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N9PMO > LETTER 23.01.15 03:18l 677 Lines 31511 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: ARRL3304 ARRL Letter
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ARRL Board Okays Changes to DXCC Program, VHF and Above Contesting
Rules
ARRL Roanoke Division Director Dennis Bodson, W4PWF, Retires
ARRL Executive Committee Approves Education & Technology Program
Grants
ARRL Submits Comments to FCC on WRC-15 Draft Recommendations
ARES Volunteers in Ohio Activate Following Loss of 911, Telephone
Services
Michigan Passes, Governor Signs Antenna Accommodation Legislation
Navassa DXpedition Team Poised to Offer "Once in 32 Years" Opportunity
EP6T Team Pleads for "More Respect" from Operators
Fox-1A Satellite Launch Date Launch Set for August
Australian "Pico Balloon" Piques Ham Radio Interest
In Brief...
The K7RA Solar Update
Just Ahead in Radiosport
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events
ARRL Board Okays Changes to DXCC Program, VHF and Above Contesting
Rules
The ARRL Board of Directors has tweaked the DX Century Club (DXCC)
rules to clarify and expand their recognition of remotely controlled
station technology. It has also added a rule that puts greater ethical
responsibility on operators with respect to remotely controlled
operation. In addition, the Board adopted changes to the ARRL VHF/UHF
contest rules that are aimed at encouraging greater participation. The
Board took the actions during its annual meeting January 16-17 in
Windsor, Connecticut.
ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, prepares to gavel the 2015 Annual
Meeting of the ARRL Board of Directors to order. [LJB Special
Photography photo]
The DXCC Rules changes, which affect Section I, subsections 8 and 9,
explain and extend how contacts with remotely controlled stations now
may be applied toward the DXCC award. According to ARRL CEO David
Sumner, K1ZZ, the changes are subtle but significant. The modified
rules make clear that contacts with legally licensed, land-based,
remotely controlled stations count for DXCC, but the control point --
the operator's location -- of a remotely controlled station no longer
has to be land based; the operator can be literally anywhere.
"It has always been permitted for a QSO to count for both stations, if
either station was operated remotely from a control point within the
same DXCC entity," Sumner explained. "Now the location of the operator
doesn't matter; the operator could be on the far side of the Moon, if
he or she could figure out how to remotely control a station on land
back on Earth from there." Transmitter location continues to define a
station's location, and, for DXCC purposes, all transmitters and
receivers must be located within a 500 meter diameter circle,
excluding antennas.
The ARRL Board met January 16-17 in Windsor, Connecticut. [LJB Special
Photography photo]
Under the old rules, if either station was operated from a control
point in another DXCC entity, the contact did not count for DXCC for
either station. "This was unenforceable unless someone was transparent
about what they were doing," Sumner said.
The Board further adopted a new rule, now Subsection 11 (subsequent
rules have been renumbered accordingly), that acknowledges the reality
of the technology enabling remote operation, and it puts greater
responsibility on individuals when it comes to applying that
technology ethically and responsibly.
Midwest Division Vice Director Art Zygielbaum, K0AIZ, attended his
first Board meeting. [LJB Special Photography photo]
"Issues concerning remotely controlled operating and DXCC are best
dealt with by each individual carefully considering the ethical limits
that he/she will accept for his/her DXCC and other operating awards,"
the new rule states. It adds, in part, "the owner of these
achievements needs to be comfortable standing behind his/her award and
numbers. Peer attention has always been a part of awards chasing, of
course, but in these times with so many awards and so many players, it
is more important than ever to 'play the game ethically.'"
Subsection 11 acknowledges that technological advances "add to the
difficulty in defining rules for DXCC," but stresses that the intent
of the rules is what's important. "It will continue to be up to the
operator to decide what types of legal remote control operating he/she
will use (if any) to contribute to an operating award," the new rule
concludes.
VHF and Above Contest Rules Revised
The Board also adopted amendments to the General Rules for ARRL
Contests Above 50 MHz to encourage greater participation and band
utilization. The changes become effective with the 2015 June ARRL VHF
Contest. The revisions stemmed from recommendations offered by the
Board's Programs and Services Committee's ad-hoc VHF and Above
Revitalization subcommittee, composed of active VHF/UHF contesters,
and they received strong support from the VHF/UHF community.
Board members welcomed new Atlantic Division Vice Director Bob
Famiglio, K3RF. [LJB Special Photography photo]
The subcommittee was charged with developing recommendations to
increase the level and breadth of ARRL VHF and Above contest
participation and encourage operation on lesser-used bands. As a start
to the process, the Board approved three changes that will permit the
use of assistance for all operator categories, with no effect on entry
category; permit self-spotting for all operator categories, and allow
single operators to transmit on more than one band at a time.
The changes will permit assistance in arranging contacts, but not in
conducting contacts. They will, for example, allow a station to
announce its location in a chat room, on a repeater, or even via
e-mail.
In other actions, the Board instructed the HF Band Planning Committee
-- which will soon solicit members' comments on proposed changes to
the ARRL HF Band Plans -- to include the possibility of requesting
that the FCC add RTTY and data privileges for Novices and Technicians
on 15 meters.
Other Business
The Board also
Bestowed the 2014 George Hart Distinguished Service Award on David B.
Colter, WA1ZCN.
Added "Assistant Section Traffic Manager" as a new field appointment.
Authorized ARRL Headquarters staff to implement guidelines to expand
opportunities for field checking of 160 meter QSL cards for DXCC.
Honored several professional journalists with the ARRL Bill Leonard
Award for their outstanding coverage of Amateur Radio in video, print,
and audio media.
ARRL Roanoke Division Director Dennis Bodson, W4PWF, Retires
ARRL Roanoke Division Director Dennis Bodson, W4PWF, has stepped down,
and Vice Director Dr Jim Boehner, N2ZZ, has succeeded him. Bodson
announced his retirement on January 16 -- before the official end of
his term next January 1 -- at the Board of Directors' Annual Meeting
in Windsor, Connecticut.
Retiring ARRL Roanoke Division Director Dennis Bodson, W4PWF (right)
and his successor as Director, Dr Jim Boehner, N2ZZ.
Fellow Board members gave Bodson a standing ovation in recognition of
his years of service to the League. The Board elected Bodson as an
Honorary Vice President.
Bodson served as Roanoke Division Vice Director from 1993 through 2000
and as Director from 2001 until his retirement.
Earlier in the meeting, ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, had presented
Bodson with his 60-year ARRL membership certificate.
An ARRL Life Member, Boehner served as ARRL South Carolina Section
Manager from 2003 until 2009, when he was elected Roanoke Division
Vice Director. He was re-elected in 2013.
Boehner is an avid DXer and has achieved DXCC Honor Roll and 5-Band
DXCC. Originally from New York, Boehner is in private medical practice
in Aiken, South Carolina.
ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, has appointed Bill Morine, N2COP, of
Wilmington, North Carolina, to complete the remainder of Boehner's
term as Roanoke Division Vice Director, effective immediately.
An ARRL Life Member, Morine served as North Carolina Section Manager
from 2010 until 2014, and is a past ARRL Public Relations Committee
chairman. Morine was the 2001 recipient of the ARRL Philip J. McGan
award for public relations.
ARRL Executive Committee Approves Education & Technology Program
Grants
The ARRL Executive Committee has approved Education & Technology
Program (ETP) station and progress grants to five schools. Two schools
received ETP station grants at an estimated total of $3600, while
three others already enrolled in the program received progress grants
totaling $800.
Station grants will go to the Banning Lewis ranch Academy in Colorado
Springs, Colorado, and to Southport Elementary School in Kenosha,
Wisconsin. Banning Lewis Academy wants to set up an Amateur Radio
station at the school for a club formed within the past year. Eleven
students already have become licensed and have participated in the
ARRL School Club Roundup and other on-air activities using borrowed
equipment. The school also offers a class in basic electronics and
radio. Southport Elementary plans to set up an Amateur Radio station
at the school, form a radio club, and integrate the ARRL wireless
technology curriculum into the classroom.
Receiving progress grants were Forest Knolls Elementary School in
Silver Spring, Maryland; Ankeny Centennial High School in Ankeny,
Iowa, and South Hopkins Middle School in Nortonville, Kentucky. Forest
Knolls requested funds for an additional antenna for a second school
club station. Ankeny Centennial High School asked for additional funds
to purchase antenna supplies (wire and coaxial feed line) for a
student project to build a portable antenna for Field Day and other
activities. The school's Amateur Radio club boasts some 30 active
student members. South Hopkins Middle School sought a progress grant
to fund the purchase of fox hunt transmitters and handheld
transceivers to conduct school Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF)
activities with the support of local ham radio clubs.
The goal of the ARRL Education & Technology Program, directed by Mark
Spencer, WA8SME, is to facilitate the integration of wireless
technology into participating school curricula. The League provides
curriculum development support, resource libraries, ham station
equipment grants and progress grants, and ARRL Teachers Institute
in-service training. The current -- and expanding -- count of ETP
schools/teachers stands at 663.
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ARRL Submits Comments to FCC on WRC-15 Draft Recommendations
The ARRL has commented on two draft recommendations of the FCC's 2015
World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15) Advisory Committee (WAC)
as well as on a draft proposal provided to the FCC by the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
The ARRL expressed support for the status quo regarding an allocation
to the Mobile Service for broadband applications at 3400-4200 MHz and
4500-4800 MHz, which is under consideration as part of Agenda Item 1.1
at WRC-15. The 3400-3500 MHz segment is allocated on a secondary basis
to the Amateur Service in ITU Regions 2 and 3, with a secondary
allocation by footnote in some countries in ITU Region 1. The League
said advocates for the allocation have failed to account for the
protection of existing services.
"[The] failure to even superficially address the protection of all
existing services -- including the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite
services -- is glaring," the ARRL said. The WAC's so-called "View A"
-- to make no change in the allocation -- in part said, "The secondary
nature of the Amateur Service allocation requires flexibility in
frequency selection to permit an Amateur Service licensee to use the
allocation and fulfill his or her obligation not to cause harmful
interference to the numerous primary services, including the FSS
[Fixed-Satellite Service]."
ITU-R Resolution 233, adopted at WRC-12, spelled out explicit
requirements for the studies of the candidate bands, including sharing
and compatibility studies with services already having allocations. As
the League noted in its comments, a relevant ITU-R Recommendation
stated that additional sharing with the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite
services should not introduce high signal density services in the
spectrum at issue, and that sharing studies should consider the
Amateur and Amateur-Satellite services' needs for "weak-signal"
reception.
The ARRL supported the FCC WAC view on Agenda Item 1.12 that the US
not be added to international footnote 5.480 -- basically an exception
-- to the Table of Allocations that could make part of the 10.0-10.5
GHz segment vulnerable to additional allocation for Fixed Service
applications. The Amateur and Amateur-Satellite services have a
secondary allocation in the band, and the Federal Radiolocation
Service is primary. The proposed "footnote amendment," the League
argued, "plainly, clearly, and indisputably contradicts existing
United States regulations." The League's comments accused Mimosa
Networks, which has argued in favor of having the US sign on to the
international footnote, of advancing an "illogical construction to
obtain the result it desires."
Mimosa Networks has petitioned the FCC to permit unlicensed Part 15
wireless broadband services in the 10.0-10.5 GHz band. In comments
last year, the ARRL called Mimosa's Petition "fatally flawed" and said
it should be dismissed. Among other things, the League told the FCC
last year that Mimosa's Petition was inconsistent with a US footnote
in the domestic Table of Allocations, and that alone was sufficient
reason for the Commission to quash Mimosa's request.
In its comments on WRC-15 Agenda Item 1.12, the League said that
Mimosa did not raise an objection to the WAC's initially adopted
position until months after the comment deadline. The ARRL said the
FCC should use its original position -- and not a later one that
includes Mimosa's arguments -- as the baseline for any discussions
with federal agencies to reconcile the agenda item.
The League also said the NTIA was correct in proposing that regulatory
changes for nanosatellites and picosatellites be addressed under
standing Agenda Item 7 at WRC-19. Read more.
ARES Volunteers in Ohio Activate Following Loss of 911, Telephone
Services
ARES volunteers in northeast Ohio activated on January 13 after 911
and other telephone services went down in six counties due to a power
failure at a major AT&T center in Akron. The outage was blamed on a
burst steam pipe. Cell telephones and the 800-900 MHz digital
Multi-Agency Radio Communication System (MARCS) remained functioning.
The Medina County Emergency Management Agency requested ARES
communication support with surrounding counties, with the Ohio
Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Columbus as a backup. At the same
time, EMA Directors in Stark, Summit, Portage, Mahoning, and
Columbiana counties alerted their ARES organizations.
Ohio ARRL Section Emergency Coordinator Stan Broadway, N8BHL, also
requested activation of RACES station W8SGT at the Ohio EOC.
Communication was established on 75 meters with several county
Emergency Coordinators. The EOC also was able to link up with the
Stark County 2 meter repeater, some 135 miles away.
The Amateur Radio activation terminated after 4 hours, once the 911
system was brought back online. "My thanks to all who were involved!"
Broadway said. "Our response was quick and professional and was a
great opportunity to show the value of Amateur Radio." Read more.
Michigan Passes, Governor Signs Antenna Accommodation Legislation
Ten years of work within the ARRL Michigan Section have culminated in
an Amateur Radio antenna bill that mirrors the "reasonable
accommodation" provisions of the PRB-1 federal pre-emption policy.
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed the measure, Senate Bill 0493,
into law on January 15, creating Public Act 556. Senator Rick Jones
sponsored the bill. ARRL Michigan Section Manager Larry Camp, WB8R,
said Michigan is the 31st state to have a PRB-1 bill on its books.
"The current PRB-1 Team has been working for 3 years to get this
accomplished," he said. "Our bill endured four votes on its way to
becoming law -- Senate and House committees and the Senate and House
floors. Each vote was unanimous."
The most pertinent language in the new Michigan law, which comes
directly from §97.15 of the FCC Amateur Service rules, states:
An Amateur Radio Service station antenna structure may be erected at
heights and dimensions sufficient to accommodate Amateur Radio Service
communications. Regulation of an Amateur Radio Service station antenna
structure by a local unit of government must not preclude Amateur
Radio Service communications. Rather, it must reasonably accommodate
those communications and must constitute the minimum practicable
regulation to accomplish the local unit of government's legitimate
purpose.
The new law also provides for an advisory committee that may be
established jointly by the Michigan Section and other state
organizations, such as the Michigan Municipal League and the Michigan
Township Association. Camp said the PRB-1 Team believes the advisory
committee will be an important tool in situations where community
officials know little or nothing about Amateur Radio. Read more.
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Navassa DXpedition Team Poised to Offer "Once in 32 Years" Opportunity
The K1N Navassa DXpedition team hopes to be on the air with up to
eight stations in less than 2 weeks, offering a "once in 32 years"
opportunity to work the most-wanted DXCC entity. It's been 22 years
since the last Navassa operation, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service
(USFWS), which is responsible for the island, will not permit another
operation for at least 10 more years. The team said its exact
departure date will not be determined until the last minute and will
depend on the USFWS and on weather conditions. The team will arrive at
its staging point a few days before the earliest possible departure
window and will be ready for rapid deployment to Navassa.
"As soon as the USFWS has landed on the island and declared it is safe
to proceed, we will start the helicopter flights and commence
operations," the K1N team said this week in a media release.
"We hope to have a basic camp established by the end of the first day,
and, if things go extremely well, we hope to have several stations on
the air by nightfall on the second day," the K1N media release said.
The K1N team will take along a VHF/UHF transceiver and an Arrow
antenna in the hope of making some satellite contacts via FO-29. AMSAT
has provided the DXpedition with a Yaesu FT-817 transceiver and
associated equipment, as well as pass predictions, an operational
plan, and training.
The K1N stations will always operate split frequency, listening up or
down, depending upon the band plan. Stations should avoid transmitting
on the DXpedition's frequency. Read more.
EP6T Team Pleads for "More Respect" from Operators
The EP6T DXpedition team now on Iran's Kish Island (IOTA AS-166) has
implored operators hoping to work the rare DXCC entity to show more
respect and exhibit better operating manners. The EP6T team said it's
aware that the majority of contacts have been with Europe, North
America, Oceania, and Asia, and the operators are doing their best to
work other regions, but that 10 days may not be long enough to satisfy
the surging demand, and "ham spirit" has been hard to find.
The EP6T DXpedition team. The Rockall DX Group is sponsoring the
operation. [Photo courtesy of the Rockall DX Group]
"Jammers calling with fake calls and disrespecting the operators,
sending disgraceful e-mails, and calling us names is sometimes too
much for us," the EP6T team said. "Please, a little more respect is
needed."
The operators report that many stations from Japan have made it
through on the low bands and some North American stations have gone
into the log on 80 meters. So far, though, only KV4FZ and NP2X have
been successful on 160, and even Europe has been hard to work at
sunrise.
The team has four receive antennas and has intended to focus on 160
meters, but, they said, "when conditions are bad, there's nothing we
can do."
The Rockall DX Group is sponsoring the DXpedition to Iran, which is
#33 on ClubLog's DXCC Most Wanted List. -- Thanks to The Daily DX
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Fox-1A Satellite Launch Date Launch Set for August
AMSAT has announced that its Fox-1A satellite will launch on August 27
from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, on a United Launch
Alliance Atlas 5 National Reconnaissance Office flight. Fox-1A will
include an FM transponder with an uplink frequency of 435.180 MHz, and
a downlink frequency of 145.980 MHz. The first phase of the Fox series
1-Unit CubeSats will allow simple ground stations using hand-held
transceivers and simple dual-band antennas to make contacts. The Fox-1
CubeSats also will be able to transmit continuous telemetry during
normal transponder operation. The satellites will feature 200 bps
telemetry in the audio spectrum below 300 Hz.
AMSAT said other satellites in its Fox series will take advantage of
additional launch opportunities this year and next. The Fox-1B
satellite is scheduled to fly next year. Fox-1C will launch during the
3rd quarter of 2015.
AMSAT has purchased the Fox-1C launch opportunity, which was not
funded by the CSLI ELaNa program, and fundraising to cover the
$125,000 cost is under way via the AMSAT-NA website and the FundRazr
crowdsourcing website. Read more. -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service via
the Fox-1 Team
Australian "Pico Balloon" Piques Ham Radio Interest
A foil "party balloon" released in late December from Melbourne,
Australia, carrying an HF Amateur Radio payload, ended its journey on
January 16 off the east coast of Africa near Madagascar. Andy Nguyen,
VK3YT, of Kensington, Victoria, Australia, released his PS-30 "pico
balloon" on December 27, hoping that it might circle the globe. Its
13-gram Amateur Radio payload included a solar-powered 25 mW
transmitter, sending telemetry on 30 and 20 meters using WSPR and JT9
digital modes. Many radio amateurs tracked the balloon's progress
during its 20-day flight.
A map showing the track of the PS-30 pico balloon -- from Australia to
Madagascar.
"There was some bad weather in the region, but speculations also
include the possibility it was brought down (attacked) by the naughty
penguins on the Island," Nguyen quipped, referring to the 2014
animated movie comedy, "Penguins of Madagascar." Several radio
amateurs in South Africa reported that PS-30 was down. Following its
launch, the balloon had traveled east across the southern tip of New
Zealand, across the Pacific Ocean to South American and then to
southern Africa. To return home, PS-30 would have had to cross
Madagascar, the Indian Ocean, and part of Australia.
"The level of interest from all around the world has been amazing,"
Nguyen said. "The trip would not have been so successful without the
collective effort of the like-minded community built up along the
way."
Transmissions from the balloon at times were plagued by poor
propagation, and its progress was impeded by the fact that it circled
on a few occasions along the way. Nguyen said the balloon looped for
an entire day at one point while over the Pacific.
"HF propagation has been different from previous flights," he
commented during the flight, noting the lack of long-range WSPR spots.
"Reception of JT9 packets so far generally requires some type of
directional antenna with some gain," he said.
Nguyen said planning for PS-31 is already under way. "See you at the
next trip," he said. -- Thanks to Jim Linton, VK3PC
In Brief...
VHF/UHF/Microwave Conference Seeks Speakers and Papers: The 41st
Eastern VHF/UHF/Microwave Conference has issued a call for speakers
and papers at the gathering or for inclusion in the conference
Proceedings. The conference, sponsored by the ARRL-affiliated North
East Weak Signal Group, will take place April 17-19 in Manchester,
Connecticut. The conference sponsors are looking for presentations,
papers, and talks, both long and short. Topics can include, but are
not limited to, operating, contesting, construction, homebrewing, and
microwaves. Anyone considering a presentation or paper should contact
Paul Wade, W1GHZ, as soon as possible but no later than March 18.
Conference organizers are planning a Friday afternoon workshop and are
seeking topic suggestions. Visit the conference website for details
and a schedule. -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service via Paul Wade, W1GHZ
ITU Management Team Inaugurated: The new management team of the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), led by Secretary-General
Houlin Zhao (photo), of China, was formally inaugurated on January 15,
at ITU Headquarters in Geneva. Representatives of member states to the
United Nations Office in Geneva and the heads of UN agencies attended.
Zhao was elected Secretary-General at the ITU Plenipotentiary
Conference last October in South Korea. He previously served as ITU
Deputy Secretary-General and as director of the ITU Standardization
Bureau. The incoming Deputy Secretary-General is Malcolm Johnson of
the United Kingdom. François Rancy and Brahima Sanou were re-elected
as directors of the Radiocommunication Bureau and Telecommunication
Development Bureau, respectively, while Chaesub Lee of South Korea was
elected director of the ITU Standardization Bureau. 2015 marks the
150th anniversary of the International Telecommunication Union.
Amateur Radio Newsline Assumes Low Profile as Editor Recuperates: The
long-running Amateur Radio Newsline -- a weekly audio report of ham
radio news -- has scaled back temporarily while its editor, Bill
Pasternak, WA6ITF, recuperates from injuries sustained in a fall at
home and undergoes additional testing and rehabilitation to address
some chronic issues. Pasternak was hospitalized on December 19 and
initially scheduled to stay for a couple of days. He told ARRL on
January 22 that Tim Goodrich, N5ASH, now is serving as interim
producer, and Newsline could be back as early as this week. Don
Wilbanks, AE5DW, has been producing a shortened audio/video report
that's included in the weekly Ham Nation webcast, posted on YouTube,
and linked from the Amateur Radio Newsline website and Facebook page.
The roughly 30-minute weekly Newsline audio report and the text
script, posted weekly on QRZ.com, have been on hold.
Intrepid DX Group Announces Intrepid Spirit Award Recipient: The
Intrepid DX Group has announced that Dmitri Zhikharev, RA9USU, is the
recipient of its 3rd annual Intrepid Spirit Award. "This award is to
recognize Dmitri's outstanding efforts to activate Yemen from 2012
through 2014 as 7O6T and 7O2A," the announcement said. "Dmitri is
largely responsible for fulfilling the need for 7O contacts since
2012. Yemen is a place of much uncertainty and danger. We recognize
Dmitri's unselfish acts to activate this challenging and much-needed
entity. We acknowledge Dmitri's pursuit of operating excellence and
his quest to activate the rare and often dangerous entities." The
Intrepid Spirit Award will be presented at the International DX
Convention, in Visalia, California, on April 18. This Intrepid Spirit
Award was made in memory of James McLaughlin, T6AF, who died in
Afghanistan in 2011. -- Thanks to Intrepid DX Group President Paul
Ewing, N6PSE
The K7RA Solar Update
Average daily sunspot numbers for January 15-21 dropped by 50.7
points, relative to the previous 7 days, to 61.9. Average daily solar
flux declined from 151.3 to 126.2. For the past 9 days sunspot numbers
have been below 100. This benchmark has no special significance, but
the last time there were this many consecutive days with double-digit
sunspot numbers was October 5-20, 2014.
Geomagnetic numbers indicated more stable conditions, with the average
daily planetary A index declining from 9.6 to 6.4, and the average
daily mid-latitude A index dropping from 8 to 4.7.
The latest USAF/NOAA prediction has solar flux at 125, 130, and 135
for January 22-24, 130 for January 25-26, 135, and 140 for January
27-28, 135 for January 29-February 1, 130 for February 2-3, 125 for
February 4-6, 130 for February 7-9, and 125 for February 10-11. Solar
flux reaches a low of 115 for February 18, and peaks again at 135 for
February 26-28.
Predicted planetary A index is 15 for January 22-24, 18 for January
25-26, 8 for January 27-28, then 10 and 12 for January 29-30, 15 for
January 31 through February 1, then 12, 15, 12, and 5 for February
2-5, 10 for February 6-7, 8 for February 8-9, 5 for February 10-12,
then 8, 5 and 12 for February 13-15, and 10 for February 16-18.
This weekly "Solar Update" in The ARRL Letter is a preview of the
"Propagation Bulletin" issued each Friday. The latest bulletin and an
archive of past propagation bulletins is on the ARRL website.
In the January 23 bulletin watch for a revised forecast, reports from
readers, and more about the National Radio Quiet Zone. Send me your
reports and observations.
Just Ahead in Radiosport
January 23-25 -- CQ World Wide 160 Meter Contest (CW)
January 24-25 -- REF French Contest (CW)
January 24-25 -- Winter Field Day (SSB, CW, digital)
January 24-25 -- BARTG RTTY Sprint
January 24-26 -- ARRL January VHF Contest
January 24 -- WAB Top Band Phone Contest
January 28 -- CWOps Weekly Mini-CWT Tests
January 31 -- Feld-Hell WAAAEO Sprint
January 31-February 1 -- UBA Contest (SSB)
See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information.
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events
January 23-24 -- Mississippi State Convention, Jackson, Mississippi
January 23-25 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto Rico
January 24 -- Georgia ARES Convention, Forsyth, Georgia
February 7 -- South Carolina State Convention, North Charleston, South
Carolina
February 7 -- Virginia State Convention, Richmond, Virginia
February 13-15 -- Southeastern Division Convention, Orlando, Florida
February 20-21 -- Arizona Section Convention, Yuma, Arizona
February 28 -- New Mexico Techfest Convention, Albuquerque, New Mexico
February 28 -- Vermont State Convention, S Burlington, Vermont
March 7 -- Santa Clara Valley Section Convention, Del Rey Oaks,
California
March 13-14 -- North Carolina Section Convention, Concord, North
Carolina
March 14 -- West Texas Section Convention, Midland, Texas
March 20-21 -- Louisiana State Convention, Rayne, Louisiana
March 21 -- MicroHAMS Digital Conference, Redmond, Washington
March 21 -- Nebraska State Convention, Lincoln, Nebraska
March 21 -- Southern Florida Section Convention, Stuart, Florida
March 28 -- Texas State Convention, Rosenberg, Texas
Find conventions and hamfests in your area.
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