[Letter-List] The ARRL Letter for August 2, 2012

Thu Aug 2 16:01:47 EDT 2012

********************************************
            The  ARRL Letter

Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************

August 2, 2012

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

- + ARRL Board of Directors: ARRL Southeastern Division Vice Director
Andrea Hartlage, KG4IUM, Announces Resignation
- + ARRL Board of Directors: Minutes of 2012 Second Meeting Now
Available
- ARRL in Action: What Have We Been Up to Lately?
- + FCC News: FCC Denies Petition Seeking to Designate Nationwide
Emergency Calling Frequency
- + FCC News: FCC Upholds $7000 Forfeiture Order to California CB
Operator
- + Ivica Dacic, YU1YU, Elected Prime Minister of Serbia
- On the Air: Special Event Stations in London and Wales On the Air for
2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
- Solar Update
- Silent Key: Noted QST Author Steve Powlishen, K1FO (SK)
- + ARRL Recognizes: Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA,	Wins July QST Cover
Plaque Award
- + W1AW: W1AW's EchoLink and IRLP Nodes Back in Service
- This Week in Radiosport
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events

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

==> + ARRL BOARD OF DIRECTORS: ARRL SOUTHEASTERN DIVISION VICE DIRECTOR
ANDREA HARTLAGE, KG4IUM, ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION

   ARRL Southeastern Division Vice Director Andrea Hartlage, KG4IUM,
announced that she has resigned her position from the ARRL Board of
Directors, effective August 1. Hartlage -- who graduated from the
Georgia Institute of Technology in May -- will be moving to the
Washington, DC area to begin her career. The ARRL Articles of
Association require that a Director or Vice-Director must reside in the
Division. ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, has appointed James
Millsap, WB4NWS, of Acworth, Georgia, to fill the vacancy, also
effective August 1. Millsap, who has a background serving in the ARRL's
Georgia Field Organization, currently serves as the ARRL Metro Atlanta
District Emergency Coordinator.

"I want to make it clear that while I will no longer be a member of the
Southeastern Division or a Board member, I plan to remain involved in
ham radio and to continue serving the Amateur Radio community,"
Hartlage told Southeastern Division amateurs. "I will continue to be an
active member of the Youth in the Second Century Committee, will
continue to help the ARRL staff and Board in any way possible and look
forward to becoming an active member of the Roanoke Division." Read
more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/james-millsap-wb4nws-appointed-vice-director-of-the-arrl-southeastern-division>.

==> + ARRL BOARD OF DIRECTORS: MINUTES OF 2012 SECOND MEETING NOW
AVAILABLE

The ARRL Board of Directors met
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-board-plans-for-2014-centennial-celebration-at-2012-second-meeting>
July 20-21 in Windsor, Connecticut for its 2012 Second Meeting. The
Minutes of that meeting have now been posted
<http://www.arrl.org/board-meetings> on the ARRL website.

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

   This feature is a concise monthly update of some of the things that
the ARRL is doing on behalf of its members. This installment -- which
covers the month of July -- takes a look at the 2012 Second Meeting of
the ARRL Board of Directors, an ARRL-sponsored webinar on hurricane
response, an interview on ham radio with an astronaut, W1AW services,
integration of the ARRL's LoTW program with CQ's WPX Award, reports
from the Official Observer Desk and more. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-in-action-what-have-we-been-up-to-lately-48>.

==> + FCC NEWS: FCC DENIES PETITION SEEKING TO DESIGNATE NATIONWIDE
EMERGENCY CALLING FREQUENCY

Saying that it believes that the Amateur Radio Service "allows
flexibility to provide emergency communications in a way that takes
into account channel availability and other local conditions," the FCC
denied a Petition for Rulemaking on July 31 that sought to create a
nationwide emergency calling frequency. The Petition -- filed by Bryan
Boyle, WB0YLE, of Morrisville, Pennsylvania, and Jim Dixon, WB6NIL, of
Alhambra, California -- called upon the FCC to designate 146.550 MHz as
a "non-exclusive nationwide Amateur Radio Service emergency
communications channel using FM wideband modulation." Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-denies-petition-seeking-to-designate-nationwide-emergency-calling-frequency>.

==> + FCC NEWS: FCC UPHOLDS $7000 FORFEITURE ORDER TO CALIFORNIA CB
OPERATOR

   After a Merced, California man refused to let FCC investigators
inspect his Citizens Band (CB) radio station, the FCC issued -- and
upheld -- a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (NAL) for $7000
for not allowing the inspection. In issuing the NAL in March 2011, the
FCC found that Ira Jones "apparently willfully and repeatedly" violated
Section 303(n) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, and
Section 95.426(a) of the Commission's rules (CB Rule 26) by failing to
permit the inspection. Jones responded to the NAL, but the FCC upheld
the forfeiture amount, saying that Jones' arguments were "irrelevant"
and "unpersuasive." Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-upholds-7000-forfeiture-order-to-california-cb-operator>.

==> + IVICA DACIC, YU1YU, ELECTED PRIME MINISTER OF SERBIA

Former Serbian Internal Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic, YU1YU
<http://sps.org.rs/en/president/>, was elected as that country's newest
Prime Minister on July 27. He succeeds Mirko Cvetkovic, who served as
Serbia's Prime Minister from 2008-2012. Dacic is the leader of the
Socialist Party of Serbia; from 2008 until his election as Prime
Minister, he served as First Deputy Prime Minister, as well as Minister
of Internal Affairs. In March 2012, Serbia became a candidate for
membership in the European Union (EU <http://europa.eu/index_en.htm>).

   Dacic is a member of the Amateur Radio Union of Serbia (SRS
<http://www.yu1srs.org.rs/>), Serbia's IARU Member-Society and is said
to be a member of his local club,  YU1AAV
<http://www.yu1fjk.org/yu1aav/>. The club was founded in 1978 as one of
nine sections of the Novi Beograd (New Belgrade) Amateur Radio Club,
YU1FJK <http://www.yu1fjk.org/yu1aav/>. According to its website,
YU1AAV's primary goal has been to teach kids Morse code and Amateur
Radio Direction Finding skills: "The 1990s brought us war, sanctions
and social crises, but it also brought the good opportunity to move
kids from the streets to learn ham radio. These were the years when the
most kids from the neighborhood finished the course to get their basic
ham license."

Boban Kojic, YT9A, told ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner,
K1ZZ, that he was "happy that Ivica had become a ham and had passed his
telegrapher's class. It is exciting that today's Prime Minister passed
his second class exam in high school and has supported his club
throughout the years. I first met Ivica at the 2005 Region 1 ARDF
Championships in Tara, when I was SRS President. He helped to gather
funds for the event, and together, we went from ministry to ministry in
search of financial support. Ivica himself called the president of
Bajina Bašta [a town located in the western mountains of Serbia where
the opening ceremony would be held] and sought his assistance to fund
the opening ceremony. Now this wasn't a small amount of money; it was
money for the buses from Tara to Bajina Bašta and back, the renting of
a stadium, cleaning and decorating, organization of about 15-20 minutes
of cultural and arts programs and cocktails for representatives of the
national associations, as well as gift bags for each and every one of
them."

   In another e-mail to Sumner, Ivan Mastilovic, YU1LA, said that while
he has not heard Dacic on the bands, "it is probably because his job
takes all his free time. I have met him a few times with the SRS and he
is a very nice young man with a real interest in Amateur Radio. No
doubt that when his political career ends, he will be on the air more
with a true love for ham radio. Now, as our Prime Minster, I'm sure he
can help our ham radio community."

Prior to his election as Prime Minister, Dacic served as the spokesman
for the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS <http://sps.org.rs/en/>) from
1992-2000; he has served as president of the SPS since December 2006.
He holds a degree in political science from the University of Belgrade.
According to the SPS, Dacic, 46, is fluent in both Russian and English,
is married and the father of two children.  -- Thanks to ARRL MVP
Associate Sanijela Zanovic for providing translating services

==> ON THE AIR: SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS IN LONDON AND WALES ON THE AIR
FOR 2012 OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES

   Two British special event call signs have been activated to
celebrate the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games: 2O12L from
London, England and 2O12W from Barry, Wales. Both stations will be on
the air for the duration of the Games -- July 25-August 12 -- and
continuing through September 9. Organizers hope to make at least 80,000
contacts during the seven weeks that 2O12L and 2O12W are on the air.
Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/special-event-stations-in-london-and-wales-on-the-air-for-2012-olympic-and-paralympic-games>.

==> SOLAR UPDATE

   Tad "I'm up before the Sun
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6o1vuNQmIo>" Cook, K7RA, reports: The
average sunspot numbers this week were up more than 47 points to 99.3,
while the average daily solar flux rose nearly 35 points to 131.7. The
solar flux jumped from 139.8 on Tuesday, July 31 to 150.1 on Wednesday,
August 1. The predicted solar flux is 155 on August 2-3, 150 on August
4, 145 on August 5-6, 140 on August 7, 135 on August 8-9, 140 and 130
on August 10-11, and back down to 120 on August 12-13. The solar flux
is expected to drop below 100 on August 16-21. The predicted planetary
A index is 10 and 8 on August 2-3, 5 on August 4-19, 8 on August 20-21,
5 on August 22-23, and then 8, 8, 12 and 8 on August 24-27. Look for
more on the ARRL website on Friday, August 3. For more information
concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information
Service Propagation page
<http://www.arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals>. This week's "Tad
Cookism" is brought to you by DEVO's Working in a Coal Mine
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devo>.

==> SILENT KEY: NOTED QST AUTHOR STEVE POWLISHEN, K1FO (SK)

   Steve Powlishen, K1FO, of Madison, Connecticut, passed away July 28
due to complications from cancer. He was 60. An ARRL Life Member,
Powlishen was best known for his antenna designs for weak signal work.
His company, Lunar-Link Systems -- founded by Powlishen in 1994 --
manufactured and sold high-performance amplifiers that allowed more
amateurs to experience Earth-Moon-Earth (EME), often called
"Moonbounce," on 432 MHz. Powlishen -- who had 613 unique contacts on
70 cm EME -- penned more than 10 articles for QST, QEX and Ham Radio
Magazine on weak signal operation. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/noted-em-qst-em-author-steve-powlishen-k1fo-sk>.

==> + ARRL RECOGNIZES: CARL LUETZELSCHWAB, K9LA,  WINS JULY QST COVER
PLAQUE AWARD

   The winner of the July QST Cover Plaque award is Carl Luetzelschwab,
K9LA, for his article "Our Recent Solar Minimum and Sunspot Cycle 24
Progress." Congratulations Carl! 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/cover-plaque-poll> . Cast a ballot for your
favorite article in the August issue today.

==> + W1AW: W1AW'S ECHOLINK AND IRLP NODES BACK IN SERVICE

With the recent upgrades
<http://www.arrl.org/news/disruptions-possible-as-arrl-reconfigures-internet-services>
to the ARRL's Internet system completed, the W1AW EchoLink Conference
Server W1AWBDCT and W1AW's IRLP Node 4292
<http://www.arrl.org/echolink-irlp> are now back in service. Amateurs
are able to once again listen to code practice transmissions and
digital bulletins via the W1AW EchoLink Conference Server.

==> THIS WEEK IN RADIOSPORT

This week:

- August 3 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
- August 4 -- TARA Grid Dip Shindig; European HF Championship
- August 4-5 -- ARRL UHF Contest
<http://www.arrl.org/news/the-bands-heat-up-for-the-2012-arrl-august-uhf-contest>;
North American QSO Party (CW); 10-10 International Summer Contest (SSB)
- August 5 -- RSGB RoPoCo CW; SARL HF Phone Contest
- August 7 -- ARS Spartan Sprint
- August 8 -- NAQCC-EU Monthly Sprint
- August 8-9 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test

Next week:

- August 10 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
- August 11-12 -- Maryland-DC QSO Party; WAE DX Contest (CW)
- August 12 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon; Feld Hell Sprint
- August 15 -- NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint

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/The-ARRL-Contest-Update> and the WA7BNM Contest
Calendar <http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more
information. Looking for a Special Event station? Be sure to check out
the ARRL Special Event Stations web page
<http://www.arrl.org/special-event-stations>.

==> UPCOMING ARRL SECTION, STATE AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS AND EVENTS

- August 3-4 -- ARRL Texas State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/texas-state-convention-austin-summerfest-2>,
Austin, Texas
- August 3-5 -- Pacific Northwest DX Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/pacific-northwest-dx-convention-1>,
Portland, Oregon
- August 11 -- ARRL Ohio State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/ohio-state-convention>, Columbus, Ohio
- August 18 -- ARRL West Virginia State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/west-virginia-state-convention-2>,
Weston, West Virginia
- August 18-19 -- ARRL Southeastern Division Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/southeastern-division-convention-huntsville-hamfest>,
Huntsville, Alabama
- August 19 -- ARRL Kansas State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/kansas-state-convention-2>, Salina,
Kansas
- August 24-26 -- ARRL New England Division Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/new-england-division-convention-1>,
Boxboro, Massachusetts
- August 26 -- ARRL Western Pennsylvania Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/western-pennsylvania-section-convention-2>,
New Kensington, Pennsylvania
- September 14-15 -- W9DXCC Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/w9dxcc-convention-2>, Elk Grove Village,
Illinois
- September 15 -- ARRL Virginia Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/virginia-section-convention-virginia-beach-hamfest>,
Virginia Beach, Virginia
- September 22 -- ARRL Washington State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/washington-state-convention-36th-annual-spokane-hamfest>,
Spokane Valley, Washington
- September 22-23 -- ARRL Illinois State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/illinois-state-convention-peoria-superfest-2012>,
Peoria, Illinois
- September 28-29 -- SEDCO/W4DXCC VIII Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/sedco-w4dxcc-viii-convention>, Pigeon
Forge, Tennessee
- October 12-14 -- ARRL National Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/arrl-national-convention-pacificon-2012>,
Santa Clara, California
- October 13 -- ARRL Iowa State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/iowa-state-convention-hamboree-2012>,
Sergeant Bluff, Iowa
- October 13-14 -- ARRL Florida State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/florida-state-convention-melbourne-hamfest-1>,
Melbourne, Florida

To find a convention or hamfest near you, click here
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests>.

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