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ARRL Letter

 

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 24, No. 42
October 28, 2005
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +Hurricane Wilma Amateur Radio support continues
* +"Ham Aid" extended to cover Hurricane Rita, Wilma volunteers
* +ISS Expedition 12 commander completes first school group contact
* +Comments on Morse proposal fast and furious as filing deadline nears
* +Vanity processing suspension could run through late December
* +ARRL 2005 Holiday Toy Drive ramping up
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF:
     This weekend on the radio
     ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
     ARRL invites Amateur Radio disaster volunteers to log their service
    +Amateur Radio volunteers fill communication gap when telephones fail
    +SSETI Express satellite goes silent
    +Yardley Beers, W0JF, SK
     K5ZD to provide chance to eavesdrop firsthand on contest operation
     AMSAT-NA announces Executive Team
     RAC president, board pledge greater support to ARES/NTS
     Portions of Handbook on Emergency Telecommunications now available

+Available on ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/>

===========================================================
==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!):
letter-dlvy@arrl.org
==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, n1rl@arrl.org
===========================================================

==>FLORIDA AMATEUR RADIO VOLUNTEERS ANSWER THE CALL

Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency
Service (RACES) volunteers from all three Florida ARRL sections answered the
call this week to provide communication support in the wake of Hurricane
Wilma. Millions of residents in South Florida remained without power at
week's end, and relief agencies were continuing efforts to meet basic needs
of affected residents. Ham radio volunteers turned out in force to assist
them, although the need for additional Amateur Radio support waned--perhaps
only momentarily--toward week's end.

"Things seem to be winding down," ARRL Southern Florida Section Emergency
Communications Coordinator Jeff Beals, WA4AW, said October 28. "We've put a
temporary hold on new operators to assist the affected counties in the
Southern Florida Section." As of week's end, Beals said, some 60 Amateur
Radio volunteers from Florida plus a few from outside the state were
deployed in hurricane-affected counties.

Beals has been coordinating the deployment of Amateur Radio volunteers in
his section with assistance from ARRL West Central Florida SEC Neil
Lauritsen, W4NHL, and ARRL Northern Florida SEC Joe Bushel, W2DWR. Since
Wilma raked the Florida peninsula, Amateur Radio volunteers have been
providing vital tactical communications for the Red Cross and its shelters,
special care facilities, county emergency operations centers (EOCs), state
logistical staging areas (LSAs), and points of distribution (PODs) for food,
ice and water, Beals said

At week's end Beals was visiting EOCs in Broward and Palm Beach counties to
determine their present and future needs for Amateur Radio communication
support. He said things could pick up again next week. "I believe the
situation is as good as it can be at the moment," Beals explained October
28, "but we believe there may be additional needs next week and the week
after, as well as to replace people who have been working long hours at
their posts."

Earlier in the week in Palm Beach County, ARRL Emergency Coordinator Dave
Messinger, N4QPM, reported Amateur Radio volunteers were staffing three Red
Cross shelters, a special care unit, the Red Cross Chapter house, the LSA at
the county fairgrounds and the county EOC. Staging areas for volunteers in
Southern Florida are in the Palm Beach and W Palm Beach and Broward County
EOCs.

Beals said the Amateur Radio link between the Broward EOC and the Palm Beach
Fairgrounds distribution point has proven invaluable as a primary
communication channel because of problems with satellite telephones.

The Wellington RACES team spearheaded by RACES Radio Officer Larry Lazar,
KS4NB, was handling local health-and-welfare traffic. The Salvation Army
Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) on 14.265 MHz also was taking
Hurricane Wilma health-and-welfare traffic. HF traffic nets have been
running smoothly throughout the activation.

Northern Florida State Government Liaison Ted Zateslo, W1XO, reported
generators in high demand this week as widespread power outages hampered
relief efforts. Southern Florida SM Sherri Brower, W4STB, still without
electricity, was told it could be up to two weeks before power is restored
in her area, Zateslo said. Brower does have telephone service, however.

Beals said that he and Brower "wish to express our appreciation to all the
amateurs who have answered the call for assistance to our section."

==>"HAM AID" ELIGIBILITY EXPANDED TO RITA, WILMA VOLUNTEERS

Thanks to the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the
ARRL's "Ham Aid" program has been expanded. In addition to Hurricane Katrina
Amateur Radio volunteers, Ham Aid now will cover those who are serving or
have served in the wake of hurricanes Rita and Wilma. CNCS provided ARRL
with $170,000 in grant extensions to support Ham Aid. The fund offers
limited reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses to ham radio volunteers who
are providing or have provided emergency communication support in
communities devastated by hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma.

"To date, there is adequate funding to support the hundreds of hams who
traveled to the Southeast since late August," said ARRL Chief Development
Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH. She points out that the same reimbursement
procedures already in place for Hurricane Katrina Amateur Radio volunteers
will apply to hurricane Rita and Wilma volunteers
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/forms/cncs/>.

In an effort to distribute funding to as many ham radio volunteers as
possible, Hobart says expense reimbursements at present are limited to $25
per day for a maximum of four days, or a total reimbursement per radio
amateur of $100. Amateur Radio volunteers are eligible for one expense
reimbursement per hurricane event. For now, the program only covers per-diem
reimbursements between September 1 and December 31, 2005. The period may be
extended, however, based on availability of funds.

Hobart says she wants to allay fears of Amateur Radio volunteers who believe
accepting the money is contrary to FCC Part 97 rules. §97.113 prohibits
"Communications for hire or for material compensation, direct or indirect,
paid or promised, except as otherwise provided in these rules." Hobart says
Ham Aid reimbursements are not for providing "communications" but to help
with such costs as travel, meals, lodging and other necessities.

"These out-of-pocket expenses can be a hardship for some Amateur Radio
volunteers," Hobart said, noting that some hurricane volunteers have come
from the ranks of the unemployed or seniors on fixed incomes. "If we can
help one ham to serve where badly needed, that's what this grant is intended
to do." She encouraged all who served in the field in the aftermath of
Katrina, Rita or Wilma to put in for the reimbursement nonetheless--if for
no other reason than to honor those who have volunteered before them
throughout ham radio's history.

"These volunteers should consider applying anyway and then donate the
reimbursement to their club or to another emergency communication-related
project," she said. "I'd like to see this money support ARES and our
emergency response capabilities in the field." Hobart says the CNCS grant is
a tangible expression of the value that the federal government puts on
Amateur Radio as an emergency communication asset.

"I hope people take advantage of the helping hand CNCS has extended," Hobart
says. "Let's put this funding to work as CNCS intended."

Hobart says the League will accept reimbursement request applications on a
first-come, first served basis for as long as funds are available.
Reimbursement checks will be mailed to the address the radio amateur
provides on the form.

The CNCS grant is an extension of the ARRL's three-year Homeland Security
training grant, which has provided certification in emergency communication
protocols to nearly 5500 Amateur Radio volunteers over the past three years.
This grant extension does not cover additional ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency
Communications training program reimbursements, however.

Cash donations from individuals are also being accepted by the ARRL to
support hams in the field assisting with hurricane relief and recovery
efforts. To make a donation go to the ARRL general donation form and select
"Ham Aid" (this is a secure site)
<https://www.arrl.org/forms/development/donations/basic/>.

==>NEW ISS COMMANDER DELIGHTS JAPANESE YOUNGSTERS VIA HAM RADIO

Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, the new commander of the International Space Station,
delighted youngsters at Tomioka Elementary School in Urayasu City, Japan,
October 24 by answering 14 of their questions via ham radio. The direct VHF
contact between 8J1UTE at the school and NA1SS in space was arranged via the
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program. Answering
one interesting question, McArthur told the youngsters that mold, while rare
on the ISS, comes in for some scrutiny when it does show up.

"If we do find mold, then we take pictures of it to send to the ground,"
McArthur said. "We send samples to the ground for analysis, and then we
clean it off." He said the crew tries to keep everything extremely clean,
wipes surfaces with a disinfectant cloth at least once a week, and is very
careful to clean up any moisture that forms on panels or surfaces.

Responding to a question about the first thing he wants to do when he gets
back to Earth next spring, McArthur said he wants to "smell nature."

"Our atmosphere here is very clean, but it doesn't have the things that
smell . . . that you really enjoy, such as trees, flowers, grass and those
things," McArthur replied. "And then I'm very excited to see my family
again."

The Tomioka Elementary School QSO was the first ARISS school group contact
of McArthur's six-month duty tour, which began early this month. McArthur
said he's found it "very, very comfortable" to be weightless aboard the ISS.
Once he got used to it, he said, it was a "very pleasant place to be."
McArthur's also said that he and his crewmate, Russian cosmonaut and flight
engineer Valery Tokarev, enjoy looking at Earth from the ISS in their spare
time.

An audience of some 650 parents, faculty members and other visitors was on
hand for the contact, along with reporters from two TV stations and 10
newspapers. Control operator for the ARISS event was Noriyasu Itho, JE1OWA,
and Satoshi Yasuda, 7M3TJZ/AD6GZ, served as the mentor for the ARISS
contact.

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

==>COMMENT POSTINGS RAMP UP AS FILING DEADLINE NEARS

With three days to go, nearly 3200 comments had been filed--more than 500 of
them in the past week--in response to the FCC "Morse code" Notice of
Proposed Rule Making and Order (NPRM&O) in WT Docket 05-235. The NPRM&O
proposes to do away with the 5 WPM Morse code requirement for all license
classes. The July NPRM&O also denied several proposals to create a new
entry-level license class.

The closing date for comments is Monday, October 31. Reply comments--ie,
comments on comments filed by October 31--are due Monday, November 14.

To file on-line comments on the FCC NPRM&O in WT Docket 05-235 or to view
others' comments in the proceeding, visit the FCC Electronic Comment Filing
System (ECFS) <http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/>. After clicking on "Submit a
Filing" or "Search for Filed Comments," enter "05-235" (without the
quotation marks but including the hyphen) in the "Proceeding" field. The FCC
will accept brief comments in a comment window or more lengthy filings as
attachments.

Alternative filing formats are available for people with disabilities.
Contact the FCC to request reasonable accommodations (accessible format
documents, sign language interpreters, CART, etc) by e-mail <FCC504@fcc.gov>;
or telephone 202-418–0530 or TTY 202-418–0432.

For additional information, contact William T. Cross, Public Safety and
Critical Infrastructure Division, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau,
<William.Cross@fcc.gov>;; 202-418–0680; TTY 202-418–7233.

An FCC Report and Order ending this proceeding and announcing the effective
date of any rule changes is not likely until sometime in 2006.

==>VANITY PROCESSING COULD BE ON HIATUS UNTIL LATE DECEMBER

Thanks to Hurricane Wilma, the FCC likely will not be processing any vanity
call sign applications until late December. The Wireless Telecommunications
Bureau (WTB) halted vanity processing on or about September 23 after
realizing that filing and regulatory deadline extensions for licensees in
certain states affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita could affect the
vanity program. This week, the FCC announced an additional extension--until
December 22--for licensees adversely affected by Hurricane Wilma. Because
all three extensions apply to Amateur Radio's two-year "grace period," they
could have an impact on vanity call sign processing. A WTB spokesperson said
that the Wilma deadline extension probably would have the same effect on
vanity processing as the previous two.

"It looks like it's going to be the same thing carried forward," Tracy
Simmons told ARRL. He said amateur licensees can continue to file vanity
call sign applications, but these will not be acted upon until the WTB
resumes vanity processing. Then, all pending vanity call sign applications
will be processed in the order they were received. Simmons indicated that
the WTB would revise its Universal Licensing System (ULS) Web page "alert"
telling applicants that vanity processing has been suspended "until further
notice" to reflect the latest deadline extension.

In a public notice issued October 25, the WTB made clear that the Hurricane
Wilma deadline extension only applies to "affected licensees and applicants
in Florida and the Gulf of Mexico." For Part 97 licensees, the extension
applies primarily to license modification and renewal application deadlines.
According to this week's public notice, the WTB will require affected
applicants to attach a "Hurricane Relief Certification" with any filings
taking advantage of the extended deadlines.

"WTB will rely on certifications by licensees and applicants at the time
they submit their filings as proof that relief is due and the filings are
timely," the FCC said.

The FCC halted vanity processing to avoid such potential problems as
re-issuing the call sign of an affected individual in one of the designated
states whose license has expired but remains within the two-year grace
period for renewal.

Under Part 97, Amateur Radio licensees have two years from the date of
license expiration to renew their tickets without having to retest or risk
losing their call signs to a vanity applicant. WTB has temporarily disabled
the "auto-termination" feature of the ULS so that it will not automatically
cancel any licenses not renewed by the end of the grace period.

On September 1, the FCC extended until October 31 all filing and regulatory
deadlines falling between August 29 and October 30 for licensees in
Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana affected by Hurricane Katrina. On
September 24, it extended until November 21 all filing and regulatory
deadlines falling between September 20 and November 20 for licensees in
Louisiana and Texas affected by Hurricane Rita.

The FCC has not announced when vanity processing will resume, but at this
point it appears unlikely that the date will be any sooner than December 23.
It typically takes approximately three weeks for the FCC to process a vanity
call sign application. In August, the FCC raised the vanity application fee
to $21.90.

The October 25 public notice is available on the FCC's Web site
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-2778A1.pdf>.

==>ARRL 2005 HOLIDAY TOY DRIVE KICKING INTO GEAR

Toys already have begun showing up in Memphis, Tennessee, in response to the
ARRL 2005 Holiday Toy Drive appeal. The League has partnered with The
Salvation Army for this year's effort to brighten the holiday season for
children in the coastal areas of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana left
homeless or displaced in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

"As The Salvation Army continues to provide assistance to the victims of the
largest natural disaster in modern US history, we are excited to partner
with the ARRL in providing toys for children affected by hurricanes Katrina
and Rita this holiday season," said Mark Jones, The Salvation Army's public
relations director.

Because it still has the facilities to manage a large toy drive, The
Salvation Army will handle the distribution end of the program. Its facility
in Jackson, Mississippi, will coordinate distribution throughout the Gulf
Coast region.

Country music artist Patty Loveless, KD4WUJ, is the Holiday Toy Drive's
national chairperson.

The collection point for the toys is in Memphis, Tennessee, where the League
has secured a warehouse facility. Between now and December 10, the ARRL is
encouraging ham radio operators throughout the US to purchase new, unwrapped
toys for children ages 1 through 4 and send them with a QSL card to ARRL Toy
Drive/The Salvation Army, 1775 Moriah Woods Blvd--Suite 12, Memphis, TN
38117-7125.

Volunteers in Memphis will sort and stock the toys, and in early December,
the toys will be transported to The Salvation Army facilities in hurricane
areas that need help the most at that time.

Amateur Radio volunteers turned out in force to support communication for
relief and recovery operations in the Gulf Coast. ARRL Media and Public
Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, says the Amateur Radio community is
once again in a position to make a difference.

"Thousands of families are without a place to live and will be homeless over
the coming holiday season," he said. "For a child living out of a tent or
car, FEMA trailer or someone else's home, the 2005 holiday season will be
anything but jolly. But hams from all across the country are coming to their
rescue again through the ARRL Holiday Toy Drive."

Cash donations from ARRL members also are welcome. League members may send
checks to ARRL Holiday Toy Drive, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111.

"Knowing that someone 'out there' remembers you is a start for these
children," Pitts said.

More information about the ARRL 2005 Holiday Toy Drive is available on the
League's Web site <http://www.arrl.org/pio/>.

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Solar Seer Tad "Sunshine Superman" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports:
NO SUNSPOTS! The average daily sunspot number from the previous reporting
week to the current dropped six points to 7.7. There were no visible
sunspots over the four days October 24-27. Do not expect an improvement for
the CQ World Wide DX Contest (Phone) this weekend. Thankfully geomagnetic
conditions are stable, and the longer nights as we head toward winter
solstice are good for 160, 80 and 60-meter operation.

Solar flux should remain around 70 over the next few days, rising to 80
around November 4. Predicted planetary A index for October 28-31 is 15, 12,
8, and 5. Geophysical Institute Prague predicts unsettled conditions for
today, October 28, unsettled to active conditions for Saturday October 29,
and unsettled conditions for Sunday October 30.

Sunspot numbers for October 20 through 26 were 15, 15, 13, 11, 0, 0 and 0,
with a mean of 7.7. The 10.7-cm flux was 76.7, 75.3, 74.7, 74.2, 73.4, 73,
and 72, with a mean of 74.2. Estimated planetary A indices were 3, 2, 6, 2,
4, 19 and 8, with a mean of 6.3. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 2, 1,
7, 2, 3, 17 and 8, with a mean of 5.7.

__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: The CQ Worldwide DX Contest (SSB), the eXtreme
CW World-Wide Challenge, the 10-10 International Fall Contest (CW) and the
F.I.S.T.S. Coast to Coast Contest are the weekend of October 29-30. JUST
AHEAD: The ARRL November Sweepstakes (CW), the North American Collegiate ARC
Championship (CW), the IPARC Contest (CW and Phone), the Ukrainian DX
Contest, High Speed Club CW Contest and the DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest
are the weekend of November 5-6. See the ARRL Contest Branch page
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/> and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar
<http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more info.

* ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration:
Registration remains open through Sunday, November 6, for these ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education (CCE) Program on-line courses:
Emergency Communications Level 2 (EC-002), Emergency Communications Level 3
(EC-003), Antenna Modeling (EC-004), VHF/UHF Beyond the Repeater (EC-008),
and Propagation (EC-011), Digital Electronics (EC-013). Classes begin
Friday, November 18. To learn more, visit the CCE Course Listing page
<http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> or Contact the CCE Department
<cce@arrl.org>;.

* ARRL invites Amateur Radio disaster volunteers to log their service: The
ARRL is asking Amateur Radio volunteers who helped to provide or support
communication during one of the recent hurricanes or other incident. An
Amateur Radio Service Volunteer Form now is available on the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/agencies/vol-report.html>. The League is
asking radio amateurs to complete the form each time they complete volunteer
service. "Your commitment and dedication to using ham radio in community
service sends a strong message that volunteer radio operators are essential
to a successful response to any disaster," said ARRL COO Harold Kramer,
WJ1B. "The details of your service strengthens Amateur Radio and its voice
in official Washington, to the public and to the press. When we can document
the thousands of hours you serve, we can use the information to build a
strong case for radio spectrum protection at home and abroad." The on-line
form includes a "Your Comments" box to ask questions or to supply additional
information. The ARRL will use the information provided for internal
purposes only and will not share any individual's information with any other
organization.

* Amateur Radio volunteers fill communication gap when telephones fail: When
a telephone outage occurred in Southern California October 18, the Long
Beach Emergency Communications and Operations Center (ECOC) declared a
"communication failure protocol," and ARES/RACES members and other ham radio
volunteers stepped in to help. The outage disabled 911 service in
communities along the coast and through parts of Los Angeles and Orange
counties. It also cut off at least 150,000 telephone and Internet service
customers for up to 12 hours along with many cell phone users. Radio
amateurs worked with police and fire officials to support the departments
with auxiliary communications. Hams also were stationed at 17 of the largest
nursing homes in town. The emergency net successfully relayed traffic
through the ECOC to the hospitals, nursing homes and ambulance services,
ensuring access to 911. When the City of Long Beach built its new ECOC three
years ago Emergency Services Coordinator Casey Chel, KD6DOV, had the
foresight to include a complete Amateur Radio facility for those rare
occasions when all other communication systems might fail. Those plans paid
off on October 18.--Associated Radio Amateurs of Long Beach

* SSETI Express satellite goes silent: The Student Space Exploration and
Technology Initiative (SSETI) Express satellite, sent into orbit from Russia
October 27, was reported silent at week's end. "We have not heard anything
from Express on UHF since last night [October 27] when the telemetry seemed
to indicate a very negative power budget," Graham Shirville, G3VZV, said on
the AMSAT BB as he was departing Russia following the launch. "If it does
not recover then it will be a sad end to a wonderful mission." Shirville
said ground controllers were going to attempt a blind command of the
satellite over the weekend in an effort to revive the satellite, which
carries an Amateur Radio package and three CubeSat picosatellites. The
spacecraft had been transmitting AX.25 telemetry at 9k6 bps on 437.250 MHz.
Plans call for the satellite will be turned into a single-channel amateur FM
voice Mode U/S transponder after the transmitter serves initial telemetry
duty. The AMSAT-UK <http://www.uk.amsat.org/> and AMSAT-NA
<http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/sat_summary/SSETI.php> Web sites
have additional information on this European Space Agency-sponsored project,
in which SSETI Express was built by a distributed team of university
students and radio amateurs throughout Europe. Additional details are on the
SSETI Express Web site <http://sseti.gte.tuwien.ac.at/express/mop/>.

* Yardley Beers, W0JF, SK: Yardley Beers, W0JF (ex-W3AWH, W2AWH, W0EXS), of
Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, died recently. He was 92. An ARRL Full Charter
Life member, Beers, was a contributing writer to QST from the 1930s until
the late 1990s and was the author of the book, The Theory of Error. He also
was an avid DXer and a member of the A-1 Operator Club. Beers was among
those involved in the construction of the WWV time and frequency-standard
station at Ft Collins, Colorado, where he oversaw maintenance of the cesium
atomic clock. He detailed the experience in "WWV Moves to Colorado," which
appeared in the January and February 1967 issues of QST. More recently, his
wife, Dorothy, detailed her husband's life and ham radio activities in the
"Old Radio" column in the November 2004 issue of QST.--some information from
Jack Ciaccia, WM0G/Boulder Amateur Radio Club

* K5ZD to provide chance to eavesdrop firsthand on contest operation: In
what appears to be a contesting first, streaming audio
<http://www.k5zd.com/live> from the Western Massachusetts contest station of
Randy Thompson, K5ZD, will be available on the Internet during the CQ World
Wide Phone Contest. Dave Pascoe, KM3T, a contest veteran, will be at the
helm of K5ZD for a serious single-operator, all-band effort. "This will be a
full blown SO2R [single-operator, two radio] effort, and the stream will be
in stereo, so you hear exactly what he is hearing," Thompson said. He
advises listeners to look for audio streaming to start a few hours before
the contest. E-mail comments to K5ZD <k5zd@contesting.com>;.

* AMSAT-NA announces Executive Team: AMSAT-NA has announced that one key
action at the Board of Directors meeting October 7 was the election of its
new Executive Team. Here are the results. AMSAT Board of Directors: Rick
Hambly, W2GPS; Barry Baines, WD4ASW; Gunther Meisse, W8GSM; Tom Clark,
W3IWI; Lou McFadin, W5DID; Paul Shuch, N6TX; Emily Clarke, W0EEC; Bob
McGwier, N4HY (first alternate), and Lee McLamb, KU4OS (second alternate).
AMSAT Officers: Rick Hambly, W2GPS, president; Lee McLamb, KU4OS, executive
vice president; Mike Kingery, KE4AZN, vice president operations; Frank
Bauer, KA3HDO, vice president of human spaceflight; Bob McGwier, N4HY, vice
president engineering; Barry Baines, WD4ASW, vice president Marketing and
user services; Steve Diggs, W4EPI, secretary; Gunther Meisse, W8GSM,
treasurer, and Martha Saragovitz, manager. Stan Wood, WA4NFY, has retired as
vice president of engineering, and AMSAT thanked him for his years of
service in that capacity.

* RAC president, board pledge greater support to ARES/NTS: Radio Amateurs of
Canada (RAC) President Earle Smith, VE6NM, and its Board of Directors have
committed to increasing tangible support to RAC's Field Organization,
including its Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and National Traffic
System (NTS). The move is part of an effort to heal rifts that have
developed within RAC's Field Organization. "We are listening and are ready
to take appropriate action to turn the situation around," Smith told RAC
ARES volunteers during an address in Ontario. He said the RAC wants to do
more to recognize ARES/NTS volunteers through individual contact, public
forums, on the RAC Web site and in The Canadian Amateur magazine. Smith also
said the importance of RAC's Field Organization needs to be brought to the
forefront in discussions at all levels of government to enhance the image of
Canada's Amateur Service. In turn, he called on ARES/NTS field volunteers to
present a professional and unified front to gain the public recognition they
deserve. "The Field Organization and ARES/NTS must be taken seriously, must
be recognized as an integral operating arm of Radio Amateurs of Canada, and
must be promoted as such," Smith concluded. The text of his remarks is on
the RAC Web page
<http://www.rac.ca/downloads/RAC_ARES_StatementofPurpose_2005-10-24.pdf>

* Portions of Handbook on Emergency Telecommunications now available: The
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has made significant portions of
the 2005 edition of its Handbook on Emergency Telecommunications available
for free download in English, French or Spanish. The ITU says the Handbook
is designed to serve as a close companion to those involved in providing and
using telecommunications for disaster mitigation and relief. Details are on
the ITU Web site
<http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/emergencytelecoms/publications.html>.

===========================================================
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!):
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==>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

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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, ...

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