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ARRL Letter

 

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 27, No. 45
November 14, 2008
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* + Hurricane Nets, WX4NHC Activate as Hurricane Paloma Batters Cayman
Islands and Cuba 
* + ARRL Sweepstakes Celebrates Diamond Anniversary this Weekend 
* + IBM Teams up with BPL Provider to Offer Service in Seven States 
* + Spectrum Defense: The ARRL's Primary Mission 
* + ARRL Says "Thank You" to Veterans 
* + Satellite Serving as Voice Repeater Expected to Go QRT by Year's End

*   ARRL to Offer Self-Study Course on Digital Technology for Emergency
Communications 
*  Solar Update 
*  IN BRIEF: 
      This Weekend on the Radio 
      ARRL Continuing Education Course Registration 
    + ARRL HQ to Close for Thanksgiving 
    + WorldRadio to Cease Print Publication 

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

==> HURRICANE NETS, WX4NHC ACTIVATE AS HURRICANE PALOMA BATTERS CAYMAN
ISLANDS AND CUBA 

As Hurricane Paloma -- a Category 4 storm at its peak --threatened the
Cayman Islands and Cuba this past weekend, the Hurricane Watch Net
(HWN), the VoIP Hurricane Net (VOIPWX) and WX4NHC -- the Amateur Radio
station at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) -- were active and
standing by to take and relay reports from the affected areas. 

WX4NHC and the various hurricane Nets were active beginning at 4 PM EST
on Friday, November 7, going through the evening and overnight hours
into Saturday morning. Later that afternoon, hams reactivated the Nets,
keeping them open through Saturday night to gather more information from
Cuba. 

Arnie Coro, CO2KK, was active with Cuban Emergency Nets on 40 meters. He
relayed reports of widespread communication outages; at least one
communications tower was blown down in Santa Cruz Del Sur. In the
province of Camaguey, sustained winds of 95 MPH and gusts to 155 MPH
were recorded. 

"We had to go through two different relays on 40 meters to gather those
reports from Arnie, as propagation -- which is normally good between
WX4NHC and Cuba -- was poor," said Assistant WX4NHC Coordinator Julio
Ripoll, WD4R. "Arnie's reports were also used in official advisory
statements issued by the NHC." 

The Cayman Islands also saw their share of the storm. "Through a variety
of contacts that we were able to make [in the area], we learned of
hurricane force wind gusts measured as high as 100 MPH on Grand Cayman
Island," said VoIP Hurricane Net Director of Operations Rob Macedo,
KD1CY. "There was significant damage, particularly over Little Cayman
and Cayman Brac. We received a relayed unofficial report of a 155 MPH
wind gust on Cayman Brac. Roofs were blown off homes and significant
damage was reported at resort locations on Cayman Brac." 

Ripoll said that the NHC used many of the reports received from the Nets
in the official advisory statements issued by NHC forecasters. A
complete list of reports received from various sources can be seen on
the VoIP Hurricane Net Report Viewer
<http://report.voipwx.net/qilan/nhcwx/list_VOIP_records?auth=OK>. 

"The efforts of the VoIP Hurricane Net were very helpful, especially
during Paloma's track through the Cayman Islands," said Ripoll. "The
information relayed by the Nets gave the Hurricane Center forecasters
additional insight of what Cayman residents were actually going through.
The multi-tasking, multi-mode methods of combining EchoLink, IRLP, VoIP,
HF monitoring, Internet Web blogs and direct e-mail is a great example
of information gathering without limitations. These hybrid
communications efforts -- before and during the hurricane -- to contact
hams and non-hams were successful in promoting awareness that people had
alternate means of sending and receiving hurricane information during
the event. Some of these new contacts will now be better prepared for
future storms." 

==> ARRL SWEEPSTAKES CELEBRATES DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY THIS WEEKEND 

Fans of domestic contesting will take to the airwaves this weekend for
the 75th running of the ARRL November SSB Sweepstakes. According to ARRL
Contest Branch Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, the event started back in 1929
as a competition for handling formal traffic messages and is one of the
oldest traditions in Amateur Radio. A complete primer by ARRL
Contributing Editor H. Ward Silver, N0AX, on how to participate in
Sweepstakes can be found in the Radiosport supplement in the October
2008 issue of QST.

Kutzko said that the CW Sweepstakes two weeks ago netted some of the
highest on-air participation in years: "For the bottom of the sunspot
cycle, band conditions were stellar two weeks ago. We've already
received almost 1000 logs for the CW portion. I hope conditions will be
as good this weekend for the SSB Sweepstakes."

To commemorate this diamond anniversary, the ARRL is offering special
prizes. All stations that submit a log with 75 of the 80 ARRL and RAC
Sections worked will receive a special free magnet. As in previous
years, those who submit logs with at least 100 contacts will be able to
purchase Participation Pins.

The major challenge in Sweepstakes is to work a "Clean Sweep," or all 80
ARRL/RAC Sections. "We were concerned that Clean Sweeps would be tough
to come by for the CW portion, but thanks to many hams who trekked out
to activate some of the rarer Sections, there were many Clean Sweeps,"
Kutzko said. "We anticipate many more stations on the air for the Phone
portion of Sweepstakes -- with a little bit of effort, you too can get a
Clean Sweep."

Kutzko said this year's Sweepstakes is offering a special incentive.
"This year, we will be awarding a Clean Sweep whisk broom to all
stations that make a Clean Sweep," Kutzko said. "Brooms were last
available in 1983, the 50th running of Sweepstakes. In addition to the
free brooms, Clean Sweep coffee mugs will also be available for
purchase. This year's mug will be fine etched glass and will truly be a
collector's item."

Thanks to ICOM America, the Principal Awards Sponsor of the November
Sweepstakes, certificates will be awarded for first place in each of the
80 ARRL/RAC Sections for all six entry categories; plaques will be
available to the overall winners in each entry category, as well as the
winners in each Division. "ICOM has provided plaques and certificates
for Sweepstakes winners since 2005, and we are grateful for their
support over the years," Kutzko said.

As with the CW Sweepstakes, Kutzko is encouraging stations in rare
ARRL/RAC sections to get on the air and hand out their section. "Being
on the other side of the pileup is tremendous fun. If you live in a rare
section like North Dakota, Newfoundland/Labrador, Manitoba or several
others, the QSOs you make will be greatly appreciated by everyone you
work. If you live in one of these places, this is a golden opportunity
for you to be the 'rare DX.' Stations in these Sections get to hear
'Thanks for the Sweep!' more than once during the weekend. Even if your
station is modest, your effort to put a rare Section on the air during
Sweepstakes will be appreciated by every single station that works you."

Whether you want to go for a Top 10 finish, or simply get on the air to
hand out a few QSOs or work on your Worked All States Award (WAS)
<http://www.arrl.org/awards/was/>, Kutzko said the November SSB
Sweepstakes is guaranteed fun and excitement. Don't forget to submit
your log to Logbook of The World, too! Be sure to check out the complete
rules and entry forms
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2008/novss.html>. Come be a part of
one of Amateur Radio's finest traditions.

==> IBM TEAMS UP WITH BPL PROVIDER TO OFFER SERVICE IN SEVEN STATES 

On November 12, IBM announced that it has signed a $9.6 million deal
with International Broadband Electric Communications (IBEC) to install
equipment and provide BPL service to almost 350,000 homes in Alabama,
Indiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
According to the Associated Press, IBEC Chief Executive Scott Lee said
the network, which will be funded by $70 million in low-interest federal
loans from the Department of Agriculture, should be in place in about
two years. IBEC currently provides broadband to only about 1400
customers, most of them beginning to receive service in the past 18
months. 

"IBEC's equipment doesn't use the ham bands," said ARRL Laboratory
Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, "making it less likely that they will have any
interference complaints from amateurs. Their equipment, however, does
interfere with shortwave broadcast and other spectrum, but in the US,
not many users have complained. IBM has been in the BPL business for a
few years now, so this venture is nothing new for them." IBEC staff
member Brent Zitting, KB4SL, serves as a member of ARRL's EMC Committee.

IBM is the first major systems integrator to enter the market. According
to an IBEC press release announcing the joint venture, IBM will provide
overall project management, oversight and training of the line crews who
will be installing the BPL equipment. IBEC will provide the BPL
technology and equipment and serve as the Internet Service Provider
(ISP) to these rural residents. 

A 2006 FCC study reported that fewer than 5000 homes receive their
Internet connections via power lines. IBM and IBEC's joint plan, Lee
said, will serve residents, of whom about 86 percent have no cable or
DSL access, in the seven states.

According to reports, IBEC's strategy is to sign up electric
cooperatives that provide power to sparsely populated areas across the
eastern United States. Rather than compete toe-to-toe with large,
entrenched cable or DSL providers, IBEC is looking for customers that
have been largely left out of the move to high-speed Internet.

"Although the BPL industry is making progress on the EMC issues," Hare
explained, "this process will not be complete until it supports
regulations and industry standards that reflect its successful models.
At recent meetings of the IEEE P1775 BPL EMC standards committee --
although utility and radiocommunications stakeholders wanted to include
an informative annex on the ways to address BPL interference, as well as
a procedure to address complaints -- some in the BPL industry, including
the representative from IBEC, blocked moving the EMC standard to IEEE
ballot with the annex included."

==> SPECTRUM DEFENSE: THE ARRL'S PRIMARY MISSION 

Defending and enhancing access to the Amateur Radio spectrum is the
primary mission of the ARRL. According to ARRL Chief Executive Officer
David Sumner, K1ZZ, the League has not only protected the bands, but has
also added several new ones, despite exponential growth in the variety
and number of radio frequency devices in the hands of consumers and
businesses. "Even our most disappointing defeat -- the loss of the
bottom 40 percent of the 220 MHz band some two decades ago -- gave us
upgraded status, from shared to exclusive, in the remaining 60 percent
of the band," he said.

Sumner said that amateurs will soon have cause to celebrate: March 29,
2009 marks the date that high-powered international broadcasting
stations will be removed from the heart of the 40 meter band. "We are
working with the broadcasters to make sure the change takes place as
agreed at the 2003 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC)," Sumner
said. "While it's probably too much to expect 100 percent instant
compliance, we know that the responsible broadcasters are preparing to
move out of the 7100-7200 kHz segment -- doubling the size of the
worldwide 40 meter band and making this popular band more useful than
it's been in 70 years."

At the WRC in 2007, the Amateur Radio Service earned its first
low-frequency (LF) allocation, 135.7-137.8 kHz; however, here in the
United States, amateurs will not gain access to this new band
automatically when the Final Acts of the conference take effect on
January 1, 2009. "We must petition the FCC to implement the allocation,
and we know the petition will not be granted without an argument --
because we've been down this road before," Sumner explained. "Twice in
the past, the ARRL has sought an LF allocation. Both times our request
was opposed by the Utilities Telecom Council (UTC) -- the same
organization that has opposed our efforts to protect radio services from
Broadband over Power Lines (BPL)
<http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/> interference."


Sumner recounted that the ARRL's fight against BPL interference has been
going on for six years. "Last year, in the wake of Federal
Communications Commission decisions that did not adequately protect
licensed radiocommunication services from interference from BPL systems,
the ARRL even went to court to challenge the FCC and won!" he said
<http://pacer.cadc.uscourts.gov/common/opinions/200804/06-1343-1112979.p
df>. "On April 25, the United States Court of Appeals for the District
of Columbia Circuit confirmed what the ARRL has been saying for years
about how the FCC was handling the BPL interference issue: FCC prejudice
tainted the rulemaking process."

On July 9, the Court went one step further, ordering the FCC to pay the
ARRL more than $6000 toward the League's costs in pursuing the appeal.
"While this is a tiny fraction of our total investment," Sumner said,
"the award affirmed that -- contrary to the 'spin' the FCC had been
trying to give to the Court's decision -- the ARRL substantially
prevailed in its appeal."

Calling the Court's decision "a tremendous victory for radio amateurs
and other licensed users of the radio spectrum -- indeed, for anyone who
cares about the federal administrative process," Sumner said that the
remand does not guarantee that the FCC will correct its errors. "We face
another round of technical arguments," he said. "No doubt the FCC's
technical staff, many of whom want to do the right thing, will remain
under heavy pressure to ignore the laws of physics and give preference
to wishful thinking once again. When the FCC reopens the BPL proceeding
as the Court has ordered, we must leave no room for these technical
issues to be settled on anything other than technical grounds. There's
more work to do. It is only through the support of thousands of ARRL
members and friends that we have managed to come this far. But it took
great effort, including our frontal assault on the flawed FCC
proceedings, to get their attention. Together we can celebrate all that
we have accomplished on the BPL front over the past six years!"

BPL is not the only challenge facing the League, Sumner said, pointing
out that preparations for the upcoming WRC in 2011 are already underway.


The key WRC-11 issues for Amateur Radio are:
* A possible allocation near 500 kHz. This would provide amateurs' first
access to the lower part of the medium frequency (MF) band. Sumner said
a "600 meter" band offers exciting possibilities for reliable groundwave
communication through the application of digital signal processing
techniques to a portion of the spectrum that is as old as radio itself.
* Defense against a push to allocate spectrum between 3 and 50 MHz for
oceanographic radar applications.
* Support of an initiative to provide better protection for radio
services against interference from short-range radio devices.
* Consideration of regulatory measures for software-defined radio and
cognitive radio systems, which offer both opportunities and threats to
existing radio services.
* Selection of agenda items for the WRC to follow (tentatively planned
for 2015). 

"ARRL staff and volunteers are hard at work on your behalf, teaming up
with International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) volunteers from around the
globe to build the strongest possible case for Amateur Radio at WRC-11,"
he said, calling on all amateurs to help protect Amateur Radio's
precious spectrum. "Once again, your financial commitment to spectrum
defense is vital to our ability to protect your access to radio
spectrum. Your contribution to the 2009 Spectrum Defense Fund will
provide the financial resources required for us to represent you at
WRC-11, and to respond when the FCC reacts to the BPL remand decision.
Contributions to the 2009 Spectrum Defense Fund are coming in, but the
goal of raising $300,000 to support ARRL's representation of members by
November 30 is an uphill climb. We cannot reach our goal without
contributions from ARRL members." 

To help in the ARRL's ongoing mission to protect our valuable spectrum,
please visit the Spectrum Defense area on the ARRL Web site
<https://www.arrl.org/forms/fdefense/>. You can also reach ARRL Chief
Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, at 860-594-0397 or via e-mail
<k1mmh@arrl.org>;. New special gifts are being offered for contributions,
including a new 2009 mug and pin. More details on thank you gifts can be
found on the donation form for the Spectrum Defense Fund.

==> ARRL SAYS "THANK YOU" TO VETERANS 

On Tuesday, November 11, Veterans Day -- called Remembrance Day or
Armistice Day outside the US -- was celebrated all over the world. This
day -- marking the end of World War I, the "War to end all Wars" -- has
been set aside to honor all who have served their country. It was on
November 11, 1918 -- on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month
-- that Germany signed the Armistice, formally ending the hostilities
that had been ongoing since 1914. 

The ARRL would like to take this opportunity to thank our service
veterans. Whether they served on active duty or reserve, during peace
time or time of conflict, they served their county with honor. We also
would be remiss if we did not remember the families of those veterans
who kept the homefires burning bright; without their love and support,
our veterans would have indeed been alone. 

ARRL Headquarters has its share of service veterans: Contributing Editor
Al Brogdon, W1AB (Army); Publications Sales Associate Mark Dzamba,
KB1FMY (Air Force); Assistant VEC Manager Perry Green, WY1O (Army);
Volunteer Archivist Charles Griffen, W1GYR (Air Force); Technical Editor
Joel Hallas, W1ZR (Army); News Editor S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA (Coast
Guard); DXCC Manager Bill Moore, NC1L (Army); Reprints Specialist Tony
Nesta, AA1RZ (Navy); Membership and Volunteer Programs Manager Dave
Patton, NN1N (Navy); Chief Technology Officer Paul Rinaldo, W4RI (Army);
Technical Relations Specialist Jon Siverling, WB3ERA (Army); Field and
Regulatory Correspondent Chuck Skolaut, K0BOG (Air Force); Education &
Technology Program Coordinator Mark Spencer, WA8SME (Air Force), and
Archivist Perry Williams, W1UED (Air Force). 

Thank you for your service -- your sacrifice and the sacrifice of your
fellow service members is not forgotten.

==> SATELLITE SERVING AS VOICE REPEATER EXPECTED TO GO QRT BY END OF
YEAR 

Launched in January 1990, AMSAT-OSCAR 16 (AO-16) -- a digital satellite
-- has been operating as a voice repeater since January 2008, using FM
voice on the uplink and transmitting DSB voice on the downlink (best
received on SSB) <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2008/01/23/100/>. But
according to the satellite's command team, the satellite's orbit might
force this to end sometime before the end of the year.

According to Mark Hammond, N8MH, a member of the AO-16 command team,
AO-16 has a hardware/watchdog timer that resets the satellite and shuts
the transmitter down. This timer in AO-16 will fire -- and cannot be
reset -- when the satellite's temperature is 15 degrees Celsius or
cooler. When the timer "fires," it shuts down the transmitter. "When the
bird's temperature is more than 15 degrees Celsius," Hammond said, "the
hardware timer behaves and continuous operations are sustained."

The satellite's temperature depends upon solar illumination. Hammond
said that the "magic number" is around 85 percent of the orbit in
sunlight: If the orbit provides AO-16 with less than 85 percent
illumination, the spacecraft's temperature falls below 15 degrees and
the hardware timer fires. "Illumination projections, as well as
subsequent temperature predictions, suggest that we might be able to
sustain operations until sometime in the window of November 22 until
December 4, 2008," Hammond predicted. "So if you want to make some AO-16
contacts, you had better get them as soon as possible!"

Hammond said that long term-orbital projections suggest that if the
satellite hardware remains fundamentally unchanged -- such as no
deterioration of on-board components -- "it will be nearly 10 years
before AO-16 receives sufficient illumination to warm up the spacecraft
enough to again support sustained operations."

It is possible that the transmitter on AO-16 will turn off sometime in
the next few days or weeks, Hammond said. "This requires some commanding
to get it running again, meaning a pass over the eastern coast of the
United States is required for a change in operational status. We expect
that as the spacecraft cools down, transmitter shutdowns will become
more frequent. You can be sure that we'll continue to probe the craft
with commands, in hopes that we something will change in a good way that
will allow us to use the bird for operations of some sort."

AMSAT Vice President of Operations Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, said the
satellite hears very well; the reduced bandwidth by using either USB or
LSB on the ground station receiver "allows for a very robust downlink.
Tuning the downlink is just like on a linear transponder, meaning it is
tight and with fast Doppler. Uplink tuning is not required, just as with
the FM mode V/U satellites. My personal observations include being able
to access and hear the satellite within one degree of the horizon, much
lower than any other current bird for my location [in Florida]. This
should be an easy satellite with omni antennas and a 70 cm preamp."

AO-16's uplink is 145.9200 MHz FM; the downlink is 437.0260 MHz SSB.
Users are asked to restrict their uplink power to a reasonable power
level, and not to transmit without being able to hear the downlink; all
general single-channel guidelines apply. "Enjoy this grand old bird
while you can!" said Hammond.

==> ARRL TO OFFER SELF-STUDY COURSE ON DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY FOR EMERGENCY
COMMUNICATIONS 

With digital technology becoming an integral part of Amateur Radio, hams
interested in Emergency Communications now have a new tool to help them
take advantage of emerging modes such as Packet Radio APRS, Winlink
2000, IRLP, EchoLink and WIRES-II, D-STAR, APCO25, HF sound card modes
and Automatic Link Establishment (ALE). "The ARRL Digital Technology for
Emergency Communications Course" will introduce hams to all of the ways
Amateur Radio operators are using digital technology as a valuable
emergency communications tool <http://www.arrl.org/catalog/?item=1247>. 

Written by ARRL Publications Manager and QST Editor Steve Ford, WB8IMY,
this self-study CD-ROM will answer such questions as:
* Can you transfer supply lists or personnel assignments between
emergency operations sites? 
* Can you get critical e-mails to the Internet if a connection goes
down? 
* Can you relay digital images of damage at specific locations? 
* Can you track the locations of emergency personnel and display them on
computer maps? 

Illustrations, screenshots, Internet links and audio files are used to
demonstrate transmission modes and equipment configurations. Bite-sized
learning units and interactive knowledge checks make learning
interesting and fun!

"This course is a great starting point for anyone interested in the
public service applications of digital communications technology," said
Ford. "The ARRL Digital Technology for Emergency Communications Course"
is available from the ARRL for only $49.95.


Minimum System Requirements for CD-ROM -- Microsoft Windows
Vista/XP/2000/NT/98/95 or Apple OS X; 200 MHz processor; 32 MB RAM;
sound card and speakers; 4-speed CD-ROM drive or higher. Requires Web
browser -- Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0, Mozilla Firefox 2.0, Apple
Safari 3.0 or later versions. Some documents require Adobe Reader.

==>SOLAR UPDATE 

Tad "We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow" Cook, K7RA, this week
reports: We soon may be talking about a day or two without sunspots as
the norm, perhaps when looking at a preceding month -- quite the
opposite of noting the few days with sunspots. It seems like a long time
ago because of the long strings of spotless days. We saw eight days in a
row with visible sunspots around mid-October, followed by another eight
days around the start of November, then after just three days of no
spots. By the end of today -- Friday, November 14 -- we may see five
straight days, possibly followed by more. Sunspot numbers for November
6-12 were 11, 0, 0, 0, 16, 18 and 21 with a mean of 9.4. The 10.7 cm
flux was 68.6, 67.8, 68.3, 68.4, 69.3, 71.4 and 70.9 with a mean of
69.2. The estimated planetary A indices were 1, 8, 14, 12, 3, 1 and 2
with a mean of 5.9. The estimated mid-latitude A indices were 0, 7, 11,
10, 3, 1 and 4 with a mean of 5.1. 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 Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae's "In Flanders
Field" <http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/flanders.htm>. 

__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

* This Week on the Radio: This week is the ARRL EME Contest on November
15-16 and the 75th running of the ARRL Sweepstakes Contest (SSB) on
November 15-17. The NCCC Sprint is November 14.The JT Hamradio-50
Anniversary DX Contest and the Feld Hell Sprint are November 15. The
SARL Field Day Contest, the All Austrian 160 Meter Contest and the RSGB
2nd 1.8 MHz Contest (CW) are November 15-16. The EU PSK63 QSO Party is
November 16, the Run for the Bacon QRP Contest is November 17 and the
NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint is November 20. Next week, the YO
International PSK31 Contest is November 21. The LZ DX Contest is
November 22-23. The SKCC Sprint and the RSGB 80 Meter Club Sprint (CW)
are both on November 26. 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, November 23, 2008, for these online course sessions
beginning on Friday, December 5, 2008: Amateur Radio Emergency
Communications Level 1 (EC-001), Radio Frequency Interference (EC-006),
Antenna Design and Construction (EC-009), Technician License Course
(EC-010), Analog Electronics (EC-012) and Digital Electronics (EC-013).
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/cep/student> or contact the
Continuing Education Program Coordinator <cep@arrl.org>;.

* ARRL HQ to Close for Thanksgiving: ARRL Headquarters will be closed
Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28 in observance of
Thanksgiving. There will be no W1AW bulletins or code practice
transmissions those days. The ARRL Letter will be published on
Wednesday, November 26, but there will be no ARRL Audio News on Friday,
November 28. ARRL Headquarters will reopen Monday, December 1 at 8 AM
Eastern Standard Time. We wish everyone a safe and bounteous
Thanksgiving holiday. 

* WorldRadio to Cease Print Publication: In a joint statement,
WorldRadio Publisher Armond Noble, N6WR, and CQ Publisher Dick Ross,
K2MGA, announced that WorldRadio magazine will no longer be published as
a print magazine. According to the announcement, CQ Communications Inc
has acquired WorldRadio and plans to continue it as an online
publication on CQ's Web site. WorldRadio subscribers will have their
subscriptions transferred to CQ magazine. Readers will be notified of
details as plans are finalized.

=========================================================== 
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
podcast from our Web site.

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.

==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!):
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==>Editorial questions or comments: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA,
k1sfa@arrl.org
==>ARRL News on the Web: <http://www.arrl.org/>
==>ARRL Audio News: <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> or call
860-594-0384

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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.) 

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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