[MCARC] The ARRL Letter for April 6, 2017

ARRL Web site memberlist at www.arrl.org
Thu Apr 6 18:36:22 EDT 2017 

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

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

April 6, 2017

Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME <ww1me at arrl.org>

ARRL Home Page <http://www.arrl.org/>ARRL Letter Archive
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ARRL Letter.

IN THIS ISSUE

- Radio Amateurs Support Colombia Landslide Disaster Relief and
Recovery Effort
- Revised Memorandum of Understanding between ARRL and FCC Still a Work
in Progress
- ARRL Entry-Level License Committee Digs in to Study Survey Results
- The Doctor Will See You Now!
- "Notwithstanding a Series of Obstacles," Kids in French Guiana Speak
with Space Station
- Club Log is Now a Logbook of The World Trusted Partner
- Midway and Kure Islands Placed on List of Deleted DXCC Entities
- Same-Band "Dueling CQs" Now Prohibited in All ARRL Contests
- New Rookie Roundup Rules Go into Effect for SSB Event on April 17
- Winter Term 2017 School Club Roundup Scores Now Available
- In Brief...
- The K7RA Solar Update
- Getting It Right!
- Just Ahead in Radiosport
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions

ARRL Headquarters will be Closed on Friday, April 14: ARRL Headquarters
will be closed on Good Friday, April 14. There will be no W1AW bulletin
or code practice transmissions
<http://www.arrl.org/w1aw-operating-schedule> and no ARRL Audio News
<http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news> on that day. ARRL Headquarters
will reopen Monday, April 17, at 8 AM Eastern Daylight Time. We wish
everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday!

==> RADIO AMATEURS SUPPORT COLOMBIA LANDSLIDE DISASTER RELIEF AND
RECOVERY EFFORT

A disastrous landslide in Colombia overnight on March 31-April 1 left
more than 260 dead and devastated the town of Mocoa. Many others are
injured or missing, and search crews are scrambling to find survivors
in the rubble. An emergency Amateur Radio network was activated on 40
meters (7.093-7.095 MHz, to support the relief and recovery effort.

"The Mocoa and Garzón Fire Departments are aware of the network and
also the additional support of HK3NOL, who is mounting additional
antennas," said Roberto Rey, HK3CW. "Radio amateurs from La Plata and
Garzón were critical in supporting personnel and rescuers," he said.
"We're paying attention [to the situation]."

Heavy rainfall in Colombia's Putumayo Province triggered the mud and
rockslide after a river burst its banks and debris swept into the town,
burying homes and residents. President Juan Manuel Santos declared a
state of emergency after visiting the town.

Nearly 1,300 National System for Risk and Disaster Management (SNGRD)
team members are at work in the area. A flotilla of aircraft, vehicles,
and watercraft has been deployed for the effort. -- Thanks to UNGRD
Director Carlos Iván Márquez Pérez; IARU Region 2

==> REVISED MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN ARRL AND FCC STILL A
WORK IN PROGRESS

The ARRL Executive Committee (EC) has directed that work begin on
finalizing the language of a revised memorandum of understanding
between ARRL and the FCC regarding the Amateur Auxiliary (Official
Observer) program. The EC met on March 25 in Aurora, Colorado. The
panel, which acts on behalf of the ARRL Board of Directors between its
regular meetings, heard an update on the Official Observer Program
Revitalization Study from ARRL Second Vice President and committee
chair Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, who said his committee plans to present
final recommendations later this year on revamping the Amateur
Auxiliary, for ultimate consideration by the full Board.

   In his remarks, General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, was complimentary
of new FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and told the EC he thinks enforcement
efforts may be more successful in the future, due to the new chairman's
interest in the issue. Imlay also said the new chief of the Enforcement
Bureau, Michael Carowitz, is reported to be "amateur friendly." He told
the EC that he foresees a potential window of opportunity for improved
spectrum enforcement work, as well as the opportunity to build a
stronger working relationship with the FCC on all issues.

The ARRL's Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws came up for discussion.
A thorough review by Imlay and ARRL International Affairs Vice
President Jay Bellows, K0QB -- also an attorney -- that was directed by
ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, identified several areas that
should be addressed. Imlay's and Bellows' observations were presented
to the EC for discussion, and the two attorneys were instructed to
continue work on the project, building on input received from the EC.

   The EC was briefed on a report from the League's Connecticut
corporate counsel Day Pitney LLP on ARRL organizational governance,
with a view to modernizing it and bringing it into full compliance with
Connecticut statutes.

President Roderick chaired the session. In his remarks to the EC, he
emphasized the need for all ARRL Divisions to focus harder on growing
membership.

ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, offered an optimistic report on
January-February ARRL finances, noting solid financial results with
income above projections.

Gallagher told the EC that the Membership Working Group continues to
identify ways to increase membership, especially among former members
or those who have never belonged to the League. The working group is
developing a "lifelong learning plan" to encourage activity and
development among all age groups.

==> ARRL ENTRY-LEVEL LICENSE COMMITTEE DIGS IN TO STUDY SURVEY RESULTS

As its April 7 online survey deadline approaches, the ARRL Board of
Directors' Entry Level License Committee is preparing for a deep dive
into what turned out to be an overwhelming response. Committee Chair
and New England Division Director Tom Frenaye, K1KI, said the survey's
8,000 responses, when perhaps 1,500 were anticipated, reflects the high
degree of interest in the overall topic. Established by the Board in
2016, the Committee has been gathering input from the Amateur Radio
community with an eye toward recommending either a makeover of the
Technician license or an altogether new entry-level Amateur Radio
license class.

   "I think it's our job to come up with the two best proposals," said
Frenaye, conceding that the committee's work is fraught with details
that include reaching a consensus both within the Amateur Radio
community and at the FCC, which pays little attention to Amateur Radio
generally. For his part, Frenaye started out thinking that a new
entry-level license would be the answer, but now he's leaning more
toward changing up the Technician license, in part because he thinks
the FCC may be reluctant to create a fourth license class after
whittling the number to three in 1999.

It's not just about numbers, but Amateur Radio's future. Amateur Radio
growth, at approximately 1% a year, is "pretty good," Frenaye conceded,
and in tune with US population growth, but he thinks it could be
better, and a big step in that direction is to take a hard look at ham
radio's entry gate. He suggested a new pool of prospective radio
amateurs might be more drawn to the hobby from the Maker movement, for
example, or from among those who tinker with computer technology or
experiment with electronics -- areas with high appeal to some young
people.

Frenaye said a lot of young newcomers don't seem to find the current
license manual very enticing, possibly due to the Amateur Radio
terminology and the manual's 12th-grade reading level, which he
believes should be lower. One interesting statistic plucked from the
survey: Just 23% of recently licensed Technicians went through a club,
while 65% studied on their own.

The current Technician license is mainly a VHF/UHF license, Frenaye
pointed out, with limited privileges on HF, where he believes a lot of
newcomers would prefer to operate. "Either the test covers material
that's not needed for a newcomer, or the privileges don't match well
enough with what a newcomer needs to see in ham radio in order to
decide whether to continue," he said. Technician licensees have only CW
privileges on HF below 10 meters, "and CW isn't even a requirement
anymore," Frenaye pointed out. He suggested some HF digital privileges
may provide one incentive.

   Whether it's retooling the Technician license to offer newcomers a
larger, more attractive slice of Amateur Radio privileges or developing
the framework for an entirely new entry-level license, the panel wants
to see a more relevant examination with privileges more appropriate to
newcomers and better outreach "on both sides of the license" -- from
exam preparation to operator training and mentoring.

Frenaye is not afraid to respond to critics who say the entry-level
license effort and such initiatives as reaching out the Maker Movement
are just ARRL ploys to boost the Amateur Radio population and, in turn,
League membership.

"I guess the answer to that is, 'Yes, what's wrong with that?'" he
said. "The more trained ham radio operators we have, the more likely we
are to actually be able to keep our bands and maybe get new ones."

The committee has only looked at the first "several thousand" survey
responses, Frenaye said. The hard work lies ahead. "It's going to take
a little time to sort through it all," Frenaye allowed, adding that the
committee hopes to have a report to the Board of Directors in July.

==> THE DOCTOR WILL SEE YOU NOW!

"Speech Equalization, Compression, and Processing" is the topic of the
current episode of the "ARRL The Doctor is In
<http://www.arrl.org/doctor>" podcast. Listen...and learn!

Sponsored by DX Engineering <http://www.dxengineering.com/>, "ARRL The
Doctor is In" is an informative discussion of all things technical.
Listen on your computer, tablet, or smartphone -- whenever and wherever
you like!

Every 2 weeks, your host, QST Editor-in-Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and
the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of
technical topics. You can also e-mail your questions to
doctor at arrl.org, and the Doctor may answer them in a future podcast.

Enjoy "ARRL The Doctor is In" on Apple iTunes
<https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/arrl-the-doctor-is-in/id1096749595?mt=2>,
or by using your iPhone or iPad podcast app (just search for "ARRL The
Doctor is In"). You can also listen online at Blubrry
<https://www.blubrry.com/arrl_the_doctor_is_in/>, or at Stitcher
<https://www.stitcher.com/> (free registration required, or browse the
site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or
Android devices. If you've never listened to a podcast before, download
our beginner's guide <http://www.arrl.org/doctor>.

Just ahead: "Grounding."

==> "NOTWITHSTANDING A SERIES OF OBSTACLES," KIDS IN FRENCH GUIANA
SPEAK WITH SPACE STATION

It seemed nothing was going to stand in the way of nine youngsters and
their two teachers from Trois Palétuviers (Three Mangroves) School in
French Guiana, South America, and their chance to speak with Astronaut
Thomas Pesquet, KG5FYG, on the International Space Station via an
Amateur Radio link. The Amateur Radio on the International Space
Station (ARISS <http://www.ariss.org>) contact was set for March 23.

   "I love talking to kids, their questions are often better than
adults' questions!" Pesquet said on his Facebook page
<https://www.facebook.com/ESAThomasPesquet/>, which has a little video
that tells the story of the contact.

A small village of 180 inhabitants between the Amazonian Forest and the
Oyapock River -- a natural border with Brazil -- Trois Palétuviers
isn't all that easy to get to. It is accessible only by dugout canoe;
the voyage takes about an hour. At the school, there is no electricity
during the day, no internet; and only recently has telephone service
become available. The village population is exclusively Native
American, many residents having strong ties with Brazil. The school has
about 50 students in two classes.

   To reach the location where the students would speak with Pesquet
entailed not only the hour-long canoe trip but a 3-hour bus journey,
and things did not quite go as planned. As the bus neared its
destination, the passengers learned that roads to both their primary
and back-up locations were blocked due to a strike. The only solution
was to use a teacher's mobile telephone. That's how the students and
their teachers ended up in the small kitchen of a private home.

The contact was a "telebridge," with W6SRJ in California serving as the
Earth station for NA1SS and two-way audio provided via telephone to the
contact site, where the youngsters planned to ask a dozen or so
questions (they had 17 ready) in French.

"Notwithstanding a series of obstacles, the radio conversation between
the students and astronaut Thomas Pesquet was a success," one of the
teachers said. "This was Amateur Radio at its best."

==> CLUB LOG IS NOW A LOGBOOK OF THE WORLD TRUSTED PARTNER

Club Log <https://secure.clublog.org/loginform.php> has become the
first logging service to achieve Trusted Partnerâ„¢ status for Logbook of
The World® (LoTW <http://www.arrl.org/logbook-of-the-world>), ARRL and
Club Log have announced. Radio amateurs holding LoTW "call sign
certificates
<https://lotw.arrl.org/lotw-help_devel_en/certificatesecurity>" who
have uploaded logs to Club Log now can readily cross-post them to the
highly secure LoTW -- the world's largest repository for confirming
Amateur Radio contacts.

The Trusted Partner program defines the requirements for an online
service to store user credentials with acceptable security. All LoTW
users, whether or not they work through Club Log as a Trusted Partner,
are responsible for ensuring the security of their credentials.
Individuals who rely on a Trusted Partner site for security have met
the requirement to keep LoTW and their credentials secure. Users who
allow their call sign certificates to be compromised or who knowingly
exploit compromised credentials may lose the privilege of using LoTW
and participating in ARRL-sponsored award programs.

Club Log has implemented security at the level required by the Trusted
Partner program, as verified by ARRL's Information Technology
Department. Trusted Partners are re-verified periodically to remain in
the program. More information
<http://www.arrl.org/files/file/LoTW_Developer/LoTW%20Trusted%20Partners-1_0.pdf>
on technical specifications and on current Trusted Partner program
members is available on the ARRL website. Other logging sites are
invited to join the program by implementing the Trusted Partner
standard.

==> MIDWAY AND KURE ISLANDS PLACED ON LIST OF DELETED DXCC ENTITIES

Midway and Kure Islands have been placed on the list of deleted DXCC
entities, effective as of August 26, 2016. This came about as an
unintended consequence of action last summer by then-President Barack
Obama that expanded the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
<http://www.papahanaumokuakea.gov/> to include the northwestern
Hawaiian Islands west of Ni'ihau Island, making it the largest
contiguous protected conservation area under the US flag.

Midway (KH4) had qualified for DXCC status by virtue of its being
governed by a separate administration. Because it is now under the
administration of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, it
becomes a deleted entity. Approximately 50 people live on Midway,
including US Fish and Wildlife Service staffers and contractors. The
Battle of Midway, a turning point in the Allied World War II Pacific
Campaign, took place in June 1942.

Now uninhabited, Kure Island (KH7K), a part of Hawaii, is separated
from the rest of the state by Midway; because of that, it had qualified
for DXCC status under Section II, 2 (b) (iii) of the DXCC Rules --
separation from its "parent" Hawaii. Midway Island's change in DXCC
status in turn made Kure Island no longer eligible for DXCC status,
because Kure no longer is separated from the rest of Hawaii by
intervening land or islands that are part of another DXCC entity.

Kure Island once was home to a US Coast Guard LORAN station, remnants
of which are still evident. It has been a state wildlife sanctuary
since 1981.

Neither Midway nor Kure was able to be activated without prior
permission, and then only for a planned DXpedition. Only contacts made
on August 25, 2016, or earlier will count for these two entities. Read
more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/midway-and-kure-islands-are-now-deleted-dxcc-entities>.

==> SAME-BAND "DUELING CQS" NOW PROHIBITED IN ALL ARRL CONTESTS

ARRL has clarified its rules for all contests to clearly prohibit the
practice of interleaved CQs -- also known as "dueling CQs" -- on two or
more frequencies in the same band. The clarification is an extension of
existing rules that permit only "one transmitted signal," and it
formalizes what had been a "gentleman's agreement."

"ARRL reviewed it, concurred that this is technically occupying two
channels, and in consultation with several members of the Board of
Directors -- who had been contacted by concerned parties -- and the
Programs and Services Committee, it was concluded we needed to
'clarify' our existing rules," ARRL Contest Branch Manager Bart Jahnke,
W9JJ, said.

An explanatory paragraph points out, "The intent of the rules has
always been that a participant would use/occupy only a single channel
in a given band, changing frequency in band from time to time, leaving
a CQ frequency to work a multiplier or to change the CQing frequency as
band occupancy or changing propagation dictated, and this rule's
clarification will now give the needed added clarity to that intent."

The issue arose when a multioperator team successfully employed in-band
interleaved CQs in the last ARRL International DX SSB event,
substantially boosting their score.

The topic subsequently occupied a lot of bandwidth on the CQ-Contest
reflector, where elite contester Frank Donovan, W3LPL, observed, "That
doesn't make it right for [a contest station] to follow this practice
that is generally understood to be unacceptable behavior by all of the
rest of us." At the time of the event, however, ARRL rules did not
explicitly prohibit the practice, and, as another top contester, Steve
London, N2IC, asked, "Falls under the 'what is not specifically
prohibited is allowed' rule?"

The update brings ARRL's contest rules in line with those of
CQ-sponsored contests, which already prohibit the practice of in-band,
interleaved CQs. The IARU HF Championship Contest bans the practice for
multioperator entries. Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/same-band-dueling-cqs-now-prohibited-in-all-arrl-contests>.

==> NEW ROOKIE ROUNDUP RULES GO INTO EFFECT FOR SSB EVENT ON APRIL 17

You might be a rookie and not even know it! The definition of a rookie
has been changed for the Rookie Roundup
<http://www.arrl.org/rookie-roundup>, making it possible for more radio
amateurs to qualify for the "Rookie" category. Rookie Roundup is a
6-hour operating event aimed at radio amateurs licensed for 3 years or
less.

   Operators first licensed in 2015, 2016, or 2017 already qualify as
Rookies. Starting with the April 17 SSB event, however, operators
licensed before 2015 may enter as Rookies, if they made their first
Amateur Radio contact during 2015, 2016 or 2017 -- or if they have
never made a contact using the mode of the Rookie Roundup (i.e., SSB
for April, RTTY for August, and CW for December). These operators
should send 2017 in their exchange, and those qualifying for either of
these reasons will be Rookies only for 1 year.

Rookie Roundup is the third Sunday in April (SSB), August (RTTY), and
December (CW). Rookies may work any station. Non-Rookies may only work
Rookies.

==> WINTER TERM 2017 SCHOOL CLUB ROUNDUP SCORES NOW AVAILABLE

Final scores <http://www.b4h.net/arrlscr/scr_scores201702.php> from the
winter term 2017 running of School Club Roundup (SCR) in February have
been posted online. SCR is sponsored jointly by ARRL, its Hudson
Division Education Task Force, and the Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio
Club (LIMARC), with the goal of fostering Amateur Radio contacts with
and among school radio clubs. LIMARC receives and checks submitted
logs, then passes the results to Bruce Horn, WA7BNM, for posting.

The Elementary/Primary School winner was the Russell Elementary Amateur
Radio Club (KM4RE
<http://www.b4h.net/arrlscr/scr_scoredetails.php?id=750>) in Georgia.

The Middle/Intermediate/Junior High School victor was Schofield Middle
School (N4SMS <http://www.b4h.net/arrlscr/scr_scoredetails.php?id=727>)
in South Carolina.

Topping the High School field was the LASA High School Amateur Radio
Club (K5LBJ <http://www.b4h.net/arrlscr/scr_scoredetails.php?id=729>)
in Texas.

Case Western Reserve University (W8EDU
<http://www.b4h.net/arrlscr/scr_scoredetails.php?id=715>) took first
place in the College/University category.

==> IN BRIEF...

Free App Allows Blind Hams to Work PSK31: A new, free app -- Accessible
Digipan <http://accessibledigipan.org/> -- has been released that
allows blind hams to operate PSK31. The download includes the app,
audio tutorials, detailed written guides, and additional helpful
resources, plus DigiPan <http://www.digipan.net/> PSK31 and PSK63
software. ARRL member Richard McDonald, KK6MRH, and Jim Snowbarger,
WA0PSS -- both blind -- developed the program. "Until now, blind hams
worldwide have not had any accessible program to work PSK31," McDonald
said. "Now they do." Accessible Digipan brings together the most
popular screen reader, JAWS, and DigiPan, McDonald said, and the app
will work with many different kinds of rigs, interfaces, and Windows
versions.

Former Kansas Section Manager Orlan Cook, W0OYH, SK: Former Kansas
Section Manager Orlan Cook, W0OYH, of Shawnee Mission, died on March
28. An ARRL Life Member, he was 85. Cook served for 5 years as Kansas
SM, taking office by appointment in 1997 and serving until 2002. He was
an ARRL Official Relay Station (ORS) and Official Bulletin Station, and
for the past decade or so, he served in an informal public information
role as editor of the KAR <http://ksarrl.org/kar/> (Kansas Amateur
Radio) newsletter.

Former Sacramento Valley Section Manager Ron Murdock, W6KJ, SK: Former
ARRL Sacramento Valley Section Manager Ron Murdock, W6KJ, of Yuba City,
California, died on April 1. An ARRL Life Member, Murdock was 76.
"Ron's passion for serving our Amateur Radio community was truly
inspiring, and he will be sorely missed," said current Sacramento
Valley SM Dr. Carol Milazzo, KP4MD. Murdock was a US Air Force veteran,
who flew 300 combat missions as a B52 radar navigator. He also worked
as a substitute teacher for 15 years. Murdock served as ARRL Sacramento
Valley Section Manager from 2007 until 2015. He was an Emergency
Coordinator from 2005 to 2008, and he was serving as Affiliated Club
Coordinator, Assistant Section Manager, Bulletin Manager, and Official
Bulletin Station.

VHF/UHF/Microwave Pioneer Don Hilliard, W0PW, SK: A pioneer on VHF,
UHF, and microwave bands, and the designer of a popular Yagi model, Don
Hilliard, W0PW (ex-W0EYE), of Clayton, Oklahoma, died on March 25
following a lengthy period of ill health. An ARRL member, he was 81. "
Over the decades, Don made numerous contributions to the hobby and
specifically in the VHF, UHF, and microwave arena of Amateur Radio,"
said Bill Mc Caa, K0RZ . "He was a pioneer in developing the first
amateur equipment for the 900 MHz band in 1983 in anticipation of the
band becoming available for amateurs. Don was a founding member of the
Central States VHF Society in 1967, as well as of the Microwave Update
in 1985." Hilliard's Yagi design, based on unpublished work by Peter
Biezbicke at the National Bureau of Standards, was legendary in the
VHF/UHF community. The antenna was described in "The World Above 50
MHz" ("15-Element Yagi by W0EYE") in the January 1972 edition of QST.
Hilliard also authored articles for QST and QEX.

Former TAPR President Greg Jones, WD5IVD, SK: Past TAPR President Greg
Jones, WD5IVD, of Denton, Texas, died on March 30. He was 54. Jones was
a professor in the Department of Learning Technologies within the
College of Information at the University of North Texas, where he
received his bachelor's and master's degrees. He received his Ph.D. in
Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Texas, and was the
author of numerous scholarly articles. He served as TAPR's president
from 1993 until 1999. "I am very proud of my time at TAPR," he once
wrote. "I was able, with the help of so many, to take TAPR from the
brink of going away into a strong, living organization that 10 years
later is still doing important research and education in Amateur Radio
digital communications." He contributed to QEX in the early 1990s.

==> THE K7RA SOLAR UPDATE

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Sunspot numbers and solar flux made a
strong comeback during the March 30-April 5 reporting week. The average
daily solar flux was 96.5 -- up from 77.9 over the reporting week and
71.2 the previous week. The average daily sunspot number progressed
from 3.4 to 29.7 to 65.9 over the same 3 weeks.

<http://spaceweathergallery.com/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=134569&PHPSESSID=vlg7qdiodo9cft47ejq59a9at1>The
latest daily forecast
<http://spaceweathergallery.com/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=134569&PHPSESSID=vlg7qdiodo9cft47ejq59a9at1>
for Planetary A index and solar flux from NOAA and USAF (updated daily)
shows solar flux at 85, 80, and 75 on April 6-8; 70 on April 9-10; 75
on April 11-14; 78 on April 15-16; 85 on April 17-19; 72 on April
20-23; 88 on April 24-27; 85 on April 28-29; 105 on April 30; 100, 97,
92, 85, and 80 on May 1-5; 75 on May 6-7; 78 on May 8-9; 75 on May
10-11; 78 on May 12-13; 85 on May 14-16, and 92 after that, out to 45
days from now.

Predicted planetary A index will be 8 on April 6-8; 5, 8, 10, and 8 on
April 9-12; 5 on April 13-16; 20, 18, and 10 on April 17-19; 5 on April
20-22; 55, 28, 20, 22, and 28 on April 23-27; 15, 10, 8, 7, and 6 on
April 28-May 2; 5 on May 3-13, 20, 18, and 10 on May 14-16; 5 on May
17-19, and 55 on May 20.

Sunspot numbers for March 30 through April 5, 2017 were 33, 65, 79, 75,
97, 75, and 37, with a mean of 65.9. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 85.9,
90.6, 101, 112, 107.9, 93.8, and 84.6, with a mean of 96.5. Estimated
planetary A indices were 23, 28, 16, 8, 4, 20, and 10, with a mean of
15.6. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 18, 21, 15, 6, 4, 17, and
10, with a mean of 13. (Click on the solar disk image for a closer look
at sunspots AR2644 and 2645.)

Send <k7ra at arrl.net> me your reports and observations.

==> GETTING IT RIGHT!

The story "New Bands! FCC Issues Amateur Radio Service Rules for 630
Meters and 2,200 Meters," in the March 30 edition of The ARRL Letter,
requires clarification regarding the effective date of the new rules.
The fact that the new rules contain a new information-collection
requirement -- notification of operation to the UTC -- makes it
difficult to predict an effective date. According to the FCC Report and
Order (R&O
<http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2017/db0329/FCC-17-33A1.pdf>),
the Office of Management and Budget (under the Paperwork Reduction Act)
must first approve the information-collection requirements in
§97.303(g)(2) of the amended rules. Once that happens, the FCC will
publish a notice in The Federal Register "announcing such approval and
the relevant effective date."

==> JUST AHEAD IN RADIOSPORT

- April 8-9 -- JIDX CW Contest (CW)

- April 8-9 -- PODXS 070 Club PSK31 Contest

- April 8-9 -- OK/OM DX Contest (SSB)

- April 8-9 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)

- April 8-9 -- QRP ARCI Spring QSO Party (CW)

- April 8-9 --New Mexico QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)

- April 8-9 -- Georgia QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)

- April 8-9 -- Yuri Gagarin International DX Contest (CW)

- April 9 -- International Vintage Contest HF (CW, phone)

- April 9 -- Hungarian Straight Key Contest

- April 12 -- NAQCC CW Sprint

- April 12 -- RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship (SSB)

See the ARRL Contest Calendar <http://www.arrl.org/contest-calendar>
for more information. For in-depth reporting on Amateur Radio
contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest Update
<http://www.arrl.org/contest-update-issues> via your ARRL member
profile e-mail preferences.

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

- April 7-8 -- OzarkCon QRP Conference <http://www.ozarkcon.com/>,
Branson, Missouri

- April 7-8 -- Oklahoma Section Convention <http://hamholiday.com/>,
Claremore, Oklahoma

- April 15 -- Roanoke Division Convention <http://rars.org/rarsfest>,
Raleigh, North Carolina

- Apr 21-23 -- International DX Convention
<http://www.dxconvention.com/>, Visalia, California

- April 21-23 -- Eastern VHF-UHF Microwave Conference
<http://www.newsvhf.com/vhfconf.html>, Manchester, Connecticut

- April 21-23 -- Idaho State Convention <http://www.voiceofidaho.org/>,
Boise, Idaho

- April 22 -- Delaware State Convention
<http://www.radioelectronicsexpo.com/>, Georgetown, Delaware

- April 22 -- Aurora '17 Convention <http://www.nlrs.org/>, White Bear
Lake, Minnesota

- Apr 22-23 -- Communications Academy XIX
<http://www.commacademy.org/>, Seattle, Washington

- April 28-29 -- Southeastern VHF Society Conference
<http://svhfs.org/>, Charlotte, North Carolina

- April 29 -- Louisiana Section Convention
<http://www.twincityhams.org/hamfest.html>, West Monroe, Louisiana

- May 4-6 -- Military Radio Collector's Group Convention
<http://www.mrcgwest.org/>, San Luis Obispo, California

- May 7 -- Eastern Pennsylvania Section Convention
<http://www.k3dn.org/>, Bristol, Pennsylvania

- May 13 -- Iowa Section Convention <http://www.3900club.com/>, Boone,
Iowa

- May 19-21 -- Ohio State Convention (Dayton Hamvention
<http://www.hamvention.org/>), Xenia, Ohio

- May 27-28 -- Rocky Mountain Division Convention
<http://www.wyominghamcon.org/>, Cody, Wyoming

- June 2-4 -- Northwestern Division Convention
<http://www.seapac.org/>, Seaside, Oregon

- June 3 -- Georgia Section Convention <http://atlantahamfest.com/>,
Marietta, Georgia

- June 9-10 -- West Gulf Division Convention <http://www.hamcom.org/>,
Irving, Texas

- June 16-18 -- Utah State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/utah-state-convention-1>, Garden City,
Utah

- June 17 -- Tennessee State Convention <http://www.w4bbb.org/>,
Knoxville, Tennessee

Find conventions and hamfests in your area
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests>.

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