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ARRL Letter

 


***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 26, No. 26
June 29, 2007
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* + ARRL Diamond Terrace Nears Completion 
* + Field Day at W1AW: "It Was a Blast!" 
* + FCC Enforcement Actions for the Week of June 25, 2007 
* + Amateur Radio and ARES Assist Flood Victims in Central Texas 
* + Kenwood Purported to Merge with JVC in 2008 
* + Astronaut Suni Williams, KD5PLB, Back on Terra Firma 
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF: 
      This Weekend on the Radio
      ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Course Registration
    + Magic Band Opens Wide to Allow Cross-Band Transatlantic Contact 
    + North Carolina Governor Signs Antenna Bill 
      Ducie Island, VP6, DXpedition Gears Up 
      FCC Dismisses Petitions for Rule Making 
      North Carolina Governor Signs Antenna Bill 
      ARRL Congratulates Two New Top of Honor Roll Recipients 
      Duncan McArthur, GM3TNT (SK) 
      Let Us Know 


+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: S. Khrystyne Keane,
<k1sfa@arrl.org>;
===========================================================

==> ARRL Diamond Terrace Nears Completion 

With only a few more steps to go, the Diamond Terrace at ARRL
Headquarters is just about complete. The building has had a new paint
job and looks spiffier than ever. The bricks for the Terrace have been
laid, creating a pleasing panorama at the entrance to HQ. Soon granite
benches will grace the Diamond Terrace, providing a resting place on a
lovely summer's afternoon for visitors, friends and staff alike.

ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, said, "It's wonderful
to see the transformation of ARRL Headquarters building after the months
of planning. We have all been watching the progress of the painting,
sidewalk construction and finally the laying of the bricks in the
Diamond Terrace." 

Hobart said that the benches, "the capstone of the Terrace," will be
installed in the next several weeks. "Six garden benches of Vermont
granite will be put into place on the Terrace, thanks to the
contributions of six incredibly generous hams," she said. Bench donors
include Larry Price, W4RA; Dick Isely, W9GIG, and Paul Rinaldo, W4RI.

Besides the benches, the Terrace will host up to 5000 personalized,
4x8-inch laser-engraved bricks. Gracing the new entrance to ARRL
Headquarters, the Diamond Terrace will recognize donors wishing to
venerate their own call signs or to honor or memorialize the call sign
of a family member, club or "Elmer" (mentor). "I have heard wonderful
stories from donors who are honoring their Elmer or a family member, and
clubs who are honoring a founder or influential leader. There is no
limit to the reasons why bricks are placed to honor a call sign," Hobart
said.

Hobart continued, "We already had plans to refurbish the Headquarters
entrance area, so this was an ideal opportunity to invite our members to
participate in the project and support League programs at the same time.
We want to grow the Diamond Club, which enables the ARRL to continue
programs that require revenue above and beyond what annual dues provide,
ensuring their long-term health and enabling the League to do more on
behalf of Amateur Radio."

A total of 168 personalized bricks were laid this week, the first set of
bricks to grace the Terrace. "Many people have requested more than one
brick through their donations. Some have requested five bricks," Hobart
said. "There is room for everyone at the Diamond Terrace."

ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, was the first in line to buy a
Diamond Terrace brick. Others can join President Harrison with a $250
annual Diamond Club membership contribution. The Diamond Club now has
more than 2100 members, and the unrestricted funds it takes in support
such ARRL activities as spectrum defense, educational initiatives, field
services, DXCC, publications, contesting and the ARRL Volunteer Examiner
Coordinator program, among others, Hobart points out. "You pick an area
that's near and dear to your heart, and Diamond Club revenue is very
likely supporting it."

The bricks placed in the Diamond Terrace are treated to withstand
Connecticut's weather and placed in a sand setting. The list of bricks
will be posted on the ARRL Web site and will be available to visitors at
ARRL Headquarters who wish to locate their brick in the Diamond Terrace.
Brick requests will be accumulated throughout the year and placed in the
Diamond Terrace starting in late spring of each year.

The staff has followed the progress of the Diamond Terrace, built by
Robert Antonello and Son, under the watchful eye of ARRL Building
Manager Greg Kwasowski, W1GJK, and Hobart. "I hope that those who are
fortunate to visit ARRL Headquarters this summer and in the future will
enjoy the new look of their Amateur Radio home. It has been a pleasure
to work with each Diamond Club donor to craft the engraving for their
brick, and I hope many can come and see the terrace personally," Hobart
said.

If members are not able to stop by ARRL Headquarters and see the Diamond
Terrace in person, they can view the almost 200 photos taken by ARRL
News Editor Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA, that document the construction
<http://www.arrl.org/development/donations/diamondclub/terrace/photos.ht
ml >. To find out more about the ARRL Diamond Terrace, please visit the
Diamond Terrace Web site
<https://www.arrl.org/forms/development/donations/diamondclub/terrace.ht
ml>.

==> Field Day at W1AW: "It Was a Blast!" 

With the 2007 Field Day now a part of history, it's time to begin
planning for 2008. With that in mind, ARRL Regulatory Information Branch
Manager and Field Day Coordinator Dan Henderson, N1ND, said, "From the
phone calls and e-mails I have received, people all over the country had
a great Field Day. It was a blast. Now it's time to get started planning
for next year!" 

W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, said, "Field Day conditions were
weak, but we managed some good contacts, nonetheless. All the W1AW Field
Day bulletins were sent without a hitch." 

Henderson agreed. "Propagation was not the best up here in New England.
But we managed to pull through, and had a lot of fun doing so." W1AW
made a total of 804 contacts: 317 on CW, 466 on Phone and 21 on the
digital modes; each mode ran at 100 W. Taking into account all the bonus
points available, W1AW's claimed score is 2284. "We ran Field Day as 4F.
Since W1AW is an EOC station, we are allowed the 'F' designator.
Although we didn't make any satellite contacts, we did demonstrate it to
staff and visitors," Carcia said. 

W1AW managed to make contacts with 42 of the 50 US states.
Unfortunately, operators were not able to make contact with South
Dakota, Wyoming, Alaska, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon or Kansas.
"We're okay with that, because at W1AW, we view Field Day as more of a
teaching, or educational, experience. There are times where we are not
operating, or not operating that much, because we are showing new or
prospective hams what Amateur Radio is all about," Carcia said. 

Carcia noted that just as during regular W1AW operating hours, visitors
were "more than welcome" to come by W1AW on Field Day. "We had one
visitor from Hawaii. He and his family were in Connecticut on family
business, and he operated pretty much both days. In addition to
visitors, we had 11 ARRL HQ staffers show up to both operating and to
conduct a VE test session on Saturday," Carcia said. A total of eight
people took exams, with six passing. 

Carcia said that the W1AW 60 kW diesel generator suffered "some
nastiness" the Saturday before Field Day, but was repaired in the days
prior to the operating event. "As near as we can tell," Carcia said,
"lightning struck a power line a street over, inducing voltage in the
line. We are guessing the induced voltage arced across from the neutral
side in the transfer switch and 'whacked' the solenoid coil and control
board in the transfer switch. We think this only because the coil is
about an inch away from neutral buss." The generator story, as well as
pictures from W1AW's Field Day, are on the ARRL Field Day Web blog
<http://www.arrl.org/blog/Field%20Day%202007>. Post your Field Day
experiences on the Field Day Soapbox <
http://www.arrl.org/contests/soapbox/?con_id=133>.

==> FCC Enforcement Actions for the Week of June 25, 2007 

In May and June of this year, the FCC's Enforcement Bureau, Spectrum
Enforcement Division, sent out radio amateur enforcement correspondence
via certified mail to four hams and one commercial company regarding
alleged misuse of Amateur Radio activities.

In two unrelated cases, letters were sent to William E. Westley, Jr,
AF4GC, of New Port Richey, Florida, and Donald E. Ellis, KB0TVP, of
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for repeater interference and included
warnings to stay off certain repeater systems. Westley was asked by the
licensee of the W4FLG repeater to stop using the repeater. Ellis was
requested by the licensees of W0MXW and K0RGR to refrain from using said
repeaters. According to the FCC, requests to Westley and Ellis were
issued both verbally and in writing. The FCC said both Westley and Ellis
were cited for "failure to follow operational rules set forth by the
licensee/control operators of the repeater system."

Oscar Resto, KP4RF, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, was cited by the FCC from
a complaint originating with the Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Volunteer
Frequency Coordinators, Inc. They allege Resto caused "interference from
your station operating at 145.450 MHz to coordinated repeater KP4IA,
operating at 144.770 MHz." According to the FCC, PVRI has found and
coordinated another frequency pair for Resto "that would cure the
present interference problem, as well as another interference situation
involving other coordinated repeater stations." The FCC requests that
Resto "either resolve the interference problem or comply with the
frequency' coordinator's recommended frequency change by midnight July
1, 2007."

The FCC also sent a letter to Mark F. Hubeny, N9ZHW, citing the
"operation of your Amateur Radio station on non-Amateur Radio
frequencies," resulting in "deliberate interference. Although the
complaints relate to non-Amateur operation, if true they raise serious
question regarding your qualifications to remain an Amateur licensee."
The FCC requested Hubeny to respond to the FCC within 20 days of receipt
of the letter to fully address the complaint. He was also asked to
clarify his mailing address for his amateur license.

In a complaint against Tennessee Steel Haulers of Nashville, Tennessee,
the FCC notes that "one of your drivers has been operating radio
equipment without a license on 28.085 MHz and causing interference to
licensed stations in the Ten Meter Amateur Band." The letter goes on to
state that the driver was observed operating on May 3, 2007 on
Interstate 85 in Gastonia, North Carolina. The penalty for such actions
include fine or imprisonment, as well as seizure of any non-certified
radio transmitting equipment. Fines can range from $7500-$10,000.

To read the correspondence in its entirety, please see the Enforcement
Bureau's Web site <http://www.fcc.gov/eb/AmateurActions/Welcome.html>.
Address all inquiries regarding this correspondence to Riley
Hollingsworth <riley.hollingsworth@fcc.gov>;.

==> Amateur Radio and ARES Assist Flood Victims in Central Texas 

In floods that have ravaged across central and north Texas for more than
11 days, Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) members were activated
to assist those in need. In those 11 days, 11 people were killed due to
the severe weather conditions. More than 10 inches of rain was predicted
to fall Thursday; the area only received three inches, but more rain was
expected Thursday and Friday, and flash flood warnings were in effect.

In Williamson County, north of Austin, a search has been under way for
two motorists apparently swept off a road. According to the Williamson
County Sherriff's office, a search was underway for a woman and her
boyfriend after their car was found abandoned; the car appeared to have
been swept off the road by flood waters. Almost a week of nonstop rain
-- including 18 inches near Marble Falls in Burnet County, about 40
miles northwest of Austin, on Wednesday morning -- left dozens of people
stranded on rooftops, cars and in trees. 

According to Williamson County ARES member Tom Whiteside, N5TW, "The
regular communication infrastructure has been working well, but we are
participating mostly 'just in case.' We have had the Williamson County
EOC staffed since Wednesday morning, and then continuously since 1 AM
Thursday. In that time, we have provided communications at two shelters
-- one at the Georgetown Recreational Center and one at the Liberty Hill
Middle School. We are using both conventional voice and portable Winlink
at the EOC. The Winlink connection is quite handy for sensitive
messages, as well as for passing more complicated intelligence in and
out than could be done efficiently with voice." Williamson County ARES
was activated.

Jim Taylor, NQ5L, Emergency Coordinator for Williamson County,
concurred. "The Williamson County EOC was opened due to the severe rains
in Burnet County, with spill over into Williamson. Rain fall has slowed
with several roads closed and some water rescue efforts. So far, there
have been no reports of fatalities here, but people are still driving
into dangerous situations." Authorities also closed several impassable
roads in Williamson County. Some cars stalled in the high water, but the
occupants escaped.

Saying that helicopter reconnaissance would commence during daylight
hours, Taylor added that two major storm systems to the west are
expected to merge and create a situation with up to 10 inches of rain
expected.

A good deal of damage occurred in Marble Falls and Highland Lakes (Llano
County), according to the National Weather Service and Rick Chapman,
K5RIK, Emergency Coordinator for Highland Lakes. "There are extensive
rains in the area, with a measured rainfall of 1.5 feet over the past 24
hours. This has resulted in many flooding situations in the low areas.
Marble Falls and Kingsland were particularly hard hit. People have been
forced out of their homes by the high water, and low water crossings
were dangerous yesterday, with some still having high levels of water
today."

Chapman added that thus far, "Our served agencies have not requested
ARES/SKYWARN communications support, and we do not deploy without
specific requests. With the saturated soil conditions and expected
additional rainfall, our deployment status may change quickly."

The Texas National Guard dispatched troops and vehicles to Central
Texas, as well as other areas hit by storms from the Oklahoma border to
the Rio Grande Valley. About 150 troops and 50 vehicles were mobilized.
This has been the wettest year on record in Austin, where more than 30
inches of rain has fallen since January, and Dallas-Fort Worth, Waco and
Wichita Falls have near-records. The rainfall has more than compensated
for a drought that much of Texas had been experiencing since 2005, the
National Weather Service said.

==> Kenwood Purported to Merge with JVC in 2008 

A consumer electronic magazine, This Week in Consumer Electronics
(TWICE), reports that Kenwood has agreed to merge in 2008 with Victor
Company of Japan (JVC) under a holding company. JVC is owned by
Matsushita Electric Industrial Company. Japan's Nikkei business
newspaper reports that the final details should be worked out by the end
of the month, and that under the plan, Kenwood will buy 20 billion yen
($161,469,466) in JVC shares as early as this summer, raising its stake
to 13 percent. Matsushita will also sell part of its 52.7 percent of JVC
to Kenwood's top shareholder, the Sparx Group. When JVC and Kenwood
integrate operations under the holding company in 2008, Matsushita will
sell the rest of its JVC shares to the holding company to complete the
transaction. The holding company's stock will be listed instead of
Kenwood and JVC, according to Nikkei. Combined, Kenwood's and JVC's
sales are $7.3 billion dollars annually for their fiscal year that ended
March 31.

==> Astronaut Suni Williams, KD5PLB, Back on Terra Firma 

Suni Williams, KD5PLB, International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 15
Flight Engineer, came back to Earth Saturday, June 23 on the space
shuttle Atlantis (STS-117), wrapping up a six month stay during which
she became the new record holder for the longest single spaceflight by a
woman. While on the ISS, Williams participated in 33 Amateur Radio on
the International Space Station (ARISS) contacts. ISS Expedition 12
Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, holds the record for the most ARISS
school contacts in a single mission at 37. 

Williams launched with the crew of the space shuttle Discovery (STS-116)
on December 9, 2006. She docked with the ISS on December 11. Clay
Anderson, KD5PLA, part of STS-117, replaced Williams as ISS Flight
Engineer. STS-117 was launched from Florida June 8 and docked with the
ISS June 10. Its mission lasted almost 14 days. 

"The space station's just a stepping-stone to get us to understand
space, and how to live and work in space, and then potentially get back
to the moon is the next stepping-stone. How to work in a low-gravity
environment and how to work in an environment that is not habitable for
us that will take us to the next place, maybe Mars and then beyond,"
Williams said. 

While in space, Williams, a US Navy helicopter pilot who holds the rank
of Commander (O5), worked with robotics operation on the ISS and
participated in four spacewalks. She was also NASA ISS Science Officer
for part of her time in space. The primary focus of US science on the
ISS is research on how people can live and work safely in
weightlessness. 

Williams participated in the 2007 Boston Marathon from the ISS. She
competed as an official entrant in the annual Patriots Day event from
210 miles above Earth. Williams ran on an ISS exercise treadmill,
circling Earth at least twice in the process and going as fast as 8 MPH
while flying more than 5 miles per second. "I [hope to] encourage kids
to start making physical fitness part of their daily lives," she said.
"I think a big goal like a marathon will help get this message out
there." 

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Tad "Don't Let the Sun(spots) Go Down on Me" Cook, K7RA, this week
reports: We are seeing new sunspots over the past few days after 11 days
with none at all. Lack of solar activity made Field Day this year (June
23-24) a real cycle minimum experience. Most areas saw very little 10
and 15 meter activity, so 80, 40 and 20 meters were the places to be.
Sunspot numbers for June 25-28 were 11, 11, 15 and 27. The numbers may
edge a little higher over the next few days, with more zero sunspot days
possible around mid-July. Geomagnetic activity is expected to remain
quiet. Sunspot numbers for June 21 through 27 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 11, 11
and 15 with a mean of 5.3. 10.7 cm flux was 65.5, 65.3, 65.9, 66.9,
67.6, 70.5, and 73.2, with a mean of 67.8. Estimated planetary A indices
were 14, 16, 11, 6, 5, 5 and 5 with a mean of 8.9. Estimated
mid-latitude A indices were 8, 12, 8, 4, 3, 4 and 5, with a mean of 6.3.
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: This weekend, the NCCC Sprint Ladder and
the Digital Pentathlon are June 29. The WLOTA is June 30-July 1. The RAC
Canada Day Contest and SKCC Weekend Sprint are July 1. During the week,
the RSGB 80m Club Championship (CW) is July 2, and the ARS Spartan
Sprint is July 3. Schedule the Michigan QRP July 4th CW Sprint around
your hot dogs and fireworks on July 4-5. Next weekend is VK/Trans-Tasman
160m Contest (SSB) on July 7. The Venezuelan Independence Day Contest,
the DL-DX RTTY Contest and the Original QRP Contest are scheduled for
July 7-8. On July 8, look for the DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest and the
ARCI Summer Homebrew Sprint. Later in the week on July 11, the SKCC
Sprint and RSGB 80m Club Championship (SSB) are on the air. See the ARRL
Contest Branch page http://www.arrl.org/contests/, the ARRL Contester's
Rate Sheet <http://www.arrl.org/contests/rate-sheet/> 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 July 8 for these online courses
beginning on Friday July 20: Amateur Radio Emergency Communications
Level 2 (EC-002); Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 3
(EC-003); Antenna Modeling (EC-004); Radio Frequency Propagation
(EC-011); HF Digital Communications (EC-005), and VHF-UHF (EC-008). To
learn more, visit the CCE Course Listing page
<http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> or contact the Continuing
Education Program Coordinator <cce@arrl.org>;.

* Magic Band Opens Wide to Allow Cross-Band Transatlantic Contact: On
Monday, June 25, there was a big opening to Europe on 6 meters (50 MHz),
also known as the "magic band." In most areas, the opening started in
the local US mid-morning, lasting until dark. According to QST column
author of "The World Above 50 MHz" Gene Zimmerman, W3ZZ, "Many areas of
the country that do not normally work Europe, including the Midwestern
states, West Texas and Colorado, worked stations in Europe. At one point
near the end of the opening, stations on the East Coast of the US were
working stations in Hawaii on the Big Island." In this opening, Mike
Smith, VE9AA, in New Brunswick was on 50 MHz when he worked Nigel
Coleman, G7CNF, on CW cross-band; Coleman was on the 70 MHz band (4
meters) in England. Zimmerman said, "Though a few cross-band contacts
were made via F2 propagation during the sunspot maximum period in the
1970s, this is believed to be the first 50/70 transatlantic cross-band
contact ever made on multi-hop sporadic-E propagation." RSGB VHF/UHF
Manager David Butler, G4ASR, concurred: "It certainly isn't the first
United Kingdom-North America 4 meter/6 meter cross-band QSO, but it
probably is the first via multi-hop sporadic-E." In North America, 70
MHz is channel 4 on television sets. Watch a YouTube video of the
contact posted by VE9AA at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVlVWPJWcPo>,
and G7CNF's version with some audio enhancements at
<http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=X0wel14KAD0>.

* North Carolina Governor Signs Antenna Bill: On Friday, June 29, North
Carolina Governor Mike Easley signed HB1340, the "Amateur Radio Antenna"
bill into law. North Carolina becomes the 25th state to pass a state
model of the FCC's 1985 PRB-1 regulation, and becomes the halfway point
for all 50 states having some kind of state antenna legislation. The
bill was introduced for the first time in February and passed
unanimously in both the House and the Senate. The law takes effect
October 1 and permits antennas up to 90 feet in height in areas
regulated solely by municipal (county and city) ordinances.

* Ducie Island, VP6, DXpedition Gears Up: The Daily DX reports that the
Ducie Island DXpedition Team, VP6DX, has been busy behind the scenes
preparing for the much anticipated February 2008 DXpedition. It was also
announced that the VP6DX team decided to extend the duration of the
DXpedition. Plans are to depart Mangareva Island, part of the Gambier
Islands in French Polynesia, via ship on February 5, 2008 and head for
Pitcairn Island; this trip normally takes about 36 hours. The ops will
spend a few hours on Pitcairn before taking another 36 hour trip boat
ride to Ducie Island; they plan to arrive at sunrise on February 9, and
hope to be up and running within 24 hours. The team needs to be back on
Mangareva by March 3. If all goes well, including the weather, they will
have VP6 on the air for as long as 19 days. There is a slight chance of
a short visit to another uninhabited island if things on Ducie slow
down. Henderson Island (also VP6, not a separate DXCC entity) is the
only island on the way to and from Ducie Island.

* FCC Dismisses Petitions for Rule Making: The FCC today granted
requests to withdraw two Petitions for Rule Making (PRM) concerning
"spectrum deregulation in the Amateur Service," as well as a vanity call
sign request for a call sign outside the Commission parameters. In the
Order, the FCC first granted a request to withdraw a PRM by the
Communications Think Tank (CTT), filed June 20, 2005, that requested the
FCC "discontinue mandatory segmentation of emission modes and the
activities using these modes in the Amateur Service, and substitute a
voluntary system of coordination to achieve greater, and more efficient,
utilization of frequency allocations within the amateur radio bands." On
November 6, 2006, CTT requested its PRM be withdrawn. On November 14,
2005, the ARRL requested the FCC "comprehensively modify the means by
which the extremely varied emission modes in the Amateur Radio Service
are developed, experimented with, implemented and regularly utilized in
the course of normal Amateur Radio communications." On April 27, the
ARRL requested its petition be withdrawn. In the Order, the FCC agreed
to drop both PRMs, saying they will take "no further action with respect
to these petitions for rulemaking or the comments filed in response
thereto." The Commission went on to say in the Order that both PRMs are
"dismissed without prejudice," meaning the subject may be revisited at a
later date.

* ARRL Congratulates Two New Top of Honor Roll Recipients: Dave Brindle,
K1WER, of Nashua, New Hampshire and Bob Hall, W8QHG, of Barboursville,
West Virginia, achieved Top of Honor Roll after completing confirmed
contacts with BS7H, the Scarborough Reef DXpedition. Hall will turn 91
this October. By special arrangement with the ARRL DXCC Desk and West
Virginia DX Association, Hall received the first #1 Honor Roll Award
issued following the BS7H operation. 
Top of Honor Roll is awarded to those who complete confirmed contacts
with each of the current DXCC entities. As of this date, there are 337
DXCC entities. According to DXCC Manager Bill Moore, NC1L, there are
currently 869 Top of Honor Roll recipients. More than 25,000 people
participate in the DXCC awards program, and more than 40,000 awards have
been bestowed since the inception of the DXCC awards program in 1945.
For more information on ARRL DXCC awards, please see the DX Century Club
Web page < http://www.arrl.org/awards/dxcc/>. 

* Duncan McArthur, GM3TNT (SK): Duncan McArthur, GM3TNT died suddenly at
his home in Avalon, Peninver, Scotland on June 19, 2007. He was 65.
McArthur was the "Scottish link" in last year's "Hello" campaign,
celebrating 100 years of voice over radio. During the "Hello" finale
when three stations -- W1AW in Connecticut, W100BO/W1F in Brant Rock,
Massachusetts and GB1FVT in Machrihanish, Scotland -- were on the air
the last weekend in December 2006, McArthur manned GB1FVT. This station,
built by Reginald Fessenden in 1905, received the first voice
transmissions sent across the Atlantic. Until then, this site had only
been using Morse code when, by accident, a voice transmission which was
only intended to go between Brant Rock and Cobb Island was received at
Machrihanish. ARRL Public Relations and Media Manager Allen Pitts,
W1AGP, said, "I never met Duncan in person, but we talked a lot about
the "Hello" campaign and I really liked him. He was pure Scot (never
English!) and the brogue was most pleasant -- like my grandmother. He
was willing to do whatever he could -- and came through on his promises;
that always counts a lot with me. I liked knowing people like that were
still in my world -- and now he's gone. I will miss him." McArthur is
survived by daughter Diane and son-in-law Morris, granddaughter Hannah
and mother Alexina. The funeral service took place in Campbeltown,
Scotland on June 22, 2007. 

* Let Us Know: What's your favorite part of The ARRL Letter? What kind
of stories would you like to see in the Letter? Would you prefer the
Letter in an HTML format? This is your Letter and your chance to let
your voice be heard. Please send your suggestions to ARRL News Editor S.
Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA, at k1sfa@arrl.org, with the subject line "ARRL
Letter Suggestions." All messages will be read and discussed, and we
look forward to implementing positive suggestions into the ARRL Letter.

=========================================================== 
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
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<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> is a weekly "ham radio newscast"
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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/American Radio Relay League.

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

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

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

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





 

The ARRL Letter

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

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

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

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

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

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

Plain-Text

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

Outlook Express

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

2. Click the Read tab

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

Outlook 2007

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

Thunderbird

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

OS X Mail (Mac)

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

GMail

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

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