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ARRL Letter

 

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 25, No. 14
April 7, 2006
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IN THIS EDITION:

* +ARRL again targets New York BPL operation in FCC filing
* +League's executive committee juggles full agenda
* +Kids in Illinois, Australia reach space via ham radio
* +New "Hello" campaign video now available
* +Two-ham crew arrives safely on ISS
* +Tornados prompt Amateur Radio response
* +Take personal dispute off the ham bands, FCC tells Texas licensees
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF:
     This weekend on the radio
     ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
    +FCC invites comments on ARRL spread spectrum petition
     N4S special event to mark silver anniversary of first shuttle launch
     Markus Hansen, VE7CA, wins March QST Cover Plaque Award
     RAC committee eyeing new entry-level license

+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
===========================================================
NOTE: Because ARRL Headquarters will be closed Friday, April 14, for the
holiday weekend, The ARRL Letter and ARRL Audio News will be distributed a
day earlier.
===========================================================

==>ARRL ALLEGES MISREPRESENTATION BY BPL OPERATOR, INACTION BY FCC

The ARRL once again has called for the immediate shutdown of the BPL pilot
project in Briarcliff Manor, New York. In a March 29 letter that takes both
BPL operator Ambient Corporation and the FCC to task, the League documented
continued interference on amateur frequencies at various points of the
Westchester County system. The ARRL has filed five previous interference
complaints about the system, the first in October 2004. The system operates
under an FCC Part 5 experimental license.

"In response to this interference, which has never been resolved or even
substantively addressed by the Commission," the League wrote, "the
experimental permittee, Ambient, has defiantly and consistently denied the
interference, which Commission Enforcement Bureau staff personally witnessed
and confirmed."

Copies of the League's latest complaint went to the FCC's Office of
Engineering and Technology and its Experimental Licensing Division as well
as to the FCC Secretary and Ambient Corporation.

The ARRL disputed representations in a February 14 letter from Ambient
counsel George Y. Wheeler to FCC Experimental Licensing Division Chief James
Burtle. Wheeler's letter "simply denies that there is interference, which is
patently untenable at this point," the League said. "However, the
Commission's inaction has implicitly validated Ambient's inaction and
repeated misrepresentations."

Interference measurements ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, made
February 20 revealed "no substantial changes" in the system's interference
profile on amateur frequencies, the League pointed out.

"The system is still operating un-notched on amateur bands at several
separate locations, although notching of the amateur bands was evident at
other locations in the system," the League said. Despite Ambient's claims
that it had notched amateur bands, Hare found in several areas and ham bands
that "none of the system appears to be notched." A 20-page supplement
detailing Hare's February 20 findings accompanied the League's further
complaint.

The findings show the Briarcliff Manor BPL system continues to cause harmful
interference to Amateur Radio communication "and it is not compliant with
applicable FCC Part 15 regulations," the League contended. It also fails to
comply with the terms of its FCC Part 5 experimental authorization, nor is
its operation consistent with Ambient's claims in progress reports it's
filed with the FCC.

The League said it is "beyond any reasonable dispute" that the Briarcliff
Manor BPL system fails to comply with Part 5 rules requiring permittees to
cease transmissions "if harmful interference to an established radio service
develops" and not resume transmissions until it's certain harmful
interference will not recur. Part 15 rules contain similar provisions for
unlicensed devices that may interfere with licensed services.

In addition, the League said, information regarding the Briarcliff Manor BPL
system has yet to show up in the publicly accessible BPL database as Part 15
rules require. The ARRL took issue with Wheeler's assertions that the
system's information does not have to appear in the database. "Section
15.615 of the rules makes no exception for Access BPL systems operating
pursuant to an experimental authorization,” the League stated.

Given its failure to comply with both Part 5 and Part 15 rules governing its
operation, the Briarcliff Manor BPL system must be shut down, the ARRL
demanded. "Alternatively, the Commission should rescind the experimental
authorization and determine other appropriate sanctions against Ambient
Corporation," the ARRL concluded.

==>ARRL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE WORKS THROUGH WIDE-RANGING AGENDA

ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, presided over his first meeting of the
ARRL Executive Committee March 11 in St Louis. During the session, the EC
reviewed ARRL's Washington advocacy efforts and regulatory matters.

Discussion items included pending FCC regulatory action on the "omnibus"
proceeding, WT 04-140; the "Morse code" proceeding, WT 05-235; and whether
the FCC will issue a Notice of Proposed Rule Making in response to the
League's petition (RM-11306) to regulate subbands by emission bandwidth.

Also noted was a meeting of the ARRL's "Washington Team" February 16 to
review strategy, particularly with regard to legislative goals. House
Resolution 230 concerning BPL interference is the principal focus. Efforts
in support of H.Res. 230 have helped to educate key congressional offices
about the issue but have not yet netted any new co-sponsors.

ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, also reviewed the status of pending
complaints filed with the FCC in response to BPL interference complaints and
accessibility problems with the BPL Interference Resolution Web site.

In other matters, the EC: directed ARRL staff to develop a plan to provide a
vanity call sign license renewal service to League members; learned of ARRL
efforts to build federal agency support for a relaxation of some
restrictions on amateur operation in the vicinity of 5 MHz; is working with
other Board members to identify obstacles to effective grassroots action by
ARRL members in support of the League's legislative goals, and reviewed
draft terms of reference for an ARRL MF/HF Band Planning Committee and
agreed to circulate a final draft for a mail vote.

Minutes of the March 11 EC meeting are on the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/announce/ec_minutes_479.html>.

==>FIXING A FLAT, PLAYING THE DIDGERIDOO: KIDS GET ANSWERS FROM SPACE

Curious students in Bradley, Illinois, and Briar Hill, Australia, recently
got answers about many facets of life in space from ISS Expedition 12
Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR. The Amateur Radio on the International
Space Station (ARISS) program arranged the contacts between NA1SS and K9BIG
on March 28 and with VK5ZAI on March 31. McArthur, who wraps up his ISS duty
tour this weekend, told students at Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High
School that the absence of gravity "affects everything we do." Changing a
flat tire "or something similar" would be relatively easy to do on Earth but
not in space, he said, especially when it came to retrieving the lug nuts
you've set aside.

"When you need them, you reach for them again," McArthur said. "Well, in
space, if you do that, they're gone, they just will have floated away, and
that's how working with everything is in space. If it is not attached to
something, it's very easy to lose." On the other hand, McArthur pointed out,
jacking up the car would be very easy in space.

The microgravity environment also can affect the physiology of humans living
in space, he explained.

"It really does not have an adverse effect," McArthur said. "Of course there
are some subtle changes in lung capacity, cardiac output--but those things
return to normal pretty quickly on the ground."

Teacher Jim Schreiner, K9BIG, was the master of ceremonies and Earth station
control operator for the event which, in addition to attracting a large
audience also garnered significant news media attention. Members of the
Kankakee Area Radio Society (W9AZ) set up the Earth station for the direct
VHF contact.

During a scheduled contact a few days later with youngsters at Briar Hill
Primary School in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, McArthur answered the
burning question, "What does a didgeridoo sound like in space?"

"As a matter of fact, Don Pettit on Expedition 6 carried a didgeridoo into
space," McArthur replied, "and he said it sounded the same as it did on the
ground, because the air on board is at the same pressure."

McArthur said the ISS crew also would be able to listen to music on the ISS
stereo system, if it were working.

"We do have a stereo here," he said. "It's just a regular automobile stereo.
Unfortunately it's broken, so we play music on our computers." McArthur said
he also enjoys playing games on his computer in his spare time. He drew the
line at playing tennis aboard the ISS, however, because there's not enough
room.

"Valery [Tokarev, his crewmate] is a very good tennis player, and I would
not let him play tennis because he serves the ball so hard it might hit some
of our equipment and break it," he replied, tongue in cheek.

As he's done before, McArthur told the kids Down Under that living in space
has been great fun. "It is so much fun I can't believe this is a job for
which I get paid," he enthused.

Returning again to microgravity, McArthur noted its effect on blood flow in
the human body. "The blood that is normally down in your legs and feet,
because there's no gravity, your body doesn't know that, and so that blood
tends to move up into your chest and head," he said.

Despite the low-elevation pass over the station of ARISS veteran Tony
Hutchison, VK5ZAI, the contact lasted the better part of nine minutes, and
the youngsters squeezed in 22 questions. The ARISS event also attracted some
news media attention. Teacher Natalie Will, who called the contact
"fantastic," was interviewed on local and national radio outlets.

Members of the North East Radio Group assisted in setting up for the
contact. Verizon Conferencing donated the two-way audio teleconference link
for the event between VK5ZAI and the school.

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

==>ARRL "HELLO" CAMPAIGN VIDEO NOW AVAILABLE

A 30-second video public service announcement (PSA) to promote the ARRL's
"Hello" campaign--"Celebrating 100 Years of Voice over Radio Worldwide"--has
been released. A radio spot has been available since March. Hello's
architect, ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, says
the spot is available on disk in either DVD format--which plays on standard
players--or in two larger broadcast-quality DV formats.

"We want to celebrate 100 years of people talking over the radio but not
just look backward," he said. "In just 30 seconds, this video takes us on a
rollercoaster through time and electronics, into today, when we find
friendly people still ready to say 'Hello' all over the world."

Richard Lubash, N1VXW, of 2K-Plus in Atlanta, produced the new PSA. He had
musical help from Emory Gordy, W4WRO, and voicing by New York City radio
personality Johnny Donovan.

The video includes clips from all over, shot especially for the PSA, plus
video of radio amateurs from IARU member-societies in Italy and Japan. Among
the radio amateurs appearing in the video spot are Associazione Radioamatori
Italiani (ARI) President Luigi Belvederi, I4AWX/AB1FJ, and Japan Amateur
Radio League International Affairs Manager Jay Oka, JA1TRC/KH2J. Others
include: Jack Parker, W8ISH; Kevin O'Dell, N0IRW, and his son Chris, N5CMO;
Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, and wife Cyndy, KD4ACW; Nick Esposito, KC2ONP; Halley
Orshan, KC2LYJ; and Emily Shaffer, KF4SUV.

A low-resolution version is viewable on the ARRL Public Relations Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/pio/#pubserviceannouncements> (scroll down to "Video
Files"). A special high-definition television (HDTV) version is available if
needed.

Because copies are individually duplicated depending on the needs of the
station and because of the costs of the disks, Pitts asks that "at least
initially" requests be voluntarily limited to those who have contacts with a
cable, TV or similar broadcast outlet and can get them shown to the public.

To request a disk, e-mail the Hello campaign <hello@arrl.org>; your name,
mailing address, the station or location in which you will be placing the
video and the video format you need (DVD, DV or uncompressed-DV).

Hello campaign brochures, bumper stickers pins and other paraphernalia also
are available. There's more campaign information on the "Hello" Web site
<http://www.hello-radio.org/>.

Pitts will be on the road this month to show off (and market) the new audio
and video PSAs at the annual conventions of the National Association of
Broadcasters (NAB) and the Radio and Television News Directors Association
(RTNDA) April 22-27 in Las Vegas, and at a regional RTNDA convention April
8-9 in Boston.

==>BREAD AND SALT: TWO-HAM EXPEDITION 13 CREW ARRIVES SAFELY ON ISS

The International Space Station Expedition 13 crew of Commander Pavel
Vinogradov, RV3BS, and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams, KD5TVQ, arrived safely
aboard the International Space Station early on April 1. Once airlocks were
opened, the new crew--accompanied by Brazil's first astronaut Marcos Pontes,
PY0AEB--greeted the Expedition 12 crew of Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR,
and Valery Tokarev with handshakes and hugs. In accordance with a
traditional Russian ceremony of welcome and hospitality, the Expedition 12
crew presented the newcomers with bread and salt. Williams told reporters
this week that he and Vinogradov were ready to take the ISS reins.

"Handover's gone very well," he said, adding that and McArthur and Tokarev
did a good job of showing him and Vinogradov the ropes. "So I fell we will
be very prepared to take over the space station."

The two crews spent much of the week transferring cargo to the ISS and
carrying out crew handover activities that included a safety briefing,
training with the Canadarm2 robotic arm and detailed briefings on scientific
experiments. Besides conducting his own research over the past week, Pontes
spoke via Amateur Radio with a school in Brazil and was attempting to
reschedule a contact with a school in Portugal. Williams says the crew
handover has been a bit like moving into a new house that's still occupied
by the former owners.

"It never occurred to me how difficult that would be to move into somebody's
house with all their stuff in it and then pick up without a pause in the
normal day-to-day operations," he said. "But overall, it's gone very well
and we feel very prepared."

A formal change-of-command ceremony was set for April 8, just before
McArthur, Tokarev and Pontes board a Soyuz transporter for the return trip
to Earth. Seeing off the retiring crew will be a "bittersweet experience,"
Williams said this week.

"We've really enjoyed our time on board together," he said. "We've had a lot
of fun, we've enjoyed accomplishing the work together. At the same time, I
know these guys are ready to go home and rejoin their families."

NASA ground controllers cut short an ISS experiment April 3 after some
alarms sounded in error. The so-called "campout" in the slightly
depressurized ISS Quest airlock by McArthur and Williams was intended to
test a new procedure to reduce spacewalk preparation time. The experiment
hoped to show that having spacewalkers spend the night in the airlock at a
lower air pressure would help to purge nitrogen from their bloodstreams,
preventing decompression sickness--commonly called "the bends."

"There was never a problem with the atmosphere," McArthur assured an
Associated Press reporter.

Vinogradov and Williams will spend six months on the space complex,
returning home in September. Vinogradov is a veteran of a nearly 200-day
mission aboard the Russian Mir space station, where he did five spacewalks.
Williams, an Army colonel, flew on NASA space shuttle mission STS-101 to the
ISS in 2000 and did one spacewalk.

Scheduled to join the Expedition 13 crew later this year is European Space
Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter, DF4TR, of Germany. His arrival, no sooner
than July, depends on whether NASA declares the shuttle Discovery
flight-ready. Reiter would remain on the orbiting laboratory through
Expedition 13 and into the first part of Expedition 14.--some information
from NASA and ARISS

==>RADIO AMATEURS BUSY AS DEADLY STORMS AGAIN HIT MIDWEST

Amateur Radio volunteers in northwestern Tennessee and elsewhere were active
April 2 when a string of tornadoes struck the Midwest and South. The severe
weather left more than two dozen people dead and many injured, most of them
in Tennessee. ARRL Tennessee Section Emergency Coordinator Jimmy Floyd,
NQ4U, reports SKYWARN volunteers relayed reports to the National Weather
Service Office in Memphis as the twisters approached.

"Several hams were active in the Dyersburg-Newbern area Sunday night passing
local traffic for the area folks needing to let relatives know that they
were okay," Floyd told ARRL. "According to local hams, most of the
communication infrastructure was intact after the storms."

Authorities in Dyer County, where 15 people died, say some houses were
totally destroyed by the storms, and large trees across highways hampered
access by emergency crews. Severe damage reports emerged from Gibson County
where some 1200 houses and other structures--including the police
station--were said to have been damaged. The NWS said it had received
preliminary reports of more than 60 tornadoes April 2. Tennessee state
police were continuing to search for additional storm victims and warning
those "without legitimate business" to keep out of the affected areas and
let first responders and law enforcement personnel do their jobs.

In Illinois, Lawrence County Emergency Coordinator Gary Auerswald, WB9UDJ,
found himself in the middle of "a horrendous storm" while returning home
with his family from Indiana.

"Trees were coming down, and people were getting blown off the road," he
told ARRL Illinois Section Emergency Coordinator Pat Ryan, KC6VVT. "All
electricity in the area went out." Fallen power lines prevented Auerswald
from taking his usual route along Illinois Route 1. "We traveled by back
roads and oil field roads and made it home," he said.

Downed trees and power lines and other property damage greeted his arrival.
"A lightning burst gave me a clue to what else was missing: My antenna
farm," he said. Auerswald said that until he can "piece something together,"
he's off the air. He was providing power to his home from a generator.

Ryan reports the Illinois ARES HF Section Net on 75 meters secured early
because of high atmospheric noise levels. The ARES Net on the Starved Rock
Radio Club W9MKS repeater in Lenore yielded to an ongoing weather-spotter
net activated earlier by Jim Morris, N9PLM, who served as net control.
"Weather Net members monitored for storm activity and, at one point, the
LaSalle County EOC was activated," Ryan said. One person died in Illinois.

Other states affected by the tornadoes and high winds included Arkansas,
Missouri, Indiana and Ohio. Kentucky Section Emergency Coordinator Ron
Dodson, KA4MAP, reported "plenty of nets up and running" the evening of
April 2. Dodson says the storms decreased in severity by the time they
reached his state. "Trees, power and phones lines went down," he said, "but
there were no major structural incidents or injuries."

The April 2 tornadoes came less than a month after a huge string of tornados
swept through the nation's midsection on another Sunday, killing 10 people
in Missouri and Indiana and causing damage in several other states,
including Illinois, Kansas and Arkansas.

==>FCC WARNS RADIO AMATEURS TO SETTLE PERSONAL DIFFERENCES OFF THE AIR

The FCC has advised four Texas licensees to take an "ongoing dispute" off
the Amateur Radio bands or face enforcement action. Special Counsel in the
FCC Enforcement Bureau Riley Hollingsworth sent essentially identical
warning letters February 28 to Luis A Caraballo, N7PLC, and Sharon E.
Millhouse, KC5PRX--both of Floresville, and to Thomas O. Caldwell, WD5GXH,
and Gary Sheets, WD5FWP--both of San Antonio. Hollingsworth said the dispute
has "led to allegations of slander and deliberate interference" on the ham
bands.

"The Commission is not concerned with the merits, or lack thereof, of any
dispute between you or of how you settle such disputes," Hollingsworth
wrote, "but any use of amateur frequencies to carry on the dispute is
contrary to Section 97.1 of the rules and will lead to enforcement action
against the licenses of each of you."

Hollingsworth told ARRL that the personal squabble among the four radio
amateurs has been going on for several years, eventually spilling over onto
2 meters. FCC efforts to resolve the dispute have been unsuccessful, he
said, adding, "it's degrading the Amateur Service."

Sanctions could include license revocation or suspension as well as fines of
up to $10,000, Hollingsworth warned. "We may also consider proceedings to
restrict or remove the voice privileges of your licenses," he added, noting
"this is the last warning you will receive before enforcement action is
initiated."

Hollingsworth this week said he'd heard back from all but one of the
individuals who received his letters, but only one reply was in writing. In
a handwritten note, Sheets pledged to amend his attitude and practices.
Hollingsworth said he's awaiting written responses from the other three
recipients.

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Astral aficionado Tad "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" Cook, K7RA, Seattle,
Washington, reports: The general trend is down. An average daily sunspot
number of 18.1 for the first quarter of the year easily compares to the
minimum between cycles 22 and 23.

For the near term, expect sunspot numbers and solar flux to decline
gradually. For April 7-13, US Air Force Space Weather Operations predict a
planetary A index of 10, 8, 20, 15, 12, 7 and 5. For the same period it
shows a decline of solar flux values from 100 to 80. Geophysical Institute
Prague predicts quiet to unsettled conditions on April 7, quiet conditions
on April 8, unsettled conditions on April 9, active conditions on April 10,
unsettled to active conditions on April 11, unsettled on April 12, and quiet
to unsettled on April 13.

Sunspot numbers for March 30 through April 5 were 35, 39, 39, 68, 79, 62 and
88, with a mean of 58.6. The 10.7 cm flux was 83.9, 86.3, 87, 91.1, 100.4,
99.5, and 99, with a mean of 92.5. Estimated planetary A indices were 4, 4,
2, 1, 1, 7 and 29, with a mean of 6.9. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were
2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 4 and 18, with a mean of 4.1.

__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: The ARCI Spring QSO Party, the JIDX CW Contest,
the EU Spring Sprint (SSB), the Georgia and Montana QSO parties, the Yuri
Gagarin International DX Contest, the UBA Spring Contest (SSB), and the SARL
Hamnet 40-Meter Simulated Emergency Contest are the weekend of April 8-9.
JUST AHEAD: The YLRL DX-YL to NA-YL Contest (SSB) runs from April 11 to
April 13. The NAQCC 80-Meter Straight Key/Bug Sprint, the 222 MHz Spring
Sprint and the RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship (SSB) are April 12. The TARA
Skirmish Digital Prefix Contest, the Holyland DX Contest, the ES Open HF
Championship, the EU Spring Sprint (SSB), the Michigan and Ontario QSO
parties, the EA-QRP CW Contest and the YU DX Contest are the weekend of
April 15-16. The ARLHS Annual Spring Lites QSO Party is April 15-23. The Run
for the Bacon QRP Contest and the Low Power Spring Sprint are April 17. The
432 MHz Spring Sprint and the RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship (Data) are
April 20. The Thursday NCCC Sprint Ladder is April 21. 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, April 23, for these ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education (CCE) Program online courses: Amateur
Radio Emergency Communications Level 1 (EC-001), Radio Frequency
Interference (EC-006), Antenna Design and Construction (EC-009), Analog
Electronics (EC-012) and Digital Electronics (EC-013). Classes begin Friday,
May 5. To learn more, visit the CCE Course Listing page or contact the CCE
Department <cce@arrl.org>;. [C-CE logo]

* FCC invites comments on ARRL spread spectrum petition: The FCC has invited
comments on the ARRL's Petition for Rule Making, designated RM-11325, which
seeks to modify a Part 97 rule governing spread spectrum (SS) operation on
Amateur Radio frequencies. The League has asked the Commission to drop all
but the first sentence of §97.311(d), which now requires the use of
automatic power control (APC) for SS stations running more than 1 W, but
retain the 100 W overall power limitation for SS. "The effect of the rule
change would be to eliminate an automatic power control provision that has
proven over time to be impractical" in terms of compliance, the League said
in its petition, filed March 13. Comments are due Wednesday, May 3; reply
comments are due Thursday, May 18. Submit or view comments filed via the
FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS)
<http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/>. Click on "Submit a Filing" or "Search for
Filed Comments," and type "RM-11325" in the "Proceeding" field. Be sure to
type "RM" in upper case and include the hyphen, but omit the quotation
marks. A copy of the petition is on the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/SS-Rulemaking-Petition.pdf>.

* N4S special event to mark silver anniversary of first shuttle launch:
Members of the Titusville and the North Brevard Amateur Radio clubs in
Florida will be on the air as special event station N4S Sunday, April 9,
through Saturday, April 15, at the Florida Space Authority facility at the
Kennedy Space Center/Cape Canaveral Air Force Station complex. The N4S
special event will celebrate the silver anniversary of NASA's successful
space shuttle program, which began with the launch of the shuttle Columbia
on April 12, 1981. Through contacts with stations around the globe, the
special event hopes to increase awareness of the many NASA men and women of
space technology and note their accomplishments. A 25th anniversary
certificate signed by Florida Lt Gov Toni Jennings on behalf of the Florida
Space Authority is available upon request and an SASE to Carl Zelich, AA4MI,
1720 Old River Tr, Chuluota, FL 32766-8603. Full information is available on
the North Brevard ARC Web site
<http://www.northbrevardradioclub.org/shuttleanniversary.htm>.

* Markus Hansen, VE7CA, wins March QST Cover Plaque Award: The winner of the
QST Cover Plaque Award for March is Markus Hansen, VE7CA, for his article "A
Homebrew High Performance HF Transceiver--the HBR-2000." Congratulations,
Markus! The winner of the QST Cover Plaque award--given to the author or
authors of the best article in each issue--is determined by a vote of ARRL
members on the QST Cover Plaque Poll Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/members-only/QSTvote.html>. Cast a ballot for your
favorite article in the April issue by Sunday, April 30.

* RAC committee eyeing new entry-level license: A seven-member Radio
Amateurs of Canada (RAC) advisory committee is looking into whether to ask
Industry Canada to institute a new entry-level Amateur Radio license north
of the border. Under the leadership of Midwest Director Bj Madsen, VE5FX,
the committee is studying the success of the Foundation License implemented
in the UK, Australia and Gibraltar to encourage youth to take an interest in
science and radio and to promote growth in Amateur Radio. "Amateur Radio is
not dying--it is changing, and we must be sure to change with it," Madsen
says. The RAC panel is seeking the opinions of Canadian radio amateurs on
the topic and will make a recommendation to the RAC Board of Directors.
Canadian amateurs can learn more about the advisory committee's work and how
to contribute by reading "The Foundation License Concept" on the RAC Web
site <http://www.rac.ca/news/foundation.pdf>. The ARRL and other petitioners
have so far been unsuccessful in convincing the FCC to establish a new
entry-level Amateur Radio license in the US.

===========================================================
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/>. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, 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.

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==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, n1rl@arrl.org
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==>ARRL Audio News: <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> or call
860-594-0384

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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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