***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 26, No. 25
June 22, 2007
***************
IN THIS EDITION:
* + Field Day Is Here!
* + Field Day from the South Pole
* + Field Day from Space
* + Field Day from W1AW
* + ARRL Membership Numbers Climbing
* + July QST Hits the Streets
* Solar Update
* IN BRIEF:
This Weekend on the Radio
ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Course Registration
+ ARRL Staff Members Meet in Germany
+ The 2006 ARRL Annual Report Is Here
ARRL Editors Attend Conference
FCC Commissioner Gets Presidential Nod to Continue; Awaits
Confirmation
ARRL E-Mail Going Strong
Let Us Know
Corrections and Clarifications
+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>;
===========================================================
==> Field Day Is Here!
For almost 100 years, Amateur Radio operators across the country have
been providing emergency communications when other systems failed or
were overloaded in a crisis. Each year, operators take their equipment
into unusual locations to test communications capabilities and make sure
Amateur Radio will always be there to get the message through. This
year, more than 70 years after the very first Field Day, thousands of
ham radio operators will be showing off their emergency capabilities
this Field Day weekend. Field Day is the largest on-the-air operating
event today.
Amateur Radio is about knowledge and growth. According to ARRL Field Day
Coordinator Dan Henderson, N1ND, "Amateur Radio is a service that truly
offers 'something for everyone.' It is a chance to learn and grow, but
above all, Amateur Radio is about fun where we learn, share, and just
have a good time. And for many, there is perhaps nothing more fun than
ARRL Field Day. Old friendships are renewed and new ones created. We
become both teacher and student during Field Day weekend -- sharing our
experience while learning new things."
Henderson said that Amateur Radio "stands at a juncture where we can
embrace both the old and new. While CW, or Morse code, may no longer be
a testing element, it is still a strong and favorite operating mode of
tens of thousands of operators." More and more operators are embracing
digital technologies, from RTTY to the newer digital modes like PSK31
and Olivia. And phoneband expansion has brought about a growth in this
traditionally popular mode.
Henderson calls Field Day "the time where we bring Amateur Radio to Main
Street USA. By setting up in parking lots, malls, Emergency Operations
Centers, parks and even at home, amateur operators learn skills that
will allow them to better serve their communities. Setting up in these
public venues gives added public relations value -- their friends and
neighbors can see and experience the fun and public service capability
that their 'ham radio' neighbors bring to their towns. High visibility
helps get the Amateur Radio message out to the community."
Keep in mind two minor rule changes for Field Day 2007. First, while
working for the satellite contact bonus, you are limited to making only
one QSO when using any of the single-channel FM satellites. This will
allow more stations to access this very limited resource.
The second change involves the bonus points for GOTA (Get-On-The-Air)
stations. The number of QSOs required to attain the bonus changes from
50 down to 20, and continues in multiples of 20 up to 100 QSOs per GOTA
operator -- 20 bonus points for each 20 QSOs completed. For more
information on Field Day rules and procedures, check out the Field Day
packet or go to the Field Day Web site available at
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/forms/fd-2007-packet.pdf>.
==> Field Day from the South Pole
It's not just Field Day here on the continental United States - it's
also Field Day on the South Pole! Robert Reynolds, NØQFQ, a ham down at
Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, said all three US bases on the Pole
will be on the air for Field Day.
Amundsen-Scott, KC4AAA; Palmer Station, KC4AAC, and McMurdo Station,
KC4/W1MRQ, will be operating on 40 meters around 7.235 MHz and on 20
meters around 14.243 MHz throughout the event. McMurdo will also be
operating CW on 7.028 MHz. Since the Pole at this time of year is in
total darkness, Reynolds says 40 meters will be the better band.
Reynolds went on to say that Amundsen-Scott will be on the air
throughout the entire 24 hour event. Palmer and McMurdo, he said, will
be on the air "as much as possible."
Please send QSLs for Amundsen-Scott, Palmer and McMurdo to QSL Manager
Larry Skilton, K1IED, 72 Brook St, South Windsor, CT 06074.
==> Field Day from Space
ARRL Field Day Coordinator Dan Henderson, N1ND, reports that he was
contacted several weeks ago NASA regarding the International Space
Station's participation during Field Day this year.
"As in past years, there is the usual 'soft' plan for at least one of
the stations on the ISS being activated for a time during Field Day. As
always, this is dependent on the astronauts' work schedule, and always
subject to last minute change," Henderson said.
For each of the past five or six years, at least one of the residents of
the ISS has made an appearance during Field Day. Stations should check
the ISS passes - "No guarantees," Henderson said. "But if it happens, it
sure builds the excitement at a Field Day site."
You can find out just when the ISS will pass over your Field Day site at
spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/index.html.
==> Field Day from W1AW
The Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station, W1AW, located at ARRL
Headquarters in Newington, Connecticut, will be hosting their own Field
Day event. ARRL HQ staff and visitors will be operating W1AW the entire
24 hour Field Day period.
W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, said, "If you are in the area,
please stop by and say hello. You are certainly welcome, and this is a
wonderful chance to operate W1AW in a fun environment." W1AW will be
open to visitors during Field Day on Saturday between 2-9 PM EDT and 9
AM-2 PM EDT on Sunday.
Carcia noted that there will be times during these hours when Field Day
operations will be suspended in order for the scheduled Field Day
bulletins to be sent. You can find the W1AW Field Day Bulletin schedule
on the Field Day Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/forms/fd-2007-w1aw-sked.html>.
==> ARRL Membership Numbers on the Rise
With now close to 152,000 members, the ARRL is going, and growing,
strong. ARRL Customer Service Manager Amy Hurtado, KB1NXO, says the
"ARRL is a viable, up-to-date organization that every ham should be a
part of."
Hurtado credits the rise in membership in part to the FCC rule changes
earlier this year that eliminated Morse code testing for the General and
Amateur Extra license classes. "Since more people were upgrading their
licenses as a result of there being no Morse code requirement, we were
successfully able to show them the benefits of being an ARRL member,"
she said.
One of the many benefits of ARRL membership, Hurtado said, is the
monthly subscription to QST, the official journal of the ARRL. Other
benefits of ARRL membership include a QST/QEX/NCJ index search on the
ARRL Web site; operating awards; outgoing QSL service; access to the
Technical Information Service; available ham radio equipment insurance
program and more. Members can also get an arrl.net e-mail address
through the ARRL e-mail forwarding service.
Hurtado went on to say that new, renewing and lapsed members can join
the ARRL in many ways. "About 40-50 percent of membership enrollment is
online. We also have people join after taking a licensing exam, by
calling us on the phone, by answering a direct mail package or by
joining up at their local hamfest."
If you are interested in joining the ARRL or renewing your present
membership, please see the ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/join>.
==> July QST Hits the Streets
If you haven't received the July issue of QST, just wait, because it's
on its way! QST, the official journal of the ARRL, is the members-only
magazine featuring all the latest Amateur Radio news and technology.
This month, QST and the ARRL get ready to head to Huntsville, Alabama,
site of the 2007 ARRL National Convention, held in conjunction with the
Huntsville Hamfest. The convention, scheduled for August 18-19, features
the ARRL Expo, a special exhibit area with ARRL program representatives,
activities, presentations and the huge ARRL bookstore.
On the technical side, the July issue offers articles on how to get on
24 GHz, a balloon-lifted full-wave loop antenna and a keyboard that lets
you send CW when your fingers can't. QST Technical Editor Joel R.
Hallas, W1ZR also reviews the new Ten-Tec Omni VII HF/6 meter
transceiver.
For those interested in the latest in Amateur Radio news, you will be
sure to find it in the July issue. Hallas and QST Managing Editor Joel
Kleinman, N1BKE, report on the 2007 Dayton Hamvention, noting that it
was "standing room only" at many of the forums and presentations. You
can also read about a ham's QRP trek in Ireland, as well as the latest
in ARRL and FCC news.
For you contesters out there, read the results articles for the 2006
ARRL 10 Meter Contest, 2007 ARRL RTTY Roundup and the 2007 ARRL January
VHF Sweepstakes. Keep in mind that the 2007 ARRL August UHF Contest is
coming up, so catch up on the latest rules and information on this
contest in the July issue.
As in each and every QST, you will find a wide variety of articles and
columns for all hams, covering DXing, vintage gear and cutting edge
technology, public service, special events, as well as a schedule of
upcoming hamfests, conventions and contests.
==>SOLAR UPDATE
Tad "Walking on Sunshine" Cook, K7RA, this week reports: June 23-24 is
ARRL Field Day, and it follows a week with no sunspots. As expected,
there was a mild geomagnetic upset on Thursday, June 21 when a solar
wind stream pushed against Earth's magnetic field. The planetary A index
went to 14, a moderate level, but the mid-latitude A index, which
affects most of us more directly, was only 8. That number comes from the
Fredericksburg Geomagnetic Center near Corbin, Virginia, which is at
38.2 degrees north latitude. Boulder, Colorado provides the mid-latitude
A index that we hear on WWV at 18 minutes after each hour, and at 40
degrees north latitude, it produced an A index of 12 for June 21. For
the weekend, we might see another sunspot appear by Sunday, so it looks
like any 10 meter propagation will be sporadic-E skip, not any great
openings based on a higher MUF. Predicted planetary A index for June
22-24, Friday through Sunday, is 15, 10 and 8. Predicted solar flux is
68, 68 and 70. A solar flux value below 70 implies no sunspots, which
you can observe along side zero sunspot days at
<http://www.sec.noaa.gov/ftpdir/indices/DSD.txt>. Geophysical Institute
Prague predicts unsettled to active conditions June 22, unsettled June
23 and quiet June 24-25, quiet to unsettled June 26 and back to quiet
June 27-28. The A index and solar flux predictions referenced in the
previous paragraph are available at
<http://sec.noaa.gov/ftpmenu/forecasts/45DF.html>. After 2100 UTC on
Friday, check this again for a June 22 update. For more information
concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information
Service Propagation page
<http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html>.
__________________________________
==>IN BRIEF:
* This weekend on the radio: ARRL Field Day is this weekend, June 23-24,
1800-1800 UTC. This weekend also plays host to the following contests:
NCCC Sprint Ladder and the Digital Pentathlon on June 22; the Ukrainian
DX DIGI Contest, His Majesty King of Spain Contest, (SSB), Marconi
Memorial HF Contest and the ARCI Milliwatt Field Day. The Quebec QSO
Party has been cancelled. Coming up next weekend, June 30-July 1, the
NCCC Sprint Ladder and the Digital Pentathlon are June 29. The WLOTA is
June 30-July 1. The RAC Canada Day Contest and SKCC Weekend Sprint are
July 1. During the week, the RSGB 80m Club Championship (CW) is July 2,
and the ARS Spartan Sprint is July 3. Schedule the Michigan QRP July 4th
CW Sprint around your hot dogs and fireworks on July 4-5. See the ARRL
Contest Branch page http://www.arrl.org/contests/, the ARRL Contester's
Rate Sheet <http://www.arrl.org/contests/rate-sheet/> and the WA7BNM
Contest Calendar <http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for
more info.
* ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration:
Registration remains open through Sunday July 8 for these online courses
beginning on Friday July 20: Amateur Radio Emergency Communications
Level 2 (EC-002); Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 3
(EC-003); Antenna Modeling (EC-004); Radio Frequency Propagation
(EC-011); HF Digital Communications (EC-005), and VHF-UHF (EC-008). To
learn more, visit the CCE Course Listing page
<http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> or contact the CCE Department
<cce@arrl.org>;.
* ARRL Staff Members Meet in Switzerland, Germany: ITU-R Working Party
8A just finished up their meeting in Geneva. This group is responsible
for most of the land mobile services, plus the amateur and
amateur-satellite services, approved the Amateur Service and
Amateur-Satellite Service Handbook, to be published by the International
Telecommunication Union. The handbook is an overview of the activities
of the amateur services, along with existing ITU texts that relate to
the two services. This will be published by the ITU in the six official
UN languages, and will be a useful guide to administrations in countries
where the amateur services may not be well developed. IARU President
Larry Price, W4RA, represented the IARU. ARRL Chief Technology Officer
Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, is on the US delegation and is chairman of the
working group that dealt with the handbook. ARRL Chief Executive Officer
David Sumner, K1ZZ, Price and Rinaldo will meet up with Membership and
Volunteer Services Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, and ARRL VEC Manager Maria
Somma, AB1FM, in Friedrichshafen, Germany, Europe's largest hamfest at
HAM RADIO 2007. To find out more about HAM RADIO 2007, please see their
Web site <http://www.hamradio-friedrichshafen.de/html/en/>.
* ARRL Annual Report: The ARRL's 2006 Annual Report has been published.
Highlighting the "Hello" Campaign and other major events in 2006, the
report contains information about all of the activities of the ARRL
headquarters staff throughout the year as well as summaries by ARRL
President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, and CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. According to
ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, "The Annual
Report is not only useful for showing members the strength of the
organization, but it is also a valuable tool in presentations to major
public officials. At times they may know little about Amateur Radio, but
when they see the quality of the annual report, even before they open it
up, they know this is an organization to be taken very seriously. It is
indeed a national association and very active. That gets their attention
quickly." The 2006 Annual Report is available in both printed format and
also on the ARRL Web site.
<http://www.arrl.org/announce/annualreport/2006/Annual_Report_2006_web.p
df>
* ARRL Editors Attend Publishing Conference: QST Editor and Publications
Manager Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and QST Managing Editor Joel Kleinman,
N1BKE, attended the National Society of Association Publications (SNAP)
conference in Washington, DC June 13-14. SNAP is an organization made up
of nonprofit entities that publish books, magazines, Web sites and other
media. The purpose of the conference is to facilitate the exchange of
ideas between organizations, with an eye to improving their media
offerings. The conference, entitled "Offset, Online, On Message...
Association Publishing on the Cutting Edge," included sessions on
practices in corporate publishing, understanding digital readers,
measuring reader satisfaction and how to use the Internet to reach a
global audience. "Being at the SNAP conference gives us an excellent
opportunity to share ideas with other nonprofits to improve our books,
magazines and electronic media," said Ford.
* FCC Commissioner Gets Presidential Bid to Continue; Awaits
Confirmation: President George W. Bush has announced his intention to
nominate Deborah Taylor Tate to a full term as a Commissioner of the
Federal Communications Commission. Tate is serving out the remainder of
the term of former FCC Chairman Michael Powell. Current FCC Chairman
Kevin Martin said of Bush's announcement, "If confirmed, I look forward
to continuing to work closely with Commissioner Tate. She has served
admirably at the Commission for the past year and a half, and I
appreciate her continued dedication to public service. Debi brings
important insight to the Commission, including her distinguished career
as a leader in state government. Her thoughtfulness, dedication, and
leadership have made Debi an invaluable member of the Commission." Among
her many responsibilities, Tate serves as Chair of both the
Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service (Universal Service Joint
Board) and the Federal-State Joint Board on Jurisdictional Separations.
* ARRL E-Mail Usage Going Strong: One of the many benefits of ARRL
membership is the ARRL e-mail forwarding service, first offered in
February 1999. This service allows ARRL members to set up an arrl.net
alias e-mail address. When e-mail is sent you at your arrl.net address,
it is forwarded to an e-mail address you have designated. According to
ARRL Information Services Manager Don Durand, approximately 45 percent
of ARRL members take advantage of the e-mail forwarding service. "Using
the figures from Wednesday, June 20, we had 876,993 connection attempts
and 148,400 actual e-mail deliveries," Durand said. "The difference of
728,593 represents spam that was trapped and not delivered to our
members." Durand said the numbers show the e-mail filters do a "pretty
good job eliminating spam. Using a combination of filtering software, as
well as holding in-bound messages to the accepted standards of
transmittal, we are able to remove approximately 90-95 percent of all
spam before it reaches a user's inbox."
* Let Us Know: Do you have a favorite part of The ARRL Letter? What kind
of stories would you like to see in the Letter? This is your chance to
let your voice be heard. Please send your suggestions to ARRL News
Editor S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA, at k1sfa@arrl.org. Please title your
e-mail "ARRL Letter Suggestions." We look forward to implementing
positive suggestions into the Letter.
* Clarifications and Corrections: The ARRL Letter, Vol 26, No 24
(Friday, June 15, 2007), did not wish to imply the US Senate would be
conducting an investigation into Broadband over Power Line issues ("US
Senate to investigate BPL's interference potential to Amateur Radio").
Senate Bill 1629, also known as the Emergency Amateur Radio Interference
Protection Act of 2007, stresses the impact the Amateur Radio Service
has with regard to emergency communication. The bill, if, and only if,
it becomes law, would require the FCC to conduct a study on BPL and
report back to House and Senate committees their findings regarding "the
interference potential of systems for the transmission of broadband
Internet services over power lines."
In the same edition, ElectroMagnetic Compatibility was referred to as
Electromagnetic Capability ("ElectroMagnetic Capability Committee meets
at ARRL HQ"); it should read "ElectroMagnetic Compatibility" throughout
the article.
===========================================================
The ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the
American Radio Relay League: ARRL--the National Association for Amateur
Radio, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax
860-594-0259; <http://www.arrl.org/>. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, President.
The ARRL Letter offers a weekly e-mail digest of essential and general
news of interest to active radio amateurs. Visit the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/> for the latest Amateur Radio news and news
updates. The ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/> also offers
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<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> is a weekly "ham radio newscast"
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Material from The ARRL Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole
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given to The ARRL Letter/American Radio Relay League.
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