ARRL

Register Account

Login Help

ARRL Letter

 

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 22, No. 43
October 31, 2003
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +Amateur Radio support continues in California Fire Disaster
* +ARRL petitions for review of FCC orders
* +Ditter II--the return of the Ditter
* +FCC sets aside former amateur's GMRS license
* +Former Indiana SM Peggy Coulter, W9JUJ, SK
* +Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF:
    +This weekend on the radio
     ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
     ARRL to sponsor ARECC/ARES seminar in Indiana
     Missouri clubs scare up Halloween special event
     AMSAT-NA seeks volunteers
     HAARP facility to quadruple power
     Newfoundland clubs establish VHF transatlantic beacon
     Radio Amateurs of Canada asks Industry Canada to drop Morse
requirement
     Ham radio operators get TV time in South Dakota

+Available on ARRL Audio News

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

==>AMATEUR RADIO SUPPORT CONTINUES IN CALIFORNIA FIRE DISASTER

Ham radio volunteers continue to play a role in the ongoing fire emergency
in Southern California. A dozen fires, some of them massive, now have
burned some 750,000 acres and claimed 20 lives, most of them in the
hard-hit San Diego area. Thousands of residents have been evacuated. ARRL
San Diego Section Manager Kent Tiburski, K6FQ, says a shift in winds has
moved the fire danger away from San Diego proper, but hams continue to
supplement communication at two of nine shelters in the area--one at
Mountain Empire and a second in Borrego Springs, where hams from Imperial
County have been assisting.

"We've been busy," Tiburski said October 29. "This is by far the worst
disaster we've ever experienced." He estimated that approximately 200
Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency
Service (RACES) volunteers have participated so far in the fire emergency
with about 100 in the field at any given time.

Tiburski says hams have been assisting American Red Cross relief efforts,
primarily in terms of logistics and working with damage assessment teams.
Others have provided liaison between the California Department of Forestry
and the Red Cross, which is providing meals and shelter for firefighters.
Nearly 13,000 firefighters and support personnel have been deployed in
California to battle the fires.

The fires have claimed nearly 1200 homes in San Diego County alone,
Tiburski reported, and burned some 450,000 acres. "Everybody I've talked
with--to a person--knows someone personally or knows of someone who has
lost a house," he said. Mount Palomar--home of the famous observatory--was
evacuated, Tiburski said, and firefighters were making a special effort to
protect telecommunications sites there as well.

Although the hot, dry Santa Ana winds have abated, Tiburski notes that a
stiff onshore breeze is now driving the fires to the east.

San Diego Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) Coordinator
Paul Cook, N6RPF, reports he and other SATERN members have been providing
communication assistance for The Salvation Army's relief efforts. They've
had help from other amateurs as well, he said.

At least a half-dozen Salvation Army emergency disaster services canteens
are providing meals to evacuees and firefighters. SATERN National Director
Pat McPherson, WW9E, said SATERN is keeping relief teams in contact with
each other as well as supporting communication for firefighters, police
and emergency responders.

Elsewhere in California, ARRL Orange Section Manager Carl Gardenias, WU6D,
says that Amateur Radio operators continue working with relief agencies in
that part of the state. "We actually have more Amateur Radio operators
available than the Red Cross shelters can use," he said. With ARES teams
and other ham radio volunteers from Riverside, San Bernardino and Orange
counties available, the hams have been able to rotate shifts.

"The intensity of these fires has never been at this level before,"
Gardenias said, comparing the current situation with fire emergencies in
the recent past.

At the Red Cross shelters--where more and more displaced people are
showing up--hams have been "shadowing" shelter managers, communicating
shelter supply requests, and helping with health-and-welfare inquiries for
shelter clients, Gardenias said. Amateur Radio also is serving to keep
shelters in touch with the Red Cross regional headquarters.

At least 1000 evacuees are taking refuge in a former TWA hangar at the San
Bernardino airport.

Amateur Radio SSTV equipment was being used to assist firefighters in San
Bernardino. The radio equipment and operators go out on the fire trucks
and report what they see back to the command center, Gardenias explained.

In the Los Angeles Section SM Phineas Icenbice, W6BF, reports the
Stevenson Ranch fires and Arrowhead are the "very hot spots," and
firefighting helicopters and crews are using water from nearby Magic
Mountain Amusement Park and from golf courses to help douse the flames.
Smoke was heavy October 29 in the San Fernando Valley where Icenbice
lives.

Amateur Radio operators also are assisting at Red Cross shelters in the
Los Angeles area as well as helping the relief agency to locate and
establish new shelters. Icenbice said the problem areas appear to be the
outer areas of Los Angeles County and in the mountains. Hams have been
helping to locate people left homeless because of the fires.

California Gov Gray Davis has declared states of emergency in five
counties. As this letter is prepared on October 31, cool and foggy weather
have helped to stall the wildfires' progress.--Steve Ewald, WV1X,
contributed information for this report

==>ARRL PETITIONS FOR REVIEW OF FCC ORDERS

The ARRL has filed a Petition for Review of two FCC orders that would
allow certification of unlicensed 24-GHz Part 15 equipment at field
strengths 10 times the level Part 15 rules now permit. The League
petitioned the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on
October 22. The ARRL is appealing a Report and Order (R&O), Amendment of
Part 15 of the Commission's Rules to allow Certification of Equipment in
the 24.05-24.25 GHz Band at Field Strengths up to 2500 mV/m, and a
Memorandum Opinion and Order (MO&O), Amendment of Part 15 of the
Commission's Rules to allow Certification of Equipment in the 24.05-24.25
GHz Band at Field Strengths up to 2500 mV/m. Through this proceeding, ET
Docket 98-156, and others, the ARRL has maintained that such high-powered
devices should be licensed.

"It is ARRL's contention that the Commission has no jurisdiction, pursuant
to §302(a) or otherwise, to authorize by rulemaking the operation of
unlicensed devices which have significant potential for interference to
licensed radio services," the League said in its petition. "Devices which
have a substantial interference potential to licensed radio services, such
as point to point microwave devices operating at 2500 mV/m at 24 GHz, must
be licensed."

The FCC turned down the ARRL's Petition for Reconsideration in the
proceeding this past summer. Taking the issue to the courts is the next
step in the ongoing battle.

Amateur Radio is primary at 24.0 to 24.05 GHz and secondary on the rest of
the band. The AO-40 satellite includes beacon, digital and analog
transmitters in the vicinity of 24.048 GHz. The entire 24.0-24.25 GHz band
is allocated for use by Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM)
equipment. In addition to Amateur Radio, the 24.05-24.25 segment is
allocated on a secondary basis for radiolocation in the Private Land
Mobile Radio Services and for Earth-exploration satellites.

In outlining its case, the ARRL said it will argue that the FCC
orders--the first in 2001 and the second this past summer--will allow
unlicensed operation of transmitters having substantial interference
potential to Amateur Radio licensees. "In allowing the operation of
unlicensed transmitters at the permitted power levels, the FCC has
exceeded its statutory authority" and, in doing so, has violated §301 of
the Communications Act, the League asserted.

The League said it intends to show that the FCC's decision was "arbitrary
and capricious" and contravenes the Administrative Procedure Act as well
as administrative and judicial precedent. The ARRL calls on the court to
"hold unlawful, vacate, enjoin, and set aside" the two orders, which allow
operation of fixed point-to-point transmitters as part of a high-speed
wireless Internet service or local area network.

The ARRL raised similar arguments regarding the FCC's Part 15 authority as
part of its efforts to combat a proposal by SAVI Technology--in ET Docket
01-278--to permit RF identification tags to operate as unlicensed Part 15
devices between 425 and 435 MHz. In that proceeding, the ARRL maintained
that the FCC lacks authority to permit the RFIDs to operate under Part 15
at the proposed field strengths and duty cycles.

In February 2002 the ARRL unsuccessfully petitioned the FCC to reconsider
and reverse a portion of the December 2001 R&O in ET-98-156. The League
contested the FCC's jurisdiction to authorize unlicensed operation of RF
devices that pose significant interference potential to licensed services,
and it asserted that such devices should be licensed. The FCC did not
agree on either count.

"We reject the assertion that there is a significant interference
potential from the unlicensed operation authorized in the Report and
Order," the FCC concluded in the MO&O released July 21. The FCC also said
the League failed to support its argument that the devices it authorized
should be disqualified from Part 15 unlicensed operation because they may
serve functions similar to those in deployed in licensed services.

The FCC MO&O reaffirmed its authorization to permit the Part 15 devices at
field strengths of up to 2.5 V per meter and noted its requirement to use
directional antennas. The ARRL had called the proposed power levels and
antenna gain figures--33 dBi--"entirely inappropriate for Part 15
unlicensed facilities."

==>

==>

==>DITTER II--THE RETURN OF THE DITTER

Some solid teamwork between the FCC and the ARRL and accurate
direction-finding led some Amateur Radio volunteers to the source of an
unidentified and continuous string of dits being transmitted without
identification on 14.024.8 MHz. The situation last week was eerily similar
to one more than three years ago, when another volunteer eventually
tracked down another "ditter"
<http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2000/07/28/2/> on the West Coast that
had plagued 20 meters. After receiving reports of the more recent signal,
ARRL Field and Regulatory Correspondent Chuck Skolaut, K0BOG, found he was
able to copy it from ARRL Headquarters. The ARRL called upon the FCC's HF
Direction Finding (HFDF) facility in Maryland to get a bearing on the
signal.

"Really aggravating," is how the HFDF facility's Betty Mallay, KL7AP,
described it. "Of course, it doesn't help when others try to 'dit-dit-dit'
along with it," she added wryly.

The HFDF facility was able to localize the signal's source to vicinity of
Houston, Texas. Skolaut then called on ARRL South Texas Official Observer
Coordinator Carl Griffin, KA5KQZ, to see if any of his volunteers had
direction-finding equipment that could pin it down.

Two of them--who prefer to remain anonymous--took on the challenge. Their
DFing led to a location in a Houston suburb that was within three miles of
where the FCC's HFDF facility said it would be.

As in the earlier case, "Ditter II" apparently had no idea his station was
transmitting. "I called him on the phone, and he went and checked the
station and it had something up against the keyer," one of the volunteers
said in his report to Griffin. "He was embarrassed." Left unanswered was
why the unidentified amateur's transmitter was powered up and ready to
transmit in the first place.

Complimenting the OOs on their quick work, South Texas Section Manager Ray
Taylor, N5NAV, took a philosophical view. "I monitored it several times
with about S7 signal," he said. "We all make mistakes at times."

==>FCC SETS ASIDE FORMER AMATEUR'S GMRS LICENSE

In the latest chapter in the continuing saga of former amateur licensee
Jack Gerritsen, ex-KG6IRO, of Bell, California, the FCC now has set aside
Gerritsen's General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) license. The FCC wrote
Gerritsen October 15 that the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau took the
action based on Gerritsen's alleged "continuing unlicensed operation and
complaints of deliberate interference from transmitters you operate."
Amateur Radio repeater operators in the Los Angeles area have complained
to the FCC that Gerritsen has been attempting to access their machines
using the ham radio call sign he'd held for about a week in 2001.
Gerritsen also held the GMRS call sign WPYR 527.

The FCC said Gerritsen's GMRS application has reverted to pending status,
the same as his Amateur Radio license application. FCC Special Counsel
Riley Hollingsworth told Gerritsen that the FCC will make the GMRS
application part of the record when it holds a hearing to determine if
Gerritsen is qualified to be a Commission licensee.

Hollingsworth reminded Gerritsen that he has no authority to operate radio
transmitting equipment and that such operation would be a violation of
§301 of the Communications Act of 1934. "We suggest you consult an
attorney in this matter," Hollingsworth concluded.

In August, the FCC warned Gerritsen to refrain from contacting Commission
personnel regarding the disposition of his Amateur Radio application. In
2001, the FCC set aside Gerritsen's ham ticket six days after granting it
after learning that he'd been convicted the previous year in state court
of interfering with Los Angeles Police Department radio transmissions. The
FCC also received complaints that Gerritsen had operated without a license
and caused malicious interference on amateur frequencies.

The FCC alleges that when Gerritsen was paroled after serving one year of
a five-year sentence, he resumed operating and caused deliberate
interference to numerous amateur repeaters in the Los Angeles area. In May
2002, Gerritsen was sentenced to three years in prison--with credit for
good behavior, work time and time already served--but he was released
early due to jail overcrowding, Hollingsworth told ARRL.

Hollingsworth said the FCC continues to investigate the amateur
interference allegations, but he recently expressed frustration that
Gerritsen was released from prison with no conditions or restrictions
"even regarding radio, which is what he was in there for in the first
place," he said.

Hollingsworth says the FCC also is looking into a complaint that two
stations in the Tidewater area of Virginia intentionally interfered with a
station in North Carolina. The FCC has written Jeffrey Polen, KR4IS, and
David Dunlap, KA4OEY, asking them to respond to the allegations by Cliff
Fox, KU4GW. Fox alleged that stations identifying as KR4IS and KA4OEY had
interfered with an ongoing communication he was having with a mobile
station on September 9 on 75 meters.

==>FORMER INDIANA SM PEGGY COULTER, W9JUJ, SK

Former Indiana Section Manager Peggy Coulter, W9JUJ, of Muncie, died
October 25. She was 83. Coulter served as Indiana SM for 12 years--from
1990 until 2002--and continued to hold field a field appointment as an
Official Relay Station.

Coulter was also very active in the ARRL National Traffic System and
served as Section Traffic Manager for 10 years as well as Ninth Region
Area Net manager. "Peggy was a super lady," remarked ARRL Field and
Educational Services Manager Rosalie White, K1STO, who said Coulter
enjoyed total respect from her constituents. "She was so energetic and
involved," White added, in expressing her sorrow at Coulter's death. A ham
since 1950, Coulter as an ARRL Life Member. She also was a life member of
the A1 Operator Club, the Quarter Century Wireless Association, the Young
Ladies Radio League and the Muncie Area Amateur Radio Club. She was named
Indiana Amateur of the Year in 1951 and in 1979.

A son and daughter are among her survivors. A service was held October 27.
Friends may submit condolences on-line <http://www.parsonmortuary.com/>.

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Solar swami Tad "Radio Blackout" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports:

Solar excitement continued this week. As this bulletin is being written
Thursday night, an extreme geomagnetic storm is in progress. The mid
latitude K index has been as high as 9, and severe space weather is
predicted for the short term. Average daily sunspot numbers more than
doubled this week to 201.4. Average daily solar flux was nearly double
that of the previous week at 249.

Average daily sunspot numbers for the week have not been this high since
the week of November 7-13, 2002, when it was 205.4. For solar flux, we go
back to the week of January 24-30, 2002 when the average daily solar flux
was 249.6.

On Friday, October 24, a coronal mass ejection swept by earth around 1500
UTC. The planetary K index went as high as 7, and aurora borealis was seen
as far as the southern United States. On Sunday, October 26 an X-class
solar flare at 0650 UTC was followed by another one twelve hours later at
1850 UTC. On October 28 one of the most powerful solar flares seen in many
years hurled a cloud of particles traveling 5 million miles per hour
toward earth. This triggered an S-3 class solar radiation storm, and the
next day the planetary A index shot up to 189, and mid-latitude A index
was 199. On that day, October 29, an intense geomagnetic storm raged in
response to a coronal mass ejection that hit earth around 0630 UTC.
Another powerful coronal mass ejection hit earth on October 30.

This weekend is the ARRL November CW Sweepstakes. Conditions could be good
if the geomagnetic disturbances cool down. Currently, the predicted
planetary A index for Friday through Monday, October 31 through November 3
is 100, 30, 15 and 15. The latest solar flux forecast for those same days
is 265, 260, 255 and 255.

Sunspot numbers for October 23 through 29 were 122, 160, 139, 191, 238,
230 and 330, with a mean of 201.4. 10.7 cm flux was 209.3, 190.6, 221.5,
298.3, 257.2, 274.4 and 291.7, with a mean of 249. Estimated planetary A
indices were 7, 34, 14, 10, 15, 20 and 189, with a mean of 41.3.


__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: The ARRL November Sweepstakes (CW), the North
American Collegiate ARC Championship (CW), the QRP ARCI Running of the QRP
Bulls, the IPA Contest (SSB), the High Speed Club CW Contest, the
Ukrainian DX Contest and the DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest are the weekend
of November 1-2. JUST AHEAD: The Worked All Europe (WAE) DX Contest
(RTTY), the Japan International DX Contest (SSB), the SARL Field Day
Contest, the OK/OM DX Contest (CW) and the Anatolian ATA PSK31 Contest are
the weekend of November 8-9. 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, November 3, 12:01 AM EDT (0501 UTC), for the on-line Level I
Emergency Communications course (EC-001). Registration remains open
through the November 8-9 weekend or until all available seats have been
filled--whichever comes first. Class begins Tuesday, November 18. 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 175 seats are being
offered to ARRL members on a first-come, first-served basis. Senior
amateurs are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity.
Those interested in taking an ARRL Certification and Continuing Education
(C-CE) course in the future can sign up to receive advance notification of
registration opportunities. To take advantage, send an e-mail to
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 Web page <http://www.arrl.org/cce> and the C-CE Links
found there. For more information, contact Emergency Communications Course
Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG, <dmiller@arrl.org>;; 860-594-0340.

* ARRL to sponsor ARECC/ARES seminar in Indiana: The ARRL will offer a
free Amateur Radio Emergency Communications seminar Friday, November 14,
in conjunction with the Fort Wayne Hamfest & Computer Expo
<http://www.fortwaynehamfest.com/>. The seminar will not include the Level
I course itself. This program will detail the duties of all Amateur Radio
Emergency Communications Course participants and how their volunteer
efforts are essential to the ARES field organization. Senior citizens are
strongly encouraged to participate. ARRL Emergency Communications Course
Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG, says the seminar will emphasize using lessons
learned to effectively move Amateur Radio emergency communications to the
next level. All ARES volunteers, ARECC course participants and field
organization leadership are invited. Course participants are urged to
share their experiences. ARRL field organization leadership also is
invited to join in the brainstorming. The seminar will be held Friday,
November 14, 1 to 5 PM, at the Turnstone Center
<http://www.acarts.com/images/tstone.jpg>, 3320 North Clinton Street, Fort
Wayne. Seating may be limited. Those planning to attend should contact Dan
Miller, K3UFG, k3ufg@arrl.org; 860-594-0340; fax 860-594-0259 at ARRL
Headquarters. Seminar attendance does not include admission to the
convention.

* Missouri clubs scare up Halloween special event: The Mid-Missouri
Amateur Radio Club <http://www.mmccs.com/mmarc> and the Warrensburg Area
Amateur Radio Club <http://waarci.homestead.com/> will sponsor a Halloween
special event "FunXpedition" to Frankenstein, Missouri. Special event W0O
(as in "Woooooo!") will be on the air from approximately 2100 UTC October
31 until approximately 1500 UTC November 1. The operation will be by
several stations at two locations in Frankenstein, CW and SSB, on or about
3.545, 3.700, 3.963, 3.943, 7.045, 7.125, 7.233 and 7.245, 10.110 and
10.125, 14.030, 14.045, 14.312 and 14.330, 21.045, 21.150, 21.345, 21.378,
28.045, 28.200, 28345 and 28.378 MHz. All stations worked will receive a
QSL.

* AMSAT-NA seeks volunteers: AMSAT-NA is seeking applicants to fill two
volunteer positions: (1) AMSAT Journal editor starting with the January
/February 2004 issue. Applicants should have expertise in the layout of
articles--particularly with Adobe Pagemaker. The journal publishes every
two months and, on average, the Journal editor spends about 80 hours per
issue. A solid working knowledge of English is essential, together with a
high-speed Internet connection. (2) AMSAT marketing director to assist in
all aspects of marketing AMSAT-NA. The first task involves development of
an OSCAR Echo launch fund campaign. AMSAT-NA must raise $110,000, says
AMSAT-NA President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH. Candidates should possess
advertising and marketing skills and be able to easily communicate via
e-mail and fax. Contact Haighton, ve3frh@amsat.org, for more information.

* HAARP facility to quadruple power: Technical Specialist Richard Lampe,
KL1DA, represented the League at the 2003 High Frequency Active Auroral
Research Project (HAARP) <http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/> RFI meeting
September 24 at the HAARP site near Gakona, Alaska. "Joint funding through
DARPA will allow HAARP to quadruple in size from its current 960 kW output
to 3.6 MW," Lampe says. "When completed in 2006, HAARP will then be the
premier ionospheric research facility with beam-steering capabilities that
other similar arrays worldwide don't have." Under terms of its
experimental license, HAARP must transmit on a non-interference basis, and
Lampe--who is ARRL liaison to HAARP--says the staff at the control center
immediately shut down the transmitters when harmonics were detected on
75/80 meters during experiments last year. "Alaska hams monitor the bands
and aid HAARP engineers by reporting RFI issues as soon as they happen,"
Lampe said.

* Newfoundland clubs establish VHF transatlantic beacon: The Marconi Radio
Club of Newfoundland <http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~jcraig/mrcn.html> and the
Baccalieu Amateur Radio Club of Carbonear have placed a VHF transatlantic
beacon on the air. The VO1ZA beacon transmits on 144.400 MHz. "This beacon
has been brewing for a number of years and we're happy it's finally on the
air," said Joe Craig, VO1NA, who built the exciter board and the CW IDer.
The transmitter runs 250 W and the power amp previously served the VE1SMU
beacon. The antenna is an 11-element Cushcraft Yagi fed with half-inch
hardline. The repeater site, in the town of Carbonear, is in the middle of
a large field at a turkey farm with a clear view of the North Atlantic
Ocean through the mouth of Conception Bay on the southeastern coast of
Newfoundland. The antenna is at about 300 feet above sea level. Amateur
stations hearing this beacon are asked to report to Joe Craig, VO1NA,
vo1na@rac.ca, describing in detail what they copied.

* Radio Amateurs of Canada asks Industry Canada to drop Morse requirement:
At the 21st Industry Canada-Radio Amateurs of Canada Amateur Radio
Advisory Board meeting October 23 in Ottawa, RAC presented its
Board-approved recommendation to drop Morse code as an Amateur Radio
qualification requirement. Other topics raised at the session included
options for consideration related to four-character call sign suffixes;
RACs submission to the Committee on the National Antenna Tower Policy
Review; and RAC's efforts to bring more young people into Amateur Radio
through the RAC Youth Education Program, which was introduced and
discussed. Industry Canada invited RAC to submit detailed proposals on
dropping Morse code and the use of four-character call signs. Industry
Canada expressed appreciation to RAC for its prompt and comprehensive
response to the department's request for input on significant changes to
regulations arising out of the WRC-2003 decisions. Representing RAC was
President Bill Gillis, VE1WG, Vice President-Regulatory Affairs Jim Dean,
VE3IQ, and directors David Nimmo, VE1NN, and BJ Madsen, VE5FX.

* Ham radio operators get TV time in South Dakota: Ham radio operators in
South Dakota will be featured during an upcoming segment of the South
Dakota Public Television program "Dakota Life." The show will highlight
how local hams have contributed during emergencies. It will air November
6, 8 PM Central/7 PM Mountain Time. Reruns are scheduled for November 9, 1
PM Central/noon Mountain Time and November 25, 9:30 PM Central/8:30 PM
Mountain Time. Visit the South Dakota Public Broadcasting Web site for
more information <http://www.sdpb.org/>.

===========================================================
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. 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/>. You'll have an opportunity during
registration to sign up for e-mail delivery of The ARRL Letter, W1AW
bulletins, and other material. To change these selections--including
delivery of The ARRL Letter--registered members should click on the
"Member Data Page" link (in the Members Only box). Click on "Modify
membership data," check or uncheck the appropriate boxes and/or change
your e-mail address if necessary. (Check "Temporarily disable all
automatically sent email" to temporarily stop all e-mail deliveries.)
Then, click on "Submit modification" to make selections effective. (NOTE:
HQ staff members cannot change your e-mail delivery address. You must do
this yourself via the Members Only Web Site.)

The ARRL Letter also is available to all, free of charge, from these
sources:

* ARRLWeb <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/>. (NOTE: The ARRL Letter will
be posted each Friday when it is distributed via e-mail.)

* The QTH.net listserver, thanks to volunteers from the Boston Amateur
Radio Club: Visit Mailing Lists@QTH.Net
<http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/letter-list>. (NOTE: The ARRL
cannot assist subscribers who receive The ARRL Letter via this
listserver.)

 

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.

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.

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, ...

EXPLORE ARRL

Instragram     Facebook     Twitter     YouTube     LinkedIn