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ARRL Letter

 

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 23, No. 39
October 1, 2004
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +North Carolina utility shuts down BPL trial
* +Amateur Radio volunteers confront fourth hurricane in six weeks
* +ARISS logs two firsts during school group contact
* +ARRL member to head radiocommunication relief mission to Haiti
* +Get ready for JOTA 2004
* +Federal employees can designate CFC pledges to ARRL
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF:
     This weekend on the radio
     ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
     Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course registration
    +MARS members asked to assist in hurricane health-and-welfare traffic
    +Saudi Arabia's HZ1AB is history
     Amateur microsat model on display at Smithsonian
     Supreme Court case involves radio amateur but not amateur antennas
     Santa Clara Valley gets new Section Manager
     UK amateurs poised to get bigger 40-meter band

+Available on ARRL Audio News

===========================================================
NOTE: To accommodate travel schedules, The ARRL Letter and ARRL Audio News
for Friday, October 8, will be distributed a day early. The Solar Update
will be available via the ARRL Web site and as a W1AW bulletin.
===========================================================

==>NORTH CAROLINA UTILITY DECOMMISSIONING BPL FIELD TRIAL

Progress Energy Corporation (PEC) this week shut down its BPL field trial
in the Raleigh, North Carolina, area and began removing system hardware.
The utility's action came just as local amateur Tom Brown, N4TAB, had
filed a "Response and Further Complaint" about the system. His filing
disputes an FCC determination this summer that PEC's BPL system complied
with Part 15 rules--with notched BPL emissions averaging 24 dB below Part
15 emission limits--and that ham band notching was "effective." Brown, who
has an extensive background in RF engineering, says the FCC's findings
have nothing to do with defining--or excusing--harmful interference.

"I can find no reference that states that equipment operating under Part
15 with an emission level below some specified value is defined as being
'non interfering,'" Brown told Bruce Franca of the FCC's Office of
Engineering and Technology. Franca's July 22 report characterized the 24
dB average notch depths as "sufficient to eliminate any signals that would
be deemed capable of causing harmful interference, including interference
to amateur operations."

Brown disagreed. "This is a subjective leap of judgment that is
unsupported under Part 15 rules and without precedent," he responded. BPL
proponents have touted the FCC's conclusions in the Progress Energy field
trials to debunk findings by the ARRL and others that the technology can
and does generate harmful interference. The ARRL also took issue with
certain claims Franca made in his July 22 letter, but the Commission has
yet to respond.

Brown, who also asked the FCC to shut down the system, now has gotten his
wish. The utility announced nearly two months ago that it had
"successfully" completed Phase 2 of its BPL trial and would be
terminatiing the operation. At the same time, Progress indicated that it
"does not have plans for a large-scale commercial rollout of BPL in the
company's service territories." PEC has since backed away from that
statement and says it has not ruled out BPL.

Speaking at the United Power Line Council (UPLC) BPL conference in
mid-September, PEC's Matt Oja said that that while the utility had worked
with local amateurs to successfully quell interference, the amateurs kept
raising the bar until Progress had to put its foot down. Even after the
FCC study that essentially gave the system a clean bill of health, Oja
said, the amateurs still were unhappy.

Oja suggested that radio amateurs would never be happy about BPL, and he
advised utilities to simply move forward with their BPL programs.

Responding to Oja's comments--as reported in the newsletter BPL
Today--another amateur directly involved in the Progress Energy BPL field
trials, Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, offered a somewhat different version of
events.

"The only bar Progress Energy and Amperion need to meet is the one set by
Part 15," Pearce said. "No harmful interference to licensed services."
Amperion, PEC's BPL partner, ultimately was only partially successful in
"notching" amateur frequencies out of its BPL system, Pearce noted, and
interfering signals remained even after Progress announced it was ending
its BPL field trial. Pearce said the utility gave the amateur community
"no confidence in their ability to get it right in any reasonable time
frame."

Amperion Marketing Vice President Jeff Tolnar told the same BPL conference
that "all ARRL complaints have been mitigated and/or found to be invalid."


Franca, who also addressed the UPLC BPL convention, was quoted this week
in USA Today as saying that the FCC has tried to come up with rules to
ensure BPL can be deployed and that licensed radio operators are
protected. But, the article by Paul Davidson continued: "Banning power
companies from ham-radio bands outright could reduce the download speeds
of the high-speed Internet service or limit the number of customers who
could be served, Franca says."

A copy of Brown's filing also went to FCC Chairman Michael K Powell's
Legal Assistant Sheryl Wilkerson, with whom ARRL officials met this week
on the BPL proceeding, ET Docket 04-37. ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay,
W3KD, said that one of Wilkerson's "many misconceptions" was that actions
such as notching by BPL systems to resolve interference have been
successful.

The FCC is expected to consider a draft Report and Order in the BPL
proceeding when the full Commission meets Thursday, October 14.--Anthony
E. "Goody" Good, K3NG, provided information for this report

==>STORM-WEARY AMATEUR RADIO VOLUNTEERS CONFRONT HURRICANE'S AFTERMATH

Amateur Radio this past week once again was part of a storm relief and
recovery effort in the wake of Hurricane Jeanne--the fourth storm in six
weeks to hit Florida. Jeanne made landfall September 25 some 5 miles
southeast of Stuart--not far from where Hurricane Frances struck September
5. Authorities blamed the storm--a Category 3 hurricane with 120 MPH
winds--for at least six deaths, and the state was declared a major
disaster area. The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) <http://www.hwn.org/>--whose
members tracked the storm up through the Caribbean--wrapped up three full
days of communication support September 26.

"Since the wind field was much larger than Frances', Jeanne knocked out
recently restored power to much of east and central Florida quite early
and easily," said HWN Assistant Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV. He noted
that since debris cleaned up after Hurricane Frances had not yet been
picked up, Hurricane Jeanne had an "abundance of projectiles" at her
disposal.

Other reports indicated that after Frances denuded much of the region's
vegetation, Jeanne came along and tore off roofs, then dumped heavy rain
into the vulnerable houses and buildings. The storm disrupted conventional
telecommunications and left some 2.5 million homes without electrical
power.

Over the storm's course, HWN members received reports throughout the
northwestern Bahamas and eastern and central Florida. Many areas of the
Bahamas also were still recovering from Hurricane Frances. As Marti Brown,
KF4TRG/C6A, reported to the HWN: "Let me tell you that this storm was
virtual hell."

During severe storms, the HWN works hand-in-hand with WX4NHC
<http://www.wx4nhc.org/> at the National Hurricane Center in Miami to
gather ground-level weather data and damage reports from Amateur Radio
volunteers in a storm's path. The net relays these to forecasters via
WX4NHC, which regularly checks into the net and also disseminates weather
updates.

Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers were at the ready before
Hurricane Jeanne arrived, supplementing communication at emergency
operations centers and shelters set up for evacuees. ARRL Southern Florida
Section Emergency Coordinator Jim Goldsberry, KD4GR, said Indian River
County appeared to be the hardest hit. ARES teams in Palm Beach, Martin,
St Lucie, Brevard and Indian River counties also assisted American Red
Cross and Salvation Army relief and damage assessment efforts.

Northern Florida SEC Nils Millergren, WA4NDA, reported that operators
handled shelter duty in Flagler, Orange, Seminole, Lake and Volusia
counties.

The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) on 14.265 MHz
handled health-and-welfare traffic in the aftermath of the storm on the
air and via its Web site. Special sessions of the Southern Florida ARES
Net were called up on 7242 kHz.

August and September have seen unprecedented activity, said the HWN's
Graves, who thanked all stations that participated in the recent
activation. Noting that four major tropical storms have not struck the
same state in the same year since 1886, Grave said, "Let us hope and pray
that record is not broken this year."

==>ARISS LOGS TWO "FIRSTS" IN AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL CONTACT

The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program
marked two "firsts" during a September 23 school group contact with
students from an elementary school in Australia. The QSO with youngsters
from Kilburn Primary School was the first using the ARISS Phase 2 radio
gear aboard the ISS and the first in which an attempt was made to provide
contact audio worldwide via IRLP (Internet Radio Linking Project) nodes.
NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, took the controls of the
NA1SS Kenwood TS-D700 transceiver in the crew quarters for the occasion.
Responding to one youngster's question, Fincke described an ultrasound
experiment that he and Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, have
been running during their tour of duty.

"Ultrasound uses sound waves to look inside people's bodies," he
explained, "and we can see how our bodies have changed because we've been
exposed to this weightlessness--this microgravity--for a long time."
Fincke said he and Padalka already have noted some changes. "By being able
to tell how our bodies change in microgravity, we can figure out how to
keep us healthy and strong, so that when we go to the moon and Mars, we'll
be ready for it."

Fincke also fielded questions about how the ISS gets its electrical power,
sleeping in space, the ISS' onboard environment, space walks, how Earth
and the moon look from space and--of course--space food.

The Kilburn students were guests of the Investigator Science and
Technology Centre in Adelaide for the occasion, and 13 of them got to ask
Fincke questions about life in space before the ISS went out of range.
Serving as the Earth station for the contact was Nancy Rocheleau, WH6PN,
in Honolulu. An MCI-donated teleconferencing circuit provided two-way
audio to the students. ARISS veteran Tony Hutchison, VK5ZAI, assisted at
the Investigator Centre.

Members of the Halifax Amateur Radio Club in Nova Scotia undertook the
IRLP experiment, which had limited success. ARISS International Chairman
Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, said he'd like the program to explore future
opportunities to make ARISS school group contacts available to other
schools and the general ham radio population. One major issue this time
was the presence of timers on IRLP systems.

ISS crews have used the Phase 1 Ericcson handheld VHF radio for the 146
previous ARISS school group contacts. The Phase 2 station was not expected
to be used for a school group contact until the Expedition 10 crew arrives
later this month.

ARISS <http://www.rac.ca/ariss/> is an international educational outreach
with US participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA.

==>RADIO AMATEUR TO SPEARHEAD DERA RELIEF MISSION TO HAITI

An ARRL member from Florida, Catherine Lawhun, KG4UKI, is heading to Haiti
with a small team to provide communication support for the relief effort
in the flood-ravaged city of Gonaives. The Disaster Preparedness and
Emergency Response Association (DERA) <http://www.disasters.org/> is
sponsoring the project. Lawhun says she recognizes that while
storm-stricken communities in the US also need help in recovering, the
need in Haiti is especially urgent.

"Haiti is really in trouble," Lawhun said recounting DERA's rationale for
making Haiti a priority. "The US is probably going to recover. We have the
resources. Haiti might not."

While plans remain in flux, Lawhun says she'll fly to Haiti October 5 with
an Icom IC-706MkIIG HF/VHF/UHF transceiver to establish an HF link to the
US from Gonaives. The project still needs donations of General Mobile
Radio Service (GMRS) portables--which Lawhun's small team will transport
to Haiti--and Amateur Radio operators to serve as HF liaison stations in
the US.

Relief workers and medical personnel in the still-flooded city and at a
newly opened health center will use the GMRS transceivers to keep in touch
with her and with each other. The HF link will permit Lawhun to
communicate back to the US regarding the situation and any equipment or
supply needs. Doctors Without Borders is part of the relief effort in
Haiti.

"As many handheld devices as we can carry in can be given out to doctors
on the ground in the affected city," Lawhun said in an appeal for both
radios and cash donations on the DERA Special Projects Web site
<http://www.manywaters.org/haiti.htm>. The page contains a link to a
signup form for anyone wishing to volunteer for daily HF monitoring
shifts. "The need is huge. Please get involved!"

Many Waters Resource Network will provide free FedEx shipment of GMRS
units and batteries, she said, and donors can email teams@many-waters.com
to request the shipping information. The Special Projects Web site
includes plan details and a "Make a Donation" button for cash
contributions. Donors also may send checks to DERA c/o Haiti Relief
Support, 11445 Honey Jordan Pt, Inglis, FL 34449.

"When recovery is completed for the current disaster, the communications
station will remain on the island," said Lawhun, a radio amateur for about
five years. "This will give the entire island a leg up in the event of any
future catastrophes and establish a working relationship between DERA and
the entire network of missions currently active on the island."

Lawhun, who edits DERA's newsletter, also is a member of The Salvation
Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) and serves as DERA's SATERN
liaison.

While the DERA project initially had hoped to use local Amateur Radio
operators with VHF handhelds, Lawhun says she found few ham radio
operators in Haiti who were willing to risk entering the city, which not
only is ravaged by floodwaters but by disease and looting. She still hopes
that Amateur Radio emergency communication resources can be developed in
Haiti for future disasters.

"I'm one of those people who has just enough faith to get me in trouble,"
Lawhun quipped. "So, I decided that I would pursue this as long as doors
would open, and, lo and behold, they are, so here I am."

A wall of water and mud resulting from then-Tropical Storm Jeanne
inundated much of Gonaives September 18 as it lingered over the island of
Hispaniola for more than a day, dumping heavy rain. The densely populated
city of some 200,000 was the most severely affected region in Haiti. As of
this week, the death toll was nearly 1300, and hundreds more are still
missing.

==>JAMBOREE ON THE AIR (JOTA) 2004 IS OCTOBER 16-17

The 47th Jamboree On The Air (JOTA) takes place October 16-17. Details on
JOTA also appear in September QST, page 104. JOTA is an annual event in
which Boy and Girl Scouts and Guides from all over the world speak to each
other via Amateur Radio to share experiences and ideas. Since 1958, when
the first Jamboree On The Air was held, millions of Scouts have become
acquainted through this event.

Amateur Radio clubs and individual licensees make it possible for Scouts
to get on the air, and your club is invited to be a part of JOTA 2004. If
your club is planning a JOTA activity, register it on the ARRL Youth Skeds
Database page <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/youthskeds/>. There,
youngsters and parents can search for scheduled on-the-air activities in
which to participate. You also can contact your local Boy Scouts of
America Council <http://www.scouting.org/nav/enter.jsp?s=xx&c=lc> and let
it know that you're planning a JOTA activity.

With assistance from ARRL HQ staff members, Education and Technology
Program Coordinator Mark Spencer, WA8SME, will operate Maxim Memorial
Station W1AW on Saturday, October 16, for JOTA. "This year the focus will
be on achieving the radio merit badge," he noted. Spencer has set up a
program that should allow Scouts participating at W1AW to walk away from
the JOTA experience with the merit badge, "with some preparation and a
little homework on the Scout's part," he added.

ARRL staffer Larry Wolfgang, WR1B--a veteran Scout leader--will be setting
up a station at the Mohegan District Fall Camporee at Waterford Beach in
Connecticut. "We will be operating WA1BSA," Wolfgang said, adding that
he's expecting some 400 to 500 Scouts to turn out for the campout.

The ARRL New Hampshire Section, the New Hampshire Amateur Radio Service
Club (WB1BSA) and the Lawrence L. Lee Scouting Museum
<http://www.scoutingmuseum.org/> have announced that the Max I. Silber
Memorial Station will be on the air during JOTA 2004 using special event
call sign N1S--primarily using SSB and SSTV on 20 and 40 meters.

Scouts and scouters worldwide also can participate in JOTA via Internet
Radio Linking Project (IRLP) Reflector 9205. There's more information on
the IRLP Web site <http://www.irlp.net/>.

If you hear any participating JOTA stations on the air, be sure to make a
contact--and don't forget to QSL. There's more information about JOTA on
the Web <http://www.scouting.org/international/jota.html> and
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/jota.html>.

==>FEDERAL EMPLOYEES CAN DONATE TO ARRL THROUGH COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN

Employees of the US government can designate their Combined Federal
Campaign (CFC) pledges to the ARRL. (The League is CFC No 9872.) Federal
employees who participate in the CFC can donate all or part of their CFC
contribution to the League to support ARRL's efforts on behalf of Amateur
Radio. Some private-sector employers also match donations their employees
make to ARRL, while others will donate to the League if you volunteer your
time--as an Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteer, for example.


"ExxonMobil gives ARRL a donation of $500 for every 25 hours that I
volunteer for ARES activities, including training, exercises and
preparation--with a max of $2000 per year," says ARRL member Alan
Isaachsen, KB2WF. ARRL is a qualifying §501(c)(3) organization, and
contributions may be tax deductible for both employer and employee.

To learn how to donate to various ARRL funds, visit the Support Amateur
Radio and ARRL Web page <http://www.arrl.org/development/#top>. For
additional information, contact ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary
Hobart, K1MMH, mhobart@arrl.org; 860-594-0397; fax 860-594-0259.--thanks
to Alan Isaachsen, KB2WF, and Walt Dubose, K5YFW

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Sunspot seeker Tad "You Are My Sunshine" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington,
reports: The sun was quiet this week. Average daily sunspot numbers fell
by more than 31 points to 20.9, and average daily solar flux declined by
more than 11 points from last week to 89.7.

Geomagnetic conditions were very stable, and conditions for the near term
look the same, but with a slowly increasing solar flux and sunspot
numbers: 90 is the predicted solar flux for October 1-2, 95 for October
3-4 and surpassing 200 around October 7. Quiet geomagnetic conditions
should prevail over the next two days, with a rise to only slightly
unsettled conditions for October 3-5.

Sunspot numbers for September 23 through 29 were 19, 15, 24, 22, 22, 22
and 22, with a mean of 20.9. The 10.7 cm flux was 90.2, 89.4, 89.5, 89.5,
89.8, 89.9 and 89.8, with a mean of 89.7. Estimated planetary A indices
were 12, 6, 5, 4, 5, 8 and 5, with a mean of 6.4. Estimated mid-latitude A
indices were 10, 5, 2, 2, 2, 5 and 3, with a mean of 4.1.

__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: The TARA PSK Rumble, the Oceania DX Contest
(SSB), the EU Autumn Sprint (SSB), the California QSO Party, the UBA ON
Contest (SSB), the RSGB 21/28 MHz Contest (SSB) and the German Telegraphy
Contest are the weekend of October 3-4. The ARS Spartan Sprint is October
5, the 432 MHz Fall Sprint is October 6 and the SARL 80-Meter QSO Party is
October 7. JUST AHEAD: The Pennsylvania QSO Party, the YLRL Anniversary
Party (CW), the Makrothen RTTY Contest, the Oceania DX Contest (CW), the
EU Autumn Sprint (CW), the FISTS Fall Sprint, the North American Sprint
(RTTY), the 10-10 International 10-10 Day Sprint and the UBA ON Contest
(CW) are the weekend of October 9-10. The YLRL Anniversary Party (SSB) is
October 13-15. 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, October 3. Classes begin
Friday, October 15. Antenna Design and Construction students will, among
other things, learn about basic dipoles and 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, October 4, 1201 AM EDT, and remains open through
the October 9-10 weekend or until all available seats have been filled.
Class begins Friday, October 22. Radio amateurs over age 55 are strongly
encouraged to participate. 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, 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, cce@arrl.org; 860-594-0340.

* MARS members asked to assist in hurricane health-and-welfare traffic:
Army MARS Eastern Area Coordinator Robert Hollister, AAA9E/N7INK, has
asked Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) stations and nets to assist
in handling health-and-welfare traffic related to the recent hurricanes.
"MARS stations in Florida and other affected areas should coordinate with
ARES/RACES and local ham radio operators and see if MARS can help handle
some of this workload for them," Hollister said in a message to MARS
members in the Eastern US. "This is another opportunity for MARS to
demonstrate our capabilities and provide a service to the people stricken
by these storms." Hollister said that Army MARS stations not supporting
the disaster response in the stricken areas should continue to monitor
regional net frequencies and remain available to assist as needed in
handling traffic. He also encouraged Army MARS members to work with their
Air Force and Navy counterparts "to get the traffic out of the affected
area."

* Saudi Arabia's HZ1AB is history: The HZ1AB club station in Saudi Arabia
now is history. Originally the United States Military Training Mission
station and more recently known as the Dhahran Amateur Radio Club, HZ1AB
was a well-known DX call sign for almost six decades. Club Secretary
Thomas Carlsson, SM0CXU/AB5CQ, said this week that new station license
requirements in Saudi Arabia made it necessary to shut down the station,
and the call sign has been reissued to a Saudi national. QSL manager Leo
Fry, K8PYD, has the HZ1AB logs to handle any late QSL requests. Earlier
this year, Saudi Arabia licensed 18 new Amateur Radio operators. Details
about licensing there are available on the Saudi Arabia Communications and
Information Technology Commission Web site
<http://www.citc.gov.sa/CITC/EN/SpectrumManagement/generalservices/?sm=9>.
--The Daily DX <http://www.dailydx.com/> and Thomas Carlsson, SM0CXU/AB0CQ

* Amateur microsat model on display at Smithsonian: AMSAT's Perry Klein,
W3PK, reports that the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in
Washington, DC, has put the microsat mechanical test model on display,
just in time for AMSAT's 35th anniversary celebration and its Symposium
and Annual Meeting October 8-13. "They suspended it from the ceiling
outside the NN3SI Smithsonian Amateur Radio Club station, located at 'The
Information Age' exhibit on the first floor, west end of the American
History Museum," Klein said. "It's been a number of years since an OSCAR
satellite has been on continuous display at the Smithsonian." An OSCAR 1
model was in the Hall of Satellites at the National Air and Space Museum
for several years, Klein notes, although it's now in storage. But, OSCAR 1
and PCSat models currently are being readied for display at the Air and
Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport. The center's space
exhibit hangar is expected to open soon.

* Supreme Court case involves radio amateur but not amateur antennas: The
US Supreme Court this week agreed to hear a case that involves ARRL Life
Member Mark J. Abrams, WA6DPB, of Rancho Palos Verdes, California. While
the case does not involve Amateur Radio antennas, it got started several
years ago when Abrams began diplexing his commercial Land Mobile Radio
Service facilities into his Amateur Radio repeater antennas--something the
city said he needed an additional permit to do. The city years earlier had
okayed the 45-foot Amateur Radio antenna support structure at Abrams'
residence, and its legality was never in question. The city denied him a
conditional use permit for the commercial application, but the California
Supreme Court eventually ruled that Abrams didn't need one anyway. In the
meantime, Abrams filed suit in US District Court asserting the denial of
the conditional use permit violated the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
Again, Abrams prevailed, but the District Court denied Abrams monetary
damages and attorneys' fees. The US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
reversed the US District Court, but the 3rd and 7th Circuits ruled
otherwise. The City of Rancho Palos Verdes then took the case to the US
Supreme Court on the issue of damages and attorneys' fees, and the high
court agreed to hear the case because of the disparity in findings at the
Circuit Court level.

* Santa Clara Valley gets new Section Manager: Kit Blanke, WA6PWW, of
Milpitas, California, has assumed the office of Santa Clara Valley Section
Manager, effective October 1. He took over the reins from Glenn Thomas,
WB6W, the SCV SM since March 1999, who has moved out of the section. “I’ve
had a blast being SM!” Thomas said. “I’ll be seeing you all on the air.”
Blanke is no stranger to the section’s top job. He headed up the Santa
Clara Valley Section from 1995 until 1998 and still has his SM certificate
from his earlier tenure on the wall of his ham shack. He’s served as the
SCV Section’s Technical Coordinator since last December. Blanke is a
self-employed RF engineering consultant involved in the design of Part 15
devices.

* UK amateurs poised to get bigger 40-meter band: Amateur Radio operators
in the United Kingdom hope to soon have a bigger 40 meter band. UK
telecommunications regulator Ofcom has announced plans to extend 40 meters
by an additional 100 kHz to 7000-7200 kHz for Foundation, Intermediate and
Full Amateur Radio licensees in the UK. Ofcom says the band extension
would be a secondary allocation to the Amateur Service on the basis that
amateurs not cause interference to other services within or outside the
UK. Allowable modes would include CW, phone, RTTY, data, facsimile and
SSTV. Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) Spectrum Forum Chairman and HF
Manager Colin Thomas, G3PSM, says that barring the unlikely event of an
objection, the additional 100 kHz should become available to UK amateurs
Sunday, October 31. Ofcom has invited comments on the proposal until
October 23.--The Daily DX <http://www.dailydx.com/>; RSGB

===========================================================
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
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Material from The ARRL Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole or
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"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, ...

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