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***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 22, No. 15
April 11, 2003
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +FCC seeks input on receiver interference immunity
* +California PRB-1 bill on its way to Senate
* +"Space is beautiful!" astronaut tells UK students via ham radio
* +FCC warns amateurs about unlicensed operation
* +ARISS spotlighted at science teachers' convention
* +Iraqi ham operation reported
* +Ham-astros complete final Expedition 6 spacewalk
*  League promotes membership at SuperFest 2003
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF:
     This weekend on the radio
     ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
     ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Classes to Start Tuesdays
     News story credits ham radio for aiding maritime rescue
     IARU admits three new member-societies
     Amateur Radio at the National Hurricane Conference
     World Amateur Radio Day Award available

+Available on ARRL Audio News

===========================================================
NOTE: ARRL Headquarters will be closed Friday, April 18, and there will be
no W1AW bulletin or code practice transmissions that day. Editions of The
ARRL Letter and ARRL Audio News for April 18 will be distributed Thursday,
April 17. ARRL Headquarters will reopen Monday, April 21, at 8 AM EDT.
===========================================================

==>FCC OPENS RECEIVER INTERFERENCE IMMUNITY INQUIRY

The FCC wants to know how it can incorporate receiver interference
immunity specifications within its overall spectrum policy. In a Notice of
Inquiry (NOI) in ET Docket 03-65, released March 24, the FCC seeks public
comments on possible methods and means of improving receiver performance.
The Commission suggests that these could include incentives, guidelines or
regulatory requirements--or a combination of all three.

"From a technical standpoint, a radio receiver's susceptibility to
interference is largely dependent on the interference immunity of the
device, particularly with regard to its rejection of undesired radio
frequency (RF) energy and signals," the FCC said in its introduction to
the NOI. While expressing its reluctance "to implement a new regulatory
regime" of mandatory receiver standards, the Commission said it believes
incorporating receiver performance specifications could "promote more
efficient utilization of the spectrum and create opportunities for new and
additional use of radio communications."

The FCC said the NOI builds upon the recent work of its Spectrum Policy
Task Force, which looked at ways to improve overall radio spectrum
management. The ARRL commented on the Task Force report and plans to
comment in the receiver interference immunity NOI as well.

While the NOI does not specifically address interference from Amateur
Radio transmitters to consumer TV and radio receivers, the FCC does seek
information describing the interference immunity characteristics of
"receivers used in the various radio services." With respect to broadcast
sets, the FCC suggests in its NOI that set manufacturers have been doing a
pretty good job all along.

The FCC seeks comments on "the desirability of developing minimum
interference immunity performance specifications for broadcast receivers."
But it added that the Commission has no plans to reverse its "longstanding
practice of allowing the market to determine the performance of broadcast
receivers, with the Commission stepping in only where obvious deficiencies
appear" that could disrupt reception.

FCC Chairman Michael Powell said he'd prefer that the Commission "rely on
market incentives and voluntary industry programs to establish receiver
immunity guidelines."

The FCC Notice of Inquiry in ET Docket 03-65 is available on the FCC Web
site <http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-03-54A6.doc>.
Although it has not formally been posted for the filing of comments via
the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS), the system is accepting
comments. The formal comment period concludes 75 days from publication of
the NOI in the Federal Register, which has not yet happened. The FCC does
not post such dockets for electronic comments until publication occurs.

==>CALIFORNIA ANTENNA BILL ZIPS THROUGH ASSEMBLY

Just eight days after being voted out of committee, California's latest
effort to pass an Amateur Radio antenna bill--Assembly Bill 1228--this
week got the approval of the California Assembly on a 67-0 vote on April
10. The measure's had its first reading in the Senate. The next major step
will be a hearing--as yet unscheduled--before the Senate Local Government
Committee.

"Excellent news!" was the reaction of ARRL Southwestern Division Director
Art Goddard, W6XD. The bill, introduced February 21 by Assemblyman Bob
Dutton (R-63rd), got a unanimous 9-0 favorable vote at an April 2 hearing
of the Assembly Committee on Local Government at which ARRL staffer and
antenna expert Dean Straw, N6BV--a California resident--testified on
behalf of the measure. ARRL Pacific Division Director Bob Vallio, W6RGG,
also spoke at the hearing.

Mike Mitchell, W6RW, who's spearheading the Amateur Radio community's
effort to promote the bill says AB 1228, now is seeking witnesses for the
Senate committee hearing. Straw already has volunteered to appear. AB 1228
marks the first bill sponsored by Dutton--who was elected last
November--to reach the Assembly floor.

AB 1228 would incorporate the language of PRB-1 into the statutes of
California. The state is home to some 100,000 Amateur Radio licensees--by
far the greatest number of any other state and nearly 15 percent of total
US licensees. The measure would require any ordinance regulating Amateur
Radio antenna structures to not preclude but to "reasonably accommodate"
Amateur Radio communications, to allow amateur station antenna structures
"at heights and dimensions sufficient to accommodate Amateur Radio Service
communications" and to constitute "the minimum practicable regulation to
accomplish the legitimate purpose of the city or county."

The California legislature approved a nearly identical PRB-1 measure three
years ago, but Gov Gray Davis vetoed it. Davis said at the time that he
did so because funds for required studies were not included in his budget.
The new bill does not carry a price tag.

A copy of the proposed legislation is available on the California
Legislature Web site
<http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_1201-1250/ab_1228_bill_20030221
_introduced.html>. Utah recently became the latest of 17 states to
incorporate the essence of PRB-1 into their laws.

==>"SPACE IS BEAUTIFUL!" BOWERSOX TELLS UK YOUNGSTERS VIA HAM RADIO

Youngsters from Rushey Mead Secondary School in the United Kingdom
gathered at the National Space Centre in Leicester April 4 for a quick ham
radio chat with Ken Bowersox, KD5JBP. The contact was arranged via the
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program. Students
participating from the comprehensive secondary school ranged in age from
11 to 16. The school also has its own Amateur Radio Club. John Heath,
G7HIA, operated the National Space Centre's GB2NSC club station for the
occasion.

"Space is beautiful," Bowersox rhapsodized in response to one youngster's
question. "It's black with the stars dotting everywhere. It's gorgeous."
The Expedition 6 crew commander said the space station occupants don't
have TV to watch for entertainment. "We look out the window at the earth,"
he said. When the crew members tire of that, there are CDs and books
aboard.

Bowersox noted that he has wanted to be an astronaut since he was seven
years old and trained five years for his current mission. Answering an
oft-asked question about how the crew keeps clean in space, Bowersox
explained that the astronauts and cosmonauts use towels moistened with
soap and water to wash themselves.

In all, 12 youngsters put questions to Bowersox during the direct ARISS
contact that ran under five minutes compared to the usual 10 minutes,
although the ISS remained in nominal range for the full period. ARISS Vice
Chairman Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, speculated that the problem may have been
a result of having to arrange the contact on short notice and not having
optimal Earth-station antennas in place.

Howard Long, G6LVB, offers audio and video recordings of the event and
additional photos on his Web site <http://www.g6lvb.com/issmedia.htm>.

The crew's next Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
school group contact is scheduled for April 14 with Lounsberry Hollow
Middle School in New Jersey.

ARISS is an international project with support from ARRL, AMSAT and
NASA.--some information from Gaston Bertels, ON4WF

==>FCC WARNS AMATEURS: UNLICENSED OPERATION COULD COST YOUR HAM TICKET

The FCC has let a trio of Idaho amateurs know that unlicensed operation
outside Amateur Radio frequencies could lead to revocation of their ham
tickets. FCC Special Counsel Riley Hollingsworth recently wrote three
Boise amateurs, citing allegations that they had transmitted without a
license on several 11-meter frequencies.

"Information before the Commission indicates that you have transmitted
without a license on 26.350, 27.420 and 27.700 MHz using SSB and SSTV,"
Hollingsworth said. He pointed out that, in addition to revocation
proceedings, fines for unlicensed operation normally range from $7500 to
$10,000. Letters went out March 17 to Dave Every, KD7QAS; John F. Hail,
KD7QAW; and Tom M. Sjoberg, KD7RCS. Every holds a General ticket, while
Hail and Sjoberg are Technician licensees. Hollingsworth says he
understands that the unlicensed operations have ceased. The three
frequencies involved are below and above the Citizens Band.

An Ohio ham, Dave K. Childers, N8QGI, also heard from Hollingsworth March
18 in a case involving alleged obscene or indecent transmissions last
December on 27.115 MHz--CB channel 13. Hollingsworth did not raise the
issue of unlicensed operation in that case, but he did spell out the FCC's
position on the transmission of obscene or indecent words or language. He
also requested Childers, a Technician licensee, to respond to the
complaint within 20 days and indicated that a tape recording would be made
available to him upon request.

Although the alleged Idaho and Ohio operations occurred on 11 meters,
Hollingsworth said he contacted the four individuals only because it was
determined that they were FCC Amateur Radio Service licensees. Complaints
in the Idaho cases came from the amateur community, Hollingsworth
indicated.

The FCC also sent a Warning Notice March 24 to Anthony L. Basile, N3HFB,
of Pennsylvania, citing "monitoring information" indicating that the
licensee has been deliberately interfering with three 2-meter repeater
systems in his area. Hollingsworth warned of fines and revocation
proceedings and said that until the matter is resolved, the FCC would not
routinely renew Basile's Advanced class license, which expires in
September. A similar Warning Notice went out March 18 to Tech Plus
licensee Erin J. Rourke, N0KCN, of North Dakota, alleging deliberate
interference to a 2-meter repeater in the Fargo area.

In another enforcement case, Hollingsworth has notified Drew B. Feldman of
Los Angeles that the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau had set aside his
Amateur Radio license KG6PFC. "That action is based upon complaints about
the operation of your station," Hollingsworth wrote March 18. In May 2000,
the FCC canceled Feldman's Tech Plus ticket, N3KSO, after he failed to
appear as requested for re-examination. Feldman subsequently retested for
the Technician license and was issued KG6PFC on February 20. Following the
complaints, the FCC canceled the grant a month later.

==>ARRL, NASA SPOTLIGHT ARISS AT SCIENCE TEACHERS' GATHERING

Student-to-astronaut communication via the ARISS program got a boost
recently from ARRL Education and Technology Project Coordinator Jerry
Hill, KH6HU, during the National Science Teachers Association national
conference. Hill helped to staff the NASA booth during the gathering March
27-30 in Philadelphia.

"My function at the conference was to sign up teachers for the Amateur
Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program, plus represent
the ARRL and talk up ham radio," Hill explained. "We signed up about 200
teachers and got them on the list. It can take over a year to get a
contact date, but it's well worth it."

Accompanying Hill at the Philadelphia Convention Center was ARRL Education
and Technology Program <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/tbp/> teacher Jim Kuhl,
N2STK. Kuhl is a "Big Project" pilot program teacher at Central Square
Middle School in New York. "Jim was a big help," Hill said. "He's made an
ARISS contact before and had Amateur Radio right in his classroom. Having
him there lent tremendous credibility to the program."

During the NSTA gathering, more than 14,000 secondary school instructors
had a chance to learn about ARISS
<http://www.arrl.org/ARISS/arissfaq.html>, an international project with
participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA. Among other benefits, ARISS
provides an opportunity for students to talk directly with crew members of
the International Space Station (ISS)--a unique educational experience.
ARISS also is responsible for the Amateur Radio equipment at NA1SS, the
first permanent ham radio station in space onboard the ISS.

Hill said teachers he spoke with were very enthusiastic about the ARISS
program, especially once they realized that direct contact with the ISS
was a real possibility. "They get pretty excited at that point," he said.
"It just blows their minds."

==>IRAQI AMATEUR OPERATION REPORTED

The Daily DX <http://www.dailydx.com> this week reported that Jim
Dunkerton, KT4CK, of Tennessee, has been active from the Middle East on 15
meters SSB. On April 6, he was giving his location as somewhere in the
desert of the Middle East, but the following day, he was identifying as
YI/KT4CK and saying he was in the desert of Southern Iraq. The Daily DX
says that John Shelton, K1XN, has confirmed that Dunkerton is--or has
been--with the 101st Airborne, reported by CNN this week as being near
Karbala in Central Iraq.

Several stations have reported working or hearing YI/KT4CK between 1400
and 1600 UTC. SV1GRH spotted YI/KT4CK at 1438 UTC on April 7 on 21.312.5
MHz and noted that he was looking for US stations but, The Daily DX quoted
SV1GRH as saying that YI/KT4CK was not getting many replies.

Meanwhile, The Daily DX says Ed Giorgadze, 4L4FN, now is in the Middle
East after wrapping up his North Korean (P5) operation. He has been in
Turkey, very close to the Turkish/Iraqi border, for the last month and
awaits his next UN World Food Program assignment--which could be inside
war-torn Iraq.

==>HAM-ASTRONAUTS COMPLETE 6.5-HOUR SPACEWALK

US astronauts Ken Bowersox, KD5JBP, and Don Pettit, KD5MDT, this week
completed the second and final spacewalk of their International Space
Station duty tour. Cosmonaut and Flight engineer Nikolai Budarin, RV3FB,
assisted from inside the ISS during the "extra-vehicular activity" or EVA
on April 8.

NASA said the two Expedition 6 crew members were taking advantage of the
final days of a three-person presence on the ISS before a new, two-person
crew takes over. The Expedition 7 crew of cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko,
RK3DUP, and veteran NASA astronaut Ed Lu, KC5WKJ, is set to inhabit the
ISS starting next month.

During the spacewalk, which ran just under 6-1/2 hours, NASA says that
Bowersox, the Expedition 6 commander, and Pettit, the NASA ISS science
officer, "continued the external outfitting of the station and rerouted
power cables to two of the station's control moment gyros (CMGs)." The
CMGs provide orientation control for the ISS from the US segment. One CMG
failed almost a year ago, and the cable reconfiguration to the remaining
CMGs will prevent both from being disabled in the unlikely event a power
failure occurs.

NASA said the work included "a number of get-ahead tasks for future ISS
assembly." The grounding of the shuttle fleet is expected to affect the
ISS construction schedule. The EVA this week was the second for each
American, who managed separate and joint tasks.

Among other work during their EVA, Bowersox and Pettit finally
deployed--with some difficulty and the use of a hammer--a balky light
stanchion on the S1 truss that failed to unfurl during their previous
spacewalk in January. They installed a light on the stanchion to
illuminate the truss during future EVAs. With all of their scheduled tasks
completed, Bowersox and Pettit still had time left over to retrieve some
tools for future spacewalks from external locations before returning to
the ISS.

NASA reports that Malenchenko and Lu completed final mission preparations
before traveling to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan from their
training base in Star City, Russia. Once in Kazakhstan, they'll inspect
the Soyuz TMA-2 vehicle that will carry them into space April 26 to begin
a six-month ISS mission. It will mark the first time a primary ISS crew
has been transported to the space station using the Russian transporter.

Russian flight controllers were scheduled to fire the engines on a
Progress 10 cargo ship now docked to the ISS to raise the station's orbit
by 2.6 kilometers (1.6 miles).

==>LEAGUE PROMOTES LEAGUE MEMBERSHIP AT SUPERFEST 2003

ARRL representatives to Amateur Electronic Supply's annual SuperFest, held
April 4 and 5 at the company's Milwaukee store, promoted League membership
to the nearly 900 attendees. The League also weighed in during an April 3
meeting of the American Association of Radio Enthusiasts AARE
<http://www.aaregroup.org>, with an offer to help the fledgling
organization to get off the ground.

ARRL Sales and Marketing Manager Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV, said General
Counsel Christopher Imlay, W3KD, would assist AARE in preparing legal
documents necessary to bring the AARE into formal existence. The AARE was
established during an informal annual meeting of Amateur Radio
manufacturers held in conjunction with last year's AES Superfest.

A ham radio industry group, AARE aims to promote Amateur Radio and
emergency communications outside traditional amateur circles. The
nonprofit corporation also hopes to serve as a conduit for ham radio
equipment dealers and manufacturers to exchange ideas and work together on
projects. Its stated goal is to help ham radio grow and to double the
number of hams in five years. It's anticipated that AARE will hold
elections once the legal paperwork is in order. Its current president,
ICOM National Sales Manager Ray Novak, N9JA, has expressed confidence that
the organization will grow rapidly.

During SuperFest 2003, ARRL Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R,
assembled a special League exhibit as a platform to test membership
promotion ideas that nearly doubled the number of new and renewing members
compared with 2002's event. Representing ARRL in addition to
Motschenbacher and Inderbitzen were ARRL Central Division Director Dick
Isely, W9GIG, and ARRL Wisconsin Section Manager Don Michalski, W9IXG.

The ARRL exhibit included a continuous showing of the Amateur Radio Today
video.

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Propagation prognosticator Tad "Moment in the Sun" Cook, K7RA, Seattle,
Washington, reports: Sunspots and solar flux values dropped this week
after rising the week before. Average daily sunspot numbers were down
nearly 72 points, while average daily solar flux values were down nearly
21 points.

Solar flux is expected to drop below 100 by April 13. It should reach a
minimum of around 85 April 16-17. A solar flux value of 85 is
approximately equivalent to a nominal sunspot number of 28.7. Solar flux
at 70 or below is generally what you see when the sunspot count is zero.
For instance, for more than a month--from September 13 to October 20,
1996--the sunspot number was zero every day. Solar flux during this period
ranged from 66.4 to 70.

This was another week with active geomagnetic conditions, although the
planetary A index never went above 26. April 8 brought a brief G1-level
geomagnetic storm caused by solar wind. On April 10 Earth entered another
solar wind stream. Predicted planetary A index value for April 11 is 20,
followed by 15 for every day through April 19.

Sunspot numbers for April 3 through 9 were 154, 148, 94, 75, 77, 52 and
88, with a mean of 98.3. The 10.7-cm flux was 155.7, 165.5, 137.4, 125.9,
115.6, 112.3 and 109.4, with a mean of 131.7. Estimated planetary A
indices were 14, 26, 23, 9, 6, 20 and 25, with a mean of 17.6.

__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: The JIDX CW Contest, the QRP ARCI Spring QSO
Party, the EU Spring Sprint (SSB), the Georgia QSO Party, the 222 MHz
Spring Sprint and the UBA Spring Contest (SSB) are the weekend of April
12-13. JUST AHEAD: The YLRL DX to NA YL Contest (SSB) is April 16-18. The
Holyland DX Contest, the TARA Spring Wakeup PSK31 Rumble, the ES Open HF
Championship, the YU DX Contest, the GACW CW DX Contest, the EU Spring
Sprint (CW), the Michigan and Ontario QSO parties, and the 432 MHz Spring
Sprint are the weekend of April 19-20. The Low Power Spring Sprint is
April 21. The Harry Angel Memorial Sprint is April 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 Certification and Continuing Education course registration:
Registration for the ARRL Antenna Modeling (EC-004)
<http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> course opens Monday, April 14,
12:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time (0401 UTC). Registration will remain open
through Sunday, April 20. Class begins Tuesday, April 22. Those interested
in taking an ARRL Certification and Continuing Education (C-CE) course in
the future can sign up to be advised via e-mail in advance of registration
opportunities. To take advantage, send an e-mail to prereg@arrl.org
<mailto:prereg@arrl.org>;. On the subject line, indicate the course name or
number (eg, EC-00#) and the month you want to start the course. In the
message body, provide your name, call sign, and e-mail address. Please do
not send inquiries to this mailbox. To learn more, visit the ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education  <http://www.arrl.org/cce/>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
<mailto:hrobins@arrl.org>;.

* ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Classes to Start Tuesdays:
Effective immediately, all ARRL Certification and Continuing Education
Program (C-CE) classes will start Tuesday afternoons. "This represents a
change for the Antenna Modeling (EC-004), HF Digital Communications
(EC-005), Radio Frequency Interference (EC-006), Satellite Communications
(EC-007), and our upcoming VHF/UHF--Life Beyond the Repeater (EC-008)
courses," says ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Program
Coordinator Howard Robins, W1HSR. The ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency
Communications Courses (ARECC) Levels I-III classes began starting on
Tuesdays several months ago after they became grant-funded. Robins says
course registration will continue to open Mondays at 12:01 AM Eastern
Time. For more information, contact Certification and Continuing Education
Program Coordinator Howard Robins, W1HSR, hrobins@arrl.org.

* News story credits ham radio for aiding maritime rescue: According to a
recent New York Times news item attributed to Agence France-Presse,
unidentified ham radio operators picked up distress signals April 6 from a
114-foot missionary vessel that had experienced engine trouble during a
2000-mile journey from Kiritimati Island (also known as Christmas Island)
to Kiribati in Micronesia. The ship, with 64 passengers, reportedly had
run out of water and food and had begun drifting south of the equator. In
response to the distress call report, a nearby US Coast Guard icebreaker,
Polar Sea--which was returning from Antarctica to Arctic duty--was
dispatched and succeeded in finding the drifting vessel. Coast Guard
engineers reportedly repaired the engines and provided food and water for
the passengers and crew. One passenger was taken off the vessel for
medical treatment. The boat later proceeded under its own power to Tarawa.

* IARU admits three new member-societies: By vote of its member-societies,
the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) <http://www.iaru.org/> has
admitted three new members. The National Association Radioamateurs of
Georgia (NARG), the Federation of Radiosport of the Republic of Armenia
(FRRA), and the Vietnam Amateur Radio Club (VARC) officially joined IARU
on April 4. NARG was founded September 21, 2000. It has 156 licensed
members out of a total of 485 amateurs in the country. The NARG's
president is Mamuka Kordzakhia, 4L2M. FRRA was founded January 14, 1999,
and counts 84 of Armenia's 128 radio amateurs as members. Its president is
George Badalian, EK6GB. VARC was founded as a national organization in
July 2002 under the Vietnam Radio-Electronics Association. From February
1996 until July 2002 the VARC was chartered in the Ho Chi Minh City area.
Five of its members participated as observers in the 1997 Region 3
Conference in Beijing. The president of VARC is Eng. Nguyen Bac Ai,
XV2A/3W6AR. The IARU, founded in 1925, is a worldwide federation of
national Amateur Radio societies with members in 156 countries and
separate territories. In addition to joining the worldwide IARU, NARG and
FRRA become members of IARU Region 1 and VARC becomes a member of IARU
Region 3.--IARU news release

* Amateur Radio at the National Hurricane Conference: The 25th annual
National Hurricane Conference will be held April 14-18 in New Orleans at
the Hyatt Regency. Through the coordination efforts of Mike Carter, N3PDK,
there will be an Amateur Radio session Tuesday, April 15, 1:30 to 5:00 PM,
in the room "Regency G" on the third floor. Amateur Radio operators are
invited to attend this session at no cost and without having to register
for the conference. A panel of speakers will present the role of Amateur
Radio in hurricane-related communication with a specific focus on last
fall's operations during Hurricane Lili and Tropical Storm Isidore. ARRL
section leaders from the Gulf Coast region, representatives of the
Hurricane Watch Net and ARRL Headquarters will be among the participants.

* World Amateur Radio Day Award available: MK QTC, the journal of PZK, the
Polish Amateur Radio Union, has announced its World Amateur Radio Day 2003
Award. The award commemorates World Amateur Radio Day, celebrated by the
International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) each year on April 18. The theme
of World Amateur Radio Day 2003 is "Amateur Radio supporting technology
education in the classroom." The award is available for making 10 HF QSOs
or 5 VHF QSOs on April 18 UTC. A standard application form including a
list of QSOs must be sent before May 31 to Redakcja MK QTC, ul. Wielmozy
5b, 82-337 Suchacz-Zamek, Poland. Enclose $5 US or 5 Euro. SWLs are
eligible for the award. For more information, contact MK QTC
<qtc@post.pl>;.

===========================================================
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;
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The ARRL Letter offers a weekly e-mail digest of essential news of
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The ARRL Letter

The ARRL Letter offers a weekly summary of essential news of interest to active amateurs that is available in advance of publication in QST, our official journal. The ARRL Letter strives to be timely, accurate, concise and readable.

Much of the ARRL Letter content is also available in audio form in ARRL Audio News.

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Back issues published since 2000 are available on this page. If you wish to subscribe via e-mail, simply log on to the ARRL Web site, click on Edit Your Profile at the top, then click on Edit Email Subscriptions. Check the box next to The ARRL email newsletter, the ARRL Letter and you will receive each weekly issue in HTML format. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!): letter-dlvy@arrl.org

Editorial questions or comments: John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, at news@arrl.org.

Plain-Text

The ARRL E-Letter e-mail is also available in plain-text version:

Outlook Express

1. From the Inbox view, select the Tools menu and the Options selection.

2. Click the Read tab

3. Check the Read All Messages In Plain Text box.  When you open the e-mail, it will be in plain text without images. Other e-mail programs may be able to make a Mail Rule for e-mail received from the address memberlist@www.arrl.org so that the plain-text-only display is selected automatically.

Outlook 2007

Use the same procedure as for Outlook Express, although the global option is under "Tools/Trust Center/E-mail Security".

Thunderbird

Use the menu item "View/Message Body As/Plain Text" or "View/Message Source" options.

OS X Mail (Mac)

Use the "View/Message/Plain Text Alternative" menu item.

GMail

Use the "Message text garbled?" link in the drop-down menu at the upper right of the displayed message block. pine, alpine Set "prefer-plain-text" in your ~/.pinerc configuration file: feature-list=..., prefer-plain-text, ...

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