[South Florida DX Association] The ARRL Letter, Vol 24, No 05 - ARRL to be well represented at Miami Tropical Hamboree:

Bill Marx bmarx at bellsouth.net
Thu Feb 3 22:32:48 EST 2005


 ***************
> The ARRL Letter
> Vol. 24, No. 05
> February 4, 2005
> ***************
>
> IN THIS EDITION:
>
> * +ARRL's Community Education Project under way
> * +Some new rules in place for Field Day 2005
> * +Long wait pays off in space QSO for New Mexico school
> * +Analog Electronics course is latest ARRL on-line offering
> * +Pennsylvania town decides against BPL project
> * +President recognizes Ohio amateur's volunteer service
> * +ARRL extends best wishes to Emma Berg, W0JUV, at age 100
> *  Solar Update
> *  IN BRIEF:
>      This weekend on the radio
>      Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course registration
>      The ARRL Letter and HTML
>      ARRL to be well represented at Miami Tropical Hamboree
>      Echo (AO-51) satellite Kid's Day reset for Saturday, February 5
>     +QSL output down in 2004
>
> +Available on ARRL Audio News
>
> ===========================================================
> NOTE: To accommodate vacation schedules, this week's editions of The ARRL
> Letter and ARRL Audio News are being published one day earlier than
normal.
> ===========================================================
>
> ==>COMMUNITY EDUCATION PROJECT HOLDS INAUGURAL SESSION
>
> Even a blizzard didn't stop several hearty Mainers from attending the
first
> meeting of the ARRL Community Education Program (CEP). The Saturday,
January
> 26, session was held in the southern Maine city of Saco. Coordinated by
Bill
> Barrett, W1WJB, the CEP is funded by the Corporation for National and
> Community Service (CNCS) to explore the best ways Amateur Radio can work
> with local emergency managers and with Citizen Corps councils. The CEP has
> targeted a dozen communities from Maine to Oregon to learn about the value
> of Amateur Radio to community safety and security between now and August.
>
> "Even though a blizzard was well under way in Saco--only 'essential
> government employees' were to report to work that day--emergency
management
> officials from a number of area agencies trekked to the town hall
> auditorium," Barrett recounted. "A sizeable group of 11 radio amateurs
also
> slogged through the snowstorm, while 20 others were standing by on the
air."
>
> Barrett said those participating from home served as the "other end" for
the
> program's demonstrations and assisted in clarifying various points of his
> program.
>
> Created by Barrett to be much more "conversation" than "presentation," the
> lively exchange of questions and answers gave the Maine emergency
officials
> a much better idea of what Amateur Radio is and what sorts of applications
> it can be put to. It also helped acquaint the emergency officials with the
> community of local radio amateurs.
>
> Indeed, Barrett kept the program's spotlight focused on the true stars of
> the show--the local hams, who also fielded the vast majority of questions.
>
> In addition to repeater basics and an explanation of the very large
> territory covered by linked repeater systems, demonstrations included
> digital text communications and APRS (Automatic Position Reporting
System).
>
> Each served-agency attendee got specially a created booklet aimed at the
> non-ham, non-technical audience as well as a companion resource CD--both
> produced by ARRL through the CNCS grant. The materials are intended to be
> shared with other personnel at the served agencies, spreading the word on
> ham radio even wider.
>
> Before and after surveys helped to gauge attendees' reactions and, more
> important, how the ham radio presentations may have altered their
thinking.
> One objective of the CEP is to facilitate the networking of hams and
> municipal leaders to foster greater understanding and new relationships.
>
> The ARRL last fall received new CNCS funding of nearly $90,000 to execute
> the pilot program to enlighten localities about the value of Amateur Radio
> to community safety and security. For his visits, Barrett enlists local
> Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) teams, the ARRL Field Organization
> and ARRL-affiliated ham radio clubs to demonstrate Amateur Radio's
expertise
> as a source of trained volunteer communicators--equipped and ready to
serve.
>
> ==>SOME NEW WRINKLES IN 2005 FIELD DAY RULES
>
> Those planning to participate in this year's Field Day will need to bone
up
> in advance on a few changes in the rules for the ever-popular operating
> event. Field Day this year takes place June 25-26. The 2261 Field Day
> entries for 2004 were the most ever. While similar in format to a contest,
> Field Day is primarily a means to exercise and demonstrate Amateur Radio's
> emergency operating capabilities while having fun at the same time. ARRL
> Contest Branch Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, says that among other things
> rule changes for 2005 expand eligibility for bonus points.
>
> "All groups will be eligible for some kind of bonus points," Henderson
said.
> "Make sure you carefully read Field Day Rule 7.3." That rule spells out
how
> to qualify for such bonus points as 100 percent emergency power, media
> publicity, message handling, making satellite contacts, using an
alternative
> power source and copying the W1AW bulletin, among other things. Many bonus
> point categories are available to all entry classes.
>
> Henderson notes that some large clubs often compete among themselves to
see
> who can claim the highest number of transmitters. Under the revised rules,
> all transmitters must be on the air with an operator to count toward a
> club's entry class. "You have to actually have individual people and
> sufficient equipment capable of operating simultaneously," Henderson
> emphasized, referencing Rule 4. "The key word there is 'simultaneously.'"
>
> The Field Day exchange consists of the number of transmitters on the air
> followed by the participation category (A through F). Operators would send
> "3A," for example, for a club or non-club portable setup with three
> transmitters on the air at the same time. Rule 4 also specifically
prohibits
> switching and simulcasting devices.
>
> The 2005 Field Day rules also modify the number of transmitters eligible
for
> bonus points that a group can claim for its operating class. "You can only
> claim the emergency power bonus points for up to 20 transmitters,"
Henderson
> explains. "That's a maximum of 2000 emergency power bonus points." There
no
> limit on the number of transmitters eligible participants may have on the
> air, however. Field Day rules already generally prohibit the use of more
> than one transmitter at the same time on a single band-mode.
>
> In addition, Field Day 2005 will introduce a new "Youth Element" bonus
> category (Rule 7.3.15). Clubs or groups operating in Class A, C, D, E or F
> now can claim 20 bonus points--up to a maximum of 100--for each person
aged
> 18 or younger, who completes a valid Field Day contact. Single-operator
> Class B stations can earn a 20-point bonus if the operator is age 18 or
> younger. Two-person Class B setups can claim a 20-point bonus for each
> operator age 18 or younger, for a maximum of 40 points. The maximum number
> of participants for Class B entries remains at two.
>
> Another rule change clarifies that Get On The Air (GOTA)
> stations--instituted a few years ago to encourage new or comparatively
> inexperienced operators to gain operating practice--use the same exchange
as
> the "parent" station. The maximum transmitter output power for GOTA
stations
> is 150 W, and GOTA stations may only operate on the Field Day HF bands.
>
> Free transmitters do not count toward a group's total, and GOTA stations
and
> free VHF stations for Class A entries do not qualify for bonus point
> credits.
>
> Henderson encourages Field Day participants to submit their Field Day
> summaries electronically using the Web applet form
> <http://www.b4h.net/cabforms>. "You may input your summary information at
> that site for a 50-point bonus," Henderson points out.
>
> The Maritime Radio Historical Society's K6KPH, comprised of former
operators
> of the KPH commercial shore station, now an historic site, again will
> augment W1AW Field Day CW and RTTY bulletin transmissions for West Coast
> participants.
>
> The complete 2005 Field Day packet now is available on the ARRL Web site
> <http://www.arrl.org/contests/forms/05-fd-packet.pdf>.
>
> ==>NEW MEXICO YOUNGSTERS FINALLY GET CHANCE TO TALK TO ISS
>
> A dozen pupils who attend Piñon Elementary School in Los Alamos, New
Mexico,
> are all smiles this week after getting the chance to speak via Amateur
Radio
> with International Space Station Commander Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW. The
January
> 27 contact was arranged by the Amateur Radio on the International Space
> Station (ARISS) program. Los Alamos Amateur Radio Club Communications
> Officer Bill Boedecker, NM5BB, handled Earth station duties for the direct
> VHF contact with NA1SS. Piñon's application had been in the queue for an
> ARISS school contact for more than four years.
>
> "Luckily we had a good nine-minute window, and all the students were able
to
> ask at least one question," he commented. Before the contact actually got
> under way, Boedecker spent some time with the school's sixth graders
> describing how the ham radio gear on the ground works to communicate with
> the ISS. The kids also did some practice runs. In all, the 12 youngsters
> asked 14 questions, and Chiao responded to some of them at length.
>
> On hand for the event were some 60 fellow students, who observed along
with
> a few parents and teachers. Principal James Telles called the ARISS
contact
> "an incredible experience" for his students, one they'd remember it for
the
> rest of their lives.
>
> Among other topics, the youngsters' questioned Chiao about how the ISS is
> powered. He explained that solar power was the only type of power aboard
the
> ISS. Another wanted to know about how Chiao and his crewmate, Russian
> cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov, keep physically fit. The ISS Commander
> explained that the crew needs to exercise for at least two hours daily,
> using a variety of exercise equipment especially designed for the
> zero-gravity environment.
>
> Youngsters also wanted to know what kinds of experiments the crew was
> conducting, and if the ISS residents were able to view space phenomena
such
> as meteors heading into Earth's atmosphere. Chiao said the crew actually
> looks down, not up, to see meteors from the ISS.
>
> Boedecker, an ARRL Life Member and a retiree of the Los Alamos National
> Laboratory, had help from Los Alamos ARC members Dave Haworth, N9KYP, and
> Anne Browning, KD5NLN. Boedeker said all the gear worked flawlessly,
despite
> bad weather at the time.
>
> A local newspaper sent a reporter and photographer to cover the event, and
> University of California TV recorded the contact for future use in a
program
> to air in several weeks as part of the Behind the White Coat series,
> produced at Los Alamos National Labs and distributed by UCTV.
>
> ARISS <http://www.rac.ca/ariss/> is an international outreach, with US
> participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA.--some information provided by Gene
> Chapline, K5YFL
>
> ==>ARRL TO INTRODUCE ON-LINE ANALOG ELECTRONICS COURSE
>
> The ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Program (C-CE) will
> introduce a new on-line course, Analog Electronics, EC-012, this month.
> Registration for the first session will remain open through Sunday,
February
> 13, and the class will begin Friday, February 25.
>
> In 16 learning units students will learn about the use of instrumentation,
> Kirchoff's Laws--two laws necessary for solving circuit problems, diodes,
> rectifier circuits, bipolar and field effect transistors, various
amplifier
> configurations, filters, timers, op amps and voltage regulators. Most
> lessons include a design problem and optional construction project. The
> course run 12 weeks and earns 2 Continuing Education Units (CEUs).
>
> This course is designed for those who feel at home with basic electrical
and
> electronic components. Prospective students should be able to read simple
> schematics; know Ohm's Law and the relationship between power, voltage,
> current, and resistance; own and be able to use basic test equipment and
be
> competent in simple algebra.
>
> Those who feel they need a refresher course might consider browsing the
> first few sections of Chapter 6, AC Theory and Reactive Components, in The
> ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications or pick up a copy of Understanding
> Basic Electronics, by Larry Wolfgang, WR1B.
>
> EC-012 tuition is $65 for ARRL members and $95 for nonmembers. Additional
> details are in the course introduction
> <http://www.arrl.org/cce/intro-012.html>. Information on all ARRL C-CE
> courses is on the ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/cce>.
>
> ==>PENNSYLVANIA TOWN DROPS BPL PLANS
>
> The Borough of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, has decided against plans to
> offer broadband Internet service via broadband over power line (BPL)
> technology, according to a January 18 report in Public Opinion. The
> Cumberland Valley Amateur Radio Club (CVARC) spearheaded ham radio
> opposition to the plan in the eastern Pennsylvania community of some
17,000
> residents through an informational campaign.
>
> "We were lucky, but only because many members of the local amateur
community
> put time in to fight BPL right up front, before the municipality had
thrown
> so much money at it that it had a stake in it succeeding," CVARC President
> David Yoder, KB3HUC, told ARRL. "I can't emphasize that enough--putting
> people in front of the decision-makers, working with the press and so
forth
> paid off because we jumped in as soon as we heard BPL was being
considered."
>
>
> The Public Opinion article by Cathy Mentzer, quoted Chambersburg officials
> as saying there wasn't enough money in the municipality's Electric
> Department budget to go forward with a BPL deployment this year. Borough
> officials also cited state legislation effective last year that encourages
> telecommunication companies to provide broadband to consumers.
>
> While the BPL initiative is off the borough's 2005 projects agenda, Public
> Opinion quoted Borough Council President Bill McLaughlin as saying, "As
far
> as I'm concerned, it's dead."
>
> Public Opinion also noted that CVARC members were pleased by the outcome.
> "That is good news," the article quoted Yoder as saying. "All Amateur
Radio
> operators in the area are relieved to learn that apparently our concerns
> were taken into account, along with the recent legislation." Among other
> things, CVARC members had told the Borough Council last year that BPL
would
> interfere with Amateur Radio and its ability to provide emergency
> communication.
>
> Chambersburg officials had been looking into leasing the borough's power
> lines to an Internet service provider as a way to generate revenue, and a
> consultant had recommended Chambersburg look into BPL. There's more
> information on CVARC's actions in the BPL matter on the ARRL Web site
> <http://www.arrl.org/~ehare/bpl/CVARC_plan.html>.
>
> ==>OHIO AMATEUR RECEIVES PRESIDENT'S VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD
>
> President George W. Bush has presented the President's Volunteer Service
> Award to Thomas J. "T. J." Powell, N8UIR, of Northfield, Ohio. Powell, 38,
> is an active volunteer with the Northeast Ohio Medical Reserve Corps
> (NEOMRC), a partner program of Citizen Corps
<http://www.citizencorps.gov/>.
>
>
> The president has called on all Americans to volunteer two years or 4000
> hours over the course of their lifetimes, and he created USA Freedom Corps
> <http://www.usafreedomcorps.gov/> to help foster a culture of service,
> citizenship, and responsibility.
>
> NEOMRC provides medical support services for public events and emergency
> situations. As chief of NEOMRC and a certified emergency medical
technician,
> Powell volunteers 800 to 1000 hours per year, helping with logistics,
> planning, Amateur Radio operations and first-aid for charitable
fundraising
> events throughout Northeast Ohio. In addition, he assists local fire
> departments and emergency medical service agencies during incidents that
> impact public health.
>
> President Bush made the presentation during a January 27 visit to
Cleveland.
> Powell, also a former American Red Cross volunteer and volunteer
> firefighter, greeted the President at Cleveland's Hopkins Airport.
>
> For more information on the Northeast Ohio Medical Reserve Corps, visit
the
> NEOMRC Web site <http://www.neomrc.org/index.php>.--contributed by Joe
> Phillips, K8QOE
>
> ==>EMMA BERG, W0JUV/AAR7AX, STILL ON THE AIR AT 100
>
> At age 100, ARRL member Emma Berg, W0JUV/AAR7AX, of Lawrence, Kansas,
> remains active daily in the Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS). Berg
> achieved centenarian status on Sunday, January 16. The occasion elicited
> greetings this week from ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, who extended
best
> wishes to Emma Berg and congratulated her on more than four decades as a
> member of both Army MARS and the ARRL.
>
> "You should be proud of your continuing service to the Military Affiliate
> Radio System, which informs us that you have been a member for more than
40
> years and remain active on a daily basis," Haynie wrote. "We also were
happy
> to hear that you still write articles for Sunflower Seeds, the Kansas MARS
> quarterly newsletter. Keep up the good work!"
>
> On the Friday, January 14, MARS net session she always checks into--the
last
> before the weekend of her birthday--fellow operators likewise extended
> birthday wishes. Berg also received a beautiful bouquet from Western Area
> MARS coordinator James Banks, KK7RV/AAA9W, and from Membership
Administrator
> Martha Smith at Ft Huachuca, Army MARS headquarters in Arizona.
>
> A retired teacher, Emma Berg lives by herself in a Lawrence condominium.
She
> and her late husband George, who was a professor at Haskell Indian Nations
> University and also a radio amateur, had to give up HF operation when they
> moved from their farm to deed-restricted quarters in town. Fortunately,
the
> retirement home was within range of a VHF net. The Bergs had been active
in
> MARS--in Emma's case since 1961.
>
> "She is very spry for her age," said Kansas State MARS Director John
> Halladay, AAA7KS. "Always busy--a person we could be proud to emulate in
our
> own aging." Over the years Berg has served as net control operator on
Kansas
> CW nets and was a first lieutenant in the Civil Air Patrol.
>
> Berg, who edited the Sunflower Seeds newsletter in her younger years--when
> she was in her 90s--now pens the publication's "Fun & Relaxation"
articles.
> Her column is described as "a genial collection of aphorisms and
> witticisms."
>
> The philosophy she expressed in the lead item of her New Year's Day 2005
> column may sum up her view of retirement, if not of human existence in
> general.
>
> "Bread may be the staff of life," she wrote, "but this is no reason
anyone's
> life should be a continual loaf."
>
> Emma Berg certainly has no plans for loafing. She recently renewed her
> Amateur Radio license for another 10 years.--contributed by Bill Sexton,
> N1IN
>
> ==>SOLAR UPDATE
>
> Heliophile Tad "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)" Cook, K7RA, Seattle,
> Washington, reports: Average daily sunspot numbers were down by nearly 17
> points over the Thursday through Wednesday reporting week. Over the same
> days the average daily solar flux also was down by nearly 17 points. The
> daily geomagnetic indices showed much greater stability, with all of the K
> and A indices down when compared with the previous seven days.
>
> Look for quiet geomagnetic conditions over the next few days, with the
> Friday through Sunday, February 4-6, planetary A index around 8, 5 and 5.
> The A index is expected to rise again after this weekend probably due to
the
> return of sunspot 720, which caused so much recent activity. It returns
into
> view on its 27.5 day rotation, and the planetary A index prediction for
> February 7-9 is 15, 25 and 15.
>
> Sunspot numbers and solar flux should also rise, with solar flux values
> rising above 100 after February 5, staying relatively high (for this point
> in the declining sunspot cycle) at 130 or above around February 7 and
> continuing for about a week.
>
> Sunspot numbers for January 27 through February 2 were 43, 43, 30, 38, 49,
> 27 and 28, with a mean of 36.9. The 10.7 cm flux was 86.9, 84.9, 86.4,
85.5,
> 86.2, 83.7 and 81.8, with a mean of 85.1. Estimated planetary A indices
were
> 3, 6, 20, 16, 19, 6 and 8, with a mean of 11.1. Estimated mid-latitude A
> indices were 2, 5, 16, 10, 15, 4 and 7, with a mean of 8.4.
>
> __________________________________
>
> ==>IN BRIEF:
>
> * This weekend on the radio: The North American Sprint (SSB), the Vermont,
> Delaware and Minnesota QSO parties, the 10-10 International Winter Contest
> (SSB), the YL-ISSB QSO Party, the YLRL YL-OM Contest (CW), the AGCW
Straight
> Key Party, the Mexico RTTY International Contest and the ARCI Winter
> Fireside SSB Sprint are the weekend of February 5-6. The RSGB 80-Meter
Club
> Championship (SSB) is February 7, and the ARS Spartan Sprint is February
8.
> JUST AHEAD: The North American Sprint (CW), the KCJ Topband Contest, the
CQ
> WW RTTY WPX Contest, SARL Kid's Day, SARL Field Day Contest, the
> Asia-Pacific Spring Sprint (CW), the Dutch PACC Contest, the YLRL YL-OM
> Contest (SSB), the Louisiana QSO Party, the OMISS QSO Party, the FISTS
> Winter Sprint, the British Columbia QSO Challenge and the RSGB First 1.8
MHz
> Contest (CW) are the weekend of February 12-13. The ARRL School Club
Roundup
> is February 14-19. The AGCW Semi-Automatic Key Evening and the RSGB
80-Meter
> Club Championship (Data) are February 16. 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.
>
> * Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course registration: Registration
> for the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level I on-line course
> (EC-001) opens Monday, February 7, 2005, at 1201 AM EST, and will remain
> open until all available seats have been filled or through the February
> 12-13 weekend. Class begins Friday, February 25. Radio amateurs 55 and up
> are strongly encouraged to participate. THIS IS THE FINAL YEAR OF
> GRANT-SUBSIDIZED COURSES! 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, cce at arrl.org;
860-594-0340.
>
> * The ARRL Letter and HTML: A common question regarding The ARRL Letter
is,
> "Why don't you put it out as an HTML document that includes hyperlinks
from
> the table of contents directly to story headlines?" The primary reason is
> the "KISS" principle. The ARRL Letter arrives at subscribers as a plain
> ASCII text e-mail document because this method reduces production and
> editing overhead, offers a common-denominator format that all subscribers
> should be able to read without problem and minimizes the load on the
e-mail
> server as the Letter goes out to its approximately 66,000 subscribers,
thus
> speeding delivery. There is a workaround, however, albeit not as elegant
as
> a hyperlink. Undoubtedly, regular readers have seen the "==>" that
precedes
> each headline and wondered why it was there. Not only is it a visual cue,
> this set of characters (two "equals" symbols plus a "greater than" symbol)
> also provides a unique search target, so subscribers can step through
major
> story headlines in each edition. Try it! Such a search also takes readers
to
> important information in the masthead, which appears at the end of each
> edition, such as the e-mail address to report delivery problems,
> letter-dlvy at arrl.org. For "In Brief" items, search for an asterisk plus a
> space [* ]. For those who just prefer to scroll through each edition,
major
> story headlines are in ALL CAPS to make them easier to spot.
>
> * ARRL to be well represented at Miami Tropical Hamboree: Representatives
of
> the ARRL and the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) will be on hand
> February 5-6 for the 45th Tropical Hamboree at the Fair Expo Center, 10905
> SW 24 Street (Coral Way) in Miami, Florida. Gates open both days at 9 AM,
> and parking is free. In addition to the vendors, flea market offerings and
> various presentations, ARRL Lab Director Ed Hare, W1RFI, will update
> attendees on broadband over power line (BPL) and radio frequency
> interference issues. IARU President Larry Price, W4RA, and ARRL
> International Affairs Vice President Rod Stafford, W6ROD, will offer an
IARU
> Report. The ARRL Forum gets under way at Sunday at 11 AM, led by ARRL
> Southeastern Division Director Frank Butler, W4RH, Vice Director, Sandy
> Donahue, W4RU, and Southern Florida Section Manager Sherri Brower, W4STB.
> ARRL Emergency Communications Course Coordinator Dan Miller, K3UFG, will
> attend the 10th annual Amateur Radio Hurricane Conference, held at the
> National Hurricane Center in association with the Hamboree. He'll talk on
> Amateur Radio participation in the Florida hurricanes and tsunami. ARRL
> Sales and Marketing Manager Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV, also will visit
> Hamboree. The South Florida DX Association hosts the DX Forum February 5,
> where ARRL Membership Services Manager Wayne Mills, N7NG, will give a
brief
> presentation on DXCC and Logbook of the World. He'll also be available
> during the Hamboree to check cards. Additional speakers include QST "How's
> DX?" Editor Bernie McClenny, W3UR, who also edits The Daily DX. The DX
> Dinner will take place Saturday evening. More information is available on
> the South Florida DX Association Web site <http://www.qsl.net/k4fk> or
stop
> by the SFDXA booth. The Miami Tropical Hamboree is sponsored by the Dade
> Radio Club of Miami. Complete details are on the Hamboree Web site
> <http://www.hamboree.org>.
>
> * Echo (AO-51) satellite Kid's Day reset for Saturday, February 5: AMSAT
has
> announced that it has rescheduled its Echo satellite (AO-51) Kid's Day
> activity for Saturday, February 5 (US time zones). The activity will begin
> Saturday, February 5, at approximately 1415 UTC and continue until Sunday,
> February 6, at 0300 UTC. "We ask that all Amateur Radio stations give this
> short time window to promote satellite operations with kids," said Mike
> Kingery, KE4AZN, of the AO-51 control team. He says regular satellite
> operators can help by demonstrating to youngsters how to make contacts via
> AO-51, by providing a station to contact or by refraining from using Echo
so
> other stations can make contacts with the kids. "During the event, please
> limit contacts to stations that are operating with kids at the
microphone,"
> he requests. "This should allow the kids to have a nice QSO and pass some
> information." For the exchange, youngsters can give their name, age and
> location and tell who's helping them operate on Echo. AO-51 will be
> configured with a different uplink frequency for the Kid's Day
> event--145.880 MHz FM voice with a 67-Hz CTCSS tone. The downlink is
435.300
> MHz FM voice. Kingery believes the AMSAT Kid's Day activity on Echo not
only
> offers AMSAT an educational opportunity but might inspire youngsters to
> become the Amateur Radio satellite operators of the future.--AMSAT News
> Service
>
> * QSL output down in 2004: The ARRL Outgoing QSL Service shipped 1,100,535
> cards to overseas QSL bureaus, reports QSL Service Manager Martin Cook,
> N1FOC. That's down by nearly 258,000 over the total logged during 2003,
when
> the QSL Service had a staff of two and handled 1,358,474 cards. "Currently
> processing time is seven days from receipt," Cook says. He attributes the
> downturn to a greater backlog of cards, less-favorable propagation
> conditions and greater use of Logbook of the World (LoTW) to confirm
> contacts for awards.
>
> ===========================================================
> 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
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>
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>
> ==>How to Get The ARRL Letter
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>
> The ARRL Letter also is available to all, free of charge, from these
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>
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