[SFDXA] Fwd: The ARRL Letter for November 20, 2014

Thu Nov 20 16:27:24 EST 2014

Preview

If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at:
http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2014-11-20

The ARRL Letter

November 20, 2014
Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME <mailto:ww1me at arrl.org>
ARRL Home Page <http://www.arrl.org/> 	
	/ARRL Letter/ Archive <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/> 	
	Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/>

Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2014-11-20&t=t>

  * Four New Section Managers to Start in the New Year <#toc01>
  * MARS Volunteers Reach Out to Amateur Community to Test
    Interoperability <#toc02>
  * Amateur Radio Volunteers Turn Out /En Masse/ to Support Chicago
    Marathon <#toc03>
  * W1AW Centennial Operations Moving to Delaware, Louisiana, and Puerto
    Rico <#toc04>
  * Working Red Badge Holders Could Be Key to Boosting Your Centennial
    QSO Party Totals <#toc05>
  * Riley Hollingsworth to North Carolina Club: Amateur Enforcement
    "Very Much Alive" <#toc06>
  * "Frequency" TV Series Would Reprise Amateur Radio-Themed Movie <#toc07>
  * New Jersey Radio Amateurs Enter Emergency Antenna-Raising Project in
    Innovation Competition <#toc08>
  * Two Japanese Satellites Will Carry Ham Radio Payloads into Deep
    Space this Month <#toc09>
  * A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL <#toc10>
  * The K7RA Solar Update <#toc11>
  * ** Just Ahead in Radiosport <#toc12>
  * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events
    <#toc13>

------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Headquarters Closed November 27-28

ARRL Headquarters will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday on 
Thursday and Friday, November 27-28. /The ARRL Letter 
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter>/will not publish on Thanksgiving Day, 
Thursday, November 27, and there will be no edition of /ARRL Audio News 
<http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news>/on Friday, November 28. We wish 
all our members a safe and enjoyable holiday!

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Four New Section Managers to Start in the New Year

ARRL members in the Western Pennsylvania Section have elected elite 
contester Tim Duffy, K3LR, as their new Section Manager. In a three-way 
race, Duffy polled 545 votes, Cynthia L. Rushton, WB3CNJ, received 83 
votes, and Paul Plants,W3PLP, 62 votes. Ballots were counted Tuesday, 
November 18, at ARRL Headquarters. Western Pennsylvania Section Manager 
John Rodgers, N3MSE, of Butler decided to not run for another term after 
serving since October 2007. He also was Section Manager from 2000 to 2003.

Duffy, who lives in West Middlesex, Pennsylvania, has been an ARRL 
member and radio amateur for 42 years. He has served for 4 years as the 
Atlantic Division representative to the ARRL Contest Advisory Committee. 
Duffy also has been an active member of ARES and RACES and has extensive 
net and traffic-handling experience.

Three other ARRL Sections also will begin the New Year with new Section 
Managers.

In Eastern Massachusetts, Tom Walsh, K1TW, of Bedford, will take the 
helm of that ARRL Section on January 1. Walsh has been an Assistant 
Section Manager and was the only candidate for the Section Manager's job.

Current SM Phil Temples, K9HI, who has served as Eastern Massachusetts 
SM since 2011, decided not to run for a new term of office. Temples also 
served as Section Manager from 1994 to 1996 and from 2001 to 2004.

Taking over the top leadership role in the Southern New Jersey Section 
on January 1 will be Thomas J. "Skip" Arey, N2EI, of Beverly. He was the 
only nominee for the position. Arey has been the Affiliated Club 
Coordinator in Southern New Jersey. Incumbent SM George Strayline, 
W2GSS, opted not to run for another term after serving since 2009.

In the West Central Florida Section, Darrell Davis, KT4WX, of Fort 
Meade, will be the new SM starting in the New Year. He was the only 
candidate for the position. Davis brings to the office his experience as 
an Assistant Section Manager, ARESEmergency Coordinator, and Technical 
Specialist. He will succeed Dee Turner, N4GD, of Pinellas Park, who 
chose not to run for another term after serving since 2005.

The following incumbent Section Managers faced no opposition in the fall 
election cycle, and they will continue with new terms of office starting 
January 1, 2015: Dale Bagley, K0KY (Missouri); Matt Anderson, KA0BOJ 
(Nebraska); Jim Mezey, W2KFV (New York City-Long Island); Tom Dick, 
KF2GC (Northern New York), and Marc Tarplee, N4UFP (South Carolina).

Two-year terms for all successful candidates will begin on January 1, 2015.

MARS Volunteers Reach Out to Amateur Community to Test Interoperability

The Army and Air Force branches of the Military Auxiliary Radio System 
(MARS) merged their long-distance radio networks in late October for a 
48-hour Department of Defense-sponsored contingency communications 
exercise. The MARS volunteers provided communication support in the wake 
of a simulated disruption to the nation's telecommunications 
infrastructure. In addition to passing message traffic for the Defense 
Department (DoD), the scenario for the October 27-28 exercise also 
required MARS stations to interface with the Department of Homeland 
Security Shared Resources -- or SHARES -- HF network. The plan also 
called for MARS members -- using their Amateur Radio call signs and 
operating on amateur frequencies -- to establish two-way communication 
with Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) leadership or members in as 
many US counties as possible.

"During the exercise, MARS Headquarters tasked MARS members to reach out 
to ARES and Amateur Radio operators in as many counties across the US as 
possible, using amateur HF as well as VHF and UHF frequencies," 
explained Army MARS Program Manager, Paul English, WD8DBY. According to 
English, preliminary results showed that MARS-to-Amateur Radio contacts 
were made with approximately one-half of the more than 3000 US counties. 
Direct radio contacts with Amateur Radio operators or contacts made via 
an Amateur Radio net during the 48-hour exercise were counted as county 
contacts, he said.

Planning for this particular portion of the MARS exercise began in late 
September between English and ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike 
Corey, KI1U. English said the Defense Department and MARS intend to 
continue developing this relationship with the Amateur Radio community 
for future MARS exercises.

"This communications exercise [was] sponsored by the DoD to provide MARS 
operators the opportunity to develop and train interoperability 
procedures with their state/local ARES Emergency Coordinators and their 
Amateur Radio colleagues," English explained. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/mars-volunteers-reach-out-to-amateur-community-to-test-interoperability>. 

Homeland Security's 2014 /National Emergency Communications Plan/ 
Incorporates Amateur Radio

The US Department of Homeland Security's 2014 /National Emergency 
Communications Plan/ (/NECP/ <http://www.dhs.gov/necp>) has incorporated 
Amateur Radio in its mix of media that could support and sustain 
communications in a disaster or emergency. The 2014 /NECP/ is the first 
update since the original plan was released in 2008. The /NECP/ is "the 
nation's over-arching strategic plan for enhancing emergency 
communications capabilities and interoperability nationwide," DHS said 
in announcing the updated plan on November 12.

"[A]mateur radio operators...can be important conduits for relaying 
information to response agencies and personnel when other forms of 
communications have failed or have been disrupted," the /NECP/ states.

The /NECP/ also describes changes that lie ahead for emergency 
communication systems, such as 9-1-1 systems. "In the future, Next 
Generation 9-1-1 will enhance the capabilities of current 9-1-1 
networks, allowing the public to transmit pictures, videos, and text 
messages that will provide additional situational awareness to 
dispatchers and emergency responders," the /NECP/ says.

The updated /NECP/ stresses the importance of interoperability. It 
recommends that state, regional, and local administrations "assess their 
existing governance structures to ensure they are positioned to address 
current and emerging policy, technology, and planning developments." 
This effort, the /NECP/ continues, could include the addition of 
representatives from the Amateur Radio community to statewide 
interoperability governing bodies and executive committees.

The NECP also recommends that federal, state, local, tribal, and 
territorial jurisdictions "identify domestic and international entities 
with potential roles in information sharing and the delivery of 
emergency communications during emergencies," such as Amateur Radio 
operators. "As appropriate, these entities should be incorporated into 
training and exercise activities on a more regular basis," the NECP 
suggests.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) -- a part of the 
Department of Homeland Security -- is headed by ARRL member, W. Craig 
Fugate, KK4INZ.

Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2014-11-20&p=0>
Amateur Radio Volunteers Turn Out /En Masse/ to Support Chicago Marathon

A huge turnout of Amateur Radio volunteers supported communications 
October 12 for the 2014 Bank of America Chicago Marathon 
<http://www.chicagomarathon.com/>and its 2000 volunteer medical teams. 
For the first time this year, the Amateur Radio volunteers also shadowed 
the nine triage units that attended to runners within Grant Park, the 
marathon's finish line. The hams communicated with the ambulance 
service, if further medical support was needed. Some of the 120 radio 
amateurs taking

*The Bank of America Chicago Marathon attracted some 45,000 runners. 
[Courtesy of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon]*

part in the event ended up walking as many as 9 miles just within the 
park during their volunteer stints. Some 45,000 runners from every US 
state and more than 100 countries took part in the Chicago Marathon. 
Approximately 2.5 million onlookers also enjoyed the ideal weather.

This marked the sixth year that the ham radio community has supported 
this event. Operators came from four states and from cities as far away 
as Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Indianapolis, Indiana; Peoria, 
Illinois, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Twelve local ham radio clubs 
were represented.

The ham radio volunteers made use of six local repeaters and several 
simplex channels, starting off at 6:30 AM on race day -- to let 
organizers know when the medical teams were on site and to assure that 
medical services and supplies were in place and ready. Eight operators 
worked at the forward command tent, side by side with event officials, 
Chicago city services, and other agencies, to provide health-and-welfare 
traffic to the physician in charge. The ham radio volunteers also 
interfaced with the medical logistics teams and the ambulance service.

The 120 radio amateurs were among some 12,000 volunteers at the race 
event. Rob Orr <mailto:k9rst at arrl.net>, K9RST, who serves as the 
volunteer lead, has already put out the call for volunteers at next 
year's marathon./-- Thanks to ARRL Illinois Section News via /The ARES 
E-Letter <http://www.arrl.org/ares-e-letter>

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Find ARRL on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/ARRL.org>. Follow us on 
Twitter <http://twitter.com/arrl>!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
W1AW Centennial Operations Moving to Delaware, Louisiana, and Puerto Rico

The ARRL Centennial W1AW 
<http://www.arrl.org/files/file/On%20the%20Air/W1AW_2014_sked.pdf> 
portable operations taking place throughout 2014 from each of the 50 
states are now in Florida and Arkansas. They will transition at 0000 UTC 
on Wednesday, November 26 (the evening of November 25 in US time zones), 
to Delaware (W1AW/3), Louisiana (W1AW/5), and Puerto Rico (W1AW/KP4). So 
far during 2014, W1AW has visited each of the 50 states for at least 1 
week, and by year's end W1AW will have been on the air from every state 
at least twice.

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 mode/contact, even 
when working the same state during its second week of activity.

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. Participants must work W1AW/1 in 
Connecticut.) A W1AW WAS certificate and plaque will be available.

An ARRL Centennial QSO Party leader board 
<https://centennial-qp.arrl.org> shows participants 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=2014-11-20&p=1>
Working Red Badge Holders Could Be Key to Boosting Your Centennial QSO 
Party Totals

It's getting down to crunch time: The ARRL Centennial QSO Party 
<http://www.arrl.org/centennial-qso-party> ends in just about 6 weeks! 
If you've been procrastinating about building your point totals to the 
certificate level, two more major opportunities to put some serious 
points into your log lie just ahead. "Red Badges on the Air" activities 
will take place on Saturday, November 22, and on Wednesday, December 31.

*Working ARRL Midwest Division Director Cliff Ahrens, K0CA, is worth 225 
points.*

Point levels for Centennial QSO Party awards have already been 
established. Participants will need 1000 points to qualify for a 
first-level certificate, 3000 points for a second-level certificate, 
7500 points for a third-level certificate, and 15,000 points for a 
top-level award certificate. As of November 13, 13,000 participants had 
attained 1000 points in the QSO points Challenge, and 7000 ops had 
reached the 3000-point level.

The next ARRL Red Badges event gets underway at 0000 UTC on Saturday, 
November 22 (starting on the evening of Friday, November 21, in US time 
zones). ARRL officers, elected officials such as Director or Section 
Manager, as well as Headquarters staffers and volunteers, and other 
members of the ARRL family will be out in force on both occasions. 
Contacts with red badge wearers are worth as much as 300 points 
<http://www.arrl.org/centennial-qso-party#Table> per contact for working 
ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN. Many stations will try to keep their 
contacts short; the minimum exchange is a signal report, and any ARRL 
office, appointment, or member abbreviation is optional. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/working-red-badge-holders-could-be-key-to-boosting-your-centennial-qso-party-totals>.

Riley Hollingsworth to North Carolina Club: Amateur Enforcement "Very 
Much Alive"

Former FCC Special Counsel for Enforcement Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, 
told <http://arvideonews.com/hrn/HRN_Episode_0174.html> the Forsyth 
Amateur Radio Club <http://www.w4nc.com/> that the FCC is still active 
in the Amateur Radio enforcement arena, even though it's not always 
apparent. He spoke to the Winston-Salem, North Carolina, club on 
November 10.

"You may not think so, but enforcement is very much alive," said 
Hollingsworth, who -- although retired -- still keeps up with goings on 
at the FCC and with the enforcement activities of his successor, FCC 
Special Counsel Laura Smith. "You just don't hear a lot about it, as you 
used to," he said, because ham radio news media report only the "big 
announcements" these days. During his tenure, Hollingsworth routinely 
released preliminary letters of inquiry and warning notices to radio 
amateurs suspected of breaking the rules. Now, he said, the FCC is using 
"the IRS model" of releasing information, partly in response to privacy 
considerations.

"You only see final actions [now]," he said. "So, you don't think a 
lot's being done, but it's all behind the scenes, and you don't know 
about it."

What is /not/ helpful, he told the club members, is e-mailing or writing 
Laura Smith or the FCC proper to demand Commission attention to 
particular enforcement issues. Hollingsworth said the FCC has received 
"nasty e-mails to FCC personnel" concerning suspected ham radio rule 
breaking.

*Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, addresses members of the Forsyth Amateur 
Radio Club in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. [Courtesy of HamRadioNow]*

"I'm talking about horrible e-mails, threatening e-mails, threatening to 
the degree that the security office sometimes gets involved," he said. 
"We've got to stop this." Hiding behind the anonymity of the Internet, 
he stressed, gives some within the FCC a bad impression of ham radio and 
could prove counterproductive.

In remarks now familiar to many who have heard him speak at Dayton 
Hamvention and elsewhere, Hollingsworth also warned his audience members 
against getting into on-the-air spats with rude or careless operators.

"Don't engage people, and don't humor the idiots," he said. "Stupidity 
can't be regulated, no matter how good the rules are. Just turn the big 
knob. Every rig has one."

Hollingsworth's complete talk appears as Episode 174 
<http://arvideonews.com/hrn/HRN_Episode_0174.html> of the online Amateur 
Radio television series /HamRadioNow <http://www.hamradionow.tv/>/, 
produced by Gary Pearce, KN4AQ.//Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/riley-hollingsworth-to-north-carolina-club-amateur-enforcement-very-much-alive>./-- 
Thanks to /HamRadioNow/and Gary Pearce, KN4AQ/

"Frequency" TV Series Would Reprise Amateur Radio-Themed Movie

Mike Baxter, KA0XTT -- Tim Allen's character in the "Last Man Standing" 
TV show on ABC -- may be getting some competition on the ham bands, as 
NBC appears poised to launch a television series based on the 2000 movie 
/Frequency/ <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0186151/>, in which ham radio 
-- aided by some spectacular solar phenomena -- plays a central role in 
the sci-fi thriller.

According to a November 13 article 
<http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/nbc-plots-frequency-reboot-supernatural-748851> 
in /The Hollywood Reporter/, NBC has already committed to the series. 
Jeremy Carver is writing the script for Warner Brothers Television and 
will be the series' executive producer. Toby Emmerich, who wrote the 
movie, will be a co-producer.

Jim Caviezel played NYPD detective John Sullivan in the 2000 /Frequency/ 
movie. [New Line Cinema]

While Amateur Radio has made only fleeting appearances in "Last Man 
Standing," it is an essential plot device in /Frequency/. In the movie, 
a New York City fireman, Frank Sullivan, played by Dennis Quaid, 
re-connects via a bizarre ham radio link with his son, John, 30 years in 
the future. Jim Caviezel, now a star in the CBS drama, "Person of 
Interest," portrayed John Sullivan, an NYPD detective.

John Sullivan comes across his late father's 1960's-era Heathkit 
transceiver, through which -- with the help of a quirk of nature and 
some Hollywood magic -- he is able to communicate with his father 
through time and space. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/frequency-tv-series-would-reprise-amateur-radio-themed-movie>. 
-- /Thanks to John Bigley, N7UR, /Nevada Amateur Radio Newswire

Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2014-11-20&p=2>
New Jersey Radio Amateurs Enter Emergency Antenna-Raising Project in 
Innovation Competition

A group of young Amateur Radio operators from Warren County in Northern 
New Jersey, has entered its 2013 Dayton Hamvention® Youth Forum project 
-- the Emergency Antenna Platform System (EAPS) -- in the Boca Bearings 
Innovation Competition 
<http://www.bocabearings.com/innovation-contest/>. The group, which 
calls itself the 721st Mechanized Contest Battalion 
<http://wc2fd.com/index.php?title=Headquarters>, developed the device 
for quickly raising antennas on vertical structures such as lamp posts 
and flagpoles. In an emergency, a ham radio operator could use the EAPS 
to put up an antenna and establish a communication link. Devlin Murray, 
KC2PIX, and Chris Blackwood, KD2CXC, first presented 
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bImQD8iO860&feature=youtu.be> the 
project at Dayton. Murray and Blackwood delivered a Youth Forum 
presentation on robotics at the ARRL Centennial National Convention last 
July in Hartford, Connecticut.

*In a scene from their entry video, Gavin DeAngelis, KD2DPN (left) and 
Chris Blackwood, KD2CXC, demonstrate how to use the Emergency Antenna 
Platform System (EAPS). *

"This project was inspired by Hurricane Sandy," the developers told Boca 
Bearing in their entry narrative. "Warren County, New Jersey, was hit 
fairly hard; at one point, even the county's public service 
communications system was knocked out. Hams pitched in to maintain 
communications between the various hospitals, shelters, and water 
distribution sites."

The group's entry relates that while setting up a communication post in 
a mall parking lot in Sandy's aftermath, the operators encountered 
reception problems. "We wanted to develop a simple system that was 
easily transported and deployed to raise antennas," they said. The EAPS 
can be powered from a vehicle battery. While initially intended for 
emergency use, the EAPS conceivably could be used to erect antennas for 
public Amateur Radio demonstrations, such as ARRL Field Day. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/new-jersey-radio-amateurs-enter-emergency-antenna-raising-project-in-innovation-competition>. 
--/Thanks to Rob Roschewsk, KA2PBT/

Two Japanese Satellites Will Carry Ham Radio Payloads into Deep Space 
this Month

Two Amateur Radio satellites, Shin'en 2 
<http://kit-okuyama-lab.com/en/sinen2/> (Abyss 2) and ARTSAT2: DESPATCH 
<http://artsat.jp/en/project/despatch%20http:/pre.artsat.jp/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/despatch_abstract_en_ver1.0.1.pdf>, 
will be heading into deep space this month. The satellites will hitch a 
ride with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA 
<http://www.arrl.org/global.jaxa.jp/>) Hayabusa 2 
<http://b612.jspec.jaxa.jp/hayabusa2/e/index_e.html> asteroid mission, 
which is scheduled to launch on November 29.

*The Shin'en 2 satellite during assembly and testing. [Courtesy of 
Kyushu Institute of Technology/**Kagoshima University]*

A 17 kg, 50 cm diameter polyhedron, Shin'en 2, developed by Kyushu 
Institute of Technology and Kagoshima University, will be the first 
satellite to carry an Amateur Radio Mode J linear transponder into deep 
space. The inverting SSB/CW transponder uplink will be 145.940 to 
145.960MHz (LSB), and the downlink will be 435.280 to 435.260 MHz (USB). 
It also will include a CW beacon on 437.505 MHz and /WSJT/ telemetry on 
437.385 MHz.

"For confirming the operational status of the spacecraft in deep space, 
the know-how of the Moon-reflecting communication technology can be 
applied. By using an Amateur Radio service transponder, amateur stations 
can communicate with each other when the spacecraft is in near-Moon 
orbit," a project outline 
<http://kit-okuyama-lab.com/en/sinen2/sinen2-outline/> on the Shin'en 2 
website explains. "Beyond this distance, signal detection by Morse code 
and telemetry data transmitted from the spacecraft will be performed." 
The Hayabasa 2 project is expected to help pave the way for future lunar 
rover missions.

*ARTSAT2:DESPATCH will carry this 3D printer-generated sculpture into 
deep space. *

Hayabusa 2 will make a round trip to the C-type asteroid 1999 JU3, 
arriving at the asteroid in mid-2018. It then would survey and take 
samples of the asteroid before departing in December 2019, and return to 
Earth in December 2020.

Shin'en 2 will be placed into an elliptical orbit around the Sun between 
Venus and Mars. Its inclination will be almost zero, which means 
Shin-En2 will stay in the Earth's equatorial plane. The distance from 
the Sun will be between 0.7 and 1.3 AU (an astronomical unit is 
149,597,871 km).

The ARTSAT2:DESPATCH <http://artsat.jp/en/despatch> "art project" 
satellite -- a 1U CubeSat -- is a joint project by students at Tama Art 
University and Tokyo University. It will carry a 30 kg "deep space 
sculpture" developed using a 3D printer, plus an Amateur Radio payload 
-- a CW beacon at 437.325 MHz. At its maximum operational distance, it 
will be some 3 million km (1.86 million miles) from Earth about a week 
after launch. -- /Thanks to AMSAT-UK/

------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL

In January 1997 a high-tech, massive, expensive, and very successful 
DXpedition was mounted to operate as VK0IR from Heard Island in the 
Antarctic. The 20-man crew, led by KK6EK and ON6TT, made a remarkable 
80,673 contacts! The VK0IR story was told in detail in the September 
1997 issue of /QST/.

The ARRL Board of Directors designated 1997 as Amateur Radio's Year of 
Public Service, with two aims. One was to publicize ham radio's major 
role in public service over its many decades of existence. The other was 
a large public relations effort to tell non-hams about ham radio.

The Phase 3D amateur satellite had been in the works for some time and 
was nearing its launch date. A five-part series of /QST/ articles in 
1996 and 1997 described the bird and how hams could use it. As told in 
the June 1997 issue of /QST/, for his Eagle Scout public service 
project, Brian, KC4LLD, volunteered to build the Phase 3D shipping 
container. The project eventually required the help of 21 other Scouts 
to complete.

*The Phase 3D satellite during construction.*

On August 6, 1997, Gate 3 of the vanity call sign program was opened, 
with about 1500 immediate applicants.

During 1997, Congress considered the wording of a bill to make it 
illegal to listen in on cellular telephone signals and to market 
equipment that covered cellular service frequencies. The ARRL put forth 
a successful effort to be sure that radio amateurs would not be affected 
by the bill.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: The average daily sunspot 
numbers were up this past week by nearly 14 points to 98.9, while 
average daily solar flux jumped 25 points to 164.4.

The predicted solar flux is 175, 180, 185, and 180 on November 20-23; 
170, 150, 140, and 130 on November 24-27; 120 on November 28-29; 115 on 
November 30-December 6; 135 and 155 on December 7-8; 165 on December 
9-10, and 160 on December 11-15. Solar flux peaks at 170 on December 17-19.

The predicted planetary A index is 12 on November 20-21; 10 on November 
22; 12 on November 23-24; 8 on November 25; 5 on November 26-December 3; 
12, 10, and 8 on December 4-6; 5 on December 7-10, and 10, 15, 20, 15, 
12, 10, 8, 10 and 12 on December 11-19.

This weekly "Solar Update" in /The ARRL Letter/ is a preview of the 
"Propagation Bulletin" issued each Friday. The latest bulletin and an 
archive <http://arrl.org/w1aw-bulletins-archive-propagation> of past 
propagation bulletins is on the ARRL website.

In tomorrow's bulletin look for an updated forecast and reports from 
readers. Send <mailto:k7ra at arrl.net> me /your/ reports and observations.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just Ahead in Radiosport

  * November 22-23 -- LZ DX Contest (CW, SSB)
  *

    November 26 -- SKCC Straight Key Sprint

  *

    November 27 -- Top Band Sprint (CW, SSB)

  *

    November 29 -- Full Day of Hell

  *

    November 29-30 -- CQ World Wide DX Contest (CW)

  *

    December 3 -- CWOps Weekly Mini-CWT Tests

  *

    *December 5-7 -- ARRL 160 Meter Contest (CW)
    <http://www.arrl.org/160-meter>*

  *

    December 6 -- TARA RTTY Mêlée

  *

    December 6 -- AWA Bruce Kelly QSO Party (CW)

  *

    December 6-7 -- 50-1296 ARRL EME Contest

  *

    December 6-7 -- VU International DX Contest (SSB, CW)

  *

    December 6-7 -- Top Operators Activity Contest (CW)

  *

    December 7 -- Ten Meter RTTY Contest

  *

    December 7 -- Straight Key Weekend Sprintathon

  *

    December 7 -- SARL Digital Contest

  *

    December 7 -- Great Colorado Snowshoe Run (CW)

  *

    December 8 -- OK1WC Memorial Contest (SSB, CW)

  *

    December 9 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)

  *

    December 10 -- NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint (CW)

See the ARRL Contest Calendar <http://www.arrl.org/contest-calendar> for 
more information.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events

  *

    December 12-13 -- West Central Florida Section Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/west-central-florida-section-convention-tampa-bay-hamfest-4>,
    Plant City, Florida

  *

    January 4 -- New York City/Long Island Section Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/new-york-city-long-island-section-convention-ham-radio-university-2015>,
    Bethpage, New York

  *

    January 10 -- TECHFEST <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/techfest-2015>,
    Lawrenceville, Georgia

  *

    January 16-17, 2015 -- North Texas Section Convention
    <http://cowtownhamfest.com>, Forest Hill, Texas

  *

    January 18-24 -- Quartzfest <http://www.quartzfest.org>, Quartzsite,
    Arizona

  *

    January 23-24 -- Mississippi State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/mississippi-state-convention-capital-city-hamfest-2>,
    Jackson, Mississippi

  *

    January 23-25 -- Puerto Rico State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/puerto-rico-state-convention-2>,
    Hatillo, Puerto Rico

  *

    February 7 -- South Carolina State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/south-carolina-state-convention-charleston-hamfest>,
    North Charleston, South Carolina

  *

    February 7 -- Virginia State Convention
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/virginia-state-convention-richmond-frostfest-1>,
    Richmond, Virginia

Find conventions and hamfests in your area <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests>.*
*

------------------------------------------------------------------------

**

*ARRL *-- *Your One-Stop Resource for *

*Amateur Radio News and Information *

  * Join or Renew Today! <http://www.arrl.org/join> ARRL membership
    includes /QST/ <http://www.arrl.org/qst>, Amateur Radio's most
    popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month.
  * Listen to /ARRL Audio News/ <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news>,
    available every Friday.

Subscribe to...

  * /NCJ / <http://www.ncjweb.com/>/-- National Contest Journal/
    <http://www.ncjweb.com/>. Published bi-monthly, features articles by
    top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and
    QSO Parties.
  * /QEX/ <http://www.arrl.org/qex>*//*/-- A Forum for Communications
    Experimenters/ <http://www.arrl.org/qex>. Published bi-monthly,
    features technical articles, construction projects, columns, and
    other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications
    professionals.

Free of charge to ARRL members...

  * Subscribe
    <http://www.arrl.org/myarrl-account-management#%21/edit-info-email_subscriptions>
    to the /ARES E-Letter/ (monthly public service and emergency
    communications news), the /ARRL Contest Update/ (bi-weekly contest
    newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much more!

Find ARRL on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/ARRL.org>! Follow us on 
Twitter <http://twitter.com/arrl>!

	Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2014-11-20&t=r&p=0>
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2014-11-20&t=r&p=1>
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2014-11-20&t=r&p=2>
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2014-11-20&t=r&p=3>
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2014-11-20&t=r&p=4>
------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 48 times each year. ARRL members 
may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member Data 
Page as described at http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/.

www.arrl.org <http://www.arrl.org/>