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***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 19, No. 45
November 24, 2000
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IN THIS EDITION:
* +Limited AO-40 use possible soon
* +ARRL Board to consider Morse policy review
* +First ISS ham contacts made
* +ARRL VEC anticipates higher 2001 test fee
* +SMs elected in 10 ARRL sections
* +Nominations still open for ARRL awards
* Solar Update
* IN BRIEF:
This weekend on the radio
CQ WW CW announced operations list
+ULS scheduled to be down
+Hatfield announces retirement from FCC
+Coast Guard to honor MARS operator
Ham help solicited in owl searches
Prairie DX Group on air from Vanuatu
DSP satellite transceiver project reflector open
Badger State Smoke Signals to be delayed
+Available on ARRL Audio News
===========================================================
EDITOR's NOTE: Because ARRL Headquarters is closed November 23-24 for
the
Thanksgiving holiday, the November 24 editions of The ARRL Letter and
ARRL
Audio News are being posted Wednesday, November 22. The ARRL Letter and
ARRL
Audio News will resume their normal Friday schedule on December 1. We
wish
everyone a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday!--Rick Lindquist,
N1RL
===========================================================
==> LIMITED AO-40 USE POSSIBLE IN NEAR FUTURE
AMSAT-NA President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, says plans are in place to
make
AO-40 available for a limited period of general amateur use "possibly
within
a week or two." Launched November 16, the next-generation Amateur Radio
satellite formerly known as Phase 3D remains for now in a geostationary
transfer orbit while initial housekeeping and checkout procedures are
under
way. The satellite's final high elliptical orbit will not be
established for
another nine months.
Just when and how the "limited operation" will occur is up to the
ground
controllers, Haigton said. The provisional operation would involve "one
or
two bands at a time," he said. Since the satellite's solar panels will
not
be deployed until AO-40 is in its final orbit, full power will not be
available.
Details of the limited test period will be announced via AMSAT
bulletins and
via the AO-40 telemetry beacon on 2 meters, which also is transmitting
text
messages. (For more information on receiving AO-40 telemetry, visit the
AMSAT-NA "AO-40 Telemetry" page,
http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sats/ao40/ao40-tlm.html.)
In a bulletin released Monday, AMSAT stressed that the Phase 3D/AO-40
controllers were closely monitoring the power budget and the
satellite's
current orbital parameters. "These two areas will be among the most
important factors that determine what happens with P3D in the near
future,"
the AMSAT bulletin said.
From all indications, most AO-40 systems are working properly at this
point,
with the possible exception of the 70-cm transmitter. According to a
status
report from Phase 3D Project Manager Karl Meinzer, DJ4ZC, "a problem
with
the 70 cm transmitter" led controllers to shift the telemetry downlink
from
70 cm to 2 meters (145.898 MHz). Meinzer said AO-40's two 2.4 GHz
transmitters were operated and are okay.
Haighton said the most likely configurations for the limited test
period
would be Mode U/V (Mode B)--70 cm up and 2 meters down--and Mode
L/S--1.2
GHz up and 2.4 GHz down, SSB and CW.
AMSAT says there's still a lot of work to do until AO-40 will be fully
ready
for general Amateur Radio use. AO-40's geostationary transfer orbit
puts it
some 500 km from Earth at its nearest point, and 35,000 km at the
farthest.
AMSAT says that AO-40's attitude is being changed to prepare for the
first
motor burn. Meinzer's report says the 400-Newton motor will be used to
put
AO-40 into a 50,000 km apogee. The first orbital maneuver should be
completed in a few days. Other orbital adjustments will follow over the
next
270 days.
AO-40's solar panels will not be deployed until the satellite is in its
final orbital configuration. Once that happens, the satellite should
become
available for full Amateur Radio use.
==>BOARD TO CONSIDER MORSE CODE POLICY REVIEW
The ARRL Board of Directors will review the League's position on the
Morse
code as an international licensing requirement when it gathers for its
annual meeting in January. Because the issue is expected to come up at
the
IARU Region 2 Conference next October, the ARRL Executive Committee
decided
at its November 11 meeting in Irving, Texas, to place the issue on the
Board's January agenda.
The ARRL's Morse policy was formalized by Board resolution in 1993. It
supports the retention in the International Radio Regulations of the
provision obliging administrations to require that applicants
demonstrate
ability to send and receive Morse code before they may operate below 30
MHz.
Consistent with that policy, ARRL International Affairs Vice President
Rod
Stafford, W6ROD, cast the lone dissenting vote earlier this year at the
IARU
Region 3 Conference in Australia on a motion calling for the eventual
elimination of Morse as an ITU requirement for HF operation.
In January, the Board may decide to reaffirm this policy, to modify it,
or
to seek additional input from members. In the past, a majority of
members
has supported the policy.
The Executive Committee also proposed that the Board determine a
process for
soliciting membership input on possible repartitioning of the HF bands
in
restructuring's wake. As part of its original restructuring package,
the
League had proposed "refarming" the current Novice bands to allow for
more
efficient use of the most crowded HF allocations. The FCC has declined
to
take up any possible repartitioning, however, until it's had a chance
to
gauge the effects of restructuring. Amateur Radio license restructuring
became effective last April 15.
In other action, Stafford and ARRL Executive Vice President David
Sumner,
K1ZZ, reported briefly on preparations for WRC-2003. Stafford is
focusing on
developing support for the Amateur Radio 7 MHz position within Region
2. The
IARU seeks a 300-kHz worldwide amateur allocation in the vicinity of 7
MHz.
Sumner has been named to the core IARU delegation to that conference.
The Executive Committee also heard a wide-ranging update of other FCC
matters, including the League's efforts to gain primary amateur status
at
2400 to 2402 MHz and at 2300 to 2305 MHz.
Sumner observed during the meeting that the Amateur Radio Spectrum
Protection Act bills--HR 783 and S 2183--were not likely to be enacted
during the "lame duck" session of Congress that's just ahead. Principal
sponsors of both bills are returning to Congress in January and may be
asked
to reintroduce the legislation.
The Executive Committee also briefly discussed legislative restrictions
on
the use of cell phones that have been popping up in various localities.
Hudson Division Director Frank Fallon, N2FF, noted that an effort is
under
way in New Jersey to exempt Amateur Radio operation from the effects of
such
legislation.
==>SHEPHERD MAKES FIRST CASUAL QSOs FROM ISS
The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station program has
announced
that Commander William "Shep" Shepherd, KD5GSL, made the first casual
Amateur Radio contacts from Space Station Alpha last week. Details were
not
available.
Shepherd reports that he was able to take a few minutes out of his busy
schedule last Friday, November 17, to engage in contacts with a few
lucky
hams. Before then, the only Amateur Radio contacts involved engineering
test
passes between the ISS and Russian and US amateur facilities.
ARISS spokesman Will Marchant, KC6ROL, says that with the recent
arrival at
ISS of a Progress cargo craft, the crew will have to redouble its work
pace.
The space shuttle Endeavour STS-97 mission to the ISS will launch
November
30, so the Expedition 1 crew will continue to put in some long hours
preparing for its arrival. Endeavour is carrying a large new solar
panel for
the ISS that will permit the station to be fully powered for the first
time.
More information about Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
is
available on the ARISS Web site, ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov/">http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov/ .--ARISS
news
release
==>ARRL VEC ANTICIPATES $10 TEST FEE FOR 2001
ARRL VEC Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, says the ARRL VEC plans to set its
test
fee for calendar year 2001 at $10. The current fee of $6.65 is based on
a
provision in the Communications Act, adopted in 1984, that established
a $4
cap on reimbursement of out-of-pocket costs with an annual adjustment
based
on the Consumer Price Index. More recent legislation removed this cap.
An
FCC announcement of changes in its rules, reflecting the change in the
law,
is expected toward the end of the year.
ARRL Executive Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ, says the higher fee
reflects the fact that the ARRL VEC is doing more of the work on behalf
of
the FCC than was envisioned at the time Congress set the original cap.
"We're doing the data entry for all new and upgrade license
applications
that are handled by the ARRL Volunteer Examiners," Sumner explained.
"Originally, we simply reviewed and organized the paperwork and the FCC
staff did the data entry. The current system is better for the
applicants
because they get their licenses faster, but it's also more costly for
us."
Jahnke said a $10 ARRL VEC test fee will be formalized as soon as the
FCC
gives the word that it has made the necessary adjustments to Part 97 to
bring it in line with the updated Communications Act. As soon as that
happens, the ARRL VEC will make a formal announcement to establish the
new
fee. Until then, ARRL VEC volunteer examiners will continue to charge
applicants at the 2000 test fee rate of $6.65.
==>SECTION MANAGERS ELECTED IN TEN ARRL SECTIONS
The ballots have been counted, and ARRL section managers have been
elected
in races in Eastern Massachusetts and South Carolina. Incumbent SMs
were
returned to office in eight other ARRL sections without opposition.
In the Eastern Massachusetts Section, Phillip E. Temples, K9HI, of
Watertown
outpolled Stan Laine, WA1ECF, 781 to 351. Temples replaces Joel Magid,
WU1F,
who did not seek re-election.
In the South Carolina Section, Patricia M. Hensley, N4ROS, of Richburg
topped a field of three candidates. She received 301 votes, to 229 for
James
Boehner, N2ZZ, and 188 for Laurie Sansbury Jr, KV4C. Hensley was tapped
earlier this year to take over the South Carolina SM job when former SM
Les
Shattuck, K4NK, was elevated to Roanoke Division Vice Director.
Candidates in eight other ARRL sections were unopposed. All were
incumbents.
Returning to office are Dale Bagley, K0KY, Missouri; Bill McCollum,
KE0XQ,
Nebraska; George Tranos, N2GA, New York City-Long Island; Thomas Dick,
KF2GC, Northern New York; Jean Priestley, KA2YKN, Southern New Jersey;
David
Armbrust, AE4MR, West Central Florida; John Rodgers, N3MSE, Western
Pennsylvania; and Bob DeVarney, WE1U, Vermont.
Ballots were counted November 21 at ARRL Headquarters. The terms of
office
for all successful candidates are two years, beginning January 1, 2001.
==>NOMINATIONS CLOSE JANUARY 31 FOR ARRL INSTRUCTOR, RECRUITER,
EDUCATOR
AWARDS
Nominations close January 31 for the ARRL Herb S. Brier Instructor of
the
Year, Professional Educator of the Year, Professional Instructor of the
Year, and Excellence in Recruiting awards for 2000.
The ARRL Herb S. Brief Instructor of the Year Award goes each year to a
volunteer Amateur Radio instructor. Last year's winner was ARRL Life
Member
Allen Wolff, KC7O, who has been teaching ham radio classes for 15
years.
The ARRL Professional Educator of the Year award goes to a professional
teacher who has incorporated Amateur Radio into his or her class
curriculum.
Dan Calzaretta, NX9C, was the 1999 winner. He's been teaching ham radio
for
more than 20 years.
The ARRL Professional Instructor of the Year award is presented to a
paid,
non-state certified ham radio instructor, such as those teaching
classes
offered through adult education programs.
The ARRL Excellence in Recruiting Award goes to a ham who exemplifies
outstanding recruiting enthusiasm and technique and has gone the extra
mile
to introduce others to Amateur Radio. Activities include, but are not
limited to, school and public ham radio demonstrations, participation
in the
Jamboree On The Air or similar activity, or assuming a non-teaching
role in
organizing ham radio licensing classes.
All winners receive beautifully engraved plaques, which may be
sponsored by
clubs.
Complete information and nomination forms are available on the ARRL Web
site
at www.arrl.org/ead/award/">http://www.arrl.org/ead/award/. Completed forms go to section
managers
before January 31.
For more information on any of these awards, contact Jean Wolfgang,
WB3IOS,
jwolfgang@xxxxxxxxx
==>SOLAR UPDATE
Propagation prognosticator Tad Cook, K7VVV, Seattle, Washington,
reports:
This bulletin is written a day and a half earlier than usual because of
the
Thanksgiving holiday. For that reason, the projected solar flux and A
indices expected for this weekend will not be quite as up to date as
usual.
Also, it is too early to include the sunspot number for Wednesday, the
end
of our normal reporting week, so next week's bulletin will have two
week's
worth of solar flux, sunspot numbers and planetary A indices.
Geomagnetic indices have been very quiet this week, with both the
planetary
and Boulder A indices in the single digits. The quietest day was
Thursday,
November 16, when the Boulder A index was one, and the Boulder K index
was
zero for most of the day. This indicates a very stable geomagnetic
environment. The planetary A index was four on that day and on the
next.
Solar flux has been rising after reaching a near term minimum on
November
14. It was 173.7 on Monday, 185.4 on Tuesday, and today on Wednesday,
the
three daily readings were 192.4, 194.9 and 203.5. The noon reading of
194.9
is the official number.
The current projection has the 10.7 cm flux rising above 200 on
Thanksgiving, peaking at 210 on Friday, then 205 on Saturday and 200 on
Sunday through next Thursday. This looks good for the big DX contest
this
weekend, although generally the Maximum Usable Frequency is more
dependent
upon the average solar flux for the previous week or 10 days rather
than a
value on the day of interest. The predicted planetary A index also
looks
good, which currently is projected to be ten for Thursday through
Saturday,
and twelve for Sunday and Monday.
There was a full-halo coronal mass ejection November 16, but it was on
the
back side of the sun, projecting the energy away from Earth. The region
that
produced that activity will be rotating into view sometime soon, but
not
soon enough to affect the contest weekend.
N0AX pointed out that last week's bulletin mentioned something called a
solar "flair." Of course, your author was only demonstrating a "flair"
for
erroneous homonyms. That thing coming out of the sun is still a flare,
no
matter what's written here. Senior moments seem to be increasing
weekly,
solar flares notwithstanding. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
__________________________________
==>IN BRIEF:
* This weekend on the radio: The CQ WW DX Contest (CW) is the weekend
of
November 25-26. See October QST, page 101, for more information. JUST
AHEAD:
The ARRL 160 Meter Contest is the weekend of December 2-3. See November
QST,
page 98, for the rules. Also the weekend of December 2-3 are the QRP
ARCI
Holiday Spirits Homebrew Sprint (CW), the Ninth Annual TARA RTTY
Sprint, and
the TOPS Activity 3.5 MHz CW Contest. See December QST, p 97, for more
information.
* CQ WW CW announced operations list: Contest watcher Bill Feidt, NG3K,
offers his annual listing of announced operations for the CQ Worldwide
DX
Contest (CW) November 24-25 weekend at
www.ng3k.com/Misc/cqc2000.html">http://www.ng3k.com/Misc/cqc2000.html.
* ULS scheduled to be down: The FCC Universal Licensing System and
Antenna
Structure Registration will be unavailable from noon (Eastern)
Wednesday,
November 22, until 8 AM (Eastern) Monday, November 27 and again from 5
PM
(Eastern) Friday, December 1 until 8 AM (Eastern) Monday, December 4.
Both
outages are to accommodate the Land Mobile Phase 3 conversion. The task
involves the conversion of more than 350,000 licenses and 5200 pending
applications.
* Hatfield announces retirement from FCC: Dale Hatfield, W0IFO, the
head of
the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology has announced plans to
retire
from that post December 8. Hatfield hopes to return to academia at the
University of Colorado at Boulder, teaching graduate courses in
telecommunications. Hatfield spent much of his time at the FCC working
on
spectrum issues, including the possible establishment of a secondary
market
for underused channels. Earlier this year, Hatfield predicted a bright
future for Amateur Radio but said that amateurs "will be under a
certain
amount of pressure" to justify their free use of the radio spectrum. As
a
result, he said, it will be more important than ever that hams actually
fulfill their service, good will and educational roles--not just talk
about
them. He offered those observations June 17 as keynote speaker for
AMRAD's
25th anniversary dinner. Hatfield is not slowing down. A few days
before his
departure from the FCC, he'll take part in a The Federal Communications
Bar
Association seminar on technology issues facing the FCC, "Technology
and the
FCC: What Every Advocate Should Know," on December 5. This marked
Hatfield's
second stint at the FCC. For the past three years, he's been commuting
between Colorado and Washington, DC, while his family continued to live
in
Boulder.--reported by Reuters
* Coast Guard to honor MARS operator: An ARRL member will receive the
Coast
Guard's second highest civilian award later this month for his MARS
service.
Richard C. Johnson, W3BI/NNN0GKF, will receive the USCG's Meritorious
Public
Service Award in a ceremony November 28 in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. The
award
is in recognition of Johnson's 37 years of voluntary service as a
Military
Affiliate Radio System operator. The award, reserved for civilians not
employed by the Coast Guard who make a significant contribution to the
service, will be presented by Capt Wayne K. Gibson, Chief of Operations
for
the Coast Guard Atlantic Area command in Portsmouth, Virginia. Johnson
is
being honored for his participation in the Department of
Defense-sponsored
MARS program. MARS participants provide auxiliary or emergency
communications on a local, national and international basis as an
adjunct to
normal communications. Since 1963, Johnson has conducted thousands of
ship-to-shore phone patches for deployed Coast Guard men and women.
Last
January, Johnson also volunteered to join the MARS High Frequency
e-mail
program supporting Atlantic Area Coast Guard cutters. Since then, he
has
processed 500 to 600 e-mails a day supporting crews aboard the Coast
Guard
cutters Mohawk, Decisive, Forward, Tampa, and Thetis. Department of
Defense
MARS coordinators say Johnson's efforts have recently inspired other
MARS
operators in Virginia, Georgia and Texas to join the HF e-mail program.
The
program allows Coast Guard personnel at sea aboard cutters to send and
receive e-mail messages to and from family and friends. The Coast Guard
says
the program "greatly improves the quality of life for shipboard crews"
and
has been "a welcomed benefit for crews stationed aboard cutters
operating in
the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and throughout the Caribbean." Johnson is
the
only MARS operator participating in the e-mail program in the Atlantic
Area
and has operated nearly around-the-clock to meet the needs of Coast
Guardsmen at sea.--USCG news release
* Ham help solicited in owl searches: ARRL Amateur Radio Direction
Finding
Coordinator Joe Moell, K0OV, says hams in the Central US found an
unusual
form of ham radio public service this fall. Many have been listening
intently just above 172 MHz for brief transmissions from radio tags on
52
endangered burrowing owls. The rare birds have left Saskatchewan and
Alberta
in Canada for warmer weather in the south, probably in southern Texas
and
northern Mexico. Burrowing owls were seen in Texas in late October,
according to the latest report from Canadian biologists, but no leg
bands
have been spotted. Now that the fall migration is complete, hams in
Texas
and surrounding states are being asked to monitor for the tags this
winter.
Meanwhile, biologist Scott Weidensaul of the Ned Smith Center for
Nature and
Art in Pennsylvania wants hams from Maryland to South Carolina and
points
west to listen for tags now being put on northern saw-whet owls. For
details
of both owl-tracking efforts, visit Moell's Web site,
www.homingin.com">http://www.homingin.com. The site lists all of the tag frequencies as
well
as histories of the monitoring efforts and interesting information
about
these bird species, plus suggestions for equipment for monitoring and
direction-finding on 172 MHz.
* Prairie DX Group on air from Vanuatu: Mike Wolfe, N9WM, reports from
Vanuatu that the Prairie DX Group is on the air for its fully wired
DXpedition that features real-time logs and even a live Web cam. The
Prairie
DX team plans to operate through November 29 including operation as
YJ0V
during the CW Worldwide CW contest. At other times, the group will use
YJ0PD. Wolfe says the group arrived in Vanuatu with no casualties and
is now
on the air using two rigs. "Internet connections are active and stable
with
logging application working beautifully," he said. "Also the Web cam is
on
line and is currently pointed at our CW position." In 1998, The Prairie
DX
Group operation as FP/N9PD from St Pierre et Miquelon became the
first--and
still the only--DXpedition to have its logs available on the Web in
real-time. QSLs go via N9PD direct (include SASE, IRC or cash to help
defray
costs) or via the bureau. For details, visit the Prairie DX site,
www.n9pd.com">http://www.n9pd.com.
* DSP satellite transceiver project reflector open: An e-mail reflector
for
those interested in designing a DSP-based satellite communications
transceiver project has been established. To join the list, visit
www.qth.net">http://www.qth.net. The list name is dsp-radio. Technical skills are
not a
prerequisite for membership. The list is a discussion area for RF,
software,
and other system-related project discussion. For more information,
contact
Simon Lewis, GM4PLM, simon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx For starters, the
list
will collect information on previous and current work done on
software-defined radios and DSP radios, then focus on a wish list of
features and specifications.--Simon Lewis, GM4PLM, and Darrell
Bellerive,
VE7CLA, via SpaceNews
===========================================================
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;
www.arrl.org">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 at www.arrl.org">http://www.arrl.org for the latest news,
updated as it happens. The ARRLWeb Extra at
www.arrl.org/members-only/extra">http://www.arrl.org/members-only/extra offers ARRL members access to
informative features and columns.
Material from The ARRL Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole
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The ARRL Letter and The American Radio Relay League.
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==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, n1rl@xxxxxxxx
==>ARRL News on the Web: www.arrl.org">http://www.arrl.org
==>ARRL Audio News: www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/">http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/ or call
860-594-0384
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