[LeArc] The ARRL Letter, Vol 22, No 07

[Tony Coniglio]

> ***************
> The ARRL Letter
> Vol. 22, No. 07
> February 14, 2003
> ***************
>
> IN THIS EDITION:
>
> * +UTC announces nationwide emergency communications training grant
> * +ISS crew digs in for longer stay in space
> * +Texas amateurs wind down support for Columbia debris search
> * +CITEL countries support harmonized 7-MHz allocation
> * +Hollingsworth advocates courtesy, common sense
> * +Utah amateur antenna bill headed for governor's desk
> * +Revised Amateur Radio Today video now available for downloading
> *  Solar Update
> *  IN BRIEF:
>      This weekend on the radio
>      ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
>      Indiana amateur antenna bill advances
>      Atlantic Division seeks nominees for annual awards
>      ARISS chair begs patience regarding RS0ISS packet system
>
> +Available on ARRL Audio News
>
> ===========================================================
> NOTE: ARRL Headquarters closed on Presidents' Day: ARRL Headquarters will
> be closed Monday, February 17, for the Presidents' Day holiday, and there
> will be no W1AW bulletin or code practice transmissions on that day. ARRL
> Headquarters will reopen at 8 AM EST Tuesday, February 18.
> ===========================================================
>
> ==>UTC EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS NATIONAL TRAINING GRANT TO COVER ALL
> LEVELS
>
> A generous grant from ARRL corporate partner United Technologies
> Corporation (UTC) <http://www.utc.com> will expand reimbursed Amateur
> Radio Emergency Communications Course (ARECC) training to all three
> training levels and put the UTC grant program on a national level. The
> three-year, $150,000 grant will reimburse the cost of tuition to students
> anywhere in the US who successfully complete ARRL's Level I, II and III
> Amateur Radio emergency communication courses. An earlier UTC grant
> covered Level I and II ARECC training for more than 280 Connecticut
> amateurs.
>
> "This grant plays perfectly into the overall plan and scope of emergency
> communication for local communities and our nation as a whole," said ARRL
> Emergency Communications Course Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG. "This will
> allow us to increase the number of seats offered each month for
> reimbursable courses." Miller praised UTC's foresight and proactive
> approach to community involvement.
>
> ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, said UTC clearly
> recognizes the importance of emergency communication. "With this new
> grant, UTC has taken a giant step and renewed its commitment to Amateur
> Radio, emergency communication and homeland security," she said.
>
> Including the earlier UTC grant and a three-year federal Corporation for
> National and Community Service (CNCS) award of some $543,000, the ARRL now
> has secured $726,000 for emergency communication training. That training,
> Hobart predicted, "will have an impact on every state in the union."
>
> Students successfully completing any level of the on-line Amateur Radio
> Emergency Communications classes under the new UTC grant will be eligible
> for reimbursement of their $45 registration fee.
>
> ==>ISS CREW COMMENTS PUBLICLY ON COLUMBIA, DIGS IN FOR POSSIBLE LONG STAY
>
> The members of the all-ham crew onboard the International Space Station
> said this week that while they grieve the loss of the shuttle Columbia
> crew, human space exploration must continue and they're ready to spend up
> to a year in space if necessary. The ISS crew made its first public
> comments since the February 1 shuttle disaster in two news conferences
> this week.
>
> "My first reaction was pure shock," Expedition 6 crew commander Ken
> Bowersox, KD5JBP, told reporters February 11, when asked about how he felt
> when he heard the news that Columbia and her crew were lost. "I was numb
> and could not believe that it was happening." During serial briefings
> February 12 with CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC, Bowersox and his crew reiterated
> their resolve to stay the course, remaining in space for up to a year if
> necessary.
>
> Bowersox said that once it became unlikely that there were any survivors
> from the Columbia catastrophe, "we discussed all of the different options
> for how it would affect us." He said he was confident that the crew would
> have a way to get home. "We've got a Soyuz vehicle parked right outside,"
> he said.
>
> Pettit--who had played chess via radio and e-mail with Columbia pilot
> Willie McCool during the Columbia STS-107 science mission--said he's hoped
> the crew somehow had made it safely to the ground. He said the magnitude
> of the tragedy hit him when the ISS crew realized that there were no
> survivors. "I'm the type that likes to grieve quietly and in private," he
> said February 12.
>
> Budarin said he's comfortable with staying in orbit as long as necessary,
> now that NASA has indefinitely grounded the shuttle fleet. The Russian
> cosmonaut told a CBS reporter that he has experienced seven months in
> orbit before aboard Mir, and that he's hoping for a good landing back on
> Earth--whether via the US space shuttle or the Russian Soyuz escape
> vehicle that's attached to the space station.
>
> Bowersox said the crew was happy to stay aboard the ISS. "We like it
> aboard space station," he said. "We're going to enjoy however many months
> we have to stay on orbit." Bowersox said February 12 the crew did not feel
> isolated and had plenty of contact with family and friends and that, while
> not operating at peak efficiency, the crew members would continue to move
> forward with the "serious tasks" ahead of them. "We'll be working through
> that grieving process for the rest of the time we're here, I think."
>
> Pettit, the Expedition 6 science officer, said the crew's work schedule
> has suffered from the effects of the Columbia tragedy. "But now, it looks
> like we'll have plenty of time to finish all that we have remaining on our
> task list." he added.
>
> Pettit said that cutting the crew size would hurt scientific research
> because the crew would spend a lot more of its time just maintaining the
> ISS. But, he pointed out, research into how humans cope physiologically in
> space would continue and would make the risk of human spaceflight
> worthwhile. "This is a matter where you can decide as a society can decide
> to lead the way, step aside or follow," Pettit told NBC News anchorman Tom
> Brokaw. Space exploration is "an investment in your future, and, as such,
> you can't let a setback stop your exploration activities."
>
> The Expedition 6 crew has been aboard the ISS since November and was
> scheduled to return to Earth aboard the shuttle Atlantis in March.
> Unmanned Progress cargo rockets, including one that docked February 4, are
> providing fuel and supplies. On February 11, the crew used the Progress to
> boost the stations' orbit by about six miles (the ISS is approximately 250
> miles above Earth). The crew reportedly has sufficient provisions to last
> at least until June. A Soyuz taxi crew is scheduled to visit the ISS in
> April to drop off a new Soyuz capsule and return the one now attached to
> the ISS.
>
> The crew has not used the NA1SS onboard ham station since the last Amateur
> Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) school contact in
> January. The next scheduled ARISS contact is set for February 21, with
> students at Oregon State University.
>
> ==>TEXAS AMATEURS STAND DOWN IN COLUMBIA DEBRIS SEARCH
>
> Ham radio support for the shuttle Columbia debris search and recovery
> effort in Nacogdoches and San Augustine counties in Texas wrapped up
> February 12. US Forest Service personnel were scheduled to assume the
> support role hams had filled in East Texas for nearly two weeks.
>
> "I must say the amateurs were very professional and very dedicated to
> assist in any manner," said South Texas Section Emergency Coordinator Bob
> Ehrhardt, W5ZX. "Even after a day in the bush, they would come back in to
> the ops center and say they were ready for another day."
>
> Ehrhardt said the weather often was rainy and cold with some sleet. "The
> brambles and briars in the forest did not help," he added. "The agencies
> that they worked with were very surprised and pleased with Amateur Radio.
> I know that we changed several minds that we could get the job done."
>
> Jim Lawyer, AA5QX, a Dallas-area amateur who'd helped to organize Amateur
> Radio search-and-recovery support in Nacogdoches County also expressed his
> appreciation. "To all who offered to assist and for those who were able to
> serve, thank you for being part of the solution!" he said. In addition to
> communication support, hams used GPS and computer mapping software to pin
> down and report the locations of debris items as they were sighted.
>
> Nacogdoches County ARES Emergency Coordinator Kenneth Hughes, KK5BE, said
> he was "very proud" of the local ARES members who responded to the call
> for volunteers. "Twelve days of operation is hard to keep all things going
> well," he said.
>
> Kevin Anderson, KD5CCH, of Nacogdoches he was proud of the support East
> Texas amateurs were able to provide. "This has been a rather large team
> effort," he said. "Under the extremely complicated and sensitive
> circumstances in which we have operated, we came together and pulled off a
> rather huge task based on the scope of the operations in which we were
> called upon to participate and the type of services we were asked to
> provide."
>
> Lawyer says that preliminary numbers reported February 13 during a
> debriefing net in Nacogdoches indicated that 198 amateurs logged in at one
> time or another in Nacogdoches County and 148 in San Augustine County.
> Lawyer says an estimated 80 percent of the participating amateurs were
> from outside the two counties. "It took all of us to make it happen, and
> without all of us, it wouldn't have been the success that it was," Lawyer
> said. "You have reason to be proud that you are 'amateurs'--those who do
> it for the love of it."
>
> ==>HARMONIZED 7 MHz ALLOCATION GAINS SUPPORT IN THE AMERICAS
>
> A dozen countries in the Americas have agreed to support a proposal for a
> "harmonized" 300-kHz amateur band in the vicinity of 7 MHz. The issue of a
> uniform worldwide 40-meter allocation is on the agenda of the World
> Radiocommunication Conference 2003 (WRC-03), set to be held in Geneva this
> June and July. The US has so far taken no position on the issue.
>
> "It is possible that other countries will sign on when this proposal is
> circulated among all 34 member-states of the Inter-American
> Telecommunication Commission (CITEL)," said ARRL Technical Relations
> Specialist Jon Siverling, WB3ERA. "It takes at least six countries of the
> Organization of American States to make an Inter-American Proposal (IAP).
> If more countries sign on, the IAP will have greater weight at WRC-03."
>
> Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador,
> Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela agreed to the
> Canadian-sponsored IAP for a 300-kHz amateur band--from 7 to 7.3 MHz--in
> all three ITU radio regions. That position is in line with what the
> International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) has been calling for.
>
> The support came during a meeting of CITEL's Permanent Consultative
> Committee for Radiocommunications (PCC.II-RADIO) Working Group, which is
> preparing Inter-American Proposals for WRC-03. PCC.II-Radio met February
> 3-7 in Orlando, Florida. Fourteen CITEL member states attended the Orlando
> session.
>
> Siverling has been chair of so-called Chapter 5 issues for CITEL, leading
> up to WRC-03, which he will also attend. Chapter 5 issues include the
> Maritime Mobile, Amateur and Amateur-Satellite and Broadcasting services
> in the MF and HF bands.
>
> Another matter on the WRC-03 agenda is possible changes to Articles 25, 19
> and 1 to the international Radio Regulations. Fifteen
> countries--Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican
> Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, the
> US, Uruguay and Venezuela--signed an IAP favorable to the Amateur Service.
> The US signed the IAP but withheld support on two of the 18 specific
> provisions.
>
> Siverling explained that the IAP approved at Orlando conforms with IARU
> positions on the three articles. Article 25 covers technical requirements
> and operator qualifications, including Morse code proficiency--which could
> be left up to individual administrations to require following WRC-03;
> Article 19 covers call sign configurations, and Article 1 deals with
> issues consequent to any changes to Article 25.
>
> Twelve CITEL countries agreed in Orlando on an IAP to propose a "footnote
> allocation" of 135.7-137.8 kHz to amateurs in Region 2. This band is
> already available to amateurs in some CEPT countries.
>
> The 136-kHz issue came up as a Canadian proposal to create a secondary
> allocation, but the issue is not on the WRC-03 agenda. According to
> Siverling, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) member-states want
> to eliminate or minimize footnotes in the Radio Regulations. The IAP for a
> "footnote allocation" at 136 kHz, however, was seen as a way to get the
> issue on the WRC-03 agenda "on an exception basis," he said.
>
> Siverling explained that the CITEL IAP leading to a possible allocation in
> Region 2 of the 136-kHz band at WRC-03 has been handled separately from
> the pending US amateur LF allocation. Acting on an ARRL request, the FCC
> has proposed a domestic (US-only) allocation at 136 kHz on a
> non-interference basis. "At some point, the twain will meet," Siverling
> said.
>
> ==>HOLLINGSWORTH PREACHES COURTESY, COMMON SENSE
>
> FCC Special Counsel Riley Hollingsworth told those attending his forum at
> the Richmond, Virginia, Frostfest February 9 that Amateur Radio
> enforcement still has a long way to go, but that amateurs can do a lot
> through peer pressure to head off problems before they become enforcement
> issues.
>
> "Enforcement is no substitute for courtesy and common sense,"
> Hollingsworth declared. "More courtesy would go a long way. Hollingsworth
> again suggested that amateurs "operate so that listeners will be impressed
> with Amateur Radio," not offended or turned off by it. He said awareness
> of Amateur Radio is on the rise in the wake of media attention since
> September 11, 2001, and, more recently, with ham radio assistance in the
> search for debris from the shuttle Columbia. He pointed to 20 and 75
> meters as the current enforcement hot spots as well as the bands where the
> least courteous operating practices are found--some of which he described
> as "a disgrace" to the Amateur Service.
>
> Off-the-air peer pressure, he said, is an effective tool to provide
> guidance to amateurs who may be unaware of how they sound to others on the
> air. The reactions of some hams when they confront interference--or
> perceived interference--can be worse than the original
> interference--whether or not it's deliberate. "Don't overreact,"
> Hollingsworth advised. "The best reaction is no reaction whatsoever."
>
> "You have to always be aware of your image and be willing to protect it,"
> he told those gathered in the packed forum. "You can't shoot yourself in
> the foot." More than 1000 attended the Richmond Frostfest, sponsored by
> the Richmond Amateur Telecommunications Society <http://www.rats.net/>.
>
> The use of new technology and on-the-air experimentation also sometimes
> brings controversy to the amateur bands, Hollingsworth said, and may
> prompt an occasion for the FCC to revisit its current Part 97 Amateur
> Service rules. Hollingsworth pointed to the use of so-called "enhanced
> SSB," where experimenters have been attempting to achieve full-carrier
> AM-like high-fidelity audio in that mode. Hollingsworth said the presence
> of the enhanced SSB experimenters has led to complaints to the FCC--as
> many as 20 per week--that these signals are taking up excessive bandwidth.
>
> Hollingsworth told his Richmond audience that deliberately operating a
> wideband mode in a crowded spectrum is "shortsighted and rude," may be
> ignoring the "minimum bandwidth necessary" rule. If its use isn't
> accompanied by courtesy and common sense, he said, it will lead to
> pressure on the FCC to revise the Amateur Service rules.
>
> The "Emission Standards" section of Part 97--specifically �97.307(a) and
> (b)--requires amateur transmissions to not occupy "more bandwidth than
> necessary for the information rate and emission type being transmitted, in
> accordance with good amateur practice" and to "not cause splatter" on
> adjacent frequencies.
>
> Hollingsworth said the bandwidth of a given signal is not easily
> determined by the average amateur transceiver--even one equipped with a
> band scope of some sort. He pointed out that the problems with apparent
> splatter can be aggravated by the use of a noise blanker on the receiving
> end. "Just because it sounds wide doesn't mean it is wide," he said,
> adding that he'd prefer the amateur community come up a way to accommodate
> such experimentation, because "a government solution will be worse than
> the problem."
>
> ==>UTAH AMATEUR RADIO ANTENNA BILL ON ITS WAY TO GOVERNOR'S DESK
>
> Less than a month after its introduction, Utah's Amateur Radio antenna
> bill is on its way to the desk of Gov Michael Leavitt. The bill
> unanimously passed the Utah Senate February 13, 26-0. The measure, HB 79,
> was introduced January 20.  It earlier passed the Utah House, 65-8.
>
> "I would like to express appreciation to the many Amateur Radio clubs and
> individual Amateur Radio operators throughout Utah who spent many hours
> publicizing this bill and ensuring Utah representatives and senators were
> contacted about the importance of this bill," said ARRL Utah Section
> Manager Mel Parkes, AC7CP. "Once the bill is signed Utah will be come the
> 17th state to enact PRB-1 legislation."
>
> Sponsored by Rep Neal B. Hendrickson, HB 79, "Regulation of Amateur Radio
> Antennas," made it through the house 11 days after getting a favorable
> committee recommendation. The Utah Senate Business and Labor Committee
> unanimously approved HB 79 and sent it to the Senate floor February 6. HB
> 79 would prohibit municipalities and counties in Utah from enacting
> ordinances that fail to comply with the limited federal preemption known
> as PRB-1.
>
> The measure would require that local ordinances involving placement,
> screening or height of an Amateur Radio antenna that are based on health,
> safety or aesthetics "reasonably accommodate amateur radio communications"
> and "represent the minimal practicable regulation to accomplish the
> municipality's purpose."
>
> Parkes has credited Mike Davis, KD7FQD, and John Hanson, KI7AR, for
> developing the bill and getting Hendrickson to sponsor it.
>
> A copy of the proposed legislation is available on the Utah State
> Legislature Web site
> <http://www.le.state.ut.us/~2003/bills/hbillint/hb0079.htm>.
>
> ==>AMATEUR RADIO'S PUBLIC SERVICE STORY IS NOW AVAILABLE ON VIDEO!
>
> An updated Amateur Radio Today video now is available for free downloading
> from the ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/ARToday/>. The MPEG-format
> file is 70 Mbytes.
>
> Narrated by former CBS News anchorman Walter Cronkite, KB2GSD, Amateur
> Radio Today showcases the public service contributions made by hams
> throughout the country. Highlights include ham radio's response on
> September 11, 2001, ham radio's part in helping various agencies respond
> to last year's wildfires in the Western US, and ham radio-in-space
> educational initiatives. Directed by Dave Bell, W6AQ, Amateur Radio Today
> was written by Alan Kaul, W6RCL. The production team included Bell and
> Kaul as well as Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, and Bill Baker, W1BKR. The editor
> was Keith Glispie, WA6TFD.
>
> Amateur Radio Today is an ideal presentation for clubs, government
> meetings, civic organizations and any other venue where you want to
> vividly illustrate what Amateur Radio has to offer the public. The video
> runs just six minutes and is available in several formats. The digital
> version of Amateur Radio Today is available in MPEG video format, which
> can be played by Windows Media Player, Apple QuickTime or RealPlayer
> software. It can be run from the CD or copied to your hard drive (not
> included).
>
> This copyrighted program is not intended for broadcast use (including
> over-the-air, cable or Internet) and may not be reproduced or distributed
> without permission. You also can order Amateur Radio Today on CD-ROM and
> VHS tape. The CD-ROM version also requires that you have software that can
> play MPEG files installed on your computer.
>
> ==>SOLAR UPDATE
>
> Solar sage Tad "Staring at the Sun" Cook, K7VVV, Seattle, Washington,
> reports: Solar flux and sunspot numbers rose this week over last. Average
> daily sunspot numbers were up nearly 70 points, and average daily solar
> flux rose by more than 11 points. Neither number was rising over the past
> few days, and both are expected to continue to decline.
>
> The predicted solar flux for Friday through Monday is 130, 130, 125 and
> 125. Solar flux is expected to reach a short-term minimum near 115 around
> February 21-22, and then reach another peak roughly around March 5-9.
> Don't expect high values as in the past few years though. For example,
> during this same week last year, the average daily solar flux was nearly
> 62 points higher--201.8.
>
> For the ARRL International DX Contest (CW) this weekend we could see some
> unsettled or perhaps active geomagnetic conditions. The earth should be
> inside a solar wind stream flowing from a coronal hole on Friday and
> Saturday. But the current prediction is for a planetary A index of only 15
> over the weekend. No doubt higher latitude A indices could be higher.
>
> Sunspot numbers for February 6 through 12 were 135, 153, 162, 194, 163,
> 134 and 119, with a mean of 151.4. The 10.7-cm flux was 149.5, 147.3,
> 139.2, 141.4, 136.2, 134.9 and 131.6, with a mean of 140. Estimated
> planetary A indices were 16, 13, 13, 15, 16, 12 and 12, with a mean of
> 13.9.
>
> __________________________________
>
> ==>IN BRIEF:
>
> * This weekend on the radio: The ARRL International DX Contest (CW) and
> the YL-OM Contest (SSB) are the weekend of February 15-16. JUST AHEAD: The
> CQ 160-Meter Contest (SSB), the REF Contest (SSB), the UBA DX Contest
> (CW), the FYBO Winter QRP Field Day, the North American QSO Party (RTTY),
> the Russian PSK WW Contest, the High Speed Club CW Contest, the North
> Carolina QSO Party and the CQC Winter QSO Party are the weekend of
> February 22-23. 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: Thanks
> to a new grant from ARRL's corporate partner, United Technologies
> Corporation, students successfully completing Level II and Level III
> on-line Amateur Radio Emergency Communications classes now are eligible
> for reimbursement of their $45 registration fee. Registration for the
> grant-sponsored ARRL Level III Amateur Radio Emergency Communications
> (EC-003) and for the unsponsored HF Digital Communications (EC-005)
> courses opens Monday, February 17, 12:01 AM Eastern Standard Time (0501
> UTC). Senior amateurs are especially encouraged to take advantage of the
> Amateur Radio Emergency Communications classes. Registration will remain
> open through Sunday, February 23 or until all seats have been filled.
> Classes begin Monday, February 24. No seats remain in the February
> registration period for the ARRL Level II Amateur Radio Emergency
> Communications (EC-002). Registration for the Antenna Modeling (EC-004)
> course remains open through Sunday, February 16. A new service now allows
> those interested in taking an ARRL Certification and Continuing Education
> (C-CE) course in the future to receive advance word of registration
> opportunities via e-mail. To take advantage, send an e-mail to
> prereg@arrl.org. On the subject line, include the course name or number
> (eg, EC-00#). In the message body, include your name, call sign, e-mail
> address, and the month you want to start the course. To learn more, visit
> the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Web page
> <http://www.arrl.org/cce> and the C-CE Links found there. For more
> information, contact Certification and Continuing Education Program
> Coordinator Howard Robins, W1HSR, hrobins@arrl.org.
>
> * Indiana amateur antenna bill advances: The latest effort to get an
> Amateur Radio antenna bill on the books in the State of Indiana took
> another step forward this week. Senate Bill 109 received a "do pass"
> recommendation following a hearing and a 5-3 vote February 12 by members
> of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. The measure now goes to the
> full Senate. In addition to incorporating the essence of the limited
> federal preemption known as PRB-1 into state statutes, the measure would
> prohibit localities from restricting the height of an Amateur Radio
> antenna to less than 75 feet above ground level. "I expect opposition on
> this bill from the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, and the
> Indiana Historical Preservation Society," said ARRL Indiana Section
> Manager Jim Sellers, K9ZBM. Sellers was among those speaking in favor of
> SB109 at the committee hearing. He told the panel that there is a
> patchwork of ordinances across the state regulating various allowable
> antenna heights, some of them too low to provide effective communication.
> SB109 would provide a uniform standard.
>
> * Atlantic Division seeks nominees for annual awards: The ARRL Atlantic
> Division is seeking nominees for its 2003 awards for Amateur of the Year
> and Technical Achievement. The Amateur of the Year Award recognizes a ham
> in the division whose record merits recognition for outstanding
> contributions to the Amateur Radio Service. The Technical Achievement
> Award honors amateurs who contribute to the advancement of the radio art
> and whose attitude exemplifies the highest dedication to service to others
> and to science, rather than self. Groups of two or more Amateurs may be
> nominated for a joint award in this category. All nominations must be
> received by March 15, 2003. Visit the Atlantic Division Web site
> <http://www.bfdin.net/atldiv/AtlAwards.htm> to obtain an award nomination
> form and additional details. For more information, contact Atlantic
> Division Vice Director Bill Edgar, N3LLR, n3llr@arrl.org, or write him at
> 22 Jackson Ave, Bradford, PA 16701.
>
> * ARISS chair begs patience regarding RS0ISS packet system: The chairman
> of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station international
> team, Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, is asking hams to be patient regarding
> resumption of the ISS packet operation. "Over the past few weeks the ARISS
> team has received numerous queries as to when the packet system will be
> turned back on," Bauer said. "We want to thank you all for your concern in
> getting this important capability up and running again." Bauer said ARISS
> has been working with NASA and Russian space officials to get the system
> operational again, but that the ISS crew has other priorities--especially
> in the wake of the Columbia tragedy. Bauer said that given the busy crew
> schedule, amateurs should not be surprised if the RS0ISS packet system is
> off the air for a bit longer. Once it's operational, he advised amateurs
> not to post messages to the crew since the crew has not had the
> opportunity to read the mail.
>
> ===========================================================
> 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>. Jim Haynie, W5JBP, President.
>
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