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ARRL Letter

 

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 23, No. 16
April 16, 2004
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +FCC proposes extensive amateur rule changes
* +ARRL seeks comment deadline extension in BPL proceeding
* +Mixed success reported in avoiding ham spectrum with BPL
* +ARISS expands its vision beyond ISS confines
* +Iowa ham happy to have call sign back
* +Sunday, April 18, is World Amateur Radio Day
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF:
     This weekend on the radio
     ARRL Emergency Communications course registration
     ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
     Correction
     ARRL to be represented at NAB convention
     TAPR/ARRL 2004 Digital Communications Conference seeks papers
     Microwave Update 2004 issues call for papers
     Hawaii amateur antenna bills headed for conference

+Available on ARRL Audio News

===========================================================

==>FCC PROPOSES WIDE-RANGING CHANGES TO AMATEUR SERVICE RULES

The FCC has released an "omnibus" Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM)
that seeks comments on a wide range of proposed Amateur Service (Part 97)
rule changes. The FCC also denied several petitions for rule making aimed
at altering portions of the Amateur Radio regulatory landscape and ordered
minor changes in Part 97. The NPRM is a result of a dozen petitions for
rule making, some filed more than a year ago and a few dating back as far
as 2001. Comments on the proposals put forth in WT Docket 04-140 are due
by Tuesday, June 15, with reply comments by Wednesday, June 30. Among
other changes, the FCC has recommended adopting the ARRL's "Novice
refarming" plan <http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/refarm/>.

"Because the ARRL petition addresses the operating privileges of all
classes of licensees on these Amateur Service bands, we believe that the
ARRL petition provides a basis for a comprehensive restructuring of
operating privileges," the FCC said in its NPRM.  "We note that, as
proposed, no licensees would lose any spectrum privileges and that
General, Advanced, and Amateur Extra Class licensees would gain spectrum
for phone emissions, one of the most popular operating modes on the HF
bands."

The ARRL referenced its Novice refarming proposal in its recent Petition
for Rule Making, RM-10867
<http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_docu
ment=6516083735>, which, along with three other petitions (see "FCC
Invites Comments on Amateur Radio Restructuring Plans,"
<http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/03/24/2/>) remains open for comment
until April 23.

The FCC also has proposed essentially eliminating its rules prohibiting
manufacture or marketing of Amateur Radio Service power amplifiers capable
of operating between 24 and 35 MHz. Originally put on the books in 1978 to
keep high-powered amateur amplifiers out of the hands of CBers, the rules
now "impose unnecessary restrictions on manufacturers of Amateur Radio
equipment and are inconsistent with the experimental nature of the Amateur
Service," the FCC said.

The FCC additionally proposed a rule change that would make Kenwood's Sky
Command system legal for operation within the US. The proposed amendment
to §97.201(b) of the rules would permit auxiliary operation on 2 meters
above 144.5 MHz--with the exception of the satellite subband 145.8 to
146.0 MHz--in addition to frequency segments already authorized. The Sky
Command system permits the user to operate certain Kenwood equipment
remotely via a VHF/UHF handheld transceiver.

In response to an ARRL petition, the FCC proposed extending the bands
available for spread spectrum experimentation and use to include 222-225
MHz. On its own initiative, it also recommended including 6 and 2 meters
as well. Current rules limit SS emissions to frequencies above 420 MHz.

Among other changes, the FCC also proposed to prohibit acceptance of more
than one application per applicant per vanity call sign; permit
retransmission of communications between a manned spacecraft and its
associated Earth stations, including the International Space Station;
allow current amateurs to designate a specific Amateur Radio club to
acquire their call sign in memoriam; eliminate §97.509(a) of the rules,
which requires a public announcement of volunteer examiner test locations
and times; and add to §97.505(a) to provide Element 1 (5 WPM Morse) credit
to any applicant holding a Technician license granted after February 14,
1991, and who can document having passed a telegraphy examination element.

The Commission ordered some changes in Part 97 without requesting comment.
It ordered, among others, the revision of the definition of an "amateur
operator" in §97.3(a)(1) to reflect that entry in the FCC Universal
Licensing System (ULS), not a license document, determines whether a
person is an Amateur Radio operator.

The FCC also adopted a technical change--in line with a recent amendment
to the international Radio Regulations--to specify that the mean power of
any spurious emission from a new amateur station transmitter or amplifier
operating below 30 MHz be at least 43 dB below the mean power of the
fundamental emission, 3 dB greater than the current requirement.

The FCC turned down a petition would have established distinct CW and
phone segments in the 160-meter band. Although a majority of commenters
supported the proposal, the Commission said the current voluntary band
plan "adequately accommodates the operating interests of all licensees who
use the 160-meter band because it was based on input from those who use
this spectrum."

Among several others, the FCC turned down petitions that would have
imposed restrictions on the time, length or transmission frequencies of
bulletins or informational transmissions directed at the amateur
community. Also denied was an ARRL request to add to the special event
call sign system certain call sign blocks that designate territories and
possessions that have no specified mailing addresses. The FCC suggested
using self-assigned indicators instead.

The FCC Notice of Proposed Rule Making
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-04-79A1.doc> in WT
Docket 04-140 is available on the FCC Web site.

As soon as the document has been posted, comments on the NPRM may be filed
via the FCC Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS)
<http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/>. Click on "Submit a filing." To view filed
comments, click on "Search for filed comments." In either case enter the
NPRM number in the "Proceeding" field as "04-140" (without the quotation
marks).

==>ARRL REQUESTS FILING DEADLINE EXTENSION IN BPL PROCEEDING

The ARRL has asked the FCC to extend the deadline for comments and reply
comments by 45 days in the Broadband over Power Line (BPL) Notice of
Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) in ET Docket 04-37. Comments now are due by
May 3 and reply comments by June 1. Although the FCC does not routinely
grant such time extensions, the League said it wants to allow time for the
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
<http://www.ntia.doc.gov/> to conclude its study at BPL field trial
locations. The ARRL said it anticipates the NTIA study to go public very
soon, allowing only a couple of weeks at best to evaluate its conclusions
and incorporate them into comments in the proceeding.

"This proceeding stands to have a profound effect on the Amateur Radio
Service, and a full and complete opportunity to evaluate the results of
the NTIA study is critical to the ability of ARRL to respond in a
meaningful manner to the proposals in the instant Notice," ARRL said in
filing its request April 9. "At the same time, there is no need for any
rush to judgment in this proceeding, since BPL trial sites are only now
commencing operation."

If the FCC okays the request, the comment date would move to June 14, and
the reply comment deadline would become July 16. Granting the request, the
ARRL contended, "will have no adverse effect on any interested party to
this proceeding."

The League said the new deadlines would provide everyone with
approximately 60 days to review and evaluate the NTIA's study before
having to file comments. "Should the NTIA report be substantially delayed
in its public release, ARRL reserves the right to request additional time
as necessary," the League said.

Earlier this year, FCC Chairman Michael Powell turned down a request by US
Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI (ex-WB7OCE), who--as a member of the House
Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet--had asked the
chairman to delay further action on the BPL proceeding until the NTIA
study had been completed and stakeholders had had a chance to evaluate it
before commenting. Powell assured Walden February 3 that the FCC would
give "thorough consideration" to all BPL studies before it takes any final
action in the proceeding.

For more information on BPL, visit the "Broadband Over Power Line (BPL)
and Amateur Radio" <http://www.arrl.org/bpl/> page on the ARRL Web site.

==>UTILITY ENCOUNTERS MIXED SUCCESS IN AVOIDING AMATEUR SPECTRUM WITH BPL

Amateurs in the Raleigh, North Carolina, area say electric utility
Progress Energy and Broadband over Power Line (BPL) equipment provider
Amperion have had "some success" in their efforts to avoid using Amateur
Radio spectrum on overhead lines in their BPL field trial areas. But
problems persist, and the process is far from quick and simple, says ARRL
North Carolina PIO Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, who has been among local amateurs
closely monitoring the Progress Energy/Amperion BPL trial. Their
experiences could indicate what amateurs may face in areas where BPL is
widely deployed.

"The mitigation process at this iteration of Amperion's hardware is
neither simple nor precise," Pearce said earlier this month. Progress
Energy/Amperion essentially are attempting to "notch out" or completely
avoid ham radio frequencies, since hams have been the only HF users so far
to file interference complaints. Complicating the effort, he says, is that
the process is largely hit or miss, requiring field monitoring and
feedback and sometimes another attempt to nail the target.

Pearce says he and Wake County ARES Emergency Coordinator Tom Brown,
N4TAB--an engineer with extensive RF experience--met the week of April 5
with Progress Energy network engineer Bill Godwin at the so-called Phase
II BPL trial areas to review the BPL spectrum in use. Amateurs also
monitored the system using an Amateur Radio mobile station some 75 feet
from the line.

"Bill Godwin had a chart showing where BPL could operate and avoid ham
bands, and Amperion had adjusted its system to comply with that chart,"
Pearce said. Among other issues, Amperion missed the mark on 20
meters--starting a BPL signal block on 14.300 MHz instead of 14.350 MHz,
he pointed out.

Pearce attributed the problem to a likely error in calculating the
spectrum needed. BPL spectrum block edges "are not brick walls," he said,
but taper off, with progressively weaker carriers remaining audible up to
100 kHz away, depending on the noise floor. "The remaining signals are
very weak but would bother a home station within a city block or two of
the power line." The goal is to be able to place BPL on a line in the
immediate vicinity of a ham.

Unclear at this stage is whether the "notching" scheme will work in a
more-dense BPL environment. "More spectrum can be used below 7 and above
30 MHz, but Amperion prefers to remain between 7 and 30 MHz," Pearce said.
"If this spectrum can be rotated between line segments, and the notches
can be deepened some, they may satisfy the concerns of hams for the
Amateur Radio spectrum." But, he adds, no efforts are under way to avoid
other shortwave frequencies.

"We appreciate this proactive attempt," Pearce said. "We will point out
again that there are other public uses and users of the spectrum in
between the ham bands." Amateur Radio operators "cannot sit back and say,
'Well, our problem's solved. Good luck with yours!'" Pearce says.

He says that for this reason alone, the North Carolina amateurs still
consider BPL a flawed concept. And, while he credits Progress Energy and
Amperion with cooperating to resolve amateur interference issues
piecemeal, "we just want to make sure that everyone understands where the
goal line stands."

==>ARISS TO MULL HAM RADIO'S ROLE IN DISTANT SPACE TRAVEL

The Elser-Mathes Cup, sitting idle for more than 75 years, is intended to
mark the occasion of the first two-way Amateur Radio contact between Earth
and Mars. That day may be moving closer. The Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS) International Team will contemplate
ham radio's role as NASA--in response to a recent presidential
initiative--seeks to expand the horizons of human spaceflight to the moon,
Mars and beyond. During an International Team meeting March 25-26 in the
Netherlands, ARISS International Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, said NASA's
Education Office has asked ARISS to consider endorsing the initiative and
start laying some groundwork for an Amateur Radio presence. That makes
perfect sense to ARISS Secretary-Treasurer Rosalie White, K1STO, of ARRL.

"Our space agencies are going to Mars now, so it's natural we should think
about it and do initial planning now," said White, who was among the more
than two dozen ARISS delegates on hand at the European Space Research and
Technology Center in Noordwijk. "We could start by targeting our
educational materials on exploration beyond the International Space
Station." The ISS--the home of the first permanent Amateur Radio station
in space--is scheduled for completion in 2010 using the space shuttle
fleet, which then would be mothballed.

Some ideas Bauer floated during the gathering included an Amateur Radio
payload on the Red Planet as well as a Mars telecommunications satellite,
remotely controlled Amateur TV and a repeater on the moon. The long-range
planning will get further discussion when the ARISS International Team
meets again in October.

In other matters, the ARISS team learned that a planned slow-scan
television (SSTV) system will not launch to the ISS this year. With just
two crew members aboard the space station and a need to make the most use
of space aboard Russian Progress supply rockets, NASA has suggested that
ARISS hold up the SSTV payload for a Progress rocket flight closer to the
space shuttle's return to flight, when the ISS again will have a crew of
three.

The two-person crews have not had much time to install and test ARISS
projects, including the Phase II gear put into place earlier this year.
While it's on the air for RS0ISS packet operations, the Phase II gear will
not see routine FM voice use for school group contacts and casual QSOs
until it gets a full on-the-air checkout. The SSTV gear needs additional
preflight testing as well as work on the associated software.

AMSAT-Russia's Karen Tadevosyan, RA3APW, is completing modifications to a
Yaesu FT-100 HF/VHF/UHF transceiver. That equipment could go up to the ISS
on a Progress rocket flight this fall. Other projects still in the
discussion stage include an external digital ATV transponder and beacon.
ARISS also is considering a project to use Amateur Radio via IRLP and/or
EchoLink to link to the ISS via the Internet.

The ISS could gain a third ham station once the European Space Agency's
Columbus module goes into space. Through-hull fittings, or "feedthroughs,"
are being installed for as many as eight coaxial cable runs, although
funding remains an issue. The feedthroughs would permit the module to
accommodate UHF, L and S-band operations possibly using patch-type
antennas being designed by ARISS volunteers.

ARISS delegates also recognized the achievements and contributions of Roy
Neal, K6DUE (SK), toward making the ARISS program a reality. Neal, a
former NBC News science correspondent and executive, died last August 15.

==>IOWA AMATEUR GETS BACK LOST, REASSIGNED CALL SIGN

The Easter Bunny was generous to Bill Sorsby of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Earlier this week, the FCC finally made official the reassignment to him
of N5BU, the call sign he'd lost in 2001 as a result of what the FCC has
termed "filing errors" in its Universal Licensing System (ULS)
<http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/>. Not only did the FCC erroneously cancel
the ARRL member's call sign, it compounded the mistake by reassigning it
two years later to another amateur. When Sorsby realized some four months
ago that his ticket was gone, he immediately contacted the FCC to find out
what had happened and to get it back.

"I am glad to see that the FCC has acted," said Sorsby, who's held N5BU
since 1976.

As the FCC tells it, in December 1999 it received requests to modify the
contact information for the amateur license from Sorsby to Dwana C. Peters
of Aircraft Guaranty Title (AGT), the title holder of an aircraft with the
call sign 5BU. In the process, AGT also inadvertently also associated its
FCC Registration Number (FRN) with Sorsby's N5BU Amateur Radio Service
license.

"This appears to have resulted from confusion between the aircraft station
call sign and the aircraft's registration marking (or 'N number')," the
FCC said in an April 5 Order restoring N5BU to Sorsby.

In July 2001, the aircraft was sold, and AGT had the FCC cancel the
license for 5BU (as aircraft are permitted to identify). In a separate
action several months later, AGT requested cancellation of N5BU,
effectively canceling Sorsby's amateur license. When N5BU became available
for reassignment under the vanity system two years later, ARRL member
David Willard of Ft Smith, Arkansas, filed for it and was granted the call
sign last August.

Sorsby blames a "security flaw" in the FCC's ULS software for allowing
AGT's Peters to "inadvertently corrupt the database records" for his
license. Similar problems have affected a small number of amateurs with
N-prefix call signs in the past.

The Iowa amateur is philosophical about the four months he spent getting
N5BU returned. "It has been a very time-consuming and frustrating ordeal,"
he told ARRL. "My consolation for the ordeal is that now I'll have a tall
tale to spin for years to come."

To reduce the likelihood of similar problems, ARRL strongly encourages
Amateur Service licensees to obtain an FRN via the FCC's Universal
Licensing System Web page <http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls> (click on
"REGISTER CORES/CALL SIGN") and then to associate their Amateur Radio call
sign with their FRN. "This prevents other entities from inadvertently
making changes to your Amateur Radio license and call sign," said ARRL
Regulatory Information Branch Specialist John Hennessee, N1KB.

==>IARU MARKS WORLD AMATEUR RADIO DAY APRIL 18

Sunday, April 18, marks World Amateur Radio Day--the 79th anniversary of
the founding of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). As it begins
its 80th year, the IARU is recognizing radio amateurs worldwide as
"Pioneers in Bridging Barriers to World Understanding."

The IARU's inaugural meeting took place in Paris on April 18, 1925, when
exploration of "the short waves" was just beginning. "Radio amateurs were
well ahead of their commercial counterparts in exploiting the
long-distance capabilities of this unique part of the radio spectrum," the
IARU notes. "The technical contributions of the amateurs were very
important to subsequent telecommunication development, and remain so
today."

Equally significant are the personal relationships that have developed
between amateurs, often across geographical, political, cultural, and
other barriers. Today there are nearly three million amateur licensees in
nearly every country of the world. Radio amateurs continue to build and
maintain personal ties in a world that is in ever greater need of mutual
understanding.

A worldwide federation of national Amateur Radio organizations
representing radio amateurs in 159 countries, the IARU is a Sector Member
of the International Telecommunication Union
<http://www.itu.int/home/index.html> and is the recognized representative
of the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite Services at the ITU. For more
information, visit the IARU Web site <http://www.iaru.org/>.

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Solar Seer Tad "House of the Rising Sun" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington,
reports: Geomagnetic activity was pleasantly quiet this week, but sunspot
and solar flux numbers were way down. Average daily sunspot numbers for
the week were down over 44 points to 33.4, and solar flux was down 15
points to 91.5. Spring generally is a good time of year for HF
propagation, although activity this low will reduce openings on 10, 12 and
15 meters.

Currently Sunspot 591 is rotating away from Earth, while sunspots 592 and
594 are coming into full view. These are not large spots, however. The
solar flux is expected to rise above 100 this weekend, April 17-18, and
reach a peak around 120 on or near April 24. There is a small possibility
of a coronal mass ejection April 16 from Sunspot 591.

Sunspot numbers for April 8 through 14 were 33, 18, 20, 16, 37, 41 and 69,
with a mean of 33.4. The 10.7 cm flux was 93.5, 90, 87.7, 89.6, 91.3, 93.1
and 95.2, with a mean of 91.5. Estimated planetary A indices were 16, 16,
10, 8, 11, 6 and 5, with a mean of 10.3.

__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: The Holyland DX Contest, the TARA Skirmish
Digital Prefix Contest, the ES Open HF Championship, the YU DX Contest,
the GACW "Mr Samuel Morse Party" CW DX Contest, the EU Spring Sprint (CW),
the Michigan and Ontario QSO parties and the EA QRP CW Contest are the
weekend of April 17-18. The World Amateur Radio Day Party is April 18.
JUST AHEAD: The 432 MHz Spring Sprint is April 21, the RSGB 80-Meter Club
Championship (Data) is April 22 and the Harry Angel Memorial Sprint is
April 23. The SP DX RTTY Contest, the Helvetia Contest (CW/SSB/digital),
the QRP to the Field event, the Florida, Kentucky and Nebraska QSO parties
and the CQC PSK31 Kontest are the weekend of April 24-25. The EUCW/FISTS
QRS Party is April 25-May 1. See the ARRL Contest Branch page
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/> and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar
<http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more info.

* ARRL Emergency Communications course registration: Registration opens
Monday, April 19, 12:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time (0401 UTC), for the Level
III Emergency Communications on-line course (EC-003). Registration remains
open through the April 24-25 weekend or until all available seats have
been filled--whichever comes first. Class begins Tuesday, May 4. Thanks to
our grant sponsors--the Corporation for National and Community Service and
the United Technologies Corporation--the $45 registration fee paid upon
enrollment will be reimbursed after successful completion of the course.
During this registration period, approximately 50 seats are being offered
to ARRL members on a first-come, first-served basis. To learn more, visit
the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education (C-CE)
<http://www.arrl.org/cce/> Web page and the C-CE Links found there. For
more information, contact Emergency Communications Course Manager Dan
Miller, K3UFG, dmiller@arrl.org, 860-594-0340.

* ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration:
Registration for the ARRL Antenna Modeling (EC-004) on-line course remains
open through Sunday, April 18. Classes begin Tuesday April 20.
Computer-modeling expert and noted author L.B. Cebik, W4RNL, has combined
the expertise of his long career as a college professor with his love and
antennas and antenna modeling to offer a comprehensive, yet practical,
course of study. To learn more, visit the ARRL Certification and
Continuing Education (C-CE) <http://www.arrl.org/cce/> Web page or contact
the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Program Department
<cce@arrl.org>;.

* Correction: The story "FCC Invites Comments on Amateur Radio
Restructuring Plans" appearing in The ARRL Letter, Vol 23, No 13 (Mar 26,
2004) contained an incorrect comment deadline. The last day to file
comments on these petitions is Friday, April 23.

* ARRL to be represented at NAB convention: The ARRL again will be well
represented during this year's National Association of Broadcasters
convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 17-22, at the Las Vegas Convention
Center. Courtesy of the NAB, ARRL will have an exhibit in Lobby 9. All NAB
exhibits open April 19. Organizing the effort on behalf of ARRL is Bill
Cornelius, K8XC. He and fellow members of the Las Vegas Amateur Radio Club
will help to staff the ARRL booth. Among the League officials expected to
attend are ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, Pacific Division Director Bob
Vallio, W6RRG, Honorary Vice President Fried Heyn, WA6WZO, and ARRL
General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD. The 2004 Amateur Radio Operators'
Reception, sponsored this year by Heil Sound Ltd
<http://www.heilsound.com/>, will be Wednesday, April 21, 6-8 PM, in
Ballroom A of the Las Vegas Hilton. ARRL donated several door prizes for
the event. For more information, visit the NAB convention Web site
<http://www.nabshow.com/>

* TAPR/ARRL 2004 Digital Communications Conference seeks papers: The 2004
TAPR/ARRL Digital Communications Conference will be held September 10-12
at the Airport Holiday Inn, Des Moines, Iowa. There's more information on
the TAPR Web site <http://www.tapr.org/dcc/>. The has issued its first
call for papers <http://www.tapr.org/dcc/dcccallforpapers.html> for the
conference Proceedings. Authors do not have to be present at the
conference to have their papers included in the Proceedings. Send
submissions by August 10 via USPS mail or e-mail to Maty Weinberg, KB1EIB
<maty@arrl.org>;, ARRL 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111.

* Microwave Update 2004 issues call for papers: Microwave Update 2004
<http://www.ntms.org/Update.htm> has issued a first call for papers. The
October 15-16 event in Dallas, Texas, will provide an opportunity for
microwave enthusiasts to share technical achievements in the field of
communications and experimentation. The conference is soliciting technical
papers or information for publication in the Microwave Update Proceedings.
Those in presenting papers at the conference should contact Al Ward, W5LUA
<w5lua@arrl.net>;. PowerPoint presentations are preferred for forums. An
LCD projector and overhead projector will be available. ARRL will publish
the Microwave Update 2004 Proceedings, and you don't need to be a
conference speaker to have your material included in the Proceedings.
Submit papers and presentations no later than August 16. Send electronic
format or photo-ready hard copy via e-mail or USPS mail to Kent Britain
<wa5vjb@flash.net>;, WA5VJB, 1626 Vineyard, Grand Prairie, TX 75052. The
North Texas Microwave Society <http://www.ntms.org/> is sponsoring
Microwave Update 2004, which also will include noise-figure testing,
antenna gain testing and spectrum analysis. The conference will be held at
the Harvey Hotel <http://www.dfwairport.harveyhotels.com/> near the DFW
Airport. Conference discount rates are available (click on
"Reservations").

* Hawaii amateur antenna bills headed for conference: Two amateur antenna
bills in play in the Hawaii State Legislature, HB 2773 and HB 2774, passed
a third reading in the Senate April 13. The legislation would allow
Amateur Radio antennas in restricted condominium regimes and in
subdivisions subject to homeowners' association covenants, conditions and
restrictions (CC&Rs) in Hawaii. ARRL Pacific Section Manager Kevin Bogan,
AH6QO, reports the measures now will go to a House-Senate conference to
iron out differences. "Now the real work begins in hammering out bills
that give us reasonable accommodation," Bogan said this week. "If we
cannot come to an agreeable understanding with the associations on this,
the bills may still die." He says the Amateur Radio community has been
working on substitute language for the two pieces of legislation that
would satisfy the homeowners' associations while still accommodating
amateur antennas.

===========================================================
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
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The ARRL Letter

The ARRL Letter offers a weekly summary of essential news of interest to active amateurs that is available in advance of publication in QST, our official journal. The ARRL Letter strives to be timely, accurate, concise and readable.

Much of the ARRL Letter content is also available in audio form in ARRL Audio News.

Material from The ARRL Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole or in part in any form without additional permission. Credit must be given to The ARRL Letter and The American Radio Relay League.

Back issues published since 2000 are available on this page. If you wish to subscribe via e-mail, simply log on to the ARRL Web site, click on Edit Your Profile at the top, then click on Edit Email Subscriptions. Check the box next to The ARRL email newsletter, the ARRL Letter and you will receive each weekly issue in HTML format. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!): letter-dlvy@arrl.org

Editorial questions or comments: John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, at news@arrl.org.

Plain-Text

The ARRL E-Letter e-mail is also available in plain-text version:

Outlook Express

1. From the Inbox view, select the Tools menu and the Options selection.

2. Click the Read tab

3. Check the Read All Messages In Plain Text box.  When you open the e-mail, it will be in plain text without images. Other e-mail programs may be able to make a Mail Rule for e-mail received from the address memberlist@www.arrl.org so that the plain-text-only display is selected automatically.

Outlook 2007

Use the same procedure as for Outlook Express, although the global option is under "Tools/Trust Center/E-mail Security".

Thunderbird

Use the menu item "View/Message Body As/Plain Text" or "View/Message Source" options.

OS X Mail (Mac)

Use the "View/Message/Plain Text Alternative" menu item.

GMail

Use the "Message text garbled?" link in the drop-down menu at the upper right of the displayed message block. pine, alpine Set "prefer-plain-text" in your ~/.pinerc configuration file: feature-list=..., prefer-plain-text, ...

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