[TCARC-NTX] Fw: The ARRL Letter, Vol 23, No 03

[Fred Muehlen]

> ***************
> The ARRL Letter
> Vol. 23, No. 03
> January 16, 2004
> ***************
>
> IN THIS EDITION:
>
> * +Haynie wins third term as ARRL president
> * +FCC chairman promotes BPL in Press Club talk
> * +Ham-Congressman asks FCC to wait for NTIA studies
> * +ISS air leak causes cancellation of ARISS school group QSO
> * +It's Chiao in for McArthur on next ISS crew
> * +AMSAT-NA auctions AO-40 sculpture as ECHO fundraiser
> * +ECHO, VUsat set to launch this year
> *  ARRL seeks multimedia presentations, videos
> *  Solar Update
> *  IN BRIEF:
>      This weekend on the radio
>      ARRL Emergency Communications course registration
>      ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
>      ARRL Foundation scholarship deadline looms
>      Pacific Section Manager change takes place early
>      ARRL to sponsor emergency communications seminar in Oklahoma
>      AO-7 turns 30!
>      Certificates for Roy Neal, K6DUE, commemorative event
>      Bennett R. "Ben" Adams Jr, K4EZ, SK
>
> +Available on ARRL Audio News
>
> ===========================================================
>
> ==>ARRL PRESIDENT WINS THIRD TERM ON UNANIMOUS VOTE
>
> ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, has been elected to a third two-year
> term. There were no other nominees, and the ARRL Board of Directors
> expressed its confidence in Haynie January 16 with a unanimous vote.
The
> Board was scheduled to meet January 16 and 17 in Windsor, Connecticut.
> Haynie, who lives in Dallas, Texas, succeeded Rod Stafford, W6ROD, as
the
> League's volunteer leader in 2000.
>
> The Board also voted unanimously to re-elect ARRL First Vice President
> Joel Harrison, W5ZN, of Judsonia, Arkansas, and Second Vice President
Kay
> Craigie, N3KN, of Paoli, Pennsylvania. Board members agreed with a
> proposal to eliminate the third vice president's position being
vacated by
> Fried Heyn, WA6WZO.
>
> Major discussion at the weekend session will involve draft proposals
to
> implement changes in US Amateur Radio rules in the wake of World
> Radiocommunication Conference 2003. Among other significant changes,
> WRC-03 delegates agreed last summer to leave up to individual
countries
> whether to require a Morse code test for access to amateur
high-frequency
> allocations.
>
> The ARRL Board is expected to discuss in detail recommendations in
> response to WRC-03 that were developed during last November's ARRL
> Executive Committee meeting. Board members also will review Amateur
> Radio-related matters still in the FCC pipeline, including the
League's
> 2002 "omnibus" Petition for Rule Making that called for elimination of
the
> current Novice bands and "refarming" the spectrum. The subject of
> Broadband over Power Line (BPL) also is on the Board's agenda.
>
> The Board also was scheduled to elect members to the Executive
Committee
> and appoint three directors to the ARRL Foundation Board.
>
> ==>FCC CHAIRMAN TOUCHES ON BPL INTERFERENCE ISSUE IN PRESS CLUB SPEECH
>
> FCC Chairman Michael Powell has cited the Commission's promotion of
> Broadband over Power Line (BPL) technology as an example of a
government
> policy that supports expansion of broadband technology to all
Americans.
> At the same time, Powell said, the FCC needs to ensure BPL doesn't
> interfere with licensed radio services. In his January 14 speech
before
> the National Press Club, Powell mentioned BPL among "new emerging
> platforms" for broadband delivery.
>
> "With BPL you theoretically reach every American with broadband to
every
> power plug in America," Powell said. "Our goals of universal service
will
> be substantially advanced if that service were fully deployed." Powell
> also acknowledged interference concerns that have been dogging BPL and
> raised by the Amateur Radio community and by at least two federal
> agencies: the Federal Emergency Management Agency--now a part of the
> Department of Homeland Security--and the National Telecommunications
and
> Information Administration (NTIA), which manages spectrum allocated to
> government users.
>
> "We will continue to explore ways to support this technology while
> protecting services from interference," Powell pledged.
>
> In the next breath, Powell pointed out that the FCC also is looking to
> increase the feasibility of broadband delivery via satellite. "Because
> satellite technology has the ability to reach the entire country," he
> said, "it holds tremendous potential as an effective Internet solution
for
> many parts of the nation, especially rural and remote areas, at
affordable
> rates."
>
> When it issued its BPL Notice of Inquiry (NOI), ET Docket 03-104
> <http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-03-100A1.doc>,
last
> April, the FCC suggested that BPL technology would be one way to
provide
> broadband service to rural dwellers. Some technology experts suggest
that,
> because of the equipment needed to deliver BPL broadband to rural
> customers, BPL would not be cost-effective for such residents.
>
> In a bit of unintended irony, Powell's speech, "The Age of Personal
> Communications," bore the subtitle "Power to the People."
>
> Since BPL applies high-frequency RF to parts of the power grid, one
aspect
> of the NOI was to gather information on potential interference to
> authorized spectrum users. To date, the NOI has attracted nearly 5150
> comments, many from the amateur community.
>
> The FCC has indicated that providers of BPL equipment "are free to
> continue to deploy their networks in conformance with existing Part 15
> rules." BPL providers already are setting up BPL systems in several
> communities.
>
> NTIA Acting Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information
Michael
> D. Gallagher recently told a gathering of the Power Line
Communications
> Association <http://www.plca.net/> that the risk of interference to
> government or other spectrum users provides an incentive to BPL
operators
> to "design and operate their systems to avoid such interference." He
said
> the NTIA has been studying interference risks and the potential "for
> making risks more tolerable." He said the objective is "to accommodate
BPL
> with acceptable risk."
>
> The ARRL anticipates completing an independent BPL engineering
evaluation
> early this year. The study will explore how BPL might affect HF and
> low-VHF amateur operation as well as how Amateur Radio operation could
> affect BPL systems.
>
> Additional information about BPL and Amateur Radio is on the ARRL Web
site
> <http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/>. To support the League's
efforts
> in this area, visit the ARRL's secure BPL Web site
> <https://www.arrl.org/forms/development/donations/bpl/>.
>
> ==>CONGRESSMAN-HAM ASKS FCC TO WAIT FOR NTIA STUDY BEFORE ACTING ON
BPL
>
> US Representative Greg Walden, WB7OCE, has called on the FCC to put
off
> any further action in its Broadband over Power Line (BPL) proceeding
until
> the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
> releases the results of its BPL study and the public has had a chance
to
> comment.
>
> "I feel that it is important to give the NTIA study thorough
consideration
> before proceeding further with BPL technology, in view of the
importance
> of avoiding interference to federal government HF communications,"
Walden
> said in a January 15 letter to FCC Chairman Michael Powell. An Oregon
> Republican, Walden is one of two Amateur Radio licensees in the US
House.
>
> The FCC released a BPL Notice of Inquiry in ET Docket 03-104
> <http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-03-100A1.doc>
last
> April.
>
> In comments
>
<http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/fccfilings/2003/bplcomments_08132003.h
tm
> > filed last August, the NTIA expressed "broad concern" about BPL. The
> agency--which administers spectrum allocated to federal government
> users--has said the FCC "must ensure that other communications
services,
> especially government operations, are adequately protected from
> unacceptable interference."
>
> The NTIA, which is part of the US Department of Commerce, subsequently
> undertook evaluations of BPL field test sites, in part to gauge the
> technology's interference potential. Walden noted that the NTIA's
field
> work was scheduled to wrap up this month, and that its observations
and
> conclusions would be released sometime during the first quarter of
this
> year.
>
> Walden told Powell that, given its interference potential to federal
and
> nongovernment radio services in the HF and low-VHF range, the issue of
BPL
> is "of great concern to me." He did not indicate in his letter that he
was
> an Amateur Radio licensee.
>
> "It is important that the commission give serious consideration to
both
> the NTIA study and the subsequent round of public comment on the study
> results," Walden asserted. While agreeing with the goal of increased
> competition in broadband delivery, Walden encouraged the FCC to "give
> sufficient attention" to concerns raised regarding BPL's potential to
> interfere with other radio services. He also asked Powell to respond
> outlining how the FCC intends to proceed in the matter.
>
> ==>ARISS SCHOOL GROUP CONTACT FALLS VICTIM TO SPACE STATION AIR LEAK
>
> NASA this week postponed an Amateur Radio on the International Space
> Station (ARISS) <http://www.rac.ca/ariss/> school group contact as the
> space agency and the station crew continued efforts to pin down what
was
> causing air pressure to decay aboard the ISS. Students at Armstrong
Middle
> School in Flint, Michigan, had been scheduled to speak with Expedition
8
> commander Mike Foale, KB5UAC, at NA1SS early on January 12. Space
agency
> officials now believe the culprit was an air leak in the US Destiny
Lab
> module.
>
> "The pressure loss was traced to a braided flex hose on an observation
> window in the Destiny module," NASA said. The hose reportedly helps
keep
> air and condensation out of the Destiny module's Earth-facing window.
> Foale and flight engineer Alex "Sasha" Kaleri, U8MIR, detected the
hose
> leak using ultrasound equipment, and Foale reported the hissing sound
> stopped after the hose was disconnected. As of January 15, air
pressure
> aboard the ISS continued to hold steady.
>
> Although the leak may now be fixed, NASA has announced that Foale and
> Kaleri--along with flight controllers--will carry out an ISS air
pressure
> test over the weekend. "The crew will close the hatches to divide the
> space station into three separate sections for leak checks and to
gather
> data on air pressure fluctuations," NASA said. Foale and Kaleri will
> remain in the Zvezda Service Module from the evening of January 16
until
> the morning of January 18.
>
> The space agency said the earlier decline in air pressure had amounted
to
> only a few hundredths of a pound per square inch each day and did not
> endanger the crew.
>
> ARISS team member Scott Lindsey-Stevens, N3ASA, said ARISS "looks
forward
> to the ISS crew's resumption of their inspiring conversations with the
> schools."
>
> ==>CHIAO TO SUB FOR McARTHUR AS NEXT ISS COMMANDER
>
> Veteran NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao will replace William McArthur Jr,
> KC5ACR, as the commander of Expedition 9, the next mission aboard the
> International Space Station. NASA says the change in crew assignment
> resulted from "a temporary medical issue" related to McArthur's
> qualifications for the long-duration flight. Chiao will join Russian
> cosmonaut and flight engineer Valery Tokarev for the six-month
mission.
>
> "Because we are very cautious in our approach to crew health, we train
> backups for this kind of situation," said Astronaut Office Chief Kent
> Rominger. He indicated that NASA plans to assign McArthur to another
ISS
> crew increment.
>
> For his part, McArthur expressed disappointment in the turn of events
but
> said he understood the necessity of the medical criteria in place for
> long-duration space flight. "I know that Leroy will ensure all of the
> Expedition 9 objectives are met," McArthur said, "and I look forward
to
> flying soon on another space station mission."
>
> As a member of the Expedition 9 backup crew, Chiao has been training
with
> McArthur for months. He will also serve as NASA ISS Science Officer.
>
> Since the switch would leave the ISS without an Amateur Radio licensee
> aboard during the next crew's tour, it's anticipated that Chiao will
> become licensed before he goes into space. The Expedition 9 crew is
> scheduled for launch aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in April.
>
> European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers of the Netherlands will
> round out the three-member Soyuz crew. He will return to Earth a week
> later with the Expedition 8 crew of Mike Foale, KB5UAC, and Alex
"Sasha"
> Kaleri, U8MIR.
>
> An astronaut since 1990, Chiao, 43, has had prior flight experience
aboard
> space shuttle missions in 1994, 1996 and 2000. On his last shuttle
flight,
> Chiao helped to prepare the ISS for its first resident crew.
>
> Tokarev, 51, has been a cosmonaut since 1987. He flew on a 1999
shuttle
> mission that delivered four tons of logistics and supplies to the ISS
in
> preparation for the arrival of the Expedition 1 crew.--NASA
>
> ==>AUCTION OF AO-40 SCULPTURE TO HELP FUND AMSAT ECHO SATELLITE LAUNCH
>
> The bidding begins January 21 on a handsome original sculpture of the
> AO-40 satellite as AMSAT-NA auctions off the work of art on eBay to
help
> fund the AMSAT-OSCAR ECHO (AO-ECHO) satellite launch campaign. The
auction
> will run for 10 days, and the winning bid will be recognized as a
donation
> to the launch campaign.
>
> "This bronze is one of only four pieces, created by long time AMSAT
member
> Floyd Thorn, N5SVP, now a Silent Key," said AMSAT Marketing Manager
Jim
> Jarvis, N2EA. "It has been donated to AMSAT by his family to support
the
> AO-ECHO launch campaign."
>
> Jarvis said the sculpture measures 11x4 inches and weighs just over a
> pound. The wooden base bears a brass plaque with the sculptor's name
and
> call sign. Visit the AMSAT-NA Web site <http://www.amsat.org> for
details
> and to link to the auction.
>
> The AO-ECHO fund currently stands at nearly $49,000. AMSAT-NA says it
will
> need $110,000 for the launch--currently scheduled for March 31,
although
> the launch window remains open until May.
>
> Visit the AMSAT AO-ECHO Web page
> <http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sats/echo/index.html> for additional
details.
>
> ==>TWO AMATEUR SATELLITES EXPECTED TO LAUNCH IN 2004
>
> AMSAT-NA President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, says he's looking forward
to
> the 2004 launches of AMSAT-NA's ECHO satellite
> <http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sats/echo/index.html> and AMSAT-India's
VUsat
> (also known as "HAMSAT"). In his last President's Letter for 2003,
> Haighton reported that ECHO is passing final integration and testing
with
> flying colors.
>
> "I am looking forward to the end of March, when we expect the ECHO
launch
> to take place," he said. With less than three months until the
anticipated
> launch, AMSAT-NA still needs to raise more than $60,000 for the launch
> campaign.
>
> The new microsat-class satellite is undergoing integration and testing
at
> SpaceQuest in Fairfax, Virginia. Jim White, WD0E, and Mike Kingery,
> KE4AZN, are heading up the integration process. Among its other
> capabilities, AO-ECHO will enable satellite voice communication using
> handheld FM transceivers.
>
> The satellite will incorporate two UHF transmitters, each running from
1
> to 8 W and capable of simultaneous operation, four VHF receivers and a
> multiband, multimode receiver capable of operation on the 10 meter, 2
> meter, 70 cm and 23 cm bands. ECHO will feature V/U, L/S and HF/U
> operational configurations, with V/S, L/U and HF/S also possible. FM
voice
> and various digital modes--including PSK31 on a 10-meter SSB
uplink--also
> will be available.
>
> Haighton reported that VUsat
> <http://www.amsat-india.org/official/vusat.htm> experienced some
problems
> in testing but these are being resolved. A VUsat launch could come as
soon
> as late summer. VUsat will incorporate two linear transponders, with a
UHF
> uplink and VHF downlink and CW, USB and FM capabilities.
>
> "An exciting year is ahead," said Haighton, who's already announced
that
> he does not intend to seek another term at the AMSAT-NA helm when his
> current term expires in October. By then, he said, ECHO should be in
> orbit, but, paraphrasing Yogi Berra, he added, "It ain't up and
working
> till it's up and working."
>
> ==>ARRL SEEKS COMPUTER-BASED MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATIONS AND VIDEOS
>
> ARRL Field and Educational Services (F&ES) continues to seek Amateur
Radio
> presentation programs or slide shows that utilize Microsoft PowerPoint
or
> similar slide-viewing software. F&ES also is interested in VHS and
digital
> video programs for the ARRL Video Series
> <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/materials/videos.html>.
>
> Topic choice can be any Amateur Radio subject of interest to hams or
> targeted for a non-ham community, including demonstrations and
tutorials
> on various topics. The ARRL Web site's Multimedia Frequently Asked
> Questions page <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/materials/visuals.html>
has
> further information. The League's video library needs media in forms
that
> are easily portable, easily presented and up-to-the-minute. As file
size
> and download speed may be an issue for downloading submissions from
the
> ARRL Web site, F&ES wants to offer the best submissions by topic
> collection in CD-ROM format.
>
> Presentations and slide shows submitted should be placed on disc or
> CD-ROM. Videos should be in VHS or DVD format and not exceed 20
minutes in
> length. Submissions must contain original material and should not use
> music, video clips or copyrighted materials owned by others without
> appropriate permissions. Submissions should include a cover sheet
> describing the program, system requirements and file sizes and noting
any
> use of materials used with the permission of others. ARRL will require
a
> signed release form provided by ARRL. CDs selected for distribution
would
> be made available to clubs and interested individuals for the cost of
> duplicating, shipping and handling.
>
> Send presentations or slide shows on disc, CD-ROM, VHS tape or DVD to:
> Multimedia Project, c/o Mary Lau, N1VH, ARRL Field and Educational
> Services, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. Contact Lau
<mlau@arrl.org>
> for additional information.
>
> ==>SOLAR UPDATE
>
> Sun gazer Tad "Let the Sunshine In" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington,
> reports: Both average daily sunspot numbers and solar flux were up
just a
> few points this week over last. Average daily planetary A index--a
measure
> of geomagnetic stability--dropped from 23.4 to 15.9. HF radio
operators
> prefer conditions when the A index is low, and the solar flux and
sunspot
> numbers are high. Solar flux has been around 118 to 120, but it's
expected
> to rise over the next few days. Solar flux for Friday through Sunday,
> January 16-18, is predicted to be 125, 130 and 135. Solar flux values
> should peak around 140 from January 19 until January 21 before
dropping
> again.
>
> As of January 15, there were only two sunspot groups visible, and
> helioseismic imaging showed only a small sunspot group on the sun's
far
> side. When the daily sunspot number reached 118 on January 8, it
marked
> the first time the number had risen above 100 since December 23, and
it
> hasn't been above 100 since.
>
> Earth is moving into a solar windstream from a coronal hole, and
> geomagnetic conditions could become active. Predicted planetary A
index
> for January 16-19 is 18, 25, 18 and 15. Conditions on January 17 may
be
> similar to those of January 10, except the hours of daylight will be
> slightly longer, and the solar flux and sunspot count should be
slightly
> higher.
>
> Sunspot numbers for January 8 through 14 were 118, 88, 66, 53, 77, 53
and
> 58, with a mean of 73.3. The 10.7 cm flux was 120.1, 118.4, 119.2,
118.5,
> 118.3, 117.9 and 121.1, with a mean of 119.1. Estimated planetary A
> indices were 9, 21, 24, 17, 10, 18 and 12, with a mean of 15.9.
>
> __________________________________
>
> ==>IN BRIEF:
>
> * This weekend on the radio: The North American QSO Party (SSB), the
070
> Club PSKFest, the LZ Open Contest (CW), the Michigan QRP January CW
> Contest and the Hungarian DX Contest are the weekend of January 17-18.
> JUST AHEAD: The ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes, the CQ 160-Meter Contest
> (CW), the REF Contest (CW) and the BARTG RTTY Sprint are the weekend
of
> January 24-25. 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 Emergency Communications course registration: Registration
opens
> Monday, January 19, 12:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time (0501 UTC), for the
> Level III Emergency Communications on-line course (EC-003).
Registration
> remains open through the January 24-25 weekend or until all available
> seats have been filled--whichever comes first. Class begins Tuesday,
> February 3. Thanks to our grant sponsors--the Corporation for National
and
> Community Service and the United Technologies Corporation--the $45
> registration fee paid upon enrollment will be reimbursed after
successful
> completion of the course. During this registration period,
approximately
> 50 seats are being offered to ARRL members on a first-come,
first-served
> basis. To learn more, visit the ARRL Certification and Continuing
> Education (C-CE) Web page <http://www.arrl.org/cce/>. For more
> information, contact Emergency Communications Course Manager Dan
Miller,
> K3UFG, dmiller@arrl.org, 860-594-0340.
>
> * ARRL Foundation scholarship deadline looms: The February 1 deadline
is
> fast approaching to apply for ARRL Foundation-sponsored scholarships.
> Individual awards range from $500 to $5000 for single-year scholarship
> awards and up to $10,000 annually for the multi-year William R.
Goldfarb
> Memorial Scholarship. Information and applications for all ARRL
Foundation
> scholarship awards is available on the ARRL Web site
> <http://www.arrl.org/arrlf/scholgen.html>. Don't delay! Send
scholarship
> applications with academic transcripts (and a Free Application for
Federal
> Student Aid Student Aid
Report--FAFSA-SAR--<http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/>for
> the Goldfarb Scholarship) to The ARRL Foundation, 225 Main St,
Newington
> CT 06111. The February 1, 2004, postmark deadline is firm. There are
no
> exceptions!
>
> * Pacific Section Manager change takes place early: Kevin Bogan,
AH6QO, of
> Honolulu, is the new ARRL Pacific Section Manager. Bogan replaces
veteran
> Pacific SM Bob Schneider, AH6J, who decided to step down two and half
> months early. Bogan was the only nominee to succeed Schneider in the
last
> election cycle and was declared elected. His term normally would begin
> April 1. ARRL Field and Educational Services Manager Rosalie White,
K1STO,
> announced the appointment, which was effective January 15. Schneider
> served three terms as SM--from 1992 until 1996 and from 2002 until the
> present. Bogan has been an ASM since last October and an Amateur Radio
> Emergency Service District Emergency Coordinator for Oahu since 2002.
He's
> also involved in the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service program on
> Oahu.
>
> * ARRL to sponsor emergency communications seminar in Oklahoma: In
> conjunction with the Salvation Army Team Emergency Network (SATERN)
> <http://www.satern.org> Conference in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, ARRL
will
> offer a free Amateur Radio Emergency Communications seminar Saturday,
> February 21. The seminar will not include the Level I course itself. A
> PowerPoint presentation will include background information, group
> discussion of multiple disaster scenarios as well as testimony from
> emergency communications leaders, ARECC mentors and students,
discussion
> about the ARRL emergency communications courses and a quiz to
determine
> personal preparedness. Senior citizens are strongly encouraged to
> participate. ARRL Emergency Communications Course Manager Dan Miller,
> K3UFG, says the seminar will explain the importance of every team
player
> with emphasis on using lessons learned to effectively move Amateur
Radio
> emergency communications to the next level. All SATERN and ARES/RACES
> volunteers, ARECC course participants, ARRL Field Organization
leaders,
> course participants at every ARECC level, mentors, certification
> instructors and examiners and interested amateurs are invited to share
> their experiences and ideas. "We will focus on coordination between
ARECC
> volunteers and students and their integration into the Field
> Organization," Miller said. The seminar will be held at the Salvation
Army
> Citadel, 2808 SE 44th, Oklahoma City, from 9 AM until 1 PM. Seating
may be
> limited. Those planning to attend should contact Dan Miller, K3UFG,
> k3ufg@arrl.org; 860-594-0340; FAX 860-594-0259. For more information
on
> the SATERN conference, contact ARRL Oklahoma Section Manager John
> Thomason, WB5SYT, wb5syt@arrl.org.
>
> * AO-7 turns 30! The oldest working satellite, AO-7, will mark its
30th
> year in space during 2004. The satellite, which came back to life in
> mid-2002, was launched November 15, 1974, and it remained operational
> until 1981, when it went dark due to battery failure. It remained
> dormant--and largely forgotten--until it suddenly and unexpectedly
sprang
> back to life. AO-7 is in a 1460 km orbit, and AMSAT-NA considers the
> satellite "semi-operational." Jan King, W3GEY reports AO-7
> <http://www.amsat.org/amsat/news/wsr.html#ao-7> is running solely from
its
> solar panels, so it will only work when in sunlight. It has a Mode A
> uplink passband at 145.850 to 145.950 MHz and a downlink passband at
> 29.400 to 29.500 MHz (CW/USB). Beacons are at 29.502, 145.972, 435.1
and
> 2304.1 MHz. Ground controllers have only been able to activate some
> command functions. It also contains a Mode B transponder. To mark the
> satellite's 30th anniversary, AMSAT-NA will make available a special
> commemorative QSL card. AMSAT-NA Board Member and Awards Manager Bruce
> Paige, KK5DO, reports additional information will be available on the
> AMSAT-NA Web site <http://www.amsat.org>.
>
> * Certificates for Roy Neal, K6DUE, commemorative event: Astronaut
Mike
> Foale, KB5UAC, was active from NA1SS on the International Space
Station
> during various weekend passes in December. The activity was part of
the
> Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Roy Neal, K6DUE,
> commemorative special event. Those who heard or worked NA1SS qualify
for a
> special ISS commemorative certificate. Here's how to get one: (1) Send
a
> 9x12-inch (minimum) envelope with adequate return postage or
international
> reply coupons (IRCs). Smaller envelopes will result in your
certificate
> getting folded. (2) Include your name and call sign and indicate
whether
> you worked NA1SS or heard NA1SS. (3) Send QSL/SWL information with the
> envelope to the ARISS QSL Manager for your area: US: ARRL
Headquarters,
> ARISS QSL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111-1494; Canada: Radio
Amateurs
> of Canada, ARISS QSL, 720 Belfast Rd, Suite 217, Ottawa, ON K1G 0Z5,
> Canada; Europe: ARISS-Europe QSL Bureau, c/o AMSAT-France, 16, rue de
la
> Vall�e, 91360 Epinay sur Orge, France; Japan/ITU Region 3: ARISS QSL,
> Mitsu Sugawara, JN1LQH, JARL International Section, Tokyo 170-8073,
Japan.
> ARISS says it could take several weeks to process certificate
requests.
>
> * Bennett R. "Ben" Adams Jr, K4EZ, SK: ARRL Headquarters has learned
that
> former ARRL Southeastern Division Director Ben Adams, K4EZ (ex-W4APU
and
> ex-W4EV), of Cincinnati, Ohio, died November 28, a few days shy of his
> 95th birthday. While living in Alabama, Adams served as Southeastern
> Division Director from 1935 until 1940. First licensed as 4EV in 1926,
> Adams attended Georgia Tech, where he was president of the school's
> Amateur Radio club. After graduation, he worked for AT&T in a variety
of
> capacities. An ARRL Life Member, Adams in his younger years was a very
> active DXer, contester and traffic handler. He served three terms as
> president of the Birmingham Radio Club. Following service in World War
II,
> Adams moved to Decatur, Georgia, and subsequently was named a member
of
> the Southeastern DX Club's <http://www.sedxc.org/> DX Hall of Fame. A
DXCC
> Honor Roll member, he had belonged to the ARRL for almost 70 years. In
> 1995 Adams moved from Georgia into a long-term care facility in
> Cincinnati.--Some information from Dave Thompson, K4JRB, and Sandy
> Donahue, W4RU
>
> ===========================================================
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