[FPARC] The ARRL Letter Vol. 26, No. 04 January 26, 2007

[W4kkw at aol.com]

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 26, No. 04
January 26,  2007
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +Morse code requirement  goes away February 23
* +Board receives National Emergency Response Planning  Committee Report
* +League announces reorganization
* +Engineering  students lend a hand with next-gen SuitSat
* +FCC still not processing new  vanity applications
* +Free Money: FAR opens scholarship application  window
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF:
This  weekend on the radio
ARRL Certification and Continuing  Education course registration
+REMINDER -- ARRL scholarship  application deadline looms
+ARRL Headquarters welcomes new  staff member
"Mr Lincoln" retires
2007 DXCC Honor Roll deadline approaching
+AO-27 rejuvenated,  back on the air
FCC rescinds applications to modify club  station license
All-ham ISS crew to undertake  "unprecedented" spacewalk series
Special event to mark  transcontinental relay anniversary
We stand  corrected!

+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
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==>Editorial questions or comments  only: Rick Lindquist,  N1RL,
<n1rl at arrl.org>
===========================================================

==>IT'S  OFFICIAL! MORSE CODE REQUIREMENT ENDS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23

Circle Friday,  February 23, on your calendar. That's when the current 5 WPM
Morse code  requirement will officially disappear from the Amateur Radio
Service Part 97  rules. Effective that date, applicants for a General or
Amateur Extra class  Amateur Radio license no longer will have to demonstrate
proficiency in Morse  code. They'll just have to pass the applicable written
examination. Federal  Register publication January 24 of the FCC's Report and
Order (R&O) in  the "Morse code proceeding," WT Docket 05-235, started a
30-day countdown for  the new rules to become effective.

"The overall effect of this action is  to further the public interest by
encouraging individuals who are interested  in communications technology or
who are able to contribute to the advancement  of the radio art, to become
Amateur Radio operators; and eliminating a  requirement that is now
unnecessary and may discourage Amateur Service  licensees from advancing
their skills in the communications and technical  phases of Amateur Radio,"
the FCC remarked in the Federal Register version of  the "Morse code" R&O.
The League had asked the FCC to retain the 5 WPM  for Amateur Extra class
applicants, but the Commission held to its decision  to eliminate the
requirement across the board. The rules that appeared in the  Federal
Register constitute their official  version
<http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.go
v/2007/pdf/E7-729.pdf>.

The  new rules also mean that starting February 23 all Technician  licensees,
whether or not they've passed a Morse code examination, will have  CW
privileges on 80, 40 and 15 meters and CW, RTTY, data and SSB privileges  on
10 meters. Once the new rules go into effect Technicians may begin  using
their new privileges without any further action.

An applicant  holding a valid Certificate of Successful Completion of
Examination (CSCE)  for Element 3 (General) or Element 4 (Amateur Extra)
credit may redeem it for  an upgrade at a Volunteer Examiner Coordinator
(VEC) exam session. A CSCE is  good for 365 days from the date of issuance,
no exceptions.

For  example, a Technician licensee holding a valid CSCE for Element 3  credit
would have to apply at a VEC test session and pay the application fee,  which
most VECs charge, in order to receive an instant upgrade to  General.

ARRL Regulatory Information Specialist Dan Henderson, N1ND,  cautions that a
license upgrade is *not* automatic for those holding valid  CSCEs for element
credit. "You must apply for the upgrade at a VEC test  session, and you may
not operate as /AG or /AE until you have upgraded and  have been issued a
CSCE marked for upgrade," he stresses. "A valid CSCE for  element credit only
does not confer any operating  privileges."

Henderson also advises all radio amateurs to know and fully  understand their
operating privileges before taking to the airwaves. Some  Technician
licensees reportedly started showing up on 75 meters December 15  in the
mistaken belief that they had gained phone privileges  there.

The FCC R&O includes an Order on Reconsideration in WT Docket  04-140 -- the
so-called "omnibus" proceeding. It will modify Part 97 in  response to ARRL's
request to accommodate automatically controlled narrowband  digital stations
on 80 meters in the wake of other rule changes that became  effective last
December 15. The Commission designated 3585 to 3600 kHz for  such operations,
although that segment will remain available for CW, RTTY and  data. The ARRL
had requested that the upper limit of the CW/RTTY/data subband  be set at
3635 kHz so there would be no change in the existing 3620 to 3635  kHz
subband.

The ARRL has posted all relevant information on these  important Part 97 rule
revisions on its "FCC's Morse Code Report and Order WT  Docket 05-235" Web
page  <http://www.arrl.org/fcc/morse/>.

==>ARRL BOARD ACCEPTS NATIONAL  EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANNING COMMITTEE REPORT

The ARRL Board of Directors  accepted the Report of the National Emergency
Response Planning Committee  (NERPC) when it met January 19 and 20 in
Windsor, Connecticut. Upon  dissolving the committee with its thanks, the
Board set in motion a process  to identify and implement action items in the
report as soon as possible.  ARRL First Vice President Kay Craigie, N3KN,
chaired the 13-member NERPC,  charged with developing comprehensive
recommendations to improve the League's  response to regional, national and
international disasters. Among other  things, panel members evaluated the
responses and actions of ARRL and the  Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES)
during Hurricane Katrina as well as  lessons learned.

"If 'lessons learned' are not followed by 'behaviors  changed,' then the
lessons have not been learned at all," the report  concludes. The report
describes disaster preparedness as "a moving target,  moving faster all the
time." No recommendations, plans or systems should be  considered "the
permanent answers for all circumstances and hazards," the  report asserts.

The unprecedented scope of the Katrina response placed  ARRL Headquarters
into a leadership coordination role through national-level  requests for help
from served agencies such as the American Red Cross. While  the level of
expertise in emergency communications and emergency management  among US
radio amateurs is growing, the report noted, so is the expectation  that the
ARRL provide first-rate leadership and guidance.

Among the  report's wide-ranging recommendations and suggestions:

* enhance ARRL and ARES training in basic message  handling.

* develop a continuing education course  covering installation,
configuration, and use of Winlink 2000 for  e-mail.

* formally establish a national ARES  volunteer database for use during
major disasters and establish training  criteria.

* institute a Major Disaster Emergency  Coordinator (MDEC) function to
coordinate responses to large-scale national  or regional disasters or
emergencies.

* become  better acquainted with the emergency response needs of distant
ARRL sections,  such as Pacific, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and Alaska.

* improve working relationships with national-level served  agencies.

* ensure ARRL staff training in the  Incident Command System (ICS) and
National Incident Management System (NIMS)  and, as necessary, adapt ARRL's
emergency response structure to the Unified  Command model.

In addition, ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, has  appointed an ad hoc
committee to study issues relating to background  investigations as they
apply to ARRL Amateur Radio volunteers and to  recommend a background
investigation policy.

In other matters, the  Board adopted five legislative objectives for the
110th Congress. The League  will seek legislation to extend the requirement
for "reasonable  accommodation" of Amateur Radio station antennas to all
forms of land use  regulation, including deed covenants, conditions and
restrictions  (CC&Rs). It also will seek legislation requiring the FCC to
conduct a  comprehensive evaluation of the interference potential of
broadband over  power line (BPL) systems. Based on the findings, the League
wants Congress to  instruct the FCC to adopt improved BPL rules to prevent
BPL deployments  having the potential to cause "destructive interference." US
Rep Mike Ross,  WD5DVR (D-AR), has submitted such a bill, HR 462.

In addition, ARRL will  seek recognition of Amateur Radio's "unique
resources, capabilities and  expertise" in any legislation addressing
communication issues related to  emergencies, disasters or homeland security;
oppose legislation that  diminishes the rights of federal licensees in favor
of unlicensed -- and  especially unintentional -- emitters, and support the
complementary  legislative objectives of other radiocommunication services,
especially as  they relate to spectrum access and interference protection.

Legislative  relations consultant John Chwat of Chwat & Company Inc told the
Board  that the congressional shift of control to the Democratic Party will
have a  significant impact on telecommunications legislation, policy, FCC
actions and  perhaps even the League. Emergency communication is a hot topic
this year, he  pointed out, and this could permit the League to take
different approaches to  issues from those tried in the past.

The Board also accepted the report  of the Technology Task Force (TTF).
Chaired by ARRL Pacific Division Vice  Director Andy Oppel, N6AJO, that panel
advised the League to continue the  Software Defined Radio and Digital
Multimedia Above 50 MHz working groups and  establish a new working group to
explore activity detection for digital  modes. The TTF also recommended that
the ARRL demonstrate and promote viable  digital voice technologies.

==>ARRL ANNOUNCES HEADQUARTERS  REORGANIZATION

ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B, this  week announced
several organizational changes at ARRL Headquarters, effective  January 22.
Under the modified organization, most functions of the former  Membership
Services Department and Field and Educational Services will be  combined into
a single unit, tentatively called the Programs and Services  Department. The
League also will establish a new Education  Department.

"The new Programs and Services Department will focus on  providing
first-class service to members and volunteers, and it ultimately  will
combine common functional areas like awards and certificates and  mailings,"
Kramer explained, citing some of the advantages of the  reorganization. "It
will also permit better management and integration of  programs and services
as well as cross-training of staff members to improve  efficiency."

Dave Patton, NN1N, will manage the combined department,  while Norm Fusaro,
W3IZ, will become assistant manager. Fusaro will continue  his
responsibilities as ARRL club and mentoring coordinator.

A new  position of Emergency Communications Manager has been established
within the  new department. This individual will be responsible for relations
with served  agencies, memoranda of understanding, administration, ARRL
internal emergency  response planning, simulated emergency tests, emergency
communications  training, the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) database
and related  activities.

The new Education Department will consolidate a variety of  activities under
one roof. "Today, education is dispersed throughout the  organization,"
Kramer noted. "Many departments are involved in educational  endeavors, but
there is a lack of coordination among the different  departments."

The Education Department will oversee the ARRL  Certification and Continuing
Education Program and distance-learning support,  the volunteer instructor
and mentor program, youth programs, the ARRL  Education and Technology
Program and its teachers institutes, Amateur Radio  on the International
Space Station (ARISS) coordination and the development  of educational
materials.

"We believe that these changes will make us  a better prepared and more
responsive organization," Kramer  concluded.

==>SUITSAT-2 GOES TO COLLEGE

Eleven electrical  engineering students at The College of New Jersey had a
hand in designing  some of the software defined radio (SDR) hardware that
will fly aboard  SuitSat-2. The college seniors signed up last fall for
"Software Defined  Radio," taught by adjunct professors Bob McGwier, N4HY,
and Frank Brickle,  AB2KT -- both members of the Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station  (ARISS) SuitSat-2 team.

The second-generation SuitSat will have a  software designed Amateur Radio
transponder (SDX) on board. SuitSat-2 is  being viewed as a test bed for the
hardware AMSAT hopes to launch on its  Phase 3E Eagle satellite.

McGwier and Brickle designed practical,  goal-based experiments for the
students' projects with an eye toward turning  out something that would be a
useful SuitSat-2 component. Team members Steve  Bible, N7HPR, and Joe
Julicher, N9WXU, provided circuit boards employing  "bleeding-edge"
technology -- dsPIC33F 16-bit direct memory access digital  signal
controllers. Brickle says the circuits will serve as SuitSat-2's heart  and
brain.

Early on, the students studied signal processing and  communication theory as
well as what Brickle calls "esoteric corners of  computer science." Then,
using Matlab -- a high-level technical computing  language -- the students
implemented modulators and demodulators for SSB, FM,  BPSK and AFSK.

"Students get a little bit of verbal swimming instruction,  and then we toss
them straight into the ocean," is how Brickle described the  process.

By mid-semester, the students were designing their experiments  and getting
them up and running. Boards were powered up without diagnostic  hardware or
software, since that's how the circuitry will be on orbit --  "walking a
tightrope without a net," as Brickle sees it.

"Given the  complexity of what the SDR/SDX in SuitSat-2 will be required to
provide, the  applications will need to run in an unprecedented software
environment:  pre-emptive multitasking under freeRTOS," he explained.
FreeRTOS is an  open-source, round-robin operating system for  embedded
devices.

Instead of being scared off, the students ran with  the challenge and
demonstrated obvious enthusiasm, Brickle reports. "We will  be doing a very
good thing if we continue to involve these kids, and more  like them, in our
future AMSAT projects," he said. What surprised him most,  he added, was that
the students focused on taking new approaches to "very  fundamental
engineering issues that aren't flashy or trendy." McGwier, who's  AMSAT-NA's
vice president of engineering and a member of the AMSAT Board of  Directors,
remarked that both students and teachers shared in the  excitement.

The SuitSat-2 team, under the leadership of Lou McFadin,  W5DID, has been
working on the design of a power converter for the solar  panels, the
internal housekeeping unit, the antenna mount, the transmitting  and
receiving hardware and how it will mount atop the suit's helmet. An ISS  crew
could launch SuitSat-2 during a spacewalk as early as next fall.  SuitSat-2
could have an operational lifetime of six months or more. --  Rosalie White,
K1STO/ARISS

==>NEW VANITY CALL SIGN PROCESSING  HIATUS CONTINUES

The hold on processing new Amateur Radio vanity call  sign applications
remained in effect at week's end, although FCC Wireless  Telecommunications
Bureau staff members have indicated informally that it  would end very soon.
The Commission stopped processing new vanity call sign  applications while it
modifies the software that handles vanity applications.  The suspension,
which does not affect vanity call sign renewals, resulted  from a new Amateur
Radio Service rule that went into effect December 15 to  discourage the
filing of multiple applications by one individual for the same  call sign on
the same receipt day.

"The Commission continues to accept  vanity call sign applications," a brief
announcement on the FCC's Universal  Licensing System (ULS) Web page says.
"However, these applications will not  be processed until software changes in
accordance with the recent rule making  have been fully implemented."

The FCC granted the last Amateur Radio  vanity call signs on January 4 for
applications received December 15. The  current suspension affects new vanity
call sign applications submitted on  December 18 or later. Once processing of
new vanity applications resumes, the  FCC says, it will process all
applications in the queue in the order in which  they were received.
Typically, it takes 18 days from the time the FCC  receives a vanity
application until the call sign is issued -- or the  application is denied.

The FCC's "omnibus" Report and Order (R&O) in  WT Docket 04-140 stipulates
that if the FCC receives more than one  application requesting a vanity call
sign from a single applicant on the same  receipt day, it will process only
the first application entered into the ULS.  The FCC will dismiss any
subsequent vanity call sign applications from the  same applicant on the same
receipt date. The FCC put new vanity call sign  processing on hold after an
applicant unwittingly submitted 30 applications  for the same call sign three
days after the new rule became  effective.

The current vanity call sign fee, payable for new applications  as well as
renewals, is $20.80 for the 10-year license  term.

==>FOUNDATION FOR AMATEUR RADIO INVITES SCHOLARSHIP  APPLICATIONS

The non-profit Foundation for Amateur Radio (FAR) now is  accepting
applications for 56 academic year 2007-2008 scholarships to assist  radio
amateurs pursuing higher education. The deadline to apply is April 30,  2007.


FAR fully funds three of scholarships and administers 42 others  without cost
on behalf of various club and individual donors; grant income  funds the
remaining 11 awards. Amateur Radio licensees pursuing a full-time  course of
study beyond high school and accepted by or enrolled in an  accredited
university, college or technical school are eligible to  apply.

Scholarship grants range from $500 to $3000, and preference in  some cases
goes to applicants living in particular geographical areas or  pursuing
certain studies. Non-US residents are eligible to apply for some of  the
scholarships.

Request more information and an application form via  e-mail
<scholarships at farweb.org> or by sending a QSL card by April 30  to FAR
Scholarships, PO Box 831, Riverdale, MD 20738.

==>SOLAR  UPDATE

Propagation maven Tad "Sunshine Superman" Cook, K7RA, Seattle,  Washington,
reports: This reporting week, January 18-24, saw lower sunspot  numbers --
seven points lower, on average -- than the previous week.  Geomagnetic
numbers also were lower, especially the past few days. At all  latitudes
January 22 through the first hours of today K index readings were  zero or
one.

Low geomagnetic activity will be good for this weekend's  CQ World Wide
160-Meter CW Contest. There's currently a flare-spewing sunspot  just around
the sun's eastern limb, however, and when it swings into view  we'll see
solar flux about 10 points higher than now and, briefly, some  higher
geomagnetic numbers. Planetary A index for January 26-31 is predicted  at 5,
5, 15, 20, 20 and 15.
Geophysical Institute Prague predicts quiet  conditions for January 26-27,
unsettled January 28, unsettled to active  January 29-30, unsettled January
31, and quiet to unsettled February  1.

Sunspot numbers for January 18 through 24 were 23, 15, 31, 18, 23, 18  and
15, with a mean of 20.4. The 10.7 cm flux was 76.8, 76.3, 78.8, 78.6,  78.5,
79.3, and 80.4, with a mean of 78.4. Estimated planetary A indices were  16,
11, 7, 7, 3, 2 and 1, with a mean of 6.7. Estimated mid-latitude A  indices
were 9, 9, 6, 7, 2, 3 and 1, with a mean of 5.3.

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

__________________________________

==>IN  BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: The CQ 160-Meter Contest (CW), the  REF Contest
(CW), the SARL Youth for Amateur Radio contest, the BARTG RTTY  Sprint and
the UBA DX Contest (SSB) are the weekend of January 27-28. JUST  AHEAD: The
Delaware, Minnesota and Vermont QSO parties, the 10-10  International Winter

Contest (SSB), the AGCW Straight Key Party, the YLRL  YL-OM Contest (CW), the
Mexico RTTY International Contest, the North American  Sprint (SSB) and the
ARCI Fireside SSB Sprint are the weekend of February  3-4. The RSGB 80-Meter
Club Championship (SSB) is February 5. The ARS Spartan  Sprint is February 6.
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 Tuesday, February 6, for  these ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education (CCE) online courses  beginning
Sunday, February 18: Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level  2
(EC-002), Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 3 (EC-003R2),  Antenna
Modeling (EC-004), HF Digital Communications (EC-005), VHF/UHF --  Life
Beyond the Repeater (EC-008), and Radio Frequency Propagation  (EC-011).
These courses will also open for registration Sunday, February 4,  for
classes beginning Friday, March 16. 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>.

* REMINDER -- ARRL  scholarship application deadline looms: The deadline to
apply for academic  year 2007-2008 ARRL Foundation scholarships is Thursday,
February 1. All  information on ARRL Foundation scholarships for young radio
amateurs,  including application forms and instructions, is only available on
the ARRL  Foundation Scholarship Programs Web  page
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlf/scholgen.html>. ARRL Foundation  scholarship
recipients will be announced this spring. Important: Applicants  must include
high school or college academic transcripts with all  scholarship
applications. Those applying for the four-year William R.  Goldfarb Memorial
Scholarship also must include a Free Application for  Federal Student Aid
(FAFSA). The ARRL Foundation is a not-for-profit IRS  501(c)(3) organization.
Contributions to support the future of Amateur Radio  are welcome
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlf/contribs.html>.

* ARRL  Headquarters welcomes new staff member: Micah Murray of  Manchester,
Connecticut, joined the ARRL Headquarters staff as a Web  Applications
Developer on January 8. The 27-year-old Connecticut native and  Eastern
Connecticut State University graduate previously worked in the  insurance
industry. At ARRL he will be working on a variety of Web  application
projects.

* "Mr Lincoln" retires: ARRL staffer Bob Lincoln  -- usually called "Mr
Lincoln" at League Headquarters -- is retiring after  nearly 27 years of
service. What makes this particular occasion special is  the fact that Bob is
92 years old! "It's time to quit," Bob told fellow staff  members who
gathered January 22 to wish him well and shower him with cards  and gifts. "I
really have enjoyed working here." A part-time press operator  who'd already
completed one career before some ARRL staffers were even born,  Mr Lincoln
carried out his various printing tasks largely out of the public  spotlight.
This marks his second retirement, since he didn't begin working  for the
League until he'd taken his pension from the company that  manufactured the
presses he's been using at Headquarters. "I don't recall  anyone qualifying
for the '25 Year Club' after retiring," quipped ARRL CEO  David Sumner, K1ZZ.
Happy second retirement, Mr Lincoln!

* 2007 DXCC  Honor Roll deadline approaching: The deadline for inclusion in
the next DXCC  Honor Roll listing is March 31. Submissions must be postmarked
by that date.  The Honor Roll list will appear in August QST. There are 337
current entities  on the DXCC List, and you must be at 337 to qualify for Top
of the Honor Roll  or within the numerical top 10 to qualify for Honor Roll.
The current minimum  number for Honor Roll is 328. (Deleted entities do not
count toward Honor  Roll). "Top of Honor Roll" and "Honor Roll" plaques and
lapel pins are  available to all past and current Honor Roll members. Visit
The ARRL DX  Century Club Program Web page <http://www.arrl.org/awards/dxcc>
for  information on how to order.

* AO-27 rejuvenated, back on the air: AMSAT  News Service reports that AO-27
(EyeSat-1) <http://www.ao27.org> has  again been recovered and returned to
operation. Launched in September 1993,  AO-27 has been listed as
non-operational. Michael Wyrick, N3UC, of the AO-27  command team told ANS
that after addressing problems with the microsat's AFSK  modem, ground
controllers were able to upload operational software. The  satellite has been
sending telemetry, and the analog transponder has been  turned on again.
Under the current schedule, AO-27 is on during ascending  (south-to-north)
passes at approximately 30 degrees north latitude, although  it's impossible
to say when the satellite will be operational for a given  location. An
initial 20 seconds of telemetry are followed by 5 minutes of  analog repeater
operation. AO-27 then transmits another 60 seconds of  telemetry before
shutting down. The satellite carries a Mode V/U FM repeater  with the uplink
at 145.850 MHz and the downlink at 436.795 MHz. "Please keep  in mind that
AO-27 is 13 years old and takes some work to keep going," Wyrick  advised
users. Ground controllers are seeking help in logging telemetry from  AO-27.
Visit the Logging AO-27 Telemetry page  <http://www.ao27.org/tlm.shtml> for
information.

* FCC rescinds  applications to modify club station license: The FCC says it
will void two  applications it granted in 2005 to change the name of the club
holding K4WCF  and the designated club license trustee. Paul Toth, NA4AR, of
Seminole,  Florida, had challenged petitions filed by Gerald D. "Dee" Turner,
N4GD, of  Pinellas Park, replacing Dave E. Armbrust, AE4MR, with himself as
K4WCF  trustee and changing the name of the licensee from "West Central
Florida  Group" to "West Central Florida Section." Turner is ARRL West
Central Florida  Section Manager. Toth, who's president of West Central
Florida Group Inc,  contended that Turner's June 2005 applications were
submitted without the  club board's knowledge or approval, as FCC rules
require, and that Turner was  not even a member of the club. The FCC agreed
that the modifications were not  authorized. "Based on the information before
us, we conclude that two  applications to change the name of the club trustee
and the name of the club  were submitted without authorization," the FCC said
in a January 24 letter to  Toth
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-07-182A1.pdf>.  The FCC
declared its grant of Turner's applications void and said it would  correct
its Amateur Radio license database to reflect the trustee and club  name
previously associated with the license.

* All-ham ISS crew to  undertake "unprecedented" spacewalk series: The
all-ham crew of the  International Space Station will undertake what NASA is
calling "an  unprecedented series" of four spacewalks during the next few
weeks.  Expedition 14 Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria, KE5GTK, and Flight
Engineer Suni  Williams, KD5PLB, will kick off the spacewalk string January
31 with a  six-and-a-half-hour excursion. Subsequent spacewalks are set for
February 4  and 8 using US spacesuits. Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer
Mikhail Tyurin,  RZ3FT, will conduct the fourth spacewalk later in February
using Russian  spacesuits. NASA says the US spacewalks will bring on line new
portions of  the station's cooling system, expanded with components activated
during the  December space shuttle mission. Among other tasks, Lopez-Alegria
and Williams  also will assist in the retraction of heat-rejecting radiators
on the  station's P6 truss, install some external devices to stow cargo and
install  cabling for a new power transfer system for future shuttle flights.
On the  fourth spacewalk, Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin will remove a stuck
antenna from  the Russian Progress 23 cargo spacecraft to ensure it can
safely undock in  April. NASA TV <http://www.nasa.gov/ntv> will cover these
events. --  NASA

* Special event to mark transcontinental relay anniversary: The  Mid-MO
Amateur Radio Club <http://www.mmccs.com/mmarc/> will sponsor a  special
event this weekend to commemoratethe role of Willis P. Corwin, 9ABD,  in the
first transcontinental relay of formal message traffic 90 years ago.  Special
event station W9C will be active starting Saturday, January 27, at  2000 UTC,
continuing for the next 24 hours on or about 3.540, 7.040, 10.113,  14.040,
21.040 and 28.040 MHz CW and 3.940, 7.240, 14.240, 21.240, and 28.240  SSB.
On January 27, 1917, Corwin, then 18, received and re-transmitted the  three
CW messages that became the first successful one-way transcontinental  relay
of formal message traffic. Pioneering Amateur Radio operators  originated the
messages in Los Angeles. From there they went to an operator  in Denver who
relayed them to Corwin in Jefferson City, Missouri. From there,  the messages
went to Albany, New York, and, ultimately, to Hartford,  Connecticut. A few
days later, Corwin was again part of the chain that  relayed the first
two-way transcontinental traffic from the East Coast and  back in 80 minutes.
The feat was reported in April 1917 QST. Corwin later  served as a shipboard
wireless operator and built Jefferson City's first  commercial broadcast
station. A certificate is available. Mid-MO ARC will QSL  all contacts but
requests none in return.

* We stand corrected! The  story, "Antique Wireless Technology Spins for
Fessenden Transmission  Centennial" in The ARRL Letter, Vol 26, No 03
(January 19, 2007) contained  some incorrect information. Swedish-American
engineer Ernst Alexanderson  developed the radio transmitter that bears his
name while working for General  Electric in Schenectady, New York. He also
was chief engineer for the Radio  Corporation of America (RCA), a GE
subsidiary, according to the  Alexander-Grimeton Veteranradios Vänner
(Friends) Association, which operates  Swedish Alexanderson museum  station
SAQ.

===========================================================
The  ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the American
Radio  Relay League: ARRL--the National Association For Amateur Radio, 225
Main St,  Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax  860-594-0259;
<http://www.arrl.org>. Joel Harrison, W5ZN,  President.

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