[TCARC-NTX] ARRL Letter

[David Johnson KB5YLG]

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 24, No. 38
September 30, 2005
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +ARRL COO speaks on Capitol Hill about Amateur
Radio's value
* +New federal grant boosts "Ham Aid" fund for
hurricane volunteers
* +Hurricane-hit states still need Amateur Radio
volunteers
* +Vanity call sign processing suspended
* +ARRL 2005 Toy Drive under way for hurricane victims
* +School space contact a success with help from local
club
* +IARU seeks harmonized global ham radio response to
BPL issues
* +SSETI Express launch postponed
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF: 
     This weekend on the radio
     ARRL Certification and Continuing Education
course registration
     ARRL Handbook 80th anniversary edition arrives
    +Joel Hallas, W1ZR, is new QST Technical Editor
     California QSO Party celebrates 40th anniversary
this year

+Available on ARRL Audio News
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> 

===========================================================
==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery
only!):
letter-dlvy at arrl.org
==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist,
N1RL, n1rl at arrl.org
===========================================================

==>ARRL COO TESTIFIES ON CAPITOL HILL TO AMATEUR
RADIO'S VALUE IN 
DISASTERS

ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B,
testified on behalf 
of the
League September 29 before the US House Subcommittee
on 
Telecommunications
and the Internet. Addressing the hearing topic,
"Public Safety
Communications from 9/11 to Katrina: Critical Public
Policy Lessons," 
Kramer
reiterated and amplified comments ARRL President Jim
Haynie, W5JBP,
delivered earlier this month to the House Government
Reform Committee. 
As
Haynie did on September 15, Kramer testified on the
successful efforts 
of
Amateur Radio operators who provided communications
during the 
Hurricane
Katrina response. 

"Amateur Radio was uniquely suited to this task by
virtue of the
availability of HF communications covering long
distances without fixed
infrastructure," Kramer pointed out in his testimony.
In addition to 
those
who responded to support relief agencies in
hurricane-devastated areas,
thousands more radio amateurs outside the affected
area monitored radio
traffic and relayed health-and-welfare messages, he
said.

Kramer noted that there's been a lot of discussion in
recent years 
about
public safety interoperability. "The Amateur Radio
Service provides a 
good
deal of interoperability communications for first
responders in 
disaster
relief incidents," he told the subcommittee. He said
ham radio is able 
to
fill this crucial role because even the
"interoperability channels" 
that
exist in most Public Safety allocations are useless
when the Public 
Safety
communication infrastructure goes down. 

"Interoperability, in short, presumes operability of
Public Safety
facilities," Kramer said. "While some 'hardening' of
Public Safety
facilities is called for, there is in our view an
increasing role for
decentralized, portable Amateur Radio stations which
are not
infrastructure-dependent in providing interoperability
communication on
site."

Kramer told Subcommittee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI)
and his House 
colleagues
that Amateur Radio "is largely invisible to both the
FCC and to 
Congress on
a daily basis, because it is virtually self-regulating
and
self-administered," he said. "It is only during
emergencies that the 
Amateur
Radio Service is in the spotlight." Also testifying at
the subcommittee
session was FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin, and Kramer
said he had the
opportunity to introduce himself to the chairman
before the 
subcommittee
convened.

Kramer said he was honored to be chosen to provide the
testimony on 
behalf
of the ARRL. "I am proud of Amateur Radio's and our
role in the Katrina
relief effort," he added.

The text of Kramer's remarks before the subcommittee
are available on 
the
ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/09/30/2/>.

==>FEDERAL GRANT AUGMENTS "HAM AID" FUND FOR HURRICANE
VOLUNTEERS

The Corporation for National and Community Service
(CNCS) will provide 
the
ARRL with an additional $77,000 to support Amateur
Radio operators
volunteering in the field in the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina. The 
latest
grant augments the recent $100,000 CNCS made available
immediately 
following
the Katrina disaster. The grant money, supplemented by
contributions 
from
individual donors, will subsidize "Ham Aid," a new
League program to 
help
defray out-of pocket expenses of Amateur Radio
volunteers deployed in 
the
field in disaster-stricken areas.

"The new funding of $77,000--added to the initial
$100,000 award, for a
total of $177,000--is gratefully accepted to assist
ham radio operators 
who
have incurred expenses related to their volunteer
service," said ARRL 
Chief
Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH. "The per-diem
awards of $25 per 
day
up to a maximum award of four days, or $100 per
person, will cover
approximately 6000 'ham days' of service." 

Ham Aid also will strengthen the role Amateur Radio
can play in 
disaster
response by funding the preparation of complete
"containerized" Amateur
Radio HF/VHF stations that include radios, antennas,
feed lines, 
repeaters
and more, Hobart added. These are designed for
deployment to disaster 
areas
where the Amateur Radio infrastructure has been
compromised or 
additional
equipment is required.

The CNCS Ham Aid grant is effective for operations
established and
documented as of September 1, 2005, and the aid is
earmarked for 
Hurricane
Katrina deployments only at this point. Corporation
funds may also 
sustain
the Ham Aid program and help to rebuild the emergency
communications
capabilities in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to
ensure that the 
Gulf
Coast is prepared, should disaster strike again.

The grants represent an emergency amendment to ARRL's
three year 
Homeland
Security training grant, which provided emergency
communication 
training to
nearly 5500 Amateur Radio volunteer over the past
three years. The 
recent
grant extensions do not cover additional ARRL Amateur
Radio Emergency
Communications training program reimbursements,
however.

Hobart says the League will accept reimbursement
request applications 
on a
first-come, first served basis for as long as funds
are available. For 
now,
the program only covers per-diem reimbursements
between September 1 and
December 31, 2005, although that period may be
extended.

The Hurricane Katrina ARRL Ham Aid Reimbursement
Procedures are on the 
ARRL
Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/forms/cncs/>.

==>AMATEUR RADIO VOLUNTEERS STILL NEEDED

As of week's end, Amateur Radio volunteers still were
needed to assist
relief agencies in the southern Mississippi counties
hardest hit by
Hurricane Katrina. In addition ham radio volunteers
were being sought 
to
support Hurricane Rita FEMA operations in Texas. ARRL
Alabama Section
Manager Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, who's been at the
American Red Cross 
volunteer
staging area in Montgomery for nearly a month now,
says turning the
"operator pipeline" back on after holding off on
soliciting additional
volunteers has been slow.

"Three Mississippi Gulf Coast counties need amateurs
in EOCs, American 
Red
Cross shelters and other locations to provide reliable
communication,"
Sarratt said. He's trying to fill a need for 18
operators in Hancock 
County,
24 in Harrison County and 9 in Jackson County. Sarratt
reported he was
already getting word on the availability of fresh
recruits via the
nationwide network of ARRL SMs and SECs 
<http://www.arrl.org/sections/>.

Prospective volunteers may indicate their willingness
to deploy by 
first
signing up on the Hurricane Katrina Disaster
Communications & Volunteer
Registration and Message Traffic Database
<http://katrina.ab2m.net/>, 
then
awaiting word on whether to deploy. Operators should
not self-deploy! 
If
requested to report, they should notify their ARRL
SEC. 

Volunteers who are asked to deploy would report to the
Montgomery 
marshaling
center to receive orientation and a specific
assignment. Some 
volunteers
will help support communication at Red Cross shelters
set up for 
evacuees,
while others will provide tactical communication for
feeding stations.

Amateur Radio Station W4AP at the Montgomery staging
facility monitors 
7.280
MHz days/3.965 MHz evenings to keep in touch with
HF-equipped mobile
operators who are traveling to or are at their
assigned locations.

Operators requested to deploy should be
self-sufficient with some food,
fuel, water and camping gear sufficient to cover their
travel to and
operation in affected areas. Shelters are supplying
food for ham radio
volunteers in affected communities, however. 

In Louisiana, where New Orleans and several parishes
suffered severe 
damage
from Hurricane Katrina, SEC Gary Stratton, K5GLS, says
local ARES 
members
are still handling communication request and needs
that arise. He says 
that
first responders are expected to enter Cameron Parish
this weekend. 
Amateur
Radio volunteers have been asked to accompany law
enforcement personnel 
to
support their internal communication on this mission.
Flood waters in
Louisiana have been receding, and most shelters now
have telephone 
service,
electricity and running water. 

Meanwhile, the Amateur Radio response to Hurricane
Rita continues. 
North
Texas SEC Bill Swan, K5MWC, reports that two teams
from his section are 
in
Jasper, Texas, to assist the Salvation Army. He
predicts that more ham 
radio
volunteers will be called to assist after cities such
as Beaumont and 
Port
Arthur are reopened for residents to return. 

In San Augustine County, Texas, Marshall Williams,
K5QE, says that up 
to
eight ARES-trained Amateur Radio volunteers are needed
for one week 
minimum
stints to support the FEMA-coordinated disaster relief
operation with 
mobile
HF SSB and VHF FM. Prospective volunteers may register
their 
availability on
the Hurricane Rita Disaster Communications Volunteer
Registration & 
Message
Traffic Database <http://rita.ab2m.net/>. The FEMA
support requirement 
is
likely to continue for several weeks, with up to eight
volunteers 
needed
each week.

The need is for self-contained operators who can
provide their own 
shelter,
water and some or all of their food for a week. The
duty tour will 
involve
working in high humidity and temperatures, so anyone
with medical 
problems
that could be aggravated by these conditions should
not volunteer for 
this
assignment. 

The West Gulf ARES Emergency Net (7.285 MHz days/3.873
MHz evenings) is
providing daily updates on the Hurricane Rita
emergency response at 
noon and
7 PM Central Daylight Time.

==>AMATEUR RADIO VANITY PROCESSING FALLS VICTIM TO
HURRICANES

The FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) has
suspended the
processing of Amateur Radio vanity call sign
applications. A WTB staff
member, speaking to ARRL on background, said the FCC
halted vanity
processing on or about September 23 after realizing
that filing and
regulatory deadline extensions for hurricane-affected
licensees in 
certain
states could adversely impact the vanity system. The
WTB staffer 
pointed out
that the filing extensions announced this month also
apply to Amateur
Radio's two-year "grace period." 

"Because these extensions apply to the grace period,
it could affect 
vanity
processing," the WTB staffer told ARRL. "We stopped
processing when it 
came
clear that some call signs could be affected." No
decision has been 
made on
when vanity processing will resume.

On September 1, the FCC extended until October 31 all
filing and 
regulatory
deadlines falling between August 29 and October 30 for
licensees in
Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana affected by
Hurricane Katrina. On
September 24, it extended until November 21 all filing
and regulatory
deadlines falling between September 20 and November 20
for licensees in
Louisiana and Texas affected by Hurricane Rita.

The WTB staff member emphasized that the FCC intended
the deadline
extensions to apply only to licensees who have been
directly impacted 
by the
storms. "These are not statewide extensions," the
staffer said.

Under Part 97, Amateur Radio licensees have two years
from the date of
license expiration to renew their tickets without
having to retest or 
risk
losing their call signs to a vanity applicant. The
staffer confirmed 
that
WTB had disabled the "auto-termination" feature of the
Universal 
Licensing
System (ULS) so that it will not automatically cancel
licenses that 
have not
been renewed by the end of the grace period.

"We can't assume based on address who might be
affected," the staff 
member
explained, "so we're not auto-terminating anything at
this point."

In the meantime, the FCC is encouraging radio amateurs
to continue 
filing
vanity applications as they normally would.
"Everything will be held in
queue," the WTB staff member said.--thanks to Dean
Gibson, AE7Q, for
alerting ARRL to this situation

==>ARRL ANNOUNCES 2005 TOY DRIVE FOR HURRICANE VICTIMS

In the wake of unprecedented hurricane devastation in
the Gulf Coast 
region,
the ARRL has announced it will again sponsor a toy
drive to brighten 
the
holidays for youngsters left homeless or displaced as
a result of the
storms. Country singer and ARRL member Patty Loveless,
KD4WUJ, has 
agreed to
serve as honorary chairperson for the 2005 toy drive.
ARRL President 
Jim
Haynie, W5JBP, is urging the Amateur Radio community
to pitch in.

"Last year, hams from all over the country brought
smiles to children 
during
the holidays," Haynie said. "We made a lot of friends,
and we did a lot 
of
good. No one expected that we would need to do it
again so soon, but 
the
recent hurricanes' destruction changed the plans of a
lot of people."

Last year, individual radio amateurs and clubs across
the US joined 
together
to collect new toys for youngsters affected by a
series of four 
hurricanes
in Florida. ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager
Allen Pitts, W1AGP, 
says
the 2004 effort was a success beyond anyone's wildest
dreams, and there 
was
no question in his mind about doing another toy drive
for the latest
hurricane victims.

"Not only can it be done, it really must be done. It
is simply the 
right
thing to do," he said. "We are asking hams from all
over the country to
begin gathering new toys for shipment to Memphis,
Tennessee. ARRL Delta
Division Vice Director Henry Leggette, WD4Q, has
secured a receiving
warehouse and is recruiting ham volunteers there."

Ham radio clubs and individual amateurs should send
new, unwrapped toys 
for
boys and girls aged 1 to 14 to ARRL Toy Drive, 1775
Moriah Woods 
Blvd--Suite
12, Memphis, TN 38117-7125. Plan mailings and
shipments to arrive prior 
to
Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 24, for distribution
over the 
holidays.

"Just as we did last year, we are asking the donors to
please put a QSL 
card
into the box with the toy," Pitts added. Non-hams are
encouraged to 
join
this effort too.

"Early in December, we will divide the toys among the
various agencies 
and
states that need help the most at that point in time,"
Pitts explained. 
"We
are making these arrangements so that we can maximize
the areas 
receiving
aid while maintaining the unique identity that this is
the Amateur 
Radio
Community's response."

Pitts says he's heard from many Amateur Radio clubs
that are already
gathering toys together. "Please check with your local
club and see if 
they
are planning a mass shipment," he urged. "If not,
perhaps you can help
organize one for your area."

Monetary donations to purchase new toys for special
age groups and to 
help
cover operational expenses also are welcome. Those
wishing to donate 
money
instead of toys can send a check to ARRL Toy Drive,
ARRL, 225 Main St,
Newington, CT 06111.

==>LOCAL HAM CLUB MEMBERS ASSIST IN SPACE CONTACT AT
MASSACHUSETTS 
SCHOOL

A dozen youngsters from two NASA Explorer Schools
(NES) spoke September 
16
via Amateur Radio with International Space Station
Expedition 11 NASA
Science Officer John Phillips, KE5DRY. The contact
between W1ACT at the
Matthew J. Kuss Middle School in Fall River,
Massachusetts, and NA1SS 
in
space was arranged by the Amateur Radio on the
International Space 
Station
(ARISS) program. The audience of more than 100
parents, faculty 
members,
fellow students and dignitaries was split between two
locations, 
reports
Roland Daignault, N1JOY, of the Fall River Amateur
Radio Club/Bristol 
County
Repeater Association. Club members, who have set up a
club station and
conducted licensing classes at Kuss Middle School,
assisted in the 
contact.

"We were set up in the Kuss library with about 50
people present, 
including
Mayor Ed Lambert, and Senator Joan Menard, who
presented a citation to 
the
Kuss students for their work," Daignault said. "We
also set up an ATV 
link
to the church hall across the street, where about 50
more people were
watching our live video feed of the event projected
onto a large 
screen."
W1ACT is the call sign of the Fall River ARC. The
school's club station
equipment was used to make the successful two-way
space contact.

Ten of the youngsters who participated in the ARISS
event were from 
Kuss
Middle School. Two seventh graders from Central Park
Middle School in
Schenectady, New York, also took part in the contact.
Both schools are 
NES
partners. Six of the students who got to speak with
Phillips are 
Amateur
Radio licensees.

The event drew a great deal of media attention with
reporters from 
three
television stations from nearby Providence, Rhode
Island, the Comcast 
local
access cable channel, Fall River Educational
Television (FRED-TV), and 
two
newspapers in attendance. In addition, the Museum of
Science, Boston, 
was
doing a documentary of the school contact, Daignault
said.

The youngsters managed to ask Phillips 22 of the 24
questions they had 
on
their list. Among other things, they asked what ham
radio equipment the 
ISS
had onboard, if Phillips thought a person with special
needs could ever 
work
on the ISS and if becoming an astronaut was his first
career choice.

Mentoring and attending the Massachusetts event was
ARISS International
Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO.

"Needless to say, there were plenty of smiling faces
at the end of the
event," Daignault commented.

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

==>IARU EYES GLOBAL COORDINATION OF AMATEUR RADIO'S
BPL/EMC RESPONSE

The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU)
Administrative Council 
will
explore ways to improve the coordination of Amateur
Radio's 
representation
on electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) issues at
national, regional and
global forums. Meeting September 17-18 in Zurich,
Switzerland, the 
Council
also made further progress firming up plans to deal
with Amateur
Radio-related issues at World Radiocommunication
Conference 2007 
(WRC-07).

The Council requested the International Secretariat
(ARRL)--in 
conjunction
with the EMC advisor--seek ways to better harmonize
Amateur Radio's EMC
response at meetings and conferences. The study,
prompted mainly by 
concerns
about interference from broadband over power line
(BPL), is to be 
completed
by year's end. The objective is to recommend steps,
subject to Council
approval, to arrive at a more unified Amateur Radio
position regarding 
BPL
and EMC and to "maintain a favorable EMC environment
for radio 
services."

At its October 2004 session, the Administrative
Council adopted a 
resolution
concerning potential interference to radio services
from BPL systems. 
The
Council resolved to urge member-societies to make
national 
administrations
and standards bodies aware of their obligations under
the international
Radio Regulations. Those rules, in part, call on
administrations to 
"take
all practicable and necessary steps to ensure that the
operation of
electrical apparatus or installations of any kind,
including power and
telecommunication distribution networks . . . does not
cause harmful
interference to a radiocommunication service."

A principal focus was on WRC-07 preparations. The
Administrative 
Council
affirmed the IARU's positions on agenda items. WRC-07
issues facing 
Amateur
Radio include the possible identification of
additional HF spectrum 
between
4 and 10 MHz for broadcasting, which could put
pressure on other 
services. A
possible international amateur allocation in the
vicinity of 136 kHz is 
also
on the agenda.

In other business, the Council established a small
working group to 
develop
an international emergency communications handbook for
radio amateurs 
based
on existing texts. The International Secretariat
(ARRL) was requested 
to
produce a brochure on Amateur Radio response to
emergencies.

The Council thanked Bob Knowles, ZL1BAD, for his more
than 20 years of
volunteer service as IARU Monitoring System (IARUMS)
International
Coordinator. Knowles recently stepped down from the
position, which 
he'd
occupied since the inception of IARUMS.

Attending the gathering were IARU President Larry
Price, W4RA; Vice
President Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA; Secretary David
Sumner, K1ZZ; Ole
Garpestad, LA2RR; Don Beattie, G3BJ; Hans Blondeel
Timmerman, PB2T; 
ARRL
International Affairs Vice President Rod Stafford,
W6ROD; Dario Jurado,
HP1DJ; Y. S. Park, HL1IFM; Chandru Ramchandra, VU2RCR;
Yoshi Sekido, 
JJ1OEY,
and Recording Secretary Paul Rinaldo, W4RI.

==>SSETI EXPRESS LAUNCH DELAYED INDEFINITELY

The launch of the Student Space Exploration and
Technology Initiative
(SSETI) Express satellite, which will carry an Amateur
Radio package, 
has
been postponed indefinitely. That announcement this
week from SSETI 
Express
Project Manager Neil Melville put a damper on the
enthusiasm building 
in
anticipation of a planned September 30 launch.
Melville blamed the 
delay on
the failure of another spacecraft set to go into space
during the 
launch
from Russia.

"Early indications suggest that we have a delay of at
least one month, 
but
this is not confirmed," he said. "This is, of course,
very unfortunate, 
but
it is not critical," he went on. "The spacecraft can
easily wait for 
the new
launch date without any significant problems, and we
will fly it as 
soon as
we can." When it does fly, the SSETI Express, which
also carries three
CubeSat picosatellites, will leave Earth from Plesetsk
Cosmodrome via a
Cosmos-3M LV vehicle. 

The Cosmos-3M will deploy the Topsat, China DMC and
the low-Earth orbit 
60
kg SSETI Express satellites. Plans call for
downlinking AX.25 telemetry 
at
9.6 kb on 437.250 MHz and at 38.4 kb on 2401.835 MHz.
The satellite 
will be
turned into a single-channel amateur FM voice Mode U/S
transponder 
after the
transmitter serves initial telemetry duty.

SSETI Express will, in turn, release the three
CubeSats--NCUBE-2, 
UWE-1, and
XI-V. The XI-V ("sai five") package will include a CW
beacon on 437.465 
MHz
and FM packet on 437.345 MHz. 

The ESA SSETI Express initiative has brought together
students from two
dozen European universities via the Internet to build
and launch a
satellite. ESA provides managerial and technical
coordination.

There's more information on the AMSAT-UK Web site,
www.uk.amsat.org/ 
and on
the AMSAT-NA Web site, www.amsat.org.

"We'll get there eventually," Melville optimistically
concluded this 
week.
"Watch this space."

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Sunspot seeker Tad "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"
Cook, K7RA, 
Seattle,
Washington, reports: Average daily sunspot numbers
dropped over the 
past
week by more than 16 points to 29.7. Solar flux values
were down 20 
points
to 80.2. The week was quiet with no geomagnetic
storms. September 26-28 
had
the most geomagnetic activity, but it was all pretty
mild. The K index 
for
middle latitude and planetary readings only went to 3
or 4 on occasion 
and
quickly dropped back to 2.

The forecast for the next few days, September 30 to
October 2, is for 
low
sunspot activity. The next peak of activity may be
when sunspot 798 
returns.
It's currently on the sun's far side. That activity
should peak around
October 14-16. 

The geomagnetic prediction for this weekend is for
mild to unsettled
conditions, with the planetary A index for September
30 through October 
3 at
15, 15, 12 and 12. Prague Geophysical Institute
predicts quiet 
conditions
for October 5 and 6, quiet to unsettled conditions
October 3 and 4, and
unsettled conditions September 30 through October 2.

Sunspot numbers for September 22 through 28 were 28,
49, 33, 28, 25, 23 
and
22, with a mean of 29.7. The 10.7 cm flux was 83.7,
82.8, 81.4, 81, 
81.3,
76.9, and 74.6, with a mean of 80.2. Estimated
planetary A indices were 
8,
8, 4, 5, 14, 13 and 12, with a mean of 9.1. Estimated
mid-latitude A 
indices
were 6, 5, 2, 3, 9, 10 and 12, with a mean of 6.7.

__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: The California QSO Party,
the TARA PSK 
Rumble
Contest, the Oceania DX Contest (SSB), the
International HELL-Contest, 
the
EU Autumn Sprint (SSB), the PRO CW Contest, the UBA ON
Contest (SSB) 
and the
RSGB 21/28 MHz Contest (SSB) are the weekend of Oct
1-2. JUST AHEAD: 
The
German Telegraphy Contest is October 3. The YLRL
Anniversary Party (CW) 
is
October 5-7. the 432 MHz Fall Sprint is October 5 and
the SARL 80-Meter 
QSO
Party is October 6. The Pennsylvania QSO Party, the
FISTS Fall Sprint, 
the
North American Sprint (RTTY), the Makrothen RTTY
Contest, the Oceania 
DX
Contest (CW), EU Autumn Sprint (CW) and the UBA ON
Contest (CW) are the
weekend of October 8-9. The 10-10 International 10-10
Day Sprint is 
October
10. The NAQCC 80/40 Straight Key/Bug Sprint is October
12. 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 is open through Sunday, October 2, for
these ARRL 
Certification
and Continuing Education courses: ARRL Radio Frequency
Interference
(EC-006); ARRL Antenna Design and Construction
(EC-009); ARRL 
Technician
Licensing (EC-010); ARRL Analog Electronics (EC-012)
and ARRL Digital
Electronics (EC-013). All classes begin Friday,
October 14. To learn 
more
and to see a description of these and other on-line
courses, visit the 
ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education Web page 
<http://www.arrl.org/cce> or
contact the ARRL CCE Department <cce at arrl.org>.

* ARRL Handbook 80th anniversary edition arrives: A
truck convoy of
18-wheelers rolled up to the ARRL warehouse September
28, delivering
thousands of copies of the newest ARRL Handbook for
Radio 
Communications.
The 2006 edition marks the Handbook's 80th
anniversary, and the
publication's arrival at the ARRL warehouse means
copies will be 
shipping
very soon. ARRL technical editor Dean Straw, N6BV,
served as the 
principal
editor for this 83rd edition. The 2006 Handbook
includes a new 
high-power HF
linear amplifier project. Built around the Eimac
3CX1500D7, the design 
is
the brainchild of Jerry Pittenger, K8RA (see October
2005 QST, p 13). 
To
celebrate this special Handbook anniversary, those
placing early orders 
for
the 2006 edition will receive a reproduction of the
very first edition 
of
The Radio Amateur's Handbook. Published in 1926 and
authored by the 
late
ARRL Communications Manager Francis Edward "Ed" Handy,
W1BDI, this 
224-page
volume is a facsimile of Handy's signed, personal
"desk copy" and even
includes some of his handwritten notes. While supplies
last, the 2006
Handbook offer is available only directly from ARRL
and from select 
ARRL
publication dealers. The 2006 Handbook comes with The
ARRL Handbook on
CD-ROM Ver 10.0--fully searchable with additional
software and 
reference
material. Early Handbook orders begin shipping the
first week of 
October.
The ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications is $54.95
in hardcover, 
$39.95 in
softcover. Visit the ARRL on-line catalog
<http://www.arrl.org/catalog/?item=no-hb2006>.

* Joel Hallas, W1ZR, is new QST Technical Editor: Joel
Hallas, W1ZR, 
has
been promoted to the position of QST Technical Editor.
Hallas, who had 
been
serving as the magazine's "Product Review" editor,
replaces Stu Cohen, 
N1SC,
who has departed the ARRL Headquarters staff. "Joel
brings a strong
technical and management background to his new
position, which involves
planning the technical content of QST and ensuring
that it is of the 
highest
quality and useful to ARRL members," QST Managing
Editor Joel Kleinman,
N1BKE, said in announcing the change. Hallas also is a
member of the 
team
that reviews technical articles submitted for QST
publication. He holds
bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical
engineering and has been 
on
the ARRL Headquarters staff for two years.
Congratulations, Joel! 
Former
ARRL Chief Operating Officer Mark Wilson, K1RO, has
taken on "Product
Review" editorial responsibilities. In recent
additions to the ARRL 
staff:
Devon Neal has joined the Graphics Department. A
graduate of Porter &
Chester Institute, his responsibilities include
creating schematics and
illustrations for QST and other League publications.
Lisa Riendeau has
joined the ARRL VEC Department. She brings seven
years' experience in
customer service to her new position at ARRL. Welcome
aboard! 

* California QSO party celebrates 40th anniversary
this year: The 40th
anniversary celebration of the California QSO Party
(CQP) is the 
weekend of
October 1-2. All 58 California counties are expected
to be on the air 
for
the event. Tom Frenaye, formerly WB6KIL and now K1KI
(and ARRL's New 
England
Division Director), and Gene Hoelzle, WB6EUZ,
organized the first 
running of
the CQP while still in high school. The Northern
California Contest 
Club
(NCCC) took over its sponsorship in 1975. A
special-edition CQP T-shirt 
is
available for those making 100 contacts during the
event and submitting
their logs along with $12 ($15 for DX entries, for
whom the 100-QSO 
minimum
is waived). Specify size: M/L/XL/XXL. More information
is on the CQP 
Web
site <http://www.cqp.org>.--Marc Ziegler, W6ZZZ 

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

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 ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/> offers
access to news, informative features and columns.

--- automatic signature follows...

David Johnson
MCP,MCSE,MCSD,MCDBA,CWS
david at justcalldavid.com
kb5ylg at yahoo.com

---

Emergency and public service communications,
a hobby of myriad facets, an enhancement to any
other hobby:  The Amateur Radio Service.

Find out more at http://www.arrl.org


		
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