[South Florida DX Association] The ARRL Letter, Vol 24, No 18

Fri May 6 18:14:48 EDT 2005

***************
> The ARRL Letter
> Vol. 24, No. 18
> May 6, 2005
> ***************
>
> IN THIS EDITION:
>
> * +Accused LA-area radio jammer arrested
> * +Texas BPL bill moves to the House
> * +India launches its first ham radio satellite
> * +Australian youngsters "over the moon" after space QSO
> * +California ARES team makes SSTV part of its communication arsenal
> * +Radio amateurs, ARES team named NOAA Environmental Heroes
> * +Armed Forces Day event set
> * +Ron Broadbent, G3AAJ, SK
> *  Solar Update
> *  IN BRIEF:
>      This weekend on the radio
>      ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
>      Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course registration
>     +AO-51 to be configured in Mode V/S for Field Day
>      Employment opportunity at ARRL Headquarters
>      Guinness World Records recognizes radio amateur
>
> +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
> ===========================================================
>
> ==>FEDERAL AGENTS ARREST, DETAIN ALLEGED CALIFORNIA JAMMER
>
> Reputed Los Angeles-area repeater jammer and former Amateur Radio licensee
> Jack Gerritsen was taken off the air and into custody this week. Acting on
a
> criminal complaint, FBI special agents, accompanied by personnel from the
> FCC Los Angeles Field Office, arrested the 68-year-old Gerritsen without
> incident early May 5 at his home in Bell, California. Federal agents also
> confiscated Gerritsen's radio equipment.
>
> "A criminal complaint filed Wednesday afternoon charges Gerritsen with a
> felony charge of malicious interference with a communications system
> operated by the United States and a misdemeanor count of transmitting
radio
> signals without a license," said a May 5 statement from the office of
Debra
> W. Yang, US Attorney for the Central District of California. "The two
> charges carry a potential penalty of 11 years in federal prison."
>
> At an initial court appearance May 5, bond was set at $250,000 "fully
> secured." A spokesman in the US Attorney's office explained that Gerritsen
> will have to post property or cash to be released, but that it will be
> several days before the necessary paperwork is ready--assuming that
> Gerritsen is able to make bail. Once released on bond, Gerritsen would be
> subject to home detention and barred from possessing any radio equipment,
> the spokesman said, adding that Gerritsen's house would remain subject to
> search to make sure.
>
> Unless Gerritsen is indicted beforehand, a preliminary hearing in the case
> is set for May 25, with arraignment to follow on May 31.
>
> The criminal complaint says an FCC investigation revealed that Gerritsen
> "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."
>
> Gerritsen already faces a total of $52,000 in FCC-imposed or proposed
> forfeitures for alleged interference. In March, the FCC denied a Petition
> for Reconsideration and upheld a $10,000 fine against Gerritsen for
> interfering with Amateur Radio communications. Gerritsen has yet to pay
the
> fine.
>
> An FBI affidavit sworn out this week in advance of obtaining a search
> warrant of Gerritsen's residence indicates that FCC agents have been
> investigating multiple instances of unlawful radio transmissions and
> malicious interference attributed to Gerritsen over the past four years.
FCC
> agents on a regular basis have been monitoring radio transmissions said to
> be coming from Gerritsen. They've also spoken with him in person and asked
> to inspect his station, although earlier FCC documents say he refused that
> request.
>
> In addition to Amateur Radio repeater communications, Gerritsen is alleged
> to have interfered with Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS)
> transmissions. The FCC also reported that it has received complaints from
> other government agencies that Gerritsen interfered with local and state
> police and fire agencies, the American Red Cross, the US Coast Guard
> Auxiliary and other radio services. A MARS training exercise in March had
to
> be canceled as a result of interference attributed to Gerritsen.
>
> Earlier this week, Gerritsen, who briefly held the call sign KG6IRO as a
> Technician licensee and still uses it on the air, was taken into custody
by
> Bell, California, police officers on an unrelated contempt of court
citation
> after violating the terms of a temporary restraining order (TRO) a local
> radio amateur had obtained to keep Gerritsen off a local repeater. He was
> released without bond after being held for a few hours and was reported
back
> on area repeaters not long afterward.
>
> Radio amateurs on the West Coast have been complaining for months about
the
> slow pace of enforcement action in the Gerritsen case. Los Angeles-area
> repeater owners have taken to shutting down their machines to avoid the
> nearly constant barrage of malicious interference attributed to Gerritsen.
>
> Five years ago, Gerritsen was convicted in state court of interfering with
> police radio transmissions and sentenced to 38 months in prison. Following
> his release in July 2003, the FCC soon began receiving complaints about
> Gerritsen's activity on the airwaves, according to this week's criminal
> complaint.
>
> Yang's office said the FBI "received substantial assistance" from the FCC
in
> the case.
>
> ==>TEXAS BPL BILL NOW IN HANDS OF HOUSE COMMITTEE
>
> The fate of a bill aimed at amending the Texas utilities code to
"encourage
> the deployment of BPL" by electric utilities now rests with members of the
> Texas House of Representatives Regulated Utilities Committee. The measure,
> SB 1748, sailed through the Texas Senate following an April 21 hearing
> announced on short notice. The bill's sponsor, Sen Troy Fraser, told the
> Dallas Morning News April 29 after the measure cleared the Senate that
> utility officials have assured Texas lawmakers that BPL won't interfere
with
> other services. North Texas ARRL Section Manager Tom Blackwell, N5GAR,
says
> he and a representative of the West Texas Section visited for about two
> hours April 29 with senior staffers in the office of the Speaker of the
> House. They also met with most members of the Regulated Industries
> Committee, which could hold a hearing on the bill as early as May 10.
>
> "We delivered petitions signed by amateurs to legislators in several other
> House districts," Blackwell said. "We are putting our best foot forward
with
> facts about this bill." Blackwell says he's been promised "courteous
> treatment" by the House committee, something he says was absent on the
> Senate side, where he contends that radio amateurs' views were "summarily
> ignored."
>
> Radio amateurs huddled with lawmakers while the bill was still in the
Senate
> Business and Commerce Committee, which Fraser chairs. As a result, new
> language was tacked onto the legislation. The additional language says,
"BPL
> operators are required to comply with all applicable federal laws,
including
> laws protecting licensed spectrum users from interference by BPL systems."
>
> Blackwell maintains that radio amateurs are doing BPL interests a favor by
> opposing the bill and "keeping them out of risky and uncertain investments
> that are based on a technology that is apparently faulty, uncertain and
> misrepresented."
>
> SB 1748 would allow electric utilities to lease out their power lines to
> other businesses to operate BPL systems or services. Fraser asserts that
his
> measure, introduced March 11, will be "great for Texas" and "especially
> important to rural Texas, where high-speed Internet service is not readily
> available." But he concedes that BPL "is still in the early stages of
> development." BPL proponents rarely raise the notion of rural service
these
> days because it's uneconomical in sparsely populated areas.
>
> An Irving, Texas, BPL pilot project that was the target of an ARRL
complaint
> shut down in March and removed its equipment. The ARRL's March 15 filing
to
> the FCC's Enforcement Bureau, its Office of Engineering and Technology,
> system operator TXU and equipment manufacturer Amperion supported an
Amateur
> Radio complaint. The League has since withdrawn its complaint. TXU, which
> has indicated it's still interested in BPL, did not indicate why it shut
> down the system and removed its equipment.
>
> The text of the bill is available via the Texas Legislature Web site
> <http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/>. Blackwell has posted more information
on
> his "Comments on the New Texas BPL Bill" Web site
<http://www.n5gar.info/>,
> which includes contact information for lawmakers.
>
> ==>NEW AMATEUR RADIO SATELLITE IN ORBIT
>
> HAMSAT is the latest Amateur Radio satellite in orbit. Launched this week,
> it is India's first. Although it doesn't yet have an OSCAR designation,
> several stations--including W1AW--already have completed contacts through
> its SSB/CW transponder.
>
> "We congratulate all who have worked for the HAMSAT and its successful
> launch," said AMSAT-India Treasurer Sandip Shah, VU3SXE, who was among
more
> than a dozen radio amateurs at the control center in Bangalore, India, for
> the May 5 launch. With several dignitaries--including India's
president--on
> hand to watch, the satellite went aloft from the Satish Dhawan Space
Centre
> (SDSC) SHAR in Sriharikota.
>
> Going into space along with the 42.5 kg HAMSAT was the primary
payload--the
> 1560 kg Indian remote sensing satellite, CARTOSAT-1, intended for mapping
> applications. The spacecraft were placed into polar sun synchronous orbit
at
> an altitude of 632 x 621 km with an equatorial inclination of 97.8
degrees.
>
> The microsat will provide two new linear mode U/V transponders for SSB and
> CW use only. Only one transponder will be active at any given time. The
> uplink passband is 435.225-435.275 MHz (LSB), and the downlink is
> 145.875-145.925 MHz (USB). An unmodulated carrier has been reported on
> 145.936 MHz, and a CW telemetry beacon on 145.860 MHz.
>
> Dutch graduate student William Leijenaar, PE1RAH, who designed one of
> HAMSAT's transponders, saw the PSLV-C6 vehicle carry the satellite skyward
> from SDSC SHAR. "It was very interesting to see how my radio finally went
> into space," he said afterward. "It is the best ham radio experience in my
> life."
>
> There's more information on the AMSAT-India Web site
> <http://www.amsatindia.com/hamsat.htm>.
>
> ==>EXPEDITION 11'S KICK-OFF SCHOOL QSO PUTS AUSSIE YOUNGSTERS "OVER THE
> MOON"
>
> NASA International Space Station Science Officer John Phillips, KE5DRY,
> deftly fielded questions via Amateur Radio from youngsters in Queensland,
> Australia, May 4. The contact with Albany Hills State School near Brisbane
> marked the first Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
> school group QSO for Expedition 11 as well as the first from NA1SS for
> Phillips, who was licensed only last February while training for the
> mission. Phillips came back on the first call from NN1SS in Maryland,
which
> handled Earth-station duties. MCI donated a teleconferencing link between
> the US and Australia. Responding to one question, Phillips said he has no
> problems sleeping aboard the ISS--at least in terms of comfort. But one
> unusual space occurrence does sometimes wake him up.
>
> "We have an interesting phenomenon that happens where energetic atomic
> particles can enter the back side of our eyes and cause bright flashes,"
> Phillips explained. "And once in a while--maybe once per night or
> less--those flashes will wake me up."
>
> In greeting the students at the start of the contact, Phillips noted that
> Expedition 11 Commander and seasoned space veteran Sergei Krikalev, U5MIR,
> was nearby to help out if needed. Phillips and Krikalev relieved Astronaut
> Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, and Cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov on the ISS in April.
> They'll remain aboard the space station until October. By that time,
> Krikalev--an avid radio amateur--will have logged more time in space than
> any other human.
>
> Like other ISS crew members, Phillips said he thoroughly enjoys gazing
down
> on Earth during his free time. He also said he's been exercising a little
> more than an hour a day. One thing he misses, he told the Australian
> youngsters, is really cold things like ice cream or cold drinks, because
the
> ISS lacks a refrigerator.
>
> Phillips noted that while the ISS does get hit by micrometeorites, they
> don't do any serious damage.
>
> "These are really tiny pieces of dust or rock in space that are smaller
than
> a grain of sand," Phillips explained. "What they can do is cause minor
> pitting or minor blemishes on the metal or the glass, but the space
station
> has never been hit by anything big enough to penetrate the hull or to
cause
> a leak, and, in fact, we're very well protected up here." He noted that
the
> ISS is equipped with shields on all sides.
>
> Albany Hills has an enrollment of 950 students in years two through seven,
> and astronomy is a part of the school's science curriculum. In all, the
> Albany Hills pupils got answers to 15 questions before turning the
> microphone over to teacher Cheryl Capra, who asked if Phillips had any
> advice to pass along to her students. Unfortunately, the ISS went out of
> range of the Earth station about the time the astronaut started to reply,
> but that didn't deter the students and onlookers from closing out the
event
> with a hearty round of cheering and applause.
>
> "Everyone here is all smiles and over the moon," said Mark Phillips,
> VK4AW--no relation to the astronaut--who assisted at the school. He was
> joined via the teleconference by veteran Australian ARISS mentor Tony
> Hutchison, VK5ZAI. Handling Earth station duties at NN1SS was Dave Taylor,
> W8AAS. Audio from the contact also was relayed around the world via IRLP
and
> EchoLink.
>
> ARISS <http://www.rac.ca/ariss> is an international educational outreach
> with US participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA.
>
> ==>CALIFORNIA EMERGENCY OFFICIALS SEE ADVANTAGES OF SSTV IN DRILL
>
> Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers in California made
> slow-scan TV part of the communication mix when they participated in a
> voluntary wildfire evacuation drill April 30. The exercise involved
> residents of nearly 400 homes in a high fire hazard area of Santa Barbara
> County, and ARES' use of SSTV definitely caught the eye of emergency
> officials.
>
> "ARES provided us with the only continuous, real-time information on
traffic
> flow and conditions in the incident area," said Jay McAmis of the county's
> Office of Emergency Services. "It was great!"
>
> Santa Barbara South County ARES Emergency Coordinator Lou Dartanner,
N6ZKJ,
> says communicators with SSTV gear deployed at three locations along a
> narrow, winding road out of the canyon and in two locations along the
> evacuation route to a reception center some five miles away. Three
> additional ARES members provided voice reports on traffic flow, while four
> other team volunteers supported the field activity at the command post and
> reception center.
>
> Since the county's inaugural test of its new "reverse 911" system failed
to
> reach everyone, many residents were alerted instead by sheriff's units
using
> public address systems and by search-and-rescue team members going door to
> door. "As a result, instead of the traffic jam with fender-benders and
> finger-wagging, an orderly trickle of vehicles moved out of the area,"
> Dartanner reports. "An SSTV station was set up at the reception center,
and
> a crowd of about three dozen jostled around the monitor all morning,
> watching the near-continuous stream of pictures coming in from the field.
A
> second, portable system was set up in back of a car at the Command Post,
and
> the Incident Commander was able to see exactly what was--or was
> not--occurring in the incident area."
>
> More than 200 residents participated, as did personnel from 21 agencies
and
> organizations. "Local fire officials are excited about using SSTV
capability
> in the future," Dartanner says, "and ARES will continue to play an
important
> role in their activities."
>
> ==>RADIO AMATEURS, ARES GROUP AMONG NOAA'S 2005 "ENVIRONMENTAL HEROES"
>
> The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has recognized
> four Amateur Radio operators and an Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES)
> group among its list of 2005 Environmental Heroes. Given in conjunction
with
> Earth Day celebrations, Environmental Hero awards honor NOAA volunteers
for
> their tireless efforts to preserve and protect the nation's environment.
>
> "NOAA and the nation are fortunate to have such dedicated people volunteer
> so much of their time," said retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C.
> Lautenbacher Jr, undersecretary of Commerce for oceans and atmosphere and
> NOAA administrator. "They set a perfect example for others to follow in
> their communities. America needs more environmental heroes like them."
> Established in 1996, the Environmental Hero award is presented to
> individuals and organizations that volunteer their time and energy to help
> NOAA carry out its mission.
>
> Among this year's honorees are ARRL member Charles T. Byars, W5GPO, and
the
> Wichita County Amateur Radio Emergency Service of Wichita Falls, Texas.
> Byars is an ARES District Emergency Coordinator in the ARRL North Texas
> Section. For more 30 years, he and Wichita County ARES members have
> volunteered their time, expertise and resources to help the National
Weather
> Service (NWS) detect and track dangerous storms.
>
> "Their tireless efforts, long hours and dedication to helping to protect
the
> citizens of Wichita Falls and the surrounding area have led to more
accurate
> and detailed weather information being disseminated, more timely warnings
> and quite possibly lives being saved," NOAA said in recognizing Byars and
> his ARES team.
>
> Wichita County Emergency Coordinator Dave Gaines, N5DHG, says the City of
> Wichita Falls will host an awards presentation on May 10.
>
> Three Florida radio amateurs, all ARRL members, also were recognized for
> their efforts as Amateur Radio net control operators for the NWS office in
> Ruskin, Florida, during hurricanes Charley and Frances. NOAA says Paul
Toth,
> NA4AR, of Seminole, Robert M. Stanhope, W3RMS, of Valrico and Sean C.
> Fleeman, N4SCF, of New Port Richey volunteered a total of 125 hours during
> the two storms last year.
>
> "They gave up time with their families to gather real-time reports during
> the hurricanes to enhance NWS warnings and also provided up-to-the-minute
> weather information for recovery operations in west central and southwest
> Florida," NOAA said in commending the trio.
>
> NOAA recognized 34 individuals and three organizations across the US as
> Environmental Heroes. The complete list of 2005 award recipients is on the
> NOAA Web site <http://www.noaa.gov/earthday/>.
>
> ==>ARMED FORCES DAY ON-AIR EVENT SET FOR MAY 14-15
>
> The 2005 Armed Forces Day military/amateur crossband communications test
> will take place May 14-15. The US Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and
> Coast Guard are co-sponsoring the annual event in celebration of the 55th
> anniversary of Armed Forces Day, which is Saturday, May 21. The Armed
Forces
> Day radio event is scheduled a week earlier to avoid conflicts with Dayton
> Hamvention, May 20-22.
>
> The annual Armed Forces Day on-the-air celebration features the
traditional
> military-to-amateur crossband communications SSB voice test and the
> Secretary of Defense message-receiving test. QSL cards will be provided to
> those making contact with the military stations.
>
> Special commemorative certificates will be awarded to anyone who receives
> and copies the digital Armed Forces Day message from the Secretary of
> Defense.
>
> Full details, including stations and frequencies, are on the ARRL Web site
> <http://www.arrl.org/contests/announcements/af-day/AF-Day-2005-SKED.pdf>.
>
> ==>RON BROADBENT, G3AAJ, SK
>
> Well-known Amateur Radio satellite personality Ron Broadbent, G3AAJ, died
> April 24. He was 80. Broadbent became involved with amateur satellites in
> the 1970s, and by 1978 he was serving as secretary of AMSAT-UK--a post he
> held for 16 years. AMSAT-UK Chairman Martin Sweeting, G3JYO, says
Broadbent
> became known to many as "Mr AMSAT-UK," and he called Broadbent's energy
and
> robust character "a driving force" in AMSAT as well in as the Radio
Society
> of Great Britain (RSGB) and the International Amateur Radio Union.
>
> "Ron believed passionately in the principles of Amateur Radio as a hobby,"
> Sweeting commented, "and his commitment and effort given willingly over
many
> years and supported by his wife, Beryl, were greatly appreciated by
amateurs
> worldwide."
>
> Broadbent was a 61-year veteran member of the RSGB, which he joined as a
> teenager. In 1994, he was named as an Honorary Vice-President of the RSGB.
> He was named a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1995 for
> his services to Amateur Radio.
>
> "Not one to suffer fools gladly," Sweeting said, "Ron's sometimes gruff
> exterior hid a deeply generous personality and one who was always ready to
> roll up his sleeves and get to work rather than just talk."
>
> ARRL Field and Educational Services Manager Rosalie White, K1STO, notes
that
> Broadbent was the first Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
> (ARISS) supporter from Great Britain. In 1996, he traveled to Johnson
Space
> Center at the request of ARRL and AMSAT and voted in favor of the historic
> agreement that established the fledgling ARISS international team.
>
> Until retiring in 1985, Broadbent worked for Trinity House--the general
> lighthouse authority for England, Wales, the Channel Islands and
> Gibraltar--attending to the UK's lighthouses and lightships. Following
> retirement, he went to work "12 hours a day, seven days a week and
virtually
> for free for the amateur satellite movement," the RSGB reports. For more
> than a decade, Broadbent organized the AMSAT-UK Colloquium.
>
> Concluded Sweeting, "We have lost one of amateur radio's real characters
and
> a gentleman."
>
> ==>SOLAR UPDATE
>
> Solar flash Tad "I Wear My Sunglasses At Night" Cook, K7RA, Seattle,
> Washington, reports: Over the past week sunspot numbers increased,
> recovering from days of no visible sunspots. Average daily sunspot numbers
> rose 35 points to 60.9, and average daily solar flux rose nearly 24 points
> to 107.7.
>
> Currently solar flux is expected to remain above 100 for the next couple
of
> days, then decline to below 90 after May 12. Geomagnetic conditions should
> remain quiet this weekend, becoming unsettled to active May 9-11.
Predicted
> planetary A index for May 6-13 is 10, 5, 10, 25, 20, 15, 12 and 8.
>
> Sunspot numbers for April 28 through May 4 were 71, 46, 53, 61, 55, 79 and
> 61, with a mean of 60.9. The 10.7 cm flux was 98, 105, 106.4, 111.6,
112.2,
> 112.3 and 108.7, with a mean of 107.7. Estimated planetary A indices were
4,
> 12, 21, 26, 7, 10 and 7, with a mean of 12.4. Estimated mid-latitude A
> indices were 1, 8, 13, 14, 6, 6 and 4, with a mean of 7.4.
>
> __________________________________
>
> ==>IN BRIEF:
>
> * This weekend on the radio: The New England, Nevada, Indiana and Oregon
QSO
> parties, the MARAC County Hunter Contest (CW), the US IPARC Annual Contest
> (CW). the 10-10 International Spring Contest (CW), the Microwave Spring
> Sprint, the ARI International DX Contest and the US IPARC Annual Contest
> (SSB), are the weekend of May 7-8. The RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship
> (Data) is May 11. JUST AHEAD: The Portuguese Navy Day Contest (CW/SSB),
the
> CQ-M International DX Contest, the VOLTA Worldwide RTTY Contest, the
> Mid-Atlantic QSO Party, the FISTS Spring Sprint and the 50 MHz Spring
Sprint
> are the weekend of May 14-15. The RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship (CW) is
> May 19. 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 Technician Licensing course (EC-010) remains open
> through Sunday, May 8. Class begins Friday, May 20. With the assistance of
a
> mentor, EC-010 students learn everything they need to know to pass the FCC
> Technician class license examination. To learn more, visit the ARRL
> Certification and Continuing Education Web page <http://www.arrl.org/cce/>
> 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 II on-line
course
> (EC-002) opens Monday, May 9, at 1201 AM EDT and will remain open until
all
> available seats have been filled or through the May 14-15
weekend--whichever
> comes first. Class begins Friday, May 27. Thanks to our grant
sponsors--the
> Corporation for National and Community Service and the United Technologies
> Corporation--the $45 registration fee paid upon enrollment will be
> reimbursed after successful completion of the course. ***ACT NOW! THIS IS
> THE FINAL YEAR OF THE GRANT-SUBSIDIZED CLASSES!*** Radio amateurs age 55
and
> older are strongly encouraged to participate. 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.
>
> * AO-51 to be configured in Mode V/S for Field Day: For Field Day 2005,
the
> AMSAT "Echo" (AO-51) satellite will be configured as an FM repeater in
Mode
> V/S. The uplink will be 145.920 MHz with the 67 Hz tone enabled. The
> downlink will be 2401.200 MHz. To give users the opportunity to test their
> Field Day stations, AO-51 will be configured in Mode V/S during two
periods
> leading up to Field Day. From May 19 until May 24 the satellite will be in
> Mode V/S in support of satellite demonstrations at Dayton Hamvention. From
> June 18 until June 26 (ie, the weekend and entire week before Field Day)
> AO-51 also will be in Mode V/S. These operating sessions will give Field
Day
> participants an opportunity to check out their Field Day satellite
stations
> ahead of time. The AO-51 team says working the Mode S downlink on AO-51
does
> not require expensive equipment nor even a satellite dish. Some operators
> have successfully copied the AO-51 S band downlink with minimal antennas,
> such as patch antennas, dipoles with corner reflectors or a simple
3.5-turn
> helix. If your down converter's IF is on VHF (which most are), a handheld
> transceiver or mobile FM rig will work fine as a downlink receiver. The
> uplink antenna can be any good omnidirectional mobile system. If you have
> not worked the S band downlink on AO-51 previously, a few passes
monitoring
> the downlink and practicing Doppler correction will be very helpful. The
> Doppler shift on an AO-51 pass is approximately ±50 kHz. There's more
> information available on setting up to use Echo on Field Day on the Web
site
> of AMSAT Vice President for Operations Mike Kingery, KE4AZN.
>
> * Employment opportunity at ARRL Headquarters: ARRL Headquarters invites
> applications for the position of supervisor of the Outgoing QSL Service
> within the Membership Services Department. The position may be either part
> time or full time, depending upon the candidate selected. This individual
> will supervise all aspects of the Outgoing QSL Service, including sorting
> and mailing of members' cards; ensure that the service remains current;
> manage the operation of the volunteer Incoming QSL Service (ie, QSL
> bureaus), and provide efficient service to ARRL members. This opening
> requires a high school diploma, basic computer skills and solid
> communication skills. AN AMATEUR RADIO LICENSE IS PREFERRED. The
individual
> should be familiar with general postal regulations. Responsibilities
include
> performing and reporting all aspects of the Outgoing QSL Service, serving
as
> a liaison between radio amateurs and incoming QSL bureau volunteers, and
> representing the QSL bureau. The Outgoing QSL Supervisor must be able to
> sort 6000 cards per day; keep cordial, open dialogue with QSL bureau
> managers, and routinely maintain the sorting area and store mailing
> materials. This individual also assists in checking the weekly DX Bulletin
> issued via W1AW. Relocation expenses are not available for this position,
> which is at ARRL Headquarters in Connecticut. This position and other
> employment opportunities are listed on the "Employment at ARRL" Web page
> <http://www.arrl.org/announce/jobs/>. Please send resume, cover letter and
> salary requirements to LouAnn Campanello, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT
> 06111; e-mail lcampanello at arrl.org. ARRL is an equal opportunity employer.
>
> * Guinness World Records recognizes radio amateur: According to the Radio
> Society of Great Britain, Guinness World Records Ltd has awarded a
> certificate to Finnish radio amateur Jukka Heikinheimo, OH2BR, for a
record
> number of contacts made by an individual from one location in one year.
> Operating as VP6BR from Pitcairn Island, Heikinheimo made 56,239 contacts
> between January 25 and April 21, 2000.
>
> ===========================================================
> The ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the American
> Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur Radio--225 Main
St,
> Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259;
> <http://www.arrl.org>. Jim Haynie, W5JBP, President.
>
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