[SFDXA] The ARRL Letter for February 23, 2012

Thu Feb 23 15:14:14 EST 2012

********************************************
             The  ARRL Letter

Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************

February 23, 2012

Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA<k1sfa at arrl.org>

ARRL Home Page<http://www.arrl.org/>ARRL Letter Archive
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/>Audio News
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/>  IN THIS ISSUE

- + Legislative News: Payroll Tax Bill Includes Provision for Amateur
Radio Study
- + On the Air: Republic of South Sudan Assigned Z8 Prefix
- + On the Air: One Down, One to Go: The ARRL International DX Contest
Gears Up for SSB
- +Ham Radio in Hollywood: Blockbuster Movie Features Morse Code,
Homebrew Equipment -- and Sea Monsters!
- + W1AW: March Qualifying Runs
- + Section Manager Winter Election Results
- Solar Update
- This Week in Radiosport
- Silent Key: Bill Simons, W9BB, Silent Key; Developed Shure
Microphones
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events

+ Available on ARRL Audio News<http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news>.

==>  + LEGISLATIVE NEWS: PAYROLL TAX BILL INCLUDES PROVISION FOR AMATEUR
RADIO STUDY

A bill that passed both the House and the Senate on February 17 -- and
signed into law by President Obama on Wednesday, February 22 --
includes a provision for a study of the uses and capabilities of
Amateur Radio Service communications in emergencies and disaster
relief.

    Section 6414 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of
2012 mandates the completion of the study, with a report of the
findings to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. This study would
"use the expertise of stakeholder entities and organizations" to
recommend how to best use radio amateurs in emergency communications
and disaster relief efforts, and how to best utilize the Amateur Radio
Service in coordination with the federal government in these efforts.
In addition, the study would also discuss the effects of unreasonable
or unnecessary private land use restrictions on residential antenna
installations and recommend ways to remove such impediments.

The bill passed in the House by a vote of 293-132. In the Senate, it
passed by a 60-36 vote. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/payroll-tax-bill-includes-provision-for-amateur-radio-study>.

==>  + ON THE AIR: REPUBLIC OF SOUTH SUDAN ASSIGNED Z8 PREFIX

    After a wait of more than seven months after being accepted as a
member of the United Nations
<http://www.arrl.org/news/the-republic-of-south-sudan-is-now-a-dxcc-entity>,
the Republic of South Sudan received its prefix block from the
International Telecommunication Union
<http://www.itu.int/online/mms/glad/cga_callsign.sh?lang=en>  (ITU): Z8.
On July 14, 2011 -- after South Sudan's admittance to the UN -- the new
country became a DXCC entity by way of Section II, 1(a) of the DXCC
rules<http://www.arrl.org/rules>. -- Thanks to The Daily DX for the
information

==>  + ON THE AIR: ONE DOWN, ONE TO GO: THE ARRL INTERNATIONAL DX
CONTEST GEARS UP FOR SSB

With the CW portion
<http://www.arrl.org/news/the-2012-arrl-international-dx-cw-contest-takes-to-the-air-next-weekend>
of the ARRL International DX Contest<http://www.arrl.org/arrl-dx>  now
a series of fading dits and dahs in the memories of participants,
preparations for the SSB portion of the DX Contest -- the weekend of
March 3-4 -- are already underway.

According to ARRL Contest Branch Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, for this
contest, stations in the US and Canada work only DX stations, and DX
stations work only the US and Canada; Alaska and Hawaii are considered
DX for this contest. DX stations will be trying to make QSOs with all
US states and Canadian provinces. The contest exchange is simple: US
and Canadian stations send a signal report and their state or province,
while DX stations send a signal report and the amount of power they are
transmitting with.

    "The CW portion had a lot of twists and turns," Kutzko recounted.
"The solar flux index was down considerably from the great conditions
we experienced in the last quarter of 2011. We were also dealt a blow
with a solar storm on Saturday afternoon, generating some strange
phenomena on the bands. Ten meters -- which earlier in the contest
season was open to Europe and Asia for hours at a time -- barely showed
up this past weekend. Despite all of this, hams worked tons of DX on 15
and even 10 meters."

Will these conditions improve? It's hard to say -- the SFI remains
around 100, and just a week before the contest, the A and K indices are
reasonably low. "Check the K7RA Solar Update each Friday on the ARRL
website for the most current solar forecast," Kutzko advised. "But one
thing is for certain: The number of participants in the 2011-2012
contest season has exploded, and more activity means lots of DX."

The ARRL International DX SSB Contest<http://www.arrl.org/arrl-dx>
runs from 0000 UTC Saturday, March 3 to 2359 UTC Sunday, March 4.
Complete rules and forms can be found online
<http://www.arrl.org/contest-rules>. Electronic logs should be
submitted via e-mail<dxphone at arrl.org>; paper logs can be sent to ARRL
DX SSB Contest, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. Paper logs must be
postmarked no later than 0000 UTC Tuesday, April 3, 2012.

==>  +HAM RADIO IN HOLLYWOOD: BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE FEATURES MORSE CODE,
HOMEBREW EQUIPMENT -- AND SEA MONSTERS!

    In the movie Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, Sean Anderson (played
by Josh Hutcherson) receives a coded distress signal that comes from a
mysterious island where no island should exist. Sean decides to follow
the signal with the unwilling assistance from his stepfather Hank
(played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson).

    The movie opens in Dayton, Ohio with Sean on his motorcycle, being
chased by police officers. Sean had been caught breaking in to a
"satellite facility." When questioned by Hank, Sean confesses that he
had received a coded message from his grandfather (played by Michael
Caine), but his equipment was too weak to copy it; he decided to go
somewhere where there were bigger antennas. The message -- a string of
one and two syllable words taken from the books of Jules Verne -- makes
no sense to Sean. Hank, a former US Navy cryptographer, offers to help
decode the message; he feels this will be a good chance to bond with
his stepson.

Immediately, Hank figures out that the message is really in Morse code:
each one syllable word is a "dit," while each two syllable word is a
"dah." Hank translates the message, which gives clues to the location
of the grandfather's whereabouts. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/hollywood-movie-features-morse-code-homebrew-equipment-and-sea-monsters>.

==>  + W1AW: MARCH QUALIFYING RUNS

    The W1AW and West Coast Qualifying Runs were inadvertently left out
of the March 2012 issue of QST. Here is the missing information:

W1AW Qualifying Runs are 10 PM EST Friday, March 9 (0300 UTC March 10)
(10-40 WPM) and 7 PM EDT (2300 UTC) Tuesday, March 20. The West Coast
Qualifying Run will be transmitted by station K6KPH on 3581.5, 7047.5,
14047.5, 18097.5 and 21067.5 kHz at 2 PM PDT (2200 UTC) Saturday, March
17. Unless indicated otherwise, speeds are from 10-35 WPM. You can find
the upcoming schedule here
<http://www.arrl.org/qualifying-run-schedule>.

==>  + SECTION MANAGER WINTER ELECTION RESULTS

    Two ARRL Sections -- Eastern Pennsylvania and Louisiana -- will get
new Section Managers as of April 1, 2012. Two other Sections -- San
Diego and Virginia -- will keep their incumbent Section Managers.
Ballots for these races were counted Tuesday, February 21 at ARRL
Headquarters. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/section-managers-winter-election-results>.

==>  SOLAR UPDATE

    Tad "Behind the clouds the Sun is shining
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b6fBnPmhmc>" Cook, K7RA, reports: We
don't know if this is a significant trend, but solar activity has
really leveled off recently. Not everyone is unhappy about this: During
the recent long minimum, 160 and 80 meter operators were very excited
about conditions, and that enthusiasm seems to have increased of late.
The average indicators this week were almost exactly the same as last.
The average daily sunspot number rose from 55.6 to 55.7, while the
average daily solar flux declined 2.6 points to 105. In an unusual
coincidence, the average planetary A index and mid-latitude numbers
were the same this week as last, 8 and 6.7 The latest prediction shows
solar flux at 105 on February 23-24, 100 on February 25, 95 on February
26-29, 100 on March 1-4, 105 on March 5-11, 110 on March 12-13, and
rising to 115 on March 14-19. The prediction also sees planetary A
index at 8 on February 23, 5 on February 24-28, 7 on February 29, 5 on
March 1, 8 on March 2-3, and 5 on March 4-6. Look for more information
on the ARRL website on Friday, February 24. For more information
concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information
Service Propagation page
<http://www.arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals>. This week's "Tad
Cookism" is brought to you by Disney's Cars
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney_Cars>.

==>  THIS WEEK IN RADIOSPORT

This week:

- February 24 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
- February 24-26 -- CQ 160 Meter Contest (SSB)
- February 25-26 -- Mississippi QSO Party; North American QSO Party
(RTTY); REF Contest (SSB); UBA DX Contest (CW)
- February 26 -- High Speed Club CW Contest; SARL Digital Contest
- February 26-27 -- North Carolina QSO Party
- February 27 -- CQC Winter QSO Sprint

Next week:

- March 3 -- Wake-Up! QRP Sprint
- March 3-4 -- ARRL International DX Contest (SSB)
<http://www.arrl.org/arrl-dx>
- March 4 -- DARC 10 Meter Digital Contest
- March 6 -- ARS Spartan Sprint; AGCW YL-CW Party

All dates, unless otherwise stated, are UTC. See the ARRL Contest
Branch page<http://www.arrl.org/contests>, the ARRL Contest Update
<http://www.arrl.org/The-ARRL-Contest-Update>  and the WA7BNM Contest
Calendar<http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html>  for more
information. Looking for a Special Event station? Be sure to check out
the ARRL Special Event Stations Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/special-event-stations>.

==>  SILENT KEY: BILL SIMONS, W9BB, SILENT KEY; DEVELOPED SHURE
MICROPHONES

William A. Simons, W9BB (ex-W9YXJ), passed away in Minnesota on January
2. He was 84. He earned his Class B ticket in 1941 at the age of 14 and
converted a cathedral radio into his first transmitter. Later, Simons
earned DXCC using homebrew gear of his own design. Eventually, he
earned a top spot on the ARRL DXCC Honor Roll. Read more here
<http://www.arrl.org/news/bill-simons-w9bb-silent-key-developed-shure-microphones>.

==>  UPCOMING ARRL SECTION, STATE AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS AND EVENTS

- February 25 -- ARRL Vermont State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/vermont-state-convention-ham-con-2>,
South Burlington, Vermont
- March 3 -- ARRL Santa Clara Valley Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/santa-clara-valley-section-convention-radiofest>,
Del Rey Oaks, California; ARRL South Texas Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/south-texas-section-convention-greater-houston-hamfest-2>,
Rosenberg, Texas
- March 3-4 -- ARRL Alabama Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/alabama-section-convention-birminghamfest-1>,
Birmingham, Alabama
- March 9-10 -- ARRL Louisiana State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/louisiana-state-convention-52nd-annual-acadiana-hamfest>,
Rayne, Louisiana; ARRL Oklahoma State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/oklahoma-state-convention-green-country-hamfest-1>,
Claremore, Oklahoma
- March 10-11 -- ARRL Roanoke Division Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/roanoke-division-convention-charlotte-hamfest-tm>,
Concord, North Carolina
- March 17 -- ARRL Nebraska State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/nebraska-state-convention-end-of-winter-hamfest>,
Lincoln, Nebraska; ARRL Southern Florida Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/southern-florida-section-convention-2>,
Stuart, Florida; ARRL West Texas Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/west-texas-section-convention-57th-annual-st-patrick-s-day-hamfest>,
Midland, Texas
- March 23-24 -- ARRL Maine State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/maine-state-convention-2>, Lewiston,
Maine
- April 7 -- ARRL North Carolina State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/north-carolina-state-convention-raleigh-hamfest-1>,
Raleigh, North Carolina
- April 14 -- ARRL Delta Division Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/delta-division-convention-3>, Bartlett,
Tennessee
- April 14-15 -- Communications Academy 2012
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/communications-academy-2012>, Seattle,
Washington
- April 20-22 -- ARRL Idaho State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/idaho-state-convention-2>, Boise, Idaho;
63rd International DX Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/63rd-international-dx-convention>,
Visalia, California
- April 21 -- ARRL Delaware State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/delaware-state-convention-delmarva-amateur-radio-electronics-expo-1>,
Georgetown, Delaware; ARRL Louisiana Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/louisiana-section-convention-1>, Monroe,
Louisiana
- May 4-6 -- EMCOMMWEST
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/emcommwest-convention-1>, Reno, Nevada
- May 18-20 -- Dayton Hamvention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/dayton-hamvention-3>, Dayton, Ohio
- June 1-3 -- ARRL Northwestern Division Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/northwestern-division-convention-seapac-3>,
Seaside, Oregon
- June 2 -- ARRL Georgia Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/georgia-section-convention-atlanta-hamfest-1>,
Marietta, Georgia
- June 8-9 -- ARRL West Gulf Division Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/west-gulf-division-convention-ham-com-1>,
Plano, Texas
- June 9 -- ARRL Arkansas State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/arkansas-state-convention>, Rogers,
Arkansas; ARRL Tennessee State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/tennessee-state-convention-2>, Knoxville,
Tennessee

To find a convention or hamfest near you, click here
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests>.

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