From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Jul 2 15:54:48 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2015 15:54:48 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ARLB021 FCC Speedily Dismisses Petitions to Alter Amateur Service Rules References: <20150702184008.8063E21B9C8F@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: > SB QST @ ARL $ARLB021 > ARLB021 FCC Speedily Dismisses Petitions to Alter Amateur Service > Rules > > ZCZC AG21 > QST de W1AW > ARRL Bulletin 21 ARLB021 > From ARRL Headquarters > Newington CT July 2, 2015 > To all radio amateurs > > SB QST ARL ARLB021 > ARLB021 FCC Speedily Dismisses Petitions to Alter Amateur Service > Rules > > Acting with near lightning speed, the FCC has dismissed two > petitions for rule making calling for separate amendments to the > Part 97 Amateur Service rules. Willison H. Gormly, WD0BCS, of Des > Moines, New Mexico, filed both petitions on June 16, and the FCC > turned them away on July 1. Gormly had requested that the FCC amend > Part 97.301(e) of the rules by dividing it into separate > sub-paragraphs for technician and Novice class privileges. He had > also asked the FCC to amend Part 97.305(c) to authorize spread > spectrum emissions in the 2 meter band. > > "The rule changes you propose were previously rejected by the > Commission," Scot Stone, deputy chief of the Mobility Division in > the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, told Gormly in the FCC's > dismissal letter. "Your petitions do not demonstrate or even suggest > that any relevant circumstances have changed such as to merit > reconsideration of these decisions." > > The FCC noted that while Part 97.301(e) had been divided into two > paragraphs in the past, these were consolidated when the Commission > streamlined the rules in 1999. Gormly argued that the present > configuration was confusing, but the FCC pointed out that Part > 97.301 "has been in this arrangement for a number of years without > any reported difficulty." > > Regarding Gormly's second petition, the Commission noted that it had > sought comment in 2004 as to whether it should expand the bands > authorized for spread spectrum to permit such emissions on the 50 > MHz, 144 MHz, and 222 MHz bands. Agreeing with the majority of > comments, the FCC subsequently determined that authorizing spread > spectrum was not warranted on 6 meters and 2 meters, "because of > concerns over the compatibility of spread spectrum emission types > and other Amateur radio operations in those bands," the FCC > explained in its denial letter. > > The FCC had said it was concerned about raising the noise floor on > the band, with potential adverse effects on so-called "weak signal" > communications or "otherwise affecting experimentation." The > Commission also had noted that both bands are heavily used for other > types of communication. > NNNN > /EX From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Jul 2 19:07:42 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2015 19:07:42 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Letter for July 2, 2015 References: <20150702202555.6498B20948E6@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <733045B6-9E7A-45D8-84D7-65FFB9688286@bellsouth.net> > > If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: > http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2015-07-02 > > > > July 2, 2015Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME > ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive Audio News > > > > The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 Introduced in the US Senate > ARRL Website Has New Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 Page > FCC Invites Comments on Proposed Rules for New LF and MF Amateur Allocations > FCC Speedily Dismisses Petitions to Alter Amateur Service Rules > W1AW/5 Will Represent ARRL Headquarters in the 2015 IARU HF World Championship > Pattern of CQ WW Contact Padding Prompts Disqualifications, Review of Past Contest Logs > CEDAR Conference Participants Dig Into Science of Interest to Radio Amateurs > Phillip Groves, N8SFO, Named as West Virginia Section Manager > The ARRL Letter Tops 100,000 Subscribers! > "Founders and Patriots of the Republic" is Theme of Annual 13 Colonies Event > The K7RA Solar Update > Just Ahead in Radiosport > Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events > ARRL Headquarters Will Be Closed on Friday, July 3: ARRL Headquarters will be closed on Friday, July 3, in observance of Independence Day. There will be no edition of ARRL Audio News and no W1AW bulletins or code practice on July 3. We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend! > > The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 Introduced in the US Senate > A companion Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 bill has been introduced in the US Senate. Mississippi Republican Sen Roger Wicker introduced S. 1685 on June 25, with Connecticut Democratic Sen Richard Blumenthal as the initial cosponsor. The Senate bill joins an identical measure in the US House, H.R. 1301, which was introduced in March by Illinois Republican Rep Adam Kinzinger. Both measures would direct the FCC to extend its rules relating to reasonable accommodation of Amateur Service communications to private land-use restrictions. > > "Introduction of the Senate bill is a huge step toward achieving fairness for amateurs affected by private land-use regulation," said ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN. "For them and for the future of Amateur Radio, I thank everyone who contributed to making this progress. Now let's finish the job!" > > Wicker said the bill he introduced with Blumenthal's cosponsorship would allow for transparency and equality in the regulatory process. He said in a June 29 media release that the legislation would ensure that Amateur Radio operators are able to continue to provide "critical communications support at no cost to taxpayers." > > > Sen Roger Wicker (R-MS). > > "This would be particularly beneficial in Mississippi and other rural states," Wicker said. "During Hurricane Katrina, Mississippians learned firsthand the value of Amateur Radio, and its ability to provide information that could save lives in times of natural disasters." > > According to Wicker, the measure "ensures ?increased access to, and availability of, critical resources and communication tools" to first responders. Added Blumenthal, "We have seen the effectiveness of these systems, and the need to provide these emergency response systems to Americans, regardless of where you live, is evident." > > Wicker pointed out that private land-use restrictions prevent many hams from installing functional outdoor antennas. "This bill would call on FCC to apply the reasonable accommodation policy evenly to all types of residential land-use regulations and offer Amateur Radio operators the ability to negotiate with subdivisions that now have restrictions that preclude Amateur Radio antennas completely," he said. "This could be accomplished without taking any jurisdiction away from homeowners associations and would protect neighborhood aesthetics." > > S. 1685 has been referred to the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, chaired by Sen John Thune (R-SD). > > The House version of The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 had attracted support from 83 cosponsors, as of July 1. > > ARRL Website Has New Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 Page > Now that there is Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 legislation in both chambers of the US Congress, the League has a combined web page to accommodate activities on behalf of both bills. The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 is H.R. 1301 in the US House of Representatives and S. 1685 in the US Senate. The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 page provides a clearinghouse for all information on these identical pieces of legislation. > > US Rep Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) introduced H.R. 1301 on March 4 with bipartisan support. US Sen Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced S. 1685 on June 26, with Sen Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) as an original cosponsor. > > The bill would require the FCC to amend its Part 97 Amateur Service rules to apply the three-part test of the PRB-1 federal pre-emption policy to include homeowners association regulations and deed restrictions, often referred to as "covenants, conditions, and restrictions" or CC&Rs. PRB-1 now only applies to state and local zoning laws and ordinances, and the FCC has been reluctant to extend the same legal protections to include such private land-use agreements without direction from Congress. > > ARRL members are urged to write their members of Congress in both the House and the Senate, asking them to sign on to the bill as cosponsors. Route letters to your member of Congress to ARRL, ATTN Amateur Radio Parity Act Grassroots Campaign, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. Correspondence will be sorted at ARRL Headquarters and hand delivered to the appropriate US representatives and senators. Letters should include the sender's name and address. > > FCC Invites Comments on Proposed Rules for New LF and MF Amateur Allocations > The FCC is inviting comments on its recent proposals to authorize Amateur Radio operation on two new bands -- an LF allocation at 135.7 to 137.8 kHz (2200 meters), and an MF allocation at 472-479 kHz (630 meters). Amateur Radio would be secondary on both bands. Comments are due August 31. Reply comments -- ie, comments on comments filed -- are due by September 30. The FCC allocated 135.7 to 137.8 kHz to the Amateur Service in accordance with the Final Acts of the 2007 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-07). The proposed new allocation at 472 to 479 kHz would implement decisions made at WRC-12. > > "The Commission is proposing service rules for the Amateur Service in the 135.7-137.8 kHz and 472-479 kHz bands with the principal goal of enabling sharing of this spectrum among licensed amateur stations and unlicensed PLC systems," the FCC said on April 27 in a 257-page Report and Order, Order, and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The combined proceeding addresses three dockets -- ET-12-338, ET-15-99, and IB-06-123 -- affecting various radio services in addition to the Amateur Service. The detailed proposals appeared in The Federal Register on July 2. > > Amateur Radio would not be permitted in either band until the FCC determines, on the basis of comments, the specific technical and operational Part 97 rules it must develop. Amateur Radio would share both allocations with unlicensed Part 15 power line carrier (PLC) systems operated by utilities to control the power grid, as well as with other users. > > With respect to the new 630 meter band, the FCC has concluded that Amateur Radio and PLC systems "can successfully coexist in the band," and noted that there has been no reported interference to PLC operation resulting from experimental operations there. The FCC said PLC systems and anticipated Amateur Radio use of both 630 meters and 2200 meters "have characteristics that make coexistence possible." In general, the FCC wants to hear from the public regarding power limits, antenna placement and height, and geographical limitations for operation in the proposed LF and MF allocations. The FCC has said that the "cornerstone" of the technical rules it's proposing for both bands is "physical separation between amateur stations and the transmission lines" carrying PLC signals. > > The FCC has said that if it concludes, after considering the record, that Amateur Radio and PLC systems cannot coexist on 135.7-137.8 kHz, it would "defer the adoption of service rules, and amateur users will have to continue to use the experimental licensing process to operate in the band." > > In 2012, the ARRL submitted a Petition for Rule Making asking the FCC to allocate 472-479 kHz to the Amateur Service on a secondary basis and to amend the Part 97 rules to provide for its use. Several countries, including Canada, already have access to the band. > > The FCC said the addition of the new LF and MF allocations "would provide new opportunities for amateur operators to experiment with equipment, techniques, antennas, and propagation phenomena but with signals having larger bandwidth and higher power." > > In addition, the FCC has raised the secondary Amateur Service allocation at 1900 to 2000 kHz to primary, while providing for continued use by currently unlicensed commercial fishing vessels of radio buoys on the "open sea." The Commission is seeking comment on technical requirements to govern operation of the Part 80 radio buoys. > > Interested parties may submit comments, identified by ET Docket No 15-99, via the FCC Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS). The ARRL will file comments in this proceeding. > > > FCC Speedily Dismisses Petitions to Alter Amateur Service Rules > Acting with near lightning speed, the FCC has dismissed two petitions for rule making calling for separate amendments to the Part 97 Amateur Service rules. Willison H. Gormly, WD0BCS, of Des Moines, New Mexico, filed both petitions on June 16, and the FCC turned them away on July 1. Gormly had requested that the FCC amend ?97.301(e) of the rules by dividing it into separate sub-paragraphs for technician and Novice class privileges. He had also asked the FCC to amend ?97.305(c) to authorize spread spectrum emissions in the 2 meter band. > > "The rule changes you propose were previously rejected by the Commission," Scot Stone, deputy chief of the Mobility Division in the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, told Gormly in the FCC's dismissal letter. "Your petitions do not demonstrate or even suggest that any relevant circumstances have changed such as to merit reconsideration of these decisions." > > The FCC noted that while ?97.301(e) had been divided into two paragraphs in the past, these were consolidated when the Commission streamlined the rules in 1999. Gormly argued that the present configuration was confusing, but the FCC pointed out that ?97.301 "has been in this arrangement for a number of years without any reported difficulty." > > Regarding Gormly's second petition, the Commission noted that it had sought comment in 2004 as to whether it should expand the bands authorized for spread spectrum to permit such emissions on the 50 MHz, 144 MHz, and 222 MHz bands. Agreeing with the majority of comments, the FCC subsequently determined that authorizing spread spectrum was not warranted on 6 meters and 2 meters, "because of concerns over the compatibility of spread spectrum emission types and other Amateur Radio operations in those bands," the FCC explained in its denial letter. Read more. > > W1AW/5 Will Represent ARRL Headquarters in the 2015 IARU HF World Championship > The summer's most popular HF contest -- The 2015 International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) HF World Championship -- gets under way on July 11 at 1200 UTC and continues for 24 hours. The object of the contest is to contact other amateurs around the world -- especially IARU officials and member-society HQ stations -- in as many ITU zones as possible on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters -- using CW and phone. The ARRL Headquarters station for the event will be W1AW/5, organized by Steve London, N2IC, in New Mexico. NU1AW/7 in Washington will be the IARU headquarters station, organized by Mark Tharp, KB7HDX. London said the W1AW/5 operation will take place from six sites spread across New Mexico, with eight operators. He's hoping things will go smoothly, but he's also been keeping an eye on the weather. > > "July is monsoon season in New Mexico," he said. "It's not unusual to have thunderstorms that just sit there over large areas, for hours." > > Participating IARU member-society headquarters stations and officials count as score multipliers. Members of the IARU Administrative Council and the three IARU regional executive committees send a signal report plus "AC," "R1," "R2," and "R3," as appropriate. Other stations send a signal report plus ITU zone, and contact points vary from 1 to 5 points, depending on the other station's ITU zone. > > The IARU offers a variety of entry categories, and single operators can operate SSB only, CW only, or a mixture of both modes. Power categories include High Power (greater than 150 W), Low Power (between 5 W and 150 W), or QRP (5 W or less). This year new Unlimited categories have been added for operators using assistance. There is also a Multioperator, Single Transmitter category, so several friends can get together to operate from one station. > > The IARU HF Championship offers a lot of summertime operating enjoyment and a chance to check out your station and antennas well in advance of the 2015-2016 contest season. There's plenty of room for casual operators too. > > Submit logs via e-mail. Mail paper logs to IARU International Secretariat, Box 310905, Newington, CT 06111-0905 USA. All logs must be e-mailed or postmarked no later than 1200 UTC on August 11, 2015. > > Pattern of CQ WW Contact Padding Prompts Disqualifications, Review of Past Contest Logs > The CQ World Wide Contest Committee said on June 25 that it plans to review all past CQ WW contest logs, after its investigation revealed a pattern of routine QSO padding on the part of one top-scoring CQ WW participant. This follows in the wake of the disqualifications of some two dozen 2014 CQ WW SSB contest operators in April, and another 30 contestants in the 2014 CQ WW CW event. Among the latter group of DQs was the TO7A entry of Dmitry V. Stashuk, UT5UGR, of Kiev, Ukraine, for unclaimed use of assistance. TO7A had claimed the top Single Operator, High Power score. > > "During the public discussion around this disqualification, a section of the log on 160 meters was pointed out as being suspicious," the committee said. "Further checking revealed a run of 47 QSOs that were added to the log when TO7A could not be detected on the air by RBN [Reverse Beacon Network] or SDR recordings. In total, as many as 123 QSOs representing 22 additional multipliers were padded into the log." The CQ WW Contest Committee said the "particular pattern" of the suspicious contacts made it clear that they were added deliberately after the contest to fill in rest or break periods. > > The contest committee subsequently decided to dig more deeply into past contest logs submitted by UT5UGR, many of them competitive entries, including one for a record continental score, and it uncovered evidence of log padding going back to 2008, when UT5UGR placed third in the world in the Single Operator, High Power category from V31WA in the CQ WW CW. > > > Dmitry Stashuk, UT5UGR. > > As a result, CQ has disqualified UT5UGR's entries in which they detected log padding and removed them from the official score database. In addition, any entry into a CQ-sponsored contest until July 2020 in which UT5UGR is the operator or listed as a participant will be reclassified as a checklog. > > "This violation of the trust that underlies radiosport competition cannot be ignored," CQ said. The CQ WW Contest Committee has announced that new log checking processes were being developed to improve the detection of log padding. "We intend to test these methods against all submitted logs from 2011-2014. If other entries are found to have added unverifiable QSOs, we will address them on a case by case basis," CQ said. > > Stashuk did not respond to an ARRL e-mail seeking comment. Read more. > > > CEDAR Conference Participants Dig Into Science of Interest to Radio Amateurs > It was a meeting of the minds as more than 300 scientists -- many of them radio amateurs -- met at the University of Washington in Seattle during the week of June 21 for the annual National Science Foundation-sponsored Coupling, Energetics, and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions (CEDAR) Conference. CEDAR is a broad-based, community-guided upper-atmosphere research program. The program focuses on the science of atmospheric regions from the middle atmosphere (~30 km altitude) through space. This region includes the ionosphere, and the CEDAR workshop discussed issues highly relevant to Amateur Radio HF propagation. > > "The middle atmosphere is particularly difficult to study, as it is generally too high for sounding rockets and balloons, and too low for most satellites," explained Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, a graduate student at Virginia Tech who attended the CEDAR workshop. "Thus, it is difficult to make in-situ measurements, and remote sensing techniques are very important." Frissell said it's also very difficult, because of its size, to take sufficient measurements that truly characterize the whole Earth-space system. > > Noteworthy topics at the CEDAR workshop included ionospheric and neutral atmospheric response to geomagnetic storms and space weather, atmospheric gravity waves and traveling ionospheric disturbances, and the coupling of the ionosphere and middle atmosphere to space. Frissell delivered a presentation, "Using Amateur Radio Signals with the CARINA Satellite," during the conference, in collaboration with Magda Moses, KM4EGE, a Virginia Tech undergraduate; Ethan Miller, K8GU, of JHU/APL; Steve Kaeppler, AD0AE, of SRI, and the Reverse Beacon Network (RBN). Frissell said his presentation prompted the recent experiment that had the Canadian CASSIOPE satellite listen for Field Day signals. > > Scientists on hand at the CEDAR event represented many major ionospheric and upper-atmosphere research programs. > > Moses' workshop poster presentation, "Experiment Design to Assess Ionospheric Perturbations During a Solar Eclipse," discussed how solar eclipses offer an opportunity to determine the dependence of the ionosphere on sunlight. She is working with her advisor, Gregory Earle, W4GDE, and Frissell. A total solar eclipse will occur over the US in August 2017. Moses' plan is to observe whether unique ionospheric responses may be witnessed during an eclipse. "This will be accomplished using a nationwide network of GPS receivers as well as coherent scatter radars and a variety of techniques involving Amateur Radio," her poster explained. The experiment would make use of the RBN and involve an Eclipse QSO Party. > > > Scientist-hams attending CEDAR 2015 included (L-R): Steve Kaeppler, AD0AE, SRI International; Ethan Miller, K8GU, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory; Gregory Earle, W4GDE, Virginia Tech; Magda Moses, KM4EGE, Virginia Tech; Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, Virginia Tech; Michael Hirsch, W2NRL, Boston University and SciVision; Paul Bernhardt, KF4FOR, Naval Research Laboratory; David Hysell, KA3IFC, Cornell University, and John Sahr, WB7NWP, University of Washington. > > "These conferences are extremely important, because the only way we have a chance at gaining understanding of the Earth-space system is to have the entire scientific community work together to identify strategies for making progress," Frissell said. He noted that many CEDAR talks were about building networks of instruments and sharing data to tackle problems of common interest. "This is one reason I think using the RBN -- and similar networks -- is important," he said, "because they provide a global view that complements other observational techniques." Read more. -- Thanks to Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF > > Phillip Groves, N8SFO, Named as West Virginia Section Manager > Phillip Groves, N8SFO, has been appointed as ARRL West Virginia Section Manager. Groves, of Beckley, succeeds the late Charles Hardy, WV8CH, of Fayetteville, who died on June 14, apparently as the result of accidental electrocution while working on an antenna at his home. > > > West Virginia SM Phillip Groves, N8SFO. > > "This position will present me with new opportunities to further promote Amateur Radio participation and membership for radio clubs," Groves told ARRL Headquarters. > > Field Services and Radiosport Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, made the appointment, effective on June 30, after consulting with Roanoke Division Director Jim Boehner, N2ZZ, and Roanoke Division Vice Director Bill Morine, N2COP. > > Groves, 56, has been a radio amateur since 1991 and is active within the ARRL National Traffic System (NTS) as net control station for the West Virginia Mid-Day Net and the NTS Eighth Region Net, and, as needed, assists with the Eastern Area Net. He is a member of the Plateau Amateur Radio Association and the 8 Rivers Amateur Radio Club. A retired underground coal miner and contractor, Groves also enjoys hunting and fishing, gardening, and road trips with his wife. > > Groves will serve the remainder of the current term, which extends until September 30, 2017. > > The ARRL Letter Tops 100,000 Subscribers! > For the first time in its 33-year history, The ARRL Letter -- the League's weekly e-newsletter -- has exceeded 100,000 subscribers. The tally for the June 25, 2015, edition was 100,139. The ARRL Letter is distributed free to all ARRL members who opt to receive it via their membership profile. > > "I am gratified to see The ARRL Letter reach the 100,000-reader mark. It is testimony to the excellent journalistic work of News Editor Rick Lindquist, WW1ME," said ARRL Publications Manager Steve Ford, WB8IMY. "It is astonishing to realize that, in terms of overall circulation, The ARRL Letter's readership is now exceeded only by QST magazine itself." > > The ARRL Letter began as a bi-weekly, paid-subscription, 4-page newsletter delivered by postal mail to subscribers, who had to be ARRL members. The first edition was published on October 28, 1982. The focus was on delivering breaking news to members who didn't want to wait for the next issue of QST to read about it. The first editor was Peter O'Dell, KB1N (now WB2D), with Wayne T. Yoshida, KA6KGU (now KH6WZ), as associate editor. The banner headline in the first edition was, "Flash! FCC Gives 10 MHz to Hams NOW!" > > > Rick Lindquist, WW1ME. > > Lindquist has served twice as editor of The ARRL Letter. He oversaw the transition of the newsletter from a print-only publication to an electronic publication in the mid-1990s. For more than 10 years, The ARRL Letter appeared in subscribers' inboxes as a plain ASCII text publication. After Lindquist retired from the ARRL Headquarters staff in 2007 and Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA, took over as news editor, The ARRL Letter was reconfigured as an HTML publication that included color photos and ads of interest to readers. When Keane left HQ in mid-2013, Lindquist was tapped to return as news editor, which he handles on a part-time basis from his home in Down East Maine. > > > "Founders and Patriots of the Republic" is Theme of Annual 13 Colonies Event > The annual Independence Day week 13 Colonies Special Event got under way on June 30 and will continue until July 5 at 0400 UTC. The theme for the 2015 event is "Founders and Patriots of the Republic." The object is for operators to contact special event stations in each of the 13 British colonies that became the US in 1776. The contact count for last year's event was nearly 109,000. > > Certificates and endorsements will be available for working the 13 colonies stations, with a sticker for contacting all 13 and an endorsement for contacting WM3PEN in Philadelphia, where independence was declared in 1776. Those working WM3PEN will have a Liberty Bell added to their 13 Colonies certificates. > > The 1 ? 1 call sign stations on the air this year are K2A in New York, K2B in Virginia, K2C in Rhode Island, K2D in Connecticut, K2E in Delaware, K2F in Maryland, K2G in Georgia, K2H in Massachusetts, K2I in New Jersey, K2J in North Carolina, K2K in New Hampshire, K2L in South Carolina, and K2M in Pennsylvania. In addition to WM3PEN, UK special event station GB13COL will operate from Durham, England, with members of the Durham and District Amateur Radio Society participating. > > The K7RA Solar Update > Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Conditions over Field Day weekend turned out to be not bad at all. The expected geomagnetic upset never happened. On the Thursday and Friday before Field Day, the predicted planetary A index for the June 27-28 was 45 and 60 -- really bad conditions. The actual planetary A indices on those dates were 9 and 13, and the mid-latitude A indices were a modest 8 and 12. > > Average solar flux over June 25 through July 1 was 100.7, down from 130.8 over the previous 7 days. Average daily sunspot numbers declined from 71.6 to 35.9. > > The latest solar flux prediction is 110, 115, 120, and 125 on July 2-5; 130 on July 6-8; 125 on July 9-10; 130 on July 11-19; then 115, 110, and 105 on July 20-22; 100 on July 23-26, and 105 on July 27-August 1. Flux values rise to 130 after August 6. > > Planetary A index is predicted at 5 on July 2-4; then 25, 12, 10, and 5 on July 5-8; 8 on July 9-10; 18, 12, and 8 on July 11-13; then 5 on July 14-17; 8 on July 18-19, and 5 on July 20-25. > > In Friday's bulletin look for reports from readers, a review of our moving average of sunspot numbers, and updated forecasts. Send me your reports and observations. > > Just Ahead in Radiosport > July 3 -- NCCC RTTY Sprint > > July 3 -- NCCC Sprint > > July 4 -- FISTS Summer Slow Speed Sprint > > July 4-5 -- DL-DX RTTY Contest > > July 4-5 -- Marconi Memorial HF Contest (CW) > > July 4-5 -- Original QRP Contest (CW) > > July 4-5 -- PODXS 070 Club 40 Meter Firecracker Sprint (digital) > > July 5 -- WAB 144 MHz Low Power Phone > > July 5 -- DARC 10 Meter Digital Contest > > July 5 -- QRP ARCI Summer Homebrew Sprint (CW) > > July 6 -- RSGB 80 Meter Club Championship, CW > > July 7 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW) > > July 8-9 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test > > July 10 -- NCCC RTTY Sprint > > July 10 -- NCCC Sprint > > July 11 -- FISTS Summer Sprint > > July 11-12 -- IARU HF World Championship (CW, SSB) > > July 11-12 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon > > July 12 -- CQC Great Colorado Gold Rush (CW) > > Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events > July 4 -- Eastern Pennsylvania Section Convention, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania > > July 10-11 -- Northern Florida Section Convention, Milton, Florida > > July 13-16 -- Mobile Amateur Radio Awards Club Convention, The Villages, Florida > > July 17-19 -- Montana State Convention, East Glacier, Montana > > July 23-26 -- Central States VHF Society Conference, Westminster, Colorado > > July 24-25 -- Oklahoma Section Convention, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma > > July 31-August 2 -- Rocky Mountain Division Convention, Bryce Canyon, Utah > > August 1 -- Great Lakes Division Convention, Columbus, Ohio > > August 7-8 -- South Texas Section Convention, Austin, Texas > > August 7-9 -- New Mexico State Convention, Albuquerque, New Mexico > > August 7-9 -- Pacific Northwest DX Convention, Everett, Washington > > August 15-16 -- Alabama State Convention, Huntsville, Alabama > > August 16 -- Kansas State Convention, Salina, Kansas > > August 21-23 -- New England Division Convention, Boxborough, Massachusetts > > August 22 -- West Virginia State Convention, Weston, West Virginia > > August 30 -- Western Pennsylvania Section Convention, New Kensington, Pennsylvania > > September 5-6 -- Roanoke Division Convention, Shelby, North Carolina > > September 11-12 -- W9DXCC, Schaumburg, Illinois > > September 11-13 -- Southwestern Division Convention, Torrance, California > > September 12 -- Virginia Section Convention, Virginia Beach, Virginia > > September 26 -- Washington State Convention, Spokane Valley, Washington > > Find conventions and hamfests in your area. > > ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for > Amateur Radio News and Information > > . > > . > > . > > Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes QST, Amateur Radio's most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month. > Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday. > Subscribe to... > > NCJ -- National Contest Journal. Published bi-monthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties. > QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters. 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 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 ARRL on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! > > > > > > > The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 48 times each year. ARRL members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member Data Page as described at http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/. > > Copyright ? 2015 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved > From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Jul 3 15:31:54 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2015 15:31:54 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ANSWERS - The big dx-world quiz for real dx'er's References: Message-ID: <40233781-7C56-4B7F-9B5C-EE483E0CDC7B@bellsouth.net> > http://www.dx-world.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Questions-and-answers.pdf > From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Jul 3 15:35:32 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2015 15:35:32 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Reservations are now Open , Time to Sign Up! References: <26884630413_1435889617_126398550@a2plmmworker06.prod.iad2.gdg> Message-ID: <022EA7B5-55F7-4EB2-BBA1-252D26AFD2AB@bellsouth.net> > > > > Hello from W4DXCC > > Just a short note letting everyone know that July 1st, the phones are open for making reservations. Give Rosie a call and tell her how many convention and banquet tickets you want. The banquet fills up fast so make your reservations as soon as you can. Rosie - Call 865 898-2279 > > Ham Radio Bootcamp Update > The W4DXCC team decided that many new hams might just need an Elmer. An Elmer, as you know, is someone who guides a new ham through the process of learning what and how to get started. Just because you get your license does not give you this valuable knowledge. > > All Day Friday we start very basic and teach and show how to setup an HF radio, and use it. Of course antennas are necessary and are pretty easy to make, so we show how to make some different antennas, install them and make contacts with them. Most experienced hams know that the first QSOs are the scariest. We show the class how to make a QSO and how to log that QSO. > > After lunch we we start again and show the class how to work local and DX stations. How propagation works and where to find a QSO. Later we show how to enter a contest and have fun working stations in the contest. The last session is one even the most experienced hams won't want to miss. We open the book of tricks and start showing how to be successful DXing and working a DXpedition. > > The Bootcamp team members are all experienced hams who can really help you understand even the most difficult subjects. > > So now that you have your license come learn how you can make the most of it! Start here and look over the Ham Radio Bootcamp web page. Bootcanp > > Here is the website W4DXCC > > Get your Convention and Banquet tickets now! > > Feel free to forward this email to your friends, Best 73 > > Dave Anderson, K4SV > W4DXCC Team Leader > > > ?2015 W4DXCC DX and Contest Convention | 1271 Red Fox Road, Tryon 28782 > Web Version Forward Unsubscribe > > Powered by Mad Mimi? > A GoDaddy? company > > > From n8pr1 at bellsouth.net Fri Jul 3 20:01:03 2015 From: n8pr1 at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2015 20:01:03 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] [SFDXA] ANSWERS - The big dx-world quiz for real dx'er's In-Reply-To: <40233781-7C56-4B7F-9B5C-EE483E0CDC7B@bellsouth.net> References: <40233781-7C56-4B7F-9B5C-EE483E0CDC7B@bellsouth.net> Message-ID: <44AF26737D19478D8157278FD13BE479@PeteRGateway> Well, I got 19, and I knew that Reviloagigedo Is. is in Mexico... I have sailed past it ! Hope others did better than did ! 73 PeteR N8PR -----Original Message----- From: Bill Sent: Friday, July 03, 2015 3:31 PM To: ; qcwa69 at mailman.qth.net Subject: [SFDXA] ANSWERS - The big dx-world quiz for real dx'er's > http://www.dx-world.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Questions-and-answers.pdf > From n8pr1 at bellsouth.net Fri Jul 3 23:35:07 2015 From: n8pr1 at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2015 23:35:07 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] [SFDXA] ANSWERS - The big dx-world quiz for real dx'er's In-Reply-To: References: <44AF26737D19478D8157278FD13BE479@PeteRGateway> <14e5679dd18-7665-363ee@webprd-a92.mail.aol.com> Message-ID: <44599240372E4E8E8EF5CA0EF92BF35E@PeteRGateway> Norm, It is a fact that RG Island is in Alaska, but XF4 which is a DXCC entity is in Mexico. I think, personally, that they were referring to XF4, since this is a DX quiz, not a geography quiz. On the other hand, none of the 4 islands in the Mexican RG group is named Revillagigedo ! Just the group. Tricky ! I guess I only got 18 of 30-- LOL 73, PeteR From: Bernie McClenny, W3UR Sent: Friday, July 03, 2015 9:42 PM To: NormA Cc: n8pr1 at bellsouth.net ; bmarx at bellsouth.net ; sfdxa at mailman.qth.net ; qcwa69 at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [SFDXA] ANSWERS - The big dx-world quiz for real dx'er's W3UR Bernie McClenny, W3UR Editor of The Daily DX, The Weekly DX and How's DX? Two week trial - http://www.dailydx.com/trial.html https://twitter.com/dailydx 410-489-6518 On Jul 3, 2015, at 8:31 PM, NormA via SFDXA wrote: I too said the Revillagigedo was owned by Mexico ans sent out a correction, now that is a trick question because there is another Revillagigedo off the coast of Alaska and that is US territory. This info courtesy of Bernie K3UR Norm W4QN -----Original Message----- From: Pete Rimmel N8PR To: Bill ; ; qcwa69 Sent: Fri, Jul 3, 2015 8:01 pm Subject: Re: [SFDXA] ANSWERS - The big dx-world quiz for real dx'er's Well, I got 19, and I knew that Reviloagigedo Is. is in Mexico... I have sailed past it ! Hope others did better than did ! 73 PeteR N8PR -----Original Message----- From: Bill Sent: Friday, July 03, 2015 3:31 PM To: ; qcwa69 at mailman.qth.net Subject: [SFDXA] ANSWERS - The big dx-world quiz for real dx'er's http://www.dx-world.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Questions-and-answers.pdf ______________________________________________________________ South Florida DX Assoc. "SINCE 1974" SFDXA WebSite: http://www.SFDXA.com SFDXA Repeater 147.33+ 103.5 Tone To Post: mailto:SFDXA at mailman.qth.net To UNSUBSCRIBE/EDIT: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/sfdxa This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net ______________________________________________________________ South Florida DX Assoc. "SINCE 1974" SFDXA WebSite: http://www.SFDXA.com SFDXA Repeater 147.33+ 103.5 Tone To Post: mailto:SFDXA at mailman.qth.net To UNSUBSCRIBE/EDIT: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/sfdxa This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net From n8pr at bellsouth.net Sat Jul 4 23:51:33 2015 From: n8pr at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Sat, 4 Jul 2015 23:51:33 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] OZ1AA Lunch On SUnday 1 PM Falcon PUB Message-ID: Tom, OZ1AA will be here all day Sunday and leave Monday morning for parts north. We will be at the Falcon Pub at 1 PM for Lunch. Anyone who wants to come by to say HI please do. 73, PeteR N8PR From n8pr at bellsouth.net Tue Jul 7 08:17:08 2015 From: n8pr at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Tue, 7 Jul 2015 08:17:08 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] K9DXX/OZ1AA Going the wrong way. Message-ID: Last night we decided to drive to Key West so that Tom could start at Mile Marker Zero of A1A. He is going the wrong way... Canada will be further away... LOL Tom may be back for one quick night stop in 4 days ! BTW he passed his general class FCC test last night and only missed 1 question. At any rate he is grateful to all those who have helped him and for the funds donated to his cause. He asked me to pass on his 73 to everyone. 73 De Tom, OZ1AA/ K9DXX and PeteR N8PR From n8pr at bellsouth.net Tue Jul 7 19:02:17 2015 From: n8pr at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Tue, 7 Jul 2015 19:02:17 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Photos at Pete's Facebook page Message-ID: If you want to see photos of Tom on my facebook page as he left Key West goto: https://www.facebook.com/pete.rimmel.940 He will have more at: http://www.cyclingtheglobe.com/ along with many more photos and his blog. 73, PeteR N8PR From n8pr1 at bellsouth.net Wed Jul 8 09:25:07 2015 From: n8pr1 at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Wed, 8 Jul 2015 09:25:07 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Hi from the Keys! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hey Pete, All is great down here in the Keys. Yesterday I made it up to the Honda Park at mile 35. There I met Paul's friend Ron who was driving down from Key Largo to say hi. We had a few beers and spent the night in his friends house!!! Today I'm back on the bike aiming for Key Largo where I will be staying with Ron again! So, it's all working out perfectly well down here. >From Key Largo to Hollywood beach, following A1A the distance is 75 miles. So, I should be able to make ot there already tomorrow! Perhaps spending another night at your place and then make it up to W4UH on friday. Will call you later. Thanks again for all the help. I'm really glad I made it all the way down here to the Keys. Its good cycling. Tom --- http://www.cyclingtheglobe.com From n8pr at bellsouth.net Thu Jul 9 12:51:37 2015 From: n8pr at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2015 12:51:37 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Tom's Bike Trip update Message-ID: Tom, OZ1AA, called just now to say he was in South Miami and heading up A1A to Miami then Hollywood. I expect to pick him up 5-6 PM today and he will stay overnight here again. I am not sure what he will want to do for dinner, but if we go out, I will announce it on the 147.33 DX club repeater and post it here. Will drop him off in the AM where I pick him up, and he hopes to be in Jupiter or near there tomorrow (FRI) evening. I hope you all do not mind the bandwidth about Tom. PeteR N8PR From n8pr1 at bellsouth.net Thu Jul 9 16:01:54 2015 From: n8pr1 at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2015 16:01:54 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Tom's Bike Trip update In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I expect to be picking Tom up soon. 5-6 PM ? I am waiting for him to call. I am going to suggest the Chinese Buffet on the west side of University at the southwest corner of Sheridan. He might have other desires, but if not, I will announce the time on 147.33. I will be on the repeater as I go to Pick him up from the beach. 73, PeteR N8PR From n8pr1 at bellsouth.net Thu Jul 9 18:33:53 2015 From: n8pr1 at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2015 18:33:53 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Tom's Bike Trip update In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <9F6509301CE04FC997D46E58F70BCB7D@PeteRGateway> Looks like the headwinds have delayed him. He says 7:15 or later in Hollywood, now From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Jul 9 21:54:24 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2015 21:54:24 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Letter for July 9, 2015 References: <20150709215616.C4A29200CD5E@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: > > If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: > http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2015-07-09 > > > > July 9, 2015Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME > ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive Audio News > > > > Amateur Radio Becomes Primary on 1900-2000 kHz on August 6 > ARRL Patrons Donate Warhol Print to League; Auction Proceeds Will Create Endowment > Museum Donates Doug DeMaw, W1FB, Homebrew Equipment to ARRL > Ham Radio Volunteers Support Oklahoma Freewheel Bicycle Ride > Friedrichshafen HAM RADIO 2015 Hosts International Youth Gathering > Pioneering Remote Multi-Multi K4VV Contesting Station Closes, But Project Continues > UK Government Holds Up Export of Early Amateur Radio-Related TV Archive > In Brief... > The K7RA Solar Update > Just Ahead in Radiosport > Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events > > Amateur Radio Becomes Primary on 1900-2000 kHz on August 6 > Amateur Radio will be upgraded from secondary to primary in the 1900-2000 kHz segment of 160 meters in the US on August 6. That's the effective date of the WRC-07 implementation Report and Order and WRC-12 Order portions of a lengthy FCC document released on April 27. Both appeared in the Federal Register on July 7; the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) of the same proceeding was published in the Federal Register on July 2. The Radiolocation Service (RLS) has been primary in the band segment. The FCC also made a secondary allocation of 135.7-137.8 kHz to the Amateur Service, but this band will not be available until service rules have been adopted. > > "The FCC action with respect to 1900-2000 kHz reduces the possibility that we might suffer in the future from new Radiolocation Service deployments," said ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. "On the other hand, we will have to put up with radio buoys that have been operating illegally in the band but that now have been 'regularized' by the Commission." > > The FCC said that while it had believed there was no non-Federal RLS use of the 1900-2000 kHz band, the record indicated there are maritime users, including the US "high seas" migratory species fishing fleets, making use of radio buoys in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans as well as within 200 nautical miles of the coast. It did not identify these users in the WRC-07 proceeding, however, "because they did not appear in its licensing database," it said. > > "Apparently, fishing vessels have operated radio buoys in US waters under the belief that a ship station license issued under Part 80 of the Commission's rules permits operation of the buoys," the FCC Order continued. The FCC said a Part 80 license applies only to stations in the maritime services and does not authorize operation of radio stations requiring a Part 90 license, "such as the radio buoys at issue here." > > The FCC said its action regarding 1900-2000 kHz supports increased use of 160 meters as reported by commenters in the proceeding and provides "spectrum support" for Amateur Radio emergency communication. The FCC said its action also offers the Amateur Service "the long-term security that primary status entails." > > In removing the primary RLS allocation, the FCC added a new footnote to the US Table of Allocations that provides for radio buoy operations in the 1900-2000 kHz segment on a primary basis in Region 2 (the Americas) and on a secondary basis in Region 3, which limits operations to the open sea. > > The FCC also concluded that it is in the public interest to establish a secondary Amateur Radio allocation at 135.7-137.8 kHz -- 2200 meters, although the new band is not yet authorized for amateur use. "In accordance with the WRC-07 Final Acts, the Commission also restricted use of this secondary Amateur Service allocation to amateur stations transmitting a maximum equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) of 1 W." The Commission is inviting comments until August 31 on how it should structure operational rules for that allocation as well as for a proposed 472-479 kHz allocation, 630 meters. Read more. > > ARRL Patrons Donate Warhol Print to League; Auction Proceeds Will Create Endowment > ARRL patron and well-known Hollywood producer Dave Bell, W6AQ, and his wife Sam, W6QLT (she's a quilter), have donated a signed Andy Warhol print to the ARRL. The artwork -- "Myths: Superman 1981" -- will be sold at auction and the proceeds used to create "The Dave Bell, W6AQ, Endowment Fund" to benefit the League. The print's value has been estimated to be in the vicinity of $150,000. Bell said he wanted to encourage other radio amateurs who might own valuable artworks to consider donating them to ARRL. > > > Andy Warhol's Myths: Superman (1981). > > "I suspect that I'm not the only amateur art collector among the ham radio population," Bell told ARRL recently. "I'm not sure that it's ever occurred to any of these hams that one way to make a donation is to give a painting to the League." > > Bell, a ham since 1951 and a past chairman of the ARRL Public Relations Committee, acquired the Superman print in the early 1990s, and it hung in his Hollywood office for years. "I was looking around for a Warhol, and a friend of mine was an art dealer, and he came across this 'Superman' print and he gave me a very good price on it, so I bought it," Bell said. He once owned another Warhol, which he gave to Hiram College, his alma mater. > > Hollywood movie producer David Wolper sold the print to Bell, who said it had hung in Wolper's screening room for a decade or so. During his own working years, Bell was a television and movie producer. He started TV's "Unsolved Mysteries" and also produced some movies ("Nadia," "The Long Walk Home"). Amateur Radio was the focus of some of his productions, including "The World of Amateur Radio" and > > > Dave Bell, W6AQ, in his ham shack. > > "Amateur Radio Today." In 2003 the League presented Bell with its first Lifetime Achievement Award, for his work on films and videos about Amateur Radio. "I had an entertaining career," he punned. He was also the Dayton Hamvention? Amateur of the Year in 1984. His book World's Best Hobby, available from ARRL and elsewhere, details his professional and Amateur Radio lives. > > One reason he purchased the Superman print in particular, he said, was that he could imagine an Amateur Radio handheld in the Man of Steel's outstretched hand. "He should be 'Superham,'" Bell quipped. > > ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, announced the donation in May at an ARRL donors' reception in conjunction with Dayton Hamvention?. "Dave and Sam have always supported ARRL most generously, and this latest gift to the Endowment Fund will ensure their support never stops," President Craigie told the gathering. "I would like to say 'thank you' for your thoughtful support. You are truly a 'Superman' to ARRL!" Read more. > > > > Museum Donates Doug DeMaw, W1FB, Homebrew Equipment to ARRL > The Vintage Radio and Communications Museum of Connecticut (VRCMCT) has donated equipment designed by former ARRL staffer Doug Demaw, W1FB (SK), to ARRL Headquarters for exhibit. One of the most widely published technical writers in Amateur Radio, DeMaw -- who earlier held the call signs W1CER and W8HHS -- was on the HQ staff for 18 years, from 1965 to 1983, and he served as Senior Technical Editor and Technical Department Manager from 1970 to 1983. Beginning in 1970, he engineered a shift in emphasis toward solid-state design in QST and in The ARRL Handbook. After retiring in 1983, DeMaw founded Oak Hills Research, but he continued to write construction articles for QST as well as books, including W1FB's QRP Notebook and W1FB's Antenna Notebook. > > > ARRL Lab volunteer Pete Turbide, W1PT, spiffs up a DeMaw receiver that was featured in the article "More Receiver Design Notes," in the June 1974 issue of QST. > > "The ARRL has a significant collection of Amateur Radio-related historical documents and equipment," said ARRL Senior Test Engineer, Bob Allison, WB1GCM. "Besides the 'Evolution of Amateur Radio Equipment' exhibit at the Lab, we have a 'Made in the Lab' exhibit. Doug DeMaw and his Lab staff built equipment that many radio amateurs duplicated at home. They are an important part of the history of Amateur Radio and ARRL." > > It's still unclear just how the museum ended up with its collection of DeMaw project prototypes. With the exception of his famous "Tuna Tin" QRP transmitter, which was detailed in the May 1976 issue of QST and also appeared on its cover, DeMaw retained his projects after the articles about them had been published, in line with the HQ custom of that era. When DeMaw died in 1997, though, the whereabouts of many of his construction projects was unknown. Recently, Allison spotted something that looked familiar in a box of parts at the VRCMCT. Allison, who is a museum board member and ARRL historical collection curator, instantly recognized a receiver that DeMaw had featured in a series of articles. > > After some digging, more boxes containing other DeMaw construction projects were discovered. Apparently, an anonymous donor at some point had dropped off the items, some bearing Oak Hills Research stickers, at the museum. During an impromptu meeting conducted by Museum Director John Ellsworth, the museum board -- all ARRL members -- agreed that DeMaw's work belonged at ARRL Headquarters. > > "We're in the preservation business too," said Ellsworth. "We're glad to make this donation to ARRL, which will preserve and display DeMaw's work." Read more. > > Ham Radio Volunteers Support Oklahoma Freewheel Bicycle Ride > A small group of Amateur Radio operators and volunteers supported the Oklahoma Freewheel -- a cross-state bicycle tour -- June 7-13. Kenneth Baucum, KG5CBM, led the Amateur Radio contingent. > > "This year, Freewheel started in Hollis, Oklahoma, and finished in Fort Smith, Arkansas," Baucum said. "Bicyclists completed a tour of about 500 miles in 7 days, completing an average of 65 miles each day." He said some of those in the ham radio contingent are also ARES volunteers. > > Baucum said SAG support driver responsibilities included carrying water to replenish rest stops and rider water bottles on the route, as well as having spare tubes and tire pumps on hand to fix flat tires. "Cyclists would request support by flagging down a support vehicle, or calling the support number," he said. Baucum then would relay messages, as appropriate, to the driver nearest the incident. > > "Common issues included flat tires, slipped chains, and shifters needing adjustment," Baucum said. "A few calls for medical support were handled by providing first aid, water, and shade or air conditioning for riders in distress." > > Oklahoma Freewheel expressed its appreciation to the radio amateurs who volunteered and to for the support of local radio clubs and the use of their repeaters. Read more. -- Thanks to Kenneth Baucum, KG5CBM, and Lloyd Colston, KC5FM > > > Friedrichshafen HAM RADIO 2015 Hosts International Youth Gathering > The just-ended HAM RADIO 2015 in Friedrichshafen, Germany hosted an international gathering of Amateur Radio youth. HAM RADIO sponsors reported that more than 17,000 visitors attended the combined HAM RADIO and the Maker World 2015 events -- about the same as in 2014. HAM RADIO celebrated its 40th year this year and attracted visitors from around the world to the shores of Lake Constance. > > "HAM RADIO 2015 went really well," said Steffen Sch?ppe, DL7ATE, chairman of the German Amateur Radio Club (DARC), which co-sponsored HAM RADIO and marked its 65th anniversary this year. "It met our expectations in every way. We are very pleased with the supporting program, such as teacher training, the Ham Rally, and the presentations." > > On Saturday, June 27, German Youth Coordinator Annette Coenen, DL6SAK, and IARU Region 1 Youth Working Group Chair Lisa Leenders, PA2LS, jointly hosted the International Youth Meeting. IARU Region 1 sponsors a "Youngsters On The Air" (YOTA) program -- a 1-week summer youth exchange program involving 75 youthful radio amateurs and prospective hams from 22 countries -- held this year in Italy. Region 1 also sponsors a YOTA Month program each December. > > One main discussion topic concerned the difficulty of obtaining an Amateur Radio license in some countries. Roadblocks cited included fees, minimum age, exam locations and levels, and availability of learning materials. > > Presentations included the introduction of the new Youth Contest Program in IARU Region 1, and the youth contesting initiative at 9A1A and 9A1RBZ -- the "Amateur Radio in School" station of the Croatian DX Club. An Amateur Radio course has been integrated into the elective courses at the Technical School Rudera Boskovica in Croatia. > > > Marija, 9A7MSM, operated in a RTTY contest last August as 9A1RBZ. > > Each year there is a beginner's class, and students who pass can participate in 9A1RBZ activities. Since 2012, some 165 youngsters have completed the class. Aspiring young contesters are paired with experienced contesters at 9A1A. In 2014, nine youngsters joined the world-class 9A1A team for the CQ World Wide RTTY contest. By this year, 39 percent of the Croatian DX Club members were between the ages of 16 and 19. > > "Youngsters are not interested only in mobile and Internet communications," the club concluded. "If you approach them in an appropriate way, they are recognizing Amateur Radio as a very interesting hobby." 9A1A will host an international youth contesting team twice a year starting in 2016. > > The IARU R1 Youth Contest Program plans to pair teams of about six visiting young operators with about six home country operators at well-known contest stations throughout Europe. It will get under way this fall with a four-contest 2015-2016 schedule. > > Several PowerPoint and synchronized-audio keynote lectures from HAM RADIO 2015 are available on the Documentary Archive website. > > Pioneering Remote Multi-Multi K4VV Contesting Station Closes, But Project Continues > Due to health issues facing Jack Hammett, K4VV, the Virginia mountaintop station bearing his call sign that pioneered totally remote multioperator, multitransmitter (MM) contesting, has been shut down. The equipment is being dismantled and sold off. The K4VV remote multi-multi contest station project team won't be disbanding, however. Instead, it will transition from "Team K4VV" to "Team W0YR," operating from another Virginia station some 18 miles from the K4VV site, said Mike Lonneke, W0YR. > > > No operators needed: An older photo from the now-dismantled K4VV MM contest station in Virginia. > > "This past winter's brutal conditions caused serious damage to antennas on three of the towers at the big K4VV contest station, sitting atop Virginia's Catoctin Ridge," Lonneke told ARRL. He said Hammett, a veteran contester, had built K4VV into a contest superstation, but more recent health problems had prevented him from being actively involved in the station's activities. The 20-member Team K4VV has been operating Hammett's station for the past 5 years at his invitation, and the contest enthusiasts turned K4VV into the first completely remote MM contesting superstation. > > With no operators in the K4VV shack, Team K4VV finished 10th in the ARRL International DX SSB this past March, with a claimed score of 5.3 million points. At the end of March, the team managed an 11th place claimed finish in the CQ World Wide WPX SSB, operating as AC3U, racking up 14.3 million points. > > > Bill Schwartz, K3WI, prepares to do some dumpster diving as the K4VV shack and storage barn are cleaned out. The huge contest station closed in June. [Mike Lonneke, W0YR, photo] > > "Then, things came apart," Lonneke said. "The drive mechanism on K4VV's Super Bertha failed, boom guys on the top four element 40 meter OWA Yagi worked loose and hung down, endangering other antennas, and several other serious problems came to light." He said Team K4VV members were ready to carry out the repairs, but when Lonneke approached Hammett to have the work done, he learned that, in view of Hammett's worsening health, his family had decided to close the station. > > With its new name and renewed spirit, Team W0YR has begun planning to resume its totally remote MM contesting activities in earnest this September. W0YR recently took delivery of a new, additional tower. In June, Lonneke upgraded his station's vital Internet connection to equal the data throughput speeds that had been available at K4VV. > > "The team is getting ready to work the IARU HF World Champsionship in order to 'wring out' any faults," Lonneke told ARRL this week. "Even though there is no MM category in the IARU, we will run MM and turn in a checklog." Read more. -- Thanks to Mike Lonneke, W0YR > > > UK Government Holds Up Export of Early Amateur Radio-Related TV Archive > Most encyclopedias say that the first transatlantic television transmissions took place via the Telstar I satellite in 1962, but TV images actually crossed the Atlantic in the late 1920s via an Amateur Radio transmitter, according to historical accounts. An archive of documents and other material related to that event from television pioneer John Logie Baird and his colleague Benjamin Clapp, [G]2KZ, > > > The Baird-Clapp TV archive includes a manual telegraph key. > > is at risk of being exported, and the government doesn't want to see it leave Britain. Clapp's 2 kW transmitter was used to send the crude images to a receiving station near New York City, and the archive includes some of his Amateur Radio logbooks as well as a hand telegraph key. UK Culture Minister John Vaizey has declined to issue an export license in an effort to prevent the historic archive from leaving the UK. > > According to a UK government statement, Baird -- a Scottish engineer -- and Clapp first transmitted the television images over telephone lines from Baird's laboratory in London to Clapp's house in Surrey. From there, Clapp's transmitter, identified by his Amateur Radio call sign, was used to send the images across the Atlantic, where Clapp was among those on hand in Hartsdale, New York, to receive them. > > "Man's vision had spanned the ocean; transatlantic television was a demonstrated reality, and one more great dream of science was on the way to realization," said a February 9, 1928, account in The New York Times that cited an Associated Press reporter who witnessed the accomplishment. The Times article listed the operator of the "vision sound" receiving station as R.M. Hart, 2CVJ. The Times put Baird's feat on a par with Marconi's legendary transatlantic reception of the Morse code letter "s" many years earlier. > > > John Logie Baird with his ventriloquist's dummies in 1927. > > The archive, valued at more than $50,000, consists of Clapp's radio logbooks for the US receiving station as well as for his own [G]2KZ amateur station, plus "related paper ephemera," and a so-called "Phonovision" disc that contains an early video recording, made in the fall of 1927, depicting images of Baird's ventriloquist's dummy, "Stookie Bill." The Phonovision disc is believed to be the oldest surviving video recording. Baird had demonstrated his electro-mechanical television system to members of the Royal Institution a year earlier. > > Vaizey based his decision to bar the possible export of the items on a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA), administered by Arts Council England. "The Columbia disc and the notes connected with this world first of a transantlantic video recording represents British ingenuity and invention at the highest level," said RCEWA Member Christopher Rowell. "The notes contain the first ever use of the acronym 'TV' for television. The excitement of the achievement rests in these objects, which we hope will remain in this country as a permanent testament to Logie Baird and his team. Their departure abroad would also be a serious loss to scholarship." Read more. > > In Brief... > ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference Seeks Papers: The 34th annual ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC) invites technical papers for presentation at this year's conference. The 2015 DCC will take place October 9-11 in Chicago. Technical papers are solicited for presentation at DCC and publication in the Conference Proceedings, published by ARRL. Presentation at the conference is not required for publication. Submit papers by August 17 to Maty Weinberg, KB1EIB, at ARRL (or mail to Maty Weinberg, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111). Papers will be published exactly as submitted, and authors will retain all rights. Early conference registration closes on September 19. > > Get Ready for the Golden Packet Event! APRS Developer Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, has invited radio amateurs to take part in the annual Golden Packet Event on Saturday, July 18. Begun in 2009, the event is a demonstration of the ability to relay text messages via the Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS?) along the length of the Appalachian Trail -- all without the use of the Internet. All participants need is an APRS digipeating transceiver and an APRS handheld transceiver for backup messaging. > > CAMSAT Renames, Postpones Six-Satellite Launch: CAMSAT has announced new nomenclature for the six satellites that it planned to launch this summer. CAS-3A through F have been re-designated as the XW-2 (Hope-2) amateur satellite system -- XW-2A through F. CAMSAT said this week that all six satellites have completed environmental testing and are currently undergoing burn-in testing. The satellites will be moved to the launch site in mid-August, but the launch has been postponed from mid-July until early September. The six satellites are equipped with substantially identical Amateur Radio payloads -- a U/V mode linear transponder, a CW telemetry beacon and an AX.25 19.2k/9.6k baud GMSK telemetry downlink, a CAMSAT announcement said in May. CAMSAT said that each Amateur Radio complement has the same technical characteristics, but will operate on different 70 centimeter uplink and 2 meter downlink frequencies. > > MRHS "Night of Nights 2015" Set for July 12: The Marine Radio Historical Society (MRHS) will hold its annual "Night of Nights" event, in which historic maritime CW stations such as KPH (photo) and WLO return to the air for a few hours on July 13 UTC (July 12 in US time zones) along with some US Coast Guard stations. The event commemorates the days when coast station and shipboard radio operators transmitted their message traffic via Morse code. A pair of Amateur Radio stations -- K6KPH and W4WLO -- will be active on CW as well, and QSL cards will be sent to those who copy the text of the maritime stations' CW signals or work the ham stations. The coast stations shut down in the late 1990s, but the MRHS has resurrected KPH and attempts to preserve the history of the era. > > AMSAT 2015 Symposium Invites Papers: AMSAT has issued the first call for papers for its Annual Meeting and Space Symposium, set for October 16-18 in Dayton, Ohio. Proposals for papers, symposium presentations and poster presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. AMSAT requests a tentative title no later than August 1. Final copy must be submitted by September 15 for inclusion in the printed proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent to Dan Schultz, N8FGV. The 2015 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Meeting will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Dayton. -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service > > International DX Association Encourages Humanitarian Dimension to DXpeditions: The International DX Association (INDEXA) has announced that it intends to make additional funding available to DXpedition groups that carry out pre-approved plans to provide humanitarian aid and services that benefit the communities they visit. The incentive can be as much as an additional 15 percent to any financial support INDEXA offers the DXpedition. "INDEXA believes that many of the DXpeditions we support have a unique opportunity to perform humanitarian activities which will improve the lives of those indigenous people and communities they encounter on a DXpedition," INDEXA said in a June 29 news release. "Humanitarian activities come in a variety of forms including education, medical, and dental assistance, infrastructure improvements, and physical donations of goods and other services." INDEXA said there are many ways a DXpedition team or individual team members could "positively impact the lives of the people of the community or country the DXpedition team is visiting." -- Thanks to The Daily DX > > The K7RA Solar Update > Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Solar activity perked up over the July 2-8 period, with average daily sunspot numbers increasing from 35.9 to 109.1, compared to the previous 7 days. Likewise, average daily solar flux increased from 100.7 to 123.2. Daily sunspot numbers were below 100 for June 16-July 3, bottoming out at 25 on June 27. > > A moderate geomagnetic storm July 4-5 was caused by a solar wind stream. The mid-latitude A index from Fredericksburg, Virginia, for July 4-6 was 21, 16, and 9. The planetary A index, based on observations from a number of Northern Hemisphere magnetometers, was 19, 25, and 10 for the same days, and the college A index from Fairbanks, Alaska was 13, 31, and 18. The July 8 outlook predicted solar flux over the following 7 days at 121.1. > > You can check how the daily 45-day forecast of solar flux has done historically. Click "Download this file." > > The latest prediction has solar flux at 125 for July 9-11; 122 on July 12; 120 on July 13, 115 on July 14-15; 125 on July 16; 130 on July 17-18; then 125, 115, 110, and 105 for July 19-22, then 100 on July 23-26; 105, 110, and 112 for July 27-29; 115 for July 30-31; 120 on August 1, and 125 on August 2-4. Solar flux then peaks at 130 for August 10-14, then goes to 100 after August 18. > > The planetary A index predictions are 5, 12, 25, and 20 for July 9-12; 8 on July 13-14; 5 on July 15-17; 8 on July 18-19; 5 for July 20-25; 8 on July 26, 5 for July 27-30; then 18, 25, and 12 for July 31-August 2; 5 for August 3-5; then 20 and 25 on August 6-7; 8 on August 8-9, and 5 for August 10-13. > > For the near term, USAF and NOAA predict the geomagnetic field at quiet levels on July 9, quiet to active levels July 10, and unsettled to minor storm levels on day July 11. > > In Friday's bulletin look for reports from readers, 6 meter updates, and updated forecasts. Send me your reports and observations. > > Just Ahead in Radiosport > July 11 -- FISTS Summer Sprint > > July 11-12 -- IARU HF World Championship (CW, SSB) > > July 11-12 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon > > July 12 -- CQC Great Colorado Gold Rush (CW) > > July 15 -- RSGB 80 Meter Club Championship (SSB) > > July 15-16 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test > > July 16 -- NAQCC CW Sprint > > July 17 -- NCCC RTTY Sprint > > July 17 -- NCCC Sprint > > See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. > > Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events > July 10-11 -- Northern Florida Section Convention, Milton, Florida > > July 13-16 -- Mobile Amateur Radio Awards Club Convention, The Villages, Florida > > July 17-19 -- Montana State Convention, East Glacier, Montana > > July 23-26 -- Central States VHF Society Conference, Westminster, Colorado > > July 24-25 -- Oklahoma Section Convention, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma > > July 31-August 2 -- Rocky Mountain Division Convention, Bryce Canyon, Utah > > August 1 -- Great Lakes Division Convention, Columbus, Ohio > > August 7-8 -- South Texas Section Convention, Austin, Texas > > August 7-9 -- New Mexico State Convention, Albuquerque, New Mexico > > August 7-9 -- Pacific Northwest DX Convention, Everett, Washington > > August 15-16 -- Alabama State Convention, Huntsville, Alabama > > August 16 -- Kansas State Convention, Salina, Kansas > > August 21-23 -- New England Division Convention, Boxborough, Massachusetts > > August 22 -- West Virginia State Convention, Weston, West Virginia > > August 30 -- Western Pennsylvania Section Convention, New Kensington, Pennsylvania > > September 5-6 -- Roanoke Division Convention, Shelby, North Carolina > > September 11-12 -- W9DXCC, Schaumburg, Illinois > > September 11-13 -- Southwestern Division Convention, Torrance, California > > September 12 -- Virginia Section Convention, Virginia Beach, Virginia > > September 26 -- Washington State Convention, Spokane Valley, Washington > > Find conventions and hamfests in your area. > > ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for > Amateur Radio News and Information > > . > > . > > . > > Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes QST, Amateur Radio's most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month. > Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday. > Subscribe to... > > NCJ -- National Contest Journal. Published bi-monthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties. > QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters. 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 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 ARRL on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! > > > > > > > The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 48 times each year. ARRL members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member Data Page as described at http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/. > > Copyright ? 2015 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved > From n8pr at bellsouth.net Thu Jul 9 22:15:26 2015 From: n8pr at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2015 22:15:26 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Tom's Bike Trip update In-Reply-To: <9F6509301CE04FC997D46E58F70BCB7D@PeteRGateway> References: <9F6509301CE04FC997D46E58F70BCB7D@PeteRGateway> Message-ID: <68CFF4A95426464CB20A6DB9DFF38C4A@PeteRGateway> He made it to Hollywood Beach at 7:40, I picked him up and we went to Big Dawgs II for dinner and some Blues. Now home, doing laundry and getting some sleep Up at 6: 30 to get him to Hollywood Beach for a trip to Jupiter with a stop for lunch in W. Palm Beach. PeteR From n8pr1 at bellsouth.net Fri Jul 10 07:26:08 2015 From: n8pr1 at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Fri, 10 Jul 2015 07:26:08 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Tom's Bike Trip update - Friday In-Reply-To: <68CFF4A95426464CB20A6DB9DFF38C4A@PeteRGateway> References: <9F6509301CE04FC997D46E58F70BCB7D@PeteRGateway> <68CFF4A95426464CB20A6DB9DFF38C4A@PeteRGateway> Message-ID: <20B39C4EF71744938EF6BF13D49FC405@PeteRGateway> Tom OZ1AA/K9DXX is leaving from Hollywood about 8:30 AM Heading north around Port Everglades and then by Birch state park about 10 AM then on up to WPB for lunch and Jupiter for an overnight at Dan's W4UH From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Jul 10 18:34:32 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 10 Jul 2015 18:34:32 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ARLP028 Propagation de K7RA References: <20150710202613.25DDF2015D35@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: > SB PROP @ ARL $ARLP028 > ARLP028 Propagation de K7RA > > ZCZC AP28 > QST de W1AW > Propagation Forecast Bulletin 28 ARLP028 > From Tad Cook, K7RA > Seattle, WA July 10, 2015 > To all radio amateurs > > SB PROP ARL ARLP028 > ARLP028 Propagation de K7RA > > Solar activity perked up over the July 2 to 8 period, with average > daily sunspot numbers increasing from 35.9 to 109.1, compared to the > previous seven days. > > Likewise, average daily solar flux increased from 100.7 to 123.2. > > Daily sunspot numbers were below 100 on June 16 through July 3, > bottoming out at 25 on June 27. > > A moderate geomagnetic storm on July 4 and 5 was caused by a solar > wind stream. The mid-latitude A index from Fredericksburg, Virginia > on July 4 to 6 was 21, 16 and 9. The planetary A index, based on > observations from a number of Northern Hemisphere magnetometers was > 19, 25 and 10 on those same days, and the college A index from > Fairbanks, Alaska was 13, 31 and 18. > > The current outlook (on Thursday before the bulletin is published) > has predicted solar flux over the following seven days a bit weaker, > averaging 118.1, Thursday through Wednesday. > > You can check how the daily 45-day forecast of solar flux has done > recently by going to http://bit.ly/1KQGbRm and clicking "Download > this file." > > The latest prediction from USAF/NOAA has solar flux at 125 on July 9 > to 11, 122 on July 12, 120 on July 13, 115 on July 14 and 15, 125 on > July 16, 130 on July 17 and 18, then 125, 115, 110 and 105 on July > 19 to 22, then 100 on July 23 to 26, then 105, 110 and 112 on July > 27 to 29, 115 on July 30 and 31, 120 on August 1 and 125 on August 2 > to 4. Solar flux then peaks at 130 on August 10 to 14, then goes to > 100 after August 18. > > For planetary A index, the prediction is 12, 25 and 18 on July 10 to > 12, 8 on July 13 and 14, 5 on July 15 to 17, 8 on July 18 and 19, 5 > on July 20 to 25, 8 on July 26, 5 on July 27 to 30, then 18, 25 and > 12 on July 31 through August 2, then 5 on August 3 to 5, then 20 and > 25 on August 6 and 7, 8 on August 8 and 9, 5 on August 10 to 13, and > 8 on August 14 and 15. > > For the next few days USAF and NOAA predict the geomagnetic field at > quiet to active levels July 10, then unsettled to minor storm levels > on July 11, and unsettled to active levels July 12. They see a > slight chance of M-class flare activity on July 10 to 12. > > Australia's Space Weather Services at the Bureau of Meteorology in > Haymarket, New South Wales issued a geomagnetic disturbance warning > at 2316 UTC on July 9. They said coronal hole effects starting late > July 10 are likely to produce active periods and storm levels at > higher latitudes on July 11. They repeat that increased geomagnetic > activity is expected due to a coronal hole high speed wind stream > over July 10 to 12. They see quiet to active conditions July 10, > unsettled to minor storm July 11, and unsettled to active conditions > on July 12. > > By the way, all times expressed in this bulletin are in coordinated > universal time, so 2355Z is the same as 2355 UTC and 2355 GMT. The > date relates to the clock also, so 2355Z on July 10 is 6 minutes > before 0001Z on July 11. > > Petr Kolman, OK1MGW has his own geomagnetic outlook, and he predicts > the geomagnetic field will be quiet to unsettled July 10, active to > disturbed July 11, quiet to active July 12, quiet to unsettled July > 13 and 14, quiet on July 15, mostly quiet July 16 and 17, quiet to > unsettled July 18, quiet to active July 19 to 21, quiet to unsettled > July 22 to 25, mostly quiet July 26 to 29, quiet to active July 30 > and 31, quiet to unsettled August 1 and 2, and mostly quiet August 3 > to 5. > > Petr expresses some uncertainty about the active to disturbed > prediction for July 11, and suspects it may be like the following > day, quiet to active. He also predicts an increase in solar wind on > July 10 to 12 and 30 and 31. > > Ed Stratton, W1ZZ of Groton, Massachusetts in FN42ep, 30 miles NW of > Boston wrote: "I have been on 6 meters for a change of pace from HF > DXing. In the past few days, from June 27 to July 5 I have logged > many W4s, W9s, and W5s, and several VO1s. > > What is interesting is that there have been several openings to > Europe, usually starting around 2000z to about 2300z. I have logged > both SSB and CW QSOs with PJs, YVs, 9Y4, CTs, MW, MI, MD, G, EI, > EAs, and an EA6. > > My working conditions are 150 watts and a 5 element Yagi only 22 > feet up, and just recently it was 'armstrong' rotated. Now using a > rebuilt 30 year old TR44." > > Check out photos of Ed's antennas at https://www.qrz.com/db/W1ZZ > > Ken Jones, K1DAT lives in Millis, Massachusetts (FN42he) but > operates from a summer cottage in Sagamore Beach (FN41rt) > overlooking Cape Cod Bay. > > Ken wrote, "I was at my summer cottage over the July 4 weekend and > missed a new grid square. > > I was tuning around the CW end of six meters listening to an opening > to Europe when I heard 4X4DK calling CQ NA on 50.103. I only heard > one other station calling him, like myself (5-7 times), but he > didn't hear us. > > So, I posted him on a dx cluster and within 20-30 seconds there were > several stations calling him. I only heard one station work him, > N3XX, and Ami had a hard time with the exchange. > > I emailed Ami and he reported back that he did not hear me, seeing > my post he listened for me but had an S3-S5 noise level. Maybe > that's why more people couldn't work him." > > Curious about the N3XX antenna system, I (K7RA) emailed N3XX after > seeing photos of his antennas on his QRZ.com page. Tim replied, > "The three pictures on my QRZ.com page are all of the same array, > just different views. The array is 4x7 LFA (Loop Fed Array) > antennas, built for 6 meter EME, but works great for terrestrial > also. There are two other taller towers here that support HF Yagis, > wires, and a 5 element 6 meter Yagi. > > 6 meter openings across the Atlantic have been pretty rare this > season from this part of the country. Working 4X4DK was one of the > few bright spots, even though I had a few QSOs with him in past > years. I didn't hear him for very long, but he was 559 when we > worked. He had trouble hearing me though, and gave me a 439 report. > > I haven't worked any new ones on 6 meters this season, but still > hoping for good things over the next few weeks." > > You can read about Loop Fed Array Yagi antennas at > > http://www.innovantennas.com/lfa-benefits.html , > > http://www.g0ksc.co.uk/intro-lfa.html , > > http://www.mwadui.com/G0LFF/LFA.htm and > > http://www.southgatearc.org/news/may2009/g0ksc_loop_fed_array.htm . > > The IARU HF Championship is this weekend, and lasts for only 24 > hours, 1200 UTC Saturday to 1200 UTC Sunday. See > http://www.arrl.org/iaru-hf-championship for details. > > For more information concerning radio propagation, see the ARRL > Technical Information Service at > http://arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals. For an explanation of > the numbers used in this bulletin, see > http://arrl.org/the-sun-the-earth-the-ionosphere. An archive of > past propagation bulletins is at > http://arrl.org/w1aw-bulletins-archive-propagation. More good > information and tutorials on propagation are at http://k9la.us/. > > Archives of the NOAA/USAF daily 45 day forecast for solar flux and > planetary A index are in downloadable spreadsheet format at > http://bit.ly/1IBXtnG and http://bit.ly/1KQGbRm . > > Click on "Download this file" to download the archive and ignore the > security warning about file format. Pop-up blockers may suppress > download. I've had better luck with Firefox than IE. > > Monthly propagation charts between four USA regions and twelve > overseas locations are at http://arrl.org/propagation. > > Instructions for starting or ending email distribution of ARRL > bulletins are at http://arrl.org/bulletins. > > Sunspot numbers for July 2 through 8 were 73, 91, 111, 131, 109, > 118, and 131, with a mean of 109.1. 10.7 cm flux was 113.8, 112.3, > 116.8, 124.8, 133.4, 132.6, and 128.9, with a mean of 123.2. > Estimated planetary A indices were 3, 3, 19, 25, 10, 5, and 5, with > a mean of 10. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 4, 2, 21, 16, > 9, 5, and 5, with a mean of 8.9. > NNNN > /EX From n8pr at bellsouth.net Sun Jul 12 00:17:37 2015 From: n8pr at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Sun, 12 Jul 2015 00:17:37 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Who wants to get on EME ? Message-ID: <00BE7EB1CEC744C2B2659E499778E597@PeteRGateway> Hi gang. Getting out of the 2 meter EME business. For sale is the array of 4x15 K1FO's, horizontal, with 4x11 K1FO's, vertical on the same boom( see picture on QRZ ). This includes 2 4-way power dividers with all 8 phasing cables; the aluminum risers, the cross-tower, the satellite actuator arm for elevation, and the support that holds the cross-tower. Pick up only, you help me take it down. Pictures available on request. Make me an offer I can't refuse! Note: as-is, mechanically can only elevate to about 78 degrees ; you may modify it to do full 90 degrees if you have the know-how. Also for sale: the Cadillac of 2 meter amplifiers: Lunar-Link Systems LA-22A-PKG? amplifier package, purchased new August 2007 from Steve K1FO. The package includes: LA-22 1500 watt RF deck, serial number 23115; Eimac 3CPX800A7 pulse-rated triodes; peak reading RF power meter; dual speed blower; CX-800NS relay; and PS-70D high voltage DC power supply. 50 watts in gives 1500 watts out. Paid over $4000.00 for it, will consider offers; prefer pick-up, or can meet you somewhere in-between( prefer pick-up so you can see it working ).? 50 watts in gives 1500 watts out. Located near Verona, VA; 30 miles west of Charlotesville, 90 miles west of Richmond. ad4tj at yahoo.com???? phone: 540-248-1207 73, David AD4TJ From n8pr at bellsouth.net Mon Jul 20 14:27:44 2015 From: n8pr at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Mon, 20 Jul 2015 14:27:44 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Tom Andersen Posts His Keys trip to his website Message-ID: Tom Andersen OZ1AA/K9DXX has posted his blog about the trip from Key Largo to Hollywood on his web pages blog at: http://www.cyclingtheglobe.com/2015/07/day-1738-key-largo-fort-lauderdale-back-to-square-one/ He is always a bit behind, as he decides what to post... then finds time to post it. 73, PeteR From bmarx at bellsouth.net Wed Jul 22 11:59:50 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2015 11:59:50 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] July Board Meeting News References: <20150721015456.91DB92077402@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: > Subject: July Board Meeting News > > Vice Director Mike Lee and I have just returned from the July ARRL Board > Meeting in CT. I will be sending out a much more detailed email once the > Minutes are released in a week or so. That email will indicate how I > voted on each Motion and why I voted that way. > > There are two items from the meeting that I wanted to let you know > about immediately. > > The first is that we were successful in getting the 2016 Orlando > HamCation designated as an ARRL National Convention! This means that > the ARRL Expo, the huge League presence seen at the Dayton Hamvention, > will be in Orlando this February. As ARRL CEO Dave Sumner, K1ZZ, has > announced his retirement in May 2016, this will be his last National > Convention as CEO and the first for the incoming CEO. In addition, it > is unlikely that President Kay Craigie, N3KN, will seek a fourth term, > so HamCation will be the first National Convention for the new President > as well. > > If you have never been to HamCation or only occasionally attend, 2016 > will be a year you don't want to miss! > > Details about HamCation can be found at: http://www.hamcation.com/ > > The other item is unfortunately a membership dues increase from > $39/year to $49/year effective January 1, 2016. It has been 14 years > since the dues have increased. In that time the cost of goods and > services have risen considerably. The League has taken many cost > cutting steps over those years to maintain and actually enhance > membership benefits without raising dues. Such substantial programs as > Logbook Of The World (LOTW), digital QST, and expanded product reviews > have been implemented since the last dues increase. > > The cost of annual membership, even after the dues increase, remains a > bargain for all of the membership benefits received. In a conversation > with the President of Radio Amateurs of Canada this past weekend, I > learned that the ARRL has the lowest annual dues of all of the Amateur > Radio national societies around the world. > > While nearly all of the 15 Directors voted in favor of the increase, it > was a difficult vote for them. There is no question that the dues had to > be increased to keep the League financially viable. > > I voted against the dues increase?not because I don't believe that > the dues should have been raised, but because I don't feel that other > options to mitigate the amount of the increase were adequately > explored. I will go into greater detail about why I voted no in my > upcoming email after the Minutes are released. > > I would encourage all members that aren't life members to consider > renewing immediately to take advantage of the current rates. Even if > you've got years left on your membership, you can still renew. If > you've been thinking about Life Membership, act now! Currently Life > Membership is $975; it will rise to $1,225 on 1/1/2016. > > Membership renewal can be done online at: > https://www.arrl.org/join-arrl-renew-membership/ > > A news article summarizing the meeting is at: > http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-board-approves-dues-hike-hf-band-plan-2016-national-parks-centennial-event > > 73 de K4AC and AA4ML > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > ARRL Southeastern Division > Director: Doug Rehman, K4AC From n8pr at bellsouth.net Wed Jul 22 16:26:43 2015 From: n8pr at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2015 16:26:43 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] ARRL Lifetime Dues going up in 2016 In-Reply-To: References: <20150721015456.91DB92077402@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <0D8A0B4631CB4D85A52FAAA3C693569B@PeteRGateway> > > I would encourage all members that aren't life members to consider > renewing immediately to take advantage of the current rates. Even if > you've got years left on your membership, you can still renew. If > you've been thinking about Life Membership, act now! Currently Life > Membership is $975; it will rise to $1,225 on 1/1/2016. > From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Jul 23 09:40:35 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 23 Jul 2015 09:40:35 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] K2BSA/8 operating from 100th anniversary of the Order of the Arrow References: Message-ID: From Tony N2MFT: > > K2BSA/8 operating from NOAC > Posted: 22 Jul 2015 05:00 PM PDT > This just in? > > Boy Scouts of America?s National Order of the Arrow Conference Special Event Amateur Radio Station, K2BSA/8, is coming to Michigan State University August 3 to August 7, 2015 in East Lansing Michigan. > > The National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC) is the premier event for the Order of the Arrow (OA), (Scouting?s Honor Society) and is the second largest national gathering of Scouts. 15,000 Arrowmen will gather from across the nation at Michigan State University in East Lansing Michigan Aug 3rd to the 8th to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Order of the Arrow. > > To celebrate this unique event the Michigan State University Amateur Radio Club, (MSUARC) W8MSU will be sponsoring a special event Amateur Radio station, K2BSA/8. The station will be located close to the exhibitor?s tents and will be operating on 20 and 40 M, the local repeater (442.900 + 77) and IRLP node (7930) in addition to Echolink (289654). The station will be manned by ham radio operators from across the nation Monday through Friday 9-12 and 1- 5 EDT. This event is supported by ICOM radio. > > If you are one of the lucky ones attending NOAC, stop by and guest operate or if you can?t make it in person, please listen and contact us on the airwaves. We are attempting to have contacts from all 50 states in addition to as many Scouts, Scouters and Brother Arrowmen, past and present, as we can. There will be a special K2BSA/8 NOAC QSL card email available. Don?t miss out on this once in a lifetime QSL. > > Our goal is to get as many Scouts on the air as possible locally and at a distance and share the exciting world of Radio Scouting with them. We?ll share how they can integrate Amateur Radio into their outings, high adventure treks and Merit Badge advancement for fun, education and safety. > > For additional information contact Fred Donkin, KA7MMM, fredrick.j.donkin at L-3com.com or Don Kunst W3LNE,W3LNE at ARRL.NET. > > The post K2BSA/8 operating from NOAC appeared first on KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog. From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Jul 24 09:25:48 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 24 Jul 2015 09:25:48 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] The ARRL Letter for July 23, 2015 References: <20150723220451.11BD3200A575@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <539ADBA8-3B63-453A-ACF3-B82938C45631@bellsouth.net> > > If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: > http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2015-07-23 > > > > July 23, 2015Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME > ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive Audio News > > > > ARRL Board Approves HF Band Plan, National Parks Centennial Event, Award Winners > ARRL Complains to FCC About The Home Depot's Marketing of RF Lighting Devices > FCC Announces Enforcement Bureau Field Office Reorganization Plans > Amateur Radio Satellite Pioneer's Estate Will Boost ARRL Endowment Fund > ARISS Offering Certificate for Receiving Apollo-Soyuz Mission SSTV Images > Amateur Radio Volunteers Support Michigan's Premier Bicycle Tour > Party Balloon Carrying Ham Radio Payload Circles Southern Hemisphere a Second Time > In Brief... > Getting It Right! > The K7RA Solar Update > Just Ahead in Radiosport > Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events > ARRL Board Approves HF Band Plan, National Parks Centennial Event, Award Winners > Meeting July 17-18 in Windsor, Connecticut, the ARRL Board of Directors adopted amendments to the ARRL HF Band Plan -- with some tweaks; approved a National Parks On The Air (NPOTA) operating event in 2016 to celebrate the National Park Service centennial; authorized the filing of a rule making petition with the FCC seeking changes on 80 and 75 meters; initiated the search for a successor to ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, who will retire next May, and named several ARRL award recipients. > > ARRL HF Band Plan > > The Board adopted amendments to the ARRL HF Band Plan that were recommended by the HF Band Planning Committee, with one major change from the proposals as outlined in the April 2015 issue of QST and summarized on the ARRL website. That change was to set the upper RTTY/data limit for 20 meters at 14.125 MHz, consistent with the IARU Region 1 band plan. > > Rule Making Petition to FCC > > The Board authorized the preparation of a rule making petition to the FCC, seeking changes in the 80 and 75 meter bands that are consistent with majority opinion among more than 1000 responses to an online membership survey. The petition would seek to shift the boundary between the 80 meter RTTY/data subband and the 75 meter phone/image subband from 3600 to 3650 kHz. It also would restore privileges in the 3600-3650 kHz segment to Advanced, General, Technician, and Novice licensees. > > In addition, the League will ask the FCC to shift the automatically controlled digital station (ACDS) band segment from 3585-3600 kHz to 3600-3615 kHz, consistent with the IARU Region 1 and Region 2 band plans, and authorize Technician and Novice licensees to use RTTY/data emissions in their 15 and 80 meter band segments, the latter change contingent on expansion of the 80 meter band. > > CEO Successor Search > > Additional details are forthcoming, but the Board set into motion its search for a successor to ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, who has set a target retirement date of May 1, 2016. By then, Sumner will be 67 and will have been on the Headquarters full-time staff for 44 years. He was named Secretary and General Manager in 1982, with a change in title to Executive Vice President in 1985, and the additional title of Chief Executive Officer in 2001 (the title of Executive Vice President was phased out in 2011). > > ARRL Award Recipients > > The Board named several recipients of ARRL awards: > > Anna Veal, W0ANT, is the recipient of the prestigious 2014 Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award for youth, in recognition of her involvement, service, and leadership throughout the Amateur Radio community. > > David L. Hershberger, W9GR, was named to receive the 2014 Doug DeMaw, W1FB, Technical Excellence Award for his work in reducing audio distortion in SSB transmission, as described in his article "Controlled Envelope Single Sideband" in the November/December 2014 issue of QEX. > > The Board recognized the principals and developers of Broadband-Hamnet? for their contributions to microwave mesh networking with the 2014 ARRL Microwave Development Award. > > Randy Thompson, K5ZD, was named the winner of the 2014 Philip J. McGan Silver Antenna Award for outstanding volunteer public relations success over many years -- and especially for achieving national media coverage of the 2014 World Radiosport Team Championship. > > Dues to Rise in 2016 > > > ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, and CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. [Steve Ford, WB8IMY, photo] > > The Board approved a $10 increase in the League's annual dues rate, effective January 1, 2016. In so doing, the Board adopted a recommendation of the Administration & Finance Committee. ARRL basic dues have been held at $39 a year since 2001. ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, said the League has done as much as it can to hold off a dues increase for more than a decade, but now it's a necessity, not an option. > > "One of the most difficult decisions a membership organization faces is a dues increase," he said. "Over the past 14 years we have managed to hold the increase in expenses to just 19 percent, against a US inflation rate of 32 percent over the same period," he continued. "We have implemented operating efficiencies that allowed reducing the staff by 15 percent while expanding the range of services to members and to Amateur Radio as a whole. We created a development program, offering to those members who have greater financial capacity an opportunity to support their national association at a higher level." > > Enhanced membership services since 2001 include inauguration of Logbook of The World? (LoTW); a digital edition of QST at no additional cost; expanded QST and video product reviews; upgraded public service support including the Ham Aid program, Emergency Communications Training, and the ARES? E-Letter; the Education & Technology program and Teachers Institutes on Wireless Technology, and the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program. Sumner aid that advocacy on behalf of Amateur Radio has included relentless defense of Amateur Radio spectrum, the Amateur Radio Parity Act, and an increased awareness of the value of Amateur Radio on Capitol Hill. > > Details of ARRL's revenues and expenditures are available in its Annual Report archive for the years 2002 to 2014. The cost of a basic ARRL membership will rise to $49 on January 1, 2016. An ARRL Life Membership, now $975, will increase to $1225. > > > ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD (right), addresses the Board as ARRL COO Harold Kramer, WJ1B (right), and CFO Barry Shelley, N1VXY, look on. [Steve Ford, WB8IMY, photo] > > Amateur Radio Enforcement Plan > > The Board also directed the CEO, staff, and General Counsel to develop and, under the supervision of the Executive Committee, execute a plan to improve timely and visible enforcement in the Amateur Radio Service, most notably in the areas of RF interference from power lines and Part 15 and 18 lighting devices and malicious interference to HF net operations and VHF/UHF repeaters. > > ARRL 2016 National Convention > > The Board authorized the holding of an ARRL National Convention in Orlando, Florida, February 12-14, 2016, in conjunction with the 70th anniversary of Orlando HamCation. > > Strategic Plan > > The Board approved preliminary recommendations of the ARRL Strategic Planning Working Group and authorized the continuation of the group's activities with final recommendations due at the Board's 2016 Annual Meeting. > > ARRL Complains to FCC About The Home Depot's Marketing of RF Lighting Devices > The ARRL has filed a formal complaint with the FCC, alleging that The Home Depot retail chain has been marketing certain RF-ballast lighting devices in violation of FCC Part 18 rules. Accompanying the League's July 14 letter to FCC Enforcement Bureau Spectrum Enforcement Division Chief Bruce Jacobs and Office of Engineering and Technology Laboratory Division Chief Rashmi Doshi was a 20-page report prepared by the ARRL Laboratory's Mike Gruber, W1MG. His report outlines four instances in which ARRL investigated The Home Depot's marketing and sale to consumers of non-consumer-rated RF lighting devices. > > > A commercial ballast on sale in The Home Depot marketed to consumers. There is no FCC warning to indicate that this product may not be used for residential applications. > > In three cases, The Home Depot sold non-consumer devices having far greater emission limits and intended for commercial use to consumers who specifically expressed plans to use the devices in residential settings. Although notices accompanying the store's display and included with some devices purchased indicated that they were for commercial use, the information did not specify that the devices could not be used for residential purposes. In the case of products that did include such a notice, the information was not visible without opening the packaging. > > "Clearly Home Depot's marketing and sale of non-consumer ballasts is not adequate to ensure compliance with FCC Part 18 requirements," Gruber's report concluded. The ARRL asked the FCC to "investigate and commence an enforcement proceeding" regarding The Home Depot's retail marketing and sale of RF lighting devices in the US. > > In its letter, the League noted that it has received numerous complaints from the Amateur Radio community of "significant noise" in the bands between 1.8 and 30 MHz from so-called "grow light" ballasts and other RF lighting devices regulated under FCC Part 18 rules. Gruber said emissions from grow light ballasts have been measured in the ARRL Lab to be way above both non-consumer and consumer Part 18 emissions limits. > > Although otherwise-legal non-consumer rated ballasts -- the subject of ARRL's complaint -- are not nearly as problematic as grow lights, they can still cause interference beyond what would typically be expected or easily addressed in a residential environment. The devices at issue in the League's complaint are only legal in commercial and industrial environments, and they should not be used for residential purposes due to the higher Part 18 emission limits permitted for industrial and commercial devices. > > > A display at The Home Depot containing both residential and commercial fluorescent light fixtures mixed together in no certain order. > > The League said its investigations in several states revealed an alarming number of instances in which non-consumer-rated ballasts were mixed in with consumer ballasts and other consumer products. > > "In most of the stores surveyed, unsuspecting consumers have no way of knowing the significance of consumer vs. non-consumer ballasts," the League said. "In some cases, 'commercial' grade ballasts, with their associated non-consumer emission limits, appeared to be a heavier duty or superior product. The display signage typically used implies, therefore, that commercial ballasts are also a product upgrade for home use." The ARRL said that store display signage typically did not mention or adequately address applicable FCC Part 18 requirements, as they pertain to interference in a residential environment. > > The League said consumers in three of the four instances it investigated made actual purchases of RF lighting devices at The Home Depot retail outlets and "specifically asked about residential deployment of non-consumer RF lighting ballasts." The ARRL said it's apparent that The Home Depot -- and, by inference, other similar retail stores -- is "actively and knowingly engaged" in selling commercial RF lighting products to customers for use in residential settings. > > "If this activity is left unchecked the Commission will continue to note a deterioration in ambient noise levels and preclusive interfering signals for both AM broadcasters and Amateur Radio licensees in the entirety of the high-frequency bands," the League's complaint said. > > The ARRL asked the Commission to "take appropriate action" with respect to The Home Depot and other retail outlets marketing such RF lighting devices "without delay." > > A copy of the letter was sent to The Home Depot's Atlanta, Georgia, Store Support Center. > > FCC Announces Enforcement Bureau Field Office Reorganization Plans > Forced under political pressure to take a few steps back from its initial proposal to eliminate two-thirds of its Enforcement Bureau field offices, the FCC has announced its final, scaled-down plan to reorganize its field resources. In an Order released July 16, the Commission said it would close 11 of its 24 field offices and relocate three others to nearby FCC-owned sites. In slimming down its field resources and upgrading those that remain, the FCC said it was acting in the name of efficiency and economy as well as to modernize a system model adopted 2 decades ago. > > "Since then, technological changes and increasingly limited resources have created the need to take a fresh look at the [Enforcement] Bureau's field operations," the FCC Order said. The FCC said it has completed "a full review" of the field organization and concluded that it needs to concentrate its field resources "in urban areas, where the need for them is greatest." > > ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, addressed the topic of the FCC's planned field office closures in his "It Seems to Us" editorial in the August edition of QST. "The challenges the FCC faces in policing the radio spectrum are greater than ever and increasing every day," Sumner wrote. "Now is hardly the time to reduce its enforcement resources." > > Sumner allowed, however, that the success of the FCC's enforcement efforts is not measured in the number of field offices but in the program's effectiveness in deterring bad on-the-air behavior and resolving interference complaints from such sources as power lines and "grow lamp" ballasts. > > "If FCC enforcement was accomplishing everything we might wish, and the revised plans promised the same results with greater efficiency, we would be the first to cheer. Sadly, that is not the case," Sumner said. He pointed to an interference case in the State of Washington that has dragged on for 2 years since the FCC first documented the interference. Seattle is one of the field offices set to close. > > In a news release, the FCC said its field reorganization plan "aligns the field's structure, operations, expenses, and equipment with the agency's priorities," such as RF interference. "It also prepares the field [organization] to address future enforcement needs in an ever more complex spectrum environment, and aligns field operations to support this mission," the statement continued. "Through this plan, the Commission is maintaining a commitment to respond in a timely manner to interference issues anywhere in the nation...within one day." > > In addition to Seattle, the FCC is closing its field offices in or near Anchorage, Buffalo, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Norfolk, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Tampa. Enforcement Bureau field offices in or near Atlanta, San Francisco, and Columbia (Maryland) will relocate to FCC-owned sites nearby or in the same metropolitan areas. Columbia is where the FCC's HF Direction Finding (HFDF) facility is located. > > The FCC said relocated offices as well as those remaining open in or near New York City, Miami, Dallas, Chicago, Boston, Denver, Honolulu, New Orleans, Portland (Oregon), and Los Angeles "will be staffed and equipped to maintain the Commission's Field program." Rapid deployment teams will be stationed in Columbia and Denver to supplement enforcement efforts of other field offices as necessary and to "support high-priority enforcement actions nationwide," the FCC said in a news release. > > The FCC did not indicate how many employees were likely to be furloughed. Read more. > > > Amateur Radio Satellite Pioneer's Estate Will Boost ARRL Endowment Fund > The ARRL will benefit from the largesse of the late Amateur Radio satellite pioneer Cliff Buttschardt, K7RR (ex-W6HDO), and his late wife Mable Vierthaler. The League this month received the first major installment of its portion of the couple's estate. Buttschardt also designated AMSAT to receive a similar share. Buttschardt died in 2006, and his wife in 2013. The funds will go into the ARRL Endowment Fund. ARRL Development Manager Lauren Clarke, KB1YDD, has estimated that the ultimate gift will be in the vicinity of $280,000. > > > Cliff Buttschardt, K7RR. > > Buttschardt, a long-time Project OSCAR leader, AMSAT member, and ARRL Life Member lived in Morro Bay, California. He was 75 when he died on July 30, 2006. Just days before, the Project OSCAR Board of Directors awarded him with its Lifetime Achievement Award -- its highest honor -- for his contributions to Amateur Satellite Radio. > > A native of the New York City area, Buttschardt graduated from San Jose State in California with a degree in electrical engineering. He served as a radioman in the US Navy and later worked at Raytheon and SRI. While at SRI, he joined the original project OSCAR and supported the construction of OSCAR 1, the first Amateur Radio satellite. > > In 2001, while he was teaching at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, California, Buttschardt -- with Ed English, W6WYQ -- began work on the CubeSat project. After Buttschardt moved to Cal Poly, he and English continued to mentor students who were involved in developing the initial CubeSat designs. > > "Cliff was a skilled and passionate radio amateur, as devoted to maintaining the traditions he valued as to exploring the frontiers of space communications," said ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. -- Thanks to AMSAT for some information in this report > > ARISS Offering Certificate for Receiving Apollo-Soyuz Mission SSTV Images > Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is offering a certificate to anyone who received slow-scan TV images during the Apollo-Soyuz mission 40th anniversary event, July 18-19. The ARISS team transmitted a series of 12 SSTV images related to the historical > > > An SSTV image depicting NASA Astronaut Vance Brand, as received by Kuge Fumio, JE1CVL. > > event. Apollo-Soyuz represented the first joint US-USSR mission, and it set the stage for later US-Russia collaboration on the space shuttle, Mir Space Station, and the ISS. The limited-edition certificate is available to all who apply by July 31. > > Several dozen SSTV images -- many of them received by stations in Europe and Asia -- have been posted to the ARISS website. > > During the Apollo-Soyuz coupling, NASA astronauts Tom Stafford, Deke Slayton, and Vance Brand in an Apollo Command and Service Module met Russian cosmonauts Aleksey Leonov and Valeriy Kubasov in a Soyuz capsule. The five collaborated on experiments, and the experience opened the door to future US-Russian cooperation in space. The Soyuz and Apollo vehicles were docked from July 17-19, 1975. -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service via Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS International Chair, and NASA > > > Amateur Radio Volunteers Support Michigan's Premier Bicycle Tour > A team of Michigan Amateur Radio volunteers supported communication on July 11 for the 39th running of the One Helluva Ride (OHR) bicycle tour. The annual event, sponsored by the Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society (AABTS), kicks off from and ends at the Chelsea, Michigan, fairgrounds and offers rides ranging from 15 to 100 miles. The longer routes pass through the town of Hell. This marked the 25th year that members of the Arrow Communication Association (ARROW) provided the communication infrastructure and "SAG" support to riders falling behind or running into trouble. > > The ARROW group had support from the Chelsea Amateur Radio Club (CARC) and the Livingston County Amateur Radio Klub (LARK) and made use of the CARC's 2 meter repeater, which is situated to offer coverage to the entire race route. Many of the participating hams are ARES or RACES. > > During the race, the radio amateurs provided SAG vehicles plus personnel to ride along in AABTS vehicles. Services they offer include spare tubes to those suffering flats, foot pumps, food and water for those riders who have run out, and transportation back to the starting point for those experiencing mechanical failure or suffering exhaustion. Hams also are placed at each of the three food stops. > > "There are many places on the route where cell phone coverage is marginal, making Amateur Radio an excellent choice," said George Byrkit, K9TRV. "Small beams are deployed at the food stops to provide more reliable communication with net control than a 5/8-wave whip would provide." > > Byrkit headed up the SAG effort for AABTS for more than 25 years, and he eventually returned to Amateur Radio in 2004, after an almost 40 year absence. Other AABTS members have become hams due to their association with the hams supporting the ride. > > One hundred riders registered for the 15 mile "fun ride" for young children with their parents. Some 1600 riders signed up for one of the longer routes -- 39, 64, 75, or 100 miles. Byrkit said there were no serious injuries, although one rider suffered an apparent heart attack on the ride. The individual received CPR from two other riders and was evacuated by ambulance and has since recovered. Read more. -- Thanks to George Byrkit, K9TRV > > > > Party Balloon Carrying Ham Radio Payload Circles Southern Hemisphere a Second Time > After traveling for more than 110,800 km (68,696 mi) aloft, the record-setting pico balloon PS-46, carrying an Amateur Radio payload, completed its second circumnavigation of the Southern Hemisphere, before descending into the Indian Ocean on July 18 due to bad weather. The helium balloon and its solar-powered 25 mW payload were launched on May 23 by Andy Nguyen, VK3YT. > > "It was an exciting but also an exhausting eight weeks for many hard-core trackers," Nguyen said. "Their perseverance ensured the balloon was tracked almost around the clock. It was hard work, and the little party balloon was becoming part of the daily routine for many of us." > > > A map showing the paths of PS-46, which had begun a third circumnavigation when it went down in bad weather. > > More than 20 "regulars" were among those who tracked the high-altitude flight, monitoring the payload's 20 meter signals in WSPR and JT9 modes. Stations in Virginia and Florida, as well as in Peru and Argentina were among those hearing the balloon's beacon. > > The last station to hear the balloon was Vince, ZS6BTY, in Pretoria, South Africa. The balloon had been at an altitude of about 9000 meters (29,530 feet), but quickly descended into the ocean. > > PS-46 had circumnavigated the Southern Hemisphere the first time in 12 days, and it was starting its third trip around when it went down. Read more. -- Thanks to Jim Linton, VK3PC > > In Brief... > QRZ.com Major Website Upgrade Continues: The popular QRZ.com website has been undergoing a major upgrade since July 17, and things are going a bit more slowly than initially anticipated. QRZ.com Founder and President Fred Lloyd, AA7BQ, said the site's engineers encountered some unforeseen problems. "What started out as a simple update that went bad is now almost over," Lloyd announced on the site's Facebook page early on July 22. "We've replaced our forums software and are reconfiguring it for use with QRZ. While we realize that many folks have been concerned, we want to express our sincere thanks to those who have been patient and understanding with us as we work overtime to put the system back online." The outage does not affect call sign lookups, logbook, and other site features. Lloyd said QRZ.com is "looking forward to a shiny new user interface and a bunch of new features for our wildly popular Ham Radio Forums." > > Radio Amateurs Join ISS Crew: Two radio amateurs were among the three new International Space Station (ISS) crew members, who arrived on station on July 23 (UTC). Kjell Lindgren, KO5MOS; Oleg Kononenko, RN3DX, and Kimiya Yui traveled into space aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft that has docked with the ISS. Expedition 44 Commander Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, and Flight Engineers Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko, RN3BF, were on hand to greet the trio. Lindgren, Kononenko, and Yui will stay on the ISS until late December. Kelly and Kornienko are a few months into a 1-year mission that ends next March. Padalka, who also has been aboard since March, returns to Earth in September. > > RSGB Youth Committee Operating MC0RYC DXpedition Activity in Wales: The Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) Youth Committee has mounted a DXpedition at the Brecon Beacons in Wales, July 23-30. The activity is sponsored by Kenwood. MC0RYC will be on all HF and VHF bands, including satellite. This is the first youth-oriented DXpedition the RSGB has organized. Activities will include operation from the mountain peaks Pen y Fan and Waun Fach. A goal is to train young operators to become "competent and confident radio amateurs." There will be direction finding, antenna building workshops, and operating practice. MC0RYC will be active in the IOTA Contest over the July 25-26 weekend. Follow the RSGB Youth Committee on Twitter. -- Thanks to The Daily DX > > IRTS Offers New 70 MHz Band Awards: To celebrate the likely adoption of the band 69.9-70.5 MHz (4 meters) as a secondary Amateur Radio allocation in the European Common Allocation Frequency Table and Ireland's significant involvement in the process, the Irish Radio Transmitters Society (IRTS) has launched two new 4 meter awards. These awards will recognize and promote DX achievements by Amateur Radio operators interested in this segment of the radio spectrum: The 70 MHz Maidenhead Locator Award (MLA) program and the 70 MHz Continents, Countries and Islands (CCI) Award. Details are on the IRTS website. > > Getting It Right! > Some errors crept into the article "New Horizons Phones Home," which appeared in the July 16 edition of The ARRL Letter. The correct downlink frequency is 8.44 GHz; 7.2 GHz is the uplink frequency. Dave Hershberger, W9GR, senior scientist with Continental Electronics, told ARRL that his firm is constructing 80 kW uplink transmitters for JPL to reach the probe, which has a 12 W transmitter to cover the same distance back (JPL has had 20 kW uplink transmitters but wanted more power, Hershberger said). Also, the correct downlink bit rate is in the 1000 to 2000 bits/second range. A typical compressed image produced by LORRI, the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager, is about 2.5 Megabits. -- Thanks to Dave Hershberger, W9GR, and Bill Byrom, N5BB > > > The K7RA Solar Update > Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: All daily sunspot numbers dipped into the double digits last week, with the average declining from 73.7 to 43.4. This compares the latest July 16-22 period with the previous 7 days. Over the same periods, average daily solar flux slid from 114.8 to 95.1. > > Geomagnetic indices were mostly quiet, with the average daily planetary A index going from 13.7 to 6.1, and the average mid-latitude A index declining from 12.3 to 8.1. > > Predicted solar flux is 90 on July 23; 95 on July 24-25; 100 on July 26-27; 105 on July 28-29; 110 on July 30-31; 115 on August 1-4; 110 and 105 on August 5-6; 100 on August 7-9; then 95 on August 10-13, dipping to 85 by August 15 and then peaking weakly at 115 on August 28-31. > > Predicted planetary A index is 15 on July 23; 10 on July 24; 8 on July 25; 5 on July 26-30; 19 on July 31; 25 on August 1; 12 on August 2; 5 on August 3-5; then 20, 25, 15, 10, and 8 on August 6-10; 5 on August 11-15; 10 on August 16; 5 on August 17-18; then 15 and 10 on August 19-20, and 5 on August 21-26. > > Here is an interesting Space.com article about how far side views of the Sun from the STEREO mission are disrupted, because the satellite's transmissions back to Earth are blocked by the Sun. But the Curiosity rover on Mars fills in. > > In Friday's bulletin look for reports from readers and updated forecasts. Send me your reports and observations. > > Just Ahead in Radiosport > July 24 -- NCCC RTTY Sprint > > July 24 -- NCCC Sprint > > July 25-26 -- RSGB IOTA Contest (CW, SSB) > > July 25-26 -- County Hunters CW Contest > > July 26 -- ARS Flight of the Bumblebees (CW) > > July 29-30 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test > > July 31 -- NCCC RTTY Sprint > > July 31 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder (CW) > > See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. > > Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events > July 23-26 -- Central States VHF Society Conference, Westminster, Colorado > > July 24-25 -- Oklahoma Section Convention, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma > > July 31-August 2 -- Rocky Mountain Division Convention, Bryce Canyon, Utah > > August 1 -- Great Lakes Division Convention, Columbus, Ohio > > August 7-8 -- South Texas Section Convention, Austin, Texas > > August 7-9 -- New Mexico State Convention, Albuquerque, New Mexico > > August 7-9 -- Pacific Northwest DX Convention, Everett, Washington > > August 15-16 -- Alabama State Convention, Huntsville, Alabama > > August 16 -- Kansas State Convention, Salina, Kansas > > August 21-23 -- New England Division Convention, Boxborough, Massachusetts > > August 22 -- West Virginia State Convention, Weston, West Virginia > > August 30 -- Western Pennsylvania Section Convention, New Kensington, Pennsylvania > > September 5-6 -- Roanoke Division Convention, Shelby, North Carolina > > September 11-12 -- W9DXCC Convention, Schaumburg, Illinois > > September 11-13 -- Southwestern Division Convention, Torrance, California > > September 12 -- Virginia Section Convention, Virginia Beach, Virginia > > September 26 -- Washington State Convention, Spokane Valley, Washington > > October 2-4 -- Mid-Atlantic States VHF Conference, Bensalem, Pennsylvania > > October 3 -- Delaware State Convention, Georgetown, Delaware > > October 9-10 -- Florida State Convention, Melbourne, Florida > > October 10-11 -- Pacific Northwest VHF Conference, Issaquah, Washington > > Find conventions and hamfests in your area. > > ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for > Amateur Radio News and Information > > . > > . > > . > > Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes QST, Amateur Radio's most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month. > Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday. > Subscribe to... > > NCJ -- National Contest Journal. Published bi-monthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties. > QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters. 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 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 ARRL on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! > > > > > > > The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 48 times each year. ARRL members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member Data Page as described at http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/. > > Copyright ? 2015 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved > From n8pr at bellsouth.net Sat Jul 25 13:04:02 2015 From: n8pr at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Sat, 25 Jul 2015 13:04:02 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Tom is in Charleston Message-ID: <7E42E36D303641EDAFA8AC0E57AB0797@PeteRGateway> Tom OZ1AA/K9DXX is now in Charleston. He say 1000 KM from Washington DC. 10 days+/- at his pace. 73, PeteR From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sun Jul 26 18:38:47 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sun, 26 Jul 2015 18:38:47 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] [The Daily DX] Monk Apollo's text in English References: Message-ID: From Bernie W3UR: > I received the following translation from SV1DPI, Kostas. > 73 > Bernie > > > Just to make things more clear... > > The picture below the text is a letter from Holy Council (this is more important from the text itself) which it is addressed to the monasteries and says among other that only the Holy Council is authorised to give a written license (that means that monasteries can not give a license), only special calls are allowed (except for Monks) in Mount Athos (not portable) and no license has given to anyone the last years. So that means that any oral permission is not good (I remind that our friends from Latvia claimed that they had an oral permission from a monastery). Also sv1rp operation was not legal as the Holy Council says that they have NOT given any license and possible Monasteries licenses are NOT good (I remind that George sv1rp claims that he has a license from the Monastery). > > Beside all these Monk Apollo writes that all these tries from several amateurs (including older tries) to suck the Monks to get a license from Mount Athos (for example sv1rp asked for a license for educating purposes) are not the right way for a radio amateur to get a license and finally make the Monks more cautious to a future try by serious dxpeditioners. That is not good for Amateur Radio and for a future dxpedition. He also says that he asked Holy Council if sv1rp operation is legal and they told him NO. > > 73 Kostas SV1DPI > > FYI I translated what Monk Apollo wrote and here it is: > > It is known that many radio amateurs, many years ago, want to come and operate from Mount Athos. The older hams know that I helped in the past a radio amateur team from Thessaloniki Greece to come and operate from Virgin Mary?s Garden. Most of you know also that the Mount Athos refuse a license to everyone the last years. Maybe you have forgotten that this is a result the way Baldur DJ6SI tried to fool the monks to operate illegally. > > Unfortunately instead the history guides us, we have seen new tries to fool the monks the last time. > > Some time ago, some Latvian hams came in Mount Athos and tried to operate without any license. They claimed that they had an oral permission. Of course they had neither oral or written license and Mount Athos went them out. But their try, even they had not the right documents, was not good for Mount Athos reputation. Many hams because of his desire to have a QSO, blamed Mount Athos for this. > > After a short time, a Greek radio amateur operated from Mount Athos. I received many messages asking if he is legal or not. He is claimed that he has a license from a monastery for training operation without to have in mind the Greek law, which says: > > ?in specific cases and when special security has taken, the owner of the station with a valid license may, for educational purpose and aiming to progress of amateur radio, to allow the use of his station to a third person who is not radio amateur, under his responsibility, supervision and instructions, for a short time, not bigger than 20 minutes. In such cases he must sign as /T (training)? > > But his license is NOT valid because he has not the Holy Council?s license as the Greek law says: > > ?A special call to be issued for operation from Mount Athos, it is necessary you have the written permission of Holy Council? > > So we speak for another try to fool the Monks. The same negative picture again. > > Finally this is what we want? We want to operate even we fool the monks? Even we make something bad for Mount Athos? Do we feel ok if we do something like this? And finally are these actions against ham radio because all these make a far dream a future dxpedition? > > Mount Athos is a source of Light that illuminates all of us and a Beacon of Orthodoxs through the Centuries. > > I asked the Holy Council if a license has been given and they answered negatively. The Holy Council having in mind the illegal operations of Baldur DJ6SI, the willing of Latvians who wanted to operate without a license, the illegal operation of SV2/SV1RP/T or /A at 12 June 2015 and many received applications to operate from Mount Athos, sent a decision (doc. Nr F.2/27A/1482/28-6-2015) to the 20 Monasteries of Mount Athos to make all these clear. With this document, the Holy Community says that if someone outside Mount Athos wants to operate, he needs a special call and the written permission of Holy Council. Also is mentioned that all the answers in relatively applications for a license until now were negative. So that means all the operations until now are illegal. > > I want to ask everyone to behave more carefully. In our life in general, it is better to try something without to offend others, or to raise the values and institutions, trying to achieve our goal preserving the law and ethics. > > Monk Apollo from Docheiariou Monastery. > > 73 Kostas SV1DPI > > Bernie McClenny, W3UR > Editor of: The Daily DX > The Weekly DX > How's DX? > > Two week trial - http://www.dailydx.com/trial.html > https://twitter.com/dailydx > 410-489-6518___________________________________ > DailyDX mailing list > DailyDX at kkn.net > http://www.kkn.net/mailman/listinfo/dailydx From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Jul 28 21:03:27 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 28 Jul 2015 21:03:27 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Mike's Electronics is closed temporary. Please read and pass this information on. References: <002a01d0c993$90f11ac0$b2d35040$@comcast.net> Message-ID: <3E28C8BF-3FF0-4B5E-9771-5FCD8D108BC4@bellsouth.net> > Mike had a medical procedure done and is doing well at home. Mike request anyone heading out to his store should call Mike?s Electronics at 954 491-7110 first before heading down to his store to find out if he is open for business. > > Please pass this on with your club members and nets so the word gets out. > > Robin N4HHP From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Jul 30 22:47:00 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2015 22:47:00 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Mike's Electronics is now open. Please read and pass this information on. References: Message-ID: <4BF0A7DE-90AA-4780-9087-7B0C50642BA9@bellsouth.net> > Mike is BACK! > Mike is feeling better and advises me that Mike Electronics will be open the following times and days until further notice. 9am to 1pm on (Friday, 7/31/15) and 9am to noon on Saturday, (8/1/15). May do the same next week 9am to 1pm M T T F and 9am to noon. Remember, please call Mike?s Electronics, 954 491-7110 before you come on down to see if in fact he is open. > > Please pass this onto your club members and nets so the word gets out. > > Robin N4HHP From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Jul 31 18:43:13 2015 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 31 Jul 2015 18:43:13 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] A Message from Jeff References: <20150731221039.7334D2094B0C@bmail.arrl.org> Message-ID: <76F5E100-63DF-4E66-98AF-5F02445FF23C@bellsouth.net> > Greetings to all, > > Can you believe that it's August already ! And in August, the SFL > hamfest season kicks off with the Fort Pierce Hamfest on the 15th. More > info to follow. > > I received a copy of a newsletter published by a community association > lobbying group citing their opposition to the Amateur Radio Parity Act. > No surprise there, however, they have their own form letters to Congress > asking them to oppose the Act. Their reasoning does not reflect the > "reasonable accommodation" concept of the bills as written. Once again, > I am asking everyone to contact their Representatives and Senators > asking them to support and sign on to HR1301 and S1685. > > On July 27th, Hendry County ARES EC Frank Harris, WA4PAM held an open > house at the county EOC. Visitors included hams from Lee and Glades > counties as well as locals from Hendry. Frank informed me that he > signed up 5 new ARES members at the event. > > > SFL Events in August > > > 08/15/2015 | Ft. Pierce ARC Hamfest > > Location: Ft. Pierce, FL > Type: ARRL Hamfest > Sponsor: Ft. Pierce Amateur Radio Club > Website: http://fparc.org > > > 08/15 & 16/2015 International Lighthouse & Lightship Weekend event > > Jupiter Lighthouse Park N4J - Jupiter Lighthouse RG & Martin County > ARA > > For more info, visit http://www.illw.net/ > > > Be sure to mark your calendars for February 12 thru 14, 2016 for the > ARRL National Convention to be held in conjunction with the Orlando > Hamcation at the Central Florida Fairgrounds. > > > > The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 > > > The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 -- H.R.1301 in the US House of > Representative and S 1685 in the US Senate -- would direct the FCC to > extend its rules relating to reasonable accommodation of Amateur > Service communications to private land use restrictions. US Rep Adam > Kinzinger (R-IL) introduced HR 1301 on March 4 with 12 original > cosponsors from both sides of the aisle -- seven Republicans and five > Democrats in the US House. US Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced S > 1685 on June 26, with Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) as the original > cosponsor, into the US Senate. > > The Amateur Radio Parity Act would require the FCC to amend its Part 97 > Amateur Service rules to apply the three-part test of the PRB-1 federal > pre-emption policy to include homeowners association regulations and > deed restrictions, often referred to as "covenants, conditions, and > restrictions" (CC&Rs). At present, PRB-1 only applies to state and > local zoning laws and ordinances. The FCC has been reluctant to extend > the same legal protections to include private land-use agreements > without direction from Congress. > > H.R. 1301 has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. > Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI (R-OR), chairs that panel's Communications and > Technology Subcommittee, which will consider the measure. S 1685 has > been referred to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation > Committee's subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation and > the Internet, which is chaired by the bill's sponsor, Wicker. > > ARRL members are urged to contact their members of both the House and > the Senate, asking them to sign on to the bill as a co-sponsor. Route > letters for your member of Congress to: > > ARRL > > Attn HR 1301 grassroots campaign > > 225 Main St > > Newington CT 06111 > > > > Amateur Radio Vanity Call Sign Fee to Disappear in September > > > The Amateur Radio vanity call sign regulatory fee is set to disappear > in the next few weeks. According to the best-available information from > FCC sources, the first day that applicants will be able to file a vanity > application without having to pay a fee is Thursday, September 3. In > deciding earlier this year to drop the regulatory fee components for > Amateur Radio vanity call signs and General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) > applications, the FCC said it was doing so to save money and personnel > resources. The Commission asserted that it costs more of both to > process the regulatory fees and issue refunds than the amount of the > regulatory fee payment. > > ?Our costs have increased over time, and now that the costs exceed > the amount of the regulatory fee, the increased relative administrative > cost supports eliminating this regulatory fee category,? the FCC said > in its Report and Order, which appeared on July 21 in The Federal > Register. ?Once [it?s] eliminated, these licensees will no longer > be financially burdened with such payments, and the Commission will no > longer incur these administrative costs that exceed the fee > payments.? > > The FCC raised the Amateur Service vanity call sign regulatory fee from > $16.10 to its current $21.40 for the 10-year license term in 2014. The > $5.30 increase was the largest such fee hike in many years. In a > typical fiscal year, the FCC collected on the order of $250,000 in > vanity call sign regulatory fees. > > The FCC said the revenue it would otherwise collect from such > regulatory fees ?will be proportionally assessed on other wireless > fee categories.? Congress has mandated that the FCC collect nearly > $340 million in regulatory fees from all services in fiscal year 2015. > > > > Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 Gains Momentum, Cosponsor List Tops > 90 > > > Keep those letters coming! To date, according to the ARRL Regulatory > Affairs Office, more than 4300 letters have been received from League > members since the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 grassroots campaign > began in March, all urging their members in both branches of Congress > to become cosponsors of the bill. More letters are in the queue, and > the correspondence seems to be having the desired effect in terms of > additional cosponsors. The League has a combined web page to provide a > clearing house for all information on the identical pieces of > legislation now in play in the US House and Senate. The Act would > direct the FCC to extend its rules relating to reasonable accommodation > of Amateur Service communications to private land-use restrictions. The > FCC has been reluctant to extend those legal protections without > direction from Congress. > > ARRL Headquarters has forwarded 3433 letters to 402 individual US House > members, seeking their cosponsorship of H.R. 1301. As of July 23, H.R. > 1301 had attracted 93 cosponsors, with 7 signing on since mid-July. The > nascent campaign on behalf of the identical US Senate bill, S. 1685, has > so far garnered more than 900 letters destined to 77 individual US > Senate members. To help maintain the momentum, many ARRL Division > Directors have been taking a letter-generating tool to conventions and > hamfests. > > Sending letters urging members of Congress to sign on as cosponsors of > The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 via ARRL allows Headquarters staff > to keep track of how many pieces of correspondence are going to which US > representatives and senators. These are sorted and then hand-delivered > to Capitol Hill. As ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, has pointed out, > delivering these letters to Capitol Hill in person offers an > opportunity to speak with Congressional staffers. > > ?The stack of letters is proof that voters care about the bill,? > she said in June. ?We have to convince the staff people, so they?ll > advise the [Member of Congress] to co-sponsor. That?s how it works on > Capitol Hill.? > > Congress?s upcoming August recess offers an ideal opportunity to meet > with lawmakers while they are in their home states and districts. Clubs > also may want to invite a Member of Congress to visit a meeting. Those > interested in following the trajectory of H.R. 1301 may want to sign up > to receive the ARRL?s free Legislative Update Newsletter. > > Correspondence must be signed and include the constituent?s name and > address. Send letters to ARRL Headquarters for hand delivery to the > appropriate House or Senate member to ARRL, ATTN Amateur Radio Parity > Act Grassroots Campaign, 225 Main St, Newington CT 06111. > > > > June EmComm report from SEC Larry, W4LWZ > > > Total number of ARES members: 258 > > Change since last month (+, -, same): +2 > > Number of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 10 > > Number of ARES nets active: 10 > > Number of nets with NTS liaison: 3 > > Calls of DECs/ECs reporting: KJ4FJD, KB1PA, AD4RZ, W9GPI, WA4PAM, > AC4ZM, W4RX, N4ZIQ, WA4ASJ, KK4ENJ. > > Number of drills, tests and training sessions this month: 40 > > Person hours: 712.5 > > Number of public service events this month: 2 > > Person hours: 44 > > Number of emergency operations this month: 0 > > Person Hours: 0 > > Total number of ARES operations this month: 42 > > Total Person hours: 756.50 > > > Well, I guess that's about it for now. My thanks for all that you do > for Amateur Radio. Get on the air, Elmer a new ham, support your local > club and ARES group but most of all, have fun. Look for you at an > upcoming > SFL event. > > Vy 73, > > Jeff, WA4AW > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > ARRL Southern Florida Section > Section Manager: Jeff Beals, WA4AW >