[South Florida DX Association] The ARRL Letter, Vol 25, No 25 (Jun 23, 2006)

[Bill Marx]

***************
> The ARRL Letter
> Vol. 25, No. 25
> June 23, 2006
> ***************
>
> ===========================================================
> It's ARRL Field Day Weekend! Details are on the ARRL Web site:
> <http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2006/rules-fd-2006.html>.
> ===========================================================
>
> IN THIS EDITION:
>
> * +Wildfire season keeping Western US ARES volunteers on alert
> * +FCC to invite comments on Katrina Panel recommendations
> * +Youngsters in two states take a turn at ham radio's microphone to space
> * +ARRL asks FCC to protect amateur operations on 902-928 MHz
> * +Ham-Com 2006 in Texas a big success at its new location
> * +League invites nominations for Knight Distinguished Service Award
> * +Astronaut still collecting cards to earn DXCC from space
> *  Solar Update
> *  IN BRIEF:
>     This weekend on the radio: It's ARRL Field Day Weekend!
>     ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
>    +Minnesota student-ham presented with 2006 ARRL Goldwater scholarship
>     Three radio amateurs aboard Discovery for July 1 launch
>     Special WRTC 2006 call signs announced
>     Spain, the Netherlands report Amateur Radio regulatory changes
>     Yukon Territory radio amateur exploring LF spectrum
>
> +Available on ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/>
>
> ===========================================================
> ==>Delivery problems: First see FAQ
> <http://www.arrl.org/members-only/faq.html#nodelivery>, then e-mail
> <letter-dlvy at arrl.org>
> ==>Editorial questions or comments only: Rick Lindquist, N1RL,
> <n1rl at arrl.org>
> ===========================================================
>
> ==>AMATEUR RADIO VOLUNTEERS READY IN WESTERN STATES AS FIRE THREAT 
> CONTINUES
>
> Fire season is in full swing in several states in the Western US, and
> Amateur Radio volunteers have been helping to provide communication for 
> the
> American Red Cross and The Salvation Army. Fires have forced evacuations 
> in
> several areas.
>
> At week's end, Arizona ARRL Section Emergency Coordinator Rick Aldom, 
> W7STS,
> said ARES teams were gearing up to activate in case the Brins Fire, 
> burning
> in timber two miles northeast of Sedona, got out of hand over the weekend.
> Given the heavy HF activity expected for Field Day, Aldom requested that
> radio amateurs steer clear of the ARES net frequencies of 7248 kHz and 
> 3992
> kHz and The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) frequency
> of 3977.7 kHz, on the outside chance they'll be needed for fire-related
> emergency traffic. Aldom anticipates that most emergency communication 
> would
> take place on VHF and UHF repeaters, however.
>
> "The American Red Cross invited ARES volunteers to provide back-up for 
> their
> communication systems," Aldom told ARRL June 23. "Emergency Coordinators 
> in
> Flagstaff and Yavapai County report ham radio volunteers are supporting 
> two
> evacuation centers." He said ARES also is available to provide 
> communication
> between the state emergency operations center and the two shelters, as
> needed.
>
> Additional ARES involvement depends on how the fire behaves, Aldom said,
> noting that firefighters made "significant progress" in battling the blaze
> June 23, and "things are looking very good." The weather also cooperated.
>
> "Two things happened," Aldom said. "We had an influx of moisture last 
> night
> in the middle levels, which I think helped on the ground, and the winds 
> were
> much calmer than they might have been."
>
> Should additional evacuations become necessary, ARES volunteers may be
> called in to help livestock rescue crews. As of June 23, about a dozen 
> ARES
> volunteers were assisting in the Arizona wildfire response. Aldom also has
> two portable repeaters on standby in case they're needed.
>
> By late June 22, the Brins Fire had burned some 3260 acres and was 15
> percent contained. Evacuation orders remained for Oak Creek Canyon and two
> subdivisions north of Sedona. State Route 89A was closed, and power to the
> region was cut. The fire also was generating considerable smoke in the
> region, causing a health and visibility hazard.
>
> A statewide fire emergency continues throughout New Mexico. On June 19, 
> the
> Bear Fire in the Bearwallow Mountain area of Catron County prompted
> authorities to evacuate residents and campers in the vicinity to two Red
> Cross shelters. New Mexico ARRL Section Emergency Coordinator Rick Sohl,
> K5RIC, has been coordinating Amateur Radio volunteer assistance for Grant
> and Catron counties. Russell Stanley, KD5RWX, and Grant County ARRL
> Emergency Coordinator Tom Meyer, N4CYV, were reported active on UHF to
> provide any needed communication support.
>
> "This looks to be a very active fire season," Sohl observed. "ARES groups
> need to be ready in the event of a major fire." ARES volunteers have been
> working overtime in June to support local emergency managers after several
> wildfires broke out across the state -- some of them ignited by lightning.
>
> As of June 23, the Bear Fire had spread over more than 44,800 acres and 
> was
> only 5 percent contained. Sixty structures along Willow Creek were said to
> be imminently threatened. The fire has crossed into the wilderness, and
> accumulations of extremely dry fuels in the southern and western portions 
> of
> the fire are hampering containment.
>
> Over the June 17-18 weekend, the Skates Fire prompted precautionary
> evacuations in the Lake Roberts area, and ARES volunteers provided
> communication for a shelter. Residents have since been allowed to return
> home. No homes were lost.
>
> ARES volunteers assisted the Red Cross after two fires broke out earlier
> this month in the Bosque south of Albuquerque.
>
> Colorado SEC Rob Roller, N7LV, reports the Colorado Disaster Response Team
> (DRT) stood down this week after providing communication support for The
> Salvation Army in the wake of the Mato Vega fire near Fort Garland. DRT
> Emergency Coordinator Wes Wilson, K0HBZ, provided communication support 
> for
> The Salvation Army back to its Denver Headquarters using Winlink for 
> digital
> e-mail communication.
>
> At more than 13,100 acres and 35 percent contained as of June 23, the 
> fire,
> 12 miles northeast of Fort Garland, prompted the evacuation of 280 homes 
> in
> three communities. US Route 160 remained closed.
>
> So far in 2006, wildfires have burned more than 3.1 million acres
> nationwide. Long-range forecasts offer little hope for relief from the
> extreme fire danger in the Southwest and the Amateur Radio operators who
> volunteer when called. -- NM PIO Charlie Christman, K5CEC, contributed
> information for this report
>
> ==>FCC TO SEEK COMMENTS ON KATRINA PANEL RECOMMENDATIONS
>
> The FCC will invite public comments in response to recommendations 
> presented
> this month by the Independent Panel Reviewing the Impact of Hurricane
> Katrina on Communications Networks. A Notice of Proposed Rule Making 
> (NPRM)
> <http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-06-83A1.pdf> in EB
> Docket 06-119, released this week, contains wide-ranging proposals and
> considerations that could involve FCC rule or administrative changes, a 
> few
> of which deal with the Amateur Service.
>
> "The devastation of Hurricane Katrina highlighted the importance of
> telecommunications and media to our daily lives, and our dependency on our
> national communications infrastructure," remarked FCC Chairman Kevin J.
> Martin. "With this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, we are asking for 
> comments
> and suggestions from the public on how to best address and implement the
> Independent Panel's recommendations."
>
> The Independent Panel's report points out that Amateur Radio stations were
> among those segments of the communications infrastructure adversely 
> affected
> by Hurricane Katrina.
>
> "Equipment was damaged or lost due to the storm, and trained amateurs were
> difficult to find in the immediate aftermath," the report said. "However,
> once called into help, Amateur Radio operators volunteered to support many
> agencies, such as FEMA, the National Weather Service, Hurricane Watch 
> [Net]
> and the American Red Cross."
>
> The Independent Panel report said Amateur Radio volunteers provided
> communication in many locations where no other means of communicating
> existed. Hams also provided other technical aid to communities affected by
> Hurricane Katrina, the report added. The panel recommended adopting "a
> proactive (rather than reactive) program for network reliability and
> resiliency."
>
> ARRL Alabama Section Manager Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, addressed the 
> Independent
> Panel on March 7 to note that Amateur Radio volunteers "were part of the
> solution" in supplementing normal emergency communication systems taken 
> out
> by the storm. For 37 days following Hurricane Katrina, Sarratt headed the
> volunteer effort to process Amateur Radio volunteers headed to the Gulf
> Coast to assist recovery operations.
>
> In its NPRM, the FCC asked if should explore amending its rules to permit
> automatic grants of certain types of waivers or special temporary 
> authority
> (STA) in declared disaster areas. "As a condition of the waiver or STA, 
> the
> FCC could require verbal or written notification to the Commission staff
> contemporaneously with activation or promptly after the fact," the NPRM
> suggested. Following last year's devastating hurricanes, the FCC issued a
> handful of STAs to permit licensees lacking HF privileges to operate on HF
> for emergency purposes. The NPRM offered these specific areas for
> consideration.
>
> * Waiver of Amateur Radio and license-exempt rules, permitting 
> transmissions
> necessary to meet essential communications needs.
>
> * Waiver of application filing deadlines, something the FCC did last fall
> for amateurs who lived in hurricane-stricken states.
>
> * Streamlined STA process, so parties in the affected area may simply 
> notify
> the FCC in writing or orally of a need to operate in order to restore
> service.
>
> Comments will be due 30 days from the date the NPRM is published in the
> Federal Register and may be filed via the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing
> System (ECFS) <http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/>.
>
> ==>NEW JERSEY, MICHIGAN KIDS GET A TURN AT HAM RADIO'S "MICROPHONE TO 
> SPACE"
>
> Youngsters in New Jersey and Michigan recently had a chance to learn
> firsthand about life in space when they spoke via ham radio with astronaut
> Jeff Williams, KD5TVQ, aboard the International Space Station. Both 
> contacts
> were arranged by the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
> (ARISS) program. Using the ARISS station NA1SS, Williams chatted June 5 
> with
> pupils at Salt Brook Elementary School in New Providence, New Jersey, and
> June 6 with students at Scarlett Middle School in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
>
> All of the Salt Brook students who participated in the contact between 
> N2XJ
> and NA1SS are members of the Salt Brook Statics, a ham radio club at the
> school mentored by the New Providence Amateur Radio Club. One sixth grader
> wanted to know if Williams felt as if he were moving in space during his
> recent spacewalk. Williams answered that when he looked around and saw 
> Earth
> far below him, it did indeed feel like he was moving.
>
> The New Providence Amateur Radio Club set up and operated the ground 
> station
> at the school for the approximately 10-minute contact, originally 
> scheduled
> for May 31 but postponed due to technical difficulties. Nick Esposito,
> KC2ONP, a seventh grader at New Providence Middle School, served as the
> control operator.
>
> An audience of some 600 fellow students, parents, faculty, dignitaries and
> news media packed the school's auditorium for the contact. Another 300
> students at Liberty Middle School in W Orange listened in. ARRL Northern 
> New
> Jersey Section Manager Bill Hudzik, W2UDT, represented ARRL.
>
> The following day, students at Scarlett Middle School in Ann Arbor,
> Michigan, had their chance to speak with Williams via ham radio. 
> Responding
> to one youngster's question, "Why did you decide to go into space?" the
> astronaut said he wanted to serve his country and humankind.
>
> "Really, the history of humankind is the history of exploration," Williams
> told the middle schoolers. "And that's what we're doing here: Exploring 
> the
> unknown."
>
> Replying to another question about the risks involved with space travel,
> Williams said, "There's quite a bit of risk involved with going into space
> and being in space - and returning home." Understanding the risks and how 
> to
> minimize them is part of an astronaut's training, he explained.
>
> His two favorite things about living aboard the ISS are weightlessness 
> "and
> all the things weightlessness allows you to do" as well as looking at 
> Earth
> from 220 miles above.
>
> Wearing T-shirts illustrating the space station and commemorating the 
> ARISS
> contact, 21 youngsters from science teacher Jon Strempek's class prepared
> and asked the questions. Ignacy Justyna, N0EFT, served as the control
> operator.
>
> In the audience was a staff member from US Rep John Dingell's office as 
> well
> as NASA Aerospace Education Specialist Jim Fitzgerald, a reporter and a
> photographer from the Ann Arbor News, administration, faculty and parents.
>
> ARISS is a nine-nation educational outreach with US participation by ARRL,
> AMSAT and NASA.
>
> ==>LEAGUE ASKS FCC TO PROTECT 902-928 MHZ OPERATIONS
>
> The ARRL has asked the FCC to avoid making any changes within the 902-928
> MHz allocation -- including further deployment of unlicensed Part 15 
> devices
> -- that might increase the noise floor or otherwise adversely affect 
> Amateur
> Radio operations there. The League filed comments recently in a Notice of
> Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) in WT Docket 06-49, which seeks input on
> encouraging the little-used Multilateration Location Monitoring Service
> (M-LMS) -- a terrestrial service for location of objects and tracking --
> while continuing to accommodate licensed and unlicensed uses of the 
> 902-928
> MHz band. Amateur Radio is secondary in the band to federal radiolocation
> systems, industrial, scientific and medical devices, federal fixed and
> mobile systems and the M-LMS.
>
> "This 'kitchen sink' of allocations is acceptable from ARRL's perspective,
> provided that the noise floor is regulated, in terms of aggregate noise
> levels from unlicensed devices," the ARRL said in its comments, filed May
> 30. "The high power levels permitted in this band in particular bear 
> careful
> watching, lest the allocated radio services, including federal systems,
> suffer decreased utility of the band."
>
> Given that only two M-LMS licensees operate these systems that exist only 
> in
> six major US cities and in parts of Florida, the League asked whether
> present FCC rules are the obstacle to M-LMS or whether it's been overtaken
> by time and GPS technology.
>
> The League urged the FCC to examine the 902-928 MHz band in its entirety.
> "Specifically, the needs of the Amateur Service in this proceeding are
> increased protection of weak-signal operations in the 902-903 MHz 
> segment,"
> the ARRL noted, specifying the 902.0-902.2 MHz and 903.0-903.2 
> "weak-signal"
> segments.
>
> "The Amateur Service also requires the continued use of the 903.2-928 MHz
> band for amateur voice, television and digital communications, coexisting
> with other licensed and unlicensed users of this spectrum," the League
> concluded.
>
> In its comments, the ARRL pointed out that the NPRM does not propose to
> adopt, modify or delete any rules but only seeks information "looking 
> toward
> modifications in the licensing and use" of the 902-928 MHz band. The 
> League
> described the band as "a patchwork of overlays" and one that has "orphan
> allocation status" in ITU Region 2, precluding amateur use of the band for
> communication outside the region.
>
> ==>HAM-COM 2006 A HUGE SUCCESS AT NEW LOCATION, ORGANIZERS SAY
>
> Organizers of Ham-Com are calling the Texas hamfest's first year at its 
> new
> location in Plano "an unqualified success." The show moved this year from
> Arlington. More than 3500 attended Ham-Com June 9-10 at the Plano Centre,
> its sponsors report. Ham-Com has secured the new venue at least through 
> the
> 2011 event. ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, addressed the ARRL West 
> Gulf
> Division forum during the show. Representing ARRL Headquarters were Chief
> Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, who discussed the importance of 
> the
> League's development activities to Amateur Radio, and Field and Regulatory
> Correspondent Chuck Skolaut, K0BOG, who talked about the Headquarters'
> response to Hurricane Katrina.
>
> "An enthusiastic crowd visited the ARRL booth, which was staffed by a
> multitude of League officials," Skolaut reported. Those attending managed 
> to
> retain an upbeat mood despite unseasonably hot weather, he added. In
> addition to President Harrison, other League volunteers attending included
> West Gulf Division Director Coy Day, N5OK, Vice Director Dr David
> Woolweaver, K5RAV, Oklahoma ARRL Section Manager John Thomason, WB5SYT,
> Arkansas SM David Norris, K5UZ, and North Texas ASM Bill Byrom, N5BB.
>
> Past ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, from Dallas also turned out for
> Ham-Com 2006, which is billed as "the biggest hamfest in Texas."
>
> Ham-Com 2006 offered more than 100 hours of programs featuring 52 speakers
> and 78 individual forum sessions. Amateur Radio examination session 
> resulted
> in 38 license upgrades as well as 19 new Technician, 9 new General and 10
> new Amateur Extra Class tickets. Ham-Com volunteers also helped 57 Boy
> Scouts receive their Radio merit badges.
>
> Ham-Com 2006 was a commercial success as well, with more than three dozen
> commercial vendors filling all 60 booths. All 48 available tables in the
> indoor flea market were sold, while tailgaters filled 61 spaces on Friday
> and 88 spaces on Saturday -- the largest turnout in several years, Ham-Com
> sponsors said.
>
> The ARRL West Gulf Division forum featured a discussion on BPL. Addressing
> the concerns of radio amateurs during his presentation was Jory McIntosh,
> KJ5RM, an ARRL West Gulf Assistant Director and chair of the West Gulf BPL
> Task Force. A representative of Texas utility TXU discussed his company's
> plans to deploy BPL in Texas.
>
> TXU's initial foray into BPL in Irving, Texas, resulted in interference
> complaints, including one from McIntosh. The company has changed BPL 
> vendors
> and will use Current Technologies equipment in its future systems. Current
> Technologies' gear has shown to be Amateur Radio friendly.
>
> In conjunction with Ham-Com 2006, the Lone Star DX Association hosted 
> W5DXCC
> 2006, which featured a Friday banquet. Featured speaker Bob Allphin, 
> K4UEE,
> spoke about his experiences as co-leader of the recent 3Y0X DXpedition to
> Peter I Island. A sellout crowd of more than 150 attended the DX 
> gathering.
>
> ==>KNIGHT DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD NOMINATIONS WELCOME
>
> The ARRL invites nominations for the Joe Knight Distinguished Service 
> Award.
> The award recognizes "exceptionally notable contributions by a Section
> Manager to the health and vitality of the League." The ARRL Board of
> Directors created the award in 2003 to honor former ARRL New Mexico SM Joe
> Knight, W5PDY, who was its first recipient. He died in December of that
> year. Until ill health forced him to step down as SM in July 2003, Knight
> had guided the New Mexico Section for nearly 27 years -- longer than any 
> of
> his peers.
>
> Knight was honored not only for his more than a quarter-century of service
> as an SM but for repeatedly volunteering to share his leadership knowledge
> and skills each year to help orient new SMs. Knight also headed a section
> that values public service and emergency preparedness, and he helped to
> maintain the WA5IHL Megalink Repeater System that opened up statewide
> communication to anyone with a handheld.
>
> The ARRL Board of Directors may from time to time designate a recipient of
> the Knight Distinguished Service Award to an individual who distinguishes
> himself or herself in accordance with these ideals:
>
> * Exceptionally notable contributions over an extended period of time 
> within
> his or her Section and beyond.
>
> * Efforts contributing to the health and vitality of the ARRL and its 
> Field
> Organization.
>
> * Actions in the spirit of the unselfish contributions of Joe Knight, 
> W5PDY.
>
> Recipients of the Knight Distinguished Service Award will be presented 
> with
> a plaque commemorating the award.
>
> Any ARRL member may nominate a Section Manager -- past or present -- for 
> the
> Knight Distinguished Service Award. A narrative of the nominee's
> accomplishments identifying the individual's long-term contributions to 
> the
> ARRL and its Field Organization should accompany the nomination.
>
> Submit nominations to ARRL Field and Educational Services Manager Dave
> Patton, NN1N, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111 or via e-mail
> <dpatton at arrl.org>.
>
> ==>ASTRONAUT STILL SEEKS QSLS FOR DXCC FROM SPACE
>
> International Space Station Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR,
> reports logging 130 DXCC entities from NA1SS while on orbit, but the DX 
> QSLs
> have been slow in coming. To date McArthur has only about one-third of the
> entities confirmed for a special DXCC from space.
>
> DX stations that worked McArthur at NA1SS during Expedition 12 are urged 
> to
> send QSL cards to ARRL, ARISS QSL -- Exp 12, 225 Main St, Newington, CT
> 06111-1494 USA. DX stations may also QSL via the routes on the Amateur 
> Radio
> on the International Space Station (ARISS) Web site
> <http://www.rac.ca/ariss/oindex.htm#QSL's>, but they will take longer to 
> be
> counted. If you've already sent a card "via the buro," ARISS asks that you
> send another to the ARRL ARISS QSL address.
>
> As of June 20, McArthur has these entities confirmed from NA1SS: Alaska,
> Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, 
> England,
> France, Gibraltar, Hawaii, India, Israel, Japan, Mariana Is, Mexico, the
> Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Puerto Rico, South Cook Is, South 
> Africa,
> Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United States, Uruguay and 
> Venezuela.
>
> ==>SOLAR UPDATE
>
> Sun gazer Tad "Staring at the Sun" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, 
> reports:
> One thing nice about the bottom of the solar cycle is that disruptive 
> radio
> blackouts or sudden ionospheric events are very unlikely, compared with
> periods when the solar cycle is active.
>
> Very low geomagnetic activity is predicted this time around, with the
> planetary A index forecast around five. Sunspot counts for the past five
> days have been 23, 21, 20, 19 and 0. No substantial increase is predicted.
> Geophysical Institute Prague predicts quiet conditions June 23, 24 and 27,
> quiet to unsettled June 25 and 29, and unsettled June 26 and 28.
>
> I've received many messages asking for advice on which HF bands to
> concentrate on during Field Day. Your best bets are going to be 40 and 20
> meters. Be alert for sporadic E openings on 15 and 10 meters too. Forty
> meters will open to many areas of North America throughout the day and
> night, and 80 meters should give good results from a couple of hours 
> before
> local sunset on Saturday night until a couple of hours past local sunrise 
> on
> Sunday morning.
>
> For more information concerning propagation and an explanation of the
> numbers used in this bulletin see the ARRL Technical Information Service
> Propagation page <http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html>.
>
> Sunspot numbers for June 15 through 21 were 11, 0, 42, 23, 21, 20 and 19,
> with a mean of 19.4. 10.7 cm flux was 76.4, 75.3, 73.2, 73.3, 73.3, 72.9,
> and 72.7, with a mean of 73.9. Estimated planetary A indices were 28, 10,
> 10, 8, 5, 4 and 4, with a mean of 9.9. Estimated mid-latitude A indices 
> were
> 17, 7, 7, 6, 4, 2 and 2, with a mean of 6.4.
>
> __________________________________
>
> ==>IN BRIEF:
>
> * This weekend on the radio: ARRL Field Day, the ARCI Milliwatt Field Day,
> the His Majesty the King of Spain Contest (SSB) and the Ukrainian DX Digi
> Contest are the weekend of June 24-25. The Marconi Memorial HF Contest has
> been cancelled. The Thursday NCCC Sprint Ladder is June 30. JUST AHEAD: 
> The
> RAC Canada Day Contest is July 1. The Venezuelan Independence Day Contest,
> the DL-DX RTTY Contest, the Original QRP Contest, the DARC 10-Meter 
> Digital
> Contest are the weekend of July 1-2. The RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship
> (CW) is July 3. The ARS Spartan Sprint is July 4. The MI QRP July 4th CW
> Sprint is July 4-5. 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 Friday July 7, for these ARRL
> Certification and Continuing Education (CCE) program on-line courses:
> Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 2 (EC-002) Amateur Radio
> Emergency Communications Level 3 (EC-003R2) Antenna Modeling (EC-004) HF
> Digital Communications (EC-005) VHF/UHF -- Life Beyond the Repeater 
> (EC-008)
> and Radio Frequency Propagation (EC-011) Classes begin Friday, July 21. 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>.
>
> * Minnesota student-ham presented with 2006 ARRL Goldwater scholarship:
> Acting in his role as vice president of the ARRL Foundation, ARRL Dakota
> Division Director Jay Bellows, K0QB, recently presented the 2006 ARRL
> Scholarship to Honor Senator Barry Goldwater, K7UGA, to Melissa Johnson,
> K1MJ, of Bemidji, Minnesota. The $5000 scholarship grant recognizes her
> outstanding academic achievement and her dedication to the ideals of 
> public
> service that Senator Goldwater exemplified. Melissa, 21, just completed 
> her
> first year at the University of Minnesota School of Veterinary Medicine.
> Bellows presented a Certificate of Award to Melissa on May 26. She is the
> daughter of 2004 ARRL International Humanitarian Award winner Glenn 
> Johnson,
> W0GJ.
>
> * Three radio amateurs aboard Discovery for July 1 launch: NASA has
> tentatively cleared the shuttle Discovery for a July 1 flight to the
> International Space Station. Three radio amateurs will be among the seven
> crew members. One of them, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut and 
> Mission
> Specialist Thomas Reiter, DF4TR, will remain on the ISS as part of the
> Expedition 13 and 14 crews, marking the first three-person crew since NASA
> grounded the shuttle fleet in 2003. Discovery will carry no Amateur Radio
> equipment. Commander Steve Lindsey will head the 12-day STS-121 mission.
> Others on the flight include Pilot Mark Kelly, Mission Specialists Michael
> Fossum, Lisa Nowak, KC5ZTB, Stephanie Wilson, KD5DZE, and Piers Sellers. 
> The
> Discovery crew will test new hardware and techniques to improve shuttle
> safety, as well as deliver supplies to the ISS and make repairs. Now 
> aboard
> the ISS are Expedition 13 Commander and cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov, RV3BS,
> and Flight Engineer and NASA Station Science Officer Jeff Williams, 
> KD5TVQ.
>
> * Special WRTC 2006 call signs announced: WRTC 2006 Steering Committee
> Chairman Atilano de Oms, PY5EG, has announced that ANATEL (Agência 
> Nacional
> De Telecomunicações), Brazil's national telecommunication authority, has
> okayed the allocation of special call signs for use by World Radiosport 
> Team
> Championship 2006 teams Saturday and Sunday, July 8-9. The call signs
> approved are from PW5A to PW5Z and from PT5A to PT5Z -- a total of 52 call
> signs, although 47 stations will be competing. Call signs will be assigned
> by lottery prior to the contest. WRTC 2006 will take place concurrently 
> with
> the IARU HF World Championship, although WRTC rules differ in some 
> respects
> from those of the IARU event, and scoring is separate. More information is
> on the WRTC 2006 Web site <http://www.wrtc2006.com/site/home.asp>.
>
> * Spain, the Netherlands report Amateur Radio regulatory changes: New
> Amateur Radio regulations
> <http://www.ure.es/ureinforma/Reglamento_Radioaficionados.pdf> became
> effective in Spain on June 10. The new licensing regime essentially
> eliminates the former Novice, General and Restricted license classes and
> extends the same privileges to all radio amateurs. Jose Díaz, EA4BPJ,
> general secretary of the Union de Radioaficionados Españoles (URE), 
> Spain's
> IARU member-society, says the change means EB and EC-prefix call signs 
> will
> be showing up on all bands now, in addition to the familiar EA prefix. All
> amateurs in Spain also now may use the 50-51 MHz band, although Díaz notes
> there are some geographical restrictions on 6-meter operation. In the
> Netherlands, Hans Blondeel Timmerman, PB2T, the IARU liaison officer of 
> IARU
> member-society the Vereniging voor Experimenteel Radio Onderzoek in
> Nederland (VERON), reports that as of June 10, radio amateurs in the
> Netherlands may use the band 7.100-7.200 MHz on a secondary basis with a
> maximum power output of of 250 W. Telecommunication authorities in 
> Thailand
> reportedly have granted temporary permission for radio amateurs to operate
> on the 30, 17 and 12-meter bands upon application. The temporary 
> allocation
> is valid until the end of the year.
>
> * Yukon Territory radio amateur exploring LF spectrum: J Allen, VY1JA, of
> Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, recently became the first radio amateur to 
> put
> the Yukon on LF. Allen has joined the half-dozen or so Canadian hams
> authorized to experiment on low frequencies. Perhaps best known as the ham
> who most often hands out the hard-to-work Northern Territories multiplier,
> Allen now is beaconing nightly on 137.574 kHz. On May 25, Allen completed
> the first LF QSO from the Yukon by working LF aficionado Steve McDonald,
> VE7SL, in British Columbia. "Running just 30 W into a loaded inverted L, 
> J's
> ERP was likely well below 100 mW," McDonald estimated. He reports Allen's
> very slow-speed CW signal was 100-percent copy using ARGO software on the
> receiving end. In Whitehorse, Allen reported that VE7SL's signal was 
> strong
> enough to copy by ear at normal speeds. Observed McDonald: "At 1000 miles
> distance, the initial QSO demonstrates that amateurs can enjoy
> inter-provincial or out-of-state CW ragchews on 2200 meters using simple
> stations and backyard antenna systems." There's more information on 2200
> meter activity in "The VE7SL Radio Notebook" 
> <http://www.imagenisp.ca/jsm>.
>
> ===========================================================
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