[South Florida DX Association] The ARRL Letter, Vol 24, No 09

[Bill Marx]

 ***************
> The ARRL Letter
> Vol. 24, No. 09
> March 4, 2005
> ***************
>
> IN THIS EDITION:
>
> * +FCC Morse, restructuring proposals could be out by mid-year
> * +ARRL asks FCC to invalidate new Florida RFI law
> * +ISS crew commander gets to "phone home" via ham radio
> * +Utility airs BPL plans for San Diego hams
> * +Ham radio in the limelight at emergency management conference
> * +Free basic electronics presentation available from ARRL
> * +Act now! Emergency communications course tuition subsidies ending
> * +Bill Orr, W6SAI, Technical Writing Award for 2004 goes to N1II
> *  Solar Update
> *  IN BRIEF:
>      This weekend on the radio: ARRL International DX Contest (SSB) and
> more!
>      ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
>      Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course registration
>      Amateur Radio workshop set for National Hurricane Conference
>      New Mexico emergency planners to learn about Amateur Radio resource
>      ARRL member's suggestion leads to on-line FCC Forms
>      Problems with delivery of ARRL e-mail products often on recipient's
end
>      Correction
>      DXCC Desk approves operation for DXCC credit
>
> +Available on ARRL Audio News
>
> ===========================================================
> ==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!):
> letter-dlvy at arrl.org
> ==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, n1rl at arrl.org
> ===========================================================
>
> ==>FCC MORSE, RESTRUCTURING PROPOSALS COULD HIT THE STREET BY MID-YEAR
>
> The FCC continues to work toward developing a Notice of Proposed Rule
Making
> (NPRM) that will spell out what the Commission has in mind with respect to
> possible changes in the current Morse code requirement and Amateur Radio
> licensing.
>
> A total of 18 petitions have been filed, including one from the ARRL,
> seeking Part 97 rule changes addressing the future of the 5 WPM Morse
> requirement (Element 1) and revisions to the overall Amateur Radio
licensing
> structure. The FCC is planning to tackle all 18 rulemaking petitions
within
> the framework of a single proceeding.
>
> As far as the code issue is concerned, petitions--and comments in response
> to them--run the gamut from retaining or even beefing up the Morse
> requirement to eliminating it altogether. (The ARRL's proposal would
retain
> the 5 WPM Morse examination for Amateur Extra class applicants only.) The
> League and others have also put forth proposals for a new entry-level
> Amateur Radio license class.
>
> At this point, personnel in the FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau are
> continuing to review the thousands of comments filed on the 18 petitions.
> While the FCC appears unlikely to release an NPRM any sooner than
mid-2005,
> the issue still may be a major discussion topic during the FCC Forum at
> Dayton Hamvention, May 20-22.
>
> Once public, the NPRM will initiate yet another round of public
> comments--this time on what the FCC has proposed. An FCC Report and Order
to
> implement any new rules regarding Morse code and license restructuring is
> unlikely before the second half of 2006, although it's possible the
> Commission could wrap up the proceeding before then.
>
> ==>LEAGUE ASKS FCC TO VOID FLORIDA RFI STATUTE
>
> The ARRL has asked the FCC to invalidate a Florida law that prohibits
anyone
> making radio transmissions without a license or Commission "exemption"
from
> interfering with licensed broadcast stations. In a Request for Declaratory
> Ruling to the Commission February 25, the League maintains that only the
FCC
> has authority to regulate radio stations and RFI. By prohibiting
> interference to broadcasters, the ARRL contends, the Florida law could
have
> the apparently unintended consequence of affecting ham radio licensees as
> well as operators of certain unlicensed Part 15 devices, such as cordless
> telephones.
>
> "What is clear is that no radio transmissions, licensed or not, are
> permitted if they result in interference to public or commercial radio
> stations licensed by the Commission," the League said. "Thus, it would
> appear that Commission-licensed Amateur Radio stations in Florida are
> subject to felony prosecution if their transmissions interfere with
> interference-susceptible broadcast or other radio receivers used in
> listening to public or commercial radio stations."
>
> The law also could subject operators of Part 15 unlicensed intentional
> radiators that interfere with broadcast stations to felony criminal
> prosecution, the League said, adding that it "could be interpreted to
> prohibit operation of Part 15 devices entirely."
>
> Citing case law and legal opinions dating as far back as the 1930s, the
ARRL
> requested a declaratory ruling from the FCC that the Florida statute
> "exceeds the jurisdiction of the State of Florida and intrudes on the
> exclusive jurisdiction afforded the Commission by the Communications Act
of
> 1934 as amended, to regulate radio stations and to address interference
> phenomena."
>
> The Florida Legislature enacted the law, §877.27 of the Florida Criminal
> Statutes (under "Miscellaneous Crimes"), last year. It took effect July 1,
> 2004. Violations would be considered third-degree felonies in Florida.
>
> The ARRL says it's not clear that Florida lawmakers intended the law to be
> as broad in its application as it reads, but that the new law--apparently
> aimed at unlicensed "pirate" broadcasters--"nonetheless on its face
> prohibits any person from causing interference" with an FCC-licensed
> broadcast station.
>
> Although the Communications Act of 1934 does not specifically preempt
state
> regulation of RFI matters, Congress clarified in 1982 that all
> telecommunications are interstate and subject to exclusive regulation by
the
> FCC, the ARRL pointed out. It cited the Communications Amendments Act of
> 1982, Public Law 97-259 to support its stance.
>
> "The legislative history of the Communications Amendments Act of 1982
> demonstrates that Congress intended to completely preempt the regulation
of
> RFI," and leave it solely in the hands of the FCC, the ARRL said. The
League
> also noted that courts "likewise have refused to allow private lawsuits
> against commercial broadcasters to abate RFI problems."
>
> In a 2003 case, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, the FCC "held clearly that
> all attempts by states and municipalities to regulate RFI are void as
> preempted by the supremacy clause of the Constitution," the ARRL said. The
> League's petition concludes that the Florida statute "is void as preempted
> by federal communications law."
>
> ==>SOYUZ A SMOOTHER RIDE THAN SHUTTLE, ASTRONAUT TELLS STUDENTS
>
> Youngsters attending St John's School in Houston, Texas, used ham radio to
> pose 15 questions about life in space to International Space Station (ISS)
> Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW. For Chiao, the contact
February
> 23 between NA1SS and W5RRR--the club station at the Johnson Space Center
> (JSC)--was a way to "phone home," in a manner of speaking. The QSO was
> arranged through the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
> (ARISS) program. One student was curious about the differences between
> traveling into space aboard the Russian Soyuz vehicle and the US space
> shuttle.
>
> "The Russian rocket, because it doesn't use solid-rocket boosters, is
> actually much smoother. It's liquid engines the whole time and just feels
a
> little bit different," Chiao explained. "Also, because it's a missile--not
a
> winged vehicle like the shuttle--the actual trajectory is a little bit
> different that than of the shuttle, so we actually pull a few more Gs. We
> get up to about four and a half Gs as opposed to three Gs on the American
> space shuttle." So-called "G" forces refer to the force of gravity during
> acceleration.
>
> Both spacecraft convey crews into space--the Soyuz can hold three
> passengers, while the shuttle can accommodate a crew more than twice that
> size, and both take the same amount of time to get into space--about eight
> and a half minutes, Chiao pointed out. The Soyuz vehicles have been the
sole
> means of transporting crews to and from the ISS since NASA grounded its
> shuttle fleet following the 2003 shuttle Columbia tragedy. As a result,
ISS
> crew complements dropped from three to two members. NASA hopes to return
the
> shuttle to flight this summer.
>
> Chiao said haircuts and shaving in zero gravity present minor challenges
to
> the ISS crews. "For haircuts we do have an attachment we hook up to the
> vacuum cleaner to keep the hairs from flying all over the place when we
cut
> each other's hair, and so we've both become amateur barbers," he told the
> students. Chiao said that for shaving, the crew has a choice of electric
> razors or blades.
>
> The Expedition 10 Commander also said humans are naturally curious and
> explorers. "We want to know what's on the other side of that mountain," he
> said.
>
> St John's teacher Rene Wright thanked Chiao for selecting the school for
an
> ARISS school group contact. "For us it has been the experience of a
> lifetime," she said. Chiao allowed that the contact was a real pleasure
for
> him and that it was "great to be talking to home again."
>
> Ten St John's students ranging from elementary through high school age
> participated in the QSO. Looking on were some 400 students, teachers and
> parents. The Johnson Space Center's Nick Lance, KC5KBO, served as control
> operator for the contact.
>
> ARISS <http://www.rac.ca/ariss/> is an educational outreach with US
> participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA.
>
> ==>UTILITY INFORMS HAM RADIO CLUB OF PRELIMINARY BPL PLANS
>
> Staff members of San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) in California
> announced during a February 23 presentation to the San Diego DX Club that
> the utility plans to deploy multiple broadband over power line (BPL) test
> sites in San Diego County. Locations for the BPL pilot projects have not
yet
> been specified. Several BPL equipment vendors are expected to be involved
in
> the trials, each with its own test area and frequency plan, and the first
> system could be in place as early as this June, with others following soon
> after.
>
> The SDG&E staffers said they were unimpressed by early BPL equipment, but
> were encouraged by a December visit to the Cinergy BPL system in
> Cincinnati--said to pass some 50,000 homes reportedly without generating
any
> interference complaints so far. Cinergy has partnered with Current
> Technologies in its BPL venture.
>
> ARRL Lab Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, says that while Current Technologies' BPL
> equipment does reduce emissions in most spectrum used by Amateur Radio, it
> operates at full strength on other HF spectrum--such as the international
> shortwave broadcast bands--and it uses low-VHF on medium voltage lines.
>
> "The Current Technologies' BPL HF emissions are from the 120/240 V wiring
> only, so it is not likely that the signals will propagate along a line as
> well as systems that put HF signals directly onto overhead medium-voltage
> distribution lines," Hare said. But he added that even with the best
> "notching" techniques, interference is still possible from a nearby BPL
> system.
>
> "ARRL's concern is that if the degree of protection this BPL equipment
> provides proves inadequate for such circumstances and interference occurs,
> there are no additional solutions to apply," Hare said.
>
> ==>ARRL SPOTLIGHTS HAM RADIO AT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE
>
> The ARRL promoted Amateur Radio at the National Emergency Management
> Association (NEMA) Mid-Year Conference February 12-15 in Washington, DC.
> With help from Maryland-District of Columbia Section Emergency Coordinator
> Mike Carr, WA1QAA, and Assistant Section Manager and Emergency Coordinator
> Jim Cross, WI3N, ARRL Emergency Communications Course Manager Dan Miller,
> K3UFG, staffed an Amateur Radio exhibit booth at the gathering.
>
> "This event provided excellent exposure for Amateur Radio to the larger
> emergency management community," Miller said. "Interaction with those
> representing many diverse levels of emergency management is a win-win
> proposition." Miller said the ARRL's presence further established the
League
> as a national point of contact to answer questions about Amateur Radio's
> emergency communication capabilities. At the same time, he said, it gave
> League representatives a chance to hear the concerns of emergency managers
> for followup with local ARES teams.
>
> The conference also offered an opportunity for NEMA members--ARRL
> included--to discuss the many challenges facing the emergency management
> world, to share solutions, grow professionally, network with peers and
> strengthen relationships with partner organizations. NEMA also shared with
> federal officials its views on emergency preparedness for all hazards.
> Individuals and organizations involved in shaping the future of homeland
> security and emergency management offered presentations and forums.
>
> Miller said many of the nearly 350 attendees representing federal and
state
> emergency management and other agencies around the US stopped by the ARRL
> booth to complete a short questionnaire and to discuss Amateur Radio--with
a
> focus on emergency communications.
>
> ==>ARRL OFFERING FREE BASIC ELECTRONICS PRESENTATION
>
> The ARRL Education and Technology Program is offering schools and clubs a
> CD-ROM presentation on basic electronics. The instructional presentation
is
> available free of charge upon request.
>
> "The Basic Electronics Course is intended for teachers and instructors who
> want a ready resource they can adapt to their instruction of electronics
> fundamentals," says ARRL Education and Technology Coordinator Mark
Spencer,
> WA8SME. "The materials include a PowerPoint presentation and instructor's
> script."
>
> Spencer says the course is designed around affordable components, a
> prototyping board and a volt-ohmmeter (VOM). The recommended text is
> Understanding Basic Electronics
> <http://www.arrl.org/catalog/?category=&words=3983>.
>
> "The course covers the very basics up to Ohm's Law and then touches on
other
> components like capacitors, coils, diodes and transistors--components
common
> to virtually all electronic circuits," Spencer explains. He says teachers
or
> instructors can use the presentation "as is" with the script or "cut and
> paste and roll their own" course.
>
> "The course should take on the order of 10 hours to present," he notes.
The
> PowerPoint presentation is on the order of 19 MB, so it is being made
> available on CD-ROM by request. Spencer has included a parts list and
> source. Those with high-speed Internet connections may wish to download
the
> PowerPoint presentation
> <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/tbp/Basic-Electronics-for-the-New-Ham.ppt> and
> the Instructor's Script MS-Word document
> <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/tbp/Basic-Electronics-Script.doc>.
>
> For ARRL Education and Technology Program-participating schools, Spencer
> says he's kitted up the necessary parts, VOM, prototyping boards and text.
> That package is available by request to program schools as part of their
> progress grants.
>
> For more information or to request a copy of the presentation, contact
Mark
> Spencer, WA8SME, mspencer at arrl.org; 860-594-0396.
>
> ==>GRANT-SPONSORED EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS COURSE REIMBURSEMENTS ENDING
>
> The last Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course seats available for
> tuition reimbursement under the Corporation for National and Community
> Service (CNCS) grant will open in June. After that, only a few
reimbursable
> seats in each course will be offered through October under a United
> Technologies Corporation (UTC) grant.
>
> "This has been a very successful program, thanks chiefly to the support
and
> participation of the ARRL Field Organization," said ARRL Emergency
> Communications Course Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG. "We sincerely appreciate
> your efforts and hope that with your continued support, these grants will
> conclude on a successful note."
>
> By the time the CNCS and UTC grants end, it's expected that some 8000
radio
> amateurs will have taken advantage of the tuition subsidies and received
> training in Amateur Radio emergency communication. At this time, no
further
> grant-sponsored reimbursements for Amateur Radio Emergency Communications
> Course students are on the horizon.
>
> The CCE Online Course Schedule is available on the ARRL Web site.
> <http://www.arrl.org/cce/calendar.html>. Students may register online
during
> the applicable registration window <https://www.arrl.org/forms/cce/> or
via
> US Postal Service mail. Applicants should indicate the desired course, age
> group, gender, veteran status, preferred e-mail address and telephone
> number.
>
> For more information, visit the C-CE Web site <http://www.arrl.org/cce> or
> e-mail the C-CE Department, cce at arrl.org.
>
> ==>N1II IS 2004 BILL ORR, W6SAI, TECHNICAL WRITING AWARD WINNER
>
> The ARRL Foundation Board of Directors has selected Paul Danzer, N1II, as
> the 2004 recipient of the Bill Orr, W6SAI, Technical Writing Award. Acting
> upon a recommendation from the QST editorial staff, the Foundation Board
> recognized Danzer for his article "Open Wire Feed Line--A Second Look,"
> which appeared in the April 2004 edition of QST (p 34).
>
> "I am surprised and proud to be named in the same sentence as Bill Orr,
who
> was a major contributor to the ARRL goal of providing practical technology
> to radio amateurs around the world," Danzer reacted. "I am grateful that
the
> editors of QST have allowed me to make a small contribution toward that
> goal."
>
> QST Editor Steve Ford, WB8IMY, noted that the award pays tribute to the
> winning author's ability to explain technical topics in a manner that is
> easy for relatively non-technical people to understand. "I believe Paul's
> article was a well-done explanation of balanced feed lines," he added.
> Danzer's article concluded that "with a little care," open-wire feed lines
> can allow using one dipole on many bands.
>
> A resident of Norwalk, Connecticut, Danzer is a former ARRL Headquarters
> staff member and served as a book editor for several years, during which
he
> wrote the ARRL books Your Ham Antenna Companion and co-authored PCs in the
> Ham Shack.
>
> First licensed in 1953, Danzer says Amateur radio played a large part in
his
> 30-plus year career as an engineer. He holds bachelor's and master's
degrees
> in electrical engineering and is a Life Senior Member of the Institute of
> Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).
>
> Danzer authored one of the first children's books on computers in 1981, A
> Young Person's Guide to Computers. He is also the author of more than 200
> magazine articles on Amateur Radio and computers and holds 11 patents. He
is
> currently a professor of computer science at Housatonic Community College
in
> Connecticut.
>
> The award's namesake, Bill Orr, was best known for his voluminous
> publications for radio amateurs, including such reference gems as The
Radio
> Handbook, The Beam Antenna Handbook, The Quad Antenna Handbook, The
VHF-UHF
> Manual and The W6SAI HF Antenna Handbook, some written in collaboration
with
> Stu Cowan, W2LX. From the 1940s through the 1980s, Orr was a frequent
> contributor to QST, for which he authored dozens of articles, tips and
> pieces of correspondence. Additionally, Orr constructed some of the
> amplifiers once used at ARRL Maxim Memorial Station W1AW. He died in 2001.
>
> ==>SOLAR UPDATE
>
> Solar sage Tad "Sunny" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: This week
> saw a quiet sun, which will be a frequent observation over the next few
> years. The average daily sunspot number was down nearly 31 points to 14.9,
> and average daily solar flux was off 21 points to 76.3. Planetary
> geomagnetic activity was down just slightly, and mid-latitude activity was
> just about the same as the previous reporting week.
>
> Over the next week expect a rising sunspot count and solar flux, with flux
> values peaking above 100 around March 11-14. March 6-9 could see some
> unsettled to active geomagnetic conditions based on activity during the
> previous solar rotation.
>
> This weekend is the ARRL International DX SSB Contest. Don't expect great
> conditions like when the sunspot cycle was higher, but at least we are
> moving toward the spring equinox, and the geomagnetic conditions should be
> quiet.
>
> Sunspot numbers for February 24 through March 2 were 17, 15, 27, 12, 11,
11
> and 11, with a mean of 14.9. The 10.7 cm flux was 80.3, 78.2, 76.6, 75.8,
> 75, 73.7 and 74.6, with a mean of 76.3. Estimated planetary A indices were
> 5, 9, 9, 8, 12, 11 and 12 with a mean of 9.4. Estimated mid-latitude A
> indices were 4, 9, 9, 6, 8, 10 and 8, with a mean of 6.6.
>
> __________________________________
>
> ==>IN BRIEF:
>
> * This weekend on the radio: The ARRL International DX Contest (SSB), the
> Wake-Up! QRP Sprint and the Open Ukraine RTTY Championship are the weekend
> of March 5-6. The DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest is March 6, the RSGB
> 80-Meter Club Championship (Data) is March 7, the ARS Spartan Sprint is
> March 8, and the Pesky Texan Armadillo Chase is March 10. JUST AHEAD: The
> RSGB Commonwealth Contest (CW), the AGCW QRP Contest, the Oklahoma and
> Wisconsin QSO parties, the North American Sprint (RTTY), the UBA Spring
> Contest (CW) and the NSARA Contest are March 12-13. The RSGB 80-Meter Club
> Championship (CW) is March 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.
>
> * ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration:
> Registration for the ARRL RFI (EC-006), Antenna Design and Construction
> (EC-009) and Analog Electronics (EC-013) courses remains open through
> Sunday, March 6. Classes begin Friday, March 18. Antenna Design and
> Construction students will, among other things, learn about basic dipoles
> and ground planes and how to assemble combinations of these into more
> complex antennas. Students also learn about transmission lines, standing
> wave ratio, phased arrays and Yagis. Students participating in the RFI
> course will learn to identify various interference sources. Analog
> Electronics students will learn about instrumentation, Kirchhoff's Laws,
> diodes, rectifier circuits, bipolar and field effect transistors, various
> amplifier configurations, filters, timers, op amps, and voltage
regulators.
> To learn more, visit the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education
(C-CE)
> 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 I on-line course
> (EC-001) opens Monday, March 07, 2005, at 1201 AM EST and will remain open
> until all available seats have been filled or through the March 12-13
> weekend--whichever comes first. Class begins Friday, March 25. Radio
> amateurs 55 and up are strongly encouraged to participate. Act now! This
is
> the final year of the grant-subsidized classes! Thanks to our grant
> sponsors--the Corporation for National and Community Service and 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.
>
> * Amateur Radio workshop set for National Hurricane Conference: The 27th
> annual National Hurricane Conference March 21-25 will include an Amateur
> Radio workshop, "Preparing for a Communications Blackout." The ham radio
> session will take place Tuesday, March 22, 1:30 until 5 PM. The 2005
> National Hurricane Conference--the national forum for education and
> professional training in hurricane preparedness--will be held at the
Hilton
> Riverside in New Orleans. Workshop speakers will include Florida EMS
> Communications Engineer Randy Pierce, AG4UU; the Florida Emergency
> Communications Center's John Fleming, WD4FFX; Hurricane Watch Net Manager
> Mike Pilgrim, K5MP; Dan Sullivan, KO1D, of the WMD Exercise Support Team
for
> Community Research Action, Alexandria, Virginia, and ARRL Emergency
> Communications Course Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG. Jerry Herman, N3BDW, will
> serve as moderator. Amateur Radio operators are welcome to attend this
> workshop at no charge; conference registration is not required. ARRL's
> presence at the National Hurricane Conference is made possible through a
> grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). The
> ARRL's Amateur Radio booth will be open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of
> the conference, and radio amateurs will be on hand to discuss Amateur
Radio
> emergency communication and answer questions. Conference details and
> directions are found on the conference Web site
> <http://www.HurricaneMeeting.com>.
>
> * New Mexico emergency planners to learn about Amateur Radio resources: A
> Federal Emergency Management Agency sponsored workshop, entitled
"Emergency
> Management: Amateur Resources," will be held March 21, 2005, in Santa Fe
to
> acquaint emergency planners with the value of ham radio during disasters.
> Anyone associated with emergency planning and response is encouraged
attend.
> Franklin Warren, AB5WJ, an adjunct instructor for the New Mexico Emergency
> Management Office, is leading the workshop. Bill Kauffman, W5YEJ, the
state
> RACES Officer and state ARES Emergency Coordinator, will also be
presenting
> information about RACES and ARES in New Mexico. To register for the
> workshop, contact Kennie Warren, W5KLW, ODP Training and Development
> Specialist, PO Box 1628, #13 Battaan Blvd, Santa Fe, NM 87504, e-mail
> KWarren at dps.state.nm.us; tel 505-476-9690, or fax 505-276-0650.--Charlie
> Christmann, K5CEC
>
> * ARRL member's suggestion leads to on-line FCC Forms: ARRL Life Member
Bill
> Harris, W7KXB, of Mesa, Arizona, recently wondered if there wasn't some
way
> the League could make it possible for members to fill out online some of
the
> various forms on the ARRL Web site. ARRL VEC Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ,
took
> the idea and ran with it. As a result, it's now possible for Amateur Radio
> Service applicants to complete two major forms online: NCVEC Quick Form
605
> and ARRL VEC Form 605C. The NCVEC Quick Form 605 permits filing an Amateur
> Radio application via a Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC), such as ARRL
> VEC. Like the official FCC Form 605, it can be used to apply for an
Amateur
> Radio Operator/Primary Station License, to renew or modify a license (free
> for ARRL members) or to prepare an application for a volunteer examination
> session sponsored by any VEC. ARRL VEC Form 605C is used for new club or
> military recreation station licenses, modifications, renewals or duplicate
> requests of a club or military recreation station license. These
> applications also go to ARRL VEC, which is authorized to handle club
station
> applications. The only part of Harris' suggestion that the ARRL could not
> implement was to permit the applicant to use an electronic signature. "For
> our purposes, original signatures received and on file are needed," Jahnke
> explained in an e-mail reply thanking Harris for his suggestion. This
means
> applicants must first print and sign the completed form before mailing it
to
> ARRL VEC. Links to both NCVEC Quick Form 605 and ARRL VEC Form 605C plus
> more information on Amateur Radio licensing forms are on the ARRL Web site
> <http://www.arrl.org/fcc/forms.html>.
>
> * Problems with delivery of ARRL e-mail products often on recipient's end:
> ARRL has been hearing from more and more members who are not receiving The
> ARRL Letter, W1AW/ARRL bulletins, membership renewal reminders and other
> automatically delivered e-mail products they've subscribed to. More often
> than not, the problem is on the recipient's end, not at ARRL's. For
example,
> members with new e-mail addresses must update this information via their
> Member Data Page <http://www.arrl.org/members-only/memdata.html> (users
must
> first be logged onto the site). Click on "Modify Membership Data." While
on
> the Member Data Page, make sure you are subscribed to the e-mail products
> you want and that you have not inadvertently checked the box "Temporarily
> disable all automatically sent email." ARRL has determined that another
> culprit is spam filtering or software employed by the user's Internet
> Service Providers (ISP) or installed on the user's computer. Some ISPs
have
> been known to block or trap all messages from ARRL as suspected spam. If
> you're no longer receiving e-mail products or notices from ARRL that
you've
> signed up for, a call to the ISP's customer service department may reveal
> that the League's e-mail messages have indeed been delivered to the ISP's
> mail server but not to the member's mailbox. Request the ISP to permit
your
> account to receive e-mail messages from ARRL. Subscribers to The ARRL
Letter
> should e-mail <letter-dlvy at arrl.org>. ARRL if the problem persists. Report
> other delivery problems to ARRL Headquarters, hq at arrl.org.
>
> * Correction: The article "AMATEUR RADIO SPECTRUM PROTECTION ACT OF 2005
> INTRODUCED," which appeared in The ARRL Letter, Vol 24, No 08 (Feb 25,
> 2005), left out the bill's full title in the body of the story. It is "The
> Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 2005." The measure is designated
HR
> 691.
>
> * DXCC Desk approves operation for DXCC credit: The ARRL DXCC Desk has
> approved the VU4RBI and VU4NRO Andaman and Nicobar Islands operation from
> November 30 through December 31, 2004, for DXCC credit. For more
> information, visit the DXCC Web page. "DXCC Frequently Asked Questions"
> <http://www.arrl.org/awards/dxcc/faq/> can answer most questions about the
> DXCC program. Current ARRL DX bulletins are available on the W1AW DX
> Bulletins for 2004 page <http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/dx/>.
>
> ===========================================================
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> <http://www.arrl.org>. Jim Haynie, W5JBP, President.
>
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