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The ARRL Letter

Published by the American Radio Relay League
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July 15, 2010

Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA

ARRL Home Page http://www.arrl.org/ARRL Letter Archive
http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/Audio News
http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/ IN THIS ISSUE

- + FCC Rules that Amateurs May Participate in Non-Government-Sponsored
Drills by Employers
- + ARRL Board of Directors Holds Second 2010 Meeting This Weekend
- + ARRL West Gulf Division Vice Director John Thomason, WB5SYT,
Resigns Position
- + First Half of 2010 Sees Upswing in New Amateur Radio Licensees
- + ARRL Recognizes: Fred Fish Memorial Award #2 Goes to Texas Ham
- + Honoring the Best: The ARRL's A-1 Operator Club
- International Perspective: WRTC 2010 Winners Announced
- + Solar Update
- This Week on the Radio

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

==
+ FCC RULES THAT AMATEURS MAY PARTICIPATE IN NON-GOVERNMENT-SPONSORED
DRILLS BY EMPLOYERS

In a Report and Order (R&O
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-10-124A1.pdf)
released Wednesday, July 14, the FCC stated that under new guidelines,
amateurs employed by non-governmental agencies, such as hospitals, may
participate and operate in drills sponsored by their employer.
Specifically, the FCC will now permit Amateur Radio operators "to
transmit messages, under certain limited circumstances, during either
government-sponsored or non-government sponsored emergency and disaster
preparedness drills, regardless of whether the operators are employees
of entities participating in the drill." More information will be
posted on the ARRL Web site.

== + ARRL BOARD OF DIRECTORS HOLDS SECOND 2010 MEETING THIS WEEKEND

The ARRL Board of Directors will hold its 2010 Second Meeting July
16-17 in Windsor, Connecticut. Directors, Vice Directors and ARRL Board
Officers will be in attendance, including three Vice Directors who will
be at their first Board meeting: Rod Blocksome, K0DAS, of the Midwest
Division, Kent Olson, KA0LDG, of the Dakota Division and Grant Hopper,
KB7WSD, of the Northwestern Division. The Board will also be welcoming
Rod Stafford, W6ROD, in his new capacity as IARU Secretary, as well as
Radio Amateurs of Canada President Geoff Bawden, VE4BAW.

The meeting will be preceded on Thursday, July 15 with meetings of the
Administration and Finance Committee and the Programs and Services
Committee. The Administration and Finance Committee is chaired by
Northwestern Division Director Jim Fenstermaker, K9JF. This committee
studies, advises and makes recommendations for all administration and
financial matters of the League, including recommending the annual
budget to the Board, making recommendations in regard to staff
management and monitoring investment of ARRL funds. The Programs and
Services Committee, headed by Atlantic Division Director Bill Edgar,
N3LLR, studies, advises and makes recommendations for all programs and
services the League provides, including operating activities and the
Field Organization.

At its January 2010 meeting, the ARRL Board of Directors decided to
make the agendas of Board and Executive Committee meetings available on
the ARRL Web site. The agenda for the 2010 Second Meeting is available
here http://www.arrl.org/files/media/News/July%202010%20agenda.pdf.
Per the Articles of Association
http://www.arrl.org/arrl-articles-of-association, the ARRL Board of
Directors meets twice a year, in January and July.

== + ARRL WEST GULF DIVISION VICE DIRECTOR JOHN THOMASON, WB5SYT,
RESIGNS POSITION

On Sunday, July 11, ARRL West Gulf Division Vice Director John
Thomason, WB5SYT, of Edmond, Oklahoma, submitted his resignation to
ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN. Thomason told President Craigie that
by resigning, he will be able to "devote my energy to serve my family,
employer and health." Craigie accepted the resignation with regret and
then informed West Gulf Director Dr David Woolweaver, K5RAV. Previously
the Oklahoma Section Manager, Thomason was appointed Vice Director in
January 2009
http://www.arrl.org/news/j-john-thom...-gulf-division
-vice-director
after Dr Woolweaver moved up to the Director position upon the
retirement of Division Director Coy Day, N5OK
http://www.arrl.org/news/coy-day-n5ok-resigns-from-arrl-board-of-directors.
The Director and Vice Director positions in the West Gulf Division --
as well as the Pacific, Rocky Mountain, Southeastern and Southwestern
Divisions -- are up for election this year.

== + FIRST HALF OF 2010 SEES UPSWING IN NEW AMATEUR RADIO LICENSEES

With more than 18,000 new Amateur Radio licenses issued in the first
half of this year -- 18,270 to be exact -- 2010 is shaping up to be a
banner year for Amateur Radio. So far, the number of new licenses
issued by the FCC in 2010 is outpacing the January-June 2009 totals by
almost 8.5 percent; at this time last year, the FCC had issued 16,844
new licenses. As of June 30, 2010, there are 694,346 licensed Amateur
Radio operators in the US, an almost 1 percent rise over all of
calendar year 2009. Broken down by license class at the end of June
2010, there were 16,299 Novices, 342,064 Technicians, 154,284 Generals,
60,059 Advanced and 121,640 Amateur Extra licensees . Read more here
http://www.arrl.org/news/first-half-...w-amateur-radi
o-licenses.

== + ARRL RECOGNIZES: FRED FISH MEMORIAL AWARD #2 GOES TO TEXAS HAM

Llewellyn "Pat" Rose, W5OZI, of Junction, Texas, is the recipient of
the Fred Fish Memorial Award (FFMA) #2. Thanks to a recent Grid
DXpedition by Russ Dwarshius, KB8U, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Rose earned
FFMA #2; FFMA #1 was awarded posthumously to Fred Fish, W5FF, himself.
The ARRL Awards Branch received and approved Rose's QSL for his
last-needed grid -- CM79 in California -- on July 8, 2010.

The Fred Fish Memorial Award was created in honor of Fish, a
legendary VHF+ operator who became the first amateur to work and
confirm all 488 Maidenhead grid squares within the 48 contiguous United
States on 6 meters. Rose is the first amateur to duplicate Fish's feat.
The FFMA will be awarded to any amateur who can duplicate Fish's
accomplishment. Read more here
http://www.arrl.org/news/fred-fish-memorial-award-2-goes-to-texas-ham.

== + HONORING THE BEST: THE ARRL'S A-1 OPERATOR CLUB

First organized in May 1933, the ARRL's A-1 Operator Club has a
proud history and occupies an important place in Amateur Radio
tradition. By early 1934, the roster of recognized A-1 operators had
swelled to more than 400; by the end of 1938, to 1000. As of mid-2010
there are more than 6000 members of this special club! Then, as now,
nominations were not made lightly; through the years, recognition as an
A-1 Operator has represented an unsolicited acknowledgment of one's
high standing among one's peers. Read more here
http://www.arrl.org/news/honoring-the-best-the-arrl-s-a-1-operator-club.

== INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE: WRTC 2010 WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Broadcast live over the Internet on Monday, July 12, WRTC Judge
David Sumner, K1ZZ -- on behalf of Chief Judge Mike Klokov, UA9PM, and
the Judging Committee that included Nodir Tursoon-Zadeh, EY8MM, Roger
Western, G3SXW, and Don Field, G3XTT -- announced the winners of the
2010 World Radiosport Team Championships (WRTC
http://www.wrtc2010.ru/) in Moscow, Russia:

- Gold Medal (First Place): The R32F Team, consisting of Vladimir
Aksenov RW1AC, and Alexey Mikhailov, RA1AIP, of Russia, with 4,098,162
points.
- Silver Medal (Second Place): The R33A Team, consisting of Tonno Vahk,
ES5TV, and Toivo Hallikivi, ES2RR, from Estonia, with 4,084,889 points.
- Bronze Medal (Third Place): The R33M Team, consisting of Dan Craig,
N6MJ, and Chris Hurlbut, KL9A, of the United States, with 3,942,904
points
- Best SSB sco The R33A Team. At least 35 percent of their contacts
must have been on CW.
- Best CW sco The R33L Team, consisting of Yuri Onipko, VE3DZ, and
Yury Romanov, VE3XB, of Canada. At least 35 percent of their contacts
must have been on SSB.
- Highest multiplier: The R33A Team with 389 multipliers.

Congratulations to all 48 WRTC teams! A complete list of teams and
their scores can be found here
http://www.arrl.org/attachments/view/News/53255. According to WRTC
officials, the location of the 2014 WRTC will be announced shortly;
groups in two countries -- the United States and Bulgaria -- have
submitted letters of interest to host the 2014 event.

== INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE: SPAIN EXTENDS AMATEUR PRIVILEGES ON 70
MHZ

The Union de Radioaficionados Espanoles -- Spain's IARU
Member-Society -- announced that the Secretaría de Estado de
Telecomunicaciones y para la Sociedad de la Información (Spain's
equivalent to the FCC) has extended temporary privileges on the 70 MHz
band (4 meters) to hams in that country. In 2008, hams in Spain were
granted 70 MHz privileges for six months. Spanish amateurs may now use
70.150-70.200 MHz, with a maximum of 10 W; the average power of
emission outside the authorized band should not exceed 25 microwatts.
Read more here
http://www.arrl.org/news/spain-extends-amateur-privileges-on-70-mhz.

== + SOLAR UPDATE

Tad "The river glistened like a path of diamonds in the Sun
http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/d/dickens/charles/d54nn/" Cook, K7RA,
reports: Two new sunspot groups this week provided increased solar
activity. The average daily sunspot numbers this week rose 2.9 points
to 18.9, and the average daily solar flux was up 6.4 points to 79.2.
The predicted solar flux for July 15-21 is 80 on each day. The
predicted planetary A index for July 18 is 8, followed by 5 for each
day through July 22. The next rise in the planetary A index is July
23-25, when it is predicted to be 18, 12 and 10. On Wednesday, July 14,
there was an interruption at in the portion of the STEREO image that
faces Earth http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/, but by early Thursday
morning it was restored. Due to movement of the STEREO craft, as the
gap closes on the far side, a new one facing Earth will begin in
January 2011. Eventually, the two spacecraft will work their way around
the Sun and return to their original position by 2024. Currently, the
outlook for the near term looks good for HF propagation, with low
geomagnetic indices and some moderate solar activity. Look for more
information on the ARRL Web site on Friday, July 16. For more
information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical
Information Service Propagation page
http://www.arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals. This week's "Tad
Cookism" brought to you by Charles Dickens' The Life and Adventures of
Nicholas Nickleby
http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/d/dickens/charles/d54nn/ (Chapter 6).

== THIS WEEK ON THE RADIO

This week, the North American QSO Party (RTTY), the DMC RTTY Contest
and the CQ Worldwide VHF Contest are July 17-18. The Run for the Bacon
QRP Contest is July 19. Next week, there is another running of the NCCC
Sprint Ladder on July 23. The RSGB Islands on the Air (IOTA) Contest is
July 24-25 and the SKCC Sprint July 28. 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/The-ARRL-Contest-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 Events Station Web page
http://www.arrl.org/special-events.

== ARRL CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSE REGISTRATION

Registration remains open through Sunday, July 25, 2010, for this
online course session http://www.arrl.org/online-course-registration
beginning on Friday, August 6, 2010: Amateur Radio Emergency
Communications Level 1. To learn more, visit the CEP Course Listing
page http://www.arrl.org/online-courses or contact the Continuing
Education Program Coordinator .

The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 50 times each year. ARRL
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