***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 25, No. 38
September 22, 2006
***************
IN THIS EDITION:
* +LA-area radio jammer gets seven years in prison
* +ARRL vows to keep pressure on FCC re BPL interference complaints
* +New two-ham crew plus first female civilian onboard ISS
* +FCC warns apparently unlicensed users of ham bands
* +Australia's Foundation license nudges number of licensees upward
* +Club hosting WPA Convention cancels future hamfests
* +TAPR marks 25th anniversary
* Solar Update
* IN BRIEF:
This weekend on the radio
ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
Pension Protection Act streamlines charitable donations from IRAs
US ARDF team member medals at World Foxhunting Championships
N8IO is 2006 Allen Severson, AB8P, Memorial Award winner
October K6YR West Coast Qualifying Run QST correction
+Field Day 2006 "logs received" list now available
AMSAT announces 2006 Board of Directors election results
We stand corrected!
+Available on ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/>
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==>APOLOGETIC RADIO JAMMER JACK GERRITSEN GETS SEVEN YEARS, FINES
It was a day many radio amateurs in Southern California had been
anticipating for a long time. On September 18, US District Court Judge R.
Gary Klausner sentenced convicted radio jammer Jack Gerritsen, now 70, to
seven years imprisonment and imposed $15,225 in fines on six counts -- one a
felony -- that included willful and malicious interference with radio
communications and transmitting without a license. Before sentencing,
Gerritsen apologized to the federal government, the FCC and the local
Amateur Radio community, which had endured the brunt of Gerritsen's on-air
tirades and outright jamming. "I'm sorry, and I apologize to everyone here,"
Gerritsen told those in the courtroom, which included more than a dozen
radio amateurs and Gerritsen's family members. Gerritsen's contrition did
nothing to convince Klausner toward leniency.
"How many times have you said you would not do this again?" Klausner
reportedly asked Gerritsen, a repeat offender who served as his own attorney
during his trial. "But based on your history, you come back again and again
for this. I believe you will continue to do it, and it would send the wrong
message to others, that five years is not long enough either!"
The sentence even exceeded US District Attorney Lamar Baker's recommended
46-month sentence. Gerritsen could have received up to 15 years in federal
prison. Sentences on all counts will run concurrently.
The judge also tacked on two years' supervised probation following
Gerritsen's prison term, but he recommended Gerritsen remain in custody
during that period. Klausner further ordered Gerritsen to participate in a
substance-abuse program. He told Gerritsen he could not identify himself by
using any other means -- including his previously held Amateur Radio call
sign KG6IRO -- than his real name, and he prohibited Gerritsen from owning,
possessing or using any radio transmitting equipment.
The FCC fielded complaints of illegal radio transmissions linked to
Gerritsen for four years. According to court documents, the Commission's
investigation and signal tracking revealed that Gerritsen transmitted both
prerecorded messages and real-time harassment and profanity for hours at a
time. He often targeted local Amateur Radio repeater systems, precluding
their use by licensed operators, and hams were among the most vocal
complainants.
In May 2005 FBI agents, accompanied by FCC staff, arrested Gerritsen without
incident and seized his radio equipment. Released on $250,000 bond while
awaiting trial, Gerritsen remained in home detention, barred from possessing
any radio equipment.
The FCC already had fined Gerritsen $10,000 for violating its rules and the
Communications Act during his reign of radio terror. Just days before his
December 2005 trial, the Commission affirmed $42,000 in additional fines --
two $21,000 forfeitures. In doing so, the FCC rebuffed every argument
Gerritsen offered in response to each Notice of Apparent Liability,
including insistent "freedom of speech" claims. The government has yet to
collect anything from Gerritsen.
Following his nearly four-day trial, Gerritsen, who lives in Bell, was found
guilty on a felony count of causing malicious interference to a
communications system operated by the United States -- the US Coast Guard
Auxiliary -- during a 2004 search-and-rescue operation. He was convicted of
misdemeanors for interfering with American Red Cross radio transmissions in
early 2005 while the agency was preparing for disaster relief operations,
and for causing the cancellation of a US Army Reserve homeland security
training exercise in 2005 by interfering with US Army Military Affiliate
Radio System (MARS) communications. He also was convicted of transmitting on
Amateur Radio frequencies without a valid license on three separate
occasions in 2003 and 2004, all misdemeanors. The jury deliberated for less
than an hour before returning its verdict December 9. Gerritsen has been in
custody ever since.
In 2000, a state court convicted Gerritsen of interfering with a California
Highway Patrol radio system and sentenced him to a year in prison. After his
release, Gerritsen in 2001 successfully passed the Amateur Radio Technician
class examination, filed an application and received the call sign KG6IRO.
Just days later, however, the Commission realized its error -- granting a
license to someone convicted of interfering with Public Safety radio
frequencies -- and set aside the license. Claiming the FCC could not revoke
his operating privileges without a hearing, Gerritsen continued to identify
as KG6IRO in some of his transmissions.
==>LEAGUE PLEDGES TO PURSUE BPL INTERFERENCE COMPLAINTS, MULLs APPEAL
The League has vowed to maintain pressure on the FCC to act on complaints of
broadband over power line (BPL) interference to Amateur Radio. The FCC's
unanimous adoption August 3 of a Memorandum Opinion and Order (MO&O) in
response to 15 petitions for reconsideration of the Commission's BPL rules
triggered the ARRL response. The MO&O went into effect September 22.
"We will aggressively pursue enforcement in BPL interference cases,"
promised ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ. "Those deploying
BPL systems that cause harmful interference to Amateur Radio will regret
it." An ARRL delegation met with FCC Enforcement Bureau and Office of
Engineering and Technology (OET) staffers August 16 to discuss the
Commission's response to BPL interference complaints.
The MO&O denied most requests that the FCC reconsider portions of its
October 2004 Order adopting rules to govern BPL systems. Several petitions
-- including one from ARRL
<http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/et04-37/recon_petition/BPL_RECON_PE
TITION_FINAL.pdf> -- called on the Commission to strengthen rules aimed at
protecting licensed radio systems from BPL interference. Instead, in a new
rule revealed when the FCC made the MO&O public, the FCC drew a line in the
sand regarding how much interference protection mobile operators deserve
from BPL systems.
§15.611(c)(1)(iii) provides that BPL operators do not have to reduce
emission levels below established FCC permissible limits by any more than 20
dB below 30 MHz and 10 dB above 30 MHz to resolve harmful interference
complaints. The FCC called these levels "modestly above the noise level."
ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, points out these levels would be
some 25 dB higher than the median values for man-made noise in residential
areas and up to 40 dB higher than the minimum values hams use for reliable
communication. The new rule does not apply to fixed stations.
"Egregious" was the word Sumner used to describe the action in his "It Seems
to Us" editorial appearing in October QST.
"Simply stated, this new rule is intolerable, and we do not accept it,"
Sumner wrote. "It is contrary to the FCC's obligations under the
international Radio Regulations as well as the Communications Act, to
protect radiocommunication services from harmful interference."
The FCC "has no authority to define away these obligations," Sumner stressed
in his editorial. "Harmful interference is harmful interference."
The MO&O also turned down a League request that the Commission reconsider
tightening the 40 dB per decade extrapolation factor employed for taking
emission measurements. The League argued that the 40 dB per decade
extrapolation factor, which has been in Part 15 for some time, may apply to
single-source emissions, but it underestimates actual field strength from
power lines.
Supported by Aeronautical Radio Inc (ARINC), the ARRL had wanted the FCC to
apply a 20 dB per decade extrapolation factor to measurements taken at 30
MHz and lower. The Order also turned down requests by licensed users,
including Amateur Radio operators, to exclude the use certain frequencies
for BPL operations.
The League is weighing the possibility of a judicial appeal of the FCC's
action to adopt the MO&O.
The Commission denied a BPL industry request to extend the effective date to
meet equipment certification requirements, but it did give BPL systems
another year to continue installing or replacing equipment that otherwise
meets the Part 15 rules in present coverage areas.
The MO&O also denied the BPL industry's request to drop the 30-day advance
notification requirement for the public BPL database. The advance
notification rule is aimed at alerting licensed spectrum to new BPL
deployments in their areas before operations begin.
==>SHIFT CHANGE: NEW TWO-HAM CREW, FIRST FEMALE CIVILIAN VISITOR ON ISS
The next International Space Station crew plus the first female civilian
visitor to the ISS now are onboard the space outpost after arriving on a
Soyuz transporter September 20. NASA astronaut and Expedition 14 crew
commander Michael Lopez-Alegria, KE5GTK, and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail
Tyurin, RZ3FT, are in the process of taking over for the Expedition 13 crew
of Commander Pavel Vinogradov, RV3BS, and NASA ISS Science Officer Jeff
Williams, KD5TVQ. This will mark Tyurin's second time as a space station
crew member. He was part of ISS Expedition 3 in 2001.
Along for the ride as a paying passenger aboard the Soyuz TMA-9 "taxi
flight" was US businesswoman Anousheh Ansari, who is visiting the ISS for
about 10 days under a contract with the Russian Federal Space Agency. Also
aboard the ISS is European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter, DF4TR,
whose duty tour will extend into Expedition 14--the first time that's
happened in the history of the ISS.
The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program says
Ansari, 39, will carry out some Amateur Radio contacts during her stay in
space. On September 22, she spoke with students at George Washington
University, her alma mater. Since Ansari's accelerated training schedule did
not allow time for her to obtain a ham ticket before going into space, she
used NA1SS with Williams as the US-licensed control operator. Using RS0ISS,
Ansari got on the air for the first time September 21 and worked several US
hams. Plans call for her to be active at various times until Tuesday,
September 26.
A last-minute stand-in for Daisuke "Dice-K" Enomoto, Ansari —- the fourth
private citizen and the first female civilian to fly to the ISS —- trained
on the ARISS gear in Russia. She's indicated she'd like to get her Amateur
Radio license when she returns to Earth.
Reiter and Williams also had successful ARISS school contacts September 22,
marking the first time in the history of the program that three such QSOs
took place on the same day.
The Expedition 13 crew last weekend concluded a busy week of joint
operations with the six-member space shuttle Atlantis STS-115 crew. During
the mission, astronauts installed new solar arrays that will double the
amount of electrical power available onboard the ISS. During one spacewalk,
the astronauts retrieved the PCSat 2 Amateur Radio payload from the exterior
of the ISS.
==>FCC CITES ALLEGED UNLICENSED HAM BAND USERS
The FCC has notified several entities -- including two trucking companies
and a balloon festival sponsor -- regarding the alleged use of Amateur Radio
frequencies by unlicensed individuals. Special Counsel in the FCC Spectrum
Enforcement Division Riley Hollingsworth advised all of the parties that
unlicensed use of radio equipment not only can interfere with licensed users
but violates federal law and could lead to fines of up to $10,000.
"Information before the Commission indicates that at the 2005 International
Balloon Fiesta held in Albuquerque, there were numerous balloonists using
Amateur Radio Service and General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) radio
transmitting equipment without licenses," Hollingsworth wrote Paul Smith,
the event's executive director on August 23. "Both services require a
license from the Commission."
Hollingsworth told Smith that while the FCC encourages all balloonists to
use communication equipment of some kind, he'd like the Balloon Fiesta to
advise those participating in this year's event October 6-15 that unlicensed
operation is illegal. He invited Smith to post the Advisory Notice on the
event's Web site.
The Commission also contacted two trucking firms regarding alleged
unlicensed transmissions from tractor-trailer rigs on 10 meters earlier this
year. Hollingsworth sent a Warning Notice to Cardinal Express of Concord,
North Carolina, on August 28, and Melton Truck Lines of Tulsa, Oklahoma, on
August 30. The FCC cited information indicating that a Cardinal Express rig
on Interstate 85 in North Carolina was the source of radio transmissions on
28.085 MHz on August 2. Hollingsworth told Melton Truck Lines that the FCC
had information that one of its rigs, also on Interstate 85 in North
Carolina, transmitted on 28.085 MHz on June 11.
Hollingsworth warned the trucking firms that, in addition to fines and other
enforcement sanctions, operating transmitting equipment without a license
could land drivers in jail and lead to seizure of radio equipment. He
indicated this week that both trucking firms and their drivers have
contacted him in response to the warning notices and are cooperating with
the FCC.
The FCC sent a third Warning Notice to Parker Contracting of Panama City,
Florida, on August 21 citing allegations that the contractor's employees
have been operating unlicensed radio transmitting equipment on 145.020 MHz
and interfering with licensed users. Hollingsworth said the contractor
promptly contacted the Commission to report it had collected the Amateur
Radio transceivers and was applying for a business license.
On August 18, the FCC wrote Neva Poovey of Newton, North Carolina, citing
information indicating that she or someone in her residence had been
operating radio equipment that caused interference on 10 and 12 meters.
Hollingsworth noted that FCC records did not indicate a license authorizing
transmissions on those bands had been granted to anyone at Poovey's address.
Poovey's husband Michael responded to tell Hollingsworth he was testing "a
huge mobile linear" with another individual in his driveway. A nearby radio
amateur complained to the Commission after hearing the transmissions on the
two amateur bands.
A Technician class licensee in Puerto Rico -- Joaquin Diaz Fontanel, WP3BH,
of Humaco -- was the target of a Warning Notice sent August 28 regarding
alleged operation on 7.080 MHz, a frequency not available to Technician
class operators.
"Such operation may reflect adversely on your qualifications to retain and
Amateur Radio license," Hollingsworth warned.
==>FOUNDATION LICENSE BOOSTS AMATEUR RADIO NUMBERS IN AUSTRALIA
The Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) <http://www.wia.org.au/> reports
that the number of new radio amateurs "down under" has grown by upward of
500 licensees -- 3.4 percent -- in the 11-month period ending August 1. WIA
credits the Foundation license with helping to reverse a trend of declining
ham radio numbers. Following the UK model, the Australian Communications and
Media Authority (ACMA) instituted the Foundation license in mid-October of
2005, and nearly 900 applicants have so far taken advantage of the new
entry-level ticket.
"There now seems little doubt that the WIA examination service will process
more than 1000 successful candidates in the first full year of assessing
Foundation license candidates," the WIA said. "It is now also apparent that
an increasing number of people are upgrading from Foundation to Standard and
Advanced, and feedback from assessors and several clubs offering training
confirms this trend will continue to accelerate over the coming months."
As of August 1 there were 14,204 radio amateurs in Australia, not counting
repeater or beacon licenses.
ACMA adopted a distinctive four-letter suffix starting with "F" for all VK
Foundation licensees. Holders enjoy limited access to 80, 40, 15 and 10
meters as well as the entire 2 meter and 70 cm bands using voice modes or
"hand-keyed" CW only (ie, no keyboard or computer-generated code) at 10 W or
less. Gibraltar also offers a Foundation license for beginners.
==>WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA SECTION CONVENTION HOST CANCELS FUTURE HAMFESTS
Just two days after hosting the ARRL Western Pennsylvania Section Convention
September 10, the Butler County Amateur Radio Association (BCARA)
<http://www.w3udx.org/> voted to throw in the towel and get out of the
hamfest business. The main reason, cited in the September issue of the
club's Tell-A-Ham newsletter, is a lack of member involvement.
"The few, dependable workers have burned out," wrote BCARA Treasurer Kevin
Berry, KF4RMA, who edits the newsletter and took on tasks this year as
hamfest vendor chairman, parking chairman, treasurer and flyer preparation,
among others. According to the newsletter, fewer that one-quarter of the
club's 80 members pitched in to make the hamfest happen this year, and
nearly all handled multiple duties during the event.
The September 10 gathering at the Butler County Farm Show Fairgrounds was
the club's 29th annual hamfest. Whether it's also the last, BCARA President
Jim Love, W1JHL, told ARRL, is in the hands of the membership.
"If we can get the manpower that is required to support the hamfest we will
continue the tradition," he said. "However, this year, as in the recent
past, we have not received the needed help."
==>DIGITAL PIONEER TAPR CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY AT DCC
Some 100 communication enthusiasts gathered in Tucson, Arizona, September
15-17 for the TAPR/ARRL Digital Communications Conference (DCC). This
conference marked the 25th anniversary of the formation of TAPR
<http://www.tapr.org/> -- Tucson Amateur Packet Radio.
TAPR was one of the driving forces behind the packet radio revolution that
began in the middle 1980s, and it continues to be at the cutting edge of
Amateur Radio innovation. In recent years, the organization has moved away
from its full name, Tucson Amateur Packet Radio Corporation, and begun to
identify itself solely as "TAPR." As its president David Toth, VE3GYQ,
explained earlier this year, "We're not just about packet radio anymore, and
we haven't been just about packet radio for some time." TAPR has broadened
its scope into the entire arena of packet and digital communications. It
also offers kits for experimenters.
DCC 2006 topics included progress reports on the status of the Eagle Project
<http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/eagle/index.php>, the next high-altitude
satellite planned by AMSAT-NA, as well as developments in software-defined
transceivers and APRS <http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/aprs/>. During the
event, Kenwood displayed a new 2 meter/70 cm transceiver, which will come on
the market early next year and does not yet have a model number.
TAPR has announced that Eric Ellison, AA4SW, and Scott Cowling, WA2DFI, have
been elected as new members of the TAPR Board of Directors. John Koster,
W9DDD, was re-elected to a new term on the Board.
QST Editor Steve Ford, WB8IMY, represented ARRL Headquarters at the
conference. Other ARRL family members on hand for the 2006 TAPR/ARRL DCC
included Southwestern Division Vice Director Ned Stearns, AA7A, Arizona
Section Manager Tom Fagan, WB7NXH, and ARRL Honorary Vice President Fried
Heyn, WA6WZO.
==>SOLAR UPDATE
Sun gazer Tad "Hey, Mister Sun" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports:
Average daily sunspot numbers this week were down nearly by 31 points to
13.4, and average daily solar flux declined by more than 8 points to 77.
Sunday through Thursday of this week, the sunspot number was 11 on all five
days. Sunspot activity should remain low.
This week a coronal wind stream caused a geomagnetic disturbance centered on
September 18. A week ago, on Friday, September 15, geomagnetic conditions
were very stable. The mid-latitude K index throughout the day was zero on
all eight readings, so the mid-latitude A index was also zero. Even the
high-latitude college A index near Fairbanks, Alaska, was zero that day.
Due to a recurring coronal hole, we may see a rise in geomagnetic activity
this weekend, with the planetary A index predicted at a low of 5 on Friday,
then rising to 20 on Saturday, September 23.
For more information concerning radio propagation, see the ARRL Technical
Information Service Propagation page
<http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html>.
Sunspot numbers for September 14 through 20 were 25, 12, 13, 11, 11, 11 and
11, with a mean of 13.4. 10.7 cm flux was 82.8, 80.1, 79.2, 78, 74.4, 73.4,
and 70.9, with a mean of 77. Estimated planetary A indices were 6, 3, 3, 16,
24, 12 and 5, with a mean of 9.9. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 4,
0, 1, 9, 16, 8 and 3, with a mean of 5.9.
__________________________________
==>IN BRIEF:
* This weekend on the radio: The CQ Worldwide DX Contest (RTTY), the
Scandinavian Activity Contest (SSB), the Texas QSO Party, the AGCW VHF/UHF
Contest and the UBA ON Contest (CW) are the weekend of September 23-24. The
Fall QRP Homebrewer Sprint is September 25. The 222 MHz Fall Sprint is
September 26. JUST AHEAD: The CIS DX Contest, the Arkansas QSO Party, and
the F.I.S.T.S. Coast to Coast Contest are the weekend of September
30-October 1. The UBA ON Contest and the RSGB 21/28 MHz Contest are October
1. The ARS Spartan Sprint and the German Telegraphy Contest are October 3.
The YLRL Anniversary Party (CW) is October 3-5. The 432 MHz Fall Sprint is
October 4. The SARL 80-Meter QSO Party is October 5. The TARA PSK Rumble
Contest is Octobe 6. 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 Certification and Continuing Education course registration:
Registration remains open through Sunday, September 24, for these ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education (CCE) program online courses: Amateur
Radio Emergency Communications Level 1 (EC-001), Radio Frequency
Interference (EC-006), Antenna Design and Construction (EC-009), Analog
Electronics (EC-012) and Digital Electronics (EC-013). Classes begin on
Friday, October 6. These courses will also open for registration Friday,
September 22, for classes beginning Friday, November 3. To learn more, visit
the CCE Course Listing page <http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> or
contact the CCE Department <cce@arrl.org>;.
* Pension Protection Act streamlines charitable donations from IRAs: The
ARRL Development Office <http://www.arrl.org/development/> notes that a
provision of the new Pension Protection Act (PPA) of 2006 offers an
opportunity for certain IRA holders to give something back to Amateur Radio
by donating to the Spectrum Defense Fund, to the ARRL Education and
Technology Fund or for the ARRL Diamond Club -- which provides flexible
funding for a variety of programs not supported by member dues. "Individuals
who are at least 70-1/2 and support nonprofits of their choice may use IRA
or Roth IRA assets as a convenient, tax-efficient source to make
contributions while conserving non-IRA assets," ARRL Chief Development
Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, points out. "Contributions must be made directly
from the IRA to the organization, not to a donor-advised fund, gift annuity
or trust." Hobart says contributions of up to $100,000 may be made during
each of two years -- by December 31, 2006, and by December 31, 2007. "A
direct contribution from an IRA to a qualified organization is excluded from
income," she emphasizes. Hobart urges prospective donors to consult with a
financial advisor before taking advantage of this opportunity. Contact
Hobart <mhobart@arrl.org>; for more information (860-594-0397).
* US ARDF team member medals at World Foxhunting Championships: The US
Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) team has brought home its first medal
from the ARDF World Championships. Nadia Scharlau of Cary, North Carolina
(photo), received bronze in her age/gender category at this year's world
foxhunting trials, which concluded September 16 in Primorsko, Bulgaria.
Nadia is the wife of Charles Scharlau, NZ0I, who also competed. The couple
co-chaired the Sixth USA National ARDF Championships
<http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2006/05/05/1/> last April in North
Carolina. "Thirteen radio-orienteers from eight states traveled to Bulgaria
for this year's world championships," reports ARRL ARDF Coordinator Joe
Moell, K0OV. "With radio gear, maps and compasses, they took to the forests
to face the best on-foot transmitter hunters from 30 countries in separate
competitions on the 2 meter and 80 meter bands." The Bulgaria competition
marked Team USA's fifth trip to the World Championships. There's more
information about championship foxhunting and ARDF Team USA on Moell's
Homing In Web site <http://www.homingin.com/>.
* N8IO is 2006 Allen Severson, AB8P, Memorial Award winner: Connie Hamilton,
N8IO, of Marietta, Ohio, has been named the 13th recipient of the Allen
Severson, AB8P, Memorial Award. Ohio ARRL Section Manager Joe Phillips,
K8QOE, announced the award winner September 16 during the 2006 Ohio Section
Conference. "In every thing she does for Ohio hams, Connie exemplifies the
spirit of the late Mr. Severson," Phillips said. The award recognizes
Hamilton's dedicated work in representing the ARRL in Southeast Ohio, as net
manager of the Ohio Single Sideband Net (OSSBN) and as Assistant SM for
Southeast Ohio. Named for the late ARRL Great Lakes Division Director, the
Severson award formerly was known as the "Ohio Ham of the Year." Severson,
who died in 1997, also was a past Ohio SM. Licensed in 1977 as WD8MIO,
Hamilton joined the OSSBN to take up traffic handling the very next year. In
the early 1980s, she served as manager of the 8th call area Region Cycle 2
and received the OSSBN Merit Award in 1982. She's been elected to several
terms as OSSBN net manager.
* October K6YR West Coast Qualifying Run QST correction: The October issue
of QST, now on its way to members, on page 101 indicates incorrect Morse
code speeds for the October West Coast Qualifying Run, which gets under way
at 9 PM PDT, Wednesday, October 11 (0400 UTC October 12). The correct speed
range for the October West Coast Qualifying Run is 10 to 35 WPM. K6YR
transmits the West Coast Qualifying Run on approximately 3.590 MHz.
* Field Day 2006 "logs received" list now available: The complete list of
logs received for ARRL Field Day 2006 has been posted on the League Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/claimed/repyynbAQ.html>. It includes all
electronic, paper and Web applet submissions. Report any errors or omissions
to ARRL Contest Branch Manager Tom Hogerty, KC1J <contests@arrl.org>;. If you
submitted electronically, have your receipt available. The Contest Soapbox
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/soapbox/> includes comments and photographs
posted by Field Day 2006 participants (and other operating events). You may
post stories and photos from your operation too!
* AMSAT announces 2006 Board of Directors election results: AMSAT-NA has
announced the results of its 2006 election for Board of Directors. Elected
as directors were Tom Clark, K3IO, with 800 votes; Lou McFadin, W5DID, with
652 votes, and Bob McGwier, N4HY, with 647 votes. Lee McLamb, KU4OS, got 321
votes to be first alternate, while Paul Shuch, N6TX, picked up 312 votes to
be second alternate. Directors serve two-year terms. AMSAT Manager Martha
Saragovitz reports that members cast a total of 937 votes.--AMSAT News
Service
* We stand corrected! The article "Chip Margelli, K7JA, Moves to Heil Sound
Ltd" in The ARRL Letter, Vol 25, No 37, contained some incorrect information
regarding Bob Heil, K9EID. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
Communications Coordinator Jenny Steadman notes that while the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame and Museum has a Heil exhibit and that the Museum recognizes
Heil's contribution to the music industry, "Bob Heil is not an inductee of
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame." The article "ARRL Granted Experimental
License for 500 KHz Research by Radio Amateurs" in the same edition included
some incorrect information regarding KPH. As Phil Kane, K2ASP, notes: Coast
station KPH is licensed to Globe Wireless. Maritime Radio Historical Society
station KSM staff members use the former KPH facilities on special
occasions. The US National Park Service owns the former KPH facilities as
part of the Point Reyes National Seashore.
===========================================================
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ARRL members first must register on the Members Only Web Site
<http://www.arrl.org/members/>. You'll have an opportunity during
registration to sign up for e-mail delivery of The ARRL Letter, W1AW
bulletins, and other material. To change these selections--including
delivery of The ARRL Letter--registered members should click on the "Member
Data Page" link (in the Members Only box). Click on "Modify membership
data," check or uncheck the appropriate boxes and/or change your e-mail
address if necessary. (Check "Temporarily disable all automatically sent
email" to temporarily stop all e-mail deliveries.) Then, click on "Submit
modification" to make selections effective. (NOTE: HQ staff members cannot
change your e-mail delivery address. You must do this yourself via the
Members Only Web Site.)
The ARRL Letter also is available to all, free of charge, from these
sources:
* ARRLWeb <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/>. (NOTE: The ARRL Letter will be
posted each Friday when it is distributed via e-mail.)
* The QTH.net listserver, thanks to volunteers from the Boston Amateur Radio
Club: Visit Mailing Lists@QTH.Net
<http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/letter-list>. (NOTE: The ARRL
cannot assist subscribers who receive The ARRL Letter via this listserver.)
