[South Florida DX Association] The ARRL Letter, Vol 24, No 38

[Bill Marx]

> ***************
> The ARRL Letter
> Vol. 24, No. 38
> September 30, 2005
> ***************
>
> IN THIS EDITION:
>
> * +ARRL COO speaks on Capitol Hill about Amateur Radio's value
> * +New federal grant boosts "Ham Aid" fund for hurricane volunteers
> * +Hurricane-hit states still need Amateur Radio volunteers
> * +Vanity call sign processing suspended
> * +ARRL 2005 Toy Drive under way for hurricane victims
> * +School space contact a success with help from local club
> * +IARU seeks harmonized global ham radio response to BPL issues
> * +SSETI Express launch postponed
> *  Solar Update
> *  IN BRIEF:
>      This weekend on the radio
>      ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
>      ARRL Handbook 80th anniversary edition arrives
>     +Joel Hallas, W1ZR, is new QST Technical Editor
>      California QSO Party celebrates 40th anniversary this year
>
> +Available on ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/>
>
> ===========================================================
> ==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!):
> letter-dlvy at arrl.org
> ==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, n1rl at arrl.org
> ===========================================================
>
> ==>ARRL COO TESTIFIES ON CAPITOL HILL TO AMATEUR RADIO'S VALUE IN
DISASTERS
>
> ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B, testified on behalf of
the
> League September 29 before the US House Subcommittee on Telecommunications
> and the Internet. Addressing the hearing topic, "Public Safety
> Communications from 9/11 to Katrina: Critical Public Policy Lessons,"
Kramer
> reiterated and amplified comments ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP,
> delivered earlier this month to the House Government Reform Committee. As
> Haynie did on September 15, Kramer testified on the successful efforts of
> Amateur Radio operators who provided communications during the Hurricane
> Katrina response.
>
> "Amateur Radio was uniquely suited to this task by virtue of the
> availability of HF communications covering long distances without fixed
> infrastructure," Kramer pointed out in his testimony. In addition to those
> who responded to support relief agencies in hurricane-devastated areas,
> thousands more radio amateurs outside the affected area monitored radio
> traffic and relayed health-and-welfare messages, he said.
>
> Kramer noted that there's been a lot of discussion in recent years about
> public safety interoperability. "The Amateur Radio Service provides a good
> deal of interoperability communications for first responders in disaster
> relief incidents," he told the subcommittee. He said ham radio is able to
> fill this crucial role because even the "interoperability channels" that
> exist in most Public Safety allocations are useless when the Public Safety
> communication infrastructure goes down.
>
> "Interoperability, in short, presumes operability of Public Safety
> facilities," Kramer said. "While some 'hardening' of Public Safety
> facilities is called for, there is in our view an increasing role for
> decentralized, portable Amateur Radio stations which are not
> infrastructure-dependent in providing interoperability communication on
> site."
>
> Kramer told Subcommittee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and his House
colleagues
> that Amateur Radio "is largely invisible to both the FCC and to Congress
on
> a daily basis, because it is virtually self-regulating and
> self-administered," he said. "It is only during emergencies that the
Amateur
> Radio Service is in the spotlight." Also testifying at the subcommittee
> session was FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin, and Kramer said he had the
> opportunity to introduce himself to the chairman before the subcommittee
> convened.
>
> Kramer said he was honored to be chosen to provide the testimony on behalf
> of the ARRL. "I am proud of Amateur Radio's and our role in the Katrina
> relief effort," he added.
>
> The text of Kramer's remarks before the subcommittee are available on the
> ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/09/30/2/>.
>
> ==>FEDERAL GRANT AUGMENTS "HAM AID" FUND FOR HURRICANE VOLUNTEERS
>
> The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) will provide the
> ARRL with an additional $77,000 to support Amateur Radio operators
> volunteering in the field in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The
latest
> grant augments the recent $100,000 CNCS made available immediately
following
> the Katrina disaster. The grant money, supplemented by contributions from
> individual donors, will subsidize "Ham Aid," a new League program to help
> defray out-of pocket expenses of Amateur Radio volunteers deployed in the
> field in disaster-stricken areas.
>
> "The new funding of $77,000--added to the initial $100,000 award, for a
> total of $177,000--is gratefully accepted to assist ham radio operators
who
> have incurred expenses related to their volunteer service," said ARRL
Chief
> Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH. "The per-diem awards of $25 per
day
> up to a maximum award of four days, or $100 per person, will cover
> approximately 6000 'ham days' of service."
>
> Ham Aid also will strengthen the role Amateur Radio can play in disaster
> response by funding the preparation of complete "containerized" Amateur
> Radio HF/VHF stations that include radios, antennas, feed lines, repeaters
> and more, Hobart added. These are designed for deployment to disaster
areas
> where the Amateur Radio infrastructure has been compromised or additional
> equipment is required.
>
> The CNCS Ham Aid grant is effective for operations established and
> documented as of September 1, 2005, and the aid is earmarked for Hurricane
> Katrina deployments only at this point. Corporation funds may also sustain
> the Ham Aid program and help to rebuild the emergency communications
> capabilities in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to ensure that the Gulf
> Coast is prepared, should disaster strike again.
>
> The grants represent an emergency amendment to ARRL's three year Homeland
> Security training grant, which provided emergency communication training
to
> nearly 5500 Amateur Radio volunteer over the past three years. The recent
> grant extensions do not cover additional ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency
> Communications training program reimbursements, however.
>
> Hobart says the League will accept reimbursement request applications on a
> first-come, first served basis for as long as funds are available. For
now,
> the program only covers per-diem reimbursements between September 1 and
> December 31, 2005, although that period may be extended.
>
> The Hurricane Katrina ARRL Ham Aid Reimbursement Procedures are on the
ARRL
> Web site <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/forms/cncs/>.
>
> ==>AMATEUR RADIO VOLUNTEERS STILL NEEDED
>
> As of week's end, Amateur Radio volunteers still were needed to assist
> relief agencies in the southern Mississippi counties hardest hit by
> Hurricane Katrina. In addition ham radio volunteers were being sought to
> support Hurricane Rita FEMA operations in Texas. ARRL Alabama Section
> Manager Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, who's been at the American Red Cross
volunteer
> staging area in Montgomery for nearly a month now, says turning the
> "operator pipeline" back on after holding off on soliciting additional
> volunteers has been slow.
>
> "Three Mississippi Gulf Coast counties need amateurs in EOCs, American Red
> Cross shelters and other locations to provide reliable communication,"
> Sarratt said. He's trying to fill a need for 18 operators in Hancock
County,
> 24 in Harrison County and 9 in Jackson County. Sarratt reported he was
> already getting word on the availability of fresh recruits via the
> nationwide network of ARRL SMs and SECs <http://www.arrl.org/sections/>.
>
> Prospective volunteers may indicate their willingness to deploy by first
> signing up on the Hurricane Katrina Disaster Communications & Volunteer
> Registration and Message Traffic Database <http://katrina.ab2m.net/>, then
> awaiting word on whether to deploy. Operators should not self-deploy! If
> requested to report, they should notify their ARRL SEC.
>
> Volunteers who are asked to deploy would report to the Montgomery
marshaling
> center to receive orientation and a specific assignment. Some volunteers
> will help support communication at Red Cross shelters set up for evacuees,
> while others will provide tactical communication for feeding stations.
>
> Amateur Radio Station W4AP at the Montgomery staging facility monitors
7.280
> MHz days/3.965 MHz evenings to keep in touch with HF-equipped mobile
> operators who are traveling to or are at their assigned locations.
>
> Operators requested to deploy should be self-sufficient with some food,
> fuel, water and camping gear sufficient to cover their travel to and
> operation in affected areas. Shelters are supplying food for ham radio
> volunteers in affected communities, however.
>
> In Louisiana, where New Orleans and several parishes suffered severe
damage
> from Hurricane Katrina, SEC Gary Stratton, K5GLS, says local ARES members
> are still handling communication request and needs that arise. He says
that
> first responders are expected to enter Cameron Parish this weekend.
Amateur
> Radio volunteers have been asked to accompany law enforcement personnel to
> support their internal communication on this mission. Flood waters in
> Louisiana have been receding, and most shelters now have telephone
service,
> electricity and running water.
>
> Meanwhile, the Amateur Radio response to Hurricane Rita continues. North
> Texas SEC Bill Swan, K5MWC, reports that two teams from his section are in
> Jasper, Texas, to assist the Salvation Army. He predicts that more ham
radio
> volunteers will be called to assist after cities such as Beaumont and Port
> Arthur are reopened for residents to return.
>
> In San Augustine County, Texas, Marshall Williams, K5QE, says that up to
> eight ARES-trained Amateur Radio volunteers are needed for one week
minimum
> stints to support the FEMA-coordinated disaster relief operation with
mobile
> HF SSB and VHF FM. Prospective volunteers may register their availability
on
> the Hurricane Rita Disaster Communications Volunteer Registration &
Message
> Traffic Database <http://rita.ab2m.net/>. The FEMA support requirement is
> likely to continue for several weeks, with up to eight volunteers needed
> each week.
>
> The need is for self-contained operators who can provide their own
shelter,
> water and some or all of their food for a week. The duty tour will involve
> working in high humidity and temperatures, so anyone with medical problems
> that could be aggravated by these conditions should not volunteer for this
> assignment.
>
> The West Gulf ARES Emergency Net (7.285 MHz days/3.873 MHz evenings) is
> providing daily updates on the Hurricane Rita emergency response at noon
and
> 7 PM Central Daylight Time.
>
> ==>AMATEUR RADIO VANITY PROCESSING FALLS VICTIM TO HURRICANES
>
> The FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) has suspended the
> processing of Amateur Radio vanity call sign applications. A WTB staff
> member, speaking to ARRL on background, said the FCC halted vanity
> processing on or about September 23 after realizing that filing and
> regulatory deadline extensions for hurricane-affected licensees in certain
> states could adversely impact the vanity system. The WTB staffer pointed
out
> that the filing extensions announced this month also apply to Amateur
> Radio's two-year "grace period."
>
> "Because these extensions apply to the grace period, it could affect
vanity
> processing," the WTB staffer told ARRL. "We stopped processing when it
came
> clear that some call signs could be affected." No decision has been made
on
> when vanity processing will resume.
>
> On September 1, the FCC extended until October 31 all filing and
regulatory
> deadlines falling between August 29 and October 30 for licensees in
> Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana affected by Hurricane Katrina. On
> September 24, it extended until November 21 all filing and regulatory
> deadlines falling between September 20 and November 20 for licensees in
> Louisiana and Texas affected by Hurricane Rita.
>
> The WTB staff member emphasized that the FCC intended the deadline
> extensions to apply only to licensees who have been directly impacted by
the
> storms. "These are not statewide extensions," the staffer said.
>
> Under Part 97, Amateur Radio licensees have two years from the date of
> license expiration to renew their tickets without having to retest or risk
> losing their call signs to a vanity applicant. The staffer confirmed that
> WTB had disabled the "auto-termination" feature of the Universal Licensing
> System (ULS) so that it will not automatically cancel licenses that have
not
> been renewed by the end of the grace period.
>
> "We can't assume based on address who might be affected," the staff member
> explained, "so we're not auto-terminating anything at this point."
>
> In the meantime, the FCC is encouraging radio amateurs to continue filing
> vanity applications as they normally would. "Everything will be held in
> queue," the WTB staff member said.--thanks to Dean Gibson, AE7Q, for
> alerting ARRL to this situation
>
> ==>ARRL ANNOUNCES 2005 TOY DRIVE FOR HURRICANE VICTIMS
>
> In the wake of unprecedented hurricane devastation in the Gulf Coast
region,
> the ARRL has announced it will again sponsor a toy drive to brighten the
> holidays for youngsters left homeless or displaced as a result of the
> storms. Country singer and ARRL member Patty Loveless, KD4WUJ, has agreed
to
> serve as honorary chairperson for the 2005 toy drive. ARRL President Jim
> Haynie, W5JBP, is urging the Amateur Radio community to pitch in.
>
> "Last year, hams from all over the country brought smiles to children
during
> the holidays," Haynie said. "We made a lot of friends, and we did a lot of
> good. No one expected that we would need to do it again so soon, but the
> recent hurricanes' destruction changed the plans of a lot of people."
>
> Last year, individual radio amateurs and clubs across the US joined
together
> to collect new toys for youngsters affected by a series of four hurricanes
> in Florida. ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP,
says
> the 2004 effort was a success beyond anyone's wildest dreams, and there
was
> no question in his mind about doing another toy drive for the latest
> hurricane victims.
>
> "Not only can it be done, it really must be done. It is simply the right
> thing to do," he said. "We are asking hams from all over the country to
> begin gathering new toys for shipment to Memphis, Tennessee. ARRL Delta
> Division Vice Director Henry Leggette, WD4Q, has secured a receiving
> warehouse and is recruiting ham volunteers there."
>
> Ham radio clubs and individual amateurs should send new, unwrapped toys
for
> boys and girls aged 1 to 14 to ARRL Toy Drive, 1775 Moriah Woods
Blvd--Suite
> 12, Memphis, TN 38117-7125. Plan mailings and shipments to arrive prior to
> Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 24, for distribution over the holidays.
>
> "Just as we did last year, we are asking the donors to please put a QSL
card
> into the box with the toy," Pitts added. Non-hams are encouraged to join
> this effort too.
>
> "Early in December, we will divide the toys among the various agencies and
> states that need help the most at that point in time," Pitts explained.
"We
> are making these arrangements so that we can maximize the areas receiving
> aid while maintaining the unique identity that this is the Amateur Radio
> Community's response."
>
> Pitts says he's heard from many Amateur Radio clubs that are already
> gathering toys together. "Please check with your local club and see if
they
> are planning a mass shipment," he urged. "If not, perhaps you can help
> organize one for your area."
>
> Monetary donations to purchase new toys for special age groups and to help

> cover operational expenses also are welcome. Those wishing to donate money
> instead of toys can send a check to ARRL Toy Drive, ARRL, 225 Main St,
> Newington, CT 06111.
>
> ==>LOCAL HAM CLUB MEMBERS ASSIST IN SPACE CONTACT AT MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL
>
> A dozen youngsters from two NASA Explorer Schools (NES) spoke September 16
> via Amateur Radio with International Space Station Expedition 11 NASA
> Science Officer John Phillips, KE5DRY. The contact between W1ACT at the
> Matthew J. Kuss Middle School in Fall River, Massachusetts, and NA1SS in
> space was arranged by the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
> (ARISS) program. The audience of more than 100 parents, faculty members,
> fellow students and dignitaries was split between two locations, reports
> Roland Daignault, N1JOY, of the Fall River Amateur Radio Club/Bristol
County
> Repeater Association. Club members, who have set up a club station and
> conducted licensing classes at Kuss Middle School, assisted in the
contact.
>
> "We were set up in the Kuss library with about 50 people present,
including
> Mayor Ed Lambert, and Senator Joan Menard, who presented a citation to the
> Kuss students for their work," Daignault said. "We also set up an ATV link
> to the church hall across the street, where about 50 more people were
> watching our live video feed of the event projected onto a large screen."
> W1ACT is the call sign of the Fall River ARC. The school's club station
> equipment was used to make the successful two-way space contact.
>
> Ten of the youngsters who participated in the ARISS event were from Kuss
> Middle School. Two seventh graders from Central Park Middle School in
> Schenectady, New York, also took part in the contact. Both schools are NES
> partners. Six of the students who got to speak with Phillips are Amateur
> Radio licensees.
>
> The event drew a great deal of media attention with reporters from three
> television stations from nearby Providence, Rhode Island, the Comcast
local
> access cable channel, Fall River Educational Television (FRED-TV), and two
> newspapers in attendance. In addition, the Museum of Science, Boston, was
> doing a documentary of the school contact, Daignault said.
>
> The youngsters managed to ask Phillips 22 of the 24 questions they had on
> their list. Among other things, they asked what ham radio equipment the
ISS
> had onboard, if Phillips thought a person with special needs could ever
work
> on the ISS and if becoming an astronaut was his first career choice.
>
> Mentoring and attending the Massachusetts event was ARISS International
> Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO.
>
> "Needless to say, there were plenty of smiling faces at the end of the
> event," Daignault commented.
>
> ARISS is an international educational outreach with US participation by
> ARRL, AMSAT and NASA.
>
> ==>IARU EYES GLOBAL COORDINATION OF AMATEUR RADIO'S BPL/EMC RESPONSE
>
> The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Administrative Council will
> explore ways to improve the coordination of Amateur Radio's representation
> on electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) issues at national, regional and
> global forums. Meeting September 17-18 in Zurich, Switzerland, the Council
> also made further progress firming up plans to deal with Amateur
> Radio-related issues at World Radiocommunication Conference 2007 (WRC-07).
>
> The Council requested the International Secretariat (ARRL)--in conjunction
> with the EMC advisor--seek ways to better harmonize Amateur Radio's EMC
> response at meetings and conferences. The study, prompted mainly by
concerns
> about interference from broadband over power line (BPL), is to be
completed
> by year's end. The objective is to recommend steps, subject to Council
> approval, to arrive at a more unified Amateur Radio position regarding BPL
> and EMC and to "maintain a favorable EMC environment for radio services."
>
> At its October 2004 session, the Administrative Council adopted a
resolution
> concerning potential interference to radio services from BPL systems. The
> Council resolved to urge member-societies to make national administrations
> and standards bodies aware of their obligations under the international
> Radio Regulations. Those rules, in part, call on administrations to "take
> all practicable and necessary steps to ensure that the operation of
> electrical apparatus or installations of any kind, including power and
> telecommunication distribution networks . . . does not cause harmful
> interference to a radiocommunication service."
>
> A principal focus was on WRC-07 preparations. The Administrative Council
> affirmed the IARU's positions on agenda items. WRC-07 issues facing
Amateur
> Radio include the possible identification of additional HF spectrum
between
> 4 and 10 MHz for broadcasting, which could put pressure on other services.
A
> possible international amateur allocation in the vicinity of 136 kHz is
also
> on the agenda.
>
> In other business, the Council established a small working group to
develop
> an international emergency communications handbook for radio amateurs
based
> on existing texts. The International Secretariat (ARRL) was requested to
> produce a brochure on Amateur Radio response to emergencies.
>
> The Council thanked Bob Knowles, ZL1BAD, for his more than 20 years of
> volunteer service as IARU Monitoring System (IARUMS) International
> Coordinator. Knowles recently stepped down from the position, which he'd
> occupied since the inception of IARUMS.
>
> Attending the gathering were IARU President Larry Price, W4RA; Vice
> President Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA; Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ; Ole
> Garpestad, LA2RR; Don Beattie, G3BJ; Hans Blondeel Timmerman, PB2T; ARRL
> International Affairs Vice President Rod Stafford, W6ROD; Dario Jurado,
> HP1DJ; Y. S. Park, HL1IFM; Chandru Ramchandra, VU2RCR; Yoshi Sekido,
JJ1OEY,
> and Recording Secretary Paul Rinaldo, W4RI.
>
> ==>SSETI EXPRESS LAUNCH DELAYED INDEFINITELY
>
> The launch of the Student Space Exploration and Technology Initiative
> (SSETI) Express satellite, which will carry an Amateur Radio package, has
> been postponed indefinitely. That announcement this week from SSETI
Express
> Project Manager Neil Melville put a damper on the enthusiasm building in
> anticipation of a planned September 30 launch. Melville blamed the delay
on
> the failure of another spacecraft set to go into space during the launch
> from Russia.
>
> "Early indications suggest that we have a delay of at least one month, but
> this is not confirmed," he said. "This is, of course, very unfortunate,
but
> it is not critical," he went on. "The spacecraft can easily wait for the
new
> launch date without any significant problems, and we will fly it as soon
as
> we can." When it does fly, the SSETI Express, which also carries three
> CubeSat picosatellites, will leave Earth from Plesetsk Cosmodrome via a
> Cosmos-3M LV vehicle.
>
> The Cosmos-3M will deploy the Topsat, China DMC and the low-Earth orbit 60
> kg SSETI Express satellites. Plans call for downlinking AX.25 telemetry at
> 9.6 kb on 437.250 MHz and at 38.4 kb on 2401.835 MHz. The satellite will
be
> turned into a single-channel amateur FM voice Mode U/S transponder after
the
> transmitter serves initial telemetry duty.
>
> SSETI Express will, in turn, release the three CubeSats--NCUBE-2, UWE-1,
and
> XI-V. The XI-V ("sai five") package will include a CW beacon on 437.465
MHz
> and FM packet on 437.345 MHz.
>
> The ESA SSETI Express initiative has brought together students from two
> dozen European universities via the Internet to build and launch a
> satellite. ESA provides managerial and technical coordination.
>
> There's more information on the AMSAT-UK Web site, www.uk.amsat.org/ and
on
> the AMSAT-NA Web site, www.amsat.org.
>
> "We'll get there eventually," Melville optimistically concluded this week.
> "Watch this space."
>
> ==>SOLAR UPDATE
>
> Sunspot seeker Tad "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" Cook, K7RA, Seattle,
> Washington, reports: Average daily sunspot numbers dropped over the past
> week by more than 16 points to 29.7. Solar flux values were down 20 points
> to 80.2. The week was quiet with no geomagnetic storms. September 26-28
had
> the most geomagnetic activity, but it was all pretty mild. The K index for
> middle latitude and planetary readings only went to 3 or 4 on occasion and
> quickly dropped back to 2.
>
> The forecast for the next few days, September 30 to October 2, is for low
> sunspot activity. The next peak of activity may be when sunspot 798
returns.
> It's currently on the sun's far side. That activity should peak around
> October 14-16.
>
> The geomagnetic prediction for this weekend is for mild to unsettled
> conditions, with the planetary A index for September 30 through October 3
at
> 15, 15, 12 and 12. Prague Geophysical Institute predicts quiet conditions
> for October 5 and 6, quiet to unsettled conditions October 3 and 4, and
> unsettled conditions September 30 through October 2.
>
> Sunspot numbers for September 22 through 28 were 28, 49, 33, 28, 25, 23
and
> 22, with a mean of 29.7. The 10.7 cm flux was 83.7, 82.8, 81.4, 81, 81.3,
> 76.9, and 74.6, with a mean of 80.2. Estimated planetary A indices were 8,
> 8, 4, 5, 14, 13 and 12, with a mean of 9.1. Estimated mid-latitude A
indices
> were 6, 5, 2, 3, 9, 10 and 12, with a mean of 6.7.
>
> __________________________________
>
> ==>IN BRIEF:
>
> * This weekend on the radio: The California QSO Party, the TARA PSK Rumble
> Contest, the Oceania DX Contest (SSB), the International HELL-Contest, the
> EU Autumn Sprint (SSB), the PRO CW Contest, the UBA ON Contest (SSB) and
the
> RSGB 21/28 MHz Contest (SSB) are the weekend of Oct 1-2. JUST AHEAD: The
> German Telegraphy Contest is October 3. The YLRL Anniversary Party (CW) is
> October 5-7. the 432 MHz Fall Sprint is October 5 and the SARL 80-Meter
QSO
> Party is October 6. The Pennsylvania QSO Party, the FISTS Fall Sprint, the
> North American Sprint (RTTY), the Makrothen RTTY Contest, the Oceania DX
> Contest (CW), EU Autumn Sprint (CW) and the UBA ON Contest (CW) are the
> weekend of October 8-9. The 10-10 International 10-10 Day Sprint is
October
> 10. The NAQCC 80/40 Straight Key/Bug Sprint is October 12. 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 is open through Sunday, October 2, for these ARRL
Certification
> and Continuing Education courses: ARRL Radio Frequency Interference
> (EC-006); ARRL Antenna Design and Construction (EC-009); ARRL Technician
> Licensing (EC-010); ARRL Analog Electronics (EC-012) and ARRL Digital
> Electronics (EC-013). All classes begin Friday, October 14. To learn more
> and to see a description of these and other on-line courses, visit the
ARRL
> Certification and Continuing Education Web page <http://www.arrl.org/cce>
or
> contact the ARRL CCE Department <cce at arrl.org>.
>
> * ARRL Handbook 80th anniversary edition arrives: A truck convoy of
> 18-wheelers rolled up to the ARRL warehouse September 28, delivering
> thousands of copies of the newest ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications.
> The 2006 edition marks the Handbook's 80th anniversary, and the
> publication's arrival at the ARRL warehouse means copies will be shipping
> very soon. ARRL technical editor Dean Straw, N6BV, served as the principal
> editor for this 83rd edition. The 2006 Handbook includes a new high-power
HF
> linear amplifier project. Built around the Eimac 3CX1500D7, the design is
> the brainchild of Jerry Pittenger, K8RA (see October 2005 QST, p 13). To
> celebrate this special Handbook anniversary, those placing early orders
for
> the 2006 edition will receive a reproduction of the very first edition of
> The Radio Amateur's Handbook. Published in 1926 and authored by the late
> ARRL Communications Manager Francis Edward "Ed" Handy, W1BDI, this
224-page
> volume is a facsimile of Handy's signed, personal "desk copy" and even
> includes some of his handwritten notes. While supplies last, the 2006
> Handbook offer is available only directly from ARRL and from select ARRL
> publication dealers. The 2006 Handbook comes with The ARRL Handbook on
> CD-ROM Ver 10.0--fully searchable with additional software and reference
> material. Early Handbook orders begin shipping the first week of October.
> The ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications is $54.95 in hardcover, $39.95
in
> softcover. Visit the ARRL on-line catalog
> <http://www.arrl.org/catalog/?item=no-hb2006>.
>
> * Joel Hallas, W1ZR, is new QST Technical Editor: Joel Hallas, W1ZR, has
> been promoted to the position of QST Technical Editor. Hallas, who had
been
> serving as the magazine's "Product Review" editor, replaces Stu Cohen,
N1SC,
> who has departed the ARRL Headquarters staff. "Joel brings a strong
> technical and management background to his new position, which involves
> planning the technical content of QST and ensuring that it is of the
highest
> quality and useful to ARRL members," QST Managing Editor Joel Kleinman,
> N1BKE, said in announcing the change. Hallas also is a member of the team
> that reviews technical articles submitted for QST publication. He holds
> bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering and has been on
> the ARRL Headquarters staff for two years. Congratulations, Joel! Former
> ARRL Chief Operating Officer Mark Wilson, K1RO, has taken on "Product
> Review" editorial responsibilities. In recent additions to the ARRL staff:
> Devon Neal has joined the Graphics Department. A graduate of Porter &
> Chester Institute, his responsibilities include creating schematics and
> illustrations for QST and other League publications. Lisa Riendeau has
> joined the ARRL VEC Department. She brings seven years' experience in
> customer service to her new position at ARRL. Welcome aboard!
>
> * California QSO party celebrates 40th anniversary this year: The 40th
> anniversary celebration of the California QSO Party (CQP) is the weekend
of
> October 1-2. All 58 California counties are expected to be on the air for
> the event. Tom Frenaye, formerly WB6KIL and now K1KI (and ARRL's New
England
> Division Director), and Gene Hoelzle, WB6EUZ, organized the first running
of
> the CQP while still in high school. The Northern California Contest Club
> (NCCC) took over its sponsorship in 1975. A special-edition CQP T-shirt is
> available for those making 100 contacts during the event and submitting
> their logs along with $12 ($15 for DX entries, for whom the 100-QSO
minimum
> is waived). Specify size: M/L/XL/XXL. More information is on the CQP Web
> site <http://www.cqp.org>.--Marc Ziegler, W6ZZZ
>
> ===========================================================
> 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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