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ARRL Letter

 

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 23, No. 30
July 30, 2004
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +BPL to bite the dust in Penn Yan, New York
* +League asks FCC to clarify response to BPL complaint
* +Echo is on!
* +VECs mull question pools and restructuring
* +Fires keep Nevada ARES/RACES volunteers hopping
* +Time is tight for casual hamming by ISS crew
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF:
     This weekend on the radio
     ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
     Amateur Radio Emergency Communications course registration
     NARTE offering EMC seminar in September
    +California Historical Radio Society obtains late ARRL director's call
sign
    +Spoofing generates new round of spurious arrl.net e-mail messages

+Available on ARRL Audio News

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

==>BROADBAND PROVIDER TO DROP BPL IN NEW YORK TRIAL COMMUNITY

The broadband provider that's been testing BPL in the Village of Penn Yan,
New York, reportedly plans to "move away" from that technology. The
Western New York community of some 5000 residents has been considering
various proposals with Data Ventures (DVI) to offer broadband service. A
BPL trial has been underway in Penn Yan for several months. The village
reportedly would get 10 percent of the generated revenue. According to an
article in the July 28 edition of the Finger Lakes Times Online, DVI now
is proposing to employ wireless mesh "WiFi" technology instead of BPL.
ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, congratulated Penn Yan Mayor Douglas G.
Marchionda Jr and DVI for going with wireless broadband instead of BPL.

"Not only will your citizens receive better service, but a serious radio
spectrum pollution problem has been averted as well," Sumner said in a fax
to Marchionda and to DVI CEO Marc Burling. "We hope that other communities
will be able to profit from your experience." Sumner raised the issue of
interference complaints from the Penn Yan BPL trial with Marchionda last
April.

The Finger Lakes Times report quotes Burling as saying that his company
didn't feel BPL was "commercially deployable." He also cited issues with
the BPL trial including security concerns and interference--which will not
be an issue with the wireless system.

Burling told ARRL that the Penn Yan BPL system remains on line but would
be shut down once DVI starts deploying its wireless system. As for BPL,
"We are going to sit back and wait for an official ruling from the FCC and
go from there," Burling added.

Penn Yan already has rejected two DVI proposals to bring high-speed
Internet service to the community, the newspaper said. Village officials
reportedly met again with DVI representatives this week. DVI is partnering
with Nortel to offer the wireless service.

In a March 23 article "In This Power Play, High-Wire Act Riles Ham-Radio
Fans," Wall Street Journal reporter Ken Brown described a "firestorm" of
protest from amateurs when Penn Yan approved the BPL test plan.

ARRL also has learned that Energy East--a cooperative of New York State
Electric & Gas and Rochester Gas & Electric--decided against deploying BPL
in their Western New York service area. Energy East based its decision in
large part on the high levels of radio frequency interference an engineer
and company officials observed during a visit to the Penn Yan field trial.

On July 29, Grand Haven, Michigan, announced that it had become the first
community in the US to deploy a WiFi network
<http://www.ottawawireless.net/about-us/press-room.html> that blankets the
city and up to 15 miles off shore in Lake Michigan with broadband Internet
access.

For more information on BPL, visit the "Broadband Over Power Line (BPL)
and Amateur Radio" <http://www.arrl.org/bpl/> page on the ARRL Web site.

==>ARRL SEEKS CLARIFICATION OF FCC RESPONSE TO BPL INTERFERENCE COMPLAINT

The ARRL wants the FCC to further explain its recent response to a North
Carolina amateur's complaint of BPL interference. FCC Office of
Engineering and Technology (OET) Deputy Chief Bruce A. Franca replied July
22 to an April 27 BPL interference complaint from Thomas A. Brown, N4TAB,
of Wake Forest. Brown had complained of BPL interference to his amateur HF
mobile station emanating from a Progress Energy Corp (PEC) BPL field trial
in the Raleigh area. In his letter, copied to ARRL, Franca said an on-site
investigation had concluded that PEC's BPL trial "is in compliance" with
FCC rules and that the company's ham band notching efforts "are effective"
to avoid the potential for harmful interference. ARRL CEO David Sumner,
K1ZZ, however, cited evidence to the contrary.

"It is not at all clear that the tests and measurements taken by the FCC .
. . established the absence of harmful interference to licensed stations,"
Sumner responded July 22. He said the League would like the OET to make
its test report available to the general public or at least to the League
for technical review and comment. The ARRL also wants to know what steps
PEC took between April 27 and June 28--when the FCC began its testing--to
address interference complaints from Brown and several other radio
amateurs.

The FCC defines as "harmful" any interference that "seriously degrades,
obstructs or repeatedly interrupts a radiocommunication service operating
in accordance with the Radio Regulations."

According to Franca, FCC personnel "undertook extensive testing and
measurements" of the PEC BPL system between June 28 and July 2. The
complainant--Brown--says the FCC delegation never contacted him while it
was in North Carolina. Franca says FCC measurements indicated notch depths
averaging 24 dB below Part 15 emission limits, which he characterized as
"sufficient to eliminate any signals that would be deemed capable of
causing harmful interference, including interference to amateur
operations."

Franca maintained that "in no instances" were signal levels high enough to
"cause serious degradation, obstruction, or repeated interruption" of
amateur mobile or fixed communications. He conceded, however, that
notching on 10 meters was somewhat less effective at the low end of the
band and said the FCC would instruct PEC and its partner, Amperion, to
widen its notch there.

Sumner noted that the Part 15 device operators "must eliminate all harmful
interference, and therefore in some cases must achieve more--in certain
cases, considerably more--than a 24 dB reduction in order to be in
compliance." He also cited recent reports from amateurs in the area
indicating that strong BPL interference continues in parts of the PEC
trial zone.

Sumner told Franca that amateurs in the Raleigh area on July 17 and again
July 22 monitored a BPL signal "at full strength and causing harmful
interference" from 14.290 to 14.350 MHz. "Harmful interference" also was
reported in the first 100 kHz of 15 meters as well as on the WWV/WWVH
frequencies of 15.000 and 20.000 MHz and on several international
broadcasting bands.

"Even in the notched bands," Sumner said, "the interference was still
evident on ordinary amateur equipment." He said it's clear to ARRL that
the system's Holland Church Road site--where the most recent amateur
measurements were taken--is in violation of Part 15.

For his part, Brown--an engineer with considerable RF experience--said he
was glad the FCC finally took some action but found some of Franca's
assertions "very troubling." He told ARRL that his 14-page complaint cited
interference "sufficient to mask a weak signal," although it did not
register on his S meter. An active Amateur Radio Emergency Service
District Emergency Coordinator, Brown said it's not unusual to have to
copy similarly weak signals during an HF emergency net.

"I suspect the principal reason for their coming down here was to say
they've actually done something," Brown commented. He also worried that
the FCC was attempting to define a standard of "acceptable interference"
within the framework of what constitutes "harmful interference."

"If it interferes, it interferes," he maintained.

Sumner also requested that the FCC clarify some additional aspects of its
North Carolina testing and measurement activities.

"Until these points can be clarified," he concluded, "we trust that the
Commission will not permit its conclusion to be erroneously represented as
having given the Progress Energy trials a 'clean bill of health.'"

==>AMSAT "ECHO" SATELLITE OPENS FOR FM VOICE TRIAL RUN

AMSAT-NA's new "Echo" satellite (AO-51) has been turned on for general use
in FM repeat mode for a trial period of about three weeks. During that
time, command stations on Earth will monitor AO-51's power budget and
adjust the UHF Transmitter B (TX B) power as needed for good battery
management. They'll also be watching the AMSAT Bulletin Board e-mail
reflector, amsat-bb@amsat.org, for reports of how Echo is working.

"We are most interested in hearing about how well Echo hears you and how
well you hear it," said the Echo Command Team--Jim White, WD0E, and Mike
Kingery, KE4AZN--in an AMSAT bulletin. White and Kingery note that this is
a trial period of the FM voice repeater. The digital portion of Echo is
not yet open for use.

AMSAT Vice President for User Services Bruce Paige, KK5DO, says reports of
successful QSOs on Echo's first day of operation came from all over the
world, including the US, Brazil, New Zealand and Germany.

A Russian Dnepr LV rocket carried AO-51 and several other payloads into
orbit June 29 from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The 10-inch-square
microsat, circling some 800 km above Earth in a sun-synchronous orbit,
will permit voice communication using handheld transceivers.

The digital transponder and the store-and-forward BBS, are not yet open
for general use.

Initially, the AO-51 downlink transmitter was running at about 0.5 W. At
that power level, AMSAT says, Earth stations will need a small directional
antenna to hear it. If onboard power permits, ground controllers will
slowly increase the transmitter's output during the trial period.

The Echo FM voice uplink frequency is 145.920 MHz, and the downlink is
435.300 MHz. The downlink transmitter will come on when it hears an uplink
signal with a 67 Hz CTCSS (PL) tone for about 1 second, and it will stay
on for 10 seconds after that signal goes away. "This operation is just
like a terrestrial FM repeater with a 1 second 'kerchunk' filter and a 10
second hang time," AMSAT noted. Transmitter A (TX A), now sending
telemetry, generally will continue to operate on 435.150 MHz.

AMSAT points out that Echo, which launched June 29, is still "wobbling a
great deal," so the downlink polarization sense will vary.

The Echo Command Team says it expects Echo will be heavily used during the
first few days of the trial period. "It is good amateur practice and
common courtesy to let everyone have a chance," they said. "Echo will hear
you as well as or better than any previous amateur FM repeater satellite."

With hundreds of stations trying out AO-51, ground controllers say they
expect the transmitter will be on continuously when the spacecraft is over
populated areas.

The Echo satellite project is still some $8000 short of the $110,000 that
was needed to launch the spacecraft. AMSAT guaranteed the full fare by
borrowing from its dedicated funds, which now must be repaid. AMSAT--a
501(c)(3) organization--welcomes additional donations to bridge the
funding gap. Visit the AMSAT AO-Echo Web page for additional
details.--AMSAT News Service

==>VOLUNTEER EXAMINER COORDINATORS DISCUSS QUESTION POOLS, RESTRUCTURING

The size, scope and comprehension level of Amateur Radio examination
questions occupied much of the discussion as 11 of the nation's 14
Volunteer Examiner coordinators gathered this month in Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania. But those attending the National Conference of Volunteer
Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) annual meeting July 23 reached no firm
conclusions as they await FCC action on Amateur Radio restructuring. The
FCC's Bill Cross, W3TN, told the VECs that the Commission--with help from
some law school interns--is reviewing the approximately 6000 comments
filed on 18 petitions addressing the Morse code as an exam element and
Amateur Radio restructuring. Cross informed the VECs that a decision on
restructuring or the Morse code issue is not imminent.

"He indicated that some time will be necessary to review all the comments
to glean some consensus on the number of license classes, whether or not
to retain Morse code as a licensing requirement for HF operation, the
proposed auto-upgrading of certain license classes and what to call any
new beginner's license," said ARRL VEC Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ.

FCC Special Counsel for Enforcement Riley Hollingsworth told the VECs he's
"really aggravated" to still be dealing with enforcement issues resulting
from several 1999 examination sessions in Yucaipa, California "where VEs
apparently sold licenses." The situation occurred, Hollingsworth said,
because "VEC management was asleep at the wheel."

"It was a failure of imagination--a failure to think on the part of the
manager about what he was there for in the first place," said
Hollingsworth--borrowing a phrase from the recent 9/11 Commission report.
In the Yucaipa case, he said, several volunteer examiners signed off on
250 examinations in a 26-month period. Following a 2000 FCC audit into
exam sessions in Puerto Rico, Hollingsworth said, the FCC recalled 100
applicants for retesting, and only one showed up. Although Hollingsworth
did not identify the VEC, both the Yucaipa and Puerto Rico cases involved
the W5YI VEC, which referred the California exam session irregularities to
the FCC after investigating on its own. In Puerto Rico, the W5YI VEC
discontinued the services of all Puerto Rico VEs but those associated with
the Arecibo Observatory Amateur Radio Club after irregularities came to
light there.

"I can tell you that so far I have been a fan of the VEC program,"
Hollingsworth said. "But if we have one more case of the magnitude of the
Puerto Rico or Yucaipa cases, that's going to change fast." He pointed out
that the FCC does not have to accept the services of any given VEC, and he
said if any VECs are uncomfortable with taking responsibility for
oversight, following up and random reviews of their test sessions, they
can stop being VECs.

"You have an obligation to remain awake at the wheel, and the point is not
how fast or easily you can do your job, but how well you can do it." He
said today's applicants will determine the character of the Amateur Radio
Service in the future. "If your own VEs are running a license factory
right in front of you, we are going to hold you responsible."

Hollingsworth concluded by saying that he expects the VECs to "add
integrity to the process" and be vigilant to avoid future embarrassments
and problems.

Filling in for Question Pool Committee Chairman Scotty Neustadter, W4WW,
Jahnke reported on the past year's QPC activities, which included release
of a new General class (Element 3) examination pool. Jahnke repeated a
call for input to the Amateur Extra class (Element 4) syllabus, but he
noted that any Element 4 review may be suspended if and when the FCC
proceeds toward restructuring and establishment of a new beginner's
license.

Chosen to serve on the Question Pool Committee were Larry Pollock, NB5X,
of the W5YI VEC, Neustadter, Wiley and Jahnke. Wiley will chair the
committee.

ARRL Amateur Radio Education and Technology Program (ETP) Coordinator Mark
Spencer, WA8SME, wrapped up the conference with a presentation covering
youth initiatives, instruction, motivating teachers and schools, and
related ETP activities. He also displayed various project boards designed
for classroom use.

==>FIRES MAKE JULY A BUSY MONTH FOR NEVADA ARES VOLUNTEERS

Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers in Southern Nevada have
been assisting firefighters attempting to quell the so-called Robbers'
Fire. The 290-acre timber and brush blaze in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National
Forest some 36 miles northwest of Las Vegas has led authorities to close
at least three state highways. Earlier this month Nevada ARES volunteers
at the opposite end of the state assisted the American Red Cross during
the destructive Waterfall Fire.

"The activation of Clark County ARES/RACES continues for the Robbers' Fire
on Mount Charleston," said Southern Nevada District Emergency Coordinator
Glenn Hale, KB7REO, in a July 28 report to Nevada Section Manager Dick
Flanagan, K7VC. "It does appear that things are getting under control.
Clark County ARES/RACES will be active at least through the weekend
working 24 hour shifts."

Hale said that while ARES/RACES volunteers have handled some tactical
messages for supplies, their primary tasks have included programming and
issuing radios for firefighters as well as monitoring fire service radios.
He said an ARES Mutual Assistance Team (ARESMAT) request was implemented
to have Nye County ARES members assist if needed.

After the Waterfall Fire broke out in mid-July, Bruce Wade, NZ7A, the
American Red Cross disaster relief operation director, contacted Northern
Nevada District Emergency Coordinator Don Carlson, KQ6FM, seeking ARES
assistance.

"An evacuation center was being set up, and he wanted staffing for both
the evacuation center and at the Red Cross chapter headquarters in Reno,"
Carlson said. Amateurs were deployed at the chapter headquarters and at
the evacuation center in Carson City--the state's capital.

"In less than an hour from the initial call," Don Carlson said, "Amateur
Radio communication through ARES had been established, and messages were
beginning to pass between the two locations." Meanwhile, Washoe County EC
Doug Abramson, KA7FOO, put out a successful plea for operators via the
Western Nevada Noon Net.

"The operations continued as the fire raged out of control, coming
dangerously close to the state capital city itself," Carlson said. "At one
point the fire was about a quarter mile from the governor's mansion and a
local college."

The Carson City Sheriff's Office ordered evacuations, and by the evening
of July 15, hundreds of residents from communities west and northwest of
Carson City started arriving at the evacuation center--by then an official
Red Cross shelter. A second shelter opened the next day at a high school
in southern Washoe County and immediately got Amateur Radio support.

Carlson said the ARES activation continued until July 18. During the
four-day event, more than 35 amateur operators from three Northern Nevada
counties participated. The Waterfall Fire charred some 8700 acres and
destroyed more than a dozen homes. The ARES activation drew words of
praise from Wade on behalf of the Sierra Nevada Chapter, American Red
Cross.

"At all times your operators were on the ball and helped make the disaster
relief operation go much smoother," Wade wrote. "Because it took a long
time to get cell phones to all the our key people, many times you were the
only link between the headquarters and the shelters."

Carlson noted that many of the participating ARES volunteers had taken the
ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 1 course, and several
had completed Level 2. He said their performance during the fire
activation was testimony to their effectiveness.

==>ISS CREW SCHEDULE TIGHT FOR CASUAL HAMMING

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) says the ISS
Expedition 9 crew of Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, and Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, has
very limited time to pursue casual hamming from space.

"The ARISS program is fortunate to have another all-ham crew that is very
enthusiastic about talking to ground-based Amateur Radio operators," said
ARISS spokesperson Scott Stevens, N3ASA. "The ARISS team wants to remind
everyone that the crew is on a strict schedule, so the best time frame to
try contacting them is between 0800 and 1900 UTC." Chances are even better
during weekends, he added.

Fincke and Padalka both got on the air--from NA1SS and RS0ISS,
respectively--during ARRL Field Day in June, making some 60 contacts.
Fincke has also made some casual QSOs.

The ISS worldwide downlink frequency is 145.80 MHz. The FM voice uplink is
144.49 MHz in ITU Region 2 (which includes the Americas) and Region 3
(South Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Oceania), and it's 145.200 MHz for
Region 1 (Europe, the Middle East, Africa and North Asia.).

July 19 marked the midpoint of the Expedition 9 crew's six-month stay
aboard the ISS. Fincke and Padalka are set to return to Earth October 19.
Now preparing for an August 3 space walk, the crew this week packed
unneeded equipment and trash into the Progress supply vehicle, which was
scheduled to undock July 30. Undocking the Progress will clear the way for
the space walk.

The ARISS gear will be shut down during the space walk, starting at 0850
UTC on Monday, August 2. The radios should return to service approximately
0850 UTC on Wednesday, August 4.

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

==>SOLAR UPDATE

RA the Sun God Tad "Might As Well Be Walkin' on the Sun" Cook, K7RA,
Seattle, Washington, reports: Sunspot 652 has rotated out of view, but it
was the source of major excitement this week. Coronal mass ejections
caused big geomagnetic storms on Sunday and Tuesday, July 25 and 27. The
planetary A index was 122 on Sunday, 31 the next day and 162 on Tuesday.
This caused radio blackouts on the HF bands, but it provided some
excitement for 6-meter operators who reported great openings. The activity
was enhanced by a south-pointing interplanetary magnetic field, leaving
the Earth vulnerable to blasts of energy from the sun.

Over the next few days expect unsettled to active geomagnetic conditions,
and declining sunspot and solar flux numbers. Predicted planetary A index
for Friday through Monday, July 30 through August 2, is 30, 20, 20 and 8.
Predicted solar flux for the same period is 95, 90, 85 and 90. Solar flux
is expected to peak again at about 125 around August 14-18. More sunspot
activity is ahead, at least for the near term.

Sunspot numbers for July 22 through 28 were 117, 86, 109, 130, 113, 66 and
66, with a mean of 98.1. The 10.7 cm flux was 172.9, 165.1, 147.2, 156.2,
128, 118.1 and 100.7, with a mean of 141.2. Estimated planetary A indices
were 19, 47, 27, 122, 31, 162 and 14, with a mean of 60.3. Estimated
mid-latitude A indices were 13, 21, 29, 64, 26, 119 and 11, with a mean of
40.4.

__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: The RSGB RoPoCo 2 and the SARL HF Phone
Contest are August 1. The ARS Spartan Sprint is August 3. JUST AHEAD: The
North American QSO Party (CW), the ARRL UHF Contest, the TARA Grid Dip
Contest, the 10-10 International Summer Contest (SSB), National Lighthouse
Weekend QSO Contest and the European HF Championship are the weekend of
August 7-8. See the ARRL Contest Branch page
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/> and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar
<http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/> for more info.

* ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration:
Registration for the ARRL RFI (EC-006) and Antenna Design and Construction
(EC-009) courses remains open through Sunday, August 6. Classes begin
Tuesday, August 8. Antenna Design and Construction students will, among
other things, learn about basic dipoles and the ground planes and how to
assemble combinations of these into more complex antennas. Students also
learn about transmission lines, standing wave ratio, phased arrays and
Yagis. Students participating in the RFI course will learn to identify
various interference sources. To learn more, visit the ARRL Certification
and Continuing Education Web page <http://www.arrl.org/cce/> or contact
the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Program Department
<cce@arrl.org>;.

* Amateur Radio Emergency Communications course registration: Registration
for the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level I on-line course
(EC-001) opens Monday, August 2, 1201 AM EDT, and will remain open through
the August 7-8 weekend or until all available seats have been
filled--whichever comes first. Class begins Tuesday, August 17. Thanks to
our grant sponsor--the United Technologies Corporation--the $45
registration fee paid upon enrollment will be reimbursed after successful
completion of the course. During this registration period, seats are being
offered to ARRL members on a first-come, first-served basis. To learn
more, visit the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/cce>. For more information, contact Emergency
Communications Course Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG, dmiller@arrl.org;
860-594-0340; cce@arrl.org.

* NARTE offering EMC seminar in September: The National Association of
Radio and Telecommunications Engineers (NARTE) <http://www.narte.org/> is
hosting a professional-level electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) seminar
Wednesday, September 28, at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel, Milford,
Massachusetts (Exit 20 off I-495). The ARRL and NARTE have a Memorandum of
Understanding and share concerns related to interference issues. As a
result, NARTE is offering a special seminar discount rate of $440
(includes breakfast, lunch and lecture notebook) to ARRL members who
register by August 13 (after that date, the discount rate increases to
$535.) Seminar attendees will learn about EMC standards activities
including: RF emission measurements, special applications above 1 GHz,
compliance limit standards, standards cited by regulators, measurement
uncertainty approach, basic emission and immunity test procedures, and
test lab competency to ISO/IEC 17025. This course is primarily intended
for those responsible for determining EMC characteristics and compliance
of products with mandated and voluntary EMC standards. These individuals
would include product developers, test engineers and technicians, product
managers, regulatory compliance managers and test instrumentation
developers. ARRL Lab Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, and ARRL EMC/RFI Specialist
Mike Gruber, W1MG, plan to attend. Primary instructor for the seminar is
Don Heirman, of Don Heirman Consultants, a long-time chairman, expert and
contributor on national and international EMC standardization. A
registration form and more information are on the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/07/28/1/emcseminar92804arrl.pdf>,
or contact NARTE toll-free, 800-896-2783.

* California Historical Radio Society obtains late ARRL director's call
sign: The call sign of the late ARRL Pacific Division Director Jim
Maxwell, W6CF, will live on in memoriam, thanks to Maxwell's widow, Trudy,
KC6NAX, and the California Historical Radio Society (CHRS)
<http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/>. The club, which is restoring
the former KRE (AM 1400 kHz) radio studio in Berkeley as its headquarters
and as a vintage radio museum, will use W6CF for its amateur club station.
Trudy Maxwell, who assented to the call sign acquisition, also donated her
husband's extensive technical library to CHRS, and it has been moved to
the KRE location as the James Maxwell Memorial Radio Library and Archive.
Maxwell had an abiding interest in radio and electronics history, and Jim
and Trudy Maxwell spearheaded initial efforts at ARRL Headquarters to
catalogue documents from the League's early years (that work continues
under Archivist Perry Williams, W1UED). Maxwell died unexpectedly February
6, 2003, at the age of 69, after serving three years on the ARRL Board.
From 1994 until 2000, he was the Pacific Division Vice Director. The KRE
parking lot, front entrance and studio appeared in the 1973 movie American
Graffiti as the backdrop for the DJ Wolfman Jack sequences. An article,
"Northern California Radio Group Gets Classic Radio Station," by Mike
Adams, in the August issue of Antique Radio Classified
<http://www.antiqueradio.com/> details the CHRS restoration effort.--some
information provided by Bart Lee, KV6LEE, and Antique Radio Classified

* Spoofing generates new round of spurious arrl.net e-mail messages:
Recent e-mail messages purporting to be from "noreply@arrl.net," the
"ARRL.net Support Team" or some similar variation are not from the ARRL.
These messages are the result of a recent variant of a virus permeating
the Internet. ARRL has heard from members who have received e-mails
alleging that their ARRL E-Mail Forwarding Service (@arrl.net) address has
been used to send out spam and urging them to open an attachment to help
resolve the situation. Opening the attachment will infect the recipient's
computer. Outside of routine correspondence, the ARRL only sends e-mail to
members who request mailings, such as W1AW bulletins and The ARRL Letter,
and none of these are sent via the ARRL E-Mail Forwarding Service. As a
defense against these kinds of viruses, we recommend installing virus
protection software on all personal computers and updating it on a regular
basis.

===========================================================
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Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur Radio--225 Main
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* The QTH.net listserver, thanks to volunteers from the Boston Amateur
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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.

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, ...

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