*************** The ARRL Letter Vol. 24, No. 19 May 13, 2005 *************** IN THIS EDITION: * +ARRL National Convention promises to be the best ever * +UK study cites shortcomings of Amperion-equipped BPL trial * +India's first ham radio satellite get an OSCAR designation * +ARRL faults "facts" in Texas BPL interference case * +Regulatory changes reported overseas * +New York high school senior is 2005 Goldfarb scholarship winner * Solar Update * IN BRIEF: This weekend on the radio ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course registration +FCC chairman appoints new Enforcement Bureau chief +AMSAT-NA dues to increase AMSAT-UK Colloquium set for late July +Available on ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> =========================================================== ==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!): letter-dlvy@arrl.org ==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, n1rl@arrl.org =========================================================== NOTE: Because of Dayton Hamvention and the ARRL National Convention May 20-22, The ARRL Letter and ARRL Audio News will be distributed Wednesday, May 18. See you in Dayton! =========================================================== ==>ARRAY OF "ARRL STAGE" PRESENTATIONS AMONG ARRL EXPO 2005 HIGHLIGHTS Rocks, diamonds and the Swiss Army knife are among topics visitors to ARRL EXPO 2005 can learn more about--at least in a manner of speaking. As part of the ARRL 2005 National Convention at Dayton Hamvention Friday through Sunday, May 20-22, an array of speakers will offer bite-sized live presentations on the "ARRL Stage." ARRL EXPO 2005 will be in the Ballarena Exhibit Hall in the Hara Arena complex near Dayton, Ohio. Counting down the days, ARRL Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, says ARRL EXPO 2005 and the other National Convention activities will make this year's Hamvention the best ever. "You wouldn't think it possible to squeeze more fun and activities into Dayton Hamvention, but we're going to do it," Inderbitzen said this week. "It's like having two great shows in one!" The theme of Dayton Hamvention 2005 is "Bringing hams together from around the world." Upward of 25,000 visitors from the US and elsewhere on the globe make the annual pilgrimage to Ohio for the occasion. For the 2005 ARRL Convention, the League is pulling out all the stops and virtually moving Headquarters to Dayton. Representatives of every department and activity will be on hand and available to visitors throughout the event. Plans are in the works to have W1AW/8 available for guest operators. The ARRL Stage will spotlight 15-minute presentations every half hour throughout the convention. Rocks? ARRL Sales and Marketing Manger Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV, will explain "The Most Fun You Can Have with a Rock"--an introduction to meteor-scatter operation. Diamonds? ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, will talk up the advantages of joining the ARRL Diamond Club. And ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, will describe "The Secret Life of the Swiss Army Knife"--everything the well-informed public information officer needs to know. There's virtually a topic for every interest imaginable within the broad spectrum of Amateur Radio pursuits including 6-meter DXing, emergency communication, an introduction to HF radio for newcomers and "Your Manual to Building a Radioactive Youth," by 16-year-old ARRL Contributing Editor Andrea Hartlage, KG4IUM. Of course visitors can expect presentations on other hot-button topics like BPL and RFI as well as ham radio in the classroom, how to pick a radio that fits your operating style and how ARRL evaluates new equipment for QST "Product Review." All sessions will provide an opportunity for listeners to ask questions and offer comments. In a "first" for an ARRL National Convention, ARRL EXPO 2005 will provide an Internet Café and WiFi "hot spot!" The area will be equipped with an 802.11b/g-compliant wireless LAN, providing wireless Internet access within the vicinity of ARRL EXPO 2005. For those who left their PCs home, computers will be available for users to check e-mail or just surf the Web. The first 5000 visitors to ARRL EXPO 2005 can pick up an ARRL Passport--a ticket to the ultimate convention scavenger hunt. Collect Passport codes to qualify for terrific prizes donated by Icom, Kenwood, AOR USA and Alinco. No purchase is necessary. Visitors dropping by ARRL EXPO 2005 can have their photos taken then digitally superimposed on a cover of QST. For a modest fee, you'll walk away with a souvenir to wow your friends or at least hang on the wall of your shack. Free for the asking is the ARRL National Convention souvenir pin. A lot of Hamvention visitors collect these each year, and supplies are limited. At its usual Dayton Hamvention location in Hara Arena's North Hall, the League will offer "ARRL Relaxation Station." ARRL is making available tables and chairs for attendees to simply relax and visit. The North Hall concession will concentrate on retail product sales as well as ARRL membership signups and renewals. A slate of full-blown ARRL-sponsored forums and activities will be a part of the League's 2005 National Convention. You'll also find ARRL staff members and volunteers at many other Hamvention forums. A complete slate of convention forums is available on the Dayton Hamvention Web site <http://www.hamvention.org/>. An ARRL Wouff Hong ceremony is set for Saturday, May 21, 10:30 PM, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Dayton. ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, says he's looking forward to the 2005 National Convention. "I've been going to our national conventions for 36 years now, and this is going to be the best of the bunch," he predicted. Check the ARRL National Convention at Dayton Hamvention Web page <http://www.arrl.org/announce/nc/2005/> for information updates. The ARRL National Convention Guide is available on the ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/announce/nc/2005/ARRL-National-Convention-Guide.pdf>. ==>UK REGULATOR'S STUDY POINTS UP LIMITATIONS OF AMPERION-EQUIPPED BPL TRIAL Ofcom, the UK's telecommunications regulatory agency, has concluded that Amperion BPL equipment deployed in a field trial in Scotland "as tested is not and cannot be FCC Part 15 compliant above 30 MHz." Ofcom this week released a study, "Amperion PLT Measurements in Crieff," which summarizes measurements it took at the site. PLT is another term for BPL. Ofcom's investigation also demonstrated the limitations of Amperion's "notching" capabilities to mitigate interference to radio reception. ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, says Ofcom's study reflects what the League and others have known all along about BPL. "Ofcom's measurements and conclusions are consistent with ours and with what we have been saying all along about BPL in general and Amperion in particular," Sumner said. "It's a shame that we have to look overseas to find a regulator who will say what truly needs to be said: Medium voltage power lines are no place for HF broadband data." Measurements were made at the pilot system in Crieff, which uses 11 kV overhead power lines and Amperion Griffin PLT equipment made in the US and employing OFDM signal architecture. The Ofcom study says that at HF, radiated leakage emissions from the Amperion-based BPL network operating at its maximum power setting exceeded FCC Part 15 limits by up to 8 dB. The UK has no defined PLT emission limits, and Ofcom used the FCC's as a reference point. The Ofcom investigation also concluded that if Europe adopts Reg TP NB30 radiated emission limits now in effect in Germany, "such adoption would rule out any European deployment" of the Amperion Griffin BPL equipment on which it took measurements in Scotland. Above 30 MHz, Ofcom said, radiated leakage exceeded FCC Part 15 limits by up to 27 dB. "In practice, the launch power would need to be reduced by 27 dB to ensure compliance with the FCC limit, and this raises two issues," Ofcom said. "The first is that such a reduction is beyond the 24 dB power control range of the product and secondly it seems certain that the network would fail to provide any functionality at such a reduced power level." The notching facility of the equipment as an interference mitigation technique "is compromised," Ofcom concluded, "because notches cannot be placed in the 'upstream' spectrum, and because FCC Part 15 limits are too relaxed to permit the notched spectrum to afford any significant protection to weak signal reception." A 20 dB notch "is not an effective interference mitigation measure for weak signal reception that is limited only by the local spectrum noise floor," Ofcom said in its report. It concluded that at that level of notching, "Part 15 compliant leakage emissions from a notched PLT line would contribute noise to the HF spectrum at distances as far as 1 km [approximately 0.62 mile] from the line." Beyond that, Ofcom said, Amperion encountered difficulties when requested to implement a 30 dB notch from 21 to 22 MHz to cover both the amateur 15-meter band and the adjacent HF broadcast band. "They reported problems with this, due to the bandwidth required," the report noted. Graphs indicate that the notching "uncovered" several broadcast signals, most with field strengths in excess of the ITU-recommended minimum protected value. In its report, Ofcom noted that power lines were not designed, shielded or balanced for high-frequency use and can radiate significant leakage even when buried below ground. "PLT leakage emissions occupy parts of the high frequency radio spectrum above 2 MHz and have the potential to interfere with the reception of radio communication services, including shortwave broadcasts," the agency said. While the BPL/PLT interference issue has "proved to be contentious" and continues to be a discussion topic in Europe and elsewhere, Ofcom said, it also appears that "none of the proposed emission limits can currently satisfy the dual objective of protecting radio reception whilst, at the same time, allowing PLT to operate in a commercially viable manner." The Ofcom study involved a BPL field trial by Scottish and Southern Energy plc (SSE). The agency says it believes its measurements were "sufficient to indicate the general situation" at the Crieff site. A copy of the Ofcom report is on the ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/files/amperion.pdf>. According to the Radio Society of Great Britain, an SSE representative indicated recently that the company would not be undertaking any further PLT rollout in the UK and was unlikely to invest further in the technology. Reasons given were the lack of progress on PLT technical standards and the commercial position of PLT with respect to other broadband services. The RSGB said it welcomed the announcement. ==>HAMSAT IS NOW VO-52 The latest Amateur Radio satellite now has an OSCAR designation. Acting at the request of AMSAT-India's Nagesh Upadhayaya, VU2NUD, AMSAT-NA's Bill Tynan, W3XO, has announced that HAMSAT (or VUsat) is VUsat-52 or VO-52 for short. "Congratulation on the successful launch of HAMSAT," Tynan told VU2NUD. "I know that you and a number of VU amateurs have worked hard to make this happen. I am sure that the international amateur community is grateful to all the amateurs in India who labored on this project." VO-52 is India's first Amateur Radio satellite. Its transponders were turned on shortly after its May 5 launch, and AMSAT-India Secretary "Pop" Kumar, VU2POP, has invited the global amateur community to use the satellite and e-mail any comments <reports@amsat.in>. Ground controllers have activated one of the two linear transponders aboard VO-52, which operates in Mode U/V, with passband center frequencies of 435.25 MHz for the uplink and 145.90 MHz for the downlink. Passbands are 50 kHz wide. For SSB, uplink in LSB and downlink in USB. AMSAT-India says VO-52 has been monitored by radio amateurs around the world, and it has already received a few reports from users and listeners <http://www.amsat.in/hamsatreports.htm>. AMSAT Contests and Awards Director Bruce Paige, KK5DO, says the new satellite has generated a lot of excitement in the amateur community. "QSOs are made in sideband or CW," he said. "Even though the satellite is capable of FM operation, it is much more useful in sideband mode as multiple QSOs can be completed at the same time, as everyone slides up or down in the passband." Paige reminds users to correct for Doppler shift. Conferring an OSCAR designation is not a requirement for an Amateur Radio satellite to be recognized and used in the Amateur Service, but it is a tradition that has continued since the launch of OSCAR 1 in December of 1961. There's more information on HAMSAT VO-52 on the AMSAT-India Web site <http://www.amsat.in/>. ==>LEAGUE SAYS AMPERION MISREPRESENTING FACTS IN TEXAS BPL INTERFERENCE CASE The ARRL has taken issue with BPL manufacturer Amperion's version of events, posted on its Web site <http://www.amperion.com/market.asp?id=70> (scroll to "TXU Trial Deployment"), surrounding a Texas BPL interference complaint last fall. Amperion claims that an interference complaint from radio amateurs at a BPL trial operated by utility TXU in Irving, was based "on measurements taken last year but not brought to the attention of TXU or Amperion until March 2005." According to Amperion, that was five months after TXU had completed its trial and decommissioned the system. ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, says the facts stand in stark contrast to Amperion's version of events. "Amperion's claims that the Irving BPL system was decommissioned in October 2004 and that neither TXU nor Amperion was aware of the interference until March 2005 are blatant misrepresentations," Sumner said. Setting the record straight, Sumner points out that former North Texas Section BPL Task Force Chair Jory McIntosh, KJ5RM, who regularly commutes through the BPL test zone in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, first logged interference from the TXU BPL system on July 24, 2004. McIntosh said at the time that at a distance of 300 feet from the power line, the interference obliterated normal Amateur Radio signals in the 40, 20, 17, 15, 10 and 6-meter bands. TXU responded and company personnel accompanied McIntosh to the site the same day. "They observed that the system was producing considerable interference across much of the radio spectrum below 50 MHz," Sumner recounted. Despite system adjustments, the interference remained. McIntosh logged interference from the BPL installation on 11 separate days from August through October, when ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, visited the site and measured interference levels on several frequencies. Sumner notes that McIntosh filed his formal written complaint with the FCC on November 15, 2004, noting his July 24 visit with TXU representatives. "The complaint was acknowledged, but the only action the FCC took was to refer him back to the system operator," he said. "It was only after no action resulted from this complaint that the ARRL filed its complaint on March 15, 2005, that included a test report from Mr. Hare," Sumner continued. He emphasized that before filing the complaint the League verified--on March 9--that the interference "was still present to the same extent as previously reported." Sumner says TXU actually shut down its BPL system and removed the equipment on March 29, 2005, not October 2004, and that the utility advised McIntosh of the shutdown the following day. The ARRL withdrew its now-moot complaint the same day, after McIntosh personally verified that the equipment had been removed. In a writeup on its Web site, Amperion asserted that TXU decided to decommission the network after it "had already completed its technical trial in October 2004" following seven months of operation. "The decision had nothing to do with the interference complaints that were filed," Amperion stated. A bill now before the Texas legislature--SB 1748--would amend the Utilities Code to "encourage the deployment of BPL" by electric utilities. To date, four BPL trial sites using Amperion BPL equipment have shut down in the wake of complaints from Amateur Radio operators. ==>HAM RADIO REGULATORY CHANGES REPORTED ABROAD Sweden's telecommunication regulatory agency PTS has taken steps to deregulate Amateur Radio and essentially no longer requires a government license. Effective last fall, the PTS turned over Amateur Radio operator "certification" to the Society of Swedish Radio Amateurs (SSA), that country's IARU member-society. Under the new regulatory regime, the SSA administers testing and issues operator certificates and call signs, which have SA prefixes and three-letter suffixes. There's no longer a Morse code requirement for HF access. The PTS still handles relevant international agreements, such as band allocations, in conjunction with the ITU. Sweden no longer dictates mode-specific subbands within amateur bands, but band plans are in place. The new call signs can be issued by both the SSA and the PTS, but the SSA option reportedly is less expensive. All previously issued Swedish call signs are valid for life. Foreign visitors from countries outside the CEPT agreement must still apply to the PTS for temporary operating authority in Sweden. Kenya's telecommunications regulator, the CCK, recently issued a new schedule of Amateur Radio frequencies, modes and power limits. Ted Alleyne, 5Z4NU, of the Amateur Radio Society of Kenya reports that radio amateurs there now may use 30 meters (10.100 to 10.150 MHz) and 160 meters (1.810 to 1.850 MHz). The National Telecommunications Commission of Thailand has granted permission through 2005 for all Thai radio amateurs to use 80 and 160 meters during contest periods. HS- and E2- stations may use 1.800-1.825 MHz and 3.500-3.540 MHz, CW or SSB, during contest weekends. Starting May 1 in the Czech Republic, new regulations provide access to 7.100 to 7.200 MHz for Amateur Radio on a secondary basis. Power output is limited to 250 W PEP. The Czech Republic also has begun issuing Novice class licenses with OK9-prefix call signs and three-letter suffixes. Operation is permitted on 160, 80, 15 and 10 meters on HF, and up to 2 meters on VHF, at a maximum power output of 10 W. The Malta Communication Authority has automatically extended HF privileges to "codeless" Class B licensees. Licensees in Malta still must pass a Morse code examination to operate CW on the HF bands, however.--The Daily DX <http://www.dailydx.com/>; RSGB; SM0JHF; ARSK; OK1MP/Czech Radio Club; MCA ==>ARRL FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2005 GOLDFARB SCHOLARSHIP WINNER An 18-year-old high school student from New York is the winner of the William R. Goldfarb Memorial Scholarship for 2005. The ARRL Foundation announced the selection Tim O'Donnell, AB2LE, a student at Cobleskill-Richmondville High School on April 29. "Tim was the top student in a pool of extremely well qualified applicants this year," said ARRL Foundation President Tom Frenaye, K1KI. "He's going to do well in any field of study he chooses!" ARRL Foundation's Scholarship Committee Chairman Tom Comstock, N5TC, echoed Frenaye's comments. "After individually examining several dozen applications, each member of the scholarship committee had Tim as their first choice to receive this prestigious award," Comstock said. "He is one of the 'brightest and best' in our nation." First licensed at age 12, O'Donnell holds an Amateur Extra class license. He is an ARRL member and active on 20 meter SSB--using a backyard dipole he built with his father, John, KC2HHC--as well as on 2 meters. O'Donnell's strong academic resume includes a number-one class ranking and numerous honors such as National Merit Scholarship semifinalist, Coca-Cola Scholars Program semifinalist, University of Rochester Bausch & Lomb Science Award, the Cobleskill Masonic Chemistry Award, Regents Scholar, Scholet Sequential Math Prize, Konta Memorial Award in Biology and the WRGB-TV Capital Kid award for volunteerism. His community activities involvement in the Chamber of Commerce, ACCORD (A Community Committee on Respect and Diversity), and St Vincent de Paul Church. O'Donnell plans to attend Brown University in the fall, majoring in computer science with an eye on a future as an entrepreneur, researcher and systems architect/developer. Comstock noted that involvement in extracurricular activities, including public service and Amateur Radio is an important criterion, and demonstrated leadership skills are crucial. The William R. Goldfarb Memorial Scholarship is intended to assist a qualified student to obtain a bachelor's degree at an accredited school in one of the following courses of study: business-related computers, medical or nursing fields, engineering or sciences. The four-year award to an active radio amateur is based on outstanding qualifications, need and other funding sources. The Goldfarb Scholarship is the result of a generous endowment from the late William Goldfarb, N2ITP. Before his death in 1997, Goldfarb set up a scholarship endowment of close to $1 million in memory of his parents, Albert and Dorothy Goldfarb. More information on the Goldfarb Scholarship is available on the ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/arrlf/goldfarb.html>. Applications for the Goldfarb Scholarship and other ARRL Foundation Scholarship applications are accepted each year from October 1 until February 1 for the upcoming academic year. ==>SOLAR UPDATE Sunspot seeker Tad "Might As Well Be Walkin' on the Sun" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: Suddenly the sun is peppered with spots! Average daily sunspot numbers this week rose nearly 22 points to 82.7, and the average daily solar flux was up 10 points to 110.7. On Wednesday, May 11, the solar flux reached 125.3, and on May 11 the daily sunspot number was 117. On Sunday, May 8, a big blast of solar wind sparked a geomagnetic storm, and the planetary A index went all the way to 64, This provoked some nice aurora displays over the weekend. Then sunspot 758 began to expand rapidly, and the sunspot count for Monday through Wednesday, May 9-11, was 106, 106 and 117. At 1040 UTC on May 11 a coronal mass ejection emerged from sunspot 758. There is a good chance of aurora for Friday, May 13 as a result. The predicted planetary A index for Friday through Monday, May 13-16 is 25, 10, 15 and 10. Predicted solar flux for those days is 120, 115, 110 and 105. Sunspot numbers for May 5 through 11 were 50, 66, 55, 79, 106, 106 and 117, with a mean of 82.7. The 10.7 cm flux was 109.1, 110.4, 99.9, 101.3, 110, 119.2 and 125.3, with a mean of 110.7. Estimated planetary A indices were 6, 4, 10, 64, 11, 10 and 11, with a mean of 16.6. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 3, 3, 10, 38, 10, 6 and 7, with a mean of 11. __________________________________ ==>IN BRIEF: * This weekend on the radio: The Portuguese Navy Day Contest (CW/SSB), the CQ-M International DX Contest, the VOLTA Worldwide RTTY Contest, the Mid-Atlantic QSO Party, the FISTS Spring Sprint and the 50 MHz Spring Sprint are the weekend of May 14-15. The RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship (CW) is May 19. JUST AHEAD: The US Counties QSO Party (SSB), VK/Trans-Tasman 80-Meter Contest (Phone), the EU PSK DX Contest, the Portuguese Navy Day Contest (PSK31), the Manchester Mineira CW Contest, His Majesty the King of Spain Contest (CW) and the Baltic Contest are the weekend of May 21-22. See the ARRL Contest Branch page <http://www.arrl.org/contests/> and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar <http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more info. * ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration: Registration for the ARRL Antenna Modeling (EC-004) and Radio Propagation (EC-011) on-line courses remains open through Sunday, May 15. Classes begin Friday May 27. Antenna Modeling offers students a hands-on tutorial in the art and science of modeling various antenna configurations. Computer-modeling expert and noted author L.B. Cebik, W4RNL, has combined the expertise of his long career as a college professor with his love and antennas and antenna modeling to offer a comprehensive, yet practical, course of study. Propagation students will study the science of RF propagation, including the properties of electromagnetic waves, the atmosphere and the ionosphere, the sun and sunspots, ground waves and sky waves, and various propagation modes--including aurora and meteor scatter. To learn more, visit the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education <http://www.arrl.org/cce/> Web page or contact the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Program Department <cce@arrl.org>. * Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course registration: Registration for the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level III on-line course (EC-003) opens Monday, May 16, at 1201 AM EDT and will remain open until all available seats have been filled or through the May 21-22 weekend --whichever comes first. Radio amateurs 55 and up are strongly encouraged to participate. Class begins Friday, June 3. Thanks to our grant sponsors--the Corporation for National and Community Service and the United Technologies Corporation--the $45 registration fee paid upon enrollment will be reimbursed after successful completion of the course. ***ACT NOW! THIS IS THE FINAL YEAR OF THE GRANT-SUBSIDIZED CLASSES!*** Radio amateurs age 55 and older are strongly encouraged to participate. During this registration period, seats are being offered to ARRL members on a first-come, first-served basis. To learn more, visit the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Web page <http://www.arrl.org/cce>. For more information, contact Emergency Communications Course Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG, cce@arrl.org; 860-594-0340. * FCC chairman appoints new Enforcement Bureau chief: FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin has announced his intention to appoint Kris Anne Monteith to head the Commission's Enforcement Bureau. She'll replace David H. Solomon, who has been Enforcement Bureau chief since the Commission created the bureau in 1999. Solomon will leave the FCC in May for a position with a private-sector law firm. Monteith, who's been with the FCC since 1997, most recently served as deputy bureau chief for outreach and intergovernmental affairs in the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. In that capacity, Monteith--an attorney--oversaw the Commission's interaction with local, state, and tribal governments and other federal agencies. She also was responsible for consumer outreach to inform and educate the public about FCC rules, policies, programs and plans. Monteith previously served as chief of the Policy Division within the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and held other positions in the Common Carrier Bureau. The appointment was among several Martin announced April 29. * AMSAT-NA dues to increase: The AMSAT Board of Directors has voted to increase AMSAT membership dues from $39 to $44, effective June 1. The 12-percent increase follows a $3 dues hike that took effect January 1, 2004. AMSAT Life Membership will rise to $880 (20 times annual membership). Family membership will continue to be one-half the cost of regular membership or $22 per family member (family membership requires that a regular or life member reside in the same household). Members or prospective members can join or renew before June 1 at current rates. AMSAT will be accepting membership applications and renewals at current rates during Dayton Hamvention May 20-22. Details on the membership increase, an overview of the rationale behind the board's decision and its potential impact are the subject of an article in the March/April 2005 issue of AMSAT Journal. For more information on AMSAT-NA, visit the AMSAT Web site <http://www.amsat.org/>. * AMSAT-UK Colloquium set for late July: The AMSAT-UK Colloquium for 2005 will take place Friday through Sunday, July 29-31, at the University of Surrey, Guildford, UK This year's event marks the 20th colloquium. Attendees do not have to be AMSAT members. AMSAT-UK invites presentations about space-related Amateur Radio activities and papers for the conference Proceedings. Final presentation documents must be submitted by mid-June. Send papers for presentation at the conference and/or for inclusion in the Proceedings to Jim Heck, G3WGM (@amsat.org), or via surface mail c/o AMSAT-UK, Badgers, Letton Close, Blandford, Dorset DT11 7SS, UK. AMSAT-UK also invites anyone to submit program topic requests to G3WGM. The colloquium will include sessions specifically for amateur satellite beginners. Registration details and more information are on the AMSAT- UK Colloquium Web pages <http://www.uk.amsat.org/Colloquium/default.php>. Immediately following the AMSAT-UK Colloquium, the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) International Team will meet Monday and Tuesday, August 1-2. =========================================================== The ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the American Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur Radio--225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259; <http://www.arrl.org/>. Jim Haynie, W5JBP, President. The ARRL Letter offers a weekly e-mail digest of essential news of interest to active amateurs. The ARRL Letter strives to be timely, accurate, concise, and readable. Visit ARRLWeb <http://www.arrl.org/> for the latest news, updated as it happens. The ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/> offers access to news, informative features and columns. ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> is a weekly "ham radio newscast" compiled from The ARRL Letter. 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. ==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!): letter-dlvy@arrl.org ==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, n1rl@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 ==>How to Get The ARRL Letter The ARRL Letter is available to ARRL members free of charge directly from ARRL HQ. To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address for e-mail delivery: 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.)