[South Florida DX Association] Fw: The ARRL Letter, Vol 23, No 17

[bmarx@bellsouth.net]

> The ARRL Letter
> Vol. 23, No. 17
> April 23, 2004
> ***************
>
> IN THIS EDITION:
>
> * +A "line in the sand" on BPL interference mitigation
> * +FCC cites "homeland security" in approving RFID tags on 70 cm
> * +Five hams now aboard the International Space Station
> * +Illinois amateurs support storm relief, recovery
> * +FCC levies $11,000 fine on California
> * +Kansas amateur wins Goldfarb Scholarship
> *  Solar Update
> *  IN BRIEF:
>      This weekend on the radio
>      ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
>      International Marconi Day event set for April 24-25 weekend
>     +Oklahoma hams respond to severe weather emergency
>      Rodrigues Island DXpedition tops 150,000 contacts
>      "AmExpo" to spotlight Amateur Radio at major airshow
>      Gary Gordon, K6KV, wins QST Cover Plaque Award
>
> +Available on ARRL Audio News
>
> ===========================================================
>
> ==>UTILITY DRAWS "LINE IN THE SAND" ON BPL INTERFERENCE ABATEMENT
>
> In an e-mail this week to the FCC, an electric utility testing broadband
> over power line (BPL) systems in the Raleigh, North Carolina, area has
> drawn a virtual line in the sand on how far it plans to go to mitigate
> interference to Amateur Radio. Responding this week to the FCC about BPL
> interference complaints from hams, Progress Energy Corp (PEC) told the FCC
> that his company has eliminated any harmful interference from its BPL
> trial site and now complies with FCC rules.
>
> "It is PEC's position and interpretation of the FCC's rules with regard to
> 'harmful interference' that any interference that may still exist is not
> 'harmful' as that term is defined by the FCC's rules," Len Anthony, PEC's
> attorney for regulatory affairs, told James Burtle, chief of the FCC's
> Experimental License Branch. "This level of interference does not
> seriously degrade ham radio operation or transmissions or cause repeated
> interruptions." Some, but not all, of PEC's BPL field trials are covered
> by an FCC Part 5 experimental license.
>
> The FCC defines as "harmful" any interference that "seriously degrades,
> obstructs or repeatedly interrupts a radiocommunication service operating
> in accordance with the Radio Regulations."
>
> Anthony claimed that since PEC can modify its Amperion BPL system to
> totally eliminate interference to fixed stations, "the only impact of any
> kind upon ham operations is upon mobile operators." PEC concluded that
> since BPL interference to mobiles would be "very short lived," the company
> is not causing harmful interference and is in "full compliance" with FCC
> Part 15 rules.
>
> ARRL North Carolina Public Information Officer Gary Pearce, KN4AQ,
> suggests PEC has a bit more work to do. He is among local amateurs closely
> monitoring BPL deployment in the test zones and cooperating with PEC and
> Amperion to work out any interference issues. Pearce says interference
> remains on the top end of 20 meters in an overhead-line field trial
> neighborhood where PEC recently had tweaked its system.
>
> "Nothing had changed," he told ARRL after visiting the neighborhood in the
> wake of Anthony's e-mail. "They were still covering up the top end of the
> 20-meter band." Interference to 17 and 12 meters had been notched out, but
> beyond that, BPL interference persisted from 14.290 to nearly 17 MHz, he
> said, and "fringe" carriers still encroached some 100 kHz into the bottom
> of 15 meters. Interference had not been mitigated at all in neighborhoods
> with underground power service, he said.
>
> Progress Energy has been operating its "Phase II" trial in three
> neighborhoods south of Raleigh since early January. The area, in Wake
> County, is largely rural or lightly settled.
>
> No hams live in the underground-wired neighborhood, so none complained,
> Pearce said. The handful of BPL interference complaints eventually lodged
> with the FCC came from amateurs living closer to the overhead-wired
> neighborhood, and some were from mobile operators.
>
> Pearce said PEC's stance regarding mobile stations "sets a new bar" in
> interpreting harmful interference. "Hams have never been asked to accept
> that level of interference before," he said, noting that mobiles driving
> by a power line can hear the signal for "a mile or so."
>
> The ARRL's BPL strategy calls for the League to seek a radiated emission
> limit sufficient to protect the estimated 70,000 Amateur Radio mobile
> stations in the US. ARRL field observations using typical amateur
> equipment have documented BPL interference to mobile stations located
> hundreds of meters from BPL interference sources.
>
> Pearce says the North Carolina hams will respond to Progress Energy and
> the FCC to disagree with its interpretation of "harmful interference" and
> its conclusion regarding interference to mobiles.
>
> While he maintains that controlling BPL in a small trial area like his
> should not be that difficult, "having BPL buzzing across all the power
> lines in a large city is another story entirely, and that's what we're
> worried about."
>
> ARRL CEO David Sumner framed the situation another way. "If BPL emissions
> block weak signals that otherwise would be usable, that is harmful
> interference and they must remedy it," he said. "Progress Energy has as
> much as admitted that they can't. The only thing left for them to do is to
> shut their system down and get back to their basic business of supplying
> electrical energy."
>
> Additional information about BPL and Amateur Radio is on the ARRL Web site
> <http://www.arrl.org/bpl/>.
>
> ==>FCC OKAYS RF IDENTIFICATION TAGS AT 433.5 TO 434.5 MHZ
>
> The FCC has adopted a somewhat limited version of its earlier proposal to
> permit deployment of RF Identification (RFID) tags in a segment of the
> 70-cm band at much greater duty cycles than current Part 15 rules permit
> for such devices and at higher field strengths. Among other applications,
> RFID tags are used to track shipments and packing containers. A Third
> Report and Order (R&O) in ET Docket 01-278
> <http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-04-98A1.doc>
> released this week follows a 2000 petition by SAVI Technology to revise
> FCC Part 15 rules to accommodate such devices in the vicinity of 433 MHz.
> The ARRL has consistently opposed the proposal, but FCC just as
> unfailingly has tried to accommodate it. FCC Office of Engineering and
> Technology (OET) Chief Ed Thomas said RFIDs provide important public
> benefits.
>
> "This item is designed to increase homeland security at ports, rail yards
> and warehouses," Thomas told the FCC open meeting. "It will foster the
> development of more powerful and advanced RFID systems that can identify
> the contents of shipping containers and determine whether tampering has
> occurred during shipment." Thomas said the devices also would increase
> efficiency in shipping operations and inventory control.
>
> ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, said SAVI has been raising the
> issue of homeland security in association with this proceeding for several
> months now. "This is the first time the FCC has acknowledged the
> argument," Imlay said, "but it helps the Commission justify the complete
> abandonment of its periodic radiator rules, and helps justify its
> abandonment of its custodial role of a natural resource."
>
> In requesting Commission adoption, OET's Hugh van Tuyl provided the broad
> strokes of the Part 15 rule changes, which, he said, would apply
> specifically to commercial shipping containers "in commercial and
> industrial areas." In certain cases, he asserted, current Part 15
> requirements aimed at preventing interference to licensed services "may
> unnecessarily constrain the operational range of RFID systems as well as
> the speed and quantity of data that can be transmitted."
>
> The Third R&O not only would increase the maximum radiated field strength
> permitted for such devices but their maximum permissible transmission
> period as well--from one second to one minute. "While the maximum
> [emission] level would be greater than currently allowed," van Tuyl said,
> "it would still be only one-half of the level permitted for devices such
> as garage door openers, which also operate in this band." The longer
> authorized transmission period would allow an RFID to transmit the
> contents of an entire shipping container, he pointed out.
>
> "We therefore believe there will be no significant increase in the
> potential for interference to authorized services," van Tuyl concluded.
>
> The FCC made peace with the National Telecommunications and Information
> Administration (NTIA) on the RFID tag issue. In 2002, the NTIA--citing the
> likelihood of interference to critical government radars-expressed "grave
> concerns" about the proposal to permit deployment of the RFIDs.
>
> The Third R&O reflects certain accommodations that SAVI had offered in
> response to the 2002 NTIA study. It limits the operating band for such
> RFID tags to 433.5 to 434.5 MHz, instead of the 425 to 435 MHz SAVI
> originally wanted. It further would prohibit operation of RFID tag systems
> within 40 km (about 25 miles) of five government radar sites.
> Manufacturers of 433 MHz RFID systems would have to register the locations
> of their system base stations to assist in resolving interference
> complaints.
>
> Since SAVI first approached the FCC in 2000, ARRL has maintained that the
> RFID tags the company proposed represented a significant source of
> potential interference to sensitive receivers. Operating near-continuous
> duty Part 15 in the vicinity of 433 MHz "is fundamentally incompatible
> with incumbent amateur operation," the ARRL told the FCC.
>
> More than 130 amateurs filed comments in opposition to SAVI Technology's
> RFID tags proposal, and most supported the ARRL's position that the
> proposed rules were flawed and should not be adopted.
>
> ==>FIVE HAMS NOW ABOARD ISS; NEW CREW NOT WORRIED ABOUT GYRO FAILURE
>
> There now are five ham radio operators aboard the International Space
> Station (ISS). Expedition 9 ISS crew members Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, and
> Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, accompanied by European Space Agency astronaut Andr�
> Kuipers, PI9ISS, arrived at the ISS right on schedule April 21 aboard a
> Russian Soyuz vehicle. They joined Expedition 8 crew members Mike Foale,
> KB5UAC, and Sasha Kaleri, U8MIR, whom Padalka and Fincke will relieve.
>
> Fincke told reporters April 23 that being aboard the ISS was "everything
> I've ever hoped for" and said he's "ready for the challenge" of living in
> space for the next six months. Both he and Foale also expressed confidence
> that the new crew can deal with this week's failure of a second control
> moment gyroscope (CMG) that leaves the ISS with the minimum two gyros.
> Fincke said he was prepared to do a space walk if necessary to repair the
> down units. "It's not a problem at all," he said. "We've trained in
> Houston . . . we've got spares on board  . . . and we're ready to go when
> and if necessary."
>
> During their six-month tour of duty, Padalka, 45, will serve as Expedition
> 9 commander, while Fincke, 36, will be the NASA ISS science officer and
> flight engineer.
>
> The docking of the Soyuz spacecraft initiated a nine-day handover period
> now under way. During his visit aboard the space outpost, Kuipers will
> conduct a couple of Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
> (ARISS) <http://www.rac.ca/ariss/> school group contacts and carry out
> scientific experiments under a commercial agreement between the ESA and
> Russia. He'll return to Earth April 29 with Foale and Kaleri aboard the
> older Soyuz vehicle now attached to the ISS.
>
> The Expedition 8 crew has so far spent 186 days onboard the station. NASA
> says Foale and Kaleri will be exercising rigorously in the days before
> their return to condition themselves for the effects of Earth's gravity
> upon their return.
>
> ==>ILLINOIS AMATEURS SUPPORT TORNADO RELIEF, RECOVERY EFFORTS
>
> Illinois ARRL Section Emergency Coordinator Pat Ryan, KC6VVT, reports
> Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) team members and local radio
> amateurs in LaSalle County--nearly 100 miles southwest of Chicago--this
> week supported American Red Cross relief and recovery efforts in the wake
> of tornados April 20 that left at least eight people dead. LaSalle,
> Putnam, Kankakee and Will counties were designated as disaster areas.
> Especially hard hit was the LaSalle County town of Utica, where the
> downtown area was devastated.
>
> "There was an outstanding turnout by local and nearby hams," Ryan told
> ARRL. "Many local hams are assisting in recovery efforts and damage
> assessment." In addition, SKYWARN teams and severe weather spotters
> "helped greatly throughout the area to spread the word of the approaching
> tornado tracking across many counties.
>
> LaSalle County ARES Emergency Coordinator Frank Carraro, KF9NZ, said he'd
> settled down to read a book when he began hearing weather-spotter reports
> of approaching tornados. He said it soon became obvious that Utica had
> been badly hit. "All the electric power was out, the roads were clogged
> with debris and panicked residents of the area--some trying to get in, and
> some trying to get out," he said.
>
> Jim Stefkovich, KD5HLE, the meteorologist in charge at the National
> Weather Service (NWS) Chicago Forecast Office, expressed gratitude for
> Amateur Radio�s assistance in providing ground-level storm reports. "This
> was a true team effort, and I truly appreciate everything that was done
> from everyone in the Amateur Radio Community," he said. "I could not be
> more proud of everyone's efforts."
>
> Ryan, who lives in LaSalle County, reports that after the N9OUW Tri-County
> repeater was knocked off the air, owner Rich Grimshaw, N9OUW, and Kurt
> Clausen, KB9RKU, installed a deep-cycle battery from the Starved Rock
> Radio Club to get the machine back up. �This essential ham repeater then
> provided ideal coverage to link the downtown Utica area below the Illinois
> River bluff for further operation by the many amateurs responding,� he
> noted. �It was the critical link for this area.�
>
> The reactivated repeater supported disaster recovery efforts coordinated
> by the Illinois Valley Red Cross chapter in Peru. Simplex nets were
> activated in the Utica area on 2 meters to support shelter operations and
> disaster assessment and to minimize battery drain at the repeater. Grundy
> County amateurs also turned out to assist in LaSalle County.
>
> LaSalle County Assistant EC Joe Tokarz, KB9EZZ, said some 30 amateurs
> responded in his county alone. With telephone service being restored by
> week's end, Amateur Radio's role was beginning to wind down, he said. He
> encouraged hams to take advantage of ARRL's Amateur Radio Emergency
> Communications on-line classes, weather-spotter classes as well as other
> available emergency preparedness training to be ready. In this situation,
> he noted, there wasn't much advance warning.
>
> Ryan reports "outstanding assistance" from Community Emergency Response
> Teams throughout Northern Illinois. Twisters also hit the town of
> Granville in Putnam County.
>
> Salvation Army Team Emergency Network <http://www.satern.org> National
> Director Pat McPherson, WW9E, reports Salvation Army canteens have been
> roving stricken neighborhoods providing food, beverages and respite and
> assisting with damage assessment and cleanup.
>
> "We used SKYWARN and our SATERN folks to keep us abreast of reports as the
> weather conditions turned sour, and they turned out to be invaluable
> assets in determining the course of the tornados," said McPherson, who's
> headquartered in Chicago.
>
> Will County ARES Emergency Coordinator Rob Sobkoviak, K9NYO, said tornados
> destroyed one house and damaged dozens of other homes and businesses in
> Joliet. He said The Salvation Army--with SATERN support--was called in to
> assist with damage assessment and cleanup and to provide meals to affected
> residents and emergency workers. Sobkoviak also cited the efforts of the
> ARES Severe Weather Net and of numerous weather spotters. Will County
> amateurs staffed ARES stations at local emergency operations centers and
> at the National Weather Service in Chicago.
>
> "These guys are true heroes," Sobkoviak said of his ARES team members.
>
> ==>FCC PROPOSES $11,000 FINE FOR CALIFORNIA AMATEUR
>
> The FCC has issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (NAL) to
> Daniel Granda, KA6VHC, proposing to fine the Whittier, California, man
> $11,000 for allegedly "willfully and repeatedly" violating the
> Communications Act of 1934 and Amateur Service (Part 97) rules. The FCC
> asserted that on at least eight occasions, Granda, 58, "willfully and
> maliciously caused interference to other stations and conducted activity
> in an effort to obtain exclusive use" of a 1.25 meter repeater pair.
>
> "Specifically, we find Mr Granda apparently liable for failure to respond
> to official Commission correspondence and causing intentional interference
> to amateur radio communications," the FCC said in the NAL, released March
> 31. In December 2002, the FCC's Enforcement Bureau issued a Warning Notice
> to Granda alleging that he deliberately interfered with two repeaters,
> KD6ZLZ and WA6NJJ. Granda failed to respond to that and to subsequent
> notices, including one from the FCC's Los Angeles Field Office, the NAL
> said.
>
> Agents from the FCC's LA office subsequently used direction-finding
> techniques to track interfering signals to Granda's residence, the NAL
> said. FCC agents inspected his station on April 15, 2003, and found radio
> equipment capable of transmitting on all of the frequencies involved. The
> FCC says Granda "orally admitted" that he had received the warning notices
> from the Commission. The NAL says Granda told the agents he was "trying to
> prevent anyone from using 'his' frequency by re-transmitting 147.49 MHz
> signals on 222.24/223.84 MHz to 'keep the channel occupied.'" The
> following day, an FCC agent observed that audio from 147.49 MHz was being
> retransmitted onto 222.24/223.84 MHz from Granda's residence, the NAL
> said.
>
> Based on the evidence, the FCC said, it determined that Granda had caused
> malicious interference and transmitted signals "in an attempt to
> exclusively use a frequency." The FCC gave Granda 30 days to pay the
> proposed forfeiture or file for a reduction or cancellation.
>
> Last August, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau set aside the grant of
> renewal of Granda's Amateur Extra class license, which expired last
> November. His renewal application has reverted to "pending" status.
> Although his call sign no longer appears in the FCC database, he does have
> interim operating privileges at least until the enforcement action is
> resolved.
>
> ==>KANSAS AMATEUR IS 2004 GOLDFARB SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
>
> Jonathan Krenzel, KC0AMG, a senior at Wichita County High School in Leoti,
> Kansas, is the 2004 winner of the William R. Goldfarb Memorial
> Scholarship. ARRL Foundation <http://www.arrl.org/arrlf/> President Tom
> Frenaye, K1KI, and Scholarship Committee Chairman Tom Comstock, N5TC,
> announced Krenzel's selection April 20.
>
> A Technician licensee since 1997 and an ARRL member, Krenzel, 18, enjoys
> operating SSB on 6 and 2 meters and 70 cm. He's active in various VHF-UHF
> operating events and in DXing as well as high-speed meteor scatter work.
> His father, Gary, is N0KQY.
>
> A member of the National Honor Society, Krenzel is ranked at the top of
> his class. Numerous other honors, including Who's Who among High School
> Students and designation as a Presidential Scholar, complement his
> outstanding academic resume. He was among 15 top Kansas high schoolers
> honored this week by the University of Kansas Alumni Association and the
> KU Endowment Association. In 2002, he took a silver medal in the Kansas
> Science Olympiad. His community activities include church youth projects
> and participation at schools, nursing homes and food drives.
>
> Krenzel plans to attend Wichita State University in the fall, majoring in
> aerospace engineering with a goal of one day working for NASA.
>
> The Goldfarb Scholarship is the result of a generous endowment from the
> late William Goldfarb, N2ITP. The Goldfarb Scholarship assists a qualified
> student to obtain a bachelor's degree at an accredited institution of
> higher education in computers, engineering, the sciences, medical/nursing
> or a business-related area. The four-year award to an active radio amateur
> is based on outstanding qualifications, financial need and the
> availability of other educational funding sources.
>
> More information on the Goldfarb Scholarship is available on the ARRL Web
> site <http://www.arrl.org/arrlf/goldfarb.html>. Applications for the
> Goldfarb Scholarship and other ARRL Foundation Scholarship applications
> are accepted each year beginning October 1 and ending February 1 for the
> academic year that starts the following August/September.
>
> ==>SOLAR UPDATE
>
> Propagation guru Tad "Dancing in Sunshine" Cook, K7RA, Seattle,
> Washington, reports: Solar flux and sunspot numbers rose this week, and
> geomagnetic indices were down. Although still headed down the far side of
> solar cycle 23, rising sunspot counts and lower geomagnetic disturbances
> are great for HF propagation.
>
> Over the next few days, April 23-25, solar flux should stay around 120.
> It's expected to drop to around 115, 115 and 110 April 26-27. Planetary A
> index may rise to around 15 or higher on Saturday and Sunday, April 24-25,
> due to a solar windstream, especially if the interplanetary magnetic field
> points south. Currently the field is pointing north, protecting Earth from
> solar wind. There is a possibility of effects from a coronal hole reaching
> Earth this Sunday, April 25.
>
> Returning activity as the sun rotates relative to Earth could cause a
> larger rise in geomagnetic activity around May 3.
>
> This week's update has a new index added to the numbers at the end of the
> bulletin. The middle latitude numbers reflect conditions experienced by
> the majority amateurs in North America living below the 50th parallel.
>
> Sunspot numbers for April 15 through 21 were 60, 53, 55, 92, 108, 96 and
> 98, with a mean of 80.3. The 10.7 cm flux was 96.7, 96.9, 98.2, 109,
> 113.4, 110.7 and 112.7, with a mean of 105.4. Estimated planetary A
> indices were 6, 12, 9, 11, 6, 4 and 5, with a mean of 7.6. Estimated
> mid-latitude A indices were 3, 10, 6, 6, 4, 4 and 6, with a mean of 5.6.
>
> __________________________________
>
> ==>IN BRIEF:
>
> * This weekend on the radio: The SP DX RTTY Contest, the Helvetia Contest
> (CW/SSB/digital), the QRP to the Field event, the Florida, Kentucky and
> Nebraska QSO parties and the CQC PSK31 Kontest are the weekend of April
> 24-25. JUST AHEAD: The EUCW/FISTS QRS Party is April 25-May 1. JUST AHEAD:
> The New England QSO Party, the US IPARC Annual Contest (CW), the MARAC
> County Hunters Contest (CW), the UBA Welcome to European Union Contest,
> the 10-10 International Spring Contest (CW), the Microwave Spring Sprint,
> the AGCW QRP/QRP Party, the Indiana QSO Party, the ARI International DX
> Contest, the US IPARC Annual Contest (SSB) and the RSGB 80-Meter Club
> Championship (SSB) are the weekend of May 1-2. The ARS Spartan Sprint is
> May 4. See the ARRL Contest Branch page <http://www.arrl.org/contests/>
> and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar
> <http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more info.
>
> * ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration:
> Registration for the ARRL HF Digital Communication (EC-005), ARRL
> VHF/UHF--Beyond the Repeater (EC-008) and ARRL Technician Licensing
> (EC-010) courses remains open through Sunday, April 25. Classes begin
> Tuesday May 4. Students participating in VHF/UHF--Beyond the Repeater
> (EC-008) will enjoy exploring some of the lesser-used and more intriguing
> aspects of VHF/UHF operation. HF Digital Communication students will learn
> to use a variety of HF digital modes. With the assistance of a mentor
> students in Technician Licensing (EC-010) will learn everything they need
> to know to pass the FCC Technician class amateur license test. To learn
> more, visit the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education (C-CE)
> <<http://www.arrl.org/cce/>> Web page or contact the ARRL Certification
> and Continuing Education Program Department <cce@arrl.org>.
>
> * International Marconi Day event set for April 24-25 weekend: Dozens of
> stations are expected to be on the air the weekend of April 24-25 to mark
> the 17th annual International Marconi Day (IMD). The 24-hour event
> commemorates the birth of wireless pioneer Guglielmo Marconi, who was born
> April 25, 1874. (IMD is usually held on the Saturday closest to Marconi's
> birthday.) The event is an opportunity for amateurs around the world to
> make contact with "Award Stations" on the air from various historic
> Marconi sites, such as VO1IMD on Signal Hill in Newfoundland, the Maritime
> Radio Historical Society's K6KPH in California (at the former KPH
> receiving site) and W1AA/MSC on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. Members
> of the Cornish Radio Amateur Club (G4CRC) will be among them, operating as
> GB4IMD. Awards are available. A complete list of stations that will be on
> the air as well as additional information about IMD are on the CRAC Web
> site <http://www.gb4imd.co.uk/index.htm>.
>
> * Oklahoma hams respond to severe weather emergency: ARRL Oklahoma Section
> Manager John Thomason, WB5SYT, reports that Amateur Radio Emergency
> Service teams responded after tornados, severe thunderstorms and
> hailstorms struck the state April 20 and 21. "Several ARES groups assisted
> in severe weather spotting, radar analysis, city shelter management and
> damage assessment," Thomason told ARRL. "Severe thunderstorms with large
> hail, heavy rain and tornadoes struck Oklahoma for the second day
> consecutive day. A tornado warning lasted for almost an hour. Hail the
> size of baseballs punished people and vehicles." Thomason said hail
> accumulation on roadways made travel difficult, and the National Weather
> Service at one point had most of the state's 77 counties under a tornado
> watch. As of mid-week, several hundred residents remained without power.
> The ARRL-affiliated Southern Oklahoma ARES club in Ardmore provided
> numerous weather spotters and radar interpreters to assist public service
> agencies. The Ardmore Amateur Radio group's activity, including a picture
> of Matt Jones, W5FLW, were reported in the April 22 edition of The Daily
> Ardmoreite <http://www.ardmoreite.com/stories/042204/loc_okstorms.shtml>.
> Thomason said the Edmond Amateur Radio Society--an ARRL Special Service
> Club--provided spotters and shelters monitors in that community. "Other
> ARES groups throughout Oklahoma provided similar support to city and
> county emergency service entities," Thomason said.
>
> * Rodrigues Island DXpedition tops 150,000 contacts: The recent Project
> Star Reach 3B9C DXpedition <http://www.fsdxa.com/3b9c/index.html> to
> Rodrigues Island (AF-017) shut down April 12 at approximately 0300 UTC.
> The DXpedition was the recipient of an ARRL Colvin Award. 3B9C on-line
> logs <http://www.fsdxa.com/3b9c/online-logs.html> remain available. The
> DXpedition was sponsored by the Five Star DXers Association (FSDXA), with
> assistance from many others. QSL direct to FSDXA, PO Box 73, Church
> Stretton SY6 6WF UK or via the RSGB QSL Bureau. Much more information plus
> a form to request bureau cards is available on the 3B9C Web page
> <http://www.fsdxa.com/3b9c/>.--some information via The Daily DX
> <http://www.dailydx.com>
>
> * "AmExpo" to spotlight Amateur Radio at major airshow: Amateur Radio
> special event station N2M will be on the air May 1 and 2 in conjunction
> with the annual Millville Wheels & Wings Airshow in New Jersey. "AmExpo
> commemorates the advancement of radio communications conducted at this
> location during World War II," says Hugh McElroy, W2AVN, who's chairman of
> the board of directors for the Millville army Air Field Museum. McElroy
> calls the special event "a celebration of radio and technology" during the
> airshow, which annually attracts upward of 150,000 visitors. Vintage and
> modern radio gear will be available, and multiple Amateur Radio clubs are
> providing operators. "We wish to invite all radio amateurs and radio
> enthusiasts to attend and enjoy this thrilling event," McElroy said. "Our
> goal is to foster Amateur Radio and to generate new radio amateurs." He
> says the N2M will be an all-band Field Day-style operation that will
> include VoIP modes such as EchoLink as well as satellite communication.
> For more information, visit the Millville Wheels & Wings Airshow Web site
> <http://www.p47millville.org> and the AmExpo N2M Web page
> <http://www.millvilleairshow.com/am_expo.html> or e-mail McElroy
> <w2avn@arrl.net>.
>
> * Gary Gordon, K6KV, wins QST Cover Plaque Award: The winner of the QST
> Cover Plaque Award for March is Gary Gordon, K6KV, for his article "Build
> a Puff-and-Sip Keyer." Congratulations, Gary! The winner of the QST Cover
> Plaque award--given to the author--or authors--of the best article in each
> issue--is determined by a vote of ARRL members. Voting takes place each
> month on the QST Cover Plaque Poll Web page
> <http://www.arrl.org/members-only/qstvote.html>. Cast a ballot for your
> favorite article in the April issue of QST. Voting ends April 30.
>
> ===========================================================
> The ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the American
> Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur Radio--225 Main
> St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259;
> <http://www.arrl.org>. Jim Haynie, W5JBP, President.
>
> The ARRL Letter offers a weekly e-mail digest of essential news of
> interest to active amateurs. The ARRL Letter strives to be timely,
> accurate, concise, and readable. Visit ARRLWeb <http://www.arrl.org> for
> the latest news, updated as it happens. The ARRL Web site
> <http://www.arrl.org/> offers access to news, informative features and
> columns. ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> is a
> weekly "ham radio newscast" compiled from The ARRL Letter.
>
> Material from The ARRL Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole or
> in part in any form without additional permission. Credit must be given to
> The ARRL Letter and The American Radio Relay League.
>
> ==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!):
> letter-dlvy@arrl.org
> ==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, n1rl@arrl.org
> ==>ARRL News on the Web: <http://www.arrl.org>
> ==>ARRL Audio News: <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> or call
> 860-594-0384
>
> ==>How to Get The ARRL Letter
> The ARRL Letter is available to ARRL members free of charge directly from
> ARRL HQ. To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address for e-mail
> delivery:
> ARRL members first must register on the Members Only Web Site
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> bulletins, and other material. To change these selections--including
> delivery of The ARRL Letter--registered members should click on the
> "Member Data Page" link (in the Members Only box). Click on "Modify
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> your e-mail address if necessary. (Check "Temporarily disable all
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> Then, click on "Submit modification" to make selections effective. (NOTE:
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> this yourself via the Members Only Web Site.)
>
> The ARRL Letter also is available to all, free of charge, from these
> sources:
>
> * ARRLWeb <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/>. (NOTE: The ARRL Letter will
> be posted each Friday when it is distributed via e-mail.)
>
> * The QTH.net listserver, thanks to volunteers from the Boston Amateur
> Radio Club: Visit Mailing Lists@QTH.Net
> <http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/letter-list>. (NOTE: The ARRL
> cannot assist subscribers who receive The ARRL Letter via this
> listserver.)
>
>
>