[TCARC-NTx] ARRL Letter

[david johnson]

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 22, No. 03
January 17, 2003
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +High-speed hamming via the "Hinternet" could be
next big thing
* +2002 a banner year for ARRL contests
* +Astronaut brightens kids' day at Montana school
* +New ARRL brochure targets youngsters
* +Nominations invited for ARRL awards
* +Amateur Radio emergency communications training on
target
* +Comments sought on draft WRC-03 proposals
*  FCC launches "express" comment-filing system
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF:
     This weekend on the radio
     ARRL Certification and Continuing Education
course registration
     ARRL Foundation scholarship deadline looms
     Second Ducie DXpedition set for March
     Poptronics ceases publication

+Available on ARRL Audio News

===========================================================

==>HIGH SPEED MULTIMEDIA HAMMING COULD BE THE NEXT BIG
THING

High-speed multimedia hamming via the "Hinternet"
could be the next big
thing for Amateur Radio. That's the hope of the ARRL
High Speed 
Multimedia
(HSMM) Working Group, which is adapting the highly
popular IEEE 802.11b
Part 15 wireless Internet protocol to Part 97 amateur
operating.

"We expect it to be nothing less than revolutionary!"
says John Champa,
K8OCL, who chairs the ARRL HSMM Working Group--a
subset of the League's
Technology Task Force. The Working Group's new
"High-Speed Digital
Networks and Multimedia" page
<http://www.arrl.org/hsmm/> recently
premiered on the ARRL Web site.

Champa's team is calling the specific techniques,
software and hardware
involved "the ARRL 802.11b protocol" to distinguish it
from the
unlicensed, commercial protocol. Systems employ
direct-sequence spread
spectrum techniques and operate in the 2.4 GHz range.
The term 
"Hinternet"
(ham + Internet), Champa says, is a user-friendly way
to refer to the
development of high-speed Radio Local Area Networks
(RLANs) capable of
simultaneously carrying audio, video and data signals.

"The development of the ARRL 802.11b protocol will
significantly 
enhance
Amateur Radio, especially with respect to emergency
communication and
support of public service activities," Champa
predicted. He and his 
HSMM
Working Group colleagues also expect that it will
attract many 
technically
oriented users of the Internet and wireless LANs to
get their amateur
tickets.

In addition to emergency communication, Hinternet
applications could
include two-way streaming video, full-duplex streaming
audio, Voice 
over
Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications such as eQSO,
EchoLink, iLink and
IRLP, and digital voice. As on the wired Internet,
communication can be
point-to-point, point-to-multipoint and multicast at
high bandwidth.

"An emergency volunteer equipped with a laptop or a
wireless PDA 
(personal
digital assistant) with a microphone and a small video
camera now has 
the
tools to be a mobile set of eyes and ears in the midst
of a 
communications
emergency," says Working Group member Kris Mraz, N5KM.

In Michigan, the Livingston County HSMM Experimenters
Team already has
three HSMM access points--called "APs" in the
commercial world--and 
about
a dozen stations on the air centered on 2437 MHz.
Another group of 
Amateur
Radio 802.11b enthusiasts has recently organized in
the San Antonio,
Texas, area.

Although other amateur allocations also would be
appropriate for 
Hinternet
operation, the use of 2.4 GHz was an easy choice,
since Part 15 WiFi
(wireless fidelity) devices already operate in that
part of the 
spectrum,
and inexpensive commercial equipment is widely
available. Acting on an
ARRL petition, the FCC has proposed elevating amateurs
to primary at 
2400
to 2402 MHz.

The ARRL publications catalog now includes the book
802.11 Wireless
Networks: The Definitive Guide
<http://www.arrl.org/catalog/?category=&words=802.11>
by Matthew S. 
Gast.
The book covers the topics of creating and
administering wireless
networks.

Champa says that taken in a nationwide context, the
meaning of the term
Hinternet goes deeper than just an amalgamation of
words. "In nautical
terms the word hinterland is 'the land beyond the
coast,'" he said. 
"And
so it is with us. 'The Hinternet' is the radio net
beyond the 
Internet."

==>2002 A GROWTH YEAR FOR ARRL CONTESTS

The year 2002 was a banner year for ARRL's Contesting
Branch. Manager 
Dan
Henderson, N1ND, reports a record number of total
entries for
ARRL-sponsored operating events.

"The total of 18,817 beats 2001's 18,505, a nearly 1.7
percent 
increase!"
Henderson said. Despite the downward slope of Cycle
23, the 2002 ARRL
10-Meter Contest saw a more than 18 percent jump in
log submissions 
over
the previous year, he added, even as logs continued to
arrive.

"Activity is up across the board for almost all
contests, and I think 
we
would have seen more than 19,000 logs returned,"
Henderson said, "but 
the
World Radiosport Team Championships (WRTC 2002) in
Finland last July
affected numbers for the IARU HF World Championships,
as several 
hundred
of the world's top contest operators were there."
Henderson notes that
since WRTC 2002 used slightly different rules, the
logs from those
operators could not be entered in the IARU event,
which ARRL 
administers.

The 2002 ARRL 10-Meter Contest, proved to be
record-setter in several
ways. According to Henderson, not only was the
December 14-15, 2002,
operating event the most active 10-meter contest on
record, it had the
single highest number of participants returning logs
of any single 
contest
in League history. As of January 16, the Contest
Branch had logged 3051
entries and was still counting. "That's the very first
time a
single-weekend ARRL contest has topped the 3000 mark
in entries,"
Henderson said.

Other ARRL operating events that also saw increased
numbers of logs 
over
2001 were Straight Key Night, up 22 percent; the ARRL
160-Meter 
Contest--a
CW event--up 19 percent; the ARRL 10 GHz and Up
Contest, up 11 percent;
and ARRL Field Day, up by one-half of one percent. For
the first time
ever, the 160-meter event topped 900 entries.

ARRL November Sweepstakes entries jumped between two
and three percent 
for
the CW and SSB weekends in 2002, Henderson said.
Entries received for 
the
ARRL international DX Contest remained approximately
level for each 
mode
last year as did submissions for the ARRL's four major
VHF-UHF-SHF 
events
in 2002.

Henderson said the move to require Cabrillo-format
electronic logs has
proved a major boon to the Contest Branch. The
elimination of most 
manual
log entry has moved up the posting of contest results
by about a month, 
he
said. He said he expected the Contest Branch would be
fine tuning
electronic log-processing during 2003.

Rules for all ARRL-sponsored operating events are
available on the ARRL
Web site <http://www.arrl.org/contests/calendar.html>.

==>MONTANA ARISS CONTACT "A GRAND SUCCESS"

Youngsters at Sacajawea Middle School in Bozeman,
Montana, conversed 
via
ham radio on January 8 with International Space
Station resident Don
Pettit, KD5MDT. The contact between NA1SS and the
school club station's
K7BZN was the first Amateur Radio on the International
Space Station
(ARISS) QSO this year with a US school.

"I am happy to say that it was a grand success," said
Vivian Linden,
K7CUB, a retired science teacher who continues to
serve as advisor to 
the
school's Amateur Radio club. "The contact was crystal
clear, the kids 
did
a great job with their questions, and the adult ham
club--the Gallatin 
Ham
Radio Club--put it all together."

Some young radio amateurs were among the student
questioners. Arianna
Haines, KD7RHA, wanted to know if Pettit had any radio
experience 
before
becoming an astronaut and if it influenced his
decision to become one.
Pettit explained that he became a ham only after
joining the astronaut
corps.

Jeff Nickelson, KD7TQL, asked Pettit how he was chosen
to be an ISS 
crew
member. "You get chosen for the ISS program partly
based on interest 
and
partly based on who they happen to need for the
mission involved," 
Pettit
replied. "So they look at background, and they look at
interest."

Nickelson later expressed a desire to become an
astronaut and asked
Pettit's advice on what he should do now. "What you
need to do is to
follow what you want to do in your heart," Pettit
responded. He also
advised the youngsters to do their best in school and
to keep up their
grades.

Food is never far from the minds of most youngsters,
and so it was with
the kids at Sacajawea Middle School. One student
wanted to know how the
crew ate and how the food was cooked. Pettit explained
that it's not 
that
much different from pre-packaged food on Earth. "We
eat with spoons, 
just
like you eat with spoons on Earth," said Pettit. Most
of the crew's 
food
is freeze-dried. You add hot water and mix, then "just
dig in with your
spoon," Pettit said.

Pettit also told the youngsters that the crew doesn't
have too much 
time
for "fun" activities. "There's really not much spare
time up here," he
said. "We're always working." But, he added, the crew
does get 
enjoyment
out of the work it does, which sometimes includes just
observing Earth
through one of the ISS portholes.

Some 50 youngsters, teachers and a handful of
reporters were on hand 
for
the contact. Linden said audio was piped throughout
the school. "I was
told later that the school was in a buzz the rest of
the day," she 
said.
Students from Morning Star Elementary School also
attended.

ARISS is an international project with support from
ARRL, NASA and 
AMSAT.
For more information, visit the ARISS Web site
<http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov>.

==>NEW LEAGUE BROCHURE TARGETS KIDS

A colorful, new, kid-tested ham radio brochure is
available from ARRL
Headquarters. "Leap into Amateur Radio" aims at an
elementary school
audience and introduces youngsters to the hobby.

"Amateur Radio is an exciting hobby that lets you meet
new people of 
all
ages--and have a great time!" the full-color, tri-fold
flier 
emphasizes.
"Getting started is easy!"

Field and Educational Support Team Leader Mary Lau,
N1VH, headed the 
team
that produced the flier. She cited two objectives in
its design. "There
was a desire to specifically target 8 to 11 year
olds," she said, "as 
well
as the need to supply a youth-oriented handout to
replace the Archie's 
Ham
Radio Adventure comic book that is no longer
published."

The brochure is comprised of colorful graphics, photos
of kids 
operating
and several boxes of basic text explaining what
Amateur Radio is and 
does.
There's also space on the back for local clubs or
organizations to 
affix
their contact information, so that children and their
families can get
more information about the hobby. The back panel also
includes a blurb
about ARRL and gives its e-mail address.

On the "What is Amateur Radio" page right inside the
tri-fold brochure 
is
a brief explanation of what Amateur Radio is. "Anyone
can be a ham--no
matter what age, sex or physical ability," the flier
points out.
Accompanying the text are photos of youngsters--a boy
and a girl--on 
the
air. Fully open, the flier presents four capsules of
information about
Amateur Radio:

* How ham radio and wireless technologies fit into
lives that include 
cell
phones and the Internet.

* The several modes hams use to communicate with each
other--including
voice, computer, and even telegraph key.

* The various types of operating activities
available--including public
service and the Amateur Radio on the International
Space Station 
(ARISS)
program.

* How simple it is to get started in Amateur Radio and
whom to contact.

Assisting the in the project were ARRL Educational
Program Coordinator
Jean Wolfgang, WB3IOS; Educational Correspondent
Marjorie Bourgoin,
KB1DCO, and Field and Educational Services Assistant
Linda Mullally,
KB1HSV.

After assembling the material for the flier and
putting together a
prototype, Lau and her staff got the brochure into the
hands of a 
number
of area youngsters for some product testing. The
children offered a few
ideas to make the handout even more appealing, she
said. Arizona-based
graphic artist Cameo Hill did the final layout and
design.

"Leap into Amateur Radio" will become available in
mid-February--free 
of
charge and in limited quantities of up to 25
fliers--to any Amateur 
Radio
operator or amateur club. Lau said the only cost will
be for shipping. 
The
brochure is now available as an Acrobat PDF file via
the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/materials/Leap-into-AR.pdf>.

To order copies of the brochure, interested clubs or
individuals should
contact Linda Mullally, KB1HSV, lmullally@arrl.org;
860-594-0292.

==>ARRL INSTRUCTOR, EDUCATOR, RECRUITING AWARD
NOMINATION DEADLINE 
LOOMS

Nominations close Friday, January 31, for ARRL awards
that recognize
excellence in teaching Amateur Radio classes, using
Amateur Radio in 
the
classroom, and recruiting others to Amateur Radio.
Completed 
nominations
forms must be sent to your ARRL Section Manager
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/org/smlist.html> in
time for the SM 
to
meet the nomination deadline.

The ARRL Herb S. Brier Instructor of the Year Award
goes each year to a
volunteer Amateur Radio instructor. The ARRL
Professional Educator of 
the
Year Award goes to a professional teacher who has
incorporated Amateur
Radio into his or her class curriculum. The ARRL
Professional 
Instructor
of the Year Award is presented to a paid, non
state-certified ham radio
instructor--such as those teaching classes offered
through adult 
education
programs. The ARRL Excellence in Recruiting Award goes
to a ham who
exemplifies outstanding recruiting enthusiasm and
technique and has 
gone
the extra mile to introduce others to Amateur Radio.

All winners receive engraved plaques and $100 gift
certificates 
redeemable
for ARRL publications. Full information and nomination
forms are 
available
on the ARRL Educational Awards page
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/award/>. For more
information, contact
Jean Wolfgang, WB3IOS, jwolfgang@arrl.org.

==>AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS TRAINING ON
TARGET

The ARRL's Amateur Radio Emergency Communications
training effort is 
right
on target. Emergency Communications Course Manager Dan
Miller, K3UFG, 
says
that as of January 17, 661 students had completed the
Level I emergency
communications on-line course (EC-001) under the
Corporation for 
National
and Community Service (CNCS) federal grant. Enrollment
for the
grant-funded classes stands at 1277.

"We're pleased with the success of the program to date
and with how far
we've come," Miller said. "We're right where we should
be under the
federal grant guidelines."

The nearly $182,000 federal grant, announced last
July, will subsidize
online  training for up to 1700 amateur licensees
during its first 
year.
The CNCS grant permits students successfully
completing the Level I
program to be reimbursed for the cost of tuition.

Miller says another 200 students registered this month
and will begin
classes January 21. "Interest in the on-line classes
remains high," 
Miller
said. "Registration for this month's classes filled
within the first 
few
hours, leaving many potential students frustrated."

The good news, Miller says, is that there's still
plenty of room in 
future
classes to allow interested amateurs to take advantage
of the program.
Senior hams are encouraged to enroll in these classes.

The ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Web
page
<http://www.arrl.org/cce> has additional information.

==>FCC SEEKS COMMENTS ON WRC-03 DRAFT PROPOSALS

The FCC is seeking comments on draft recommendations
that the World
Radiocommunication Conference Advisory Committee
(WRC-03 Advisory
Committee) adopted January 8. The FCC established the
WRC-03 Advisory
Committee in January 2001 to assist the agency in
developing WRC-03
proposals.

"Based upon our initial review of the recommendations
forwarded to the
Commission," the FCC said this week in a Public
Notice, "the 
International
Bureau, in coordination with other Commission Bureaus
and Offices,
tentatively concludes that we can generally support
the proposals
recommended by the WRC-03 Advisory Committee."

The FCC said the National Telecommunications and
Information
Administration (NTIA) has submitted letters to the FCC
containing draft
proposals developed by Executive Branch agencies, and
the FCC requests
comment on those draft proposals as well. The FCC will
consider the 
draft
proposals and comments during upcoming consultations
with the US
Department of State and NTIA in the development of US
proposals to 
WRC-03.
Once agreed to by these agencies, proposals will be
used by US 
delegations
at bilateral, regional and international meetings.

"The draft proposals attached to this Public Notice
may evolve as we
approach WRC-03 and during the course of interagency
discussions," the 
FCC
said. "Therefore, they do not constitute the final
national position on
these issues."

The Public Notice includes proposals concerning WRC-03
agenda items 
1.35,
7.1, 7.2, 2.16, 1.8.2, 1.13, 1.20, 1.22 and 1.36.
Agenda item 1.20
concerns the so-called "Little LEOs." Item 1.36
involves examining the
adequacy of the frequency allocations for HF
broadcasting in the 
vicinity
of 4-10 MHz. Complete texts of draft proposals are
available via the 
FCC's
WRC-03 Web site <http://www.fcc.gov/wrc-03>.

Interested parties may file comments via e-mail to
wrc03@fcc.gov.
Commenters also may submit an original and one copy of
comments to the
Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications
Commission, 445 12th
Street, SW, Washington, DC 20554. Provide a courtesy
copy to FCC WRC-03
Director Alex Roytblat, Room 6-A738. Comments should
refer to specific
proposals by document number. The deadline for
comments on draft 
proposals
and NTIA letters is January 31, 2003. WRC-03 takes
place in Geneva,
Switzerland, from June 9 until July 4, 2003.

==>FCC LAUNCHES "CONSUMER-FRIENDLY" ELECTRONIC COMMENT
FILING SYSTEM

The FCC has launched "ECFS Express," an updated
electronic system that 
the
Commission says will make it easier for at least some
members of the
public to file comments on FCC proceedings. ECFS
Express is a 
simplified
version of the popular Electronic Comment Filing
System (ECFS), but it 
is
not available for all FCC proceedings.

ECFS Express is accessible from the FCC home page
<http://www.fcc.gov>.
Users just click on the "File Comments" logo--which is
on the left-hand
side of the page about one-third of the way down under
the words 
"Filing
Public Comments." To comment, users click on a topic,
fill in their
personal information, write their comments and hit
"SEND."

"ECFS Express will highlight the proceedings most
likely to generate
consumer interest," the FCC said this week in a Public
Notice. "The 
topics
will change periodically as new issues emerge."

The downside is that if the particular issue you want
to comment upon 
is
not listed among the ECFS Express topics, you'll have
to use the 
"expert
version" of ECFS to comment, the FCC said. At the
moment, the EFCS 
Express
list includes no Amateur Radio-related petitions. The
FCC says the
original Electronic Comment Filing System--which
includes all docketed 
FCC
proceedings--will remain accessible on its Web site
<http://www.fcc.gov/e-file/ecfs.html>.

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Solar-powered Tad "You Are the Sunshine of My Life"
Cook, K7VVV, 
Seattle,
Washington, reports: Solar flux and sunspot numbers
peaked early in the
week and are headed downward again. Average daily
solar flux rose to 
173.6
this week from 149.4 last, and sunspot number averages
went from 137.9 
to
200.9. Activity should continue declining, with Friday
through Monday
values of 140, 135, 135 and 125, reaching a minimum
around 115 from
January 25-28. Geomagnetic activity for the near term
is predicted to 
be
quiet to unsettled.

You can see the general downward trend in activity in
the charts on the
Web site of Mark Downing, WM7D
<http://www.wm7d.net/hamradio/solar/past_cycle.shtml>.
There is 
tremendous
variability, but the overall trend is pretty clear.
Over the next few
years we'll see a dramatic drop. Current projections
from NOAA show the
minimum solar flux between September 2006 and April,
2007, and sunspot
minimum around December 2006 to January 2007.

Sunspot numbers for January 9 through 15 were 206,
199, 238, 232, 182, 
176
and 173, with a mean of 200.9. The 10.7-cm flux was
182.9, 184.7, 
188.8,
173.4, 171.8, 164 and 149.9, with a mean of 173.6.
Estimated planetary 
A
indices were 7, 10, 10, 11, 8, 10 and 8, with a mean
of 9.1.

__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: The North American QSO
Party (SSB), the 
ARRL
January VHF Sweepstakes, the LZ Open Contest (CW), the
Michigan QRP
January CW Contest, and the Hungarian DX Contest are
the weekend of
January 18-19. JUST AHEAD: The CQ 160-Meter Contest
(CW), the REF 
Contest
(CW), the BARTG RTTY Sprint and the UBA DX Contest
(SSB) are the 
weekend
of January 25-26. 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 Level III Amateur Radio
Emergency 
Communications
(EC-003) and HF Digital Communications (EC-005)
courses opens Monday,
January 20, 12:01 AM Eastern Standard Time (0501 UTC).
Registration 
will
remain open through Sunday, January 26. Classes begin
Monday, January 
27.
No seats remain in the January registration period for
the ARRL Level 
II
Amateur Radio Emergency Communications (EC-002).
Registration for the
Antenna Modeling (EC-004) course remains open through
Sunday, January 
19.
A new service now allows those who may be interested
in taking an ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education (C-CE) course
in the future to 
be
advised via e-mail in advance of registration
opportunities. Send an
e-mail to prereg@arrl.org, and include the course name
or number (eg,
EC-00#) on the subject line as well as your name, call
sign, email
address, and the month you want to start the course in
the body. 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 Foundation scholarship deadline looms: The
deadline is fast
approaching to apply for ARRL Foundation-sponsored
scholarships.
Individual awards range from $500 to $5000. Don't
delay! Send 
scholarship
applications with academic transcripts to The ARRL
Foundation, 225 Main
St, Newington CT 06111. The February 1, 2003, postmark
deadline is
firm--there are no exceptions! The annual application
window opens 
October
1 and closes the following February 1. For an
application and 
additional
information, visit the ARRL Foundation Scholarship
Programs Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlf/scholgen.html>.

* Second Ducie DXpedition set for March: The second
DXpedition to the
newest DXCC entity, Ducie Island, is expected to take
place in March,
according to an announcement this week. Ducie Island
DXpedition leader
Yuichi Yoshida, JR2KDN, reports he will depart from
Narita, Japan, on
March 3 heading for Tahiti, French Polynesia, and then
on to Gambier
Island. Presumably this is where the vessel Braveheart
will meet up 
with
the DXpedition team members. They expect to arrive at
Pitcairn Island 
to
pick up the remaining team members on March 5 and then
head for Ducie
Island. Plans are to begin operations March 8 from
VP6DI2 (yes, that's 
a
"2" at the end of that call sign) and continue about a
week. The 
operator
list includes Dieter, DJ9ON; Hans, DK9KX; Philippe,
FO3BM; Hiro, 
JA1SLS;
Yuichi, JR2KDN; Doug, N6TQS; Dave, VP6DB; Mike, VP6AZ;
and Meralda, 
VP6MW.
Activity is being planned for 6 through 160 meters on
CW, SSB, RTTY and
AO-40. QSL via JR2KDN (bureau or direct). Pilot
stations for this
DXpedition are JE2EHP, DJ8NK and WA2MOE. The initial
Ducie Island
DXpedition in March of 2002 racked up some 50,000
contacts. A
2.5-square-mile Pacific atoll, Ducie was approved for
DXCC credit in
November 2001.--The Daily DX <http://www.dailydx.com>

* Poptronics ceases publication: Poptronics
magazine--which evolved 
from
the former Popular Electronics and Electronics Now
magazines--ceased
publication with the January 2003 edition (Vol 4, No
1). "After 94 
years
of publishing electronics magazines Gernsback
Publications is no longer 
in
operation," said Larry Steckler, Poptronics' editor in
chief and
publisher. "Negotiations are under way to provide an
alternative
publication to Poptronics subscribers." Steckler says
a new on-line
edition of Poptronics will soon be available.
Poptronics Interactive, a
separate on-line, paid subscription site announced in
the October issue 
of
Poptronics, also is scheduled to return soon, Steckler
said. The 
company
plans to post the latest information on its Web site
<http://www.Poptronics.com>. The site has been
undergoing "remodeling,"
but Steckler said it should be back in operation by
the end of January.
Many veteran amateurs may recall the "Carl and Jerry"
stories by John 
T.
Frye, W9EGV (SK), which appeared in Popular
Electronics in the 1950s 
and
1960s. The tales involved the ham radio-related
exploits of a couple of
teenaged hams.

===========================================================
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.

The ARRL Letter offers a weekly e-mail digest of
essential news of
interest to active amateurs. The ARRL Letter strives
to be timely,
accurate, concise, and readable. Visit ARRLWeb
<http://www.arrl.org> 
for
the latest news, updated as it happens. The ARRLWeb
Extra
<http://www.arrl.org/members-only/extra> offers access
to informative
features and columns.

Material from The ARRL Letter may be republished or
reproduced in whole 
or
in part in any form without additional permission.
Credit must be given 
to
The ARRL Letter and The American Radio Relay League.

__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.
http://mailplus.yahoo.com