interested," Pitts said. "This is the time, this  is the chance.
Stay tuned! More to come!"

==>INJURED MINER RANDY  MCCLOY, KC8VKZ, TALKING, JOKING

Randy McCloy, KC8VKZ--the lone survivor  of the January 2 Sago Mine disaster
in Upshur County, West Virginia--is  continuing to recover. Speaking on The
Early Show on CBS TV March 2, McCloy's  wife Anna told co-anchor Hannah Storm
that her husband is talking again and  even telling jokes. 

"He'll listen to jokes and understand," Anna McCloy  told Storm. "He'll talk
to me and the kids--just regular  conversation."

She also said McCloy has told her he remembers "bits and  pieces" of the
mining disaster that left 12 of his co-workers dead of carbon  monoxide
poisoning. McCloy, 26, who's been in a rehabilitation facility since  January
26, also answers questions appropriately, recognizes his family and  can
"move quite well," Anna McCloy said. She has remained at her husband's  side
since his rescue. 

McCloy eats with assistance and has expressed  distaste for institutional
cuisine, instead preferring the restaurant and  fast food fare his wife
supplies. 

Anna McCloy says she's "not quite  sure" if her husband realizes he was the
only survivor of the mine mishap. "I  don't question him about it. When he
wants to talk about it, I listen to him,  but I don't push him, and I don't
question him," she said. 

One of  Randal McCloy's physicians, Dr Julian Bailes, told Storm that McCloy
has  "improved beyond our expectations" during rehabilitation. "I think we
see his  old personality coming back." 

Well-wishers have been sending cards and  QSLs to McCloy at PO Box 223,
Philippi, WV 26435. A fund has been set up to  accept donations for McCloy's
benefit: The Randal McCloy Jr Fund, c/o Clear  Mountain Bank, 1889 Earl Core
Rd, Morgantown, WV 26505.

==>SOLAR  UPDATE

Solar sage Tad "Fall Out Boy" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington,  reports: Low
activity continues with another string of zero-sunspot days.  Average daily
sunspot numbers for this week were down by 4 points from the  prior week to
3.1. Average solar flux declined by 1 point to  76.4.

Average sunspot numbers plummeted in February--far below any other  month in
the second half of Cycle 23.

This weekend is the ARRL  INTERNATIONAL DX CONTEST  (SSB)
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2006/intldx.html>. Although  solar
activity is low, geomagnetic conditions should remain quiet, which is  good.
Sunday, March 5, could see some unsettled activity. The predicted  planetary
A index for March 3-7 is 8, 5, 12, 5 and 5. Sunspot and solar flux  levels
should remain very low.

Sunspot numbers for February 23 through  March 1 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 11, 11 and
0, with a mean of 3.1. 10.7 cm flux was  75.1, 76, 76, 76.5, 77, 77.1, and
77, with a mean of 76.4. Estimated  planetary A indices were 3, 6, 1, 5, 3, 5
and 7, with a mean of 4.3.  Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 4, 4, 1, 3,
2, 2 and 5, with a mean of  3.

__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

*  This weekend on the radio: 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. JUST AHEAD: The North American Sprint  (RTTY),
the RSGB Commonwealth Contest, the Idaho, Oklahoma and Wisconsin  QSO
parties, the AGCW QRP Contest, the UBA Spring Contest (CW) and the  NSARA
Contest are the weekend of March 11-12. 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 19, for these  ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education (CCE). Program on-line  courses:
Amateur Radio Emergency Communication Level 1 (EC-001), Radio  Frequency
Interference (EC-006), Antenna Design and Construction (EC-009),  Technician
Licensing (EC-010), Analog Electronics (EC-012) and Digital  Electronics
(EC-013). Classes begin Friday, April 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>.

* Hams help following  mud slide: The RSGB reports that radio amateurs helped
coordinate rescue  operations after a devastating mud slide on the Philippine
island of Leyte  buried an entire village February 17. More than 1800 people
are believed to  have died when the village of Guinsaugon was engulfed by mud
following a week  of torrential rain and a small earthquake. The
International Radio Emergency  Support Coalition (IRESC)
<http://www.iresc.org/> supported the relief  effort by providing
communication links between the disaster scene and the  International Red
Cross. The IRESC specializes in connecting traditional ham  radio systems--HF
transceivers and VHF/UHF repeaters--with Voice over  Internet Protocol (VoIP)
technology via EchoLink. The EchoLink net set up for  the Leyte disaster
reportedly went on the air within hours of the mudslide,  and Philippine
amateurs used it to pass lists of missing people and  survivors. Other
messages included requests for food, water, mats, clothing,  stretchers,
medical kits and digging tools.

* W1AW 160-meter frequency  change put on hold: QRX on that W1AW QSY! W1AW
has rescinded plans to change  its 160-meter CW frequency and will remain on
1817.5 kHz for the time being.  An announced change to 1807.5 kHz was aimed
at reducing the possibility of  interfering with DX stations that have begun
showing up in the vicinity of  1817.5 kHz. "Lately we have received more
complaints about W1AW interfering  with weak DX signals," said ARRL CEO and
W1AW Trustee David Sumner, K1ZZ.  "After what we thought was due diligence we
decided that it made sense to  shift below 1810 kHz, since that is the lower
band edge in Region 1 and would  pretty much eliminate the conflict with
DXers." Monitoring showed that 1807.5  appeared to be generally clear.
"Unfortunately," Sumner continued, "we failed  to pick up the fact that PSK31
operators appear to have adopted 1807 kHz as  their 160-meter frequency, and
we don't want to conflict with any established  activity centers." Under a
tight deadline to announce the W1AW operating  schedule 30 days in advance,
the League has called off the frequency shift  for now. The question will be
revisited over the summer.

* David A.  Rosenthal, N6TST, wins February QST Cover Plaque Award: The
winner of the QST  Cover Plaque Award for February is David A. Rosenthal,
N6TST, for his article  "Polar Bear Portable." Congratulations, David! The
winner of the QST Cover  Plaque award--given to the author or authors of the
best article in each  issue--is determined by a vote of ARRL members on the
QST Cover Plaque Poll  Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/members-only/QSTvote.html>. Cast a ballot  for your
favorite article in the March issue by Friday, March 31.

*  Dayton 2006 Contest Dinner tickets now available: The North Coast
Contesters  have announced that tickets now are on sale for the 14th annual
Dayton  Contest Dinner. DX Engineering is sponsoring the tickets. The dinner
will  take place Saturday, May 20, 6:30 PM, in the Van Cleve Ballroom of the
Crowne  Plaza Hotel, Fifth and Jefferson streets, next to the Convention
Center in  downtown Dayton. John Dorr, K1AR, will emcee the event, which will
feature  the 2006 CQ Contest Hall of Fame inductions. Tickets are $34. To
obtain  Contest Dinner tickets, contact Craig Clark,  K1QX
<jcclark at wildblue.net>, Radioware and Radio Bookstore, PO Box 209,  Rindge,
NH 03461; call weekdays, 10 AM until 6 PM Eastern,  800-457-7373;
603-899-6957; fax (24/7) 603-899-6826. Credit card orders are  welcome.
Include name and call sign. Tickets will be mailed no later than May  10. No
tickets will be available at the door.--Tim Duffy, K3LR

* Tim  Chen, BV2A, SK: Taiwan's first radio amateur, Tim Chen, BV2A, founder
and  first president of the Chinese Taipei Amateur Radio League (CTARL),  died
February 22. He was 92. ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, said  Chen's
passing was sad news. "Tim was always kind, friendly and willing to  allow
you to operate BV," said Harrison, who became acquainted with Chen  when
traveling frequently to Taiwan in the late 1980s and early 1990s.  "I'll
never forget our first meeting on a dark, rainy night in Taipei. Tim  didn't
know who I was, other than a fellow radio amateur, but he came out to  meet
me at the BV2B station." ARRL Field and Educational Services Manager  Dave
Patton, NN1N, said Chen--for years the only radio amateur on the air  from
Taiwan--was more famous than he knew. "He was the first BV QSO for  most
DXers who got their start between 1970 and about 1990 and was a guy  you
could count on to call in during contests--BV2A on CW and BV2B on phone,"  he
observed. A memorial service was held February 28 in Taipei. Chen was  a
long-time ARRL member. E-mail condolence messages to Chen's family via  CTARL
<bv2a at ctarl.org.tw>.

* DXCC Desk approves operations for  DXCC credit: The ARRL DXCC Desk has
approved these operations for DXCC  credit: TS3A, Tunisia, March 24-28, 2005;
T6X, Afghanistan, current operation  effective March 8, 2005; TT8PK, Chad,
December 27, 2005 through February 11,  2006; XW1A, XW1LLR5, XW1X and XW1M,
Laos, current operation effective October  29, 2005; D2DX, Angola, current
operation effective December 15, 2004 (a  previous announcement accredited
the D2DX operation effective December 15,  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/>.

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

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