[SFDXA] The ARRL Letter for April 7, 2016

Thu Apr 7 19:02:14 EDT 2016

Preview

If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at:
http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-04-07

The ARRL Letter

April 7, 2016
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=2016-04-07&t=t>

  * A New "ARRL The Doctor is In" Audio Podcast Episode is Now Available
    <#toc01>
  * World Amateur Radio Day 2016 Will Celebrate Amateur Radio's
    Contribution to Society <#toc02>
  * ARRL MF Experiment Coordinator Sees Ongoing Research Role After Hams
    Gain 472-479 kHz <#toc03>
  * *National Parks on the Air Update* <#toc04>
  * Author, TV Reporter are the 2015 ARRL Bill Leonard, W2SKE, Award
    Recipients <#toc05>
  * MicroHAMS Digital Conference Showcases Innovative Applications,
    Hardware <#toc06>
  * "Cows Over the World DXpedition" Set to Get Under Way <#toc07>
  * Hurricane Watch Net Seeks Net Control Operators <#toc08>
  * Ohio SEC Expanding "NVIS Antenna Day" Activity this Year <#toc09>
  * In Brief... <#toc10>
  * The K7RA Solar Update <#toc11>
  * This Week in Radiosport <#toc12>
  * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events
    <#toc13>

A New "ARRL The Doctor is In" Audio Podcast Episode is Now Available

"HF Vertical Antennas" will be the topic of the inaugural "ARRL The 
Doctor is In" audio podcast, available on April 7 and sponsored by DX 
Engineering <http://www.dxengineering.com/>. "ARRL The Doctor is In" is 
a lively discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, 
tablet, or smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like!

Every 2 weeks your host, /QST/ Editor in Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and 
the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of 
technical topics. You can e-mail your questions to doctor at arrl.org 
<mailto:doctor at arrl.org>, and they may be answered in a future podcast.

Enjoy "ARRL The Doctor is In" on Apple iTunes 
<https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/arrl-the-doctor-is-in/id1096749595?mt=2>, 
or by using your iPhone or iPad podcast app (just search for "ARRL The 
Doctor is In"). You can also listen online through Stitcher 
<https://www.stitcher.com/> and through the free Stitcher app for iOS, 
Kindle, or Android devices. Subscribe to the podcast free of charge 
through either service and never miss an episode.

Podcast episodes will be archived <http://www.arrl.org/doctor> on the 
ARRL website.

World Amateur Radio Day 2016 Will Celebrate Amateur Radio's Contribution 
to Society

World Amateur Radio Day (WARD 
<http://www.iaru.org/world-amateur-radio-day.html>), observed every 
April 18, marks the founding of the International Amateur Radio Union 
(IARU <http://www.iaru.org/>) in 1925. As they do every year, radio 
amateurs worldwide will take to the airwaves to celebrate Amateur 
Radio's contribution to society.

"April 18 is the day for all of Amateur Radio to celebrate and tell the 
world about the science we can help teach, the community service we can 
provide, and the fun we have," the IARU said in announcing World Amateur 
Radio Day 2016. "We hope you will join in the fun and education that is 
World Amateur Radio Day!"

Amateur Radio experimenters were the first to discover that -- far from 
being a wasteland -- the shortwave spectrum could support worldwide 
propagation. In the rush to use these shorter wavelengths, Amateur Radio 
was "in grave danger of being pushed aside," the IARU's history has 
noted. Amateur Radio pioneers -- ARRL co-founder Hiram Percy Maxim, 1AW, 
among them -- met in Paris in 1925 and created the IARU to support 
Amateur Radio worldwide.

As Maxim and his counterparts envisioned, the IARU is an international 
confederation of national Amateur Radio organizations that allows a 
forum for common matters of concern and collectively represents matters 
to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU <http://www.itu.int/>).

Just 2 years later, at the International Radiotelegraph Conference, 
Amateur Radio gained several allocations still recognized today -- 160, 
80, 40, 20, and 10 meters. Since its founding, the IARU has worked to 
defend and expand the frequency allocations for Amateur Radio.

 From the 25 countries that formed the IARU in 1925, the IARU has grown 
to include 160 member-societies in three regions. IARU Region 1 includes 
Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Northern Asia. Region 2 covers the 
Americas, and Region 3 is comprised of Australia, New Zealand, the 
Pacific island nations, and most of Asia. The ITU has recognized the 
IARU as representing the interests of Amateur Radio.

Today, Amateur Radio is more popular than ever, with over 3,000,000 
licensed operators!

The IARU has provided a World Amateur Radio Day poster. Any club may 
download it to promote WARD. The poster comes in two sizes (61cm x 91cm 
<http://www.iaru.org/uploads/1/3/0/7/13073366/61x91.pdf>) (small (A4) 
flyer <http://www.iaru.org/uploads/1/3/0/7/13073366/a4.pdf>).

Groups should promote their WARD activity on social media by using the 
hash tag #WARD2016 <https://twitter.com/hashtag/ward2016> on Twitter and 
on Facebook. The IARU will list 
<http://www.iaru.org/world-amateur-radio-day.html> all WARD activities 
(scroll below the announcement). To have your WARD activity listed, 
e-mail ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X 
<mailto:kx9x at arrl.org>. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/world-amateur-radio-day-2016-will-celebrate-amateur-radio-s-contribution-to-society>.*
*

ARRL MF Experiment Coordinator Sees Ongoing Research Role After Hams 
Gain 472-479 kHz

The coordinator of the 600 Meter Experimental Group 
<http://www.500kc.com/>, Fritz Raab, W1FR, said this week that he sees 
an ongoing role for medium frequency (MF) experimentation, even after 
Amateur Radio gains access to the new 630 meter band (472-479 kHz). An 
/FCC Report and /

*LF/MF "Tower A" at VO1NA in Torbay, Newfoundland. [Joe Craig, VO1NA, 
photo]*

/Order/ authorizing Amateur Radio access to 2200 meters (135.7-137.8 
kHz) and 630 meters is expected to be released soon. In his 1st quarter 
report for 2016 on the WD2XSH Experimental license work, Raab said that 
once the new ham band is in place, he expects ARRL experiment 
participants to pursue work in that part of the spectrum under their 
Amateur Radio licenses. But he said that more MF research remains, and 
he would recommend continuing work under the WD2XSH Experimental a while 
longer, shifting focus to 461 to 472 kHz.

"This will clear the amateur frequencies, while allowing the 
experimenters to run unattended propagation beacons without using the 
limited bandwidth that will be available to amateurs." The WD2XSH Part 5 
Experimental 
<https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2002-title47-vol1/pdf/CFR-2002-title47-vol1-part5.pdf> 
license does not expire until 2020. A substantial community of Amateur 
Radio operators already conduct experiments using their own FCC Part 5 
licenses in the low frequency (LF) and MF spectrum, in addition to the 
WD2XSH experiment.

Raab this week suggested several possibilities for expanded experimental 
work in the vicinity of 630 meters without cluttering the limited 7 kHz 
of spectrum in the soon-to-be-authorized amateur band. Among other 
things, he envisions work using wider-bandwidth modulation protocols, 
the use of higher power than the 1 W EIRP expected to be authorized for 
the new ham band, and commemorative transmissions.

"Eventually, this operation might show that the amateur allocation could 
be expanded or allowed to use more power," Raab said. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-mw-experiment-coordinator-sees-ongoing-research-role-after-hams-gain-472-479-khz>.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2016-04-07&p=0>
*National Parks on the Air Update*

Thanks to the ARRL IT Department, there are now daily updates to the 
National Parks on the Air (NPOTA <https://npota.arrl.org/>) activity 
statistics. The new statistics are listed on the NPOTA Leader board 
page. There, you can find info on the number of parks activated, total 
number of NPOTA activations, and number of QSOs per NPOTA unit. As of 
April 6, more than 240,000 NPOTA contacts had been confirmed in Logbook 
of the World, from nearly 3400 activations since January 1. The 
California National Historic Trail has hosted 4115 QSOs, more than any 
other NPOTA unit.

There are 47 Activations on the NPOTA calendar for April 7-13, including 
Cesar Chavez National Monument in California, and Pictured Rocks 
National Lakeshore in Michigan. Details 
<https://npota.arrl.org/nps-events.php> about these and other upcoming 
activations can be found on the NPOTA Activations calendar.

Keep up with the latest NPOTA news on Facebook 
<https://www.facebook.com/groups/NPOTA/>. Follow NPOTA onTwitter 
<http://www.twitter.com/> (*@ARRL_NPOTA*).

Author, TV Reporter are the 2015 ARRL Bill Leonard, W2SKE, Award Recipients

Author Don Keith, N4KC, and TV reporter and anchor Jackie Lukas are the 
recipients of the 2015 ARRL Bill Leonard, W2SKE, Award 
<http://www.arrl.org/bill-leonard-award>. Keith was recognized for an 
article on Amateur Radio, "Wave of Popularity 
<http://www.legion.org/magazine/226238/wave-popularity>," that he 
contributed to /American Legion/ magazine. Lukas, a reporter and anchor 
for News 12 Long Island in New York, was honored for reporting the Great 
South Bay Amateur Radio Club's activation of a lighthouse "in an 
uplifting and positive manner." The ARRL Board of Directors named Keith 
and Lukas in January to receive the award.

*Don Keith, N4KC, is the recipient of the 2015 ARRL Leonard Award in 
print media.
*

The ARRL Bill Leonard Award honors up to three professional journalists 
each year for outstanding coverage highlighting the enjoyment, 
importance, and public service value the Amateur Radio Service has to 
offer. The award is a tribute to the late CBS News President Bill 
Leonard, W2SKE, an avid Amateur Radio operator and advocate. Each 
recipient will receive an engraved plaque, and a $250 contribution will 
be made in each recipient's name to the charity of their choice.

"I look forward to receiving the plaque and am very humbled by the 
award," Keith reacted. He expects to attend a formal presentation at the 
Huntsville Hamfest in August. Keith said the American Legion's national 
Amateur Radio club (K9TAL) is working to reach members who might be 
interested in Amateur Radio and "especially its public service aspects." 
Keith has designated the Amateur Radio Advancement Group 
<http://www.aragroup.org/>, which is affiliated with the Birmingham 
Amateur Radio Club, to be the beneficiary of his award. Keith is the 
author or co-author of more than 30 books.

*News 12 Long Island reporter Jackie Lukas received the 2015 Leonard 
Award from Great South Bay ARC President John Melfi, W2HCB (left), at 
the March 2016 meeting of the Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club. [Kevin 
Morgan, AB2ZI, photo]*

Lukas responded, "Thank you so much! It's such an honor. I'm glad you 
enjoyed my story just as much as I enjoyed covering it!" Lukas received 
the Leonard Award plaque at the March meeting of the Great South Bay 
Amateur Radio Club.

ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, praised the 
efforts of media professionals who report on Amateur Radio activities. 
"We owe a lot to the journalists who highlight Amateur Radio's 
capabilities to our communities and our country," he said. "When Amateur 
Radio provides communication for a natural disaster or school contact 
with astronauts on the International Space Station, and the media covers 
that service, more and more people become aware just how much of a 
resource we are. The ARRL Leonard Award is our way of saying, 'Thank you 
for telling our story.'"

MicroHAMS Digital Conference Showcases Innovative Applications, Hardware

Each March in the heart of the Pacific Northwest's software capital, the 
MicroHAMS club hosts the annual MicroHAMS Digital Conference (MHDC 
<http://www.microhams.com/mhdc/microhams-digital-conference-2016-2/>). 
Having expanded beyond being Microsoft's radio club, MicroHAMS now 
boasts members from all around the Puget Sound area, including a lot of 
digital innovators. This year's conference was booked solid.

*Curt Black, WR5J, explained how the RAMROD bicycle race network would 
work. Mt Rainier in the background gives an idea of the topography 
involved.*

"I always come away from this conference energized and full of ideas 
about ways to put digital technology to work for ham radio," said ARRL 
Contributing Editor Ward Silver, N0AX, who was a presenter at MHDC 2016. 
"This year was no different as the presenters focused on SDR and related 
technologies, including networking and fully digital radios."

A challenging application of digital ham radio is to provide seamless 
race-day coverage of the RAMROD 
<http://www.redmondcyclingclub.org/RAMROD/RAMROD.html> (Ride Around 
Mount Rainier in One Day) bicycle race. Curt Black, WR5J, described the 
perils of attempting data links around a 14,000-foot mountain surrounded 
by dense fir and hemlock forests, over a 150-mile race course with 
10,000 feet of elevation changes. It's not easy, but they do it and have 
bigger plans for 2016. The technology involves everything from 80 meter 
NVIS to 900 MHz RFID and D-RATS over the D-STAR system.

John Petrich, W7FU, is taking SDR into the UHF-microwave transceiver 
world with a design using the Ettus Research USRP B200 SDR and the GNU 
Radio Companion software platforms. The radio covers from 70 MHz to 6 
GHz without converters and is an excellent "workbench" for someone 
interested in getting into SDR/DSP technology.

Alex Schwartz, VE7DSW, described his LiF/BiLiF adapter boards that use a 
conventional transceiver's IF to create a fully functional spectrum 
scope. "It's a particularly sweet combination with the FT-817 and can 
perform just about any type of modulation and demodulation you can think 
of," Silver commented.

Two fully digital radios in late prototype stages also were shown. The 
HamShield by Morgan Redfield, KG7OGM, and Casey Halverson, KC7IBT, is a 
144/222/432 MHz handheld based on the Arduino. The project was funded 
through Kickstarter, and the presentation was as much about the trials 
and triumphs of funding development as it was technical. Local company 
Northwest Digital Radio's Universal Digital Radio UDRX is in pilot 
production after a long development and will have product available at 
Dayton Hamvention®. The 440 MHz transceiver is built to handle a wide 
variety of digital protocols and modulation types.

*Morgan Redfield, KG7OGM (left), and Casey Halverson, KC7IBT, show off 
their Hamshield 144/222/432 MHz handheld prototype, which was funded 
through Kickstarter.*

Following the ham radio presentations, Phil Horkin, AF7GY, gave a 
fascinating explanation of how MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) 
technology works. MIMO is commonly applied in the wireless data 
industry, in such devices as WiFi routers. MIMO depends on the presence 
of multipath propagation to work. Implementing it over line-of-sight 
links is the challenge, and Horkin is at the forefront of figuring out 
how to do just that, increasing a channel's throughput considerably 
without consuming more bandwidth.

Silver said his own presentation discussed the changes ahead for ham 
radio, as new technology and new hams come aboard, taking Ham Radio 1.0 
to Ham Radio 2.0. "It will be different, but not unrecognizable, as hams 
carry the fundamentals forward into the second century of Amateur 
Radio," he predicted.

"For radio amateurs, digital conferences such as this one offer 
opportunities to discover technology that is opening up little-used 
bands and achieving communication capabilities that were science fiction 
not long ago," Silver observed. "The pace and breadth of development 
remind me of how packet radio and commercial wireless data developed 
with considerable overlap in the 1980s, a partnership that continues to 
pay dividends today."

Presentations 
<http://www.microhams.com/mhdc/microhams-digital-conference-2016-2/> are 
available on the MHDC website. /-- Thanks to Ward Silver, N0AX/

Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2016-04-07&p=1>
"Cows Over the World DXpedition" Set to Get Under Way

Tom Callas, KC0W, has all of his bovines in a row to begin his "Cows 
Over the World DXpedition" to several DXCC entities in the Pacific and 
Asia this month, several months earlier than initially announced. All 
call signs will include a "COW" suffix. American Samoa will be the 
starting point for his all-CW adventure. The Minnesota DXer will operate 
as KH8/KC0W beginning on or about April 12. At the outset of his stay on 
Tutuila Island (OC-045), Callas will be on a beach near Pago Pago on the 
east side of the island.

"Running down the center of American Samoa is an 800 meter 
(approximately 2600 feet) tall mountain, which should greatly attenuate 
my CW signal to Europe and Asia," he told /The Daily DX 
<http://www.dailydx.com/>/. This location should favor North and South 
America, however.

After completing operations on the east side of the island, KC0W will 
move to the west side to accommodate European and Asian DXers. He has 
estimated that he will operate "for a month or two" from the east side 
of the island. "Europe and Asia, don't get frustrated if you can't hear 
me when I'm operating from the east side of the island. Your time will 
come," he said on his QRZ.com profile.

*Tom Callas, KC0W, with friend.*

Callas has no set time frame to operate from each entity. "The 
determining factor will be: When the pileups die down, it's time to pack 
everything up and move along," he said. Although his emphasis will be on 
160, 80, and 40 meters, KC0W plans to be active on 160 through 6 meters, 
running 500 W to vertical antennas over salt water. He expects to 
participate in "all major CW contests."

His DX travels to the other venues are still on track. These include 
Samoa, Tokelau, Solomon Islands, Temotu Province, and Bangladesh. He 
said he's spent months researching the absolute /best /DXing sites at 
each location.

Callas stressed that he will only be operating CW. "No microphones have 
been brought along," he pointed out. He's financing the round-robin 
DXpedition out of his own pocket. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/cows-over-the-world-dxpedition-set-to-get-under-way>. 
/-- Thanks to The Daily DX <http://www.dailydx.com/>/ /for some information/

Hurricane Watch Net Seeks Net Control Operators

The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN <http://www.hwn.org>) is looking for 
additional net control operators. Hurricane Season in the Atlantic 
begins on June 1 and ends on November 30; in the Eastern Pacific, it 
begins on May 15 and ends on November 30. Hurricanes can form at any 
time of the year, however, as witnessed by Hurricane Alex in January.

"With the 2016 hurricane season rapidly approaching, the Hurricane Watch 
Net is preparing for what looks to be an active season," HWN Manager 
Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, said. "It has been a long time since the US has 
seen a major hurricane make landfall." He believes the US may be overdue 
for one.

Graves said the HWN is always on the lookout for well-qualified, 
experienced net control operators who can effectively communicate with 
hurricane-prone areas from eastern Canada, the US East Coast, the Gulf 
of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. He said bilingual 
(English and Spanish) operators are a valuable asset.

Visit the HWN Membership Information Page 
<http://hwn.org/about-us/membership-info.html>, if you're interested in 
becoming a member of the Hurricane Watch Net. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/hurricane-watch-net-seeks-net-control-operators-1>.

Ohio SEC Expanding "NVIS Antenna Day" Activity this Year

ARRL Ohio Section Emergency Coordinator Stan Broadway, N8BHL, says he 
has expanded participation in his section's "NVIS Antenna Day 
<http://arrl-ohio.org/SEC/>" on Saturday, April 23, by inviting stations 
in neighboring states to participate. This year's activity also will 
introduce the "anchor stations" concept, to provide more consistent 
signal reports. The Near-Vertical Incidence Skywave or NVIS antenna has 
gained traction among emergency communication groups and others desiring 
a close-in radiation pattern for regional work on HF.

*Typical elevation plane pattern for half-wavelength antennas one-eighth 
wavelength or less above ground.*

"Working with antennas has been an integral part of Amateur Radio since 
the first hams took to the airwaves," Broadway said. "Having the 'right' 
antenna becomes even more important when we're acting in the interest of 
public safety." Sponsored by Ohio ARES, NVIS Antenna Day will get under 
way at 1500 UTC on April 23, when teams will start making contacts to 
compare antennas.

"We don't have an ending time, because some stations had so much fun -- 
and so many pileups -- last year that that they went on for quite a 
while past dark," Broadway recounted.

*Ohio Section Emergency Coordinator Stan Broadway, N8BHL.*

Broadways said several stations in surrounding states plan to be active 
in this year's NVIS Day. "We've also received word a group in Texas will 
be doing their own NVIS exercise along with ours," he added. "So, it 
looks like 40 meters will be busy with test signals!"

Broadway said NVIS Antenna Day is not a contest but an activity focused 
on having teams or individuals research and determine the NVIS antenna 
designs they believe will work the best -- then build and test them on 
the air.

"The differences [among competing NVIS antennas] last year weren't as 
dramatic as one might expect. Those fashioned after the military AS-2259 
cross-dipole configuration appeared to be the best, but other designs 
worked nearly as well," Broadway pointed out. "We do understand that 
'regular' antennas work well also -- a lot has to do with band 
conditions." Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/ohio-sec-hoping-to-expand-nvis-antenna-day-activity-this-year-1>.

Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&t=i&i=2016-04-07&p=2>
In Brief...

*ARRL Establishes "Youth Nets" Web Page:* The new "Youth Nets 
<http://www.arrl.org/youth-nets>" page on the ARRL website is designed 
to serve as a clearing house for information about Amateur Radio nets 
aimed at youth participation. During those dry spells between bigger 
operating events such as School Club Roundup, Kids Day, and Field Day, 
regular participation in a net helps to develop operating skills and 
confidence, and it builds connections within the community of young 
hams. A few nets are already listed, but ARRL invites any nets aimed at 
young radio amateurs to post and share their information on the ARRL 
"Youth Nets" web page.

*Rose A. "Uti" Gandy, KS6FO, SK:* Rose "Uti" Gandy, of Pago Pago, 
American Samoa, died on March 25. She was 69 and had been an ARRL 
member. Uti Gandy was the widow of the prominent contester and DXer 
Larry Gandy, AH8LG (SK). Uti Gandy helped with the Swains Island 
DXpeditions and hosted the W1AW/KH8 operations during the ARRL 
Centennial. A service was set for April 7.

*Voice of America Antenna Farm in North Carolina Leveled:* A field of 48 
antenna towers that the Voice of America (VOA) once used to broadcast 
around the world, was dropped by explosives on April 4. The VOA had not 
used the towers, located in Beaufort County, North Carolina, for 10 
years, although it still broadcasts news and information to Latin 
America, Cuba, the Caribbean, and Africa from antennas in a nearby 
county. According to news reports, it took less than 1 minute to fell 
the towers, which were hauled away as scrap. Television station WITN 
said the VOA site has been sold to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources 
Commission for conservation. See the towers go down in this WITN TV news 
report 
<http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/Radio-towers-being-demolished-in-Washington-373785161.html>.

*Steve Thomas, M1ACB, is New Radio Society of Great Britain General 
Manager:* Steve Thomas, M1ACB, has been appointed as the new general 
manager of the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB 
<http://www.rsgb.org/>). He will succeed Graham Coomber, G0NBI, who is 
retiring. An RSGB volunteer since 2008, Thomas has a background in the 
IT and telecoms industries. He has also served as a director of an 
international standards organization and brings experience in contract, 
project, and financial management. "He will be working with the Board to 
review the Society's strategy, to ensure that the RSGB works effectively 
to increase awareness and understanding of Amateur Radio, wireless 
science, and its technologies, and also to make the hobby accessible to 
everyone," an RSGB announcement said. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/steve-thomas-m1acb-tapped-as-new-radio-society-of-great-britain-general-manager>.

*UK to Sell Off 750 MHz of Radio Spectrum:* UK Chancellor of the 
Exchequer George Osborne announced in the 2016 budget that 750 MHz of 
public sector radio spectrum would be "released" (auctioned). The 
Amateur Service in the UK currently shares significant spectrum with the 
public sector. "/Budget 2016 
<https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/budget-2016-documents>/ 
announces a new government commitment that 750 MHz of valuable public 
sector spectrum in bands below 10 GHz will be made available by 2022, of 
which 500 MHz will be made available by 2020," the document states. 
Previous spectrum sell-offs have adversely impacted the Amateur and 
Amateur Satellite Services. In 2014 Ofcom announced 
<http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/public-sector-spectrum-release/statement> 
that it would end Amateur Radio access to significant portions of the 
2.3 and 3.4 GHz bands. Read more 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/uk-to-sell-off-750-mhz-of-radio-spectrum>.

*<http://waynesboroswapfest.com>Waynesboro, Georgia, SwapFest is April 
23:* The date of the Waynesboro, Georgia, SwapFest 
<http://waynesboroswapfest.com/> was incorrect in the May edition of 
/QST/. The correct date is Saturday, April 23, 9 AM-4 PM at American 
Legion Post 120. The Waynesboro SwapFest is sponsored by the Burke 
Amateur Radio Club.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

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

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: All solar and geomagnetic indicators 
declined again last week. Compared to the previous 7 days, from March 31 
through April 6 the average daily sunspot number slipped from 28.1 to 
19.4. Average daily solar flux sank from 88.8 to 83.1, while average 
daily planetary A index declined from 11.9 to 9.4. The average daily 
mid-latitude A index went to 7.6 from 8.6.

The April 6 prediction had solar flux at 90 and 92 on April 7-8; 95 on 
April 9-10; 93 and 91 on April 11-12; 90 on April 13-14; 80 on April 15; 
78 on April 16-17; 80 on April 18-22; 78 on April 23; 80 on April 24-28; 
82 on April 29-May 1; 78 on May 2-5; 82 on May 6-7, and 80 on May 8-12. 
Solar flux then continues to dither between 78 and 80 over the remainder 
of the 45-day forecast.

Predicted planetary A index is 14, 12, and 8 on April 7-9; 5 on April 
10-11; 12, 20, 15, and 8 on April 12-15; 5 on April 16-20; 8 on April 
21-22; 5 and 12 on April 23-24; 10 on April 25-26; 8 on April 27; 5 on 
April 28-29; 22, 8, 15, and 12 on April 30-May 3, and 8 on May 4-5.

The big factor in bringing the week's average sunspot number down by 
nearly 9 points was the fact that the daily sunspot number was 11 on 
March 31 through April 2. A sunspot number of 11 is the lowest we can 
possibly observe, outside of no sunspots (then the sunspot number is 
zero). Each sunspot group counts as 10 points, and these are added to 
the total number of sunspots, so a sunspot number of 11 means that just 
one sunspot is visible.

Spaceweather.com reported that on April 7, Earth is expected to cross a 
fold in the Heliospheric Current Sheet, which could trigger unsettled 
geomagnetic conditions. The Heliospheric Current Sheet separates regions 
of solar wind where the magnetic field points toward or away from the 
sun. See an animation <http://bit.ly/25MG4lW> of this effect from 2001 
until 2009.

Sunspot numbers for March 31 through April 6 were 11, 11, 11, 38, 23, 
27, and 13, with a mean of 19.1. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 81.7, 
82.1, 81.5, 82.3, 83.4, 83.4, and 87.1, with a mean of 83.1. Estimated 
planetary A indices were 7, 3, 22, 15, 7, 5, and 7, with a mean of 9.4. 
Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 5, 2, 15, 13, 6, 5, and 7, with a 
mean of 7.6.

Send <mailto:k7ra at arrl.net> me your reports and observations!

------------------------------------------------------------------------
This Week in Radiosport

  *

    April 9-10 -- JIDX CW Contest

  *

    April 9-10 -- PODXS 070 Club PSK 31 Flavors

  *

    April 9-10 -- OK/OM DX Contest (SSB)

  *

    April 9-10 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)

  *

    April 9-10 -- New Mexico QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)

  *

    April 9-10 -- Georgia QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)

  *

    April 9-10 -- Yuri Gagarin International DX Contest (CW)

  *

    April 10 -- International Vintage Contest HF (CW, phone)

  *

    April 10 -- Hungarian Straight Key Contest (CW)

  *

    April 11 -- 144 MHz Spring Sprint (CW, phone, digital)

  *

    April 13 -- NAQCC CW Sprint

  *

    April 13 -- RSGB 80 Meter SSB Club Championship

See the ARRL Contest Calendar <http://www.arrl.org/contest-calendar> for 
more information. For in-depth reporting on Amateur Radio contesting, 
subscribe to /The ARRL Contest Update/ 
<http://www.arrl.org/contest-update-issues> via your ARRL member profile 
e-mail preferences.

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

  *

    April 8-9 -- Oklahoma State Convention
    <http://greencountryhamfest.org/>, Claremore, Oklahoma

  *

    April 9-10 -- Communications Academy <http://commacademy.org/>,
    Seattle, Washington

  *

    April 15-17 -- International DX Convention
    <http://dxconvention.org/>, Visalia, California

  *

    April 15-17 -- VHF Super Conference
    <http://vhfsuperconference.com/>, Sterling, Virginia

  *

    April 16 -- Delaware State Convention
    <http://www.radioelectronicsexpo.com/>, Georgetown, Delaware

  *

    April 22-24 -- Idaho State Convention <http://voiceofidaho.org/>,
    Boise, Idaho

  *

    April 23 -- Aurora '16 Conference <http://www.nlrs.org/>, White Bear
    Lake, Minnesota

  *

    April 23 -- Nebraska State Convention
    <http://www.lincolnhamfest.org/>, Lincoln, Nebraska

  *

    April 29-May 1 -- Nevada State Convention <http://www.nvcon.org/>,
    Las Vegas, Nevada

  *

    May 7 -- South Carolina Section Convention <http://brars.org/>,
    Spartanburg, South Carolina

  *

    May 13-15 -- Rocky Mountain Division Convention
    <http://www.hamconcolorado.org/>, Keystone, Colorado

  *

    May 14 -- Iowa State Convention <http://3900club.com/>, Boone, Iowa

  *

    May 20-22 -- Dayton Hamvention <http://www.hamvention.org/>, Dayton,
    Ohio

  *

    June 3-5 -- Northwestern Division Convention
    <http://www.seapac.org/>, Seaside, Oregon

  *

    June 4 -- Georgia Section Convention
    <http://www.atlantahamfest.com/>, Marietta, Georgia

  *

    June 5 -- Western Pennsylvania Section Convention
    <http://breezeshooters.org/>, Prospect, Pennsylvania

  *

    June 10-11 -- West Gulf Division Convention
    <http://www.hamcom.org/>, Irving, Texas

  *

    June 18 -- Tennessee State Convention <http://www.w4bbb.org/>,
    Knoxville, Tennessee

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 <https://www.facebook.com/ARRL.org/>! Follow us on 
Twitter <https://twitter.com/>and Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/>!

	Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2016-04-07&t=r&p=0>
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2016-04-07&t=r&p=1>
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2016-04-07&t=r&p=2>
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2016-04-07&t=r&p=3>
Ad <http://www.arrl.org/nladclick.php?n=al&i=2016-04-07&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/>