[SFDXA] The ARRL Letter for October 18, 2012

Fri Oct 19 15:02:56 EDT 2012

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The ARRL Letter

October 18, 2012
Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA <mailto:k1sfa at arrl.org>
ARRL Home Page <http://www.arrl.org/> 	
	/ARRL Letter/ Archive <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/> 	
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  * *+* 2012 ARRL National Convention Recap <#toc01>
  * *+* /On the Air/: Get Ready for JOTA This Weekend <#toc02>
  * Get Ready for the 7th Annual ARRL On-Line Auction <#toc03>
  * *+* ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP,
    Retires from League <#toc04>
  * *+* Postage Rates to Increase in January<#toc05>
  * *+* Digital Edition of November /QST/ Now Available <#toc06>
  * *+* Ted Rappaport, N9NB, Named Recipient of IEEE Education Award
    <#toc07>
  * *+* /At the Workbench/: Attention Kit Builders -- The ARRL Wants to
    Hear from You! <#toc08>
  * Solar Update <#toc09>
  * Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
    <#toc10>

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

*+* 2012 ARRL National Convention Recap

If you missed the 2012 ARRL National Convention -- held October 12-14 in 
Santa Clara, California -- or you just want to relive the fun and 
excitement, be sure to check out a recap of all the events on Friday 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/friday-pacificon-snapshot>, Saturday 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/saturday-pacificon-snapshot> and Sunday 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/pacificon-sunday>. There's also a great bunch 
of photos 
<https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151093787602408.445733.20069212407&type=1&l=9adc8c9404> 
from the Convention on the ARRL's Facebook page 
<https://www.facebook.com/ARRL.org>.

*+* /On the Air/: Get Ready for JOTA This Weekend

The 55th annual Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) is October 20-21. This 
48-hour event runs from 0000 (local time) on Saturday, October 20 (right 
at midnight Friday) through midnight (local time) on Sunday, October 21. 
JOTA is an opportunity for Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Girl 
Guides from all over the world to experience the magic and excitement of 
Amateur Radio. According to Boy Scouts of America JOTA Organizer Jim 
Wilson, K5ND, more than 250 JOTA stations have registered with the BSA; 
stations do not need to register with the BSA to participate in JOTA. 
"We estimate that there will be nearly 17,000 Scouts in 45 states, 
Puerto Rico and a few countries on the air for JOTA," Wilson told the 
ARRL. "We have compiled a spreadsheet that lists locations, call signs, 
detailed contact information, bands and modes for these stations. We 
invite hams to use this information in their JOTA activities."Read more 
here <http://www.arrl.org/news/get-ready-for-jota-this-weekend>.

Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2012-10-18&p=0>
Get Ready for the 7th Annual ARRL On-Line Auction

The Seventh Annual ARRL On-Line Auction <http://www.arrl.org/auction> 
opened for preview on Tuesday, October 16, and will open for bidding at 
10 AM EDT (1400 UTC) on Thursday, October 25. According to ARRL On-Line 
Auction Coordinator Lisa Tardette, KB1MOI, there is a large assortment 
of ARRL Product Review items, including an Elecraft KPA500 HF/6 meter 
power amplifier, an ICOM IC-7410 HF/6 meter transceiver, a Yaesu FT-450D 
HF 6 meter transceiver, a Kenwood TM-281A 2 meter FM transceiver and an 
MFJ-998 RT and MFJ-994BRT remote auto antenna tuner.

The ARRL On-Line Auction also features a wide assortment of books, 
including /ARRL Handbook/s from the 1920s and 1930s -- most notably, a 
first edition of the 1926 /Radio Amateur's Handbook/ -- and a set of 
three first-day-of-issue covers of the 1964 5-cent stamp highlighting 
Amateur Radio (see an image of a stamp here <http://www.qsl.net/wj8c/>).

"Once again this year, bidders will find a large variety of product 
review equipment, vintage books, novelty items and a number of very 
special items that have been donated by the crew of the ABC Television's 
Last Man Standing, starring Tim Allen as Mike Baxter, KA0XTT," Tardette 
explained. "In order to place a bid, you must register on the ARRL 
On-Line Auction website. You may browse the website and scope out those 
'must-have' itemswithout being a registered bidder, and you can register 
at any time during the auction. If you are interested in some great 
bargains -- and some great fun -- you really need to check out the ARRL 
On-Line Auction." The 2012 ARRL On-Line Auction runs through 11:45 PM 
EDT on October 31 (0345 UTC November 1). Contact Tardette via e-mail 
<mailto:ltardette at arrl.org> with any questions concerning the ARRL 
On-Line Auction.

*+* ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, Retires 
from League

ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, has retired 
from the ARRL after more than eight years of service.

After more than eight years as the ARRL Media and Public Relations 
Manager, Allen Pitts, W1AGP, has retired. During his tenure, Pitts was 
responsible for developing public relations campaigns that featured the 
many facets of the Amateur Radio Service: /Hello Radio/ came first in 
2006 and highlighted the fun and friendships of ham radio. It was 
followed by /Emergency Radio/, which built on the ARRL and the Amateur 
Radio Service's response during Hurricane Katrina. /We Do That -- Radio/ 
in 2008 showed the technologies used in Amateur Radio. In 2011, the /Do 
It Yourself/ (DIY) campaign was unveiled.

Building a corps of Public Information Officers (PIOs) throughout the 
country, Pitts believed that all news was local. "With this in mind," he 
explained, "I felt the best use of ARRL resources was to provide local 
PIOs with the very best materials we can and let them use them in their 
home areas." The strategy obviously worked, as the number of PIOs 
volunteers increased. "There are almost 200 graduates of /PR-101/, more 
than 500 subscribers to the PR e-mail reflector and the number of media 
hits about Amateur Radio grew larger and larger." Read more here 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-media-and-public-relations-manager-allen-pitts-w1agp-retires-from-league>.

Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2012-10-18&p=1>
*+* Postage Rates to Increase in January

The US Postal Service has announced that as of January 27, 2013, the 
cost to mail First Class letters, postcards and packages within the US 
will go up. The cost to mail a first class letter will be 46 cents, 
while the cost to mail a postcard will be 33 cents, an increase of 1 
cent for each. This is the third increase for postcard postage in less 
than two years; in April 2011, the USPS boosted the postcard stamp price 
from 28 cents to 29 cents, and from 29 cents to 32 cents 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/postage-rates-to-increase-in-january> in 
January 2012. The USPS will also introduce a First Class Mail Global 
Forever Stamp in January. This new stamp will allow customers to mail 
1-ounce letters anywhere in the world for one set price of $1.10. The 
cost to mail flat-rate Priority Mail packages and letters will also 
increase. Click here 
<http://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2012/pr12_114.htm> for 
more information on all the 2013 postal increases.

*+* Digital Edition of November /QST/ Now Available

The digital version of the November /QST/ is now available 
<http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/arrl/qst_201211/> to ARRL members. The 
digital version includes many features not available in the print 
version, such as:

  * Video overviews of the Array Solutions AIM/uhf/ impedance analyzer
    and the DZKit HT-7 40-meter AM handheld transceiver.
  * A circuit board layout and additional information on how to bring
    your vintage receiver and transmitter together with the "Boat Anchor
    Buddy," by Ralph E. Taggert, WB8DQT.

Every issue of /QST/ is filled with the news and features you need to 
keep active in Amateur Radio. Find all this and more in the November 
issue of /QST/:

  * Build an inexpensive HF power attenuator.
  * Learn a different way to assemble PL-259 plugs.
  * See PSK31 "up close."
  * Put your remote antenna tuner to work on 160 meters.
  * Turn back the clock with an easy single-tube transmitter.
  * See how students "Reach for the Stars" with Amateur Radio.
  * ...and much more!

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*+* Ted Rappaport, N9NB, Named Recipient of IEEE Education Award

Tedd Rappaport, N9NB, was named the recipient of the IEEE's William E. 
Sayle Award for Achievement in Education.

Ted Rappaport, N9NB, of New York City, has been named the recipient of 
the 2012 William E. Sayle Award for Achievement in Education, given by 
the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Education 
Society. This prestigious award is presented annually to an IEEE 
Education Society member who has made significant contributions in 
engineering education. Rappaport, an ARRL Life Member, is a Professor of 
Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Polytechnic Institute of New 
York University. According to the university, Rappaport was selected to 
receive the award "for his exceptional technical and varied 
contributions in the creation of research centers, educational books and 
software and for the creation of products in the wireless industry." 
Read more here 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/ted-rappaport-n9nb-named-recipient-of-ieee-education-award>.

*+* /At the Workbench/: Attention Kit Builders -- The ARRL Wants to Hear 
from You!

The ARRL wants to hear from kit builders about simple, useful, 
educational and exciting kits. These kits should have a high probability 
for success and would serve as stepping stones for more advanced 
projects. We are looking all sorts of kits, but RF detector kits that 
work in the 380 MHz-2.5 GHz range are of special interest. The kits 
should also have a "Wow, I built this and /it works/!" factor. If you 
know of such a kit, please let us know by filling out a simple form here 
<http://www.arrl.org/technology> by October 31.

Solar Update

The Sun, as seen on Thursday, October 18, 2012 from NASA's SOHO Extreme 
Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope 
<http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/realtime-update.html>. 
This MDI <http://soi.stanford.edu/> (Michelson Doppler Imager) image was 
taken in the continuum near the Ni I 6768 Angstrom line. The most 
prominent features are the sunspots. This is very much how the Sun looks 
in the visible range of the spectrum.

Tad Cook, K7RA, reports: Sunspot activity rose this week, with the 
average daily sunspot numbers up more than 45 points to 97, while the 
average daily solar flux rose more than 24 points to 129.2. We saw high 
geomagnetic activity on October 12-14, with the planetary A index at 12, 
38 and 19, the college A index (in Alaska) at 18, 70 and 33 and the 
mid-latitude A index (measured in Virginia) at 12, 28 and 20. On October 
13, a solar wind spilled through a gap in the Earth's magnetosphere, 
making for unsettled conditions, and aurora were seen across the 
northern tier states in the US. The latest prediction is for the solar 
flux to peak at 135 (not at 150 as predicted earlier) for October 18-21, 
130 on October 22-23, 125 on October 24, 130 on October 25-28, then down 
to 125, 120, 115, 110, 105 and 100 for October 29-November 3, and then 
105 on November 4-5, peaking again at 140 on November 12-14. The 
predicted planetary A index is 8 on October 18-19, 5 and 8 on October 
20-21, 5 on October 22-November 7, then 10, 20, 15, 12, 8, 8, 10 and 8 
on November 8-15, and down to 5 again on November 16 through the end of 
November. Look for more on the ARRL website on Friday, October 19. For 
more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical 
Information Service Propagation page 
<http://www.arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals>.

This Week in Radiosport

/This week:/

  * October 15-19 -- ARRL School Club Roundup
    <http://www.arrl.org/school-club-roundup>
  * October 19 -- NCCC Sprint, MCG Autumn Sprint
  * October 20 -- Iowa QSO Party; Feld Hell Sprint
  * October 20-21 -- New York QSO Party; 10-10 International Fall
    Contest (CW); Stew Perry Topband Challenge; JARTS WW RTTY Contest;
    Worked All Germany Contest; Araucaria VHF Contest; 10-10
    International Fall Contest (CW); W/VE Islands QSO Party
  * October 21 -- Asia-Pacific Fall Sprint (CW); UBA ON Contest (2 meters)
  * October 21-22 -- Illinois QSO Party
  * October 22 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest
  * October 24 -- SKCC Sprint
  * October 24-25 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test

/Next week:/

  * October 26 -- NCCC Sprint
  * October 27-28 -- CQ WW DX Contest (SSB)

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>.

Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events

  * November 3-4 -- ARRL Georgia State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/georgia-state-convention-stone-mountain-hamfest-computer-expo-1>,
    Lawrenceville, Georgia
  * November 4 -- ARRL Iowa Section Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/iowa-section-convention-41st-annual-drac-hamfest-computer-show%27>,
    Davenport, Iowa
  * November 10 -- ARRL Alabama State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/alabama-state-convention-1>,
    Montgomery, Alabama
  * November 17-18 -- ARRL Indiana State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/indiana-state-convention-fort-wayne-hamfest-computer-expo-1>,
    Fort Wayne, Indiana
  * December 1-2 -- ARRL West Central Florida Section Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/west-central-florida-section-convention-tampa-bay-hamfest-2>,
    Palmetto, Florida
  * January 18-19 -- ARRL North Texas Section Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/north-texas-section-convention-cowtown-hamfest-1>,
    Fort Worth, Texas
  * January 19 -- ARRL Southern Florida Section Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/southern-florida-section-convention-3>, Fort
    Myers, Florida
  * January 25-26 -- ARRL Mississippi State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/mississippi-state-convention-capital-city-hamfest>,
    Jackson, Mississippi
  * January 26-27 -- ARRL Puerto Rico State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/puerto-rico-state-convention>,
    Hatillo, Puerto Rico
  * February 2 -- ARRL South Carolina State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/south-carolina-state-convention-2>,
    North Charleston, South Carolina
  * February 8-10 -- ARRL Southeastern Division Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/southeastern-division-convention-orlando-hamcation-1>,
    Orlando, Florida
  * February 15-16 -- ARRL Arizona State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/arizona-state-convention-yuma-hamfest-1>,
    Yuma, Arizona
  * March 8-9 -- ARRL Oklahoma Section Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/oklahoma-section-convention-green-country-hamfest-1>,
    Claremore, Oklahoma
  * March 30 -- ARRL North Carolina State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/north-carolina-state-convention-raleigh-hamfest-2>,
    Raleigh, North Carolina
  * April 20-- ARRL Louisiana State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/louisiana-state-convention-northeast-louisiana-regional-ham-radiofest>,
    Monroe, Louisiana
  * April 26-28 -- ARRL Idaho State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/idaho-state-convention-3>, Boise, Idaho

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

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