[TCARC-NTX] ARRL Letter

[David Johnson]

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 22, No. 16
April 18, 2003
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +DXCC to accept approved portable operations from Iraq
* +FCC flames "enhanced SSB"
* +Astronaut answers 30 questions in 10 minutes during ARISS QSO
* +FCC revises repetitious applications rule
* +Haynie, volunteers represent ham radio at broadcasters' confab
* +The Big Project gets big boost from club's donation
* +Wisconsin to require ARRL EmComm classes for ARES/RACES officials
*  IARU World Amateur Radio Day marks 78th anniversary
   New ARRL Web page provides one-click access for donors
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF:
     This weekend on the radio
     ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
     ARRL Emergency Communications course registration
     ARRL members benefit from Web site contest coverage
     KC3RE employing APRS during CelebrateLifeRun
     AMSAT-NA issues first call for annual symposium papers
     Ham named to FCC advisory panel

+Available on ARRL Audio News

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NOTE: ARRL Headquarters is closed Friday, April 18, and there will be no
W1AW bulletin or code practice transmissions that day. Editions of The
ARRL Letter and ARRL Audio News for April 18 are being distributed
Thursday, April 17. ARRL Headquarters reopens Monday, April 21, at 8 AM
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=3D=3D>DXCC TO ACCEPT IRAQ PORTABLE OPERATIONS APPROVED BY COMMANDING
OFFICERS

ARRL Membership Services Manager Wayne Mills, N7NG, says the League will
accept for DXCC credit YI/ operations from Iraq by US or British
military personnel provided the operator has written permission from his
or her commanding officer.

"There is precedent for this," Mills said, citing an operation during
the 1991 Gulf War. "These operators will need written authorization to
operate from their commanding officers until an interim Iraqi civilian
government is in place," Mills said. After that point, operators would
need documented permission from Iraqi authorities.

The Daily DX <http://www.dailydx.com> has reported that several hams
with the US military in Iraq have been showing up on the air in recent
days. Mark Smith, NG5L, has been active from near Nasiriya as YI/NG5L on
SSB, usually around 0500 UTC near 14.195 MHz. He's also been spotted in
Europe and North America on other 20-meter frequencies and at other
times of the day. Smith is in Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division.

Jim Dunkerton, YI/KT4CK, has been active on 15-meter SSB between 1430
and 1600 UTC. Dunkerton is believed to be with the 101st Airborne. Bob
Furzer, 9K2ZZ/K4CY, reportedly has been on the air from Iraq as K4CY/p
or K4CY/m. Other hams are known to be in Iraq but have not yet been
reported on the air.

Still not known is whether Ed Giorgadze, 4L4FN--now in the Middle East
after wrapping up his North Korean (P5) operation last fall--will be on
a United Nations World Food Program assignment inside Iraq in the near
future. That could depend in part on how big a role the UN plays in
rebuilding Iraq.

=3D=3D>"ENHANCED SSB" BANDWIDTHS "EXTREMELY INCONSIDERATE," FCC SAYS

The FCC has sent advisory notices to four enthusiasts of what's become
known as "enhanced SSB"--the practice of engineering transmitted
single-sideband audio to approach broadcast quality. Letters went out
earlier this month to amateurs in Illinois, Florida and New Jersey who
are aficionados of enhanced SSB, also known as "upper wideband" and
"lower wideband."

"The Commission has received numerous complaints regarding the operation
of your station," FCC Special Counsel Riley Hollingsworth wrote Paul
Christensen, W9AC, John Anning, NU9N, Anthony Latin, W4NSG, and Sareno
Salerno, W2ONV, on April 3. Hollingsworth said complaints to the FCC
alleged that the bandwidths of the stations' enhanced SSB emissions were
"wider than necessary and contrary to good engineering practice."

"Wideband overly-processed audio, especially when coupled with the high
intermodulation levels of certain amplifiers, results in the use of
bandwidths extremely inconsiderate of other operators," Hollingsworth
said. Such transmissions may violate FCC rules and may be at odds with
what Hollingsworth described as "the expectation that the Amateur
Service be largely self-regulated."

Occupying more bandwidth than necessary in a heavily used amateur band,
Hollingsworth wrote, not only could generate ill will among operators
but lead to petitions asking the FCC to establish bandwidth limits for
amateur emissions. At present, the FCC imposes no specific bandwidth
limits on various amateur modes.

Hollingsworth cited =A797.307(a) of the Amateur Service rules that
requires the signal of an amateur station not occupy "more bandwidth
than necessary for the information rate and emission type being
transmitted, in accordance with good amateur practice." Some amateurs
have complained that enhanced SSB signals can take up 8 kHz or more of
spectrum, cause splatter and unnecessarily interfere with other
stations.

"The Amateur Service is not a substitute for the Broadcast Service,"
Hollingsworth said, "and the frequencies allocated to the Amateur
Service were not allocated for a 'broadcast quality' audio emission or
sound." Hollingsworth suggested the enhanced SSBers operate when the
bands are less busy or on bands that are not heavily used.

The many complaints the FCC has been getting--20 or so per week--leads
to the conclusion that the stations' enhanced SSB operation is having "a
negative impact" on the Amateur Service, Hollingsworth said. He
requested that the four amateurs "fully review the rules" and make sure
their stations conform to them.

=3D=3D>"SOX" BLASTS THROUGH 30 QUESTIONS FROM NEW JERSEY STUDENTS VIA =
HAM
RADIO

International Space Station Expedition 6 Crew Commander Ken Bowersox,
KD5JBP, deftly managed 30 questions put to him this week during a
10-minute Amateur Radio contact with 15 New Jersey students. The number
of questions answered could be a record for a school group contact. The
April 14 QSO with youngsters at Lounsberry Hollow Middle School
<http://www.vtsd.com/lhms/> in Vernon was arranged by the Amateur Radio
on the International Space Station (ARISS) program. Bowersox--who's
known as "Sox" within NASA's Astronaut Corps--answered the obviously
well-rehearsed students' questions as quickly as they asked them.

Questions ranged from the usual, "What is your favorite space food?" to
the more arcane, "What did you learn from your favorite experiment?"
Another asked, "Do you have a telescope or binoculars on the ISS?" while
a third asked how carbon dioxide was removed from the air inside the
ISS.

Control operator John Santillo, N2HMM, reports that teachers at the
northwestern New Jersey school were ecstatic about the smooth and speedy
banter between Bowersox and the students. Reporters from a New York City
TV station (WNBC-TV, channel 4), a local cable channel and two
newspapers covered the event.

ARISS is an international project, with US participation by ARRL, AMSAT
and NASA.

In related news, a Russian Soyuz vehicle will transport a new two-person
crew--Yuri Malenchenko, RK3DUP, and Ed Lu, KC5WKJ, to the International
Space Station April 25. Bowersox and his Expedition 6 crewmates, Don
Pettit, KD5MDT, and Nikolai Budarin, RV3FB, are scheduled to leave the
ISS aboard the Soyuz transporter in early May.

NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe told a congressional panel this week
that the nation's shuttle fleet could return to flight before the end of
the year. The space agency head thinks the independent investigation
board looking into the shuttle Columbia disaster is just weeks away from
recommending hardware and procedural improvements necessary to make the
remaining three space shuttles safe to fly.--Gene Chapline, K5YFL/ARISS;
AMSAT News Service; NASA

=3D=3D>FCC ADOPTS CHANGES TO REPETITIOUS APPLICATIONS RULE

The FCC has amended its rules to prohibit the filing of repetitious
license applications in the wireless radio services--including the
Amateur Radio Service--within a year after it has denied or dismissed "a
substantially similar application" with prejudice. The FCC also has
streamlined =A71.937 by combining the first two subsections of the rule
into a single paragraph. The FCC invited comments on the proposed
changes more than a year ago in ET Docket 02-57.

"Our amendment of =A71.937 will simplify and clarify our prohibition
against repetitious applications," the FCC said in a Report and Order
(R&O) released April 16. The FCC said the new language reflects the
rule's applicability to all types of license applications. The revised
rule also "sufficiently distinguishes applications dismissed without
prejudice from those either dismissed with prejudice or denied," the
Commission said.

While the change applies to the Amateur Service, it would prohibit only
a handful of applications filed by new and renewing hams. Most dismissed
amateur applications--such as vanity dismissals--are turned down without
prejudice because of procedural deficiencies. The FCC now allows such
rejected applicants to correct their mistakes and file again, and it
will continue to do so.

When it issued the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) in the
proceeding in March 2002, the FCC cited the then-pending application of
Herbert Schoenbohm, KV4FZ, of the US Virgin Islands, as an example of a
repetitious application for the same service less than 12 months after
the final denial of a previous application. Schoenbohm had applied for a
new Amateur Radio license only weeks after his authority to operate had
ended following the Supreme Court's refusal to hear an appeal of the
FCC's denial of his license renewal application.

FCC rules already prohibited repetitious applications for new stations,
modifications of services or facilities, or for licenses that have been
revoked. The amended rule covers the filing of other repetitious
applications not specified within the old rule's language, including
renewal applications. It also applies the ban equally to "all
dispositive actions, including dismissals with prejudice, denials and
revocations," the FCC said.

The FCC's R&O indirectly alludes to the Schoenbohm case, citing "at
least one instance" where a licensee had filed a repetitious application
for the same service less than 12 months after the denial of his renewal
application. "Such cases can consume significant resources to
re-litigate identical issues involving the same applicants very close in
time," the FCC said. The Commission subsequently designated Schoenbohm's
application for hearing and, following the hearing, granted it.

The rule changes become effective 30 days after publication in the
Federal Register. A copy of the FCC Report and Order is available on the
FCC Web site
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-03-79A1.doc>.

=3D=3D>ARRL PRESIDENT, VOLUNTEERS, PROMOTE LEAGUE TO BROADCASTERS

ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, headed the League's contingent to the
2003 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention in Las Vegas
April 5-10. Haynie said he was impressed to note the number of Amateur
Radio operators in the crowd of some 90,000. Among other benefits,
Haynie said, the huge gathering offered him an opportunity to pitch the
ARRL Education and Technology Program--The Big Project
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/tbp>.

"I got a chance to meet with quite a number of Society of Broadcast
Engineers members and tell them about The Big Project," Haynie said. "My
job is to go to these things and develop closer ties with these folks
and let them know that Amateur Radio is a resource they can draw from
when they're looking for the next generation of engineers."

Haynie got to meet with FCC Chairman Michael Powell and National
Telecommunications and Information Administration Assistant Secretary
Nancy Victory. He also was introduced to the FCC's newest member,
Jonathan Adelstein.

Other League volunteers at the NAB gathering included Vice President
Fried Heyn, WA6WZO; Pacific Division Director Bob Vallio, W6RGG, and
Vice Director Andy Oppel, N6AJO; Southeastern Division Vice Director
Sandy Donahue, W4RU, and Nevada Section Manager Dick Flanagan, W6OLD.

In addition to meeting with groups and officials, all helped staff the
ARRL booth set up by Las Vegas Radio Amateur Club
<http://www.lvrac.org/> members Bill and Carolyn Cornelius, K8XC and
K9XC. Seventeen Las Vegas-area amateurs pitched in for booth duty.
League materials on hand included a special shipment of four cases of
QSTs--always a popular item--as well as membership applications, the
Amateur Radio Today video, QST reprints on ARRL services and the Field
Organization, and the kid-oriented Leap into Amateur Radio brochure.

On April 9, Haynie addressed the convention's annual Amateur Radio
Operator's Reception, cosponsored by Kenwood and CQ. Some 800 hams
attended the reception, which acknowledges the contributions of amateurs
to broadcasting. During the convention, the NAB honored ARRL member John
Reiser, WQ4L, as the winner of its 2003 Radio Engineering Achievement
Award.

=3D=3D>THE BIG PROJECT GETS BIG BOOST FROM LAS VEGAS CLUB

The ARRL Education and Technology Project
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/tbp>, also known as "The Big Project," got a
boost last week in the form of a $1000 check from the Las Vegas Radio
Amateur Club. ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, received the check at
the club's April 8 meeting while he was in Vegas attending the National
Association of Broadcasters convention.

"It came as a total surprise to me," Haynie said. "We had no idea before
the meeting that they were going to do this. It's a wonderful gift for
the project."

Equally thrilled was ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH.
She said the LVRAC contribution was most welcome and hopes the gift will
spur others to similar action. "These are challenging times for all of
us, but our dedication to the future of Amateur Radio is now more
important than ever before," she commented. "Next to spectrum defense,
the ARRL Education and Technology Program is the most important thing we
do."

Both Haynie and Hobart expressed their appreciation on behalf of the
ARRL for the generous gift from the LVRAC.

The Education and Technology Program <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/tbp>
puts ham radio directly into schools, supplying equipment and Amateur
Radio-related curriculum materials. To date, 50 schools have been
accepted into the program. Hobart urged all interested in the future of
Amateur Radio to contribute to the fund by clicking on "Donate to ARRL"
on the ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org>.

=3D=3D>WISCONSIN MANDATES ARRL EMCOMM CLASSES FOR ARES/RACES OFFICIALS

Wisconsin has become the first ARRL Section to make the basic ARRL
Amateur Radio Emergency Communications course (ARECC) an ARES/RACES
leadership job requirement. Wisconsin Section Emergency Coordinator Dr
Stan Kaplan, WB9RQR, has announced that Amateur Radio Emergency Service
and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service leadership personnel in the
Badger State must complete the Level I Amateur Radio Emergency
Communications course
(EC-001) by June 30, 2004, and all three course levels by June 30, 2005.

"We are seeing the marked difference this training makes, both here in
Wisconsin and across the United States," Kaplan said in announcing the
upgraded requirements. "It is a 'Good Thing' and will help you be a much
better emergency communicator and a much better leader of communications
teams." Kaplan said there's "just no question" that completing the AREC
courses will help ARES/RACES leadership members to serve the public
better.

The change affects all Wisconsin district emergency coordinators,
emergency coordinators, assistant emergency coordinator, liaison
emergency coordinators and others in the state's ARES/RACES leadership.
That even includes Kaplan, who also serves as Wisconsin's RACES chief
radio officer, and Wisconsin Section Manager Don Michalski, W9IXG.

ARRL Emergency Communications Course Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG,
<dmiller@arrl.org> said he was pleased to learn that Wisconsin
ARES/RACES values the Amateur Radio Emergency Communications courses so
highly that they've made them a requirement. "We have indeed been
impressed with the activities from that state," Miller remarked.

Still under discussion in Wisconsin is a proposal to require all
ARES/RACES members to pass the Level I Amateur Radio Emergency
Communications class.

=3D=3D>IARU CELEBRATES WORLD AMATEUR RADIO DAY

Friday, April 18, is World Amateur Radio Day, celebrated each year on
the anniversary of the founding of the International Amateur Radio Union
(IARU). The IARU is the worldwide federation of national Amateur Radio
organizations representing radio amateurs in 158 countries. On this, the
78th anniversary of its inaugural meeting in Paris, the IARU dedicates
World Amateur Radio Day to the radio amateurs, educators, and
administrators who use Amateur Radio to support technology education in
the classroom.

Such programs are not confined to the developed countries. They are even
more valuable in countries where telecommunications technology is not
yet commonplace and where natural disasters and other calamaties can
overload or even disrupt regular communications circuits.

Radio technology offers a wide array of tools for teachers to use as
they integrate technology into the curriculum. In schools without an
Internet connection, Amateur Radio can fill that void through
interactive communications and shortwave reception. Elementary school
teachers using AM radios can interject fun while helping students learn
basic electricity and regional geography. Social studies teachers can
use Amateur Radio and shortwave receivers to teach about different
cultures the world over, as well as advancing deeper into geopolitics
and geography. Earth science and physics teachers can use radio to teach
electricity and electronics, radio wave propagation, weather and
atmospheric science. Language arts teachers may use radio to supplement
writing, speaking and listening skills while providing access to
numerous foreign languages from the lips of native speakers.

With almost three million licensees in nearly every country on Earth,
the amateur service provides an ample reservoir of expertise for use in
classrooms throughout the world.--IARU news release

=3D=3D>NEW WEB PAGE LINK SIMPLIFIES DONATING TO ARRL

Now it's easier than ever to find out about the numerous ways ARRL works
to ensure a bright future for Amateur Radio and to become a part of it.
The ARRL Development Office has debuted one-button access on the ARRL
Web site to on-line information about the various fund-raising
initiatives that support ARRL programs not funded by member dues. From
the ARRL Web home page, clicking on either "Donate to ARRL" link will
let you access the "ARRL Development Overview,"
<http://www.arrl.org/development/> which provides a central repository
of development information.

"Before the Development Office consolidated this information on the ARRL
Web site, information on the Defense of Frequencies Fund, the Education
and Technology ("The Big Project") Fund, and numerous other funds
appeared as individual campaigns on the ARRL Web site," said Chief
Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH. "Now, we've integrated all of
these campaigns and additional information into a single Development
Office section."

Information available via the consolidated page includes an overview of
what the Development Office is and does, plus specific links and
detailed information on all of the programs and initiatives ARRL has
created to engage its members in supporting ARRL and Amateur Radio.

Clicking on the yellow "Donate to ARRL" toolbar link drops down a menu
with additional links to a donation form, information on annual giving,
ARRL funds, estate planning, memorial gifts and corporate matching
gifts. There's also a link to contact the Development Office. Hobart
said visitors to the ARRL site now can more easily locate information on
how to donate to a particular campaign, leave a legacy gift or joint the
Maxim Society and the Diamond Club. Contact information and a secure Web
page for on-line donations also are provided. Information provided by
donors is not made available to any third parties.

"We want to make this site efficient and informative, so we're always
willing to hear from people who might have ideas about the site," Hobart
said.

=3D=3D>SOLAR UPDATE

Propagation maven Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, is filling in for
vacationing Tad "Hoppin' Down the Bunny Trail" Cook, K7RA: Geophysical
activity during the period ran the full gamut--from quiet early in the
period to some minor-to-major storminess later in the period. The
minor-to-major storminess was caused by high-speed solar wind that was
induced by a coronal hole.

Solar activity during the period was low to very low. The largest flare
was a C7 event Friday, April 11.

For the next several days, geophysical activity is forecast to decrease
to unsettled conditions. Thus propagation should generally improve as
the Easter weekend approaches. Additionally, solar activity is forecast
to be low for the next several days, so flares shouldn't cause any
problems.

Your reporter noted many 6-meter spots posted early in the week. This is
a reminder that the summer Es (sporadic E) season is underway, and Es
can provide a link to transequatorial propagation (TEP) for stateside
stations.

Sunspot numbers for April 10 through 16 were 66, 49, 60, 61, 63, 54 and
40, with a mean of 56.1. The 10.7-cm flux was 103.7, 102.6, 102.1,
102.4, 102, 100.5 and 98.5 with a mean of 101.7. Estimated planetary A
indices were 26, 14, 7, 10, 16, 22 and 31, with a mean of 18.

__________________________________

=3D=3D>IN BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: The YLRL DX to NA YL Contest (SSB) is April
16-18. The Holyland DX Contest, the TARA Spring Wakeup PSK31 Rumble, the
ES Open HF Championship, the YU DX Contest, the GACW CW DX Contest, the
EU Spring Sprint (CW), the Michigan and Ontario QSO parties, and the 432
MHz Spring Sprint are the weekend of April 19-20. JUST AHEAD: The Low
Power Spring Sprint is April 21. The Harry Angel Memorial Sprint is
April 25. The SP DX RTTY Contest, the Helvetia Contest, the QRP to the
Field, and the Florida and Nebraska QSO parties are the weekend of April
26-27. See the ARRL Contest Branch page <http://www.arrl.org/contests/>
and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar
<http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html>
for more info.

* ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration:
Registration for the ARRL HF Digital Communications (EC-005) course
<http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> opens Monday, April 21, 12:01 AM
Eastern Daylight Time (0401 UTC). Registration will remain open through
Sunday, April 27. Class begins Tuesday, April 29. Registration for the
ARRL Antenna Modeling (EC-004) course remains open through Sunday, April
20. Those interested in taking an ARRL Certification and Continuing
Education (C-CE) course in the future can sign up to be advised via
e-mail in advance of registration opportunities. To take advantage, send
an e-mail to prereg@arrl.org. On the subject line, indicate the course
name or number (eg, EC-00#) and the month you want to start the course.
In the message body, provide your name, call sign, and e-mail address.
Do not send inquiries to this mailbox. To learn more, visit the ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/cce> and the C-CE links found there. For more
information, contact Certification and Continuing Education Program
Coordinator Howard Robins, W1HSR, hrobins@arrl.org.

* ARRL Emergency Communications course registration: Registration opens
Monday, April 21, 12:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time (0400 UTC), for the
Level III Emergency Communications on-line course (EC-003). Registration
remains open through the April 26-27 weekend or until all available
seats have been filled--whichever comes first. Class begins Tuesday, May
6. Thanks to a grant from United Technologies Corp, the $45 registration
fee paid upon enrollment will be reimbursed after successful completion
of the Level III course. Approximately 50 seats are being offered to
ARRL members on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information,
contact Emergency Communications Course Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG,
dmiller@arrl.org; 860-594-0340.

* ARRL members benefit from Web site contest coverage: ARRL publishes
the results of ARRL-sponsored contests on its Web site and in QST,
although only ARRL members enjoy the benefits of the more-detailed
Web-based contest coverage. Here's how it works. As soon as possible
after an operating event, an extensive post-contest writeup and
searchable, indexable detailed score listings--available only to ARRL
members--go up on the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/results/>.
Subsequently, an article summarizing the contest appears in QST, usually
about a month later. The QST article typically is less extensive than
the Web writeup and QST contest reports no longer include detailed line
scores. Finally, at about the time members receive their issues of QST,
a PDF file will be posted on the ARRL Contest Results Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/results/> that includes the text of the
QST article as well as detailed line scores--although these are not
searchable. The PDF version is available to everyone--members and
nonmembers alike--along with the on-line "Soapbox" comments.--ARRL
Contester's Rate Sheet
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/rate-sheet/index.html>

* KC3RE employing APRS during CelebrateLifeRun: Concert pianist Martin
Berkofsky, KC3RE, is equipped with Automatic Position Reporting System
(APRS) hardware, so APRS aficionados can track his progress on his
860-mile CelebrateLifeRun from Tulsa to Chicago on the Internet. Visit
the findu.com site <http://www.findu.com> to see how Berkofsky's doing.
A cancer survivor, Berkofsky, 60, is making the run to raise money for
cancer research. John Chamberlain, AC5CV, reports that he provided
Berkofsky with an APRS-GPS tracker. Berkofsky is not carrying the gear
as he runs, but he does send out his position at the end of each day's
jog. In getting APRS-ready, Berkofsky also had assistance from Gregg
Wonderly, W5GGW, and Larry Bush, W5NCD. All proceeds from Berkofsky's
run and benefit events go to the Cancer Treatment Research Foundation.
Details are on his CelebrateLifeRun Web site
<http://www.celebrateliferun.com/>.
Cancer Treatment Centers of America <http://cancercenter.com/> is
tracking Berkofsky's progress on its Web site (scroll down and click on
"CTCA News").

* AMSAT-NA issues first call for annual symposium papers: AMSAT-NA has
issued the first call for papers for its 2003 Space Symposium and Annual
Meeting <http://www.barc.ca/amsat_ca/> October 17-19, 2003 in Toronto,
Ontario, Canada. Papers may be presented by the author during the
symposium or submitted for inclusion in the symposium Proceedings
publication. Subject matter should be of general interest to Amateur
Radio operators involved in satellite communications. Suggested topics
include operating techniques, antenna design and construction,
spacecraft design and construction, current mission status, proposed
satellite missions, and telemetry acquisition and relay. Authors should
submit brief abstracts as soon as possible but in no case later than
June 15. Publication-ready manuscripts are due August 15, preferably in
electronic form and in MS-Word format. E-mail electronic submittals to
Wayne Chandler, VE3WHC, ve3whc@amsat.org.--AMSAT News Service [AMSAT
logo]

* Ham named to FCC advisory panel: An Amateur Radio operator from
Mississippi has been named as one of 35 members to the FCC's Consumer
Advisory Committee (CAC). George M. "Mike" Duke, K5XU, of Jackson will
represent the interests of blind or visually impaired persons, Amateur
Radio amateur operators and management of audio information services for
the blind. FCC Chairman Michael Powell announced the appointees March
28. Shirley Rooker, President of Call For Action
<http://www.callforaction.org/>, will chair the CAC, which meets for the
first time April 25. The CAC succeeds the Consumer/Disability
Telecommunications Advisory Committee (C/DTAC). The FCC says the panel
was rechartered as the Consumer Advisory Committee to reflect the
broader scope of its responsibilities. During its two-year term, the
committee will address a number of topics including consumer protection
and education, access by people with disabilities, impact upon consumers
of new and emerging technologies, and implementation of FCC rules and
consumer participation in the FCC rulemaking process. More information
is available in an FCC Public Notice
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-03-876A1.doc>.

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The ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the
American Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur
Radio--225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax
860-594-0259; <http://www.arrl.org>. Jim Haynie, W5JBP, President.