[Letter-List] The ARRL Letter for February 4, 2010

Thu Feb 4 14:01:58 EST 2010

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            The  ARRL Letter

Published by the American Radio Relay League
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February 4, 2010

Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA <k1sfa at arrl.org>

ARRL Home Page <http://www.arrl.org/>ARRL Letter Archive
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/>Audio News
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> IN THIS ISSUE

-  Public Service : Illinois Teams with Amateur Radio Operators to
Create RACES Program
- Public Service: MARS Unifies Operation in Support of Haiti Relief
Effort
-  ARRL Field Day : 2010 Field Day Packets Now Available
-  Coming Up in QST : Look for the March Issue of QST to Arrive Soon!
- Licensing News:  NCVEC Releases Revised Technician Question Pool
- ARRL Recognizes: Former ARRL President Named QCWA President Emeritus
- Solar Update
- This Week on the Radio

==>  PUBLIC SERVICE : ILLINOIS TEAMS WITH AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS TO
CREATE RACES PROGRAM

   A newly forged partnership between Amateur Radio operators
throughout the state of Illinois and the Illinois Emergency Management
Agency (IEMA) will provide an additional layer of emergency
communications during disasters. The agreement creates the State Radio
Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES) program. Under the agreement,
IEMA Director Andrew Velasquez appointed ARRL Illinois Section
Emergency Coordinator Brad Pioveson, W9FX, of Benton as the volunteer
State RACES Officer. Pioveson will serve as the single point of contact
between IEMA and the Illinois Amateur Radio community. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2010/02/02/11321/?nc=1>.

==> PUBLIC SERVICE: MARS UNIFIES OPERATION IN SUPPORT OF HAITI RELIEF
EFFORT

   To assist the MARS communications support effort in Haiti, the heads
of the Army, Air Force, and Navy-Marine Corps MARS programs have agreed
to divvy up responsibilities among the three Service MARS programs.
According to Air Force MARS Public Information Officer David
Trachtenberg, N4WWL/AFA3TR, this delegation of responsibility will
facilitate more efficient utilization of MARS communications assets in
the overall relief operation. On January 12, a 7.0 earthquake struck
Haiti, killing thousands and wiped out the island nation's
communication infrastructure. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2010/02/03/11326/?nc=1>.

==>  ARRL FIELD DAY : 2010 FIELD DAY PACKETS NOW AVAILABLE

It's that time of year again -- time to start gearing up for ARRL Field
Day, June 26-27, 2010! ARRL's flagship operating event -- always held
the fourth full weekend in June -- brings together new and experienced
hams for 24 hours of operating fun. Field Day packets are now available
for download <http://www.arrl.org/contests/forms/fd-2010-packet.pdf>
and include the complete rules (including changes for 2010), as well as
other reference items such as forms, ARRL Section abbreviation list,
entry submission instructions, a Frequently Asked Questions section,
guidelines for getting bonus points, instructions for GOTA stations, a
kit to publicize your event with the local press and more.

==>  COMING UP IN QST : LOOK FOR THE MARCH ISSUE OF QST TO ARRIVE SOON!

   The March issue of QST -- our annual antenna issue -- is jam-packed
with all sorts of things today's Amateur Radio operator needs. From
product reviews to experiments to contesting to a plethora of antennas
and antenna projects, the upcoming issue of QST has something for just
about everyone. You'll find an abundance of technical and general
interest articles -- including a new operating event for newly licensed
hams -- as well as monthly columns such as Happenings, How's DX,
Hamspeak, Vintage Radio and more. Click here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2010/02/02/11324/?nc=1> to discover
what's in store for you in the March issue of QST, the official journal
of the ARRL .

==> LICENSING NEWS:  NCVEC RELEASES REVISED TECHNICIAN QUESTION POOL

   In January, the Question Pool Committee (QPC
<http://www.ncvec.org/page.php?id=333>) of the National Conference of
Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC <http://www.ncvec.org/>)
released <http://www.arrl.org/?artid=9368> the 2010 Technician (Element
2) Question Pool. Upon further review of the pool, members of the QPC
found and corrected more than 50 minor typographical errors and
clarified the questions and answers, making them easier to understand.
These adopted changes are now incorporated in a revised question pool.
Read more here <http://www.arrl.org/?artid=9415>.

==>  ARRL IN ACTION : WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO LATELY?

   This feature -- including convenient Web links to useful information
-- is a concise monthly update of some of the things ARRL is doing on
behalf of its members, including planning for the League's future at
the 2010 Annual Meeting of the ARRL Board of Directors, preparing for
WRC-12, investigating interference, providing equipment for
communications support in Haiti through the ARRL's Ham Aid program and
more. This installment covers the month of January. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2010/02/01/11320/?nc=1>.

==> ARRL RECOGNIZES: FORMER ARRL PRESIDENT NAMED QCWA PRESIDENT
EMERITUS

   Harry Dannals, W2HD -- who led the ARRL as President from 1972-1982
and was named ARRL President Emeritus in 1984
<http://www.arrl.org/honoraries.html> -- has been named President
Emeritus of the Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA
<http://www.qcwa.org/>). Dannals also served as President of QCWA from
1989-1994; he is the only person to ever serve as President to both
organizations. In addition to his work with the QCWA and ARRL, Dannals
is a Fellow in the Radio Club of America (RCA
<http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/>), a member of the Society of
Wireless Pioneers (SOWP <http://www.sowp.org/>), the Old Old Timers
Club (OOTC <http://www.ootc.us/>) and the Veteran Wireless Operators
Association (VWOA <http://www.vwoa.org/>). In 2002, he was inducted
into the CQ Magazine Amateur Radio Hall of Fame
<http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2002/05/31/102/>. "I was pleased to
learn that the QCWA's leadership has conferred upon Harry Dannals this
very well-deserved accolade," said ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN.
"As the only person to have served as President of the ARRL and the
QCWA, he is unique among amateurs."

==>  FCC NEWS : FCC NOTES AMATEUR RADIO RESPONSE TO HAITIAN EARTHQUAKE

   In a posting on January 28 to the FCC's blog
<http://reboot.fcc.gov/blog/>, Mindel DeLaTorre -- the Commission's
International Bureau Chief -- noted how Amateur Radio operators are
assisting with communications support in earthquake ravaged Haiti. "The
amateur radio community is also contributing to the relief efforts,"
she wrote. "In the aftermath of the earthquake, the amateur radio
community in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and elsewhere has dedicated
equipment and spectrum resources to the relief efforts." DeLaTorre
reiterated that those who want to assist in the relief effort must go
through the proper channels <http://www.arrl.org/?artid=9397>: "For
anyone wanting to help, to protect against harmful interference, it is
important to go through the Haitian government before any radio
equipment or spectrum resources are used in Haiti."

==> ARRL RECOGNIZES: PHIL SALAS, AD5X, WINS JANUARY QST  COVER PLAQUE
AWARD

   The winner of the QST  Cover Plaque Award for January is Phil Salas,
AD5X, for his article "160 and 80 Meter Matching Network for Your 43
Foot Vertical -- Part 2." Congratulations Phil! 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 February issue by Sunday, February 28.
<http://www.arrl.org/members-only/QSTvote.html>

==> SOLAR UPDATE

   Tad "Sun and moon but set to rise
<http://www.robertburns.org/works/483.shtml>" Cook, K7RA, reports: As
soon as sunspot 1041 went over the horizon at the end of January,
sunspot 1043 emerged, high in our Sun's northern hemisphere. The
average daily sunspot number this week fell more than 13 points to
14.6; the average daily solar flux declined nearly 7 points to 75.
Geomagnetic activity was up, and the average daily planetary A index
rose 2 points to 5.1. The average daily sunspot number for January was
21.3, and the 3-month trailing average -- centered on December -- was
approximately 15.2. Like last month, the average for the month greater
than the 3-month average centered on the previous month is a good
trend. The difference between the monthly average sunspot number and
the trailing 3-month average has been positive since September. The
difference for November, December and January was 0.6, 5.5 and 6.2. For
2009, the 3-month average centered on January through December
(resolved to two digits beyond the decimal point) was 2.19, 2.02, 1.49,
2.01, 4.23, 5.2, 4, 4, 4.64, 7.1, 10.16 and 15.15. The predicted
planetary A index for February 4-9 is 5, 5, 8, 10, 10 and 5. The
predicted solar flux for those same days is 78, 80, 82, 85, 88 and 90.
Look for more information in the Solar Update -- including news on 6
meter openings, and a piece from Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, about an
auroral oval image -- on the ARRL Web site on Friday, February 5. For
more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical
Information Service Propagation page
<http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html>. This week's "Tad
Cookism" brought to you by Robert Burns' Inconsistency in Love
<http://www.robertburns.org/works/483.shtml>.

==> THIS WEEK ON THE RADIO

 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9Zev5gr9is>	This week, there is a
running of the NCCC Sprint Ladder on February 5. Look for the FYBO
Winter QRP Sprint, the Minnesota QSO Party and the AGCW Straight Key
Party on February 6. The Vermont QSO Party, the YL-ISSB QSO Party (CW),
the 10-10 International Winter Contest (SSB), the British Columbia QSO
Party, the Delaware QSO Party and the Mexico RTTY International Contest
are February 6-7. On February 7, check out the North American Sprint
(CW) and the ARCI Fireside SSB Sprint. The New Mexico QSO Party is
February 8. The ARRL School Club Roundup <http://www.arrl.org/SCR/> is
February 8-12. The NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint is February 10 and the
CWops Mini-CWT Test is February 10-11. Next week, the NCCC Sprint
Ladder is February 12. The YLRL YL-OM Contest is February 12-14 and the
FISTS Winter Sprint is February 13. On February 13-14, be sure to check
out the CQWW RTTY WPX Contest, the KCJ Topband Contest, the Louisiana
QSO Party and the OMISS QSO Party. The North American Sprint (SSB) and
the SKCC Weekend Sprint are both February 14. The Classic Exchange
(Phone) is February 15 and the AGCW Semi-Automatic Key Evening is
February 17. All dates, unless otherwise stated, are UTC. See the ARRL
Contest Branch page <http://www.arrl.org/contests/>, the ARRL Contest
Update <http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/> and the WA7BNM Contest
Calendar <http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more
info. Looking for a Special Event station? Be sure to check out the
ARRL Special Event Station Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/spev.html>.

==> ARRL CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSE REGISTRATION

   Registration remains open through Sunday, February 21, 2010, for
these online course sessions <http://www.arrl.org/cep/student/>
beginning on Friday, March 5, 2010: Amateur Radio Emergency
Communications Level 1; Antenna Modeling; Radio Frequency Interference;
Antenna Design and Construction; Ham Radio (Technician) License Course;
Propagation; Analog Electronics, and Digital Electronics. To learn
more, visit the CEP Course Listing page
<http://www.arrl.org/cep/student> or contact the Continuing Education
Program Coordinator <cce at arrl.org>.

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