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ARRL Letter

 

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 25, No. 23
June 9, 2006
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +House-passed telecoms bill keeps BPL study requirement
* +FCC Citation issued in ham radio power line interference case
* +June 28 set as launch date for 13 CubeSats
* +Vermont becomes the 23rd PRB-1 state
* +ARRL to be represented at international EmComm conference
* +Newest DXCC entity is waiting in the wings
* +AMSAT-UK cites potential threat from wireless broadband
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF:
     This weekend on the radio: The ARRL June VHF QSO Party!
     ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
     Spratly Islands operation reported imminent
    +Dayton Hamvention 2006 attendance nearly even with last year's
    +Ebbing sunspots fail to stanch flood of QSL cards
     W1AW/0 special event set for Rocky Mountain Division Convention
     K6KPH to transmit West Coast Qualifying Run June 17, Field Day message
     Marv Loftness, KB7KK, wins May QST Cover Plaque Award
     New Air Force MARS chief announced
     DXCC Desk approves operation for DXCC credit
     Correction

+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
===========================================================

==>US HOUSE OKAYS TELECOMS BILL WITH BPL STUDY LANGUAGE INTACT

On a 321 to 101 vote, the US House of Representatives on June 8 passed the
Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement (COPE) Act of 2006.
The House-passed bill, HR 5252, leaves intact language that would require
the FCC to study the interference potential of BPL systems. US Rep Mike
Ross, WD5DVR (D-AR), one of two radio amateurs in Congress, sponsored the
BPL study requirement, "Study of Interference Potential of Broadband over
Power Line Systems," contained in Title V, Section 502 of the complex bill.
HR 5252 now goes to the US Senate, where a separate--and very
different--telecoms bill, the Communications, Consumer's Choice, and
Broadband Deployment Act of 2006 (S 2686) is still in committee.

"We were concerned that a representative might be persuaded by BPL interests
to introduce an amendment to delete or dilute Section 502," said ARRL CEO
David Sumner, K1ZZ. "As it turns out that didn't happen, although we had
taken steps to counter it if it had. So for now our focus returns to the
Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee." Sumner says that if
similar language were introduced on the Senate side, it would be more likely
to remain when and if the House and Senate versions go to a conference
committee.

Section 502 calls on the FCC to "conduct, and submit to the Committee on
Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, a study of the
interference potential of broadband over power line systems," within 90 days
of the bill's enactment.

Ross proposed including the study wording while the bill was still in the
Energy and Commerce Committee. With the support of Committee Chairman Joe
Barton (R-TX), the panel agreed by voice vote to include it when it reported
the bill out.

The BPL study requirement reportedly has received significant opposition
from electric utilities. The United Telecom Council (UTC), a bulwark of BPL
support and administrator of the Interference Resolution Web site, last
month referred to the study requirement as a threat and urged its members to
contact their members of Congress regarding its inclusion in the House
measure.

A year ago, Ross sponsored House Resolution 230 (H Res 230), which calls on
the FCC to "reconsider and revise rules governing broadband over power line
systems based on a comprehensive evaluation of the interference potential of
those systems to public safety services and other licensed radio services."
That non-binding resolution has eight cosponsors.

In an April 27 statement, Ross said including the FCC study requirement in
the House bill "would guarantee that valuable public safety communications
and Amateur Radio operators are not subject to interference." He said
infrastructure-free Amateur Radio, "often overlooked in favor of flashier
means of communication," can maintain communication in disasters that bring
more vulnerable technology to its knees. Ham radio operators "are often the
only means of communication attainable in a devastated area," Ross said.

"I believe it is imperative that the interference potential [of BPL] is
thoroughly examined and comprehensively evaluated to ensure that deployment
of BPL, which I do support, does not cause radio interference for Amateur
Radio operators and first responders who serve our communities," Ross added.


The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will consider S
2686 in a markup session later this month. The ARRL has e-mailed members in
the 22 states with Senators on the committee, urging them to write seeking
support to include similar BPL study language in the Senate bill.

==>FCC CITES FLORIDA UTILITY FOR INTERFERENCE TO RADIO AMATEUR

The FCC has issued a Citation to Lakeland Electric, a municipally owned
utility in Lakeland, Florida, for violating Part 15 rules by interfering
with a local radio amateur. §15.5(c) of the FCC rules requires that the
operator of an "incidental radiator" must cease operating the device after
an FCC representative notifies the operator that the device is causing
harmful interference. The "incidental radiator" in this case is overhead
power lines. Under an agreement, the ARRL and the FCC cooperate in resolving
cases of line noise interference to Amateur Radio licensees.

"Power line noise continues to generate the bulk of interference complaints
that ARRL receives," says ARRL Electromagnetic Compatibility Engineer Mike
Gruber, W1MG, who says the League reviews hundreds of such complaints each
year. About half of them are resolved promptly by the utilities, in some
instances with assistance from the ARRL Laboratory. Gruber says he believes
this is the first time the FCC has issued a Citation to a utility in a case
involving power line interference to ham radio.

The radio amateur involved, J. C. Flynn, W4FGC, told ARRL that Lakeland
Electric has been good about fixing routine problems, but he doesn't think
the utility personnel know how to resolve cases of power line noise. "I have
been 10 years trying to get something done," he said, adding that the noise
affects all HF bands. "It is terrible!"

Flynn first noticed the power line noise around 1995. Subsequent complaints,
assurances from the utility that it was addressing the problem--or that it
couldn't find one--and even some FCC warnings followed before the FCC issued
its Citation to Lakeland Electric on May 16. Flynn, who's now 84, told the
League that as of June 7, nothing had been done to fix the severe line noise
at his location, which he demonstrated over the telephone on several bands.
He said he especially enjoys getting on 40 meter SSB with a large roundtable
of friends.

Commented Gruber: "There has been no activity by the utility in resolving
this problem in over a year, and Mr Flynn's noise case now appears to be at
a standstill." The League's involvement in the case goes back to January
2001, when Flynn requested the League's assistance. Gruber says the League's
role is to provide technical information and guidance to utilities "to keep
a complaint from reaching the point of a Citation."

In late 2005, Gruber had a chance to check the line noise at Flynn's QTH
firsthand. He had taken RFI gear to a Florida ham radio convention for a
talk and demonstration. Afterward, on his own time, Gruber--with help from
ARRL West Central Florida Section Manager Dee Turner, N4GD--took some noise
measurements of his own.

Gruber submitted the results of his on-site inspection to the FCC. Personnel
from the Commission's Tampa field office followed up with their own
inspection before issuing the Citation, which lays the groundwork for a
possible Notice of Apparent Liability proposing to fine the utility if the
interference problem is not resolved.

"I hope this case serves as a precedent for FCC enforcement, where
appropriate, in power line noise cases," said Gruber, who's compiled various
reports and correspondence relating to the Lakeland Electric power line
interference case into a booklet of approximately 60 pages. "While the
League will work with amateurs in such cases for as long as it takes," he
added, "we hope the FCC Citation will serve as a warning to electric
utilities that it's not acceptable to take months or years to fix the
problem causing the interference."

==>HUGE CUBESAT LAUNCH SET FOR JUNE 28

In what AMSAT-NA is calling the largest deployment ever of Amateur Radio
satellites, 13 "CubeSats" carrying ham radio payloads are set for launch
June 28. If all goes according to plan, a Dnepr-1LV rocket will carry the
CubeSats into space from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. A fourteenth
satellite in the package will not carry an Amateur Radio payload.

The CubeSat project is a collaboration between California Polytechnic State
University-San Luis Obispo and Stanford University's Space Systems
Development Laboratory. All of the CubeSats set to launch this month were
designed and built by students at various universities in the US and
elsewhere in the world.

Cornell University, Cal Poly, and the University of Arizona each will send
two CubeSats into space. Other US schools participating in the mass CubeSat
launch are the University of Illinois, the University of Kansas, Montana
State University and the University of Hawaii. In addition, schools in
Norway, S Korea and Japan have built CubeSats for this month's launch.

One of the CubeSats, known as SEEDS, was built by students at the Nihon
University in Japan. It contains a CW beacon, Digi-Talker and other
experiments. The CW beacon will be on 437.485 MHz and use the call sign
JQ1YGU. The Digi-Talker experiment will be activated later. All 13 CubeSats
will identify using Amateur Radio call signs.

According to AMSAT-NA, the satellites will be put into a 500-by-566 km (310
by 351 miles) orbit with a 97-degree inclination. Each tiny satellite is a
10 cm (4 inch) cube weighing just 1 kg (2.2 lbs) into which the battery,
transmitter and various experiments are packed.

Twelve of the satellites have downlinks in the Amateur Radio satellite
allocation between 435 and 438 MHz, and one will operate on 145.980 MHz, so
there will be lots of signals to listen out for after launch. None of the
spacecraft will carry a transponder. Transmitter power outputs range from 10
mW to 2 W.

Handling the complex job of frequency coordination was International Amateur
Radio Union (IARU) Amateur Satellite Advisor Hans van de Groenendaal,
ZS6AKV, and a panel of experts who assist in frequency coordination and
advise satellite builders.

Ralph Wallio, W0RPK, maintains a Web page
<http://showcase.netins.net/web/wallio/CubeSat.htm> with up-to-date CubeSat
status (scroll down).--AMSAT News Service

==>VERMONT GOVERNOR SIGNS AMATEUR RADIO ANTENNA BILL

Vermont Gov Jim Douglas has signed Amateur Radio antenna legislation that
puts the language of the limited federal preemption known as PRB-1 into the
Green Mountain State's statutes. Vermont is the 23rd state to adopt an
Amateur Radio antenna law.

"Today we reached a milestone in Vermont Amateur Radio history," exulted
David Cain, W1DEC, on May 30. "PRB-1 is now officially codified into
Vermont's statutes." Cain chaired the PRB-1 Committee and serves as Vermont
ARRL State Government Liaison. "To all of you who worked so hard on this a
hearty 'thank you' and 'well done!'"

ARRL New England Division Vice Director Mike Raisbeck, K1TWF, offered his
congratulations to all involved in seeing the bill through. "This is a major
achievement for Vermont, the New England Division and the hobby," he said.
The legislation, H.12, cleared Vermont's General Assembly on May 10.

The new law requires local ordinances to comply with §97.15(b) "by allowing
for the erection of an Amateur Radio antenna or an Amateur Radio antenna
support structure at a height and dimension sufficient to accommodate
Amateur Radio Service communications."

Cain notes that a PRB-1 bill has been in the General Assembly hopper in
Vermont for more than three years. "Hard work and persistence paid off," he
said, noting that lawmakers "recognized the value of ham radio and the need
for reasonable accommodation."

Section 1 of the bill declares it Vermont policy "that Amateur Radio use and
Amateur Radio antennas and support structures protect and promote the public
interest by providing important communications support to both government
and the public during times of emergency when other communications
infrastructure is disabled or overburdened and by presenting the public with
an opportunity for public service, self-training, communications and
technical investigation."

Language in the original Vermont antenna bill outlined a schedule of minimum
regulatory heights, below which localities could not impose restrictions.
That language did not survive the legislative process, however.

The legislation that did pass also provides for the Department of Housing
and Community Affairs (DHCA) to report to the House and Senate committees on
government operations "concerning municipal permitting and siting of Amateur
Radio antennas and Amateur Radio antenna structures and municipal compliance
with state statutes."

In developing its report, DHCA "shall consult with representatives" of
Vermont's Amateur Radio community and include their recommendations and
input in its report to the General Assembly.

==>SECOND GLOBAL AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE SET

ARRL First Vice President Kay Craigie, N3KN, will represent the League at
the second Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications (GAREC) Conference.
GAREC 2006 will take place June 19-20 in Tampere, Finland, in parallel with
the International Conference on Emergency Communications (ICEC 2006).

"Many new experiences resulted from dramatic events over the past 12 months,
new lessons have been learned, and new concepts have been developed," said
IARU International Coordinator for Emergency Communications Hans Zimmermann,
F5VKP/HB9AQS.

Continuing the work begun during GAREC 2005, this year's conference will
consider the latest developments in the application of Amateur Radio to
emergency communication and cooperation with institutional partners in
emergency response and disaster relief, Zimmerman said. It will also review
progress made on concepts developed during last year's conference and
formulate additional proposals.

Zimmerman noted that the concurrent ICEC 2006 will review the application
and implementation of the Tampere Convention on the Provision of
Telecommunication Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations.
"Holding the two events at the same time in the same location allows us to
give high visibility to the important role of Amateur Radio in emergency
communications," he said.

==>MONTENEGRO POISED TO BECOME NEWEST DXCC ENTITY

The Republic of Montenegro, which declared its independence June 3, has
applied for United Nations membership, according to The Daily DX
<http://www.dailydx.com/>. The move paves the way for the tiny Balkan nation
to join the ARRL DXCC list.

"Once Montenegro is accepted into the UN or obtains a call sign prefix
block, DXers will have a new DXCC entity," says ARRL Membership Services
Manager Wayne Mills, N7NG.

The division of Serbia and Montenegro eliminates what remained of
Yugoslavia. Serbia's parliament this week declared Serbia a sovereign nation
as heir to the former Serbia-Montenegro union. Assuming that Serbia
continues to hold its current seat in the UN, it will remain on the DXCC
list as a pre-existing and continuing DXCC entity, Mills explained.

A decision on whether to admit Montenegro into the UN must go before the UN
Security Council and then to the UN General Assembly. A UN spokesperson
could not say how long the process might take, The Daily DX said.

==>POTENTIAL THREAT TO AMATEUR BANDS IN UK CITED

AMSAT-UK warns that proposals under consideration in the UK to provide
wireless broadband in rural areas could pose a threat to Amateur Radio and
Amateur-Satellite services there. A recently published report from telecoms
regulator Ofcom
<http://www.ofcom.org.uk/research/technology/overview/ese/exempt/> explores
various options to bring broadband to countryside communities. One option
calls for the use of wireless broadband. The systems would require high
power to cover the large geographical areas involved, however. The Ofcom
report proposes power levels of up to 80 W EIRP in the 2.4 GHz band and 200
W EIRP in the 5 GHz band.

"It is hard to see how amateurs would be able to continue using these
frequencies when faced by the high levels of interference from the high
power applications envisaged by this report," an AMSAT-UK spokesperson said.

Ofcom notes that unlicensed broadband operators now may run 100 mW on 2.4
GHz and 2 W EIRP on 5.8 GHz. Both bands have Amateur Radio allocations, and
AMSAT-UK worries that the high power levels outlined in the report could
cause serious interference to radio amateurs operating in those bands. The
problem could be particularly severe on the 2400 to 2450 MHz band, used by
"weak-signal" amateur satellites and amateur TV repeaters. The report makes
no mention of Amateur Radio operation on the 2.4 GHz band.

AMSAT-UK notes that four amateur satellites currently under construction
will use 2.4 GHz to provide worldwide communications. The Amateur Radio P5-A
Mars orbiter, due to launch in 2009, will rely on 2.4 GHz as well. Also
under threat would be a planned 2.4 GHz Amateur Radio video link from the
International Space Station to schools as part of the Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS) educational outreach.--RSGB

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Propagation prognosticator Tad "Sun King" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington,
reports: Sunspot counts were lower this week, but it's surprising what has
been happening on the ham bands. Operators are still having fun, and still
working long distances, even on VHF, during this low part of the sunspot
cycle. Most of this is due to seasonal sporadic E propagation. There were
also reports of great HF conditions during the CQ WPX contest over the
Memorial Day weekend.

Average sunspot numbers dropped by 35 points to 19.3 between the last week
of May and the first week of June. Geomagnetic indexes were a little higher.

For more information concerning propagation and an explanation of the
numbers used in this bulletin see the ARRL Technical Information Service
Propagation page <http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html>.

Sunspot numbers for June 1 through 7 were 11, 0, 0, 17, 23, 36 and 48, with
a mean of 19.3. 10.7 cm flux was 77.2, 75.3, 75.9, 75.6, 77.9, 78, and 82.7,
with a mean of 77.5. Estimated planetary A indices were 13, 8, 4, 2, 4, 23
and 24, with a mean of 11.1. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 10, 5, 2,
1, 2, 15 and 18, with a mean of 7.6.

__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: The ARRL June VHF QSO Party, the ANARTS World
Wide RTTY Contest, the Portugal Day Contest, the Asia-Pacific Sprint (SSB),
the GACW WWSA CW DX Contest and the REF DDFM 6-Meter Contest are the weekend
of June 10-11. The NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint and the RSGB 80-Meter Club
Championship (CW) are June 14. The Thursday NCCC Sprint Ladder and SARL
Youth Day are June 16. JUST AHEAD: ARRL Kids Day, Council of Europe RC 20th
Anniversary Challenge 0800Z, Jun 16 to 1000Z, Jun 18, All Asian DX Contest,
CW 0000Z, Jun 17 to 2400Z, Jun 18, SMIRK Contest 0000Z, Jun 17 to 2400Z, Jun
18, West Virginia QSO Party 1600Z, Jun 17 to 0200Z, Jun 18, AGCW VHF/UHF
Contest 1600Z-1900Z, Jun 17 (144), 1900Z-2100Z, Jun 17 (432), Quebec QSO
Party 1700Z, Jun 17 to 0300Z, Jun 18, Kid's Day Contest 1800Z-2400Z, Jun 17,
DIE Contest 0600Z-1200Z, Jun 18, Run for the Bacon QRP Contest 0100Z-0300Z,
Jun 19, RSGB 80m Club Championship, SSB 1900Z-2030Z, Jun 22, Thursday NCCC
Sprint Ladder 0230Z-0300Z, Jun 23, 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, June 25, for these ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education (CCE). Program on-line 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,
July7. To learn more, visit the CCE Course Listing page
<http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> or contact the CCE Department
<cce@arrl.org>;.

* Spratly Islands operation reported imminent: The Daily DX
<http://www.dailydx.com/> quotes Toshi Kusano, JA1ELY, who provides details
of an imminent--and brief--operation from the Spratly Islands. According to
the report, Tex Izumo, 9M2TO, will commence operation from Layang Layang
Island, Spratly Islands (AS-051) starting at about 1200 UTC, Friday, June 9,
through 2200 UTC on Monday, June 12. He is said to have all necessary
documentation in order and will be on the air as 9M0/9M2TO on CW only. The
one-person operation will cover all bands from 80 through 6 meters at 100 W.
QSL via JA0DMV, via the bureau (JARL) or direct to Tex Izumo, 2C-10-03
Mutiara Apt, Jalan Sungai Emas, 11100 Batu Ferringhi, Penang Is, Malaysia.

* Dayton Hamvention 2006 attendance nearly even with last year's: Dayton
Hamvention? 2006 General Chairman Jim Nies, WX8F, reports that the estimated
attendance for the May 19-21 event was very nearly the same as last year's.
"Our best estimates for attendance at 2006 Hamvention put the number at
20,324, a slight drop from 2005, but still within the ballpark for the three
latest all-volunteer Hamvention years," Nies told ARRL. In 2005, an ARRL
Convention year, 20,411 visitors attended Hamvention. The number of
attendees in 2004 was calculated at 19,869. Nies said the Dayton Amateur
Radio Association's Hamvention Committee will conduct a critique meeting
June 13 to identify areas of Hamvention that need improvement and to discuss
possible solutions, although Nies says that process already has begun
informally. "Some committee chairmen have begun planning their timelines and
their recruiting for next year," he adds.

* Ebbing sunspots fail to stanch flood of QSL cards: Despite the fact that
the current sunspot cycle is nearing its low point, the ARRL Outgoing QSL
Service is doing a brisk business. "We are seeing bigger numbers this year
as compared to last year," says ARRL Outgoing QSL Service Manager Sharon
Taratula. "It's amazing, considering where we are in the sunspot cycle." By
late May, the Outgoing QSL Service had received 66,150 QSL cards, she says.
That compares with 54,850 cards received during the entire month of May
2005--a difference of 11,200 QSLs. "In 2006 so far, we have received 60,025
more cards than we had by this time in 2005," Taratula said. The volume of
outgoing QSL cards reflects the trend, although not all cards
received--especially those destined for rarer DXCC entities--go out right
away in the bi-monthly mailings to foreign bureaus. "This year so far, we
have shipped 530,250 cards," she says. "That's 5400 more cards than we'd
shipped by this time last year." The 2005 total was 1,137,550 cards. In the
current solar cycle, the number of cards shipped via the ARRL Outgoing QSL
Service topped 1.9 million cards in the 2001-2002 period. The Outgoing QSL
Service sorts and forwards QSLs received from US radio amateurs to bureaus
in 225 countries.

* W1AW/0 special event set for Rocky Mountain Division Convention: ARRL
Maxim Memorial Station W1AW will be on the air as special event station
W1AW/0 June 9-11 during HAMCON Colorado--the ARRL Rocky Mountain Division
Convention. HAMCON will be held at the Holiday Inn-Rocky Mountain Park
Convention Center in Estes Park, Colorado. Two HF stations will be available
for conventioneers to operate throughout the event. Look for W1AW/0 on SSB,
3.875, 7.255, 14.245 and 21.320 MHz. QSL W1AW/0, 225 Main St, Newington, CT
06111.--Wes Wilson, K0HBZ

* K6KPH to transmit West Coast Qualifying Run June 17, Field Day message:
The Maritime Radio Historical Society's K6KPH will transmit the "W1AW" West
Coast Qualifying Run session Saturday, June 17, 2100 UTC (1400 PDT). K6KPH
will use the normal W1AW CW frequencies of 3.5815, 7.0475, 14.0475 and
21.0675 MHz. This information was inadvertently omitted from the W1AW
schedule appearing in June's QST. The following weekend, K6KPH will
complement W1AW's Field Day 2006 message on CW and digital modes for the
benefit of West Coast stations. K6KPH frequencies for the Field Day
transmissions: CW, 3.5815, 7.0475, 14.0475 and 21.0675 MHz; Teleprinter
(RTTY and FEC AMTOR), 7.095 and 14.095 MHz. The K6KPH schedules are subject
to change. The W1AW and K6KPH Field Day schedules are on the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/forms/06-fd-w1aw-sked.html>.

* Marv Loftness, KB7KK, wins May QST Cover Plaque Award: The winner of the
QST Cover Plaque Award for May is Marv Loftness, KB7KK, for his article
"That Noise--When to Call the Power Company." Congratulations, Marv! 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 June issue by Friday, June 30.

* New Air Force MARS chief announced: The Air Force Communications Agency
(AFCA) has announced the appointment of MSgt Donald Poquette as Chief of Air
Force Military Affiliate Radio System (AF MARS). Poquette, who holds the
Amateur Radio call sign KE9XB, will assume his duties and the AF MARS
chief's call sign AGA3C immediately. He succeeds AF MARS Chief Ray Collins,
AGA3C, who announced his retirement earlier this year. Poquette has more
than 20 years of radio communications experience. He has maintained
high-power HF global stations, managed several radio work centers, and
served as quality assurance inspector and frequency manager. Additionally,
he has gained valuable experience as installation MARS director and with
assisting the previous AF MARS chief with associated responsibilities. The
Air Force MARS office is located at AFCA Headquarters, Scott Air Force Base,
Illinois.

* Three radio amateurs on next ISS crew: NASA astronauts Michael
Lopez-Alegria, KE5GTK, and Sunita Williams, KD5PLB, and Russian cosmonaut
Mikhail Tyurin, RZ3FT, have been named as the 14th crew of the International
Space Station. Expedition 14 is scheduled to begin this fall. Lopez-Alegria
will serve as Expedition 14 commander and as NASA ISS science officer for
the six-month mission. Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin--who was on the ISS
Expedition 3 crew--are now training to launch aboard a Russian Soyuz
spacecraft in September. Williams' arrival on the ISS depends on NASA's
shuttle fleet being back in operation. She's scheduled to travel to the ISS
via shuttle--her first space flight--and join Expedition 14 in progress. If
all goes according to current plans, Williams will replace European Space
Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter, DF4TR, whose duty tour is scheduled to
bridge part of expeditions 13 and 14--the first time that's happened in the
history of the ISS. Unclear at this point is whether Reiter will return on
the shuttle or aboard a Soyuz, so there could be some additional crew
overlap. Plans call for Reiter to go into space when the NASA space shuttle
returns to flight in July, and he'll join Expedition 13's Pavel Vinogradov,
RV3BS, and Jeff Williams, KD5TVQ, whose mission began in April.

* DXCC Desk approves operation for DXCC credit: The ARRL DXCC Desk has
approved this operation for DXCC credit: T61AA, Afghanistan, current
operation effective May 23, 2006. For more information, visit the DXCC Web
page <http://www.arrl.org/awards/dxcc/>. "DXCC Frequently Asked Questions"
can answer most questions about the DXCC program.

* Correction: In the story "2006 NORTH ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON OFFICIALLY
UNDER WAY" in The ARRL Letter, Vol 25, No 22 (Jun 2, 2006), we should have
said: "The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) <http://www.hwn.org/> activates on
14.325 MHz when a hurricane is forecast within 300 miles of landfall in the
Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf Coast regions."
===========================================================
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
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bulletins, and other material. To change these selections--including
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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