[FPARC] The ARRL Letter Vol. 25, No. 10 March 10, 2006

[W4kkw at aol.com]

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 25, No. 10
March 10,  2006
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +FCC wants BPL system  to ensure compliance, resolve harmful interference
* +Ham radio praised as  "part of the solution" at FCC Katrina hearing
* +Via ham radio, ISS commander  tells kids he's enjoying life in orbit 
* +FCC advises California licensee to  take two years off to avoid
enforcement
* +ARRL Regulatory Information  Specialist John Hennessee, N1KB, SK
* +Commission spells out vanity call sign  renewal procedures
* +Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF: 
This weekend on the radio
ARRL Certification  and Continuing Education course registration
ARRL CCE  program issues Technician Course advisory
+Motorola white paper  epitomizes BPL-Amateur Radio rapprochement
IARU  represented at World Telecommunication Development Conference 2006
DXCC Honor Roll deadline looms
DX still king  for 90-year-old radio amateur
Yet another DX record  claimed on 134 GHz

+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 ACT FOLLOWING HAM'S  INTERFERENCE
COMPLAINT

The FCC this week directed the City of  Manassas, Virginia, and its BPL
system operator COMTek to conduct  measurements to ensure its system complies
with FCC Part 15 rules. FCC  Spectrum Enforcement Division Chief Joseph P.
Casey called on the city and  COMTek March 7 to follow up on a report of
suspected BPL interference filed  January 19 by ARRL member Dwight Agnew,
AI4II. The Commission also instructed  the city to "resolve any continuing
harmful interference." Agnew, who  frequently travels through Manassas and
operates mobile, alleges harmful BPL  interference along Virginia Business
Route 234.

"I had been talking to  a friend in Ohio while on my way home from work,"
Agnew told Casey via  e-mail. "I could no longer hear him over the
interference on 40 meters (7.2  MHz) while driving through the city." Agnew,
who says the interference went  away once he left the city, characterized its
effect as "like a giant, fuzzy  mute."

COMTek operates the Manassas BPL system using Main.net equipment  on
frequencies between 4 MHz and 30 MHz over a city-owned power grid. The  FCC
wants the city to take measurements during peak BPL usage hours at  locations
Agnew cited in his complaint and submit them within 30 days. Casey  made it
clear that the city "must either eliminate any continuing  harmful
interference" to Agnew's operations or reduce BPL emissions in the  area to
20 dB below the Part 15 limit. The League challenges the assumption  that
this level of attenuation necessarily will resolve interference  issues.

To date, the FCC itself has not taken any measurements on any  part of the
Manassas BPL system. When radio amateurs have filed interference  complaints
involving BPL systems elsewhere, the Commission typically has  tended instead
to rely on measurements made by system operators.

In  January, after COMTek failed to meet its own commitment to  resolve
longstanding interference complaints from local radio amateurs dating  back
nearly two years, the ARRL again demanded the system's immediate  shutdown.
Agnew's complaint is a new one, however.

In a separate  letter March 7, Casey told four Manassas hams with complaints
already on file  that they must provide "further information" within 30 days
or the FCC "will  take no further action" on their complaints. The FCC, which
has yet to  respond to any of the earlier ham radio complaints, concedes that
it  continues to receive reports of harmful interference.

To expedite the  information-gathering process, the ARRL on March 8 alerted
all radio amateurs  living in ZIP code 20110 (Manassas) that "now is the
time" to submit harmful  interference complaints relating to the city's BPL
system. "The first step is  to verify that BPL is actually the source of the
interference," ARRL CEO  David Sumner, K1ZZ, advised. He stressed, however,
that the League does not  want amateurs to file complaints unless they have
actually experienced BPL  interference.

"With the FCC finally taking official notice of the  presence of harmful
interference in Manassas, the tide finally is beginning  to turn," Sumner
concluded.

==>VOLUNTEER RADIO AMATEURS "PART OF  THE SOLUTION," FCC KATRINA PANEL TOLD

Addressing the FCC independent  panel reviewing Hurricane Katrina's impact on
communication networks, ARRL  Alabama Section Manager Greg Sarratt, W4OZK,
praised Amateur Radio's ability  to get the job done. Speaking before the
panel March 7 in Jackson,  Mississippi, Sarratt said Amateur Radio volunteers
were tremendously  effective in their ability to re-establish communication
links using their  own gear or by building systems from scratch.

"Amateur Radio operators  themselves were part of the solution, providing
experienced communications  operators to replace and supplement local public
service communications  personnel in the devastated area," Sarratt said. The
volunteer radio amateurs  and their equipment proved "very effective" in
supporting emergency  management, the Red Cross, the Southern Baptist
Convention, The Salvation  Army and many other organizations, he told the
panel.

For 37 days  following Hurricane Katrina, Sarratt--working at an American Red
Cross  disaster relief staging area in Montgomery, Alabama--headed the
volunteer  effort to process Amateur Radio volunteers headed to the Gulf
Coast to assist  recovery operations. Sarratt told the FCC panel that his
operation processed  and deployed more than 200 ham radio volunteers from 35
states and Canada to  devastated communities in Mississippi. Volunteers set
up communication  facilities at kitchens, shelters, emergency operations
centers, distribution  centers, warehouses and various command and control
centers, he  said.

"In each town we set up a high frequency (HF) Amateur Radio station  to
communicate out of the area to Montgomery and the outside world,"  Sarratt
explained. "We also set up a communications network connecting every  Red
Cross facility in a town on a local short-range radio frequency. Our  network
included fixed and mobile disaster vehicle stations."

Sarratt  told the FCC panel that interoperability is the most important thing
Amateur  Radio can bring to the table in emergency and disaster
communications.  "Amateurs demonstrated their adaptability by communicating
successfully with  a multitude of amateur, commercial, public service, EMA,
Salvation Army and  Red Cross radio systems and personnel," he said.

"Radio amateurs bring a  wealth of resources to the public service and
emergency communications  table," Sarratt summed up. "The ARRL and Amateur
Radio will continue to  prepare, train, practice and test ourselves for the
next event," he told the  FCC panel. "Public service is a large component of
the charter of the Amateur  Radio Service." He suggested installing permanent
Amateur Radio stations in  federal, state and local emergency operations
centers as well as at selected  public service, Red Cross chapters and other
served agencies.

Sarratt  offered some recommendations for the FCC panel to consider,
suggesting that  the Commission and the ARRL:

* collaborate to issue FCC credentials to  the ARRL for Amateur Radio
responders.

* be key partners in an Amateur  Radio awareness program for multiple
government agencies and the  first-responder community.

* continue working together on critical  frequency spectrum protection and
interference-avoidance issues.

"The  disasters of 2005 have proven the worth of Amateur Radio Service and
its  selfless cadre of operators; we were tested as never before,"  Sarratt
concluded, adding "we must assume the next 'big one' is just around  the
corner."

ARRL provided a written report to the independent FCC  review panel. ARRL
President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, recently named Sarratt to  serve on the ARRL
National Emergency Response Planning Committee.

Dave  Vincent, the station manager of WLOX-TV in Biloxi, Mississippi, also
praised  ham radio in his remarks before the FCC panel. He said WLOX was
lucky to have  a ham operator at its studio. Without the help of Amateur
Radio, Vincent  said, "it probably would have been a couple of days before we
would have  known whether the persons in our two bureaus had survived the
storm."  

He said ham radio also enabled the station to contact EOCs in the  three
hardest-hit coastal counties. "Without this link we would not have had  any
way to communicate with officials along the coast," he  said.

==>OHIO, NORTH CAROLINA YOUNGSTERS HELP ISS COMMANDER BOOST HIS  QSO RECORD

Speaking via NA1SS, Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur,  KC5ACR, this
month told youngsters in Ohio and North Carolina that he's been  really been
enjoying his International Space Station duty tour. The Amateur  Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS) program arranged both  contacts. During a
March 1 QSO with students at Country Day School in  suburban Cincinnati,
Ohio, McArthur described his delight at being in space  for his first
long-term visit.

"I think the biggest surprise was how  much fun it was to be in space,"
McArthur said. "I thought I would enjoy the  work, but what I found was that
everything about being in space is  delightful."

Lifting off from Earth also was "another really cool thing  to experience,"
McArthur explained in response to one student's question.  "You're lying on
your back, and then all of a sudden you're gone, and it's a  very thrilling,
exciting thing," he said. "When you come back, you realize  how wonderful
zero gravity is, because gravity is just a lot of work--you  feel tired, you
feel heavy and, very often, dizzy."

Later in the  contact, McArthur said the best part of being an astronaut is
being able to  tell people how exciting it is to explore space "and what an
important thing  that is for humankind." In all the third, fourth and fifth
graders at Country  Day managed 19 questions asked and answered during the
approximately  10-minute pass. Science teacher John French led the effort. 

A few days  later on March 3, McArthur chatted with youngsters at Harry
Hallyburton  Elementary School in Drexel, North Carolina--his home state.
McArthur told  the third graders in Deborah Childers' class that some of the
ISS crew's  scientific research could directly benefit people.

"We're doing  scientific research every day to help to understand the human
body better,  and that can lead to new discoveries in medicine," McArthur
said. "But the  real focus of our flight is to learn how people can live and
work in space  for a very long time, because we think someday, human beings
will colonize  other planets."

Responding to another question, McArthur told the  youngsters that brushing
one's teeth in space does present a dilemma  regarding what to do with "all
the foamy toothpaste" when you're done.  

"We have two choices," he said. "We can either swallow it, which is what  I
usually do, or if you don't like to do that, then you just hold a towel  up
to your mouth and spit it directly into a towel."

Tony Hutchison,  VK5ZAI, served as the Earth station for both ARISS school
group contacts, and  Verizon Conferencing provided a two-way teleconference
link between Australia  and the schools.

McArthur now has logged a record 30 ARISS school QSOs.  ARISS is an
international educational outreach with US participation by ARRL,  AMSAT and
NASA.

==>FCC OFFERS DEAL TO CALIFORNIA LICENSEE TO AVOID  ENFORCEMENT ACTION, FINES

The FCC has offered a California licensee a  deal: Give up your Amateur Radio
license for two years or face further  enforcement action and possible fines.
Special Counsel in the FCC Enforcement  Bureau Riley Hollingsworth wrote
Steve L. Wingate, KG6TXH (ex-AE6QD), of  Corte Madera on February 22 to
review a history of enforcement correspondence  to Wingate dating back to
April 2004.

"The Enforcement Bureau has  continued to receive complaints about the
operation of your station since  January 2005," Hollingsworth told Wingate.
Conceding that while not all of  the complaints were valid or recordings
genuine, Hollingsworth said evidence  the FCC determined was legitimate
showed a pattern of similar alleged  violations "for which you were warned
twice, and for which you twice gave  assurances of future compliance,"
Hollingsworth pointed  out.

Complaints about Wingate's alleged misdeeds led the  Wireless
Telecommunications Bureau to set aside Wingate's vanity call sign  and
renewal applications, Hollingsworth noted, "and now warrant  enforcement
action against you." Sanctions could include license revocation  and fines of
from $7500 to $10,000 "or both," Hollingsworth  warned.

Wingate's responses to Enforcement Bureau letters coupled with  continued
complaints, including recordings, and telephone conversations  between the
FCC and Wingate "indicate that by your own admission you have a  serious
problem with an impairment that prevents you from maintaining control  over
your station," Hollingsworth said.

Hollingsworth emphasized that  if Wingate declines to "accept this
opportunity to resolve this matter," the  Commission would proceed with
enforcement action against his Amateur Extra  class license.

Wingate has not yet taken the deal, Hollingsworth told  ARRL this week, but
he did request copies of recordings that accompanied  complaints of his most
recent alleged on-air behavior.

==>ARRL  STAFF MEMBER JOHN C. HENNESSEE, N1KB, SK

The ARRL and the wider Amateur  Radio community are mourning the loss of
long-time Headquarters staff member  John Hennessee, N1KB (ex-KJ4KB), of
Newington, who died March 2. He was 42.  Hennessee was a regulatory
information specialist in ARRL Field and  Educational Services. In that role,
he answered a seemingly never-ending  stream of members' questions about FCC
rules and regulations and other legal  issues pertaining to ham radio. He
also was the primary editor for The ARRL  FCC Rule Book. ARRL CEO David
Sumner, K1ZZ, described Hennessee as "a valued  member of the Amateur Radio
community far outside the walls of Headquarters"  who achieved a lot in his
brief lifetime.

"John came to Newington 20  years ago, fresh out of college, and quickly
became an expert in FCC rules  and local land-use regulations affecting radio
amateurs," Sumner commented.  "His death leaves a hole in the fabric of the
ARRL family."

First  licensed at age 14 as KA4AUR in his hometown of Cheraw, South
Carolina,  Hennessee joined the ARRL Headquarters staff as in 1986 following
graduation  from Wingate College in North Carolina.

To handle hundreds of questions  each year regarding how to interpret the FCC
rules required Hennessee to keep  abreast of ongoing Amateur Radio legal and
regulatory matters and  proceedings. That task became increasingly difficult
for him as his eyesight  and general health continued to fail. Nonetheless,
he persevered in keeping  on top of what was happening in areas ranging from
the PRB-1 limited federal  pre-emption and covenants, conditions and
restrictions (CC&Rs) affecting  ham radio antennas to new Amateur Radio rules
and privileges, license  restructuring, reciprocal licensing and licensing
rules and procedures in  other countries. He also maintained the regulatory
pages on the ARRL Web site  <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/>.

Earlier in his  Headquarters tenure, Hennessee for several years edited the
"Washington  Mailbox" and "Happenings" columns in QST. He also contributed to
The ARRL  Handbook, the ARRL Operating Manual and Now You're Talking!

Over the  years, Hennessee was a Handi-Ham camp volunteer. "Campers loved his
gentle  Southern manner." said Handi-Ham Manager Patrick Tice, WA0TDA.
"Unfailingly  polite and ever so patient, John made each Handi-Ham member
feel like a  long-lost friend!" 

In addition to ARRL, Hennessee also belonged to the  Quarter Century Wireless
Association and was an active member of the  Newington Amateur Radio League,
where he was a Field Day regular. Over the  years, he enjoyed operating
various bands and modes, and he enjoyed CW and  low-power operating (QRP).

Those who knew or worked with Hennessee  remember him as consistently
friendly, selfless, loyal, gracious, upbeat,  willing and eager to help
whenever and wherever needed and, above all, as an  asset to Amateur Radio in
general and to the ARRL in particular.

"The  world is a better place because of John, and a sadder place without
him,"  said Senior Assistant Technical Editor Larry Wolfgang, WR1B, who
worked with  Hennessee on numerous publications. Former ARRL Field and
Educational  Services Manager Rosalie White, K1STO, was Hennessee's
supervisor during much  of his HQ tenure. "John gave his all to ARRL
Headquarters and to the League's  members," she said.

ARRL staff members gathered this week at Headquarters  to reminisce about
Hennessee. "I like to think ARRL provided him with an  outlet to share his
gifts with the world," Sumner observed. "Let's celebrate  that this South
Carolina boy improbably found a home in  Connecticut."

Survivors include his mother, Carole Hennessee, two sisters  and his beloved
cat, Darlene. A service was held March 9 in  Cheraw.

The family invites memorial gifts to the First United Methodist  Church, PO
Box 129, Cheraw, SC 29520. Condolences sent to ARRL, 225 Main St,  Newington,
CT 06111 will be forwarded to the family.

==>FCC  CLARIFIES RENEWAL PROCEDURES FOR VANITY CALL SIGN HOLDERS

With the  renewal window about to open for the first Amateur Radio licenses
assigned  vanity call signs in 1996, the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications
Bureau (WTB)  has attempted to clarify filing procedures. The WTB says vanity
call sign  holders whose licenses expire on or after June 4, 2006, must  file
electronically or on paper via the Universal Licensing System  (ULS)
<http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/> to renew their licenses. Amateur  Radio
renewal applications may only be filed within 90 days of the  license
expiration date.

"Licensees of stations assigned vanity call  signs have the option of keeping
the vanity call sign or requesting that it  be changed to a sequentially
assigned call sign," the WTB points out. Those  opting to keep their vanity
call signs for the new 10-year license term must  pay the current regulatory
fee, now $21.90, when renewing (the vanity call  sign regulatory fee may
change in August or September). If the licensee no  longer wants to keep a
vanity call sign, no fee is required, and the  applicant should request a
sequentially assigned call sign  instead.

Amateur Radio licensees holding vanity call signs granted prior  to 1996 do
not have to pay a regulatory fee when renewing. This is because  Congress did
not begin requiring the FCC to annually recover its regulatory  costs until
1993. Additionally, such licensees are not specifically tagged as  vanity
call sign holders in the ULS.

To renew electronically via the  ULS, licensees should log into ULS License
Manager  <http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/> Online Filing (click on "Log In")
using  their FCC Registration Number (FRN) and Commission Registration  System
(CORES) password. Anyone doing business with the FCC must supply an  FRN on
any application.

To keep a vanity call sign, licensees should  select "Renew" under the "Work
on this License" option. Fees for  electronically filed applications may be
paid online or mailed to Federal  Communications Commission, Regulatory Fees,
PO Box 358835, Pittsburgh, PA  15251-5835.

Online filers choosing not to renew a vanity call sign should  select the
"Systematic Call Sign Change" option from the "Work on this  License" list.
To obtain a new call sign, licensees should answer "No" to the  question
"Your license is eligible for renewal. Renew call sign (vanity call  sign)?"
Doing this will result in the issuance of a renewed license bearing  a
sequentially assigned call sign.

Licensees filing on paper must use  FCC Form 605 (main form), and--if a fee
is required--Form 159 (remittance  advice). Licensees wishing to keep their
vanity call signs should enter  "Renew" under "Purpose" on Form 605 and enter
the present call sign in item  5. Manual filers choosing not to renew their
vanity call signs must file Form  605 (main form) Schedule D in order to
obtain a new systematic call sign. The  "Purpose" on the main form must be
"Renewal/Modification," and the  "Systematic Call Sign Change" question on
Schedule D must be answered  "Yes."

If no FRN is provided on the main form, an FCC Form 160  (registration) is
also required for manual filing. All forms are available  via the FCC Forms
page <http://www.fcc.gov/formpage.html>.

For  more information on how to renew an Amateur Radio vanity call sign,
visit the  FCC Help & Support page <http://esupport.fcc.gov/index.htm> or
call  the ULS Customer Support Hotline, 877-480-3201 (TTY 717-338-2824).

The  ARRL handles routine non-vanity renewals for members free of charge. At
this  time, it does not process renewal applications for post-1995 vanity
call sign  holders, but ARRL plans to add that capability in the near  future.

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Sun Gazer Tad "I'll Follow the Sun"  Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington,
reports: BIG news! A new computer model of  solar dynamics produced by
scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric  Research (NCAR) predicts
the next solar cycle to begin a bit later than  previously thought, but to be
as much as 30 to 50 percent more intense than  the current solar cycle just
ending. The model claimed to "predict" cycles  16-23 with 97 percent accuracy
using earlier data.

The NCAR news page  has a report
<http://www.ucar.edu/news/releases/2006/sunspot.shtml>. So  does the NASA  Web
site
<http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2006/solar_cycle.html>.
Another  article from Science at NASA claims the Cycle 23 solar minimum is
already  here
<http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/06mar_solarminimum.htm>.  A news
story also appears on the ARRL Web  site
<http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/03/07/5/>.

Current  propagation: Solar activity remains low, with many recent days of
zero  sunspots and even more ahead. March 10 could have unsettled to  active
geomagnetic conditions, with unsettled conditions March 11, quiet  to
unsettled March 12, and quiet March 13.

Sunspot numbers for March 2  through March 8 were 0, 0, 13, 28, 27, 25 and
24, with a mean of 16.7. 10.7  cm flux was 76.1, 75.5, 75, 74.2, 73.6, 74.4,
and 72.4, with a mean of 74.5.  Estimated planetary A indices were 4, 4, 3,
2, 8, 12 and 4, with a mean of  5.3. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 4,
2, 1, 1, 8, 6 and 3, with a  mean of 3.6.

__________________________________

==>IN  BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: 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. JUST AHEAD: The SARL VHF/UHF Contest, the  10-10
International Mobile Contest, the BARTG Spring RTTY Contest, the  Russian DX
Contest, the AGCW VHF/UHF Contest, the CLARA and Family HF  Contest, the
Virginia QSO Party, the UBA Spring Contest (6 meters), the 9K  15-Meter
Contest and the Run for the Bacon QRP Contest are the weekend of  March
18-19. 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>.

* ARRL CCE program  issues Technician Course advisory: The ARRL Certification
and Continuing  Education (CCE) program reminds prospective radio amateurs
that a new  Technician (Element 2) question pool goes into effect July 1. The
two  Technician License courses (EC-010) the CCE program will offer in April
will  reflect the current question pool. The first class begins April 7  and
continues through June 2 (registration ends March 20); the second begins  on
April 28 and continues through June 23 (registration ends April 17).  Because
these online courses are based upon the current question pool, CCE  advises
students completing these April classes to take the FCC Technician  class
(Element 2) examination by June 30.For more information contact the  CCE
Department <cce at arrl.org>. 

* Motorola white paper  epitomizes BPL-Amateur Radio rapprochement: A new
Motorola white paper,  "Practical, Proven Broadband over Power Line,"
describes how its Powerline LV  BPL system "passes muster with Amateur Radio
operators." Motorola and ARRL  have cooperated in tests of the system, which
the League has cited in FCC  filings as one that minimizes radio frequency
interference--both from and to  the system--by design. "Motorola's white
paper bears out that the ARRL is not  opposed to the deployment of
well-engineered BPL systems designed with  interference avoidance in mind,"
ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, commented. "We  are opposed to BPL
interference." Sumner said the League remains opposed to  deployment of BPL
technology having "an inherently high probability of  causing harmful
interference to radio communication." The Motorola white  paper includes a
summary of the company's experiences after installing a  Powerline LV system
at ARRL Headquarters and W1AW, as reported in November  2005 QST
<http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/pdf/0511085.pdf>. The Powerline  LV system
avoids putting digital signals on medium-voltage power lines  and
incorporates enhanced ham band notching. 

* IARU represented at  World Telecommunication Development Conference 2006:
An International Amateur  Radio Union (IARU) delegation is representing
Amateur Radio at World  Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) 2006.
The International  Telecommunication Union (ITU) conference got under way
March 7 in Doha,  Qatar. IARU Vice President Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA, IARU
International  Coordinator for Emergency Communications Hans Zimmermann,
F5VKP/HB9AQS, and  IARU Region 1 Vice Chairman Tafa Diop, 6W1KI, are
attending. WTDC 2006 will  focus on development priorities aimed at bridging
the "digital divide."  Following in the footsteps of the recently concluded
World Summit on the  Information Society, the resulting Doha Action Plan will
focus on utilizing  the full potential of information and communication
technologies to "connect  the unconnected and accelerate the pace of social
and economic development,"  the ITU says. Approximately 1000 delegates from
government, the private  sector and international and regional organizations
were expected to attend  WTDC 2006, which continues through March 15. ARRL
Technical Specialist Jon  Siverling, WB3ERA, tracked US preparations for the
conference.

* DXCC  Honor Roll deadline looms: The deadline for the next ARRL DXCC Honor
Roll  list is rapidly approaching. In order to appear in next list, which
will be  published in August 2006 QST, operators must be current on the DXCC
Honor  Roll as of March 31, 2006--the last day applications may be
postmarked. To  qualify for the DXCC Honor Roll, operators must be within the
numerical top  10 of the overall entities on the DXCC List. Since there are
335 current  entities on the DXCC List, the minimum level to make the Honor
Roll is 326  current entities. Deleted entities do not count toward DXCC
Honor Roll. Wall  plaques remain available for those currently or previously
on the Honor Roll.  The DXCC Web site has the order form and more  information
<http://www.arrl.org/awards/dxcc/>. 

* DX still king  for 90-year-old radio amateur: Veteran DXer and contester
John Thompson,  W1BIH, has been largely out of the game since disposing of
his tower,  antennas and linear and moving into a retirement community in
Massachusetts  last year. But the DXCC Honor Roll member held onto his
transceiver and his  desire to work the few rare ones he lacked. When the
3Y0X Peter I DXpedition  got under way in February, Don Greenbaum, N1DG, did
his older friend a good  turn by taking Thompson to his station February 9
for a crack at 3Y0X. During  the last two Peter I Island DXpeditions,
Thompson was at his winter home,  PJ9JT, so Peter I has been among his most
wanted. It only took about 30  minutes for W1BIH to make himself heard
through the fray on 15-meter SSB and  exchange reports. "We got him!"
Thompson exclaimed seconds after the quick  QSO. Greenbaum captured the
occasion on video  <http://005d89a.netsolhost.com/videos/videos/w1bih.wmv>.
Once confirmed  and submitted to DXCC, the 3Y0X QSO will elevate W1BIH into a
tie for second  place in the DXCC standings at 390 entities--including
deleted entities--or  335 current entities. W1BIH subsequently worked 3Y0X
from his retirement  community station on 20-meter CW while running 100 W
into a G5RV strung from  his window some 20 feet above ground.

* Yet another DX record claimed on  134 GHz: Inveterate microwave enthusiast
Brian Justin, WA1ZMS, says he's once  again topped his own claimed world DX
record on the 134-GHz band. On February  26, Justin, operating as WA1ZMS/4 in
EM96ur, and Pete Lascell, W4WWQ, in  FM07fm--both in Virginia--exchanged
reports on FSK-CW (copied by ear) over a  distance of 114.4 km (approximately
70.9 miles). That beats his previous  world DX record of 79.6 km
(approximately 49.35 miles) set in  December.

===========================================================  
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