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ARRL Letter

 

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 25, No. 48
December 8, 2006
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +FCC Chairman's BPL presentation biased, inaccurate, ARRL charges
* +Spectrum Defense donations from ARRL members critical to BPL court appeal
* +German astronaut, ISS commander speak with students via ham radio
* +Convicted felon ordered stripped of Amateur Radio license
* +Canada's CHU 7.335 MHz time signal in jeopardy
* +ARRL International Humanitarian Award nominations due by December 31
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF:
     This weekend on the radio: The ARRL 10-Meter Contest!
     ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
    +GeneSat-1 set to launch December 11
     Deadline looms to support League via Combined Federal Campaign
    +VY1JA low-frequency beacon signal "grabbed" in Germany
     Darrin Walraven, K5DVW, wins November QST Cover Plaque Award
     K2JV is Hudson Division's "Amateur of the Year"

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

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==>LEAGUE FAULTS FCC CHAIRMAN RE BIASED, INACCURATE BPL INFORMATION

The ARRL has called on FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin and his fellow
commissioners to employ "a more even-handed approach" when promoting new
broadband technologies. In a December 6 fax to Martin and the other four FCC
members, ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, faulted the chairman for using
broadband over power line (BPL) deployment data from the BPL industry when
speaking at Georgetown University November 30. Martin's presentation
<http://www.fcc.gov/commissioners/martin/georgetown.ppt> included a slide of
a map from the United Power Line Council (UPLC), a BPL proponent, purporting
to show current BPL deployments in the US.

"This slide is taken from a biased industry source and fails to note that a
large percentage of the deployments shown on the map have been shut down and
no longer exist," Sumner told Martin. His letter included a list of five
systems shut down as much as two years earlier. In several instances,
utilities announced they had abandoned their BPL pilot projects because they
proved to be uneconomical or were unable to compete with existing broadband
technologies.

Sumner said the ARRL wants the FCC to stop using the UPLC as a source for
illustrating BPL deployments. He further faulted the chairman for failing to
include slides on the other two new technologies in the early stages of
deployment he'd mentioned -- wireless broadband and fiber-to-the-home.

The FCC Report, "High-Speed Services for Internet Access: Status as of
December 31, 2005," showed 448,196 fiber and 256,538 fixed wireless
connections compared to just 5859 for "Power Line and Other," Sumner pointed
out. "Your prepared remarks do not even mention satellite broadband, yet the
same FCC report shows 426,928 satellite 'lines,'" he added.

Sumner said BPL, as a technology, doesn't warrant the kind of partiality
it's been getting from the FCC. "As you know, the ARRL's concern is with the
still-unresolved radio interference issues that uniquely plague BPL and not
with BPL as such," he noted in conclusion. "However, it is evident that the
technology does not deserve the favored treatment the FCC continues to
bestow upon it, especially when its inherent shortcoming, that it is a radio
spectrum polluter, escapes mention."

Sumner said the UPLC BPL deployment map Martin used when speaking at the
Georgetown University McDonough School of Business Center for Business and
Public Policy November 30 also was on display at the FCC open meeting last
August at which the Commission adopted its BPL Memorandum Opinion and Order
(MO&O). The MO&O dispensed with various reconsideration petitions, including
one from ARRL, asking the Commission to reconsider its October 2004 BPL
Report and Order (R&O).

Martin's excessive emphasis on BPL as a "new" technology when other new
technologies "are vastly more successful and promising according to the
FCC's own reports" belies the chairman's impartiality, Sumner commented
after faxing the letter. "The ARRL remains highly dissatisfied with the
Commission's handling of the BPL radio interference issue."

In October, the ARRL notified the US District Court of Appeals -- DC Circuit
that it would seek review of the August MO&O as well as the October 2004 R&O
on the ground that they exceed the Commission's jurisdiction and authority,
are contrary to the Communications Act of 1934, and are arbitrary,
capricious, an abuse of discretion, and otherwise not in accordance with
law.

The League will request that the court "hold unlawful, vacate, enjoin and
set aside the orders." A court filing detailing the League's specific
objections to the two FCC orders is pending.

==>ARRL MEMBERS' DONATIONS VITAL TO SUCCESS OF BPL COURT APPEAL

ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, is urging League members to turn their outrage
at the FCC's unreasonably favorable treatment of unlicensed BPL systems into
generous donations to the 2007 ARRL Spectrum Defense Campaign. The ARRL is
suing the Commission in the US District Court of Appeals -- DC Circuit on
the ground the FCC concocted rules to -- in Sumner's words -- "accommodate a
polluter of the radio spectrum" at the expense of the licensed users it's
supposed to protect.

"The BPL rules adopted in 2004 were bad enough," Sumner stressed in an
appeal for member contributions to the Spectrum Defense Campaign to help
cover the considerable expense of the court appeal. "The rules adopted in
2006 are intolerable. Never before has an unintentional emitter been given a
free pass to interfere with licensed radio services."

The ARRL's suit will focus in part on a new FCC rule aimed directly at
mobile stations in all radio services, including public safety systems, that
the Commission slipped into its August 2006 Memorandum Opinion and Order
(MO&O) that dealt with various petitions, including one from ARRL, to
reconsider portions of the October 2004 BPL Report and Order (R&O)
establishing rules governing BPL systems. The new rule, §15.611(c)(1)(iii),
provides that BPL operators only have to reduce emission levels below
established FCC permissible limits by 20 dB below 30 MHz and by 10 dB above
30 MHz -- even if that's insufficient to resolve harmful interference
complaints.

"This isn't just a proposal. It's a rule that is now in effect," Sumner
points out in his letter. "With one stroke, the rights of FCC licensees have
been subordinated to those of spectrum polluters!"

The League further maintains that the FCC erred in declining to adjust the
40 dB per decade "extrapolation factor" applied to emission measurements
performed at distances from power lines other than those specified in Part
15. The existing Part 15 rule causes test results to underestimate actual
field strength, the ARRL has asserted, arguing that a figure closer to 20 dB
per decade is appropriate. Sumner says the FCC simply didn't listen,
however.

"Without even attempting to address this evidence, the FCC simply concluded:
'No new information has been submitted that would provide a convincing
argument for modifying this requirement at this time,'" he said.
"Information was submitted; the FCC ignored it."

Sumner says that determining the outcome you want and adjusting the facts
accordingly doesn't constitute reasoned decision-making, as the League will
demonstrate in court. "We will show that the FCC did not come to a reasoned
decision in developing its BPL rules," he said.

Highlighting the extreme importance of the League's BPL lawsuit, Sumner
warns that even if BPL should disappear tomorrow, "the FCC's preference for
unlicensed, unintentional emitters over the interests of its licensees will
remain on the books."

"Bad rules left unchallenged will lead to even worse rules later," he said.

Sumner reviews the League's history of BPL dealing with the FCC in his "It
Seems to Us . . . " editorial, "Pretending to Sleep" on page 9 of October
QST <http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2006/10/01/1/>.

ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, says that while ARRL 2007
Spectrum Defense Fund donors have been quite generous, there's still some
distance to go before the campaign reaches its goal of $250,000 by year's
end.

"The League has your back," Hobart tells ARRL members. "This lawsuit is an
important and very expensive proposition, undertaken only after careful
consideration by the ARRL Board of Directors. We try to make every dollar
count, and in this instance, they will count."

While the spotlight this fall is focusing on the BPL court appeal, the
League still needs to be in a position to support its ongoing spectrum
defense efforts, she added. "The best thing members can do is contribute.
This is a case where the ARRL is putting its money where its mouth is, and
member support is critical."

Hobart stressed that reaching the campaign's goal by December 31 is
paramount. "It's been a good financial year for many people," she said, "and
we hope those who have benefited from the economic upswing will opt to be as
generous as they can."

==>TOOTHACHES, EXTRATERRESTRIALS TOPICS IN HAM RADIO CHATS WITH ISS CREW
MEMBERS

Toothaches in space and the possibility of intelligent life on other planets
were among the topics piquing the curiosity of students in Germany and
Canada when they spoke via ham radio with the ISS. The Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS) program arranged the back-to-back
contacts on November 20. During what may have been the first-ever ARISS
school contact in German, youngsters gathered at the Museum for Industry in
Mannheim, Germany, to speak with European Space Agency astronaut Thomas
Reiter, DF4TR. One wanted to know what would happen if he or one of the
other ISS crew members developed a toothache.

"Thank goodness, not yet," Reiter said. "Of course, in preparation for
flight, we get an extensive medical examination and that includes a close
look at the teeth, precisely for the purpose of making sure that [a
toothache] doesn't happen. If it happens anyway, there are painkillers and
medical support onboard to treat the tooth and bring relief."

The museum, home to the "Adventure Space Travel" exhibit, played host to
some 200 participants, ranging from 12 to 20. Southwest Germany Radio's
daily youth-oriented program "Das Ding" (The Thing) conducted the event and
selected the 16 questions asked from among those listeners proposed. Since
there were no ISS passes over Europe, Tony Hutchison, VK5ZAI, served as the
ARISS ground station for the event, and Verizon Conferencing provided
two-way audio to the participants. ARISS Europe Chairman Gaston Bertels,
ON4WF, assisted on site.

Reiter also explained that the crew has little free time. "Leisure time is a
foreign concept up here," he quipped. He described the effects of
weightlessness on the muscles as "the biggest problem that we have to fight
here" through vigorous exercise. He said he exercises an hour in the morning
and an hour in the afternoon to stay fit, "and when we come back to Earth it
will be easier to re-accommodate to gravity." Reiter will return to Earth
this month.

A short time later, ISS Expedition 14 Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria, KE5GTK,
fired up NA1SS to speak directly on VHF with high schoolers at Centre
Hastings Secondary School in Madoc, Ontario, Canada, via ground station
VE3UR. Responding to one student's question, Lopez-Alegria described
commercialized space travel as "the wave of the future."

"I'm not sure that I'd call it 'routine' just yet, but I think that probably
in the not-too-distant future we will start to see it develop like the
airline industry did about 100 years ago or so."

Lopez-Alegria said that while he doesn't believe there's intelligent life on
Mars, he's convinced it exists elsewhere. "The universe is too large for us
to be the only one with intelligent life," he suggested.

The 10 high schoolers managed to fit in nearly two dozen questions before
the contact concluded. "I wish you all the best," Lopez-Alegria said as he
signed off. The Ottawa ARISS team provided radio equipment for the contact
and gave a presentation to the students before the QSO. Radio and newspaper
reporters covered the event as an audience of 800 looked on.

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

==>FCC REVOKES AMATEUR RADIO LICENSE OF CONVICTED FELON

The FCC has ordered that David Edward Cox, W5OER, of Pride, Louisiana, be
stripped of his Technician class Amateur Radio license. In October 2005, the
FCC sent Cox an Order to Show Cause to initiate a hearing proceeding to
determine if Cox, who's serving time on several felony convictions,
possessed the requisite character to remain an FCC licensee or should face
license revocation. The FCC says Cox failed to respond to the show-cause
order. A Commission administrative law judge subsequently concluded that Cox
had waived his right to a hearing, terminated the proceeding and released an
Order of Revocation December 4
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-2463A1.pdf>. The
revocation order is effective 40 days after that date, unless Cox appeals. A
few years ago, the FCC began applying its so-called "1990 Character Order,"
initially intended to apply to Broadcast Service licensees, to Amateur Radio
licensees and applicants.

"The Commission's character policies provide that any felony conviction is a
matter predictive of licensee behavior and is directly relevant to the
functioning of the Commission's regulatory mission," the FCC revocation
order said. "The serious convictions described above mandate the conclusion
that Mr. Cox does not possess the requisite qualifications to be or remain a
Commission licensee."

An Amateur Radio licensee since 1995, Cox has a clean record in terms of
obeying FCC rules and regulations, the Commission said. The revocation order
recounts that a Louisiana court in January 2004 convicted Cox on two counts
of simple burglary, a felony, and sentenced him to five years in prison. The
judge suspended the sentence, however, and placed Cox on supervised
probation instead. He was arrested on federal firearms charges in September
2004 and has been incarcerated ever since, the FCC Order said. Following a
plea agreement, a US District Court judge sentenced Cox to concurrent terms
of 41 months for felony firearms-related violations. The court also ordered
him to pay $3000 in restitution to a firearms dealer and shooting range.

"We find that such egregious criminal misconduct justifies a finding that
Mr. Cox will obey the law only when it suits him," the FCC Order said. "Mr.
Cox's record as an amateur licensee and his assertions regarding his
character and his crimes are insufficient to overcome the impact of the
crimes. Thus, we find that Mr. Cox does not possess the character
qualifications required by this Commission to be or remain a licensee." The
FCC order noted that in September 2004, Cox had written James W. Shook of
the FCC Enforcement Bureau's Investigations and Hearing Division.

In footnotes, the Commission cited several cases in which it has applied its
character standards to Amateur Radio licensees. Two of the cases involved
radio-related violations, while one stemmed from a felony conviction for
indecent assault upon and corruption of minors and another from a felony
conviction for computer fraud and lack of candor regarding that conviction
in representations to the FCC.

==>CANADA'S 7.335 MHZ CHU TIME SIGNAL COULD GO SILENT, SHIFT FREQUENCY

Changes in international frequency allocations could force Canada's CHU
time-standard signal on 7.335 MHz to go off the air, change frequency or get
another license by next spring. The International Telecommunication Union
(ITU) has reallocated the 7300-7350 kHz band from "fixed service" to
"broadcasting," effective April 2007. CHU now operates there as a fixed
service facility. CHU's other frequencies -- 3.330 and 14.670 MHz -- are not
affected. The station has been including messages in English and French in
its 7.335 MHz transmissions to solicit information from CHU listeners and to
help shape recommendations regarding which direction to go.

"On April 1, 2007, CHU needs to stop operating, change frequencies, or
re-license. Contact radio.chu@nrc.gc.ca or mail CHU Canada K1A 0R6," the
English version says.

The Institute for National Measurement Standards at the National Research
Council of Canada operates CHU. The Institute's Raymond Pelletier explains
on the INMS CHU Web page
<http://inms-ienm.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/time_services/shortwave_broadcasts_e.html>
that while shutting down the 7.335 MHz facility -- "the most useful of the
three we use" -- is the easiest solution, that option "could create problems
for some clients who are counting on this particular signal."

The other possibilities are that CHU relicense as a broadcasting facility,
change frequency to a nearby fixed service channel, which would require an
investment in hardware and manpower, or shut down operations completely,
Pelletier says.

"To be seriously considered, any of the above alternatives will need to have
a zero-based budgeting justification prepared, comparing it against the
least expensive alternative of closing CHU entirely," he goes on to say.
"CHU is entering a phase where major investment in new transmitters will be
required if it is to be kept operating."

Pelletier says that lacking input from CHU's user community citing the
importance of the service's contribution, shutting down CHU altogether "is
an inescapable recommendation."

The CHU code is also used as a radio clock, which can be used as a reference
clock for an NTP time server. Software drivers have been written that can
obtain the date and time from the code and that tune a digitally tuned radio
to one of CHU's three frequencies to get the best signal.

"Be assured that we will try our best to maintain the CHU service as it is,
keeping the three frequencies as they are," Pelletier's plea concludes.

Canadian time transmissions using the CHU call letters commenced in 1938 on
the current frequency, but the service itself dates back to the early 1920s.
The facility changed to cesium atomic clocks in 1967. In 1970 the
responsibility of operating CHU shifted from Dominion Observatory to the
National Research Council.

CHU invites reception report and will respond with a QSL card. Send
reception reports to Radio Station CHU, National Research Council of Canada,
1200 Montreal Rd, Bldg M-36, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0R6 or via e-mail
<radio.chu@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca>;.

==>DEADLINE JUST AHEAD FOR 2006 INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN AWARD NOMINATIONS

The deadline to submit nominations for the 2006 ARRL International
Humanitarian Award
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/awards/humanitarian.html> is December 31.
The award is conferred upon an amateur or amateurs who demonstrate devotion
to human welfare, peace and international understanding through Amateur
Radio.

The League established the annual prize to recognize Amateur Radio operators
who have used ham radio to provide extraordinary service to others in times
of crisis or disaster. A committee appointed by the League's President
recommends the award recipient(s) to the ARRL Board, which makes the final
decision.

The committee invites nominations from Amateur Radio, governmental or other
organizations that have benefited from extraordinary service rendered by an
Amateur Radio operator or group. Nominations should include a summary of the
nominee's actions that qualify the individual (or individuals) for this
award, plus verifying statements from at least two people having first-hand
knowledge of the events warranting the nomination. Submissions should
include the names and addresses of all references.

All nominations and supporting materials for the 2006 ARRL International
Humanitarian Award must be submitted in writing in English to ARRL
International Humanitarian Award, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111 USA. In
the event that no nominations are received, the committee itself may
determine a recipient or decide to make no award.

The winner of the ARRL International Humanitarian Award receives an engraved
plaque and a profile in QST and other ARRL venues.

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Solar sage Tad "I Saw the Sun" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: The
past couple of days have seen robust solar activity, with flares and strong
solar wind. On December 6 and 7, the planetary A index rose to 28 before
falling back to 25. On December 5 a large X9-class solar flare emerged from
the sun's eastern side, but it wasn't Earth-directed. This was from large
Sunspot 930, which drove the sunspot number to 59 on the same day as the
solar flare -- the same level as five days earlier.

December 6, saw a smaller X6-class flare, and early December 8 we're seeing
a strong solar wind, with the interplanetary magnetic field pointing south,
making us vulnerable. There is a chance of more flares, which could be bad
news for the ARRL 10 Meter Contest this weekend
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2006/10-meters.html>.

A current forecast from NOAA and the US Air Force calls for Planetary A
indices on December 8-12 of 30, 50, 40, 20 and 10. Predicted A indices of 50
and 40 for December 9-10 do not bode well for the weekend contest. Even if
the geomagnetic activity is this strong, there still should be some
transequatorial propagation on 10 meters. But here we see an average sunspot
number of 52 for this week -- 35 points higher than last week -- and, of
course, the downside is a greater chance of solar flares.

There is a new prediction for the sunspot cycle minimum. Until recently, the
minimum was predicted to have a smoothed sunspot number of six centered on
March and April 2007. The new forecast moves the minimum out a little
further, with a predicted smoothed sunspot number of seven for May 2007.
This later and higher minimum makes sense, because we haven't seen weeks in
a row of zero sunspots.

Sunspot numbers for November 30 through December 6 were 59, 58, 55, 46, 43,
59 and 44, with a mean of 52. The 10.7 cm flux was 84.1, 84.2, 87.3, 86.5,
92.8, 102.4, and 103, with a mean of 91.5. Estimated planetary A indices
were 28, 4, 2, 3, 1, 2 and 28, with a mean of 9.7. Estimated mid-latitude A
indices were 15, 3, 1, 2, 1, 2 and 15, with a mean of 5.6.

For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical
Information Service Propagation page
<http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html>.

__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: The ARRL 10-Meter Contest is the weekend of
December 9-10. The North America High-Speed Meteor Scatter Winter Rally
takes place December 10-18. JUST AHEAD: The NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint is
December 13. The Russian 160-Meter Contest is December 15 (UTC). The OK DX
RTTY Contest is December 16 (UTC). The MDXA PSK DeathMatch, the Croatian CW
Contest and the International Naval Contest are the weekend of December
16-17. The ARCI Holiday Spirits Homebrew Sprint is December 17. The Run for
the Bacon QRP Contest is December 18. 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, December 24, for these ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education program (CCE) online courses starting
Monday, January 1, 2007: Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 1
(EC-001), Radio Frequency Interference (EC-006), Antenna Design and
Construction (EC-009), Amateur Radio License Course (EC-010), Analog
Electronics (EC-012) and Digital Electronics (EC-013). These courses also
will open for registration Friday, December 22, for classes beginning
Sunday, February 4, 2007. To learn more, visit the CCE Course Listing page
<http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> or contact the CCE Department
<cce@arrl.org>;.

* GeneSat-1 set to launch December 11: A satellite carrying an Amateur Radio
telemetry downlink on 70 cm is set to launch Monday, December 11, from
Wallops Island, Virginia. A collaboration of NASA Ames Research Center,
industry and local universities, the GeneSat-1 CubeSat
<http://www.crestnrp.org/genesat1/> will transmit AX.25 1200 bps FM/AFSK
telemetry on 437.075 MHz. The satellite will carry an experiment to gauge
the effects of space radiation and reduced gravity on bacteria. To foster
interest within the amateur community and to support Amateur Radio and space
technology outreach to secondary and higher education student groups, the
GeneSat University Mission Ops Team is sponsoring a contest
<http://www.crestnrp.org/genesat1/ahc.html>. The Grand Prize will permit the
winner to chose a college or university to receive a satellite tracking
station. It will go to the station logging 12 or more data packets each from
the greatest number of satellite passes during the experiment. The First
Contact Prize will recognize the station submitting the first packet after
transmissions initiate. The first 20 stations to post packets will receive
mission pins and a certificate of recognition; and anyone submitting at
least one packet gets an electronic GeneSat-1 QSL card. Additional
information on GeneSat-1 and other CubeSats is on the Amateur Radio
Information and Support for CubeSats Web site
<http://showcase.netins.net/web/wallio/CubeSat.htm>. Rocket launches from
the Wallops Flight Facility are available live via the Web
<http://www.wff.nasa.gov/webcast/>, starting approximately 30 minutes before
launch.

* Deadline looms to support League via Combined Federal Campaign: Federal
government civilian employees, US Postal Service workers and members of the
military have until Friday, December 15, to support ARRL by contributing to
the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) <http://www.opm.gov/cfc/> and
designating the League as the donation recipient. The CFC provides an easy
way to support ARRL's efforts to represent its members and all radio
amateurs. Similar to the United Way, the CFC encourages individuals to
pledge by payroll deduction to non-profit organizations of their choice. In
the past, the CFC has generated more than $69,000 for ARRL programs. Those
wishing to select the ARRL as to receive all or part of their payroll
deductions should designate organization 9872 when completing their 2006 CFC
donor forms. Donations to ARRL can be designated for Diamond Club
contributions, the ARRL Spectrum Defense Fund or the ARRL Education &
Technology Program. Donors also may make unrestricted contributions to the
League. The ARRL Development Office would appreciate a copy of the donor
form to ensure that each contribution is applied according to the donor's
wishes and the contribution or pledge can be properly acknowledged.

* VY1JA low-frequency beacon signal "grabbed" in Germany: The low-frequency
beacon of J Allen, VY1JA, near Whitehorse in Canada's Yukon Territory, was
received November 21 by German LF experimenter Hartmut Wolff. The largely
overland path spanned 7026 km (4370 miles). Allen said the report was a
pleasant surprise. Transmitting on 137.7786 kHz using very-slow-speed CW
(QRSS), the VY1JA beacon runs 140 W output to a 100-foot top-loaded wire
vertical. Wolff used a double K9AY loop on the receiving end, where he
decoded the beacon signal using computer software designed to capture
below-noise-level signals. Allen invites reception reports, especially
screen captures and .wav clips, via e-mail <vy1ja@northwestel.net>; (QSLs go
to N3SL). VY1JA currently beacons 24/7 sending "JA" at QRSS60 (60-second
dits) on the hour and half-hour, followed by an approximately two-minute ID
at 6 WPM at about :24 and :54 that includes the VY1JA grid square (CP20).

* Darrin Walraven, K5DVW, wins November QST Cover Plaque Award: The winner
of the QST Cover Plaque Award for November is Darrin Walraven, K5DVW, for
his article "Understanding SWR by Example." Congratulations, Darrin! 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 December issue by December 31.

* K2JV is Hudson Division's "Amateur of the Year": The ARRL Hudson Division
has designated Barry Cohen, K2JV, of Berkeley Heights, New Jersey (left in
photo), as its Amateur of the Year. ARRL Hudson Division Director Frank
Fallon, N2FF, presented the award. Cohen was one of four honorees
spotlighted during the division's Awards Dinner
<http://www.hudson.arrl.org/pages/awardsdinner2006.htm> Saturday, November
11. Others recognized were Bob Raffaele, W2XM, Grand Ole Ham; Elmer Sharp,
WA2YSM, Technical Achievement, and Jeff Schneller, N2HPO, Special
Recognition for Public Service Excellence. In addition, 2005 Amateur of the
Year Tom Raffaelli, WB2NHC, who was unable to attend last year's event spoke
at this year's and collected his plaque. The event also raised more than
$1000 for the ARRL Spectrum Defense Fund
<https://www.arrl.org/forms/fdefense/> through advertising sales in the
Awards Journal and a raffle.

===========================================================
The ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the American
Radio Relay League: ARRL--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 and general news
of interest to active radio amateurs. Visit the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/> for the latest Amateur Radio news and news updates.
The ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/> also offers informative features
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Material from The ARRL Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole or
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The ARRL Letter/American Radio Relay League.

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delivery of The ARRL Letter--registered members should click on the "Member
Data Page" link (in the Members Only box). Click on "Modify membership
data," check or uncheck the appropriate boxes and/or change your e-mail
address if necessary. (Check "Temporarily disable all automatically sent
email" to temporarily stop all e-mail deliveries.) Then, click on "Submit
modification" to make selections effective. (NOTE: HQ staff members cannot
change your e-mail delivery address. You must do this yourself via the
Members Only Web Site.)

The ARRL Letter also is available to all, free of charge, from these
sources:

* ARRLWeb <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/>. (NOTE: The ARRL Letter will be
posted each Friday when it is distributed via e-mail.)

* The QTH.net listserver, thanks to volunteers from the Boston Amateur Radio
Club: Visit Mailing Lists@QTH.Net
<http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/letter-list>. (NOTE: The ARRL
cannot assist subscribers who receive The ARRL Letter via this listserver.)


 

The ARRL Letter

The ARRL Letter offers a weekly summary of essential news of interest to active amateurs that is available in advance of publication in QST, our official journal. The ARRL Letter strives to be timely, accurate, concise and readable.

Much of the ARRL Letter content is also available in audio form in ARRL Audio News.

Material from The ARRL Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole or in part in any form without additional permission. Credit must be given to The ARRL Letter and The American Radio Relay League.

Back issues published since 2000 are available on this page. If you wish to subscribe via e-mail, simply log on to the ARRL Web site, click on Edit Your Profile at the top, then click on Edit Email Subscriptions. Check the box next to The ARRL email newsletter, the ARRL Letter and you will receive each weekly issue in HTML format. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!): letter-dlvy@arrl.org

Editorial questions or comments: John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, at news@arrl.org.

Plain-Text

The ARRL E-Letter e-mail is also available in plain-text version:

Outlook Express

1. From the Inbox view, select the Tools menu and the Options selection.

2. Click the Read tab

3. Check the Read All Messages In Plain Text box.  When you open the e-mail, it will be in plain text without images. Other e-mail programs may be able to make a Mail Rule for e-mail received from the address memberlist@www.arrl.org so that the plain-text-only display is selected automatically.

Outlook 2007

Use the same procedure as for Outlook Express, although the global option is under "Tools/Trust Center/E-mail Security".

Thunderbird

Use the menu item "View/Message Body As/Plain Text" or "View/Message Source" options.

OS X Mail (Mac)

Use the "View/Message/Plain Text Alternative" menu item.

GMail

Use the "Message text garbled?" link in the drop-down menu at the upper right of the displayed message block. pine, alpine Set "prefer-plain-text" in your ~/.pinerc configuration file: feature-list=..., prefer-plain-text, ...

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