[SFDXA] The ARRL Letter for February 27, 2014

Thu Feb 27 18:24:39 EST 2014

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The ARRL Letter

February 27, 2014
Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME <mailto:ww1me at arrl.org>
ARRL Home Page <http://www.arrl.org/> 	
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  * /Your League/: ARRL to File "Friend of the Court" Brief in Ohio
    Antenna Case <#toc01>
  * /Your League/: Nevada Getting New Section Manager on March 1 <#toc02>
  * /International/: "Amateur Radio: Your Gateway to Wireless
    Communication" is World Amateur Radio Day 2014 Theme <#toc03>
  * /Ham Radio in Space/: More Ham Radio CubeSats Expected to Deploy
    from ISS This Week <#toc04>
  * /Public Service/: Hurricane Conferences Set for April and May <#toc05>
  * /Public Service/: RDF Bracelet Helps Oregon Hams to Locate Missing
    Man <#toc06>
  * /DX/: Mellish Reef DXpedition Ready to Pick Up the Post-FT5ZM Slack
    <#toc07>
  * /ARRL Centennial/: W1AW Centennial Operations Now in Washington,
    Kansas <#toc08>
  * /Milestones/: AMSAT's G. Gould Smith, WA4SXM, Steps Down from AMSAT
    Board <#toc09>
  * /Technology/: DARC Questions BPL/PLT Emission Measurement Method
    <#toc10>
  * /Events/: Islands On The Air Gatherings Set <#toc11>
  * /Feature/: A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL <#toc12>
  * The K7RA Solar Update <#toc13>
  * *In Brief* <#toc14>
  * Getting it Right! <#toc15>
  * Just Ahead in Radiosport <#toc16>
  * Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
    <#toc17>

/Your League/: ARRL to File "Friend of the Court" Brief in Ohio Antenna Case

The ARRL plans to file a "friend of the court" or /amicus curiae/ brief 
on behalf of an Ohio radio amateur who has been at loggerheads with his 
community since 2009 in efforts to erect a modest antenna support 
structure. The Village of Swanton, Ohio, turned down the application of 
ARRL Life Member Gary Wodtke, WW8N, for an antenna variance to put up a 
60 foot tower. Wodtke appealed, however, and in January the Fulton 
County Common Pleas Court issued a final judgment in his favor, ruling 
that federal and state law preempted Swanton's antenna ordinance.

Now, Swanton is appealing that order to the Ohio Sixth District Court of 
Appeals <https://www.co.lucas.oh.us/index.aspx?nid=171>, asserting, in 
part, that Ohio's PRB-1 <http://www.arrl.org/prb-1> antenna law is 
unconstitutional, because it conflicts with the state's "Home Rule" 
statute, which gives communities broad and preemptive regulatory powers. 
Like the federal law, Ohio's PRB-1 statute calls on towns to "reasonably 
accommodate amateur station communications and shall constitute the 
minimum practicable regulation necessary." Ohio Section State Government 
Liaison Nick Pittner, K8NAP, believes the state appeals court's decision 
in Wodtke v. Village of Swanton could set legal precedent for similar 
antenna-related cases down the road. An attorney, Pittner was 
instrumental in getting Ohio's PRB-1 law enacted.

"Appellate decisions are generally final, unless further review is 
granted by the Ohio Supreme Court," Pittner said in a statement. "While 
a court of appeals decision represents the law only in that appellate 
district, it carries significant precedential value in other Ohio courts 
and may also be cited in similar cases in other states."

In addition to the state's antenna regulation pre-emption law, the 
application and authority of the federal PRB-1 statute, embraced in 
Section 97.15(b) of the FCC's Amateur Service rules, will be at issue in 
the appeal. This case will mark the first time a state PRB-1 law has 
been challenged in an appeal.

Assisting in the case is telecommunications attorney and antenna rights 
advocate and expert Fred Hopengarten, K1VR, the author of /Antenna 
Zoning for the Radio Amateur/, published by the ARRL and now in its 
second edition.

The Village of Swanton's ordinance established a fixed antenna height of 
20 feet above the residential roofline. Wodtke wants to install a 60 
foot antenna support structure on his 0.2 acre residential lot; the 
village allows greater height where the lot is at least 5 acres. While 
the appeal is pending, both parties have agreed that Wodtke be permitted 
to install a 40 foot antenna support structure, which complies with 
Swanton's current ordinance.

/Your League/: Nevada Getting New Section Manager on March 1

The ARRL Nevada Section will have new leadership starting March 1. 
Section Manager Joe Giraudo, N7JEH, has announced that he is stepping 
down from the position, because a new job with his employer of more than 
30 years will take him outside Nevada more often.

"This absence from the Section makes it increasingly difficult to 
effectively serve the membership within Nevada," said Giraudo, of Elko. 
He has served as SM since August 2008. "During the past five years, it 
has been my honor to serve as your elected Section Manager," Giraudo 
said in a message to Nevada ARRL members.

With Giraudo's endorsement, Gary Grant, K7VY, of Reno, has been 
appointed to take the reins. He will complete the current term of office 
that extends until June 30, 2015. Membership and Volunteer Programs 
Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, consulted with Pacific Division Director Bob 
Vallio, W6RGG, in making the appointment of Grant.

Grant has been an ARRL member for more than 50 years, and he is retired 
from the University of Nevada. He previously worked in radio and TV 
broadcasting and ran a two-way radio company. He has served as an 
Assistant Section Manager, Official Observer Coordinator, and Official 
Observer within the Nevada Field Organization and helps run a ham radio 
list server.

/International/: "Amateur Radio: Your Gateway to Wireless Communication" 
is World Amateur Radio Day 2014 Theme

The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU <http://www.iaru.org>) 
Administrative Council has designated "Amateur Radio: Your Gateway to 
Wireless Communication" as the theme for World Amateur Radio Day 2014. 
World Amateur Radio Day is celebrated each year on April 18 to recognize 
the anniversary of the founding of the IARU in Paris in 1925. ARRL 
Co-Founder Hiram Percy Maxim, 1AW, who had proposed the idea the year 
before, became its first president. The primary purpose of World Amateur 
Radio Day is to focus a public spotlight on Amateur Radio and its 
benefits to countries and communities. This year the IARU and its 
member-societies around the world will celebrate the organization's 89th 
anniversary.

Each year the IARU Administrative Council selects a World Amateur Radio 
Day theme that is consistent with the role and purpose of Amateur Radio 
and that represents a commendable activity that would cast IARU and 
Amateur Radio in a favorable light. When the Administrative Council met 
<http://www.iaru.org/news--events.html> last September in Mexico, 
attendees discussed various possible topics and themes, before adopting 
"Amateur Radio: Your Gateway to Wireless Communication."

As the IARU's history <http://www.iaru.org/history.html> recounts, in 
the early 1920s it was generally assumed that the lower the frequency 
and the longer the wavelength, the better, and "very large antennas and 
very high power were the rule." Amateur Radio experimenters were the 
first to discover that the short wave spectrum, far from being a 
wasteland, could support worldwide propagation. As the rush to shorter 
wavelengths ensued, however, Amateur Radio, which had proved the value 
of this spectrum in the first place, "were in grave danger of being 
pushed aside," the IARU's history notes.

The first IARU Congress in1925 in Paris. [/QST/, June 1925]

Adopting the philosophy of strength in numbers, Amateur Radio pioneers 
met in Paris in 1925 and created the International Amateur Radio Union 
to support Amateur Radio worldwide. Just 2 years later, at the 
International Radiotelegraph Conference, Amateur Radio gained the 
allocations still recognized today -- 160, 80, 40, 20, and 10 meters. 
 From fewer than 30,000 licensees in 1927, Amateur Radio's numbers have 
grown to 3 million. From the 25 countries that formed the IARU in 1925, 
the IARU has grown to include 150 member-societies.

Today IARU is organized into three regions. IARU Region 1 includes 
Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Northern Asia. Region 2 covers the 
Americas, and Region 3 is comprised of Australia, New Zealand, the 
Pacific island nations, and most of Asia. The International 
Telecommunication Union (ITU) has recognized the IARU as representing 
the interests of Amateur Radio.

Several IARU member-societies and associated clubs are expected to field 
special event stations to mark the occasion. This year, April 18 is a 
Friday. When the anniversary falls on a weekday, public relations 
activities and operating events marking World Amateur Radio Day take 
place during the weekend following April 18./-- Thanks to Geoff 
Atkinson, VK3TL, IARU R3 Director, IARU website /

/Ham Radio in Space/: More Ham Radio CubeSats Expected to Deploy from 
ISS This Week

Another batch of CubeSats were deployed at noon on February 25 from the 
International Space Station. While no Amateur Radio satellites were 
among them, NASA has indicated, "More deployments are scheduled through 
Friday." NASA said this week that flight controllers from the Japan 
Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) "maneuvered the Kibo laboratory's 
robotic arm into position" for the launches. The Multi-Purpose 
Experiment Platform, which carries the NanoRacks <http://nanoracks.com/> 
CubeSats, is attached to the arm. NanoRacks provides CubeSat deployment 
services through an agreement with NASA. JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata, 
KC5ZTA, has been handling CubeSat deployments aboard the ISS.

CubeSat deployments from the ISS on February 11, 2014. [NASA photo]

Four Amateur Radio CubeSats -- LituanicaSat-1, LitSat-1, ArduSat-2, and 
UAPSat-1, along with the 915 MHz SkyCube -- may be deployed February 28. 
CubeSats deployments are streamed live 
<http://m.ustream.tv/channel/live-iss-stream>. AMSAT-UK has reported 
that it's unclear whether another Amateur Radio CubeSat, the Peruvian 
Chasqui 1, which was sent to the ISS on February 5, also will be 
deployed on February 28.

Eight NanoRacks deployers are installed on the Multi-Purpose Experiment 
Platform. Each deployer can hold up to six 1U (a unit = 10×10×10 
centimeters) CubeSats or two 3U CubeSats. Two 3U CubeSats (6U total) can 
be deployed every one to two orbits to prevent collisions.

♦ LituanicaSAT-1 <https://www.facebook.com/Lituanicasat1> carries an FM 
transponder: Uplink 145.950 MHz/Downlink 435.180 MHz. It also has an 
AX.25 transponder: Uplink 145.850 MHz/Downlink 437.550 MHz. The CW 
beacon is on 437.275 MHz.

♦ LitSat-1 <https://www.facebook.com/palydovas> carries an SSB 
transponder: Uplink 435.180 MHz/Downlink 145.950 MHz, and an AX.25 
packet transponder: Uplink 437.550 MHz/Downlink 145.850 MHz.

♦ ArduSat-2 
<http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/575960623/ardusat-your-arduino-experiment-in-space> 
will transmit 9.6 MSK CCSDS data on a 437 MHz downlink.

♦ UAPSAT will carry an AX.25 packet transponder: Uplink 145.980 
MHz/Downlink 437.385 MHz.

♦ Chasqui-1 <http://www.chasqui.uni.edu.pe/eng.html> will transmit AX.25 
format data on 437.250 MHz.

AMSAT-UK has reported 
<http://amsat-uk.org/2014/02/23/launch-of-japanese-amateur-radio-satellites/> 
that, in addition to the CubeSat deployments from the ISS, seven 
Japanese Amateur Radio satellites are scheduled to launch from Earth 
February 27 at 1807 UTC.

The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) project -- 
the ARISS-EU "Ham Video" system -- is tentatively set to begin the 
commissioning process no sooner than the second weekend in March. Ham 
radio-related activities aboard the ISS typically take a low priority on 
the astronauts' work agenda.

The Delfi-n3Xt satellite. [Technical University Delft image]

Meanwhile, there's some bad news regarding the Delfi CubeSat, Delfi-n3Xt 
<http://www.delfispace.nl/operations/radio-amateurs>. Program Manager 
Jasper Bouwmeester PC4JB, reported the results of testing carried out on 
the CubeSat's 435/145 MHz linear transponder. "Unfortunately, we have 
not heard anything from Delfi-n3Xt since Thursday [February 20], after 
our transponder test," Bouwmeester said. "Nothing seemed to be wrong, 
except for the transponder itself not properly working." Bouwmeester 
said the Delfi team suspects a hardware failure and has been attempting 
to revive the satellite. Delfi-n3Xt transmits at about 145.870 MHz.

Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2014-02-27&p=0>
/Public Service/: Hurricane Conferences Set for April and May

The 2014 National Hurricane Conference <http://hurricanemeeting.com/> 
will take place April 14-17, at the Orlando Hilton in Orlando, Florida. 
The primary goal of the National Hurricane Conference is to improve 
hurricane preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation in order to 
save lives and property in the US and the tropical islands of the 
Caribbean and Pacific. The conference also serves as a national forum 
for federal, state and local officials to exchange ideas and recommend 
new policies to improve emergency management. At past conferences, there 
has been a robust Amateur Radio and ARES presence in the form of 
workshops and discussion forums. Planning for this year's conference is 
underway, and registration 
<http://hurricanemeeting.com/register-by-mailfax/> is open.

The 28th annual Governor's Hurricane Conference (GHC 
<http://flghc.org/>) will be held May 11-16, 2014 at the Rosen Centre 
Hotel and Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. This 
conference will feature an Amateur Radio and ARES component. This year's 
theme is "Rethink risk." -- /Thanks to the /The ARES E-Letter 
<http://www.arrl.org/ares-e-letter>.

/Public Service/: RDF Bracelet Helps Oregon Hams to Locate Missing Man

Members of the Lane County (Oregon) Sheriff's Amateur Radio Operators 
(LCSARO <http://www.lcsaro.org/>) -- an ARRL-Affiliated Club -- used 
radio direction-finding techniques to locate a 78-year-old Eugene, 
Oregon, man suffering from dementia, who had gone missing. The man's 
wife reported February 16 that her husband had wandered away from the 
couple's home, east of the University of Oregon Campus.

Fortunately, the man was one of six at-risk individuals in the county 
equipped with a Project Lifesaver <http://www.projectlifesaver.org/> RDF 
bracelet. As a result, the specially trained hams in the sheriff's 
department were able to track down and locate the missing person in 
downtown Eugene. He was not injured. The ham radio team minimizes the 
need for large-scale search parties that typically involve many 
agencies, hundreds of police officers, and thousands of dollars in cost. 
The LCSARO also supports communication in disaster and emergency 
situations. /-- Thanks to John Bigley, N7UR, Nevada Amateur Radio 
Newswire <http://www.nevadahamradio.com/>//
/

/DX/: Mellish Reef DXpedition Ready to Pick Up the Post-FT5ZM Slack

With the hubbub generated by the just-ended FT5ZM Amsterdam Island 
DXpedition still echoing in our ears, the Mellish Reef VK9MT 
<http://vk9mt.com/> DXpedition is waiting in the wings to launch its own 
adventure on the Amateur Radio airwaves. VK9MT will be handing out 
another rare one March 29 through April 9 from the Coral Sea atoll.

"Congratulations to the FT5ZM team for their excellent operation," Team 
Mellish said in a February 20 news update 
<http://vk9mt.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=34&Itemid=58>. 
"Our equipment is on the way to Australia, and the team is making 
last-minute preparations for their journey to Australia." An advance 
team is set to arrive in Australia on March 18 to start retrieving 
equipment from storage and preparing for the sea voyage.

The team has selected the 25 meter passenger expedition yacht /Evohe/ 
<http://www.expedition-sailing-vessel.com/> from New Zealand to 
transport operators and gear to Mellish Reef. Given the paucity of dry 
land at the operating site, DXpedition participants plan to take their 
meals and sleep on the vessel.

A pilot team now is in place to manage all communication between the 
island team and DXers. "While on the island we will not be checking 
personal e-mail accounts," the team pointed out, adding, "Please direct 
operational suggestions to the pilot designated for your region." An 
online log <http://vk9mt.com/index.php?option=com_php&Itemid=111> will 
be available. The DXpedition also has spelled out its QSL policy 
<http://vk9mt.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=35&Itemid=112>. 

Mellish Reef will become part of Australia's Coral Sea Marine Reserve 
Management Program on July 1. [Photo courtesy VK9MT website]

Located some 1150 kilometers north-northeast of Brisbane, Australia, 
Mellish Reef takes the form of a boomerang-shaped platform some 10 
kilometers long and 3 kilometers wide. According to the VK9MT website, 
the surrounding reefs, which enclose a narrow lagoon, are completely 
submerged or awash at high tide. Near the lagoon's center is the only 
permanent land -- Heralds-Beacon Islet -- a small cay rising just a few 
meters above the high-water mark and composed largely of sand, shingle, 
and coral rubble.

The schedule calls for 10 full days of operation on 160 through 10 
meters, CW, SSB, and RTTY, with 10 operators. Six members of the 
successful December 2012 ZL9HR operation from Campbell Island are among 
the team members.

Australia's Commonwealth Marine Reserve Operations Department will 
require that the visitors follow the department's documented 
environmental protection regulations. "Effective July 1, 2014, Mellish 
Reef becomes part of Australia's new Coral Sea Marine Reserve Management 
Program, which implements additional restrictions to further protect the 
area's ecology," an earlier team announcement noted. "[W]e appreciate 
the Australian government's cooperation and spirit of partnership in 
making this DXpedition possible." The Australian Communications and 
Media Authority issued the call sign VK9MT last fall. Mellish Reef was 
last activated in 2009 and is number 23 on ClubLog's February 2014 /DXCC 
Most Wanted List/ <http://www.clublog.org/mostwanted.php>.

The team said it was "honored" to receive an ARRL Colvin Award 
<http://www.arrl.org/colvin-award-grants> grant, funded through an 
endowment established by Lloyd Colvin, W6KG (SK). The DXpedition budget 
is estimated at $110,000, not including operators' individual expenses. 
The team has pledged "full financial transparency" for all aspects of 
the DXpedition. "When the books are closed, clubs and foundations that 
supported the project will receive a financial accounting," Team Mellish 
has said. Contact <mailto:info at vk9mt.com> the DXpedition via e-mail. The 
DXpedition also has a Facebook page <https://www.facebook.com/vk9mt>.

Several members of the VK9MT team plan to attend Dayton Hamvention in 
May and the Friedrichshafen, Germany, Ham Radio exhibition in June.

/ARRL Centennial/: W1AW Centennial Operations Now in Washington, Kansas

The ARRL Centennial "W1AW WAS 
<http://www.arrl.org/files/file/On%20the%20Air/W1AW_2014_sked.pdf>" 
operations that are taking place throughout 2014 from each of the 50 
states now are in Washington (W1AW/7) and Kansas (W1AW/0). They will 
relocate at 0000 UTC on March 5 (the evening of March 4 in US time 
zones) to Idaho (W1AW/7) and Kentucky (W1AW/4).

During 2014 W1AW will be on the air from every state (at least twice) 
and most US territories, and it will be easy to work all states solely 
by contacting W1AW portable operations.

In conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the ARRL, the ARRL 
Centennial QSO Party <http://www.arrl.org/centennial-qso-party> kicked 
off January 1 for a year-long operating event in which participants can 
accumulate points and win awards. The event is open to all, although 
only ARRL members and appointees, elected officials, HQ staff and W1AW 
are worth ARRL Centennial QSO Party points 
<http://www.arrl.org/centennial-qso-party#Table>. Working W1AW/x from 
each state is worth 5 points per contact.

To earn the "Worked all States with W1AW Award," work W1AW operating 
portable from all 50 states. (Working W1AW or W100AW in Connecticut does 
/not/ count for Connecticut, however. For award credit, participants 
must work W1AW/1 in Connecticut.) A W1AW WAS certificate and plaque will 
be available (pricing not yet available).

The ARRL has posted an ARRL Centennial QSO Party leader board 
<https://centennial-qp.arrl.org/> that participants can use to determine 
how many points they have accumulated in the Centennial QSO Party and in 
the W1AW WAS operations. Log in using your Logbook of the World (LoTW 
<http://www.arrl.org/logbook-of-the-world>) user name and password, and 
your position will appear at the top of the leader boards. Results are 
updated daily, based on contacts entered into LoTW.

Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2014-02-27&p=1>
/Milestones/: AMSAT's G. Gould Smith, WA4SXM, Steps Down from AMSAT Board

AMSAT-NA <http://ww2.amsat.org/> Board Member and Vice President-User 
Services G. Gould Smith, WA4SXM, has resigned both positions "with deep 
regret."

Gould Smith, WA4SXM. [AMSAT photo]

"AMSAT has played a major part in my life over the last 25 years; the 
incredible people have made it such a great pleasure," Smith, of 
Knoxville, Tennessee, told AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW. Smith 
has confronted health issues in recent years. "I had hoped that I would 
be able to contribute this year, but that hasn't worked out," he told 
Baines. "The organization needs to have contributing people in these 
positions."

Baines expressed sorrow over Smith's departure. "[Y]ou have done so much 
for AMSAT over the years," he said.

First Alternate Board Member JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JWM, steps up as a board 
member to fill the vacancy, at least until new elections are held this 
fall. Smith's leadership position as Vice President-User Services 
remains open.

An AMSAT Life Member, Smith has drafted a variety of guides for 
satellite users over the years. Among the books he's written and updated 
each year include /Decoding Telemetry/, started in 1990, which later 
became The AMSAT-NA /Digital Satellite Guide/. He also wrote the book 
now known as /Getting Started in Amateur Satellites/; a revised edition 
will become available at the 2014 Dayton Hamvention.

Smith also served as a member of the AO-51 command team, has written for 
/AMSAT Journal/, and presented papers at symposiums. He became an AMSAT 
Board member in 2008 and stepped forward to serve as project manager of 
SuitSat-2, which morphed into ARISSat-1 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arissat-1-finally-deployed-from-iss>, a 
spacecraft deployed from the ISS in August 2011. /-- Thanks to AMSAT 
News Service/

/Technology/: DARC Questions BPL/PLT Emission Measurement Method

While complaints of BPL 
<http://www.arrl.org/broadband-over-powerline-bpl> interference have 
become rare in the US, the Deutscher Amateur Radio Club (DARC 
<http://www.darc.de/>), Germany's national Amateur Radio society, 
continues to battle the issue. The DARC recently raised questions 
regarding the measurement protocol that federal authorities used to test 
devices used for power line telecommunication (PLT), as BPL is known in 
Europe. The DARC Scientific Research Associate Thilo Kootz, DL9KCE, said 
it appears the Federal Network Agency conducted some of its PLT emission 
measurements while the devices were in stand-by mode, with no data being 
transferred.

"The agency concluded that the device met all standard requirements," 
Kootz said, "but our preliminary findings showed that emissions from a 
similar unit were approximately 100 times above the limit." The DARC, he 
said, had to use the Freedom of Information Act to obtain a copy of the 
measurement protocols the federal agency employed, which leave several 
questions unanswered. Kootz called it "a questionable procedure" to 
measure the PLT device while it was idle.

"A lawnmower that's not running does not violate the noise ordinance," 
he said. "Such a measurement technique offers carte blanche for 
thousands of other devices that should not be permitted to come to market."

The DARC said radio amateurs have had negative experiences with PLT 
devices, the use of which, it said, can cause massive interference to 
radio reception and affect other wireless services as well.

/Events/: Islands On The Air Gatherings Set

The annual Islands On The Air (IOTA <http://www.rsgbiota.org/>) BASH 
will take place on the weekend of March 14-15 in Boerne, Texas. IOTA 
BASH 2014 <http://www.islandradio.org/iotabash2014.html> is sponsored by 
the Island Radio Expedition Foundation (IREF 
<http://www.islandradio.org/>). Contact <mailto:ad5a at gvtc.com> Mike 
Crownover, AD5A, with any questions or visit the IREF website.

The 19th annual IOTA Dinner 
<http://www.dxconvention.org/download/IOTA_Dinner.pdf> will be held in 
conjunction with the 65th annual Visalia International DX Convention 
<http://dxconvention.org/>, Friday, April 4, in the Charter Oak Room of 
the Visalia/Marriott Conference Center in Downtown Visalia, California. 
The event is open to all who are active in IOTA (or who want to see 
beautiful pictures of faraway islands). The IOTA program follows the 
dinner with several guest speakers on the schedule. The event gets 
underway at 5:30 PM PT.

Tickets are $35 per person. Reservations and payment in advance are 
required by March 23. Send checks to IOTA Dinner Coordinator Ray Benny 
<mailto:rayn6vr at cableone.net>, N6VR, 462 South Reed Rd, Chino Valley, AZ 
86323 (he will confirm receipt by e-mail). Tickets are limited, and 
admission to the program following the dinner is free and open to all.

Sponsored by the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB 
<http://rsgb.org/>), IOTA is an Amateur Radio award program that 
encourages operators to contact stations on islands around the world.

/Feature/: A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL

America's "Roaring 20s" had passed and, with them, a period of roaring 
growth in radio technology. But a large problem had fallen on America, 
one that began on October 29, 1929 -- "Black Tuesday," the day the stock 
market crash triggered our Great Depression.

Like everyone else, hams had to tighten their belts during the 1930s. 
Typical ham didn't have enough disposable income to take advantage of 
the best advances in technology, so they learned to improvise. Amateur 
Radio continued to grow, both in numbers and accomplishments. Here are 
some Amateur Radio and ARRL tidbits from the 1930s:

♦ January 1930 /QST/ announced that phone operation on 20 meters had 
been authorized.

♦ By the early 1930s most hams were using crystal-controlled 
transmitters, but most hams had only a small number of crystals. The 
usual procedure was to call long CQs and then tune up and down the band 
looking for long calls in reply.

♦ The first ARRL "International" Field Day was held in 1933. By 1938 
more than 1000 stations were participating. The event had become as 
popular as the ARRL DX Contest and the Sweepstakes.

♦ The Communications Act of 1934 created the Federal Communications 
Commission (FCC), which replaced the Federal Radio Commission. Within a 
few years, the FCC was monitoring ham stations, to be certain everyone 
was following the rules and regulations. /QST/ warned its readers to be 
sure their transmitters were operating within the ham bands, because the 
FCC could measure frequency with an accuracy of 10 cycles per second!

♦ By 1936 there were 46,000 radio amateurs in the US; by 1939 the number 
had risen to 51,000.

♦ The ARRL announced the start of the DXCC program in 1937. In 1938, 
W3CRA qualified for the first DXCC certificate -- quite a feat!

Maxim Memorial Station W1AW.

♦ League Co-Founder Hiram Percy Maxim, W1AW, died suddenly on February 
17, 1936, at age 66. After Maxim's death, the FCC issued the call sign 
W1AW to ARRL. The Maxim Memorial Station, W1AW, in Newington, 
Connecticut, was dedicated <http://www.arrl.org/inside-w1aw> on 
September 2, 1938, in his honor. The ceremony was broadcast nationwide 
by radio.

♦ In May 1936, Eugene Woodruff, W8CMP, was elected by the ARRL Board of 
Directors as the League's second President. Woodruff was the head of the 
Departments of Electrical Railways and Radio at Pennsylvania State College.

But then, another World War was upon us. We'll look at hams and the war 
years next week.

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The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: We saw an increase in 
solar activity over the past week, so it appears that the recovery of 
solar cycle 24 is not over. Average daily sunspot numbers February 20-26 
increased nearly 24 percent from the previous 7 days -- from 140.4 to 
173.6. Average daily solar flux over the same period rose from 158.7 to 
167.3.

[SOHO image]

Predicted solar flux over the near term is 180 on February 27-28, 175 on 
March 1-6, 180 on March 7-9, then 175 and 160 on March 10-11, 145 on 
March 12-13, 150 on March 14-17, and 155 on March 18-20, peaking at 180 
on March 26 and again on April 2-4.

Predicted planetary A index is 18, 15 and 8 on February 27 through March 
1, 5 on March 2-4, 8 on March 5-6, 5 on March 7-8, 10 and 5 on March 
9-10, 8 on March 11, and 5 on March 12-22.

The ARRL International DX Contest <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-dx> phone is 
this weekend, starting at 0000 UTC on March 1 (the evening of February 
28 in US time zones), and continuing through 2359 UTC March 2.

In the Friday bulletin look for an updated forecast, as well as reports 
from readers. Send <mailto:k7ra at arrl.net> me your reports and observations.

*In Brief*

*ARRL International DX Contest (SSB) Offers Fun for Tech Ops*! 
Technician licensees, who have phone operating privileges 
<http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Ham%20Radio%20License%20Manual/Tech%20Band%20Chart.pdf> 
on 10 meters, may want to give the band a try this weekend, March 1-2 
(UTC), during the ARRL International DX Contest 
<http://www.arrl.org/arrl-dx>. The exchange is a signal report and your 
state. With the solar flux high enough to open polar paths, this will be 
a great time to see what you can do with your HF phone privileges! /-- 
Thanks to /The ARRL Contest Update 
<http://www.arrl.org/the-arrl-contest-update>

*Special Call Signs to Commemorate Russian Space Pioneer's Birth, 
Spaceflight: *Special call signs <http://www.12april1961.ru> will mark 
Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's first human spaceflight -- a complete 
Earth orbit on April 12, 1961. The operations celebrate Gagarin's birth 
80 years ago in 1934 (he died in 1968) and the historic spaceflight 53 
years ago. Those years and the number "80" are embedded in each call 
sign. The activity will take place March 1-April 30. A certificate is 
available. Kazakhstan also will field several special UP-prefix call 
signs in Gagarin's honor, all with the suffix "KEDR." That was the call 
sign Gagarin used on his historic space mission. QSL via RW6HS. /-- 
Thanks to /The Daily DX <http://www.dailydx.com/>

*FT5ZM Op**eration Approved for DXCC Credit:* The ARRL DXCC Desk has 
approved the 2014 operation of FT5ZM -- Amsterdam & St Paul Island -- 
for DX Century Club credit. If a DXCC credit request for this operation 
has been rejected in a prior application, contact ARRL Awards Branch 
Manager Bill Moore <mailto:bmoore at arrl.org>, NC1L, to be placed on the 
record update list. Note the submission date and/or application 
reference number. DXCC is Amateur Radio's premier award that hams can 
earn by confirming on-the-air contacts with 100 DXCC "entities 
<http://www.arrl.org/country-lists-prefixes>," most of which are 
countries in the traditional sense. Learn more 
<http://www.arrl.org/rules>. /-- ARRL Awards Branch Manager Bill Moore, 
NC1L/

*Registration Open for 2014 CubeSat Developers' Workshop:* Registration 
is now open for the 11th annual CubeSat Developers' Workshop 
<http://www.cubesat.org/>, April 23-25, at California State Polytechnic 
University in San Luis Obispo, California. The workshop's theme is "The 
Edge of Exploration." Members of the CubeSat community, policymakers, 
government agency representatives, scientists, and academicians from 
around the world are expected to attend. The Cal Poly CubeSat Group 
invites authors to present papers on all areas of CubeSat development 
and mission research. For more information, contact 
<mailto:cubesat.workshop at gmail.com> the Cal Poly CubeSat Group, (805) 
756-5087. /-- AMSAT News Service/

*DX Engineering Acquires Cycle 24 Antenna Products:* DX Engineering 
<http://www.dxengineering.com/> has acquired the assets of Cycle 24 
Antenna Products, a web-based retailer of Amateur Radio antennas and 
antenna components. "Cycle 24 is a great fit with DX Engineering," said 
Tim Duffy, K3LR, DX Engineering's chief marketing officer. "We welcome 
all of Cycle 24's customers to the DX Engineering family." He noted that 
several Cycle 24-developed products now will be available through DX 
Engineering. /-- Thanks to Tim Duffy, K3LR/

*Clearwater Amateur Radio Society Celebrates **60 Years as 
ARRL-Affiliated Club:* The Clearwater Amateur Radio Society (CARS 
<http://www.carshamradio.org/>) has celebrated 60 years as an 
ARRL-affiliated club. CARS, which boasts nearly 50 members, became 
affiliated with the ARRL on January 18, 1954. Representing the ARRL at 
club's February meeting to present a plaque was ARRL West Central 
Florida Section Manager Dee Turner, N4GD. CARS President, Craig Shapiro, 
KJ4BYK, accepted the award on behalf of the club. A small celebration 
took place following the meeting to commemorate the event. /-- Thanks to 
Kevin Poorman, KV4CT, PIO/

*Preliminary Contest Results Available:* Initial results 
<http://arrl.org/contest-results-articles> for the CW and phone weekends 
of the 2013 ARRL November Sweepstakes have been posted online. The 
articles feature category winners, Top 10 tables, Division Winners, and 
Region Leaders. A ranking of rare sections is included (the hardest to 
get last fall was NL, but QC was a close second). Preliminary results 
for the January North American QSO Party 
<http://ncjweb.com/naqp-scores/preliminary/cwnaqp012014-prelim.txt> (CW) 
are now available, as well as preliminary results for the February North 
American Sprint 
<http://ncjweb.com/sprint-scores/preliminary/sprintcwfeb2014prelim.txt> 
(CW). /-- Thanks to/ The ARRL Contest Update 
<http://www.arrl.org/the-arrl-contest-update>, NCJ <http://ncjweb.com/>

*BBC World Service to Cut Back Shortwave Transmissions:* According to a 
report 
<http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/feb/19/bbc-world-service-reduce-shortwave-peter-horrocks> 
in /The Guardian/ newspaper, the BBC World Service 
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio> will further reduce its 
shortwave profile next year, diverting a projected saving of more than 
$25 million to fund television and digital services. As of April 1, the 
BBC World Service and BBC Monitoring will be funded directly from the TV 
license fee instead of through the Foreign Office. In cutbacks 3 years 
ago, the BBC eliminated more than 500 jobs, closed five language 
services, ended radio broadcasts in seven languages, and reduced short 
and medium-wave transmissions.

Getting it Right!

In the story, "Make Your Voice Heard During the ARRL International DX 
Contest (Phone)!" in /The ARRL Letter/, February 20, 2014, we 
inadvertently "nicknamed" Robert Wood, W5AJ, in the caption of a photo 
by Carl Cook, AI6V. Also, W5AJ operated solo at P40P, not as part of a 
team, as the caption indicated.

Just Ahead in Radiosport

  *

    *Mar 1-2 --ARRL International DX Contest, SSB*

  *

    Mar 1 -- Open Ukraine RTTY Championship

  *

    Mar 2 -- OK1WC Memorial Contest

  *

    Mar 4 -- ARS Spartan Sprint

  *

    Mar 4 -- YL CW Party

  *

    Mar 5 -- John Rollins Memorial DX Contest, CW

  *

    Mar 7 -- NS Weekly Sprint (CW)

  *

    Mar 7-8 -- Worldwide EME Contest

  *

    Mar 7-8 -- RSGB Commonwealth Contest (CW)

  *

    Mar 7-8 -- Straight Key Weekend Sprintathon

  *

    Mar 7-8 -- AGCW QRP Contest (CW)

  *

    Mar 7-8 -- QRP ARCI HF Grid Square Sprint (CW)

  *

    Mar 7-8 -- EA PSK63 Contest

  *

    Mar 7-8 -- Idaho QSO Party

  *

    *Mar 9 -- North American Sprint (RTTY)*

  *

    Mar 9 -- Wisconsin QSO Party

Visit the Contest Corral 
<http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Contest%20Corral/Contest%20Corral%201403%281%29.pdf> 
for details.

Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events

  *

    March 1-2 -- Alabama Section Convention <http://birminghamfest.org/>
    (BirmingHAMfest 2014), Birmingham, Alabama

  *

    March 7-8 -- North Carolina Section Convention
    <http://www.charlottehamfest.org/> (Charlotte Hamfest), Concord,
    North Carolina

  *

    March 7-8 -- West Gulf Division Convention
    <http://greencountryhamfest.org/>, Claremore, Oklahoma

  *

    March 14-15 -- Delta Division Convention <http://www.w5ddl.org/>,
    Rayne, Louisiana

  *

    March 15 -- Nebraska State Convention
    <http://www.lincolnhamfest.org/>, Lincoln, Nebraska

  *

    March 15 -- West Texas Section Convention
    <http://hamfest.w5qgg.org/>, Midland, Texas

  *

    March 22 -- South Texas Section Convention
    <http://houstonhamfest.org/> (Greater Houston Hamfest), Rosenberg, Texas

  *

    March 22-23 -- Communications Academy <http://www.commacademy.org/>,
    Seattle, Washington

  *

    March 28-29 -- Maine State Convention <http://www.w1npp.org/>,
    Lewiston, Maine

  *

    March 29 -- Microhams Digital Conference
    <http://www.microhams.com/mhdc>, Redmond, Washington

  *

    April 4-6 -- International DX Convention
    <http://www.dxconvention.org/>, Visalia, California

  *

    April 19 -- Roanoke Division Convention
    <http://www.rars.org/hamfest>, Raleigh, North Ca

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