***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 26, No. 16
April 20, 2007
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +League aids effort to mitigate repeater interference to military radars
* +FCC proposes drastic cut in vanity call sign fee
* +Ham radio volunteers tackle foul weather in the Northeast
* +Background investigations topic of ARRL, Red Cross discussion
* +Kids connect with space travelers via ham radio, thanks to ARISS
* +McGan Award deadline is May 25
* Solar Update
* IN BRIEF:
This weekend on the radio
ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
+Swains Island N8S operation tops 100,000 contacts!
+CubeSats launch successfully!

+Available on ARRL Audio News http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/

================================================== =========
==Delivery problems: First see FAQ
http://www.arrl.org/members-only/faq.html#nodelivery, then e-mail

==Editorial questions or comments only: Rick Lindquist, N1RL,

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

==ARRL AIDING EFFORT TO MITIGATE REPEATER INTERFERENCE TO MILITARY RADARS

The ARRL has been working with the US Department of Defense to develop a
plan to mitigate alleged interference from 70 cm ham radio repeaters to
military radar systems on both coasts. Amateur Radio is secondary to
government users from 420 to 450 MHz and must not interfere with primary
users. Citing an increasing number of interference complaints, the US Air
Force has asked the FCC to order dozens of repeater systems to either
mitigate interference to the "PAVE PAWS" radars or shut down. The Commission
has not yet responded. The situation affects 15 repeaters in the vicinity of
Otis Air Force Base on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and more than 100 repeaters
within some 140 miles of Beale Air Force Base near Sacramento, California.
ARRL Regulatory Information Specialist Dan Henderson, N1ND, stresses that
the Defense Department acknowledges Amateur Radio's value in disasters and
emergencies and is being extremely cooperative — and a wholesale shutdown of
US 70 cm Amateur Radio activity is not in the offing.

"The ARRL Lab is working up calculations on each repeater system the Air
Force has identified to determine where interference-mitigation techniques
offer a reasonable chance of keeping the repeater on the air," Henderson
says. "In order for the amateur community as a whole to succeed in this
venture, it is going to require the cooperation of all affected repeater
owners."

A US Air Force contractor identified the problematic repeater systems last
summer, but the situation didn't become critical until the Air Force
contacted the FCC a month ago. ARRL officials met with Defense Department
representatives in late March to discuss alleged interference to the PAVE
PAWS radar sites. This week Henderson contacted Amateur Radio frequency
coordinating organizations in both affected areas — the Northern Amateur
Relay Council of California (NARCC) and the New England Spectrum Management
Council (NESMC).

PAVE PAWS is a missile and satellite detection and tracking system, and its
name is a half-acronym. "PAVE" is simply an Air Force program name. "PAWS"
stands for "Phased Array Warning System." Although PAVE PAWS has been in
existence since the late 1970s, the Cape Cod and Sacramento sites are the
only remaining operational facilities in the US.

PAVE PAWS facilities occupy essentially the entire 70 cm band -- one factor
that makes mitigation difficult. Feeding upward of 1800 active antenna
elements, the broadband radar transmitters emit an average power output of
more than 145 kW.

As a "first step" to mitigate the interference, the ARRL is recommending
that all affected repeater owners reduce power -- possibly to as little as 5
W effective radiated power (ERP). "We understand the difficulty this may
cause to owners and users," Henderson said, "but the alternative to
operating with a smaller coverage area may be not operating at all." Amateur
Radio stations already must abide by a maximum 50 W PEP power limitation in
the areas around both Air Force facilities.

Henderson says the League is still seeking further information on the
problem. "Until the Defense Department accepts a mitigation plan, repeater
owners should exercise patience," he cautioned. "Once the ARRL Lab has
completed its propagation calculations, we will be in a better position to
provide advice for specific repeaters on a case-by-case basis."

Contact Dan Henderson, N1ND or 860-594-0236, with specific
questions or issues associated with this situation.

==FCC POISED TO CUT VANITY CALL SIGN FEE BY MORE THAN 40 PERCENT

The FCC has proposed reducing the regulatory fee to obtain or retain an
Amateur Radio vanity call sign by more than 40 percent starting later this
year. In a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM), "Assessment and Collection
of Regulatory Fees for Fiscal Year 2007" in MD Docket 07-81 released April
18, the Commission is proposing to cut the fee from its current $20.80 to
$11.70. If ultimately adopted, that would mark the lowest fee in the history
of the current vanity call sign program. The FCC proposed to collect nearly
$290.3 million in FY 2007 regulatory fees.

"These fees are mandated by Congress and are collected to recover the
regulatory costs associated with the Commission's enforcement, policy and
rulemaking, user information, and international activities," the FCC said.
"Consistent with our established practice, we intend to collect these
regulatory fees in the August-September 2007 time frame in order to collect
the required amount by the end of the fiscal year." Comments on MD Docket
07-81 are due May 3. Reply comments are due May 11.

The vanity call sign fee has fluctuated over the 11 years of the current
vanity call sign program -- from a low of $12 to a high of $50. The FCC says
it anticipates some 14,700 Amateur Radio vanity call sign "payment units" or
applications during the next fiscal year.

The vanity call sign regulatory fee is payable not only when applying for a
new vanity call sign but upon renewing a vanity call sign for a new term.
The first vanity call sign licenses issued under the current Amateur Radio
vanity call sign program that began in 1996 came up for renewal last year.

Those holding vanity call signs issued prior to 1996 are exempt from having
to pay the vanity call sign regulatory fee at renewal, however. That's
because Congress did not authorize the FCC to collect regulatory fees until
1993. Such "heritage" vanity call sign holders do not appear as vanity
licensees in the FCC Amateur Radio database.

Amateur Radio licensees may file for renewal only within 90 days of their
license expiration date. The ARRL VEC will process license renewals for
vanity call sign holders for a modest fee. The service is available to ARRL
members and nonmembers, although League members pay less. Routine,
non-vanity renewals continue to be free for ARRL members. Trustees of club
stations with vanity call signs may renew either via the ULS or through a
Club Station Call Sign Administrator, such as ARRL VEC.

League members should visit the "ARRL Member Instructions for License
Renewals or Changes" page
http://www.arrl.org/fcc/memberlicenseinstructions.html, while the
"Instructions for License Renewals or Changes" page
http://www.arrl.org/fcc/licenseinstructions.html covers general renewal
procedures for nonmembers. There's additional information on the ARRL VEC's
"FCC License Renewals and ARRL License Expiration Notices" page
http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/renewals.html.

License application and renewal information and links to the required forms
are available on the ARRL Amateur Application Filing FAQ Web page
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/application-filing-faq.html.
The FCC's forms page http://www.fcc.gov/formpage.html also offers the
required forms.

==NORTHEAST AMATEUR RADIO VOLUNTEERS AID MASSIVE STORM RESPONSE, RECOVERY

Amateur Radio volunteers have been helping the US Northeast to recover from
the effects of a huge and punishing nor'easter that generated high winds and
caused extensive flooding in many communities -- rural, urban and coastal.
While sunny weather has returned to the region, some ARES volunteers remain
active.

"This was a long-duration event that impacted the region for several days,"
said ARRL Eastern Massachusetts Section Emergency Coordinator Rob Macedo,
KD1CY, who's also ARES SKYWARN coordinator for the Taunton National Weather
Service office.

New Hampshire Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and Eastern Rockingham
County ARES have been backing up landline telephone service, including 911,
between Nottingham and the New Hampshire Bureau of Emergency Management.
Service was knocked out by flooding at a switching station. Operations could
last for several days. Even cell service is affected.

The mountains of northern New England received snow, some of which melted,
while most of the rest of the region saw heavy rainfall -- three to six
inches on the average with isolated higher amounts in southern and central
New England. The result was significant flooding of rivers, streams and
urban areas, coupled with mudslides and bridge and road washouts.

Amateur Radio ARES, RACES, SKYWARN and Military Affiliate Radio System
(MARS) volunteers monitored river levels for authorities. The Nashua,
Farmington, Connecticut, Blackstone, Pawtuxet, Piscataquog, Shawsheen,
Souhegan and Merrimack rivers were among those overspilling their banks.
Homes and businesses had to be evacuated in some communities. Flooding of
smaller rivers and streams added to the problem. Along the coast, Amateur
Radio volunteers reported widespread minor to moderate flooding across
coastal eastern Massachusetts Sunday through Wednesday.

In Nantucket, the ocean claimed one home during high tide, while numerous
cars got stuck in coastal flooding, and motorists had to be rescued. A few
families had to evacuate during high water.

Winds gusting between 60 and 75 MPH brought down trees and power lines,
leaving some 45,000 customers without power in Massachusetts alone. Trees
and tree limbs also fell on cars and houses, in some instances causing
significant damage.

Macedo reports SKYWARN operations at the Taunton NWS office's WX1BOX, were
active for 40 hours straight -- from 8 AM Sunday through midnight Tuesday.
SKYWARN provided some 500 to 600 reports of snowfall, rainfall, flooding,
wind damage and wind-speed measurements. More than a dozen repeaters served
formal and informal SKYWARN gatherings.

At the Massachusetts State EOC, RACES' WC1MA was active from 6 PM Sunday
through 7 PM Monday, monitoring not only the storm but the Boston Marathon.
The race went on despite the rough weather. Conditions improved by
afternoon. More than 200 Amateur Radio volunteers deployed for the Boston
Marathon while operations for the nor'easter were under way. Eastern
Massachusetts ARES went on standby to support storm operations.

"This was a test of our ability to have a large amount of resources deployed
for the large storm as well as for a large event, and things went very
well." Macedo said.

Western Massachusetts SEC John Ruggiero, N2YHK, reported some localized ARES
activity as a result of the nor'easter. Mutual-aid ARES teams in Western
Mass were on alert but not activated.

Shelters opened in Greenfield and Leominster to house flood victims, and ham
radio volunteers were on hand to support communication. The Greenfield EOC
was open for a time. In Northampton flooding caused some apartment dwellers
to evacuate. Some roadways throughout the region were washed out or flooded
over.

In Connecticut, ARES went on alert to support the American Red Cross and the
Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security. A SKYWARN net fired
up to gather reports of flooding, high water levels, power outages and
rainfall totals, reported Hartford-Tolland Counties SKYWARN Coordinator
Roger Jeanfaivre, K1PAI.

Connecticut SEC Brian Fernandez, K1BRF, said ARES volunteers staffed
emergency management facilities in two of the state's five regions, "largely
along the shoreline where there has been flooding in low-lying areas." Some
evacuations occurred. ARES volunteers also staffed selected EOCs and,
briefly, shelters in affected areas. The Connecticut River reportedly
crested on Wednesday.

In Northern New Jersey, DEC George Sabbi, KC2GLG, in Bergen County reports
that Bergen Amateur Radio Association volunteers supported communication for
a Red Cross shelter in Lodi, which housed some five dozen clients. At one
point, the shelter lost its telephone service and power was out. Radio
amateurs on site used handhelds to facilitate communication until backup
power arrived. SKYWARN volunteers also provided weather observations, as
more than seven inches of rain caused the closing of many roads throughout
the county.

New York City-Long Island SEC Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, said all ARES members
through the section were put on standby Saturday in anticipation of the
storm, due to hit around midnight. In New York City, the Red Cross called
upon DEC John Healy, KA2ABV, to staff up to nine shelters. The Salvation
Army also asked ARES to remain ready. A staff of 30 ARES volunteers was
assembled for the first 24-hour period, "with more to come if needed," Healy
said.

More than eight inches of rain caused scattered flooding in New York City,
but predicted 50 MPH winds never materialized. The danger was over by the
next day, and New York City District ARES was able to stand down and secure.
ARES teams on Long Island also were prepared in advance on April 14. Most of
Long Island was spared the brunt of the storm, however.

==RED CROSS, ARRL DISCUSS BACKGROUND INVESTIGATIONS

Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) members volunteering to support Red
Cross disaster relief or recovery operations would not have to submit to a
Red Cross background check unless their volunteer stints extended beyond
seven days. That was the word from American Red Cross officials, who met
recently with ARRL representatives. The ARRL has expressed concerns about
the Red Cross's background check policy since first learning of it last
year. The League posted its most recent position statement
http://www.arrl.org/announce/ARRL-ARC-bg-check.html on the topic in March.

ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, and Chief Technology Officer Paul
Rinaldo, W4RI, met March 20 at American Red Cross offices in Washington, DC,
with two attorneys from the Red Cross General Counsel's office and two
management-level staff members from Red Cross Disaster Services. ARRL asked
the Red Cross staff if ARRL ARES volunteers would be subject to the American
Red Cross background check requirement if they provided communication for
more than seven days. The position of the Red Cross is that ARES volunteers
would not be permitted to provide communications at an American Red Cross
disaster site for more than seven days without submitting to the Red Cross
background check procedure.

Discussion then turned to the Red Cross's announcement that it would not
conduct credit or mode-of-living checks. The League's stated concern has
been that the ARC background investigation consent form states that a
consumer report and/or an investigative consumer report -- which includes
certain credit checks and mode of living checks -- will be obtained on the
volunteer signing the form.

The ARRL team asked if the Red Cross would be willing to modify its consent
form to limit the authority granted by the person signing the form to
criminal background checks only. The Red Cross representatives did not
appear willing to modify the current consent form, however.

The ARRL also suggested alternatives to the Red Cross investigation firm,
MyBackgroundCheck.com (MBC).

The Red Cross also appears unwilling to accept background checks conducted
by other entities, such as law enforcement organizations. The Red Cross
based its reluctance on a requirement to compare the methodologies of MBC
with those of alternative background-check providers.

Following the meeting, the ARRL reiterated its recommendation that members
carefully review any consent document permitting a private organization to
conduct a background investigation on that individual. The current Red Cross
background check consent form continues to include permission, without
further consent from the volunteer, to conduct a consumer report and/or an
investigative consumer report.

The Federal Trade Commission and federal statutes define "investigative
consumer reports" to include a mode-of-living check as well as certain
credit checks.

While the Red Cross has said it won't routinely pull credit reports on
background check applicants, ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, has said
that just requiring volunteers to authorize procurement of a credit report
"is inconsistent with this assurance."

In the course of the background check application process, prospective
volunteers must agree to let MBC obtain a wide range of personal information
bearing not just on criminal background and creditworthiness but, MBC says,
"character, general reputation [and] personal characteristics." MBC advises,
"The nature and scope of this disclosure and authorization is
all-encompassing."

The ARRL says it won't suggest which organizations or agencies Amateur Radio
volunteers should or should not support, but the League stresses that it
does wish to facilitate the provision of volunteer services.

The ARC and the ARRL have a Statement of Understanding (SoU), which is up
for review this year.

==HAM RADIO LETS ISS CREW MEMBERS CONNECT WITH SCHOOLS AROUND THE WORLD

The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program is
having a very busy and successful April. So far this month, Amateur Radio
has made it possible for youngsters at nine schools in the US, the
Netherlands, Australia, Hungary and Russia to speak with the astronauts and
cosmonauts aboard the ISS as well as with a civilian guest. On April 12
alone, students at three schools got the chance to talk with those aboard
the ISS. Two ARISS school contacts April 17 brought the total to 286 since
the first ISS crew came aboard in November 2000. ARISS International
Secretary Rosalie White, K1STO, notes that civilian space traveler Charles
Simonyi, KE7KDP/HA5SIK, has been spending some of his precious time in space
on the air.

"Charles Simonyi is making hams happy by getting on the air at various times
from the ISS," she said. "Over his homeland of Hungary, he made QSOs with
over 20 ham stations using his Hungarian call sign." Simonyi, who paid the
Russian space agency some $25 million for his 10-day space adventure,
handled four ARISS school contacts during his stay. He'll return to Earth at
week's end. Still ahead in April are ARISS school contacts in Italy,
Germany, Illinois and Virginia.

The space station's orbital pattern this month enabled ARISS Earth stations
in Australia to serve as a conduit for four of the question-and-answer
sessions with ISS crew members, including direct contacts with two schools
down under. Verizon Conferencing provided two-way teleconferencing links
between the stations and the schools for five so-called "telebridge"
contacts.

On April 2, youngsters at St Michaels Primary School in New South Wales,
Australia, had 17 questions asked and answered by Expedition 14 Commander
Mike Lopez-Alegria, KE5GTK, as some 240 people looked on. The event also
attracted a TV crew and reporters from two regional newspapers.

Expedition 14/15 astronaut Suni Williams, KD5PLB, told youngsters at Glenden
State School in Queensland, Australia, April 4 that human habitation of the
ISS is part of a larger effort to understand what happens to the human body
in long-term space flight.

"You guys will be the ones who will be venturing off to other planets," she
told the students. She noted that ham radio is "always a fallback plan" if
other communication systems go down. The contact culminated some nine months
of planning at the school.

On April 10, Lopez-Alegria took the helm at NA1SS to answer questions for
youngsters at Delta Researchers School, a human spaceflight project for
primary schools in the Netherlands, aimed at using human spaceflight as a
theme to integrate science and technology into the curriculum.

ARISS was even able this month to put the space program within the reach of
22 youngsters attending the tiny, remote Salt Creek Primary School in South
Australia. Williams answered more than a dozen youngsters' questions on
April 12. One wanted to know if she'd ever seen a "black hole" in space.

"Thank God we haven't," Williams quipped. "I don't thing we'd see it for
very long at all."

On April 16, Patriots Day in her native Massachusetts, Williams became the
first human to run the 26-mile Boston Marathon in space. She finished the
race on a specially designed treadmill in 4 hours, 23 minutes, 10 seconds.

Simonyi handled the other two April 12 contacts, speaking with students at
Fairborn High School in Ohio and at Puskás Tivadar Távközlési Technikum in
Budapest, Hungary. "Fantastic PR both for Charles and for ham radio!" Chris
Hildebrand, HG5XA, reported afterward. "I could not meet anyone today who
had not heard of Charles and Amateur Radio."

Following the contact, Fairborn teacher Barb Skusa commented on the level of
excitement at the school. "It was truly a thrill to be part of this
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," she told ARISS Mentor Charlie Sufana, AJ9N.
"I actually had tears in my eyes."

On April 16 Simonyi spoke via ham radio with students at Redmond High School
in Redmond, Washington, the home of Microsoft where he once developed
software.

"I think that space is one of the best things that humanity does," he told
the high schoolers. "And to participate in it -- just even in a very small
way -- I think it's a privilege, and getting young people like you involved
in science, that's just a bonus."

The following day, a youngster at Cedar Point Elementary School in Bristow,
Virginia, quizzed Simonyi about his job assignment in space. "Well, I'm a
tourist, actually, so I don't need to have a job," Simonyi responded, "but I
signed up for a number of interesting science experiments to help. For
example, measuring the radiation in space."

Also on April 17, Expedition 15 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin, RN3FI, spoke in
Russian with students attending Kursk State Technical University in Russia.
Yurchikhin formally assumed command of the ISS that same day. The ISS
occupants have managed to work around a busy schedule of crew handover
activities to accommodate the ARISS school contacts. Simonyi will accompany
Expedition 14's Lopez-Alegria and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, RZ3FT,
when they return to Earth April 21 aboard a Soyuz transporter.

ARISS http://www.rac.ca/ariss is an international educational outreach,
with US participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA.

==DEADLINE LOOMS FOR MCGAN AWARD NOMINATIONS

The deadline is drawing near to nominate candidates for the prestigious
Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award for excellence in Amateur
Radio public relations. Throughout the year ARRL Public Information
Coordinators, Public Information Officers and other public relations
volunteers strive to keep Amateur Radio visible in their communities by
publicizing special events, activities and accomplishments.

"Their efforts benefit us all," says ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager
Allen Pitts, W1AGP. "If you know someone who has achieved public relations
success on behalf of Amateur Radio, nominating him or her for the McGan
award is the perfect way to say 'thank you'."

The 2007 McGan award will go to a radio amateur who's achieved demonstrable
success in Amateur Radio public relations and who best exemplifies the
volunteer spirit of the late Philip McGan, WA2MBQ, the first chairman of the
ARRL Public Relations Committee.

The McGan Award recognizes public relations activities specifically directed
at bringing Amateur Radio to the public's attention -- and most often the
media's -- in a positive light. This may include preparing news releases,
hosting a radio show or being an active public speaker.

If you know of a ham who has gone "above and beyond" to promote Amateur
Radio to the public, consider nominating that person for the 2007 award.
Nominations are due by Friday, May 25. Full information is on the ARRL Web
site http://www.arrl.org/pio/mcgan/.

==SOLAR UPDATE

Solar Fluxmeister Tad "The Spudman" Cook, K7RA, Boise, Idaho, reports: We
are on the road in the Gem State this week -- another with few or no
sunspots. Most days had zero spots, but from time to time a new sunspot will
appear, but only briefly. Expect more of the same conditions, with few or no
sunspots. Eventually this year we should reach a point where the only place
for solar activity to go is up.

April 20, we may see unsettled geomagnetic activity. Geophysical Institute
Prague expects unsettled to active geomagnetic conditions for April 20,
unsettled for April 21-22, quiet to unsettled on April 23, and quiet April
24-26. The US Air Force predicts April 28 as the next date for active
geomagnetic conditions, with a predicted planetary A index of 25.

Sunspot numbers for April 12 through 18 were 0, 0, 11, 0, 0, 12 and 11, with
a mean of 4.9. The 10.7 cm flux was 68.3, 68.3 68.2, 69.3, 69.3, 69.2, and
68.8, with a mean of 68.8. Estimated planetary A indices were 8, 2, 4, 4, 1,
8 and 9, with a mean of 5.1. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 7, 1, 3,
2, 0, 6 and 6, with a mean of 3.6.

For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical
Information Service Propagation page
http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html.

__________________________________

==IN BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: The TARA Skirmish Digital Prefix Contest, the
Holyland DX Contest, the ES Open HF Championship, Kids Roundup, the EU
Spring Sprint (SSB), the Michigan and Ontario QSO parties, the EA-QRP CW
Contest, the YU DX Contest, and the SKCC Weekend Sprint are the weekend of
April 21-22. The 432 MHz Spring Sprint is April 25. The NCCC Sprint Ladder
is April 27. JUST AHEAD: The Florida and Nebraska QSO parties, the SP DX
RTTY Contest and the Helvetia Contest are the April 28-29 weekend. 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, May 6 , for these ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education (CEC) program online courses
beginning Friday, May 18: Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 2
(EC-002), Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 3 (EC-003R2), Antenna
Modeling (EC-004), HF Digital Communications (EC-005), VHF/UHF -- Life
Beyond the Repeater (EC-008), and Radio Frequency Propagation (EC-011).
These courses will also open for registration Friday, May 4, for classes
beginning Friday, June 15. To learn more, visit the CCE Course Listing page
http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html or contact the CCE Department
.

* Swains Island N8S operation tops 100,000 contacts! The Swains Island N8S
DXpedition team made 117,205 QSOs, The Daily DX reports. That's the fourth
highest all-time DXpedition contact total. After shutting down April 15, the
crew made it back to American Samoa late the following day. The N8S online
logs are available
http://logsearch.de/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=73, and the
DXpedition is expected to upload its log data to Logbook of the World
(LoTW). The first N8S QSL cards will be available in about a month. YT1AD
will handle cards for N8S. -- The Daily DX

* CubeSats launch successfully! Four CubeSats containing payloads operating
on Amateur Radio frequencies were among several spacecraft launched
successfully April 17 at 0645 UTC from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. A
Dnepr rocket deployed seven CubeSats plus seven other satellites from Egypt,
Saudi Arabia and Ukraine into Earth orbit, and signals from at least two of
the four CubeSats have been copied on Earth. Among the spacecraft was
Colombia's first satellite. The CubeSats a CalPoly's PolySats CP3 and
CP4, 436.845 MHz and 437.325 MHz respectively, 1200 bps FM AFSK, AX.25, 1 W,
operating under an FCC Part-5 Experimental license; University of Louisiana
CAPE-1 435.245 MHz, 9600 bps FM FSK AX.25 and CW telemetry during opposing
30-second intervals, 1 W, call sign K5USL (e-mail telemetry reports
); Universidad Sergio Arboleda, Colombia, Libertad-1,
437.405 MHz, 1200 bps FM AFSK AX.25, 400 mW, call sign 5K3L. CP4 will
transmit a "sensor snapshot" every 2 minutes on 437.325 MHz at 1200bps FSK,
AX.25. FSK will require using SSB mode for reception. A 6-second CW preamble
precedes this transmission. Keplerian elements for the new ham radio birds
and additional information will be posted on Cal Poly's CubeSat Web page
http://www.cubesat.org/. CalPoly offers a CubeSat "Satellite Contact Form"
to report telemetry data received from any satellite
http://cubesat.atl.calpoly.edu/pages...data-packet-fo
rm.php. -- AMSAT

================================================== =========
The ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the American
Radio Relay League: ARRL--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.

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