*************** The ARRL Letter Vol. 25, No. 07 February 17, 2006 *************** =========================================================== ***THIS WEEKEND: THE ARRL INTERNATIONAL DX CONTEST (CW)!*** =========================================================== IN THIS EDITION: * +No news on fate of the Morse code requirement * +SuitSat-1 heads into third week of operation * +Oklahoma, Texas schools work ISS on consecutive orbits * +ARRL cites BPL database irregularities in complaint * +NA1SS, RS0ISS log Peter I QSOs from space * W1AW Endowment Fund kicks off 2006 campaign * +DXer Charles Mellen, W1FH, SK * Solar Update * IN BRIEF: This weekend on the radio: THE ARRL INTERNATIONAL DX CONTEST (CW)! ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration +Utility steps back from North Idaho BPL test deployment Direct FAX number now available for DXCC Stu Cohen, N1SC, wins January QST Cover Plaque Award Correction +Available on ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> =========================================================== NOTE: ARRL Headquarters is closed Monday, February 20, for Presidents' Day. It will reopen Tuesday, February 21, at 8 AM EST. Have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend. =========================================================== ==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!): letter-dlvy@arrl.org ==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, n1rl@arrl.org =========================================================== ==>FCC NONCOMMITTAL ON "MORSE CODE" PROCEEDING ACTION Just when the FCC will act on the "Morse code" proceeding, WT Docket 05-235, remains hazy. The Commission released a Notice of Proposed Rule Making and Order (NPRM&O) last July proposing to eliminate the Element 1 (5 WPM) Morse code requirement for all license classes. The Amateur Radio community has filed more than 3800 comments on the proceeding, and additional comments continue to show up, even though the formal comment deadline was last October 31 (with reply comments by November 14). The next--and most-anticipated--step for the Commission is to formally adopt any revisions to its rules and conclude the proceeding with a Report and Order (R&O) that spells out the changes and specifies their effective date. "There really is no news," an FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau staffer told ARRL this week on background. "We certainly hope to release WT Docket 05-235 sometime this year, but we're not making any predictions at this time. We certainly are not saving up any big announcements for Dayton Hamvention." Beyond eliminating the Morse requirement, the FCC declined proposing any other suggested changes to the Amateur Service. The proceeding began with 18 petitions for rule making--many just calling for the elimination of the Morse requirement but some asking for more far-reaching changes in the Amateur Service rules. The various petitions attracted a total of some 6200 comments. The FCC subsequently consolidated the petitions--including one from the ARRL asking the FCC to establish a new entry-level license class and to retain the Morse requirement only for Amateur Extra class applicants--into a single proceeding designated WT 05-235. The FCC has not proposed extending HF privileges to current Technician licensees who have not passed a Morse code examination. In its NPRM&O the FCC suggested that in a no-Morse-requirement regime, "codeless Techs" could gain HF access by taking the Element 3 General class written examination. Any FCC decision to eliminate the 5 WPM Morse code requirement for HF access would have *no* impact on either the current HF CW-only subbands or on the CW privileges of Amateur Radio licensees. Before it releases an R&O on the Morse code proceeding, however, the WTB wants to wrap up action in another Amateur Radio-related docket--the "Phone Band Expansion" (or "Omnibus") NPRM in WT Docket 04-140, released April 15, 2004. A dozen petitions for rulemaking, some dating back to 2001, were consolidated in the Omnibus proceeding. In that NPRM, the Commission proposed to go along with the ARRL's Novice refarming plan aimed at reallocating the current Novice/Tech Plus subbands and expanding portions of the 80, 40 and 15 meter phone bands. The FCC also agreed with an ARRL proposal to extend privileges in the current General CW-only HF subbands to present Novice and Tech Plus licensees (or Technicians with Element 1 credit). WT 04-140 further proposed to essentially do away with FCC rules prohibiting the manufacture and marketing to Amateur Radio operators of amplifiers capable of operation on 12 and 10 meters. ==>SUITSAT-1 BATTERY VOLTAGE MAY BE ON DOWNWARD SLIDE Heading into its third week of operation, SuitSat-1 <http://www.suitsat.org/> continued to put out a faint signal on 145.990 MHz. While hearing the spacesuit-satellite's telemetry and voice messages can be difficult even for the best-equipped stations, recent as-yet-unconfirmed reports suggest that SuitSat-1's battery voltage could be entering a death spiral. ARRL Member Richard Crow, N2SPI, has been tracking the satellite's battery voltage, nominally 28 V. While it's been dropping incrementally, Crow noticed a "noticeable acceleration" at week's end. While conceding that he's "going out on a limb" because SuitSat-1's signal was noisy on its last pass over his QTH, Crow believes he heard the voice telemetry announce 18.3 V, a precipitous drop from earlier orbits. "If this is so, the battery voltage may have dropped another 6.9 volts in only 8 hours," he commented. "If so, the battery voltage is dropping like a rock." ARRL member AJ Farmer, AJ3U, has posted the reports on his Web site <http://www.aj3u.com/blog> and invites others. Crow says he won't add the still-questionable reading to his table until the battery voltage is verified or corroborated. Not taking any chances, however, SuitSat-1's sponsor--the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program--issued an urgent call for appropriately equipped Earth stations to make every effort to copy SuitSat-1's voice telemetry reports. ARISS US Hardware Manager Lou McFadin, W5DID, who was directly involved in the construction of the SuitSat-1 package, says he and others on his team have been following the voltage reports with great interest. "Your efforts to gather the telemetry data are very much appreciated and will contribute to further success should we get the opportunity to build a second SuitSat," McFadin said today. "The power system is designed to squeeze every drop of power out of the batteries that is possible." Post telemetry reports or recordings to <suitsat@comcast.net>. Deployed from the International Space Station on February 3, SuitSat-1 already has outlasted its initially predicted one-week active life. McFadin explained that SuitSat-1's battery current will rise as its battery voltage drops. "That is the power system's attempt to keep the transmitter voltage at 12 V," he noted. "As the battery voltage nears 12 V, the regulator will no longer be able to maintain 12 V output. At a battery voltage below 9 V all transmissions will cease." He says that while SuitSat-1's computer will continue to operate down to 3 V, the transmitter will shut down and SuitSat-1 will appear dead. "I expect this drop-off to occur very rapidly," McFadin added, expressing appreciation for the dedication of those who have helped monitor SuitSat-1. Extremely low transmitter output power has been one explanation for SuitSat-1's faint signal. AMSAT-NA calculations last weekend suggested that SuitSat-1's transmitter is likely putting out between 1 and 10 mW instead of the 500 mW it was supposed to produce. Its puny signal aside, the novel SuitSat-1 Amateur Radio transmit-only spacesuit turned satellite has been heard around the globe since its launch by the International Space Station crew. ARRL ARISS Program Manager Rosalie White, K1STO, said the past week has brought reports from teachers who've integrated SuitSat-1 monitoring into their classroom lessons. "Thank you to the SuitSat team for the opportunity to have students involved in such an exciting space project," teacher Neil Carleton, VE3NCE, at R. Tait McKenzie Public School in Almonte, Ontario, said. "It's been a week of adventure, and I'm happy to report on the involvement of my class as part of our grade 6 science studies of space." SuitSat-1's transmission order is: DTMF tone, CW ID, SSTV image, 30 seconds of silence, voice identification, mission time, temperature and battery voltage. The voice messages, telemetry and SSTV image are being sent on a nine-minute repeating cycle. ARISS International Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, said the SuitSat team plans to provide special recognition to the person who copies the last SuitSat telemetry, and in particular the mission time and battery voltage. AMSAT-NA has designated SuitSat-1 as AMSAT-OSCAR 54 (AO-54). By week's end, SuitSat-1 had completed more than 200 orbits of Earth. Since its deployment, SuitSat-1 has shed a piece of debris. Speculation is that it could be a glove or another piece of the spacesuit. More information on the SuitSat-1 project, including QSL information, is available on the AMSAT Web site <http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/index.php> and on the SuitSat Web site <http://www.suitsat.org/>. ==>BACK-TO-BACK ARISS SCHOOL QSOS ATTEST TO AMBITIOUS CONTACT SCHEDULE Some schools have waited years for a chance to speak via ham radio with the crew of the International Space Station. In part to catch up on the backlog, the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program has adopted a more ambitious roster of ARISS school group contacts, working around the crew's work schedule to arrange as many as two or three such QSOs per week. On February 7, ARISS managed to squeeze in two school contacts in the same day on consecutive ISS orbits. Both Dale High School in Dale, Oklahoma, and DeGolyer Elementary School in Dallas, Texas, had submitted contact applications to ARISS some five years earlier. "We got the first pass," said Dale High School control op Ron Cochrane, KD5GEZ, whose grandson Justin, now a high school freshman, inspired the application to ARISS while in elementary school. "When we knew that they were going to be coming back around in another hour and a half, every one of the same kids who had asked questions before came back and were sitting around the radio listening to Dallas and all their questions," Cochrane continued. He said the activity attracted attention from other students who slipped into the room to listen in on the DeGolyer contact too. Dale School Counselor Karren Cantrell said the opportunity for students in the community to talk to McArthur "was huge for a little country school" in Oklahoma. "The students in grades 3 through 12 were very wide-eyed and alert during this event," she said. "For a period of about 10 minutes, our kids were in another world--literally." Cochrane says perhaps as many as 1000 students, parents, visitors and members of the news media gathered for the school system-wide assembly. So intense was the interest, "you could have heard a pin drop," Cochrane said. "Everybody was just locked in." Those taking part in the contact, all ninth grade science students--including Justin Cochrane, wanted to know about an astronaut's training, food aboard the ISS, and whether it's scary to travel to and work in space. Keith Pugh, W5IU--the ARISS mentor for both the Dale and DeGolyer events--said McArthur answered 15 of the students' questions during the 20-degree pass before the ISS went out of range. ARRL Oklahoma Section Manager John Thomason, WB5SYT, says efforts are under way to use the successful Dale High School ARISS contact as a springboard to have Amateur Radio licensing become a part of the school's curriculum. Thomason and ARRL West Gulf Director Coy Day, N5OK, represented the League at the event. At DeGolyer Elementary, current and former students gathered to take part in the ARISS school group contact on the subsequent ISS orbit. DeGolyer, the first Amateur Radio Education and Technology Program (aka "The Big Project") pilot school, boasts its own club station, K5DES, and many ham radio licensees. Bob Landrum, W5FKN, was at the controls for the contact, and all of the youngsters participating in the contact were Amateur Radio operators who had been encouraged and "Elmered" by art teacher Sanlyn Kent, KD5LXO, and teaching assistant Richard Aguilar, K5LXM. The DeGolyer pupils also asked about space food, the effects of microgravity and what jobs onboard the ISS they enjoy or don't enjoy. "The DeGolyer contact went off without a hitch before a crowd that filled the auditorium plus closed-circuit TV to the rest of the school," Pugh reported, adding that the youngsters asked 17 questions during the 35-degree pass. The event also got good news media coverage. "The DeGolyer crew was able to listen to the Dale contact prior to their event," he noted. Stopping by for the occasion were ARRL President Emeritus Jim Haynie, W5JBP, and ARRL North Texas Section Manager Tom Blackwell, N5GAR. Owing largely to the accelerated ARISS school group contact schedule, ISS Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, recently topped the previous record for the most such QSOs in a single mission, and Expedition 12 still has some six weeks to go. As of February 15, McArthur and crewmate Valeri Tokarev had logged a total of 25 school contacts from NA1SS and RS0ISS--all but one by McArthur. This past week, McArthur also topped 100 entities in his effort to complete DXCC from space. Since DXCC rules make no provisions for contacts from space, he'll have to settle for an honorary DXCC certificate. ARISS <http://www.rac.ca/ariss> is an international educational outreach with US participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA. ==>LEAGUE COMPLAINS TO FCC ABOUT BPL DATABASE IRREGULARITIES Describing the FCC-mandated BPL Interference Resolution Web site <http://www.bpldatabase.org/> as "woefully incomplete and improperly managed," the ARRL has called on the FCC to order database manager United Telecomm Council (UTC) to fix it immediately or appoint "a competent database manager" to repair the problems. "The database management is either shamefully incompetent on the part of UTC or simply nonexistent," the ARRL said in a complaint this week to the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology (OET). "The database is merely 'garbage in, garbage out,' and in its present form cannot serve any useful purpose at all, much less a 'sufficient' means of addressing BPL interference." In a related development, UTC has terminated the ARRL's access to the BPL Interference Resolution Web site, and the League plans to file a separate complaint to the FCC on that issue. League efforts to access the database yielded this error message: "The system has determined that this line of searching constitues [sic] unauthorized use of the database. Cease operations immediately." The BPL database should be accessible from other ISPs, however, and the ARRL wants to hear from anyone else spotting discrepancies as well as from those whose database access has been curtailed or cut off. The ARRL already has complained about the UTC database's use of ZIP codes as a sole database access key. To simplify searches, the League has requested that the FCC require UTC to provide a list of ZIP codes where BPL systems are on line or pending. The FCC ordered creation of the BPL Interference Resolution database to provide licensed spectrum users a central, public information source on local BPL operations to help resolve incidents of harmful interference. Commission rules require BPL operators to provide the name of the BPL provider, frequencies of operation, postal ZIP codes served, manufacturer and type of BPL equipment, a point-of-contact telephone number and e-mail address for interference inquiries and resolution, and the proposed or actual date the system will start operation. Having correct and up-to-date information in the BPL Interference Resolution Database benefits both BPL providers and licensed services, the League has pointed out. For example, a radio amateur suspecting BPL interference might be able to rule out the possibility by consulting the database. ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI--the League's point man on BPL technical issues--says that while the BPL database has its shortcomings, ARRL staff have until now made extensive use of it to help radio amateurs deal appropriately with interference issues. "In the past, when amateurs have reported BPL interference, one industry response has been to claim that the amateur station is hearing some other noise and thinking that it's BPL," Hare said. The BPL database makes it possible to baseline noise levels in advance of a BPL deployment and can even help to prevent erroneous interference reports, he pointed out. "The UTC's escalating restrictions on access to the database will serve little other purpose than to make it harder for amateurs to identify BPL interference correctly," Hare remarked. The ARRL complaint said the FCC should require UTC "to revisit every entry in the database and verify independently the information provided." Alternatively, the League requested that the FCC relieve UTC as database manager and appoint a new one that will supervise it properly. "The fox, therefore, should be withdrawn from the henhouse," the League said. Attached to the League's letter of complaint was a compilation of BPL database errors and omissions the ARRL discovered between January 27 and February 14, 2006. "There may be others," the ARRL noted. The League said the FCC is obliged under Part 15 to apply sanctions on BPL providers not complying with the database requirements. Most noteworthy among the alleged violators are the Briarcliff Manor, New York, and Allentown, Pennsylvania-area BPL systems that have been the cause of substantial interference to Amateur Radio stations. The League recently asked the FCC to shut down the Briarcliff Manor system because of longstanding interference complaints. Such BPL operators have no incentive to comply with the database requirements because "their scofflaw attitudes" toward the few BPL regulations in place have been rewarded by FCC inaction, the ARRL complaint said. A copy of the League's complaint is on the ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/filings/BPL-Database-Content-Complain t.pdf>. ==>3Y0X AND NA1SS LOG HISTORIC QSO Completing an overhaul of the International Space Station's exercise treadmill cut into Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur's ham radio time from NA1SS. But when he did get on the radio February 13, he made excellent use of the time remaining. "Only one contact," McArthur reported. "3Y0X! Thanks!" The 2-meter contact between the space station and the Peter I Island DXpedition <http://www.peterone.com/main.htm> near Antarctica occurred during a barely viable 2-degree pass. The 3Y0X QSO pushed McArthur's count of DXCC entities worked from space to 104. McArthur already has worked all states and all continents during his duty tour aboard the ISS. On the Peter I Island end of the contact was 3Y0X DXpedition team member Gordon Hardman, W0RUN. McArthur, who's KC5ACR, reports he and Hardman enjoyed "a brief, but nice chat." Because the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Phase 2 gear is in crossband repeater mode for SuitSat-1, McArthur used the lower-power Phase 1 Ericsson 2-meter gear for the contact. He reported good copy on 3Y0X, which was using its moonbounce equipment and array for the event. The 3Y0X team already was celebrating the nine moonbounce contacts it had made over the previous weekend. Operating as RS0ISS, McArthur's crewmate Valeri Tokarev also got in a QSO this week with a Russian member of the 3Y0X DXpedition team. Topping the Peter I Web site I is the comment, "More people have flown in outer space than have set foot on Peter I Island!" ARISS Ham Radio Project Engineer Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, notes that the 3Y0X DXpedition is the first to work someone in space from that location. McArthur earlier worked the 3Y0X DXpedition team while it was still en route and operating as XR9A/mm. Previous tries at a 3Y0X-NA1SS contact were unsuccessful, but Ransom thinks a recent change in the space station's orientation may have contributed to this week's success. ==>HELP SUPPORT W1AW . . . MORE THAN AN AMATEUR RADIO TRADITION! Since its dedication in 1938, ARRL Maxim Memorial Station W1AW has served as a beacon for the Amateur Radio community in the US and around the world. While a symbol of the past, W1AW continues to play an active role in Amateur Radio's present and in helping to forge its future. Now you can take part in helping to preserve and advance W1AW as a tradition and a trendsetter. ARRL is working to build a permanent fund to cover W1AW's annual operations and capital needs. "Your support will help keep W1AW at the cutting edge of technology," said ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. "I know you share with me a strong sense of history and a desire for W1AW to continue as an active and vibrant station, contributing to the Amateur Radio community for years to come." Experiments at W1AW include work with cutting-edge digital technologies and satellite reception techniques. Continuing traditions are code practice and bulletin transmissions. The stop at the historic little brick building in front of ARRL Headquarters also is the highlight of any visit to the League. Radio amateurs thrill at having the opportunity to operate from W1AW, often generating pileups of stations equally excited about making a contact with what may be the world's best-known ham radio call sign. The League invites contributions in any amount--or a pledge spread out over time to the W1AW Endowment Fund <http://www.arrl.org/endoww1aw.html>. Help to ensure that W1AW will remain the flagship station of the ARRL! For information on other giving options, contact ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, <mhobart@arrl.org>; 860-594-0397. ==>LEGENDARY DXer CHARLES MELLEN, W1FH, SK DXing icon Charles Mellen, W1FH, of W Roxbury, Massachusetts, died January 21. He was 91. In 1947, the ARRL awarded Mellen with the first mixed-mode and phone DXCC certificates ever issued. Mellen's friend (and ARRL Rhode Island Section Manager) Bob Beaudet, W1YRC, says that if Mellen's declining health hadn't intervened in the early 1990s, he would have become the only DXer left to have worked and confirmed all 393 post-World War II DXCC entities. "The great world of DX is a bit smaller today," said Beaudet, calling Mellen "one of the finest role models our DX fraternity has ever produced." Licensed in 1930, Mellen was inducted into the CQ DX Hall of Fame in 1994. In addition to being an ARRL member, he also belonged to the First Class CW Operators Club (FOC). Beaudet says Mellen was able to achieve world-class DXer status despite his "relatively modest setup." Bruce Marshall, K1AJ, says that during the 1940s, 50s and 60s, Mellen was one of the best-known DXers in the US, and he and the renowned and far-better-equipped Don Wallace, W6AM "were constantly battling for the top of the Honor Roll list." According to those who knew him, Beaudet said, Mellen's secret was something he never bragged about but taught by example: Operator skill, and especially knowing how to listen carefully. Survivors include Mellen's wife, Mary, and a daughter. The family invites memorial contributions to the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of New England, 514 Parker St, Boston, MA 02120, or to the MSPCA Development Office, 350 S Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02130.--some information from The Daily DX <http://www.dailydx.com/> and the Boston Globe ==>SOLAR UPDATE Sun Watcher Tad "Black Hole Sun" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: Average daily sunspot numbers this week rose by more than 7 points to 9. Expect to see even longer stretches with no sunspots over the next year. THE ARRL INTERNATIONAL DX CONTEST (CW) is this weekend. Sunspot 854 is pointing straight at us, but it is tiny. Look for sunspot numbers and solar flux to rise only slightly, if at all, and for quiet geomagnetic conditions. Based on the previous solar rotation, Wednesday, February 22 looks like it may show some fairly active geomagnetic conditions. Geophysical Institute Prague predicts slightly different conditions, with February 19 unsettled to active, and February 21 and 22 just unsettled. The prediction is for quiet geomagnetic conditions Friday and Saturday, February 17 and 18, only slightly unsettled geomagnetic conditions on Sunday, February 19, and quiet to unsettled geomagnetic conditions February 20 and 23. Sunspot numbers for February 9 through 15 were 24, 13, 11, 0, 0, 0 and 15, with a mean of 9. The 10.7 cm flux was 74.8, 75.2, 76, 76, 76.3, 77.3, and 78.5, with a mean of 76.3. Estimated planetary A indices were 2, 2, 6, 3, 2, 1 and 12, with a mean of 4. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 2, 2, 4, 2, 2, 1 and 7, with a mean of 2.9. ==>IN BRIEF: * This weekend on the radio: THE ARRL INTERNATIONAL DX CONTEST (CW) is the weekend of February 18-19. The Run for the Bacon QRP Contest is February 20. JUST AHEAD: The North American QSO Party (RTTY), the CQ 160-Meter Contest (SSB), the Russian PSK Worldwide Contest, the REF Contest (SSB), the UBA DX Contest (CW), the Mississippi and North Carolina QSO parties, the CZEBRIS Contest, the High Speed Club CW Contest and the CQC Winter QSO Party are the weekend of February 25-26. 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, February 19, for these ARRL Certification and Continuing Education (CCE) Program on-line courses: Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 1 (EC-001), Radio Frequency Interference (EC-006), Antenna Design and Construction (EC-009), Technician License Course (EC-010), Analog Electronics (EC-012) and Digital Electronics (EC-013). Classes begin Friday, March 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>. * Utility steps back from North Idaho BPL test deployment: Avista Utilities announced recently that it's re-evaluating its plans to deploy a broadband over power line (BPL) project in North Idaho. The company, which serves some 330,000 electrical power customers in three western states, said it and a BPL vendor had "mutually agreed" to end contract negotiations for a test deployment in Post Falls. "We want to step back and look at how the industry is evolving in terms of technology and the business model," Avista Market Solutions Manager Dave Heyamoto said in a company news release February 9. While Avista did not name the BPL vendor, a February 3 article in Spokane, Washington's, Spokesman-Review newspaper identified the company as Communication Technologies (COMTek) of Chantilly, Virginia. COMTek operates the Manassas, Virginia, BPL rollout that's been the subject of Amateur Radio interference complaints. In mid-January, the ARRL again called on the FCC to order the Manassas BPL system shut down until it resolves the interference complaints. Avista says it has not set a timeline for any future BPL projects, which reportedly could involve power-grid monitoring. * Direct FAX number now available for DXCC: The ARRL DXCC Desk now has a direct FAX number to improve and expedite the receipt and handling of DXCC-related communications. The number is 860-594-0346. There has been no change in policy, and DXCC does not accept DXCC submissions via FAX. The former FAX number, 860-594-0259, remains active for several other ARRL Headquarters departments, but that FAX machine is not in the immediate DXCC area. * Stu Cohen, N1SC, wins January QST Cover Plaque Award: The winner of the QST Cover Plaque Award for January is Stu Cohen, N1SC, for his article "Vintage Product Review--The Collins 75A-4 Receiver." Congratulations, Stu! The winner of the QST Cover Plaque award--given to the author or authors of the best article in each issue--is determined by a vote of ARRL members on the QST Cover Plaque Poll Web page <http://www.arrl.org/members-only/QSTvote.html>. Cast a ballot for your favorite article in the February issue by Tuesday, February 28. * Correction: The article "Phil Salas, AD5X, Named 2005 Orr Award Winner" in The ARRL Letter, Vol 25, No 06, contained some incorrect and incomplete information regarding the award ceremony. Phil Salas, AD5X, will receive the Bill Orr Award plaque during a presentation attended by ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, and West Gulf Division Director Coy Day, N5OK, at Ham-Com 2006, June 9-10, at the Plano Centre in Plano, Texas. =========================================================== 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/>. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, 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. 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. ==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!): letter-dlvy@arrl.org ==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, n1rl@arrl.org ==>ARRL News on the Web: <http://www.arrl.org/> ==>ARRL Audio News: <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> or call 860-594-0384 ==>How to Get The ARRL Letter The ARRL Letter is available to ARRL members free of charge directly from ARRL HQ. To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address for e-mail delivery: ARRL members first must register on the Members Only Web Site <http://www.arrl.org/members/>. 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(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.)