***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 27, No. 31
August 8, 2008
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* + ARRL Board of Directors Names 2007-2008 Award Recipients
* + NCVEC Holds Annual Conference via Telephone
* + Look for the September Issue of QST in Your Mailbox
* + Former ARRL HQ Staff Member Glenn Swanson, KB1GW (SK)
* + Station Manager Explains NN3SI's Silence
* + Fifth Annual National Preparedness Month Coming in September
* Solar Update
* IN BRIEF:
This Weekend on the Radio
ARRL Continuing Education Course Registration
+ New ARRL Section Manager Appointed in Nevada
+ Jack B. Morgan, KF6T, Wins July QST Cover Plaque Award
October is Radiosport Month in QST
Georgia Hams Meet with FEMA
AMSAT-UK Colloquium Lectures Now Online
International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend 2008

+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: S. Khrystyne Keane,

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

== ARRL BOARD OF DIRECTORS NAMES 2007-2008 AWARD RECIPIENTS

The ARRL Board of Directors named six ARRL award recipients at its July
18-19 meeting in Windsor, Connecticut. The six awards conferred were the
2008 Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award; the 2007 Herb S.
Brier Instructor of the Year Award; the 2007 Hiram Percy Maxim Award;
the 2007 Doug DeMaw, W1FB, Technical Excellence Award; the 2008 ARRL
Technical Innovation Award, and the ARRL Technical Merit Award.

* The Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award
http://www.arrl.org/pio/mcgan/

The recipient of the 2008 McGan Award is Walter Palmer, W4ALT, of Lewes,
Delaware. Palmer, the ARRL Delaware Section Public Information
Coordinator (PIC) http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/org/pic.html, has
demonstrated outstanding volunteer public relations success on behalf of
Amateur Radio at both the local and state levels. Palmer wrote a
television script for the Sussex County (Delaware) Emergency Operations
Center, providing the public with an awareness of Amateur Radio and its
relationship with Emergency Preparedness. This show was broadcast on the
largest television station in the Delaware market. Through his positive
messages and commitment to Amateur Radio, membership in the Sussex
Amateur Radio Association increased almost 200 percent, gaining 69 new
members; participation in ARES grew from just one lone member to 60.

The McGan award is named for Philip J. McGan, WA2MBQ (SK), the first
chairman of the ARRL's Public Relations Committee. After his death,
friends in the New Hampshire Amateur Radio Association joined with the
ARRL Board of Directors to pay a lasting tribute to the important
contributions he made on behalf of Amateur Radio. The McGan Award goes
to that ham who has demonstrated success in Amateur Radio public
relations and best exemplifies the volunteer spirit of Phil McGan.
Public Relations activities for which the McGan Award is presented
include efforts specifically directed at bringing Amateur Radio to the
public's attention (and most often the media's) in a positive light.
This may include traditional methods, such as news releases, or
non-traditional methods, such as hosting a radio show or being an active
public speaker.

* Herb S. Brier Instructor of the Year Award
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/award/herb-tor.html

The recipient of the 2007 Herb S. Brier Instructor of the Year Award is
Doug Loughmiller, W5BL, of McKinney, Texas. Since 2003, Loughmiller has
worked to bring together the Fannin County Amateur Radio Club and the
Fannin County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) by creating and
teaching ongoing Amateur Radio classes. Loughmiller advertises the
classes and recruits students; graduates of the classes usually end up
joining both clubs. He mentors his many students about the wide-ranging
facets of Amateur Radio, including high altitude balloon flights and
real-world emergency response in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita. Loughmiller's classes are so popular, it is common for licensed
amateurs to re-enroll or even take his class for a first time knowing
they will walk away from it having learned something new.

Herb S. Brier, W9AD, long-time CQ Novice Editor, represented the spirit
of effective, caring Amateur Radio instruction. The ARRL, in conjunction
with the Lake County (Indiana) Amateur Radio Club, sponsors this award
in his memory to recognize the very best in volunteer Amateur Radio
instruction and recruitment.

* The Hiram Percy Maxim Award
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/awards/hpm.html

The recipient of the 2007 Hiram Percy Maxim Award is Jim Fagan, KE7IDC,
of Tucson, Arizona. Fagan, an ARRL Life Member, is the ARRL Arizona
Assistant Section Manager for Youth; he also serves as
secretary/treasurer of the Tucson Repeater Association. He is 13 years
old. Fagan teaches the Radio and Electronics merit badges, as well as
hands-on radio demonstrations and kit building in his Scouting
activities. Outside of Boy Scouts, Fagan helps out with bike races,
walkathons and Red Cross drills. He serves as the Tucson Repeater
Council's representative to the Arizona Radio Council. Every month, he
writes a Youth and Scouting article for the ARRL Arizona Section
newsletter.

This award, given annually to a licensed radio amateur under the age of
21, takes into account the nominee's most exemplary nature of
accomplishments and contributions to both the community of Amateur Radio
and the local community.

* The Doug DeMaw, W1FB, Technical Excellence Award

The recipient of the 2007 Doug DeMaw, W1FB, Technical Excellence Award
is John Stanley, K4ERO, of Rising Fawn, Georgia, for his article
"Observing Selective Fading in Real Time with Dream Software" published
in the January/February 2007 issue of QEX http://www.arrl.org/qex.
Stanley was first licensed as KN4ERO more than 50 years ago, gradually
working his way up to Amateur Extra class. He graduated from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in electrical
engineering in 1962 and did six years of graduate studies in theology
and foreign languages. With Ruth, WB4LUA, his wife of 40 years, Stanley
has visited 62 countries and operated from about a dozen of them while
working as a broadcast engineering consultant and educator. He has
taught in several universities and has worked for all of the major
religious broadcasters, but spent the majority of his time with HCJB in
Quito, Ecuador where he oversaw the use of a 24-element quad antenna for
broadcasting on the 21 MHz shortwave broadcast band. While at HCJB,
Stanley designed and built several transmitters and did major work on
the 20 kW unit presently used by HCJB for SSB and Digital Radio Mondiale
(DRM) broadcasts.

Established in 1975 as the ARRL Technical Excellence Award, the name was
changed in 1997 to honor the late Doug DeMaw, W1FB, a former ARRL
Headquarters technical editor and well-known Amateur Radio author. The
award consists of an engraved 9 inch pewter cup.

* The ARRL Technical Innovation Award
ARRL%20Technical%20Innovation%20Award

The recipient of the 2008 ARRL Technical Innovation Award is Dave
Bernstein, AA6YQ, of Wayland, Massachusetts. Bernstein authored and
published the DXLab suite of programs for radio amateurs
http://www.dxlabsuite.com/; he has placed these programs in the public
domain for free use and collaboration. Bernstein, an avid DXer, was one
of the earliest logging program authors to investigate functions for
ARRL's Logbook of The World (LoTW) http://www.arrl.org/lotw, as well
as programs for other developers. His DXLab suite consists of eight
programs that cover every aspect of station operation. Bernstein goes
beyond simply supporting DXLab; he mentors users in other aspects of
programming and Amateur Radio.

The ARRL Technical Innovation Award is granted annually to the licensed
radio amateur or to individuals who are licensed radio amateurs whose
accomplishments and contributions are of the most exemplary nature
within the framework of technical research, development and application
of new ideas and future systems in the context of Amateur Radio
activities.

* ARRL Technical Merit Award

The ARRL Technical Merit Award, last given in 1976, is awarded to ARRL
Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI. Since 2003, Hare has diligently and
skillfully led the ARRL laboratory staff in studying the detrimental
effects of Broadband over Powerline (BPL) usage on the Amateur Radio
community http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/. Going beyond the
dictates of his job, Hare conducted field studies of geographically
dispersed BPL deployments in his personal HF-equipped car, interfacing
with amateurs in many different areas of the country to provide them
with reliable and objective technical advice in identifying and
addressing harmful interference from BPL systems.

Hare's extensive technical studies and solid factual data effectively
supported ARRL's Court of Appeals submissions against the FCC, thus
contributing substantially to the League's success in causing the FCC's
flawed BPL rules to be remanded to the FCC. This action positively
impacts ARRL membership and the whole amateur community.

Hare has earned the respect of technical representatives in the BPL
industry and standards organizations, such as the IEEE P1775 BPL EMC
Committee; the IEEE EMC Society Standards Development Committee (serving
as Chairman of the BPL Study Project), and the ASC 63 EMC Committee
(serving as Chairman of Subcommittee 5 -- Immunity and the Ad hoc BPL
Working Group). Through these committees, Hare has contributed to the
implementation of advancements in BPL technology, directly resulting in
the capability of current generation BPL systems to reduce interference
potential to acceptable levels.

== NCVEC HOLDS ANNUAL CONFERENCE VIA TELEPHONE

On July 25, the National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators
(NCVEC) held their annual meeting via teleconference. ARRL VEC Manager
Maria Somma, AB1FM, and Assistant Manager Perry Green, WY1O, represented
the ARRL VEC. Representatives from 12 of the nation's 14 VECs (either in
person or via proxy), as well as the FCC's Bill Cross, W3TN, took part
in the teleconference.

Elections

NCVEC held elections for 2008/2009. Moving up from vice chairman, Larry
Pollock, NB5X, of W5YI VEC was elected Chairman, replacing Tom Fuszard,
KF9PU, of the MRAC VEC; John Johnston, W3BE, of the LARC VEC, was
elected as Vice Chairman. Roland Anders, K3RA, of LARC VEC, was elected
as Chairman of the Question Pool Committee (QPC). The ARRL's Green,
W5YI's Pollock, MRAC's Fuszard and Anchorage VEC's Jim Wiley, KL7CC,
were appointed as members of the QPC; Anders, Green and Pollock are
returning QPC members.

The following amateurs were re-elected to their position by acclimation:
Michelle Cimbala, WK3X, of LARC VEC, as Secretary and Custodian of
Records; Gene Wright, WA6ZRT, of the GEARS VEC, as Assistant to the
Custodian of Records; Ray Adams, W4CPA, of the WCARS VEC, as Treasurer;
Willard Sitton, W4HZD, of WCARS, as Assistant to the Treasurer, and Fred
Maia, W5YI, of W5YI VEC, as Rules Reporter.

Question Pool Committee

Wiley presented the QPC report. Wiley, who served as QPC Chair for
2007/2008, stated that the committee strived to make the questions in
the Amateur Extra class license question pool easier to understand
http://www.ncvec.org/page.php?id=351. A few changes were made after
the release of the pool, and the implementations of those changes seem
to be going smoothly, he said. He reminded the Conference that there
will be no question pool releases in 2009.

Win Guin, W2GLJ, proxy for the GLAARG VEC, asked Wiley why the QPC
released a second version of the Extra class pool. Wiley replied that
the QPC sent a copy of the pool to VECs before its release; only a few
VECs responded with comments. Only after the release of the pool to the
public, Wiley said, did the QPC receive a substantial number of comments
for corrections and changes.

Anders confirmed this, saying that most of the comments received after
the release were not major, but there were a significant number of them.
The QPC carefully reviewed the comments, and the second release of the
pool was seen as a way to clarify the way the questions were worded.
Pollock agreed, noting that only eight questions were removed from the
pool, and about 12 typographical errors were corrected in the
re-release.

FCC Matters

Bill Cross, W3TN, an analyst in the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications
Bureau -- Mobility Division, told the Conference that from an FCC
perspective, the VEC system was working quite well. He said they had
received very few complaints about test sessions or the availability of
test sessions.

Cross also notified the Conference that his office has received some
complaints from hams who have let their licenses expire. These hams,
Cross said, are upset that they have to take a new test after their two
year grace period has expired.

Cross then spoke of items pending in Washington that may impact exam
question pools. He mentioned a petition filed by the ARRL, asking the
FCC to amend rules relating to the amount of RF power that stations may
use when transmitting spread-spectrum emissions. Cross said this
petition is being handled by the FCC's Office of Engineering and
Technology (OET); he said a decision on this petition has the
possibility to affect a few questions in the pools. He also told of a
petition dealing with the 5 MHz (60 meter) band; the ARRL is requesting
that a channel substitution be made. If approved, this would also change
a few questions. Cross said that the Commission would need to solicit
comments on both petitions before a decision is reached, and a Report
and Order would need to be released if the rules are changed. He said he
felt that no question pool changes would need to be made before next
summer at the earliest.

Cross mentioned that his office has had some difficulties with club call
sign applications. It seems, Cross said, that some hams are sending in
applications requesting to change the trustee of a club station, but
these hams are not authorized to change either the trustee or the
station address. He called on Club Station Call Sign Administrators
(CSCSA) to watch this carefully and try to head off any potential
problems. He suggested that administrators get documentation that the
person requesting the change is actually the new trustee of the club
license and is acting with the authority of the club.

1x1 Call Signs

Anders said he was concerned about the possible misuse of 1x1 -- or
special event -- call signs, saying that he had received reports of a
large number of these special call signs showing up in radiosport
contests. He said in looking at the Special Event Call Sign System
guidelines -- posted on the NCVEC Web site
http://www.ncvec.org/1x1.php -- he did not think contests fit the
FCC's definition of a special event as something of general or
widespread interest. He said that if the Conference decides that it is
not in their purview to provide guidance on what should be a special
event, the Conference should delete the definition from the NCVEC Web
site.

Cross said that the NCVEC has no responsibility for the 1x1 call sign
program. He told the Conference that when the FCC devised the 1x1
program, they left the definition of a special event -- an event of
interest to the ham radio community -- vague on purpose. He said the
Commission envisioned 1x1 call signs being used at open houses, fairs,
parades, celebrations of anniversaries of local events and the like. He
said a contest does not commemorate an event; rather, those with a 1x1
call sign in a contest have an advantage with a short call sign. He said
contest sponsors could have a rule not allowing 1x1 call signs.

Pollock said that after the 1x1 database was developed, they had to find
a place to host it; as a matter of convenience, it was placed on the
NCVEC Web site. Somma, Green and Pollock urged that the 1x1 database and
related Web pages be moved to its own site, with Pollock heading up this
project. Somma said the FCC rules state that the database must be
maintained, but does not state on what Web site it is to be maintained.
To clarify issues with the 1x1 call signs, language on the NCVEC Web
site will be changed to reflect that the Conference has nothing to do
with the 1x1 call sign program, and pages associated with the program
will be moved to their own site as soon as possible.

The 2009 meeting of the NCVEC was tentatively set for July 24 in
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

== LOOK FOR THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF QST IN YOUR MAILBOX

The September issue of QST -- our annual Emergency Communications issue
-- is jam-packed with all sorts of things today's Amateur Radio operator
needs, with a special focus on Public Service. From product reviews to
experiments to contesting, the upcoming issue of QST has something for
just about everyone.

Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, provides details on how hams can use APRS and GPS
in Emergency Communications (and other applications) for more than
simply tracking the position of another user in his article "Maximizing
the Mobile Motorist Mission." William McMurray, K4SG, takes a look back
at some resourceful young amateurs' radio EmComm and homebrewing
adventures in his article "World War II Emergency Radio." Mike Kionka,
KI0GO, tells about "Project 25 for Amateur Radio," an open digital
standard used by many public service agencies.

ARRL Contributing Editor Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, reviews ICOM's IC-92AD dual
band handheld transceiver. According to Pearce, "The IC-92AD is a very
capable radio for analog and D-STAR digital VHF/UHF operation. It's
expensive compared to analog-only dual-banders, and you'll need to spend
some time learning the digital features. In return, D-STAR offers many
capabilities not available in the analog world."

Contest season is right around the corner, so ARRL Contest Branch
Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, takes a look at his mailbag and answers a few
questions he has received in "This Month in Contesting." The results of
the 2008 ARRL DX Phone Contest are in. Did you top your score from last
year? How did your closest rival do? Also, find out about upcoming
contests in Contest Corral.

Of course, there are all the columns and features you know and love in
September QST: Hints & Kinks, The Doctor Is IN, How's DX, Old Radio,
Technical Correspondence, ARRL VEC and Emergency Communications Honor
Rolls, Hamspeak and more. Look for your September issue in your mailbox.
QST is the official journal of ARRL, the national association for
Amateur Radio. QST is just one of the many benefits of ARRL membership.
To join or renew your ARRL membership, please see the ARRL Web page
http://www.arrl.org/join.

== FORMER ARRL HQ STAFF MEMBER GLENN SWANSON, KB1GW (SK)

Former ARRL Headquarters staffer, Glenn P. Swanson, KB1GW, of North
Granby, Connecticut, died August 1 after a brief illness. He was 54. In
the mid-1990s, Swanson was very active in contesting activities, and
served a term as Yankee Clipper Contest Club (YCCC) Connecticut Area
Manager and was a contributor to the YCCC newsletter
http://www.yccc.org/. Swanson was extremely interested in new Amateur
Radio equipment and products -- especially transceivers -- and authored
several QST product reviews.

First licensed in 1987 as a Novice, Swanson credited Peter Budnik, KB1HY
- who became a fellow ARRL staffer -- for getting him involved in
Amateur Radio. Swanson told then-QST Product Review Editor Rick
Lindquist, WW3DE (ex-N1RL) in 1996 that "Peter was my best friend, and
he was really into CB. I became involved, too. Later, when Peter decided
to take an Amateur Radio licensing class, it was natural that I'd go
along with my buddy and take the class, too!" Swanson said he and Budnik
"climbed the licensing ladder together," from Novice to General. "And
here we are years later, both Advanced class and both working at ARRL HQ
-- in the same department."

Swanson first came to the ARRL in January 1993 as the Assistant to Bart
Jahnke, KB9NM, then-ARRL VEC Manager. Two years later, Swanson moved to
the former Educational Activities Department (EAD) -- later merged with
Field Services -- for several years. In his role in EAD, Swanson was
involved with the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX -- the
predecessor to the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
ARISS), scouting's Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) and the ARRL Instructor of
the Year Award.

"Glenn was an enthusiastic ARRL staff member and Amateur Radio
operator," said Lindquist. "He would even stay after hours to assist me
in the product review process, and he made me feel at home when I first
arrived at ARRL HQ. In addition, he got me involved with YCCC and
serious contesting. Glenn was a great guy." Swanson wrote more than a
dozen articles and product reviews for QST between 1995 and 1997.

Former EAD Manager Rosalie White, K1STO, his former supervisor, said, "I
always liked Glenn and was happy to have him in the department. His
death was such a shock!"

Swanson left ARRL HQ in 1998, going to work for the West Hartford
(Connecticut) public school system as a technology support specialist.
He was employed there at the time of his death. A memorial service was
held August 7 in Granby, Connecticut.

== STATION MANAGER EXPLAINS NN3SI'S SILENCE

ARRL has received numerous e-mails asking for information on why NN3SI
http://americanhistory.si.edu/events/programdetail.cfm?newskey=48, the
Amateur Radio station at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum
of American History (NMAH) was closed after more than 32 years of
operation http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2008/07/30/10231/?nc=1.
According to Hal Wallace, NN3SI Station Manager and Associate Curator
for the Museum's electricity collections, there will be no appropriate
place to house the station once the Museum reopens this fall after
undergoing an extensive renovation.

"NN3SI ceased operating from the National Museum of American History on
July 31," Wallace told the ARRL. "As you may know, NMAH has been
undergoing a renovation of the building's infrastructure and interior
for some time. The renovation forced us to remove the Information Age
exhibition -- the station's home since 1990. We placed the station in a
temporary location for the duration of the renovation but it cannot
remain there when we reopen to the public later this year. The
Information Age exhibit will not be reinstalled, and since we have no
other appropriate exhibition areas within the Museum, the station had to
cease operations at NMAH. Various alternate locations throughout the
Smithsonian have been considered but none are viable at this time."

Wallace said that the station's license is valid until 2013 and its
equipment will go into storage: "John Johnston, W3BE -- NN3SI's trustee
-- assures me that a renewal of the license would not be an issue if we
need one. Should a suitable exhibition area elsewhere in the
[Smithsonian] Institution be found, we will be able to reactivate the
NN3SI activity."

== FIFTH ANNUAL NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH COMING IN SEPTEMBER

The US Department of Homeland Security announced in July that more than
1200 national, regional, state and local businesses and organizations --
including several Amateur Radio groups -- have pledged their support and
joined the 2008 National Preparedness Month Coalition
http://www.ready.gov/america/npm08/intro.html. Sponsored by the
department's "Ready" campaign, National Preparedness Month helps to
raise awareness and promote action by Americans, businesses and
communities on emergency preparedness.

"As we approach our fifth National Preparedness Month, I want to thank
the hundreds of coalition members who are making a difference in their
communities by helping raise the basic level of preparedness in our
country," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. "Individual
preparedness is the cornerstone of emergency preparedness. Experience
shows that if Americans take steps ahead of time, they stand a much
better chance of coming through an emergency unharmed and recovering
more quickly."

"The 'Ready' campaign and Citizen Corps http://www.citizencorps.gov
are specifically encouraging individuals across the nation to take
important preparedness steps," said ARRL Public Relations and Media
Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP. "These steps include getting an emergency
supply kit, making a family emergency plan, being informed about the
different emergencies that may affect them, as well as taking the
necessary steps to get trained and become engaged in community
preparedness and response efforts."

National Preparedness Month Coalition members have agreed to distribute
emergency preparedness information and sponsor activities across the
country that will promote emergency preparedness. Membership is open to
all public and private sector organizations. Sign up your club or ARES
group now! Groups and individuals can register to become members by
visiting the Ready Web site http://www.ready.gov and clicking on the
National Preparedness Month banner.

For more information on the Ready Campaign and National Preparedness
Month, please visit http://www.ready.gov or http://www.listo.gov for
information in Spanish. Information is also available by phone at
1-800-BE-READY or 1-888-SE-LISTO (in Spanish).


According to Pitts, linking up with the Ready.gov people and
participating in September's National Preparedness Month is "an easy
win. The federal people are already doing all the hard work. All you
really have to do is sign up. Most clubs and ARES groups are already
doing activities which fit into their structure, so why not get credit
for your actions? Of course, if you do something more with this
opportunity, so much the better! But you have to sign your group in and
no one can do that for you. There are hundreds of ARES groups and clubs
in the country. Wouldn't it be fun to have even 70 percent of them sign
up and get noticed?"

==SOLAR UPDATE

Substituting for Tad Cook, K7RA, Carl "The bright Suns I see and the
dark Suns I cannot see are in their place" Luetzelschwab, K9LA, this
week reports: For the reporting period August 1-7, solar activity was at
very low levels and the geomagnetic field was at quiet levels. Solar
activity is expected to continue to be very low for the next several
days. As for geomagnetic field activity, the Australian Space Forecast
Centre issued a geomagnetic disturbance warning on August 6 for quiet to
unsettled, and then unsettled to active conditions (with possible minor
storm periods) on August 8 and August 9, respectively. Sunspot numbers
for July 31-August 6 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 and 0 with a mean of 0. The
10.7 cm flux was 65.5, 66.1, 66.2, 65.5, 66.2, 66.5 and 67 with a mean
of 66.1. Estimated planetary A indices were 4, 3, 3, 4, 4, 3 and 4 with
a mean of 3.6. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 4, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3
and 5 with a mean of 3.1. For more information concerning radio
propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service Propagation
page http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html. To read this
week's Solar Report in its entirety, check out the W1AW Propagation
Bulletin page http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/prop/. This week's "Tad
Cookism" brought to you by Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass."

__________________________________

==IN BRIEF:

* This Weekend on the Radio: This weekend, the WAE DX Contest (CW) and
the Maryland-DC QSO Party are August 9-10. The SKCC Weekend Sprintathon
is August 10 and the NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint is August 13. Next
weekend, be sure to check out the ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest on August
16-17. The NCCC Sprint is August 15. The Feld Hell Sprint and the ARCI
Silent Key Memorial Sprint are August 16. On the weekend of August
16-17, look for the SARTG WW RTTY Contest, the Russian District Award
Contest, the Keyman's Club of Japan Contest and the North American QSO
Party (SSB) to be on the air. The New Jersey QSO Party is August 16, 17
and 18. The Run for the Bacon QRP Contest is August 18. All dates,
unless otherwise stated, are UTC. See the ARRL Contest Branch page
http://www.arrl.org/contests/, the ARRL Contest Update
http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/ and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar
http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html for more info. Looking
for a Special Event station? Be sure to check out the ARRL Special Event
Station Web page http://www.arrl.org/contests/spev.html.

* ARRL Continuing Education Course Registration: Registration remains
open through Sunday, August 24, 2008 for these online course sessions
beginning on Friday, September 5, 2008: Technician License Course
(EC-010); 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).
Each online course has been developed in segments -- learning units with
objectives, informative text, student activities and quizzes. Courses
are interactive, and some include direct communications with a
Mentor/Instructor. Students register for a particular session that may
be 8, 12 or 16 weeks (depending on the course) and they may access the
course at any time of day during the course period, completing lessons
and activities at times convenient for their personal schedule. Mentors
assist students by answering questions, reviewing assignments and
activities, as well as providing helpful feedback. Interaction with
mentors is conducted through e-mail; there is no appointed time the
student must be present -- allowing complete flexibility for the student
to work when and where it is convenient. To learn more, visit the CCE
Course Listing page http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html or contact
the Continuing Education Program Coordinator .

* New ARRL Section Manager Appointed in Nevada: Joe Giraudo, N7JEH, has
been appointed Section Manager of the Nevada Section effective August
15. ARRL Membership and Volunteer Programs Department Manager Dave
Patton, NN1N, made the appointment after Dick Flanagan, K7VC, announced
his resignation for health related reasons. Flanagan, of Minden, has
served as Nevada Section Manager since January 2003. Giraudo, who lives
in Spring Creek, will complete the current term of office that continues
through June 30, 2009. A Professional Engineer and graduate of the
University of Nevada, Giraudo is an experienced licensing instructor and
ARRL Volunteer Examiner. He is currently Nevada Assistant Section
Manager, as well as a District Emergency Coordinator; he also holds
appointments as Net Manager, Public Information Officer and Official
Emergency Station within the Nevada Section. Giraudo served as Nevada
Section Emergency Coordinator from 1994-2000.

* Jack B. Morgan, KF6T, Wins July QST Cover Plaque Award: The winner of
the QST Cover Plaque Award for July is Jack B. Morgan, KF6T, for his
article "Portable Two Element 15 Meter Yagi." Congratulations, Jack! 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 August issue by Sunday, August 31.

* October is Radiosport Month in QST: We here at ARRL HQ are excited
over the theme of October's QST -- radiosport! In addition to feature
and technical articles focusing on contesting -- ranging from the
history of radiosport to a product review of a rig geared for the avid
contester and DXer -- ARRL Contributing Editor H. Ward Silver, N0AX, has
put together an 8 page insert focusing solely on radiosport. This
section features such articles as how to interpret your Log Checking
Report (LCR), guidelines for the upcoming contest season and a list of
resources that no contester should be without, as well as a listing of
major contests throughout the year. Of course, no issue of QST would be
complete without "Contest Corral" and "This Month in Contesting." Look
for an announcement by ARRL Contest Branch Manager Sean Kutzko, about
how 2009 is the Year of the State QSO Party. Be sure to check out
October QST -- in your mailbox in September -- to find out more about
this exciting new event.

* Georgia Hams Meet with FEMA: On July 30, representatives from the ARRL
Southeastern Division and Georgia Section participated in the FEMA
Region IV, Regional Emergency Communications Coordination (RECC) Working
Group meetings near Atlanta. Southeastern Division Director Greg
Sarratt, W4OZK; Georgia Section Manager Susan Swiderski, AF4FO, and
Georgia Section Official Observer Coordinator Michael Swiderski, K4HBI,
represented ARRL and Amateur Radio. In the meetings, Sarratt talked
about ARRL, ARES, Amateur Radio and their value to FEMA, while Susan
Swiderski gave a talk on MARS. "We are proud to be a part of FEMA's
RECC," Sarratt said. "This will help to enhance FEMA and ARRL's working
partnership. It is very beneficial to meet any of the communications
leadership of FEMA and other agencies in the region. These meetings,
coordination and learning about each other are critical elements before
the disaster strikes. I was also very happy to meet several Amateur
Radio operators attending the meeting in their professional capacity."
Headquartered in Atlanta, FEMA's Region IV territory includes Alabama,
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina
and Tennessee. Region IV is FEMA's largest geographic region and the
most common challenges are tornados, hurricanes and other storms that
can cause flooding and flash flooding. -- Thanks to Greg Sarratt, W4OZK

* AMSAT-UK Colloquium Lectures Now Online: AMSAT-UK held their 23rd
Annual International Space Colloquium July 25-27 at the University of
Surrey in Guildford http://www.uk.amsat.org/content/view/32/42/. This
annual event http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2008/07/21/10219/?nc=1
is a chance to talk to satellite designers and builders, as well as a
place to discover how to use Amateur Radio satellites. The British
Amateur Television Club (BATC) streamed the Colloquium live on the
Internet and has placed videos of nine lectures on their Web site
http://www.batc.tv/channelphp?ch=1.

* International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend 2008: More than 380
lighthouses in more than 51 countries -- from Argentina to Wales -- will
be on the air for 2008 International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend (ILLW)
http://illw.net/ organized by the Ayr Amateur Radio Group (AARG) in
Scotland http://www.gm0ayr.org/. The event, held for the 10th year in
a row, takes place from Saturday, August 16 0001 UTC to Sunday, August
17 2359 UTC. While not a contest, the ILLW is more of a QSO Party and
Amateur Radio demonstration. The ILLW aims to raise public awareness of
lighthouses and lightships and the need for their preservation and
restoration, promote Amateur Radio and foster international goodwill.
Stations at more than 40 US lights are expected to be on the air for the
event, and several stations will identify with special event call signs.
Participating lighthouse/lightship stations do not have to be inside the
structure or on the vessel itself; a Field Day-type setup at or adjacent
to the light is sufficient. More information about the event, including
a registration form, is available on the ILLW Web site
http://illw.net/2008_list.htm.

================================================== =========
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.

The ARRL Letter offers a weekly e-mail digest of essential and general
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