[South Florida DX Association] The ARRL Letter, Vol 24, No 27

[Bill Marx]

 ***************
> The ARRL Letter
> Vol. 24, No. 27
> July 15, 2005
> ***************
>
> IN THIS EDITION:
>
> * +ARRL bolsters BPL reconsideration petition with new filing
> * +Article by Spectrum Bill sponsor promotes ham radio
> * +Desire to explore inspired career, astronaut tells students
> * +Ham radio volunteers deal with Dennis; Emily in the wings
> * +Vanity call sign fee to rise slightly
> * +FCC revises Form 605
> *  Solar Update
> *  IN BRIEF:
>      This weekend on the radio
>      ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
>      Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course registration
>      ARRL to sponsor emergency communications seminar at Huntsville
>     +Logbook of the World reaches milestone
>      Trinity Site special event to commemorate A-bomb anniversary
>      Joseph R. Littlepage, WE5Y, wins June QST Cover Plaque Award
>
> +Available on ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/>
>
> ===========================================================
> ==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!):
> letter-dlvy at arrl.org
> ==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, n1rl at arrl.org
> ===========================================================
>
> ==>ARRL CITES "ADDITIONAL AUTHORITIES" TO BUTTRESS BPL RECONSIDERATION
> PETITION
>
> The ARRL has cited the conclusions of a UK study and of the FCC itself to
> further support its call for the Commission to "reconsider, rescind and
> re-study" the broadband over power line (BPL) rules it adopted last
October.
> In its Petition for Reconsideration last February in the BPL proceeding,
ET
> Docket 04-37, the League argued that in permitting unlicensed Part 15
> devices such as BPL, the Commission's main obligation is to establish a
> radiated emission level low enough so that the devices "will predictably
not
> interfere" with licensed services.
>
> "Unless this conclusion can be fairly reached, the Commission has no
> statutory authority to permit the facilities to operate on an unlicensed
> basis," the League maintains in a Citation of Additional Authority
> (Citation) filed July 8. Furthermore, the League says, the FCC itself
> affirmed the ARRL's argument in another proceeding.
>
> The League cited a Commission conclusion in last December's Second Report
> and Order and Second Memorandum Opinion and Order in the Ultra-Wideband
> (UWB) proceeding, ET Docket 98-153. The FCC held in its UWB Order that a
> reasonable reading of Section 301 of the Communications Act would limit
> licensing to "any apparatus which transmits enough energy to have a
> significant potential for causing harmful interference." The FCC, the
League
> asserts in its Citation, cannot authorize BPL--although it's an
> unintentional radiator--due to "acknowledged (and field-proven)
substantial
> interference potential to licensed services." The solution, the ARRL said,
> is to establish radiated emission limits at a level that would make the
> chances of interference negligible.
>
> Accompanying the Citation are studies of BPL systems in Scotland conducted
> by Ofcom, the UK's telecommunications regulator. Ofcom says concern over
> signal leakage is one reason for BPL's small UK market share compared with
> DSL and cable. "Although efficient for their primary purpose, electricity
> supply cables are not designed, screened or balanced for high frequency
use,
> and in this application they produce significant leakage emissions," the
> Ofcom study said, adding that the emissions potentially can interfere with
> radio communication services "including short wave broadcasts."
>
> In its Citation, the ARRL again argues that the FCC "incorrectly rejected"
> the League's recommendation for a 20 dB extrapolation factor in measuring
> BPL signal decay on HF based on distance from the signal's source.
Instead,
> the FCC opted to apply the existing--and less stringent--40 dB/decade
factor
> in Part 15.
>
> "The existing Part 15 standard is clearly inapplicable and underestimates
> the BPL field strength by up to 11.5 dB," the ARRL said, pointing to the
> Ofcom studies to support its assertion. The League called the FCC's
adopted
> 40 dB/decade factor "inappropriate." The ARRL also said the Ofcom studies
> clearly show that notching is ineffective to mitigate interference and
that
> certain BPL systems cannot even meet the FCC's "overly liberal" Part 15
> field strength.
>
> The League further noted that the FCC already applies a 20 dB/decade
> standard to measure signal decay of Part 18 Industrial, Scientific and
> Medical devices that can operate below 30 MHz.
>
> In last October's BPL Order, the League pointed out, the FCC stated that
if
> new information became available auguring in favor of alternative emission
> limit/distance standards or extrapolation factors, it would revisit the
> issue.
>
> "There is no time like the present," the ARRL urged.
>
> A copy of the ARRL's Citation is on the League's Web site
>
<http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/filings/BPL-Reconsideration-Citation-
> of-Additional-Authority.pdf>.
>
> ==>SPECTRUM PROTECTION BILL SPONSOR'S ARTICLE PROMOTES AMATEUR RADIO'S
VALUE
>
> Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 2005 sponsor Sen Michael Crapo
> (R-ID) this week promoted the value of Amateur Radio and his bill's
efforts
> to preserve ham radio spectrum in a July 13 article in The Hill--a
magazine
> for and about Congress. Crapo introduced the US Senate version of the
> Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 2005, S 1236, in June with
> bipartisan support in the 109th Congress. It's identical to the House
> version, HR 691, introduced earlier in the session by Rep Michael
Bilirakis
> of Florida. In his article, "Amateur Radio: a voice in the storm," Crapo
> says that in an era of increasing demand for spectrum, Amateur Radio's
> allocations must be preserved.
>
> "Today, Amateur Radio still serves a vital purpose, especially in our
> post-Sept. 11 world," he wrote. "Acting as volunteers, Amateur Radio
> operators provide assistance in numerous disaster-relief efforts, from the
> terror attacks in New York and Washington to floods in Texas, hurricanes
in
> Florida, earthquakes in Seattle and California and fires in the West and
in
> my home state of Idaho."
>
> Crapo points out that since 1982, Amateur Radio has lost 107
megahertz--"the
> equivalent of 18 television channels"--and another 145 megahertz "is in
> danger of being reallocated." Calling Amateur Radio "one of the pioneers
of
> modern communications," he notes that even today's communication systems,
> such as cellular telephones, can fail or may be primary targets, while ham
> radio operators have a demonstrated history of being able to provide vital
> communication under adverse circumstances.
>
> "The Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act will ensure the success of this
> vital link in our security communications infrastructure while continuing
to
> encourage the innovation and creativity that is the hallmark of this
field,"
> Crapo asserts. The Senate and House legislation would require the FCC to
> provide "equivalent replacement spectrum" to the Amateur Radio and
> Amateur-Satellite services in the event of reallocation to other services
of
> primary amateur spectrum or the diminution of secondary amateur spectrum.
> The bill also would cover additional allocations within Amateur Radio
bands
> that "would substantially reduce" their utility to Amateur Service
> licensees.
>
> "It maintains spectrum allocation flexibility by only requiring that the
> basic amount of spectrum allocated to Amateur Radio operators be
> maintained," Crapo explained. "Together with my colleagues Sens Daniel
Akaka
> (D-HI), Kit Bond (R-MO), Max Baucus (D-MT) and Conrad Burns (R-MT), I look
> forward to working toward this bipartisan solution to the problem of lost
> spectrum for Amateur Radio operators."
>
> S 1236 has been referred to the US Senate Commerce, Science and
> Transportation Committee of which Burns is a member. HR 691 has been
> referred to the US House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
>
> "Amateur Radio: a voice in the storm" appears on The Hill Web site
>
<http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/071305/ss_crap
> o.html>. The Hill circulates to all members of Congress and their staff
> members as well as to much of "official Washington."
>
> Efforts continue in both chambers of Congress to attract additional
> cosponsors for S 1236 and HR 691. The League encourages its members to
urge
> their congressional representatives and senators to sign aboard. More than
> 100 lawmakers in both houses agreed to cosponsor similar legislation in
the
> 108th Congress. A sample letter
> <http://www.arrl.org/govrelations/hr-691-sample-letter.html> for HR 691
and
> a sample letter <http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/s-1236/> for S
> 1236--are available on the ARRL Web site. Members may want to use these as
> guides in writing their members of Congress to seek their support.
>
> To expedite delivery, send all correspondence bound for Members of
> Congress--preferably as an attachment--to specbill at arrl.org or fax it to
> 703-684-7594. The ARRL will bundle correspondence addressed to each Member
> of Congress for hand delivery.
>
> ==>AN EXPLORER AT HEART, ASTRONAUT TELLS JAPANESE STUDENTS
>
> US Astronaut John Phillips, KE5DRY, took a short break from celebrating
> Independence Day July 4 to speak with youngsters at Yokohama Elementary
> School in Kochi, Japan. The contact between NA1SS on the space station and
> 8N5ARISS at the school was arranged by the Amateur Radio on the
> International Space Station (ARISS) program. Phillips said he decided to
> become an astronaut because he felt inspired to explore.
>
> "I became an astronaut because I wanted to take part in one of the great
> programs of exploration," Phillips told the youngsters. "If I had lived
200
> years ago I probably would have wanted to be a polar explorer."
>
> Phillips told the Yokohama Elementary pupils that he and crewmate (and
> Expedition 11 Commander) Sergei Krikalev, U5MIR, get an early start each
> work day, arising at 6 AM for breakfast and not quitting for the day until
> around 8 PM. They hit the sack around 11 PM (the ISS maintains UTC as its
> standard time). A typical work day, he said, revolves around scientific
> experiments, routine station repair and maintenance, and work in support
of
> other space vehicles, such as the space shuttle. NASA had to postpone the
> planned launch of the shuttle Discovery due to problems with fuel sensors.
>
> Phillips said the view of the heavens from the ISS is very similar to what
> one sees from Earth on a clear night from a mountaintop, except that the
> station crew can see both Southern and Northern Hemisphere stars and the
> planets and stars twinkle against a black background even during the day.
"I
> looked at Saturn's rings about two weeks ago when Saturn was aligned with
> Mercury and Venus," Phillips reported. "I used binoculars, and I could
just
> barely see the rings."
>
> As other astronauts before him have said, Phillips described the view of
> Earth from the ISS as "very beautiful" and exhibits the same colors one
sees
> on the ground. "The oceans are blue, the snow is white, the forests are
> green, the deserts are tan and the cities are gray," he said. "And at
night
> you can see lightning and city lights."
>
> The control operator for the contact was Ikuko Omura, JA5GSG, and Satoshi
> Yasuda, 7M3TJZ, served as mentor for the ARISS QSO. Eighteen youngsters at
> the Kochi school each asked a single question during the approximately
> 10-minute pass. Looking on were nearly 300 classmates and other visitors.
> Yasuda says representatives of several news media covered the event.
>
> ARISS <http://www.rac.ca/ariss> is an educational outreach program with US
> participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA.
>
> ==>AMATEUR RADIO DEALS WITH DENNIS; EMILY EMERGES WITH NEW STRENGTH
>
> Following four days of operation as Hurricane Dennis swept through the
> Caribbean before making landfall along the US Gulf Coast, the Hurricane
> Watch Net (HWN) on 14.325 MHz secured operations July 10. The net worked
in
> concert with WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center to relay real-time,
> ground-level weather data from net members to assist NHC forecasters in
> determining the storm's behavior. HWN Manager Mike Pilgrim, K5MP, said the
> net racked up more than 50 hours of activation time for Hurricane Dennis
> July 7-10. But even as he was sounding "Taps" for Dennis, he was already
> anticipating the net's next activation.
>
> "As we awaken on this sunlit morning in South Florida, it is with a
> surprised awareness that there is yet another tropical storm on the
horizon
> out in the eastern Caribbean," Pilgrim said July 11. Tropical Depression 5
> quickly ramped up to Category 3 Hurricane Emily by the end of the
> week--fulfilling Pilgrim's prophecy and threatening Jamaica, the Dominican
> Republic, Haiti and, perhaps eventually, Mexico and southern Texas.
>
> Property damage from the winds and flooding Dennis spawned was still being
> assessed at week's end. Before heading toward US shores, Hurricane Dennis
> left behind a path of death and destruction in Haiti, the Dominican
> Republic, Jamaica and Cuba.
>
> Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) reports from areas along the US
Gulf
> Coast were still coming in at week's end. Northern Florida Section Manager
> Rudy Hubbard, WA4PUP, rode out the storm at the emergency operations
center
> (EOC) in Santa Rosa County, which includes Pensacola. The Florida
Panhandle
> and the Alabama Gulf Coast appear to have taken the brunt of Dennis, a
> Category 3 hurricane as it came ashore.
>
> Hubbard said ARES teams in the Panhandle District of Northern Florida
> handled necessary communication assignments, including communication
between
> a shelter and the EOC. He said coordination among the various county EOCs
> and the State EOC in the capital of Tallahassee also worked smoothly.
>
> Hundreds of residents in the Florida Panhandle and elsewhere along the
> storm's expected landfall point took advantage of Red Cross shelters.
> Thousands were without power in the affected area in the storm's immediate
> aftermath. Dennis hit the region less than a year after a series of
> devastating hurricanes ravaged Florida last year, and that point was not
> lost on Northern Florida Section Emergency Coordinator Joe Bushel, W2DWR,
> who noted that many ARES members were among those still recovering from
> 2004.
>
> "For most of us outside the isolated severe damage areas, Dennis was a
great
> drill which provided much-needed experience," Bushel said. "Unfortunately,
> Florida has had its share of 'experience' over the last two years."
>
> West Panhandle District Emergency Coordinator Bobby Tyree, KG4KGX, said
> Santa Rosa County ARES stood down July 13. "The Santa Rosa emergency
manager
> made the statement that she could not have done it without ARES," he
> reported.
>
> Although ARES members were at the ready all along Florida's western coast,
> Southern Florida Section Emergency Coordinator Jeff Beals, WA4AW, said
> Dennis was "primarily a rain event" in most of the section's counties.
> Special sessions of the Southern Florida ARES Net were called up as the
> storm moved into the Gulf.
>
> In Mississippi, the West Gulf ARES net activated Sunday afternoon, and
ARES
> teams invoked the memorandum of understanding with the Louisiana and South
> Texas ARRL sections regarding assistance with net control duties.
> Mississippi SM Malcolm Keown, W5XX, said the net secured July 11 as Dennis
> exited the state.
>
> "Early reports indicate that as Dennis approached, ARES responded very
> quickly in counties along the Gulf Coast and along the Mississippi/Alabama
> line," Keown said, thanking everyone who took part.
>
> The Alabama Emergency Net and the Alabama EOC activated July 8. Alabama SM
> Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, traveled to Escambia County, Alabama, to assist with
> ARES activities there. He noted July 12 that ARES teams were assisting
with
> damage assessment.
>
> Pilgrim said he was pleased to report that participants in the IARU HF
World
> Championship contest July 9 and 10 posed no problems for the HWN, although
> less-than-optimal band conditions and solar flares did complicate things.
>
> "We received total and complete cooperation from the contesting community
> and were left with virtually a clear frequency on which to conduct our
> business," Pilgrim said. "Thanks to all those who demonstrated their
respect
> for and belief in the ultimate value of Amateur Radio Service--our ability
> and dedication to render support and assistance during times of
emergency."
>
> The HWN reactivated for Hurricane Emily on July 15.
>
> ==>VANITY CALL SIGN APPLICATION FEE TO RISE
>
> The regulatory fee to apply for an Amateur Radio vanity call sign will go
up
> slightly later this year, an FCC Order indicates. A Report and Order and
> Order On Reconsideration (R&O) in the assessment and collection of
> regulatory fees for fiscal years 2004 and 2005 released July 7 increases
the
> fee for FY 2005 to $21.90 for the 10-year license term. The FCC said it
had
> adjusted FY 2004 "payment units" for each service to better reflect
expected
> FY 2005 payment liabilities.
>
> "We tied to obtain verification for these estimates from multiple sources
> and, in all cases, we compared FY 2005 estimates with actual FY 2004
payment
> units to ensure that our revised estimates were reasonable," the FCC said
in
> the R&O. "Where appropriate, we adjusted and/or rounded our final
estimates
> to take into consideration the fact that certain variables that impact on
> the number of payment units cannot be estimated exactly."
>
> In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the proceeding last February,
> the Commission had proposed keeping the vanity call sign fee at its
current
> $20.80. The fee rose from $16.30 to $20.80 last August. A reevaluation in
> the number of anticipated vanity call sign applications--or "payment
> units"--accounts for the latest fee hike.
>
> In its February 2005 NPRM, the Commission had estimated it would receive
> 8000 vanity applications during FY 2005. This month's R&O reflects a
> downward recalculation to an anticipated 7600 vanity applications--up only
> slightly from a year earlier--so the fee had to be raised to meet FY 2005
> revenue requirements.
>
> While the R&O does not specify the effective date of the change, this
> generally occurs 30 days after the R&O's publication in The Federal
> Register, which hasn't happened yet. In past years, the effective date has
> been in August or September.
>
> More information on vanity call signs is available on the ARRL Web site
> <http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/vanity.html>.
>
> ==>FCC ISSUES REVISED FORM 605, OBSOLETES PREVIOUS EDITIONS
>
> A revised FCC Form 605, "Quick-Form Application for Authorization in the
> Ship, Aircraft, Amateur, Restricted and Commercial Operator, and General
> Mobile Radio Services," has gone into effect. The new form must be used
for
> all receipts as of July 18.
>
> "Applicants can avoid filing outdated editions by submitting their
> applications through the Universal Licensing System (ULS)
> <http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/>, given that changes to the paper forms will
> be incorporated into the system automatically," the FCC said. The new Form
> 605 is available online from the FCC Web site
> <http://www.fcc.gov/Forms/Form605/605.html>.
>
> The revised form includes a new Question 13 (subsequent questions have
been
> appropriately renumbered) that will affect amateurs applying for an
> administrative update (AU) to reflect a change in licensee name. Question
13
> now asks: "If the licensee name is being updated, is the update a result
> from the sale (or transfer of control) of the license(s) to another party
> and for which proper Commission approval has not been received or proper
> notification not provided?" Amateur Radio Service applicants should always
> answer "no" to Question 13.
>
> Not answering the question--which has nothing to do with the Amateur Radio
> Service--could result in dismissal of an application.
>
> For additional information or assistance, visit the FCC Help and Support
Web
> page <http://esupport.fcc.gov/index.htm>. This change does not affect the
> NCVEC Form 605 that VECs and VE teams use.
>
> ==>HAMS PACK COURTROOM AT GERRITSEN SENTENCING
>
> Radio amateurs turned out in force July 13 as reputed Los Angeles-area
radio
> jammer Jack Gerritsen, who was briefly licensed as KG6IRO, was sentenced
on
> state charges of threatening another amateur and his daughter via a local
> repeater. He was convicted July 8. Some 50 radio amateurs showed up for
the
> sentencing, and many more mailed or e-mailed the court.
>
> Superior Court Judge Craig J. Mitchell gave Gerritsen 120 days in jail and
> three years probation. He also barred Gerritsen from any contact with
those
> who had testified against him and from operating ham gear without a valid
> FCC license. Gerritsen was arrested in May on a contempt citation for
> allegedly violating the terms of a temporary restraining order the
> victimized radio amateur had obtained to keep Gerritsen off a local
> repeater. That radio amateur and two others subsequently testified against
> Gerritsen.
>
> Serving as his own attorney, Gerritsen contended he was falsely accused
and
> that his First Amendment rights were being violated. Mitchell told
Gerritsen
> the case was not about the First Amendment but about Gerritsen's
threatening
> and bullying behavior.
>
> The 69-year-old Bell, California, resident still faces federal charges
> following his May 5 arrest and seizure of his radio equipment by FBI
agents
> accompanied by FCC personnel. Released on bond in that case, he's been
> subject to monitored home detention and barred from possessing or using
any
> radio equipment. The federal criminal complaint cited an FCC investigation
> revealing that Gerritsen "often transmits his prerecorded political
messages
> and real-time harassment and profanity for hours at a time, often making
it
> impossible for licensed radio operators to use the public frequencies."
>
> The FCC has affirmed a $10,000 fine against Gerritsen for unlicensed
> operation and proposed another $42,000 in forfeitures for alleged
> interference-related infractions.--some information provided by Burton
> Brink, N6USO
>
> ==>SOLAR UPDATE
>
> Solar flash Tad "Sunny" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: The big
> patch of sunspots that energized activity less than two weeks ago has
> drifted around the edge of the sun. The result has been falling daily
> sunspot numbers and solar flux. The average daily sunspot number dropped a
> little more than 63 points to 91.3. At the same time, geomagnetic
> disturbances increased.
>
> On July 10 a coronal mass ejection (CME) from a day earlier hit Earth, and
> caused a geomagnetic storm. The same day it hit, the planetary A index
> jumped to 47, and another CME began its journey from the sun. As a result,
> the planetary A index went back up--this time to 48 on July 12. All this
as
> sunspot numbers and solar flux dropped.
>
> Solar activity is currently increasing, but only from some sunspots that
are
> drifting from view. They may deliver an indirect hit to Earth in the next
> couple of days. The interplanetary magnetic field, or IMF, is pointing
> south, which means Earth is vulnerable. Currently the planetary A indices
> for Friday through Monday, July 15-18, are predicted to be 25, 25, 20 and
> 12.
>
> Sunspot numbers and solar flux should reach a short-term minimum around
July
> 16-19, and another maximum around August 2-5.
>
> Sunspot numbers for July 7 through 13 were 149, 111, 126, 78, 68, 52 and
55,
> with a mean of 91.3. The 10.7 cm flux was 124.9, 110.4, 106.6, 101.8,
93.3,
> 95.3 and 91.7, with a mean of 103.4. Estimated planetary A indices were 8,
> 5, 19, 47, 23, 48 and 30 with a mean of 25.7. Estimated mid-latitude A
> indices were 6, 5, 13, 28, 14, 17 and 20, with a mean of 14.7.
>
> __________________________________
>
> ==>IN BRIEF:
>
> * This weekend on the radio: The CQ Worldwide VHF Contest, the North
> American QSO Party (RTTY) and RSGB Low Power Field Day, are the weekend of
> July 16-17. JUST AHEAD: The RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship (Data) is July
> 21. The NCCC Thursday Sprint is July 22 (UTC). The Great Lakes Sweepstakes
> and the VK/Trans-Tasman 160-Meter Contest (CW) are the weekend of July
> 23-24. The RSGB IOTA Contest and the ARS Flight of the Bumblebees are the
> weekend of July 30-31. 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 Antenna Modeling (EC-004) and Radio Propagation
> (EC-011) on-line course remains open through Sunday, July 17. Classes
begin
> Friday July 29. For the Antenna Modeling course, computer-modeling expert
> and author L.B. Cebik, W4RNL, has combined the expertise of his long
career
> as a college professor with his love and antennas and antenna modeling to
> offer a comprehensive, yet practical, course of study. Propagation
students
> will study the science of RF propagation, including the properties of
> electromagnetic waves, the atmosphere and the ionosphere, the sun and
> sunspots, ground waves and sky waves, and various propagation
> modes--including aurora and meteor scatter. Registration for the new ARRL
> Digital Electronics course (EC-013) will remain open through July 24.
> Students will learn about Boolean essentials, basic gates, latches,
buffers
> and drivers, encoders and decoders, serial interfaces, input devices,
> displays, logic families, microprocessor basics, interfacing with analog
> devices, understanding data sheets and design resources. To learn more,
> visit the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education
> <http://www.arrl.org/cce/> Web page or contact the ARRL Certification and
> Continuing Education Program Department cce at arrl.org.
>
> * Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course registration: Registration
> for the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level III on-line
course
> (EC-003) opens Monday, July 18, 1201 AM EDT, and will remain open until
all
> available seats have been filled or through the July 23-24
> weekend--whichever comes first. Class begins Friday, August 5. Thanks to a
> grant from United Technologies Corporation (UTC), the $45 registration fee
> paid upon enrollment will be reimbursed to students who complete the
course
> requirements and are upgraded by their mentor to "Passed" within the
8-week
> course period. 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.
>
> * ARRL to sponsor emergency communications seminar at Huntsville: The ARRL
> will offer a *free* Amateur Radio Emergency Communications seminar in
> conjunction with the ARRL Southeastern Division Convention in Huntsville,
> Alabama. The seminar will take place Friday, August 19, from 1 until 5 PM.
> THIS SEMINAR IS NOT AN EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS COURSE. ARRL Emergency
> Communications Course Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG, says the seminar will
focus
> on ways to better meet the increasing demand for ham radio operators to
> assist in emergency communication activities. ARES/RACES leadership, ARRL
> Amateur Radio Emergency Communications course graduates, mentors,
> instructors and prospective students are encouraged to attend. Seating may
> be limited. If you plan to attend, contact Miller
> (k3ufg at arrl.org/860-594-0340/fax 860-594-0259). Seminar attendance does
not
> include admission to the convention, which runs August 20-21.
>
> * Logbook of the World reaches milestone: The ARRL's Logbook of the World
> (LoTW) now has surpassed 10,000 registered users worldwide! LoTW, which
went
> on line September 15, 2003, provides a global repository of participants'
> logs. When both participants in a QSO submit matching QSO records to LoTW,
> the result is a "QSL credit" that can be eventually applied toward many
> awards. To date, more than 75.1 million QSO records have been entered into
> the system, resulting in nearly 3.5 million QSL records or matches among
> uploaded logs. At present ARRL LoTW QSO credits are applicable only toward
> DXCC, but plans call for supporting other awards, such as WAS and VUCC, in
> the future. To ensure system integrity, LoTW users first must obtain a
free
> digital certificate, which is used when submitting log data to the
database.
> Users incur a fee only when they apply QSL matches from LoTW toward a
> particular award. The specific fee varies depending on the number of
credits
> purchased at one time. The LoTW Web page <http://www.arrl.org/lotw> has
> complete information on how to register and use the system.
>
> * Trinity Site special event to commemorate A-bomb anniversary: The
Trinity
> Site special event station W5MPZ will mark the 60th anniversary of the
> world's first atomic bomb. Various New Mexico hams, sponsored by the
Sandia
> National Laboratories Amateur Radio Club will operate from the Trinity
Site
> as part of the anniversary activities. Culminating The Manhattan Project,
> the first A-bomb was detonated before sunrise in the New Mexico desert 35
> miles east of Socorro. The Trinity Site is now part of the White Sands
> Missile Range, which has given permission for the event. Full information
is
> on the Trinity Site Special Event Station Web site
> <http://www.zianet.com/QRP/Special/TRINITY_PR.jpg>.
>
> * Joseph R. Littlepage, WE5Y, wins June QST Cover Plaque Award: The winner
> of the QST Cover Plaque Award for June is Joseph R. Littlepage, WE5Y, for
> his article "A Portable Inverted V Antenna." Congratulations, Joseph! 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 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 June issue by July 31.
>
> ===========================================================
> 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
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