[South Florida DX Association] The ARRL Letter, Vol 24, No 25

[Bill Marx]

 The ARRL Letter
> Vol. 24, No. 25
> June 24, 2005
> ***************
>
> IN THIS EDITION:
>
> * President greets Field Day 2005 participants
> * World conference tackles Amateur Radio emergency communication issues
> * ARRL personnel departures spawn staff changes
> * Youngsters at Swiss, Canadian schools talk via ham radio with ISS
> * US ham-astronaut first to testify before Congress from space
> * Inaugural "Take Your Handheld to Work Day" a Success!
> * IC inventor Jack Kilby, ex-W9GTY, SK
> * Radio industry pioneer Al Kahn, K4FW, SK
> * "Hamfest Calendar" corrections announced
> *  Solar Update
> *  IN BRIEF:
>      This weekend on the radio: It's ARRL Field Day 2005!
>      ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
>      HF saves the day after motor home breakdown
>      ARRL Northern New Jersey SM donates ARRL books to new library
>      Pete Halpin, PH1PH/G7ECN, SK
>      Swedish VLF transmitter on the air July 2-3
>
> ===========================================================
> NOTE: Because of vacation and holiday schedules, there will be no edition
of
> ARRL Audio News on Friday, June 24, and no editions of The ARRL Letter and
> ARRL Audio News on Friday, July 1. Both will return Friday, July 8. We
wish
> all safe and enjoyable Field Day 2005 and Independence Day holiday
weekends!
>
> ===========================================================
> ==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!):
> letter-dlvy at arrl.org
> ==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, n1rl at arrl.org
> ===========================================================
>
> ==>PRESIDENT BUSH SENDS GREETINGS TO FIELD DAY 2005 PARTICIPANTS
>
> President George W. Bush has sent greetings from the White House to
everyone
> participating in ARRL Field Day 2005.
>
> "I send greetings to those celebrating the annual Field Day for Amateur
> Radio, hosted by the American Radio Relay League. Across our country,
radio
> plays a vital role in relaying important information to the public and
> emergency service personnel in times of need," the president said.
>
> "By providing emergency communications at the federal, state, and local
> level, licensed Amateur Radio operators help first responders and law
> enforcement officials save lives and make our country safer. Your efforts
> help ensure the right assistance gets to the right people at the right
time.
> I appreciate all ham operators who give their time and energy to help make
> our citizens more secure. Your good work reflects the spirit of America
and
> contributes to a culture of responsibility and citizenship that
strengthens
> our nation. Laura and I send our best wishes."
>
> An annual exercise aimed at developing skills to meet the challenges of
> emergency preparedness as well as to acquaint the general public with the
> capabilities of Amateur Radio, ARRL Field Day takes place this year on
> Saturday and Sunday, June 25-26. Stations throughout the Americas may
> participate.
>
> ==>AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION FOCUS OF WORLD CONFERENCE
>
> Tampere, Finland, played host June 13-14 to the first Global Amateur Radio
> Emergency Communications Conference (GAREC 2005). Participants from 17
> countries and representatives of all three International Amateur Radio
Union
> (IARU) regions gathered to discuss and exchange information on the role of
> Amateur Radio in emergency communication. A conference statement
summarized
> the value of Amateur Radio to emergency communication worldwide.
>
> "The Amateur Radio Service has the proven capabilities and capacities to
> serve the international community through its global network of
> infrastructure-independent stations," the statement concluded. "Such
> stations are not only most likely to withstand the physical impact of
> disasters, but their flexibility furthermore avoids the overload all
public
> networks inevitably experience in the aftermath of disasters."
>
> The statement also pointed to the Amateur Service as "an invaluable
resource
> of skilled operators, trained and experienced in maintaining
communications
> under the most adverse conditions." It further concluded that it's
essential
> "to ensure that this resource can be fully utilized in the service of
> emergency and disaster response providers." Conferees agreed as well that
> the Amateur Service needs access to "appropriate portions of the shared
and
> limited resource of the radio frequency spectrum."
>
> The IARU has submitted the summary as an input document to the World
Summit
> on the Information Society (WSIS), set to take place in Tunisia this
> November.
>
> Representing the IARU and chairing GAREC 2005 was Hans Zimmermann, HB9AQS,
> the IARU's International Coordinator for Emergency Communications. Past
ARRL
> President Rod Stafford, W6ROD, represented IARU in his capacity as Region
2
> President and the League in his capacity as International Affairs Vice
> President.
>
> Major topics included cooperation between radio amateurs and institutional
> emergency response providers on the national level, and an exchange of
> experiences from recent events. Presentations showed how hams support
> emergency responders as skilled volunteer telecommunication operators as
> well as via their own global networks.
>
> Conferees also talked over ways to improve and facilitate the work of
> emergency communication networks. Participants agreed on the desirability
of
> establishing a "Center of Activity Frequency" for emergency traffic on 80,
> 40, 20, 17 and 15 meters. SRAL, the IARU member-society for Finland and
the
> host of GAREC 2005 will forward a proposal to that effect to the IARU for
> its consideration. This could happen during the IARU Region 1 Conference
> this September. GAREC-2005 did not put forth specific center-of-activity
> frequencies, but the proposal did recommend calling them "The Tampere
> Frequencies."
>
> Because of Tampere's association with the history of emergency and
disaster
> communication, the city's name has become nearly synonymous with emergency
> telecommunication. Among signal events, an experts' conference there in
1991
> adopted the Tampere Declaration on Disaster Communications. In 1998, the
> Intergovernmental Conference on Emergency Telecommunications (ICET-98)
> adopted the Tampere Convention on the Provision of Telecommunication
> Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations. Effective as of
> January 8, 2005, the convention largely eliminates roadblocks to moving
> telecommunications personnel and equipment across international borders
into
> and within disaster-stricken areas. Tampere has hosted several related
> conferences on emergency telecommunication as well. To maintain the
> momentum, plans already are being discussed for a second global conference
> in 2006.
>
> A GAREC 2005 summary is available on the IARU Web site
> <http://www.iaru.org/emergency/summary.html>.--IARU
>
> ==>DEPARTURES FROM ARRL HEADQUARTERS PROMPT STAFF CHANGES
>
> Recent departures or pending departures from ARRL Headquarters have
prompted
> some new staff assignments to fill openings in the ARRL VEC and in the
Sales
> and Marketing departments. ARRL COO Harold Kramer, WJ1B, announced the
> changes earlier this month.
>
> ARRL VEC Department Volunteer Examiner Services Supervisor Maria Somma,
> KB1KJC, has stepped into the position of interim Department Manager,
> effective June 7. A long-time VEC and ARRL staff member, Somma succeeds
Bart
> Jahnke, W9JJ, who returned to his native Wisconsin in May to pursue a
> business opportunity.
>
> A nearly 20-year ARRL Headquarters staff veteran, Jahnke and his wife
> Debra--who will depart as ARRL Sales Manager this month--had planned one
day
> to retire in Wisconsin. The Jahnkes purchased a farm property in Wisconsin
> two years ago.
>
> Somma has been at ARRL since 1985, and she became VE Services Supervisor
in
> 1988. Since her arrival, ARRL VEC has conducted more than 90,000
examination
> sessions and served some 809,000 customers. "I'm proud to have had a hand
in
> what the VEC has accomplished over the years," she said. "The allure and
> excitement I felt back when I first started here is still with me, and I
> look forward to future VEC endeavors."
>
> Also in the VEC Department, Perry Green, WY1O, has been promoted to
> Assistant VEC Manager. He previously served as Assistant to the VEC
Manager.
> Green came aboard at ARRL VEC in 2002 becoming a primary point of contact
> for the club call sign administrator program, International Amateur Radio
> permits, the special event 1x1 call sign program, accommodative testing,
> exam software, vanity call signs and what he calls "the never-ending
battle
> to resolve the FRN/CORES password calamity," referring to the FCC's
> registration system.
>
> Sales Manager Debra Jahnke has been with ARRL for more than 25 years and
> served as Circulation Manager prior to taking on her current duties nearly
> four years ago. "We will all miss her high energy and many skills," Kramer
> said. In view of her imminent departure from the ARRL staff to be with her
> family in Wisconsin, the Sales and Marketing Department has announced a
> reshuffling of responsibilities among current staffers.
>
> ARRL Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, will assume responsibility
for
> fulfillment and warehouse functions. In his current role, Inderbitzen has
> been handling planning and implementation of direct marketing for ARRL
> membership, publication sales and advertising. An ARRL Life Member and a
ham
> since 1981, Inderbitzen joined the ARRL staff in 1991. He's worked
> previously in the ARRL VEC Department and in the former ARRL Educational
> Activities Department. Inderbitzen undertook the lion's share of planning
> and implementation for the successful ARRL National Convention/ARRL EXPO
> 2005 at Dayton Hamvention.
>
> Sales and Marketing Coordinator Janet Rocco will become the department's
> Business Services Manager, a new position in which she will oversee
> advertising and dealer customer sales and relations and manage the ARRL
> sales staff. Rocco has been with the ARRL nearly four years, starting out
in
> the Outgoing QSL Service.
>
> ARRL Sales and Marketing Manager Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV, plans to
> establish a new position--Membership Manager--an experienced professional
to
> manage and focus only on membership recruitment and retention.
Establishing
> the new position represents an effort to "look beyond many of the current
> organizational paradigms regarding membership," he said.
>
> ==>INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS, QUEBEC PRIMARY SCHOOLERS QUIZ ASTRONAUT VIA HAM
> RADIO
>
> Members of the Amateur Radio Club (HB9ZIS) at Zurich International School
> (ZIS) in Switzerland, spoke directly June 10 with US Astronaut John
> Phillips, KE5DRY, on the International Space Station. Youngsters at École
de
> la Source (The Source Primary School) in Mascouche, Quebec, had a similar
> opportunity a week later. The Amateur Radio on the International Space
> Station (ARISS) program arranged both school group contacts with NA1SS.
> Phillips told a ZIS student that the change in gravity has not affected
his
> appetite but does seem to make him less thirsty.
>
> "It did not affect my eating habits at all, but it did affect my thirst,"
> Phillips responded. "Your body doesn't need as much fluid up here because
it
> doesn't have to work as hard to push the blood to your head. So I probably
> will drink less water, and my body has less fluid in it."
>
> As for which planet he'd like to visit, Phillips told ZIS students that
Mars
> would be his first choice. "The only planet other than Earth that it's
> practical to visit during this century, I believe, would be Mars, so I
guess
> I'd like to go there," Phillips said. "But right now I'd really like to
> visit Earth now and then," he added, eliciting laughter from the students.
>
> ARISS Mentor Peter Kofler, IN3GHZ, reports that Paul Schreier,
HB9DST/AA1MI
> served as the technical director and contact coordinator. Bruno Zimmerman,
> HB9WAH, and radio club members set up a satellite station and antennas,
and
> Zimmerman served as the control operator. They also established an ATV
link
> to the assembly hall where the entire student body could follow along on a
> big screen. At the school ham shack itself--at the ZIS middle school
campus
> in Horgen--the audience consisted of some 50 onlookers, including
students,
> teachers, parents and school board members. All told, the students at ZIS
> had all 20 of their questions asked and answered.
>
> Several media outlets, including the DRS national TV and radio and Die
Neue
> Züricher Zeitung newspaper, covered the event.
>
> The following Friday, June 17, youngsters at Quebec's École de la Source
> enjoyed the fruits of a three-year wait on the ARISS school group
> application list. In 2002, fifth and sixth grade students took on the
space
> contact project, which current students continued.
>
> One youngster wanted to know how long it takes for the ISS crew members to
> put on their spacesuits for a spacewalk. Phillips responded that while it
> takes about an hour to suit up and make required safety checks, it's a few
> hours more before the crew exits the spacecraft. Two hours are expended
> exhausting the airlock, he explained.
>
> "But we take a lot longer than this because we have to protect against a
> problem called 'the bends,' which is what divers get when the nitrogen in
> their blood turns into bubbles," Phillips continued. "So we sit inside the
> suit for three hours or so breathing oxygen to get the nitrogen out--so in
> reality it takes maybe four or five hours from the time we start putting
on
> the suits until we actually go outside."
>
> Replying to another question, Phillips said it's not really known if space
> travel would be dangerous for a pregnant woman because one never has
> traveled into space. He said female members of NASA's astronaut corps do
not
> even engage in training while pregnant.
>
> Members of the Club Radioamateur Laval-Laurentide, VE2CRL, worked with
ARISS
> Mentor Steve McFarlane, VE3TBD, on the technical aspects of the event.
> Students asked 15 questions during the approximately six-minute contact.
> Students released a roaring "Merci!" (Thanks!) at signoff.
>
> ARISS-Canada's Daniel Lamoureux, VE2KA, said a direct video link from the
> contact site tied into the gymnasium so an audience of some 400 pupils,
> parents and guests could look on. A representative from the Canadian Space
> Agency talked to the students before the QSO and translated Phillips'
> answers into French. Teacher Robert Ménard coordinated the project.
>
> Two national TV networks and one newspaper sent reporters to cover the
> event. Local dignitaries and school board members also were present.
>
> ARISS <http://www.rac.ca/ariss/> is an international educational outreach
> with US participation by NASA, ARRL and AMSAT.
>
> ==>HAM-ASTRONAUT TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS FROM SPACE
>
> NASA International Space Station Science Officer John Phillips, KE5DRY,
made
> history June 14 by becoming the first person to testify before Congress
> while in orbit. The Expedition 11 flight engineer appeared via satellite
> before the House Science Committee's Subcommittee on Space and
Aeronautics,
> chaired by Rep Ken Calvert (R-CA). Phillips answered questions from
> subcommittee members about what it's like to live and work in space,
> focusing on the space station's role in preparing humans for
longer-duration
> missions outlined in NASA's Vision for Space Exploration.
>
> "We constantly learn new lessons up here," Phillips said, while traveling
> through space at five miles per second. "The experiences we gather will
> enable us to establish a long-term station on the moon and to go on to
> Mars."
>
> Two other astronauts, Peggy Whitson, KC5ZTD--who served on the ISS
> Expedition 5 crew in 2002, and Expedition 9 crew member Mike Fincke,
KE5AIT,
> testified in person before the subcommittee.
>
> For most of the lawmakers, their interview of Phillips marked their first
> opportunity to speak directly with a space traveler on orbit. In response
to
> members' questions, Phillips talked about the tremendous view from 220
miles
> up, floated around the ISS and talked about the hard work he's doing.
>
> "The most important thing up here is that we *are* the experiment; we are
> learning how to fly in space," Phillips told the subcommittee.
>
> For more information about the ISS, visit the NASA Space Station Web site
> <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html>.--NASA
>
> ==>INAUGURAL "TAKE YOUR HANDHELD TO WORK DAY" A SUCCESS!
>
> The Southeastern area of the country was the most active on June 21 as the
> very first "Take Your HT to Work Day" encouraged hams to share their
> enthusiasm with others during lunch hour.  While it was impossible to
cover
> all the repeaters, Echolink nodes and frequencies that might have been
used,
> it's clear from a sampling taken from across the country that more than a
> few hams were "caught" doing something nice for Amateur Radio.
>
> Thanks to all who participated for your efforts to promote Amateur Radio!
>
> ==>IC INVENTOR JACK KILBY, EX-W9GTY, SK
>
> Jack St Clair Kilby, who held the call sign W9GTY in the 1930s and 1940s,
> died in Dallas June 20 at age 81. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in
Physics
> in 2000 for his part in the invention of the first monolithic integrated
> circuit.
>
> A native of Great Bend, Kansas, Kilby has been credited with making the
> Information Age possible.
>
> He became interested in Amateur Radio after a severe ice storm crippled
> Western Kansas in 1937.
>
> Following college and a stint in the Army, Kilby went to work on the
> transistor for Centralab in Milwaukee. In 1958, he moved to Dallas to work
> for Texas Instruments, where he came upon the idea of creating the
> integrated circuit. By 1960 the first chips were made available to
industry,
> and the age of microelectonics was upon us.
>
> A public memorial service for Jack Kilby will be held Monday, June 27, at
10
> AM on the Southern Methodist University campus at the Caruth Auditorium in
> the Meadow School of the Arts, 6101 Bishop Boulevard, Dallas, Texas.
>
> For those wishing to make a memorial contribution, the family has
identified
> the following: The Jack Kilby Fund in Electrical and Computer Engineering,
> the University of Illinois Foundation, Harker Hall, 1305 West Green,
Urbana,
> Illinois 61801; and The Great Bend Foundation (Jack Kilby Statue Fund), PO
> Drawer E, Great Bend, KS 67530.
>
> ==>TEN-TEC CO-FOUNDER AL KAHN, K4FW, SK
>
> Albert R. "Al" Kahn, K4FW, of Cassopolis, Michigan, died June 15. He was
98.
> An ARRL member, Kahn--with Jack Burchfield, K4JU, co-founded Ten-Tec
> following his retirement from Electro-Voice (E-V), which he'd also founded
> and served as president. Kahn continued his regular CW schedules until
just
> a few days before he died.
>
> "It's a sad day, but few of us will leave the sort of footprints that Al
did
> during his long and productive life," remarked ARRL CEO David Sumner,
K1ZZ.
> Ten-Tec, on its Web site, acknowledged Kahn's passing "with the deepest
> regret." Kahn had remained a member of Ten-Tec's Board of Directors.
>
> Kahn's daughter Carol Bieneman says that radio and sound communication
> fascinated her father from childhood. "At age 12 he joined a Boy Scout
troop
> and was sent home with a radio to repair," she recounts. "This was the
start
> of his lifelong passion for radio."
>
> Born in LaSalle, Illinois, Kahn moved as a child to South Bend, Indiana.
He
> became licensed there in 1921 as 9BBI and later held W8DUS in Michigan. As
> Burchfield tells it, Kahn (with Lou Burroughs, a local machinist) in 1927
> started a radio service shop in South Bend. Legendary Notre Dame football
> coach Knute Rockne needed a public address system to amplify his voice
> during practice sessions, and he came to Kahn for help.
>
> Most microphones of the day were carbon-button types, but Kahn constructed
a
> superior velocity--or ribbon--microphone and put together a PA system that
> Rockne called his "electric voice." In 1930, Kahn and Burroughs adopted
the
> name Electro-Voice for the business and began making velocity microphones,
> which they also supplied to the military during World War II. During the
> war, Kahn invented and patented a noise-canceling microphone and marketed
it
> successfully to the military. The design is still in use.
>
> E-V added "high-fidelity" equipment and speakers to its product line, and,
> in 1960, the company built two plants in Tennessee and shifted operations
> there from the Midwest. Kahn was president of E-V until 1969 when it
merged
> with Gulton Industries. After departing E-V, Kahn and Burchfield founded
> equipment manufacturer Ten-Tec, now in its 37th year of manufacturing HF
> radio equipment for Amateur Radio, commercial, and military applications.
>
> Kahn accumulated many honors over his more than eight decades as a radio
> amateur and industry figure. He was inducted into the CQ Amateur Radio
Hall
> of Fame and was a member of the First-Class CW Operators Club (FOC), the
Old
> Old Timer's Club, the Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA), and the
> A-1 Operator Club. In 2002, the QCWA honored Kahn on his 80th anniversary
as
> an amateur licensee. He also received an Army/Navy "E" Award in 1945 for
> supplying the War Department with thousands of microphones during World
War
> II. The Boy Scouts of America presented Kahn with its Silver Beaver Award
> for staffing Amateur Radio stations at international scout jamborees.
>
> A memorial service for Al Kahn is set for Saturday, July 16, at the
Diamond
> Cove Missionary Church, 22541 Diamond Cove Road, Cassopolis, Michigan.
> Visitation will be from 2 PM until 4 PM at the church, followed
immediately
> by the memorial service at 4 PM.
>
> Memorial contributions are invited to Cass County Hospice, 310 East
Sherwood
> St, Decatur, MI 49045 or to the Michiana Amateur Radio Club, c/o Noel
Kindt,
> W9EFL, 90888 Bluff Dr, Marcellus, MI 49067.--Some information from the
N9VV
> Ten-Tec History Web page
>
> ==>JULY QST "HAMFEST CALENDAR" CORRECTIONS NOTED
>
> Some events listed in the July QST "Hamfest Calendar" (pp 93-95) include
> incorrect information. The "Hamfest and Convention Database" on the ARRL
Web
> site <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests.html> has current and correct
information
> on July 2005 hamfests and conventions, however. A summary of the
significant
> corrections is below. For items marked with am asterisk (*), see "Hamfest
> Calendar" in June QST (pp 90-93) for details.
>
> June 17-19
> *Northwestern Division, Seaside, OR
>
> June 23-26
> *YLISSB, Bismarck, ND
>
> July 8-10
> *Arizona State, Williams
>
> August 5-6
> Texas State, Austin
>
> August 6
> Wyoming Section, Jackson
>
> August 11-14
> YLRL, Denver, CO
>
> August 19-20
> New Mexico State, Albuquerque
>
> August 20
> Missouri State, Columbia
>
> August 20-21
> Southeastern Division, Huntsville, AL
>
> August 21
> Kansas State, Salina
>
> August 27-28
> West Virginia State, Weston
>
> September 9-11
> Southwestern Division, Riverside, CA
> Dakota Division, Fargo, ND
>
> September 10
> Kentucky State, Shepherdsville
>
> Additional corrections, July QST, pages 93-94:
>
> Montana--Montana State Convention
> Contact person is Tim Hodges, KD7JZ, 1005 Boulevard Ave, Havre, MT 59501.
> 406-265-7352 e-mail 7twh at mtintouch.net; www.gwhamfest.org
>
> Oklahoma--Oklahoma Section Convention
> Set up times are Friday, July 15, 10 AM-3 PM, and Saturday, July 16, 7
AM-8
> AM. Event is open to public Friday, July 15, 4 PM-8 PM, and Saturday, July
> 16, 8 AM-3 PM.
>
> Maryland (West Friendship)--Jul 24; set up Saturday 2 PM; public Sunday 8
AM
> to 4 PM (grounds open for tailgating at 6 AM). Spr: Baltimore RA
Television
> Society. Howard County Fairgrounds, Rte 144; from the Baltimore Beltway
> (I-695) take I-70 W to the Rte 32 exit ramp, at Rte 32 turn left (heading
S)
> to Rte 144 (Old Frederick Rd), turn right onto Rte 144 heading W to Howard
> County Fairgrounds entrance. Hamfest/Computerfest, giant flea market,
> vendors, electronics, ham radio and computer equipment, tailgating ($10
per
> space; first-come, first-served basis; no advanced reservations), VE
> sessions (check in 8:30, free exams 9 AM; pre-registration required; John
> Creel, WB3GXW, 301-572-5124, 6-9 PM; mailto:creewb3gxw at aol.com), DXCC card
> checking, handicapped accessible, refreshments. TI: 147.03, 224.96,
448.325.
> Adm: $6, under 12 free. Tables: tables on sale in advance only. Mayer
> Zimmerman, W3GXK, c/o BRATS, Box 5915, Baltimore, MD 21282-5915;
> 410-461-0086 (phone/fax); mailto:w3gxk at verizon.netor
> mailto:brats at bratsatv.org; www.bratsatv.org.
>
> August QST's "Hamfest Calendar" will include corrected information for
> events taking place during the second half of July. We apologize for any
> inconvenience these erroneous listings may have caused.
>
> ==>SOLAR UPDATE
>
> Solar flash Tad "That Lucky Ol' Sun" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington,
> reports: Propagation guru Tad "That Lucky Ol' Sun" Cook, K7RA, Seattle,
> Washington, reports: A projection shows active geomagnetic conditions on
> Friday, June 24, followed by unsettled to active on Field Day weekend,
June
> 25-26. A planetary geomagnetic A index of 20 is predicted for June 24-26.
> These aren't great conditions for HF, but are not at the level of a
> geomagnetic storm like we had on Thursday June 23 when the planetary K
index
> went all the way to seven, and the planetary A index was 48.  Sunspot
> numbers and solar flux are expected to remain low, with solar flux around
> 85.
>
> Given the low sunspot numbers, 20 and 40 meters are going to be the best
> bands for working cross country, with 80 meters open after dark.  40 and
80
> should be the best bands for working stations less than 1000 miles away,
day
> or night.
>
> To review the past week, sunspots and solar flux numbers were lower.
> Average daily sunspot numbers dropped nearly 28 points from the previous
> week to 51.1.  Average daily solar flux was off over 15 points to 87.7.
The
> big geomagnetic activity of note was one day following our Thursday
through
> Wednesday reporting period, on Thursday, June 23, when mid-latitude A
index
> was 30 and planetary A index was 48.
>
> Sunspot numbers for June 16 through 22 were 67, 59, 50, 43, 47, 53 and 39
> with a mean of 51.1. 10.7 cm flux was 98.1, 90.8, 90, 86.9, 86.1, 82.8 and
> 79.5, with a mean of 87.7. Estimated planetary A indices were 26, 14, 7,
7,
> 5, 4 and 7 with a mean of 10. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 19, 9,
> 5, 3, 2, 1 and 6, with a mean of 6.4.
>
> __________________________________
>
> ==>IN BRIEF:
>
> * This weekend on the radio: ARRL Field Day, the ARCI Milliwatt Field Day,
> the Marconi Memorial HF Contest and His Majesty the King of Spain Contest
> (SSB) are the weekend of June 25-26. JUST AHEAD: The RAC Canada Day
Contest
> and the NCCC Thursday Sprint are July 1 (UTC). The Venezuelan Independence
> Day Contest, the WLOTA Contest, the Original QRP Contest and the DARC
> 10-Meter Digital Contest are the weekend of July 2-3. The RSGB 80-Meter
Club
> Championship (CW) is July 4, and the Michigan QRP July 4th CW Sprint is
July
> 4-5. The NCCC Thursday Sprint is July 8 (UTC). The IARU HF World
> Championship, The VK/Trans-Tasman 160-Meter Contest (Phone), the FISTS
> Summer Sprint, the ARCI Summer Homebrew Sprint are the weekend of July
9-10.
> The RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship (SSB) is July 13. The NCCC Thursday
> Sprint is July 15 (UTC). 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) and ARRL
> VHF/UHF--Beyond the Repeater (EC-008) courses remains open through Sunday,
> June 26. Classes begin Friday, July 8. 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. To
> learn more, visit the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Web page
> <http://www.arrl.org/cce/> or contact the ARRL C-CE Department
cce at arrl.org.
>
> * HF saves the day after motor home breakdown: Well outside cell phone and
> ham repeater range, ARRL member Bob Johnson, W7LRD, his wife and their two
> dogs found themselves May 6 in their motor home broken down "in the middle
> of nowhere" 70 miles north of Las Vegas, Nevada. To the rescue came
> Johnson's trusty Icom IC-730 and some friendly fellow radio amateurs. "I
> found Bruce, VA7BEB, on 20 meters, and he started getting my information
to
> my insurance company for road service," Johnson recounts. But the
> propagation gods were not smiling. Enter Phil, W7PDZ, and Larry, KA0MZL.
> "Phil continued where Bruce left off, while Larry notified the Nevada
> Highway Patrol," Johnson continues. "The highway patrol showed up and took
> note of our situation. A tow truck out of Pahrump, Nevada, came and took
us
> to an RV park across the street from an auto parts store!" The next day
> Johnson was able to pin down the problem--a failed ignition coil. He
picked
> up and installed a new one, and he and his family were good to go.
"Without
> the assistance and perseverance of these gentlemen, it would have been a
> very long day and possibly night," he says.
>
> * ARRL Northern New Jersey SM donates ARRL books to new library: What do
you
> do when your town gets a new library? ARRL Northern New Jersey Section
> Manager Bill Hudzik, W2UDT, donated a selection of ARRL books to the new
> Long Hill Township Library. At a fund-raising event, W2UDT learned from
> Library Director Arline Most that the library had no current books on
> Amateur Radio. So, when the new library was dedicated, Hudzik made sure
that
> Amateur Radio was represented! The new Long Hill Township Library now has
a
> selection including the ARRL Handbook, Morse code CD, licensing guides and
a
> young reader's radio adventure book, among others. Hudzik says he can't
> think of a better way to promote the Amateur Radio service than to donate
> reading material to the local library. "I got started in Amateur Radio at
my
> library, and I hope other young readers in Long Hill will follow," he
said.
>
> * Pete Halpin, PH1PH/G7ECN, SK: Pete Halpin, PH1PH/G7ECN, of Hengelo, the
> Netherlands, died June 8. The co-developer with Simon Brown, HB9DRV, of
the
> freeware Ham Radio Deluxe transceiver-control package, Halpin was
considered
> its support and services guru. Licensed in 1982, Halpin was a retired
> aircraft technician who, in Brown's words, "devoted copious free time to
> this project. He will be missed by everyone involved with Ham Radio
Deluxe."
> The Radio Society of Great Britain recognized Brown and Halpin last year
for
> their significant contribution to the development of Amateur Radio
> technology. Halpin also has received awards from the QRP Amateur Radio
Club
> International, one for his low-power successes on 6 meters. He was a past
> director of No Code International.
>
> * Swedish VLF transmitter on the air July 2-3: The SAQ Alexanderson
> alternator transmitter <http://www.alexander.n.se/> operating on 17.2 kHz
> from Sweden will be on the air Saturday and Sunday, July 2 and 3. The July
2
> transmission at 1230 UTC will mark the inauguration of a new visitor's
> center at the Grimeton site, and July 3 is "Alexanderson Day," when the
> station will be open to the general public (between 10 AM and 4 PM local
> time). Transmissions on July 3 will take place at 0815, 0915, 1215 and
1315
> UTC. In addition, Amateur Radio station SK6SAQ will operate a special
event
> from the site. Approximate frequencies are 14.035 MHz CW and 3.755 and
> 14.215 MHz SSB.--RSGB
> ===========================================================
> 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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