From W4RPE at aol.com  Mon May  1 20:32:51 2006
From: W4RPE at aol.com (W4RPE@aol.com)
Date: Mon May  1 20:35:50 2006
Subject: [FPARC] Field Day
Message-ID: <248.ab89357.318802b3@aol.com>

Just a reminder that I will be chairman of this years Field Day.  This  
months meeting we will be discussing field day.
 
 
Keith
 
From GBUNTING at stlucieco.gov  Tue May  2 14:37:59 2006
From: GBUNTING at stlucieco.gov (Greg  Bunting)
Date: Tue May  2 14:41:12 2006
Subject: [FPARC] Fwd: Hurricane Season Comm. Check
Message-ID: <s45761c1.027@email2.cityofpsl.com>



We're ratcheting up for the '06 season.  This will be a County wide
test of all our EmComm gear and procedures.  Will need 2 ops for PSL PW
and South County Special Needs shelter.
Test all available amateur resources as well as 800 MHZ.
Also, we are at the Coast Guard Station, 1000 to 1600 on the 20th with
the CSV for USCG open house and Safe Boating week.
Wednesday net on 147.240 at 2000.
CRT meeting on the 17th at 1930.
Greg

>>> Donald Daniels 05/02/06 1:49 PM >>>


>>> "Larry Nadeau" <LNadeau@cityofpsl.com> 05/02/06 1:41 PM >>>
This email would be to confirm that we are ready to conduct our
communication checks at the EOC at the Community Center.  The usual
process requires us to erect the 800mhz antenna along with setting up
all radios inside.  We will also check all phones/lines.  An inventory
of our EOC supplies will also be taken.

When the antenna was taken down last year we suffered damages.  Rick
Perkins will be going through the appropriate installation and
take-down
process for this antenna.  We urge individuals that may have an
interest
in assisting with the antenna's use to attend.  Jay, maybe some of
your
maintenance people.

Date for our comm. check is 5.22.06 at 1:30 PM.  The EOC room has been
reserved for approx. 2 hours.  County EOC has been notified.  County
communications protocols coming soon.

Thanks,
Larry

Good Morning

Rick, as per our discussions this AM, the Director would like to
schedule our pre-hurricane season communications check at our EOC.  We
could use your assistance setting up the communication antenna.. 

With the GHC coming up, other training schedules, and Memorial Day,
what might work for you?  I know you've got work to do on the tower
first.  We'll take care of notifying County on our radio check once
we've coordinated a date/time.

Have a great day,
Larry Nadeau
Project Manager
Department of Public Works
"Serving With Excellence"
772.871.5100 Phone
772.871.7397 Fax
lnadeau@cityofpsl.com 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
City of Port St. Lucie
450 SW Thornhill Drive
Port St. Lucie, Florida 34984





_______________________________________
City of Port St. Lucie
http://www.cityofpsl.com 

From w4zef at bellsouth.net  Tue May  2 15:14:24 2006
From: w4zef at bellsouth.net (Arthur Lindell)
Date: Tue May  2 15:20:10 2006
Subject: [FPARC] Fw: Fwd: Hurricane Season Comm. Check
Message-ID: <4457AF90.000004.01552@RADIOROOMSONY>

 
 
If you can read this, thank a teacher.... If
you are reading it in
English thank a Veteran.
Thanks for reading this & have a great day!
73 Art W4ZEF
 
-------Original Message-------
 
From: Greg Bunting
Date: 05/02/06 14:38:14
To: Gig Loughlin; Pete Amar; Kevin Walker; Keith Wood; Joe Finneran; Jeff
Maxwell; Joe Lenartine; Jenny Lindell; Wayne Burkett; Carl Warnock; Art
Lindell; Ernie Marquez; steve.lowman@earthlink.net; Bill Sinbine; Kurt
Elmers; Lee Kaufman; Erin Simmons; Mel Santrock; FPARC; W4SLC@mailman.qth
net; Ladd Sajor; Ernie Marquez; Phil Roberts
Cc: Donald Daniels
Subject: Fwd: Hurricane Season Comm. Check
 
 
We're ratcheting up for the '06 season. This will be a County wide
test of all our EmComm gear and procedures. Will need 2 ops for PSL PW
and South County Special Needs shelter.
Test all available amateur resources as well as 800 MHZ.
Also, we are at the Coast Guard Station, 1000 to 1600 on the 20th with
the CSV for USCG open house and Safe Boating week.
Wednesday net on 147.240 at 2000.
CRT meeting on the 17th at 1930.
Greg
 
>>> Donald Daniels 05/02/06 1:49 PM >>>
 
 
>>> "Larry Nadeau" <LNadeau@cityofpsl.com> 05/02/06 1:41 PM >>>
This email would be to confirm that we are ready to conduct our
communication checks at the EOC at the Community Center. The usual
process requires us to erect the 800mhz antenna along with setting up
all radios inside. We will also check all phones/lines. An inventory
of our EOC supplies will also be taken.
 
When the antenna was taken down last year we suffered damages. Rick
Perkins will be going through the appropriate installation and
take-down
process for this antenna. We urge individuals that may have an
interest
in assisting with the antenna's use to attend. Jay, maybe some of
your
maintenance people.
 
Date for our comm. check is 5.22.06 at 1:30 PM. The EOC room has been
reserved for approx. 2 hours. County EOC has been notified. County
communications protocols coming soon.
 
Thanks,
Larry
 
Good Morning
 
Rick, as per our discussions this AM, the Director would like to
schedule our pre-hurricane season communications check at our EOC. We
could use your assistance setting up the communication antenna..
 
With the GHC coming up, other training schedules, and Memorial Day,
what might work for you? I know you've got work to do on the tower
first. We'll take care of notifying County on our radio check once
we've coordinated a date/time.
 
Have a great day,
Larry Nadeau
Project Manager
Department of Public Works
"Serving With Excellence"
772.871.5100 Phone
772.871.7397 Fax
lnadeau@cityofpsl.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
City of Port St. Lucie
450 SW Thornhill Drive
Port St. Lucie, Florida 34984
 
 
 
 
 
_______________________________________
City of Port St. Lucie
http://www.cityofpsl.com
 

From kd4spw at aol.com  Wed May 10 12:49:23 2006
From: kd4spw at aol.com (kd4spw@aol.com)
Date: Wed May 10 12:52:56 2006
Subject: [FPARC] MINUTES OF APRIL MEETING
Message-ID: <8C84268D3344BE1-113C-6A@mblk-d31.sysops.aol.com>

                    FORT PIERCE AMATEUR RADIO CLUB - MINUTES -  4/12/2006
 
      The regular monthly meeting of the Fort Pierce Amateur Radio Club was chaired by Vice President, Keith Wood, W4RPE. Attendance was 12. Visiting was ED, KF4NUR.
 
      MINUTES: The minutes of the March meeting were approved after corrections, after motion by Bill, N4XEO, seconded by Paul, KG4MCE.
 
      TREASURY: Treasurer Carl, KF4KCI?s report was approved as distributed after motion by Bill, N4XEO, seconded by Kevin, W4KKW.
 
                          Total funds:                 (designated for WQCS: $45)                    $2847.00.
 
                                                   OLD BUSINESS
      
      FIELD DAY:   Keith, W4RPE, asked for a hand raising from those who will be attending Field Day this year. The dates are: Friday, June 23 through Sunday, June 25.
 
      REPEATER: Ernie, KF4IHX, said the UHF repeater is ready for install. He said we just need to coordinate an install day with Joe, KD4BTD. Ernie said the cross-band link repeater set-up to link the FPARC and EOC repeaters together is almost ready.
 
      Pete, KS4SPW, told about our club setting up an FPARC club area at the MCARA Stuart Hamfest. He said it was a nice area to sit and visit, etc. He said we handed out our Hamfest flyers and offered tickets for sale.
 
                                                    NEW BUSINESS
      
      CLUB BANNER: Kevin, W4KKW,  passed around proofs for our new club banner.
 
      Kevin, W4KKW, asked to be reimbursed for another IRLP/ECHOLINK link radio that he bought on EBAY. The first donated radio has failed. Ernie, KF4IHX, made the motion, Bob, KC0KAC, seconded, and it passed. The group discussed some of the concerns and problems with the repeaters and linking radios.
 
       HAMFEST:    The group discussed sending Hamfest flyers soon. Maybe after next meeting we will stay to stuff envelopes.
 
      We had a short meeting to be followed by an IRLP/ECHOLINK demonstration by Kevin, W4KKW.
 
      ATTENDANCE:    KD4SPW, AL7LJ, KF4NUR, WA4NGR, W4RPE, N4XEO, 
                                    KG4MCE, KD4BTD, KC0KAC, KF4IHX, W4DAQ, W4KKW.
 
                                                               Submitted by Secretary Peter Amar, KD4SPW.
From W4kkw at aol.com  Sat May 13 07:21:39 2006
From: W4kkw at aol.com (W4kkw@aol.com)
Date: Sat May 13 07:25:46 2006
Subject: [FPARC] The ARRL Letter Vol. 25, No. 19 May 12, 2006 
Message-ID: <264.a688b40.31971b43@aol.com>

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 25, No. 19
May 12,  2006
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +League shifts BPL  focus to US Senate
* +Consent decree ends transceiver marketing case
*  +Inuit youngsters in northern Quebec speak with ISS via ham radio
* +League's  "Hello" campaign a hit with broadcasters
* +New, returning and current  staffers fill ARRL HQ openings
* +ARRL member from Mississippi wins SBA award  for Katrina efforts
* +ARRL Level 3 EmComm course gets a facelift
*   Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF:
This weekend on the  radio
ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course  registration
+New Jersey Tech+ scores WAS on 40 CW in her first  year on the air
German experimental stations on 440  kHz
AMSAT and ARISS staff museum Space Day 2006  exhibit
Former Army MARS Chief Larry Warren,  KF7TJ/AAV9ET, SK

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

===========================================================
==>Delivery  problems: First see  FAQ
<http://www.arrl.org/members-only/faq.html#nodelivery>, then  e-mail
<letter-dlvy@arrl.org>
==>Editorial questions or comments  only: Rick Lindquist,  N1RL,
<n1rl@arrl.org>
===========================================================
NOTE:  Because of Dayton Hamvention travel schedules, the May 19 editions of
The  ARRL Letter and ARRL Audio News will be distributed Wednesday, May 17.
See  you in  Dayton!
===========================================================

==>ARRL  SHIFTS CONGRESSIONAL BPL FOCUS TO US SENATE

With an amendment requiring  the FCC to study BPL interference now included
in Section 502 of the House  telecom bill, HR 5252, the ARRL is shifting its
focus to the Senate. The  Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Committee will conduct hearings  on its own version of telecom legislation, S
2686, later this month and will  begin consideration of the bill in early
June. Between now and then, the ARRL  is urging members in the 22 states with
Senators on the Commerce, Science and  Transportation Committee to write
seeking support to include similar BPL  study language in the Senate bill.

"If we can protect Section 502 when  the bill comes to the House floor for
consideration, and if we can get  similar language introduced on the Senate
side, we'll be in a good position  when and if the two bills go to a
Conference Committee," observes ARRL Chief  Executive Officer David Sumner,
K1ZZ.

Proposed by Rep Mike Ross,  WD5DVR (D-AR), the amendment to the House bill,
the Communications  Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement (COPE) Act of
2006, gained the support  of Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX), and House
Energy and Commerce  Committee voted 42-12 to send the COPE Act, amendment
intact, to the full  House for its consideration.

The Ross amendment has received significant  opposition from electric
utilities. The United Telecom Council (UTC), a  bulwark of BPL support and
administrator of the Interference Resolution Web  site, has referred to the
amendment as a threat and is urging its members to  contact their members of
Congress regarding its inclusion.

This week  the League began getting out the word via e-mail to members in
states with  Senators on Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. The
letter to  members in targeted states asks League members to urge their
Senators on the  committee to support language addressing the BPL
interference issue when the  Senate bill is marked up in committee on June 8.

The language the League  wants to see in the Senate amendment to the telecom
bill would call on the  FCC to "conduct, and submit to the House Energy and
Commerce and the Senate  Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
a study of the  interference potential of broadband over power line systems
leading to  improved rules to prevent the deployment of systems having a
potential to  cause destructive interference to radio communication systems."

The ARRL  plea includes a sample  letter
<http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/files/BPL-Amendment-SenateSampleLette
r0506-Rev2.doc>,  which members are encouraged to personalize as much as
possible. The League  wants members to fax their letters to the number
indicated in the e-mail to  members plus a copy to ARRL's government
relations firm Chwat & Company,  ATTN: Eric Heis, KI4NFC, 625 Slaters Ln --
Suite 103, Alexandria, VA 22314.  Fax 703-684-7594.

The sample letter points out the value of Amateur  Radio's role in recent
disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina. "The reason we  need your help is that
the FCC continues to resist growing evidence that its  rules are inadequate
to protect radiocommunication systems, including those  relied upon by First
Responders, from radio spectrum pollution caused by BPL  systems," it says.
"The FCC needs to objectively and carefully review this  evidence and adopt
rules that will keep interference from BPL within  reasonable bounds."

The sample letter notes that not only has the FCC  shown no inclination to do
that, it's so far failed "to enforce its existing  rules in specific, well
documented instances of harmful  interference."

"Remember that it is not BPL that we oppose, but BPL  interference," Sumner
emphasized this week. "Some BPL systems are designed  not to cause widespread
interference, but many are not. The problem is that  the FCC rules don't
distinguish between the two. This is unfair to licensed  radio services that
must deal with the consequences of spectrum  pollution."

==>FCC, PILOT TRAVEL CENTERS CONSENT DECREE ENDS  TRANSCEIVER MARKETING CASE

A consent decree has finally ended an  enforcement action against Pilot
Travel Centers LLC that could have cost the  company $125,000 in fines. In
November 2004 the FCC issued a Notice of  Apparent Liability (NAL) asserting
that Pilot, despite multiple citations and  warnings, continued to market CB
transceivers labeled as Amateur Radio gear  but intended for use on both
Citizens Band and amateur frequencies. An FCC  Order released May 11 adopts
the attached consent decree between the agency  and Pilot and terminates the
forfeiture action. While Pilot agrees to make "a  voluntary contribution" of
$90,000 to the US Treasury "without further  protest or recourse," the
company does not admit any wrongdoing.

"The  parties further agree that this consent decree is for settlement
purposes  only and that by agreeing to the consent decree, Pilot does not
admit or deny  any liability for violating the [Communications] Act or the
rules in  connection with the matters that are the subject of this consent
decree," the  agreement stipulates.

Under the terms of the consent decree, Pilot must  refrain in the future from
marketing as "Amateur Radio" gear any transmitting  devices with built-in
features to facilitate CB operation. The company also  must determine in
advance that any CB transmitting gear it offers for sale is  FCC
certificated. CB transmitters must receive FCC  certification--formerly
called "type acceptance." Amateur Radio transmitting  equipment does not
require FCC certification.

Should Pilot plan to  sell legitimate Amateur Radio transceivers, it must
ensure before marketing  or selling them that the ARRL Lab has reviewed the
equipment in question and  determined that it transmits only in the Amateur
Radio bands. The ARRL Lab  tests equipment both for QST "Product Review"
articles as well as for  compliance with QST advertising policy, which
requires that items offered for  sale meet FCC rules.

Further, the consent decree requires Pilot to remove  from sale certain
Galaxy brand transceivers (models DX33HML, DX66V and DX99V)  and any other
"Amateur Radio" transceivers that have not passed ARRL Lab  muster in the
course of product review or advertising compliance testing.  Pilot also will
have to ensure that any CB transceivers on sale by entities  leasing space on
its premises are FCC certificated.

The consent decree  brings to a close an enforcement action dating back more
than six years. In  its 2004 NAL, the FCC cited 47 separate instances between
2002 and 2004 when  Pilot allegedly had offered for sale various models of
non-certificated  Galaxy CB transceivers labeled as "amateur radios" that
easily could be  modified for CB operation.

The Order and the consent decree are on the  FCC Web  site
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-06-53A1.pdf>.

==>INUIT  STUDENTS JOIN THE SPACE PROGRAM VIA HAM RADIO

Thanks to Amateur Radio and  an international teleconferencing link, Inuit
students attending Jaanimmarik  School in Kuujjuaq, Quebec, Canada, joined
the space program May 4. The  Amateur Radio on the International Space
Station (ARISS) program arranged the  contact between NA1SS and ARISS veteran
Tony Hutchison, VK5ZAI, in Kingston,  Australia. Verizon Conferencing donated
a two-way audio link between the  northern Quebec school and VK5ZAI. Speaking
from NA1SS, US astronaut Jeff  Williams, KD5TVQ, told the students that it's
very exciting to be in  space.

"To look at the earth from up here and to see the entire earth at  one time
is fabulous," Williams said. "Of course, being weightless is also  fantastic,
when you float around, and everything else floats around too, if  it's not
tied down."

Williams reported that he and Expedition 13  Commander Pavel Vinogradov,
RV3BS, are doing experiments involving crystal  growth in a microgravity
environment as well as fluid dynamics and growing  plants. In what little
spare time he has in his busy work week,  Williams--like many ISS crew
members before him--enjoys looking through the  ISS window at Earth some 220
miles below.

"The mountains are  beautiful, the horizon is beautiful during a sunset or a
sunrise," Williams  said. "You see the different colors in the atmosphere."

One youngster  wanted to know if Williams had had a chance to use the
Canadarm2--the robotic  manipulator that was made in Canada. The astronaut
said he had used it and  would be using it again this week. "I use it fairly
regularly," Williams  added. "It's a fantastic piece of equipment."

Accompanied by some  tittering from his classmates, one youngster asked the
somewhat indelicate  question, "How do you go to the bathroom in space?"
Responded Williams, "You  go very carefully, very carefully." He went on to
explain that the ISS is  equipped with a special "air-flow" toilet "that
helps things go where they  need to go."

ARISS mentor Steve McFarlane, VE3BTD, estimated the audience  at
approximately 450. The event attracted the attention of CBC North as well  as
local radio, which broadcast the contact live with a running  translation
into Inuktituk. APTN (Northern Canada TV Network) is producing a  segment for
later broadcast.

Ottawa news media also reported on the  contact because students from
Manordale Public School in Ottawa were on hand  in Kuujjuaq for the
Jaanimmarik contact, McFarlane said. Youngsters at  Manordale spoke with ISS
Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, in  December 2004.

ARISS <http://www.rac.ca/ariss> is an educational  outreach of a nine-nation
consortium, with US participation by ARRL, AMSAT  and NASA.

==>ARRL'S "HELLO" CAMPAIGN A HIT AT NAB, RTNDA  CONVENTIONS

When the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and the  Radio-Television
News Directors Association (RTNDA) met in Las Vegas for  their annual
conventions in late April, the ARRL was well represented. ARRL  President
Joel Harrison, W5ZN, headed the League contingent. Media and  Public
Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, Pacific Division Director Bob  Vallio,
W6RGG, and Vice Director Andy Oppel, N6AJO, rounded out the  delegation. The
presence of thousands of broadcasters offered Pitts an ideal  opportunity to
promote the ARRL "Hello . . . -- Celebrating 100 Years of  Voice over Radio
Worldwide" public service announcements. Pitts gauged  success on the basis
of what he *didn't* end up taking home.

"I  carried 60 full 'Hello' press books containing news releases, information
and  PSAs to the NAB," Pitts said. "At the end of the three days only one  was
left, and that went to a radio station manager I met in the airport  going
home." Pitts reports he's been hearing from hams, engineers and  radio
station managers that the PSAs are airing on cable systems and  radio
stations. In addition, of the 4500 brochures he took to the convention,  he
had but 300 left.

The highlight each year for radio amateurs  attending the NAB convention is
the ham radio operators' reception, sponsored  this year by Bob Heil, K9EID,
of Heil Sound Ltd. Some 2000 radio amateurs  with broadcasting industry
connections attended the April 26  affair.

The big news at this year's reception was that Heil will be  inducted next
month into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. A  veteran
music industry soundman and sound reinforcement innovator, Heil has  worked
with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry,  including
Chuck Berry, The Who, the Grateful Dead, Joe Walsh, WB6ACU, and ZZ  Top.

NAB Vice President of Science and Technology John Marino, KR1O,  co-hosted
the event.

ARRL President Harrison greeted the gathering on  behalf of the League and
spoke briefly about the changes and challenges  Amateur Radio faces in the
21st century.

Charlie Wooten, NF4A, was  honored as Clear Channel Communications "National
Engineer of the Year," and  Heil presented him with a microphone bearing
Wooten's call sign. Pitts  credits Wooten with getting the "Hello" campaign
PSAs on many Clear Channel  radio stations.

Pitts said he found a lot of interest in the "Hello"  campaign among those
attending the broadcasters' gatherings. "But it takes  more than just passing
out disks to make it on the air," he added. "It takes  a personal contact,
and that's why we need continued action by our public  information officers
nationwide."

==>ARRL WELCOMES NEW, RETURNING  STAFFERS, ANNOUNCES STAFF SHIFT

ARRL Headquarters has welcomed three new  staff members. One current and one
former staffer have filled other  openings.

ARRL Membership Manager Katie Breen, W1KRB, owned and operated  a restaurant
for three years before coming to Headquarters. A Connecticut  native with a
strong marketing, customer service, volunteer management and  event planning
background, Breen's also been an urban and regional planning  professional.
Outside of ARRL, she's actively involved with the Jaycees and  other
community activities.

Breen is responsible for League membership  recruitment and retention, and
she says she'll focus on putting a personal  touch on ARRL. As a result, she
has an open-door policy and welcomes  telephone calls (860-594-0297 and
e-mail (kbreen@arrl.org) from  members.

Customer Service Manager Amy Hurtado has filled the vacancy left  by the
departure of Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO, to supervise membership  application
processing and product sales. Most recently she managed a large  customer
service team at a busy direct-mail facility and has prior experience  in
direct mail design and production.

At ARRL Headquarters she  oversees ARRL membership fulfillment operations and
circulation for QST and  all ARRL periodicals. She'll also handle the
membership renewal process, the  ARRL Life Membership program and Silent Key
administration. She works closely  with Breen and with Marketing Manager Bob
Inderbitzen, NQ1R, on target  marketing, market concepts and direct mail
campaigns. Members may contact  Hurtado by telephone (860-594-0257) or  e-mail
(ahurtado@arrl.org).

Assistant Editor S. Khrystyne Keane,  K1SFA, is relatively new licensee, but
she's gleaned a lot of Amateur Radio  knowledge from her husband Michael,
K1MK, an ARRL Life Member and 30-year  veteran ham.

With an academic background in journalism, history, English  and photography,
Keane has led political campaigns, worked for the Boy Scouts  of America and
headed the news department for a local weekly. At ARRL, she  prepares and
edits news and feature articles for the Web site, QST and  NCJ.

Outside of Headquarters, Keane volunteers with the Cub Scouts and  enjoys
reading. "Working at the League is something I have wanted to do ever  since
I learned about the ARRL," she says. "You could say that this is a  dream
come true."

A familiar face at ARRL Headquarters for 25 years,  former ARRL Advertising
Manager Debra Jahnke, K1DAJ, will return to the fold  in late May to take on
the responsibilities of Business Services Manager for  the ARRL Sales and
Marketing Department. Jahnke left Headquarters in 2005 to  become advertising
director for a Wisconsin publisher, and she earned her ham  radio license
along the way. "I'm thrilled to be returning home and to be  back at ARRL,"
Jahnke said. "I feel my job experience during the past year  provided me with
a new perspective and new ideas, and I can't wait to get  started."

At Headquarters, Jahnke will head the business services team,  developing
advertising opportunities for QST, QEX and NCJ and working with  League
clients who purchase ARRL publications and other  services.

Jahnke plans to spend at least one day at ARRL EXPO 2006 at  Dayton
Hamvention and will be on site at Newington starging May  24.

Contest Branch Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, soon will shift gears  after
seven-plus years at ARRL to tackle new duties as Regulatory  Information
Specialist. He'll succeed John Hennessee, N1KB, who died in  March. In his
new job, Henderson will work with US amateurs on a wide range  of topics
relating to FCC rules and regulations governing Amateur Radio.  He'll assist
members in such areas as the PRB-1 limited federal preemption,  antenna and
zoning questions and the ARRL Volunteer Counsel and Volunteer  Consulting
Engineer programs.

==>MISSISSIPPI ARRL MEMBER WINS SBA  AWARD FOR KATRINA EFFORTS

A Mississippi radio amateur and broadcaster who  braved the fury of Hurricane
Katrina to keep his ham radio club's low-power  FM (LPFM) broadcast station
WQRZ-LP on the air was one of three recipients to  receive the Small Business
Administration (SBA) Phoenix Award. The SBA  honored ARRL Member Brice
Phillips, KB5MPW, of Bay Saint Louis, for  "Outstanding Contributions to
Disaster Recovery by a Volunteer."

"We  are proud to be the first Amateur Radio organization-owned broadcast
facility  in the US--and proud Mississippians--to serve our state and as a
model to the  country as the first broadcast station to be attached to an
emergency  operations center," Phillips says. He notes that the station lost
everything  to the storm except "our lives and our commitment to  the
community."

Owned and operated by the Hancock County Amateur Radio  Association, WQRZ-LP
(103.5 FM) was built and is operated by volunteers with  disabilities. Before
Hurricane Katrina hit, Phillips and WQRZ-LP Program  Director Christine
Stach, KC5RIC, relocated the station from a small shed  next to their house
in Waveland to the Hancock County Emergency Operations  Center (EOC), which
was forced to move twice.

As the storm surge  waters reached the building's second level, Phillips
braved the elements and  rigged car batteries to power the station's
broadcasts of search-and-rescue  and other emergency information. WQRZ was
one of only four of the more than  three dozen Gulf Coast radio stations--and
the only one in Hancock County--to  stay on the air during the early days
after Katrina struck. Phillips also was  among the many radio amateurs
providing emergency communication in the  storm-stricken region.

FEMA distributed 3000 FM radios to Hancock County  storm survivors so they
could tune to WQRZ-LP and learn where to get food,  water, ice, tarpaulins,
help from the Red Cross and The Salvation Army and  other survival
assistance.

Phillips received his award in Washington,  DC, during SBA National Small
Business Week in mid-April.

Normally  solar-powered, WQRZ-LP serves the Bay Saint Louis, Waveland,
Diamondhead and  Kiln areas of Mississippi. WQRZ-LP's licensee, the Hancock
County Amateur  Radio Association, is a non-profit IRS 501(c)(3)
organization. The station  invites contributions to help it rebuild to
WQRZ-LP, POB 1145, Kiln, MS  39556-1145. Contact the station for more
information  <WQRZ1035@yahoo.com>.

==>ARRL UPDATES AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY  COMMUNICATIONS LEVEL 3 COURSE

The ARRL Certification and Continuing  Education (CCE) Program has revised
and updated its Amateur Radio Emergency  Communications (AREC) Level 3
course. The new top-level EmComm course,  designated EC-003 Rev 2, has
supplanted EC-003 in the program's list of  online offerings. ARRL Online
Course Development Coordinator Howard Robins,  W1HSR, says the updated
curriculum incorporates some major  changes.

"This update is very significant, because it brings the  management training
part of the AREC program into line with today's homeland  security
environment," Robins remarked. "This is the first revision of the  AREC Level
3 course since it was originally introduced in December 2000.  Needless to
say, much has changed since then, and this revision reflects  those changes."

EmComm Online Course Editor Dave Colter, WA1ZCN, was the  principal author of
EC-003 Rev 2, Robins noted. He says a number of  individuals with experience
in the emergency communications arena beta-tested  the updated course, and it
underwent a thorough final review prior to its  release. The AREC Level 1
(EC-001) and 2 (EC-002) courses are prerequisites  for the Level 3 course.

According to Robins, EC-003R2 includes  significant information about how
Amateur Radio emergency communication  leadership must prepare and function
in the post-September 11, 2001, era. He  says the updated course takes into
account the "many changes in the homeland  security landscape--a term that
did not exist when the original Level 3  curriculum was developed.--and how
Amateur Radio fits into that  landscape."

New topics include:

* National Incident  Management System (NIMS)

* National Response Plan  (NRP)

* Key NRP Emergency Support  Functions

* Department of Homeland Security Citizen Corps  and Community Emergency
Response Teams

* National  Disaster Medical System (NDMS) Communications Support

*  Hospital Emergency Communications

* ARES Management and the  Incident Command System (ICS)

Robins points out that several other Level  3 units have been revised to
better focus on leadership and  management.

Registration for EC-003 Rev 2 opens Monday, May 15 and will  remain open
through June 4. The inaugural class begins Friday, June  16.

To learn more about this and other online educational offerings from  ARRL,
visit the CCE Course Listing page  <http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> or
contact the CCE Department  <cce@arrl.org>.

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Solar Seer Tad "Sunny"  Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: This week
saw higher geomagnetic  activity and lower sunspot numbers than the previous
period (our reporting  week is Thursday through Wednesday). Average daily
sunspot numbers declined  more than 5 points to 54.3. Today, May 12, look for
active geomagnetic  conditions with a planetary A index predicted at 25, then
declining to 12 and  10 on Saturday and Sunday. Sunspot numbers and solar
flux should be a bit  lower than the past week.

Geophysical Institute Prague predicts active  geomagnetic conditions for
today, May 12, unsettled May 13, quiet to  unsettled May 14, nice and quiet
May 15-16, back to quiet to unsettled for  May 17, and unsettled conditions
on May 18.

Many readers alerted us to  a new long-range sunspot cycle prediction
regarding the peak of Cycle 25,  which should reach solar maximum around  2022
<http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/10may_longrange.htm?list15934>.

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

Sunspot  numbers for May 4 through 10 were 50, 61, 69, 64, 53, 56 and 27,
with a mean  of 54.3. 10.7 cm flux was 91.8, 86.7, 87, 86.2, 84.7, 82.6, and
78.2, with a  mean of 85.3. Estimated planetary A indices were 14, 13, 24,
19, 8, 4 and 4,  with a mean of 12.3. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were
10, 8, 14, 17, 5,  2 and 4, with a mean of  8.6.

__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

*  This weekend on the radio: The Mid-Atlantic QSO Party, the  VK/Trans-Tasman
80-Meter Contest (phone), the VOLTA Worldwide RTTY Contest,  the CQ-M
International DX Contest, the F.I.S.T.S. Spring Sprint and the 50  MHz Spring
Sprint are the weekend of May 13-14. The Run for the Bacon QRP  Contest is
May 15. The NAQCC 80-Meter Straight Key/Bug Sprint is May 18, the  RSGB
80-Meter Club Championship (CW) is May 18 and the Thursday NCCC  Sprint
Ladder is May 19 (UTC). JUST AHEAD: Armed Forces Day military/Amateur  Radio
communications tests, the US Counties QSO Party (SSB) His Majesty the  King
of Spain Contest (CW), the EU PSK DX Contest, the Portuguese Navy  Day
Contest (PSK31 and CW/SSB), the Manchester Mineira CW Contest and the  Baltic
Contest are the weekend of May 20-21. The QRP Minimal Art Session is  May 25.
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, May 21, 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),  Analog
Electronics (EC-012) and Digital Electronics (EC-013). Classes begin  Friday,
June 2. To learn more, visit the CCE Course Listing  page
<http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> or contact the CCE  Department
<cce@arrl.org>.

* New Jersey Tech+ scores WAS on 40  CW in her first year on the air: ARRL
member Jane Tymko, KC2OBS, of Bartley,  New Jersey, managed to work all
states during her very first year as a radio  amateur. The kicker is that
Tymko, a Technician with Element 1 credit--what  used to be called a "Tech
Plus" ticket--worked all 50 states on the often  broadcaster-plagued 40-meter
Novice/Tech Plus band segment, 7100-7150 kHz.  "I'm working on my General,
now that I've accomplished this," Tymko told ARRL  when she visited
Headquarters to get her cards checked for the Worked All  States (WAS) Award.
ARRL Membership Services Manager Wayne Mills, N7NG,  presented her WAS
certificate on the spot (photo). Tymko says Alaska was her  hardest state.
Most of the time, though, she simply called "CQ," and says  most ops slowed
down to match her 12-14 WPM CW copying capability. Her setup  is modest: 100
W to a dipole. She studied for her license entirely on her  own, using a
Morse training program to learn the code. In addition to the  ARRL, Tymko is
a member of the YLRL and F.I.S.T.S. Congratulations,  Jane!

* German experimental stations on 440 kHz: Geri Holger, DK8KW/W1KW,  in Peine
near Hannover, reports that German telecommunication authorities  have issued
him an experimental license to operate on the "medium wave"  frequency of 440
kHz using the call sign DI2BO. He joins Walter Staubach,  DJ2LF, in Dormitz
near Nuernberg, who's been operating experimental station  DI2AG on 440 kHz.
Tests have been under way on that frequency since January  2005, Holger says,
"to study the special propagation conditions on medium  wave." Holger says CW
beacon transmissions (which include call sign and grid  square) will be sent
on 440 kHz (?100 Hz), maximum 200 Hz bandwidth at a  maximum power of 9 W
ERP. "Both beacon transmissions will be coordinated in a  way so that they
can be observed simultaneously to study the propagation from  both locations
at the same time," Holger explained. "Also, two-way contacts  between both
experimental stations are planned." Further information is on  the DK8KW
Longwave Information Web site  <http://www.qru.de/di2bo.html>.

* AMSAT and ARISS staff museum  Space Day 2006 exhibit: Representatives of
AMSAT-NA and the Amateur Radio on  the International Space Station (ARISS)
program staffed a Space Day 2006  exhibit May 5 at the Smithsonian National
Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy  Center. The ARISS team exhibited various
pieces of ISS hardware and AMSAT  representatives explained the process of
building small satellites. On  display were the California Polytechnic
Institute CubeSat model and several  picosats. Popular with youngsters who
stopped by was the opportunity to  listen to recorded ARISS school contacts.
Among those staffing the exhibit  were ARISS International Chairman Frank
Bauer, KA3HDO, Past AMSAT-NA  President Perry Klein, W3PK, and Bill Boston,
N3DCI. "We gave out several  hundred ARRL and other brochures. There was so
much interest, I lost my voice  by the end of the day and still haven't
gotten it back fully!" Klein quipped  this week. Others assisting included
APRS guru and satellite experimenter Bob  Bruninga, WB4APR, Ken Nichols,
KD3VK, Bob McCown, N3IYI, and AMSAT-NA  Director of Education and Board
member H. Paul Shuch, N6TX.

* Former  Army MARS Chief Larry Warren, KF7TJ/AAV9ET, SK: Robert L. "Larry"
Warren,  KF7TJ/AAV9ET, of Hereford, Arizona, died April 28. He was 78. An
ARRL member,  Warren served as Chief of the Army Military Affiliate Radio
System (MARS)  from 1983 until he retired in 1989, although he continued on
as a MARS  special consultant until last December. Warren is credited with
initiating  the global Army MARS Area Gateway network to expedite the relay
and delivery  of MARSgram and other message traffic. After joining the US
Army Air Corps in  1946, Warren remained on active duty with the Army for 20
years, retiring  with the rank of major. He then worked for the Department of
the Army in a  civilian capacity at Ft Huachuca, Arizona, for 22 years. A
MARS member for 58  years, Warren was a member of the Cochise Amateur Radio
Club and of the Radio  Amateur Civil Emergency Service  (RACES).

===========================================================
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,
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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.

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==>How to Get The ARRL Letter

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* The  QTH.net listserver, thanks to volunteers from the Boston Amateur Radio
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cannot assist subscribers who receive The ARRL Letter via  this listserver.)



From kd4spw at aol.com  Fri May 26 16:48:58 2006
From: kd4spw at aol.com (kd4spw@aol.com)
Date: Fri May 26 16:54:24 2006
Subject: [FPARC] SAT MORN WORK AT N4XEO'S HOUSE
Message-ID: <8C84F1CF2179978-1848-37C2@FWM-D27.sysops.aol.com>

     HI FROM PETE, KD4SPW.
 
        CARL, KF4KCI, AND I WILL BE AT BILL, N4XEO'S, HOUSE SATURDAY MORNING FROM 9AM UNTIL NOON. WE ARE HELPING BARBARA CLEAR OUT HER GARAGE AND BILL'S RADIO ROOM. IT WILL TAKE A WHILE TO SORT THROUGH BILL'S RADIO STUFF, BUT EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS. 
 
        WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY HELP ANYONE CAN SPARE IF AVAILABLE. BILL'S HOUSE IS THE 1ST HOUSE EAST OF CARL'S IF YOU HAVE BEEN THERE. GIVE ME A CALL IF NEED DIRECTIONS, 465-5204.
 
                                                               THANKS, AND BYE FROM PETE, KD4SPW.
From W4kkw at aol.com  Sat May 27 07:29:41 2006
From: W4kkw at aol.com (W4kkw@aol.com)
Date: Sat May 27 07:35:21 2006
Subject: [FPARC] The ARRL Letter Vol. 25, No. 21 May 26, 2006 
Message-ID: <224.48f24aa.31a99225@aol.com>

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 25, No. 21
May 26,  2006
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +ARRL President  Harrison says ham radio has not lost its magic
* +Access to BPL database now  unfettered
* +DARA grant will rejuvenate League's Community Education  Project
* +"Lighten up," FCC's Riley Hollingsworth tells Dayton forum
*  +Three ARRL sections choose new Section Managers
* +New England  ARES/RACES/SKYWARN volunteers stand down after rough weather
* +Guess when  SuitSat-1 deorbits and win!
* +National Hurricane Center's WX4NHC announces  annual station test
*  Solar Update

*  IN BRIEF:
This weekend on the radio
ARRL Certification  and Continuing Education course registration
ARRL EXPO  2006 Passport prize winners announced
Handihams volunteer  Rex Kiser, W0GLU, SK
DXCC Desk approves operations for  DXCC credit
Correction

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

===========================================================
==>Delivery  problems: First see  FAQ
<http://www.arrl.org/members-only/faq.html#nodelivery>, then  e-mail
<letter-dlvy@arrl.org>
==>Editorial questions or comments  only: Rick Lindquist,  N1RL,
<n1rl@arrl.org>
===========================================================
NOTE:  ARRL Headquarters will be closed Monday, May 29, for the Memorial  Day
holiday. There will be no W1AW code practice or bulletin transmissions  that
day. ARRL Headquarters will reopen Tuesday, May 30, at 8 AM EDT. We  wish
everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday  weekend!
===========================================================

==>THE  MAGIC OF AMATEUR RADIO IS STILL THERE, LEAGUE PRESIDENT SAYS

Amateur  Radio has not lost its magic, says ARRL President Joel Harrison,
W5ZN.  Addressing the "ARRL: Main Street USA" forum at Dayton Hamvention,
Harrison  said the Amateur Radio community needs to recognize and acknowledge
that  "Main Street USA" has changed, and with it the pool of potential  radio
amateurs.

"We have to keep that in mind as we're going out and  recruiting people,"
Harrison suggested. During the ARRL forum, Harrison  asserted that the
"Average Joe" today has far less time to pursue avocational  interests such
as ham radio than 30 or 40 years ago, when many older Amateur  Radio
operators got their first tickets. As workers' productivity has  increased,
so has the number of hours one spends on the job. Youngsters today  already
have heavy activity schedules, he said.

"We have a more  competitive market for people's time," Harrison said. He
conceded that while  Amateur Radio might not possess the "gee whiz" factor it
did decades ago, the  "magic" is still there for today's hams. "I don't care
how advanced we get,  it all boils down to getting a signal from Point A to
Point B magically," the  League President told the audience. Even with
today's plug-and-play  transceivers, "people still have to put up an
antenna." As an avid VHF/UHF  and microwave operator, Harrison has
considerable experience in that  area.

Attracting young people into Amateur Radio is a harder sell,  Harrison
allowed. "The more we integrate computer technology into Amateur  Radio, it
helps to attract [younger people,]" he said. Promoting Amateur  Radio
contesting to the younger generation could be another route, he  suggested,
given the increased interest in competitive sports.

"How  many times can a kid compete in an international tournament from home?"
he  asked rhetorically. "Every weekend," someone in the audience piped  up.

Harrison also pointed out that the current Technician ticket doesn't  give
newcomers the means to sample the HF spectrum. At the same time, the FCC  has
so far turned away proposals to create a new entry-level Amateur  Radio
license for the likely no-code environment of the future. But,  Harrison
maintained, giving new licensees "a little taste" of HF is important  to
attracting newcomers and maintaining their interest.

He also  predicted that the FCC would "take the path of least resistance"  and
eliminate the current 5 WPM Morse code requirement for HF  access.

Harrison's "Main Street USA" comments generated a lively  discussion among
forum participants who offered their own suggestions on how  to ensure a
bright future for Amateur Radio. One Virginia radio amateur  suggested that
public service has become a big draw for newcomers in his  rural community.
Val Rose, N8EXV, of Michigan said rude on-the-air behavior  is a deterrent to
attracting new hams.

Deed covenants, conditions and  restrictions (CC&Rs) are another issue that
more and more hams--newcomers  and veterans alike--are facing, another radio
amateur noted. "That's a  serious, serious matter affecting Amateur Radio
now," Harrison  agreed.

Bill Klykylo, WA8FOZ, of Cincinnati, agreed with Harrison's view  of Main
Street USA. He suggested that one answer to piquing interest in ham  radio is
to piggyback on other hobby activities and interests. Be he also  stressed
the need to follow up with newcomers once they're  licensed.

Harrison concurred on the importance of mentoring or "Elmering"  newcomers.
"We've stopped Elmering," he said. "Let's face it. We've stopped  Elmering."

Harrison said the League's interest is in getting Amateur  Radio promoted.
"I'll take ham radio operators from any age group," he  said.

"There are hundreds and hundreds of things we can do in ham  radio."

==>PUBLIC BPL DATABASE ACCESS RESTRICTIONS  REMOVED

United Telecom Council (UTC) has removed all restrictions on  access to the
BPL Interference Resolution Web site. In cooperation with the  United Power
Line Council (UPLC), UTC administers the database, which FCC  Part 15 rules
mandate be "publicly available." Ever since the database  debuted last
October, the ARRL has taken strong exception to access  constraints UTC had
imposed. These included limiting searches solely on the  basis of ZIP code
and rationing the number of allowable searches. In  February, the League
filed a formal complaint with the FCC, demanding the  Commission order UTC to
"cease its arbitrary limits" on access to the  database. ARRL Chief Executive
Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, said the League  was happy to hear that UTC now
has eliminated search limits and posted all  BPL system information.

"We are pleased that UTC finally has seen the  merit of our arguments in
favor of making the database truly accessible,"  Sumner commented. "This
can't possibly hurt, and can only help everyone focus  on the real issue: the
avoidance and prompt correction of harmful  interference to
radiocommunications from BPL."

The UTC BPL database  still offers the ability to search by ZIP code.
Somewhat less prominent is a  link to the entire database in ZIP-code order.

The League also has  complained to the FCC that the BPL Interference
Resolution Web Site database  contains inaccuracies and is incomplete,
although UTC has made some  improvements since the ARRL raised the issues.
That complaint is still  pending.

The UTC's decision to modify its BPL database came two days  after its
representatives and a representative from Duke Power met May 17  with FCC
Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) staff to address "changes  to the
database concerning the search limits." ARRL representatives  recently
further discussed the League's perspective on the same subject with  OET
staff.

UTC Director of Regulatory Services/Associate Counsel Brett  Kilbourne on May
19 informed Acting OET Chief Julius Knapp that it was  revising the BPL
database "in the interests of resolving the complaint  without further
dispute." UTC asked the FCC to dismiss the League's complaint  "without
further action."

==>ARRL TO REJUVENATE COMMUNITY EDUCATION  PROJECT, THANKS TO DAYTON ARA GIFT

A generous $15,000 grant from the  Dayton Amateur Radio Association (DARA)
will enable the ARRL to rejuvenate  its Community Education Project (CEP).
The program, which ran for 12 months  during 2004 and 2005, aims to educate
community leaders about Amateur Radio  as a public service and emergency
communication resource. DARA President  Michael Kalter, W8CI, presented a
check to ARRL President Joel Harrison,  W5ZN, during ARRL EXPO 2006 at Dayton
Hamvention?, which DARA originated and  sponsors. Kalter says DARA is
concerned that word of Amateur Radio's  commitment to public service in
disasters and emergencies, the joy of  experimentation and the development of
new means of radiocommunication is not  effectively reaching the general
public.

"In today's climate of  possible terror attacks and natural disasters, DARA
feels it is urgent to  educate the public on the importance and relevance of
the Amateur Radio  Service," Kalter commented. "As Amateur Radio operators we
not only need to  educate others about Amateur Radio, we must set a high
standard--operating  with integrity and courtesy. We can draw talent to the
service through  example and education."

DARA worries that today's younger generation  views Amateur Radio as "an old
person's hobby," Kalter said. "If we do not  educate the general public and
our youth, Amateur Radio will surely die, and  this great national treasure
will be gone forever."

ARRL Chief  Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, says the program
resurrected by  DARA's support will address sectors of the community that are
generally  unaware of Amateur Radio's value. These could include local
government and  business leaders as well as such entities as food banks,
homeless shelters,  utility companies, faith-based groups, schools and the
media.

"In this  renewed CEP effort, we want to further spread the word to the
non-ham  community that Amateur Radio can strengthen a community's ability to
respond  in an emergency or a disaster," Hobart said. "Many community
resources remain  unaware of what Amateur Radio can provide, and we hope the
CEP can rectify  that."

Hobart says the new CEP plans to work through the ARRL Field  Organization of
volunteers to propagate its message. The League will refresh  and supplement
materials shown to be effective during the earlier CEP. Those  for the new
program will bear DARA's logo.

A Power Point presentation  plus print and CD-ROM "leave-behind" materials
will cover the basics of  Amateur Radio and its role during emergencies and
disasters. The program also  will provide resource information for local use.
The CD-ROM will include  recent Amateur Radio public service announcements
targeting broadcast outlets  as well as the Amateur Radio Today video
narrated by Walter Cronkite, KB2GSD.  ARRL will organize downloadable Amateur
Radio video and other materials on a  single area on the ARRL Web site
bearing the DARA logo.

Kalter says  DARA views its contribution as "a first step" in getting out the
word on  Amateur Radio's value. "It's our opinion that the ARRL is best
suited to lead  this effort," he said, noting the enormity of the task ahead.
"DARA is  pleased to support the ARRL in this effort, and we hope that others
will join  in and assist," he said.

Hobart expressed appreciation for DARA's vote of  confidence. "Thanks to
DARA, we hope to bolster the League's ability to  support the ARRL Field
Organization that's so crucial to disaster response,"  she said. A grant from
the Corporation for National and Community Service  (CNCS) funded the initial
CEP.

==>RILEY HOLLINGSWORTH TO AMATEUR  RADIO COMMUNITY: "LIGHTEN UP!"

FCC Special Counsel for Enforcement Riley  Hollingsworth advised those
attending the FCC forum at Dayton Hamvention 2006  to try kindness instead of
confrontation when problems arise on the bands.  Hollingsworth spoke May 20
to a nearly full house at Hara Arena, and for the  most part he praised the
behavior of the majority of Amateur Radio operators,  especially those who
volunteered in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina last  year. But, he noted,
radio amateurs still could be more courteous and less  inclined to fly off
the handle at some perceived on-the-air  offense.

"You need to lighten up and not embarrass the Amateur Radio  Service,"
Hollingsworth advised. "All of us make mistakes, especially with  the new
features you have on radios today. It's very easy to make a mistake,  to be
on the wrong frequency or be operating split and not know it--there's  a
hundred ways to make mistakes." Hollingsworth said experience has shown  him
that at least 75 percent of the interference complained about is  absolutely
unintentional.

In Hollingsworth's view, radio amateurs all  too often are hypersensitive and
rude. "We have a radar going to detect  offenses at all times, we assume the
worst in people, we rarely give people  the benefit of the doubt," he said.
He joked that if there were three  amateurs in a town, there would be two
Amateur Radio clubs.

"And  there'll be two hamfests with 20 people each, because they wouldn't
dare  consolidate them," he added.

Hollingsworth acknowledged that "certain  problem operators" remain, but the
real troublemakers are rarely the  newcomers to Amateur Radio. "If there's a
downfall in Amateur Radio, it won't  be caused by no-code Technicians or
codeless anything else," he said. "It'll  be caused by the microphone--no
doubt in my mind." He advised his audience to  ignore the troublesome
operators and not give them the attention they crave  by engaging them on the
air.

"Now, think about it: If what you're  hearing annoys you, or angers you or is
stupid, use the 'stupid filter,'  which is that big knob--that VFO that will
take you somewhere else," he  quipped. "It's the largest knob on the radio."
He recommended moving to  another frequency or even another band altogether.

Hollingsworth praised  the Volunteer Examiner program as "outstanding" and
noted there had not been  a single complaint in the past year stemming from
an examination session. He  also said the Amateur Radio community should have
a greater appreciation for  what the ARRL is doing on its behalf.

"Most of you have no idea how much  work is done in Newington for you and the
Amateur Radio Service generally,"  he said. "I see it every day, but I think
you have no idea of the hard work  and dedication that comes out of that
office up there, and I don't think we  would be there if it weren't for [the
League]."

"This country's  communications infrastructure needs Amateur Radio,"
Hollingsworth emphasized,  praising Amateur Radio's overall performance
following Hurricane Katrina.  "You have a tremendous amount to be proud of."

He also suggested that  radio amateurs have an obligation to stay informed
about what's going on in  Amateur Radio that might affect their activities.
"You have to not only keep  up, you have to lead the way, because it's in
your charter," he said,  pointing to ?97.1 of the Amateur Service rules.

Hollingsworth noted at  the start of his talk that he could not address any
questions dealing with  the FCC's long-awaited decision on the Morse code
requirement (Element 1),  because he works in the Commission's Enforcement
Bureau. "We don't meddle in  rule making," he explained, but added that he
didn't expect CW to decline if  the FCC does drop the 5 WPM Morse requirement
for all Amateur Radio license  classes as it's proposed to do.

The FCC Wireless Telecommunications  Bureau (WTB) handles Amateur Radio rule
makings, Hollingsworth noted,  including the "Morse code" proceeding, WT
Docket 05-235, and the so-called  "omnibus" proceeding, WT Docket 04-140. The
WTB has said it will rule first  on the omnibus proceeding, then tackle the
Morse code proceeding, but it has  not indicated when to expect either Report
and Order.

No  representative from the WTB was at Dayton Hamvention this year.

==>NEW  SECTION MANAGERS ELECTED IN THREE ARRL SECTIONS

The votes are in, and  three ARRL sections will have new Section Managers
starting in July. Ballots  were counted May 23 at ARRL Headquarters in four
contested races. Incumbent  SMs in four other sections were re-elected
without opposition.

In the  Illinois Section, Thomas Ciciora, KA9QPN, topped Ronald Morgan,
KB9NW, 902 to  726 to succeed incumbent Sharon Harlan, N9SH, who did not run
for another  term. Ciciora, who resides in the Lake Holiday community near
Sandwich, has  been a radio amateur for nearly 25 years. He's spent more than
30 years in  emergency management, the last four as director of his local
emergency  management agency.

One of his stated goals during his campaign was to  help lead the Amateur
Radio community to become "an integral part of every  emergency operations
plan for every jurisdiction" in the Section.

In  the Northern Florida Section, incumbent SM Rudy Hubbard, WA4PUP, won
another  new term, outpolling challenger Dale Sewell, N4SGQ, 630 to 541. A
resident of  Milton, Hubbard has been SM since 1990.

"The long success of Northern  Florida Section objectives is primarily due to
the excellent team effort,"  Hubbard says. "Our recent accomplishments
include the administration of the  State of Florida Tracker System to manage
and deploy our operators for the  hurricanes in 2004 and 2005."

In the Oregon Section, ARRL members elected  a new SM in a three-way race
that included the current SM. Bonnie Altus,  AB7ZQ, topped the field with 398
votes. She'll succeed incumbent SM Randy  Stimson, KZ7T, who got 346 votes. A
third candidate, Kevin Hunt, WA7VTD,  picked up 315 votes.

Licensed since 1997, Altus, of Sheridan, has been  active in ARES and the
National Traffic System and served as president of the  McMinnville Amateur
Radio Club in 2000 and 2001. She has professional  management experience in
the fields of information systems,  telecommunications and medical records.

In the Santa Clara Valley  Section, ARRL members chose challenger Bill Dale,
N2RHV, over incumbent Kit  Blanke, WA6PWW. The tally was 353 to 302. Dale,
who lives in Milpitas, has  been an Amateur Radio operator since 1993 and is
active in emergency  communication. He's served as the ARES Emergency
Coordinator and RACES Radio  Officer for Milpitas, and in 2001 helped form
the Milpitas Amateur Radio and  Electronics Society.

Incumbent SMs in four other ARRL sections faced no  opposition this election
cycle and were declared elected for new terms: Jim  Sellers, K9ZBM, Indiana;
Bill Woodhead, N1KAT, Maine; Paul Gayet, AA1SU,  Vermont, and Don Michalski,
W9IXG, Wisconsin.

Two-year terms for all  successful candidates begin on July 1.

==>NEW ENGLAND AMATEUR RADIO  VOLUNTEERS WRAP UP AFTER FLOODING

Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES)  volunteers this week began wrapping
up response-phase operations in the wake  of major flooding earlier this
month in New England. They also assisted with  damage assessment. The
flooding in southeastern New Hampshire and  northeastern Massachusetts has
been called the region's worst in 70  years.

On May 18 and 19, the Massachusetts Bay Red Cross Chapter  requested Amateur
Radio communication support for damage assessment, and on  May 20, the
Northeast Massachusetts Red Cross Chapter requested ARES support  for
vehicle-to-vehicle communication to help facilitate distribution of  clean-up
and care kits to coastal communities north of Boston.

Amateur  Radio volunteers utilized repeaters in Gloucester and Danvers. Some
20 ham  radio volunteers took part, under the leadership of North Shore ARES
District  Emergency Coordinator Eric Horwitz, KA1NCF, and North Shore ARES
Emergency  Coordinator Jim Palmer, KB1KQW. For portions of the operation, net
control  was established at the Bridgewater EOC.

"We are lucky to have a strong  relationship with the Bridgewater EMA and to
have the EOC as a hub for  Eastern Massachusetts ARES Emergency
Communications when required," said Carl  Aveni, N1FY, ARRL Eastern
Massachusetts Assistant Section Manager and South  Shore ARES District
Emergency Coordinator Aveni said. Herb Lemon, KC1ZW, is  Bridgewater's
emergency management director.

Just as flood operations  began winding down, the first widespread severe
weather outbreak of 2006  began the evening of May 21. Recounted Eastern
Massachusetts Section  Emergency Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY: "The incident
happened so quickly,  we self-activated our nets and fed reports of damaging
winds and large hail  via the spotter line and the Web." Once things started
happening, Macedo,  who's also SKYWARN coordinator, said there wasn't time to
activate the ham  station at the National Weather Service (NWS) office in
Taunton,  Massachusetts. SKYWARN nets took to the airwaves on almost a dozen
repeaters  in the region.

Reports of downed trees and wires, including some that had  fallen on cars
and houses, were received in eastern and central  Massachusetts. Penny to
quarter-sized hail was reported in communities in  northern Connecticut,
Rhode Island and central and eastern Massachusetts  along with scattered
power outages. Waterspout were reported off Portsmouth,  Rhode Island, and a
over a lake in Hardwick, Massachusetts. A brief but  intense F2 tornado was
reported in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire.

Four  injuries were reported in the NWS Taunton warning area as a result of
the  severe weather May 21.

==>SUITSAT-1: ROUND AND ROUND IT GOES, WHEN  IT'LL DROP, NOBODY KNOWS

The sky is falling! Well, not really, Chicken  Little, but the now-silent
SuitSat-1--the Russian Orlan spacesuit cum Amateur  Radio satellite--is
likely to fall into Earth's atmosphere and burn up in a  few weeks. Launched
February 3 from the International Space Station,  SuitSat-1 was a project of
the Amateur Radio on the International Space  Station (ARISS) program.
Identifying as RS0RS and transmitting voice  greetings and an SSTV picture,
SuitSat-1 remained operational for more than  two weeks, easily outlasting
initial predictions that it would transmit for  about one week. The only rub
was that its signal was far less robust than its  sponsors had expected.

"The orbit life is dependent on the atmospheric  drag that the satellite
experiences," ARISS International Chairman Frank  Bauer, KA3HDO, explained
when SuitSat-1 was launched. An analysis done prior  to its deployment
predicted a 70 to 120-day orbital life for SuitSat-1,  meaning the end should
come sometime in early June on the outside.

The  mission continues to capture imaginations around the world as well  as
attention in the popular press. To keep the momentum going a bit  longer
ARISS and AMSAT are sponsoring a "Chicken Little  Contest,"
<http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/ariss/suitsatContest.php> in  which
participants pick the date on which they believe SuitSat-1 will drop  out of
orbit.

The winner will be the individual who picks the date  closest to SuitSat-1's
actual re-entry. Enter by filling out the online entry  form on the AMSAT Web
site  <http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/ariss/contestEntry.php>.

The  SuitSat-1 "Chicken Little Contest" has three entry categories:
Kindergarten  through grade 8; high school (grades 9-12), and adult. Contest
rules permit  one entry per person. Certificates will go to winners of  each
group.

==>WX4NHC HURRICANE SEASON 2006 STATION TEST  SET

The National Hurricane Center's WX4NHC <http://www.wx4nhc.org/>  will conduct
its "Hurricane Season 2006 On-the-Air Station Test" Saturday,  June 3, from
1300 until 2200 UTC.

The annual station test provides an  opportunity for WX4NHC to check out all
of its radio equipment, computers and  antennas using as many modes and
frequencies as possible. It's also a chance  for RFI monitoring of NHC
equipment and to conduct some operator training. It  is not a contest or
simulated hurricane exercise.

WX4NHC will operate  on HF, VHF and UHF. Phone frequencies will be 7.268,
14.325, 21.325 and  28.525 MHz. CW frequencies will be 14.035, 21.035 and
28.035 MHz. PSK31 will  be on 14.070 MHz. Look for WX4NHC on the DX spotting
networks as well. WX4NHC  also will be on the VoIP Hurricane Net
<http://www.voipwx.net/> (IRLP  node 9219; EchoLink WX-TALK Conference) from
1700 until 1900UTC. WX4NHC also  will operate on South Florida area VHF and
UHF repeaters and on FM  simplex.

When working WX4NHC, report your call sign, signal report,  location, name
and a brief description of current weather conditions (eg,  "sunny," "rainy,"
"windy"). Nonhams may participate by submitting their  actual weather
conditions using the On-Line Hurricane Report  Form
<http://www.wx4nhc.org/WX-form1.html>.

QSL cards are  available for an SASE to WX4NHC Assistant Amateur Radio
Volunteer Coordinator  Julio Ripoll, WD4R, 14855 SW 67 Ln, Miami, FL
33193-2027. Do not QSL directly  to the National Hurricane Center. Due to
security measures, no visitors will  be allowed at NHC during this test.

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Substitute  solar sage Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, Ft Wayne, Indiana, reports:
The past  week has been relatively quiet. Solar activity was very low, and
geomagnetic  field activity was quiet to unsettled, with the planetary A
index staying  below 10. There were some sunspots this week, but they weren't
very  active.

The forecast for the next several days (Memorial Day weekend) is  for
continued low solar activity and quiet-to-unsettled geomagnetic  field
conditions. The probability of major flares or significantly elevated  K
indices is low. As a result, there shouldn't be any major  propagation
surprises.

This weekend is the CQ World Wide WPX Contest  (CW). The format for this
contest is everyone works everyone, with prefixes  as multipliers. Although
the QSO point structure favors DX contacts, the fact  that prefixes are
multipliers means domestic contacts--and propagation--can  play an important
role. At this time of year, the probability of sporadic E  on 10 and maybe
even on 15 meters for domestic contacts is quite high. We've  already had
some good sporadic E propagation on 10 and 6 meters in the past  week or two.
Look for sporadic E openings around the late morning hours and  early evening
hours.

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

Sunspot numbers  for May 18 through 24 were 0, 15, 29, 30, 32, 48 and 44,
with a mean of 28.3.  10.7 cm flux was 73.3, 75.3, 76.2, 77.5, 83.1, 84.2,
and 83.7, with a mean of  79. Estimated planetary A indices were 16, 8, 7, 7,
8, 7 and 4, with a mean  of 8.1. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 11, 7,
5, 4, 6, 4 and 3, with a  mean of 5.7.

__________________________________

==>IN  BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: The CQ World Wide WPX Contest (CW),  the
VK/Trans-Tasman 80-Meter Contest (CW), the ARCI Hoot Owl Sprint and  the
Michigan QRP Memorial Day CW Sprint are the weekend of May 27-28.  The
Thursday NCCC Sprint Ladder is June 2. JUST AHEAD: The SEANET Contest,  RSGB
National Field Day, IARU Region 1 Field Day (CW) and the QRP TAC Sprint  are
the weekend of June 3-4. The RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship (Data) is  June
5, the ARS Spartan Sprint is June 6, and the Thursday NCCC Sprint Ladder  is
Jun 9. 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, June 4, for these  ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education (CCE) Program on-line  courses:
Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 2 (EC-002), Amateur  Radio
Emergency Communications Level 3 (EC-003), Antenna Modeling (EC-004),  HF
Digital Communications (EC-005), VHF/UHF -- Life Beyond the  Repeater
(EC-008), and Radio Frequency Propagation (EC-011). Classes begin  Friday,
June 16. To learn more, visit the CCE Course Listing  page
<http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> or contact the CCE  Department
<cce@arrl.org>.

* ARRL EXPO 2006 Passport prize  winners announced: Congratulations to the
six ARRL EXPO 2006 Passport prize  winners! ARRL President Joel Harrison,
W5ZN, drew the lucky tickets from more  than 1000 entries during Dayton
Hamvention. John Hudson, KO4XJ, won the "big  prize," an Icom IC-7000
HF/VHF/UHF all-mode transceiver, while Ward Kuhn,  N8WK, took home an Icom
IC-PCR1500 PC-controlled receiver. George Brown,  N3IKO, is enjoying a new
Kenwood TH-F6A 144/220/440 MHz handheld transceiver.  Randy Love, WF5X, and
Bonnie Viele, N8MCX, each picked up an AOR DS3000A  wideband discone antenna,
and Tony Fanska, KC0SJU, has a new Alinco DJ-C7T  144/440 MHz
micro-transceiver to stick in his pocket. Dubbed "the ultimate  convention
scavenger hunt," Passport players had to record numbers from 15 of  the 23
participating Hamvention exhibits and activities. ARRL thanks Icom  America,
Kenwood, AOR USA and Alinco for generously providing this years ARRL  EXPO
Passport prizes. Contact ARRL Membership Manager Katie Breen,  W1KRB
<w1krb@arrl.org>, for prize redemption; tel  860-594-0297.

* Handihams volunteer Rex Kiser, W0GLU, SK: Rex Kiser,  W0GLU, of Edina,
Minnesota, died April 1. He was 82. A World War II veteran  paralyzed as the
result of a combat-related injury in 1944, Kiser became a  Courage Handihams
<http://www.handiham.org/> volunteer in 1972.  Unwilling to let his injury
keep him from enjoying life and helping others,  he contributed nearly 14,000
hours of his time over more than 30 years in the  Handihams workshop
repairing and adapting radios and related equipment for  people with
disabilities. An ARRL member, Kiser also served as net control  station on
the Wednesday PICONET and was active in the Disabled American  Veterans and
the Minneapolis Radio Club. Survivors include his wife Miriam  and two
daughters. A memorial service was held April 6. The family invites  memorial
donations to Courage Handihams or Disabled American Veterans  Minneapolis
Chapter #1.

* DXCC Desk approves operations for DXCC  credit: The ARRL DXCC Desk has
approved these operations for DXCC credit:  4W6AAB ? Timor-Leste, current
operation effective May 22, 2006; ZV0F ?  Fernando de Noronha, operation
March 30-April 4, 2006; 6O0M ? Somalia,  operation from April 7-24, 2006;
S01R ? Western Sahara, operation April  11-21, 2006; YI9NS ? Iraq, operation
January 5-March 28, 2006; YI9HU ? Iraq,  operation May 18-June 5, 2005; HN0Z
? Iraq, operation March 27-28 and May  29-30, 2004; A6/OD5TX ? United Arab
Emirates, operation October 5-November 5,  2005; TT8WL ? Chad, November 19,
1996-March 8, 1997; J5DOT Guinea-Bissau,  operation April 25-May 5, 2006. 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.

*  Correction: The story "ISS Astronaut Fields Questions from  Elementary
Schoolers In Japan" in The ARRL Letter, Vol 20, No 20 (May 19,  2006)
contained an incorrect name for the control operator for the ARISS  school
contact. The control operator was Yoshio Maekawa,  JG3RWX.
===========================================================
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