[SFDXA] The ARRL Letter for October 16, 2014
Bill
bmarx at bellsouth.net
Thu Oct 16 17:13:41 EDT 2014
Preview
If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at:
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The ARRL Letter
October 16, 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=2014-10-16&t=t>
* As Gonzalo Hits Category 4, Hurricane Watch Net Plans Extended
Activation <#toc01>
* ARES Volunteers Stand Ready as Tropical Storm Ana Aims for Hawaii
<#toc02>
* ARRL Executive Committee Adopts Mobile Amateur Radio Operation
Policy <#toc03>
* W1AW Centennial Operations are West Virginia and Nevada Bound <#toc04>
* Young Ham Recognized for Navigation Aid for Visually Impaired <#toc05>
* School Club Roundup is Coming to Town! <#toc06>
* AMSAT Offering Fox Satellite Collectable Coin as Donation Premium
<#toc07>
* Radio Amateurs in India Fill Communication Gaps in Cyclone's Wake
<#toc08>
* IARU Region 1 Proposal Could Expand List of Countries with 70 MHz
Allocations <#toc09>
* National Wildlife Refuge Week Special Events Set for October 14-20
<#toc10>
* Celebration of First Great Britain-New Zealand Contact Highlights
Interesting History <#toc11>
* Amateur Radio Author William E. "Bill" Sabin, W0IYH, SK <#toc12>
* A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL <#toc13>
* The K7RA Solar Update <#toc14>
* Just Ahead in Radiosport <#toc15>
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
<#toc16>
As Gonzalo Hits Category 4, Hurricane Watch Net Plans Extended Activation
The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN <http://www.hwn.org/>) continued to keep
close watch on Hurricane Gonzalo this week, especially after the storm
strengthened considerably and was poised for a near-direct hit on
Bermuda. The Net activated for several hours on October 13 and early on
October 14, when the storm threatened the US and British Virgin Islands
and the northern Leeward Islands but stood down after Gonzalo took an
abrupt turn to the north.
By midweek, however, Gonzalo ballooned into a Category 4 hurricane with
Bermuda in its sights, and the Hurricane Watch Net had to recalibrate
its plans. The storm was forecast to reach Bermuda on Friday, and if it
tracks a bit more to the east, it could make direct landfall on the island.
"The people of Bermuda are still picking up from damage caused by
Tropical Storm Fay, which did make direct landfall this past Sunday
morning," Graves pointed out. "I've already been in contact with a few
hams on Bermuda, and antennas that weren't destroyed by Fay are being
taken down and being secured. In order to get on the air, they have
constructed 20 meter dipoles, either as an outside NVIS antenna or attic
antenna."
As of 1800 UTC on October 16, the storm was 460 miles south-southwest of
Bermuda, moving at 7 MPH and packing maximum sustained winds of 145 MPH.
"Interests in Bermuda should be rushing their preparations to
completion," the National Hurricane Center in Miami has advised.
The Net has announced plans to activate October 16 at 2100 UTC and
remain in continuous activation until sometime Saturday, October 18.
Throughout this event, the net will operate on 14.325 during the day,
shifting to 7.268 MHz at 0100 UTC, and returning to 14.325 MHz at 1000
UTC. The Net's plans are subject to change.
"We will be collecting surface observations and reporting them directly
to the National Hurricane Center (NHC)," Graves said. "We will also be
available to provide backup communications for emergency operation
centers, emergency management agencies, non-governmental organizations,
and other vital interests. Graves said any hurricane preparation or
response could also involve cooperating with military relief operations.
"Amateur stations in the affected area should be aware of the storm, and
be prepared to operate from a place of safety," Graves continued,
expressing the Net's appreciation for a clear frequency and for
assisting with relays.
The Net's primary goals are to issue storm advisory information on a
regular basis to those in the affected area of the forecast path of the
storm. It also will be requesting measured/observed ground-truth data
from those in the affected area.
More information <http://www.hwn.org/> on Hurricane Gonzalo and the
Hurricane Watch Net is on the HWN website.
ARES Volunteers Stand Ready as Tropical Storm Ana Aims for Hawaii
Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers in Hawaii are on alert
for possible activation as Tropical Storm Ana, which is forecast to
become a Category 1 hurricane, bears down on the Hawaiian Islands. As of
1200 UTC on October 16, Ana was 740 miles southeast of Honolulu and
moving at about 10 MPH with maximum sustained winds of 60 MPH. The storm
is expected to reach the islands on Saturday. ARRL Pacific Section
Manager Bob Schneider, AH6J, said he attended an informational meeting
at Hawaii County Civil Defense on Wednesday and will attend another
Thursday.
*With the ARRL Ham Aid kits In the Hawaii County CD Office (L-R): CD
Administrator Darryl Oliveira; ARRL Pacific SM Bob Schneider, AH6J; CD
Administrative Officer/BIARC President Bill Hanson, N0CAN, and CD Staff
Officer Berry Periatt. [Photo courtesy of Bob Schneider, AH6J]*
"All beaches, parks and schools are closed starting Friday, including
Hawaii Volcano National Park," Schneider told ARRL Headquarters. He said
he expected to deploy Ham Aid <http://www.arrl.org/ham-aid> equipment
kits to several schools. The Ham Aid kits -- sent in September from ARRL
as a lava flow was threatening communities on the Big Island -- include
HF gear as well as VHF and UHF equipment. Schneider also cancelled two
ARRL-sanctioned ham radio gatherings scheduled for Saturday -- one on
the Big Island and the other on Oahu.
"We are in tropical storm watch and expect to upgrade that Friday
morning to a hurricane watch," Schneider said. "A hurricane warning may
also go up soon. The storm is wandering a little. I still expect it to
become a Cat 1 hurricane with very heavy waves on the northeastern
quadrant. I heard the mayor instruct the Kona people to be sure and get
the surfers out of the water as he expected the Kailua-Kona beaches to
be hit hardest."
The National Weather Service Central Pacific Hurricane Center
anticipates that the first significant swells from Ana will arrive late
on Thursday, and large, potentially damaging surf will follow the next
day. The Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency was advising residents of
Punalu'u, Kalapana, Pohoiki, and Kapoho to take precautions and move to
higher ground.
The NWS has issued a flash flood watch for Hawaii Island from noon
Friday through 6 PM Sunday, with forecasts of 10 to 15 inches of rain,
and locally up to 20 inches along southeast-facing slopes. The heavy
rain raises the possibility of landslides in areas of steep terrain.
ARRL Executive Committee Adopts Mobile Amateur Radio Operation Policy
The ARRL Executive Committee has adopted an updated Policy Statement
<http://www.arrl.org/mobile-amateur-radio-policy> on Amateur Radio
mobile operation. While agreeing that driver inattention is a leading
cause of auto accidents and that concern over driver distraction "is not
unreasonable," the policy cites Amateur Radio's 70-year history of
two-way mobile operation as evidence that such radio use does not
contribute to driver inattention. The policy points out that Amateur
Radio operation differs from cell phone communication, in part because
the device need not be held to the face to listen, no text messaging is
involved, and mobile ham operators only need to pick up a microphone to
make "brief and infrequent" transmissions.
Prompting the policy update is the 2012 federal law "Moving Ahead for
Progress in the 21st Century" or MAP-21, which requires states to enact
and enforce statutes that prohibit "texting through a personal wireless
communications device while driving" in order to qualify for federal
grants to support a state's program. The League "encourages the use of
the language in MAP-21 in state statutes and municipal ordinances
dealing with mobile telephone and mobile text-messaging limitations,"
the updated policy states.
Many states already have statutes in place that restrict the use of cell
phones and other communication devices to a greater or lesser degree,
and several exempt Amateur Radio. A lot of these laws predate MAP-21,
however, and because MAP-21 permits no specific exception for Amateur
Radio operation, some may need to be revised in order to comply with its
requirements. The ARRL is urging states or localities to adopt motor
vehicle codes that narrowly define the class of regulated devices, in
order to exclude Amateur Radio specifically.
"Given the necessity of unrestricted mobile Amateur Radio communications
in order for the benefits of Amateur Radio to the public to continue to
be realized, ARRL urges state and municipal legislators considering
restrictions on mobile cellular telephone operation and mobile text
messaging to narrowly define the class of devices included in the
regulation, so that the class includes only full-duplex wireless
telephones and related hand-held or portable equipment," the League
policy recommends.
The ARRL policy suggests statutory language for state and local motor
vehicle codes that defines a "personal wireless communications device"
as one through which "commercial mobile services, unlicensed wireless
services, and common carrier wireless exchange access services are
transmitted." This would include such devices as cell phones and
anything used for text messaging or paging, but the suggested wording
specifically excludes "two-way radio communications equipment, such as
that used in the Amateur Radio Service."
For states or localities considering banning all but hands-free cell
phone use, the ARRL recommended wording that would prohibit the use of a
personal wireless communications device "in any manner" while driving,
unless the motorist is using hands-free capability. The suggested
statutory language would not apply to anyone using the device while the
vehicle is parked or "to contact or receive calls from an emergency
response vehicle or agency."
ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, addressed
<http://www.arrl.org/files/file/QST/This%20Month%20in%20QST/November%202013/It%20Seems%20to%20US.pdf>
the issue in his November 2013 /QST/ "It Seems to Us" editorial,
"Distracted Driving Legislation: Proceed with Caution." Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-executive-committee-adopts-mobile-amateur-radio-operation-policy>.
W1AW Centennial Operations are West Virginia and Nevada Bound
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 Alabama and Michigan. They will transition at 0000 UTC
on Wednesday, October 22 (the evening of October 21 in US time zones),
to West Virginia (W1AW/8) and Nevada (W1AW/7). W1AW/KH0 also will be
active until October 21 from Tinian Island in the Northern Marianas. 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=2014-10-16&p=0>
Young Ham Recognized for Navigation Aid for Visually Impaired
A young radio amateur from California is one of nine /Popular Mechanics/
"Future Breakthrough Award" winners. Shiloh Curtis, KK6ISM, developed a
"hat-based, hands-free, haptic navigational aid for visually impaired
individuals." As the publication explained
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/engineering/news/the-next-generation-9-future-breakthrough-award-winners#slide-1>,
after a friend from her school's robotics club described going blind as
losing "two eyes and one hand," Curtis determined to come up with a way
to free up the hand that would be wielding the classic white cane.
Robotics was the key.
*Shiloh Curtis, KK6ISM, wears her "breakthrough" device. [Gordon Kelly
Photography photo]*
"A robot is blind until you put sensors on it," she told /Popular
Mechanics/. "Why don't we put sensors on the blind, so they can navigate
like robots?"
She combined a wide-brimmed hat, vibrating motors, and a robot vacuum
cleaner's laser distance sensor to come up with the wearable device that
warns the wearer of obstacles through vibrations.
Shiloh Curtis is a junior at Laughing Thunder Academy in Sunnyvale,
California. She has been recognized as the winner of California State
Fair "Project of the Year" and was an Americas Regional finalist in the
Google Science Fair. She is the daughter of Dave Curtis, N6NZ./-- Thanks
to Ward Silver, N0AX, and Bob Wilson, N6TV/
School Club Roundup is Coming to Town!
Is it the ARRL November Sweepstakes that kicks off the ARRL's fall HF
contest season? No! School Club Roundup (SCR
<http://www.arrl.org/school-club-roundup>) leads the parade, warming up
students across the land. By this time, fall quarter or semester is well
underway, and clubs are at full throttle. October
*Deavana looks for contacts during the 2012 SCR from the Eisenhower
Middle School KF5CRF Viking Radio Club station.*
typically exhibits good fall propagation, and clubs should find it easy
to make contacts across the continent and around the world, even with a
modest station. Unlike most contests, this one takes place through the
week, beginning at 1300 UTC on October 20 and running through October 24
at 2359 UTC. Stations may operate for a maximum of 24 hours through the
entire contest and are limited to 6 hours of operation during any single
24-hour period.
Participation is simple, and there's a home for everybody. There are
five categories of club entries: Elementary/Primary,
Middle/Intermediate/Junior High School, Senior High School,
College/University Club, and Non-School Club. There is also an
Individual category.
If you just want to get on the air and hand out contacts, enter in the
Individual category. Any mode -- SSB, CW, or digital -- is okay. Tune
around and listen for SCR stations calling CQ, or do it yourself and see
who answers (call "CQ School Clubs," if you aren't a club station). Once
you make a contact, exchange a signal report, category (School, Club, or
Individual), and your state, province, or DXCC entity. After the contest
is over, submit your log online (preferred) or by paper.
*These students at the Glenn Raymond School Science Club's W9GRS seem to
be having a great time during the 2012 SCR.*
The most popular time for younger students is during the after-school
hours, but the older students may be on the air at any time. All groups
are limited to one transmitter on the air. By no means do the older
students automatically win. The February SCR results were a shootout
with the K1BBS Burr and Burton ARC high school team prevailing over all
challengers, edging out the K5LMS Lampasas Middle School Youth ARC.
The School Club Roundup is co-sponsored by the ARRL and the Long Island
Mobile Amateur Radio Club (LIMARC <http://www.limarc.org/>), and results
appear in /QST/ as well as online. Bruce Horn, WA7BNM, has created a web
entry service <http://www.b4h.net/arrlscr/index.php> that accepts scores
and logs. Paper logs and summary sheets are still available, but
participants might want to try the logging program SCR-LOG
<http://home.earthlink.net/%7Escr-log/>, which is written especially for
the School Club Roundup. Other logging program choices are listed on the
SCR website <http://www.arrl.org/school-club-roundup>.
Once the contest is over, browse to the WA7BNM web service and upload
your log. As soon as the log deadline passes on November 8, the web
service automatically sorts and displays all claimed scores. Logs are
reviewed by the LIMARC team, and final results are posted afterward.
Certificates will be generated at the same time for downloading and
printing.
While you're at it, upload some photos of your school team in action to
the ARRL Soapbox <http://www.arrl.org/soapbox> to show off your team
members./-- Thanks to Ward Silver, N0AX/
AMSAT Offering Fox Satellite Collectable Coin as Donation Premium
AMSAT has announced that it's making available a collectable "challenge
coin <http://www.amsat.org/?p=3275>" for qualifying donations to the Fox
satellite program. AMSAT commissioned the coin for those contributing at
least $100 to the campaign.
"This challenge coin is shaped as an isometric view of a Fox-1 CubeSat,
complete with details such as the stowed UHF antenna, solar cells, and
camera lens viewport," AMSAT's Drew Glassbrenner, KO4MA, said in making
the announcement. The coin is 3 mm thick brass and plated with antique
silver and finished in bright enamel. The reverse side displays the
AMSAT Fox logo. The coins were scheduled for delivery prior to the
just-concluded 2014 AMSAT Space Symposium. They also will be made
available upon request to qualifying donors who contributed since the
Fox-1C announcement on July 18.
The Fox program is designed to provide a platform for university
experiments in space, as well as provide FM repeater capability for
radio amateurs worldwide. Fox-1A and 1C are set to launch in 2015, and
Fox-1B -- also known as RadFXSat -- is awaiting NASA ELaNa
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/#.VD5u8hZzDWJ> launch
assignment.
Donations to the Fox satellite program may be made via the AMSAT website
<http://www.amsat.org/>, the FundRazr <http://fnd.us/c/6pz92>
crowdsourcing app, or via the AMSAT office, (888) 322-6728/. -- AMSAT
News Service via Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA/
Radio Amateurs in India Fill Communication Gaps in Cyclone's Wake
Authorities in India called on Amateur Radio volunteers to help as
powerful Cyclone (hurricane) Hudhud was poised to sweep into Bay of
Bengal coastal areas of India in the state of Andhra Pradesh over the
October 11-12 weekend. According to media reports, upward of 50 people
have died as a result of the storm, which generated heavy rains and
flooding. Winds upward of 130 MPH uprooted trees, downed utility lines,
and cut off conventional telecommunication systems. Hardest hit was the
city of Visakhapatnam, also known as "Vizag." Infrastructure is still
being restored.
*Cyclone Hudhud comes ashore **along the Odisha-Andhra coastline on the
Bay of Bengal. [INSAT 3D image]*
"It will take about 5 to 6 days before life returns to normal. Crews are
repairing power lines, telephones and other infrastructure," said Jayu
Bhide, VU2JAU, the Amateur Radio Society of India National Disaster
Communication Coordinator. "There was no water, petrol pumps were out of
action, and airports closed." More than 40 National Disaster Response
Force teams have been engaged in rescue efforts, along with the navy and
dozens of divers.
Thousands of residents were evacuated to shelters in advance of the
storm. The government has been airlifting food and supplies into
affected areas. The storm made landfall in the same general area struck
last year by Cyclone Phailin.
Bhide reported that Preeti Mekap, VU3UFX; Rajesh Kumar, VU3PLP, and
Sameer Ranjan Panda, VU2AOR, were active from the Bhuvaneshwar area. In
the Sambalpur area Dilip Padhi, VU2DPI, was working with Santanu
Panigrahi, VU2SIC, and Pawan Agrawal, VU2PGU.
In the Andhra coastal area, volunteers from the National Institute of
Amateur Radio were reported to be handling emergency communication.//
On October 14 Indian TV5 News featured radio amateurs involved with the
Cyclone Hudhud response. /-- Thanks to Jim Linton, VK3PC, IARU Region 3
Disaster Communications Committee chair/
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2014-10-16&p=1>
IARU Region 1 Proposal Could Expand List of Countries with 70 MHz
Allocations
A proposal has been adopted to modify the European Common Frequency
Allocation (ECA) table to allocate 69.9 to 70.5 MHz on a secondary basis
to the Amateur Service. International Amateur Radio Union Region 1
(IARU-R1 <http://www.iaru-r1.org/> -- Europe, Middle East, and Africa)
and five IARU R1 countries submitted the proposal to a meeting of the
European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations
(CEPT <http://www.cept.org/>) European Communications Committee (ECC
<http://www.cept.org/ecc>) Frequency Management Working Group, October
6-10 in France. Efforts to place an allocation at 70 MHz in the ECA
table have been underway since the 1990s.
"A growing number of administrations are now permitting amateur
operation in all or parts of the 70 MHz, and it is proposed that this
should be reflected appropriately in the ECA," the proposal from
Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, and IARU Region 1 said.
More than 30 CEPT administrations, including the UK, allow national
amateur use on all or part of the 4 meter band, but others have
indicated that they require a clear regulatory decision before opening
the band to secondary Amateur Radio usage. The proposal would amend the
ECA table to include a secondary allocation for Amateur Radio at 69.9 -
70.5 MHz and update existing footnote EU9 to state that CEPT
administrations may allocate all or parts of the band to the Amateur
Service.
The proposal received the support of more than 10 administrations, with
only three countries opposed. Fourteen CEPT administrations have already
notified of such usage in the European Communications Office Frequency
Information System, and the working group agreed to include the
allocation change in the next revision of the ECA table.
The band will not become immediately available in all CEPT countries,
however, as the ECA table is not binding on CEPT national regulatory
authorities. Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/iaru-region-1-proposal-could-expand-list-of-countries-with-70-mhz-allocations>.
/-- Thanks to IARU Region 1 via David Court, EI3IO/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
National Wildlife Refuge Week Special Events Set for October 14-20
Amateur Radio operators will be on the air October 14-20 to let the
public know about the National Wildlife Refuge System by operating from
refuges around the US during National Wildlife Refuge Week
<http://www.nwrweek-radio.info>.
*To celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week 2013, Anne Arundel Amateur
Radio Club activated special event station W3VPR at the U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service's Patuxent Research Refuge near Laurel, Maryland.
[Courtesy of the Anne Arundel Amateur Radio Club]*
They will be highlighting refuge features, wildlife, and geography while
contacting other stations across the US and North America. The goal for
participants is to combine their communication skills with their
enjoyment of the outdoors to help others learn about the National
Wildlife Refuge System. Authorized, safe, responsible access to refuges
is sanctioned by this event. As of 2013, hams also may operate from
wildlife refuges, areas or preserves managed by any state, territory, or
Canadian province.
A list <http://www.fws.gov/Refuges/profiles/bystate.cfm> of National
Wildlife Refuge sites by state is available. Contact
<mailto:info at nwrweek-radio.info> the NWR Week Amateur Radio coordinator.
Read more
<http://www.arrl.org/news/national-wildlife-refuge-special-events-set-for-october-14-20>.
Celebration of First Great Britain-New Zealand Contact Highlights
Interesting History
If you've heard "2SZ" on the HF bands, it's not a pirate. The call sign
is part of a special event <http://www.gb2nz.com/> to mark the 90th
anniversary of the first Amateur Radio contact between Great Britain and
New Zealand in
*Cecil Goyder, 2SZ.*
1924. The radio operator in England was 18-year-old Cecil Goyder,
operating the Mill Hill School station 2SZ. The Radio Society of Great
Britain, in partnership with groups of amateurs in the UK and New
Zealand, invited participation in the celebration by recreating that
original contact between the UK and New Zealand on 80 meters, and a lot
of the activity has concentrated on that band when propagation has been
favorable. The 2SZ call sign joined special event station GB2NZ,
operated by various groups, in the celebration, which wraps up in the UK
on October 18, the actual anniversary date.
*A "preview" of the ZM90DX QSL card.*
On the New Zealand end of the circuit, ZM90DX <http://www.zm90dx.com/>
and ZL4AA are on the air, with many individual ZL stations also
participating. ZM90DX will be active until October 31. Kiwi sheep farmer
Frank Bell, Z4AA, a World War I veteran, was the other operator for the
historic October 18, 1924 contact. Amateur Radio had only been
authorized a year earlier in New Zealand, and Bell already had set some
distance records. These included a September 21, 1924, contact with
U6BCP in California, and an October 13, 1924, contact with U1SF in
Connecticut.
In later years, Goyder emigrated to the US, where he served as the first
communications officer for the United Nations. As for Bell, after being
elected /in absentia/ to the executive committee of the new
International Amateur Radio Union in 1925, he apparently lost interest
in radio. His sister Brenda took over Z4AA to become New Zealand's first
female Amateur Radio operator and was the first New Zealand ham to
contact South Africa in 1927. She later became a radio broadcaster.
Amateur Radio Author William E. "Bill" Sabin, W0IYH, SK
Noted Amateur Radio author Bill Sabin, W0IYH, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa,
died October 13. He was 88. An ARRL member, Sabin was the author of
/Discrete-Signal Analysis and Design/. He also was co-editor (with E.O.
Schoenike) and contributor to three books on single-sideband and HF
radio, and he contributed to /ARRL's RF Amplifier Classics./ In
addition, Sabin wrote more than 40 technical articles, including
articles for /QST /and/QEX/, as well as portions of /The ARRL Handbook/
between 1985 and 2012. In 1983 he received the ARRL Technical Excellence
Award.
*Bill Sabin, W0IYH.*
Sabin was licensed in 1941 as W9YFA (later W4YFA), when he was 15 and
living in Covington, Kentucky, where he was born. He served as a US Navy
radio operator during World War II. During a post-war stint as a radio
and TV repairman, Sabin began taking math and engineering classes at the
University of Cincinnati, and in 1955 he went to work for General
Electric as an engineering assistant (and later as a specialist). In
1963 he became a registered professional engineer in the State of Ohio.
When he moved to Iowa in 1964 to work for Collins Radio Company as an
engineer, he became W0IYH. In 1973, he received his BS in electrical
engineering from the University of Iowa. A master's degree in EE from
the same institution followed in 1976. He retired from Rockwell Collins
Company in 1990. Sabin was a Life Senior Member of the IEEE.
An active operator, he was a member of the ARRL DXCC Honor Roll.
Survivors include his wife, Ellen. Services were October 16 in Cedar Rapids.
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2014-10-16&p=2>
A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL
The October 1990 /QST/ reported on the 3Y5X Bouvet Island DXpedition of
1989-1990. This $330,000 venture -- funded by the participants and by
donations from hams around the world -- produced nearly 50,000 contacts
on all HF bands on SSB, CW, and RTTY.
The first World Radiosport Team Championship was held in Seattle in
1990, as part of the International Goodwill Exchange Event.
Marking the 75th anniversary of /QST/, the magazine's December 1990
issue published an overview of those 75 years, written by WJ1Z. The
article noted that at the time the first issue of /QST/ was published,
the League's membership was 635.
On October 28, 1990, W5UN worked his 100th country via EME (moonbounce).
Not content to rest on his laurels, by November 4 he was up to 104
countries. Dave might have made EME DXCC earlier, had it not been for a
tornado that wrecked his first 32 dBi-gain moonbounce array.
The FCC instituted the new "codeless" Technician license on Valentine's
Day 1991. Within the first two weeks, 313 people had applied, and the
first such license was issued to N3IFY.
An interesting airplane accident story was published in March 1991
/QST/. Gary, V31KX, was aboard a flight in Belize that went down on
November 14, 1990. After the forced landing, Gary retrieved his 2 meter
handheld from his luggage, connected it to the aircraft's 121 MHz
antenna and made a successful call for help.
*The 3Y5X Bouvet Island QSL card.*
Operation Desert Storm began in 1990, and MARS stations were activated
to handle personal messages, including phone patches, between members of
the military and their families back home -- a major morale-booster.
Those efforts of American amateurs operating under their counterpart
MARS call signs generated a great amount of positive publicity for
Amateur Radio.
The May 1991 /QST/ article, "Last Voice from Kuwait," told how Abdul,
9K2DZ, hid his amateur gear from Iraqi soldiers when they came to
confiscate it. When they demanded his radio equipment, he gave them a
broken radio! After that, he used AMTOR and APLINK to handle
health-and-welfare messages in and out of Kuwait. Many of Abdul's
messages were forwarded to the media, Department of Defense, Department
of State, and the White House. Again, good reviews for Amateur Radio.
During 1991, many hams made contact with the Soviet /Mir/ space station,
thanks to the efforts of operator Musa, UV3AM. Another Amateur Radio
first occurred in 1991: The entire crew of the space shuttle /Atlantis
/on its STS-37 mission (April 5-11, 1991) was comprised of hams, and
Space Amateur Radio EXperiment (SAREX) ham gear was aboard. /-- Al
Brogdon, W1AB/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: Solar activity declined
this week, with average daily sunspot numbers dropping from 98 last week
to 55.1 in the week that ended Wednesday, October 15. Average daily
solar flux slipped from 131.9 to 117.4.
The average planetary A index rose from 6.4 to 10.4. The most unsettled
geomagnetic day was Tuesday, October 14, when the planetary A index was
18, and the planetary K index reached 5 for 9 hours overnight. In
Alaska, the college A index reached 21, but this was because the same
9-hour period of activity all occurred by the end of the day (UTC),
while the planetary K index reached 5 for 6 hours as Tuesday ended and 3
hours as Wednesday began.
The latest prediction for solar flux is 130, 140, and 150 on October
16-18, 160 on October 19-22, 140 on October 23-25, 135, and 130 on
October 26-27, and 125 on October 28-29.
The predicted planetary A index is 18 and 12 on October 16-17, 8 on
October 18-20, 15 on October 21-24, and 10 on October 25-28.
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 Friday'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
*
October 17-19 -- Jamboree On The Air (JOTA
<http://www.arrl.org/jamboree-on-the-air-jota>)
*
October 18 -- Asia-Pacific Sprint (CW)
*
October 18 -- 902+ MHz Fall VHF Sprint
*
October 18 -- Telephone Pioneer QSO Party
*
October 18-19 -- JARTS WW RTTY Contest
*
October 18-19 -- 10-10 Fall CW QSO Party (CW)
*
October 18-19 -- Iowa QSO Party
*
October 18-19 -- New York QSO Party
*
October 18-19 -- South Dakota QSO Party
*
October 18-19 -- Worked All Germany (CW, SSB)
*
October 18-19 -- Stew Perry Warmup Contest (CW)
*
October 18-19 -- W/VE Islands QSO Party
*
October 18-19 -- Spooky Feld-Hell Sprint
*
October 19-20 -- Illinois QSO Party
*
October 20 -- Run For the Bacon (CW)
*
*October 20-24 -- School Club Roundup (see above)*
*
October 22 -- SKCC Straight Key Sprint
See the ARRL Contest Calendar <http://www.arrl.org/contest-calendar> for
more information.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
*
October 18 -- Arkansas State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/arkansas-state-convention-barc-hamfest-2014>,
Batesville, Arkansas
*
October 18 -- Wisconsin ARES/RACES Conference
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/wisconsin-ares-races-conference>,
Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin
*
October 24-25 -- Oklahoma Section Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/oklahoma-section-convention-texoma-hamarama>,
Ardmore, Oklahoma
*
November 1 -- TechFest 2014
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/techfest-2014>, Lakewood, Colorado
*
November 1-2 -- Georgia State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/georgia-state-convention-stone-mountain-hamfest-1>,
Lawrenceville, Georgia
*
November 8 -- Alabama State Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/alabama-state-convention-montgomery-hamfest-2014>,
Montgomery, Alabama
*
November 15-16 -- Indiana State Convention
<http://www.fortwaynehamfest.com/hfmain.htm>, Fort Wayne, Indiana
*
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
Find conventions and hamfests in your area <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests>.
*
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*
****
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