From memberlist at www.arrl.org  Thu Jul  5 15:21:51 2012
From: memberlist at www.arrl.org (ARRL Web site)
Date: Thu,  5 Jul 2012 15:21:51 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Letter-List] The ARRL Letter for July 5, 2012
Message-ID: <20120705194631.CD0DC278D0@bmail.arrl.org>

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

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

July 5, 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

- Public Service: Colorado Hams Provide Disaster Communications During
Wildfires
- On the Air: Logbook of the World Now Supports CQ's WPX Award
- Amateur Radio in Space: Trio from ISS Lands Safely in Kazakhstan
- On the Air: The IARU HF Championship Heats Up the Summer
- FCC News: California Ham Cited $17,000 for Operating Unlicensed Radio
Station
- ARRL in Action: What Have We Been Up to Lately?
- Solar Update
- ARRL Recognizes: Dennis Johnson, KF0QR, Wins June QST Cover Plaque
Award
- This Week in Radiosport
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events

Due to the Fourth of July holiday, there will be no ARRL Audio News
<http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news> today.

==> PUBLIC SERVICE: COLORADO HAMS PROVIDE DISASTER COMMUNICATIONS
DURING WILDFIRES

   Thanks to an extremely dry season, portions of Colorado have been
ravaged by wildfires. As of July 5, only a handful of the fires are
considered extinguished or fully contained, with the majority
considered still active. According to InciWeb, almost 170,000 acres are
affected by 11 active fires. Since June 9 -- when the High Park Fire,
the first of the wildfires began -- hams in Colorado have been
assisting with disaster communications, providing communications
support to the State and served agencies. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/colorado-hams-provide-disaster-communications-during-wildfires>.

==> ON THE AIR: LOGBOOK OF THE WORLD NOW SUPPORTS CQ'S WPX AWARD

   The wait is over! After weeks of beta testing, the ARRL launched the
integration of Logbook of The World (LoTW) -- its electronic
confirmation system -- with CQ Magazine's Worked All Prefixes (WPX)
Award on Monday, July 2. The WPX Award is the first of the CQ-sponsored
awards that LoTW will support. More than 51,000 radio amateurs
worldwide use Logbook of The World, and there are currently almost 432
million QSOs in the LoTW system. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-launches-logbook-of-the-world-wpx-award-integration>.

==> AMATEUR RADIO IN SPACE: TRIO FROM ISS LANDS SAFELY IN KAZAKHSTAN

   Three members of the Expedition 31 crew undocked from the
International Space Station and returned safely to Earth Sunday, July
1, wrapping up a mission that lasted almost seven months. Russian
Commander Oleg Kononenko, RN3DX, along with NASA Flight Engineer Don
Pettit, KD5MDT, and European Space Agency Flight Engineer Andre
Kuipers, PI9ISS, landed their Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft in Kazakhstan at
0514 UTC. The trio -- who arrived at the station December 23, 2011 --
spent a total of 193 days in space, 191 of which were aboard the ISS.
Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/trio-from-iss-lands-safely-in-kazakhstan>.

==> ON THE AIR: THE IARU HF CHAMPIONSHIP HEATS UP THE SUMMER

Radiosport fans are gearing up for the summer's biggest HF competition:
the IARU HF World Championship
<http://www.arrl.org/iaru-hf-championship>. This 24 hour long contest
is the highlight of the summer HF contesting season, with plenty of
opportunity to work DX from all around the globe on CW and SSB.
Participants also get the chance to make QSOs with many IARU Member
Society club stations and officials.

   "The IARU HF Championship is one of radio sport's unique events,"
said ARRL Contest Branch Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X. "It's the only
major contest that uses International Telecommunication Union (ITU
<http://www.itu.int/>) zones <http://iaru.org/ituzonesc.gif> as part of
the exchange, and the only contest that gives special multiplier status
for IARU Member-Society stations and their officials."

Hams can get in on the fun in a variety of ways. You may choose to
enter as either a single operator, using either SSB only, CW only or a
mixture of both modes. Single operator stations can choose from three
power levels: High Power (greater than 150 W), Low Power (between 5 and
150 W) or QRP (5 W or less). You can also get some friends together at
one station and participate as a Multioperator station with a single
transceiver.

One of the fun things to do is see how many of the IARU special
stations you can work during the event. "While most stations give their
ITU zone as part of the contest exchange, IARU Member-Society stations
give the abbreviation for their IARU society name, such as "ARRL" for
W1AW," Kutzko explained. "In addition, IARU officials can give one of
four unique exchanges: AC if they are on the IARU Administrative
Council, or R1, R2 or R3 for the ITU Region that official serves. It is
always special to see so many nations represented on the air by their
national organization. It reinforces the global nature of Amateur Radio
and the common bonds we all have as amateurs."

The IARU HF World Championship
<http://www.arrl.org/iaru-hf-championship> begins at 1200 UTC Saturday,
July 14 and goes until 1200 UTC Sunday, July 15. Complete rules may be
found online <http://www.arrl.org/contests>. Logs may be submitted via
e-mail <iaruhf at iaru.org>; paper logs should be mailed to IARU
International Secretariat, Box 310905, Newington, CT 06111-0905 USA.
All logs must be e-mailed or postmarked no later than 1200 UTC August
14, 2012.

==> FCC NEWS: CALIFORNIA HAM CITED $17,000 FOR OPERATING UNLICENSED
RADIO STATION

   On July 2, the FCC issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for
Forfeiture and Order in the amount of $17,000, accusing Brian R. Ragan,
KF6EGI, of Suisun City, California, of "apparently willfully and
repeatedly violating" the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, by
operating an unlicensed radio transmitter on frequency 104.9 MHz and
failing to allow an inspection of his station by FCC personnel. The
Commission said that Ragan, "as a licensed Amateur Radio operator for
at least six years, [he] should be aware that any radio equipment at
his station must be made available for inspection at any time when
requested by the FCC, and also should be aware of the proper operation
of his amateur station in accordance with the Rules." Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/california-ham-cited-for-operating-unlicensed-radio-station>.

==> 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 June -- takes a look at the new 9 cm band plan and
a proposed 23 cm band plan, education and resource grants to schools,
nominations for Director and Vice Director in five ARRL Divisions,
W1AW's spring antenna inspections, the ARRL VEC preparations for the
new Amateur Extra class exam, 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-47>.

==> SOLAR UPDATE

   Tad "A firework, a dancing flame
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuwfgXD8qV8>" Cook, K7RA, reports:
Solar activity jumped way up this week, with average daily sunspot
numbers increasing by nearly 92 points to 118.1, while the average
daily solar flux rose to 138.5 from 92.8 the week before. One new
sunspot group appeared on June 29, another on July 1 and two more on
July 4. Geomagnetic activity this week was concentrated on June 30-July
2, and the causes were the usual suspects: solar flares and solar wind
spewing from coronal holes. One unusual aspect was that the
mid-latitude A index, measured in Virginia, was actually higher on July
3-4 than the planetary A index, which is usually higher than
mid-latitude numbers. The planetary A index is made up of an aggregate
of data from multiple geomagnetic observatories. The outlook for the
near term is for increasing activity over the next few days, with solar
flux at 155 on July 5, 160 on July 6-7, 155 and 150 on July 8-9, 145 on
July 10-11, then 140, 135, 130, 125 and 110 on July 12-16. Solar flux
is expected to dip below 100 on July 19-22. The planetary A index is
expected at 8 on July 5-8, 10 on July 9, 7 on July 10 and 5 on July
11-26, followed by another active period with planetary A index at 20
on July 27-28 and 15 on July 29-30. Look for more on the ARRL website
on Friday, July 6. 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 Katy Perry's Part of Me
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Part_of_Me_%28Katy_Perry_song%29>.

==> ARRL RECOGNIZES: DENNIS JOHNSON, KF0QR, WINS JUNE QST COVER PLAQUE
AWARD

   The winner of the June QST Cover Plaque Award is Dennis Johnson,
KF0QR, for his article "A 160 and 75/80 Meter Folded Dipole."
Congratulations Dennis! 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 July issue today.

==> THIS WEEK IN RADIOSPORT

This week:

- July 6 -- NCCC Sprint
- July 7-8 -- Venezuelan Independence Day Contest; DL-DX RTTY Contest;
Original QRP Contest; PODXS 070 Club 40 Meter Firecracker Sprint (local
time)
- July 8 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon; DARC 10 Meter Digital Contest;
QRP ARCI Summer Homebrew Sprint
- July 9 -- NAQCC-EU Monthly Sprint
- July 11-12 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test

Next week:

- July 14 -- FISTS Summer Sprint
- July 14-15 -- IARU HF World Championship
- July 15 -- CQC Great Colorado Gold Rush
- July 19 -- 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

- July 20-22 -- ARRL Montana State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/montana-state-convention-78th-glacier-waterton-international-hamfest>,
East Glacier, Montana
- July 26-28 -- Central States VHF Society Conference
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/central-states-vhf-society-conference-1>,
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- July 27-28 -- ARRL Oklahoma Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/oklahoma-section-convention-ham-holiday-2012>,
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- July 27-29 -- ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/rocky-mountain-division-convention-2>,
Bryce Canyon, Utah
- 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 10-12 -- RAC National Convention 2012
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/rac-convention-2012>, Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada
- 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

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

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From memberlist at www.arrl.org  Thu Jul 12 14:50:39 2012
From: memberlist at www.arrl.org (ARRL Web site)
Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2012 14:50:39 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Letter-List] The ARRL Letter for July 12, 2012
Message-ID: <20120712200704.9F77826DFA6@bmail.arrl.org>

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

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

July 12, 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

- + Executive Order Poses No Threat to the Amateur Radio Service
- + Legislative News: State-Level PRB-1 Law Now on the Books in
Illinois
- Amateur Radio in Space: Three Hams Scheduled to Head to ISS This
Weekend
- + Public Service: ARRL to Host Webinar on Amateur Radio Response to
2012 Hurricane Season
- On the Air: Additional Diamond DXCC Tools and Reports Now Available
- + QST: Check Your Mailbox for the August 2012 Issue of QST
- QEX: The July/August 2012 Issue
- + W1AW: W1AW's EchoLink and IRLP Nodes Temporarily Suspended
- Solar Update
- + Silent Key: Walt Maxwell, W2DU (SK)
- Two Operations Approved for DXCC Credit
- 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>.

==> + EXECUTIVE ORDER POSES NO THREAT TO THE AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE

   On July 6, 2012, the White House released an Executive Order
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/07/06/executive-order-assignment-national-security-and-emergency-preparedness->
that addresses National Security and Emergency Preparedness (NS/EP)
communications functions of the federal government. Contrary to some
concerns raised in a few Amateur Radio circles, the Order does not
appear to contain any threat to the Amateur Service or its ability to
continue support communications during times of emergency or disaster.
It also poses no threat to amateur spectrum.

"The purpose of the new entity, which would be created by this Order
within the Executive Branch, appears to be to plan for future NS/EP
communications and to ensure survivability, hardness and
interoperability, as well as to develop a long-term strategic plan for
NS/EP communications," said ARRL Regulatory Information Manager Dan
Henderson, N1ND. "Based on the Amateur Service's ongoing, positive
working relationship with officials at the Department of Homeland
Security's Office of Emergency Communications, it is hard to envision
that any new management plan would not include Amateur Radio. Nothing
in this Order directly affects Amateur Radio's daily operations." A
good summary of the content of the Order can be found here
<http://www.federalnewsradio.com/519/2933910/Obama-assigns-new-responsibilities-for-keeping-government-connected-in-case-of-emergency>.

==> + LEGISLATIVE NEWS: STATE-LEVEL PRB-1 LAW NOW ON THE BOOKS IN
ILLINOIS

   Following in the footsteps of various other states, Illinois
Governor Pat Quinn signed HB 1390 -- a state-level PRB-1 law -- on June
30, effective immediately. PRB-1 (as codified in Section 97.15(b)) was
released by the FCC in 1985 and states that "[s]tate and local
regulation of a station antenna structure must not preclude amateur
service communications. Rather, it must reasonably accommodate such
communications and must constitute the minimum practicable regulation
to accomplish the state or local authority's legitimate purpose." Read
more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/state-level-prb-1-law-now-on-the-books-in-illinois>.

==> AMATEUR RADIO IN SPACE: THREE HAMS SCHEDULED TO HEAD TO ISS THIS
WEEKEND

   NASA will televise the launch and docking of the next mission to the
International Space Station (ISS), scheduled for 8:40 PM (CDT)
Saturday, July 14 (0140 UTC Sunday, July 15). NASA Flight Engineer
Sunita Williams, KD5PLB, along with Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko,
RK3DUP, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko
Hoshide, KE5DNI, are completing preparations as they undergo their
final Soyuz spacecraft fit. Live NASA TV coverage of the Soyuz TMA-05M
spacecraft launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan begins at
8:30 PM CDT on Saturday, July 14 (0130 UTC July 15). Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/three-hams-scheduled-to-head-to-iss-this-weekend>.

==> + PUBLIC SERVICE: ARRL TO HOST WEBINAR ON AMATEUR RADIO RESPONSE TO
2012 HURRICANE SEASON

   The ARRL will host a webinar from 8-9:30 PM EDT Tuesday, July 17
(0000-0130 UTC Wednesday, July 18) to present information about the
2012 hurricane season and the Amateur Radio response. The program will
offer presentations from representatives from the National Hurricane
Center (NHC) and WX4NHC (the Amateur Radio station at the NHC), the
VoIP Hurricane Net, the Hurricane Watch Net and the ARRL. Webinar
registration is open to all, but this informative web session will be
of particular interest to those amateurs in hurricane-prone areas. If
you are interested in emergency communications and hurricane
preparedness and response, you are invited to attend this online
presentation. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-to-host-webinar-on-amateur-radio-response-to-2012-hurricane-season>.

==> ON THE AIR: ADDITIONAL DIAMOND DXCC TOOLS AND REPORTS NOW AVAILABLE

   Recently, the ARRL has been able to add some additional tools and
reports to the Diamond DXCC system, including an online form that is
similar to the Online DXCC application and a listing of operators who
qualified for the basic award and how many entities they have credited.
Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/additional-diamond-dxcc-tools-and-reports-now-available>.

==> + QST: CHECK YOUR MAILBOX FOR THE AUGUST 2012 ISSUE OF QST

This cover of the August issue of QST spotlights the ARRL International
Earth-Moon-Earth (EME) Contest. With the advent of very sensitive
receiving preamplifiers and commercially available high-gain Yagi
antennas, many VHF operators are enjoying successful weak signal
contacts. With a total path length of about 500,000 miles, EME is the
ultimate DX! So why not set aside a couple of hours and explore the
August issue of QST.

Avid kit-builder and homebrewer Jim Veatch, WA2EUJ, is no stranger to
the ARRL Hombrew Challenge. As the winner of the First Homebrew
Challenge and the Second Homebrew Challenge (advanced category)
<http://www.arrl.org/news/the-arrl-second-homebrew-challenge-and-the-winners-are>,
Veatch once again won the Homebrew Challenge III
<http://www.arrl.org/news/the-arrl-homebrew-challenge-iii-and-the-winner-is>
with his compact competent transceiver that covers 12 meters, as well
as 10 and 6 in a professional looking package that offers features well
beyond the requirements -- for a total parts cost of $198.30. This
remarkable radio is a dual conversion, downconverting superhet design
that uses the latest digital signal processing technology from the
second IF on. Read about it -- and find out how to build it yourself --
in Veatch's article "The DSP-610 Transceiver."

   If your rig is set up for sound card modes, you can run your radio
from afar. In "Remote Control Made Easy," John Raydo, K0IZ, shows how
to set up your station to operate via remote control. Operating this
way, Raydo says, can help avoid antenna restrictions, as well as allow
hams to operate while traveling and can even minimize local RFI
problems. If Murphy has ever visited your antenna tuner, you will
definitely want to read "My Tuner Tuned My Antenna -- But Now It
Doesn't!" by QST Technical Editor Joel Hallas, W1ZR. Hallas shows ways
to get your antenna tuner back to doing what it should -- tuning your
antenna each and every time.

August 17, 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Radio
Act of 1912. It was this piece of legislation that introduced the first
rules for Amateur Radio and changed the way we, as radio amateurs,
operate. Join ARRL News Editor S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA, as she looks
at how Congress, in the wake of the RMS Titanic disaster, took swift
action to try and tame the chaos of the airwaves. David Palmer, KB5WIA,
made an overland trek to activate a rare grid square for satellite ops.
In his article "Backpacking with Satellites," Palmer explains how he
was able to work hams using AO-57, VO-52, AO-27, FO-29, AO-51 and SO-50
from CM-79, a grid square that has no roads, houses, electricity or
trails.

ARRL Contributing Editor Phil Salas, AD5X, takes a look at the
MFJ-994BRT and MFJ-998RT remote automatic antenna tuners in this
month's Product Review. He says these antenna tuners "provide
reasonably priced remote auto tuner solutions for stations with high
power amplifiers." QST Editor Steve Ford, WB8IMY, checked out the ICOM
ID-31A 70 cm handheld transceiver with D-STAR, saying that it "may be
the most user-friendly D-STAR transceiver available. It is also a high
feature analog FM transceiver, includes a GPS receiver and works with a
host of available options -- a very flexible and useful package."

Of course, there are the usual columns you know and expect in the
August QST: Happenings, Hints & Kinks, The Doctor Is In, Short Takes,
How's DX and more. Look for your August issue in your mailbox. QST is
the official journal of the ARRL, the national association for Amateur
Radio. QST is just one of the many benefits of ARRL membership. To join
or renew your ARRL membership, please see the ARRL Web page
<https://www.arrl.org/join-arrl-renew-membership/>.

==> QEX: THE JULY/AUGUST 2012 ISSUE

   The July/August issue of QEX -- the ARRL's "Forum for Communications
Experimenters" -- is coming soon, and it is full of theoretical and
practical technical articles that you won't want to miss. Published
bimonthly, QEX features technical articles, columns and other items of
interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals. The
mission of QEX is threefold: To provide a medium for the exchange of
ideas and information among Amateur Radio experimenters; to document
advanced technical work in the Amateur Radio field, and to support
efforts to advance the state of the Amateur Radio art. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/em-qex-em-the-july-august-2012-issue>.

==> + W1AW: W1AW'S ECHOLINK AND IRLP NODES TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED

Recent upgrades
<http://www.arrl.org/news/disruptions-possible-as-arrl-reconfigures-internet-services>
to the ARRL's Internet system has caused access to both the W1AW
EchoLink Conference Server W1AWBDCT and W1AW's IRLP Node 4292
<http://www.arrl.org/echolink-irlp> to be temporarily suspended. Access
to both W1AW systems can be expected by month's end. We apologize for
the inconvenience.

==> SOLAR UPDATE

   Tad "Don't let the Sun catch you crying
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49c7WeFTay0>" Cook, K7RA, reports:
Solar activity rose moderately this week: the average daily sunspot
numbers were up nearly 3 points to 120.9, while the average daily solar
flux rose more than 28 points to 166.8. There was quite a bit of
geomagnetic activity -- the most happening on July 9 -- when the
mid-latitude A index reached 29, planetary A index was 30 and Alaska's
college A index was 60. The latest prediction shows quiet geomagnetic
conditions with the planetary A index at 5 on July 12-26, then 20 on
July 27-29, 10 on July 30-31, 15 on August 1-2, 10 on August 3-4, and 8
on August 5. The predicted solar flux is 160 on July 12-13, 155, 145,
140, 130, 120, and 115 on July 14-19, 105 on July 20-21, then rising to
165 on July 28-August 2. Look for more on the ARRL website on Friday,
July 13. 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 Gerry and the Pacemakers' Don't Let the
Sun Catch You Crying
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerry_and_the_Pacemakers>.

==> + SILENT KEY: WALT MAXWELL, W2DU (SK)

   M. Walter Maxwell, W2DU, died July 3 at his home in DeLand, Florida,
of natural causes. He was 93. Maxwell was best known in the Amateur
Radio realm for his ground-breaking series of articles, "Another Look
at Reflections." Published in QST in seven parts from 1973-1976, the
series explained in plain English concepts such as line loss, SWR,
baluns and antenna tuners. The articles were later compiled into a
book, Reflections: Transmission Lines and Antennas, which included
additional material on matching networks, antennas and the Smith Chart.
It was first published by the ARRL in 1990 and went through several
editions. Later editions were published by CQ Communications. Read more
here <http://www.arrl.org/news/walt-maxwell-w2du-sk-wrote-reflections>.

==> TWO OPERATIONS APPROVED FOR DXCC CREDIT

   ARRL DXCC Manager Bill Moore, NC1L, reports that two operations --
the 9X0PY (Rwanda) operation (December 24, 2011-January 7, 2012) and
the S21YD (Bangladesh) operation (1994, 1995, 1998 and 1999) -- have
been approved for DXCC credit. "If you have had these operations
rejected in a recent application, please send an e-mail
<bmoore at arrl.org> to the ARRL DXCC Desk," Moore said. "When responding,
please include the reference number on your credit slip (found in the
upper right hand portion) to help expedite retrieval. Please note that
due to heavy e-mail volume, you may not receive a reply. Once updated,
results will appear in Logbook of The World (LoTW
<https://p1k.arrl.org/lotwuser/default>) accounts, as well as online in
the daily listings <http://www.arrl.org/dxcc>."

==> THIS WEEK IN RADIOSPORT

This week:

- July 14 -- FISTS Summer Sprint
- July 14-15 -- IARU HF World Championship
<http://www.arrl.org/news/the-iaru-hf-championship-heats-up-the-summer>
- July 15 -- CQC Great Colorado Gold Rush
- July 19 -- NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint

Next week:

- July 20 -- NCCC Sprint
- July 21 -- Russian Radio Team Championship; Feld Hell Sprint
- July 21-22 -- North American QSO Party ( RTTY); DMC RTTY Contest; CQ
Worldwide VHF Contest
- July 22 -- RSGB Low Power Contest
- July 25 -- SKCC Sprint
- July 25-26 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test

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

- July 20-22 -- ARRL Montana State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/montana-state-convention-78th-glacier-waterton-international-hamfest>,
East Glacier, Montana
- July 26-28 -- Central States VHF Society Conference
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/central-states-vhf-society-conference-1>,
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- July 27-28 -- ARRL Oklahoma Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/oklahoma-section-convention-ham-holiday-2012>,
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- July 27-29 -- ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/rocky-mountain-division-convention-2>,
Bryce Canyon, Utah
- 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 10-12 -- RAC National Convention 2012
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/rac-convention-2012>, Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada
- 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

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

ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information

Join or Renew Today! <http://www.arrl.org/join> ARRL membership
includes QST <http://www.arrl.org/qst>, Amateur Radio's most popular
and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month.

Subscribe to NCJ -- the National Contest Journal
<http://www.arrl.org/ncj>. Published bi-monthly, features articles by
top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO
Parties.

Subscribe to QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters
<http://www.arrl.org/qex>. Published bi-monthly, features technical
articles, construction projects, columns and other items of interest to
radio amateurs and communications professionals.

Free of charge to ARRL members: Subscribe
<http://www.arrl.org/myarrl-account-management#%21/edit-info-email_subscriptions>
to the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and emergency
communications news), the ARRL Contest Update (bi-weekly contest
newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much more!

Find us on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/ARRL.org>. Follow us on
Twitter <http://twitter.com/arrl>.

ARRL offers a wide array of products <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-store>
to enhance your enjoyment of Amateur Radio

Donate <https://www.arrl.org/arrl-donation-form> to the fund of your
choice -- support programs not funded by member dues!

Click here <ads at arrl.org> to advertise in this newsletter.

The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 50 times each year. ARRL
members and registered guests may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe
by editing their profile
<http://www.arrl.org/Users/edit#!/edit-info-email_subscriptions>.

 Copyright (c) 2012 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All
Rights Reserved

 <http://www.arrl.org/>


From memberlist at www.arrl.org  Thu Jul 19 14:01:52 2012
From: memberlist at www.arrl.org (ARRL Web site)
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2012 14:01:52 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Letter-List] The ARRL Letter for July 19, 2012
Message-ID: <20120719180412.7DEC124E91@bmail.arrl.org>

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

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

July 19, 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

- + 2012 Second Meeting of the ARRL Board of Directors Set for July
20-21, Agenda Announced
- + Amateur Radio in Space: Astronaut Don Pettit, KD5MDT, Chats with
ARRL
- + Digital Edition of August QST Now Available
- + FCC News: FCC Denies Arizona Ham's Petition to Extend PRB-1 to
Private Contracts, Such as CC&Rs
- + FCC News: FCC Fines Alaska Man for Interfering with Air Traffic
Using CB Radio
- + W1AW: W1AW's EchoLink and IRLP Nodes Temporarily Suspended
- Solar Update
- TAPR Accepting Orders for Hermes SDR Transceiver
- 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>.

==> + 2012 SECOND MEETING OF THE ARRL BOARD OF DIRECTORS SET FOR JULY
20-21, AGENDA ANNOUNCED

   ARRL policy is made by its Board of Directors. The 15 voting members
of the Board are the Directors who are elected by the ARRL members in
their respective divisions. The Board meets in January and July,
usually in the Hartford area. ARRL members also elect Vice Directors
who may attend the meetings. ARRL Directors and Vice Directors are
volunteers who work hard to represent the ARRL in their divisions, to
represent the members who elect them on policy issues and to conduct
the committee work that is so important to good decision-making. The
Board will be meeting for its 2012 Second Meeting July 20-21; the
meeting will be preceded by meetings of the Administration and Finance
Committee and the Programs and Services Committee. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/2012-second-meeting-of-the-arrl-board-of-directors-set-for-july-20-21-agenda-announced>.

==> + AMATEUR RADIO IN SPACE: ASTRONAUT DON PETTIT, KD5MDT, CHATS WITH
ARRL

   NASA Astronaut Don Pettit, KD5MDT, sat down with ARRL News Editor S.
Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA, on Thursday, July 12, for a one-on-one
interview about ham radio and life on the International Space Station
(ISS). Pettit returned from the ISS on July 1 where he served as part
of Expedition 31, spending 193 days in space. He first ventured into
space in 2002 on the space shuttle Endeavour as part of Expedition 6,
logging more than 161 days in space. In 2008, he was a part of the crew
on STS-126, also on Endeavour. Pettit holds the distinction of spending
370 days in space, placing him fourth among US space fliers for the
longest time in space. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/astronaut-don-pettit-kd5mdt-chats-with-arrl>.

==> + DIGITAL EDITION OF AUGUST QST NOW AVAILABLE

   The digital version of the August QST is now available
<http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/arrl/qst_201208/> to ARRL members. The
digital version includes many features not available in the print
version, such as:

- The complete 2011 edition of The DXCC Yearboook
-  Video overviews of two MFJ automatic antenna tuners and the ICOM
ID-31A transceiver
- An expanded version of "Remote Radio Control Made Easy," by John
Raydo, K0IZ

Every issue of QST is filled with the news and features you need to
keep active in Amateur Radio. After you read through it, visit the
Digital QST Feedback Form
<http://www.arrl.org/digital-qst-feedback-form> and tell us what you
enjoyed! QST is the official journal of the ARRL, the national
association for Amateur Radio. QST is just one of the many benefits of
ARRL membership. To join or renew your ARRL membership, please see the
ARRL Web page <https://www.arrl.org/join-arrl-renew-membership/>.

==> + FCC NEWS: FCC DENIES ARIZONA HAM'S PETITION TO EXTEND PRB-1 TO
PRIVATE CONTRACTS, SUCH AS CC&RS

   In January 2012, Leonard Umina, W7CCE, of Gilbert, Arizona, filed a
Petition for Rulemaking, asking the FCC to "expand its policy of
limited preemption of state and local regulations governing amateur
station facilities to preempt private land use regulations such as
covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs) and rental agreements
that limit amateur licensees' ability to deploy antennas." On July 16,
the FCC notified Umina that it had denied his Petition. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-denies-arizona-ham-s-em-petition-em-to-extend-prb-1-to-private-contracts-such-as-cc-rs>.

==> + FCC NEWS: FCC FINES ALASKA MAN FOR INTERFERING WITH AIR TRAFFIC
USING CB RADIO

   On July 17, the FCC announced that it had issued a Notice of
Apparent Liability for Forfeiture and Order in the amount of $12,500 to
Glenn S. Yamada, of Kenai, Alaska. Yamada is accused of "apparently
willfully and repeatedly violat[ing] Section 301 of the Communications
Act of 1934, as amended, and Sections 95.409(a) and 95.411(a)(1) and
(b) of the FCC Rules by operating his CB radio without requisite
Commission authorization." In January 2012, the FCC received a
complaint regarding interference to an authorized user in the
aeronautical band -- a safety of life service -- on 21.964 MHz.
According to the FCC, the complaint "Concerned a male subject talking
and interfering with the control and monitoring of air traffic over the
North Atlantic." The FCC's High Frequency Direction Finding Center
(HFDFC) monitored the frequency over the next few days, and on January
31, "observed a subject matching the details of the compliant
transmitting on the frequency 21.965 MHz." The HFDFC noted that the
subject was using the call "1600 Alaska," that the actual operating
frequency was 27.025 (CB channel 6) and that the transmissions were
coming from Kenai. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-fines-alaska-man-for-interfering-with-air-traffic-using-cb-radio>.

==> + W1AW: W1AW'S ECHOLINK AND IRLP NODES TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED

Recent upgrades
<http://www.arrl.org/news/disruptions-possible-as-arrl-reconfigures-internet-services>
to the ARRL's Internet system has caused access to both the W1AW
EchoLink Conference Server W1AWBDCT and W1AW's IRLP Node 4292
<http://www.arrl.org/echolink-irlp> to be temporarily suspended. Access
to both W1AW systems can be expected by month's end. We apologize for
the inconvenience.

==> SOLAR UPDATE

   Tad "The total eclipse of the Sun
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQZmCJUSC6g>" Cook, K7RA, reports: In
last week's Solar Update
<http://www.arrl.org/news/the-k7ra-solar-update-226>, I reported a
blast of energy from a solar flare headed our way, with a predicted
arrival of Saturday, July 14. The CME hit at 1800 UTC, and had a huge
effect on propagation and geomagnetic indices. The next day, the
planetary A index was 60, the mid latitude A index was 39 and the high
latitude college A index was 88. Conditions haven't been this disturbed
since March 9, 2012, when the mid-latitude A index was 57, planetary A
index was 67 and the college A index was 107. All other indices were
lower, with the weekly average of daily sunspot numbers down more than
16 points to 104.7, while the average daily solar flux was down 25
points to 141.8. The latest prediction from NOAA/USAF has solar flux at
100 on July 19, 95 on July 18-22, back to 100 on July 23, 105 on July
24-25, then 125 and 150 on July 26-27, and 165 on July 28-August 2. The
predicted planetary A index is 5 on July 19-21, then 12 and 8 on July
22-23, 5 on July 24-26, then 25 on July 27, 20 on July 28-29, 10 on
July 30-31, 15 on August 1-2, 10 on August 3-4, 8 on August 5, and back
down to 5 on August 6-22. Look for more on the ARRL website on Friday,
July 20. 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 Carly Simon's You're So Vain
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You%27re_so_vain>.

==> TAPR ACCEPTING ORDERS FOR HERMES SDR TRANSCEIVER

   Tucson Amateur Packet Radio (TAPR <http://www.tapr.org/>) is now
accepting orders for the Hermes software-defined transceiver. Hermes is
part of the non-profit openHPSDR project. Spanning 50 kHz-55 MHz, the
Hermes transceiver <http://openhpsdr.org/wiki/index.php?title=HERMES>
includes a direct down-conversion receiver, a direct up-conversion
500-mW transmitter and a gigabit Ethernet interface -- all on one
board. Also on board is an RF-quiet switch-mode power supply, allowing
Hermes to run from a single 13.8 V dc source. The transceiver is
completely assembled and tested. The price of the Hermes transceiver is
$895 for TAPR members; the price for non-members is $940. The order
page <http://tapr.org/kits_hermes.html> will close Wednesday July 25.
TAPR states that there will be only one production run of Hermes boards
and that they will build only the number necessary to fulfill orders
received on or before the July 25 cutoff. Estimated delivery is October
15.

==> THIS WEEK IN RADIOSPORT

This week:

- July 20 -- NCCC Sprint
- July 21 -- Russian Radio Team Championship; Feld Hell Sprint
- July 21-22 -- North American QSO Party ( RTTY); DMC RTTY Contest; CQ
Worldwide VHF Contest
- July 22 -- RSGB Low Power Contest
- July 25 -- SKCC Sprint
- July 25-26 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test

Next week:

- July 27 -- NCCC Sprint
- July 28-29 -- New Jersey QSO Party; RSGB IOTA Contest
- July 29 -- ARS Flight of the Bumblebees

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

- July 20-22 -- ARRL Montana State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/montana-state-convention-78th-glacier-waterton-international-hamfest>,
East Glacier, Montana
- July 26-28 -- Central States VHF Society Conference
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/central-states-vhf-society-conference-1>,
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- July 27-28 -- ARRL Oklahoma Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/oklahoma-section-convention-ham-holiday-2012>,
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- July 27-29 -- ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/rocky-mountain-division-convention-2>,
Bryce Canyon, Utah
- 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 10-12 -- RAC National Convention 2012
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/rac-convention-2012>, Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada
- 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

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

ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information

Join or Renew Today! <http://www.arrl.org/join> ARRL membership
includes QST <http://www.arrl.org/qst>, Amateur Radio's most popular
and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month.

Subscribe to NCJ -- the National Contest Journal
<http://www.arrl.org/ncj>. Published bi-monthly, features articles by
top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO
Parties.

Subscribe to QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters
<http://www.arrl.org/qex>. Published bi-monthly, features technical
articles, construction projects, columns and other items of interest to
radio amateurs and communications professionals.

Free of charge to ARRL members: Subscribe
<http://www.arrl.org/myarrl-account-management#%21/edit-info-email_subscriptions>
to the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and emergency
communications news), the ARRL Contest Update (bi-weekly contest
newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much more!

Find us on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/ARRL.org>. Follow us on
Twitter <http://twitter.com/arrl>.

ARRL offers a wide array of products <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-store>
to enhance your enjoyment of Amateur Radio

Donate <https://www.arrl.org/arrl-donation-form> to the fund of your
choice -- support programs not funded by member dues!

Click here <ads at arrl.org> to advertise in this newsletter.

The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 50 times each year. ARRL
members and registered guests may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe
by editing their profile
<http://www.arrl.org/Users/edit#!/edit-info-email_subscriptions>.

 Copyright (c) 2012 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All
Rights Reserved

 <http://www.arrl.org/>


From memberlist at www.arrl.org  Thu Jul 26 13:27:58 2012
From: memberlist at www.arrl.org (ARRL Web site)
Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2012 13:27:58 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Letter-List] The ARRL Letter for July 26, 2012
Message-ID: <20120726174621.A0E0324510@bmail.arrl.org>

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

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

July 26, 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 Plans for 2014 Centennial Celebration at 2012 Second
Meeting
- + ARRL Board of Directors Names Award Recipients at 2012 Second
Meeting
- + End of an Era: Heathkit Declares Bankruptcy, Closes for Good
(Again)
- On the Air: The Bands Heat Up for the 2012 ARRL August UHF Contest
- + On the Air: Special Event Stations in London and Wales On the Air
for 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
- + FCC News: Vanity Call Sign Fee to Go Up 80 Cents
- ARRL Recognizes: Vic Poor, W5SMM, Receives ARRL President's Award
- Solar Update
- The 2011 DXCC Yearbook Now Available
- + 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 PLANS FOR 2014 CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION AT 2012 SECOND
MEETING

   When the ARRL Board of Directors met for its 2012 Second Meeting
July 20-21 in Windsor, Connecticut, it did so with a full agenda.
Besides hearing and approving recommendations from its two standing
committees -- the Administration and Finance Committee and the Programs
and Services Committee -- the Board voted to hold the 2014 ARRL
National Convention July 17-20 in Hartford, Connecticut, the birthplace
of the League in 1914. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-board-plans-for-2014-centennial-celebration-at-2012-second-meeting>.

==> + ARRL BOARD OF DIRECTORS NAMES AWARD RECIPIENTS AT 2012 SECOND
MEETING

   The ARRL Board of Directors named four ARRL award recipients at
their July 20-21 meeting in Windsor, Connecticut: the 2011 Doug DeMaw,
W1FB, Technical Excellence Award; the 2012 ARRL Technical Innovation
Award; the 2012 Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award, and the
2012 Herb S. Brier Instructor of the Year Award. In addition, the Board
named former ARRL West Gulf Division Director Thomas W. Comstock, N5TC,
as Director Emeritus of the ARRL. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-board-of-directors-names-award-recipients-at-2012-second-meeting>.

==> + END OF AN ERA: HEATHKIT DECLARES BANKRUPTCY, CLOSES FOR GOOD
(AGAIN)

   The July 19 edition of The Herald-Palladium -- a newspaper serving
the communities of Benton Harbor and St Joseph, Michigan -- is
reporting that Heathkit Education Company has declared bankruptcy and
has officially closed its doors after defaulting on its lease.
According to the paper, Heathkit employed more than 1800 people in its
heyday after World War II. When it finally closed, its workforce
totaled fewer than six people. This is the second time since 1992 that
Heathkit Educational Services has shuttered its doors. In August 2011,
Heathkit announced it was returning to the kit building business, and
in September, that it would once again be manufacturing Amateur Radio
kits. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/heathkit-declares-bankruptcy-closes-for-good-again>.

==> ON THE AIR: THE BANDS HEAT UP FOR THE 2012 ARRL AUGUST UHF CONTEST

   VHF/UHF weak-signal operators across North America are making final
tests on their stations in preparation for the ARRL August UHF Contest,
which is coming up over the weekend of August 4-5. According to ARRL
Contest Branch Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, this contest will focus on
222 MHz and above. There will be lots of activity, and hopefully lots
of propagation, too! "With much of the nation in the midst of a summer
heat spike, high-pressure zones can begin to form in the atmosphere,"
Kutzko explained. "If they stick around long enough -- and are stable
enough -- enhanced propagation can occur in the troposphere, extending
the normal usable range of UHF+ frequencies from line-of-sight to
several hundred miles. Several cloudless days with very little wind are
signs that enhanced tropospheric enhancement could be coming your
way."Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/the-bands-heat-up-for-the-2012-arrl-august-uhf-contest>.

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

   Two special event call signs were activated on Wednesday, July 25 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>.

==> + FCC NEWS: VANITY CALL SIGN FEE TO GO UP 80 CENTS

   On July 20, the FCC announced that the cost of an Amateur Radio
vanity call sign will increase 80 cents, from $14.20 to $15. The fee
will increase 30 days after notice of the increase is published in the
Federal Register; no date has yet been set for publication. Earlier
this year, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Order,
seeking to raise the fee for Amateur Radio vanity call signs. The
vanity call sign fee has fluctuated over the 14 years of the current
program -- from a low of $11.70 in 2007 to a high of $70 (as first
proposed in the FCC's 1994 Report and Order). In FY 2012, the FCC
expects to grant 14,300 vanity call signs, bringing in $214,500 from
the vanity call sign program, and looks to recover a total of
$339,844,000 in fees from all the Services that it regulates. Read more
here <http://www.arrl.org/news/vanity-call-sign-fee-to-go-up-80-cents>.

==> ARRL RECOGNIZES: VIC POOR, W5SMM, RECEIVES ARRL PRESIDENT'S AWARD

On July 9, Victor (Vic) Poor, W5SMM, of Melbourne, Florida, was awarded
the ARRL President's Award at the Platinum Coast Amateur Radio
Society's (PCARS) monthly meeting that was attended by nearly 100 hams
and non-hams, many from out of town. There have been only a handful of
recipients of this prestigious award.

Poor -- an ARRL member -- developed an active interest in ham radio
while still in high school and became W6JSO in 1951. He has also held
the calls AH6AXV and K3NIO. He quickly developed an affinity for RTTY
and later other digital modes of interest in Amateur Radio.

   Poor has been instrumental in the development of many hardware and
software innovations that are at the heart of modern day computing and
communications technology, used both in Amateur Radio and in industry.

His early RTTY work focused on improving the designs of modulators,
demodulators, and filters to improve the error rates achievable with
RTTY in those days. This work continued into the development for
schemes for simple message networking for amateur traffic before the
availability of affordable PCs.

During the '70s and '80s, new digital technologies, including packet,
AMTOR and lower-cost computers became available. These advances
motivated Poor to further improve digital transmission networking
techniques. This included APLINK, a robust automatic global
store-and-forward system that led the ARRL to include the system for
use in their National Traffic System (NTS).

With the advent of widely available Internet service and continued
improvements in signal processing using PCs and dedicated signal
processing chips, including PACTOR and WINMOR, in 1999 Poor organized a
volunteer amateur development team to replace APLINK with a much more
advanced amateur message forwarding system that integrates with the
Internet and other mail systems, handles multiple destination
addresses, and accepts data files of any format. The system is named
Winlink 2000 (WL2K) and is maintained and managed by the Winlink
Development Team (WDT). Poor remains the principal architect of the
system. This system has blossomed today to a major amateur-supported
emergency communications network used by ARES and many government
agencies including MARS, federal, state, county and city agencies, and
NGOs.

In his professional career Poor has been instrumental in the
development of many products that we take for granted today. He credits
his interest in ham radio as the driving force behind his success in
the commercial arena.

The ARRL Board of Directors voted to create the President's Award in
2003. It is awarded to an ARRL member or members who "have shown
long-term dedication to the goals and objectives of ARRL and Amateur
Radio" and who have gone the extra mile to support individual League
programs and goals. Nominations for the award come from ARRL directors
and are approved by the ARRL President and the Executive Committee.

President Kay Craigie's accompanying letter stated, in part: "It is my
pleasure and honor to confer upon you the ARRL President's
Award....Your contributions to the development of digital
communications systems in the Amateur Radio Service have significantly
enhanced the ability of our radio service to provide assistance during
disasters. Many other amateurs active in emergency communications
attribute their own accomplishments to your mentoring....

"As a result of your long, distinguished career in Amateur Radio and
communications technology, you have more than earned the appreciation
that is represented by this award from the American Radio Relay
League."

Steve Waterman, K4CJX, Assistant Director of the ARRL's Delta Division,
summed up Poor's humility: "I could have added many more
accomplishments to that list," said Steve. "The only thing Poor really
wants to know about is if something doesn't work." -- Dan Fisher, AI4GK

==> SOLAR UPDATE

   Tad "Lazing on a sunny afternoon
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h1oRP7FfBw>" Cook, K7RA, reports: We
currently seeing sunspot groups coming over our Sun's eastern horizon,
but this week has been a quiet one, both in terms of sunspot and
geomagnetic activity. The average daily sunspot numbers declined by 50
percent -- from 104.7 to 52.1 -- while the average daily solar flux was
down nearly 45 points to 97.2. The latest solar flux forecast from
NOAA/USAF has flux values at 110 for July 26, 115 for July 27-28, then
120, 125 and 130 on July 29-31, 135 on August 1-2, 120 on August 3, 130
on August 4-6, 125 on August 7-8, down to 115 on August 9-11, and then
bottoming out around 90 on August 17. The predicted planetary A index
is 5 on July 26-27, then 15, 18, 15 and 10 on July 28-31, 5 on August
1-2, 10 on August 3-4, and 5 on August 5-18. There is the chance for
possible geomagnetic activity on August 19-20, raising the A index
values to 15 and 12, and then to 18 on August 24-25. Astronomy Magazine
has an article
<http://www.astronomy.com/%7E/link.aspx?_id=fd4b216b-fb6f-4a5e-9a60-f593af862f38>
about a July 11 experiment in which a telescope was lifted by a
sounding rocket to take high definition photos of the Sun's corona at
extreme ultra-violet wavelengths. Look for more on the ARRL website on
Friday, July 27. 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 The Kinks's Sunny Afternoon
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunny_Afternoon>.

==> THE 2011 DXCC YEARBOOK NOW AVAILABLE

The 2011 ARRL DXCC Yearbook is now available to all ARRL members as a
supplement to the August digital edition of QST
<http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/arrl/qst_201208/index.php?startid=91rr>.
A printed copy of the Yearbook is also available for purchase in the
ARRL Online Store <http://www.arrl.org/shop/The-DXCC-Yearbook-2011/>.

   Contents include:

- The Year in Review by Carl Smith, N4AA
- PJ2/W5MPC, October 10-15, 2010 by Mike Corey, KI1U
- ST0R Story by Antonio Gonzalez, EA5RM/ST0R
- Clinton B. DeSoto Challenge standings
- 2011 DXCC Annual List

==> + 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:

- July 27 -- NCCC Sprint
- July 28-29 -- New Jersey QSO Party; RSGB IOTA Contest
- July 29 -- ARS Flight of the Bumblebees

Next 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

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

- July 26-28 -- Central States VHF Society Conference
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/central-states-vhf-society-conference-1>,
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- July 27-28 -- ARRL Oklahoma Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/oklahoma-section-convention-ham-holiday-2012>,
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- July 27-29 -- ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/rocky-mountain-division-convention-2>,
Bryce Canyon, Utah
- 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 10-12 -- RAC National Convention 2012
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/rac-convention-2012>, Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada
- 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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