[South Florida DX Association] The ARRL Letter, Vol 23, No 42

[Bill Marx]

***************
> The ARRL Letter
> Vol. 23, No. 42
> October 22, 2004
> ***************
>
> IN THIS EDITION:
>
> * +ARRL Executive Committee focuses on digital petition, BPL
> * +League repeats call for Arizona BPL system shutdown
> * +Business decision forces end to California BPL pilot
> * +ARRL hopes toy drive will brighten holidays for Florida kids
> * +"SuitSat" is focus of ARISS International discussions
> * +FCC affirms $10,000 fine in California interference case
> * +League welcomes new Community Education Program Coordinator
> *  Solar Update
> *  IN BRIEF:
>      This weekend on the radio
>      ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
>      ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications course registration
>      Amateurs support hospital communications during telecommunications
> outage
>      Radio amateurs aid in tornado response
>     +Oldest US ham, ARRL Member Bill Diaper, KJ6KQ, SK
>
> +Available on ARRL Audio News
>
> ===========================================================
>
> ==>DRAFT BANDWIDTH PETITION, BPL FOCUS OF ARRL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
>
> Meeting October 16 in Dallas, Texas, the ARRL Executive Committee (EC)
> devoted much of its fall session to a discussion of comments received on
> ARRL's draft FCC petition seeking regulation of subbands by bandwidth
> rather than by emission mode. The EC also authorized the filing of a
> Petition for Reconsideration in response to the BPL Report and Order (R&O)
> in ET Docket 04-37, which the FCC adopted October 14. Drafting and filing
> the petition must await release of the actual R&O, which should happen in
> a few weeks. Responding to a synopsis of the bandwidth petition and
> proposed rule changes posted on the ARRL Web site, several hundred League
> members and others in the ham radio community offered comments and
> suggestions.
>
> "The Executive Committee found considerable support for the concept of the
> petition," said ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, "along with constructive
> suggestions to reduce both the impact of the changes on current amateur
> operations, as well as possible unintended consequences." Sumner's "It
> Seems to Us . . ." editorial, "Regulation by Bandwidth," in September QST
> addressed the bandwidth petition.
>
> Earlier this year, the EC decided to make a synopsis and explanation of
> the petition available to ARRL members before filing it with the FCC. At
> this month's meeting, the EC agreed to submit several recommended
> amendments to the proposed rules changes to the ARRL Board of Directors
> for its consideration in January. These include:
>
> * Retention of rules permitting automatically controlled digital stations
> (packet and other digital modes) in narrow HF subbands. The draft petition
> had proposed dropping these provisions.
>
> * A rule prohibiting so-called semi-automatic digital operation (automatic
> control in response to a communication initiated by a live operator) on
> frequencies below 28 MHz where phone is permitted. This addressed a
> concern that "robot" digital stations might take over the phone bands.
>
> * A segment for 3 kHz bandwidth (no phone) emissions at 10.135-10.150 MHz
> to accommodate existing and planned digital operations.
>
> * Deletion of the word "continuous" from the description of test
> transmissions authorized on most frequencies above 51 MHz.
>
> * Simplification of proposed changes to §97.309 to clarify that
> FCC-licensed amateur stations may use any published digital code as long
> as other rules are observed.
>
> "These recommendations are not intended to be the final word on the draft
> petition, but are intended to address the major issues raised to date,"
> Sumner emphasized.
>
> The draft bandwidth proposals take into account the ARRL's prior "Novice
> refarming" petition to expand some HF phone bands, included in the
> "omnibus" FCC Notice of Proposed Rule Making in WT Docket 04-140.
>
> The EC also authorized ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, to "prepare
> to pursue other available remedies as to procedural and substantive
> defects" in the BPL proceeding.
>
> ==>ARRL REPEATS CALL FOR SHUTDOWN OF ARIZONA BPL FIELD TRIAL
>
> The ARRL again has asked the FCC to immediately shut down a broadband over
> power line (BPL) field trial in the Cottonwood, Arizona, area that it says
> is interfering with Amateur Radio communication. The League's second
> shutdown request, sent October 11, accuses the FCC of doing "absolutely
> nothing" to enforce its rules or to protect licensed services from
> interference. In an accompanying 12-page technical analysis, the ARRL also
> cast serious doubt on the accuracy--and possibly the integrity--of the BPL
> system's FCC-required six-month report, filed more than two months late.
> Its review of the report from system operator Electric Broadband LLC (EB),
> the League said, indicated inconsistent test results demonstrating that
> ambient noise conditions at the test sites "were clearly misstated."
>
> "To be blunt, as can be easily determined from the EB report itself," ARRL
> General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, wrote in a cover letter to the ARRL's
> technical analysis, "one of two things occurred: either (1) EB altered the
> data to suit its false conclusion that the system is operating in
> accordance with FCC rules; or (2) its technical consultants were not
> qualified to conduct the tests and glaringly misinterpreted, among other
> things, the source of noise generated internally in their own test
> equipment."
>
> Imlay called the EB test results "completely compromised" and said they
> can't be used to determine whether or not the system is operating legally.
> "ARRL has previously established that the system is operating
> substantially in violation of Part 15 rules," he said, "and is causing
> actual interference" on ham bands.
>
> The ARRL said that EB's report further indicates that in the low-VHF
> Public Safety allocation at 30-50 MHz, "the BPL system is operating at
> radiated emission levels significantly in excess" of Part 15 limits.
>
> In its report EB claimed to have spent "significant time and effort"
> looking into interference complaints from hams, running tests and "taking
> steps to mitigate any possible interference" the system was causing. It
> even invited the FCC to come and see for itself.
>
> EB and utility APS have been operating the BPL experiment at two Yavapai
> County, Arizona, sites since June under a Special Temporary Authorization
> (STA) the FCC granted EB in March. The League pointed out that the STA now
> has expired "but the system apparently continues to operate nevertheless."
>
>
> In its technical analysis, the ARRL said EB continues to deny any
> interference issues associated with its system, despite continuing
> complaints and "detailed and accurate" technical showings submitted by
> Cottonwood-area amateur licensees. Testing done in early September shows
> clearly "that BPL signals were present at various sites on frequencies
> where APS and EB claim it was not," the ARRL analysis asserted. The League
> also charges that EB's test methodology was flawed and not up to industry
> or regulatory standards.
>
> The FCC prompted release of EB's six-month report in a September 1 letter
> that took note of "several complaints" alleging interference to amateur
> operations from the experimental system. It also mentioned ARRL's August
> request, filed on behalf of Cottonwood-area amateurs, that the FCC shut
> down the system, revoke its STA and fine the system's operators.
>
> The first Amateur Radio complaint, filed in June, cited testing by the
> Verde Valley Amateur Radio Association (VVARA) in the 1.8-30 MHz range. It
> asserted that BPL interference makes attempts at ham radio communication
> useless. VVARA submitted a comprehensive report to the two companies and
> the FCC in late July detailing interference issues.
>
> In late September, the VVARA BPL Interference Committee met with
> representatives of APS and Mountain Telecommunications (MTIO, which
> handles system operations. According to VVARA, APS and MTI indicated that
> the BPL system operators had decided to proceed with "notching" amateur HF
> frequencies. A representative from Electric Broadband was not at the
> meeting, VVARA says.
>
> ==>AT&T, PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC DISSOLVE BPL PARTNERSHIP
>
> A BPL field trial in Menlo Park, California, where FCC Chairman Michael K.
> Powell had extolled the technology's virtues earlier this year, has been
> aborted before getting very far off the ground. The demonstration of BPL
> technology was co-sponsored by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and
> AT&T. ARRL learned this week that AT&T has decided to direct its business
> energies elsewhere, however, and pole-mounted BPL equipment has been
> dismantled. PG&E Director of Business Development Toby Tyler confirmed
> that his company and AT&T no longer were involved in the Menlo Park BPL
> pilot.
>
> "AT&T pulled out as a result of their strategic shift away from consumer
> markets," Tyler told ARRL. "Without a telecom partner, it didn't make
> business sense for PG&E to continue with a trial."
>
> AT&T spokesperson Michael Dickman said his company had "redirected its
> focus on serving enterprise customers," and, under the circumstances, has
> "limited involvement with BPL."
>
> When Powell visited the Menlo Park BPL pilot project in July, he applauded
> AT&T and PG&E for "leading the way for this innovative technology" that he
> claimed "holds the great promise to bring high-speed Internet access to
> every power outlet in America." The chairman reiterated those sentiments
> October 14, when the FCC adopted new Part 15 rules to govern the
> deployment of BPL.
>
> ARRL Santa Clara Valley Section Official Observer Coordinator Andy Korsak,
> KR6DD, told ARRL that AT&T pulled down the Main.net BPL boxes that he and
> his team had been monitoring in Menlo Park. "We heard only sparse Geiger
> counter-like clicks, indicating only perhaps system housekeeping between
> the four Main.net boxes I identified up on power poles," Korsak said.
>
> When Powell spoke at Menlo Park this past summer, he said the future was
> bright for BPL. His optimism, at least in the case of the PG&E-AT&T BPL
> partnership, now appears to have been ill-advised.
>
> ==>ARRL ANNOUNCES HOLIDAY TOY DRIVE FOR FLORIDA YOUNGSTERS
>
> The ARRL is coming to the aid of children in Florida displaced or left
> homeless in the wake of three hurricanes, by sponsoring a nationwide
> holiday toy drive. Clubs and individuals from across the US already have
> indicated they'll be taking part.
>
> Joanne Ramsey, KB1KWJ, one of the hurricane relief/recovery volunteers
> working in Central Florida, saw the devastation and the need following
> Hurricane Ivan.
>
> "This is really going to make a difference for those children," she said.
> "I still see the images of hungry little faces I was not able to feed. The
> sadness in their eyes was very hard for me to deal with."
>
> Thousands of families are without a permanent place to live, and that
> situation could well extend into the holiday season.
>
> "For a child suddenly living out of a tent, or car, or someone else's
> home, the 2004 holiday season will be anything but jolly," said ARRL
> Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP. "But hams across the country
> are coming to their rescue in a second new way through the League's
> program."
>
> Between now and Thanksgiving, hams radio operators throughout the US are
> invited to send new children's toys, accompanied by a QSL card, to Ham
> Radio, The United Way White Dove Project, 50 Kindred St - Suite 207,
> Stuart, FL 34994.
>
> Carol Hodnett, of Martin County United Way, said the hurricanes and their
> aftermath have been especially traumatic for children. "In addition to the
> frightening experience of going through the hurricanes," she pointed out,
> "youngsters are coping with a great deal of stress felt within their
> families and at school." Martin County United Way will handle the
> distribution end of the program. Pitts said the focus is on Central
> Florida communities because they took the brunt of the three storms.
>
> Additional details about the Hams for Toys program are on the ARRL Web
> site <http://www.arrl.org/pio>.
>
> ==>ARISS INTERNATIONAL DELEGATES PONDER "SUITSAT" POSSIBILITIES
>
> If plans come together in time, an outdated Russian spacesuit could become
> the most unusual Amateur Radio satellite ever put into orbit. Being called
> "SuitSat" for now, the idea--from ARISS-Russia's Sergei Samburov,
> RV3DR--sparked wide-ranging discussion among delegates to the Amateur
> Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) International Team
> meeting October 11-13 in Alexandria, Virginia. With diminishing stowage
> space aboard the ISS, several Orlan spacesuits used for space walks have
> been declared surplus. Samburov's notion is to have an ISS crew equip one
> of them as an Amateur Radio satellite--possibly including a camera in the
> helmet area--and launch it during a space walk. ARISS International
> Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, says the project is on a fast track because
> it must be ready to roll in less than a year.
>
> "It is on a very short schedule," Bauer said. "They're talking about
> launching in November of 2005, and to launch then, it really has to be
> ready in June of next year. It's going to be a big challenge," Bauer said.
> A second Orlan suit is expected to be available in 2007.
>
> Bauer says the fact that SuitSat will have to be integrated in orbit by
> cosmonauts adds even more to the complexity. And after all that, SuitSat
> might float in space just a month or two before deorbiting. As a result,
> delegates tried to keep the "KISS" principle in mind during their
> brainstorming on how to equip SuitSat. "We've got to keep it simple, and
> we've got to keep the costs down," Bauer commented.
>
> In addition to an onboard camera and a downlink transmitter, other ideas
> floated included the installation of temperature and radiation sensors, a
> beacon, a text-to-speech voice synthesizer so SuitSat could "speak" to
> students from data uplinked via packet, a full-duplex repeater and a GPS
> receiver to track SuitSat as it orbits Earth. The Orlan suits are
> pressurized and thermally protected, and have ample room inside.
>
> "I think we're doing a good job of engineering this thing on the fly,"
> Bauer remarked during the discussions. "This has excited a lot of people."
> ARISS delegates agreed that the project might pique the interest of
> students, teachers and the news media. The ARISS Project Selection and Use
> Committee is studying the proposal, and ARISS is soliciting ideas from the
> Amateur Radio community on what to include.
>
> The ARISS delegates also heard updates on ISS hardware projects already in
> the pipeline, including launch of a multiband, multimode Yaesu FT-100D
> transceiver and a slow-scan TV system to the ISS, possibly within the next
> year.
>
> Re-elected during the session were Bauer as ARISS International Chairman,
> Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, as Vice Chairman, and Rosalie White, K1STO, as
> Secretary-Treasurer. Following the meeting, Bauer said he was pleased to
> see the ARISS team--now in its eighth year--"on the same page" and working
> smoothly.
>
> "Every time we have an ARISS meeting, the camaraderie, the teamwork
> internationally get better and better," he said.
>
> Samburov offered similar sentiments. "It seems to me we have become more
> than just colleagues," he said. "We have become friends, with a great deal
> of trust among ourselves."
>
> ==>FCC AFFIRMS FINE FOR FORMER CALIFORNIA AMATEUR LICENSEE
>
> In an October 5 Forfeiture Order, the FCC has affirmed a $10,000 fine it
> proposed earlier this year to levy on Jack Gerritsen, ex-KG6IRO, of Bell,
> California. The FCC asserts that Gerritsen doesn't have an Amateur Radio
> license but continues to operate. The FCC's Wireless Telecommunications
> Bureau (WTB) promptly rescinded its 2001 Amateur Radio license grant to
> Gerritsen after learning of his California court conviction a year earlier
> for interfering with police communications. The fine is the next step in a
> case that eventually could lead to criminal prosecution.
>
> Responding to a July FCC Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL), Gerritsen
> maintained that he still has a ham ticket. He asserted that the NAL failed
> to show that his interference conviction is under appeal, that the
> set-aside of his amateur license was unfounded and is only a claim made by
> Commission personnel; that he holds a valid license and that any possible
> suspension of his license is pending a hearing, making the NAL moot until
> a suspension actually occurs.
>
> Not so, said the FCC, citing chapter and verse to back up its Forfeiture
> Order. Section 1.113(a) of its rules gives the WTB 30 days from
> publication to modify or set aside an action, such as a license grant, on
> its own motion. As a result, the FCC said, Gerritsen's amateur application
> has reverted to pending status, and no license exists.
>
> Gerritsen also argued that he preserved his license by seeking a hearing
> under §1.85 of the FCC's rules and, further, that he'd been told by FCC
> personnel that he would get a hearing. Wrong again, the FCC concluded. The
> Commission pointed out that §1.85 spells out when the FCC may suspend an
> operator license, but since Gerritsen has no license, just a pending
> application, there is no license to suspend, and §1.85 doesn't apply. A
> Hearing Designation Order for Gerritsen is said to be working its way
> through the FCC bureaucracy.
>
> Reports from Los Angeles area hams indicate that Gerritsen continues to
> use KG6IRO, although the call sign appears in the FCC's Universal
> Licensing System as "terminated." Recent letters have implored the ARRL to
> somehow intervene in the situation.
>
> "Imagine BPL--a million times worse," one radio amateur recently wrote the
> League. For some time now, repeater owners have been shutting down their
> machines rather than let an unlicensed user transmit through them.
>
> The FCC said in its Forfeiture Order that agents who tracked transmissions
> to Gerritsen's house and interviewed him said he admitted to transmitting
> on various Amateur radio frequencies as well as on various business radio
> frequencies.
>
> In a handwritten letter Gerritsen wrote while in jail last March on a
> federal trespassing conviction to the president of one repeater
> association, he suggested that repeater owners should tolerate his
> commentaries "a few times a day."
>
> ==>ARRL WELCOMES W1WJB AS COMMUNITY EDUCATION PROGRAM COORDINATOR
>
> Bill Barrett, W1WJB, of Ridgefield, Connecticut, is the newest member of
> the ARRL Headquarters family. He joined the ARRL Field and Educational
> Services (F&ES) staff October 18 as ARRL Community Education Program
> Coordinator. In that position, he'll execute a pilot program to enlighten
> a dozen US localities about the value of Amateur Radio to community safety
> and security. And he'll be exploring the best ways Amateur Radio can work
> with Citizen Corps councils to show them what ham radio can do. Barrett
> plans to make the most of his experience as an ARES District Emergency
> Coordinator, more than 40 years of Amateur Radio experience, and his work
> producing video and film projects for corporate clients.
>
> "I enjoy bringing a message to groups that expands their capabilities,"
> Barrett said. As an emergency coordinator, he developed a PowerPoint
> presentation that local officials could view right at their desks. "A new
> presentation will grow out of that, with a lot of new material better
> suited to the new audience," he added.
>
> The one-year position Barrett is filling is new at ARRL HQ. Both the
> position and the program are funded by a grant from the Corporation for
> National and Community Service (CNCS). The funding of nearly $90,000 will
> enable the League to develop the Community Education Project (CEP) and
> carry ham radio's message to communities.
>
> ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, says now that more
> amateur licensees have been trained in how to handle emergency
> communications, they have some educating to do. "Hams can contribute so
> much to Citizen Corps council members," she said, "not just to served
> agencies like the Red Cross and The Salvation Army, but also when
> communication problems confront grassroots community institutions such as
> hospitals, utilities, blood banks, shelters and even schools."
>
> F&ES Manager Rosalie White, K1STO, says Amateur Radio is fortunate that
> many hams newly trained in emergency communications are getting involved
> in ARES groups and ARRL-affiliated clubs. "ARES groups and affiliated
> clubs and Citizen Corps councils haven't necessarily started working
> together in many US communities," she said. "The new CEP hopes to start
> connecting the dots."
>
> Barrett said his plan is to share the message about ham radio and
> emergency communications with community leaders, and have local ARES and
> ARRL-affiliated club members demonstrate their expertise to Citizen Corps
> councils.
>
> ==>SOLAR UPDATE
>
> Propagation maven Tad "Sunrise, Sunset" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington,
> reports: Solar activity made a comeback this week. Average daily sunspot
> numbers from last week to this week rose nearly 45 points, and solar flux
> was up by more than 6 points.
>
> The solar flux Wednesday, October 20, was 111. The next day it was 112 and
> through the October 22-24 weekend, it is predicted to be 115, 120 and 115.
> Less than two weeks ago the sunspot count was zero for two days straight,
> but on October 20 it stood at 129.
>
> Sunspot numbers for October 14 through 20 were 38, 26, 43, 51, 86, 86 and
> 129, with a mean of 65.6. The 10.7 cm flux was 90.7, 89.2, 91.7, 91.9,
> 96.2, 99.1 and 111.3, with a mean of 95.7. Estimated planetary A indices
> were 27, 9, 5, 3, 4, 4 and 12, with a mean of 9.1. Estimated mid-latitude
> A indices were 12, 6, 3, 0, 4, 3 and 9, with a mean of 5.3.
>
> __________________________________
>
> ==>IN BRIEF:
>
> * This weekend on the radio: The ARCI Fall QSO Party, the W/VE Islands QSO
> Party, the 50 MHz Fall Sprint and the FISTS Coast to Coast Contest are the
> weekend of October 23-24. The CQ World Wide DX Contest (SSB) and the 10-10
> International Fall Contest (CW) are the weekend of October 30-31. JUST
> AHEAD: The ARS Spartan Sprint is November 2. The ARRL November Sweepstakes
> (CW), the North American Collegiate Amateur Radio Club Championship (CW),
> the IPARC Contest (CW/SSB), the Ukrainian DX Contest, the High Speed Club
> CW Contest and the DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest are the weekend of
> November 6-7. See the ARRL Contest Branch page
> <http://www.arrl.org/contests/> and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar
> <http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/> for more info.
>
> * ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration:
> Registration for the ARRL HF Digital Communication (EC-005), Technician
> Licensing (EC-010) and VHF/UHF--Beyond the Repeater (EC-008) courses
> remains open through Sunday, October 24. Classes begin Friday November 5.
> HF Digital Communication students will learn to use a variety of HF
> digital modes. With the assistance of a mentor, EC-010 students learn
> everything they need to know to pass the FCC Technician license
> examination. Students participating in VHF/UHF--Beyond the Repeater
> (EC-008) will explore some of the lesser-used and more intriguing aspects
> of VHF/UHF operation. To learn more, visit the ARRL Certification and
> Continuing Education Web page <http://www.arrl.org/cce/ > or contact the
> ARRL CCE department, cce at arrl.org.
>
> *Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course registration: Seats are
> still available for the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level
> III on-line course (EC-003). Registration will remains open through the
> October 23-24 weekend. Amateurs aged 55 and older are strongly encouraged
> to participate. Class begins Friday, November 5. Thanks to our grant
> sponsors--the Corporation for National and Community Service and the
> United Technologies Corporation--the $45 registration fee paid upon
> enrollment will be reimbursed after successful completion of the course.
> During this registration period, seats are being offered to ARRL members
> on a first-come, first-served basis. To learn more, visit the ARRL
> Certification and Continuing Education Web page <http://www.arrl.org/cce>.
> For more information, contact Emergency Communications Course Manager Dan
> Miller, K3UFG, dmiller at arrl.org; 860-594-0340.
>
> * Amateurs support hospital communications during telecommunications
> outage: When construction equipment accidentally severed two
> telecommunications trunk lines serving Tustin Hospital and Medical Center
> (THMC) in California on October 6, the hospital knew just whom to call.
> Members of the Orange County Hospital Disaster Support Communication
> System (HDSCS) responded promptly to fill in, as the 177-bed facility
> suddenly found itself without telephone, e-mail, fax, fire alarms or
> paging service. The initial seven HDSCS responders eventually grew to two
> dozen over the course of the 16-hour outage that began in the late
> afternoon and continued until the following morning. April Moell, WA6OPS,
> and two other fixed-stations handled incoming and outgoing telephone calls
> on behalf of THMC. Message traffic began to flow as soon as HDSCS
> operators got to their assigned stations, and hospital staffers
> re-established links with patients' physicians on the outside. "Although
> we have participated in numerous drills at THMC in the past, some newer
> employees were unfamiliar with Amateur Radio's capability," said Moell,
> who founded the 80-member ARES group in 1980. "They seemed amazed that
> HDSCS support has been completely free of cost to them. It's a true
> community service." HDSCS has agreements to provide backup communication
> to 34 acute-care medical facilities in Orange County. This month's
> activation marked the 85th in HDSCS' history for a hospital communication
> failure and the fifth emergency activation this year.
>
> * Radio amateurs aid in tornado response: After severe weather rumbled
> through the Missouri Bootheel October 18, radio amateurs from three states
> rushed to help however they could. More than 60 possible tornadoes were
> reported to the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Memphis,
> Tennessee. Pemiscot County Emergency Coordinator Loyd Avis, KC0MWU,
> reports three people died near the small community of Cooter, when a
> tornado destroyed their homes. Dunklin County also suffered storm damage,
> while hail and high winds were reported elsewhere. A tornado touched down
> in extreme southeastern Missouri then jumped the Mississippi River into
> Dyer County, Tennessee, causing considerable damage there. Throughout the
> storm period, Missouri District E Emergency Coordinator Larry Anthony,
> WB0VAM, supplied information on hail, damage to homes and power outages to
> public service operators in the Missouri Bootheel and in northeastern
> Arkansas as well as to local broadcasters.
>
> * Oldest US ham, ARRL Member Bill Diaper, KJ6KQ, SK: William F. "Bill"
> Diaper, KJ6KQ, of Union City, California, died October 10. He was 104 and
> apparently the oldest radio amateur in the US--if not the world--as well
> as the oldest member of the ARRL. A native of Great Britain, Diaper had
> been living in a long-term care facility and occasionally was able to get
> on the air from a ham shack in the facility's basement. ARRL Pacific
> Division officials had invited Diaper to attend Pacificon--the Pacific
> Division convention--this past weekend. "The response was 'ill and unable
> to travel,'" said Pacific Division Vice Director Andy Oppel, N6AJO. "We
> had planned to offer a toast in his honor at the convention banquet."
> Instead, Oppel said, he asked those attending the ARRL Forum to remember
> and honor all of the seniors in Amateur Radio. An acquaintance, Thomas
> "Fergy" Ferguson, N6SSQ, said Diaper had been a radio amateur for a
> relatively short time, first becoming licensed when he was around 75 years
> old and upgrading to Advanced when he was in his early 90s. Robert
> Galbasin, W0MHN, of Lakewood, Colorado, apparently succeeds Diaper as the
> oldest ham in the US. He will turn 104 on December 27.
>
> ===========================================================
> 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.
>
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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
> membership data," check or uncheck the appropriate boxes and/or change
> your e-mail address if necessary. (Check "Temporarily disable all
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> Then, click on "Submit modification" to make selections effective. (NOTE:
> HQ staff members cannot change your e-mail delivery address. You must do
> 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 at QTH.Net
> <http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/letter-list>. (NOTE: The ARRL
> cannot assist subscribers who receive The ARRL Letter via this
> listserver.)
>
>