[SFDXA] The ARRL Letter for January 9, 2014

[WILLIAM MARX]

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January 9, 2014Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME
ARRL Home
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	* Your League: ARRL Reply Comments Cite "Fundamental
Misunderstanding" of "Symbol Rate" Petition
	* Your League: ARRL-Sponsored Medium-Frequency
Experiment Continues as Hams Hope for New Band
	* Your League: National Contest
Journal (NCJ) Debuts New Website!
	* International: IARU Showcases Amateur Radio
at ITU Telecom World 2013
	* International: Yasme Foundation Announces
Supporting Grants
	* Radiosport: New ARRL Single-Operator
Unlimited Contest Category Now in Effect
	* Ham Radio Business: Tokyo Hy-Power Files for
Bankruptcy
	* Ham Radio Business: CQ to Realign
Publications, Launch Digital Supplement
	* Ham Radio Business: InnovAntennas Acquires
Force 12
	* DX: ARRL DXCC Desk Approves ZD9KX
Operations
	* Shortwave Listening: Voice of Russia to
Continue Shortwave Broadcasting in 2014
	* Propagation: Solar Flux Record High Could
Herald Better Conditions
	* ARRL Centennial: W100AW Hits the
Airwaves!
	* ARRL Centennial: A Century of Amateur Radio
and the ARRL
	* Milestones: Founder and President Emeritus
of 4U1UN, Max de Henseler, HB9RS, SK
	* Milestones: QST Author, CW Key Maker
Jerry Pittenger, K8RA, SK
	* Milestones: Austin Amateur Radio Supply
Owner Johnny Paul, WA5BGO, SK
	* Solar Update
	* Getting It Right!
	* Just Ahead in Radiosport
	* Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division
Conventions and Events
Your League:
ARRL Reply Comments Cite "Fundamental Misunderstanding" of "Symbol Rate"
Petition
In reply comments filed on its
"symbol rate" Petition for Rule Making (RM-11708), the
ARRL said comments opposed to its initiative reflect a "fundamental
misunderstanding" of the petition's intent. The League's petition now tops the
FCC's list of "Most Active Proceedings." More than 800 comments
were filed as of January 7, some of them posted after the December 23
cut-off date and most favoring the ARRL's proposal. The ARRL earlier filed comments with the FCC on its own Petition (plus Erratum). RM-11708 proposes to drop the symbol rate limit in §97.307(f) of the FCC Amateur Service rules, substituting a maximum
occupied bandwidth of 2.8 kHz for HF data emissions. The ARRL said those
opposing the Petition do not, in general, challenge the removal of the
symbol rate limit for data emissions in band segments where RTTY and data
emissions are now permitted. 
"Rather, they tend to view
the proposal to establish a maximum occupied bandwidth of 2.8 kHz for data
emissions in the medium-frequency (MF) and high-frequency (HF) bands where
data emissions are permitted now as an enabling provision," the ARRL said.
Instead, the League said, its Petition is intended to impose "alimitation on the maximum bandwidth of data emissions where none exists
now." Given state-of-the-art data technologies, the League said, there is
no necessary correlation between the symbol rate and the bandwidth of a data
emission. The current symbol rate "acts only as a limit on the efficiency
of data emissions in the HF bands as a practical matter, and as an
artificial and arbitrary filter on the types of emissions that can be utilized by
radio amateurs."
The ARRL said its suggested 2.8 kHz
maximum bandwidth reflects a balanced approach that will permit all currently
used data emissions, encourage experimentation with data emissions that the
current symbol rate restriction prohibits, and preclude the use of
wider-bandwidth data emissions that could usurp the limited RTTY/data subbands.
Petition opponents, the ARRL went on to say, "offer no evidence" that the
rule changes it proposes will lead to a situation where data transmissions
overwhelm the subband and preclude narrow bandwidth emission communications.
"The Commission has properly chastised the Amateur
Service for resisting deregulatory proposals that are designed to enable amateur
experimenters to refine and adapt technologies," the League said in its
reply comments. "ARRL is of the view that outdated Commission regulations
that needlessly preclude experimentation with data technologies should not be
preserved. Outdated regulations are not a viable alternative to cooperative
sharing arrangements in the HF bands through voluntary band plans."
Some of those opposing its petition, the ARRL went on to say,
expressed the belief that the proposed rule change would impose
wider-bandwidth data emissions in spectrum where narrow-bandwidth modes such as CW
and PSK31 now operate, to the detriment of the narrow-bandwidth modes. Other
opponents contended that the Petition will benefit a few operators
at the expense of the many now operating narrowband data, RTTY, and CW on
the HF bands.
"It is illogical to argue on the one hand
that the Petition is intended to benefit 'the few' who are data
emission experimenters and users, and on the other hand to predict that the
relief requested in the Petition would create a flood of
'wide-bandwidth' data emissions, swamping the band segments used for CW, RTTY, and
narrow-bandwidth data emissions," the League pointed out. "If the concern is that
the rule changes will encourage more radio amateurs to experiment with data
emissions, that would be a positive outcome." The ARRL further asserted
that the fear of interference from automatically controlled stations "is not
a valid one."
Its Petition, the ARRL concluded,
"is not a referendum on the value of MF or HF data emissions or data
experimentation in those bands," but intended to encourage experimentation now
restricted artificially by outdated rules. "It is instead a proposal to
delete outdated limitations on Amateur Radio experimentation, which Commission
policy supports, and which the basis and purpose of the Amateur Radio
Service necessitates."
Your
League: ARRL-Sponsored Medium-Frequency Experiment Continues as Hams Hope
for New Band
The ARRL-sponsored medium-frequency
experiment, operating as WD2XSH, continues apace in an effort to demonstrate the viability of
472 to 479 kHz as a secondary Amateur Radio allocation. At the same time,
the FCC has been silent regarding the ARRL's November 2012 Petition for Rule Making that asked the Commission to make this segment
of the spectrum available to radio amateurs in the US. Delegates to the
2012 World Radiocommunication Conference approved a 7 kHz-wide secondary allocation between 472 and 479 kHz for the
Amateur Radio Service, with a power limit of 5 W EIRP (or 1 W EIRP,
depending on location). The FCC has indicated that it will address the issue
within the context of its Notice of Proposed Rule Making in ET Docket No 12-338, to formally reflect the Final Acts of WRC 2007 in its rules. In his quarterly WD2XSH
update, Experiment Coordinator Fritz Raab, W1FR, reported that 514 contacts -- 10
in the last quarter -- have been logged among those taking part in the
experiment across the US.
WD2XSH experiment participant Patrick Hamel, W5THT, in
Mississippi, stands next to his antenna tuning unit. [Photo courtesy of Patrick
Hamel, W5THT] 
"As usual,
activity increased as conditions improved during the fall. Much of the recent
activity has involved WSPR-15," Raab reported.
"Reception over significant distances (eg, Europe, Alaska) has been reported. Much
of the activity is being undertaken by a few new experimental licensees."
Raab noted that WD2XSH participant Brian Justin, WA1ZMS, transmitted
Fessenden commemorative
broadcasts on AM via his own experimental license, WG2XFQ, during the
December holidays.
In the US, the 472-479 kHz band is part
of the larger 435-495 kHz segment that is allocated on a primary basis to
the Maritime Mobile Service (federal and non-federal users), and on a
secondary basis for federal government aeronautical radionavigation. The ARRL
stated in its Petition that it is unaware of any domestic assignments
that might conflict with the allocation of 472 to 479 kHz to the Amateur
Radio Service, and there is almost no power line carrier (PLC) operation in
this band segment. The FCC in 2003 cited the potential for interference to
utility-operated PLC systems when it turned down an ARRL petition seeking an
LF "sliver band" at 135.7 to 137.8 kHz.
The WD2XSH
experiment involves more than three dozen stations and includes all geographic
areas of the US, including Alaska and Hawaii. Most of the stations are in
the eastern half of the US. Raab has reported no interference issues during
the WD2XSH experiment, begun in 2006 and initially using spectrum in the
vicinity of 500 kHz. Read more.
Your
League: National Contest Journal (NCJ) Debuts New
Website!
National Contest Journal (NCJ), the ARRL publication
devoted to Amateur Radio contesting, has a fresh, new presence on the web
and a new URL -- http://ncjweb.com. 
"The new site was designed with simplicity
and ease of use in mind," said NCJ Editor Kirk Pickering, K4RO. "The site contains
selected feature articles as well as a group of tools for setting up teams and
submitting logs for NCJ-sponsored contests. It also offers an archive
of scores for all NCJ going back to 2001. The site still has room to
accommodate new features in the future, so stay tuned." Visitors who use
the old URL will be redirected to the new site.
Pickering said the new NCJ website was a collaborative effort, and he
expressed his appreciation to Bruce Horn, WA7BNM, "for his tireless support of
the NCJ website from its inception" as well as to George Fremin, K5TR,
who has served as the systems administrator. Pickering also thanked his
partner Susie Coleman, who helped design the look and feel.
"We hope that you will find the new site useful. Thanks to all who have
helped to make this happen," said Pickering, who invited comments on the
new site and design. 
Published every other month, NCJ features
general-interest and technical articles and columns by top contesters, operator
profiles, editorial comments, and correspondence from readers, as well as
scores for the North American QSO Party and North American Sprint, which NCJ sponsors.
International: IARU Showcases Amateur Radio at ITU Telecom World 2013
The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) got some visibility for Amateur
Radio at ITU Telecom World 2013, sponsored by the International
Telecommunication Union. The event was held November 19-22 in Bangkok, Thailand. The
IARU and IARU Region 3 leaders arranged the display in cooperation with the ITU. A large,
flat-screen TV in the booth displayed videos of Amateur Radio activities. Special
event station HS2013ITU was on the air from the site. IARU President Tim
Ellam, VE6SH, spoke at one of the forums. A highlight of the show for the IARU
contingent was a visit by ITU Secretary General Dr Hamadoun Toure, HB9EHT.
He took a turn at the operating position of HS2013ITU while there.
ITU Secretary General
Hamadoun Toure, HB9EHT, takes up the operating position of HS2013ITU, as
IARU Region 3 Chairman Gopal Madhavan, VU2GMN (left), and Sakol Nakin, HS1JNB,
look on. [Tony Waltham, HS0ZDX, photo] 
"We had a number of high-profile visitors to the booth,
including ministers of communications and government regulators from various
countries," said IARU Region 3 Director Peter Lake, ZL2AZ, and Region 3
Chairman Gopal Madhavan, VU2GMN, in a report. "They were keen to discuss the
situation in their respective countries and the association with IARU and to
learn about Amateur Radio and its capabilities. Telecom World 2013 gave the
IARU a unique opportunity to showcase Amateur Radio at the highest level."
ITU Telecom World 2013 also offered an opportunity for
the IARU representatives to influence leaders who can favorably impact radio
regulations and national attitudes toward Amateur Radio. "The presence of
IARU, and its effort to showcase Amateur Radio and its capabilities, was
well appreciated by all who visited the booth, and the effort was well
worthwhile," said the IARU's report. "We also laid a foundation under the new ITU
Telecom World structure to gain some similar space at the next event in
2014 in Qatar." Read more.
International: Yasme Foundation
Announces Supporting Grants
To further the
development of Amateur Radio around the world, The Yasme Foundation has announced the recipients of
four supporting grants:
	* WRTC-2014, to help defray the expenses
of the World Radiosport Team Championship in New England this July.
	* The Reverse Beacon Network (RBN), to purchase a receiver and necessary
accessories to upgrade the RBN node in Bangalore, India.
	* CWOps CW
Academy, to help defray the expenses of providing online CW training
courses.
	* The ARRL Second Century Fund, to support
the goal of the ARRL Second Century Campaign of opening a path to passionate
involvement in Amateur Radio by new generations, providing opportunities
for educational enrichment, community service, and personal achievement
through the exploration and use of radio communication. 
The
Yasme Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation organized to conduct
scientific and educational projects related to Amateur Radio, including DXing and
the introduction and promotion of Amateur Radio in developing countries. The
Foundation supports individuals and organizations providing or creating
useful services for the Amateur Radio community, regardless of originality or
novelty, to further the development of Amateur Radio around the world.
Radiosport:
New ARRL Single-Operator Unlimited Contest Category Now in Effect
Responding to many requests, the ARRL Programs and Services
Committee in 2013 accepted the Contest Advisory Committee (CAC)
recommendation to add the Single-Operator Unlimited category to the ARRL 10 Meter Contest, ARRL 160 Meter
Contest, RTTY
Roundup, and the IARU HF Championship. "This particular issue has been
a long time coming," said CAC Chairman Al Dewey, K0AD.
The new category permits the use of spotting information within the
Single-Operator class. In the past, using spotting information placed a station in
the Multioperator category. Per the revised rules, "Single-Operator
Unlimited: The use of spotting assistance or automated, multi-channel decoders is
permitted."
Ham Radio
Business: Tokyo Hy-Power Files for Bankruptcy
Tokyo Hy-Power, a manufacturer of Amateur Radio amplifiers, antenna tuners,
and other equipment, is in bankruptcy, and its plant, in Saitama Prefecture
near Tokyo, has been shuttered. Telephones at the company no longer are
being answered, and its Japanese website has been taken down, although the
company's US website remains working. Company CEO/President Nobuki
Wakabayashi, JA1DJW, founded Tokyo Hy-Power Labs in 1975. He blamed "the recent
depression in the industrial RF power products area [which] has led to the very
difficult financial position."
The Tokyo Hy-Power factory in Saitama, Japan. [Tokyo Hy-Power
photo] 
Tokyo Hy-Power's early
products were HF antenna couplers, although within a couple of years it began
manufacturing amplifiers for the Amateur Radio market, including
solid-state mobile amplifiers. Among its early products was the HL-4000 linear
amplifier, which the company claimed was "the first real HF band high-power
linear of its kind in Japan." It has been manufacturing RF products for the
industrial market since 1984.
The company also once
marketed the HT-750, a portable, low-power SSB/CW transceiver for 40, 15, and 6
meters in a hand-held transceiver form factor. At Dayton Hamvention®
2013, the company displayed a prototype of the XT-751, an advanced model it
hoped to develop, covering 40 through 6 meters and with an internal antenna
tuner. Among its latest products were solid-state HF amplifiers, as well as
amplifiers for 6 and 2 meters.
In a December 26 news
release, Ham Radio Outlet (HRO) reacted with "disappointment" and said it was "deeply
saddened" to learn that Tokyo Hy-Power had gone into bankruptcy.
"This action in Japan appears to be similar to a Chapter 7 action here
within the United States, as the process in this case appears to be the
liquidation of organizational assets in order to attempt to fund some portion
of its debt obligation(s)," the HRO release said. "This appears to indicate
that a court has deemed the organization unable to be effectively
reorganized under Japan's Civil Reconstruction Code."
HRO said
it was working with AVSL, the current US service provider for Tokyo Hy-Power products "to
discuss the opportunity of continued maintenance at the component level of the
US-sold Tokyo Hy-Power line of amplifiers." Read more.
Ham Radio Business: CQ
to Realign Publications, Launch Digital Supplement
CQ Communications Inc has announced plans to realign its publications
lineup and to launch a new online supplement to its flagship magazine, CQ Amateur
Radio.
"The hobby radio market is changing," said
CQ Communications President and Publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA, "and we are
changing what we do and how we do it in order to continue providing leadership
to all segments of the radio hobby." 
Effective with
the February 2014 issue of CQ, said Ross, content from the magazine's
three sister publications -- Popular Communications, CQ VHF and WorldRadio
Online-- will be incorporated into CQ's digital edition as a
supplement to be called CQ Plus. The print editions of Popular
Communications and CQ VHF will be phased out, and WorldRadio
Online will no longer exist as a separate online publication. Current Popular Communications, CQ VHF and WorldRadio Online subscribers will be converted to CQ subscribers and receive CQ Plus at no additional charge. Details will be posted on each magazine's
website.
CQ Communications says the change will offer hobby
radio enthusiasts a single source for articles from shortwave listening and
scanner monitoring to personal two-way services and Internet radio, as well
as Amateur Radio. Richard Fisher, KI6SN, currently editor of both Popular
Communications and WorldRadio Online, will be editor of CQ
Plus. Read more.
Ham Radio Business: InnovAntennas
Acquires Force 12 
InnovAntennas has acquired the
legendary Force
12 antenna company and product line and has moved the Force 12 factory
from Bridgeport, Texas, to Grand Junction, Colorado, into a facility shared
with InnovAntennas America. InnovAntennas Ltd in England is now
manufacturing Force 12 products for the European market at its Canvey Island plant.
The Grand Junction facility is up and running,
manufacturing and shipping antennas. InnovAntennas says it plans to produce updated
versions of classic Force 12 antennas as well as all-new models.
InnovAntennas Founder Justin Johnson, G0KSC, was at the Colorado facility in late 2013
to assist in setting up and laying out the factory, and the company was
expected to be at full production this month. -- Thanks to The ARRL
Contest Update
DX:
ARRL DXCC Desk Approves ZD9KX Operations
The ARRL
DXCC Desk has approved the 2012 and 2013 operation of ZD9KX -- Tristan Da
Cunha & Gough Islands for DX Century Club credit. If a request for DXCC credit
for this operation has been rejected in a prior application, contact ARRL
Awards Branch Manager Bill Moore, NC1L, to be placed on the list for an update to your
record. Please note the submission date and/or reference number of your
application in order to expedite the search for any rejected contacts.
DXCC is Amateur Radio's premier award that hams can earn by
confirming on-the-air contacts with 100 DXCC "entities," most of which are
countries in the traditional sense. You can begin with the basic DXCC award and
work your way up to the DXCC Honor Roll. Learn more. -- ARRL Awards Branch Manager Bill
Moore, NC1L
Shortwave Listening: Voice of Russia to Continue Shortwave
Broadcasting in 2014
To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of the demise of the Voice of
Russia (VOR) may
have been greatly exaggerated. Earlier this year the Voice of Russia -- the
former Radio Moscow during the Soviet Era -- appeared poised to cease
shortwave broadcasts as of January 1, 2014. In the wake of a December decree signed by Russian President Vladimir
Putin that merged the Voice of Russia with several other state-run news
agencies, SWL Tom Witherspoon, K4SWL, contacted VOR. 
"We are glad to let you know that the Voice of Russia
will stay on the air in 2014, however, considerable changes in our
frequency schedule are expected," the broadcaster told Witherspoon and as he reports on his blog.
The posted VOR schedule, which runs through March, indicates 38 aggregate hours of
shortwave broadcasts to all parts of the world, most beamed at the Middle
East and Asia. Shortwave broadcasts to Europe, Latin America, Oceania, and
Africa account for just 15 aggregate hours. VOR, which claims to be the
first radio station to broadcast internationally, also broadcasts online, via
satellite, on FM, and via three medium-wave transmitters. In 2003 VOR was
among the first major international radio broadcasters to launch daily
broadcasts to Europe in Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM).
Propagation: Solar Flux Record High Could Herald Better
Conditions
The 10.7 centimeter solar flux index (SFI) jumped to
a Cycle 24 record of 262 on January 4, suggesting that Cycle 24 has not
yet begun drawing to a close and may be approaching or at a "second peak."
The previous peak for the current cycle was 190 on September 24, 2011. As
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) explains, the flux of the sun's
radio emissions at 10.7 centimeter (2.8 GHz) is another indicator of solar
activity levels, since it tends to follow changes in the solar ultraviolet
that influence Earth's upper atmosphere and ionosphere.
"Many models of the upper atmosphere use the 10.7 centimeter flux (F10.7) as
input to determine atmospheric densities and satellite drag," NASA/MSFC
noted, adding that SFI "has been shown to follow the sunspot number quite
closely." The January 6 sunspot count was 225. The Cycle 24 sunspot count
peaked at 282 on November 17, 2013, according to WM7D.net.
Solar flux between 1995 and (predicted) 2020.
[NASA/MSFC graphic] 
Canada's
Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO) indicated an "official" flux of 262 at 2000
UTC on Saturday, January 3. The official figure for Sunday, January 5, was
217.5. ARRL solar observer Tad Cook, K7RA, who reports 10.7 centimeter flux
numbers in his weekly "Solar Update" bulletins, suggests that they are not
as valuable as sunspot numbers in predicting radio propagation. The solar
flux was over the January 4-5 weekend was far higher what was anticipated,
judging by predictions Cook reported in his January 3 "Solar
Update" for this past weekend and the week ahead. NASA/MFSC indicates a 95
percent predicted flux for the month of January at 146.5, continuing at about
the same level through the first half of the year.
The Daily DX said
the SFI was expected to remain above 200 for this week. As Ian Poole,
G3YWX, explained solar flux in his article, "Understanding Solar Indices" in the September 2002 edition of QST, "[H]igh
values generally indicate there is sufficient ionization to support
long-distance communication at higher-than-normal frequencies." He pointed out,
though, that it can take a few days of high values for conditions to show
improvement. "Typically values in excess of 200 will be measured during the
peak of a sunspot cycle, with high values of up to 300 being experienced for
shorter periods," Poole wrote. Read more.
ARRL Centennial:
W100AW Hits the Airwaves!
At the stroke of
midnight Eastern Time on January 1, Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial station W1AW at ARRL Headquarters
in Newington took to the air to debut its special ARRL Centennial call sign,
W100AW. ARRL Chief Executive Officer Dave Sumner, K1ZZ and Membership and
Volunteer Programs Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, and ARRL Station Manager Joe
Carcia, NJ1Q, were at the helm into the wee hours of New Year's Day.
ARRL Station Manager Joe Carcia,
NJ1Q, makes the very first W100AW QSO just after midnight local time on January
1, 2014. [Sean Kutzko, KX9X, photo] 
Daylight hours saw ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer,
WJ1B; Membership and Volunteer Programs Assistant Manager Norm Fusaro, W3IZ;
Public Relations Manager Sean Kutzko; KX9X and QST Editor in Chief
Steve Ford, WB8IMY, taking their turns at the operating positions. By
mid-afternoon, several thousand contacts were in the log on SSB, CW and RTTY.
"This is just the beginning," said Kutzko. "Hams will
hear W100AW throughout 2014 on every mode possible. When you hear us, spot us
on the cluster!"
Not surprising, 20 meter SSB yielded
the most contacts -- 1121 of the 3700 logged -- during the 19 hours of New
Year's Day operation from W100AW. Ten meter phone was in second place with
639 contacts.
W100AW contacts will be uploaded to
Logbook of The World (LoTW). QSL cards sent by mail will be acknowledged as
well.
W1AW Portable Operations, ARRL Centennial QSO
Party
The ARRL Centennial "W1AW WAS" operations are taking place throughout 2014 from each
of the 50 states, relocating each Wednesday (UTC) to a new pair of states
(this week, South Carolina and Utah. Listen for W1AW/4 and W1AW/7). During
2014 W1AW will be on the air from every state at least twice and from 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 also 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. 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).
Some Statistics
As of today
(January 9), more than 6700 stations have earned points in the Centennial QSO
Party by uploading qualifying QSOs to Logbook of The World (LoTW). Operating
from North Carolina and West Virginia during the first week of the W1AW
portable operations, W1AW/4 and W1AW/8 logged approximately 33,000 contacts. 
"The second week is off to a roaring start from South
Carolina and Utah," reported ARRL Membership and Volunteer Programs Manager
Dave Patton, NN1N.
ARRL
Centennial: A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL 
Editor's note: "A Century of Amateur Radio and
the ARRL" will be a weekly feature as the ARRL celebrates its Centennial in 2014.
In Amateur Radio, as in all fields, 100 years has brought
about amazing progress and changes. During 2014, we will give you a sense of
the ARRL's and Amateur Radio's history by looking through the issues of QST from its humble beginning to the present. We'll examine the
important topics and events of interest to amateurs, such as technology, operating
tips and events, ARRL's doings, and FCC actions. Because of the limited
space available here, the comments will be brief, but they will provide
citations to original QST articles for your further reading.
The next century will bring about changes that will be
mind-boggling to us, because technology advances at an exponential rate. Being aware of
the past 100 years of ham-related events is valuable to us for historical
reasons, and it also makes us consider what might lie ahead. Next
time: A look at the earliest years of Amateur Radio and the ARRL.-- Al
Brogdon, W1AB
Milestones: Founder and President Emeritus of 4U1UN, Max de Henseler, HB9RS,
SK
Max de Henseler, HB9RS. [Clin
d'Ailes Swiss Air Force Museum, HB4FR, photo] 
Max de Henseler, HB9RS, the founder and president emeritus of 4U1UN at United
Nations headquarters in New York, died December 30. He was 80. A ham since
1955, de Henseler had been a short-wave listener since the late 1940s. In
1976, while in New York as the UN's chief cartographer, de Henseler reactivated
the United Nations Radio Club station K2UN at its new home in midtown
Manhattan. As Jack Troster, W6ISQ, explained in the July 1989 issue of QST, "Through his efforts, the Secretary General approved the operation of a
specifically designated UN amateur station using the call 4U1UN in early
1978."
De Henseler introduced the new call sign on
February 4, 1978, during the first weekend of the then two-weekend ARRL
International DX phone contest, surprising many contesters. 4U1UN was approved for
DXCC credit, due to the efforts of "Mister UN Radio."
The 4U1UN United Nations Headquarters Station was dismantled in 2010 due to
the extensive renovation project on the
Secretariat Building. Read more. -- Thanks to The Daily DX
Milestones: QST Author, CW Key Maker Jerry
Pittenger, K8RA, SK
QST author and CW key crafter
Jerry Pittenger, K8RA, of Powell, Ohio, died January 2 of pancreatic cancer.
He was 66. Licensed in 1960, Pittenger was a retired systems engineer. He
earned a bachelor's degree at Miami University and an MS in systems
engineering from Ohio State.
Jerry Pittenger,
K8RA, at Dayton Hamvention 2013. [Joe Eisenberg, K0NEB, photo] 
Pittenger enjoyed building his own
equipment, and some of his amplifier projects were featured in QST, The ARRL Handbook, and RF Amplifier Classics. More recently he
manufactured a line of solid-brass iambic and single-lever CW keys sold worldwide, until
illness forced him to quit.
"Making my CW keys fills much
of my time, but it is a labor of love," Pittenger said in his online profile. "I
can get lost in time machining metals and making things in the shop for the
radio." His friends Mike Freeman, NT8O, and Fred Freeman, N8BX, have taken
over the production of the K8RA line. Read more.
Milestones:
Austin Amateur Radio Supply Owner Johnny Paul, WA5BGO, SK
The owner of Austin Amateur Radio Supply, John E. "Johnny" Paul, WA5BGO, of Austin,
Texas, died December 10. He was 74. Paul was the proprietor of Austin Amateur
Radio for 45 years. First licensed in 1960, Paul was a past president of the
Austin Amateur Radio Club and was an avid photographer of nature and
landscapes. Services were December 16.
Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, in Seattle,
reports: A big storm is brewing! At 2324 UTC on January 8 the Australian Space
Forecast Centre issued this geomagnetic disturbance warning: "Increased
geomagnetic activity expected due to coronal mass ejection from 09-10
January 2014." 
NOAA forecasters
estimate a 90 percent chance of geomagnetic storms on January 9. The predicted
planetary A indices for January 9 through January 13 are 73, 41, 15, 8 and
5. While an emblematic number for hams, 73 is a huge value for the
planetary A index. One has to look way, way back to find a value like this.
The planetary A index was 67 on both March 9, 2012, and September 26, 2011,
but nothing exceeds what is predicted for January 9 except the planetary A
index of 104 on December 15, 2006, and 105 on September 11, 2005.
This has been an exciting week for sun watchers. The daily
sunspot number reached 245 on January 6, and solar flux was 237.1 on January
8. The GOES-15 X-ray background flux has also been high, and that may
be more significant for enhanced HF propagation than a high solar flux.
NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center maintains an archive of
X-ray flux, solar flux, and sunspot numbers (check the links marked
"DSD.txt." The links marked "DGD.txt" will give you daily geomagnetic indicators).
Over the past week, average daily sunspot numbers rose
more than 80 points to 188.1, and average daily solar flux was up by more
than 62 points to 201.6. Predicted solar flux for the near term is 195 on
January 9-12, 190 on January 13, 160 on January 14, 155 on January 15-16, and
150 on January 17-19. It then rises to a peak of 190 on January 29 through
February 3.
Predicted planetary A index values are 73,
41, 15 and 8 on January 9-12, 5 on January 13-22, 10 on January 23, 8 on
January 24, 5 on January 25-27, then 10, 18 and 8 on January 28-30, then 5
again until February 6.
For the Friday, January 10,
"Solar Update," look for an update on the latest disturbance and forecast, as
well as reports from readers. I welcome your reports and observations via e-mail.
Getting It Right!
In The ARRL Letter, December 19, 2013, we inadvertently omitted 20
meters from the list of bands available for the ARRL Centennial QSO Party.
Just Ahead in
Radiosport
	* Jan 10 -- QRP Fox Hunt
	* Jan 10 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder
	* Jan 11 -- Old New
Year Contest
	* Jan 11-12 -- UK DX BPSK63 Contest
	* Jan 11-12 -- MI QRP January CW Contest
	* Jan 11-12 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon
	* Jan
11-12 -- North American QSO Party, CW
	* Jan 12 --
NRAU-Baltic Contest, CW (0630-0830 UTC)
	* Jan 12 --
NRAU-Baltic Contest, SSB (0900-1100 UTC)
	* Jan 12 -- DARC
10-Meter Contest
	* Jan 12 -- Midwinter Contest
	* Jan 15 -- QRP Fox Hunt
Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and
Events
	* January 17-18 -- North Texas Section
Convention, Fort Worth, Texas
	* January 19-26 -- Quartzfest Convention,
Quartzsite, Arizona
	* January 24-25 -- Mississippi State Convention,
Jackson, Mississippi
	* January 25 -- Georgia ARES Convention, Forsyth,
Georgia
	* January 25-26 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto
Rico
	* January 31-February 1 -- Southern Florida Section Convention, Miami,
Florida
	* February 1 -- Virginia State Convention (Frostfest),
Richmond, Virginia
	* February 1 -- South Carolina State Convention,
North Charleston, South Carolina
	* February 7-9 -- Northern Florida
Section Convention (Orlando HamCation® -- Regional ARRL Centennial
Event), Orlando, Florida
	* February 14-15 -- Arizona Section
Convention, Yuma, Arizona
	* February 22 -- Vermont State Convention, South
Burlington, Vermont
	* March 1-2 -- Alabama Section Convention (BirmingHAMfest 2014), Birmingham, Alabama
	* March 7-8 -- North Carolina
Section Convention (Charlotte Hamfest), Concord, North Carolina
	* March 7-8 -- West Gulf Division Convention, Claremore, Oklahoma
	* March 14-15 -- Delta Division Convention, Rayne, Louisiana
	* March 15 -- Nebraska State Convention, Lincoln, Nebraska
	* March 15 -- West
Texas Section Convention, Midland, Texas
	* March
22 -- South Texas
Section Convention (Greater Houston Hamfest), Rosenberg, Texas
	* March 22-23 -- Communications Academy, Seattle, Washington
	* April 19 -- Roanoke Division Convention, Raleigh, North Carolina
	* April 25-27 -- Idaho State Convention, Boise, Idaho
	* April 26 -- Aurora '14 Conference, White Bear Lake, Minnesota
Find conventions and hamfests in your area.
________________________________

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