[South Florida DX Association] The ARRL Letter, Vol 25, No 07

[Bill Marx]

 ***************
> The ARRL Letter
> Vol. 25, No. 07
> February 17, 2006
> ***************
>
> ===========================================================
> ***THIS WEEKEND: THE ARRL INTERNATIONAL DX CONTEST (CW)!***
> ===========================================================
>
> IN THIS EDITION:
>
> * +No news on fate of the Morse code requirement
> * +SuitSat-1 heads into third week of operation
> * +Oklahoma, Texas schools work ISS on consecutive orbits
> * +ARRL cites BPL database irregularities in complaint
> * +NA1SS, RS0ISS log Peter I QSOs from space
> *  W1AW Endowment Fund kicks off 2006 campaign
> * +DXer Charles Mellen, W1FH, SK
> *  Solar Update
> *  IN BRIEF:
>     This weekend on the radio: THE ARRL INTERNATIONAL DX CONTEST (CW)!
>     ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
>    +Utility steps back from North Idaho BPL test deployment
>     Direct FAX number now available for DXCC
>     Stu Cohen, N1SC, wins January QST Cover Plaque Award
>     Correction
>
> +Available on ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/>
>
> ===========================================================
> NOTE: ARRL Headquarters is closed Monday, February 20, for Presidents' 
> Day.
> It will reopen Tuesday, February 21, at 8 AM EST. Have a safe and 
> enjoyable
> holiday weekend.
> ===========================================================
> ==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!):
> letter-dlvy at arrl.org
> ==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, n1rl at arrl.org
> ===========================================================
>
> ==>FCC NONCOMMITTAL ON "MORSE CODE" PROCEEDING ACTION
>
> Just when the FCC will act on the "Morse code" proceeding, WT Docket 
> 05-235,
> remains hazy. The Commission released a Notice of Proposed Rule Making and
> Order (NPRM&O) last July proposing to eliminate the Element 1 (5 WPM) 
> Morse
> code requirement for all license classes. The Amateur Radio community has
> filed more than 3800 comments on the proceeding, and additional comments
> continue to show up, even though the formal comment deadline was last
> October 31 (with reply comments by November 14). The next--and
> most-anticipated--step for the Commission is to formally adopt any 
> revisions
> to its rules and conclude the proceeding with a Report and Order (R&O) 
> that
> spells out the changes and specifies their effective date.
>
> "There really is no news," an FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau 
> staffer
> told ARRL this week on background. "We certainly hope to release WT Docket
> 05-235 sometime this year, but we're not making any predictions at this
> time. We certainly are not saving up any big announcements for Dayton
> Hamvention."
>
> Beyond eliminating the Morse requirement, the FCC declined proposing any
> other suggested changes to the Amateur Service.
>
> The proceeding began with 18 petitions for rule making--many just calling
> for the elimination of the Morse requirement but some asking for more
> far-reaching changes in the Amateur Service rules. The various petitions
> attracted a total of some 6200 comments. The FCC subsequently consolidated
> the petitions--including one from the ARRL asking the FCC to establish a 
> new
> entry-level license class and to retain the Morse requirement only for
> Amateur Extra class applicants--into a single proceeding designated WT
> 05-235.
>
> The FCC has not proposed extending HF privileges to current Technician
> licensees who have not passed a Morse code examination. In its NPRM&O the
> FCC suggested that in a no-Morse-requirement regime, "codeless Techs" 
> could
> gain HF access by taking the Element 3 General class written examination.
>
> Any FCC decision to eliminate the 5 WPM Morse code requirement for HF 
> access
> would have *no* impact on either the current HF CW-only subbands or on the
> CW privileges of Amateur Radio licensees.
>
> Before it releases an R&O on the Morse code proceeding, however, the WTB
> wants to wrap up action in another Amateur Radio-related docket--the 
> "Phone
> Band Expansion" (or "Omnibus") NPRM in WT Docket 04-140, released April 
> 15,
> 2004. A dozen petitions for rulemaking, some dating back to 2001, were
> consolidated in the Omnibus proceeding.
>
> In that NPRM, the Commission proposed to go along with the ARRL's Novice
> refarming plan aimed at reallocating the current Novice/Tech Plus subbands
> and expanding portions of the 80, 40 and 15 meter phone bands. The FCC 
> also
> agreed with an ARRL proposal to extend privileges in the current General
> CW-only HF subbands to present Novice and Tech Plus licensees (or
> Technicians with Element 1 credit). WT 04-140 further proposed to
> essentially do away with FCC rules prohibiting the manufacture and 
> marketing
> to Amateur Radio operators of amplifiers capable of operation on 12 and 10
> meters.
>
> ==>SUITSAT-1 BATTERY VOLTAGE MAY BE ON DOWNWARD SLIDE
>
> Heading into its third week of operation, SuitSat-1
> <http://www.suitsat.org/> continued to put out a faint signal on 145.990
> MHz. While hearing the spacesuit-satellite's telemetry and voice messages
> can be difficult even for the best-equipped stations, recent
> as-yet-unconfirmed reports suggest that SuitSat-1's battery voltage could 
> be
> entering a death spiral. ARRL Member Richard Crow, N2SPI, has been 
> tracking
> the satellite's battery voltage, nominally 28 V. While it's been dropping
> incrementally, Crow noticed a "noticeable acceleration" at week's end. 
> While
> conceding that he's "going out on a limb" because SuitSat-1's signal was
> noisy on its last pass over his QTH, Crow believes he heard the voice
> telemetry announce 18.3 V, a precipitous drop from earlier orbits.
>
> "If this is so, the battery voltage may have dropped another 6.9 volts in
> only 8 hours," he commented. "If so, the battery voltage is dropping like 
> a
> rock." ARRL member AJ Farmer, AJ3U, has posted the reports on his Web site
> <http://www.aj3u.com/blog> and invites others. Crow says he won't add the
> still-questionable reading to his table until the battery voltage is
> verified or corroborated.
>
> Not taking any chances, however, SuitSat-1's sponsor--the Amateur Radio on
> the International Space Station (ARISS) program--issued an urgent call for
> appropriately equipped Earth stations to make every effort to copy
> SuitSat-1's voice telemetry reports. ARISS US Hardware Manager Lou 
> McFadin,
> W5DID, who was directly involved in the construction of the SuitSat-1
> package, says he and others on his team have been following the voltage
> reports with great interest.
>
> "Your efforts to gather the telemetry data are very much appreciated and
> will contribute to further success should we get the opportunity to build 
> a
> second SuitSat," McFadin said today. "The power system is designed to
> squeeze every drop of power out of the batteries that is possible." Post
> telemetry reports or recordings to <suitsat at comcast.net>.
>
> Deployed from the International Space Station on February 3, SuitSat-1
> already has outlasted its initially predicted one-week active life.
>
> McFadin explained that SuitSat-1's battery current will rise as its 
> battery
> voltage drops. "That is the power system's attempt to keep the transmitter
> voltage at 12 V," he noted. "As the battery voltage nears 12 V, the
> regulator will no longer be able to maintain 12 V output. At a battery
> voltage below 9 V all transmissions will cease."
>
> He says that while SuitSat-1's computer will continue to operate down to 3
> V, the transmitter will shut down and SuitSat-1 will appear dead. "I 
> expect
> this drop-off to occur very rapidly," McFadin added, expressing 
> appreciation
> for the dedication of those who have helped monitor SuitSat-1.
>
> Extremely low transmitter output power has been one explanation for
> SuitSat-1's faint signal. AMSAT-NA calculations last weekend suggested 
> that
> SuitSat-1's transmitter is likely putting out between 1 and 10 mW instead 
> of
> the 500 mW it was supposed to produce.
>
> Its puny signal aside, the novel SuitSat-1 Amateur Radio transmit-only
> spacesuit turned satellite has been heard around the globe since its 
> launch
> by the International Space Station crew. ARRL ARISS Program Manager 
> Rosalie
> White, K1STO, said the past week has brought reports from teachers who've
> integrated SuitSat-1 monitoring into their classroom lessons.
>
> "Thank you to the SuitSat team for the opportunity to have students 
> involved
> in such an exciting space project," teacher Neil Carleton, VE3NCE, at R.
> Tait McKenzie Public School in Almonte, Ontario, said. "It's been a week 
> of
> adventure, and I'm happy to report on the involvement of my class as part 
> of
> our grade 6 science studies of space."
>
> SuitSat-1's transmission order is: DTMF tone, CW ID, SSTV image, 30 
> seconds
> of silence, voice identification, mission time, temperature and battery
> voltage. The voice messages, telemetry and SSTV image are being sent on a
> nine-minute repeating cycle. ARISS International Chairman Frank Bauer,
> KA3HDO, said the SuitSat team plans to provide special recognition to the
> person who copies the last SuitSat telemetry, and in particular the 
> mission
> time and battery voltage.
>
> AMSAT-NA has designated SuitSat-1 as AMSAT-OSCAR 54 (AO-54). By week's 
> end,
> SuitSat-1 had completed more than 200 orbits of Earth. Since its 
> deployment,
> SuitSat-1 has shed a piece of debris. Speculation is that it could be a
> glove or another piece of the spacesuit.
>
> More information on the SuitSat-1 project, including QSL information, is
> available on the AMSAT Web site <http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/index.php>
> and on the SuitSat Web site <http://www.suitsat.org>.
>
> ==>BACK-TO-BACK ARISS SCHOOL QSOS ATTEST TO AMBITIOUS CONTACT SCHEDULE
>
> Some schools have waited years for a chance to speak via ham radio with 
> the
> crew of the International Space Station. In part to catch up on the 
> backlog,
> the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program has
> adopted a more ambitious roster of ARISS school group contacts, working
> around the crew's work schedule to arrange as many as two or three such 
> QSOs
> per week. On February 7, ARISS managed to squeeze in two school contacts 
> in
> the same day on consecutive ISS orbits. Both Dale High School in Dale,
> Oklahoma, and DeGolyer Elementary School in Dallas, Texas, had submitted
> contact applications to ARISS some five years earlier.
>
> "We got the first pass," said Dale High School control op Ron Cochrane,
> KD5GEZ, whose grandson Justin, now a high school freshman, inspired the
> application to ARISS while in elementary school.
>
> "When we knew that they were going to be coming back around in another 
> hour
> and a half, every one of the same kids who had asked questions before came
> back and were sitting around the radio listening to Dallas and all their
> questions," Cochrane continued. He said the activity attracted attention
> from other students who slipped into the room to listen in on the DeGolyer
> contact too.
>
> Dale School Counselor Karren Cantrell said the opportunity for students in
> the community to talk to McArthur "was huge for a little country school" 
> in
> Oklahoma. "The students in grades 3 through 12 were very wide-eyed and 
> alert
> during this event," she said. "For a period of about 10 minutes, our kids
> were in another world--literally." Cochrane says perhaps as many as 1000
> students, parents, visitors and members of the news media gathered for the
> school system-wide assembly. So intense was the interest, "you could have
> heard a pin drop," Cochrane said. "Everybody was just locked in."
>
> Those taking part in the contact, all ninth grade science
> students--including Justin Cochrane, wanted to know about an astronaut's
> training, food aboard the ISS, and whether it's scary to travel to and 
> work
> in space. Keith Pugh, W5IU--the ARISS mentor for both the Dale and 
> DeGolyer
> events--said McArthur answered 15 of the students' questions during the
> 20-degree pass before the ISS went out of range.
>
> ARRL Oklahoma Section Manager John Thomason, WB5SYT, says efforts are 
> under
> way to use the successful Dale High School ARISS contact as a springboard 
> to
> have Amateur Radio licensing become a part of the school's curriculum.
> Thomason and ARRL West Gulf Director Coy Day, N5OK, represented the League
> at the event.
>
> At DeGolyer Elementary, current and former students gathered to take part 
> in
> the ARISS school group contact on the subsequent ISS orbit. DeGolyer, the
> first Amateur Radio Education and Technology Program (aka "The Big 
> Project")
> pilot school, boasts its own club station, K5DES, and many ham radio
> licensees. Bob Landrum, W5FKN, was at the controls for the contact, and 
> all
> of the youngsters participating in the contact were Amateur Radio 
> operators
> who had been encouraged and "Elmered" by art teacher Sanlyn Kent, KD5LXO,
> and teaching assistant Richard Aguilar, K5LXM.
>
> The DeGolyer pupils also asked about space food, the effects of 
> microgravity
> and what jobs onboard the ISS they enjoy or don't enjoy. "The DeGolyer
> contact went off without a hitch before a crowd that filled the auditorium
> plus closed-circuit TV to the rest of the school," Pugh reported, adding
> that the youngsters asked 17 questions during the 35-degree pass. The 
> event
> also got good news media coverage. "The DeGolyer crew was able to listen 
> to
> the Dale contact prior to their event," he noted.
>
> Stopping by for the occasion were ARRL President Emeritus Jim Haynie, 
> W5JBP,
> and ARRL North Texas Section Manager Tom Blackwell, N5GAR.
>
> Owing largely to the accelerated ARISS school group contact schedule, ISS
> Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, recently topped the 
> previous
> record for the most such QSOs in a single mission, and Expedition 12 still
> has some six weeks to go. As of February 15, McArthur and crewmate Valeri
> Tokarev had logged a total of 25 school contacts from NA1SS and 
> RS0ISS--all
> but one by McArthur. This past week, McArthur also topped 100 entities in
> his effort to complete DXCC from space. Since DXCC rules make no 
> provisions
> for contacts from space, he'll have to settle for an honorary DXCC
> certificate.
>
> ARISS <http://www.rac.ca/ariss> is an international educational outreach
> with US participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA.
>
> ==>LEAGUE COMPLAINS TO FCC ABOUT BPL DATABASE IRREGULARITIES
>
> Describing the FCC-mandated BPL Interference Resolution Web site
> <http://www.bpldatabase.org/> as "woefully incomplete and improperly
> managed," the ARRL has called on the FCC to order database manager United
> Telecomm Council (UTC) to fix it immediately or appoint "a competent
> database manager" to repair the problems.
>
> "The database management is either shamefully incompetent on the part of 
> UTC
> or simply nonexistent," the ARRL said in a complaint this week to the 
> FCC's
> Office of Engineering and Technology (OET). "The database is merely 
> 'garbage
> in, garbage out,' and in its present form cannot serve any useful purpose 
> at
> all, much less a 'sufficient' means of addressing BPL interference."
>
> In a related development, UTC has terminated the ARRL's access to the BPL
> Interference Resolution Web site, and the League plans to file a separate
> complaint to the FCC on that issue. League efforts to access the database
> yielded this error message: "The system has determined that this line of
> searching constitues [sic] unauthorized use of the database. Cease
> operations immediately."
>
> The BPL database should be accessible from other ISPs, however, and the 
> ARRL
> wants to hear from anyone else spotting discrepancies as well as from 
> those
> whose database access has been curtailed or cut off.
>
> The ARRL already has complained about the UTC database's use of ZIP codes 
> as
> a sole database access key. To simplify searches, the League has requested
> that the FCC require UTC to provide a list of ZIP codes where BPL systems
> are on line or pending.
>
> The FCC ordered creation of the BPL Interference Resolution database to
> provide licensed spectrum users a central, public information source on
> local BPL operations to help resolve incidents of harmful interference.
> Commission rules require BPL operators to provide the name of the BPL
> provider, frequencies of operation, postal ZIP codes served, manufacturer
> and type of BPL equipment, a point-of-contact telephone number and e-mail
> address for interference inquiries and resolution, and the proposed or
> actual date the system will start operation.
>
> Having correct and up-to-date information in the BPL Interference 
> Resolution
> Database benefits both BPL providers and licensed services, the League has
> pointed out. For example, a radio amateur suspecting BPL interference 
> might
> be able to rule out the possibility by consulting the database.
>
> ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI--the League's point man on BPL
> technical issues--says that while the BPL database has its shortcomings,
> ARRL staff have until now made extensive use of it to help radio amateurs
> deal appropriately with interference issues.
>
> "In the past, when amateurs have reported BPL interference, one industry
> response has been to claim that the amateur station is hearing some other
> noise and thinking that it's BPL," Hare said. The BPL database makes it
> possible to baseline noise levels in advance of a BPL deployment and can
> even help to prevent erroneous interference reports, he pointed out.
>
> "The UTC's escalating restrictions on access to the database will serve
> little other purpose than to make it harder for amateurs to identify BPL
> interference correctly," Hare remarked.
>
> The ARRL complaint said the FCC should require UTC "to revisit every entry
> in the database and verify independently the information provided."
> Alternatively, the League requested that the FCC relieve UTC as database
> manager and appoint a new one that will supervise it properly.
>
> "The fox, therefore, should be withdrawn from the henhouse," the League
> said.
>
> Attached to the League's letter of complaint was a compilation of BPL
> database errors and omissions the ARRL discovered between January 27 and
> February 14, 2006. "There may be others," the ARRL noted. The League said
> the FCC is obliged under Part 15 to apply sanctions on BPL providers not
> complying with the database requirements.
>
> Most noteworthy among the alleged violators are the Briarcliff Manor, New
> York, and Allentown, Pennsylvania-area BPL systems that have been the 
> cause
> of substantial interference to Amateur Radio stations. The League recently
> asked the FCC to shut down the Briarcliff Manor system because of
> longstanding interference complaints. Such BPL operators have no incentive
> to comply with the database requirements because "their scofflaw 
> attitudes"
> toward the few BPL regulations in place have been rewarded by FCC 
> inaction,
> the ARRL complaint said.
>
> A copy of the League's complaint is on the ARRL Web site
> <http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/filings/BPL-Database-Content-Complain
> t.pdf>.
>
> ==>3Y0X AND NA1SS LOG HISTORIC QSO
>
> Completing an overhaul of the International Space Station's exercise
> treadmill cut into Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur's ham radio time
> from NA1SS. But when he did get on the radio February 13, he made 
> excellent
> use of the time remaining.
>
> "Only one contact," McArthur reported. "3Y0X! Thanks!" The 2-meter contact
> between the space station and the Peter I Island DXpedition
> <http://www.peterone.com/main.htm> near Antarctica occurred during a 
> barely
> viable 2-degree pass. The 3Y0X QSO pushed McArthur's count of DXCC 
> entities
> worked from space to 104. McArthur already has worked all states and all
> continents during his duty tour aboard the ISS.
>
> On the Peter I Island end of the contact was 3Y0X DXpedition team member
> Gordon Hardman, W0RUN. McArthur, who's KC5ACR, reports he and Hardman
> enjoyed "a brief, but nice chat."
>
> Because the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Phase 
> 2
> gear is in crossband repeater mode for SuitSat-1, McArthur used the
> lower-power Phase 1 Ericsson 2-meter gear for the contact. He reported 
> good
> copy on 3Y0X, which was using its moonbounce equipment and array for the
> event. The 3Y0X team already was celebrating the nine moonbounce contacts 
> it
> had made over the previous weekend.
>
> Operating as RS0ISS, McArthur's crewmate Valeri Tokarev also got in a QSO
> this week with a Russian member of the 3Y0X DXpedition team.
>
> Topping the Peter I Web site I is the comment, "More people have flown in
> outer space than have set foot on Peter I Island!" ARISS Ham Radio Project
> Engineer Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, notes that the 3Y0X DXpedition is the 
> first
> to work someone in space from that location.
>
> McArthur earlier worked the 3Y0X DXpedition team while it was still en 
> route
> and operating as XR9A/mm. Previous tries at a 3Y0X-NA1SS contact were
> unsuccessful, but Ransom thinks a recent change in the space station's
> orientation may have contributed to this week's success.
>
> ==>HELP SUPPORT W1AW . . . MORE THAN AN AMATEUR RADIO TRADITION!
>
> Since its dedication in 1938, ARRL Maxim Memorial Station W1AW has served 
> as
> a beacon for the Amateur Radio community in the US and around the world.
> While a symbol of the past, W1AW continues to play an active role in 
> Amateur
> Radio's present and in helping to forge its future. Now you can take part 
> in
> helping to preserve and advance W1AW as a tradition and a trendsetter. 
> ARRL
> is working to build a permanent fund to cover W1AW's annual operations and
> capital needs.
>
> "Your support will help keep W1AW at the cutting edge of technology," said
> ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. "I know you share with me a strong sense of
> history and a desire for W1AW to continue as an active and vibrant 
> station,
> contributing to the Amateur Radio community for years to come."
>
> Experiments at W1AW include work with cutting-edge digital technologies 
> and
> satellite reception techniques. Continuing traditions are code practice 
> and
> bulletin transmissions.
>
> The stop at the historic little brick building in front of ARRL 
> Headquarters
> also is the highlight of any visit to the League. Radio amateurs thrill at
> having the opportunity to operate from W1AW, often generating pileups of
> stations equally excited about making a contact with what may be the 
> world's
> best-known ham radio call sign.
>
> The League invites contributions in any amount--or a pledge spread out 
> over
> time to the W1AW Endowment Fund <http://www.arrl.org/endoww1aw.html>. Help
> to ensure that W1AW will remain the flagship station of the ARRL! For
> information on other giving options, contact ARRL Chief Development 
> Officer
> Mary Hobart, K1MMH, <mhobart at arrl.org>; 860-594-0397.
>
> ==>LEGENDARY DXer CHARLES MELLEN, W1FH, SK
>
> DXing icon Charles Mellen, W1FH, of W Roxbury, Massachusetts, died January
> 21. He was 91. In 1947, the ARRL awarded Mellen with the first mixed-mode
> and phone DXCC certificates ever issued. Mellen's friend (and ARRL Rhode
> Island Section Manager) Bob Beaudet, W1YRC, says that if Mellen's 
> declining
> health hadn't intervened in the early 1990s, he would have become the only
> DXer left to have worked and confirmed all 393 post-World War II DXCC
> entities.
>
> "The great world of DX is a bit smaller today," said Beaudet, calling 
> Mellen
> "one of the finest role models our DX fraternity has ever produced."
>
> Licensed in 1930, Mellen was inducted into the CQ DX Hall of Fame in 1994.
> In addition to being an ARRL member, he also belonged to the First Class 
> CW
> Operators Club (FOC).
>
> Beaudet says Mellen was able to achieve world-class DXer status despite 
> his
> "relatively modest setup." Bruce Marshall, K1AJ, says that during the 
> 1940s,
> 50s and 60s, Mellen was one of the best-known DXers in the US, and he and
> the renowned and far-better-equipped Don Wallace, W6AM "were constantly
> battling for the top of the Honor Roll list."
>
> According to those who knew him, Beaudet said, Mellen's secret was 
> something
> he never bragged about but taught by example: Operator skill, and 
> especially
> knowing how to listen carefully.
>
> Survivors include Mellen's wife, Mary, and a daughter. The family invites
> memorial contributions to the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of New England, 514
> Parker St, Boston, MA 02120, or to the MSPCA Development Office, 350 S
> Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02130.--some information from The Daily DX
> <http://www.dailydx.com> and the Boston Globe
>
> ==>SOLAR UPDATE
>
> Sun Watcher Tad "Black Hole Sun" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports:
> Average daily sunspot numbers this week rose by more than 7 points to 9.
> Expect to see even longer stretches with no sunspots over the next year.
>
> THE ARRL INTERNATIONAL DX CONTEST (CW) is this weekend. Sunspot 854 is
> pointing straight at us, but it is tiny. Look for sunspot numbers and 
> solar
> flux to rise only slightly, if at all, and for quiet geomagnetic 
> conditions.
>
> Based on the previous solar rotation, Wednesday, February 22 looks like it
> may show some fairly active geomagnetic conditions. Geophysical Institute
> Prague predicts slightly different conditions, with February 19 unsettled 
> to
> active, and February 21 and 22 just unsettled. The prediction is for quiet
> geomagnetic conditions Friday and Saturday, February 17 and 18, only
> slightly unsettled geomagnetic conditions on Sunday, February 19, and 
> quiet
> to unsettled geomagnetic conditions February 20 and 23.
>
> Sunspot numbers for February 9 through 15 were 24, 13, 11, 0, 0, 0 and 15,
> with a mean of 9. The 10.7 cm flux was 74.8, 75.2, 76, 76, 76.3, 77.3, and
> 78.5, with a mean of 76.3. Estimated planetary A indices were 2, 2, 6, 3, 
> 2,
> 1 and 12, with a mean of 4. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 2, 2, 4,
> 2, 2, 1 and 7, with a mean of 2.9.
>
> ==>IN BRIEF:
>
> * This weekend on the radio: THE ARRL INTERNATIONAL DX CONTEST (CW) is the
> weekend of February 18-19. The Run for the Bacon QRP Contest is February 
> 20.
> JUST AHEAD: The North American QSO Party (RTTY), the CQ 160-Meter Contest
> (SSB), the Russian PSK Worldwide Contest, the REF Contest (SSB), the UBA 
> DX
> Contest (CW), the Mississippi and North Carolina QSO parties, the CZEBRIS
> Contest, the High Speed Club CW Contest and the CQC Winter QSO Party are 
> the
> weekend of February 25-26. 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 remains open through Sunday, February 19, for these ARRL
> Certification and Continuing Education (CCE) Program on-line courses:
> Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 1 (EC-001), Radio Frequency
> Interference (EC-006), Antenna Design and Construction (EC-009), 
> Technician
> License Course (EC-010), Analog Electronics (EC-012) and Digital 
> Electronics
> (EC-013). Classes begin Friday, March 3. To learn more, visit the CCE 
> Course
> Listing page <http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> or contact the CCE
> Department <cce at arrl.org>.
>
> * Utility steps back from North Idaho BPL test deployment: Avista 
> Utilities
> announced recently that it's re-evaluating its plans to deploy a broadband
> over power line (BPL) project in North Idaho. The company, which serves 
> some
> 330,000 electrical power customers in three western states, said it and a
> BPL vendor had "mutually agreed" to end contract negotiations for a test
> deployment in Post Falls. "We want to step back and look at how the 
> industry
> is evolving in terms of technology and the business model," Avista Market
> Solutions Manager Dave Heyamoto said in a company news release February 9.
> While Avista did not name the BPL vendor, a February 3 article in Spokane,
> Washington's, Spokesman-Review newspaper identified the company as
> Communication Technologies (COMTek) of Chantilly, Virginia. COMTek 
> operates
> the Manassas, Virginia, BPL rollout that's been the subject of Amateur 
> Radio
> interference complaints. In mid-January, the ARRL again called on the FCC 
> to
> order the Manassas BPL system shut down until it resolves the interference
> complaints. Avista says it has not set a timeline for any future BPL
> projects, which reportedly could involve power-grid monitoring.
>
> * Direct FAX number now available for DXCC: The ARRL DXCC Desk now has a
> direct FAX number to improve and expedite the receipt and handling of
> DXCC-related communications. The number is 860-594-0346. There has been no
> change in policy, and DXCC does not accept DXCC submissions via FAX. The
> former FAX number, 860-594-0259, remains active for several other ARRL
> Headquarters departments, but that FAX machine is not in the immediate 
> DXCC
> area.
>
> * Stu Cohen, N1SC, wins January QST Cover Plaque Award: The winner of the
> QST Cover Plaque Award for January is Stu Cohen, N1SC, for his article
> "Vintage Product Review--The Collins 75A-4 Receiver." Congratulations, 
> Stu!
> The winner of the QST Cover Plaque award--given to the author or authors 
> of
> the best article in each issue--is determined by a vote of ARRL members on
> the QST Cover Plaque Poll Web page
> <http://www.arrl.org/members-only/QSTvote.html>. Cast a ballot for your
> favorite article in the February issue by Tuesday, February 28.
>
> * Correction: The article "Phil Salas, AD5X, Named 2005 Orr Award Winner" 
> in
> The ARRL Letter, Vol 25, No 06, contained some incorrect and incomplete
> information regarding the award ceremony. Phil Salas, AD5X, will receive 
> the
> Bill Orr Award plaque during a presentation attended by ARRL President 
> Joel
> Harrison, W5ZN, and West Gulf Division Director Coy Day, N5OK, at Ham-Com
> 2006, June 9-10, at the Plano Centre in Plano, Texas.
> ===========================================================
> 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>. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, President.
>
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