[FPARC] The ARRL Letter Vol. 25, No. 40 October 6, 2006

[W4kkw at aol.com]

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 25, No. 40
October 6,  2006
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +ARRL headed to federal  court re certain BPL rules
* +League leans on FCC to release "omnibus"  Amateur Radio order
* +New law makes Amateur Radio formally part of the  EmComm community
* +Marketing non-certified CBs as ham gear nets big fine for  travel center
* +Top Band beacon project hopes to explain 1901 transatlantic  success
* +ARISS-NASA meetings lay foundation for future of ham radio in  space
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF:
This  weekend on the radio
ARRL Certification and Continuing  Education course registration
+WRTC 2010 to be held in  Russia
+Martin P. Miller, NN2C, SK
Ken  Widelitz, K6LA/VY2TT wins October QST Cover Plaque Award
IARU Monitoring System seeks over-the-horizon radar reports
Wake Island typhoon damage cancels DXpedition
DXCC Desk approves operation for DXCC credit

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

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

==>ARRL  PLANS FEDERAL COURT APPEAL OF CERTAIN BPL RULES

The ARRL Executive  Committee is expected this weekend to ratify plans to
appeal in federal court  certain aspects of the FCC's Part 15 rules governing
broadband over power  line (BPL) systems. Assuming the EC signs off on the
strategy, the League  will file a Notice of Appeal by October 22 with the US
District Court of  Appeals -- DC Circuit. ARRL Chief Executive Officer David
Sumner, K1ZZ, said  the League went forward with its appeal plans only after
considering the  effect on licensed spectrum users of letting the BPL  rules
stand.

"This decision was made after careful review of the FCC's  October 2004 BPL
Report and Order (R&O) and of the August 2006 Memorandum  Opinion and Order
(MO&O) that dealt with petitions for reconsideration,"  said Sumner, who
addressed ARRL's concerns with the FCC's BPL rules in his  "It Seems to Us .
. ." editorial in October  QST
<http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2006/10/01/1/>.

Several  reconsideration petitions of the initial R&O -- including one from
ARRL  -- called on the FCC to strengthen rules aimed at protecting licensed
radio  systems from BPL interference. Instead, in a new rule only revealed
after the  FCC made the MO&O public, the FCC limited the extent to which  an
unlicensed, unintentional radiator has to protect a licensed mobile  station.


The new rule, §15.611(c)(1)(iii), provides that BPL  operators only have to
reduce emission levels below established FCC  permissible limits by 20 dB
below 30 MHz and by 10 dB above 30 MHz -- even if  that's not enough to
resolve harmful interference complaints.

"The FCC  has, in effect, tried to redefine harmful interference," Sumner
said. "It  can't do that. The Commission doesn't have the authority to do
that, and  we're going to demonstrate that to the Court of Appeals."

What the FCC  has done with respect to licensed mobile services "should
strike fear into  the hearts of those who rely on public safety
communications," Sumner said,  especially since the rule requires BPL
operators to do even less above 30 MHz  than at HF.

The Commission also declined to adjust the 40 dB per decade  "extrapolation
factor" applied to measurements performed at distances from  power lines
other than those specified in Part 15. Sumner says this is an  important
technical point because the existing Part 15 rule causes test  results to
underestimate actual field strength. Petitions for reconsideration  from the
ARRL and others argued that a figure closer to 20 dB per decade was  more
appropriate. Sumner called the Commission's stand on the 40 dB per  decade
rule "clearly, demonstrably and inarguably wrong."

He said the  principles that the FCC appears to be following for the first
time -- if  applied generally -- represent an abuse of licensees' rights.
"It's  unacceptable that the FCC would reduce the rights of its licensees in
favor  of unlicensed, unintentional emitters," he said. "Remember  that
'unintentional emission' is just another term for 'spectrum  pollution.'"

Sumner made it clear that the League is not suing BPL  providers for causing
interference, nor suing the FCC for failing to enforce  its own rules against
harmful interference. "We are not satisfied with the  level of attention the
Commission is paying to existing cases of BPL  interference, but this is not
the time to pursue that in federal court," he  said.

While the separate standard for what constitutes harmful  interference to a
mobile and the 40 dB per decade extrapolation factor issues  precipitated the
decision to appeal, Sumner said, the arguments the League  puts forward in
its court filing may touch on other matters as  well.

"The court is not going to rewrite the rules," Sumner explained.  "The court
can make the Commission go back to the drawing board and re-decide  them,
however."

==>ARRL PRESSES FCC TO RELEASE "OMNIBUS" AMATEUR  RADIO REPORT AND ORDER

The ARRL has called upon FCC Chairman Kevin J.  Martin and his four
Commission colleagues to help end "a very frustrating and  protracted delay"
by releasing a Report and Order in the so-called "Omnibus"  Amateur Radio
proceeding, WT Docket 04-140. The 2004 Wireless  Telecommunications Bureau
(WTB) proceeding, one of two still awaiting FCC  release, consolidated a
dozen rule making petitions addressing various Part  97 rule changes --
including ARRL's Novice refarming proposal. In its Notice  of Proposed Rule
Making and Order (NPRM&O), the Commission proposed to go  along with the
League's refarming concept and most other recommendations.  ARRL President
Joel Harrison, W5ZN, says the long-overdue Report and Order  seems to be
stalled for no reason.

"I believe it's grossly incompetent  for a government agency to fail to act
on something affecting the Amateur  Radio Service," Harrison commented,
"especially after the recognition Amateur  Radio has received over the past
year from members of Congress, public  service agencies and even the
President." The oldest of the rule making  petitions dates back more than
five years, while the NPRM&O came out two  and one-half years ago. "There's
nothing controversial in this proceeding,"  he said. "The FCC needs to act on
this. That's the bottom line."

In an  October 3 letter to the  Commission
<http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/wt04-140/ARRL-Ltr2FCCreWT-04-140.pd
f>,  Harrison said the Amateur Radio Service asks very little of the FCC,
"and our  performance during recent disasters amply justifies facilitation of
these  relatively minor rule changes" that will enhance Amateur Radio's
ability to  react in emergencies and disasters. The FCC's apparent
foot-dragging "is not  responsive government," he wrote.

The ARRL's Novice refarming plan would  reallocate current Novice/Tech Plus
subbands to expand portions of the 80, 40  and 15 meter phone bands. Harrison
maintained that the League's proposal and  others in the proceeding would
"greatly improve the efficiency of Amateur  Radio's use of the high-frequency
(HF) spectrum."

The FCC further  agreed with the ARRL's proposal to extend privileges in the
current General  CW-only HF subbands to present Novice and Tech Plus
licensees (or Technicians  with Element 1 credit). It also proposed to
largely do away with Part 97  rules prohibiting the manufacture and marketing
to Amateur Radio operators of  amplifiers capable of operation on 10 and 12
meters.

An ARRL  delegation that met with Martin's Chief of Staff Fred Campbell last
February  was told that nothing substantive was holding up the proceeding.
Since that  time, Harrison told the Commission, inquiries addressed to
Campbell and to  WTB management and staff regarding the proceeding's status
have gone  unanswered.

"I urge you to release the Report and Order that we  understand has been
drafted and ready for Commission consideration for more  than a year now,"
Harrison stressed in closing.

Perhaps more eagerly  awaited is FCC action on the "Morse code" proceeding,
WT Docket 05-235. WTB  staff already has indicated that a Report and Order in
the older "omnibus"  proceeding will come first, however. The FCC's Notice of
Proposed Rule Making  and Order (NPRM&O) in WT Docket 05-235 last July
proposed to eliminate  the Element 1 (5 WPM) Morse code requirement for all
license  classes.

A Report and Order in either Amateur Radio proceeding would  formally adopt
and spell out the changes and specify their effective  dates.

==>NEW LAW FORMALLY MAKES AMATEUR RADIO PART OF EMERGENCY  COMMUNICATIONS
COMMUNITY

A section of the Department of Homeland  Security (DHS) 2007 Appropriations
Act, HR 5441  <http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.05441:>,
formally  includes Amateur Radio operators as a part of the emergency
communications  community. Congress approved the measure before adjourning
for its  pre-election break. President George W. Bush signed the bill into
law October  4.

Amateur Radio is included within the legislation's Subtitle D, Section  671,
known as the "21st Century Emergency Communications Act." Radio amateurs  are
among the entities with which a Regional Emergency  Communications
Coordination Working Group (RECC Working Group) must  coordinate its
activities. Included within the DHS's Office of Emergency  Communications --
which the measure also creates -- RECC Working Groups  attached to each
regional DHS office will advise federal and state homeland  security
officials. The final version of the legislation incorporated  language from
both House and Senate bills and was hammered out in a  conference committee.
An earlier version of the 21st Century Emergency  Communications Act, HR
5852, included Amateur Radio operators as members of  the RECC Working
Groups.

In addition to Amateur Radio operators, RECC  Working Groups also will
coordinate with communications equipment  manufacturers and vendors --
including broadband data service providers,  local exchange carriers, local
broadcast media, wireless carriers, satellite  communications services, cable
operators, hospitals, public utility services,  emergency evacuation transit
services, ambulance services, and  representatives from other private sector
entities and nongovernmental  organizations.

The RECC Working Groups will assess the survivability,  sustainability and
interoperability of local emergency communication systems  to meet the goals
of the National Emergency Communications Report. That  report would recommend
how the US could "accelerate the deployment of  interoperable emergency
communications nationwide." They also will coordinate  the establishment of
"effective multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency emergency  communications
networks" that could be brought into play in an emergency or  disaster.

In light of the new legislation, the ARRL plans to follow up to  determine
how it can interact with the DHS and its Office of Emergency  Communications.

==>FCC DOCKS TRAVEL CENTER FOR MARKETING NON-CERTIFIED  CBs AS AMATEUR GEAR

The FCC has fined Love's Travel Stops & Country  Stores Inc of Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma, $25,000 for violating the  Communications Act of 1934, as amended,
by offering for sale non-certified  Citizens Band (CB) transceivers. The
Forfeiture Order  (NoF)
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1936A1.pdf>
released  September 29 recounts a history of alleged violations dating back
to 2001,  when the Commission issued the first of seven citations to Love's
for  marketing non-certified CB transceivers. All CB transmitting equipment
must  first receive FCC certification before it can be marketed or sold in
the  US.

"Based on the evidence before us, we find that Love's willfully  and
repeatedly violated Section 302(b) of the Act and Section 2.803(a) of  the
rules by offering for sale non-certified CB transmitters on three  instances
-- two on February 23, 2005, and one on February 25, 2005," said  the NoF,
signed by the FCC Enforcement Bureau's South Central Region Director  Dennis
P. Carlton. The FCC said that between March 2004 and January  2005,
Enforcement Bureau field agents, following up on complaints, visited  10
Love's retail outlets in Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona and California. "At  these
locations, the stores displayed and offered for sale various models  of
non-certified CB transceivers marketed as ARS [Amateur Radio  Service]
transmitters," the FCC NoF noted.

According to the NoF,  Love's attorney had argued that because the radios in
question were marketed  as Amateur Radio equipment and "as sold" operate only
on the amateur bands,  the transceivers fell under the FCC's Part 97 Amateur
Radio Service rules.  The FCC pointed out, however, that its Office of
Engineering and Technology  (OET) had specifically tested the two Galaxy
models in question (DX99V and  DX33HML) and found both to be "dual-use"
Amateur Radio and CB  transmitters.

"Each of the models could be modified to allow transmit  capabilities on CB
frequencies," the FCC said in the NoF. In 1999, the OET  clarified that ARS
transceivers that have "a built-in capability to operate  on CB frequencies
and can easily be altered to activate that capability, such  as by moving or
removing a jumper plug or cutting a single wire" fall under  the FCC's
definition of a CB transmitter.

"We conclude that seven  citations were more than sufficient to provide
Love's actual notice that  marketing this equipment is unlawful and that
continued violations could make  Love's liable for severe sanctions," the FCC
said.

The Love's case was  reminiscent of other FCC enforcement proceedings
alleging marketing of  uncertified CB transceivers labeled as Amateur Radio
gear, including one  against Pilot Travel Centers LLC that could have cost
the company $125,000 in  fines. That case ended last May with a consent
decree. While Pilot agreed to  make "a voluntary contribution" of $90,000 to
the US Treasury "without  further protest or recourse," it did not admit to
any wrongdoing.

In  June, the FCC affirmed a $7000 fine on TravelCenters of America in
Troutdale,  Oregon, for marketing uncertified CB transceivers as 10-meter
Amateur Radio  transceivers. The FCC turned away TravelCenters' argument that
the  transceivers in question were not CB transceivers, which require  FCC
certification, but Amateur Radio transceivers, which do  not.

==>160-METER EXPERIMENT WILL EXPLORE MARCONI'S 1901 TRANSATLANTIC  SUCCESS

A 160-meter beacon will take to the air this fall and winter from  Cornwall,
England, to explore how Guglielmo Marconi was able to span the  Atlantic by
wireless for the first time on December 12, 1901. Radio history  says that's
when the radio pioneer at a receiving station in Newfoundland  successfully
copied the Morse code letter "s" sent repeatedly by his team in  the Cornwall
town of Poldhu. The latter-day venture is a cooperative effort  of the Poldhu
Amateur Radio Club (PARK) in Cornwall and the Marconi Radio  Club of
Newfoundland (MCRN). The Poldhu club's Keith Matthew, G0WYS, said the  2001
centenary of Marconi's achievement reopened discussion into the  mechanism by
which the 1901 spark transmitter signal propagated.

"The  winter of 1901 coincided with a sunspot minimum, and it was realized
that  this coming December 2006 should show similar conditions to those of
December  1901," he said. Just how Marconi was able to receive the
transatlantic  transmission has long been a topic of discussion and even
controversy,  especially given the frequency Marconi is likely to have used,
thought to be  between 800 and 900 kHz, and the time of day, afternoon  in
Newfoundland.

"The beacon will help understand the possibility of  low sunspot number
transatlantic medium wave propagation 24 hours a day, but  especially 1400
through 1800 UTC," Matthew said. The 160-meter amateur band  is being used,
he explained, because Marconi's original frequency today is a  highly
populated piece of the radio spectrum.

"It was realized that a  clear channel would be necessary on the nearest
amateur band, and a temporary  license to operate a beacon on 160 meters has
now been obtained," Matthew  announced. Starting on or about November 1 and
continuing through next  February, the GB3SSS beacon will transmit on 1960
kHz.

The 1960 kHz  beacon will use a two-minute transmit sequence starting at the
top of the  hour. It will consist of a CW identification followed by a series
of carrier  bursts, each reducing in power by 6 dB. An identification in
PSK31 will  follow. The transmit sequence will repeat at 15-minute intervals.

On the  listening end in Newfoundland will be well-known low-frequency
experimenter  Joe Craig, VO1NA, of the MRCN, who lives near St John's. "This
is a very  exciting project," Craig said. "I am very grateful for the support
from my  fellow members in the club and our sister club, the Poldhu Amateur
Radio  Club." Craig offered his own observations on Marconi's 1901 feat in a
2001  article "Marconi's First Transatlantic Wireless Experiment," for The
Canadian  Amateur, the journal of Radio Amateurs of Canada  (RAC)
<http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~jcraig/marconi.html>. Also monitoring in  North
America will be the Antique Wireless Association's W2AN club station  in
upstate New York.

ARRL member and radio history buff Bart Lee,  KV6LEE, proposed the 160-meter
experiment to test the feasibility of  Marconi's 1901 claimed achievement.
"Continuing cooperation between Canadian  and British Amateur Radio operators
can thus play a part in verification of  one of the most interesting events
in the history of our technology," Lee  said in his article "A Plea for
Timely Experiments" on the California  Historical Radio Web  site
<http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/photos53.html>. Lee and  Matthew
recently visited with Craig and other MRCN members in  Newfoundland.

E-mail beacon reception reports  <gb3sss at yahoo.co.uk>.

==>ARISS TEAM "ALWAYS ON A ROLL," ARRL  LIAISON SAYS

Recent meetings with NASA officials have laid the foundation  for the future
of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station  (ARISS) program
<http://www.rac.ca/ariss> and, at the same time,  garnered accolades for
Amateur Radio. Sponsorship of the ARISS program is  moving from NASA
Headquarters to Johnson Spaceflight Center (JSC) in Houston,  and ARISS
International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, and ARISS  International
Secretary-Treasurer Rosalie White, K1STO, recently held  planning sessions
with various JSC offices. White described the sessions as  "stepping stones"
to the realization of future ARISS projects and  programs.

"The ARISS Team continues to be on a roll with new and exciting  aspects to
plan and develop," White said. "It isn't just daydreaming. It is  dreams that
turn into reality for hundreds of thousands of youths, thousands  hams and
even most astronauts!" Accompanying Bauer and White on the visits  were
Bauer's deputy, Mark Steiner, K3MS, and NASA ISS Ham Radio Project  Engineer
Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO.

The ARISS team's first stop was the  ISS Program Office to review a new,
nearly completed NASA-ARISS charter. The  ISS Program Office's Carlos
Fontanot confirmed that the ARISS team will be  charged with overseeing all
Amateur Radio-in-space activities, no matter what  ham radio group initiates
them, White said.

At the JSC Education  Office, the ARISS delegation discussed the transition
of ARISS sponsorship  from NASA Headquarters to JSC. They met with Education
Leader Cynthia  McArthur -- wife of astronaut and ISS Expedition 12 Commander
Bill McArthur,  KC5ACR. Bauer and White asked McArthur to thank her husband
for thrilling  thousands of hams by getting on the air so often during his
ISS mission.  McArthur said she was impressed by the number of Expedition 12
Google hits  that mentioned Amateur Radio.

The ARISS delegation also met with ISS  Expedition 9 astronaut Mike Fincke,
KE5AIT. "He made it very plain that he  truly enjoyed getting on the air for
ragchew QSOs and being interviewed by  school children about the ISS," said
White. "He expressed the hope that all  astronauts will earn their ham
licenses and be able to realize the same  pleasures he got from hamming."

Fincke told the ARISS team that he found  ARISS to be both exciting and, as
an educational outreach program, a great  global teaching tool. He recounted
that when he missed his family and friends  while on orbit, he'd grab the
NA1SS mike and call CQ, finding hams all over  the world just waiting to make
a contact with him. "ARISS lets the ISS crew  make contacts with unknown
citizens. A crew member needs that," he told Bauer  and White.

Huddling later with Al Holt of the JSC Space Operations  Sponsored
Experiments Office, Bauer and White said they'd like to an ARISS  role in the
"Moon, Mars and Beyond" initiative. They cited Amateur Radio's  potential as
a valuable tool to people living on the moon for several months  at a time.

"Moon-base hamming could be similar to hamming in Antarctica,"  White said.
"ARISS is the foundation for worlds of opportunity. The ARISS  Team is
cautiously optimistic that it will be supporting Moon, Mars &  Beyond."

The ARISS Team also consulted with Steve VanderArk, KC5WKH. He  heads the
Wyle Labs team of contractors that schedules the astronauts'  workdays. Once
the exploration initiative ramps up, he said, the ISS Program  Office will
schedule many construction-related flights. He pointed out that  while the
busy crews may not have as much time for Amateur Radio, more of  them will be
available to do ARISS QSOs. "ARISS makes a huge impact on the  crew and on
education," Vanderark said.

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Sol  man Tad "Blinded by the Light" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington,  reports:
Daily sunspot numbers and solar flux were higher this week. Average  daily
sunspot numbers rose by nearly 22 points to 34.6. Average daily solar  flux
was up nearly by 6 points to 76.7.

>From the first quarter of 2004  through the third quarter of 2006, the
average daily sunspot number was 72.9,  71.3, 69.3, 61, 46.1, 55.7, 58, 36,
18.1, 39.7 and 23.5. The average daily  solar flux for the same period was
111.1, 99.5, 111, 104.8, 96.4, 93.1, 93.6,  84.5, 78.5, 82.1 and 77.5.

That still looks like a steady downward slope  as we end Sunspot Cycle 23.
The Space Environment Center (SEC) forecast still  predicts a low point for
sunspot numbers during the March-April time frame  next year. Once we get
there, we should observe at least several weeks of no  sunspots at all.

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

Sunspot  numbers for September 28 through October 4 were 36, 51, 38, 35, 36,
23 and 23  with a mean of 34.6. The 10.7 cm flux was 73, 76.5, 77.7, 78.4,
77.9, 76.6,  and 76.7, with a mean of 76.7. Estimated planetary A indices
were 2, 3, 12,  25, 7, 5 and 3, with a mean of 8.1. Estimated mid-latitude A
indices were 2,  3, 9, 14, 6, 6 and 2, with, a mean of  6.

__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

*  This weekend on the radio: The California QSO Party (CQP), the Oceania  DX
Contest (SSB), the International HELL-Contest, the EU Autumn Sprint  (SSB),
the PRO CW Contest and the UBA ON Contest (SSB) are the weekend of  October
7-8. JUST AHEAD: The 10-10 International 10-10 Day Sprint is October  10. The
YLRL Anniversary Party (SSB) is October 10-12. The NAQCC Straight  Key/Bug
Sprint is October 11. The North American Sprint (RTTY), the ARRL EME  Contest
(50-1296 MHz - Part 2), the Makrothen RTTY Contest, the Microwave  Fall
Sprint, the Oceania DX Contest (CW), the EU Autumn Sprint (CW),  the
Pennsylvania QSO Party, the F.I.S.T.S. Fall Sprint, the Asia-Pacific  Fall
Sprint (CW), and the UBA ON Contest (2 meters) are the weekend of  October
14-15. The Run for the Bacon QRP Contest is October 16. 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, October 22, for these  ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education (CCE) on-line courses: Amateur  Radio
License Course (EC-010), Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level  1
(EC-001), Radio Frequency Interference (EC-006), Antenna Design  and
Construction (EC-009), Analog Electronics (EC-012) and Digital  Electronics
(EC-013). Classes begin Friday, November 3. These courses will  also open for
registration Friday, October 20, for classes beginning Friday,  December 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>.

* WRTC 2010 to be held in Russia: The  World Radiosport Team Championship
Sanctioning Committee (WRTC-SC) has  announced the next WRTC will be held in
Russia for the first time in 2010.  The Soyuz Radiolyubitelei Rossii (SRR) --
the Union of Radio Amateurs of  Russia -- will be the primary sponsor, and
SRR President Roman Thomas, RZ3AA,  is the host committee chairman. The event
will be held in the vicinity of  Moscow in conjunction with the IARU HF World
Championship in July 2010. The  committee plans to publish qualification
rules and procedures and establish a  WRTC 2010 Web site as soon as possible.
The WRTC-SC expressed its gratitude  to the Russian team for its hard work in
preparing the proposal and  undertaking initial planning for the
event.--Contester's Rate Sheet  <http://www.arrl.org/contests/rate-sheet/>

* Martin P. Miller,  NN2C, SK: Martin P. "Marty" Miller, NN2C, of Melville,
New York, died  September 30. He was 84. Miller was a DXCC Honor Roll member
on both phone  and CW. An ARRL member, he was very active in the Long Island
DX Association  (LIDXA), where he was a member for more than 25 years and
president for 7  years. "He would regularly bring his new DXpedition videos
down to LIDXA  meetings and was always trying out new software and hardware
in his station,"  said LIDXA Secretary Ed Whitman, K2MFY. Miller was among
the US troops that  went ashore at Normandy in 1944 ahead of the first
invasion wave as part of a  special combat assault unit. He received the
Silver Star for his actions that  day. Licensed more than 30 years ago (he
formerly held WB2VEX), Miller also  served as president of the QCWA's Long
Island Chapter 81 and belonged to the  Grumman Amateur Radio Club..

* Ken Widelitz, K6LA/VY2TT wins September  QST Cover Plaque Award: The winner
of the QST Cover Plaque Award for  September is Ken Widelitz, K6LA/VY2TT, for
his article "Learning from Your  Log Checking Report." Congratulations, Ken!
The winner of the QST Cover  Plaque award--given to the author or authors of
the best article in each  issue--is determined by a vote of ARRL members on
the QST Cover Plaque Poll  Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/members-only/QSTvote.html>. Cast a ballot  for your
favorite article in the October issue by Tuesday, October  31.

* IARU Monitoring System seeks over-the-horizon radar reports: IARU  Region 2
Monitoring System Coordinator Bill Zellers, WA4FKI, says Amateur  Radio
stations on the West Coast and as far east as Arizona have reported  hearing
over-the-horizon radar signals on the low bands. VE7BZ in British  Columbia
recorded the radar's signal October 1, 1353 UTC, on 3.795  MHz
<http://www.arrl.org/news/crawlies/10081/OTH-R-3795-VE7BZ-100106.mp3>.  The
radar, apparently located on Hainan Island, Peoples Republic of China,  has
shown up on 160, 80 and 40 meters and sometimes is quite strong. On  80/75
meters it appears as high as 3.8 MHz, while on 40 meters, it's showing  up on
the lower 25 kHz or so. Typically there are about 50 seconds between  signal
pulses. He said the radar signals are strongest on a heading of  between 285
and 320 degrees from California or Arizona. Zellers requests  reports from
stations hearing the over-the-horizon radar signals as well as  any other
signals that do not appear to belong on the amateur bands. He  suggests the
following report format: Your call sign, time in UTC, frequency,  emission
type, signal strength, propagation and signal bandwidth in kHz. Send  reports
to Zeller via e-mail <wa4fki at nc.rr.com>.

* Wake Island  typhoon damage cancels DXpedition: The Daily  DX
<http://www.dailydx.com> reports that because Typhoon Ioke caused  moderate
to severe damage to 70 percent of the buildings on Wake Island (KH9)  in
August, a planned DXpedition to the South Pacific atoll has been  cancelled.
ARRL member Tom Meier, K7ZZ, had planned to operate from Wake  Island this
month. "There is no potable water, sewer, or electrical  distribution
facilities available on the island," The Daily DX reported  September 29.
Ioke, a Category 5 storm with 165 MPH winds, made a direct hit  on Wake
Island. "The US Air Force is in the process of deciding whether to  simply
abandon the island or to make repairs and reopen the facility," The  Daily DX
reported. "Until the decision to reopen the island is made, no  visitors of
any kind will be permitted on the island." An unincorporated US  territory,
Wake Island has no indigenous population, but some 200 US  military
contractors were evacuated prior to the storm's arrival.

*  DXCC Desk approves operation for DXCC credit: The ARRL DXCC Desk has
approved  this operation for DXCC credit: TT8LN (Chad), February 12-June 5,
2006. A  reminder: The DXCC Desk now is accepting submissions for Swain's
Island  (KH8). 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.

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