[SFDXA] The ARRL Letter for March 7, 2013

Thu Mar 7 18:49:16 EST 2013

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The ARRL Letter

March 7, 2013
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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Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2013-03-07&t=t>

  * *+* /FCC Enforcement News/: Alleged Deliberate Interference Leads to
    $25,000 Fine for Florida Ham <#toc01>
  * *+* /Amateur Radio and the Law/: Montana Governor Signs Legislation
    to Limit Antenna Restrictions, Protect Hams from Distracted Driving
    Regulations <#toc02>
  * *+* /Ham Radio in Hollywood/: /Last Man Standing/ to Feature Amateur
    Radio Storyline <#toc03>
  * *+* Florida Hams Prove that Ham Radio Works When Cell Phones Don't
    <#toc04>
  * /ARRL in Action/: What Have We Been Up to Lately? <#toc05>
  * /ARRL Recognizes/: Nominations Now Open for ARRL Technical and
    Educational Awards <#toc06>
  * *+* More Than 20,000 arrl.net, arrl.org E-mail Addresses Blocked by
    Microsoft <#toc07>
  * Solar Update <#toc08>
  * *+* /ARRL Recognizes/: John White, VA7JW, and Ken Tapping Win
    February /QST /Cover Plaque Award <#toc09>
  * New QuickStats Poll Now Available on ARRL Website <#toc10>
  * This Week in Radiosport <#toc11>
  * Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
    <#toc12>

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

*+* /FCC Enforcement News/: Alleged Deliberate Interference Leads to 
$25,000 Fine for Florida Ham

On March 1, the FCC issued a /Notice of Apparent Liability for 
Forfeiture/ (/NAL/) in the amount of $25,000 to Terry L. VanVolkenburg, 
KC5RF, of Cocoa, Florida. The FCC alleged that VanVolkenburg "apparently 
willfully and repeatedly violated Sections 301 and 333 of the 
Communications Act of 1934, as amended..., by operating a radio 
transmitter without a license on...465.300 MHz and for interfering with 
licensed communications." VanVolkenburg holds an Advanced class license.

According to the Commission's/Forfeiture Policy Statement/ and Section 
1.80 of the rules, the base forfeiture amount for operation without an 
instrument of authorization is $10,000, and the base forfeiture amount 
for interference is $7000. In assessing the monetary forfeiture amount, 
the FCC must also take into account statutory factors that include the 
nature, circumstances, extent and gravity of the violations, and with 
respect to the violator, the degree of culpability, any history of prior 
offenses, ability to pay and other such matters. "We find Mr 
VanVolkenburg's misconduct particularly egregious because his unlicensed 
operation involved willful and malicious interference to the 
communications of the Brevard County Sheriff's Department,which included 
threats against the officers, after being told (multiple times) to cease 
his interfering communications," the FCC stated in the /NAL/. "Thus, we 
find that an upward adjustment of $8000 to the combined base forfeiture 
of $17,000 is warranted. Applying the /Forfeiture Policy Statement/, 
Section 1.80 of the rules and the statutory factors to the instant case, 
we conclude that Mr VanVolkenburg is apparently liable for a forfeiture 
in the amount of $25,000." Read more here 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/florida-ham-issued-25-000-fine-for-operating-an-unlicensed-radio-transmitter-and-interfering-with-li>. 

*+* /Amateur Radio and the Law/: Montana Governor Signs Legislation to 
Limit Antenna Restrictions, Protect Hams from Distracted Driving Regulations

Montana Governor Steve Bullock (seated, right) signs Montana House Bill 
148 into law on February 28 as bill sponsor Pat Connell, WA7PDC (seated, 
left) and ARRL Montana Section Manager-elect George Forsyth, AA7GS 
(standing) look on. [William Erhardt, K7MT, photo]

On February 28, Montana Governor Steve Bullock (D) signed House Bill 148 
into law. Montana State Representative Pat Connell, WA7PDC, had 
submitted the bill -- /Clarifying Local Government Authority to Regulate 
Amateur Radio Operations/ -- on the 2013 Montana legislative docket in 
order to protect Amateur Radio operators in Montana from distracted 
driving laws. The new law prohibits local governments from regulating 
licensed Amateur Radio operations from a motor vehicle and also 
establishes a 100-foot by-right height below which local jurisdictions 
may not regulate Amateur Radio towers. Read more here 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/montana-governor-signs-legislation-to-protect-mobile-amateur-radio-operations-from-distracted-drivin>.

*+* /Ham Radio in Hollywood/: /Last Man Standing/ to Feature Amateur 
Radio Storyline

In an episode scheduled to air Friday, March 15, the hit ABC comedy 
/Last Man Standing/ -- starring Tim Allen as Mike Baxter, KA0XTT -- will 
feature a secondary ham radio storyline. This is the first time that the 
show will highlight Amateur Radio in its plot, showing various cast 
members on the air and communicating via ham radio.

In an episode of /Last Man Standing/ to air March 15, Mandy Baxter 
(played by Molly Ephraim) loses her technology privileges and discovers 
her father's ham shack in the basement of their house. [ABC Photo]

In Episode 217 -- called "The Fight" -- Mike's daughter Mandy (played by 
Molly Ephraim), gets her cell phone taken away as punishment. She 
discovers Mike's home shack in the basement and uses ham radio to make 
faraway friends. According to /Last Man Standing/ Producer John Amodeo, 
NN6JA, the home shack is a brand new set built just for this episode. 
The ARRL provided many of the awards and certificates -- including 5 
Band DXCC, 5 Band Worked All States, 5 Band Worked All Continents, VUCC 
(for 50 MHz), the Diamond DXCC Challenge and the Morse Code Proficiency 
Certificate -- seen on Mike Baxter's home shack wall. Read more here 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/em-ham-radio-in-hollywood-em-last-man-standing-to-feature-amateur-radio-storyline>.

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*+* Florida Hams Prove that Ham Radio Works When Cell Phones Don't

After a day of exploring the Green Swamp Wildlife Management Area -- 
which covers 50,692 protected acres in Florida's Lake, Polk and Sumter 
Counties -- with his grandson, Joe Cody, KE4WDP, of Winter Haven, 
Florida, saw that the roads were flooding and becoming hazardous. As he 
tried to drive out of the area, Cody's small pick-up truck got bogged 
down in the mud. Since he was out of cell phone range, Cody tried 
calling for help on the Dade City 146.880 repeater. Richard Parker, 
KF4ORW, of Dade City, Florida, heard the call and answered. Read more 
here 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/florida-hams-prove-that-ham-radio-works-when-cell-phones-don-t>.

/ARRL in Action/: What Have We Been Up to Lately?

This feature is a concise monthly update of some of the things that the 
ARRL is doing on behalf of its members. This installment -- which covers 
the month of February -- takes a look at the 2013 ARRL Field Day, 
scholarships administered by the ARRL Foundation, Section Manager 
election results, updates from the ARRL Development Office, reports from 
the Official Observer Desk and more. Read more here 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-in-action-what-have-we-been-up-to-lately-55>.

/ARRL Recognizes/: Nominations Now Open for ARRL Technical and 
Educational Awards

Each year, the ARRL Board of Directors has the opportunity to select 
recipients for a number of awards in various categories that honor 
Amateur Radio operators. The nomination period is now open for the ARRL 
awards that are designed to recognize educational and technological 
pursuits in Amateur Radio, including an award that honors a young 
Amateur Radio operator. ARRL members may nominate hams for the Herb S. 
Brier Instructor of the Year Award, the Hiram Percy Maxim Award, the 
ARRL Microwave Development Award, the ARRL Technical Service Award, the 
ARRL Technical Innovation Award and the Knight Distinguished Service 
Award. Read more here 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/nominations-now-open-for-arrl-technical-and-educational-awards>.

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*+* More Than 20,000 arrl.net, arrl.org E-mail Addresses Blocked by 
Microsoft

The ARRL IT staff has been notified that Microsoft is blocking e-mail to 
the more than 20,000 members who use the *arrl.net* e-mail forwarding 
service to forward e-mail to Microsoft domains (*hotmail.com*, 
*msn.com*, *live.com* and *outlook.com*). In addition, the blockage is 
also affecting those members of the ARRL's Field Organization and other 
ARRL volunteers who use an *arrl.org* alias e-mail address to have 
e-mail delivered to an address with a Microsoft domain. According to 
ARRL Information Technology Manager Michael Keane, K1MK, the IT staff is 
working to have these blocks lifted and e-mail delivery restored to 
normal operation as quickly as possible.

Solar Update

The Sun, as seen on Thursday, March 7, 2013 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: Both the averages of daily sunspot numbers and 
solar flux rose, with the sunspot numbers up nearly 36 points to 93.3 
and the solar flux up nearly 12 points to 112.6. The most active 
geomagnetic day was Friday, March 1, when the planetary A index was 27 
and the mid-latitude A index was 23; Alaska's high latitude College A 
index was a whopping 64. The latest forecast from NOAA/USAF puts the 
average solar flux for the next five days -- March 7-11 -- at 117. The 
predicted solar flux is 115, 112 and 118 on March 7-9, 120 on March 
10-11, 118, 115 and 110 on March 12-14, 95 on March 15-17, 100 on March 
18-20, and back down to 105 on March 21-24. The predicted planetary A 
index is 8 on March 7-8, 5 on March 9, 8 on March 10-13, 5 on March 
14-20, 8 on March 21, and back down to 5 on March 22-27. Look for more 
on the ARRL website on Friday, March 8. For more information concerning 
radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service 
Propagation page <http://www.arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals>.

*+* /ARRL Recognizes/: John White, VA7JW, and Ken Tapping Win February 
/QST /Cover Plaque Award

The winners of the February /QST/ Cover Plaque award are John White, 
VA7JW, and Ken Tappingfor their article "The Penticton Solar Flux 
Receiver 
<http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/arrl/qst_201302/index.php#/40>." 
/Congratulations John and Ken!/ 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 /QSTCover Plaque Poll web 
page <http://www.arrl.org/cover-plaque-poll>/. Cast a ballot for your 
favorite article in the March issue today .

Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2013-03-07&p=2>
New QuickStats Poll Now Available on ARRL Website

Four new poll questions have just been published on the QuickStats page 
<http://www.arrl.org/quickstats> on the ARRL website. Let your voice be 
heard!

Questions in this month's QuickStats poll:

  * Is your primary FM transceiver a single- or dual-band model?
  * Do you consider your local Amateur Radio club dues to be too low,
    too high or just right?
  * Does your flat screen TV generate interfering signals?
  * How often do you back up the data in your station computer?

Visit the QuickStats page <http://www.arrl.org/quickstats> and be sure 
to bookmark it in your browser. Results from this QuickStats poll will 
be published in the May 2013 issue of /QST/ on the QuickStats page, 
located in the rear advertising section of the magazine. Along with 
monthly poll results, /QST/ QuickStats offers colorful charts and graphs 
that highlight interesting Amateur Radio statistics.

This Week in Radiosport

/This week:/

  * March 9 -- AGCW QRP Contest
  * March 9-10 -- Idaho QSO Party; RSGB Commonwealth Contest; AWA John
    Rollins Memorial DX Contest; EA PSK63 Contest
  * March 10 -- North American Sprint (RTTY)
  * March 10-11 -- Wisconsin QSO Party
  * March 13 -- NAQCC-EU Monthly Sprint
  * March 13-14 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test

/Next week:/

  * March 15 -- NCCC Sprint
  * March 16 -- Feld Hell Sprint; AGCW VHF/UHF Contest
  * March 16-17 -- Virginia QSO Party; Russian DX Contest
  * March 16-18 -- BARTG HF RTTY Contest
  * March 17 -- North American Sprint (SSB)
  * March 18 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest
  * March 21 -- NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint

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

  * March 8-9 -- ARRL Oklahoma Section Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/oklahoma-section-convention-green-country-hamfest-1>,
    Claremore, Oklahoma; ARRL Louisiana Section Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/louisiana-section-convention-acadiana-53rd-annual-hamfest>,
    Rayne, Louisiana
  * March 16 -- ARRL Nebraska State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/nebraska-state-convention-2>, Lincoln,
    Nebraska; ARRL West Texas State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/west-texas-section-convention-58th-annual-st-patrick-s-day-hamfest>,
    Midland, Texas
  * March 23 -- ARRL South Texas State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/south-texas-section-convention-greater-houston-hamfest-3>,
    Rosenberg, Texas
  * March 29-30 -- ARRL Maine State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/maine-state-convention-3>, Lewiston, Maine
  * March 30 -- ARRL North Carolina State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/north-carolina-state-convention-raleigh-hamfest-2>,
    Raleigh, North Carolina
  * April 13-14 -- Communications Academy
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/communications-academy-2013>, Seattle,
    Washington
  * April 19-20 -- Southeastern VHF Society Conference
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/svhfs-conference>, Cocoa Beach, Florida
  * April 19-21 -- International DX Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/international-dx-convention-2>,
    Visalia, California
  * 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
  * May 4 -- ARRL South Carolina Section Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/south-carolina-section-convention-upstate-hamfest-1>,
    Spartanburg, South Carolina
  * May 17-19 -- Dayton Hamvention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/dayton-hamvention-4>, Trotwood, Ohio
  * June 1 -- ARRL Georgia State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/georgia-state-convention-atlanta-hamfest-1>,
    Marietta, Georgia
  * May 31-June 2 -- ARRL Northwestern Division Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/northwestern-division-convention-seapac-4>,
    Seaside, Oregon
  * June 7-8 -- ARRL West Gulf Division Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/west-gulf-division-convention-35th-anniversary-ham-com>,
    Plano, Texas
  * June 8 -- ARRL Delta Division Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/delta-division-convention-2>, Rogers,
    Arkansas; ARRL Tennessee State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/tennessee-state-convention-knoxville-hamfest-electronics-convention>,
    Knoxville, Tennessee
  * June 28-30 -- ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/rocky-mountain-division-convention-hamcon-colorado-2013>,
    Estes Park, Colorado
  * July 6 -- ARRL Eastern Pennsylvania Section Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/eastern-pennsylvania-section-convention-firecracker-hamfest-electronics-expo>,
    Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
  * July 25-27 -- Central States VHF Society Conference
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/central-states-vhf-society-2013-conference>,
    Elk Grove Village, Illinois
  * August 2-3 -- ARRL Texas State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/texas-state-convention-austin-summerfest-2013>,
    Austin, Texas
  * August 2-4 -- Pacific Northwest DX Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/pacific-northwest-dx-convention-2>,
    Spokane Valley, Washington
  * August 17 -- ARRL West Virginia State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/west-virginia-state-convention-3>,
    Weston, West Virginia
  * August 17-18 -- ARRL Alabama State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/alabama-state-convention-huntsville-hamfest-1>,
    Huntsville, Alabama
  * August 18 -- ARRL Kansas State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/kansas-state-convention-3>, Salina, Kansas
  * August 25 -- ARRL Western Pennsylvania Section Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/western-pennsylvania-section-convention-3>,
    New Kensington, Pennsylvania

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

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