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ARRL Letter

 

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 26, No. 02
January 12, 2007
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +ARRL Board meets January 19-20
* +FCC puts new vanity processing on hold
* +Scouts, fifth graders speak via ham radio with ISS
* +Radio amateur involved in rescue at sea
* +IARU focuses on World Radiocommunication Conference 2007 preparations
* +FCC asks two utilities to try harder to eliminate power line noise
* +Wayne Mills, N7NG, leaving ARRL HQ
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF:
     This weekend on the radio: The North American QSO Party (CW)
     ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
    +CubeSats get OSCAR numbers
    +FCC fines retailer for selling non-certified CBs
     VU7RG Lakshadweep Islands DXpedition set to start January 14
     Southeastern VHF Society issues call for papers
     DXCC Desk approves operation for DXCC credit
     Special event to commemorate "Project Diana" moonbounce experiment

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

===========================================================
==>Delivery problems: First see FAQ
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<letter-dlvy@arrl.org>;
==>Editorial questions or comments only: Rick Lindquist, N1RL,
<n1rl@arrl.org>;
===========================================================

==>ARRL BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO MEET

The ARRL Board of Directors will meet Friday and Saturday, January 19 and
20, in Windsor, Connecticut, for its first meeting of the new year. ARRL
President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, will preside at the gathering.

Among the agenda highlights, the Board will receive and consider
recommendations of the National Emergency Response Planning Committee
(NERPC), chaired by ARRL First Vice President Kay Craigie, N3KN. The Board
established the ad hoc panel at its January 2006 meeting "to appropriately
prepare for future large-scale disasters."

The Board charged the committee with developing a comprehensive
recommendation for ARRL responses to national, regional and international
disasters. The 12-member committee includes ARRL section managers and
section emergency coordinators.

Among other things, the NERPC has been evaluating responses and actions of
the ARRL and the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) during Hurricane
Katrina, including lessons learned. Given the unprecedented scope and
devastation of the 2005 hurricane season in general and of Hurricane Katrina
in particular, ARRL Headquarters was placed into a leadership coordination
role through national-level requests for help from served agencies such as
the American Red Cross. The NERPC recently invited input from clubs or
groups on their emergency communications vehicle capabilities.

The Board's January 2006 resolution establishing the committee noted that
the emergency communications resources and organization needed for national
and international disasters "are markedly different" from what's required at
the regional and local level.

The Board will also consider its roster of legislative objectives for the
110th Congress. Past ARRL legislative initiatives have addressed the issues
of deed covenants, conditions and restrictions and the replacement of lost
or compromised Amateur Radio spectrum.

Board members will elect members to the ARRL Executive Committee and ARRL
Foundation directors and make appointments to committees.

Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) President Earle Smith, VE6NM, will attend the
meeting as a guest of the Board.

==>FCC SUSPENDS NEW VANITY CALL SIGN PROCESSING

The FCC has put new Amateur Radio vanity call sign processing on hold while
it modifies the software that handles vanity applications. The suspension is
a result of a rule change that went into effect December 15 to discourage
the filing of multiple applications by one individual for the same call
sign. The FCC is still processing vanity call sign renewal applications.

"The Commission continues to accept [new] vanity call sign applications,"
says a brief announcement on the FCC's Universal Licensing System (ULS) Web
page <http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/>. "However, these applications will not
be processed until software changes in accordance with the recent rule
making have been fully implemented." Just when that might happen is not
known.

As revised in the FCC's recent Report and Order (R&O) in WT Docket 04-140,
§97.19(d)(1) stipulates that if the FCC receives more than one application
requesting a vanity call sign from a single applicant on the same receipt
day, it will process only the first application entered into the ULS.
"Subsequent vanity call sign applications from that applicant with the same
receipt date will not be accepted," the rule concludes.

The FCC says that when processing resumes, it will handle pending
applications for new vanity call signs "consistent with the date order in
which they were received."

This suspension affects new vanity call sign applications submitted on
December 18 or later. Typically, it takes 18 days from the time the FCC
receives a vanity application until the call sign is issued -- or the
application is denied. The FCC granted the last Amateur Radio vanity call
signs on January 4 for applications received December 15.

All vanity call sign renewal applications, including those for club
stations, must be filed via the ULS. The current vanity call sign fee,
payable for new applications as well as renewals, is $20.80 for the 10-year
license term.

==>SPACE CONTACTS COMPETE WITH ROCK BAND, BRING SCIENCE TO LIFE

Scouts at Australian Jamboree 2007 (AJ2007) applied their ingenuity January
7 when an on-site rock concert threatened to drown out a scheduled Amateur
Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with the campers.
They responded by piling bales of hay to create an insulating bunker around
the building where the contact with ISS Expedition 14 Flight Engineer Suni
Williams, KD5PLB, took place. As a result, the 20 scouts who won a "What
would you ask an Astronaut?" competition were able to ask their questions in
comparative quiet. One Scout asked Williams to comment on the possibility of
life elsewhere in our solar system.

"I would think with all the stars . . . all the billions of stars out there
that there's got to be life somewhere out there," Williams replied from
NA1SS. "So I think we'll be able to find evidence of life at some point in
time." She told another Scout that the ISS crew hadn't seen any aliens in
space, adding, "but maybe we will. I'll be up here for another six months."

The contact marked Williams's debut in handling an ARISS educational contact
from NA1SS. Williams noted that she had been in Girl Scouts.

Responding to another question, Williams said it takes more than a month for
ISS crew members to accommodate fully to Earth's gravity after spending an
extended time in the microgravity environment of space.

"We go through about a 45-day rehabilitation program when we get back, and
you're pretty much back to normal after about a six-month stay," she said.
"However, really being able to work out -- like being able to run the way
you did before you left -- is probably going to be about a one day-for-one
day time, so probably about six months."

Philip Adams, VK3JNI, organized the event, which attracted upward of 400
onlookers. Earth station for the AJ2007 contact was Bill Lynd, VK4KHZ. A
Verizon Conferencing teleconference link provided two-way audio between the
Jamboree site in Elmore and VK4KHZ. ARISS-Australia Coordinator Tony
Hutchison, VK5ZAI, the Wireless Institute of Australia and Amateur Radio
Victoria assisted. AJ2007 is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Scouting.
It concludes January 13.

At Sherman Elementary School in Henrietta, New York, the possibility of a
human space flight to Mars has been the focus of teacher Andrea Catena's
fifth grade science pupils. The youngsters expanded their knowledge of life
in space when they spoke via ham radio January 8 with Suni Williams. ARISS
arranged the direct VHF contact between W2SKY at the school and NA1SS.
Responding to one question, Williams explained that it takes more than a day
to get ready for a spacewalk from the ISS.

"Part of the reason is that we breathe pure oxygen, so we don't want to get
'the bends' when we go out into space, so, we have to start 'pre-breathing'
the oxygen the day before" Williams told the youngsters. "And then, to get
all the tools together it takes a good four or five hours."

Williams, who joined the Expedition 14 space station crew in December, said
the most exciting part of her mission so far was her first spacewalk.
"Actually coming out the door and seeing the world in your face for the
first time, it was absolutely exhilarating!" she recounted.

Williams, 41, said she first thought about becoming a member of the NASA
Astronaut Corps "later in life," after she'd become a test pilot.

Members of the Rochester Amateur Radio Association (RARA) set up the
necessary Earth station equipment at the school to make the QSO possible.
"We had an excellent ARISS experience at Emma Sherman Elementary School
yesterday," said RARA Education Committee Chairman Pete Fournia, W2SKY, who
loaned his call sign for the occasion. "The school took full advantage of
this opportunity making it a very memorable experience for the entire school
and a very gratifying experience for the teams that participated," he said.

The youngsters squeezed 16 questions into the nearly 10-minute ISS pass. The
ham radio event attracted generous media attention from newspapers and
television stations.

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

==>CALIFORNIA RADIO AMATEUR HAS ROLE IN RESCUE AT SEA

A radio amateur from California played a significant part in an
international effort to rescue a US sailor attempting to single-handedly
circumnavigate the globe. Miguel "Mike" Morales, KC6CYK, of Riverside, told
ARRL he was able to contact fellow radio amateurs in Chile to obtain and
relay reassuring information to the family of Ken Barnes, whose 44-foot
ketch Privateer was foundering off South America. A Chilean trawler, Polar
Pesca 1, rescued Barnes from his disabled vessel on January 5. Upon learning
of Barnes's predicament on January 2, Morales said he contacted the sailor's
fiancée, Cathy Chambers, offering to see if he could make radio contact with
Chile.

"She mentioned that the satellite telephone was dying on him over there, so
their communication was 30 to 60 seconds at a time," Morales recounted. "I
was lucky enough, I got in touch with some of the Charlie Echo [CE-prefix]
stations until I got to someone in Punta Arenas, and then Polar Pesca, the
vessel that did the rescue." Morales speaks fluent Spanish and has visited
Chile and knew "the way things operate down there." As a result, he says, he
was able to obtain credible reports via his 10-meter contacts as to what was
happening.

Morales said he gathered information from the Polar Pesca 1 via his Chilean
ham radio contacts. "I . . . relayed information as to when he [Barnes] was
going to be rescued, the latitude and longitude he was at that particular
time." Morales said he felt it was important for the family to know Barnes's
situation and how the rescue plans were playing out.

Barnes, who's 47, left Long Beach, California, late last October, hoping to
be the first person to sail around the world from the West Coast. A severe
storm dismasted and badly damaged the vessel and soaked his supplies.

Morales maintains the Chilean Navy wasn't eager to send a military vessel to
retrieve Barnes because of the potential costs involved, and, in any case,
wanted to put off the rescue until January 7. Even so, the Chilean Navy did
dispatch one of the CP3 Orion aircraft Chile uses to patrol its
200-mile-offshore territorial claim. The plane spotted the foundering
vessel, photographed it and even attempted to drop a life raft that missed
its mark. The Chilean Navy coordinated the operation and recruited the Polar
Pesca 1 to undertake the actual rescue, although the US Coast Guard
reportedly has agreed to cover the expense, Morales says. At that point he
was able to pass along news to the family that the trawler was en route to
Barnes's location.

"The main thing is, Ken Barnes is back, is alive," Morales said. "What I did
was on behalf of the US ham radio community, I believe. That's what you're
there for."

Barnes returned home to California this week, and Morales was among those on
hand to welcome him. The City of Riverside has announced plans to honor
Morales, who says he's "a very low-key type of person" and not fond of being
in the media spotlight. Barnes's family and friends, armed with information
Morales provided, tipped off the news media, and Morales was interviewed,
photographed and videotaped by reporters from the Los Angeles Times, ABC,
CBS, NBC and Telemundo.

==>WRC-07 PREPARATIONS DOMINATE INTERNATIONAL AMATEUR RADIO UNION CALENDAR

Preparations for World Radiocommunication Conference 2007 (WRC-07) dominate
this year's International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) calendar. The
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) gathering will get under way in
Geneva on October 22 and continue through November 16. Some items on the
WRC-07 agenda have the potential to directly or indirectly impact Amateur
Radio.

"Agenda items of particular interest to the Amateur Services involve
allocations in the 4-10 MHz range, a possible secondary allocation to the
Amateur Service at 136 kHz, the modification of footnotes to the Table of
Frequency Allocations, and the selection of agenda items for future WRCs,
the next of which is tentatively slated for 2011," reports IARU Secretary
David Sumner, K1ZZ, in the latest edition of the IARU E-Letter
<http://www.iaru.org/e-letter/>.

WRC-07 agenda item 1.13 will review allocations to all services between 4
and 10 MHz, excluding allocations from 7.0 to 7.2 MHz -- settled to the
advantage of Amateur Radio during WRC-03. Starting in March 2009, radio
amateurs will enjoy a worldwide 200 kHz segment on 40 meters.

WRC-07 agenda item 1.15 will consider establishing a secondary Amateur Radio
Service allocation in the band 135.7 to 137.8 kHz. Several countries already
have allocated that LF spectrum to Amateur Radio, although the FCC several
years ago turned away an ARRL proposal to create a sliver band there for ham
radio.

The next major WRC-07-related event is the Conference Preparatory Meeting
(CPM) in Geneva February 19 through March 2.

"The CPM will finalize the technical report that will guide the WRC
delegates' work," Sumner says. He explains that drafting of the CPM Report
has occupied several ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) working parties
for the past three years. The report provides background information on each
WRC-07 agenda item, various methods of addressing the agenda items and the
advantages and disadvantages of each. "The inclusion or exclusion of single
words in the draft CPM Report has been the topic of spirited debate, which
no doubt will continue at the CPM."

Representing the IARU at the CPM will be IARU President Larry Price, W4RA,
and Technical Representative Ken Pulfer, VE3PU. Other Amateur Radio
representatives will be part of national delegations.

Regional and national preparatory meetings leading up to WRC-07 continue.
The IARU's three regional organizations are responsible for participating in
the work of the regional telecommunications organizations, including but not
limited to CEPT (Europe), ATU (Africa), CITEL (the Americas), and APT
(Asia-Pacific). Domestic preparations are the responsibility of the IARU
member-societies in the respective countries.

The triennial conference of IARU Region 2 is another major 2007 IARU event.
It takes place September 9-14 in Brasilia, Brazil.

==>FCC PRESSES TWO UTILITIES TO RESOLVE POWER LINE NOISE COMPLAINTS

The FCC has asked utilities in Oklahoma and Illinois to try harder to
resolve longstanding power line noise complaints from Amateur Radio
licensees. Special Counsel in the FCC Spectrum Enforcement Division Riley
Hollingsworth recently contacted Oklahoma Gas & Electric (OG&E) Company and
Exelon Corporation (ComEd) in Chicago to follow up on the unrelated cases.

"In your response on behalf of Oklahoma Gas and Electric, dated January 30,
2006, you indicated that you were responding to [the radio amateur's]
complaints," Hollingsworth wrote Oklahoma Gas and Electric's Senior Attorney
Patrick D. Shore. "However, [the complainant] states that the power line
hardware noise continues."

Hollingsworth customarily does not identify RFI complainants in public
correspondence, but the Oklahoma radio amateur involved -- ARRL Member Hal
Dietz, W5GHZ, of Bethany -- agreed to let the League make his name public.
Dietz has sought the ARRL's assistance in resolving the problem. The League
has been working with the FCC for several years to address power line noise
complaints from Amateur Radio licensees.

Dietz says the power line noise he's experiencing on occasion has approached
20 dB over S9 on some bands, but it's typically between S5 to S9. "I
experience line noise interference on frequencies as high as 444.100 MHz --
a local repeater that I monitor -- and on all TV channels through 14," he
reports. "The interference is not present on all bands at all times, but it
is present on one or more bands all of the time, except when it's raining."

An OG&E has representative visited Dietz but was unable to pin down the
interference source. "I have also offered to go with them when they are
trying to locate the interference, but they have declined my help," Dietz
added.

On December 8, Hollingsworth wrote John W. Rowe, chairman and CEO of Exelon
Corporation, the parent company of utility ComEd.

"We have reviewed your letter dated July 10, 2006, in which you state that
you have not been able to locate the source of radio interference because
the noise as reported by [the complainant] is intermittent. [The
complainant] disputes that claim, however, stating that the noise is
constant and that the only time that it is not present is during a heavy
rain."

The Amateur Radio licensee experiencing the interference has told the ARRL
that the noise from ComEd's equipment is nearly always present and 60 dB
over S9 on 160 meters, wet weather excepted. Adding to the mix, the ham
recounted last fall, is new noise from a neighbor's Part 15 electronic
device. ARRL Electromagnetic Compatibility Engineer Mike Gruber, W1MG, says
the complainant for several months has been reporting persistent noise from
160 to 6 meters from ComEd's system and can even hear it on his car's
broadcast radio.

Hollingsworth advised both utilities to review the radio amateurs'
complaints and advise his office regarding steps being taken to locate and
remediate the RFI.

==>ARRL MEMBERSHIP SERVICES MANAGER WAYNE MILLS, N7NG, ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE

Noted DXer Wayne Mills, N7NG, has announced he'll leave the ARRL
Headquarters staff on January 16. He's been ARRL Membership Services Manager
since 2000.

"We appreciate Wayne's dedication and effort on behalf of ARRL since his
arrival six and a half years ago," said ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold
Kramer, WJ1B, "and we wish him success in his future endeavors."

ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, commented, "I am grateful
to Wayne for coming to Newington and applying his encyclopedic knowledge of
DXing and the DXCC program for the betterment of the ARRL."

During his tenure at HQ, Mills oversaw the design and implementation of
Logbook of the World (LoTW) <http://www.arrl.org/lotw/>, a repository of QSO
records from users around the globe that can provide ARRL award credit
electronically. Licensed since 1953, Mills previously served as the Rocky
Mountain Division representative to the ARRL DX Advisory Committee, which he
chaired from 1997 until 2000. He was inducted into the CQ DX Hall of Fame in
1999.

Mills is best known for his various DXpeditions, and he's the author of
DXpeditioning Basics, available for downloading
<http://www.arrl.org/awards/dxcc/dx-basics.pdf>.

Mills expressed his appreciation to the worldwide Amateur Radio community
for its support. "In particular, I offer special thanks our volunteers --
advisory committee members, log checkers and advisors," he said. He plans to
return to his home in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, but did not rule out "another
DXpedition or two" in the future.

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Sun gazer Tad "Shining Star" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports:
Average daily sunspot numbers more than doubled this reporting period as
compared with the previous seven days, rising 24 points to 43.4. This is a
nice number for what should be the bottom of the sunspot cycle.

Currently sunspots 930 and 937 are disappearing off the visible solar disk.
Sunspot numbers should be lower over the next few days, but geomagnetic
conditions should be stable. We probably won't see unsettled to active
geomagnetic conditions until January 16-17, and later a bit more active
around January 30. Sunspot numbers and solar flux should run higher again
from January 27 through February 7.

Sunspot numbers for January 4 through 10 were 36, 43, 47, 46, 52, 41 and 39,
with a mean of 43.4. 10.7 cm flux was 89.4, 89.4, 87.3, 86.7, 88, 92.2, and
86.2, with a mean of 88.5. Estimated planetary A indices were 16, 9, 3, 2,
4, 4 and 7, with a mean of 6.4. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 13, 6,
2, 1, 2, 3 and 4, with a mean of 4.4.

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 North American QSO Party (CW), Hunting
Lions in the Air, the 070 Club PSKFest, the Michigan QRP January CW Contest,
the SPAR Winter Field Day, the Midwinter Contest (CW = January 13; SSB =
January 14), the NRAU-Baltic Contest (CW = January 13; SSB = January 14) and
the DARC 10-Meter Contest are the weekend of January 13-14. The NAQCC
Straight Key/Bug Sprint is January 18. The ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes, the
North American QSO Party (SSB), the LZ Open Contest, the UK DX Contest
(RTTY), the Hungarian DX Contest and the Run for the Bacon QRP Contest are
the weekend of January 20-21. 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, January 21, for these ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education (CCE) online courses with classes
beginning Sunday, February 4: Technician License Course (EC-010), 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). These courses will
also open for registration Friday, January 19, for classes beginning Friday,
March 2. To learn more, visit the CCE Course Listing page
<http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> or contact the CCE Department
<cce@arrl.org>;.

* CubeSats get OSCAR numbers: AMSAT OSCAR coordinator Bill Tynan, W3XO, has
announced that the RAFT-1 and ANDE Amateur Radio CubeSats have been issued
OSCAR numbers. Both spacecraft were placed into Earth orbit from the space
shuttle Discovery on December 21 and are projects of US Naval Academy
Satellite Lab. RAFT-1 has been designated as NAV-OSCAR-60 or NO-60. ANDE has
been designated as NAV-OSCAR-61, or NO-61. The RAFT-1 and ANDE ham radio
payloads digipeat 1200 bps packet on 145.825 MHz. When it's enabled, RAFT-1
has a PSK31 uplink from 28.117 to 28.120 MHz with the downlink also on
145.825 MHz. For more information, visit the ANDE, RAFT, NMARS & FCAL
Operations Web page, <http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/ande-raft-ops.html>.

* FCC fines retailer for selling non-certified CBs: The FCC has fined
Gambler's CB & Ham Radio Sales & Service of Pinconning, Michigan, $7000 for
"willfully and repeatedly" violating the Communications Act of 1934 and its
rules by offering for sale non-certified Citizens Band (CB) transceivers.
The case, which dates back to early 2004, when the FCC first cited the
retailer for marketing non-certified CB transceivers in violation of §302(b)
of the Act and §2.803(a)(1) of its rules. In affirming the fine in a
Forfeiture Order (NoF) released December 21, the Commission turned away
Gambler's attorneys' claims that the Galaxy transceivers offered for sale
did not require certification because they weren't CB transmitters as
defined in §95.603(a). That rule, the retailer argued, does not specifically
require certification of "Amateur Radio" equipment that's easily modifiable
to operate in the Citizens Band. The FCC, however, cited an Office of
General Counsel interpretation that determined just the opposite. "We
therefore find no merit to Gambler's request for cancellation of the
forfeiture on this basis," the FCC concluded. The Commission also denied
Gambler's claim that whether a transceiver can be "easily modified" is one
of degree and that such a standard is so vague as to be unconstitutional.
The NoF <http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-2549A1.pdf>
is one of several in recent months involving similar violations by other
retail outlets.

* VU7RG Lakshadweep Islands DXpedition set to start January 14: The VU7RG
DXpedition <http://www.vu7.in/> to Lakshadweep Islands, sponsored by the
National Institute of Amateur Radio (NIAR), is scheduled to get under way
Monday, January 14, at 1830 UTC. The DXpedition will continue until January
31. Plans call for having up to 14 stations on the air from four islands.
Operators on Agatti, Bangaram and Kadmat islands (all AS-011 for IOTA) will
use VU7RG, while a separate all-Indian team will operate as VU7MY from
Minicoy Island (AS-106). The VU7RG/VU7MY DXpedition has permission from
India's telecom authorities to operate on 30 meters. A DXpedition to
Lakshadweep Islands sponsored by the Amateur Radio Society of India (ARSI)
concluded in late December. Lakshadweep Islands has been the second
most-wanted DXCC entity.

* Southeastern VHF Society issues call for papers: The Southeastern VHF
Society has issued a call for papers and presentations for its 11th annual
conference April 27-28 in Atlanta, Georgia. Topics may focus on both the
technical and operational aspects of "weak-signal" VHF, UHF and microwave
work. Suggested areas include: Transmitters, receivers, transverters, RF
power amplifiers and low-noise receiving preamps; antennas, satellites; test
equipment and station accessories; station design/construction; contesting
and DXpeditions; EME; Amateur TV; propagation, and digital technology and
modes. The deadline to submit papers and presentations is March 2. All
submissions should be in MS-Word or Adobe Acrobat format, with
black-and-white photos and graphics and 8-1/2 by 11-inch pages with a 1-inch
bottom margin and 3/4 inch margins elsewhere. Those submitting papers and
presentations should indicate if they plan to present their papers at the
conference. Papers and presentations will be available from the ARRL in the
conference Proceedings. Direct questions, comments and submissions to
Technical Program Chair Jim Worsham, W4KXY <w4kxy@bellsouth.net>;. See the
SVHFS Web site for more information <http://www.svhfs.org/>. -- AMSAT News
Service

* DXCC Desk approves operation for DXCC credit: The ARRL DXCC Desk has
approved this operation for DXCC credit: 5X1RI (Uganda), operation May 5,
2005-February 3, 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.

* Special event to commemorate "Project Diana" moonbounce experiment: The
Ocean Monmouth Amateur Radio Club (OMARC) will sponsor a special event
operation Sunday and Monday, January 14-15, to commemorate "Project Diana,"
the first successful moonbounce experiment undertaken by the US Army Signal
Corps in January 1946. Using the club's N2MO call sign, the special event
station will go on the air from the historic Project Diana site at the
InfoAge Learning Center at Camp Evans, off Marconi Road in Wall Township,
New Jersey. Several radio amateurs were members of the Project Diana team.
The OMARC operation will include ALE, CW, PKS31, RTTY and SSB on 80, 40, 20,
15 and 10 meters. The OMARC Web site <http://www.omarc.org/> has more
information and photos relating to Project Diana (click on the "Diana site +
directions" link). An article on Project Diana appeared in the May 1946 QST.

===========================================================
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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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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