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The ARRL Letter Vol. 27, No. 46 November 21, 2008 *************** IN THIS EDITION: * + ARRL Delta Division Gets New Leadership; Great Lakes Division Remains Unchanged * + Section Manager Election Results Announced * + Weather Spotters Receive Award as Severe Weather Comes Calling * + Leonard Award Nominations Due December 8 * + New Basic Antenna Book Available from ARRL * + Global Emergency Network Marks Record * Solar Update * IN BRIEF: This Weekend on the Radio ARRL Continuing Education Course Registration + ARRL HQ to Close for Thanksgiving + Canadian Amateurs Receive Limited 500 kHz Privileges Tom Jednacz, W7QF (SK) +Available on ARRL Audio News http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/ Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, The ARRL Letter will be published next week on Wednesday, November 26. There will be no ARRL Audio News next week. The ARRL Letter and the ARRL Audio News will resume their regular schedule the week of December 1. ================================================== ========= ==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 DELTA DIVISION GETS NEW LEADERSHIP; GREAT LAKES DIVISION REMAINS UNCHANGED On Friday, November 21, ARRL staff members started opening ballots for the Director and Vice Director races in the Delta Division and the Vice Director race in the Great Lakes Division. ARRL Chief Financial Officer Barry Shelley, N1VXY; Dakota Division Director Jay Bellows, W0QB; Southeastern Division Director Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, and a representative from an independent auditor looked on; Sarratt is also a member of the League's Ethics and Elections Committee. After all the ballots were counted, the Delta Division gained a new Director and Vice Director, while hams in the Great Lakes Division voted to keep their Vice Director. The leadership team in the Atlantic, Dakota and Midwest Divisions will remain the same. Terms for Directors and Vice Directors begin at noon on January 1, 2009 and run for three years. The following ran unopposed and were declared the winner of their elections by the League's Ethics and Elections Committee: Atlantic Division Director Bill Edgar, N3LLR, and Vice Director Tom Abernethy, W3TOM; Dakota Division Director Jay Bellows, K0QB, and Vice Director Greg Widin, K0GW; Midwest Division Director Bruce Frahm, K0BJ, and Vice Director Cliff Ahrens, K0CA; and Great Lakes Division Director Jim Weaver, K8JE. The rules state that if a candidate is running unopposed, he or she shall be declared the winner without balloting. Incumbent ARRL Delta Division Director -- Henry Leggette, WD4Q, of Memphis, Tennessee -- did not seek re-election this term. Two candidates, current Vice Director Karl Bullock, WA5TMC, of Ripley, Mississippi, and former Louisiana Section Manager Mickey Cox, K5MC, of West Monroe, were nominated for this seat. With 1148 votes, Cox was declared the new Delta Division Director; Bullock received 993 votes. With Bullock seeking the Director position, this left the Vice Director position open, with Ariel Elam, K4AAL, of Antioch, Tennessee, and Arkansas Section Manager David Norris, K5UZ, of Batesville, in the hunt for this post. Norris won the seat with 1399 votes, Elam received 746 votes. Three people were nominated for the position of Vice Director in the Great Lakes Division: Incumbent Gary Johnston, KI4LA, of Edgewood, Kentucky; former Kentucky Section Manager John Meyers, NB4K, of Butler, and Michigan Section Affiliated Club Coordinator Daniel Romanchik, KB6NU, of Ann Arbor. Johnston will keep his seat, as he garnered 1218 votes in a very close race. Myers received 1205 votes and Romanchik received 1155 votes. "I'm happy to be a part of this election process," said Sarratt. "I would like to thank everyone for running and also thank the ARRL members in the Delta and Great Lakes Division who participated. The big turnout shows the high level of interest our members have in Amateur Radio." "It is great to see such an interest on the part of members in this election," Bellows said. "These close races do indeed show that every vote counts and how very important it is to participate." The next scheduled Division elections are next fall for the Central, Hudson, New England, Northwestern and Roanoke ARRL Divisions. In accordance with League's Bylaws http://www.arrl.org/aabl.html, ballots will be counted on November 20, 2009. == SECTION MANAGER ELECTION RESULTS ANNOUNCED There were nine Section Manager races this fall, four of which saw no opposition. Election ballots were counted and verified on Tuesday, November 18 at ARRL Headquarters for the remaining five races. Terms of office for these new Section Managers will begin on January 1, 2009. In Nebraska, Art Zygielbaum, K0AIZ, defeated two other candidates in a very close race, receiving 124 votes. Opponents Jeff Beiermann, WB0M, of Omaha, received 118 votes while incumbent Section Manager Matthew Anderson, KA0BOJ, of Ashland, received 74 votes. Zygielbaum, who lives in Lincoln, was first licensed in 1961; he is presently vice president of the Lincoln Amateur Radio Club. He is active in emergency and public service communications, contesting, DXing, satellite, digital modes and QRP operation. Incumbent New York City/Long Island Section Manager Tom Carrubba, KA2D, of West Babylon, decided not to run for another term, so two other hams stepped up to run for the position: Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, of Brooklyn, and Robert Biamonte, WB2OMW, of Levittown. Lisenco was declared the winner with 468 votes; Biamonte received 134 votes. Lisenco presently serves as Assistant Section Manager and Section Emergency Coordinator. Prior to those appointments, he was the District Emergency Coordinator for New York City. Lisenco is an avid DXer and contester and has previously served as vice president of the Kings County Radio Club. In the Eastern Massachusetts election, Mike Neilsen, W1MPN, of Hudson, defeated incumbent Section Manager Art Greenberg, K1GBX, of Georgetown. Neilsen received 660 votes to Greenberg's 224. Neilsen served as Eastern Massachusetts Section Manager from January 2005-December 2006. Just prior to his first term as Section Manager, he served as the Section Emergency Coordinator for the Section from September 2001-January 2005. Section Manager of the Southern New Jersey Section since 1997, Jean Priestley, KA2YKN, of Pennsauken, decided not to run for another term of office. George Strayline, N3GZ, of Villas, and Rick Stoneking, W2RDS, of Lumberton, sought the post. With 236 votes, Strayline was declared the winner; Stoneking received 209 votes. Strayline is a founding member of the Jersey Cape D-Star User Group (JCDUG). He is also a member of the Cape May County Amateur Radio Club and an active ARRL Accredited Volunteer Examiner and Official Observer. He enjoys high speed CW, DX and home brewing. Indiana will also have a new Section Manager starting in January, since incumbent Section Manager Jim Sellers, K9ZBM, of Middlebury, decided not to run for another term. Sellers has served as Section Manager since July 2002. Raymond Andrews, K9DUR, of West Terre Haute, and John Poindexter, W3ML, of Knox, were candidates for the open seat. Andrews received 531 votes and Poindexter received 261 votes. After ballots had already been mailed out to ARRL members in the Indiana Section, Andrews wrote to ARRL Headquarters withdrawing his candidacy due to health concerns. As such, the Section Manager's position for the new term starting in January was considered vacant because Andrews won the majority of votes. According to the Rules and Regulations of the Field Organization, vacancies in the office of Section Manager shall be filled by appointment by the ARRL Membership and Volunteer Programs Manager, in consultation with the respective Section's Director. After ARRL MVP Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, consulted with ARRL Central Division Director Dick Isely, W9GIG, John Poindexter, W3ML, was appointed Indiana Section Manager with a term to begin January 1, 2009. Poindexter's term of office will be for 18 months -- instead of two years -- because this new term of office in Indiana had to be resolicited. Poindexter has been a radio amateur since 1979 and has held appointments as an Assistant Emergency Coordinator and has served as president of the Wabash Valley Amateur Radio Club and the Starke County Amateur Radio Club. He is active in public service communications, DXing and contesting. The following incumbent ARRL Section Managers did not face opposition and were declared elected for their next terms of office starting January 1, 2009: Dale Bagley, K0KY (Missouri); Jim Boehner, N2ZZ (South Carolina); Dee Turner, N4GD (West Central Florida), and John Rodgers, N3MSE (Western Pennsylvania). Since there were no Section Manager nominations received for the next term of office in Northern New York, nominations will be resolicited in the January 2009 issue of QST. == WEATHER SPOTTERS RECEIVE AWARD AS SEVERE WEATHER COMES CALLING On November 15, Amateur Radio operators who serve the National Weather Service in Taunton, Massachusetts received an award from the NWS weather forecasters citing excellence in service and "tireless service" to the NWS and to the people of Southern New England. Presented at a SKYWARN coordinators meeting, the award was accepted by Rob Macedo, KD1CY, on behalf of the more than 24 hams present. Macedo is the ARES SKYWARN Coordinator for the NWS's Taunton office and is the ARRL Eastern Massachusetts Section Emergency Coordinator. The award reads: "Presented to NWS-Taunton Amateur Radio Team WX1BOX. With sincere appreciation for your long-standing commitment to the National Weather Service and the people of southern New England and with particular recognition for your tireless support during the unusual 2008 severe weather season." Members of the Taunton SKYWARN Amateur Radio Club, WX1BOX, assist forecasters at the Taunton office. This office serves portions of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. NWS Taunton forecasters Bob Thompson, Glenn Field, Bill Babcock and Eleanor Vallier-Talbot presented the award to the group. "Today was a special meeting," Macedo said. "I wasn't expecting the trophy that's sitting on top of the power supply here at the station. I was surprised. Very well done, I must say. It is a tribute to the team effort exhibited by Amateur Radio operators and SKYWARN spotters across the four-state region." Macedo said that the award meant "even more to the Amateur Radio team since it was funded not by NOAA, but rather by the forecasters at the station. They paid for it out of their own pockets." According to Macedo, the 2008 summer severe weather season in Southern New England featured 974 local storm reports. Of those, 917 -- or 94 percent -- came from the Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotter Network. There were a total of 50 SKYWARN activations recorded over the summer of 2008. "This has been the most active year in the 13 years I've been involved in the SKYWARN program. We hope next year will be calmer in terms of severe weather," Macedo said. Later that evening, the NWS posted a tornado watch for much of Southern New England, lasting until 2 AM Sunday. Strong winds ahead of a cold front resulted in pockets of tree and power line damage across Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Some minor structural damage was also reported, as wind gusts of 50-70 MPH were reported; a wind gust of 67 MPH was recorded at the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton, Massachusetts. "While the line of severe thunderstorms that were capable of damaging winds and the possibility of tornadoes fell apart as it moved toward the region, strong straightline winds out ahead of the storm were the story of the event. This resulted in pockets of wind damage across the region, including several reports of trees falling on cars and homes. A couple of weakened roofs on old structures were blown off due to the strong winds in Boston, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island," Macedo said. "Somehow, given such an active year in 2008 for severe weather, it is no surprise that we had a wind damage event on the evening of our coordinators' meeting. We hope this is the end of the active stretch." == LEONARD AWARD NOMINATIONS DUE DECEMBER 8 Here's your chance to say "thank you" to the reporter who released the best stories about Amateur Radio between December 3, 2007 and December 8, 2008 -- nominate them for the Leonard Award! This annual ARRL award honors a professional journalist whose outstanding coverage in TV, radio, print or multimedia best reflects the enjoyment, importance and public service value of Amateur Radio. Nominations are judged by members of the League's PR Committee; the final decision is made during the ARRL Board meeting in January. The winner receives an engraved plaque and a cash award of $500. The Leonard Award was created as a tribute to the late CBS News President Bill Leonard, W2SKE. He was an avid Amateur Radio operator, and most active on the air during the 1960s and 1970s. The recipient will receive the award based on a print story, photo essay, audio or video (including broadcast) or multimedia presentation that covers the topic of Amateur Radio. The scope of the work nominated may be a single story or series in a commercially published book, a recognized general-circulation (non-trade) daily or weekly newspaper, a general or special-interest magazine (except publications predominantly about Amateur Radio), a commercial or public radio or television broadcast, a Web site operated by a generally recognized journalistic organization (such as a newspaper, magazine, broadcast station or network) or multimedia format (a CD-ROM, for example). The story must be truthful, clear and accurate, reflecting high journalistic standards. Only one submission per entrant will be accepted; a group award will count as a single entry. Nomination packets must include a complete application plus appropriate work sample: * Print article: Submit original tear sheets plus one photocopy on 8.5 x 11 inch paper. If there are multiple pages, write the author's name on the back of each sheet. * Radio: Submit one copy of script on 8.5 x 11 paper plus one standard audio CD or MP3 file. * Television: Submit one copy of script on 8.5 x 11 paper plus one DVD or MP4 file. * Multimedia: Submit a photocopy of each screen or Web page and/or CD ROM or DVD diskette(s) as appropriate. For more information, please see page 62 of the November 2008 issue of QST or contact ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP . Pitts advises that some news organizations prohibit journalists from entering contests that offer monetary awards, so check with your potential nominee ahead of time. == NEW BASIC ANTENNA BOOK AVAILABLE FROM ARRL For something that is often so simple to make, an antenna is remarkably difficult for many people to understand. The antenna is one of your shack's most important elements and can make your radio system a success. Now available from ARRL, "Basic Antennas: Understanding Practical Antennas and Design" http://www.arrl.org/catalog/?item=9994 is a comprehensive introduction to antennas -- basic concepts, practical designs and details of easy-to-build antennas. You'll learn how to make antennas that really work. This book will provide a foundation in antenna theory and design necessary for anyone undertaking more advanced topics and projects such as those presented in "The ARRL Antenna Book" http://www.arrl.org/catalog/?item=9876. Written by ARRL Technical Editor Joel Hallas, W1ZR, this new book includes an introduction to antennas, as well as sections on dipole antennas, antenna impedance, transmission lines, practical two element arrays, wideband and multiband antennas, monopole antennas, reflector antennas, Yagis for HF and VHF loop antennas, antennas for microwave applications, vehicle antennas, antenna measurements and an introduction to antenna modeling "Most people involved in the radio arts come from a background in the circuitry required to define radio equipment," Hallas said, "and many have difficulty making the transition to the electromagnetic side of radio. 'Basic Antennas' is intended to assist those with a basic knowledge of radio technology in making that important leap from the circuit domain to the antenna domain." Hallas said the technology presented in the book is developed using the "minimum of mathematical concepts to allow introduction of basic principles in an easy to read manner." Upon completion of this book, readers should have enough understanding of the basic principles of antenna systems to be able to make decisions about selecting antennas for their applications or using more advanced antenna materials properly. Joel Hallas, W1ZR, earned his BS and MS degrees in electrical engineering. He has been a radar and telecommunications systems engineer, engineering manager, telecommunications executive and college teacher. Now QST Technical Editor, he is also the author of "Basic Radio -- Understanding the Key Building Blocks" http://www.arrl.org/catalog/?item=9558. == GLOBAL EMERGENCY NETWORK MARKS RECORD The Global ALE High Frequency Network (HFN) http://hflink.net/ -- an international Amateur Radio Service organization of ham operators dedicated to emergency/relief radio communications -- has become the first network to operate continuously for more than 500 days on all international Amateur Radio shortwave bands simultaneously. According to HFN International ALE Coordinator Bonnie Crystal, KQ6XA, the main purpose of the Network is to provide efficient emergency and disaster relief communications to remote areas of the world. "Beginning with a core group of six North American radio operators in June 2007, HFN rapidly expanded to cover large areas of the planet with 24/7 digital communications," she said."HFN was designed to be an open framework for global Amateur Radio emergency services to interoperate on HF using the Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) system." http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/ale.html Relying on ionospheric radio communications, interconnected HFN base stations scan the radio bands every 10 seconds, from 3.5 MHz-28.0 MHz. Through this Net, Crystal said, ham operators stay connected with each other at all hours of the day or night in any mode of operation, and can send Internet e-mail or cell phone mobile text messages from the field. ==SOLAR UPDATE Tad "The Sun and moon get crossed, but they never touch" Cook, K7RA, this week reports: The latest sunspot appearance lasted eight days; the spot passed from view after Monday, November 17. Geomagnetic indices have remained nice and quiet. If you look here for recent geomagnetic data http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/indices/quar_DGD.txt, you will notice certain times which were extremely quiet with many zeroes in the K index. One of those periods is the days after November 16. You won't see quiet conditions like this once we get greater solar activity. The next time we see unsettled geomagnetic conditions should be November 25. Sunspot numbers for November 13-19 were 16, 12, 11, 11, 11, 0 and 0 with a mean of 8.7. The 10.7 cm flux was 69.1, 68.3, 68.2, 67.7, 67.7, 69.8 and 69.4 with a mean of 68.6. The estimated planetary A indices were 1, 1, 6, 8, 2, 1 and 1 with a mean of 2.9. The estimated mid-latitude A indices were 2, 1, 3, 7, 2, 0 and 1 with a mean of 2.3. 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 Robert Frost's "On Looking Up by Chance at the Constellations" http://www.poeticportal.net/content/view/775/29/. __________________________________ ==IN BRIEF: * This Week on the Radio: This week, the YO International PSK31 Contest is November 21. The LZ DX Contest is November 22-23. The SKCC Sprint and the RSGB 80 Meter Club Sprint (CW) are both on November 26. Next week, look for the CQ Worldwide DX Contest (CW) on November 29- 30 and the ARCI Topband Sprint on December 4. 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, December 7, 2008, for these online course sessions beginning on Friday, December 19, 2008: Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 2; Antenna Modeling; HF Digital Communications; and Radio Frequency Propagation. 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/cep/student or contact the Continuing Education Program Coordinator . * ARRL HQ to Close for Thanksgiving: ARRL Headquarters will be closed Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28 in observance of Thanksgiving. There will be no W1AW bulletins or code practice transmissions those days. The ARRL Letter will be distributed on Wednesday, November 26, but there will be no ARRL Audio News on Friday, November 28. ARRL Headquarters will reopen Monday, December 1 at 8 AM Eastern Standard Time. We wish everyone a safe and bountiful Thanksgiving holiday. * Canadian Amateurs Receive Limited 500 kHz Privileges: On November 10, Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) announced that Industry Canada, which regulates Amateur Radio in that country, has accepted an RAC proposal for selected Canadian radio amateurs to operate in the vicinity of 500 kHz. The proposal states that RAC would recommend amateurs who would be licensed to operate in the 504-509 kHz band with a maximum power of 20 W ERP and bandwidth up to 1 kHz. Stations operating in this band would be technically operating under Special Developmental Licenses, although they would all be radio amateurs. Distinct call signs would be used and the licenses would be renewable on an annual basis, subject to the amateur demonstrating the research he has carried out. According to the RAC, these amateur operations would support Canada's efforts to place a proposal on the agenda of the 2011 World Radio Conference (WRC-11), which, if adopted, would create an amateur allocation in the 600 meter band. The US, under the auspices of the ARRL's 500 kHz Experimental Station, WD2XSH, is also conducting research in this band. Canada is the eighth country to do experimentation on 55 kHz; along with the US and Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Romania are also participating. More information on the Canadian proposal will be posted to the RAC Web site as it becomes available. * Tom Jednacz, W7QF (SK): Thomas C. Jednacz, W7QF, of Dunnellon, Florida, passed away November 17 from complications from lupus. He was 68. An ARRL member and an avid DXer and contester, Jednacz founded the Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society (ARLS) with Jim Weidner, K2JXW, in 2000 http://www.arlhs.com/. The purposes of the ARLHS are to promote public awareness of ham radio and lighthouses, to preserve lights that are in danger of extinction and to pay tribute to the role that hams and lighthouse keepers have played in contributing to maritime safety. Professionally, Jednacz was a vice president of an engineering division at Philips Electronics and a member of IEEE. While at Philips, he was on a team credited with the invention of a building management system utilizing packet hopping communication. ================================================== ========= 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 news of interest to active radio amateurs. Visit the ARRL Web site http://www.arrl.org for the latest Amateur Radio news and news updates. The ARRL Web site http://www.arrl.org/ also offers informative features and columns. ARRL Audio News http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/ is a weekly "ham radio newscast" compiled and edited from The ARRL Letter. It's also available as a podcast from our Web site. Material from The ARRL Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole or in part in any form without additional permission. Credit must be given to The ARRL Letter/American Radio Relay League. ==Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!): ==Editorial questions or comments: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA, ==ARRL News on the Web: http://www.arrl.org ==ARRL Audio News: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/ or call 860-594-0384 ==How to Get The ARRL Letter The ARRL Letter is available to ARRL members free of charge directly from ARRL HQ. To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address for e-mail delivery: ARRL members first must register on the Members Only Web Site http://www.arrl.org/members/. You'll have an opportunity during registration to sign up for e-mail delivery of The ARRL Letter, W1AW bulletins, and other material. To change these selections--including delivery of The ARRL Letter--registered members should click on the "Member Data Page" link (in the Members Only box). Click on "Modify membership data," check or uncheck the appropriate boxes and/or change your e-mail address if necessary. (Check "Temporarily disable all automatically sent email" to temporarily stop all e-mail deliveries.) Then, click on "Submit modification" to make selections effective. (NOTE: HQ staff members cannot change your e-mail delivery address. You must do this yourself via the Members Only Web Site.) The ARRL Letter also is available to all, free of charge, from these sources: * ARRLWeb http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/. (NOTE: The ARRL Letter will be posted each Friday when it is distributed via e-mail.) * The QTH.net listserver, thanks to volunteers from the Boston Amateur Radio Club: Visit Mailing http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/letter-list. (NOTE: The ARRL cannot assist subscribers who receive The ARRL Letter via this listserver.) Copyright 2008 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved |
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