*************** The ARRL Letter Vol. 25, No. 14 April 7, 2006 *************** IN THIS EDITION: * +ARRL again targets New York BPL operation in FCC filing * +League's executive committee juggles full agenda * +Kids in Illinois, Australia reach space via ham radio * +New "Hello" campaign video now available * +Two-ham crew arrives safely on ISS * +Tornados prompt Amateur Radio response * +Take personal dispute off the ham bands, FCC tells Texas licensees * Solar Update * IN BRIEF: This weekend on the radio ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration +FCC invites comments on ARRL spread spectrum petition N4S special event to mark silver anniversary of first shuttle launch Markus Hansen, VE7CA, wins March QST Cover Plaque Award RAC committee eyeing new entry-level license +Available on ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> =========================================================== ==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!): letter-dlvy@arrl.org ==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, n1rl@arrl.org =========================================================== NOTE: Because ARRL Headquarters will be closed Friday, April 14, for the holiday weekend, The ARRL Letter and ARRL Audio News will be distributed a day earlier. =========================================================== ==>ARRL ALLEGES MISREPRESENTATION BY BPL OPERATOR, INACTION BY FCC The ARRL once again has called for the immediate shutdown of the BPL pilot project in Briarcliff Manor, New York. In a March 29 letter that takes both BPL operator Ambient Corporation and the FCC to task, the League documented continued interference on amateur frequencies at various points of the Westchester County system. The ARRL has filed five previous interference complaints about the system, the first in October 2004. The system operates under an FCC Part 5 experimental license. "In response to this interference, which has never been resolved or even substantively addressed by the Commission," the League wrote, "the experimental permittee, Ambient, has defiantly and consistently denied the interference, which Commission Enforcement Bureau staff personally witnessed and confirmed." Copies of the League's latest complaint went to the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology and its Experimental Licensing Division as well as to the FCC Secretary and Ambient Corporation. The ARRL disputed representations in a February 14 letter from Ambient counsel George Y. Wheeler to FCC Experimental Licensing Division Chief James Burtle. Wheeler's letter "simply denies that there is interference, which is patently untenable at this point," the League said. "However, the Commission's inaction has implicitly validated Ambient's inaction and repeated misrepresentations." Interference measurements ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, made February 20 revealed "no substantial changes" in the system's interference profile on amateur frequencies, the League pointed out. "The system is still operating un-notched on amateur bands at several separate locations, although notching of the amateur bands was evident at other locations in the system," the League said. Despite Ambient's claims that it had notched amateur bands, Hare found in several areas and ham bands that "none of the system appears to be notched." A 20-page supplement detailing Hare's February 20 findings accompanied the League's further complaint. The findings show the Briarcliff Manor BPL system continues to cause harmful interference to Amateur Radio communication "and it is not compliant with applicable FCC Part 15 regulations," the League contended. It also fails to comply with the terms of its FCC Part 5 experimental authorization, nor is its operation consistent with Ambient's claims in progress reports it's filed with the FCC. The League said it is "beyond any reasonable dispute" that the Briarcliff Manor BPL system fails to comply with Part 5 rules requiring permittees to cease transmissions "if harmful interference to an established radio service develops" and not resume transmissions until it's certain harmful interference will not recur. Part 15 rules contain similar provisions for unlicensed devices that may interfere with licensed services. In addition, the League said, information regarding the Briarcliff Manor BPL system has yet to show up in the publicly accessible BPL database as Part 15 rules require. The ARRL took issue with Wheeler's assertions that the system's information does not have to appear in the database. "Section 15.615 of the rules makes no exception for Access BPL systems operating pursuant to an experimental authorization,” the League stated. Given its failure to comply with both Part 5 and Part 15 rules governing its operation, the Briarcliff Manor BPL system must be shut down, the ARRL demanded. "Alternatively, the Commission should rescind the experimental authorization and determine other appropriate sanctions against Ambient Corporation," the ARRL concluded. ==>ARRL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE WORKS THROUGH WIDE-RANGING AGENDA ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, presided over his first meeting of the ARRL Executive Committee March 11 in St Louis. During the session, the EC reviewed ARRL's Washington advocacy efforts and regulatory matters. Discussion items included pending FCC regulatory action on the "omnibus" proceeding, WT 04-140; the "Morse code" proceeding, WT 05-235; and whether the FCC will issue a Notice of Proposed Rule Making in response to the League's petition (RM-11306) to regulate subbands by emission bandwidth. Also noted was a meeting of the ARRL's "Washington Team" February 16 to review strategy, particularly with regard to legislative goals. House Resolution 230 concerning BPL interference is the principal focus. Efforts in support of H.Res. 230 have helped to educate key congressional offices about the issue but have not yet netted any new co-sponsors. ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, also reviewed the status of pending complaints filed with the FCC in response to BPL interference complaints and accessibility problems with the BPL Interference Resolution Web site. In other matters, the EC: directed ARRL staff to develop a plan to provide a vanity call sign license renewal service to League members; learned of ARRL efforts to build federal agency support for a relaxation of some restrictions on amateur operation in the vicinity of 5 MHz; is working with other Board members to identify obstacles to effective grassroots action by ARRL members in support of the League's legislative goals, and reviewed draft terms of reference for an ARRL MF/HF Band Planning Committee and agreed to circulate a final draft for a mail vote. Minutes of the March 11 EC meeting are on the ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/announce/ec_minutes_479.html>. ==>FIXING A FLAT, PLAYING THE DIDGERIDOO: KIDS GET ANSWERS FROM SPACE Curious students in Bradley, Illinois, and Briar Hill, Australia, recently got answers about many facets of life in space from ISS Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR. The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program arranged the contacts between NA1SS and K9BIG on March 28 and with VK5ZAI on March 31. McArthur, who wraps up his ISS duty tour this weekend, told students at Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School that the absence of gravity "affects everything we do." Changing a flat tire "or something similar" would be relatively easy to do on Earth but not in space, he said, especially when it came to retrieving the lug nuts you've set aside. "When you need them, you reach for them again," McArthur said. "Well, in space, if you do that, they're gone, they just will have floated away, and that's how working with everything is in space. If it is not attached to something, it's very easy to lose." On the other hand, McArthur pointed out, jacking up the car would be very easy in space. The microgravity environment also can affect the physiology of humans living in space, he explained. "It really does not have an adverse effect," McArthur said. "Of course there are some subtle changes in lung capacity, cardiac output--but those things return to normal pretty quickly on the ground." Teacher Jim Schreiner, K9BIG, was the master of ceremonies and Earth station control operator for the event which, in addition to attracting a large audience also garnered significant news media attention. Members of the Kankakee Area Radio Society (W9AZ) set up the Earth station for the direct VHF contact. During a scheduled contact a few days later with youngsters at Briar Hill Primary School in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, McArthur answered the burning question, "What does a didgeridoo sound like in space?" "As a matter of fact, Don Pettit on Expedition 6 carried a didgeridoo into space," McArthur replied, "and he said it sounded the same as it did on the ground, because the air on board is at the same pressure." McArthur said the ISS crew also would be able to listen to music on the ISS stereo system, if it were working. "We do have a stereo here," he said. "It's just a regular automobile stereo. Unfortunately it's broken, so we play music on our computers." McArthur said he also enjoys playing games on his computer in his spare time. He drew the line at playing tennis aboard the ISS, however, because there's not enough room. "Valery [Tokarev, his crewmate] is a very good tennis player, and I would not let him play tennis because he serves the ball so hard it might hit some of our equipment and break it," he replied, tongue in cheek. As he's done before, McArthur told the kids Down Under that living in space has been great fun. "It is so much fun I can't believe this is a job for which I get paid," he enthused. Returning again to microgravity, McArthur noted its effect on blood flow in the human body. "The blood that is normally down in your legs and feet, because there's no gravity, your body doesn't know that, and so that blood tends to move up into your chest and head," he said. Despite the low-elevation pass over the station of ARISS veteran Tony Hutchison, VK5ZAI, the contact lasted the better part of nine minutes, and the youngsters squeezed in 22 questions. The ARISS event also attracted some news media attention. Teacher Natalie Will, who called the contact "fantastic," was interviewed on local and national radio outlets. Members of the North East Radio Group assisted in setting up for the contact. Verizon Conferencing donated the two-way audio teleconference link for the event between VK5ZAI and the school. ARISS <http://www.rac.ca/ariss> is an international educational outreach with US participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA. ==>ARRL "HELLO" CAMPAIGN VIDEO NOW AVAILABLE A 30-second video public service announcement (PSA) to promote the ARRL's "Hello" campaign--"Celebrating 100 Years of Voice over Radio Worldwide"--has been released. A radio spot has been available since March. Hello's architect, ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, says the spot is available on disk in either DVD format--which plays on standard players--or in two larger broadcast-quality DV formats. "We want to celebrate 100 years of people talking over the radio but not just look backward," he said. "In just 30 seconds, this video takes us on a rollercoaster through time and electronics, into today, when we find friendly people still ready to say 'Hello' all over the world." Richard Lubash, N1VXW, of 2K-Plus in Atlanta, produced the new PSA. He had musical help from Emory Gordy, W4WRO, and voicing by New York City radio personality Johnny Donovan. The video includes clips from all over, shot especially for the PSA, plus video of radio amateurs from IARU member-societies in Italy and Japan. Among the radio amateurs appearing in the video spot are Associazione Radioamatori Italiani (ARI) President Luigi Belvederi, I4AWX/AB1FJ, and Japan Amateur Radio League International Affairs Manager Jay Oka, JA1TRC/KH2J. Others include: Jack Parker, W8ISH; Kevin O'Dell, N0IRW, and his son Chris, N5CMO; Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, and wife Cyndy, KD4ACW; Nick Esposito, KC2ONP; Halley Orshan, KC2LYJ; and Emily Shaffer, KF4SUV. A low-resolution version is viewable on the ARRL Public Relations Web page <http://www.arrl.org/pio/#pubserviceannouncements> (scroll down to "Video Files"). A special high-definition television (HDTV) version is available if needed. Because copies are individually duplicated depending on the needs of the station and because of the costs of the disks, Pitts asks that "at least initially" requests be voluntarily limited to those who have contacts with a cable, TV or similar broadcast outlet and can get them shown to the public. To request a disk, e-mail the Hello campaign <hello@arrl.org> your name, mailing address, the station or location in which you will be placing the video and the video format you need (DVD, DV or uncompressed-DV). Hello campaign brochures, bumper stickers pins and other paraphernalia also are available. There's more campaign information on the "Hello" Web site <http://www.hello-radio.org/>. Pitts will be on the road this month to show off (and market) the new audio and video PSAs at the annual conventions of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and the Radio and Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) April 22-27 in Las Vegas, and at a regional RTNDA convention April 8-9 in Boston. ==>BREAD AND SALT: TWO-HAM EXPEDITION 13 CREW ARRIVES SAFELY ON ISS The International Space Station Expedition 13 crew of Commander Pavel Vinogradov, RV3BS, and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams, KD5TVQ, arrived safely aboard the International Space Station early on April 1. Once airlocks were opened, the new crew--accompanied by Brazil's first astronaut Marcos Pontes, PY0AEB--greeted the Expedition 12 crew of Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, and Valery Tokarev with handshakes and hugs. In accordance with a traditional Russian ceremony of welcome and hospitality, the Expedition 12 crew presented the newcomers with bread and salt. Williams told reporters this week that he and Vinogradov were ready to take the ISS reins. "Handover's gone very well," he said, adding that and McArthur and Tokarev did a good job of showing him and Vinogradov the ropes. "So I fell we will be very prepared to take over the space station." The two crews spent much of the week transferring cargo to the ISS and carrying out crew handover activities that included a safety briefing, training with the Canadarm2 robotic arm and detailed briefings on scientific experiments. Besides conducting his own research over the past week, Pontes spoke via Amateur Radio with a school in Brazil and was attempting to reschedule a contact with a school in Portugal. Williams says the crew handover has been a bit like moving into a new house that's still occupied by the former owners. "It never occurred to me how difficult that would be to move into somebody's house with all their stuff in it and then pick up without a pause in the normal day-to-day operations," he said. "But overall, it's gone very well and we feel very prepared." A formal change-of-command ceremony was set for April 8, just before McArthur, Tokarev and Pontes board a Soyuz transporter for the return trip to Earth. Seeing off the retiring crew will be a "bittersweet experience," Williams said this week. "We've really enjoyed our time on board together," he said. "We've had a lot of fun, we've enjoyed accomplishing the work together. At the same time, I know these guys are ready to go home and rejoin their families." NASA ground controllers cut short an ISS experiment April 3 after some alarms sounded in error. The so-called "campout" in the slightly depressurized ISS Quest airlock by McArthur and Williams was intended to test a new procedure to reduce spacewalk preparation time. The experiment hoped to show that having spacewalkers spend the night in the airlock at a lower air pressure would help to purge nitrogen from their bloodstreams, preventing decompression sickness--commonly called "the bends." "There was never a problem with the atmosphere," McArthur assured an Associated Press reporter. Vinogradov and Williams will spend six months on the space complex, returning home in September. Vinogradov is a veteran of a nearly 200-day mission aboard the Russian Mir space station, where he did five spacewalks. Williams, an Army colonel, flew on NASA space shuttle mission STS-101 to the ISS in 2000 and did one spacewalk. Scheduled to join the Expedition 13 crew later this year is European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter, DF4TR, of Germany. His arrival, no sooner than July, depends on whether NASA declares the shuttle Discovery flight-ready. Reiter would remain on the orbiting laboratory through Expedition 13 and into the first part of Expedition 14.--some information from NASA and ARISS ==>RADIO AMATEURS BUSY AS DEADLY STORMS AGAIN HIT MIDWEST Amateur Radio volunteers in northwestern Tennessee and elsewhere were active April 2 when a string of tornadoes struck the Midwest and South. The severe weather left more than two dozen people dead and many injured, most of them in Tennessee. ARRL Tennessee Section Emergency Coordinator Jimmy Floyd, NQ4U, reports SKYWARN volunteers relayed reports to the National Weather Service Office in Memphis as the twisters approached. "Several hams were active in the Dyersburg-Newbern area Sunday night passing local traffic for the area folks needing to let relatives know that they were okay," Floyd told ARRL. "According to local hams, most of the communication infrastructure was intact after the storms." Authorities in Dyer County, where 15 people died, say some houses were totally destroyed by the storms, and large trees across highways hampered access by emergency crews. Severe damage reports emerged from Gibson County where some 1200 houses and other structures--including the police station--were said to have been damaged. The NWS said it had received preliminary reports of more than 60 tornadoes April 2. Tennessee state police were continuing to search for additional storm victims and warning those "without legitimate business" to keep out of the affected areas and let first responders and law enforcement personnel do their jobs. In Illinois, Lawrence County Emergency Coordinator Gary Auerswald, WB9UDJ, found himself in the middle of "a horrendous storm" while returning home with his family from Indiana. "Trees were coming down, and people were getting blown off the road," he told ARRL Illinois Section Emergency Coordinator Pat Ryan, KC6VVT. "All electricity in the area went out." Fallen power lines prevented Auerswald from taking his usual route along Illinois Route 1. "We traveled by back roads and oil field roads and made it home," he said. Downed trees and power lines and other property damage greeted his arrival. "A lightning burst gave me a clue to what else was missing: My antenna farm," he said. Auerswald said that until he can "piece something together," he's off the air. He was providing power to his home from a generator. Ryan reports the Illinois ARES HF Section Net on 75 meters secured early because of high atmospheric noise levels. The ARES Net on the Starved Rock Radio Club W9MKS repeater in Lenore yielded to an ongoing weather-spotter net activated earlier by Jim Morris, N9PLM, who served as net control. "Weather Net members monitored for storm activity and, at one point, the LaSalle County EOC was activated," Ryan said. One person died in Illinois. Other states affected by the tornadoes and high winds included Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana and Ohio. Kentucky Section Emergency Coordinator Ron Dodson, KA4MAP, reported "plenty of nets up and running" the evening of April 2. Dodson says the storms decreased in severity by the time they reached his state. "Trees, power and phones lines went down," he said, "but there were no major structural incidents or injuries." The April 2 tornadoes came less than a month after a huge string of tornados swept through the nation's midsection on another Sunday, killing 10 people in Missouri and Indiana and causing damage in several other states, including Illinois, Kansas and Arkansas. ==>FCC WARNS RADIO AMATEURS TO SETTLE PERSONAL DIFFERENCES OFF THE AIR The FCC has advised four Texas licensees to take an "ongoing dispute" off the Amateur Radio bands or face enforcement action. Special Counsel in the FCC Enforcement Bureau Riley Hollingsworth sent essentially identical warning letters February 28 to Luis A Caraballo, N7PLC, and Sharon E. Millhouse, KC5PRX--both of Floresville, and to Thomas O. Caldwell, WD5GXH, and Gary Sheets, WD5FWP--both of San Antonio. Hollingsworth said the dispute has "led to allegations of slander and deliberate interference" on the ham bands. "The Commission is not concerned with the merits, or lack thereof, of any dispute between you or of how you settle such disputes," Hollingsworth wrote, "but any use of amateur frequencies to carry on the dispute is contrary to Section 97.1 of the rules and will lead to enforcement action against the licenses of each of you." Hollingsworth told ARRL that the personal squabble among the four radio amateurs has been going on for several years, eventually spilling over onto 2 meters. FCC efforts to resolve the dispute have been unsuccessful, he said, adding, "it's degrading the Amateur Service." Sanctions could include license revocation or suspension as well as fines of up to $10,000, Hollingsworth warned. "We may also consider proceedings to restrict or remove the voice privileges of your licenses," he added, noting "this is the last warning you will receive before enforcement action is initiated." Hollingsworth this week said he'd heard back from all but one of the individuals who received his letters, but only one reply was in writing. In a handwritten note, Sheets pledged to amend his attitude and practices. Hollingsworth said he's awaiting written responses from the other three recipients. ==>SOLAR UPDATE Astral aficionado Tad "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: The general trend is down. An average daily sunspot number of 18.1 for the first quarter of the year easily compares to the minimum between cycles 22 and 23. For the near term, expect sunspot numbers and solar flux to decline gradually. For April 7-13, US Air Force Space Weather Operations predict a planetary A index of 10, 8, 20, 15, 12, 7 and 5. For the same period it shows a decline of solar flux values from 100 to 80. Geophysical Institute Prague predicts quiet to unsettled conditions on April 7, quiet conditions on April 8, unsettled conditions on April 9, active conditions on April 10, unsettled to active conditions on April 11, unsettled on April 12, and quiet to unsettled on April 13. Sunspot numbers for March 30 through April 5 were 35, 39, 39, 68, 79, 62 and 88, with a mean of 58.6. The 10.7 cm flux was 83.9, 86.3, 87, 91.1, 100.4, 99.5, and 99, with a mean of 92.5. Estimated planetary A indices were 4, 4, 2, 1, 1, 7 and 29, with a mean of 6.9. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 4 and 18, with a mean of 4.1. __________________________________ ==>IN BRIEF: * This weekend on the radio: The ARCI Spring QSO Party, the JIDX CW Contest, the EU Spring Sprint (SSB), the Georgia and Montana QSO parties, the Yuri Gagarin International DX Contest, the UBA Spring Contest (SSB), and the SARL Hamnet 40-Meter Simulated Emergency Contest are the weekend of April 8-9. JUST AHEAD: The YLRL DX-YL to NA-YL Contest (SSB) runs from April 11 to April 13. The NAQCC 80-Meter Straight Key/Bug Sprint, the 222 MHz Spring Sprint and the RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship (SSB) are April 12. The TARA Skirmish Digital Prefix Contest, the Holyland DX Contest, the ES Open HF Championship, the EU Spring Sprint (SSB), the Michigan and Ontario QSO parties, the EA-QRP CW Contest and the YU DX Contest are the weekend of April 15-16. The ARLHS Annual Spring Lites QSO Party is April 15-23. The Run for the Bacon QRP Contest and the Low Power Spring Sprint are April 17. The 432 MHz Spring Sprint and the RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship (Data) are April 20. The Thursday NCCC Sprint Ladder is April 21. 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 remains open through Sunday, April 23, for these ARRL Certification and Continuing Education (CCE) Program online courses: Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 1 (EC-001), Radio Frequency Interference (EC-006), Antenna Design and Construction (EC-009), Analog Electronics (EC-012) and Digital Electronics (EC-013). Classes begin Friday, May 5. To learn more, visit the CCE Course Listing page or contact the CCE Department <cce@arrl.org>. [C-CE logo] * FCC invites comments on ARRL spread spectrum petition: The FCC has invited comments on the ARRL's Petition for Rule Making, designated RM-11325, which seeks to modify a Part 97 rule governing spread spectrum (SS) operation on Amateur Radio frequencies. The League has asked the Commission to drop all but the first sentence of §97.311(d), which now requires the use of automatic power control (APC) for SS stations running more than 1 W, but retain the 100 W overall power limitation for SS. "The effect of the rule change would be to eliminate an automatic power control provision that has proven over time to be impractical" in terms of compliance, the League said in its petition, filed March 13. Comments are due Wednesday, May 3; reply comments are due Thursday, May 18. Submit or view comments filed via the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) <http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/>. Click on "Submit a Filing" or "Search for Filed Comments," and type "RM-11325" in the "Proceeding" field. Be sure to type "RM" in upper case and include the hyphen, but omit the quotation marks. A copy of the petition is on the ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/SS-Rulemaking-Petition.pdf>. * N4S special event to mark silver anniversary of first shuttle launch: Members of the Titusville and the North Brevard Amateur Radio clubs in Florida will be on the air as special event station N4S Sunday, April 9, through Saturday, April 15, at the Florida Space Authority facility at the Kennedy Space Center/Cape Canaveral Air Force Station complex. The N4S special event will celebrate the silver anniversary of NASA's successful space shuttle program, which began with the launch of the shuttle Columbia on April 12, 1981. Through contacts with stations around the globe, the special event hopes to increase awareness of the many NASA men and women of space technology and note their accomplishments. A 25th anniversary certificate signed by Florida Lt Gov Toni Jennings on behalf of the Florida Space Authority is available upon request and an SASE to Carl Zelich, AA4MI, 1720 Old River Tr, Chuluota, FL 32766-8603. Full information is available on the North Brevard ARC Web site <http://www.northbrevardradioclub.org/shuttleanniversary.htm>. * Markus Hansen, VE7CA, wins March QST Cover Plaque Award: The winner of the QST Cover Plaque Award for March is Markus Hansen, VE7CA, for his article "A Homebrew High Performance HF Transceiver--the HBR-2000." Congratulations, Markus! The winner of the QST Cover Plaque award--given to the author or authors of the best article in each issue--is determined by a vote of ARRL members on the QST Cover Plaque Poll Web page <http://www.arrl.org/members-only/QSTvote.html>. Cast a ballot for your favorite article in the April issue by Sunday, April 30. * RAC committee eyeing new entry-level license: A seven-member Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) advisory committee is looking into whether to ask Industry Canada to institute a new entry-level Amateur Radio license north of the border. Under the leadership of Midwest Director Bj Madsen, VE5FX, the committee is studying the success of the Foundation License implemented in the UK, Australia and Gibraltar to encourage youth to take an interest in science and radio and to promote growth in Amateur Radio. "Amateur Radio is not dying--it is changing, and we must be sure to change with it," Madsen says. The RAC panel is seeking the opinions of Canadian radio amateurs on the topic and will make a recommendation to the RAC Board of Directors. Canadian amateurs can learn more about the advisory committee's work and how to contribute by reading "The Foundation License Concept" on the RAC Web site <http://www.rac.ca/news/foundation.pdf>. The ARRL and other petitioners have so far been unsuccessful in convincing the FCC to establish a new entry-level Amateur Radio license in the US. =========================================================== 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/>. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, 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. ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> is a weekly "ham radio newscast" compiled from The ARRL Letter. 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. ==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!): letter-dlvy@arrl.org ==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, n1rl@arrl.org ==>ARRL News on the Web: <http://www.arrl.org/> ==>ARRL Audio News: <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> or call 860-594-0384 ==>How to Get The ARRL Letter The ARRL Letter is available to ARRL members free of charge directly from ARRL HQ. To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address for e-mail delivery: ARRL members first must register on the Members Only Web Site <http://www.arrl.org/members/>. 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