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ARRL Letter

 

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 26, No. 14
April 6, 2007
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +Civilian to accompany next ISS crew into space
* +League cites the downside of 60 meter DXing
* +FCC accepts license for cancellation, issues warning
* +Ham radio directly links students to human space travel
* +Groups set to mark anniversary of Titanic disaster on ham radio
* +Amateur Radio blackout continues in Iraq
*  IN BRIEF:
     This weekend on the radio
     ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
    +Swains Island N8S DXpedition is on the air!
    +Construction company fined for illegal amateur band operation
    +CubeSat launch reset
     Puerto Rico gets new Section Manager
     Ed Fong, WB6IQN, wins March QST Cover Plaque Award
     The Daily DX debuts public search engine
     Florida fire department honors radio amateur
     We stand corrected

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

===========================================================
==>Delivery problems: First see FAQ
<http://www.arrl.org/members-only/faq.html#nodelivery>, then e-mail
<letter-dlvy@arrl.org>;
==>Editorial questions or comments only: Rick Lindquist, N1RL,
<n1rl@arrl.org>;
===========================================================
NOTE: ARRL Headquarters is closed, Friday, April 6. There will be no W1AW
bulletin or code practice transmissions that day. The ARRL Letter and ARRL
Audio News for April 6 will distribute one day early. ARRL Headquarters will
reopen Monday, April 9, at 8 AM Eastern Daylight Time. The K7RA Solar Update
will be posted on the ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/> as soon as it
becomes available. We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday!
===========================================================

==>FOURTH US CIVILIAN SPACE TRAVELER, EXPEDITION 15 ISS CREW LAUNCH APRIL 7

The fifth civilian to visit the International Space Station will accompany
the station's Expedition 15 crew into space Saturday, April 7. Amateur Radio
on the International Space Station (ARISS) <http://www.rac.ca/ariss> reports
that software pioneer and aviator Charles Simonyi, KE7KDP, plans to talk
with students at four schools during his ISS stay -- one in his native
Hungary plus schools in Ohio, Washington and Virginia. He also may make
casual contacts. A client of Vienna, Virginia-based Space Adventures Ltd
<http://www.spaceadventures.com/>, Simonyi, 58, will be the third passenger
aboard the Soyuz TMA-10 "taxi mission" that will carry Expedition 15 Russian
cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin, RN3FI, and Oleg Kotov, to the ISS. Simonyi is
paying an estimated $25 million for the privilege of spending eight days in
space.

"Charles and crew are now in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, participating in final
flight preparations," a Space Adventures mission update said this week.
"These activities include suit pressure checks, launch day press conference
rehearsals and spacecraft fit checks. The crew also participated in a
traditional flag raising ceremony."

Simonyi also has taken part in other longstanding Russian space program
traditions, including visits to Red Square in Moscow and to the tomb of
Soviet space pioneer Yuri Gagarin. During his stay aboard the ISS, Simonyi
will conduct experiments on behalf of several international space agencies.

Upon their arrival at the ISS, the two cosmonauts will join US astronaut
Suni Williams, KD5PLB, whose duty tour will span Expeditions 14 and 15.
Yurchikhin and Kotov will spend about six months aboard the ISS, while
Williams will return home in June. Simonyi will come back to Earth with
Expedition 14 crew members Mike Lopez-Alegria, KE5GTK, and Mikhail Tyurin,
RZ3FT, aboard the Soyuz TMA-9, now docked to the ISS. Yurchikhin, 48, will
be making his second flight to the ISS; he was a member of a 2002 shuttle
crew that did construction work on the station. Kotov, 41, is making his
first spaceflight.

The Expedition 14 crew this week has continued readying the space station
for the arrival of the Expedition 15 crew and Simonyi. The Soyuz TMA-10 will
launch from Kazakhstan at 1731 UTC on April 7. It is scheduled to dock with
the ISS at1903 UTC on April 9. A footnote from NASA: On April 3,
Lopez-Alegria set a US record for a single flight of 196 days in space.

A one-time Microsoft application developer and reputed billionaire, Simonyi
has established a Web site <http://www.charlesinspace.com/> to chronicle his
experiences. Space Adventures organized the flights for private space
explorers Dennis Tito, KG6FZX, Mark Shuttleworth, Greg Olsen, KC2ONX, and
Anousheh Ansari. -- some information from Space Adventures Ltd and NASA

==>DXING ON 60 METERS HAS DOWNSIDE, ARRL NOTES

The ARRL is expressing concern that negative consequences could result from
chasing DX on 60 meters. Some DXpeditions have announced plans to operate on
Amateur Radio's only channelized band, where amateur operations hold
secondary status to fixed service operations, including some US government
stations. ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, says that while it's legal for
DXpeditions to operate on the 5-MHz band provided the licensing
administration extends privileges there, DX pileups on 60 meters pose the
potential for real and unique problems.

"US amateurs are limited to five channels on 60 meters, USB only, maximum
effective radiated power (ERP) of 50 W, audio bandwidth not exceeding 2.8
kHz, and not all of the channels are useable because of ongoing fixed
service operation," Sumner points out. "It is absolutely imperative that any
amateur transmitting on a 60 meter channel be prepared to relinquish the
channel immediately upon being requested to do so" by a primary service
user.

Among other things, Sumner says, this means constantly monitoring the
transmitting channel, thus ruling out any split-frequency operation while
using a single-channel receiver.

The Swains Island N8S DXpedition, just under way, announced plans on its Web
site to operate SSB on the 60-meter frequency of 5.4035 MHz, although that
band was not among those on an updated frequency list released this week.
While Sumner said he wasn't singling out the N8S operation, working into the
South Pacific on 5 MHz running just 50 W ERP on phone would be a challenge
under the best of circumstances.

"Amateurs must resist the temptation to exceed the radiated power limit,"
Sumner stressed.

He also warned amateurs in countries that do not authorize amateur operation
on 60 meters to resist the temptation to make contacts on the band. Radio
amateurs transmitting on a 5 MHz frequency without authorization, Sumner
asserts, not only are breaking the law but are putting their continued
participation in the ARRL DXCC program in jeopardy.

"Anyone who submits a 5 MHz confirmation for DXCC credit may be asked to
provide evidence that their operation on that frequency was authorized," he
said.

Even countries that authorize operation on 60 meters impose the express
condition Amateur Radio stations not cause harmful interference to fixed and
mobile service stations.

"Should such interference occur and not be immediately corrected, it will
place in jeopardy our existing limited privileges, our chances of increasing
those privileges on a domestic basis, and any chance we might have of ever
obtaining an international allocation," Sumner emphasized.

Last fall, the ARRL asked the FCC to expand 60 meter operating privileges
and substitute a new channel for one that's often occupied by a federal
government user. The League filed a Petition for Rule Making (PRM) October
10. The petition said amateurs have proven, through interference-free
operation on the five channels, that compatible sharing of the channels is
possible.

The League wants the FCC to authorize radio amateurs of General and higher
class to run 100 W ERP and to allow Morse code and data communication. It
also asks the Commission to replace the 5368.0 kHz center-frequency channel
with 5358.5 kHz, so amateurs can avoid federal government digital traffic on
the current channel.

If the FCC goes along with the ARRL's suggested changes, operation on 60
meters would remain on a secondary basis, and radio amateurs would still
have to avoid interfering with incumbent federal government and other
services.

In an unrelated move, the ARRL has supported efforts to have World
Radiocommunication Conference 2007 (WRC-07) establish a worldwide secondary
amateur allocation of 5.260 to 5.410 MHz. A participating national
administration must formally propose the change for it to be considered this
fall at WRC-07.

==>FCC ACCEPTS TECHNICIAN TICKET FOR CANCELLATION, WARNS INDIANA LICENSEE

The FCC has accepted for cancellation the Technician ticket of a licensee
who has been the target of inquiries and warnings from the Commission's
Enforcement Bureau dating back to 2005. Special Counsel in the FCC's
Spectrum Enforcement Division Riley Hollingsworth wrote Brandon Duke,
KC0UWS, March 6 to confirm receipt of Duke's Amateur Radio license
<http://www.fcc.gov/eb/AmateurActions/files/2007_04_03_14_28_24.pdf>.

"We have forwarded your license to the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
[WTB] for cancellation and for dismissal of your application for a vanity
call sign," Hollingsworth informed Duke, who has a Minnesota address on file
with the Commission. Duke applied for W0BMD last fall. In January, a "last
warning" from Hollingsworth, mailed to Duke at a Colorado address, came back
as undeliverable. The WTB has not yet cancelled Duke's license.

Past "Riley-Grams" to Duke have cited "information before the Commission" as
well as his own admission to indicate he had been operating on 10 and 20
meter frequencies not available to him as a Technician licensee. In the past
Hollingsworth also has taken Duke to task for allegedly ignoring requests to
stop using repeaters in his area.

"You have used false call signs, transmitted sexually explicit material and
other recordings over radio and re-broadcast radio activity on police
frequencies," Hollingsworth charged in a January 2007 letter to Duke. "In
spite of your assurances on January 26, 2006, that your rule violations
would end, you have continued operating in violation of Commission rules and
the Communications Act."

In 2006, an apologetic Duke had pledged in a letter to Hollingsworth to
change his on-the-air behavior, noting that he'd destroyed an audio CD
containing apparently objectionable material he'd been accused of airing. He
also said he'd "refrain from jamming, interfering, kerchunking and using any
repeaters."

Another frequent Riley-Gram recipient heard from the FCC again on March 8,
when Hollingsworth warned David O. Castle, WA9KJI, of Evansville, Indiana,
to keep off a local repeater system
<http://www.fcc.gov/eb/AmateurActions/files/2007_04_03_14_26_43.pdf>. In
February, Hollingsworth noted, the trustee of the Tri-State Amateur Radio
Society's W9OG repeater asked Castle to refrain from using the system. "That
letter was issued as a result of your failure to follow operational rules
set forth by the licensee/control operators of the repeater system for its
users," Hollingsworth wrote.

Hollingsworth told Castle the FCC expects him to abide by the request "and
any other such request by a repeater licensee, control operator or trustee."
He also raised the specter of fines and license revocation.

Castle's license renewal application has been referred for a Hearing
Designation Order, and Hollingsworth said the issue of the alleged
interference to the Tri-State Amateur Radio Society repeater would be "an
issue in your upcoming license renewal hearing" before an administrative law
judge.

The WTB had referred Castle's renewal application to the Enforcement Bureau
for review "as a result of long standing complaints against the operation of
your station," Hollingsworth told Castle last October. Castle's General
ticket expired last July, but he may continue to operate while his renewal
application is in limbo.

The FCC now posts Amateur Radio Service enforcement actions on its Web site
<http://www.fcc.gov/eb/AmateurActions/Welcome.html>. Direct all concerning
Amateur Radio enforcement questions via e-mail only to Riley Hollingsworth
<fccham@fcc.gov>;.

==>HAM RADIO HELPS BRING SPACE TRAVEL TO LIFE FOR YOUNGSTERS

Thanks to the magic of Amateur Radio, students in Japan and Belgium are
among the latest to learn about life aboard the International Space Station
right from members of the crew. The Amateur Radio on the International Space
Station (ARISS) program arranged the March 24 contact between Expedition 14
Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria, KE5GTK, and youngsters at the Juvenile Space
Club in Tatsuno, Japan, and the March 27 QSO between Expedition 14 Flight
Engineer Suni Williams, KD5PLB, and students attending the International
School of Brussels in Belgium. Lopez-Alegria told the Tatsuno students how
he deals with stress aboard the ISS.

"Well, you know we have some good exercise equipment, and sometimes it's
good to work out," he said. "It makes you sweat, and that helps out a lot."

Sweaty workouts notwithstanding, Lopez-Alegria said ISS crew members
sometimes wear the same pieces of clothing for weeks.

"We wear the shirts for about a week, our socks for about a week and we wear
our shorts for up to a month," he said. There's no laundry aboard the ISS.
Crew members simply dispose of their soiled clothing in the trash.

The control operator at 8J0T was Yoshihiro Kuribayashi, JA0AWK, an
elementary school principal. Twenty youngsters from three elementary schools
participated in the ARISS event, and Lopez-Alegria was able to answer 16 of
their questions during the approximately eight-minute contact. An audience
of about 100 was on hand for the contact, and media included four TV
stations -- including national network NHK -- and four newspapers.

ARISS Mentor Satoshi Yasuda, 7M3TJZ, said NA1SS qualified for the All Japan
District Award as a result of the successful contact with NA1SS.

A few days later, students attending the International School of Brussels
posed questions to Williams. She said she anticipates spending several weeks
readjusting to Earth's gravity and recovering from the effects of living in
space after she comes home this summer.

"We have about a 45-day program, which is pretty intense rehabilitation,
just to make sure that your muscles and your bones have returned to working
with gravity, as well as neuro-vestibular issues," Williams explained,
"since your brain sort of slows down a little bit up here insofar as
reactions, because that's how you adjust to how things move up here. All of
those things are affected, and you need to readapt when you get home."

Williams also told the students that "every days is a little bit different."
She said meals are a somewhat difficult because everything needs to be
prepared separately, so "you sort of eat serially, one thing after another."

A Verizon Conferencing link between NN1SS at Goddard Space Flight Center and
the International School of Brussels made the contact possible. Dave Taylor,
WA8AAS, served as primary control operator at NN1SS. Williams was able to
field 16 questions before the ISS went out of range.

Some 200 students, parents and teachers assisted. Before the contact, ARISS
International Vice President Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, did a presentation on
Amateur Radio in general and ham radio aboard the ISS in particular.
"Students were very enthusiastic, and at least two of them, a boy and a
girl, asked lots of questions on how to become a radio amateur," Bertels
commented afterward.

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

==>SPECIAL EVENTS TO COMMEMORATE 95TH ANNIVERSARY OF TITANIC TRAGEDY

Several Amateur Radio special event operations are scheduled to mark the
95th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. The "unsinkable" White
Star Line passenger vessel was on its maiden voyage from Liverpool, England,
to New York City when it struck an iceberg and sank early on April 15, 1912.
More than 1500 people perished, while some 700 passengers in 19 lifeboats
were rescued by the RMS Carpathia, whose radio operator copied the frantic
distress call (the still common "CQD" signal, possibly coupled with the
then-new "SOS") transmitted by MGY radio operator Jack Phillips as the
Titanic foundered.

Special event W0S <http://www.wzeros.com/> (for "White Star Line") will be
on the air from the Titanic Museum in Branson, Missouri, commencing at 1300
UTC on Saturday, April 14, and concluding at 2400 UTC on Sunday, April 15.
Members of the Nixa Amateur Radio Club and the Southwest Missouri Amateur
Radio Club (SMARC) will be among those at the helm of W0S. Icom has loaned
Amateur Radio equipment for the special event.

Look for W0S on or around: SSB, 3.860, 7.260 and 14.260 MHz; CW, 3.560,
7.060 and 14.060 MHz. Operators will be listening 2 kHz up for calls.
Visitors are welcome. E-mail the Nixa club for more information
<titanichams@wzeros.com>;. In conjunction with the W0S operation, GB2MGY will
be on the air from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

In Titanic wireless operator Jack Phillips' home town of Godalming, England,
members and guests of the Wey Valley Amateur Radio Group
<http://www.weyvalleyarg.org.uk/> will run special event station GB95MGY.
Operation will begin at 1000 UTC on April 14 and continue through 0547 UTC
on April 15, the time the Titanic sank. After a short radio silence,
operation will continue until April 16 at 0547 UTC. The special event will
celebrate Phillips' heroism. The 25-year-old radio operator went down with
the ship.

GB95MGY will operate CW only on all HF bands, 80 through 15 meters, 15 kHz
up from the band edge, and will QSL all contacts (QSL via the bureau). For
more information, contact Michael Shortland, G0EFO
<michaelgs@dls.pipex.com>;.

Special event station W1MGY will be on the air from the Titanic Historical
Society Museum in Indian Orchard, Massachusetts. Operation will concentrate
on 40 and 20 meters April 14 from 1400 UTC until 2030 UTC, although W1MGY
may be on the air at other times, bands and modes throughout the 95th
anniversary weekend.

Look for W1MGY on or around: CW, 3.533, 7.033, 14.033, 18.099, 21.033 and
28.033 MHz; SSB, 3.860, 7.260, 14.260, 18.160, 21.360 and 28.336 MHz,
conditions permitting.

To schedule a contact with W1MGY, contact Dave Isham, KB1MU
<kb1mu@charter.net>;, indicating a preferred date, time, and frequency.
Include an SASE with QSL requests to Titanic Historical Society, W1MGY, PO
BOX 51053, Indian Orchard, MA 01151-0053 USA.

==>IRAQI AMATEUR RADIO SHUTDOWN CONTINUES

Iraq Amateur Radio Society (IARS) President Diya Sayah, YI1DZ, says there's
no end in sight to a ham radio blackout in his country. As part of the new
security plan for Baghdad, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense requested in March
that radio amateurs remain off the air until security improves.

Because of a miscommunication, however, word failed to reach the Iraqi
Communications and Media Commission, which was still issuing licenses.

Sayah chalks up the open-ended ham radio blackout to a misunderstanding of
Amateur Radio on the part of Iraq's defense minister. Working through the
Ministry of Education and Scientific Research, the IARS has attempted -- so
far without success -- to explain Amateur Radio to the Ministry of Defense.

"Because it's between ministries, this will take time also," Sayah told
ARRL, adding that he was not optimistic about getting an opportunity to
discuss the issue anytime soon with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

"Now anyone on the air is a pirate, as everyone is obliged not to use their
radios at the present time," he added. He said IARS members continue making
contacts using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) modes such as IRLP,
EchoLink and others.

The Ministry of Defense had asked the IARS to store all licensees' ham radio
equipment during the shutdown, but Sayah says that's not happening because
of the dangerous situation that persists within the capital.

The ham radio shutdown affects members of the military and contractors
holding YI9-prefix call signs. It does *not* apply to Military Affiliate
Radio System (MARS) operations, which use military frequencies.

__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: The ARLHS Annual Spring Lites QSO Party runs
April 7-15. The ARCI Spring QSO Party, the SP DX Contest, the EA RTTY
Contest, the Missouri QSO Party, the FeldHell Spring Sprint, the UBA Spring
Contest (SSB), the SARL Hamnet 40-Meter Simulated Emergency Contest are the
weekend of April 7-8. The Low Power Spring Sprint and the 144 MHz Spring
Sprint are April 9. The YLRL DX-YL to NA-YL Contest (SSB) runs April 10-12.
The NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint and the RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship
(SSB) are April 11. JUST AHEAD: The Georgia and Montana QSO parties, the
JIDX CW Contest and the EU Spring Sprint (CW) are the April 14-15 weekend.
The Run for the Bacon QRP Contest is April 16 (UTC). The 222 MHz Spring
Sprint is April 17 The RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship (data) is April 19.
See the ARRL Contest Branch page <http://www.arrl.org/contests/> and the
WA7BNM Contest Calendar <http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html>
for more info.

* ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration:
Registration remains open through Sunday, April 22, for these ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education (CEC) program
<http://www.arrl.org/cce/> online courses beginning on Friday, May 4: The
ARRL Ham Radio 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, April 20, for classes beginning Friday, June 1. To learn more, visit
the CCE Course Listing page <http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> or
contact the CCE Department <cce@arrl.org>;.

* Swains Island N8S DXpedition is on the air! The Swains Island N8S
DXpedition <http://www.yt1ad.info/n8s/index.html> now is on the air and will
continue until April 15. The international N8S team got up and running at
around 1000 UTC on April 4 and plans to operate on all HF bands as well as
moonbounce on 6 and 2 meters. The Daily DX <http://www.dailydx.com/> reports
the DXpedition, in grid AH48lw, will fire up on VHF by April 6. On 2 meters,
N8S will run 200 W into a 17-element antenna, transmitting on 144.112 MHz
and listening on that frequency and up. Most activity will be during Swains
Island local sunrise and sunset. Six-meter moonbounce also will begin as
early as April 5. Listen 50.195 or 50.205 MHz. N8S will always transmit
first. The same team is set to operate from Samoa as 5W5AA from April 17 to
April 24. YT1AD will handle cards for N8S; YZ7AA will handle QSLs for 5W5AA.
Swain's Island appears atop at least two lists of most-wanted DXCC entities.

* Construction company fined for illegal amateur band operation: The FCC has
affirmed a $10,000 fine it had proposed levying on a Florida construction
company for transmitting on ham radio frequencies without a license. In a
Forfeiture Order (NoF)
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-07-1486A1.pdf>
released April 2, the Commission said it was fining Parker Construction Inc
of Panama City, Florida, for "willful and repeated violation" of the
Communications Act of 1934 for operating radio transmitting equipment on 2
meters without a license. Responding to a complaint of apparently unlicensed
radio activity, agents from the FCC's Tampa Office using mobile
direction-finding equipment tracked the source of the transmissions.
Parker's owner admitted the company had been using Amateur Radio
transceivers for about three years to talk with crew members. Agents found
an Amateur Radio handheld transceiver set to 145.02 MHz. Responding to the
FCC's January 2007 Notice of Apparent Liability in the case, Parker
requested a reduction claiming it did not know that Amateur Radio Service
radios required a license, that it had stopped using them and had obtained
the proper radio license. The FCC turned down the request, saying corrective
action taken to come into compliance with the rules "does not nullify or
mitigate any prior forfeitures or violations."

* CubeSat launch reset: A CubeSat launch that was to have taken place March
27 has been rescheduled for Tuesday, April 17, from Baikonur Cosmodrome,
Kazakhstan. Four of the seven CubeSats will use Amateur Radio frequencies
and modes. They are: CalPoly's PolySats CP3 and CP4, 436.845 MHz and 437.325
MHz respectively, 1200 bps FM AFSK, AX.25, 1 W, operating under an FCC
Part-5 Experimental license; University of Louisiana CAPE-1 435.245 MHz,
9600 bps FM FSK AX.25 and CW telemetry during opposing 30-second intervals,
1 W, call sign K5USL (e-mail telemetry reports); Universidad Sergio
Arboleda, Colombia, Libertad-1, 437.405 MHz, 1200 bps FM AFSK AX.25, 400 mW,
call sign 5K3L. AMSAT News Service reports that the CubeSat team will not
provide a live Webcast for this launch but will offer live updates on the
CubeSat IRC Channel. Point your IRC client to: #cubesat on irc.freenode.net.
-- AMSAT News Service

* Puerto Rico gets new Section Manager/Puerto Rico tiene un nuevo Section
Manager: Roberto Jimenez, KP4AC, of San Juan, became ARRL Puerto Rico
Section Manager, effective April 1. He succeeds Victor Madera, KP4PQ, who
held the office since January 2000. Jimenez had been serving as an Assistant
Section Manager since early this year, working with Madera to ensure a
smooth transition. His term of office will run through October 2008. //
Roberto Jiménez, KP4AC, de San Juan, toma la posición de ARRL Section
Manager para la Sección de Puerto Rico efectivo el 1 de abril de 2007.
Jiménez asume la posición que deja vacante Victor Madera, KP4PQ, quien la
ocupó desde el año 2000. Desde comienzos de año Jiménez ha ocupado la
posición de Assistant Section Manager, trabajando junto a Madera para
asegurar una transición apropiada. El término del nuevo SM se extiende hasta
el 1 de octubre de 2008.

* Ed Fong, WB6IQN, wins March QST Cover Plaque Award: The winner of the QST
Cover Plaque Award for March is Ed Fong, WB6IQN, for the article "The DBJ-2:
A Portable VHF-UHF Roll-Up J-Pole Antenna for Public Service"
<http://www.arrl.org/qst/2007/03/fong.pdf>. Congratulations, Ed! The winner
of the QST Cover Plaque award -- given to the author or authors of the best
article in each issue -- is determined by a vote of ARRL members on the QST
Cover Plaque Poll Web page <http://www.arrl.org/members-only/QSTvote.html>.
Cast a ballot for your favorite article in the April issue by Monday, April
30.

* The Daily DX debuts public search engine: The Daily DX editor Bernie
McClenny, W3UR, says his paid subscription DX newsletter's Web site now
offers a Google-powered search engine. Open to all, the search engine scours
back issues of The Daily DX <http://www.dailydx.com/>. McClenny says when
he's done uploading, the search engine will make available up to the last
six or eight weeks of back issues. Issues of The Weekly DX are not included.
The "Google Custom Search" box is in the middle of The Daily DX home page.
McClenny advises users to include as many key words as they can when
initiating a search. He also suggests starting with one search word then
adding more words to narrow down the subject. Subscription information:
<http://www.dailydx.com/order.htm>.

* Florida fire department honors radio amateur: The 2007 Firefighter of the
Year in Dania Beach, Florida, is Steve Adams, N4JRW -- a firefighter and
emergency medical technician (EMT). A 31-year fire department veteran was
cited for his "unselfish dedication to the department and his fellow
firefighters." An ARRL member, Adams says he's participated in a lot of
public service and emergency operations. "I am very proud of this honor," he
told the League. "I was totally taken by surprise." Adams oversees the ham
radio program for the Dania Beach and Hollywood emergency operations centers
(EOCs). During hurricane emergencies, Adams and his son Josh, N4OSO, staff
both EOCs. Over the years, Adams has spent many hours of his own time to put
the best equipment and procedures in place so Amateur Radio can back up
normal telecommunications in an emergency or disaster. Ham radio also
permits the local EOC to link with the Broward County EOC.

* We stand corrected: The article "HAM RADIO READINESS PROVIDES SAFETY
MARGIN IN NEW MEXICO TORNADO OUTBREAK," in The ARRL Letter, Vol 26, No 13
(Mar 30, 2007), incorrectly identified a highway. The article should have
said, "US Route 70 was shut down between Portales and Clovis."

===========================================================
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
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Material from The ARRL Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole or
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ARRL members first must register on the Members Only Web Site
<http://www.arrl.org/members/>. You'll have an opportunity during
registration to sign up for e-mail delivery of The ARRL Letter, W1AW
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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