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ARRL Letter

 

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 27, No. 37
September 19, 2008
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* + Hams in Texas and Surrounding States Active as Ike Pounds Gulf Coast
and Inland Areas 
* + Areas Not Directly in Storm's Path Also Affected by Ike and Lowell 
* + W1AW Supports EchoLink Operations During Ike 
* + Third Annual ARRL On-Line Auction Set for October 
* + Brennan Price, N4QX, Returns to ARRL Staff 
* + ARRL Welcomes USTTI Students 
*   Solar Update 
*  IN BRIEF: 
      This Weekend on the Radio 
      ARRL Continuing Education Course Registration 
    + ARISS Update 

+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>;
===========================================================

==> HAMS IN TEXAS AND SURROUNDING STATES ACTIVE AS IKE POUNDS GULF COAST
AND INLAND AREAS

As Hurricane Ike weakened and became a tropical storm and then a
tropical depression after slamming ashore near Galveston, Texas early
Saturday morning, hams in several ARRL sections were supporting agencies
with their communications needs. Although the final word on all the
locations where ARES was providing communications support has yet to be
reported, it was clear that Amateur Radio played a part in the response
to the massive storm.

In a conference call with ARRL Headquarters staff the morning of Sunday,
September 14, ARRL section leadership reported that ARES was supporting
Emergency Operations Centers throughout the region, and that equipment
shipped to the Gulf Coast under the Ham Aid program was either being put
to use or held for possible use as requests arrive.

* Texas

South Texas Section Emergency Coordinator Mike Schwartz, KG5TL, whose
section took the brunt of Ike's wind and rain, reported that he had
spoken earlier to 9th District Emergency Coordinator Brian Cater,
KC5YSM. Cater said his district, located to the east of Houston and
Galveston, had lost power, but some food was available at hotels and
other venues that were using backup generators. Electric utility poles
were holding up well, since many had been replaced with newer ones after
2005's Hurricane Rita.

Schwartz reported that ARRL North Texas Section Emergency Coordinator
Bill Swan, K5MWC, sent two communications vehicles and a couple of ham
radio operators from his section to the Orange area in South Texas. 

Hams in the Houston and the surrounding area responded to calls earlier
this week to assist served agencies with Points of Distribution (POD)
around the Greater Houston area. These PODs are set up to distribute
water, ice and food to area residents dealing with Ike and that storm's
aftermath. According to Joe Gadus, KD5KTX, an ARRL Public Information
Officer in the South Texas Section, members of ARES South Texas District
14 -- under the leadership of District Emergency Coordinator Jeff
Walter, KE5FGA -- were manning at least six PODs. "These hams provided
communications between the National Guard units at the PODs and the
Harris County Office of Emergency Management to coordinate the delivery
and resupply of food, water and MREs (meals ready to eat) to the victims
of Hurricane Ike," he said. "Most of the participating amateurs are also
victims [of the storm], having suffered property losses and power
outages expected to last approximately three weeks."

Late Sunday, the Texas State Operations Center released a Situation
Report that included the following:

"Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES): State emergency
communications operations began at 1800 Thursday, September 11, with the
activation of the State RACES network. Operations consisted of
monitoring joint emergency frequencies. These were operated by RACES and
ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) and other civil/Amateur Radio
Clubs.

"Military Affiliated Radio Service (MARS): Texas MARS operators
activated AAN6ETX (Texas SOC MARS station) at 0800 local on September
13, 2008. AAN6ETX was put into 24/7 operation beginning at 1900 local on
September 13. The MARS and RACES have been actively teaming together to
solve problems and get information to the appropriate parties. Increased
activity began on Saturday after the storm made landfall and damage
assessments were in progress. Five reports were received from Houston
Transtar, which had no other means of submission, other than Winlink.
Messages and critical information regarding safe routes were relayed to
a relief group heading into the Orange County area. At one point contact
between the SOC and the City of Port Arthur was lost and the MARS
station was able to connect them with a Navy MARS/ARES/RACES person in
the area. The MARS is also supporting and monitoring Task Force IKE's
recon team via AAR6NAC. As of Sunday, September 14, 2008, the combined
RACES/ARES/MARS nets received and relayed multiple emergency
communications reports to the SOC, and local jurisdictions."

* West Texas 

Meanwhile, remnants of Tropical Storm Lowell are still affecting
residents of the West Texas Section. Section Emergency Coordinator J.T.
Caldwell, WA5ZFH, reported that the levees in the town of Presidio -- a
town on the banks of the Rio Grande of about 5000 people -- are holding,
"but water is close to the top." Even before Ike hit, that town was more
than 11 feet above flood stage resulting from rains left by Lowell.
Mexican authorities have been dumping water from their reservoirs that
feed into the Rio Grande, causing that river to flood, affecting Texas
towns in the region.

"Additional water is being released from Luis Leon dam in Mexico,"
Caldwell said; a portion of the levee broke on the Ojinaga, Mexico side
Tuesday night at approximately 11 PM CST. Presidio's lowest areas have
been evacuated. Emergency workers also shut down the Presidio-Ojinaga
International Bridge connecting the city to Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico,
which was in danger of flooding as the Rio Grande continued to rise
Tuesday. "Do not travel down here if your intent is to get to Ojinaga,"
Presidio City Administrator Cynthia Clarke warned travelers, adding that
there had been three breaks in a levee. "There's no way to get across."

"The forecast calls for the river level to rise sequentially each day,"
Caldwell said. "No one currently expects the levees to hold... [and]
residents have been advised that if they hear sirens, immediately leave
and seek higher ground -- hundreds of residents have [already] been
evacuated. The shelters here have since been combined into one shelter
at the Presidio Elementary School with about 120 people in it," with
more expected as the levees breech or overtop.

* Louisiana

From Louisiana, where residents are recovering from the effects of
Hurricane Gustav, Section Manager Gary Stratton, K5GLS, reported to
those on the conference call that Amateur Radio volunteers have had
constant telephone communications through the Ike emergency, and there
have been no problems at all with VoIP systems
<http://www.arrl.org/qst/2003/02/VoIP.pdf>. There is supplemental
sheltering for Hurricane Gustav and additional shelters for Ike. Most
shelters are supported by local clubs and ARES groups around the state,
working with EOCs. Section Emergency Coordinator Jim Coleman, AI5B, is
participating in Louisiana VOAD conference calls
<http://www.nvoad.org/>. 

* Arkansas

From Arkansas, Section Manager David Norris, K5UZ, reported via e-mail
that SKYWARN nets in the state were busy Saturday and Sunday. "Several
tornados were spotted and tracked with some causing damage in Cabot and
possibly Apin. There has been quite a bit of straight-line wind damage
in the state, and as of 10 PM September 14, approximately 20,000
customers were without power. Many trees are down in my area and both of
my 75/80 meter arrays have fallen victim to the storm. No tower
collapses here, just a lot of mangled wire."

* Illinois

After the remnants of Ike and Lowell brought 9 inches of rain to the
Chicago area, Illinois Section Manager Tom Ciciora, KA9QPN, reported
Monday morning that "Grundy County ARES activated in support of county
EMA efforts in flood control. One shelter is activated at this time.
Additionally, both Kane and Kendall Counties have been especially hard
hit with numerous road closures and evacuations. It was a real
character-builder for Kane County, as their EOC also flooded yesterday."

* ARRL Headquarters Maintaining Coordination Efforts

Following Sunday's conference call, the group of ARRL section leaders
and Headquarters staff who had been participating in conference calls
that spanned three major storms on three consecutive weekends agreed to
suspend them. They can be reestablished on short notice, however. In
addition, W1AW suspended its monitoring and coordinating operations as
of 6 PM Eastern Time Sunday.

Coordination of Amateur Radio's response to the recent hurricanes
continues, and ARRL Headquarters continues to participate in national
conference calls coordinating the response efforts on an as-needed
basis, as do volunteers in Texas and Louisiana.

Only on September 15, were many of the VOAD and other supporting agency
crews beginning to be able to move in to areas that have seen the most
destruction. ARRL Headquarters will be receiving further reports of the
exact contributions hams are making in the recovery effort, and we will
share them as information arrives.

==> AREAS NOT DIRECTLY IN STORM'S PATH ALSO AFFECTED BY IKE AND LOWELL 

While Hurricane Ike, as well as Tropical Storm Lowell, caused severe
damage in and around the impact zone of the Texas Gulf Coast, the
storm's aftermath was felt as far north as Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and
Kentucky. Just like their counterparts on the Gulf Coast, ARES members
in the Midwest are assisting served agencies in their area.

While Ohio was not in the direct path of Hurricane Ike, that state is
definitely feeling the aftermath of the storm as more than 2 million
homes -- 18 percent of the population -- in the southwest portion of
that state and neighboring Kentucky have been without power since
Sunday, according to a story on ohio.com, an online service of the Akron
Beacon Journal.

On Wednesday, ARRL District Emergency Coordinator for Ohio District 4
Robert Spratt, N8TVU, reported that the Butler County Emergency
Management Agency had requested ARES assistance to "move a shelter
trailer that can support up to 450 clients from the Hanover Township
Fire Department to the City of Hamilton," a distance of about 5.5 miles.
Spratt said that the shelter was being established to house those
residents whose homes had been structurally damaged or deemed unsafe.

Hurricane-force winds of up to 78 MPH blew through Ohio on Sunday,
causing damage in 84 of the state's 88 counties, said Ohio Governor Ted
Strickland. The governor declared a State of Emergency, allowing the
Ohio Department of Transportation to help local communities remove
debris from roads.

Calling the power outage "the worst and widespread I have seen," a
spokesman for the Dayton Power & Light Company said that 50 transmission
poles that support larger voltage lines were down and some utility poles
"were snapped in two." A spokesman for Duke Energy (which serves Ohio
and Kentucky) said that even with the influx of electrical crews from
outside the area, "We're still looking at some customers being without
[electrical] service until Saturday or Sunday."

In Illinois, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich declared seven counties --
Cook, DuPage, DeKalb, Grundy, Kane, LaSalle and Will -- disaster areas.
With the state proclamation, state assets and personnel will be provided
to affected communities to help them respond and recover from the
floods.

On Monday, September 15, the Grundy County ARES team was activated at
11:30 AM, said DEC Bob Cockream, AA9EE. "The KB9SZK VHF repeater was
closed to all but flood-related and emergency traffic. We supplied a
person to assist with communications to the Red Cross shelter at the
Coal City High School, and another two hams to the village hall to help
with both radio and phones. We had seven other EMA/ARES members working
the field delivering sand bags and checking in on residents, as well as
checking water levels, and reporting back to the village hall."

Neil Ormos, N9NL, DEC for Cook County/Chicago, reported that he hasn't
heard of any ham radio activations in Cook County yet, "but if people
have been activated, they may be too busy to report. In general,
conventional communications systems are working. The Red Cross has four
shelters open in Cook County, but they are using conventional
communications and have not sought ham radio assistance."

In Indiana, only one county -- Harrison County in the southern part of
the state -- has had an official ARES activation. According to AEC Scott
Taylor, K9SET, the area had no phones -- either landline or cell -- or
electricity. "I recorded several 70 MPH gusts on Monday, and there are
many, many trees and power lines down, as well as major structural
damage to homes and business here in my town of Corydon. It may be three
to five days for some to get power. Only a few businesses seem to have
power, but no residences have it at this time."

In Dearborn County and Southeastern Indiana, there has been "much storm
damage," said Dearborn County EC Ken Courtney, WA9BLA. "On Tuesday, we
had winds here from 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM; on Sunday, we recorded gusts of
70 to 80 MPH across the area wide -- hurricane Category 1 strength. A
mobile home rolled over and a semi was blown over on the I-275 bridge to
Kentucky. There have been four fatalities in the Greater Cincinnati
area, all with trees falling on people; one fatality was in Ohio County,
Indiana."

Courtney said that several hams will be doing disaster damage surveys
later this week for the Dearborn County Homeland Security Agency. 

The ARRL is still receiving reports from the field concerning recovery
efforts from these states. We will be updating our information as it
becomes available. To catch up on the latest information, please visit
the ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/>. 

==> W1AW SUPPORTS ECHOLINK OPERATIONS DURING IKE 

Throughout the course of Hurricane Ike, operators at W1AW, the Hiram
Percy Maxim Memorial Station, hooked into the HF radio of ARRL West Gulf
Vice Director David Woolweaver, K5RAV, via EchoLink
<http://www.echolink.org/>. 

According to W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, the link enabled
hams in Newington to monitor the Texas Emergency Net. "Through Dr
Woolweaver's initiative, we could use EchoLink in this fashion to assist
ARRL HQ staff monitor critical Net operations using HF -- a capability
we have never taken advantage of before."

Carcia said that the reason the HF/EchoLink connection was used was due
to the frequency the Texas Emergency Net was using. "The Net was on 75
meters," Carcia said, "and propagation did not favor us here in New
England to be able to hear the transmissions. By using Dr Woolweaver's
link, we could hear everything on the Net." 

During the monitoring sequence, Woolweaver changed the frequencies on
EchoLink to enable ARRL HQ to stay on top of and monitor conversations
related to message relays, Coast Guard contacts and Health and Welfare
traffic from across Texas and the surrounding states. According to ARRL
Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager Dennis Dura, K2DCD, this
capability will be critical to future emergency communication response
at ARRL Headquarters: "Without the EchoLink/HF connection, we here at
ARRL would not have able to be in contact with ARRL South Texas Section
Leadership."

Woolweaver is working on getting more Texas stations involved in the
EchoLink network to help out with future emergencies. He said that
EchoLink can be successfully utilized to monitor and to engage stations
on VHF and HF. "Using stations with EchoLink node capabilities and
access to VHF and HF equipment, W1AW and other personnel at HQ will be
able to become active participants and consultants in local and regional
operations," he said. "You cannot underestimate the value of first hand
information. The EchoLink to remote HF connection allows W1AW and ARRL
staff to monitor and participate in local and regional operations any
where any time. It does not get much better than that!"

==> THIRD ANNUAL ARRL ON-LINE AUCTION SET FOR OCTOBER 

The Third Annual ARRL On-Line Auction kicks off October 23, running
until November 1 on the ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/auction>.
This is your chance to pick up one-of-a-kind Amateur Radio items. To see
what the Auction will offer this year, be sure to check out the Auction
preview that begins October 16. Last year, the Auction attracted more
than 3000 registered bidders from more than 40 countries. While the
majority of buyers were from the USA, Canada and the UK, there were
buyers from Australia, Malaysia, Grenada, Vietnam and Tanzania.

According to ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B, "Last
year's on-line auction -- our second -- proved to be a successful and
enjoyable event for both hams and ARRL staff members alike. When the
bidding ended, we realized that we had sold 162 items and raised just
over $50,000." Proceeds from the auction benefit ARRL education programs
including activities to license new hams, strengthen Amateur Radio's
emergency service training, offer continuing technical and operating
education, as well as creating instructional materials. 

ARRL Business Services Manager Deb Jahnke, K1DAJ, encouraged everyone to
come and peruse the wide variety of offerings: "Browse through the Web
site frequently, as items will be added on a daily basis. We also
encourage you to look through the 'Help' and 'About Us' sections. You'll
find useful information about bidding, FAQs and a host of other facts.
To ensure an enjoyable experience, please be sure to read all policies
under the 'About Us' section." 

This year's auction will again include many transceivers and other items
that have appeared in the QST Product Review column and have thus been
thouroughly tested by the ARRL Lab. There will be many vintage items
offered, as well. Also, returning by popular demand will be four ARRL
Lab unique "junque" boxes. These boxes have a starting bid of $50 and
have almost anything you could ever possibly imagine in them. No one --
except the ARRL Lab staff -- knows what exactly is inside each box, but
each is guaranteed to be full of things that the Lab staff consider
valuable (but keep in mind that they collect just about anything). 

Jahnke said that due to many requests last year, "all product review
items in the On-Line Auction include a link to a PDF file of the actual
Product Review, as well as a reference to the QST issue that the review
appeared in." 

==> BRENNAN PRICE, N4QX, RETURNS TO ARRL STAFF 

Brennan Price, N4QX, returned to the ARRL Staff as the League's
Technical Relations Manager on September 15, filling the vacancy created
by the retirement of Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, earlier this summer. From
2000-2004, Price served as Field and Regulatory Correspondent and
Assistant Technical Editor at ARRL Headquarters. As Technical Relations
Manager, he will be responsible for representing the ARRL's interests to
federal government agencies, the International Telecommunication Union
(ITU) and other international organizations, and regional
telecommunications organizations, personally and through the supervision
of other Technical Relations Office staff.

Saying that his goal is to "defend Amateur Radio spectrum, and if the
opportunity presents itself, help gain some," Price is currently
preparing for a meeting of United States Working Party 5A -- which
considers issues in the Amateur Radio and Land Mobile services -- in
Washington next week.

Price holds a BA in chemistry from Vanderbilt University, an MS in
chemistry from Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), and a JD
with honors from the University Of Connecticut School Of Law, where he
was appointed Executive Editor of the "Connecticut Law Review." Admitted
to the Connecticut bar in 2005, he had been in private practice with a
firm in Hartford. Price was first licensed in 1997 as KF4UZB, earning
his Amateur Extra class license by 1999, acquiring the call signs KU4WJ
and N4QX in the process. He is an ARRL Volunteer Counsel
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/local/vci.html> and has
stayed current with regulatory issues affecting the ARRL and Amateur
Radio.

While at the "Law Review," Price was invited to publish a scholarly
summary of case and statutory law related to PRB-1, the FCC's limited
preemption of Amateur Radio antenna and antenna support zoning
restrictions
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/PRB-1_Pkg/Price.pdf>. This
29 page summary is designed to inform amateurs and their counsel, as
well as municipal counsel, of the state of the law before any party
adopts an unwise strategy

"We are fortunate to have filled this key position with someone with
Brennan's experience, training and passion for Amateur Radio," said ARRL
Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ. "His strong regulatory
background and knowledge of the ARRL as a former staff member and active
volunteer will help him come up to full speed very quickly. He jumped
into preparations for the 2011 World Radiocommunication Conference
(WRC-11) on his first day back." 

Price said he welcomes the chance to return to ARRL and join its
Technical Relations staff: "The League's Technical Relations efforts
have paid tangible dividends to Amateur Radio operators over the years:
Our allotment at 60 meters and more broadcaster-free space on 40 meters
are but two examples. I am pleased to have the chance to advocate for
Amateur Radio on the national and international stage. Although WRC-11
is three years away, preparatory work is well underway, with Technical
Relations Specialist Jon Siverling, WB3ERA, representing the ARRL at a
meeting of a Permanent Consultative Committee of the Inter-American
Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) in Argentina this week."

When not at work or on the air (he especially enjoys operating CW on 10
meters), Price enjoys officiating football and playing chess.

==> ARRL WELCOMES USTTI STUDENTS 

Next month, the ARRL will welcome students from various countries from
all over the world who want to learn how to administer and regulate
Amateur Radio programs in their home countries. This course, offered by
the United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI)
<http://ustti.org/>, will help participants create, administer and
foster an Amateur Radio Service in their countries.

Designed for those in developing countries who regulate and manage their
country's Amateur Radio Service, this course will help participants
learn just who radio amateurs are. ARRL staff instructors will help
course participants discover the ever-expanding universe of Amateur
Radio communication. They will explain why Amateur Radio operators --
upwards of three million individuals in virtually every country of the
world -- have earned licenses to operate stations in the Service and why
they are recognized, both by their governments and internationally, as a
valuable voluntary telecommunications resource. Course participants will
also discover how a telecommunications administration can bring the
benefits of a healthy Amateur Service to its nation.

Now in its 26th year, USTTI is a nonprofit venture involving leading
US-based communications and information technology corporations and
leaders of the federal government cooperating to provide tuition-free
management, policy and technical training for talented professionals
from the developing world. This is the 24th year the ARRL has
participated in the program.

==>SOLAR UPDATE 

Tad "To taste the luxury of sunny beams" Cook, K7RA, this week reports:
Last week saw another brief sunspot appearance followed by a quick fade.
This was an old Solar Cycle 23 spot -- number 1001 -- resulting in a
sunspot number of 12 for September 11. Sunspot numbers for September
11-17 were 12, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 and 0 with a mean of 1.7. The 10.7 cm flux
was 66.9, 66.3, 66.4, 66.8, 67.5, 69.4 and 67.1 with a mean of 67.2.
Estimated planetary A indices were 2, 2, 0, 6, 15, 9 and 3 with a mean
of 5.3. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 1, 0, 0, 4, 11, 7 and 3
with a mean of 3.7. For the near term, nothing indicates any emerging
sunspots. The geomagnetic indicators should remain quiet with a
planetary A index of 5 until the end of the month. From September
30-October 2, the planetary A index is expected to be 8, 30 and 8. Eight
is a low number, but 30 indicates a geomagnetic storm, probably expected
from a recurring coronal hole spewing a strong solar wind. For more
information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical
Information Service Propagation page
<http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html>. To read this week's
Solar Report in its entirety, check out the W1AW Propagation Bulletin
page <http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/prop/>. This week's "Tad Cookism" brought
to you by John Keats' "I Stood Tip-Toe upon a Little Hill"
<http://www.bartleby.com/126/2.html>. 

__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

* This Weekend on the Radio: This weekend, the ARRL 10 GHz and Up
Contest and the ARRL International EME Competition are on September
20-21. YLRL Howdy Days are September 18-20. The NCCC Sprint is September
19 and the Feld Hell Sprint is September 20. Be on the lookout for these
contests on September 20-21: The Colorado QSO Party, the SARL VHF/UHF
Contest, the Scandinavian Activity Contest (CW), the CIS DX Contest, the
South Carolina QSO Party, the Washington State Salmon Run and the QCWA
Fall QSO Party. The Run for the Bacon QRP Contest and the 144 MHz Fall
Sprint are both on September 22. The SKCC Sprint is September 24 and the
BCC QSO Party is September 25. Next weekend is the NCCC Sprint on
September 26 and the AGCW VHF/UHF Contest on September 27. Look for the
CQ Worldwide DX Contest (RTTY), the Texas QSO Party and the Scandinavian
Activity Contest (SSB) on September 27-28. The UBA ON Contest (CW) is
September 28 and the 222 MHz Fall Sprint is September 30 (local time).
The RSGB 21/28 MHz Contest is October 1. All dates, unless otherwise
stated, are UTC. See the ARRL Contest Branch page
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/>, the ARRL Contest Update
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/> and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar
<http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more info. Looking
for a Special Event station? Be sure to check out the ARRL Special Event
Station Web page <http://www.arrl.org/contests/spev.html>. 

* ARRL Continuing Education Course Registration: Registration remains
open through Sunday October 5, 2008 for these online course sessions
beginning on Friday October 17, 2008: Amateur Radio Emergency
Communications Level 2 (EC-002); Antenna Modeling (EC-004); HF Digital
Communications (EC-005); VHF/UHF -- Life Beyond the Repeater (EC-008),
and Radio Frequency Propagation (EC-011). Each online course has been
developed in segments -- learning units with objectives, informative
text, student activities and quizzes. Courses are interactive, and some
include direct communications with a Mentor/Instructor. Students
register for a particular session that may be 8, 12 or 16 weeks
(depending on the course) and they may access the course at any time of
day during the course period, completing lessons and activities at times
convenient for their personal schedule. Mentors assist students by
answering questions, reviewing assignments and activities, as well as
providing helpful feedback. Interaction with mentors is conducted
through e-mail; there is no appointed time the student must be present
-- allowing complete flexibility for the student to work when and where
it is convenient. 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>;.

* ARISS Update: On September 13, Prairielands Council Scouts attending
the Space Jamboree at Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois
participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
(ARISS) contact with Flight Engineer Greg Chamitoff, KD5PKZ. Telebridge
station WH6PN in Hawaii assisted with the contact. Thirteen Scouts were
able to ask Chamitoff 17 questions during the pass. Scout leaders
replayed the question and answer session later in the day for all 3000
Scouts attending the Jamboree. The audio was fed into the EchoLink AMSAT
server and Internet Radio Linking Project (IRLP) Reflector 9010.
Currently, ISS Expedition 17 has three ham astronauts on board:
Chamitoff, Commander Sergei Volkov, RU3DIS, and Flight Engineer Oleg
Kononenko, RN3DX. Chamitoff is scheduled to return to Earth next month
when the space shuttle brings Flight Engineer Sandra Magnus, KE5FYE,
part of Expedition 18, to the ISS; Commander Michael Fincke, KE5AIT,
will lead Expedition 18, arriving on the ISS via a Soyuz flight with
Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov. ARISS notes that school contact
approvals have been delayed due to the closure of Johnson Space Center
for Hurricane Ike. To date, ARISS has supported 360 ISS-to-Earth school
contacts and 10 terrestrial contacts. 

=========================================================== 
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 and columns. ARRL Audio News
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> is a weekly "ham radio newscast"
compiled and edited from The ARRL Letter. It's also available as a
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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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==>Editorial questions or comments: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA,
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==>ARRL Audio News: <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> or call
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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.) 

Copyright 2008 American Radio Relay League, Inc.
All Rights Reserved

 

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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