[FPARC] The ARRL Letter Vol. 25, No. 11 March 17, 2006

[W4kkw at aol.com]

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 25, No. 11
March 17,  2006
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +Amateur Service to  remain within FCC Wireless Bureau
* +First ARRL "Hello" campaign tools now  available
* +German school marks successful space contact
* +ARRL spring  2006 Spectrum Defense campaign under way
* +Amateur Radio volunteers handle  tornado duty in Midwest
* +Mississippi's governor signs amateur antenna  statute
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF: 
This weekend on the radio
ARRL Certification and  Continuing Education course registration
+AMSAT names Director  of Education
CUTESats get OSCAR numbers
+NASA honors TV journalist, anchor Walter Cronkite, KB2GSD
DXCC Desk approves operation for DXCC credit
Correction

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

===========================================================
==>Delivery  problems (ARRL member direct delivery  only!):
letter-dlvy at arrl.org
==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick  Lindquist, N1RL,  n1rl at arrl.org
===========================================================

==>AMATEUR  RADIO POISED TO STAY WITHIN FCC WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS
BUREAU

The  FCC approved a proposal March 17 to create a new Public Safety and
Homeland  Security Bureau (PS&HSB) that would assume some functions now under
the  umbrella of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB). But it appears
that  the Amateur Radio Service--now within the WTB's Public Safety and
Critical  Infrastructure Division, headed by Michael J. Wilhelm, WS6BR--will
remain  within the WTB, according to Anthony Dale, Acting Director of the
FCC's  Office of Managing Director (OMD). 

"The Critical Infrastructure  piece--that's things like taxi cabs, Amateur
Radio, chemical plants, all that  type of thing--those are not public
safety-specific functions," Dale said in  response to a reporter's question
following the FCC open meeting. "The plan  is to keep those in the Wireless
Bureau."

Creation of the new bureau  was a topic of some discussion during a meeting
earlier this month of the  ARRL Executive Committee. With the complete
details of the reorganization  still uncertain, however, the League is
adopting a wait-and-see attitude for  now.

Mika Savir, an attorney advisor within the FCC's OMD, presented the  proposal
to the Commission. "By this action, the Commission would take an  important
step to better address public safety, homeland security, national  security,
emergency management and preparedness and disaster management," she  said.
"As you know, the Commission has a statutory mandate to assist in  promoting
the safety of life and property, as well as the national defense,  through
the use of communications."

An official document spelling out  just which functions and services will end
up where has not yet been made  public, and even Dale did not appear to be
entirely clear on specifics. He  and others stressed that some PS&HSB
functions may overlap those of other  bureaus.

The FCC said the changes are subject to Congressional  notification before
they become effective. In addition, the Commission must  work with the
National Treasury Employees Union Local 209 to secure its  approval for
issues affecting the Commission's workforce.

The last  changes affecting the functions of the WTB occurred in 2003.  This
reorganization has been several months in the planning. Some observers  had
speculated that Amateur Radio would be shifted to the PS&HSB, thus  removing
it from the WTB's market-based approach to regulation. Moving some  of the
WTB's current responsibilities to the new bureau, however, could speed  up
the process of moving Amateur Radio-related proceedings through  the
Commission.

The PS&HSB will have three divisions: Policy,  Public Communications Outreach
& Operations, and Communications Systems  Analysis. In addition, the bureau
will have a front office consisting of  senior leadership and management
staff.

The new bureau would be the  seventh within the FCC. Commissioner Michael
Copps said the proposed  reorganization goes beyond "reshuffling" of the
bureaucracy. He expressed the  hope that creation of the new Public Safety
and Homeland Security Bureau  would be viewed as "the first step in putting
the FCC out front--where it  long should have been--in providing
communications security for all Americans  in this dangerous age."

The Commission voted unanimously to approve  creation of the new bureau.

==>"HELLO" CAMPAIGN PROVIDES RALLYING  POINT TO PROMOTE AMATEUR RADIO

The first components of the ARRL's "Hello"  Amateur Radio public relations
campaign now are available. "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," says ARRL Media  and Public Relations Manager
Allen Pitts, W1AGP, who conceived the campaign  and is its principal
Headquarters contact. The "Hello" campaign is aimed at  recasting Amateur
Radio in the light of the 21st century and focusing on its  universal appeal.
At the same time, it will mark the 100th anniversary of  what many historians
consider the first voice radio broadcast in 1906 by  Reginald Fessenden.

"For years, ARRL public information officers (PIOs)  and others interested in
promoting Amateur Radio have been looking for  leadership and a rallying
point from which we can join together in a major  promotion for ham radio,"
Pitts said. This is it! Tools include a distinctive  "Hello" Web site
<http://www.hello-radio.org/> and radio and TV public  service announcements.

Based on the word "Hello," which Pitts calls  "possibly the most pleasant
word in any language," the coordinated campaign  will set "a positive, upbeat
tone that highlights the international  capabilities of Amateur Radio," he
explained. The "Hello" Web site is  designed for non-hams to learn a little
bit about Amateur Radio and to arouse  more interest. The site points
prospective Amateur Radio licensees to groups  that have indicated they will
provide a warm welcome to newcomers. 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 key to creating a new ham operator is to  develop a relationship with a
current ham operator," says Pitts. Behind the  effort is "an army of
dedicated, truly motivated PIOs and others who want to  see ham radio
flourish."

A series of 30-second radio public service  announcements (PSAs)
<http://www.arrl.org/pio/pr.html> has been  developed for the "Hello"
campaign. "You can help by downloading the PSAs  from the ARRL Web site onto
a CD and taking it to your own local radio  station," Pitts suggests.

A broadcast-quality video for the "Hello"  campaign will be available in
April. 

Copies of the special four-page  "Hello"  brochure
<http://www.arrl.org/pio/hello/Hello-Campaign-Brochure.pdf>  are available
from ARRL Headquarters for use during presentations to non-ham  groups. (Full
details on the "Hello" campaign plus a pull-out copy of the  brochure are
available in the April issue of QST.) The brochures are suitable  for talks
to schools, clubs, displays and other venues promoting Amateur  Radio to the
public. There is a space on the back page to add local club  info.

"For 100 years, the magic of the human voice over radio has  brought
imaginations to life. It opened a whole new era of human  communication," the
brochure declares, urging, "It's your world. Get on the  radio and say
"Hello."

To obtain copies, e-mail the "Hello" campaign  <hello at arrl.org>. Donations
are welcome (make checks out to "ARRL") to  help cover return postage to
ARRL, Public Relations, 225 Main St, Newington,  CT 06111.

"Hello" logo bumper stickers will be on sale through the ARRL  on-line
catalog <http://www.arrl.org/catalog/?item=9731>. Buttons for  the "Hello"
campaign will be available at Dayton Hamvention and at other  major Amateur
Radio events. Banners for the "Hello" campaign will be flying  at Dayton
Hamvention and at the National Association of Broadcasters  convention in
April. After that, they will be made available for use at major  events in
2006.

"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
says. "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 primary focus of the  campaign."

==>SPACE QSO HELPS INTRODUCE AMATEUR RADIO TO GERMAN  STUDENTS

Twenty-one soon-to-be radio amateurs attending the Evangelisches  Gymnasium
in Lippstadt, Germany, talked shop with ISS Expedition 12 Commander  Bill
McArthur, KC5ACR, on March 8. The Amateur Radio on the International  Space
Station (ARISS) program arranged the direct VHF QSO between DN2LP at  the
school and NA1SS in space. The school incorporated ARISS lesson plans  into
its curriculum, and all of the participating students had already  passed
their Amateur Radio exams and are awaiting their new call signs. One  student
wanted to know if McArthur had ever taken an insect into space by  accident.

"Yes, on shuttle missions we would very often see mosquitoes,  because
Florida is a place that has so many," McArthur responded. "They seem  very
confused and die very quickly."

Other students at the  school--which accommodates youngsters and youth
between the ages of 10 and  19--were curious about the effects of
microgravity. One girl wanted to know  if it was possible to have a runny
nose in zero G.

"Fortunately, we  don't get sick on orbit very much and therefore don't get
runny noses,"  McArthur explained. "But we do experience head congestion
because of the  shift of fluids from our legs to our upper body and head."

McArthur also  told the students that a candle cannot burn in space because
microgravity  prevents the necessary convection currents from forming, and if
you were to  cry, tears would not be shed but gather around the eye instead.

All of  the students at the church-run school have been studying physics. One
of the  QSO participants asked how much of the ISS depends on electricity.  

"Everything we have onboard is electrical," McArthur replied. "The  primary
uses of electricity are heater and our fans and pumps." The solar  arrays on
the ISS can produce approximately 18 kW of power right now. When  the space
station is completed, its power production will jump to 110 kW.  

One student stumped McArthur with his question, "Which state law  is
recognized on the ISS?" Responded McArthur to the amusement of the  students
and the audience: "You got me on that one. I just don't have an  answer."

Some 900 students attend the school, located in the state of  North
Rhine-Westfalia. Control operator Ralf Karrasch, DF4DC, and teacher  Daniel
Ahrens, DO7DAN, supported the participating students in preparing to  take
their ham radio license examinations, reports ARISS Mentor Peter  Kofler,
IN3GHZ, noting that everyone who took the test passed.  "Congratulation to
the new members of our worldwide radio ham family!" he  commented.

A team of radio amateurs from local clubs set up the satellite  station at
the school that included automatic antenna tracking on the primary  station,
Kofler said. The station equipment was located in the huge assembly  hall,
where an audience of 400 students, parents and teachers followed  the
contact. The NA1SS signal was loud and clear throughout the nearly  10-minute
contact, which drew cheers and applause from students and audience  as it
ended.

The QSO attracted the attention of German news media.  Westdeutscher Rundfunk
(WDR) TV and radio and Hellweg Radio covered the ham  radio event, which was
broadcast live on the two radio channels. An article  touting the successful
ham radio contact appeared the following day in the  local newspaper Der
Patriot.

The Lippstadt contact marked the 30th  ARISS school QSO McArthur has
handled--by far a record for any ISS crew  member.

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

==>DONATIONS HELP LEAGUE MAKE HEADWAY AGAINST BPL INTERFERENCE,  OTHER
THREATS

Contributions to the ARRL Spectrum Defense Fund have  helped the League to
make significant progress in the battle against  interference from Broadband
Over Power Line (BPL). But the fight's not over,  says ARRL CEO David Sumner,
K1ZZ, who calls the BPL effort "one of the most  important" the ARRL has ever
undertaken to protect Amateur Radio spectrum."  Thanks in part to the
generosity of League members, however, Sumner offered  up some good news as
the Spring 2006 Spectrum Defense Fund campaign kicks  off
<https://www.arrl.org/forms/fdefense/2006/spring/>.

"Contrary  to the predictions of its shameless promoters, 2005 was not a big
year for  BPL," Sumner said in a letter to League members. "The number of
cities in  which BPL service was widely available to consumers was the same
at the end  of the year as at the beginning: two." Cable and DSL providers
add more new  broadband customers in a single morning than have ever been
served by BPL, he  said. Sumner also pointed to shutdowns of BPL trials in
Pennsylvania and  Idaho. 

"Most utilities that have looked at BPL have decided not to  pursue it," he
said. But Sumner cautions that Amateur Radio cannot count on  BPL's "likely
failure in the marketplace" to keep the radio spectrum safe  from pollution.

The ARRL has been in the forefront of raising the  visibility of the BPL
radio interference issue, Sumner asserted. "We have  kept after the FCC to
correct ongoing spectrum pollution from BPL,  particularly from the
much-ballyhooed system in Manassas, Virginia." At the  same time, the League
has cooperated with BPL companies that take the  interference issue seriously
and design their systems to avoid  it.

"The ARRL is not opposed to BPL, but we remain steadfastly opposed  to
interference caused by BPL systems," Sumner stressed.

Spectrum  Defense Fund contributions have enabled the League to petition the
FCC to  "properly draw the line between BPL systems that can be deployed
without  serious harm to radio communication and those that
cannot"--something the  current BPL rules don't do. Until such rules are in
place and properly  enforced, "we won't let the spectrum polluters and their
apologists off the  hook," Sumner said, adding that the League also will keep
after the FCC to  "do the right thing."

In the meantime, Sumner says, BPL companies that  take interference seriously
are gaining traction at the expense of those that  deny the problem exists.
"This is no accident," he said. "It's the result of  the ARRL's relentless
media relations efforts to keep radio interference at  the center of the BPL
discussion."

While it's attracted much of the  attention in recent years, BPL is just one
of many threats to the Amateur  Radio spectrum we enjoy. "A dedicated team of
volunteers and staff works  constantly on your behalf," Sumner said. He
notes, for example, that the  League is attempting to leverage the
five-voice-channel "toehold" it obtained  for Amateur Radio in the vicinity
of 5 MHz into something more like a  traditional amateur allocation.

Sumner concluded by pointing out that  membership dues alone don't cover the
costs of protecting, promoting and  advancing the Amateur Radio Service.
Members may contribute to the Spectrum  Defense Fund via the ARRL's secure
donations Web  page
<https://www.arrl.org/forms/fdefense/2006/spring/fdefense.html>.

==>AMATEUR  RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICE ACTIVATES IN TORNADOS' AFTERMATH

Amateur Radio  Emergency Service (ARES) teams in Missouri this week assisted
emergency  managers in that state with damage assessment after a huge string
of tornados  swept through the nation's midsection March 12. Nine people were
reported  dead in Missouri and one in Indiana in the aftermath of the severe
weather.  Missouri Section Emergency Coordinator Don Moore, KM0R, told ARRL
that he and  three other radio amateurs deployed March 13 as a
"quick-response team" to  Pettis County, Missouri, just south of Sedalia
along US Route 65 to support  the county's emergency operations center (EOC).


"There was some major  wind through here," Moore told ARRL. The severe
weather damaged or took down  utility lines along US Route 65 and elsewhere.
The Pettis County Emergency  Management Agency requested the ARES call-up.
Nine ARES members ultimately  activated to help seven damage-assessment
teams. ARES stood down later the  same day.

ARES handled minimal voice traffic, Moore said. While the ARES  group was
prepared to pass damage assessments to the EOC via WinLink 2000,  that turned
out not to be necessary. The ARES team did communicate with the  Missouri
Emergency Management Agency to demonstrate Winlink from the field,  he added.


Missouri appears to have been the state hardest hit by the  weekend storms,
which generated hail said to have been the size of softballs.  Damage in the
Show-Me State stretched from west to east, with houses  reportedly destroyed
along a 20-mile path south of St Louis.  

Tornadoes also struck Kansas, where the University of Kansas  canceled
classes March 13 due to safety concerns. The school, located in  Lawrence,
reportedly suffered damage to nearly two-thirds of its buildings,  but no
serious injuries were reported. Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio  Network
(SATERN) members were requested to deploy the SATERN Mobile  Generator
Trailer when the storms knocked out power in Douglas County,  Kansas. 

SATERN Kansas State Coordinator June Jeffers, KB0WEQ, reports  that SATERN
members moved the generator from Olathe to Lawrence, keeping in  touch with
the emergency nets along the way. SATERN and ARES members in  eastern Kansas
remained on standby in case they were needed. 

In  Arkansas, Section Manager David Norris, K5UZ, reports Franklin  County
ARES/RACES and Sebastian County RACES activated SKYWARN nets over  the
weekend. "Northwest Arkansas was hammered late last night with quite a  bit
of damage in Centerton," he told ARRL March 13. He reported several  people
injured and considerable property damage.

Arkansas SEC J.M.  Rowe, N5XFW, reported SKYWARN nets were active as the
severe weather  approached. 

In Illinois, Section Manager Sharon Harlan, N9SH, noted that  severe storms
rolled across her state March 12. Houses and businesses  throughout the
capital city of Springfield were damaged or destroyed, and  roads into the
city had to be closed.

The violent weather developed  from a line of thunderstorms that stretched
from the southern Plains and into  the Ohio valley. Twisters also hit
Oklahoma.

==>MISSISSIPPI BECOMES  22nd STATE TO ADOPT PRB-1 STATUTE

After several earlier tries,  Mississippi this week became the 22nd state to
revise its statutes to  incorporate the language of the limited federal
preemption known as PRB-1.  Mississippi Gov Haley Barbour signed the bill
March 13, reports ARRL  Mississippi Section Manager Malcolm Keown, W5XX.
Echoing the language of  PRB-1, the new law calls on localities establishing
ordinances regulating  antenna placement, screening or height to "reasonably
accommodate" Amateur  Radio communication. The Mississippi measure also takes
note of Amateur  Radio's communication support in emergencies and disasters. 

"This  legislation supports the Amateur Radio Service in preparing for and
providing  emergency communications for the State of Mississippi and local
emergency  management agencies," the statute reads. The new PRB-1 provision
became law  when Barbour signed it. 

The new law provides that local land use  regulation ordinances involving the
placement, screening, or height of  amateur radio antenna structures "must
reasonably accommodate amateur  communications and must constitute the
minimum practicable regulation to  accomplish local authorities' legitimate
purposes" to address health, safety,  welfare and aesthetic considerations.
Under the new law, local authorities  will determine the types of reasonable
accommodation to be made and the  minimum practicable regulation necessary to
address these purposes "within  the parameters of the law."

"We now have a Mississippi PRB-1 Law on the  books!" Keown exulted in a
message to Mississippi League members. Keown this  week called on his
section's members to contact all those involved and thank  them for
contributing to the success of the PRB-1 legislation. Similar bills  were
introduced this session in the House and Senate, but the House version,  HB
736, was the successful measure. The Senate version of the  PRB-1
legislation, SB 2709, passed the full Senate but died in committee in  the
House.

Keown says efforts have been under way since 2001 to get  such legislation
through the Mississippi Legislature. In past years, PRB-1  bills have made it
through one legislative chamber only to die in committee  in the other. A
ceremonial signing of the PRB-1 legislation will be scheduled  after the
legislative session ends.

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Solar  swami Tad "I'll Follow the Sun" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington,
reports:  Average daily sunspot numbers and solar flux values were down just
slightly  this week when compared to last, and the geomagnetic indexes were
up just a  bit. We only saw one day with zero sunspots, and there weren't any
really  stormy days with high geomagnetic K and A indices.

The prediction for the  next few days is a solar flux value of 75, and, in
fact, that continues in  Thursday's prediction from the US Air Force for the
next 45 days. The USAF  also predicts Sunday, March 19, will be a day of
geomagnetic activity, with a  planetary A index projected to reach 20. The
five-day projection for  planetary A index from March 17-21 is 8, 8, 20, 15
and 12. This slightly  higher activity is based on what was occurring in the
area of the sun that  will be facing us this weekend, looking back to
February 19-22 when the  planetary A index was 6, 20, 17 and 12.

This projection for geomagnetic  activity seems shared this week by
Geophysical Institute Prague, which  projects quiet conditions for March 17,
22 and 23, quiet to unsettled for  March 18, unsettled for March 20 and 21,
and unsettled to active on March  19.

Sunspot numbers for March 9 through 15 were 12, 12, 0, 18, 14, 34 and  22,
with a mean of 16. 10.7 cm flux was 72.9, 72.2, 74, 73.2, 72.6, 73.6,  and
74.2, with a mean of 73.2. Estimated planetary A indices were 4, 12, 12,  6,
3, 4 and 7, with a mean of 6.9. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 3,  9,
9, 3, 2, 2 and 6, with a mean of  4.9.

__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

*  This weekend on the radio: 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. JUST AHEAD: The CQ  WW WPX Contest (SSB), the UBA Spring Contest (2
meters), and the Spring QRP  Homebrewer Sprint are the weekend of March
25-26. 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. NOTE: Because Technician  Licensing
(EC-010) courses beginning in April are based upon the current  question
pool, students completing these April classes should take the FCC  Technician
class (Element 2) examination by June 30. A *new* Element 2  question pool
goes into effect July 1. 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>.

* AMSAT names Director of Education:  AMSAT-NA has named H. Paul Shuch, N6TX,
as its Director of Education. An  AMSAT Board of Directors member, Shuch
received his doctorate from the  University of California-Berkeley and has an
extensive background in  teaching, curriculum development, communications,
and engineering. AMSAT says  Shuch's highest priority will be integrated
curriculum development at all  educational levels, with an emphasis on using
satellites in the classroom, to  enhance the teaching of science, math,
geography, social studies, technology,  and the social sciences. "I will
invite all teachers within AMSAT to share  with me their current, past, or
planned use of satellites in the classroom,  their instructional materials,
and their desires in terms of future  curricular development," Shuch said.
AMSAT already participates in the  Amateur Radio on the International Space
Station (ARISS) program, which helps  to educate about human spaceflight and
offers youngsters a chance to speak  with the ISS crew via ham radio. Shuch
says he'll seek ways to encourage  ARISS schools and teachers "to take the
next step, with programs to leverage  that enthusiasm into an ongoing
interest in math, science and Amateur Radio."  Among other initiatives, he
also wants to bring satellite builders and  satellite users together in an
educational setting and get satellite  developers "fired up about supporting
the classroom use of their creations."  

* CUTESats get OSCAR numbers: AMSAT has issued OSCAR numbers to the  CUTE
(CUbical Tokyo Institute of Technology Engineering) satellites. CUTE  1,
launched in June 2003, is Cubesat-OSCAR-55 (CO-55), and CUTE 1.7,  launched
in February 2006, is Cubesat-OSCAR-56 (CO-56). CO-56 now is  transmitting a
CW signal with housekeeping data. The downlink is 437.385 MHz,  and the CW is
about 50 WPM. The satellite's call sign is JQ1YGW. The command  team asks
anyone receiving the satellite to report any data collected for  further
study  <http://lss.mes.titech.ac.jp/ssp/cute1.7/ireceived_e.html>. The  latest
version of the CW telemetry decoder software is available on the Lab  for
Space Systems/Tokyo Institute of Technology Web  site
<http://lss.mes.titech.ac.jp/ssp/cute1.7/software_e.html>. More  information
on CO-55 and CO-56 is on the CUTE Web  site
<http://lss.mes.titech.ac.jp/ssp/cubesat/index_e.html>. 

*  NASA honors TV journalist, anchor Walter Cronkite, KB2GSD: NASA has
honored  legendary CBS TV news anchor Walter Cronkite, KB2GSD, for his
coverage of the  US space program. Cronkite, who has narrated two ARRL
Amateur Radio videos,  received the Ambassador of Exploration Award February
28. "His marathon, live  coverage of the first moon landing brought the
excitement and impact of the  historic event into the homes of millions of
Americans and observers around  the world," NASA said in announcing the
award. NASA is presenting the  Ambassador of Exploration Award to the 38
astronauts and other key  individuals who participated in the Mercury,
Gemini, and Apollo space  programs for realizing America's vision of space
exploration from 1961 to  1972. Cronkite is the first non-astronaut and only
NASA outsider to receive  the award, which consists of a small, encased
sample of lunar material  mounted for public display. Cronkite is the
best-remembered journalist for  his commentary and enthusiastic coverage of
the historic progression of  missions from the early Mercury launches,
through the ground-breaking Gemini  missions, to the Apollo 11 and subsequent
moon landings.

* DXCC Desk  approves operation for DXCC credit: The ARRL DXCC Desk has
approved this  operation for DXCC credit: YI/OM2DX, Iraq, operation
commencing June 9, 2003.  For more information, visit the DXCC Web  page
<http://www.arrl.org/awards/dxcc/>. "DXCC Frequently Asked  Questions" can
answer most questions about the DXCC program. ARRL DX  bulletins are
available on the W1AW DX Bulletins page  <http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/dx/>.

* Correction: The story "Ohio,  North Carolina Youngsters Help ISS Commander
Boost His QSO Record" in The  ARRL Letter, Vol 25, No 10 (Mar 10, 2006),
contained some incorrect  information. The name of the science teacher at
Country Day School is Jan  French.

===========================================================  
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.

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.

==>Delivery problems (ARRL  member direct delivery only!):
letter-dlvy at arrl.org
==>Editorial  questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, n1rl at arrl.org
==>ARRL News on  the Web: <http://www.arrl.org>
==>ARRL Audio News:  <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> or  call
860-594-0384

==>How to Get The ARRL Letter

The ARRL  Letter is available to ARRL members free of charge directly from
ARRL HQ. To  subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address for e-mail
delivery: 
ARRL  members first must register on the Members Only Web  Site
<http://www.arrl.org/members/>. You'll have an opportunity  during
registration to sign up for e-mail delivery of The ARRL Letter,  W1AW
bulletins, and other material. To change these  selections--including
delivery of The ARRL Letter--registered members should  click on the "Member
Data Page" link (in the Members Only box). Click on  "Modify membership
data," check or uncheck the appropriate boxes and/or  change your e-mail
address if necessary. (Check "Temporarily disable all  automatically sent
email" to temporarily stop all e-mail deliveries.) Then,  click on "Submit
modification" to make selections effective. (NOTE: HQ staff  members cannot
change your e-mail delivery address. You must do this yourself  via the
Members Only Web Site.)

The ARRL Letter also is available to  all, free of charge, from these
sources:

* ARRLWeb  <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/>. (NOTE: The ARRL Letter will  be
posted each Friday when it is distributed via e-mail.)

* The  QTH.net listserver, thanks to volunteers from the Boston Amateur Radio
Club:  Visit Mailing  Lists at QTH.Net
<http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/letter-list>.  (NOTE: The ARRL
cannot assist subscribers who receive The ARRL Letter via  this listserver.)