*************** The ARRL Letter Vol. 22, No. 38 September 26, 2003 *************** IN THIS EDITION: * +ARRL rebukes Commissioner's "Broadband Nirvana" comments * +Ham radio enforcement "the Riley way" marks fifth anniversary * +ARISS chalks up its 115th school group contact * +Kind words for Amateur Radio hurricane assistance * +Morse petitions' comment deadline is September 29 * +Digital Communications Conference 2003 gives a glimpse of the future * +Rohn files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy * Solar Update * IN BRIEF: This weekend on the radio Reputed "oldest ham in the US" turns 103 New ARRL Section Manager named in Idaho Shooting for the moon yields first-ever US-Czech Republic EME QSO on 24-GHz EarthLink delay to ARRL E-Mail Forwarding Service addressees continues ARRL Foundation Scholarships available for application starting October 1 +Available on ARRL Audio News =========================================================== ==>ARRL REBUKES FCC COMMISSIONER'S "BROADBAND NIRVANA" REMARKS The ARRL has strongly objected to FCC Commissioner Kathleen Q. Abernathy's suggestion that Broadband over Power Line (BPL) technology will contribute to what she described as "broadband Nirvana." Addressing the United Powerline Council's annual conference September 22 in Arlington, Virginia, Abernathy expressed unabashed enthusiasm for BPL and recommended a combination of regulatory restraint and the elimination or substantial modification of existing rules as steps along the "path to Enlightenment," as she put it. In a terse response faxed September 25 on behalf of the League's 155,000 members, ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, asserted that Abernathy overlooked some significant issues in her Nirvana analogy. "Nightmare is more like it," Sumner declared. "The technical showings submitted by the ARRL and others in response to the Commission's Notice of Inquiry (NOI) in ET Docket No. 03-104 clearly establish that BPL is a significant source of radio spectrum pollution. It cannot be implemented without causing harmful interference to over-the-air radio services." Sumner told Abernathy that while BPL industry groups, such as the one she addressed this week, prefer to deny the evidence, the FCC is obliged to work to a higher standard. In its comments in response to the FCC NOI, the League characterized BPL as "a Pandora's Box of unprecedented proportions" and said the Commission's Part 15 rules "should be modified so as to prevent interference to users of the HF and low VHF spectrum" from the outset. Abernathy's speech, "Reaching Broadband Nirvana," never broached the topic of BPL's potential to interfere with other radio services. Recently, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) <http://www.ntia.doc.gov/>--which regulates spectrum allocated to federal government users--expressed "broad concerns" about interference to government users and launched an extensive modeling, analysis and measurement program for BPL. In his letter, Sumner reminded Abernathy that the radio spectrum is a precious natural resource. "To squander that resource simply to add a redundant, unnecessary, and relatively poorly performing 'last mile' connection for consumers, is unconscionable," he said. Sumner expressed the hope that Abernathy will give the League an early opportunity to explain its BPL concerns to her in person. In her remarks to the UPLC gathering, Abernathy contended that it's been regulatory restraint rather than heavy-handed regulation that has allowed nascent platforms such as direct broadcast satellite (DBS) to become competitively viable. "When the Commission completes this rulemaking," she said, "I expect that we will eliminate many existing rules and substantially modify others; the central question is the degree of regulation that will remain during the transition to a more robustly competitive market." Individuals may e-mail Abernathy via her FCC Web site <http://www.fcc.gov/commissioners/abernathy/mail.html> or directly <kabernat@fcc.gov>. The text of her prepared remarks also is available on the FCC Web site <http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-239079A1.doc>. The League's initial 120-page package of comments and technical exhibits <http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/et03-104/> and its reply comments <http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/et03-104/reply-comments-index.htm l> are available on the ARRL Web site. Additional information and BPL video clips are on the ARRL "Power Line Communications (PLC) and Amateur Radio" page <http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/>. To support the League's efforts in this area, visit the ARRL's secure BPL Web site <https://www.arrl.org/forms/development/donations/bpl/>. To date, more than 4600 comments--many from the Amateur Radio community--have been filed in response to the FCC's BPL NOI. They are available for viewing via the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) <http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/>. ==>AMATEUR RADIO ENFORCEMENT "THE RILEY WAY" MARKS FIVE YEARS Close to 1000 Amateur Radio enforcement cases have crossed his desk since Riley Hollingsworth was tapped five years ago to resurrect the FCC's Amateur Radio enforcement efforts. That doesn't include countless ham radio "situations" he's resolved through informal counseling on the telephone or through an exchange of e-mails. At the time he took the job in the fall of 1998, Hollingsworth--whose official title is Special Counsel for Enforcement--called it "a new day for Amateur Radio" after years of amateur enforcement neglect on the Commission's part. As he sees things today, rules compliance and on-air behavior have improved since the new sheriff rode into town, but there's still lots to do. "I'm fairly satisfied with the progress that we've made in five years," Hollingsworth said in modest acknowledgment of the milestone, "but I think we need at least five more years of this type--of this level--of enforcement, because the bands have quite a long way to go. It's no time to rest." Five years ago, Hollingsworth began with a "top-10" list of alleged high-profile Amateur Radio offenders. By and large, he's slowly--and most would say successfully--worked his way to the point that many of today's cases appear comparatively mundane. But they get the same level of attention. "The biggest problem we have now, I think, stems from conduct-type problems--lack of courtesy, taking serious offense and reacting to what is perceived as deliberate interference," Hollingsworth said this week. "Ninety percent of the interference that's reported to me is not deliberate." As he regards all enforcement cases, the remaining 10 percent are "serious." "I think a lot of the 'radio rage' has subsided, but I wish that people would be a little more aware of just how valuable Amateur Radio is and how they sound on the air," said Hollingsworth. That's a message he's repeated often on the hamfest circuit. "Maintenance mode" is a goal he'd like to see enforcement achieve. Hollingsworth explained that's when the number of enforcement cases is perceived to be in balance with the number of licensees. "I don't think we're there yet in the Amateur Service, but I think that we can get there," he said. Hollingsworth credits the amateur community's desire for strong, even stern, enforcement for his program's success. "Probably 99 percent of the reason it's worked is everybody wants it," he said. "In this service they plead for enforcement. In every other service, they don't want to see you coming." This attitude, he believes, stems from a sincere desire by licensees to keep Amateur Radio a self-policing service. He counts keeping the support of the amateur community among his major accomplishments. Looking out on the Amateur Radio enforcement horizon, Hollingsworth said he'll "keep pedaling" and chipping away at the enforcement workload. He'll also continue to look to the assistance and cooperation of his fellow radio amateurs, whom he called "just good people." Amateurs "have got to stick together and cooperate and stay away from the infighting because they've got some very serious external threats," Hollingsworth said, citing BPL as just one example. "To the extent that they're not rowing together, it makes those threats more dangerous." In his many public appearances--including several at Hamvention--Hollingsworth has stayed "on message" over the five years of his amateur enforcement tenure. "I just want everyone to realize what they have," he said. "We have incredible frequencies, power, modes, and so forth." He said a realization of the value of Amateur Radio itself is a deterrent to potential rule breakers, but he said Amateur Radio enforcement is "permanently ensconced" at the FCC. While he's had some very interesting assignments and enjoyed nearly every day of his tenure with the FCC, he says the past five years have been the highlight of his 30-year FCC career. "My greatest satisfaction is thinking that I may have paid back a debt," said Hollingsworth, who's been licensed since age 13. "It's the most rewarding thing I've ever done with the Commission." ==>HAWAII SCHOOL CONTACT MARKS 115TH ARISS QSO Students from second grade through high school at Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii, quizzed NASA International Space Station Science Officer Ed Lu, KC5WKJ, on September 15 about how he's faring aboard the ISS. The early morning contact between NA1SS on the ISS and WH6PN in Honolulu marked the 115th Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) school group contact. Lu told the students that living in space makes him appreciate life on Earth. "One of the things about living in space is it makes you appreciate the things you have on the ground," Lu said, "a lot of little things that you never think about--for instance, we don't take showers up here." The other side of the coin, though is being able to see how beautiful Earth looks from space, Lu added. In response to a later question, Lu noted that living in space is not as isolating as it once was, since the crew now has access to e-mail and telephone. Lu and Expedition 7 crew commander Yuri Malenchenko, RK3DUP, will return to Earth in October after having been aboard the ISS since April. Malenchenko and Lu became the first primary ISS crew to travel to the ISS via a Russian Soyuz TMA-2 spacecraft instead of arriving on a US space shuttle. With NASA's shuttle fleet still grounded, the crew will return on a Soyuz vehicle as well. Astronaut Mike Foale, KB5UAC, <http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/foale.html> and cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri, U8MIR <http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/kaleri-ay.html>--both veterans of the Russian Mir space station--have been named as the ISS Expedition 8 crew. In responding to another question, Lu pointed out that ISS crews are quarantined for about a week before launch, in part to make sure they are not sick or coming down with something. But the quarantine period also provides some needed quiet time, "to keep you away from all of the hullabaloo that surrounds the launch," he said. "At that point you just need to study and prepare and think about your mission and get ready." Without the quarantine period, he said, "you wouldn't have any time to yourself." "Aloha to everybody down there!" Lu said in wrapping up the contact. He said he hoped to visit Hawaii and possibly the school within the next year. Punahou School science center co-director Gail Peiterson said the questions asked were a representative sample chosen through a student competition. Handling Earth station duties for the contact was Nancy Rocheleau, WH6PN, who operated from the Sacred Heart Academy station. ARISS School Contact Coordinator Tim Bosma, W6ISS, moderated the contact. Two-way audio for the QSO was provided by an MCI-WorldCom teleconferencing link. ARISS <http://www.rac.ca/ariss/> is an international project with support from ARRL, NASA and AMSAT. ==>RED CROSS UNIT COMPLIMENTS AMATEUR RADIO ASSISTANCE DURING ISABEL Amateur Radio assistance in the Hurricane Isabel relief and recovery stage has continued this week in the Southeast. Ham radio's role has drawn compliments from the American Red Cross of Central Maryland, which praised the amateurs' dedication. "I want to thank the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and the amateur radio community for coming out and supporting the American Red Cross over the critical 72 hours when Hurricane Isabel passed over Maryland," said Frank M. Eilbacher, KC0EKL, a Red Cross disaster communications lead. "We recognize you took time away from your families and, for some of you, your own personal disasters to support us." During the storm's peak on September 18, Eilbacher said, electrical power and telecommunication problems abounded, but ham radio operators "filled the gap providing a crucial communication link between Red Cross chapters and shelter locations." Amateurs in the storm-struck region staffed state and county emergency operating centers and shelters, as well as the Maryland/Delaware American Red Cross Hurricane Watch Center. The Salvation Army also has responded to affected areas including North Carolina, where Hurricane Isabel came ashore September 18. Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) volunteer Carlos Varon, K2LCV, from Flushing, New York, this week accompanied two Salvation Army canteen units from New York City to Morehead City, encountering heavy rain and wind on the way. Varon, who took along his "orange box" portable ham station, reports the Salvation Army has been operating up to a half dozen field canteens. Carteret County Emergency Coordinator Rich Wright, KR4NU, and his ARES team have been supporting the SATERN operation. Operators were deployed this week to provide communication between the canteens and the local command post. Plans call for expanding the operation to shadows some Salvation Army officers. Varon has been working out of a Salvation Army warehouse facility, expediting the deployment of necessities bound for storm victims. The Salvation Army is providing relief to affected residents and emergency response workers in North Carolina, Washington, DC, and Baltimore, Maryland, as well as in smaller communities. Earlier this week, ARRL North Carolina Section Manager John Covington, W4CC, reported that some ARES teams were providing communication support for localities--most in the hard-hit northeastern portion of the state--that still lacked power and telephone service. Covington said hams established point-to-point communication between shelters and emergency operations centers in affected counties. In one community, hams helped a fire dispatch center that lost its antennas in the storm. In keeping with the Boy Scout motto, "Be prepared," Venturing Crew 80 of Alexandria--in Northern Virginia just outside Washington, DC--responded to requests for assistance from the Alexandria EOC and Fairfax ARES as Hurricane Isabel approached. The crew specializes in emergency communication and first aid and counts several ARES members among its membership and leadership. Some of the scouts remained on duty for several days. Venture Crew members helped support communication at the Alexandria and Fairfax EOCs, at the Alexandria American Red Cross chapter house and at Red Cross shelters in both communities. While distributing bulk bottled water to homes lacking running water, crew volunteers got to meet Virginia Gov Mark Warner, who was visiting a shelter to thank volunteers. Members of the Mount Vernon Amateur Radio Club and the Alexandria Radio Club also provided communications support to Alexandria and Fairfax operations. Repeaters operated by both clubs were used during the emergency response. "Things are still messy down here, and some of us are still recovering," said Bill Stewart, W2BSA, a Venture Crew 80 chartered organization representative and committee member. "Most of Northern Virginia has power. The biggest problem we have had is flooding." Power has begun returning to the half-million or so residents who still had none at the new week began. ARRL Virginia Section Emergency Coordinator Tom Gregory, N4NW, reports commercial power finally returned to his home September 24. He'd spent 141 hours running his home from an emergency back-up generator. Gregory, who lives in Stafford County, lost power September 18. This week he strongly advised amateurs involved in public service communication to have a supply of emergency power available for such situations, so they can remain on the air. ==>MORSE PETITIONS' COMMENT DEADLINE LOOMS The period for public comments on seven separate Morse code-related petitions for rule making--some of which would altogether eliminate Element 1, the 5 WPM Morse test, from the Amateur Service rules (Part 97)--ends Monday, September 29. US amateurs may comment on the petitions--RM-10781 through RM-10787--using the FCC Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) <http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/>. As of week's end, the seven petitions had attracted more than 1800 comments from the amateur community. The FCC has yet to invite comments on two other Morse-related rule making petitions. The petitions, both filed in August, have not yet been put on public notice by the FCC. Ireland (EI) and Singapore (9V) have become the latest countries to remove the requirement for Amateur Radio applicants to pass a Morse code examination for HF access. Ireland's Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) announced September 15 that it took the action in line with the outcome of World Radiocommunication Conference 2003 (WRC-03), which removed the requirement for prospective amateur licensees to prove Morse proficiency to operate below 30 MHz. All Class B licensees now have "Full License" privileges and may operate on HF. Singapore's iDA informed the Singapore Amateur Radio Transmitting Society earlier this month that it would no longer require a Morse test for General class applicants, although the test reportedly will continue to be available to those wishing to take it. Restricted licensees will be given an option of upgrading to General class. In addition, Switzerland, Belgium, the UK, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Austria, New Zealand and Australia have moved to drop their Morse requirements or are expected to do so this year. ==>DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE 2003 A HIT! Despite Southern New England's brush with Hurricane Isabel a day earlier, more than 100 Amateur Radio digital enthusiasts showed up in Windsor, Connecticut, September 19-21 for the 2003 TAPR/ARRL Digital Communications Conference (DCC). Friday and Saturday forums covered a wide range of topics--from APRS to software-defined radio (SDR). The Sunday seminar by Matt Ettus, N2MJI, focused on SDR. This year's conference also included a number of beginner-oriented sessions on PSK31, APRS, WSJT and EchoLink. ARRL Web and Software Development Department Manager Jon Bloom, KE3Z, came away especially impressed by the SDR developments he observed at the conference. "There's something happening here that will affect ham radio in the not-so-distant future," he said Alex Mendelsohn, AI2Q, was the Saturday evening banquet speaker. He discussed the occasionally forgotten fact that Amateur Radio is still a source of inspiration for engineers and technicians throughout the communications industry. Many key individuals in industry today trace their technical and engineering roots to early involvement in Amateur Radio, he pointed out. At the banquet, ARRL New England Division Director Tom Frenaye, K1KI, presented the 2002 ARRL Technical Innovation Award to Jonathan Taylor, K1RFD, who created the popular EchoLink Amateur Radio/Voice Over Internet Protocol network. This year's Digital Communications Conference was represented on the air by the W1AW/1 HF-digital special event station. Despite poor band conditions, the W1AW/1 operators still managed more than 100 contacts on several digital modes. Copies of the DCC 2003 conference Proceedings remain available from the ARRL <http://www.arrl.org/catalog/>. ==>ROHN FILES FOR CHAPTER 11 BANKRUPTCY Rohn Industries <http://www.rohnnet.com/> filed a voluntary petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy September 16 in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana. The best-known manufacturer of tower and tower hardware for the Amateur Radio community, the Peoria, Illinois-based company manufactures towers, antenna support structures and "infrastructure equipment" for the telecommunications industry. In business since 1948, the firm also makes security fencing and provides design and construction services. "Our immediate goal is to stabilize the company's financial situation and utilize the Chapter 11 process to enable the company to conduct normal business operations as the company works to complete a sale transaction," Rohn Industries President Horace Ward said in announcing the company's bankruptcy filing. Rohn says it's now in discussions with an unrelated third party regarding a proposed asset sale while it continues to conduct business as usual. Ward told ARRL there is "no truth" to a rumor circulating on some Internet newsgroups that disgruntled workers had damaged manufacturing equipment beyond repair in reprisal for consolidating fabrication facilities last January into a single plant in Frankfort, Indiana. The impact of Rohn's troubles on the Amateur Radio community is not clear, but at least one major antenna products supplier reported earlier this summer that it was having problems getting Rohn products, although it continues to offer them. Ward told ARRL this week that Rohn intends "to execute the orders we have and to continue to take orders in the normal course of business." In the company's statement, Ward attributed the bankruptcy filing to a severe downturn in the telecommunications industry. In July, NASDAQ delisted Rohn Industries after it was unable to meet its minimum bid price requirement. The company remains eligible for listing on the Over the Counter (OTC) Bulletin Board (OTC-BB: ROHN). During the past 52 weeks, the company's stock has sold for as little as a penny a share. At the same time it filed for Chapter 11 protection, Rohn has announced it's entered into a $9.5 million debtor-in-possession credit line with its lenders. The bankruptcy court must approve that agreement. ==>SOLAR UPDATE Solar Sage Tad "SPF-15" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: At last the sun is showing one large sunspot. Sunspot 464 is expanding rapidly and now is part of an extended dark area about 13 Earth diameters wide. A helioseismic holography image shows a large sunspot currently on the side of the sun that faces away from Earth. The emergence of this spot has raised the sunspot count, and solar flux is some 20 points higher than predicted a week ago. Solar flux for the past few days has edged above 130, and the prediction for Friday through Monday, September 26-29, is for flux values of 135, 130, 130 and 125. On September 23, wee transitioned from summer to fall in the Northern Hemisphere and from winter to spring in the Southern Hemisphere. Around the equinox is a great time for worldwide DX, because all parts of Earth are bathed approximately equally by the sun's energy. Sunspot numbers for September 18 through 24 were 92, 71, 72, 64, 91, 133 and 121, with a mean of 92. The 10.7-cm flux was 109.2, 111.1, 111.9, 119.9, 122.6, 124.9 and 133.5, with a mean of 119. Estimated planetary A indices were 40, 32, 25, 21, 18, 17 and 33, with a mean of 26.6. __________________________________ ==>IN BRIEF: * This weekend on the radio: The CQ/RJ Worldwide DX Contest (RTTY), the Scandinavian Activity Contest (SSB) and the Texas and Alabama QSO parties are the weekend of September 27-28. JUST AHEAD: The California QSO Party, the SARL 80-Meter QSO Party, the TARA PSK31 Rumble, the Oceania DX Contest (SSB), the EU Autumn Sprint (SSB), the QCWA QSO Party and the RSGB 21/28 MHz Contest (SSB) are the weekend of October 4-5. See the ARRL Contest Branch page <http://www.arrl.org/contests/> and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar <http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more info. * Reputed "oldest ham in the US" turns 103: The man believed to be the oldest Amateur Radio operator in the US--Byrl "Tex" Burdick, W5BQU, of El Paso--turned 103 on September 25. First licensed in the fall of 1930, Burdick is on the air every day--most recently on 15 meters (look for him on or about 21.314 MHz), and he enjoys ragchewing. On behalf of the League, ARRL President fellow Texan and Jim Haynie, W5JBP, this week wrote Burdick to extend congratulations and best wishes. Burdick is an ARRL member and a routine QSLer. Happy Birthday, Tex! * New ARRL Section Manager named in Idaho: Idaho has a new ARRL Section Manager, effective September 23. ARRL Field and Educational Services Manager Rosalie White, K1STO, has appointed Doug Rich, W7DVR, of Boise to take over from John Cline, K7BDS, who has stepped down. An Amateur Extra class licensee, Rich will complete Cline's term, which runs through next September. Cline submitted his resignation with regret this week because he's changing jobs within the Idaho Bureau of Disaster Services (hence his "BDS" suffix) and pursuing a master's degree. Cline called Rich "highly respected with the ham radio community in southern Idaho." Rich is the Chief Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) Communications Officer for the State of Idaho, Bureau of Disaster Services, and has served two terms as president of the Voice of Idaho Amateur Radio Club. Idaho ARRL members may contact Rich via e-mail w7dvr@arrl.org. * Shooting for the moon yields first-ever US-Czech Republic EME QSO on 24-GHz: Amateur Radio moonbounce (Earth-Moon-Earth, or EME) and microwave history was made September 24 at 1400 UTC when Josef Sveceny, OK1UWA, and Al Ward, W5LUA, completed the first-ever 24-GHz EME QSO between the Czech Republic and the US. "This was Josef's first 24-GHz EME QSO, and he was my third initial on 24 GHz," said Ward. He noted the successful effort marked the second scheduled attempt during September. OK1UWA has a 3-meter Prime Focus dish with 35 W at the feed, vertically polarized. W5LUA's station is a 3-meter Prime Focus dish with 70 W at the feed, horizontally polarized to account for the spatial offset between NA and Europe. Previous international 24 GHz EME QSOs have take place between the US and Canada, the US and Russia and Canada and Russia. * EarthLink delay to ARRL E-Mail Forwarding Service addressees continues: Despite several discussions with EarthLink, the Internet Service Provider continues to delay messages sent via the ARRL E-Mail Forwarding Service <http://www.arrl.org/members-only/emailfwd.html> (@arrl.net) to @earthlink.net e-mail addresses. As a result of EarthLink's actions, ARRL cannot guarantee timely delivery of messages forwarded via the ARRL E-Mail Forwarding Service to its members' EarthLink e-mail addresses. EarthLink contends that the @arrl.net domain is a spam source based on its internal standards and analysis. While EarthLink appreciates the concept of a simple e-mail forwarding system like arrl.net and concedes that the spam is not originating from the ARRL E-Mail Forwarding System, it maintains its position that blocking all messages--including valid e-mail--from this domain is an effective tactic in its efforts to fight spam. EarthLink has told ARRL that it will continue to delay messages until the amount of spam being sent through this system is reduced to a level EarthLink deems acceptable. ARRL advises affected members to consider changing the ISP to which their ARRL E-Mail Forwarding System e-mail is forwarded. ARRL members logged onto the ARRL Web site can make necessary changes through their Member Data page <http://www.arrl.org/members-only/memdata.html> (click on "Modify membership data"). Note that it may take up to 24 hours for changes in your e-mail address to take effect. Affected members also may consider contacting EarthLink <abuse@abuse.earthlink.net <mailto:abuse@abuse.earthlink.net> on their own. ARRL apologizes for any inconvenience and continues efforts to resolve this situation. * ARRL Foundation Scholarships available for application starting October 1: The window opens October 1 to apply for ARRL Foundation scholarships for the 2004-2005 academic year. The full listing of available scholarships is available on the ARRL Foundation Scholarship Programs Web page <http://www.arrl.org/arrlf/scholgen.html>. Use one application to apply for the main pool of scholarships. Applicants must fill out a separate application to apply for The William R. Goldfarb Memorial Scholarship <http://www.arrl.org/arrlf/goldfarb.html>. The application, transcript, Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and Student Aid Report (SAR) package must be received at ARRL Headquarters by February 1, 2004. =========================================================== The ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the American Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur Radio--225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259; <http://www.arrl.org/>. Jim Haynie, W5JBP, President. The ARRL Letter offers a weekly e-mail digest of essential news of interest to active amateurs. The ARRL Letter strives to be timely, accurate, concise, and readable. Visit ARRLWeb <http://www.arrl.org/> for the latest news, updated as it happens. The ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/> offers access to news, informative features and columns. ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> is a weekly "ham radio newscast" compiled from The ARRL Letter. 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