Conference cvg::hamradio_iii

    
    
    The ARRL Letter
    Vol. 16, No. 4
    January 24, 1997
    __________________________________
    
    Circulation: Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO, e-mail [email protected].
    Editorial: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, e-mail [email protected].
    __________________________________
    
    IN THIS EDITION:
    
    * ARRL Board meets
    * FCC finds missing call signs
    * German-Russian Mir mission set
    * Solar doldrums
    * WRTC video is available
    * In Brief: Correction; Job opening at HQ;
       New VK0IR frequencies; Changing trustee's
       call sign; School Club Roundup; Cover plaque
       winners; The DX Magazine has new publisher;
       Keeney no longer FCC candidate; VHF confab set;
       Visit P3D lab; Hams donate community service time;
       Providence RA celebrates 75th
    __________________________________
    
    ARRL BOARD MEETS IN ALBUQUERQUE
    
    The ARRL Board of Directors met in annual session, January 17 and 18,
    1997, 
    at Albuquerque, New Mexico. Here is a summary of the meeting
    highlights:
    
    Responding to survey results that show that the majority of members
    favor 
    retention of Morse code for HF operating privileges as an international 
    treaty obligation, the Board decided that the ARRL will not support
    changing 
    the existing treaty requirement--an issue on the WRC-99 agenda. The
    Board 
    also accepted other committee recommendations regarding the
    international 
    rules that govern the amateur and amateur-satellite services.
    
    A committee proposal for modifications to the FCC amateur licensing 
    structure is to be published shortly in QST. Members will be invited to 
    comment to their directors before May 31, 1997. The Board will not take 
    action on the committee recommendations earlier than its July meeting,
    to 
    afford members an opportunity for discussion and comment.
    
    Noting the increasing number of participants in the spectrum management 
    process, the Board created the ARRL Spectrum Forum, an e-mail
    roundtable for 
    national amateur organizations, as well as regional entities and
    interests. 
    The ARRL Spectrum Committee was dissolved, with the thanks of the
    Board.
    
    In other business:
    
    * Dr Robert C. Smithwick, W6JZU, and Ken Kirk-Bayley, GJ0KKB,
    co-founders of 
    MediShare International, won the ARRL International Humanitarian Award
    for 
    1996. The ARRL Humanitarian Award is given to Amateur Radio operators
    who 
    have used their skills to benefit others and have worked to promote 
    international goodwill. MediShare International provides medical
    supplies, 
    instruments, equipment, and trained health professional volunteers to
    work 
    in clinics and hospitals in Third-World countries. Smithwick's
    outstanding 
    achievement began in 1989 when he overheard a ham in Rwanda tell
    another in 
    England that his small local hospital needed a part to fix the only 
    sterilizer in its operating room. Smithwick, a retired dentist, broke
    in on 
    the QSO and said he could help by using his connections with another 
    service-oriented organization, the Medical Amateur Radio Council
    (MARCO), 
    founded in 1965. Thanks to the quick efforts of Smithwick, the English
    radio 
    amateur, and another from the states who volunteered to make the
    sterilizer 
    part, the Rwandan hospital got what it needed and MediShare
    International 
    was born. It's now a MARCO program. Over the years, MediShare
    International 
    has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to help people all over
    the 
    world get modern, safe medical treatment. Among other projects,
    organization 
    volunteers are now working to staff a new pediatric wing at a Kenya 
    hospital. Soon, MediShare International hopes to begin bringing people
    to 
    the U.S. to teach them medical equipment repair skills they can use in
    their 
    own countries. (Thanks to Jennifer Gagne, N1TDY, for supplying
    additional 
    information--Ed.)
    
    * James Jacobs, K1GHT, received the ARRL Certificate of Merit in
    recognition 
    of his lifetime of humanitarian service and goodwill through Amateur
    Radio. 
    Michael Pilotti, N3IRZ, also won an ARRL Certificate of Merit in
    recognition 
    of his arranging for the travel of Ukraine radio amateur Nick Bortnick, 
    UX0ZZ, to the US for special medical assistance.
    
    * The League's Executive Committee was tasked with studying the
    adequacy of 
    FCC rules governing the qualifications of volunteer examiners,
    particularly 
    with respect to those VEs who have obtained license upgrades by means
    of 
    Morse code-element credit-waiver provisions. The Executive Committee
    was 
    also tasked with investigating the extent of abuses of the Morse code 
    exam-waiver provisions for applicants with severe handicaps and
    recommending 
    any regulatory changes deemed necessary.
    
    * The Membership Services Committee was directed to study ways to
    better 
    serve the digital community.
    
    * Atlantic Division Director Kay Craigie, WT3P; Northwestern Division 
    Director Mary Lou Brown, NM7N; Southeastern Division Director Frank
    Butler, 
    W4RH; and Southwestern Division Director Fried Heyn, WA6WZO, were
    elected to 
    the Executive Committee.
    
    * Roger Franke, K9AYK, Tom Comstock, N5TC, and Tom Frenaye, K1KI, were 
    re-elected to the ARRL Foundation Board of Directors.
    
    * ARRL will establish an Alternative Dispute Resolution service for the
    use 
    of individual amateurs, amateur organizations, citizens, organizations
    and 
    others having disputes over Amateur Radio-related subjects.
    
    Full details on the January Board of Directors meeting will appear in
    March 
    QST.--Rick Palm, K1CE
    
    FCC FINDS MISSING CALL SIGNS; VANITY PROCESSING COULD RESUME SOON
    
    Following up on "a few inquiries" into why certain call signs were not 
    assigned when they were available, FCC personnel in Gettysburg report
    they 
    found some 3355 call signs (mostly 2x2 and 2x3 format) that should have
    been 
    made available for the vanity program but were not, for some reason. An
    FCC 
    spokesman in Gettysburg reports a search of all vanity applications 
    (including those that required special handling) comparing requested
    call 
    sign(s) against the 3355 turned up four to be resolved. The other call
    signs 
    now have been made available for future vanity grants.
    
    As reported in The ARRL Letter Vol 16, No 3, callers to the FCC's
    Gettysburg 
    office were being told that processing of vanity call sign applications 
    would not resume until early March because of "unspecified
    computer-related 
    problems." Gettysburg now seems to be pulling back from that date, and
    a 
    spokesperson said this week that the FCC hoped to resume vanity
    processing 
    by February 1. Before processing the backlog of vanity call sign 
    applications, personnel in Gettysburg first plan to deal with those 
    applications that required special handling--the so-called "WIPS" (work
    in 
    process) stack--which is backlogged from early November. A spokesman
    said 
    Wednesday that the FCC will resume work on the WIPS stack "in about a
    week." 
    Also, contrary to what several callers were told, the FCC did not issue
    a 
    public notice about the vanity call sign program this week.
    
    MISSION MIR 97: GERMAN-RUSSIAN MIR SPACE MISSION SET FOR FEBRUARY
    
    A second German-Russian space mission has been set for February, when
    German 
    astronaut Reinhold Ewald, DL2MIR, and his Russian colleagues will fly
    to the 
    Russian space station Mir in early February. Once there, Ewald plans an 
    extensive experimental program. Ewald was a back-up crew member for the
    Mir 
    '92 mission, in which Klaus Dieter Flade, DL1MIR, participated as the
    first 
    German astronaut aboard Mir. On this mission, scheduled for February 4 
    through February 24, Hans Schlegel, DG1KIH--who served during the
    German-US 
    Spacelab mission D-2--will be on the backup crew.
    
    During this mission, the SAFEX (Space AmateurFunk EXperiment) equipment
    will 
    be on the air, although, due to Ewald's heavy workload, hamming will
    take a 
    back seat to his experimental work. Ewald plans to use the SAFEX
    digital 
    voice recorder to automatically transmit information about the mission.
    The 
    SAFEX equipment--built by German hams--operates on 70 cm in both packet
    and 
    FM voice modes. The uplink frequency for packet is 435.775 MHz; the
    downlink 
    frequency is 437.975 MHz. No CTCSS tone is needed. The repeater uplink 
    frequency is 435.750 MHz, the downlink frequency is 437.950 MHz, and
    the 
    CTCSS tone is 141.3 Hz. For the QSO (duplex) mode, the uplink frequency
    is 
    435.725 MHz, the downlink frequency is 437.925 MHz, and the CTCSS tone
    is 
    151.4 Hz.
    
    A special QSL card will be issued for SAFEX QSOs and SWL reports. Those 
    making SAFEX contacts are asked to accompany QSLs with a voice
    recording of 
    the contact on a computer .wav file (3.5-inch disc) to DF0VR, Ham 
    Radio 
    Group at DLR Oberpfaffenhofen, Postfach 1116, D-82230 Wessling Germany.
    
    OL' SOL STILL IN THE DOLDRUMS
    
    Solar observer Tad Cook, KT7H, in Seattle, Washington, reports: We are
    still 
    at the solar minimum, with very little activity to report. Since there
    are 
    no really active regions that we know of on the solar surface, there is
    no 
    activity to forecast as the solar surface rotates relative to the
    Earth.
    
    This week's average solar flux was exactly the same as the week
    previous, 
    and the sunspot numbers were barely higher. Unlike the previous week,
    there 
    were no periods of geomagnetic activity, and the A index stayed in the 
    single digits. The next few weeks are expected to stay the same, with
    the 
    solar flux around the low to mid 70s, and the A index around 5. The A
    index 
    may jump up to around 10 on February 3, and again around February 6-9.
    
    Sunspot numbers for January 16 through 22 were 16, 12, 34, 0, 0, 0 and
    0, 
    respectively, with a mean of 8.9. The 10.7-cm flux was 74.8, 74.1,
    74.6, 
    75.3, 76.8, 74.1 and 73, respectively, with a mean of 74.7. The
    estimated 
    planetary A indices for the same period were 3, 2, 5, 4, 5, 9, and 5, 
    respectively, with a mean of 4.7.
    
    WRTC VIDEO IS AVAILABLE
    
    A videotape of last summer's World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC)
    event 
    is now available, thanks to WJET-TV and station owner K3TUP. The
    27-minute 
    documentary of the biggest contesting event of 1996 captures all the 
    excitement and drama of the competition and presents the contesting
    hobby at 
    its best. The tapes are available for a nominal shipping and handling
    fee, 
    and the Northern California Contest Club and the Slovenian Contest Club
    are 
    handling distribution (any excess funds remaining after distribution
    will 
    revert to the sponsoring organizations). To order a tape, send $10
    (make 
    checks made payable to Bruce Sawyer) and a gummed address label
    (maximum 2x4 
    inches) to Bruce Sawyer, N6NT, 15430 Bohlman Rd, Saratoga, CA 95070.
    The 
    WRTC tape is available in either NTSC or PAL format. The tape is
    available 
    overseas for US$10 or DM15 and a gummed address label to Tine Brajnik,
    S50A, 
    Maroltova 13, 1113 Ljubljana, Slovenia.--Bruce Sawyer, N6NT
    
    __________________________________
    
    IN BRIEF:
    
    * Correction: In the report FCC ESTABLISHES 5.7-GHZ U-NII SERVICE in
    The 
    ARRL Letter,Vol 16, No 3, a word was omitted in one sentence. The
    sentence 
    should have said: The FCC concluded that an increase in the power
    limits 
    proposed in its rulemaking notice was supported by "new material in the 
    record in this proceeding" but said that unrestricted antenna gain
    should 
    not [emphasis added] be permitted because of interference concerns.
    
    * Job opening at HQ: The ARRL has an opening for an Assistant Contest 
    Manager at its headquarters in Newington, Connecticut. Candidates must
    be 
    thoroughly interested in and knowledgeable of the League's varied
    contest 
    programs and familiar with DXCC countries, ARRL sections and divisions,
    and 
    current contesting issues. An Amateur Radio license, writing skills, PC 
    familiarity (including DOS, Windows, database management and e-mail),
    and a 
    high degree of attention to detail and the ability to work well under 
    deadline pressure are required. Send resume and salary expectations to
    R. 
    Boucher, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; fax 860-594-0298;
    e-mail 
    [email protected].
    
    * New VK0IR frequencies: The Heard Island (VK0IR) DXpedition has
    announced 
    new low-band frequencies: 160 meters, 1822 (preferred) or 1826.5 kHz;
    80 
    meters, CW, 3504.5 or 3509.5 kHz for Europe; 80 meters, SSB, 3798 kHz;
    40 
    meters, CW, 7007 or 7022 kHz; 40 meter SSB, 7047.5, 7052.5, 7057.5 or
    7065 
    kHz. As of January 22, the VK0IR team had racked up some 55,000 QSOs.
    
    * Changing trustee's call sign: When a club station trustee gets a new
    call 
    sign, the FCC does not automatically change the trustee's call sign
    shown in 
    its club records. Although this is not required, a trustee can send the
    FCC 
    in Gettysburg a letter requesting that it change the trustee call sign
    on 
    the club license. The letter should include the name of the club, the
    club 
    call sign, the trustee's former call sign and the trustee's current
    (ie, 
    new) call sign.--FCC
    
    * School Club Roundup: The School Club Roundup (SCR)--February 10
    through 
    February 14--is a chance for young hams to meet members of other clubs
    on 
    the air. The idea behind the SCR--sponsored by the Council for the 
    Advancement of Amateur Radio in the New York City Schools, the ARRL and
    its 
    Hudson Division Education Task Force--is to foster contacts with and
    among 
    school radio clubs. Awards are issued for elementary, middle school,
    high 
    school, and college or university levels for US and DX. Participants 
    exchange call sign, report, entry class, and US state or DX country. To
    get 
    log and entry forms, send a large self-addressed stamped envelope
    (SASE) or 
    a label and postage to Lew Malchick, N2RQ, Brooklyn Technical High
    School, 
    29 Ft Greene Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11217. The logging program SCR-LOG  ver
    2.x 
    for IBM-compatible PCs is included with e-mail requests to
    [email protected]. 
    For contest details, see the announcement on page 114 of January 1997 
    QST.--Lew Malchick, N2RQ
    
    * Cover plaque winners: Tom Spann, WD0HBR, won the QST Cover Plaque
    Award 
    for the November 1996 issue of QST for his article, "The FCC Grand
    Island 
    Monitoring Station." Bruce L. Kelley, W2ICE, won the QST Cover Plaque
    Award 
    for the December 1996 issue of QST for his article, "Hams Span the
    Atlantic 
    on Shortwave!" Congratulations!
    
    * The DX Magazine has new publisher: Paul and Nancy Smith (ND4X and
    KB4RGW, 
    respectively) will turn over The DX Magazine to another Smith--Carl
    Smith, 
    N4AA--starting with the March/April 1997 issue. Paul and Nancy Smith
    had 
    acquired the publication last year from Chod Harris, VP2ML. Carl Smith
    is a 
    former ARRL staff member. He already publishes QRZ DX. Paul and Nancy
    Smith 
    publish The GOLIST QSL Manager List, The DX Bulletin, and The DX
    Reporter.
    
    * Keeney no longer FCC candidate: The Washington Post this week
    reported 
    that Regina Keeney has asked not to be renominated for a Republican
    seat on 
    the Federal Communications Commission. Keeney said she would, instead, 
    remain as chief of the FCC Common Carrier Bureau. President Clinton 
    nominated Keeney last year, but Congress did not act on the nomination. 
    Keeney cited personal reasons, for her decision, but her Senate
    confirmation 
    was not assured. Some Republican senators reportedly were upset over
    not 
    being consulted when she was nominated last year.
    
    * VHF confab set: The 1997 Southeastern VHF Society Conference will be
    held 
    April 4-5, 1997, at the Atlanta Marriott Northwest in Windy Hill,
    Georgia 
    (located between Atlanta and Marietta). Jimmy Treybig, W6JKV--a leading 
    expert on 50-MHz propagation--will be the banquet speaker. The
    Conference 
    Technical Program will include presentations by KA2DRH, K6QYX, WA4NJP, 
    KM4YW, WC4X, WA4KXY and others. Antenna gain measurements for 2 meters 
    through 10 GHz and noise figure testing will be available too.
    Conference 
    registration is $35, which includes a complete set of the Conference 
    Proceedings. The April 4 banquet fee is $30. For registration
    information, 
    visit the SVHFS web page at http://www.akorn.net/~ae6e/svhfs/ or
    contact Tad 
    Danley, K3TD, 770-513-9252; e-mail [email protected].
    
    * Visit P3D lab: Hams planning to visit the Orlando, Florida, area this 
    winter might enjoy seeing some Amateur Radio history in the making
    while 
    there. Visitors are welcome at the Phase 3D International Satellite 
    Integration Facility in Orlando. Hours are usually 9 AM to 6 PM on
    weekdays 
    and 11 AM to 5 PM on Saturdays. If you'd actually like to get a chance
    to 
    help make ham radio history, plan your visit for a Saturday, which is
    often 
    an organized volunteer day when the P3D lab has tasks for all skill
    levels. 
    So you might get a chance to actually lend a hand on the project. The
    P3D 
    lab is approximately two miles south of the Bee Line Toll road off
    Tradeport 
    Road (which runs along the western perimeter of Orlando International 
    Airport) at 4101 Lindy Circle, in the Free Trade Zone Building. For the
    next 
    few months, visitors can expect to see the actual Phase 3D spacecraft
    in its 
    clean-room facility, along with the full-size functional antenna
    mockup, 
    payload modules under test and development, the P3D spin-balance test 
    fixture and, of course, the P3D Lab staff! To avoid disappointment,
    call 
    ahead at 407-859-2344, to make sure someone will be there at the time
    you 
    plan to visit. For more information, contact Rick Leon, KA1RHL, e-mail 
    [email protected] or the Phase 3D Spacecraft Integration Facility,
    e-mail 
    [email protected] News Service
    
    * Hams donate community service time: Amateur Radio operators in the 
    Lincoln, Nebraska, area calculate they donated nearly 4700 hours of
    public 
    service to the Lincoln-Lancaster County community during 1996. Spring
    and 
    summer storm watches accounted for some 630 hours, while the remaining 
    4000-plus hours were spread out over two dozen events where hams were
    able 
    to make an important public service contribution.--Lincoln Amateur
    Radio 
    Club Inc
    
    * Providence RA celebrates 75th: The Providence (Rhode Island) Radio 
    Association, W1OP, celebrates its 75th anniversary of ARRL affiliation
    March 
    22, 1997, 6:30 PM, at the Airport Radisson Hotel, Warwick, Rhode
    Island. The 
    club seeks to honor all past members and officers at this milestone
    event. 
    The cost is $25 per person. Send reservation requests to Providence
    Radio 
    Association, 1 Ludlow St, Johnston, RI 02919. For more information,
    call 
    John Winman, KZ1K, 401, 944-1955 or Rick Rosen, K1DS, 401-272-5626;
    e-mail 
    [email protected].
    
    ===========================================================
    The ARRL Letter is published by the American Radio Relay League, 225
    Main 
    St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259. Rodney J. 
    Stafford, KB6ZV, President; David Sumner, K1ZZ, Executive Vice
    President.
    
    Circulation, Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO, e-mail [email protected].
    Editorial, Rick Lindquist, N1RL, e-mail [email protected].
    
    Visit the ARRLWeb page at http://www.arrl.org.
    
    The purpose of The ARRL Letter is to provide the essential news of
    interest 
    to active, organizationally minded radio amateurs faster than it can be 
    disseminated by our official journal, QST. We strive to be fast,
    accurate 
    and readable in our reporting.
    
    Material from The ARRL Letter may be reproduced in whole or in part, in
    any 
    form, including photoreproduction and electronic databanks, provided
    that 
    credit is given to The ARRL Letter and The American Radio Relay League.
    
    

    The ARRL Letter
    Vol. 16, No. 5
    January 31, 1997
    __________________________________
    
    Circulation/Address Changes: Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO, e-mail 
    [email protected].
    Editorial: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, e-mail [email protected].
    __________________________________
    
    IN THIS EDITION:
    
    * Add your voice to licensing restructure discussion!
    * Heard Island DXpedition tops QSO record
    * Linenger gets apprvals to operate from Mir
    * SimSat Project simulates satellites
    * Solar inertia
    * Don Lucas, W0OMI, SK
    * In Brief: Vanity refunds; Hams, CBers cooperate in search;
       Gulf Coast Ham Convention awards
    __________________________________
    
    ARRL MEMBERS ASKED TO COMMENT ON LICENSE RESTRUCTURING IDEAS
    
    ARRL members are being invited to add their ideas, comments and 
    recommendations to those of the ARRL WRC-99 Planning Committee, which
    has 
    suggested sweeping--and potentially controversial--changes to the
    Amateur 
    Radio licensing structure in the US. On the table for open discussion
    and 
    debate are proposals that include:
    
    * elimination of the Novice license
    * creation of a new Intermediate license to replace the Technician Plus
    * expanded HF privileges for Intermediate licensees, including phone on
    160, 
    75 and 15 meters
    * a 10-wpm General CW test (with more stringent testing standards for
    all CW 
    exams)
    * expanded phone privileges for General-class and higher licensees
    
    Details of the plan, discussed during the recent ARRL Board of
    Directors 
    meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, will appear in March QST. The Board
    says 
    it seeks comments from members to ensure that before any plan goes
    forward, 
    it enjoys broad support from the amateur community. The Board will not
    act 
    on the issue at least until its July meeting.
    
    After its research revealed that as many as three Novices in four are 
    inactive, the committee concluded that the Novice license is no longer 
    useful. Although the committee would end the Novice license, its plan 
    provides current Novices with an easy means to upgrade (via an
    open-book 
    test) to the new Intermediate class license, which would replace the
    current 
    Technician Plus. All present Tech Plus licensees would become
    Intermediate 
    licensees. The Basic license would supplant the Technician license--now
    the 
    hobby's most-popular entry-level ticket--with no changes in privileges.
    In 
    addition, the committee's plan would phase out the current Novice and
    Tech 
    Plus bands on 80, 40 and 15 meters, and replace them with new 
    Intermediate-class allocations. The committee's consensus plan for 
    Intermediate-class licensees calls for new CW bands on 80, 40 and 15
    meters 
    starting 25 kHz up from the lower band edge, digital and phone-band 
    privileges on 75 and 15 meters and a 50-kHz phone or CW segment at the
    top 
    end of 160 meters, plus expanded Novice and Tech Plus CW and phone 
    allocations on 10 meters.
    
    According to the proposal, Intermediate CW bands would be 3525 to 3700
    kHz, 
    7025 to 7050 kHz, 21025 to 21150 kHz and 28050 to 28300 kHz. Digital 
    operation was suggested for 3600 to 3625, 21100 to 21125 and 28100 to
    28189 
    kHz. Phone privileges would include 1950 to 2000, 3900 to 4000, 21350
    to 
    21450, SSB from 28300 to 28500 and FM from 29500 to 29700 kHz.
    Transmitter 
    power for Intermediate-class licensees would be limited to 200 W PEP
    output 
    (other licensees using these bands would not be limited to 200 W,
    however).
    
    General-class and higher amateurs also would benefit from the plan, if
    it's 
    adopted according to the committee's outlines. General-class hams would
    get 
    additional phone privileges 3800 to 3850, 7200 to 7225, and 21250 to
    21300 
    kHz; Advanced-class hams would add 3725 to 3775, 7125 to 7150 and 21175
    to 
    21225 kHz; Extra-class hams would also have 3700 to 3750, 7125 to 7150
    and 
    21150 to 21200 kHz.
    
    With the exception of 40 meters, where Novice and Tech Plus licensees 
    already have privileges, the committee suggested no changes on the
    hobby's 
    narrowest and most crowded bands--including 20 meters and the narrow
    WARC 
    bands at 30, 17 and 12 meters.
    
    The Intermediate CW test would be 5 words per minute (the same as the 
    current Tech Plus requirement), but the committee proposed that the
    General 
    class CW requirement be set at 10 wpm. There still would be no
    additional CW 
    exam for the Advanced ticket, nor would there be any change in the
    20-wpm 
    requirement for the Extra. Exams for all classes would include a return
    to a 
    sending test and the requirement for one minute of solid copy during a 
    five-minute test--instead of the current method that tests on the
    content of 
    the CW text.
    
    Right now, these major changes are only in the talking stage. "Let us
    be 
    very clear about this," said ARRL Executive Vice President David
    Sumner, 
    K1ZZ, who characterized the committee's proposals as a starting point
    for 
    discussion, not a done deal. "The changes are not ARRL policy; nothing
    has 
    been proposed to, or by, the FCC, and the ARRL Board is committed to
    making 
    no decision before its July 1997 meeting." Sumner said there is no
    timetable 
    to complete the process. Only after there is an opportunity for
    in-depth 
    consideration and discussion by the membership will the ARRL Board
    consider 
    taking the next step--to approach the FCC with a rulemaking proposal--a 
    process that automatically invites additional comments and suggestions.
    
    Between the time they receive March QST and May, members are asked to
    voice 
    their opinions on the committee's suggestions to their directors, whose 
    postal and e-mail addresses are listed on page 10 of QST. All
    suggestions 
    and comments--positive and negative--are welcome.
    
    VK0IR BREAKS DXPEDITION QSO RECORD! ARE YOU IN THE LOG?
    
    The VK0IR Heard Island DXpedition is one for the record books. The 
    DXpedition team left the island Wednesday, January 29, after racking up
    more 
    than 80,000 contacts--a new DXpedition record. The VK0IR team was
    scheduled 
    to leave Heard Island today (January 31), but rough weather and high
    winds 
    (combined with bone-chilling cold) forced an early shutdown. VK0IR hit
    the 
    bands running on January 14 and didn't stop until January 27--a few
    days 
    before the DXpedition's scheduled end. The result was excitement on a
    level 
    rarely seen among the Amateur Radio ranks. Most of the stations worked
    were 
    in Europe, the Eastern US and Japan. With 80,673 contacts in its
    logbooks, 
    the widely heralded Heard Island DXpedition appears to have topped the 
    previous record, held by the 1992 4J1FS DXpedition, which racked up
    nearly 
    74,500 QSOs in 15 days. (The ZA1A and 3Y0PI DXpeditions tallied 69,500
    and 
    60,000 contacts, respectively.)
    
    On its final weekend, the team began to dismantle some antennas prior
    to 
    going QRT. A special effort to give the "small pistols" a chance at
    putting 
    Heard Island into their logs took a back seat to operator safety and 
    equipment security, as the team awaited the arrival of the ship on
    January 
    28. Even so, many US operators with very modest stations enjoyed
    success. 
    One East Coast station reported working VK0IR on 20 meters with just
    4.5 W 
    output! The effort might be considered all the more remarkable because
    it 
    took place during the sunspot minimum.
    
    The Heard Island DXpedition was reputedly the largest, most-well
    organized 
    and--with a budget of some $320,000--the most expensive DXpedition
    ever. 
    Last fall, the ARRL Colvin Award Grants Committee authorized a grant of 
    $5000 for the Heard Island DXpedition.
    
    In a sense, the Internet--often thought of as "competition" for ham 
    radio--has been the medium that helped establish a sense of cohesion
    and 
    community during the VK0IR operation. The DXpedition has heavily
    employed 
    the Internet to promote the DXpedition and to spread the latest word
    from 
    Heard--a territory of Australia located in the South Indian Ocean. The 
    DXpedition's 'net presence also offered an opportunity for hams to get
    a 
    blow-by-blow account of the DXpedition and to post their comments,
    success 
    stories and gripes. News and pictures of the operation continue to
    appear in 
    The Heard Island Tribune, edited on-line by Don Greenbaum, N1DG,
    another of 
    the DXpedition pilots. John Devoldere, ON4UN, moderated the reflector
    and 
    issued daily postings about the individual operators, changes in
    frequencies 
    and tips on operating behavior, while the VK0IR home page offered
    additional 
    general information. Those who worked VK0IR (or thought they had) have
    used 
    the VK0IR home page to check the DXpedition's logs, which were
    forwarded via 
    pacsat to servers in the US and in Europe!
    
    An e-mail note received here at HQ from Jon Jones, N0JK, of Wichita,
    Kansas, 
    summed up the feelings of many grateful operators: "Thanks to the Heard
    ops, 
    pilot stations, ON4UN and all the other behind-the-scenes support cast
    for 
    bringing the magic back to Amateur Radio."
    
    The DXpedition team does plan a brief (one-night) stop at Kerguelen
    Island 
    on its return trip. It is not certain that any radio operation will
    take 
    place from Kerguelen, but if it does, Devoldere says it likely will be
    on 
    the low bands only, and mostly--if not exclusively--on CW.
    
    The QSL address for the VK0IR and the preceding TO0R operation from
    Reunion 
    Island is INDEXA, c/o W4FRU, Box 5127, Suffolk, VA 23435. QSLs for
    VK0IR and 
    TO0R should be mailed separately to avoid delays. For more information, 
    check the Heard Island home page at http://www.ccnet.com/~cordell/HI/.
    
    PERMISSION GRANTED FOR LINENGER TO HAM IT UP FROM MIR
    
    US ham-Astronaut Jerry Linenger, KC5HBR, has been granted permission
    for 
    general QSOs and scheduled school radio contacts with unlicensed
    students 
    and a control operator.
    
    Getting permission involved apprval by authorities in the US, Russia
    and 
    Germany. Miles Mann, WF1F, Director of Educational Services for the Mir 
    International Amateur Radio EXperiment (MIREX), and Dave Larsen, N6CO, 
    director of the MIREX board, signed an agreement on behalf of MIREX,
    while 
    Sergei Samburov, RV3DR, chief of the Cosmonaut Amateur Radio
    Department, 
    signed for the Mir Amateur Radio EXperiment (MAREX), and Joerg Hahn,
    DL3LUM, 
    international coordinator, signed for the German Space Amateur Funk 
    EXperiment (SAFEX) group, which provided the ham equipment aboard Mir.
    
    The FCC also has given apprval for Linenger (and for Astronaut Colin 
    "Michael" Foale, KC5UAC--who takes Linenger's place in May) for general
    QSOs 
    and third-party traffic with schools, family and friends. Linenger
    recently 
    arrived on Mir via STS-81.
    
    According to Mann, applications for US school QSOs with cosmonauts are 
    apprved by MIREX, based on specific guidelines, before being sent on to 
    Samburov and SAFEX. "The Mir crews  have busy work schedules, but our 
    guidelines allow us to arrange--months in advance--school QSOs during
    crew 
    off hours," he explained. The Cosmonaut Amateur Radio Department gives
    final 
    apprval for all QSOs and reserves the right to cancel at any time.
    Mir's 
    daily experiments always have first priority over ham radio.
    
    Because Mir crews now include a US astronaut, SAREX and MIREX have
    begun to 
    work together. Currently the SAREX program has about 80 schools on its 
    waiting list. To get a Mir school QSO application, send a
    self-addressed, 
    stamped envelope to Educational Activities Department, ARRL, 225 Main
    St, 
    Newington CT 06111.
    
    A word on random QSOs with the Mir space station: Mir crews make random 
    voice QSOs only during off hours. Do not ask the crew to schedule QSOs,
    as 
    they do not have the long-term calendar. The 2-meter Mir frequencies 
    recently were changed: The uplink frequency is 145.200 MHz and the
    downlink 
    is 145.800 MHz. This change resulted from a recommendation from ITU
    Region 1 
    (Europe). Please do not ask the crew about it, as the crew does not set 
    policy on frequencies.--Rosalie White, WA1STO
    
    SIMSAT PROJECT PROVIDES ENTREE TO SPACE
    
    Satellites without rockets. That's one way of describing The Simulated 
    Satellite (SimSat) project at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, an 
    education outreach activity developed by Patrick Kilroy, WD8LAQ, an
    engineer 
    in the Special Payloads Division. Using a small high-altitude weather 
    balloon and Amateur Radio for tracking, SimSat lets students fly
    experiments 
    to altitudes of 60,000 feet and beyond. The project simulates many of
    the 
    practices and remote-observation challenges inherent in working with 
    satellites, and it offers a unique, hands-on experience for students 
    elementary and secondary earth-science, physical science, physics and 
    aerospace programs. The experiences gained can be valuable stepping
    stones 
    into amateur satellites and even future career choices.
    
    SimSat is being developed as an educational and community-outreach
    program. 
    The growing SimSat volunteer group in the Washington, DC area is
    comprised 
    of AMSAT members, teachers, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center workers, 
    community business people, sponsors, parents, hams and others.
    
    For more information, visit the new SimSat home page at 
    http://garc.gsfc.nasa.gov/~simsat/simsat.html on the Web. Hams can 
    participate in SimSat activities through the AMSAT-DC communications 
    channel, [email protected]. To subscribe, send an e-mail message with
    a 
    "subscribe" request to Paul Williamson, KB5MU, at [email protected]. 
    Subscribers are encouraged to include their call signs (if  any), plus 
    e-mail address and the name of the mailing list, AMSAT-DC.--AMSAT News 
    Service/Pat Kilroy, WD8LAQ
    
    SOLAR INERTIA
    
    Solar seer Tad Cook, KT7H, in Seattle, Washington, reports: This week's 
    bulletin is really the same as last week's. There is just no solar
    cycle 
    progress to report. Solar flux is still in the low 70s and is expected
    to 
    remain that way over the next month. Of course, this forecast of low 
    activity is based upon the previous solar rotation, so it only means
    that 
    there has been no activity over the past month that we can use to
    predict 
    additional effects when it rotates into view again.
    
    There was a geomagnetic disturbance last week, with the maximum effect
    on 
    January 28, when the K indices went as high as five and the planetary A 
    index was 21. Based on this we could see some unsettled conditions
    again 
    around February 23. The lack of sunspots has been disappointing. Most 
    observers expected more activity out of the next solar cycle by now,
    but 
    this is only based upon activity over previous cycles, so all we can do
    is 
    wait.
    
    Sunspot numbers for January 23 through 29 were 0, 12, 11, 12, 11, 11
    and 16, 
    respectively, with a mean of 10.4. The 10.7 cm-flux was 73.4, 74.2,
    73.1, 
    74.1, 73.5, 72.9 and 74.6, respectively, with a mean of 73.7. Estimated 
    planetary A indices for the same period were 3, 3, 6, 13, 13, 21, and
    8, 
    respectively, with a mean of 9.6.
    
    DONALD L. LUCAS, W0OMI, SK
    
    Don Lucas, W0OMI, of Boulder, Colorado, died January 15, 1997, after a 
    period of failing health. He was 68. Lucas was among the group of
    scientists 
    who developed the IONCAP HF propagation program for the US government,
    and 
    was the guiding light behind the development of CAPMAN, a
    "ham-friendly" 
    descendant of IONCAP. He was a pioneer in computerized propagation 
    applications and an author of many publications of the Institute for 
    Telecommunication Sciences. More recently, he was associated with Lucas 
    Consulting. A former US Navy radio operator, he was an active amateur, 
    particularly on 160 meters. His wife, Patricia, and four children 
    survive.--Jim Headrick, W3CP; Dean Straw, N6BV
    __________________________________
    
    IN BRIEF:
    
    * Vanity refunds: Vanity refunds from unsuccessful first-day Gate 2
    filers 
    (processed on November 4, 1996) have begun to arrive in mailboxes.
    Refund 
    checks are being mailed from the US Treasury in San Francisco. Those
    whose 
    vanity applications have been dismissed by the FCC because their call
    sign 
    choices had already been assigned must apply in writing for a refund of
    the 
    $30 application fee.
    
    * Hams, CBers cooperate in search: Some three dozen radio 
    operators--primarily from the amateur and CB ranks--cooperated early
    this 
    month as part of a massive, but unsuccessful, search for a missing
    woman in 
    Bexar County, Texas. Four ham clubs were represented, plus two REACT
    Teams, 
    a volunteer fire department and some individual CBers. Command posts
    located 
    20 miles apart were able to use the same repeater, so searchers were
    able to 
    communicate using 2-meter HTs. Meanwhile, the pilot of an ultra-light
    plane 
    used CB channel 14 to communicate to a roving command vehicle driven by 
    KK5ZP, who had both CB and amateur capabilities. Radio clubs involved
    in the 
    search--which crossed many former "turf" barriers--included the Alamo
    Area 
    Radio Organization, Radio Operators of South Texas, San Antonio
    Repeater 
    Organization and San Antonio Radio Club. The REACT Teams were Bexar
    County 
    REACT #4950 and Comal County REACT #4804.--Lee W. Besing, N5NTG
    
    * Gulf Coast Ham Convention awards: The Gulf Coast Ham Convention hopes
    to 
    issue awards in three categories at the 1997 Science Engineering Fair
    of 
    Houston on April 5, 1997. The purpose of the award is to promote
    Amateur 
    Radio and the advancement of the hobby through experimentation and 
    implementation of different modes of communication. There will be one
    award 
    in each of the three divisions (Junior, Ninth Grade and Senior)
    consisting 
    of a plaque, a calculator and admission to the 1997 Gulf Coast Ham 
    Convention on October 17-19, 1997, for the winner and his or her
    family. 
    Winning projects must be related to communication (such as HF, VHF,
    UHF, 
    microwave, laser, amateur TV or satellite). To be considered for the
    award, 
    the entrant must have an FCC Amateur Radio license. If no licensed
    amateur 
    displays a project in a division, that award will not be given. The
    Gulf 
    Coast Ham Convention Inc. promotes a convention in Houston every year.
    For 
    more information, set your browser to http://www.clarc.org/~gchc or
    contact: 
    Bruce Paige, KK5DO, vice president, Gulf Coast Ham Convention Inc, tel 
    281-933-8385, ext 201.
    
    ===========================================================
    The ARRL Letter is published by the American Radio Relay League, 225
    Main 
    St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259. Rodney J. 
    Stafford, KB6ZV, President; David Sumner, K1ZZ, Executive Vice
    President.
    
    Circulation, Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO, e-mail [email protected].
    Editorial, Rick Lindquist, N1RL, e-mail [email protected].
    
    Visit the ARRLWeb page at http://www.arrl.org.
    
    The purpose of The ARRL Letter is to provide the essential news of
    interest 
    to active, organizationally minded radio amateurs faster than it can be 
    disseminated by our official journal, QST. We strive to be fast,
    accurate 
    and readable in our reporting.
    
    Material from The ARRL Letter may be reproduced in whole or in part, in
    any 
    form, including photoreproduction and electronic databanks, provided
    that 
    credit is given to The ARRL Letter and The American Radio Relay League.
    
    

    
    
    The ARRL Letter
    Vol. 16, No. 6
    February 7, 1997
    __________________________________
    
    ==>Circulation/Address Changes: Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO, e-mail 
    [email protected].
    ==>Editorial: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, e-mail [email protected].
    __________________________________
    
    IN THIS EDITION:
    
    * Hams gain ground in Little LEOs battle
    * YLRL founder Ethel Smith, K4LMB, SK
    * Vanity update
    * Ham-entrepreneur gives $35 million to university
    * Tuscaloosa tornado
    * Hams asked to contribute to DGPS study
    * Solar report
    * In Brief: This weekend on the radio;
       Idaho hams help flood victims; Copy this
       weak signal and WIN $100!; Ham named to
       board; Au revoir, CW!
    __________________________________
    
    AMATEUR RADIO GAINS GROUND IN LITTLE LEOS BATTLE
    
    As the fight continues to prevent hams from having to share 2 meters
    and 70 
    cm with the Low-Earth-Orbiting satellite industry, changes favorable to 
    Amateur Radio have been incorporated in a draft report that will
    eventually 
    go to the FCC. While the Little LEO industry persists in its efforts to 
    secure a foothold on both bands, it seems to have turned its sights
    away 
    from 144 to 146 MHz in favor of 146 to 148-MHz, which is not an amateur 
    allocation in Region 1. But, most significant was the addition of eight 
    words--at the ARRL's request--to a draft report section dealing with
    sharing 
    with the Amateur Radio: "Any consideration of sharing would require
    further 
    study." AMSAT supported the League in requesting the changes.
    
    The latest draft also now states, "The diverse nature of the Amateur
    Service 
    characteristics makes sharing difficult, but it has not yet been 
    demonstrated to be impossible." The Informal Working Group-2A (IWG-2A) 
    approved the changes at its January 21 meeting in Washington, DC. An
    earlier 
    draft of the same section had called sharing "difficult, but not
    impossible" 
    and claimed that studies had not considered certain sharing techniques 
    discussed elsewhere in the report. The ARRL objected on the grounds
    that its 
    study had taken some of the sharing techniques into account.
    
    In this section of the report, the Little LEO industry also backed away
    from 
    references that cited Resolution 640 (an ITU radio regulation that
    involves 
    the use of specific bands on an emergency basis) as a way to leverage
    access 
    to 430 to 440 MHz and 146 to 148 MHz in Regions 2 and 3, where that
    2-meter 
    band segment is an exclusive amateur allocation.
    
    It's expected that when the FCC's WRC-97 Industry Advisory Committee
    (IAC) 
    meets March 5, it will adopt the sharing section of the report (Section 
    4.12) as part of its report.
    
    With the possible exception of 144 to 146 MHz, Amateur Radio still is
    not 
    out of the woods, however. Another paper still under consideration in 
    IWG-2A--submitted by a Little LEO consultant at the January 21 
    meeting--proposes little LEO sharing in several bands, including 146 to
    148 
    and 430 to 450 MHz in those parts of the world where the Amateur
    Service is 
    not primary (which, in the case of 430 to 450 MHz, includes the US),
    with 
    provisions for emergency use elsewhere.
    
    The ARRL objects to these proposals, noting that they are inconsistent
    with 
    the report language that's already been agreed upon. The US Department
    of 
    Defense objects to little LEO allocations at 430 to 450 MHz, where 
    radiolocation (radar) is primary. Military radar and Amateur Radio 
    operations have a long record of coexistence that would be upset by the 
    introduction of a new satellite service.
    
    Two Little LEO representatives on IWG-2A declined to lend their names
    to the 
    most recent proposals, which were submitted in the names of CTA, E-SAT, 
    Final Analysis, GE Starsys and VITA--all players in the Little LEO
    effort.
    
    Any papers on which agreement cannot be reached within IWG-2A will not
    be 
    included in the body of its report, but will be included in an annex
    along 
    with opposing comments. At future IWG-2A meetings, the ARRL will
    continue to 
    protest the inclusion in this paper of the 146 to 148 and 430 to
    450-MHz 
    bands.
    
    YLRL FOUNDER ETHEL SMITH, K4LMB, SK
    
    Ethel Smith, K4LMB, of McLean, Virginia--who inspired and helped found
    the 
    Young Ladies Radio League (YLRL)--died February 5. She was 79. In
    accordance 
    with her wishes, no services are scheduled.
    
    A ham for more than 60 years, Smith--a Wenatchee, Washington, 
    native--discovered "wireless" as a youngster and became licensed as
    W7FWB in 
    1936. A story in QST for May 1940 outlines how Smith's letter to QST 
    encouraged other female hams to form their own organization, which
    became 
    the YLRL in October 1939 (with Ethel Smith as its first president). Her 
    stints with the Army and Navy during World War II led to an offer from
    the 
    Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC, in 1945 (she joined the
    Naval 
    Reserve in 1950 and remained an active reservist for 10 years). Smith
    also 
    participated in the formation of the Foundation for Amateur Radio (FAR)
    in 
    1957. Around that same time, she met and married the late John "Tex" De 
    Bardeleben, W4TE (ex-W3CN), who was with the FCC. The couple set up 
    housekeeping in Virginia, and she later served as the Virginia SEC
    (1966-69) 
    and as an ARRL assistant director under four different Roanoke Division 
    directors. Last August, six months after her 79th birthday, she
    celebrated 
    her six decades in Amateur Radio by passing the Extra Class
    examination.
    
    In addition to being a member of ARRL, Ethel Smith was a member of
    QCWA, 
    served as its executive secretary and general manager in 1974-75, and
    was 
    elected to the QCWA board of directors. Her other recognitions include:
    Ham 
    of the Year, Washington, DC, Mobile Radio Club (1965); ARRL Roanoke
    Division 
    Service Award (1972); Dayton Hamvention Special Achievement Award
    (1984); 
    QCWA Roll of Honor (1987); Radio Club of America Fellow (1988); and 
    Foundation for Amateur Radio Ham of the Year (1993).
    
    In an article in last fall's QCWA Journal celebrating Smith's 60 years
    in 
    the hobby, she was quoted as saying: "Amateur Radio is still the main
    focus 
    of my life. It has brought me all the good things that ever happened to
    me. 
    It gave me a challenging and rewarding career. It gave me a wonderful 
    husband and the greatest collection of friends in the world--all over
    the 
    world. I owe more to Amateur Radio than I can ever possibly repay." The 
    quarterly featured a front-cover picture of Smith in her W7FWB shack.
    The 
    QCWA has put $500 into its scholarship fund in memory of Ethel Smith.
    
    ARRL Executive Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ, expressed sorrow at 
    Smith's passing, calling her "a leading light in the ham community."
    Sumner 
    said that she "never stopped contributing, learning, and growing. I
    don't 
    think it ever would have occurred to her that she should."
    
    VANITY CALL SIGN PROCESSING STILL ON HOLD
    
    Vanity call sign processing apparently will remain on hold for a while 
    longer as the FCC's Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, office continues to deal
    with 
    a backlog of vanity applications that required special handling--the 
    so-called WIPS (work in process) stack. As of February 6, WIPS was 
    backlogged to mid-November. An FCC spokesman said the FCC will process 
    vanity applications received in December, January and February--in
    parts or 
    all at once--after it has completed work on the WIPS backlog. The FCC
    has 
    not processed any vanity call sign applications since mid-December, but
    some 
    new call signs have trickled out over the past several weeks as the FCC 
    resolved issues on WIPS applications. The last applications processed
    were 
    received by the FCC prior to December 1, 1996.
    
    Although vanity Gate 2 opened in late September, the program remains 
    popular, and vanity call sign applications continue to pour into
    Gettysburg 
    office. During January, Gettysburg got 945 applications, 479 on paper
    and 
    466 filed electronically.
    
    The FCC has not said when Gate 3 will open.
    
    HAM-ENTREPRENEUR GIVES $35 MILLION TO USC
    
    California businessman Gordon S. Marshall, W6RR--who credits ham radio
    for 
    sparking his interest in electronics--is donating $35 million to the 
    University of Southern California's School of Business. Marshall, 77, 
    graduated from USC after World War II service as a bomber pilot.
    Marshall 
    founded Marshall Industries in El Monte, California, in the 1950s and
    went 
    on to make his fortune as one of the country's largest distributors of 
    electronic components. In recognition of Marshall's largesse, USC has 
    renamed the business school after him. The donation is the
    second-largest 
    ever made to USC. The school says some of the money will go toward new 
    programs, including one that will send all 258 first-year MBA students
    to 
    study abroad.--Los Angeles Times (tnx to Stanly Savage, W6ABN)
    
    TUSCALOOSA TORNADO
    
    Ham radio was a vital link when a tornado hit Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on 
    January 24. The National Weather Service put out a call for radio
    amateurs 
    to help relay storm reports. From the Mississippi border on the west to 
    Georgia on the east, spotter groups throughout the state activated and 
    filled various frequencies with emergency information. In central
    Alabama, 
    large hail was widespread. Amateurs relayed dozens of reports of hail,
    up to 
    golf-ball size. In West Alabama, a tornado slammed into Tuscaloosa
    shortly 
    after 5 PM, killing one person and causing extensive damage. Hams
    stayed on 
    the job from mid-afternoon until nearly midnight, running Skywarn nets
    and 
    assisting with damage reports. Other hams helped with Red Cross
    disaster 
    relief and emergency management operations. At one point, more than
    half a 
    dozen Alabama counties were under tornado or severe thunderstorm
    warnings at 
    the same time. Hams stayed on alert overnight to provide important 
    information on the severe weather in the area.--Amateur Radio Newsline
    
    HAMS USING APRS AND GPS ASKED TO CONTRIBUTE TO DGPS STUDY
    
    Hams involved with APRS and GPS are being asked to contribute to a
    federal 
    study into the benefits of establishing a national differential global 
    positioning system (DGPS) radio beacon service. The US Coast Guard and
    the 
    US Army Corps of Engineers already provide (or soon will provide) DGPS 
    signals in coastal areas and along navigable waterways. Terrestrial
    DGPS 
    signals--in the 285 to 325 kHz spectrum--complement satellite GPS data
    by 
    increasing their accuracy. Ted Pugh of PB Farradyne Inc, which is
    studying 
    the benefits and feasibility of setting up an inland DGPS system, wants
    to 
    hear from the amateur community about its use of GPS and APRS in public 
    safety applications, and how DGPS might help. "We are interested in any 
    public benefit you or your organization might identify for such an 
    undertaking--especially as it may relate to public safety or public 
    betterment applications," said Pugh in a letter to ARRL HQ.
    
    Pugh estimated that  nationwide, no-cost DGPS service could be in place
    by 
    2001. Comments may be sent to John F. "Ted" Pugh at
    [email protected].
    
    SOLAR ACTIVITY UP A BIT
    
    Solar forecaster Tad Cook, KT7H, in Seattle, Washington, reports: Solar 
    activity rose a bit this week, but only slightly, with the solar flux
    above 
    the 90 day average of 77 for three days. Average sunspot numbers were
    almost 
    three times the average of the previous week.
    
    Geomagnetic activity was slightly lower. The geomagnetic field became 
    disturbed a couple of days before this reporting period (on January 28) 
    because of a high-speed solar windstream from a coronal hole on the
    Sun. 
    This caused a geomagnetic storm, more pronounced at higher latitudes,
    which 
    resulted in the usual absorption of signals and poor conditions. There
    is a 
    possibility for some slightly unsettled geomagnetic conditions over the
    next 
    few days, and again, but a bit more severe around February 22-24. Solar
    flux 
    is expected to drop down to the lower or mid-70s until February 21,
    when it 
    is expected to rise again, going above 80 after March 1.
    
    Sunspot numbers for January 30 through February 5 were 15, 13, 14, 36,
    45, 
    44 and 33, respectively, with a mean of 28.6. The 10.7-cm flux was
    73.6, 
    72.4, 71.3, 78.4, 79.6, 80.7 and 75.3, respectively, with a mean of
    75.9. 
    Estimated planetary A indices for the same period were 11, 8, 6, 10, 7,
    5, 
    and 7, respectively, with a mean of 7.7.
    
    Here are a couple of path projections for this week, from California to 
    Japan and from Ohio to Europe. From California to Japan, check 80
    meters 
    from 0730 to 1530 UTC, 40 meters from 0630 to 1700 UTC, 30 meters
    around 
    0430, 1230, and 1600 to 1900 UTC, and 20 meters from 2200 to 0130 UTC.
    The 
    17-meter band should be good from 2230 to 0030 UTC, and 15 meters
    around 
    2300 UTC. From Ohio to Europe, check 80 meters from 2200 to 0800 UTC,
    40 
    meters from 2100 to 0100 UTC and from 0530 to 0900 UTC, 30 meters from
    1400 
    to 1830 UTC and around 2000 UTC, and 20 meters from 1530 to 1730 UTC.
    
    __________________________________
    
    IN BRIEF:
    
    * This weekend on the radio: North American Sprint, CW, 0000 to 0400
    UTC 
    February 9; QCWA Golden Anniversary QSO Party, 1400 UTC February 8 to
    0600 
    UTC February 10; IDRA World Wide RTTY WPX Contest, 0000 February 8 to
    2400 
    UTC February 9. See February QST, page 103 for details.
    
    * Idaho hams help flood victims: Fruitland, Idaho, police officer
    Stephanie 
    Steele, KC7DBA, directed traffic in Payette, Idaho, January 11, but not
    for 
    the reasons that usually place her in that role. This time, Steele--the 
    president of Treasure Valley Radio Association in Fruitland--was
    directing a 
    line of pickup trucks into position on a recently flooded street, where
    she 
    and other hams had gathered to help clean up the homes of flood 
    victims--among them, club members Jim and Leora Johnson, W7TYG and
    KB7WFI, 
    respectively, and Lewis Moberly, N7IFE. Steele conceived and directed
    the 
    work party, which involved some two dozen ham volunteers. Flooding of
    the 
    Payette River ravaged several neighborhoods during early
    January.--Treasure 
    Valley Radio Association
    
    * Copy this weak signal and WIN $100! A nonham has become the first
    winner 
    of the Mike Cook, AF9Y, weak-signal challenge. Gary Huntress, an
    electrical 
    engineer at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, Rhode Island, 
    deciphered the call sign of the very weak EME signal calling AF9Y from
    a 
    60-second .wav file that Cook has had posted on his Web page, 
    http://www.webcom.com/af9y/ for the past couple of years. In addition
    to the 
    $100 prize, Huntress also got a free copy of Cook's FFTDSP42 program. 
    Huntress has agreed to keep the identity of the calling station a
    mystery so 
    the contest can continue. Cook says he'll award another $100 to the
    second 
    successful identification of the station.
    
    * Ham named to board: President Clinton has named Alberto A. Sagues,
    KA4MTO, 
    of Lutz, Florida, as a member of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review
    Board. 
    Sagues, 50, is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at
    the 
    University of South Florida.
    
    * Au revoir, CW! French maritime radio authorities phased out the use
    of 
    Morse code on January 31, after 93 years, in favor of newer technology.
    The 
    US Coast Guard abandoned CW two years ago.--Press reports (tnx to
    George 
    Chaet, W1RGH)
    
    ===========================================================
    The ARRL Letter is published by the American Radio Relay League, 225
    Main 
    St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259. Rodney J. 
    Stafford, KB6ZV, President; David Sumner, K1ZZ, Executive Vice
    President.
    
    Circulation, Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO, e-mail [email protected].
    Editorial, Rick Lindquist, N1RL, e-mail [email protected].
    
    Visit the ARRLWeb page at http://www.arrl.org.
    
    The purpose of The ARRL Letter is to provide the essential news of
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    credit is given to The ARRL Letter and The American Radio Relay League.