‰  NOW 18 WPM transition file follows‰

ARRL members in Louisiana have elected John Mark Robertson, K5JMR,
as Section Manager for the next 2 year term of office that starts on
April 1. Robertson, of Bossier City, outpolled incumbent Section
Manager Scott Wren, KD5DFL, 341 to 148 votes. Wren, of Pineville,
has served as SM since April 2016. Ballots were counted and verified
at ARRL Headquarters on Tuesday, February 20. This was the only
contested Section Manager election this winter.  An ARRL Life Member
and radio amateur since 2008, Robertson currently serves as
Louisiana Section Emergency Coordinator. He is a past president and
board member of the Shreveport Amateur Radio Association and the
current secretary of the Amateur Radio Club of Shreveport. He is
also a director of the Louisiana Council of Amateur Radio Clubs, an
active member of the Shreveport Digital Team, and a charter member
of the Minden Amateur D STAR.  The following incumbent ARRL Section
Managers did not face opposition and were declared elected for new
terms of office beginning on April 1.  John Fritze, Jr., K2QY,
Eastern New York, Karl Bowman, W4CHX, North Carolina, Joe Speroni,
AH0A, Pacific, David Kaltenborn, N8KBC, San Diego, Chris Stallkamp,
KI0D, South Dakota, and Joseph Palsa, K3WRY, Virginia.  Because no
Section Manager nominations were received from Eastern Pennsylvania
by the December 8, 2017, deadline, nominations are being resolicited
for an 18 month term of office beginning on October 1, 2018.
Petitions of nomination are due at Headquarters on June 8. The April
and May editions of QST will included details.  More information is
on the ARRL website at, www.arrl.org .  Solar activity increased
over the last reporting week, February 8 to 14. Average daily
sunspot number rose from 10.3 to 24, while average daily solar flux
increased from 72.5 to 77.4. Geomagnetic indicators were quiet, with
average planetary A index changing from 4.4 to 4.1, and average mid
latitude A index going from 3.6 to 3.  Predicted solar flux is 71,
70 and 69 on February 16 to 18, 68 on February 19 to 22, 69 on
February 23 to 28, 72 on March 1, 75 on March 2 and 3, 78 on March 4
to 13, 76 on March 14 and 15, 72 on March 16, 70 on March 17 to 21,
69 on March 22 to 27, 72 on March 28, 75 on March 29 and 30, and 78
on March 31 and April 1.  Predicted planetary A index is 18, 12, 10
and 8 on February 16 to 19, 5 on February 20 through March 3, 8 on
March 4, 5 on March 5 to 13, then 8, 15, 12, 10, 5, 8, 10 and 8 on
March 14 to 21, 5 on March 22 to 30, 8 on March 31 and 5 on April 1.
The multiple websites mentioned in this bulletin can be found in
teleprinter, packet, and Internet versions of 2018 Propagation
Forecast Bulletin ARLP007.  Sunspot numbers were 22, 23, 35, 24, 26,
20, and 18, with a mean of 24. 10.7 cm flux was 77.5, 78.1, 78.2,
78.2, 78.6, 75.9, and 75.3, with a mean of 77.4. Estimated planetary
A indices were 4, 5, 7, 3, 4, 3, and 3, with a mean of 4.1.
Estimated mid latitude A indices were 2, 2, 7, 2, 3, 3, and 2, with
a mean of 3.

‰  END OF 18 WPM transition file ƒ