***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 25, No. 02
January 13, 2006
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +League's "regulation by bandwidth" petition up for public comment
* +ARRL Board of Directors meets January 20-21
* +Youngsters in three countries speak to ISS via ham radio
* +Texas BPL deployment not expected to be interference problem
* +Vanity call sign processing is back on track
* +FCC still shy one commissioner
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF:
     This weekend on the radio: The North American QSO Party (CW)!
     ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
     Logbook of the World to be down
    +ISS commander attempting to work all continents on UHF
    +Group petitions FCC to eliminate segregation of emission modes
     YI9DXX Internet Remote Base on the air from Iraq
     ARRL announces new policy for deployed members of the US military
     NCDXA takes over as ARRL W3 Incoming QSL Bureau
     K1JT to headline SVHFS gathering
     DXCC Desk approves operations for DXCC credit

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

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==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!):
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==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, n1rl@arrl.org
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==>FCC INVITES COMMENTS ON LEAGUE'S "REGULATION BY BANDWIDTH" PETITION

Comments are due by Monday, February 6, on the ARRL's Petition for Rule
Making that asks the FCC to regulate the amateur bands by necessary
bandwidth rather than by mode. The petition, designated as RM-11306,
recommends what the ARRL calls "a shift in regulatory philosophy" to
encourage and enable development and refinement of digital techniques and
advanced technologies.

"This petition seeks for the Amateur Radio Service the flexibility to
experiment with new digital transmission methods and types to be developed
in the future while permitting present operating modes to continue to be
used for as long as there are radio amateurs who wish to use them," the
League said in its petition, filed November 14. The ARRL says the changes it
suggests also will update the FCC's rules and eliminate the need for
"cumbersome procedures" to determine whether a new digital mode is legal
under Part 97.

The next step in this proceeding would be either a Notice of Proposed Rule
Making (NPRM) or a dismissal of the League's petition. An NPRM would kick
off a further round of formal comments. For the rules to take effect, the
FCC would have to issue a Report and Order putting the changes into place
and setting an effective date.

The ARRL is asking the FCC to replace the table at §97.305(c) with a new one
that segments bands by necessary bandwidths ranging from 200 Hz to 100 kHz.
Unaffected by the ARRL's recommendations, if they're adopted, would be 160
and 60 meters. Other bands below 29 MHz would be segmented into subbands
allowing maximum emission bandwidths of 200 or 500 Hz or 3.5 kHz, with an
exception for AM phone.

* 200 Hz would permit CW "at all speeds that human operators can decode" as
well as PSK31.

* 500-Hz bandwidth would accommodate RTTY and data modes and possibly some
new image modes.

* 2.8 kHz would remain the bandwidth for 60-meter operation on USB.

* 3.5 kHz would accommodate SSB and digital telephony, image, high-speed
data and multimedia.

* 9 kHz is the ARRL's recommendation for double-sideband AM.

* 16 kHz is "a reasonable compromise bandwidth" to continue to permit analog
FM voice, data, digital voice and multimedia at 29.0 to 29.7 MHz.

* 100 kHz, now permitted for RTTY and data in bands above 420 MHz, should be
allowed starting at 50 MHz, with the exception of 50.0-50.3 MHz and
144.0-144.3 MHz to allow digital multimedia and high-speed meteor scatter
work.

The ARRL says the Part 97 changes it's proposing constitute a balance
"between the need to encourage wider bandwidth, faster digital
communications and the need to reasonably accommodate all users in crowded
bands." Conceding that its regulation-by-bandwidth regime would place
increased responsibility on the amateur community to establish workable,
accepted band plans, the League has expressed confidence that such an effort
would be successful.

ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, has discussed the subject of regulating by
bandwidth in three "It Seems to Us . . ." QST editorials: "Regulation by
Bandwidth" in September 2004, "Narrowing the Bandwidth Issues" in April 2005
and "Self Regulation" in October 2005.

"This petition does not favor one mode at the expense of another," the ARRL
concluded in urging FCC adoption. "It merely allows expansion of the
repertoire of options that amateurs may pursue compatibly."

A copy of the ARRL petition is on the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/bandwidth/Bandwidth-Minute-64-Petit
ion-FINAL.pdf>

Comment via the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS)
<http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/>. Under "ECFS Main Links" on the right-hand
side of the screen, click on "Submit a Filing" to file comments. To view
others' comments, click on "Search for Filed Comments." In either case, type
"RM-11306" in the "Proceeding" field using capital letters and including the
hyphen (but not the quotation marks).

==>PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TO HIGHLIGHT ARRL BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

The election of a new ARRL president will highlight the annual meeting of
the ARRL Board of Directors. When the Board convenes Friday and Saturday,
January 20 and 21, in Windsor, Connecticut, Jim Haynie, W5JBP, will wield
the gavel for the last time as the League's president. Haynie, who lives in
Dallas, Texas, has made it known over the past few months that he will not
be a candidate for a fourth two-year term. He says that while it's been a
great honor to serve as the ARRL's president for the past six years, he
feels it's time for him to step aside.

"It's a time-consuming job. It tends to wear on you after a while," Haynie
conceded this week. "I've racked up hundreds of thousands of miles
traveling--not only here in the United States but all over the world
representing the ARRL and Amateur Radio."

Haynie says he's thoroughly enjoyed his tenure in the League's top office--a
strictly volunteer position--but he believes someone with fresh ideas and a
different vision from his now should take over the reins. The ARRL Board
customarily elects a president from among its own ranks or elevates one of
the League's vice presidents, although it's not required to. When he was
elected, Haynie was the ARRL West Gulf Division Director.

Among the successes of his six years as ARRL president, Haynie cites the
ARRL Education and Technology Program--often better known as "The Big
Project." Haynie kicked off the initiative to put Amateur Radio stations and
a curriculum into schools across the US shortly after he took office in
2000. The program now boasts upward of 180 participating schools.

He says he's also proud that he's been able to contribute to enhancing the
visibility of Amateur Radio at the FCC, in "official Washington" and on
Capitol Hill. "I enjoyed that work," said Haynie, who testified before the
House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet on behalf of the
Spectrum Protection Act in 2003. Last year, he submitted written testimony
to the House Government Reform Committee on the successful efforts of
Amateur Radio operators who provided communications during the Hurricane
Katrina response.

"It's paid off in the long run," Haynie said of his regular visits to
Washington to advance Amateur Radio's agenda. "Amateur Radio needs to learn
how to sell itself, not just from the League's standpoint," he said. "The
president can only do so much." He encouraged all radio amateurs, whether or
not they're ARRL members, to promote Amateur Radio and its value to the
community.

Once he steps down, Haynie says he's looking forward to "maybe chasing some
DX or maybe running a few contests." But he says he'll also make himself
available to the Board to handle any necessary duty.

Among other items on its agenda, the ARRL Board is expected to discuss the
process of developing effective band plans to support rule changes the
League recently requested in a Petition for Rule Making RM-11306. The
petition asks the FCC to regulate the amateur bands by necessary bandwidth
rather than by mode. The Commission will accept public comments on the
petition until February 6.

The Board also plans to review and discuss Article 11 of its Articles of
Association, which defines eligibility to hold League office. It also will
hear reports from officers and consider recommendations from various
committees.

==>US, THAI AND BRAZILIAN YOUNGSTERS LEARN ABOUT LIFE IN SPACE VIA HAM RADIO

Students in Michigan, Thailand and Brazil are among the latest to learn
about life in space by speaking via ham radio with International Space
Station Expedition 12 commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR. The three contacts
with the station's NA1SS were arranged by the Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS) program. McArthur told pupils at Carman
Park and Rankin elementary schools in Flint, Michigan, December 21 that
wearing eyeglasses in space poses special problems.

"My glasses get oily from my skin a little more quickly than on the earth,
and if my face is wet, they do fog up because we don't have the same breezes
to keep them clear," said McArthur.

McArthur also told the youngsters that the ISS is relatively safe from
collisions with space debris, although it does collide with "minor pieces of
dust" as it orbits Earth. Responding to another question, he said he's able
to keep in touch with the ground via e-mail at least three times a day.

Youngsters at the two Michigan schools had been studying about the ISS and
preparing for their big moment since September. Nancy Rocheleau, WH6PN, in
Hawaii served as the Earth station control operator, and MCI donated a
teleconference link to provide two-way audio to the Michigan students.
Despite some delay in getting the contact under way, 17 questions were asked
and answered during the QSO.

On December 31, several young radio amateurs attending the 25th Asia-Pacific
Scout Jamboree in Bangkok, Thailand, spoke with McArthur. During the
approximately eight minute contact between NA1SS and E25AJ, the ISS
commander left open the possibility of life on other planets.

"There are billions and billions of stars in the universe, so there must be
billions and billions of planets," McArthur observed. "Certainly other
planets must have the ability to sustain life."

The Bangkok ARISS event attracted several TV, radio and newspaper reporters.
Nui Apornrum, E20YZD, served as the Earth station control operator for the
direct VHF contact.

The first ARISS school group contact of the new year took place January 2
between NA1SS and PY1KCF at the STS Flight School in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
McArthur answered 15 questions put to him by students, professors and flight
instructors.

McArthur told the group that keeping fit was among the biggest challenges of
living in space. "The most difficult thing is keeping healthy in the absence
of gravity, keeping muscles strong as well as our bones, and we do that
through intense exercise," he said.

Being fit, he said in response to a later question, is one requirement for
venturing into space. "I think the greatest skill is doing a spacewalk," he
said. "It requires physical strength, endurance and significant training."

Replying to another question, the Expedition 12 commander described the ISS
as much more than a spaceship "It is a very large ship, rather than an
aerospace vehicle," McArthur said, "because it is so stable, and there is no
turbulence and very little vibration."

Earth station operators for the direct contact were Tadeu Fernandes, PY1KCF,
of ARISS-Brazil, and Felipe José, PY1IA. Cássio da Fonte, ZZ1UMS, and Kevin
Fernandes handled the real-time translation for the approximately 60 people
on hand.

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

==>ARRL CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT PENDING TEXAS BPL DEPLOYMENT

The ARRL is taking a cautious, but hopeful, stance following the recent
announcement of a commercial broadband over power line (BPL) deployment by
the largest electric power utility in Texas. TXU Electric Delivery and BPL
manufacturer Current Communications Group have partnered to establish "the
nation's first broadband-enabled Smart Grid" that will cover most of TXU's
service area. That includes some two million homes and businesses in the
Dallas-Forth Worth area as well as other Texas communities.

"If TXU is going to install a BPL system, the ARRL is glad that TXU has
chosen Current's system--which avoids using spectrum allocated to the
Amateur Radio Service--in preference to one that has proven to be
problematic," commented ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ.

It was another story altogether when TXU operated a pilot BPL project in
Irving, Texas, in 2004 and early 2005 using Amperion hardware. The system
generated such interference on Amateur Radio frequencies that the League
filed a formal complaint with the FCC in support of a Texas radio amateur
seeking the system's shutdown and fines for the operator. Within two weeks
of the League's filing, TXU dismantled the BPL trial, and the ARRL withdrew
its complaint.

Sumner says the League is not expecting history to repeat itself when TXU
and Current begin installing their "Smart Grid" BPL system later this year.
As he pointed out in his "It Seems to Us . . ." editorial in August 2005
QST, Cinergy Corp's deployment of the nation's largest BPL system in the
Cincinnati, Ohio, area so far "has proceeded without major interference
problems." The Cinergy system also uses Current Technologies equipment.

"Current has avoided putting high-frequency energy on the medium-voltage
lines by using low-band VHF (30-50 MHz) instead," Sumner wrote.
Additionally, he noted, Current's system uses Homeplug modems, which avoid
all ham bands except 60 meters, to connect individual customers. Limited
testing of the Cinergy BPL deployment suggested its interference potential
is minimal relative to Amateur Radio facilities.

While Sumner won't rule out some occurrences of RF interference in the TXU
rollout, he says the League anticipates a low-enough probability to deal
with it on a case-by-case basis. ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI,
says he's discussed with engineers at Current Technologies the sorts of
interference issues that might arise.

"While they are taking the position that they will wait until problems
actually occur, then determine what is needed to fix them, their open
dialogue with ARRL will be an important part of the process," he said. "The
opportunity for dialogue exists for all of the BPL companies, although not
all of them want to work on solutions to the interference problems that have
plagued this industry."

In October, the ARRL petitioned the FCC to issue a Further Notice of
Proposed Rule Making modifying the Part 15 BPL rules it adopted a year
earlier and sharply reduce BPL's potential to cause interference. In
exchange, the League said it would withdraw its still-pending Petition for
Reconsideration in the BPL proceeding, ET Docket 04-37.

"It is no longer the case that all BPL systems inherently radiate high
levels of RF energy on amateur allocations on overhead medium-voltage power
lines," the ARRL said in its petition. "Thus, not all BPL architectures have
similar potential for harmful interference to the Amateur Radio Service (and
to other licensed services)."

The League's petition cited BPL systems by Current Technologies, IBEC and
Corridor Systems as being among those that meet the additional requirements
it's proposed. The ARRL also has cooperated with Motorola in testing the
interference potential of that company's Powerline LV BPL system. Results so
far have been very encouraging.

Judging from TXU's news release, BPL's ability to provide broadband service
to individual customers and businesses take a back seat to its potential to
monitor the utility's power grid, preventing and detecting problems and
outages and enabling automated meter reading.

==>FCC ZIPS THROUGH VANITY APPLICATION BACKLOG

Once the FCC resumed processing Amateur Radio vanity call sign applications
earlier this month, its Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) blazed
through the backlog.

A total of 990 vanity applications piled up in the queue after the FCC
suspended vanity processing September 23. The WTB dispatched them in fairly
short order. An initial batch of 121 grants Friday, January 6, was followed
by 195 more the next day. Apparently confident by then that the system was
working okay, the FCC let loose the remaining 674 vanity grants Tuesday,
January 10.

During the vanity hiatus, applications appeared with a "Y--application has
problems" flag in the Universal Licensing System (ULS)
<http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/>, prompting some concern on the part of those
who checked their applications' status. The WTB reportedly applied the "Y"
status to prevent the system from running the entire backlog at once.

The WTB halted vanity processing last fall after realizing that filing
deadline extensions for licensees in certain states affected by hurricanes
Katrina and Rita applied to Amateur Radio's two-year "grace period" and
could impact the vanity system.

FCC spokesman Tracy Simmons told ARRL this week that the WTB now is
processing current vanity call sign receipts. It typically takes
approximately three weeks from the time a vanity application is submitted
until a call sign is issued. The current vanity call sign fee is $21.90 for
the ten-year license term.--some information from Fred Maia, W5YI

==>TATE, COPPS SWORN IN AS FCC MEMBERS

Republican Deborah T. Tate and Democrat Michael J. Copps were sworn in
January 3 by FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin as members of the FCC. But the
Commission still remains one member shy.

Tate will complete the term of former FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell, who
departed the Commission last March. That term ends June 30, 2007. Copps, an
FCC member since 2001, is beginning a second term that will run through June
30, 2010.

Before joining the FCC, Tate was a director of the Tennessee Regulatory
Authority, which she chaired in 2003 and 2004. Earlier in her career, Tate
was an attorney and senior policy advisor to former Tennessee governors
Lamar Alexander and Don Sundquist.

Prior to his FCC service, Copps was assistant secretary of commerce for
trade development at the US Department of Commerce. He previously was on the
staff of US Sen Ernest "Fritz" Hollings (D-SC) and served for more than a
dozen years as chief of staff.

To round out the five-member FCC, the White House still must fill the
vacancy left by former Commissioner Kathleen Q. Abernathy, a Republican, who
stepped down December 9.

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Propagation guru Tad "Walking on the Sun" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington,
reports: Geomagnetic conditions have been very, very quiet. This week has
seen many periods when the K index--both planetary and mid-latitude--was
zero or one. The average planetary/mid-latitude K index this week dropped
from 5.4/5.1 last week to 3.3/3.4 in the current reporting period.

Of course, this low in the solar cycle, it is not surprising that sunspot
numbers and solar flux also dropped. Average daily sunspot numbers declined
by 35 points from last week to 14.7, and solar flux was down 7.5 points to
an average of 79.4.

Over the next week expect these conditions to stay the same, with some
slightly unsettled geo-activity possible January 16.

Sunspot numbers for January 5 through 11 were 23, 24, 11, 11, 11, 11 and 12,
with a mean of 14.7. The 10.7 cm flux was 83.4, 82, 79.2, 78.2, 77.6, 77.8,
and 77.3, with a mean of 79.4. Estimated planetary A indices were 3, 6, 5,
4, 2, 1 and 2, with a mean of 3.3. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 3,
6, 6, 5, 1, 2 and 1, with a mean of 3.4.

__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: The North American QSO Party (CW), Hunting
Lions in the Air, the 070 Club PSKFest, the Michigan QRP January CW Contest
and the NRAU-Baltic Contest (CW and SSB are separate events) are the weekend
of January 14-15. The Run for the Bacon QRP Contest is January 16. The NAQCC
80-Meter Straight Key/Bug Sprint is January 19. JUST AHEAD: The ARRL January
VHF Sweepstakes, the North American QSO Party (SSB), the LZ Open Contest,
the UK DX Contest (RTTY) and the Hungarian DX Contest are the weekend of
January 21-22. 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. 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, January 22, for these ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education (CCE). Program on-line courses:
Amateur Radio Emergency Communication Level 1 (EC-001) Antenna Design and
Construction (EC-009), Technician Licensing (EC-010), Radio Frequency
Interference (EC-006), Digital Electronics (EC-013) and Analog Electronics
(EC-012). Classes begin Friday, February 3. To learn more, visit the CCE
Course Listing page <http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> or contact the
CCE Department <cce@arrl.org>;.

* Logbook of the World to be down: The ARRL Logbook of the World (LoTW)
<http://www.arrl.org/lotw> system will be off line for maintenance this
weekend. LoTW will shut down at 1300 UTC Saturday, January 14, and will
return to service at 1300 UTC on Monday, January 16. We regret any
inconvenience to LoTW users.

* ISS commander attempting to work all continents on UHF: International
Space Station Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, will be
attempting to work all continents--including Antarctica--on UHF during the
January 14-15 weekend (UTC). McArthur will be using the Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS) call sign NA1SS. The astronaut already
has worked all continents plus Antarctica on VHF. "It is his desire to work
all continents on the UHF band (70 cm) from the International Space
Station," said Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, the ARISS ham radio engineer. "The
frequency he will be using will be 437.55 MHz FM simplex." Ransom notes that
the substantial Doppler effect on 70 cm dictates split-frequency operation
for most of a given pass. He suggests setting up transmit and receive
memories with 5 kHz spacing. McArthur still needs to work Alaska and
Missouri to claim Worked All States from space. He also has worked more than
half the 100 entities he needs for DXCC US QSLs for NA1SS contacts go to
ARRL, ARISS QSL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111-1494.

* Group petitions FCC to eliminate segregation of emission modes: A group
calling itself the Communications Think Tank has filed a Petition for Rule
Making asking the FCC "to discontinue mandatory segregation of emission
modes and the activities using these modes in the Amateur Service." Instead,
the petitioners would substitute "a voluntary system of coordination" on the
bands. The FCC has designated the petition as RM-11305. Comments are due by
February 6. The petitioners assert "there is a chronic need to allow greater
leeway in selecting a place to operate" on the ham bands. "We propose ending
mode-based subbands in the Amateur Radio Service, and we seek affirmation of
established operator responsibility against interference as part of this
request for greater latitude in frequency selection," the petitioners state.
A survey, "An Analysis of Band Occupancy by Mode" accompanies the group's
petition
<http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_docume
nt=6517982317>.

* YI9DXX Internet Remote Base on the air from Iraq: Keith Lamonica, W7DXX,
has announced that the YI9DXX Internet remote base (IRB) station is on the
air from Baghdad, Iraq, controllable via the Internet from the US and
elsewhere. Lamonica says he made the first contact by talking with himself
to and from YI9DXX. The YI9DXX gateway is a closed system. "The Baghdad
remote is available only to those who have contributed toward the equipment
and/or sent equipment," Lamonica says. He has no plans to charge dues or
membership fees but does ask participants to help defray expenses. Live
streaming audio from both W7DXX and YI9DXX remotes may be available from the
W7DXX Internet Remote Base Web site <http://www.w7dxx.com/>. Lamonica holds
the license for YI9DXX, issued by Iraqi authorities. "This is truly
amazing," raved Jim Brookmon, WA4PXP, after using the IRB. ARRL DXCC Branch
Manager Bill Moore, NC1L, points out that DXCC Rule 9 stipulates that while
the location of the transmitter defines a station's location, for award
purposes, "remote operating points must be located within the same DXCC
entity as the transmitter and receiver." In practice, this means a contact
with YI9DXX counts toward DXCC only if a properly licensed control op is
operating the YI9DXX IRB from within Iraq. Articles in the November 2001 and
2002 issues of QST detail the concept and technical aspects of an IRB.

* ARRL announces new policy for deployed members of the US military: In
support of deployed US armed forces, the ARRL has adopted a new policy. ARRL
members in active US military deployment outside the US and its territories
may request to temporarily suspend dues payments and/or delivery of QST for
the duration of their deployments. The objective is to ensure that members
in active duty and deployed overseas can maintain their League memberships.
The ARRL recognizes that members deployed away from their homes or permanent
duty stations may experience difficulties with, or interruptions in, mail
delivery or other disruptions. To apply, members should e-mail the ARRL
Circulation Department <circulation@arrl.org>; or send a copy of their
deployment orders or a verification letter to ARRL, Attn:
Circulation/Military Deployment, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111 USA; fax
860-594-0303.

* NCDXA takes over as ARRL W3 Incoming QSL Bureau: Effective January 2, the
National Capitol DX Association (NCDXA) <http://www.qsl.net/ncdxa/> assumed
sponsorship of the ARRL Third Call Area Incoming QSL Bureau. The new bureau
address is National Capitol DX Association, PO Box 1149, Clinton, MD
20735-5149. Noted DXer Fred Laun, K3ZO, will manage the bureau. He takes
over the reins from well-known QSL manager and DXer Mary Ann Crider, WA3HUP,
who oversaw W3 incoming QSLs for more than a decade. "Her tenure has been
notable for its length of service and for the collegial atmosphere she has
nurtured among her loyal band of sorters," Laun said of Crider, who received
the 2005 ARRL President's Award last November. "Her encyclopedic knowledge
of DXCC entities and call sign prefixes was built by her work in the
trenches, as illustrated by her DXCC confirmed total of 360 entities."
Before taking over as manager, Crider served as a sorter for 11 years. Laun
says the QSL bureau transition should be seamless, and many of the sorters
will remain the same.

* K1JT to headline SVHFS gathering: Nobel laureate Joe Taylor, K1JT, will be
the guest speaker for the 10th annual Southeastern VHF Society (SVHFS)
Technical Conference April 28-29 at the Embassy Suites Convention Center in
Greenville, South Carolina. Taylor shared the Nobel prize in astrophysics
and authored the WSJT weak-signal communication program. The April event
also will feature a flea market night, banquet, pre-amp noise figure
testing, antenna range and technical paper presentation. A field trip to the
Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) in North Carolina will follow
the conference on Sunday, April 30. The deadline to submit papers and
presentations is March 3. All submissions should be in Microsoft Word (.doc)
or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. For additional information, visit the SVHFS
Web site <http://www.svhfs.org/>.

* DXCC Desk approves operations for DXCC credit: The ARRL DXCC Desk has
approved these operations for DXCC credit: D2DX (Angola), current operation
as of December 15, 2004; KH9/W0CN (Wake Island) September 17-28, 2005. For
more information, visit the DXCC Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/awards/dxcc/>. "DXCC Frequently Asked Questions"
<http://www.arrl.org/awards/dxcc/faq/> can answer most questions about the
DXCC program. ARRL DX bulletins are available on the W1AW DX Bulletins page
<http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/dx/>.

===========================================================
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
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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.)